Hi, I'm Britney Saunders and welcome to Big Business. You have landed in one of my bonus episodes. In case you didn't know, I do my bonus episodes every Wednesday, which are a bit more chill, a bit more fun, a little bit more fancy, and on Monday's I have my main episodes. So I'm just going to jump straight into this. I have received a comment on my Big Business Podcast Instagram account, which, by the way, I feel like I've neglected since I've started this pod. It's just one of those things that I've put on the back burner, you know, like I've made the account, I put all my videos on there. But watch this space because I really want to rebrand that whole page and make it more than just me sharing my little videos on there. I want to share like tips, hacks, all that kind of shit. But you know, we're all out here trying to do the fucking most. My poor Instagram has just gotten put to the put to the side. But watch this space. I'm going to transform it over the next few months. Anyway, I want to give a shout out to Brook because she has left a comment on one of my recent posts on there and I'm going to read this out to you, she said, thanks Brittany for this podcast. Your podcasts have made me realize that I actually don't have what it takes to be a business owner, and this has been a great thing for me personally. In twenty twenty, I started a business that took off. I was so proud and loved it, but all the responsibility that you talk about, along with balancing family made it incredibly challenging, and I ended up closing the business. For years, I felt so guilty and ashamed that I couldn't get it right, and I had dreams and plans to restart. But since listening to the podcast, I've come to be grateful for that chapter. Keep the lessons and just keep learning about business as a hobby and reopen again, maybe one day when things are more aligned. Business is one of those things where you have to go all in. So thank you for providing such great insight and educating others on the ins and outs of business, not just the surface level stuff. I love that. And you know what, when I started this podcast, I had no idea that it could leave someone with something like that. I thought, Yep, I'm going to be able to start this podcast and inspire others or give others something to relate to, you know, if you're already in a business journey. But I never once thought that it would make someone feel better about their decision to close their business. And I guess the hard thing, like I could talk about like my little business ventures before I started Fate and how like I gave up on those, and I guess the guilt that I felt around that, but in saying that, I was so young that I didn't even really realize what I was doing. But when I started this pod, I never thought that it would give someone that type of closure on a business chapter in their own life. And I guess that's one of the cool things about podcasts is I can sit here and like ramble on about whatever I'm talking about everyone and I could have such a different impression on someone to what I initially thought. So thank you so much Brooke for that comment. I have always thought about, you know, businesses ending, And I've mentioned this before, but how many businesses do we really know that have been around for generations and generations? Not many? Like it's rare that you will see a business out live yourself like and it's rare when it's like in business for over one hundred years, like you know. You see those family run since nineteen sixty two, like you know. But I don't think that's really common, especially in this world that we're living in now, where it's everything wants everything, Everyone wants everything at the click of a finger and next day delivery and this that and the other, and there's one trend this week and another trend in the other. I have always been very realistic about knowing that one day like fate, like fate is most likely going to end in my lifetime, and that's a scary thing to think, but I think it's better to think that than to be completely oblivious to the fact now Fate's going to go on forever, because not many businesses make it to the five year mark, like not many make it to three. So I think I'm very lucky for the fact that I'm seven years in and still growing. But I'm also very open to the fact that maybe one day this is going to end, and who knows what way that is going to end. And I have spoken with a lot of people who are like a lot bigger in business than me, or maybe they're from Sydney, like you know, I think I still have that very like Newcastle, small gal town, small town gal mindset. But I've spoken to so many people who have had a lot more experience than me, and they always say, you know, what's your exit strategy? Because you know, apparently the thing that you have to do in business is build it up until it's at its most profitable point, and then you sell it. You sell it to someone else, or you sell it to a large company. That's like having an exit strategy? Is that? And then you exit it and you walk away and you don't have to deal with the downfall of the business. And a lot of people see that as the plan, like that's what you're supposed to do. But I've always said, let's just say, for example, Fate is going to last for fifteen years, and we're at year seven already. Is it really the worst thing in the world. If at year ten Fate is at its most profitable point and then from year ten to year fifteen it just slows down and dwindles down and we close all the stores and whatever, and I see it out to the end, is that really a failure? I think if you told a lot of massive entrepreneurs and investors and whatever like. They would see that as a failure, But is it really I don't think so at all. Sure you could have sold it when it was at its most profitable and made heaps of money and walked away and be set for life. But to ride the business out until its end and get to that point where you've got to close it because maybe you're not making any more sales anymore. As sad as that is, I don't think that's something that we should ever see as a failure. I think we should celebrate