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How Two Military Spouses Built a Purpose-Driven Brand that Went Viral · Know Like Trust for Real Estate

0:00
[SPEAKER_03]: Welcome to No Like Trust for Real Estate, where I help you craft marketing and branding strategies that align with your unique strengths.
0:07
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm Christine George, an agents who work with me grow their business 40% by aligning their marketing with who they are, not what they sell.
0:15
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm joined by Aaron Fangman and Kate Marshallord, who are the co-founders of Little Blue Cart, which is an online community for small business owners.
0:23
[SPEAKER_03]: Kate and Erin wanted to create a community where people could intentionally spend their money according to their values.
0:30
[SPEAKER_03]: Little did they know that their mission would resonate with so many people.
0:34
[SPEAKER_03]: Little blue cart has experienced significant growth this last year and in this conversation, I talked to them about how they built it and what it takes to grow a purpose-driven brand.
0:50
[SPEAKER_03]: So I'm so curious, ladies.
0:53
[SPEAKER_03]: What were you doing before little blue card?
0:56
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, I actually owned an online business where I created, I actually made clothing for children and did embroidery work.
1:04
[SPEAKER_02]: I did that for about 12 years.
1:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Wow.
1:09
[SPEAKER_02]: So you have this whole other talent?
1:12
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, I do.
1:13
[SPEAKER_02]: It was a creative outlet for me and a generated income that helped me afford to stay home.
1:19
[SPEAKER_03]: Oh, my girl, that's amazing.
1:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Erin's incredibly talented.
1:22
[SPEAKER_01]: She's so, she's like the...
1:24
[SPEAKER_01]: right great artistic a lot of stuff for us.
1:27
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm creative.
1:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Erin and I are both military spouses, so I have had a lot of creative work from home jobs where I'm just kind of trying to do things that were fulfilling and brought in a little extra income for our family.
1:40
[SPEAKER_01]: But most recently, before we started Little Blue Cart, I was working as the Communications Director for Military
1:50
[SPEAKER_01]: And I actually left that job on election day 24.
1:57
[SPEAKER_01]: So the timing was perfect because as we came up with this idea for a little blue card, you know, I was free.
2:03
[SPEAKER_01]: And if we had thought about it a week earlier, I had a job.
2:07
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think, you know, this is one of those intervention, everything happens for a reason where we really were in the right.
2:15
[SPEAKER_01]: perfect spot for us to dive all in.
2:17
[SPEAKER_03]: I love that.
2:18
[SPEAKER_03]: And so I would assume you guys met because as military wives, you were in the same space in the same circles, things like that.
2:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, we met in Japan back in 2016.
2:29
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it was 2015 something like that.
2:32
[SPEAKER_02]: It's all a blur.
2:33
[SPEAKER_02]: We've moved so many times since then.
2:35
[SPEAKER_02]: It's incredible, but yes, around that time.
2:38
[SPEAKER_02]: And we've maintained contact with each other and we actually ended up in Virginia at the same time and it was a great way that we were able to reconnect.
2:49
[SPEAKER_03]: And so what was the spark that actually created little blue card where you said,
2:57
[SPEAKER_03]: This could actually be something cool.
2:59
[SPEAKER_02]: This spark came when we realized that we all felt like we needed to do something.
3:04
[SPEAKER_02]: And the simplest form that we could create some change would be how we spent our money.
3:10
[SPEAKER_02]: So Little Blue Cart was born with the idea that shopping can be a form of activism so that we're connecting conscious customers with progressive small businesses.
3:19
[SPEAKER_03]: And what was the feeling you're trying to create with Little Blue Cart with your brand?
3:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, like Erin said, it is this idea of being able to take some power in this,
3:29
[SPEAKER_01]: political landscape and social landscape that feels very out of our control and out of our power.
3:35
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, we voted.
3:36
[SPEAKER_01]: We've marched.
3:36
[SPEAKER_01]: We've written letters to our Congress people.
3:38
[SPEAKER_01]: We've called them repeatedly.
3:40
[SPEAKER_01]: And it still feels like you're just banging your head up against the wall and not being able to make the change that we know we need.
3:47
[SPEAKER_01]: So this is a way, you know, we we're trying to create the sense of here's something that is totally 100% in your power and your control.
3:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Where you spend your money.
3:56
[SPEAKER_01]: is a decision that you make every day and so make that decision with with intention and with purpose and make sure it aligns with your values and we know that's
4:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Not, you know, it's not easy.
4:09
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not like a 100% switch.
4:11
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, okay, tomorrow, I'm never shopping Amazon or the local grocery store, or the big grocery store chain again.
4:17
[SPEAKER_01]: But little, little changes can add up to a big impact, especially for the small businesses that we're supporting.
4:23
[SPEAKER_01]: So we just want people to recognize that power that they have in music wisely.
4:30
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, that we do, and as women, you know, were the ones who spend most of the money, right?
4:37
[SPEAKER_03]: I wouldn't retail.
4:38
[SPEAKER_03]: I think there's this, I have to look up what the statistic is, but it's, you know, women are the ones who are out there doing the shopping, most of the shopping, and most of the gifting and the grocery shopping and all of that stuff.
