Transcript
Welcome to the Bloggy Friends show!
Watch up my bloggy friends, famous Ashley Grant here and I just want to welcome you to the Bloggy Friends show.
We're so excited to have you join us on this journey of sharing our knowledge and experiences with you.
Whether you're a blogger, a content creator, or just someone who's interested in learning more about the digital world, we've got something for you.
So grab your notebook and a pen to take some notes or just sit back and take in all the amazing information and ideas we're about to share with you.
Let's get into it.
Alright, cool. Well, Kim, I'm so excited to have you on the Bloggy Friends show. You and I have been bloggy friends for a while.
I mean, we're talking like a long time.
We won't add years to it. We'll stay a while.
Date ourselves or no.
No, although there's nothing wrong with dating yourself.
A while, a long while.
It's been a minute. It's been a minute.
But I'm excited to have you on today because we're going to talk about the brand new book that you just released.
It is called Empire, a step-by-step guide to starting a creative business.
So, Kim, welcome to the show. Tell us who you are, what it is you do, and all the good things.
Oh, goodness. So I'm Kim. I'm originally from Michigan.
I am here in Florida. And yeah, I'm a creative entrepreneur, basically.
Always creating something.
So my current business has been my most successful thus far, I'd say.
But I've been creating and doing little side businesses most of my life.
I mean, there's, yeah, pretty much. That's pretty much the story.
Now, do you want to tell what the business is or are you already going into the office?
Yeah, no, that's fine. Mixology.
That's fine. Mixology. So it's a cocktail mixer, little cocktail mixer business.
I started it over a weekend a few years back, and it grew so quickly that I was able to quit my job and work for myself.
What inspired you to start Mixology?
I just like, I like to have that creative outlet. I always have.
My husband works a lot, so I wanted to hit something fun to do on the weekends.
So I was just kind of messing around with some recipes and it took off.
I think I got, it's a niche market, wine slush mixes, cocktail mixes.
You can make wine slushes out of it. It's kind of a new popular thing. So it took off.
There's not a lot of products out there like that. So I was able to kind of create a niche market with that.
I love that. It's no secret. I like a good cocktail every now and then.
I'm sitting here, it's been a rum punch on this lovely Friday afternoon that we're recording this episode.
So now one of the cool things about Mixology is that, am I allowed to say that on Facebook you mentioned that you're considering selling it?
Yes. Okay. So I did. I am. I'm in the process. Yeah, you're allowed to say that.
I'm not, I mean, I'm not announcing it huge because I don't want customers to think that I'm not going to be around because I will be.
I'll still be around. But yes, Audrey, she's on the other coast. She is an auction businesswoman.
I think she's even more successful than me. I mean, I don't know her really well, but yes, she's going to be the new owner as of April 22nd.
Oh, so this has actually already happened. This is official.
Yeah. I mean, I'm still, oh yeah, I'm still filling orders until the 22nd. So everything is the same. I will still be in the background.
I'm not walking away, but it will be hers. So I'm only back away. Yes. I think.
Oh, that's fantastic. It is. I think honestly, I want to pursue other things, but I think that she's got more of the resources to really take it to the next level more than I probably could.
I'm just being honest about it. I think, I think the brand is great and it's adorable, but she can probably take it to the next level more polished and professional.
That's what I think. Anyway, that's the goal. So she's going to be taking over.
So now she's just going to be taking over the mixology portion. What about all the like the fun stickers and funding you've had on the Etsy store?
Yeah. So she, she's smart. She picked up on, I do, I don't have stickers right now, but I have a cute little line of t-shirts and aprons that I designed right.
So she noticed that she's like, you know, is that part of it said, well, it wasn't going to be, but we worked that into the agreement. So yes, she's taking over everything.
Oh, wow. Don't know how she's going to have time to do it. Honestly. Well, that sounds like a lot of fun. And it's something that we all aspire to. Right.
Like even though we all get into these creative businesses because it's something we have a passion about, let's face it.
We get to a point at some point where we're just like, okay, I want a new chapter. I want to do something. And so I think it's awesome that you, that you've built something that you're actually about to, to hand off to someone else.
