Buying A Business, Learning To Lead A Team, & Making Dream Partnerships with Marina Middleton, CE...

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My story is all just shooting my shot. If someone's thinking, oh look, I could never do that. No, no, you can like just like prep your emails, think about who you want to reach out to. And my biggest thing is like, what value can I provide to them?

They need to hit numbers and they need to make sales. So thinking always, how can my goal help them get to that goal? Once you unlock that, you start to get yes. Hey everyone, welcome back to the Earn your Happy podcast. If you listen to this podcast, you know that I believe the little things are the big things and the big things start little. And that's why whenever I don't feel great or I'm a little bit out of my schedule, I'm telling you, I grabbed a glossy, guys, I created it because I needed it. Because it just has all of the things that you need in order to feel better. If you're feeling bloated, if you're feeling a little run down, if you're feeling like you're not sleeping well, I'm telling you, it is wellness and beauty from the inside out. And I've been in the fitness industry for so long, it's actually how I started my career. If you guys don't know. And I have taken my fair share of supplements and then let me tell you, also being on 11 magazine covers and in magazines all the time, I really got into beauty and I have tried my fair share of serums and lotions and all of the crazy things to try to get better skin, to really come to realize that it's all about what we put in our bodies, you guys. So I want to give you a code for glossy, which is a skin routine that you can drink all in one. It's going to make you feel so much better and you just have to do the one stick a day. I do two sticks a day just because I'm obsessed, sometimes three. But one stick a day, you can start to see really the best results come in 30 to 60 days. And you have to be consistent with it just like anything, just like with your skincare, how you have to use it every day. And if you stop, you stop seeing results. If you stop eating right, you stop seeing the results that you want. You have to be be consistent. And it's one of the easiest wellness routines you'll ever do that actually make you feel better and hydrate you at the same time and make you want.

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So go to getglosy.com and use code happy for 25 off. You're not going to get that discount anywhere else. That is specifically just for my podcast listeners, you guys. So today on the podcast, I have Marina Middleton. She's the CEO and partner of, of Create and Cultivate Marina, sharing the wild journey that took her from scooping ice cream in college and navigating her career as a young single mom to buying the very company she used to attend as a fan girl. In this episode, we talk about the hustle it takes to build your dreams and Marina's biggest lessons, raising capital and learning to lead a team. Let me tell you, I get it. That is like the biggest thing that is gonna make you step up. She also shares the power of shooting your shot, which I'm huge about, including the story behind her becoming partner and CEO at Create and Cultivate. So if you're wanting to get that dream corporate job, hit a next level goal in your business or land big name partnerships. We both share in this episode. How hard work and authentic connections matter way more than you think and way more than qualifications. And not being afraid to hustle, hire mentors and attend events have been some of our mutual biggest contributors to our success. So I'm a massive believer in events. If you're thinking about hosting an event. Create and Cultivate is one of the best to do them. So make sure to take notes if you go because Marina's also going to share on this podcast some tips on hosting events. Plus, she's sharing some teasers about Create and Cultivates festival, which is their biggest event that they've ever done. And it's coming up in the summer, July 19th through the 20th. And you guys, I get to spend be there. I'm so excited. So I hope that I get to meet you there. I would love to see you. I would love to meet you there. They're literally going to change the event game again with the world's largest festival for women in business. And you guys, I get to give you a code, which is Lori, 20 off for 20% off the create and cultivate festival. All right, I hope I see you there. Let's get into the episode. Marina, welcome to the earn your happy podcast. Thank you so much for coming on.

Thanks for having me. I'm so excited. We were just yapping so much before, so I'm like, really excited to talk about all the things, guys.

We have decorated our homes. We have talked about your event coming up. We've talked about all the things. So now we decided to hit record and get the good stuff for you guys, too. So I'm so glad that you were able to make this happen. I know that you are busy CEO woman on the road right now. You weren't sure if you were ever going to have your hotel room for this.

It was crazy. We're in Austin right now doing our future summit event and it's happening during south by and Austin is packed. Like, packed packed, packed. So if someone's listening and they've been to Austin during this time, they get it. But yeah, my hotel situation was crazy, but I'm so happy that I was able to get in and get situated. But we have a long week ahead.

So you have a really exciting long week. How do you feel like leading up to these things? Paint me a picture of what that looks like. Your CEO of Create and Cultivate, which we're also going to back up for from your story very soon. But what does that look like leading up to these events for you guys? Yeah.

So it is like the details that most people don't think about, right? It's. It's figuring out how the line is going to be actually structured and permitting and the design of the stages and everything. I would say, like, the actual week is crazy in the sense of just like confirming everything shipping is crazy as you know, it's just all of the little details. But I'm just so grateful. I have an amazing team. I have 10 unbelievable, very hard working women that are just crushing it and know exactly what our attendees need and like what makes a really, really good experience for events. To make sure that like both the extroverts and the introverts are comfortable when they attend. And so it's a lot of moving pieces and I'm definitely much calmer than I usually am and not really my team for like really holding it down. It's been amazing.

That's so good. And also that you guys, that you guys have each other, like you can kind of bounce off of each other in freak out moments. What's been like your favorite part of having you know, a partner that you get to work with?

So I have like the best business partner, Jacqueline Johnson, who's the original founder of Crate and Cultivate. She's the best because she has so much experience. Obviously. I've always been a solopreneur, I've never had a business partner and it's definitely a lot more work. It's just like a relationship, it's a marriage. Right. You have to talk through things. You, there's, you're not going to always see eye to eye, but there is nothing better than being able to like pick up the phone and be like, hey, you know, how would you handle this? Or you know, hey, I got this email, like I reacted like this. Would you have done that? And I think we're in a unique space because like, you know, I'm in the day to day, I operate the business, I really like kind of like make the calls on a lot of things where for her she's done that for 10 plus years and so she's, you know, isn't in the day to day in that sense. And so it's been really cool to kind of like lead in a new way but also always have that legacy where I could go back and be like, hey, question, how would you do that? She's been doing self buy and events for, yeah, 10 plus years.

