Finding Growth Opportunities: Get Out of the Weeds & See What’s Possible!

When you’re busy running the business, it’s easy to miss the opportunities hiding right in front of you.

In this episode of Getting Real with BOSSY, Kelly Bush and Kelly Metras take a step back from the daily grind to talk about one of the most important (and sometimes hardest) parts of entrepreneurship: recognizing opportunities for growth.

Because growth doesn’t always mean opening another location, launching a brand-new product, or chasing the next big trend. Sometimes, the opportunity starts with a simple question:

“Is there a better way to do this?”

Kelly and Kelly get real about what happens when we become so accustomed to the way we operate that we stop questioning it. They explore how changing customer needs, shifting markets, unexpected challenges, and even everyday frustrations can become clues pointing toward something new.

From listening more closely to customers to paying attention to inefficiencies, relationships, and changes happening around us, this conversation challenges business owners to get out of the weeds and start looking at the bigger picture.

Where Are the Opportunities Hiding?

We’re talking about how entrepreneurs can spot opportunities in:

• Customer feedback- What are people asking for that you aren't currently offering?
• Changing needs- How are your customers’ expectations evolving?
• Problems and inefficiencies -Could a frustration actually point toward a new product, service, or process?
• New markets- Is there a group of customers you haven't considered serving?
• Relationships- Who are you talking to, and what could you learn from those conversations?
• Market shifts- What changes are happening around you that could create new possibilities?
• Your own experience- What have you learned that could become valuable to someone else?

The Entrepreneurial Mindset Shift

One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation is the difference between simply reacting to change and learning to look for opportunity within change.

A challenge can reveal a gap.

A customer complaint can reveal a need.

A changing market can create a new audience.

A problem can become a product.

A relationship can become a collaboration.

The key is being willing to pause long enough to notice. And while growth is important, Kelly and Kelly also explore the importance of making sure that growth actually fits your life, your values, and the business you want to build.

Because bigger isn't automatically better. Sustainable, meaningful growth is.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• Why business owners need to occasionally step away from the day-to-day
• How routine can make businesses stop questioning what isn't working
• Turning customer feedback into opportunities
• Recognizing unmet needs and emerging markets
• Using relationships as a source of insight, collaboration, and growth
• Adapting when consumer expectations change
• Finding opportunities inside problems and inefficiencies
• Staying competitive without chasing every trend
• The connection between personal values and business decisions
• Why sustainable growth should support, not consume, your life

Your BOSSY Challenge

Look around your business this week and ask yourself:

What are my customers asking for?

What problem keeps coming up?

What am I doing simply because “that’s how we’ve always done it”?

What has changed in my market?

And where might there be an opportunity hiding inside all of that?

You might be surprised by what you find when you stop focusing only on what needs to be fixed, and start looking for what could be created.

Getting Real with BOSSY is all about the real conversations behind business ownership- the wins, the challenges, the risks, the opportunities, and everything in between.

Listen in, get real, and start looking at your business with fresh eyes.

Mentioned in this episode:

Joe Bean Roasters

Use promo code Lunchador for 15% off your order! https://shop.joebeanroasters.com

Lunchador Podcast Network

Check out all of the shows on the Lunchador Network at lunchador.org!

Hello, and welcome back to another episode of Getting Real with Bossy, the podcast that talks to you about what it's actually like to be a business owner.

We are your hosts, Kelly Bush and.

Kelly Metras, and we are so glad.

To have you with us today.

We're going to talk about cool stuff, like, every day.

We always talk about cool stuff.

I know, right?

Why.

Why would we not talk about cool things?

Right?

That would be silly.

What a boring podcast.

I mean, we're such cool people.

They are very cool.

And can I tell you what I've got going on today?

Oh, I'm so excited.

So I don't drink soda at all because I just don't.

I don't metabolize sugar really well anymore.

And also, I've never really been a drink soda drinker, but this is a Dr. Pepper creamy coconut that somebody brought in for me to try.

And I was like, I've been waiting and waiting and went out last night, which I don't ever do, you know, So I don't feel great.

