Differently
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Differently
Entrepreneurship: Behind the Scenes with Kelly Marshall, Erin Davis and Carla
In this episode of Differently, host Carla Reeves sits down with two close friends and business colleagues, Kelly (founder of TerraCare Financial) and Erin (founder of Matchbox Women and the True You Brand Method). They dive into candid conversations about:
- Entrepreneurship & Business Growth – The challenges and joys of running a business.
- Motherhood & Leadership – Balancing personal and professional responsibilities.
- Personal Development & Learning – The importance of lifelong learning and consistency.
- Building a Brand & Money Mindset – Navigating financial and marketing strategies in 2024.
- The Power of Connection – How personal outreach and relationship-building are key in business.
Key Takeaways & Topics Discussed
✔ Consistency Over Time – The importance of sticking with actions even when results aren’t immediate.
✔ Trusting the Process – Learning when to take control and when to let things unfold.
✔ The Power of Personal Connection – Why direct outreach (DMs, texts, emails) can be more impactful than broad marketing strategies.
✔ Navigating Business & Family Life – How Kelly and Erin integrate work and home life while maintaining boundaries.
✔ CEO Scorecards & Vision Planning – The role of structured planning in business success.
✔ Money & Branding in 2025 – Key financial and marketing insights to stay ahead this year.
Check out Kelly's past episodes: Empowered Spending &
Differently with Money & Creative Money Mindset & Cultivating Joy When Dealing with Money
Check out Erin's past episode: From Burnout to Brand Brilliance
Connect with Erin & Subscribe to Her Newsletter – https://matchboxwomen.com/thematchbox Learn More About Kelly & TerraCare Financial
Learn more about Carla:
Website: https:/www.carlareeves.com/
Connect on LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reevescarla/
Connect on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@differentlythepodcast
Go to https://carlareeves.com/freeclass to get The Class schedule, sign up, and/or pass it on to a friend. Each month is a new topic. Come hang out and learn with us for FREE!
Get your copy of 5 Ways to Manage Your Mind
Book a Complimentary Strategy Call with Carla: https://bookme.name/carlareeves/strategycall
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- A free way to support our show is by leaving a five-star rating and review on your favorite podcast player. It’s a chance to tell us what you love about the show and it helps others discover it, too.
Thank you for listening!
I'm Carla Reeves, and this is Differently. Whether you feel stuck in survival, navigating a change, or seeking more for your life, may this podcast be your weekly nudge to take a risk to build a life that is uniquely bold, authentic and in alignment with your deepest values. What if you worried less about the bumps in the road and instead got equipped for the journey? Get ready to rethink what's possible. You are in for a treat today. I've invited two of my friends and business colleagues to join me for a coffee and conversation about all the things entrepreneurship, finding our growth edges, motherhood, vision planning, being a leader and so much more. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did. Just real, honest connection and conversation about things that matter to us and, I believe, matter to you too. May this inspire and stir your heart and mind. Meet Kelly.
Speaker 1:So, if you've been listening a while, kelly has been on the podcast a number of times and I'll link all the episodes in the show notes. She's the founder of TerraCare Financial. She helps conscious entrepreneurs take charge of their finances, ease their money worries and grow healthy and profitable businesses. And I want you to meet Erin. She has actually been on the show too, and I'll link that episode in the show notes. She's the founder of Matchbox Women, the Matchbox Newsletter and the True you Brand Method, and she's passionate about helping female entrepreneurs build brands that feel authentic and help grow their business sustainably. This conversation today is behind the scenes and, don't be alarmed. I hit record right when we started talking, so there's no professional transition here. Grab a cup of coffee and a seat, enjoy, because because Aaron and I have already been talking and I'm like, oh, I should have already hit record. So have you and Kelly met in person? No, no, no, that's the best. And Kelly and I haven't met in person either no, and we've been working together since what?
Speaker 2:2018?
Speaker 3:oh, wow, yes, well then, I feel so honored to feel so connected to you guys and our connection is so much younger. But I just feel like you're my bosom friends. I just love that's what I was saying about technology. I feel like it's a take back of technology, where everyone thinks that technology is, you know, more divisive or distracting, um, but I think this is such a cool example of like how opposite it it can be, that's so true.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and not to not to jump ahead of, like, what we want to talk about. But that's one thing with, like, if we talk about motherhood in business, like I don't want to be at a happy hour after hours, I don't want to be at a happy hour after hours, I don't want to be, you know, getting up at seven, 30 in the morning to go to a BNI meeting and to have that connection. And you need that connection as an entrepreneur. But I get it all day long with my clients and you know and my team and things. But my clients it's like so much of this connection is so real and it's all been electronic.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's.
Speaker 3:I could not agree more.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And then you can finish your work day and like, go be with your family and like you've, you've filled a lot of those other places of friendship and business and growth and learning, and yeah, it's pretty amazing. Well, we're just so. This is, this is what we're doing. We're changing things up today on the podcast and I have invited two dear friends to just come and have coffee and conversation and, um, there is no agenda other than, like, motherhood and entrepreneurship and family and goals and dreams and whatever is on your heart. So that's what we're doing today and I, even though it's I'm the host of this podcast. Like I want you guys to imagine you're the host today too, like it's just an interactive conversation and we just get to talk about whatever is kind of bubbling up in our lives right now. Love it, yeah.
