The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree: Heather’s Journey to Entrepreneurship

♥️ In this episode, we sit down with Heather to explore the story behind her journey into entrepreneurship—and how the people who shaped her helped guide the way.

From her upbringing and the influence of her parents, to the love and support of her family, fiancé, and tight-knit community, Heather shares how her roots built the foundation for who she is today. With a personality as big as her heart, Heather truly never meets a stranger—everyone quickly becomes a friend. We also dive into how she turned that energy and passion into her own mattress shop, and what exciting things she has planned for the future.

🌟This episode is all about connection, community, and proving that sometimes, the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Transcript

SPEAKER_06 0:00

If you weren't doing this, what would you be doing?

SPEAKER_02 0:02

I try to think of a campaign. I could have been running a summer camp. I might have been working for a park district, um, like doing event planning for a park district. At one point in time, I wanted to be a dance teacher because I grew up doing a lot of dance. I love dance.

SPEAKER_06 0:20

Yeah. You could be doing anything. Yeah. I really legit probably could be doing anything. You know what's funny about what I just said is we've asked so many other entrepreneurs that we've had on our podcast that same question. Really? And they say one thing. Yeah. Like it's always one answer.

SPEAKER_04 0:35

One thing. One thing.

SPEAKER_06 0:37

Wow. Isn't that wild? Yeah. You said 10.

SPEAKER_05 0:41

Yeah. Wow. That's not right. Yeah, I mean, it's and it's like they know it quick too. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

Like quick. If this does not work, it will be that. Yes. Yeah, not me. I don't have a backup plan right now.

SPEAKER_03 0:56

I'm gonna be a dancer.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

I'll be a baller dancing dance. I'll be a dancing with a stars. Only I'm not a star.

SPEAKER_05 1:07

A star before that happens. Welcome to from like a podcast.

SPEAKER_06 1:33

So excited to be here.

SPEAKER_05 1:36

Hello and welcome back to From My View Podcast. I am one of your hosts, Madison Keller, and I am Michelle Delpagetti.

SPEAKER_06 1:45

Today we have a very, very special guest. Well, if you want expert advice and genuine care and a community approach, Heather, the mattress mama, is your gal. She has turned her mattress store into a local favorite, and she's absolutely killing it. Let's welcome Heather Ford, the mattress mama of the Restful Roost in Faroaks. Thanks for coming.

SPEAKER_01 2:13

That is such a sweet intro. I love that.

SPEAKER_06 2:16

I wrote it on the spot. It was good.

SPEAKER_05 2:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:19

Yeah, it was good.

SPEAKER_05 2:20

That's actually blank if she just did that from the heart. I wrote it.

SPEAKER_06 2:25

I didn't even I didn't even use help this time.

SPEAKER_02 2:28

That was awesome, Michelle.

SPEAKER_06 2:31

Thank you. So welcome. Thanks for coming today.

SPEAKER_02 2:35

Of course. I'm like so excited to do this. I I've been kind of like poking you a little bit, almost like Really?

SPEAKER_00 2:41

Am I gonna do your podcast someday?

SPEAKER_02 2:44

Really? I didn't even know. No, no, no. I mean in like a like I hope I'm interesting enough to interview kind of. Really? Oh, of course.

SPEAKER_05 2:53

No, of course. Because, well, didn't you want to hold off for a little bit just because of everything that was happening with yeah, yeah. Yeah, I was a little busy this week.

SPEAKER_06 3:02

And you were really busy, yeah. Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 3:05

You know, with a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_06 3:07

Yeah. Yeah, definitely. So we've got some questions, of course, but you know, feel free to um to talk freely. I mean, this is definitely um definitely low-key. And then, you know, you shared with us when you when you when you came in about your daughter, you know, giving you some pointers. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 3:26

It she blew me away. She was amazing. She she helped dress me today and uh with in my restful roost colors, as she said. And uh I know isn't that so sweet? That's awesome. And uh she also helped me so much, just kind of hone in what I should say today. And I tend to be a tangent go-erofer. So just uh yeah, real rein me in as much as you can. Yeah, I love that. Oh, what is your daughter's name again? Emma. Emma and she's 18. Yep, yeah, 18 going on 19, actually. Yeah, when's her birthday? It's in May. Yeah, that's great.

SPEAKER_06 4:02

So good, good, that's awesome. Exciting. So I gotta ask you, you know, um, what inspired you to start a mattress store?

SPEAKER_02 4:11

So that's a crazy question. Okay, so what inspired me to start a mattress store? It wasn't that I wanted to start a mattress store. Let's just start there. Yeah, I didn't grow up. I did not grow up thinking, oh my god, one day I want to sell this. I want to own a mattress store. No, not even close. Um, really, what it was is I always wanted to own my own business or do my own thing. I've always been one of those kids that didn't do well inside the box.

unknown 4:40

Right.

