From fourth grade teacher to co-founder of one of the fastest growing furniture manufacturers in the nation! Hannah Fussell is creative, complex and curious like most of us, and she’s turned each of those assets into business magic as co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at Nugget Comfort - home of the Nugget play couch. Hear Hannah Fussell reveal her challenges with self-doubt and offer us tips for a more integrated work/life routine. Oh, and make sure you listen all the way to the end to hear Hannah reveal her “Two Truths and a Lie.”
From fourth grade teacher to co-founder of one of the fastest growing furniture manufacturers in the nation! Hannah Fussell is creative, complex and curious like most of us, and she’s turned each of those assets into business magic as co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at Nugget Comfort - home of the Nugget play couch. Hear Hannah Fussell reveal her challenges with self-doubt and offer us tips for a more integrated work/life routine. Oh, and make sure you listen all the way to the end to hear Hannah reveal her “Two Truths and a Lie.”
that transition was born out of self doubt. Truly.
Jesica Averhart:I'm Jesse Averhart. And you're listening to the reinvention roadtrip podcast. Listen, I'm a mom who's obsessed with the power and process of reinvention. And I'm also a fourth generation entrepreneur. I've worked on an Amish farm and for the world's most admired company, produced events in partnership with the NFL and NBA, and carved out a little place in the world of early stage startups, every step of the way, learning the power of reinvention. So let's take this journey together. It's time to get inspired, Dream louder, and own the keys that will unlock the next best version of you. Welcome to reinvention road trip. We're back. I'm really excited about today. And I know you will be too because we're going to meet an incredible woman who is growing a nationwide business that's just on fire right now. But the story didn't start that way. Right. They never do. That's why reinventions are so incredible. So I want you to just imagine three young founders who started off as friends who met in 2013, on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill. Now fast forward to today, and they have built an equitable, conscientious company in the furniture capital of the world, which is where we're sitting. And they were recently named the fastest growing furniture manufacturer in the United States. Let me repeat that fastest growing furniture manufacturer in the United States, and the fastest growing company in North Carolina by Inc magazine. There are hundreds of 1000s based on this Instagram that I keep looking at there are hundreds of 1000s of moms and dads right now who are saying a collective a man about this company because it brought imaginative play back into the home. Of course, I'm talking about the nuggets. So Hannah, I'm really was gonna introduce Hannah later, but since we're doing this on video, y'all can see her She's amazing. This is she's had a full workday. And she's doing this with us. So we're so grateful. Thank you for joining me here. Alright, so the nugget is a play couch. I'm just going to give this overview. The nugget is a play couch, right? It was originally designed to replace the college futon. That's a whole nother story. You've got to look them up because their story is really fascinating. And the way they came together as founders and as friends is really incredible. But moms right moms of little ones across the US decided to rule the day on this product, right. And it became an unexpected takeover audience. And so they have grown this business exponentially for the last few years. And it really has caught fire across the country. Now full disclosure, as you can tell, Hannah and I are friends. And I've been friends with a nugget founders for many years. I actually remember in the early days when David Barron and Ryan Kocha for those of you want to look them up. But when David and Ryan came over to my downtown LA, they came over to take pictures of my son. And this was when the product was just in its infancy. And they were testing out the fabric. And they were trying to figure out the foam and all that good stuff. They came over and they invited Trey and some of his friends to just be models, right, which is a big deal for him. He thought he was like, all the things at the time was like amazing. And I think you guys paid us with a nugget, which was amazing. In lunch, I think we had lunch and a nugget. And che was like I'm a model, you know, it's so great. But you know, that was long before like these hundreds of Facebook groups that have spun off across the country, right, and the weightless that you all have and just the the attention that the product is getting. This was long before that. And we were really just proud to be a part of a scrappy company that had a really interesting idea and clearly was bringing life back into the family. Okay, so since then, we and I would I mean, we I mean my 18 year old son now, right, and my son and I have watched their star rise, we can be more proud of their success. And you know, when I think about success, I'm not just talking about the fact that they turned