Episode 52 - Woodley White See How She Started A Subscription Box For Fellow Foodies

I do really believe 100% from every part of me that everyone has the capacity to be able to do the things that they want and not to be held back by the mental baggage that's in our head that we want to push through.

Welcome to the do the Thing podcast. In each episode, we get down and personal with people who go after the things they want to make all their wildest dreams come true. Join us as we unveil and dissect a formula for what it takes to do the thing. Here is your host, Stacy Lauren.

Hey, everyone. Welcome to the do the Thing podcast. This is your host, Stacey Lauren. So, guys, this is going to be fun. I recently got connected to our next guest, and I'm so thrilled to be able to sit down and talk with her more about what she's up to. As you guys know, or if you are just joining us today, this podcast is all about people who do the thing, and the thing is really whatever that thing is to them. So it could be starting a business, it could be traveling the world, starting a new relationship, whatever it is they want to do in life without being held back by anything that we could say to ourselves or others can say to us. It's really just going after what you want, pushing forward no matter what gets in your way. Well, the guest I have on today is in the middle of doing just that. She just started a new business, and I've been so impressed with how she's able to push forward and implement as fast as she does. Her business is called Foodies United, and she has a monthly subscription box that gives you a curated experience that is so elevated. It makes you feel so special and so loved. I love it when you get to see a business or a product where you can see the owner of the company's heart and soul poured into each layer that goes inside of what they deliver. So I am so excited to introduce you guys to Woodley White.

Hey, Woodley. Hi. Yay.

We are doing this. I'm so excited.

Me, too. I'm a little bit nervous, but, you know, that's just how it is. Yeah.

And I love. I love that you said that about being nervous, because I think so many people will be nervous, but then not do the thing.

Yeah. Yeah. Trust me. I was like that at first, too.

Yeah.

And I think it's great because when I asked you, well, so I'm in the middle. I don't know if I even told you I'm in the middle of doing this. It's a do the thing dating dare challenge, and I'm working on giveaways for the people in the group. There's a hundred people that I'm doing a beta test group with them. And. Yeah. And I started figuring out, like, what could I give them, you know, to get them excited to do these things, to set them out of their comfort zone. And then all of a sudden, I thought of your product, and I was like, oh, my gosh. So if I'm going to have her product, I've got to be able to interview you. And then I realized, like, it was the perfect, like, you're. You are exactly who I want to interview. Because I don't know if I. I've met anyone yet. That's at the beginning of it, you know, where you're still just getting traction and. And everyone's starting to really get excited about what you're doing, but you're still, like, building. And I love that we're able to talk because, you know, what inspires people a lot of times is it's hard to, like, see the person that's already sold the $40 million business, you know, but right at the beginning, at this, like, where you've already got traction, I just think you're going to be able to inspire so many people by just being able to talk about what you're doing today.

Oh, thank you. That is the first time anybody has said something that deep and thoughtful about me, about the business, so. Cool.

Well, I would love to. I know I gave a little bit about what you do, but I'd love to just kind of dive in more. And if you can just talk about just your background and your story, and then we can kind of go from there.

Okay. So I guess we have to start with me being in college, because that was the time where I was doing a lot of things and I didn't. I guess, just like everybody else, I didn't know what I wanted to do, if I wanted to go in corporate America, and how any of my life will work out. So after I graduated, I had just won, I think it was like, $5,000 from this challenge I was in. In college, and I was just like, what can I do with this money? How can I make more money off of this money? And so Foodies United really came from that. I wanted to do something that didn't involve corporate America. I just knew I did not want to be in corporate America. I didn't want to be printing and scheduling, and that's just not me. I want creativ being in charge of my life. So I was like, what can I do? And I love food. I really, really. I am obsessed with food. I literally live to eat rather than eat to live. So I was like, well, I could probably do a business off of this. And I was like, well, I could cook or bake, but I really can't cook or bake. So I was like, that's not going to work. And then I came upon foodie fashion. So Foodies United originally was a T shirt business where I sold T shirts with foodie related illustrations. And at the time, I didn't realize, like, with COVID people wasn't going out. So it really wasn't working for me. And so I was. I had to pivot, basically. And I was like, well, what else can I do? What can people actually use? Especially in a time like Covid where everybody's at home and they're bored out of their mind. So that's where I kind of came up with Foodies United subscription box, where every month I do like a themed box where it has anything from a mango cobbler candle to drink floaty to whatever, a biscotti, like, whatever the theme is. I just was like, that would be very fun for somebody to be at their doorstep again with us being. Well, with us being in Covid at the time and shut down. I was like, well, wouldn't that be amazing for people to have a foodie related box at their doorstep every month and they can open it and share with their friends and family? So that's kind of where felicianada came from. I just really love food. I'm very creative, and I really wanted to mix those two together. And.

