31: Holiday Catch-Up & How We Stay Inspired

Intro:
Hey, you’re drinking house coffee – unfiltered conversations brewed at the intersection of real estate life and coffee shop service. We’re Maggie and Rich – local business owners and friends sharing stories and welcoming you to pull up a chair with us. The door’s always open. Let us pour you a cup.

Maggie:
Or Roland or roll in

Rich:
Welcome back. Maggie

Maggie:
Hey, Rich, welcome to episode 31

Rich:
31. fresh off of Thanksgiving and a little break Shout out to TJ for doing that. The little what we call that intermission interlude for us. Yeah.

Maggie:
What did you think of that? I

Rich:
Heard it just this morning. Actually. I loved it. Okay energy was high the words were on. So thanks TJ. Thanks for getting that recorded. Yeah release and I didn’t even know I asked you. I was like hey is I think did you guys get that thing up and you’re like, sorry.

Maggie:
It’s already done.

Rich:
Love that. That’s what a team is for. so

Maggie:
How was your Thanksgiving

Rich:
It was it was good. It was good. We went just just over two hours down state. from here to be with Christine’s dad’s side of the family. His her uncle’s house.

Maggie:
Okay.

Rich:
It’s It’s out that way we got to stop at this. This isn’t the Highlight necessarily but it was a highlight. We got to stop at this coffee drive through. Oh that I was aware of but had never been able to go to because it was It was kind of down that way. It’s like an hour from here. So we stopped at the one just off of the Newburgh.

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
Exit and the place is called Ready Coffee Company.

Maggie:
Okay

Rich:
Ready coffee, and it’s like it’s like a you can’t even go inside. It’s just drive through coffee, but it’s like a it’s like a specialty like they have a real espresso machine in there real grinder. I could see it through the window and it’s like a it’s like the perfect mix between like like a Duncan. It’s like a homey Duncan Vibe except specialty coffee. But it’s like they got frozen coffees. So it’s it’s not that right up your alley. It was cool. It was cool. It was much better than I expected not to like diminish anything, but I didn’t expect it to be that good for being as I don’t know. As like Fast service quote has as it was so cool. But yeah, then we went to family’s house and have dinner and all that. I brought all of her down obviously and that was good. He stepped like halfway of the ride on the way down and like when we got to that coffee place, we got to feed him in the car. And then I think he was awake for the rest of the ride, but that was fine and he slept on the way home. So when you have kids some a baby so much of like what you do just revolves around

Maggie:
Their sleep.

Rich:
They’re sleep or they’re yeah exactly. It just revolves around them, you know, and when we got there there was from the other side of the family Christine’s uncle is His wife so Christine’s aunt. By marriage her side of the family. Also, is that a lot of these things and so her son and his wife and their young kids were all so at the thing. So again, it was just like the whole kind of thing revolves around the kids, you know. See that Christine was commenting on that anyway, so it was good good time. Cool.

Maggie:
So

Rich:
That was on Thanksgiving day. So that was our main thing. We had a friends giving the night before with our like church small group. I think that was pretty much it. Yeah fun. Yeah. We had some friends

Maggie:
Visiting from Madison, Wisconsin. so it was a family of four

Rich:
Cool, and

Maggie:
We hosted my parents and our friends and their two kids and then two friends and we had it was just kind of like it felt more like a friend’s giving oh

Rich:
Then

Maggie:
An actual Thanksgiving because like none of my siblings were there. Yeah, which was like kind of different because I’ve six siblings and we kind of do a big family Thanksgiving every other year every two years and we did that last year. So this year I think everybody just was like home or what, you know

Rich:
Free, right

Maggie:
The spouses family or whatever. So

Rich:
Yeah. cool You had to borrow some of your staging stuff.

Maggie:
Oh my gosh, you got it. So yeah, so our house is under construction and The addition where me and Brandon were our primary bedroom is going to be in the future is like still. Completely under construction and we had to clean up that entire room because there were sheets of drywall and tools and tables and like wood and just it was just a dump zone for lack of a better word and it didn’t even have a door. It just had a plastic sheet covering the doorway and so Leading up to this visit. We were like planning on placing our friends and their two girls in that room because we only have three bedrooms. And so we’ve got our kid in his bedroom and then our bedroom where we are now and then the new bedroom that’s not done yet, but it’s under construction. It’s big enough for four people. So we clean that space up. We put cardboard down over the like like it’s called Ram Board this like yeah Construction. Cardboard

Rich:
I’ve seen it.