that, Like even if you were in it for three years or two years, like you gave it a fucking crack and you hopefully had fun during that time and made memories or you know. For me, I think I would hope that I've given people amazing jobs in that time and made people happy in their careers. So what if fate becomes huge and then on the other end it like dies off. I still see that as something worth celebrating, I think personally, so I take my hat off to you, Brooke for realizing, for whatever reason that you closed your business that it wasn't for you at the time. I think social media can make business look like a walk in the park. And I've said this before as well. I know I make business look like a walk in the park. It's very easy to portray that on social media. And I will be honest, like I think like a lot. Let's we can't say that business does and come without its challenges. It does, like some days I'm like fuck. But for the most part, because i know what I'm doing is what I'm supposed to be doing. Right now, I feel like a lot of days for me are a walk in the park because I truly love what I do and I'm passionate about what i do. For the most part, business isn't a walk in the park. It isn't easy. It's not glitz and glam like you see on social media. And I've I keep saying, I've said it before and I'll say it again. I make business look so easy on social media. It can look so glamorous. You can see all these amazing e commerce brands and retail brands online. It's all pretty especially with the industry. I'm in fashion and we're shooting with models and doing XYZ opening all these stores. But I guess I'm glad to have this podcast where I can kind of lift the veil and talk about the realities of running a business and how it isn't all what it's made out to be. And I've always said owning a business isn't for the faint hearted. That's the words, faint hearted, lighthearted, faint harder. It's fucking hard and it comes with so many more challenges than you could ever imagine. I'm going to do a deep dive on some of the challenges that I feel and face in a future episode, like quite literally probably next week, so you can keep an ear out for that one. But business isn't easy and it's definitely not for everyone, and I think social media can make it feel like it's for everyone. And also with this podcast, I love that I can just I share what I share on here, and I don't have anything that I'm trying to gain out of this with this pod. Like yes, I make a little bit of money from Nova every week that I do these episodes, and I'm very grateful for that. Thanks Nova. I drive two hours here and back every week to do this pod, so I think it's worth them paying me a little bit. But I don't end these episodes and have anything that I want to gain out of it. I want to be able to share my information with everyone and there's no catch, there's no call. I'm trying to sell, and people who are actually always say to me, are you ever going to do like mentoring? You know, when I jump on my stories and talk about something, or if they listen to the pod? Can I pay you? I've had people say can I pay you to just go out with a go out for coffee? And can I just ask you questions? And I'm always like, oh, like, I don't feel worthy of charging someone to do something like that. And who's to say, Like, maybe one day, if fate does come to a crashing, burning end, maybe I will go down another path of coaching in business and I'll tell you what's funny as well. I don't know if it was at the start of this year or a lot. I think it might have been the end of last year. I went and spoke at a like business event and it was the same event that Richard Branson talked at and there are a bunch of other speakers like before me and after me, and I got up and did a half an hour keynote by myself. And that was my first time ever doing like a lengthy keynote speech like that, and what I found so interesting, like I'd never been to one of those things before, but they happen all the time, like those I think it's called inspire and succeed, Like there's always all these different talking events. But the thing that I found so interesting, and this is me not shaming these events in any way whatsoever, but every speaker that I saw, like before me and after me, they all had something to sell, which I found so interesting and I didn't know that that's what they did. But like the guy that spoke before me, he spoke for ages, Yeah, that you can achieve this and that. Anyway, the first one hundred people to come up the back of the room like and they'd have like a big setup up the back where you would sign up to the course and like get something. And I was like, oh, this is what this thing is. Whereas I did my keynote speech, and I almost think the people in the audience know to expect that, like the sales pitch at the end. And so I ended my speech and then I remember the clapping was stalled, and I'm not sure like in that moment, I was like that's all, Like I literally said at the end, like that's all. And then there was like a because I don't know if for sure, but everyone before me had sold something at the end, whereas I had nothing to sell at the end. I was just there to share my story and that's it. So I guess a lot of people, I don't know, maybe in my position, they would see a comment like this, like the one that Brook has left and like not feel great about. Like I'm an entrepreneur with this business podcast and someone tell me that I inspired them that closing the business was the best thing they could ever do, Like, no, I want to turn this around and I know, make money out of you Brook somehow. Whereas like, I am so glad to have made Brook feel that way that she was fine to close the chapter, and it was not my intention whatsoever to make Brook feel that way, but I'm glad. And I never want to be the type of person on this podcast that has a certain agenda. I guess, like, take whatever you will from these episodes, if it's you finished listening to one of them and you're like, fuck, yeah, I'm going to start a business, or you might listen to my episode and think fuck, I never want to do that, I never