4:51
[SPEAKER_03]: So that's really great.
4:52
[SPEAKER_03]: What do you, what's your vision?
4:54
[SPEAKER_03]: Because I know this kind of,
4:56
[SPEAKER_03]: grew faster and quicker than you are expecting.
5:00
[SPEAKER_03]: So at the time that you started it, really, what was your vision for it?
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[SPEAKER_02]: We wanted Little Blue Car to be the first place that people would think about when they went shopping.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And it's a place where people can skip the big corporations and find a business that actually deserves the dollars that they have,
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[SPEAKER_02]: spent, you know, our work parts to obtain.
5:23
[SPEAKER_02]: So we see it evolving into a thriving market that makes values driven, shopping, the easiest choice to make.
5:32
[SPEAKER_03]: And what were those, like, first few moments like when you clicked publish, like, what was, what, what, what, what did that, what was that feeling?
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[SPEAKER_03]: What happened?
5:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh, we was exciting.
5:45
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, I remember we were sitting around Kate's dining room table, and we were watching people interact with the very first post.
5:54
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I don't even think it was like a whole bunch of likes at the time that you look back on and out of the views.
6:01
[SPEAKER_02]: But for us, it was just an overwhelming feeling of excitement and feeling like, oh my gosh, okay, there's other people that feel the same way that we do and this could actually be an ineffective tool for folks.
6:14
[SPEAKER_03]: I love that.
6:16
[SPEAKER_03]: I love that.
6:16
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, you know, sitting behind the screen going, oh my God, oh my God, look at the likes.
6:22
[SPEAKER_03]: Oh my God, that's a comment.
6:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, and I was so glad we were together.
6:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, when we launched it, it's been really hard to say and moved over this summer, and it's just, you know, obviously we still were cannon pan and we talked every day and we're always in the communication.
6:35
[SPEAKER_01]: But I'm so glad that we had, you know, we built it literally around the table together, face to face.
6:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And so, you know, we just,
6:43
[SPEAKER_01]: we would spend an entire day to wear by the end of the work day.
6:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Our spouses would come home from work.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Erin's would come straight for the Pentagon over to our house.
6:52
[SPEAKER_01]: And we would just roll into the night and be like, guess what we did today?
6:56
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, like, it was just, it was so exciting.
6:59
[SPEAKER_01]: And we, it was great that we were able to do it together.
7:03
[SPEAKER_01]: And to, yeah, to do it.
7:05
[SPEAKER_03]: And you got some amazing press, because I found you through Katie Curric.
7:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
7:10
[SPEAKER_02]: So tell me about that.
7:11
[SPEAKER_02]: That was kind of a big deal.
7:14
[SPEAKER_02]: go ahead and take that.
7:15
[SPEAKER_01]: That was all organic, which has been amazing.
7:21
[SPEAKER_01]: We've talked a lot about Erin and I've talked a lot about how things, you know, our best late plans were this longer term vision, like, okay, when we get X, Y, Z published and ready and we've caught up on all these things, then we're going to do some press outreach.
7:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Or when we get X, Y, Z done, then maybe we'll think about growing into other spaces.
7:38
[SPEAKER_01]: but just opportunities have presented themselves much sooner or we've heard feedback asking for things much sooner.
7:43
[SPEAKER_01]: And the press was one of that, like we just got very, very lucky with a post that was totally about us.
7:50
[SPEAKER_01]: It was our picture, which also made it crazier.
7:52
[SPEAKER_01]: It was a post about us in about little blue car and explaining what it was.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And it went viral and ended up on our dream corner of Instagram with Katie Kirk, Brune Brown.
8:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Glenn and Doyle, Connie Schultz, Anna Quinland, all these people that like, we have admired for years, liking and following and sharing.
8:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
8:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Now, it was surreal.
8:16
[SPEAKER_01]: It was surreal.
8:18
[SPEAKER_02]: I would just get a text because Kate is all over the Instagram.
8:21
[SPEAKER_02]: She's really, really good at, you know, monitoring that and keeping up with it.
8:26
[SPEAKER_02]: And like she would just send me a screenshot.
8:27
[SPEAKER_02]: And we would just like squeal.
8:29
[SPEAKER_02]: I had a lot of Halloween ski.
8:31
[SPEAKER_01]: It was another like, yeah, it was intense.
8:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
8:33
[SPEAKER_01]: We, yeah, and I would just screenshot it and be like, oh my god, said to Aaron.
8:37
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, maybe she'll do a documentary on y'all because she just did one on Amanda Knox, which I don't know if you saw that series, but it was phenomenal.
8:46
[SPEAKER_03]: It was really good, yeah.
8:47
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, really.
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[SPEAKER_02]: You were so lucky.
8:50
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes.
8:51
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, she's like, aren't you know, like, yeah.
8:55
[SPEAKER_01]: She's alright, it was so formative seeing her experience and then washing her growth is so inspiring.
9:01
[SPEAKER_01]: So, yeah, I mean, it was all that whole, it went on for a week or two where it just was blowing up and that was the most exciting, it was so fun.
9:09
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, that had, that had to have been the moment when you were like, oh my God, I think we have something special.
9:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, there were a lot of little ones along the way, I think Emma was this one, like,
9:18
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, okay, we're really doing it, you know, because we never thought of head like, oh, you know, celebrities or or famous people or anybody, you know, within that sphere would be on a little blue cart following a little blue cart liking, sharing whatever.
9:33
[SPEAKER_02]: That was never in our vernacular.
9:35
[SPEAKER_02]: And to see that happen, we were like, oh my god, this is amazing.
9:42
[SPEAKER_03]: What did you know what to do with it at that point?
9:44
[SPEAKER_03]: Were you like, oh my god, what do we do with this now?
9:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Like what did you do?
9:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think but that was what was really awesome about that particular post that everyone was Latching on to because it literally was just a here so we are here's what we do and so we knew that it was our message that was resonating You know, so it wasn't even you know, we've had other posts that get a lot of attention But they're not necessarily about little blue cards specifically so that one
10:12
[SPEAKER_01]: was great because it was like, okay, they are liking and resharing this because of what little blue card is and because of what we're trying to do here, not because it's like some mean that you know, when viral or we caught it the right trend, it was literally about little blue card and about spending your money with, you know, to match your values and to support small businesses.
10:33
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
10:33
[SPEAKER_01]: So from there we just kept
10:36
[SPEAKER_01]: being excited in tips on you know just kept moving on but like you said that was one of our first really big press opportunities is we yeah we're interviewed and featured on the Katie Kirk media website on their Instagram on their newsletter and so a lot of people found a set way a lot of small businesses found a set way too to join so
10:57
[SPEAKER_01]: one of those things when we have the time in the space and we've reached, you know, whenever that is, we're prepared to do our own semi, it's the media outreach to get to your earned media, but obviously, the real, that it was, you know, people were coming directly to us.
11:11
[SPEAKER_01]: That's right, the phenomena.
11:12
[SPEAKER_03]: Yes.
11:12
[SPEAKER_03]: Okay, so let's talk a little bit about your roles.
11:15
[SPEAKER_03]: How do you divide up the jobs and who does Word and how does it flow for you guys?
11:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Kate is, she has hidden talents that I had no idea about because I will be completely honest.
11:30
[SPEAKER_02]: When we sat down and came up with this idea of Little Book Art, my idea did not look like what it is.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I'm sure Kate knew what it would look like because she is very accustomed to that part of the business.
11:47
[SPEAKER_02]: I worked with my hands.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I did the actual physical work when I did my business.
11:53
[SPEAKER_02]: And so paperwork, computer work, I did not do any of that.
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[SPEAKER_02]: I had no idea.
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[SPEAKER_02]: And so, and another thing is I didn't do social media.
12:02
[SPEAKER_02]: I never was on the online.
12:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Like I...
12:05
[SPEAKER_02]: No, no, no, no, no.
12:07
[SPEAKER_02]: I would share photos of my kids literally have never made a video of myself that I can recall.
12:13
[SPEAKER_02]: I think Kate can have a better memory and remembering, but I, I mean, I would post myself and my friends, but I would never make it about me and something I'm trying to like,
12:24
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, even with your embroidery business, like you never, oh, no.
12:29
[SPEAKER_02]: I, it was never me.
12:31
[SPEAKER_02]: It was always just the item and that it was never me.
12:36
[SPEAKER_02]: And so putting myself out there has been very, very uncomfortable.
12:39
[SPEAKER_02]: Anyway, all to say that Kate is, you know, she had this ability that I had no idea about.
12:45
[SPEAKER_02]: So I've kind of like been.
12:47
[SPEAKER_02]: latching on to her and asking her how I can help because she just has mad skills with all this and has ability to make things present in a way that is different.
13:00
[SPEAKER_02]: But we have complete creative freedom.
13:03
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, she doesn't tell me no, don't do that.
13:05
[SPEAKER_02]: And I don't tell her why did you do that, you know, we just we just work well with each other about in that capacity.
13:12
[SPEAKER_02]: So.
13:12
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's one of those areas we've talked about too, like as we grow and we have more day-to-day responsibilities, how we'll split it up a little bit more.
13:20
[SPEAKER_01]: But so far, especially when we were able to work together, like I'll talk about that a lot, because I'd miss it.
13:25
[SPEAKER_01]: And when we were sitting around the table, we could brainstorm and say, okay, you do that part, I'm gonna work on this part.
13:31
[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, we do that more online, like, okay, you start working on, you know, that press release, and I'm gonna get
13:36
[SPEAKER_01]: prepare our terms of new terms and conditions, you know, like we just split it up that way.
13:42
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's been very natural.
13:44
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I think we've just really, you know, have enjoyed the work.
13:49
[SPEAKER_01]: We were talking about this earlier, like it doesn't feel like it's just, you know, it's like we're excited to do all these things and excited to keep growing.
13:57
[SPEAKER_01]: So,
13:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it's been really, it's been pretty natural the way we just sort of divide and conquer.
14:03
[SPEAKER_01]: That's awesome.
14:04
[SPEAKER_03]: Now, what about your community and your family?
14:06
[SPEAKER_03]: What role have they played in all of this?
14:09
[SPEAKER_03]: I know you guys, you have your military spouses, you have children, you have extended family, community friends, what is their rolemen in all of this?
