WEBVTT - Conversations with Lindsey Carter 0:00:02.160 --> 0:00:06.680 This is Conversationous with Olivia Jade and I Heart Radio podcast. 0:00:09.800 --> 0:00:13.720 Hey everyone, it's Olivia Jade. Welcome back to another episode 0:00:13.760 --> 0:00:19.000 of Conversations. Today's episode I have a very very wonderful, smart, 0:00:19.239 --> 0:00:24.160 special guest and she is the founder of Set Active, 0:00:24.280 --> 0:00:27.040 which if you guys follow me, you know I wear 0:00:27.080 --> 0:00:30.120 their workout gear all the time. I'm in it right now, 0:00:30.680 --> 0:00:33.240 I worked out in it this morning. It's my life. 0:00:33.240 --> 0:00:36.080 I'm obsessed. So I'm so excited to have her on. 0:00:36.600 --> 0:00:43.800 And with that being said, please welcome Lindsay Carter. Hello, Hello, welcome. 0:00:44.880 --> 0:00:48.920 Thank you. You like my jacket? Yes, honestly I was 0:00:48.960 --> 0:00:50.440 going to wear Set two and I was like I 0:00:50.560 --> 0:00:53.239 probably like I'm in full set just so you know 0:00:53.400 --> 0:00:57.600 right now. Also in short, the bra, the whole. Oh 0:00:57.680 --> 0:01:00.680 my god, I'm we're sending you some new stuff, right 0:01:00.720 --> 0:01:03.960 I think I'm so excited that's coming on the way. Yeah, 0:01:04.000 --> 0:01:06.760 thank you so much, because I'm not exaggerating when I 0:01:06.800 --> 0:01:12.040 say I've probably bought over twenty pairs of your workout here, Like, um, 0:01:12.120 --> 0:01:15.200 we'll stop buying it, We'll stud me. I'm happy to support, 0:01:15.240 --> 0:01:17.360 but I'm like a die hard fan. When they told 0:01:17.360 --> 0:01:19.720 me they were like, do you want Lindsay on the podcast? 0:01:19.720 --> 0:01:21.880 I was like, please, I really want to know everything. 0:01:22.000 --> 0:01:24.920 My god. So I'm just really excited you're here. Thank 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:28.760 you so much for coming on. Um, of course, I'm 0:01:28.800 --> 0:01:32.240 so excited. Should we just dive right in? Yeah, It's 0:01:32.280 --> 0:01:34.040 it's weird for me to be on the opposite end 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:36.520 because I also host a podcast. So I'm like kind 0:01:36.520 --> 0:01:38.600 of excited to be in the hot seat rather than 0:01:38.640 --> 0:01:41.560 hosting because I get awkward sometimes I do. So if 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:43.920 you want to take over at any point, feel free. 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:46.399 I don't mind. Um, but will you give a little 0:01:46.400 --> 0:01:48.600 background as to who you are for the listeners that 0:01:48.720 --> 0:01:54.000 don't know. Yeah, Um, so I'm Lindsay Carter. I am 0:01:54.280 --> 0:01:57.480 soon to be a mom of two. Um, I own 0:01:57.680 --> 0:02:00.000 that active I started it like four and a half 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:03.880 years ago. Um. I started it with no experience in 0:02:03.920 --> 0:02:08.160 the active industry or fashion world. Um. I went to 0:02:08.160 --> 0:02:12.240 school to be a kindergarten teacher and now I have 0:02:12.320 --> 0:02:16.080 an office in Beverly Hills with over thirty employees. Wow. 0:02:16.520 --> 0:02:19.040 So when you say you had no experience in active 0:02:19.040 --> 0:02:24.080 where what made you want to start this? Then? Um 0:02:24.120 --> 0:02:28.320 it's kind of a loaded question, but I so After college, 0:02:28.440 --> 0:02:31.600 I got a job at NBC Universal and then I 0:02:31.840 --> 0:02:34.720 dabbled in social media. Back then, I say back then 0:02:34.760 --> 0:02:40.280 as if like I'm, you know, a dinosaur. But back then, 0:02:40.600 --> 0:02:44.359 in my world, social media was just kind of like 0:02:44.919 --> 0:02:47.360 popping off, like no one really was using it, No 0:02:47.400 --> 0:02:49.960 one really used it for marketing or anything like that. 0:02:50.639 --> 0:02:53.679 And I had told my bosses at NBC Universals, like, 0:02:53.720 --> 0:02:56.840 I really think that we should be marketing these shows 0:02:57.080 --> 0:02:59.920 on social media, Like no one's doing that, but there's 