want to own a business. Or if you're like Brook and you've listened to however many episodes and thought fuck after her sharing all this, I've made the absolute right decision in closing my business, and I don't feel so bad about it anymore. I absolutely love that. And I think one thing that we definitely need to normalize is that we're not cut out to do everything. There are so many things that we can do in business, and I'll speak about it in my episode next week about like the challenges and pressures that I feel on myself when it comes to being in my position, But there's no shame in not being able to do it all, even if it's something as big as running a business, Like I think it's okay to not admit defeat, but to go I can't do that thing. I can't run that business. I can't do this and that. I think one thing that I well, there's a few things that I've realized that I can't do, one of them being I can't do numbers. AJ does that. I handed that over to me. So I was paying all of our invoice and doing everything up until I want to say, like last year, and then AJ just said to me one day, do you admit to do that? That I was like sure, So that I told everyone that sends us bills and invoices, can you send them to AJ from now on? And I've realized the numbers thing isn't for me. The other thing that I've realized, maybe only in the last like year and a half or two years, is that direct one on one management with a lot of employees is not for me. I'm very involved in my team's day to day lives and their jobs, but especially over the last two years, we have put a lot of people in management positions so that I know it's not just for me. Obviously it's great for the team, but I now don't feel that pressure of, Oh, I wonder how clear in our social media team is doing in her day to day job, and if she needs any direct help with anything, I absolutely can do that and I will jump in at any moment's notice to help out in any way. But I think what I've realized is there's other bigger things that I can focus on that's going to be better for the business. For example, coming out with our next collection, or planning a huge social media campaign, or working on where our next door location is going to be. It's way more important for me to put my time, energy focus into that than having a sit down one on one with Claire from our social media team or Brook who does our PR saying Okay, Claire, what tasks are you working on this week? Like that, I've realized isn't for me, and that's a hard thing to do as a business owner, is to let go of the stuff that you don't need to hold on to. So thanks so much Brooke for sending through your comment. The Nova team have brought that to my attention. Thank you very much Ellie for that, and I'm glad that you could get something like that out of this podcast, which again I never thought someone could get that out out of it, but hey, anything goes on big business. It doesn't matter what you're doing. Hopefully you can get something out of the pod. So thanks Brooke, and I'll be back next week with a main episode.

Hi, I'm Britney Saunders and welcome to Big Business. You have landed in one of my bonus episodes. In case you didn't know, I do my bonus episodes every Wednesday, which are a bit more chill, a bit more fun, a little bit more fancy, and on Monday's I have my main episodes. So I'm just going to jump straight into this. I have received a comment on my Big Business Podcast Instagram account, which, by the way, I feel like I've neglected since I've started this pod. It's just one of those things that I've put on the back burner, you know, like I've made the account, I put all my videos on there. But watch this space because I really want to rebrand that whole page and make it more than just me sharing my little videos on there. I want to share like tips, hacks, all that kind of shit. But you know, we're all out here trying to do the fucking most. My poor Instagram has just gotten put to the put to the side. But watch this space. I'm going to transform it over the next few months. Anyway, I want to give a shout out to Brook because she has left a comment on one of my recent posts on there and I'm going to read this out to you, she said, thanks Brittany for this podcast. Your podcasts have made me realize that I actually don't have what it takes to be a business owner, and this has been a great thing for me personally. In twenty twenty, I started a business that took off. I was so proud and loved it, but all the responsibility that you talk about, along with balancing family made it incredibly challenging, and I ended up closing the business. For years, I felt so guilty and ashamed that I couldn't get it right, and I had dreams and plans to restart. But since listening to the podcast, I've come to be grateful for that chapter. Keep the lessons and just keep learning about business as a hobby and reopen again, maybe one day when things are more aligned. Business is one of those things where you have to go all in. So thank you for providing such great insight and educating others on the ins and outs of business, not just the surface level stuff. I love that. And you know what, when I started this podcast, I had no idea that it could leave someone with something like that. I thought, Yep, I'm going to be able to start this podcast and inspire others or give others something to relate to, you know, if you're already in a business journey. But I never once thought that it would make someone feel better about their decision to close their business. And I guess the hard thing, like I could talk about like my little business ventures before I started Fate and how like I gave up on those, and I guess the guilt that I felt around that, but in saying that, I was so young that I didn't even really realize what I was doing. But when I started this pod, I never thought that it would give someone that type of closure on a business chapter in their own life. And I guess that's one of the cool things about podcasts is I can sit here and like ramble on about whatever I'm talking about everyone and I could have such a different impression on someone to