Latest / Pretty In Pink Again / Episode 57: Female Founder Series: From Starting Over to Founder — Ashley Langer on Building Hot Tommies After 40

Transcript

Episode 57: Female Founder Series: From Starting Over to Founder — Ashley Langer on Building Hot Tommies After 40 · Pretty In Pink Again

• 0:00
  I'm Christina and I'm t and this is the Pretty and Pink again podcast where motherhood meets rediscovery.
• 0:16
  Today we are joined by somebody who I not only consider a friend, but truly has one of the sharpest entrepreneurial minds.
• 0:22
  I know Christina and I were working through a few business ideas recently, and I remember saying, let me just call Ashley.
• 0:28
  And she said, call me in 30 minutes.
• 0:30
  And then in a seven minute conversation, she helped us through things that honestly would've taken hours and probably multiple chat GPT sessions to figure out.
• 0:37
  Ashley Langer is the founder of Hot Tommy's and what she's really known for is something much bigger than just a product She's known for building community, real loyal magnetic community everywhere she goes.
• 0:47
  And today were talking about what it looks like to pivot and start something new after 40 to rediscover yourself through entrepreneurship, to build something people don't just wanna buy, but truly believe in.
• 0:57
  Welcome, Ashley.
• 0:58
  Your so, oh my God, I'm blushing.
• 1:00
  I know.
• 1:01
  Maybe even getting a little, it was so nuts.
• 1:03
  Solid intro made me to turn down the heat on that vest.
• 1:06
  Oh my God.
• 1:07
  I do feel well warm sometimes.
• 1:09
  I'm like, t can you just like write my intro and then intro me everywhere we go.
• 1:14
  That was like a pink carpet rolled right out that that's the plan.
• 1:17
  Actually, I do wanna, I do wanna interview you and intro you at some point.
• 1:22
  That would be really, so stay tuned for that.
• 1:24
  Welcome Ashley.
• 1:25
  Thank I'm so happy to have you here.
• 1:26
  Truly.
• 1:26
  Thank you for having me.
• 1:27
  We were talking a lot offline before we got the cameras rolling, so I don't wanna leave anything know.
• 1:33
  Sometimes we're like Okay, left behind start.
• 1:35
  Yeah.
• 1:35
  We had to pause.
• 1:36
  We had to just shut my trap.
• 1:38
  I wanna give a little background'cause sometimes I feel like we forget to make like intros of like Right.
• 1:43
  You know, how appropriate full intros.
• 1:44
  Yeah.
• 1:44
  Which I feel like is just always helpful for our listeners to hear like how we all know each other and how we got here.
• 1:50
  But if you guys heard hot Tommy's, you might remember that T has done that as her pink spotlight.
• 1:56
  Mm-hmm.
• 1:57
  Which is the heated vest that is so chic and functional and amazing.
• 2:01
  And now I have one and I'm obsessed and yeah.
• 2:03
  So that you guys wanna tell the story of how you guys kind of reconnected?
• 2:08
  Yes.
• 2:08
  Well, how we met really?
• 2:10
  Yeah.
• 2:10
  Yes.
• 2:11
  So I was away when skiing over New Year's break.
• 2:15
  Mm-hmm.
• 2:16
  With my girlfriend, Alana, who she's one of my best friends.
• 2:19
  And Alana's very shy.
• 2:20
  But you had met her at the club mm-hmm.
• 2:23
  Skiing already, right?
• 2:24
  Had you met her?
• 2:25
  I had met her.
• 2:25
  We were online for ice cream with our kids.
• 2:29
  Okay.
• 2:29
  And we started chatting on chatting online.
• 2:32
  Okay.
• 2:32
  And, or I'm sorry, online, like, not the internet, but on online.
• 2:36
  In the line.
• 2:37
  In the line.
• 2:38
  In the, in the line.
• 2:38
  In, in line.
• 2:39
  Excuse me.
• 2:39
  Yep.
• 2:39
  And then, um.
• 2:41
  I don't know.
• 2:42
  I don't even know how you and I started chatting.
• 2:44
  I don't know.
• 2:44
  I chat with literally everybody.
• 2:46
  No, it's that, it's'cause she just, she's chatty so she'll so just go up and she'll just start chatting with somebody and then all of a sudden you, well, I thought you were, you're like best friends with her.
• 2:54
  Well, you were talking to Alana and I had been telling Alana, I'm like, you need to make friends while you're here.
• 2:58
  You can't just be here and just be with your husband and your kids.
• 3:00
  Like as great as they are.
• 3:01
  Mm-hmm.
• 3:01
  Like, you gotta make some friends here.
• 3:03
  So I'm like, oh, you made a friend Because she's, she goes out and makes friends for everybody talking.
• 3:07
  See that?
• 3:08
  I see that.
• 3:09
  It's part of my community building was just taking, gonna say who's the community building builder now?
• 3:14
  Just kidding.
• 3:15
  So, and anyways, but then I accidentally took over the conversation and Alana was like, I thought she was supposed to be my friend.
• 3:21
  Now she's your friend that did also on brand.
• 3:25
  We grew up in Connecticut.
• 3:26
  Yes.
• 3:26
  Not far.
• 3:27
  We went to the same high school.
• 3:28
  It's true.
• 3:29
  Our listeners will know.
• 3:30
  I am a very proud Mercy girl.
• 3:32
  You I love that.
• 3:33
  I went to Mercy.
• 3:34
  I feel like Mercy is like such a big foundation of where some of this like love for other women in community building and just connecting comes from Absolutely.
• 3:42
  The fundraising part.
• 3:43
  All the things.
• 3:44
  Yep.
• 3:44
  So we just started talking and I went and I bought your vest right away.
• 3:49
  Yes.
• 3:50
  Loved it.
• 3:50
  And I went up to you in the club and I was like, thank you so much for your order.
• 3:55
  And you were like, oh my God, this really is mom and pop.
• 3:57
  You just got like, knew you.
• 3:59
  The owner, the founder got the order.
• 4:01
  Yeah.
• 4:01
  And I was like, no, I'm, yes.
• 4:05
  Every order counts.
• 4:06
  Yes.
• 4:06
  But I, I really appreciate that.
• 4:08
  So then we just connected from there and you invited me to a really great, launch for your leopard print and I was just so impressed by the people that you hand chose for that room that night and how much everybody in that room respected you is not only like a friend but a business owner and really just like somebody that everybody goes to and trusts.
• 4:25
  Thank you.
• 4:26
  Thank you for saying that you's true.
• 4:28
  The perfect addition to that table, by the way.
• 4:30
  Thank you.
• 4:31
  Yeah.
• 4:31
  Yeah.
• 4:31
  So we've been having a lot of fun together.
• 4:33
  I enjoyed when we went down to Fairfield a few weeks ago and did the Just for Success event.
• 4:39
  Mm-hmm.
• 4:39
  That was awesome.
• 4:39
  And I know you can speak to that a little bit later'cause I know your brand is very much involved with them.
• 4:45
  So anyways, and now here she is in the pit hot seat.
• 4:48
  I know, I know.
• 4:48
  And we're so excited we wanna hear, first of all, we hear from so many women who listen to us and just in general especially after you become a mom, you can go through like a little bit of an identity, I don't wanna say crisis what's the word I'm looking for?
• 5:04
  Shift.
• 5:04
  Shift.
• 5:04
  Ooh.
• 5:05
  I love that.
• 5:05
  A little identity shift.
• 5:07
  And sometimes when you're kind of coming back up for air after beginning years, right.
• 5:14
  That might leave you with somewhere where you maybe don't know where you wanna be.
• 5:17
  Right?
• 5:18
  Yeah.
• 5:18
  Like, and that could be like in terms of work or in terms of like how you wanna spend your time.
• 5:22
  And so this word of entrepreneurship always comes up.
• 5:26
  And I also feel like it comes up in a very glamorized way where you're like, Ooh, like maybe I can start something.
• 5:32
  Or like, how can I make money doing something that I like?
• 5:35
  And so I feel like between social media and.
• 5:39
  Maybe like working from home.
• 5:40
  There's like all of these ideas, it's over glamorized, right?
• 5:43
  It's over glamorized.
• 5:43
  But it's also is a real opportunity, right?
• 5:46
  Yes.
• 5:46
  And so we hear from people, we just kind of started this a year ago.
• 5:50
  We're approaching 40.
• 5:51
  It's like, how could I get some of that?
• 5:54
  Like how could I get that piece of the pie and like apply it to my life?
• 5:58
  And so we've been wanting to start a series where we talk to people who build something Yes.
• 6:03
  For themselves.
• 6:04
  And that's really exciting.
• 6:06
  We've had other people on and I feel like it just kind of gets the wheels spinning, right?
• 6:10
  Yeah.
• 6:11
  And we wanna hear your background and then we also wanna hear how you came up with this like amazing idea that is now this insanely successful brand and mm-hmm.
• 6:21
  Hopefully inspire some of our listeners into maybe if they're having ideas, you know?
• 6:26
  Yeah, that was really beautifully said.
• 6:28
  And I do think, you know, to kind of go back to your point is I think COVID was a really big pivotal.
• 6:33
  Mm-hmm.
• 6:34
  Point for females and female entrepreneurship specifically because it was this time where everyone was kind of like shut down at home.
• 6:42
  And I found that specifically women got to chase these little dreams, these little side hustles that they had because they had the time suddenly, right.
• 6:50
  Where women were juggling, you know, out of the home jobs also their family, their kids, their husband, the I call it family admin.
• 6:58
  Yeah.
• 6:58
  And then all of a sudden now they had these times to kind of like see these careers through and myself included.
• 7:03
  Right.
• 7:04
  So it was kind of just like this.
• 7:06
  Trifecta, I think of things that were happening at the time where so many people, and you know, so many Instagrams were taking off at that time.
• 7:12
  Yeah, for sure.
• 7:12
  It felt like this time where people were just sitting on the internet, there were so many Instagram lives, it was just you were watching people scale tremendously, and it did become so glamorized during that time.
• 7:25
  But which I thought was so beautiful.
• 7:26
  I think, you know, COVID killed so many businesses, but it also brought out so many businesses and it made things feel like obtainable all of a sudden.
• 7:35
  Right.
• 7:35
  Like all of a sudden I too, right.
• 7:37
  Can build something online.
• 7:38
  I can build this.
• 7:40
  And so that's really where my journey as an entrepreneur started was in COVID.
• 7:44
  Okay.
• 7:44
  Which was so crazy.
• 7:45
  And so take us back to that time.
• 7:47
  So you had, at the point you had two little girls.
• 7:49
  How old were they?
• 7:50
  So I had a two and a half year old and a baby.
• 7:56
  I gave birth January, 2020.
• 7:58
  The shutdown was March.
• 8:00
  Wow.
• 8:00
  Right after that.
• 8:00
  2020.
• 8:01
  Yep.
• 8:01
  Which was, I felt like a blessing for me just in motherhood because, you know, I don't know if you felt this way, you probably had my, your first was in COVID.
• 8:11
  Nope.
• 8:11
  My first was not even born yet, so I wasn't even, yeah.
• 8:15
  So I felt like with my first, I felt this, conflicting internal system where I was like, I wanna go out and be with all my friends, but I have this baby and I need to be home.
• 8:24
  And I was like trying to be this like cool mom who could like, take her kid places where when I had my second and then the world shut down, I kind of felt like I didn't have that I could just be at home.
• 8:33
  And my husband was home, which was like so cool, right?
• 8:36
  Because then I had help where with my first, I didn't, it was just me alone.
• 8:40
  Crying in a room.
• 8:41
  Yeah.
• 8:41
  And then with my second, I had my husband home and we kind of were like operating as this unit.
• 8:47
  So for me it was more positive.
• 8:49
  I know a lot of moms talk about isolation and things like that, and I think that's like really big, especially for first time moms.
• 8:54
  But for me, I was like, this is great.
• 8:57
  Like I don't have to go anywhere, pretend to be, I don't have to put on makeup.
• 8:59
  Yep, yep.
• 9:00
  You know, I nursed easily because I wasn't like trying to pack and go and feeling weird in public, like all those things.
• 9:06
  But also during that time I was like, I have a little bit extra time.
• 9:09
  And I was like, I need to use this for something for myself.
• 9:13
  What do I wanna do in this next phase of life?
• 9:15
  'cause I, so were you working or were you home?
• 9:18
  I was home.
• 9:18
  You were home?
• 9:19
  Okay.
• 9:19
  Yeah.
• 9:19
  I, I went back after my first or very brief amount of time, we decided that I would be a stay-at-home mom, even though we didn't really feel financially stable at that time to kind of do it.
• 9:29
  But we were like, I was kinda like, I would rather just be in a one room apartment than.
• 9:34
  Commuting and going in the city and leaving my kid for 10 hours a day.
• 9:38
  That's how I felt.
• 9:38
  I just wasn't there.