Because it gives us all hope that any creative idea we come up with, we can at some point pass the torch.
Yeah. You know, one of my original goal, but I just, I'm getting a little older and I feel like I want to do more and have more purpose and study and take some courses.
And I mixology is seven days a week for me. I'm always checking my emails. It's a lot and I love it, but I just kind of want to move to in a different direction.
I built it up enough that I'm able to sell it. I think for a decent profit, which is fantastic. I'm sure I'll cry a little when they pull away with all the equipment, but she's just going to be fantastic with it.
So that's awesome. That's awesome. So actually when I read, wrote the book originally, I wasn't selling it. So that's the new spin.
I mean, I describe the success of mixology and the things I've learned, but yeah, in the last month or so, the sale is a new thing. So that's, that's still awesome though.
So with, with that whole thing, with the whole, you know, creative empire, you know, one of the, one of the big things is that the people that listen to the show are usually trying to start a creative business.
Oh, really?
Oh, absolutely. Because I mean, let's face it, blogging is a creative business. So we're, we're whether we're, regardless of whether we're talking about starting a blog or a blog based business, it's still a creative venture.
So I don't know how much of it you want to get into, but if you'd like to kind of walk us through a little bit of the book, I have done a review on it and we'll leave that in the, in the show notes below.
But, but kind of tell me a little bit about, you know, what inspired the book, why you created it and what people today in 2024 need to know if they want to get into.
That is great. Great questions. You're good.
Okay, so I wrote the book because I'm a writer. I've written a couple of other books. It's what I do.
And something you know a lot about.
It's, it's not easy. I feel like a lot of the, the books, the how to books are very dry and kind of everything's so great, but I was trying to be realistic. There's some downsides to this as well.
It's not easy. It can be exhausting and it's very hard in the beginning. You just, you might be lucky to break even the first year.
You know, you might have to put some stuff on credit cards and it's a lot. It's a lot in the beginning, you just have to stick with it.
In the book I kind of go through, you know how to do an LLC and taxes and an accountant and the whole process and I made mistakes in the beginning.
I ran out and ran to the big fancy store that was expensive and I hired like seven or eight employees. Yeah, no, that wasn't smart, but I learned the hard way so I'm just kind of sharing.
You want to keep your overhead low.
I did make some mistakes. I don't think I'm good at managing a bunch of people. I thought I would be not so much.
Yeah, no, it's definitely worth it. I just kind of went through the steps and people that I use as vendors and social media and how often to post and what to post and stuff like that.
I pretty much covered that kind of stuff.
That's awesome and it's available on your website, but since the website's being sold, is that going to be on Amazon?
Amazon, yeah. So no matter what, it'll always be on Amazon. Okay, so we'll drop the Amazon link in the show.
Yes, in the land paperback. I think the paperback is super cute between you and me.
Are you a writer too? You're a writer. I am.
So I was able to design, it's just so different than the book I wrote with Sophisticate like 10 years ago. There's graphics in the new one, 2024, Canva. I don't know if you've heard of Canva.
This new book is full of the cutest graphics that's, it's very female, feminine, but it's crazy how nice you can make books these days compared to 10 or 15 years ago.
Absolutely. I think this book is super pretty. There's like watercolor illustrations and that kind of stuff.
I agree completely. It's a, it's a adorable book and, but the best part about it is even though it's pretty, it gives like solid advice.
I hope so.
Absolutely. And I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it.
I appreciate that. So I have to write using my personality as I'm sure you do. I'm not,
you know, it's my style is more conversational. So I'm trying to keep it light and fun. That's kind of how I wrote it. It's not like your textbook dry style book.
Absolutely. That was one of the things that came through as I was reading it is it was like you were writing it to a friend, trying to tell them like, hey, I know you want to start this business, but here's what you really need to know, girl.
Here's the ugly truth. Let's spill the tea. You know, I hadn't, actually I had to be careful too not to come off super negative though.
I could be a little complainy because I mean, it's not, it's not perfect. It hasn't been fun the whole time. It is a great business, but I was trying to keep the vibe positive for the most part. You know what I mean?
Well, it's like Elizabeth Gilbert said, I think she said it in Big Magic. I could have the, the book.
