Barbara Clarke Ruiz & Working with Industry Giants

We’re excited to welcome Barbara Clarke Ruiz, CEO of BC Swirl Incorporated, to the podcast! Barbara takes us through her amazing career in the global activewear world, where she’s worked with giants like Adidas, Nike, and Eleven by Venus Williams. From her early days to leading big projects like designing for Walmart and boosting sales with Kohl’s Tech Gear, Barbara’s story is packed with big moves and bold choices. She also shares her leap into entrepreneurship with her pet treat brand, Lick You Silly, and her latest adventure in children’s book publishing. This episode is full of real, practical insights for anyone dreaming big in business!

Get to Know Barbara:

https://www.facebook.com/barbara.c.ruiz.3

https://www.instagram.com/barbaraclarkeruiz/

https://linkedin.com/in/barbaraclarkeruiz

Lick You Silly Pet Products:

https://www.facebook.com/lickyousillypetproducts/

https://www.instagram.com/lickyousillyyumyum/

https://www.tiktok.com/@lickyousillypetproducts

Time Stamps:

01:10 Barbara Clark Ruiz's Impressive Career Journey

02:19 Early Career and Major Accomplishments

06:22 Navigating Challenges and Success in the Activewear Industry

11:53 Collaborating with Venus Williams

15:07 Transition to Entrepreneurship: Lick You Silly

19:27 Building a Successful Pet Product Business

23:42 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

28:35 New Ventures and Final Thoughts

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Transcript

Episode 066: Barbara Clarke Ruiz
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Barbara: [00:00:00] would you be interested in working with Venus? And I'm like, heck, yeah. so he said, Okay, I'll show you information with her.

You know, like sometimes when things are really just too good to be true, they just don't happen. tend to not happen. And just randomly, one day my phone rings and I'm answering my phone and I'm like, Hi, this is Barbara. She was like, Hi, this is Venus. I'm like, Williams? She's like, yeah. And I'm like, wait, can you just hold on one second?

and so I remember, you know, just muting my phone. It was like, Oh, Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. This is like so amazing. 



Michelle: Hello and welcome back to the Her First Podcast. Today we have a very special guest, Barbara Clark Ruiz. Thank you so much for joining us on the show today, Barbara. 

Barbara: Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here. 

Michelle: We're excited to have you. So we're going to get into a wonderful conversation today, but before we dive in, I'm going to give you a little bit more information on Barbara's background because it is wonderful.

And I [00:01:00] want to be able to share all of her successes with you. And we're going to talk a lot about her journey, What it took her to get to where she is today and the evolution that's kind of taken place along that path. So Barbara Clarke Ruiz is CEO of BC swirl incorporated has had a remarkable career in the global active wear industry, collaborating with top brands like Adidas, Nike, New Balance, Walmart and 11 by Venus Williams.

Her international experience, including time in France and Germany with Adidas has given her unique insights into the market as Walmart's design director. She designed for six divisions and generated 750 million per season. She also closed a 40 million sales deal for Marika and secured a 3 million Costco acquisition for legend.

Barbara's recent 30 piece collection with Kohl's tech gear boosted sales by 22% beyond fashion. She founded Lcu Silly Pet Treats, ranked in Amazon's top 2% and has been featured in Cosmopolitan. [00:02:00] and Barbara's expertise spans creating building brands and driving sales, which is exactly why we brought her expertise to you today.

So you can learn a lot from her journey, how she's been able to accomplish these amazing. things. So Barbara, what a phenomenal career. Can you start with, what are some of the things that you're actually most proud of accomplishing throughout your path? 

Barbara: the thing that I'm probably most proud of is being able to be hired, for my, for my first job by Adidas.

and it's pronounced Adidas because it's actually someone's name. It's Adidasler. and in the U. S. we tend to call it Adidas. Thanks to run DMC in Europe, we call it, they call it Adidas. So anyway, but being hired by them right out of college, not really having any interest in active wear, but just really focused on not having to go back home to Virginia.

said, I'll just go and work for them. And I did. And then I fell in love completely and utterly fell in love, look forward to going to work every day. It was amazing. So after I was with the company for about a year and a half, and I, I was designing a lot of [00:03:00] product that was doing quite a bit of volume when they were ready to close down that office and open up an international design office.

