Digital Social Hour - Virtual Sales Mastery: Katelynn's 3-Year Millionaire Path | Katelynn Blackburn DSH #882

Episode Date: November 12, 2024

**🌟 Virtual Sales Mastery: Katelynn's 3-Year Millionaire Path 🚀** Tune in now to uncover the inspiring journey of Katelynn Blackburn, who transformed her life from a single mother struggling to... make ends meet to a self-made millionaire within just three years! 💪✨ Join the conversation with Sean Kelly on the Digital Social Hour Podcast as Katelynn shares her powerful story of resilience, entrepreneurship, and the drive to succeed in the virtual sales landscape. 🏆 Packed with valuable insights, Katelynn reveals how she broke free from the traditional 9-to-5 grind, embraced the virtual world, and built one of the fastest-growing insurance agencies. 💼🌐 Don't miss out on her secrets to overcoming adversity and thriving in a competitive industry. Watch now and subscribe for more insider secrets. 📺 Hit that subscribe button and stay tuned for more eye-opening stories on the Digital Social Hour with Sean Kelly! 🚀 Katelynn’s journey is not just about success; it's about redefining possibilities. 🌟 Join us on this episode available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and be part of the movement transforming lives through entrepreneurship! 🎧✨ #lifeinsurancesales #closingthedealinvirtualsales #virtualsellingtips #b2bsales #virtualsellingbestpractices CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro 00:26 - Katelynn Blackburn’s Early Life 01:30 - Katelynn’s Early Jobs 03:16 - Katelynn's Path to Success 06:34 - Finding a Mentor 08:22 - Overcoming Industry Adversity 11:05 - Building a Strong Team 12:09 - The Role of Family Support 14:54 - Making a Positive Impact 16:57 - Value of College Education 18:40 - Lifelong Learning Journey 20:04 - Future Aspirations 21:09 - Weekly Work Hours 23:37 - Cultivating Mental Resilience 25:56 - Evolving Relationships with Mothers 27:30 - Passion-Driven Success 28:03 - Connect with Katelynn 28:25 - Thanks for Watching APPLY TO BE ON THE PODCAST: https://www.digitalsocialhour.com/application BUSINESS INQUIRIES/SPONSORS: Spencer@digitalsocialhour.com GUEST: Katelynn Blackburn https://www.instagram.com/katelynncarmella/ https://www.instagram.com/diligenceagencies/ https://ffldiligence.com/ SPONSORS: BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com/DSH LISTEN ON: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-social-hour/id1676846015 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Jn7LXarRlI8Hc0GtTn759 Sean Kelly Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmikekelly/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:01:43 Must be 19 years of age or older. Ontario only please gamble responsibly gambling problem for free assistance call the Conax Ontario helpline at 1-866-531-2600. That MGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Right. You know when you get in that position where you put yourself up against a wall. You know, like I have at the time, three year old daughter, single mom, barely making bills. And then I find an opportunity where the potential is there. But if you work, you can actually succeed. So that's what that's what pushed me very, very hard.
Starting point is 00:02:21 Adversity doesn't doesn't scare me. All right, guys, Caitlin Blackburn here today today can't wait to get into your story you're about to inspire a lot of people thanks for coming on thank you for having me Sean absolutely going from single mother to self-made millionaire right yeah in a matter of a couple years three years i love to talk about that journey and you know how you got there yeah absolutely well i. Well, I am, sorry. I grew up in California and in a pretty typical background, typical family life. I had always pictured my life being something where,
Starting point is 00:02:59 it's completely different than what it is now. I've always pictured it as being a wife, being a mom, being somebody that was gonna have the white picket fence and all that. And what ended up happening is that I found myself as a single mother. And that was really the turning point for me to go into entrepreneurship.
Starting point is 00:03:16 Because I knew that I believed in myself. I knew that my family deserved more than what we were getting from the corporate nine to five ladder. So I had the open mind to take an opportunity to build something from scratch. Right. So your parents were both nine to five corporate workers? Yeah. Yeah, that happened to me too. But my dad was an entrepreneur on the side.
Starting point is 00:03:35 Oh, okay. So I got to work under him. And that really shaped me to become an entrepreneur, I think looking back at it now. I didn't know at the time. But yeah, that nine to five was not for me. No, me neither. Not at all., but yeah, that nine to five was not for me. No, me neither. Not at all. So did you have jobs sleep before you were an entrepreneur? Yeah, so I went to school.
