Our Entrepreneurial Journeys!!

Welcome to The In Between Podcast. I'm Astrid.

And I'm Alexis. And we're 2 best friends on a journey to living a fun, intentional life.

We know it's easier to share on a season of life once it's behind you, but what about when you're in the middle of the growth, confusion, and decision-making?

This lifestyle podcast is for the everyday gal who loves to travel, talk about business, relationships, fashion, and everything in between.

Welcome back To another episode of The In Between Podcast, friends. We are so excited you are here and tuning in today. I am your co-host Astrid.

And I am your other co-host Alexis.

And today we are diving into our entrepreneurial journeys. So we cannot wait to take you along, uh, for this ride from what started as really young kids, honestly. All the way up to where we're at today.

Yeah, this is such a— I want— I wanted to do this episode because I think it shares a lot of context for the way that we kind of view life and the way we view business and also just everything in between.

Yes.

And, uh, speaking of, we always start each episode talking through what we are in between right now, and I encourage you to take some time to reflect On what you might be in between right now as well. So, Astrid, what are you in between right now?

Okay, um, I am in between just really being present in my business. I just finished doing a launch, which was freaking me out. My perfectionist perfectionist. Old self— wow, that was a mouthful— would've just honestly ran away just out of fear of messing up, out of fear of looking silly, out of fear of failure. And right now I'm in between the point where I have already launched it and I got past those fears, and then I got some clarity on where I want to go next. And just really looking forward to the next step. So just being very present right now and realizing that at the end of the day, it's never about that next step. It's about truly just facing those fears, truly taking action towards what you feel that you're called to do. And that's the journey that never ends.

And that's the beauty of it all.

And the worst thing that we can do is just inaction. So I just right now feel a lot of peace. I feel like I've really grown a lot in my perfectionistic journey in the past 3 years, and this is another layer of it. And yeah, I'm just feeling really happy.

I love that, in between perfectionism and peace.

Yes.

And like, in pursuit of peace.

Yes. Oh yeah, good wording.

Thank you.

Put that— I need that on a sweatshirt.

I know, in pursuit of peace right now. Yes, leaving behind my perfectionism. Um, honestly, same. And it's so interesting how much Perfectionism and professionalism and wanting things like the relationship between being professional and being a pro and perfectionism and how that can get in the way of us releasing things to the world and serving people.

Yeah.

Because we're so focused on like, is it professional enough? Is it perfect enough?

Am I good enough?

Am I?

Well, that's true.

Yeah. Am I good enough? Am I, am I equipped? Am I ready? All those things. And it can get in the way of us doing things a lot of times, that inaction that you said. So honestly, same. I'm in the middle of, I'm in between launching my very first ever group experience.

Yes.

And did I tell you I actually came up with a name?

No. Can we know?

Are you— It'll be, it'll be launched by this time.

Okay, good.

Um, I'm gonna be, I'm calling it Within.

Ooh.

Because the journey to a deeper life, whether you're pursuing something in your career, Your relationships, your relationship with yourself, a business, it has to start from within. And so we'll be covering, uh, identity, confidence, belonging, and possibilities.

So good.

And how in order to discover all of those, like, you have to start with yourself first.

Yes.

And it's my very first time ever building community around coaching too. So I am nervous and excited and feeling all of the imposter syndrome-y feels. And I think that what can tend to get in the way is, you know, what we're all really searching for is just honest connection. And whenever I can like strip down a decade of sales Alexis and like, you know, I've been in marketing for so long.

Yep.

And building businesses that we'll get into, that can like really get in the way.

Yep.

Of like the connection part. Yep. You know, it's noise. And like, this is who I am and this is why I love this and this is why this matters to me and here's how I want to connect with you and what's going on in your life and what season are you in? And that can really get in the way. And so I'm kind of in between stripping away old, old scripts, old narratives, and digging into like, this is a new era of me in business. This is a new version of me. And like, who do I want to be?

Hmm.

In this launch and, and how could this coaching experience and retreat that it includes, how could it really shift the entire trajectory of what I'm building and doing it from like a community focused and community centered way instead of it being like solely on me, you know, it's, it's about what, what we're building together.

Yeah.

Um, that's so powerful. I'm excited.

That is so powerful. I am so excited for you.

I.

Especially as we're talking about the entrepreneurial journey and we're going to dive into all of our stories. But I love that you're doing that because truly there's nothing more intertwined than our entrepreneurial journeys and where our emotional health is at and our mental health is at and who we are. Our businesses are our identity a lot of times, or they're not our identity. I misspoke.

It can play into it.

It can play into it. It's a reflection of where we're at in our life. That's more, um, I guess how I would phrase it. And so whenever you're really able to heal and to grow on your own and in your personal life and invest in yourself like this group coaching program, then suddenly your business thrives because you take off all these layers of, right, let me perform, let me do this and then do that. And you're like, no, why am I even here?

It's so connected.

Strip it down.

Strip it down, girlfriend.

Yeah. Yeah. Oh my gosh. So good. So good.

Thank you. And yeah, I'm really excited to dig into our stories. as entrepreneurs. And before we dive in, I kind of want to preface that no matter where you are in your journey, sometimes hearing the word entrepreneur, you know, whether that fits for you, whether that, you know, you, you resonate with that. Um, this episode really is for everyone regardless of where you're at as an entrepreneur, or maybe you're an intrapreneur inside your company.

Yeah.

Um, maybe you're a hobbyist, uh, maybe you're a side hustler. Regardless of where you're at, this is really about having ideas, solving problems, and building a community around those ideas and those solutions. And that can happen in your home, in the family you're building. That can happen anywhere. It can happen inside a company, in your own business, CEO, whatever it is. So I just kind of want to preface that because we can— we're in such a like be an entrepreneur culture, and it's beautiful. And it's— I think it's one of the best times in the world to be alive, in the history of the world. I'm so glad I'm alive right now.

Me too.

And at the same time, there can be this pressure associated with being an entrepreneur and associated with the money that you might make, or what's, you know, all the opportunities. So I just kind of want to like strip it down and just start with wherever you're at. This is for you, and I hope that you take something Um, away from our stories today.

So well said.

Thank you.

Love that. Let's dive in.

Let's do it.

Oh my gosh.

Let's get into it.

All right.

What was younger Alexis scheming and planning and dreaming about?

