Latest / The Entrepreneur's Wife: Finding Purpose as the Helper of a Small Business Owner in a Feminist Obsessed World / 6+ years of milestones of God's faithfulness with owning Texas Outlaw Running

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6+ years of milestones of God's faithfulness with owning Texas Outlaw Running · The Entrepreneur's Wife: Finding Purpose as the Helper of a Small Business Owner in a Feminist Obsessed World

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Hey guys, welcome to the Entrepreneur's Wife podcast.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Carly Grace.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: If you're new here, this is where we talk about finding purpose as the helper to our small business owners in this feminist obsessed world.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: And welcome to season two, where we actually have a camera and a video.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: If you are an OG listener, you know that the first season was all audio, and this season and beyond will hopefully be all video.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: I'm actually using my husband's uh podcast room in the office, and so hopefully every Tuesday afternoon I will be able to record in here for the podcast for you guys.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, like I said, the first season was just audio, so this is new.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: This is my first time like having the camera and then seeing it over here, so it's a little different, but I really do like the quality and I think it's gonna enhance just the podcast experience, and it'll actually be on YouTube because the whole first season was just on Spotify and Apple Podcast.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: But today I really wanted to talk about where we've gone, where we've been, and where we are now, and the faith journey that it has required in building a business and being an entrepreneur's wife, and just kind of some milestones that we have encountered over the past six years that have led up to where we are now.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that this is important because I want to encourage you.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: If you have seen entrepreneurs or like successful people talk about when you start something, there's this graph, and you start on a high because you're so inspired and you just think it's the best idea ever.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: I think, like, even as a writer, you experience this, you're like, oh my gosh, this is the best thing ever.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: And then you start doing it and you actually realize like how hard it is.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: And so it kind of drops, and then you have what's called this doubt because you are like, Can I even do this?
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like, should I even pursue this?
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: I think the enemy comes at us, especially if we feel like it's a God-given idea with just doubt and like you can't do it.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: And if you continue enduring, the graph will go back up, but you kind of got to go through a valley before you experience the upside of that.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: And so today we're gonna talk about some encouragement of milestones that we've experienced as a couple, and like I want to help you, as the spouse to an entrepreneur, understand like what's helped us, and just some testimonies of like what I've tried to do to be an encouragement to Briston when he's had those doubtful moments, and really, guys, just the faithfulness of the Lord through every hill and valley that we've gone through over these past six years.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: So, you're kind of gonna get an origin story of Texas Outlaw Running with our marriage.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: So, the beginning, I will say, before Texas Outlaw Running, I was in college.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: And sorry if you hear my phone went off.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: I was in college, I was actually a senior in college when Briston and I met.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: We were running cross-country and track for Southern Arkansas University, and it's really cool, y'all.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I might like to do a whole podcast episode about this, but it is really cool how the Lord just merges your husband's passions, gifts, and desires, and your passions, gifts, and desires together.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: Because during this time, the Lord was actually working on my heart and really growing my um interest and like my passion for nonprofits, philanthropy, giving, being generous.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: And so I now being six years later, I look back and I just see the Lord stirring in me a desire to really live like a generous life, to give to the needy.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: And it's so funny because at that time I didn't know that I would become an entrepreneur's wife, and I didn't know that I would marry an entrepreneur.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: And so I look back and I'm like, wow, the Lord was working on that even before we met, even before we started dating.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: And for Briston, he knew that he wanted to be an entrepreneur, he knew he wanted to do something of his own and start his business and be a for-profit business.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: And I just think that our passions go so well together, um, especially from the Christian perspective.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: And so something I'm gonna say is like it's not like you have your marriage over here and then your work life over here.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I do not believe that they are separate.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: I believe that your work life will impact your marriage, and your marriage will impact your work life.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I believe that's how God designed it in Genesis.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: Now, do I think like every married couple should work together?
