Ashton
Recording in session. The legacy creator podcast recording in session.
Jordan
Quiet on set. Mark one.
Ashton
Action. Action. All right, let's go to the notes here.
Jordan
This is for real like a production though. Doesn't it feel like it? We're like getting into production. We're getting in the production business, you guys. Oh my gosh. We're so equipped for that. We know all the tech stuff and we're just so good at videography.
Ashton
We should just become a tech startup. Oh no. I'm Ashton Smith. And I'm Jordan Long. And we're coming in hot. We're seventh generation entrepreneurs with a passion for fusing creative expression and business fundamentals to help entrepreneurs powerfully expand their companies.
Jordan
Legacy Creator is a show for creatives, big thinkers, and visionaries who are doing business differently. Together, we unpack topics to help you embody your creative identity, develop as a leader, and powerfully grow your business.
Ashton
In a nutshell, we're calling you out and calling you higher. Welcome back to Legacy Creator. We're so pumped to have you here today. As always, we're going to dive into a really candid conversation today. Just call it what it is. Sometimes entrepreneurship freaking sucks. It just does. Like we were on the couch the other day and we were outlining our podcast episodes. We were like, we got to just do one on how sucky entrepreneurship
Jordan
It sounds so negative, but I mean, it's true. Uh, yeah. You're going to experience a lot of highs and lows and, uh, it's just rough sometimes.
Ashton
It'd be rough up in here sometimes. So, you know, I think a lot of us, we use social media to build up our business. And so we're seeing like the glitz and the glamor of entrepreneurship. But quite often, like the morning that I was outlining this episode, I saw so many, uh, just like glamorous posts on Instagram. For example, like my $32,000 cash day point of view, I'm spending 30 days in Europe while my membership generates 50 K per month. We're launching a new offer and it's projecting multiple seven figures in revenue. Which like we love that. Like we love seeing other people succeed. Like we love that there's no cap to what we can create in our business. Absolutely. Like love all of these things for all of the people. Absolutely. Entrepreneurship creates so much opportunity, but it's also demanding in its own way. Like you have to make so many different sacrifices and it's so much responsibility. Like it's so much responsibility to be in business for yourself. And if you're only looking at the highlight reel, if you're only looking at all of these high moments, all of these exciting, glamorous wins, goals achieved, then you're kind of missing the full picture of entrepreneurship. I think we're missing out on a whole lot of context when we don't talk about the true responsibility of entrepreneurship. of what it really means to like run your own business, bet on yourself, build something from the ground up. Like that is hard work.
Jordan
Yeah. I mean, I think people can go into it. They see the opportunities that come from entrepreneurship. They see like the level of freedom you can have and like the amount of money you can make. And like, they see all the excitement, but you don't really see like all the hard work that actually goes into it. Like on the day to day, it's really not glamorous most of the time. So yeah, more context.
Ashton
Yeah, more context. Absolutely. I mean, entrepreneurship is amazing. It's incredible. We do it for a reason. Like we love the benefits. We love the freedom. We love the flexibility. We love that there's no cap to what we can create. But I just think that we create like a very false, inaccurate picture of entrepreneurship when we don't acknowledge the responsibility that comes along with it. And I think that we set other like aspiring business owners, entrepreneurs, creatives up for failure. When we only highlight the good, we only highlight, you know, the big glamorous moments and we get it. Like we understand marketing. We understand that like in your marketing, you're not every single day going to be talking about how crappy things are going. And that's not what we're saying, but we just want to create a space to talk candidly about what entrepreneurship actually is. and what it's going to require of you, what it is going to demand of you. Because the reality is that it just sucks sometimes. And it's important for us to know how do we navigate that? Because it's one thing to show up when things are easy, like, you know, when we're showing up for like a photo shoot or we're, you know, recording for the podcast, all of the fun things that kind of come along with our job.
Jordan
Like we're like, let's freaking go. Yeah. It's exciting. Cause I mean, you get to the photo shoot for instance, and it's like all the prep work has already been done. So you don't see all the work that goes on behind the scenes leading up to it. And then you get to the photo shoot day and it's like, Oh yay. Like this is so fun. Like you're just showing up and it's, it's exciting. And like, we already have the, everything kind of outlined, like run of show kind of thing. And We just know what to expect and we're just excited about it. We've put in the work.
