364 How Genuine Connections Built Her Business (and How They’ll Build Yours) with Kristina Bartold
Kristina Bartold
Co-Founder of High Vibe Women and The Social Snippet
Welcome back to another episode of the Visionary Life Podcast.
In this episode, Kelsey chats with Kristina Bartold, an expert in building community and relationship capital.
Kristina is the Co-founder of @thesocialsnippet & @highvibe.women as well as a social media expert, and podcast production + events maven.
We dive deep into the strategies and importance of community building, networking, and the reality of growing a business, especially when navigating the highs and lows.
Kristina shares her journey of how she got into launching a social media agency, lessons learned from both successes and challenges of having over 80 clients (wow!!!), and why they started the High Vibe Women brand and event for Women Entrepreneurs in Canada.
Plus, she gives us an inside look at her favorite podcasts, how she’s borrowing belief from other entrepreneurs, and the crucial role relationships play in business success.
In this episode, we chat about:
The power of community and how to engage effectively.
Building relationships and network capital for business growth.
The importance of finding a community that will uplift you and help you thrive in your journey.
It’s not about doing more; it’s about connecting with the right people who can open doors and provide support.
Timestamps
[2:10] The importance of community and relationships in business
[6:00] How referring clients to others and celebrating their wins builds trust and strengthens relationships, even if there’s no immediate personal benefit.
[9:30] Trusting the process during business downturns
[14:19] Operating from an energy of generosity and giving, which leads to natural sales as people like working with those who are genuinely helpful.
[22:00] Offering free value upfront helps potential clients make informed decisions and makes them most likely to reach out for your paid offerings.
[24:16] The power of In-Person Networking can fast track the way you build trust, grow your network and establish deeper connections.
To connect with Kristina
To connect with Kelsey:
Access the transcript for this episode:
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I'm so excited to have you here.
03:45
I absolutely love binging your podcast community because I feel like you talk about so many important principles of entrepreneurship and growth and namely making true connections, meeting people, adding value to their life, showing up for people in times of need.
04:03
And it's so crazy that this is almost like a lost skill because a lot of people come into entrepreneurship and they're like.
04:08
I just want to run the ad and have a community of billions.
04:12
And I'm like, I just don't know that that's how it works.
04:15
So what does community mean to you?
04:18
Like, why is it important for you to be building real relationships every single day?
04:23
Yeah.
04:23
Well, Kelsey, firstly, thank you so much for even listening to our, like, my podcast.
04:27
Cause I I think it's one of those things.
04:28
I know, you know, this is a podcast or it's like a total labor of love where you're like, does anybody ever listen to this?
04:33
It's just my mom downloading this hundreds of times.
04:35
But so I'm so excited to hear that.
04:37
But yeah, community has definitely been like a core theme in my life always.
04:41
But I I would say why I think it's so important in business is so many people can run the ad or they have an awesome product or an awesome idea, but they have nobody to actually sell it to.
04:51
And so it's really important that we're able to have people who we built, know, like and trust with that we're able to to sell to.
04:58
But also it's like the path to referral partnerships, the path to power partnerships, the path to love.
05:03
Opportunities and I think community is like one of those things that people do not spend enough time on and people are looking for like the sexy fast results.
05:11
But I know that community takes time and it's so worth it when it does, when it does work.
05:18
Did you always have this mindset of it's OK to have like?
05:23
Seeds planted every day and more of this like consistency mentality instead of the overnight success.
05:30
Like I just want to have fast growth.
05:32
Like has that always been your mindset in entrepreneurship?
05:35
It's funny because I would say we had pretty fast growth and with focusing on community I would say.
05:40
But the other thing is that I feel like that's.
05:45
It's very common I think as entrepreneurs for us to see other people and be like wow, like they're doing so great, they're killing it.
05:51
I want to be part of like whatever it is that they're doing like you know or whatever it is the success that they have.
05:57
And so I think for me I have always had this like community oriented mindset like you know when I think about my career is pre working like in as an entrepreneur like always had a community element to them.
06:08
So I've always been like a community over competition kind of person, a teammate like that's always been kind of my.
06:14
My kind of philosophy.
06:15
But I think in business like I think the like for me a generous spirit is really important and like being able to show up for people without a lot of expectation.
06:25
I know that that works.
06:27
I know that like over time that that's fine.
06:30
But even this week I was just thinking about this, Kelsey, I, you know, we had a client who I love working with who had a family death and she's kind of like pausing her business.
06:38
And of course that triggers some scarcity, right, where I'm like, oh, we've lost a client that's a revenue stream like, Oh no.
06:44
And then I have like 2 minutes of thinking about all the opportunities that I have open right now, like all these things and thinking about where they all came from.
06:51
And it's like people who I've met one time who are so excited to to build a relationship, somebody who I met one time or twice or three times who they were like, I was talking about you and I I made a referral for you.
07:02
Like I hope you guys can connect.
07:04
Someone who found us on Instagram, like all of these other opportunities are there.
07:08
And I think I just always have to remember that like you know when you're we're planting these seeds, we're actually planting them sometimes for scarce seasons.
07:14
And so being OK with that is really important because it's not always going to be a win.
07:18
No matter how big your business is or how great your business is, your business isn't always going to be winning.
07:23
And so I think when it is winning, it's remembering that those seeds still matter.
07:27
Cause I think sometimes when things are good, that's the easy time to like step back or not be as generous with your introductions or not show up as fully.
07:34
So yeah, I would say that's probably always been my mindset, but I'd love to help other people cultivate that.
07:41
I absolutely love that.
07:42
And it's like that really corny quote that's when one door closes, another one opens.
07:48
But we have to remind ourselves that as business owners because.
07:51
Client turnover is natural and things happen.
07:55
A client has a family death and I think our immediate reaction is like, Oh my God, what can I do?
08:00
I need to get them back.
08:01
And we have this moment of panic, but it's also like, wait a second, what does this space afford me to do?
08:09
Maybe it's to pop in and spend extra time connecting with a community that you've.
08:14
Kind of forgot to love on in the past bit.
08:16
Maybe it's to get back to your regular e-mail newsletter to create higher quality content.
08:20
And you have to trust that that is going to bring in so many more opportunities and know that like business and entrepreneurship is a living, breathing entity.
08:31
It's never going to stay static.
08:32
So to expect that it will and to expect that clients will stay with you for the rest of your lifetime, it's almost like setting yourself up for failure.
08:41
Totally.
08:42
And that's how often I find and I've like just I'm telling you this because this is something I've experienced is that that's actually sometimes how you end up in like misaligned situations is by really being so focused on like I need to get people back or I need, I need it like you know whatever but.
09:02
Yeah, like I need to get, I need to get people back or whatever that looks like.
09:05
But what I would say is when we are so strong in our like offering and our value, then it doesn't actually, you don't feel that same scarcity when people leave.
09:15
And even like in our scarcest season, like I can think a few months ago, you know, we had like we, I'm sure Kelsey, as you're aware, like you know, lots going on in the news and that always affects our business, always, always because people are are spending differently and so.
09:28
I we had a number of clients like decide to quit business like cut back on their on their you know investments like different things like that even though you know pull their packages down like whatever.
09:39
And I remember like you know we ended up getting a new client and I knew in my gut this was a bad fit but I was like but we kind of need the revenue like we should just do it like let's make it happen.
09:50
And it was a bad fit and I I knew it and it ended up, you know, I had to end the contract and I ended up kind of paying for it.
09:58
But what that was such a reminder of is that like when we're in that energy of like extreme scarcity, like it's so important for us to remember about those seeds, like really always thinking about like the seeds are they're planting.
10:10
When we have like a dip, it means the rise is coming.
10:13
And sometimes as entrepreneurs that's that's hard to maintain perspective around.
10:17
It is, but it's absolutely essential.
10:19
And I think when you've been in it for multiple years, it's like I've seen this season before and you get a little bit more resilient at riding it out and not panicking.
10:27
Like you still get that pit in your stomach, but it's like, OK, I've been through this.
10:31
Like we know that there is an upswing after the downswing.
10:35
So I think that's really good.
10:38
You mentioned having a generous spirit.
10:40
So I want to get really practical with you, Christina, because I feel like you probably do things almost subconsciously on a daily basis that are very generous.
10:49
You're giving to other entrepreneurs, you're adding value to people on a very micro level.
10:55
Like what are a couple of the things that you do to just provide value to people even when they're not clients, to stay in touch with people even when they haven't seen you in a year, like.
11:07
Practically give us a few tips.
11:09
Yeah.
11:10
So it's interesting because I think one of the things that I really strive to do is I really strive to give people referrals like that is something that I really work on.
11:21
So and and and where that comes from is like I always tell everyone, I'm like I have a Rolodex of entrepreneurs.
11:26
So if you are looking for something, I have it like I know someone who will do it and I don't care if you work with them and I also don't typically take referral commissions.
11:33
So like, you know, hopefully that there's like a good fit there.
11:37
Yeah.
11:37
Or or I have some, I have some entrepreneur friends who are very like, well, if you're not going to take it and I'm like apply it to to my friend, like apply it to my client like and that actually feels great for me because I'd rather make those referrals from integrity than from like, you know, hoping to like generate a side hustle.
11:56
So I probably give up giving up like hundreds of thousands of dollars of referral money because I really just believe in what those people are doing.
12:02
And I want to make really honest referrals.
12:04
So I like hunt for people for referrals too.
12:06
Like whenever anyone tells me there's a problem, I'm always the first person to be like, hey, I'm seeing this.
12:10
I'm like on threads all the time being like, hey, you're looking for Asana, my friend Amy does Asana.
12:14
Oh, you're looking for ads, my friend Tiffany or Jeanette does ads like and I'll like really do that.
12:19
Another thing too that I do and and like I I always want to make people feel celebrated.
12:23
That's something that's important to me.
12:25
Probably because I'm someone who, like, loves to celebrate myself.
12:28
Like, not celebrate myself, but I love to celebrate.
12:31
And so even like every day, I check the top charts for entrepreneurship and for podcasting, and I send screenshots to everyone, like even if they're not a client of ours.
12:41
And because I believe podcasting, as you know, Kelsey, like is one of those things that I think can really change someone's life.