Starting point is 00:03:51 I mean, I went to Chico State, graduated with a business degree, went into the nursing program, ended up departing from that during COVID and found this opportunity of being an entrepreneur in the financial services realm. Goddess, so you wanted to become a nurse at first? I did.
Starting point is 00:04:06 Or were you just following what your parents wanted you to do? Well, a little bit of both. I grew up in a pretty standardized home where they go to school, get good grades, go climb the corporate ladder. And I always knew that there was something more to me and there was a bigger purpose behind what I was going to be doing. And when I found the opportunity I was like Well, I don't really have anything to lose at this point because I'm not happy with what I'm currently doing
Starting point is 00:04:31 So if I do give this a shot, you know, where can I take this and you know fast forward three years? We're one of the fastest growing insurance and just agencies in the industry incredible And you're one of the few females in the space too, right? So was that intimidating at first? At first, yeah, it can be. I've always tried to not compare myself to other people in the industry, just because I feel like everybody's journey is their own.
Starting point is 00:04:57 So when you see men come in and they have like, they're all dressed up and they're suit and tie, and they're very successful in this space. It's like, I mean, women can do the same exact thing. It just comes down to the confidence and their perseverance to actually make something work. Right, so you're three years in, what month or year did you think
Starting point is 00:05:17 this could potentially work out? Did you know right away or did it take some time? Well, I found the opportunity in March of 2021. And I got my license in April. And in that first month, I had net over $30,000. Wow, in the first month? First month. And that's on the phone sales, right?
Starting point is 00:05:38 Well, at the time, it was all in person. So I was calling clients, going to their house, showing them the policies and selling. So that was really when I knew it was possible. I was like, I've never made that kind of money before. And I've never had the freedom that I that I had, you know, incredible to be able to create my own schedule in the first month. So we just naturally get at sales talking to people you think? I think sales is one of those
Starting point is 00:06:03 things that it's a personality trait as well. It's not necessarily like, oh, like, you know, you can study your way into sales. Of course you can get better at sales. Of course you can, you know, go and watch different sales trainings and get better with it. But your personality and the way that you present yourself is also going to be huge when it comes to sales. So for me, like, the biggest thing was that I don't feel
Starting point is 00:06:26 like I was really that good at sales when I first started, but I had an unmatched work ethic. So I was going to do whatever it took to make it work. When you get in that position where you put yourself up against a wall, like I have, at the time, three-year-old daughter, single mom, barely making bills. And then I find an opportunity where the potential is there. But if you work, you can actually succeed. So that's what that's what pushed me very
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Starting point is 00:07:39 close to you, please contact Connex Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. I'm very hard. Adversity doesn't scare me. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com slash DSH and get on your way becoming your best self. My fiance Ariel plays a big role in my mental health, helping me realize my true potential.
Starting point is 00:08:11 Everyone's trying their best around you to take time to appreciate someone close to you. I've tried therapy in the past and it helped me go through some tough times when I was in college dealing with mental health. I was on prescription medication. I actually had agoraphobia when I was in college and therapy helped me figure out some answers on how to fix that problem.
Starting point is 00:08:29 For two months, I couldn't even leave my house or I would have a full on panic attack. So I love companies like BetterHelp that can get therapy in front of the masses. But therapy definitely helped me get better and I definitely appreciate companies like BetterHelp because it's completely online and it's conveniently suited to fit your schedule and accommodate life surprises. Fill out a brief questionnaire
Starting point is 00:08:49 to match with a licensed therapist today with the freedom to switch therapists anytime for no additional charge. Visit betterhelp.com slash dsh to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp h-e-l-p dot com slash d-s-h. Check them out now. Yeah, I feel like similar with me when I was starting out, work ethics is what got me like that first six figures. But then you reach a certain point where you need some mentorship or some networking, you know. Exactly, you wanna find other people that are similar to you and be able to connect with them
Starting point is 00:09:19 and see like, hey, what have you done that has helped you get to this level? And like vice versa, like how can I help you get to the next level? Like, maybe I'm good at this, maybe you're good at that. Like, let's, let's collaborate. Right. You know, so how did you navigate that part? Did you have a mentor of someone guiding you through this process? Well, I mean, Sean Mike is our mentor at the company. So he's been a great help when it comes to, you know, learning how to structure a business, learning how to build a business, and also learning
Starting point is 00:09:47 how to develop other agents. Because that's really what it comes down to when it comes to this industry. Entrepreneurship, I feel like it's something that people can grow into if they're willing to put in the work. And also they have the burning desire for more. If you don't have that burning desire, then maybe you need to find something
Starting point is 00:10:06 that you're more passionate about. Yeah, yeah, shout out to Sean Mike. Share the same name, and I love how honest that dude is. Yes. He'll tell you straight up. Yeah, he is. Yeah, I remember the first time I had him on the show and he was just like so raw.
