1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:03,720 Speaker 1: The views, information, or opinions express during this podcast are 2 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:06,120 Speaker 1: solely those of the individuals involved and do not represent 3 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:08,440 Speaker 1: those of Intout, QuickBooks or any of its cornerstone brands 4 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:11,600 Speaker 1: or employees. This podcast does not constitute financial, legal, or 5 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: other professional advice or services. No assurance is given that 6 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,159 Speaker 1: the info is comprehensive, accurate, or free of errors, and 7 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:20,239 Speaker 1: the information presented is for general information purposes only. Into 8 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 1: It QuickBooks does not have any responsibility for updating or 9 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 1: revising any information presented. 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QuickBooks Money is a standalone into It offering 11 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:31,600 Speaker 1: banking services provided by Green Dot Bank member FDIC. 12 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 2: Hey everyone, I'm Austin Hankwitz, host of the Rich Habits 13 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,639 Speaker 2: podcast and co founder of Wits Ventures, but you may 14 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:45,879 Speaker 2: instead recognize me from my short form videos about personal 15 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:48,200 Speaker 2: finance and investing on TikTok. 16 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: And I'm Jennise Torres, the creator and host of the 17 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 1: award winning personal finance podcast Yokierro de Neetro and author 18 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 1: of financially Lit, the Modern Latina's guide to level up 19 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: your de netto and become financially And we are back 20 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: for season two of Mine the Business Small Business Success Stories, 21 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: a podcast brought to you by Into It QuickBooks and 22 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:11,960 Speaker 1: Iheart's Ruby Studio. Austin and I are picking up where 23 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: we left off last season, chatting with small business owners 24 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: as they shared their stories about the ups and downs 25 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:20,960 Speaker 1: of owning a small business. And this season is special 26 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: because we'll be hearing from solopreneurs, people who run their 27 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: business completely on their own. But Austin, what have you 28 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:29,760 Speaker 1: been up to since we last spoke? 29 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 2: Ooh okay, So the Rich Habits podcast hit number one 30 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 2: on Spotify's Business Charts. I got to ring the opening 31 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 2: bell at the New York Stock Exchange alongside I Shares, 32 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,560 Speaker 2: which is a ETF division that Blackrock has, and I 33 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 2: had an incredible holiday with my dad and my girlfriend. 34 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 2: I got to make my famous sweet potato casse role. 35 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 2: Maybe it's not famous, but it does taste really good 36 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 2: and I got to make it, and I was really. 37 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 3: Excited about it. 38 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 1: Oh that's fantastic, Austin. I'm so excited for everything that 39 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 1: you're a comp wishing as a creator solopreneur. I feel 40 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: like we've evolved so much in just this short time 41 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:09,880 Speaker 1: that we've been together on the show and I think 42 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:12,799 Speaker 1: my biggest thing is I'm an author, y'all. 43 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:13,800 Speaker 3: Like, let's get this, this. 44 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: Is actually happening. I spent the better part of twenty 45 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:21,240 Speaker 1: twenty three writing my very first book, and a personal 46 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: finance book that is geared specifically towards the Latino community 47 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: because a lot of us just don't learn about money. 48 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 1: And so I'm really excited to have that book launch 49 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:32,280 Speaker 1: next year and you know, have everybody talking about it. 50 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:34,920 Speaker 2: I cannot wait to read it. I can't wait to 51 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 2: gift it to my friends. Really really excited for you. So, 52 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 2: before we jump into this conversation, Denis, what do you 53 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 2: think was the most exciting part about starting your own business? 54 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 2: What was the most exciting part about being a solo 55 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:48,960 Speaker 2: preneur to you? 56 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: I think for me it was honestly just making my 57 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: first dollar all on my own and just getting that 58 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: check for some thing that I had created out of 59 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:02,480 Speaker 1: ideas and thoughts in my brain. I'm just like, Wow, 60 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 1: this feels a lot different than just getting a paycheck. 61 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 1: I was hooked from that very moment. What about you, Austin? 62 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 2: Absolutely, I think for me and this is something that 63 00:03:12,919 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 2: keeps me going on just a weekly, monthly basis new challenges, right, 64 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 2: I see people if it's launching a new course. You know, 65 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 2: launching a podcast like that was a new challenge for 66 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:23,919 Speaker 2: me in twenty twenty three, and that's been a lot 67 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:26,679 Speaker 2: of fun. So I think just having these new challenges 68 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 2: come out of nowhere and hopefully overcome them and then 69 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:32,520 Speaker 2: be able to teach and share what I learned about 70 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 2: them to not only my creator friends and other solopreneurs, 71 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 2: but also on this podcast. So I'm really really excited. 72 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, the journey through solopreneurship is absolutely a journey into 73 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 1: personal development. 74 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 3: I couldn't have said it better myself. 75 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 1: But enough about us, Let's go ahead and introduce our guest. 76 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 1: Grace Wells was just having fun with her camera in 77 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 1: her college apartment when she decided to upload a series 78 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:04,840 Speaker 1: of videos she called making epic commercials for random objects. 