I can't remember if it was Big Magic or if it was a different one, but she says, you know, every single business, regardless of what you get into at some point, it becomes a shit sandwich and you have to decide which brand of shit sandwich you want.
Like how nutty do you want it? How, how crazy do you want it? And the reality is that no matter what we do, I mean, everything becomes a grind at some point.
Wait, there's no way to get out of it because the reality is work is, I wish there was a way. Yeah, I do too. And, and you know, it cracks me up because sometimes I'll watch these YouTube videos of these gurus who are like, oh, you can create passive income.
You can start this creative business and then just make money while you sleep. And, and, and yes. No. Yeah. I mean, the truth is if you want to do something like that, it is possible, but you do have to have the ability to manage people.
Like you said, and, and a little known fact about me is early on in my career, I was actually managing a magazine. I won't give at the time of day. I will not say its name because screw that guy.
But, but I actually managed several writers while I was working on it and I hated it. So for answer question, was it men and women or?
It was men and women. And I hated both because, because managing people is just not my strong suit. Right now I'm, I'm working with a couple of writers that helped me in my business, but that's the farthest I'll go. I don't ever want a big team again.
I, yeah, I like it. Yeah, I like it lean and mighty.
You're smart. So that was a mistake I made. Not that I didn't have nice employees, but it's a bunch of women all in one space, the different personalities. It was so hard. I felt like I was a referee because they didn't all get along.
And then not that they did bad work, but it wasn't me filling the orders. And so I'm always going to be the one that does the right, does everything the right way. So if you hand stuff off to someone else, it's not always going to be the quality you want it.
This is a, I'm trying not to curse. It was a, it was a shit show. So, I mean, the product is fine. Everything is great, but this is behind the scenes.
So I kind of scaled back that were to the big fancy store and everything's fine. I have one employee. She's fantastic.
But yeah, I mean, it was time for me to move on, but this is, it's much too much for me to do by myself. So I had to still have an employee, but managing a bunch of women. No, no. No, thank you.
Can you give us any like, any kind of hint as to what your next venture is going to be?
Yes. So I am going to be doing business coaching and life coaching. I've got a certification for that. I got it years ago, but I'm going to take some more courses and start doing that.
So we're having a networking event Sunday with about a hundred women. Small business owners. So I can give advice. I'll be selling the book. So it kind of goes hand in hand with what I'm doing next. I'd like to help people, whether women specifically, life coaching, business coaching, that kind of thing.
It's it's my business. I don't have employees. I'm not making
Products even though I probably will figure something out on the side because that's who I am. I always have to be making stuff, but
Yeah, something like that. I think that's what I'll do. Well, it sounds like you're gonna need to start a podcast
Good thinking that yeah, and maybe I'll get a yeti. I don't know. I'm forever pushing people to start a podcast because
Yeah, I really am because you know, especially these days
It's not enough to just have a blog anymore and and I know that people yeah
They put on me for saying that because you know, you can still have a blogging based business
But that has to be the base you need more than just that because if you're trying to get out there and and be seen
By the people you need YouTube you need
Question then not to interrupt you but I'm gonna interview you on I I'm not super. This is something I'm not good
I'm not good at you know
Reels or videos of myself. I'm just not comfortable with it. I probably should be do you feel like that's necessary?
I think depends on the business
I really do because I mean I've seen some people that have faceless YouTube channels and they're killing it and then I've seen other
People that have faceless YouTube channels and no one's seeing them at all
They don't ever get the light of day, but I think it's all a matter of how you do it
It's about it's about the descriptions you put together. It's about the keywords that you're adding. It's about the tools you're using
I mean right now. I'm learning a lot about cast magic, and I'm obsessed with it. It is a tool
Castmagic okay basically what it allows you to do is if you have a video or an audio file
You plug it into this program, and it will pull all the key takeaways out of whatever it is
You said you can then put it into chat GPT and create blog posts from it
You can create YouTube video ideas from it. I mean it's really it's a really cool platform that I'm really honestly becoming
White assessor to your block your what is it is it your podcaster and no it's a it's just a an AI
Generation tool, I guess you'd call it
Hold again. I'm gonna write it now. Castmagic okay
Yeah, and I'll be adding a link to the show notes because I am an affiliate for these awesome people, but so basically
You know any any audio or video that you have even YouTube videos like I have taken YouTube
URLs and put it into the program
And then I can pull quotes from it for articles. I'm working on so it's oh, it's an amazing amazing tool that I'm
Obviously obsessed with but I don't remember where I was going with that other than to say
It comes up with ideas for you, okay?
