Transition periods are never easy. Whether you’re moving from side hustle to full-time, growing a team, or streamlining your operations, change can be hard – but it can also be incredibly rewarding.
Megan Gonzalez is an expert at navigating transitions. From wedding stationery to branding and photo styling, to consulting work, a full-time corporate role, and back to working with small businesses…she’s the founder of MaeMae & Co., a creative studio celebrating more than 15 years of bringing client daydreams to life.
In this interview, Megan shares how she’s embraced major changes in her life, business, and finances, and how you can, too.
WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/megan-gonzalez
📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Transition periods are never easy. Whether you’re moving from side hustle to full-time, growing a team, or streamlining your operations, change can be hard – but it can also be incredibly rewarding.
Megan Gonzalez is an expert at navigating transitions. From wedding stationery to branding and photo styling, to consulting work, a full-time corporate role, and back to working with small businesses…she’s the founder of MaeMae & Co., a creative studio celebrating more than 15 years of bringing client daydreams to life.
In this interview, Megan shares how she’s embraced major changes in her life, business, and finances, and how you can, too.
WILDFLOWER SHOWNOTES : shannaskidmore.com/megan-gonzalez
📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Megan (00:00):
When we were leaving Minneapolis after we sold our house, which was such a big part of my creative life, that was a really hard thing to let go of. And after we sold it, I had this vision, I felt like a dream, but I was fully awake. I saw a woman face down in between our house and our neighbor's house, and they knew she was dead and she had dark hair. And I was like, oh my God. I felt like it was in a horror movie. And I was like, who is that? Who's going to die? And I was so scared and I kept thinking about it all day and I was like, is it the woman who bought her house? Is it my mom? When she comes to help us move here? I was so scared and I just felt the Holy Spirit say to me, Megan, that's you. You need to die to your old self and let her stay here and you need to move on. New creation.
Shanna (00:49):
You are listening to Consider the Wildflowers, the podcast episode 61. Transition periods are never easy. Whether you're moving from side hustle to full-time, growing a team or streamlining your operations, change can be hard, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. Megan Gonzalez is an expert at navigating transitions from wedding stationary to branding and photo styling, to consulting work, a full-time, corporate role, and back to working with small businesses. She's the founder of Mame and Co, a creative studio celebrating more than 15 years of bringing client daydreams to life. In this interview, Megan shares how she embraced major changes in her life, business and finances, and how you can too. If you dig professional bios. Here goes. Megan Gonzalez is the founder of mei, a branding and marketing agency based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Meme is a colorful world where play is considered research and daydreaming is the first step in problem solving.
(01:41):
Megan's creative adventures have evolved over the years from designing stationary to developing brands, to styling photo shoots, to directing marketing teams, to accepting a role as a chief operating officer. Each chapter of the studio is marked by Megan's passion for creative storytelling and empathetic leadership. Meme's. Client list includes leaders from the fashion and interior world, brave entrepreneurs, former residents of the White House stars from your favorite movies and highly recognized food brands such as Cheerios and Bushes, baked Beans. Okay, formal introductions over, let's dive in. Hey, it's Shanna and this is Consider the Wildflowers, the podcast. For the past 15 plus years, I've had the honor to hear thousands of stories from entrepreneurs around the world. As a former Fortune 100 financial advisor turned business consultant, I have a unique opportunity to see the real behind the highlight reel. I'm talking profit and loss statements, unpaid taxes, moments of burnout, and those of utter victory. Or as my husband says, the content everyone is wondering but not many are talking about. And now I'm bringing these private conversations to you here. The untold stories of how industry leaders, founders, and up and coming entrepreneurs got their start, the experiences that shaped them and the journey to building the brands they have today. Stories that will inspire and reignite encourage to redefine success and build a life and business on your own terms. Welcome Wildflower. I'm so glad you're here. Hey Megan, welcome to the show.
Megan (03:01):
Hi. Thank you so much for having me.
Shanna (03:04):
Listen. Is it the change of seasons or what's happening? You guys are going to get the Shanna Megan Frog voices
Megan (03:10):
Today. We sound sexy today.
Shanna (03:13):
It's exactly right. We're showing up, I guess.
Megan (03:16):
I
Shanna (03:16):
Think it's the
Megan (03:17):
Little critters we live with.
Shanna (03:19):
I know. I saw this funny gif meme. I don't know. This is something like, thank you daycare for taking all of my money and giving me all of the diseases or something percent.
Megan (03:32):
Absolutely. I know. Well, and my husband and I joke all the time, we're like, when was the last time we kissed? Because we're always afraid we're going to give each other something. We have kiss and then our kids, our kids are just spraying mucus and saliva everywhere and it's like, I mean, we might as well just keep kissing. We're all just sick all the
Shanna (03:50):
Time. Spreading it around. Yeah. Madeline came home with pink eye a couple weeks ago. I know that poor little nugget nugget. It was so gross. And now Kyle has a pink eye, so
Megan (04:01):
It's a good look.