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: No, but I do think that your gifts, your talents, your strengths are going to complement and help your spouse in their job and in their work field, whether y'all work together or not.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I think that having a common goal as a married couple is really, really important.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I just see that with our life of having a business together, that like a lot of passions that Briston has, I compliment, and a lot of passions that I have, he compliments.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: So this was again before Texas Outlaw, when we he started Texas Outlaw, we were we started dating, and uh we got married two years into Texas Outlaw being official.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: And it's so funny looking back on those days because he was working out of our apartment, so like his office, if you will, was literally our apartment, and he had a desk in our living room, it was a one-bedroom apartment, guys, so tiny.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: And he had a desk and he worked while he was finishing school.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: And at that time, I had graduated, and so I was working full-time.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and this is something that like I think is very key that I think a lot of people miss just statistically.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people miss um most, I think Briston said this, most small business owners will just pay themselves what their business makes.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: And we do not recommend that at all.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: Actually, we recommend that you pay yourself the minimum that you have to pay yourself out of the business.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: You live a very um like conservative lifestyle, you eat beans and rice, you don't ever eat out.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: If you go on vacation, you're gonna go camping.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like, because in those beginning years, it's crucial.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: And if you really do want to like grow a business, like you have to save.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: And as the wife, I think it's important in those beginning years to really ask your husband, like, what are your goals?
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: What are your passions?
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: And like, how can I as a spouse like help you achieve that?
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: And so for me, it was like, okay, I need to work full-time.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I actually worked for our university, and so because he was my spouse, he got his tuition completely paid for, and so we didn't have to take out student loans, and that helped us pay for my master's and finish his bachelor's, and that was a goal that would help us with go full time with the business, which was always the goal, because we minimized our debt.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, also, me working full-time gave him the option and the flexibility to work on the business at full capacity because we were depending on my income instead of his income.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: And so I want to also remind us that there are seasons to life, and it's just like what Ecclesiastes 3 says.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: I think we have to be open to seasons and open to change within our marriage and also within our career.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: I think like too many times we like get into a routine, and if you're a very type A person, you know this, you get into a routine and you love your routine, and so a lot of times we are unwilling to change because we are so in love with our routine and we're scared to take that risk.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I honestly believe as Christians, we should not live that life.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like the mindset that we should have as Christians is like, what season am I in, Lord?
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: And when that season is changing, I pray that I am open to that change.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because I look at like our life and how the business has grown.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_00: And if we weren't willing to make those changes, we would not be where we are today.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so at that time of our life, I needed to work full-time.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: This was before we had kids, and he needed to work on the business while he finished school.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: And um I think so, I think a lot of people saw this is my this is my assumption and my interpretation, but I think a lot of people saw like Briston working on his business as like a hobby and a side hustle.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: I honestly do not think people thought like we would be able to live on it full time or like it would be where it is today.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I could be wrong, but just with like some of the stuff that people have said in the past and just some things that happened, I think a lot of people just saw it as like, oh, this is a great way for y'all to make side money.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, when Briston graduates college, like he's gonna have to get a real job.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I really think as your spouse, like, yes, you need to be realistic and you need to like tell your spouse like what's up, but also do not be a dream killer because they like if they truly believe in something, I think it's important to encourage them, especially as Christians, if they are if they see a God-given vision that God has is giving them right now that they are wanting to pursue, and God's again giving them the vision for that, most people will not see it.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's kind of like the story of Joseph, who had the dream, and his brothers were jealous.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: They couldn't see what Joseph was seeing.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it's important to have people in your life, especially as the spouse, who you might not like 100% see what your spouse is seeing, but I think being an encourager and encouraging them to continue the path that God is having them on, I think is like very, very important to their confidence and them actually going for it.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: I look at like people in my life and like it's honestly the coaches and the friends and the family members who have encouraged me that have pushed me to pursue my God-given dreams.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: If I didn't have that, I probably would not be as ambitious as as I am today.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think that's important as a Christian, as a spouse, to always be an encourager and to always build up and not put down, um, especially your spouse.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: So I went over that.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so Briston's goal was really to go into the business full time, and like that was his goal after graduation was he did not want to get another job, he wanted to do the business full time.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: So when he graduated, um, we were really praying about where to live.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: And again, this goes back to seasons.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: So if there's ever a big change happening in your life, I think it's important to pray about where God wants you.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: So for us, the big change was he was graduating from his bachelor's, we were done with school at SAU.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: So the question as a Christian is what's next, God?
