WEBVTT - Finding Your Why

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<v Speaker 1>the info is comprehensive, accurate, or free of errors, and

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<v Speaker 1>banking services provided by Green Dot Bank member FDIC. Hey everyone,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Jennie Torres.

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<v Speaker 2>And I'm Austin Hankwitz. Welcome to Mine the Business. Small

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<v Speaker 2>Business Success Stories, a podcast brought to you by Intuit,

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<v Speaker 2>QuickBooks and iHeartRadio's Ruby Studio. In every episode so far,

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<v Speaker 2>we talked with small business owners as they shared their

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<v Speaker 2>stories about the ups and downs of owning a small business.

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<v Speaker 2>But today we're going to do something a little.

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<v Speaker 1>Our incredible guests have dropped so many gems over the

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<v Speaker 1>last seven episodes, so for our final episode, Austin and

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<v Speaker 1>I are going to reflect back on all of those conversations,

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<v Speaker 1>and we're going to tell you our own stories as

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<v Speaker 1>well as share with you some never before heard clips

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<v Speaker 1>from our previous interviews about what keeps entrepreneurs going.

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<v Speaker 2>That's right, Janie. For this last episode, we're talking about

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<v Speaker 2>finding your why, the thing that inspired you to start

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<v Speaker 2>your own business in the first place and keeps you

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<v Speaker 2>getting up every day and continuing the dream of self

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<v Speaker 2>employment through the successes, the setbacks, and everything in between.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm really excited for this episode, Austin, because we've heard

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<v Speaker 1>some great stories so far, and I have a lot

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<v Speaker 1>to share from going on this amazing journey, and I

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<v Speaker 1>know you do too.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh one hundred percent. It's kind of funny, Janie's I've

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<v Speaker 2>always thought of myself actually as an entrepreneur, even since

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<v Speaker 2>I was in middle school. I remember living in Denver, Colorado,

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<v Speaker 2>school got canceled one day because we had this like

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<v Speaker 2>crazy blizzard, and instead of like sledding and building snowmen

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<v Speaker 2>with my friends, I decided to borrow my neighbor's snowblower,

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<v Speaker 2>teamed up with a few kids around the block, and

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<v Speaker 2>we made one hundred and twenty dollars that day, snow

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<v Speaker 2>blowing driveways. Like I've always had this weird knack for entrepreneurship,

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<v Speaker 2>getting hands dirty to make some cash, as well as

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<v Speaker 2>collaborating with other like minded individuals to achieve our general

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<v Speaker 2>goals together. So I'm eager to jump into the episode.

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<v Speaker 1>I love that it takes me back to the days

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<v Speaker 1>where I had a lemonade stand, and I also saw

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<v Speaker 1>the value of having ways of making money that don't

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<v Speaker 1>rely on a nine to five. Even with my own parents,

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<v Speaker 1>we used to host yard sales. My dad would like

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<v Speaker 1>find random things in the neighborhood that folks throughout on

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<v Speaker 1>trash day we were a little refinishing and sell them for

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<v Speaker 1>a couple dollars. And now apparently that's a thing called flipping.

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<v Speaker 1>So I think I had a little bit of a

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<v Speaker 1>knack for making money on the side ever since I

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<v Speaker 1>was young.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm so excited to dive in. So let's do it.

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<v Speaker 2>Denise kick us off. Why did you take the initial

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<v Speaker 2>leap into entrepreneurship.

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<v Speaker 1>So for me, I had kind of a practical reason

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<v Speaker 1>and more of a philosophical one. So I was laid

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<v Speaker 1>off actually in twenty fourteen, first and only time, and

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<v Speaker 1>it was a really big wake up call for me

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<v Speaker 1>because I had been sold this dream, right, this corporate

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<v Speaker 1>dream where you get a job, you work there for

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<v Speaker 1>forty years and you're good. And as a first generation kid,

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<v Speaker 1>I definitely got the message that that was the key

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<v Speaker 1>to success. So when I followed that path and it

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<v Speaker 1>led me to a position where now all of a sudden,

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<v Speaker 1>this career that I've built has been pulled out from

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<v Speaker 1>under me, it made me question a lot of that

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<v Speaker 1>narrative and it made me never want to be in

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<v Speaker 1>a position again to have someone be able to disrupt

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<v Speaker 1>my financial stability. So that was the practical reason, but

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<v Speaker 1>also I think I was definitely born with a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit of a rebel streak. As the eldest daughter. My

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<v Speaker 1>parents were very strict, and so I would find little

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<v Speaker 1>opportunities to kind of question the status quo. Usually got

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<v Speaker 1>me in trouble. But I do feel like I'm just

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<v Speaker 1>not really good with having somebody else tell me what

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<v Speaker 1>to do. And part of my desire to be an

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<v Speaker 1>entrepreneur was the ability to be my own boss.

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<v Speaker 2>I love that genis and you know, I think a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of people listening right now would also relate to

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<v Speaker 2>this sort of like, wait a second. I was told

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<v Speaker 2>if I do this, if I go to college, if

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<v Speaker 2>I get the degree, if I work for thirty years

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<v Speaker 2>or whatever, that this thing might be. I will be happy,

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<v Speaker 2>I'll be rich, I'll be retired, I'll be ABC XYZ,

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<v Speaker 2>whatever that means to them. And I had the same

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<v Speaker 2>sort of wake up call, right. I had realized quickly

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<v Speaker 2>after graduating college something I felt that I spent a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of dang money on that I didn't have the

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<v Speaker 2>answers I was looking for. Sure. I knew calculus and

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<v Speaker 2>geography and how many moons were on Jupiter, but I

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<v Speaker 2>didn't know how to invest in real estate, build my

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<v Speaker 2>credit score, or start a business. And so I realized

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<v Speaker 2>really quickly too, that I wasn't alone in this realization, right,

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<v Speaker 2>and that a lot of Americans, countless Americans, really had

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<v Speaker 2>no idea what the stock market was, how to invest,

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<v Speaker 2>how to grow their wealth. So since graduating college in

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<v Speaker 2>twenty eighteen, I believe the wealth gap in America has

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<v Speaker 2>only grown wider, something that I think we all want

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<v Speaker 2>to help shrink. So I want to introduce as many

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<v Speaker 2>people to the investor class as possible to help do

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<v Speaker 2>that right to not just be these consumers from the walmarts,

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<v Speaker 2>the targets, the costcos, but also own the companies they

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<v Speaker 2>consume from. And that's why I started publishing my own

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<v Speaker 2>personal finance and investing content on the internet. You don't

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<v Speaker 2>have to always trade your time for money anymore. You

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<v Speaker 2>can passively make money through capital appreciation and dividends, two

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<v Speaker 2>things that you'll need to know for sure if you

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<v Speaker 2>ever want to retire one day.

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<v Speaker 1>Yes, absolutely, having ownership of your time is one of

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<v Speaker 1>the best things about entrepreneurship. Our first guest on this season,

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<v Speaker 1>Grace Wells, was adamant about the immediate benefits of being

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<v Speaker 1>your own ball.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes.

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<v Speaker 3>For me, the most rewarding part about being a solopreneur

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<v Speaker 3>and owning my own business is the freedom and the independence.

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<v Speaker 3>And I think that now that I've learned how to

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<v Speaker 3>operate in a world where I don't have to report

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<v Speaker 3>to a boss in a linear way like I did before,

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<v Speaker 3>it would be so hard for me to go back.

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<v Speaker 3>Of course, I have clients and there's lots of people

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<v Speaker 3>that I answer to, but it feels so different when

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<v Speaker 3>every day you wake up and you're creating something for yourself.

