EPISODE 63 - PASSION TO PROFIT - LIVE EVENT PANEL WITH KARIN BHON, RAVEENA OBEROI, KAREN LEE AND SARAH BOLAND

Photo by @allymatos

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE:

Today is a really fun episode!

Be a fly on the wall for a portion of the panel conversation we had at our Passion to Profit Event in Vancouver last week!

In this conversation, Danielle asks our panelists about some of the most challenging aspects of their business journeys, their learnings over the last couple of years, how they celebrate their success, and what they do when they are feeling discouraged.

This Panel of Women is so incredibly honest about their journeys, and their past and current struggles. Enjoy this raw conversation about entrepreneurship, failures, motherhood, and so much more!

Questions for the Panel:

Talk about a time when you felt you had a big failure or struggle in your business journey.

Karen - how Leze the Label started in astronomical debt and caused her and her business partner to decide what really matters and overcome discouragement and overwhelm.

Raveena - coming face to face with losing her “why” in the midst of Covid! She was forced to learn to adapt & pivot in her business and become resilient.

Karin - has learned to embrace failure! She learned also that downsizing doesn’t equal failure, but gave her room to thrive in her business. Bigger doesn’t always mean more successful or more profitable. 

Sarah - gets personal about her journey with infertility up to becoming a mom of twins and her struggle with guilt around her journey as a parent and an entrepreneur. 

Tell us what you’ve learned about pivoting or changing direction. Tell us about your moments of clarity & resilience. 

Karen - talks about not being able to stop working and her journey with creating boundaries and balance and finding her “why”. 

Raveena - talks about learning how to let go of Ego and trust in her team. 

Karin - those issues come no matter what! As time goes on, it may not get easier, but you get more skilled at dealing with those issues. Your capacity will grow if you are growing! “I’ve done it before, so I can do it again.” 

Sarah - how she is learning how to eliminate guilt as she became fully a mother and fully an entrepreneur at the same time - even from the hospital bed post-partum - as she remembers what energizes her and makes her tick.

Raveena - share about your experience appearing on the Food Network

Raveena talks about the theory of positive uncertainty - believing that good things are coming, fighting against imposter syndrome and asking “why not me” instead - and how it shaped her journey after her previous business failed. When the things she dreamed of came to fruition, she found that it pointed back to one of her biggest “why’s” as an entrepreneur - that representation matters, and she got to be a part of history.

Karen - talk about your mindset as you worked your way out of debt

Karen talks about how it was a bit of an overwhelming roller-coaster, but getting in the right mindset is absolutely what got her there. She started with a social media detox, and took time every day to disconnect (turning her phone on airplane mode, etc) and connect to her faith. She learned how to be ok with being unproductive and how to define what success looks like to her, working to eliminate shame and reshape her mind as she found what actually nurtured her. At the end of the day, business runs way better when you are caring for yourself. 

Sarah - what has it been like, as a new mom, to learn how to set boundaries?

Sarah talks about the power of having an independent team that is confident in their roles. She turned off superfluous notifications and started saying “no” to superfluous meetings. Meditation has also changed the game! She also talked about having lots of ideas, and not enough time, and learning what ideas to act on. She also talks about failed launches and how to pivot when a newly launched product or service isn’t as successful as expected. 

Karin - what did your social media detox look like and how would you encourage others looking to do the same?

Karin shares how her detox occurred very organically at the same time as she was downsizing her business. As she began to disconnect, it gave her space to reconnect to her “why” - which was being a woman in business and sharing authentically about the journey. She began by muting accounts that made her feel icky, and then slowly found herself spending less and less time on social media until she was fine being quiet with herself and re-finding her own voice in that space. 

What would your advice be to someone who is grappling with failure or struggling in their entrepreneurial journey?

Karen - find a time and place to disconnect and reconnect. It’s ok to take time to grieve and have your pity party, but don’t forget to drop your ego and ask yourself what you are learning. If it was easy, then everyone would be doing it! It is totally normal to feel like you don’t know what you’re doing!

Raveena - take time to reconnect with your “why” - you won’t always feel motivated and you will feel like giving up, but keep going and do it anyway. 

Karin - there isn’t a roadmap for your unique journey, so it can be a roller coaster! Keep going - Oprah wasn’t built in a day. 

Sarah - it goes back to your customer and your mission. What are your customers using? What do they want? Your customers are your boss! Keep going in the face of rejection - rejection doesn’t mean your journey is over.

Connect with our Panelists:

Raveena Oberoi @ravthechef of @justcakesbakeshop

Karen Lee @lezethelabel

Sarah Boland @bolandia_ of @lifelapse_app

Karin Bohn @karinbohn of @houseofbohn

Our Top Business Resources to Support Female Entrepreneurs:

• Free Masterclass “How to Scale a Profitable Business without working around the clock”

• Action Takers Club: Our Signature Business Course + Community to Support you in Scaling a Profitable Business

• Ready to Take Your Business to the Next Level in an Intimate Group of other Successful Entrepreneurs? Learn about our Mastermind

• One on One Business Coaching and Strategy Consulting with Danielle Wiebe

transcript

[00:00:00] Danielle: Welcome back to the business babes collective podcast. I'm so excited that you're here today is a really fun episode because we actually have a snippet from a conversation that we had at our passion to profit event last week. This event was so special and it was so incredible to be in person with everyone. Again, the energy in the room was amazing and so many new women who are a part of this community, and even those of you who listen to the podcast. So I just wanted to say, if you are listening to this and you are at the event on Wednesday, thank you so much for being there and thank you for being a part of our community.

[00:00:38] It was so amazing to have you there. So in this conversation, In the panel, I asked the panelists about some of the most challenging aspects of their business journeys, their learnings over the past couple of years, how they celebrate their success and what they do when they're feeling discouraged and so much more, I'm super excited for you to listen in on this episode.[00:01:00]

[00:01:00] We have Raveena Oberoi of just cake's bake shop, karen Lee of Leze the label, Sarah Boland of life lapse and Karen Bohn of house of Bohn. So I do have to warn you that this audio isn't gonna be perfect. I was recording from my phone and, you know, each person had their own mic. And so the volumes are a little bit off and I also don't have the. Full conversation. It actually gets cut off at a certain point. And so it's not perfect.

