SPEAKER_00 0:00

But I do think at some point you need to sit back and be like, okay, my sleep is important, making sure that I eat. Because the last thing you want to do is build a business that you hate just as much as you do any nine to five that you have.

SPEAKER_01 0:16

Definitely another episode today where we get to talk to an incredible entrepreneur to Kenya from Studio 117. And I have been so excited. I feel like I know you from email. And so this is so fun for me. This is really this whole podcast is really for me to get to talk to people that I only know from email.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

That's funny. Every time we send out an email, it's always like something in there that makes me want to respond to it. So I'll just like hit reply and say something. So that makes sense.

unknown 0:50

I love it.

SPEAKER_01 0:51

It's my favorite. Um, so I would love to have you give us uh a quick intro about who you are and about Studio 117.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Sure. So um Studio 117 or Studio 117 Creative is essentially um a systems and WordPress agency where uh I have clients who I manage their WordPress websites or I build their WordPress websites or some that just reach out for tech support when they're like, oh crap, something happened and I need help with my WordPress website. Um, which the Moxie ticketing feature is amazing for that, but we can dive into Moxie talk in a minute. Thank you, thank you. But then I I geek out over systems. So I am a person who like when there's new tools and new systems and things like that, I always sign up for them and play with them and see like if they'll work in my business or um if I can recommend them to like the people that I support. So um a lot of my clients are either just small business service providers, um, bloggers, nonprofits, um, different levels of solopreneurs. And so a lot of times there are people who are really, really passionate about whatever it is that they do, um, but tech is just not their thing. But as you know, like tech is a part of running a business. Um, but having like a full-time person for tech is usually not affordable. Um, so I kind of like to be the in-between person, like, hey, you got somebody, you use me when you need me. Um, and you don't have to break the bank with like retainers and contracts and you know, all of that kind of stuff. Um, and so that's essentially what Studio 117 is about. It's being able to bridge the gap. And also I'm working on building up some courses and things like that because I also understand that some people really want to learn the tech stuff and do it themselves, but there's not an opportunity to learn outside of like support documentation and stuff like that. So um, that's one of the things that I've been working on is creating YouTube content that shares different tools and things like that, but then also different courses and stuff of like how to navigate and do different things. So, all things system and tech really, I geek out over it, and we could literally talk all day about it, and I would not get tired.

SPEAKER_01 3:12

Yes, okay, this is amazing. Now I have another thing to ask you about whenever I'm like, okay, I need something that does this. What do you got?

SPEAKER_00 3:20

Yeah, something like that. I get excited and I get those emails and it's like, oh yes, I have something for you.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Yes, I love that. So uh where let's let's go way back and trace from you know early years to today. Like, how do you see that kind of through line of solving people's problems, getting into tech, diving into new tools? Did you see that like from a young age? How did you end up where you are today?

SPEAKER_00 3:55

You know, it's funny. I cannot even think about what I wanted to be when I grew up as a kid. I don't know. I probably, if I had to think, I was one of those kids who it changed probably every time you asked me. Um, so I can't say that I have this ongoing, like, oh, I always loved, you know, but I I can see it looking back at it, that I did always love the mechanics of things and how things worked or why things did the way they did, or how to do things smarter instead of harder. That has always kind of been my through line, I guess. It's like, oh, there's an easier way to do this because I ain't got five hours for this. Yes, and amen. So that's kind of always been a thing. Um, but I so my degrees are in, I I have an undergraduate degree in health science. I have my MBA. Um, I'm greenbelt certified, lean six greenbelt certified. And I like to call myself a a serial tripreneur because I'm a life student. You know what I mean? Like I always want to learn. Um, I have a notary license because or I just one day was like, I'm gonna go get my notary. Um, I used to sell insurance when I was in college. I worked for Progressive. They paid for me to get licensed. I literally ended up by the time I left there, I think I was licensed in almost 30 of the 50 states. Um so, like, just learning is exciting for me. Um, and I just like to learn so that I can share knowledge. I feel like I'm able to translate stuff. Um, and so that's probably been the through line for me is that I love to learn and share knowledge. Those are are the things. I'm not equipped to be a teacher per se, but I do like to teach grown-ups.