Maggie:
Yeah. Yeah, and then we pulled our guest bed out from from storage and then we set up Brandon’s. Boy Scouts tent like actually set it up and then put two twin mattresses. That on either side of the tent and then like made the beds and we’re like hung twinkle lights on the top of the tent and we had like a whole like camp out experience for the girls and they loved it. It was so fun. It was so magical. They loved it. So like that way like they had their own little room inside of the room where they kept all their suitcases and their stuffies and all that stuff. And then there was the other side of the the bedroom and then the downstairs Edition. Is where we ate our Thanksgiving meal? Under like again construction zone no walls only insulation string of construction lights. I brought in a rug from my trailer. I brought in like pillows bedding Ottomans coffee tables. Dining table dining chairs. I mean I borrowed a lot of stuff from Welcome Home Co for Thanksgiving this year. And as you saw

Rich:
Generous,

Maggie:
Yeah putting it all back

Rich:
Right

Maggie:
Before it goes before all that stuff goes to its new temporary home.

Rich:
Yeah, I I But that’s that’s cool. That’s cool. Yes stumbled upon your little cleanup job. Yeah earlier today.

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
Nice.

Maggie:
Yes, it’s a pretty good

Rich:
Holidays. We love them.

Maggie:
Do you want to talk about what you’ve been listening to lately?

Rich:
I am on to a new podcasts. It’s new to me. I should say it’s like 70 or 80 episodes deep. So it’s not that new but they do really sweetly. It’s called The Valor coffee podcast

Maggie:
The Valor coffee

Rich:
Valor coffee podcast and Valor is a coffee company. Out of Georgia Alpharetta, maybe. Is there anything like House

Maggie:
Coffee podcast

Rich:
It is. It is Lighthouse coffee podcast, except it is. All coffee

Maggie:
And no house and

Rich:
No house, but that’s okay. It’s so it’s it’s more like it’s more like cat and Cloud.

Maggie:
Okay podcast,

Rich:
Which I have. Referenced often on this pod. Now the way I even know about Valor is because they were on the cat and Cloud podcast several years ago when they were starting out and when they were not yet roasting their own coffee and they were carrying cattle Cloud coffee. So they were a partner of theirs and then they were starting out and they also started out and this was always inspiring to me when we were starting out. They had they were they started as a pop-up. and they basically had a coffee cart that they hold up inside of a coworking space. So that was their first coffee shop quote unquote. Was this Coffee Espresso Bar that was inside of a of a shared space and that was always an inspiring model to me. I think by the time I don’t know if I did I can’t remember if they pre. Date us or not, but it was in the time when we were doing pop-ups and had a coffee cart kind of vibe going, you know on the side. And so yeah, just kind of like they’ve stayed on my radar and now they have a podcast as well because they are now roasting their own coffee. And when you roast your own coffee, you need to advertise so that you can sell it online and one of the ways to help sell your coffee is to also increase education around coffee and and just be reaching out so So that is they got on my radar? I think I remember how I’ve kind of been on my radar with the podcast because we fall actually our page follows them on Instagram. So I don’t know if you’ve seen any of their clips and basically they’d make a clip for every one of their podcasts and okay, there’s three owners in that company so that it goes back and forth between them

Maggie:
And

Rich:
Then so I always end up pop in Instagram open and like seeing the clip from the from the episode and then what the one of their more recent ones they had they interviewed this they had another guy on the episode where the interviewed him another. Actually, no, he’s based in South Carolina with a with a somewhat famous coffee company ends within a specialty industry called methodical coffee. So they have the owner and founder of methodical coffee. One of the one of the founders on one of the more recent episodes and he was talking about his startup phase which is I think like nine years ago at this point, so they were drawing inspiration from him and just asking him all kinds of questions and it was pretty inspiring to listen to that conversation all around because it got me it got me thinking. about why I’m doing what I’m doing and it got me thinking about like Oh it got me thinking about what inspires me in coffee and in I say in coffee. I mean like in the coffee. industry and like the hospitality restaurant industry it got me thinking like There’s more to it than just coffee. There’s more to it than just the drink. There’s or the product there’s this whole you’re trying to craft this whole experience and I think we’ve talked about this kind of thing, but You’re doing everything with intention and you’re trying to elevate this Cafe experience. It’s all around based around coffee. but like every part of the experiences is build with design and I think that, you know cat and Cloud they were always on that as well. And that’s maybe where I first got thinking about that. So it doesn’t surprise me that now I’m You know wherever I see that thread. I’m like I’m like following that through and Um, yeah, so I saw a clip from from one of those guys. They’re also always talking about on the Valor podcast. They’re they’re often talking about starting a cafe and advice to people who are thinking about starting a cafe and I think that was actually what the clip was about that comment attention, but then I went and listened to that episode and got thinking all those other thoughts. But anyway, that’s what

Maggie:
Was the takeaway

Rich:
Whatever

Maggie:
Takeaways from that. if you if you can share

Rich:
I just gosh So now as well, you hear something that’s like really setting a high standard. Right? Like you just you hear people talk about something and it’s like man, they’re they’re talking on such a high level like with such a such a cool like ideal and then you end up hearing that and you end up measuring yourself against that right? And so you like you you see a perfect standard or your sense of a perfect standard and and you hear that and you measure yourself against yourself falling short and Asking yourself. Okay. What’s What’s the Gap you know, why am I not quite up to that standard or how am I not up to that standard? So I don’t necessarily have a huge concrete takeaway. That’s like positive as much as I walked away with some questions about where I am right now, which I’m gonna Reserve because

Maggie:
It’s very future pod.