SPEAKER_06 4:41

Yes, I I totally understand. I'm the same one. Same way. Yeah. Yes, right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:46

So I yeah, I was always pushing the boundaries, breaking the rules, all that. So um after many years of you know, different corporate jobs and nonprofit jobs and all that, I um still wanted that for myself. And when I finally got to a point where I was kind of fed up with having a boss, yeah. Whoever I've had some amazing bosses, trust me, over the years, but I've also had some not so amazing bosses. And uh so when I was fed up, I thought, okay, I need to refocus and try to do this on my own and or do something on my own. And one thing I was good at was fundraising because I did a lot of fundraising for national nonprofits. And so I found randomly on LinkedIn this um this ad for a fundraiser to own your own fundraising um what's the word I'm looking for? To to own your own um why can't I think of the name of the thing?

SPEAKER_06 5:51

Fundraising like businessing.

SPEAKER_02 5:53

No, you can read business, but like own your own, like if you were to buy franchise. Franchise.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

Sorry, okay. The word does not come in me yet.

SPEAKER_02 6:00

Oh, yeah. So the fundraising isn't normally a a a franchise, right? But this one in particular was a franchise. So there was about 90 some odd um you know, franchisees across the country that did all the same thing. And what we did was called the mattress fundraiser.

SPEAKER_06 6:19

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_02 6:20

Right. You guys have heard I've told you about the story before, yeah. But to most people it'll be like, what in the heck is a mattress fundraiser?

SPEAKER_06 6:26

I feel like I want a mattress fundraiser, okay, right? That's so random.

SPEAKER_02 6:30

So very random. So I had uh basically they actually had to talk me into it, funny enough, because I wanted to have my own business and do that, but I thought, uh this is really bizarre. So basically, what it was was to run um a mattress sale in a high school or middle school and um do that for a fundraiser for the school programs that we that specifically wanted to partner with us. So for us, mostly it was the band programs. They have the biggest, the most amount of kids, they needed to raise the most amount of money. So uh I would recruit the or I guess go in and yeah, talk to the band director, recruit them, and then they would um uh help we would promote the event with them and they'd promote it to their people, and then we'd have a one-day sale at the high school or middle school, like in the cafeteria or gym or whatever. And we legit brought in an entire mattress store, no joke, from a storage unit, an entire mattress store. Wow, and like 30 beds, adjustable bases, pillows, sheet, all of it. And people would come in the from the community, they would buy their beds. We'd sell anywhere between, I don't know, 25 and 50 beds in one day.

SPEAKER_06 7:45

You would sell that many beds?

SPEAKER_02 7:46

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_06 7:47

Yeah, you're kidding. No, I can't even, I don't that's so weird.

SPEAKER_02 7:52

I it was weird. Oh yeah, I mean, it was great, yeah. Yeah, um, it was great for the program. So we did that and then we put it all back in the storage unit and then we'd do it all over again.

SPEAKER_06 8:02

Now, were these beds like heavily discounted?

SPEAKER_02 8:04

Oh, yeah, so that was one of our big things is that we were partnering with manufacturers that would provide our company with a deeper discount, and so then we were able to pass along that savings to the customers, which gave room to also be able to, you know, give money to programs.

SPEAKER_05 8:23

So was this like an ongoing fundraiser that happened for like years and years and years?

SPEAKER_02 8:28

So like the community just like knew about this in some places across the country for sure.

SPEAKER_05 8:34

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 8:35

I only got a little less than a year in before COVID hit. Oh, okay. So that was kind of a transition for me. So when COVID hit, I had already had a whole spring lined up, well, a whole year rather, lined up of events that were gonna be repeat events, right? Um, but because we couldn't do anything, we couldn't go anywhere, we couldn't do anything in any schools, right? So because of that, I had to get real creative real quick. We were a one pony show, right? And or a one trick pony or whatever. So um the company adapted a little bit. We tried to do some online fundraising, but that just did it. It was okay, but it wasn't the same. And it wasn't making the same kind of money for the programs. Um, so I just I had to get creative. I started selling beds out of my storage unit at that point. What do you do? Right. I have a whole inventory of of new floor models that had come in and they were just sitting in a storage unit.

SPEAKER_06 9:41

And you got creative. I had to.

SPEAKER_02 9:43

I was like, what am I gonna do? So many people that I know will tell you the story of, oh, I remember buying a bed from you in the beginning, Heather, I bought it. I tried it in your storage units. That's that's that's hilarious.

unknown 9:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:58

Got a great.

SPEAKER_06 9:59

Wow, okay.

SPEAKER_02 10:00

So after that, then I um figured, you know what? If I can do this out of a storage unit, I can do this. Like, I can have my own store. I've always maybe thought about not always, but for some time I thought about maybe owning a boutique or owning, you know what I mean? Yeah, really, okay. Like a little cafe or something like that. So I was like, well, you know, that I can do because that I know, right? I know the ins and outs of the the industry now a little bit. Right, exactly. So I if I can bring an entire mattress store into a school, then I can I can just stay still in my yeah, in my yeah.

SPEAKER_06 10:42

And so wow, okay. So um, so you've had your store for a few years now.

SPEAKER_02 10:49

I have. It's this I actually just finished my third year as my as owner of after a certain house.

SPEAKER_06 10:56

Yeah, and I mean you you're doing fantastic.

SPEAKER_02 10:59

Oh, thank you.