Well, it had to be something illegal. Illegal. Um, I was 8 or 9. 4th grade and I was burning CDs and selling them in the classroom and at the end on recess.

Call the cops, y'all.

I was pirating music. No, I would go to Walmart and remember those big bins that like DVDs would be in and CDs would be in?

Oh yeah, I think they still have them.

They probably do.

Yeah.

Um, I just like, I've blocked them out. I don't, I don't buy DVDs or CDs anymore, but, um, It's crazy how technology in the smallest and biggest ways have advanced. But yeah, I would go to those bins and I would get like clearance.

Get your product.

I would get my product and then I would go and then I would also buy like a whole stack of blank CDs.

Yeah.

Then I would go home and I would burn the CDs and I would, they would be different colors and I would have different, the, the, I would always try to buy the CDs that had the cool designs on them too. Like pre-done.

We're different. What do you mean? Like you had a different business. You get, you gave them the cool CDs.

Yeah.

I was like, you're this, you know, we're, you're 8, but you're a cool 8-year-old. Yeah.

And then even the, the plastic, um, case I would put them in would also be a bright neon color.

Very on brand.

Exactly.

Cohesiveness.

For sure. Um, so it was like a lot of NSYNC, Shania Twain, you know, 98 Degrees, S Club 7. If there's any S Club 7 lovers in there. I, I don't know. That's okay. That's okay.

I'm sorry.

It's okay. Um, 8-year-old me loved them and yeah, it was a good time. And then my teacher found out I was doing that at school, which was illegal. Um, she said, you can't do this. And she said, if you continue to do this, I will have to like, you know, take you to the principal and all that stuff. And so I stopped doing it. I was shut down at an early age.

Dang. I know. You're like Breaking Bad, but like elementary school edition.

Meth. Yeah.

You know, birdie CDs. That's how it starts. I'm glad they caught you.

Oh my gosh, that's hilarious.

Okay, what about you?

What was younger Astrid selling?

Um, I'm on the whole other side of the spectrum. I was selling things at church.

It was very legal.

Yes.

Yeah.

Um, well, yeah, so I was about 11 or 12 years old when my best friend at the time, Steph, and I Started making necklaces and earrings, and we would sell them to the ladies at the church on Sundays. So all of summer we would get together during the week, during the week, and buy all the beads and all the things. And our moms were super supportive of it, and it went really well. And so that's kind of what I did in middle school. I think that was the only— yeah, that was the only business I had.

How old were you?

Middle school.

Like 11 or 12.

Okay. And how long did you do it for?

Like a, like a year.

That's a long time.

Yeah.

I feel like I would not have that much focus as an 11-year-old.

I'm proud of you.

Thank you.

You were in it. I was in it. I was committed. I said yes to it and I stuck to my word. I love that.

I love that.

Um, okay, selling, slinging some, some jewelry at church. What's next? High school?

Yeah. So high school. Well, let's swing it back to you. What'd you do in high school?

So in high school, I, I didn't start anything until my senior year of high school. I took this program called Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities, and it was incredibly impactful. It was a year-long program, like an offsite hybrid program, um, that it was a countywide program. So there were students in it from all different other schools as well. And the basis of the program was you toured local businesses and you also had guest speakers come in who were founders and CEOs and entrepreneurs and share their stories. And, you know, you're 17 and, you know, you, you kind of have this like path of like, okay, I'm gonna go to school. I'm gonna do it. And, and it really opened up my eyes to all the different possibilities and all the different ways that you could make an impact and create a career and build a team. Like it was, you know, at 17 to have access to that kind of information was totally life-changing for me. Definitely a defining moment. in defining season for where I'm at now. I don't think I would quite be where I am without the program. And, um, a basis of the program, like a foundational basis was you had to, you had to start a business and it had to be real and you had to have a product. Um, you know, whatever the product was. And then at the end of, at the end of the year, there was this big trade show and each student had a trade show booth. And, you know, hundreds of people from the community would come and support you and walk through all the trade show and you'd have to sell your product. And so I ended up writing a book called Investing in Human Capital. And it was all about my journey through the class as a young entrepreneur and like how it totally shifted my mindset. And, um, it was also around the connections and the mentorship that I received throughout the program. And I remember the facilitator, the teacher of the class, his name was Craig Lindvall. We always called him Mr. L. And he has unfortunately passed away after a really long battle with pancreatic cancer. But he was such an impactful person in my life. And he believed in me. He saw potential in me. I think he almost saw future me.

Wow.

You know, before I could see me.

That's so beautiful.

And I remember it was 2 months before the trade show and everyone was working on their businesses and I didn't know what to do. And we were sitting on this bench outside of class. I was like almost having a little bit of like a nervous breakdown, you know? And I am a high performer. I want to do well, you know, I want to succeed and I'm 17.

To win. I'm gonna win.

To win.

I want to win. I wasn't winning. I didn't have an idea. I didn't, you know, other people were already so much, you know, months into building their businesses. And he said, well, what do you enjoy doing? And I said, well, in all my free time, I read and write. You know, I, I spend lunch. I literally would spend lunch in the library and I would write poetry and I would write nonfiction and fiction. And I was just always writing things. And he said, why don't you write a book? And I. Was so shell-shocked by that, that he just said in such a steadfast way. Yeah. You know, not as a joke. I was 17 and to have an adult so like unshakably believe in me.

Mm-hmm.

And not even, he was like, why don't you just write a book?

Yeah.

I said, well, what would I write about? He's like, write about what it's like being you at 17. Write about whatever you want.

So powerful.

And it totally changed my perspective on age and what you're capable of and So it was incredibly validating.

Yeah. Okay, so with high school, what did I do? Oh yeah, my friend Maya and I had a brownie-making business. So we're having all these business partnerships. Yes, I love people. Um, but yeah, so we— I think one day I was just hanging out at her house and we made these Nutella brownies because at the time we were all obsessed with Nutella. We were all taking French Okay.

French class. Yeah.

And we were taking Nutella to class all the time, so I was like, why don't we mix Nutella with these brownies?

Absolutely.

And it was amazing. We would cover the top with Nutella. We— I would make like shapes with it at the top. It was just so good. And we started selling them and people loved them. And yeah, and then we got some competition, of course, from the special brownies division.

And that's where our business flopped. No, I'm kidding.