79 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:08,120 Speaker 1: One video featuring a four went viral on TikTok with 80 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 1: over two million views, and she was soon approached by 81 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 1: businesses for their social media ads. After one ad for 82 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 1: a soda company garnered a whopping eight million views, Grace 83 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 1: attracted even more brand deals and found the confidence to 84 00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 1: leave her job and make videos full time. She now 85 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 1: runs her own business as a filmmaker and photographer, where 86 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,840 Speaker 1: she creates content for major brands while also showcasing her 87 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:37,839 Speaker 1: creative techniques on social media. Grace, Welcome to the show. 88 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:40,120 Speaker 4: Thank you, Thank you so much for having. 89 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 1: Me, Thanks for being here. 90 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 3: Absolutely so Grace. I am so excited right now. 91 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:47,360 Speaker 2: I've seriously been following you on TikTok for over two years, 92 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:49,120 Speaker 2: and when I found out that we were having you 93 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:52,360 Speaker 2: on the show, I literally went and rewatched like forty 94 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 2: of your videos. 95 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:54,520 Speaker 3: Oh it's awesome. 96 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:57,599 Speaker 2: It's so fascinating to me to watch someone go from 97 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:01,240 Speaker 2: making unique short form video content on the Internet to 98 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:04,680 Speaker 2: directing films and creating real commercials for major brands. We're 99 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:06,360 Speaker 2: going to get into all that, don't worry, but I 100 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:08,960 Speaker 2: wanted to sort of kick off this interview at the beginning. 101 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:11,640 Speaker 2: You were on a very different path to begin with, 102 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 2: studying linguistics with a post grad job lined up at 103 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:18,599 Speaker 2: Grand Cosmetics. So, before your videos were going viral, did 104 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:21,600 Speaker 2: you ever consider a career in commercial filmmaking. 105 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 4: Yeah. 106 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 5: So it was right around my junior year of college 107 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:30,159 Speaker 5: that I bought my first camera and the idea growing 108 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 5: of pursuing videography or photography as my career postgrad. It 109 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 5: was a very gradual process. At the beginning, this was 110 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 5: very much just a creative outlet because I found myself 111 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:47,760 Speaker 5: feeling very creatively unfulfilled. So it just kind of was like, Oh, 112 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:49,600 Speaker 5: I'm going to buy a camera and I'm going to 113 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:51,800 Speaker 5: It started with photography. I'm going to take some portrait 114 00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:54,160 Speaker 5: photos just my friends. Like it's going to be this 115 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:56,919 Speaker 5: fun little thing. And I don't know where it came from, 116 00:05:56,960 --> 00:05:59,480 Speaker 5: but this drive kicked in where I was like, Okay, 117 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 5: what's the next thing, What's the next goal? Like where's 118 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:05,599 Speaker 5: the next milestone? And so I think I would be 119 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:08,200 Speaker 5: on this path even if this stuff was not blowing 120 00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 5: up on social I think that it gave me a 121 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 5: big boost of confidence as well as like, Okay, even 122 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:17,159 Speaker 5: though I don't have a formal education in this field 123 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 5: and I just did my degree in something totally different, 124 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:21,599 Speaker 5: I can actually do this. 125 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:26,480 Speaker 2: Absolutely right, starting with taking some portraits, filming some forks 126 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 2: and potatoes and books, and now you're doing the cool stuff. 127 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 2: So let's talk about that, right. Epic Commercials for Random 128 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 2: Objects Part one that was a video you had published. 129 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:37,720 Speaker 5: How did you come up with it, so it really 130 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 5: it was from necessity pretty much. That was the moment 131 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:44,760 Speaker 5: where the pandemic really was in full swing. And I 132 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 5: think this was kind of like a very interesting turning 133 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:51,480 Speaker 5: point for a lot of creatives that our workflow thus 134 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:56,279 Speaker 5: far doesn't really work anymore in this kind of new world. 135 00:06:56,720 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 5: And for me, that meant, okay, I can no longer 136 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 5: go out and work with models the way that I 137 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:06,599 Speaker 5: had been before. So this idea for making a commercial 138 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 5: for a random object, it was just sort of like, Okay, 139 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 5: what can I do in my house that I don't 140 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 5: eat anyone else? I can do this one hundred percent 141 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:16,480 Speaker 5: all on my own. I thought that that would be 142 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:20,240 Speaker 5: a fun creative challenge. The idea of making a commercial 143 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 5: for a fork, something that you would never ever ever 144 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 5: see a commercial for, would really push me creatively a 145 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 5: lot more, and I would kind of force me to 146 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 5: not rely on references that I'd seen in the past. 147 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 5: But even though I did think at the time, oh, 148 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 5: this might be a series, I thought maybe, like, you know, 149 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 5: three videos, and it turned into so much more than that. 150 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:46,120 Speaker 2: So you're into video maybe three or two here. When 151 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:49,040 Speaker 2: did you realize that your creative abilities, though, were strong 152 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 2: enough to begin to monetize, right, What for you was 153 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 2: that big breakthrough moment like wait a second, this is real, 154 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 2: I can do this. And was there any like maybe 155 00:07:57,360 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 2: imposter syndrome along the way. 156 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 4: Oh, I mean, they're still imposter syndrome. 