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:03.400 these personalities on social and that's where I found my 0:03:03.520 --> 0:03:05.760 love for branding and social media. And I say this 0:03:05.840 --> 0:03:08.720 story because I think it's such an important part of 0:03:08.840 --> 0:03:12.440 how I started set um. And then from there I 0:03:12.480 --> 0:03:17.399 went to a trending forecasting agency UM where I did 0:03:17.639 --> 0:03:20.560 social media and branding and marketing and I basically wrote 0:03:20.600 --> 0:03:25.399 reports on how to create a cult like brand UM. 0:03:25.840 --> 0:03:27.760 And then from there I was like, you know what, 0:03:27.880 --> 0:03:31.120 I want to take what I know and apply it 0:03:31.160 --> 0:03:35.320 to like myself. And I had my own social media 0:03:35.400 --> 0:03:38.800 marketing branding agency called Elie Social, where I did like 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:42.920 I blew brands up for people UM. And then I 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:45.680 was like, why am I giving everyone my idea? I 0:03:45.880 --> 0:03:49.200 should do my own thing. So I was sitting at 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:53.480 Alfred on Melrose Place and everyone was wearing activewear in 0:03:53.520 --> 0:03:55.520 and out of the coffee shop, but no one looked 0:03:55.720 --> 0:03:58.720 like they were cute cute people, but like no one 0:03:58.760 --> 0:04:02.360 looked put together, like no one looked street style active 0:04:02.400 --> 0:04:04.480 where you know, no one was doing it at the time. 0:04:05.160 --> 0:04:09.600 Um Ala was really focused on like yoga, and Lulu 0:04:09.760 --> 0:04:13.280 was focused on exercise, and Jim Shark was focused on 0:04:13.360 --> 0:04:18.680 like full on yeah, and so it's like there's no 0:04:18.720 --> 0:04:21.599 one who's like focusing on the in between of being 0:04:21.640 --> 0:04:26.080 active while staying active essentially. So I was like, I'm 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:28.480 gonna do it. So I did it so smart. You 0:04:28.680 --> 0:04:31.200 found the missing thing in the market and created it yourself. 0:04:31.520 --> 0:04:33.920 And I have to say it's it honestly is so 0:04:34.000 --> 0:04:37.360 comfortable too. And I I feel like any time I 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:40.760 don't know what to wear, I'm constantly reaching just for 0:04:40.839 --> 0:04:44.040 one of my set sets because it looks so chic 0:04:44.120 --> 0:04:47.520 and put together, like you're saying. Um So, I have 0:04:47.560 --> 0:04:49.520 a question that I've been wondering, and I love to 0:04:49.560 --> 0:04:52.800 ask this to people that have started their own businesses 0:04:53.000 --> 0:04:56.640 or entrepreneurs in any sense of the word. If you're 0:04:56.680 --> 0:04:58.719 a young girl or a young boy, and you're sitting 0:04:58.720 --> 0:05:03.240 at home and you don't have the connections or maybe 0:05:03.240 --> 0:05:06.680 necessarily some of the resources that some people may have, 0:05:07.160 --> 0:05:09.440 and you really want to start a line. What would 0:05:09.480 --> 0:05:11.960 your advice be and where did you kind of start 0:05:11.960 --> 0:05:13.760 and say, Okay, this is what I want to do. 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:15.880 This is the first step I'm taking. And obviously you 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:18.080 can share as much as you want without giving too 0:05:18.200 --> 0:05:21.640 much of your secrets and whatever. But I am curious. 