But we still had demand, but there was that competition. And so, you know, whether they spent $5 here or $3 with us, I think they preferred otherwise. So yeah, so we got to be a lot of work, but we had fun. We made some money, we split some profits, but the work, teamwork, it was, it was a lot of fun. That's incredible. Yeah, I love Hearing that, can you make me some Nutella brownies? Yes, it's been a while. I would love to like. But yes, let's do it. Yeah, we'll make a video.

Okay.

Not the special kind though. No, not the special kind. No, no, no, no, no. Just the Nutella ones. And I did also. Well, to preface this, my family is very entrepreneurial. My dad was very entrepreneurial. My mom was as well. And so. These were the businesses that I had. The rest of them is more I helped out and participated in. But one of my favorites was my mom and I, um, made purses when I was in high school. And so I guess she was my business partner at the time. I love it. Um, and honestly, it came from a time where, um, we needed extra money to cover the bills and it came out of necessity. And so I think a lot of people might find themselves in an entrepreneurial journey Due to necessity.

Yes.

You're like, how can I make some extra cash? Because I have this demand in my family and this need and I have to fulfill it. And so that's kind of where we were at. We were thinking about what skills we had. So I helped her sell some cakes and make some cakes and stuff. But the other one was making purses. So my mom went to school to be a textile designer. She knew how to make dresses, how to make all the things. And so we bought the material and really she gave me creative freedom because she was like, well, what would your friends want? So you get to choose these out and we get to work on this together. And they were actually really cool. I still have a few of them, I think. And, um, so she would make most of the purse and then I would finish them off by manually sewing a few of the details on it. And that's how I learned to sew. Um, and so yeah, so we sold those and that was really fun. But as you know, with retail, it's just really hard.

Totally.

To sell that. Um, but yeah, I sold some purses and, um, we shut things down after that. But that's pretty much the 2 businesses I had in high school. Okay. It's always so cool to like look back at all the different dots that connect. Yeah. And seeing how from a young age we were both like attracted to those kinds of things. Um, okay. So in college, for me, it was in between my sophomore and junior year And I am someone that really likes to apply what I'm learning to something very real. Like, I wanna directly apply whatever I'm learning in class to something real outside of class, cuz that's the best way for me to learn.

Mm-hmm.

I wouldn't necessarily say that I was ever an incredible student, and for me to like fully soak something in, I needed to, I needed to practice and apply it. Um, so it's in business school. Everyone learns differently. Right.

Yeah.

And for me, I was like, okay, this is, this is sort of soaking in, but I'm about to enter into my last 2 years of business school. I want to start a business and like see how I can apply all this to something in real life. So taking kind of what I did from the CEO program and applying it to college really. Um, and I, I honestly recommend even if funds are low, Find a way to start something in college. Yeah. Um, or in those college years, even if you're not in college. Just like, the earlier that you're trying things, the earlier that you're normalizing trying, and maybe it doesn't work, or maybe it does. Like, you're just normalizing experimenting. Customer service, pricing, marketing. Exactly. Like, you're just learning at such a young age too. Whenever you're in that naive state of mind where you're like, I'm just gonna try it and whatever. Yeah. Like, you have this kind of It's not false confidence because it's real, but you have this like this I don't know like blatant confidence where you're like I'm just gonna try and fails and fails. Yeah. Whereas I feel like whenever you get older, the stakes get higher.

We've been burned.

We've been burned.

Anyways, that'll be another topic. Topic for another time.

I started a women's clothing boutique called AT Avenue. AT My initials, Alexis Teichmiller, and Avenue because it was a traveling clothing boutique. And I had been traveling and seeing like different pop-up shops, and I knew that I wanted to start something that wasn't brick and mortar. I wanted the flexibility. I was still a full-time student, and I knew that I, that I needed to have something that really worked for my life.

Yeah.

Like, how could I start a business that was fun, that would teach me a lot, That was low enough overhead to not feel like I couldn't back out if I needed to.

Yeah.

Again, full-time student, and also something I could have fun with doing for 2 years. So being in rural Illinois, there weren't a lot of places to shop in 2013, and it— this was kind of before like the boutique boom. Um, like there were some online e-commerce boutiques, But not a lot of in, you know, uh, brick and mortar retail at that point. There were a lot of big box stores and like the malls were still kind of the bread and butter of retail and started AT Avenue. I borrowed $2,000 from my grandma. I remember that. I remember exactly where we were. We were sitting at her dining room table, like her big formal dining room table in her sunroom. And she wrote me a check. And it's like the, you know, like ripping the check off. Wait, wait, wait. Let's back up. What? How'd you ask grandma for money? How was that approach? Because I feel like that can be so hard. That's a good question. Um, my grand— my— both my grandparents are very entrepreneurial as well. Um, my grandpa is a farmer, but also he was a banker. He was a bank president at 19.

Oh wow.

Yeah. And retired by 42, like very entrepreneurial, real estate, a lot of different things. And I knew that, I knew that they would understand. And it wasn't that my parents wouldn't do it, but I needed to ask someone other than my parents for some reason. I was like, I'm going to ask my grandparents.

Let's go a little bit outside. Just like one little tiny step outside my parents. My grandparents. It's a step. We love it.

Um, but yeah, I, I asked my grandma that. I said, hey, I have this idea, I have this vision, I promise I will pay you back, and, um, I'm gonna try it for a couple months, and if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. But like, I, I want to see if I can do this. And so I borrowed $2,000 from her and got my, my business license and started sourcing clothes. Had my like retailer's wholesaler's license, started sourcing clothes from LA and New York. And I would buy capsule pieces, so I would only buy 6 of everything— small, medium, and large. And that was really all they had, like, at the time.

Yeah.

And even now, I would totally approach this differently because of, sure, like, being more size inclusive. Um, they were— it was rare to have any package that they had offered that had an extra small or an extra large or a double XL. Like, it was just— it was, it was so confined. So I'm so thankful that Um, retailers and wholesalers have expanded so much, but there was not— there weren't really a lot of options back then.

And all that to say, I did a lot of trunk shows, and I had 2 clothing racks and an accessory table, and I would pack it all in like Tetris in the back of my Toyota RAV4.

Shove it in there.

