Latest / Mom's Money / The Assets You Already Own

Transcript

The Assets You Already Own · Mom's Money

• 0:00
  [gentle music] This is Mom's Money Talk. I'm Ellie Ezra, the mom talking money like no one ever did for you. This is for the woman who's done managing money and ready to run her life like a business.
• 0:12
  I'm not a financial advisor, but I've built companies, sat in rooms with investors, CEOs, business owners, and learned how money actually works. And here's the truth. You don't have a money problem.
• 0:22
  You have a systems problem. This isn't about budgeting harder or cutting lattes. It's about spending with intention, building assets, and thinking like the CFO of your household.
• 0:34
  Because if you're a mom, you're already running a business, the business of the home. So I'm giving you the playbook, one that makes your life feel lighter, not heavier.
• 0:46
  Today, I'm here with Noelle Hurst and excited to talk to Noelle. Uh, Noelle Hurst is a mom, entrepreneur, and builder,
• 0:54
  and honestly, she's exactly the kind of woman that we wanna talk to and talk about at Mom's Money Talk because moms are already running systems. We run the household. We manage the schedule. We make decisions.
• 1:08
  We stretch the resources. We figure out how to make life work. Noelle has taken the same operator mindset and built it into a career.
• 1:15
  She spent over a decade at Zappos, where she worked across merchandising, buying, business intelligence, and operations, and helped grow 6pm.com into a billion-dollar business.
• 1:27
  Since then, she's built businesses, led teams, mentored young innovators, and worked at the intersection of technology, commerce, and community.
• 1:37
  Today, she's the head of accounts at CodingScape and the founder of Republic Goods, a downtown Las Vegas consignment store helping people buy, sell, and unlock value from the things they already own.
• 1:47
  And that's why I wanted to have her in this conversation because Mom's Money Talk, it's not about cute budget tips. It's about helping women see the economic power they already have.
• 1:58
  It's about understanding the household as an economy. It's about spending smarter, acquiring assets, building systems, and using our everyday decisions to create more freedom. Noelle's work is a perfect example of that.
• 2:11
  She sees value where other people see clutter. She sees systems where other people see chaos. And she sees mothers not as overwhelmed consumers, but as powerful builders. So welcome, Noelle. Yay. Thanks for having me.
• 2:26
  Yes, thank you so much. I'm so excited. So we're gonna jump right in. Noelle and I have actually known each other for a long time, so we're gonna icebreak with a memory [laughs] that we have.
• 2:38
  Um, we went to college together, so, um, I wanted, I wanted to bring up a memory. We actually lived kind of in the same place. Um- Yes, in a haunted house. [laughs] In a haunted house. Uh, so- In college...
• 2:52
  what do you remember about that place? [laughs] Um, it was, it was made out of brick, and it was old. So it was haunted, and in the winter, it was... Remember how cold it was? It was like a refrigerator.
• 3:04
  And in the summer, it was like a oven- So hot... because of the brick. Yes. [laughs] And there was even that one winter, the same winter, um, where we ran out of whatever gas, whatever... I forget what it was- Uh-huh...
• 3:16
  that the house ran off of, and the landlord was out of town, and we'd all just, like, huddle by the fire every night. [laughs] And I was like, "This isn't insane." But we didn't have money to get a hotel, so. No.
• 3:26
  [laughs] Well, and it's so interesting because the house was, like, on sorority row at the college. There was, like, three sororities. Mm-hmm.
• 3:33
  And then there was this little house, and so Noelle and roommates lived in the house, and I lived in the basement apartment downstairs. Yes. There was, like, a creepy closet down there.
• 3:43
  Did you ever see the creepy closet? No. Oh, you open the closet, and it was just, like, under the house, just dirt. Like, [laughs] there was nothing in the creepy closet. Stop. Yeah.
• 3:51
  That was 100% haunted- It was so haunted [laughs]... and haunted back in there. And then the washer and dryer were, like, in my apartment- Yes...
• 3:57
  in the basement, so you had to, like, come into the basement, go into my bedroom, go into my bathroom, and then go into, like, wash- I felt so bad-... the clothes...
• 4:06
  to bother you with laundry that I would just go drive my laundry- [laughs] You guys never came... to a place. I was like, "Who puts fa-" Lau- Like, it was so weird. I know.
• 4:13
  I think only one of you guys ever did laundry down there. Who, Tia? No. [laughs] No. I feel like she would just let it pile up. No, Kelly. [laughs] Oh, okay.
• 4:20
  Kelly would come down there, and I remember she, like, disintegrated a blanket in there once. It just... I don't think... We didn't know [laughs] how to do- Yeah... laundry.
• 4:29
  [laughs] I lived in what was a converted dining room because I, when I moved in, I said, "What is the cheapest possible bedroom? I'll take that." Mm-hmm. And so you could, like, literally hear people walking.
• 4:38
  We were kind of on a busy street- So busy... near the, like, downtown, and so, like, like,
• 4:44
  all sorts of people, not just college people, would walk by, and you'd hear, like, bottles breaking at night, like, right outside my window. Mm-hmm. Yeah, it was so unsafe.
• 4:51
  [laughs] Or- and you could hear everyone had rolly chairs, like office chairs- Uh-huh... that you would, like, work and study at, which I feel like no one did.
• 4:57
  But, um, you would be home alone, and you would hear the chairs rolling around and stuff.
• 5:01
  And one time, me and a roommate were talking in the living room, and we looked to, like, the entryway to the hall, and there was a full figure- Oh... chilling, like a dude figure. Oh my gosh. [laughs] Not a real one.
• 5:12
  And we both looked and were like... And then we were mid-sentence, looked over, then looked back, and I was like, "Did you see that?" And she's like, "Yep." Great. That's insane.
• 5:23
  But I'd pre- prefer that than what you went through, [laughs] so, like, I'll take- [laughs] The fake figure... I'll take a spirit any day over an actual human I don't know in there. [laughs] Oh my gosh.
• 5:31
  College was way different back then, you know? Yeah, it was an adventure. Way different. Look how tough we are now. We're like- We're so tough now... "Well, like, I'll run a business. I'll do whatever."
• 5:38
  It's easier than living alone with the door unlocked in Reno, and it's e- It's less scary than the ghost haunting you all day. Literally.
• 5:45
  And I will be back in Reno this weekend for my son's college graduation and li- reliving the nostalgia of those days. Um, yeah, good times, guys. So, so funny. Okay. So you grew up in Vegas though, yeah? Yeah, yeah.
• 6:00
  Okay. So how did growing up in Vegas, 'cause I also grew up in Vegas- Mm-hmm... and this is, like, such a crazy place to grow up in because it... You know, people are like, "Wait, do you actually live here?"
• 6:10
  So how do you think it just, like, shaped your upbringing, though? I mean, obviously we're, you know, we're gangsters. Yeah.
• 6:16
  [laughs] But other than, like, being, [laughs] being ready to just, like, throw down at any moment, like, how do you think that that shaped your upbringing?
• 6:25
  Gosh, I feel like I had this really unusual experience where I was born in Vegas, and I lived here till, like, fourth, fifth grade, and then we moved to the middle of nowhere Illinois. So I kinda do have...
• 6:36
  know what it's like to live in nowhere Illinois and Las Vegas, which is, like, super suburban. We all live, like, in these planned neighborhoods for the most part. Like, life's really convenient and easy.
• 6:47
  Um, and in the middle of nowhere Illinois, I had, like, no neighbors, and everyone I knew lived on a farm. It was like all the stereotypes.
• 6:53
  And so something I noticed in- with the Vegas kids that was different than the middle-of-nowhere farm kids was that, um, the Vegas kids always had stuff to do. We had, like, activities.
• 7:06
  We were going to c- like, Crystal Palace, the ice-skating, or roller-skating, I mean. We were, like, in the front yard playing all the time 'cause the weather always permitted, and we always had neighbors.
• 7:15
  So we were like... I was always outside. I was always doing stuff. I always had activities. I was in gymnastics. Like, we had these really full lives, and everything was always open.
• 7:24
  So even as a teenager, you're like, "Want to go to the Forum Shops? You want to cruise the Strip?" Like, "Want to go to the Coke factory," like, I don't know, museum thing. There was always something happening.
• 7:35
  And in Illinois, there was a lot more time to be bored. Yeah. Which, like, both have their positives and negatives, but, like, I actually stayed out of, and the kids in Vegas stayed out of significantly more trouble
• 7:47
  than the f- farm kids, who were so bored they were like, "Should we smoke a pack of cigarettes? Should we go steal some alcohol?" [laughs] Like, at least for me, the Vegas kids were...
• 7:58
  got up to less age-inappropriate things, and they did it later- Yeah... than the farm kids did. So. Do you think that influenced you deciding to raise your kids here? Oh, yes. Yeah. A hun- well, I have...
• 8:14
  I don't yearn for the farm life either. [laughs] Fair. Like, to be real, like, that's not for me. But I had a great childhood here. I think there's amazing people here. I even love, like, the metaphor of Vegas.
• 8:25
  Like, we shouldn't exist. We're in the middle of the desert. There should be nothing here. Yeah. It's... There's something here because of industrious, innovative people who saw a vision and know how to execute.
• 8:36
  So I do think there's a lot here. It is a different city. We have professional sports. Back in the day, we just had UNLV. Nothing. That was it. Mm-hmm. So we have professional sports. A lot of things have changed.
• 8:47
  I'm excited to see more diversification in the economy. But yeah, it's easy. I'm lazy. [laughs] I can get around easy. So easy. It's just easy. It's so convenient to live here. I know.
• 8:57
  I always say it's easy living here 'cause it is nice. It's really easy. We get in our car. I spent some time living in New York, hard living, you know? Like- Mm-hmm... I had to trek my laundry three blocks- Ugh...
• 9:10
  to drop it off to get, to get laundered. Here, it's like I'm just walking downstairs. Yeah. So it is very easy living.
• 9:17
  But I have felt similarly, that there's something about the desert and how harsh it is that makes- Mm-hmm... you more resilient. Mm-hmm. Like, you have to kind of figure out how to live in this super harsh environment.
• 9:31
  Mm-hmm. And for me, that was like a pressure test to say, "Okay, how are you gonna make it work in such a, a tough place?" But also, that being said, while it is tough in terms of the weather and, you know,
• 9:47
  it's j- it's just the harsh conditions, it's also like, let's just be by a pool all day. Like, there's that side of it too. Yeah. And then- Filled with air-conditioning and everywhere... filled with air-conditioning.
• 9:55
  Yeah, yeah. So, so that part makes it easy, I think. Um, but it's interesting that you talk about, like, the enterprising people that built the town and stuff too. Mm-hmm.
• 10:03
  Because I think that, you know, that even lends itself to this environment of community. Mm-hmm. Uh, and I know you are, like, such a, such a community badass.
• 10:13
  Like, uh, just it's so great to see you actually building something in the community, and I love that.
• 10:19
  I think a lot of people, uh, will see this town, especially this particular town where our industry is tourism, just, like, come and go constantly. Mm-hmm.
• 10:27
  But to, like, be a builder here is to be among an elite group of people who have, like, built some roots, and, like, this, this is the roots. So- Yeah...
• 10:36
  I wanna talk about that a little bit with you and with Republic Goods, um, but even Zappos, because when that was here, you were building that too. Yeah. So, um- Yeah...
• 10:44
  so talk to me a little bit about, like, Republic Goods and what that's like and what made you decide to build this business. Yeah. So I've worked in e-commerce my entire career.
• 10:56
  I worked for Zappos, built 6pm, and that's what I knew.
• 11:00
  And at the time that I was doing that, we were growing so fast, it was like the e-com boom, and so it was so fun to, like, learn and grow and be with a lot of people your own age.
• 11:09
  Like, it wa- we had such a fun time building that, but we also grew so fast that you always had to be learning things, and that's really my favorite thing is, like, high-growth environments and individuals and being surrounded by them.
• 11:21
  So that was the best part. And so I was so infatuated with building and growth and growth 'cause I thought, "If I don't grow personally as fast as this website we're building, they're gonna replace me." Hmm. Right?
• 11:33
  So you're constantly trying to, like, keep up with the growth you're creating. But, um, I never really thought about the selling of the things. Hmm. Like, to me, that was never it.