what I initially thought. So thank you so much Brooke for that comment. I have always thought about, you know, businesses ending, And I've mentioned this before, but how many businesses do we really know that have been around for generations and generations? Not many? Like it's rare that you will see a business out live yourself like and it's rare when it's like in business for over one hundred years, like you know. You see those family run since nineteen sixty two, like you know. But I don't think that's really common, especially in this world that we're living in now, where it's everything wants everything, Everyone wants everything at the click of a finger and next day delivery and this that and the other, and there's one trend this week and another trend in the other. I have always been very realistic about knowing that one day like fate, like fate is most likely going to end in my lifetime, and that's a scary thing to think, but I think it's better to think that than to be completely oblivious to the fact now Fate's going to go on forever, because not many businesses make it to the five year mark, like not many make it to three. So I think I'm very lucky for the fact that I'm seven years in and still growing. But I'm also very open to the fact that maybe one day this is going to end, and who knows what way that is going to end. And I have spoken with a lot of people who are like a lot bigger in business than me, or maybe they're from Sydney, like you know, I think I still have that very like Newcastle, small gal town, small town gal mindset. But I've spoken to so many people who have had a lot more experience than me, and they always say, you know, what's your exit strategy? Because you know, apparently the thing that you have to do in business is build it up until it's at its most profitable point, and then you sell it. You sell it to someone else, or you sell it to a large company. That's like having an exit strategy? Is that? And then you exit it and you walk away and you don't have to deal with the downfall of the business. And a lot of people see that as the plan, like that's what you're supposed to do. But I've always said, let's just say, for example, Fate is going to last for fifteen years, and we're at year seven already. Is it really the worst thing in the world. If at year ten Fate is at its most profitable point and then from year ten to year fifteen it just slows down and dwindles down and we close all the stores and whatever, and I see it out to the end, is that really a failure? I think if you told a lot of massive entrepreneurs and investors and whatever like. They would see that as a failure, But is it really I don't think so at all. Sure you could have sold it when it was at its most profitable and made heaps of money and walked away and be set for life. But to ride the business out until its end and get to that point where you've got to close it because maybe you're not making any more sales anymore. As sad as that is, I don't think that's something that we should ever see as a failure. I think we should celebrate that, Like even if you were in it for three years or two years, like you gave it a fucking crack and you hopefully had fun during that time and made memories or you know. For me, I think I would hope that I've given people amazing jobs in that time and made people happy in their careers. So what if fate becomes huge and then on the other end it like dies off. I still see that as something worth celebrating, I think personally, so I take my hat off to you, Brooke for realizing, for whatever reason that you closed your business that it wasn't for you at the time. I think social media can make business look like a walk in the park. And I've said this before as well. I know I make business look like a walk in the park. It's very easy to portray that on social media. And I will be honest, like I think like a lot. Let's we can't say that business does and come without its challenges. It does, like some days I'm like fuck. But for the most part, because i know what I'm doing is what I'm supposed to be doing. Right now, I feel like a lot of days for me are a walk in the park because I truly love what I do and I'm passionate about what i do. For the most part, business isn't a walk in the park. It isn't easy. It's not glitz and glam like you see on social media. And I've I keep saying, I've said it before and I'll say it again. I make business look so easy on social media. It can look so glamorous. You can see all these amazing e commerce brands and retail brands online. It's all pretty especially with the industry. I'm in fashion and we're shooting with models and doing XYZ opening all these stores. But I guess I'm glad to have this podcast where I can kind of lift the veil and talk about the realities of running a business and how it isn't all what it's made out to be. And I've always said owning a business isn't for the faint hearted. That's the words, faint hearted, lighthearted, faint harder. It's fucking hard and it comes with so many more challenges than you could ever imagine. I'm going to do a deep dive on some of the challenges that I feel and face in a future episode, like quite literally probably next week, so you can keep an ear out for that one. But business isn't easy and it's definitely not for everyone, and I think social media can make it feel like it's for everyone. And also with this podcast, I love that I can just I share what I share on here, and I don't have anything that I'm trying to gain out of this with this pod. Like yes, I make a little bit of money from Nova every week that I do these episodes, and I'm very grateful for that. Thanks Nova. I drive two hours here and back every week to do this pod, so I think it's worth them paying me a little bit. But I don't end these episodes and have anything that I want to gain out of it. I want to be able to share my information with everyone and there's no catch, there's no call. I'm trying to sell, and people who are actually always say to me, are you ever going to do like mentoring? You know, when I jump on my stories and talk about something, or if they listen to