Ashton
We've done all the important stuff to lead to what is actually fun. But what do you do when things aren't fun? What do you do when you're actually having to put in the work or when things aren't working? when things are stressful or when the weight of it all is just too much, like that is a huge, huge part of building your business. And that's what we want to talk about today. So let's kind of highlight like the true nature of entrepreneurship and we're going to just go straight to the definition here. Entrepreneurship is defined as a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so. So in the very definition of this word, it highlights that you're going to be taking on greater than normal risks. Like you're going to be doing things that the average person is not going to do. Like that is truly the core, the center of what it means to be an entrepreneur. yes, sometimes that's going to be financial risk, but there's going to be a lot of risks that you take. There's going to be a lot of times where you're like vulnerable, you are out there, you are uncomfortable. And that's the thing. Like we have to get comfortable with taking risks and we have to get comfortable being uncomfortable, like almost all the time. Yeah. Like almost all the time. I think even some of our you know, forget like the financial investments, forget some of the big, you know, risks that you take in business. I even think about like the creative risks that you take and just like what it really feels like to put yourself out there online. Like to show your face on stories and like talk to a camera and feel really awkward.
Jordan
Yeah. Yeah. I'm raising my hand at that one. It's like, sometimes it just feels weird. Sometimes it feels awkward. Sometimes you're just having a rough day, but you're like, I have to show up and do this thing. I have to get on stories and like, you know, talk to our audience, but maybe I'm not feeling it that day. Like there are so many days where you just have to push through like the uncomfortable feelings and just get to the other side of it.
Ashton
Literally. Like that's what building a business is. there's always going to be risks. There's always going to be discomfort. And the reality is it will require way more from you than a traditional job, which is why I always tell you, I'm like, if you're in this for just like some extra money, like, or just money, Why, why are we here? What are we doing? It's not that money isn't important by any means. Like it's totally important. And we place a huge emphasis on helping our clients increase their revenue. But if that's all that it is truly go get a traditional job. And I will tell you that. And I've only been in business for myself for like less than 10 years. I'm not even like a longstanding entrepreneur, but the level of like just responsibility and weight that comes along with building your own business. I mean, it, It's just crazy. Like it's so much further than a traditional job. It's going to require you to sacrifice your time. I mean, like how often are we working quote unquote past hours?
Jordan
Oh my God. And that was me yesterday. Like literally I was working up until dinner and all of a sudden it was time to eat dinner. And I was like, oh my gosh, still working on outlines for the podcast. And after dinner I was like, I still have work to do. Like I have to finish this. So worked after that. There's so many times where I've like done some work over the weekends, you know, it's like, it takes so much of your time. It's insane. Like you don't have that at a normal nine to five at a typical like corporate job. You get to like clock in and clock out. Like that's the really big perk with that. But with entrepreneurship, man, it's like all the time it's constant and it's constantly on your mind.
Ashton
That's the biggest thing for me. And I feel like for every entrepreneur, it's when you're in a traditional job, like Jordan said, you can clock in and clock out. And yes, that's representative of your time, but it's also representative of your like mental state and capacity. Like if you are not focusing on building something up, even if you really care about your job, that's a different level of responsibility than like creating your own entity and building that from the ground up. Like that is a mental weight that is a mental taxation that doesn't, you can't just turn that off. Like even if you go on vacation, you know, I always talk to entrepreneurs. Some of our clients are like, I need at least a couple of weeks away because it takes me like a full five to seven days to like shift into a different mental gear and like put the work aside and like, really get into a restful state. That is just so true of entrepreneurship. You don't get to just clock out necessarily. Even if you are not working, your mind can just race with all of the things. And I can't even tell you how many nights that has been me recently because I am, you know, preparing for Matt leave and there's just always more to do. There's always more that you're creating, but that's also the fun of it. You know, it's like it's two sides of a coin, but you're going to sacrifice your time. You're going to have to put in like a financial investment. Like maybe that's investments in like resources, programs, coaches that could be in team that could be in softwares, but like you take on financial risk to build a business. what it means to be an entrepreneur. It's going to require massive discomfort and risk taking. Like there have been so many things that Jordan and I have done so many ways that we put ourselves out there. Some of which have panned out, some of which haven't, like you're going to take risks and you better be doing that pretty consistently. Otherwise you're really not growing. Like if you're not uncomfortable at some level, you're probably not growing very much. And it's not to say that 100% of the time you have to be like, just like massively uncomfortable and like not feel aligned and feel absolutely horrible. But actually it's the risk taking and it's the discomfort that like expands your capacity. And so we better be doing that very often. It will require a whole different level of responsibility that you have to learn how to carry. I think that's like the biggest thing here. It's like you are slowly but surely gaining more and more and more responsibility as far as you want to grow in business. And really what it's about is learning how are you carrying that? How are you maintaining that? How are you handling the responsibility that you have? And I think that there is this element of learning how to handle that responsibility at a really small level. Like when you're just starting and you feel like you are a little baby business and you barely have like anything to be proud of, which like I, I had been there. You have to learn how to handle the responsibility you have there before you can grow beyond that. Like I think about when I had to learn how to manage myself running the business, I had to do that before I could hire you. And even hiring you was like total mess. You can prepare all you want, you can plan all you want, but like the real work and refinement is like in the midst of it.