an idea into a multimillion dollar business, I'm talking about the way in which they've done it. They're very, very careful, very thoughtful, think about equity. They think about women and women in leadership. And Hannah's going to talk about that. I mean, that's my work, right? We don't bring anybody on this podcast who has a toxic leadership style, or who doesn't appreciate the value that women and women's voices have in the workplace and then and especially in this special place that women have in growing businesses because their thought the way they thought is so the way they think is so differential. So Hannah is that she's an incredible role model. I've had her on many different spaces to talk about her journey, but today, I'm excited to have her With us, because she's taken on an entirely new role with the company. So we're going to meet Hannah, officially, as the Chief Creative Officer of nugget comfort. We're going to talk about her new role at the company, and the principles that drive her business and the success that the company as a whole has found in her role in that her place in that. So Hannah, thanks for joining. So happy to be here. Yeah, awesome introduction. And girl congrats on this new role. I can't wait to hear more about this. Because I know your journey has been so interesting, in fact, okay, so for those of you who are like, just get get down to the point here. Alright. So if you go to my YouTube channel, you will actually see an interview that we did within the last, yeah, 2020 minutes, the last six to eight months, that talks about Hannah's journey, right from intern. So first of all, she's a teacher by heart. Right? She's going to talk a little bit about this, but she loves children. She loves to teach and came right out of college and went into Teach for America. Did that we taught fourth grade, good memory. Yeah. And and then decided that she wanted to try something new, and sort of apply the skills, the tips and tricks, the tools that had made you so successful, she got awards for being like an incredible teacher and apply it into the business world. And so she decided to join her friends in their venture and said, Let me do it as an intern, which is really unpaid. Thank you for that. That's an important, unpaid internship. So she went from that to the director of marketing. We went from director of marketing to the co founder to one of the three co founders then of the company, and became the chief product officer, correct? Yes.
Hannah Fussell:And was the was the director of the CX? Not a real title, but just something I was also doing. Customer Experience, customer experience, answer every single email, all the fun stuff.
Jesica Averhart:Yeah, the engagement is so important. And then what two months? You've been in this new role? How long? Yeah.
Hannah Fussell:We're longer on paper two months. I'm only now kind of transitioning into it. Because we got busy. Yeah, but But yeah, now I'm fully in it. So yeah, as as a past. You have two weeks.
Jesica Averhart:Yeah. Okay. So now Hannah is the Chief Creative Officer of nugget comfort. Their business has grown exponentially show you all the things here in just a second, we'll get into the nitty gritty. But as a woman, and as a friend, I always say this when I interview you, I'm always just so proud to watch the moves that you make. Yeah, well, it's true. I mean, so many of us and so many of the women and it woman to listen to this. There's this, if they if they've listened to season two, they will understand what I say this but comfort cliff, that we experienced this, everybody's standing on a comfort cliff, the question is, where are you standing on it. So if you're in the safe zone, that's perfectly fine. It's where you can get charged up, you can get loved up by friends and family, it's, you know, you're not taking a lot of risks, but you see what's in front of you. Then you have this like messy middle, which is the hard work, right. But that's where you get empowered to take the next step. And then you have the growing edge. And what I see when I watch your journey is that you're you're constantly sort of like the empowerment down to the growing edge, the empowerment zone and growing. And then you might run back to the safe side. And then you're back into the messy middle and to the growing edge of you're like constantly vacillating between the two and it has shown through the trajectory of your professional career. Alright, so let's jump into our questions because I want our audience to just hear how you think about your work and how you think about leadership.
Hannah Fussell:Um, well first of all on the comfort cliff, constant rotation I will say if anyone out there is an Aries, this very much explains. I'm very much an Aries, textbook Aries. very energetic.
Jesica Averhart:What does that mean? I know my own or any man that I date. I know. I haven't dated an Aries.
Hannah Fussell:know we have a reputation like very passionate. Okay, very, very passionate, very energetic. Yeah. So leadership style, I would say and it's funny because I did ask my, my designer, who I work very closely with every single day, right before this, and she just looked up at me and said, teacher, yeah, no
Jesica Averhart:hesitation.