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<v Speaker 3>And you're creating a business that's yours. So yeah, I

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<v Speaker 3>think that the biggest thing that sort of drives me

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<v Speaker 3>and pushes me forward is that sense of freedom and

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<v Speaker 3>independence that owning a business brings me.

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<v Speaker 2>Being an entrepreneur and having to rely on yourself and

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<v Speaker 2>your own instruction is really really important and can be

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<v Speaker 2>eye opening for a lot of us. So, speaking of

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<v Speaker 2>eye opening the genie, when were your eyes first opened

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<v Speaker 2>to see, Wait a second, I can be an entrepreneur, right?

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<v Speaker 2>What were maybe some specific things you did that were like, wait,

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<v Speaker 2>I can do this, I have what it's Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>I love this question because that transition period is something

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<v Speaker 1>very scary. I never imagined myself being a full time entrepreneur.

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<v Speaker 1>So when I decided that I was interested in taking

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<v Speaker 1>the leap, I chose not to jump out of the

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<v Speaker 1>plane without a parachute. I took a very strategic approach,

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<v Speaker 1>and I really wanted to prove to myself that I

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<v Speaker 1>could actually do this. So part of what I started

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<v Speaker 1>doing was funneling my paycheck to my four oh one

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<v Speaker 1>K and paying myself through the business. So I got

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<v Speaker 1>on payroll. I was issuing myself a paycheck equivalent to

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<v Speaker 1>what I was earning as an engineer, and I wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to do that for at least four to five months

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<v Speaker 1>in order to really prove to myself that I could

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<v Speaker 1>walk away and still be able to keep my standard

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<v Speaker 1>of living. That might be very conservative for some people.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, there's a lot of folks who start businesses

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<v Speaker 1>during a job layoff or a transition. But if you

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<v Speaker 1>have the opportunity to do this while you're working full time,

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<v Speaker 1>I think it's a really smart thing to do because

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<v Speaker 1>you can bulk up your emergency savings, you can invest

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<v Speaker 1>some money from your paycheck into growing your business, and

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<v Speaker 1>you don't have this immediate need to make this payoff

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<v Speaker 1>right away. And I want to remind folks how important

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<v Speaker 1>it is to understand this is a process. Anybody who

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<v Speaker 1>has run a business, who has built a business, will

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<v Speaker 1>tell you it does take time. And so I think

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<v Speaker 1>having the patience and really putting the systems in place

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<v Speaker 1>to make you be able to make that transition safely

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<v Speaker 1>and hopefully for the final time, I think it's a

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<v Speaker 1>good strategic move. I'm curious for you, Austin, when you

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<v Speaker 1>were deciding to take your content creation career to the

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<v Speaker 1>next level. What was your process.

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<v Speaker 2>I did a very similar thing that you did, Genie.

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<v Speaker 2>I did not want to jump into solopreneurship entrepreneurship without

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<v Speaker 2>knowing that there was longevity to it, right, And so

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<v Speaker 2>for me, I was building my business on the side

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<v Speaker 2>while also working full time. And I did that for

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<v Speaker 2>an entire year. So I was working forty fifty sixty

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<v Speaker 2>hours a week and then from call it nine pm

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<v Speaker 2>to one am, I was building my business and I

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<v Speaker 2>did that for it really was about a year. So

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<v Speaker 2>I did the same thing. I wanted to make sure

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<v Speaker 2>that I had what it took to completely say I

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<v Speaker 2>can hang up my W two. I kind of come

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<v Speaker 2>from this other side of the spectrum where I really

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<v Speaker 2>liked my job. I really enjoyed working my W two job.

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<v Speaker 2>Sure I worked pretty hard and I was probably underpaid

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<v Speaker 2>a little bit, but generally speaking, I really enjoyed the

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<v Speaker 2>people I worked with. And it was kind of hard

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<v Speaker 2>to take a step back from that and say, no,

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<v Speaker 2>I should start my own business and I should double

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<v Speaker 2>down on entrepreneurship. And you know, so when I talked

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<v Speaker 2>to in that process was my dad. And I think

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<v Speaker 2>this is a really big lesson that I learned as

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<v Speaker 2>an entrepreneur was you know. I said, hey, Dad, I've

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<v Speaker 2>got this thing called TikTok and podcasting and newsletters, and

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<v Speaker 2>I'm doing the stuff on the internet. I'm making way

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<v Speaker 2>more money doing this than I am with my W

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<v Speaker 2>two job. I'm ready to make the transition. And he goes,

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<v Speaker 2>I have no idea what you just talked about. Why

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<v Speaker 2>would you give up your job to do things on

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<v Speaker 2>the internet. What are you talking about, Austin? And so

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<v Speaker 2>you know that definitely weighed on me, right. I really

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<v Speaker 2>appreciate my dad's perspective and advice, but I ended up,

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<v Speaker 2>of course, against his advice quitting my job, which was

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<v Speaker 2>the best decision ever. But I think a lot of people,

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<v Speaker 2>again take the advice from people that aren't qualified to

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<v Speaker 2>give that advice, and sometimes to the detriment of their futures.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I think it's a good reminder that you have

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<v Speaker 1>to believe in the idea more than anybody else, because

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<v Speaker 1>usually what happens is everyone calls you crazy until you're successful,

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<v Speaker 1>and then they ask you how you did it.

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<v Speaker 2>One hundred percent. It's all about taking what you know,

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<v Speaker 2>researching what you don't, and making it happen. I mean,

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<v Speaker 2>look at our guest Michael Bain. He was working insane

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<v Speaker 2>hours sweating in the kitchens, but he saw a need

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<v Speaker 2>adjacent to that world that he could fill and be

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<v Speaker 2>much happier doing so he started Moshi Moshi Knives and

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<v Speaker 2>never looked back.

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<v Speaker 1>Absolutely. Michael is a great example of why we get

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<v Speaker 1>into business for ourselves, especially after seeing what it's like

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<v Speaker 1>working for someone else. Let's roll that clip.

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<v Speaker 4>I think right now, it's been the thing that I

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<v Speaker 4>can make the most money with with my skills right like,

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<v Speaker 4>and I haven't even reached close to the ceiling, so

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<v Speaker 4>it's like, there's still so much more I can do.

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<v Speaker 4>I just think it's the best money making opportunity for

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<v Speaker 4>me right now. And it's like I kind of forwarded

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<v Speaker 4>my ambition in the past four years because I just

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<v Speaker 4>worked in a kitchen in the past decade and I'm tired.

0:11:33.760 --> 0:11:36.800
<v Speaker 4>So it's nice having a easier life. But as I'm

0:11:36.920 --> 0:11:39.840
<v Speaker 4>getting older too, like the desire to push more and like,

0:11:40.360 --> 0:11:42.640
<v Speaker 4>you know, the desire to be more successful is there.

0:11:44.559 --> 0:11:49.080
<v Speaker 1>I love the various reasons why we started this business,

0:11:49.440 --> 0:11:53.920
<v Speaker 1>why we pursued entrepreneurship. I'm curious for you, Austin, what's

0:11:53.960 --> 0:11:57.959
<v Speaker 1>your why when those hard times show up, Because they will,

0:11:58.559 --> 0:12:01.200
<v Speaker 1>there will be setbacks, and how do you continue going

0:12:01.200 --> 0:12:02.920
<v Speaker 1>forward when things do get challenging.