Starting point is 00:10:18 It honestly shook me. I was the first guest I had on that was that honest with stuff. You're like, wow. I mean, he told me his whole story. Yeah. Overcoming adversity and things like that. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:10:27 And I love that I get to follow someone like that because we're very similar in a lot of ways when it comes to... Like when I first started, I'm a different person now. It's only been three years, but I'm a completely different person than I was when I first started this business. I was insecure. I was unsure if this was going to work. I was doubting myself. A lot of people were hating on me. They were like, there's no way she's doing this.
Starting point is 00:10:53 Like, there's no way she's gonna succeed. And, you know, I had to overcome all of that, along with all the things that happen in business, you know? There's ups and downs all the time that you can't control. And when you're new at business business you have to learn how to Overcome that and know that you know, if you continue to work and you don't quit you can be very successful But if you cannot get your mind to be mentally tough enough to get over that Then you're gonna have a really really hard journey in entrepreneurship, right? Entrepreneurship, it's not easy and speaking of changes, your industry had some massive changes, right?
Starting point is 00:11:26 And reminds me of the solar space. A lot of people got wiped out in solar. So what happened with your space and how did you adapt to that change? Yeah. So I mean, when I first started the business, I was doing all in-home appointments, which just was calling the leads, setting appointments to meet with them in home and sitting down at the table and doing more of a face to face interaction. Now about two years ago, things were going more virtual.
Starting point is 00:11:49 So virtual just means that everything we do is over the phone. So, you know, me giving you a call like, Hey Sean, this is Caitlin, giving you a call about the request you sent in, you know, it's completely different than setting an appointment and sitting with somebody face to face. So when I made that transition, it was definitely difficult for me because I was so used to
Starting point is 00:12:07 having the credibility of sitting across from somebody and going to building that credibility over the phone was a hurdle. However, it's a lot more sustainable and it's also a lot more lot more time saving because when you're driving and traveling and going from door to door, it takes up a lot of your time. So for me, the big moment was like my team is growing very, very fast right now. And the only way that I can train them
Starting point is 00:12:38 is if I can have them all in one spot and I can show them what to do. Like on a Zoom room or in an office where they can watch me do it because I can't bring more than one person in the house with me. Like that's weird. People are like, why do you have six people with you?
Starting point is 00:12:53 So I couldn't do that. So I was like, I have to make this work. And that was the big determining factor. I was like, virtual is a new world. Let's figure out how we can make this work. I started writing a high level virtually, which allowed the team to do the same. And then I started bringing people into the business
Starting point is 00:13:11 and that was all we knew. It was like, this is what we do. This is what we're training you on. This is how we're gonna do it. Build the best credibility and trust you can with your clients over the phone. And I think that's why you're one of the fastest growing because you were able to adapt quicker
Starting point is 00:13:24 than a lot of people, right? Yeah. I mean, you have to adapt in business. I don't think that that's a unique thing to just this industry. I think it's every industry, because there's always going to be change. There's change throughout the years. If you can't adapt, that's going to be really hard. So for me, I was like, you can't just sit back and be like, oh, I'm just going to keep
Starting point is 00:13:42 going in home and not train my agents to work virtually. That's what a lot of people want. And a lot of people are very good at it. I have a lot of people that I work with that are extremely better at sales than I am. And they crush it on the phones. And I remember bringing them in. And I taught them the forefront.