0:05:22.560 --> 0:05:25.600 It's honestly really not a secret. I there's so many 0:05:25.640 --> 0:05:30.440 different ways to start a brand. UM. First of all, 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:33.279 talk about it, Tell your friends, tell your family friends, 0:05:33.400 --> 0:05:36.080 talk to your parents, ask if they know anyone, because 0:05:37.160 --> 0:05:41.320 you would be so surprised who has connections where? And 0:05:41.520 --> 0:05:45.400 everyone has this like taboo thought like they don't want 0:05:45.400 --> 0:05:47.640 to ask for help or you know, whatever it might be. 0:05:47.680 --> 0:05:50.240 But you'd be so surprised who's willing to just connect 0:05:50.240 --> 0:05:54.000 you to someone to start a conversation. UM. And then also, 0:05:54.320 --> 0:05:58.119 Google is your best friend. I literally googled seamless Active 0:05:58.120 --> 0:06:02.120 where Los Angeles. I already had my business plan in 0:06:02.200 --> 0:06:04.160 my head and I had it written up, and it 0:06:04.200 --> 0:06:08.039 was like this whole social media pitch um of how 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:09.760 I was going to market it and like why they 0:06:09.760 --> 0:06:12.919 should partner with me, Because a lot of factories and 0:06:13.000 --> 0:06:16.760 manufacturers require minimums, and so unless you're willing to hit 0:06:16.800 --> 0:06:19.159 their minimum, they're probably not going to work with you. 0:06:19.279 --> 0:06:23.200 But when I was willing to like prove and show 0:06:23.240 --> 0:06:26.200 the growth to them and say like this is what 0:06:26.920 --> 0:06:28.720 this is the reach I have, and this is how 0:06:28.720 --> 0:06:31.800 I'm going to do it, they're more willing to listen 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:36.920 and sort of negotiate with you. Um, everyone's willing to negotiate. Um. 0:06:37.040 --> 0:06:42.400 And then also there's services. UM. I I'm not like 0:06:42.480 --> 0:06:46.240 a master in sourcing, but I did post on my 0:06:46.279 --> 0:06:49.440 TikTok with our head of production resources that if you 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:52.760 did want to start your own clothing brand or anything 0:06:52.800 --> 0:06:56.279 like that, there are resources or websites that lead you 0:06:56.400 --> 0:06:58.839 to the right contacts depending on what it is that 0:06:58.880 --> 0:07:02.159 you want to start. UM. But I would really say 0:07:02.200 --> 0:07:05.680 the first steps that you should take our first understand 0:07:05.800 --> 0:07:09.359 what it is that you're building. Be passionate about it, 0:07:09.400 --> 0:07:12.240 because if you're not passionate about it, it's not going 0:07:12.280 --> 0:07:14.200 to take off. It's not going to go anywhere. And 0:07:14.280 --> 0:07:17.920 don't fake your passionate about it, really be passionate about 0:07:17.960 --> 0:07:20.600 and ask yourself, can you do this every single day 0:07:20.640 --> 0:07:22.800 for the rest of your life, even the hard days, 0:07:23.280 --> 0:07:25.240 And if the answer is still yes, then go to 0:07:25.280 --> 0:07:27.600 the next step and keep going to that next step 0:07:27.640 --> 0:07:31.160 as long as you're answering yourself. Yes. Okay, great advice. 0:07:31.280 --> 0:07:34.320 I love that. Can we backcheck a little bit about 0:07:34.560 --> 0:07:37.640 kind of maybe some like marketing hacks that you've discovered 0:07:37.840 --> 0:07:40.080 or what's worked really well for you and why you 0:07:40.120 --> 0:07:45.040 think it's worked really well. Yeah, Um, marketing is so broad, 0:07:45.200 --> 0:07:48.360 so it really depends on what the product is that 0:07:48.400 --> 0:07:51.960 you're marketing. The first thing you need to understand in 0:07:52.000 --> 0:07:55.640 any marketing position, whether you're working at an agency, marketing 0:07:55.640 --> 0:07:59.080 for your own brand, marketing for someone else's brand, is 0:07:59.320 --> 0:08:05.160 no your audience. You have to understand who you're selling to, 0:08:05.560 --> 0:08:09.040 what their interests are, what they like, what they don't like, 0:08:09.480 --> 0:08:11.960 and then you have to trial and airing your marketing plans. 