Dragon's Gold: The Magic of Mindset

Crazy Enough to Try: Vicki Stephens on Fear, Faith, and Building Vicki’s Little Rascals

• Justin Mills • Season 1 • Episode 41

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What if the thing you’re most afraid of is the very thing you’re meant to do?

In this episode, Vicki Stephens shares how she went from scared to start to leading a business that’s touched thousands of lives — furry and human alike. Through fear, faith, and a little bit of crazy, she built Vicki’s Little Rascals into a story of courage and community.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Why fear is often the sign you’re on the right path
  • How confidence comes from action, not before it
  • The role of faith and support in taking leaps of faith
  • Why being “a little bit crazy” might be your superpower
  • How she grew Vicki’s Little Rascals to serve 5,000+ dogs

Tools & Weapons Mentioned

  • Resourcefulness & Asking for Help - making an art out of finding help and being willing to ask
  • Conferences & Rooms of Like-Minded People - learning from others in similar situations
  • Facebook Groups - connecting with peers in her industry and staying updated
  • HR, Tax, and Legal Advisors - trusted experts to navigate complex laws and compliance
  • Curiosity & Staying Current - talking to people, staying aware of trends, adapting with change
  • Profit First - a framework that reminded her everyone has their own zone of genius

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About Gold Dragon Investments:

At Gold Dragon Investments, our mission is to bring joy to others by helping them win the game of investing. Helping every client become the hero of their financial journey. We believe that wealth is a tool, but joy is the ultimate outcome.

Through meaningful partnerships, we strive to empower our investors to create freedom, and build lasting legacies of purpose, fulfillment, and wealth.

Join Us on the Adventure:

