What Actually Happens When You Bet on Yourself w/ Summer Borkowski

You don’t randomly wake up and start a business that makes zero logical sense or do you?

In this episode, I sit down with Summer Borkowski, founder of Summer Gold, a beauty and wellness club, to talk about what really happens when you follow an idea that doesn’t make sense on paper. From starting a spray tan business with zero experience to building a full beauty and wellness brand, this is the kind of story that challenges what you think entrepreneurship is supposed to look like.

We get into the messy middle that most people don’t talk about. Burnout, figuring things out as you go, redefining success, and learning how to lead both yourself and a team. But more importantly, we talk about what shifts when you stop chasing what you think success should look like and start building something that actually feels aligned.

So if you’ve been waiting until you feel ready, this episode is going to shift how you think about taking the first step.

Chapters:

02:55 Where the idea for Summer Gold came from

04:40 Starting a business with zero experience

06:40 The deeper reason behind Summer’s “why”

09:10 How it evolved beyond spray tans

11:25 The burnout that forced a shift

13:10 From fixing yourself to investing in yourself

15:10 Why self-care feels hard to prioritize

18:10 Why she thought success had to feel chaotic

19:55 Redefining success through client impact

22:10 The trap of chasing busy over aligned

24:10 Thinking long term vs quick wins

25:10 Why you can’t do everything yourself

26:40 What leadership actually looks like

28:40 Building a team that feels valued

30:40 Why micromanaging kills confidence

32:40 Learning to trust yourself as a leader

35:40 The bigger vision for Summer Gold

40:40 How to stand out in a saturated market

44:40 Why people keep coming back

Connect with Summer:

Website: https://www.summergoldco.com/

Instagram: @summergoldco

Instagram: @sumshady

Let’s Stay Connected:
→ Follow Lauren on Instagram: www.instagram.com/laurennajar
→ Learn more or work with me: www.laurennajar.com
→ Follow Business Over Cocktails on IG: www.instagram.com/businessovercocktails
→ Attend Growth & Connect retreats & events: www.instagram.com/growthandconnect

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Hey there and welcome to Business Over Cocktails. I'm Lauren Najar, your host and hype woman bringing you real talk about entrepreneurship. This is the podcast where we dive into the bold whys, the messy middles, and the game-changing aha moments that lead to success. You'll hear unfiltered stories from entrepreneurs plus bite-sized solo episodes inside the Business Chaser series, where we cut through the noise and get straight to what actually drives sales, visibility, and growth. So whether you're here to get fired up or finally feel seen in your business journey, pull up a seat, pour your favorite drink, and let's have a real conversation. Hi everyone, welcome back to Business Silver Cocktails. Today I have Summer Borkowski here, and she is someone I've connected with about a year ago now, which is awesome. And time flies. And she has one of the coolest places here in Northwest Indiana. So if you are not familiar with Munster, Indiana, we're gonna have, you know, we'll have people that are listening that are not in Northwest Indiana or even Chicago. So Munster, Indiana is right outside of Chicago, Illinois, where she owns a place called Summer Gold, which is a beauty and wellness club. You step into it and it's just it's so nice. It's so welcoming. And I think the biggest, and I think the biggest thing that I love about it is like when I first like, you know, of course, like that's where we met, right? It was it was at your business, it was at Summer Gold. And I had never heard of it before because I mean I live in Crown Point and I was living in Chicago beforehand. But it's just like I love what your brand represents, and that is like wellness, inclusivity, and all of those things, you know, just me knowing a little bit about your brand. So let me give you a proper introduction, though. Summer is the founder and business owner and entrepreneur. She's the founder of Summer Gold Beauty and Wellness Club, and she is a self-proclaimed self-care super fan. So thank you, Summer, for being here. I'm excited for our convo.

SPEAKER_00 2:07

I'm so excited to be on. I was so excited as soon as I heard you were doing a podcast because I feel like I don't know if it was like the first or second time I met you. I was like, you are such a storyteller. Like, this is just what you were born to do. Like you're a teacher. So, anyways, I just was very excited to be a guest.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

Yeah, I mean, I think that's the feedback that I've gotten. So thank you for saying that. But I think that's the feedback I've gotten for a long time. And it took me a while to like think of like, oh yeah, I can do a podcast just based on storytelling. And this is why I like it that like this too, because like we know each other, we've known each other for about a year now, and we've had multiple conversations, but we never just get to sit down at like the networking events and like I don't get to know like how you built your business, right? We haven't had those convos yet. And so, like, I've had so many people that I've known over the last year that like I now get to know them so much more, and even people I've known for years, like we get to have these conversations and like, ooh, that's so good. And then like want to have you on again. So, no, so thank you for saying that. And I'm excited to just learn those things. We literally were just talking before I hit record. You were just at an event of mine on Monday, and like we literally said, Oh, we didn't get to speak to each other because like everyone's talking to everyone else. And so, yeah, it's nice to have these podcast episodes where we have this like time. But I want you to take us back to the very beginning before SummerGold was even a thing. Like, what was the seed of the idea for summer gold?