Literally, I was like, oh my gosh, my back hurt. I was like, my shoulders were always like Tight and my neck was always— something was always wrong with my body because I was literally carrying all this stuff in and out of people's homes. But, uh, we did home shows, coffee shops, uh, sorority house trunk shows, fashion shows. We did like, for people, for sororities' philanthropy, we would like sell tickets to a fashion show and they would wear my clothes and the fraternities would come like walk them down the aisles. Hilarious. It was so much fun.

The OG influencers.

Yes, literally the OG influencers. And they would sell tickets to this event to all the other sororities. And then I had a massive trunk show and they would all like buy the clothes.

Heck yes.

And I would be at festivals. Like I was just out here just wheeling and dealing, baby.

Yes, girl.

I was like, if there is an event, I want to be there.

How can I set up my, um, how can I set up my little booth? I would even set up in beauticians, um, like beauty shops.

Yeah.

And they would invite all their clients. I mean, I was just like out here trying to, trying to do the most.

We respect that. We respect the hustle. That is amazing.

It was incredible. And shout out to my parents. For helping me. My, my mom and my dad helped, um, significantly with the larger shows. And then I also had an incredible intern named Molly. Shout out to Molly, Molly Pierce, also Media by Molly. She's a videographer. She's incredible. Um, she reached out to me and asked if she could be my intern and I was like, well, I can't really pay you because I'm not paying myself. And I mean, I would try to pay her, but I would pay her in clothes.

Yes. I was like, what if I paid you in clothes?

And so we would do all these crazy photo shoots and it was my first time stepping into brand marketing. First time, like I was shooting, I bought a Nikon. I was shooting all the product photography and then I got into e-commerce. And then, um, whenever my web team built the e-commerce site, cause that was back before websites were hard to build.

Yeah.

Like you were like custom coding a website. Yeah. They also built me a blog, Alexis. teichmiller.com. And that was kind of the beginning of my own personal brand. And even before I knew it, I had separated my business, the product, the, the AT Avenue, from the Alexis Teichmiller brand. And I didn't— I wasn't necessarily thinking strategically back then. I just knew I wanted a place to write. I wanted a place to like be myself.

Yeah.

And I saw this blogging thing really starting to take off.

Yeah.

And So yeah, that, that was AT Avenue and I did it for about 2 years right around graduation. I was thinking about having a brick and mortar store.

Mm-hmm.

I can't imagine where I'd be if I had decided to go that path.

Yeah, sure.

It would've been great, but like, I just, I'm so glad I moved to Nashville.

Hmm.

Started to run the business remotely, uh, for about 6 months until I was like, you know what? This was a lot easier whenever I had a community.

Yes.

And when I, I moved, I lost all my loyal customers and clients, you know, for the last 2 years of my business. I'm in this whole new market, this whole new city, and this retail wasn't really my passion.

Yeah.

And so I was also working a full-time job and I decided to, uh, close the business. I sold off all my existing inventory and focused on my career and Took off like a rocket ship.

Which I remember when you closed it, I was so shocked and I was like, wow, like that everything was, cuz you didn't, most people might think people close their business because things just didn't work out, but you closed it at its peak. Kinda.

I did.

Yeah.

That's actually a really good point. I had a lot of people in my life who didn't agree with my choice. Um, and that's okay.

Yeah.

And I had to listen to where I needed to go.

Yeah.

And I was being called to Nashville.

Yeah.

And I also, I knew that yes, I could do this and it could be successful and I could make money and, and, you know, it could have a, a, a cool impact. And it wasn't what I wanted.

Yes. Staying true to yourself.

It wasn't what I wanted.

I remember that really impacted me and I really admired you for staying true to what you wanted, cuz I think as entrepreneurs it can be So hard. There are—it's our baby, our business, our baby. Like you start it, you grow it, you see it, and then coming to a point where you realize this still has so much potential, yet this is not the road for me anymore, and this needs to end. Like it's sad, but you have to make that decision for yourself, and then it leads you into another beautiful step, which is fantastic. But it's so hard to—which we we talked about quitting in one of our last few episodes. But it's so important to know. When the end of the road is there and move on to the next thing. Yeah. And just really admire you for that.

Thank you. Can I, can I share, can I share when I knew I needed to quit? Yes. It was a very specific moment. Please. I was at this very large, like, festival, like almost like a flea market, but like a high-end flea market. Okay. Where there were all these outdoor tents and people bought tickets and like the whole thing. Yeah. And I had a 20 by 20 tent that I had rented. I had racks and racks and racks of clothes and, you know, we're out in the field and it's an outside event and a massive storm rolls through, like a thunderstorm.

I remember you posting about that. Yeah. It's crazy. I remember. Yeah. You were LinkedIn. I was linked in with me before we were friends. We were besties.

Um, yeah, a big, a big thunderstorm came through, lightning, thunder. I am in the tent holding, I have all my racks in the very center. Mm-hmm. I am literally holding onto my, holding onto my business.

Oh my gosh.

Physically.

And it's like, if, if I wasn't out there, things would be blown over. Like it would've been awful. So it's me and my mom, we're holding onto all the product and this massive storm rolls through. And this is, this is, um, I've now been in business for about 2 years and 4 months. And I came back from Nashville for this too, by the way. I realized that I was so frustrated and tired of the hustle, of the business model, of like, I have to go out here and be in person. Like, this is, I'm tired and I want to be growing in other ways that don't exhaust me.

Hmm.

And, um, when the storm blew over and we put everything back out, a woman, bless her, um, there was this 2-tier rack full of like fur and like, I, I had really nice clothes. Like my clothes were high quality. Yeah. They were priced very fairly, but they were like high quality clothes.

Yeah.

And I had all these like fur jackets, like it was my nicest fall outerwear and this storm had just come through and she, she knocked into the rack and knocked this 2-tier, 8-foot rack into mud.

No.

And I was like, okay, and we're done. And like had ruined a lot of the product and it wasn't her fault. It was not her fault. I'm not mad at her. Yeah. If you're, if you're listening to the show. I love you. Thank you for that moment. Because it was like, okay, we're frustrated. We're tired. This is not, this is not who we are anymore. We have, we're shedding some skin and we need to explore other options that don't make us feel quite so frustrated. Yeah. Like not a healthy frustrated. Yeah. Like a, I'm mad. Yeah. And it's like, okay, I don't want to be building a business that makes me feel that way. Um, More often than it wasn't, and that was like the reality behind it. Is I was frustrated about things not selling. I was frustrated about product photography. I was doing all this remote. I didn't have help. I was just frustrated, and I it wasn't worth pushing through. You just got to know when it's not worth pushing through.