Starting point is 00:14:00 But they're really crushing it in that space, because that's all they ever did. I love it. How big is your team now? Well, we have about 220 agents. Wow. Yeah, that's crazy. Yeah, we're pretty big. In three years? You're gonna hit a thousand in a couple years probably. We will. We're growing very fast right now. Yeah, we're generating, we do about 1.5 million a month. Nice. Payed commissions. We're growing. That's super amazing. I mean, just in three years, too. Three years.
Starting point is 00:14:26 Did you think it would grow this quick? No. I love the honesty. I actually didn't even think I was going to grow a business. I didn't. I was like, I'm in this to see if sales is the right avenue for me, because the nursing field wasn't going to be it for me and my daughter.
Starting point is 00:14:42 And turns out, it definitely is the right avenue. And there's a lot of sacrifices that go along the way. Wow. I wonder what your ex thinks about this. I'm sure he hates it. This is probably crazy to him, right? Yeah, I'm sure he hates it. Because you were broke when you were dating him, right?
Starting point is 00:14:57 Oh, yes. I was broke. College student. I mean, I didn't make any money. Damn. Yeah. Has he hit you up? Well, he has another kid and another family.
Starting point is 00:15:04 Oh, wow. Yeah. Damn, that's up? Well, he has another kid and another family. Oh wow. Yeah. Damn, that's a whole mother podcast, it sounds like. But family is important to you. That's one of your core values. Absolutely. My daughter is the most important thing to me. Nice.
Starting point is 00:15:14 She was the reason that I made the decision to bet on myself. I thought about her, thought about how I was working 12 hour shifts, spending all of my money on childcare, knowing that this was going to be my life for a very, very long time if I didn't make a change. So, you know, obviously I get that question asked a lot, like, oh, how did you do it at the very beginning with a three-year-old? Well, the honest truth is there's a lot of sacrifices that have to be made to be able to build a business while raising a child
Starting point is 00:15:47 but my daughter could not be more like Thankful for what I've done in in the past three years because of the life that we do have Mmm, you know, she always says now that she's six. She's like more aware. She's like, I'm just glad mommy You don't have to go to work. Yeah, like you can be home with me And now I have more time They where I can pick and choose what I what I want to do. That's where I'm at, too That's why I'm working so hard right now Cuz I don't have kids yet, but I want to be there for them cuz I was an only child
Starting point is 00:16:14 My parents worked really hard and I have a lot of memories of me alone in the house. Honestly. Yeah, me too I was an only child. Yeah exactly. So that affects the kid without the parents even knowing. Oh, it does. Yeah, definitely. I mean, my upbringing wasn't great. It wasn't like I was super well off. It wasn't like we were super broke either. But I didn't have a very good relationship. My mom was single mom. Same type of situation.
Starting point is 00:16:38 However, she just wasn't able to provide me what I want to be able to provide my family and my future family. Right. Yeah, single mom here too. Yep. Wow, we're both trauma bonding out here. Yeah, no, there's some trauma that comes from that.
Starting point is 00:16:51 Yeah, yeah, the family unit's important though to me. It is. Like I really wanna stress that with my family. Yeah, I think that when you come from something that you're like, I don't want to repeat that cycle, you're gonna do whatever it takes to not repeat that cycle. So it's like, I mean, look at the business that you've built. It's like, you're doing that for a reason.
Starting point is 00:17:10 You have a why behind it. Same goes for me, you know? And we're strong enough to know that we can handle any adversity because we've already been through a lot. Yep, that why is important. Oh yeah. And a lot of people have the wrong why,
Starting point is 00:17:21 I think, when they get in the business. Oh, for sure. For money or for fame or whatever. Money will never be a why. It won't last. It can't be the main. No, no, it can't because it won't last. No.
Starting point is 00:17:30 Once you start making it, then you become complacent and you have to have a stronger purpose and passion for what you're doing. Yeah. Like what I, I'm obsessed with my business. Like I have no shame in saying that. Like I'm obsessed with it. I love getting up every day, getting to talk to my agents, develop new people, talk to new people, and really be able to help these entrepreneurs
Starting point is 00:17:50 become the best versions of themselves. Absolutely. When you made that first million, did you feel like a big shift or anything? No. Really? No. Honestly, I didn't. Yeah. I mean, it's one of those things where I don't even look at my bank account. Really? I know it's there and I'm grateful for it, but I have a stronger why behind what I'm doing. And that is to bring more people into this type of space and help them become successful,
Starting point is 00:18:17 if they're willing to put in the work. And I always say if they're willing, because there's a lot of people that are out there that want to do this. They want to build a business. They want to be an entrepreneur. They want to go into something where they're working for themselves and building their own empire. But you know as well as I do, if you're not somebody that's willing to actually put in
Starting point is 00:18:37 the work and go through the adversity that does come, then you're not going to be very successful in this space. Yeah. And you're changing thousands of lives now because 200 under you, they have families, they have kids. Absolutely. And that means more than anything. Yeah, that's impactful.
