59 | Rooted in Community Impact with Brigid Morrissey, Owner of The Root Workspace

Speaker A: Hey, friends. Welcome to Woman Owned Wallet, the podcast. I'm your host, Amanda Dare, a serial entrepreneur who has already made all of the money mistakes so you don't have to. Now I'm working on my money mindset, expanding my companies, and having open conversations with women around a subject that shouldn't be so taboo. Money. My company, Woman Owned Wallet, and I are determined to help you foster a more positive relationship with your wallet and help you create a life that makes you say wow. Hey, money makers. Welcome back to another episode of Woman Owned Wallet, the podcast. It's me, Amanda Dare. And, man, do I have a treat for you today, because we are joined by a woman who, uh, literally knows how to build roots. Like I said, m. Literally and metaphorically. Brigid is the founder of the Root, a co working space in New Albany, Indiana, that's blossomed into so much more than just, like, a place to plug in your laptop Top. It's a community garden of ideas, a safe space for creatives, and a launchpad for small businesses. She's a builder, a vibe creator, a visionary who proves that small towns can be big players when it comes to having the right energy in your business. I mean, if Ms. M congeniality and a strategy consultant had a baby, that might just be Bridget. Bridget, welcome to the podcast. We're so excited to have you here.

Speaker B: Thank you so much for having me. I have never had a description like that. I can tell you that I should

Speaker A: have made more of, like, we just chatted for a second, y', all, and, like, she was telling me all about, like, basketball and the vibes, and I'm sure we'll get into it, but I should have made, like, a basketball reference, but, like, I'm still learning those girlies. So we'll get into it, and I'll. I'll find a good one for us. That's right.

Speaker B: We can take a timeout if we need to.

Speaker A: You know what? Sometimes you need a timeout in life. That's right. It works either way.

Speaker B: I need all the timeouts.

Speaker A: I was going to say, especially in entrepreneurship.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: Timeout.

Speaker B: Oh, my gosh.

Speaker A: So many.

Speaker B: It's a journey.

Speaker A: It is. Well, since we met, like, I think only about two months ago, I do love to be telling people how we'd be meeting everybody out here. It's so important to get out of your comfort zone, out of your space, and into somebody else's space. Like, right now, we're at the wow Shop. You walked in, immediately, said, wow, which means I named it. Right? Yay. And I walked into the root, and I was like, ooh, I could definitely put my roots down. Down here.

Speaker B: Oh, I named it right, too.

Speaker A: Yeah, you sure did. So I kind of wanted to go through. Because the last three things that we did at the. Or that I did at the root, you've done more than that. Obviously there. Um, the first one where we got to meet, because we had met just kind of over an email introduction, I think, from Holly.

Speaker B: Yeah. So we were introduced. I had heard of your name already in circles. And so whenever I hear a repeat, I know they're eventually going to come into my sphere or I need to make that happen. So I was thrilled to learn that you were in attendance at the first. Whoa. Networking event in Southern Indiana by another female super connector that we know, Holly. I think she's been mentioned probably in

Speaker A: a few previous podcasts. Holly and I recorded our podcast together last year for Woman Owned Wallet on my birthday. So, uh, almost a year to the day.

Speaker B: Almost a year.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Yeah. And so much has happened in a year for both of you all.

Speaker A: It really has.

Speaker B: Um, yeah, you've been nominated for an award or two, and I know Holly received an award.

Speaker A: Yeah. I drove her to those awards, and we were nominated for the same one. And I told her, I said, holly, the only girly I want to lose to is you. Which, I mean, of course I want to lose to any other girly, because they're all amazing. But there was like, 90 something submissions for the national, um, association of Women Business Owners for Entrepreneur of the Year, Business Owner of the Year, and Holly won.

Speaker B: Wow.

Speaker A: I know.

Speaker B: And she's the most humble person.

Speaker A: Oh, my gosh.

Speaker B: And she was genuinely surprised that she won. And I would think that most people that know her would not be surprised at all.

Speaker A: Exactly.

Speaker B: That just speaks to her character.

Speaker A: Absolutely. So, I mean, y', all, Bridget, just be out here saying, holly's amazing. Holly connected us. And Holly's been on the podcast, so you better go back and listen to her episode as well. But yes, we went to, uh, Basically, she had already, like, introduced us over an email. And I was so excited because I was like, oh, I can finally go to something. It is difficult to get out of your business and go to other events.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: It's so hard.

Speaker B: Your own business is all consuming.

Speaker A: Mm.

Speaker B: Yeah. But so much of our business is trying to get out and getting in front of people. It's more a matter of there's. There's no lack of events and opportunity and networking. Um, but you do have to learn how to Navigate that world and learn how to say no. And you have to pick the right groups that are for you.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: And I will say that this. Whoa. Group is a dynamite group of women.

Speaker A: Absolutely.

Speaker B: I've been so fortunate to meet them. And I love that you have so many commonalities and common, uh, women in your network because you meet one and then the door opens and you get to meet so many more women because of just that one. Mhm.

Speaker A: When you meet one of those super connectors, which I think I just cut you off. What you were about to say, that's okay.

Speaker B: Please cut me off. You have more important things to say than I do.

Speaker A: Not at all. Oh my gosh. So I do feel like, yes, we gotta give Holly that little yes, we do. Where it's due for sure. And congratulations to her on her amazing award with the national association of Women Business Owners. I just applied this morning actually for a, um, kind of like a cohort accelerator kind of program from nabo. National association of Women Business Owners. The abbreviation is nabo. And so I applied for that. So hopefully I'll get in and I'll be doing some more fun stuff this, uh, summer.

Speaker B: Wow. What are you hoping to accomplish? Because accelerator typically means you're at the beginning of your business, you're four years going on, five years in. What do you want to work on?

Speaker A: Well, I'm not sure if they actually called it an accelerator. I will say that's a word I pulled out of my own brain, uh, for it. But. And if you guys can hear it, we are sitting in the wow Shop and there's a lot of construction going on outside. So I know that this important conversation that we're having hopefully won't be deterred by the construction. However, I do understand that it might be a little annoying. So season six, we're in our construction era, so just warning about that, but we hope that you'll stay for the conversation regardless. Now this one was an interesting three months. It's like a three month program. Last year I did one called the Emerging Leaders. Uh, it's called the Thrive program with the sba. And it was advertised as something where if you make $250,000 and above, how do you scale basically to the next level? Like that kind of feels like a good marker. A quarter million. How do you get to half a million? How do you get to a million? And you know, I gave them some feedback because I have been an entrepreneur a long time, but I do feel kind of stuck in that quarter million mark. Especially when There are things like construction going on right outside the store. You can't always double or triple your numbers every year, y'. All. I used to believe that. No.

Speaker B: Well, Ian, so much of starting a business, you know, you do bring your own experience in, of course, and hopefully you are a bit experienced. But with my personal journey, I did not take one business class.

Speaker A: Yeah, I was wondering.

Speaker B: I knew I would never be a nine to fiver. So, um, you and I were talking about creating our own way and how we create problems. But we have chosen to take this path.

