826. How To Know If Your Business Idea Is A Good Idea With Stephanie Biegel, Founder of Key

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My job is X, but I also have side hustles and then after me, every single other person named their side hustle. Like, why are you scared to share that? I'm not taking anything away from my main job because I'm doing other things that make me happy. If anything, I think I'm doing more.

Welcome to the Earn your HAPPY podcast. I'm Lori Harder, Founder of Light Pink, best selling author, three time fitness world champion, and I'm a crazy, multi passionate entrepreneur. My journey has taken me everywhere from being a broke waitress, barista, retails associate and personal trainer with massive anxiety and no belief in myself to later becoming a multimillionaire in love with my life. In 2007, my husband and I lost everything. We found ourselves hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt at rock bottom. We had no ideas and I had no education to fall back on. This is when I found personal development and lear everything I could about business. Not by choice, but because I realized no one was coming to save me. The conversations on this podcast are going to let you know that you're not.

Alone and that we all feel like.

We don't know what we're doing. We're going to give you the tools to help you face your fears, take action, start your business, and grow those massive dreams that are keeping you up at night. It's time to create a life that you can't hide from and put so much on the line that your higher self is forced to come out. You're going to stop waiting for someone to approve of you and you're going to anoint yourself. Because I'm obsessed about building businesses that.

Give women a platform.

I want to feature you. So if you text the word podcast to 310-496-8363, you can get your questions answered on our Q and A segment along with a shout out. And if you rate, review and subscribe to this podcast, we're choosing someone every month to get coached and featured on our show. It just might be you. So let's get started.

Hey Everyone, welcome back to the show. Today my guest is Stephanie Bagel. She is an accomplished and seasoned professional who spent more than 10 years leading and growing multimillion dollar advertising businesses spanning global markets and emerging technologies. Most recently, she held various executive leadership role at mobile tech company Cargo. She's generated more than 200 million in strategic advertising revenue driven by her expertise in digital business transformation and her aptitude for fast paced markets. Steph began her professional career at United Talent Agency and Platinum Rye in Los Angeles where she talent management and celebrity endorsements. Her current professional venture is at Key as CSO and co founder. Key is a fan relationship platform that gives control back to talent to own their data and drive incremental revenue. She's wildly excited about the challenges this enterprise software solves for talent. With that, she's an avid wellness junkie. Her co host Lauren Abney launched the well Behaved podcast over two years ago. Their hope is to democratize wellness, bringing on a myriad of experts to excite, inspire and educate. I had so much fun. I got to be on that podcast, you guys. I love this woman. We randomly met at a friend's wedding. We sat at the same table. She absolutely felt like somebody that I have known my entire life. And I think you're going to feel that throughout the podcast, which helps us get to the good stuff right away.

So.

So let's get started.

Steph, I'm so excited to have you on the podcast. Thank you so much for coming on.

Thank you for having me. I've been so. I've been waiting for this. Well, I love any excuse to talk to you, obviously.

Oh my God. Same. So we're. I'm going to share a little bit of how we met, but I also just got to have an awesome conversation with you on your podcast, well Behaved, which I love the name because it's kind of all things and wellness and great conversations and we kind of talked about everything on that episode and that was also with your co host Lauren Abney, and she was freaking amazing as well. So you guys definitely go check that out.

Launch that. That will be after the new year. We're relaunching. We took our little like hiatus, but we're coming back. And you. We are. We cannot wait to share your episode.

So podcasting is like a thing. Like people don't know what they're getting into.

And then all of a sudden you're.

Like, hold on, I need to pause and figure out what the hell I'm doing here. And then like, how do we want to do this? Do we want to launch seasons? Do we want to what?

It's a lot of work, literally, what? And we're still, like, saying, what every day? Or when we had a meeting the other day, we're like, what are we doing? Are we having seasons? Like, like, literally that exact conversation. Because it's like anything else. Like, you kind of jump into it.

And then you figure out as you.

Go, and it's just. It's fun, it's fulfilling, but it's. It's work. It's hard work.

Oh, my gosh. I actually just had this conversation because I have a second podcast. I just had it with the ladies of girlfriends in, and we're like, what are we doing? What do we want to do? So I totally get it. And it evolves. And I think that's the perfect example about actually what we're going to talk about in a second. And that is just like, what do you do when you have an idea, the evolution of an idea? Where do you start? Is it a good idea? All of the things. What does it really look like once you've started? And nobody's really telling us about what this crazy journey really looks like? So a lot of people end up quitting because they think they're doing it wrong. So before, though, I just want to say we got to meet at a mutual. Mutual friend's wedding. And it was like, the most gorgeous wedding at this incredible winery. And you have the best. You literally have the best energy. I still feel like I've known you so much longer than I have, like, years. You've got girlfriend. I call it girlfriend energy, where you're just like, drop in. Doesn't matter how long you haven't seen him, if it's been years or whatever. And you don't even really. You kind of hug and you're like, okay, so here's what's going on and what's up? And you just, like, pour through the time in between. It's amazing. That's my favorite, favorite, favorite when I'm. When I meet humans. So was so excited to meet.