Exactly. So exactly.

Let's talk about you in college. Okay. Like a long ass monologue on H Avenue.

Well, that was. That's so good and such a powerful business. So many lessons to be shared there too.

So thank you for sharing that.

Um, me in college. Okay, so my first thing right out of high school was, um, do you remember Herbalife?

Yes.

Okay, so I was one of those people.

Can we just say it was an MLM?

Okay, yeah, it was an MLM. It was an MLM.

There's nothing wrong with MLMs.

There's nothing wrong with them, right? I didn't know if MLM was okay to say.

Why not?

I don't know.

It's not like—

I feel like they get insulted by it.

We're not gonna get banned.

The podcast is not gonna get banned. Okay, well, it was an MLM.

Yeah.

Or is, I don't know. But long story short, this was the first time that I ever positioned myself as a saleswoman as far as post-college, right? Like, I'm no longer 14 or 11 years old selling to the sweet ladies at the church. No more brownies. Selling brownies to my friends. This was more quote unquote serious. And so, and I was taking it as such. I was like, this is my job and I want to make money and I want to help other people. And I had seen results in my body and how things had worked. And I would approach things very differently now if I were to market for that. Um, but I had an Instagram at the time. That's kind of where I started sharing a lot of those things. And so whenever I started sharing about it, I learned a lot. I was only in that business for about a year. Um, yeah, I want to say about a year or so, but it taught me so much. And I feel like at the end of the day, entrepreneurship just teaches you so much. Each level, each business, um, each project that you launch. And specifically with that business, I learned. The power of letting go of what people think about me. I truly believed in it at the time, standing up for what I believed in, and then also pivoting. And then also just being more, um, I always wanted to come from a genuine place. And so once I started outgrowing that and I realized like there's some things that I just don't agree with, yeah, I took a step back. And that's something that I'm really proud of and I feel like I still connect with. And it's a big part of my business model now too, is if I don't believe in it, If my heart's not in it, I can't shoot your wedding. Yeah. And that's how I work with my clients. Like my heart has to be in it. And so that's really where I started discovering who am I as an entrepreneur.

And I just want to caveat, like you don't do things by accident. You're incredibly intentional and nothing, nothing, you don't do something just to do it. Yeah. And I love that about you, especially in business and your life. But like there is meaning behind it and there's a lot of thought and a lot of like active choice. Thank you. Into everything that you do. And it's really cool to hear you talk about, I didn't know like that you did that in, um, you know, what was that, early college? Yeah. Yeah. And, um, it's interesting to see how that has influenced how you approach even your, your business now.

Yes. It was a step in the, like towards the direction that I'm at now. Right. And it's hard to. end those seasons. It was hard to walk away from the people, um, that had helped me. And at the same time, it was just the end of the road for me in that season. I thank them from it for it. I didn't screw anyone over by any means. It was just, but it's hard. I feel like my personality just tends to be a loyalist and it has to be really pushed to the end for me to like, be like, okay, this is really what I want.

Mm-hmm.

So that was the first business that I was a part of in college. And then after that, I was an entrepreneurship minor in college. So my major was marketing, minor was entrepreneurship. And part of that minor was in my sophomore year was to develop a whole business plan. And so this business didn't actually come to fruition, but I learned a lot about it. So I, inspired by you, Yeah. wanted to start a boutique boutique and a business, but I wanted to center it around Colombia. So my family's from Colombia and there is a lot of really great quality leather goods there. And I wanted to import that here and pay those people in Colombia a great wage that would still be way cheaper than it would be to source that here. The quality would be better, they would be happier. And so it was Kind of, it would kind of be give back to my culture while bringing something unique to the area. So that's kind of what I wanted to do. I started creating the whole plan. Um, and I was very excited. I presented it. I got like the highest scoring grade in the class for it.

Obviously, obviously. Um, I love that.

And thank you. And it was a lot of fun. I learned a lot about it and I learned that retail wasn't for me. The products just turn around so much. It was also a high capital. starting business just to get all that stuff in and get a website and get all, all of that. And I just didn't have the resources to do that. But it just taught me that the process of vetting through ideas is so important. And so if you're out there and you have an idea, get it out of your head.

Do some research.

And sit down and do it.

Yeah. Yeah.

Do some research, figure out, ask people questions, reach out to them, all of that. And then you might figure out at the end it's not for you.

Right.

Or at the end you might be like, this is really what I want to do.

Yeah.

And but we have to step away from it just living in our head and actually take some action.

Amen.

Yes. Um, so that was that. And then my third business in college is what I have now, which is my photography business. Um, and I— if you were to ask me in high school, or if you would have told me in high I was going to be a full-time photographer 10 years later, I would fall over and like, it was just nowhere in my radar. There was a whole photography and film class available to me. Never took it. I was in the painting class. I love—

I was like, I just want artistic. I still want to be artistic.

Yeah. But I just never thought of photography. And so honestly, I started an Instagram, of course, like we all did in high school. So like 2011, 2012, and I started to really appreciate photography because of Instagram and posting things. And that was also when I moved to the Midwest, and it was Tumblr area. So I think like Tumblr— now that I'm speaking it out loud, I think Tumblr is what really got me to appreciate photography. And I would romanticize all these like big pine trees photos that you would see out of like very—

Northwest.

Yes, Pacific Northwest. Tumblr was like I was like, I don't need this Miami Beach.

It was like Twilight era.

Literally.

You know, like Twilight and Tumblr had a baby, and like that was like the cool girl. The swoopy bangs.

Yes.

The sepia filter.

Yes.

The vignette.

Yes, the vignette. And that was when like being hipster, quote unquote, was cool.

Absolutely. I—

do you ever scroll all the way back to your photos?

Oh yeah, I don't do it as often as I used to. Yeah.

But I scroll back to like I would say maybe once or twice a year. Yeah, I'll scroll back to the beginning.

Do it on your desktop, pro tip. It'll go a lot faster.

Good point. Yeah, it's really interesting to like see how a photo evolves. Yes. Okay, so Tumblr and Instagram. Sorry.

No, that's okay. Um, very much relevant to, to the story. So I just grew an appreciation for it. I moved to the Midwest. Everyone was from— my friends in Miami wanted to kind of see what everything looked like over here. Is it so? What is it like? What is it like?