SPEAKER_00 3:41

So it was such a shock to the people who knew me well. I would say that it was a shock to me at first, to be honest. I was one of those people that woke up one day and I was like, I think I need to own a spray tan company. I had never spray tanned a person in my life at that point. I've only gotten spray tanned. And it was just like one of those like unexplained intuitive polls, if that makes sense, of like, hey, what if you did something crazy like this? I was working at an advertising agency. I still do some freelancing on the side, I still do enjoy it, but I knew it wasn't my purpose. So I don't know, I just woke up one day and I was like, all right, I better sign up and get trained in this. And funny enough, it was February of 2020 when I decided to move forward with this. So glad it was before, I guess, the pandemic, before I signed any kind of lease. So when the pandemic hit, I just spent that time practicing every kind of spray tan on my like really close family and friends. My husband got so many spray tans during lockdown. He probably would kill me for saying that. But he's so supportive. Anyways, so it kind of just evolved into that, where then I was spraying people inside my house. Once the world kind of opened back up and to the point where I felt confident. And then once I found my first place, I was like, all right, we're gonna do it. It was so scary. Like I'm sure most people have that same kind of experience of like, it's like jumping off a cliff and you don't know if you are going to hit water and float or if you're gonna sink. Like, you are just really betting on yourself. So that was definitely like the first time I had to really trust myself and be like, you have to try this. And yes, it's risky, but I think it was riskier for me to just question the rest of my life, what if I didn't want that for myself? So yeah, that's kind of how it got started. It was just spray tans. I was the only employee for a year. Do not recommend that, which I can get into later as well. But the whole point of me doing summer gold, at first, my why has changed, and I can get a little bit into that in a few minutes. But when I first opened it, it was because I had a lot of family and friends who were significantly impacted by melanoma and skin cancer. And I am at such a high risk for it as well. I'm one of those people that has to go to the dermatologist every year to get my skin checked, which is lovely, and I recommend that for most people. But it was definitely something that was like that was my huge driver was I want to give people in the area a safe option to get a tan. But not only that, but to have just like a five-star experience where everything was thought through. So you're not leaving sticky. Like I try to look at every single problem that someone had with an airbrush tan, and I try to figure out how I can fix it so that our spray tans kind of just stood out. That's exactly what happened, which was lovely. And then since then, we just have expanded, we've added on other services, we have a full team. So my why has definitely changed. And now instead of just making sure that everyone gets a tan, it's a lot deeper because, you know, this is kind of something that you were been talking about at your Monday event about your why. And it wasn't that I'm just selling spray tans. I'm giving people confidence and making them feel comfortable. And that's really, I think, when someone books a beauty service, they're not just looking for the service. They're like, I want to feel great at this event or like I want to take care of myself. And so I think kind of going after that instead of just trying to chase like from a service perspective, it really helped us and kind of set us apart. And that just gave me even more fuel of like, I love making women feel good about themselves, like their natural selves, not just because they got a service done, but because they want to take care of themselves. So it was a long-winded answer of my why, but there it is.

SPEAKER_01 7:36

No, I love that. And just for people that haven't been to your location or haven't seen your Instagram or anything either, you know, just even stepping foot into there my very first time, it does not look like your traditional spa spray tan place. And I and you know, I remember like back in the day when we were in high school, like we would go to the tanning salon, right? And like maybe tanning beds and stuff before prom and spray tans and all the things. But like you would just literally walk into this like really tiny place that has a bunch of rooms. But like when you walk into your space, you actually can't really see you can kind of see some of the rooms, but like it that's not the focal point. There's you have couches and you have other like things on the walls, and you have other things to buy that are aren't just like spray tan based. It's all like wellness. You support small businesses where you have like clothing and you have other things in there as well. It's just like it's so different. And I and I again, like, and I and I'm not like because you're on this podcast, I'm bragging about you, but like I have never set foot into anything like that. I'm used to going to like if you go to a nail salon, they all look the same. If you go to a hair salon, they all look the same. Tanning salons with beds or and or spray tan, they all look the same. Yours isn't like that. It's like, like you said, and what you kind of are building around, it's like it's an experience. You come there and like you just instantly feel good, right? Like it's just the bright colors and it's very girly and feminine. It doesn't smell like spray tan. It doesn't smell like, you know, and just like that's the thing, is like, especially even for this area, too. Again, like for me being in Chicago and and having those influences. I know on Northwest Indiana we have those Chicago influences, but very rarely does it translate. And I think like from what you do, and and you know, just the limited view that I have of your brand and your business, like you can feel the difference. Like, and that's kind of what I want to get into too, because you started as a spray tan business, but like that's not how I personally would describe you now. And then that's what you know, you you name SummerGold as a beauty and wellness club. So take us through like what that means. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 9:48