Shanna (04:02):
Yeah, and the poor guy, he's just like, my eyes hurt so bad, the little people, but they bounce back usually so
Megan (04:08):
Fast. They do. They don't even care.
Shanna (04:10):
Yeah. I've already had pink eyes five years ago. I think I was in a really challenging work season. I was working all the time and I got so sick and I was like, oh, I never get sick. I was like, I got to go to the doctor and sorry everybody, this is just me and Megan. I got to go to the doctor. When I go to the doctor, I'm like, oh, I feel better. I just need to leave. This is a waste of time. Anyways, I stayed and they're like, yeah, you have strep throat. They were like, do you have children at home? And I was like, no. And they were like, yeah, you have strep throat, pink eye. And one of the other chicken pox, it wasn't chicken fox, but chicken pox. I don't remember which one it was, but it was just like, huh? I'm sorry, Brent. Yeah, that's
Megan (04:53):
The worst.
Shanna (04:54):
So I dunno, I didn't get cry this time, so we'll see. Body. Yeah, literally I was staying in bed for a week and I was like, glad I went to the doctor. Hey Megan, tell everybody who you are and what you do.
Megan (05:04):
My name is Megan and I started a creative studio called Meme 15 years ago, and I currently support entrepreneurial women who have visually focused products. I help them navigate change in their branding, their business, their visuals, and I just am inspired by them and get to help them go to their next level.
Shanna (05:28):
We have been friends in kindred spirits since what, 25th?
Megan (05:33):
15? Yeah, I think so.
Shanna (05:35):
That's a good run. I know. Look at us, look at our friendship. I love it. I've had the pleasure of working with Megan on several occasions and I get so many compliments about our brand and our visuals and I'm like, it is Megan, you are so talented.
Megan (05:53):
Thank
Shanna (05:53):
You. And this, I've always loved your work. Tell everybody kind of how you got started in business. What was life like before business? Just take us back.
Megan (06:04):
Before business, I was a child. I started my company. It was called me May Papery, my senior year of college as a wedding stationary business. And as I was creating wedding stationary, I got really into the branding process and highlighting my product. So I learned how to style photos and take photos of stationary suites, learned how to use digital marketing. I didn't know that's what you would call it and use it poorly. I got blocked from Facebook many times because I was just spamming people. This is in 2008. And so the clientele evolved over time from brides to people in the wedding industry who wanted help with their own brands. So I ran both sides of the business and started to grow a team. I was kind of caught in that classic cycle of too much work, not enough manpower, and then you get more manpower and you don't have enough work to support it. So I was kind of on that cycle for many years. I think it was my second year of business, I was sitting at my desk feeling really overwhelmed and I was just calculating how much work I needed to do, how behind I was like what's, who's screaming the loudest? Which fire is raging the strongest to try to figure out what to work on that day?
Shanna (07:36):
How many nights in a row? Can I stay awake? Yeah.
Megan (07:39):
Yes. No. So I had 40, I think if I had 40 or 45 clients,
Shanna (07:45):
Oh my
Megan (07:46):
Goodness. It was just me and decided if I stayed awake, I think it was like 30 something days I could get it done. So that was kind of a moment of I wish I could have reflected and said, well, you're very talented at marketing. You are able to get a lot of work, so what can you do differently?
(08:06):
So fast forward seven years, I had a team that I built and moved into a studio space out of my home and my husband says, because I'm currently doing this right now in our new home, that I have a way of overtaking a home with my business and my projects. So anyways, I did that in our old apartment and got a new studio down the street, and that was a really sweet year where I got to explore and start to meld my excitement about branding with photo styling and starting to offer styling for people's websites and products. And yeah, my team, it was a really fun time where I got to be very creative and yet at the same time it was a very heavy time of carrying payroll and rent. It was this beautiful lofted space, the heater, the air just floated to the top and it was freezing at the bottom and my girls were wearing their down Minnesota jackets and I went upstairs.
(09:11):
Sometimes I would take my sweater off and just be like there in my bra. It was so hot. So it was like you're paying out the wazoo for your heating bill for it to smoke out some and freeze others. So that was a very juxtaposed season of exciting, creative and crushing financial realities. So I found myself in an immense amount of debt. I think it was like 65,000. I feel happy in one way that I can't remember the exact number. Yeah, you blocked it. Yeah, I've moved past it, but I was lost. What am I doing? It seems as if everything is going so well. I was getting a lot of press opportunity. I had so many clients on a waiting list. Everybody was always busy. So you're like, what am I doing wrong? And I met with several people who were further along in business and that was new to me.
