Latest / Crafted Connections / EP 40: Saying “Yes” When Opportunities Arise with Andrea Dodson

Transcript

EP 40: Saying “Yes” When Opportunities Arise with Andrea Dodson · Crafted Connections

0:03
Katelyn: Hello! Welcome to Crafted Connections.
0:07
Katelyn: I'm Katelyn Calhoun, and this is a podcast all about storytelling and building genuine community.
0:12
Katelyn: Here we'll dive into the art of storytelling, unpack strategies for making meaningful connections, and hear from incredible humans who are using their story to create impact.
0:22
Katelyn: So grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and let's craft some connections.
0:27
Katelyn: Hey, hey, hey, welcome back to Crafted Connections.
0:31
Katelyn: I'm Katelyn Calhoun, coming at you every Thursday with great stories of really awesome humans doing really awesome things.
0:39
Katelyn: And if it's not a great story of an awesome human, I'm coming at you with a solo to kind of help share your story a little bit better, or maybe a story of my own business experiences.
0:48
Katelyn: But if you haven't noticed in the last few sentences, the theme is always stories sharing and ultimately connections.
0:55
Katelyn: So today's guest, uh so good.
0:59
Katelyn: I just I had the best conversation with Andrea Dodson.
1:03
Katelyn: She and I met at a women's conference back in lordy, September?
1:08
Katelyn: Yeah, September of this year.
1:10
Katelyn: And immediately I was like, that's someone that just I wanna I wanna like dig in and hear more about her background and her experiences.
1:18
Katelyn: And my gut was right because I didn't really know the extent of what she's done and and what she's experienced.
1:26
Katelyn: And you know, I I sent an intake form to all the guests, and and on her intake form, it was like, I mean, obviously I knew that she and her hubby own Redwood Automotive in Anderson, Indiana, but she has experience as an international flight attendant.
1:38
Katelyn: She was a collegiate athlete.
1:40
Katelyn: She started flying planes at 16, she's a mother of three and deeply, deeply, deeply invested in her community, which you know I'm all about.
1:47
Katelyn: If you haven't learned by now, then maybe this is your first time ever listening to the pod and ever interacting with me.
1:54
Katelyn: I'm all about community, I'm all about cool people, and I'm so excited to share Andrea with you today.
2:00
Katelyn: So her story behind all these baddest experiences shows you the grounded person that she truly is.
2:05
Katelyn: This episode's gonna remind you that you can simultaneously be disciplined and go with the flow and that things don't have to look like the way people tell you they should.
2:13
Katelyn: So, like, go out there, do your thing.
2:15
Katelyn: Without further ado, please, please, please enjoy this conversation I had with Andrea Dodson.
2:20
Katelyn: Okay, real quick though, before we you cannot be stopped.
2:27
Katelyn: There's you have so much that you've done and experienced.
2:31
Katelyn: And I was just like so hell inspired, got very nervous.
2:34
Katelyn: Like, I was just like, holy goodness, right?
2:39
Andrea: Yeah, I I always said, you know, as a kid, when people ask you, like, what do you want to do?
2:42
Andrea: You know, adults would ask me, like, what do you want to do?
2:44
Andrea: And I'd say, I want to do every job.
2:46
Andrea: And they were like, Oh, so you don't know.
2:48
Andrea: And I was like, No, I know.
2:49
Andrea: I'm telling you, I would like to do all of them.
2:51
Andrea: You're like, Don't treat me like a child.
2:53
Andrea: Just like roll their eyes.
2:55
Andrea: They're like, Oh, that's what she says all the time.
2:57
Andrea: And so I feel like early on into my professional life, too.
3:02
Andrea: There's some people in your life who you value their opinion, some people in your life who you're like, I could take it or leave it.
3:07
Andrea: But there were people who I was surprised to say, like, oh, um, she's had so many jobs.
3:12
Andrea: Like it was a negative thing.
3:14
Andrea: And I always that's always what I wanted to do.
3:16
Andrea: So I didn't really view it as a negative thing.
3:19
Andrea: And now that I'm an entrepreneur, I'm so grateful that I jumped in the deep end on so many different hobbies, interests, activities, careers, because I have to use that whole arsenal of tools every single day.
3:33
Andrea: And so it's interesting because, you know, as a young person being told, like, oh, you know, you're lost, or why can't you just find something that sticks?
3:41
Andrea: It could have easily like derailed me.
3:43
Andrea: And I feel so grateful that I didn't just like get stuck in something because that's kind of what is kind of a societal expectation that you have.
3:52
Katelyn: 100%.
3:53
Andrea: I'm really grateful that I had a support system, my parents and just people in my life who were like, hell yeah, do that.
3:59
Andrea: Like, try that.
4:00
Andrea: You know, why not?
4:00
Andrea: Nothing's stopping you, you can do that too.
4:03
Andrea: So I feel like I use all of those experiences on a regular basis.
4:06
Andrea: Like just today, I was talking with a technician about pre-flight checklists, you know, like you can use and draw on all these experiences to relate to so many different people and to really understand different challenges different people have.
4:19
Andrea: And so I'm really grateful that I spent a lot of time kind of just getting involved and dabbling in a lot of different things.
4:26
Katelyn: Yeah.
4:26
Katelyn: Very cool.
4:27
Katelyn: Okay, well, then in that case, which goes to like the the hard question that I always open with, and hard because the people that are typically that I'm attracted to interviewing typically are very multifaceted.
4:38
Katelyn: And so I'm like, hey, let's let's tell the folks who are listening like a little bit about you, right?
4:43
Katelyn: Like, can you just summarize, if you will?
4:46
Katelyn: Give those folks listening a little bit of like an introduction to Andrea.
4:50
Andrea: Of course.
4:50
Andrea: So I'm 38 years old.
4:52
Andrea: I own a multi-million dollar automotive business.
4:54
Andrea: We're a Dealership and Service Center.
4:56
Andrea: I own the business with my husband, and my youngest brother works here with us.
5:00
Andrea: So it's truly a family business.
5:02
Andrea: We started it from nothing, from money that we had saved, you know, like planning our wedding almost eight years ago, and it have grown it into this business that we're very proud of.
5:12
Andrea: But prior to doing this, I had a lot of stops in my professional life and a lot of stops in my personal life, career moves, and different hobbies and interests that I feel like have kind of have all compiled together to make me prepared for this moment.
5:26
Andrea: But I'm definitely a high energy person and I'm trying, you know, always looking for that next challenge and next opportunity.
5:32
Andrea: My husband and I kind of have it was an unwritten rule in our marriage for a long time.
5:36
Andrea: And then finally we had to put words to it.
5:38
Andrea: But hey, if an opportunity comes up, just say yes, we'll figure it out.
5:41
Andrea: And we both kind of do that.
5:42
Andrea: So my life's a little bit chaotic sometimes, but you know, wouldn't have it any other way.
5:48
Andrea: It's it's very exciting for me, and I just am grateful to be where I'm at.
5:52
Andrea: So yeah, that's a little bit about me.
5:54
Katelyn: I love that.
5:55
Katelyn: So the that was like the first thing that stood out to me was the like from scratch, from what you had saved, right?
6:00
Katelyn: That's like the classic self-made entrepreneurial dream, right?
6:04
Katelyn: But let's rewind a little bit to like your early career and what we were literally just talking about with how you had so many interests.