They asked me to go, and that is really probably, I feel like one of my biggest accomplishments is being able to be invited to go and then to move there, you know, with my husband and we were there for about 18 months to two years. and I just continued to, uh, design a tremendous amount of product for the company that did volume.

And then when the office closed moving back to the headquarters of Hertzgenauer Germany, I went for three months. And prior to leaving, my boss said, Barb, why don't you be a consultant? I'm like, what do they do? So I ended up being a consultant for five years and I traveled back and forth to Germany for five years.

So I was with the company about eight years in total. 

Joanna: That's really incredible. amazing to see how sometimes that first career move can really affect your entire path. I know I started in like education and tech on a whim and now it's been my entire career and I built my own business around it.

Like that, that initial [00:04:00] world you get involved in can play a really big role in the trajectory Trajectory that you find yourself on, which is so fascinating to watch and to think about now you spend a lot of time living in France and Germany working with, I'm going to pronounce it right Adidas. now I'm going to say that all of the time.

All of my friends are going to be like, you mean Adidas? And we're like, no, I know someone who worked there and she says it's Adidas. Um, so you spent that time there. How did your time early in your career really shape your perspective on the active wear industry? 

Barbara: I mean, I came into the industry not really knowing, I mean, you know, active wear some 20 years ago, isn't what it is today.

you know, we had people like Jack LaLanne, I He would focus, he was focused on physical fitness, right? And the most that I think I really knew about it was, you know, just going to the gym from time to time or, you know, just kind of walking or, you know, running, but it wasn't really something that I, I [00:05:00] really, focused on or really had any interest in going into that industry until it was presented to me.

So I got offered a job with Ralph Lauren and And then also with Adidas and Ralph Lauren just wasn't paying any money. And I was really tired of being a poor, college student. So I decided to take this opportunity and I said, what's the worst thing that could happen? I'd have to go and find another job.

I just didn't realize how much it aligned with, you know, what my interests and what my talents were. and so I never gave it any thought to even join it. Be a part of that industry because it isn't what it is today.

Michelle: Sometimes things can turn out unexpectedly. We didn't anticipate them to be what they are, but either intuition or that guidance or the circumstances fate destiny Whatever you want to call it that kind of guides you along the path leads you to the opportunities that end up being the best The most successful or the most surprising in how you lean into them and what they do for your career, what they do for your eventual business and how they kind of [00:06:00] develop you as a person over time.

So a lot of our listeners are either coaches, creators, business owners, Or employees thinking about transitioning to entrepreneurship or business ownership as a whole. But sometimes that obviously can come with its own challenges.

It can come with its own difficulties as we move through the stages of establishing what it is that we want to do. early on, we mentioned that you designed for six divisions within Walmart, and that essentially resulted in 750 million per season. As you were working there and moving through that process, I know that there's a lot of pressure that comes along with that.

How did you sort of navigate the challenges or the issues that might have arisen while you were going through that process and handling the pressure that came along with it? 

Barbara: So you know, working for Walmart really wasn't any different from me working with any other client. I'm given a task as a consultant.

A company hires me for a task and then I have to, you know, execute and [00:07:00] finalize and deliver that task. So for me, Walmart really wasn't any different. It was really looking at the business. As it stood when I came how do, how do I, you know, increase sales? And that's pretty much what it is with all of my clients, with the collections that I design, it really is all about how do I drive sales?

and so I do a lot of market research. I do a lot of shopping, you know, looking at what our competitors are doing. And, you know, I was really quite frankly, a little surprised at the business. It wasn't what it was, prior to me, uh, coming there and providing design direction because I felt like, mean, you can't sell spandex to Walmart shoppers or you can't sell spandex to anybody.

Right. I just really looked at what, you know, was out there in the market and I really just design, into that product and, you know, figuring out, you know, how do I take, you know, what some of the competitors are doing and just make it better. 