Speaker A: We created this life and we created our, um, own bullshit. We did. And we have to listen to our own bullshit too. And one of the things I keep saying to everyone is like, I'm tired of mine. Like, I'm ready to, you know, a lot of times I would like start something new before I finish something or whatever. And I'm like, I'm just tired of my own bullshit. Like, this is going well and I don't want to get myself into any more financial struggles until I really complete something to the fullest extent that it can without starting something new in the meantime. And trust me, I have plenty of shit that I'm doing.

Speaker B: I, uh, struggle with that as well. Do you? I am a visionary person. I am the creative. I love to brainstorm and start putting something together. So I'm with you in that I can fall away from a project before

Speaker A: it's done like that focus, almost.

Speaker B: But so many of us are multifaceted and multi passionate.

Speaker A: I think it's impossible not to be.

Speaker B: Yeah, it's so hard to only have one thing or one primary focus, especially if your business is very involved. And there are a lot of pieces to that. It's very easy to get distracted m and want to start something new, but it's also very hard to discern what is going to be the right path for you. So you have to experiment. You have to try these things. You have to say yes before you can kind of hone in on what your path should be.

Speaker A: Right. And I feel like if you know, what you do know about yourself is that you're not going to get a traditional job. And I know for me why I chose that. But why did you choose a non traditional route? Like what was it about the entrepreneurship or was it the excitement or. For me, honestly, recently I've been more diagnosed with a few critical or critical. That's the wrong word. Chronic illnesses where I have to be really intentional about how I utilize my time. And the garbage trucks are just Going by outside that focus is difficult to keep. But I have to be really intentional about how I utilize my energy and my time. Um, because. Because for me one of them is diabetes. So kind of understanding that my sugar levels and how to maintain consistency is such a big word in entrepreneurship and I don't believe that I can truly be consistent in a, basically in a 24 hour cycle of life, you know, in a day to day. So it's like how do I set myself up for that success that I'm craving and so excited about but how do I do it in a way that looks like consistent and it's consistently, you know, showing off the impact that we have without having to be in it every single day all the time. And I feel like that's something that I just knew I wouldn't. I've always struggled with. I tried to other jobs but um, I'm curious about your story and why you got into it.

Speaker B: That is a great question. So I have always been a kid that has had multiple interests and ultimately I just wanted to positively impact the world and it didn't matter what it looked like. And so, so much of my career journey has been about finding my purpose. And I don't think that our job is our purpose, but I do think that we can use our job and our career to enact it. M. So I've always been very purpose driven. I try to be intentional with our time. We're here for such a brief period of time.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: So I knew that we spend a third of our lifetime working. That equates to about 90,000 hours. And so I knew, you know, most people work and we work a lot and I just wanted to enjoy my toil while I was here.

Speaker A: The toil? Yes.

Speaker B: And I don't exactly know why I chose to take in a non traditional route. I just knew that I would. I think that I can offer a unique skill set. And I think so much of why I chose to open a co working space specifically was that I wanted selfishly a platform in order to carry out some of these goals that I had. But in that process I realized that if I needed a platform, how many other people in my community did as well. And so I had the opportunity to go out west, pursue grad school and kind of figure things out. But in that time, well, I am a homebody. Um, my dad is my business partner, but I've got two older sisters and they were starting to grow their own families. And so I wanted to be home, I wanted to be around my family. You know, so much of my purpose is about who I impact and they live in the area, not what I'm doing. Yes. So they're local. So I found myself back at home, which could have been a disappointing moment for me, but I saw this as a chance to create the opportunities that I wanted to see in my own community. You know, you talk about coworking spaces, they're more of a big city concept. But we knew our small town was ready for it, especially with technology these days and the resources that we do have available to us right in our own backyard.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: I knew I just needed to create the four walls on this seemingly virtual and isolating, you know, kind of professional community.

Speaker A: Yeah, definitely create the container, create the platform. Like you're saying, do you. I've struggled with this before and I'm just curious if you do as well. That, um, sometimes when I. It's kind of hard to explain, but sometimes I feel like the vase that holds the flowers and I struggle to feel like the flowers.

Speaker B: Wow.

Speaker A: Does that make sense to you?

Speaker B: It absolutely does. You're the support system, but you're in the background.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: You're the structure.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: And you're almost expected to be that.

Speaker A: Expected, uh, to be that.

Speaker B: But you don't get the shine and the glory that the flower does.

Speaker A: And I think people looking at it wouldn't think of it that way. You know, like, wow is a very bright brand, it's very flowery. And I'm a very outgoing person for the majority of my life, even though I do. I'm also a homebody. I play video games and I get high at my house and I'm very happy with my husband. So I've created a very safe container for all of that. But it's interesting to kind of, you know, if the vase didn't exist, the flowers would die. And so that idea that you're creating these four walls or this vase and that, you know, someone fills it with water and someone puts the first flower in and someone is the plant food and someone is the sun and someone is, you know, the window that it doesn't get too much sun in. Like there's always this, um, extra layer of kind of. It takes this whole village, you know, to really make anything work.

Speaker B: Absolutely. Um, so we always say when we're trying to educate people on what a coworking space actually is.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: And the value it can provide. We always say the biggest value add are the people.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: They're our members. They are the folks that cross our threshold Every day that talk to you at the, at the coffee station, you know that pick up your, your print copies for you, you know that, that make an email intro for you. Our community is made of those people.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: And so it's so fun for me to take the backseat.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: I'll be the vase all day.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: Because we have so many amazing community members with the coolest ideas that are doing so many positive things.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: That I want to lift them up and I do want to give them the shine.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: If they weren't part of the root, the root would be just those four walls.

Speaker A: Right. And they can be rooted in that vase. You know, they can have the soil, they can have everything that they need to be this really successful. And to me, if you're happy, you're successful, like, I agree. Moment. Yeah. That you can have this successful in whatever that way that looks to you version of yourself, of your community and of your business that you're growing or the business that you work for. How do you create, like, that's kind of a culture question because, I mean, do you have people apply and then you have, like, how do you keep the flowers flowering, you know, and how do you create the culture of being there for one another? And I did hear a quote recently that I said that I really liked is like, if you want a village, be a villager. And so you have to be open to, not, uh, expect, you know, one of the ways, listen, we can get really deep here, but like, one of the ways we could defeat, you know, Amazon is by being villagers again and not being so separate and divided with one another. We could borrow things from one another instead of paying to get it there fast enough for when we need it. We can really be there for one another and provide that support and unify. So sometimes I'm just like, how do I be the best villager? And then, uh, recently I've had to call upon my village and I've struggled to ask for that help as well, because I was always the vase. But in some moments I'm like, man, I could really use my village. And I've openly said to them, like, oh, it's really hard for me to ask for this help, but I'm going to do it because I know that my village is here in the way that I want to support them. I know that they want to support me and they've offered that to me, but can I accept it? So that was like 14 questions. But my main question is, how do we keep that container of the Coworking space, You know, are there, are there rules? Are there guidelines that everybody agrees to? How do you kind of cultivate that?