Okay. So the transition from the airbrushed tan studio to the beauty and wellness club, it was really inspired by my own personal journey, to be honest. When I first started, I was like in a constant cycle of burnout, to be honest. I think that started when I graduated college and jumped right into my advertising job. I love to tell other people, yeah, take care of yourself, treat yourself. I was not doing that for my own self. I was working all the time, just like having kind of unhealthy habits too. Like I would work all day and then I'd come home and like try to get more things done, and then I'd go to sleep, try to go to sleep. And my mind's like racing. What do I have to do next? And it was just like unhealthy. And it kind of got to the point where I was like, I'm not running a business. This business is running me. And I'm in charge. So like I have to make a change. So, anyways, my own personal journey, especially this last year, has been so much about like marrying wellness with beauty. I started really taking care of myself. I started kind of getting in like movement every day. I always hated exercise. I found a few workouts that I really love to do: Platys, weightlifting, things like that. I stopped trying to force myself to do things that I didn't like, but I thought we had to do to be healthy. Anyways. And it kind of like snowballed, if that made sense. So, like that started making me feel better. And then, you know, just making sure I'm drinking enough water and doing all of these other things, but also just making sure that I'm taking time to just be summer. And like wellness comes first. And the more time that I put into my own wellness, you know, of course, there's like red light therapy, the wellnessy things that we have red light therapy, facials, things like that. But it was deeper than that because before I would get facials because I'm like, oh, my skin's so dry, I need to fix it. And there's this huge mindset shift of like, oh, I'm doing facials because my skin is an investment. Like I'm wearing this for the rest of my life. But not only that, but like I'm worth it. I'm worth getting a facial every month. And that's kind of why we have express facials and then we have the signature facials. Like, we want to give a variety of price points for people to kind of meet you where you're at. Because yes, we could push getting like a very expensive facial to you. But if that's gonna make you kind of like stress and be like, oh, I can't afford that, that's not actually good for your mental wellness. So, yeah, anyways, we kind of turn it into a club. We have memberships too, to kind of just keep you accountable for taking care of yourself. So, like unlimited red light therapy is included in all of them. And then they each have like a different facial with different kinds of add-ons to just again meet you at the price point that you're comfortable at. So we really just wanted to kind of combine those two things. And not only is it like beauty services and wellness services, it's just like our beauty services. We try to make sure that we're using brands that are better for you. We try to use products and techniques that are science-backed. They're not just like a gimmicky trend. And then also, even with our marketing, we kind of take your mental wellness in, I mean, not kind of, we definitely take your mental wellness into consideration. So when we are trying to market our stuff, we are not trying to do it of from a way of like you have to fix yourself. It's more of, hey, if you want to just take care of yourself, like we have all of these services, we want to take care of you, like you deserve it. So we try to like incorporate that wellness into everything. It's not that we just offer red light therapy, it's so much deeper than that.

SPEAKER_01 13:31

I love all of that. I I love especially the part where you said, like, we actually hold you accountable to take care of yourself. Yeah. And like that's that's such a good way to think about it. And, you know, shockingly, I feel like I don't even hear gyms saying that, right? Like, I don't think I've ever heard a gym membership describe their membership as that, right? Like they have a membership because they know people are just gonna pay and never come. And again, what sets you apart, then again, from different salons in the area or spas and things like that is like you can feel that. And again, I know that I've been around your brand now for a year. And so, like, but I think that if someone were to just see your marketing and then or go into your space, it is different. You can feel the heart and soul that you've put behind that and the thought. And that's the biggest thing here because it is again, women, moms, but women in general. It wasn't that long ago where I wasn't a mom. I know that I still was putting my business, my clients, my growth ahead of like taking care of myself. And I know I was not taking care of myself. Shockingly, I take care of myself better now as a mom when I have limited time versus like all the time in the world. And so I think that's important too. Like, that's such a good way to think about it. So, like, we're so early in this episode, but like if anyone wants to write down a quote, like, like accountability for taking care of yourself. That's similar to like I started getting facials for the first time this year and I would get them monthly. And I would just instantly book it at that appointment because I knew that it was a spot on my calendar that I was booking for myself that I was not going to think about until then the appointment came. And either it was too soon to cancel it, and then I would have to wait another month, but it was just something there that I had on the calendar for me that I'm going to go to. And same thing with like a hair appointment too. Like, if you know, all of those things that we need to take care of ourselves. And I like what you said too about like it's worth it. And again, like you can you can think of the cosmetics and like the maybe even like some vanity with that, but like it's more than just like, oh, I'm gonna get a spa day or whatever. Like, no, like you sometimes it's like healthy to do that and like de stress, like we have so much stress in our lives, we put everyone else in front of us that we have to like have these like justifications to like spend$50 on a facial, like or a hundred dollars. You just deserve it because you deserve it, right? Like, that's the mindset I think that you are trying to portray there.

SPEAKER_00 16:14

Yes. And I definitely think there's something with our society that really lays into women specifically about like you're supposed to take care of everybody else. Think about yourself last, like self-care selfish. People don't say that, but like I feel like myself and many other women I know feel that way of like, you need to make sure, like, you know, the kids are. I'm not a mom, but like I know a lot of my mom friends probably feel the same exact way of like, there's just so many things to do, so many things to take care of the kids and you know, your relationship and your work, and there's just an ongoing to-do list. So it's like, where do you fit in in that to-do list? Because you're responsible for taking care of yourself. No one else is going to take care of you in the way that you can take care of yourself. Of course, having a good support system, I don't mean like no one's gonna show up for you. I mean like you need to be the one to kind of take charge of that. And I feel like a lot of us don't feel like we deserve to take charge of that. So I want to change that, you know? Like, beauty is kind of something that is really fun for me and it brings me so much joy. So when you said that like my place is different, I think that kind of has a lot to do with it. Like all of the girls on my team, I'm very careful with who I hire. I want to make sure that they like at their interview, they're just like very upbeat and positive and just like make me enjoy talking with them because you know, you could go get a service done by anyone. There's so many places you you could get your brows done, even on the street that we're located. But we want you to come because like you love our aestheticians and like you want to chit chat with her and you love your service, of course, but like you just feel lighter and better when you leave.

