862. Weekly Lite Pink Updates: Managing Our Expectations In A Business Of Uncertainty

If you are frustrated with the people you are working with, it's because you are lacking in setting expectations up front.

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 multi millionaire 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 learned everything I could about business. Not, 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. We are doing another episode of behind the Scenes of Building a Business. I have my marvelous, magnificent, wonderful co host with me, Lauren Pullman, who is also my chief of staff, the queen of operations. You guys, we are so excited to chat with you this week because last week we kind of gave you the overall view and we went down a lot of different rabbit holes. Kind of what it looks like, what it's felt like to start light pink. And this week we want to kind of hone in on expectations because we're going to start after we lay this foundation for this podcast, we're going to start kind of talking about what actually happens week to week behind the scenes of building this business so that you can really know what to expect and how we're feeling and how things have changed and how we're navigating this ever changing landscape in the business world. So not only is it because of manufacturing and co packing and having a product, but also it applies to you because the landscape is constantly changing. Tech is constantly changing, platforms for social media are changing, marketing is always changing. So we'll be having those conversations with you as we go to launch, which is going to be so cool so you can apply it to your business. So today we are talking about expectations because we definitely have learned so much about what it looks like to manage our expectations between having different deadlines, between not knowing when we're going to launch and also when you think that your product launch or your teams or the actual products or anything like that, you expect it to look one way. And what ends up happening is it actually turns out to be 100% different than what you started with. Lauren, when I say that to you, what are some things that come to your brain around when we've kind of started something or started with someone or anything like that that it has completely transformed? Do you have one that comes into your A million.

But one I would say is maybe thinking your working relationship, whether it's with like a team or just one person is going to be one way and it's completely different, which is partially because you're not asking enough questions at the beginning to know what your expectations are fully. And some of it is just because you make up an expectation in your head.

Okay, I love this because we're going through this right now. So you guys, we've worked with dozens of different teams at this point and something that we're actually going through literally right now. So this whole week has been setting up expectations between us, the lightning team and a new team that we're going to be working with. And this week we've probably been in you mostly. You have been more thorough than I've ever seen anybody be going through contracts. Because we are setting up right now a partnership between us and another team that is going to last hopefully a really long time. But we are talking about a project that's going to be like a six, a six month project to really get out there by the time we're done with it. So four to six months. So we want to make sure that because of the scope of the project as well, you have to realize there's so many different moving parts with every single project and you want to make sure that if X happens, you have Y that you can rely on and have the conversation around it. So that's really what we're talking about here. So I want to talk about that. When you have gotten a contract, what are some of the things that you're looking at to like build in some expectations? What are some things that you're looking for to make sure we have talking points around it so that things aren't weird later?

So one thing, especially with this one is timeline and even specific dates. So getting all of those right from the get go is huge. So we're all set up for success going forward. There's not going to be an extra delay of maybe a month because we're like, oh, this doesn't match our schedule or oh, we need to change this date. We're putting it in our calendar as of today, six months down the road. So we're planning around this rather than planning this around our life. So that's one thing is dates and timeline and really understanding what affects what, what would affect a delay, but also saying at least with where we're at and if anybody else is in this situation where you have an unexpected timeline is being upfront and saying like, or if you're a startup, there's a lot of unknowns. So being upfront and saying like we are a startup, there are a million unknowns right now. So we want to be upfront with you and let you know that we don't have all of our ducks in a row yet. So are you willing to work with us on that if. If on our end we're not able to give you something that you're needing to move forward. So being upfront and open on that. And I've definitely gone back and forth with a million questions all week and even part of me is like, I am sorry and also appreciative in advance for you taking all the time to really understand us dissecting every single thing of this contract so we both are clear on our expectations. So other things that I've asked are there's some things that could be very vague that you need to ask as far as what else could be billable to you that you're not taking into consideration or asking the question of what are we not thinking about right now that could be an expense down the road that we're not even aware of. And that's something we actually have learned to ask a lot of our partners too. And we always get really good answers. That also tips another domino where we're like, oh gosh, we didn't even think of this thing. Now we need to sort out this whole thing to understand it better. So that's always opening up a new door and a window for us.