Speaker B: So this is something I work on and think about daily. And it constantly evolves because your members change.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: You know, folks outgrow you, you get some new members, and so the dynamic changes. And don't get me wrong, I have not perfected this whatsoever. I can always improve. But my mindset, going back to sports and being a leader on those teams, is that you lead by example. And so going back to being a villager, if you want a village, that means you're at the front door greeting those people. You're the one taking out the trash. You know, Jesus washed the feet of all of his disciples. He didn't come to be served, he came to serve. And so that is the approach that both my dad and I have taken when we were discussing what career path we were going to take because my dad was a dentist for 30 years and had to sell his practice because of an injury. And so before he was ready to retire, he found himself in the same boat that I was in as a recent college graduate. And one of our conversations was, well, how do we make an impact on people every day? Again, most people work. And so we knew we could get daily touch points with people and show them love. Our vision is to show the business world what love looks like. Because business, well, this could be an argument, but should be probably absent of emotion. Right. We can't take a lot of things personally, but we disagreed in that we can bring a personal touch to the folks that we interact with on a daily basis. Mhm. So I think it is really about listening to your base. You have to provide what they want. Our business model and plan is constantly getting updated and evaluated and thrown in the trash and rewritten because we have to listen to what the actual need is. We can't make assumptions about what we think they need.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: Whenever I was first starting the route, there was this really incredible guy. His name is Kyle Keeney. He was with Elevate Ventures, which is a, uh, venture capitalist group out of Indianapolis. But he was our region's representative, the entrepreneur in residence. And he was speaking to me before we even opened. And he said, you have to be a concierge. You have to anticipate what these people need before they even need it. So I've gotten a lot of just different advice around how to keep a community together.

Speaker A: Yeah. Do you feel like there's one thing that sticks out, that somebody's like asked you for and you were able to provide or maybe that it took you a minute to implement or what is, um, maybe one example of that.

Speaker B: So one of the recent challenges that we're actually going through right now is that a lot of co working spaces speak all of the language that I've been speaking into this microphone right now about, you know, rah rah community.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: But then on the back end there is not as much follow through or there is not as much intentionality behind connecting the members to whatever it is that they need. M and so we have listened to that feedback from our members and as they approach us about needing a specific resource, we now have a vendor network behind us so that we can be a one stop shop solution for any business need. Because all businesses struggle in, you know, these same buckets. Whether it's hr, you know, somebody needs an assistant, marketing, sales, tech and IT support. You know, there are all of these things that we know a business is going to need help with. And we've been fortunate enough to meet so much of the business community that we have a pretty robust Rolodex now.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: And so we, whenever a member approaches us about anything, we want to be the solution for them.

Speaker A: Yeah, I remember hearing about that, um, when we were at the WoE Network event. I think it was like a lunch event where we were all hanging out and then you gave free co working for the rest of the day, which was very sweet. And um, just so you know, if you're not in the Louisville area, the WoE network is like a. I think it has 3,000 members now. It is the fastest growing women's leadership network that Holly Hartman and Izzy Nally run, two great friends of ours. And so they worked with you to create an event that was like, I think it was called like Rooted Connections.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: Because like cute. Yeah.

Speaker B: Play on words.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: There's so much imagery and puns you can make with the root.

Speaker A: Right. It works out. It does. It's good branding. I like it. So I remember like they were having you speak at the end and they let everybody introduce themselves and I came a little late, so I'm just like, what?

Speaker B: Wanna read in?

Speaker A: Hi.

Speaker B: Um, you m shined. What?

Speaker A: Like snorting over here, like, of course. Yay.

Speaker B: But you're so genuine. I know you're about to launch into a point, but you are so genuine and it comes off.

Speaker A: Oh, thanks friend.

Speaker B: Yeah, anytime you open your mouth. I've gotta say, I thought you were hilarious from the beginning, so I think

Speaker A: I got to Be a little funnier the second time we hung out, which we could not. But, um, yeah, it's one of those moments where I remember thinking, and Holly and I have talked about this and my other friend Heather, um, who owns the bee scene, and my friend Robin, who owns the nest. And we were all chatting about. I had this dream one time to have like a warehouse where basically the middle was the conference room and around all the edges were the offices. And you know, you could rent an office if you were getting started. There was warehouse capabilities. There was just everything that you might need for. Mostly because I love product based businesses for product based business. But around it was a lawyer and an accountant. And uh, like every month I, you know, basically they got a new customer by you coming in and renting one of the spaces. But you also had a resource throughout the day where you're like, oh my God, I'm in my QuickBooks and I can't figure out how to add this journal entry. Like, there's an accountant. I can like buzz them over and see if they have a second. But you would get some time with each one of those people and we could create this, basically this network. So we had chatted about that, but of course it gets difficult because not everybody's going to want all of the same people in their business. But potentially it could offer, like you said that Rolodex of just opportunities of services of the classic things of insurance, of hiring, of firing, you know, like taxes, all that stuff marketing, branding that people need in their businesses. And I do think it's really cool that the root offers that as like this concierge. I like the word concierge. She's a fancy bitch.

Speaker B: She's fancy.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: My pinkies up right now.

Speaker A: I know. I was literally like. But then I felt like spongebob when spongebob has to have this pinky up. And I'm like, that's more my vibe.

Speaker B: Me too.

Speaker A: I think fancy spongebob. Or maybe Sandy, I don't know. Anyways, I love her because she's got the little astronaut outfit on the squirrel that lives under it with like a little flower. Yes. Oh my gosh, she's so cute. Um, actually just like random other plug. We're working on our like summer line of stuff for the store and this company called Chill House. Cause you know, we sell a woman owned product here. This woman owned company called Chill House does press on nails and they did a collaboration with spongebob and they're the cutest little nails. I'm like, so excited.

Speaker B: My gosh.

Speaker A: I know.

Speaker B: So how do you choose?

Speaker A: They're called like bikini bottom and stuff. But they're like a fun, like, blue, a purple, a pink, a yellow. Um, I'm obsessed.

Speaker B: That is so fun in hitting the right target market, I think. Um, yeah, my age group was hot and heavy into spongebob.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: It became a problem, I think. I was in high school watching it and one of my sisters was like, you are way too old to be watching this.

Speaker A: My best friend still watches it and I just turned 36 and I'm just like, I just know she's gonna be into it. They also did a collab with Clueless, so there's like the plaid nails, you know, from her outfits, and I was just like, oh, my go. Cause I've always dreamt of that closet, you know, she had on her little computer.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: It's like a mix and match. That doesn't match. This does. And I'm just like, yes. I wish I had that. I mean, I kind of do. And, um, Robin Nance, who is, um, I believe the director. I'm not sure her exact name.

Speaker B: Yeah, she's the executive director.

Speaker A: Executive director. I feel like that just deserves a little like, mm, it feels fancy.

Speaker B: It absolutely does.

Speaker A: She definitely could have her pinky up and then she would flip you off the next second and I would be into all of it.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: But Robin Nance, who's the executive director of the New Albany Main street association, she, um, was the one that orchestrated the second event that we were like, hanging out with before.

Speaker B: That's right.

Speaker A: Um, and that was the. She means business event.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: And it was on International Women's Day. And it was so cool because New Albany is such like a walkable city. So if you're not from Louisville, again, it's just something to kind of think about is that Louisville is a river city and right across the river. Cause we do have people that listen from all over the world. So I like to explain geography a little bit.

Speaker B: I m need a geography lesson. I miss those in elementary school.

Speaker A: Yeah. I'm like, where is that thing? Um, but I'm somebody who, like, I think spatially. I really love, like, talking about directions. I'm like, I'm one of those weirdos that's like, which way are we gonna go?