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like, do you want us in Magnolia and that's where we're supposed to be at?
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: Do you want me still working full-time for the university?
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I will say, like, as you grow as a Christian, I honestly think God is going to um mold and shape your heart.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's not like you have to physically like be like, okay, Lord, like what do you want us to do in this season?
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: I think when you're constantly in communication with the Holy Spirit, you will know when the season is changing and you can sense, if you will, the spirit leading you towards other desires in that season change.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: And we have the option of if we're gonna listen to it or not.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: But I think most of the time we just don't even like ask or listen and we're not in tune with the Holy Spirit.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: We're kind of like living our career, living our life, and then we have our faith over here, and we're kind of like separating them.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: And what I want to encourage you with is that your career and your life is not separate and it's not supposed to be separate from your faith.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like I said, like at the beginning, like we would not be where we are today with the business had we have had these two categories separate.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: I think the biggest kicker to the success that we've had in the business is because Briston has literally combined every decision that he's made in the business with his faith.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, if God wants him to do something, he does it.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: If God doesn't want him to do something, he doesn't do it.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: If he's doing something that God doesn't want him to do, he changes it.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, I think that's important and you should really have that mindset going into anything that you're doing.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: So for us, he was graduating and that was a big change.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: And we prayed about where we were gonna live.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: And if you've listened to season one, you've probably heard me tell the story.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: But Briston got confirmation that we were supposed to move to Texas, specifically Longview.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: And there were different confirmations.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: We had a dream, we had a person confirm it.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and he just sensed like he just felt like he heard from the Lord Longview.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: So we had three confirmations, and this is the biggest kicker.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: We prayed about what I was supposed to do.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: Briston knew he's going full-time in the business.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: What am I supposed to do?
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: Because living in Longview was more expensive financially than living in Arkansas.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: So realistically, as a human, you think, oh, well, Carly needs to get a job because you've never lived full-time off the business.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: So she needs to get a job because rent, food, living is more expensive than in Arkansas.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: Well, every time we prayed about it, I just felt like I wasn't supposed to work.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I I was supposed to stay home.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: And it was crazy.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, a lot of things that I feel like God wants you to do if seems crazy.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: And so it didn't make sense.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like, why would she stay home?
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: You're not pregnant, you don't have kids yet.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: Why is she staying home?
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: You don't even know if you can live off the business full-time and pay the bills.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: So this was like a huge faith step.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like this is like when God tells Abraham to leave his home country and go to the land which God will show him.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: And it's a big faith step.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I love, guys, I love the book called Um, oh my gosh, I'm having a brain fart.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: What is it called?
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's called The Dreamgiver.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: And this is an amazing book.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: If you are curious about stepping out in faith and doing something, being obedient to the Lord, I encourage every single person to read The Dreamgiver because it's about this character named Ordinary who is being nudged by the Lord to leave his home country and take this faith journey and do this crazy thing.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: And everyone thinks he's crazy.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: And the crazy part is his family is the worst.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: They they're like, Why would you do that?
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: And his mom is trying to convince him not to do that.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: And he meets characters along the way who encourage him.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: He meets a character named Faith who actually encourages him to continue on.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: And she was in his life for a season.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, his mom was like literally the nagging worst person in the book because his mom kept trying to limit him from taking this step of faith.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so, again, y'all, when you're a mom, just know our role as moms is yes, to protect our kids, but it's also to teach our kids to be obedient to what the Lord has called them to do.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes that can be scary.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't know that personally as a mom, but I know that as a child, and my mom allowing me to step out in faith.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_00: So we moved to Longview.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people did not recommend it, but we did it.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: We moved to Longview, and we lived off of this small business that we didn't even know if we could live off of it.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: And like four months after we moved to Longview, we found out we were pregnant with our first daughter.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so, not only are we living off of this business that we don't know if we can pay our bills, we are now pregnant, and it was just a very awesome time because you're seeing those moments where you're literally living like day by day, depending on the Lord to provide customers to pay for your bills.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: We saw so much fruit, and I feel like our faith just grew exponentially in the Lord's faithfulness during that time, and um, he just provided in so many ways.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: And during the next year, when we had our baby, we needed insurance.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: And so I also go back to seasons, right?