Speaker 2:I have one right off the bat. That's kind of spurred by something you just said. Where you're talking about, where we fill a lot of the I don't. You didn't say buckets, but I use buckets for everything but like you were saying how we get a lot of those needs met during the day.
Speaker 2:And then one of them you mentioned was learning, and I that has been one of the best things that's come out of entrepreneurship for me, that I don't even I didn't know going in, that that was something like how much of a lifelong learner I am and that that is so fulfilled through this Cause. Every day is something new. I'm learning as a business owner, as somebody who, if I'm not interested in something, can pivot and go do something else and like um and or learn something else or change something or go deeper with something. So the the learning piece of this has become my favorite part, like that personal development through professional development kind of thing. And so when you said that, I'm like, oh, I want to make sure we talk about that because that's super important for me, I imagine it is for you both as well.
Speaker 1:I don't know how it like couldn't be, I mean because you're kind of forced to do it regardless.
Speaker 2:Yeah, as an entrepreneur right, whether it's learning how to do something that you didn't know how to do, that you know can feel so daunting before you start, or bumping up against something that is a limit in you and you've got to work through it, or you're not going to get past it and like that piece of the development. Yeah, there's a lot of different components to it.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So I feel like the idea of like classroom. Like you know, you're all working on a project and you all have different parts and everyone's good at something different or slightly different than you are, and you can just kind of nudge each other as you're working, like oh hey, how do you do that? Or like who do you know that does that well? And I think we've all either learned about each other's work and gleaned another expert, or we directly shared an expert with one another or just shared our insight. And it's like we're all kind of working together in this virtual classroom and you know, doing our purpose, and but we're like alongside each other and learning from each other. And I like that kind of like the school day or the business hours where we're getting to do this. It doesn't have to be long, it doesn't have to be an hour long podcast conversation, but it's that like connection and we can just keep learning on the fly from each other and go deeper when it makes sense. And I couldn't agree more.
Speaker 2:I just I'm laughing a little bit, cause I imagine, like whenever we're on a call as this group I've been with you in other groups where this has happened and a book comes up and like everybody's like what was it?
Speaker 1:Well you know what is it you?
Speaker 2:can see people.
Speaker 1:Why is it? Why are we so like, needy of that? It's like we don't want to miss out.
Speaker 2:It must've been a good one. It came up.
Speaker 3:Hey, you know what I'll take FOMO on a book any day, like something else, and I just have.
Speaker 1:I always have a stack of books Like it's never, I'm just reading one book, I'm reading like three or five and I I've tried to change that, but it's just the way I do it and it's just the way it is.
Speaker 3:I could not agree more. I I'm always like I need to like start something and finish it. I'm like, why, like, whose rule am I following? Like I like to do that. I enjoy it. Like when I feel like, oh, you know what, that's the genre I'm looking for. Like I'll pick it up and I typically finish them all, just maybe not in the timeframe or the style. I'm like who cares? Like who says I have to read it? Like that.
Speaker 1:I can read them in order or not. And then every now and again do you just like devour a book, Like as fast as you can.
Speaker 3:So funny Okay.
Speaker 1:So I have a question based on. What Kelly was talking about is like what's the? What's the hardest or edgiest thing that you're having to learn right now, right now.
Speaker 2:I, I have one that's kind of been throughout my business, but I do have a right now. So I'm debating, I'm going to, I can go with. My right now is really my leadership, and that's very present to me this year of like I'm working on getting out of the way so that the team the incredible team that I have can support the business more, so that we can keep growing and to match the vision I have for us, but also for their own, all the things that we love about it. You know people, I have love about that too, and it gives them that opportunity to experience that too.
Speaker 2:And so mine is about leadership and it's an edge because I like I'm very careful with the delivery of the client services and like there's a lot of things that are very important to me about this. But the more I stay in the way, the less people get the impact of what we do. So finding that way to like let go while still maintaining that level of service that is a requirement for me, um is challenging. It's got an edge and I bump into it from time to time and then we work on it. Yeah, that's a big one.
Speaker 3:Well, um, I, what comes up for me, and actually, kelly and I have talked about this recently and you and I, um, carla, talked before we hit record. Um, I am in a really different season of my business evolution. I have been an entrepreneur pretty much my entire professional career. Um and uh, my first business, um, very successful from a financial and client standpoint, very referral based. I did not work hard to get clients or to grow. I helped my clients grow, but it was not something that I had to necessarily engage in for my own growth.
Speaker 3:Two and a half years ago I just felt the call in my heart to shift where my business was going, um, not a ton of clarity, but it was just I don't know.