SPEAKER_06 10:59

I I mean it's it's yeah, and and a lot of it has to do with, I mean, you're really solid in the community. And um yeah, every and everyone, yeah, yeah. I mean, that's it's that's awesome. Everyone knows about you. And so, and it just and it once you it's hard to do that. And then once once you've got that reputation, it just kind of it grows and grows and grows and grows and grows.

SPEAKER_02 11:21

So I have found I have found that um it's been a real um wonderful, I I I don't like to say the word blessing very much, but it really truly kind of has been a blessing blessing to be a part of the community. I grew up and I was I grew up in Fair Oaks. Yes. So that's one of the reasons why I chose Fair Oaks to have my mattress store in so that I could help so smart. Yeah, be a part of the community that I grew up in and and make a difference there. So it's it's that's why I like getting so involved.

SPEAKER_06 11:54

Yeah, no, that's it's that's I mean it's smart.

SPEAKER_05 11:57

Oh gosh, yeah. Have you always lived in Fair Oaks? Did you ever move away?

SPEAKER_02 12:02

Uh so I know I haven't always lived in Fair Oaks. Um I grew up actually in Sacramento. I am born and raised in Sacramento. Okay. Um, but I grew up until about six until about just before seventh grade or middle school, um, in a little cute community called College Greens. And um it was like typical 70s, 80s, you know, kids running up and down the street. I was playing tackle football in the street with my boy neighbors. Um and then we came home, you know, and the street lights went on, right? Oh um, and so then in middle school, I moved we moved up to Fair Oaks, or when I started middle school, I moved up to Fair Oaks. And uh so I went to Bella Vista High School. Oh, okay. Um, and then I left and went to Chico State. So I did the fun six-year program in college at Chico State. Pretty much average there.

SPEAKER_06 12:52

Yeah. That sounds about right.

SPEAKER_02 12:55

Were you in the same time?

SPEAKER_06 12:57

I probably was.

SPEAKER_05 12:58

Oh, that's a lot.

SPEAKER_02 12:59

It must have been. So when did you graduate? You remember Michelle? She didn't.

SPEAKER_01 13:04

Did we cut this part out? Oh, oh, I love it. It was Chico State after all.

SPEAKER_02 13:18

So I graduated in '98 and then came back to Sacramento. I wanted to be back in the area. My parents still live in Fair Oaks.

SPEAKER_06 13:25

Yes. Oh, I know. I've been I've been to their house. They have a beautiful house for that fundraiser that we had there. Yes, around their pool. It's gorgeous. Yes. Yes. They have an amazing, amazing house. So um, yeah, that was actually one of the questions. Where'd you grow up? And I've got it right here. Did now, do you come from a family of entrepreneurs? Yes. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 13:46

I do.

SPEAKER_06 13:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 13:48

So uh my mom, my parents have a very interesting um career path. Uh my dad has always had um on the side his insurance business. That's not interesting or different, right? He he started out in corporate on the insurance side and then he went into, you know, um owning his own business. Uh but my mom, however, she started uh well, I guess it was a little more typical back then because um it was the 80s, right? And so she well, actually the 70s. So when I was four years old, she started as a Tupperware lady, Tupperware consultant. Oh gosh, I've heard of this.

SPEAKER_06 14:31

The Tupperware. Yeah. Yeah.

unknown 14:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:33

Tupperware. It really was. From like movies. From like movies.

SPEAKER_06 14:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:38

This is amazing.

SPEAKER_05 14:39

I love it.

SPEAKER_06 14:40

From like movies. Yeah. My mom had my mom had Tupperware.

SPEAKER_01 14:43

Or maybe, or oh, she had it.

SPEAKER_06 14:44

Oh yeah. My mom bought Tupperware. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:46

She had Tupperware parties.

SPEAKER_06 14:47

She had Tupperware parties when I was a little kid.

SPEAKER_02 14:49

Right?

SPEAKER_06 14:49

Oh yeah. It was it was the thing.

SPEAKER_02 14:52

It was the thing. Yeah. Back then, right? It's an MLM, right? It's like that's that's right. But it was like the the big one back in the day.

SPEAKER_06 15:00

Oh yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:01

So my so my mom not only started as a Tupperware, you know, manager or consultant or whatever, she very quickly moved up the ranks in Tupperware to the point where my dad got involved in the business because they basically bought a franchise, if you will, of Tupperware. And so most people were like, what like that even exists? So back then, yeah, it did. You you bought what was called the distributorship. Okay. And so my mom, they run they run every aspect of the Tupperware business locally. So what they did was my mom did all the sales training and um and all the, you know, the raw raw fun stuff too. And then my dad ran the business side of things. So they had employees that entered all the orders into the system. They ordered all the products, the products all came to their own warehouse. They packed the products and they delivered it out to the managers who delivered it to their customers.

SPEAKER_04 16:06

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 16:07

Crazy. Yeah. And so my dad did that alongside his business. So when I was growing up, I worked for them doing all kinds of stuff. I I was in their office um meeting, doing customer service. I was answering phones. I was um uh doing their bulletin, like their newsletter, whatever, like collating and stapling and mailing their bulletin. I worked in their warehouse packing orders.

SPEAKER_06 16:33

So this is this is so though, this is normal for you.