Okay, so I want to, I want to back up because I want to talk about how you grew up. What were some of the, the core beliefs in your family that you can remember growing up from like 8 to the age of 13 that was just like this is how you perceived the world, this is how the world is. This is how we operate in the world. This is who we are.

Yeah. So I was born in Egypt, and I'm an only child. And so when we came here, I was around 8. So, like, just think through that time specifically was such a pivotal moment for me because my dad was an English or an engineer, and my mom was a science professor in Egypt. And but when they came here year, their degrees, like, didn't really mean anything, so they had to start from scratch. So what I saw growing up early on was, you know, a lot of resilience, a lot of hard work, but at the same time, like, I associated, like, those beliefs. Like, I associated happiness and worth with money. Like, when I saw my parents really stressed out, it was because they didn't feel like they had enough money. We were in and out of family homes for a really long time. Like, we, we didn't. I was out literally living out of suitcases because we couldn't afford a house. And so it was really interesting. Like, now being as an adult, thinking through, like, oh, this is where my relationship with money stemmed from. You know, I would say the other belief I like, kind of was instilled with me is this, like. And I know we're in a. And I'm curious to think, like, to hear what you think, but we're in this, like, anti hustle culture. I watched my parents hustle since the day I was born. Like, you know what I mean? Like, they didn't take days off. They were working around the clock. They were entrepreneurs. When they came here, they owned pizzerias. They were like, they were trying to figure it out. And, and it wasn't like, oh, I don't know what to do. They were always having this like, solution mindset. And that's what was like, really ingrained in me. And I think that's why I'm like, the type of worker and work ethic that I, you know, have now for sure is from that. I'm.

I'm same. So I'm curious to, to hear from that. Like, how do you feel about the mentality of, like, soft girl era? And, you know, this is just meditate on it or manifest it. Like, what are your thoughts around that?

I really want to find this happy medium between that, you know, like, really, really trying to figure that out because I am so far away from soft girl era. Like, I am. I am not a soft girl at any areas of my life. And I am. I can be so intense and like, when I believe something and I'm passionate, I'm just like, go, go, go, go, go. I don't love this, like, anti hustle culture because I do believe that a lot of the entrepreneurs and the business owners and executives and just like humans and that have gotten to where I want to be. They have worked so hard and I just don't believe that they've gotten there by like working one hour days. Like, I just don't believe that there's no, I don't know how you know, but I do believe that you can work a lot and hard and smart and also like meditate and journal and take care of your health and all of that. And that's what I'm trying to find right now is that happy medium in like taking care of myself and also being like extremely busy.

I'm in the, I'm in the same position. I'm just like, you know, I grew up seeing my parents work super hard, almost too hard, but without the results that they wanted. So it's kind of like we get to be the generation of like, how can we work hard, have some balance? Because I know that you like to work though, like you're a worker and a creator. I, from everything that I, that I can see anyway, but have some balance with that. So going back to kind of your career trajectory growing up, what was your first job like? Were you drawn to anything as a young kid because you watched your parents do certain things? What were some things in your head that you were starting to feel drawn to? And what was that first job?

Yeah, I worked so much, Lori. Like I, I, my first job was at an ice cream barn in Massachusetts and I love it. Yeah, it was the best serving ice cream. Like it was actually very hard to scoop ice cream for like eight hour days.

Oh, for sure.

It was like my hand is about to break. So. Worked at ice cream bar and I worked at cvs. I worked at Abercrombie, I worked at Aeropostale, I worked at Finish Line, I worked at like, you name it, whatever. I like worked at it even all the way to college. I, I wasn't like a big, I'm still not really a big drinker. And so like I would go to class, I would get out of class, I would then go to work at Louis Vuitton in Boston. I was a sales associate there. And then I would get out of that job and go bartend. So like I was slammed and so I just like didn't know any other way. Like I just always, I love working and one thing I'm working through, like even with my therapist and leadership coach and mentors is like, I associate my worth with like my work ethic. Right. Like, the hard work, the more, like, accomplishments I can do or, like, even, like, team members I can help, the more that I feel like, yeah, like, I just feel good, you know? And so that's like, yeah, that's where I find that happiness. But it really did come from, like, my first job working at an ice cream bar, and I was like, I'll spend my summers working and not, like, hanging out with my friends, you know?

Totally. Okay. I want to dive into that because that is, like, such a core wound for me of. I'm so attached. My identity is so attached to my accomplishments. And I think it's like, the beginning, right? When you first start getting those, like, accolades and people paying attention to you for what you've done, and you're like, this feels good. Like, especially for a kid like me who wasn't popular and totally was, you know, more of an outcast. And so it's like, you learn when you're older, oh, that equals love. That feels like safety. Like, especially social safety. Like, oh, they'll like me if I X, Y, and Z. How are you working on it? Like, in therapy, how are you working on kind of detaching from that, from needing to always be accomplishing something? Yeah.

I think it was my therapist who asked kind of like, well, why. Why are you able to, like, keep showing up? Or why are you excited about this? And my answer was, like, ego. Like, it was my ego. Like, I wanted to be able to listen, say, like, oh, I did this. You know, a similar. Like, I. I was bullied growing up. I had zero friends. And then when I did have friends, they also sucked. So I was like, I just, like. Like, I just didn't have, like, a core community.

And, like, maybe we should introduce those sucky friends to each other now.