Joanna: through your career, you've had a lot of experience with [00:08:00] sales, with big deals, right? And I love what you said. About Walmart. they're just like any other client. And if you have that solution, that's going to increase their sales, whether it's Walmart or a smaller mom and pop, you have that impact and you have that experience when it comes to sales, I think a lot of entrepreneurs struggle with making big deals or, getting paid their worth or kind of.

Feeling like they can charge what they need to charge for that, for that service. What kind of mindset do you cultivate so you can make those big deals and land those large clients? 

Barbara: I really like working with larger companies because they have, you know, bigger budgets.

And oftentimes when I go into the, to the, you know, the project, you know, they give me a scope of what the expectation is, but oftentimes I over deliver on whatever that scope is. But I also, oftentimes we don't know [00:09:00] that when I start to work on a project, what it's going to entail. I like to make sure that I am factoring in, the additional time it might be required if they asked me to do X, Y, and Z.

And I'm not really there stressing about, well, gosh, I didn't consider that when I was billing them. I just make sure that I'm comfortable where that number is, so that I can do whatever they need me to do or whatever I feel like. Could deliver this project in a better way. you know, I have a price list that I start with.

Like once I understand what the scope of the project is, I have a price list and, typically based on the number of styles and, you know, do they need me to shop the market? Do they need me to shop the, like, am I shopping with their team? You know, am I going to sit down and we have to brainstorm together as a team?

Like there's just so many, so many elements that go into creating a collection. And then it just really, matters. Like, how much of that do you want me to be involved with? And I find that, you know, if I'm looking at a project and it's [00:10:00] like, Hey, Barb, we want you to design a collection of like 30 pieces.

Okay, well, here's the price for that. But now we want you to, you know, we want you to help us develop fabrics and we want you to help us to do a color card. And it's like all these other things that are outside just. the design work. And so I typically ask my clients to put me on a retainer. And then that way I'm really working for them as a full time employee, so to speak.

while I'm working on those projects and it can pretty much, you know, encompass any number of, components that need to go in to completing the project. 

Michelle: I absolutely love and feel how calm, collected and confident you are when you approach your clients and the work that you do that comes with, you know, a career.

working with lots of different companies working across the industry and understanding the value that you bring to the Table, which is huge I think a lot of female entrepreneurs and business owners often struggle with that in Working with clients and like as Joanna was saying but I think Propositioning themselves, selling themselves, and really putting themselves out there to say, Hey, this is what [00:11:00] I do.

This is how I can help you. And this is what you're going to get out of it. This is the success that you can see as a part of that. You've really been able to demonstrate that. And I just love how you. put it out there. I think that so much a part of kind of business and entrepreneurship, especially for service providers to some degree, we get stuck in our heads and think like, Oh, well, maybe I should do this.

Maybe I should try this. Maybe I should offer this thing. And we kind of just get a little Cyclical, and we spiral through some of those things. And sometimes the best thing to do is make a decision. This is what I offer. This is the list of services, and I'm going to run with that. If a client or if an opportunity introduces new services, then you can address that when you come to it.

But instead of trying to account for everything right up front, is knowing that you can roll with the punches and move through the process as you go, which I think is really helpful for a lot of us as we're navigating this time. space. So one of the big names that we mentioned in your bio is 11 by Venus Williams.

So I know you [00:12:00] worked closely with her to kind of launch the brand, can you tell us a little bit more about what it was like to collaborate with such an iconic athlete and a little bit of behind the scenes in terms of the brand and really what makes her brand so successful? 

Barbara: so yeah, Working with, with Venus was probably one of the most amazing experiences I've had in my career.

And I, I actually started to work on a little project with Serena first. And then I worked on a project with, uh, with Venus and I actually had a premonition. I remember one day when I was, I was leaving my home and I remember I left the television on and they were playing tennis. And I remember walking over to the television and I sit with the remote and I said, you know what, one day I'm going to design for both of them.

And I guess I put it out in the universe because It all came to fruition. and so it was so funny because the person who ended up introducing me to her said that, Hey, I'm going to share your information. You know, would you be interested in working with Venus? And I'm like, heck, yeah. so he said, Okay, I'll show you information with her.