0:12:04.200 --> 0:12:06.199
<v Speaker 2>That's a really good question, you know. I think I

0:12:06.240 --> 0:12:08.000
<v Speaker 2>have two answers to this, the first being if you

0:12:08.080 --> 0:12:12.880
<v Speaker 2>lay the foundation right, you work with integrity, compassion, honesty,

0:12:13.559 --> 0:12:18.599
<v Speaker 2>everything that gives us our uniqueness. Setbacks are going to

0:12:18.640 --> 0:12:22.880
<v Speaker 2>be far in view between understanding your business and your financials.

0:12:22.920 --> 0:12:25.120
<v Speaker 2>Like the back of your hand is also a really,

0:12:25.200 --> 0:12:28.680
<v Speaker 2>really great way to identify these red flags and setbacks

0:12:28.760 --> 0:12:32.439
<v Speaker 2>before they happen, which is something I take very seriously,

0:12:32.559 --> 0:12:34.680
<v Speaker 2>and quick books is the easiest way for me to

0:12:34.760 --> 0:12:37.520
<v Speaker 2>do that. But with that being said, the way I'm

0:12:37.559 --> 0:12:40.960
<v Speaker 2>able to get over setbacks, especially if they are very

0:12:41.080 --> 0:12:44.440
<v Speaker 2>very big setbacks, is to surround myself with people who

0:12:44.520 --> 0:12:48.000
<v Speaker 2>continue to motivate me, educate me, and inspire me to

0:12:48.080 --> 0:12:51.000
<v Speaker 2>keep going. I mean, that's the simple answer a setback.

0:12:51.040 --> 0:12:54.760
<v Speaker 2>I think every content creator, maybe even yourself included, is

0:12:54.800 --> 0:12:57.440
<v Speaker 2>worried about right now. Is this like potential ban for

0:12:57.559 --> 0:13:00.960
<v Speaker 2>TikTok And for me that would be pretty I'm certainly

0:13:00.960 --> 0:13:03.720
<v Speaker 2>a TikToker, but I'm doing what I can at the moment.

0:13:03.800 --> 0:13:07.040
<v Speaker 2>To own my audience by collecting their email addresses, maybe

0:13:07.080 --> 0:13:09.720
<v Speaker 2>migrating them to another platform, and back to what we

0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:13.600
<v Speaker 2>talked about before, diversifying my revenue streams away from one

0:13:13.720 --> 0:13:17.520
<v Speaker 2>specific funnel. So I think that by having sort of

0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:20.680
<v Speaker 2>a bird's eye view, a calm, cool, collected perspective on

0:13:20.760 --> 0:13:24.080
<v Speaker 2>what this setback might be, and to only remember that

0:13:24.160 --> 0:13:27.439
<v Speaker 2>you can control the controllables. That's all you can control, right,

0:13:27.520 --> 0:13:31.120
<v Speaker 2>things that are absolutely in your hands, And I can't

0:13:31.160 --> 0:13:34.080
<v Speaker 2>control a potential TikTok ban or something else that's completely

0:13:34.120 --> 0:13:35.520
<v Speaker 2>out of my hands. So I'm doing the best I

0:13:35.559 --> 0:13:36.720
<v Speaker 2>can with the cards I'm dealt.

0:13:37.240 --> 0:13:39.240
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I mean, that's all we can do. We kind

0:13:39.240 --> 0:13:41.840
<v Speaker 1>of just have to roll with the punches. I always

0:13:41.880 --> 0:13:46.560
<v Speaker 1>tell people that entrepreneurship is the greatest lesson in resilience,

0:13:47.160 --> 0:13:50.640
<v Speaker 1>and I had a personal story with my own business

0:13:50.679 --> 0:13:54.160
<v Speaker 1>that really made me grateful for the fact that I

0:13:54.200 --> 0:13:56.920
<v Speaker 1>am very conservative when it comes to how I set

0:13:56.960 --> 0:13:59.120
<v Speaker 1>aside money, because you just never know when there's going

0:13:59.160 --> 0:14:02.559
<v Speaker 1>to be those times where there's an unexpected expense or

0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:05.480
<v Speaker 1>things are over budget. I had my first live event

0:14:05.640 --> 0:14:10.520
<v Speaker 1>last year and I ended up going six figures over

0:14:10.600 --> 0:14:13.520
<v Speaker 1>the budget. When it was all said and done, and

0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:16.440
<v Speaker 1>that type of situation could make or break a business.

0:14:16.720 --> 0:14:19.480
<v Speaker 1>But what I have been really good at, and I

0:14:19.480 --> 0:14:21.400
<v Speaker 1>think this is why I like to call myself a

0:14:21.440 --> 0:14:23.640
<v Speaker 1>little bit of a money nerd is I have so

0:14:23.720 --> 0:14:26.520
<v Speaker 1>many different pools of money that I was able to

0:14:26.760 --> 0:14:30.760
<v Speaker 1>kind of reallocate where I had saved some investments and

0:14:30.920 --> 0:14:33.080
<v Speaker 1>cash out that stuff so that I could actually foot

0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:35.640
<v Speaker 1>the bill and not get into even more debt in

0:14:35.720 --> 0:14:38.280
<v Speaker 1>order to cover the expenses of this live event. It

0:14:38.360 --> 0:14:40.280
<v Speaker 1>was a really big teaching moment for me because it

0:14:40.320 --> 0:14:42.240
<v Speaker 1>was the first time that I had taken on such

0:14:42.240 --> 0:14:45.080
<v Speaker 1>a big project. Made me question if I want to

0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:47.240
<v Speaker 1>do it again. But I'm just glad that I had

0:14:47.280 --> 0:14:51.320
<v Speaker 1>the financial stability and the resiliency in my own business

0:14:51.360 --> 0:14:55.400
<v Speaker 1>to be able to weather that really unexpected expense.

0:14:55.760 --> 0:14:58.600
<v Speaker 2>Oh my gosh, I could not imagine having to deal

0:14:58.640 --> 0:15:01.680
<v Speaker 2>with that. Jendi's I more power to you. You know

0:15:01.720 --> 0:15:04.680
<v Speaker 2>that really reminds me, though, of our conversation with Taylor.

0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:07.480
<v Speaker 2>You know, she had this crazy tax bill that came

0:15:07.520 --> 0:15:10.000
<v Speaker 2>out of blue for her. She had to move, she

0:15:10.120 --> 0:15:13.240
<v Speaker 2>had to do all these crazy big things to overcome

0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:16.040
<v Speaker 2>that setback, and that challenge, and it really just reminds

0:15:16.040 --> 0:15:18.080
<v Speaker 2>me of how resilient entrepreneurs can be.

0:15:19.920 --> 0:15:22.880
<v Speaker 5>I get into this creative flow that fills me up

0:15:22.920 --> 0:15:25.000
<v Speaker 5>more than anything, and I think that's when you know

0:15:25.280 --> 0:15:28.920
<v Speaker 5>you're doing the right thing, is when your job doesn't

0:15:28.960 --> 0:15:32.160
<v Speaker 5>really feel like a job. And so I think, if anything,

0:15:32.200 --> 0:15:36.760
<v Speaker 5>that's just like, what keeps me inspired is just the

0:15:36.880 --> 0:15:39.040
<v Speaker 5>love of what I do. And I think if you

0:15:39.120 --> 0:15:43.280
<v Speaker 5>can find that, like, I feel so lucky to be

0:15:43.400 --> 0:15:45.400
<v Speaker 5>able to be doing this for a living and to

0:15:45.560 --> 0:15:46.840
<v Speaker 5>enjoy it as much as I do.