I felt the same about you. I remember when we ran into each other in the airport. We're like, oh, my God. But we needed to, like, have more stuff together. I needed your information. Like, I was gonna stop you regardless to be best friends with you, but the universe helped us find each other that day.

You know, I love it. And you were such a reminder to me because after we had left that wedding, I literally said to my husband that night, I'm like, crap. I didn't get her info, but with Instagram, I always know I can find people. So I was like, oh, I'll find her. Like, I really, really loved your energy and wanted to follow up. I was like, I don't know, it just felt she was amazing. And so I was thinking of you and bummed I didn't get your info or get to say goodbye. And then here you come, walking up in the airport as we're both flying out, and it was almost like the universe just provided. Well, of course it did. And it was that reminder of, you cannot miss what is for you. You can't. It's going to come back. So it's going to come back in the perfect timing. And it was just a really cool reminder of that. So, Stephen, tell me a little bit about what you do, because you've started big things, you've started side hustles, you've started very different things. So I know it's probably not going to be the easiest thing to do quickly, but give us a little synopsis of your life.

The good news is I talk fast, so that's a good start. So I always love to say I started out in la. I mean, I love to say. It's the truth. I started out in LA working in the talent space. And I remember the one thing I said I would never do is work at a talent agency, because I watched Entourage, and I'm like, that's not for me. My first job was on a desk at a talent agency. And, you know, how did that happen?

Like, how did you fall into that?

Because I have, like, ocd and I'm, like, neurotic. And I ended up, like, setting up two weeks of, like, informational interviews. And I met with this guy who is an agent, and his assistant was, like, fired, like, two days before. And he's like, do you want to start tomorrow? And I'm like, I like, no. Like, I live in Chicago. I wanted to have a summer. I just graduated from college, and five days later, I went home and cried and called my parents. I'm like, should I do this? And then five days later, drove out to la. And I honestly still say, like, the experience at the talent agency for the year that I was there, that felt like 14 years. The work ethic that I learned, the way that I learned to deal with people, to network, to just, like. I don't know, like, figure out what your magic was. Like, I had to do that there very fast, and I'm grateful for it, even though I swear to you it Was the one thing I never wanted to do right. So I started in the talent space. Also said I would never work with talent. I'll go back to that in a second. Worked in celebrity endorsements, moved home to Chicago because I. For the three years that I was there, I went out seven nights a week. Had a really unhealthy lifestyle.

Sounds very Midwest of you.

Very Midwest. I went for it. I was like, this is.

I did too. Yeah.

And like, it was all really exciting and I literally did it all. And I remember coming home and like saying that I went to, like, entertainment rehab. I lived at home with my parents for three months. Like, I just needed a break. And I ended up taking like my first pivot, which I fell kind of face first into the ad tech space. And I had a friend who was in the space. She's like, I think you'd be great at sales. And it's the digital world, it's fast moving. So I spent about a decade in the digital ad space slinging ads, little ads you see on your phone, you know, desktop. I worked in sales. I managed teams. I loved it. But I always had this fire inside me to build something on my own. You know, I think a lot of people talk about that and like, have. It's really always interesting to hone in on why. And my why was I just. I wanted to have that challenge. I wanted to learn all of the facets of a business. I wanted to see what it was like when it was mine. I wanted to have freedom, flexibility, which is always interesting because you don't necessarily have that when you build a business.

So we'll talk about that too.

We'll talk about that for sure. I mean, the grand. Yeah, right. The way, the beautiful vision of like having a business and then actually having one, all very different. So I can't wait to that with you. But my short story that's not short. I ended up building a business called Key with a very good friend and a partner, colleague in the ad tech world. And Key is a fan relationship platform. And it gives talent back, the control of their data to understand their audience, to drive meaningful brand partnerships. It's a really, really. I mean, I'm biased special business. But remember when I said I would never work with talent again? I'm now working with talent, their agencies, their managers, all that fun stuff. But I got to leverage, which I always think is powerful when you make a pivot, leveraging your experience and just bringing it to a new sector or industry. So that's what I got to do and then on the side because we're only as powerful as both our main hustle and our side hustles. I have a wellness podcast, thank you so much for already plugging that called well Behaved. We have a little wellness side hustle consulting business. I do a little one on one consulting on my own. I just like to touch it all. Some days works and some days doesn't. But that is me. Well, that's not me, but it's me from a career perspective, if you will.

Oh, I love that. So I'm just gonna pop this question in there because I love that you even went there and had that like identification of the two different stephs and what's made up of you? Who are you? Who is Steph? What does she love to do?