Jordan
Yeah. And even like when I started, I really was like part part time, like super part time. Cause I was in college at the time and I had like really like no responsibility in the business yet, like at all. It was just like very like entry level, like getting me kind of like into the work. And then over time I became full time. And even with that, it was like, we were both learning a lot on how to like, how to do this together, you know, and over time I have just taken on so much more responsibility that I like wasn't expecting to come my way, but it was kind of like this natural progression. I just felt like we started doing this really like together and it was like more of a team and I believe in what we're doing so much. And I just naturally started like taking on more of that responsibility and throwing myself into it more. And Oh my God, like that has been so great, but also like, whoo, like overwhelming at times. Cause I don't know. I think when you take on more responsibility, it's, it is uncomfortable and you can feel like you're going to be crushed by the weight of it. Like there've been so many times where I'm like, I don't feel like I can do this. Like, am I even equipped to do this? You know? is stressful.
Ashton
Yeah. I mean, there's so many seasons of life where I've felt that way. Like with any big transition, like going to college, I remember like sitting at a Mexican restaurant with my mom and like bursting into tears after my first day, like, how am I going to handle all of this? Like, I can't, I'm one person. I can't do all of this. I can't get all this work done. Um, I think about like, even when I got married and just the strain that comes with that new season and more responsibility. Like really, I think that your success and your growth in business is all determined by how much responsibility you can handle. You can manage, you can maintain how much responsibility are you willing to take ownership of? Because that's the work that's uncomfortable that talk about, you know, you are being pushed on all sides. You know, that's just like a level of strain that it's painful, but it pushes you to grow. It pushes you to become resilient. What if you could turn your ideas into actual profit for your business? Right now, you may feel like you're doing all the right things, and yet your efforts aren't creating more money for your business. Today, that changes. Our free 90-day profit planner has helped Hundreds of creative entrepreneurs transform their income goals into an actualization strategy since 2019. You can download yours for free today. Just visit myawakening.co slash profit. That's myawakening.co slash profit. Now back to the show. So as entrepreneurs, we obviously have so much responsibility that we have to carry. And that's the beautiful, but also can be like the sucky part. I mean, who enjoys being uncomfortable, who enjoys taxes, who enjoys like, you know, the risk taking the financial loss that sometimes comes with entrepreneurship, but you also have access to a whole new level of freedom and fulfillment. And, You know, I think for us, like that is a huge reason why we do what we do. I think we're definitely committed to the work, to the vision, to our products, to what we're teaching. Like we get so passionate about that. And so that's a whole, you know, element that really drives us because we believe in what we're building. We believe in the impact that we're creating and we want to continue expanding that. But we also appreciate like the freedom.
Jordan
yeah it's a level of freedom that you i don't feel like you can get at a typical nine to five i mean for example like if there's a family emergency like technically we make our own hours and our schedules are really flexible if we need it to be so like we can take off for a day and like tend to that you know and vacation time you know if you want to take time off, like plan ahead for it. But you know, you can take however many vacations you want. Technically, you could travel, you can get work done from anywhere. We work from our computers. So you could go to Europe and like take your computer with you and get work done while you're there. Like there's so much freedom and like fun things that you can do. And there's so much flexibility in the schedule that like, if I was at like a nine to five, I might not be able to take off work for a family emergency last minute. Like maybe they would be like, no. You know, like I'm working for someone else. Whereas here it's like, technically I make my own hours. So I have that flexibility and that freedom.