Starting point is 00:18:52 Because to get them out of that nine to five is not only helping them financially, but just mentally. Oh, absolutely. Yeah, we make our own schedule. Yeah, that's how it should be. Yeah. I hated going to school, oh my gosh. Waking up at six. I know, I did it too. I have it should be. Yeah. I hated going to school, oh my gosh. Waking up at six and then.
Starting point is 00:19:05 I know, I did it too. I have trauma from that. Like literally I still have nightmares about like tests and stuff. Yeah, no, I mean like you're probably similar to me where like I wanted to have the best grades and like I wanted to be really successful in it. And I mean I did well, but I don't use my degree now.
Starting point is 00:19:21 I don't know. Did you graduate college? I did. Oh wow, garage, I did not make it that far. Well, I felt pressured, but I did it. Where'd you go? Chico State. Oh, yeah.
Starting point is 00:19:31 You said that. What'd you major in? I majored in nursing originally, but I ended up going with business management. Wow. So you were minoring in that? Well, I was initially going to nursing, but in that school, they don't give you a degree unless you finish the program. So I went with business.
Starting point is 00:19:47 Nice. Did you learn any good business there? No. Not really. Ironic, right? Yeah, ironic. Yeah, I learned everything from basically books and experience.
Starting point is 00:19:57 Yeah, and that's what I'm telling kids now in high school. They DM me and they ask if I should go to college. But for business and entrepreneurship, I mean, I don't see the value other than networking. Yeah, networking. But if you put yourself out there enough, you can network with a lot of successful entrepreneurs without having to go to college and do all of that. Especially if you're in a major city.
Starting point is 00:20:18 There's so many events. Yeah, there's events. You can go out there. You just have to be willing to put yourself out there and step out of your comfort zone. If you're willing to do that, then I mean, you can be way more successful than these people that are at school, you know, trying to graduate. Yeah, that's a big first step, willing to get out there, whether it's online or in person.
Starting point is 00:20:37 Exactly. That took me years to overcome that fear. Yeah, me too. It took me a lot to overcome the fear of just like posting something on social media. I was like, I mean, it really doesn't matter. I'm sharing what I do and I'm sharing my life because there's other people out there that we have something valuable to share. And that's what we have to remember. That's what I remember every time. It's like, I have something valuable to share. Somebody wants to hear it. Some people don't. Maybe I'm annoying to some,
Starting point is 00:21:03 but I am sharing this with the right people. You never know who you're gonna help, directly or indirectly. I get all sorts of messages now, or people coming up to me, it's crazy. And it's just like, wow, if I just held that in like I was for years, I couldn't have helped you. Absolutely.
Starting point is 00:21:18 So I think podcasting is changing the game. Yeah, definitely. People are just being authentic. I mean, people go through it, they watch it, they scroll through and they're like, oh, this topic. And then they can hear people talking about their honest, their honest truths, their, you know, the honest things that they're actually thinking.
Starting point is 00:21:34 Yeah. Which you can't see that like when you read magazines and other things, it's like podcasts are super real. Are you still learning through podcasts or books or anything actively? I do, yeah. I watch podcasts all the time. And honestly, like if you're, if I wake up and I'm having a rough day,
Starting point is 00:21:48 I'll turn on a podcast of literally anything. It could be just of entrepreneurship, or it could be of the business that I'm in, working out, anything like that. And it just immediately changed my mindset for the day, because I'm like, OK, I just got yelled at on that podcast 100% like I need to get it together. Yeah, I love pods and audio books audible Yeah, yeah, you got to constantly be learning no matter what level you're at, too. Oh, yeah, it never ends
Starting point is 00:22:15 Yeah, that's where people because they graduate college and then they just stop learning they get a job and then yeah And then like I mean I feel like my brain would be like dead Yeah, like I wouldn't be growing ever and it's like every day I want to get better because every day there's a new challenge you know as you as you know in business there's there's always gonna be something new that you have to overcome and that gives you the opportunity to be better every single time yep yeah if I'm not growing I get so anxious you're not growing you're dying you're yeah you're going backwards and then there's so many competitors in our space. Yeah, exactly.