Oh, I love that. That stuff is so important and I want to give a little behind the scenes for them around just how we kind of communicate and conversate around these things. So even yesterday I had called you on a walk because you were going over some different contracts. And sometimes we'll go back and forth on what the most considerate but also really forward way to ask to get the answers that we need without being annoying. Right? Because some people are listening and they're like, oh, that makes me feel so annoying when I ask all of these questions. Like, that's why I'm just like, yeah, it looks pretty good, but when we've done that in the past, we end up with a big headache later, taking ourselves out of it. And to be honest with you, you don't know what to ask until things go wrong. I don't think there's any way to know how to truly exactly know what to ask. And hopefully this podcast will also help you learn what to start asking. But that's how we've learned. We've learned by trial and error of oh yeah, we didn't know that there could be these extra things because we just thought that everything was going to be in scope for this project that we needed, but we didn't realize that this page was left out or this thing was left out. So with that said, we'll be on a call and kind of go back and forth with, okay, let's for sure make sure they understand that we're just being thorough. We're not like second guessing their work. We're being thorough because we want this. We want us to be set up for a successful working relationship. So we'll go back and forth, kind of like on how we want to word that email so that it can't be taken wrong and you know, be like, okay, we don't want it to sound like we're apologizing for doing this because it's very important. But we also want them to know we understand that maybe not all of their clients are this thorough, but that this is because we really value the relationship and we want to make sure that we're set up for success. So I love that. Okay, so expectations around. Let's talk about this with timeline, because not necessarily is this going to affect a lot of people in the service based industry, but actually it might depending on the type of teams they work with. And to be honest with you, so this was what was brought up for me, working with this new team and getting this all in place. I was like, I've never worked with a team who has the dates so dialed in. Like, if we don't have something to them on this date because we have the whole project laid out, then we would pay like an extra $50 to go over this. Now at first, I'm not gonna lie, my feathers were a little bit like, how am I gonna know if I could get it in? Like, what if things come up in this company where we'll be busy all day long, right? And we're like, we can't get to it. What if we can't get it on the state? And I was like, okay, but also, this is amazing because they have a timeline. They're respecting that timeline. They're getting it and they're respecting their other clients. They are also treating their other clients like this, which means their other clients work won't trickle into ours and affect us. So we will. Like. It gave me this moment of like, oh, I only want to work with teams like this.

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So it's funny how the things that could maybe ruffle us a little bit are actually the things that we want in a team. So I think there's a lot of people out there who maybe are working with a new web team. Maybe you're getting to your next level. And for the first time you're kind of like working with these teams who seem a little rigid or who seem a little like, nope, this is how it's done and this is what works for our team. And that's something that now I have so learned to respect because we had these conversations. It's like, okay, this was all the conversation we had before the contract was even signed is like, what works best for your team? How does your team work? What is our communication going to look like, do we not text? Do we use Slack? Do we use email? Do we not text? Like, they do not take work after certain hours, you know, and that's great because it's like wonderful. We know our expectations, we know our boundaries. So how about exactly what did that do for you?

At first, in a way I would say I was like, oh gosh. Like, because we do have a lot of things that just pop up out of nowhere on a certain day that needs handled on a certain day. And it can be a lot of those things that pop up in one day all at once where it's like, oh my gosh, we have to be glued to this day. And we never really had to do that before unless it's like a photo shoot or something like that. So it was like, okay. Once I got through that, I was instantly on the other second like, this is actually really nice to know this and plug this in right away and know that this project will be done on this exact day. Because we've never actually had anything in the past really have a final for certain projects really have, like, this is your exact day. There is no changing it. We have some freedom if we want to change it. It's just an extra cost and extra time. So it kind of gave me in a way because of all of the structure. It was kind of nice to have all of the structure and be like, okay, there is no second guessing. We know exactly how they work. So it was kind of like once we asked all the questions, we're like, okay, we're good to go. We know what's coming on this day, we know what's due on this day. So we can plan ahead our schedule too. If it's a week prior to be like, okay, let's get this stuff done so we don't have to worry about it last second. Where if we didn't have those dates, we would probably be freaking out a little bit more like, oh my gosh, things are keep coming up on our plate. How are we going to fit this in? I think it actually set us up more for success. And I think that's what I felt more so than being a little bit scared about the structure, the rigid timeline.