Hannah Fussell:It's true. I you know, I think anyone that has been an educator or has had an educator in their lives, they see the ways that educational leadership is, is transferable to so many other parts of your life, from how you manage the home, to how you manage your relationships to how you talk to the kids in your life, you know, to your work, and yes, for me, it looks like you know, there's this notion of like gatekeeping and kind of the careers that I've kind of seen with people, they kind of keep the information to themselves. And I'm the opposite of that I really love to share, I love to share all of my knowledge, I love to make sure that everybody can do what I'm doing, if not better, and that has really helped nugget grow. Just the ways that I you know, spend time teaching, I want to make sure everyone has full understanding, here's context, here's why we do what we do. Please have, please ask me questions. Okay, now let's reflect on it. Those are all things that I got right from the classroom. So I know there is a sense of urgency around startups, I really try to eliminate that and make sure it's like a growth place.
Jesica Averhart:So good. It's like such a gift. Well, that's such a gift as a lesson for startups that you do need to have personality types within your leadership team that can balance you out, right? Because the startup mentality tends to be like, ready fire? What is it ready, fire aim. The I just and that is kind of how you move your fast? Yes.
Hannah Fussell:Yes, but especially when I'm working with people, yeah, I move fast. But when I'm working with people, let's be intentional. Let's reflect that feel really good. Um, those are all things that I've found. I've had a lot of success with. And you know, I haven't been a manager for that long. But in the short time that I've been a manager, those are the things that when people, you know, come back to me, and it's really like how we did that. It's when I see that we've taken the time. Yeah, to really understand the beginning, middle and end. Here's the goal. This is all the history. Yeah, writing history lessons. Yep. Would have been is really, really helpful.
Jesica Averhart:Great. That's really good. I've just learned something there. And I think that that's, I don't know if you guys, you're planning on writing a book at some point, but that's a really good lesson. Yeah, truly. Okay, so let's talk about self doubt. You I couldn't wait to ask you a question. When I was prepping and over this question, that is the response I got she goes. So So I guess that means you have you struggle with self doubt at times. And over your career? For sure. Because we all have Yeah, but have you in this new like these leaps that you've taken? Have you? Can you remember a recent time where you've where you've struggled with that? Or you questioned it? Yeah, yeah. Well, tell me a little bit about that. Like, do you or is there an example? Or just like generally around this role? Or how does it play into your life?
Hannah Fussell:Yeah. So basically, transitioning from Chief Product officer when I came in a little context for a little bit, this little history lesson? Yeah. When I came in, came in with big ideas, big energy, let's do this. You know, everything worked. It was all, you know, very, very helpful. Yeah. And really propelled the business. And that's great. And found that, you know, I was the one that was leading product design and color and iterations and just how we think about this product, it can't just be a toy, it can't just be furniture. It's the space in between that is so unique and negati. And you know, and I had very, I had a lot of clarity on that. And so moving from product to creative and just to define for you all, what it is that I'm I'm doing now is, you know, there's a certain level of like, ascetic vision that not necessarily just from the product, but just from like, all the visual assets that we put out there. We really need to have at the company. Yes, we're doing something so new, unique. If you talk about the nugget, it's hard to explain it without showing a picture of it true. Well, that picture needs to be stunning. Yeah, that picture needs to be totally beautiful, because you can't it's hard to imagine how this new No one's ever seen a nugget before? How do you put that in a playroom? How do you put that in the living room? How does it go in my kid's room? So have investing in you know, super high quality visual assets is the charge that I'm leading in the kind of toy furniture space? New, all new, very exciting. I got chills.
Jesica Averhart:Yeah, that is really cool. It's cool.
Hannah Fussell:So that transition was born out of self doubt, I truly felt that that was self doubt, because I looked at all that we have to do just within product. So for anyone that doesn't know, products in the way that furniture manufacturers do that is the textile iterations is the prototypes. People go to school for years and years and years and years and years to learn about supply chain to learn about design. Yes. I didn't have that. In my family. If anyone can relate I am ordering and Panamanian it was go into a field where you will have a salary the next year. Yes, that's right. startups, no design. No, not really. And so going into education made a lot of sense. Yeah, maybe, you know, it wasn't like, you know, the biggest salary in the world, but it was reliable, clear. You could explain
Jesica Averhart:it everybody understood their fourth grade teacher, everybody's like Got it. Got it.