Rich:
It’s for like five minutes from now after you tell me what

Maggie:
Oh, okay. Well then. All right. So what I’ve been listening to I’m going to ask you a question, but this has to do with what I’ve been listening to and it if if it’s too deep of an answer. I mean a too deep of a question this it has something to do with. what I’m listening to so Rich

Rich:
No questions too deep on the house.

Maggie:
All right. Well then. if you could find out. When you are going to die. Would you want to know?

Rich:
Yeah, I think I would

Maggie:
You would I think if you if you if something showed up at your doorstep and told you open this box and it will tell you when

Rich:
Yeah,

Maggie:
You’re gonna die. You would look at it

Rich:
For sure.

Maggie:
That’s so funny because I would not

Rich:
Yeah not and that’s because you have a lot more going for you than I feel like I do. So tell me what

Maggie:
I don’t know like okay, so the book I’m listening to is called the measure. And the author is Nikki Ehrlich. It’s a very popular book. A lot of people have recommended it Young House Love Actually recommended it and I’ve been listening to it. The basic premise of the book is and I’m not ruining. I’m not going to ruin anything. So there are no spoilers

Rich:
Heard.

Maggie:
The book begins with everybody in the entire world at the exact same time. A box shows up at their at their doorstep. Nobody knows where they came from. Nobody knows the origin of this box Inside the Box. Is a string. And the string indicates the measure of how much that person’s life life is left for that person. So there are short stringers and long stringers and like people in between and the story follows several different characters of different string lengths and their perspective on this this what’s happening throughout Like their life, so

Rich:
That’s fascinating.

Maggie:
It is so fascinating and it’s just it just brings up all these ethical questions within the book because one person one of the characters is a politician running for a president. One of the characters is in the Army one is a journalist. When is it like there’s just all like there’s literally a whole spectrum of characters and ages and it’s just it’s just really fascinating and to see how there they go about life now. that these strings are part of life and and going forward. They they establish early on that you get the string on your 21st birthday. So from going forward like anybody who turns 21 no matter where you are. Not even if you’re home or whatever. You can’t vacation like a string just shows up outside your door and it it inside the box it tell it gives you the measure of How much time you have left? to live and if that happened to me, I would not look in the box, but you can’t destroy the string. You can’t destroy the Box. You can’t it’s it’s an indestructible thing.

Rich:
Can you not look at I’m not look you can choose not to look at it interesting

Maggie:
And some of the characters choose not to look at it. But there are I don’t want to ruin it

Rich:
Just an ethical thing in itself. That’s cool question in itself. Yeah,

Maggie:
So The book is called The Measure. I’m about halfway through it and it is it’s so good.

Rich:
Sorry for this technical question. But how do they know the relative? How do they translate the relative like the length of the string to the relative language

Maggie:
As The Story Goes On look. Nobody knows what the strings are at first when they arrive because they just they just show up and they’re like, what are these strings and everybody’s opening their boxes and seeing these strings and they’re like, what does this mean? But everybody in the world gets one. so they determine like as people start dying. they’re figuring out like oh they kind of put two and two together about like, oh this person had a short string so that must mean they had a shorter life. and wow, um that like as The Story Goes On like there’s like scientific researchers for research the like material of the string and then there’s like these websites that you could go on to like determine the length of your string and what it means and then all these ethical questions of like Should you be forced to open your box and look at it or should you be forced to share that the length of your string if you are in a relationship with somebody and or if you’re dating or if you’re like want to date somebody. Do you share the length of your string does it does that matter? Like it’s just it’s an original idea. I think so, I think so.

Rich:
Wow,

Maggie:
I’m sure people have written about this kind of concept before but not in this way.

Rich:
Yeah, this is really interesting.

Maggie:
It brings up so many questions and then they’re like Some countries in the book that when you get your string like you’re not allowed to see it. They just because oh my gosh, I can’t I can’t get so many. They thought of everything countries they make you look at your strength because they want to know they want everyone to register in a registry how much time they have left if there are short Stringer or a long Stringer and It just brings up all of this. This

Rich:
Is like Giver level. Do you remember the giver? I

Maggie:
Never read the game

Rich:
Didn’t read the giver.