Yeah, and so so tools like that tools like you know yes
I I know that again bloggers are gonna hate on me because I'm talking about using AI
But using the tools to make your job easier
I'm in
Let's do you know what I mean we yeah, and then you make it you
Yeah, absolutely. I'm listening to you, and I'm realizing you're right um
Maybe maybe it is necessary for me to take that next step at this what I'm gonna be doing isn't
Producing product anymore, so maybe if I should do some sort of podcast
I would rather do it with somebody though than just me yeah, I'm gonna get a lot
I hear that a lot I do and it you know it's it's funny because if you're gonna do it with a partner
Make sure you have everything in writing and like that's the one piece of advice
I'll give you is you want to know everything from okay if we monetize
What's the split gonna be if we're working on this together?
Who's in charge of what am I you know recording and editing or am I recording and you're editing?
Like there's there's a lot of questions
You know like with the whole creative business thing anything that you're going to do you need a plan for
Yeah
And what do you do if that person no longer wants to participate?
because that's a big thing that I'm seeing right now with podcasters who are starting with their friends and then the show starts to
Get traction and then Johnny's like I'm bouncing. What are you gonna? Do Timmy? You know it's like
That's it. Yeah, very interesting game. I'm watching play out
That is interesting
Yeah, you give me a lot to think about actually I feel like I should be interviewing you yeah, and you're calling
How are you finding people to interview because you always have interesting people well?
You know I've done a couple different things sometimes
I'll just put out a cattle call on social media and one of my favorite websites right now is actually called quoted. That's
Qw o t ed quoted and
They have an amazing platform that they've created where it's similar to what help a reporter used to be
I don't know if you're familiar with help or help a reporter
You used to be able to just go and find sources for blog posts and you know media and all that stuff
But it became really spammy and it became very overrun with AI
but quoted you can create a profile on it and become a
An expert a source for people and so yeah, it's amazing
And so it's for pod people that have podcast not even just podcasters. It's for bloggers. It's for authors
It's for I mean, I've seen everything from you know
Doctors to lawyers to I mean there's all kinds of people on this no. I'm writing everything down. That is totally fine
I'll send you a copy of this video
I'm sorry
Send to the audio heck I'll even send it to you through cast magic so you can see what it looks like that would be great
You know, I'm thinking there's gonna be a learning curve for me here
I'm you're interviewing me about what I do when I'm this expert and I'm thinking well, you know
If I do a podcast there's a learning curve there and I'm like starting all over when I give Audrey mixology
I'm kind of starting fresh again
Cuz all of that audience and all of those customers are hers now because they want the product
So I'm kind of trying to figure out my next move a little bit
I mean, I know what I want
The the fun thing about that then is you can do what Rachel Peterson did whenever she started making a pivot in her business
She used her own book to figure out her her best next step
And so she literally was going down the line of everything she had already written because you already wrote your playbook
And so now you can take that and make a board. Yes, I am and springboard it
I yeah, I see what you're saying. I am aware of that, but I'm like gosh enough to start from scratch, which is fine
That's fine. It's the thing though. That's the beauty of being a creative entrepreneur
No, you're not you're not starting from scratch. You're starting with all this amazing experience
You've already got and now you're just taking it and turning it into something. Yeah, it's a really good point
Yeah, that's how I've been trying to look at every new venture
I go into is you know, I'm not even coming into it as right. I'm not coming into it as a green writer anymore
I'm coming into it as I've got these things under my belt now
Let me tell you how I can make whatever it is you need done better
Yeah, so that's a great way of looking at it for sure. Absolutely, and I'm trying to get better at this whole positivity
Me too. Like I said with the book
I it's positive but I had to be a little bit of a realist for some of it
So I was like I go back and reread to make sure I wasn't you know being too negative
Honestly, I think that's a gallon
I think that's a good thing because one of the things that drives me bananas is these but these business books that tell you
All the pros and they don't tell you the right
Yeah, because then you get into the thick of it and you're like, why the hell didn't this it's I tell me
I mean, I think I fell into that I'm like, oh I worked for myself. This is great. And it is great
There's a lot of great things. Oh my goodness. There's stuff that aren't easy either. There's there's a lot of stuff that I had to do
You know, I think that surprised me that no one told me about about, you know, owning my own business and working from home
It's how lonely it is
Like girl, I'm like I need some people I can hang out with that part of the reason I started the podcast is so I could talk
to people
Yeah, would you say that make sense? Would you say you're an introvert or an extrovert?