Actually, I actually can't imagine now not having every single date for the next like four months planned out. Because I was just thinking, you know, even when I did my book, this is crazy because it was, it was a large publishing company, like a very well known one. And it like you hand in your edits and they're kind of like okay, we're gonna edit and we don't. When we give this back to you, you've got seven days. You have no idea when it's coming back to you. So when I was in, in Greece, like, you're just kind of like. I remember it was just like not great and I had to get an extension and I was so stressed out. So, you know, I think about this a lot because I actually was working with somebody years ago and she had an incredible business. She was a web designer. She designed one of. I love her. And one of the things that she struggled with was she was like, I'm like not making any money because my clients, like, I start working with them, it's a great project, but they keep delaying me because they're not getting me stuff. And so she can't take on another project because all of a sudden they'll be like, okay, well now I'm ready and here's all the stuff. So she was like, you know, I do these incredible sites, except I take on these projects that I can be done with, but I'm never getting done because I'm working with people who aren't necessarily responsible to timelines. So yeah, discussion like, okay, you need to make sure that you set timelines and set dates and you have your whole thing mapped out. And she was so nervous about that because at the beginning of our business, we don't want to ask those things. Just like you and I now know that we can ask for things like this. Like, okay, if you're going to work with us, these are the things that we need on these timelines. Can you do it? So if you are frustrated with the people you are working with, it's because you are lacking in setting expectations up front. And that is a hard thing to hear. But it's like the absolute truth. Even for us, if we do not like who we're working with, it's because we either didn't set the expectations or we're staying in a relationship too long. Once we started getting red flags. And the red flags so true. Some red flags for us have been like, ah, like I don't think they're understanding the exact demographic. And like, we gotta dial this in. Like, if it's not speaking to us, then it's. It's probably not speaking to our girl, you know, so there's been things where it's. It's like sometimes the people you work with, they're not even bad. They could be great. They could even be great at what they're doing. But it could be not great for you.

Yeah. And you're so good at feeling these in your gut right away and being like, okay, some, let's just feel us out a little bit longer, but let's figure something else out right away. Where I feel like a lot of other people may drag that on a little bit longer and try to. I mean, we definitely don't just end things without giving things more thought and all of that, but also being very aware of that and seeing when we need to actually take action and like really uncomfortable action and also source something more fitting. So you are amazing at feeling this in your gut and like figuring out what we need to do right away so we're not wasting anybody's time or money. So one other thing when you were talking earlier too, is not only like on our end, but if you're the person who's delivering a project to somebody, it would be interesting for you to experience or experiment with setting up. Like, it might be scary. I feel like it might be scary telling your client, these are my, this is exactly how we work. These are the days. If you don't sign by this day, there could be an extra fee. If you don't, like, let's set everything up from the get go for dates that work for us, but once we lock those in, there's no changing. And if there is, you pay a fee. It might feel uncomfortable at first to try that, but like you were saying before, it sets you up to be able to take more clients and know exactly when you're getting paid, when you're doing the project and the work, and when you're getting all the deliverables from your clients so you will work more effectively and be able to have more clients.

And one thing that I've really seen from people who have incredible companies also I worked with a few people now who, when I've had a couple rush asks a couple different teams who then give me like an expedited fee so they will charge me more for getting something faster. Now is that great for me? No. But it 100% also makes me get my shit together and be like, I need to look ahead at where I could be screwing myself right now for later. So it makes me plan ahead. There's some stuff you can't plan, but honestly, I respect the people who do that because what ends up happening is, number one, I don't want a team that I consistently work with to be resentful of me. If I have a couple of rush things. And like, I've even written this in emails to some people a couple of years ago when I started this, because there was a few things that I needed rushed and I had said, hey, I know that this is like out of the blue and this is majorly like something that I need turned around by tomorrow. What would it cost for you to do this, to get this on this timeline, and are you able to do this? And typically they were. And it would just be a higher fee. Like, that'll be my expedited fee or that'll be X, Y and Z. But yes, I can do it instead of like, hey, can you pretty please do this? Oh my God, I need you to like, they're not going to want to work with you long and their best work certainly isn't going to go to you and they might break up with you. At least give them that option. If you are asking for something huge now, once in a while there's tiny little things where maybe it's like, could you send this email that's already in existence? Like, if you have this contract, do you mind digging it up and giving that, like, those little things? Those are like. I feel like those are just natural things that occur. So you don't need to be like, hey, what's the fee for you to send me this? You know, today you don't need to do that stuff. If you are asking for a big favor, you better be willing to flex for them because they are running a company and I don't want to work with a company who doesn't respect their people because that means they're also asking their people to do something that is on top of what the people are already working on.