Oh my God. Steph honestly does love to. I love to have my hands in a lot of different things. And I think, you know, I often ask myself, I'm somewhat self aware, I would say. I asked myself why and I think it's the same reason why I love humans and why I love connecting with humans is I get a little something from everything that I do that makes me this more, I don't know, expansive, human. Right? And I don't think I just take, I'm able, if I, if I'm able to take all of those things from different pieces, different people, different businesses, I'm able, able to give back a lot more too. And that's wildly fulfilling to me. So I am this like really curious seeker and I'm a connector. And I think that those three things can't count today really are me both in the professional and the personal world.

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What would you say is your ultimate superpower? Like, that thing that you absolutely love about yourself, and you get to use it in some of your favorite things, and then what is your weakness? And how have you figured out how to not have it be a weakness in your life?

Totally. So I actually think that connector piece of me is what's so powerful because I think, you know, thank you. You said I have great energy, but I think I people are attracted to that, and I'm able to kind of lift people up. But I always, always say, we talked about this at the beginning, too, but, like, you know, it's really easy for people to, like, lose touch. Right. And something that's been really powerful for me is not just in sales, but I have built a network of humans and this just like this circle of people that I try to find moments to connect with them even when I don't need them. Right. So I think that a lot of my relationships are founded on this like, really unique thing where it's not that I need you for something, it's that I find these touch points, I find these moments to connect. And I don't know, I think that, that, you know, it helps you in business. Absolutely. But it's also helped Me grow as a human. It's made me, you know, meet incredible people. And I just. I think that's part of my superpower for sure, is. Is connecting, making people feel that I am genuinely interested in that relationship, because I am, and maintaining those relationships so that, you know, we keep growing together and I call in new people. I, you know, I'm not afraid to let go of people, too, if it doesn't serve both of us. But flaws. I have so many boundaries. I think my biggest one, I. I used to have a button on my desk at. At my sales job. Like that scream no. And it's a. It's a joke, but it's.

But it helps too.

It helps, right?

Like, it's a reminder.

No. But I'm actually saying no. I think saying no. And boundaries, you know, I get burnt out, I get frustrated when I have too many plans and I'm not excited about it. Like, I am an extroverted introvert, and I know that about myself, but my ability to set the right boundaries is something that I struggle with every day, and it really transcends everything I do. So work in progress.

Oh, I feel that deeply. I. In my head, I'm an extrovert. And then when I go and do the things or the night before, I'm like, did I schedule all of this? Like, it's because I want to do them, but then when the day comes, I don't, or I want space.

And there's another feeling bad about, like, going somewhere or like, I'm meeting up with a friend and I'm like, I really don't want to be here. Then I feel, like, really shitty because I'm like, well, that's, like, terrible energy to bring.

One thing.

This is. This is random, but I'm going to share with you. Two days ago, did have you ever. I believe in all the woo. I've done astrology readings. I've done all that.

I just.

Human design reading.

Love. Yes.

So, like, I love that you asked me who I am, because for those who are familiar, human design is a little different than astrology. It leverages astrology components or. But it. It's more about reconnecting you with, like, your essence of who you are, who you were born to be. And it's interesting because a lot of the things that I'm good at, I think, and the things that I am less good at, a lot of it is just part of who I am. It's about your relationship to those things and how you want to fuel energy to each of Those things.

So are you generator or manifesting? Generator?

Manifesting generator.

What are you?

I'm a generator.

Okay.

I love that Chris is a manifesting generator.

So funny.

I was just listening to a podcast on it yesterday, but I'll give you a couple names of people that I love too.

Awesome. Yeah, I just. And I. I would say to everyone, like, listening, like, even if you don't believe in. Not that it's, you know, not that it's not something to believe in, but if you don't lean into those types of things.

Yeah.

Wildly comforting to just be reminded of who you are and that it is and. And the tools that you have, you know, it just. I don't know, I think it's a really good moment to stop and say, oh, wait, I'm a connector and I have. And I'm meant to be that. So, like, keep leaning into that. Right.

So, yeah, I loved it for that reason too. I loved it because it gave me permission of like, oh, I don't recharge around other people. That's not the way that it happens. And also it helped me clarify just excitement around ideas and how to like, really understand what was for me and what wasn't. So.

Love it. Love it.

Yeah, it's more confirmation, right? Like, you can eat the fruit and spit out the seeds to get biblical, you know, why not? Why not? Let's do it. All right. So you were telling me before this, you're kind of that person that your friends go to when they're like, I have an idea. I want to flesh this out. Like, I don't know if I should do it. Is this a good idea? What do you think? So how do we know if it's a good idea? And then where the hell do we start? Do we really start in Google? Because I did.