157 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 5: I would say that the monetization aspect really kicked in 158 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:09,720 Speaker 5: towards the beginning of twenty twenty one, so I'd been 159 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:12,679 Speaker 5: doing this for a little over six months, I would say, 160 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,760 Speaker 5: and that's when the brand Celsius reached out to create 161 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:20,560 Speaker 5: a commercial for them, And that was really my second 162 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:23,840 Speaker 5: interaction with a brand. Very few brands reached out at 163 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 5: the very beginning, and I think that part of that 164 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 5: was TikTok was still foreign territory for a lot of 165 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 5: brands at that point in time. So that was kind 166 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 5: of the first video that really was like, oh, like, 167 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 5: first of all, someone wants to hire me. 168 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:37,480 Speaker 4: That's cool. 169 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 5: And then that video actually ended up performing incredibly well, 170 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:42,559 Speaker 5: so I was like, not only does someone want to 171 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:45,400 Speaker 5: hire me, but people actually want to watch it, which 172 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:47,960 Speaker 5: to me, I wouldn't have thought. I would have been like, oh, well, 173 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:50,400 Speaker 5: if it's branded, like, no one's going to watch this video, right, 174 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:52,440 Speaker 5: And that was really what got the ball rolling on 175 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:55,000 Speaker 5: other brands reaching out to me, and then me eventually 176 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:56,960 Speaker 5: leaving my job a little bit later that year. 177 00:08:57,559 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 4: That is fascinating stuff. 178 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:00,840 Speaker 1: I talked to a lot lot of people who want 179 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:03,000 Speaker 1: to start a side hustle, and one of the pieces 180 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:04,880 Speaker 1: of advice I tell them is, you know, you need 181 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:07,280 Speaker 1: to find your people, You need to find your target audience. 182 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:09,320 Speaker 1: Was that the approach that you took. Did you go 183 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 1: and find your target audience or do you think they 184 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:12,680 Speaker 1: found you? 185 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:17,080 Speaker 5: I think it was a little bit of both. I 186 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:20,000 Speaker 5: know a lot of creators always emphasize the importance of 187 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:24,240 Speaker 5: niching down, and honestly, that's not really been my approach. 188 00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 5: I've always approached it with the mindset of I would 189 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:31,440 Speaker 5: like this to appeal not only to people who are 190 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 5: really interested in videography, but I also wanted to be entertaining, 191 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:36,960 Speaker 5: even for people who are maybe not really wanting to 192 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:39,040 Speaker 5: do this, but just think that this kind of a 193 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:41,200 Speaker 5: video is a fun thing to watch. So I think 194 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:44,400 Speaker 5: I've kind of struck that balance between maintaining a core 195 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:48,640 Speaker 5: audience of people who are really interested in the technical 196 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:50,640 Speaker 5: aspect of what I'm doing, but then people are also 197 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:54,160 Speaker 5: just there to be entertained. That sort of breath is 198 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:57,200 Speaker 5: what has helped me attract brands as well, because that 199 00:09:57,440 --> 00:09:59,280 Speaker 5: opens up my demographics a little bit. 200 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,640 Speaker 1: Has there been any sort of refinement that you've done 201 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:05,960 Speaker 1: to continue to reach viewers after you figured out kind 202 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:06,680 Speaker 1: of what works? 203 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:11,440 Speaker 5: Yeah? I think that what works is a constantly evolving thing, 204 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:17,720 Speaker 5: particularly on these short form video platforms. And so even 205 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 5: though the crux of what I do has remained the same, 206 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:24,560 Speaker 5: there are little changes that I've made along the way 207 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:29,720 Speaker 5: to keep the content fresh and relevant and sort of grabby. 208 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:32,040 Speaker 5: I guess if you look back at the you know, 209 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:34,920 Speaker 5: the very first couple videos I did, like the Fork video, 210 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:38,320 Speaker 5: the format is quite different in just the way that 211 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:42,080 Speaker 5: I present the content and the tone and the comedy 212 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:44,320 Speaker 5: of it as well. So yeah, I think I think 213 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:45,840 Speaker 5: that it's constantly evolving. 214 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:51,560 Speaker 1: And when you were balancing your day job and this passion, 215 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:53,800 Speaker 1: how how did that work? Is there such a thing 216 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:54,520 Speaker 1: as balance? 217 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 5: I mean, I was working all the time, although I 218 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 5: also I work all the time now too, so it's 219 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 5: not totally different. I actually negotiated a contract with my 220 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:09,560 Speaker 5: employer when I started, which was I'm going to do 221 00:11:09,559 --> 00:11:11,439 Speaker 5: my forty hours, but I'm going to do them eight 222 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:14,400 Speaker 5: to six Monday through Thursday, and then Friday is going 223 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:16,680 Speaker 5: to be my day to do my own thing. So 224 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:20,040 Speaker 5: luckily they were gracious enough to accept those terms. So 225 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:23,439 Speaker 5: I was working on my social media content Friday, Saturday, Sunday. 