[00:01:29] However, I did want to share this on the podcast for you guys. Not only if you were at the event, but especially if you were not able to be there, just so you could get kind of a glimpse and just a quick snippet of the conversation that we had with these women, because it was amazing. And what I really loved about this conversation is that our panelists were so authentic. They were so raw, so real. And so you're going to get so much out of this and I just can't wait for you to listen [00:02:00] in.

[00:02:00] So if you enjoy this conversation, also make sure to connect with our panelists, find them on Instagram. I'm gonna link all of their handles below and let them know what stood out to you and let me know as well. I would love to hear what your takeaways are from today's episode. So before we dive in, I want to share something really, really exciting. We decided because we had our live event, we decided to bring back our action takers club bonuses.

[00:02:30] You know, I shared at the event that community is not just about the in-person events, because you know, the in-person events are amazing and they're so much fun, but that is one night, right? And so we wanna be in community with you a ongoing on a weekly and almost daily basis where we can connect, we can support you in growing and scaling your profitable business.

[00:02:54] So we wanna open up the doors to action takers club again, and we decided to bring back the [00:03:00] bonuses that were there at the end of April. So the two bonuses that we're offering is: one the profitable workflow system, which is a step by step video training that shows you exactly how to create your profitable workflow. It's copy and paste. You can copy our systems and our workflows make them work for you. Super easy to take it step by step and take you from overwhelmed to super organized in your business.

[00:03:25] And then we also have our automation toolkit, which is basically all the tools that you'll need to scale a profitable online business. These are the simple automation tools that are going to save you hours of your week. So you can customize this to your current stage of business. So I'm so, so excited to be offering you guys those two bonuses. And we're going to be offering them until the end of may and then they completely go away. So it's only one week.

[00:03:50] So make sure you jump in to get access to those bonuses. We cannot wait to see you inside of our signature program action takers club. So if you're, if [00:04:00] interested in learning more about how you can dive into our program and also just connect with an incredible community of like-minded entrepreneurs to support you in your journey, you can go to business babes collective.com/action takers club. And if you wanna learn more and actually get access to a free masterclass that we have put together for you, you can go to business babes collective dot slash masterclass.

[00:04:26] That masterclass will actually walk you through how to create a profitable business without working around the clock. We go through our entire framework that we teach inside of action takers club. So it's basically giving you kind of the framework of what we actually use inside of the program, and you can get access to that completely free. There's so many takeaways and so many tangible tips and steps in that free masterclass alone. So you can check that all out on our website and all the links will be below for you as well. So with [00:05:00] that being said, let's go ahead now and dive into the episode.

[00:05:05] Welcome to the business babes collective podcast. I'm your host, Danielle Wiebe. In this podcast, you'll learn tangible business tips and strategies on how to grow successfully and sustainably. We'll also interview seasoned entrepreneurs so you can listen in on their stories and see behind the scenes of what it took to grow and scale their businesses. Let's dive in as we discuss the wild, exciting, crazy, challenging, rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship.

[00:05:35] Talk a little bit about disappointments failures, struggles, all those things, you know, each one of you have been on the podcast. So I know a little bit kind of, somewhat of your stories, but talk about a time where you either felt like you had a big failure and that you weren't sure you know where to go or just maybe a, a struggle and it could be like a recent struggle or it could be maybe when you were [00:06:00] first sort of growing your business in like the first few years.

[00:06:04] Is there one that kind of sticks out to you that is kind of screaming at you being like, yeah, this is the one feel free to pop in and share

[00:06:11] Karen Lee: just like which one? So many. Okay. For us, I think the biggest one. In year two, we no, actually, Hmm. Year one to year two, where after the Kickstarter, uh, how it works is all this money comes right into your bank account all at once.

[00:06:30] And at the time we had raised 250,000 USD dollars. So when I hit our bank account, we're like, oh man, we're rich. Like let's do this. And, um, we got way too excited and started spending money like water. And like, we're gonna do this, this, this, this. When it happened, it turned out, we bought all the wrong things.

[00:06:52] We created all the wrong things and things got stuck. And that was something we promised ourselves we wouldn't do [00:07:00] because we had a previous business, um, together that had that same problem. And we ended up being in $180,000 worth of production debt, basically the opposite of what we were trying to do.

[00:07:12] And we were, I like, remember like laying in my bed, like looking up at the ceiling in darkness and wondering like, how the heck are we gonna pay this off? Because I'm so cheap. Like, I don't even, I didn't even pay for parking today. That's how cheap I am.

[00:07:30] So like that number to me was like astronomical at the time. It was like that, that probably was one of the hardest things, but I think it was necessary to go through that because ever since then, we've just been so lean and just faced the numbers with like every single day I would look at numbers and, you know, I bad at math, until we got really smart with making our decisions. And now to this day, I am never making that mistake again.

[00:07:57] Danielle: I love it. [00:08:00] Thank you for sharing that. Absolutely. And I think it's, it's good because it's relatable, right? Like maybe not that much in debt, maybe not all of us have felt that, but we felt maybe laying in your bed. I specifically remember a time laying in my bed, looking up at my ceiling, being like, I don't know where to go from here.

[00:08:18] I don't know what to do. I feel stuck. I feel lost. I feel overwhelmed. Who's had that by the way. Has anyone ever felt that? Okay. So thank you for sharing that because a lot of times when we're in that scenario, we're like, no one else has felt this, I'm the only one that's ever felt this way. So who wants to pop in with their stories?

[00:08:38] Raveena Oberoi: Sure. I will. Um, for me it was COVID and when everything hit, I mean, as a bakery, we probably 80% of our business. I, we talked about this, uh, was weddings and events and, you know, I relied so heavily on that. And then the world shut down. You know, having a team of the time, I believe we were 12, 13 people. I lay everybody [00:09:00] off. Everybody. And that killed me, like killed me.

[00:09:03] Cause my big why in my business is to be able to take care of other people, to be able to put forward this passion in a way that's ethical and genuine. And we were trying to do that and we were making such amazing strides. And then all of a sudden, the world breaks down and you're like, I can't, they can't pay their bills.