Speaker 3:I had a gut feeling, a call in my heart and I did it and um, so I feel like the it's probably not edgy or like sexy sounding or anything but really leaning into small, consistent action and not giving up on that consistent action to to see the long-term goal or um level realized is where I'm at. Um and kind of along the lines of the conversation you and I were having, kelly. This not chasing the shiny thing but finding that thing, that is, that base, foundation level, that, whether it's zone of genius or just what you know is good or know is right, really allowing that to be, um, and being consistent there and not chasing the shiny or not, um, learning something new and going oh, maybe that's it, but just being really consistent, um, and trusting that consistency is kind of you know, maybe for me that edgy kind of thing and I feel like it goes for all of my life. At this age I need to be consistent with the way I move my body, how I eat, the supplements that I take um, the spiritual activities that I have in my, in my daily like I have to be consistent in all of those things. And I think before this age, like I could be more hit or miss or, like you know, it was just different, and now, like, consistency is, yeah, that's the name of my, that's the name of my game.
Speaker 2:So good I expand on that thought of like the not chasing a shiny object. And then, carla, I don't want to lose that question because I want to hear your answer to it too. But I find this a lot, and this may not be exactly what you're referring to, aaron, so I'm not putting this on you at all, but people can feel like something's not working. They've got a little success with it, but it's not what they had really envisioned, so it's not working. So it's like, okay, scrap that and create something new. And that happens a lot, a lot. And what it? What it really often is, is it it just hasn't caught yet. Like there takes that time of like people knowing you're out there and building that reputation and the word of mouth to get out, and so for people to have results from what you've done, and then they're kind of a walking testimonial. Like all that takes time, and I'm.
Speaker 2:This story may not be particular to the listeners, but I'm going to share it. But there was, there was a guy I met. It was over, it was about a year and a quarter ago and he actually ended up helping us with some outsourced bookkeeping. But I knew this guy had it like he was. He was hit. Everything you need, like you, easy to talk to, knew his stuff. Um had his system set up, like he, he was ready to just blow up and he was at this timeline in his business that I just I remember being at in mine and I'm like you just keep doing it, keep doing it. I was just like in his ear and I would. We were just friends and he had at in mine and I'm like you just keep doing it, keep doing it, and I was just like in his ear and I would. We were just friends and he had helped me a little bit. So we were just kind of talking on Facebook Messenger. I'm like, just do it, just do it. I think it was two weeks ago.
Speaker 2:I saw him post in the Facebook group looking for somebody to subcontract for him, like he did for me, because he was too busy, and I was like, oh my God, and that's like that. Like sometimes I can even sense it, like somebody's just about to get there. It's like that that the cartoon they show where the person's digging for gold and they start walking away and they're like right there where the gold was just going to. If they hit the wall a few more times they're gonna be at the gold. That's where he was. And I can feel that sometimes with my clients and or with things I see, or this, this friend slash former contractor, and that crushes me. When people walk away too fast from that, I'm like you're right there and I'm not always right, but I sometimes I have that sense of it and it's just that moment where we want to give up, when it's just about to work.
Speaker 3:I love that. I'll take it.
Speaker 1:You can place that on me. Well, I think that my growth edge, or the edge we were talking about, is both like a combination of both of what you talked about and your story, kelly, is like. Just the other day I journaled and I was like talking to God in my journal and I'm like like I just I'll just hit those moments where I just I want to like throw in the towel and just turn the other way and just, and I don't really, but it's like, it's like this part of me that does right, it's not the whole of me. And like what I heard back was's like it's like this part of me that does right, it's not the whole of me. And like what I heard back was just like it's just getting good, Like don't stop.
Speaker 1:And it's exactly what you were saying, and I think this last year has been so much like faith to just show up and not have it all figured out and not know the next step until I know the next step.
Speaker 1:And I just have had to be so consistent to your word, aaron, of just showing up and trusting that the next step will get revealed. And like things haven't turned out like I thought they would, the new year hasn't exactly started like I thought it would, and there is. It's just like I know that I just have to keep stepping. And then the other edge is the leadership piece. Like that's I think I've so for so many years like wanted permission and approval and like go do this, carla, and like I just need to do that for myself. I need to double down on that, and that's what this year is all about is just doubling down on the vision that's been in my heart forever. You guys like talk about the through line in our lives and our businesses like it's never changed, and so, yes, I can totally relate to both and the getting out of the way so that other people can support and contribute and play in this arena that we are creating.
Speaker 2:Two little things came to mind as you were just sharing that in my own like sometimes wanting to walk away, like I remember when I was pretty new and every once in a while I get frustrated like how am I going to find the next client, and I would go look at Indeed, at a job posting and be like nope, I am unemployable now the no is clear.
Speaker 3:Oh, me too yeah.
Speaker 2:And then the other thing would be like, you know, as it grew, sometimes I'm like I could just have a little book of business and be doing it myself and be you know, and then and that's not really what I want and how I want to serve, you know, my clients, or you know I love having this team, but it's like you have to have those reality checks once in a while to be like, no, that's just the frustration or the you know that whatever is coming up in that moment, that feeling you have. But sometimes a little kick in the butt reminder doesn't hurt either.
Speaker 3:A little bad indeed posting.
Speaker 3:I feel like it's the tension between taking control and taking action and like allowing and letting and, you know, releasing control, and that's just kind of like the I don't know the purpose of our lives, like how much can we, you know, dig in and take control of what we're doing and where we're going and the actions that we take, and how much can we both allow, like at the same time?