SPEAKER_01 17:56

Yeah, I love that so much. So when you open the business, or even just like you can think of like when you first started and you were a solo airbrush tanning person, or like when you open up the brick and mortar for the first time, what was that first version of success looking like when you opened? Good question.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

For me, I thought this was actually it's funny like looking back on you know how you think things are gonna go. I was like, there's no one else who just focuses on airbrushed hands. We're gonna just be like killing it this first year. I'm gonna be so booked and so busy. Honestly, thankfully I wasn't like, yes, I was booked, especially during like spray tan popular season, like spring and summer, but I would not have had any time or any other direction to grow my business into what it is now if everything went smoothly. If everything went smoothly, I would still be offering two airbrushed tans and that's it. Like looking at what it's grown to, it's not just because I'm like, oh, let's do that, let's do that. A lot of it was because things weren't going the way I wanted them to. And it like, it forced me out of my comfort zone so many times. And it's just really funny, kind of looking back, because you know, when I first started, I was like, we're gonna be a spray tan franchise. It's just gonna be like a tanning salon and that's it. And now it's just like it's so much more. And I think if like there's no way I would have started off offering everything I offered from the beginning because I did not believe I could do that. Like, I'm not an aesthetician. I have no idea about like how aesthetics are performed. Now I definitely have a a lot of idea, but I lean on my aestheticians for that kind of thing. So yeah, I feel like success to me meant I was going to be running around crazy, so so busy. I need help, I need help, like I need to hire people. And yeah, I I thought success had to be chaotic. And you actually mentioned the bear on Monday. So the last season there was an episode, I think it was season one of the new season. And one of the like other owner of the restaurant, she asked the main guy, Why do you think that success has to be like chaotic? And I just was like, Whoa, that's me. I needed to hear that. So yeah, I thought success was that. And then now my version of success has really changed. So, like, I think a week or so ago, I actually posted this on my own Instagram story. I woke up to a message and I wake up to these all the time. It was a message from a client saying, I was so nervous to come, but like my airbrushed tan artist took such good care of me. I love my tan. And I was like, she had such a good time at our studio. And I woke up and I'm like, this is the point. I want to make women feel good. So, like, that's success to me. Of course, there's different like financial goals I want to hit and different things I want to do with my studio. But every time we make a client happy, that's success. And so it's so much easier than just like looking at like, well, where do I want to be next? When I'm just feeling successful in the moment.

SPEAKER_01 21:12

Oh, I have goosebumps. I'm wearing a sweater, but I would show you my goosebumps. I have goosebumps because I resonate so much with that. So I resonate with the chaoticness where I think me too, like in the early stages of my business, like I felt like, you know, when I was just starting out, I'm like, oh my God, what do I need to do? I need to be doing something every single minute of every single day. And then now I literally had that thought I think earlier today, where I'm like, oh my God, I have so many calls and like I'm doing all of these things. I have so much work to do. But like it immediately went back to like I wished for days like this. And like I wouldn't say what I'm doing is chaotic. I have a lot of work to do. And there are days where yes, there's chaoticness, and I try to like alleviate that. And you know, you outsource it. I'm not a solopreneur, but I resonate with the That so much that I thought that too, like you have to hustle, you have to constantly like abandon yourself and your wellness and all of these things to be successful. And the other thing too, I you know, like you've been to one of my dinners and like I'm hosting retreats and things like that. And after those events, like, and I'm putting all of my heart and soul into these things, right? Like, and I and I want people to feel it different and I want to do these little things here and there. And and it takes a lot of energy out of me. And but I know that if I'm firing on all cylinders, I know it's going to be a good experience. So when I do get those compliments, a lot of times those compliments kind of just like fall off of me. And I'm like, well, yeah, like I did it and I know that I did a good job because that was my goal. But then there's those moments where like someone just says something and it really impacts you. And like it could be something like you should be proud of yourself, or like you executed this better than anything I've ever been to. And like there, there, those are real compliments I've gotten over the last few months. And like if I feel those compliments, and I'm like, ugh, it like hits you in the stomach, but then it reminds you of like no dollar amount actually would feel this good. Yes, be grateful for every penny, yes, be grateful for every dollar. But like those, like, especially when you're chasing like impact and purpose, like it's those moments with clients that are just like so, so, so rewarding for sure.

SPEAKER_00 23:25

Yeah. Like in a way, you could have one event and you sell out every single ticket, and then you know, you don't really hear anything about it. But at another event, maybe you sold half the tickets, but you had so many women come up to you to be like, that was so impactful. And because they had such a good experience, they're gonna come to the next one and they're probably gonna bring a friend. So, like, yeah, don't be so hard on yourself, you know, if you're not hitting that like revenue goal or like it's just that what you're doing in the moment can impact you and like think long term. That was something I really had to think about too. Of like, even when I first got started, of you know, offering just a slight discount on a tan, which I can can talk about that all day. And like we kind of talked about that, like, stop giving away things for free. But yeah, I just I kind of lost my train of thought there. But I think thinking long term of like, I want to give this person a great experience because you know, if they have a good experience with me, they're probably gonna tell some of their friends. And then their friends might come and they're gonna tell other friends, and you just have to think about it like a little bit bigger picture too.