That'S kind of how it happened. And now here we are four months later. I just sent out my fourth box yesterday, so, yeah, I love it.

I like, I. Well, I love that we're talking at the beginning because this is going to be so fun for you to listen to.

In addition to the people that will hear this and be like, well, you know, Woodley's going after it, you know, and then hearing your story, I just think that's going to be so cool. So the one thing that's really cool is, well, there's a lot in what you said that's really amazing, but one of the things that really struck me is you getting that 5,000 doll and then being a college student and already having that mindset of saying you want to do something with it that's going to impact your financial future versus I think a lot of other college students might get $5,000.

Somewhere.

Yeah, probably spending my games and stuff.

I'm wondering where did that come from? That idea? Is this just something you've always thought of is how can I maximize the money I get? Or. Or what? Was there any more to that?

Well, for me, again, since I'm so creative and I was. I just got out of college and I didn't know what I wanted to do in my life. Even If I spent $5,000 on my game, TVs, clothes, all of that, I would have still been met with the question of, okay, what's next? Like, am I going to get a corporate job? Am I going to. Am I going to do something else? Like, am I going to be a freelancer? I just didn't know what I wanted to do, so I was like, if I could just use this five. Obviously the $5,000 didn't go completely to the business. I spent it on some stuff that I wanted, but majority of it did because I was just like, eventually I will have to figure out what I wanted to do. And since I am in a time where I'm blessed enough to either have this $5,000, I just wanted to spend it wisely and spend it on something that I can make more money off of in the long run. So that. That's kind of how. Where that came from.

Yeah. That's so great. So did you end up. Did you say you ended up getting a degree in college?

Yes, I got a marketing degree.

Oh, you actually did get a marketing degree. That's amazing. It's great how when you actually get a degree that you. You can use.

Yes. And the crazy part is it was because I have to constantly make money, I actually had to hire a marketing manager. But at least I know what to tell her, you know, what I'm looking for and when I want it done and stuff like that. So it is coming in handy.

Yeah, that's great. Well, it's so much easier to. Yeah. To manage someone when you know. When you know what the job is, which is so good. I love that. Well, so. And I also love that thought that you had where you already trying to figure out what your passion was by you loving food, loving to eat, and then realizing, well, I can't cook, I can't bake, what can I do? You know, it wasn't like you weren't like, oh, I can't get into this business because I don't know how to do these things. You figured out how you can make something work with. With something that you already love.

Yes, that was. That was very important to me because obviously I don't want to poison somebody with my food, so didn't want that to happen. So I was like, well, T shirts is probably the best bet for me right now. And again, because people wasn't going out, obviously they wasn't buying T shirts, so kind of had to piv. But it still worked out in the long run. And I do plan on bringing the shirts back later on down the line.

Yeah. So. And I was going to talk to you more about the T shirt business. And, like, what didn't work so was that the main thing was just that it was. You were trying to launch it during COVID and people just weren't leaving their house. They had no need to buy T shirts.