12:46
Like I've had friends who I have a friend who wanted to take his own life and podcasts were actually the things that like took him from A to to B and and so being here with his family.
12:56
And so I know that like and that's a business podcast.
12:59
So it's like I know the impact podcasting can have.
13:02
So I send people their little screenshots of them, you know, even if they're not clients because I just like love to see them, you know, and then they'll post it and they're so excited about it and that keeps the momentum going.
13:11
So I think just trying to find wins for other people has been like really key, I think to the generous spirit, but also to be honest to like the success of our business, because often when we do these things, I'm not doing them so that I'm top of mind for these people, but you are top of mind for these people.
13:27
Like, you know, I I noticed this where it's like I'll I send someone screenshots all the time.
13:32
And then they have a podcasting referral and I'm I'm top of mind for that or for social or whatever.
13:36
Like it does grow our business.
13:38
But really I just, I try to connect people with each other.
13:41
That's kind of my jam and be like people always call me a super connector, which like I love.
13:46
Yeah.
13:47
And that's really, that's really I would say the big thing that I do is I really and with no expectation like I don't.
13:52
Yeah, I have no and even we will connect with me.
13:54
I have no expectation of.
13:56
A referral relationship.
13:57
I I don't, I don't try to pitch people.
13:58
And even recently someone came on and at the end they were like, hey, like, I don't know if you knew this.
14:03
I needed podcasting help.
14:04
And I was like, oh, you didn't explicitly say that.
14:06
So I wasn't going to pitch you.
14:07
Like, that's just not my way.
14:09
And I think when you operate from that energy, it's not slimy, it's not salesy.
14:13
But naturally sales come from it because people are, they like you as a person and they want to connect.
14:19
Man, I feel like you really operate from this mentality of there's enough to go around and.
14:26
Life gives to the giver.
14:28
That's a motto that I've always kept in the back of my brain because it's like, you know, if you're constantly giving, I think that the law of reciprocity says you will also get a lot in return.
14:38
But that's not the intention of showing up, of giving people value, of sending them these screenshots, making the referral.
14:45
You're not like, well, I really hope I get a client.
14:48
It doesn't have that malicious energy.
14:49
It's like.
14:50
No, this is just my DNA.
14:53
And you probably had to, like, almost remind yourself over time, like, yeah, just show up and have that open mentality and make connections.
15:00
But I think you can kind of build that muscle.
15:02
So for anyone listening who feels like, I don't know, I just opened Instagram and scroll, it's like, well, maybe start with a reminder on your desk that says, you know, who can I connect today?
15:13
Or who can I celebrate?
15:15
What win should I celebrate?
15:17
Start by scrolling your phone and be like.
15:20
OK, instead of just creeping on people, I'm actually going to leave a comment and be like, Congrats on the new puppy.
15:25
Oh my gosh, you got engaged.
15:27
Wow, you wrote your first book or even micro wins.
15:30
Like nobody's celebrating other people's micro wins.
15:33
So if you show up in their inbox, you're the only one in your top of mind.
15:37
So yeah, those are such good practical tips and I would encourage the listener, like build that muscle because as you're saying, it does pan out into.
15:47
Business growth, but that's not the motive, right?
15:51
No.
15:51
And I was going to say too, something that I have to address is that sometimes you're going to show up for people that aren't going to show up for you.
15:58
And like and and being OK with that, like being, you know, that's something that I even I find kind of funny.
16:04
Like sometimes like like events are actually like a a great example of this.
16:08
I know we're going to chat a bit about events, but I run an event here in Canada with my business partner called Women and it's grown quite substantially.
16:16
They're usually about 150 women and I I love these events and when people run events now.
16:22
But I don't think I was a trailblazer in events.
16:24
I don't think I'm like the first woman to run an event.
16:26
But it's it's funny because people will reach out to me and they're like, hey, who's your balloon person?
16:31
Who did you put in your swag bags?
16:33
You know, where'd you, where'd you get this?
16:35
Where'd you get that?
16:35
Where'd you get this?
16:36
And it's easy in that moment to be scarce, to be like, oh, well, what if their balloons look like mine or my swag bag partners?
16:45
Are they going to like that?
16:46
Like if ifI send them a picture of everything that was in my swag bag and they hit up all the same people.
16:51
Is that integrity?
16:52
And then that kind of stuff was happening where, you know, people were like, you know, going and they were reaching out to like all my same partners.
16:59
And I had to choose the mentality of actually this is a benefit to those people because that balloon person's going to get more work.
17:07
Those swag bag partners are going to get more exposure, like all of these things.
17:11
And yeah, did I put in the legwork?
17:13
Yeah.
17:14
And is that sometimes, like, annoying to have to be first?
17:17
Yeah.
17:18
But also, I know that there's been seasons where I've been in business where I haven't known how to do something.
17:24
And I've had other people I could go to and I could be like, Oh my God, like, I just tried to do this and it didn't go well.
17:29
Or, hey, like, you know, my CFO, I'm like, Oh my gosh, I didn't know that we were supposed to, you know, file this thing.
17:35
Like and she she's like, let me do that for you for free.
17:37
Like I'd be happy to do that for you because you know you're a friend and you've shown up so much for me.
17:41
Like couldn't have expected that would have been happy to pay for it.
17:43
But like, I just like, I have to remember those moments when I feel like people aren't showing up for me the way that I show up.
17:49
And I just, I'm a huge believer in like it's like the biblical term, but like this idea of like, you know, like a cheerful giver, like it just being like cheerful about it and not being resentful because the minute that you're resentful about being generous giving.
18:04
Introductions, they come from such a different place.
18:07
And I actually just like, I believe that does hinder your energy and then the success from any of these introductions or any of these relationships.
So a lot of people and you work with a lot of clientele to help them with social media and a lot of people will ask the question like, well, am I not giving away too much or like, you know, I teach this in my course, so shouldn't people pay me for this?
20:16
What's your philosophy on like?
20:19
Giving it all away, pulling the curtains back, sharing the event blueprint, telling people your secrets to success.
20:27
Do you feel like that is good advice to just like give it all, be open, or do you think like, OK, have a bunch of stuff behind the paywall?
20:36
What's your thought process?
20:39
Like, it's complicated cause I think it kind of depends on your model a little bit, right?
20:42
Like if you're a brick and mortar and you own a cupcake shop, you can't like give away your cupcakes 24/7, right?
20:47
That's like that's one thing.
20:48
But I think, but I think when it comes to to like intellectual property, there is nothing that you are going to teach someone that they can't Google or watch on YouTube or listen to a podcast on and.
21:00
In my experience, right, like so we run our agency, the social snippet.
21:04
We have 85 clients on retainer.
21:07
We have our membership with lots of things going on.
21:09
I have never met somebody who has listened to my podcast and been like, wow, she did it.
21:13
She gave me all that info like and now I just did it myself.
21:16
Like people want done for you services.
21:19
People want coaching.
21:20
People need the level of they're buying your like when they're seeing you online, they're experiencing your knowledge, but they're buying your time and the access to you.
21:29
So I think even in a course like.
21:30
Like they could binge every TikTok, every Instagram rule you've ever done, but it's not gonna be laid out like a course.
21:37
Like it's not gonna be have like homework like a course.
21:39
It's not gonna be streamlined like a course, right?
21:41
So my my philosophy, there's this old like sales adage that's like.
21:45
Don't spill your Jelly beans in the in the lobby.
21:48
Like don't like show people too much.
21:50
I'm like put your Jelly beans out.
21:52
Like let let the let the Jelly beans in the box or in the maybe don't put them in a box, but like in a in a jar or whatever.
21:58
Like leave those out for people to better understand you.
22:01
Because that's how people make buying decisions is they're binging your stuff.
22:05
They're listening to you all the time.
22:06
I can't tell you how many times I've, you know, seen someone they've come on a discovery call and they're like.
22:11
Hey, saw you speak at this event, listen to you on all of these podcasts.
22:15
Now I'm kind of ready to work with you.
22:16
And it's like it's a no-brainer sale because they already actually have made their choice.
22:20
They're just like waiting for me to like give them a little time.
22:23
So I think, I think just really understanding that people are buying you and there's just so many people out there who do what you do.
22:29
Like I wish, I wish there wasn't.
22:31
They don't do it at like you, but they do what you do.
22:34
And so I think.
22:36
Adding as much value as possible I think is like the best way for people to get a sense of if you're the right fit for them or not.
22:41
And sometimes you're not.
22:43
And actually that free value you're giving, like we've had people come on and you know, they'll they'll do a discovery call.
22:49
They're like, OK, how many clients have you had go viral?
22:52
I'm like, oh, I'm like, I'm like actually we have had clients go viral, but it's like that's not helpful.
22:57
And like that's actually not going to be the goal of us working together.
23:00
And if you would watch any of our content, you would have known.
23:03
I actually don't care about virality.
23:05
And so like, I think sometimes us over sharing that information and like really being generous with it, it's actually to our benefit in so many ways because people are really getting a sense of if we're the right people for them to be working with.
23:17
I love that.
23:18
That's such a good mentality.
23:19
And you're right.
23:20
Like the more touch points somebody has with us, the more they are making an informed decision before they even get on the sales call.
23:27
So it's like they're pre-qualifying if the social snippet is the right fit, if I'm the right fit just by hearing the podcast and then seeing our Instagram posts.
23:36
So you start to weed out the people who are not a good fit because you're you're giving a lot of your heart, your soul, your expertise, your skill set even before somebody shows up on your.
23:47
Your doorstep as a client.
23:48
So I think that's really, really cool.
23:50
OK, let's transition a little bit.
23:52
You are coming off of a really big event and that is a huge energy expenditure.
23:57
So I'd just love to hear from you first, why is hosting events important for you?
24:03
Among all of the other things that you could focus your time and energy on, what is the soft spot for hosting?
24:10
You do multiple events in a year, so I'd love to hear why that's important to your business and to you personally.
24:16
Yeah.
24:16
So like, again, I'm a like celebratory woman.
24:19
So I like, love a good celebration.
24:20
So basically where this came from was that, you know, we're both, both of us are Canadian and here in Canada.
