Building A Community Of Boss Women

On this episode of She's Crafted to Thrive, our guest is Gina, the founder and owner of Babe Crafted in Tampa Bay. We'll talk about her personal journey to building a business development club for creative and other amazing women entrepreneurs. Ladies, there are a lot of gems in here, so stay tuned. Welcome to She's Crafted to Thrive, a show for women in photography and other creative businesses. You will hear conversations about the the real everyday struggles of juggling life and business while trying to maintain passion and balance. As women, we have the skill of getting things done, but sometimes we get in our own way. It's here where you'll see that you're not alone. You'll discover that success does not mean perfection. Fear, negative thoughts, and challenges are all part of the journey. On the podcast, you'll find the inspiration and tools you need to have a life and business that thrives. Oh, I'm so excited to have Gina on the show, you guys. I have been following her on Instagram for a hot minute. You might say I've been stalking her in the beginning. And, um, it's been really great to get to know what she's doing with her business. And I'm not going to spoil it. I'm going to let her, you know, tell us a little bit about what she's doing here in the Tampa Bay area and how she got started. So Gina, welcome to the show.

Hey Nikita and hey listeners, thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited to be here. I've listened to some of your other podcast episodes and they have such a great energy. So I'm really happy to be a part of the She's Crafted to Thrive crew.

Awesome. I'm so happy to have you too. I mean, your business is called Babe Crafted. I mean, hello.

Pretty perfect.

Yeah, it's awesome. So how did you get started?

Yeah, so the short answer is that 2 years ago I realized that if I wanted to pursue my dream of living abroad, I would have to work for myself and be kind of a creative nomad. And, you know, then I could go wherever the Wi-Fi was.

Okay.

But the long answer is that, you know, in college I started a zine and I was interviewing musicians and I fell in love with events and storytelling. And I aspired to one day open an art gallery and event space. So fast forward to today, I turned 30 this year. I've been interviewing people since 2007 and BabeCrafted is not an art gallery. However, we do, we still do lots of storytelling and events are at our core.

Okay, cool. Oh my gosh, that sounds so awesome. I didn't know that. I mean, obviously I didn't know that. I have a similar kind of story similar to that too back in Atlanta. That's kind of where I just love events and I love creative people. What were you doing before when you decided that you wanted to be, you know, a virtual nomad? Like, what were you doing in your previous life? I guess I can say.

Yeah, of course. Um, so my, my first, I'd say like full-time position that I had outside of college was I was the marketing director, um, for Creative Loafing for 2 years. Um, and then I was the communications director for a restaurant group here in Tampa Bay. So my career was full of events and social media and PR and promotions. You know, like I ran a street team and a venue, so it was a little bit of everything. So I've been able to use all of those different things I've learned along the way with BabeCrafted.

Wow, that's awesome. That sounds so much fun. That sounds like a lot of fun.

Yeah, you know, I mean, the kinds of events that I was doing at Creative Loafing were large-scale food and drink tasting events. So a beer fest for close to 2,000 people. People at MOSI, you know, a margarita tasting festival for, I believe it was about 750 people, which, you know, our events for BabeCrafted are much smaller than that, you know, like our typical member events, you know, will have about 15 or so members, so they're much more intimate and curated, so I don't even speak that language anymore as far as talking to 750 people for a beer tasting event, so it's very different, but it's you know, it's still events and getting people together to experience something fun and unique is so wonderful.

That's awesome. Oh my gosh. Yeah, I love, I love that. I didn't know this, the reason kind of the nice marriage into BabeCrafted, which is so, so interesting because like I said, in Atlanta, I used to have a business called One of a Kind Finds, which was an event business for local crafters. And marketers, and it was for like, we would have like little shows and things like that. And it was so much fun just to get to see all these creative people come together. And then the community would come to these events. So we kind of have like a little thing going on, me and you, on that event.

Yeah, totally. Like on the same wavelength in different states.

Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

Oh my gosh.

Pretty big in Atlanta too. Like, um, oh, definitely. Yeah.

And they're, you know, they're a part of a corporation. They have, um, locations throughout the South, you know, like their home base is in Nashville. So it's really cool that, you know, to have an alternative weekly in an awesome city like Atlanta, and, and that Tampa has one. So that's really cool. And I can only imagine all the awesome art that you got to see and be a part of with all these makers. That's so cool, Nikita.

Yeah, yeah, it was so much fun. And like, like you would I would say it was meeting the people, like just getting to know who they are and why they became the artist they are, you know, just kind of exploring that and helping them sometimes, you know, figure out where they need to go. And so that's, you know, mainly why I started stalking you on Instagram was because that's what I felt that you were doing, like in a real in-person type of, you know, environment and also online where you could create a community online as well as creating those events, which I feel like it's so much nicer and cozier when it's a smaller event because you really get to connect and that overwhelm, especially I find that it's weird that a lot of creative people are kind of introverted in some ways. Like it's interesting to me. Oh yeah. Even though they're like so massively impressive in general and you're like, wow. But to put them in a smaller group, they kind of really like blossom and room into these people that you really probably wouldn't get to know that well at an event that's like 750 people, you know. It's a little bit easier to get to know them that way. And so I, you know, think that's awesome. That's what you're doing with Beadcrafted.