• 9:39
  I didn't love my profession enough to do that.
• 9:42
  So I was like, okay, we're gonna stay home.
• 9:43
  Fast forward.
• 9:44
  I have my second kid.
• 9:45
  I'm like, okay, now that I'm here, I'm in this bubble.
• 9:47
  What can I do for myself?
• 9:49
  Right.
• 9:49
  So I went to health coaching school.
• 9:51
  I put myself through online school and I loved it.
• 9:56
  Fast forward I got Pilates certified.
• 9:57
  I had this whole business idea in my head.
• 9:59
  And then we ended up moving to Connecticut.
• 10:01
  So even though I grew up in Connecticut, I lived in New York City for 14 years and we moved to, so now you are a city girl?
• 10:08
  I'm a city girl.
• 10:09
  You're a city girl.
• 10:09
  I'm a city girl.
• 10:10
  And you know, back to the Verbs post.
• 10:12
  Yes.
• 10:12
  And I'm back in the verbs post.
• 10:13
  I don't have any friends.
• 10:14
  'cause I'm from, i'm eight six Oh.
• 10:16
  Connecticut.
• 10:16
  I'm from old Saybrook, Connecticut and now I moved to Fairfield.
• 10:19
  It's a very Connecticut, it's a very different Connecticut.
• 10:21
  Yeah.
• 10:22
  And might as well be from Louisiana.
• 10:24
  Exactly.
• 10:25
  Kind of just kidding, not a name on.
• 10:28
  Um, so I'm like, okay, what am I gonna do?
• 10:32
  Who am I gonna hang out with?
• 10:33
  I wanna start this business.
• 10:34
  I don't have any entrepreneurial friends.
• 10:36
  I'm in this weird phase of life.
• 10:37
  I don't have any friends now, you know, in this new location.
• 10:40
  So I just like, I'm just gonna start an Instagram account.
• 10:43
  And I literally just started an Instagram account talking about entrepreneurship, thinking like I'll start my health coaching business after I like find a tribe to do it with.
• 10:51
  'cause I kind of felt lost in the sauce.
• 10:54
  And that's when, you know, one thing led to another.
• 10:57
  And my background is in event planning and I used to host a networking event for, men in finance.
• 11:05
  So very different from what I ended up producing.
• 11:07
  I know.
• 11:08
  But it was like men in khakis and blue button downs.
• 11:12
  Um, it was in Las Vegas.
• 11:13
  It was like an industry wide conference.
• 11:14
  And we used to host this networking luncheon but what I learned was really like how to produce an event where people actually connect.
• 11:21
  And regardless of the attendees, you can do it for anybody, it sounds like.
• 11:24
  Right, right.
• 11:25
  Okay.
• 11:25
  And I was kind of just like front row seat to kind of like producing that and watching it over years in time.
• 11:31
  And then, when I created my online community of just like trying to connect with people and creating content that reached people and brought people together, I started hosting networking events, but I'm like, forget this shit.
• 11:43
  I want a, like a girl's night out.
• 11:45
  I wanna shop, I wanna dress up, you know, and'cause now it's c it's like, and so I started the Instagram account in January of 2021 and I hosted my first event of June.
• 11:55
  And it's like people were just kind of like getting ready to come out.
• 11:58
  And all these women had all these new businesses they were so excited about, and no one was hosting events.
• 12:04
  People were kind of like, ah.
• 12:05
  And I was like, I'm gonna host a networking event.
• 12:07
  We're gonna whoop it up.
• 12:08
  We're gonna get dressed up and we're gonna have a blast.
• 12:11
  So that was really kind of where it started.
• 12:14
  And, and the attendees were all people that you connected with online?
• 12:17
  That I met online.
• 12:18
  On the line, as you like to say on the line?
• 12:22
  Online.
• 12:22
  Online.
• 12:23
  On the internet.
• 12:23
  I met on the internet.
• 12:24
  Most people on the internet.
• 12:25
  On the internet.
• 12:25
  And then there were some random people that like I knew from random stages of my life and people were hungry for it.
• 12:30
  They all came?
• 12:31
  Yes.
• 12:32
  Okay.
• 12:32
  And my first event was like a hundred people.
• 12:34
  Wow.
• 12:34
  And I was like, whoa.
• 12:35
  I was like, whoa.
• 12:36
  I was like, I'm onto something.
• 12:37
  Yeah, you are.
• 12:37
  This wasn't my plan, but I was like, I'm onto something.
• 12:40
  It's so crazy when things fall into place like that, like you, that it's such the perfect time where everybody was.
• 12:47
  Feeling very creatively inspired because they now probably had the time and craving connection more than anything.
• 12:54
  We were shut in.
• 12:55
  And so that feeling of missing people and events and going out absolute and doing all those things.
• 13:00
  So it was just the perfect kind of storm to get everybody together.
• 13:04
  I agree.
• 13:05
  That's amazing.
• 13:06
  Yeah.
• 13:06
  Well, I think also at the time, networking was like something you did with a coffee and a bagel.
• 13:10
  You sat down at a coffee shop, you got stuck sitting next to God knows who.
• 13:14
  Mm-hmm.
• 13:15
  And then you had to like, cultivate this conversation and then you were stuck, right?
• 13:19
  Like, if you weren't sitting next to someone you like, you were kind of like, all right, now what?
• 13:22
  Yeah, that's true.
• 13:22
  You know what I mean?
• 13:23
  Yeah.
• 13:24
  So what I wanted to create was something where it was like more fluid.
• 13:27
  There was a connection activity, there was a speaker panel, so people left with actionable items and tips and inspiration.
• 13:32
  And then there were shopping.
• 13:33
  I had vendors.
• 13:34
  So it was really kind of like a well-rounded night that people were really excited about.
• 13:41
  Right.
• 13:41
  And then.
• 13:42
  From there, I kept hosting events and workshops, and then I'm like, okay, so how am I gonna better connect everyone in between these in-person events?
• 13:52
  And also, how am I going to monetize right what's happening here?
• 13:56
  Because people were so excited about it.
• 13:59
  And so that's when I launched a membership.
• 14:01
  Which was about a year later.
• 14:03
  And what did that look like for the people that were members?
• 14:05
  For members it was, monthly education.
• 14:09
  So we went live once a month with a different industry experts, different networking events where it was more intimate coffee meetups, things like a little bit more curated, more intimate, exclusive type of events.
• 14:23
  And then we had an online directory that was also accessible to people outside the membership so that if you were looking for a balloon artist or someone to create, you know, monogrammed cups, you could find that person.
• 14:35
  So you kind of had like your own Angie's list, it was like Ashley's list sort of in a way, yes.
• 14:39
  Okay.
• 14:39
  It was like an, what I had dreamed of it being was like an feminista or, oh, I love that.
• 14:44
  Something like that.
• 14:45
  I love that.
• 14:45
  Mm-hmm.
• 14:46
  When did you start to feel like you weren't as connected to this business anymore?
• 14:50
  Because you've since closed this business and pivoted, so at what point did you sort of feel like.
• 14:56
  In, in this process, were you like, I don't know where this is going, how did you decide to shift?
• 15:02
  I just felt not excited.
• 15:07
  I was like, one of these gut feelings, where I didn't feel excited anymore, felt like sluggish.
• 15:13
  I felt resentful, and I felt shame about those feelings.
• 15:18
  And also it kind of felt like I always had to be like, yay rah rah on the internet about showing up, about getting together about the events, selling the tickets, selling the membership, and I kind of just like felt disingenuine.
• 15:30
  Mm-hmm.
• 15:31
  Oh yeah.
• 15:31
  About, about those things.
• 15:35
  On the other side, I was like, wow, I've built this and I've spent years at that point, so then I was like, okay, I don't feel as excited.
• 15:45
  Is this a phase?
• 15:47
  Is this just something I'm going through?
• 15:49
  Is this really something I want to terminate or could I change it?
• 15:54
  Could I, maybe change my mission or who I'm serving I was starting to go through this for the last year, I was basic, basically going through a soul searching.
• 16:04
  Yeah.
• 16:04
  It's like almost like another identity crisis.
• 16:08
  Yes.
• 16:08
  And that's such a weird place to sit in but you cannot shake that feeling Right.
• 16:14
  When you know that something's not right and you're like, this isn't sitting with me anymore.
• 16:18
  But when you're in a creative business, I'm relating to this so much and I'm sure a lot of listeners are and Yeah.
• 16:24
  Knew you would.
• 16:24
  I knew you would.
• 16:24
  Yeah.
• 16:25
  I feel like when you pour into a creative business mm-hmm.
• 16:29
  It's.
• 16:31
  So much time and effort.
• 16:32
  And so then when you start to feel like it's not right anymore.
• 16:36
  Yep.
• 16:36
  It's such a hard feeling to shake.
• 16:38
  And you also need more creativity to be like, how do I get to the next step?
• 16:43
  Or how do I bring this around so I start feeling that good feeling again, and that cre like inspired feeling again.
• 16:51
  But it requires more time and energy to do that.
• 16:55
  And it requires a lot of the time for you to just get out of your own head and sit and and think.
• 17:01
  Yes.
• 17:01
  And you need space to do that.
• 17:03
  Sometimes.
• 17:03
  It's true.
• 17:03
  You need to remove yourself.
• 17:05
  From the situation in order to do that.
• 17:07
  So your online presence may not appear to be as creative during that process?
• 17:10
  Yes.
• 17:11
  Yeah.
• 17:11
  Yes.
• 17:11
  Well then, and then you start resenting the process.
• 17:13
  Yes.
• 17:13
  And then you resent the process.
• 17:15
  Right.
• 17:15
  And it doesn't flow as much.
• 17:16
  You're not as creative.
• 17:17
  Yeah.
• 17:17
  You're kind of like resentful.
• 17:19
  You find yourself imposter syndrome.
• 17:22
  Yeah.
• 17:22
  The whole, like comparing yourself to other people.
• 17:24
  You find yourself like wanting to copy other people.
• 17:28
  I remember because you're not sure what to do.
• 17:29
  That's because you're not sure what to do because it's not genuine anymore.
• 17:32
  And then you're like kind of feeling weird and guilty'cause you're like, I'm just trying to idolize everyone else now.
• 17:37
  Like, what am I doing?
• 17:40
  Um, and I, like, I went to my own community.
• 17:43
  I was reaching out to different coaches that I had, you know, different like business besties that I had.
• 17:47
  And I'm like, you know, this is how I'm feeling.
• 17:49
  What do you think?
• 17:50
  I started polling the people, I'm like, you know, like interviewing my husband.
• 17:54
  I'm, I'm talking to all these different people trying to get ideas.
• 17:58
  'cause I'm just lost.
• 17:59
  I'm lost in the sauce.
• 17:59
  I'm like, what am I doing?
• 18:01
  And ultimately I spoke to a coach that I had used before and she said, what I'm getting from you is you are asking my permission to close your business.
• 18:15
  Ooh.
• 18:15
  Yeah.
• 18:16
  Like it feels like you're polling people, like looking for someone else to give you this permission.
• 18:21
  The answer yes.
• 18:23
  You're looking for everyone else to give you the answer.
• 18:25
  It sounds like.
• 18:26
  You know the answer.
• 18:27
  I know.
• 18:27
  And I was like, oh my God, do I do I know the answer.
• 18:31
  Yeah.
• 18:31
  Yeah.
• 18:31
  You knew it right away.
• 18:32
  I know the answer.
• 18:33
  I know.
• 18:34
  But at it just took me, it literally took me like a year of exploring.
• 18:41
  Okay.
• 18:41
  But I also feel like that's also not the worst thing where you had kind of said.
• 18:47
  Is this a temporary feeling?
• 18:48
  Yes.
• 18:48
  Like you don't wanna do anything impulsively at the same time.
• 18:51
  Right.
• 18:52
  So that's why sometimes when you're in that frustrated, not sure what direction to go in, you kind of have to sit with that feeling and, and ride it out.
• 19:04
  You know what I mean?
• 19:04
  Yes.
• 19:04
  'cause you don't wanna do anything impulsive.
• 19:07
  You don't wanna quit.
• 19:08
  Right.
• 19:08
  And just say, oh, I, I'm getting an ick feeling because of course things are gonna ebb and flow.
• 19:13
  Right.
• 19:13
  So I also think that that's an important thing to point out because you can't just throw your hands up in the air.
• 19:19
  The second things maybe aren't going your way or you're not sure which way to go.
• 19:24
  That's also a normal feeling.
• 19:26
  But then there's this other feeling when you have to ride it out to see if it shakes off.
• 19:31
  Right.
• 19:32
  You know, it's funny, like one of the internal thoughts I always had was, I use this term called Queen of her craft, where it's like these are the women who are the queens of their craft, who have been doing it for forever.
• 19:44
  Whether it's your, you know, your aesthetic nurse who's injecting you, or the person who's planning the event.
• 19:50
  It's just like there are some people who have been in their game.