24:26
And I was spending a lot of time traveling to the States and a lot of time going to events in the States and they were great.
24:32
Like that's actually what blew our business up.
24:35
We scaled really quickly by going in person and meeting people.
24:38
And so that was great.
24:41
And then we came back home and we were kind of like, what would it look like for us to just like throw some dinners together for entrepreneurs?
24:46
Real women.
24:46
So we started to do that and then the invites grew and then it was like more and more.
24:49
And then our, you know, our ten person dinner turned into a 20 person, you know, it was like growing, growing, growing, which was so great.
24:55
So we ended up running our first event, you know, last January, so like a year and a half ago and for 100 people.
25:02
And then we did a 150 and then we just did another.
25:04
Another 150 and then we're hoping for a 200 in in October.
25:08
But why I love these events is because I actually know that community and in person is what grows businesses.
25:15
So it's like I love social.
25:17
Like I saw I'm blue in the face.
25:18
I will tell you I love social.
25:20
I love organic social.
25:21
I love how people show up.
25:22
I think we're like in unprecedented business times like so I think there's like lots of good stuff there.
25:27
But when we think about the original way people grew business, it was in community and the way that people you know you would be.
25:33
I always like use this example so.
25:34
But it's like, you know, you've got apples, I've got oranges, let's trade.
25:37
Like you live down the street, you make bread, I do this.
25:39
Like let's let's work together.
25:41
And we've lost some of that in the digital age.
25:43
And and I think for me, the in person is so amazing because there's nothing like meeting somebody and being like, Oh my God, I like, know, like and trust you so fast because we're in person and you're somebody that I would want to build a relationship with and connect with and.
25:58
I think that's why it's so important to be able to be in person.
26:02
And that's why I want to cultivate these opportunities for women, because I think as women, we just don't have as many places to network as men do.
26:07
And like I think about the golf course or I think about, you know, different, like I was joking about the golf course.
26:11
I'm like, you know, there are women that golf, I'm aware, but it's like is a very unspoken thing of like, you know, men who are doing stuff together and then they go and they golf and then they make choices, right?
26:22
And it's like, we're not doing that stuff.
26:24
So it's like more than ever, we just need women to be together, to talk and to build community.
26:30
And that's where I've seen like we've had amazing success stories come from High Five Women where people have had like tremendous opportunities be like granted to them or have fast-tracked something that they were really struggling with.
26:43
And that is actually the the key is like you sit beside another agency owner and the agency owner is like, oh, actually like, you know, I don't use this software.
26:50
I use this software and here's why.
26:51
And it saves me X amount of dollars or Oh my gosh, like I had somebody at this high by women, her goal is to be on TV.
26:57
Like she was like, she has an amazing business and her goal is to be on TV.
27:02
And I was like, oh, this chick like is on CTV like all the time.
27:06
And and I connected them and the other girl was like, Oh my God, like, yeah, let me get you on CTV.
27:10
Like, it's done.
27:11
Like, consider a finish.
27:12
Like, you know, you have such an amazing story that, you know, $400.00 or whatever she paid for her ticket just paid for itself, like probably 10 times, right.
27:19
And so, yeah, I just think that in person is just so magical.
27:23
I have such, like, I'm always like, should I just be running events like 24/7?
27:25
Like, I just love it so much and I'm so like drawn to it.
27:31
But I'm also a tired woman.
27:32
So it's like, you know, it's like.
27:33
Both.
27:34
Both can be true.
27:34
Both can be true.
27:35
I love it.
27:36
Yeah.
27:37
And you know what?
27:38
I I really love that you shared initially that going to events is actually how cause you've described a couple times that you guys had quick success or you had a lot of client demand when you opened your doors for the social snippet.
27:53
And are you attributing a lot of that to getting on airplanes?
27:58
Going into rooms of people, meeting people, having that generous spirit, as you talked about, and like trusting that there would be a return on investment in getting on the plane, going into a room full of people you probably didn't know initially, and hoping that by being in the right place, connections will fly.
28:17
Referrals will fly.
28:18
People need your services.
28:20
Yeah.
28:20
And that's actually why I'm so passionate about creating spaces where people don't have to go on planes.
28:24
Like because like I think for me like that's exactly what happened.
28:28
We we had our business and I'll I'll just give you like a little scoop, but a lot of our business like and often when people have started business, the first clients are like people they know.
28:35
So that's kind of what happened.
28:36
We had a bunch of clients we knew and then by the time our business was probably 3 months old, we had about 10 clients.
28:42
So it was like pretty fast.
28:44
It had grown and and Maria started working full time and I still had another job.
28:48
So then our business is growing, our business is growing.
28:49
And I convinced Maria to sign up for this online mastermind that has 100 entrepreneurs in it.
28:54
It was $35 American.
28:55
And I forfeited my pay for the month for that.
28:58
We could do it because I was like, I was like, listen, like, I believe that if we got one client from this, it would be worth it.
29:05
That is still probably our number one referral source still to this day like hundreds of thousands of dollars.
29:11
Like we'd probably, I would be probably willing to say close to $1,000,000 we've made off that mastermind.
29:16
And like, but a big part of that was just us going on and what we did.
29:20
We didn't go in there and I was like, OK, like I need to make 3500 bucks back.
29:23
So like how do we do this?
29:24
What we did was we went in there and we were like, hey guys.
29:27
We're new in business and you guys are our ideal clients.
29:31
I would love to do audits of your social just to actually hear what you guys have like going on.
29:37
We would do audits, 20 minute audits.
29:39
I think we did 80 or something like that and all we did was pour into people.
29:44
That's it.
29:45
There was no pitch.
29:46
I never connected with.
29:47
We'd follow them on Instagram.
29:49
I would never send them.
29:50
And even at the end one girl was like.
29:52
This was incredible.
29:53
Are you gonna send me a package?
29:55
And I was like, well, you asked for one, so I will.
29:57
But if you hadn't asked, there'd be no package.
29:59
And she was like, OK, yeah, great.
30:01
Like, we're still still getting referral.
30:03
Like still to this day, probably once a month, I get like a great referral from this.
30:08
But and it might not even be that person I talked to.
30:10
It might be they talked to somebody else.
30:12
Like like it has grown so much, which is amazing.
30:15
So I think it's really like if you're like, OK, I hear you events are are the way.
30:20
It's a mix of events, but also like meeting people, like going into spaces, like Chamber of Commerce, go and like, you know, grab the booklet, ask people to go for coffee, like, you know, like things like that where you can just meet people and like pour into them.
30:33
Because again, people love to do business with people that they know.
30:36
So it's like, how do you actually like build relationships and community with these people so that you're top of mind for them?
30:42
Yes.
30:43
Oh, I love that so much.
30:44
And yeah, I think, you know, getting on an airplane and going to the USI love that.
30:49
But not everybody loves taking a leap like that.
30:52
But what you said is like, you just have to be meeting people and it's so wild.
30:56
The number of times I'll talk to someone and they feel really stuck and I'm like, have you, like, gotten out there lately?
31:02
Have you met anyone new, had a fresh conversation?
31:05
And they're like.
31:06
No, like, not in months.
31:07
And I'm like, you know, if you just make it your focus to like walk around town and meet one new person a day, a week, even a month, life will change for the better, right?
31:18
Because it all boils down to, are we building new connections, relationships?
31:22
Because it might not be that person, but it's the friend of that person when they go up for coffee and they're like, I need someone to edit my podcast.
31:28
And they're like, oh, well, I just heard from Christina's cousin that she has pieces to take on podcast sense.
31:34
And you never know.
31:34
You have to be on.
31:36
apologetic about making new connections, talking about what you do, solving problems for people who maybe didn't ask for help but could value your advice.
31:46
And like, no good comes from hiding behind our laptops and just doomscrolling, right?
31:52
No, and honestly, that's actually like such a good point too, Kelsey, is that one of the mistakes I see a lot of people make, and this is something like I always like try to coach people on, like in our social business club and stuff, is that like, one,People do not talk about what they do enough.
32:06
So people do not actually know what you do.
32:08
Like, and this is something that is so funny because I'll be like, I'll meet people and they're like, oh, like I'm a like this, this, this, thisAnd I'm like, that is a very complicated title for Kajabi designer.
32:18
And like, if I ever met someone who needs a Kajabi designer, you would never come to mind.
32:23
And it's that's why even for me, it's like, am I a social media manager?
32:27
No.
32:27
Like, I don't manage people social.
32:29
But is that what my team does?
32:31
Yeah, we offer social media and podcast management.
32:33
That is.
32:33
So I don't try to make it.
32:34
It's sexier than it is, you knowAnd I think that's a mistake people make, but especially when you're in person, like, I think having conversations and just being like, hey, this is what I do, this is how I help people.
32:44
And at the end saying, what do you need support with right now in your business?
32:48
And it might not have anything to do with social or podcasting or anything, but someone might say to me like, oh, you know what?
32:53
Like, I've been really struggling with a landing page and like, I really need a landing page.
32:57
Like, do you know somebody good?
32:58
And I'm like, yeah, of course I know someone good.
33:00
Let me like make a connection for you.
33:01
Or hey, I was really looking to do this and I, I, you know, I'm trying to figure out my next step.
33:06
Hey, I might actually know somebody.
33:07
So I always end calls and stuff like what do you need right now in your business?
33:10
Like what are you feeling like you need most support with?
33:12
And sometimes it is related to what I do, which is awesome.
33:15
Often it's not.
33:16
And just that also helps propel that kind of generosity.
33:19
And and then usually I make great connections for people in there.
33:22
I'm super happy with them.
33:24
Absolutely love that.
33:26
So I want to pick your brain about some entrepreneurial tips, some things that have had you stay the course, get through and sell out 150 event tickets, take on 85 clients and stay sane, build your team.
33:38
So we're going to kind of do some rapid fire and really get the juice from Christina.
33:42
Does that sound good?
33:44
I'm ready.
33:45
OK.
33:45
So for somebody who's in their first year of business, they're feeling deflated because they're not an overnight millionaire.
33:51
What is 1 mindset shift you would tell them to make?
33:55
Oh.
33:57
You know what?
33:58
It's so funny.