Speaker B: But are you like a Midwest direction giver where you say instead of take a left on Main street, you're like, take a left at that big tree.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: And then there's a fork at the red barn to Go right of the big barn.

Speaker A: Exactly.

Speaker B: It's all like landmarks. It's not street names.

Speaker A: No, it's vibes. Yeah, it's go to your heart's content. When you hit the railroad, you've gone too far. Yeah, that's right. But it's like that kind of vibe. Or once you cross the bridge, immediately get off the exit. Like, I could tell people I don't know the street names at all. I could tell people exactly how to get to the route. But I was chatting with Robin and she created that entire event, which was so cool. And she got together because there's so many women owned businesses in New Albany. So this is like right across the river, y'. All. So it feels like the same town,

Speaker B: but it's an extension.

Speaker A: Extension.

Speaker B: And sometimes we even hear that it's another neighborhood of Louisville.

Speaker A: Kentuckiana. Uh, yeah.

Speaker B: Or Indiaquy.

Speaker A: Indi. Yucky.

Speaker B: Yeah. Have you heard that one yet?

Speaker A: India is great. I guess I've lived in Kentucky too long. I mean, I do live in Kentucky. Indiana, actually.

Speaker B: You do?

Speaker A: I live in Jeffersonville, so it's like right across the river as well. But um, New Albany is kind of the goal. It's such a pretty spot.

Speaker B: It's beautiful.

Speaker A: Yeah, we go to all the farmers markets and everything down there.

Speaker B: Yeah. There's been so much energy and attention on revitalizing, especially our historic downtown.

Speaker A: Really?

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: That's exciting.

Speaker B: And now they're working on building the midtown and uptown where they're trying to

Speaker A: connect upstate street or something.

Speaker B: Do you know where Vinson's street is? Where the high school.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Is that's uptown. So where Xtol magazine is, that's pretty close. Strands and threads.

Speaker A: Okay, got it.

Speaker B: Yeah. But back to your comment about how many women owned businesses there are in downtown.

Speaker A: We could talk directions all day, Bridget, but that's not what they want to know.

Speaker B: I love talking about direction. So there are an insane amount of women owned businesses just in a few blocks. I think well over a hundred. And I mean this town is small, so it is a pretty shocking number. But in the best way it is.

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Speaker B: This store is very amazing. It's so cool.

Speaker A: Your shop is the cutest. I love all the pink and I love that you're supporting women.

Speaker B: Keep on doing what you're doing.

Speaker A: All right, bye. So I was talking to Robin and I was like, listen, we need a wow map over here.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: So in case you're not familiar, we have the woman owned wallet tour of Nulu and we have over 40 women owned businesses within a couple blocks. We're literally sitting next to one of the maps over here. And it's a really beautiful experience because when, you know, like we were talking about, you know, the world sucks a lot and everything, but when you know where your money is going and you know that women put more money back into their communities traditionally, because we usually are in those caretaker positions. So when you know that putting money into the wallet of a woman is going to benefit not only you, but your entire community, it's a beautiful expression of love to your community to do that.

Speaker B: Absolutely.

Speaker A: Yeah. And I think it's really important because we've been for Christmas, I trademarked woman owned wallet.

Speaker B: Congrats.

Speaker A: Thanks.

Speaker B: That's a tedious process.

Speaker A: Well, I have a lawyer, so she did it.

Speaker B: Well, when you can pay somebody else to do the hard work, that's always good too.

Speaker A: She's been around for such a long time with me, and she's like, I just know that this, like, she believes in me so much and she deals with all my bullshit where I'm like, is this illegal? Is that good? What's this? She's read all my contracts and she's like, this, this, this. And she scares me a lot. But, like, in a good way.

Speaker B: Another one of your, uh, tethers, right?

Speaker A: Yeah. She tethers me down as I am. The hot air balloon, like, cannot be tamed. Usually full of hot air. So full of hot air. I basically just yapped to get it all out all day. Like the whole day.

Speaker B: You're in the right place. You got a mic.

Speaker A: Exactly. Give me a microphone. Let's go. But, um, she was like, we're gonna trademark this. And she got it to where the tour is included. Like, she did all the. All the fancy things. And if you need a lawyer, just let me or Bridget know. I'm sure we can get you a great one. Absolutely. Yeah. Because I do think it's really cool that we can be that concierge.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: But that's why I was talking about Robin, because she kind of feels like that for New Albany as well. And I'm trying to do that a little bit for, you know, nulu and everything, but we get so many tourists actually in our area that I feel like you guys probably get like more, um, local. So would you think?

Speaker B: Yeah. We do have a tourism bureau in Southern Indiana and they work so hard. Yeah.

Speaker A: Beautiful job.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: They really do a great job of putting together tours as people do come into town. And there are plenty of reasons.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: Just because things are happening over in Louisville doesn't mean we don't see the positive effect or the trickle down from that.

Speaker A: I was wondering about, like, derby and what that looks like for y'. All.

Speaker B: I was just gonna bring that up. We get just as into it, I would say. Or just as not.

Speaker A: I know I usually leave town, y'. All. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker B: If you're a townie, you're not as into derby, but all of the festivities around it is very exciting and fun.

Speaker A: Six weeks of stuff.

Speaker B: Yeah. Uh, yeah. I mean, we gear up for this all year.

Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. Our derby season is like it for us, y'. All.

Speaker B: Yeah. And we tap into the bourbon scene and all of those, you know, local, unique to us kind of thing that this region offers. We absolutely still tap into that.

Speaker A: Yeah. And I think that that's really cool because what I was telling her is like, with all the tourism that comes to Louisville, uh, Louisville really promotes nulu a lot. And that's the location where my store is and where all these other women owned businesses are. But a lot of people ask me, like, what's another neighborhood they should check out? And knowing that the majority of them are looking for something walkable. And as much as I love a of lot so many of our neighborhoods, Louisville is usually you kind of need a car to get around at least. Like, uh, it's a very short Uber ride. But the, the walkable concentration of businesses, especially woman owned, is in New Albany.

Speaker B: Interesting.

Speaker A: So if we wanted to go on a short Uber ride across a bridge that doesn't have a toll.

Speaker B: That's right.

Speaker A: I mean, it has a lot of construction on it. But what doesn't in Louisville right now. That's true. Then I should send them over to New Albany. Because on the. She means. And I mean on a ton of other days that I hang out in New Albany, there's not only a ton of women owned businesses, but the sidewalks are beautiful, the street has been redone. I think that you were talking about, you were just going through some of this construction in the last couple of years. But there's this done. Yeah. There's coffee shops, there's places to shop. There's obviously if you needed to take a day to uh, work, go and hang out at the route, you know, there's so many cool spots to actually check out. And I just think it's a really cool like, I don't like when it's um, like the Highlands or like the Bardstown road is like one long road. So if you park at one end you have to go like all the way down and all the way back. And I'm talking like miles. I don't know, it's so long and there's little pockets again. But New Albany being like blocks upon blocks and where you can kind of do little squares.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: I feel like that's just easier to walk.

Speaker B: Yeah. There's a big concentration of a lot of those experiential or service driven businesses just within a few blocks of each other. And also I can't speak as much into the Louisville scene, but I would argue that both Louisville and New Albany have such unique boutique type mom and pop, just one of a kind businesses. I mean we have a lot of salons.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: And we have a lot of banks. And so we do have a lot of similar businesses but we have so many that are just unique to New Albany. We have a magic shop. You know, we have.

