The Ultimate Blog Podcast - 59. Choosing Your Best Business Life with Jen Potter

Episode Date: January 31, 2023

Today we are joined by Jen Potter, a serial entrepreneur and venture builder. Jen currently owns and operates four businesses and helps other people create the businesses of their dreams.  If you need inspiration to start your own business, then this is the episode for you! Thanks for listening! Connect with us on Instagram: @sparkmediaconceptsCheck out The Blog Depot. This is a community and course that we have set up for you if you need questions answered before you start your blog. Join the waitlist for The Ultimate Blog Bootcamp, our online course and coaching that helps you build the blog that you have always dreamed of.SHOW NOTES: www.sparkmediaconcepts.com/episode59

Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Podcast with Amy Reinecke and Jennifer Draper. We're on a mission to empower women who want to start or grow their own blog. This podcast is for women who want to learn blogging basics and who crave inspiration and encouragement. Whether you're just getting started or have been a blogger for years, we're excited to welcome you into this space where we are passionate about creating community over competition. We are bloggers who want to encourage you to believe in your potential, step outside the norm and step into a life where you create your own schedule, your own success and your own story. Join us for weekly episodes as we navigate blogging

and work from home life all while raising a family and having some serious fun along the way. all while raising a family and having some serious fun along the way. Welcome back to the Ultimate Blog Podcast. Today we have Jen Potter with us. And I think this is going to be an amazing conversation that is going to inspire every single listener. So Jen, welcome to the Ultimate Blog Podcast. Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here. Yeah. Well, we are really excited to have you and just spend time with you this morning. Quite honestly, we've talked a little bit before hitting record. And I think that our listeners are going to leave this episode and just feel incredibly empowered and inspired. So let's get started by you sharing with everybody who you are and what you do.

Absolutely. So that's a loaded question. So my name is Jen Potter, and I am a serial entrepreneur and venture builder. What that means is I help other people create their businesses of their dreams. Awesome. In short. Let's dive into that a little bit. Let's talk about your business, Epic 47, and what your dream is with that. Absolutely. So Epic 47 is one of the four businesses I currently own and operate. And it's a consulting business that focuses on, like I said, venture building, which is the stepping stones of creating a business with someone else. So if a client was to come to me and they said, I have this idea to have a business and I am an expert in my field, but I don't know how to run a business, that's my forte. So my specialty is actually starting a business and the resources behind that and start running in the connections

to create a business. So if somebody comes to me and they have this great idea and they need the help, I can kind of hold their hand along the way. Now, if a client comes to me and they're already in their business and they already get things going, I kind of shake things up to kind of figure out what we can do different to kind of elevate their business to the next level. Awesome. I think a lot of times it is helpful to have kind of a bird's eye view on what you're doing to make sure that you're looking at all aspects of your business. And with that said, obviously, this is a blogging podcast. And we encourage everyone who listens to the podcast or is in our community or a student of ours to truly consider themselves a business owner with their blog. So how do you

think having a blog is important for somebody who wants to have a business? How do you think it can support their long-term goals? I think it can support their long-term goals because they're getting clear with what it is they're doing and they're putting that out there and that's marketable, right? You're able to take these things, you know, this knowledge in this blog and use it as a business to create a stream of, you know, revenue. That's the word. It wasn't coming out.

And, you know, yourselves, that's exactly what you guys did. And so I think that's really, it's a really powerful tool that not enough people, I think, utilize. And it wasn't until we connected even more and I start going through all of the things that the two of you do. And I'm like, why aren't I blogging? Why aren't I doing this? I'm like, let's add one more thing to all the things that Jen Potter does. But I feel that, you know, the more and more that I kind of went through it and all of the services that you offer, it just, to me, it just seemed like, wow, this goes hand in hand with even the things that I'm

doing, how do I incorporate that into my business? So I definitely think it's a really important thing, a tool to have. And like you said, I think this might have been in the previous, before the show, was you're making yourself marketable. You're able to do it from a small scale or a big scale, and you're able to create this additional revenue, whether it's part-time or full-time. So I think that that's really great as well. Yeah. I think a lot of times blogging... I mean, you can think of blogging in a lot of different ways.

It can be like a small scale that you're just creating content and you're pushing that out. Maybe you're on an ad network and you're doing affiliate sales and things like that. But it can also be the start of something really big. It can be the start of many different ventures. And your blog can always just be your home base. So you started with an apparel company.

So kind of walk everybody through your story because it's so interesting. And I want people to really see that where you are in your business today is just one stepping stone for where you could be. And you have an extremely inspiring story. And so I'd love for you to share it. So thank you very much for that. And my story is a little bit different. Everybody has the reasons why they do everything that they do. And for me, growing up, I came from just an environment that wasn't exactly ideal. And that was the reason why I wanted to own my

own business. I wanted to do something that was elevating and inspiring. And I wanted to do something to teach other people that they don't have to be a product of their environment. With that being said, as a mom, at the time, I had two children. And I wanted to start actually the babysitting company that I have, but I didn't understand how to run a business. And so for me, it's always about educating and learning and how I can find the resources to understand a business without investing a lot of money and then being able to turn around and start something else. So on, I started this program, it's called Entrepreneurship for All, E4ALL. It's all throughout the country. It's a free resource to learn how to, you know, run a

