Seven Years of the Bombshell Business Podcast Comes to an End: A Heart-to-Heart with Amy Hinote

Speaker A: Abram Hicks says it, and she's kind of in the manifesting world, so she says you can't screw it up because you're never going to get there. That's it. Where are we going? Like, where's there? Where do we arrive? Is there like a. We get a trophy at the end? Like, that's. We don't get there. Like, we're on a journey. And it's a continuous evolution of our own sense of humanity. And as we're evolving spiritually. And I don't even mean like you're a Christian or Muslim or Buddhist, like, our spirituality, meaning our connection to self, our connection to our purpose. And if we are evolving that continuously, then guess what? When you want to climb a mountain, you have to go through the valley. Welcome to the Bombshell Business Podcast, where driven women in business learn how to become more bold, brave, and unwaveringly confident. Feel empowered and challenged through inspiring stories and tell it like it is. Advice for business life and leadership. Hey there, Bombshell. Welcome, or welcome back to the Bombshell Business Podcast. I'm your host, Amber Erickson Hurdle, and you have tuned in to the very last episode of the Bombshell Business Podcast. And, um, if you were wondering, like, why is Amber not doing this anymore? It's just really about time and resources, and I love you and I hope that you will follow me on my journey. I. I hope that you will watch the content that I create moving forward. It will be very similar, just with a little less lipstick, fewer high heels, because I serve honestly, mostly men. And this has been my give back to the women in business community. Um, but it's just confusing now from a branding perspective. And it's also taking time and resources away from the things that I probably should be doing to serve my customer and that the customer base that I do serve. So that's where here is. I'm, um, coming to you today from yet another hotel room, this time a fantastic resort. I'm at the Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona, at Streamline Summit. So I recorded this podcast episode before, but never did record the intro. And we're flipping the script this time. And interestingly, it's highly unlikely that I would even be here right now if it wasn't for today's guest sleep post, because I asked my dear friend, Ms. Amy Highote to interview me on this last episode because I could not imagine another human being that would be more appropriate to interview me without going into so many details. I met Amy at the end of 2019, and we talk about this in the interview, so I won't get into all the little details, but she just blew the doors open to the vacation rental industry, um, at really the right time in my life for so many reasons. And again, if you're listening and you're in one of my other industries, I love you. I, I love, I love all my real estate, insurance, construction, M and A, which there's M and A in the VR world. Hotel, like all of it. Like I love all of you. Um, this particular industry just happened to grab me at the right time and so many of my very best friends, like the people I talk to every single day, part in this industry and it's truly because of Amy, because Amy owns VRM intel, which is the news information. It's kind of like the go to resource, like news source for the vacation rental industry. And she hosts some of the best conferences in the industry. I mean just like truly so well organized and the food is amazing and the experience is always like over the top. Like it's just, she's incredible. And importantly, Amy and I have been through a lot together. Like a lot, a lot together. A lot of life changes a lot of things and you know, when she's going through her own special kind of hell, she still finds a way to call me to check on me and we have one of our marathon calls and it's just, you know, it's really nice to have somebody in your life that is a ride or die that you don't talk to every day. And then when you do it's a three hour call but you know that they're there and we are that friend to each other and, and I'm so excited to share her with you today. I'm going to read her official bio and then, um, I'll pepper it a little bit more. So. Amy High Note is the founder and editor chief of VRM intel magazine, which provides news, information and resources for the professionally managed vacation rental industry. With a background in finance and over 15 years, which this is probably a little bit older, so more than 15 years in the vacation rental industry, High Note has worked with property management companies, technology companies, intermediaries and investors and provides insider information about the growing vacation rental industry. She also founded the data company now known as Key Data Dashboard, which provides aggregated market intelligence and reporting for vacation rental managers. High Note resides between Alabama's Gulf coast and. I don't think this last part's right. So we're just gonna say she is in Alabama and um, because I spoke at one of her conferences. And we did become such great close friends. And I've spoken at several of her conferences. It really opened the door to a lot of opportunities, including being here, opening up a conference for the largest property management software company. Um, so when you say Airbnb, you really mean vacation rentals. And there are actually entire companies of professionally managed. Not like I bought a condo and now I rent it out on OTA, like AirBN. Like, they actually rent out lots of people's homes in a very systematized way. And so if you book direct with a vacation rental management company and not through Airbnb or VRBO or whatever, you're likely going to get a better rate and get taken care of even better. So little fun fact for you from my world, but I just want you to know how special this person is to me, how much I love her, and that's why I chose her to help me close this chapter in my professional history. So I hope you enjoy our interview. Okay. Welcome to the show, Amy.

Speaker B: Thank you, Amber, for having me. I appreciate it.

Speaker A: This is, I think, the very first time that someone other than me is the host. So I hand the hosting duties over to you, my friend, and I, um, am here to answer the questions myself.

Speaker B: Well, okay, then. I think I can do this. Welcome to the Bombshell Business Phone podcast with Amber Hurdle. Um, I'm really excited to be doing this. I don't know if you queued this up yet, but that this is your final podcast for this particular series and I have a ton of questions for you, but I can't tell you how honored I am m that you let me interview you for your final podcast. It means a lot to me. A lot of you don't know that Amber and I actually met during COVID and, uh, we were working on having her come speak at the Vacation Mental Women's Summit and Covid hit and we weren't able to do that, so we started doing some self help series in the process to build up to when we could get together live again. And that's how Amber and I got together and we were insta friends. I remember the first time we talked, I think I cried on the phone,

Speaker A: um, like, trying not to cry right now.

Speaker B: It went deep, fast, and we never really got out of the deep end. And I'm so grateful to you for your friendship, your mentorship, your support, and all the things I do. Interestingly, we've gone through a lot together in a short amount of time, and I know you've dealt with a lot of love and loss and then love and loss again. So we'll talk about that in a little bit. But I did want to run back kind of a history of this particular podcast series that you've been doing it doing. When was the first time you did this? When did it start?

Speaker A: Oh, it's, um. I'm trying to think if we just celebrated seven years. So there was a little bit of a hiatus because we brought it back because of COVID Maybe I stopped it somewhere in 2019 and picked it back up in 2020. So it wasn't consecutive. But I believe that we just came up on eight years or the start of the eighth year, maybe.