0:15:49.080 --> 0:15:51.240
<v Speaker 2>You know, I think a lot of us forget, though,

0:15:51.320 --> 0:15:55.400
<v Speaker 2>that we dream and fantasize about being an entrepreneur, about

0:15:55.400 --> 0:15:58.200
<v Speaker 2>being a solopreneur and owning our time, owning our business,

0:15:58.720 --> 0:16:01.160
<v Speaker 2>and then we get to that point and we're like,

0:16:01.200 --> 0:16:03.360
<v Speaker 2>oh gosh, wait, this is a little scary. I'm just gonna,

0:16:03.400 --> 0:16:05.480
<v Speaker 2>you know, be a victim to my circumstance and kind

0:16:05.520 --> 0:16:08.400
<v Speaker 2>of bow out. Heck, no, I mean, you work so

0:16:08.480 --> 0:16:11.400
<v Speaker 2>hard to get here, keep working hard to remain here.

0:16:11.440 --> 0:16:14.280
<v Speaker 2>You mentioned resiliency. That is so so important for people

0:16:14.280 --> 0:16:17.960
<v Speaker 2>listening right now to realize is entrepreneurship isn't always flowers

0:16:17.960 --> 0:16:21.680
<v Speaker 2>and unicorns and rainbows. It sometimes is a lot of resiliency.

0:16:22.400 --> 0:16:27.880
<v Speaker 1>Absolutely, as they say, anything worth doing is worth working for,

0:16:28.160 --> 0:16:31.000
<v Speaker 1>and even through the ups and downs, it's so important

0:16:31.040 --> 0:16:34.000
<v Speaker 1>for us to celebrate our victories wherever we can. And

0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:37.920
<v Speaker 1>I'm curious for you, Austin, why do you celebrate victories

0:16:37.960 --> 0:16:38.760
<v Speaker 1>and how do you do it?

0:16:39.240 --> 0:16:42.120
<v Speaker 2>How I celebrate victories is you know, certainly I like

0:16:42.160 --> 0:16:44.080
<v Speaker 2>to go on vacations. I like to spend time with

0:16:44.120 --> 0:16:46.360
<v Speaker 2>my family. I like to go out with my friends.

0:16:46.360 --> 0:16:47.720
<v Speaker 2>You know, I live here in Nashville. It's a lot

0:16:47.720 --> 0:16:49.840
<v Speaker 2>of fun. But something else I like to do, and

0:16:49.880 --> 0:16:52.720
<v Speaker 2>I try and do this every single quarter throughout the year,

0:16:53.200 --> 0:16:55.360
<v Speaker 2>is I reflect upon the last three months and I

0:16:55.480 --> 0:16:57.960
<v Speaker 2>write down to my journal what I had achieved right,

0:16:58.080 --> 0:16:59.840
<v Speaker 2>And sometimes when I look back to what I have

0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:03.000
<v Speaker 2>written in this journal back in twenty twenty, twenty twenty one,

0:17:03.080 --> 0:17:05.560
<v Speaker 2>twenty twenty two, I'm just like, oh my gosh, if

0:17:05.600 --> 0:17:07.560
<v Speaker 2>I come so far. And I think a lot of

0:17:07.560 --> 0:17:10.159
<v Speaker 2>that self reflection is really important for other people listening

0:17:10.240 --> 0:17:12.840
<v Speaker 2>right now to do because you don't know what you

0:17:12.920 --> 0:17:17.080
<v Speaker 2>don't know. And I guarantee you in two, five, ten years,

0:17:17.200 --> 0:17:19.160
<v Speaker 2>you're going to be doing stuff that you right now

0:17:19.200 --> 0:17:21.520
<v Speaker 2>would have never imagined.

0:17:22.400 --> 0:17:25.360
<v Speaker 1>It's so true. You know, when I think about why

0:17:25.359 --> 0:17:29.960
<v Speaker 1>it's important for me to celebrate victories, it's because entrepreneurship

0:17:30.000 --> 0:17:33.000
<v Speaker 1>has given me a real gift, which is the ability

0:17:33.080 --> 0:17:37.000
<v Speaker 1>to own my time, and to celebrate my one year

0:17:37.040 --> 0:17:41.120
<v Speaker 1>anniversary of becoming a full time entrepreneur. I actually ended

0:17:41.200 --> 0:17:43.919
<v Speaker 1>up taking my mom to Paris. Oh wow, yeah, I

0:17:43.960 --> 0:17:46.360
<v Speaker 1>mean it was an incredible mother daughter trip. We've never

0:17:46.400 --> 0:17:49.240
<v Speaker 1>traveled together before that, so it was an opportunity to

0:17:49.320 --> 0:17:52.440
<v Speaker 1>make a lot of memories, but especially because she was

0:17:52.520 --> 0:17:56.159
<v Speaker 1>declared cancer free a little bit before that, and so

0:17:56.400 --> 0:18:00.479
<v Speaker 1>for me it was just a really important mile stone

0:18:00.600 --> 0:18:04.160
<v Speaker 1>for both of us in entrepreneurship was at the center

0:18:04.200 --> 0:18:06.439
<v Speaker 1>of why I was even able to take this trip.

0:18:06.480 --> 0:18:08.720
<v Speaker 1>You know, I didn't have to request PTO and you

0:18:08.760 --> 0:18:11.000
<v Speaker 1>have to worry about the budget. I was really able

0:18:11.000 --> 0:18:15.280
<v Speaker 1>to just be present and make these really really memorable

0:18:15.760 --> 0:18:18.960
<v Speaker 1>moments matter. And I think that's the reason why we

0:18:19.080 --> 0:18:22.000
<v Speaker 1>have to get really good at enjoying those benefits that

0:18:22.040 --> 0:18:25.200
<v Speaker 1>do come from entrepreneurship, because it is so worth it.

0:18:25.600 --> 0:18:30.160
<v Speaker 2>Oh my gosh, Paris, that sounds incredible. I am so jealous.

0:18:30.440 --> 0:18:32.560
<v Speaker 2>I've never been, and I'm thrilled for your mom to

0:18:32.560 --> 0:18:35.359
<v Speaker 2>be cancer free. Being able to be there for family

0:18:35.359 --> 0:18:37.800
<v Speaker 2>members when things get challenging is one of the benefits

0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:40.840
<v Speaker 2>of entrepreneurship that you really just can't put a price on.

0:18:41.320 --> 0:18:44.600
<v Speaker 2>You can measure profits and overhead and output all day long,

0:18:44.680 --> 0:18:47.240
<v Speaker 2>but the ability to take care of your family, not

0:18:47.320 --> 0:18:50.680
<v Speaker 2>just financially, but with your time and your physical presence

0:18:50.800 --> 0:18:52.800
<v Speaker 2>is just an immeasurable benefit.

0:18:53.400 --> 0:18:53.639
<v Speaker 1>You know.

0:18:53.840 --> 0:18:56.600
<v Speaker 2>That really reminds me though, of our conversations with Michael

0:18:56.680 --> 0:18:59.280
<v Speaker 2>and Daniel j. They're a father and son team who

0:18:59.359 --> 0:19:02.000
<v Speaker 2>co founded the t shirt business that Lazy Butt Club,

0:19:02.240 --> 0:19:04.240
<v Speaker 2>and not only did they find a way to work together,

0:19:04.320 --> 0:19:07.080
<v Speaker 2>but they also made sure that as entrepreneurs, they make

0:19:07.160 --> 0:19:10.399
<v Speaker 2>time for each other outside of work and prioritize their family.

0:19:10.920 --> 0:19:12.879
<v Speaker 1>And let's throw to that clip real quick.