[00:09:22] And that crushed. It crushed me. I, I get that feeling, you know, you're curled up in your bed and, and just like, what am I gonna do? But it taught me to adapt and it taught me to pivot that there's always that silver lining and it's gonna teach you something and, and that I'm really grateful for it now, for sure. Um, but yeah, that was definitely a time that constantly just kind of runs through my head for sure. Yeah.

[00:09:45] Danielle: Yeah. And I think that's relatable to a lot of people in this past couple years of just like, what do I do now? Like, what am I gonna do? But it's so cool that those moments like make you resilient. Right. And just to see what you've been able to accomplish since is really cool. So thanks for [00:10:00] sharing that.

[00:10:01] Karin Bohn: Yeah. I feel like failure and success are two sides of the same coin. And so, um, failure is something that I've learned to just embrace, um, like making those mistakes because that's where the most learning comes.

[00:10:15] I think failure right now is a different thing that I'm wrestling with because I made the decision not too long ago to downsize my team and it was just a personal decision. It kind of, my team got really big in the interior design world, having a team of like 12 or 13 people is a lot of people to manage it's, we were running, I think, at the height, um, like 26 projects at a time and they're big projects. And, um, I felt like I was saying this earlier- I felt like my role had shifted from being a creative director to the cleanup queen. I was constantly going in and putting out fires and cleaning up mistakes and it just wasn't fun anymore.

[00:10:58] And I had been thinking for a [00:11:00] really long time about downsizing and had a really hard time embracing that and actioning it because it felt like failure. I felt like, if I shrink, that means that I'm failing somehow because when you're an entrepreneur or a business owner, Um, it's all about growth, like more revenue, more staff, more projects, bigger, bigger, bigger, bigger office.

[00:11:22] And I think when you're following that path, when you're doing that, it, it feels like you're succeeding. Oh, this means success because my team is bigger. Yeah. So I really had to kind of like look at where I was in my life and career. And, and personally, if I was satisfied doing what I was doing and then accept that this is not what I want. I don't wanna be cleaning up all the time. I wanna actually be doing creative work and amazing work and servicing our clients really well. So I finally made the decision to downsize and it was the best thing I could have done. I wish I had done it years ago. So my [00:12:00] team now, we're about a size of six people and it's, it's actually been amazing.

[00:12:05] Danielle: I love that. Thank you for sharing that, cuz yeah, I think sometimes we can just have be on this path of, and I think we talked about this actually the ego, Karin. Yeah. The fact of always needing to grow and be bigger and like do all and it's like, what version of success are we trying to achieve? Are we trying to achieve other people's version of success or our own? So thanks for sharing that, cuz that's a huge thing.

[00:12:27] Karin Bohn: And bigger doesn't always mean more profitable

[00:12:30] Danielle: right. Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. Sarah. What about you?

[00:12:33] Sarah Boland: The last, um, yeah, I I'm in the thick of it right now. I'm gonna try not cry and break down on stage.

[00:12:40] Danielle: You're good. Hey, we've had a lot of crying on, on stages before at our event. Yeah. So you go for it if you want to.

[00:12:45] Sarah Boland: Yeah. Um, well holy shit, being a mom is hard. Um, yeah, I, uh, I might hear some, same to Taylor, I went through some infer infertility issues. I had, uh, multiple [00:13:00] miscarriages. So I am now blessed with twins and like, I'm obviously so grateful and I love my life. But managing that in a business has been a struggle for me.

[00:13:10] Um, I did hire like a business and operation manager and that's been amazing, but like I'm showing up to meetings sometimes with two screaming babies. And I'm like, I am giving half of myself to my family and half of myself to my team. And I just, I feel like I'm letting everyone down all the time. Um, my, my husband's on maternity leave, so that's, that's been awesome, but yeah, there's always just some sort of guilt and the business has plateaued for the first time in five years, we've grown every year, quite significantly.

[00:13:44] So I feel like, you know, had a kind of an ego boost, um, with that, but now, you know, I've invested a lot in the team and my husband's on maternity leave. I should be like bringing home the bacon for the family and things have just kind of plateaued and like my mental health, like I've [00:14:00] told you, like, I'm not regramming anything that you're posting. Cuz now I have to delete like talk Instagram off my phone. Um, Yes. I don't really have any learnings from that yet, but I've started for therapy. So let's hope that works.

[00:14:19] Danielle: I'm so grateful that you shared that and that you're being so transparent with us because it's just so relatable. Like, you know, and I think, sometimes we go through times like that and it feels like, what am I learning from this? But it's okay to be in that time where it's like, I don't really know yet. Like I'm just in the thick of it. And I'm sure there's people in the audience right now that are also in the thick of it. And it feels, yeah, really, really hard right now.

[00:14:43] Sarah Boland: Now one thing I, I getting real like here, but I recently got diagnosed with ADHD. For me, like, I have so many ideas. And when you have ADHD, you like you get in this like tunnel vision zone, like I'll literally stay up to like all night.

[00:14:58] If I have an idea I'm really [00:15:00] excited about, I have multiple businesses, life lapse isn't the only one. So for me, balancing motherhood with, with this, what, what's it called? Neuro divergent brain. It's been hard because I used to just pull All-nighters and just do what I want. And now, like I can't, cause I literally have to take care of two humans the next day or work. See, that's also like another layer on top of everything else.

[00:15:23] Danielle: Yeah. I think it's common for entrepreneurs to have ADHD because of creative brain, like thinking of all the ideas and that can serve you in a really great way, because obviously like, look at what you've been able to create.

[00:15:36] Sarah Boland: Yeah. It's a blessing and a curse.

[00:15:37] Danielle: Bless. Yeah, totally. Totally. Well, thank you for sharing that. I so, so appreciate your vulnerability. Okay. I wanna ask you guys what have been some of your learnings over the past couple of years, because I know, no matter what and how, you know, things have affected your business with things shutting down or different things.

[00:15:55] I know some of you have more online businesses, but tell us what you've learned about either [00:16:00] pivoting or changing directions, whatever that looks like, what have been some of those moments of either clarity or just being able to be resilient in different ways. So what has that looked like for you guys over the past couple years and how have things changed for your business?