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome once again to another episode of Dragon's Gold, the magic of mindset. Today we have the pleasure of having Vicki Stephens. Founder and CEO of Vicki's Little Rascals, a dog daycare ranch experience. Helping to support over 5,000 dogs in her career, along with a few other animals. She's genuinely one of the kindest people that I've ever met and someone that I'm truly honored to call friend. Welcome to the show, Vicki. Thank you, Justin. Feeling is absolutely mutual. Thank you, my pleasure. Well, as I like to do, let's dive in. Let's go to the origin story. Where did it begin for Vicki Stephens? Um, from conception, I mean, I, uh, the backstory, uh, you know, I graduated from college with a degree in journalism and marketing and. wrote for the college newspaper and primarily for music and entertainment stuff. And then when I moved back to my parents and was living in Belmont and I had got my first job in the city and I was working for a PR firm that was all high tech clients. It was 2000 and ah it was awful. I took the train every day into the city when it was still dark and got off the train and rode the Muni to downtown San Francisco to go up the elevator and into this office with no windows and computer and stay there until it was dark again and was making no money and, uh you know, was in the city but could barely afford to go to happy hour. So it was pretty much just, you know, groundhog day. And I was going through a bit of a soul crushing, like, my gosh, I can't believe I'm just going to be like in a cubicle for the rest of my life. it didn't feel like me. Um, and then literally about, it was, there for about a year and I was having lunch, um, on the Embarcadero in the city and just with a friend eating a sandwich on kind of a little stoop. And this woman walks by and she had five or six dogs on leash and she was wearing shorts and tennis shoes and a tee shirt and looked just happy. And I said, oh my gosh, can I, can I pet your dogs? I love dogs. And so started petting her dogs and then asked her, said, you know, is this your job? Cause back then it was still pretty uncommon. Maybe in San Francisco, it was a little bit more common, but certainly in Belmont, San Mateo, San Carlos, like that was not, not really a thing. And so I asked her, said, can you, um, like make a living off of this? And she said, yeah. And I said, do you live in San Francisco? And she said, yeah. Like my only goals when I was 22 years old was to live in the city. So I could go to happy hour with my friends and you know, be happy along the way. And so I thought, if I could pay rent doing this, this sounds better. That was about as deep as it went that moment. And I went upstairs that literally that day. Um, and they called, uh, a meeting for the whole company and. I was getting up to go to the meeting and then this HR person stops me and says, actually, you're going to go to this other room. And I said, okay. So I get up and I go to the other room and there was about 30 of us in there. And the CEO gave, or no, sorry, not the CEO, the HR person who I had never met um goes into this like tearful, you know, I'm so sorry, we're gonna have to lay you all off and we're, you know, each of you have contributed so much. I had never met her in my life, you know? And then they talked about the severance and I was like, this is the best day of my life. So I was living at home. I had no real expenses. think I walked out of there with like $7,000 or something, which at the time was like, my God, maybe I just won't work. Maybe I'll just travel for a while. I have no concept of anything. But when I got home that night, I told my parents, was like, I think I want to try this dog walking thing while I figure out what I want to do. And my dad's like, well, that's cool. And my mom said, no, you need a job with benefits. You need a job with. Retirement, they had had their own business my whole life. My mom had been down that road and she said, no, no, no, go back. Or, you you need to keep trying whatever. And my dad's like, well, I don't know, this sounds kind of cool. And so anyway, that was originally how it started. And I really enjoyed writing. And so I was basically advertising myself to be like a freelance writer and I was getting some freelance writing gigs. And then I started this dog thing kind of on the side. And that was fun. But then initially I think I was only offering, you know, like, I could walk your dogs Tuesday, you know, Wednesday, Thursday. And then I was doing like corporate writing and stuff on the other days. And then the dog stuff just kind of started picking up more and more as much as anything, because I had the advertising background. So I was actually starting to really get into like advertising for the dogs. And then at one point I'm like, probably need a website. Talked to some people about designing it. I'm like, ah, I don't really like that. So then I did a program online at the time just to figure out how to like build my own website. So then I built that and it was pretty basic, but that was kind of how it started. And then I started writing. Uh, there were a couple of local newspapers, like in Redwood city and San Mateo. And I offered to write like, you know, free. articles on like, you know, things about dogs or dog care, interesting facts in exchange for like free advertising spaces. And so I did that for probably six months. and that was kind of fun because it helped my business and I got to keep up my writing and do all that. And at some point, I guess the dogs became bigger than the writing. And so I kind of threw myself into that completely. Um, and at that point I had moved to San Francisco. Got in my big studio apartment in the Marina, the big goal. I was having fun. And I think I was maybe eight months into my business when I'd moved to the city and my old job called me back. And it was the CEO who I had never met when I worked there and a couple other people. And they said, you know, we've gotten some clients back and we really, you were such an amazing. You know, part of the team and we, know, you were like one of the hardest ones to lay off and we want to bring you back. And I said, okay. And, they were going to give me a raise from where I'd been. And so I listened to the whole thing and was kind of excited. And then I said, well, I guess the only thing is, you know, I have a lease now. So I have this like monthly obligation. And what if you like lose clients and just lay me off again? Like then I won't be able to pay my rent. Like that was about as deep as I said, so can you like give me some sort of guarantee that I won't, I won't be laid off. And they said, well, no, I mean, we. We can't guarantee anything. And then I'm like, you know, think I'm going to take my chances and do my own thing. And that was it. I think they were pretty surprised that I didn't, you know, that I stuck with this, you know, kind of, you know, dog walking thing when I had been in this kind of, you know, obviously very professional corporate role. So that was pretty funny. And yeah, never looked back. then a few years after that, I... did a three year program at San Francisco State in the evenings and on the weekends for like real graphic design and web design. And then I started freelancing doing that on the side in addition to the dog stuff. And then again, at some point the dog stuff kept getting bigger. So I'm like, all right, I guess I'll just do it for myself. And uh that's kind of, I guess where we are now. So. there's so much in what you said right there that is incredibly powerful. One of the things that I love the most is how you were excited. Like this is the best day of my life when it was not for some others, right? But how funny how the universe works for you to have that opportunity to do that, right? And then to go upstairs and have this situation, having the support of your father, but and the love of your mother in wanting to keep you safe and trying to help you learn from things that gave her trouble or anxiety. So, so, and, and, as a parent, that's what we want to do. We want to help keep our, and protect our kids safe. And that's what our, as ourselves, our brain is intended to keep us safe. So sometimes doing the thing that is what's right for us doesn't feel right or it's scary. And to leap, to take that leap, to step out into action and do something that isn't the norm and that you don't know if will succeed and to clunk around the way. But, but, but finding ways to symbiotically help. I mean this in regards to creating your own website, finding out that you didn't like what someone else did. So you did it yourself. You took the time you learned, you took the tools, you took the classes, you figured that out and you, and you did it just good enough to get where he wanted. And then, and then you made it better as you grew. Right. Seeing that and knowing where the where a side hustle becomes a main hustle, right? And actually in creating this business and then all the things you had to figure out to to make it work Yeah. No, I think I've kind of learned that it's, uh, a lot of times employees kind of want to stay in their lane, even though you may not want them to, you know, some people want to grow and change and some don't they're happy where they are. And that's okay too. I love what you say about, and that's okay too. And it is for them. If they're happy, good. If they feel fulfilled and happy with their life and more power to them. But the idea is that you want some very often to help to bring people out of that and to go into new things or be excited to learn. You can't teach someone that. They have to want it. They have to want to have the desire. And also, as a part, that's why you are an independent business owner. because you have that drive and you're willing to learn and put yourself in other uncomfortable positions to learn and grow, right? And not everybody, yeah. And that's okay. Yeah, no, I think some people, you know, there are lots of people who couldn't imagine ever owning their own business because they don't want to wear 75 different hats every day and they don't want that responsibility on their shoulders. And I get that. I really do sometimes, but unfortunately for me or fortunately I do, you know, I like that. I like solving new problems. like adapting. enjoy all of that. but what I've kind of learned is that you can't, you know, you can't push somebody into that if that's not really there. It's just a different personality type. yeah. And I don't mean to make this analogy, but it's what comes to my mind. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink, right? They have to, you can show them, you can be the river bed, you can guide them to that. But if they're not ready to take that journey, then you can't let that stop you. want to put somebody in a, you know, if they're excelling in one way and then, you know, you, you elevate them to a different place. Ideally they meet that moment, but then if they don't, you don't also want to set somebody up to, you know, into a position that may not be their strong suit. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. 20 % of our effort yields 80 % of results, right? And when you find what you're really good at, like lean in that 20%, do it really, really well. And then find other people that do what they do really well, right? And it allows you to focus on being a problem solver and running the business and doing these amazing things. And they can enjoy what they're doing and do it well as an integral part of the company and the business as a key member, right? Yeah, no, I mean, there's all these different analogies for it, right? But it's like, there's the, I can't remember, it was that book Profit First, and I think there's like the technician, the visionary, I can't remember what the last one is. But some people are the technician, and they love that. They like the repetitiveness of it. They like, you know, fine tuning, whatever it is they're doing. And there's other people that like me where I like to do something until I master it. And then I... need to, you know, take on something new, which is kind of, guess what I've liked about having my own business is that through the ups and downs of it, I've like, forces me, I'm constantly learning new things because I have to. So as you as a car mechanic will know, I probably know more things about cars than I'm at all interested in or want to know or air conditioning systems from the evaporator to the coils. I don't. never been something I've been interested in, but something I've had to at least learn some vocabulary on, you know? it's amazing what that much dog hair can do to a system. oh even Chat GPT just can't figure it out. So, you know, what are we going to do? but no, do. And I, and I also think too that, um, you know, I just had a meeting with an employee the other day and I was saying how, you know, everybody can, this isn't, you this is something I've read obviously, but like everybody has their genius zone and then you've got the zone where you're pretty good, but Maybe not your strongest. And then there's the zone that you can do, but you really don't like it. And it's not really going to lend itself to the results. And so I try to revisit a lot, like what I'm doing on a daily basis and try to be like, all right, where are my strengths in the business? I keep going into this other lane. How do I get myself back in the lane where I know I provide like the most value. And that's hard because you've in order for you to stay in your lane, you have to figure out what everybody else's lane is. and then trust them, and then trust them to be able to, right? And that's huge. A lot of times people will be so afraid to let go of that control, they end up throttling the growth that can come. But that comes at a cost, it's a double-edged sword when you allow someone to learn and grow, they're bound to make mistakes. And as a business owner, at the end of it all, the buck stops with you. You're the one responsible for all of it, and you have to put... And you have to put things right when they go sideways. And the hope is there's enough value on the one end to offset and counteract the other side. Well, and you know, I think at least for me, and I think probably a lot of entrepreneurs, right? Like I didn't go through like formal manager training or, somebody who started up in like a big corporation and you know, it's, it is like a very clear path. I started a business, figured out how to do it, and then started teaching other people to do it with me. But that doesn't mean there hasn't been some stumbling and growth along like, okay, what is. How are you an effective manager? How are you their friend to a certain extent, but then still have their respect as a boss? And how do you, you know, I'm the type of person who always wants to welcome everyone around me and have people over. I'm an extrovert and that doesn't always meld itself very well with, you know, managing somebody and having to give harder feedback or that kind of thing. And I do not think that is my genius zone. as, as an example. so yeah, there's just, you know, you kind of start out, I think with a business, you've got an idea at the core and you're running with it that's awesome. And then as soon as you scale on any level, it very quickly becomes, okay, now you have to be kind of a little bit of a CPA and kind of a little bit of a bookkeeper and know about car insurance and business insurance and LLCs and S-corps and Oh, cars and air conditioners and. In my case, know, renting seven acres of land when I've lived in San Francisco with no backyard for 24 years, and now I'm trying to figure out how to kill different weeds. I mean, it's like it, and fences and latches and it's just, kind of just goes and goes. And sometimes you're like, I literally, I don't even, I couldn't even tell you all the things I've had to dive into over the years to try to understand so that we can. you know, build effectively in a way that we can afford, you know, um, and all the different hats I've had to wear, whether I wanted to wear them or not, but, you know, it's just kind of, it just comes along with it. Vicki, think about when you talk about that, those offshoot problems, all those little things that you never saw or would have ever even thought was a consideration to have. And to already have the responsibility of having the vision and seeing where you want your company to go, dealing with juggling all of the personalities that are involved, both the employees uh and the clients and the animals, right? So like so many different pieces. I really, would argue that the dogs are the best because that unconditional love like, and they don't probably don't talk back as much. Watch back. I'll let you know when you've gone awry or if they're communicative in their own way, for sure. but luckily, they're not. em You know, what is the word I'm looking for? uh They're not devious enough to like wait a while to tell me where I forgot something. You know, they're just sort of simple creatures. So they just like, let me, they beta test it immediately and let me know. Like if they were smarter about it, they'd wait till the next day and then they could like really pounce. But usually they let me know immediately. I mean, kind of them. Intended or not, that's good. Much better to find out you during testing than one of the Wranglers when their van is full. uh tell the Wranglers, so many, you know, we have so many rules and protocols and I always say, this is not a random, a random suggestion. w know, I did this for 15 years by myself, 35 dogs a day before you ever came here. So I promise you any rules that I'm asking you to follow, you're welcome. Uh, you know, uh, they're. Yeah. so funny. they, they dogs are, they're, they're going to figure out your loopholes. Um, I think with clients, do the same thing, right? You come up with policies, you come up with, you know, ways you want to run your business and you think you've got it all buttoned up and then, can I do X, Y, Z? you think, okay. Hadn't, hadn't thought of that, right. a hole I will poke in your plan, Fill that hole. Okay. Well, you put a lot of holes in there. uh you know, right? Like I don't, my gosh. But yeah, I mean, that's always, and with each new thing you do, each new thing you introduce, there's going to be holes and you just kind of have to. You know, that's what I guess that's what they're, it's a good thing, right? If the clients to let you know, and hopefully it's the nice ones and most of them are, but hopefully, and then, you know, the dogs kind of beta test the ranch and the cars and the clients beta test your policies. then, you know, the Wranglers let me know if I haven't thought of something as a manager. So I think you just have to listen and learn from it. that right there. You just have to listen. So often people are saying things or something comes about and it's right in front of you, but if you're not open and actively listening, you can miss so much value and lessons and then continue to repeat the same mistakes because you didn't learn, right? Yeah, listen. that's probably that one of the most challenging things sometimes of owning the business is that you really do kind of have to have your ear to the ground for several different things while still running the business. Right. So sometimes, you know, if you see the same mistake happen two, three times that you're like, wait a second, I need to listen