It was that. And then because after some time, like I said, the $5,000 was running short, so every sometime, I couldn't really outsource these shirts, so I couldn't have somebody else making them for me. So I bought the T shirt press, I bought the printer, the sublimation ink. Like, I did all that. And I was doing the shirts myself. And it just got to a point where it was too much for me. And then I couldn't give the people what they wanted. So I could only do it on white shirts. I couldn't do it on black shirts, green shirts, orange shirts, because Sublimation Inc. Just cannot do those things. So that's another reason why it didn't work. Yeah. So those would be the two reasons why. And I feel like if I could have outsourced it, that would have worked better. But then I'm a creative person, so I like to be in the middle of, you know, creating the experience for the customers. And with outsourcing it, they would just send it to the customers, and I wouldn't have stay in the packaging. And I really. That's the one thing I love about having Foodie's United. I love that I can create the packaging and create the experience for the customers. And every month, it's a unique and unique experience. And with outsourcing, they just wouldn't be able to do that. So those are the top three things.

Yeah, I like that you. You really use that T shirt business as a way to really see what you did want too. And I know might bring it back on, you know, knowing what you know now. But I think it's cool when you talk about pivoting, because the pivoting is another piece of the formula for the do the thing formula, because there's so many people that will get so stuck on that rigidity of what they're doing that it's hard for them to be flexible, you know, and be able to, well, this isn't working. Let me do this. And I feel like that was a big part of what you were able to do through this, which is really cool.

Yes. Pivoting was an amazing choice on my end because I could have stopped after the T shirts. I could have said, you know, this didn't work. Let me stop. I quit. But I just. There's just something about the vision that I have and the life that I want to live. And, you know, I also see that with the T shirts, it made people happy, you know, and I just really wanted to keep doing that. I didn't want to stop and quit and go into corporate America. I really wanted to keep going. So I really put in the work into exactly what I wanted the subscription box to be. At first it was going to be like completely kitchen things like plate, cutlery, all of these things. And I was going to make it myself and it was just going to be a lot. And I really had to kind of condense all of that into what it is now, which is just food related things, food items, so that, you know, people can get an amazing experience without me on my end being completely over my head once I get a thousand orders and I have to make a thousand plates, you know, so it was amazing.

Yeah. And I think that's the thing that really stands out about the box is just how, gosh, I want to use the word innovative, you know, because, like, it really is that experience. Like, I know when I just. Yeah, I just signed up for my subscription box, I think. Yeah. And it's like, when you get it, it's just like you. I feel the love pouring out of it.

Thank you. I try. That's what I want. I want people to feel an experience. I want them to be happy that they got it. I just, I want people to be happy about food because food is amazing. Yeah.

And I like that you're. It's food, but I like that you're also surrounding it with other things that are connected to the food to create that, like that multisensory experience. Because I know. I think it's the mango cobbler candle that I'm obsessed with. And I remember being so excited that you sold it separately after I used it, you know, after the box. And because you're. You're getting them to really feel all the senses so they get that true experience. I think you're really A master at that. I just thought I would add that.

Thank you. Thank you. I try. I really do. I wanted everything in the box. If someone really liked it, I wanted them to be able to go on the website, order it again. Because, again, the reason I created it was because, you know, you can go to Walmart, you can't go to Target, and you can't find, you know, these generic things. But when you get my box, these are things for small businesses that otherwise cannot be or they don't sell in Walmart or Target. Like, they're not big enough to be in Walmart. At Target, these are small businesses that's just trying to get their products out there. So for me, I wanted them to be able to be brought to, you know, more people through me, through Foodies United. And so whether it's a body butter or a cancel or food, I just wanted to also highlight small businesses that are also out there doing the thing. So, yeah.

Yeah, that's incredible. I actually didn't even think about it in that way. That's so interesting because I'm looking at it as the experience I'm getting, but I'm not realizing the people that are getting impacted for the products that are inside the box. You're, like, giving them a space to, you know, almost have their own light. And people get to learn about their products through your. Through yours. I love that.

Yes, yes. I really do try with that, especially with every. In every box, there's a postcard and then there's a QR code on the back. And if you scan that QR code, it takes you to another page on my. The Foodies United dot com. And then if you scroll down, I have each product with the person that made it and then a click to their own website. So I really wanted them to have their own spotlight because I. I wouldn't be doing my thing without their thing, so.

Oh, my gosh. I love it. I love that you're doing that. Do the thing.