(10:07):
I had a lot of peers, a lot of people similar in age to me that owned creative businesses. And this was a great moment to learn from people not in creative people who are much further ahead in life. And I learned a lot about what I was doing wrong and what I was given several pieces of advice, how to fix it. And I think that part was really confusing when you are weighing all of these radically different paths. You could go down bankruptcy, get a job, let your team go lean into the wedding stationary, but no, lean into the branding. But I was pretty confused. And what I did was I ended up letting go of my studio space, my employees and the wedding stationary side, and I was like, I refunded tons of clients. I am sorry. We're never going to work together even though you are on my waiting list.
(11:03):
And after that I moved into a coworking space and I thought what I was doing was I was kind of waiting there. It was a waiting moment to me. I was applying to a lot of design art director, creative director jobs, and I was just like, I'm going to keep doing some design work until I get a job and that's going to be my solution to solve my business debt. Since I feel honestly incapable to do this. I just felt so crushed by the financial burden and that space, that coworking space ended up, this sounds so melodramatic, but saving me creatively. I was surrounded by other people that were uplifting and working really hard, but also had a lot of joy. We were very collaborative. I came to the owners like, okay, I think I'm about to get this job, so I'm going to be leaving next month.
(12:02):
I think I did that two or three times and never got the jobs. And then we stopped having that conversation and they're like, so I think you're staying. And I'm like, and I paid off all of my debt while I was there. I think it was That's amazing. In half a year. And what I started to do differently was to work faster and instead of hoarding clients and work, I tried to finish them very quickly before I moved on to the next thing to break that cycle of what had been happening, too much work, too much payroll, weight, that whole thing. So I got really into photo styling at that time and was continuing to do branding and kind of started and stopped branding all the time. It's kind of funny. It was like, I think I want to do this. I guess I don't.
(12:56):
But with photo styling, I felt like I really found a creative itch. And it also was sustainable as a business. And I got to work with a lot of people, which was fun because for a photo shoot, you need many different players on set. And for some agencies I worked for, they would bring a team too. And some clients flew into town, felt very, I'm a very social person. I think it also really scratched that itch for me. I got to be creative, I got to be social, I got to do my own thing and have independence still. And that was a really happy time.
Shanna (13:35):
Tell me what year you moved into the coworking, do you remember?
Megan (13:42):
Yeah, 2015.
Shanna (13:44):
That was a good year. That was a good year. Yeah. So we kind of talked about this before Megan, but would you say, if you were to put it in a nutshell, because I know there are people listening that are like, that's me. I feel overworked, too much stress, not able to get to all these projects. I think we've talked about this before. As a Shana looking in, I would probably go to pricing. And I think you've mentioned before, if you're project based but you don't know how much time it actually takes you or you're giving too much time or you're over delivering that into, would you say it was kind of a combination of those two things? Like pricing was probably too low and maybe it was taking you just pricing the work wasn't going well. Yes. Yeah,
Megan (14:32):
Right. I was severely underpriced when I was talking with someone who was ACPA. He asked what percentage of projects do I win? And I was like, oh, 99% everybody says yes. And he was like, that's not a good sign. Yeah,
Shanna (14:52):
That's your price.
Megan (14:53):
And for someone who's nervous about rejection, I think that was an interesting tension and that I feel comfortable with in this very moment sitting here, but that's very new to me. But to feel like can't, when you actually care about the people, well, I'm not saying other people don't care, but I think I often blur the line between caring deeply about a person and saying, I can still really care about them but not be in their budget. And that tension I can become more comfortable with to the point that it's no longer attention. It's just that's how life
Shanna (15:30):
Is. And I wonder too, and we can talk about this, when life outside of work needs or requires more of your time or you want or get clear on what you want your life to look like outside your, you get less and less with working all the time for little money. Right?
Megan (15:49):
Exactly. Exactly. Yeah.
Shanna (15:52):
Just for anybody listening, I always tell my students, 30 to 50% yeses, 30%, that's good hurts.
Megan (16:00):
30% really hurts because
Shanna (16:02):
You're hearing three times two to three times more nos and it's just like ouch.
Megan (16:07):
But what's your advice for people who need to increase their tolerance of a no?
Shanna (16:12):
Oh man practice.
Megan (16:13):
Yeah. My husband and I have been talking about me doing things that are scary outside of work to build up a tolerance for scary nos at work.
Shanna (16:24):
I think just remembering too, when you say yes to something, you're saying no to something else. So what are you willing to say no to a client who can't quite meet your budget or time with your family or the trip you want to take or I don't know what it is. Totally. I think honestly, it's always, I mean for a people pleaser and somebody who I care, but I mean I clearly love what I do and people are like, I'm failing financially, or I'm about to lose everything or I'm about to go baker. I'm like, okay, we can do this, but I have to realize I can't sacrifice. Anyways, we got on a tangent. This was so, okay, so 2015, go to the coworking space. When did it transition from meme papery to meme and co and just drop the paper? And when I met you, you were only doing brand visuals.