Maggie:
No,

Rich:
Dude. Did you go to public school?

Maggie:
I did.

Rich:
Bro, you got to read the giver and or watch it. Okay, actually on Netflix now. Okay, I’ll put it Jeff Bridges is the main he’s Giver way and then Brenton thwait I think is his name. Who is the lead character in in the Titans live action is the is the main kid in the movie?

Maggie:
All right.

Rich:
I’ll check it out. Actually, everyone reads that in school.

Maggie:
I know there’s

Rich:
A copy of story.

Maggie:
Oh

Rich:
As you walk in the front door. It’s right on the threat in the bookcase.

Maggie:
All right set it aside for me.

Rich:
I’m pretty sure it’s still there.

Maggie:
So anyway, yeah, so that’s the measure

Rich:
It’s like you it’s like a dystopia kind of.

Maggie:
Mm-hmm.

Rich:
But at Utopia slash dystopia kind of Fab and this is an interesting like thought provoking

Maggie:
Very thought-provoking

Rich:
And it sounds really well. Thought out

Maggie:
Very well thought out very well written.

Rich:
I haven’t been like excited about a book. Especially like a nonfiction kind of thing like that. Maybe maybe like longer than I can remember because I don’t read that much. It’s but it’s like but that’s not a page turn. That’s America good.

Maggie:
It’s a page Turner. I think you would really

Rich:
Is a new one come out

Maggie:
Newish. I think like within the last year or two, I think.

Rich:
There’s haven’t heard.

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
It’s not like the kind of book that would like take the world best storm.

Maggie:
I well it has in like the people that I follow. Yeah.

Rich:
Okay. So, all right. You said that was on the podcast? Yeah interesting

Maggie:
The measure

Rich:
Super cool. Well check that out people. And I’ll join you maybe that computer.

Maggie:
Hopefully I’m like, oh

Rich:
Our club now, let’s swing back because it’s about to January.

Maggie:
I know

Rich:
Tony 24, I guess swing back to the house coffee pot book club idea. Yeah. We literally started with back in last January. I

Maggie:
Know

Rich:
February Man,

Maggie:
So many books

Rich:
Good Times

Maggie:
Still

Rich:
I know. Um,

Maggie:
So today we’re just doing a ketchup episode today.

Rich:
She’ll casual conversation. So if you’ve been following along last few weeks, obviously we skip last week. Thanks for hanging in because it was Thanksgiving. Maybe you heard TJ. Give us a 30 second little clip in the middle there or you can go check that out. We did two weeks before that. We’ve been talking about business models and we will resume the business model conversation because I’m insisting. Yeah, I’m having fun with that. It’s been basically looking at nine components of a business model based on this video that we watched and recommended in those episodes and what I like about about this kind of thing. I don’t know if you have if you have this similar experience, but when I when I work through a concept like that then I start filtering my life through that concept, you know, and so I’m like now I’m hearing cluing into people talking about business models and clearly into the way people are talking about businesses and I’m filtering it through this grid that we’re learning about business models that we’re ultimately applying to our own businesses and filtering our own businesses through it as we kind of evaluate that so we’re going to continue that Um, at least one more episode maybe a couple because we’re only halfway through the nine. Parts, but that’s not for today. Because we didn’t have a lot of time by the time we got going today and we were coming off a holiday and I feel like we just got a

Maggie:
Yeah.

Rich:
Got to come back. I know. You know, so yeah so table that for next week, but that’s cool little ride. We’ve been awesome. Thanks. Following along there. I Yeah, anything else you want to you want to say or lead with that’s another holidays we talked about. or listening to

Maggie:
Did I ask you a question before that? You said save it?

Rich:
Yeah, well, that’s so I have a question for you.

Maggie:
Okay, shoot.

Rich:
Okay. So I I almost was ready to start a whole episode with this and just like not even warn you at all and that’s even say anything just just like hit you with this question. Yeah.

Maggie:
I’m still on the edge of my seat.

Rich:
So we’ll just I’ll do it right in the middle of this episode, but I’ve been I’ve had this question that I’ve been thinking about lately. after listening to the podcast that I was talking about before And then thinking through everything, you know just always got just always got so much going on. and I just I found myself. I found myself like in one of those deep holes, you know, he’s one of those deep thought holes like not a spiral out of control situation or or necessarily or like a depressive situation. Just like just like a question and here’s my question to you, Maggie. How do you stay inspired?

Maggie:
How do I stay inspired? I don’t know. That’s a very good question.