business. You get mentors and you get subjected to a bunch of business owners in the area. It's a fantastic resource. And I suggest it to everybody. And I've mentored for them for years. It's a really, really great program. And so through that program, I decided to start a t-shirt company, Inspirational Apparel for Women. And the reason why I decided to do that was because the beginning stages of my message is to inspire and elevate. So I figured if I started with a t-shirt company, I'd start getting my message out there. I just didn't know how. I didn't know how to tell my story. I didn't know how to get my message out. I didn't know how to run a business. So it was just that stepping stone. And I knew I

had a long-term goal, but I still didn't know how I was going to get there even way back then. And actually, on the day that I was starting this program, I was driving to my first class and I had a heart attack. And it was kind of in that moment, you know, my life changed. And I could have said, you know what, this is a sign I shouldn't be doing this. Or this is a sign that this is actually what I truly should be doing because I started an inspirational apparel company. And the day that I was starting class,

I had a heart attack. Take this and use this as the universe saying, keep doing what you're doing or change what I was doing. And so for me, two or three days later, I got up, went to my next class after I came out of the hospital and I started this t-shirt business. And through that, I started the process of learning how to be a business owner.

And when I got to the end of the program, I went over to the director and the assistant director. And I was like, just to let you know that this wasn't the business that I really wanted to start. Surprise, I'm starting a babysitting company. So it was really because it was funny because everyone's like, wait a minute, what? That's not the business that you're working on. I was like, no, but I made a lot of money doing it. I actually did very well. I worked my butt off that entire season to really get my name out there. And I took all of that money and I invested it in my babysitting company, which started February of 2020.

And we went on vacation and came home and the world shut down and so did my business. So I had to re-strategize and change things and really figure out what it was I wanted to do. And I didn't want to be on the virtual world. And maybe in hindsight, it was a mistake. But at the same time, I felt like I needed to just do something a little bit different. At that time, change my business model. We were going to be just professional babysitters and it turned into a nannying agency. And through that, I think I told you this before, about 6 months

into the company, maybe a little bit longer, we started adding cleaning services because a lot of people were in their house all the time and their houses were messy. And that got so big that we actually started a cleaning company. And then in 2022, I started my consulting firm. And since then, I think since 2020, I've hired over 500 people collectively through all of my companies. You've been through a lot of shifts and changes over just that short amount of time. And you've gone from one thing to another. And I know you've faced a lot of obstacles too. And instead of being like, Oh, nope, that's it. I'm stopping. I'm going to find a different way around is the approach that you took. And so I think when people are thinking about going out on their own and starting a

business, I think one of the feelings that they often have is feeling uncertain or feeling like people are going to think they're crazy or people not believing in their ideas. But clearly, if you have a dream in your heart, you have to go after it. So would you have advice for somebody who's sitting here thinking about this and talking themselves out of it time and time again? How can they just take that first step to, you know, what's the first thing they should do to start thinking about starting their own business? I think that's a great question. And I think that's the question that a lot of people come to me going, I'm so scared. And I think the thing is, is the reason why I keep doing all of the things is because there's no fear. For me, it's, you know, once you cross that step, and you cross the reason why I keep doing all of the things is because there's no fear. For me,

it's, you know, once you cross that step and you cross the threshold, I always use this as an example, you cross the threshold and you're like, oh, that wasn't that bad. Like the door is like right here, but it's just taking that step and saying, oh, I can do this. There's so many times that we're like, what are other people going to think about us? I got to a point in my life, probably about a year ago where I stopped caring what people think. And I'll say it's age because now that I'm approaching an age that I didn't think I was going to get to anytime soon, but I am. I turned 40 this year. And for me, that's a big deal because I thought, what is my life going to look like when I'm that old? It's so old. And for me, I feel like I'm in my prime. I'm like,

I'm just getting started. So it's kind of changed this mentality. But if someone doesn't like what I'm doing, I don't care. I let go of expectations of other people, significant other included. The conversations that we have is, hey, this is going to happen. What are your thoughts? Whether or not they're positive or negative, they're not going to impact me. Will I take into consideration? Maybe, but I'm still going to go and do that. And I think it's really important that that part gets emphasized because nothing is stopping us from doing anything, nothing. And I say this to all my clients. I say this to my friends and they're like, I just can't get out of this friendship, this marriage, this business, this job.

Who is holding you to that desk? Who is holding you in that relationship? When someone goes, such and such says, I can't do this. Who says you can't do this? I can do whatever I want. I can stand up and walk out the door and never come back. I can go and walk into another place and put in an application for a job. I can do anything I want at any point in time. And I think it's important for people to start adapting that mentality, which is why I come across as being a little extra. Because for me, I'm like, let it go. Just go do it. You don't like it? Just say how you feel. And those things, I mean, they get me in trouble sometimes because I'm very forward and I say what's on my mind, which sometimes I get to kind of hold back. But for me, it's really important to let go of the fears of somebody