Speaker A: Where have you seen a magic shop recently, y'? All? Like we need more magic shops.

Speaker B: We need more magic in our lives, don't we?

Speaker A: All day, every day.

Speaker B: Uh, yeah. So we have a magic shop. We have a salt cave and float center. I mean that is cutting edge.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: In the wellness sphere. So we have all of these things where I'm convinced if you came from out of town you would be like what? Um, this is here.

Speaker A: Right. And I feel like. Because I mean, well, the she means business event that was on International Women's Day was like the most beautiful weather. Yeah. So I was walking in my sparkly ass boots across the street.

Speaker B: Bright pink.

Speaker A: Oh so much you guys. I just, you know me. But those sparkly boots were just reflecting all this sunlight and from the. But basically this event was like an all day event. I think we should Just give some context.

Speaker B: Sure.

Speaker A: An all day event that Robin Nance had set up and again, obsessed with her and her fashion.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: Cause you know, I'm a fashion girly.

Speaker B: She used to model.

Speaker A: She did, yeah.

Speaker B: Uh, she is one of those people that has had many lives.

Speaker A: I love that.

Speaker B: And she's fascinating.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Yeah, man.

Speaker A: I like people like that.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: I'm like, where have you not been?

Speaker B: Yeah. You find out something new about her each time you speak with her.

Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah, I love that about her.

Speaker B: I know.

Speaker A: I can't wait to have her on the pod sometime soon.

Speaker B: I hope you do.

Speaker A: I'm sure we will. We text and everything. I'll make sure to be like girly. Let's see.

Speaker B: Well, I'm tuning in when that happens. Yay.

Speaker A: Well, so it was really cool. Cause you got to kind of open up the day and it was really educational day as well. And so you basically went from the New Albany main Street office to the route and then back to the New Albany and then back to the route. And they were like a block and a half away from each other. But I was a little. I was like, I gotta walk. You know what I mean? I was just being annoying. And I was like, okay. But in between each one, I either walked with someone or walked by myself. And honestly, uh, the ones where I got to walk by myself just to enjoy some of that sunshine and walk through it and like have a moment to breathe in between each one of the educational sessions, uh, it's really beneficial to have in, of course, such a beautiful day. So I was like, I'm gonna just get on board with this. Like, the sun is shining, it's gorgeous out. And I needed that time to almost process the education that I just learned in order to be able to like, go into the next event ready to learn again.

Speaker B: Yeah. And then at the same time, how many other women owned businesses are you walking past exactly when you're trying to get to the next event?

Speaker A: I got a coffee from True North. I bought an art print. Yes. And I was like, oh, I gotta go to my. You know, I just got some shopping and some coffee in the middle of it. Hung out at the wine shop for a second as well. Like our friend Lauren owns that.

Speaker B: Lauren should be another guest if she hasn't already been.

Speaker A: I'm obsessed with Lauren, especially with the, uh, mashup. Mashup.

Speaker B: Uh, the Food hole.

Speaker A: Oh, right.

Speaker B: Did you know she was heading that up? No.

Speaker A: Tell me what you know.

Speaker B: I don't know much other than a combination of Co working space.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: But then it's. It's multiple vendors, so if you're from this area, it's like a Logan Street.

Speaker A: Yeah, Logan Street Market has, like, a lot of community space where you can hang out. And, I mean, there's, like, free games to do and stuff, but they also have the food hall and vendors for, like, a little shopping experience. So. That's a really cool spot.

Speaker B: Yeah, it's like a. It's kind of like a co working space, but for artisans and culinary chefs.

Speaker A: Oh, that's cool. And it's gonna be in New Albany.

Speaker B: It is not. It's in Louisville.

Speaker A: No way. All right, well, we gotta talk to Lauren.

Speaker B: Yeah, you do.

Speaker A: We gotta figure it out. Her parents own a restaurant that I used to frequent because I lived in Sellersburg, Indiana, for a while. Yeah, Neil and Patty's is what her parents owned. Just a little nod to them. My husband and I used to go, uh. It was kind of like our local. Our neighborhood haunt. You know what I mean? We would go there on, like, a lot of Fridays, and there was this girl named Amanda, who's the bartender. And, um, she had, like, six kids or something like that. And we were always like, whoa, this is. Wow, that's a lot. That's a lot of kids. But she was like. Yeah, she was the best, like, conversationalist, and everything was really fun. But Neil and Patty's had, like, really good food. And I was. I think I was just on Facebook one day, and I was like. She had posted about it, um, during COVID and I realized that, oh, my gosh, like, it's her parents. And so I just feel, like, ingrained into the family.

Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. Yeah. I knew that her family was based in New Albany, and so it was really cool that I first met her at Story. No way.

Speaker A: How fun.

Speaker B: So I was introduced to her within the coworking industry, but then found out she was opening the wine shop over in New Albany. And it's been so refreshing seeing those types of business owners and people like Robin coming back. Coming back home again and reinvesting back into their community and bringing these new experiences for people.

Speaker A: Yeah, I think that's really cool as well. And I feel like it's awesome because it really supports everything that has been happening there, and we'll continue to just flourish together. I mean, we have to all come together, or else it's not gonna. It's not gonna work. Yeah.

Speaker B: And we do have a unique community in that there are so many communities that claim to collaborate, but Then duplicate or go around or you know, just completely disregard partnership. Mhm. That'll benefit everybody. But I have truly felt that so many of the support organizations around entrepreneurship in our area are led by people that have the intention to collaborate and work together for the betterment. You know, a rising tide raises all ships. Mhm. I feel like most of the community leaders have that mentality.

Speaker A: Absolutely. I agree. And I feel like to do it solo when we're all in this situation of like, as an entrepreneur, like, you don't have very many peers. So finding those peers and knowing who you can talk about when you are feeling alone or you do have a question, it's really important. And this has kind of turned into some like networking chat, you know, but like, it's really important. And to the same vein, uh, of getting back to like the root a little bit, is that, you know, I do and to myself, like, I am a genuine person. I'm not gonna start something somewhere if I don't feel it. And as I attended these events and I was like, I do live on this side of the river. Like, I wanna show this off because it is such a beautiful community and it's something where, you know, the downtown hustle and bustle of Louisville can be really overwhelming. And a lot of people that are tourists come from smaller towns, but don't have that central area where there's a lot to do all in one day. So I feel like by creating a map, you know, with the Main street association, hopefully with Robin this summer, we'll see how far we get. I know she's like, yes you are. It's happening. But Robin and I are very excited about potentially working together on that. And I didn't want to just come in and say like, I'm from Louisville and I'm here now and I'm gonna help you. Like, that's not what it's about. It's about that I am interested in that sisterhood that you're talking about that New Albany has cultivated and those opportunities to work with women owned businesses and to really show us all, like you said, you know, raise the tide to rise all the boats. I can't say that rising tides raises all ships close enough, you get it. But I do think it's interesting getting back to the root a little bit, that you're in this small town, this big energy, you know, that's wonderful. But kind of talking about how the root started a little bit again you were getting into with your dad, your dad left his, um, or had to leave his practice due to an injury. He was a dentist before. I always think dentists. Like, if I had another job, maybe it would be a dentist.