Megan (17:20):
So right before I moved to the coworking space, when I had my team and my old studio, I transitioned to meme and co. Truthfully, I always wanted it to just be meme, but I couldn't secure the URL and all the handles and all the things. So that's kind of actually fast forward. That's what I call my business now. Just me, me,
Shanna (17:42):
Just me, me. You're back.
Megan (17:44):
I'm back. I also feel like in saying that it's a ownership of me is me. I think there's been this blur for me between I don't want to find my identity in my work because I did for a while and when I thought I was going to get a job, I felt like I didn't know who I was and didn't have value anymore. And so I'm very aware that I don't want my identity be wrapped into it. And on the flip side, people work with my business to work with me and people want me to make things with them because of me. And so I think not in a humble way being able to say, that's the gift, it's me. And it's just meme. Yeah. Sorry, another tangent. I love it. So when I moved into the coworking space, I did both branding mostly for people that I had already worked with or were friends or colleagues in the area. Otherwise, yes, I was just doing photo styling,
Shanna (18:49):
Being able to pay off 65,000 in debt in six months. How did you get such a difference? Was it low overhead? No team figuring out how to price better?
Megan (19:02):
Yes. I was pricing almost the same of what I was pricing before. And I started to do, I decided on an hourly rate and I charged everything by the hour. So I would give clients a range, this part or project I estimate taking between five and 10 hours. And I would break down, there's six elements to this project and here's my time estimation for each one. I'll never charge you more than the time estimation unless we creep outside of the scope of what is in the contract. And so that range worked really well and I was able to continue to fine tune the difference between an e-commerce shop website design versus a service website design and give really accurate ranges. So that worked well for a long time. And there were some things that kind of like I felt some friction in with photo styling because there are different roles I can take on at a photo shoot.
(20:05):
If a client comes to me and they're also a small business owner, when they are asking me to create a photo shoot for them, they're actually asking me to take on several different roles. They want me to creative direct the shoot, what are the images, where will they be used, what should the orientation be? And then also I'm the art director, where should the white space be for copy? What is the color direction? I'm the stylist, I'm getting all the props. I'm the producer, I'm creating the shot list, I'm booking the space, I'm hiring the photographers and the assistants, booking lunch, all those things. So that service is one thing and that's how I started. And then the other service that I can offer is to simply be just the prop stylist at a shoot. So agencies or photographers would hire me and they would expect a day rate because that was just very standard for the photography industry in Minneapolis.
(21:02):
I always, I think I was so sensitive about pricing because of what had happened with debt that I'd had a lot of friction with people about my invoices and how I charged for just styling when I worked with agencies. So that was a really interesting learning moment of I didn't want to quote compromise my rate or my worth, but I had to also be honest about the space I was in and if I didn't want to play by their rules to take a step back and say, okay, well I'm just not going to entertain work in this way. But that was a really interesting learning lesson. And after I had kids, I actually did a lot of work as just a stylist and settled on a day rate, and that was amazing. I had amazing clients. We did work for Bush's Baked Beans and they were incredible. And the whole day rate thing was fantastic for my life and where I was at that time. And I also think it made me aware of how prideful I was before. So it's complicated. You want to stick by your worth, but you also don't want to have pride and you also need to understand where other people are coming from. I would love to hear your thoughts on somebody who has their own pricing, but it's super different than the rest of their industry.
Shanna (22:20):
Yeah, that's so interesting. I mean, yeah, let me think on that. I'm going to circle back and answer that as we go, because I think that that probably happens quite a lot. I also think, and I know you would say this, we all take on work that we wouldn't, I'm going to air quote it for everybody listening, like call portfolio work, or maybe it is portfolio work, but I think it's okay. I don't know. I'm going to think on it, but to me, I think it's okay as long as it is profitable for your time
(22:55):
To understand the industry you're in. For instance, when I talk to product-based businesses, I always teach that your product shouldn't cost more than 40% of the price. So if you sell something for a hundred dollars, it shouldn't take you more than $40 to make it, including your time and your labor and all this stuff. Well, for people who wholesale, that's never going to be, all the wholesale companies have difference. Usually 50 50. I've heard some shops even go up to, they take 60%. So you have to kind of understand the industry you're going into and then price accordingly. And I think what saying it feels weird to charge one person this amount and one person this amount, but like you said, you're playing different roles as a stylist. Why it probably worked when you had littles at home is because you got to show up and then you got to leave. Exactly. It was like cut and dry. Whereas when you're working with a small business owner, there's naturally going to be probably a lot more involvement in making that shoot. Yeah. So yeah, you know, we answered the question. I think it's understanding and how the industry works, but also understanding that you can stand up and not do it, or you can say, well, I work for this amount.