0:08:12.040 --> 0:08:17.040 So first set specifically, they need to be educated on 0:08:17.400 --> 0:08:21.000 new styles, new products, different things like that, because then 0:08:21.040 --> 0:08:24.720 they feel they get like anxiety if they're not understanding 0:08:24.760 --> 0:08:30.320 the function of the new the new style that we're doing. UM, 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:33.200 I would definitely say. The first step any marketing hack 0:08:33.240 --> 0:08:35.600 one on one is know your audience. Know who you're 0:08:35.640 --> 0:08:40.640 marketing to. You know, it's if you don't understand your audience, 0:08:40.679 --> 0:08:42.680 then you're not going to be able to tell the story, 0:08:43.200 --> 0:08:47.400 which is hack number two. Tell a story. You need 0:08:47.600 --> 0:08:52.000 to be able to talk to your audience and let 0:08:52.000 --> 0:08:55.400 them understand, like why are you doing this, Why did 0:08:55.440 --> 0:08:57.920 you decide to come out with this style dress, How 0:08:57.960 --> 0:09:00.680 does this dress make a difference in your day? One's 0:09:00.760 --> 0:09:05.000 different about it? Um. And then I think and a 0:09:05.000 --> 0:09:07.520 lot of people might either agree or disagree with this, 0:09:07.559 --> 0:09:11.120 but tip number three is transparency. I think that's like 0:09:11.160 --> 0:09:15.280 what set No Pun intended, What set Set apart from 0:09:15.360 --> 0:09:19.760 other brands is our transparency. You know, if we've poked 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:22.320 up and there was a production mistake, we say it. 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:27.000 If something's delayed in our warehouse, we announce it. Um. 0:09:27.040 --> 0:09:30.480 I think that would definitely be hack number three. I 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:32.440 love that. I feel like, yeah, that it's a huge thing. 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:34.880 And I also think like there's something to be said 0:09:35.000 --> 0:09:37.760 for the fact that I knew who you were before 0:09:38.200 --> 0:09:41.160 meeting you, or I like had a face to put 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:43.920 to the brand head sort of and like I think 0:09:43.960 --> 0:09:46.520 that's really helpful as well, because you feel like a 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:49.520 like there's a personal connection there just another like young 0:09:49.559 --> 0:09:52.600 woman or something of that regard. I think is helpful 0:09:52.920 --> 0:09:56.439 to not only sales, but just to make the consumer 0:09:56.520 --> 0:09:59.839 feel like, oh, this is like a legitimate, trustworthy, like 0:10:00.160 --> 0:10:05.440 wholesome brand also, um, which I think is amazing. And 0:10:05.760 --> 0:10:09.000 I also just feel like it can be probably i'd 0:10:09.040 --> 0:10:13.120 imagine I've never started a company, but really difficult when 0:10:13.280 --> 0:10:16.400 something comes back fucked up like you said, or there 0:10:16.520 --> 0:10:19.079 was a mistake, and have you had I mean, I'm 0:10:19.120 --> 0:10:21.120 sure you guys have been around for a few years now, 0:10:21.160 --> 0:10:25.080 like any major no pun intended, but like setbacks. Um, 0:10:25.280 --> 0:10:28.559 right now we're currently going through something. So I think 0:10:28.600 --> 0:10:31.200 the biggest lesson that I've learned in business in general 0:10:31.320 --> 0:10:33.480 is that not only are there going to be like 0:10:33.600 --> 0:10:38.640 problems externally you know with production and manufacturing, but internally 0:10:38.800 --> 0:10:44.400 managing your employees, understanding their personalities, um, creating a like 0:10:44.679 --> 0:10:47.040 company culture where people want to wake up and come 0:10:47.080 --> 0:10:49.360 to work every day, and then dealing with people who 0:10:49.440 --> 0:10:53.760 aren't in the right you know, positions. It affects the 0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:57.360 company externally, having the wrong talent in the wrong positions 0:10:57.400 --> 0:11:01.600 could really up your company and something that we're dealing 0:11:01.640 --> 0:11:04.440 with now. So we're going through our second restructure. We're 0:11:04.440 --> 0:11:07.640 trying to find the right talent. We're poaching people were 0:11:07.679 --> 0:11:11.640 doing really hardcore interviews. By talent, do you mean people 0:11:11.679 --> 0:11:13.920 that work on the Set Active team or you mean 0:11:14.040 --> 0:11:18.600 like social media presence that you like, I want to 0:11:18.640 --> 0:11:23.920 work with influencers talent meaning like employees, like