• 11:43
  Like, I was never like, "I can't wait to see what's in fashion next season." It was always cool. It was interesting. It's better than selling toothbrushes, I'm not gonna lie. Mm-hmm. But, um, it was never about that.
• 11:54
  And so when I left e-com,
• 11:56
  then I kind of reflected back and was like, "Oh, my gosh, that's the main thing I know is e-commerce and how to self- s- sell stuff online, but I also know so much now that I could never go do that again." Hmm.
• 12:07
  "I could never go sell stuff that people don't need." And that was literally my job, is like creating promotions on 6:00 PM, trying to create events like Hallmark. "Come shop again. Things are on sale.
• 12:19
  More stuff you don't need. Come buy more." I've sold more stuff than, more than a billion dollars worth of stuff, you know? And, um, now I'm trying to right side my karmic debt with [laughs] Republic Goods.
• 12:31
  I'm trying to take all the things I know and all the skills I built and turn that, transform that into something that actually does good- Yeah... in society.
• 12:40
  And Zappos did a lot of good in other ways, in the community, in volunteering, in creating a lovely work environment, but, um, we also just sold a lot of stuff that honestly nobody needed.
• 12:52
  Yeah, I mean, one of the pillars of this show is spend smart. Mm-hmm. And I'm not here to tell someone, "Don't spend on stuff." Like, we have to spend. As moms, we just, there, we obviously have to spend. Mm-hmm.
• 13:04
  But I think what you're building with Republic Goods is so in line with spend smart. So tell me more about the actual business model and h- how is it that it's different than- Mm-hmm... Zappos? Zappos, you got it.
• 13:17
  So Republic Goods is like an in real life Poshmark, and so we have a bunch of booths.
• 13:23
  They're all the exact same, and you rent one out, and you literally clean out your closet and bring down your items, and we provide everything you need in order to sell them. We provide the tags. We provide hangers.
• 13:34
  We provide even like a little postcard so you can say, like, what's inside your booth, and you get to rent it for at least a week. Most people like to do it for longer than a week. At the end of that week, I Venmo you.
• 13:46
  And as a business, we make money in two ways. We make money almost like a real estate play, so I have this space. I'm drawing people into this space who are here to shop.
• 13:55
  You are literally, like, renting a small portion of the space from me every single week, so it's like I'm kinda collecting rent on that, and then every time something sells, we collect one third of whatever's sold.
• 14:07
  And so in that way, a lot of my costs are covered by just the rent of the booth alone. So, um, yeah, and it's great because this is stuff people already have. It's already sitting in their closet.
• 14:20
  They usually feel better when they get rid of it. They usually get excited about having it gone. They really get excited.
• 14:25
  We have a sales report that goes out every single night, so they kinda get a little bit of, like, entrepreneurial fix.
• 14:30
  Like, that's what I'm hope- My, my biggest dream is that people who've never considered being an entrepreneur get to try in a very safe way and a fun way to be a little entrepreneur- Mm...
• 14:43
  within the space, and, like, they catch the bug, and they go, "Oh, this is what it's like?" Mm. "Oh, I could do this." And maybe it's not, like, reselling clothes.
• 14:54
  Maybe it's for some other passion or skill they have, but, like, that's my, like, big, big fantasy is it's, like, cre- cr- planting the seed or watering the seed of entrepreneurial spirit in people.
• 15:06
  I think that's so great. That would be the real dream. That's so great. That's like my hidden agenda. I love it. I mean, so what makes, what makes that so important to you, like, this entrepreneur, enterprising spirit?
• 15:15
  I mean, where does that come from? Ooh, um, I don't have entrepreneur parents at all. Mm-hmm, fair. They're very, like, risk adverse parents.
• 15:25
  Um, I think it comes from a knowing that you, you can, you could build stuff, and it comes from meeting people who do build stuff and realizing you're just as smart as they are. Yeah.
• 15:37
  In fact, sometimes you're like, "I have more skill," or, "I know more about that than they know." They- It's almost like a curse of knowledge, and I especially see this in women.
• 15:47
  It's like you know so much about something that you can also talk yourself out of building anything because you can think of all the ways it will fail. Mm-hmm.
• 15:55
  Whereas that less confident person who knows less is just doing it 'cause they don't know any better. Yeah. They're like, "How bad, what could go wrong?" 'Cause they [laughs] honestly don't know.
• 16:04
  [laughs] And you're, meanwhile, you could've built it, and you could've built it so that there was less likelihood for it to fail.
• 16:10
  But, um, I think there's, like, a little bit of all of those things that kinda gave me the guts to do it. I saw other business models that were similar.
• 16:19
  I built a billion-dollar business for someone else, which means I'm not a billionaire. Right. Which is insane. Dang it.
• 16:28
  And so for all of those women who are in a nine to five, and you think about the ROI that you're providing for a company, which is definitely more than your salary- Mm-hmm... 'cause they have to make money. Mm-hmm.
• 16:42
  And you think about what you've contributed, did you contribute a million dollars? Did you contribute two million? Well, that's a contractor. You could've taken home that two million. Yeah.
• 16:51
  And most people don't realize, because they have benefits or they want insurance, but you can pay for [laughs] insurance- Yes... then you can still get a Roth IRA. Like- Exactly... so I think that stops people. Yeah.
• 17:04
  And I don't think it's a always a great reason. It's not for everybody, being an entrepreneur, but you know if you could do it. Yes. And if you think you can do it, you should try. Try a l- on the side at least.
• 17:17
  Yeah, try a booth. Try a booth. [laughs] Try a booth. Try a booth at Republic Goods. Try to resell your stuff. Yeah.
• 17:22
  You know, it's interesting, I read this article today about how Gen Z is really getting into entrepreneurship, and part of the reason that they're doing it is because of the flexibility and the tools. Mm. Mm-hmm.
• 17:33
  So they're spending some of their extra time that they have to go upskill and learn new things- Smart... very confidently.
• 17:39
  I mean, and I'm sure some of their moms and their parents are allowing them the security and safety to be like, "You could do this while you live at home," you know?
• 17:46
  And they're taking it, and they're building something, and you know what they're doing? First of all, they're not calling it a side hustle, so mommies, stop calling it a side hustle.
• 17:52
  The, I kinda hate the word hustle, honestly. I mean, the old word, word of hustle, that was like- Used to mean something, and then it kind of meant negative- Yeah... like, uh... Yeah.
• 18:02
  It used to be, oh, if you're getting hustled- Toxic... yeah, someone is cheating you out of something. Oh. And then it became, oh, no, a hustle is like girl boss.
• 18:09
  Like, you know, I think I take issue with a lot of the way that we talk about how women run businesses. Oh, girl boss and- Ugh... oh, my- That's a trigger for me. Oh, gosh. [laughs] When someone
• 18:20
  ha- puts girl in front of the word boss, I'm like, "You're a boss or you're not a boss." There's no boy bosses. Right. [laughs] There's no level of boss. [laughs] It's just like, I like- Right...
• 18:29
  I have to, like, h- bite my tongue around certain people, especially if they're wearing, like, a shirt- I'm like, "Ugh, so embarrassing for you" It, it's so unfortunate, because Gen Z, they're not talking that way.
• 18:40
  They're calling themselves entrepreneurs. Good for them. What are we doing? Why are we saying side hustle? No, no, you're an entrepreneur. You're entrepreneur. You are. Okay? That's right.
• 18:48
  So we can't diminish it, and I think it's just part of this cultural conversation that we're having that we diminish women's work. Mm-hmm. We say things like side hustle.
• 18:58
  We say, "Oh, you could be a girl boss, and you can, like, um, you know, mom life and..." Stop, okay? Yeah. We actually have real value to contribute, either to a company or to ourselves. So, you know, Gen Z- Mm-hmm...
• 19:09
  is taking the side street. You know why? Flexibility. They want flexibility. Guess what moms have been saying we want forever? Flexibility. Right.
• 19:16
  And when you start your own business, you start your own company, you can curate your life to be as flexible as you want. You know, it's scary- Mm-hmm...
• 19:25
  to say, "I'm gonna take this and do this instead of doing it for an employer" But I think you're a testament to say, "I just did it for someone else. I'm fully capable of doing that for myself." Yep.
• 19:35
  Um, and I think that's something that then you're fully in control. You can build this generational wealth for your family. Mm-hmm. So I wanna talk about that a little too, which is your kids work in your store.
• 19:44
  Sometimes. [laughs] Okay. Unofficially. [laughs] I, like, pay them in, like, ice cream or, like, jewelry in the store. Like, if they find, like, an outfit, 'cause it's very official. They love it.
• 19:56
  They want- One's, like, "I'm the manager of the dressing rooms." Okay. I'm like, "Okay, girl." [laughs] Um, but they love it. I used to let them check people out, and then I- it gave me anxiety- [laughs]...
• 20:05
  and then I had to stop. But they were- they had little fingers. They're really good at it. Um, they love all that. They love social media. Mm.
• 20:12
  They wanna be on videos all the time, but it's h- sometimes hard to think of, like, what's relevant. Mm. What do people our age want to see a 10-year-old do on video- Right... to get you to go to a store? Yeah.
• 20:25
  It's a little like... [laughs] That's cute they want that, though. But I think, like- They love it...
• 20:28
  all of, like, Gen Alpha, they all kind of think that, you know, being an influencer and being a TikToker, that that's, like, their future, which is, which is not actually gonna be their future.
• 20:37
  God, they're gonna have such an advantage. 'Cause I don't know about you, but, like, most business owners and entrepreneurs I know actually don't wanna be on social media at all. Mm. Mm-hmm.
• 20:46
  It's like we all do it because we know we have to. We have, like, no drive to do it at all, and so if these kids want to be entrepreneurs and they're used to recording their entire lives for, like, their friends- Mm...
• 20:59
  or YouTube or whatever the heck, they're gonna be- it's gonna be insane. Yeah. I mean, I do see that, like, you know, content creation isn't going away. Mm-hmm. It's never gonna go away.
• 21:08
  I think, you know, the way we execute it will be differently. Mm-hmm. And even when I started my marketing company, when I started it, it was pre-Instagram, pre-WhatsApp, pre-Snapchat. None of that existed.
• 21:18
  I mean, remember Vine? Mm-hmm. That came and went.
• 21:20
  Like, but there was, there were creators who were constantly popping up to find the next new thing, and I think what will happen, especially if AI is gonna continue doing what AI does, you know, the people who really understand how to video edit, how to speak differently depending on the platform.
• 21:35
  Like, as these kids come up with these just digitally, natively, uh, I think that they're gonna have an advantage because- Yeah...
• 21:41
  at some point, maybe Millennial, Gen X, they're just like, "We're not gonna keep up anymore." Yeah. You know? So we'll just hire them to do it. I think it will be saturated.
• 21:49
  Um, but I wouldn't- When I was growing up, like, we all wanted to be actresses. Like, "Oh, I wanna be a actress, I wanna be a model." Mm-hmm. "I wanna be a singer."
• 21:55
  You know, it was like we were sort of limited, and now people are like, "Oh, I wanna have my YouTube channel."
• 21:59
  Not e- I, I mean, there was an era for that, but now I think it's, "I wanna be a TikTok influencer" or whatever. Yeah. But, so what do you think that your kids will learn from being in the store with you?
• 22:09
  W- what do you see them- Mm... learning by being there with you? Yeah. Well, they really see, I think, I think they see the moments that no one will ever see on Instagram, right?
• 22:21
  [laughs] That were like, you, you needed something to go right, and it went horribly wrong. The other day, my air conditioner in the back broke. Mm.
• 22:27
  Like, you know, if they're there, they see that, and they see how you handle stress. Mm. So, and they're watching.
• 22:35
  You can tell your kids all the ways to be in the world, but the only thing that matters is how they see you be in the world- Mm... because then that's what they trust, right? Mm. That's, like, the thing.
• 22:45
  So they've observed me having conversations with customers. They've observed what happens when a customer is upset or anxious and how I respond.
• 22:56
  They witness customer service in the way that I think it should be done, and I come from the school of Zappos, so I would argue- Mm... like, I have pretty high standards for customer service and how you treat people.
• 23:05
  But they s- they see all of those moments, and then I s- I have them work.
• 23:10
  Like, on Saturdays is, like, the setup day, and that's when kids are useful, 'cause I just go walk around and ask anyone if they need anything, ask them if they need help, ask them if they need someone to double-check all their tags that they have their info.