Hannah Fussell:Great, successful off, right. Make it you know, you'll be that for 25 years. And so for me, I was always Creative. I was always a creative when I was little, I was always into design, I was always into interiors. I never got to tap into that until I was in nugget work. And then when I got to nugget work, I thought that it looks like product design. And I think it did for a really long time it did. And I was very successful, but the self doubt, he's came from kind of recognizing, like, how there's so many people out there that have gone to school for this, that had the access and the ability to do that. And if I hire them now, I think if I'm thinking about the company, which I have to think about the company, they will help call the company further than I listened to ego, because ego tells me I can do it. I can say, you know, I can do it. And that was hard. But the self doubt, actually really helped. Because it made me kind of question, How much could I really accomplish from that role? And where am I with my natural talent? Something else? Was I bringing something to the table that no one else could do? Yes, that I could do. And I was able to parse that out last year, but it took a year and a lot of conversations with my co founders to figure that out.
Jesica Averhart:So their growth is interesting, too. They were in a small rented
Hannah Fussell:closet sighs Yeah, you often 300 square foot tiny, tiny tobacco warehouse that ACU
Jesica Averhart:I remember water plumbing. Yeah. And now you're in Butner and 120,000 220,000 square foot space. Yeah. Talk about the volume for nugget just generally like just because we're gonna have lots of women and moms. Many of you probably have the nugget, but they've been great to get the story. Yeah,
Hannah Fussell:I'm volume. So yeah, manufacturing in America is so much more complex than I ever knew, I will forever be changed in my purchasing and expectations for furniture, really anything that I buy, now that I know how it all works. So I did not know anything about where things came from when I was purchasing on wayfair purchasing, you know, I didn't know, such a complex operation. And so for us, the challenge was we're digitally native vertical company. So the challenge we were growing very fast through by working social and on Instagram. But for any kind of DTC digital company, it's make sure that the supply is there so that when that growth happens, they can match it can match. And sounds easy enough. extremely difficult to do. And that's where a lot of companies fumble. Yeah. But we have David and David is the operations and problem solving guru. And so you know, when we, when we first got together, when I left teaching, you know, we would like high five around the office when we like, one nugget to like my cousin. And then we got to, you know, Hillsborough, and cash, we were so excited about like 100 nuggets being shipped out per day. And I remember when we reached 100, with our amazing engineering and manufacturing talent, we were just thrilled, it was just amazing. And then here comes this demand that is just completely, it's more than anything we could have ever imagined the demand. And then comes COVID. Right?
Jesica Averhart:Everybody's home, embrace home. Yep,
Hannah Fussell:everybody wants nuggets, right. And we're gonna need a bigger boat. And so we're currently at, we're having, you know, eyes towards more than 3000 shipped out per day.
Jesica Averhart:It's insane. That's insane. I can't even wrap my mind
Hannah Fussell:that is wild. And there is so much hard work that goes into that peak jobs that I never knew existed. And just the talent is unreal.
Jesica Averhart:And you're very conscientious company, I want to get to some of these other questions too. But you pay a living wage. You're really careful to call yourself a family business and family run business. So you really see every employee as a family member, you're careful about their hours. Right? Do you add I
Hannah Fussell:was that I would add something. And this is something that Ryan, I one of the co founders is really great about pointing out is oftentimes so we don't use the term. Like we're a family here. We and we, okay, don't do that. Because a lot of times in the startup hustle companies will use that term when they really want everybody to put in a little extra effort because we're family. Right, an extra night. We're family. Yeah. So we're in this together, you know, and sometimes it can be we've heard and seen, we all come from different experiences we've heard and seen that not really sitting well, you know, and so we actually, specifically don't say that we say you have your family and we want you to go have your work life balance. Yeah, this is work. Yeah. And we love for you and we think we're amazing and we respect you because this is work. But we will not you know ask things of you that are not fair. Just because we're family. A lot of times you know, that's
Jesica Averhart:a really good reaction. No, that's really good. That's a really a correction because the way I see it is that you take care of your family so you don't pay them well and you don't require them to work overtime, but you're saying that can be abused. Another environment toxin,
Hannah Fussell:you go back to your actual real families, you come to work, we're gonna make sure we treat you well. Yeah, a number of things, health insurance at 100% Gold level, you know, really, really take care of our people, our engineering team is, you know, completely involved in making every single tool ergonomic. So just making great the repetitive motions don't cause harm to folks having like, really, really generous, you know, paternal maternal leave policy. You know, nice, nice, we were just able to create the company that is just our wildest dream company. Yeah. And that is, what an opportunity.