SPEAKER_02 16:36

This was totally normal for me because this is our this was our family business. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_03 16:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:40

And um, so I got to know all the Tupperware ladies and everything. I'd help my mom set up for her meetings. Oh my gosh, that's so cool. And so that led, funny enough, to me, my very, very first like real job. Was Tupperware later? Was a Tupperware later.

SPEAKER_03 16:55

You were a Tupperware lady.

SPEAKER_02 16:58

That's great. I really, really was. And I was the only, of course, the only person in my high school that sold Tupperware. I mean, who else sold Tupperware?

SPEAKER_06 17:08

No, Tupperware is like the best product.

SPEAKER_05 17:10

I know because it's like it's like it's like indestructible.

SPEAKER_06 17:14

Yes, you could you could drive over it with your car. Yeah, and it will still be good.

SPEAKER_05 17:20

You still use it. Was this before Tupperware was like in stores? Oh, way but that was I don't think there's in stores, is it?

SPEAKER_02 17:28

It is now. Oh, it is completely like defranchised. It's a totally different business than it ever was way back in the day. And it it evolved a lot, right? Like they had that whole operation. Well, then once you know the internet came, then that changed everything because now they're um everything went online, right? So they didn't have to do the local, um, you know, the local packing and all that kind of stuff. Everything that's centralized. So my mom was still just the sales like leader for a long time. But that's yeah, so that's great. Yeah, but it was it was pretty funny. So I'll tell you a really quick funny story. So when I was little, I don't know what grade, my mom kept this, of course. There I drew a picture in school about like who I wanted to be when I grew up.

SPEAKER_06 18:18

It sounds like Rita. Rita did a picture of anyway. Yeah, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 18:22

So there's a picture of a little red, a little red-headed lady and a table and little things on it. And I said, When I grow up, I want to be a Tupperware lady, just like my mom. Oh, that's so cute.

SPEAKER_01 18:36

Did your mom keep this? Oh, yeah. She put it in my baby book. That's the cutest ever. It's really cute.

SPEAKER_02 18:44

It's really sweet. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 18:46

Oh, you know what? I have just yeah, just real quick, I have some fond memories of my mom talking about hopefully my mom is gonna watch this this episode. Yeah, but Tupperware was a big part of my life. I I don't I don't know my mom ever sold it, but she had the parties and she bought a lot of Tupperware. It was and she has, she still has Tupperware. Yeah. And it's all about, you know, the center, which you click it down and you close it.

SPEAKER_02 19:10

Well, it used to be burp the seal, now it's a whisper.

SPEAKER_06 19:13

Oh, is it? I don't I need to know it had a name. But that's but it's so remote. I mean, she still talks about like you can't, that's the best product ever. And nowadays you buy this other crap that's at the store, and it's not gonna, it's it's not gonna, you know, last like Tupperware.

SPEAKER_02 19:30

Well, when I when I was growing up, there was the R word. You can't say the R word in our house growing up, rubber maids. Rubber maid.

SPEAKER_06 19:37

Yeah, and rubber maids crap.

SPEAKER_02 19:39

Because crap, right? Yeah, well, can yeah, yeah, of course. So that's uh yeah, that was a thing in our household. And so here's the funny part. So not funny, but like interesting part. So my mom is now, oh, I don't want to totally give away her age, but she's in her mid-70s, uh-huh, and she is still the go-to Tepper lady. She's not really that involved, but she still has so much product in her in her garage that she does a huge sale every Christmas, and all of her diehards come to her and still buy things.

SPEAKER_06 20:13

Yeah, yeah. That's a the popsicles. The popsicles? Yes, that we that's popsicle. Yes. Yes, you don't know what I'm talking about. That's how that's how I didn't even know you could buy popsicles at the store. Because we always had popsicles like that you that my mom would make in the juice. And then it's like that's and I was like, when I went to the store and I as a kid and found out you can actually buy popsicles, I was like, Tupperware has they had that?

SPEAKER_05 20:36

But like there's like these, well, no, I know what they're it's like these little you had them for us when we were kids.

SPEAKER_02 20:41

Yeah, yeah. See, you can make orange juice popsware.

SPEAKER_05 20:44

Yeah, yes, we did all that. I remember the soap brand, and they had this. I thought they just stole like the storage stuff. Like oh no, all no, oh my gosh, cookware, all kinds of stuff.

SPEAKER_02 20:56

My mom's microwave cooking demonstrations for years. I grew up on microwave food, yes.

SPEAKER_06 21:02

Yeah, now we probably don't even need to have our mom on the show. Now we've all that welcome mom. Yeah, no, exactly. Let's go back to the mattresses. Okay, exactly. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 21:12

That's crazy. I had no idea why. All right, let's go back.

SPEAKER_06 21:15

Okay. So one of the questions I wanted to ask you, you don't you don't have to answer this, but what habits or routines keep you focused?

SPEAKER_01 21:23

Oh god.

SPEAKER_02 21:25

Keep you focused when you pulled up, pulled on me in last minute. I know, I know, I know. Michelle, I don't know if you want the real answer.

SPEAKER_06 21:34

I do, because you know what? Because I I don't know. I mean, because this is, I mean, I type I have a type B personality, and this would be hard for me to answer this.