SPEAKER_01 24:30

And so, like thinking of bigger picture, now you have like a full team, you have a studio that you don't need to be there 24-7. What do you think has been the biggest lesson so far in leadership that you've had?

SPEAKER_00 24:44

That's a good question. Would you say for my own self or a lesson about like being a leader to other people?

SPEAKER_01 24:50

I would say, let's let's say both. Let's say how you've led yourself to be a leader and then leading a team.

SPEAKER_00 24:57

Okay. So leading myself, realizing I can't do everything by myself. I really tried to do that. And I would like, I pride myself in thinking that I'm very resourceful and I'm scrappy. So, like, yes, I can figure out how to build a website and I can figure out how to set up these ads and I can figure out anything. But is it really what I love? And is it what I'm really good at? You know, when you first start a business, you have to be scrappy because cash flow is kind of everything. So, like, yes, that's important, but your time and your energy are just as big of a resource as money. And like, for example, when I did my rebrand, I spent so much time rebuilding my website. And looking back, I'm like, that is so much time wasted that I could have been doing anything else. And so right now I'm actually having another website built for a project that I can speak on. But I hired an e-comm specialist and he is just like crushing through it. And, you know, he's asking me, like, well, what do you want on this page? What do you want on this page? So it's so much easier for me to just kind of guide him instead of doing all the work myself. So I would say my biggest lesson for like how I lead myself is can someone else do this or can we eliminate it or automate it so you can have more of your free time? I would say that's kind of one thing. And then the other thing is like, why did you do this in the first place? It's because you love to problem solve and be creative, but like not everything has to be yours to do, especially when it comes to like financials and things like that. Yes, it's important to learn and know your money and know what's coming in, what's going out, what's profitable, what's not. But if that's not your strong suit, which it's not mine, hire a business consultant, go to a coach, have like a really good accountant. These things that you're not great at, like, don't waste your time doing them. Of course, understand them, but outsource. There's so many people who can do it for you much faster. And then you're gonna be able to spend your time making money in the way that you know how. I love yeah. Thank you. And then leading a team, I love this question. I took from every single boss I've ever had what I like, what I don't like. So I love to have my team know that they are so valued, not only as a person, but as a resource to me. So I have always started telling them, like, first of all, I expect you to make mistakes because you're a human. You know, if it's a repeating mistake, I'm gonna look at my part and be like, how can I make this better? Like, what's my role in this? How can I make this system better so this mistake doesn't happen? So that's one thing. And then I would say the other thing is like they always come to me with suggestions and I love it because I don't know best and I tell them that all the time. Like, yes, I'm here to lead you, but you're in the business day to day. You're dealing with clients, you see these problems that maybe I'm completely missing. So I give them so much trust of like, you are the expert, you let me know if you think that we can tweak things. And the suggestions they come up with are amazing. Like they can just think of really creative things. And I think sometimes when you're a leader, you think that like it always has to go top down. It always has to come from you. And yes, I make the final decisions, or if they come to me with a suggestion, I might tell them, like, oh, that's great. Let's put a pin in it because of this. But maybe let's take that a year from now and you know, we can incorporate it into this. So making them feel seen and heard is very important. And then also just not making them feel silly about asking a question, not being reactive if they make a mistake, rather kind of asking them, like, oh, like, you know, walk me through what your process was, and then me just guiding them instead of being like so authoritarian and just being like, okay, next time I would do this because it's gonna save you a whole lot of time, it's gonna save you a headache. Just being like a guide.

SPEAKER_01 28:54

Mm-hmm. That's so important. I've and I appreciate you doing that. I think, you know, I lead the same way, or you know, I have contractors who work for me and things like that. And and I like hiring people who are experts in their own field. So like I don't even pretend to know anything about designing websites because I just like don't want to do that. Kind of like you, I can figure it out, I can do it, but like it's not gonna be good. So, like if I have someone where we're like, you know, tag teaming with a client, like because we do, you know, done-for-you services and agency services, marketing services. I will have people who design graphics, do website, you know, podcast management, things like that. And like, you just tell me what you need and I will support you, and I'm good with that. And I think I don't know if it is millennial culture where I feel like we're more likely to lead in that way because I feel like me talking with other business owners or people who are leaders of their teams, like my husband, for instance, is a manager of a team and he is the same way. But we all grew up with toxic bosses, right? Like I know I've had my fair share of toxic people that I've worked for, and it gave me a lot of feedback of like, I never want to be like that. And I know that I would lead differently. And so I do think like I think that that's so wonderful, but I almost think too, like, you know, the more people I talk to, that's how we're leading because there was such a toxic corporate culture that maybe we were a part of, you know, everything was hustle and sales, and you have to do it this way. And I think now almost like society is changing in a way of like we like to be collaborative. It is helpful to be collaborative. It is helpful to have a team, it is helpful to outsource those things. And it's okay that you don't know those answers because if you feel like you do, then you become the bottleneck and that ruins the success of your business as a whole.