6:11
Katelyn: And can you kind of share with me what that looked like in you know your early career, your 20s?
6:16
Katelyn: Maybe you know you were a collegiate athlete, so maybe a little bit of like your from your your education to this like point of like, hey, we're gonna take this savings and we're actually gonna put it towards this business instead.
6:26
Katelyn: I'm wondering, did you end up doing like the the courthouse thing or how did you
6:30
Andrea: Yeah! No, we actually, so our wedding, I I don't know.
6:33
Andrea: We ended up getting married on a cruise.
6:36
Andrea: And so my husband and I have been together for 17 years.
6:39
Andrea: We dated for nine years before we eventually got married.
6:42
Andrea: And, you know, we had kind of already built a life together by the time we were getting married, and I just felt like, hey, weddings are such an investment, time, energy, money, that it would just be great if we could bring our families together because that's kind of what we viewed the marriage as is two families uniting, us uniting in in different ways.
7:01
Andrea: And so we brought 50 people on a cruise and we got married on a cruise.
7:06
Andrea: And that was the way, you know, I didn't want to spend the same amount of time and energy for four hours that I would be a blip.
7:14
Andrea: So I felt like, hey, we're gonna spend a meaningful amount of time together and really integrate these two things, and it was amazing.
7:21
Andrea: I know some people don't like destination weddings and things, but for us, it was just the perfect thing.
7:27
Andrea: It was so great.
7:28
Andrea: It was cost savings because you know, we took most of the money that we had saved for a wedding and put it into our business, but still that started us in the world that I'm in in an auto dealership, we were significantly undercapitalized.
7:40
Andrea: I mean, we started with six cars in inventory, and so it was a real challenge getting to where we are.
7:49
Andrea: Yeah.
7:51
Katelyn: Wow.
7:51
Katelyn: It's like if you had one car, sold it, took the profit, you know, and just started almost like, wow, oh my gosh, that is fascinating.
7:59
Katelyn: Okay, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.
8:01
Katelyn: Okay.
8:01
Katelyn: And what I also like about like what you just shared with, you know, your nuptial experience, right?
8:06
Katelyn: Your wedding experience, you know, joining two families, like there's also that societally we're told, do it this way, you know, don't do destination weddings, people won't like that.
8:16
Katelyn: But it's like, it's your freaking wedding, it's your freaking life.
8:18
Katelyn: And the same thing, like with, you know, you were curious about lots of different jobs and roles and experiences, and people are like, no, you should settle into one thing and only do one thing.
8:27
Katelyn: And I just love that, like, time and time again, you're like, okay, I see the options, and I want this one, which I love and very much connect with.
8:35
Andrea: Well, I feel like a lot of that is my parents.
8:37
Andrea: So I'm the oldest of five siblings.
8:39
Andrea: I have four younger brothers, and each of us are so vastly different.
8:44
Andrea: Like, not a single one of us, and even two of the five are twins.
8:48
Andrea: And so we're we're just all totally different.
8:50
Andrea: And I feel like that's a real testament to the way that my parents chose to raise us.
8:54
Andrea: They really allowed and promoted us to be individual thinkers and explore the interests that we were all had individually.
9:03
Andrea: And I think a lot of times when you have multiple siblings, you end up kind of doing a lot of the same things, just it's convenient, it's easy.
9:09
Andrea: But they really worked very hard to allow us to be who we authentically are.
9:14
Andrea: And I think that's given me the confidence and the courage in my career and in my personal relationships to show up authentically instead of feel like I have to bend.
9:23
Andrea: Now, at times that creates its own problems, but I'm really grateful for that, for for them instilling that in us.
9:31
Katelyn: Yeah, yeah, I hope you don't mind me saying this, but I I looked at like your achievements and I was like, that's a first born daughter right there.
9:36
Katelyn: Like I could totally tell.
9:39
Andrea: I I yeah, I don't know.
9:40
Andrea: Well, and it's cool too now working with my brother because I feel like in my professional life, people know me so differently than my family thinks of me.
9:48
Katelyn: Yeah.
9:48
Andrea: And I think that's kind of that firstborn daughter of boys kind of thing.
9:52
Andrea: Like I'm nurturing, I'm also very tough and assertive.
9:55
Andrea: And in our world, I feel like a lot of times people kind of pigeonhole you as one or the other.
10:00
Andrea: Like you can't be compassionate and nurturing and you know, uh a real assertive of person.
10:06
Andrea: And so my youngest brother, when he first started working here, was kind of like, what?
10:11
Andrea: Like, I don't know this side of you.
10:14
Andrea: Um it's been really interesting because I I didn't even realize that, you know, different aspects of my personality were so different until the people who know me best were saying, like, oh wow, this is interesting.
10:24
Katelyn: Yeah, yeah.
10:25
Katelyn: Like who you are at work versus who you are at home is absolutely an experience for sure.
10:29
Katelyn: And then yeah, who you are growing up versus who you are in in like the family that you create for yourself.
10:34
Katelyn: And wow, wow, wow.
10:35
Katelyn: Okay.
10:35
Katelyn: So to get back to like your your early career, what types of things did you dabble in?
10:41
Katelyn: What types of things did you just like what tell me a little bit about your adventures in your early career?
10:45
Andrea: Yeah, I mean, so as a kid, I just I wanted to do everything all the time.
10:49
Andrea: And I was interested in a lot of different things.
10:52
Andrea: And again, I had a family who was really supportive of that, and I was just a really curious person.
10:56
Andrea: And now that I'm a mom, curious kids can be a lot of work.
11:00
Andrea: So I love that.
11:01
Andrea: I'm just again really grateful for my family for just, you know, not trying to silence all these questions and just welcoming them and answering them authentically because that kind of grew my curiosity instead of shrank that part of me.
11:13
Andrea: But I was always asking a lot of questions of everyone around me, my grandparents, my parents, my teachers.
11:18
Andrea: And I'm sure I was very annoying as a child, just constantly asking, why is this this way?
11:23
Andrea: How does this work?
11:24
Andrea: Well, why don't we try it this way instead?
11:25
Andrea: And so I had a lot of interest in hobbies.
11:28
Andrea: Like I was into I did figure skating as a girl and equestrian stuff, and I was into sewing and like just you know, I have four brothers, so I we did all the sports, and I just had a wide variety of interests as a young child.
11:42
Andrea: And then as I got into like high school age, I think that's a time where a lot of people, I at least for myself, I was more self-critical and try to almost there were some parts of me that didn't feel like people understood.
11:57
Andrea: Like I was very assertive, very confident, very outgoing, and I didn't always feel like that was well received.
12:02
Andrea: And so I kind of tried to diminish that about myself or almost eliminate it at times.
12:07
Andrea: And it wasn't until my late teens, early 20s that I started kind of realizing, well, this isn't gonna work.
12:15
Andrea: I have to show up as myself authentically, otherwise, nothing really sticks.
12:20
Andrea: And so that was a really challenging time for me trying to navigate that.
12:24
Andrea: But yeah, I started flying airplanes when I was 16.
12:26
Andrea: I got really into running.
12:28
Andrea: I was a high school across country and track athlete.
12:31
Andrea: And then I actually right out of high school became a flight attendant.
12:34
Andrea: I was an international flight attendant and I worked for a magazine.