• 23:22
  And so they get really comfortable talking to strangers, which I used to hate doing and avoid talking to anybody. Um, so they get really good at all these little things.
• 23:32
  It's hard to really quantify the impact it will have. I think just realizing that they can pick their own adventure. Mm-hmm. They're only limited by their own creativity, because I won't tell them they can't do it. Yeah.
• 23:43
  So I think that's the magic, is, like, they probably won't wanna run my store. Mm. But maybe they'll wanna run their own thing. Yeah. Whatever that is. I mean, it's, they're seeing so much.
• 23:56
  I mean, I barely saw what my dad did for a living. You know, he worked in sales. He was at a jewelry store. Every once in a while, I think in high school, I would, like, go see him, and he was, like, a top producer. Ugh.
• 24:08
  But I wouldn't see it. It's too bad you didn't get to see it. I know, I know. That's, like, the best skill you can have in sales. [laughs] Like, oh. Yes. Damn the man. And people would tell me stories.
• 24:16
  They would tell me stories- Ugh... about him and how he would sell, and I would hear things, but I couldn't see it- Yeah... which I think is so valuable for your kids- Mm-hmm. It is... to be able to see it.
• 24:24
  I mean, I know I want my kids around even more. I mean, I do so much computer work and so much, but I've told them about the podcast, and, um, my daughter had me sign a marketing contract yesterday out of nowhere.
• 24:35
  "Mommy, do you wanna do marketing?" She's six. I don't even know how she knows how to spell marketing, but I tell her. Wow. She comes to WeWork with me every once in a while. She sees my office. They're, like, enamored.
• 24:46
  I'm like, "It's just an office," but it's so good for them to see behind the curtain- Mm-hmm... that we are more than, you know- When I'm making dinner listening to EDM, which is also important.
• 24:57
  Um, but I love that they can see this other side and participate, especially being able to talk to people- Mm-hmm... twice, three times their age. Mm-hmm.
• 25:05
  I mean, these soft skills are gonna go away if they can't understand what's that like, you know? Yeah.
• 25:09
  Or if they're sitting in a classroom around their peers, they're not going to build that muscle, and I think it's so great that you're doing that with them because, you know, being able to have that in their future is gonna be so valuable.
• 25:20
  So I think that's just so beautiful. I hope so. Okay, and then I saw, I saw you started Noelle Builds on Instagram. Yes. Okay, so what are you trying to build there? Ugh. And like, what's the vision behind it?
• 25:30
  I- so this is such, like, a selfish thing. I just want to find people like me, and I don't know how you do that other [laughs] than you just- [laughs]...
• 25:40
  someone's gotta, like, put themselves out there and be like, "I'm building this," or, "I like this." Whatever your thing is, it's like someone has to be like, "This is what I'm into.
• 25:49
  If you're not into it, just keep moving. If you're into it, let's be friends." And so with social media, you can grow- you can do that on, like, a big scale, and I don't need, like, a lot of people.
• 26:01
  But I just don't know if they're in Vegas, and this, like, kind of, like, takes out the pressure. Like, they could be in Alaska for all I care. And so the point was just to start talking business on there.
• 26:10
  I just had this hole in my life where most of my friends don't talk- wanna talk about business. [laughs] And I do 'cause it's like a sickness, you know? Yes. You just love it. I do now.
• 26:19
  [laughs] If you love business, you just love business.
• 26:22
  Like, before we went on air, we talked about, like, random businesses and did you see this and this and this and this, and, like, that is so- I have so much energy to do that all day. Same.
• 26:32
  And I'm like, I just need, like, a outlet. I just need, like, fi- to find my people. And so it's not fancy. It's not anything great. It's just me saying, "Let's talk about business." I love it. Just even, like, ideating.
• 26:44
  I love ideating. Mm-hmm.
• 26:45
  So, like, one of my posts I'm like went and had this experience as a customer, and then I just, like, literally made a post about all the ways in which I would wow people by changing the experience.
• 26:56
  It's not in a field I know anything about, just, like, as a customer 'cause I just love it. No, I appreciate it. It's, like, a call to arms. [laughs] Like, let's do it.
• 27:04
  Let's talk about something more than, you know, than just a typical, you know, uh- The housewives. That's great. Talk about the housewives. Yes. But, like, can we also talk about business? Because it's also really cool.
• 27:15
  Yeah, and I think that I, I really appreciate that because as an entrepreneur, I definitely wanna be surrounded by others that we're gonna have sophisticated conversations, and sometimes, like, sometimes we're just gonna vent about, you know, our kid's recent breakdown at the airport or the concert- [laughs] Yes...
• 27:32
  which we talked about. Yes. Um, but I do need my brain to have a little more exercise and to be able to do more.
• 27:40
  I mean, um, you know, there's research that talks about things that ward off depression, and it's not just taking an SSRI. It's, it... That is a tool, and I...
• 27:49
  And we don't have to go down this whole road, but the idea is there are other things like having meaningful social connections is- Mm-hmm... one of the things that will help you be less depressed. Yes.
• 27:58
  And the other thing is meaningful work. Yeah. And there's, there's, like, seven of these. Um, Johann Hari wrote a book about this.
• 28:03
  Um, but I love what he says because it goes back to how I felt after I had kids, which is I was sitting on the floor of my daughter's room. She was one years old.
• 28:12
  She's playing with her play kitchen, and I'm thinking, "This isn't quality time. I'm sitting here. My son is napping. What am I doing?" Yeah. I really felt like I was wasting away.
• 28:22
  I felt like my brain was not exercising. Mm-hmm. I'm alone in my house.
• 28:26
  It was lonely, and I sort of did the extreme thing, which is I went and got a corporate job, which wouldn't, wouldn't suggest going after the extreme. Think of all you learned.
• 28:33
  [laughs] You learn so much in the corporate world for a minute. Yeah, no, I did learn a lot. You learned that that's not the place for you at the very least. True. True.
• 28:42
  But it, it was driven by I'm trying to find a community. Yeah. Yes. I'm trying to find people that I can connect with, and I think- Yes... you know, even this podcast is a way to say, "Hey, I've learned some things.
• 28:52
  We've learned some things both in business and at home that we can, like, apply to the next generation."
• 28:59
  And I don't think that there are a lot of conversations out there happening these days, you know, around both money and finance and business and motherhood. Yeah. And I think that's the big miss because- Yeah...
• 29:09
  out there we're being patronized. Mm-hmm. We're being told to cut our lattes, and I'm just like, "Tell me to cut another latte. I'ma cut you." [laughs] Like- I think that's fair... we cannot. We cannot.
• 29:17
  That sounds fair to me. I don't know. [laughs] And so I think, you know, this call for community, I think it's just gonna get bigger as AI gets bigger and there's AI slop.
• 29:25
  We're gonna have this side street pop up- Mm-hmm...
• 29:27
  and it's going to be where can I find real people, authentic people to have real conversations, and I think that's, you know, that's one of the things I wanna do is, like, how do we talk about things that, you know, if I'm sitting at a table, I can't remember the last time I've had a conversation with other moms about money.
• 29:41
  Um- Oh, I know. God forbid you tell people how much money you make. Mm-hmm. Why is that so weird? So taboo. I'm like,
• 29:50
  I just feel like w- we've gotten this message of, like, just stay in your own bubble and your own silo to make sure that we can't all empower ourselves with knowledge to go ask for what we deserve- Mm...
• 30:02
  or to know that that's possible. Mm-hmm. Like, I think that's so insane, and, like, I, I wanna ha- I agree, wanna have those conversations. And you've been, like, solopreneuring it at times.
• 30:14
  I'm a solopreneur, and creating that community where you can have those conversations, it kind of feels like, like I wanna support your wins, and I wanna be able to talk to someone.
• 30:23
  But, like, you also still have your company. I have my company. We can always have this discourse without, like, legal implications and, like, all of that mumbo jumbo- Yes... of, like, a partnership, and I love that.
• 30:35
  Yeah, and I, I think it's, like, it's sad because I think that men in the course of their business life are having these conversations- I agree... with each other. I agree.
• 30:45
  Um, and they're having them very confidently, and they're talking about what stocks they're looking at- Yes... or, um, how their portfolio is growing or- Yeah, they're br- they're bragging...
• 30:56
  about how much money they made or what they bought or where they went, and as a woman, it's seen as brag, right? Yes. It's like, "Oh, my God, can you believe- Right... what she said?" Right.
• 31:07
  Like, read the room, how that's so distasteful, and you just feel, like, so not humble. Right. And we've been cornered to only talk about spend, which, look, we could talk about what we bought and where we got it. Yeah.
• 31:19
  It's almost this cultural conditioning of like- Mm-hmm... "Oh, my gosh, I love this bag you got," or, "I love this particular thing that you bought," or that's... Which I don't hate- Yeah...
• 31:30
  but I also think it cannot be the only conversation. It's bor- it's one-sided. Yeah, and it lasts, like, two seconds. Like, "Oh, my gosh, I love your brooch," which I do. [laughs] Oh, thank you. It's vintage. Of course.
• 31:40
  I try to promote my secondhand stuff. Yeah, of course. Yeah, yeah. And, and I love that you're a business owner and that you're building for your family and that your kids are around to watch it. Yeah.
• 31:50
  Um, and I think those are more important conversations. It's more interesting. It's so much more interesting. Who care, who cares about the fancy designer bag that you have that anyone could buy? Right.
• 31:59
  Tell me about how you made the money to buy that bag. Mm. Mm-hmm. When I go through, like, a- When I travel, and you know, I, like, do the Zillow thing- Mm, oh, yeah...
• 32:06
  and I see how much everyone's house is worth, I just wanna knock on doors and be like, "If you earned the money for this house yourself, I can... Do you have... I wanna take you to coffee. I wanna...
• 32:16
  I'll pay you for your time. I just want you to download all the things." Yes. "If you were given this house, I hope you have a great day, and I'm gonna move onto your neighbor." [laughs] But, but, you know.
• 32:25
  You're renting from private equity probably. No. [laughs] But other... I mean, I love this because it, it kind of goes back to, like, this conditioning. And, you know, speaking of homeownership- Mm-hmm...
• 32:35
  you had a company, AltCasa- Yeah... that you started, fractional homeownership. I don't know how many people are actually aware of this concept, but I love this concept of fractional- [laughs]... homeownership. Mm-hmm.
• 32:45
  So the good, the bad, the, and the ugly, please tell me about AltCasa, and tell me what you still think about fractional homeownership- Mm-hmm...
• 32:52
  and the model, and let our listeners in on what is it, and then how does it work. Yeah. All the things. So, um, this is so wild.
• 33:03
  Um, I had the waitress job at Zappos, and I taught 13 to 17-year-olds emerging exponential technologies, mindsets, and skillsets. And one of the things that we talked about was, um, blockchain,
• 33:14
  and I had to learn about blockchain, and I thought it was so fascinating.
• 33:18
  And so this is also why if you're, like, a curious person, just, like, who cares what rabbit holes you go down, you never really know how the intersection of these rabbit holes become, like, something interesting.
• 33:29
  So I was learning about blockchain and knew about it, and then COVID happened, and I went to Utah to go stay somewhere in the middle of nowhere so we could at least leave the house but, like, not, you know, be around COVID.
• 33:40
  And I just thought, "Wouldn't it be amazing if I could own just a portion of time at, like, a regular house?" Not like a resort timeshare where you actually own time, not a thing.
• 33:53
  Um, I'm like, "I am a homeowner, and I want actual homeownership, but I wanna, like, split it with people, and I wish that it was on a platform that was big enough that I could find all the split ownerships, and I could buy, like, six months in Vegas and then three months some, y- in Utah in the middle of nowhere, whatever the heck, and make it, like, work during the same times of year."
• 34:15
  Because that's how really rich people do it, right? Mm-hmm. And I'm like, "Why can't we all do that?" And so that's how AltCasa was born.
• 34:22
  It was thinking thing of things fractionally using blockchain and then vacationing in another house but wishing I had the ownership in it and not just paying somebody else's mortgage.
• 34:35
  And so that's where AltCasa came from, and, um, it was during COVID, and at the time, houses were really cheap. And then all of a sudden, the market went insane.
• 34:45
  And really quickly, I realized that creating change in real estate at one point in time seemed really easy 'cause it'd been the same for so long, and then all of a sudden became so instable that it became...