So I was like, oh, I need a soda pop.

I don't.

I don't have soda pop.

I'm like.

But I do.

I've got a Dr. Pepper creamy coconut, and it's delightful.

That actually sounds amazing.

I'm not a huge Dr. Pepper fan or a huge coconut fan, but I am very interested in what you're drinking right now and wish we were in the same room together.

Yeah, well, I've got like four, so I'll say I'll save one for you.

No, you drink your Dr. Peppers.

Well, I don't know that I'll be able to drink more than one just because it's a lot.

And like I said, I really don't really drink soda.

Um, but I needed one today.

Cause I'm feeling a little.

A little tired.

Yeah, I gave up soda a really long time ago.

And every once in a while, I'll do a ginger ale.

Mm.

Like last night when we were out, I.

So I don't feel crappy, per se.

I, you know, was okay this morning, but my voice, I don't.

It's getting better now, but I woke up and I haven't had to talk that loud over people.

I know it was loud consecutively, right?

So it was great to, like, have conversation and see people and talk to people, but it was like talking consecutively.

Like, when I'm at the restaurant, it's intermittent, you know, and it doesn't have to be at that level the whole time, you know, it's Just in certain instances that I have to be up in that volume.

And I, like, was losing my voice when I got home last night.

I was hysterical.

I was like, okay, so I am out of practice of talking to people in loud spaces.

Exactly.

That makes me old.

It makes you human when maybe we're old.

But yeah.

So if you don't.

Haven't picked up.

Kelly and I went out to see some live music last night, so it was very loud, and there were a lot of people, so there was a lot of talking.

Yay.

Yay.

And we'll be talking more about how important it is to maintain and build relationships.

Yeah.

So we'll.

This is not today's episode, but it is so important to have relationships that are meaningful and that make you feel good.

Right.

And sometimes.

Oh, sorry.

No, I was just saying it was.

So nice to be a part of your circle and see all of the people who love you as much as I do.

Thank you.

It was a wonderful night.

And I think going to what we're gonna be talking about with that episode, it takes practice, and sometimes we're out of practice, and it's okay.

You just need to be able to take care of yourself the next day and your voice and some Dr. Pepper.

And honestly, I think that will actually pivot now that you say it like that, because what we're gonna talk about today is recognizing growth opportunities in your business.

And that takes practice, too, because we're so used to being in it and running, and this doesn't.

And we talk a lot about, you can't work on your business when you're in a.

Your business.

But this doesn't have to be something that take exorbitant amount of time away from you being able to be in your business if you have to be, you know?

But this is something that you can work on while you're in your business.

It's like, I.

The running joke at work is every time I have to fill in for a shift for a person, like, the next day, everything changes.

I'm like, why the fuck are we doing it this way?

Like, right.

Yes.

This is the most useless.

What?

And the next thing you know, Kelly's, you know, changed everything.

Even though I wrote the job, but I haven't physically done the job in a few years, you know, that you come back and you're like, wait, why are we still doing this this way?

Why didn't you tell me that this didn't work?

I'm like, oh, this is just the.

Way we do it.

Right?

And it's so hard when you're in it every day to kind of think of different ways.

I think you fall into the trap of, yes, this is.

We do it.

Cause it's always been done this way.

Or we just.

We're just doing.

We're just going.

Like, this will happen when Don will take a bartending shift at the union.

Cause he doesn't bartend there.

And he's not usually behind the bar.

If he's there, he's helping, you know, fix something or helping with an event or something.

But he'll go in and be like, why is this set up like this?

I'm like, well, it makes sense to us.

He's like, but somebody new coming in.

This is not.

Some of this is just not intuitive.

We're like, yeah.

Oh, that can go there.

I never thought about just moving a shelf.

Like, you just don't think about those things when you're in it.

If I'm using this item all of the time, it should be within arm's reach.

Right.

I shouldn't have to turn or pivot or.

You know what I mean?

Like, I get a lot of aches and pains after long shifts from having to, like, turn weird ways.

Right.

And some things we can't change.

Sure.

And some things we can.