what, you know, I'm the common denominator here, right. Or this decision or this, whatever. So. Is there something I'm missing, right? But it's hard, you know, it's hard to be sort of in the weeds and, you know, sort of overseeing everything. It's a duality that's very hard. em If it was easy, everyone would do it. Right? Uh, so many people have said to me over the years that, my gosh, you just have the best job. I just want to have your job when I retire or, my God, you just. And then if they get, if there's somebody who knows me well, and they know the days and days, days in and days out, they'd be like, it's actually really hard to run a business. But, you know, Right? No, you're like, hey, it's 830 at night. Are you still texting people and doing stuff like, oh, 2, 3 AM. was on my computer at 2 30 in the morning. And the other night, the guy off upwork who's helping me design a new, um, this new client funnel I'm working on and he's in New Jersey and I was texting, I'm writing them and he said, wait, what time is it there? And I said, it's two 30. I couldn't sleep. I'm just getting it done. He's like, all right. So yeah, it never, it never, for me, doesn't shut down very much. And I think that in and of itself is a very valuable lesson, Vicki, is that it doesn't stop, right? It keeps going. It's 24-7. Yeah, you might rest. And you need to rest. You have to have time to take a step back so you can recharge or allow the problems that we're trying to solve, the situations, allow those solutions to float. Be conscious of it, but then step away. And it's amazing the magic that happens behind the scenes, either when you're sleeping or when you're not putting conscious attention to the problem. continues to work in the background and solutions begin to show, begin to show themselves, but you have to be listening, right? I think, uh, if I don't know, three or four years ago, I started attending a few different conferences a year that are specific to like dog daycare kind of stuff. And I, know, in the past, I, you know, I didn't have the ability to just take three days and leave the business and go to these things. Um, but now I'm in a position where I can, but I find that those, even if the speakers are just okay, being around other people that do what you do. And they're not like your direct competition, cause they're from, you know, all around and everybody has different approaches. Those are the, I feel like those are my biggest growth times that I come back like really motivated again and different ideas and like more of a network. And, um, and generally like the other people that attend conferences like that probably have a similar drive, right? Cause that's why they're there. And I really, um, I've found like tremendous value in that. And I think it's, my business has grown quite a bit in the last, probably since COVID. I mean, it's always steadily grown, but it, it leaped a little bit after COVID. And I think, I think part of that is me kind of attending more of these conferences and learning how people scale. And, you know, cause one of, for me, the biggest, I mean, it took me 15 years to hire anyone. Cause I just figured no one, this isn't safe. Like no one could provide the safety that I do. because a lot of it is really instinct, know, handling the dogs and sort of anticipation, sort of, you know, all the kind of different things that came up. so until I've kind of learned over the years, like how to scale it in a way where my, like, my stamp is still on it, right? Like where safety is still first. And part of that for me was going from kind of the wild, wild west of what I used to do with the dogs on trails and all this stuff. And I couldn't do it, but there were a lot of things that could go wrong in those scenarios. And so once I finally got a property that was mine and controlled, I could eliminate all the kind of, or I could eliminate 95 % of the things that could go wrong. Then I was finally comfortable hiring. But until I got to that point, I don't think it was scalable. And that's why collaboration is so important. Because you don't you talk about doing your company for 15. years solo, right? 15 years of just you. That's like so many hats to wear. And now obviously in that you've proven tenacity, right? Massive tenacity. You cannot not be tenacious to stick that long through it, right? The moments that you had to overcome all the challenges, the trials, tribulations, et cetera. Those things all helped to compound and gave you that, that formula, right? All those things like you, like you mentioned, you're like, yeah, you think that rule is funny? Well, you're welcome. because I learned it the hard way, right? But then to be able to scale, to show that and share that knowledge, those systems with people, uh now suddenly they can learn and employ your lessons that you've taught them so much faster and they get there so much quicker with so much less pain, right? uh I try to, I try to make the, you know, the role of rascal Wrangler about his, you know, as I, I have tried to simplify it and support it as much as I possibly could. So they won't run into those issues. And we've, you know, we've got a thick playbook and we've got, you know, support throughout the day and, you know, things that, you know, uh, make it a lot easier to be successful, but The quote, goals inspire, systems produce. Mm-hmm. And you had to have a dream, a goal, desire to go with your systems or what help you to produce and say, right. love it. Vicki, you've been kind enough to share some. amazing nuggets here with us so far. I'm going to ask, we talk about along this journey, we call these trials and tribulations moments that are hurdles that we have to overcome along the experience. Are there any moments that come up for you that you would share with our listeners? I mean, I think in 25 years, of course, there's been ups and downs, right? I'd say 2008, it was a bad year for the economy. And that was the, I was about seven or eight years into the business, still in my mid-twenties and hadn't necessarily learned the value of saving for a rainy day. And, uh, my gosh, I think I had like 18 or 19 weekly clients at that point. And in a matter of a month, I was down to three. The economy was just, you know, tanking and I, you know, started charging and started doing everything you, know, using the credit card, doing whatever I could to, you know, try to drum up new business, survive, you know, pay my bills and within. years time, I'd gotten myself into quite the whole. And I remember, because I'm very lucky, I'm very lucky that I've always had very supportive parents, not necessarily from an economic standpoint, but at least from a support standpoint. And when I'd gotten myself into that position, I reached out to both my mom and dad and said, I was trying not to share this, but I'm in trouble. You know, I've got this, this debt, I don't know what to do. And, uh, my dad said, why don't you come down this weekend? We'll, talk it through. And I went down and, you know, again, very lucky. My dad kind of sat down with me and was like, all right, well, let's figure out, you know, let's figure out a monthly budget. Let's figure out like a goal. Let's figure out how you're going to like, how long it's going to take to get out of this. You know, they didn't give me money, but he gave me, I don't know, probably the emotional support that it was going to be okay. And the. he's always been that person for me. He's always very positive. And I, you know, I came back from visiting them and I did, I put myself on a budget, like nothing new to ever seen and started doing, um, just kind of side gigs wherever I could. trying to think some of the things I, know, friends, parents who had small businesses and helped out other people on weekends and, uh, just tried advertising the heck out of. my business and it took me a few years, but I got out of it. And, now I take a percentage of, every single month, something goes into savings and, know, I luckily didn't fall completely on my butt during that time and the economy recovered. um, so that was a big, a big lesson. another time I broke my ankle and when you're self-employed with no employees and your job is literally to drive and walk and get pulled and yanked on by dogs and you break your right foot, which is the gas pedal. It's not a good thing. No, actually it was my left foot, but both of my cars were stick shift. That's what it was. couldn't drive. Yes. So I think I literally, and it was a pretty uh nasty injury. But I, my best friend Shannon, switched cars with me for three months because she had an automatic and I gave her my stick shift. And um I literally had a walking boot and a cane. And by day three, I was at my client's house, I picking the dogs up, like walking them around. I mean, it was probably the most pathetic looking dog walker, you know, luckily my clients took pity on me and probably were like, wow, at she's showing up. Um, but you know, you're self-employed. You don't have, there's no other option. Um, so you just go. And so, uh, that was a three month, uh, tough time. Um, but got through it, without losing any clients. Thank you very much. um that's so powerful. That's so powerful. And you know, I really want to take a moment to cite this. You could have taken the easy way out and quit. Now, yeah, you're self-employed and so the bills would have been a situation fine, but you've already proven that you could stretch a credit card surprisingly far. And so the idea is like you could have found an excuse and said, it's okay. I give myself this time. You could have taken the easy way out, even giving yourself a week or two weeks to heal and keep that foot elevated, but you didn't. You hit the gas, you worked through the pain, you