Megan (24:15):
Exactly.
Shanna (24:15):
Right. That's okay too. As long as you're okay knowing you may not get that job right. So that's so good.
Megan (24:22):
Yeah, that was just new to me because when I had done branding, it was like if someone would say, well, this company charges this, I'd be like, great, we'll go work with them. It was just new to me to know that there's a very set expected rate and approach to pricing for that role.
Shanna (24:40):
Yeah, that's so interesting. I'm taking that in because I have a lot of stylists I've worked with in different capacities, and I think sometimes you set the price, other times the price is given to you, the rate is given to you, and then you just have to decide, is it worth my time?
Megan (24:59):
Exactly.
Shanna (25:00):
That's good. Okay, so you were doing the branding, you said off and on, the photo styling has really been after 2015 was really kind of where you put your focus. Will you talk with me just about, I want to go back a little bit just with all this talk about money and mindset, A lot of psychology, it sounds like you've dealt with. Yes,
Megan (25:24):
Yes.
Shanna (25:24):
Just talk to me about your relationship with money maybe growing up. Is money something that's come naturally or easy? What have been the struggles? I know you've talked a little bit about just pricing and worth, but I'd just love to hear you talk a little bit more about what you've learned about money and relationship with money
Megan (25:45):
As a child. My earliest memory of money, I have two things, is my mom would give me three quarters and I would have three jars. And there was the savings, the spending, and then the tithing to take to church. And I remember doing that. And then my other memory of money, which is kind of funny, was I used my dad's postage stamps as stickers and put them everywhere. And he is like, those represent money. And I was like, oh, I just remember that being groundbreaking. This little square right here is money.
(26:23):
I don't know why that. And then I would say as a teenager, I worked a lot. I was really involved in after afterschool activity, I swam and I played violin. I was involved at my church, but I taught violin lessons and I taught private swim lessons and I babysat and in college would work in the summers where found a job at school, I could do, I feel like I never have plans to have a business, but I somehow am constantly spinning one up and it's usually based on excitement or like, oh, I'm good at this. I know I could make money doing it, saving money, never strong suit. I remember when I would work in college, I would just go, I worked at Coldwater Creek if you're familiar with it, and it was at a mall, and I would just go on my lunch break to Banana Republic and raid the sale rack and just buy everything.
(27:19):
So not a good saver at all. And I think my relationship with money was, I feel like it's kind of like I didn't really want to think about it. I wanted it to allow me to do things that made me feel good or felt like they were fun. I remember one time using my own money to fill up the car in high school and just feeling like, oh, what a waste of money. So I think I started out early adulthood with a little twisted mindset on money. My mom is very frugal. She's so generous, but I never saw her spend a lot of money on herself, and it's actually something she is working on right now. We were just talking about going shopping this weekend for a dress she's getting for my cousin's wedding, and she was like, let's go to Neiman. And so I think that it was modeled to me to be modest with money, and I just went the exact opposite direction. I don't really know why. Yeah.
Shanna (28:22):
After you went through your experience of getting in the debt and going through all that, would you say that it changed how you ran your business or managed your money going forward?
Megan (28:34):
Yes, absolutely. I felt defensive of my time. I think I was coming from a hurt place, so I wouldn't say my mentality was healthy. I think it was more strategic, but I felt very defensive of my time, like any overage minutes or overage proofs, I tracked everything wildly to the detail. I spent a dollar 50 on parking and I took a picture of that. It was everything. I was so detailed about the cost of things,
Shanna (29:06):
Which is good. I think that helped you knowing and tracking meticulously for a season in time I think gives so much good information. And then being able to find the healthy place of not living in scarcity, but also not living just blindly.
Megan (29:26):
Yes. During the pandemic, I lost all of my business because most of it was in-person photo shoots, so everything was canceled, rescheduled, et cetera. And I was also pregnant with Griffey, my oldest and I spent a ton of time researching how to become a consultant. I researched how to value-based price instead of hourly price. I would say I spent most of that summer of 2020 outside super pregnant, getting tan and consuming immense amounts of information about value-based pricing so that I could do things differently in the future.
Shanna (30:11):
So with that said, quick question, what would you say is the best thing you have learned about money?
Megan (30:17):
I would say money is never enough. It's never enough unless you have contentment. So you could make new goals of what you want to earn, but if you don't pair that with contentment, it's never going to be what you want it to be.
Shanna (30:33):
Yeah. Well, that was strong. That was good. I want to talk about family life a little bit and 2020, you're pregnant, you lost all your business, and we haven't gotten to really chat much since then. I know. So I want to catch up on these last few years because I know you took a step back. And so just talk through how your business shifted maybe during this different life season. Now you have two kiddos. What have you been up to for the last few years? And then I know you've recently relaunched May.