And we talked about risks and resources or resources and risks.

I guess I had that backwards in our businesses.

And I hope everyone took time to really think about them and be really honest with ourselves.

Because now it comes opportunity.

So now we've looked at these things, and hopefully some things have spurred your imagination.

Now is the fun part.

Now.

Now is the growth part.

That's the upside of all of the hard work and the difficult conversations you have to have with yourself or your partner or your employees, your team.

Now we can turn that all into something that's positive.

Yeah.

And that can be from challenges, from crises, you know, giant issues, policies and procedures that no longer make sense.

Or it could be you're running things so well that now you're looking to scale.

But it doesn't have to be one or the other.

And you could be scaling and still have to pivot and work on some things that just don't work anymore.

Because the world's constantly changing and we're all selling.

No matter what we're selling, we're selling.

And we're not selling the bots.

We're not selling to trees.

We're selling to people.

And people will constantly change and their needs change, their demographics change, our customer base changes.

So no matter what stage we're in.

We constantly have to keep these things in our eyesight.

Absolutely.

Speaking of eyesight, that is the one thing today from going out with you last night.

My eyes feel blurry.

I have my notes and I'm sorry.

Uh huh.

Yeah.

Oh my goodness, we're getting old.

One of the easiest things is just what keeps coming up.

So, like, there was a point in time where so many of our negative reviews had the word burrito in them.

Our burrito sucked.

It was meat and cheese and a tortilla.

You could add things to it, but that's how it came.

And people will just order off the menu.

And we were like, oh my God, our burritos do suck.

But there's so many people who love our burritos.

Some of them, you know, some of them not as long, but still over 10 years.

Right.

And they come in for these items.

And so it was one of those things that's always been done that way.

Well, there's people that hate my restaurant because the thing they chose to eat was a burrito.

And they go, your food sucks.

Well, you ordered the shittiest thing on the menu.

Why do I have anything that I think is shitty on the menu that shouldn't be a thing.

It's my restaurant if I think it shouldn't be up the menu.

So now they come a certain way and the people are like, oh my God, I just want a beef and cheeseburger.

Well, I'm like, you can still get it, right?

There's still a button.

It's just not on the menu anymore because it sucks.

That makes me think of something like, Fish fries is definitely one of our number one sellers.

It's a big thing.

If you're not in upstate New York, you may not know what we're talking.

About, but these are huge.

Oh my God, we're crazy for them.

And we get a really large piece of fish.

And the way it's presented is.

It's just really pretty.

It's piled high.

But a constant complaint we were getting was that it's greasy.

I'm like, well, you just ordered a fish that's deep fried in grease.

I don't know.

Like, we can drain it as much as possible.

But then I was as I started, like, really looking through those reviews.

A lot of them were about the fries and because they're piled high.

Cause it's a gorgeous plate.

It looks pretty.

It makes a great picture.

The Fries are just sitting under this piece of fried fish, just getting soggy.

So we're like, we need to just separate everything.

They're like, but that's not as pretty.

I'm like, we can plate it nicely and we can make those for pictures for, you know, social media and content, for sure.

But we're not plating them like that anymore.

And when we're doing it to go, we're going to do things.

We're going to separate stuff a lot better.

Yeah.

And packaging your products is huge.

Is this something that makes sense when people get it home?

Right.

You know, that's something I wish I had money for was packaging to reinvent better reusable, renewable energy.

Easy to use.

To co packaging.

That would be fantastic.

And something that doesn't slice my finger every time I close it.

Bottoms.

Anyways, yeah, that's another episode.

It's another episode.

And anybody that's packaging out there, I'm sure once you find the perfect package, it's great until they don't have them anymore or they spike in price for whatever reason.

So, yeah, it could be things that are frustrating, like getting your finger sliced.

Complaints, forgetting I read every.

I say there's something in every review.

So, yes, I know that this customer was the most awful, needy, rude person on the planet and did not deserve to be treated well.

But you did your best, right?

There's still something.

Right?

Like, I always read the review.

I'm like, there's something to take from it that I can use.

Absolutely.