So, yeah, they'll want to continue working with you too, if we're willing to acknowledge what they're going through. Like, hey, I understand you already have a lot of work on your plate, but you can totally say no. But here's what I'm willing to do. If you're able to do this for me, I would love to choose you over somebody else. So I totally am on board with that as well. You get better work delivered and like.

For you, like, if somebody asks you nicely, you're way more likely to be like, absolutely. You know what I mean? Yeah, let's real quick just timelines and then we'll wrap up. So you and I have been on an eternal wait of we thought we were going to launch last year and now we thought we were going to launch last fall. Then we thought we were going to launch. We'll talk about that. In a minute how that's a total blessing that we didn't. And then we thought we were going to launch in the spring, then we thought we were going to hit, you know, July, and now we're like, okay, we think we're going to launch in September. And some people are like, what the actual hell is happening there? Because we've literally had our Instagram out.

Well, we started our.

We worked in a different way though, with light pink. So with light pink. Because this is such a social brand and we wanted our audience to be such a huge part of it and for women to come along on the journey. You know, we started the Instagram the second we had an idea where most people don't start the Instagram until you're like a couple months out from launch. For us, it's been like genius having the Instagram out because so many people know about it and they're gonna like be so primed for this brand and they've helped us so much and they've been along the journey and they can tell the story and they're just like a piece of it. But in all also makes people think that we were like launched when we started it or that we were gonna launch. And I was like, no, I hadn't even raised money yet. Like, there's no. You were there at the beginning. And so from that it's kind of like people are like, what is going on with this brand? Why is it not out yet? And technically, R D takes a long time. Even just launching takes a long time. So the fact that we opened it up makes it seem like this. But a lot of you wouldn't know about the brand if I was doing it in the kind of the old fashioned way. A lot of you wouldn't know about the brand until right around now because I wouldn't have told you until we got closer to what we thought was launch. And I would have missed out on all of this. Time of marketing and speaking and audience acquisition, getting people into our email list. So with that said, it feels like a long time to me, even though technically it's really not that delayed at all. And with that said, I had pulled an expectation of when I thought we were launching out of thin air, without knowing about manufacturing, without knowing about co packing, without knowing about people not wanting to take startups, without knowing all of these different factors that are going into it. Kind of touch on those real quick. But I pulled it out of thin air and got attached to it. And each time I pulled it out of thin air and got attached to it like a little piece of your soul dies when it doesn't work out.

Yeah.

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So true, though. Yeah, it's like, why do we pull things out of thin air and then get attached to them in the first place? That needs to stop. For one, this is only hurting ourselves. But. And you didn't know, like, you didn't know all that you know now. So now you have a better idea of how to kind of get a little more attached to a timeline. Even though when we get an actual date that we think we're still not going to be attached because there's still going to be more unknowns that are going to keep coming up, which we're just going to carve into our timeline. We might be like, okay, this is launch day, but maybe we should actually add another little buffer for the unexpected to happen.

So we have to have something to shoot for. So what we keep doing is like, okay, what does it look like right now? If everything goes as planned, here's what we would like to shoot for. Knowing that we have backup plans over and over if that doesn't happen. And the mantra that we live by intake from all of this is that it's happening to us for a reason. And we can see. I shared a little bit about we thought we were going to be able to launch in, like, October, November, timeline last year. Holy hell, if that would have happened fully Screwed ourselves number one. We are, like, in the middle of the coolest rebrand I've ever seen in my life. It is like the dream elevated brand that we've always wanted. We have aligned with teams now that we just feel like, get it. Like, they are, are. They're the target. They get the voice, they're excited. It is just like, holy shit, I can't believe if we would have launched with something else, because it just feels so good. And then also, like, you guys, if we would have launched. What I forgot about, not forgot, but what you're not taking into consideration because you're so excited, is that shipping during Christmas is a nightmare. And if that was the first meaning it's going to be late. Sometimes it doesn't get there till after Christmas. So anything even ordered in December sometimes won't even make it till January. There's an influx of shipping going on. So most like packages are just. Everything is delayed. Covid happened again during that timeline. So everybody was like, not at work. So they weren't producing your stuff, they weren't shipping your stuff. So if we would have launched, it could have been the worst, the worst sampling of customer service, not getting your products, canceling orders that we've ever seen. And we can't go back and make another first impression. First impression. So we were like, what were we thinking? Oh, my God, that would have been terrible. Now we're so happy and we're so excited just because we've been able to do so many things within that timeline. And we look at it like, okay, well, what can we do during this? We can acquire more options for our email list.