SPEAKER_00 30:52

Definitely. I totally agree with that. And even just to add to like the toxicity of the workplace, I would say, like, you know, I think many of us have also had jobs where our boss was a little bit more of like a micromanager. And yes, like they're gonna catch things and get it done exactly how it's supposed to. However, it really takes away your own trust from yourself. Like, I think if you let people kind of lead in the way that they need to lead, they're gonna just feel so much more empowered and they're gonna like trust themselves that they're making the right decision. They're not gonna really question themselves as much. And I think they're gonna just overall enjoy their job more because they're like, I'm trusted. I know this and I'm confident that I can get this done. So, yes, you know, more mistakes might happen that way, but you know, you correct them and you just fix it as you go. And when someone first does something, you have to expect it to not be perfect because nothing we do the first round is usually perfect, like especially for myself. So, yeah, I think a lot of millennials are leading in that way. Some of my favorite bosses have been fellow millennials. My sister-in-law used to be my boss at the ad agency, which is very funny. She was so good as a boss of just making you feel like we are in this together. We're a team. Yes, I'm the leader. And so I'm here if you need any guidance or have any questions, but like I trust you to go do your thing. And so I always tell her, I'm like, you are such an inspiration to me as a leader. Shout out Morgan Borkowski.

SPEAKER_01 32:24

I think that's the, you know, we talked about leadership earlier. I think those are good qualities of a true leader. And when you when you're leading either a team or a community or a group or anything like that, like the group itself or the business itself, especially your business, right? Because it has your name in the title. Like it could easily be about you, right? Like when you have a business and it, like my business too, is in my name. And so my name's at everything. But I know it's not about me. And that is the ultimate mindset shift, regardless if you want it to be or not. That is the ultimate mindset shift of where you're going to have true sustainability and true impact and true success. And if you study the best leaders of the world, it's not about them, right? It's about the community, the business, the employees, the customers, the clients themselves. That's what makes your business successful. And like, you know, you as a leader, there's empathy, right? But you can you can still lead from a place of like support. And exactly what you said too, I resonated with that a lot, where my bosses were. My one boss that I've had for a really long time uh in the corporate world, like was definitely the epitome of micromanaging. And I definitely did not have confidence or trust in myself, even though I knew better. And like looking back at that, like I was so good at my job and I was so young, and I was 24, 25 years old, like leading a team of 13 people, and but like I never felt I was doing a good job because my ideas were always pushed to the side. It wasn't the way it was supposed to be, or like customary, right? Like this is how it's always been done. And so I think like that's so that's so huge too. So, like, especially if anyone's listening and you struggle with that confidence within yourself, it's like, is anyone in your life like micromanaging what you do? And are you being heard in like the right spaces as well? So, like I would say that, but like the one thing I really want to hit home is like the leadership aspect of that is like it is not about you, like you are the leader, but like there's quiet influence, there's quiet movement, and you can lead, but not you're not the loudest in the room.

SPEAKER_00 34:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:40

That's what makes truly a good leader, I think.

SPEAKER_00 34:43

Yeah. I feel like it's like healed me in a way, kind of just like thinking back, like, yeah, how I was treated as an employee, like when I was fresh out of college. Like I worked so hard. And I feel like I wasn't trusting myself because yeah, I had people who were above me who are just kind of like making you feel like small or like silly or like you can't trust yourself, like you don't really know anything. It's like major imposter syndrome in a way, too. But yeah, I just I really have seen a huge shift, I would say, in leadership. Of course, not every company, but I'm seeing this emerge more and more. And it's just like it's healing, honestly. It's like it doesn't have to be this way because we had it that way. Like, that is just the worst way to live life. You need to like, I'm so happy that the whoever is going to work from me has this experience because you know, they're probably not always gonna work for me. I mean, hopefully, like that would be wonderful. But I want them to take that and like if they go and work anywhere else, I want them to take that with them of like, you know what, this is how my boss did things, and I liked working there, so I'm gonna kind of follow suit because that's what I did. But yeah, just spreading that I think is really important.

SPEAKER_01 35:56

I love that. So I have a few more questions to ask, almost like rapid fire questions, but like you're probably gonna have longer answers for these. And I know you've kind of alluded to this, like you have some projects that are up and coming that you can't mention. So without mentioning any of those things, like what is the vision for summer gold in whatever the next chapter is? As much as you can say.