14:19
[SPEAKER_02]: All right, I was speaking for both of us when I say our families are very, very supportive, our immediate families.
14:24
[SPEAKER_02]: They have no active role in what we do.
14:27
[SPEAKER_02]: They cheer on our accomplishments when we, and by ours, I mean, like the collective hour, the small businesses, their successes, or our successes.
14:39
[SPEAKER_02]: So, you know, they get very excited about that, but our friends have been amazing.
14:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Like our friends share, they interact, they like, they, you know, they do all the things that you would hope that your friends,
14:51
[SPEAKER_02]: would do.
14:52
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I couldn't be any more happier with how we are supported with our immediate family and friends.
15:01
[SPEAKER_02]: That's awesome.
15:02
[SPEAKER_03]: Now, going back to sort of the structure of the business, you guys are obviously friends first, then partners.
15:10
[SPEAKER_03]: How do you handle disagreements or if you're I mean, I remember when I started my business, it was like sometimes I just didn't even want to make a decision.
15:20
[SPEAKER_03]: decision fatigue, like how do you handle that stuff with each other?
15:24
[SPEAKER_01]: So that is one of the best things I know Erin has more to say about this, but I just want to jump in and say that is one of the best things about.
15:31
[SPEAKER_01]: that we're doing this together because it can be really exhausted, always making the decisions and having it all on just your shoulders.
15:41
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a lot of pressure.
15:42
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think we feel that now, but we share it.
15:45
[SPEAKER_01]: So whenever, literally, we've been dealing with something in the past couple days, and I was like, Aaron, I'm not, I can't even open the email today.
15:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, will you please respond?
15:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I just, like, I'm having a hard time dealing with this thing right now.
16:01
[SPEAKER_01]: great.
16:03
[SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, what I know I haven't had more to say about it though.
16:05
[SPEAKER_02]: But we haven't had any conflict at all.
16:08
[SPEAKER_02]: We, um, wow, that's like a herd of.
16:10
[SPEAKER_02]: I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that it literally is not about us.
16:15
[SPEAKER_02]: It is about trying to support these small businesses.
16:18
[SPEAKER_02]: And that is literally our whole goal.
16:21
[SPEAKER_02]: And we feel like every decision that we make and everything that we do as far as the directory is concerned is how can we support them?
16:30
[SPEAKER_02]: Because we've not made it about us, that is an easy goal to both be striving for.
16:36
[SPEAKER_02]: And so, honestly, I also, if I make a content and I'm not sure how that looks,
16:43
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll send a decay and say, give me feedback.
16:46
[SPEAKER_02]: And then that's just the simple way of looking at it.
16:48
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just not about us.
16:49
[SPEAKER_02]: And we just want to help other people and we get a lot of pleasure out of other people having their successes.
16:56
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, the heart of the brand is to help other businesses.
16:59
[SPEAKER_03]: The heart of the brand is to empower people to be more intentional in how they spend their money.
17:06
[SPEAKER_03]: And the flip side of that is you're growing a business.
17:09
[SPEAKER_03]: Sometimes it's really hard to stay true to the mission and the brand when it sounds like you had a conflict this just this week, Kate, right?
17:19
[SPEAKER_03]: It's like, how do you stay true to that when, God, you have the yucky stuff that comes up from time to time.
17:25
[SPEAKER_01]: I think we're lucky that, well, first that we have each other, you know, when when we're making any of those decisions about what to do, but also because the core, like the central thesis, the whole idea behind it is rooted in our beliefs, like what, what we believe in, what we stand for, it's that guides everything we do, so it's not that hard to think like,
17:50
[SPEAKER_01]: No, we're never going to charge businesses to be on the directory.
17:52
[SPEAKER_01]: They were always me a free option, always, always, always because that's how we started.
17:58
[SPEAKER_01]: That's why we exist.
17:59
[SPEAKER_01]: No, you know, that's an easy decision to make.
18:02
[SPEAKER_01]: So sometimes, you know, have we missed opportunities to make a little more money?
18:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Perhaps.
18:06
[SPEAKER_01]: But we'll get there, like, you know, like I'd rather get there slowly and make sure we are staying true to our mission and to our beliefs.
18:14
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's one of the reasons why we haven't super aggressively sought funding from outside, because we don't want someone else making those decisions and saying, well, for the bottom line, we have to do X, Y, Z, because it's not really about the bottom line.
18:28
[SPEAKER_01]: It's about
18:29
[SPEAKER_01]: our mission and the heart like our beliefs are literally wrapped up in the mission.
18:34
[SPEAKER_01]: So we're just always gonna always gonna stay true to that.
18:37
[SPEAKER_01]: And because that's what leads us it makes it, you know, pretty easy.
18:41
[SPEAKER_03]: I think I love that.
18:42
[SPEAKER_03]: So I'm just gonna sidebar for a second because so I work with real estate agents and there's a million and a half real estate agents in the country.
18:52
[SPEAKER_03]: And so that's my community.
18:54
[SPEAKER_03]: Those are the folks who are listening today and
18:57
[SPEAKER_03]: sort of mind major or core belief in supporting them and helping them grow their business is to align their marketing, align their branding with their values.