else's expectations. When you wake up in the morning, and we talked about this previously as well, when I wake up in the morning, I'm excited to start my day. What am I going to do today? Today is going to be awesome. And if you wake up and you say, wow, I really hate what I'm doing, that's what you need to address first. The first thing that you need to address is why am I waking up and saying, I don't look forward to what I'm doing. That's really important. And that's going to help you take that next step. don't look forward to what I'm doing. That's really important. And that's going to help you take that next step. Oh, I love everything you just said. That was so good and so powerful. And I think it's going to scare the crap out of some people because they're going to look in the mirror and they're going to say the way that I feel is my choice. Because it really does come

down to that. It comes down to a choice. And sometimes taking the responsibility of that choice is really difficult. If you made a decision or whatever it is, whether it's in business or life, or like you said, friendships, relationships, any of that, we do have a choice in that. I think with age, I turned 40 last year, so welcome to the club. Yay. Thank you. So welcome to the club. Yay, thank you. But I think with age, you begin to realize,

hey, time is ticking. And am I going to spend my entire life just making everybody else happy and what they want me to do and what they think I should do with my life? Or is it time that I take it by the reins myself and I'm in charge of my happiness and I'm in charge of my success and what's important

to me, regardless of what anybody else has to say about it. Absolutely. And it's a powerful thing. And when you feel like that, it changes your perspective on how you view things. And then it really makes you start to think about who you are surrounded by. Because for the longest time, I felt like everyone around me, I felt like they were always trying to suck my energy out of me. And that's because I'm always so positive. And then when I started to slowly remove that energy and started surrounding myself by positive people, I feel this energy constantly around me where I just, it's this positive energy. And yeah, is BS going to come? Of course it is. That doesn't go away, but you're mostly surrounded with people who are going to elevate you and really make you be the best possible version of yourself. Say 95% of the

people I'm around on a daily basis, you know, just give me that energy to have those long days to do all of the things to feel fulfilled, like I'm helping somebody else. And that's, that's powerful, you know, with itself, because we have a hard time getting rid of people in our in our lives. And I'm not saying that you're gonna be mean about it. But sometimes you have to shift, you know, with itself, because we have a hard time getting rid of people in our lives. And I'm not saying that you're gonna be mean about it. But sometimes you have to shift, you know, the people that you're around to start shifting your mentality. And I think it starts there sometimes when you have someone who's like, you shouldn't do this, or you can't afford that, that costs too much. It's, you know, what happens if you go in debt? What happens if you go in debt?

Like this is America. And it's funny when I say this, and this is not business advice, so I'm not giving business advice, but I'm giving you a real life example. In the great US, you can actually have a business today, go bankrupt today in that business, because that business is not you and it's a corporation. Said business goes bankrupt. Did you know you can actually start a new business tomorrow doing the exact same thing with a completely different name and a new EIN number and just start over? Not saying that's the ethical thing to do, but because the U.S. is so fantastic, what's the worst that can happen? So if you have that, I can't lose everything mentality, I can only gain, I think it really shifts on how I process things anyways. And I'm not saying it's the right way to do it, but I like where I'm at.

So really kind of letting go of some of the fear that may not even be based in reality. Because like you're saying, if you know the facts, maybe the things that you're imagining could go wrong or the bad things that you're imagining could happen aren't even realistic at all. You could really work through pretty much anything that's going to come your way. And I think speaking of fear, so we talked about surrounding yourself with people who are going to encourage you or you always hear the advice, surround yourself with people who will take you to the next level. So for maybe say a mom who's at home with her kids

and she's feeling kind of alone, she's feeling kind of stuck in a world where people just don't do these things. How can she take a step towards connecting with different people who might be more encouraging or getting into that world where she can feel more inspired? I really like that question. And it's funny because you have an amazing service that can help women like that.

And so it's putting yourself in a situation where, okay, I'm at home. I have no resources. The internet is full of resources. Everybody's on the phone. If you're a stay at home mom and those kids are napping, chances are you're sitting there like this, scrolling through everything because you're like, oh, I wish I was doing that. Oh, I wish I was doing this. Well, instead of scrolling, why don't you start educating yourself and, you know, being productive? So, right. It's so easy for us to just be like, oh, that's so interesting. Oh, crap. I just spent 30 minutes on Facebook doing what? Absolutely nothing. Looking at what other people are doing. So for me, you know, I think it's, I started a community that I wanted to be

a part of and, you know, maybe that's something that you can do or maybe that's something that already exists. So for me, I wanted to surround myself with other parents who were in a similar situation a decade ago. And I created that community for myself and for my future businesses. And I think getting online

and if you're looking to be inspired or motivated, go into the search function of Facebook and put in inspirational women's groups, put in motivational mom's groups, working mom, anything that symbolizes the things that you're thinking about doing or being. And you can find those groups that exist. They also exist on... If you're looking at a professional level, LinkedIn is the most underutilized platform. And I've used it so

much in business that it has truly helped to elevate my businesses. And it's a really great resource for connecting other people. But going into any of those search, any of the social medias that you are looking for, groups exist, that's huge on Facebook. Start finding people who are your people. If you don't want to do that, or you don't feel comfortable, do you have a friend who is inspirational to you? Reach out to that person. If someone comes to you, you know, go to somebody and say, wow, I really, all of the things that you're doing are so inspirational. Let's have a cup of coffee. And let me just pick your brain. And people do that to me all the time. I have, you know, clients, non-clients, people I've never met before will send me a message and they're like, I heard your story. I just want to ask you all the questions.