• 19:53
  Mm-hmm.
• 19:53
  So long.
• 19:55
  And that was always like a compliment.
• 19:56
  I felt like I gave people and I was like, I felt like I would be such a quitter, right?
• 20:01
  Like, I am never gonna be a queen of a craft because now I'm gonna quit.
• 20:06
  And that was like something that kept plaguing me in my head of God, am I gonna walk?
• 20:11
  You wanted to be a queen, you know?
• 20:12
  I mean, craft.
• 20:12
  Yeah.
• 20:12
  I wanna be a freaking queen of my craft.
• 20:14
  I am.
• 20:15
  And I think I am a queen of that craft by the way, that craft, you know, that's like something to think about, explore.
• 20:20
  It's just like, just because you're changing or pivoting doesn't mean now you, you know, threw the queen's crown away.
• 20:26
  Yeah.
• 20:26
  You can still wear that.
• 20:28
  And what I learned and what I built has now pivoted and transitioned with me.
• 20:33
  Yes.
• 20:33
  It isn't dead in the water.
• 20:35
  It's not gone well.
• 20:36
  And it got you to the next phase.
• 20:38
  Yes.
• 20:38
  You know what I mean?
• 20:39
  So it's like a foundation underneath you.
• 20:41
  Yes.
• 20:42
  Well said.
• 20:43
  So.
• 20:44
  Closed up that business.
• 20:46
  How soon did you then sit in that closure and reopen a new business?
• 20:51
  So I hosted in October, 2024.
• 20:55
  I hosted a Shark Tank event in Fairfield.
• 20:59
  And actually I was so turmoil that I had this idea about the Shark Tank event and I was like, I'm not even gonna do it because I was so down negative valley.
• 21:07
  And my friend Taylor, who is the co-founder of Cake's Body, I told her about this idea and she came to me, she's like, um, I wanna give you$5,000 cash to your, to your winner of Shark Tank.
• 21:18
  And I was like, oh.
• 21:20
  You're like, well, now I gotta do it.
• 21:22
  Now the, I got prize now.
• 21:23
  I'm like, oh my.
• 21:25
  So I was like, um, oh, oh, okayt let her down.
• 21:28
  That's generous.
• 21:28
  That's so nice.
• 21:29
  So supportive.
• 21:30
  Yeah.
• 21:30
  I'm like, well, now I can't not do it.
• 21:32
  And I felt like that was some sort of sign to me to do it.
• 21:34
  So I host the event in October and when I had planned my year, how it was going to go, as I was going to host the event in October, then open up my membership, like, so I would open and close the doors of the membership, quote unquote.
• 21:45
  And then when I had the event after the event, which I would deem a success.
• 21:49
  Yeah, a huge success.
• 21:50
  And I, but I still, I couldn't even like revel in the success and then I was supposed to open up the membership and I could not, like, I could not sell it.
• 21:58
  I was finally like, you wanna know what this is?
• 22:00
  I cannot, like, I literally could not, I didn't, I ended up like going dark on the internet, real soul searching.
• 22:06
  Spoke to this coach.
• 22:07
  She gave me the, she gave me the permission to give myself the permission.
• 22:11
  Yep.
• 22:11
  Sometimes that's what you need.
• 22:12
  That's okay.
• 22:13
  Yeah.
• 22:13
  The, you know, the, the phone call of permission happened and then I was like, okay.
• 22:17
  So that's when I closed it.
• 22:19
  I closed it in maybe November of 2024.
• 22:23
  Okay.
• 22:23
  And one of the thoughts that I had was, I don't know what I'm going to do next, but sometimes one door has to close for another door to open a thousand percent.
• 22:33
  And I felt like I would never figure out what the next thing would be for me if I am stressed out and torturing myself with something that isn't genuine anymore.
• 22:43
  Right?
• 22:43
  Mm-hmm.
• 22:44
  So people have asked like, did you know you were gonna do hot Tommy's when you closed business Socialist?
• 22:50
  And the answer is no.
• 22:51
  You probably couldn't.
• 22:52
  No.
• 22:52
  Couldn't I couldn't.
• 22:52
  You couldn't even get there.
• 22:54
  You had no creative juices flowing at that time.
• 22:56
  You were torturing yourself over trying to reinvigorate yourself to show up for one business.
• 23:01
  Yes.
• 23:01
  You know, and for this community building aspect that's a really, really like strong statement, you know, and something to sit and think about.
• 23:08
  Sometimes that break and the unknown is very, very scary, but it's sometimes required to in order for the next thing to happen and for the door to even open.
• 23:20
  Right.
• 23:20
  You know what, even a crack open, right?
• 23:22
  You know, you need the space.
• 23:24
  Yes.
• 23:25
  So I closed it and then I felt like an immediate weight.
• 23:30
  I was like, oh my God.
• 23:32
  I couldn't believe how easy it was for me after, you know, after I did it.
• 23:37
  I couldn't believe how easy I felt like I couldn't, how light I felt like I was like this whole new person.
• 23:41
  So you knew you made the right choice.
• 23:43
  I knew I made the right choice for reaction immediately.
• 23:45
  Yeah.
• 23:46
  Zero regret.
• 23:47
  Zero buyer's remorse, like, you know what I mean?
• 23:49
  Like Yep.
• 23:50
  That's such a good feeling.
• 23:51
  Yeah.
• 23:51
  Which I was like, okay.
• 23:53
  You know, the stars have aligned and then, um.
• 23:56
  Hot Tommys.
• 23:57
  I am always cold.
• 23:59
  I'm always bitching about being cold.
• 24:01
  I'm like that person.
• 24:03
  My husband's super passionate about skiing and I grew up skiing, but kind of started resenting skiing because I'm always cold.
• 24:10
  And I started ordering all the heated gear, including heated vests and everything was so long they looked like dresses on me.
• 24:17
  Yeah.
• 24:17
  Not cute.
• 24:18
  So ugly.
• 24:18
  Not cute.
• 24:19
  Yeah.
• 24:19
  Scratchy.
• 24:19
  Not cute.
• 24:20
  Yeah, not cute.
• 24:20
  Terrible materials.
• 24:22
  Cheap feeling.
• 24:22
  Cheap looking weird.
• 24:23
  Huge logos all over them that like finance bro look and they were just kind of like pinking it and shrinking it for women where it was just like a men's vest.
• 24:31
  Yeah.
• 24:32
  And it was kind.
• 24:32
  That was a small, and they were like, here you go.
• 24:33
  Yeah.
• 24:34
  And there's nothing, I feel like some of the vibe, especially if you're not like an avid sports skier, some of the vibe of going skiing is like looking cute and like it is gonna be old vibe and no matter who you are showing up there.
• 24:46
  Yes.
• 24:46
  Everybody shows up to look cute.
• 24:48
  Yeah.
• 24:48
  Like it's all about the outfits.
• 24:50
  Yes.
• 24:50
  And then I just really started thinking about there's a huge gap in the market ultimately.
• 24:53
  Like my product is great, but aside from that, it just felt like, okay, heated apparel in general is marketed to the outdoors man.
• 25:01
  And I'm not even talking about this gear.
• 25:03
  It's like the camper.
• 25:04
  Yeah.
• 25:04
  The fisher, this very utility, you know, with a 10, a tent next to them is what is the, the marketing.
• 25:12
  Right.
• 25:12
  And an ax.
• 25:12
  Yes.
• 25:13
  And an like a bow and arrow.
• 25:15
  Like, it's like, not even for a more chic man.
• 25:19
  Yeah.
• 25:19
  Right.
• 25:19
  You know what I mean?
• 25:20
  Right.
• 25:20
  So I'm like Right.
• 25:21
  A businessman on Wall Street that walks to work every day.
• 25:24
  Yeah.
• 25:24
  Yes.
• 25:24
  They're not, they're not.
• 25:25
  There's zero marketing there.
• 25:27
  And then for women, I mean, there's literally nothing, no marketing whatsoever.
• 25:30
  Nothing.
• 25:30
  You don't, I've seen all the hockey rinks.
• 25:32
  Yeah.
• 25:33
  Right.
• 25:33
  Not cute.
• 25:34
  Not cute.
• 25:35
  So I'm like, okay, there's definitely space here for this.
• 25:40
  Product idea I have.
• 25:41
  All right.
• 25:41
  So the creative mind.
• 25:42
  So then the juices started flowing.
• 25:45
  We were feeling it, you know, it was starting to get in there and I was like starting to feel excited again.
• 25:51
  I started to feel that butterfly.
• 25:53
  Yeah.
• 25:54
  Ooh, I'm onto something.
• 25:55
  Yeah.
• 25:55
  Yes.
• 25:55
  Like I'm onto something.
• 25:56
  This feels good.
• 25:57
  Yeah.
• 25:58
  You know, and I would talk about it with people.
• 25:59
  People were like, oh my God, I would wear that.
• 26:00
  You would wear that.
• 26:00
  I went back to your community.
• 26:02
  Yeah.
• 26:02
  Yes.
• 26:02
  I went back to the community.
• 26:03
  I started talking to people.
• 26:04
  I'm like, and I'm telling them my idea.
• 26:06
  They're like, oh my God.
• 26:07
  Like what?
• 26:08
  Yes.
• 26:09
  Yes.
• 26:09
  And I started to think about it as something that's not just for skiing or camping or anything, but just like everyday life.
• 26:16
  Just like in and out of the car all day, being a mom, picking up sports sidelines, walks, just how useful this product could actually be.
• 26:25
  So then I started to get really excited.
• 26:27
  So that was probably like December.
• 26:31
  2024, and I launched in October, 2025.
• 26:34
  Wow.
• 26:34
  Can you talk to us about, I think that, I don't wanna say like, everybody has ideas, right?
• 26:41
  Yeah.
• 26:41
  But sometimes you're going through your life and you're just like, do you know what would be really functional?
• 26:46
  Right?
• 26:47
  These ideas pop up into your head and then you're like, I wonder if that exists.
• 26:50
  Right.
• 26:51
  And sometimes for me, that's where that conversation ends, ends right in my head.
• 26:55
  So can you talk to us about, I guess, the next step?
• 26:59
  So you have an idea Yep.
• 27:00
  In your head.
• 27:01
  Yep.
• 27:02
  Where do you even go from there?
• 27:04
  What was your process like and how, how did we get to wearing these products?
• 27:09
  Sure.
• 27:09
  So I went to Taylor again and I'm like, I have this product idea.
• 27:13
  What do you think?
• 27:14
  And she's like, whoa, I think that's a great product.
• 27:16
  She was like, it's in a solution space.
• 27:18
  Mm-hmm.
• 27:18
  The market's empty.
• 27:19
  And I was like, okay.
• 27:20
  And I'm like, well, how would you start?
• 27:22
  Because she's the only product person I know.
• 27:23
  She was like, why don't you go on Alibaba and order some samples?
• 27:27
  Oh, okay.
• 27:27
  And start from there.
• 27:28
  And I'm like, Alibaba, I never even heard of Alibaba.
• 27:30
  I'm like, oh my God.
• 27:31
  Okay.
• 27:31
  So I go on, I see what's out there, and I order a sample from everyone.
• 27:35
  What is Alibaba?
• 27:36
  For people that don't know.
• 27:38
  It's kind of like wholesale from China.
• 27:40
  Yeah, most of it's Chinese manufacturing.
• 27:42
  They also have like India and Cambodia and other places like that.
• 27:45
  They have also United States on there.
• 27:47
  And it's a lot of wholesale, so you're supposed to order large quantities.
• 27:51
  And they really have everything from like Mahjong tiles to heated clothing to hair elastics.
• 27:57
  I mean, they have everything.
• 27:59
  And they're like label list, right?
• 28:00
  It's not like a brand.
• 28:02
  It's the, the idea, but almost a blank slate.
• 28:05
  Yes, it can be a blank slate.
• 28:06
  Okay.
• 28:06
  So they Yes, they, you can brand things from there, right?
• 28:09
  Sure, yes.
• 28:09
  It's a lot of manufacturers.
• 28:11
  Okay, so it's basically manufacturers that are on there.
• 28:13
  And it could get you like in the door with somebody too, I'm sure.
• 28:14
  Yes.
• 28:14
  Like, so if you ordered something and now you're like, oh, now I know someone who can make something like this.
• 28:19
  Right.
• 28:20
  It's kind of like a relationship starter.
• 28:21
  It could be, yes.
• 28:22
  Okay.
• 28:23
  Yes.
• 28:23
  So you just started ordering things and testing products.
• 28:25
  So feeling things, feeling facts, feeling everything.
• 28:28
  I ordered all the samples, yes.
• 28:29
  Okay.
• 28:29
  And then I just, uh, I can just picture you like cutting things and taking it apart.
• 28:33
  Like, how is this even made know?
• 28:35
  Well, this stuff was coming and I, yeah.