Thank you so much for your kind words. Uh, you are the sweetest. Yeah, I mean, the difference of being in a room with 750 people versus a couple dozen people is such a game changer, you know, like, and You know, they're definitely apples and oranges, but for the sake of this awesome conversation, you have so much more— you have the ability to go up to someone in the same room as you because you're in the same boat. They're also an entrepreneur. Maybe they're also a mom. Maybe they also are interested in— you can get other conversations started once you have kind of a foundation. Like, okay, you're also a business owner. I'm actually struggling right now with organization. How do you stay organized? And go from there. So a lot of creative people are really introverted. They are so good at expressing themselves like through their work or their art, whatever it is that they make, but do not ask them to go in front of the camera. You know, like that is not, that's not their most comfortable spot, but it's so great when they do work up the courage to do so because their story is worth hearing. This is coming from someone who, when I go to an art museum, I go straight to the artist card and read that first, and then I'll take a step back and look at the piece. Because for me, I want to learn about the person, and then I can, you know, really start to understand some of the artwork. But I'm always interested in like, but tell me about that person. Like, where have they come from? Where are they going? You know, like, what do they struggle with? Those kinds of things.

Yeah, no, I love that. Yeah, that's exactly, exactly. The person connects you to whatever they are creating or doing because their story is so unique to them, and that's usually what connects people to each other anyways, that, that, that human thread, as I like to call it, that connects to each other. So if you were to— if someone were to walk up to you out of the blue and ask you, what are you known for? What would that be? I mean, especially here in Tampa.

That's a great question. Um, I would say, I mean, from a standpoint of, um, what am I personally known for, like as Gina Maccio? Um, I'm the the positive voice that tells you to go for it. I'm the friend that you tell when you just took a big leap and you are really excited, you just have to tell somebody. So whether that's like, "I just cut all my hair off," or, "I booked that trip that I was anxious about but really wanted to do." So I'm definitely like that kind of like cool aunt vibe where I'm like, "Yeah, I just want to support you and all the cool things you're doing and go for it." But I'd say Professionally, um, that one's, I think, in some ways a little bit harder to answer because I've had so many different, like, lives that I've lived in Tampa so far. You know, I had the zine for a period of time. I did the travelogues for a period of time where I was getting people together to share their travel stories live, um, from places like Macedonia and Antarctica and Detroit, um, to, you know, now being BabeCrafted. So I really just think that, you know, people probably think of me as someone who will— is good at getting people in a room together to have a conversation and share their experiences.

That's awesome. So you're just like a natural networker.

Definitely. Yeah, I just, you know, I have kind of like worked my way out of being super shy because I've always been super curious about people. And, you know, you have to ask questions to kind of like, you know, to kind of tame that curiosity. And it can be hard to do that. That. But so I just really like to introduce myself and make other people feel comfortable in the room as well.

That's awesome. So, you know, I'm going to ask you, what do you mean you used to be shy?

Like, I'm like, shy?

How?

Oh my goodness. That's a good question. You know, maybe shy isn't the right word for it now that I think about it, because I've always been like the kind of person to like run for student council and like, you know, try out for all these crazy teams in school. And, um, you know, but, but I have to really like give myself a very strong pep talk before I do these things. So I want to do them and I want to try new things, but it doesn't come easily. So I guess that's what I really mean by shy. Like, it's just, you know, it's a bit of a challenge to overcome, but I know that what's waiting for me on the other side is going to be great. So, um, it's just kind of like a, I think, a muscle you have to continue to work. Maybe like, um, like a practice, like yoga. It's not like you you talk to one person and then you never have to kind of try hard at it ever again. Like, no, you have to continue to stand up in that room and say like, you know, hi, I'm Gina. Like, what do you do? So, but getting to meet all these awesome people is like well worth it.

That's such a good point. I love that point that you just gotta keep practicing it. I mean, it's not, I mean, I'm not an introverted person. I'm an extrovert. So I struggle when people are like, yeah, I don't know how you go out there and do whatever. And I'm like, I just ask I don't— I'm like you said, I'm a curious person too. Like, I want to know, like, where'd you come from? What are you doing? Like, I'm just curious. I want to know. And I'm only going to find that out if I ask you. And I don't feel like I necessarily have to tell you about me until I've learned about you, unless you want to know about me. And I think sometimes white people get focused on like, oh my gosh, you're going to ask me questions. But if you ask the question first, You win, right? Like, you're like, ah, that's interesting. Well, tell me more about that. It makes it so much easier to kind of do that and making that a practice. And I think that that's a good point. It's like an exercise. You've got to keep trying.