Speaker B: Well, I still think, for those of you who don't know if you haven't seen her book, um, the. The Bombshell Businesswoman. That's how actually I got to know her, was through this book and how she came on across my radar. Fantastic book. Um, and I know this was a lot of what led to the podcast was, you know, the writing of this book. I'm kind of curious about what you were going through at that time in your life that really led you to focus on women in business and, you know, kind of choose that as your niche, you know, in what you were, who you were trying to serve.

Speaker A: I didn't mean to. It just kind of happened. I left corporate America, and as I was in my exiting season, which I gave the longest notice in corporate America history, I think I gave like seven months notice, and I ended up staying eight. And, uh, they knew, or the senior leadership knew that behind the scenes I was earning my coaching certification. So I thought I was going to leave Gaylord hotels and immediately become an ICF certified corporate executive coach. And I did. And that's how I started was executive coaching, um, specifically in hospitality, mostly in luxury hotels. I did have a little technology and some other things. And so as soon as that transition happened, I kind of took off and people started going like, whoa, how did you suddenly create a business out of thin air? Not knowing that I'd been working on this for months behind the scenes, um, I'm not a quit your job and figure it out kind of person. I am a build your side hustle as you have steady income person. And a lot of those people ended up being women and friends. And can you help me with this? And, well, can you help me with my marketing? And I'm, you know, I'm not really a business woman. I started this, like, just every excuse, every limiting belief, everything came towards me. And so I was like, all Right. This is a part time job to help my friends. So let me just do a one day bootcamp. And I invited really great speakers, really accomplished executives, and barely charged anything for it. Paid my speakers not a ton, but we did this whole day. And in that day, I was like, oh, my gosh, they need a whole lot of help. Like, so much help. So then I do everything backwards. You know, this about me. Um, I'm like, oh, if you're gonna zig, I'm gonna zag. And I don't even know that I'm trying to do it. I created a bootcamp that was over, I think, like six weeks. And I called it the Bombshell Business Bootcamp. And I ended up attracting women. I had a few men, women from five different counties in Tennessee. And we met every single week over a long lunch. And we went through the content of the bootcamp and then we had like the online component of additional conversation videos, things like that. And then I was like, oh, my gosh, there's consistent problems. And look, the people who are attracted to me are fitness. Like, I could go on about just the business lessons I learned trying to just help women. And then it was like, okay, well, I need to write a book. Well, I can't write a book because I can only consider five counties in the state of Tennessee. Like, that's not everybody. So I started the podcast to start having a conversation with women worldwide. And if I read to you some of the direct. See, I'm gonna get teared up when people say, amber, when I read your book, it was like you were talking directly to me. It's because so many women through the podcast felt seen and supported and heard. And they sent me things on social media and email in the mail. This is from a listener. I mean, I've got T shirt, uh, custom made T shirts that just. There was fruit. And so I took all of that and all of that emotion and all of the pain points and everything that these women shared with me throughout the podcast experience and the bootcamp. And then I wrote the book and then that's when everything took off. And I never meant to be the Bombshell businesswoman. I was gonna be an executive coach. And then like, whoops, that's the truth.

Speaker B: Working with the women. It's been an interesting thing because let's rewind a little bit back to 2016. We were. Had an interesting election year that year. Um, the Me Too movement hit. So around 2017 is when you started the podcast. 2018 is when we started the first women's summit planning. So, yeah, there was a very specific movement going on there that women were finding their voice in corporate America. And I think that was a really important time. Yeah, I don't think that's over, but I do think it's transitioning a bit. And listening to your podcast as well, I feel like there's almost been a movement, you know, into a. Okay. Now that we have established ourselves as women, now we can expand ourselves as human beings. And I was wondering, you know, as you're thinking about your transition, do you consider this transition for yourself, like a new paragraph or a new chapter or a new book, any as a whole?

Speaker A: Oh, wow. That's a really good question, Amy. Um, in my world, on my side of the street, it's all been happening at the same time anyways. Like, I've been serving primarily male CEOs for a long time now in terms of who writes the check. Right. But holding space for women over here and advocating. So on my side of the street, it's just sunsetting this one thing that I'm doing and elevating the. The reality of what I'm doing every day. As a female business owner, do I feel sad that this isn't something that I can rally around and really put my time and energy to because I just don't have it to give anymore? Yes. But I do feel like I've had a maturing too, where, I mean, quite honestly, like, women are going to be taking over the majority of wealth in the coming years. We got hit hard in Covid in terms of, like, equity and things like that. Um, we're several years behind. We still have issues with all the things that women have issues with, but I think that we're in a space like, check out the Olympics. Who won the gold medals, what women? I think that there's now a sense of empowerment. We are more expectant. Things are being taken away from us, and yet we're still going. Like, we're not going anywhere. So I think that we all need to elevate beyond the, like, I'm a boss babe. That's cute and it's fun. And, you know, I love putting lipstick and high heels on things, but, like, I'm a fricking CEO. It doesn't matter if I'm, um, female or male. I'm running this joint and it comes with responsibilities. And I think men are more. As we're moving into, I would say. Not that Gen X doesn't. I mean, my partner is a, uh, fantastic dad. But I think more men are Stepping into more, what I would say would be considered domestic roles. And women are expanding in their careers. We are fighting equity of income. And I guess I just want to change the conversation to if you're a leader, if you're a business leader who also doesn't want to screw up your personal life because of business, then come talk to me.

Speaker B: I completely agree, and I have a lot of thoughts on kind of where this is going to go for you and some questions I have about that. But looking back over the last seven years of this podcast in particular, first of all, you've done, what I think is so impressive is you have a lot of different levels of women in the business. They don't have to be a CEO to be on your podcast. Yes. And I think that you do find these really unique stars at every place on the organizational chart and bring them on and I think and help people grow their careers in that way. I've watched in the vacation rental industry, uh, industry, a club of women elevate themselves into better positions working with you, and it's been fascinating. And thank you for everything you've done for our industry. But looking back, and ages too, another thing is you. You interviewed a lot of people who were boomers, Jeanettes, Millennial, Gen Z. What sticks out to you from the podcast in terms of how the world is transitioning for women?