That's part of our job, is to deal with assholes.

You're not going to meet everybody's need.

It's just.

That's impossible.

So.

And you want to look ahead at these things.

So I mean, there's needs, right?

So what are the needs that are not getting met?

Can I meet them?

Or is it something outside of my wheelhouse?

So you've got like, Zoom, right?

Zoom existed before COVID Right.

I know.

None of us knew what it was.

Right.

And why would you even think that you would want to use something like that?

Yeah.

Or even the program we're on right now, I don't even know when it started.

But podcasting programming was not something that was a huge, huge thing.

Before the pandemic hit and everybody went home, you know, people were on Zoom.

I remember my kids first, they were in the middle of producing Frozen Junior, and then the pandemic happened.

And so it was very close to the end, so the performance was on the computer.

Everybody recorded their part separately.

And then all of their faces were in boxes.

Like, you could see every.

Like, they couldn't switch.

Like, that technology didn't exist yet, so you'd have to find the person talking.

And they were all, like, cute in costume, but you're like, wait, what?

Where's.

Where's Finn?

Okay.

Right.

To, like, see how things.

How far things are come.

Zoom didn't just sit there and be like, oh, we're doing fine.

They were like, oh, wait.

Needs are changing.

People are using this differently.

How do we make this work?

Are you having a concert over there?

Can you hear it?

I wish you could hear how loud I'm yelling right now.

And she can't see.

I can see how loud you're yelling.

I can actually see it in your face.

Yes.

If I have to edit this episode because she won't listen, I'm like, what can I throw at her?

You said when you have the apartment and you want to hit with the.

Yeah, apparently I'm pausing the episode.

Okay, I'm sorry.

All right, so what were we talking about?

Zoom.

Right?

Zoom.

Zoom, yes.

Yeah.

Zoom Adapted Zoom had no choice.

They made smart decisions, and now everybody that is a household name, even my mother, who cannot figure out technology at all and despises it, has been able to successfully do a Zoom.

Yeah.

Or you look at programs like Canva, Right.

The need was for the average person to be able to do graphic design on a budget, if not free, and then they created that answer.

So.

Yeah.

What answer?

What problem are you solving that you are not currently solving?

Or what could you solve better?

Are you asking me?

No, just the people.

Because I could come up with a hundred, probably.

But.

Yeah.

Since I cut out the part of me yelling at my kid, at this point in the production, I'm a little off.

It's because I'm like, where the hell were we?

Well, that's real life, Kelly.

We are getting real with our lives.

I'm just saying.

Pardon?

Where I'm screaming at her or.

I don't know, maybe just, like, if we can just have.

My responses would be funny.

So.

Yeah.

So disruption changes behavior as well.

Yeah.

So what are the opportunities?

What are the behaviors that are changing?

What are the needs not being met?

That's a constant changing thing, just like our business plans.

Yeah.

What is something somebody needs now that they didn't need six months ago?

It's a very evolving process.

And it's even legal.

Right.

So, like, are you paying attention to the laws that are coming through where, you know, when Styrofoam became illegal, Plastic bags.

Were you planning ahead for that?

Right.

Were you prepared for when that came in, what you were going to do?

Did you have that pivot in place?

Did you have that group of people around you that were giving you that information?

Going back to our previous episodes, like you have that circle.

Yeah, yeah.

People change.

I like to think about alcohol consumption going down.

I don't know if it's across the country or globe.

It is 100% across the country.

In New York, part of it is because of the legalization of marijuana.

But that changed our businesses.

You know, that was a way that I paid payroll.

It would help me cover the cost of my business.

I didn't have to charge as much for food because I could charge for alcohol and that would cover it.

But the budgets for catering have increased.

Don't know why.

Maybe it's because nobody's drinking.

Well, I think people are.

People are just spending money differently now.

They're choosing to spend money the way they see entertainment is different.

You know, I always say when people ask, you know, how are things going?

Or is it like it used to be?

I'm like, no, I used to pay payroll on what we would make on a Friday and Saturday night, midnight till 2am I could payroll the entire week.