And I'm like, all right, cool. Let's have a cup of coffee. You buy coffee, we can talk for 30 minutes or an hour. And so I get to give people that experience that some people just don't feel comfortable asking. And the more you try to educate yourself, the more you're going to realize that those resources exist. I think it's the power of networking is what we're talking about here. And it's being unafraid to share your story or say what you want to have happen or take the next step or reach out to somebody who is maybe a few levels above where you are. I mean, maybe you are the mom right now who is scrolling and you're like, I wish I had that or I wish I could do that. I don't know how

to make that happen. Jennifer and I were just having this conversation a couple of days ago because I have no problem asking people questions. If I am genuinely curious, I will just ask the question. I mean, if they don't want to answer, they don't have to answer. And Jennifer just said that. She goes, you've helped me understand. If I want to know more, I just need to ask the question. And I think that that is true, not just in life and with friends and or family members or whatever, but it's also with people who are doing these things that are very outside. I don't know if it's just that we're getting older. And so you're seeing more people like run businesses and do things like that. Or if the world is just changing,

like is the world changing that we're all thinking a little bit more outside the box? Or is it that that's just who we're more surrounded by? But I am genuinely curious. And I want to know that about people. And I know that there are people who are afraid to step forward in what they want to do because they don't know who to ask. So I think here, what we're saying is don't be afraid to ask. Most people who have found success in what they're doing or who love their jobs, like the three of us do, obviously, ask. Ask the question. You do not have to tell yourself, like, well, I have to figure this all out on my own. There are a ton of resources. We did a podcast episode with Brittany Miller.

It was episode number 53, all about using LinkedIn. So I'm glad that you said that LinkedIn is a great place to utilize because that episode is all about using LinkedIn to promote your business. And I think just like you said, being part of those groups, we have an alum membership for bloggers who have taken the bootcamp, that they can stay connected to us and they can connect with one another. And it is creating that community that people feel seen, feel heard, and feel like they have a place to go for resources. So I love that. I love that. Implementing keyword research and competition analysis into your content strategy is a surefire way to improve your chances of people finding your content and we love how simple key search

makes it to find keywords we actually want to use in our posts key search is a powerful keyword research tool that makes finding relevant low competition keywords for your blog simple and easy if you think optimizing your blog and doing keyword research has to be hard, think again. Give this powerhouse tool a try and see how much easier it will be to create content for your blog. Not only is it reasonably priced, even for beginning bloggers, but you can use our code for 20% off your subscription. Click the link in our show notes to learn more. click the link in our show notes to learn more. I kind of have a question. It's a bit of a shift, but we've talked about all the different businesses that you've done. And I know a lot

of us who do feel inspired to start a business, we have lots of ideas every single day. inspired to start a business. We have lots of ideas every single day. So how do you figure out a starting point? How do you rein it in and say, Okay, I have to take this one step at a time. What do I start with so that I can actually get to that big goal that I have and not just blow it because I'm trying to do too many things all at once? That's a great question because I mean, obviously I do all the things. So sometimes people are like, well, don't you think you should be focusing on one thing? Cause that's how your business is going to grow. That's, that's a valid thing to say for someone who is just starting a business. So for me, I've always been told first I have severe ADHD. So I'm like, ding, ding, ding, ding. So my brain is all over the place. And as I would like to look at it as a positive where I think that taking all of

these businesses are for me, I like to find the problem in a business and I like to fix it. So I think that's why like I have all of these different business ideas and all of the things and a lot of business owners tend to do that. They tend to be the people who want to start all the businesses and do all the things. Oh, I have an idea. I have an idea every day of the week. Every day, I'm just like, oh, I can start this business. I was out somewhere doing an extracurricular activity. And I messaged one of my best friends. I'm like, how can I start this business? And she's like, you're insane. And I'm like, I know. I'm like, how can I find an investor? She's like, go back to just enjoying your night. You don't need to start a business at this moment. So I feel like I'm always all over the place and which is fine. But I think figuring out what that, that main skillset is. So for me

as a venture builder, my main skillset is to start a business. I know that that's what I'm really good at. I'm really good at starting businesses. And so I, I shifted my focus on being really good at starting a business and so I shifted my focus on being really good at starting a business and then teaching other people how to do it. And so figure out what it is that where's your passion lie and how is it that you can utilize your strongest skillset? So for me, I knew what I wanted to do, but I didn't know how to do it. So I taught myself and I took all the classes and I learned how to be really good at it. I became a mentor. I became a coach and all of the things to really understand and perfect my skillset. So even though I do a million

things, they all stem down to the exact same thing. Everything that I do has the exact same base. While the product or the service is different, everything is the same. So figure out what your skillset is. What are the things that ignite you? I want to own, I don't know, a candle making company. Okay, cool. This is what I need to start my business. This is what I need in order to create it. And as you continue to grow, you can add more things to it. But what is that one product that you specialize in?