Speaker 3:And for me, what comes up is you know, I help my clients build a brand and that is articulated and it turns out it's in a document and it becomes kind of this third party decision maker, where you can help yourself get out of the emotional part of it and decide I did these things, I said these things. That's where I'm going to lean my actions. I know where I'm going. I've decided that this is, this is the path, the tack that I'm taking, um, but you're in control to also allow that to evolve. It's not like a static thing, um, but it does create this. When you don't maybe have community or you haven't built a team, it's a wonderful, wonderful, like third party that goes no, my decision's been made, like I already know what we're, what we're doing and I'm going to keep keep going, um so.
Speaker 1:That is so true. I mean the accountability piece and the like I I've been practicing this year, like starting my day with looking at my vision and my goals for this year and then doing a little bit of at my vision and my goals for this year and then doing a little bit of writing, and that is so powerful for me to remember what I've declared and what I'm up to, like it's not. I'm such a feeling based person that my I have to really watch my feelings because they can be all over the place, and that vision and those goals are what, like help me align and stay consistent every day. What is it for for you guys? What does that look like?
Speaker 3:um, um, I have to do like all three things for me. I have to like I have to move and I have to like allow like none of the like thought part to be there. I have to like create space, Like Kelly and I actually talk about this a lot like kind of the creativity part. I'm not necessarily doing like an like a artistic, creative part, but I'm I'm getting at the like the release of the maybe the more linear or logical or like ruminating on thought part by moving. Um, that's kind of a newer thing for me. Um, I have to do that every day or my mind gets really cluttered. Um, and I have to feed my spirit, Um, and for me, specifically, that you know, prayer and um, with all my exposure and relationship with Carla, like I'm doing so much more writing with Carla, like I'm doing so much more writing Um, and that's just like just makes so much of a difference.
Speaker 3:I watched this like I don't know if I don't know what you call it, like a reel or something, with Mel Robbins and she was interviewing I don't know some important doctor and they were talking about like the realization of your goals and achievement and such and um, he talked about these very simple, like you need to use your senses, you need to write it, you need to say it out loud, you need to do that consistently. You could get creative with it. But it was all these like routine acts, both physical and mental, like visualizing, meditating on it, that helped something come to fruition. That helped something come to fruition, and so for me that looks like I'm absolutely thinking and planning and, but in a physical way I'm, I'm writing things out and I'm moving, so that I can kind of detach and let my mind both rest and make its own connections. So I don't know if that totally answered the question, but that what it came up for me yeah that's so good.
Speaker 2:I'm so glad you guys both shared this first, because I'm like what do I do? But I know what you really do I do.
Speaker 2:I have a lot of things in place. So it took a little bit of like um, hearing you reflect that. That helped me recognize the things I do. Like I have my income tracker that's you guys know about that. Where it's got, I can color it in and I can make it.
Speaker 2:There's something about um, the environment for me, like having that pretty environment and having like a pretty piece of paper, like even though I'm so linear in what I do, like that piece is just so critical for me, like that piece is just so critical for me. So I have a lot of practices like that. I have my daily kind of to-do type thing. But there's even in that there's some opportunity. Like I have little icons I draw in every day and just certain things that kind of help me touch that more creative side.
Speaker 2:But when I think back, like at the different stages of my business, there's always been a decision, sometimes also with a vision, mission, purpose kind of update, and there's some.
Speaker 2:There's some choices we're making now or like some work I'm doing where we're planning into the future and we're kind of at a, a choice point where we can go one direction and keep the bit like the, the future vision of the firm, looking kind of like mom and pop, just kind of us running this until we maybe sell it eventually, or a much different vision for it.
Speaker 2:And I didn't even realize I was up against that until I was working with somebody yesterday and that came up. And so I think we we encounter those points where we have to make choices and decisions and then it's how do we stay present to them after that? So those other pieces of the visiting it daily or having your goal list or having my trackers, those are all ways that we stay present to that decision. And I, what I'm recognizing right like live in this moment, is that I've habitualized so many of them that I don't that they are just my true practice at this point. There's others I want, there's other things I want to bring in, but I'm going to celebrate that in this moment that those it's just what I do, so I don't even recognize it, as you know, it's just part of the habits, yeah.
Speaker 1:I love that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that too.
Speaker 2:I'm going to celebrate it.
Speaker 2:I do want to say last year we started one.
Speaker 2:It's a CEO scorecard and my husband works in the business with me, as you guys both know, and for a while it was just me kind of creating it and keeping it up. And then he took over on that a few months ago and we didn't keep up with it in January because we were in 1099 land and it was just so busy and year end. And we got back to it this week and I recognize what a difference maker that process is and we measure certain marketing things on there, we measure revenue goals on there, we measure things with the team on there, and so having kind of whatever you want to call it, a scorecard or a dashboard or I don't care what some type of tracker I think can be important too, so that you're it takes the feelings out of that too, like it allows you to kind of check in and get a different perspective than just what it's a structure for like revisiting those things, especially if you're doing it with someone else, like that is so incredibly helpful for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, me too.
Speaker 2:Because, if it's just on my calendar and I'm just showing up.