0:19:15.000 --> 0:19:17.320
<v Speaker 6>What keeps me going is the fact that we have

0:19:17.480 --> 0:19:20.680
<v Speaker 6>had success and I've seen that it's possible, and then

0:19:20.800 --> 0:19:23.240
<v Speaker 6>that it's happened a few times actually, where we've had

0:19:23.440 --> 0:19:26.760
<v Speaker 6>different viral videos over the span of the last coming

0:19:26.840 --> 0:19:29.320
<v Speaker 6>up on three years. So when the views are low

0:19:29.359 --> 0:19:32.880
<v Speaker 6>and the sales are low, I just keep going because

0:19:33.280 --> 0:19:34.400
<v Speaker 6>I know it's possible now.

0:19:35.080 --> 0:19:37.199
<v Speaker 7>Yeah, I was just going to say, what keeps me

0:19:37.280 --> 0:19:40.680
<v Speaker 7>going over the years and everything is knowing that you're

0:19:40.680 --> 0:19:44.200
<v Speaker 7>an entrepreneur and you can actually have your own destiny

0:19:44.640 --> 0:19:48.280
<v Speaker 7>by working more hours, working harder, and not really trying

0:19:48.320 --> 0:19:51.960
<v Speaker 7>to be successful, but just trying to keep working. And

0:19:52.560 --> 0:19:56.679
<v Speaker 7>the thing that keeps us going really well is knowing

0:19:56.720 --> 0:19:59.959
<v Speaker 7>that we do get to be lazy when we're not

0:20:00.080 --> 0:20:03.159
<v Speaker 7>doing well. And it used to be that you were

0:20:03.200 --> 0:20:05.720
<v Speaker 7>just always trying to make money, but now since we're

0:20:05.720 --> 0:20:08.080
<v Speaker 7>so busy, we're always trying to take time off and

0:20:08.080 --> 0:20:10.880
<v Speaker 7>go golfing, and that's a easier way to do it.

0:20:12.680 --> 0:20:15.119
<v Speaker 2>And the same thing for Jordan Rose, right, she's an

0:20:15.160 --> 0:20:18.080
<v Speaker 2>Etsy seller and the owner of Fresh Prince of SF.

0:20:18.560 --> 0:20:21.320
<v Speaker 2>She was very clear about how important owning her time

0:20:21.400 --> 0:20:24.040
<v Speaker 2>is and how as entrepreneurs we don't have to ask

0:20:24.119 --> 0:20:26.720
<v Speaker 2>for PTO. We don't have to go ask for someone's

0:20:26.720 --> 0:20:30.240
<v Speaker 2>permission to go take a family trip or celebrate someone's achievements.

0:20:30.280 --> 0:20:31.720
<v Speaker 2>It's just so powerful.

0:20:32.320 --> 0:20:35.639
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, she gave us some really great insights into what

0:20:35.840 --> 0:20:37.160
<v Speaker 1>keeps solopreneurs going.

0:20:39.400 --> 0:20:42.920
<v Speaker 8>I wrote a letter to myself when I left the library,

0:20:43.440 --> 0:20:47.200
<v Speaker 8>and my sister told me to do that, it says

0:20:47.240 --> 0:20:51.679
<v Speaker 8>to me, like you left the library. You left your

0:20:51.760 --> 0:20:55.400
<v Speaker 8>nine to five for a reason. I always love libraries

0:20:55.400 --> 0:20:58.040
<v Speaker 8>and I'm happy to sub there, but I know, like

0:20:58.119 --> 0:21:00.400
<v Speaker 8>as a lifestyle, it doesn't work for me anymore. And

0:21:00.480 --> 0:21:04.400
<v Speaker 8>when I get exhausted doing what I'm doing now, I'm

0:21:04.520 --> 0:21:08.200
<v Speaker 8>still happier than I've ever been in my whole life.

0:21:08.600 --> 0:21:11.879
<v Speaker 8>And in the beginning, when I was really questioning, like

0:21:12.640 --> 0:21:18.040
<v Speaker 8>struggling to have anyone see my work or whatever it

0:21:18.080 --> 0:21:21.760
<v Speaker 8>may be, you know, I was struggling to get money

0:21:21.800 --> 0:21:25.280
<v Speaker 8>in my pocket after having very comfortable nine to five

0:21:25.520 --> 0:21:28.320
<v Speaker 8>that gave me a consistent amount of money each week.

0:21:28.400 --> 0:21:30.679
<v Speaker 8>I would open that letter and say, like, don't panic,

0:21:31.400 --> 0:21:34.600
<v Speaker 8>everything's fine.

0:21:34.440 --> 0:21:35.760
<v Speaker 1>Coming up after the break.

0:21:36.160 --> 0:21:38.359
<v Speaker 9>When I went freelance, the reason I did it was

0:21:38.440 --> 0:21:41.520
<v Speaker 9>so that I could live a fuller life, whether that

0:21:41.640 --> 0:21:44.480
<v Speaker 9>was travel, whether that was pursuing comedy.

0:21:45.240 --> 0:21:57.920
<v Speaker 1>We'll be right back with mine the business. Welcome back

0:21:57.920 --> 0:22:02.040
<v Speaker 1>to Mind the Business. Small business stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby

0:22:02.119 --> 0:22:06.040
<v Speaker 1>Studio and into It QuickBooks. You know, one of the

0:22:06.040 --> 0:22:11.240
<v Speaker 1>things that despite entrepreneurship being so fabulous, it does get

0:22:11.280 --> 0:22:13.440
<v Speaker 1>lonely at times. And so I think that's one of

0:22:13.480 --> 0:22:15.919
<v Speaker 1>the reasons why it's been really important for me to

0:22:15.960 --> 0:22:19.960
<v Speaker 1>build community. I know, for somebody who is like a

0:22:20.000 --> 0:22:23.280
<v Speaker 1>first generation business owner like me, my family still doesn't

0:22:23.359 --> 0:22:26.000
<v Speaker 1>understand what the heck I do, and so it's been

0:22:26.080 --> 0:22:29.960
<v Speaker 1>really important for me to create community, find folks who

0:22:30.160 --> 0:22:33.679
<v Speaker 1>actually get the struggles that we're going through, and it

0:22:33.680 --> 0:22:36.720
<v Speaker 1>can be very lonely as well. From somebody that works

0:22:36.720 --> 0:22:40.080
<v Speaker 1>from home, I've had to become very intentional about creating

0:22:40.080 --> 0:22:42.399
<v Speaker 1>this space where I can ask for help and know

0:22:42.440 --> 0:22:45.680
<v Speaker 1>who to contact for resources, and community can do more

0:22:45.720 --> 0:22:47.720
<v Speaker 1>than just give you a hand when you need it.

0:22:47.720 --> 0:22:49.879
<v Speaker 1>It's also a place where we can help out others

0:22:49.920 --> 0:22:54.280
<v Speaker 1>and even thrive ourselves. Our guests Sierramani Mae looked around

0:22:54.560 --> 0:22:57.960
<v Speaker 1>and didn't see any environmentally sustainable options for faux hair care,

0:22:58.320 --> 0:23:02.440
<v Speaker 1>so she said about creating one herself, founding her own company, Rebundle.

0:23:02.880 --> 0:23:05.399
<v Speaker 1>Now she's a community leader at the forefront of that

0:23:05.680 --> 0:23:06.639
<v Speaker 1>entire industry.