SPEAKER_00 36:19

Yeah, I'm totally okay talking about my long-term vision. It's just like the short things that are coming up. I want to be a little bit more of a surprise. And I cannot keep a secret for the life of me. So this is really hard for me to do. Okay, I mean, I can keep a secret. If it's about me and what I'm doing next, that's what I can keep secret. Yeah. Let me make that clear. Long term, I want SummerGold to be a place, a one-stop shop of like you get your beauty stuff done, you get your wellness day things done. It's not just physical, it's mental. It's like all of these things. I want my studio everywhere. I want multiple. I want a big business. And I think something that I've also tried to shift out of is to kind of get out of that like small business mindset, even though like I really do love small business and I am a small business. It's just I know that 20 years from now, I don't want to be a small business anymore. So just letting myself think outside of that, like, what does that look like? Or, you know, when I'm making a decision for my business, what would a CEO of a corporation do? Because I feel like every there's so many ideas I have that pop up of like what I can do in my studio right now as an extra revenue stream. And I had to like really sit with myself and think like, if this is not gonna be something I want to be doing in 10, 20 years and what I see for my business, is it really worth my time? Is this just a distraction? Is this just a sh a band-aid short-term fix? And like usually it is. So just kind of like keeping my eye on the prize of like what I envision. I kind of like, I know this is really bold and big, but I don't care. I want to shake up the beauty industry as much as I can. Like, I think there is so much room for growth with the beauty industry of how speak to other women, how we think of beauty, just getting rid of that whole beauty standard of like you have to look like everybody else. That's more deep to me, I guess, of like, I want to change this industry completely from the inside out. And I think what's helpful is that I never worked in a salon before starting my own. I had no beauty experience besides being a customer. But I think that was the beauty of it, is because I got to see from the outside looking in of like, well, you know, again, I this is the fourth time I've mentioned something you've talked about on Monday. But something that we did, like for our facials, for example, is like we try to make our names so simple and easy for people to understand because you know, I'm not an aesthetician and most of our clients aren't either. So, like they need that education and like they need to be kind of empowered of like, yeah, no, you're not supposed to know how to take care of your airbrushed tan. Let us tell you, and then you're gonna be an expert in it once you've done it once. So, yeah, I would say just shaking up the beauty industry is a huge vision for me, but also just making my place like a true like club. Like, even if it's more of like a place you go with your friends and you like want to hang out and like just invest in yourself. So that's kind of the long-term vision here.

SPEAKER_01 39:25

I love it. And I I know like on your Instagram in the past few months, you've asked, like, what do you want next for Summer Gold? I'm like, a location in Crown Point. I love that. It's just like truly the traffic makes it like double the time. Yeah. And so, like, anytime if it's you or I'm not sure if it's somebody else posting on your Instagram, they're like, What do you want to see next for Summer Gold? Like, I know I've messaged it a few times from like allocation, Crown Point. I love that. So, and yeah, I love how you kind of describe that as like it being what came up for me is like it's a movement, like it's a state of mind and it's an experience, and it it is outside of just the you know, the rooms for facials and spray tans and things like that. Like, and again, like I think without you know, whether or not this was your intention, but even a year ago, right? Before you rebranded, before all of these things that you're thinking now, like you've already kind of done that. Like that is again, when you walk into your space, you don't feel like a normal salon tanning studio, whatever it is. Like it is completely different, it looks completely different. You know, you're not in a pale white space or a place where it smells like tanning lotion, right? Like it's just it's you, it's individual, it's different. And so, like, I totally can see that too of how like it's just like either you, the person, like you have your own personal brand and or the business, and then it's a movement rather than like this is what we do, but like this is what we represent. So I totally see that happening. And yeah, I'm so excited for what's to come for you.

SPEAKER_00 41:06

Thank you. And yes, I would love to be all over Northwest Indiana. Hopefully a year from now we're talking about that.

SPEAKER_01 41:12

But oh yeah, okay. If someone was thinking about starting a space like yours, what would you want to tell them? Oh, so like just a beauty wellness studio. So, okay, so let's think of it this way. This can be looked at as a very saturated market, especially here and even in Northwest Indiana. Like you mentioned how there's like literally you're on a very busy road in Munster. There are a ton of people that do the same things as you on that, but you decided to open up. So I know that with my clients too, sometimes they pause with like, it's saturated, like even just starting a podcast, right? Like, there's so many podcasts. Like, who's gonna listen to me? So, in that vein, what advice would you give them if they think like, well, there's so many studios and spas, and how do I compete with like the bigger spas in the area or wellness studios? Why should I open up my place?

SPEAKER_00 42:08

Okay, that's a really good question. I would say, I mean, of course, focus on your why, but also like what problem are you solving? I think, I mean, any business you start, you should be asking yourself that because the best kind of businesses are the ones that are like, oh, I see that there's kind of a disconnect here, or it could be easier. How can I do this? So I would say, ask yourself, like, what problem are you solving? You know, like there's so many different kinds of salons, you know, some that offer just very natural products, and then some that are just like the most beautifully aesthetic place that you could walk into. So you just want to go there because you love being in there and you want to take a picture and all of those things. So I would just kind of really sit down and think about like, what problem are you solving? How are you different from the rest? Because it is a very saturated market. I remember when I was in college, went to school, I got my degree in business management with an emphasis in marketing. And one of my professors, she was trying to really drill it into us of like, if you're gonna start a business, do something that's not sexy. You know, start like a fencing company, do something in the trades. And I was just sitting there like, well, I'm not passionate about that stuff. Like, why would I like, yes, there probably is an opportunity and you're fixing a problem for somebody, but like you also have to have passion and purpose, I would say, behind your business. Because if you don't, your clients are gonna feel it. They're gonna feel that you're just here for the money. You just kind of want to exchange a service for money. And, you know, that's fine too if people don't really care. But yeah, I would say focus on what problem you're solving for people. And the best way to do that is to kind of ask yourself when you step into a place like, what do I not like about this? And I ask myself that about my own business all the time. If I was Customer here, what would I not like about my studio? And I try to problem solve. It's just like a constant evolving door. But yeah, if you can figure out why you're different, you're gonna be able to tell people why you're different and make them feel it. And even when you like if you go to a restaurant or you go to your favorite coffee shop, you should even ask yourself, why are they my favorite? So I go to just be all the time. I have my coffee right here. They're a coffee place, they're right down my street. So yes, they solved the problem of there were no like small business coffee shops near me. I like to sort small business, so I'm gonna go try them out. But why I keep coming back is they are so friendly. Like they have amazing coffee. Don't get me wrong. I love when I walk in there, they're like, hey summer, how's it going? Did you see the new monthly specials? Like they just they know me, they're like, How's your business doing? And they're just so personable there, where you know, yeah, I I can drive to Starbucks, which is right by them, but I'm not getting that experience there. So I think just kind of thinking like it doesn't even have to be something that's like that costs you a lot of money. It could just be being friendly. You know, people want that, they're attracted to that.