• 35:00
  Like, customers would ask me, "Do you think this is a good investment?" And I was like, "I don't know what's going on with real estate." Mm.
• 35:05
  And, like, just as a, an owner of a business, I never wanna tell someone, "Oh, I don't know." Yeah. And as you're asking for so much money with, like, a portion of a house.
• 35:16
  So after we did that for about nine months to a year, I was like, "I just, I don't feel comfortable in this space. I don't know what's going on in this space." COVID threw a real wrench in everything,
• 35:26
  so we shut it down, but the thing I'm most proud of of that, um, is me and my co-founders' relationship. Two women, we went to... We got invested in and went to, like, multiple,
• 35:41
  like, a, I always called it sleepaway camp, but now I can't remember [laughs] what that gets called, where they take, like, all the companies they invested in.
• 35:46
  You all hang out, and you, like, do workshops together and stuff. Oh. And so, um, On Deck invested in us, and they had, like, a whole thing, but we met all the other founders. Oh.
• 35:56
  And I would say that 95% of them that had more than one founder had serious problems. Oh. Like, serious relationship problems.
• 36:06
  And so I don't know if any of them became successful, but there's absolutely no way anyone with the relationship problems became successful. Yeah.
• 36:14
  And so that was something that also the universe kinda confirmed is, like, "You're good with people." Yeah. "You can communicate well. You can set priorities. You can pick lanes well."
• 36:23
  Like, I really learned that's, like, the good thing that came out of it. Um, otherwise, it sh- it sh- we shut it down, and then that was, like, the end of it. And it's a big fat F, fail for me. [laughs] No, no.
• 36:34
  And, um, but I feel like that's, like, a badge of honor also that a lot of, like, entrepreneurs wear- Yes... is, like, "Oh, don't worry, I've..." You don't wanna really invest in someone who's only ever won.
• 36:46
  It's, like, a little scary. Yeah. You kinda want someone who's, like, failed 'cause you know they learned, like, 10 times more than the person who's, like, never seen, like, a bad day. Yes. So, like, I've failed.
• 36:56
  [laughs] I love it. [laughs] I honestly, I think the idea is still fantastic. Um- You were probably just early. You were probably just early because these companies still exist. Yeah.
• 37:08
  You know, I see these fractional home ownership companies popping up. You know, some of them are super luxury, like Picasso- So luxury... yeah, or Equity Estates.
• 37:16
  And, like, they don't serve someone who's like, "I just want a few months in Utah." They're like, "I'm serving someone who wants the multimillion-dollar house in Paris." Yeah.
• 37:24
  Which, that's great, and I love that, and I think it goes to something larger, too. So first of all, I just wanna acknowledge, like, I l- I have always loved the idea. I think it's- [laughs]... so early.
• 37:34
  Like, you- [laughs]... you know, you were way ahead of your time. Um, and I mean, my husband and I were going to invest. We were like, "We're gonna be a part of this." Like, "We wanna be in."
• 37:44
  Um, so if you ever start it again, like, let us know. [laughs] Like, you know.
• 37:47
  But I think it, it goes to something else that I think that we are feeling but we don't know how to execute, which is how do I escape this rat race life- Mm-hmm... for some part of the time, right? Yeah.
• 37:58
  And maybe for some people, that's like, "I go to Disney every year," or some people, that's, you know, "I, I go to Utah in the mountains," or, "I take a vacation." [gasps] But it's so small. I have a good hack. Oh, okay.
• 38:08
  I want to... So, so I think, I think this, like, escaping reality idea- Mm-hmm... is really, is really kind of at the center of, like, we need to change and reframe what we actually are paying for because we- Mm-hmm...
• 38:21
  we're seeking relief when we're making- Mm-hmm... purchases. And this is, like, sort of a hill- Yeah... I'll die on, which is, like, when we make purchases, there is an experience we're trying to go achieve.
• 38:31
  It's not even about the thing. It's about, oh, this shirt, I wanna go wear this while I'm- To feel this way. Yes. Or to present like... Yeah. Yes.
• 38:38
  Yes, to present or to have a reaction or to wear it to a concert or, right? Like, we're looking for an end sort of- Mm-hmm... user experience, right? Yes.
• 38:45
  And I think Equity Estates and Picasso, all of these, AltCasa, this is that idea of I'm trying to go find peace and experience somewhere else, and I'll go buy it. Um, and I think- Mm-hmm...
• 38:56
  I think that that has been weaponized against us in some ways, but I think there's opportunity there for us, too, to go find that. So okay, now I definitely wanna hear your hack. Okay. Here's my hack. Okay.
• 39:05
  So like most people, my 20s, all I did was work on acquiring things, right?
• 39:11
  Because we were told, like, that's the name of the game is, like, first one to a house, first to get a car, first to whate- You're just, like, acquiring things. So I did. I acquired a house.
• 39:21
  I live in a house that we own, all of the things. And so after AltCasa, I was still bummed 'cause I was like, "I still want that experience."
• 39:29
  I still wanna be able to go somewhere and feel like I'm not just paying off someone else's mortgage. Like, that kind of, like, pissed me off a little bit. So there's this platform called Home Exchange. Hmm.
• 39:40
  It's big in other countries. It's not as big in America. It's probably maybe a marketing opportunity 'cause they have really bad marketing, and their website's kinda garbage. [laughs] But [laughs]
• 39:51
  I'm telling- That's great... you up front because I'm like, you- Love that. The branding... and, um, I found it on accident, and I signed up our house.
• 39:58
  And what you do is, depending on where you live, you get a certain amount of points if people stay at your house. I have three kids. I have almost nothing precious in my house.
• 40:06
  Like, I have, like, a box of jewelry that I, like, take out of the house. The rest of the house, I'm like, "Sleep on the couch if you- for all I ca- I don't care. Eat over that, eat o- eat over that rug." Like, whatever.
• 40:16
  So, um, you get a certain amount of points depending on where you are. They give you, like, a range. I just set mine at max 'cause in Vegas, people really wanna stay here.
• 40:24
  And then every time someone stays at your house, you earn points, or you can do reciprocal exchange, which I've done one time with someone in Bend.
• 40:32
  But essentially, like, this summer we're going to Hawaii, and I'm staying at a Home Exchange house, and I'm only paying to clean the house. Amazing.
• 40:40
  Because I let someone use the asset I already acquired that is literally like a sunken cost now. 'Cause I also did not realize what true assets are, and I think all of us learn that the hard way. Yes.
• 40:54
  Where a car is not really an asset. A house is not really an asset. It's, feels more of an asset when you're leveraging it, like- Love it... with Home Exchange. Yes.
• 41:03
  Which I know is not for everybody, and yes, I, like, changed the sheets and stuff. [laughs] No, I love this idea. Actually, we're participants at, participants in one called Kindred. Oh, yes, yes, yes.
• 41:13
  Very similar, right? Kindred people were coming up- Okay... right when AltCasa. Yeah. And I was like, "Oh, that's very smart." Yeah. It's very similar.
• 41:20
  Um, so it took us a really long time to get accepted into it, I think because we were like- Oh... it, it might've taken, like, a year, but, um, we got in. I haven't exchanged my house yet.
• 41:29
  It just hasn't been, like, a perfect match, but I feel very similarly. Other than, like, the thousand stuffed animals in my house- Oh, no...
• 41:35
  [laughs] which maybe some kids wanna come and cuddle, um, my kids think that those are their assets. But I would be down to do the same thing because you're right. The bank owns my house- Mm-hmm... until I own it.
• 41:48
  Um, the bank owns my car until I own it. But if you could leverage it, that is where acquiring assets really becomes something- Yes... that can pay for your life or experience or all of these things.
• 41:58
  And recently I was having a conversation about, like, Gen Z and millennials and how we s- are sort of thinking about things so differently. I mean, I grew up with Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous on TV. Yeah.
• 42:09
  And then the Kardashians came next, and then it was...
• 42:11
  Then I found myself wanting the mega mansion and, like, really resenting my house, and then I realized if I just, like, got out of my house and traveled and got out into the world, which I've done a lot of lately, um, that that little house, this tiny little thing- Mm...
• 42:27
  that we're probably grown out of is actually a comfortable, stable piece of real estate that I can have forever while I also go explore the world, and I don't need the mega mansion because I'm just house poor. Yeah.
• 42:39
  Then I'm like, then the experience that I bought is, like, me sitting in my room, not being able to, like, hear my kids, you know, a mile away in the other room. The mega mansion thing, it stopped being valuable to me.
• 42:49
  Mm-hmm. And I just realized this is actually not something that I want. It looks really good, and my eyes, like, pop out of my head, and I think, "Oh, this is so great."
• 42:57
  But then, like, it comes down to it, and I'm like, I actually would rather leave the country for two months and go live abroad with my kids and explore museums that I've never been to and walk streets I haven't and be a little uncomfortable than, like, be stuck in my house paying for a mortgage that is taking everything from me, where, like, there's a kid in one room playing Legos.
• 43:16
  There's a kid in another room. There- My husband's outside in the backyard. Like, where I don't know where anyone is, and nothing's happening.
• 43:22
  Like, the reverse has happened in recent years, and, like, had I had the opportunity, I probably would've bought the mega mansion, but I'm glad I couldn't- [laughs] Yeah...
• 43:30
  because it kept me in my, in my very- It's a little prison... humble abode. Mm-hmm. It can be like a little prison. Mm-hmm. It depends. Obviously, everything's relative on how much money and resources you have. Mm-hmm.
• 43:39
  But, like, I think even just doing that, um, exercise of what actually brings me joy. Is it having a 10,000 square foot house? Maybe if it is for you, then go for it. Like, I don't know, you live once. Mm-hmm.
• 43:53
  If you're like, "No, it isn't. It's new ex- new things, and the house is a new thing, but then it will be an old thing." Mm. "So instead I'll just get new things by traveling- Mm...
• 44:03
  'cause I like the feeling of novelty- Mm... or something." Like you- Yeah... it feels like you like kinda dug- Yes... asked like three more questions to get to the real why behind- Exactly...
• 44:13
  the wanting of the, the big house or whatever. Yeah. But I, I... That's the why five times theory, you know? That's a whole, it's a whole marketing play.
• 44:22
  Toyota used this in the '90s to like run their marketing, which is instead of just, you know, saying, "Oh, buy this car," why? "Oh, because it has good features." Okay, why?
• 44:32
  Like you have to get all the way down- Mm-hmm... to we've made life- The core... easy. There's a relief here. There's something you're seeking.
• 44:38
  So this ask why five times, I mean, you could stop and do that with any purchase you make, um, to really say, "What is the experience I want? Do I still need to make that purchase, or can I go take a walk?"
• 44:48
  [laughs] Like- Yeah... is there some other thing that gives me- Mm-hmm... that same experience I'm seeking? Yeah. The joy you're looking for. Do I really want this? Mm-hmm.
• 44:55
  Because a lot, there's a lot, you know, consume a lot of stuff. Mm-hmm. And I, I'm, do it all the time. I agree.
• 45:00
  Another thing that's so funny that my husband said to me that now makes me rethink everything about money and all that is like we were in a fancy neighborhood. I was probably doing the Zillow thing.
• 45:08
  It's a big, big mansion. And I go, "Oh my gosh." And I was kinda being like, like sassy negative. And I go, "Ugh, I wouldn't even wanna clean that place." Like, that place is so insane.
• 45:18
  And my husband goes, "Do you think they're cleaning their house?" [laughs] No. [laughs] No. I was like, "Duh." Yeah. And then it made me rethink, like I am also thinking so small. Mm.
• 45:29
  Even when I'm looking at something big, I'm still thinking like a poor mindset- Mm... or like a middle class mindset. Mm-hmm. And so whenever I want to say like, "I can't afford that"- Mm...
• 45:40
  or, "I can afford to travel or this"- Mm... I try to reframe it and go, "I just need to make more money." Mm. Mm-hmm. I, I'm trying really hard not to tell, to tell [laughs] myself I can't afford something. Yeah.
• 45:53
  Instead being like, "You're smart." Mm-hmm. Ask, try to get more money from the universe. Yeah. I love that. Right. I think mindset is so important.
• 46:00
  And, um, I think, you know, in my family, I'd love to hear your perspective, too. In my family there was a lack mindset. Mm-hmm. I think it was survival. Um, my dad was international.