Totally. Well, I think it's awesome that you're an extrovert because I feel like there's a lot we could learn from one another, even though both of us appear to be natural networkers.

Is that right? Yeah. Yeah, I think we can. Yeah, definitely. We can all learn from each other for sure.

Totally. Always room for improvement, right? Always, always. Which, can I tell you a quick story that, uh, this is a story like once in a while I remember and I just kind of laugh to myself and then I go back to whatever it is I'm doing, but it's not a story that I ever get to talk about. Um, so when I graduated in 2011 from the University of Tampa, you know, the job market was still super tough and you know, I was still figuring out who I was and what I wanted to do. So, you know, a difficult economy combined with being kind of a little bit of a lost but ambitious, um, 20, 21-year-old. So I, you know, was applying all these different places, you know, that I'd see on like LinkedIn or Facebook or whatever. And there was this company, I'm not sure I should say their name, but there was this company that was looking for like marketing. I think it was marketing coordinators or like event coordinators. Either way, like what they were advertising for is not the job that actually was. What it actually was was that I went to basically a tryout at like a Sam's Club in Lakeland. It was so bizarre and it was product demonstrations and not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just, that's not what an event coordinator is to me. But yeah, so I was in the interview afterwards, like still processing like why I was in the middle of Lakeland at the Sam's Club on like a Saturday for what I thought was an event coordinator position. And the young woman interviewing me asked me on a scale of 1 to 10, like how, how 'How reliable am I?' And I said, 'Well, 10.' And she said, 'No room for improvement?' And I was like, in my head, I was like, 'Well, either you're reliable or you're not. How are you like 5 on reliability?' Right?

Right. Right.

Now it's funny, like I just said, like, 'Oh, there's always room for improvement,' a second ago in our conversation, unless we're talking about reliability. Right. Right.

It's like if you call 911 and you need the, like, the ambulance to come get you, you want them to be 100% reliable, right?

Like, yeah, either you're gonna be there or you're not, and I need to know. Yeah, so it was just, you know, what a weird day in my past. And it's just like, that's one of the most bizarre interviews I've ever been in.

It's funny that you say that. It's true. It's like one of those weird things. It's like, either you're reliable or you're not. It's kind of like the principle, let your yes mean yes or your no mean no. Except when, like some people say except, and you're like, yeah, but 99% of the time your yes should mean yes and your no should mean no. That's just me. I'm very like, that's how I am about things in general. My husband will tell you, he's like, oh my gosh, she's serious about this. She will crawl out of the depths of death to make sure that whatever is going to happen is going to happen because she said yes to you. That's just my personality. But it's kind of one of those things. I don't want to be known as the flake.

Totally.

Why?

Yes, that's like one of my personal fears. It's like I never want to be like, well, she said she was gonna do this and she didn't do it. Like, no, that will never happen. Knock on this table.

Right, exactly.

You know, like I, uh, like live and die by that. Yeah, for sure, as well.

Well, to kind of go a little bit on a completely different thing, besides not— yeah, besides wanting to be reliable, what inspires you to do what you do today?

Like, man, well, that's a great question. Um, what inspires me to, to do what I do, like, it's due in part to, like, personally, not that I don't want to hear, like, where you're from, but, like, selfishly, like, I want to cut right to the meat and potatoes and I want to talk about, like, your goals and, you know, like, tell me about your travels and tell me about, um, you know, like, what do you tell yourself when things get difficult? And like, I just really like to talk more about those types of things. And I get to do that with Babe Crafted all day long. So that's, you know, personally, like, why I do what I do. I love to hear these stories and share these stories because I know that there's someone else out there who's struggling with that. And if they can hear from someone that they admire that they also struggle with that, that's going to help them get through whatever it is that they're working on. So because it's helped me in the past, you know, like that was a part of the reason why I started interviewing artists because I felt like artists were really good at kind of coping with life, if you will, and I just felt like I wasn't, you know, I felt like I was always on fire. So, you know, over time of like hearing more people talk to me about how they're able to get through life on the challenging days has been really helpful. So I love being able to get through life easier personally, and then also helping others do the same. And, you know, some people are really, really want to tell their story but just don't quite know how to go about it. So I also like being that person to help them bring their story to light because everyone's journey has been different. So it's just, it's really exciting to hear about the differences and also what's the same.

Yeah. Do you find it difficult though getting people to get to the meat and potatoes?

Oh, that's a good question. No.

Hey!

No, I mean, not that I'm the kind of person that's like, so tell me about your marriage. Like, not like that. I'm not going to just like bust in and be like, tell me about your relationship with your mom. You know, not that personal. Although, you know, if a relationship develops, I'm happy to talk about those things as well. But, you know, I have found that You know, asking people kindly, they're willing to share. You know, I'm not asking— like, for example, I have a lot of tattoos, and someone— I can tell when someone's asking me about a tattoo because they genuinely want to know the answer, and when they just want to kind of poke at me and talk about my tattoos and like tell me like, "Oh, what's going to happen one day when you grow old and your skin changes?" You know, so I can ask these questions coming from a place of being genuine. So I think people are really willing to share when they feel like they're being listened to.

