002: From Comparison to Connection with Molly Marquess

This episode of The Flourish Foundry Podcast features a conversation with Molly Marquess, owner of Wingfoot Facility Services in Salt Lake City. Molly shares her insights on navigating a competitive landscape and limiting the urge to compare yourself to others. This interview explores the power of connection over competition and the abundance mindset that believes there's room for everyone to succeed. Molly emphasizes the importance of supporting others in the same field and fostering a collaborative environment.

We hope you walk away from this episode encouraged, built up, and ready to say YES to your big ideas and dreams!!

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Wingfoot Services

Marquee Cleaning

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Music: "Great podcast intro (both short and long version included)" by Lundstroem. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Being in a room full of people like that, whether it's cleaners or just entrepreneurs, um business owners, there is a huge connection and the drive and the inspiration that comes out of that room is incredible. And I would rather be known for helping even my competition rise than to be known for turning the cold shoulder. There's plenty of business in this world for all of us. This is a big world, big country, big market.

SPEAKER_00 0:33

Hi there and welcome to the Flourish Foundry Podcast. Today's episode is a conversational interview with Molly Marquez. She's the owner of Wingfoot Facility Services right here in Salt Lake City, Utah. And she's also my future mother-in-law, come May. I hope you walk away from this episode encouraged, built up, and ready to say yes to your big ideas and dreams. Well, welcome to the podcast. I'm so excited to be chatting with you. I knew when I started this that I wanted to start the interviews with you. So thank you. Welcome if you want to introduce yourself.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

I'm happy to be here. I am my name is Molly Marquez, and I am the owner of Wingfoot Services or Wingfoot Facility Services. Beautiful. Tell us a little bit more about Wingfoot. What do you guys do? So we're a commercial cleaning service, and we've we offer all types of other facility services as well, like floor care and carpet cleaning and window cleaning, landscaping, pretty much just anything you need to keep a facility looking nice and running smoothly. Let's see. We've been in business since 1979. It was founded by my stepfather. And so last year we celebrated our 45th year in business.

SPEAKER_00 1:49

Well, congratulations. That is no small accomplishment. So let's start at the beginning a little bit. How did you get involved? Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Definitely funny story. My mom got married to Bruce when I was about 17.

SPEAKER_00 2:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

I was in high school, senior year in high school. And my mom had four kids, he had six, so now we're a group of 10.

SPEAKER_02 2:15

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

So you can imagine what that blended family looked like, right? And for the first couple of years, there was no such thing as family harmony or or anyone playing nice at all, right? But I mean eventually it got better. But um before Bruce had even entered the picture, I was kind of my mom's right-hand person. She was single for several years, had four kids. Um I was the oldest. So my personality is also naturally to help, so it wasn't like she made me do it or anything. I just wanted to do it. It was my personality, and so there's a lot of things I did like grocery shopping and meal planning and cooking and cleaning and helping with homework and and balancing her checkbook because she's terrible with numbers. And she'll she'll tell you that first thing. She she absolutely hates it. So um, and I tell you that because it it kind of plays right into how everything kind of came together. Um, when she got remarried to Bruce, it was a big adjustment for the two of us because we had this really close relationship, really kind of relied on each other. She'll tell you that I went through an identity crisis. She's probably right, right? Here I am, 17, and now I'm not mom's right-hand person anymore. There's somebody else in here in the middle of it, and it it definitely changed things for sure. Um so needless to say, Bruce and I weren't very, we didn't like each other very much at all. So it was kind of like we tolerated each other, right? And soon after that I moved out, got married, all those wonderful fun things. Um but fast forward to 2001, I had had um I had had a son, and I my future husband.

SPEAKER_00 4:03

Your future husband, yes, my son.