Megan (31:08):
Yes.
Shanna (31:09):
Just walk me through the recent few years in life as a mom.
Megan (31:16):
So after I had Griffey, I had a moment of, I had always assumed I would work and have him, and then I kind of felt like I came to a crossroad, do I want to work or do I want to stay home with him right now? But I think that was a really healthy moment to say, yes, I do want to keep working instead of just assuming I felt like it was a very marked moment of choice.
Shanna (31:42):
Yeah, I love that.
Megan (31:43):
And I shared, I was doing a lot of styling work for an agency in downtown Minneapolis for Bush's baked beans. And then I had a lot of my other small business clients that I had started to work with again, and it felt like just a really safe space. I made enough, and I didn't really have a lot of, I could feel this void of creativity that I wasn't getting to do or make or even have the ideas I used to, and I didn't know what to do with that, but it didn't really concern me because I had no energy to figure that out. And then I found out after Griffey was six months old that I was pregnant with his brother Rafa Surprise.
Shanna (32:24):
So at that quick turnaround, I was
Megan (32:26):
Like, yeah, quick. And I was like, I can't do all this photo. It's very physical, a lot of making of things, carrying things physically, standing all day. I mean, it's not grueling, but I had sciatica with my first and I was like, I can't do that again with a second. And so I was like, I need to figure something else out. And previous to finding out I was pregnant, I had started to return to that research I had been doing about consulting, and I outlined four clients that I was like, I would love to work more consistently with these four people. Most of my work previously had always been project based or as needed with repeat clients. And I was trying to map out a way to create more consistency for my work life, especially with childcare where you're like, okay, well five, three days a week childcare, but these shoots keep moving.
(33:21):
Or one week the shoot is five days long. I was feeling like these worlds aren't meshing well. So I outlined, these are the four clients I'd like to work with, and it was really divine. But each one by one approached me. I didn't even have the time yet to reach out to them, but each approached me and I had a very rough idea what I wanted to offer them. So I offer it to the first, they say, yes, I offer it to a second. They say yes, I decide with the third to actually part ways, and that was really painful. And then the fourth said yes. So I had three clients and Jason is like, what are you doing? What have you done here? This is too much. They were all really big contracts. So I ended up tailoring things down and ended up doing smaller engagements with two of 'em and then taking one on in a more full-time capacity. It was a wallpaper company called Drop at Modern Base in Portland, and they do incredible artful, beautiful wallpaper. So I started as creative director and has, it happens in small business, things morph and the responsibilities morph. And so by the end of our time together, I was working as COO, and that was a really incredible opportunity for me, for my family. I was able to move across the country twice. We moved from Minneapolis to Salt Lake, salt Lake to Phoenix
Shanna (34:50):
With Drop It modern wallpaper. Yes. Okay. This was what, 20, 21, 22.
Megan (34:56):
We moved in 22. I gave away my entire prop library. In my mind I was like, I felt really proud of the position that I had secured and the work I was doing, and I had a little bit of pride and arrogance against my creative self and was like, this business self, she's serious. She's worth more. She is more accomplished. And so I was like, I'm done with that creative part of me. I did a lot of creative work in my role, but yeah, I was kind of like, I don't think I'll ever do creative again. And that was kind of sad, but I mean, sorry, the 45 minutes isn't enough to capture The last three years they've been the beefiest three years of my life personally. But I was carrying a lot personally too with postpartum depression and just grappling with this new role as mom and who am I and a lot of change.
(36:01):
And so I came out of that contract, we ended in July, and I thought I would just go into another similar contract with another client. We were kind of talking about where we were going together, and I have some amazing new friends here in Phoenix, and as I was talking through, they have a lot less context of who I am and what I do. And so it was kind of refreshing. There was one friend in particular, we went to coffee. She was a new friend. It was the first combo. We had had one-on-one, and it was a moment where I shared I missed that bit of me. And so I've since had the opportunity, like Jason and I talked about what would it look like for me to go back into that. I mean, it felt absolutely terrifying. Terrifying. And it's been really sweet. It's been scary but rewarding.
(36:57):
I've only been in it now for six weeks, honestly. But I've secured some very inspiring clients. I feel a lot more clear about what I want this next shortsighted season to look like and very open about what it could be. I feel like when I reflect back, I could never anticipate all of the changes. I feel like my entire business and career is marked by change. And that's one of the things that my mission in Mei Mei is to help other women who own businesses through change. Maybe they're pivoting what they're doing or expanding or streamlining, but that's where I'm comfortable. So I'm not going to pretend I know what I'm going to do next, but I'm really excited and have contentment about what I have right now. So in that way, it feels like enough because I'm content with it.