12:37
Andrea: I interviewed musicians, and then I decided to go to college after having lived in New York City on my own and things and hadn't run at all in that entire time, like four years, and decided, okay, I want to go out for the cross-country team at my school.
12:53
Andrea: And, you know, just it didn't feel like there were ever a lot of limitations on what I was able to do.
12:59
Andrea: Like I felt like I can kind of push the envelope, and just because you're supposed to do it this way, I can kind of make my own path and do it my own way.
13:08
Andrea: I have always felt strongly that that's an option for me, but there have been times where there was a lot of headwind to do that, and a lot of people saying, like, I don't, I don't know, this this isn't like you're not really on a solid path or this and that.
13:23
Andrea: And that there was just always this inner voice saying, like, you don't you don't have to be like you can pick your path.
13:28
Katelyn: Yeah, totally.
13:30
Andrea: I'm grateful that I leaned into that because now looking back, I'm almost 40 and uh looking back, I'm just really grateful for the all the experiences that I've had.
13:39
Andrea: But there was a time where that was really hard to kind of follow my heart and things that I was wanting to take interest in.
13:45
Katelyn: Yeah, and I what I love that you've come back to a few times already in our conversation is like the being raised with the support, right?
13:53
Katelyn: The so that inner voice was like, 'cause because when you go out in the world, right, everybody's there's the naysayers, you can find them kind of thing.
14:00
Katelyn: And so I I see how like the headwind, the the challenges, the folks maybe being like, why are you doing it that way?
14:06
Katelyn: That's not how people do it.
14:08
Katelyn: But then knowing like that you were you're raised in such a way to like explore curiosities, to, to go for it, to try things, like, you know, why not?
14:16
Katelyn: And I love that too.
14:17
Katelyn: Like, okay, yeah, maybe it's been four years since I ran, but like, why not?
14:20
Katelyn: You know, I have this skill, it's something I enjoy.
14:23
Katelyn: Like, why can't I have that as a part of my college experience kind of thing?
14:26
Katelyn: And I think that's super cool.
14:28
Andrea: You're a runner.
14:29
Andrea: I mean, so you get it.
14:30
Andrea: You can't just jump right back into it.
14:31
Andrea: It's hard.
14:32
Andrea: It's of all the sports, it takes probably the most conditioning, or or one of the sports that takes the most conditioning.
14:39
Andrea: It's not like you, it's just a skill set that you have and you possess at all times.
14:42
Andrea: And so, yeah, you know, it requires a lot of commitment to to kind of jump into that world again.
14:50
Katelyn: Yeah.
14:50
Katelyn: Well, and so, and actually, I mean, I'm actually mid still, like I my running has, I'm still like kind of trying to get back in after, you know, an injury, right?
14:58
Katelyn: Because you know, you hit your 30s and it's it's all cute.
15:01
Katelyn: Um, when it comes to that stuff.
15:03
Katelyn: And yes, no, it absolutely requires a a lot.
15:05
Katelyn: And I'm curious when you would have some sort of like vision or goal that would be like, I want to try this, I want to go for this.
15:13
Katelyn: And then to, you know, in the case of like running as an example, or or when you see a goal, see a vision, and you're like, okay, this is gonna take a lot to get there, what does that look like?
15:22
Katelyn: What does that pursuit look like for you?
15:25
Andrea: I consider myself to be a pretty strategic thinker.
15:29
Andrea: And so everything I'm doing, there are a marathon going in the back of my head of all the things that need to happen to make this work.
15:38
Andrea: But that's just, I don't know, that's just how my mind goes.
15:40
Andrea: So it feels comfortable to be kind of tackling the next challenge at all times.
15:46
Andrea: And so, yeah, like for running, hey, okay, I'm gonna do this.
15:49
Andrea: And it's like, um, you know, put a plan together of of how I'm gonna get there.
15:53
Andrea: I like to have measurable, time-bound goals because that helped me stay on track.
15:58
Andrea: But I also have found, and I I this is just recently, and I mean within the last year, I have always, as long as I can remember, been trying to convince myself, and I don't know if it's a societal pressure, something I learned in the academic world coming up, or just a thought that I have that stuck with me, but I always felt like I wasn't as disciplined as I should be.
16:18
Andrea: And and part of that is because I got a lot of pushback from like kind of jumping around different having different hobbies and interests and careers and things like that.
16:25
Andrea: And so I kind of had convinced myself, like, okay, if you could just be more disciplined, and and by disciplined, in my mind, it felt like regimented, more regimented, then you will have more success.
16:38
Andrea: And again, I don't really know where that comes from, but I kind of just had this replaying thought in my head until I mean about a year ago, where I kind of woke up and realized, hey, as an entrepreneur, I would not have had any success if I was rigid and regimented because so much of what I do, at least being a startup, again, undercapitalize all the things that were against us.
17:01
Andrea: Being flexible and being willing to pivot and kind of triage the tasks every day, is what has allowed me to not just survive as an entrepreneur but thrive.
17:12
Andrea: And I really fought against that for so long in in my mind about like, hey, if I could just be more disciplined, if I could just be more regimented, if I could just get up and meditate in the mornings and journal or whatever they tell you you're supposed to do.
17:26
Katelyn: Your three-hour morning routine.
17:27
Katelyn: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
17:28
Katelyn: Yeah.
17:29
Andrea: And I just thought, like, oh man, then all these problems would be solved.
17:32
Andrea: And when I finally threw that out the window just recently, I feel like, gosh, what a pressure was lifted off of me.
17:39
Andrea: And I started to embrace kind of more of this thing that has actually brought me the success, which is being flexible, having routines, having a plan, but being able to pivot and triage as I go has led to a lot of in and in my family life too.
17:53
Andrea: I mean, anyone who has a family, you have to do that.
17:56
Andrea: So totally.
17:58
Katelyn: Well, and yeah, and I like to call those like being able to come up with creative solutions, right?
18:01
Katelyn: Because and I, you know, you're using the phrase triage, but yes, it's exactly that.
18:05
Katelyn: It's like something's going not the way that was in the plan, right?
18:08
Katelyn: So what do we need to do to pivot?
18:10
Katelyn: And the fact of the matter is you had this history of like, well, I'm gonna try this.
18:13
Katelyn: I'm gonna like I need to, you know, put these things in place to get to that level of trying this thing, but you know, switching around, like it allows you to like learn lots of different skills, meet lots of different people, all sorts of things like that.
18:25
Katelyn: That's so cool.
18:26
Katelyn: And then I also I'm curious about what you were just sharing in relation to your experience as far as like feeling, not feeling, but being someone who is simultaneously nurturing and assertive.
18:37
Katelyn: Like, how does that play into the desire for like more regimen, right?
18:40
Katelyn: Because you you're definitely a disciplined person, right?
18:43
Katelyn: Like that doesn't, this stuff doesn't happen without that.
18:45
Katelyn: But also say the question is do you find a parallel between the that like that nurturing and assertive side and the creative, the one that can be in flow and and the more disciplined side?
18:56
Andrea: Yeah, I mean, I I fought that for so long because I feel like it's easy for our minds to just compartmentalize things to put someone in a category.
19:03
Andrea: You're type A, therefore you're not creative, or you're this, therefore you're not that.
19:08
Andrea: And it's so easy to kind of start to think that way.
19:11
Andrea: And then I just I kind of decided at the time we were starting our business, like, hey, I can be both.
19:17
Andrea: Like, I don't know if anyone else in the world feels this way, but I believe I can be both.