Speaker A: Just a demand that it happens. It's a demand. We are no longer asking. We're letting you know, world. And I'm not. Listen, I've said from the beginning, I'm a daddy's girl. I'm a boy, mom. I have three amazing brothers, like the best friends. Uh, the man who introduced us is one of my best friends. And I'm, um, not a man hater. I want to see and celebrate women for who they are and who they can become. Not at the expense of men, but for the benefit of all. So it's with that, for the benefit of all, where we're starting to see that feminine energy and feminine thought process can benefit everybody if we're given a voice. And so we're not waiting around to have the permission anymore. Some still are, but there's still, there's still some men that are waiting around for permission. We're just being like, this is what's up. Get on the train or get out of my way. And I mean, like, uh, especially in our industry. And I say that I serve all of you industries. I promise. I refer to the vacation rental industry as, like, I'm in that industry because I AM and if you scroll through my text messages in a day, it's like, vacation rental, vacation rental, vacation rental, vacation rental.

Speaker B: And yeah, we're hard to shake.

Speaker A: Very hard to shake. It's a big, big fam, bam. But even in that industry, like, look, girl, from when we were just begging people to put together a presentation and trying to figure out how to empower them to do that. And then look at all these rising stars who have platforms and influence and decision making capabilities and their leading men and male thought process and thought leadership, and it is more cross gendered.

Speaker B: Looking back on over the podcast, are there any that stick out to you as being your favorite? Besides mine, obviously.

Speaker A: Obviously.

Speaker B: But that was such a skip over that.

Speaker A: Um, I really appreciated Debra Lee James when Aim High was the book that she wrote and she is the previous secretary of the Air Force. And that sticks, uh, out in my mind because she's a big deal and she couldn't get her tech right because there are storms where she was. And we had to try, like three different ways of recording. But she wasn't like, I can't do this. Forget it. Like, we'll just, you know, forget it. We stuck with each other and we got it done. And I was like, oh, that's such a testament of why she's such a great leader. She didn't quit. She didn't say, this is too hard, let's not. We just figured it out. Um, so she was one. I reflected on my interview with Christy Wright because we were talking about competition and, you know, she, she was a Dave Ramsey personality at the time. She's, um, not anymore. And her team reached out to me. And to your point, I'm very open. I, I care about my audience, not me. And if you care about your audience, your audience will take care of you. So I'm always evaluating, will this be of service and value to my audience or no. And that's what my team evaluates as well. And so when Christy came, of course, she basically does exactly what I do and speaks to women. And had a book coming out, and I had a book coming out, and I could have looked at that as like, oh, no, I can't do that. But I was like, fantastic. She'd be great for my audience. And they were so appreciative of that that our conversation turned from her book, which was Business Boutique. And we touched on it, but then we really talked about women competing. And so then she had me on her podcast. So I drove to Ramsey Studios and everything, and we continued that conversation and because of that interview or those interviews, our audiences cross mingled and we shared customers and we shared fans. And it was interesting because then the fans of both of us or customers of both of us were really free in communicating to both of us the value that they saw me versus her or her, like, this is why I need some of uh, Christie. And this is why I need some of Amber. And we were able to laugh at it because it was true. Like we complimented each other in our personalities and there's not a book to read. You could buy both of our books and guess what, have twice as much knowledge and you can follow Christy and listen to her podcast and you could listen to Amber's podcast. And the truth is, many female podcasters turn them down because she was too bright of a light, she was too big of a star. She did what they did. They didn't want to share the stage with her. They didn't want to be dulled by her brightness. And we didn't feel that way about each other. And to me I'm like, that's the bombshell way. We lock arms. We do it together.

Speaker B: And your openness, authenticity, really coming across in your podcast, I mean, it's another thing that you've done really well that's actually been contagious and allowed us the room to be our authentic selves with you as well. Thank you. And this idea of being put in the place to serve is kind of a theme in your life, right? Like, I mean, early on, most of your viewers obviously know your story. So just to touch on it really quickly, do you want to just give the highlights of your high school experience?

Speaker A: Move to Lebanon, Tennessee from the O.C. california as an Orange county girl, Newport Beach, 15th street, you know, mostly bodyboarded, sometimes surfed. And that was my reality move to Nashville area. Lebanon. Lebanon. If you're from there and dealt um, with some race relation issues, just really weird things and, and I lost myself and decided what my self medication was and uh, I mean it was just traumatic just in general, the culture shock and everything. But at the end of the day with my long term boyfriend, we found out I was pregnant. And that was after channel 4 news at 6 and 10 featured me as one of the top students in the area. And that was a huge fall from grace. And yet I am grateful for so many reasons. I'm grateful because the humility and the compassion that that automatically generated for me set me up for an adulthood of being able to walk with people through their darkness without judgment. Without judgment. That's an Important part, I would say my adult life has been me learning how to set down the control of codependency. Because ladies, it is control. It is not service, it is control. You can read the book Boundaries and uh, learn all about that and learning how to show up for people in their darkness without harming myself. And I started at 16.

Speaker B: And you also your work ethic and your fight, I think that was another thing we saw in you that you were like, uh, this will not define, it will define you as a mother, but it will not define you as a businesswoman.

Speaker A: Yeah, and I think there's a little bit of it too. Like, you know, people want to hear the story and people like learning about that and it's a little bit of a I can do it, you can do it empowerment. But like my daughter's 28, I have a one year old granddaughter, she's turning one in October. Like that is so long ago and like the pains from that and the struggles of that and I was so

Speaker B: there's all that telling you of how much we grow and what we learn. But there are some things that are consistent within us that are the gifts that we have to let go of the world. And I think one of yours is clearly that when you go through something, you turn it into something that helps other people. And I think as you're going through this right now, you must already see how this is going to impact your world going forward. And the decision, for instance, to be sexually active at 16 is a decision and that change the course of your life. However, every decision to take a job or quit a job or start a job or start a business is its own, own life altering decision. So, you know, it's one of those things that we do have these major moments in life that you are a part of for a lot of people. And this idea of knowing love and loss, the highs and the lows and seeing kind of a whole picture, a holistic view of that, I do think it's really going to add to your ability, you know, because historically that's what you've done. You've never had a, um, a tough thing happened to you that you didn't turn around and find a way to use it for other people.