226 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:27,280 Speaker 5: But you know, as I got further and further into it, 227 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:31,320 Speaker 5: and I got more invested in the content that I 228 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 5: was creating and the videography business that I was building, 229 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:37,839 Speaker 5: each project required a little bit more of my time 230 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:40,320 Speaker 5: and energy because it was no longer just this kind 231 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:41,800 Speaker 5: of like, oh, this is like this little thing that 232 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:44,040 Speaker 5: I'm doing for fun. It was like, okay, no, now 233 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:45,719 Speaker 5: I have clients and I need to make sure that 234 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:48,240 Speaker 5: the clients are happy. I need to deliver things in 235 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:51,560 Speaker 5: a timely fashion. And so it got more and more 236 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:55,760 Speaker 5: difficult to balance over time as those side projects became 237 00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:56,960 Speaker 5: paying jobs. 238 00:11:57,440 --> 00:11:59,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, I can absolutely relate to that. It's almost like 239 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:01,439 Speaker 1: when you're getting to the point where you have to 240 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:04,320 Speaker 1: take PTO to work on your business, it's like, what 241 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:05,160 Speaker 1: are we doing here? 242 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:05,320 Speaker 3: Yes? 243 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:08,840 Speaker 5: Yeah, absolutely, yeah. 244 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:12,280 Speaker 1: So what were the events that led you up to 245 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:14,840 Speaker 1: making the decision to leave your job and start making 246 00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:18,079 Speaker 1: content full time, right, because some folks could just stay 247 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:21,840 Speaker 1: in that sort of side hustle world forever because of 248 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 1: things like fear and even the finances. So can you 249 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:27,960 Speaker 1: talk us through kind of what the decision was like. 250 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:30,840 Speaker 1: Was it an instant decision? Was it something that you 251 00:12:30,920 --> 00:12:32,000 Speaker 1: decided over time? 252 00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:38,320 Speaker 5: To be honest, it was a very fast decision. I 253 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 5: had been hired by a client to make this commercial 254 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:46,040 Speaker 5: that were multiple deliverables, and I took pto to do 255 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:49,760 Speaker 5: that job. And you know, everyone at work was like, 256 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:52,760 Speaker 5: enjoy your vacation, and I would. I didn't have the 257 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 5: heart to be like actually, so I was like, I 258 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:02,480 Speaker 5: think this might be that moment where had enough inquiries 259 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:04,760 Speaker 5: coming in. I've been doing enough business, and at that 260 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:09,000 Speaker 5: point I was starting to actually make more, you know, 261 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:10,719 Speaker 5: if you thought about it, like in an hourly kind 262 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:12,840 Speaker 5: of a way on the side gig than on the 263 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:15,679 Speaker 5: real gig. So at the beginning of the week, I 264 00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:17,600 Speaker 5: wouldn't have thought I was leaving my job. By the 265 00:13:17,679 --> 00:13:19,320 Speaker 5: end of the week, I was handing in my notice. 266 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:22,720 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, yeah, I love that energy, and. 267 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:29,800 Speaker 5: My boss was like, pardon yeah. Coming up after the break, 268 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:33,520 Speaker 5: it was one hundred percent new. I had no idea 269 00:13:33,559 --> 00:13:35,800 Speaker 5: what I was doing. It was a lot of me 270 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:38,680 Speaker 5: just like googling how do I write an invoice. 271 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:51,839 Speaker 1: We'll be right back with Mine the Business. Welcome back 272 00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:55,559 Speaker 1: to Mind the Business, small business success stories from iHeartMedia's 273 00:13:55,640 --> 00:14:01,080 Speaker 1: Ruby Studio, and into It Quick books. So let's dive 274 00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:03,160 Speaker 1: a little bit more into the numbers, because a lot 275 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:05,880 Speaker 1: of folks can have sort of this threshold in their 276 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:08,200 Speaker 1: minds where it's like, once I'm making X amount of money, 277 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:11,160 Speaker 1: I'm going to feel comfortable taking the leap. Was there 278 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:13,600 Speaker 1: a target for you, were you trying to just replace 279 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:16,560 Speaker 1: your income, or what was the financial indicator for you 280 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:17,920 Speaker 1: that it was time to make the switch. 281 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:22,880 Speaker 5: For me, it was simply if I can make just 282 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:24,960 Speaker 5: as much or a little bit more that I'm making 283 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:28,200 Speaker 5: in my full time job, then I will pursue my 284 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:32,000 Speaker 5: solopreneurship full time. I think that the hang up for 285 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:34,680 Speaker 5: a lot of people who are trying to make that 286 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:38,520 Speaker 5: leap is not just the income threshold, but it's this 287 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:41,400 Speaker 5: idea of sustaining that income and then you know, can 288 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:44,000 Speaker 5: I do this now over an extended period of time. 289 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:47,160 Speaker 5: I had the advantage in the sense that I hadn't 290 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:49,760 Speaker 5: been in the workforce for super long, so I didn't 291 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:53,720 Speaker 5: feel like I had invested a ton into my current position. 292 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 5: I think that probably helped me a little bit. My 293 00:14:56,200 --> 00:15:00,320 Speaker 5: corporate job felt unstable to me almost as much or 294 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:04,560 Speaker 5: more than me relying on myself and being independent and 295 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:06,120 Speaker 5: finding the work where I could. 296 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:08,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. And you know, I feel 297 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:12,360 Speaker 2: like a lot of solopreneurs fall into owning a business, right, 298 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:14,440 Speaker 2: this would have fall into running a business. It's like, 299 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:16,840 Speaker 2: you know, when I started creating videos on TikTok, I 300 00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:19,040 Speaker 2: had no idea that this was going to happen, right, 301 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:20,440 Speaker 2: it was like, Oh, I just want to share something 302 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:22,160 Speaker 2: on the internet. And I'm sure you kind of felt 303 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:25,280 Speaker 2: the same way here. So is running a business new 304 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:28,120 Speaker 2: territory for you? Do you have any background in it? 305 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 2: How did you learn about it? Was it just kind 306 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:32,720 Speaker 2: of like a you know, baptism by fire, Like what 307 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:34,440 Speaker 2: was that type of experience? 