It is fields.

Field corns and beans and wheat.

Yeah. So that's kind of where my appreciation for photography started. And then my sophomore year in college, I got a marketing internship. And in this marketing internship, I was the only person in the marketing department.

Hey, I love it.

I remember writing to people and sending emails and being like, Our marketing team would like to roll out our guides. It was just me. That is—

I love that. That is elite.

I love it. We just pretend. Yeah, we fake it till we make it. We're a team, me and you and me.

Yeah, as you look in the mirror.

Yes. Um, so yeah, so at the time, because I was an intern, there wasn't really a marketing department established. I kind of got to be an entrepreneur within the company. My boss was really great. He really let me just run with ideas. And, um, basically whenever I had to create any posts for social media or any content, the photos that I was getting for these posts were horrible.

Right.

And pixelated and bad lighting. And I would just never ever take action on that post, which at the end of the day, that was the goal. And so I went up to my boss and I basically asked him if he would be willing to invest in a camera. And I said that I would practice on my own time, learn how to use it, and then be able to take photos for the company. And so he said yes. So he got me a Canon Rebel T3i.

Hey.

And I loved it. And so every weekend I would go and I would go shoot at different locations and spots, and then I would, um, post it to Instagram just because I was having fun. And so that's when I started kind of thinking about it and playing with it because people started reaching out. They're like, hey, you're taking photos. Like, do you want to do a session together? And little by little, it kind of started growing into a thing. And so I asked my boss, I was like, hey, this is kind of growing. Like, do you mind that I use it? And he's, he said, no, it's totally fine. Like, I mean, you're taking photos for the company. You learn this on your own time. It's helping you growing your skills. Like, I don't mind. I'm like, okay, cool. That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. He was fantastic.

When you think about it, that's like very generous.

Extremely generous. Yeah. Extremely generous. That's awesome. Yeah. Because it's, it's company property, right? Yeah.

But I mean, obviously it's in good hands. Yeah. But still, like, they believed in you and, and they were like, yeah, sounds good. Yeah.

That's cool. And I also get their perspective cuz they're like, I'm not, she's not learning on my dollar. Right. Every time that I was out there, I was getting better for them too. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so that's kind of where it all started. And then I actually knew, or my first thought of wanting to have my photo business started about a year and a half before I actually did it. So in very true Astrid fashion, I took forever to just do it. I love it. And I was like, I want to make sure that this is what I really want to commit to. I really want to make sure I'm actually, um, yeah, that I actually wanted to do it. So I started shooting families and couples and all the things. And I remember the first time I posted a couple session. So this was, this was, this is actually really funny. At that point, I had grown to be a marketing assistant in the company and I had an intern. And I told the intern after work, I was like, hey, would you and your boyfriend be interested in doing a session with me? She's like, yeah, that sounds so fun. So they were the first couple that I ever shot. Um, and it went really great. I actually still like those photos. And the day that I posted it, I was shaking and crying and I was, cause I really, what was going on behind all those layers was I didn't feel like I was good enough, but I was still doing it. And so those feelings are still so real.

Yeah. They're so real.

And still pop up and everything. I was like, all these thoughts of what's everyone going to think about me? Like, here I am trying to be a photographer. It's no longer the fun shoots I did on the weekend. I actually shot A couple and a client. And it's all these lies we tell ourselves. And even if people think it, well, whatever. But once that moment happened, it freed me to actually keep going. I was like, all right, we're just gonna do one session at a time. Let's keep, let's, let's keep going. Let's keep going. And that led into me launching my business. And then my senior year, I ended up being booked out a year and a half past that. So, and ever since, things have just really continued that pace, which is crazy. Um, but really it all started with my marketing career.

That is so cool. Yeah. And how, how those 2 things come together, the marketing and the photography. Yes. And when you're shooting, like how those, how you look through it, through that lens and how, how that plays a role. Um, but I loved hearing how You would go out and scout locations and, and I was thinking, I didn't want to interrupt, but you still love scouting locations?

Yes.

And I wonder like, favorite, if that's like, there's a connection there, like almost a connection to your younger self whenever you would go out and you would explore and you would figure it out and you would like scout out locations. Yes.

I don't know. I was like, oh, I love that. I was like, oh my gosh, she still loves to do that. Yeah. It's like the time where no one's interrupting me. I get to just create and choose and dream big. And it's fantastic. And I do want to go— I want to backtrack a little bit. Because really why I picked up that camera was my dad always really taught us that whatever it is that you commit to, do it 100%. If you're not gonna do it 100%, be out. But you, if you committed to doing a job, then try to do your absolute best. And if your absolute best is And still not what they're looking for, then that's okay. And so I remember being in that job and I could have just been like, well, they're not giving me good images, so it's not my— it's not my fault if this is not performing. I was just— I'm just an intern. But that's really when things kind of shifted for me. I was like, well, this is my first job.

What if I—

What kind of employee do I want to be? Like, this is not who, like, who my dad taught me to be. And this is an opportunity and kind of backtracking even a little bit before that, my senior year, I didn't even think I had the possibility of going to college. So once I stepped into that role, I just felt so grateful to be there. And I guess if there's one thing that my entrepreneurial journey and my career has taught me is You have to, whenever you commit your entire heart to what it is that is right in front of you, the doors will open, things will connect, you will grow so much because of it. And it's just this beautiful ecosystem where you're able to give back to the people who are opening those doors to you and vice versa. And so honestly, my business wouldn't exist if I would have chosen more of that complacent attitude of, Mm-hmm. It's not, it's not my job.

Yeah. Yeah. And taking an assertive role in your life and in your career, you're like, I'm going to assert myself. I don't quite know what it looks like. I don't know how to do this yet, but I'm going to figure it out. And that kind of like figureoutable mentality is, I think, a really key part and that comes What's the opposite of that is perfectionism. And it's like, okay, I'm just going to try to figure this out. I'm, I'm open. I'm curious. I'm willing to learn. I don't care what's on the other side. Okay. But then whenever perfectionism pops up and it's like, this has to be like, think about your evolution as a photographer.

Mm-hmm.

Right. And like, I think it's so beautiful how you stayed curious, you stayed assertive, you stayed in it. You were willing to evolve, willing to shift and pivot, but you stayed in the craft, you know, and you're still in the craft and you're still refining it and tweaking it and breaking it down and rebuilding it and figuring out ways to do it better, do it different. And I think that is a really beautiful part. Um, whenever you're doing the same thing for years.