SPEAKER_01 4:06

Yes, and um I mean I stayed home for the first year and just worked like in the evening and at a gas station and stuff like that. And so when I was finally ready to go back to work, I was looking for a job, and my mom was like, Well, you should come come to the office. Like, I need help with my finances, anyways. I've made a mess, I can't get this thing to balance. You need to come in and help. Okay, sure, I'll do it. No problem. That was not Bruce's first choice, right? For sure. There was he did not want me to come in for sure. There just wasn't a lot of trust there, right? Sure. And so but my mom was unrelenting, and finally, I think she talked him into giving me a chance. And it kind of just started like, okay, Molly, I don't know if this is gonna work, but I have this little machine over here that I bought to put barcodes on library cards. Total random, I know, has nothing to do with the cleaning business. But he's like, if you can get that working in three months, we'll talk.

unknown 5:09

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 5:09

A little challenge for you.

SPEAKER_01 5:10

A little challenge. Okay, challenge accepted.

SPEAKER_00 5:13

I'm pretty sure I can figure this out.

SPEAKER_01 5:16

And I did about six weeks later. Perfect. I found someone who wrote me a program and did all kinds of funky stuff. I'm not even gonna get into, but but needless to say, in about six weeks I got it up and running. And um soon after that, we were producing so many cards we had to buy another machine.

SPEAKER_02 5:33

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 5:33

And we were pushing through about 300,000 cards a month in and out of our just this little room with these two cute little machines. Wow. So that's how I started with Wingfoot. Um, I mean, there was, and how I got out of plastics and into cleaning is um anyone will know in this industry that that uh turnover is it's a big thing.

SPEAKER_00 5:54

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

It's a service industry, a lot of people face that. Um and our operations manager just kind of up and quit, said I had it.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

And um I thought, okay, I I could probably do this. So I went home and typed up a huge plan. When I came to work the next day, I walked into Bruce's office and said, I can do this, and I can still do what I'm doing, but I want to raise.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

Right. I'll I'll on to my plate, but there's a price.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

Exactly, exactly. Um and that's kind of just where it started our really I mean, we had already created a relationship, but that's where it definitely started more of our partnership when it came to building the cleaning business. Um and it wasn't much later that we, you know, hit a million dollars and then then we hit two, and then we hit three, and we're sitting at about a three and a half right now on a yearly basis. And um, and and then of course when he decided to retire, it was always part of the plan that Molly would take over. So um two years ago that's what I did.

SPEAKER_00 7:01

Awesome. So you've been the owner for two years now?

SPEAKER_01 7:04

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 7:04

How has that been? How have the last two years been compared to just starting out? Like, would you have ever thought this is where you would be?

SPEAKER_01 7:12

No.

unknown 7:13

No.

SPEAKER_01 7:14

And honestly, uh, I think I I sometimes I explain it like who um aspires to be like, I'm gonna be, I'm gonna own a cleaning business or I'm gonna be a cleaner, I'm gonna be a janitor, right? Like, and and trust me, I have so many wonderful people that are awesome. They do not get the respect they deserve. It's not an easy job. Um, but it's just not really like you can't go to college to learn that, right? No, you so it was definitely I got to learn everything as we were going along. Um I think I thought that being the owner was going to need to be so much easier than being not the owner but running everything. I think I was terribly wrong. It's pretty hard to be an owner.

SPEAKER_00 7:56

It is, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:57

It's a lot of pressure, right?

SPEAKER_00 7:59

We were talking about this the other day of just how many people are dependent on you for their household. Yeah. How many lives you're affecting, because it's not just your employees, it's their spouses and their children and exactly how many lives you are responsible for. Like that weight is on you, so it's not it's not just confined to these walls that we're in because we're recording this at your office. But yes. Um, yeah, it's like so much bigger than that, which is crazy.

SPEAKER_01 8:30

It is, it is. It um yeah, it's just like you said, it's it's certainly there's certainly a weight, and there's plenty of ups and downs that go with it. Um but yeah, it's also it's this legacy, too. Um, and so not only does it affect my employees' lives, but just everyone in our immediate family has touched this business in some way, shape, or form, or this business has helped them be successful in some way, shape, or form. And to we all want to be able to give that to our kids now. And so yeah, the pressures to make it succeed and and work are definitely they're there.