Isn't it amazing? I'm actually working on a class that talks about this, about this whole word of authenticity. Like it's being thrown around like this hot buzzword right now. I feel like everybody's like, oh, you need to be authentic. And I'm like, do you really know what that means? Like, do you really know what that actually means for you to be without having behind it some other alternative motive behind it, you know what I'm saying? And so what you just said, which is like, no, I really just want to know how, what it is that is going on with you, and maybe I can help you, maybe I can't, and maybe just talking to you about this will help you. Like, it's not necessarily like, you know, you're like, I'm out here to get you to be a member, but hey, like, we had a conversation before, um, I just reached out to you and I was like, I would love to chat with you, and you Reached out to me and we just chatted and was like, okay, great. And we had a genuine, authentic conversation without any— I don't even know what the word is. We didn't have any preconceived ideas of what exactly we wanted to come out of. That was just a conversation and we really enjoyed it. And I think that's missing in the world of this whole fab, be authentic. You know, how does that really— what does that really mean?

Totally. Like, I mean, Being authentic is more than just a hashtag, you know, it's more than just a buzzword. Like, be authentic, I feel like, is the, like, content creator entrepreneurship kind of way of saying be yourself. I mean, that they're basically the same thing. You know, I watched actually the movie Eighth Grade by Bo Burnham last night with my partner. And have you seen the movie Eighth Grade? So the premise of the movie is about this, this young girl who is an 8th grader, and she makes these YouTube— I mean, this isn't— the premise isn't that she makes YouTube videos, but just to kind of give you some background. So the movie opens with her making a YouTube video about being yourself and how important it is to be yourself. And yet this is something that she's not actually able to do in real life, you know. So it's, it's not easy being yourself, but it is worth exploring and trying. So if you can actually say, I am being myself, and I'm cool with that, then you're in a good place.

Yeah, exactly. So that moves me like so right into the next statement, question I have for you.

Oh, perfect.

What are some fears that you've had to overcome? Because being who we are, choosing who we are, and especially I think as entrepreneurs and especially for businesses like yours and mine where we're really focused on helping other people be the best versions of themselves and to really connect to themselves. At times, I know for me personally, you can find yourself being like, am I doing that for myself? Like, am I really being me? Am I really being who I am? Am I really sharing my story? And it can be a little scary to kind of like dig deep and shit, like open that up and share that with other people. So What would you say you've had to overcome some fears?

Definitely. Something that has been a fear of mine, like throughout my career, is that I never feel like what I'm doing is enough. You know, and I'll kind of work myself into a frenzy about like what I'm not being enough about or what have you. And then I end up, you know, I have a conversation with like a friend or my partner and I realize like, well, no one has told you that you're not doing a good job. Like no one has come to you and said, like, this isn't enough and you need to do better. Like, people are saying the opposite. So that fear is coming from yourself. And, you know, I have had to get better at catching myself when that's the case and kind of pulling myself out of it because it's— there has to be enough, you know, like you're a human being and your time and resources are valuable. And the things that, you know, I'm choosing to spend my time on are worthwhile and awesome. That's, that's proof that it's enough, you know. So like just kind of continuing to keep that reined in is kind of an ongoing thing that I practice, if you will.

Yeah, I think too, I think, um, in general the world likes to make everyone feel that they're not enough in some way, shape, or form. Yeah. But I also think we have to choose not to believe it, you know. We have to choose to believe that that what we do is enough. And regardless if someone next to us who's doing the exact same business is doing like $3 billion in sales versus us doing, you know, $300 in sales, that may be enough for us right now in our intention and in our path of where we're going versus that person over there that's doing something massively big. That might be enough for them. And it also can be too much. We don't know what's happening in their life. Like, we don't know what's going on for them. So you don't know what's going on behind those doors, right? Exactly. So, um, I think it's great that you recognize your fear. I think, I think we all have that. I think as women in general, we have that fear. Am I enough?

Like, am I enough?

And I think I was listening to something recently where it's like, yeah, we have to tell ourselves we are enough, um, because we are told a lot of times that we are not, and it's important for us to keep that in mind. So That's, that's, that's good. You are doing great.

Thank you. Thank you. And it's, it's so nice to hear, you know, to hear those words from someone on the outside. And I really appreciate when I can be that voice for other people as well, because, you know, I mean, there are definitely days where you can motivate yourself and kind of maybe pull yourself out of a challenging day, but sometimes it's just you need someone else to kind of come in and help you out with that.

Right. Yeah, that's, that's a good point too. Like, you know, I feel like in your business, probably even though you're helping your members come to like open up about their stories and find resources, you're kind of like their life coach, sort of to be like, hey, this is— you can do what you can do and here's how you can do it. I think we all need those partners in life that that just really just raises up, recognize the challenges where there are challenges and make improvements where we can and continue to grow. And I think this idea of collaboration is so important in the entrepreneur space now, and especially as women, because we've always kind of had that back, like, nasty attitude. I don't know what the negative attitude about helping each other out is. Either you or me. It doesn't need to be that way. It could be us, and we both succeed. We can do that if we do it together.