people who 0:11:23.960 --> 0:11:27.760 work on this on like the Set Active team. Um. 0:11:28.400 --> 0:11:32.880 You know, so many people can like talk the talk, 0:11:33.160 --> 0:11:36.400 but they cannot walk the walk, they cannot execute, and 0:11:36.440 --> 0:11:41.520 it can really really really like up a company. Um. 0:11:41.600 --> 0:11:45.600 And then also like obviously there's production issues our whole thing, 0:11:45.720 --> 0:11:49.600 or colors and like wearing matching colors, um with your 0:11:49.640 --> 0:11:53.000 sweats or your basics or you're active and we had 0:11:53.040 --> 0:11:55.440 a color for Montana that's it was really hard to 0:11:55.640 --> 0:11:58.440 get it to match and so it it's delayed and 0:11:58.440 --> 0:11:59.800 we had to be like, Okay, we got to get 0:11:59.800 --> 0:12:02.680 the DPS ready, which is the product description pages that 0:12:02.720 --> 0:12:04.720 you see on websites. We have to say, like this 0:12:04.800 --> 0:12:07.400 item is not shipping till this date. You have to 0:12:07.440 --> 0:12:10.280 alert the whole team. You have to like let social 0:12:10.320 --> 0:12:13.600 media know, because they want to know when they're getting 0:12:13.640 --> 0:12:17.160 their stuff. Um, so like problems like that happen all 0:12:17.160 --> 0:12:20.560 the time, and that I would say, like the other 0:12:20.640 --> 0:12:23.719 hardest part of like being a business owner is that 0:12:23.840 --> 0:12:26.080 so many people think they know how to run your business. 0:12:26.360 --> 0:12:29.640 Um there's people who hide behind social media accounts or 0:12:29.960 --> 0:12:32.320 you know, someone commented on our TikTok saying like this 0:12:32.400 --> 0:12:34.720 color is just the same as Macha. I'm like, really, 0:12:34.800 --> 0:12:38.600 because you and opened our Pantone book and pack the 0:12:38.600 --> 0:12:41.920 Pantone color yourself, and you know for a fact that 0:12:41.960 --> 0:12:45.000 we just took that color. And I'm just like sitting 0:12:45.000 --> 0:12:47.199 there and I had this conversation with a friend last 0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:50.320 night at dinner, and I was like, would they say 0:12:50.360 --> 0:12:54.040 that to someone's face, No, they sit behind don't even 0:12:57.679 --> 0:13:01.600 saying I've It's it's mind blowing to me what some 0:13:01.679 --> 0:13:05.120 of these people do behind a phone screen. I'm just 0:13:05.160 --> 0:13:08.240 like audacity, because they know how to run a multimillion 0:13:08.280 --> 0:13:10.559 dollar company. Maybe I should bring them in and let 0:13:10.600 --> 0:13:27.680 them do it for a week. I have a question. 0:13:27.760 --> 0:13:30.800 This is so random, but I feel like one of 0:13:30.840 --> 0:13:35.439 the trickiest things to do with anything like legging material 0:13:35.720 --> 0:13:39.840 or just like tight and a mixture of a light 0:13:39.880 --> 0:13:44.040 color creates a camel toe or like something that's unflattering. 0:13:44.080 --> 0:13:46.600 And I feel like with all the workout gear I've 0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:50.000 purchased from you guys that doesn't happen. Is that because 0:13:50.040 --> 0:13:53.400 of the material, Is there like a double layer situation happening? 0:13:53.480 --> 0:13:57.360 How do you avoid that? Um? Get yourself a good 0:13:57.360 --> 0:14:01.000 tech packer? Um? No, but really there's some thing called, well, 0:14:01.480 --> 0:14:04.760 all of our all of our leggings now don't have 0:14:04.800 --> 0:14:08.040 a front seam. They have the back seam that you 0:14:08.080 --> 0:14:11.520 know flatters your butt, but there's no front seam that 0:14:11.559 --> 0:14:14.800 gives you that camel toe. I think it just depends. Obviously, 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:20.040 everyone's like bottom half is created differently. Um, understanding and 0:14:20.200 --> 0:14:23.320 in seems so like the line that would go in 0:14:23.400 --> 0:14:26.880 the front, and like how that measures is also really 0:14:26.960 --> 0:14:30.280 important for camel toe, and so getting that in seam 0:14:30.760 --> 0:14:36.800 like perfect will make a huge