Speaker 1:I don't always show up.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:You know, yeah, so powerful, yeah, so some. A question came up, like when you were talking about vision is one thing that I like and I imagine you guys are this way too that, like I am naturally out like 10, 20, 50 steps in the future, like imagining things and seeing where things are headed. But it's a constant, I guess, practice or tension of like being out there and being back here I think you said something like that, erin, but it's like staying in the present moment and what we're doing today and also sort of knowing where things are headed and gradually steering the ship in that direction. Do you experience that? What does that look like in your life and business?
Speaker 3:I have kind of overarching life goals that my business is a vehicle for and that it encompasses everything. I think I'm a really like kind of holistic thinker. I'm never just in my business. My business is, like I said, it's really a vehicle for, for other things. I think it's a vehicle for money, I think it's a vehicle for time freedom. Um, it's a vehicle to be my best self for my children and my husband, and so my goals always encompass all of it. I can't separate them. I guess my actions though that lead there is where the separating kind of comes for me, and maybe that is normal or everyone looks at it that way. But I my daily, weekly, monthly activities are I'm sometimes I probably spend too much time there and can get bogged down in the minutiae of that, but those routine things are. I spend a lot of time like making sure that I'm kind of making the tweaks that get to that place. But it's from a daily, a weekly, a monthly and quarterly um adjustments I guess, um along the way.
Speaker 1:So good.
Speaker 2:That's a good question. Um, we'll just see where I go with this, because I have a couple thoughts bubbling up but I don't really know that they're going to be cohesive. So I'm, um, we'll see how this goes. But, um, I feel like I've always been a daydreamer, like I'm always like living in some vision and it's very easy for me to access that. Or there might be something that's sometimes a little judgment coming in this. Sometimes it's in um for me to access that, or there might be something that's a little judgment coming in. Sometimes it's in, like, if I'm experiencing, so let's say, I go to a place, I'm getting a service of some kind and like the service isn't what I think it should be, or I see an opportunity. It's so funny how the daydream I can create that I've recreated that whole business like in that moment and I walk around life kind of thinking that way, which is kind of funny. But for my own I I think sometimes I don't always connect them. Um, and this is the part I want to talk about, something that shifted last year, but like even just that conversation this week of like some decisions I'm trying to make and I wasn't able to make it and it's because I haven't decided the the decision today I couldn't make because I wasn't able to make it. And it's because I haven't decided the decision today I couldn't make because I haven't made that decision about where I really want our future to go in this pivot point. So that's an opportunity where I think I've got my vision down. But, like, this is very specific to the business and what decisions we make now that are going to get us to where we want to be. So to get us to where we want to be, so we need to decide where we want to be. So I'm very much in real time experiencing that this week.
Speaker 2:Where I didn't have that perspective, on the other hand, I started along with the CEO of Scorecard last year. I started doing the quarterly planning and I've been really resistant to taking the amount of time you need when you're really doing that type of work, like I tend to be, like get the work, get the. You know just working on the work and you really, as a CEO in your business, you have to take that time to get out of the work, make the plan, and when I'm doing the quarterly planning, it starts with a vision process. So, and when I'm doing the quarterly planning. It starts with a vision process, so that's helped me a lot to get more in touch with that quarterly.
Speaker 2:I don't know why this thing has popped up.
Speaker 2:I don't know Like I really couldn't even tell you why this popped up this week, except I think we got we hit some goals faster than we expected to and so some decisions are coming up faster and I haven't done my quarterly plan for what I thought I'd be making this decision. So I feel like that's helped me a lot and it's, you know, probably a six hour process on a Friday every quarter. I'm trying to bring that more into monthly and weekly and daily planning. I do it a little bit, but it's more in the abstract than it is in like a real process. So that'll be what I'm working on this year, but I don't know. So I don't know if that answered it, but I've got pieces of it. But I think every once in a while, like that, bigger vision can change, and I don't. I think things changed faster than I was caught up with it and so I have to have some conversations and do a little work around that to in order to make my next decisions and make my next plan. Does that make any sense?
Speaker 1:Yeah, totally yeah. Is is your quarterly planning. Is that a solo process or something you?
Speaker 2:bring your team into, oh I don't bring my team, it's me and another group of other people. That's a good thought, though I like that idea of bringing the team into it more, or at least a few people. I discuss it after because there's projects that come out of it, but I haven't really brought them into the planning. But we do. Sometimes the project is then to make the plan so like. It's more of a like. I know this is a system I want to fix for next time. So I've got that as a project. But the first step in that project is the team working on that together, like an offsite type thing. We did that a lot last year to move big projects through where they wouldn't have happened. But that's a good thought. There's an opportunity there that they could come into that. Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 3:I love that. I think what comes up for me there is that and maybe this is some judgment on myself, like you kind of mentioned. But I think sometimes maybe my vision is could be so far out and so maybe big that it's not maybe distinct or defined enough. I'm very good at the daily, weekly, monthly, like quarterly, like this is what I'm gonna do, um, but it's almost like you know, kind of as we're having this conversation, there's a, the disconnect might be too far, Um, and something in there might be like you know well, you know I can. If I don't achieve it um, then it w it was too far anyway, Right, Um. And so while I can be good at the consistent um and the showing up um, if I can refine that vision or bring it a little bit closer, I can maybe keep myself a little bit more accountable. So just a little bit like honestly.