Ashton
And you know, with the, the online space, like you have the ability to build any type of business that you want. And that can include building one that pays you when you're not like on the clock. And I think that there's a lot of work and foundations that have to be built to get to that point, but like you can build whatever you want. Like, and to me, that is so exciting. Like that's the thing that excites me. You can do and build whatever you want and like exercise your creativity in that way. And then yes, you have all of these benefits of taking time off of, you know, handling a family emergency of taking a day when you just feel horrible, or maybe you're sick. Right? So you have all of this freedom and flexibility, but again, we just want to highlight that that's not the 100%. That's not all of it. That's just a piece of it. And you have to take on the responsibility of entrepreneurship in order to access all of the benefits, right? They both go together. And in order to thrive as an entrepreneur, we have to embrace that opportunity. We have to also embrace the sacrifice that accompanies the position. It's not either. It is both. They work together. It's a full picture. And so because entrepreneurship comes with this huge level of responsibility, it has to come with a great level of vision. You have to believe in what you're building. You have to believe in what you're doing. And like I just hit on earlier, if it is all about the money, honey, you better run. You better run.
Jordan
Like if it's all about the money even for us i feel like we would just run i feel like i would like yeah it wouldn't give me any purpose in it you know and i would just be like what's the point of this if it's just for that i mean the money is great but i do think deep down it's like i really do believe in what we're doing and i get excited about what we're doing like yeah i mean you can make
Ashton
An incredible amount of money in corporate America. So if that's what it is, and we're not saying that that's bad either. Hey, like if that's your thing, we have friends in corporate America that love their job. And that's amazing. If that's what you're called to, if that's what you want, like this is your permission slip. You don't have to do anything to be anything for anyone else. you do what you need to do for you, your vision, your life, and your family. Like that is what it is. But for us, we've never had the desire to go into corporate America. Like we have just, I think a big part of that is because we grew up around entrepreneurship. Like it was like the air that we breathe. I mean, we talked about business. We talked about entrepreneurship. We talked about risk-taking growth as a leader, all of these things. Those were regular conversations in our household. And I think that that modeled something to us and really inspired us to build something from nothing to build something that we believe in. But again, if it's, if it's just about the money, you're not going to stay in it. Um, your motivation, it has to go beyond that. It has to be deeper than that. Um, and it's also important to note that your motivation will evolve over time. So I think about like myself, when I started my business, my first, one of my first desires was I wanted to replace my income. I wanted to be able to support like my new family. I just got married and I wanted to be able to also have the freedom to work from home. Like those were my big desires. That was my big vision. It didn't start as anything bigger than that, but it has grown and developed. And I think that that's kind of That's just the natural way of things. You have to allow that vision to grow and develop as you hit different goals because that vision is what grounds you. That vision is what sustains you. That's what keeps you moving. I think about our dad, like when he started his business, I mean, when he started like, gosh, he started so many different things. He sold everything from like donuts and vacuums, like door to door. Um, so when he was doing all of that, he was poor. Like he and my mom were really poor. They literally lived in a chicken house and they needed money to live and breathe and pay rent and eat. And you know, just be. And that was it. That was the big motivation. It was from a place of desperation. But as you grow, you have to allow that vision to become larger from desperation to inspiration. And I've, I saw my dad, you know, in the prime of his career, like he was, of course the money is awesome, but he was more motivated by like seeing people grow, like by team development, by leadership, um, by even like looking at the business as this like puzzle and using his strategic brain to like align all the pieces. Like he got fulfillment from those things, but it all started because they needed to eat food that he needed to put food on the table. And so if that's where you're at, that is absolutely fine. But it is important to note that at some point that vision needs to grow with you. It needs to become bigger. So what drives you as an entrepreneur? Like what is it all for? It doesn't have to be one thing. It can be many things. Like we've listed off so many different things that drive us. Um, but this vision, this is the anchor. Like this is the thing that grounds you. This is what holds you steady when that storm is whipping you all around.