33:58
Every over overnight success is like 12 years in the making and there's never been anyone I've met who's actually been an overnight success.
34:06
So I would say that is like a mindset shift for you is is finding your people on the come up.
34:12
Oh, I love that.
34:13
Not focusing on Alex Hormozi, focusing on the people who are like 50 steps ahead of you, but actually focusing on the people who are like around you right now who are in the same season, cause those are gonna be the people who you you have your come up with and the people who you're gonna be able to like really grow with in your business.
34:30
I love that.
34:31
What is something that you're really excited or passionate about right now as it relates to marketing or events or community growth?
34:40
Like, what are you learning about or feeling really motivated to study?
34:47
It's funny, the thing that immediately came to mind was threads.
34:51
Oh, interesting.
34:51
Yeah.
34:52
And that's funny.
34:53
You're like community growth.
34:53
I'm like threads.
34:54
But the reason why is because I think there is a huge opportunity over there and people are really like actually like very community oriented on threads in a in a way I haven't seen on a platform yet.
35:06
So it's been really interesting like having conversations over there and the advertising or that you're able to do over there is quite different.
35:13
And whenever there's a new platform, it's such an opportunity for you to be a thought leader.
35:17
So from like a marketing perspective, like going and like really trying out threads and being like, OK, I'm going to give this a shot could be really successful for people.
35:25
And I think there's so much community there.
35:28
So I think it could be a good move.
35:29
It's a good reminder for me to get back on the platform and open it up.
35:33
So thank you.
35:34
OK.
35:35
So I want to know your philosophy.
35:37
Do you like to work 24/7, wake up, check the phone or do you have to have boundaries in place so that you don't burn out because you have a lot going on?
35:45
Yeah.
35:46
It's really unfortunate.
35:48
This is like my toxic trait.
35:49
I would say I do work kind of 24/7 like even I saw an e-mail but I will say something that again it like this is like a don't do like me kind of thing but like I'm on the entrepreneur roller coaster like I'm on it and so even and so if anyone else is listening to this like you know everyone will be like get off of it.
36:07
I'm like I'm like I'm the the maybe the the owner of it like I I might be operating it but even my team like it's been really interesting for me to figure out how to model as a.
36:16
Leader for my team because it's very easy for me.
36:19
Like we lose a client.
36:21
I'm discouraged.
36:21
I'm down.
36:22
I'm like, we're never going to get another client again.
36:23
Like this is like, shut this down.
36:25
Like I'm going back to work and then we get one client and I'm like, guys, like get the yachts ready, like rent them, you know, I like and I.
36:33
But that's also kind of my personality.
36:35
But I think that's what also has made me such a like, you know, I don't want to be such a successful entrepreneur, but a successful entrepreneur is that like, I see opportunity everywhere, like, and I can, you pick up pretty quickly and I have a fast ramp.
36:47
Well, my business partner Maria is like a little bit more like nothing's ever that bad and nothing's ever that good.
36:54
So I I aspire to be more like her, but you know, it's kind of fun.
36:57
Yeah, it is fun to ride the highs and then sometimes just sink into your couch and enjoy the lows.
37:02
So yeah, and I I appreciate you sharing that because there's this.
37:07
Mentality sometimes when people are starting their businesses that it's like, oh, anyone who's ahead of me has it all figured out and they don't have to deal with the ups and downs.
37:15
And it's like, no, no, no, no, noLike there's always going to be those shit hits the fan moments.
37:20
There's always going to be unfortunate things that happen.
37:24
And we're just constantly problem solving, constantly trying to stay at Bay and know that like the low lows can't derail you and they shouldn't and the high highs celebrate them, but also know that like, you know, that's not guaranteed for the rest.
37:38
Of this entrepreneurial journey.
37:39
So the fact that, you know, you're on the roller coaster, I'm on the roller coaster, a lot of us are on it, I think is a really important reminder that nobody's immune.
37:46
Yes.
37:48
And I was gonna say too, that is the only way I think some people will survive entrepreneurship and stay in business is if you are aware that there will always be lows.
37:56
And so like even one of my mentors, she's had a.
37:59
$25 million in exits, right?
38:00
Like so she is like very successful.
38:03
And her and I were talking cause her parents were entrepreneurs at in a way smaller scale.
38:08
And I guess one year her business like like, you know, they were on a rocket ship, rocket ship and then it went down a little.
38:13
And she looked at her mom and she was like, oh God, like I I failed.
38:17
Like I'm I'm like downward spiral.
38:20
She's like.
38:21
You know what, like that's business.
38:22
Like some years you're up, some years you're down and some years, you know, and I think that's really important because even for our business, our business has been like this and it it has grown at a very steady pace that I think's been quick.
38:34
But you know, I'm always like, well, why haven't we hit this milestone yet?
38:37
Like everyone's hit this milestone, like I want to hit it.
38:39
But it's also recognizing that, you know, every business has different seasons.
38:43
And so the only way we're gonna be able to stay the course of this like wild ride that we've chosen is by by being OK with the down too.
38:51
Because yeah, we've traded stability for for this.
38:55
We absolutely have.
38:56
And yeah, that's an important reminder too.
38:58
It's like.
38:59
This is not just a guaranteed growth journey.
39:01
Like there will be those lower times, slower times.
39:04
And yeah, that's the reality of business in general.
39:08
So to know that that's normal is really reassuring.
39:12
Christina, is there a book or a tool or a podcast that you've utilized to kind of keep you motivated or something that you're just digging into right now that you would recommend to our listener?
39:23
We always love to know what you're diving into and what you're who you're learning from.
39:29
Yeah.
39:29
So right now I'm actually focusing my efforts a little bit differently where like I used to be like a big book person.
39:35
I I've read probably like all like the main business books that like you talked about, right?
39:38
Like How to Win Friends and Influence, blah, blah, blah, blah.
39:41
I actually don't recommend that one too much because the philosophies are very aligned with me, but it's very like male focused.
39:46
And it sounds like I was right in the 20s.
39:49
Yeah, it's like your wife is at home.
39:50
I'm like, is she at home?
39:51
I'm not at home.
39:52
I'd love to be at home, but.
39:56
I would say the big things that I'm doing right now is I'm listening to a lot of founder stories and that's been really, really helpful for me because I listen to a lot of podcasts that are, you know, I listen to Earn Your Happy and The Chris Harder Show and and stuff like that.
40:07
And they're friends and mentors of mine and I love them.
40:09
So if you're looking for inspiration, like that's a great place.
40:12
But I'm in a season where I'm actually like looking to learn from people's mistakes.
40:16
And like you want to hear like what are people doing and borrow belief from them like of cause most of these people's stories is like it was good, it was good and then it was really bad and then now I'm on the up and I want to hear about the really bad to the up and not that that's where I'm at, but I just really love to like really like be inspired by these people.
40:34
So some podcasts I do like listening to, one of them is brand new.
40:37
They're a client of ours, founder to founder Aaron Spivak's podcast.
40:41
So I'm a member of Founders Club.
40:43
They're amazing.
40:44
And so Aaron's awesome and and his stories have been great.
40:47
And then like, you know, Diary of a CEO, my first million, like that kind of stuff has been really helpful.
40:53
And it just allows you to be like, sometimes I listen to those podcasts and I'm like, that is an insane business idea and I cannot believe that person made that much money.
41:01
So I can too, you know.
41:02
And sometimes you just need that, like belief and you borrow belief from people.
41:07
So yeah, it's really cool.
41:08
And honestly, most of those.
41:09
Relationship capital is the thing that really comes up a lot of like what brings people through the other side is an intro or yeah, something that usually shifts it.
41:20
Yeah.
41:21
Oh, I love that.
41:21
I once heard this analogy that, like, at every stage of business, we're in a box, right?
41:25
And what we're doing is going around and knocking on doors and hoping that one person will open it, take our hand, pull us into the next box, and then we're there and we start knocking on doors, hoping that one person will open a door, pull us up to the next tier and like.
41:41
And then it just never stops, right?
41:42
So it's like you have to keep building those relationships, knocking on doors, and just know that there will be someone that brings you into that next tier, that gives you the key to the Kingdom, that unlocks a success secret that you've been trying to solve forever.
41:58
And and if you don't have that trust, then you're going to give up or you're not going to be knocking on those doors or you'll see every relationship as transactional.
42:06
And then you don't get to that next level.
42:08
So thank you so much for sharing all of your wisdom on relationships, community building, the power of getting in rooms of people.
42:16
And I think these are the like strategies, the soft skills that I sometimes we just need that reminder of to go to that event, show up at a networking space.
42:28
Comment and engage with people's content versus just possibly looking at it.
42:33
And that can make the world of a difference in growing your network.
42:36
So Christina, what do you have to shout out?
42:38
Like where can people find you?
42:40
Podcasts, events, socials.
42:42
Drop any of the links and places that we can connect with you.
42:46
Well, Kelsey, firstly, thank you so much for having me.
42:48
I love chatting.
42:48
I know we've met in person, so that's always so fun when I get to chat with someone I've met before and love to chat all things community.
42:55
So yeah, you can find me at the community podcast.
42:57
That's where I put up two episodes a week, usually an interview in a solo.
43:00
And then other places would be Instagram or LinkedIn.
43:03
I spell my name with AK.
43:05
So yeah, come on over, let me know like what resonated.
43:07
Any friend of Kelsey's is a friend of mine.
43:08
So I'd love to hear what resonated with you folks.
43:11
And then two things I've kind of got going on.
43:13
One is high vibe women.
43:14
So if you are a entrepreneurial woman, we have people coming from the US like this is like, I'm always so surprised every time I see someone and it says California or something.
43:22
I'm like, are you aware this is on Ontario?
43:26
Canada, I feel like I should e-mail you, but I don't.
43:28
And they always make it so it's always fine.
43:30
But we have High Vibe Women October 18th in Burlington.
43:34
Tickets are still on sale.
43:35
We have almost 100 sold and it's going to be an amazing full day experience.
43:40
So come on over there at highvibewomen.ca.
43:43
And then the other thing I've got going on is I don't do a lot of coaching, but.
43:46
We have our Social Business Club and that's a spot where we have a lot of entrepreneurs who have joined us, where we teach them how to do their own social.