• 28:36
  Or sometimes it was like, see-through, I'm like, you gotta be getting me.
• 28:39
  Like this is just, it was just crazy.
• 28:41
  So I ordered a million samples and I found one sample that had good quality, ugly design, but much better quality than everything else that I ordered.
• 28:52
  I'm like, this is it.
• 28:52
  Okay.
• 28:53
  So I reached out to her and I said, I got your vest.
• 28:57
  I like it.
• 28:57
  But would I be able to make some tweaks?
• 29:00
  Like customize it?
• 29:00
  Yeah.
• 29:00
  Yeah.
• 29:01
  Would I be able to do some tweaks?
• 29:02
  And she was like, yes.
• 29:04
  You know, that's what we do.
• 29:05
  And I was like, oh, let's work together.
• 29:06
  Okay.
• 29:06
  Okay.
• 29:07
  Yeah.
• 29:07
  I was like, oh, okay.
• 29:08
  So then I found another vest that I liked the shape of, and I took those measurements and I brought them to her.
• 29:15
  I'm like, can you make these sizes, samples, and these sizes?
• 29:18
  And we basically went back and forth from there.
• 29:20
  Mm-hmm.
• 29:20
  Where I designed.
• 29:22
  The style, the shape, the fit, right?
• 29:25
  The fit the length, you know, the, the zipper.
• 29:27
  And then I wanted gold hardware.
• 29:30
  So we did gold zipper.
• 29:31
  Then I'm like, this is so scratchy.
• 29:33
  Do we have a fleece?
• 29:34
  Do we have something else that we can put on the inside that would feel more luxurious?
• 29:39
  And then, they do all these weird logos.
• 29:41
  I was like, I don't want a weird logo.
• 29:43
  I don't want any logo.
• 29:44
  No one wants to wear these huge logos.
• 29:45
  Unless you're Chanel, like, we're good.
• 29:47
  So I'm like, so, you know, I just chose something small.
• 29:49
  We played with the size of the button.
• 29:51
  I didn't want the button to be too big, but I, you know, I also liked the button, so I'm like, so we just like kind of played with it.
• 29:57
  And we went back and forth for months.
• 29:59
  And one of the more annoying things about operating with China is just how long it takes to get everything.
• 30:08
  So it is long.
• 30:09
  So then I was like paying for fast shipping'cause I'm like.
• 30:13
  My season's gonna come.
• 30:14
  It was either like, and there's tariffs in place now too, which maybe they weren't when you first started, or maybe they were.
• 30:20
  I don't even, it was like just start.
• 30:21
  Yeah.
• 30:21
  Was just starting.
• 30:22
  Yeah.
• 30:22
  So you were probably playing around with coffee too.
• 30:24
  By the time I placed my large orders, tariffs were a thing.
• 30:29
  Okay.
• 30:29
  I have to put you girls onto my hair, girl because I get asked about my hair all of the time.
• 30:35
  Her name is Sam Fmi from Lux Hair Co here in Connecticut, and she's been doing my hair for over five years now, and T has probably been seeing her for double that.
• 30:44
  And when I tell you people literally travel to see her, I mean it.
• 30:48
  She is the extension queen in our area.
• 30:50
  I feel like extensions sometimes get a bad reputation, like people assume they're damaging or will ruin your hair, and I can honestly say that is not the case when you go to someone who actually knows what they're doing.
• 31:01
  Sam is that person.
• 31:02
  She actually had me take a break from my extensions recently, and when she took them out, washed my hair and blew it out, I was shocked.
• 31:09
  My natural hair was so healthy.
• 31:11
  Like better than I could have ever expected.
• 31:13
  And a huge part of that is because of how she installs them and maintains them.
• 31:17
  And what I love about extensions with her is it's not just about length.
• 31:21
  Yes, you get that beautiful fullness and volume, but you can also add dimension without overprocessing your real hair.
• 31:27
  So you're not constantly coloring it or damaging it.
• 31:30
  Also, I swear my hair is easier when I have extensions in.
• 31:33
  It holds a curl longer.
• 31:34
  My blowouts last for days.
• 31:36
  I use way less heat, and even throwing it up in a clip or a bun just looks better and feels easier.
• 31:42
  She has this insane technique where even if I wear my hair up, you cannot see the rose.
• 31:46
  She just gets it.
• 31:47
  If you've been thinking about extensions or even want a refresh book, a consultation with Sam and her team at Lux Hair Co, and you can find her on Instagram at at Paint Love Blend.
• 31:57
  Make sure to tell them that Pretty and Pink again sent you because they're offering an amazing discount on extensions for our listeners.
• 32:03
  Trust me, once you go to her, you're not going anywhere else.
• 32:07
  So on the other side, so now you know you have this cool product that it's in development.
• 32:12
  Yep.
• 32:13
  What were you doing on the other end of it?
• 32:15
  Were you starting to like promote it?
• 32:17
  Were you starting to build a website?
• 32:19
  Were you starting to like, get the word out?
• 32:21
  Were you wearing the product?
• 32:23
  I was starting to wear the product, um, although it was like summer.
• 32:27
  Mm-hmm.
• 32:27
  So now I'm like, okay.
• 32:28
  I mean, ultimately this has been the largest learning curve for me because I am a service person.
• 32:35
  Like I have been in the service business, the event planning business, like that's my.
• 32:40
  That's my stuff, you know?
• 32:41
  And then now I'm like a product.
• 32:43
  So I really had to kind of like learn the difference about marketing a product versus service, or myself.
• 32:49
  Even right now, it's not really about me, it's about the, the product and the feeling behind buying the product and this whole, you know, psyche that goes into marketing something.
• 33:01
  So I'm like, oh, okay.
• 33:02
  So at first I found someone to help me with a website.
• 33:05
  I'm not a tech person, I, I didn't even believe this was happening until I placed my big order.
• 33:10
  Right?
• 33:10
  And then I'm like, oh, okay, now we gotta, yeah.
• 33:11
  We have to sell this.
• 33:12
  Now we have to turn.
• 33:13
  Yeah.
• 33:14
  We're not just playing anymore.
• 33:15
  Yeah.
• 33:15
  You know, this isn't playing dress up.
• 33:17
  Now we need, and honey, like thousands of us are arriving at our home tomorrow, so maybe we need a warehouse.
• 33:21
  Oh my God.
• 33:22
  Yes.
• 33:23
  Then all of a sudden I'm getting emails that I'm getting all the product.
• 33:26
  I'm like, where am I putting this?
• 33:28
  Yes.
• 33:28
  Yeah.
• 33:29
  Like a freight is coming tomorrow.
• 33:31
  Yes.
• 33:31
  The FedEx guy texted my husband and was like, um, we have like 25 rather 50 pound boxes.
• 33:37
  And I'm like, rather large shipment.
• 33:40
  I'm like, oh my God.
• 33:42
  Wow.
• 33:43
  So yeah, I had to like rearrange my basement.
• 33:45
  I had to kick my kids out of their playroom.
• 33:47
  I had to change all that.
• 33:49
  I have a packing, you know, facility?
• 33:50
  Yeah, yeah.
• 33:50
  Like a little packing area in my basement.
• 33:53
  I rented a warehouse to put like some access product and boxes and things in, um, just to kind of make it work.
• 34:01
  So these were coming to you, you were planning to ship, right?
• 34:04
  Like from yourself?
• 34:05
  Yes.
• 34:06
  This, I'm still shipping myself.
• 34:07
  This is, yeah.
• 34:08
  And so then you have a site set up which can set up orders.
• 34:12
  Yeah.
• 34:12
  I'm assuming.
• 34:13
  Yep.
• 34:13
  And then what?
• 34:15
  Then it was really about, okay, where do I start?
• 34:18
  And I'm like, I'm gonna leverage.
• 34:21
  My current community, I'm gonna leverage everything that I've built so far.
• 34:24
  So I hosted a launch party where it was a combination of influencers of family and friends, people who have been supportive and influential and my past business.
• 34:35
  And I was like, I'm gonna bring all the people together and we're gonna blow it out and we're gonna, you know, start from here.
• 34:41
  Get the word out from here.
• 34:43
  So literally, all my vests were delivered literally like five days before the event.
• 34:48
  And the whole time like, am I gonna have to reschedule this event?
• 34:51
  Like, oh lord.
• 34:53
  Um, but it all worked out.
• 34:55
  It all worked out.
• 34:56
  It all worked out as things do.
• 34:57
  Yeah.
• 34:57
  As things do, as things do.
• 34:59
  When I think of your, when of your brand.
• 35:01
  Yeah.
• 35:02
  Because I didn't know you prior to Hot Tommy's.
• 35:04
  Mm-hmm.
• 35:04
  I met you when you had this product.
• 35:06
  And also I didn't realize for like two months you had like just launched this product.
• 35:10
  Yeah.
• 35:10
  Because, your marketing and your labeling and the product and everything was so beautiful.
• 35:14
  Thank you.
• 35:15
  And when I think of your brand, yes, I think of your product, but I really think of the whole community aspect behind it.
• 35:21
  How if you are in this vest, you're like in the club, you know?
• 35:24
  Yeah.
• 35:24
  Like how, and that's what I think of when I think of it.
• 35:27
  So I do think that everything that you've done in your past life, you've brought into this brand.
• 35:32
  Yeah.
• 35:32
  And yes, you're marketing a product, but you still are Ashley Langer.
• 35:36
  You still have that whole zest behind this product and the brand and it really comes through.
• 35:41
  And I think that's why people love this product so much.
• 35:44
  Yes.
• 35:44
  It's functional and it's cute, but I feel like people also love you and they love the whole, it's nice like thing that you've built with it.
• 35:51
  Yeah.
• 35:51
  You know, um, I am super passionate about confidence for women.
• 35:56
  Yeah.
• 35:57
  That's something that, I think makes or breaks women's lives.
• 36:01
  Like, you know, they stay in relationships that they shouldn't.
• 36:04
  Yeah.
• 36:04
  It's the difference between starting the business and not, it's a difference between showing up online and not.
• 36:09
  Sometimes even the difference in motherhood, and it's the difference between saying hi to somebody and not Yep.
• 36:14
  Yes, girl.
• 36:14
  And you never know where that's gonna lead you.
• 36:16
  Uhhuh, we just did a whole episode two weeks ago about how to build Confident Daughters in 2026.
• 36:23
  And when we did that episode, I thought some of the things that maybe I had, that I didn't realize I had, or some things that maybe were lacking that have carried through to today.
• 36:31
  Mm-hmm.
• 36:31
  You know?
• 36:31
  Yeah.
• 36:31
  But I think that confidence is such a big part of your mission.
• 36:35
  It is such a huge part of my mission and that's why$1 from Every Order goes suggested for success because you know, it's empowering women with clothing and also different resources that they do for women to enter the workforce.
• 36:47
  And I thought that is so beautiful and something so near and dear to my heart.
• 36:51
  'cause that's always what I tried to do with Socialist was kind of like empower women to start the business, to keep the business going too.
• 36:59
  Go for the gold.
• 37:00
  Like, sky's the fucking limit for us.
• 37:02
  Right?
• 37:03
  Yeah.
• 37:03
  So were there any things in the business that you were like, oh shit, I probably, oh God should not have done this.
• 37:10
  Live and learn, right?
• 37:11
  Like, yeah.
• 37:11
  Live and learn situations or like, Uhuh, that was a mistake.
• 37:15
  Anything that like sticks out to you?
• 37:16
  Well, the first photo shoot I did, I spent thousands of dollars on a photo shoot, which I've learned does not need to be the case.
• 37:25
  Mm-hmm.
• 37:25
  Um, although one of the things I didn't really realize that you need with a product is photos all the time.
• 37:29
  Like you, every season, every, almost every month, you, it feels like I need a different photo shoot to keep things fresh and exciting and, you know, different themes and things I'm talking about for the month.
• 37:40
  So that's been learning curve.
• 37:42
  I ordered a lot of large sizes, like extra large, double X large because I wanted to be inclusive.
• 37:51
  Um, but I have found a lot of the larger women don't like the cropped look.
• 37:56
  So is that a mistake?
• 37:57
  I don't think I'd label it as a mistake, but I think that I should have marketed more, you know, my season's kind of coming to an end here, but like, you know, I should have marketed more to other sizes and which is hard because I'm little and I'm creating all the content myself and I don't have a whole team and content, you know, what I like, I'm not there yet.
• 38:16
  But it's something that like I want to do more of.
• 38:19
  Right.
• 38:19
  And are you open to doing other styles in the vest as well?
• 38:23
  Like something maybe longer for different body types?
• 38:26
  Yeah.
• 38:26
  What, what can you tease for what's coming next?
• 38:28
  Um.
• 38:30
  Well, I would, I wanna create, you know, what they call like, kinda like a gateway product.
• 38:36
  So I wanna create something that is like$30 range that is kind of like an entry point into the brand and what I'm about and you know, what I'm trying to do here and how I want people to feel.