[00:16:16] Karin Bohn: We were talking about that, feel, that constant feeling like you're gonna throw up. When you run a business, um, I think 14 years later, you, like, I still have that feeling sometimes, but you just get better. You're just more resilient at dealing with it. Whether it's like staffing issues or project issues, client issues, financial issues that, I mean, it, it, does you get better at dealing with these things? I don't know if it necessarily gets easier, like the bigger you get, the more you have to deal with, but you just get more skilled at dealing with those business issues that come up all the time. I think when I started, I, I think I thought that one day, like [00:17:00] all of this stuff just kind of goes away, but it doesn't, that's what business is.

[00:17:05] Danielle: Mm-hmm, yeah, totally. And, and as you get bigger, the problems maybe get bigger, but you get, get more resilient. So you're able to handle them, which is kind of a cool thing. If you think about it, if you think about like your capacity for challenges and how that grows, the more you've been in business, and it's kind of inspiring in a way, I find it really inspiring, because, you know, sometimes when you have challenges, you think back to like, oh, I've experienced challenges in the past. I know that I've gotten through it before. And so I know I can get through it again. I don't know how I'm gonna get through it yet. But like, I know I can. So it's, it's like, yeah, your capacity for handling yeah challenges.

[00:17:44] Karen Lee: It's oh my God. I'm $180,000 in debt, but one day you might be like, oh my God, I'm 180 million in debt. Like.

[00:17:57] Danielle: Just add three zeros on the end. Right, [00:18:00] right.

[00:18:00] Raveena Oberoi: Yeah. Um, I guess I'll go next. Um, for me, a big teaching was to let go of the ego for sure. Uh, I am a chef. Chefs are very emotional people. Uh, we tie a lot of emotional energy to our food and what we create. Um, and I found it really hard for me to let go of that trust and just yeah, trust to my team and, and let go of that ego to allow them to blossom as their own kind of in industry or chef or in, uh, or an artist or, or whatever we wanna call it. Um, yeah, I think that was really, really hard for me. And I think that's also just, oh, across the board as an entrepreneur.

[00:18:39] And, and when you are trying to grow your business for your team, I think letting go of that ego is such a, a key part and that comes in with you know, with mindset and, and the scarcity mindset or student abundance mindset, um, and how we're gonna kind of propel that forward. So, yeah, that's been a big one.

[00:18:55] Danielle: Yeah, totally. I, I love that. Thank you so much for sharing that. And I think too, it's like, [00:19:00] yeah, trusting in your team and trusting that they can, can do things and maybe they might have different skill sets than you.

[00:19:07] So it's not like they're gonna like yeah, exactly. Certain things. And so. Yeah. Finding those people that can compliment your strengths as well is so, is so key. I love it. So good.

[00:19:17] Karen Lee: Is anyone familiar with Enneagram numbers here? Mm-hmm yeah. Okay. So I, few years ago I am, or was, is an Enneagram number three. And so I had a problem with not being able to stop. Like I would be driving in my car and like bawling and saying like, I can't stop. I can't stop working. I can't stop. And it almost felt like I was gonna die. And that actually got better after a lot of therapy and also learning something, my partner told me was that nobody cares. Like literally nobody cares.

[00:19:57] I think before I had this thing in my head that I was [00:20:00] like, I gotta do it because this is the person I am. I finish things I execute. And at the end of the day, it's like, you gonna die? Probably not. And I think when that drills into my head, like nobody actually cares. And I'm the only one setting these like unrealistic expectations for myself, I was able to be like, you know what, close my laptop. I'll go take a nap. . So I learned that after. Doing a lot of work of just like figuring out why, what my drivers were, why I couldn't stop, why I felt like I had to, I don't know, achieve all the time. So that has gotten better. So if you're, if you're feeling that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

[00:20:47] Danielle: I love that and I think a lot of us can probably relate to that. Like just always feeling like you have to be productive all the time.

[00:20:54] Karen Lee: But sometimes I was busy for just being busy. Yeah. And I wasn't even productive. I was just doing it because [00:21:00] I was like, I don't, I didn't know what to do when I did stop. Like, I didn't know how to stop. Yeah. And that was a problem.

[00:21:07] Danielle: Yes. Oh, so relatable. Yep, yep, yep. Yep. We're learning that we all need therapy here. do you recognize zero shame in that?

[00:21:23] Sarah Boland: Um, What was the question again?

[00:21:27] Danielle: I don't honestly remember. What was it about learning? Um, it was, yes, it was, it was about learnings just over the past couple years. Great. Pivoting or changing, obviously there's been a huge change in your life as well. Yes, but yeah.

[00:21:38] Sarah Boland: You know, a photo popped up on my phone. My, my twins just turned one couple weeks ago and a photo popped up recently of my laptop of me in the NICU, working with my twins.

[00:21:49] And I'm like, wow, your babies are literally on feeding tubes and you're in there working. But I, I remember in that moment, like, [00:22:00] I, work really fuels me. Like it gives me purpose. I remember like when I was had two babies latched on the boobs of like, I literally feel like a cow I'm like, yeah, just trying to process working and being a mom, and I guess my realization is it's like, I'm a better mom for them when I can do what I love, which is I love working. And I love doing what I do. And just trying to process like, you know, just all the guilt that comes with all that and not feeling shameful.

[00:22:29] You know, my babies were literally sleeping in the NICU. I was killing time. I was there around the clock. There's nothing else to do. Stepping out of that kind of mom, hospital life for a minute, just to connect with my team and see exciting things that they're working on was like really fulfilling for me. So, yeah.

[00:22:47] Danielle: Yeah. It's like letting go of like judging yourself for loving your work, right? And yeah. And that's so that's so good. And I think that a lot of people probably needed to hear that. Our moms in the audience so thank you.

[00:22:59] Sarah Boland: Maybe you saw [00:23:00] that on Instagram or something, you'd be like, oh, just disconnect, and be with your babies. And it's like, you know, I was, and they're gonna be sleeping. So it's either I watch Netflix too, or I can do something that I really like, and it, I'm a type three as well. That's achiever, right? So like, for me, when I, I do things, I feel like it's a dopamine rush and that makes me feel good. So.

[00:23:23] Danielle: I think it's good too, because like, I feel like we're, everyone's different, right? Like everyone is different. Some people they need that disconnect or like that's what fuels them, or even like introverts versus extroverts, some people in this room, like this is like getting you excited and giving you energy. And then some people are like, huh, I need to go home and take a nap. Like, you know, and so everyone is so different.