Yes. That's like a plug. I'm very happy to be here.

I love it. I love it.

Yeah.

And I love that those words, I just wrote them down. Give people their own spotlight. That's so beautiful. So beautiful. So talk more about. So I have a lot of. I have a lot of different people that listen to this podcast. It's funny, it's all over the board from people that, like, already own businesses that have sold, they're starting new ones. But I do have a huge teacher following. Also people that want to do a side hustle or something like that. Could we kind of just talk through more about when you decided to not do the apparel and then you're switching into the subscription box. Like, what was your first, what was your first step?

Okay, so when I realized that the apparel wasn't going to be something that would take me to the next level.

I actually consulted with, with you and my cousin. And.

I was at a crossroads. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to pivot. And so I relied on people that either been there, done that, or people with just a new frame of thought. And I just talked to everybody. I was like, what would you like to see? What would you like to get? And people were saying, well, food related items or, you know, kitchen decor and stuff like that. And so I was like, well, I could do something like home goods where I just sell everything individually. But I was like, that's not creative enough for me. So I really sat down. I think it was like three, four weeks, like a month. I really sat down and I kept going back to the drawing board and eventually after, because the first step was I was going to do plates and cutlery and all of that, but that was too much money, so I knew I couldn't do that and it would be too much on me. So then my next step was, okay, well what about if I buy someone else's plates and put it in the box? Would that work? But again, plates are expensive, so that was just not for me. So after that, then I was like, okay, there's such thing as snack boxes. But I don't want my box to be just a random, you know, usual snack box. I don't want, excuse me, I don't want that. So I was like, well, what if it's a food related box? It's still Foodies United. It still have food in it. But there will be other items that aren't just food. So people will be exposed to multiple different items in different categories that is food related. And that's how I got there. So it wasn't like something where it took me like a day or two. It took me a while. And it took me even longer to press the button to order everything because this was the first time, I think my order came up to like $200. So it was the first time I put in a big wholesale order. And I was scared and I was like, well, maybe I shouldn't do this. But honestly, I'm very glad that I did. And I actually pressed the ad. I mean, I actually pressed the Order, but accident. So I couldn't even take it back. It just was already done. So that's all I got here.

Yeah. So I love that. So when you sat down and you're kind of going through that, was it like a pro and con list or what was. What did that look like in terms of you being able to, like, really figuring out the plates were too expensive and then, you know, like, which. Like how you ended up going with the other products.

Yeah. So again, what really helped me was that I had people that already.

Did what I was doing. Well, not exactly what I was doing, but that was already in business. So, like, my cousin, he was like, if you got a hundred people, would you be able to make 100 plates? And I said, no. And he was like, well, that's probably not what you want to do. And then I was like, okay. Well, then I ordered a place. And again he was like, well, do you have the money to order these plates now? And I said, no. He said, well, you can put it on a credit card. But then when I really thought about it, I didn't want to just have plates in a box and send it off to people, because then you would have to think about, if somebody orders a subscription box, obviously they're going to want more than one plate. And I just wanted to put one plate in there. So it just didn't make sense about the plates in general or the cutlery in general. What made the most sense, especially after talking to people, was the fun side, which is, you know, getting the different items is easy to use. So if there's chips in there, somebody likes chips. If there's candle in there, somebody like candles. So everything in the box will be usable. It's not something that people would just put up in their cabinet and not ever use again.

Yeah, definitely. I love that. And then that gives them a reason to want to get the box every month, because then they're getting excited about something that they can consume, too.

Yeah, yeah. Nobody wants to get different plates every month, so. Yeah.

And then when you did the $200, so what was your risk assessment for that? When you put the two. When you. And I know you did the order now by accident. I love that.

Because that's. That's so great when you could just almost close your eyes and do it, you know? But, like, what was. What was that? Like? Did you have, like, a risk assessment? Were you. Were you thinking through, you know, like, what would happen kind of thing?