SPEAKER_01 45:13

Yeah. So the one thing that you said about like with coffee and stuff too, about you go in, they know your name, and then like Starbucks, right? Like Starbucks has a drive-thru, it's convenient. There's a lot of locations, but like now I know that they have started recently putting like smiley faces in your name again, like on the cups. Yeah. But like we know that they've been told to do that. And so like that's huge too. Like, that's why, and that's such a good thing to think about. The other thing I would say is, and this is something that I struggled with in my own business was like I always felt like I needed to build something that already was created. So the saturation never bothered me, but it was like I would have these different thoughts, and I would be like, well, I don't see that in this space yet. Therefore, I don't think I can create it. And so I love what you said about being different and thinking different because like, and now I know, like now being like seven years into business and helping like a bunch of different people, like that's what your secret sauce is, and that's what makes you special, and that's what you have to hone in on, and wonderful if no one has built it yet. That means you should build it, and that's why we need it so much. So I mean, like, that's huge too. Of like, no one has to go before you. Like, there are certain things like we celebrate and like people have gone before us and created things and pave the way. Like, there's that, but like there's also too like you don't have to have this like crazy earth-shattering purpose. You can just solve a problem that you aren't seeing being solved. There's always problems to solve, no matter how little or how big. And so, like, it's even more special and even more worth it to go for it if you don't see it in the space yet. Like, please go for it. It's scary, yes, because no one has done it before, but please do it.

SPEAKER_00 47:00

Yes. And I think that's something you're so good at too. So I remember the first time I worked with you, you were offering those like mini social media audits or marketing audits. It was website as well, I believe. No one I knew was offering that. And I was kind of at a point where I'm like, you know, kind of working with a business coach or anyone in that area could be a little bit like nerve-wracking, and you're also like, oh, I don't have like the biggest budgets to be doing things like that. So that was awesome because I was able to kind of dip toes into like what it's like to work with you. But yeah, no one was offering that. And it totally did solve a problem that I was having. And it was really nice to have an expert, even though like I do come from marketing, it was so nice to have another marketing person, a second set of eyes to look at your stuff to be like, hey, I think you might be missing this, or what if you did this? And I implemented so many changes that you requested and saw immediate results, of course. But like you totally solve that problem of like, okay, I don't have like a ton of time and I don't have a ton of money, but like I know that this could be better. And just by offering even just those like mini sessions, like you set yourself apart right away.

SPEAKER_01 48:10

Yeah, thank you. I appreciate that. And I'm glad you had results that makes me happy. So, last question is how can people connect with you and learn more about SummerGold?

SPEAKER_00 48:21

Oh, well, Instagram, that's like kind of our bread and butter. If you want to reach us, obviously you can like call the studio or visit our website to book an appointment with us. We have very easy online booking, very transparent prices. And you can find us on Instagram at SummerGoldco. Also come follow me on my personal page. It's at Sumshady. I'm never gonna get rid of that name. It was a college name that one of my friends came up with, but that's just who I am at this point. I'm starting to use my own personal page to talk a little bit more about beauty and wellness and kind of talk about my own hot takes and my own opinions without having to speak through the business only. So yeah, follow me both places. DM me if you want to chat, especially if you're a business owner. Like, I love to brainstorm. And like, that's why we didn't get to talk on Monday. I was talking to a few other girls and we were just brainstorming together, like how they can change something up. So yeah, reach out to me. I love to chit chat.

SPEAKER_01 49:16

And all of those links will be in the show notes. So anything that you want to connect with Summer on, those will be below in the show notes. Also, Summer's gonna be back with us on Friday to share some little tidbits and some of her expertise in the Business Chaser episode. Thank you all for joining us. Thank you, Summer, for this conversation. Every single one of these conversations, I feel like the time flies by and I just want to dig deeper. And I would just want to bring everyone on again. So I'm sure we'll have you back on. And I always say too, like, my dream for this podcast is like I want to do this in person, like at a legit cocktail bar where we're like actually doing business over cocktails. So maybe one day we'll do that. But you'll make so much. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Business Over Cocktails, where real stories and bold business moves come to life. If this episode lit something up in you, share it with a friend, tag me at Lauren Najar or the podcast page at business over cocktails. Make sure to leave a quick review as well. It helps more than you know. Until next time, keep chasing what matters and building the business that feels like you. Cheers.