Shanna (37:46):
Yeah. Well, welcome back. Thank you. I'm very excited you're back. Have you found, this is personal mom to mom. Have you found ways to kind of recenter after such a big life change and becoming a mom to two pretty quickly and changing your business and doing different work? I mean, that's a lot of change.
Megan (38:13):
It's a lot of change, yeah.
Shanna (38:15):
A very close timeframe. Have you found ways that you've been able to kind of recenter find Megan?
Megan (38:24):
Yeah, I think that's interesting. You use the phrase find Megan. When we were leaving Minneapolis after we sold our house, which was such a big part of my creative life in making the house, in making a lot, doing a lot of work there, that was a really hard thing to let go of. And after we sold it, I had this vision, I was awake, but it was like the vision was, I don't know if you've ever had a vision, but it felt like a dream. But I was fully awake. I saw a woman face down in between our house and our neighbor's house, and I knew she was dead and she had dark hair. And I was like, oh my God. I felt like it was in a horror movie. I almost felt like I could hear this sound when I saw her. And I was like, who is that?
(39:16):
Who's going to die? And I was so scared, and I kept thinking about it all day, and I was like, is it the woman who bought her house? Is she going to die here? And then I was like, is it my mom? When she comes to help us move, is she going to die here? I was so scared, and I just felt the Holy Spirit say to me, Megan, that's you need to die to your old self and let her stay here and you need to move on new creation. And I feel like finding Megan is finding a new me right now, and I have let go of the old version of me. And I think there were lots of bits of her that were beautiful and there were a lot of prideful bits, fearful bits. And that's the version of me that I'm trying to leave behind and honestly still rediscover who I am now and I'm becoming her for sure.
(40:09):
And I think as far as feeling centered, I know what it takes to be centered. I think for me in this very season, which is quiet time alone in the morning, waking up for me an ungodly hour to be quiet and to prep for my family's day. When I wake up and I'm immediately with my kids, I'm on edge for the rest of the day. So I am becoming more comfortable with it. But that is definitely for me having quiet at the start. And right now, I'm also trying to be diligent about making entryways like hallways, if you will, between my time with my family and work and making when the kids go off to school, having a quiet time in prayer and reading and when work ends having a time of reflection. My goal would be to meditate before I go get them. I did it one time and it was honestly transformative, but it's like I need that intentional time to say, I leave this part of me and now I'm moving on to this other part of me to feel balanced, centered. Yeah.
Shanna (41:21):
Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. Yes. One of the surprising things I would say about becoming a mom for myself is just that it wasn't easy to find what you need. Does that make sense? Yeah. Kyle and I were married 10 years before we had Madeline. I was in my mid thirties. It's like I've done a lot of life
(41:46):
To this point, and you don't think about, oh, to feel harmony, to feel centered. I love how you use that word. I need this time with the Lord. I need to be exercising. I need to be these things. And so when I let a lot of those things kind of drop, and that was one of the surprising things for myself of I know maybe I'm like, maybe I should have known. I don't know. To thrive, you need to not drop everything you used to do, but just kind of, yeah, refinding. What lights you up? What keeps you feeling grounded and yeah. Oh, thank you for sharing that, Megan. It's been such a joy. I have missed you. And wow, what a weather change you have these days.
Megan (42:32):
I know. One extreme to another
Shanna (42:34):
Truly
Megan (42:36):
Tank top life.
Shanna (42:38):
Hashtag. Let's do some quickfire questions.
Megan (42:41):
Okay.
Shanna (42:42):
What is one thing you would be embarrassed if people knew?
Megan (42:46):
Oh, I don't think I embarrass easily. And the things that are most embarrassing, I'm not going to say on here, but I'll say I am an aspiring speed walker. I'm having an issue with my knee, but when that's better, I will be joining my local speed walking group
Shanna (43:01):
For real and competing. You found a speed? Yeah, for real. This makes me happy. Please send me a video.
Megan (43:07):
It's like I am not very athletic, but I crush a speed walk.
Shanna (43:12):
You'll speed walk. I am probably the opposite. I would win at like sloth walking. I'm just, just totally in my own world, Kyle. Yeah.
Megan (43:23):
I get the Shakira hips going. I'm
Shanna (43:25):
Like, you're going to, that's awesome. Please send me a video. It would make my life i'll so happy. Any regrets or wish you could do over moments?
Megan (43:35):
This is very superficial, but I hate when I buy a coat too small and it's too tight on my shoulders. And I bought this beautiful coat when we were on an anniversary trip in Paris. That's too small, and I always try to wear it and it gives me a headache every time. So I wish I would've bought a bigger size.
Shanna (43:52):
That's the worst.
Megan (43:53):
Don't buy a coat that's too small. Always fit a sweatshirt underneath it. Always wear sweat, fit a sweatshirt
Shanna (43:58):
On. That's a great
Megan (43:59):
Tip. I don't think I'll ever wear a coat here again, so I'm fine. It'll
Shanna (44:02):
Be fine. I heard a tip once and it has changed my fashion life when I travel. Pick your shoes first and then your outfits. And I was like, I
Megan (44:12):
Agree.