Why I used to be a full-on extrovert like that used to be my answer straight out the gate
But after my dad's suicide and I hate to bring it up that way
But it's just the facts after his suicide. I became what I call an introverted extrovert where I can be
Extroverted to a limit. Yeah to a limit and then I have to go into my little cave and be a hermit and recharge
Before I go back out and I think it's because when he died he took away my bullshit filter and it got
How long ago was that Ashley? It was in 2016 and
It was two days after Christmas and the crazy thing about it is I didn't realize how much of a bullshit filter I had
Until he was gone and so was the filter
I hate it
And believe it or not. It's why I quit shooting weddings because I used to be a photographer
It's why I quit shooting events because I could no longer
bullshit with people and
And not be an authentic like no, I don't like your your suit today or no
I don't like your shoes which means you a little bit. It really did because like I recognized
This can sound so
Negative Nancy, but I recognized you know, I was living in Tampa, Florida
And I was I was an event photographer and I recognized just how fake people were being and I'm just yeah, I couldn't
Yeah
Yeah, I know what you're talking about. I'm I'm a little like that too. I'm I appear extroverted but I'm definitely an introvert
I kind of preferred to not be around lots and lots of people but yeah, it's hard working for yourself alone
You're right. I mean also I think as we get older we have less tolerance for for BS or petty conversations
That's part of it too. You know what I mean? I could probably show
more so
Ten or fifteen years ago with sophisticated than I can now I look for more authentic people
I like to keep my circles small, but you're right about the loneliness of working for yourself. That's true
Absolutely, and then I think that's why I'm always looking for new bloggy friends
That that yeah, I like that now you have mentioned sophisticated a few times and for anybody who doesn't know
Sophisticates was would you agree that it was just like a women's networking group. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah
So so that's what she's referencing. She used to be the leader of a working group called sophisticated and that's that's how we met
Yeah
Yes, I was referencing that I wrote a book before and how
Oh, 2024 it's so much nice. There's so much nicer now the technology for writing better book. That's all
Yeah, it's so fun how you can illustrate it and yeah
And what's awesome also is that with Canva it also has the magic right feature where it'll give you ideas
Like how you can make better designs and a what I know I didn't know that yeah in the in in Canva Pro
In Canva Pro whenever you're typing
Into the into the search box to create a new design you type out the design you're looking for it will actually generate
design ideas based on that
Like them. Oh, I love I love I get so much so many ideas from that that that's that
Oh, yes, and it's definitely helped me from there. Yes. Yes everything. I love it
yeah, I've been doing a lot of YouTube related content lately like helping one of my clients with with YouTube thumbnails and and
Like different things for social media and I'll tell you what that thing has saved me in a pinch
Like really if I'm sitting there looking at that cursor and it's just blinking and laughing at me
It gives me something to start with. Yeah. Yeah, no that makes sense. Yes. I love it. It's fantastic
Yeah, and it comes up with like some of the coolest like blog banners and like different different things you can put into your blog
To us to make more. Yes to make it more visually appealing. Yes, when I pivoted over to more of like a business coaching
Type business. There's all kinds of stuff on there for that too. It's just it's amazing
So some media posts you name it of everything that you have learned in your X number of years of business
What would you say is the one piece of advice that you wish that you had had when you first started?