Speaker 2:I think that's a huge piece of it for me and I don't know that you're going there, but I always go here for part of it for me is getting real with my numbers, and even though I'm a numbers person and I do it all the time, there was like a little bit of magical thinking going on, and since I've gotten more real with that and leaving room for magical thinking, because I really like magical thinking. But in getting a little more real, it makes it so that I can actually hit them instead of it being abstract and too big and too far out in the future. So I think you're landing on an important piece right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, speaking of that, kelly, like are there any um from your line of work like things that are bubbling up this year is important that we should be paying attention to when it comes to money.
Speaker 2:How many more hours do we have? And actually, even then, who knows? There's a lot bubbling up, Carla, but I don't know how much of that you want me to share here.
Speaker 1:Maybe just a few highlights we can be thinking about.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think, as business owners, I think the most important thing, because I think there's a lot of unknown right now and there's a lot of possibility to go into fear and I know that, no matter what, that fear won't serve us. So that's not where we need to go. What we need to focus on is connection, service, rapport, community and doing our best work, you know, and staying out of the fear and the what can happen and like just focusing on what we do, what we do well, build connections, stay in touch with people, make sure you understand what they want and need.
Speaker 2:That's going to be the answer, you know, to work our way through it there's a lot of things out of our control and so we can't try to control them. We can control the things we can control and that's a big part of it the connection, the community, the services we're providing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, anything from your clients, aaron, like from your perspective of brand and marketing that feels extra important this year.
Speaker 3:Um, well, I think, just echoing what, um, what Kelly's saying, and deciding what your modes of doing those are like what is the path, what is the action, the tactic, the strategy that you're taking to make that connection to be more visible, so that somebody is aware of you? Um, uh, deciding what those two to three things are and just doubling down, um, cause I think there are a lot of unknowns and there I don't you know, know what? I don't care what's happening. There's unknowns and so, um, uh, I think that you can always win with relationship and, um, you can, what find your ways to do that best. Um, I think personal, one-to-one outreach is such an incredible way to make connections and I think we use these bigger platforms, whether it's an email newsletter or social media or even going to a local event or doing group coaching. These are group kind of wider audience spreads. These are group kind of wider audience spreads. And there is, I think this is the time to keep that one-to-one outreach and connection, whether it's a DM, whether it's an old school phone call, whether it's a text message, whether it's a direct email.
Speaker 3:I've recently been working with a client who has a retail business and we kind of tested out like how can we move from?
Speaker 3:Everything she does is on an audience basis, and I think that's true for a lot of us, and in the retail space it's even more maybe bizarre to think of a one-to-one action. And so we started working on one-to-one DMs, one-to-one email outreaches, and she had wonderful traction, wonderful sales increases, and it was some of it, I think, was about that unexpectedness and I think that we all can benefit from going. How do I want to connect and build on that in a one-to-one, like a real way, instead of an audience basis? I just had somebody reach out to me, um, at a DM, and again somebody I've never met in person, um on on social media and asked me if she wouldn't have asked me and she just made a post about it and said something was an opportunity. I probably wouldn't have thought twice about it, um, because there was a personal outreach, like we're going to talk, and I think that that personal outreach is maybe more important now than ever.
Speaker 1:I love that so much. I think yesterday I just felt like a nudge to like reach out to a past client. Like she just came to mind and I thought I'm just going to send her a little text and we had done some really important work around her elderly father and I sent her a text and just said, like how are you and how is your dad? And she sent a text back like he had passed like last week, and I was just so glad that I listened to that nudge to like touch base with her right then you know, like so there's I think there's so much to what you're saying. Like it's so easy for me to get caught up in like oh, I should be doing that or this or that, and the one to ones are always the most impactful.
Speaker 1:I had a lady talking. We were talking about like the way all three of us got connected, and there was a lady that reached out to me I think it was like last year, maybe the year before, and she did, she did a video email and she like had clearly listened to the podcast and like shared exactly like what she would love to talk about and how it fit, and it was so personal, you guys, and now she's come on like twice I've been on her to speak to her audience Like we are building a relationship too, and it's all because of that personal reach out that you talk about. So I think I want to just highlight, like always, trust the nudge to.
Speaker 2:Like you know, Carla, we don't mean to make this long. I think we've shared on the podcast before. But, like Carla and I met because we were both on a call, I said something that she wanted to learn more about and then she was like I want to connect with that person. And then we got connected after and I mean, here we are and.
Speaker 2:I mean, here we are. So going on seven years later, like you know, over six years later, and you know, and she just she trusted that like gut reaction and spoke up and made the connection and then it went from there and I think you know that that's I always hear when people are like somebody popped into my head and I just connected with them and it's always because that was they were meant to. You know, and always trust that nudge and take action on it.
Speaker 1:So true, so true. So I'm curious. I want to hear a little bit about, like family, marriage, parenting, like business, like how does this all integrate with your business right now? Like what season are you in? What does that look like? Like I I'm just curious Cause I know it's such an important part of all of our lives. And, like Kelly, your husband is integrated in your business, my husband is integrated in my business. I'm not sure about you, aaron, but like yeah, I want to hear about that part.