But I am like, I am the queen of being like, look at me now. Like, you know, where. Where are you? Like, you tore me down for no reason. So I always said, like, it's ego. And so kind of how I'm working on now is like. And I'm so grateful for creating Cultivate. You know, as a previous attendee, I fell in love with the work that Create and Cultivate DID because it advanced women and advanced people to, like, to, like, be happier and be more fulfilled and make more money. And so, like, now the focus isn't, like, on me and what I'm doing. It's more of, like, how I'm doing things. Is that paying back to that mission? Right. Are our events growing? Are we reaching more people? Are we helping more people. Our testimonials and satisfaction rates higher. Like, it's more about that and the success of the business because the impact that the business makes versus, like, oh, this is going to make Marina feels good, you know? Mm. Mm.

So tell me how you got started with create and cultivate. Like, let's go way back to you more as first, I want to go to your first trip into entrepreneurship, and.

Then we'll get into that.

So tell me where you were working right before you became an entrepreneur and then what was that step in entrepreneurship?

Yeah, so I had a sales job previously, like, right out of college. And then I got pregnant with my son at 23, Sebastian, who's nine now. He's the best.

And is that a surprise or was that planned?

Oh, such a surprise. Such a surprise. Yeah. Was not planning to get pregnant at 23. Got pregnant quickly, got married quickly, got divorced. I was, like, in a really toxic relationship and took a year off of work. And I was like, okay, what am I going to do? I went to school for marketing and business communication. And so I was like, oh, my dream has always been to work for, like, a Google or an Amazon or a Yahoo. And I ended up landing a job at Yahoo. And that was, like, for me, the big, like, when people think of, like, accolades, that was, like, my big moment. Right? I was a single mom. I just landed this, you know, job that was paying me. My first salary was, like, $175,000. I was 25 years old. I was huge. So happy. Like, so happy benefits. They did Thursday manicures. They change your. Like. Like, Yahoo was the best. Let's go back. Truly, I'm like, what am I doing? I'm exhausted. But, like, it was unbelievable. And that, to me, I was like, oh, like, I can do these things. I can build my own life. I can, you know, take care of my son and, like, all of this stuff. And so that was my job right before I became an entrepreneur. So I worked at Yahoo, Yahoo News, and Tumblr, and all I focused on was building digital media campaigns for some of the largest brands from, like, Walmart and Hulu to lvmh, like, you name it. Just kind of focused on bringing those launches and products and storylines to life. My last role was at Yahoo News, and my department got cut. They lost funding. So I got laid off. It was December 2019, and my husband's like, listen, like, you really love blogging and. And, like, being an influencer, like, why don't you go full time? And I was like, yeah, this is my chance. Like, I'm going to do that. And I remember I, like, announced it. I was like, I'm a lifestyle blogger now. Like, you know, come to me for all the things. And I. For one month, and they. Laurie almost took me out. Like, I was. I think if someone else asks me what I'm wearing or what outfit I have or, like, what. I can't do it. Like, this is so hard. And find the links. And I was like, I can't do this.

Like, that is not for me either. When people ask me, I'm like, I'm not gatekeeping. I just literally hate doing this.

So I just. I can't find you the link. Like, just know, like, I'm the worst. But it actually was much harder than I anticipated. So I give a lot of creators so much credit of just, oh, my God, yes. And so I decided that didn't work, which was like, a pivot for me and kind of embarrassing if I would, like, be honest and if anyone's listening of, like, being uncomfortable with pivoting, that was me. Like, I was more embarrassed that I had to decide that I hated blogging than I was embarrassed that I got laid off. Because I felt like, oh, people are, like, watching me fail. Nobody cared. You know what I mean? Like, it's just like, it was a story that I made up in my head. And so I was like, okay, I'm going to start this company called Empowered Confidence, and we're going to do events for women and help them build their confidence. I signed a deal with Reebok. I signed a deal with the yw. Yeah, ywca. Then Covid happened within a couple of weeks of signing those things. And even for Reebok, like, we were doing these events, we had to refund all. All the tickets back. 300 tickets, refund it all back. It was so bad. And then I decided to create programs essentially to help female founders build their personal brand, make money off of it, and really, like, just, like, humanize marketing. Some of the things that I did at Yahoo, a lot of small business owners don't have the funds to, like, do. And so I was like, how can I offer that to. To women and help them? And so that's what I did leading up to going to my creating, cultivate events.