the pod? Can I pay you? I've had people say can I pay you to just go out with a go out for coffee? And can I just ask you questions? And I'm always like, oh, like, I don't feel worthy of charging someone to do something like that. And who's to say, Like, maybe one day, if fate does come to a crashing, burning end, maybe I will go down another path of coaching in business and I'll tell you what's funny as well. I don't know if it was at the start of this year or a lot. I think it might have been the end of last year. I went and spoke at a like business event and it was the same event that Richard Branson talked at and there are a bunch of other speakers like before me and after me, and I got up and did a half an hour keynote by myself. And that was my first time ever doing like a lengthy keynote speech like that, and what I found so interesting, like I'd never been to one of those things before, but they happen all the time, like those I think it's called inspire and succeed, Like there's always all these different talking events. But the thing that I found so interesting, and this is me not shaming these events in any way whatsoever, but every speaker that I saw, like before me and after me, they all had something to sell, which I found so interesting and I didn't know that that's what they did. But like the guy that spoke before me, he spoke for ages, Yeah, that you can achieve this and that. Anyway, the first one hundred people to come up the back of the room like and they'd have like a big setup up the back where you would sign up to the course and like get something. And I was like, oh, this is what this thing is. Whereas I did my keynote speech, and I almost think the people in the audience know to expect that, like the sales pitch at the end. And so I ended my speech and then I remember the clapping was stalled, and I'm not sure like in that moment, I was like that's all, Like I literally said at the end, like that's all. And then there was like a because I don't know if for sure, but everyone before me had sold something at the end, whereas I had nothing to sell at the end. I was just there to share my story and that's it. So I guess a lot of people, I don't know, maybe in my position, they would see a comment like this, like the one that Brook has left and like not feel great about. Like I'm an entrepreneur with this business podcast and someone tell me that I inspired them that closing the business was the best thing they could ever do, Like, no, I want to turn this around and I know, make money out of you Brook somehow. Whereas like, I am so glad to have made Brook feel that way that she was fine to close the chapter, and it was not my intention whatsoever to make Brook feel that way, but I'm glad. And I never want to be the type of person on this podcast that has a certain agenda. I guess, like, take whatever you will from these episodes, if it's you finished listening to one of them and you're like, fuck, yeah, I'm going to start a business, or you might listen to my episode and think fuck, I never want to do that, I never want to own a business. Or if you're like Brook and you've listened to however many episodes and thought fuck after her sharing all this, I've made the absolute right decision in closing my business, and I don't feel so bad about it anymore. I absolutely love that. And I think one thing that we definitely need to normalize is that we're not cut out to do everything. There are so many things that we can do in business, and I'll speak about it in my episode next week about like the challenges and pressures that I feel on myself when it comes to being in my position, But there's no shame in not being able to do it all, even if it's something as big as running a business, Like I think it's okay to not admit defeat, but to go I can't do that thing. I can't run that business. I can't do this and that. I think one thing that I well, there's a few things that I've realized that I can't do, one of them being I can't do numbers. AJ does that. I handed that over to me. So I was paying all of our invoice and doing everything up until I want to say, like last year, and then AJ just said to me one day, do you admit to do that? That I was like sure, So that I told everyone that sends us bills and invoices, can you send them to AJ from now on? And I've realized the numbers thing isn't for me. The other thing that I've realized, maybe only in the last like year and a half or two years, is that direct one on one management with a lot of employees is not for me. I'm very involved in my team's day to day lives and their jobs, but especially over the last two years, we have put a lot of people in management positions so that I know it's not just for me. Obviously it's great for the team, but I now don't feel that pressure of, Oh, I wonder how clear in our social media team is doing in her day to day job, and if she needs any direct help with anything, I absolutely can do that and I will jump in at any moment's notice to help out in any way. But I think what I've realized is there's other bigger things that I can focus on that's going to be better for the business. For example, coming out with our next collection, or planning a huge social media campaign, or working on where our next door location is going to be. It's way more important for me to put my time, energy focus into that than having a sit down one on one with Claire from our social media team or Brook who does our PR saying Okay, Claire, what tasks are you working on this week? Like that, I've realized isn't for me, and that's a hard thing to do as a business owner, is to let go of the stuff that you don't need to hold on to. So thanks so much Brooke for sending through your comment. The Nova team have brought that to my attention. Thank you very much Ellie for that, and I'm glad that you could get something like that out of this podcast, which again I never thought someone could get that out out of it, but hey, anything goes on big business. It doesn't matter what you're doing. Hopefully you can get something out of the pod. So thanks Brooke, and I'll be back next week with a main episode.