Rich:
How do you stay inspired? Let me let me break this open a little bit more Let me let me span this. All right, because when you think about that’s big that’s a big question one. You can find that I always kind of General exactly

Maggie:
So

Rich:
How do you stay inspired in the midst of? your like vision for your business, okay. or your your Pursuit which is still kind of broad still kind of General but like when the when things when the pressures on and things are going maybe in and maybe there’s a pretext here to where it’s like. Maybe there’s a pretext. where things are kind of out of control or things are are not quite. You got the standard you got this measure that you’re you’re seeing and you’re not living up to it, and you can’t even see the path. There sometimes or like for for me I’ve talked about this before probably but she gets so bogged down in the in being in your business just running your business that you lose sight of like the big picture why you got started why you’re doing this in the first place whatever this is, right? How do you stay inspired? how do you keep going when it’s tough or or Out Of Reach

Maggie:
Mmm,

Rich:
Or take it more broadly and just talk to them just inspire me. Just talk to me.

Maggie:
The first thing I do when I’m feeling uninspired will say I’m feeling stuck is I Journal that’s something that’s a habit that I’ve kept going over the past several years journaling is a big. fog lifter for me and when I can’t sort out the chaos in my head and I’m feeling just like overwhelmed by everything. I journal and I just write stuff down unfiltered. Just exactly how I feel and Sometimes just putting pen to paper and writing the Ridiculousness that is in my brain. Knowing that no one’s going to read it. I’m probably never going to reread it. And it’s it’s just to get it off my chest and off out of my head. Sometimes like you just kind of name. What’s what’s bothering you and you just get it down there and then you need it to like you almost need for it to like pass through you in order for you to like move on from it. So I sometimes find it’s actually like kind of a concept of big magic. I talked about a book. I was listening to several episodes ago with creativity. And how Elizabeth Gilbert the author? kind of personas personifies creativity As something that moves in and through and out of people and so for me with with inspiration if I’m feeling stuck. I just write. Stuff down to get it out of my head. and if that doesn’t like solve my immediate. Need for like clarity. Then I’ll scroll through my podcasts and I I listen to Gary vaynerchuk. because Gary vaynerchuk is very motivational for me and I can sometimes find a sound bite or 30 minute episode that’s just about like business or entrepreneurship or social media or just something to Help me refocus and get. Get back to the thing that I know I need to do. because oftentimes I think when I’m when I’m feeling uninspired or I’m feeling stuck. It’s because there’s something I need to do that. I don’t want to do that. I’m avoiding. And when I’m avoiding something. I tend to pile on a bunch of other stuff. And and like make that the thing that I have to do

Rich:
Interesting

Maggie:
To avoid the thing that I know I should be doing.

Rich:
That’s like what procrastination that’s like the definition of

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
How procrastination works

Maggie:
Right?

Rich:
That’s interesting link.

Maggie:
So to give you like a real life example. I am so far behind on my invoices for welcome homeco staging I have invoices that date back to July that I haven’t filled out yet.

Rich:
Wow,

Maggie:
And that Like just thinking about it. Stresses me out. And I can’t think about anything else that I want to accomplish because I need to finish my invoices and Joe reminds me Brandon reminds me. I remind me it’s on my to-do list and and like it’s just it’s stuff like Brandon’s like we have bills. We need to pay we’re we’ve just did this. We just bought the shed. We just and it’s like you are so far behind in your invoices Maggie like you need to get paid and Um, so that stresses me out that I’ve got that hanging over me and when when that’s hanging over me. um I feel like I can’t do anything else, but I’m avoiding the thing I need to do so I should be doing you know Social Media stuff or planning for Next year, and I’m going to make a confession right now. That I still have to finish my LLC for Welcome Home Co which I haven’t fully finished yet. It’s like almost finished but like not fully finished. So like all these little things that’s sort of like way me down. That is the stuff that prevents me from feeling inspired because I feel so bogged down by all those other things So, you know what? I did yesterday

Rich:
Tell me

Maggie:
I sent an invoice. because I was like, this is really weighing me down and I just kind of I’m trying to like revert back to the whole Atomic habits thing where it’s like don’t try to sit down and send 12 invoices at once like send one.

Rich:
Yeah.

Maggie:
And then you got one done. Yeah,

Rich:
And

Maggie:
So that’s kind of been trying to be easy on myself about that because I love staging and I love what I do and As you said before you do it for free and but that’s not why I’m in business, right? And as you witnessed earlier today, I’m like getting my trailer ready and as as we are speaking now Brandon is taking my trailer from my house to another property and I have to I got another one coming up and it’s just like oh my goodness. It’s amazing that I have. staging jobs, but it’s like I I need to finish these invoices

Rich:
Admin side of the

Maggie:
Admins. I think things it works is really the worst. That’s a struggle for me. So that’s that’s what keeps me from feeling uninspired. Yeah, because it’s it weighs me down and So one thing I do do. feel inspired is try to like get the Practical stuff out of the way.