19:09
[SPEAKER_03]: And when you do that, and you guys are such a perfect example of that, because when you do that, everything becomes so much more natural, the decisions you make, the way you put yourself out there, how you show up for your clients, for your family, for your podcasts, for your videos, all of that stuff becomes really, really apparent to the people on the other side.
19:35
[SPEAKER_03]: then you start attracting like-minded people.
19:39
[SPEAKER_03]: And when you attract like-minded people, like you said before, all of a sudden, it doesn't feel like work anymore.
19:47
[SPEAKER_03]: Doesn't that give you goose?
19:48
[SPEAKER_03]: It totally gives me goose bumps because I'm like, oh, I just, I believe in it so much.
19:53
[SPEAKER_03]: And yes, we get so tied up in
19:57
[SPEAKER_03]: What we think we're supposed to be, how we think we're supposed to show up, then to your point when you bring investors or outside people into your organization all of a sudden you lose that you lose that mission you lose that heart.
20:10
[SPEAKER_03]: And so I love that you guys are really you are very intentionally staying true to make sure that the mission continues to move forward.
20:19
[SPEAKER_02]: I would like to say that it is difficult like I'm not going to say that it's not difficult to.
20:24
[SPEAKER_02]: to create the content, that's been the most difficult thing.
20:27
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, what can we do to find the people?
20:31
[SPEAKER_02]: Because we both know that there are so many of us out there that share the same beliefs.
20:41
[SPEAKER_02]: With the tens of millions of small businesses across the United States alone, if we could just get a percentage of those folks, just their attention and have the opportunity
20:53
[SPEAKER_02]: present little blue cart to them as an opportunity to be able to have advertising.
20:59
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it would be fantastic, but it's just us figuring out, I think that's our biggest discrepancy.
21:04
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just trying to figure out who and how to get the content.
21:08
[SPEAKER_03]: out there.
21:09
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, when we were talking in the green room last week, you know, our prep call, you know, you had said like that sort of your next iteration, right?
21:17
[SPEAKER_03]: Like, you've got to find a way to really start to monetize this so you can continue to invest in the business.
21:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, because the director cost a lot of money to run every month.
21:27
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, even though it's, you wouldn't think it, but just the sending emails alone is very, very, very expensive.
21:36
[SPEAKER_02]: And so we have to figure out a way to make sure that self funds.
21:42
[SPEAKER_03]: What does success look like for you guys in terms of your growth?
21:45
[SPEAKER_01]: This is such a funny question because of you asked us this nine months ago or you know, the beginning of January when we started or when we like publicly launched it.
21:54
[SPEAKER_01]: It's so 180 from where we are now, but not 180.
21:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Actually, it's just,
21:59
[SPEAKER_01]: bigger, you know, like it's way more expansive than we thought we would be nine months in.
22:04
[SPEAKER_01]: So success for us is being able to continue to self-fund all, you know, our growth, because like Aaron said between the web and investing in web developers to build our new directory, to build the markets, and then obviously to market those things, so we get eyes on and
22:24
[SPEAKER_01]: people willing to spend money on our website looking at all the small businesses, you know, it does take a lot of money.
22:30
[SPEAKER_01]: If we knew where we are now, back in January, we would have been like, oh my gosh, never sure, I think you'd be this big.
22:38
[SPEAKER_01]: But we just keep moving the goal post, right?
22:40
[SPEAKER_01]: So now our big success will look like, you know, nine months from now, if we have not yet.
22:47
[SPEAKER_01]: When the market is up and running and we are creating a new revenue stream for small businesses and we're creating a new resource where when someone wants to, you know, get a new coffee mug or wants to buy a holiday gift or wants to get a birthday present or a birthday card, they know to come to Little Blue Cart and they can shop directly with people who have the similar values and feel really good about where they're spending their money.
23:11
[SPEAKER_01]: That will be success is, you know,
23:15
[SPEAKER_01]: With more local businesses I would say more local service providers I'd love to us to go in that area and then this market that is is really thriving and just being a great resource for for our small businesses and for people who are looking to shop.
23:29
[SPEAKER_03]: I would look to know if you guys have seen, I'm sure you have seen her spoken to some of your small business clients who have actually been seeing some success since partnering with you.
23:42
[SPEAKER_03]: Tell me a success story.
23:44
[SPEAKER_01]: We were talking earlier about the screenshots from Instagram, like, well, we also screenshot and get super giddy when we hear specific.
23:52
[SPEAKER_01]: feedback.
23:53
[SPEAKER_01]: We love it when we get, you know, like someone commenting, I found my new favorite T-shirt store and I arrived and I love it so much and I'm going to buy more.
24:01
[SPEAKER_01]: We've had one particular chocolate here, a woman who's like grew up her family, me, chocolate, and now she makes it in a new generation.
24:09
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like so funky and delicious that everything looks amazing.
24:12
[SPEAKER_01]: And she said, one of the best compliments was, I can tell the people that are shopping that find me through a little blue card, appreciate my work.
24:19
[SPEAKER_00]: I appreciate it.
24:21
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
24:22
[SPEAKER_01]: I was like, we've had businesses use each other, like a fitness company found, they needed a web update, they found a web designer on little blue cards.