found a way to get around it. You showed the level of consistency and commitment, not just to yourself, but to your clients. Right. And when you say, and this is why I comment on this, when you say you didn't lose a single client, like I very much believe that's because of you and the person that you are and the character that you showed in that moment. Mm-hmm. Yeah. mean, I, I mean, my gosh, I don't, when I was a single, you know, no employee, I didn't, I think I called out sick twice in 15 years. Maybe. I mean, you just go, you know, you just, you just go and it's at some point, I think right around the ankle injury, kind of became clear, like, I don't know how sustainable this is for You know, it's like literally the physical condition of my body is, you know, so important to me working every single day. I mean, that's kind of, it's overwhelming sometimes, right? em I... liability should anything go awry, which you experienced. I have a box in my closet and it's like a wrist, know, wrist braces, ankle braces, knee braces, like, I don't know, you know, everything you could imagine. Cause at some point I yanked or pulled or something, but you know, at some point I'm like, okay, I probably need to have a backup so that I'm not always just completely physically on the line. But I mean, everybody I know who has their own business, that's their mentality. You know, if you're gonna, if you're going to be successful, you're going to hustle and you're going to show up. and no one else is going to do it for you. I think sometimes as an employer, I have to remind myself that not everybody works that way. And that can be challenging. em When you work for someone else, it's a totally different situation. So uh my natural instinct of how I am as a worker is not always directly the mentality of employees. that's always going to be the way it is, but as my dad always says, no one will care about your business as much as you do. Write that down and use that as your mantra. but you know, you do your best to hopefully inspire people to care. I love you. you, as much as they can for it being their own business, but. goes back to the idea, goals inspire, right? Then systems produce, right? And you had those goals, you helped to share those goals with new employees, but also then having those systems to keep production so that you, just as you said, if everything hinges on you and you fall, the business falls. So you have to find a way to get that support, to get those assistants, those people that can do those things, so that you have the freedom then. Mm-hmm. keep moving forward, to move the business forward, to scale things in such a light. And also that frankly, you can take a day off or three if you choose. Well, you know, and going back to like what I mentioned about a genius zone, right? Like my, I've always been the best when I'm trying to be kind of innovative for the business or just coming up with different ways to connect with clients and trying to kind of get in the mindset of the clients and what are they really going to value and, and how can we make, you know, kind of stay fresh, right? It's sort of like, um, Again, I quoting my dad, which is kind of funny, but I remember him saying to me one time that, know, businesses like Coca-Cola have survived because they keep reinventing themselves. Right. It was like the new Coke and then Coke zero and then Coke zero cherry. And like, you have to, if you don't, if you get stagnant, right, you're gonna, you're, going to get stale and you're, you're not going to stay relevant. And so I also find that sort of thing interesting. Right. I try to stay up with. What's going on around me? Like right now I am obsessed with like all the automations and AI and things that can be done for the business to like bring more to the clients. And also quite frankly, helped me as a small business owner because you know, payroll's hard. And so what, what can we do some, you know, what can we automate so that we can put this, this time more towards like giving the dog their best day or coming up with new experiences for them. And, uh, you know, that's kind of been my latest, that's sort of my new version of learning web design is I'm taking classes now and trying to understand like how you can tie all these things together and produce more for the clients. just, think it's so interesting. And I think, especially being in the Bay area where, you know, minimum wage is high and employees need, they need high wages to survive here. It's not, you know, I totally get that. And as a small business trying to meet that need and also stay profitable, right? You've got to figure out where you can, em what you can not make a manual process, right? So that's sort of like for the last year, I've been super interested in that. Vicki, what you just said is something I really want to put a point to. You're going to classes right now. You're in classes. The point in that you're still learning. You have a successful company, almost two and a half decades in existence, right? Do you have to keep going forward and keep learning? And I think that your answer is yes. Right? Like that's why you're still doing it. That's what it and that I just, my point is just, I think it's such a huge idea about whether it's an entrepreneur or anybody that wants to be successful is that that constant forward growth, right? If you're not moving forward, you're moving backward, right? Even staying stagnant, you are losing and that ground, the idea about the re in inventing yourself coming about so that you can stay fresh and stay relevant. You don't become stagnant. Um, and whether, whether you're coke, or whether you're Vicki's little rascals. like to say Madonna, right? How did Madonna survive? 50, you know, I know how she's doing now, but you know, for quite some time there, she is the queen of reinventing and staying relevant, right? It's a great point, it's a great point, great example. Vicki, we talk about the fellowship. Along the journey, it's not usually alone, and there are people that go along with us, whether to support us, to draw us along, or maybe that we lift up along with us. Is there anyone that you would like to share that has gone along the journey with you? I think, again, I am. very, very lucky to have had the parents I did to, again, I don't mean from a financial standpoint, it was never that, but just sort of the, you know, ah they were always, and my dad still is, very curious about what I'm up to, you know, excited for me, know, loves to, you know, how many dogs are coming a day? You know, they've always made me feel like I could do it. And I know that'll, I mean, it's not lost on me, but there are plenty of people out there that may want to start a business and they may not have been in the very lucky position I was in where I was living at my parents' house and had it gone, you know, belly up in six weeks, it wouldn't have really mattered. But, you know, at the same time I did, I was on my own financially within six months of my business and I haven't looked back, but I guess there's always that like emotional support that I always felt like I had. But. I think um along the way, mean, there's certain clients that stand out. One of my very first client was now uh like one of my best friends, Jean, who a big time uh lawyer and one of the smartest people I know. from like the first day she met me, she was like so interested in my business and always trying to help and taking the time to kind of talk to me and didn't never made me feel like I was the help or that I was just, I think she kind of got a kick out of me and like what I was trying to do. And she's been somebody, I mean, gosh, for 20 plus years that I'll still talk to for advice. And she's so smart and so analytical. so she's just very wise. She's like a big sister. And Uh, and even during, you know, like the 2008 time I was talking about, remember she paid me to come over. Cause was also doing the graphic design stuff and she paid me to come over and photograph all of her art and her most, her most expensive, like art pieces and. Jewelry and all these things just to create a file for her insurance. So she could like, you know, make sure she was covered and not, but like had me put it into this like formatted document and she didn't have to do that. Obviously she was just, you know, she was helping me, but, and during COVID she helped me sort of draft some of, know, as we were navigating a crazy time of like for my business specifically, um, okay, I'm in a service where we come to your home, pick up your dog and everybody is closed off in their homes and 10 feet apart. And like, how are we going to, how are we going to do this? you know, I shut down when we were supposed to. And there were other people that were trying to keep going and kind of be under the radar, but I was very aware enough to know like, I don't want to risk, you know, having my employees go to somebody's house and they get COVID or, you know, a client gets COVID and what is, what are the legal ramifications for me? You know, so I shut down, um, against every part of me, but, em in that two months of shutdown, all I could think about, because I was also getting notes from clients left and right, Hey, we're moving out of the area. We're doing this. We got laid off. mean, I knew it was going to be the biggest uphill battle I'd faced. And, uh, and I knew the only way I was going to be able to come back as if I really created like processes that would feel. Safe to the clients. Cause everybody was hesitant. My employees were hesitant to come back to work. My clients were certainly hesitant to let us come to their home. And so I spent, I literally spent that time, like kind of designing a no contact plan. And I mean, the