I'm hearing, like, different skill sets kind of transfer. So what I want to ask you, for anybody who, like, you know, has events or is thinking of events, how did you get those partnerships? Like, how did you know who to go to? Were they paying you? What did that look like? How did you approach that? Okay, so something that Chris and I are always talking about is how to really separate our business hours from the hours that were off. And it's a really hard thing to do when you're a business owner because your phone is where everything is operated. So you might have some downtime and you feeling good and all of a sudden you get something that throws you off because it's work related and you just weren't in that mode. And let me tell you, Open Phone is the number one business phone system that is going to help you separate your personal life from your growing business. You guys, this is so important to learn to do. 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You can sign up for your $1 per month trial period at shopify.com happy that's all lowercase. Go to shopify.com happy to upgrade your selling today shopify.com sl happy I'm telling you, it's one of my favorite platforms because it's so easy, it's streamlined and I actually understand it. I get excited to log into my Shopify every single day and look at all of the data on my customer and in my company. You guys go check it out. Some of you might remember that last year I did a six day fast. So it was kind of like a water fast. I used some bone broth, I used a little bit of these organic dark chocolate chocolates. But let me just tell you, that was one of the hardest things that I've ever done. But it was also one of the most beneficial things that I've ever done because fasting isn't just about shedding weight. And that's not why I was doing it. I needed a full reset. I wanted mental clarity. I wanted to feel better. I wanted to just completely get all of the crap out of my system. 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Lot of parts in life is like a little bit of like, craziness and delusion. And then for sure, it's like luck, you know what I mean? Like, I was like, I, I would love to do this. I, I. Reebok was headquartered in Boston and I was like, I really want to connect with them. My cousin did not believe that I could be a successful entrepreneur. And so he was like, can you just give me your resume? I'll give it to, you know, he works at Yahoo. He's like, I'll just give it to my, like, boss or, like, circle it around. And I was like, no, I can do this. Like, I will thrive as, you know, entrepreneur. And he's like, all right, let me connect you with this person at Reebok. Maybe, you know, you could do something there. And I connected. This person said, no, they connected me with another person. She said, yes. And she's like, let's do it. Like, let's create these events. So it just, like, happened. And YWCA was a little bit different because I really wanted to focus on women. I really wanted to focus on women that were struggling and homeless. I really wanted to talk to, lived in shelters and young, like, girls in middle school. So that was like a passion of mine. And so I reached out and I put together this whole program of, like, how I can impact these women. And so that was literally just shooting my shot. Like, but, like, my story is all just shooting my shot. Like, I'm just constantly being like, hey, like, trying to just put myself out there. It's usually like, because I'm, I'm, I don't do that in person as much. I get a little bit nervous in person, believe it or not. So I would rather just like, DM someone and if it works, it works. And if it doesn't, I'm like, I kind of forget about it, you know?

Did you always feel that way, though? Or tell me about, like, the beginning when you're first firing off some of these emails.

Like, oh, God, what are they going to think? No, I, oh, Even to this day, I'm like, still scared shitless. But I was just like, what do I have to lose? You know what I mean? Like, why? And I'm always. I have this thing of, like, why not me? And I think it goes back to this work, like, ethic that I have. I know I will be able to accomplish something. I. I don't ever really let people down, especially in my professional life. Like, I just get this thing done. And so I know that, like, if I can bet on myself, I just need to convince this other person to bet on me. And it's kind of a game over from there. And so that's kind of been what my, like, delusional side of is, like, well, why not me? Like, why can't I do it? You know? And so I do, like, definitely, like, if someone's thinking, oh, look, I could never do that. No, no, you can, like, just like, prep your emails, think about who you want to reach out to. And my biggest thing is, like, what value can I provide to them? It's less about me, it's more about, like, well, I know I can do this, but how is this going to help the person that I'm talking to or the organization that I'm talking to? And that has always been, like, my motto. And I know we'll eventually talk about it, but, like, even getting into create and cultivate and, like, being a speaker there, like, it was never like, I want to speak. It was more of, like, here's the value that I can provide to your community, you know? Yes.

Yeah, this is. This is like, one of the biggest changes in my life. And when things started to. When you actually start to get things and people are interested is when you realize that it's a person on the other side. Like, it's a person who actually is interested in real relationships and people who are interested in them. And also that it's a business who has needs and they, you know, need to hit numbers and they need to make sales. So thinking always of the person that you're pitching in terms of what do they need and how can we help them get to that? Like, how can my goal help them get to that goal? And that's, like, changed my life literally for everything. I learned that through pitching magazine covers. And it was like, the craziest thing. Once you unlock that, you start to get yeses.

So receive it better. People, like, receive your. Your, you know, pitches or your email so much better because they're like, oh, they're not just thinking of themselves.

Totally. And I can imagine you guys get so many pitches and, you know, one of the things is, like, make it easy for them to say yes. Like, let Them see how this can benefit and have it all laid out and take the work away, put all that work on your plate, take it from them and that's going to be a, a way faster.

Yes, 100%.

Okay, so where were you like emotionally and mentally through that portion when you said I'm going to be an entrepreneur? Like how were you feeling? Were you feeling super confident or did you feel a lot of like, were you feeling really like self doubt? What was going on for you?

Yeah, and I'm curious to hear kind of how you think about this, but I think naiveness is so bliss. Like I wish I could go back to that, you know, 28, 29 year old Marina who was like, I'm gonna be an entrepreneur and I'm gonna do this because like I just saw so many unbelievable opportunities and like, it was just like limitless. And so yes, I was scared again. Like I, I, I was nervous and all that stuff, but I just figured like, I'm gonna do it. And when I did start, I had this like timeline of I'm gonna do it for three months and if it doesn't work for three months, I'm gonna go back and get a full time job. And I will tell you, the second I removed that timeline, it was like, game on baby. Like we are, we're not stopping, like we're gonna keep figuring it out. And I, I loved that I didn't have a plan B. This was like my plan A, B, C and D. Like I'm doing this, I gotta figure it out. But that vision evolved and so I was really scared early on. I was very like unsure about what I was going to do and how it was going to work out. But I just kind of like lived in the moment, which is so different than what I'm living now. I'm very much not living in the moment. I'm living in like three, four or five years of business planning, but like I was living in the moment of like, okay, I'm going to create this program. I created it. Okay, I'm going to launch this program. I launched it. Okay, great, this program worked. I'm going to launch it again. I like, it was very like I was just collecting data as I, as I progressed. Whereas now something I do wish I did in the past of like kind of like future focused and future planning where I could sit down and think like, okay, well if this works, how am I going to make more money? How am I going to like market it more? How am I going to reach more people? Like all of that stuff, I just, I was too young, I was too early. Like, I didn't, I didn't know to think like that, you know. And so I would say like going back to that, yes, I was terrified, but I was figuring it out like as I went and I really like missed that kind of, you know.