24:32
[SPEAKER_01]: So then, like, people in the community are supporting one another.
24:35
[SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, really every time we hear, I had my first,
24:40
[SPEAKER_02]: someone buys something from you guys today or you know every little thing is that's like we save them all and have like a whole folder of that I don't know that really is this one's was where that I remember recall was a customer letting us know that little blue cart was the second most popular way that they were getting views on their website
25:04
[SPEAKER_02]: through little blue cart.
25:05
[SPEAKER_02]: And so we, we were just blown away by that.
25:08
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, happy.
25:09
[SPEAKER_02]: And I, the most happy of ways, but I had no idea that that we were already having that type of impact on a small business.
25:16
[SPEAKER_02]: So, testing.
25:17
[SPEAKER_03]: So, what advice would you have for other people who are looking to start a business, want to grow their business,
25:25
[SPEAKER_01]: What advice would you give them and I'm guessing like some of the small businesses are you know fairly new out of the gate and probably could use this advice goes back to sort of what you were mentioning earlier is lead with your values because that is never going to change right that's core to who you are is what you believe in lead with your values and everything you do will will fall into place and the right customers will find you.
25:49
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're being in authentic or you're, yeah, like, putting on that, this is what I think us all business person is supposed to be so neutral to not alienate anyone, right?
25:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Really an alienating yourself, like you're not even, you're not showing up as your whole self.
26:02
[SPEAKER_01]: So, that's, you know, you're not going to get far and people invest in and people work with people that they believe in.
26:11
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not always just the product or the thing that you're selling.
26:14
[SPEAKER_01]: It's people want connection.
26:16
[SPEAKER_01]: And you create that by being yourself and leading with who you are and what you believe in.
26:21
[SPEAKER_01]: And you know, that doesn't mean like going out and waving a, you know, whatever flag or you are showing up with comma one t-shirts or what, you know, like, that's not what I mean.
26:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Just you can.
26:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Present yourself as a safe space.
26:34
[SPEAKER_01]: You can present yourself as someone who believes in a quality, someone who is firmly rooted in anti-racism.
26:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And that is leading with their values that people will appreciate and resonating with, way more than leading with what you think is someone else's successful sales pitch.
26:52
[SPEAKER_03]: This is a question for both of you.
26:53
[SPEAKER_03]: I want to hear from both of you on this.
26:55
[SPEAKER_03]: What has little blue card taught you about yourselves?
26:59
[SPEAKER_02]: Little blue card has taught me that you can teach an old dog a new trick because I have learned so many things about how to create documents and spreadsheets because I have never done that before and I because when I went to school those were like new things I mean they didn't even have computers when I started school yes I'm older and so because we were
27:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you know, I and Kate is phenomenal with this stuff because one time I was just for an example I was like, how do you how do you copy and paste like I have this pad on my laptop?
27:37
[SPEAKER_02]: How do you copy and paste like and she was so foreign to her that I would be asking this question She was like, what do you mean how do you do that?
27:45
[SPEAKER_02]: I just go like this and I'm like this is wonderful I now know how to copy the things without doing control-seed and controlling
27:53
[SPEAKER_03]: that it's awesome.
27:55
[SPEAKER_02]: So yes, you can teach an old dog matrix and I am proof.
27:59
[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't know if the air is like, I have a dumb question.
28:04
[SPEAKER_01]: It's never a dumb question.
28:06
[SPEAKER_01]: And then she lost her, like, okay, that is kind of silly.
28:08
[SPEAKER_01]: But here, no, it's awesome.
28:12
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, we both, I think, really have had to come out of our comfort zone, because like, or, you know, like they're and said, we are trying to be all over social media to attract folks to little blue cart and get people to join and get people to it.
28:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Bookmark our website, so that has been an adventure
28:29
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think one of the things that's taught me the most is something that I guess I knew about myself, but that it is so much easier for me to work 12, 18 hours a day when it's something that I believe in.
28:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it doesn't feel like work.
28:44
[SPEAKER_01]: It feels like we're just so passionate about it that it's fun.
28:47
[SPEAKER_01]: I love
28:48
[SPEAKER_01]: love doing it, and I think, you know, I've heard other friends say that I think too as we grow older, like, my time is valuable.
28:55
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't want to waste it.
28:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Even if it's at a job and I'm getting paid, if it doesn't feel fulfilling, then it's not really, you know, it's, I've had a really, really struggle with that as an adult recently.
29:07
[SPEAKER_01]: And so now I'm eating this and being able to do this
29:14
[SPEAKER_01]: for lack of a better non-cheesey way to explain to them.
29:19
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, it's true.
29:20
[SPEAKER_03]: I mean, you guys have very different perspectives on that question, and I love it, because I think both are true.
29:25
[SPEAKER_03]: And it kind of goes back to sort of the Gen X space that our Gen X are in today, which is where
29:33
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, we value our time and we are not sure if we have the capacity to learn anymore and guess what we do.
29:42
[SPEAKER_03]: That's so true.
29:43
[SPEAKER_03]: That is exactly right.
29:45
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah.
29:45
[SPEAKER_03]: That is exactly right.
29:46
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, because we feel like, you know, we're not relevant in many ways.