Speaker B: Really?

Speaker A: Yeah. Well, you work, like, four days a week.

Speaker B: That was one thing. My dad always put his family first, and he was not one that would be at the office.

Speaker A: Like, it feels like something where you can do that and still be successful in the balance of it. But also financially, it's a. A service everyone needs. Like, it's smart.

Speaker B: It is.

Speaker A: I mean, I've been to the doc or to the dentist three times this year. Cause this. I had cute teeth, but they're not fun. I had braces for way too long. That's why they look nice.

Speaker B: Well, honestly, so much of teeth health is about being proactive and preventing, you know, trouble down the road.

Speaker A: Absolutely.

Speaker B: So three times. That's pretty great.

Speaker A: They're doing this one tooth. They're trying to rebuild it. I don't know. Listen, I didn't go to dentist school, but in a past life, maybe I did. But you were saying that he was getting out of that and he was looking for something. And you said you had graduated college. Did you say you finished your master's in something? Like, what'd you go to school for?

Speaker B: I was just a. I got a general art degree, studio art degree. So when I was in high school, I thought I wanted to be a doctor of some sort of. So I was in Latin classes, and I was taking organic chemistry and anatomy and all of these things. And one of our assistant basketball coaches was also a counselor, and he would write passes to get us out of class sometimes. Sorry if I'm ratting him out. I think he's retired now. But, uh. So I was sitting in his office one day, and I just remember I was complaining about the classes I was in. And he knew that I had a natural gift in drawing and art, and I enjoyed those things. So he's listening to me complain for a little bit, and then he finally says, if you don't like science classes, why are you pursuing medicine?

Speaker A: Hello. Wake up.

Speaker B: Such a. A simple, uh, thought and a simple prompt. But it took somebody else from the outside looking in on my life to make me realize such an obvious thing.

Speaker A: Was there something that drew you to medicine in the first place, or was it because your dad was a dentist kind of thing? My mom's a pharmacist, so I had considered that for a while. It's just kind of what, you know. Yeah.

Speaker B: I would actually say neither one of my sisters or myself ever considered Dentistry. And I don't know why exactly none of us were ever that interested, but I think that I just associated caring for patients and making them feel better as making a very positive and meaningful impact.

Speaker A: Absolutely, I could see that.

Speaker B: Yeah. And actually, so my mom likes to joke about my ambition. When I was younger, I wanted to be in the wnba.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: And in the off season, I wanted to be a veterinarian.

Speaker A: Gorgeous.

Speaker B: And then in my free time.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: I wanted to be an author and illustrator of children's books.

Speaker A: Oh my gosh, I love that.

Speaker B: And so I was able, I say I was able to accomplish like one and a half of those things because I did earn a scholarship to play basketball.

Speaker A: Yes.

Speaker B: So one of my money goals from the onset was that I did not want my parents to have to pay for me to go to college. So basketball was always a tool for me to get to the next level. And I didn't want to be up to my eyeballs in debt when I graduated. And so basketball was the answer for me. And I got to go to Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. It is a beautiful campus and the education is top notch. And I can honestly say if I did not earn a scholarship, I would not have been able to attend there.

Speaker A: Wow.

Speaker B: So I got an incredible learning experience just out of, you know, work, being able to work hard.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: So I learned of coworking when I was in the art department. I took a. So we had to stay on campus for basketball during the summer, so we had to be enrolled in a class. I took a three week, we called them Maymester. So we took a Maymester class and it was called Design Strategy for Social Change. And that was when I knew, okay, I can create something that's going to be able to make a change. I can create whatever I want to see. I can see a problem and I can fill that need. And so that was in the back of my mind. But meanwhile I graduate and I actually had a few hip surgeries, um, because of basketball. And so I was post surgery in recovery, graduated completely depressed because all of a sudden the only two things I'd ever known in my life, school and basketball, were over. And I did not take my next step steps very seriously. I didn't think a lot, um, beyond graduation and what was next. And so I floundered whenever I came home and was struggling to not only figure out what I wanted to do, but even break into a career path of any, any kind. And so that was around the same time my dad, he had bought a, uh, Papa Murphy's franchise.

Speaker A: Oh, yeah.

Speaker B: So he got out of dentistry and he was running a pizza shop. And that was whenever we had the discussion about our passion. And man, how cool would that be to be able to make an impact on people's lives every day. And so my dad, I was trying to explain what coworking was to him. Um, yeah, and.

Speaker A: Cause I mean, obviously it's a different generation. I don't feel like everyone understands that. And I've had to explain it to my parents as well. So I understand what you're saying. It's like a foreign concept.

Speaker B: Well, you would even be surprised at how many kids or younger people still don't know what it is, which kind of shocks me.

Speaker A: Well represented in any media that I can think of. I actually was like working on a TV show for a little while about a co working space, um, with some girls that I was in another accelerator program with.

Speaker B: Oh, cool.

Speaker A: I know it didn't get fully, you know, fleshed out, but it was a really cool thing where we were like, we haven't seen this and it's really beneficial to all of us. We should talk about it in, like, more mainstream media.

Speaker B: Yeah, well, one, it's hard to convey everything that is available to you at a co working space, because it truly is. It's how you get the experience that you put into it. You know, you get that out of it. And that's what we always say. A lot of people approach us and they're like, well, what did you know? What are the prices and what are the options? And we're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on. What do you do? How often do you work and come into the office? Are you looking to network? Do you need funding opportunities? There are so many things involved. Um, and so we like to learn, well, how would you use the space? It goes back to that evolving business plan and being flexible and listening to your people.

Speaker A: So what did he say? Were you like, this is like, people come and they have coffee, but it's free, but it's part of their membership. And then we like, provide them resources, but like, they didn't exactly pay us for that. They pay us to come and work. You know what I mean? Like, it doesn't feel so straightforward. So how, how did he react?

Speaker B: So he had no idea still. I mean, I probably spent, you know, 10 minutes talking to him trying to convey what it is and he still couldn't really understand. And he had said that there was office space and demand at the at the time in downtown New Albany. And we knew there was a lot of excitement again building around that area. So we knew, okay, well, we can get a building, we can invest in the building and then if the business fails, we still have the building, you know, so trying to build out that plan B, Plan C. Mhm.

Speaker A: So you purchased the building, Was that the first?

Speaker B: We did. So I can get into that. We are buying it on contract. And we had actually a really great contractor who owns several of the businesses in downtown New Albany. And he is just very cognizant of how he wants that city to grow. So he wants the business to be relevant, be a need. He wants to know it's going to be successful if he houses you in one of his buildings. And the beautiful thing was he allowed us to buy it on contract so that we could build up our credit, we could start making those payments and then we transferred.

Speaker A: Um, kind of like a rent to own situation.

Speaker B: That's exactly it. Yes.

Speaker A: I've actually proposed that to my landlady and um, well, she's not ready yet, but she's owned the building for 30 years. And um, she did let wow beat out other opportunities that were trying to rent the space because she wanted something like you said, like culturally relevant in a community building. Kind of. And she wanted it to be something that was generous, you know, to the community and what it brought back to it.

Speaker B: Even though it's a social impact.

Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. And she's a female artist herself, so she was just like, this used to be my studio. And um, I owned other businesses at the time and showed her that. And I mean it was just the map that I had. And so I was like, I've been trying to fit this into my other minimalist business when we make little black dresses, but it's a maximalist pink aesthetic and like I, I can't get them to fit together. And um, I explained that to her and I explained the map and the goal of the store was to sell a woman owned product and everything. And she was all on board after that, but she let us beat out a few other spots.

Speaker B: Wow.

Speaker A: And I told her I was like, I want to be your retirement plan. So she's just told me she's not ready to retire yet. And I am like, great, I need some extra time to get some funds together anyway.

Speaker B: Yeah. Um, but it's not off the table.

Speaker A: Not off the table, which is beautiful.

Speaker B: It can't hurt to ask.

Speaker A: You can't. You gotta put those intentions out there.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: And there's other spaces within our building. Kind of like how you have it to where there's private offices, there's you know, the open space on the first floor. So behind us. Because this building was built in 1860.

Speaker B: Oh, cool.

Speaker A: Which I would assume you're building 1859. Yeah, I was gonna say is a very similar time. Right. Yeah. And I don't know if it's exactly 1860s, so maybe they literally are twins. But um, behind us we have a courtyard area and then it used to be like a boarding hill. So there's a lot of smaller rooms. So they're perfect for little offices. So I used to rent some of those and had previous business in one, had the podcast in one, had offices in another. There's like nine spaces.

Speaker B: I wouldn't know that. Just looking. I know. Facade.

Speaker A: I'll give you a tour.

Speaker B: Please do.

Speaker A: It's so cute back there. But yeah, I think that's really interesting. And something where people don't often consider like a rent to own situation or maybe it just sounds like something again that they hadn't. Maybe, um, it's just not an option they've ever considered because it doesn't feel traditional in the way of funding. But if you are interested in that space and creating that container, that vase, that rooted system, then you're gonna need the space to be able to do that. The four walls.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: And you have four floors? Four walls.

Speaker B: We do. So our building is deceivingly.

Speaker A: I didn't know there was four floors. When I walked, I was like, wow, it just keeps going.

Speaker B: It really does. Yeah. Yeah. We have a, uh, uh, hybrid space. So we have a shared floor on our first floor and then we have conference rooms on our second floor with some private offices. Third floor, fully private offices. And then we had a, um, bonus space in our attic where we were able to build out a crate studio. So if people want to record podcasts or record some music or do some graphic design work.

Speaker A: Listen, if this construction keeps going, I'm going to be like, bridget, hey, let me hang out.

Speaker B: I'll give you a sweet deal.

Speaker A: Yeah, I was able to rent that space for like a relaunch basically of. Wow. We're really just kind of rebranding a little bit, getting, you know, it's almost five years that we've been in business. So like I was like, I just need to not be in our space and have time with my COO and, and my uh, graphic designer to really make sure that we're intentional about the next moves.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: And we probably. We met for, like, four hours straight in that cutie little attic that I didn't realize even until now was an attic, because it's just so cool.

Speaker B: Yeah. So what's beautiful, if you were to walk into our building, is that we were able to repurpose a lot of the historical artifacts that were found during the renovation. So our building took over a year to renovate.

Speaker A: Oh, wow.

Speaker B: We didn't even have a staircase on our first floor leading to the second. And so we were climbing up a ladder.

Speaker A: Oh, my gosh.

Speaker B: And crawling through a hole in the ceiling. But we found. Because our building used to be a grocery store, it used to be a pharmacy. It had been a general store, a coffee shop.

Speaker A: It started as, um, a barber shop.

Speaker B: Oh, so cool. In a boarding house.

Speaker A: Yeah. In a boarding house. So cool. The building, you know, the front was the stores and the back was the.

Speaker B: Yeah, boarding. And you talk about vibes and energy. Whenever you walk into a building like that, you can almost feel the history and the stories of the people in the past that have been in that space as well. And so we were able to find bottles and old doors with signatures on it and all kinds of prescription papers, and we found old coins and newspapers from when Calvin Coolidge was president. Uh, all of these really cool things. Well, a lot of that stuff was actually found up in our attic space.

Speaker A: Mhm. Had been just stored over time.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: Mhm. And now, yeah. It's a creative space where. So podcasting. What else can they do up there? Really kind of creative inspiration.

Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, I would argue you could do anything up there. Um, maybe you're a writer and you just need some time to yourself. You need to lock yourself away. It's a pretty inspirational environment, the environment that I wanted to create. I think it's so important. As you know, I'm sitting in a beautiful, bright pink shop right now with a lovely, uh, flower rug and the Barbie dream house. Did you notice you created a, uh, feel whenever you walk in, it's tangible. And that was so important to me when I was creating the space. I'm big into place making because I think your environment makes you creative. It makes you feel comfortable and secure, you know, So I just wanted this to be a place where people know they can come and get work done, ultimately.

Speaker A: And what's kind of just in case somebody's listening, they're like, all right, I'm in. What do I do? You know what I mean? You're like, bitches, tell me how much it costs. You Know what I mean? And I'm like, chill girly, we're getting there. You know, I'm long winded but. And I'm just vibing with Bridget all the time anyway. So I'm just like wondering, uh, kind of give us a little lowdown on like what's available right now. Are there any private suites available?

Speaker B: Sure. So we do have private offices that are open and going back to that vendor network.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: We would really love to focus in on some of the service providers. So we're always looking for lawyers in our network, uh, CPAs, insurance agents, grant writers.

Speaker A: Oh yeah, that's a good one.

Speaker B: Yeah, IT people and tech related people. So we are working to fill offices in that way. We also started a hybrid option because so many people work differently. And I think the pandemic taught us that almost anybody can work from anywhere. Mhm. It's doable. And I think that since COVID now we're seeing a combination. I would argue people are pretty happy working in their own home. But a lot of times there is distraction. You can't focus completely reach just. You do need a change in your environment. It brings out inspiration, um, and collaboration with other people. It's just kind of fun to be somewhere different. And so we started Cowork Suite. So it's essentially like a hot desk that you could rent for the day. But we do it month to month as well, where you have a dedicated office but you are going to share it with other people.

Speaker A: Got it. So like you have to kind of schedule it in or how does that work? Or uh, you just talk with them.

Speaker B: Yeah. So right now we're actually going through a website update.

Speaker A: Oh, nice.

Speaker B: Yeah. So going back to just being intentional about our members and how we're serving them.

Speaker A: Sometimes people think it's like one and

Speaker B: done and I'm like nar, no. Well. And we knew whenever we were creating the original website that oh my gosh, this is gonna need to be updated as we go. But so much of it is, is you're learning as you go and instead of getting overwhelmed by all of the things that you have to do to start a business, you just take it day by day as the problem arises and then it's so much less overwhelming.

Speaker A: I agree.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: So we've gone through some of the options for coworking that people are like, oh, I don't know what this is, I don't know what I want to do. We love a hybrid situation. And I agree with you. We're actually shutting down our. Wow. Factor offices and event space that we had across the. Basically across the street from our wow Shop. Now the wow Shop is still here. Don't worry, y'. All. It's too cute. It is. I used to say it's like too legit to quit, but it's too cute to quit. So gotta hang out in here and just keep enjoying it. But as we went through, um, you know, Adrienne and I had. I had those chronic illnesses diagnosed and I'm exploring other ones right now. She has had a child. And so really just what worked best for us as women going through different transitions in our lives is that, uh, a hybrid situation worked out best.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: And when we were needing that space and we were like, oh, quarterly. I think that's all I personally need was something quarterly. And when I was, you know, registering on the website for the route and like going through everything, I was just like, oh, this is perfect. We can go out of our normal quarterly. We can get the next quarter just like organized and what are our intentions? Get really creative with it. And when we were able to do that, we, uh, got so much done.