Rich:
So

Maggie:
It leaves room for the creative stuff.

Rich:
That is really interesting to hear. All of that. I really really hard even on the invoice level.

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
For any of you out there saying like how can you not be sending your invoice? Like that’s how you get paid. That’s your Revenue stream. I totally I totally relate it’s like you don’t. You and it’s so it’s so stupid too because you’re like I do have bills to pay but you don’t justify not sending invoices

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
By saying but I mean, they’re not that urgent and I got enough over here. Like it’ll it’s working. It’s

Maggie:
More real talk. That is like the biggest argument that Brandon and I have is like me not sending my invoices.

Rich:
I also like I don’t know your invoicing and I don’t know what you have to bill for and how you calculate that and I’m sure it’s a whole process.

Maggie:
It’s a whole Pro anything even built me a spreadsheet for it

Rich:
My gosh. Well, then you have

Maggie:
They

Rich:
On your side.

Maggie:
I know I’m not even

Rich:
I do relate because

Maggie:
That’s why it’s always such a thing because he’s like I made you a effing

Rich:
Spreadsheet. I got you like to hear you and you’re like But so like I I bring coffee to Fisher Ferry every week out of my coffee order

Maggie:
Like

Rich:
I order coffee weekly from crew and then I bring coffee for our espresso blend to Fisher Ferry.

Maggie:
And

Rich:
What I kind of like so, you know, I get we get our we get our monthly, you know fee. For my work there for stories work there, but then the supplies are on top of that because they would have been getting their own supplies. Anyway, so I’m kind of just replacing and getting our costs covered for those. And but so then like what I end up with is this pile of of coffee like bags and and just quantity. I’ve been bringing in weeks by weeks, but I’ve been kind of billing it on like a monthly basis to get the reimbursement and That so I have it at home. I have this pile of coffee bags at home. That that’s good right now at the way I’m quantifying it. Let’s go through and count the number which sounds so simple, but it’s actually a lot more. It’s yeah, I have to make sure I’m being accurate so I don’t want to overcharge and

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
You know and it’s it’s this and it’s a process to like go through and be like and then I have to like check the date. When when did I bill through the last time because it’s never right on the month. You know, it’s always like a few days before a few days after the start of the month and and just like thing that I need like time to sit down and yeah think about and and work through and and don’t have the luxury of so yeah, so there’s that and then there’s like others other supplies and things

Maggie:
It’s tedious.

Rich:
It’s yes, it’s tedious payroll, too. I did admit this but like You know, I’m for storing we do our we do our payroll through square, but there’s still work I have to do to get the tips. Calculated and and get everyone’s like time cards updated because everyone forgets to clock in or out or whatever. And so I’ve got to go through and kind of like work out work that all out and you know, everyone gets paid but but not always in a timely manner but it’s because of the process it’s all the same kind of stuff.

Maggie:
Yeah. I have to build for my time for Joe’s time and Brandon’s time.

Rich:
Yeah,

Maggie:
I have to calculate all that which isn’t that big of a deal but then I have to like Remember how much time each person was at the property working?

Rich:
Yeah think back to July

Maggie:
I think back to yeah, and I do actually like

Rich:
You probably the right

Maggie:
I text Joe. Yeah, like when we finish a job I text Joe the amount of hours like I was there and he right there and the address and everything. So when I go back the data is there

Rich:
But you still have to compile

Maggie:
It. Yeah, I

Rich:
Get it. I totally good. But then I’m glad you share that all that example because that’s that’s a good example and I can relate to that kind of thing. I think that’s the kind of thing. So take that and multiply it by I don’t know three five different kind or add three or five other administrative tasks that you’re supposed to be doing and you know talk about that. We didn’t talk about taxes. I don’t know where you are now, but like catching up on taxes and stuff. I mean You here’s my dirty laundry, right? We just were we’re still filing our 2021 taxes right now.

Maggie:
Mm-hmm.

Rich:
So

Maggie:
I did know that

Rich:
Yeah. And and even 2022 is is on Deck. We still stand to be a timely with 23.

Maggie:
Mm-hmm.