Starting point is 00:22:48 They're just gonna surpass you. It's like you gotta have that burning desire to continue to grow and continue to become a better individual that people want to network with you and people want to share your story and people want to be in your space. Absolutely. What's next for you? There's a lot of things in the future right now that I'm thinking about.
Starting point is 00:23:09 I am working on a coaching course right now. So coaching entrepreneurs of any type of business. So whether it be the insurance space where I specialize in or marketing where I specialize in, it could be anything. Because I do believe that entrepreneurship is all about passion. So if you find your passion in a specific space, you should go after it.
Starting point is 00:23:31 Go after it and become very, very good at it. And when you need somebody to mentor you through the ups and downs of it, that's who I wanna be. I wanna be there to help you through the ups and downs. So I'm working on that right now. I'm working on obviously establishing the brand a little bit better of exactly who I am and what I want to share and how I want to bring
Starting point is 00:23:50 value to other people. And we have a couple other things in the works right now. Can't tell you, but they're coming the next month or so, I'll tell you in a month. I love it. You've got all sorts of businesses you're working. I'm just working on it. It's a new business for us.
Starting point is 00:24:04 So I'm excited, and we're going to continue to grow. Nice. You've got all sorts of businesses you're working. I'm just working on it. It's a new business for us. So I'm excited. And we're going to continue to grow. Nice. You're grinding. How many hours a week are you working right now? Oh, that's a funny question for me. 80? I probably, I mean, I feel like I'm working all the time.
Starting point is 00:24:14 But I love what I do. So it's like, I wake up and I'm working because I'm talking to my agents. Or I wake up or I go to bed and I'm working because I'm closing a client or something. You know, it's like, I'm always working and it really just comes down to, I feel like I've made it a part of my lifestyle,
Starting point is 00:24:31 that it just, like, it feels like home. You know, my business feels like home. My family is a part of my business. Like my daughter understands the business. She is equally connected to the business and the people in my business as I am. Wow. And she's like six years old. Wow. She comes to our lock-in sometimes. Like we have things, events at home where she'll be there. You know, we've opened an office before and she was there. It was very, very cool to see her be a part
Starting point is 00:25:01 of all of it. And that's why I do think think that Actually, I don't think I know that she is confident what mommy's doing because she's such a part of it It's like if you're a parent and you're not sharing with your child what you're doing That could be a little bit harder for you to be able to make those sacrifices because they don't understand but Carmella understands She's gonna be a bright bright person And I love how you went against the conventional be a bright person. Yep. I hope she follows in my tracks. And I love how you went against the conventional advice of not integrating family personal lives with business lives.
Starting point is 00:25:31 Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, Family First Life is the company that I had originally joined and that is what it comes down to, Family First. So I always knew that the only way that I was going to make this work is to be able to incorporate my life into my business. I don't think of my business as something where I clock in and clock out of it.
Starting point is 00:25:51 It's like I'm always running my business. I'm always talking to people, whether that be brand new people, whether that be people like you, whether that be my current agents, whether that be my actual family that is a part of my business. It's like I've made every single person and relationship that I have in my life a part of my business. It's like, I've made every single person
Starting point is 00:26:05 and relationship that I have in my life a part of my business. Wow. And that is special. That is, cause you know, when we were growing up, we were taught to rule by fear. Yeah. Don't talk about personal lives at the workplace.
Starting point is 00:26:15 Yeah. So you're basically throwing that out the window. No. Yeah, we don't do that here. Which is cool though, cause then you could just be yourself in the workplace rather than trying to hide stuff. Well, that's the coolest thing about building your own, you know, you build your own empire. So, you know, you are your own boss and that is a very very powerful spot to be.