SPEAKER_00 9:06

What would you say is your why for for all of it? I mean, we were just saying family and how it's touched people's lives, but yeah, like what there because there's obviously days you wake up and you you just don't like it, you're at your end, right? Like you said, you don't set out wanting to own a cleaning company, right? So what is it? Like it's probably not commercial cleaning that drives you.

SPEAKER_01 9:32

No, no, it's not. I mean, I like cleaning, obviously. Um, there's also a bunch of satisfaction because it's an immediate result. Like when you when something's dirty and you clean it, it there is that instant gratification of you've accomplished something and it's clean and it's beautiful, and people really appreciate it, even though they don't always express that how much. But my why is definitely rooted um deeply in in family and in my relationship with Bruce and um and my desire to carry on the legacy. Like it's it's um it's part of me for sure. It's something I would never ever ever want to let go. Um and then, of course, I mean my husband, my kids, taking care of my kids, providing for my kids, giving them opportunities, and um, and then my my poor husband who puts up with me all the time. Um he puts up with my crazy. We we talk about this all the time. Um, you know, he he's been a really good support.

SPEAKER_00 10:32

That's awesome. What has it been like? How has that dynamic shifted between you and Bruce? Is he still working with you? Is he still part of the family business? Tell us a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

Okay. So he stays out, he stays in his lane, that's what we call it, which is great. So he doesn't come in and get involved in any of the business, but he still has an office here. Um I think that he loves to come down and still be able to be social and talk to everyone and talk to me. And you know what? He is my he is my biggest cheerleader.

SPEAKER_00 11:02

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

And he is also my best confidant because he knows. I don't have to explain much, he just knows. Yeah, and um I'm truly grateful for that all the time.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

Has your relationship between the two of you shifted since because it was a rocky, a rocky start. Right. So how did we get? I guess you've told us a little bit about the evolution of it, but we've started very rocky to now he has transferred his like precious baby of a business into your hands. Like, how did we get from point A to point B?

SPEAKER_01 11:35

Good question. Um I mean, just really just through the years of working with each other and being able to to trust and and rely on each other that things were things were gonna get done. Um and and we had a lot of the same vision, and so we were both trying to execute and work towards a similar goal or a common goal. And um with that, it the trust for sure just brought that relationship where it needed to be. And when there was definitely plenty of hard days, right? There's there was a time in 07 and 08 when everyone was really feeling it, yeah. That we were really like, oh my gosh, like are we gonna have to close the doors? Like, no, this can't happen. What are what are we what are we going to do? And it was another one of those times that we had to let some people go from the office, and so it was mostly me and Bruce, and I think one other. Um, so we slimmed down, but we were able to keep all the other 150, 175 people employed with us still employed. Um, and so yeah, you just have to do that sometimes. But yeah, those moments certainly brought us to where we are today.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

What about because you said when your mom married Bruce, that expanded your family to 10. Yes. So, how has that been with your other siblings or other family members now that you're the owner?

SPEAKER_01 12:59

Good question. Um, and most people would probably think that, oh my gosh, that's probably a total mess. But um honestly, a lot of um other than my sister Connie, who's been here almost about as long as I have, yeah, or actually longer than I have, um, and she's still very involved in the day-to-day stuff, and she is definitely a confidant and a partner of mine as well, but she just didn't want the pressure of owning it. And then the other eight kids just really had no desire, they just weren't interested. Like um Bruce's son, Chris, worked with us for a couple of years and he ran our vending machine department. It's now gone, but he ran all of our vending machines for a couple of years, and it was great for him. It got him through school, um, was able to put money away, all kinds of things like that. But so we've had plenty of opportunities like that with each of the kids over the years in some way, shape, or form, but none of them just really had much interest in owning this business or being a part of it or running it. Um, you know, they all had some of their own other aspirations, so uh we've never had a fight or anything about that. It's it's just been a good natural progression, and and they've always supported it, which has been really nice.