Oh yeah, I, I'm so, and I'm so grateful for that time period in my life. I'm very much like you, where I'm just like a fast start. I'll go like shoot my shot. And now that I'm getting older and have had a lot more experience, I'm like, I'm more hesitant because I'm aware of like all the things that come with the things I'm going to start. You know, I'm, I'm actually so grateful that I was still like super naive when I started this, like started raising money for this product. Because if I would have known what goes into products, like physical products compared to what I came from, like the digital world, masterminds speaking, books, like, it's very different. So I'm glad that I, I'm so glad I'm in it now. But I wouldn't have started if I had all of the details. So I'm grateful to my past dumb ass self. It's great.

If I knew what it was going to take to be the CEO of Cultivate, I fear that I would not be the CEO of Green Cultivate. Like I would not have thought so hard. We wouldn't.

Why would we, we wouldn't.

There was no way, like I, I just, I wouldn't have understood the value because it's like, yeah, it's, it would sound crazy that I'm like signing up for this willingly. Yeah.

But it, it's like, you know, it's, it's so insane because the things that are like that, that we would say no to if we actually had all the details. Those are the requirements for us to be the women that we see in our heads like, that we know we came here to be. And so for you, what are some of the things that you know, you feel, have really, really? Because I can only imagine like the version of you that's sitting here right now like you're so fucking proud of her of like going for it and going through the things. What, what are some things that you've gone through in this last year that you feel like, have just like really transformed the way that you are and who, how you think.

Yeah, it's actually like wild when you think of how much you can evolve in such a short period of time. You know, for. For me, it's been. You know, we acquired, create, and cultivate back December of 2024. And so it's only been a little bit over a year. And so in that time, I bought a company, which was the first time I've ever bought a company from private equity at that. So it wasn't like, a small business to. Small business.

No. Like, even figuring that out is like, what the. What?

I have no idea. I literally, the words that they were, like, valuation and this and assets. And I was like, yeah. Like, yeah. Like, yeah. I was like, I would sit on these calls, and I would act as if I knew what the hell was going on. And, like, I would figure it out as the conversations were going. And so I literally had to, like, change who I was in a way that, like, it just. I just didn't know that I had that in me. Right. And I would always get off these calls. I still do it to this day where I'm like, I will text Jacqueline or I'll text my husband and be like, hey, I know this is silly for me to say, but I'm really proud that I'm figuring this out. Like, I can't believe I. I know how to do this. Like, how do I know how to do this? I have no idea.

I feel that so deeply. I'm so glad you're saying this, because I want people. Women to know, listening, like, you don't. That you're on these calls not knowing, not knowing.

And I. I really do wish more people knew that, because I know that most people, especially women, there's a stat that I have to send it to you after. But I think it's like, men will apply to 100% of all jobs, even if they have, like, 50 of the qualifications, where women will wait until they have 100% of qualifications to apply to the job. And it's so, like, backwards. Why would I know how to buy a company? I've never done it before.

Right, Exactly.

Myself think that I would know, you know, And I just wish more people, like, took chances and learned along the way. So I would say, like, yeah, buying a company I didn't know. Raising money from VC that I didn't know, Raising money from angels, I didn't know how to do that. I would say, like, out of all of those things, leading a team is the most humbling experience I have ever gone through. That being at 23, like, leading a team is really takes the cake because it is. You want to talk about ego, you want to talk about personalities, you want to talk about energy, like, it's not about you. And, like, to be a good leader takes a lot of work, a lot more work than I would have ever anticipated. Right. Like, I just always assumed, like, hey, I'm like a friendly people's person. I'm very open and warm and welcoming. Like, this is going to translate all the time until maybe you don't have a warm, exciting news to share that now I have to have this tough conversation, and I don't want to have this tough conversation, you know? And so I think out of everything, the one thing that really, like, evolved me or something that kind of, like, I wasn't prepared for anything would be the leading of a team and growing that team alongside me. Growing as well is definitely, like, a big milestone that I don't think I anticipated.

I'm just, like, feeling everything you're saying, because those are. Those are the things that have really, like, rocked my world as well. I mean, I felt the same way. I was like, I'll be a great. Like, I'm a. I'll be a great leader. Like, this is awesome. And it's like, rocks your world because sometimes the personalities that you actually really need in your business are so, so different than what you would maybe know how to work with, than anyone you've ever really talked to. And it's like, it's learning all new languages for however many team members you have. It's like, oh, you speak Greek. Oh, you speak Italian. Oh, I have to speak totally different to all of you, like, to figure it out.

Yeah. And just understanding people's like, like, love languages that you're not actually, like, married to. Like, oh, okay, you actually want me to say good job over and over again. I don't need that, but you do. So now I have to do that. But I can't say it too much because then you're going to feel like you're doing, like, it's just this whole game of just, like, personalities. And it's. It's something I'm just, like, really excited to dive into. And I'm like, okay, how do I become a better leader? I got a leadership coach. I have a therapist. I'm reading book. Like, I'm just, like, I'm trying to do the things so I could just, like, get better. And I just learn along the way, which is amazing.

That's so much more than most people do. So I know that your team feels that, you know, and then they get to, they get to learn those skills too, which is, that is what makes a really great leader, is that they, those leadership skills transfer down to your team. So I love, I love that you're doing that. I actually would love to. I'm like, I'll. I'll chat about your coach later. Okay. Tell me about what that looked like when you even made the connection with Jacqueline to be like, hey, what's going on? Like, I think I want to buy this company. What did. I don't even know the whole behind the scenes of that conversation.