Starting point is 00:26:34 Absolutely. You got to hold yourself accountable. Yeah. You seem really mentally resilient. Like I'm really impressed. I am mentally resilient. I've been through a lot. I could tell. Yeah. Yeah, you have to to reach that point, right? Yeah, so were there some challenges early on in the company not necessarily with a company
Starting point is 00:26:51 I would say more just like personal life, you know Like we talked a little bit about my upbringing like yeah, you know I don't have the greatest upbringing single mom like I was a test to baby. So yeah, I was like, you know Mom just wanted to have kids. Wait, so that's the thing actually cuz yeah it is I always thought that was like a meme no that's real what yeah so she went she wanted to have a kid so badly so she did got test tube wow and you know it was just a different childhood you know just only one parent I have a very small family we didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things as I grew up and it
Starting point is 00:27:26 created a lot of that trauma that once you get older and to, you know, like my grandparents were my parents for a very long time and then at age 13, you know, they both passed away. So it was like, that's a crucial age to like lose somebody like that, which caused some trauma, which, you know which in time, it started to reflect in relationships and jobs and things that I was doing. I had to make that conscious decision of learning how to overcome it. What am I doing? What can I do to be better?
Starting point is 00:27:58 The business really helped me do that because it was like, I've already felt rejection. I've already felt abandonment. I've already felt the fear that I'm gonna lose everything. But with this business, like for me, I was always thinking like, I mean, if I just don't quit, like I could really make something out of this.
Starting point is 00:28:19 And that's what I tell myself every single day. When it comes to struggles in the very beginning of the business, I mean, yes, of course, there was like things here and there. There were adversity that I had. There are things that were hard on me, but I was so resilient to be able to overcome that just because I saw the vision of where it's going.
Starting point is 00:28:38 I love it. And that's the same place that I feel today. It's like, I see the vision of where we're going. Like, we're a very, very great company. Like, I'm very happy and blessed to have the company that I do, but when it comes to where we're going, like, I'm so excited about that every single day. Can't wait to see your journey.
Starting point is 00:28:55 Yeah, similar with me, my mom and I, 80% of our conversations were arguments when I was growing up. Yeah. Like, it was so toxic, but the business actually healed our relationship. Yep. Because I got to find out more about about myself find out about more where she was coming from Yeah, and now we're like we barely argue now. Did you prepare with your mother too? We try
Starting point is 00:29:14 I mean, she's got her issues too, but we try where we're I will say, you know We are a lot better than we were before I started the business and I do believe that is because you become more self-aware. You understand and you feel for other people. You understand that they may be going through something. This business taught me a lot about that when I was selling and growing. Everybody has something going on in their life, whether they're vocal about it or not. Everybody has their stuff. And that is where you have to be empathetic towards it. And as you grow as an individual, you can understand people and read them a lot better. Yeah, my biggest fight with my mom,
Starting point is 00:29:51 probably yours too, was grades. Grades, yeah. Well, they want us to be perfect, right? Right. And that's how they made money. Because back then, school actually mattered, so you needed to get grades. Yeah, exactly.
Starting point is 00:30:02 So I get it from their point of view, right? I guess I never thought about that. Yep. No, changed it for me because she was so hard on grades, but You know, that's how she came to America and made money. So I can't even Yeah, I can't even be mad about it looking back at enough It's like the better grades you have the better the better career gonna have back then But now it's irrelevant. It's like unless you're a doctor doctor or something yeah but it's it's too much pressure on these kids like oh my gosh these SATs and everything so I say it's like you got to find your passion when you find your passion it's like go all go all in with
Starting point is 00:30:37 it you can make money anything in this in the same age if you're passionate enough and you work really hard I've seen every random niche and like what kind of business is that? They're super successful. It's like, yeah, it's just because they're passionate about and they're obsessed with what they do and they see a purpose behind it. They want so much for themselves
Starting point is 00:30:55 and the people that they work with. So they're gonna make it work. Yeah, you gotta align everything. Can't just be one thing. Absolutely. Sure. Well, Caitlin, it's been cool. Where can people find you and
Starting point is 00:31:05 potentially work with you or work for you? Absolutely. At Caitlin Carmella on Instagram. Best place to find me. You can DM me. You can also shoot me a text or call 530-570-5567. Wow. Put your number out there. Yeah, I'll get back to you. I get blown up. Thanks for coming on. Thanks, John. Yeah. Thanks for watching guys. As, John. Yep, thanks for watching, guys, as always. See you next time.

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