What is that one skill set that you specialize in? Understand it, know how to market it, and then you can manipulate all of the other things as you move forward. But you have to understand that strong, your strongest skill set. So it comes down a lot to how do I want to spend my time? How do I want to feel every day? What do I want to wake up in the morning and be excited about doing really? So it's not so much about the actual business itself. It's like, what are you going to be doing as a part of this

business? I think, I think is what you're saying. Yeah. And that's really important. If you're waking up and you actually can't stand what you're doing, there's going to be parts of business that you don't like. I'll tell you the backend stuff. I'm not a super fan, but I'm a nerd. So I don't mind doing the numbers and the paperwork and all that fun stuff on the backend. But as your business starts to grow, the things that you don't want to do, we've talked about this before too, you can hire a VA, you can hire an assistant, you can hire a bookkeeper. You can hire all the people to do your social media and your editing. So as your business starts to grow, all of the things that you don't like, you can start

paying people to do. And I'm really good at delegating. So for me, I started off, these are all the things I love to do. These are all the things I don't love to do. So let me really focus on everything. And then as I start to grow, let's start giving those responsibilities to other people. And let me focus on the things I'm really good at. So you're going to do all the things if you're new to business, and you've never done it before, and you're starting off, you're going to do everything like your job is to do everything.

And I said this before, too, I'm starting another company, and I know nothing about this industry. So I'm going and getting all of these certifications. I don't need to have these certifications. But I want to know how does this work and how can I make it perfect? So the more we educate ourselves, the more we teach ourselves how to really define our skill sets, we're going to love what we do. Even if you have to do the paperwork or the payroll and things that you don't want to do, you're not going to mind because most of your day is all things that you truly love doing, whatever that may be. So let's chat a little bit about that piece of you've started the business and. So let's chat a little bit about that piece of

you've started the business and you're starting to grow a little bit. And that decision, I need to hire help. How does somebody wrap their mind around that? Because I do think that that is an area that a lot of bloggers struggle with because they feel... I don't want to use the word shame, but like, well, this is my blog, or this is my business. And so I should have my hand in all of it. How would you encourage someone to get the help? Well, that's a great question too. And I think recognizing ownership and your abilities and why you're doing what you're doing. Yes, it is your business, but you can't be successful without

the help of lots and lots of people. And it was really hard for me because I like to do all the things. I want to know all the things. I want to educate myself in all the things. And I think we've said this before too, before I go and hire, I want to know how to do it. But then I want to turn around and say, okay, I'm going to find someone who has the same beliefs that I have. When you hire someone, really look for what you're truly looking for.

Don't settle because there's lots of people and lots of candidates out there. So find someone who has a similar viewpoint to you. Not everybody wants to own a company. Not everybody wants to run a company. There's people who truly enjoy working with and for other people. So look for someone who truly just loves doing what they do and whatever their skill set may be, and just be a really good role model to them in business. But if you're scared of somebody taking your business, if you're scared of those things happening, write a contract, non-compete. You can't steal my business. You're going to come work with me. I have all the contracts and I consult all the lawyers for all of the different businesses that I have. And that's really important because I know that it's protecting me.

And if somebody is going to start another business and it's similar to yours, if they do it the right way, like, Hey, you inspired me. I want to start another business. Okay. Awesome. Congratulations. Don't steal my clients. And I'm here to support you because the thing is, is if someone's starting a business because they worked for you and you leave off on good terms, like that's a compliment to me. If someone's starting a business because I inspired them to start a business, awesome. What can I do to help you be in business? Because you guys, you specialize in blogging. There's millions of people that do blogging, right? But not everybody is you. So there's so many people that are out there that do what we do,

but we just have to own what we do and really say collaboration over competition. Because then your community is going to grow tenfold. Because if you turn around and you had someone that worked for you, and now they own their own business because of you, that's a compliment. That's not like they're stealing business. It's, hey, how can we partner somewhere in the future? And shifting your mindset with that, I think, is really important too. And hiring people, yeah, can be scary. But now that I've done it so many times, I'm like, eh, just another person. I think too, in blogging, there's so many different areas that we need to be and it's nearly impossible to do them all.

Jennifer hires out stuff. I hire out stuff as well. Not to the capacity that I think either one of us... I mean, we could probably definitely use more help. And I think this is an area that we constantly have to remind ourselves, we're not going to grow unless we get some help. And I think it's okay to have that feeling of, oh, shit. Can I do this or can I not? Because that step is scary. But I'll use an example. When we started the podcast in January of 2022, we knew that we did not have the capacity to edit. So it was kind of this... When we sat down to say, okay, we think that the podcast is the next logical step for Spark Media Concepts. How can we make that happen? And we looked at each other and was like, there's no way either one of us have time to edit this.