0:23:07.960 --> 0:23:11.679
<v Speaker 10>I'm excited by how much more work there is to

0:23:11.720 --> 0:23:14.399
<v Speaker 10>be done in this space. I think that we've done

0:23:14.720 --> 0:23:19.800
<v Speaker 10>a great job bringing awareness to this industry and the

0:23:19.840 --> 0:23:23.119
<v Speaker 10>way that the product has been made and distributed For

0:23:23.160 --> 0:23:26.280
<v Speaker 10>the last several decades. So that was really motivating in

0:23:26.320 --> 0:23:28.480
<v Speaker 10>the beginning to like sort of spill the beans and

0:23:28.560 --> 0:23:30.960
<v Speaker 10>like shine a light on the space that I didn't

0:23:31.200 --> 0:23:34.280
<v Speaker 10>think was getting the attention it deserved. But now a

0:23:34.280 --> 0:23:38.800
<v Speaker 10>couple of years in, I'm motivated by the real possibility

0:23:39.080 --> 0:23:44.399
<v Speaker 10>of making this segment of the beauty industry more aligned

0:23:44.600 --> 0:23:47.399
<v Speaker 10>with the way the rest of the beauty industry operates.

0:23:48.880 --> 0:23:51.760
<v Speaker 1>I'm curious for you, Austin, how's community played a role

0:23:51.840 --> 0:23:52.800
<v Speaker 1>in your own journey.

0:23:53.320 --> 0:23:57.520
<v Speaker 2>Oh my gosh, community was major. I mean, to your point,

0:23:57.720 --> 0:24:01.080
<v Speaker 2>working from home, not being around people, but making all

0:24:01.080 --> 0:24:05.400
<v Speaker 2>these random friends on the internet, Like it feels wow,

0:24:05.400 --> 0:24:07.640
<v Speaker 2>I've got all these followers and potential friends and people

0:24:07.680 --> 0:24:09.119
<v Speaker 2>that care about what I have to say, but it

0:24:09.160 --> 0:24:12.080
<v Speaker 2>gets really lonely. So you know, for me, I would

0:24:12.119 --> 0:24:15.320
<v Speaker 2>say that having that community not just to look toward

0:24:15.359 --> 0:24:19.359
<v Speaker 2>as it relates to specific problems or challenges that I'm facing,

0:24:19.400 --> 0:24:23.399
<v Speaker 2>but also I love connecting with new content creators or

0:24:23.480 --> 0:24:26.960
<v Speaker 2>new small business owners who are really excited to begin

0:24:27.040 --> 0:24:30.479
<v Speaker 2>their entrepreneurial journey and sharing with them. Oh my gosh,

0:24:30.560 --> 0:24:32.800
<v Speaker 2>I tried this, it worked great. You need to do

0:24:32.840 --> 0:24:35.280
<v Speaker 2>it too, or oh my gosh, I made this mistake.

0:24:35.480 --> 0:24:37.720
<v Speaker 2>Avoid it at all costs. This is not what you

0:24:37.760 --> 0:24:39.960
<v Speaker 2>want to be doing or spending your time doing. I

0:24:40.119 --> 0:24:42.440
<v Speaker 2>just that to me is what really fires me up.

0:24:42.680 --> 0:24:45.720
<v Speaker 2>You know, in building community outside of entrepreneurship can be

0:24:45.880 --> 0:24:49.200
<v Speaker 2>just as important. I think a lot of entrepreneurs fall

0:24:49.320 --> 0:24:52.720
<v Speaker 2>victim to like hustle culture and always on, always working.

0:24:52.880 --> 0:24:55.400
<v Speaker 2>Got to be working my twelve fifteen, twenty four hour

0:24:55.520 --> 0:24:58.480
<v Speaker 2>days like these just crazy things. You know, It's okay

0:24:58.560 --> 0:25:00.600
<v Speaker 2>to take a break and go hang out your friends,

0:25:00.680 --> 0:25:02.520
<v Speaker 2>or go take your dog for a walk, or go

0:25:02.640 --> 0:25:05.440
<v Speaker 2>you know, just get outside, touch grass, right, all these

0:25:05.480 --> 0:25:08.800
<v Speaker 2>things that are so important that the headlines and the

0:25:08.800 --> 0:25:11.000
<v Speaker 2>Internet might make you think is like, wait, no, that's

0:25:11.160 --> 0:25:14.400
<v Speaker 2>that's not what entrepreneurship is about. Well, they're wrong. Entrepreneurship

0:25:14.440 --> 0:25:16.359
<v Speaker 2>is about owning your time and spending your time the

0:25:16.400 --> 0:25:18.800
<v Speaker 2>way you want to. If that is connecting with other

0:25:18.960 --> 0:25:21.800
<v Speaker 2>entrepreneurs and building that side of your community, or connecting

0:25:21.880 --> 0:25:24.919
<v Speaker 2>with your friends and your existing community outside of work.

0:25:25.400 --> 0:25:28.159
<v Speaker 1>Absolutely, a big part of how community has helped me

0:25:28.400 --> 0:25:32.120
<v Speaker 1>is having a kind of pool of people who can

0:25:32.240 --> 0:25:35.840
<v Speaker 1>give me access to connections and resources that I didn't

0:25:35.840 --> 0:25:38.840
<v Speaker 1>even know existed. For example, I am coming out with

0:25:38.880 --> 0:25:42.640
<v Speaker 1>a new book and my book proposal coach, my agent.

0:25:43.280 --> 0:25:46.280
<v Speaker 1>So many people that have put this together were because

0:25:46.320 --> 0:25:49.040
<v Speaker 1>of community. I have a mentor who introduced me to

0:25:49.080 --> 0:25:51.080
<v Speaker 1>a lot of folks who have now been able to

0:25:51.080 --> 0:25:53.119
<v Speaker 1>be a part of this awesome project. And so I

0:25:53.160 --> 0:25:57.399
<v Speaker 1>think it's important to foster community because that is how

0:25:57.440 --> 0:26:00.239
<v Speaker 1>you can potentially find out that next tool that going

0:26:00.280 --> 0:26:02.440
<v Speaker 1>to help make success easier for you and your business,

0:26:02.880 --> 0:26:03.960
<v Speaker 1>like QuickBooks money.

0:26:04.400 --> 0:26:07.080
<v Speaker 2>I couldn't agree more. Janis Now we've talked a lot

0:26:07.160 --> 0:26:10.159
<v Speaker 2>about ourselves here, but I really want to dive deeper

0:26:10.200 --> 0:26:13.280
<v Speaker 2>into your why Why do you keep going? Why do

0:26:13.320 --> 0:26:16.280
<v Speaker 2>you keep doing it? Give me the number one reason?

0:26:16.960 --> 0:26:19.359
<v Speaker 1>So I love the fact that now I get to

0:26:19.400 --> 0:26:22.800
<v Speaker 1>write my own rules. I am someone who really enjoys

0:26:22.840 --> 0:26:25.879
<v Speaker 1>the fact that no day looks the same and I

0:26:25.920 --> 0:26:29.199
<v Speaker 1>get to live and work in a way more creative

0:26:29.280 --> 0:26:33.240
<v Speaker 1>zone than I could before. This is the freedom that

0:26:33.480 --> 0:26:36.720
<v Speaker 1>entrepreneurship gives you. It's really the ability to create a

0:26:36.800 --> 0:26:41.760
<v Speaker 1>career and really dictate how you spend your time your energy.