Yeah, it was so crazy. Now I look at it because. So I. So I'm in Austin right now for south by South. I. In August or March 2022, I was in line at 9:30 in the morning waiting to get into my second Create and Cultivate event. It I was like, got ready. I was waiting in line. I'm anxious, I'm by myself. And I just like remember going to these events and being like, this is such an amazing place. Like, knowing that I came from corporate and I was going to a lot of conferences. There was just like, nothing like that before. I would always see Jacqueline and she was like this gorgeous, hard working person that I would like read about. And at the time she had already sold Create and Cultivate to private equity. So she was there and like, but not operating the business anymore. And so I think that I had seen her at a very like, different stage in her life than like, maybe I would have if, if I started going before COVID And so I remember, like, I went, I would introduce myself, I kept going, I flew out to all the events. I, you know, would message talent team. And eventually we had a mutual friend that connected me with Jacqueline personally. After I had spoke to, spoken at Create and Cultivate, and she's like, hey, I think you should be on Marina's podcast. And so she was on my podcast January 2023, and I was driving one day, Lori and I had this like, idea and I was running my own masterminds and retreats and all this stuff. But I was, how cool would it be if Jacqueline and I started a mastermind together? Why did I have that idea? Why did I think she would want to start a master. No idea. I have no idea. And I remember sending her a DM and I said, hey. And I've literally said, hey, I'm going to send this to you before my brain talks me out of it. Have you ever considered starting a mastermind? Now that I know. Jacqueline is just so funny. She's like, yeah. Why? What are you thinking? Okay, that's crazy.

But knowing her, that's. That's what I know of her. But I didn't know that at first, so I could see, like, yeah, you're like, what?

I was like, oh, my God. I used to always call her by her full name. So I'm like, guys, Jacqueline Johnson, which is crazy now, and I know she loves that part of the story, but I literally was like, jacqueline Johnson messaged me back. I gotta, like, really, like, bring this home. And I remember sending her voice memos. I was like, hey, this is what I've been doing. Here's the power of these, like, types of businesses. Here's the profit and, like, margins I was doing. And, like. And I. I was trying to figure out a way to, like, position myself as this, like, expert, since I know publicly she has these accolades, right? And so she's probably looking at me like, who is this girl? And not because I was less than I think for anybody that's listening. A lot of the times we hold ourselves back from reaching out to people that look like they're further ahead from us because, like, maybe we don't have the same accolades or the accomplishments that they have, but, like, my skill sets are so much different than Jacqueline, and that's why we complement each other. And, like, she might have, you know, sold two businesses and done all that stuff, but, like, my accomplishments are, like, equally as valuable. And I think that is something you just should always remember when you're walking into these rooms, especially rooms that are bigger than what you think you deserve to be in. There's so much that you can offer, and I don't think that, like, we kind of remind ourselves of that enough. But on that voice memo, it's really funny. I was like, here are the things I can do. I saw that you launched a fundraising masterclass, and I saw that you dropped the price within a week, which leads me to think that you couldn't sell it. I can help you market that. And I, like, literally, like, bashed her without even meaning to. And, like, don't ever try to do that to me, because it will not translate the way that she took it. Like. And she was like, yeah, you're right. I, like, didn't market it. But, like, it was just, like, something I was trying out. It was just so funny. She's like, but I would love to chat with you. Ali Webb also would be interested. So Ali Webb's the founder of Dry Bar for anyone listening. And I was like, at that Point. I was like, oh, my God. Jacqueline Johnson and Ali Webb. Like, this is crazy. And so we jumped on a call, and we decided that we're going to start the BL Mastermind. And during that time, I was just like, okay, here, like, as a consumer, this is what I would want. Here are the type of speakers I want to listen to. Here are the rooms that I, like, need to be in. So let's create it. And here's the price point. Like, I just, like, operated that whole entire business, and it was unbelievable. And I was flying home from the event, and Jacqueline voice memo ed me. This was our first event, like, a few months after launching it. And she was like, hey, you know, private equities looking to sell Korean Cultivate. Would you want to buy it with me? And I remember, like, and I say this story because it's, like, so funny. I, like, never used to fly first class, but I was flying first class home from this event, and I was laying down, okay, this is like, when you think of your future self. This was my self, right? Like, I didn't belong in Storm. I could not believe I just crushed that event. I can't believe I'm in first class. Like, all of these things that were, like, so big, you know, that I had, like, manifested all the stuff I remember, like, laying down. I got this voice memo, and I, like, four. I've. You know when you'd want to jump up and, like, you're just pressing and you're like, c is slowly getting up. But I'm like, I just want to react. Yeah, but because it was just, like, it was the craziest experience. And the reason why I say it was the craziest experience, and hopefully this resonates. It's like, I did not go into this partnership thinking I was going to eventually buy, create and cultivate. I didn't know that was an option. Right. I think we. We dream as big as we think we're worthy of. And not that I didn't think I wasn't worthy of creating Cultivate. I didn't know that was, like, again in the horizon. So all I did was show up as myself. Right. I wasn't trying to pretend to be anybody else. I operated the blueprint exactly how I would. I, like, led the team exactly how I would. I just showed up as myself, and that paid off within itself. And I think that's, like, the. If there's anything someone takes away from this episode is, like, just, like, fully show up as yourself, and things will fall into place as they should, like, you don't have to force anything.

That is so true. And just, you know, because again, it kind of goes back to the people running these things are people, and they want relationships and we want to work with people that we enjoy working with who are hard workers who want to add value. And like, yes, of course, there's always like, you know, intention behind different things or you have some goals, but you have to also have the goal of just wanting to bring value and really help people. And people feel that. I'm telling you, like, there's, there's no doubt why that happened is because of how you went into it, you know, and just like, without attachment to it. Sounds like, like, this will be great. This sounds awesome. This is already fun. I'm having a great time.

Like, yeah, I'm meeting all these amazing people and I'm learning so much along the way. That was enough for me.