SPEAKER_00 14:12

Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, and probably rather rare in a family business. Yes. So that's really good. Yes. Um, outside of your family, where do you go for inspiration? Who else do you look up to? Obviously, there's so much history with this brand and your family being so involved. So outside of them, who do you who do you look for?

SPEAKER_01 14:38

Um, well, people who have been successful in the industry, of course. Um, but one that particularly comes to mind is um it's a group called the Cleaning Prophets. There's a guy there named James Harper and a Angel, and I can't remember his last name. Um, but oh my gosh, six, seven years ago, I think they came here and they had just asked if they could bring another business owner with them from Colorado just to ask questions like how have we done it and how has it worked for us? And and I loved the opportunity to be able to help somebody else in the industry. But also they truly helped us. Um now, so that was you know, six, seven years ago, they were really just learning about the cleaning industry. Um, and now they have a whole podcast that's called The Cleaning Profits. Oh, absolutely. And it's it's so cute, it's so cute, it is so fun, and um they do a big event every year, and I I've been to it the last two years. It's super fun, super inspiring. Um and they've done a really great job of of trying to balance stuff that's more, you know, like let's talk about business stuff, but it's not just about business, it's about you as a person and your family and growing professionally. And so they've they've done a really great job of putting together a balance between um the business and personal, and they bring in all these wonderful people to give lectures or talks or discussions or whatever you want to call it. And um, and they're they they do something every month with with those same people to be able to reach out to other cleaning business owners and and still provide that inspiration. So that's awesome. Yeah, they also saved my butt when I first bought Wingfoot and I got a little crazy and decided to buy three others as well. Um, it was definitely James Harper's group that um he brought in three uh remote workers from um out of the country, and they took my phones, they took my marketing, they took my my recruiting. Myron signed up every contract for landscaping that first season, and without those, without them, it wouldn't, it would have it would have crashed and burned really fast.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

And that was a mutually beneficial deal because I was on the phone with James just the other day. That's right, that's right. He we were chatting about Marquee cleaning, marquee landscaping, your other two businesses, and he was going on and on about how you gave him the platform to start his business and were a huge part of his success. So it's really cool to see really to hear you talk about this now when just two days ago I was hearing his side of the story. That's so sweet. It was so impactful on him, which is why I think networking is such a key factor. Absolutely in the most one of the more rewarding parts of it because you get to see I don't know, like how personal connections impact other people versus it just being behind a screen and impersonal. So anyway, absolutely I just wanted to share that with you because he said the same thing about you.

SPEAKER_01 17:50

Okay, now I'm gonna have to call him and be like, James.

SPEAKER_00 17:53

Come on. Yes, he had all wonderful things to say. That's fantastic. Um so similar to what we're talking about with networking, you're in lots of spaces with many other cleaning business owners. Yeah. The conferences that you go to, you've done public speaking events, people look up to you. What is that like being in a room of people that are trying to accomplish the same thing as you? How do you limit the comparison? What is the difference between drawing inspiration from someone versus kind of beating yourself up for it before comparing yourself against them? Right. And I think this applies to multiple different industries. It doesn't have to just be cleaning, sure, and it doesn't have to just be in person either. I mean, with social media, you can you can put yourself up against a thousand other people doing what you're doing instead of just locally where maybe there's five other commercial cleaning companies. Right. You look online and you're seeing everybody and what everyone is doing. So, what is that like for you? Do you have any tips or advice on that?

SPEAKER_01 18:58

Um yeah, I one my biggest tip and advice on that would be connect and network. Because everyone, I mean, everyone's chosen their own path as far as how they get there, but they're all going through a lot of the same things. Like we've all had the same pitfalls as owners. We all have to deal with the same things with employees or with clients or with equipment or anything else. But being in a room full of people like that, whether it's cleaners or just other entrepreneurs, um business owners, there is a huge connection, and the drive and the inspiration that comes out of that room is incredible. And I would rather be known for helping even my competition rise than to be known for you know going after it or like you know, turning the cold shoulder or whatnot. And so there's plenty of business in this world for all of us. This is a big world, big country, big market. The we the cleaning market is like a 11, 10 or 11 or I don't know, hundred billion dollar industry, and there's not one company in the entire country that owns even one percent of that market.

