Peace & Prosperity Podcast
In the Peace & Prosperity Podcast, Jason Phillips, licensed therapist and life coach, shares personal experiences that force you to think deeply about your values, beliefs, and behaviors to ensure you achieve peace, happiness, and success in your life.
Peace & Prosperity Podcast
Building a Business While Battling Self-Doubt with Venus Austin - Episode #89
The Peace & Prosperity Podcast is a bi-weekly conversation with Jason Phillips, LCSW, licensed therapist and confidence expert in Raleigh, NC, discussing all things related to self-love and self-confidence, and how we can improve ourselves personally and professionally.
Ever felt like giving up on your biggest dream? You’re not alone—and this episode gets real about the emotional highs and lows of entrepreneurship. Our guest, Venus Austin, a successful business owner juggling a thriving brand and a 9-to-5, opens up about burnout, self-doubt, and the moments she almost quit. What keeps her going? Faith, a supportive partner, and a deeper purpose rooted in legacy—not ego.
We also dive into the pressures of running a product-based business, the mental toll of always being “on,” and the balance between hustle and self-care. If you’re building something meaningful, this conversation will remind you why you started—and give you the fuel to keep going.
To stay connected with Jason and learn about coaching, connect with Jason on social media:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jphillipsmsw/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jphillipsmsw
Visit Jason's website for a consultation:
Website -https://www.jasonlphillips.com
To book Jason to speak to your team or organization:
https://peaceprosperitycoaching.hbportal.co/public/660d8068c9d2d600253b215b/1-Inquiry
As a confidence expert, confidence coach, I work with people all the time on not quitting on themselves in various aspects of their life, so you're helping a lot of people just with being authentic and transparent. I would say for me, you know, our entrepreneurship journeys are very different too, because I'm a service based business, so when it comes to products, it's a whole different ball game. As far as, like, inventory, it's because it's so.
Speaker 2:Uh, it's like intimate entrepreneurship is super in this. It's well. For me it's been like. Even though Alfred is a part of it, it's lonely.
Speaker 2:It's a very intimate, like, even though Alfred is a part of it, it's lonely, it's very intimate. It's very intimate Like a lot of self-reflection. I mean you deal with failure and like you only have yourself. So it's like, baby, if you can make it through entrepreneurship, you a strong mofo. That's how I feel. It's different than like messing up a project at work. At work, it's like you. It's more personal.
Speaker 1:Because I guess it's like you're invested in it, yep, yep.
Speaker 2:And it's like for me, blank is literally. Blank is a physical manifestation of me that other people get to buy into. So it's with customers. If customers don't like something or they are rude and mean, I take that very personally. I shouldn't. That's why, oh, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 1:So we talking about entrepreneurship, and it is a journey. You've been an entrepreneur for how many years?
Speaker 2:That's a tricky question. So I started off blogging, which is it got my feet wet in entrepreneurship, probably in 2011, maybe two, two, 2009, like when I launched my YouTube channel and then. So that was kind of like a pseudo or freelancer entrepreneurship. So I would say hardcore, like serious, was like five years ago with Blink.
Speaker 1:What's been the hardest part about it?
Speaker 2:Oh gosh, I think I would say the confidence, and it's weird because I consider myself a very confident person in general. Entrepreneurship has humbled me a lot and it's made me have to confront certain things that I didn't even know existed within me, and it's made me a better person, I would say. But I would say it's definitely put up a mirror and made me kind of see myself.
Speaker 1:I don't think people always think about how confidence and entrepreneurship go together. People probably equate anybody who's an entrepreneur to just being automatically confident because you're stepping out there doing your own thing. But you know, I'm'm an entrepreneur too. There's a lot of ups and downs with that. One month you can make a dollar, next month you can make a hundred, you can make a thousand, 10,000, whatever. It's like a rollercoaster, it can be.
Speaker 2:And for the most part I mean you talk to anybody. It is it's a rollercoaster. I was having a conversation with somebody who I like I've seen her grow her business for the last 10 years and I like I was like I've been involved in a little bit just on the sidelines and personally with her and her business and she's like big, like she's in Nordstrom, all these different things, and I was talking to her. I was like, oh my god, like when, when is it just gonna be like comfortable, like, or when are you not gonna just like have moments of like I want to quit Right? And she's like, oh, it will never go away. And I was like she was like you got to be comfortable with it. She was like just this week. I was like, why am I doing this? And she's successful.