Jesica Averhart:And it's so important to have leadership that gives it down. To say that this strongly like, if you have leadership that doesn't have strong principles and values like you do, I mean, we're just different principles and values, then that's how the company will be run. But if you have principles and values that you stand by have some true North's around your work, then you can build it however you want. Yeah. And people will love you for it. Yeah. I mean, it makes a great culture. So well done.
Hannah Fussell:One of our values is play the long game. And it means that Yeah, everything that we do is just about, you know, they're a shorter way. They're quicker, faster, cheaper, sexier ways to do things. We would much rather do it slowly and do it the right way. Which can explain you know why sometimes things take longer, like our lead times might take longer? Well, it's because we want people to go home and rest and not be working 24 hour, you know, Korea crazy hours when people go see their family, things like that we do a really good job. Ryan's marketing team does a really good job communicating all of that so that we can all you know, rising tide lifts all boats, let's let's lift up to expectation for manufacturing. Yeah. And let's make sure consumers know about things that maybe they wouldn't have known about if it weren't for nuggets, blog posts, and Instagram stories and things like that.
Jesica Averhart:It's good. Well done. All right. Let's see, what else can we get into? I have all these like fun questions. Okay, let's jump into health and wellness. So last time we chatted, you know, we talked about your routine. And you're like, I don't really have a great morning routine. But you had an amazing evening routine, meaning like you really valued making sure to take care of the dogs and you were cooking and you had some cool projects, you were thinking on the horizon, which I thought was great. You don't have to be perfect at it. But you should have something in the works or things that mean are meaningful. So let's check in on this. Thank you. You're welcome. How's it going?
Hannah Fussell:I think the words I use last time you were like, what's your routine? I was like, Oh, I just checked my phone. First thing when I wake up notifications, take care, you know, turns out doesn't work. Turns out just was right. You do need to do that grounding work. And so for me lately, it's looking like getting the sunlight daily. Move your body daily. People always say that get your 30 minutes. It's real. It's so real. Okay, Doctor shirt, you know, but for real, real real. That's why so many people say that. So I'm doing my trail three miles every day, which feels great. I think the other thing I know, I talked about going to therapy on your last your last interview, I think something that ties into nugget really nicely is like inner child work. Have you heard of this? Mel is just
Jesica Averhart:find your play?
Hannah Fussell:That's a great way to put it. Yeah, that's a great way. Um, so inner child work is basically identifying the things that were maybe stifled or maybe you didn't have access to, didn't have the privilege of being able to do as a child. And so for me that, you know, that did look look like having full access to like design and full access to creative tools and tools. Like I couldn't have that. Yeah. Um, and so really, you know, sometimes that looks like getting a coloring book. And, you know,
Jesica Averhart:I have several of them. Yeah, and I love that
Hannah Fussell:book, work painting, you know, just like, really just having fun with my imagination. You know, that's the type of thing like my inner child craves, and like, everyone's got those things that like, do you really think that to like, you know, six year old just,
Jesica Averhart:yeah,
Hannah Fussell:what did she need? That she maybe she didn't get? Right that you could now go explore? Because you're an adult? And you have your time? Yeah. And you can go give that to her now. And I think for me, like when I did that exercise, you know, I'm an educator at heart. So like, little little anime. Oh, God. Yeah. So lots of things. But yeah, so that's it. I love that important to me this year.
Jesica Averhart:Very good. So you're walking, you're still probably cooking,
Hannah Fussell:and I'm still cooking. I'm doing gluten free. I'm doing an elimination diet. So it's not as fun these days. Okay, I figure out some stuff. But you know, for me, another thing is like the dog stuff. That's my inner child like that. My inner child loves animals. I love animals. And so being with my dogs, as Bailey is a very, very important to me. Good.