Totally. Yeah, it's, you know, sometimes, uh, I do fall into that kind of competitive trap, if you will. Um, you know, I totally, you know, when it comes down to it, I want to be kind and supportive towards other women, like whether they're members or not, you know. Um, You know, something, something I run into sometimes is that, you know, people who maybe, you know, are looking to utilize our audience or resources for, for their business. And, you know, I just, I just like to be seen in return. You know, sometimes I feel like, you know, I'm totally happy to help you and be a part of what you're doing, but I'm not— I'm a human being and I'm a business owner too, and I also want to feel like 'You actually care about what I'm doing.' So I think that there can always be more community on both sides, you know, for no matter what's going on. So it's something that I continue to work on to be a better community partner, and that I also appreciate when people in return are supportive and kind and all that fun stuff.

Yeah, no, yeah, it really helps. To me, it builds, you know, just a stronger community when everyone works together.

Totally.

And, you know, it just works better that way. So with running a business like this, I can't imagine. I can't imagine when I see your content and all of the videos and your blog posts and your newsletters. Like, I— well, first of all, whoop to you because that is a lot of content. Like, it's like no joke. That is a lot of content. To be putting out there and then to be hosting and scheduling events and like designing events and being in other people's different businesses because you have lawyers in your members, you have photographers, you have— tell me a little bit more about like what makes up your membership right now. Like, who are these women in the membership?

Totally. So we have currently 70 members in our girl gang and They've been in business on average of 4 years.

Okay.

Although, you know, some business owners, you know, maybe have been in business for a year or two, some have been in business for 10. So it just really kind of runs the gamut. Industries, like you were saying, from legal to accounting to floral design and photography, you know, I think that— not I think, I know that the group is stronger when there are more voices in the mix. So even though, like, for example, you know, maybe you're a photographer and say like, Jacqueline Jenkins is a financial advisor. Even though you're from different industries, you're working through the same challenges. You can really learn from each other, you know, in the same way that you could learn from fellow photographers. So it's a really cool, wonderful community of women that are just ready to support one another, you know, whether it be a day that they just accomplished something awesome and they want to talk about it, or it's, it's been a rough day and they just need some some feedback or what have you. Our members are also mostly based in Tampa and St. Pete. We do only have one location at this time, and our membership is, I'd say it's about 60/40, it's like 60% in-person opportunities and about 40% digital. But I am looking to expand to have a digital membership in 2020.

Sweet. Oh, that would be That would be cool. That sounds awesome.

Thank you so much.

So with all of those women and all those different types of businesses and being in two different cities on two different sides of the bay, yeah, how do you balance your life and your business? Like, how do you find balance? I know balance is different for everyone. What that word balance is like a faux pas in a lot of places. And if you listen to my previous podcast with Courtney, she talks about balance is like it's not really a thing. It's so different for everybody. But how do you find, you know, that seesaw life? Like, how do you balance that out?

That's an awesome question. So it's funny that you mentioned that balance, you know, in a lot of circles, you know, people will tell you that balance is not attainable. And I've heard, I met like one of my members and she's also a really awesome local business owner. Her name is Andrea Lane. Her business is called The Creative Spring, and she's talked about calling, instead of saying work-life balance, calling it harmony. Because, you know, having these different pieces of your life work in harmony together is a lot more attainable than balance because you're never gonna, you know, you're never gonna be able to really give everything an equal amount of attention and time. So you've got to kind of, it's, it's in flux. So that's a great question. And some days I feel like I've got things under control. Like today is one of those days. I'm like, man, I'm like rocking this. I've got I know what I need to accomplish today and this week and things are good and I went to the gym and I ate yogurt for breakfast like heck yes. But then there are days where the day is completely the opposite where I'm just like I'm overbooked. How am I going to get all this done? It's just crazy. So another thing I practice, I used to work almost every day because I was creating a lot more content. Believe it or not, when I first started BabeCrafted, I was doing 5 blog posts a week because because I really, at the time, I thought we were going to be like a lifestyle company for women with a focus on entrepreneurship, but that's not— it's changed a lot since then. We're the same at our mission, but I'm not creating 5 blog posts a week anymore. But to do that, I had to work 6, 7 days a week, and it was intense. So I've had to adjust my priorities and focus more on a quality over quantity type of, um, not just way of approaching my business, but also lifestyle, because you can't be everything to everyone. You can't be everywhere. So we might as well just niche this down and just really rock whatever it is you decide to focus on, you know. So, um, it's, it's a work in progress, but for the most part, I, you know, I only now for going from working 6 to 7 days a week. You know, now usually I have weekends off with my partner because he has a 9 to 5 type of work schedule. You know, I have time to take my dog to the dog park and, you know, have coffee on the weekends with my in-laws and do things that really matter. And then I can go back to work on Monday and kick butt for real. So, you know, And I know that there are some business owners who are still kind of struggling to get to that kind of point where they're working 5 days a week and not 6 or 7. So I just wanted to say like, there's definitely a light at the end of the tunnel for you and you matter and having time for yourself is important. So I hope that you can get closer to a place where you've got more harmony, if you will.