[00:23:44] So it's like knowing yourself, I think as I think that's one thing I've learned of entrepreneurship. getting to know more about yourself. How do I function? How do I get energy? How do I like what exhausts me, all of these things, and then [00:24:00] figuring out like, how can I make my business work when this is like my personality?

[00:24:05] And we're all so different. So that's why I love having panels like this. Each one of you are so unique and so different. You have different strengths, different challenges, all of that, but you're all able to run extremely successful businesses all with your different strengths and personalities. So I think that's beautiful and amazing.

[00:24:23] Okay. I have specific questions for, for people. So Raveena, um, you have, now you're really in the hot seat now. Um, you've recently had a pretty incredible opportunity to be featured on the food network. So what was that experience like? Were you really nervous about it? Were you excited? What was that like for you?

[00:24:45] Raveena Oberoi: Um, so I tell everyone the stories. In end of 2018, my business actually tanked. I lost a lot of money. In 2019, I said, Nope, I'm gonna change things around. I did all the things made a vision board. Did all of the mindfulness, got a [00:25:00] therapist, joined a mastermind, all of the things and you know, and it started working for me, if I'm being honest, it's been on that vision board, I put a big fat food network symbol and a few months go by and, I'm sorry.

[00:25:14] A producer reached out to me to be a competitor on new show. So I said, why not? We interviewed, we got the gig. We competed, we won. From that I was able to make a network with the producers and stuff like that, and just, just, just casual conversation. And this is kind of, it kind of leans into like the theory of positive uncertainty, which if I have a chance to talk, I'll talk about it. Um, but it just kind of lent that chance. Like we often think we often have this imposter syndrome of it can't be me and it won't be me.

[00:25:46] And I kind of let that go for a little bit and said, why not me? And, you know, just kind of creating those connections that eventually ended up being the producer that said, we want you as a judge on this show. So [00:26:00] it, it just it's so, like I'm still flabbergasted, I'm still in disbelief that this happened.

[00:26:05] And, and for me, that experience was so like paramount because representation matters. I did not see someone that looked like me growing up on food network, you know, doing the things that, you know, I have now the opportunity to do, and that message that, that sends to people, other people viewing, and also my cods that also come from so many different walks of life and just, I just think it's such a true Testament of where we're heading and I think it's something to be celebrated.

[00:26:34] So to be able to be a part of that key piece in just the growth of our media in, in a sense, um, was just really, really special, like really so cool.

[00:26:44] Danielle: Such a cool opportunity. And I'm, I'm just, yeah. Give her a hand. I love it. Oh, okay. So when you actually were on the show, like, did you feel, did you still feel that imposter syndrome or were [00:27:00] you just kind of like in the zone and then just,

[00:27:02] Raveena Oberoi: I feel like day one, day two, I did. Okay. By day seven, I was you're like I'm in this. So it was, um, yeah, it was really cool. I think I definitely just let myself lean into that. Um, the first little bit was definitely very intimidating. You know, you just like, what am I doing here? Like, I don't belong here.

[00:27:19] But it's like, yeah, you do. It's kind of hyping yourself off at that at the end of the day, right? Yeah. Um, and I did get, you know, some negative feedback, like who made you judge? Like, you know, when the, when the news came out. Who, you know, this is such a poor decision on the network. And like people writing in saying I didn't deserve that spot.

[00:27:36] And, and what's and what, and whatever, but I know in my heart that, you know, like I, I do deserve it and I've worked really hard for it. So that's all that matters.

[00:27:45] Danielle: Yeah. Oh my gosh. So good. That was so good. I love that. Thank you for sharing. Karen, woohoo. So you already shared a little bit of it, of this, because when I had done podcast and we were talking [00:28:00] about that time when you were in that debt. And then like one of the things that really was cool for me to hear is that like you still push through and then to see where you are at now is just really inspiring.

[00:28:15] And so I guess, like, what was, where did your mindset have to be in those moments to like, get you from where you were at then to where you're at now? And of course nothing's ever gonna be perfect, but like to push through to be able to pay off that debt, you said you like went to the bank and like paid off your last check.

[00:28:35] Karen Lee: Well, yeah, I and the teller were BFFS I was like something where to go. She's like, yeah.

[00:28:43] Danielle: But where, like, where was your mindset at? Was it like, I'm just gonna break this down as small pieces and then do it one step at a time. Where did your mindset have to be to get through that?

[00:28:55] Karen Lee: It was a roller coaster at first, it was like one [00:29:00] day I'm just gonna sell everything and like, forget this. And then another day it is actually, no, that's not true. I was like, okay, what is it that I need to do to get myself in that state where I'm like not gonna die. And so every day before hours, I would turn my phone off airplane mode every single morning before I started. I would, I would, so I have a faith, so I would like listen to worship music. I would listen to sermons, and I would journal and I just would like delete all my social media.

[00:29:32] No Instagram, no YouTube. I really miss YouTube though. none of that because whenever I was on Instagram, even if I don't know it, and we were talking about that subconsciously, like, it would just like low key compared myself. And then after I get off, I'm like, oh, this sucks. So detoxed everything. And I just stayed really committed to that of just like being okay with not doing stuff.

[00:29:59] Cuz things were really [00:30:00] slow and like really discovering what it defining what success meant to me. Cause what you said, Karin was really important of just like for me having an office, what meant success to me? I have no idea where that came from. I don't know where it came. And so when people ask me, like, where are you working at? And I'd be like at home, like on my couch, like I felt shame in it.

[00:30:23] Sarah Boland: I literally asked you that like 30 minutes ago.

[00:30:25] Karen Lee: Lol, I'm Okay now. No, I used to have that shame. And, um, and so I did a lot of just like self work like I told you guys during that season, because, almost, I'm grateful for it because I think if it wasn't slow, I wouldn't have the opportunity to even think about these things, I'd be too busy. So a lot of like for you guys, it might not look the same, but it's like figuring out what is it that nourishes you? What is it that gives you peace and actually scheduling time [00:31:00] to do it? Because the easiest thing to do is to not take care of yourself and like kick off all your personal tasks and work.