There's no way. So we knew that we had to hire a podcast manager. This podcast would not run without Hannah Clark. I mean, it just would not. And so, and honestly, the podcast is one of our favorite things of the business because we get to do, just like you said, we get to do the connecting with the guests and the talks. And then we get a hand off the part

that neither one of us want to do and that Hannah Clark loves to do. She loves to edit. I would hate editing. I would not enjoy that at all. And she loves that. So I think too, we have to remind ourselves that those things that you're hiring out, likely the person who's doing it, that's their passion. That's what they want to do. And they're going to be probably way better at it than you would be. So let them do their thing. And then together, you both grow. And I love that. And you're supporting somebody else in business and supporting their dreams, their goals. And when you turn around, like you said, I can't stand editing. And she's like,

Oh my God, I love editing. This is so amazing. So by collaborating, you have these two people who are now vibrating at a different level because now you're going to do that much better and you're going to be that much more efficient in what you're doing because you don't have to worry about the things that you don't like to do. So, you know, I think that's an amazing swap. It really is. And like, I say the same thing with, you know, one of my VPs, she loves doing all of the things that I don't love doing. She'll mention something. She's like, Oh my goodness, this is so much fun. I was like, hard pass. Nope. You know, so it's nice when you have that because then you're supporting somebody else. Jennifer and I are like that too in our own business. We have very different brains. I like the technical stuff. Amy likes

the connecting piece. And yeah, I think it's good that we both have different areas of skill and passion. Yeah, absolutely. And it brings something to,'s good that we both have different areas of skill and passion. Yeah, absolutely. And it brings something to, you know, something to the table where, you know, you don't have to hire out for that. Both of you have a different skill set. And I think that that's amazing because it just, it helps you to be that much more creative. It helps you to be able to kind of look into things a little bit more than you want to look into it. Cause I know when I'm learning something, I'm like, okay, how can I learn all of this without like taking up all of my time? Cause that's the hard part too, right? Every time you have to learn how to do something, if I'm like, oh, I'm doing a podcast. Now I have to learn this program and I have to learn how to edit it. And I have to do

this, this, and this one that's taking away time from something else that you should be working on. And is it going to help make you money in business? I like to learn how things work. But then I like to turn around and say, Okay, here now you can do this. God forbid something happens. I know the skill set if I have to, but I don't need to do it. And I say, here you go. And it's it just takes so much off your plate. And it allows you to change your mentality. I think it allows you to stay positive. And I think that you're a perfect example of that, that you're doing the things that you want to do. You're letting someone else do the things that bring them joy and passion. So you can wake up every morning and say, I get to go to work today. I get to do this job

that I love. And one thing that I hope that everybody's picking up is you can... If you're waking up and you don't love what you're doing, it's a choice to change. And you can make that choice to go down a different path. Because you didn't start out owning your own business either. You started in corporate. Absolutely. Yep. They're completely different. And I loved what I did. It just wasn't fulfilling to me. I've always had that mentality. I'm like, Ooh, I want to start a business. Ooh, I want to start a business. And I would always have these passion projects and always do these things on the side, but it never brought me that, that sense of fulfillment. The nice part about corporate is, you know, you get to work, you can turn work off, you get home from work, you can shut work off, you can enjoy your weekends,

you can go on vacation and somebody else is paying for it. And you know, in my head, it, it seems really great, but then you're like, Oh, I have to pick up my kid from school. And now I have to get approval from five different people in order for that to happen and let everybody know where I am and change my whole day around. And so there's all these pros and cons of being in that corporate world. And it's for a lot of people. It wasn't for me, but I always knew that, always. And so for me, it was making this conscious choice to jump into that entrepreneurial lifestyle. While there are so many pros, there are a lot of cons. Like my brain doesn't shut off. If you haven't listened to me talk at all, all I think about is, oh, how can I start the next business? How can I do this?

How can I do this? That I had to like really start to schedule my time more efficiently in order to be able to do all of the things. One of the things I specialize in is time management and scheduling. And the reason why I'm so hyper-focused and able to do all of these things is because I set hard boundaries and I follow them. When I'm on the phone with people, I tell anyone who's listening, you want to start your own business? Awesome. Set boundaries. Do not work seven days a week, 24 hours a day. You have to shut off to be creative. You have to give off responsibility in order to do the things that you need to do. You need to sleep and you need to take care of yourself and you need to have a social life. Those things are all super important that as business owners, you're like, I'm just going to work till I'm burnt out. And then I'm

going to start all over again after I like pick myself up from like falling apart. And we all do it and we all work way too much. And we always take on the clients that are like, well, I really need this done yesterday. And you're like, okay, I'm going to do it because I really want the client. That is not your client. Do not do it. It's not going to be worth your mental health at all. But we all go through it.

And it's a learning experience in business. But setting those boundaries, when I'm on a phone call and we're talking about business, I'm like, I only work from nine to five, Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday. And chances are, it's actually 4.30 because if you don't schedule a call by 4.30, my day is done. It's my kids' time. It's the time that I am dedicated to my kids and their sports and the things that they're doing and cooking dinner and

hearing about their day and really committing to my life outside of work. And that is something so many of us tend to forget because we don't set those boundaries. But why am I working all of these jobs and doing all of these amazing things if I'm going to lose time with my kids and lose time with my family and really miss out on those relationships? So I think it's important to make sure that we don't forget about those as we're starting a business because it's exciting and we're going to want to do it all the time. Oh my gosh, such good advice. And I think that Jennifer and I can both relate. It is hard to shut it off because you love what you do, truly. But I've struggled with burnout myself. I think most entrepreneurs have. And so this year is really a focus to me to make my family time,

my family time and my work time, my work time and be really intentional about that time. Because I can't... A lot of times I was trying to be a mom and work at the same time. And then I'd feel guilty if I was with my kids and felt like I should be working or vice versa. And that attitude really doesn't serve me well. It doesn't serve my business as well. And it doesn't serve my family well. And so I think learning to just, like you said, set boundaries and be intentional with your time is just a really important skill set to learn. And it does take time because you are excited. Oh, absolutely. And that's the thing. You're so excited. So you want to do it all the time. So for me, I always have my iPad or my

cell phone next to me. So if I have an idea, I'll write it down real quick. And then I'm like, all right, I can keep doing what I'm doing. So I can just kind of shut it off. So it's finding a way to let that outlet out while you're doing other things in order to keep doing those things. You know, like if it's sitting at the dinner table with your family, do not have that cell phone next to you. Do not have the TV on.