Jordan
For me, I feel like the number one thing that motivates me and like drives me right now is like, first off, it's the vision. I do think, like I've said, I am really bought into what we're doing and I believe in it so much. But on top of that as well, I love the level of freedom and flexibility that I have. Like on a day to day basis, I feel like I'm in control of like what's going on in my life and I'm not like having to answer to other people. Like, yes, we work together and sometimes I do answer to you, but it's not like I'm answering to like, you know, a boss at my like nine to five job, you know, I have so much more freedom. But with that, like we said, there's a lot of responsibility that falls on me. Like I have to be on top of my work every single day to make sure I'm actually getting things done. Cause I could totally just sit around and be like, no, I don't really feel like doing this today. You know, but we have due dates. Like we have things that we are doing. We have like, we have so much stuff going on all the time. So it's like, I have to be on top of my part. and really get the work done. So there's so much responsibility that I've had to take on, but there's just so much more freedom that comes with that. I was thinking about the relationship between a parent and a child and how when you start out as a child, you have so much less responsibility and it's so fun to be a kid. And like, you just are like floating around, like doing your thing, playing and like whatever. But with that, you also don't have like the same level of freedom. you have so much less responsibility and you have a lot less freedom. There are so many times where like your parents will sometimes just have to tell you what to do. Cause like you have to like clean up your room. You need to brush your teeth. You need to actually wash your hair. They have to tell you what to do because you're growing into more responsibility and more freedom at the same time. But yeah, I think as a child you have to grow into more freedom by taking on more responsibility. And as you take on more responsibility, you acquire more freedom. And eventually you grow older and older, you become an adult, and then you have like total freedom, but you also have like total responsibility. But I was just like, man, wouldn't you want to take on more responsibility if it made you have more freedom? Like wouldn't you want to have more freedom and autonomy for yourself? And like, like I just said, like, I feel like I have control over my day-to-day life. I have, I'm like in control. I'm in the driver's seat and that feels so much better than like having someone else like tell me what to do and guide every, yeah, I don't know.
Ashton
Guide every single thing, decision, move. Yeah, absolutely. You know, I think there's so many moments where, when we're in the suck, We're like, oh, I wish I could just be a kid again and take a nap or, you know, like my mom could just make me some lunch or I don't have to deal with paying bills or taxes or whatever. But you have to remember that all of these. areas of responsibility are just a byproduct of the blessings of the desires of the goals of the things that you once really wanted. Because how often when you were a kid, did you want to just grow up and be able to drive and maintain your own schedule and do whatever you wanted to do? And I really think that this example just beautifully displays the fact that yes, we get to have access to more freedom, But in order to really enjoy that freedom, you also have to have a certain level of responsibility. Like the two go together. And I think so often it's easy to miss that, uh, especially in a digital world where we're seeing the beauty. and the freedom and all of the amazing things, but you don't see the layers of responsibility and the work and the energy and the risk and the discomfort that really allows for that level of freedom. So it's both. You have to take on responsibility in order to actually enjoy the freedom that you really want.
Jordan
I was actually like in preparation for this episode. I was just like on Google, you know, researching, looking around at stuff. And I saw this Reddit thread about how entrepreneurship just sucks sometimes. And I was just reading through some of the comments and some of what people had to say. And it just like. I don't know, it was like everyone's in the same boat. You know, it made me feel like, you know, we're all kind of in this together. And I just wanted to like reference a couple of these comments that I saw. One person said, the downtimes, the lost relationships and lost money helped me find better ways to run the business. that leads to higher peaks and valleys don't seem to last quite as long these days. We come out more profitable and more efficient than before. Someone else said, although working any other job can also be stressful and boring and repetitive, at least you're doing something you're passionate about on your own schedule with a huge potential upside. And then someone else said, for me, the most important thing is your values. If you have those clear, then you will enjoy the journey. Being wealthy is not an easy task. And I was like, dang, that's a really good point. It's not easy to be in entrepreneurship. There's so much responsibility that you have to take on. There's so many things you have to do. You're the one steering the ship. You're the one at the helm. You are holding on to that, what is it called? The wheel. The steering wheel. What is it freaking called? Whatever. You're on the ship. You are steering it forward. You have your hands on the wheel, or whatever you want to call it. That requires a lot of responsibility. You have to know where you're going and you have to guide everyone else. You have to tell all the people on the ship what they need to be doing so that you can steer the ship forward. It's a lot of weight that can fall on you because you're at the... I like to think of it as an arrowhead and you're at the very front of the arrow. You're the one piercing it forward.