communications I was sending out to clients, like I wanted to stay relevant. I didn't want them to forget about me. I wanted them to know that we are reopening. Don't, don't forget about us. coming back. Even it did some group zoom calls with all my clients to let them know what I was up to. But at that time, again, people were nervous that COVID would be transferred on the dog's fur or the collar, you know, was everybody, right? Was scared of this. so I, at that time, if you recall, hand sanitizer was hard to get. So, I figured out that bath and body works had those, um, it was like tiny purse size. hand sanitizers you could get. I called every Bath and Body Works from here to like Santa Barbara up to Chico out to Auburn. And I literally took two days and drove to every one of them. And I probably picked up like 200 mini bottles of the Bath and Body Works hand sanitizer. And then same thing for like the gloves. We latex gloves. We needed masks. Like I was everywhere. And then for, and then I created boxes in every van so that my employees would have Matt and mask for every day gloves, hand sanitizer. And then I bought, about a hundred leashes so that we would have all of our own leashes that we didn't repeat. Like, so that each dog would have an assigned leash and you would never use the same leash for two dogs. And then on the client side, I was like, here's the deal. When we arrive, we're going to knock up we're going to ring the doorbell or knock on the door and we are going to step 20 feet back. What I want you to do is send your dog through the door on a leash, close the door on that leash. So now your dog is just outside the front door on their own leash. So now you're behind the door. And then my Wrangler will come up with gloves and a mask, take your leash off, put our leash on, and then they will go to the, go to the van. clients were so grateful for that. I even did a video, like a how to, and I, and I also, you know, I wanted my employees who were nervous to not feel like I was putting them in a bad situation. So I even said to the clients, like, if you are not, you know, going along with us, we're not going to able to pick up your dog. Like you can't open the door with no mask and walk out and try, like everybody's got to be on board for us to reopen. Um, and we reopened and I think I was down. 35%, 40%. The other thing, Justin, in that two months I was closed, 90 % of my clients paid their full membership fee, even though I wasn't open. That is insane. I literally have goosebumps right now, Vicki. Unbelievable. will never know how to even thank all those people that supported me and the business during that time when they very easily could have done something different. I mean, I did the same thing for our house cleaner. We didn't want her to have an, you know, I did the same thing in kind, but it's still, it just, was so, it was, I, like, I can't even put it into words how grateful I was. heavy though, and in such a kind way. I think a huge part of that is because again, it comes back to the character that you shared, it's the person that you are and the example that you set, right? The systems that you put into place and that you showed that you were caring, not just for the dogs, but for the clients, for your employees, you were thoughtful about it. You put that, and that idea of the constant contact. Not overwhelmingly so, but just enough to make sure that you stayed relevant, that they didn't forget about you. And by virtue of doing that and sharing yourself, your honesty, your transparency, because of who you've been and who you proved to be consistently over time, when the feces hit the fan, they stepped up and helped, right? And they helped to support that, because they saw it too. And I'll never, I will never forget that. The power of relationship is priceless. And I think that that even during that time, were, you know, other businesses I knew that did things, you know, had a similar service and they were finding loopholes kind of like how to reopen before you were technically supposed to. And I just. I wasn't willing to, if I, you know, back then again, I wasn't going to have an employee go and get sick because I didn't want to lose out on, you know, a payment from a client. Like I wasn't going to put anybody in a bad position. Right. So, I, I still feel proud of that, that I didn't like cave. then the fight, and when I made the decision to shut down, I certainly had no idea. the people were still going to pay me. thought it was like, who, what am I going to do? But, and it was, I think that's the most, that two months of not working for someone who has been working nonstop for 20 years on this business. And you're just watching it kind of like possibly poof. I was out of my, I mean, I was not in good spot. And I, uh, my therapist at the time had said something about you know, studies have proven that if you, use your, your hands or your fingers to, you know, if you keep your hands busy doing something, helps relieve anxiety. She's like, do you knit? And I said, no. She said, do you like puzzles? I'm like, not really. She's like, what about video games? And I said, well, I really liked super Mario brothers from fourth grade. And she said, do you have access to super Mario brothers? I'm like, I don't know. And I went and I found one of those old Nintendo's on Amazon. And it uh So the darkest hour, a moment where we thought we were going to throw in the towel and sometimes you weren't even going to throw in the towel. Like the towel was getting thrown in for you. You couldn't have controlled COVID, didn't know. But to be able to work through that, and I'm going to acknowledge something. You made a comment about someone who worked and built this business and then to take two months off. Yeah, you might've been playing a little bit of Mario in there, but But you didn't take that time off. You stayed in contact with your customers. You kept working. created, you just invested your time differently to figure out, okay, great. How do I get out of this? And what's the next step, right? also spent that entire time to rebuild, um, like my whole new, like onboarding funnel for clients. So like, and again, talking about automations, I spent that whole time working with like a UX designer. Also just to be like, all right, when we come back, we need to come back like strong. How are we going to get clients onboarded quickly? So no, I would, I would say that was probably. two of the hardest months I've ever had. Like I wasn't even capable of like, I'm just gonna sleep in and enjoy this. Like, my God, no, not at all. This entire story is exactly why you are successful and it's exactly why I'm so excited that you spent some time here today to share some of your experiences, Vicki, because this is what people need to hear. A lot of people think that it's all sunshine and rainbows and you own your own company and you must be doing great. Like when you seize all the hard work effort, the blood, sweat, tears, the broken ankles, the... m I am reflecting on a story when you and I met 25 years ago. When and you had a Nissan uh Frontier pickup truck and a back bed of the bed of the truck full of dogs and the broken handle and you couldn't open it up to get them out and we're all stuck inside. yeah, yeah, right. So lucky Justin. Here I am. we made it work. And we made it work. My technician did not talk to me for a week after that. He did not like dogs. And when I asked him to crawl in there and work on that, like, it's probably the only reason he went. He wasn't alone. Man, I'll never, I'll never forget that. It was amazing. I mean, it wasn't at the time. But looking back now, years later, and just to think how far, how far we come. You too, Justin. Absolutely. an end the idea though, and it didn't come from nothing. It was a lot of hard work. It was a lot of effort. It was a lot of unknowns, broken tailgate handles that like that create this. Oh, I literally can't get your dog out of the back of this enclosed space like with no air conditioning and, and, and like, yikes, you know, what do do? And, and what you do is you tell you just call Justin is what you do is what I figured out. You're awesome. Thank you. um So. Dragon's Gold. These are accolades, things we have achieved or experienced, and in many cases mindset shifts that we have acquired over our journey. Are there any points of Dragon's Gold that you would share with our listeners? I think that like doing this for as long as I have and having like started out as sort of like a simple take people's dogs on like a 30 minute leash walk. And then that kind of evolved into like, I'll take your dogs to the dog park, which was like super exciting at that time. And then people started doing that. So I'm like, all right, now I'm going to take them on off leash hikes. And then people started doing that. So then I'm like, we're going to go to the beach every day. And, you know, I just kind of always was trying to kind of up the ante. And then eventually to now finally where I've got this amazing seven acre ranch, which is still is probably my biggest accomplishment. em But I think, I don't know. It's like when I talk to other people who didn't, who may have had, most of my friends, right? They've had corporate jobs, they've done different things over time. They've taken time off, whatever they've done. em Even though I only had one job on paper, I feel like I've lived like a thousand lives because there's just been so many different chapters. And I feel like it's given me like so much more life experience because it's not just dogs. It's not just. Client management. It's like everything I said, right? It's like learning new technology. It's learning how to manage people. It's, figuring out how to put dog crates