But that doesn't exist anymore.

So we had to adjust.

And speaking to the non alcoholic people not drinking, I mean non alcohol, I charge the same amount for the non alcoholic cocktails that we make in most of our regular cocktails because it's the same amount of product, same price of product and same care and craft that we put into those.

And it's a market that I'm still confused why people are not jumping on.

Yeah, it's definitely there.

You have to meet that need because that's changed and that's not going back.

Yeah.

And their behavior has changed.

So since people are working from home part time, they're not going out to lunch.

They don't have the time to go out to lunch.

So they're ordering in.

And office catering has increased.

And I think to that too.

I was speaking to somebody about how catering has gotten so big because when everybody's not in the office every day, but they're just in every Wednesday or every Friday, we get like huge caterings for Wednesdays.

I'm like, what is happening?

And I was talking to one of the women when I dropped it off, she's like, this is the day that everybody is not everybody comes into the office.

And I was like, that is that.

Of course, of course that's why we've changed that.

They have to come into the office, Right.

So, yeah, so they had to feed them.

And it's.

It's just a crazy thing we do.

We are doing more in catering.

I thought we had a decent catering business before, but it just definitely dropped off.

And now I feel like we're getting back to those old numbers.

And it shows that it's important to know what other businesses, what's happening in other parts of the economy and other businesses that are peripheral tiers.

Right.

You know, when we got legalized, you know, there should have been a huge increase in, you know, products to clean hemp off your hands or the oils or tissue, you know, like the specialized clippers and like all of the things that go into that.

It was only legal to grow it.

So it's like there should be a peripheral business going on of all of the other things that the people who are growing it now need, that may not know that they need.

So thinking about what's going on alongside of you, like, I would never think of the local hospital or school, college to be a peripheral thing, but their business changed, so my business changed and I have to take advantage of it.

Absolutely.

So who isn't buying from you?

Why aren't they buying for you?

And what would make them?

These are things that you need to be thinking of.

I think that's such an important thing.

And I think sometimes people get caught up in everybody needs to buy from you.

And that's not always true.

So I think that is a question to add into that.

There's some people that are just not going to be your.

Your desired client.

They're not going to.

To.

You're not going to be solving their problems, and that's okay.

So don't spend too much time on trying to meet everybody's needs.

But there are people that should be your customer that aren't right now, and there's a reason why.

Or there could be things you're selling that you're not currently selling, like digital downloads, recipes, memberships, coaching on the things that you're an expert at.

So there's other ways to bring in revenue that you may not have been thinking about because you're so bus getting through the day.

Existing is difficult.

Sometimes existing is difficult, especially when you're not in a recession.

No, no, no, not a recession.

Cheers to that, Dr. Pepper.

Keeping in mind that businesses that create social value are going to be more successful, have a longer longevity.

You know, if my business went under today and I pulled out of the market, People would be bummed.

I'd make social media in the news for a day or two.

You know, I might even make social media lingering about what I did wrong and how I could have saved my business.

But it's not going to impact my community to the level of someone wants to save it.

Right.

So can you get your business to a point where it's so impactful that people can't be without you?

How so?

I would disagree.

I think your business closing would impact a lot of people.

I think not only what you do for the community, but what you do for your employees.

I think they'd be in very, very big, very, very.

People would be incredibly disappointed.

Well, yeah.

But they'd get over it.

Yeah.

Mostly because our.

Our time, our attention spans are like, 30 hours.

That's true.

Right.

The story would go dead.

Cause the next thing.

And if anything bigger than my restaurant closing happened that day, no one would know about it.

True.

But also, I think the communities that you do that you intentionally serve, not just the general public, the communities intentionally serve people being inclusive, having inclusive menus for allergens.

That stuff is important.

That stuff would.

That stuff has an impact.

And that's kind of going back to what you're saying.

What can you be doing better to meet those other needs of people?

Because maybe those people aren't coming because they have a peanut allergy.

I have a good friend.

Her son is a picky eater.

He decided that he really wants to not be like his dad, because like his dad, literally, I remember their wedding.