You know, like sometimes when things are [00:13:00] really just too good to be true, they just don't happen. tend to not happen. And just randomly, one day my phone rings and I'm answering my phone and I'm like, Hi, this is Barbara. She was like, Hi, this is Venus. I'm like, Williams? She's like, yeah. And I'm like, wait, can you just hold on one second?

and so I remember, you know, just muting my phone. It was like, Oh, Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. This is like so amazing. so yeah, that was like really a pinch yourself moment. And then and then she's so funny. people don't realize that she she has this incredible sense of humor. And she's really, really funny.

And she's beautiful. to hang out with and she, you know, they love karaoke. Like she really got me into karaoke. Cause I used to be really afraid to, I can't sing. She's like, it doesn't matter, you know? And when you start to sing, it doesn't matter. Everybody just kind of starts, you know, singing as well.

So she kind of, you know, bought me out of my little, you know, cocoon when it came around, you know, came to, you know. Singing karaoke. [00:14:00] nonetheless, she was just, she's just really genius at what it is that she, she does. I mean, she's an incredible tennis player and the discipline that goes along with that.

it, she bought that to the table for 11. I mean, she was really clear about, uh, what it was, what she wanted her brand to be. And we worked really well together and, you know, we spent a lot of time together just talking through like what her vision was and. You know, and then I utilize my experience to say, okay, so here's what I think the market is missing.

And here's why I think 11, could add value and, and it just kind of started. I mean, every season we, we were going through it season by season, just trying to figure it out, designing into it. Um, she had a hectic schedule, so sometimes we'd have to crank it out in a weekend, the whole collection.

but she was, she was a fun, she was so fun. So much fun to work with. I really loved working with her. 

Joanna: You accomplished. much in the active wear world, right? You've worked with like the biggest brands, some amazing athletes, you [00:15:00] know, large sales, large deals, all of that. Well, in the meantime, also creating another brand.

So you transitioned to your own brand, Lick You Silly, and that's been successful on Amazon. What drove you? To create something completely different, switch, switch industries and move into another realm of entrepreneurship. 

Barbara: well, I think the first thing that really, that I thought about was I was already cooking for my dogs.

You know, they were, I had two small Yorkies and they couldn't eat store bought food or treats. And I'm like, I'm just going to cook for my dogs. Cause it was that, created this brand, like four and a half year, five years ago, people weren't really that focused on dog nutrition. And it was like, we trusted the brands that were on the shelf.

That they were providing high quality products. And then, you know, after you hear about, you know, so many recalls with, you know, dog food and things like that, then, took a step back and we're like, Whoa, what is in this stuff? through my [00:16:00] frustration of my dogs getting sick, I'm like, let me just cook for them.

It's just easy enough. I mean, I cook for my family every day. I'll just prepare some things for them. the seasoning. So like, if I'm preparing like we're having steak, they get like little pieces of steak, but they get it with no seasoning and they get sweet potatoes. my dogs were a lot healthier.

They're a lot act. I could tell the difference in their coat. the Yorkie that recently passed away, like, what, two or three years ago, I think it was, he died at like 18, but that's 18 people years. Like he lived a really, really long time. my dog before that, I think she was like, she was 14.

So, you know, I know that there's some value into giving your dogs like really healthy food, so that they can live longer, just like when we eat healthy, we live longer. One day I just said to myself, I'm going to start a dog treat brand. And I didn't really believe myself, but I just said, you know, I like starting brands.

I like starting companies. I like creating brands. And I didn't really believe myself cause I don't really know anything about dog treats. And so when I was working with Venus, I said, you know, Hey, I'm thinking about starting a dog treat brand. And she's like, Bob, you should [00:17:00] do it. And I said, I don't know anything about dog treats and stuff open in a bag.

She was like, just to buy yourself a really smart people like me. And I'm like, yeah, but you can afford smart people like me. I'm going to go to YouTube. And so I just went to YouTube, just started doing a lot of digging, um, on the internet and, and just really educating myself. And then I said, all right, well, let me just use my same skillset that I use to design products.

apparel. And let me parlay that into like my packaging. What is my brand story? all of the things that go into, creating a successful brand. I, you know, sort of rejiggered my hat. And my perspective, and then I created, uh, Lick You Silly. So this is, this is our Mighty Boost.