SPEAKER_01 5:52

So no gatekeeping. You're you know, you're you're generous with the things that you have really leaned in and learned so that other people can have that. I think I think that's exactly one of my favorite character traits. Uh do you have a time that you can point to when you realize I feel like a lot of systems people have this where there's a light switch where it's like, well, I've always been able to do this. I didn't realize other people didn't know how to do this. Do you have that that light switch moment where it was like, oh, not everyone approaches a problem the way I do?

SPEAKER_00 6:31

Yeah. So I've had it a couple different times. Um the first was excuse me. So um I'm late diagnosed ADHD. So I probably got diagnosed a couple years ago. But when I got diagnosed, it was like, oh, this explains a lot of things. One of which was that I struggled really hard through undergrad, but when I got in grad school, I it was flying colors for me. I finished with a 3.9. Like paper writing was my jam, right? And I realized that test taking was not. And if you think about the difference between undergrad and graduate school, those are the differences. You learned, you take a test in undergrad. I have severe test anxiety, so I could know all this stuff and still bomb a test. But if you want to have me write about it, I'll give you a whole dissertation on what I know. And so when I finished grad school, I was like, Well, I just want to keep writing. And I'm married to a programmer. And I told him, I said, Hey, I think I want to start a blog. And he was like, okay. And at this time, everybody was on BlogSpot. And I was like, Yeah, I just want one of those cute blog spot blogs, and blah, blah, blah. He was like, Nope, you're not doing it. You're getting on WordPress. You own the content. But he started talking all of this language, and I was like, All right, whatever. So he told me, he was like, I'm setting it up for you, and then have at it, it's yours. I'm not doing anything else with it. So I'm like, all right, fine. And so that was kind of the first time like I was getting online. Facebook was filled with like blogger groups and all of this. And I would be talking to people in the blogger groups about WordPress, and it would be like it was going over everybody's head what I was talking about. Like, oh yeah, you can just do this, this, and this, or you can tweak this, or you can buy a theme from here. And people were like, What? And so that was the first time that I realized, like, oh, everybody who has a WordPress site is not like geeking out over WordPress and sitting up till one, two o'clock in the morning dissecting and learning how to code and like all of these things. So that was the first time, and so you figure that was probably 2010, 2011. And then here around the time that I actually started Studio 117, I was doing like the things that I do now, but I was doing it kind of just really selectively. I think I probably had imposter syndrome, so I was very selective who I would do the things for. I'd be like, don't tell nobody I do this. Um, you bring it to me first, and I'll tell you if I work with them kind of thing. Don't just go make introductions willy-nilly. And so I was doing coaching at the time, which I do still do coaching, but that's kind of like more secondary to the systems and stuff. But I was doing life coaching and stuff, and I was on the phone with this other um life coach, and I was talking about the systems that I was using and whatever else. And I'm like, girl, you don't use this and da-da-da. And she was like, Why aren't you doing that? She was like, Because you're not lighting up like this talking to me about coaching. You're lighting up to me talking about the systems. And that was kind of one of the catalysts that got me thinking, like, why am I hiding behind the curtain? And like, there are people who could actually use having a systems bestie in their pocket. And that was kind of one of the catalyst pieces of me coming out of the closet of being a systems and tech person. Um, because we sat on the phone, I think me and her, for two hours that day. And I got like all her systems stuff together, and I'm like, check out this, do this, sign up for this. She was like, that's absolutely what you're supposed to be doing. And so that just made me really be like, okay, it's time to stop playing around. And that was when the transition was happening for me, I think, because coaching was, I didn't light up about coaching the way that I like lit up with the system stuff. I like coaching, I love um being able to help people like realize, you know, their potential and all of that. But the system stuff, now I get to integrate coaching into business stuff. So we talk about your business and your why behind your business, and then your systems in your business, and that I could coaching calls, you always end up going over with me because I'll let you. I'm enjoying talking about it. So yeah, I think those were probably the two biggest moments that I realized that like everybody is not just geeking out over their systems.