difference in any active where. Um. However, 0:14:37.240 --> 0:14:40.320 we took out our front seam to alleviate the camel 0:14:40.320 --> 0:14:44.480 toe situation. Um, it also depends, like what underwear you're 0:14:44.480 --> 0:14:47.960 wearing under your leggings. Um. Some I mean consult with 0:14:47.960 --> 0:14:51.360 your doctor when I say this, But some gynecologists say, like, 0:14:51.400 --> 0:14:53.800 you're not supposed to wear underwear with your leggings because 0:14:53.800 --> 0:14:57.600 it's like a double added like bacteria layer. So that 0:14:57.680 --> 0:15:00.840 might help or not help with camel too. Try out, 0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:03.360 let us know, Yeah, try it out, let us know. 0:15:03.560 --> 0:15:07.960 And we also came out with seamless underwear to like 0:15:08.080 --> 0:15:13.080 mitigate what camel toe does. Um, And it's like we're 0:15:13.120 --> 0:15:15.280 finally bringing it back. We had a production issue with 0:15:15.360 --> 0:15:17.520 them and it was our best like one of our 0:15:17.520 --> 0:15:20.080 best selling products. So I'm excited that indoors coming back 0:15:20.120 --> 0:15:23.200 because that helps the camel too. That's huge. When you 0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:26.520 first started, like backtrack a little bit more, were you 0:15:26.880 --> 0:15:30.760 immediately using a factory or like a shipping warehouse or 0:15:30.800 --> 0:15:34.320 were you when you first began like shipping things yourself. 0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:37.040 How how much help did you have? Like what was 0:15:37.080 --> 0:15:42.800 the really early stage looking like? Um, the really early 0:15:42.880 --> 0:15:47.320 stage is probably exactly what you imagine a young entrepreneurs 0:15:47.360 --> 0:15:51.480 life to look like. Um, it was me and Nicky Shay, 0:15:51.640 --> 0:15:55.880 who was my first employee, and we looked like Santa 0:15:55.880 --> 0:15:58.840 Claus every day with like plastic bags full of orders 0:15:59.160 --> 0:16:03.600 over my shoulder, my whole apartment, my poor husband who 0:16:03.680 --> 0:16:05.160 is now my husband at the time, but was my 0:16:05.240 --> 0:16:08.880 boyfriend and fiance. Basically had to live in this box 0:16:09.000 --> 0:16:12.960 line department with me of like you know, container store 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:16.480 boxes labeled with sizes and colors, and then production boxes 0:16:16.560 --> 0:16:20.080 I'm talking lined from the floor to the ceiling every 0:16:20.120 --> 0:16:24.840 crevice of my apartment. UM. And so me and Nicky 0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:29.040 were shipping out orders every single day. UM. I remember 0:16:29.080 --> 0:16:32.600 like burying Nikki in the orders, Like one day when 0:16:32.640 --> 0:16:34.600 we got a time and it was like find Nikki 0:16:34.680 --> 0:16:38.200 and she like pops up from the orders. Um. And 0:16:38.240 --> 0:16:44.840 then we graduated to my family friend's house, her guesthouse. 0:16:44.880 --> 0:16:48.280 She like had it as an office um, and we 0:16:48.320 --> 0:16:52.720 shipped orders from there because we needed more space. And 0:16:52.760 --> 0:16:56.600 then we worked for my dining room up until two 0:16:57.040 --> 0:16:59.360 and a half years ago. I would say, um, we 0:16:59.480 --> 0:17:02.400 crowded my dining room table. Once I hired on more employees. 0:17:02.400 --> 0:17:04.560 I think at one point I had ten employees at 0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:07.200 my dining room table. And then we were like, okay, 0:17:07.280 --> 0:17:09.680 it's time for an office. And that was year three 0:17:10.000 --> 0:17:12.199 that we got an office. So for three years I 0:17:12.240 --> 0:17:15.080 worked from my dining room table at my house. That's 0:17:15.119 --> 0:17:18.639 some serious hustle. I respect that on so many levels. 