Shanna (44:13):
This makes so much sense. It does. But when you choose your outfits first, then you have so many more shoes. It's so good. I was like, best advice. Okay.
Megan (44:21):
May I add to the shoe tip? Get a shoe expander if you have wide feet. I got this shoe expander on Amazon, and it has expanded my possibilities of shoes I can wear comfortably for a long time. So get one.
Shanna (44:38):
Well, good tips. How many great tips? This is just bonus. Welcome. This is extra. Okay. Tell me about a big win or a pinch me moment.
Megan (44:47):
Yeah. I would say feeling at home here in Phoenix, I was very resistant to leave. Minneapolis felt like I wouldn't know who I was anymore and I wouldn't belong. And I feel I've also learned that about myself. Belonging is a very high value to me, and I feel like I belong here and I feel so at home and yeah, I can't believe it.
Shanna (45:13):
That makes me so happy to hear. It's hard to make adult friendships and find community. It's very hard. Yeah. Did you get connected with a church pretty quickly or
Megan (45:22):
We did not. We tried several and we are at one now and really enjoying it. And I attend a women's group on Tuesday morning with some really wonderful women, but I've made strong friendships with other moms. I met two moms through my boys' school, and they have just expanded my world to meeting other women, and there's six or eight of us that will do a lot of things together. I feel like there's literally always something to do, and it feels like real community where you can see one another at any time, call in one another anytime, help each other out, do fun things, do mundane things. Talk about strategies to eliminate whining. Have a friend hold your screaming baby while your other child's buck naked at Chick-fil-A unexpectedly. Right. They're great.
Shanna (46:12):
This is when you know you've reached community. Yes. I love it. That makes me
Megan (46:18):
Happy. Yeah. My parents and one of my brothers is here, and dear friends from high school are here too, so I just feel like I really have returned home, but it's new and fresh in my own at the same time. Yeah.
Shanna (46:31):
I love it. Okay. Best advice or just really good advice that you have received?
Megan (46:35):
Oh yeah. I asked this woman, Kristen to be my mentor several years ago, and she told me this phrase, go higher. The idea when you are feeling so bogged down by your problems, go higher, go to the Lord and pull away. Her example was she was leaving on a trip and she was meticulously preparing her home. So when she returned, it was in perfect order. She literally vacuumed herself out the door, so no crumb was left untouched. And then when she was high up in the airplane, she felt the Lord. Ask her, do you see your vacuumed carpet from up here? No. And the idea of just pulling out from the mundane things we obsess over that don't really matter in the end. So I often tell myself that when I'm getting in an obsessive mood, perfectionist mood, go higher. Yeah,
Shanna (47:26):
That's good. Okay, last quick fire and then we'll send it off. What are you working on now or one resource that you would like to share?
Megan (47:34):
Yeah, so right now I'm reconnecting with a lot of favorite clients. I have one new client, otherwise this is really cool. But I feel like I'm, again, returning home to people I admire and inspired by. So I'm working with several women who own really inspiring businesses in the home goods category, art studios, travel agencies, interior designers, and I feel really excited about what's next and getting to see these women thrive and getting to touchpoint again, some of them after eight years, five years, 10 years.
Shanna (48:11):
That's so exciting. Well, I'm so glad you're back, Megan.
Megan (48:14):
Thank
Shanna (48:15):
You. And I love that you're feeling home in Phoenix. Let's send this thing off 15 years in the making. Looking back, what would you tell yourself on day one of starting your business?
Megan (48:27):
I would say your giftings aren't your right and let the Holy Spirit flow through you. You don't have to control everything you're doing that your gift's going to work best when you stop trying to hold it so tight.
Shanna (48:43):
So much easier said than done, but yes. Love that. Megan, thanks for your time today. What a joy. Thanks for sharing your story. I have no doubt it has resonated with so many listening and just being open and vulnerable, and you are just such a gem.
Megan (49:01):
Thanks, Shannon.
Shanna (49:02):
Hey, wildflower, you just finished another episode of Consider the Wildflowers, the podcast. Head over to consider the wildflowers podcast.com for show notes, resource links, and to learn how you can connect with Megan, a little sunshine from our Wildflower of the Week animated design code. So excited about this. The way Shanna teaches about money and business is so unique and the guests she has on are so open to sharing about the backend of their businesses. Can't wait to listen to more episodes and see where this podcast goes. Thank you, Anna, and for all of you who have left reviews, thank you. They mean the world. One final thought for today from John Wooden, the more concern we become over the things we can't control, the less we will do with the things we can control. As always, thank you for listening. I'll see you next time.