0:26:42.600 --> 0:26:47.040
<v Speaker 1>For me, most importantly, it's been that I am my

0:26:47.160 --> 0:26:49.960
<v Speaker 1>own safety net as an entrepreneur. I don't have to

0:26:50.000 --> 0:26:52.359
<v Speaker 1>worry about somebody laying me off. I don't have to

0:26:52.400 --> 0:26:55.560
<v Speaker 1>worry about you know, it's not in the budget. There's

0:26:55.760 --> 0:26:58.080
<v Speaker 1>a real power that comes from being able to be

0:26:58.119 --> 0:27:01.080
<v Speaker 1>your own money printer as a business owner, and I

0:27:01.119 --> 0:27:03.240
<v Speaker 1>feel like it helps me walk around in the world

0:27:03.280 --> 0:27:06.919
<v Speaker 1>with a little bit of more confidence, you know, just

0:27:07.000 --> 0:27:08.879
<v Speaker 1>that I have the ability to create the life that

0:27:08.920 --> 0:27:11.560
<v Speaker 1>I want, I have the skills to do it. And

0:27:12.640 --> 0:27:16.640
<v Speaker 1>most importantly, it's like I don't have to decide if

0:27:16.640 --> 0:27:19.520
<v Speaker 1>I have time for family, if I have time for friends,

0:27:19.560 --> 0:27:22.919
<v Speaker 1>if I have time to invest in my own health

0:27:23.200 --> 0:27:26.560
<v Speaker 1>and self care. There is a real power that comes

0:27:27.119 --> 0:27:31.120
<v Speaker 1>from entrepreneurship, and that really is my why. It's kind

0:27:31.160 --> 0:27:34.400
<v Speaker 1>of like, yeah, I get to run things. I am

0:27:34.800 --> 0:27:36.360
<v Speaker 1>the writer of my script.

0:27:36.680 --> 0:27:39.959
<v Speaker 2>Ooh, I love it. I'm right there with you. I

0:27:40.000 --> 0:27:43.200
<v Speaker 2>remember commuting an hour each way to work every day.

0:27:43.320 --> 0:27:46.080
<v Speaker 2>I remember sitting in the kitchen and eating my boxed

0:27:46.160 --> 0:27:50.080
<v Speaker 2>lunch in silence with my little headphones in listening to music.

0:27:50.480 --> 0:27:53.119
<v Speaker 2>I was always on call if my boss needed me,

0:27:53.560 --> 0:27:55.399
<v Speaker 2>and it was like ten forty five at night my

0:27:55.480 --> 0:27:58.000
<v Speaker 2>phone was ringing, and that was the same for the weekends.

0:27:58.080 --> 0:28:01.600
<v Speaker 2>Right today, I have the freedom to spend my days,

0:28:01.920 --> 0:28:05.080
<v Speaker 2>my evenings, and my weekends any way i'd like. I

0:28:05.119 --> 0:28:07.040
<v Speaker 2>also work from home, which means I save a lot

0:28:07.080 --> 0:28:09.639
<v Speaker 2>on gas now, But you know, to that point, the

0:28:09.680 --> 0:28:12.919
<v Speaker 2>flexibility also gives me an extended amount of time with

0:28:12.960 --> 0:28:16.000
<v Speaker 2>my dad, who's in his late seventies. I'm his primary caretaker,

0:28:16.280 --> 0:28:18.680
<v Speaker 2>and there's nothing more special to me than being able

0:28:18.680 --> 0:28:20.960
<v Speaker 2>to run over to my dad's house, make him some lunch,

0:28:21.000 --> 0:28:22.520
<v Speaker 2>and just make sure he's good for the rest of

0:28:22.560 --> 0:28:24.680
<v Speaker 2>the day. I also love having him over for dinner,

0:28:24.800 --> 0:28:27.359
<v Speaker 2>something I was never home to do because I wouldn't

0:28:27.400 --> 0:28:29.720
<v Speaker 2>get home till seven, eight, nine o'clock at night sometimes.

0:28:29.800 --> 0:28:34.080
<v Speaker 2>So to your point, having the flexibility, having that confidence,

0:28:34.560 --> 0:28:37.080
<v Speaker 2>knowing that you are your own boss, you can write

0:28:37.080 --> 0:28:40.440
<v Speaker 2>your own script, but also taking that extra time to

0:28:40.560 --> 0:28:44.880
<v Speaker 2>do something other than just leisure, but also something really

0:28:44.920 --> 0:28:46.760
<v Speaker 2>meaningful to you, I think is my why and what

0:28:46.880 --> 0:28:49.080
<v Speaker 2>keeps me going. I love being able to spend time

0:28:49.120 --> 0:28:52.200
<v Speaker 2>with my family, my friends, and having that you know,

0:28:52.400 --> 0:28:55.840
<v Speaker 2>extra couple hours a day or several hours a week,

0:28:55.880 --> 0:28:58.960
<v Speaker 2>even of just saying I want to do this because

0:28:59.000 --> 0:29:02.440
<v Speaker 2>this makes me happy. Be and I totally agree with

0:29:02.600 --> 0:29:05.520
<v Speaker 2>the confidence side, of the equation talking about how you

0:29:05.840 --> 0:29:09.480
<v Speaker 2>feel like you can control your own destiny because your skills.

0:29:09.520 --> 0:29:11.080
<v Speaker 2>I think that's what's so important too about being an

0:29:11.160 --> 0:29:14.880
<v Speaker 2>entrepreneur gene Is is people's skills never go away. Your

0:29:15.000 --> 0:29:17.920
<v Speaker 2>tools can go away, your computer can break your you know,

0:29:18.080 --> 0:29:21.600
<v Speaker 2>whatever you use equipment wise to make and produce your

0:29:21.600 --> 0:29:24.800
<v Speaker 2>products or services. Those can go away the deterior over time.

0:29:24.840 --> 0:29:27.680
<v Speaker 2>But your knowledge as to how you can do that

0:29:27.840 --> 0:29:32.640
<v Speaker 2>and monetize your unique and specific information and perspective will

0:29:32.680 --> 0:29:36.040
<v Speaker 2>never go away. And I think once people unlock and

0:29:36.080 --> 0:29:38.440
<v Speaker 2>have that light bulb moment of what that knowledge is

0:29:38.440 --> 0:29:42.000
<v Speaker 2>to them, because everyone has their own you know, specific

0:29:42.080 --> 0:29:46.480
<v Speaker 2>unique perspective, experience, know how as it relates to a product,

0:29:46.480 --> 0:29:50.960
<v Speaker 2>to service, a just general idea that they can monetize

0:29:50.960 --> 0:29:53.160
<v Speaker 2>and build upon. I mean, heck, I have no idea

0:29:53.200 --> 0:29:55.520
<v Speaker 2>how to sharpen a knife, but Michael does and he's

0:29:55.600 --> 0:29:58.840
<v Speaker 2>using that to generate revenue and just spend his time

0:29:58.920 --> 0:30:01.440
<v Speaker 2>as wisely as possible to make the most amount of money.

0:30:01.600 --> 0:30:05.000
<v Speaker 2>Sydney Holmes same thing with her company. No ifspr like,

0:30:05.120 --> 0:30:06.960
<v Speaker 2>I don't know how to do any of that stuff,

0:30:07.080 --> 0:30:09.920
<v Speaker 2>but these people know how to do those things and

0:30:09.960 --> 0:30:12.920
<v Speaker 2>then also kind of have that perfect work life balance

0:30:13.000 --> 0:30:14.960
<v Speaker 2>flexibility that we've been talking about.

0:30:15.120 --> 0:30:18.280
<v Speaker 1>One hundred percent. Sydney really spelled it out when it

0:30:18.320 --> 0:30:20.760
<v Speaker 1>comes to why she keeps ongoing as an entrepreneur.