I started in Google and I started in Google Docs, which, like, okay, Google University of Google. It's great. Literally, I just, you know, I was someone who had all these ideas and I would just make myself write them down. I kept them in, you know, in your notes, in your phone or Google Document, whatever it was. And then some days I would time block within my life. The only way that I could ever give the right time to these ideas was like, literally on a Sunday, putting two hours that said, like, same Steph. Get, you know, get wild, get creative. And I would like, dive into each and kind of like, you know, I would actually often. Which I learned, again, human design is part of. I had a physical reaction and a gut instinct to a Lot of ideas. And then some of them I was like, just doesn't feel right. Right. Like, gotta tune in. And not everyone's that way. Some have guts, some have, you know, that. That mind some over analyzed in every component.

Right.

But I did enough baseline research for a lot of my ideas that I felt some type of connection to them or, you know, some type of like, gut reaction to, like, should I move forward? I think the biggest thing was so. And I'll use well behaved as the example. We wanted to start. Lauren and I wanted to start a wellness company. And we had all these ideas, but we started looking at more rational humans who had salaried jobs and, you know, were making a good living. We're like, we're not ready to take that risk to make $0. We were really scared by building like a wellness destination that had an overhead, you know, like, we started to like, feel out what it felt like to take on that and I hate to say burden, but take on that burden of building in those different constructs. And I remember we're like, doesn't feel right. It just doesn't. It didn't feel right for us. So we're like, is there something we can do with the end goal eventually of we may want to launch a wellness product or wellness destination to get us closer to our dream. Because we knew that was our dream. And the podcast was that for us because it allowed us to establish these connections. It allowed us to learn about the field that we really cared about. It allowed us to put ourselves out there as part of this world when we weren't necessarily part of it.

Right.

And even for the podcast, I bet you can relate in many ways, just getting started was the hardest thing.

Right.

Knew it was right. And we didn't even do that much work. Like, I think so many people come to me and they're like, I have to build a business plan and then I have to flush the entire idea out and then I need to like, raise money. Like, it's like, you don't always need to do all of those things to get started. In my opinion. My opinion. Sometimes you gotta.

I totally agree.

Jump. Right. You gotta just like go for it. And sometimes some of those things come after and sometimes then you also don't invest all of that energy, time and money into something if it's not right. So for the podcast, I remember looking at each other and we're like, we gotta get all these things together first. And we're like, no, we don't. Let's buy the equipment. Let's talk to a few friends who are doing it. Let's build our social, get that handle by the website. And we just started and we asked for help and we begged for forgiveness if it was going to suck and we just jumped into it. So it was a really long winded answer to say I don't have all the answers. But for me, I really tried to get to a place where I felt like I did enough diligence to lean into my ideas that I felt confident and either like walking away or moving forward. And then sometimes you just have to jump and leap without having all your shit together because like no one does. I love this.

And it's brilliant to kind of look at and just like you said, assess what you can start of it. Maybe it's not the biggest piece, but what are all the components that it could be and what is the easiest one to get started with least resistance? Because it's going to evolve like what you guys are starting. Probably what you have in your head is going to look so freaking different once you get the wheels moving that this is a great way just to get it out there. Like you have to get the idea out there to even know what it's going to be next. I think so many ideas we have this concept but until we actually put action behind it, you're like, oh, that's why people don't do it this way is because it actually doesn't work. Or there's a chemical reaction with these two ingredients that is going to blow up your house or all the things you don't know until you actually have to start and get it out there. So you have been in the middle of a lot of businesses and it's super fun to look at all of our social media and all the pictures that we posted, the highlights because of course it's really tough to post when.

You'Re crying on your bathroom floor.

It's like it's hard content to get, you know, crying and crying and taking snapshots of yourself. So with that said, I want to know a little bit about, you know, once you've started some big ideas and a time when on the outside it looked really real, real good to everybody else, but on the inside it was falling apart.

Yeah, for sure. I mean, full transparency. The business that I'm in that we, that we're building right now. Key I like to call it reimagining because I think it has like a, for me it has a little bit of a negative connotation because it's like something didn't work. Which is also okay.

Right.

But for key, we launched a livestream business one month, I think before COVID hit. And many were like, oh, my God, you guys are geniuses. And we're like, thank you, geniuses, right? But at the same time of, yes, everyone needed live stream. Everyone was popping up, doing a live stream, right. No one really knew what to do with it. No one knew really how to manage it, how to figure it out. And we honestly, one of the most important things I always tell people is, like, you have to be able to listen, right? Like, listen to others, listen to the market, listen to, like, listen. Because I do a lot of talking, but I do a lot of listening to and building a business. We were so convicted. We had such conviction around what we were building and that we knew was a need. We knew we were solving challenges. But what ended up happening was, yeah, like, there was sometimes there's outside forces that just like, make it so that whatever your ideas were, like, they just aren't as feasible or they don't work as well. So a year in, we pivoted, reimagined, and leaned into this data piece of our business 100% and had to kind of walk away a bit from our. The technology that we built, which was like, wild. And from the outside, answering your question, you know, I'm posting all amazing social. People are seeing huge talent using our platform. Like, that was all true. They weren't falsities, they were truths. But on the back end, we were scrambling to rebuild our business in the most efficient and effective way possible. So. So I'm really grateful that today we made that pivot, because sometimes you have to. Even though it's how scary it is, it is working and thriving. And we have found a place that really is the place we're supposed to be in. But I think back to that, I felt like I was a liar because all my friends were like, it looks like you're crushing it. And it's like, yeah, yeah, we were. If you looked at our beautiful website and our beautiful social and some of the talent that we onboarded. But on the back end, we were rebuilding a company, you know, that was young. So I gave myself grace for it. But I think it is always really interesting because no one really knows what's happening behind the scenes. Right.