• 38:46
  So I have been ordering samples for that, something that I'm working on now.
• 38:51
  And a lot of people ask for a longer vest.
• 38:53
  It's not a no, but I'm unsure and maybe that will come later in the line.
• 38:58
  Mm-hmm.
• 38:59
  But I also have something else I wanna create that's a higher price point that's more of like a, a jacket that is heated, that is fashion forward, not a utility hooded.
• 39:11
  Rain jacket.
• 39:12
  Love you see, love this.
• 39:13
  So, and can I ask where the name Hot Tommy's came from?
• 39:16
  Oh, good question.
• 39:17
  Um, Tommy is my dad.
• 39:20
  Oh, I love that.
• 39:20
  Who's been the ultimate influence on my life.
• 39:22
  And my daughter is Thera, Tommy is her, her middle name is Tommy.
• 39:27
  So, oh, what a beautiful name.
• 39:28
  And I thought it was a planned hot toddie.
• 39:29
  Yeah.
• 39:29
  You know, it kind felt like it's cute and people are like, hot mommy.
• 39:32
  And I'm like, that works too.
• 39:34
  You know, like I'm like the hot mommies.
• 39:36
  Yes.
• 39:36
  That's, I'm into it.
• 39:37
  It's fine.
• 39:37
  That's very cute.
• 39:38
  I love it.
• 39:39
  What did your dad say when you told him about the business idea and the name and everything?
• 39:43
  Oh, my dad, he loves it.
• 39:45
  He is like the number one champion and supporter and anytime that I say anything like negative or down on myself, he is like, no cracking that whip.
• 39:54
  Like, you know, he writes me the messages and the voice notes and just, you know, reminding me of.
• 40:01
  What I'm capable of and why I'm here, and all of those like really nice things.
• 40:05
  So it's so special that you have that person in your life that can be that for you.
• 40:09
  Mm-hmm.
• 40:10
  Yeah.
• 40:10
  So you are building all of this while you're a mom.
• 40:13
  You're a mommy, you have two little girls, you're a wife, and what did you think that, how did this business affect you as how you showed up as a mother?
• 40:22
  Mm-hmm.
• 40:22
  Because mm-hmm.
• 40:24
  Sometimes it sounds very counterintuitive to add things to your plate when you're mothering, but in my own personal experience, and I know in Christina's too, when we added this podcast to our plate, it actually helped us show up in a better way in motherhood because we were so much happier professionally.
• 40:40
  So I don't know if you, you're nodding your head yes.
• 40:42
  Like, yeah, I feel you on that.
• 40:44
  Amen, girl.
• 40:45
  Yeah.
• 40:45
  Um, I also feel like there's sometimes shame in saying that out loud, that like you feel like you need something to fulfill you, maybe outside.
• 40:55
  And that's something that I've had to come to terms with over the last four years is that I need something like that to creatively and just in general fulfill me.
• 41:07
  Yeah.
• 41:07
  And that took a long time for me to even say those words out loud and feel okay with them.
• 41:13
  Yeah.
• 41:13
  And kind of say them unapologetically.
• 41:15
  So I'm sure other people feel the same way.
• 41:17
  You know, and maybe just feel weird even saying that.
• 41:20
  Yeah.
• 41:20
  I think that I am a better mom.
• 41:23
  Mm-hmm.
• 41:23
  I really enjoy being a mom and I've really enjoyed motherhood in a tremendous way.
• 41:29
  I feel like I need this for me, and whether I'm a mom or not, I need this for me.
• 41:36
  My husband is successful and that's been lovely and that's, you know, probably why I'm even in this position on some level to do this now.
• 41:44
  But I am inspired by my kids and I think that I'm inspiring them.
• 41:49
  They're so proud.
• 41:50
  I mean, God, my kids are so proud of the product and what I'm doing, and that feels really good for me.
• 41:57
  And in terms of balance, you know, it's also funny timing.
• 42:03
  Business socialist was easy for me.
• 42:05
  These are things that I had been doing for year, my whole life planning events.
• 42:09
  It's like all of your skills, right?
• 42:10
  Yes.
• 42:10
  Yeah.
• 42:10
  It was, it was just an extension of me.
• 42:12
  Yeah.
• 42:12
  Like, you know, being social, connecting people, hosting events, like I do that personally and professionally.
• 42:17
  That was such an extension of me and very honestly, like my time was so easy to manage during that time, but I had little kids, like my daughter went to kindergarten this year and I thought it was so interesting that I had this pivot after my daughter went to kindergarten.
• 42:34
  I think that that's when everybody has that pivot.
• 42:36
  Yeah.
• 42:36
  Like a lot of the times that's when people, it's a, it's a big year for moms when the last That's what I goes to kindergarten.
• 42:42
  Yes.
• 42:43
  Even though, you know, speaking honestly and openly, your kids are not in school five days a week from eight to four.
• 42:49
  Like maybe you might, he always jokes about this might be, but.
• 42:52
  There is some stability in the fact that your kids are going to school every day.
• 42:58
  You have a little bit you for the, it's one school, right?
• 43:00
  Yeah.
• 43:01
  Like rather than managing two calendars, two just different sets of events, two different, like it's less childcare.
• 43:06
  Someone's not coming home at 1230 or two.
• 43:08
  Right.
• 43:09
  Like Right.
• 43:09
  It there's something like transition set from preschool to elementary school.
• 43:13
  Yes.
• 43:14
  And that felt beautiful for me.
• 43:15
  And I was kinda like, okay, Maria, my younger daughter, she's set.
• 43:18
  Like, it just felt like all the stars were aligning for me, you know?
• 43:24
  And it just felt like, okay, I can do this.
• 43:26
  I want this.
• 43:27
  Like I'm gonna go for it.
• 43:28
  Sometimes I think I bit off more than I can chew.
• 43:29
  It was, I don't think so.
• 43:31
  I don't think so.
• 43:32
  And I love that you said that the girls recognize what you're doing and they're like, yeah ma, you got this.
• 43:38
  Yeah.
• 43:39
  They're into it.
• 43:40
  And I enjoy setting the example.
• 43:44
  You know that I can do this and this is hard and we can do hard things.
• 43:48
  Yep.
• 43:48
  And you know, they ask about business socialist and you know, do you still do events?
• 43:54
  Mommy?
• 43:55
  Like, where are your events?
• 43:56
  You don't go to events anymore.
• 43:57
  I'm like, well, um, you know how to throw a good event.
• 44:01
  I do.
• 44:02
  You, you, I do.
• 44:03
  You really are the, that I do feel confident that you're the queen of that craft.
• 44:06
  I feel confident that truly you're the queen of that craft.
• 44:08
  Thank you.
• 44:08
  You know how to throw an event.
• 44:09
  Thank you.
• 44:10
  You know how to consult somebody to throw a good event.
• 44:13
  Yeah.
• 44:13
  Regardless of who the attendees are.
• 44:15
  Yeah.
• 44:15
  Thank you.
• 44:16
  Well, you know, that's also something like me being like, yes, yes, yes.
• 44:19
  That's like another thing that I think women need to do more of is own their craft.
• 44:24
  Mm.
• 44:24
  Like own that.
• 44:24
  They're good at something.
• 44:26
  That's a good point.
• 44:27
  Like, I want the successful women around me.
• 44:29
  I wanna hear, I want share your brags.
• 44:31
  Like I love that.
• 44:32
  Like I wanna feel like I'm in good company.
• 44:34
  Let's inspire each other.
• 44:35
  I think there's this whole like epidemic going on of people not wanting to share all the good things that, or they, or they downplay it or they downplay, like so then should I downplay my life?
• 44:45
  'cause then I sound like a bragger, but No, no.
• 44:48
  Just be honest.
• 44:49
  When you're around the right people, like you should be able to say, yeah, I'm really good at that.
• 44:53
  Like, I'm happy to share these things with you.
• 44:55
  What you're good at is different than what I'm good at.
• 44:57
  Like, let's share these things.
• 44:58
  Collabor collaborate.
• 44:59
  Yes, mentally, let's collaborate physically, let's collaborate.
• 45:02
  Let's support each other, lift each other up.
• 45:04
  Like let's share the brags.
• 45:06
  Like I don't think there's enough of that going on in motherhood.
• 45:10
  Or entrepreneurship, like it feels very like we have to like keep things.
• 45:15
  It's a solo act.
• 45:16
  It's a solo, solo act.
• 45:17
  Like everything it can feel at times like a solo act.
• 45:20
  And I do, just through the conversations that we've been having, and especially recently, I would say with, even in the last couple months, it really feels like people are kind of done.
• 45:33
  Keeping everything so close, and I love that it seems like everybody seems a little bit more like bursting with information and, and this need to share and this need to connect.
• 45:42
  And I think that that's like a powerful movement that I hope is really happening, you know?
• 45:47
  And I hope that other people are feeling that too.
• 45:49
  Absolutely.
• 45:50
  Well, I think it's something interesting that you said before is like a big part of your brand and who you are is confidence in building confidence in other women and in, in recognizing the confidence you have in yourself.
• 46:01
  Mm-hmm.
• 46:01
  I think if you don't have that foundational skills of confidence, then you will never have the confidence to maybe share something good or bad going on in your life.
• 46:08
  Mm-hmm.
• 46:09
  And when you don't share, you become isolated and then you'll have no access to any type of community whatsoever.
• 46:15
  And I think that I've always enjoyed sharing with people my downfalls and my successes because maybe I have the confidence to do that.
• 46:23
  Maybe I'm just too aloof sometimes, and I don't, I don't, I don't overthink it.
• 46:27
  I don't really know the exact reason behind it.
• 46:30
  Have just done that naturally.
• 46:32
  Well, the interesting thing about confidence is confidence comes from action.
• 46:37
  I think that that, people are like, well, how, how are you so confident?
• 46:41
  And it's just like, okay, well, surely something happened in my childhood that gives me confidence, surely.
• 46:47
  But it's like if you wanna be confident in something, you have to do it right.
• 46:50
  Mm-hmm.
• 46:51
  Right?
• 46:51
  And you only become a confident product business owner by doing it.
• 46:54
  You know what I mean?
• 46:55
  You only become a confident.
• 46:57
  Event holster from doing it.
• 46:58
  You only become confident in showing up online and being an excellent influencer from doing it.
• 47:03
  You have to actually do it.
• 47:04
  You have to do it.
• 47:06
  It's action.
• 47:06
  People are, you how do you make other people confident?
• 47:10
  How does a woman become confident?
• 47:11
  Just doing it and just, yeah.
• 47:14
  Not, and the isolation comes from not comparing yourself to other people.
• 47:19
  The isolation comes in just like, this is what I am doing, this is how I'm parenting, and everyone's gonna parent different, and that is okay.
• 47:27
  And that's confidence.
• 47:29
  Right, right.
• 47:29
  Well, it's interesting because your children are not really like a product.
• 47:34
  They keep going.
• 47:35
  There's ebbs and flows in it.
• 47:36
  Yep.
• 47:37
  So it's hard sometimes to build that same confidence as a mother because you have to praise the process.
• 47:43
  Right.
• 47:44
  Yeah.
• 47:44
  But sometimes when you look at your kid, you're like, but I'm doing everything.
• 47:48
  And I don't see the results.
• 47:50
  Sometimes they just, who they are changing because everything is changing.
• 47:53
  Everything is changing.
• 47:53
  Yes.
• 47:53
  They're little.
• 47:54
  It's so hard.
• 47:55
  It's so hard to have confidence as a mother every single day when some days you're like, but I did everything.
• 48:01
  Yeah.
• 48:01
  Well, confidence is ebbs and flows.
• 48:03
  Right.
• 48:04
  Right.
• 48:04
  Like, I don't think every day you wake up like, I'm the badass bitch.
• 48:07
  No.
• 48:07
  I think confidence ends and ebbs and flows, but you have to put the blinders on, even in building a business or building a family or, even like what you, what wallpaper you choose for your house.
• 48:20
  Right.
• 48:20
  You just have to make the decision and stick with it.
• 48:23
  And own it.
• 48:24
  Yes.
• 48:24
  Right.
• 48:25
  Yeah.
• 48:26
  You seem so good at that.
• 48:28
  That's a very, it's hard.
• 48:30
  That's a, that's a hard thing.
• 48:31
  Very tricky thing to do.
• 48:32
  Yeah.
• 48:32
  It's tricky.
• 48:32
  That's the word.
• 48:33
  Yep.
• 48:33
  It can be tricky.
• 48:35
  Mm-hmm.
• 48:36
  But so.
• 48:37
  I know we talked a lot about community, but I feel like you are synonymous for that word community and not in a overused like, you know, tacky kind of way.
• 48:45
  Well, the word is getting overused in my opinion, but everywhere you go I think people gather around you in the brands that you build, why do you think that is?
• 48:56
  Um, I think it's because I'm authentic.