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: So, Briston actually got a job the second year of us living in Texas at a school.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_00: He was a teacher and a coach, and he coached cross-country.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: So cool, guys! So cool.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: This, the athletic director of that school, literally went to our college and played football at our college.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: It was just the connections that we have to Southern Arkansas University is crazy because we have like 99% of our employees are have graduated from that university.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_00: So, um, but that was a season.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like God used that season.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: We built connections with coaches and FCA, you know, um, which is a Christian athletic program in public schools.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: We met so many great kids.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um I I got a sense of community.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: We had insurance for our baby, and that was a season.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: And it was, guys, it was a hard season because during this time where Briston's working two jobs, I had personal desires.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: So I wanted to write and I wanted to publish a book and do all this stuff.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember sitting in our camper, which by the way, that's also another thing, but I remember sitting in our camper, we eventually moved into a camper, and I remember the Lord asking me to lay down my dreams and my desires and to go full-time and helping my husband with the business.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: And y'all, I did not want to.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted to do my own thing, and this was a very humbling moment because I feel like the Lord was like if you help your husband now in this season of life, he's gonna help you fulfill the dreams and desires I have for you later on.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so this was like teaching me what it means to be a servant and to serve others and to put others above yourself, and it was a very hard season because selfishly as a human, I was watching my husband do his own thing, and I wanted to do my own thing, and I was just being human and I was just, you know, wanting these dreams and passions to come to pass.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: And but I was like, you know what?
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_00: So I thought about Jesus going to the cross.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: He did not want to go to the cross, but he humbled himself and obeyed the Lord and went to the cross.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: So I was like, if he can do that, I can I can do this thing and help my husband with the business.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I started working full-time for the business while we had a baby.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: We'd go to the office, we got an office space, we'd go to the office, I would help with the marketing admin.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: I was kind of Briston's assistant.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it was awesome, y'all.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: I I mean, I truly loved it.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_00: It was a great time.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_00: But that season was literally only a year.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_00: And um, the season changed again when we got pregnant with our second daughter unexpectedly.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I realized, okay, like I cannot do this while raising kids.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: So I need to stay home.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: And so I hope you're seeing like how much these seasons are changing.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: So that's when we decided to hire another person.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: Asher was already working as a race director.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: We decided to hire another person, and um, this was like a big step for us because we just financially in the business, Briston wanted to make sure we and our employees were gonna be good.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: And that's also another thing that I uh want to touch on is that like as business owners, you have to be faithful um financially.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: And like I said, there's a huge statistic that most business owners live off of what they make.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: If their business brings in an amount, that's how much they live off of.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_00: And they literally live paycheck to paycheck and have very few savings.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: And we did not want to repeat that lifestyle because we We knew that that wasn't a wise lifestyle as business owners.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: I love the story of Joseph in Genesis where he talks about a storehouse.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: And if you know this story, Egypt is flourishing.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: Pharaoh all of a sudden has a dream and it troubles him.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: And Joseph interprets the dream, which connects with what I was saying earlier about as a young boy, he had a dream.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_00: So this is like tying the story in together.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_00: So Joseph interprets the dream, and Pharaoh promotes him as second in command.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_00: What the dream was was that there was seven years of abundance, and then they would have seven years of famine.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: And Joseph is so wise because rather than just wasting and spending their seven years of abundance, what Joseph does is he knows, hey, there is going to be seven years of famine, and we can't have all the people die.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: And so he really has an outward perspective of people in need, and we need to take care of them as the stewards of that city because he worked essentially for the government.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um and he was a wise steward in working for the government.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_00: And so he actually saved in the storehouses, he saved grain and he saved a portion of the crops.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: And so when the seven years of famine came, they weren't without because they had saved an amount.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_00: And so we like to have that mindset with our business.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, if that were to ever happen.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we hope that never does, but let's be realistic in a fallen world.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: So I do think another thing, like as the spouse, is like, yes, your business can be flourishing and it can be growing, but like you need to keep in mind the goal, especially as a Christian.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what's the goal?