[00:31:07] It's so easy, cuz you don't have to report to anyone when you like don't take care of yourself, right? But for me I have time block. That's really important to me. I time block it in red, so I don't miss it. And it's basically, non-negotiable, it's like a meeting with myself that I have to take. And at the end of the day, the business runs way better when you're taken care of.

[00:31:30] Danielle: So good. Yes. So, so good. Thank you for sharing that. So. Okay, Sarah, you're in the hot seat now.

[00:31:38] Sarah Boland: Here we go again.

[00:31:40] Danielle: so you have had a lot of transition over the past couple of years. You've had two, not one but two babies.

[00:31:46] Sarah Boland: I'm telling you, type three achiever.

[00:31:47] Danielle: Right. You just have to, you just have to have two instead of one and also launched new businesses as well, like new apps, which is unbelievable. Okay. So tell us a little bit [00:32:00] about cuz I know you're saying like right now you're kind of going through you're going through it. But have you learned, has there any been any like boundaries that you've had to set? Are you learning like what those boundaries have to be? Because I know like, for me as a new mom, I mean, I have one, but I, for me, like, I've had to learn a lot about boundaries cuz before it's like, yeah, yeah.

[00:32:19] Say yes to everything, try to kind of people, please, all that kind of stuff. And I feel like when you become a mom, you're kind of like, okay, I can't do that anymore. So what has that been like for you? To potentially say no. And maybe it's not even no to other people. Maybe it's no to your own ideas. I don't know. But what has that looked like for you in setting boundaries?

[00:32:39] Sarah Boland: Um, I don't hold back on my ideas, which is probably why I'm thing on my thread right now. I don't have like slack notifications on my phone. So my team knows like, if you need me or if you can, you can text me, but, better be good.

[00:32:53] Um, yeah, so my, my team knows like I'm busy when [00:33:00] I'm working. I tell them like, I'm available if you need me, but we're pretty independent, independently working. So they know what to run with. We're very aligned. We have team meetings every week. Got a business and operations manager that was actually crucial.

[00:33:15] I hired him in the fall and he manages the team and all that stuff. But, um, in terms of other boundaries, like I do get people messaging like, Hey, can you go for coffee? Like, I want to pick your brain. Typically, like, I, I can't like, I don't even have time to, and ride my Peloton. So I'm not gonna take an hour with a stranger to answer, like sometimes they're not even clear, they just want to chat.

[00:33:40] So usually I'll just respond, um, like in a very nice way. Just saying, like, what are your questions? And I'll, I'll ask them over email. Yeah. So just deleting all the apps off my phone, Instagram, Tik Tok, just so I can be present with my team and my kids when, when I'm, whoever I'm with. I think that's it for boundaries. I [00:34:00] started meditating before I go to bed and that's been game changer. Yeah.

[00:34:04] Danielle: Yeah, yeah. And that that's thank you for sharing that, cuz yeah. It's sometimes it's figuring it out too. Like just what boundaries do you need to and what do you need to function so that you can yeah

[00:34:16] be with your kids and then also like run multiple businesses. Is it kind of, I'm curious now, is it all kind of an under one umbrella your business is?

[00:34:24] Sarah Boland: Yeah, so my company is Bolandia Creative Inc. And we have multiple apps and we just launched a new, um, company called Famtography, so if you're a mom who never gets their photo taken, cuz you're always going behind camera, please check that out.

[00:34:39] Danielle: um, and that's all under. Yeah, it was like all under the same umbrella. Okay, cool.

[00:34:45] Sarah Boland: All under the same team, Another struggles. Yeah. We're constantly launching these businesses and trying to figure out where the time goes, cuz back to the whole resilience thing. It's, you know, it took me one year to get life lapse. Um, I'm saying life lapse is in time [00:35:00] lapse, not like fly off to the blood clinic, by the way.

[00:35:03] um it took a year to get that to generate revenue. So, um, I have all these expectations because you know, we've built, we have 2 million users when I launch new business and like find our growth right away. And then when I don't see that it's like instant disappointment. So you feel like a pre-launch with Famphotography for mother's day and literally got zero sales.

[00:35:23] So we're back to the drawing board. We're talking to our data users. We're constantly pivoting it and we're gonna relaunch. But yeah, it's a struggle trying to like, have all these ideas and not have time to execute on them all.

[00:35:37] Danielle: Totally. Isn't that like I think we can all relate to that having so many ideas and just like, what do you, what do you focus on when, so thank you for sharing that.

[00:35:46] And thanks for sharing that, like you had a launch that wasn't successful. Like we always hear about these launches and it's like, you know, hundred thousand dollar launch and it's like, okay, cool. But also you probably had a few that flopped as [00:36:00] well.

[00:36:00] Sarah Boland: we have to launch it for Mother's Day, it's' gonna be huge success. So like miss the kids's dinner and everything, which I never do. And then launch it. I was like, cool, not a single shopify notification, but yeah. And, I'm not gonna give up. That's that's what will, like determine who succeed and who doesn't is do you give up after that, that first failure? Or do you, you learn from it? I like to say I don't have failures. I have learnings, so there's lots of learnings with our data users and we're, um, gonna take those and make it work.

[00:36:35] Danielle: I love it. Yeah. And it's yeah. Thank you. Thanks for sharing that. And I think it's so true and I think most people, and I know like, I mean, obviously I know you and know how determined you are, but like most people when they launch something and it's not successful right away, they're just like, oh, I guess nobody likes it.

[00:36:52] I guess nobody bought it. No one wants. And so they just like, okay, next idea or whatever, but it's like, [00:37:00] yeah, like figuring out what do they want? Like beta users get feedback and then tweak it.

[00:37:05] Sarah Boland: I feel like as, I don't know if anyone else could relate to this, you put like launching on such a pedestal and it's like, you're hustling or grinding you're getting your product ready. You're building the site. You're getting your email list. Like you're doing all the things and then you launch, it's like, that's when the real work begins. Yeah. It's not like anyone can build a product. I'm sorry. They can, it's all about execution, what you do after and do you keep doing it? And, and again, just learn, learn from what people are saying.

[00:37:34] Um, life lapse didn't launch as a stop motion app. It launches like a pregnancy time blocks app, of all things and people were using it for stop motion and we just pivoted and we've had like amazing success because of it.