SPEAKER_01 11:16

I I, you know, I see in you and on your your website too how you do integrate kind of those things. You know, you're not just like, here's a long list of things. You really get in with like, okay, let's talk about you, let's figure out what the problem is. On your site, you say that, you know, you're this is not a you problem, it's probably a systems problem. So how do you approach someone who either has no system or maybe they just have like the wrong system for them?

SPEAKER_00 11:50

Um, the first thing is just having them explain to me like how they do what they do, right? Like currently, what are you doing? How long does that take you? And where are you dropping the ball a lot of times? Because that's a lot of times the frustration, like either spending too much time doing a thing and feeling like there has to be a better way, or like missing opportunities and dropping the ball where either it's affecting your client experience or you're losing or not getting clients because you know you got too many uh messages in your inbox, right? And so um for me, it's looking at that first, but I also am huge on client experience. I work for two companies where client experience was a huge part of their brand. And I learned so much at both of those companies about how that builds loyalty with your clients. So that's what I try to impart to the people that I'm helping with their systems. It's like, I don't want you to just have systems in place so that you feel better because that is important, but I also want you to think about what your clients are experiencing. And that way, you know, because a lot of the people that I'm coaching for business coaching, their biggest thing is like, I need to work on marketing, right? You can have customers be your marketers if you give them a great experience. And your systems, you can't just have systems and set them up and forget it. Like your systems can help make that happen. It's all part of the puzzle. So that's kind of like the the pieces of it that I'm looking at. It's like, how can we make your life easier? But how can we also make your client experience a wow experience where they're going to write about you on social media or going to leave that Google review when you ask for it? It's the no-brainer, like that type of thing. That's the way that I approach like let's talk about your system.

SPEAKER_01 13:50

One of the things I really love about the way you talk about your business and your clients is you talk a lot about inspiring confidence. So, what may what what makes confidence so important when it comes to especially your systems and your tech in your business?

SPEAKER_00 14:09

Well, like I said about the one thing, like imposter syndrome, right? Like I think we all kind of suffer from it in some capacity or or at some point. And once you have confidence not only in the knowledge that you have, but the way that you can execute your knowledge and expertise, like that's when you get into your full like flow state. And so that's why, excuse me, that's why it's so big for me, the the empowerment of it all or the confidence building of it all, is because like you can't go out and proudly talk about your business or what you do or whatever else. If you're kind of in your mind second guessing or thinking about whatever you deemed your last failure or whatever else, um the little small incremental like accomplishments matter in building your confidence to keep going and becoming better and doing better. And I think that's kind of the theme of what I try to um impart to like my clients and people that I work with is that we're all just figuring this stuff out. Like we don't none of us have it like completely figured out, you know what I mean? And even when you have it figured out, there will be something that makes you have to tweak it, whether it's that a system updates or a platform rebrands, or like one of the things I'm dealing with right now, one of the main tools that I use in my business was just bought out, and the way that everything is structured is a little bit different, and I'm I'm just kind of watching to see like how does this impact my business? How does this impact my customers that are using this and things like that? And so I'm I'm at one point I was in the fully confident stage of like, yeah, I got this. This works, I can speak to it, whatever else. And now I'm kind of back in this stage of like, let me just watch and see and see what happens and do some research on alternatives in case I need to jump ship or you know, whatever. And so there's always going to be things that have you feeling uncertain, but having the confidence and overall the knowledge that you possess, and then also the tools that you're using makes it that much easier, if you will, to keep going in your business rather than having every day be like, I quit, I give up. I'm burning it all down.