There are so many challenges to business that I don't want starting to be.

One of them for you.

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Was just talking about this with some friends because you know, they don't know and they want to know, but they don't actually want to know in real time. Because if you want people to be a part of something, you can't be like, hey, my business is sucking ass over here. Want to jump on board? Because that's what you need for momentum. So it's this fine line of like. And I don't. You have to understand this dance. And I think that it is what will obviously get you through to quote unquote success. Which is never a finality endpoint. It's always success is up and down. And there's no success without failures as well. And it will always be that way in your business, right? Like up and you'll have wins and you'll have failures. But how do we navigate? Like, what would you say to someone who maybe feels like this is an aha moment of like, how do you navigate making it look really good so that people want to get on board, but also being an authentic brand.

Yeah, it's a. It's. Honestly, it's a wonderful question that I.

Don'T have the answer yet.

I don't have the answer. No, I'm kidding. It's so hard. Because when you're in it, and you said it, no one knows what it's like to be in it. Right? And we have some amazing partners, investors, advisors, and that's part of the ride. It's part of the ride is those ups and those downs and, like, being able to lean on all those people that you have that are part of the business. But, yeah, I think. I think there's a way to be honest. But also, you know, people only want to know a certain amount, too, right? So I look back, and even today, it's like, we're still building, we're still a lean team, but we have some great success and we have some amazing pieces of our business that I don't feel inauthentic. Sharing, right? Like, there's a difference in sharing. You know, here's my revenue numbers. But it's still like, you're building this business, you're onboarding this, you're building these relationships. Like, I don't have the perfect answer for you, but I think it's just about, like, living in your truth and finding. Finding a way to you yourself feel good about it. Because that's like, I'm very proud of what. Where we are, but I'm also not afraid to say I'm in it. We haven't gotten to the finish line, you know, Like, I am literally right now, as an entrepreneur, in it, in it all, and I love being honest about that because I think people were honest about it. You know, someone told me at the beginning, 2% of startups succeed, and I'm like, I'm sorry, why did I do this?

You know, because you're going to be a part of the 2%, that's why. Because we're crazy enough to believe it.

But I'm happy that I did, because I'm happy that I know that, because I think it makes the experience more real. I believe in. If you're going to want people to get on board with you, them knowing the reality, you don't want them to buy into something that's not real.

It's a. I'm in it with you. That's actually been my favorite part. Not only the creating part, but meeting other people who are literally in it at the same time, and talking and learning and connecting and bonding, and you become like these instant teammates. Like, it's an instant connection. When you see a woman and you're like, I see you, I see you.

I get.

I know what you're doing. I know what your life is like right now, and I'm so proud of you.

It's the best. I mean, you said girlfriend. It is wildly empowering. Even if I don't know exactly what you're going through on a day to day, I know you're in it with me and I know that I can call you, email, you know, like, that's the other thing is you build this wild network of people that just get it with you that you can call on. And I always tell people, call on those people. I was never one to ask for help. I so much now and I offer it back because it's, you know, I said this to you, but so many podcasts, I listen to so many things. So many people that I talk to are like, I sold my company. I built 14 businesses. I succeeded. I am a vision of success. And I wish I heard more people who were in it who were like, this is hard. This is what's fun, this is what's fulfilling. These are the tools I use. You know, like, it's still on you to decide how you're going to lean in and what you're going to do and what tools you're going to use and all of that and what your experience is. But I just wish I, along the way had talked to more people who were going through the journey so that I could relate on that level versus feel like there's that like, thing far off in the distance that I'm working towards, but I'm not there. So I can't necessarily relate to you fully. I'm in it. I'm in the muck, you know?