Speaker A: I mean, I cried on your stage about my divorce. Like I just. If there's no purpose, then we're all just walking around life like miserable hags. Like. But if I can say, you know, and I often joke that I live my life like an After School special, Gen X will get that everybody Else will be like, is that on YouTube? Google it. Um, if I have to go through all of this and I have any lessons that I can learn, like, I've got a lot of friends, female friends, who are about to go through their midlife crisis. And I was like, oh, honey, let me sit you down real quick. I got some truth that you need to understand. Um, if we can use it in service to others, then we can make sense of that happening. And that's biblical, and it's spiritual if you're not following a wisdom tradition. But I'll say it this way, Abram Hicks says it, and she's kind of in the manifesting world. So those of you, I'll switch to Christian, because I know I have a lot of Christian listeners. But she says you can't screw it up because you're never going to get there. That's it. Where are we going? Like, where's there? Do we arrive? Is there like a. We get a trophy at the end? Like, that's. We don't get there. Like, we're on a journey. And it's a continuous evolution of our own sense of humanity. And as we're evolving spirituality spiritually. And I don't even mean, like, you're a Christian or Muslim or Buddhist, like, our, uh, spirituality, meaning our connection to self, our connection to our purpose. And if we are evolving that continuously, then guess what? When you want to climb a mountain, you have to go through the valley. And if you want the sun to come up, then you have to have the darkness come and the moon come out. And so when we start looking at life on the journey and we have these journey partners, like, I tell everybody, I'm like Amy Hynotz, my. She's a soulmate. It's. It's not just a friendship. Like, there's a soul connection that we have. And I believe that we're meant to be on this journey together for whatever reason. And, I mean, I think you and I know what those reasons are, but I think. Let me take a step back, because then, um, there are. Some people are like, well, Amber just talks about herself. Amber doesn't want to tell you necessarily about the bowels or the underbelly of the shitty parts of my life. Like, that's not my go to. That's not my urge to do. But if I'm going to go through it and I can spare you something, or maybe I can give you some perspective, because you might have to endure this, or maybe you're enduring it right now, well, then buckle up because we're going to talk some truth.

Speaker B: I think sometimes too, just as an oversharer myself, sometimes the sharing is in lieu of pointing out something in someone else. You know what I mean? It's like saying, okay, this is what I went through. It's very, happens to be very similar to what you're going through. There's a better way to take this forward. But I also think the idea of, uh, purpose, you work with that a lot. I mean, it's a pretty recurring thing with you. But it also works for a business too, right? I mean, so there's always like, we have to find our own purposes, but in the businesses that we're building, that there needs to be a cohesive purpose there too. Which is your brand central, right? Yeah. Tell me about that segment of the business.

Speaker A: So we actually carved it off completely. It's Its Own LLC because I wanted to keep up with two different taxing structures and QuickBooks accounts and Google accounts. It's fun. But employer brand central needed to have its own home because that is a very specific conversation around what I say, branding from the inside out. So I didn't want what I consider to be the most important part of a brand to be muddled with me talking about personal branding and business branding and marketing and that sort of thing. Because if you don't have it right inside, you can sell, you can market. But if you don't have a team that is eager to fulfill the company mission according to the company values, that creates the customer experience and they're not giving discretionary effort and they're not committed, then your customer is going to feel that like, you know, which restaurants you go to or what movie theaters you go to, or fill in the blank, what dentist you go to, where the team's cohesive and you have a great experience versus nobody would spit on you if you're on fire. And so we put together a, ah, very specific process. You know, I love my processes. Everything I do has steps to it, um, because I want it to be actionable because I need that. Just tell me what to do, just tell me what steps to take. And so when we put this really consistent, repeatable process together, now that's its own function. And so whether I'm working with women, whether I'm doing personal branding, leadership, you know, self awareness, whether I'm doing business branding, marketing, you know, that real relational type branding, emotionally based branding, or we're working with employer brands or a friend, I see that people come to me when they're ready to level up and the level up experience, we all want it to be like, and then I was famous and rich and like that's not the journey. When you level up and you're changing atmospheres, you start running out of oxygen. And now you've got new things in this level of atmosphere that you're contending with that you didn't have to contend with for before. And life is going to hit you hard in order to prepare you for that level. And so whether you're a startup or a, uh, scaling, you know, mid market business or an individual, I mean just think of all the people, not even just women in the vacation industry that I've watched level up. It comes with collateral damage. And again, I love helping people see their potential, move towards their potential, but you have to be able to walk through the darkness to get there.

Speaker B: It definitely feels like we're moving into a much more efficient organizational structure by doing that. Like, you know, you hear about all these layoffs all the time and we see it a lot in our industry, but a lot of the layoffs are people have added people to just new tasks, you know, instead of really thinking about who's, you know, who's on the team. And in the same way that you would draft an NFL team, you know what I mean? Like, and you're looking for people who can offset each other's strengths and weaknesses and still move together in one direction. I think we had a lot of people that just kept on adding people as they needed it. And then of course when it's time to lay off, they can just lay them off. But the right people do more than one person's job, right?

Speaker A: It's, it's The Pareto principle is 80 20. And what happens when, you know, was it 29, 2021 had the largest private equity cash infusion in history. And so that started somewhere in 2019. My M& A people, don't, don't put me on the cross if I'm getting this wrong, but memory, uh, serves me. 2019, obviously 2020 was like, whoa, let's get into the vacation rental industry and these other places that kind of grew through Covid. Um, when you get the cash infusion, the instinct is, let's hire and then we're going to get it all done now. And there's no strategy to put your people strategy behind. Like, what's the business strategy now? What are the people going to do? And that part, when you have tons of money and you're not looking at every $25, you get sloppy and Gluttonous with your people strategy. Instead of saying, these are the functions that have to get done, what kind of human being do I need that's going to gladly do these types of functions day in and day out? And if these functions don't get done, what's the consequence to the business if they do get done? What's the benefit to the business? And like, matchmaking based on where we're trying to go. Instead of, let's scale as quickly as possible, hire a hundred people, and then we'll let 80 go the next time. We have to tighten up the purse strings because private equity says you're spending too much money. And we're not hitting our ebitda.

Speaker B: I mean, we're watching this over and over and over again.

Speaker A: Over and over again.

Speaker B: Same cycle, over and over again. Um, 60 minutes last week. I don't know if you saw this, but Peter Stavros was on there. Pete Grab, Ownership Works. He's a private equity guy. Kkb. Sorry. Um, but anyway, they've got a nonprofit Ownership Works that's about private equity giving employees ownership in terms of its own recap as part of that. And so every recap that happens, they make money too. And it's just giving. You know, if you are able to, as a private equity company, do you just want to scream sometimes, like, get the right team and play and you won't have to do this anymore?

Speaker A: I do scream that every day.