Yes. So I already had an Excel sheet, and I had already built I guess you could say momentum a little bit on social media. And I just was putting, you know, I was trying to build my waiting list and all of that because I already had my website made. I just hadn't ordered the product. So when I looked at my wait list and when I looked at my social media, I was gaining followers. So in my mind I was like, okay, well this should work out, you know, and when I ordered it, I ordered like 24. That's the only thing I kind of regret because when I ordered the items, I ordered way too many than my. Than where my business was at at the time. Even though I took a month to build momentum, I probably should have took more months to build moments, at least three. But at the time I didn't know that you start small and then you build with your business. So I'm still learning. But the risk for that was pretty high. And I did, I did sell, I would say at least.

Five or six like one time boxes with that. So yeah, the risk was high. And yeah, I wouldn't say I sat down and really did a risk assessment, but that's kind of how it happened.

Yeah. And it's interesting because the part of you ordering 24, I mean that could be the thing that helped you push forward quicker because you've been implementing like crazy, you know, so it might not have been a bad thing because it's like you're pushing so fast and you know, so so quickly. I'm just wondering if that that could have made an impact was by doing the 24.

If honestly, now that you say that it really did, because had I not ordered the 24, had I ordered like five or six, I probably would have felt a type of way about it. I probably would have been like, oh, this is not going nowhere and oh, but with the 24, it actually did help because I created a one time surprise box and then with those items, with backstock items, I'm able to put, you know, the items that I've got for pass boxes in it. So. And I've been able to sell a lot of those. So yeah, she was a good thing. Now that I think about it.

That's awesome. So, and then. Okay, so now you've just made the decision that you want to do these boxes now. How did you. What was next in terms of you contacting the other companies to like, see if they wanted to, you know, have you put their product in their box? What was that like? Was that hard?

So.

Yes, actually it was for me because I am a little Bit of. Actually, now I'm a lot of an introvert. I am an introvert, and talking to people is kind of hard for me from time to time. But again, because it's my business and I'm the only employee, I had to do things that otherwise would have been uncomfortable and doing. So I use Fair.com. it's a wholesale site. And from there, I found the people that I wanted to, you know, showcase in my box. And most of them had, like, a max or, like, a minimum item.

Items that you had to buy. And I didn't meet that minimum. So I had to email them and. And say, like, hi, my name is Willie Wyatt. I'm the owner of these United. Is it all right if I order? And this was in the beginning, beginning. So I wanted to just order two of them to take pictures so that when people buy the box, they have pictures of the items. So I took. I emailed them, and actually, I was very surprised. All of them said, yes, that's perfectly fine. You can order two. And they shipped it out to me. I took the pictures, and then when I went back to order some more, they were even more welcoming. They was like, oh, great. And they even gave me coupons. And I was like, wow. So I was scared for nothing because they're trying to do business. I'm trying to do business. And, you know, it's nothing personal if they did say no. But it worked out the first time. So, yeah, it was actually a really great experience. So it actually opened me up to realizing that, you know, this is business. You know, if they say no, it's a no. But if they say yes, that's amazing.

Oh, my gosh. I think this is so huge. I'm so glad you brought this up, because there's so many people that are so scared of the no that they won't even, you know, make the call. And it's just not knowing, you know, like, what the person's gonna say and you just acknowledging the fact, like, if there's only. If there's any way I'm gonna do this, like, I have to do it. You somehow got yourself to do it, and now it's like you've almost reframed what the no means, you know, where it's just no.

It is just no. When they say no, they mean no. But, yeah, no, I think. I think for most people, because I was also like this. Like, it took me a while to even start Food East United, even though I said, you know, how it went and how it came to be it took me a while to really believe that I could be a business owner and that I could be an entrepreneur because I'm an introvert or because I have trouble talking to people from time to time. So for those that have that same thing or, you know, isn't the best at talking to people, I would just say if you're trying to be an entrepreneur, you have to move past that like there is no other way. Because in the beginning, you're your own boss, so your business only moves forward when you move forward. If you don't move forward, it's not going to go nowhere. So that's what I had to do. I had to realize if I want my business to become a success, I have to start on that path to make it successful. So. Yeah.