Probably pieces. Okay. Yeah, so that's a good question
Probably, you know to stick with it and just be realistic the first year or so isn't gonna be
Great great income and just to really stick with it. It's not all great and it is fantastic
It's it's ups and downs. Um
Yeah, that's really that's a really good question. I think that
You just you know stick with it
It's not always perfect because we're kind of fed a bill of goods that everything's perfect if you're an entrepreneur
It's fancy and it's it's not always like that. It can be hard to and lonely because it's your business
And if something goes bad girl, it's on you if something goes bad, especially if you have employees that that's a lot
And you know, you're responsible for their their income
So you have to make sure anything goes wrong. It's it's all you you're the last one to get paid
You're the one that gets up earliest and works the hardest and that something is bad. It's it's on you
It's a reflection. So I think that I wasn't expecting that
Yeah, game you're dropping truth bonds left and right and I mean, you know, it's it's so funny that we've mentioned a couple times
You know about managing people and it's one of the reasons like the fact that I am so adamantly against it
Yeah, and I am but I'm obsessed right now with watching videos and reading content on how to be like a one-man
Fander like a person who is like, what was it called?
One person million dollar business like there's a book. Yeah, and I think it's called one person dollars something like that
But whatever it's called, I'll leave it in the show notes because I can't remember right now. It's Friday. It's not my fault
I will blame the eclipse will blame, you know mercury retrograde, but I mean that yes. Yeah. Yeah all of that
It's not my fault at all. I thought not speaking of I saw funny
I'm gonna go on an ADHD rabbit hole for a minute. I saw a funny meme yesterday
It said mercury's in Gatorade right now or something and I'm like, it's so great
That's cute we're curious in Gatorade mercury's in Gatorade I think I think she's thirsty so
What that's you someone give her some Gatorade so we can get out of this mess. Oh, that's funny. No, that's cute
Well, um from from the book
Is there anything else that you want to share with people that they really need to know?
To that would convince them to buy it like who should buy this book. Okay. Um, yeah
Entrepreneurs, I'm definitely creative
I said I use the word creative entrepreneur because I'm more of an artist and I like to create things with my hands
So it's not so boutiques son with a boutique could read this book
Just creative people. I mean if you're looking to start an accounting business, maybe not but
Anyone creative that wants real-world advice. It's written really easy to read
Lots of cool graphics. There's a journal section in the back. It's fun. Um, I
Have a I have a bigger version of it. It's um a spiral bound and much bigger
It's a nicer version. Those are fun because you can actually write in the workbook. Um, but yeah women
It's definitely I mean men can take the same advice but um kind of geared toward women and what to expect
There's lots of steps if you're selling a product
Things to do things not to do shipping
You name it
I'm gonna make a suggestion to you that you didn't ask for but if you you want it here it is and it's I guess
Okay, so you have 21 steps in the book
Okay, what I would love to see you do is create 21 steps
What you do is create 21 audio or video files of each of these steps and create it as a 21 day course that you drip out
And that you sell so that you can actually get people accountability to start a creative business
You know what? I love that idea. I'm on the same page. I was before we talked
I was thinking of putting together some sort of course which goes along with the business coaching that I was talking about
That's a great idea. Are you in audio clips audio or video? I mean, I think that's something audio
You're getting a little ahead of yourself. Let's just do one now
Calm down. Yeah
So one thing you could take these and then you can scribe them into
Emails that you can send to people that way once they purchase the course they get these things dripped out to them every day
You record it once and then just keep selling it
That's a great idea. It's how I roll
I'm learning more from you than yeah, you're giving me some good advice. I like that. That's really cool
Well, what else do you want to know? Well, so like I
Am very curious about podcasts now. You've given me an idea
I've got to step out of my comfort zone because I'm used to making stuff
Yeah, being behind the scenes, which is putting up pretty pictures, but I really need to do more
Even if it's audio
Well, you can still do the pretty pictures. Well, I'm still gonna do the pretty pictures. Believe me. That's my thing
But I'm aware that I'm a little um
I don't do a lot of the reels that I see everyone else doing and I probably need to or I have
I haven't done any reels for my personal account that I know of like I've done some reels on on the pampered palm cheese page
for anybody who knows I'm
creating
Digital assets to try to make my dog's internet famous
But but yeah, there's there's been no reels of me on
Yeah, I found out that the Instagram rabbit hole and watch all of these great life coaches that are doing these cute reels
On the beach and I'm like, you know, I need to do I need to up my game a little bit
So I'm but do you or is that just yeah
Yeah, I feel like you know do what works for you. That's that's why I think yeah
I I like to be a little more low-key behind the scenes, but I just I don't know how I'm gonna market myself
If I'm behind the scenes and low-key with really awesome graphics and fantastic audio. There you go. You know what?