Speaker 3:My husband and I are um 100% opposite, um personality types, and so actually that could be like a really good mix in our business or in my business, um uh, and he's got a lot of education and brand and marketing and um culture building. Um, he's phenomenal, but he does not work in my business. Um, I'm going to call you out.
Speaker 2:He doesn't work in your business, but he has like read through your course and given you feedback and stuff, so there are ways that he has been integrated.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I, and you know he deserves um that credit too. He has been not only really supportive of this transition that I've made, so essentially just for the readers at a fist, like I'm doing the exact same work that I've always done. I'm just focusing, kind of honed in on a specific audience. So I'm very interested in helping women be able to realize what it is that they want to realize in their life through their business and helping them build brands and so that they can market those well and um feel good about it and have it be in alignment with their life. That's that's where my heart is, um now, and so, anyways, he's been really supportive of that transition. Um, and he's been right there alongside of me.
Speaker 3:You know, reading my materials from that outside perspective and making sure that the things that I'm creating and the ways that I'm talking about them aren't too small, I guess is the only way I can say it's not just only from my head and what I think people need. But you know how, where does this land? And and actually that personal connection component, going backwards a little bit, that really by reaching out personally, you really learn and hear what people need and where they're at and what services actually will meet them where they're at. Because I think we can all go this is my zone of genius, or this is what I'm good at, or this is what I feel confident in. But it may not match up exactly and for me, that work in what your brand is really hones in what those services are, and it's it's a mutual thing.
Speaker 3:I just had a conversation with somebody over coffee yesterday and she's growing a business. That initial place, I think, can really come from what am I good at, and while that is absolutely valuable and it really needs to be part of the sauce, that second part is and what is needed and how do they, how, how does that person I want to serve, how are they going to receive it? And so it's aligning those two things up. Not just this is what I'm good at, so Chad's been very good at helping me with that and I'm totally like lost train of what am I? What am I talking about? Really helpful Family and marriage.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I think so for somebody who I would say I'm not the best at boundaries in a lot of ways, but when it comes to work and home, and home I'll call it like kids and husband and family relationships I have very strong boundaries on my work day and when that begins and ends, and um, I kind of turn that off and, um, you know, focus on, you know, my kids and my relationship with my husband and we um help with his parents and um, so I am not a good multitasker and so, somewhat forced like I, just I have to turn one thing off so that I can be present and address the other. So, um, I guess that kind of boundary business hours is like a really big thing for me. Um, business hours, I'm business, and then when that's over, then I, I shift gears.
Speaker 2:Love that. Yeah, it's kind of an interesting evolution for me. Um, I'm not as well boundaried with my time as Aaron, is that's for sure, but it's funny because, like it does, because Justin's here, it's interesting to see how that navigates into our life too, and I think we do. So he and I worked together. We met at work, then we worked at different places, places and then we had a little business together. We used to have this um, like a flipping bit, like furniture and antiques and stuff. We had this flipping business, um, which was very fun and although I was like, like wanted to build because I'm just built this way I wanted to build it in a big thing. He's like remember, when this was just fun and we went to, we sold a couple things, everything to way, I wanted to build it in a big thing. He's like, remember, when this was just fun and we went to it, we sold a couple things. Everything to me is like how to build it and be this big business, but we had fun with it. But we navigated things a few times and we know that that works for us. Like this was not like a big guess when we were working towards him coming into the business. We knew how that relationship worked and so we moved pretty effortlessly into that. Every once in a while, you know, there'll be a little like something we have to work through. That's extra because of that. But I think that's just like we would if you were working with any coworker, you know. So we navigate that very well, but we also know it's a formula that works for us.
Speaker 2:But I was thinking about, like the transitions we've been in. I mean my business. We've hit seven years in this form. I had a we'll just say hit seven years, and a lot of that was because of Lily. Like that was the catalyst. She was the catalyst for for me kind of making the decision to to do this, and I was working at another small business.
Speaker 2:I love small business, that's for sure, but it was an odd hours and there and I was working at another small business I love small business, that's for sure, but it was an odd hours and there were times I was getting home and kissing her Good night and that that was like I just couldn't keep doing that. I knew I didn't like that and so she was a big catalyst for this. And then she's grown up as the business. She's 12 now and so she's grown up as the business has been created and there's been up as the business. She's 12 now and so she's grown up as the business has been created and there's been times where the business was 100% in our home. And the last several years we've had I've had an office too, and she likes to come hang out at the office. She says it has a good aesthetic and that she likes to do her homework here, so she comes and hangs out with me here so it's like totally.
Speaker 1:I love it, but it's like totally she also digs, like she tries to find all the snacks we have in the office and raise the snacks.
Speaker 2:We have a very good like. It's very much integrated in our lives and I love that and I feel like we we have it balanced, not necessarily always from a time perspective, but from a relationship perspective. It's very well balanced and it doesn't overtake all the relationships and I love that. She's kind of growing up in it and kind of seeing how that forms things for her, like she did. I don't know if this is good or bad, but she made a comment yesterday. We were talking about college and different things. She was just asking these questions and something came up. I don't even know how we got there, but she said oh I, I really don't have to worry about it. If I don't find anything, I can just get a job with you.