Speaker B: Good.

Speaker A: It was such a good investment.

Speaker B: Nothing makes me happier to hear than that you had a productive workday while you were at the root.

Speaker A: And coffee, of course, made a connection.

Speaker B: You have to have good coffee. That was some of the first advice we got when opening a coworking space. You have to have good WI Fi and good coffee.

Speaker A: Yes, yes, absolutely.

Speaker B: Can't compromise on that.

Speaker A: I can say they have both.

Speaker B: Well, thank you. We use a local roaster called Starlight Coffee.

Speaker A: Oh, Starlight. Yes. Hubers.

Speaker B: They're great partners.

Speaker A: Mhm. Actually, our audio producer works at Starlight.

Speaker B: Oh, no way.

Speaker A: Yeah. He's making the wines.

Speaker B: Starlight Coffee is different than Starlight Distillery. It's the same.

Speaker A: No way.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: Just kidding.

Speaker B: Yeah. But they capitalize on that.

Speaker A: I'm sure they're going.

Speaker B: Good branding. Yeah.

Speaker A: What a great name for anything at Starlight.

Speaker B: I know.

Speaker A: I mean, it just makes you feel inspired immediately.

Speaker B: Yeah, I know it does. So we have to have inspirational coffee in an inspirational workspace.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: But yeah, we really try not to nickel and dime people.

Speaker A: It's very affordable.

Speaker B: Good. That is absolutely what we want. Because so many businesses that are starting out or they're a one man show, they don't have budgets. Mhm. You know, they don't really have the funds to even get into what they need. And so we really wanted to be an affordable option for people. And so we do have a variety of ways that people can come and work with us, whether it's a day pass or a bundle of passes. Maybe you just need the conference rooms. We have different packages for that. So we are, um, crafting a more a la carte option, payment options for people, because we wanted versatile workspaces because everybody works differently. And we really did want to accommodate as many of those work styles as possible.

Speaker A: And you have so many events coming up. Like all of the authors, like, I just saw so much cool things. So I feel like if you're curious about the route or a co working space in your area, maybe what you should consider doing is looking to see what events they have coming up. Because that really cultivates a lot of that culture and community as well.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: And I feel like if you can go and see the space and feel the vibes, then you'll know if it's the right situation for you.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: And kind of even tiptoeing in, if you're, like, nervous about a co working space, you can say, you know what? I'm gonna get a day pass. I'm gonna see what that's like. And then you end up getting a hot desk situation. And then you get a private office. You can upgrade as much as you need to over time. Um, but just finding what works for you, I think, is really what grows our communities, grows our sisterhood with one another, and finding those other people that have that energy and that passion for entrepreneurship like you do. And maybe finding clients too. Like you said, this Rolodex of amazing vendors is such a great option, not, not only to take advantage of as a business owner, but to be a part of. To get more business into. Into your life. So I don't know, I just think it's like a really cool situation. Like, no big deal. Um, like, I'm obsessed with co working and I just think it's so cool. So definitely in your areas. Check that out. And, uh, you know, Bridget, I really appreciate you coming on the podcast. I've had such a beautiful time and I know that we're still learning each other, and I can't wait to continue that journey with you. And I do feel like what's really important, just telling everybody where they can find you, how they can, as we like to say, put money into your wallet. So how can they find you, follow you, and how can they put money into your wallet?

Speaker B: Amazing. So thank you for having me, first of all, because small businesses don't always get platforms like this to be able to share, um, and find new audiences and New people. So thank you for what you're doing.

Speaker A: Well, thank you and you're welcome. I appreciate that.

Speaker B: Yeah, those support organizations need to be supported as well. Right. So thank you for what you're doing. So you can find any of this information. Hopefully we'll have a new website up soon that'll be very user friendly. Uh, you can communicate with our members, find vendors, etc. You can go to the rootworkspace.com. we're also on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. On Facebook and LinkedIn, you can search the root and on Instagram, we are cowork. And now. We didn't even get into this, Amanda, but I am also an author and illustrator of children's books.

Speaker A: Listen.

Speaker B: So going back to my childhood dream, I did get to accomplish that.

Speaker A: That's amazing. Congratulations.

Speaker B: Thank you.

Speaker A: Well, I have to just let you in on a little secret then is, um, when a. The other podcasts that I'm, uh, m recording is with little loving lessons. And they are illustrators of empathetic children's books as well, and publishers of them. And we're working on one for our mascot, Penny the piggy bank. So she's gonna teach you how. She's actually, um, she's just this beautiful representation of. Every penny counts when we put it in the walls of women and all these things. But I have an inflatable piggy bank outfit that I wear at some of our events.

Speaker B: And why haven't I seen seen you in this yet?

Speaker A: Listen, I'm gonna share all the photos with you. Don't worry. She comes out every once in a while, you know, but it's a, ah, I think a really important thing to get in early and really teach that education around money mindset because it's not something that we're typically taught. And so I'm excited to explore that not only with them, but I think I've been calling that into my life and like, looking for that. And now I have like, these two. Their two besties and you. So three besties that are like, all about it. So.

Speaker B: And I can introduce you to many more.

Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. That, uh, would be amazing.

Speaker B: Look at this.

Speaker A: Look at these resources. This concierge. Now, Penny doesn't have. She has bedazzled hooves. She doesn't have a pinky. But I would put it up and be like, bridgette, we gotta, like, find all the cool places. But I'm very excited we're working on that this summer.

Speaker B: I think we need a Penny at the root somewhere. Yeah, yeah, she Needs a display.

Speaker A: Oh, I would love that. Don't worry. Because, you know, I love product and I love the art. I love everything. I can't draw a stick figure, though, like, to save my life. I can paint, but I can't. That's it.

Speaker B: But there are so many other ways to make art and be creative.

Speaker A: I mean, I wrote the story, I got the ideas, and they're gonna help me with that. But, hey, I think y' all should meet.

Speaker B: I would love to.

Speaker A: Yay.

Speaker B: Let's make the intro.

Speaker A: We'll make the intro. That's probably where we should end. Let's make a new intro today. It's really important. Find somebody who can connect with someone else and really be the container. Be that vase, be those four walls, and be that space where someone's going to connect with someone else so that we all see the flowers in our community. But, uh, yay, let's end it there.

Speaker B: Yes, please.

Speaker A: That sounded fancy.

Speaker B: Thank you so much.

Speaker A: Thank you. I really appreciate it. And money makers, until next time, go out there and make that money. If you want to put more money into the wallets of women like we do, then check out our website, TheWomanOwnedWallet.com and we can't wait to continue the conversation on our social media. So definitely follow us on our Instagram omanownowned wallet and on TikTok omanownedwallet. Uh, you can support us by following our podcast on Apple, Google, and Spotify. And don't forget to leave us a review. Thank you for listening to Woman Owned Wallet. The podcast.