Jesica Averhart:So for folks who are listening, what is your inner child? This is a question we've been doing right in the moment like this ad that's a question you should be asking yourself, what does that inner child work that you can do? Write it down? Talk about it, what do they need lay out? What is your what is a natural self need that you could, you know, adorn them with now, adorn yourself with now, I
Hannah Fussell:love that. And I think it's extremely powerful also for parents that yeah, that they do a lot of you know, it's for their child, but it's like, go take the time to do it also just for you, are you right? Yeah, exactly. We
Jesica Averhart:do abandon our childhood it's in when I do my coaching work. It's one of the things I asked about what you gave up as a child, like, what's the thing that you love to do that you don't you no longer do, which is the similar twist on that. And it's so fascinating to hear what people will say, you know, who played instruments and loved the dancer, and I'm like, you can still do those things, you have to do those things. Alright, so now we're getting towards the end, I want to do two truths and a lie. But I want to find out before we do that, what's driving you these days? Like, what's the most important thing in this new role? And as a co founder, sort of protecting the brand? What is it that you want to contribute to this brand next?
Hannah Fussell:Um, I had, so I had such great opportunities in life and kind of like my younger years out of college years, I, you know, I had some really bad bosses, I had some really great bosses, I had some really great mentors. And for me, you know, I told you this earlier, like the mentor work, and the kind of helping create career pathways is like the shining light for Yeah, the creative work is beautiful, fun, awesome. selling this product, great. But really being able to be that for someone is so powerful, and you know, specifically women, specifically women of color, it really matters and it can change people's lives. And so, in this work and creative work, I mean, there's so many brilliant creatives in North Carolina, we are totally slept on, we are totally fine. I was like New York, LA No, I mean, yeah, newly in North Carolina, and, you know, I just I want to provide this opportunity. So anyone out there, hair, makeup, modeling, casting, photoshoot, prop styling, photographers, connect with me on LinkedIn, I love to work for you.
Jesica Averhart:That's great, what a great call out what a great call to action in the moment. So if you are any of those things, or know that person always recruiting on LinkedIn, very good. I love that. Okay, so we're gonna end with two truths and a lie, it's kind of a spin on this, right? I want to know, two truths that you want to leave women with. So in other words, it's inspire something to inspire them, or just the real truth about life that you've experienced that you want to share with our listeners.
Hannah Fussell:Okay, I've got one that is like a little bit like Aries energy, a little bit spicy. Bring it but it's real. And I want to pass this on to people, you will be in your work. And you will have these moments where like you are in your grill like you are in your brilliance, right. And you will have these ideas and you will do this stuff that really like makes your like hair just kind of like tingle and you get goosebumps. I'm doing it. Yeah, guard that talent. You don't have to tell everybody about all the things you're working on. You will have energy and really begin to assist good you will have energy around you. And you will want to tell people don't tell everybody. Some people will not be
Jesica Averhart:great. Some people will not like it in the video. Now this is great, y'all
Hannah Fussell:necessarily in your corner, some people will want what you've got going on. And let I'm a teacher. So like, I'm going to give an example. Because I find it hard when sometimes people talk at like a very lofty level. And they don't provide an example, when I was really figuring out social and I was just, I mean, I was in my grill, I was doing all the things growing this account in an absurd, organic way. You know, I would have some kind of like, older white men kind of like around me just kind of like, hey, teach me how to do that, you know, no offers to pay, right? Just
Jesica Averhart:Oh, you're such a bubbly, you got so much energy, you should be willing to pay the bill.
Hannah Fussell:And you have to guard that. Yeah, you have to guard your talent, because you might be at the very beginning of a whole career and you don't even realize but they'll come back to you and be paying you you know, 500 times, you know what they might have even first set, you know, because people they're going to be attracted to that. And just when you have those moments, just be conscious of who's around
Jesica Averhart:and just be smart about it. That's amazing. Really good advice. Excellent advice. Okay. Did you have one other idea was really good. I was prepared. That's my spicy why I love it. I
Hannah Fussell:see. You know, because it's not the most positive thing in the world, but I think it's 1 million truths. We just
Jesica Averhart:And I think that is as honest as again, be honest, to be honest. Yeah. Okay. And then so what's your other Truth
Hannah Fussell:of My, my other truths that I really learned and this is also from the classroom is like, obviously, like, enjoy the messy and the unfinished. But laugh.