We all had this beautiful buffet, and he had grilled cheese and chicken fingers, because that's what he eats, which is fine.

Right?

That's amazing.

You can do that.

But he wants to branch out, and he's got a horrible peanut allergy, and he's like, I want to try.

I want to try a burrito.

I'm like, perfect.

I have the perfect place to go, because I can trust that Kelly knows what food she has, like, what she has.

And they've had so many experiences ordering out or going different places where he's had horrible reactions.

And I know I can come to you, so you become dependable for that stuff.

Well.

And I think that's a great example of pivoting and growing inside your business.

You know, it came to a point where we only had a jar of peanut butter left because we got rid of nuts everywhere for a kid's PB&J burrito because a lot of kids don't like Mexican.

And that knife with peanut butter would Land in so many places always.

And I was like, what the fuck?

Like, I can't chance this.

So finally I was just like, it's off the menu.

I was like, I'm sorry.

There's no.

Like, kids don't need a peanut butter and jelly burrito.

They can eat something.

They can have a cheese and bread sandwich, right?

Because it's a quesadilla.

It'll be fun, you know, but it was like, you have to look at these things, and it's a perspective I didn't have in a different life.

So other years I've worked in the business, I never really thought about it.

A. I feel like allergens have gotten way more severe, way more common and way more severe.

So it used to be people that.

Had these allergens just didn't eat out.

And it wasn't a huge impact on society because there weren't that many of them.

I had one person I knew that was a celiac until about 10 years ago.

Yeah, same here.

And the only reason I knew about celiac when it became a bigger thing was because of this friend of mine.

So he would eat at the restaurant because he could.

And so I knew that there were things we offered before I even bought the restaurant that he could eat.

So when it became a thing, and then I started to know people who were getting so sick and, like, hospitalized, and I was like, oh, my God.

And it's like the tiniest bit of cross contamination, you know, and we're like, okay.

So we had a customer, she would come in with her dad all of the time, and they knew what she could eat.

And one day she ended up in the hospital.

And he's like, I don't think you did anything on purpose.

He's like, I'm just trying to figure out maybe she has a new allergy.

You know, we're trying to narrow it down.

Like, all of the things she's eaten.

I think it's like 48 hours or something you have to go through.

And we're walking through how everything would have gotten made and, like, where everything was located, trying to figure out how this poor girl ended up in the hospital.

And we were like, I'm pretty sure it's because her tortilla touched the flat top, where a flour tortilla may have touched prior and like that.

So we got rid of flour in all of our roofs.

So nothing, nothing is made with flour on site unless it's a special.

And Aaron's doing it, so he's being super cautious.

Like, the flour does not live in the kitchen.

It's gone.

So we have flour tortillas, but they come in pre made and the way we handle them is completely different now.

And if you have celiac on your order, your tortilla is not touching anything.

So it's going on foil, it's going straight on the hot pan like there's nothing happening.

Right.

And just getting people in the habit of doing that.

But it's not just habit, it's human error and it's terrifying.

So it's like, okay, how do I remove the human error?

That's another growth.

We were able to grow our allergen menu and now I have specific allergen menus I can put out and be confident that nobody can really screw it up, you know?

Cause I don't want to say, oh, you can eat safely at my restaurant and then someone gets sick.

Right.

We have that with vegans sometimes because, you know, there's certainly changeover in kitchens more than front of house usually typically in our industry.

And not, not everybody's educated the same way.

And we had this guy got his ended up with regular dairy cheese twice in a row.

And we're like, this is a huge component of our, of our business downtown.

He's like, I am sorry.

It's not like it's an allergy.

I'm like, well a, it could be because people could be ordering a vegan because they have a dairy allergy.

And two, like it's important.

Like it's just difficult.

So it's that training and making sure and going back to what we've said before.

Why are you not doing it?

Oh, you don't really think it's super important.

I'm going to try.

I'm going to spend time now explaining why it's important.

If it happens again, then clearly there's an issue.

But I haven't done my best to train you to understand why that's an important thing.

Just because it's something you're unfamiliar with.

And that's a great example of looking at your business.