So this is a, this is a food topper and you sprinkle it on their food, uh, before, you know, a dog eats. And it's just, I always say it's like putting M& Ms on spinach. our number one product is, um, our beef liver and we can't keep them in stock on Amazon. Our business really scaled like during COVID. So I'm grateful. 

Michelle: [00:18:00] We love everything about dogs, so often we get in our heads about what we're able to do and accomplish.

I don't have any experience in that. I've never done that before. I've never launched a physical product. I know nothing about dog treats, but. So often we can figure it out. There are other people have done it. We can learn from them. We can establish the how we can do the what a lot of times if you're listening, the limitations that you feel are typically self imposed.

You might be questioning whether you are experienced enough. Successful enough, qualified enough to do the thing that you want to do. But if you're feeling inclined, pushed, motivated, or there's some sort of piece of you that is calling to do a thing, it's often best to explore it. Let go of some of the questions, some of the judgments that might come up in your head and try it.

You know, going from a service based business to a physical product business is not something that would be absolutely natural for everyone. And it's not something that you might think is possible. But just like Barbara did and got the encouragement from an incredibly successful, iconic [00:19:00] athlete to just do it, just try it, just give it a go. And you never know what can come out of that process.

So give yourself a little bit more credit and see how you can, just like Barbara did take something that you are already skilled at and spin that into this next new opportunity that you want and wish to pursue. So in terms of the dog treats. So pre COVID, you partnered with Kimpton hotels and now you're thriving on Amazon.

You just were mentioning your top seller. You can't even keep it in stock. It's so incredibly popular. although that process takes time, four to five years, what were kind of some of the toughest moments that you've experienced in building this new pet product business?

And how have you managed to kind of overcome those challenges, those difficulties, those setbacks? 

Barbara: I think some of the challenges you know, just trying to remain competitive because it is one of Amazon's most competitive areas of business. And honestly, If I had known that going into it, I mean, I did research about the pet space, and I knew I wanted to sell on Amazon because that's where I [00:20:00] knew people were.

And I also wanted to have a semi passive, create a semi passive income stream. I feel like if I had known that it was that competitive, I don't know if I would've gone into that area of business. I mean, I knew I loved dogs and I knew that there was a need that needed to be fulfilled, but you know, there are moments where, you know, I'm certainly asking myself, am I in the right business?

Is this making sense? You know, all of the above, you know, when I created this brand, I felt like I wanted to be a lifestyle brand. Like I, I'm in the process of like pitching HDTV for a reality show. There's just so many different entities and arms. You know, I wanted to build a dog treat brand that was, that was built on kindness.

Cause I just don't think there's enough of that in the world. And so I have an initiative called lick silly with kindness. And when you get a little card in the, in your bag, it's got a code on it and you have to do a random act of kindness and tag us on social media and your dog wins a free bag of dog treats.

It's kind of like our way of doing a little good in the world. I wanted to use this brand. I [00:21:00] mean, it's called lick you silly. So there's really nothing serious about it other than, I take very seriously the product and making sure that it's healthy, but aside from that, when it comes to marketing, it really lends itself to just do some things that you might typically not have.

You might not do as a dog treat brand. So one of the things that we did during COVID was, we had a dance party with your dog and, uh, it was all, it was all on zoom and people came in their pajamas and their dogs had pajamas and we had a DJ and, um, And I had, you know, sort of like a game show type of situation where I was asking like trivia questions and giving away dog treats.

And we would have like breaks where, you know, the DJ would play, you know, music and we would all dance. It was just like something that was just really fun. And I like to do things that feel a little bit out of the box. You know, like we've taken, puppies, like we did Puppy Pop Lictopia, where we had, one of my retailers, she's a boutique puppy, store, and we just did a little partnership with, a [00:22:00] local boutique, and we, um, Had people come and pet puppies and we didn't really advertise.