SPEAKER_00 20:09

Right.

SPEAKER_01 20:10

So it's so fragmented, there's there's there's no need to be help each other. Yeah, help each other, and um and it always comes back to you.

SPEAKER_00 20:20

Yeah, I love that. I think that is such a good takeaway from this because it's very easy to compare. Yes, but if you just shift that mindset to helping each other, that's that's huge.

SPEAKER_01 20:35

And there's always something to learn. I love to learn, and I love to learn how other people are doing it differently than me, and sometimes it's inspired some of my greatest ideas to do something different.

SPEAKER_00 20:46

So yeah, yeah, that's awesome. Before we pressed record, we started a really interesting conversation. Yes, and I said, pause. Pause. We need to get the mic out before we talk about this. Great. So you were telling me the percentages of female business owners within the cleaning industry. So let's circle back to that because I have some things to share as well.

SPEAKER_01 21:13

Fantastic. I'm glad. Up until 2021 or 2022, only eight and a half percent of all cleaning franchises were owned by women. There was plenty. That's in the entire United States. It's now up to about 30%, so there's more and more that are getting into the industry. Um, but it's also mostly on the residential side. It's not very common on the commercial side. Um which it doesn't really matter if it's commercial or residential, owning a business is owning a business. But um, there's been lots and lots of women in the industry that have risen to high um positions in other companies because let's just face it, we are so much more organized.

SPEAKER_00 21:57

A woman knows how to load the dishwasher. And that's why she should own the company.

SPEAKER_01 22:02

Exactly, right? And and um and I I think it's finally kind of starting to pick up that that guys are maybe understanding that you know what this this could be a good thing for me to maybe open the door to this lady, right? Right? Um and so it's getting better and better, but still it's still it's not even half, it's still such a small percentage.

SPEAKER_00 22:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:23

And so I'd love to see more and more ladies get into it. And and yeah, when I go to these events to to see there's there's so many other ladies that come to these events, and it's just so fun to hear their stories and their whys, and and that they they took they had the courage to get in it right on their own.

SPEAKER_00 22:41

Do you think that gives you an advantage in the market being a female business owner?

SPEAKER_01 22:48

I'd like to think so, sure. Um I'm not sure exactly how or why. Yeah, but I do know that kind of depending upon who you're working with, um, sometimes people just relate better to a woman because we're softer or we're um we're a little bit more personable. And so when it comes to really building relationships, I feel like ladies can have a bit of an advantage there. Yeah, but I gotta be careful what I say. I don't want to piss off all the guys out there, you know?

SPEAKER_00 23:17

Right, it's not a dig on men owning businesses. Yeah, it's just fascinating when you look at the numbers. So I was in a networking group the other day, and they gave me my little membership sweatshirt, and it had all of these percentages on the back, and I was like, Staley, you've gotta tell me what these numbers are because I'm gonna wear this and someone's gonna ask me, and I I need to know the answer. Because it was just all the 50 states and then a percentage by it.

unknown 23:44

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_00 23:45

And the percentage was the percent of businesses owned by women in each state. Wow. And I was shocked to learn that Alaska was the highest at about 25%.

SPEAKER_01 24:04

Wow. And that's it.

SPEAKER_00 24:07

And then here in Utah, we were third lowest at 15%, which shocked me because I look around and I think there are a gazillion women-owned businesses here. So I was floored to see that.

SPEAKER_01 24:22

Yeah, that's a staggering percentage for sure. And I know that um, you know, I know that uh some of the com the local government here has put a big push on trying to do more to support and encourage more women business owners because I think they'd like to improve that statistic.