Speaker B: Value every day. Um, so looking forward, tell me about the segments under your business right now. I know you've got, what, five sectors under the business?

Speaker A: I think we're actually in the process right now. I mean, there's so much going on behind the scenes. Amy, it's magic.

Speaker B: You said you're speaking. You've got the amber hurdle.

Speaker A: So amber hurdle.com is. And we've. We've got a new website coming out soon, is. We'll call that my Thought leadership. So that's where my keynote speaking is. That's where how to Fascinate Lives, which is a personal branding assessment. I'm a very og, um, facilitator, and I work closely with the how to Fascinate team. So it's. It's a little tighter to me than, like, some certification that I have. And then that's also where my books will live and. Or my current book lives. And my, my book that's in process is Going to live and all that stuff. And then I take on pet projects. Like, I've got some consulting projects that are around relational Emotional branding. And how do we get there? What is the experience like? Um, so the more experiential stuff that, that'll stay over there. And any personal branding projects, I've got some courses you can branding courses, personal branding courses. I'm working on something with how to fascinate there as well. And so that's that. And then Employer Brand Central. So let me break that up. Personal branding, business branding. Keynote speaking is Amber hurdle.com leadership development. We have, you know, for Those watching on YouTube we have Velvet Machete Leadership Academy. Um, we've got a cohort going through that right now. We have Employer Brand Central which is a subscription systematized kind of. Um, we create strategy for you. We create the actual operating plan. We deliver all the tools and resources you need in order to execute this in the business. You don't have to come up with the templates. And then we have coaching to ensure that there's accountability, that it gets done. Leadership buy in communication strategies. It's all like handed to you in a box and we walk alongside you as you do it. Um, and that way those bigger picture big business employment strategies and employee experience strategies and employer branding strategies can be applied in a reasonable cost effective way for small to mid market businesses. And that's all over on that side. So 1, 2, 3, 4. And then bombshell is sunsetting.

Speaker B: So let's talk about that just for a second because yeah, I'm still on the fence on women's summit, as you know, not profitable sector of my business and this idea of having things segmented for women right now. Do you think that going forward that we'll see more of that or less of that?

Speaker A: Oh, that is a question. If I'm being brutally honest. I just haven't concerned myself with because the women and this sounds so, uh, I'm going to say it how I'm going to say it and then I'll backpedal. The women that I've raised up don't need it anymore. They did need it, but now they're. Because they are bombshells. Bold, brave, unwaveringly confident women. They don't need it because they're walking into rooms in their full authority, gender be damned. From a perspective of being known as a female speaker, which that's not. I love a good women's conference, but that's not what I'm known for in the speaking world. I'm known for branding. Um, you become a commodity when you position yourself as a female. When you make the razor pink, um, you can charge More than a men's razor that's just gray and ugly. Um, but interestingly, we charge women more for things, but we don't pay women more for things. So I get a lot of requests for women's conferences, and it's like, okay, well, what's your budget? And I'll flex for a women's conference, but, oh, we don't have one. We were hoping you would do it out of the kindness of your heart. And I'm like, did the $7 a cup of coffee do it out of the kindness of their heart? Did the venue do it out of the kindness of their heart? Did your tchotchkes do it out of it? Who else did it? Who else donated to this women's experience? Only the woman that you're at. Uh, like, one time, I literally had to say, so you're asking me to take the stage with hundreds of women to help them define and position their value, but you don't want to pay me for my value? And it was like, I'll add to

Speaker B: that that I've spoken on shows and not been paid when my male counterparts have. Yep. And that's something that still happens today, as you know, with that discussion. Um, but, yeah, no, I agree with you. It's like, you want me to talk about value, but you want me to not do that for myself, but I shouldn't care about my own. You know, you want to talk about budgeting, but I should just throw them on in the garbage. Yeah, exactly. It's like there's all this hypocritical stuff, though I do have a question about kind of the pendulum swing of, you know, we're going into another divisive election cycle, and we always see this pendulum swing in women's rights and women's favor, I guess. Do you feel like that we are in the. That we have the potential of seeing another pendulum swing? Well, we might find ourselves having to go back and do some of the work that we did, redo some of the work that we did.

Speaker A: Yep, we already are. We're already there. Um, and, you know, I know that I. I want to be really careful to embrace everybody's worldview and political opinions. I'm a centrist, as you know, but because there have been threats to the rights that women have fought for, whether you agree with them or not, they are reducing. And the conversations that are being. Have had publicly are concerned, discerning. So my stance and my voice can contribute to remaining vigilant and not looking to somebody else to fight for what you want your life experience to be

Speaker B: completely agree with you on that. And I think it does. It is about your own life. There are some language things we're hearing now, like calling women DEI hires and just along those lines that are a little concerning, you know, a little. I personally have had a lot of backlash from hosting a vacation rental women's summit. And I'm sure you've had some of the same reactions to a lot of the work you've done for women as well. I do see it very personally in my life. You probably see it in yours. Uh, but that's not why you're making this transition, is it?

Speaker A: Oh no, not a bit. It's a personal issue. Like the transition really is. I'm spending literally thousands of dollars team effort time like this. You know, you put on a women's summit, like I do a weekly that doesn't. Fairies don't come and create it. Like nobody comes and like strikes a check. I, I haven't traditionally done. I did like one quick little sponsorship because I believed in the product, but I don't take sponsors because I don't want to dilute the content because it's a service to women, not to try to sell to women. Not that I haven't sold. You sell to everybody. But like that wasn't. The point is to like funnel them into some bombshell funnel. So it's not about I don't like where the country's going or I don't like where the conversation around women's going, or I don't passionate about this anymore. It's just like I need to take my time, my money, my team and all of my very limited resources and direct that towards the outcomes that I want for my life and my businesses. And, and that's not bombshell. I'll say it this way. Every morning I wake up and I say I am the CEO of a multi million dollar a year company and today I'm going to act like it. No distractions.

Speaker B: That's pretty powerful and true for so many of us.

Speaker A: Totally true. I, I know what it looks like to get there. I know the numbers, I know the steps and I will get there. So if I'm a CEO of a multimillion dollar company, am I making marketing dollar CEO time decisions that are not in support of the mission of my companies, the vision that I have for my future or my operational goals? That doesn't sound very responsible of a CEO. So here we are. No love lost.

Speaker B: Yeah. Uh, if you would give advice to your previous podcaster, Self. What would you say to women who are being or to people who are looking at starting a podcast?