Yeah. And what do you think is the biggest thing that you say to yourself or what helps you the most when you're having that belief, you know, believing that you're a business owner, when that fear comes up for you or that belief system?

I think what helps me, or a quote that I used to go by is anything worth having doesn't come easy. So you just have to really put yourself out there and really, really work at it. I mean, again, you're your own spas. There's really nothing else to it. Like, if you want it to be successful, you have to put in the work for it to be successful. Any fears that you have, I mean, they're only. They're only fears because you let them be fears. When you start doing it, like, when you start talking to these other business owners and making, you know, business plans and all that, it actually becomes exciting because it's like, wow, I'm actually doing this. Like, I never thought I would do this. And when you start doing it, it's like, oh, my gosh, I want to do more of it. And then you just. You become a full entrepreneur.

That's so good. I'm so glad we're doing this interview now because I feel like everything's so fresh in your mind. And I mean, I'm just, like, hearing your words and just seeing. I just feel this is going to.

Help so many people.

Like, I'm so excited.

Thank you. Yeah.

So, okay, so now you were able to talk to the. To the people at fair. You figured out how to deal with the. No. You know, because. And it turned out a lot of people are actually interested in helping and spreading their business too, which is exciting. What was. What was next for you? Was it just then really curating that box or what, did you have something else that you had to go through?

Yes. So the next thing after ordering the items would have been packaging. At first, I did not know. Actually, let me just say this. I never have. I never did a subscription box before, so I was completely new to all this. So the next thing after ordering the items was figuring out how to do packaging. And I searched online and I was like, oh, my gosh, how does this Christian box look? How? I probably did this backwards, but I was now getting into, like, how do they look? How do you. How do you package them? And I came upon this lady called Sarah, and it's called. I think it's build your box or something like that. And she actually, like, has her own class. And of course you have to pay like $57 a month for it, but she has everything that you need as a subscription box owner. So I was like, wow, I found somebody that could help me. So I paid for it. And again, that's like investing in yourself. So I didn't think anything of it. Like, it's not like I lost anything because they actually helped me. And she taught me how to build my box, how packaging goes, that you should put the packaging label at the bottom.

How each box look. You can do.

A mailer box or you can do a regular box. Like, just building that experience for the customer. So she was really helpful in how I made my box after I ordered the items. And then after that, she taught me everything. So after that, it was easy. I just sent out the boxes and that was it.

Wow. Okay. So then you have it all created and now it's time to sell. So what did you do with that? How did you go to that next level?

Yes. So after I actually had the box again, I did build momentum a little bit. I think a month before I even ordered the items and packaging and all that. So I had a month to build a waiting list, build an email list, and just social media presence. And as I was building that, I also wanted to, you know, make sure that I'm putting out everything that I'm doing. So, like, the behind the scenes and, you know, just so people know that there's a face to the business. And then once I actually got the box and I put everything together, what really helped me was like, family and friends and they bought the box. And then some people even online, because they saw that I was a real person. This is not a scam. They were like, oh, wow, okay. And then they bought the box. And I think the first, like I said, the first month, I think I saw like five or six boxes. So, yeah.

Yeah. I think it's so amazing when you have this vision and then you're able, like you take all this time to basically be able to create, you know, build out the products that you're, that you're selling, and then all of a sudden then you're, you just keep moving forward. That's my point is like you're, you're just following the momentum and then you're taking each step, you know, as it goes. Basically.

Yes, that was very important because I've never been the one to sit down and plan things, so I really had to do that. Like, I had to plan when I was going to upload, when I was going to create content. What days was I going to upload? What it was. It was a lot, and it still is a lot. But now since I see it paying off, it's like, okay, this is great.

Yeah.

Okay. So, Whitley, I'm excited because I've been writing down your formula for how you do the thing as we've been talking.

I'm going to share it with you and I just thought we could see if I'm missing anything, if that's cool.

Okay. Yeah.

Okay. So we talked about one of the things you do. That's a piece of the formula that follows a lot of people that do the thing, which is the pivoting, being creative, not feeling stuck and rigid in one thing. And you really, you really are open minded with being able to be flexible about what you're doing.