• 48:59
  I think people are attracted to authenticity in general.
• 49:03
  Sure.
• 49:03
  And I.
• 49:05
  Feel like I don't have time.
• 49:06
  I can't keep it together if I'm just not myself.
• 49:10
  And, I think that people see me connecting other people.
• 49:15
  Mm-hmm.
• 49:15
  Right.
• 49:16
  It's kind of like you have to radiate what you wanna attract.
• 49:19
  So for me, I'm always connecting other people.
• 49:21
  Mm-hmm.
• 49:21
  And, you know, without any benefit to me to just like do that.
• 49:26
  And I think then people do that for me.
• 49:27
  Sure.
• 49:28
  Right.
• 49:28
  And I think that community ultimately is a feeling.
• 49:31
  It's feeling like you belong, that you have similarities, that we are on a similar track.
• 49:39
  That's like the biggest thing.
• 49:42
  I think it's ultimately a feeling.
• 49:43
  People are trying to, think that community is just like a follower count, I think is what Yes.
• 49:49
  People are very much confusing.
• 49:51
  Yes.
• 49:51
  Community with is just a number, whether it's a membership number or follower number.
• 49:59
  Or a customer number, right?
• 50:00
  Yes.
• 50:01
  Or a customer number.
• 50:02
  Yeah.
• 50:02
  It's the numbers.
• 50:03
  Yes, but that's not a real, that's not what real community is.
• 50:07
  Right?
• 50:07
  Just because people maybe buy your product or they maybe follow you online does not mean that that real connection is there.
• 50:14
  I think that this is interesting too, because also like with this whole entrepreneur space and with, people ask me all the time, right?
• 50:22
  Like, IJI wanna be an influencer.
• 50:23
  Mm-hmm.
• 50:24
  And first of all, the question is, what do I do first?
• 50:26
  And it's like, you just have to start.
• 50:28
  And so we covered that.
• 50:28
  Oh, right.
• 50:29
  Yeah.
• 50:29
  You have to co start sharing.
• 50:31
  We just spoke about how important building community is.
• 50:35
  Mm-hmm.
• 50:35
  So whether that is a product based business that you're building, whether you wanna be an influencer or a podcaster, and that's the, the business venture that you wanna take.
• 50:46
  Mm-hmm.
• 50:47
  But you need not only a follower count, because the numbers only take you so far.
• 50:52
  Right?
• 50:52
  Yeah.
• 50:52
  Like the numbers are great, but if you don't actually have a real community underneath you, you're not gonna see any sort of success in whatever business you're building.
• 51:03
  Right?
• 51:03
  Yeah.
• 51:04
  Or like for longevity.
• 51:06
  So could we maybe all chat through some kind of actionable tips on how to go about building that?
• 51:13
  Because we're all finding that from our own businesses, t and i collectively, all of us from our own personal businesses.
• 51:20
  And I think that that's something that is the next step.
• 51:23
  Not only do you just have to start right.
• 51:26
  But in order for this to actually be something.
• 51:29
  Mm-hmm.
• 51:30
  And yes, you can get creatively fulfilled, but we wanna be Monet ly fulfilled.
• 51:34
  Yes.
• 51:34
  Yes.
• 51:34
  And there's no freaking shame in saying that, right?
• 51:37
  Yes.
• 51:37
  Like you wanna business, provide business, it needs to Yeah.
• 51:39
  Money.
• 51:39
  You're spending the time.
• 51:40
  Yes.
• 51:40
  And you're putting yourself out there and you want this to actually contribute monetarily in your life.
• 51:46
  Yeah.
• 51:46
  So what are, some actionable tips for building a community?
• 51:51
  Yeah.
• 51:51
  Within whatever you built.
• 51:52
  Well, I think the number one thing is who are you building a community for?
• 51:56
  Or who are you trying to connect with ultimately?
• 51:58
  Mm-hmm.
• 51:58
  And not only is it who are you trying to connect with, but who are you not connecting with?
• 52:04
  And I think so many times people wanna like have this broad spectrum.
• 52:08
  Yeah.
• 52:08
  Your asses, because they think you're afraid to be niche.
• 52:11
  Yes.
• 52:12
  But.
• 52:13
  You know, my target audience is someone who cares about the outfit that they put on.
• 52:17
  And it's seasonal.
• 52:18
  To your point, you kept using the word, my season is ending.
• 52:21
  My season is ending.
• 52:22
  Yes.
• 52:22
  Yes.
• 52:22
  And you could then say to yourself, oh, well then how do I apply this to the summer?
• 52:27
  And it's like, maybe you don't.
• 52:28
  Right.
• 52:28
  And maybe that's okay.
• 52:29
  Yes.
• 52:30
  Yeah.
• 52:30
  Yes.
• 52:30
  I think like I'm okay with that for many reasons.
• 52:33
  Quite honestly.
• 52:33
  First of all, I could use the downtown to plan for the fall.
• 52:35
  Yeah.
• 52:36
  And second of all, I am.
• 52:38
  Still going to be working on building out my brand and getting eyes on it.
• 52:42
  It's just going to be different, right?
• 52:43
  Like, I'm still marketing, I'm still, you know, gonna get myself out there and I'm gonna be at events and on podcasts and, you know, these type of things.
• 52:51
  But, um, that's a great point.
• 52:52
  So who, who is not who you wanna Yes.
• 52:56
  Right.
• 52:56
  Right.
• 52:56
  And I think people are so scared to like, turn someone away, but it's like the more you push people away, the more the right people are gonna come to you.
• 53:03
  That's very good advice.
• 53:04
  Very good advice.
• 53:05
  You can apply that same advice in business and in your personal life.
• 53:08
  Absolutely.
• 53:09
  For sure.
• 53:10
  Absolutely.
• 53:10
  Like, who don't you want to connect with?
• 53:12
  Who are not your people?
• 53:14
  Like maybe you start there rather than who is your person, because of course, maybe the people who's not, your people might buy from you too, or hang out with you too, but they, they're just not gonna be your target audience.
• 53:23
  And that's okay.
• 53:24
  And that's a just a great thing to keep in the back of your mind too.
• 53:27
  Like, this is okay that it's that I might not be for everybody, the product might not be for everybody.
• 53:32
  Yes.
• 53:33
  We don't have to be so inclusive for every single little thing, you know, because it's hard.
• 53:37
  'cause of what happened.
• 53:37
  You were trying to be inclusive with your product line.
• 53:39
  Mm-hmm.
• 53:40
  And there were certain sizes that didn't do well.
• 53:43
  Correct.
• 53:43
  So sometimes when you try to be so inclusive, it comes up and it, you know, it's a mishap.
• 53:47
  Right.
• 53:48
  And this is something that I'm learning and trying to figure out, is it that.
• 53:52
  Double XL girls do not want my product.
• 53:55
  It is not for them.
• 53:56
  Or is it that I didn't market accurately to them, which I don't think I know the answer a hundred percent just yet.
• 54:04
  Um, I think probably the general consensus is most people who are too XL or comfortable in a crop.
• 54:10
  However, I am sure there is a fashion forward plus size girl mm-hmm.
• 54:15
  That doesn't know about me.
• 54:16
  That would probably be thrilled mm-hmm.
• 54:18
  To have the vest.
• 54:19
  So if you're a plus size girl, like.
• 54:22
  Let me know how you, you know, I would love to get feedback from them.
• 54:25
  Yeah.
• 54:25
  Sometimes you just need the feedback too.
• 54:27
  Yeah.
• 54:27
  So what else?
• 54:28
  What else?
• 54:28
  What else are we thinking?
• 54:29
  For some, I think the feeling like, is it, are you, is your brand Zen?
• 54:34
  Is it energetic?
• 54:36
  Is it outgoing?
• 54:37
  Like, I think a lot of people, what's the personality of the brand?
• 54:40
  Yes, yes.
• 54:40
  And you know, when you're creating a community, you want people to feel called out like, holy cow, she's talking to me.
• 54:47
  You know what I mean?
• 54:47
  Like this is it.
• 54:48
  And I think that's a lot with influencers, is that we are attracted to people who we feel like would be our best friends.
• 54:54
  Yep.
• 54:54
  Right?
• 54:55
  Like they're on here showing their lipsticks or their outfits or their family and you're just like, we could be homies.
• 55:01
  And a lot of times you feel like you are homies.
• 55:03
  Like, I feel like I've known you forever, but I don't, I follow you.
• 55:05
  Right.
• 55:06
  So it's like, that's also like, so you're doing your job.
• 55:09
  Right.
• 55:09
  That's building a community.
• 55:10
  And I think it's the same thing for a brand.
• 55:12
  It's like, okay, like the people that are modeling the outfit, the events that that brand is hosting, are these things that I would want to be at?
• 55:19
  This feels like that's what we're attracted to now is something that feels synonymous with where we are.
• 55:25
  Right.
• 55:25
  I also think like in terms of working with influencers, which is exciting because I've been in this space for so long, but it becomes like a next step, right?
• 55:32
  Like you're like, oh, I want influencers to be wearing this.
• 55:34
  Back to your point about needing photography and all of these things, Lord, you need constant content, all of these things.
• 55:41
  But numbers are not everything you could.
• 55:45
  Pay somebody with millions of followers.
• 55:47
  Yeah.
• 55:47
  And they might not have the same reach, they might not have the same connection point with their audience.
• 55:53
  Yes.
• 55:53
  That maybe a micro influencer does.
• 55:55
  Yes.
• 55:56
  So I feel like we're kind of highly saturated.
• 55:58
  Yes.
• 55:58
  Sometimes the micro influencers do have a highly saturated Absolutely.
• 56:02
  Yeah.
• 56:03
  Or they're just a little bit more out of touch with their audience because there's so many people.
• 56:09
  Right.
• 56:09
  And again, you're kind of catering to so many people versus if you look at somebody who does have a more niche following.
• 56:16
  Mm-hmm.
• 56:16
  And that might be the audience that you wanna go after, is somebody maybe that has a smaller number, but they have a very, very impactful community and they know who they're speaking to.
• 56:28
  Right.
• 56:28
  And so that, that's something that you can maybe partner with an influencer who has that.
• 56:34
  It's like, who are the customers back to?
• 56:36
  Who do you, who do you want?
• 56:38
  If you find an influencer that has the customers that you want versus the number of people right, that they have.
• 56:44
  I think that that's more important when I, especially product based.
• 56:48
  Yeah.
• 56:48
  And when I've looked at influencers or thinking about people who I would want to work with, like I am looking for people.
• 56:56
  As a founder who do have like a super niche community, like maybe a mo someone who's creating like su hyper mom content.
• 57:04
  Right.
• 57:04
  You know what I mean?
• 57:05
  Like that's attractive for me'cause I'm not that person or that mom.
• 57:09
  So I think like, she probably has followers of people that don't follow me.
• 57:13
  I would love to get in front of her audience.
• 57:15
  You know, maybe someone who's like more woo woo with the, you know, yoga, like, that's also attractive to me.
• 57:20
  'cause that's not me.
• 57:21
  I'm right.
• 57:22
  Loud and obnoxious and over the top.
• 57:23
  So like, this is, we are different people.
• 57:25
  So I think yes.
• 57:26
  To niche down and to collaborate Yeah.
• 57:29
  With these type of other people is so beneficial.
• 57:32
  And when creating an audience, like you want to think about who is your niche.
• 57:37
  Right?
• 57:37
  And I think that that's really good advice for not only somebody who wants to build a brand or who maybe mm-hmm.
• 57:43
  If they have something, if they do have a brand and they're trying to get the word out.
• 57:46
  Yeah.
• 57:47
  But it's also helpful because we have a lot of people who are listening who are micro influencers.
• 57:52
  Yes.
• 57:52
  And so that's, it's just a way to kind of collaborate.
• 57:55
  Yeah.
• 57:55
  You know, for both, for both sides.
• 57:57
  Yeah.
• 57:57
  We had the Leah who owns, a Pilates platform and she was online doing all these like pop-up things like teaching Pilates classes, doing all of her Pilates things.
• 58:08
  She was filming herself and she was growing and growing and growing.
• 58:11
  And one day she said, online, who are you?
• 58:15
  Who am I even talking to?
• 58:16
  I don't even know who I'm talking to.
• 58:18
  And she pulled everybody.
• 58:19
  And like 90% of who she was talking to were not even in this area.
• 58:24
  And they were other Pilates instructors.
• 58:26
  So just from that, not customers Pilates, not customers, just Pilates instructors who were not local.
• 58:33
  So just from asking who are you?
• 58:36
  Yep.
• 58:36
  She switched her entire trajectory of her business and started to gear it towards Pilates instructors who she could teach and who she could provide material for and scale her business.
• 58:48
  And from there it popped off.
• 58:49
  So sometimes you go in with one thing, you start attracting something else.
• 58:54
  Yes.
• 58:54
  And then you lean into that.