29:50
[SPEAKER_03]: But see, we are downstream.
29:53
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, we are.
29:54
[UNKNOWN]: Yeah.
29:54
[SPEAKER_03]: Um, what are you both most proud of?
29:56
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm most proud of the success the businesses are having.
30:00
[SPEAKER_02]: That literally is what drives me and Kate to do what we do.
30:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, hearing their success.
30:07
[SPEAKER_02]: I, we, I will almost always in an email with a, a business owner saying,
30:13
[SPEAKER_02]: We can't wait to hear your success stories because that genuinely is exactly what I want from each and every one of them.
30:20
[SPEAKER_02]: And so that's the fuel that I use to keep going because there are many late nights, especially with this new directory that we've put in many, many hours to just in that area alone and we would love to see in here the success stories that they are having.
30:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I'm proud of us, like, I'm proud of you.
30:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm proud of us for having this.
30:44
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, the fact that we even, we just did it, like we had this idea and we thought, this is actually a really good idea.
30:50
[SPEAKER_01]: They've got to be more people like us who are looking for a way to feel in control and feel empowered right now and who don't want to spend their money with people they don't, you know, they have completely different values and we just did it.
31:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Messy from the beginning.
31:09
[SPEAKER_01]: We were figuring it out.
31:10
[SPEAKER_01]: We were literally learning on the fly and we still are We you know changed the whole back end of everything.
31:17
[SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, I'm just I'm so proud of yeah The community that we've built.
31:21
[SPEAKER_01]: It's been so fun to get to know so many small business owners and to hear their requests and hear their This would be really helpful.
31:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think how are we gonna do it like let's do it?
31:32
[SPEAKER_01]: just been the best, most rewarding, it's so awesome.
31:35
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's what's created our growth, okay?
31:37
[SPEAKER_02]: You just headed on the head is that, you know, we started we had this idea and you know, because we didn't have a small business currently that we're making wares or selling a service.
31:49
[SPEAKER_02]: you know, we had to think of what we knew of to think of, to be able to, to help them.
31:57
[SPEAKER_02]: And in that, we've had so much feedback and it's always been, I don't know, we've had like maybe one or two like emails that were like, oh, but everything else has been,
32:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Extremely positive, you know, hey, is there any way we could do X or Y or Z?
32:12
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's how we grow because we hate to say no.
32:14
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, you know, we want to be able to help them as best as possible.
32:17
[SPEAKER_02]: And so, you know, that's, that's how it became much bigger than what we in intended to be because the, the businesses on the directory requested it and it just, it helps.
32:31
[SPEAKER_02]: they helped us and then in turn, it helped them.
32:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Literally, that's how we decided to do a market.
32:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, we, I remember I think early on, someone said, are you guys gonna, you know, can you be a platform where we sell?
32:44
[SPEAKER_01]: And we were like, no, like we're still trying to figure out there's a directory thing.
32:47
[SPEAKER_01]: And then Etsy allowed alligator outcast stuff to be sold and didn't take it out fast enough and people were leaving and saying we need a place to sell.
32:57
[SPEAKER_01]: Like we need a safe place to sell.
33:00
[SPEAKER_01]: And Aaron and I were like, okay, I guess that's what we're doing next, you know, like we.
33:05
[SPEAKER_01]: And so from the word go like, okay, we're going to try to do this.
33:09
[SPEAKER_01]: We've had businesses signing up to join as soon as we launch and really that was not in like the long term plan.
33:16
[SPEAKER_01]: First, you know, that wasn't the, what we are going to do first, but we pivoted because because other people were failing small businesses and work really hard and like literally spent hours and days creating things and you don't want it listed, you know, in a search result next to horrendously offensive and cruel.
33:35
[SPEAKER_03]: product yeah so it seems like a natural next step although you didn't see it at the time but absolutely it does because if people are now going there and they find something that they like they want to just be able to buy it on the spot.
33:48
[SPEAKER_03]: So speaking of that what is next for little blue card like what are you working on now?
33:54
[SPEAKER_02]: We're working on the little fixes that the the directory is still tweaking from the relaunch minor things but we just want it to be smooth
34:04
[SPEAKER_02]: jump both feet into the market.
34:06
[SPEAKER_02]: But shortly after the market will be launched, in fact it had been started before the relaunching of the directory was even a consideration.
34:17
[SPEAKER_02]: And so we decided to kind of put it on the back burner until we could get the relaunch of the directory done.
34:24
[SPEAKER_02]: So now that that is,
34:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Almost completed.
34:27
[SPEAKER_02]: We are going to have this market and we've got almost everything completely ironed out.
34:32
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just almost to the press and the go button and I'm super excited about it.
34:37
[SPEAKER_03]: I can't wait.
34:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes.
34:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
34:40
[SPEAKER_01]: The hiring or our web designer webmaster sort of turned into if you give a massive cookie situation.
34:46
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes.
34:48
[SPEAKER_01]: We just want to work it.
34:50
[SPEAKER_01]: And then, you know, the more we talked about it, it was like, okay, well, let's be smart and set
34:56
[SPEAKER_01]: that we're doing the the director who was all about making it more sustainable long-term for air tonight because we had just gotten to a point where we had waiting list months long which wasn't sustainable.