43:53
So if people are looking to how to build community, we talk about events, we talk about social, we talk about all different things of business.
43:58
You can go to the social business, the socialbusinessclub.ca and you can use the code podcast and you can get your first month for a dollar.
44:06
Oh, what a deal.
44:07
Oh my gosh, we're all running to sign up for social business clubs.
44:10
I steal.
44:11
And honestly, if you're an American listening to this, I it's a dollar Canadian.
44:14
So I essentially paid you to join.
44:15
So yeah, every time an American joins, they're like, hey, it was super weird, like.
44:20
$0.30 was billed to my credit card.
44:22
I'm like, I'm aware.
44:24
That's nice.
44:26
That exchange rate is really working in your favor for the US clients right now.
44:32
Well, thank you, Christina.
44:33
We'll have all of that plugged in the show notes and we wish you all of the success.
44:36
And thanks for sharing all of your knowledge today.I'm so excited to have you here.
03:45
I absolutely love binging your podcast community because I feel like you talk about so many important principles of entrepreneurship and growth and namely making true connections, meeting people, adding value to their life, showing up for people in times of need.
04:03
And it's so crazy that this is almost like a lost skill because a lot of people come into entrepreneurship and they're like.
04:08
I just want to run the ad and have a community of billions.
04:12
And I'm like, I just don't know that that's how it works.
04:15
So what does community mean to you?
04:18
Like, why is it important for you to be building real relationships every single day?
04:23
Yeah.
04:23
Well, Kelsey, firstly, thank you so much for even listening to our, like, my podcast.
04:27
Cause I I think it's one of those things.
04:28
I know, you know, this is a podcast or it's like a total labor of love where you're like, does anybody ever listen to this?
04:33
It's just my mom downloading this hundreds of times.
04:35
But so I'm so excited to hear that.
04:37
But yeah, community has definitely been like a core theme in my life always.
04:41
But I I would say why I think it's so important in business is so many people can run the ad or they have an awesome product or an awesome idea, but they have nobody to actually sell it to.
04:51
And so it's really important that we're able to have people who we built, know, like and trust with that we're able to to sell to.
04:58
But also it's like the path to referral partnerships, the path to power partnerships, the path to love.
05:03
Opportunities and I think community is like one of those things that people do not spend enough time on and people are looking for like the sexy fast results.
05:11
But I know that community takes time and it's so worth it when it does, when it does work.
05:18
Did you always have this mindset of it's OK to have like?
05:23
Seeds planted every day and more of this like consistency mentality instead of the overnight success.
05:30
Like I just want to have fast growth.
05:32
Like has that always been your mindset in entrepreneurship?
05:35
It's funny because I would say we had pretty fast growth and with focusing on community I would say.
05:40
But the other thing is that I feel like that's.
05:45
It's very common I think as entrepreneurs for us to see other people and be like wow, like they're doing so great, they're killing it.
05:51
I want to be part of like whatever it is that they're doing like you know or whatever it is the success that they have.
05:57
And so I think for me I have always had this like community oriented mindset like you know when I think about my career is pre working like in as an entrepreneur like always had a community element to them.
06:08
So I've always been like a community over competition kind of person, a teammate like that's always been kind of my.
06:14
My kind of philosophy.
06:15
But I think in business like I think the like for me a generous spirit is really important and like being able to show up for people without a lot of expectation.
06:25
I know that that works.
06:27
I know that like over time that that's fine.
06:30
But even this week I was just thinking about this, Kelsey, I, you know, we had a client who I love working with who had a family death and she's kind of like pausing her business.
06:38
And of course that triggers some scarcity, right, where I'm like, oh, we've lost a client that's a revenue stream like, Oh no.
06:44
And then I have like 2 minutes of thinking about all the opportunities that I have open right now, like all these things and thinking about where they all came from.
06:51
And it's like people who I've met one time who are so excited to to build a relationship, somebody who I met one time or twice or three times who they were like, I was talking about you and I I made a referral for you.
07:02
Like I hope you guys can connect.
07:04
Someone who found us on Instagram, like all of these other opportunities are there.
07:08
And I think I just always have to remember that like you know when you're we're planting these seeds, we're actually planting them sometimes for scarce seasons.
07:14
And so being OK with that is really important because it's not always going to be a win.
07:18
No matter how big your business is or how great your business is, your business isn't always going to be winning.
07:23
And so I think when it is winning, it's remembering that those seeds still matter.
07:27
Cause I think sometimes when things are good, that's the easy time to like step back or not be as generous with your introductions or not show up as fully.
07:34
So yeah, I would say that's probably always been my mindset, but I'd love to help other people cultivate that.
07:41
I absolutely love that.
07:42
And it's like that really corny quote that's when one door closes, another one opens.
07:48
But we have to remind ourselves that as business owners because.
07:51
Client turnover is natural and things happen.
07:55
A client has a family death and I think our immediate reaction is like, Oh my God, what can I do?
08:00
I need to get them back.
08:01
And we have this moment of panic, but it's also like, wait a second, what does this space afford me to do?
08:09
Maybe it's to pop in and spend extra time connecting with a community that you've.
08:14
Kind of forgot to love on in the past bit.
08:16
Maybe it's to get back to your regular e-mail newsletter to create higher quality content.
08:20
And you have to trust that that is going to bring in so many more opportunities and know that like business and entrepreneurship is a living, breathing entity.
08:31
It's never going to stay static.
08:32
So to expect that it will and to expect that clients will stay with you for the rest of your lifetime, it's almost like setting yourself up for failure.
08:41
Totally.
08:42
And that's how often I find and I've like just I'm telling you this because this is something I've experienced is that that's actually sometimes how you end up in like misaligned situations is by really being so focused on like I need to get people back or I need, I need it like you know whatever but.
09:02
Yeah, like I need to get, I need to get people back or whatever that looks like.
09:05
But what I would say is when we are so strong in our like offering and our value, then it doesn't actually, you don't feel that same scarcity when people leave.
09:15
And even like in our scarcest season, like I can think a few months ago, you know, we had like we, I'm sure Kelsey, as you're aware, like you know, lots going on in the news and that always affects our business, always, always because people are are spending differently and so.
09:28
I we had a number of clients like decide to quit business like cut back on their on their you know investments like different things like that even though you know pull their packages down like whatever.
09:39
And I remember like you know we ended up getting a new client and I knew in my gut this was a bad fit but I was like but we kind of need the revenue like we should just do it like let's make it happen.
09:50
And it was a bad fit and I I knew it and it ended up, you know, I had to end the contract and I ended up kind of paying for it.
09:58
But what that was such a reminder of is that like when we're in that energy of like extreme scarcity, like it's so important for us to remember about those seeds, like really always thinking about like the seeds are they're planting.
10:10
When we have like a dip, it means the rise is coming.
10:13
And sometimes as entrepreneurs that's that's hard to maintain perspective around.
10:17
It is, but it's absolutely essential.
10:19
And I think when you've been in it for multiple years, it's like I've seen this season before and you get a little bit more resilient at riding it out and not panicking.
10:27
Like you still get that pit in your stomach, but it's like, OK, I've been through this.
10:31
Like we know that there is an upswing after the downswing.
10:35
So I think that's really good.
10:38
You mentioned having a generous spirit.
10:40
So I want to get really practical with you, Christina, because I feel like you probably do things almost subconsciously on a daily basis that are very generous.
10:49
You're giving to other entrepreneurs, you're adding value to people on a very micro level.
10:55
Like what are a couple of the things that you do to just provide value to people even when they're not clients, to stay in touch with people even when they haven't seen you in a year, like.
11:07
Practically give us a few tips.
11:09
Yeah.
11:10
So it's interesting because I think one of the things that I really strive to do is I really strive to give people referrals like that is something that I really work on.
11:21
So and and and where that comes from is like I always tell everyone, I'm like I have a Rolodex of entrepreneurs.
11:26
So if you are looking for something, I have it like I know someone who will do it and I don't care if you work with them and I also don't typically take referral commissions.
11:33
So like, you know, hopefully that there's like a good fit there.
11:37
Yeah.
11:37
Or or I have some, I have some entrepreneur friends who are very like, well, if you're not going to take it and I'm like apply it to to my friend, like apply it to my client like and that actually feels great for me because I'd rather make those referrals from integrity than from like, you know, hoping to like generate a side hustle.
11:56
So I probably give up giving up like hundreds of thousands of dollars of referral money because I really just believe in what those people are doing.
12:02
And I want to make really honest referrals.
12:04
So I like hunt for people for referrals too.
12:06
Like whenever anyone tells me there's a problem, I'm always the first person to be like, hey, I'm seeing this.
12:10
I'm like on threads all the time being like, hey, you're looking for Asana, my friend Amy does Asana.
12:14
Oh, you're looking for ads, my friend Tiffany or Jeanette does ads like and I'll like really do that.
12:19
Another thing too that I do and and like I I always want to make people feel celebrated.
12:23
That's something that's important to me.
12:25
Probably because I'm someone who, like, loves to celebrate myself.
12:28
Like, not celebrate myself, but I love to celebrate.
12:31
And so even like every day, I check the top charts for entrepreneurship and for podcasting, and I send screenshots to everyone, like even if they're not a client of ours.
12:41
And because I believe podcasting, as you know, Kelsey, like is one of those things that I think can really change someone's life.
12:46
Like I've had friends who I have a friend who wanted to take his own life and podcasts were actually the things that like took him from A to to B and and so being here with his family.
12:56
And so I know that like and that's a business podcast.
12:59
So it's like I know the impact podcasting can have.
13:02
So I send people their little screenshots of them, you know, even if they're not clients because I just like love to see them, you know, and then they'll post it and they're so excited about it and that keeps the momentum going.
13:11
So I think just trying to find wins for other people has been like really key, I think to the generous spirit, but also to be honest to like the success of our business, because often when we do these things, I'm not doing them so that I'm top of mind for these people, but you are top of mind for these people.
13:27
Like, you know, I I noticed this where it's like I'll I send someone screenshots all the time.
13:32
And then they have a podcasting referral and I'm I'm top of mind for that or for social or whatever.
13:36
Like it does grow our business.
13:38
But really I just, I try to connect people with each other.