• 58:56
  It's not, you're not changing who you are, but you kind kind of, she wasn't changing what she was doing, she just kind of changed the messaging.
• 59:01
  Right.
• 59:01
  And then you just kind of lean into it.
• 59:03
  And that's where the profitable business Yes.
• 59:05
  Came from.
• 59:06
  Well, you have to listen to the demand, you know?
• 59:07
  Yes, exactly.
• 59:08
  Right.
• 59:09
  So I think that's also good advice.
• 59:11
  Yes, absolutely.
• 59:12
  I think that when we were building this brand.
• 59:15
  Christina and I I knew we were onto something because we weren't looking for inspiration No.
• 59:19
  On social media.
• 59:20
  Yes.
• 59:20
  We were going back and forth, the two of us in a notes page, and then maybe throwing it through chat GPT to refine our thoughts.
• 59:27
  Yep.
• 59:27
  But we were not looking for what other people were doing in trying to extrapolate from that.
• 59:32
  Yeah.
• 59:32
  We were really.
• 59:33
  Truly being creative.
• 59:34
  And I think that when you sit in that space Yeah.
• 59:36
  Of creativity.
• 59:37
  Mm-hmm.
• 59:37
  You're on to something, I think also,'cause you're not in the copying space.
• 59:40
  Yeah.
• 59:40
  I totally agree with you.
• 59:42
  And to piggyback on that, I think that we were also looking for content that didn't exist.
• 59:46
  Yeah.
• 59:46
  And so we were like, what are we searching for?
• 59:48
  What are we looking for to right.
• 59:50
  Consume as this,'cause we're content creators, we're putting content out there.
• 59:55
  And we felt like not only were, it was things that we wanted to talk about, it was because we weren't feeling like we had anything to listen to that was talking a lot about the types of things that we wanted to talk about.
• 1:00:06
  So I think sometimes back to maybe who are you not looking for?
• 1:00:10
  It's like, well, what is missing from the gaps?
• 1:00:13
  The gap.
• 1:00:14
  What's the gap?
• 1:00:14
  Right.
• 1:00:15
  Unfortunately everything is so saturated now.
• 1:00:17
  In order to be successful, I think on some level you have to fill some sort of gap.
• 1:00:21
  And I think, being your authentic self, they always say like, you are what make it different.
• 1:00:25
  Yes.
• 1:00:26
  But the gaps, I think.
• 1:00:29
  Really help.
• 1:00:29
  Yeah.
• 1:00:30
  Filling the gap.
• 1:00:31
  I think that exactly what T said is how to lean into that, not change it, not completely change, like the whole thing that you were thinking of, but how can you position it to like lean into something Yeah.
• 1:00:42
  That maybe is not so saturated.
• 1:00:44
  Absolutely.
• 1:00:44
  Absolutely.
• 1:00:45
  But you're still feeling authentic to yourself.
• 1:00:47
  Yeah.
• 1:00:48
  You know?
• 1:00:48
  I agree with that.
• 1:00:49
  Right.
• 1:00:50
  So, um, another thing for building community, if we're still there.
• 1:00:53
  Yeah.
• 1:00:54
  Oh yeah.
• 1:00:54
  We we're always there.
• 1:00:55
  We're there, is I think also is starting small and we talked about the micro influencer.
• 1:01:00
  Mm-hmm.
• 1:01:00
  But I think that when you're starting a brand or a podcast or anything like that, it's like, okay, you have to be okay with the small numbers because they say an overnight success takes five years.
• 1:01:11
  Yeah.
• 1:01:11
  Okay.
• 1:01:11
  So it's like, yeah, we all need to regulate our expectations and just start small.
• 1:01:18
  I think people are always looking for new followers rather than mm-hmm.
• 1:01:24
  Connecting and communicating and selling to the ones you already have.
• 1:01:30
  People are so worried about like more, more, more, more, more.
• 1:01:32
  Yeah.
• 1:01:33
  More and more.
• 1:01:33
  But that's also why I wanna create other products.
• 1:01:35
  It's like, okay, I have this pool of people who are really happy with my product.
• 1:01:40
  How can I make them come back?
• 1:01:43
  Right.
• 1:01:43
  Are they gonna come back for, they need to come back for another, either another, another color, or Well, because then you another product, so then you drop these limited edition design.
• 1:01:53
  I would love to do that.
• 1:01:53
  I would love to do that.
• 1:01:54
  I mean, I already have all three.
• 1:01:55
  I'm waiting for another one.
• 1:01:56
  I mean, tea is the perfect example of, I have all three.
• 1:02:00
  Because if you love something, I think that there's no shame in when you love something so much, like owning it in multiple things.
• 1:02:05
  And it really speaks to how much, especially when it's a, a piece that you can wear.
• 1:02:09
  It's a layering piece so you can wear it over and over again.
• 1:02:12
  But I think that there's like pride in that.
• 1:02:14
  Like you're like, I love this so much.
• 1:02:15
  Yeah.
• 1:02:15
  I own this in three colors and.
• 1:02:18
  I know I love it and I wanted all my friends to have it too.
• 1:02:21
  I know, but that is very much You're sweet.
• 1:02:23
  Something that I, that I like, like I like my favorite things.
• 1:02:26
  Yeah.
• 1:02:26
  This is definitely on my favorite things list.
• 1:02:29
  That's nice.
• 1:02:29
  All the time.
• 1:02:29
  That's true.
• 1:02:30
  So one more thing and we, we touched on this a little bit in this episode, is the importance of just starting.
• 1:02:37
  Right.
• 1:02:38
  And a lot of the times I think that people can get so caught up mm-hmm.
• 1:02:43
  In the perfection of something and not starting.
• 1:02:47
  So I will give an example of how when t and I started this podcast, i'm the example of being so annoying where I can't get outta my head.
• 1:02:55
  I have admitted that a million times on this podcast.
• 1:02:57
  Like, I can't get outta my own head.
• 1:02:59
  I want everything to be perfect.
• 1:03:00
  Yeah.
• 1:03:01
  I want it to look this way and feel this way, and I don't want it to come a mistake.
• 1:03:04
  Right.
• 1:03:05
  And I am done is better than perfect and honestly, which is, that's a hard way.
• 1:03:10
  I understand to an example of like not wanting to quote unquote fail when you're launching a business.
• 1:03:16
  Yeah.
• 1:03:17
  But at the same time be or be sloppy or miss, you know, like miss something that's like rather important.
• 1:03:23
  Right.
• 1:03:24
  But if you don't start, you have no feedback or anything to even refine.
• 1:03:30
  Right?
• 1:03:30
  Agreed.
• 1:03:31
  So you have to a just start and so for us, that literally meant that we were not putting money into a photo shoot.
• 1:03:39
  We were not renting a studio.
• 1:03:42
  Yeah.
• 1:03:42
  We were not doing any of the bullshit somebody else to do it.
• 1:03:45
  We were not doing that because we were like, you know what?
• 1:03:48
  For us it's the content.
• 1:03:50
  Yeah.
• 1:03:50
  It's actually what we're putting out, our voices, our message and what we're putting out.
• 1:03:54
  We were not branding, we were not worrying about, you know, spending a million dollars on cover art or all the like, no.
• 1:04:01
  That will come and if we have money to invest in that later on.
• 1:04:05
  We'll invest in it after there's success from our content.
• 1:04:09
  Sure.
• 1:04:09
  And I think that people get ahead of themselves like, I'm gonna launch a business.
• 1:04:14
  And it's, you're putting backwards, you're putting the chicken before the egg.
• 1:04:17
  Yes.
• 1:04:17
  And it's a, and I'm not saying that there can't be success in doing that, but I'm saying especially when you're starting small, when you don't have a platform to start those things.
• 1:04:27
  Yeah.
• 1:04:27
  Or money to put money or money to all those things cost money.
• 1:04:30
  It's very overwhelming very quickly.
• 1:04:32
  It's, it's overwhelming.
• 1:04:33
  And I'm really speaking to that because we get a lot of questions on like how to start something and, and you're like, well I don't have the means to do all of this yet.
• 1:04:42
  And it's like, then just worry about what matters.
• 1:04:45
  You know what I mean?
• 1:04:45
  And then let the success find you from being authentic and putting yourself out there and just doing it.
• 1:04:51
  And then you can refine and tweak.
• 1:04:53
  And t and I are gonna have this big branding photo shoot a year in.
• 1:04:57
  Yes.
• 1:04:58
  'cause now we feel like.
• 1:04:59
  That's the next step for us.
• 1:05:01
  Yeah.
• 1:05:01
  And we shot our cover photo on a sofa in this very room.
• 1:05:04
  Yeah.
• 1:05:05
  And put it out there.
• 1:05:06
  Yeah.
• 1:05:06
  Which I love.
• 1:05:07
  We did.
• 1:05:08
  And I'm not saying that to like shit on other things.
• 1:05:10
  I No, you're just saying that because you, you had to get started.
• 1:05:12
  You have to get started.
• 1:05:14
  Yeah, absolutely.
• 1:05:14
  You, and sometimes getting started isn't always a$2,000 photo shoot because you Yeah.
• 1:05:19
  You know, that doesn't always generate.
• 1:05:22
  It's not OI and people that are r yet going to be part of your community, but Exactly.
• 1:05:26
  I will say one other thing about getting started is, and this is gonna sound totally like contradictory to everything we've talked about with the community building, but sometimes you have to hold your idea close to your vest.
• 1:05:38
  So true in the beginning.
• 1:05:39
  Because if you are not confident with that idea and you don't know, and you pull the people, and the people don't tell you what you wanna hear, that could maybe scare you away.
• 1:05:50
  Like, what if you were pulling people and they were like, nah, I don't know if you should do that, A vest.
• 1:05:55
  Like, uh, like what if that got in your head and that scared you away and it might have not been the right people.
• 1:06:00
  You know?
• 1:06:01
  Like you don't know exactly who you're Yeah, I do agree with that too.
• 1:06:04
  It's tricky with this idea, Christina is tricky.
• 1:06:06
  And I said, we like this idea and we're gonna do it.
• 1:06:10
  Yeah.
• 1:06:10
  And I didn't wanna, yeah, I think you have to listen to your, we just had to listen to our gut.
• 1:06:13
  Yes.
• 1:06:13
  Your gut.
• 1:06:14
  You have to listen to your gut.
• 1:06:15
  And then we told our friends.
• 1:06:17
  Yeah.
• 1:06:17
  And then you're like, but I agree with that.
• 1:06:19
  It's a very delicate balance of like letting people in, getting some feedback, but then also running with what you feel in your gut.
• 1:06:28
  Absolutely.
• 1:06:28
  You know, and a lot of the times your gut is right.
• 1:06:30
  Yeah.
• 1:06:31
  And I think like people say like, you have to feel the butterfly.
• 1:06:33
  The, the idea has to give you the butterfly that like, Ooh.
• 1:06:36
  Like anything's possible.
• 1:06:37
  Yeah.
• 1:06:38
  Right.
• 1:06:38
  Which, you know, that feeling can ebb and flow over time, but that's the feeling that you're chasing.
• 1:06:45
  For sure.
• 1:06:46
  Mm-hmm.
• 1:06:47
  Oh, I love that.
• 1:06:48
  I think this has been very, very inspiring and very helpful.
• 1:06:51
  And if our Pippa's have any other questions for Ashley or just on like entrepreneurship in general?
• 1:06:57
  I feel like it's just, again, a topic that doesn't get discussed as much, like the ins and outs of things.
• 1:07:03
  It's just not something that maybe people feel comfortable sharing because they're worried, you know?
• 1:07:08
  But, but I do think it's a very interesting conversation.
• 1:07:10
  I think that there's room for everybody at the table, no matter what is happening.
• 1:07:15
  I feel like that's just something that I've learned and I've learned the hard way.
• 1:07:20
  You know, like you wanna be guarded and you wanna be protective, but there's room for everybody at the table.
• 1:07:26
  Yeah.
• 1:07:26
  And just because somebody else is doing something doesn't mean that it infringes on what you're doing.
• 1:07:31
  You know?
• 1:07:32
  And I think that when you remove that from your vocabulary, like so many things can open up.
• 1:07:39
  Mm-hmm.
• 1:07:39
  And.
• 1:07:40
  And believe it and act it.
• 1:07:41
  Yeah.
• 1:07:42
  You know, not just say it.
• 1:07:43
  A lot of times people hop on on the internet and they say that, but that's not, they don't even feel that way or they don't act that way.
• 1:07:50
  Yeah.
• 1:07:50
  You know?
• 1:07:51
  Well, well, they think it's something they should set, mean it and do it.
• 1:07:53
  Mm-hmm.
• 1:07:53
  Yeah.
• 1:07:54
  In order to be the queen of your craft, you have to walk the walk.
• 1:07:57
  I love it.
• 1:07:57
  You gotta talk.
• 1:07:58
  The talk.
• 1:07:58
  You gotta get out there.