Yeah, totally. What are some of the things? So I know you're bringing me back to just being in it, quote, unquote, right now, you know, in all the different businesses that I've been in, and one of the very first businesses that we did that kind of like even opened my eyes to the potential of entrepreneurship was network marketing. And it worked with so many personalities. It's like having a job fair and like hundreds of thousands of people apply and then hiring all of them and not even looking at the resume, like, that's literally what it's like. You're like, you're all hired great. I didn't look at any of it. So then you're working with all of these people and it's like every single personality. And this also applies to networking in terms of what I'm about to ask. But it's like, what did you learn from the first talent agency that you were talking about with networking and with personalities that has really Saved you in business. Because there's a lot of shit that comes up. Like, there's people who are, like, they don't have a mindset of abundance. So they. It's like they don't know how to handle working with people. They don't know how to share. They don't know how to do teamwork. They. They're crazy. They fly off the handle. Like, how did you learn to navigate and manage people? And what are some tools that you use to navigate through the sea of personalities?

Oh, God. Another thing that work in progress. You know, I think the thing I learned early on was acceptance and listening. Like, that was it. You know, I think I dealt with some of the wildest personalities as a young 20. How.

Can only imagine.

Yeah, like, wild. And I remembered being like, no is not an answer. Which is like a wild thing to learn early on. And it was like, truly, like, take a deep breath. You know, you don't have to agree. You don't have to be the same person. You don't have to agree with someone. You don't have to necessarily make the same choices. You don't have to go about things the same way. But, you know, being able to approach things with a. With a perspective of acceptance and listening, like, really allows you to get further, I find.

Right.

And I think it builds, you know, in building a business now, we have a culture of people that all, you know, different views, different perspectives, whatever it is. And it doesn't matter because we come together around a single purpose, which is to drive business forward and to respect people's personal lives. You know, it's like, it's those types of things. I think just being a human, you know, it sounds easier than. Probably easier said than done, but. But I always felt like I led with love and kindness and, like, I think people respond to that. Right? Like, yeah.

And I think that, you know, you keep saying the theme for you is listening. And I will say, when I say, like, you have such good energy. I think a lot of it. I'm just, like, translating it in my head.

I'm like, why.

Why was that? Why was. Why was I so attracted to her? Is you're interested. Like, you. You listen and you're interested. Being interested makes people feel interesting. And that's all we want to feel like is interesting and seen.

That's that scene you said. Yeah, I think, you know, back to your question, which sometimes I go on wild tangents, but I love the dream. Like, how do you deal with all those different. Everyone just wants to be seen like, you know, that especially in, you know, in a sales job, I was managing 15, 20 people, whatever it was, and I was dealing with clients. I mean, I would always make the joke. Like, I would go on client events. And like, I remember once I went to a trampoline class. Once I went to a Harry Potter, like, expo. And it's like, none of those things brought me joy on my own, right? I listened to my clients and I saw them, and I genuinely wanted to do things that brought them joy so that we could build a relationship upon something real. So it's just about. That's it, like, seen and be heard, right? Like, it's. It's like listen and see people and be authentic with that and be genuine. It is hard sometimes, especially when you.

Don'T agree with people.

But I think in building a business especially, or, you know, and working with. With different types of people, if you can lead with that and you can lead with the love and the kindness and giving grace to not always agreeing on the same things, but to be able to see people respond to being respected, I think so.

I agree. And it's like, sometimes I'll. You listen, but I can also tell you love to talk. And so do I like so much. Because you feel like you can add value. Like, maybe your experience could add value. That's why we both have podcasts, right? And I have so many times where I'm just like, Lori, say less. Like, just everyone. I know this is tough for me to even, like, hear myself say, but I'm like, does everybody need my advice? Because I want to say yes, but they don't.

So I am with you. I'm like, I'm laughing, thinking about, like, your listeners right now, being like, she says she listens, but all she does is freaking talk. But you know what?

I've been with her. She listens. She's very interested. And thank God you're talking or this wouldn't be a podcast.

That's great.

That's it.

Okay, you know what point? You're right. You're right.

Like, we would just. I don't know, maybe I'd play music during this. I'm not sure.

So feels better. Okay.

You talk about your side hustles and how you believe that your side hustles actually help you make your main hustle even better. Tell me about that.

Oh, I love this topic. So it's a theory that maybe I stole from someone else, but it's a theory. Okay. And I believe that your main hustle. And mainly because the pressure that Comes with a main hustle. Having to put a roof over your head, potentially, or feed family or just, you know, like it's your, your lifeline a lot of times, right?

Yeah.

The notion that your main hustle has that like, burden of money typically attached to it. I always feel like for me, I would feel 70% of the hundred percent right. Of fulfillment in my main hustle. And that's no, like, I, I love what I'm doing, I love who I'm building with. I love what we built. But it's still a job right now. Side hustles, not for everyone, but side hustles sometimes are passion projects that don't have the burden of I'm going to build something because I need to make money or I'm doing this because I need to make the most amount of money. And that's. That was my perspective on it. And then you build often in a, in a world of passion, right. You're doing something to feel that extra fulfillment. So I always felt like in my orbit, in my universe, and it's hard for some people, you know, in the traditional sense. They're like, wait, you're taking time away. It's like I actually found extra time and I would find the time outside of my 100% a lot of times because it was bringing me joy and it was exposing me to new things and it was part of my expansive journey. But if we're dealing with a hundred percent and 70% was fulfillment for my main hustle, that extra 30 for my side hustle, I felt like I was a more whole human. And I actually feel like I'm better at my main hustle because I'm able to fulfill or to fill my cup with some of the things on the side.