SPEAKER_00 24:38

Right.

SPEAKER_01 24:38

Which is great, but it is kind of sad to see us down there so low.

SPEAKER_00 24:42

Right.

SPEAKER_01 24:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:43

Yeah, and we've talked about this, how it is um a unique experience being a female business owner versus a male business owner. Absolutely. We just operate differently and it does affect you. It's not for good or bad. No, not a dig on men whatsoever. But it is different, and so it is different for sure.

SPEAKER_01 25:04

Yeah. And it it takes it takes a little moxie to to uh to be able to do it too. Because I I don't know about some of the other ladies out there in my industry, but there have been plenty of times that I've shown up to a walkthrough and I'm the only girl. Yeah, you know, and there's there's 12 other guys here that are that are vendors that are doing this walkthrough, and I'm the only lady, and um it can be super intimidating. Um and uh or or it can really just be a great time to shine. Yeah because you're the only one to stick out.

SPEAKER_00 25:39

Right. It's true. Okay. Speaking of Moxie, we just worked together to rebrand Marky Cleaning Services. Yes. Super excited about that.

SPEAKER_01 25:52

Me too.

SPEAKER_00 25:53

And looking forward to Wingfoot Services as a rebrand. Tell us a little bit more about that. Okay, you know, this is a big deal.

SPEAKER_01 26:04

This is a big deal.

SPEAKER_00 26:05

Wingfoot is, like we said, 45 years old. So it's no small rebrand, no small decision. No. How are you feeling about it? What made you want to rebrand? Are you nervous? How are you feeling?

SPEAKER_01 26:19

Definitely, certainly feeling a little bit nervous about it because it is um, it's been a lot around for so long, and I certainly don't want to um quote unquote disrespect the legacy of it, right? But at the same time, it's kind of time to put my stamp on it.

SPEAKER_00 26:36

It's kind of yours now.

SPEAKER_01 26:37

It is mine. It's been two years, and yeah, and I and so I want to stick with lots of things that are fairly similar, but modify it enough to kind of just bring out my personality a little bit. And I know how funny it was because of course you're amazing, and you do all of our website and our branding and everything else. And when we were at um Photoshoot, I just thought it was so neat that here I am telling you, Abby, Abby, I have you gotta listen to this. I have this great idea, and it's probably dumb, and it's but just just hear me out. You know the Wingfoot logo looks kind of like a foot and like stripes, but we were we've both commented on how it just it's just blah. Yeah, we just don't know what to do with it and or to try and help make it stick out. Um, and I was telling you that I just had this thought pop in my head on the way to the photo shoot that maybe we should make it a boot. Yeah. Because I do always wear boots. It is my thing. She does. This is confirmed. And probably lots of other vendors that have seen me at walkthroughs can totally confirm that too. Because they're like, especially when we've had a walkthrough that maybe is multiple days in a row, they're like, really? Another pair of boots? Like, how do you how many do you have? I have a few.

SPEAKER_00 27:57

Do you have a cow? I would be curious.

SPEAKER_01 28:00

I don't have a cow. We might need to do that.

SPEAKER_00 28:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:04

But I do. I love boots. And because I can walk, I can walk five miles and walk a building and go up and down stairs and still make them look classy and still be comfortable without trying to put on a pair of high heels. And there's not a lot of really cute tennis shoes that go with dress clothes, right? No. They're a statement. They are a statement. I love it. Oh, thank you. So yeah, turning the wing foot foot logo into something, and it was just so something more like a boot, but it was just it was so cute and so cool that I'm trying to tell you, and you're like, wait, wait, stop. Stop. I should show you my sketchbook because all of my recent sketches about how we're gonna rebrand this are boots. And I'm like, oh my god, this is just you you soak at me, and I just I just love it. You soak at me, I love it, and I loved that um you were already there, and so I didn't even have to explain it. And then we start talking about taglines and coming up with you know, boots on the ground or a step ahead, something like that. I can't I can't wait to see. I know we haven't flushed out all the details, so stay tuned, but um, I can't wait to see what we turn it into. Yeah, and it'll totally, I think there's gonna be boots. There's definitely gonna be boots, and I think it'll still really respect the legacy, but but give it my twist.