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and always keep that in mind.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: That like, even if you have the money to spend, that doesn't always mean you should spend it.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think saving is is something we lack, especially in the church.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: Like, we do not understand personal finance, and it it's important, especially when it comes to spreading the gospel and impacting God's kingdom.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_00: God cares about how we spend our money, and so um that is also another thing, is um okay, that's also a big thing.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to talk about two moments that were very pivotal moments.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_00: One was like a valley, and one was or is a hilltop.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_00: So the valley moment was we were living in our apartment, we had just moved to Longview, and it just got to where Breston was really stressed about the business, and he thought about quitting.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: He thought about stopping it all, giving it all up, going and getting a regular job.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, like he was at a breaking point, and I just remember like in that moment as a spouse, like it's really important.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: I just remember thinking the words I'm about to say are very, very important to his thought process and the decision that he's gonna make.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, most of the time when Briston's like going through like debating about business decisions and just what to do, I try not to like state my opinion unless he asks for it.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_00: Most of the time, I just try to like help him process what he's thinking.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_00: And so in that moment, as his wife, like I knew how stressed he was, but I also recognized that he is about to make an emotional decision, not a logical decision.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, again, going back to encouragement, I think like encouraging them to always remember that yes, you're stressed, and we don't like I don't understand the pressure that he's going through, I don't understand the weight that he's carrying, but I also see it, and I also know that the Lord is gonna carry him.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_00: And so I don't know, just in that moment, it was like I didn't want him to give up.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like he had worked so hard for this thing, and I just remember sitting there and being like, No, you can do it, like you can push through, and we can get through this.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_00: Like, this isn't the end all be all.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I think recognizing that and helping them see the big picture, I remember hearing, um, I forget who it was, but it was it was an entrepreneur's wife, and she was talking about how your husband, as the business owner, is sometimes so much in the nitty-gritty everyday decisions that they can't see the big picture because they're so close to the canvas.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: And so, as the wife, it's really good to remind them of the big picture because you're kind of standing there looking at the big picture, whereas they're in the picture, and so it's it's just a good reminder to have them stand back and say, hey, like let's look at this in its entirety, not just make a decision based on what's going on, like right now, in this moment.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so that was like a very pivotal valley moment.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think he'll always remember that where it was like a pivot of am I gonna continue this?
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: He's suffering and he's got in dirt, or am I going to you know quit and and stop this?
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: And then a high, which um happened, gosh, like a year ago, maybe, was our creation of Outlast.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: And y'all, I remember so vividly, we were in the Bass Pro Shop and it was a weekend, and I was wanting to have family time, okay.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I think as the entrepreneur's wife, like you really gotta discern, okay, when am I gonna allow my husband to work on the business, even though it's it's our personal time?
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_00: Like if he wants to work on it in in evening, like okay, that's fine.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_00: And when am I gonna put my foot down and say, no, like you need to have family time, and we're not talking about the business right now.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I will say that's something that we're learning.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, like we have not mastered it.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_00: We are learning like how to have family time, and I think having kids has helped with that.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because you don't want to just talk about business, so you know, weighing like when do we talk about it, when do we not?
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_00: That's been a journey for us.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_00: But we were in the Bath Pro shop, supposed to be shopping and just having family time.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_00: And he stopped, literally stopped me and was like, No, I need to figure this out.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I need to figure out some flagship product for our business.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: And in that moment, as an entrepreneur's wife, you're like, okay, do I put my foot down and say no?