Yeah, no, I love that. I love that. I love that approach to thinking harmony. I mean, I mean, it's really hard to give everything equal amount of time. It doesn't really exist. I'm like, if you really think about it, you know, for even for myself personally, I spend in my business, there's my business, then there's my personal life with my husband, my family, and then there's my spiritual life, which for me, my spiritual life gets most of my attention, you know, because that's me the most thing. And it also helps me keep everything else. And it's in its proper place, in my opinion. So it's so interesting to hear that word harmony to be used because that's really how you have to cut. You're like buying time from different things. There's no, it's not like, oh, this is going to get 50 minutes of my time and that's going to, it just doesn't usually work out like that. And being able to find a happy medium, a harmony where everything kind of flows together. It's really hard though, which is hard. Yes, it's really hard though. I mean, for myself recently, I just kind of did a revamp of my business to kind of incorporate my real story of like why I'm doing what I'm doing now versus what I used to be doing and why I'm in this situation now versus where I want to be and where reality is and finding the harmony and the balance in that is I think a lot of my listeners, a lot of the people that I work with, that's kind of the ever-going thing to try to find is trying to find that harmony with everything in your life that you're not feeling like, you know, you're sailing away in one direction and nothing else is coming with you. So I like that. Yeah.

Thanks. And it's helpful to hear from you as well. I mean, when you were saying that your spirituality ends up taking a lot of your time and energy. I mean, it's important to know what your priorities are so that you can give them the proper time. I mean, if you— I'm sure that the case is that if you are feeling in line with your spirituality, then there are other parts of your life that flow easier.

Yeah.

So it's, it's just really important to keep in check what your priorities are so you can help them flow in the right directions and give them that time that they need. So that's That's great that you've got that figured out. So, you know, okay, here's where I need to start and then I can work on the other pieces and then we'll have some synergy.

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. So best advice you've ever been given? I know this is a hard question. It's a hard question for me. Someone asked me this and I'd be like, girl, please. I don't know. There's too many advices. Like my grandparents probably could— I could write a book on as much advice that my grandparents gave me. But if you have to pick maybe one or two, you know, what would they be for you?

Well, first let me say that I think you should write that book of all the advice your grandparents have given you. I would love to read it. I'm sure they had a lot of awesome things to pass down, and that's awesome.

They really did.

Yeah, so I'm gonna answer this question and then I want you to share one of the things that they have passed on to you because I have to hear at least one thing today. Okay. So I would say my mom used to say a lot like jump that bridge when you get to it. That was just one of the things that she said pretty often. And, you know, I heard it a lot growing up. And now it like, as an adult, you, yeah, you can't, you can't go, you can't work on multiple issues at the same time, you know. So thinking of things in terms of like, being able to switch between micro and macro is going to be really helpful. I mean, another way to say it is like, looking at the individual trees versus the forest. I mean, you can't focus on both at the same time. So what is the most urgent? Work on that and then work on the next thing when, when you can, because otherwise you'll drive yourself crazy. Multitasking is not real. You're just, you know, you, you think that you're kind of like kicking butt and taking names, but you're really just depleting your energy a lot faster. And probably, you know, it leaves a lot more room for, for little errors here and there because you're not giving anything your full attention. So less multitasking, more focusing on what the current task at hand is.

Yeah, that's great advice. That is great advice. Yeah. Multitasking is a joke. We like to think we're good at it. Especially men think women are so good at multitasking. I'm like, I don't know if we're that— I mean, we're good in the sense of, like, yeah, we can do a lot more than you can probably in a period of time. But there is something to it. About just focusing on things one at a time. And the whole idea of that, like you were saying about the energy aspect, it takes a lot more energy to be jumping from here to here to here to here to here. I mean, it's exhausting by the end of the day to work or live like that. So really, you know, a good friend of mine tells me you need to learn to time block, which is really hard for me because I am a very— I can be like all over the place. And it can become frustrating for me and I'm like, oh, I didn't finish this. But I've learned over the last year because of just dealing with my own situation that I really have to focus on one thing at a time and I get a lot more done. I feel a lot better, you know, a lot happier and more fulfilled when that happens. But naturally by itself, I'm very much of a hopper.