SPEAKER_00 29:28

And I think that's what we accomplished with the Marquee Cleaning rebrand. Yes, is it was a very professional feel before, and now I think it has so much more personality. Agreed, and a very subtle feminine touch, and I think it turned out beautiful. I'm very proud of it. I think it's one of my favorite projects to date. And I hope that you and Lisa are as happy about it.

SPEAKER_01 29:55

We are very happy about it, and in fact, I I hope you get the opportunity to um to interview Lisa because the whole Moxie thing is her story. Yes, so I'm not gonna say anything about it because the Moxie thing is totally her story, but how the three of us came together to figure out how to incorporate that, yeah, I think is a pure stroke of genius, and I love it. Um of course I'm tooting all of our own horns, but we get to do that.

SPEAKER_00 30:23

We will definitely need to catch up with Lisa and talk about that. So, film me and what plans do you have for 2025? You can talk about personal, all three of the businesses, just Wink Foot. Oh boy. What are you looking forward to most?

SPEAKER_01 30:38

Um, this is our year. That's all I'm gonna say. This is our year.

SPEAKER_00 30:45

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 30:45

Um, the last two, there's been plenty of ups and downs, plenty of um yeah, transitioning from being the owner and having to make all those decisions and not having everything work out. Um, the last two years have certainly been full of learning and full of plenty of pitfalls. Um, but I really I feel so good about where we are right now. And part of that has to do with all of the stuff that you've helped us with getting our marketing up and running, getting our websites looking good, getting us on social media. The learning curve is out of the way. Yeah, and that the plans that we're making to just just build and expand upon what we already have. Um, I mean, of course, everyone wants to have this huge, wonderful, big, super successful business. I just want it to be successful and fulfilling.

SPEAKER_02 31:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:41

Um, but I I am looking forward to this year. I think this is our year for our all three businesses to really kind of thrive. Um, and I think part of that is is just be finally feeling ready to come into my own on all of them and and taking the branding to a place that it feels a little bit more of our own as well. Yeah, instead of um somebody else's vision.

SPEAKER_00 32:01

Yeah, that's awesome. I didn't realize until this conversation that you had purchased the build the other two businesses two years ago because when I started dating Bryson, that was two years ago. Yeah. I didn't realize that it was like the same timeline of when I met you that you had just purchased that. Yes. Because I've only known you as this business owner of three businesses. So it's kind of crazy that that was really at the start.

unknown 32:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:33

And then now you've been able to pour into me as I've started this. So it's been really cool. I feel very lucky to have you as a mother-in-law and thank you client all in one. I think we have a very unique dynamic, and your son can never say that um he doesn't love you because he chose to marry like a mini you. So I think so. We have matching boots, Ewan. We do have matching boots. I know.

SPEAKER_01 32:59

It's so fun. And uh, and yeah, it is great, and you are right. Um, I feel truly, truly blessed that we have the connection.

SPEAKER_00 33:07

I'm the one who coordinates family dinners, so so that's true. That's true. I'm kidding. Um for women listening to this show that might be scared to take that leap to either purchasing a business or starting a business. What advice would you have for them?

SPEAKER_01 33:23

Oh boy, that's a big one. Um I would say do it.

SPEAKER_00 33:30

Whether you're just starting your business or have been an owner for several years, I believe there's power in sharing our stories and hearing the stories of others. Molly has been a constant source of inspiration for me in my business, and it was such a privilege to have this conversation with her today. Keep up with Molly on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram. I'll link all of her handles right here in the show notes. Not ready to say goodbye? Me neither. Follow along on Instagram at Floreshot Foundry to stay connected day to day, or join my email list for freebies, new episode updates, fun links, and