13:41
That's kind of my jam and be like people always call me a super connector, which like I love.
13:46
Yeah.
13:47
And that's really, that's really I would say the big thing that I do is I really and with no expectation like I don't.
13:52
Yeah, I have no and even we will connect with me.
13:54
I have no expectation of.
13:56
A referral relationship.
13:57
I I don't, I don't try to pitch people.
13:58
And even recently someone came on and at the end they were like, hey, like, I don't know if you knew this.
14:03
I needed podcasting help.
14:04
And I was like, oh, you didn't explicitly say that.
14:06
So I wasn't going to pitch you.
14:07
Like, that's just not my way.
14:09
And I think when you operate from that energy, it's not slimy, it's not salesy.
14:13
But naturally sales come from it because people are, they like you as a person and they want to connect.
14:19
Man, I feel like you really operate from this mentality of there's enough to go around and.
14:26
Life gives to the giver.
14:28
That's a motto that I've always kept in the back of my brain because it's like, you know, if you're constantly giving, I think that the law of reciprocity says you will also get a lot in return.
14:38
But that's not the intention of showing up, of giving people value, of sending them these screenshots, making the referral.
14:45
You're not like, well, I really hope I get a client.
14:48
It doesn't have that malicious energy.
14:49
It's like.
14:50
No, this is just my DNA.
14:53
And you probably had to, like, almost remind yourself over time, like, yeah, just show up and have that open mentality and make connections.
15:00
But I think you can kind of build that muscle.
15:02
So for anyone listening who feels like, I don't know, I just opened Instagram and scroll, it's like, well, maybe start with a reminder on your desk that says, you know, who can I connect today?
15:13
Or who can I celebrate?
15:15
What win should I celebrate?
15:17
Start by scrolling your phone and be like.
15:20
OK, instead of just creeping on people, I'm actually going to leave a comment and be like, Congrats on the new puppy.
15:25
Oh my gosh, you got engaged.
15:27
Wow, you wrote your first book or even micro wins.
15:30
Like nobody's celebrating other people's micro wins.
15:33
So if you show up in their inbox, you're the only one in your top of mind.
15:37
So yeah, those are such good practical tips and I would encourage the listener, like build that muscle because as you're saying, it does pan out into.
15:47
Business growth, but that's not the motive, right?
15:51
No.
15:51
And I was going to say too, something that I have to address is that sometimes you're going to show up for people that aren't going to show up for you.
15:58
And like and and being OK with that, like being, you know, that's something that I even I find kind of funny.
16:04
Like sometimes like like events are actually like a a great example of this.
16:08
I know we're going to chat a bit about events, but I run an event here in Canada with my business partner called Women and it's grown quite substantially.
16:16
They're usually about 150 women and I I love these events and when people run events now.
16:22
But I don't think I was a trailblazer in events.
16:24
I don't think I'm like the first woman to run an event.
16:26
But it's it's funny because people will reach out to me and they're like, hey, who's your balloon person?
16:31
Who did you put in your swag bags?
16:33
You know, where'd you, where'd you get this?
16:35
Where'd you get that?
16:35
Where'd you get this?
16:36
And it's easy in that moment to be scarce, to be like, oh, well, what if their balloons look like mine or my swag bag partners?
16:45
Are they going to like that?
16:46
Like if ifI send them a picture of everything that was in my swag bag and they hit up all the same people.
16:51
Is that integrity?
16:52
And then that kind of stuff was happening where, you know, people were like, you know, going and they were reaching out to like all my same partners.
16:59
And I had to choose the mentality of actually this is a benefit to those people because that balloon person's going to get more work.
17:07
Those swag bag partners are going to get more exposure, like all of these things.
17:11
And yeah, did I put in the legwork?
17:13
Yeah.
17:14
And is that sometimes, like, annoying to have to be first?
17:17
Yeah.
17:18
But also, I know that there's been seasons where I've been in business where I haven't known how to do something.
17:24
And I've had other people I could go to and I could be like, Oh my God, like, I just tried to do this and it didn't go well.
17:29
Or, hey, like, you know, my CFO, I'm like, Oh my gosh, I didn't know that we were supposed to, you know, file this thing.
17:35
Like and she she's like, let me do that for you for free.
17:37
Like I'd be happy to do that for you because you know you're a friend and you've shown up so much for me.
17:41
Like couldn't have expected that would have been happy to pay for it.
17:43
But like, I just like, I have to remember those moments when I feel like people aren't showing up for me the way that I show up.
17:49
And I just, I'm a huge believer in like it's like the biblical term, but like this idea of like, you know, like a cheerful giver, like it just being like cheerful about it and not being resentful because the minute that you're resentful about being generous giving.
18:04
Introductions, they come from such a different place.
18:07
And I actually just like, I believe that does hinder your energy and then the success from any of these introductions or any of these relationships.
So a lot of people and you work with a lot of clientele to help them with social media and a lot of people will ask the question like, well, am I not giving away too much or like, you know, I teach this in my course, so shouldn't people pay me for this?
20:16
What's your philosophy on like?
20:19
Giving it all away, pulling the curtains back, sharing the event blueprint, telling people your secrets to success.
20:27
Do you feel like that is good advice to just like give it all, be open, or do you think like, OK, have a bunch of stuff behind the paywall?
20:36
What's your thought process?
20:39
Like, it's complicated cause I think it kind of depends on your model a little bit, right?
20:42
Like if you're a brick and mortar and you own a cupcake shop, you can't like give away your cupcakes 24/7, right?
20:47
That's like that's one thing.
20:48
But I think, but I think when it comes to to like intellectual property, there is nothing that you are going to teach someone that they can't Google or watch on YouTube or listen to a podcast on and.
21:00
In my experience, right, like so we run our agency, the social snippet.
21:04
We have 85 clients on retainer.
21:07
We have our membership with lots of things going on.
21:09
I have never met somebody who has listened to my podcast and been like, wow, she did it.
21:13
She gave me all that info like and now I just did it myself.
21:16
Like people want done for you services.
21:19
People want coaching.
21:20
People need the level of they're buying your like when they're seeing you online, they're experiencing your knowledge, but they're buying your time and the access to you.
21:29
So I think even in a course like.
21:30
Like they could binge every TikTok, every Instagram rule you've ever done, but it's not gonna be laid out like a course.
21:37
Like it's not gonna be have like homework like a course.
21:39
It's not gonna be streamlined like a course, right?
21:41
So my my philosophy, there's this old like sales adage that's like.
21:45
Don't spill your Jelly beans in the in the lobby.
21:48
Like don't like show people too much.
21:50
I'm like put your Jelly beans out.
21:52
Like let let the let the Jelly beans in the box or in the maybe don't put them in a box, but like in a in a jar or whatever.
21:58
Like leave those out for people to better understand you.
22:01
Because that's how people make buying decisions is they're binging your stuff.
22:05
They're listening to you all the time.
22:06
I can't tell you how many times I've, you know, seen someone they've come on a discovery call and they're like.
22:11
Hey, saw you speak at this event, listen to you on all of these podcasts.
22:15
Now I'm kind of ready to work with you.
22:16
And it's like it's a no-brainer sale because they already actually have made their choice.
22:20
They're just like waiting for me to like give them a little time.
22:23
So I think, I think just really understanding that people are buying you and there's just so many people out there who do what you do.
22:29
Like I wish, I wish there wasn't.
22:31
They don't do it at like you, but they do what you do.
22:34
And so I think.
22:36
Adding as much value as possible I think is like the best way for people to get a sense of if you're the right fit for them or not.
22:41
And sometimes you're not.
22:43
And actually that free value you're giving, like we've had people come on and you know, they'll they'll do a discovery call.
22:49
They're like, OK, how many clients have you had go viral?
22:52
I'm like, oh, I'm like, I'm like actually we have had clients go viral, but it's like that's not helpful.
22:57
And like that's actually not going to be the goal of us working together.
23:00
And if you would watch any of our content, you would have known.
23:03
I actually don't care about virality.
23:05
And so like, I think sometimes us over sharing that information and like really being generous with it, it's actually to our benefit in so many ways because people are really getting a sense of if we're the right people for them to be working with.
23:17
I love that.
23:18
That's such a good mentality.
23:19
And you're right.
23:20
Like the more touch points somebody has with us, the more they are making an informed decision before they even get on the sales call.
23:27
So it's like they're pre-qualifying if the social snippet is the right fit, if I'm the right fit just by hearing the podcast and then seeing our Instagram posts.
23:36
So you start to weed out the people who are not a good fit because you're you're giving a lot of your heart, your soul, your expertise, your skill set even before somebody shows up on your.
23:47
Your doorstep as a client.
23:48
So I think that's really, really cool.
23:50
OK, let's transition a little bit.
23:52
You are coming off of a really big event and that is a huge energy expenditure.
23:57
So I'd just love to hear from you first, why is hosting events important for you?
24:03
Among all of the other things that you could focus your time and energy on, what is the soft spot for hosting?
24:10
You do multiple events in a year, so I'd love to hear why that's important to your business and to you personally.
24:16
Yeah.
24:16
So like, again, I'm a like celebratory woman.
24:19
So I like, love a good celebration.
24:20
So basically where this came from was that, you know, we're both, both of us are Canadian and here in Canada.
24:26
And I was spending a lot of time traveling to the States and a lot of time going to events in the States and they were great.
24:32
Like that's actually what blew our business up.
24:35
We scaled really quickly by going in person and meeting people.
24:38
And so that was great.
24:41
And then we came back home and we were kind of like, what would it look like for us to just like throw some dinners together for entrepreneurs?
24:46
Real women.
24:46
So we started to do that and then the invites grew and then it was like more and more.
24:49
And then our, you know, our ten person dinner turned into a 20 person, you know, it was like growing, growing, growing, which was so great.
24:55
So we ended up running our first event, you know, last January, so like a year and a half ago and for 100 people.
25:02
And then we did a 150 and then we just did another.
25:04
Another 150 and then we're hoping for a 200 in in October.
25:08
But why I love these events is because I actually know that community and in person is what grows businesses.
25:15
So it's like I love social.
25:17
Like I saw I'm blue in the face.