Yes.

And then another piece, which is actually common, I think, among everyone that I've interviewed. So this is great. And I love seeing the parallel. That's what I'm looking for. Because with my book that I'm writing, I'm really trying to find the parallel that's constant with everyone that does the thing. And this one's one of the most common ones, which is really educating yourself, not having an ego, you know, with what you're doing and you're, you know, looking to mentors, you're finding podcasts, you signed up for that build your box thing, you know, talking to me, to your cousin, to all these other people and really learning, you know, all about it, and then you basically taking the pieces of information that work for you and digesting it and something that you can do.

Yes.

And then the third thing is I'm really excited about this is really your purpose for wanting to do this. And I'm curious if I'm covering it all, but it's really cool because you have this internal love of just food in general. And that then is carrying out with you wanting to create this experience for people, you know, this multisensory experience when they get your box that's related to food. And then you're also on top of that, having this whole other side that you're getting to impact with, helping these, like, local businesses expand their product by sharing it with more people by being inside your box.

Yeah, that's it.

And then another piece of the formula is jumping in. You know, and I know you're doing some risk assessment when you're writing things down and you figured out you didn't want to do the. I think it was the pans or the plates.

But really you're just, like, seeing what that risk is. And then you're jumping in, which. That's been a common thread with people too, is really being able to just go after what you want.

Yeah, you never know until you try.

Totally. And then this next one is.

I'm trying to read my handwriting.

I did the same thing.

I was like, writing it fast, but, oh, yeah, here it is. Okay. It's like. I don't know exactly what this is called yet, but it's like, okay, hearing the no. You know, basically being able to accept if someone says no to you and being able to call and overcome your own own fears. And I love that you mentioned the introvert thing. I'm actually an introvert too, but I'm like a forced extrovert where I've done it enough, so it's like a thing. But it's great when you can. You can go outside of what you think you are, what you believe you are, by still just going for it, you know, essentially.

Yes, yes. And here, ambivert is when you're both.

There you go.

I like that.

And then.

Yeah, and this is actually another big piece. And I just learned about this. Like, I think. I don't know which interview, but it's a really good one, which is okay, asking for help. And I think you did that even with fair, because you not only were okay hearing the no, but you're also, in a way, asking for help because you're wording it in a way that's like, you know, saying that you're.

That you're pretty much interested in what they have to say, but then also asking for help with talking to people and not being afraid to ask questions.

Yes.

And then the last piece.

Is mindset. You've really had to overcome that, which I think this is really common with so many people is that really believing in yourself and believing you're a business owner, believing you're an entrepreneur. And I loved how you were able to, you know, verbalize how you move past that and then having that mantra, you know, for yourself, anything worth happening doesn't come easy. And I think it's knowing that and realizing that your expectation is there.

Yes. That, that was very important for me because where I'm from, you don't see too many people exceed succeed. So I really want a life. I really want the life that I want by, oh my gosh, I really just got work. Okay. I want the life that I want through my business. And so that's, that's kind of very important for me to succeed.

I love that. I love that. Did I miss anything?

Not at all. I know my, I guess my things are all over the place, but yes, that is exactly my I guess, mindset. Yeah.

And I think it's cool because once you figure out your formula, like you can apply it to so many areas in your life, not even just business. Or if, let's say you sold this business down the road and then start a new business, it's like once you understand what your formula is, then you kind of follow it. So that's what I'm excited about by doing these interviews is really identifying this like formula of all the patterns people have and then being able to apply it to everything.

Yes, that's exactly it. Because I didn't even know I had a formula. So that's nice to hear.

Yeah, I love it. Well, so.

I wanted to also make sure I covered what has been the hardest thing for you with creating this brand and building this business.

I guess the hardest thing for me would be actually starting it because in the beginning again, I was a college student. I didn't know what I wanted to do and for the longest I was just like, you know, do I even want to do this? I think it would be hard if I do this, how would I even find things? You know, find the items to put in the box, Do I have the money for it? So there was a lot of self doubt in the beginning and I had to overcome that and that was hard. Like even now I have self doubt and moving forward and building more onto Foodies United. It's the self doubt and that's something that you constantly go back to and that's something that you constantly have to get better at. You have to be confident in yourself, your abilities, the people that you meet, your workers, your business. All of that. So that's the hardest self doubt.