Ashton
You know what I mean? Yeah, it is not an easy task. And I think that's one of the biggest things we just wanted to highlight today. Cause I feel like there's so many people walking around wondering like, Oh, what am I doing wrong? Like it just looks like everyone else has it made and everything's so easy. And why does everything feel hard? And I've said this before. Sometimes we take resistance as a bad sign. Like something's not meant for us, but actually I think that we often see resistance right before our breakthrough. I think it is a positive sign and we have to press in. So how do we navigate the sucky seasons? Because let's just be real. There's a lot of sucky seasons in business, in life. And I do think that 2023 was really hard for a lot of people. We've highlighted that several times. I'm sure that you felt it in some way, some fashion. It was really, really hard for a lot of people. Um, and I know Jordan said like one of the best things that we did was just keep our heads down and keep going, keep trucking, keep moving. One of the worst things that you can do when things suck is to just sit in the suck.
Jordan
Yeah. Yeah. I just, yeah, to that, because I feel like that perpetuates, I don't know, it, there's a whole lot of layers to that, but I think that's the worst thing you can do is just like sit in it and you start to feel down about yourself and like your circumstances. And it's just, it can be really depressing. I feel like the best thing you can do is just like, get up, get to work, like get your head in the game and just keep moving forward.
Ashton
Yeah, at least you have control over that. You have control over being able to move, being able to do something. You might not know the outcome, but if you sit in that, you are going to just start wallowing in all of the suck. You're going to get in a bad mental state. It's not going to create a positive, productive environment or dynamic. Like it's not going to do anything positive. It just isn't. So you can't sit in it. Keep moving. I think that it's okay to like feel the things, but I think it's also important at some point we have to move through them. Like we just got to keep going.
Jordan
Yeah. I think about dad when he was in business with his dad. He would, dad would go to work and he would just be stressing about all the things. He'd be like, we have not enough business. Like, what are we going to do? We have too much business. How are we going to get enough employees and get them to do this the right way and get them to do the job the right way? The economy is crashing around me. Like, what are we going to do? They also were in landscaping. So they had to consider the weather. If it was raining or snowing, like that could really throw off some plans. And he would just be like, oh my God, it's calling for rain tomorrow. Like, what are we going to do? And his dad would always just say, don't worry about it. Just get up and go to work. We'll see what we can get done. Like, we'll see what we can do. Dad was actually just talking to me about this, like recently. And he was just saying like, there'd be times where it was like calling for rain. And he would just be like, what the heck are we going to do? We're not gonna be able to get anything done. And he was like, we'll just show up and see what we can get done. You know, we'll show up and do what we can with what we have. And just on a day to day basis, it's like, that's really what you have to do. Like, just get up and go to work, just get up and do it. And I think it will work itself out. And yeah, dad was just like, he was just a stress ball. And I feel like our, our grandfather, his dad was just like, he had this ability to just be calm and like cool headed, I guess about things. And he was like, yeah, we'll, we'll figure it out. He was just like steady. Whereas dad was just like, Oh my God, what are we going to do? He kept him steady during those uncertain times.
Ashton
Yeah, absolutely. And I think, you know, it's natural to be stressed and anxious and worried, you know, when you have the weight of what feels like the world falling on your shoulders. And, you know, I think about our dad at the time, I mean, they had upwards of like 50, 60, 70 employees. I can't quite remember, but whenever you have that level of responsibility, you're thinking about all of those things and all of that's weighing on you. But there is also on the flip side of this element of, okay, that's there. I can't change that. I don't want to change that. This responsibility is here. So I just got to move. I got, I just got to keep moving forward. And that was the sentiment. My grandpa would always say, my Papa, it's like, it'll all sort itself out. It'll all work out. We're going to show up. We're going to do it. We're going to get it done. It'll all work out. And so, you know, that's kind of like you got to marry the steadiness. And I think sometimes having people, excuse me, I think sometimes having people in your corner, whether that's family, that's friends, that's your team, your part, like your business partner, to bring in that sense of steadiness and calm and peace when you're spinning out of control. Like that's a huge, huge element of sustainability for me. Like when we think about how do we handle these seasons when it just feels like everything's weighing on us and you just feel that anxiety, you feel that stress, you feel the weight. and you want to run away, like how do you handle that? And I think we definitely lean on each other. We have each other, like we're obviously family, but we also work full time in this business together. And when you get to that point, it's so rewarding. Like I just remember when Jordan came on full time, it was even so different then because you've grown so much into your role, but it's just so rewarding to have someone there in it fully with you. So when you're spinning out of control, they can bring the steadiness. Yeah.