Try to be present when you're, you know, doing those things. But boundaries are there for us. They're not for anybody else. They're truly for us. And to be able to say, okay, this is when I have to do these things. And sometimes we have to bend those boundaries, right? I mean, there are rules, so it's okay to bend them a little bit, but not all the time. So I bend it once a week. So once a week, I will say, and it's part of my boundaries, that if a client asks me to talk after business hours, one time, once a week, I will break that boundary. And I will say, yes, on Tuesday, between six and 630, I will have a

phone call. If that time doesn't work for you. I don't know what to tell you. I'm like a doctor's office. You call me at 459. The phones are already shut off. Like that's where I'm at. And when you set those boundaries, people understand they will make time in that time frame. And if not, they will do it at a different time. And so I get really intentional with how I spend that time. Like when I schedule like things, and I'm sure you do this too. When I send out an invite, if it's in person, you can only have an in-person coffee with me on Mondays. And only one person can do it.

So once that's gone, it's gone. And I give them the free reign of the time. You can only have a virtual coffee with me on Tuesdays or Thursdays. And so for the most part, I try to be super intentional. I also, sometimes I do podcasts all over the world. So sometimes like I'll mess up the timeframe and I'm like, crap, I have to record at seven o'clock at night. And my husband's like, well, why? I'm like, because I didn't realize this was India. Like I didn't realize what time zone we were on. So that was a learning experience. So make sure you get a time converter if you're working with people all over the world, because that really, that's done me in. So we're finally beyond that. But it was really funny when I started scheduling because I'm like, oh, this makes sense. I'm like, no, totally messed that up on so many levels. But it's a learning experience.

Every day is a learning experience as an entrepreneur, I've decided. the learning experience as an entrepreneur, I've decided. It is though, right? And if you look at it as a learning experience, like when we make a mistake or we fail, if you look at it as a failure, it's a failure. If you do it over and over, it's a failure. But failure only exists if you keep repeating that cycle. If you learn from it, and I tell everyone a failure is a learning experience. What did we learn from it? Even at the worst, like I lost a client. Well, why? What can I do better? Oh, that client, you know, I had to refund money for whatever, but maybe now I changed my contract. They had an expectation of timeframes.

Well, now I have to change my contract and change expectations. So every single time something happens, what did you learn from it? And how can you incorporate it moving forward? And so, you know, I tell everyone it's like getting burnt. The first time you get burnt, it's the worst. But then every time you get burnt, it's just a little bit less. And you slowly start to learn how to kind of manipulate that as well. I think you begin to see your worth.

Absolutely. And you know. Because you kind of let that go a little bit at first. You're like, it's all right. Like, we'll get there. Like, I don't do this for someone because they asked or, you know, whatever. No, no. And know your client, know your worth and know why you're doing what you're doing. Because if you know your worth, you're going to know my worth. If I know that this is why I do what I do, it's, you know, that perception, it's perception versus reality. If you really are perceived a certain way, and this is truly who you are, it is so unbelievably powerful. is so unbelievably powerful. So like when people meet me in person or have a conversation with me, they're like, Oh, you're the exact same person that I heard you talk. You're the exact same person that I had a conversation with on the phone. I'm like, Yep, same person. Like this is me. This is who I am. These are my values. And the more and more you truly put that out there

and believe in those things and believe in yourself, you're really going to change the way that you handle business. I just feel super inspired today by you because just personally, I have a lot of ideas, obviously running a couple different businesses. But just thinking about the boundaries that you put around things, you're still accomplishing what you want to accomplish. You're living the life that you want to live. I think people are going to take away so much hope from this interview because I think that's how I feel right now. It's just very hopeful. Yes, I can do the things that I want to do. I can spend the time where I want to spend it. I can help the people I want to help and I can still have time

for my family and it will happen in the time that it's supposed to happen in. Absolutely. And some people get overwhelmed by that. I have clients. I had one yesterday who I work with that I've been working with for a long time. And he's like, I'm having the hardest time with getting all of the things done. And I'm looking at him. We were in one meeting and then another. And I'm looking and I'm just like,

wait a minute, I specialize in this. You're telling me that you're stressed out about this and we're not working on this? We need to fix all of it. And so it was funny. After we had the debrief and had a conversation about it and just kind of changing the way the daily routine was getting done, it was funny, like after we had the debrief and had a conversation about it and just kind of changing the way the daily routine was getting done, it was like, oh, wow, I have more time than I thought I did.