Speaker A: You know, be yourself and start. You're going to suck at first. It's fine. Like, you're not going to be the expert on episode one. And I love Annie and Alex. Um, for those who aren't in the vacation rental industry, is, um, Alex and Annie the real women of vacation rentals? I got their sticker right here. I was episode two. They did solo episode. I was their very first guest for your women's summit. Pre Women's summit. And we had to record it three or four times. And I was like, you guys are. We're just gonna do it again. And I've had that experience multiple times, but again, because I screwed up so bad on my first interview with an International Fortune 50, like, Senior Vice president, Grandpupa of the world, not just of the Americ. And I put all my stuff up and I put it on the shelf, and I was like, I can't do. I got to run a business. I can't do that podcast thing right now. Like, that was horrible. I'm not doing that. Shame on me.

Speaker B: Well, I think you've been wildly successful at it. Will you do it again?

Speaker A: Yeah. So we're focusing, like, uh, I always open up my kimono. Like, I don't have anything to hide. I'm not, you know, it's what it is. We started Bombshell. I was very early in the, like, the kind of the podcast boom. And so we very much focused on what Apple podcasts demanded. And so the majority of my listeners, because that's where the SEO and the energy and everything went, are Apple podcast listeners. And there's this whole world of YouTube, which is a search engine. It's not just entertainment or education. It's a search engine. And so if you get your keywords right in that, then that information can come up five years from now. And that's a better use of what I'm trying to do from a marketing perspective than just doing podcasting. So we're focusing on YouTube doing the exact opposite. We're going to focus on growing the YouTube channel, and then we're very likely going to, you know, rip the audio and still distribute it through different podcast channels, but it'll be more holistic and with no lipstick or high heels on it.

Speaker B: What do you think the future is for, uh, branding in a world that's becoming more commoditized?

Speaker A: Oh, you better have a brand. So Google leaked. Um, it was the greatest leak in terms of how the algorithm works for SEO and rankings. And the number one thing that came out of that, according to my very brilliant SEO person, is that it's going to show preference to established brands. So the big brands are probably going to win for a while on the Google. And if you're not clear about who you are, what you're, about, who you're attracting, what your purpose is, what your messaging is, if you're not consistent in that, then you're going to fall. So if you're, if you're just starting out your business, listen, you're, you're not going to have a solid brand yet. Like, you've got to go figure out who your customer is. You have to do product market or um. Yeah, product market fit. And there's lots of testing to be done.

Speaker B: I do, I agree with you on the, the consistency of that across channels is not an easy thing to do because you're a different person on Instagram than you are on LinkedIn. Right?

Speaker A: Absolutely. And you can understand how confusing it is. When you go to my YouTube channel and the majority of work I do every single day is employee experience, culture, employer branding, leadership, um, culture. And then you go to my YouTube channel, you're like, oh, you're all about women. Got it. Doesn't work.

Speaker B: Right.

Speaker A: Gotta get clear.

Speaker B: Yeah. Thinking too about um, with the people. Like in the vacation real industry, you serve your homeowners, you serve your guests, but you also serve your team. And every company has their pretty much triad of um, stakeholders. Right. Of ah, the people that they're trying to serve. Do you think the, I mean, is serving the employee and the team just as important as serving your customers?

Speaker A: It's the most important because who's taking care of your customer? You personally, the owner? Like you can personally verify that every customer is going to be happy or do you have to depend on your team for that? In the hotel world, we're very much about that. There's a lot of um, following the Harvard business model of the service profit chain. And that is if you take care of your employees, your employees will take care of your guests. If your guests are happy, then they're going to be loyal financially to you and then the circle continues. And that aligns so well with my. If you get your personal brands right, the leaders are trusted, they're consistent. Um, I want to work for them, I don't want to run from them. Then you have a happy employer brand because there's a work environment where people feel fulfilled, they can trust their leader, they can Express their gifts, they're, they're rewarded for their contribution to the bigger picture. They're more dedicated. And then when you have Chick Fil a service and it's my pleasure, then you have a brand that can close on one of the busiest fast food days on the planet and still be more profitable than all of your competition because you're taking care of your people and you can't do it any other way. Ask private equity

Speaker B: thinking about going forward. I mean like as far as with AI coming up, uh, with, with a lot of the changes in technology that we're about to see, change management, is that a focus in, in your clients right now? Is there a lot of proactive thinking about that?

Speaker A: Every single person, every single group. And you know I did change cycle with you uh, during COVID because it was like, whoa, where are we in this? From a business perspective and personal perspective and leading my team. Um, but that is part of the employer Brand Central subscription is every quarter. We do a leadership training that you can have your entire leadership team watch, not just the people that we're working with, you know, blocking and tackling. And we did change management for that very reason. And because technology is moving at such a clip that nobody can claim to be an expert. You might have been an expert today, but maybe not next week. So that's why I'm saying like this is our season because like we like that, we do well in that. But the people who are the stabilizing type personalities who help companies scale because everything's repeatable and they put processes behind it, it's going to be a little bit toug tougher because as soon as you put a process around something that is no longer relevant and now we've moved on to this and so flexibility, agility and the ability to understand a change cycle. Where am I in that and am m I at risk or can I find solace in this? If that's not very much at the top of a priority list of a leader, then um, it could be, yeah,

Speaker B: I think it has to be because a new company could come in and figure something out faster than in a large company. An established company has to pivot to the point they've already got that processes to. So to do something new they actually have to go back rewind. Yeah. And the new company doesn't have to rewind. So it's like if they're not thinking about that now, then as a warning going forward that that new companies have a competitive advantage 100% especially if there's an Equalization online.

Speaker A: And we saw that with the tech boom, and we. And we're starting to. Then we started to see it with early versions, um, of AI and now, like, things that were a little more mysterious, had a little more mystique around them. Now it's a little more democratized, and it's like, we're off. So you can. You can jump on now, or you're going to be way behind, like, in a year.

Speaker B: One of the things I'm, um. Business is really about providing something people need in exchange for money. I mean, just at its core. And I think going back to your personal life and talking about the family and, you know, and where you are right now, travel is still such an important part of memories that people have together. And I feel like a lot of times we lose that, you know, that idea that as a travel provider, that we're providing something that is a big part of the fabric that makes up a life. Do you see a lot of brands that you work with in travel really trying to embrace the meaning that they're given to people?