0:30:22.240 --> 0:30:28.120
<v Speaker 9>I think the thing for me is the freedom of

0:30:28.520 --> 0:30:32.520
<v Speaker 9>being able to be a solopreneur. I think it's a

0:30:32.520 --> 0:30:34.600
<v Speaker 9>double edged sword, right, Like, if I'm not working, I'm

0:30:34.640 --> 0:30:38.760
<v Speaker 9>not making money. But at the same time, like when

0:30:38.800 --> 0:30:40.960
<v Speaker 9>I went freelance, the reason I did it was so

0:30:41.000 --> 0:30:44.720
<v Speaker 9>that I could live a fuller life, whether that was travel,

0:30:44.880 --> 0:30:48.200
<v Speaker 9>whether that was pursuing comedy, whatever it was. Like when

0:30:48.240 --> 0:30:50.400
<v Speaker 9>I got married a couple of years ago, I took

0:30:50.400 --> 0:30:52.840
<v Speaker 9>a full month off. So I think it's definitely the

0:30:52.840 --> 0:30:55.680
<v Speaker 9>freedom of being able to kind of choose the people

0:30:55.680 --> 0:30:57.920
<v Speaker 9>I work with, do what I want to do, take

0:30:57.960 --> 0:30:59.960
<v Speaker 9>time off if I need to take time off, and like, yes,

0:31:00.120 --> 0:31:02.240
<v Speaker 9>you are working a lot more, but the trade off

0:31:02.400 --> 0:31:05.200
<v Speaker 9>is not only do you keep all the money, but

0:31:05.240 --> 0:31:09.520
<v Speaker 9>you also have the ability to set those boundaries. It

0:31:09.600 --> 0:31:11.280
<v Speaker 9>is a tough balance, but anyway, Yeah, I think the

0:31:11.320 --> 0:31:13.120
<v Speaker 9>freedom is the thing that keeps me going. It's very

0:31:13.160 --> 0:31:13.760
<v Speaker 9>hard to give.

0:31:13.680 --> 0:31:16.600
<v Speaker 1>Up, and I think at the end of the day,

0:31:16.800 --> 0:31:19.520
<v Speaker 1>that's why we all do what we do. From Grace

0:31:19.560 --> 0:31:22.960
<v Speaker 1>Wells discovering the flexibility of working for herself, to Michael

0:31:23.000 --> 0:31:25.320
<v Speaker 1>Bain going from washing knives at all hours in a

0:31:25.400 --> 0:31:28.800
<v Speaker 1>kitchen to sharpening them on his own time, or from

0:31:28.840 --> 0:31:31.760
<v Speaker 1>Taylor Randall having the option to generate income with something

0:31:31.800 --> 0:31:35.160
<v Speaker 1>she's passionate about, to Michael and Daniel Jay being able

0:31:35.160 --> 0:31:37.920
<v Speaker 1>to work and enjoy life as a family, to Jordan

0:31:38.040 --> 0:31:40.920
<v Speaker 1>Rose catering to an audience she loves and making money

0:31:40.920 --> 0:31:43.800
<v Speaker 1>doing it all the way to Sierra Amani May being

0:31:43.840 --> 0:31:46.200
<v Speaker 1>able to make an impact and help the people within

0:31:46.280 --> 0:31:49.479
<v Speaker 1>her community, and Sydney Holmes improving the quality of her

0:31:49.480 --> 0:31:52.800
<v Speaker 1>personal life by taking control of her working one. I

0:31:52.840 --> 0:31:55.480
<v Speaker 1>think we can all see a through line here. It's

0:31:55.520 --> 0:31:58.960
<v Speaker 1>about the options, It's about the freedom. This is what

0:31:59.200 --> 0:32:00.600
<v Speaker 1>entrepreneurship is all about.

0:32:01.000 --> 0:32:07.640
<v Speaker 2>I couldn't have said it better myself, Janie, what an

0:32:07.680 --> 0:32:11.160
<v Speaker 2>incredible season. Oh my gosh, all of these guests we've

0:32:11.200 --> 0:32:14.720
<v Speaker 2>had across the last several episodes. I've had so much fun.

0:32:14.760 --> 0:32:17.920
<v Speaker 2>I've learned so much from these people, and thanks again

0:32:17.920 --> 0:32:19.120
<v Speaker 2>for breaking down your why.

0:32:19.760 --> 0:32:22.320
<v Speaker 1>Absolutely at the end of the day, I think most

0:32:22.360 --> 0:32:25.360
<v Speaker 1>of us do this for more than just money. We

0:32:25.400 --> 0:32:27.960
<v Speaker 1>want the ability to be our own boss. We want

0:32:28.080 --> 0:32:30.840
<v Speaker 1>the ability to control our own businesses. We want to

0:32:30.880 --> 0:32:34.440
<v Speaker 1>give back to the community and to other entrepreneurs, and

0:32:34.800 --> 0:32:36.360
<v Speaker 1>we want to make money.

0:32:38.280 --> 0:32:41.440
<v Speaker 2>We definitely do. I love, love, love seeing my own

0:32:41.520 --> 0:32:45.800
<v Speaker 2>community of solopreneurs and entrepreneurial friends building over time. I'm

0:32:45.840 --> 0:32:48.400
<v Speaker 2>glad you are now part of that community as well, Janie,

0:32:48.440 --> 0:32:52.120
<v Speaker 2>and I'm super super excited to hear that your business

0:32:52.280 --> 0:32:56.280
<v Speaker 2>is growing exponentially over time. I'm sure well.

0:32:56.320 --> 0:32:59.000
<v Speaker 1>And now we have an amazing community of listeners here

0:32:59.120 --> 0:33:02.720
<v Speaker 1>on Mind the Business, Small Business Success Stories. Austin, thank

0:33:02.760 --> 0:33:05.480
<v Speaker 1>you for another great episode.

0:33:04.960 --> 0:33:06.680
<v Speaker 2>Thank you for a great season.

0:33:07.200 --> 0:33:10.440
<v Speaker 1>You're very welcome, and thank you all so much for listening.

0:33:10.760 --> 0:33:13.160
<v Speaker 1>You can find me on social media at jocierro Di

0:33:13.240 --> 0:33:14.480
<v Speaker 1>netto podcast.

0:33:14.400 --> 0:33:16.959
<v Speaker 2>And you can find me at Austin Hankwitz. You can

0:33:17.000 --> 0:33:20.520
<v Speaker 2>follow into It QuickBooks on all social media at QuickBooks.

0:33:20.640 --> 0:33:23.080
<v Speaker 2>To get the tools you need to start, run and

0:33:23.120 --> 0:33:25.920
<v Speaker 2>grow your business, head to QuickBooks dot com today.

0:33:26.280 --> 0:33:28.520
<v Speaker 1>Don't forget to follow this show wherever you listen to

0:33:28.560 --> 0:33:31.400
<v Speaker 1>podcasts so you can stay up to date on future seasons.

0:33:31.880 --> 0:33:33.880
<v Speaker 2>And we also want to hear from you, so be

0:33:33.960 --> 0:33:35.680
<v Speaker 2>sure to leave a rating and a review.

0:33:36.320 --> 0:33:37.120
<v Speaker 1>See you next time.

0:33:41.440 --> 0:33:44.880
<v Speaker 2>This podcast is a production of iHeartRadio and Into It QuickBooks.

0:33:44.960 --> 0:33:48.560
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0:33:48.640 --> 0:33:51.640
<v Speaker 2>Nikia Swinton, and our writer is Eric Lijah.

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