Totally. Okay, so you guys also have a big event coming up, and first I want to talk about, like, who is the create and cultivate, like, customer. Who is that woman? What is she like? What is she struggling with? I know I'm preaching to the choir when I say as a small business owner, you don't get to clock out. You literally think of your business as 24 7. So when you're hiring, you need a partner that works just as hard as you do. And that hiring partner is LinkedIn Jobs. Because when you clock out, LinkedIn clocks in. LinkedIn makes it easy to post your job for free, share it with your network, and get qualified candidates that you can manage literally on one place. And let me tell you, over the past 15 years, I have hired so many people, and one of the biggest problems that I ran into is just the number of candidates that I get. And that's why I love LinkedIn, is the amount of people that you can reach who are going to be perfect for your position. So here's how it works. Post your job. LinkedIn's new feature can help you write job descriptions and then quickly get your job in front of the right people with deep candidate insights. So you can either post your job for free, or you can pay to promote and promoted jobs. Get three times more qualified candidates, and at the end of the day, the most important thing to your business is the loyalty of candidates. And with LinkedIn, you can feel confident that you're getting the best. And based on LinkedIn data, 72% of small businesses using LinkedIn say that it helps them find high quality candidates. So find out why more than 2.5 million small businesses use LinkedIn for hiring today. Find your next rate hire on LinkedIn. Post your job for free@LinkedIn.com qualified. That's LinkedIn.com qualified to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply.

Yeah, so it's really unique. We have different products and different, I say products, but different, like events for different women based off of their journey. So we help women, like from launch to legacy or from ideation to like exiting. And so have different products and experiences depending on where they are. So seven figure founders, six figure founders, moms. We have a mom retreat coming up. And so our goal, like no matter what, for every single event is to advance women. And we do that through like giving them access to resources, giving them access to tools that they maybe not know exist that could help them both personally and professionally. Introduce them to new products that they would be obsessed with. Right. Introduce them to new people that would change the trajectory of both their personal and professional life. Like, that is our number one goal. And we do that through different types of formats of events. But she is ambitious. Like we say we support ambitious women. Like, she is this like hungry woman that is looking for more in all aspects of her life and she doesn't want to fit in this box like that. That's our girl.

What do you think that you have seen is a through line of like, what women are struggling with the most in their businesses? Maybe let's start with the six figure. Let's go like, let's, let's start beginning of business. What are you seeing that they struggle with the most and what do they need?

Yeah, I think it's overwhelm of where to begin. Like, it's always like, oh, I have all these ideas. I have all these ideas. Like, I don't know where to begin. And so it's hard sometimes to get to that seven figure or eight figure or anything or even like climb the ladder in corporate when one, you know where you're actually trying to go and why you're trying to go to that, that point. Right? Like, what is that goal if it's a million dollars revenue? Like, why are you trying to get that million dollars? Right. So understanding that. But I would say the number one thing is like, overwhelm from like all of the information and all of the things that you would do to start. Okay.

And then once you get to like that seven figure founder, how did the problems change and what does that look like?

Yeah, I think for seven figure founders, the biggest problems is one, maintaining the seven figures and like continuing it year over year. Two would be profitability. A lot of the times we're generating revenue, but we're not actually thinking about the type of profit that we're making in the margins. So we're spending way more than we're making. And so then the question is, well, how do I scale? How do I get more clients? And then we dive into, well, what are your revenue streams? How, like, where is your money going? And so that really is like the sweet spot of seven figure founders is figuring out like one, how do you scale and then what's next? A lot of seven figure founders that we work with are thinking about raising money. They're thinking about potentially exiting. What does that look like? And so those are conversations that you don't necessarily have early on at six figures. I do wish sometimes women were around more conversations about raising money before they ever think about raising money or exiting. Because the information I know now, Lori, would have changed the trajectory of my life early on. But, like, I just wasn't in the rooms that they were being had. You know what I mean? And so I think that's kind of where seven figure founders are just thinking about, like, what is their next step?

Oh, my God. That's. That's one of the biggest things that I feel like you guys do is you expose the more entry level to bigger conversations, which, which has two things, right. It can feel overwhelming, but it also, at the same time is necessary. So. And that's why I feel like you guys approach it in such a beautiful way where I did not in my journey, like, get to hear a lot of things about exiting or building your company like, to exit. Had no clue what that even was until I got into those bigger rooms where I was like, well, like, yeah, did I build this right? What do I, what's my focus? So you guys are building to exit?

Yes.

Okay, so tell me what goes into, like, what, what do you look at? How do you set up for a company that you want to build to exit? What are some things people need to know?

Yeah, so biggest things are going to be what are your margins? Like, how are you actually making money at the end of the year? A lot of the times people will do, you know, smaller for us, like smaller events. And they're like, oh, but I have an 80 profit margin. It's like, okay, great, that means you keep what, $10,000 versus maybe having a mass, like a massive, massive event, like a festival or a big conference, but you only make, you know, 20%. But that 20% is actually $5 million. So just thinking about, like, what is your actual profit and how much is your EBITDA at the end? Like, what are you taking home after all of that? So I think that's 1, 2. The biggest thing I would say, like probably I would move that up to 1 is can your product, can your experience be rinse and repeat no matter what? Like without the founder, without the CEO, could someone take this product and recreate it and scale it? If the answer is yes, then you have true enterprise value, right? It's continuing to grow, there's profit. You can continue to take this format and actually make it bigger. So that would be like the most important thing. A lot of the times people are building businesses that are like truly blood, sweat and tears of the founder. And then the founder goes away and so does the business. That is not what create and cultivate is doing. And although there's talent led businesses, like you'll see Jacqueline and I all the time, you'll see different talent. The business exists outside of us. And that's the most important thing when you're thinking about exiting a business. And I would say the last thing is just like think about who would want to buy your business. It doesn't typically need to be like the traditional person. It could be another events business that wants to integrate that format of an event you have and put it there. Maybe it's another beverage company, maybe it's a different retailer. Like, thinking about like the bigger pictures of some options, I think just helps you be in the same areas as those people, just so you're on their radar.