Speaker A: Well, if they're working with me, that's not a choice, because we got to get into the fields. What's the emotional value? Do I really just. I just need a roof over my head and enough beds for everybody to sleep in? Is that the goal? Or is the goal that I'm creating this experience of, you know, multi generations having this moment that we've been going to the Outer Banks for however many generations, and this is the house that we stay in every single time? Like, what's that story? Like, let's talk about that and hit me in the feels and then show me why your travel solution is going to meet my emotional needs. Because in the United States, a vacation is a birthright. It really is. And, uh, we're seeing. I don't. I don't know how much you've had these conversations this year, Amy, but the guests this year, the expectations are phenomenally high.

Speaker B: I mean, they're paying more. I have a friend in town right now from Canada, stayed in a vacation role that I recommended, and it's run down, and it's in one of the best buildings with one of the best managers in the area. And they're having. They had a rough experience, and, um, they're having a rough experience, but what they paid for is what the difference is. And so the rates are just too high to meet the expectation. That's just where we are right now. It's out of sync. But, um, I do think that that idea of expectations minus reality equals disappointment. And it is a. In any business right now where inflation has impacted it so incredibly greatly, just like it has with travel, that whenever what people are paying is a lot higher, their. Their expectations because of what they're paying are really high, then there's room for disappointment there and a likelihood of disappointment that has to be managed.

Speaker A: And that's, you know, like it is. You said it beautifully. And another way to say it is the root of many relationship issues is unmet expectations.

Speaker B: Yeah. Across the board. I think there's like looking at hospitality in particular as defined as making people feel welcome and comfortable, which is just base. Poor definition of hospitality service. It's about troubleshooting.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: So it's like you're taught. I mean, I do think that service versus hospitality discussion is probably where the gold is.

Speaker A: That is. Oh, that'd be a good. That'd be a good breakout.

Speaker B: You write that in.

Speaker A: Let's just go on the darm. The darm idea list.

Speaker B: Anyway, so, um, what is next for Amber? Did I hear you mentioned that you're writing another book? I am.

Speaker A: So I, um, actually have written two books in the past year, but nobody knows about them because they were written for other people. And then, you know, this, this book here it is, um, it's a workbook, but it's large for those who, who can see. And it is, ah, technically of content. Let's see here, with a glossary of terms. That's an ad. It's 115 pages. And so the workbook is, you know, I mean, obviously I have to take the course, so that's a very expensive book. Um, but that's more of the tactical. The book that I'm writing to go with it is inspirational. It is psychology. Well, I mean I've got psychology in there, but I would just say it's going to be a more personal experience for a leader to read. And then this is like. And here's how you apply it at work. So I'm hoping that those two things go hand in hand. And then I already have my third book idea. So it's amazing when you create space.

Speaker B: Right. So also, as far as the businesses go, will you. Will you be doing any, um, podcast series coming up to go along with the. The Brand Central?

Speaker A: Yeah, Um, I think for right now we will. We're not going to do a specific employer Brand Central podcast. I think my YouTube show slash podcast will serve as that for now and then as we grow our subscriber base and I have a Certain number threshold that I'd like to get to again, out of respect for from this pool of understanding, can we really speak to everyone? And so, you know, we, we have done the product market fit side and minimal viable product and have, um, thank God for our founding subscribers because we've learned so much from them and hopefully we've invested a lot into them as the originals. But I'm not there yet. Uh, in terms of what the content, tone, what the content like, I kind of know the topics, but I don't want to be the face of Employer Brand Central. I know I have to be for right now because it's my personal brand that's driving it. But I got a bad mama jama team. I mean, top notch rock star. How the hell do these people work for me team. And it doesn't have to be about me. And so I want to create an opportunity where maybe somebody else is the host or shares hosting responsibilities as I'm on this journey of how I envision my professional life to unfold.

Speaker B: So where can your friends and followers find you coming up? Let's see. I know you've got some conferences you were keynoting in the future. In fact, in Arizona, it's only in two weeks.

Speaker A: Yeah, it's right on top of us. Uh, I'll be, um, speaking at Streamline Summit. It's one of the largest, if not the largest property, um, management software in the industry. Um, at least top three, we'll say for sure. And so there'll be a lot of familiar faces there, both from the vendor side and the property manager side. And I've been privileged to work behind the scenes on the summit as well and work with the new gm, Michael Rubin, who is fantastic. I just, we are such a great collaborative team on, on our work style together. And then really I've been speaking a lot, but it's been private and behind the scenes because of my hip surgery. But I'm, I'm definitely ready to wrap up this transition season and I mean this transition season of my, of my health, of my priorities, of moving out of Bombshell, out of taking the focus off of Amber Hurdle and putting it more over onto Employer Brand Central. Transitions are hard and necessary and as we look at next year. So, um, I'm really looking forward to getting back into my wheelhouse of things, which is content creation and speaking and taking stages and getting out there with everybody again.

Speaker B: Well, I think I can say pretty confidently that Amber and I are also working together to have her come and speak for hospitality Day. Which was a subset of Dar coming up, um, December 2nd through the 4th in Sandestin. So I know you'll see her there too. So. And also tell us about your newsletter. It seems to have really taken off.

Speaker A: Yeah, it's so wild. So I was, you know, I just examine things as I can and I was looking at the newsletter and it just was very stale and it was just a repeat of show notes and a lot of people on my list don't follow me because of Bombshell, they follow me because of branding. And I was just looking at going like none of this is making sense. Like I just was so disconnected, you know, my long term listeners, you know what my life has been like in the past few years. Um, and so when you're in crisis it's hard to be not cri. I won't say I was in crisis but when you're in survival mode it's hard to be creative and it's hard to reflect and to make those shifts. So the, what I decided to do with the newsletter, which you can get@amber hurdle.com forward slash newsletter is to look at it in the three buckets of branding, employer. Well, personal branding, employer, branding, business branding. I might share a little bit about something that happened in my week or maybe a theme that I see in coaching or consulting. Then I, I kind of theme the tips around that and then we talk about the content. And Amy, like my open rate is absurd. It's really, and I'm not saying that to pat myself on the back but I'm just, I'm um, I'm sharing that so that you can see when your message aligns with your audience then you have traction. And so industry standard is like half of my open rate. And I get a lot of feedback on like man, you're one of the only newsletters that I open. And then I have other like, I'm just gonna say it like online bro marketers who are like long form content doesn't do the trick. Everybody has a limited attention span. And I'm like, well I got a long ass email that I send out every single week but it comes from here. And, and it's not written on chat.