What am I underutilizing?

Who are the people that I could reach better and how do I reach them and how do I utilize what I have?

Like, you don't have to redo your entire business model.

Right.

Just to pick the things that you're not addressing now is, is an easy way to grow.

I want to pivot to the entrepreneurial brain.

Oh boy.

And how all of these are really touching on how our entrepreneurial brain works, which is we're constantly looking at things.

And what is the need?

What is the thing missing?

Like, when we had our businesses, we didn't just open them for the hell of it.

Like, we thought we could make a difference in this space by creating this product and doing it better than other people.

Right.

So everything we look at, it's like, what's different?

How could I do this different?

What are they doing?

Look at this building.

Do you know what I could do with this building and Kelly all the time.

Yes, I know.

You are the number one person I know that comes up with new business ideas.

I think we came up with two last night.

It just.

It's all.

That's just how my brain works.

Yeah.

Luckily, my brain is getting better at acknowledging if they're actually feasible, because, I mean, they're all good on some level.

But are they?

Because again, I look at things and meeting needs.

You know, if that comes from behavior management, any.

Any good behavior management therapists know, like, all behavior is meeting a need.

You meet the need, the behavior, and.

That need is never the same.

Right.

So I look at something, I'm like, there is.

This is a business.

This could be a thing.

But luckily, I. Oh, my gosh.

I never thought about our work in behavioral.

It's so comparative.

Absolutely.

Entrepreneur.

Like, I know we talk a lot about how we deal with people, but in that, like, entrepreneurial, because you are.

You're.

Every minute of every day, you're like, how do I get this person to where I need them to be, which is buying my product?

What is.

What is it that they need to get there?

Right.

So, yeah.

That's amazing.

We are.

And that's.

I think, why we are.

You and I are successful at what we do is because we have that initial training of meeting needs and really being able to figure out what that was.

Because you could not get through the day if you could not figure out how to meet some of those kids needs.

No.

Or be injured or.

Or go back to work the next day, honestly.

So.

And in both of these jobs, most people would be too terrified to do it.

Right.

Because when crisis hits or opportunity hits or pivots hit, you have to be ready and prepared to do the next step.

So how.

How do we get through this?

Can we.

How do we continue to make this successful?

So.

Yeah.

What are people's new habits?

You know, I think for us, one thing that made a huge difference at the union was realizing how people are spending money differently.

It's a much different economy in our suburb than it is downtown.

And we weren't Just getting the day to day people and really focusing on events and even just the silly nonsense merch that I make and just creating things around that.

So you're coming in for an experience because people are willing to spend money on an experience or, you know, these add ons.

We have a whole list of add ons for your dining experience now because we have a historical building and we've kind of created or expanded or focus on the lore of the building in the area.

Now we can, you can order your dinner and an add on of me babbling at your table or tour the build.

Like there's things like that that are meeting a need because people want to feel like they're going out, connecting with other people, having more than just sitting down and dining and doing and spending money on doing that stuff.

You can do it.

And it's, it's.

Once you get in the habit of doing it, you see opportunity everywhere.

Everywhere, everywhere.

We were texting about business opportunities this morning.

Thank God we're not super wealthy.

Can you imagine?

I'd be exhausted.

Okay.

Because I didn't want this to be a super long argument or argument episode, but we're going to cut like five minutes of me yelling at my kid.

So the other night I'm like on the Internet at the end of the night, just kind of scrolling and Paul Rudd recreated.

Oh my God.

What song?

Dead or Alive.

Yes, I saw it this morning.

The 80s.

Yep.

You spin me.

That's what I had in my head now.

I was like, I don't think it was that song.

Hysterical, right?

And I leaned over to Aaron and I said, oh my God, this is hysterical.

I said, you know what my goal in life is?

To be or not my goal.

And he goes, I love my therapy husband.

He goes, well, that's just a matter of perspective.

You easily could have done that today and you didn't.

Aaron.

Oh God, why does he clean his mouth sometimes?

Aaron, call me before you speak.

Sometimes, please.

I could have it saved you.