308 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:34,920 Speaker 3: Like? For you? 309 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:39,240 Speaker 5: It was one hundred percent new. I had no idea 310 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:42,440 Speaker 5: what I was doing. I think that it's all been 311 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:47,120 Speaker 5: a very gradual baby steps process in me building to 312 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:49,640 Speaker 5: the point where I am now. It was a lot 313 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 5: of me just like googling how do I write an invoice, 314 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 5: how do I do this? What's my template for this? 315 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 5: Finding a really good accountant who could help me figure out, Okay, 316 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:01,280 Speaker 5: you need to this form in this form to the 317 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:04,360 Speaker 5: irs because you don't want them coming after you for whatever. 318 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 5: So yeah, I think it was just a very gradual 319 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:09,960 Speaker 5: process of me, you know, leaning on the people in 320 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,680 Speaker 5: my life that I could, even my parents, you know, 321 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:15,120 Speaker 5: who've been in the workforce a lot longer than I have. 322 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 4: It was all very much trial by fire. 323 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:21,360 Speaker 2: It was definitely and I feel like you're definitely in 324 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:23,720 Speaker 2: the boat of all the other solopreneurs out there who 325 00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:26,480 Speaker 2: are figuring out for the first time. Right Google, Professor, Google, 326 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 2: like I like to call them, is my best friend 327 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:31,360 Speaker 2: as a solopreneur. I'm googling everything I possibly can, and 328 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:34,160 Speaker 2: you know, trying to surround myself with other solopreneurs who 329 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:36,880 Speaker 2: know more than I do, like Genise here. So with 330 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:40,800 Speaker 2: that being said, though, I think that my view of 331 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:45,000 Speaker 2: money has really switched and changed from you know, before 332 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 2: we both had the salary jobs, we had the maybe 333 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:49,760 Speaker 2: the flour O one K, maybe we had the health 334 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:52,160 Speaker 2: insurance stuff like that. But now to your point, I 335 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 2: have to be thinking about sending out the invoice. We 336 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:55,640 Speaker 2: have to think about following up to make sure we 337 00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 2: get paid and you know, making sure that we file 338 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:00,280 Speaker 2: the right tax forms with our accountants. So did your 339 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:03,320 Speaker 2: mindset also switch with money when you became a solopreneur. 340 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:07,720 Speaker 5: Yes, I became a lot more meticulous about everything. You know, 341 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:10,280 Speaker 5: when you have a paycheck, it's like, Okay, the taxes 342 00:17:10,320 --> 00:17:11,600 Speaker 5: are going to be taken out. I don't have to 343 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:13,720 Speaker 5: think about that. This amount's going to go into my 344 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:15,439 Speaker 5: retirement plan. I don't really have to think about that. 345 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:17,320 Speaker 5: And I'm going to get this stable a mount and 346 00:17:17,320 --> 00:17:19,440 Speaker 5: I can budget it. And now when all of a 347 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:23,600 Speaker 5: sudden the income becomes very erratic, now there's a lot 348 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:26,399 Speaker 5: more decisions to make about like, Okay, what amount of 349 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:29,040 Speaker 5: this income am I going to reinvest into the business, 350 00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:31,040 Speaker 5: how much am I going to take out for myself? 351 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:32,760 Speaker 5: How much am I going to use to put into 352 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:35,680 Speaker 5: a retirement plan. So it's a very good thing because 353 00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:39,439 Speaker 5: you've become a lot more aware of every dollar, what's 354 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:41,440 Speaker 5: happening to it and where it's going and if it's 355 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:45,040 Speaker 5: being used wisely. Definitely, maybe think about money in a 356 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:47,160 Speaker 5: lot more meticulous. 357 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:49,920 Speaker 2: Way well, kind of reflecting upon what you've learned so far, 358 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:53,520 Speaker 2: do you have any maybe strategies to share with how 359 00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:55,840 Speaker 2: you're able to keep these invoices, the paperwork? You know, 360 00:17:56,119 --> 00:17:58,240 Speaker 2: maybe it's Quick Books Money, Like, how are you thinking 361 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:02,879 Speaker 2: about utilizing different tools and resources out there to ensure 362 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:05,480 Speaker 2: that you're as meticulous now and will continue to be 363 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:06,760 Speaker 2: meticulous going forward. 364 00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:10,360 Speaker 5: Just having really great record keeping. I do think Quick 365 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:12,280 Speaker 5: Books Money comes in handy for that because they have 366 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:15,399 Speaker 5: a great system for keeping track of payments going in, 367 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 5: payment's going out. Another really great thing, but Quick Books 368 00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:20,719 Speaker 5: Money is making sure that the money that you do 369 00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:23,600 Speaker 5: have is not just sitting in an account that's not 370 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:26,960 Speaker 5: working for you. Putting it in a high yield savings 371 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:29,359 Speaker 5: or investing it. Those have all been things that have 372 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:32,119 Speaker 5: helped me, and I think obviously that goes for everyone, 373 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:34,840 Speaker 5: not just solopreneurs, but it really helps when you start 374 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:37,080 Speaker 5: a business and you have an LLC to create those 375 00:18:37,119 --> 00:18:39,480 Speaker 5: kind of separate business accounts and invest that money in 376 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:42,440 Speaker 5: the same way that you would your own personal savings. 377 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:45,800 Speaker 5: I think the biggest thing is just the record keeping 378 00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:48,520 Speaker 5: and also not being afraid to follow up with people. 