SPEAKER_01 16:41

Yes. I love that. I you know, I I think that's such a gift you can give to other people is making what you're doing feel sustainable. Like I I did this, I got to do the thing that I set out to do today, but like I can do this again tomorrow. Like, I think that's such a good gift. The last thing I've kind of been asking on each of the episodes is, you know, given this opportunity to talk to other business owners like yourself, and especially because you've been doing this, you know, this isn't a new venture for you. What's something that you wish more business owners, especially thinking about your clients, you know, small business owners, nonprofits, what's something that you wish that they knew?

SPEAKER_00 17:24

Um, I think the biggest part is I I kind of already said it is that we are all just kind of figuring it out. Um, but having the strong foundational things in place makes day-to-day business a lot easier. Um, but also, so there's a couple things. One other one, this just popped up in the middle of my sentence in my brain. I don't do whole hustle culture either. Um, I think that there is a place and rest um in being a business owner. And I know a lot of people start businesses and think that like I gotta just go and go and go and go until it makes me rich or I read the reach, you know, five figure months or six figure months, or you know, whatever else. Um, I am of the mind that like you're you need rest as much as you need to hustle, so to speak. And so there are times where, yes, in the beginning, you probably do spend a lot more time on your business, like when you have a new baby, right? You are up more, so you're not getting as much sleep. Um, you are on more because like that baby is like, hey, I am the priority.

SPEAKER_01 18:40

I need you, I need you. I'm trying to grow here.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

All of those things. So in the earlier stages, you know, infancy with a new baby, you are giving more of yourself. And I think it's kind of the same thing in business. You are giving more of yourself in the beginning. But I do think at some point you need to sit back and be like, okay, my sleep is important. Making sure that I get up and go to the bathroom is important. Making sure that I eat, you know, I stop and have lunch is important. Um, because the last thing you want to do is build a business that you hate just as much as you do any nine to five that you left. Because some people start a business, a lot of people start businesses like trying to escape nine to five life. And why would you build a business that you hate or that takes more time from your life than the nine to five that you left? Like that makes no sense to me. So that's one of the biggest things. Like, for instance, when I'm helping people with their moxie setups, I'm asking them not only about their business, but also like, what do you want your actual life to look like too? So for me, my client hours are only 10 to 4. And that's intentional. I built a business around the fact that I wanted to be able to be present for my family. So I like to be able to get up and get my son off to school without being at my laptop, like, hold on, let me reply to this customer. Yeah. Or, you know, um, sitting up till seven, eight o'clock, like, uh, dinner's almost done. But I got a client who really every now and again does that happen? Yes, but by and large, my hours are 10 to 4 because I wanted to build a business that allowed me to be present in the life of my family and be able to be there with my family. I like to be able to work out in the middle of the day, which is important, or to get up and my theme right now in the summertime is getting up and taking long walks in the morning, morning sun, because I love getting that vitamin D in the morning. So I I like people to think about the life that they're building, not just the business that they're building. Um, because it's really hard to walk it back if you build your business where it is consuming, versus intentionally starting it with that in mind. You know what I mean? I think it gets really hard because you think you're sacrificing something if you say, Oh, I'm not gonna work from you know 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. It's hard to give yourself a window as opposed to if you start out in mind of like, I want to have a window of eight to four or you know, whatever else. Um, that's one of the biggest things, I think. If you're starting a business, really think about the life that you are trying to create for yourself and not just the business that you're crossing because you come to it so much better when you love not only what it is that you do, but also the way that you get to show up for yourself. I think that's a big thing.

SPEAKER_01 21:48

I like that metaphor of your business kind of grows up as well, and you do, you know, you set up those boundaries. Like, hey, you know, like we're I this is when I work. I know I'm good at this time. Like, I just I love that. So thank you. Thank you so much. I love getting to talk systems and and kind of the you know, the who that's underneath all of that. I just like so appreciate getting to chat with you.

SPEAKER_00 22:12

Yes, I told you I could talk about this stuff all day.

SPEAKER_01 22:16

I think I I think I could talk to you probably all day. We can't, obviously, but I would.

SPEAKER_00 22:23

For sure, for sure.