So many problems.

I could have.

He was 100% right.

I couldn't.

And I wouldn't have gotten anything else accomplished.

And it would have taken me longer than a day, but I could have.

So wealth is perspective.

That's true.

Now I know we need to know which video I think abba, I think we should do.

We should recreate frame by frame some ABBA songs.

Okay, but there's a people in abba.

Yeah, but we can just do it with.

Well, Aaron and Don.

We'll have to do it because their videos are hysterical.

I'll send you some.

All right, I'm in.

Just wait, guys.

Next.

Next year, we'll have it all right?

So we don't have to be revolutionary.

We can fix what we have.

We can better what we have.

We can scale what we have to a whole new level.

There's lots of opportunities for growth.

It can mean lots of different things, but small improvements will make you better than your competition, especially if you are doing it well and on purpose and with intention.

Yeah.

That.

Pivoting with a purpose is a really strong thing.

And once you get in the habit of it, like I said, it just.

You start to really do see those opportunities everywhere.

Yeah.

And honestly, when you're coming up with these ideas, alignment.

Which is why Kelly doesn't have 87 businesses, but only 84.

Right.

Because they don't align with my personal goal of someday maybe retiring or taking a vacation.

But it's very true though, because I will get these things in my head and now.

Cause I am working on my year of alignment.

Like, this is not going to align with where I'm going.

There's some things that I.

My.

Some of my weird pivots are turning into new business opportunities.

And that's exciting.

And that's.

That is in alignment of where I want to be in the future, where I want to be in six months, where I want to be in two years.

So I'm going to put time into those.

But I really wouldn't have gotten there if I hadn't really been trying to be aligned and saying no to other things.

Looking at the screen.

Your merch business behind you started because of the opportunity to sell the lore of your historic space and the hauntedness and the products that you wanted to get, but you didn't need to order them a thousand at a time, so you just made them and people bought them.

And now you get people coming in being like, oh my God, you have a coloring sheet of your building.

I want a coloring sheet of my business.

I can't wait.

Yeah.

And it also is meeting a need.

Right.

Because I don't need 30 shirts for one event where I may sell five, but I want the opportunity to sell those five.

So a little bit of investment with some machines and some.

Some bulk merch, and now I have this little side hustle that is bringing me a lot of joy.

And it aligns like I Said with where I want to be in the next few years.

All right, so going back, where are you getting your feedback from?

Are you really listening to your feedback?

Like you obviously were listening to your guests.

Yeah.

Are you listening, like, honestly?

Because we listen to stuff all the time and walk away and I'm like, she doesn't know what she's talking about or how many times you get that thing.

Like, just file that in my black file cabinet, which is my garbage can.

Like, really listen, open heart.

No, no judgment.

Because people, people are going to say the things they're going to say.

You have to really, honestly listen to them, though.

Yeah.

And watching for patterns, you know, maybe it is a one off complaint, but if it's happening more than once or you're seeing the same kind of patterns happening, keeping an eye on those, and that's where you need to focus some energy and that's how you grow.

So resources help you start.

Risk teaches you resilience.

And opportunity creates growth.

You're not going to avoid crisis.

You're going to look through it and ask what's emerged and how can we meet it.

Love that.

And we're going to align it to our life.

And do we have anything that people could take away from today and work on on their own?

Oh, look at this booklet.

This is the, you know, print it off version.

So it's not the pretty color because I only have a black and white printer at home.

But there is a five page in depth booklet that you can get on our website.

You can also get the freebie one pager.

That's just kind of an overview of a way to start looking at this.

But if you want to really get deep, dive into it.

It's just five pages.

It's nothing scary.

Um, but if you're gonna do it, do it.

Don't have time.

Be honest.

It's important.

And we are creating more and more of these things.

We think it's so important for you to be able to get this work done on your own time and with your teams.

So be on the lookout for more of this stuff.

And if you want it in hard copy, I can do that.

Cause I can make books now because,.

Oh my gosh, I love you.

I love you.

My bookmaker.

Such fun.

All right, everybody, stay bold, stay brave and be the boss.