[00:37:48] Danielle: I love that. Yeah. So good. So, so good. Karin, I have a question for you as well. Um, so we talked about on, on the podcast about you taking [00:38:00] kind of a breather from social media. When I heard that from you, and I know like, you know, a lot of people talk about, yeah, they took a break, they took a detox. But like when I heard you talk about it, I was like, I need to know more because like, you are like the social media content queen.

[00:38:14] I mean, if you don't already follow Karin, like you're the, but seriously like huge YouTube channel. So active on social media, all the things. And I was, I was saying to Karin I'm like, I kept, you know, refreshing your feed, trying to find photos of you and your little one but, you, not like you weren't active during that time. And I was so glad because I was like, this is so good, like she's just kind of enjoying this time.

[00:38:39] So tell us a little bit more about that because you know, having your own very successful YouTube channel, you know, contents on social media all the time. You know, you have a Netflix show, all those things. What did that look like for you? And what's your encouragement for anyone who might feel like they want to, but are like, eh, but I can't, you might wanna take a break.

[00:38:59] Karin Bohn: Yeah. Um, [00:39:00] yes. So I did take a very long, felt like a very long time. I don't know. It, it kind of happened organically while I was thinking about this downsize and I started, um, trimming my team down, I organically started taking, spending less and less time on social media.

[00:39:17] It also, because I was grappling, I think so much with these feelings of like, is this the right thing to do? I feel like I'm feeling, I feel downsizing. You know, it was a process that I needed to go through myself. Like I just needed to experience it. I didn't feel like it was something that I could talk about on social media while I was going through it. And I also like wholeheartedly believe in authenticity. When I started my YouTube channel, it really was about talking about entrepreneurship. And it was because in the early days I was coming to events like this. And when I was talking to other entrepreneurs and asking how they were doing in their business, and everyone was saying like, oh my God, it's great.

[00:39:56] It's amazing. We're growing and more staff, you know, more projects, this, this, that, and the [00:40:00] other. And I remember I would go home and feel like, oh my God, am I the only one that feels like this is so hard to build a business. And so I kind of launched my YouTube channel from that place with just wanting to have a really authentic conversation about building a business, being a woman in business and the journey of entrepreneurship.

[00:40:20] So that's how my YouTube channel got a lot of traction. And I think what happens when you build a brand, and a really successful brand is that sometimes you can start to feel like you have to really service this brand and you can't speak about other things that don't cater to your brand, or you can't, you can't do things that are off brand.

[00:40:39] And I think when you're spending, or at least for me spending a lot of time on social media, you can always kind of see what other people are doing, or you have this image of what success looks like because you're looking externally. And I got to a place where I was just really questioning like, am I [00:41:00] doing what I'm doing because this is true and authentic to me, or because this is what I'm seeing that success looks like, and so I am now kind of emulating that?

[00:41:12] And I was kind of lost in this place of just, I, I need to, I wanted to pull back and it was so nice. It started off by just like muting a few accounts. Like it didn't unfollow anyone, but the accounts that I would follow or watch that would make me feel kind of icky, I just started muting them, muting them. And then the more I did that, the more time I started spending off social media, and then I just found this really lovely place of being present with myself, got pregnant and stayed pregnant, so I feel like there's no coincidence there. And was able to, through that, find my voice again, which I kind of needed to do, cuz it's been 14 years, like I said, of building my business and I was just going through, down this path and sometimes it can become a little bit of [00:42:00] like rinse and repeat as well.

[00:42:02] Um, and you're just doing it over and over again because you think that that's what you need to do or that's what had worked in the past. So, um, that's kind of how the detox went and I mean, it feels great to, and in silence and in silo is where you, your loudest or your true self, I think speaks the loudest, you know, that's where you hear your voice the most. Um, and I think that's really important when, especially when you're on social media, at least it is for me.

[00:42:28] Danielle: Yeah. And so how does it feel being back, cuz you're kind of back on social media, maybe with a new, fresh perspective. How has that been kind of like getting back into things

[00:42:37] Karin Bohn: Well, it feels really good because it feels it's like going back to that time when I started the YouTube channel and it was coming from a place of pure authenticity and really just wanting to have a conversation and genuinely engage with whoever was willing to listen. And so it kind of feels the same. It's like now being back on social media, I feel like newly energized. And I'm excited to talk about the things that are going on now today.[00:43:00]

[00:43:00] Um, and removing myself from this like brand that I had created. I feel like there's, there's just new energy there. It doesn't feel stale.

[00:43:09] Danielle: Yeah, so good. So good. Thank you for sharing that. I love it. Okay. I have one last question for everyone. And then we're gonna take a little bit of a break and then we're gonna come back and you guys are gonna get to ask these ladies some questions.

[00:43:22] So my last question though, for you guys is if there's someone here who is feeling like they're going through it, right? Like they're, they're struggling. They're, they're passionate about their business. They're like, I know this is what I wanna do, but they're just struggling. Maybe it's not as profitable as they thought it was going to be, or things are taking longer than they thought that it was gonna happen.

[00:43:46] Maybe they experienced a really big failure that they're kind of trying to bounce back from. What would your advice be? What would your thoughts, what, what comes to mind for you to, to share with them?

[00:43:59] Sarah Boland: as somebody who [00:44:00] got completely destroyed on Dragon's Den, publicly failing, it just goes back to your customer and your mission.

[00:44:07] So what are your customers using and what are they liking with your product? So it's important to get people into test and see how they're using it and learn from that and see what they want. At the end of the day, we are our own bosses, but like you customers are your boss. They're the ones who you're reporting to.

[00:44:30] And, yeah. Like if someone, if someone rejects you or investors or on national television or whatever, um, I, I was telling them, I was telling Karen, I, I literally rented out tap and barrel In Olympic village and had a hundred people to come watch me got completely destroyed and it was the best thing ever and my business grew like screw you Dragon's Den, you missed out, not [00:45:00] me, so, just keep going, keep going.

[00:45:06] Danielle: So good. I love that.

[00:45:08] Sarah Boland: So it's tough, but I'm gonna try and take my own advice right now and learn and grow and keep going.

[00:45:16] Danielle: I love that. And thanks for sharing that. And I love that you like turned it into something. Cause like, I feel like some people would be like, oh, I don't want anyone to see that or ashamed of it or embarrassed, but I love that you just like embraced it. Yeah. And it was just, yeah, it's so cool. I love that. So good.