It was just kind of word of mouth. And then I said, I'm going to make some flyers. And then we ended up having like over a hundred people that came to pet the dogs. And so the puppies are like falling asleep. So there's like pictures with the people holding puppies and they're sleeping and, you know, it's just really cute.

and just most recently we did an initiative with St. Hubert's, which is, is a dog shelter. it was a feast and I had a celebrity chef to come out and, prepare a meal for the dogs. And that was really a lot of fun. And we had a, you know, a pet photographer there. yeah, so I like to find creative ways.

to, help people to understand what our mission is around, you know, dogs and having fun with them. Because I know how much my dog means to me and my family. And I know that, you know, so many people share that sentiment. 

Joanna: Yeah. When brands are fun and interactive and engaging and, and have. You know, multiple facets [00:23:00] to them.

Like people want to engage and be a part of it. And then eventually become customers. And I think sometimes when you're starting out in entrepreneurship or starting a new brand, you can have this obsession of like perfection and like something being absolutely perfect and can sometimes feel like.

and overly professional and people don't always want to interact with that, especially like consumers, right? Like for a consumer based brand. I'd love to know from your experience building brands, you know, all types or all kinds of people in all different ways. You know, we have a lot of entrepreneurs on this call who are likely trying to build their own brand, either a personal brand or a company brand.

Is there any advice you'd give someone if they're kind of just getting started in this idea of brand building? 

Barbara: I like to put everything on paper. you know, I mean, it really just starts with your name. what is, what is, what is going to be your brand name? And what about it is going to be memorable?

You know, it just, you [00:24:00] get, get all of that stuff out of the way. It's like, you, you know, you figure out what you want your brand name to be. You've got a trade market. I know some people like, well, you do your trade market before, you know, it's going to be successful. You do trade market after. And I'm like, it's 225.

Like if you start to do business and all of a sudden it takes off and we know that things go viral It would be nothing for somebody to come along and trademark your name and now you no longer have You can't use it. Um, I actually recently had a friend who started a a company and, and it started with it was for kids.

It was like these cool workbooks for kids. And she went through and she would, you know, she was posting and everything. And so, you know, she went, when she went to go to purchase a URL, somebody purchased it. And she had to go and buy that 000 from someone else when months before that URL was available.

And that was definitely somebody who saw her, you know, all of her posts and then just started to do a little research. [00:25:00] So in any event, you've got to make sure that all of your, business entity is all in place before you really start to, to develop and figure out what the concept of your brand is because.

My company used to be called Yum Yum Puppy people used to say to me, Oh, well, is it for big dogs? And I'm like, yeah, it's right there on the back for big dogs too. I didn't get the trademark and I already made bags. I was already selling on Amazon under Yum Yum Puppy. And I was devastated.

and there was just no way for me to make it right. But there was a company that was selling supplements and we used to have supplements and that company was called yum, yum, yum. So I really learned something about trademarks in that you cannot confuse the consumer. So I ended up not having supplements, but because of the feedback had already gotten.

that people were a little confused whether it was for big dogs. I said, I'm going to change the name. And incidentally, it was with one of my Yorkies that would lick herself constantly because she was older is it was like she was soothing herself, but it used to drive me [00:26:00] crazy. And I remember one night when I was asleep and she woke me up out of a sleep and I said, you know, one day you're going to lick yourself crazy.

And she's I see you lick yourself silly. And I was like, wait a minute, what? Lick yourself silly? Okay, I'm gonna go back to sleep. I'm gonna get back to this the next day. And so that was how I ended up coming up with the name, uh, Lick You Silly. And I just, you know, I ran it past a bunch of friends before I decided to do it.

And I did thorough research because I do my own trademark. I think you've got to put everything down on paper and I always say, work backwards. Like what, where do you ultimately want your company to be? If that's like a step, a step 50 where you want to be on Amazon, then you kind of work your way forward, to what are all the steps that need to be taken in order for you to get there.

and so when I'm making my list, sometimes like I will write in, like I'll have my list. And then sometimes I'll write something in just so I can cross it off. Like, I don't know what that does. It makes me feel so accomplished, I like to write it down. And, and now with chat GPT, like you could [00:27:00] type it, your whole concept, and you could put it into chat GPT and you, you could ask it, Hey, fill in what, uh, you know, act as a brand developer and fill in the space.

the spaces or the elements that I that I haven't mentioned and be as detailed as possible and chat to BT will help you to flesh out what are all those steps that you need to take. 