So this is where it's like, people are probably super hungry to get in, you know, come to your event, get in rooms with you guys so that you can understand, especially if you're building. I feel like you're, you guys are so good with like product businesses too right now, which is awesome. Tell me about festival. Like, what can we expect? Because it's so freaking exciting. I literally am giddy. I know. Like, I'm so excited I get to speak there. But it's so funny. I was just getting a ticket. I was like, I'm going to be an attendee. I'm bringing all my girlfriends. Like, we were already planning and I was like, well, yes, yes, I would love to speak as well, because I was already coming.

No, seriously, that we're so grateful that you were already coming. That is like, it always means so much to us. So when we were thinking about kind of create and cultivate 2.0 and what we wanted to bring to life. We really thought about like, well, what is this white space? Like, what is missing in the business landscape for women in general, right? And so we removed the women aspect and we're like, okay, well, most large events kind of like really suck, right? For sponsors there's not true ROI and for attendees there's not true ROI. Like I go to a conference of 2, 3, 4, 5,000 people and I'm like, I maybe meet five people max and I'm like, oh, cool. They were cool. But there was no like true connection or intention around it. And so we were like, how can we change that? So we thought about blending in this like B2B and B2C conference. So a business to business conference or a business to consumer conference. So you could be a business owner, an investor, early stage career woman. You could be a student, a buyer or a seller and coming together to this like massive experience that makes sure people connect. So it's a two day festival in LA. Our first one is happening July 19th and 20th of 2025. We have over 2,000 attendees coming, over 200 speakers. We have workshops, mentor sessions, panels, keynotes. We have a live musical performer, which I'm really excited about. I'm very, very excited about this. Some of the biggest names in business and entrepreneurship that you'll see. We have four different stages so you'll hear everything. This is really where like business, innovation, tech, culture, health and wellness really collide from a content and a communications perspective. But what I'm really excited about is, you know, going back to that ROI and kind of like events kind of sucking sometimes and being overwhelming. We created something called Connect and this is our algorithm that we. It's kind of like matchmaking for professionals. And so you'll go in person, you'll create your profile when you buy a ticket, and you create your categories. So maybe you're interested in marketing and you're interested in learning more about influencer marketing and maybe you're interested in like getting a job in influencer marketing. So you're going to collect, like pick those in your profile. You could pick a bunch of things, the other person on the other end is going to do the same and they're going to pick their, you know, their values and interest. Those two people actually connect if their algorithm says, hey, you actually should meet. And so you're going to have a curated list of people that are able to provide value to you, whether it's helping you find a mentor, find a job, find an investor, or just maybe you just Want to talk about like life and motherhood and burnout, like whatever that is. You can match with people. So we'll have this matchmaking program in person. It's the largest matchmaking program for women that exists. We'll have over 10,000 meetings in person. One on one meetings that are 15 minutes. And we're so excited about it.

That is so cool. This is awesome because so many people go and if you are not naturally like, like extroverted or if you haven't been working on it, you're probably really not going to meet who you need to meet because you're going to go to the people that look like you and seem easier and that's not going to help you because most of the people you need to meet you're probably intimidated by. So I love that. It's like an, like it's forced connection in the best way with the right people. So that's like vital at these events because that's what they're for. Like, you want to go. Yes. You want to learn. But we know that events are like the gold is your connections and who you meet.

Yeah, no, we're really excited. And the sponsors that we have and activations in person, it's like, it's just going to be so much fun. We were like, how can we make a business conference more fun? You know? And we're like, make it a festival. Like that's how we're gonna do it.

So fun. Well, I'm literally so excited. It's on the calendar and it's like a highlight. So we also have a coupon code that we get to give Everybody. It is Lori 20 off. So L O R I 20 of FF. We laughed about the coupon code, just Lori 20 off. Yes, 20% off the ticket. And what's the date?

July 19th and 20th in LA. 2025. And there's three different tickets. You could do GA VIP or Golden Ticket, which gives you a separate club access, which is our dinner two nights before, which is going to be amazing. So fun.

And I've been to some of those dinners and they're awesome. Like, if you really like that is where you get to meet really incredible people. Really drop in. You know, I still like know one of the girls. Like she's been, oh my gosh, she's like been in my life ever since one of the very first create and cultivate dinners that I went to. Like, she's still in my life. It's so crazy.

Yeah, I sat and I know you guys know this. Like, honestly, more than a lot of people. But, like, there is nothing like these connections that you make. Like, you are. They become your business partners, your best friends, your accountability buddies, your investors. Like, there's just so much opportunity that comes out of it and you just like have no idea until you're in those rooms. It's so cool.

People don't understand you. You have to be in these rooms. Like, I will go down in my grave, like, saying, go to events. Like, that's what I'll say on my grave. Like, go to events because they're vital.

Like, if you think that you want.

A thriving business, it's all about your relationships. And you're not going to get the relationships you need in your same daily routine. Like, and it's not the same as DMing. That can come in handy for sure. I've absolutely gotten some amazing things through DMing. But people, it moves so much faster when people can put an actual face to a name. You get to meet them. You feel their energy in person. Like it's game changing. It will speed up everything that you're doing. So you guys go and check it out. It's in the show notes. Coupon code is below. And Marina, thank you so much for coming on the show.

Thank you for having me.

Thank you guys. And until next time, earn your happy. Bye, everyone.