together, you know, to make her. about yourself and how strong you really are and how resilient you can be. Yeah. And you've got to be resourceful. My wife always jokes that I'm the most resourceful person she's ever met. And I think that's by learning. mean, I've just kind of realized like, you have to know what you're good at. Again, going back to the genius zone, like I'm very lucky that over this, these, these years I've built sort of, I've got a team, right? Like I've got Justin, I've got like my car guy and my friend. I have Jamie, my insurance person who's also a close friend and an HR person that I value and trust. you know, I've my wife who is, you know, amazingly smart and helps kind of keep me on track and who's somebody I could bounce my ideas off. And, all those people like believe in me, which is also just an amazing thing, but like, you, you kind of have to like learn how to work with others and figure out where, where your time is best spent. And I guess I'm I hope I'm not like going too much off tangent, but I think that it's like, there's been so many learning experiences doing this in a way that if I had just kind of stayed in that, you know, that PR job that I got right out of college, I can look at half my friends who were on that track and I could see probably where I would be right now. I don't think I'd be happy. I don't think I would have learned all the things I have along the way. And I like to keep things interesting. I. I think it was always meant to be for me this way. But em my mom always said that like, even as a kid, that my grandpa was always like, she's going to be the one that does something interesting. And I will say that my older sister, although she denies it, when I was a kid and I love dogs, she used to say, you know, in her critical older sister being a big sister moment would say things like, you're going to end up living on some farm in the middle of nowhere with like 100 dogs. And I was like, and so now I like to joke. like, I kind of did, but I actually made it into a business. So, you know, that was pretty good, but The absolute gold. That is fantastic. wow, thank you. So good. it's a journey. I don't think it's for everybody, but, you've got to be able to switch, switch tasks quickly, learn about lots of different things, be willing to learn about lots of different things and form your, your foxhole, like you're kind of your trusted advisors, your trust people. And, um, I've, I am very much a relationship person as you Justin will know. you know, and I think that's, I think that's half of it too, is kind of building, surrounding yourself with like good, honest people who support you and you support them. Absolutely, absolutely. It's symbiotic. We all win together, especially when we go in with that mindset, that idea of each of us achieving that like and helping each other along the way. And the funny thing is, is the more that you consistently just to try to help to add value to give to others, how much how much it reciprocates even without the intention or without the expectation of reciprocation, right? Just happens organically. by virtue of it. that's, and that I think is what makes it so beautiful. I do. there's certain people, you know, like, you you'll have certain employees and stuff who really show an interest in like the business. And you spot that pretty quickly. And if I see that, like, I'd love to teach. love to, you know, I'm always, if I can, I want to help people on my team achieve something different if they want it, you know, and I enjoy it. they want it. love it. Vicki, if we call this the Hall of Heroes, if there was a massive statue of Victoria Noelle Stephens, and they had a plaque that could say anything you want, what would you want it to say? ah I think probably. Stay, keep moving forward. Don't get stagnant. and be open to change. I if you don't do those things, you are not going to be successful, I think. I love it. Super powerful. Thank you. I hope that was helpful. what's next? What's the next quest for Vicki Stephens and Vicki's Little Rascals? you know, I think that... At some point, I think my next goal might be to take some of lot of these things that I've learned about sort of hacking a small business, if you will, and uh figuring out how to make big things happen with a small team. I think that I would be, I think I would enjoy it. And I think I would be decent at maybe like being a, you know, providing a service for other small businesses where I can kind of come in and help. you know, sort of learn their processes and figure out like, again, kind of what you can automate, what you can, you know, there's so many tools out there that people don't know exists and I find it really, really interesting. So I think if I had to guess, I think that's probably where I'll, where I'll end up, you know, and ultimately, hopefully, uh, I would like to own a second home in Bend one day and Actually, a first home, I should say. I would like to have a second residence one day in Bend. With a farm with a hundred dogs on it. No, that one's going to be downtown with, uh, close to the music stuff and close to us. And then we come home to our house on the farm. That's, that's what it will be. But, uh, I would, I would love to sort of in the same way that like I figured out, you know, around year 15, that, I need to have a backup, right? I think that as long as this business has been going, you know, what, what would be my next step that wouldn't necessarily require me to be there every single day. on-site managing all this, like, what does that look like? And I think that's probably the most natural progression. And once a bit, I want to get in here that I didn't get to, is that Justin told me many years ago, when I was, you know, the van or the truck needed something, the van needed something, I don't know. And I was like, oh my God, Justin, like every day that van is sitting in your shop. I'm like losing money, letting people down. What do I do? What do I do? And you said, have you ever thought about, you know, just getting a second van just so that you've always got a backup plan? And I'm like, I can't afford a second van. Like this is the van, you know, and as soon as I could afford a second van, I got one. And as I like to joke, I even sent you a photo. said, I'm a fleet. And it was like a picture of me in front of a used, you know, Honda Odyssey or something, but that is true. And everything I do, I've learned you shouldn't have one manager. You should have two. You don't want one person. that knows everything and no one else does. So now co-managers now for every three vans, there is a fourth that can be called in at any moment for every four employees. We've got a backup on a daily basis. Like I think that was it's you've got to get to a certain point when you can finally do that, but that should be the goal. I think is if you do not have a backup plan, you're going to be in big trouble. So, but that was, it literally did start with that conversation with you. That's so cool. Thank you for sharing that so many years later to even hear that. That's awesome. And it just goes to show how every day you can learn something new and someone can share something with you that changes your perspective even when you thought you already knew or understood. So very, very cool. Thank you, Vicki. The other thing I would say about that transition about going into into what your next quest will be. I just think it's so perfect how it aligns with exactly what you said. Focusing on your genius zone, doing the thing that you know, like you're good at this. You've you've been through the storm. You've learned to weather it. And now you can take those skills. You can monetize it in the business. Yes. But in that you're adding so much value to the people that you're helping so that they don't make the same mistakes you did. and that you can put in front of them ideas and thoughts and processes that have already been vetted, already proven to work, right? And then allow them to organically grow from that. And I think it's really cool to hear you talk about doing that. And there's no doubt in my mind that you're going to excel. Yeah, thank you. Thank you. right, Vicki, two more questions. The uh last one, I'm gonna say the best for last, but I'm gonna say there's, we call tools and weapons, things that you, resources that you may have used, uh books that you may have read. We talked about going to different conferences and different things, getting in the right rooms with the right people of like-minded individuals. Are there any things that you would share as tools and weapons that you've used in your journey? just being resourceful. think a lot of people I've met over the years in business and stuff sort of think that like they know it's their way or the highway or they know the right way or. You know, that there's, there's no way I can do that. That's not how I work or whatever. And I just, that's never been my approach. I've always wanted to learn from people around me, even if they're not in the exact same business, but just sort of like. There's so much to be learned when you're in a room of people in the same boat as you. And there's so much comfort in that too. You know, I mean, sure. I belong to like lots of Facebook groups of, know, who are in similar businesses to mine. And that can be a resource for sure. But, I think more than that is just kind of staying curious and like talking to people and staying current on like what the trends are and what's happening. And, uh, I just... em I think probably my biggest tool that I've probably always had is that I've known when to ask for help and I've known I've made an art out of finding it. And the cool thing, part of why I like that so much is because