Speaker B: GPT people haven't subscribed. How can they get in on your newsletter?

Speaker A: Amber hurdle.com forward/newsletter and we have changed the look. It's going to continue to evolve as we move into new uh, content. But yeah, we're just. Amy, I, you know, this is about me and I'm tearing up more of the truth tier not necessarily. I want to sob, but I sincerely want to be of service. And whether you buy something from me or you don't, if you're choosing to come into my world, then I. I feel like you've been given to me as a gift, and I can connect with you human to human, business to business, in a way that's of service to you. And if I get to do that, then that means there is joy in my life. And that's not. Woo woo, Amber. That is legitimate scientific research shows that when you use your gifts and talents in service to other humans, that evokes a joyous life. And that's why I'm concerned about how we treat our employees, because we can have a lot of joyful people if they can use their natural gifts and service to a higher picture that ultimately serves customers, or we do it for each other, we do it through our content. But I want to choose love, I want to choose joy. I want freedom, and I want harmony. And if I have those things, then I don't care what vehicle it is. Those are my priorities.

Speaker B: Since this is your last episode of Bombshell, do you have any last words for those of us who have been following your journey in this? We're all going to continue to follow you and work with you. And as a listener and as a colleague and someone who's worked with you in different capacities and as a friend, I'm going to miss it a little bit, Amber. I am. It's, um, been a really helpful podcast, and you have been a service, and you have given me so much and so many of us. And so for all of us, I want to speak for everybody and say thank you for all you've done. I know it's been a labor of love. We know this hasn't made you rich. And, um, but it has been something that we've all gotten a lot out of, and you should get very proud of that.

Speaker A: Well, thank you for that. And, um, I. You have. Well, and I won't. It just looks different. But I also have to say, Amy, like, you just come out of. Out of the nowhere sphere, even when you're going through just the worst of the worst. And you shown up at, like, the exact right moment for me where I was feeling wobbly or I was feeling insecure or I didn't know what direction to go, or I was just hurting, and you just like, oh, look, there's Amy right at the right time. And you show up in these moments of mine where, like, that's where I'm Like, Yep, she's my soulmate that I just want to give you credit back. And this is why you're the person interviewing me, because like attracts like. And I think we both have a very similar approach and we're both bad bees with scuffed up knees and scuffed up elbows and maybe a little snot on our face and, um, a little sweat. And, um. So thank you for showing up for me. I think everybody kind of holds me on this pedestal and I'm like, oh, no. Oh, no. I got problems too, and my own insecurities and my own. You can be bold, brave, unwaveringly confident and still have things that you're journeying through in life, things that you're working through. So, um, you asked me what I asked every single guest at the end of each episode, and that's what parting piece of advice would you give? Um, I gave this to Jared's daughter yesterday. And I say this to as many girls and women as possible. And it's my lifelong journey. And I think why people, like, I rub people the wrong way too, because of it. People who are very insecure are very. They don't like me because I choose to love myself. I'm fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image. I'm made in the image of the power that creates worlds. I'm not arguing with that. We could sit here for five more episodes, talk about my deficiencies, but I'm made in God's image, and so I'm sharing that. To say, when you love yourself, like, love yourself, love your light, love the brightness, love what value you bring to other people, but love your shadow, love the parts of you that you're maybe not so proud of, because guess what, girlfriend? They ain't going anywhere. That is part of who you are. And we can improve upon it, we can polish it a little bit, but we all have light and darkness inside of us. And you know, I'm a big fan of psychologist Carl Jung, who introduced the concept of the shadow self. But when I love myself and I don't hide from my shadow, then I don't create relational stress because I'm projecting my shadow on other people because I don't want to own it. When I love myself, I set the tone for how you're going to treat me, because no one can love you beyond the capacity that you love yourself. And so I'm not saying it's easy, because it's not. But my parting piece of advice is to learn how to radically love yourself and set that as the example for everyone that gets to see you move through life with that level of love.

Speaker B: Sounds pretty bombshell to me. It doesn't feel like that's going anywhere. The inner bombshell is still going to be there. We'll celebrate that every single time we get to see each other in person. I'm very much looking forward to doing that very soon.

Speaker A: Yes, ma'.

Speaker B: Am. Amber, thank you for allowing me the privilege of being your friend, of working with you, of doing this interview. What you've given us through this time that you so graciously given us has just been incredibly valuable, changed my life and so many of other. All of us other boss babes out there. So my very best wishes for your next chapter, your next book, your next play. And we'll be watching you, rooting you on all the way. I love you.

Speaker A: I love you, Amy. And, um, I feel so honored that you and your crazy life took the time to sit down with me and turn the tables and share this moment with me because you were the catalyst for so much goodness in my life. And, um, you know, it's so funny that you give me credit because I. I can say the same thing about you. You changed my life. And the reality of my every day has Amy High note fingerprints all over it. And I love my life now, and you are the catalyst in my life. And so I'm just grateful that God brought us together and that our journeys are parallel and, um. Bombshell.

Speaker B: Bombshell, Yeah.

Speaker A: I mean, all of our listeners. This is not the end. You don't stop being a bombshell. Amy doesn't stop being a bombshell. I don't stop being a bombshell. We're just not going to have the show anym. Um, so please don't set the torch down because we need you to hold it high and don't hold it to yourself. Light other people's torches with it. Light all everybody else's candles. When you see somebody snuff out, run to them and relight it. And, um, I won't catch you on the next episode of this, but I will catch you on the next episode of the next iteration of Chilling with Amber.

Speaker B: Well, don't worry if we need you back. If things go really sound, I'll put up the amber signal and the bat signal. I'm like, okay, let's go back online.

Speaker A: Just project a big high heel on the moon. And I'll be like, we've got it back for Covid. We'll bring it back again.

Speaker B: The letters on the moon. Thank you. So much for this time. I, uh, can't wait to see what you're doing in the future. You're going to be wildly successful at every single thing you touch. Thank you. Talk to you very soon, ma'. Am.

Speaker A: Bye, y'. All. Thanks for listening to the Bombshell business podcast. Visit amberhurtle.com for more resources like show notes. And check out thebombshellbusinesswoman.com to grab my book and download the free bonuses.