35:07
[SPEAKER_01]: We were doing so much hands-on work so it's all redone so the powers much more in the vendors, small businesses hands and so.
35:14
[SPEAKER_01]: That was a really important step for us to keep growing, but you know, it's sort of like it put off the market a bit, which you know, a smart we need to do to position ourselves for longer turn success.
35:26
[SPEAKER_01]: But we're both so anxious to this market going.
35:30
[SPEAKER_01]: We have a date.
35:30
[SPEAKER_01]: no.
35:33
[SPEAKER_02]: We would love to give you a date, but that kind of gets pushed back a little bit.
35:37
[SPEAKER_02]: I had told our web designer, because I had created a special email that I was sending out to the business owners specifically to let them know what's going on with the new directory because we were so close and then we were so close and we were so, I feel like Donald Trump in two weeks and two weeks were going to have this done.
35:56
[SPEAKER_02]: We won't give a date out just because
36:00
[SPEAKER_03]: We went in time for the holidays, right?
36:02
[SPEAKER_01]: That has been the goal from, yes, that has been the goal, which we know who small businesses, like you need a much longer lead time because you know, it's just the reality of everything and you know, it was shipping.
36:14
[SPEAKER_01]: And so we are really, really, really crossing our fingers than hoping that it will, the plan is for it to launch in time for at least some last minute holiday shopping.
36:25
[SPEAKER_01]: again.
36:25
[SPEAKER_01]: So hopefully sooner rather than later and we just can't wait.
36:29
[SPEAKER_01]: And Erin's coming to Virginia when we do it.
36:31
[SPEAKER_01]: She's going to be her first and we can't hold right and drink champagne and cheer at the toast and yeah I want to film content.
36:38
[SPEAKER_03]: I love it.
36:39
[SPEAKER_03]: I love it.
36:39
[SPEAKER_03]: I love it.
36:39
[SPEAKER_03]: I love it.
36:40
[SPEAKER_03]: Okay so for each of you, when someone thinks of Little Blue Card, give me one word.
36:46
[SPEAKER_03]: that you want them, one emotion, you want them to feel.
36:49
[SPEAKER_02]: I want them to feel supported.
36:52
[SPEAKER_02]: We have on our directory, it was very purposeful.
36:56
[SPEAKER_02]: We wanted marginalized groups to feel supported.
37:00
[SPEAKER_02]: And so that is why when you go to the directory and on the front page, we literally have businesses separated by LGBTQ
37:12
[SPEAKER_02]: black owned military owned so that if folks feel the need to want to support that genre of folks, they are 100% encouraged to do so.
37:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Their voices are kind of stamped out a lot, a lot, and we wanted to make sure that they felt supported when they are on and shopping at Lil Lucard.
37:34
[SPEAKER_01]: I would say I want people to feel community, like among the folks, the businesses who are on there and the shoppers who are spending time browsing our website or engaging with us on social media or finding their new favorite business.
37:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I, that's one of my favorite things like we mentioned earlier seeing the businesses shop from one another.
37:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that's one area I would just love for us to really foster the sense of,
38:04
[SPEAKER_01]: community because that leads to the feeling like I'm not alone, we're all in this together.
38:09
[SPEAKER_02]: It is nice because I will say when you see businesses, we get to see we get to see it first, as businesses sign up to come on the directory and we see them coming from
38:21
[SPEAKER_02]: towns that we know like small towns and you're like there's a little glimmer of happiness in this teeny tiny town in a red state and it just brings you so much joy and you want to make sure they feel supported.
38:35
[SPEAKER_02]: I am actually going to be visiting one of those business.
38:37
[SPEAKER_02]: They don't know it yet.
38:38
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to be dropping in on one of those businesses and just letting them know that we appreciate them being on the directory and we're super excited that they've put themselves out
38:51
[SPEAKER_02]: but yeah, I'm super excited.
38:53
[SPEAKER_03]: You guys y'all, whichever way you go.
38:57
[SPEAKER_03]: Thank you so much.
38:59
[SPEAKER_03]: Thanks for being an example of how we can make change.
39:06
[SPEAKER_03]: things for standing up for equality and inclusiveness and community and empowerment and support and giving a voice to all those small businesses across the country that really need the help and in the business.
39:26
[SPEAKER_03]: So I really appreciate you both.
39:27
[SPEAKER_03]: I love what you're doing and I just want to thank you for being here on our little podcast.
39:34
[SPEAKER_03]: Thank you for having us.
39:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, thank you so much for having us.
39:37
[SPEAKER_01]: We're really, really grateful and it's yeah, it was so nice to chat with you and yeah, be here.
39:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you.
39:46
[SPEAKER_03]: Thanks so much for listening to the show.
39:48
[SPEAKER_03]: If you liked what you heard, follow little blue card on Instagram, or check them out at littleglucart.com.
39:54
[SPEAKER_03]: Make sure to click the follow button on your podcast app to make sure you never miss another episode and sign up for our newsletter, The Sunbeam, go to postembeamcreative.com to sign up.
40:05
[SPEAKER_03]: I'm Christine George and you've been listening to no like trust for real estate.