Exactly. And I think that is like, back to what you said in the beginning with you do this in everything that you do, which is so powerful, is starting before you're ready for one. And I feel like you preach it all the time, but you actually live it too, is starting before you're ready. And if you didn't, you wouldn't, for one, have the audience. That light pink has grown too. If we waited until we were air quotes ready and we wouldn't have learned as much along the way without putting ourselves out there and not having a product yet and doing all of the things that people mostly do when they have a product or when they think that they're able to launch a service or whatever it is, you don't get the experience. And then once you are launched, if you wait to put everything out there that you've been building up over the past however many years, you've been working on this project. You're not going to get all the feedback to know what to change until after you launch. So it's a beautiful thing that you started putting light pink out to know. Okay, now we actually need to rebrand. We need, like, to really dial in our mission, our core values, our voice. Like, what do we stand for? Who are our partners? Who are we working with, which come back from the core values in the mission. And that wouldn't have been established if you just held everything inside and in your notes and in your laptop of, like, this dream. And here's what we need to have. And here's all the ducks in the row that have to be figured out first before anybody can know about light pink because they can't buy anything yet that's not beneficial at all for your business to hold it all in.

Like, you just made me really think of this analogy, is that it's almost like trying. So I've never been pregnant, but it's like trying to figure out your baby's personality before it's born. Like, the only way, like, to see it and describe it is to put it out in the world. And you're like, oh, like, that's how it interacts with the world. You know what I mean?

Like, yes.

Now if the brand is out, the vision is out, the what we're about, like, you know, what's funny is, like, even what we were about in the beginning changed because we were like, oh, this is what they want. This is how we interact.

Oh, my gosh.

This is what is most important to us. Even our why switched a little bit. Like, there was. Of course, the why is somewhat the same, but the why got bigger. The more that we blazed this trail and kept on, like, hitting obstacles, the why just got more and more important. So for anybody who's out there right now who's just like, I don't know, I'm just like, I don't know if I'm super passionate or, you know, people ask me my why, and I'm not totally sure who cares exactly about not judging your carrot. Like, not judging the immediate carrot that's right there. So for me, I just. I wanted to work with women. I wanted to enjoy my day more. I wanted to be really, really challenged. I really loved beverage. Like, those were my whys in the beginning. And then all of a sudden, it really started to change to, like, oh, my God, women don't know about this opportunity of investing. Women don't know how to start their own company. Like, they do But a lot of us don't. More don't than do. So it just started to, like, really seep into our bones. Like, this is in our bones. You bleed light pink. I bleed light pink because of the challenges. And I want to point that out, like, really, like, can you imagine? Sometimes I like, feel like, oh, my God, I feel like I'm making bad decisions. And then I'm like, no, Lori, you do not learn and fully, like, get so integrated and so clear and so passionate without making these mistakes or without working on the wrong team or without, like, I can definitely say the obstacles have been the gift with this.

Oh, that's a great quote. Yes. Yep. I fully believe that 100% too. And I feel like it's brought us stronger. Your internal team that's working together stronger to understand, like, okay, how did you feel about that?

Oh, great.

I was on the same page too.

Okay.

Now I know. Even for me and my role to help you out, to free you up, to be able to, like, do tons of speaking and all of those things and be so front facing is understanding, like, how would you handle the situation? How were you feeling about that? And now that we've gone through those hard things together, like, we're both realizing that we were on the same page with our gut feelings and with our mental processes on everything. And it set me up for success even more, to go through all those challenges and understand how we're dealing with those together. To be able to deal with them on my own without tying you into all those things that are going to. You're not going to have the energy or the time to focus on those things when you're out putting Light Pink out into the world. So that was a blessing too. I think, for me, like, one of the biggest blessings.