[00:45:30] Karen Lee: Uh, I, I would say it's similar, you know, um, stay tenacious, stay, don't give up, reconnect with your why, that's really important. Even when you don't have the motivation. I, I have this weird relationship with man's motivation. You're not always gonna be motivated, right?

[00:45:45] It's you're why and your purpose that, you know, it's an underlying factor in all of that. So I often tell myself in times that like, I do want to give up in times that I'm laying in bed staring, like why me and woe is me and like, do it anyway. Do it, [00:46:00] do it, remember why you started, do it anyway. And I know I don't want that to translate into, like, of, you know, going into like that toxic brain culture.

[00:46:09] That's not what I'm saying. I'm kind of saying like, you know, the underlying, why. Your purpose, why you actually started go back to day one and, and kind of try to tap into that. I think that is, is huge.

[00:46:20] Danielle: Yeah. And sometimes that means like taking a step back and really like, understanding why you're doing it, or like, you know, Karin you saying, like taking a break and getting that clarity to then come back with a fresh perspective. But yeah, that's so good. Thanks so much for saying that.

[00:46:34] Raveena Oberoi: As the entrepreneurial journey is like the, what's the saying the unbeaten path. Like, it's, you're always kind of feeling around in the dark, right? And there isn't a roadmap for where you are headed in your journey is not the same as someone else's journey.

[00:46:47] And so you're kind of discovering it as you go. Um, and so it can be ridden with a lot of like self-doubt. And, um, despair [00:47:00] um, triumph, and so, yeah, I think the thing is to keep going, like Oprah wasn't built in a day and it, there is no such thing as an overnight success, so you just gotta keep going.

[00:47:14] Karin Bohn: I think first find a place to cry your eyes out and like watch a bunch of Netflix. Yeah. Yeah. And what you said. No. Is it good there?

[00:47:27] Danielle: If you're, if you're gonna watch TV though, watch Karin on Netflix and then watch Raveena on the food network and then, and then Dragon's Den . There we go. You have your watch list, you have your happy Saturday.

[00:47:41] Karin Bohn: Do all this stuff just to get it outta your system. Cause it's totally okay to have like shade to yourself. And after you have your pity party, then I think it comes down to what Raveena said, dropping your ego and looking at, okay, these things did not go well, but [00:48:00] what did I actually learn from it? And how can I pivot and how can I take action from it? Because if it was easy, everybody would be doing it. And that's why. And if you feel like you don't know what you're doing, that is totally normal.

[00:48:12] I think to this day, we can all say, we don't really know what we're doing. and that's the beauty of it. Because if you don't know, it means you're still growing. It means you're still learning. If you're like, I know everything, I'm like the best in my industry. Then first of all, that's a little cocky.

[00:48:27] You're not learning. You're not learning, you're stagnant. So this, like, don't lean too much on your emotions cuz sometimes your emotions can lie to you girl, but just go back to say, what did I learn? And yes and I think I learned this from a talk by Duncan Wardle, and, when you get into that space, you kind of get really negative and you're like, this is wrong, this is wrong. This is wrong. But if you just say to yourself, yes, and yes, and, and just keep building off of it, then hopefully you can find like a new insight on [00:49:00] it.

[00:49:00] Danielle: Yeah. And being grateful for like reminding yourself. Cause I think as entrepreneurs, often we don't celebrate our successes either. Mm-hmm it's like, oh, okay, cool. I did that. And like, I hit my goal. Okay. Now what's the next goal. It's like, we don't even take time to be like, whoa, that's actually really cool that I hit that goal. We just are like, what's the next goal? I'm onto the next goal. I don't know if anyone can relate to that, but that's me.

[00:49:24] Karen Lee: if the bar it's like, you start out and the bar is here, but as you go and keep going, the mark. Like it keeps going. So you never celebrate those successes, but it's important to look back and be like, damn,

[00:49:35] Raveena Oberoi: but the crappy thing is, is if you don't celebrate your wins, then you don't ever, wait what was I saying? I just brain farted on the spot!

[00:49:49] Danielle: We're all waiting. Let's just all be silent until you remember. We'll come back to you. We'll come back to [00:50:00] you. Yeah. You, you know what, in the Q and a we'll come back to that and you'll think of it for sure. But I definitely think that celebrating your success, like it's so important. That's why I'm so passionate about community, because you need other people to remind you of your successes, sometimes when you can't think of them, yourself, you have to have other people be like, but what, what about this?

[00:50:18] Like you've accomplished this. You've accomplished that. Like that's amazing. And sometimes you, and even like, when people say that to you, you're like, yeah, but, but just actually feel it and actually be grateful for it. If you're acknowledging the things that you've done, it's being grateful and being grateful of all the people that helped you get there too.

[00:50:37] Karin Bohn: So yeah, the energy of celebration is so important. Just a tip on that. About five or six years ago, we implemented a tradition with my team, where the last Friday of every month we have champagne Friday. Um, and that's where my team gets together and we celebrate our successes from the month. And this has been like my tradition.

[00:50:58] We've never missed [00:51:00] it. Um, we do sometimes pop a bottle champagne. Sometimes we'll go to a recently completed project. Sometimes we just do it in the office, but we always get together and just celebrate our successes for the month.

[00:51:11] Danielle: So I hope you loved that snippet of the conversation that we had last Wednesday. I am just so grateful to everyone who attended and was a part of the event, all of our vendors and sponsors our attendees, our panelists. It was just such a special night, but again, You know, this is one night. And so we wanna invite you into our community so that we can connect with you and support you ongoing so that we can be a part of your business so we can strategize with you network with you and really support you as you grow and scale.

[00:51:42] So again, go to our website. Business babes collective.com. You can check out action takers club. You can check out our mastermind. You can check out everything, all the resources that we have there for you. So I hope you have a really amazing rest of your day. Thank you so much for tuning in and we'll see you [00:52:00] on the next episode.

[00:52:05] If you love this episode, make sure you screenshot post and tag us on Instagram at business babes co want to know when the next episode goes, live? Subscribe on your podcast app and while you're there, leave us a review until next time. Keep dreaming big, setting goals, and taking action.