Yes. So is that the biggest way you've been able to overcome that? Is just being able to be confident, reaching out to other people or is there anything that's really worked for you when it comes up for it to settle down?

Yeah, for me, I guess I'm a huge believer. And if I don't do it, who else will? So it's like I might have self doubt. I might, you know, feel like I can't do it. But again, you won't know until you try. So I just have to say I can do it. If I fail at it, at least I try, you know, I love that.

I love that. Okay, so the big time is here. Okay, so let's say you have one piece of advice.

Oh gosh.

For the listeners on doing the thing. What would your biggest piece of advice be?

Oh my gosh. I would say, and I know this is probably so cliche, I would say just started, just start that business. I mean again, if you fail at it, the worst thing that could come from it is that you learn something like, and that's not even a bad thing. You're, you're always going to learn extra failures. So just start it. It's not, it's not hard. As hard as you think it is, you know, especially even if they don't have nobody that, you know, business savvy. There's Google, there's YouTube. There's so many resources out there now. It's just you just got to put in the time and if you don't have the time, then you have to make time. But just starting, it's something that you've got to do that is so good.

So why don't you share with everyone where they can learn about you and you know, like, who also because I know you've been serving so many different people like from schools to. I know you're starting to get traction with just, you know, like people just ordering off the Internet. I know for. Oh my gosh, this is what I was excited about and sorry, I'm sidetracking for a minute, but I don't even know if I told you this, but when I had my business, creating boxes was one of our like holiday gift box was one of our favorite things that we did every year where like it was like always just really thought out. And I think because I know so we gave it to all of our like top couple hundred clients. Then we did stuff for employees. But I think it was just, I know how hard that is to do what you're doing, you know, so it's like, because. And I'm not saying that they would from this. I'm saying they're gonna like get inspired or whatever, but knowing mimic it. Because what you're doing, it's coming from. It's coming from your experience and your creativity and your knowledge. Because I know what it takes to be able to really create that experience and put things together in such a, I want to say magical way. But that sounds great, but you know what I mean, like, just so, so cool. So anyway, so yeah, so I wanted you to go ahead, share about where they can learn about you, where they could buy a box or subscription box and then also all the different things that you do, because I know I even got one for an onboarding gift. And so just maybe talk about all that too.

Okay. Yeah. So they can find me at the foodies united.com.

And as far as like all the services that I do, I do one time boxes, subscription boxes, which is 12 months, 6 months, 3 months, and monthly. And then I also do boxes for events. So if you have parties that you want Foodies United at, I create boxes for that and it should be under the event, sorry, events tab. And then there's a Google Drive and you just fill that out and I get back to you. I do corporate gifts, school gifts, trustees gifts, basically any event that you have and you want Foodie's United there. And everybody loves food, so it'll be a hit no matter what. I do those. And then as far as social media goes, I'm mostly on Instagram, so that's the underscore. The Foodies United and I also have a Facebook group called Foodie Family where women foodies get together and we post recipes, videos of the, of the recipes, and we just really support each other and give advice about different places to eat and stuff like that.

So yeah, I love how you're able to be so expansive but with such a unique, you know, way to show people that you're able to create this experience. I think it's so amazing.

Yes, I try my best.

Thank you so much for coming on. And yay. I feel so honored. I'm your first podcast interview, so I'm excited.

Thank you. I feel so honored for being on this. It wasn't as bad as I thought. That's great.

Well, thank you. And everyone order a box or get on a subscription.

Please, please, please, please.

Thanks for listening to the do the Thing podcast. We hope you enjoyed the show. But even more, we hope you'll be inspired to do the thing. Do you have a burning question on doing the thing that you'd like answered? How about an inspiring do the thing story of your own that you'd like to share? We'd love to hear all about it. Just leave us a voice message at do the Thing callcast co or email us@helloothethingpodcast.com.