I hear you on that, especially, you know, as a business owner, there are so many things that are kind of calling your name, you know, that want your attention. Oh, you just got an Instagram message. Oh, you have this email. That needs to, you know, you have to respond to. Oh, you've got an inquiry. I mean, there's so much going on at any given time. And that's just like the day-to-day things. That's not even like the kind of looking at the forest and like, oh, I need to revamp my website, you know, like some of the bigger items. But especially since a lot of the work that we do is digital, on days that I'm hopping around, by the end of the day, I kind of wonder like, what did I even accomplish today? I did a little bit of everything, but what really got off that list? List, but if I tackle one thing at a time, then I can really tell you, oh, here's exactly what I did today. Here's where my time went. You know, so again, you know, it's definitely there. It's not a perfect system. I mean, there— I'm not able to do this every day, but I do try. I'm working on getting myself to a place where it's like, no, this is what we're doing. What are our priorities? Don't get distracted. You know, like distraction is the enemy of I think entrepreneurship, because both because there's so much going on and you feel maybe a little overwhelmed. And then also there's that element of FOMO where you're like, oh, but this person's doing that and this is going on here. But that's well and good, but you've got this you need to work on right now.

So yeah, yeah, FOMO is a real thing. Like, that is really hard. Yeah, it's— I mean, it's just so hard because so many other people are doing so many amazing things. I mean, especially as an entrepreneur, especially if you're in the creative space. I mean, there's some awesome, like, it's just awesome people out there, right? There's awesome things that people are doing and you're like, man, I should be doing that, or I should be doing that, or I should be doing that. And it's kind of like, okay, where am I, you know, refocusing and what in this moment in time needs to be completed and matters the most to me instead of what matters the most to someone else. Because 2 seconds ago you were really into that one thing and then so-and-so did something else and you're like, oh wait, Shiny, fluffy something. It's just an interesting thing, but it is really hard as an entrepreneur to kind of focus. But once you do, it makes things work so, so much better. So funny you said that. My husband was laughing at me yesterday because I was like, yeah, I finally— my brain finally decided to work on this one project I've been working on for 3 months now. And he's like, yeah, so what happened? I'm like, I don't know. I think it's it just clicked. I gave myself some time this morning to really just put everything else behind me. I worked, you know, I spent like an hour or two on some spiritual thinking and focusing, and then everything else just flowed. And usually I leave my spiritual time for the end of the day, and I was like, I really need to switch that up because my brain, like, it was like a, like a vortex of awesomeness happening for the rest of the day that day. Because yesterday, because I was just like, oh man, this works. And then I was able to focus. So like, your advice is to just find that one thing and kind of just work on it and find your priorities. Priorities are so important and then enjoy the process of that.

Totally. So I really liked the story that you shared, Nikita, about that you were typically having your spiritual time at the end of the day versus at the beginning. And it's really helpful to know that you had an amazing day where you started with that. So now you can shift that around and hopefully have more awesome days like that. It's, you know, it's— we're all learning as we go. And once you find something that's a better fit, I think that that's a really exciting thing. And then you can change it up to whatever is going to work for you.

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah. So to answer your earlier question about the best advice my grandparents ever gave me, my grandfather used to always say, keep living.

And I used to think, what in the world?

By that, Lord have mercy. He would say anytime I would be really harsh on like a certain circumstance, like something that someone would say or do, he would be like, "You just need to keep living." Like, I'll be like, "I'm living right now. What are you talking about? I can see it clearly because I am not in their situation and I am just like grown and I know all these things." And no, I didn't. And so later in life, my grandmother used to play like, you know why he used to tell you that all the time? And I was like, why? He's like, because you have a really, um, in a lot of ways you look at things black and white, but then you have a lot of gray in your areas in the sense that you think you know what could have been better in that situation. But when it happens to you in your life, you'll see it completely different. So that's why he tell you keep living, because you just, you'll see things completely different, like in a completely different light. It won't be gray anymore, it won't be black or white, it will be whatever color you're living in at that moment. And I kind of understood that, but I didn't really understand that. Like when she said, she explained it to me, now that I'm in my 30s and living a completely different circumstances, like in the last just 5 years, it makes complete sense to me. And it's kind of made more sense to me in my business, even like in business, we kind of look at other people's businesses and think, oh, they're doing so amazing and everything's great on the outside. But until you like really dive in with that person, and to see what it took to get to where they were, you realize, oh, it's not that easy. You realize it's not without struggle. You realize it's not without pain and heartache and tears. You realize all those things. You realize that it's just not as easy as like, oh, someone posted this today. Like, it took a lot for someone to post maybe a personal piece about their life or their story. And so now I find myself telling other people that, keep living, honey. Keep living. Yeah.

Oh my gosh.

You just don't know. Your life, what it is right now could change, but you gonna see. Keep living.

What a wonderful story. Thank you so much for sharing that. And I feel like at first when you first said it, I thought that it was being interpreted as like, you need to just keep on living your life. Like, don't let things kind of get you down. But then when you shared more of the story, I can see that's like, you need to live more life, you know, like, you need to grow more, learn more, you know, gain some more wisdom. So I really like that, that kind of little couple of words because it can apply to almost any situation. So whether, you know, on a good day or a rough day, you can say, well, I'm just, I'm going to keep on living.