Right.

Like, wellness is my passion, but that's not in my main hustle. Some days it is. I'm working with some talent in the wellness space, but I feel so happy that I get to do all of the things and I find the time to do it all. And I am wildly more productive and better at my day job, if you will, because I get to do all those things and I'm not feeling like I'm not getting to lean into the things that make me happy.

I'm definitely the personality type that needs a couple, if not more different things going on. And while I do have a couple things, I've also been playing with the idea because I definitely come from that realm of ideas of like, okay, I like all, I need all of these different things, especially there's a few things that bring in the money. And like you said, like, in the past, they weren't as enjoyable, but I could also compartmentalize and be like, okay, this is doing this. This is providing X. And that makes me happy. Right. So then that makes me feel good about what maybe the resistance or pain that you think that you have to go through. You have to label it like that. Sometimes you're like, well, I may not like this, but it is bringing this right now. And I'm playing with the idea of. Because, you know, Light pink is now really my main hustle. But I'm actually started a company that I wanted to be able to, like, bring in kind of, like, the side hustles. Like, be able to have the side hustle feeling within the one main goal, but also be able to, like, what if there was an offshoot of a few great gifts that I loved for women or something like that? You know, what if we could have something over here that maybe wasn't the main money maker, but we could have some fun over here if we started to see these themes come through? So I actually love thinking of it in terms of that as well.

Yeah. No. And I tell anyone who asks or anyone who's wanting to listen, don't feel bad. There was such a. The way people talked about side hustle in the past. Even think about now with COVID a lot of people working from home, you know, like, it's not about the guilt of you not doing your actual job. Right. I was at a women's event a couple years ago, and we went around the table, and people were supposed to say what they did, and I was the first person to say, my job is X, but I also have side hustles. And then after me, every single other person named their side hustle. Like, why are you scared to share that? Right? Like, I'm not taking anything away for my main job because I'm doing other things that make me happy. If anything, I think I'm doing more. I think I'm better at that job. So I would just say to people, unwrite that narrative. If you've ever been at a job where they're like, this is the only thing you can do, it is absolutely not. And that's what weekends and nights and even finding moments in the morning, whatever it is, it doesn't have to be the same. You know, I think we had a little bit of a narrative that used to be around. I mean, especially for women, that it's like, you know, what. What are you allowed to do. And it's like, you can do it all. You can lean into it all. And I wouldn't think about it as a limiting belief of, like, well, if I'm doing a main hustle, I can't have other things. You absolutely can.

I love this. It's just, it's. I'm seeing proof of it in my life with my. So my. My chief of staff who, like, really is like, operations, just my everything girl. When she came on, it's almost been a year. She also taught at like, a Bar 3 studio. And at first I was. Was worried about it because she was like, I really want to. I really want to see if we can keep this. And I was like, okay, we'll see about that. And there was a big part of me that was like, yes, let's absolutely see. And very quickly I learned, like, she is so much better when she gets to go and have that outlet of teaching and being a leader in that role. Like, oh, my God, she's so happy. It just, like, fulfills her life. Like, and yeah, it's. It does not. I factor that in now to the human that I get to receive and the. The pure joy that I experience around this human is because she goes and does that, looks forward to that. She leads the big group workouts at the mall centers and all that stuff. And I'm like, I am obsessed with the fact that that fulfills her so much that she can find a different form of fulfillment with this other job. So I actually think we even as maybe the founders or people who get the. We get to employ people. Like, we should look at that and maybe not poo poo. What's going on on the side, because I do think it brings you a more complete human if they feel fulfilled in those areas.

I love that part so much. And I think companies are starting to. You see people with wellness budgets and wellness clubs and wellness efforts. I think people are understanding how we started. Who are you? You are not just your job. And I think people are starting to give space for people to become and evolve and embrace and empower whatever you need to be the best version of you. And sometimes it's not just one thing. And that is okay in my mind.

What is something you're most excited about right now?

That's so unfair. That's like choosing your favorite child.

I know. How about today? What are you most excited about today?