SPEAKER_01 21:42

Yeah, well, I also have a type B personality. You and I are very much alike. Yeah. Yes. Although I think I might be a little bit more than you.

SPEAKER_02 21:50

Um so that's the funny part is I I'm straightforward about I wear I wear my heart on my sleeve. I I have no holds. Barton or I am no holds Barton. So I totally have ADHD. Totally. I will, you know, adult diagnosed ADHD. Well, ADD back then, but whatever. It's all the same. Um, and so yeah, trying to stay focused is a serious challenge. If it's something that I am passionate about or really into, I am hyper focused. Okay. Right? Like I will spend hours working on a flyer. No joke. Or like, you know, like working on a poster for the front of the store. I hours. Does it should it take hours? No.

unknown 22:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 22:40

So that's what happens, is all the other things just kind of like fly away or whatever in the moment. But so I what I'd like to say is I do not have a very good routine or daily habits, other than drinking my coffee that my lovely boyfriend makes for me. Okay. I have to have my coffee. So every morning I have my morning coffee. Yes, he does. He makes it for me. That's so sweet. He used to bring it to me, but he leaves so much earlier than me now. That's pointless.

SPEAKER_05 23:15

You're saying that you don't wake up at three in the morning and go for a nice morning jog?

SPEAKER_02 23:19

Well, I'm saying I don't wake up at 6 a.m. like most normal people, like he does, and goes to work. I'm up at like eight or nine. That's okay. Nothing wrong with that. You know that I need my sleep. I go to bed late. So that's yeah, that's kind of the way it works. Yeah. So do I I don't have habits or but what I can say is that I um what really helps me a lot is exercise. That that really does that is the one thing I've learned about myself over the years is that I have to have my me time, my exercise to be able to be like really focused and um are more focused.

SPEAKER_06 24:02

That's a great answer. Yeah, yeah. That's a really I like that. Yeah, that's that's really good.

SPEAKER_02 24:06

Yeah, that's a thing. So I love Pilates.

SPEAKER_06 24:08

Okay, good. Okay, good. Oh, I like Pratis too. If you weren't doing this, if you weren't, if you didn't have a mattress or what would you be doing?

SPEAKER_02 24:17

I could be doing a number of things. I have had such an eclectic career. I I've literally gone from um I've I've been an insurance agent, I've done Medicare sales, I have uh cryo slimmed as a side hustle. I yes, I did appointment setting. I have um I worked for national nonprofits doing fundraising, I've done meeting planning, I was in the sales industry for advertising, like like you were. I worked for brick furniture rental. I've done so many different things in my life that really I could have gone any of these directions.

SPEAKER_07 24:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:59

Um, and my major was interesting. It was I was you would never know, I was a recreation major at Chico State. So recre people are like, what the hell do you do? What are you supposed to do with your well, there's different sides of it, but the side I was on was called community commercial. So that's the opposite side of like parks and you know, like being a park ranger. That was gonna be a job, right?

SPEAKER_06 25:23

Imagine her like park ranger. That's where my mind goes.

SPEAKER_02 25:29

No, I don't tell other people to follow the rules either. Last night. I don't follow the rules. That's not no. Um now run a summer camp. I did actually think about that for a long time because I spent like my my a lot of my childhood in summer camp. Loved it. That would be cool. Oh yeah, see what? All the things. Yes. Yeah. I could see that. Loved it. Yeah, girl. I was a campfire girl. Um, but uh wait, no, honey back in. See, I already forgot what the question was. That's okay.

SPEAKER_06 25:59

If you if you weren't doing this, what would you be doing?

unknown 26:01

I could I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 26:02

I could have been running around. I could have been running a summer camp. I might have been working for a park district, um, like doing event planning for a park district. At one point in time, I wanted to be a dance teacher because I grew up doing a lot of dance. I love dance.

SPEAKER_06 26:19

Yeah. You could be doing anything. Yeah. I really legit probably could be doing anything. You know what's you know what's funny about what I just said is we've asked so many other entrepreneurs that we've had on our podcast that same question. Really? And they say one thing. Yeah. Like it's always one answer.

SPEAKER_04 26:35

One thing, yeah. One thing. Wow.

SPEAKER_06 26:37

Isn't that wild? Yeah. You you said 10.

SPEAKER_05 26:40

Yeah. Wow. That's about right. Yeah, but it's and it's like they know it quick too. Yeah. Like quick.

SPEAKER_01 26:49

If this does not work, it will be that. Yes. Yeah, no, not me. I don't have a backup plan right now.

SPEAKER_03 26:55

I'm gonna be a dancer.

SPEAKER_01 26:59

I'll be a baller dancing with the dancer. I'll be a dancing with the stars. Only I'm not a star.

SPEAKER_00 27:05

Dancing with a stars. A star before that happens.

SPEAKER_05 27:09

Oh my Imagine that's hilarious. Oh my god. Well, I wanted to talk about um We never brought up uh the honorary mayor. So going, you know, with that whole thing. Kind of wanted to dive into that a little bit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 27:23

How how how what you know, we've we've talked about it. Yeah, but how real how was that really?