19:22
Andrea: And I think, you know, in my professional life and also my family life, I feel like that's what brings me the most fulfillment and the most success is allowing myself to be both and not just kind of backing into what is palatable for other people.
19:38
Andrea: In my career is an easy example when I'm interacting with a customer or a vendor or a lender.
19:45
Andrea: Look, there are times where I need to be very firm and assertive and take initiative, but also approaching things from a standpoint of compassion and understanding and putting the full 360 into perspective matters.
19:57
Andrea: And I think as a woman in a hyper male-dominated industry, that has really served me well.
20:03
Andrea: When I first entered into this industry, you know, it was kind of like, well, we can't have somebody who's soft kind of in this industry, like especially a woman.
20:12
Andrea: And I was kind of like, I'm anything but that, like just because I'm nice and empathetic, like please don't get it twisted.
20:19
Andrea: But and I really feel like I was able to carve out a space because there is in any industry, there has to be value and emphasis put on making authentic real connection with people.
20:30
Andrea: And I think that takes empathy, that takes an open mind, that takes some of these nurturing qualities.
20:37
Andrea: But then in business, look, there's a lot of times I just have to put my foot down.
20:41
Andrea: And so allowing myself to kind of be both simultaneously has brought me a lot of fulfillment and joy.
20:48
Katelyn: I love that.
20:49
Katelyn: Hey y'all.
20:52
Katelyn: You know I love telling stories, gathering stories, and finding a way to help people connect their story with the people that will get it.
21:00
Katelyn: And that's what my story strategy sessions are all about.
21:03
Katelyn: So over at Calhoun Creative Consulting, my strategic storytelling firm, we do one-on-one and or facilitated workshops in relation to really honing in the strategy around your story.
21:15
Katelyn: It's a bit of messaging meets content creation, meets storytelling, and then how do we put that out in the world?
21:21
Katelyn: How do we show up regularly?
21:22
Katelyn: There's a bit of mindset work around it, right?
21:24
Katelyn: To actually tell your story.
21:26
Katelyn: Whether you're launching something new or trying to rework your brand or just feeling a little foggy on how to communicate with your people, this is how to get clear.
21:32
Katelyn: We'll dig into things like your narrative, how to uncover what matters most, maybe map out a few content pillars while we're at it.
21:38
Katelyn: You'll also get a recording of our session so you can revisit the conversation anytime you like.
21:43
Katelyn: Let's shape a story that actually feels like you.
21:45
Katelyn: So book yours today.
21:46
Katelyn: There is a link in the show notes, and hey, while you're at it, use the code podcast, all caps, P-O-D -C -A -S -T for 25% off your session.
21:56
Katelyn: I would be honored to spend time with you and suss out your story.
21:59
Katelyn: Let's dive back into the episode, shall we?
22:02
Katelyn: So from here, you and your husband and the business really, really, really, from what I can tell, like care about the community.
22:13
Katelyn: Can you talk to me a little bit about that and why community is so important to you all?
22:19
Andrea: Yeah.
22:19
Andrea: So I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs.
22:22
Andrea: A lot of people in my family own small businesses.
22:26
Andrea: And so it was kind of ingrained in me, and a lot of those are family operated businesses.
22:30
Andrea: So it's kind of ingrained in me just through life experience that, hey, it is your duty, it is your obligation and responsibility, not in a negative way, but it's expected of you that if you own a business, the community is a requirement.
22:45
Andrea: Like you must dedicate resources to the community and serve the community that you're in.
22:49
Andrea: I grew up in a community that's not where I currently live, not too far away, a couple counties over.
22:54
Andrea: But when we were deciding we wanted to start a business, the community I grew up in, it was pretty cost prohibitive to start a business in this industry there.
23:03
Andrea: So we found this property in Anderson, which is about a 30-minute drive.
23:08
Andrea: And we had some ties to the community.
23:11
Andrea: This is where I went to college.
23:12
Andrea: My husband went to college here.
23:14
Andrea: So we felt comfortable here, but we made the decision to, if we were going to own a business here, fully commit to the community.
23:20
Andrea: So we sold our house and we moved into this community.
23:24
Andrea: And a lot of people said we were nuts because, like, look, we had a fine life, like everything was fine.
23:29
Andrea: A 30-minute drive into work isn't that bad.
23:31
Andrea: But we just felt like if we're going to be here, we need to be 100% in fully committed.
23:37
Andrea: And I, you know, I stand by that decision.
23:39
Andrea: I'm so glad we did that.
23:40
Andrea: We love our community now, but trying to be fully invested.
23:44
Andrea: And so that first entire year that we were in business, I didn't take a salary so that we could find things in the community that we could support.
23:51
Andrea: So whether that was youth educational initiatives or youth athletics or animal welfare or, you know, whatever the things were that we did in that first year, I wanted to make it known to this community, hey, I'm I'm here.
24:04
Andrea: I'm here for you.
24:05
Andrea: I'm not just here to make money.
24:07
Andrea: I'm I'm here to give it back to you too.
24:09
Andrea: And that's something I'm I'm just incredibly proud of.
24:12
Andrea: A lot of our sales come from far outside of this county.
24:17
Andrea: And so something that I really love about what we do is we're bringing new funds into this community and then redistributing them.
24:24
Andrea: All of our employees are Madison County residents, and we give back to Madison County charitable organizations and community initiatives.
24:32
Andrea: And so I feel like, hey, that's not just recirculated money from here.
24:36
Andrea: We're bringing in money from outside our community and investing it into this community.
24:39
Andrea: And that's something that motivates me.
24:42
Andrea: That's something that makes me want to tackle the very difficult things, the challenges that come with entrepreneurship.
24:48
Andrea: You know, a lot of times I say to people like, that's what motivates me, and they kind of roll their eyes.
24:53
Andrea: I'm like, you don't have to believe it, but that that is what really gets me going.
24:59
Andrea: To be able to participate in meaningful ways just brings me so much fulfillment and joy.
25:04
Andrea: And I, you know, as I share with my children, I have three sons.
25:08
Andrea: I just think it's an important message to pass on and you know, kind of pass the torch, and everybody keeps doing this, then it really creates something very meaningful over time.
25:17
Katelyn: Absolutely.
25:17
Katelyn: And it's eight years in, which is a significant amount of time and like a strong foundation to like setting the tone for the legacy that you all want for your community.
25:26
Katelyn: And that's just really, really cool.
25:27
Katelyn: I love that.
25:28
Katelyn: So along those lines, you said that first year, you know, you're like, here's how we're gonna set the tone, here's what I'm gonna do.
25:34
Katelyn: What did it look like from that, you know, six-car inventory to to today?
25:39
Katelyn: Can you give me a little bit of like history there?
25:41
Andrea: Well, when I first started telling people in the industry that I, you know, my husband, oh, we're gonna start our own car dealership.
25:45
Andrea: Everybody's like, huh, yeah, okay.
25:48
Andrea: Then we did, and it was like we had six cars, and everyone's like, Oh, yeah, you have a car dealership with six cars, cool.
25:54
Andrea: You know, and then we started sharing our vision with bankers and just people, you know, just other business owners and stuff.
26:00
Andrea: And like they would look at what we had and we would talk about this grand vision that it was going to be.
26:05
Andrea: And I don't think it was believable to most people, and not because they were trying to be negative or you know, not support us, but I just think it was such a far-fetched thing.