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I do not want to talk about this, do not talk to me about this, or do I let him vent so that way he will feel better, so that way we can carry on our day?
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I think like I've heard successful marriages talk about like you gotta decide, I forget what the saying is, but basically you gotta decide like what you're gonna fight for, like what you're gonna fight with.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_00: So is it better to fight about putting your foot down and moving on, or is it better to allow him to express himself and you know, move on with that?
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I just was like, you know what, this is really bothering him.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_00: If I put my foot down, he's just gonna continue to think about it.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: So we are going to talk about it, and us talking about it created outlast, um, which has been super successful for our business.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I honestly believe that was the Holy Spirit's urgency for him to think of that idea and execute it.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_00: And again, guys, I just want to go back to like the importance of being sensitive to the Holy Spirit because in our flesh, we can get frustrated, we can get upset, you know, our husband's something happens and they got to answer a phone call, and it we're like trying to have dinner, or he's like answering emails on a weekend because it's race day and something messed up.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I think really, as entrepreneurs, like you have to have a lot of grace because your husband's work hours aren't like normal people's work hours.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_00: And again, going back to the Holy Spirit of like this is something that you've wanted us to steward well, and I need to humble myself and really be sensitive to when do I put my foot down and when do I raise it.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I think honestly, y'all, had God not asked me to give up my dreams and pursue working for the business full time, I don't know if I would have like the humble heart that I have with allowing Briston to work on the business at home during certain times, because that was just a very humbling moment where God was like, This is what I've called him to do.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_00: You can either get on board with it or not.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_00: And if you don't get on board with it, you're gonna miss a lot that I'm doing through him, through this business.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm just seeing like the fruit.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's funny because like this is such a ministry, like every day we impact runners and we impact our team members, and it's just so cool that God is using a for-profit business for his glory.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_00: So, as the spouse, you can either get on board with that or you cannot.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I highly recommend you get on board with that.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_00: So, Outlast was another good pivotal moment, and that leads me to my next thing, which is the faith part.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_00: This is kind of the ending, last part, the faith part that people don't see.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think a lot of people, the bigger you get and the more well known you get.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people make assumptions because of social media, and they think you they know your entire life.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_00: And we we do this, okay.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like I I do this too about influencers and different people.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_00: But the scary part about that is you don't know everything.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, we technically are just a normal secular company, but we're Christian.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_00: So how we spend our money is very strategic towards Christian values and Christian organizations and Christian ministries, and we are very strategic about who we give to and when we give and why we give and how much we give.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's important, like as a married couple, understanding that the business finances impact your personal finances, and even though they're separate, they heavily impact one another.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_00: And so your generosity and your heart posture towards giving matters.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, what you're giving to, what you invest in, I think taking a moment and realizing that like God has called you to be good stewards, not just of the people you're serving, but their dollar amounts.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I want to share with you this.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_00: So every year I asked the Lord for a word.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_00: And this year, at the end of last year, at the end of 2025, I asked the Lord for a word, and he gave me the word blessed.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_00: And it's just so fascinating how every year the Lord brings the word to pass.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_00: And this year has definitely been a blessed year, and I don't just mean yes, business growth has been amazing, but you know, when you look at when Jesus preaches, he talks about blessed is this, you know, blessed is this, blessed is this.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_00: He gives a list of people who are blessed, and this has been the best year, it's also been the hardest year.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like, like you gotta have both.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_00: And so I I think that the faith that people don't see is like how much we pray into the business decisions that we make, and how much we link business decisions with personal decisions, and it's important, it's important to realize that your faith really does matter when it comes to making business decisions, like you aren't making just decisions that aren't gonna affect people.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you affect people, you you affect their families, you affect culture, you affect life, you affect the world.
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_00: So um just realizing that like that's important and the Lord is looking to you, and you will be judged.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like you will be judged based on how you steward what God gives you.