• 46:10
  He like moved here first generation from India. Um, you know, my mom's family was like only second generation, and she grew up poor with a single mom in the '60s. I mean, it was about survival.
• 46:24
  And so I grew up, and my dad did the thing, "Money doesn't grow on trees," and- Mm... "Oh, do you think I could go in the backyard and shake for money?" And I was like, "Well, money's made of paper."
• 46:32
  Like I would just- Mm-hmm... I would just try to sort of be sassy against him. But I, I had to try really hard to have an abundant mindset. Um, and I think part of that was I changed who I was hanging around. Mm-hmm.
• 46:45
  That helped me because I just started to have this inner confidence that it would come. Mm-hmm. The money would come.
• 46:51
  I remember being young, um, I was in the living room, there's a bunch of people around, and I'm like, "If you do what you love, the money will come." And they all laughed at me. Oh. "Oh, you're in for-" Poor people.
• 47:01
  Mm-hmm. They're r- or they're not there yet. I don't know. "You're in for a rude awakening, girl." Yeah, just wait.
• 47:05
  And I was like, I'm gonna prove you guys wrong, because it's not about, oh, I wish that I had that, or oh gosh, if I had just... and then I could be. Like mindset is real. Mm-hmm. The law of attraction is real. Mm-hmm.
• 47:15
  Manifesting is real.
• 47:16
  And I think, you know, all the research and every, you know, every religion has its own way of like whether it's praying or manifesting or meditating on an idea, it's bring and attract to you what you're interested in.
• 47:28
  And even if you looked at it scientifically, which is to say put all of your attention in this direction- Mm-hmm...
• 47:34
  I'm thinking about making more money, I'm thinking about affording both the $10,000 house and places in all over the world and traveling. Mm-hmm.
• 47:43
  You're going to open your mind up for ideas that lead you in that direction. Mm-hmm. And anything that does not fit that script has to just be trashed immediately- Mm-hmm...
• 47:52
  because your, your brain doesn't know the difference between like the positive and negative. So you don't have, and you just think, "Oh, I don't have, I don't have.
• 47:59
  Oh, I want, I want," it's different than the confidence, uh- Yeah... of I am successful. I have money. Money is good. I think there's a lot of shame around money, especially- Yes... there was in my family. Yes.
• 48:10
  There was secrecy. Yes. You know, it was that money under the mattress type mentality. Um, and it was such a relief to like get some distance from that mentality.
• 48:20
  Um, and especially like getting married and my husband having a totally different mentality. He talked to his family about money. Like him and his dad were like very much, you know, talking about money.
• 48:29
  His, when I started dating him, his dad's like, "Oh, I'm gonna give you money. Just pay me back." I was like, "Wait, what? Like you guys do that? Like that's crazy."
• 48:35
  Um, and I think like the partnership that we have has really helped me settle down about feeling like guilt or shame over money. What was it like growing up in your household? Was money like evident?
• 48:47
  It seems like the mindset was different and you had to change it. Mm-hmm. What can you tell me about that?
• 48:51
  Oh my gosh, I just have to say, I love that you had the audacity to tell people that you were gonna be successful. Mm. Mm-hmm. 'Cause I feel like that's like 99% of it, right? Mm. Mm-hmm.
• 49:00
  Is like a entrepreneur is someone who has the audacity to think that they can like figure it out. Yeah. Not that they know how to do it. Yeah. That they will figure it out. Yeah.
• 49:08
  You're like, "I don't know how it's gonna happen. I just know- Yeah... I can learn things." Yeah. I mean- So like, or I know people or whatever the resource you need is. I, I'm Duluu.
• 49:16
  [laughs] But that's like how when you, when you see some of these people who are like failing up or wanna be managers before they have the skills, and it's just they have the audacity- Yes... and you don't. Yes.
• 49:27
  And that's insane, but like that's like, I think, such a big part. But yeah, in my house, um, we were very middle class. My mom's a teacher, my dad worked in a casino.
• 49:37
  And I knew how much certain big purchases cost, but i- well, I was very aware of money. It was like, um, if you're, if you're gon- I just bought you a pair of shoes.
• 49:49
  You can't have another pair of shoes unless you get rid of a pair. There was always like these rules to everything. Mm-hmm.
• 49:55
  I wanted to buy myself a car, but my parents wanted to control my decisions, so they said, "We'll give you half the money, but then we get to, a s- vote in the car." Like, I kind of learned both good and bad lessons.
• 50:07
  Like, a good lesson I learned was, um, that my parents invested in certain things, like living in good school districts.
• 50:15
  Like, they did make smart choices with their money in some ways, and I was like, "Oh, that was good." Like, you could kinda watch. That was good, that was good, that was good.
• 50:23
  Um, but they talked to us about money in some ways, but I had, I learned the lessons all the hard way. I got over, the overdraft, debit, credit card situation. Oh, yeah. It got crazy. I had to take out loans. Yeah.
• 50:38
  I, like, did all of the things that, like, are really rough. Um, when I, one of the... My parents also made it very clear that their money was not my money. Like, I never felt entitled to their money. Mm.
• 50:51
  Which I feel like kids and adults nowadays feel very entitled. Mm. So, like, I think that also helps when you're an entrepreneur is, like, no one's ever just handed you all the things. Right.
• 51:02
  And if they had, they had stipulations. Oh, yeah. And then you learn, if I take someone else's money, I have to play by their rules, and am I okay with those rules? Yeah.
• 51:10
  Because my parents did do that, in not like a shady way- Mm-hmm... but, like, in a, I wanted a '69 Ford Bronco, and they're... That's not a r- realistic car in some ways- [laughs]...
• 51:20
  for a 16-year-old who doesn't know how to fix a car, and he, or wants, like, anti-lock brakes and, like- [laughs]... y- to be safe.
• 51:26
  So my parents, instead of saying, "You can't get it," they said, "We'll give you some money, but we get a vote, and you have to have, like, airbags- Ah... and air conditioning, and..."
• 51:35
  [laughs] So, like, and then I agreed. "Okay, fine." You know? Mm-hmm. Like, I get the d- the deal we're making. But, um, yeah, it was, it's been a lot of hard-knock learning. Uh-huh.
• 51:46
  When I turned 16, my parents said, "We c- we'll give you a couple thousand dollars, but we're not gonna buy you a car," and then they bought themselves a, like, $65,000 car- Oh... on my birthday. Oh.
• 51:58
  [laughs] And so, like- Oh... I learned really fast that that's their money. Yeah. They earned it. It's their money. Mm. It's their life. They don't owe me a car. Right. Right? Yeah.
• 52:11
  And so, like, it sounds sort of insane, and my feelings were hurt. Mm. As a 16-year-old, I did not have the emotional intelligence. I was just like, "Couldn't you have bought a less expensive car- [laughs]...
• 52:21
  and let me buy, like, a [laughs] $10,000, and buy me a $10,000 car?" But, um, I think that ended up being, like, a really good lesson- Mm-hmm...
• 52:30
  is, like, it's their money, and they can do whatever they want with it, and it's none of my business. Mm-hmm. But then you, you also use that for your kids too.
• 52:38
  If they raise money, you let them do what they want with it, right? I do. Yeah. I do, as long as it's not illegal. [laughs] Right. Like, I have a couple rules, but yeah, yeah.
• 52:45
  They, they know I give my kids very little money just to spend because they're just like my kids.
• 52:52
  They have to earn a lot of things, and they know, like, the different jobs they can do around the house to earn it or come at the s- to come to the store, or they can get good grades. Mm.
• 53:00
  Like, it's, you know, something relevant to a kid. Yeah. But I'll see parents who go out and, like... This, there's, like, this very specific story in my mind.
• 53:10
  I was hanging out with a friend, and her daughter was with her, and her daughter was, like, five or six, which is very tiny to me. Mm-hmm. And she pulls out Chanel lip gloss for herself- Oh...
• 53:22
  and puts it on, like the mom, and I'm like, "Makes sense 'cause you're an adult, and that's your money, and you can do whatever you want."
• 53:27
  And then the little girl had a bag, and I realize it's, like, a nice, it's, like, a designer kid bag. Oh. Like, kid-sized- Mm-hmm...
• 53:35
  designer bag, and then she pulls out a Chanel lip gloss, and then she does it, and the mom was like, "Isn't this so funny?" [laughs] She, like, has her own Chanel, and she, like, says, "Chanel."
• 53:45
  And I'm like, "It's adorable, but I think your kid thinks your money- Mm... is their money." Mm. And my kid- you know, your kids probably try to pull it too. Like, "Oh, you wear Lululemon. I wanna wear Lululemon." Mm.
• 53:57
  And I go, "No, you, you can get the Target brand." Mm-hmm. Mm. Like, there's, like, a, like, I don't know. I learned that from my parents, and I think that's fine to, like, have boundaries- Mm... for kids- Yeah...
• 54:08
  to earn, and that satisfaction you get when you earn something. Yeah. Like, I bought my own car. Mm. And my parents paid for, like, such a small portion of it- Yeah...
• 54:18
  that the portion I paid for was so substantial that when I paid it off, I felt a sense of pride. Yeah, yeah. And if my parents had given me that same car, I don't, I wouldn't know that I could buy my own car. Yeah.
• 54:32
  I think it does push you, right? And I think, you know, I, I think all our parents did the best they could. They were trying to figure it out, and I think- Yeah... you know, I had, you know, because my dad was so...
• 54:43
  He would say the phrase, "Hold, hold tight. Hold tight to your money." Mm. Um, and I'm like, "Dad, you gave me 20 bucks for the week to get food." [laughs] Yeah. Like, I'm in high school. Same.
• 54:52
  Like, 20 bucks is, like- And I didn't use it 'cause I wanted a CD. Oh, yeah. [laughs] I'd be like, "I'm just gonna starve." [laughs] Yeah. Uh, yeah, when NSYNC's CD came out, the 20 bucks went to NSYNC's new drop.
• 55:02
  Um- Yep... but I would, but I would save it too, and I'm like, "All right, me and my friends are going to Chili's on Friday." Like, I only had one- Yeah... chance to use that. You knew. I knew.
• 55:10
  I'm like, "I'm gonna use it." You knew you couldn't just keep asking or begging. Like, no, definitely not. It was like a get, get creative then. Get creative, yeah. This is what you get.
• 55:17
  I mean, they also got me a 1984 Buick Skylark that at one point- Ooh, wow. No, it was- Classic... at one point was blue. By the time I got it, it was gray. We called it the Blue Bomber. Uh, it was so sad.
• 55:31
  I wound up getting in an accident in it, and, like, the front bumper was, like, falling off. Mm-hmm. But I still had to drive it. Oh, gosh.
• 55:37
  Uh, and the battery would die constantly, and so it would be, like, sitting in the high school parking lot by itself just dead.
• 55:44
  I remember one time a friend asked me for a ride home, and so we, like, walk out to my car, and she goes, "This is your car?" And I was like, "Yeah, this is my car." She's like, "We make fun of this car."
• 55:54
  [gasps] I'm like, "Girl, thank you." [laughs] I mean- You're like, "Yep"... it gets me around. You're like, "Me too." Oh, damn, it gets me every- So I was very humbled by the experience.
• 56:02
  Like, I could get around, and I got used to being like, "I got it, whatever. I have a car. It sucks. It's ugly. It's, like, bare. It's such clunky."
• 56:13
  It looks like it was crying 'cause [laughs] the front bumper was falling off. Sad. It was sad situation. Um, but it also, like, it did build some resilience and did build humility.
• 56:23
  And, you know, when I did wind up buying my first car, which was way later, um, I think I was... I was definitely in my 30s by the time I bought my first car.
• 56:32
  And it was, like, driving it off the lot was, like, such this sense of accomplishment. Like, holy crap. Like, "I finally, like- Yeah... did this. This is mine."
• 56:39
  So I think, you know, there has to be, like, some sort of balance that we give our kids- Right... which is like you have to understand what it is to earn money. Um, I'm trying not to just teach them time is money- Yes...
• 56:50
  because I think there are so many other ways- Same... to make money. It's not just time is money, but that's why we're playing with this lemonade idea.
• 56:57
  And do I start this as a business for them, like, a legit business so that they can understand what it is? And then when they get the money, you can do what you want. So- Yeah...