Jordan
No, like I don't think I could do this alone. I don't think I would like create this business and do this by myself. I don't think I could do it. And I think that we just like level each other out. And when I'm like really stressed and in a tizzy about things, sometimes I have to process like, with our mom in private, but then there are times where you really do just bring the calm and we'll be on a call on our Monday call, our team meeting, and I'll just be spinning about things, just like, I'm stressed about this and I'm freaking out about that. How am I gonna get this done? And you'll just be like, it's okay. Just so encouraging. You're like, it's gonna be all right, I promise.
Ashton
Yeah, and there are moments where you do that for me too. I'm just pissed off about something and you're like, it's okay.
Jordan
let's do this yeah we just like we have to pick up where the other is like struggling you know it's like balancing the scales it's like you would in a marriage like there's gonna be seasons where
Ashton
Maybe one of you has less energy or less to bring, and then the other one can really step up to the plate. It's just that ebb and flow. But find people that you can really lean on. We lean on each other. We lean on our family. Another huge area for us is pressing into God. I would be nowhere without my faith. And that is what grounds me in the mornings, doing my declarations, exercising faith and belief. you know, declaring even in the unseen. Like, that's a huge, huge element for me. I think that's a huge task for every entrepreneur. Like, how are you going to keep the faith? How are you going to keep the hope? How are you going to keep the vision when you don't see it? When it's not there? When, again, you're in the middle of that storm and you have rain whipping you around, the wind is blowing, like, how are you going to hold that faith, that vision, that hope? because that's what really keeps you moving forward, even when you can't see anything. So as always, we want to really wrap this up and kind of give you some proactive steps, action items that you can take things to think of when you're in these seasons where things just suck. So number one, before we even get to the points, just know that you're not alone. And like, this is just normal. Like this is true entrepreneurship. It is not all glamour. If it was, everyone would have their own business. but actually you're a part of the minority and running your own business. And it's so easy to lose sight of that because we get so swept up in how big the online space feels, how big our communities feel, our competitors, but actually you're the minority. So the fact that you're here, you have a business, you want to start one, you're the minority, you're taking a huge risk. And like, we just commend you for that. Just know, It's normal to feel resistance. It's normal to feel uncomfortable. It's normal for things to suck sometimes. It's just a part of the territory. So one of the biggest things we want to highlight, and again, I'm sure you've heard this a billion times, but there's a reason why. Cling to your vision. Know your vision. make sure that that is like anchoring you, that that is grounding you. And I also want to share too, that your vision doesn't have to be anything for anyone else, but you sometimes when I talk to entrepreneurs, they're like, you know, I just don't know if this is like good enough. Is this strong enough? I'm like, first of all, this is your vision. This doesn't have to be anything for anyone. This doesn't have to be, I want to start a global movement. I want to be a billionaire or I want to create billionaires. Like it doesn't have to be this big grand thing. Maybe you're like our dad and like you just want to put food on the table. Maybe you're like Jordan and you're like, I just want a little bit more freedom. So what is your vision right now in this moment? Like that is your guiding light. That is what is going to anchor you when things suck because they will suck. Oh man. The other thing too is just remember that the problems you're facing, they are a byproduct of the blessing of your business. It's so easy to lose sight of that, you know, because so many of the blessings in our life can look a whole lot like problems, which we've talked about. People often say more money, more problems. It's so true. They're so right. You know, more money, more opportunity, but more money, more problems. And more specifically, really what that comes down to more responsibility. That's really what it is because responsibility comes with what feels a lot like problems. The bigger the business, the more you grow, the bigger the problems. the bigger the responsibility, the bigger the weight. And that's why we always emphasize the growth that you're experiencing in the journey, in the Valley floor. You don't want to skip that because if you skip that, you can't carry what you're building. You can't sustain it. You can't stay there. You're going to burn out. You're going to crash and burn. So just remember that sometimes the problems you're experiencing, they're actually a by-product. of the blessings that you've worked so, so hard for. So how can we reframe, how can we shift your perspective?