No kidding. You know, there's so many things that people are like, well, you don't understand. My day is so busy. First and foremost, don't tell me I don't understand because I may not understand your life, but I have four businesses, three kids starting three more businesses, a puppy and a husband and all the extracurricular activities. If I can do it, anybody can do it. So it's so easy for me to think what's busy and you think what's busy to completely different things. But when you really start mapping it out,

all of us are the same. So when you really like say, oh, from this time to this time, this is what I did. How much Netflix did you watch? Look at your cell phone. Everyone has a smartphone. Go and look at your activity and tell me how much screen time you had the last week. How long were you on Facebook last week? Oh, six and a half hours. What could you do for six and a half hours that you were scrolling through Facebook? Because I know it all wasn't productive. So when you really start breaking down, I don't have time or I want to do something.

Get really intentional. Every day, three things I have to accomplish. Every day they're different, but I always have a top three. My list always has a hundred things, but I always circle three things that need to get done. You accomplish three things, you're going to be more productive. If you schedule the time this week at the beginning of the week, I said, okay, this week, these are the six things that have to get done. They're super important. I schedule it in my calendar. I put the time in and I say, at this time, I'm going to do this. I'm going to shut my cell phone off. I'm going to go and do something else. For me, I get up super early, usually with the exception of this week because my youngest isn't

sleeping. But I usually get up super early and I use that certain time to do all my emails and to schedule all the things that I need to do throughout the day. So I get really intentional of when I'm doing things as well. And I think that that's going to help create those... Taking all of those dreams and all these ideas in your head and really putting them out there into fruition. Once again, it's a choice. It's a choice to stay stuck in the mindset, I don't have time, or it's a choice to say, what I'm doing isn't working. And so I need to find solutions to make sure that my business, my life, everything can run more fluid to where I don't feel like I'm running around on fire. Yes. And it is. And I love that you keep saying it because everyone needs to keep hearing it. I'm a firm believer in repetition.

So the more you say it, the more it's going to resonate. And hopefully when people walk away from this conversation, choice is the biggest word because I love it. And I love that it's being emphasized because we choose to be where we are in this moment at all points in time. Nothing is holding us back. We choose to be where we are. There are so many times, and I think I said this yesterday on social media, I didn't want to, I'm training for the Boston Marathon. So I'm running the marathon in three months. And yesterday I woke up and I'm exhausted. I have heart conditions. So for me, it's being very intentional with how I feel when I go and do stuff. I didn't have to go out and run five miles yesterday. I didn't want to go out and

run five miles. I'm like, I don't want to do this. So I'm saying I don't want to do this. Well, the second we say I don't want to do it, we're not going to, you know, chances are we might not do it because we're already setting that negative tone. And I'm like, I don't want to, I can't do it. I'm exhausted. I'm giving all of the reasons of why I shouldn't do it, but I still did it because I knew that I had to get it done. Had, I chose to go continue to run. I had to slow down a little bit because I knew my body was tired, but at the same time, I was still able to do it. I chose to get up and go and do something. And after you do that, you're like, oh, I can do this. Oh, this can happen. So it's easy for us to quickly say the negatives. But if we start shifting our mind, and you know, that's one of the things I focus on all

the time is what is the positive in the negative situation? What can we do to shift our mindset? Because the second I said, oh, I can do this. And I need to do this because I'm training for a marathon. I got my butt out the door, you door. And it's easy for so many people to be like, it's 35 degrees on. I'm just going to throw my bathroom on and just not do it today. I only do that when it rains. Just for anyone who sees me not running on a day that it's raining, I don't like the rain. I don't blame you. I don't like the dog look. I don't like it. I don't blame you.

My dog look, I don't like it. You have been incredibly inspiring. This was like the best way to start the day. And I know that you are going to make a profound impact on those who take the time to listen to this episode. So Jen, can you let people know how they can connect with you? Yeah, absolutely. So if you Google Jen Potter and the word crazy, no Yeah, absolutely. So if you Google Jen Potter

and the word crazy, no, just kidding. So if you look me up on social media, on everything, every platform. So it's typically under Jen or Jennifer Potter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, I'm under Jen, live your best life. I actually think I changed it on Facebook recently too. And I want to keep that message out there of living your best life. And when I went to change my Instagram a few months ago, I'm like, I can't do it. I couldn't get myself to change it to my professional name, to my name. I left it as Jen live your best life because I think it's so important to remind myself on a daily basis to live my best life. So it's not just for everybody else. So I hashtag that on anything. If you actually search just hashtag Jen live your best

life, I pop up on everything because I think it's just super important to keep that mindset constantly of wake up today, live your best life and live with no regrets because before you know it, you're gonna be 40 and you're gonna be like, what did I do with my life? Well, I can say I've done a lot of damn things and I'm just getting started. Awesome.

Very amazing. Yes. Thanks so much, Jen, for sharing your energy today. It's been amazing. Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure. Thanks so much, Jen, for sharing your energy today. It's been amazing. Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure. Thanks. Thanks so much for tuning in today. If you'd like to continue the conversation about blogging with us, please find us on Instagram at Spark Media Concepts. You can also sign up for our weekly newsletter where we share blogging tips and inspiration. You can sign up by finding the

link in the show notes. For those of you who are ready for the next step and want to start your own blog, join the waitlist for the ultimate blog bootcamp. The link to join the waitlist is also in the show notes. Go out and make today a great day.