0:17:18.680 --> 0:17:24.120 That's amazing. What was like the trickiest thing within that, UM, 0:17:24.160 --> 0:17:27.240 I would say, keeping up with the growth, UM, teaching 0:17:27.280 --> 0:17:31.120 myself things that I am not good at, like Shopify 0:17:31.160 --> 0:17:35.640 and inventory and customer service. Oh my god. I learned 0:17:35.680 --> 0:17:38.160 so quickly that I could never work on a customer 0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:41.479 service team, Like ever did you have to deal with that? 0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:43.800 Like when if things weren't going or if like an 0:17:43.920 --> 0:17:46.399 order didn't ship or somebody didn't receive something, where you 0:17:46.440 --> 0:17:49.639 personally in the beginning messaging these people back, being like 0:17:49.680 --> 0:17:52.320 I'm so sorry, what was your order number? Dada da da? 0:17:52.720 --> 0:17:54.880 Oh yeah, I mean even on launch day, I don't 0:17:54.880 --> 0:17:57.120 even think we had a customer service email set up 0:17:57.160 --> 0:18:03.280 like it was it was my hand Like it was crazy. UM. 0:18:03.320 --> 0:18:07.120 And I learned quickly that I have little patients for 0:18:07.240 --> 0:18:10.640 rude people, and people tend to get very rude over 0:18:10.680 --> 0:18:14.800 customer service. I understand the frustration of like spending money 0:18:14.840 --> 0:18:17.480 on something and not receiving it and you know the 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:20.280 long list of reasons, but you don't need to be rude. 0:18:20.480 --> 0:18:23.560 And I was like finding that I didn't have tolerance 0:18:23.600 --> 0:18:26.480 for that. But Nikki is so patient and so kind, 0:18:26.720 --> 0:18:28.480 and she was really good at it, so I kind 0:18:28.480 --> 0:18:32.040 of like put that on her weight. UM. And then 0:18:32.320 --> 0:18:34.840 you know that goes into just like knowing your employees 0:18:34.840 --> 0:18:39.520 and always hiring for your weaknesses because UM, that's what's 0:18:39.520 --> 0:18:42.080 going to move a company forward in the end. But yeah, 0:18:42.160 --> 0:18:44.840 I mean we did all of the customer service. That 0:18:44.960 --> 0:18:47.480 was definitely one of the hardest things. UM. And then 0:18:47.560 --> 0:18:51.040 just like things that I didn't know, like you had 0:18:51.080 --> 0:18:53.640 to put package weights and I'm like, well, I don't 0:18:53.640 --> 0:18:55.639 know how much this package ways? Like what am I 0:18:55.720 --> 0:18:59.919 supposed to put shop? Um, There's things that you learn 0:19:00.040 --> 0:19:02.679 a long way. And so I think that's like my 0:19:02.760 --> 0:19:04.880 biggest piece of advice that I try to tell people 0:19:05.000 --> 0:19:08.280 is like take it step by step. Things are going 0:19:08.320 --> 0:19:11.800 to pop up. You can google, you can ask a friend, like, 0:19:12.880 --> 0:19:15.000 you'll figure it out as long as you take it 0:19:15.080 --> 0:19:18.000 step by step. Just don't get ahead of yourself totally. 0:19:18.200 --> 0:19:23.400 How many sets did you guys release when you first started? UM, 0:19:23.520 --> 0:19:26.040 So it was only one active fabric, which was our 0:19:26.080 --> 0:19:29.760 skull flex fabric. It's that buttery seamless fabric that UM 0:19:29.800 --> 0:19:32.600 we came out with, and then we came out with 0:19:33.080 --> 0:19:36.840 four colors UM, and then I think it was two 0:19:36.880 --> 0:19:40.919 style tops, and then biker shorts. Actually biker shorts didn't 0:19:40.920 --> 0:19:43.399 come until a little bit later, and then the legging 0:19:44.240 --> 0:19:49.320 and then um, it was we've kind of dominated like 0:19:49.480 --> 0:19:53.600 the limited edition aspect for the first year. UM at 0:19:53.600 --> 0:19:56.240 the time, like no one was really doing drop model 0:19:57.119 --> 0:19:59.800 businesses like they were, but it was like supreme like 0:20:00.080 --> 0:20:04.720 really you know coveted brands that either were like known 0:20:04.840 --> 0:20:07.440 for like the lines on Fairfax and things like that, 0:20:07.480 --> 0:20:09.520 and there wasn't really a dt C brand, or at 0:20:09.560 --> 0:20:12.359 least maybe I just was. I'm naive and I have 0:20:12.480 --> 0:20:15.399 no idea, but I didn't know the DTC brand that 0:20:15.400 --> 0:20:19.280 we was doing drop model um. And so that's sort 0:20:19.280 --> 0:20:21.040 of how we went about doing things. And we don't 0:20:21.040 --> 0:20:23.959 do any wholesale UM, I won't do it. This might 0:20:24.000 --> 0:20:26.320 be a really dumb question, but what is a drop model? 