26:16
Andrea: Um, it's not an easy industry to break into.
26:19
Andrea: And yeah, I mean, we that I I look back and I think, you know, at 20-something years old, people people probably were thinking, okay, girl, like what good for you?
26:29
Andrea: Yeah, yeah.
26:30
Andrea: Yeah, it was kind of an uphill battle getting going.
26:33
Andrea: That first year, my husband stayed on his job consulting for dealerships.
26:37
Andrea: Prior to owning this dealership, my husband and I were both in large franchise dealership management and then consulted for dealerships all over the Midwest or for various, you know, lenders or marketing agencies, whatever.
26:49
Andrea: So he kept his job because we were scared.
26:52
Andrea: We didn't know what to expect.
26:54
Andrea: And we, you know, started and and I didn't want to take a salary, like I said.
26:58
Andrea: I just I just wanted to reinvest the money into the company and into the community.
27:02
Andrea: So we we worked off of his salary that first year.
27:06
Andrea: And then about eight months into business, the athletic director from the local high school came in and he said, Hey, you had sponsored my daughter's softball team.
27:16
Andrea: I really appreciate that.
27:17
Andrea: I've seen a couple other things that you've sponsored, and I just wanted to stop in and meet you.
27:21
Andrea: And I was really grateful for that.
27:23
Andrea: But we had a conversation and I said, Hey, I would love to find some things within the school that you know we can participate on, volunteer with maybe.
27:32
Andrea: And I would love to maybe support some of the sports that, or you know, academic clubs or whatever that aren't the predominant clubs.
27:42
Andrea: So, you know, as a former cross-country athlete, hey, that wasn't a sport that got a lot of attention as far as funding or uh resources.
27:49
Andrea: And so, hey, I want to support the wrestling team, I want to support the physics club, I want to support some of the things that aren't the go-to things that that businesses want to support.
27:59
Andrea: That way they have the resources and tools that they need to find success.
28:02
Andrea: And he said, Well, tell me, tell me more about your running.
28:05
Andrea: And I was like, Okay, you know, like and he said, Hey, uh, do you want to be the cross country coach at the high school?
28:13
Andrea: And I just remember thinking, like, wow, is this guy nuts?
28:17
Andrea: Like, I am here six and a half days a week.
28:19
Andrea: Like, I don't have any time.
28:21
Andrea: What is he thinking?
28:23
Andrea: But one thing that I hadn't really told anyone in the world besides my husband was when I got to a point of maybe retirement, I always thought, like, wow, wouldn't it be cool to go back and coach cross-country or running or track for a program and kind of be involved in that again and give back in that way?
28:40
Andrea: And uh, because I I feel like I've learned so many valuable lessons from especially distance running, not just running, but perseverance and you know, just preparation.
28:50
Katelyn: Business owner, endurance runner, and my experience as an editor, right?
28:54
Katelyn: Like frame by frame, step by step, like same thing, you know, like in business step by step.
28:59
Katelyn: It's the the reason I got into ultras is because that like that thirst for like getting just going just as far as you can go.
29:07
Katelyn: One boys, yeah, and just like and just like being to the max.
29:11
Katelyn: And then, but but also like it the mindset transitioned so so seamlessly, you know.
29:18
Andrea: I feel like that's why I was drawn to you initially too, because hey, yeah, it's just this indescribable thing that you want to continue to power through.
29:25
Andrea: It's hard, you know, when you meet somebody else like that, you I feel an instant connection because yeah, I don't know, it's an internal drive, maybe.
29:33
Andrea: You can't explain it.
29:34
Katelyn: And I I was literally like earlier in this interview, I was trying to like ask you.
29:37
Katelyn: I'm like, well, well, how would you explain to someone how you map it out?
29:40
Katelyn: And then and the way you're answering was like, I I just do it, you know?
29:43
Katelyn: And it's the same thing when people hit me up and they're like, Well, how do I make a film?
29:46
Katelyn: I'm like, you you ask people for money and then you interview people and like you just do the step after step after step.
29:52
Katelyn: It's hard to explain to someone who doesn't have that like intense hunger for it.
29:56
Katelyn: Yeah, where they like I will like run myself into the ground trying to achieve things sometimes, right?
30:01
Andrea: And and with distance running, I mean, I if you think about it, it is so much preparation, preparation, preparation, preparation, doing it, doing it, doing it, doing it, doing it without any result or any progress sometimes.
30:14
Andrea: Be it's such a long game, a long commitment, not just the long race, but the the preparation and the mindset that kind of goes into it, and then the perseverance and the actual moment of whatever the event is you've been for.
30:28
Katelyn: Well, and you know, and also like learning what doesn't work, right?
30:33
Katelyn: Like, and I think both, you know, like because a lot does not work, right?
30:37
Katelyn: Like there's I have like experiences with my ultras where like I've fallen asleep while running because they are, you know, such a long and I had to figure out like how do I manage my like food and my caffeine into it was a whole thing.
30:48
Andrea: There's so much that goes into it, but similar, I mean, you're an entrepreneur, same thing.
30:52
Andrea: There's you have to deploy every tool in your arsenal every single time.
30:57
Andrea: And so I think that's just kind of ingrained as a part of it.
31:00
Andrea: But so I had always wanted to go back to coaching.
31:03
Andrea: And my husband, I you know, we we met at the end of the day, and he said, Oh, how was your day?
31:07
Andrea: And I said, Well, you'll never believe this.
31:08
Andrea: This guy came in and he said, Which first of all, I was like, You don't even know me.
31:11
Andrea: Why do you want me to you don't know anything about me?
31:13
Andrea: He said, I know that you're passionate about the sport, and we really need somebody.
31:18
Andrea: And look, I know enough about you to know that you're gonna give it 100%.
31:22
Andrea: So I'm telling my husband, I was like, Yeah, so this guy's crazy.
31:26
Andrea: He said, You should do it.
31:27
Andrea: I said, How on earth am I going to do that?
31:29
Andrea: He said, You you really want to do that.
31:31
Andrea: And again, we kind of have this rule in our marriage that like just say yes and figure it out.
31:36
Andrea: And he said, I will quit my job and I will come on full time so that you can do this.
31:40
Andrea: And I I was in shock for like probably 24 hours because that was such a huge to jump off the cliff and and to do not just belief in what we can do as in our business, but belief in me and commitment towards, hey, this is something that's important to you.
31:56
Andrea: I was just really grateful for for my husband for that.
31:59
Andrea: So I did, and it was an amazing experience, but it was the most life-changing experience.
32:05
Andrea: And I feel like it was one of those meant-to be situations where you can't really put into context the amount of stars and things that had to align to make this perfect moment occur.
32:17
Andrea: But on the first day of practice, the coach, the existing coach, was kind of trying to teach me about some of the athletes and um some of the things that they do and introduce me to people.
32:28
Andrea: And he explained that two biological brothers on the team were in foster care and in a not ideal situation, not quite unsafe situation, but not really ideal situation.
32:38
Andrea: And so I asked a lot of questions and he was kind of indifferent, which I thought was interesting.
32:44
Andrea: But what I discovered was um these two boys, because they were so well adapted, they kind of had been under the radar of so many people for so long, and they had a lot of challenges that a lot of people didn't know they were facing because they were just showing up and making it look good at school and with with other friends' parents and things.