379 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:50,560 Speaker 5: I think at the beginning, I had a little bit 380 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:53,359 Speaker 5: of fear of, oh, they haven't paid this yet, but 381 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:56,080 Speaker 5: they probably just forgot. They'll probably do it next week. 382 00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:58,800 Speaker 5: I won't worry about it yet. But it's people aren't 383 00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 5: annoyed when you just kind of say, hey, just friendly nudge, 384 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:04,400 Speaker 5: just letting you know this invoice hasn't been paid yet. 385 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:07,320 Speaker 5: Just things like that have also helped me keep everything 386 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:08,200 Speaker 5: in line. 387 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:13,280 Speaker 1: Okay, So do you distinguish your finances from your personal 388 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:17,359 Speaker 1: life with your business life? Are you, you know, keeping 389 00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:19,359 Speaker 1: separate bank accounts and things like that, because I know 390 00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:21,119 Speaker 1: one of the mistakes I made the first time I 391 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:25,199 Speaker 1: filed taxes as a solopreneur was just not acknowledging that 392 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:27,800 Speaker 1: I had created this whole other entity and then getting 393 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:30,879 Speaker 1: like a six seven thousand dollars tax bill. I'm like, 394 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:34,680 Speaker 1: what what do you mean? I'm supposed to pay estimated taxes? 395 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:37,359 Speaker 1: So what's that journey been like for you of keeping 396 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:39,359 Speaker 1: your business and personal finances separate? 397 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:42,680 Speaker 5: So, yes, I absolutely keep them separate, but I will 398 00:19:42,760 --> 00:19:46,120 Speaker 5: say it's a development that happened this year. It got 399 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:49,359 Speaker 5: to a point where when it came to taxes that 400 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 5: was not working in my favor. At all, and I 401 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,920 Speaker 5: really needed to start separating the two out. So I did, 402 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:59,600 Speaker 5: finally this year create my business accounts and start having 403 00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:03,240 Speaker 5: my clients pay my invoices into those accounts instead of 404 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:06,000 Speaker 5: my personal accounts. But the waters were muddy there for 405 00:20:06,040 --> 00:20:10,119 Speaker 5: a little while, and that's a very uncomfortable feeling. It 406 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:12,800 Speaker 5: gets very confusing. It's like, was this a business expense? 407 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:14,920 Speaker 4: Can I write it off? Can I not write it off? 408 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:17,720 Speaker 5: I have a million receipts in my you know, and 409 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:20,840 Speaker 5: my file cabinets and such, so I definitely do recommend 410 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:23,400 Speaker 5: keeping them separate, but it can be kind of difficult 411 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:26,359 Speaker 5: at the beginning to sort of untangle the web that 412 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:27,120 Speaker 5: you've woven. 413 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:32,360 Speaker 1: It's funny how we all sort of become amateur accountants 414 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:36,520 Speaker 1: in this process of becoming soliber nors. Yeah, it's not 415 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:39,200 Speaker 1: necessarily something I thought I knew I was signing up. 416 00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:40,639 Speaker 4: For, but here we are. Yeah. 417 00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:43,480 Speaker 1: Okay, So let's pivot a little bit in talk about 418 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:46,040 Speaker 1: your strategy, because you've been able to stand out in 419 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 1: a very very competitive media market. So I want to 420 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:51,439 Speaker 1: know what do you think that is about what you 421 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:53,320 Speaker 1: do that separates your content from the rest. 422 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:56,960 Speaker 5: A couple of things something I've always emphasized from the 423 00:20:57,080 --> 00:21:01,520 Speaker 5: very beginning is quality over quantity, and I think that's 424 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:06,560 Speaker 5: something that's not really stressed enough in this world that 425 00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:09,239 Speaker 5: we have, where it's just about putting out a new 426 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:13,200 Speaker 5: piece of content almost every single day, and I think 427 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:17,800 Speaker 5: there's sort of this fear that if you're not constantly producing, 428 00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:21,600 Speaker 5: you're going to fall behind, or the algorithm whatever that is, 429 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:24,600 Speaker 5: is not going to be treating you favorably. And I 430 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:26,520 Speaker 5: hope that I can kind of be a little bit 431 00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:28,720 Speaker 5: of an example to people that you know, I could 432 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:31,120 Speaker 5: not post a video for two months, and then I'll 433 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:33,200 Speaker 5: come back with a video and it will perform as 434 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:36,360 Speaker 5: well as my other content. As long as you are 435 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:40,640 Speaker 5: proud of what you're making and you feel that you've 436 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:43,800 Speaker 5: given your one hundred percent in making that piece of content, 437 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:46,560 Speaker 5: then I feel like you can rest easy knowing that 438 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:50,280 Speaker 5: people are going to react positively to it. The other 439 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:57,080 Speaker 5: thing is I've been very conscious about mixing the high 440 00:21:57,160 --> 00:21:59,800 Speaker 5: fi and the low fi in everything that I do. 441 00:21:59,840 --> 00:22:04,119 Speaker 5: So I have these pieces of these digital ads that 442 00:22:04,160 --> 00:22:08,679 Speaker 5: are I think polished and professional and could live on 443 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:11,919 Speaker 5: their own as an ad piece or you know, as 444 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:14,439 Speaker 5: a paid ad, but then I also try to incorporate 445 00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:17,960 Speaker 5: these behind the scenes pieces of content and the voiceovers 446 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,080 Speaker 5: and the intros, and I think that that's really what 447 00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:25,199 Speaker 5: bridges the gap between the consumer and the brand, is 448 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:27,399 Speaker 5: this is how this was made, this is how this 449 00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:31,480 Speaker 5: was done, not just showing this is the final product. 450 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:34,520 Speaker 5: And a lot of times brands will run those behind 451 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:38,359 Speaker 5: the scenes pieces of content on their platforms alongside the 452 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:41,120 Speaker 5: ads as well, so it's not just living on my pages. 453 00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:43,920 Speaker 5: So yeah, I think it's kind of about just striking 454 00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:47,639 Speaker 5: that balance between creating a really high quality piece of 455 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:49,919 Speaker 5: content for the brand it's going to appeal to the brand, 456 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:52,400 Speaker 5: and then also creating those kind of more low fi 457 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:55,280 Speaker 5: moments that will appeal to viewers. 