Yes.

And, and that, that's really cool to see from this side of things.

Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. I think at the end of the day, there's always opportunity around you. Sure. And when it comes to your entrepreneurial journey, the opportunities are truly endless. And so whether it's within a company, if you're bored with your job right now and your career, look around and see where are the gaps. And instead of, um, maybe just observing them, come up with a plan to help solve it. And now you're an entrepreneur within your job.

Yeah.

So there's always, always opportunities around. And yeah, hopefully that encourages someone. Um, so after college, after college, what happened with you?

So I work for a New York Times bestselling author and he's a blogger. He's a podcaster. I was like, whoa, podcasts. What's that?

Look at you now.

Yeah. Literally look at me now. Um, yeah. So gosh, where to even begin? I'll kind of like try to, try to CliffsNotes Cliff Notes this, but I started my very first podcast called The Laptop Lifestyle in 2016, and I sat on that idea for 6 months and I finally launched it after Matt was like, I need you to pick a launch date. My partner, he was like, I need you to pick a launch date and I need you to commit to it. When do you want to launch it? Like, what is it going to take? What needs to be possible for you to launch it?

Yeah.

So I picked a launch date, August of 2016. And at that point I was working for an incredible company called ConvertKit and their entire customer base were entrepreneurs, creators, entrepreneurs, podcasters. And so that was kind of my first jump into like side projects. Also, I wrote another book called Do It Brave, which was an ebook, and that was there. It was free. So those were like, I, I like creative projects. Yeah. Like this is a creative project for us. Mm-hmm. Um, and looking at your work as a body of work, mm-hmm, and stepping back and seeing how it all fits into itself is really important. Mm-hmm. Instead of like, well, this is what I do. This is how I make money. Okay, great. But also what is bringing you meaning? Yeah. What is flexing your creativity? Mm-hmm. Sometimes the way that we make money isn't always the way that we access other parts of ourselves.

Yeah.

Yeah. So when you look at your work as a body of work, you give yourself the freedom to say yes to things that flex different muscles that can really help you grow in other ways. So for me, that was like, I'm going to write another ebook and I'm going to launch a podcast. And these things weren't making me money, but they were building me a community on the internet. Um, I was putting everything about my life on Instagram at the time. still do, but like in a different way than I felt a sense of like freedom I hadn't felt before where I was just like, I'm sharing it all. This is who I am. I like didn't care. And of course, when you're sharing that online, especially in like the mid-20-teens, it was very rare. Like, it's like, wow, you're putting it all out there.

Yeah.

Now it's more normalized to share pretty much everything on the internet. Um, but I was blogging, I was writing every week. Um, and then after a little bit of time at ConvertKit, that's when things started to really materialize for me. I mean, I'm around, I'm around online entrepreneurs who are course creators and they have sponsored podcasts and all these different ways to make money online that I didn't even know was possible. I mean, I knew it sort of in my first job, but my first boss was, I mean, he was a sales coach and consultant. Um, and you know, he had a whole company behind him. These were entrepreneurs that were doing it like literally on their own.

Yeah.

Solopreneurs. And so that opened up a whole new door for me. I started traveling immense, immensely in 2016. And so I started travel blogging. Um, I started sharing everything kind of like I would say a micro travel influencer. Um, I would work with brands like Airbnb and Turo and tourism boards as well. I think my favorite tourism, uh, campaign I ever did was with the state of Maine, which was really fun. Yes. And I was always putting together stories and like, how can I— how can this benefit the brand, but how can I tell a story on behalf of the brand?

Yes, I love that.

Um, another thing was like, I was a content creator for brands. So it wasn't just, oh, I'm Alexis and I like this clothing or I like this brand. I would actually work with hotel brands. And my, one of my best friends, Jess, shout out to Jess, you and I were business partners and we didn't even realize it. But her and I would partner up and we would travel and we would shoot content. And then in exchange for money, free stays, free everything. Um, we would give them a Dropbox folder full of high-quality, uh, like ad-worthy photos.

Yes, they were beautiful.

And honestly, we should have been charging for those.

100%.

We should have been charging a lot more money than we ever did. Uh, but that was— we didn't know what we were doing. Yeah, this was 2017, really, but like kind of on the cusp.

It was all new.

Yeah, it was very new. And we were still figuring it out. Um, and we really, really liked it. It was, it was so much fun. So that was, those were like a lot of different creative projects. And then when I started Deeper Life, I, I had been in the business world for so long, it felt like, and granted, hey, I'm in my late 20s. So when I say so long, I'm talking like, you know, 5 years.

Okay. Because you started so early.

I did. Yeah. That's a good point. Yeah. Like first business at 17. and then all through college and then into my career, but always having these like creative side projects.

Yeah.

I was burnt out on the business rhetoric of like, help people make money. And like, it's very meta. I'm— I— my business is an online business teaching you how to have an online business. You know, there was just very— I got burnt out with the marketing and the funnels and the tagging, and I just Felt like I wanted— automation. Automation.

And like, that's beautiful. Yeah.

It's great to have tools. Without going too far into that, I wanted to focus on the deeper shit.

Mm-hmm.

I had been being vulnerable for a long time online and I was getting messages from women of just ways that that was connecting with them and resonating with them and giving them the, um, encouragement to share their story. And I was like, man, there's really something here.

Yeah.

There's something here for me that is calling me to go deeper. It's calling me in a different direction. And what would it look like to help women find their voice, to advocate for themselves in all areas of life, and to not just be Alexis Teichmiller, affiliate marketer? You know, that's what I was known for in my career, and, and it's also what I still do right now. How can I, how can I open up something deeper? Something that feels like legacy level work.

Hmm.

And deeper life is that for me. It is legacy level work that it, it fuels the soul for me. And we talked about that in habits and, and the soul level things that we do and, you know, writing. But when I'm in a coaching session with a client, there is literally nowhere else in the in the entire world that I'd rather be than with her. And when I can access that with her and I can be in that space with her, I'm operating in my zone of genius. This woman feels supported. She has a safe place to explore and to find solutions and paths forward.

Yeah.