33:04
Andrea: And um, so I went home, I told my husband, like, you'll never believe this.
33:07
Andrea: There's two brothers on the team and they've been in foster care their whole lives, they're 15 and 16 years old.
33:12
Andrea: And he jokingly said, So, how long until you plan to adopt them?
33:15
Andrea: And you know, what I hadn't told him in that moment was I had already done the research on parenting classes that were going to start.
33:22
Andrea: But we kind of he would ask every day.
33:25
Andrea: I would come home from practice, he would ask every day about all the athletes in my experience, but specifically about the boys.
33:31
Andrea: And so it was just a matter of weeks before he said, Do you want to do you want to take action?
33:36
Andrea: Do you want to get involved?
33:37
Andrea: There were some events that occurred in their home life that kind of uh triggered a response.
33:42
Andrea: And so yeah, we took parenting classes.
33:45
Andrea: We didn't want to approach them with the idea of, hey, would you feel safe coming to live with us in a maybe a little bit better environment than where you're at right now, until we were a hundred percent sure we were approved and licensed and all these things, because there were a lot of people in their lives that had not followed through with commitment.
34:05
Andrea: So we had kind of prepped and prepared behind the scenes without even asking them, thinking, hey, if we do all the preparation and they say no, that's okay.
34:12
Andrea: They've inspired us to help in this way.
34:15
Andrea: And so if it's not these two brothers, we would love to help someone else like them in their situation.
34:20
Andrea: But I so I approached them.
34:23
Andrea: It was at the end of our season, and we had gone through all the classes and been licensed.
34:27
Andrea: And I said, Hey, you guys have really inspired us to want to be involved.
34:33
Andrea: Can you teach us?
34:34
Andrea: Would you go to dinner with my husband and I and teach us things that we need to know if we were to welcome get um guys who are in in foster care into our home?
34:43
Andrea: And it was just the funniest dinner because they were like, So do you probably want to foster babies?
34:48
Andrea: And we said, No, we were actually thinking about teenagers, and they were like, Oh, nobody wants teenagers.
34:52
Andrea: And we said, Well, we were kind of thinking, you know, you've inspired us, and we we really um are interested in teenagers.
34:57
Andrea: And they said, Oh, probably girls.
34:58
Andrea: And we said, No, we were kind of thinking teenage boys, and we were thinking, man, they're really not putting the dots together here.
35:04
Andrea: So we asked them, Matthew, and we said, Hey, you know, would you want to come stay with us?
35:10
Andrea: We have gotten to know you and we want to support you.
35:13
Andrea: We want to provide you with an environment.
35:15
Andrea: There's no pressure to do anything, but I know that there's some not fun parts about your living situation now, and you know, just know that that's an option.
35:23
Andrea: And they said, absolutely.
35:24
Andrea: They moved in a couple weeks later, and a couple months later, they asked if we would adopt them.
35:30
Andrea: And so I now have two adult children.
35:33
Andrea: I have a 23-year-old son and a 22-year-old son, and it's been the most amazing experience.
35:40
Andrea: They are the most incredible humans and so resilient and have been through so, so much, and have taught me so much and brought me so much joy.
35:51
Andrea: I just am so incredibly blessed that all of these things aligned to where they came into our lives, and we we get to know them and experience them and be there for them.
36:03
Andrea: So I'm I'm just you know, so grateful this athletic director stopped in here randomly and kind of it kind of prompted this.
36:10
Andrea: So yeah, it's it's been fun.
36:12
Andrea: But they've been a part of our family for almost seven years now.
36:16
Katelyn: Yeah, yeah.
36:16
Katelyn: Oh gosh, and that was like it's also like it's like in the early days of the business, dude.
36:20
Katelyn: Like that's just so it's but it had it had to play out the way it played out.
36:24
Katelyn: I just I love, love, love because I also I'm seeing so many parallels in how you know my partner Phil and I have been together eight-ish years, right?
36:30
Katelyn: And and it's like very much we're finally it's it's so I just I see you and I see these things, and like, and the way that like I'm like, can you believe somebody said this?
36:39
Katelyn: And he's just like, you want to do it.
36:41
Katelyn: And I'm like, I just I love that so much.
36:43
Katelyn: And then it just this whole chain of events, right?
36:46
Katelyn: Because I did, you know, I I I looked through like a little bit of like what you've put out there in the world, and I saw the story, you know, about the boys, and but it's not about the freaking story, it's about your like your life experience and how things just like one thing falls into place after thing after thing, and it's just like I feel like I'm meant to do this particular next step, right?
37:05
Katelyn: And it was like that in your early career, and it's like that with your business, and it's like that with your family.
37:10
Katelyn: And I think that that was the perfect example of what you were talking about earlier in our conversation about the flow of it all, right?
37:16
Katelyn: To be like
37:17
Andrea: letting it happen, yeah.
37:18
Katelyn: Because you could not have planned this.
37:19
Katelyn: You're like, let's go find some teenage boys.
37:21
Andrea: Like that was not like exactly, exactly.
37:24
Katelyn: Wow.
37:25
Andrea: Um, no, they're amazing, they have taught me so much, and one of the coolest things about being a parent to my older sons is you know, a lot of times as a parent, people see themselves and their child, and they're uniquely themselves.
37:36
Andrea: Like I have no bearing on who they are as people.
37:40
Andrea: I, you know, obviously try to guide them and steer them, my husband and I, in ways that are safe and healthy for them.
37:46
Andrea: But, you know, their personalities, the way they look is totally them.
37:50
Andrea: And so I get to just experience them and enjoy them and not, I it's just it's been incredible.
37:56
Andrea: And they've they've really taught me so much about themselves, about different experiences, but about myself also adopting two teenagers is really diving into the deep end.
38:07
Andrea: And we got battle tested pretty quickly.
38:09
Andrea: We it was, I would say a pretty smooth go, but you know, just kind of really getting into some big issues really quickly.
38:16
Andrea: That's a time where kids are trying to explore and rebel, and you know, what a what a cool time to come into their lives.
38:26
Andrea: Um, but then we found out, so we started we started a business, then we got married, then I started coaching, then I met the boys, then we started the we uh foster care licensing, but then adoption process kind of after they had moved in, then it became COVID.
38:42
Andrea: So they were actually adopted in my showroom at my dealership during COVID over the phone because well, a lot of our life happens here at the dealership, but yeah, COVID weird time.
38:53
Andrea: And then as COVID was kind of ending, we found out we were expecting.
38:57
Andrea: So we have a toddler now, he's three.
39:00
Andrea: And for my older sons, I was a little nervous they might feel a certain way about welcoming a biological child after they just had been welcomed into our family.
39:10
Andrea: And they, from the moment I ex you know, we told them, they were so excited to have a brother and just so supportive and excited, I think is the the only word that that really comes to mind.
39:23
Andrea: And through my my baby, we've had the experience to kind of redo some some things that should have been done correctly for them the first time and just experiences as kids.
39:34
Andrea: And it's been such an amazing experience, and I cannot thank them enough for just being open to letting us be involved in their lives, and uh, they're just incredible.
39:45
Andrea: So they're amazing big brothers to my toddler, and we're just so happy to have our family unit here.
39:52
Andrea: But yeah, it's been a whirlwind of things since we started, you know, we moved to the new community and then all this stuff kind of happened.
39:58
Andrea: And so we had said last year, like, oh, maybe let's just have a year where we kind of lay low.