Rich:
But like you know, that’s that’s the reality for people and so you just like it’s such an overwhelming project and then on top of that you’re you got to go be a realtor or a Stager or or Barista, you know and and I got to do that in two different businesses and it’s just like it gets to be so much and then you forget like gosh I got into this to serve people and give them a happy face with like my whole heart every day and and you show up with like you show up all Sullen with like half-hearted and it’s it’s there’s a lot to get bogged down in

Maggie:
Why do you ask

Rich:
Because I’m because I okay so then because I’m trying to figure out myself here. Okay, I asked because I think it’s so important to stay inspired. Mmm. You you have to stay inspired and I forget that until I like catch a cool podcast or hear other people who are kind of leading the way or have been through it or are in the midst of it. Who are living in line with their Vision or even if they’re talking through struggling through that Vision or different times that they’ve they’ve felt like they missed the mark you hear other people and then you remember like oh, wow. I’m I’m in some still and you there’s like the spark of inspiration. It’s like well, I still feel that inspiration to do this and it Reigns The Vision and I found that what I was listening to this podcast recently and I

Maggie:
Know something that could help. Sorry to interrupt you

Rich:
Go ahead

Maggie:
And I’m not just I’m not saying this is a prescription for all but Um,

Rich:
Dr. Maggie,

Maggie:
Yeah. I have you ever heard of the artist’s way.

Rich:
Through you

Maggie:
Probably me. Yeah, that

Rich:
Sounds familiar

Maggie:
That book and that workbook changed my life. It is literally like therapy in a book. It’s a very well-known. book and it is all about like channeling and finding your inner creative self and like finding inspiration through the exercises in the book and it’s it’s you’re supposed to do it in 12 weeks. Each chapter is one week. And throughout the course of the book you’re supposed to do your morning pages and you’re supposed to journal three pages every day. once a week, you’re supposed to take yourself on an artist date a solo artist date by yourself and you are supposed to Like you you Channel? like some of the questions like make you go back to like your six year old self or your 11 year old self and like there are very specific questions about Times in your life. One of the exercises is like writing a letter to somebody who had like an impact on you and you don’t have to send it. You just have to write the letter and you it’s just it’s making you go through. The things that block a lot of people and forces you through those blocks. and there’s it the artist way is like recognizes that even if you don’t believe in God she talks about God in the book as like As like a belief and then she also refers to an enemy called the censor and the sensor is is somebody is is the enemy who sensors your creativity and your inspiration. And so throughout the book you have to like block your censor because the sensor is keeping you is is basically lying to you and she also equates doubts you have as lies. And so anytime you have a doubt you have to like name the doubt and then tell it it’s a lie, and so Throughout the course of this book your journaling you’re getting these you’re getting the thoughts out of your head that are censoring your creativity. Even if they’re ridiculous. You are like tapping into like your younger self tapping into yourself at 90 years old and like making all these goals and and having all these ridiculous Creative Visions that may or may not ever come to fruition, but you’re just giving yourself that permission to dream and like open yourself up to synchronicity and like all these other like some people might call like woo woo, but That book had a significant impact on me. And I think that it’s how like I had the courage to start welcome home Co because I did that I went through the exercise of the artist way during like March 2020 during covid and throughout that time and like throughout going through the exercises. I had a lot of like creative things and I bought a ton of donate domain names for businesses. I’ve never started but I had a ton of ideas. That’s actually how I know. That’s how a state Pearl started which was my Etsy business that I pursued for a hot minute. But I got that out of me. I got that out of my system and I like I I did it. I I did the Etsy shop. I did the Vintage clothes and I was like, you know, that’s not for me and I said like I buried that and I was like, okay, I’m done with that. Like I’m I don’t need to do it but anymore but welcome home Co who was something that was like inside me somewhere that came out during doing the exercises of the artist’s way and so that is why I write every day because it’s it’s a non-negotiable for the artist way. You have to write every morning. That’s just part of it and it doesn’t matter what you write. It can literally be anything. It can literally be gibberish or I hate running for three pages. It doesn’t matter. It’s just you’re getting it off your brain.

Rich:
That sounds really cool. Yeah. Yeah, you have mentioned that but I don’t think you talk through so much of it before.

Maggie:
Yeah.

Rich:
Well, that’s really cool to hear. Good resource, yeah. worth checking out Yeah, I I think I think it’s really important to stay inspired. I think it’s the only it’s the only way. And I think it’s so easy to get stuck and feel bogged down and just like lose that site and lose the sense of inspiration and I found myself. after that after listening to a conversation between all those guys and thank you. I think I listened to it in the car on the way home from our Thanksgiving. Thing because it was talking about the Valerie. Yeah, the one where they interviewed the guy from methodical and they were all just talking about. inspiration and getting started and keeping it going and You know what? I literally. Yeah, I literally took out a Sharpie. For my pocket I couldn’t even see. Because it was dark in the car, but I wrote the words stay inspired on the back of my hand. Literally while I’m driving just one hand I go stay inspired in the dark. I’ve looked at it later. It was all like, you know sloppy. I took a picture of it we could post that. Yeah.

Maggie:
Yes, send it to me.