SPEAKER_02 27:31

It was uh it was a lot of work. It was um, you know, mentally and like physically challenging to like just go. It was it was non-stop, go, go, go, go, go, go. But I guess we should tell them what it is, right? Yeah, yeah. Okay. Okay, so uh, so writing for honorary mayor of Fair Oaks um has to do with the Chamber of Commerce at Fair Oaks. Michelle knows because she was involved.

SPEAKER_07 27:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:55

Um, but basically, what um this is this program's been going on for I think it was this was a crazy how many amount of years? I think it was a long time. It's almost 50 years, I think.

SPEAKER_07 28:07

Yeah, yeah, a long time.

SPEAKER_02 28:08

And uh so my dad had actually uh done this before too. So he and another gentleman named Keith Wright had uh run for this campaign and run against each other. And it was a lot of fun. I remember helping my dad do all kinds of events. We would actually used to sell hot dogs at the concerts in the park as part of the fundraiser, uh, that kind of thing. So it was it was even more work, I feel like back then actually, because they were every single week they were at a concert in the park doing something. Oh my gosh. We did like what? We did a lot of events. We did like what, like 10, 15 events or something crazy. We did a lot of events. A lot of events. Um, but basically it was it's all about an honorary earning, hopefully earning an honorary position. So when my dad and Keith ran against each other, Keith, they were very close, uh, but Keith ultimately won. He raised more money than my dad did. So it's all about who raises the most amount of money, right? And so um his so Keith's son Noah really wanted badly to run since he was like, I don't even know how big. Yes, his son. And so he had been he was waiting until he was 21 years old to run because he wanted to be able to drink at his events. Sorry, Noah.

SPEAKER_05 29:23

Fair enough.

SPEAKER_02 29:24

I mean, that makes that makes the most sense. Yeah, so the prior prior two years to that, he had been egging me on, basically, like, hey, you're gonna run against me, right? You gotta run against me because we gotta do like a Crawley versus Wright 2.0. Crawley's my maiden name, right?

SPEAKER_07 29:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:40

So that's why. But between that and you know, my dad's getting older, and my parents are so involved in the community, and I love the chamber, and I've just found a lot of like benefit from working with other small businesses and doing all this. So I just thought, you know what? This would be a lot of fun. And it was, it was a ton of fun. We had a blast, right? It was fun, it was a lot of fun, yeah. So um, I'm really glad I did it. It was pushing me a little bit outside my comfort zone. I'm not gonna lie, because I've worked and done so much over the years that I I'm kind of getting into my like my kids are older, I'm kind of getting into my like, okay, I just want to like not do all the things face.

SPEAKER_07 30:20

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 30:20

So that was like, whoo, am I gonna do this? Only because Rachel Griffith said that she would be my campaign manager. Oh, the only reason.

SPEAKER_05 30:27

Yeah, oh, I told you that, yeah. Yeah, yeah, I feel like you did.

SPEAKER_02 30:30

I said if she said no, not doing it.

SPEAKER_05 30:32

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:33

She did so much. She did her and Anoupama. I don't know how to say Anoupama's last name, but with Care Patrol, yeah, she was amazing. They both were like basically my campaign managers, and then I had such an awesome team, you and so many other people that are just amazing. So I didn't do it by myself, you know this. I mean, this was not a me thing, but it was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_06 30:52

Yeah, but you but you put so much time in. Um, but yeah, I mean you guys you guys did great. I mean, you did really good. But you know what? But I mean, I didn't win, but you didn't win, but that's okay. It's it's totally okay. You got a lot on your plate. Yes, I do, and um, and he's and he's he's excited.

SPEAKER_02 31:11

He's as happy as a clam, and that he's wanted this for way longer than I have.

SPEAKER_06 31:15

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 31:15

So I thought, okay, this is it's okay. This is meant to be the way that it is. Yes. And he has to go to all the events, and I do not. So exactly. I love that you want to love doing all the things, but I don't have to go to everything.

SPEAKER_05 31:27

But the amount of events I remember that you just did alone, I was blown away. Blown away. Like the golf tournament.

SPEAKER_02 31:35

The golf tournament was awesome.

SPEAKER_05 31:37

That was super cool. That was cool.

SPEAKER_02 31:39

Keep coming up to me and telling me how much fun they had at that golf tournament. Yes. And then it was like the most fun event. We want, they want to like do it again. I'm like, well, that okay. No. It wasn't it wasn't it was a pod.

SPEAKER_06 31:50

Yep, that was a great thing.

SPEAKER_05 31:51

And one thing about that, because I've gone to like a handful of like events now, and I will always be like, gosh, this these events are just I wish they would have done this. With your event, I think it was the one event I went to where everything was organized. You knew where you were going. There was no like, I don't know, like it wasn't confusing.

SPEAKER_06 32:10

It wasn't confusing. It was fun.

SPEAKER_05 32:12

Everyone was super fun. We met some amazing people. It it was great. Yeah, like I had a great time.

unknown 32:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 32:19

And so many people did. That's so I'm so glad.