40:05
Andrea: But um, you know, there's always stuff popping up.
40:08
Andrea: So who knows what the next adventure will be.
40:11
Katelyn: I love that.
40:12
Katelyn: I love that.
40:12
Katelyn: I also like it's like entrepreneurship is not in a vacuum, especially if you want like a full holistic life, right?
40:18
Katelyn: And that's so cool.
40:20
Katelyn: That's so cool.
40:20
Katelyn: Okay, so I am curious, right?
40:22
Katelyn: Because you're like, okay, we're gonna lay low for a second, but you're a big visionary.
40:26
Katelyn: Like, what does your future look like?
40:28
Katelyn: And answer that in the whatever way you feel like you want to right now.
40:33
Andrea: Well, I don't know.
40:33
Andrea: I, you know, I think as as we've talked about a little bit in this conversation, I kind of let the universe tell me what opportunities are out there and let my heart kind of direct what things I might jump into.
40:45
Andrea: Uh we want to continue to grow our business.
40:47
Andrea: That's really important to us.
40:49
Andrea: And again, through our business, we're able to do really meaningful things that bring us fulfillment in our life.
40:55
Andrea: And so that's really important and critical to us.
40:58
Andrea: So continue to grow here and then be involved in my family.
41:02
Andrea: What we've done here between family and work is, you know, as an entrepreneur, you just have to be all in all the time.
41:08
Andrea: And in the first couple of years, we kind of were looking for balance between family life and marriage and business.
41:16
Andrea: And we decided to kind of throw that out the window early on.
41:19
Andrea: And we now focus more on integration.
41:23
Andrea: So, like I said, our family spends a lot of time at the dealership.
41:26
Andrea: We do things together and incorporate family stuff into business stuff so that it all kind of cohesively works together.
41:34
Andrea: But one of the big goals that we've always had, my husband and I, is to own a franchise automotive dealership.
41:39
Andrea: Right now we own an independent dealership.
41:42
Andrea: That is, if the idea of starting an independent dealership was crazy, the idea of without prior, you know, previous generations or something owning a dealership, buying into a franchise dealership is an insane goal.
41:54
Andrea: And so I think that's you know, on our on our radar, I'm probably not in the next
41:59
Katelyn: for the for the layman like myself when it comes to like like I have a car and I've had car loans, right?
42:05
Katelyn: That's like that's my extent of knowledge.
42:07
Katelyn: Like, what is what's the difference between so you've like got this private used car dealership with a lot of different services, like the you know, you've you do servicing and you also do like you offer loans through so can you like break down like what what what you do and have right now and like what that because the vision to me, I'm like, okay, so more dealerships, but that's not the can you explain it a little bit for the layman?
42:33
Katelyn: Yeah, so this isn't going out to people who like understand car dealerships, right?
42:37
Katelyn: So yeah, because I'm like that sounds very similar, but more, but that's not the case.
42:42
Andrea: But it's a pretty big distinction, yeah.
42:44
Andrea: So uh right now I own an independent automotive dealership, and that means I'm not tied to a specific brand.
42:49
Andrea: So all of my vehicles are pre-owned.
42:52
Andrea: I do have a fully operational service department with factory-trained master certified technicians, and we do the full gamut of service for our customers, and we really try to operate like some of the branded franchise dealerships we managed prior to operate, you know, owning our independent dealership.
43:09
Andrea: But there are certain advantages and differences when it comes to a franchise dealership versus an independent dealership.
43:15
Andrea: So, a franchise dealership, if I were tied to a brand of vehicle, a certain manufacturer or multiple, that would mean that I have a relationship with a manufacturer moving forward on warranty things, on lending, on a bunch of different things.
43:32
Andrea: There's a little bit higher level of expectation and professionalism at some franchise dealerships.
43:38
Andrea: A lot of independent dealerships operate like franchise dealerships, but there's a little bit of a distinction there and just a lot more, a lot more opportunity for us in business.
43:48
Andrea: There are a lot more trackable things when you're tied to the manufacturer.
43:52
Andrea: So that's kind of where we see ourselves going.
43:55
Andrea: And who knows what path we'll end up on.
43:57
Andrea: But it there's a lot of barriers to entry.
43:59
Andrea: Capital being one of the main barriers to entry.
44:02
Andrea: Unique, I think, to our industry, compared to a lot of other franchises you can buy into, there's a pretty rigid approval process from the manufacturer.
44:13
Andrea: So you don't just have to have the insane amount of capital to do it.
44:18
Andrea: You have to be approvable.
44:19
Andrea: And they want proven operators, people who have trackable metrics who can say, my customer service is excellent, my um satisfaction in service is excellent, my turn inventory turn times.
44:34
Andrea: I mean, they track a lot of things.
44:35
Andrea: And so to be approved by the manufacturers is a little bit of a difficult process for somebody who comes from the independent world like we're in now.
44:45
Andrea: So it's a big challenge.
44:46
Andrea: It's a it's a big, yeah, it's a it's a big one to put out there.
44:50
Katelyn: Yeah, I love that though.
44:51
Katelyn: Yeah.
44:51
Katelyn: Yeah.
44:52
Katelyn: I mean, you know, game sees game.
44:54
Katelyn: I'm also like uh, what's a big challenge?
44:55
Katelyn: Let's go.
44:56
Katelyn: But knowing that, knowing like what is the difference is so essential, right?
45:00
Katelyn: Because sometimes you can like set a goal, and if you're like, you know, and I'm not saying you, right?
45:04
Katelyn: But like if you set a goal and you don't necessarily know what it actually entails, like you could be, you know, biting off more than you can chew.
45:11
Katelyn: And whether or not you're doing that is not the point, but knowing what you're doing, sometimes knowing what you need to do or having the idea.
45:19
Katelyn: But then again, like I'm all about people just throwing themselves in and trying something too, you know?
45:24
Andrea: Yeah, well, and there's an element to that too, because look, before we started our dealership here, we tried to make a stop kind of in every avenue that is incorporated into our business.
45:34
Andrea: So on the lending side, on the marketing side, in management and sales and different kinds of roles, we tried to look at the industry from every different perspective prior to starting our own thing so that we brought a big experience to the table.
45:48
Andrea: And what we learned, especially in that first year and then through COVID, was hey, that experience is valuable.
45:53
Andrea: It helps us to have confidence in some decision making, but there is so much that you have to be responsible for in entrepreneurship, and this is universal, this is not specific to my industry, but I'm just a problem solver.
46:08
Andrea: And I can't just I'm expected by my customers, by my vendors, by my community, and by myself not just to do it all, but to master it all, not to drop the ball anywhere.
46:20
Andrea: And that's a that's a big expectation.
46:23
Andrea: I'm I'm happy to have that burden of expectation.
46:26
Andrea: I'm I'm proud of it.
46:27
Andrea: I I like carrying that challenge, but yeah, the the buck stops here.
46:32
Andrea: There's nobody to pass on problems to.
46:34
Andrea: And so yesterday I was in a meeting with a consulting firm and they're kind of giving us some ideas on some things we could do in our business, and a lot of it was very valuable.
46:42
Andrea: And we got into this long conversation about what color to paint my sign and how to lay out my parking lot.
46:47
Andrea: And look, this is not really what I view as business, but I have to do all of the things, you know.