You answered my question. That's where I'm comfortable. That's my comfort zone. So I think that sounds good to me
Yeah, I mean my mom always said I had a face for a radio. So why put it on my mouth?
I'm kidding. No, she didn't mom if you're listening. I know you didn't say that
That's funny. Can I have to tell you real quick? You are in Richmond, Kentucky
I am that is where my husband was born and raised. Okay, so
Yeah, I know you were in Lexington recently and we were supposed to like try to figure out if there was a way to meet
Up, but I know the time wise it just had fine. Like we try to go up once a year
It's just crazy of all the small towns, right? You're right there. Yeah. Yeah, it's it's it's kind of nuts
How I ended up here we
you know, I was born in Ray or born in Pineville, Kentucky raised in Tampa, Florida and
because my dad was in construction and you know, whenever it snows there was no more construction work and so he found out there was
year-round work in Florida and so that's how we ended up living in Tampa, Florida and
When I met my husband we were like, okay, we're never gonna move to can ever and then
Then yeah, you did that now we did
January 2020 right before the pandemic shut everything down my my grandmother passed away and we went to
Stay with my aunt for
Like a week. It was closer to two in Kentucky in Kentucky
Okay, and for some reason that particular week. We just fell in love with Kentucky and
We cried when we left and we could not stop talking about it the whole way home
And I remember we got home and the other this is mid-january. It was cold and I spent January
It's not January and we're like should we move and it was like wait
Why are we talking about moving we for mo and problem is he from he's from he was born in Dunedin
Okay, and ran in Florida and and I remember it was Super Bowl weekend. So February
2020 and again, this is before the whole world shut down and we
Just made an off-handed comment to his dad to my husband's dad that we were considering just thinking about the idea of moving
Kentucky and he goes it's about damn time and when dad said that yeah, and we're like, what are you talking about?
he's like the only reason I'm still in Florida is because you guys are here and
He put us know and it sold really quickly and we're like, well shit now
We got to make up but this is our minds are you and before we knew it
By the end of 2020 we had an apartment ready for us and January of 2021
We took the keys and moved in whenever it was snowing and we're like, what the hell were we thinking? Oh, why Richmond?
Specifically. Well, all my family is in Brea and Mount Vernon, Kentucky. Oh my gosh right there
Yeah, and we couldn't find a place to live in either of those cities. But my uncle I like yeah
My uncle worked at Eastern Kentucky University and he's like, well, there's lots of apartments
You know there and I was like, oh, okay. So we came and looked over Thanksgiving and
Here we are. Oh, do you like it?
Do I like the fact that we finally have seasons?
I like the fact well
What's funny is we tried to go back to Florida for a week and the heat nearly killed us
I can't believe how quickly we adapted
Yeah, it's hot here and the summers are really really hot. Yeah, and the humidity. Oh my god. I
Forgot how sticky it is. It's so sticky
The summers here are really really hard. I'm from Michigan. So, um, yeah, I miss the changing of the seasons
I mean, the cold is it's kind of
Yeah, Michigan's actually one of the places on my United States bucket list
I want to go to my girlfriend of mine Tracy with food wine sunshine. She always goes to Lake Leland out
Oh, it's so she goes to all the wineries out there like I went all day. I'm totally gonna
Oh, you should go. I'm gonna sneak under one of her hearts. Maybe just north of you. That's a
I think it's 14 hours. So just as if I was going to take what's kind of north north. Yeah
Yeah, but but we did go to
Lake Erie
Whenever we went to Ohio that was kind of cool
Like we went to Geneva, Ohio and we went to a front a winery there, but I want to go to Michigan
She always knows these amazing pictures. These do yeah in this area in the fall, especially
Yeah, yeah, so I know we're going on a little bit of 10. No, I know in a while. We're catching up
Yes
Yes, so so my bloggy friends here, you're getting a some insight into the background of me
It's fun. It's dead
Absolutely. Well, um, what else of the of the things that you know are in the book
Do you feel like people really need to hear if they don't listen to anything else from this podcast?