Jesica Averhart:Okay,
Hannah Fussell:have fun, have fun. It's one of our values that nugget just we say just for fun JSF people are not going to necessarily remember the things you said in that meeting, and how great of a meeting you structured and your pitches, they're going to remember how you made them feel. Yes. And so if you're laughing, and you're creating real connections, and you're asking them about their lives, you're asking them about their dogs and their kids. And you know, that's what people are going to remember, enjoy and connect with those people. You're on earth for a very short time. Yes, connect with the people that you are working with.
Jesica Averhart:I love that it's going to make a huge difference. Yeah, I love that. I say that a lot that we're on this planet for a finite amount of time. You've got to remember that. Yeah, I feel like we don't think about that. Not like we want to think about death every day. But we got to be thinking about the fact that, you know, what are you doing with today? You've got it. So what are you doing with it? Right. Okay, so let's get to your lie. Okay, so what is this? Let me set this up. What's a cautionary sort of a warning that you want to give to women? A lie that we often made buy into that we need to, you know, push away or do a workaround? Or
Hannah Fussell:I think people probably heard this before. But there's just not enough to go around. scarcity.
Jesica Averhart:Yeah, yeah, girl scarcity mentality. Yeah. Um, and
Hannah Fussell:for me, another example is like, we talk a lot. I call it social work, which is its work on social social work. We talk a lot about like community over competition. And I saw that in the beginning days of my work, and I don't think it really clicked until I realized the reason we were so successful, we are so successful, is because people welcomed us into their homes. Me and Ryan, just like me, come take pictures of your children. People in the triangle welcomed us into their homes, people, businesses on Instagram started connecting with us. Do you want to work on a collab together? Sure. That when I started doing collab work and community work, that was when things took off, because you love it, that word of mouth, you need those great connections. Yeah, reactions, real authentic relationships. Yeah, that was the secret. That was the secret.
Jesica Averhart:You just gave a secret for free for free, for free. But she willingly gave it to us. We weren't we weren't stalking her saying What is it? What is something I'll keep to myself? But I know for real, that's really important. I mean, that makes a lot of sense. And I think that we get it's overplayed, right, this idea of authenticity. But the reason why it's this buzzword and why I almost can't say it now, because it does make me kind of like, it's like cringy. Because I wonder if people even like, are you listening anymore? Yeah, but you can tell when somebody is being true to themselves, or sharing the parts of themselves that are maybe hard, but they're doing it because they want to serve someone else. Like that. That little uncut, that that growing edge, right? That can come through on social it can come through in your product line, it comes through in your mission it comes through and how you treat your team. Right, that's real. And so I appreciate that. You're You're saying that the secret sauce of nugget and your extreme growth and extreme success is because you were relatable. And you were honest, you're an honest brand is trying to build relationships, create community. Yeah. There it is simple. We're not here for very long, and we're just making play couches. I love that keep it keep it really simple.
Hannah Fussell:Let's just really focus on what matters which is people and the community. And so you know, the we just did, like 1% North Carolina every year 1% of profits are doing huge things for North Carolina this year. And like yeah, it's because we need to give back to the community that welcomed us. You literally hurt welcoming us into your home having your son come be a model for us. I mean, that was happening so frequently, just because people were wanting to connect Yeah.
Jesica Averhart:and wanting to see when because it's it matters to Yeah, North Carolina is unique.
Hannah Fussell:But I think it can be a really applied. I mean, I grew up in New York, I left New York because I felt like it was too competitive. But I think it can be applied to really any you just have to find your little commute. That's right small little community and really lean on one another.
Jesica Averhart:I love it. I tell you what, there's just nothing like being around women that you love and adore. And thank you for for just giving your time and given all your wisdom and all your good energy. I love it. All right, we'll see you next time reinvention road trip. Thank you for tuning in. Bye, everybody. Friends for riding along on today's reinvention road trip. If you like what you heard, tell a friend and leave us a review. I know seems like a little thing, but it is so important to see if we're on the right track. You can find the show notes at just a averhart.com forward slash podcast. And don't forget to join the reinvention roadtrip by signing up for our newsletter, where I share behind the scenes details and nuggets that you won't hear on the show. New episodes drop weekly, so subscribe on Apple podcast, Google podcast, Spotify, or wherever you're listening to your podcast these days. Alright friends, thanks so much. Until next time,