Speaker 2:I think I need to process it, but of course she could you know, I never she really for a long time was saying that she never wanted to do an account, be an accountant or do any of that, and I don't necessarily have a vision for her doing that, but she, I think in some times in her mind it's like she has that thought that that might be what she does. So it'll be very interesting to see how that plays out. But I love that. I guess it's super integrated. We balance it well. We take our time off, we have fun, we play um. I would like to do more of that this year. That's really my theme for this year, um but it's it's integrated, for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I mean you said it's been an evolution like, oh my gosh, like I started my first business in 2002, when my oldest son was born, and so it's just been part of their life always and it's been in so many different iterations of, like you know, having office hours and not having office hours, and today it looks like just one big blend because Quentin's so integrated and he oh my gosh shout out to our husbands right like he's just heard all the things for all the years. I mean that's why these friendships like with you guys are so important, because there was a time where I realized, like whoa, he's hearing way too much of my stuff.
Speaker 2:But, today.
Speaker 1:Like the evolution of that is that like I genuinely feel like he now loves to talk about it and it's so integrated with how we live life and what we teach and how we do our own life and marriage that it's just literally all one big, big, big piece and I don't have really boundaries around work hours anymore. It's all like I sort of follow my energy more now, but I definitely have like very strong intentions and commitments around making sure that like my brain rests and turns off and like learning to do that's been a huge thing, and that I have time for my marriage and time to have fun. And if Shane walks in my office during the day, if it all possible, I can stop everything. Or he wants to go to the grocery store. Like those are my priorities, like I don't know how long he's gonna be here, you know. So, yeah, it's been an evolution for sure. Ladies, this has been so rich. I love you girl.
Speaker 2:How does that time go by so fast? I?
Speaker 3:know, I feel like we just started.
Speaker 1:I know I do too. So before we close, share a little bit about something about I don't know. I will introduce you both have been on the potty house before and I will make sure I share about what you do when we start, so you don't have to do that. But is there anything in your business you'd like to share or something you're up to, or just anything in closing that you didn't get to say, that you're wanting to say.
Speaker 3:I have a weekly newsletter and I love that. I love that space. That's where a lot of personal connection happens for me. I communicate with a lot of my people that way. So anybody listening that wants more connection, um, sign up for my newsletter.
Speaker 1:Um and through that you can find us.
Speaker 3:Oh, thank you. I love writing it. It is like it's it's both um business and passion project at the same time. I um writing is just something I've always loved doing and so, yeah, I love it Every week. Every week I'm, I'm there, yeah, and through that you can see my services and I have a course, and then I have some done for you options, and I love what I do.
Speaker 1:It's clear that was kind of an awkward transition, you guys. But I just want to make sure that people know about what all the amazing work that you're doing, because that's the whole goal, like we're all on islands doing this thing by ourself, and I want to amplify what you're doing, and so sorry about the awkward transition.
Speaker 3:That's okay. I was like um transition, that's okay.
Speaker 2:I was like um, I'm going to continue the awkward transition and just say that, um, I too love Aaron's newsletter and my newsletter wouldn't exist without hers, cause she helps me with mine. So I'm very grateful for her. Um, but I just kind of want to put like an exclamation mark on the things that came up about connection. We didn't say the word authenticity, but I know that's an important one for all of us. And but just meaning be real, like there's no highlight reel here, we're all very real in, um, in our lives and what we share and with each other, and, um, I think that's really a key piece of it and you know I'm I'm so grateful for the relationships.
Speaker 2:Like it's the the thing that I think there was a little part of me that hoped for it, cause I knew I wanted to work with people I loved and cared about and that were doing things I cared about. That was intentional. But I mean I get to end calls with love using bone kisses and you know like who. I never dreamt that and it's so important to me to have that. And so you know we've, we've created this community one relationship at a time, and so if anybody else is out there listening and they're an entrepreneur and doesn't have that like find your people, don't? There's no need to be in a bubble. There's lots of ways to find your people and reach out. Put that time into it and reach out.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and reach out, send an email, make the text, make the DM do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, follow the nudge, follow the nudge. Well, and I think, just in closing, it just feels like I don't know what I'm left with is like entrepreneurship, motherhood, marriage, all of it is a journey and you can just see like I just feel our you know unfolding in our evolution. Still, you know, even after being years into this, it's just, it's it's so full of so many rich things and thank you so much for coming and trying this and doing something new, and I just appreciate both of you so much and I hope this was really valuable for you listening, and I just hope we all you all have a really, really amazing day. So thanks for being here, ladies.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Differently. It's been an honor to share this conversation with you. You know, one of the keys to living fully is to take action when you're inspired to do so. I hope you found that spark of inspiration today and would you help us spread the word. Did someone you know come to mind while you were listening? If this episode could impact someone you know, please share it and pass it along. New episodes drop weekly, so tap that subscribe button and join us next time as we continue to challenge the status quo and get equipped to live life differently.