• 57:04
  we're definitely, like, working on some of that now. But it's, it's hard to, to have them understand, especially if you have a lot, and you wanna give, and you wanna do different than your parents.
• 57:12
  I think it's hard to put some guardrails around our kids to say, "We need to teach you to understand, like, what it is to earn, what it is to- Yeah... actually have your own money, what you can buy."
• 57:22
  Uh, we were doing this thing on vacation. Um, I mean, my daughter is, was five when we went on vacation. She's now six. And we were going into stores, and, like, I'll go into stores. I don't buy things now. Mm-hmm.
• 57:33
  Like, I'll just, like, look around and just kind of... I kinda ask myself, "What do I really want," you know? Mm-hmm. "Do I want something?"
• 57:39
  So we're walking around stores, and she's asking for something in every store and getting so upset. She's, like, having a tantrum when I'm, like- Mm-hmm...
• 57:45
  trying to tell her, "Hey, like, we can like the things here without purchasing everything. We don't have to take it home. You can like... You can hug the stuffy and put it back- Yeah...
• 57:53
  and, like, you don't have to bring it home." Um, so then eventually, like, towards the end of our trip, I was like, "All right. I'm gonna give you a budget, and that's the budget you'll have to spend for the day.
• 58:02
  And if you don't spend it today, you'll have it tomorrow, and we'll add budget tomorrow," so that they could start to understand. And so the first day she's- now she's, like, price conscious, like, for the first time.
• 58:12
  Yeah. "Oh, I don't have enough money for that. I don't have enough money for that." And, like, walking around a store, a woman is like, "Ah, teach them young. Exactly," you know?
• 58:19
  And I'm like, "There, there is a point where, like, the money you have can only buy you some certain things, so let's, like, just- Yeah...
• 58:25
  create this reality where this is the money you have, and you can have something with it." Now my son on the other hand, he's like, "I'm not spending today, 'cause I want more tomorrow." Um- Mm-hmm...
• 58:35
  and she finally got there, where it was by the end of the trip we walked in, she's like, "Mm, I don't really want anything here." I'm like, "Hallelujah." Like, you get it. Yeah.
• 58:42
  Like, something clicked where it was like, "I can't have anything, so I want everything. Now I can have something within limits. Now- And you have discretion. I'm learning discretion... discretion." Yeah.
• 58:51
  I think the wh- the big thing too is raising kids that are anti-fragile. Mm. 'Cause, like, I've had friends who are amazing people.
• 59:00
  I love them, but they've- everything's been handed to them and, like, nice things have always been handed to them.
• 59:07
  And so it kinda keeps them in this, like, bubble of not wanting to be embarrassed by driving something ugly. Mm-hmm.
• 59:13
  If you can drive something ugly and everyone makes fun of it, I'm sure you can get up in front of a stage and present an actual great idea- And I can... without freaking out.
• 59:20
  [laughs] Like, there's all these things that come from, "Well, I did that." Mm-hmm. Like, this isn't scary to me.
• 59:26
  So I feel like a lot of that is, like, anti-fragility, and the last thing you want is a kid that's been so cocooned and feels so, so safe in a way that prevents them from taking risks that are growth- Mm. Definitely...
• 59:39
  that they don't. And, like, financial, and I let my kids lose money, make bad money decisions, because they'll- they're gonna learn all the decisions we learned on a big scale when they're, like, tiny. Exactly.
• 59:51
  Hopefully. Yes, yes. They don't, hopefully they don't have to overdraft to understand what it's like to owe someone- Right... money, because I make it slightly miserable when they owe me money. Yeah.
• 1:00:00
  [laughs] But I think it'd be- So they don't let... They could see, like, imagine if I was a bank- Mm... and I could repossess every toy in your room. [laughs] Right. You know? Like- Well, that's a good strategy.
• 1:00:08
  [laughs] Like, repossess some of their bedroom toys. I don't hate that actually. Just get a trash bag. Oh, yeah. I mean, we definitely get the trash bags. Oh.
• 1:00:16
  But [laughs] that is, I, I love that idea, because I think it's, you know, it's, like- Yeah... let them make these mistakes on the small scale. Yeah.
• 1:00:24
  Because yeah, I mean, as, I think especially our generation, we, we were signing up for credit cards on college campus. Oh, my gosh. [laughs] My first one- Like, I get a free tote bag or something... Oh, totally.
• 1:00:34
  I don't even know if I got anything free. I don't know. Ugh. Maybe it was a snack. Who knows? Like, could've been. Um- No one explained what overdraft- No... meant- No, I had no idea...
• 1:00:43
  to me at all, until I was so far into it that I couldn't dig myself out of the hole of it. Mm-hmm. I learned all of those things.
• 1:00:50
  Like, if I could go, if I could go back in time, I would have bought my house with a different perspective.
• 1:00:55
  I would have b- everything I would have done differently knowing what a real asset is or how to spend money or not to spend money. Mm. Mm-hmm.
• 1:01:02
  But, like- And, like, what are some of those things you would have taught yourself? Like, what do you know now that you wish you knew then? Oh my gosh.
• 1:01:08
  When I had no kids and no real responsibilities, I would have started a thousand businesses- [laughs]... because you have, you could, like, live with your parents- Yeah... and just, like, go ham- Try. [laughs]...
• 1:01:19
  all day, and, like, no one can, like, kick you out of your hou- Like, when we fail, like, on a big scale, it affects our entire family. Like, I am the breadwinner in my family.
• 1:01:29
  If I fail, it's like we all feel the, you know, the pain of that. So I would have done more of that. I went to school in Reno. Should have probably never gone to college- Mm...
• 1:01:39
  because I just wanted to build stuff, and I was like, "Why aren't we just building stuff here?" So why are we just studying for tests? Right. [laughs] Like, who cares? I hate tests.
• 1:01:47
  Like, so we live so close to Silicon Valley. I, it never occurred to me. Mm-hmm. It wasn't a big... It wasn't like it is now. Mm-hmm.
• 1:01:57
  But, like, we could have driven over there, and you and I could have just started building stuff instead of living in a haunted house. Okay. [laughs]We could have lived in a nice house- [laughs]...
• 1:02:06
  and built stuff with a bunch of people, and it would've been... We- maybe we'd be billionaires. Okay. [laughs] Like, it was, like, things like that I just didn't in the moment realize I had, like, choices.
• 1:02:16
  My first house I bought, I had a roommate, but I would've bought, like, a, like, a fourplex. Yeah. I would've bought something that just exclusively was roommates, and once again, I just had the cheapest whatever room.
• 1:02:29
  Yeah. And just thought of it as an asset, and then it becomes an asset. Mm-hmm. And it wasn't for me, you know? Yeah. So I... It was like this...
• 1:02:37
  There's so many things when you're young that you can do, that as soon as you have, like, kids and you're married, you're like, "Um, I don't wanna live with a bunch of strangers in my house with children." Right. Right.
• 1:02:47
  [laughs] Which becomes a very different conversation. Yes, definitely. Yeah. So. I, I feel that, because I think... You know, when I got to school, I didn't know what a vegan was. Mm-hmm.
• 1:02:58
  Like, I learned when I got to college. That's 18 years old. Yeah. That took a long time. There... I didn't even know what options were available to me. No.
• 1:03:05
  There were so many things, just like you're saying, that I had no idea. When people said they were, you know, going for computer science, I was like, "I don't know what that means." I had no idea. No.
• 1:03:13
  You know, and I went for communications. I never met... I wanted to be a scientist growing up. Mm-hmm. But be- in Vegas, I never met one. Oh, yeah.
• 1:03:20
  And so I started to think that when I said I wanna be a s- I wanna be a genetic engineer, and I just kept... Whenever I said it, I thought, "Do people think that's... It's, like, a fake thing that I think is real?"
• 1:03:29
  And I started feeling like... 'Cause I was, like, obsessed with Jurassic Park, and I was obsessed- [laughs]... with genetics, and I just... I didn't wanna make dinosaurs, but I just thought- [laughs]...
• 1:03:36
  all the answers were in, like, this blueprint in each- Okay... of our bodies, and, you know, the genetic code is, like, the answer to everything. And I just started feeling stupid saying- Mm...
• 1:03:46
  'cause I never met anyone, I never saw anything. We didn't have Google. Yeah, yeah. Couldn't watch YouTube. Right. Yeah. I just thought, "People probably think I'm an idiot. I think this is, like, a job." Yeah. They...
• 1:03:56
  I mean, we had no idea. I... Now, it's, like, so great that we have the access to information we have, that we have AI. Yes. We can upskill so quickly. Democratized- Ugh... everything.
• 1:04:04
  It's tr- my hope for the world is that it becomes more of a meritocracy, and I think the more tools we have... Like, I have the same version of Claude that, like, Elon Musk has. Mm-hmm.
• 1:04:16
  I have the same cellphone that, like, Bill Gates has. Yeah. We have the same access to some of these tools. I know they have different resources, but our tools are very similar, and so it l- really, like, level sets
• 1:04:30
  some advantages- Yeah... not all the advantages, because having all the resources, you win. Right. If you're s- if you, if you use them correctly, which they always don't, but- Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
• 1:04:41
  No, I think it's fascinating, though, because it's so true. It's like, what I didn't know then- Mm-hmm... you know, I...
• 1:04:48
  If I knew the world was, like, so much more open, I'd probably still wind up doing very similar things. But, um, but now, now I can move so much faster. Now I want to learn more, I want to upskill. Yeah.
• 1:04:58
  I am, like, such a... I am such an AI user. I have an AI personal assistant that is amazing. Mm-hmm. Um, I'm using Claude Code. I'm watching it do things on my computer. I'm... You know, I go to ChatGPT for ideas.
• 1:05:12
  I talk at my phone and have it transcribe things. I mean, that was something I wished when I was younger would exist. Mm-hmm. I can now talk at something, and it types it. Like, this is- Yeah.
• 1:05:21
  I mean, the technology we have is so amazing that I think the access for us to be able to do something that makes money is right in front of us, and there are so many avenues. Mm-hmm.
• 1:05:31
  And it doesn't take that much work of us to follow our passion, to say, "I'm gonna go make this a living, a really nice, comfortable, awesome living that gives me an experience that I want," versus the old script, which is you have the 9:00 to 5:00 job, and you have the, the comfy retirement.
• 1:05:47
  Like, none of that is real. It just- Mm-hmm... is not real. It's not real for 2026. It hasn't been real for a long time. Um, we can stand up businesses. We can pay our kids. We can give them custodial Roth IRAs.
• 1:05:59
  We could set them up for the future. You know- Right... we could put them in the store or put them in our marketing- Mm-hmm...
• 1:06:03
  and next thing you know, by the time they are old enough to cash that out, they are millionaires. Yes. And there's just so much more access that didn't exist.
• 1:06:10
  You know, I mean, like I was gonna say, I, I decided I would declare my major speech communications. Funny, wound up here.
• 1:06:18
  Um, but I declared that when I was still in high school, because when I was in high school- Oh, geez... I, I knew I just... I said I wanted- We're, like, the opposite. [laughs] I just knew I wanted to get paid to talk.
• 1:06:26
  Yeah. I was like, "I just, just wanna get paid to talk." But people would make fun of me when I got to college, too. There's a lot of people making fun of me in my history, which is fine. I can handle it.
• 1:06:35
  But they were like, "Oh, what do you wanna do with that? Play in the NBA?" [laughs] Because all of the athletes took communications- Oh... because it was the easy major. Oh.
• 1:06:44
  So they're like, "Oh, you're just taking this easy major, you know, to skate through." And I was like, "Well, like, what's a hard major? Like, mining?" Like, I, I didn't know what that was all about.
• 1:06:54
  So, you know, I think it's now... Well, now people look at communications, and they're like, "Oh, I need a PhD in that." Like, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Talk to me now.
• 1:07:01
  Um, but y- I think, you know, it, it's not going anywhere, but it's just interesting that I was so limited then, and sort of come full circle as, like, something that's so important these days.
• 1:07:11
  Um, you know, they used to say people have such a fear of public speaking. Mm-hmm. Um, it's actually the number one fear, and second only is death.
• 1:07:19
  Like, people are more afraid to get up and public speak than they are of dying. World. You know, and I was like, "Well, there could be money in this." Um, [laughs] You're like, "Oh, good."