SPEAKER_02 32:22

I'm so glad because it was so fun having you guys there and having everybody. I mean, it was just it was a blast. We had a lot of people from our connections group there, right? That uh Tara had her bar had her bar out there, which was really cool. Um, and yeah, no, it was a ton of fun. But this is my like secret superpower is that I I'm a scattered person and I'm really kind of crazy. But actually, when it all comes together in the end, when people don't see all the background stuff, somehow, somehow it all miracles. It all happens. Yes. I don't know.

SPEAKER_06 32:53

There's so many events though. I totally know the feeling. Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_05 32:56

Like the high-head event. I know. We had plans, everything kind of went out the window as soon as people started walking in here. Oh, and I'm like, I guess we're gonna go with the flow now.

SPEAKER_06 33:05

Just do it. Oh, right.

SPEAKER_02 33:07

And it was a fantastic event. I didn't get to be there, unfortunately, but I heard it was amazing. Yeah, it was great.

SPEAKER_06 33:11

It's like I don't even know how that happened. Yeah, yeah. And you stress about it and stress about it, and then it's fine. Yep, it's fine. So yeah, no, it's great. So um so what tell us something that you're working on now, something exciting you're working on now.

SPEAKER_02 33:27

Oh my goodness. Boy, I wish I had something really exciting to um I don't know if I'm working on it yet. Sounds hard to top.

SPEAKER_06 33:37

Like, yeah, anything personal? Are you going on vacation or anything?

SPEAKER_02 33:41

Uh let's see. Well, so my my almost sister-in-law, I guess. Like soon-to-be sister.

SPEAKER_03 33:50

What? What? What?

SPEAKER_02 33:53

There's nothing official yet. Okay. There's nothing official. I know I didn't see anything on your hand. Nothing official yet. But she will eventually be my sister-in-law. Okay. Okay. Uh, her and her um now fiance are getting married, and so they're getting married in September. So we're gonna be going to Bozeman, because they're moving to they're moving to Bozeman.

SPEAKER_06 34:17

Bozeman, Montana. Montana, I know I thought it was near Yellowstone.

SPEAKER_02 34:21

Yeah. Yeah. So we're gonna go to that wedding, the whole family. We're all gonna go there. Oh, fun. That'll be fun. That'll be fun. And uh their friend knows a ski resort, and they're gonna do it at the ski resort, I think. So that's very cool. Yeah, so we get to go to Yellowstone, so that'll be a fun time. That's cool. My daughter is going to Italy for a wedding for her uh uh aunt um on her dad's side, and so they're gonna be married in Italy. So she has a wedding in September, a wedding in August, a wedding in September, and then we'll see what comes after that.

SPEAKER_05 34:57

That's awesome. Wow, in Italy? How's that? Yeah, what is she trying to say? Where in Italy? Do you guys know?

SPEAKER_02 35:04

Uh, I don't know where, I don't know where I'm not going. So I yeah, I'm invited. Why would I be able to do that?

SPEAKER_03 35:10

Oh, yeah, that would be weird. That would be super weird.

SPEAKER_02 35:14

But actually, uh no, I'm still close with that side of the family. But I will say, uh, the one thing actually, now that I think about it, I'm pushing this thing away. That I am excited about is um my annual trip to Vegas with George for work. So every year we get to go to Vegas to go to the Las Vegas market, the Las Vegas Marketplace, which is pretty freaking amazing. Wow. It's like this, it's three buildings all facing each other, huge, like huge buildings, sky high, and they have permanent showrooms in them from all the furniture companies, all the bedding companies. I've heard about this place, all the mattress companies. Yeah. So you can go any time of the year, but really they're there to like do the big thing every year in the end of January, and then also during the summertime. So I don't go during the summertime typically because there's not as much changeover, but this is where I go to pick out all my new stuff. So that's really actually the most fun thing for me every year. That's cool. Yeah. I do that, and George likes to go with me. We have, I mean, happy hour starts at four every day. It's great. Yes, that's awesome. It's fantastic. That's gonna be fun. And it's fun, right? So we always have a good time. Oh yeah, but this time it's even more exciting because right afterwards, we're leaving directly from Vegas to go on a surprise vacation. So that's actually the most exciting thing. Wait, when are you guys gone? What is this? George planned a surprise vacation for us.

SPEAKER_06 36:45

And when?

SPEAKER_02 36:46

We'll be gone for a week, and all I know it's literally at the end of January. So it's right, we're leaving from Vegas and going on our trip.

SPEAKER_06 36:55

So next January. This January. Wait, wait, wait.

SPEAKER_02 36:58

You mean like a week?

SPEAKER_01 36:59

I mean, yeah. Are you serious? That's what we should have started with. Yeah. I'm like, wait a minute. Like, wait, wait. That's our project, though, right? It has to be about a pro exciting project, isn't it? That's a project. You go into the marketplace.

SPEAKER_02 37:12

George planned everything. So I'm excited. Yeah. It's a surprise. It's a surprise. I told him, I said, you have to let me know what to pack because that's my only requirement.

SPEAKER_05 37:24

Has he said anything?

SPEAKER_02 37:25

Because it's freezing in De Vegas right now. So I'm like, so what is the weather like? He's like, it's gonna be warm and beachy. I'm like, great.