Exactly. Exactly. Exactly.

That's wonderful.

So if you were to like tell an entrepreneur some tools or tricks that they can use in their business today, what would you say that they definitely need to implement into their life?

That's a great question. Um, so my first instinct is to say to set a timer, um, on your Instagram so that you don't become just a mindless scroller. You will save so much time time if you're looking at less photos of Zac Efron on Instagram. You know, just saying from experience. So you can set it in Instagram so you can say like, okay, well notify me when I've spent 30 minutes or an hour, especially like if you've gotten your posts up for the day, you know, do what you need to do and then get out of there and get on to the next task, you know, like that extra time milling around like watching a video love an otter, like get a bath. I mean, there's a time and a place for that. And like, whatever, like get your, you know, look at your fun otter videos when, you know, but not, not all the time and not every day and not when you have a spare couple of minutes because maybe in the, in the moment you don't feel like that time is, is already assigned somewhere, but there's, you know, that's really good valuable productivity time. So, you know, jokes aside, that timer has been really helpful helpful for me to keep me in check so I know how much time has gone by. Time is a finite resource. It's very valuable. So that's one tip I'd say. And then another thing is to— another thing like Andrea Lane has talked to me about like closing my inbox when it's not time to actively respond to emails. I am kind of like notorious to be always answering emails in real time. And that's just not an efficient way to work. Not every email is urgent. Not every message is urgent. So when it's time to respond to emails, great, go for it. And then when it's not, close your inbox and then work on whatever it is you need to be working on, whether it's content creation or it's, you know, responding to inquiries or what have you, whatever that task is. So I think just being really aware of the time you're spending on social media or in your inbox and things like that has been really helpful for me. And it's something I'm still working on, but I've definitely gotten better.

That's awesome. Would you also say that working with a community is important too? Like finding a group of people, like your tribe? I call it like finding your tribe is important for you to really grow and succeed.

Yes. Nobody builds anything worthwhile alone. I mean, even the most like talented, self-motivated person, like you still need to get inspiration from other places. You still need to get feedback from other people and places. So finding that group of people that you can go to is going to be so important along the way. Like these are people who can be your voice of reason, can be your cheerleaders, that you can collaborate with and maybe even, you know, refer your clients to theirs and vice versa. So it's going to be so helpful for you mentally and emotionally as an entrepreneur, because being an entrepreneur can feel really isolating. You know, like if you, if you aren't kind of mindful of it, like you'll, you'll, you'll feel alone and like you're the only person going through these challenges, but that could not be further from the truth. Um, everybody has, has been there before, um, mentally and emotionally it's helpful. And then also for your business, you know, as far as making more sales, booking more clients, meeting more people who could be a good fit for the product or service you offer, It's, it's a, you'll notice the difference, you know, when you, when you meet these people who are, are going to support you and you support them in return. So yeah, it's monumental for sure.

That's awesome. So I love that advice and I love all of those things. Yeah. Instagram is a time sucker and emails are too. Like those are the two biggest, I think, time suckers in our lives when it comes to being entrepreneurs. We're just stuck there and we need to get unstuck. Suck. And community is everything. I believe that for your business, for anything really, but specifically if you're trying to grow in your business and really thrive there, you have to— you got to not be by yourself. Plus, it's not a good place to be. Just always in your own mind, your own perspective. When you kind of reach out and go somewhere else, you get a completely different worldview of things and you're able to be more open-minded and make some changes where it needs to be and serve. To me, it allows you to serve better, allows you to give more, allows you to do those things when you reach out to a community.

Totally. And, you know, building a— being a part of a community and building relationships, like, they take time and energy and patience, but you got to show up and, you know, be kind and be supportive and people will will be that for you in return. And it's, yeah, so important.

Yeah. Well, thank you so much for being on the show, Gina. I have loved it, loved it, loved it. I am so like, I'm so excited because I got to know you like really like deeper, like where your background is and where you're coming from. And we kind of like on a little bit of a similar like pathway there. And I think that's super cool. And I think your advice and your wisdom and what you're doing with BabeCrafted is amazing.. So thank you again for being on the show. Let us know how we can find you like online and if you have any cool things happening that you want us to know about.

Definitely. And thank you so much for having me, Nikita, and for giving me the chance to, to share and to get to know you better as well. You know, when I know that this wasn't set up to where I was interviewing you, but I still got some amazing stories from you and these kinds of stories just stick with me. And, you know, one day, you know, that those words from your awesome grandfather are going to help me, and I'm sure help listeners too. So thank you so much. If ladies are interested in getting in touch, which I hope they are, I'd love to hear from you. You can find us on babecrafted.com or on Facebook and Instagram @babecrafted. You can even email me at hello@babecrafted.com and say hey.

All right, ladies, thank you for listening. And I hope this conversation inspired you. Be sure to subscribe and tell a friend. That's it on this episode, and yes, you are crafted to thrive.