• 1:07:59
  Yep.
• 1:07:59
  And do it.
• 1:08:00
  This has been so great.
• 1:08:02
  I love it.
• 1:08:02
  Yeah.
• 1:08:02
  So we're gonna close with our pink spotlight, which is a our person place think tip.
• 1:08:07
  Anything that's making our lives a little bit better this week for t and i or for our guests, just in general.
• 1:08:13
  Mm-hmm.
• 1:08:13
  And so we will close with our pink spotlight tip of the week.
• 1:08:18
  Okay.
• 1:08:18
  Do you have one for us?
• 1:08:19
  Ashley?
• 1:08:19
  Do you wanna kick it off?
• 1:08:20
  Okay.
• 1:08:20
  I do.
• 1:08:20
  She came prepared, which we love.
• 1:08:22
  We love a prepared, I'm a fan of the show.
• 1:08:24
  Um, well, can I do a high low?
• 1:08:26
  Can I do two?
• 1:08:26
  Yes.
• 1:08:27
  Oh yes, of course.
• 1:08:28
  Oh, I love that.
• 1:08:28
  Oh, this is the Spotlight Girl.
• 1:08:30
  The lower spotlight is the cups that I made.
• 1:08:34
  You guys love these.
• 1:08:35
  She came with this, well, I didn't actually made them.
• 1:08:38
  I paint someone else.
• 1:08:38
  She look at how awesome these are.
• 1:08:40
  She came with branded Pretty and Pink again.
• 1:08:42
  Little tumblers with a straw.
• 1:08:44
  And I've That's what you've been hearing this, this noise.
• 1:08:47
  All time.
• 1:08:48
  It's'cause I've been sipping my seltzer through it.
• 1:08:50
  It's, Lauren Harris at JL Woodworking Design.
• 1:08:53
  She's incredible and she does all these things for me, for all of my events.
• 1:08:56
  Drink tags and journals.
• 1:08:59
  All the merch.
• 1:09:00
  Yeah, all the merch.
• 1:09:00
  Love it.
• 1:09:01
  And she is just, you know, hotter on the inside.
• 1:09:03
  She's just such a great person and I love her.
• 1:09:06
  So spotlighting her.
• 1:09:07
  And then also I got an, well, like for my husband's birthday, I got him an eight sleep.
• 1:09:13
  Tell us about that.
• 1:09:13
  Oh, is that the thing that cools?
• 1:09:15
  Yes.
• 1:09:15
  Oh, okay.
• 1:09:16
  Tell me.
• 1:09:16
  Yes.
• 1:09:17
  So in terms of making your life better, so he's always hot and you're always cold.
• 1:09:20
  Yes.
• 1:09:20
  Ugh.
• 1:09:21
  Yes.
• 1:09:21
  During my life.
• 1:09:22
  And it heats and cools the bed.
• 1:09:25
  Um, it is expensive, but it heats and cools the bed.
• 1:09:28
  It tracks your sleep.
• 1:09:29
  It tells you how many times you woke up.
• 1:09:31
  It gives you a sleep score.
• 1:09:32
  Is it like something you lay over the mattress?
• 1:09:34
  It's a top, it's not like a mattress.
• 1:09:36
  Okay.
• 1:09:36
  Yeah, topper.
• 1:09:37
  And it's actually heated and cooled through water.
• 1:09:40
  So you fill the system with water.
• 1:09:42
  And, um, I've kind of just like, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 1:09:45
  About it.
• 1:09:45
  But then I, it was my husband's birthday.
• 1:09:47
  I'm like, what am I gonna get?
• 1:09:47
  I'm like, oh, he's been talking about this eight sleep, so I got it.
• 1:09:51
  There's an app you check your sleep and it has been very informative.
• 1:09:55
  Who's better sleeper?
• 1:09:57
  Yeah.
• 1:09:57
  Getting all the information.
• 1:09:57
  Well, well, of course now we're in competition every night.
• 1:09:58
  Who likes sleeping better?
• 1:10:00
  Of like everything?
• 1:10:02
  Yeah, like everything else.
• 1:10:02
  Like everything else.
• 1:10:03
  Um, he is usually a better sleeper.
• 1:10:06
  Yeah, he's a better sleeper.
• 1:10:07
  I'm the better sleeper in our family.
• 1:10:09
  And you also run hot, right?
• 1:10:10
  And I'm always hot.
• 1:10:11
  Nick is like the girl you are.
• 1:10:12
  She's, I'm always hot.
• 1:10:13
  It's, it's wild.
• 1:10:14
  And I'm a an amazing sleeper.
• 1:10:16
  My husband is like, I am, I am.
• 1:10:17
  My husband needs the vest.
• 1:10:18
  He needs the socks, he need the, the gloves.
• 1:10:20
  Me too.
• 1:10:20
  I go to bed with, I very rarely hear that.
• 1:10:23
  My window is always open.
• 1:10:24
  I'm going to be a fucking disaster in menopause.
• 1:10:27
  I like, I'm gonna be awful.
• 1:10:29
  Nick was like, ask Ashley if she can make you a cooling vest.
• 1:10:31
  I know you need a cool, I know.
• 1:10:33
  Maybe like, you need a cooling vest.
• 1:10:35
  What do you need for He's need a cooling vest.
• 1:10:36
  She's always hot.
• 1:10:37
  Well, because I don't like to wear a jacket'cause I'm always hot, so I'm always in a vest vest.
• 1:10:40
  So you do love a vest.
• 1:10:41
  Vest is perfect for me because yes.
• 1:10:43
  I'm always in a vest because I'm very rarely in a full right.
• 1:10:46
  And the three temperature settings probably do well for you because you can change it.
• 1:10:49
  It's perfect.
• 1:10:50
  It's perfect.
• 1:10:51
  Okay.
• 1:10:51
  Um, now I know.
• 1:10:52
  Now I know why you're such a fan of the brand.
• 1:10:55
  See, it's for everybody.
• 1:10:56
  Yeah.
• 1:10:57
  That's nice.
• 1:10:57
  It's for everybody.
• 1:10:57
  Even if you do run hot, even if you do run hot like this, listen, I'm Italian.
• 1:11:01
  Okay.
• 1:11:02
  I get very hotheaded and I'm very hot.
• 1:11:04
  I not, I do not, well, I can't relate to that.
• 1:11:06
  I'm always freezing.
• 1:11:08
  Oh my God.
• 1:11:08
  So, I'm so excited me to have a hot Tommy's vest, but, okay.
• 1:11:11
  T what about you?
• 1:11:12
  Okay, so mine is gonna be like a little sappy today.
• 1:11:14
  So I, not sappy, but like, I'm in a group chat with my mom, my dad, and my two sisters, our little fam chat.
• 1:11:20
  So we have two group chats.
• 1:11:21
  We have one with the in-laws like with my husband and the brother-in-laws.
• 1:11:24
  And then we have one with just like the five of us.
• 1:11:25
  But yeah, it pings all day long and everybody shares like all the good things that's happening.
• 1:11:31
  Or like, I love that there like, oh, there was a mouse in the house, or I found a snake or dad toilet's clogged.
• 1:11:36
  Or mom like, yeah, I have this ache.
• 1:11:39
  Like am I dying?
• 1:11:40
  Or like, oh, I have this, or I have that.
• 1:11:42
  And I love my family group chat.
• 1:11:44
  Like I feel like.
• 1:11:45
  It didn't happen unless it enters the group chat.
• 1:11:48
  Yeah.
• 1:11:48
  And it's like everybody's successes goes in there.
• 1:11:50
  And I just feel so grateful that I have this like silly group chat with my mom and my dad and my two sisters and I'm almost 40 years old.
• 1:11:57
  It's also, that's beautiful.
• 1:11:58
  Also amazing how much you can keep in touch that way.
• 1:12:01
  Like it really is, it like really feels like you're just talking all day long.
• 1:12:04
  It goes all day long.
• 1:12:05
  And even my dad is an active participant in the family group chat.
• 1:12:08
  He now does not know how to individually text us everything.
• 1:12:12
  It's everything.
• 1:12:12
  Everything's in group.
• 1:12:12
  Yeah.
• 1:12:13
  That gets dangerous now everything's in the group chat.
• 1:12:15
  Now where are you in the birth order?
• 1:12:16
  I'm number one.
• 1:12:17
  Huh?
• 1:12:18
  I'm number one.
• 1:12:19
  My, but my youngest sister, Marissa is 13 years younger than us.
• 1:12:23
  And she just recently moved out and she's like on her own now, and she's like living with her fiance and their house and this and that.
• 1:12:30
  But she's really like, when you think of like a firstborn, she's like, the firstborn, like, because she got it again is like reset.
• 1:12:36
  She's in charge.
• 1:12:37
  Yeah.
• 1:12:37
  Mm-hmm.
• 1:12:38
  Mm-hmm.
• 1:12:38
  So we always like defer to her, like Marissa knows what's up.
• 1:12:41
  So anyways, that's my pink spotlight.
• 1:12:42
  You always have a cute one.
• 1:12:43
  She loves to do this.
• 1:12:44
  Whenever you have a really sappy sweet one, then I go with the product.
• 1:12:48
  Oh my gosh.
• 1:12:48
  But anyway, um, so mine are the pants that I'm wearing today, which are the Auria lodge pants.
• 1:12:55
  And these are like viral.
• 1:12:56
  They go viral on Instagram, viral on TikTok all the time.
• 1:12:59
  I've had them for a couple of years in other colors, but I got this like new cream color and they, so they're like a wide leg.
• 1:13:07
  Crepe pant.
• 1:13:08
  I noticed them.
• 1:13:09
  And they are not only so comfortable, and they kind of just feel like elevated sweats, you know, in a way.
• 1:13:15
  Yeah.
• 1:13:15
  But they don't wrinkle.
• 1:13:17
  Which I feel like you're not wrinkled at all.
• 1:13:19
  No.
• 1:13:19
  It's like unreal.
• 1:13:20
  So for traveling, do they have lengths?
• 1:13:23
  They do.
• 1:13:24
  They have different lengths.
• 1:13:24
  Well, look, she's wearing a flat.
• 1:13:25
  Yes.
• 1:13:26
  Yeah.
• 1:13:26
  You don't even need a high shoe.
• 1:13:27
  Nope., But I could get away with like a little bit of a heel if I wanted to, but I just, I love them all the time.
• 1:13:32
  They have like a drawstring too, but I tuck that in sometimes.
• 1:13:35
  Like, so if I can wear them a little bit more casual with the drawstring and then I can tuck it in if I'm dressing them up, but I have them in black and then a darker brown color.
• 1:13:44
  But it's my third pair of them.
• 1:13:46
  And then they come in a bunch of other fabrics too.
• 1:13:48
  So they have linen.
• 1:13:49
  Where can we find the link?
• 1:13:51
  I'll have the link in my show notes, but they're from aia.
• 1:13:53
  You could just Google the lodge.
• 1:13:55
  Can this iss like the perfect Easter Sunday outfit too?
• 1:13:57
  It's Easter.
• 1:13:57
  Easter.
• 1:13:57
  Easter Sunday brunch Or like kick it around here in the podcast office.
• 1:14:01
  Yes.
• 1:14:01
  But then it's nice because I sometimes feel like when I'm sitting here, like I can't be in anything that's like too, too constricting because we're like sitting in a chair.
• 1:14:08
  So I, and then also you wrinkle your clothes when you're sitting.
• 1:14:11
  Yeah.
• 1:14:11
  I've learned that the hard Yes, we've learned like what to wear and what not to wear because things get a couple of bad jean options.
• 1:14:17
  Yeah, yeah.
• 1:14:17
  We have had such a great time chatting with you all things business and yourself and where can we find you?
• 1:14:24
  You can find me at Hot Tommy's, T-O-M-M-I-E-S Online or Ashley Langer Connects.
• 1:14:32
  On Instagram.
• 1:14:32
  On Instagram?
• 1:14:33
  Yes.
• 1:14:34
  Okay.
• 1:14:34
  I'm Instagram person.
• 1:14:35
  I try on TikTok by just I know.
• 1:14:37
  Same us.
• 1:14:37
  Us too.
• 1:14:38
  It's just too many things Sometimes you gotta just focus too many things, but you're doing, you're doing enough.
• 1:14:43
  You're doing'em all.
• 1:14:44
  You're doing great, sweetie Christian.
• 1:14:47
  Well thank you so much for being here.
• 1:14:49
  I loved this conversation.
• 1:14:51
  Oh, thank so much for having me.
• 1:14:52
  It was nice to meet you in person too.
• 1:14:53
  You are as wonderful as you seem online too.
• 1:14:55
  Thank you.
• 1:14:55
  That's nice.
• 1:14:56
  That's nice.
• 1:14:56
  We love you so much.
• 1:14:57
  Same to you.
• 1:14:57
  Yeah.
• 1:14:58
  All right.