Michelle: There's a lot of opportunity with AI and how that's able to help and support you. ideate content, create and move through the process of kind of better understanding what you need to think of in order to get to where you need to go.

And then starting with that end vision in mind, where is it that you're headed with your brand? What do you want to accomplish? What do you want people to say about you? Really holding that As you work through that process is incredibly helpful when you're establishing your brand and you're continuing to evolve with your brand.

One of the things that I recognize based on this conversation, Barbara, before we kind of start to wrap up here is that you've had a lot of evolution through your brand as you've moved through your career, the different clients that you've [00:28:00] worked with, active where pet treats. And now you're moving into something a little bit different.

And as you're listening, reflecting on your own path and your journey and how it's evolved from, for you, sometimes we get so stuck in, well, this is what I do. This is what I offer. And I'm always going to offer that. Or you don't want to commit to something because you're afraid you're going to be locked into something, but knowing that your path, your evolution, the road that you're on for your career, your business, your development can change, evolve, grow over time.

You don't have to be locked in. You can continue to choose something different as you move into the future. And what you're working on, Barbara, is publishing a children's book. So can you just tell us a little bit about what inspired you to kind of move into this new project and how do you kind of balance that with everything else you have going on?

Barbara: Yeah. So I wrote the children's book, um, actually during COVID it's been written out for quite some time and it's just kind of been sitting until I'm like, all right, what do I want to do with this book? You know, I wanted to [00:29:00] create other books before I like officially launched it. and it's, you know, I'm still trying to figure out, okay, so when does it feel like it's going to be a good time?

And I always, when I launch a project, I always think about not just that project. But where can that project go? So like, even when I thought about my dog trees, I said, well, I want lick you silly to be an animated television show or animated series, which you could see, you could see some of our, animation on our YouTube channel, so to answer your question about the children's book. So I wrote it during COVID. It's all illustrated. It's all ready to go. And I just feel like, let me just see if I can make it more than just a children's book, like Does it become a stick book? Does it become something more than just the book?

so I'm on it, but in the interim, I have started another company called Sport Culture Advisors, a partner and, uh, my partner, Brian Mangione and I, we work with manufacturers and we connect them to retailers for opportunities as it pertains to manufacturing or private labor programs and things of [00:30:00] that nature.

So, so that's a fairly new entity, but. we're very happy with it, and we think we can bring some value to some manufacturers that wouldn't have opportunities such as what we're offering them.

Joanna: Awesome. Well, thank you so much for sharing your expertise, your experience, your story with us. I know that our listeners can really learn a lot from what you've done and what you've built for yourself. If our listeners want to connect with you. And, follow you somewhere. How can they, how can they stay up to date with what you're doing? 

Barbara: probably through LinkedIn. That's probably going to be the best way to contact me. I'm also on Instagram under my name, Barbara Clark Ruiz. But I think that LinkedIn might be your best bet.

and then I also have a lick you silly, Instagram is lick you silly. Yum, yum. So you can follow us there and you can keep it, you know, abreast of what we're doing with our dog treat brand. Fantastic. Thank you so much for joining us, Barbara, and we'll link all of those up in the show notes so you can find Barbara, reach out, ask [00:31:00] questions if you have any inquiries about her experience in the industry.

Michelle: I think that the lessons that I'm really taking away from day today are knowing that we can evolve, we can grow, we can shift, we can pivot and we can approach each new opportunity with confidence, with calm, with a clear decision making process, imagining that end vision in mind and really determining how we're going to get there, what it's going to take and then moving forward and knowing that you can.

And so walking away with that opportunity today, see how you can implement that in this week as you're mapping out the future. so much for tuning into Her First and we'll see you in the next episode.