• 1:07:28
  If I can do this, then- Not a lot of competition then for you... I, I don't mind a stage. People are like, "Please do." So, yeah. If you could go back in time to when you were, like, 25, 26-ish- Mm...
• 1:07:39
  and you could financially make different decisions- Mm... do you have, like, a list of, like, all the things? That's great. Like, I bought a house when I was 26. Mm.
• 1:07:48
  But I wish I would've kept buying, like, a house every single year- Mm... or more than one house every single year. Mm. I just- That's a great question... I didn't let banks tell me no. I told myself no. Yeah.
• 1:07:58
  I thought, "How could I get another house? I already have a house." Yeah. "I don't think I'll qualify"- Ooh... without actually seeing if I could ever qualify. So, uh, it's a great question.
• 1:08:08
  At 25- I started my marketing agency Mm-hmm Uh, so I wasn't buying anything. I had no money. I had just moved back to Las Vegas from New York City after feeling like that wasn't, you know, that wasn't the place for me.
• 1:08:23
  I was working in government affairs. It did not feel aligned. I didn't know that word then- Mm... but I'm like, "This is not my future. This is not what I'm gonna do with the rest of my life."
• 1:08:31
  And I came back, and I was like, "I'm gonna start some sort of business. I don't know what, but I need to build something." Um, I just had this entrepreneurial bug.
• 1:08:37
  So at 25 I started my marketing company, and, um, at that point, it was still survival. It was every- Mm... dollar that came in was reinvested in the business.
• 1:08:45
  Again, I didn't call it that, but I said, "I'll meet with you. I'll tell you how to, you know, build your website, or I'll give you some consulting time, $50 an hour." She gave me 50 bucks. I had the consultation.
• 1:08:58
  I went to FedEx. I made- That was more than most 25-year-olds make- 50 bucks?... per hour For the hour? Yeah. Yeah. It was the hour. Hell yeah.
• 1:09:06
  I took the $50 check I made, and I literally went to FedEx and made myself business cards. I didn't even have a business name yet. I just put my name on it.
• 1:09:13
  I put social media, websites, marketing, PR, just things I thought I would do. Mm-hmm. And then slowly but surely, I was able to make enough money. "Oh, I have a client. Oh, I have an introduction."
• 1:09:23
  And I, all I s- did was spend my time working on getting this business started and networking. That was all I did. Mm-hmm. And then eventually I became known as, oh, that social media girl. Um, and it was just- Mm...
• 1:09:34
  really good timing. Um, I spent a lot of time in downtown Las Vegas at, like, the perfect time when things were booming, when we had the co-working space, when the coffee shop was, like, the heart of the business.
• 1:09:43
  I was in the, just the right place at the right time.
• 1:09:45
  And so if I was to go back, like, I can't say I would do much differently because that was a perfect thing for me to be doing, but it took me until I was, like, 35 before I bought a house, you know? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
• 1:09:54
  But I was scrappy. You know, there was no, there were no, no one helped me buy a house. No one gave me a down payment. No one gave me money. I mean, I think my parents, like, paid for
• 1:10:04
  all of the outlet covers in my house- Ooh... to be changed when I moved in. [laughs] I remember my parents got me, like, a bad nice vacuum. [laughs] I was like, "Hell yeah. Look at this adult vacuum."
• 1:10:13
  It was, like, a Dyson. I was like, "Wow." Yeah. I mean- It was nice... uh, you know, they did what they could, but they just couldn't do much. Yeah.
• 1:10:20
  Like, um, and so because of that, it was really climbing Mount Everest with my finances to go from nothing to something.
• 1:10:27
  And one of the best things that happened to me was when I moved back from New York, I had, like, TurboTaxed myself at one point from my job in New York City, and I, I just messed everything up 'cause I didn't know.
• 1:10:37
  I'm just, like, clicking, yeah, I should get all these deductions. And so the IRS was like, "Girl, you owe me money." Oh, no. And I was like, "What? I don't know what this means."
• 1:10:43
  So I met a financial advisor when I was 25, and I did every single thing she told me to do. [gasps] She is still my financial advisor today- [barks]... when I am 43, and she has helped me- Wow.
• 1:10:54
  She, she told me, "Go to the county and file a DBA for your business. You know, take that to the bank and open a business banking account." And I was like, "What do I do?
• 1:11:04
  Okay," and I listened to everything she had to say. How smart. You're 25- What?... and you got a financial advisor? I mean, I didn't know I, what I was doing. [laughs] I- it was just because my taxes are all messed up.
• 1:11:12
  I was like- [laughs]... yeah, but that's, but that- But it was serendipity... like, is not e- speaking of, like, failing- Yes... you, like, failed something.
• 1:11:20
  It wasn't the end of the world, and instead you got this financial advisor that, like, told you how to do things that you would- Yes... otherwise have continued to fail- Exactly... and fail and fail. Exactly.
• 1:11:29
  And that's very frustrating. Yeah, and I think, like, if anything, I would love to, like, give back- It kept you out of jail maybe... may- yes. The IRS was like, "Oh, you're gonna pay us back. Thanks." I'm like, "Ah."
• 1:11:38
  [laughs] I cried so much. I used to- Ah... every time I was in her office I would cry for, like, years.
• 1:11:42
  And then she was like, "We're gonna set you up a 401[k]," and I remember that f- first year we did the 401[k] I put, like, $2,000 in it, and that was probably all I put in for, like, the first three or four years.
• 1:11:51
  And I'm like- Yeah... now, like, all this time under tension, like, now that thing is, like, actually gonna be a retirement account for me one day. Yeah. Like, now it actually has grown.
• 1:11:58
  Like, it is crazy how time flies, but it was a, yeah, it was a failure that just put me in the right situation.
• 1:12:03
  I didn't know to go look for a financial advisor because before that I lost my cell phone because I couldn't pay it. Like, it was bad- Yeah... when I was just, like, I'm- Yeah... I was faking it till I made it. Yeah.
• 1:12:12
  You know, even that first 50 bucks, like, I didn't pay for my cell phone. I, like, paid for business cards. So the priority was I need to dig myself out as soon as possible. Mm-hmm.
• 1:12:20
  And because I had to learn all of that on my own, it's, like, part of the reason that this podcast exists because what I wanna do is, like, help others learn the lesson, especially now that we're in motherhood, to say we need to teach our kids better.
• 1:12:34
  Yes. We need to be better for the generational wealth. It is okay that we have partnerships. Like, my husband has helped so much to help me organize.
• 1:12:41
  The way he brought his thinking differently to the table, the way he helps with- Mm-hmm...
• 1:12:46
  h- what we're spending on and not spending on or, you know, even in our agency, he's, like, worked with me in the agency for so long.
• 1:12:53
  We'll, like, battle about pricing sometimes in the marketing agency, and he's like, "Oh, we gotta, you know, we gotta think about having this client for the long haul." I'm like, "Charge him more. Charge him more." Mm.
• 1:13:02
  And he's like, "No, no. Charge him less, and we'll have him longer." And, like, we're just such a good balance that way. Mm-hmm. I just can't even say. And, like, we were good dating.
• 1:13:09
  We're good in business together, and then we're good, like, raising a family together.
• 1:13:13
  I always say, like, if you could be in business with someone, maybe you could marry them, too, because [laughs] it's, like, definitely running- I agree... a business. I agree. Having a business partner is like marriage.
• 1:13:21
  Yeah. You have to be very careful. Do you and your husband run your household like a business in some ways now that you have all of this business experience? We have lots of processes. Ooh.
• 1:13:31
  Okay, so what's your favorite process? The process that saves our ass- [laughs]... most of the time is Google Calendar. Oh, yeah. Oh, yes. Oh, love me some Google.
• 1:13:39
  It's because, like, there's, we have three kids, and there's always, like, one kid's doing this and this and this. Can I go here? There's a birthday party. There's a sports thing. There's a film showing.
• 1:13:48
  So whoever, whoever sees it first just puts it in our calendar and invites the other person so you, we always know what's happening. There's never, like, a secret only one person knows.
• 1:14:00
  That's, like, such a dumpster fire. And so that, I, that's, like, so simple, but just being able to, everyone to see and f- it's everyone's responsibility. Yes. It's not, like, my responsibility. Good.
• 1:14:12
  There used to be a time where, like, I would just have 1,000 tabs open and have to remember everything in my mind. No. Oh, my gosh.
• 1:14:19
  And then once I started Republic Goods and I had a full-time job and a business, I had a hard, not a hard conversation, but I had a conversation with him where I said, "Listen- I used to do every kid's gift and birthday.
• 1:14:31
  I used to do all of their friends' birthday gifts. I used to do this and this and this. I can't do it anymore. I just can't. Like, I think the thing that, that made me have that conversation was I forgot something. Mm.
• 1:14:44
  And like we missed something, or like... And it felt, I just felt so bad that I was like, "I can't do it. I just can't do it. It's g- there's gonna be more of this coming." Mm-hmm. Right?
• 1:14:56
  And so that's what started that conversation, and that's how we do things. We use, like a Rocket Money or something app- Mm... so I can, we can all see all of the things, and like categorize things.
• 1:15:06
  It gives you a good sense of spending and what you're spending it on in categories. Um, open communication. There's been many a time where I, I'm, um, more into risk-taking than he is. Mm. We have that in common.
• 1:15:21
  So I'm like, "We should buy this thing," and he's like, "Uh..." And y- But he will think through all the things that go along with buying something, like the upkeep of the thing- Mm...
• 1:15:31
  the this of the thing, how much extra work is the thing. And I'm just like, "It'll be fun." [laughs] So, [laughs] or I'll be like, "I can think of all the ways in which I can sell this thing." Yeah.
• 1:15:42
  And he's just like, "Do we want another job selling the thing?" [laughs] And I'm like, "No." [laughs] It just sounded like really fun for a minute 'cause I got sucked into it.
• 1:15:51
  So, um, yeah, we run some things like a business, but we don't do... If we were, if I was like to kick it up a notch- Mm-hmm... what I do in my business is I pay someone to do like a P&L- Yes...
• 1:16:02
  for me every single month- Yes... because I don't wanna do it, but I want to look at it and I want to analyze it, and I love forecasting. So I do forecasting and all of that.
• 1:16:10
  I don't do that for us, and I feel like if you wanted to be a real CFO of your house, even if you pay someone else to do your bookkeeping for you, every month you would review it and see like the basic categories of how you're spending, and then be intentional about how you want.
• 1:16:29
  There's how you spend it and how you want to spend it. Yeah. And I feel like we're n- I'm not always great at that. I'm very aware of it. Even like besides money, it's also time. Yeah. I'm like, "I wanna travel more.
• 1:16:41
  I wanna whatever," and then you're like, "We're like almost halfway through this year." Right. So how's that going? Yeah. Did we plan that? You got the seed in your pants. [laughs] Not great. Like, [laughs] you know? So-
• 1:16:51
  Yeah... there's like a, I think there's definitely some stuff we do well. Um, my husband was a stay-at-home dad through like our 20s. Mm-hmm. Uh, well, 30s.
• 1:17:03
  I had my first child when I was 29, and he was a stay-at-home dad through almost most of our 30s. And one of my favorite CFOs we ever had at Zappos, her name's Anne Millman, and now she's the CEO of Crocs. Mm.
• 1:17:17
  But she told me the best advice she ever got from her, her male mentor was if she wanted to be the CFO of a big company or the CEO of a bigger company, that she should go get herself a wife. Oh, yeah. [laughs] And
• 1:17:31
  if you ignore the like slight sexist aspect of that- Right... the general gist of it is 100% accurate.
• 1:17:38
  You, if you're gonna have kids and you wanna perform at the top of your game, and you wanna build something which is a lot of work, or you wanna work at the top of a corporate structure, which is a lot of work, then you need a system.
• 1:17:52
  It doesn't have to be your husband has to be a stay-at-home dad. Mm-hmm. But you need family or support or money for nannies or help, otherwise, like you just gonna, you're gonna burn out. Yeah.
• 1:18:02
  There's absolutely no way. So Anne and her husband had a conversation, and he said he would be a stay-at-home dad, and you have to have a partner that wants to be a stay-at-home. Yeah.
• 1:18:12
  That is not something you can like force on, in my opinion, force on someone, because then they will resent you- Yeah... for that time they can never get back. Yeah. And so my husband wanted to do that.