0:20:26.440 --> 0:20:28.919 What does that mean? Drop model means that it doesn't 0:20:28.920 --> 0:20:32.720 stay in stock, So you like have a limited edition collection, 0:20:32.920 --> 0:20:35.240 you drop it, and then you do a new drop 0:20:35.600 --> 0:20:38.360 a couple of weeks later, a month later, whatever your 0:20:38.400 --> 0:20:40.800 cadence that you want is. And that's not a dumb 0:20:40.880 --> 0:20:43.880 question question. So it just like makes it a little 0:20:43.880 --> 0:20:46.159 bit more enticing maybe for the consumer like, I have 0:20:46.280 --> 0:21:04.280 to have that before it is out of there. Obviously, 0:21:04.280 --> 0:21:06.520 we talked a little bit in the beginning about marketing 0:21:06.800 --> 0:21:10.040 and how important that was. But before you guys launched 0:21:10.080 --> 0:21:13.560 your product, did you have a marketing plan in place 0:21:13.600 --> 0:21:15.440 that you guys were posting like this is a new 0:21:15.480 --> 0:21:18.359 brand set active drops this day, And did you build 0:21:18.359 --> 0:21:20.639 like a little bit of a social media following for 0:21:20.840 --> 0:21:24.120 the brand before launching it or when you launched it then, 0:21:24.160 --> 0:21:26.600 did you guys really go like balls to the wall 0:21:26.760 --> 0:21:32.560 with promotion. Yeah, so, actually we never ran ads um 0:21:32.680 --> 0:21:37.440 first set, I started like an Instagram page and had 0:21:37.480 --> 0:21:41.320 a mood board going. But on my personal Instagram, which 0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:44.639 is something I still do on my personal Instagram, was 0:21:44.760 --> 0:21:47.680 I was posting samples. I was posting teasers. I had 0:21:47.760 --> 0:21:49.760 all of my friends come over and shy on samples, 0:21:49.760 --> 0:21:51.360 and then they were posting about it, and then their 0:21:51.440 --> 0:21:53.760 friends were like, where is that from? So I call 0:21:53.800 --> 0:21:57.360 it my digital word of mouth like marketing strategy. Because 0:21:57.560 --> 0:22:00.560 I had everyone anyone come over. I wouldn't have a 0:22:00.560 --> 0:22:03.240 pizza party when it was sample night and all of 0:22:03.280 --> 0:22:05.720 the sample boxes would arrive and all of my friends 0:22:05.720 --> 0:22:07.840 would take me yourselfies and like just be like this, 0:22:08.000 --> 0:22:11.760 these leggings are insane or you know. I I posted 0:22:11.800 --> 0:22:14.040 reviews on my Instagram and this was all through my 0:22:14.080 --> 0:22:18.080 personal Instagram, and then I started selling the samples on 0:22:18.160 --> 0:22:21.760 my Instagram very transparently. I was like, this is a sample, 0:22:21.920 --> 0:22:26.160 it might not fit perfectly. This is my venmo. Whoever 0:22:26.320 --> 0:22:28.880 secures it gets it. And I sold out of all 0:22:28.880 --> 0:22:32.920 my samples. UM. So yeah, I like did a Set 0:22:32.960 --> 0:22:35.080 Active mood board because I knew I needed a home 0:22:35.119 --> 0:22:38.080 base for these people to follow once my friends started 0:22:38.080 --> 0:22:40.919 posting about it UM, and I needed to keep the 0:22:40.960 --> 0:22:45.600 momentum going of the chatter about the brand. UM. But 0:22:45.680 --> 0:22:49.600 I will say that what I intended for to start 0:22:49.600 --> 0:22:53.800 Set Active and what it is today has changed, has pivoted. UM. 0:22:53.840 --> 0:22:56.880 That's always going to happen in business. If it's not 0:22:57.000 --> 0:23:01.560 pivoting and it's not you know, like staying the same 0:23:01.720 --> 0:23:05.480 like or changing and something's wrong like you're it's never 0:23:05.480 --> 0:23:11.080 going to succeed. So that's amazing. And would you say 0:23:11.119 --> 0:23:18.600 that you intended to expand into UM like different types 0:23:18.640 --> 0:23:22.399 of product, not just work out because obviously I'm in 0:23:22.440 --> 0:23:24.040 like a hoodie and I know you guys have like 0:23:24.080 --> 0:23:27.199