46:55
Andrea: I don't have somebody else that just is gonna make decisions on on every little thing, and so I have to talk to experts, I have to learn about things that are far outside of my expertise and figure out what's a good return on investment, figure out you know, weight costs and decisions on the whole business.
47:13
Andrea: And so, you know, that you cannot go into that being fully prepared.
47:18
Andrea: You just can't because nobody can know all of these, nobody knows the zoning and permitting of every county and every, you know, like you just can't know all of this stuff.
47:27
Andrea: And so there is an element like we discussed earlier, you have to think on the fly, you have to confidently go in a direction and you know, triage or prioritize on, you know, have a hierarchy of what things you're tackling and what things you're not.
47:41
Andrea: Because look, I have I have people, whether it's people in the community, customers, vendors, employees coming to me saying, Hey, this is a problem, and I have to decide everything sounds important, you know.
47:53
Katelyn: It does, it really does.
47:54
Katelyn: Like the the prioritizing, and then you know, I'm now like, you know, and I I don't think I've ever really used the word triage, but now it's like it's hitting me as we're talking.
48:02
Katelyn: Like, I'm like, yeah, I okay, I I feel I felt those moments where you're like something needs to be solved now, and you gotta figure out like, are we saving the leg or are we not saving the leg kind of thing?
48:11
Katelyn: Right, right, right.
48:13
Andrea: It's so yeah, to your point.
48:14
Andrea: I mean, there's you just cannot go into this type of a role, the the role that you have and be fully experienced.
48:21
Andrea: You it there's an element of it that every day there's a decision you're gonna make that you don't have a background and you're gonna have to trust an expert or do some research, but you're gonna have to be a problem solver at the end of the day, is is kind of what it boils down to.
48:34
Katelyn: Oh my gosh.
48:35
Katelyn: Well, Andrea, you are a freaking inspiration.
48:37
Katelyn: This is so, it's so fun to like hear more about like just like your your life as it as it's been unfolding, right?
48:44
Katelyn: And this, and again, like we've talked in the in uh when we first met, like what we're talking about right now is a snapshot in time, right?
48:50
Katelyn: This is like this moment, and you know, whether it be like in a year or five years, like it's you know, it's gonna be, oh, and then this happened and then that, and you just you don't know until it does.
49:01
Katelyn: And I I really appreciate you sharing all of that with the folks who who listen to Crafted Connections.
49:06
Katelyn: Before we go, I want to make sure.
49:08
Katelyn: Is there anything else that you like as you were thinking about our conversation, you're like, I cannot wait to share this with folks.
49:12
Katelyn: I definitely have like a lot of you know female entrepreneur listeners for sure.
49:16
Katelyn: So that's something I'm sure you've already given them so much.
49:19
Katelyn: Uh, you've given me so much.
49:21
Andrea: So I feel like one of the things that's been really difficult for me, and it truly you gave me a lot of courage and comfort to talk about where I'm at now.
49:29
Andrea: I feel like as a little bit of a perfectionist, I'm not where I want to be in so many areas.
49:35
Andrea: And so it feels uncomfortable sometimes talking about and feeling proud about where I'm at currently because it's just still so far from where I want to go that I would say, you know, whoever's listening, just be in the moment and be okay with being in the moment.
49:52
Andrea: That's been something I've been working to kind of be okay with for a while now, is just admitting, hey, I can be proud of where I'm at right now.
50:00
Andrea: That doesn't, that's not going to stop my progress towards getting to my goal, to stop and be grateful for where I am and share where I'm at now.
50:10
Andrea: But it is hard to share sometimes when you're not quite, you don't have the perfect thing wrapped up in a boat yet.
50:15
Katelyn: 100%.
50:16
Katelyn: Right.
50:16
Katelyn: And it's like, you know, you won't until like, you know, not to be morbid, but like until we die, we don't know like what the story is.
50:23
Andrea: I'm so glad you said that.
50:25
Andrea: I was afraid to just kind of say that, but like, yeah, my story's not gonna be over until the day it's over, and then I won't even be able to tell it.
50:31
Katelyn: Yeah, and then and then even then I have a previous guest.
50:34
Katelyn: He talked about the loss of his mother, and he talked about how, you know, people die the day they die and the day that some the last time someone speaks of them.
50:43
Katelyn: So like even then, like, you know, you are building this legacy with, you know, not only your community-based business, but also, you know, your children.
50:51
Katelyn: And it's like, it's it's just it's hard to fathom all that and be like, and it's perfect with a bow.
50:56
Katelyn: Like it's too much.
50:58
Katelyn: It's too much.
50:59
Katelyn: But but it's like, but what you what you do, how you live is, I mean, it's absolutely inspiring to me.
51:05
Katelyn: I know it's inspiring to others, and then I'm sure it's inspiring to 28-year-old you, you know, like imagine like 10 years ago, if you like were having this conversation with you're like, and then we're gonna do this, and then this is gonna happen.
51:16
Katelyn: Like it's it's so much.
51:18
Katelyn: So it's a good thing.
51:19
Andrea: I don't know that it's inspiring, but I hope that people find it relatable because I hope that people are able to look at people who are maybe further along than than they are right now.
51:29
Andrea: That doesn't mean you're that's always gonna be that way, but and say, like, okay, they still don't have their stuff together, they're still figuring things out, they still have questions, and you know, it's it's a figure out as you go go life.
51:41
Andrea: You know, we're all we're all in this, we're doing it the same way.
51:44
Andrea: Nobody has a clear roadmap that just they've got it all figured out, and so I I love connecting with business owners who are far and above where I am, and hearing them just tell the truth and say, look, I don't have it figured out, I'm still solving problems.
51:59
Andrea: And parents too, you know.
52:01
Andrea: I parents say the same thing like just because my kids are 40 doesn't mean I know what I'm doing yet, you know.
52:08
Andrea: So I I hope if there's any takeaway from this, it's just that, hey, everything's figure-outable and we're all figuring out as we go on the fly.
52:16
Andrea: You know, nobody's got it mapped out perfectly.
52:19
Andrea: Perfect.
52:20
Katelyn: Yeah, I agree.
52:20
Katelyn: I love it.
52:21
Katelyn: That's I think that's a great way to wrap things.
52:23
Katelyn: Andrea, thank you for your time today.
52:25
Katelyn: Because I I know you keep yourself busy, and I'm super grateful that you you shared your story.
52:30
Katelyn: And also you you really reworked my brain a little bit there in the just in the like the last few sentences, especially with the inspiring versus relatable, because when it comes down to it, if we're out here always aspiring, right?
52:40
Katelyn: We're not actually just doing the thing, being the thing right now.
52:43
Katelyn: So thank you for your time.
52:45
Katelyn: I'm so grateful.
52:46
Andrea: Thank you.
52:46
Andrea: Thanking, thank you for not just the opportunity for me, but there are so many people who you have interviewed that have given me nuggets and tidbits of information that I just not only relate to, but find super helpful.
52:59
Andrea: So thank you for providing the the platform for us to all kind of come together.
53:03
Andrea: I I just am so appreciative.
53:08
Katelyn: Crafted Connections is lovingly produced by Calhoun Creative Consulting, a strategic storytelling firm dedicated to helping people and brands tell their stories in a way that resonates.
53:19
Katelyn: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and connect with us on Instagram at Crafted Connections Pod.
53:26
Katelyn: Keep creating, keep connecting, until we meet again.