• 1:18:23
  It's- And so he did that... so beautiful. Mm-hmm. I think we're not talking about it enough, but why is it only up to the wife, the mom, to do pickups at 2:30- Oh... every day?
• 1:18:34
  Don't get me started on the entire- [laughs]... school system is built to inconvenience women. Oh, gosh. It is such an inconvenience.
• 1:18:41
  But what's interesting, I think, is that that's the thing that takes women out of the workforce. Yes. And then, and then- Yes... you have to make the decision, "Do I do it?" In jobs they don't care about. Yes.
• 1:18:51
  Do I do it? Do I take women out of the workforce so they can do school pickups, or do we have a nanny? Or, you know, is it outsourced in some way, or is the husband doing it?
• 1:19:01
  Now, fortunately, with our agency, we built it for lifestyle. Yeah. We built it- Sure... to have flexibility. Well, part of it, we didn't really have a choice, because we weren't getting an office, it, to start.
• 1:19:12
  We wanted to get an office later when it made sense, so we were hybrid and remote before it was cool- Yeah... because it was like, "We're not gonna do this and have all these additional costs."
• 1:19:20
  We really liked that lean startup methodology of you do something as lean as possible and spend as little as possible. But we also had adopted my husband's nephew, so there were school pickups when I was in my 20s. Yeah.
• 1:19:31
  And there was a lot of like sharing him with my in-laws. Like, "Okay, we'll be back and forth, you guys." And so we had to have flexibility from the get-go when we were just dating.
• 1:19:41
  Um, and then when we had our own kids, we were like, "Wait a minute, we need to just scale what we just did." And so today, to this day, my husband does 90% of school drop-offs and pickups.
• 1:19:53
  Partly because I went to kindergarten orientation for my son. They said, "You gotta come and park and walk and stand in line," and we release each kid one at a time.
• 1:20:01
  And I went home and I got under my covers and I cried because I'm like, "How will I do this every day?" And he's like, "Do you want me to handle it?" Like, "Yes, please." "Yes, sir. Please. Please handle this."
• 1:20:09
  Yes, please. "Please, like indefinitely." So he's so good at it. Um, and he has- Mm-hmm... made room for me to work with startups, work corporate, um, do other things, because he's been so flexible.
• 1:20:19
  And I think that it's such a luxury, I will admit, it is such a luxury to be able to have our own business and have the flexibility to work where we want, when we want- Yeah... to be able to pick up kids and stuff.
• 1:20:29
  But you're right, some of the things that I think are default mom mode is, is the- Kid pickups for one big thing, right? Or house chores.
• 1:20:38
  Like, which is why I would say instead of outsourcing the finances to your husband or someone else, instead of not- Mm-hmm... looking at it, instead of having our heads in the sand, outsource shit you don't like to do.
• 1:20:50
  Right. Like cleaning toilets. Clean. Ugh, cleaning. Ugh, like clean- I have not cleaned a toilet in, like, 20 years. I, I just am like, "I need to outsource these things I don't like to do." There was a moment- Mm-hmm...
• 1:20:59
  when, um, I left corporate. My kids were, like, two and five maybe, or sorry, two and four. Anyways, there was this moment where I was like, "Well, I'm not working for a little bit.
• 1:21:11
  I'll just do it," and I started doing things I didn't like. I don't like cooking. Same. I don't like cleaning. Same. I don't like doing all the running. I don't like going- Errands, I don't like it either...
• 1:21:20
  Errands, I don't do errands. I don't like errands. Don't like it either. I'd rather have something shipped to me. Yeah. I hate doing laundry. I got really- Oh, I hate doing laundry. Okay.
• 1:21:27
  I outsource all these things now. Same. I use the Uber of laundry. It's called Poplin. Oh. I literally put my laundry outside. They come pick it up. It's back the next day folded, everyone's bags. What?
• 1:21:36
  Here, kid number one, kid number two, husband, wife. That's it. I outsource all the things I don't wanna do. Yeah. And now guess what I take with all that extra time I have I spend on smart stuff.
• 1:21:47
  Your actual kids though. [laughs] You know? Smart stuff. You're like, it's quality time stuff. Yeah. Quality time with them. Making- Yourself... myself, making hefty decisions for them. Yes.
• 1:21:55
  Finances, learning financial skills, playing with AI. Like, upskilling myself because that time that it would typically take for me to do all of these little things that I don't like doing, it would make me miserable.
• 1:22:06
  It did make me miserable. I literally had a crash out. I was like, "I don't- Yeah... what am I doing?" I was- found myself in this situation that I didn't wanna be in. So instead of outsourcing the finances- Mm...
• 1:22:16
  the mental relief we will get if we refocus and say, "If I spent more time focused on my money and paid for these things- Yes... pay for those things- That's how I think about that stuff too... and refocus." Exactly.
• 1:22:26
  I do the same thing, and that is, like, a business way to think about your household, is like the ROI- Yes... of something. It's like, okay, if I was gonna clean the house alone- Mm-hmm... which, or with my husband.
• 1:22:37
  Let's say both of us are doing it because I don't know why a woman would clean the house alone if she's married. That's insane.
• 1:22:42
  So if you, you and your husband are cleaning the house and it takes you four hours to clean the house, between you, that's eight total hours. Yeah.
• 1:22:51
  Could you have spent that eight hours making enough money to cover someone else to clean the house?
• 1:22:56
  'Cause if you can just cover it and it's an investment in your future, even if it's not a direct, like, you know, it's...
• 1:23:02
  You're not making more than that if it's just a one-to-one, but you're doing something like learning a skill set- Yes... that's gonna lead to more money. Yeah.
• 1:23:10
  A- and I do that with my business, and it's the same in your house.
• 1:23:13
  I didn't really think about it, but I do the same thing where I'll go, "Okay, how much money do I need to make so that I could pay some- like, at what point can I pay- Yes... someone else to do a portion- Exactly...
• 1:23:24
  of this?" And I come up with that, like, fraction in my head. Like, once I'm- Yeah... I'm just gonna make up easy numbers, but once I'm making $100 an hour- Yeah...
• 1:23:31
  and let's say I have a business that's high logistics and I don't wanna do logistics. Yeah. Like, print out shipping labels and pack an order, I don't... That's just for an example. Yeah. Then you go, "Okay.
• 1:23:41
  Well, once I'm making 100 bucks an hour, I could pay someone 20 bucks an hour- Yes... to do that." Exactly. I'm still making $80 an hour- Yes... and I don't do the thing I hate doing, that it's, there's no value to add.
• 1:23:55
  Exactly. Exactly. This is how we have to reframe. This is how we have to shift. This is thinking like a business owner, not the intern. Yes. "Okay, I'll scrub the floors." Stop. No. Stop. None of us like doing it.
• 1:24:06
  Let's get to the point. Just 'cause you're home or just because you work from home or just because you have a side hustle or whatever it is- Yes... it, it is not our responsibility to pick up all of the extra pieces. No.
• 1:24:15
  That's what's heavy. If you're cheap, you will never be rich. Literally. If you are cheap, you will never be rich. Take your time and apply it in a way to make yourself rich. I love it. Okay. That's insane.
• 1:24:28
  I, I have had such an amazing conversation. [laughs] I'm like, we could do this all day.
• 1:24:32
  I want to just cl- let you close with just, like, one, you know, one additional, you know, money hack or piece of advice that you would give to moms.
• 1:24:43
  Um, you know, while they're, they're listening and they're thinking about, "I don't know what to do. I feel overwhelmed. Gas and groceries are just so expensive. Like, what do I do?"
• 1:24:50
  What is one tip, trick, piece of advice you would give? Oof. Um, I... Well, there's so many things. I'm trying to think of the most impactful thing.
• 1:25:03
  I think everyone here on Earth is here to learn something and is good at something. Like, you were sent down here with some skills that will le- help you get through it, whatever the through it thing is.
• 1:25:17
  And so if you can tap into what you enjoy doing and then just start thinking, "Would anyone else pay for me to do this for them?"
• 1:25:26
  Or if you're already doing it for, like, a corporation, then you could do it for anybody else.
• 1:25:32
  But I think the mindset of thinking about money in the right way, there's a book I just read called A Happy Pocketful of Money- Ooh... which is about thinking about it.
• 1:25:41
  The first chapter starts with quantum physics, but it's not difficult. But it's just how to think about money and the way your mindset works. Like, not saying, "I want money." Mm. Because that means you don't have it.
• 1:25:54
  Mm. And you're just reinforcing how you don't have it, and that's what... Your brain is like a dog with a bone, right? So whatever you say, it's just like, "I'm gonna find that.
• 1:26:02
  I'm gonna make it right for you, so I'm gonna make sure that you never receive money because you don't have it."
• 1:26:07
  So, like, there's a lot of, like, woo-woo stuff like that, but it really is getting the mindset and starting to gain the confidence that you can earn money.
• 1:26:14
  I think for me and anyone in my situation, if you have spent a lot of your life earning assets, I just recently learned about taking equity out of your house.
• 1:26:26
  And so a lot of people go, "Well, I don't have money to invest in myself," whatever that means. It could be going to school. It could be investing, buying Claude or whatever all the tools you think you need are. Mm-hmm.
• 1:26:38
  Um, it could be starting a business. Like, my business costs, like- It's 70,000-plus dollars to start, which I pulled out of a, like a f- stock I had. But you could pull money out of your house.
• 1:26:51
  A lot of us, the stock market... I mean, your house's, housing market has performed well. Mm-hmm. And just start asking questions. Don't tell yourself no.
• 1:27:00
  Let a business professional or financial advisor or a banker or a realtor or whoever the hell the actual expert is shut you down before you shut yourself down.
• 1:27:09
  I think I've lost a lot of money-making opportunities because I told myself no. Mm-hmm. Not an actual expert in the field. And so just thinking about places you have money, that, that you could,
• 1:27:22
  um, what's the right word, like leverage in any way. Leverage. What are assets you can leverage? Can you pull money out of your house? If you've always wanted to start a business and it costs $30,000,
• 1:27:33
  and you have $200,000 worth of equity in your house, are you okay with taking that as a type of loan? Mm-hmm. Yeah. So anyhow, I just like reassess all your assets and what can you...
• 1:27:45
  h- how can you use them to make you even more money than they're currently making you, is like the name of the game. Yes. But... It's so true.
• 1:27:52
  Those are the things I'm, like learning and thinking about right now all the time. Yes.
• 1:27:55
  There are so many tools for us to be able to find money, um, whether it's, yes, your stocks or just 401[k] or leveraging whole life insurance and drawing from that down the road or your house.
• 1:28:09
  I mean, if you have a house, you can, you, you could take out your home equity line of credit, you know. Mm-hmm. Then you can invest in something else. That is what you should do with that.
• 1:28:18
  You shouldn't just spend it on something. You should reinvest it so it can make more money for you. Um, so I totally agree. And then mindset is gonna be everything. I mean, I- Mm-hmm...
• 1:28:26
  there's definitely no way that I could have built wealth out of nothing had I not believed or been delusional [laughs] enough to think that I could. Yep.
• 1:28:33
  Um, in the same way I was delusional enough to think there's an intruder, let me, like beat him up [laughs] in my house. Yeah. How dare you? How dare I?
• 1:28:40
  [laughs] How dare you come into this house that's not yours, even though the door was unlocked. [laughs] Oops. Um, but I think that is part of it, too, is just be audacious enough, like- Yeah...
• 1:28:49
  to say, "I'm hiring someone to clean my toilets," and there's literally nothing else about it. I'm hiring someone to clean. Whenever I tell someone about my laundry service, they're like, "Wait, you don't do laundry?"
• 1:28:57
  I do not do laundry. I let someone else do it, and the woman who does it, she was actually like on the news locally. She makes seven grand a month doing people's laundry. Girl, get it. Someone else- Get it...
• 1:29:07
  if you like doing laundry- Please, please do it... do, you should do that for a living. You should do it. So, you know, I think that it's, it's very important.
• 1:29:14
  Have the mindset, um, and really stop budgeting your life away. You know, start building something- Yeah... that pays you back, right? The goal isn't to save money. It's really to build a life that money can support.
• 1:29:27
  Mm-hmm. So spend smart and acquire assets. So with that, I'm Ellie Ezra, and I will see you next time. Thank you, Noelle. Yeah, anytime. [laughs] It's a good time