Speaker 1:How close have you came to quitting?
Speaker 2:Oh gosh, like so, alfred. So my husband is very he's part of the reason why I haven't really because I'll talk to him and like I'm like, I'm done, I'm out the game, cause, like why am I doing this to myself, you know, I mean he's like you can't, you can't. This is what you, you're made for this. Like you can't, you can't do it, you too, you too far in. So I've come close, but outside of him also, god God, probably even more so than Alfred. I like not to go through all the conversations, obviously, but like I'll be sitting there like God, what? Like I can literally come home and watch the housewives yes, I could do that and not think about nothing else. Like I don't want, like I'm tired, and then something will happen big, with blank, and it's like it like I'm tired, and then something will happen big with blank and it's like.
Speaker 2:It's like I'm happy, like thank you, but then it's like golly the size, like so I can't.
Speaker 1:Was it like a certain moment that led you sometime Like a certain customer, a certain month, like what was the situation where you're like you know what?
Speaker 2:I might be done. I hate to. I feel so like cause. I don't want to sound negative, but it's just moments. Throughout the journey I can't. It's not one moment, it's so. I've. I've been on a verge of quitting blank several times through the five years.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I appreciate you being real because, you know, as a confidence expert, confidence coach, I work with people all the time on not quitting on themselves in various aspects of their life, so you're helping a lot of people just with being authentic and transparent. I will say for me, you know, our entrepreneurship journeys are very different too, because I'm a service-based business, so when it comes to products, it's a whole different ball game as far as, like, inventory and product sales, I mean just customer feedback. Now, of course, I get customer feedback too, but it is different.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean people. I've had people who, because something didn't fit them right, get mad at the, the clothes and so then they are negative to the company. Now the whole company is trash because they couldn't fit into the item.
Speaker 2:That, like that, has happened in the last week and a half oh, wow so yeah, it's, it's, it's part of it, it's part of the like, especially if you're product based. You, you're going to have that Because you know, like what we talk about with confidence and style. Sometimes the right outfit will humble you and it can make you feel good or it might humble you. Right, you know, and so instead of people being mature or, you know, comfortable, confident to say it's not the dress.
Speaker 1:It's not the medium or the small, or the eight or the ten.
Speaker 2:It's me and it's fine that that garment is not for me, but it doesn't mean the whole company is trash.
Speaker 1:I guess maybe you should start tricking people with your sizes.
Speaker 2:You know companies do that, like Chico's they like, have like. So they don't have the real sizes. They have like one, two or three's they like, have like. So they don't have the real sizes, they have like one, two or three, but they're. They translate to like a larger size because of that. So there's a lot of psychology, like mental, with style, fashion and clothes.
Speaker 1:So when it comes to starting. Well, I won't even say because you never quit, you never you got close. Say, cause you never quit you never. You got close to it but you never quit. And you talked about your husband. God, like entrepreneurship, is lonely. So the thing about it nobody can really hold you accountable but you. So if you do decide, you know what I'm done. You don't have to turn in like a two week notice. I mean you could just literally shut down your website, your supply team and all of that and be done.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I think that's the part where it takes a lot of discipline too. So, like what's your routine for staying disciplined?
Speaker 2:To be honest with you, I think it's on the verge of maybe being unhealthy a little bit. I am like, especially right now in this season, like right now we're under a soft rebrand, so in behind the scenes. So if you go to blank now, you won't really see it, if you. But if you follow us like closely over the years, you're probably like, well, what are they doing? Because something's different. So we're going through that rebrand and so I'm, I'm locked in, like I'm.
Speaker 1:So if, like, we went to Dallas last week for my birthday and I was like OK, tonight we on my birthday, we gonna be loose Right, but I was like I get back to the hotel I have to focus.
Speaker 2:I got to lock in and so yeah, I, I'm always on. I'm always thinking about it. I'm right now I'm thinking about when I got to go back. I'm always thinking about it. Right now, I'm thinking about when I got to go back home.
Speaker 1:So one of the reasons why like seriously. I do love collaborating with you is because I know it's going to be 100 percent effort on both ends and I know you don't collab with just any and everybody. But like your work ethic is is high, so it is kind of even for me like talking to you. It's hard to see that you would even consider quitting because your work ethic is like it's through the roof like you go ham it's part.