SPEAKER_07 37:34

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 37:35

Oh, that's gonna be. Yeah, that's nice. I want to talk to Chris. I know.

SPEAKER_06 37:42

We'll come with you guys.

unknown 37:43

There you go.

SPEAKER_01 37:44

Oh, that would be a surprise.

SPEAKER_06 37:47

I'm gonna call George.

SPEAKER_01 37:49

Okay. We do need to go on vacation sometime, though.

SPEAKER_06 37:51

I know. That would that would be fun. That'd be fun.

SPEAKER_05 37:53

Might as well just take your whole connections group on your guys' little vacation. Oh no.

SPEAKER_06 37:57

Yeah. Okay, so a few more we're gonna have some rapid fire questions. And then we're and then we're gonna wrap this up. Okay, so if you were an animal, what would you be in why?

SPEAKER_01 38:09

I really wish I. She's like, stop it.

SPEAKER_02 38:14

I oh my gosh. If I was an animal, what would I be in why?

SPEAKER_06 38:19

Um I'm sure you've thought about this before. I come on now.

SPEAKER_02 38:26

Maybe I have, but like as a kid? I've thought of this. Like, no, every once in a while. Like, I think like if I was reincarnated, would I want to do that?

SPEAKER_06 38:36

Yes, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 38:37

I've thought about dog or cat, you know. Okay. I thought that's very basic, but I have thought about that. Like cats are very independent, but they get the love when they want it. They don't get the love when they don't want it, right? They people get people leave them alone. They could just freaking sleep all day. And you get to be a house. And you get to play and you get to be in the house. I mean, like I think that's better than a dog because you don't get yelled at as much, right?

SPEAKER_06 39:01

Yeah, but that you're not traveling as much. I know, but go pee in the house and then you'll be good. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 39:07

I mean, pretty much people like leave you alone when you want to be left alone, and then they yeah. And I could be a little at times, you know. Okay, so it's a you have more you not that often, but I ha I can have that streak.

SPEAKER_06 39:21

God, she's so funny. Oh my god. I'll be a kid cat. Okay, you're a kid. Okay. Um, what's the weirdest food combo that you have?

SPEAKER_02 39:34

That you like that I like?

SPEAKER_06 39:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 39:38

Um, I don't think I really like super weird foods, but really? I mean, I eat some things that maybe maybe some people wouldn't as much. Like I like cottage cheese with um like peaches in it. You know, I like fruit and cottage cheese. I like that. That's normal. Um she's like a little bit. Well, I can tell the I can tell you things that uh something I don't eat that most people are surprised by. I do not like seafood at all. Like that's normal. Some people don't like cheese.

SPEAKER_07 40:07

Is that normal?

SPEAKER_02 40:08

Okay, I think you and I are abnormal. I can't I can't do sushi, seafood. Oh, I like sushi. Oh no, no, no, no. And I'm starting to get better, better. If that's from the okay, there are two things from the ocean I will eat. One is tuna fish, it has to come in a can. Uh-oh, yeah. That's white tuna, starkissed, no oil. I have to make it a home. I gotta put the sweet pickles in it. That's like my yeah, that's it. That clam chowder.

SPEAKER_06 40:35

That sounds like a good, I would love that tuna fish sandwich.

SPEAKER_05 40:37

That's not great, no, it's just the canned tuna fish because my grandparents and Shelly and them would eat that, and I could smell it as a kid, and I never liked it. So, like Andy would start to eat that when he was at the gym in like these packs.

SPEAKER_06 40:52

Oh, that sounds so good. That just sounds so good.

SPEAKER_05 40:55

And like it brought back this like, oh god, I'm like, I can't, I can't do it. But I could eat like fresh tuna. I could eat like raw tuna. Yes. No, I can't. Oh, that sounds good.

SPEAKER_02 41:04

And it's not like I haven't tried, I've tried all the things. Literally, I've tried all the things. No, none of it.

SPEAKER_05 41:10

Yeah, not my thing.

SPEAKER_02 41:11

So are you like a picky eater then? Smell, taste, huh? Are you like a picky eater then, you think? Actually, I grew up kind of a picky eater, but I'm I don't feel like I'm a picky eater anymore. I just that's just really the only thing I really don't like. And not gamey stuff. I'm not big into gamey stuff either. Yeah, I don't like gamey stuff.

SPEAKER_06 41:26

That's not my that's yucky. Yeah, that's yucky. So yeah. Did you have any other questions? No, that was it. That was it. So thank you so much for coming in. Thank you so much, Heather. This has been super fun. It has been super fun. I'm excited about your trip.

SPEAKER_05 41:41

Yeah, I'm excited about this.

SPEAKER_02 41:44

I can't wait to talk about it when I come back. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 41:47

Oh, I can't wait to spill the beans.

SPEAKER_05 41:49

Yeah, it's gonna be super fun. Well, anyways, well, thank you so much for tuning in to From My View Podcast. Thank you so much, Heather, for coming on the show. Uh, it's been a while, so we wanted to, you know, since you're in season two, you're gonna be in our season two. Yeah, I like super fun. Well, anyways, um we'll see you guys next time.

unknown 42:12

Bye. Thank you.