art art is subjective. Right? The idea about not everyone's is the same way and the way that you find the way that you get there, the creativity that's needed to acquire it. So when you talk about being resourceful, right? Making an art out of finding that, allowing yourself to be strong enough to ask for help when you need it, right? And then being resourceful enough to be able to find it. And I just, think that speaks volumes to level of character and just to mindset, which is literally what this entire podcast is about, is sharing these mindsets so people will be inspired to grow and overcome their own challenges and fears. So thank you. Sure. I was going to say one more practical thing in the toolbox. was going to say that I was going to say what I learned the hard way is that, um, like if you're going to have a team, you need to have a HR person. You need to, you need to have a good employment lawyer that, you know, if you've got questions you can ask, there's, California's tricky. And so don't, you know, again, you've got to know your lane. Right? And I make it a point to have a a good HR person, a good tax person, you know, I, you know, a couple of attorneys, if I have questions and it's not the fun stuff, but it's the true stuff. Absolutely, and it has to be handled. Yeah. And don't try to handle it yourself because you don't know what you're doing. So. That's key advice, that's key advice, right? Finding someone who's really good at what they do and allowing them to be good at it. You can learn from it along the way, sure, but don't learn. Measure the risk to reward and understand where the positive light is there. learn enough to understand it, right? But don't be a fool and try to think then you can execute it, right? I play basketball doesn't mean I'm in the NBA and I'm going up against. or you'll tell me about things with the car and I'll look it up just because I always want to make sure I understand. I don't ever want to feel, and not like I do with you ever, but with anything. You want to be educated enough that you have some basis. You can't just go in blind to everything. But at the same time, I'm not going to be like, hey, I've come up with an alternative solution for the oil pan. So I think. I think I'm going to have you do this, right? But at the very least, I want to understand what happened. So maybe I can prevent it next time or maybe, you know, something I want to learn from it, even though I don't want to do it. You got to have some, you can't totally bury your head in the sand on things that you're not interested in, unfortunately. so much gold that you've dropped so many good lessons so many oh man this is this has been packed with value i myself will be going back and watching it again i guarantee i do i watch them all but i uh i will certainly a few of them i watch more than once and this will definitely be one of them Thanks Justin Are you kidding me? Thank you, Vicki, truly. ah All right, so I got one more question and it is my favorite question to ask. If you could be any mythical creature, what would you be and why? I would, I don't know what this creature is, so I guess I'll invent it. I wish I could have five brains and 25 hands, maybe 26 to be symmetrical, to like know how to do absolutely everything in my business. So can be like, oh, it's a CPA thing. I'm going to go ask Vicki CPA over there to do it. No, I do this. I wish I could, sometimes I wish my brain could be larger so that I could just take it all in and do it all the time. But, so my mythical creature would just be really smart and have a lot of hard drives. Because I'm always curious and I'm always looking to learn how to be better. I never want to be kind of status quo. And so I think sometimes if I could just have a larger brain that could take more things in, I could do more things. ah to think work harder and smarter, right? Yeah, I love that. would still be, it wouldn't be like a metal robot. It would be like a fuzzy golden retriever with like five really cute golden retriever heads. I love that. In my mind, I pictured Ceramus, but a way cuter version of it. Yes. I almost said Falcor from Neverending Story, that doc that was... Yeah. But I'm not really sure like what he... That just looked fun. Technically he is a dragon, I believe, if I'm not mistaken. So I'm a little biased to that answer, so. I mean, you know, flying around and being cute. That sounds fun. I just don't know if it was like, you know, move me forward, but I would enjoy it. Yeah. think that's so great. Why, when you share that mythical creature, what you shared originally is more true to you, right? It can still be cute and fuzzy. That's awesome. But it's moving forward, right? It's still growing, working hard, working smart, getting better, learning, growing, which completely encompasses everything that I know about you. And wow, I'm so grateful that you spent the spent the time. Tell me. Yeah. one thing that people have always said to me since I've been in business, which always drove me nuts is that people will be like, but are you, are you practicing self care? Are you taking care of you? And I'm always like, I don't even know what that means. I'm just getting stuff done. I am doing my best. Like, you know, go going to get a massage sounds nice, but I've also got 10 things in front of me that I've got to do. And I was just talking to. a really, really close friend who's uh unfortunately just going through a really tough time uh with a sick parent. And she is just doing what she does, which is taking care of business like she always has. We've been friends since high school. And she has a family and parents that need her. And I didn't want to ask her the question of like, what are you doing for self care? Right. Because she's going to feel like I have No time for self care. Why are you even asking me? And I started thinking about it. And was thinking about one time my mom had been in the hospital and was really, really sick about five years ago, um, in the ICU. And I was there and I never, I just didn't leave her side and she was really sick. And I was seeing a lot of scary things and everybody kept saying, you know, what are you doing for self care? And I couldn't figure out what I would even do to make myself feel better. And then I remembered I've always loved wave running. Like if you want to take me to my happy place, it's like the middle of Lake Tahoe on a wave runner. And someday I would love to live on a lake with a wave runner, but that's an aside. But so my parents were living in Austin at the time and I literally was like, screw it. And I like went on my phone and I found there was a nearby lake that ran a jet ski, you know, for 90 minutes or whatever. And I went and I rode the jet ski and like it's, you know, being in just open space and like air and sunshine and it's like thrilling and, and that was my, that was my breakout. And I was talking to my good friend and I'm like, you know, you've got to find your wave runner, whatever that is right now, two hours, you know, whatever that looks like for you. And she said, wave running is terrifying. I can't think of anything worse. And I was like, right, so you're figure out what your wave runner is, whether it's dinner with your best friend who makes you laugh or something. I think it's really, you get so busy and you feel like self care has to be this big thing that you have to need to make all this time for, right? But sometimes it might just be like two hours at the rock climbing gym if that's what you're into or, I don't know, something, something that kind of gets you out of your head for a minute. And we are going to bed next week, by the way, and I am. renting a WaveRunner next Saturday, I've already reserved it. Like that's gonna be the highlight of my trip. So. is fantastic. And I think this is such a good piece of advice that you're sharing, Vicki. It really is. Especially for entrepreneurs and people that are really working hard to make their business something or keep their business right or trying like whatever level they're at in the creation or running of the company and their mission. It's so easy to get lost and forget to take a step back and appreciate that to enjoy the moments. The thing that we're working so hard to achieve. Why? What is it that's bringing you joy? And what do you Right. And it's not something somebody else can tell you, right? It's not something, it's not like a generic answer of like, go to the gym every day and you'll feel better. Maybe for some people that is right. It's like figuring out if you've only got two or three hours a week to take yourself out of your business because you kind of become one. Like for me, it's even in my name, right? It's Vicki's little rascals. Like we are all one entity and how do I get a break every once in while? That just takes me, takes my brain to a different challenge or something different. It's, you know, you've just got to figure out what that is for you. Vicki. Yeah, for me, it's the board games. Yeah, that's my escape, right? And exactly, you used to find what is for you, and it's okay if it's not what someone else's. It's yours. It's your moment. So do it and enjoy it, right? And then get back to the grind and work even harder. So I love it. Vicki, thank you for taking the time today. Truly a pleasure having you on. as well. My friends, thank you for joining us once again on our quest to inspire. Educate and empower you to turn your dreams into reality one mindset shift at a time. We'll see you next time

People on this episode

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Justin Mills

Host
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Aaron Iler

Producer
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Vicki Stephens

Guest