Speaker 2:I think it's because of detroit, though, like we're from, so we're from detroit, and like we're just hustlers. So for me, I what kind of gets me back on my square outside of my husband? God is kind of like talking to myself like v you, now you know you don't want to do nothing. Quit it, like stop. Like lean in you now you. You then got mad at this customer, or you're mad because sales aren't where they're supposed to be, because I think I told you this in december 2022. I don't know what happened. We went, came off of our like one of our top months in 2022, in November, killed it, like to the point where I was like OK, like I'm seeing some things I can do.
Speaker 2:And then December came. It was like hello, anyone there, like what happened? Hello, and that, like I said, that that kind of ebb and flow it can rock you, especially if it happens at certain moments. So for me I have to like check in with me and say, are you responding to like, is this like something that you don't really want to do, or are you responding to a circumstance?
Speaker 1:So I'm going to go kind of deeper on it. So I know Blank is a part of you. That's a part of who Venus is at your core. What is the purpose and the vision or mission behind Blank?
Speaker 2:I'm a girl's girl. I love women. I love being around powerful women, confident women Genuinely I get off on that. Women like genuinely I I I get off on that, like I, literally I I. It's something to see a woman like really lean into her passion and what she wants to do and like she owns it, like thinking about someone that everyone knows rihanna oh, like I like her, her I'm just like, yes, that that their quintessential, blank woman like don't care about what people think might have moments very transparent when she's not feeling the best, but will still lean in and get it done like confidence and quotes and things like that to build women up and to really have them check in with their with themselves and their confidence and being secure and going after what they always wanted to do in this life so it's still I'm still stuck on that you thought about quitting because but seriously because in the front scene you are still always consistent, especially because you know we we chop it up like.
Speaker 1:You've dedicated a lot of your energy to blank wardrobe and that social media presence and not necessarily imv meal, so you've been very, very consistent too. Is that not accurate? Yeah, I feel like this is the most consistent I've seen you in ever this is bigger, it's bigger than me, like seriously, like I'm not, I'm congratulating you. You know like consistent yeah like every time I open up my social media I'm like dang, another sale or another drop, different looks. What goes into all of that?
Speaker 2:like the actual work or like the. How am I consistent?
Speaker 1:both like the consistency and the mindset behind being that consistent so, mindset wise, like I, I'm a, I'm a workaholic.
Speaker 2:I had to come to terms with that a couple of months ago. I was like I love working, I genuinely like it, I love it that and I'm competitive with myself. So if I noticed there's a certain weakness in myself, it's like, literally, you could talk to Alfred. I'm like you get it together, what are you doing? Get back in the game like, get together. So for me to quit on something I know that love is admitting to losing, I can't do that, can't lose.
Speaker 1:And you a Gemini too, right Cause I know Gemini is. You know, Tupac, y'all just work. The work ethic is definitely there, plus the creativity and the authenticity. So that's a crazy combination.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so I can't. For me, the consistency is more about. And then, like, for me I genuinely feel like Blank is bigger than me, like I was talking to the lady that I was telling you about with the successful business or whatnot, and I was telling her about the kind of thoughts of quitting and whatnot, and she was like you can't, it's beyond you. Now.
Speaker 1:She's like I see what you're doing, you can't do it now. You in there and I feel that, like I can't, as a service-based business or a product-based business, is there a particular moment or situation that stands out where you were able to help a customer or a family or somebody and that, just like that moment, sticks with you.
Speaker 2:There's a couple where customers will write me either personally or in their, in the comments or in the DMs or whatnot, and they're like man, I wore this outfit and I felt so good, Like I like I know I killed it.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Like, and I'm like OK, great. Or even like on my personal page where on my YouTube, I've done like some talks about entrepreneurship and whatnot and I have people give me comments about like oh my God, like I'm starting my own boutique and like you know, I saw your video on pop-up shops and like now I'm having my own pop-up shop this week and I'm like so nervous. But I feel like I have a list now looking at your video, Like I feel like I'm gonna be good, so that. And then I did a talk at a university here in their business school, and to see that was the first time in person like where I can feel the energy of people, like looking at me and they're hanging on every word, and then afterwards people coming up to me like oh my God, like I feel so empowered by hearing your story and like watching you, like talk about your business and I'm like yeah, it's dope, and you have a nine to five at the same time and you have a husband and a family.
Speaker 1:Like, how do you, how do you juggle it?