That's what Deeper Life is for me. And I didn't know that, you know, whenever I started it in 2020, and then I took a massive leap Before I was ready, really. Um, and just launched into being a coach. Yeah. Um, and that's okay. It was, it was a lesson and I'm glad I did it. Um, but yeah, that's where I'm at now doing Deeper Life coaching. And my long-term goal is like retreats, group experiences, and really creating a place where women feel supported, comforted, but also like, I want to help women win.

Yeah.

I wanna help women win, win at life, and I want to help them first go within so that they can, can experience that externally.

Yeah.

So that's like where I'm at today, literally right now.

I love that. I had chills because as you were sharing that, the beautiful thing about that journey is that the, the portion that you mentioned of you just showing up vulnerably online and you're like, that wasn't really a thing, that was just Me showing up online really was the building block to building this community.

Totally.

That then led to Deeper Life being quote unquote born. Um, and so it wasn't like it came out of the blue. It was like the community was ready for it. Right. And it came out of your own vulnerability that was so authentic to you. It wasn't like, I have this business idea, now I need to start sharing my life. It's No, I am the kind of person that shares vulnerably because I want to help others grow. I want others to know that they— I struggle too, that we all struggle, that we can get support, that we can reach out. All these different levels of life that just wasn't shared as much online at that point.

Yeah.

And I think that's beautiful because now you've gone into having a business. That revolves around what you're most passionate about this whole time while you were working on other side projects. And also, I love that you have your full business basically full-time too, on the side of also working full-time.

Yeah.

And also having other projects. And I think, at least I always thought that you needed to choose one thing, and that really held me back whenever I first realized Oh shoot, I went to school for marketing. It's going really well in my marketing career and I love photography and my business is growing and thriving and I would be devastated if I had to choose one. And suddenly I was like, I don't need to choose. I don't need to choose right now. Maybe down the road I need to, right? But I don't need to choose right now.

And we make choices way before we really need to. Yes. We like cut things out.

Without fully exploring them. Because we're taught that that's what you're supposed to do.

You can't have it all.

Yeah. And I was very fortunate and grateful in my marketing career to have bosses that supported that and supported my businesses and saw it as an opportunity for growth. And for me, it was basically, I saw it as they both fed each other.

Mm-hmm.

My photography business taught me to understand the CEO and the leadership more closely because I was running a business myself. And it pushed me to be more creative outside of work. So when I stepped into work that was more strategic, organized, here's the marketing plan, I could tap into that creativity as well and bring that in. And then I brought in that strategy and that planning and all those skills that I was learning in my marketing job into My photography business. Yes, queen. And basically that became, as we, as I have shared so far, I am a little bit more risk averse. And I don't think that my business would have grown to where it's at today if it would have been full-time, just because I wouldn't have had the emotional growth at that time, um, to face those fears.

Yeah.

And so because I had a full-time job, Suddenly I had the freedom and the permission slip to be like, oh, why don't I try this strategy here? And let me do this. And oh, well, demand is up. And I just learned today we just jumped our prices up at work because demand is up. And this is— and so I learned so much and things worked together.

Absolutely.

And so I guess all of that to say, permission to do anything, which is the beauty of the entrepreneurial journey, permission to Permission to start, permission to pause.

Pause. Yes. Putting things on pause. Yes. Like the Deeper Life Podcast has been on pause. Yes. The last episode I recorded was about me taking a full-time 9 to 5 job. And by the time you listen to this, there'll be more episodes out, but I mean, I've taken essentially like a 5-month break because I needed to. Yeah. I don't want to quit it. But I needed to pause it so that one, I could really realign where Deeper Life was headed. Um, and I don't believe in, I, this is probably like, this is my advice. I don't believe in pushing out content that's not connected to a larger vision. And so it's like, I'm not going to like just keep producing for the sake of producing.

Yeah.

If it's not feeding into some sort of aligned vision of like, here's how this fits. And I, I just don't believe in putting things out unless it, it feels aligned.

Quality over consistency.

Yeah. I'm like, why do, gosh, why do, like this content factory, this wheel is exhausting. And I have chosen a long time ago not to participate in it and to show up when I want to show up. Um, which is often. It's often, I mean, when I say show up, I mean, like, I'm on stories every single day.

Yeah.

But it's like, I don't need to be posting on my feed 2 times a day. I don't need to have 4 podcasts a week. Like, just give yourself some, some breaks and some room to look back at all the connect, all the connecting dots. Like, I wrote a book on building relationships and mentorship. Then I started a clothing brand that was focused around helping women build confidence and feeling good in their skin.

And then I, wow.

Yes.

And then I jumped into travel because I wanted to inspire people with the power of travel and how it can completely change your entire perspective on life and how you can learn so much about yourself when you travel and blogging and writing and all of those things have led me up to this, which is just focused around helping people.

Yeah.

And you know, the, the way that you do it might look differently. Yeah. But give yourself like, oh, I quit that and I did that for a while and now I do this. It's like things lead you to where you're at. Yes. And like, don't, don't discount your story just because, you know, it's not perfect or it doesn't quite line up the way you want it to or, or the way someone else's does. It's beautiful because it's yours.

Exactly. Exactly. And honestly, before this episode, if you would have asked me about my entrepreneurial journey, I would have said it started in 2017 with my photography business. So I love that you were like, let's, let's talk about when you were younger. Yeah, I would have said I was influenced by my parents, but it's like you said, it's really interesting to dive back and see the building blocks, the moments when we let go of fears, the moments where we learned leadership or we learned strategy, and all of it is building blocks.

Right.

For the next step. So, well, I think that puts us at about an hour 15 episode. I hope that you all enjoyed learning about our entrepreneurial journey, that you, um, picked up on some lessons there as well, and that you feel encouraged to just truly live out your mission and your why. I think at the end of the day, that's what we both care about the most, is that you are being true To yourself and that you step out and push that fear aside and do the thing.

So yeah, and if you've made it this far in the episode, thank you so much for spending your time with us. I know that your time is valuable and it would mean the world to us if you left us a review. The podcast is still new and we would love to hear from you. So, um, if you're listening on Spotify, you can just rate it. And if you're listening on iTunes or another podcast player, you can rate it and leave a written review. We would love, love, love to hear what you're taking away from the pod. You can also connect with us on Instagram at inbetween.pod. And then you can also DM me directly at Alexis Teichmiller or me at @astrojohannaphoto. And we're just really excited and thankful for the community that we're building. And I know that this is just the beginning of something really beautiful.