25:18
I will tell you I love social.
25:20
I love organic social.
25:21
I love how people show up.
25:22
I think we're like in unprecedented business times like so I think there's like lots of good stuff there.
25:27
But when we think about the original way people grew business, it was in community and the way that people you know you would be.
25:33
I always like use this example so.
25:34
But it's like, you know, you've got apples, I've got oranges, let's trade.
25:37
Like you live down the street, you make bread, I do this.
25:39
Like let's let's work together.
25:41
And we've lost some of that in the digital age.
25:43
And and I think for me, the in person is so amazing because there's nothing like meeting somebody and being like, Oh my God, I like, know, like and trust you so fast because we're in person and you're somebody that I would want to build a relationship with and connect with and.
25:58
I think that's why it's so important to be able to be in person.
26:02
And that's why I want to cultivate these opportunities for women, because I think as women, we just don't have as many places to network as men do.
26:07
And like I think about the golf course or I think about, you know, different, like I was joking about the golf course.
26:11
I'm like, you know, there are women that golf, I'm aware, but it's like is a very unspoken thing of like, you know, men who are doing stuff together and then they go and they golf and then they make choices, right?
26:22
And it's like, we're not doing that stuff.
26:24
So it's like more than ever, we just need women to be together, to talk and to build community.
26:30
And that's where I've seen like we've had amazing success stories come from High Five Women where people have had like tremendous opportunities be like granted to them or have fast-tracked something that they were really struggling with.
26:43
And that is actually the the key is like you sit beside another agency owner and the agency owner is like, oh, actually like, you know, I don't use this software.
26:50
I use this software and here's why.
26:51
And it saves me X amount of dollars or Oh my gosh, like I had somebody at this high by women, her goal is to be on TV.
26:57
Like she was like, she has an amazing business and her goal is to be on TV.
27:02
And I was like, oh, this chick like is on CTV like all the time.
27:06
And and I connected them and the other girl was like, Oh my God, like, yeah, let me get you on CTV.
27:10
Like, it's done.
27:11
Like, consider a finish.
27:12
Like, you know, you have such an amazing story that, you know, $400.00 or whatever she paid for her ticket just paid for itself, like probably 10 times, right.
27:19
And so, yeah, I just think that in person is just so magical.
27:23
I have such, like, I'm always like, should I just be running events like 24/7?
27:25
Like, I just love it so much and I'm so like drawn to it.
27:31
But I'm also a tired woman.
27:32
So it's like, you know, it's like.
27:33
Both.
27:34
Both can be true.
27:34
Both can be true.
27:35
I love it.
27:36
Yeah.
27:37
And you know what?
27:38
I I really love that you shared initially that going to events is actually how cause you've described a couple times that you guys had quick success or you had a lot of client demand when you opened your doors for the social snippet.
27:53
And are you attributing a lot of that to getting on airplanes?
27:58
Going into rooms of people, meeting people, having that generous spirit, as you talked about, and like trusting that there would be a return on investment in getting on the plane, going into a room full of people you probably didn't know initially, and hoping that by being in the right place, connections will fly.
28:17
Referrals will fly.
28:18
People need your services.
28:20
Yeah.
28:20
And that's actually why I'm so passionate about creating spaces where people don't have to go on planes.
28:24
Like because like I think for me like that's exactly what happened.
28:28
We we had our business and I'll I'll just give you like a little scoop, but a lot of our business like and often when people have started business, the first clients are like people they know.
28:35
So that's kind of what happened.
28:36
We had a bunch of clients we knew and then by the time our business was probably 3 months old, we had about 10 clients.
28:42
So it was like pretty fast.
28:44
It had grown and and Maria started working full time and I still had another job.
28:48
So then our business is growing, our business is growing.
28:49
And I convinced Maria to sign up for this online mastermind that has 100 entrepreneurs in it.
28:54
It was $35 American.
28:55
And I forfeited my pay for the month for that.
28:58
We could do it because I was like, I was like, listen, like, I believe that if we got one client from this, it would be worth it.
29:05
That is still probably our number one referral source still to this day like hundreds of thousands of dollars.
29:11
Like we'd probably, I would be probably willing to say close to $1,000,000 we've made off that mastermind.
29:16
And like, but a big part of that was just us going on and what we did.
29:20
We didn't go in there and I was like, OK, like I need to make 3500 bucks back.
29:23
So like how do we do this?
29:24
What we did was we went in there and we were like, hey guys.
29:27
We're new in business and you guys are our ideal clients.
29:31
I would love to do audits of your social just to actually hear what you guys have like going on.
29:37
We would do audits, 20 minute audits.
29:39
I think we did 80 or something like that and all we did was pour into people.
29:44
That's it.
29:45
There was no pitch.
29:46
I never connected with.
29:47
We'd follow them on Instagram.
29:49
I would never send them.
29:50
And even at the end one girl was like.
29:52
This was incredible.
29:53
Are you gonna send me a package?
29:55
And I was like, well, you asked for one, so I will.
29:57
But if you hadn't asked, there'd be no package.
29:59
And she was like, OK, yeah, great.
30:01
Like, we're still still getting referral.
30:03
Like still to this day, probably once a month, I get like a great referral from this.
30:08
But and it might not even be that person I talked to.
30:10
It might be they talked to somebody else.
30:12
Like like it has grown so much, which is amazing.
30:15
So I think it's really like if you're like, OK, I hear you events are are the way.
30:20
It's a mix of events, but also like meeting people, like going into spaces, like Chamber of Commerce, go and like, you know, grab the booklet, ask people to go for coffee, like, you know, like things like that where you can just meet people and like pour into them.
30:33
Because again, people love to do business with people that they know.
30:36
So it's like, how do you actually like build relationships and community with these people so that you're top of mind for them?
30:42
Yes.
30:43
Oh, I love that so much.
30:44
And yeah, I think, you know, getting on an airplane and going to the USI love that.
30:49
But not everybody loves taking a leap like that.
30:52
But what you said is like, you just have to be meeting people and it's so wild.
30:56
The number of times I'll talk to someone and they feel really stuck and I'm like, have you, like, gotten out there lately?
31:02
Have you met anyone new, had a fresh conversation?
31:05
And they're like.
31:06
No, like, not in months.
31:07
And I'm like, you know, if you just make it your focus to like walk around town and meet one new person a day, a week, even a month, life will change for the better, right?
31:18
Because it all boils down to, are we building new connections, relationships?
31:22
Because it might not be that person, but it's the friend of that person when they go up for coffee and they're like, I need someone to edit my podcast.
31:28
And they're like, oh, well, I just heard from Christina's cousin that she has pieces to take on podcast sense.
31:34
And you never know.
31:34
You have to be on.
31:36
apologetic about making new connections, talking about what you do, solving problems for people who maybe didn't ask for help but could value your advice.
31:46
And like, no good comes from hiding behind our laptops and just doomscrolling, right?
31:52
No, and honestly, that's actually like such a good point too, Kelsey, is that one of the mistakes I see a lot of people make, and this is something like I always like try to coach people on, like in our social business club and stuff, is that like, one,People do not talk about what they do enough.
32:06
So people do not actually know what you do.
32:08
Like, and this is something that is so funny because I'll be like, I'll meet people and they're like, oh, like I'm a like this, this, this, thisAnd I'm like, that is a very complicated title for Kajabi designer.
32:18
And like, if I ever met someone who needs a Kajabi designer, you would never come to mind.
32:23
And it's that's why even for me, it's like, am I a social media manager?
32:27
No.
32:27
Like, I don't manage people social.
32:29
But is that what my team does?
32:31
Yeah, we offer social media and podcast management.
32:33
That is.
32:33
So I don't try to make it.
32:34
It's sexier than it is, you knowAnd I think that's a mistake people make, but especially when you're in person, like, I think having conversations and just being like, hey, this is what I do, this is how I help people.
32:44
And at the end saying, what do you need support with right now in your business?
32:48
And it might not have anything to do with social or podcasting or anything, but someone might say to me like, oh, you know what?
32:53
Like, I've been really struggling with a landing page and like, I really need a landing page.
32:57
Like, do you know somebody good?
32:58
And I'm like, yeah, of course I know someone good.
33:00
Let me like make a connection for you.
33:01
Or hey, I was really looking to do this and I, I, you know, I'm trying to figure out my next step.
33:06
Hey, I might actually know somebody.
33:07
So I always end calls and stuff like what do you need right now in your business?
33:10
Like what are you feeling like you need most support with?
33:12
And sometimes it is related to what I do, which is awesome.
33:15
Often it's not.
33:16
And just that also helps propel that kind of generosity.
33:19
And and then usually I make great connections for people in there.
33:22
I'm super happy with them.
33:24
Absolutely love that.
33:26
So I want to pick your brain about some entrepreneurial tips, some things that have had you stay the course, get through and sell out 150 event tickets, take on 85 clients and stay sane, build your team.
33:38
So we're going to kind of do some rapid fire and really get the juice from Christina.
33:42
Does that sound good?
33:44
I'm ready.
33:45
OK.
33:45
So for somebody who's in their first year of business, they're feeling deflated because they're not an overnight millionaire.
33:51
What is 1 mindset shift you would tell them to make?
33:55
Oh.
33:57
You know what?
33:58
It's so funny.
33:58
Every over overnight success is like 12 years in the making and there's never been anyone I've met who's actually been an overnight success.
34:06
So I would say that is like a mindset shift for you is is finding your people on the come up.
34:12
Oh, I love that.
34:13
Not focusing on Alex Hormozi, focusing on the people who are like 50 steps ahead of you, but actually focusing on the people who are like around you right now who are in the same season, cause those are gonna be the people who you you have your come up with and the people who you're gonna be able to like really grow with in your business.
34:30
I love that.
34:31
What is something that you're really excited or passionate about right now as it relates to marketing or events or community growth?
34:40
Like, what are you learning about or feeling really motivated to study?
34:47
It's funny, the thing that immediately came to mind was threads.
34:51
Oh, interesting.
34:51
Yeah.
34:52
And that's funny.
34:53
You're like community growth.
34:53
I'm like threads.
34:54
But the reason why is because I think there is a huge opportunity over there and people are really like actually like very community oriented on threads in a in a way I haven't seen on a platform yet.