Today? So I would say to you, you know, in the business of key that we're in there, it's fun because I started off as doing marketing and pr, which, building brand identity, you know, doing all that fun stuff. But as you evolve, I mean, that never goes away. But we also all do everything. And it's really fun because I get to lean into the partnership side, kind of the sales side right this moment. One of my most fun things is all the pivots I've made in life. You know, I said to you, I got to bring that experience with me everywhere. I mean, you can't do any of it without bringing that experience. But I get to. Right now, we're dipping into the media world and actually working with brands and partnering talent and all this fun stuff, and I get to kind of reconnect with some of my old friends in the biz and as that human connector that loves humans. Overall, I'm so excited to see what. Where the business that we're building is going to go. But I also love that I get to kind of wear so many different hats and to reconnect with all these different vignettes in my life, because they're all absolutely part of who I am, and it feels amazing. I always laugh when we say, like, I went to college and I studied journalism and Mass Common. I never used any of those tools. It feels really good when you get to kind of like, go into your toolkit and bring those tools back out. So today I'm really excited about that. But if you ask me, tomorrow, I'll be excited about something else for sure.

We're twin flames, literally. Like, how about this hour? Ask me this hour. I love, love, love that, too. It's actually something I love talking about is the intersection of, like, when you come to the intersection and you get to use all of these things that you've developed, and you're like, my tool bag or whatever. They, you know, I'm a carpenter's daughter. Why do I not know this tool pouch belt is sexier. Let's go with belt.

Yeah. I'm picturing a belt on you.

My tool belt is, like, for this project that I get to work on, and it feels so freaking good. So explain to me what it feels like for you to be in flow. What is, like, the senses going through your body? What are you thinking? What does that feel like.

When I'm in flow? You know, I don't actually believe in the word balance because I always feel like there's inflection, there's something always off balance. So I just don't like to talk about it. But to me, flow is, you know, I think about it almost as like a day in the life, right? And I think about waking up, self care, moving my body, spending a moment, you know, to meditate, getting to interact with different humans, getting to work on something that gives me purpose, getting to lean into something else in that same day. You know, to me, flow is just. It's often rooted in purpose. I think for me, I feel the most fulfilled and purpose can be going to a gym class, right? And completing a class. It could be getting a drink with a friend and like drinking really good tequila. But purpose and intention, living that way for me is like one of my most favorite places to be. So hope that answered it.

Okay, what is your favorite way to.

Spend a day after this beautiful conversation with you? Talking about how excited and invigorated we both are about work and the things we're working on. I would be traveling and not working. I think for me, one of my most favorite times in life and you know, it's just exploration and traveling. And I think, you know, you could, I could work too. But I, you know, that to me is there's nothing more fulfilling than learning new cultures, getting to experience new things. Like that seeker in me loves trying all the modalities. All like, that's just, just, that's it. Like, throw me into a foreign land, a foreign city, eat great food, have great conversations, meet great people. Like, that's. That is when Stephanie Beagle shines the brightest and just comes to life.

Oh, that sounds so dreamy. Okay, so then that leads me to this. If you weren't doing what you were doing, there were no limitations. It was easy. You had all the money and all the network in the world. What would be a business that you could just start out of pure pleasure and fun that could incorporate, include all of those things. Like, is there ever a business idea that you're like, you know what I'd really like to do as well, but I don't have time for it. I'm probably never gonna do it. But here's what I would do.

I like, love this game, except for like, then I start to like, I like daydream. Like, can I really do that? I would absolutely open a small boutique hotel and like Italy or France, like, all of those things coming together, right? Like, because then I get to curate the spa I would have. I would get to curate the menu and the amazing drinks and the experiences. I would meet incredible people and the travel portion would be part of it. So I believe that it's really awesome to focus energy on whatever you want in life. So I'm gonna keep focusing there for now. I'm gonna just keep traveling. We want, but that's where, that's where my heart lies. When I think about, you know, oh.

My God, that just like lit me up. Chris and I always talk about, we're like, oh, what if we, what if we had like a winery in Italy? Our friends just moved to Italy. I was like, we could talk to amazing people and oh my God, it would be incredible. So someday in the future, I'll provide the wine for all of your stuff. We'll be in Italy. It'll be great. We'll have a great, thriving business by just being ourselves and drinking wine and decorating and being in beautiful places. It's going to be great.

Well, I'm so grateful for you.

I've loved this conversation. Anytime I can talk to another woman who, who's just in the arena with me doing big things and just you are such, like, you're such a light. And you guys need to go listen to their podcast for sure. If you love our energy and her girlfriend energy, you're going to get so much value over there as well. So where can we find you and follow you?

Thank you so much for asking. Instagram is sbeags S B I E G S and you can find all of my multifaceted, you know, all my things there. But also you can follow at MyKey Live for any of the updates on key, if you have any needs, if you want to learn more, if you care, if you don't care, that's fine. And then well behaved podcast on Instagram as well. So all very confusing. Start with sbigs and I'll and I'll take you to all the different places from there.

Amazing. We will link that all up so it won't be confusing for you guys at all. So grateful for you. This was so much fun. And you guys, as usual, we always love to thank our guests by tagging her and letting her know what your biggest takeaway was from the podcast. So definitely go follow, tag, tell her what your biggest takeaway was because she added so much value to our lives today. So thank you so much and everyone, we will see you next time on the podcast.

Sam.