458 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:56,280 Speaker 1: I love that strategy. 459 00:22:56,359 --> 00:22:58,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, they definitely actually do run those as the ads. 460 00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:01,320 Speaker 2: I remember seeing video of you. I think you are 461 00:23:01,359 --> 00:23:05,440 Speaker 2: pushing a dishwasher up a hill to your parents' house. 462 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:10,160 Speaker 3: Yes, Cascade, that was so funny. Thanks. So we talk 463 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:11,439 Speaker 3: about differentiating yourself. 464 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:14,359 Speaker 2: Now, let's talk about how you got these awesome clients 465 00:23:14,359 --> 00:23:18,560 Speaker 2: to begin with and how you continue to attract new clients. Obviously, 466 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:21,840 Speaker 2: you're publishing awesome, awesome content and they see that, what 467 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:23,720 Speaker 2: do you think it was about your content that got 468 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:26,720 Speaker 2: Celsius to reach out, that got Poppy to you want 469 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:29,119 Speaker 2: to work with You are now Cascade and Don and 470 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:32,879 Speaker 2: these awesome, cool, cool brands that are so recognizable. What 471 00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:37,840 Speaker 2: about what you're publishing now is specifically attracting new companies 472 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:38,600 Speaker 2: to want to work with you. 473 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:40,480 Speaker 4: I think that. 474 00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:43,840 Speaker 5: The main appeal is that it's a very different type 475 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:46,720 Speaker 5: of UGC. You know, we're at a moment now where 476 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:50,480 Speaker 5: quote unquote influencer content, and UGC has been on the 477 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:53,359 Speaker 5: scene for probably almost a decade at this point, if 478 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 5: we're thinking back to like the beginning of beginnings of 479 00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:58,840 Speaker 5: YouTube and such, and I think that brands are always 480 00:23:58,880 --> 00:24:02,680 Speaker 5: trying to look for fresh ways to connect with audiences 481 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:05,879 Speaker 5: with you GC and with this kind of influencer style content. 482 00:24:06,359 --> 00:24:09,119 Speaker 5: So I think that that is why my content has 483 00:24:09,119 --> 00:24:11,360 Speaker 5: struck a chord with a lot of brands, is because 484 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:15,480 Speaker 5: it managed just to be incredibly brand heavy and incredibly 485 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:19,240 Speaker 5: branded while still feeling authentic. And I think that's a 486 00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:21,879 Speaker 5: really hard balance to strike, and it's a hard media 487 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:24,600 Speaker 5: to find. So yeah, I've kind of managed to find 488 00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:27,280 Speaker 5: this sort of hybrid spot where I'm able to really 489 00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:32,240 Speaker 5: highlight these key brand messages and key product benefits without 490 00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:33,800 Speaker 5: feeling like I'm pandering. 491 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:38,840 Speaker 2: So before we wrap things up here, let's talk just 492 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:41,840 Speaker 2: a little bit about maybe some biggest learnings from little 493 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:44,399 Speaker 2: setbacks you might have experienced. 494 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:45,560 Speaker 3: Pitfalls you narrowly avoided. 495 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:48,199 Speaker 2: Like, was there anything that like randomly happened that that 496 00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:50,440 Speaker 2: completely took you off guard? Here that was a little 497 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:52,120 Speaker 2: bit of a setback, but you learned from it. Now 498 00:24:52,119 --> 00:24:55,399 Speaker 2: you're doing something specific to make sure that doesn't happen again. 499 00:24:56,359 --> 00:24:59,920 Speaker 5: My biggest challenge that I kind of am actively face 500 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:04,679 Speaker 5: saying that I'm trying to strategize ways of overcoming is 501 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:09,480 Speaker 5: this sense that now that I've been on social media 502 00:25:09,520 --> 00:25:12,359 Speaker 5: for a little while and I've been successful on social media, 503 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:16,000 Speaker 5: I feel like everything I do needs to be bigger 504 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:18,760 Speaker 5: and better than the last thing I did, And it's 505 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:23,200 Speaker 5: this kind of constant need to always top myself. 506 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:25,879 Speaker 3: And always right yes. 507 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:28,960 Speaker 5: Yes, And that can be a really hard beast to 508 00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:32,720 Speaker 5: fight in a sense because absolutely I think that I'm 509 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:35,960 Speaker 5: always learning and always growing and always improving, but it's 510 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:38,679 Speaker 5: slow and it's gradual and it's incremental, and it's not 511 00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:40,720 Speaker 5: always going to be that the next thing I do 512 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:43,119 Speaker 5: is miles above the last thing I did. It might 513 00:25:43,119 --> 00:25:45,440 Speaker 5: even be worse, you know. So I think that it's 514 00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:48,160 Speaker 5: just sort of coming to terms with that and not 515 00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:52,200 Speaker 5: letting that hold me back from creating. I've found that 516 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:55,760 Speaker 5: in the last maybe like six months, I've felt a 517 00:25:55,760 --> 00:26:00,200 Speaker 5: little bit more trepidation around creating content and posting content 518 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:02,160 Speaker 5: because I'm like, how is this going to be perceived? 519 00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:03,840 Speaker 5: Are people going to like it better? Are they going 520 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:06,080 Speaker 5: to think it's not as good? So it's just that 521 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:09,919 Speaker 5: internal monologue that I'm fighting. But this is part of 522 00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:13,240 Speaker 5: the process, and I wouldn't be where I am now 523 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:15,640 Speaker 5: if I hadn't put myself out on a limb many, 524 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:19,280 Speaker 5: many many times and ab tested many many many things 525 00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:21,880 Speaker 5: to kind of create what I've created so well. 526 00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:23,480 Speaker 2: I'll be the first to say I'm a huge fan 527 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:26,200 Speaker 2: of the content. Janie feels the same way. I'm sure 528 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:27,600 Speaker 2: after everyone listens to this, they're going to want to 529 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:29,159 Speaker 2: go to TikTok and Instagram. I'm going to type in 530 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:32,560 Speaker 2: Grace Wells to see the incredible commercials you're creating. So 531 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:35,080 Speaker 2: before we sign off here, where can the people go 532 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:37,000 Speaker 2: watch your content? If they want to hire you? Like 533 00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:39,360 Speaker 2: Amazon did? How can they go find you? Like, where 534 00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:40,760 Speaker 2: can they learn all about Grace? 