Jordan
Snaps. Oh my gosh. I feel like I have a couple more like kind of practical things cause I was really just thinking about personally when I've like had a sucky moment or when I've had just like a sucky season or whatever. Like what do I do? Like what do I actually do to kind of like navigate through it? I was having a sucky moment last week. I'm not going to lie. Like I had a rough day one day and I was just had to first off process with someone close to me, like my mom or our mom literally had to word vomit. It just came out. I didn't even plan for that to happen. I didn't want to share all of that actually at the time. Cause I was like, I feel like I'm just going to be spreading so much like negativity and I'm just angry right now. And it just ended up coming out on like on my lunch break. And we were just sitting there and my mom just like listened and was just like nodding. And like, I just had to let it out. And ultimately when I was thinking about it, I feel like it's so important to lean on those closest to you when you are just having a really hard time. We cannot do it alone. We need people, we need support, you know? And in like my really sucky moments and sucky seasons in life, I have had a really strong support system with my family. And especially like my mom, our mom is just like, she's such a great listener. And I feel like she's a trusted, figure in my life that like, I feel like I can just talk to her about whatever and she will just listen and she will understand. And I just needed that. So one thing I would recommend is like really look at the people that are closest to you, lean on them when you need them and they will be there for you. Lean on your close friends or your family or whoever that is for you and Don't try to take on all that stress by yourself. You can lean on other people. And then another thing I was thinking about is just having means of blowing off steam. When you're in a sucky moment or a sucky season and you're having a hard time, I think that you can carry a lot of stress in your body. And number one thing I would recommend is literally like have a way of blowing off steam, AKA like exercise or some sort of activity where you were throwing your body into it. Like you're letting that steam off, you know, um, whether it's like an intense exercise, like Hit workout or you're like going for a run or maybe it's something a little bit like lesser You know less crazy like going for a walk or like going in a sauna Something like that to just like let off the steam Because I really do feel like we can hold so much stress and anxiety in our bodies and when we're not moving We're not like getting rid of that nervous energy and I feel like that has been really beneficial for me Like when I'm just having a sucky moment it's like sometimes I feel like I just need to go for a walk or like do a workout and really like pump some iron and like get my body into it, you know? So have means of blowing off steam and really prioritize your physical health. on top of your mental and emotional health. Cause it all works together.
Ashton
That is really, really good. And so practical. That's something that we have a very like high value for is our wellness and taking care of ourselves. And I feel like that is a whole other episode in itself. But if you're going to be requiring yourself to show up at this level of responsibility, taking on so much, not just physically, time-wise, but mentally, you better take care of yourself. You need to move your body. You need to nourish your body. Um, and you also dare I say it need to have fun. Like sometimes you need to get out of your routine. It is so easy because we work from our computers. where, you know, we're at home, our computers are at home, like we can work at any time, anywhere. And it's so easy to like have zero boundaries with that. And it's so easy to just say, Oh, well, I'll just get some more work done right now. Oh, I'll just stay home today and I'll get some things done. Sometimes you just need to disrupt your pattern, your norm, and you need to go do something fun. This past weekend, Josh and I, we went antique shopping with my mom, Mel, and our friend Forest. And it was like so life-giving. Like we didn't think about work. all day, which is so not like us. We talk about work all the time. We love, we love what we do. Um, and it is always on your mind. It, it'll, it is always there. It's always looming. So sometimes you need to go be around friends, go do something fun, go walk around, go be in the sunshine, but you've got to find a way to like disconnect sometimes you just do. And that doesn't have to be a vacation that can literally be like a day. an afternoon. So hopefully that gives you a nice blend of like inspirational next steps, but also some very practical next steps to take. Um, love those points from you. We do carry stress in our body, so take care of yourself. Like that's a huge thing. And I think our dad has also modeled that to us very well. Um, you know, taking on as much responsibility as he did in his business. He also like, he takes mad care of himself and he's always learning new ways to do that. Make sure that you're doing that. And the big takeaway we want to wrap up with is just know that these sucky moments, they're not going to last forever. It's not going to be here forever. There's going to be highs and lows, ups, downs, flows back and forth. And again, like those lows, those hard moments, those sucky seasons. If you can really have the perspective that like this sucks, but it's building your resilience. It's making you stronger. It's equipping you for what's to come. then it almost makes it all worth it. And it just gives you that hope and that faith and that stamina to keep moving forward. So it won't last. Don't stay in the suck. Keep moving, keep building, cling to your vision, and you will get to the other side where things feel amazing again. Amen. Amen. Thanks for listening. We'll catch you in the next one.