Rich:
But like it just was one. I don’t have tattoos. But if I were gonna get a tattoo, I think that that would be like a proposed that would be the the kind of thing. I need to just remind myself of and so shout out to those guys for helping me feel. Remember the importance of that helping me feel inspired in that moment and they’re speaking to me because they’re you know in the same industry and doing this going for the same thing. I’m trying to do. And I think just in the face of the struggles of like the smallest business that I’ve you know, I don’t run a small business. I run I run a smallest business. Yes. We were just talking about today you were saying at the counter in the shop with me today and we were just brainstorming different things. And yeah how we might have to thinking about changing my entire model of how we operate and you know, I’m sure we’ll talk more about that in the future but maybe as we talk more about business models, I can talk about some of those ideas but Yeah, it’s just like how do we stay inspired? Because frankly we have to it’s just the only way to keep going. Through the suck.

Maggie:
Yeah

Rich:
That happens. and So thanks. Yeah. Thanks for sharing that perspective.

Maggie:
Thanks for

Rich:
Asking resources. And you know, that’s our goal. Like we’re trying to stay inspired here Inspire others, and I think I think we have to stay inspired in spite of the Like I don’t want to say negativity but in spite of the struggle that it is to do anything on your own. with limited with limitations and so many forces conspiring against you sometimes it’s just like how do you keep it going and there’s probably a very real question in there somewhere too of like how do you know when to call it quits?

Maggie:
Mm-hmm. You

Rich:
Know, how do you how do you know like despite the fact that I might be inspired like this is just not going to go anywhere in its current form. That’s also Not a question about it even start answering but but there’s that’s in there too. It’s like, how do you how do you know when that’s actually the call you need to make or how do I know? I’m just like in a slump. I need to just stay inspired and that’s gonna see me through or over this. Mm-hmm. This this slump, you know, and and to that I think that I think that’s I’m trying to believe that that’s where it I

Maggie:
Know

Rich:
We’re looking at a full solid year more like the currents. Of some current limitations and I’m trying to see through that finish like through to that finish line and what it’s gonna take to get there. And that’s where for me I’m really trying to stay inspired because the reality is we got a difficult year ahead where very many of my visions and my things that I got into business for are gonna be on hold. And it’s affecting my family. It’s affecting my my relationship with my wife but also like my relationships,

Maggie:
It’s

Rich:
Just it’s just permeating everything about my existence and and without you know being real specific about the the specifics around that it’s just like it’s just the current life is the current situation come 100% related to my business. Which is my work related to my work. It’s affecting everything about my life and it’s it’s going to be that way for another year. We’re talking we’re talking. I’m I’m looking at jobs. I’m looking at a part-time job that I can fit into my life. With what hours right. I’m like literally I was looking at Amazon jobs online. That are four hour. Shifts from 8:35 to 12:35 8pm to 12 am 12:30 a.m. I’m looking at like can I do this?

Maggie:
Mm-hmm,

Rich:
You know because Because like it’s part of this whole equation and so I’m just like there’s so much to to balance and I need to figure out some some just so many details to figure out and there’s like we need more money. There’s so much to it and all that’s to say like, I’m trying to stay inspired in the middle. I’m trying to get through this next year and hang on so that 2025. Looks really different. From how the last seven years leading up. Which is nuts.

Maggie:
I know

Rich:
That’s nuts. But it’s also like just it’s also like quote unquote just a year. Hey, you know In the grand scheme of things. I’ll look back on this period and what’s a decade, you know, what’s five years. What’s 10 years when you are at the end of your long string and it’s like it’s like yeah there was that there was that year there. Was that five years we do that thing. There was that 10 years. It’s ultimately not that much but in the middle of it. Feels Like Everything

Maggie:
Yeah, I can I can relate on a different level.

Rich:
Yeah, I

Maggie:
Can and I want to talk about

Rich:
I think a lot about that. I

Maggie:
Have we have to wrap things up because I don’t pick up my kids, but your kid you cool sweet, but I want to talk to you about regrets sometime. We can we can get into it after we finish up the business model cool combo

Rich:
Good. I’m glad we got have this question on the table now and rather than like me wait on it later cuz

Maggie:
Hmm,

Rich:
I wouldn’t have said anything differently within the same conversation. We’re just been four episodes from now.

Maggie:
Yeah,

Rich:
Right.

Maggie:
Before we wrap up we should ask our audience like what they think and what they do to stay inspired. I would honestly love to know so you can reach out to us. You know the channels House Coffee podcast at gmail or send us a DM seriously, what do you do to stay inspired or? Be Inspired or what do you do in a slump we do resources. Do you have books podcasts? Gurus anything please tell us and we would love to share that with the greater audience

Rich:
True. Tell us your stories.

Maggie:
Yeah till next time.

Rich:
All righty

Maggie:
Later.

Rich:
Love you.

Maggie:
It