What should they really take away from this?
Well
The good question, I think it's full of good advice
I did I did drop some personal little personal stories here and there that I don't really share
I don't talk a lot about some things. So there are there are some
Some things I mentioned that are kind of personal in the book and I've never done that before so
Maybe maybe that's interesting to some maybe not others
As it would relate to owning a business and why I wanted to work for myself versus working for other people
And the experiences I had working for other people as a single mom over the years
So I thought that was interesting other than the good advice and the great graphics and the journaling and I try to push people to
Figure out what it is. They want I have a lot of questions in there
They can ask themselves kind of guide them along along the way that type thing
I love it and I I suspect that as time goes on, especially as you get into this life coaching stuff
I I suspect we're gonna see an expanded edition of this book and then I think so. I honestly think in courses
Something yeah. Yeah, especially after talking to you
I write it all down and make it all happen
Actually, I think it's a favorite in here. That's awesome. That is awesome
Well, where can people find you online since they can no longer find you on mixology?
Right. Well, so I have on
kimberly.com.hendren on instagram
My personal pages are I don't care. It's nothing. There's nothing overly personal on there. So people can follow me there
I do have a website now. It's called mindset coaching for women
dot com
And my my facebook page kim hendren
Um, yeah
In the show notes
Yeah, you'll leave all the links so that people can follow you
And uh, if there was anything else that you wanted to share that you haven't shared yet
What would you like to say? I would just like to I guess encourage people that are
Creatives because if you're creative like we are it's it's just in your blood
It doesn't go away. I told my husband just because I sold mixology doesn't mean i'm gonna
Now want to create something it'll just be on a smaller scale
And helping people so I just want to encourage people that are like me that are creative
We're not all like that, but the people that are my people like you
Just go for it. Do what makes you happy
I do want to say
Don't quit your day job. I kind of said that in the book in the beginning
You can't just quit your job and it's going to take time
So you might have to do a part-time on the side for a while that that's important too. You don't want to just your job
Okay, I agree. I agree completely and you know
I was thinking about that
I mean everyone's financial situation is different, but it takes time
But just go up to your dream because if that's what you want to do, it's who you are
Do it and it takes time and you have to do it on the side for a few years. That's okay, too
I've done that
I used to paint murals when I was a single mom for extra money in schools and hospitals and stuff
So awesome. I didn't know that about you. That's fantastic. Thanks. Yeah
But I think I think the truth is that I'm not a very creative person
I don't know that I was very creative when I was a kid and I was trying to make a name for myself
Just with my name and um, the reality is, you know, I started doing ghost writing because I needed income
And so I didn't always get the credit, but at least I got the cash and I paid the damn bills
See, that's true. And yeah another thing we're all human
None of us really had to do the ghost writing because we all had to do it
We all had to do the ghost writing and the ghost writing was the thing that really made me feel like I was doing something
And the other thing, we're all human.
None of us are perfect.
We put this persona out there that my life is great.
I mean, we just need to be honest.
We're all human.
We all need to make money.
We want to be happy.
Life is up and down.
So that's basically the gist of the book.
And the truth is you can still have magic,
even if you're happy to build cake and red cakes.
You gotta make your own magic, you know?
You can't wait for someone else to hand it to you.
Absolutely.
And if you can't make your own magic, then get a cocktail.
That's what I'm saying.
And rum, is it juice?
What are you drinking?
Rum punch.
Rum punch.
So just make a rum punch.
That's it.
That's funny.
Well, this was awesome.
And I just wanted to thank you, Kim,
for taking the time to grab me today.
We'll leave all of your links in the show notes.
And bloggy friends, thank you so much for listening.
And until next time, may your page views be high
and your bounce rate be low.
vrai
you