I just want to share that really quick because you and I touched on this on our phone call. I think that was yesterday. But if I'm being totally honest, it was really vulnerable for me to, like, say to you in the beginning because I thought that I'm supposed to be this really strong leader who always looks like she knows what she's doing. And I made a decision in the beginning. I was like, okay, if I really want to build this with somebody who, like, feels like they are really my partner in this, like, how am I going to do that? And how. Also I know that I am a very front facing CEO, like, I need to be out in the world speaking. I need to be on the podcast because that is going to generate the most money and value for this company, if I go out and get the eyes and share the mission, and I have somebody who can really integrate and help me operate. So with that said, I was like, oh, my gosh, if they're going to need to know the heart and soul and how this. What. How these conversations are meant to be had. Because there's a lot of hard conversations. Sense, or whether it's working with different things every day is a hard conversation. That doesn't. That shouldn't make anyone scared. It should just make you realize that, like, you're gonna get really good. You're gonna get really good. They're not gonna feel hard. Because, Lauren, I guarantee you don't even think twice about some of them. You're just, like, so true. And you do it. Yeah. So in the beginning, I was like, I'm gonna have to, like, say, this is hard. Okay. This conversation is tough. How do we maintain this relationship? Because we do care about them. But how do we either say what we need or get what we know we really want with this company and not settle? Or how do we break this off knowing that it's not the right direction anymore? Or we've, you know, we've had a team where we're like, we're not getting the work that was promised in the very beginning. And the second we both realized that, so funny. I looked at you after one. One of the phone calls, and I said to her, I go, so can you tell me, like, what we're getting from this particular. These particular people? You were like, I have no idea. I was like, okay, great. We're gonna end this. So, yeah, so there's that. But honestly, I think if you are a leader or a founder or a CEO listening to this, your team cannot show up in the way that you want them to if you are not helping them understand how your brain works around the tough conversations and, like, what your true core values are when you're having conversations and when you're doing the hard things. And from the beginning, I've invited you in on every single call, and now I can go and know that if something happened to me for a month, you would be 100% great. So I'm so grateful. And you guys, I hope that these conversations help you. I hope that they help you kind of see the inside of what it looks like. Looks like, and just decisions, like, for some people, that might sound scary and really vulnerable to be that type of leader. But I actually think your team will want to work more for you if you show that you're an actual human and what it really looks like.

Oh, that's so true. Because there were so many conversations, too, where you're like, you just got a huge punch in the gut. And I'm feeling those punches in the gut now because I'm so attached to the company as much as you are. I feel like, oh, my gosh. When you were in those calls that I was in on, too, that you invited me in on, that were, like, hard calls, and you were speechless and also trying to, like, hold everything together to show up and be this strong leader. It was more powerful to, like, really see and hear you out on, like, what you were actually feeling and thinking. Because that sets me up more for success as well. To be like, okay, let me process it, like, this way. Let me actually talk to you if I need to about it. Or if you have something hard, like, we at least have each other to talk to and understand and figure out what needs to happen next. But if you were too in your head about being this certain way as a leader and showing up a certain way and being strong and not letting anybody see you in a vulnerable state or be on a really, really hard call that you had no idea what to do next would have not set me up for success at all to the level that I feel like I am now. Because you open the door to those vulnerable situations. So that's super powerful for any leader to hear as well.

That makes me so happy just to hear that from you, so that it sets you up to make you feel like you know how to respond. And you also know, like, it's okay to kind of crumble for a moment if it's up.

Yeah.

And then you literally give yourself a minute, you talk about it, and then you go to a solution. You know, we just have followed that process through every freaking. No. And honestly, I can say I've never experienced something like this where it's a yes for, like, months, and all of a sudden it's a no. I've never seen anything like it. But we're literally still going. We're going through, and it's going to be a giant success because of that, because we're just going to have the muscles to be able to put up with anything, to withstand anything and make this company what it's supposed to be. So, again, so grateful for those. And, Lauren, thank you so much for co hosting with me.

I love these conversations.

Total, like, pleasure. Because we also get to catch up. Lauren and I really, really like to work together.

We actually. We don't get sick of each other.

No, we don't. It's probably better we don't work in that we know it's better that we don't work in the same room anymore. In the beginning, it was so powerful, but then I was like, oh, I like you too much. Yeah, we talk too much. So we need integration time. And now we have a podcast, so it's great. Okay, so you guys let us know what your biggest takeaway was. We always love to hear just what impacted you, what you want to hear more of, if these behind the scenes are really helping you understand what it looks like and set you up for success. So until next time, earn your happy, and we will see you next week.