535 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:42,040 Speaker 4: Absolutely? 536 00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:45,719 Speaker 5: So my handles on all social are Grace Ball's photo 537 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:50,560 Speaker 5: and in terms of reaching out, I'm represented by Whaler, 538 00:26:50,760 --> 00:26:53,240 Speaker 5: so that's my talent management. I'm also represented as a 539 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:55,399 Speaker 5: director by Tool of North America and that's where I 540 00:26:55,480 --> 00:26:57,000 Speaker 5: do the larger scale commercials. 541 00:26:57,040 --> 00:26:58,000 Speaker 4: So that's where you can find me. 542 00:26:58,119 --> 00:26:58,520 Speaker 3: I love it. 543 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:00,120 Speaker 2: Thank you so much, Grace for hanging out with us 544 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:00,840 Speaker 2: on this episode. 545 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:03,040 Speaker 4: Thanks for being here. Thank you guys so much fun. 546 00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:03,480 Speaker 4: Thank you. 547 00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:09,919 Speaker 2: Okay, Jenias, I hope you couldn't tell too bad, but 548 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:12,880 Speaker 2: I definitely was fanbooring like crazy during that interview. I've 549 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:15,720 Speaker 2: been following Grace for like two years now on TikTok. 550 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:16,760 Speaker 3: It's so wild to. 551 00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:19,679 Speaker 2: Me that we get to interview these incredible creators and 552 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:24,439 Speaker 2: solopreneurs through this podcast. Grace was so inspiring. So what 553 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:26,920 Speaker 2: stuck out with you most about that conversation. 554 00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:29,600 Speaker 1: Well, you know, I think it's fascinating that Grace is 555 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:32,560 Speaker 1: doing something completely different than what she was doing in 556 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:36,480 Speaker 1: her career, and so I think that's a really important 557 00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:39,520 Speaker 1: point to note that the thing that you do as 558 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:41,560 Speaker 1: a business does not need to be the thing that 559 00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:44,520 Speaker 1: you do as a career, and it's perfectly okay to 560 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:47,959 Speaker 1: have these multiple identities and sort of evolve as a person. 561 00:27:48,359 --> 00:27:51,120 Speaker 1: You know, Like we mentioned, personal development is a big 562 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:53,640 Speaker 1: part of this whole journey as a solopreneur, and you're 563 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:56,760 Speaker 1: just going to discover talents and skills that you didn't 564 00:27:56,760 --> 00:27:59,879 Speaker 1: even know you had throughout this process. What about you. 565 00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:03,359 Speaker 2: It was wild to me that she was taking PTO 566 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:05,960 Speaker 2: so she could do this passion like that was so 567 00:28:06,119 --> 00:28:09,240 Speaker 2: crazy that she was doing that. Oh my goodness. You know, 568 00:28:09,280 --> 00:28:12,480 Speaker 2: I think for me was not to feel the need 569 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:16,520 Speaker 2: to constantly improve. I think a lot of solopreneurs we 570 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:19,720 Speaker 2: get trapped in this sort of tunnel vision of like, 571 00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:22,359 Speaker 2: wait a second, I saw this solopreneur on Instagram or 572 00:28:22,400 --> 00:28:24,879 Speaker 2: this one on Twitter saying how they're making millions of 573 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:27,639 Speaker 2: dollars and they're selling all these services and products, and 574 00:28:27,840 --> 00:28:29,960 Speaker 2: take a step back for a second. You are one 575 00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:33,560 Speaker 2: human being and you are crushing it, right. I think 576 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:37,600 Speaker 2: it's called, especially in content, right, the mister beastification of output, 577 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:39,959 Speaker 2: always having to do more and more and more, when 578 00:28:39,960 --> 00:28:42,680 Speaker 2: in actuality, it is totally okay to be, you know, 579 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:45,360 Speaker 2: posting the content once in a while that grace is 580 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:47,760 Speaker 2: doing or feel happy about the services and the products 581 00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:49,840 Speaker 2: you're offering in the sales and everything that you're doing 582 00:28:49,920 --> 00:28:52,120 Speaker 2: right now is a solopreneur. You don't need to turn 583 00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:54,959 Speaker 2: into a Fortune five hundred company to be a happy, 584 00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:56,880 Speaker 2: successful solopreneur. 585 00:28:57,200 --> 00:28:59,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, Nor do you need to be like mister Beast 586 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:01,920 Speaker 1: and bury yourself for seven days just to say that 587 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:02,440 Speaker 1: you did it. 588 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:04,880 Speaker 4: You know, like, I'm like, I'm gonna opt out of that. 589 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:06,800 Speaker 3: I don't need that about I'm opting out. 590 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:09,560 Speaker 2: I will eat the chocolate bars, but I'm not bearing myself. 591 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:11,600 Speaker 3: That's why I draw the line. 592 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:12,840 Speaker 4: Absolutely. 593 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:15,920 Speaker 1: Well, that's it for today's episode. You can find me 594 00:29:16,040 --> 00:29:19,120 Speaker 1: on social media at jocquierro Dineto podcast. 595 00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:21,600 Speaker 2: And you can find me at Austin Hankwitz. You can 596 00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:24,880 Speaker 2: follow into It QuickBooks on all social media at QuickBooks. 597 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:27,520 Speaker 2: To get the tools you need to start, run and 598 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:30,080 Speaker 2: grow your business, head to QuickBooks dot com today. 599 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:32,320 Speaker 1: Don't forget to follow this show wherever you listen to 600 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:35,200 Speaker 1: podcasts so you can stay up to date on future episodes. 601 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:37,680 Speaker 2: And we also want to hear from you, so be 602 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:39,640 Speaker 2: sure to leave a rating and review. 603 00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:40,960 Speaker 3: See you next time. 604 00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:48,160 Speaker 2: This podcast is a production of iHeartRadio and Into It QuickBooks. 605 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:51,840 Speaker 2: Our executive producer is Malay Sosha, Our supervising producer is 606 00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:54,880 Speaker 2: Nikia Swinton, and our writer is Eric Leja. 607 00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:57,520 Speaker 1: Our Head of post production is James Foster. 608 00:29:58,760 --> 00:29:59,280 Speaker 3: QuickBooks. 609 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:01,240 Speaker 1: Money is a stand on the loan Intoit offering banking 610 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:04,360 Speaker 1: services provided by Greendop Bank member FDIC only. 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