35:06
So it's been really interesting like having conversations over there and the advertising or that you're able to do over there is quite different.
35:13
And whenever there's a new platform, it's such an opportunity for you to be a thought leader.
35:17
So from like a marketing perspective, like going and like really trying out threads and being like, OK, I'm going to give this a shot could be really successful for people.
35:25
And I think there's so much community there.
35:28
So I think it could be a good move.
35:29
It's a good reminder for me to get back on the platform and open it up.
35:33
So thank you.
35:34
OK.
35:35
So I want to know your philosophy.
35:37
Do you like to work 24/7, wake up, check the phone or do you have to have boundaries in place so that you don't burn out because you have a lot going on?
35:45
Yeah.
35:46
It's really unfortunate.
35:48
This is like my toxic trait.
35:49
I would say I do work kind of 24/7 like even I saw an e-mail but I will say something that again it like this is like a don't do like me kind of thing but like I'm on the entrepreneur roller coaster like I'm on it and so even and so if anyone else is listening to this like you know everyone will be like get off of it.
36:07
I'm like I'm like I'm the the maybe the the owner of it like I I might be operating it but even my team like it's been really interesting for me to figure out how to model as a.
36:16
Leader for my team because it's very easy for me.
36:19
Like we lose a client.
36:21
I'm discouraged.
36:21
I'm down.
36:22
I'm like, we're never going to get another client again.
36:23
Like this is like, shut this down.
36:25
Like I'm going back to work and then we get one client and I'm like, guys, like get the yachts ready, like rent them, you know, I like and I.
36:33
But that's also kind of my personality.
36:35
But I think that's what also has made me such a like, you know, I don't want to be such a successful entrepreneur, but a successful entrepreneur is that like, I see opportunity everywhere, like, and I can, you pick up pretty quickly and I have a fast ramp.
36:47
Well, my business partner Maria is like a little bit more like nothing's ever that bad and nothing's ever that good.
36:54
So I I aspire to be more like her, but you know, it's kind of fun.
36:57
Yeah, it is fun to ride the highs and then sometimes just sink into your couch and enjoy the lows.
37:02
So yeah, and I I appreciate you sharing that because there's this.
37:07
Mentality sometimes when people are starting their businesses that it's like, oh, anyone who's ahead of me has it all figured out and they don't have to deal with the ups and downs.
37:15
And it's like, no, no, no, no, noLike there's always going to be those shit hits the fan moments.
37:20
There's always going to be unfortunate things that happen.
37:24
And we're just constantly problem solving, constantly trying to stay at Bay and know that like the low lows can't derail you and they shouldn't and the high highs celebrate them, but also know that like, you know, that's not guaranteed for the rest.
37:38
Of this entrepreneurial journey.
37:39
So the fact that, you know, you're on the roller coaster, I'm on the roller coaster, a lot of us are on it, I think is a really important reminder that nobody's immune.
37:46
Yes.
37:48
And I was gonna say too, that is the only way I think some people will survive entrepreneurship and stay in business is if you are aware that there will always be lows.
37:56
And so like even one of my mentors, she's had a.
37:59
$25 million in exits, right?
38:00
Like so she is like very successful.
38:03
And her and I were talking cause her parents were entrepreneurs at in a way smaller scale.
38:08
And I guess one year her business like like, you know, they were on a rocket ship, rocket ship and then it went down a little.
38:13
And she looked at her mom and she was like, oh God, like I I failed.
38:17
Like I'm I'm like downward spiral.
38:20
She's like.
38:21
You know what, like that's business.
38:22
Like some years you're up, some years you're down and some years, you know, and I think that's really important because even for our business, our business has been like this and it it has grown at a very steady pace that I think's been quick.
38:34
But you know, I'm always like, well, why haven't we hit this milestone yet?
38:37
Like everyone's hit this milestone, like I want to hit it.
38:39
But it's also recognizing that, you know, every business has different seasons.
38:43
And so the only way we're gonna be able to stay the course of this like wild ride that we've chosen is by by being OK with the down too.
38:51
Because yeah, we've traded stability for for this.
38:55
We absolutely have.
38:56
And yeah, that's an important reminder too.
38:58
It's like.
38:59
This is not just a guaranteed growth journey.
39:01
Like there will be those lower times, slower times.
39:04
And yeah, that's the reality of business in general.
39:08
So to know that that's normal is really reassuring.
39:12
Christina, is there a book or a tool or a podcast that you've utilized to kind of keep you motivated or something that you're just digging into right now that you would recommend to our listener?
39:23
We always love to know what you're diving into and what you're who you're learning from.
39:29
Yeah.
39:29
So right now I'm actually focusing my efforts a little bit differently where like I used to be like a big book person.
39:35
I I've read probably like all like the main business books that like you talked about, right?
39:38
Like How to Win Friends and Influence, blah, blah, blah, blah.
39:41
I actually don't recommend that one too much because the philosophies are very aligned with me, but it's very like male focused.
39:46
And it sounds like I was right in the 20s.
39:49
Yeah, it's like your wife is at home.
39:50
I'm like, is she at home?
39:51
I'm not at home.
39:52
I'd love to be at home, but.
39:56
I would say the big things that I'm doing right now is I'm listening to a lot of founder stories and that's been really, really helpful for me because I listen to a lot of podcasts that are, you know, I listen to Earn Your Happy and The Chris Harder Show and and stuff like that.
40:07
And they're friends and mentors of mine and I love them.
40:09
So if you're looking for inspiration, like that's a great place.
40:12
But I'm in a season where I'm actually like looking to learn from people's mistakes.
40:16
And like you want to hear like what are people doing and borrow belief from them like of cause most of these people's stories is like it was good, it was good and then it was really bad and then now I'm on the up and I want to hear about the really bad to the up and not that that's where I'm at, but I just really love to like really like be inspired by these people.
40:34
So some podcasts I do like listening to, one of them is brand new.
40:37
They're a client of ours, founder to founder Aaron Spivak's podcast.
40:41
So I'm a member of Founders Club.
40:43
They're amazing.
40:44
And so Aaron's awesome and and his stories have been great.
40:47
And then like, you know, Diary of a CEO, my first million, like that kind of stuff has been really helpful.
40:53
And it just allows you to be like, sometimes I listen to those podcasts and I'm like, that is an insane business idea and I cannot believe that person made that much money.
41:01
So I can too, you know.
41:02
And sometimes you just need that, like belief and you borrow belief from people.
41:07
So yeah, it's really cool.
41:08
And honestly, most of those.
41:09
Relationship capital is the thing that really comes up a lot of like what brings people through the other side is an intro or yeah, something that usually shifts it.
41:20
Yeah.
41:21
Oh, I love that.
41:21
I once heard this analogy that, like, at every stage of business, we're in a box, right?
41:25
And what we're doing is going around and knocking on doors and hoping that one person will open it, take our hand, pull us into the next box, and then we're there and we start knocking on doors, hoping that one person will open a door, pull us up to the next tier and like.
41:41
And then it just never stops, right?
41:42
So it's like you have to keep building those relationships, knocking on doors, and just know that there will be someone that brings you into that next tier, that gives you the key to the Kingdom, that unlocks a success secret that you've been trying to solve forever.
41:58
And and if you don't have that trust, then you're going to give up or you're not going to be knocking on those doors or you'll see every relationship as transactional.
42:06
And then you don't get to that next level.
42:08
So thank you so much for sharing all of your wisdom on relationships, community building, the power of getting in rooms of people.
42:16
And I think these are the like strategies, the soft skills that I sometimes we just need that reminder of to go to that event, show up at a networking space.
42:28
Comment and engage with people's content versus just possibly looking at it.
42:33
And that can make the world of a difference in growing your network.
42:36
So Christina, what do you have to shout out?
42:38
Like where can people find you?
42:40
Podcasts, events, socials.
42:42
Drop any of the links and places that we can connect with you.
42:46
Well, Kelsey, firstly, thank you so much for having me.
42:48
I love chatting.
42:48
I know we've met in person, so that's always so fun when I get to chat with someone I've met before and love to chat all things community.
42:55
So yeah, you can find me at the community podcast.
42:57
That's where I put up two episodes a week, usually an interview in a solo.
43:00
And then other places would be Instagram or LinkedIn.
43:03
I spell my name with AK.
43:05
So yeah, come on over, let me know like what resonated.
43:07
Any friend of Kelsey's is a friend of mine.
43:08
So I'd love to hear what resonated with you folks.
43:11
And then two things I've kind of got going on.
43:13
One is high vibe women.
43:14
So if you are a entrepreneurial woman, we have people coming from the US like this is like, I'm always so surprised every time I see someone and it says California or something.
43:22
I'm like, are you aware this is on Ontario?
43:26
Canada, I feel like I should e-mail you, but I don't.
43:28
And they always make it so it's always fine.
43:30
But we have High Vibe Women October 18th in Burlington.
43:34
Tickets are still on sale.
43:35
We have almost 100 sold and it's going to be an amazing full day experience.
43:40
So come on over there at highvibewomen.ca.
43:43
And then the other thing I've got going on is I don't do a lot of coaching, but.
43:46
We have our Social Business Club and that's a spot where we have a lot of entrepreneurs who have joined us, where we teach them how to do their own social.
43:53
So if people are looking to how to build community, we talk about events, we talk about social, we talk about all different things of business.
43:58
You can go to the social business, the socialbusinessclub.ca and you can use the code podcast and you can get your first month for a dollar.
44:06
Oh, what a deal.
44:07
Oh my gosh, we're all running to sign up for social business clubs.
44:10
I steal.
44:11
And honestly, if you're an American listening to this, I it's a dollar Canadian.
44:14
So I essentially paid you to join.
44:15
So yeah, every time an American joins, they're like, hey, it was super weird, like.
44:20
$0.30 was billed to my credit card.
44:22
I'm like, I'm aware.
44:24
That's nice.
44:26
That exchange rate is really working in your favor for the US clients right now.
44:32
Well, thank you, Christina.
44:33
We'll have all of that plugged in the show notes and we wish you all of the success.
44:36
And thanks for sharing all of your knowledge today.
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