Speaker 2:I don't, I don't, I'm, probably not like I'm, I'm, I'm. Listen, this is something I'm going through in the moment is being more present.
Speaker 2:Like I told you, I'm, I'm locked in, so it helps when people like my mom, my brother, will say you need to come to the barbecue like come on come on, it's okay to come out to the barbecue and you know I'm I'm really leaning into that like, take time out for yourself, because you'll be a better person, a better, a better business person by taking time out. So it is a work in progress.
Speaker 1:So what would you say? I guess we kind of wrap things up, but what would you say to the person who is struggling with the consistency? Because I think your problem, it sounds like, is having balance for more self A lot of people have the problem of they don't have that type of work ethic. So how would you speak to somebody who is trying to stay as consistent as you have over these past number of years, or even get out, have a nine to five, or if they're just a strict entrepreneur, but they can't be as consistent, where would you say they should start?
Speaker 2:The why. Like why are you doing it? Like for me, my why it has. Like literally has nothing to do with me. Like my why is about my future children. If that's my journey, you know, my parents, my brother, my husband.
Speaker 2:So that's what gets me up in the morning is I know I have to do this thing because of them and that, and then also the people that I mentioned before. The people are watching me and for whatever reason, they are inspired, like even at my nine to five being a leader there, I can't stop. So you got to get to your why Like and my why is about other, really other people feeling good or getting inspired by what I do.
Speaker 1:I guess yeah, because I remember a couple years ago I asked you. I was like you know, I don't know if you remember we were driving to, I think, hattie B's and I'm like are you going to open it up for men or just different?
Speaker 2:You would like kind of like respectfully know, like this is where we going not now, like I'm also a realist like I gotta nail the women's part down first and and people have been asking for men's stuff that's why we launched the, the signature jogging suit, which is unisex, um, and the t-shirts and whatnot to kind of like fill that gap. But I want to really get solid with the women's and then move into the other spaces last question what made you continue to do the youtube?
Speaker 1:because I know that's where you, that's where you started too right. And then you, you double down on it now kind of child on the youtube shorts?
Speaker 2:yeah, I, because I, actually we so alfred and I were my husband. We're talking about this. I it's a hobby and I realized and this might sound sad I don't have any hobbies. That, or I don't. I haven't tapped back into my hobbies. And YouTube is a hobby for me. I, when I started it that's what it was when I was in grad school, before it was really popular and I was into makeup and I was just like, okay, like let me record, and it was fun to me, like I enjoyed researching, like how to edit and like the camera equipment and like being a creative director, like I thoroughly enjoy that as a hobby. And so for me now I'm like okay, let's get back into this as a hobby.
Speaker 1:So it helps you balance it all out it does.
Speaker 2:It's still connected, so I still get. I don't feel guilty when I'm not.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying, but it's a it's a hobby and I appreciate you one, just like our friendship, you know collaboration. I asked you to do this. You got the dope podcast studio slash crib already set up.
Speaker 2:That's all. That's mr austin, that's alfred austin.
Speaker 1:I don't have nothing to do, and then just the preparation and thoughtfulness that you put into everything you do. And, alfred, like he, we spent probably about an hour or more just like talking about the specifics. So, like your, your work ethic, his work ethic, creativity I mean, it's a dope combination. So yeah no.
Speaker 2:I appreciate you. You know we we go way back right, no, carol, your wife that's my girl, okay, um connected through that and now we have our friendship through work, which is, and then also also just in general, coming from the same area, and just that mutual understanding.
Speaker 1:So likewise yeah, seven mile and woodward seven mile and john are look, and you already know it's a rough place it is a rough place, yeah all right, y'all.
Speaker 1:Well, we done wrapped up another dope episode of the peace and prosperity podcast. So make sure you like share, subscribe and follow ven Venus on all platforms to peace. Thank you all for listening to another episode of the peace and prosperity podcast. Again, if you are feeling like, hey, I'm experiencing high functioning anxiety, don't beat yourself up about it. It is OK. We all experience anxiety from time to time and I gave you a couple of things that you can do on your own, but don't hesitate to reach out to a professional to better manage what you're going through. Okay, and lastly, make sure, if you have not like, share, subscribe to the podcast and send this out to a friend, and if you want to hear certain episodes or have certain conversations, let me know. You can shoot me a DM or just leave a review and I will definitely follow up. All right, y'all be blessed Peace.