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_00: And that's your family, that's your personal life, that's your business, that's your financial decisions.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like you're gonna be judged based on every word that comes out of your mouth and everything that you do.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think just remembering that, um, and that you want to be strategic and faithful in everything that you do.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, okay.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_00: Another thing is I don't think people realize the pressure of owning a business.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, pleasing customers, hiring, firing.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_00: This is not an easy job, nor is any job easy.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so you know, just helping your husband, like encouraging him, letting him talk through what he's going through, letting him express his thoughts, um, just really being that outlet for him when he's had a rough day, or being that person that when a milestone happens or something great happens, like he can come to you and celebrate.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_00: I think that that's really important.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so the last thing is we are where we are today because of the small, faithful decisions that have compounded over the past six years.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes I feel like, and these are assumptions based on comments that people have said.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes I feel like people look at Briston and the business and have this must-be nice mentality.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I I want to clarify that where we are at is because of the fruit of hard work.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't something that was given to us, it's not something that was easy, it's not something that is easy.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I watched my husband work hard every single day, 24-7, and this was not something that was given to us.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_00: We started from the ground up.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_00: We started from zero.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_00: He started from scratch.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like, wasn't like we inherited, you know, um a bunch of money to help us out.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like, we he literally started with$200 and grew up to what it is today.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, as a spouse, you want to defend your husband for all of his hard work.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_00: But I do want to say that like the small, everyday, faithful decisions that we've made over the past six years have added up to where we are today.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_00: And if you will, I did a reel about this, but pretty much your life, um, if you think about it, you are either compounding up towards your goals or you're compounding down away from your goals.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_00: And that's every decision that you make.
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_00: You either are going up or you either are going down.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it's important to realize that, like, before you make a decision, like, is this leading me to where God wants me to be, or is this pulling me away?
• 37:43
  SPEAKER_00: Because we think these small decisions aren't gonna affect our life.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_00: But what I've seen over the past six years is that our little decisions have essentially impacted our big decisions.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_00: We wouldn't have made the big decisions had we not been faithful with the little decisions.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_00: And so I want to end with a question of what is God asking you to trust him with?
• 38:07
  SPEAKER_00: And what are small daily steps you can start taking today that will lead you on that path towards his goal for your life?
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, again, just going back to like what are daily decisions that I can do today that are going to reap the fruit that I want in the future.
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_00: I think too often we think about the here and now, and we don't think about where the here and now is leading us.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I will end with Proverbs because I love Proverbs.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs is probably my favorite book of the Bible.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs illustrates this man on this path, and this man is on this path, and he hears two voices.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_00: He hears the woman of folly who's seductive and tempting, but she leads him to the house of death, and she wants him to stray off the path, and she's calling to him, and she's enticing him, and she's tempting, and she's everything that he wants in a short-term present moment.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_00: And then you have this woman of wisdom who's also calling to him and leads to a path of righteousness, and even though she's calling to him, her ways are not necessarily immediately pleasing, but long term she leads to a very everlasting, wise, fulfilling life.
• 39:29
  SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, I just think about that with our daily decisions.
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_00: Like, if we think, oh, I will never stray off the path, I will never go to the house of death, but what we don't realize is the man does not take a sharp turn and then get to the house of death, he he slowly drifts down the path that leads to the house of death.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_00: And he slowly starts listening to this woman of Folly's voice more than he does the woman of wisdom.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so, again, it is these small daily decisions.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like, literally, I think it's like a navy seal.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_00: He says, get up and make your bed.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like, if you just get up and make your bed every day, you're gonna be successful.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_00: So, my encouragement for you is to get up and make your bed, to really like connect the Lord and your faith journey with you and your husband's career life and just goals, and just ask the Lord, like, what season am I in?
• 40:27
  SPEAKER_00: And if I am in a changing season, prepare my heart to be willing to change.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because that's the only way that you're gonna reap successful, blessed, beneficial fruit is going through seasons and allowing the Lord to shape your life for them.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope this was encouraging, guys.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_00: This is season one.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I love the camera quality, it's like so much better.
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_00: So let me know your thoughts, let me know your comments.
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_00: Be sure to share this with a friend that you think this was helpful, and I will see y'all next week on the next episode.