Dream Business Podcast

#394 - COURAGE, RESILIENCE & MAKING IT REAL IN BUSINESS, with Lisa Teh

Today I’m joined by the brilliant and very real Lisa Teh - author of Get Real: 30 Stories of Female Founders & Other Lessons in Business.

Lisa doesn’t sugar-coat the entrepreneurial path; she shines a light on the wins, the wobblies and the in-between moments that shape us.

We talk about her unconventional journey from tax law to Witchery’s marketing team, and how curiosity pulled her into building digital agencies in the early days of social media.

It’s a reminder that your first chapter doesn’t define your future - that enthusiasm and initiative open surprising doors - and it could just be your inspiration to find a side hustle or business that's right for you.

We also dive into selling with heart (start with vision and purpose), why embracing “failure” speeds your growth, and the power of simplifying your decisions so you can focus on what matters.

Expect practical wisdom and plenty of energy - plus a fun side note: Lisa converted me to strawberry matcha!😂

If you’re ready to build momentum on your dream or business idea, pop in your earbuds and press play.

And if you want hands-on support, a wonderful learning community and accountability, explore our new Dream Business Book Club here: https://www.yourdreamlifestartshere.com/businessbookclub - I’d love to help super-charge your effort and cheer you on.

As always, I’d LOVE to hear what resonates with you from this episode and what you plan to implement after listening in. So please share and let’s keep the conversation going in the Dream Life Podcast Facebook Group here.    

Have a wonderful weekend …and remember, it all starts with a dream 💛

Dream Life & kikki.K Founder

SHOW NOTES:

RESOURCES:

TRANSCRIPT:

Kristina: [00:00:00] [00:01:00] Hi there and welcome back to another episode of Your Dream Live podcast. Today I'm joined by the super inspiring Lisa Te, author of the brand new book called Get Real, 30 Stories of Female Founders and Other Lessons in Business. This book is such a breath of fresh air.

Instead of only shining a spotlight on the highlight reels, Lisa dives into the messy, the reel, and the incredibly human side of building a business. It's raw, it's relatable, and it's filled with powerful lessons from [00:02:00] women have walked the entrepreneurial path, the wins, the struggles, and the learnings that comes with that.

Lisa is also an entrepreneur and so inspiring and I am so excited to share this inspiring conversation whether you're dreaming of starting something. Of your own or are already running a business or just love hearing women share their stories.

Honestly, you'll walk away inspired and encourage. So grab a cup of tea or a coffee or in me and Lisa's while she introduced me Two strawberry matcha. So get that if that's your thing, and let's dive in. Such a great inspiration and you'll get so much out of it.

 Well, hello there Lisa, I am so excited to have you on my podcast. Welcome.

[00:02:56] Lisa: Thank you so much, Kristina. I'm excited too. I feel like [00:03:00] the only thing I'm worried about is that we just can't stop talking whenever we say this could be like a 10 hour podcast.

[00:03:07] Kristina: But that's perfectly fine. I'll time it for an hour and then when the alarm goes, we're done.

[00:03:12] Lisa: Okay. You like the Oscars. It's like the music will start playing and then you'll just usher me off the the

[00:03:18] Kristina: no, it's so amazing to have you and we got so much to talk about. Obviously we are gonna talk about your new book, get Real, but before we do, I wanna ask a couple of questions. One, did you have a dream as a child, something you wanted to do or become or have?

[00:03:36] Lisa: Yes, I actually wanted, well originally I wanted to become a librarian because I love books, which I feel like, I know you love books as well, so I feel like that might resonate with you. And it was at school and I just fell in love with sitting there and being transported into these completely different worlds.

And you know, when you're reading a book and you don't even realize you're reading it 'cause you're ju and you don't [00:04:00] even realize you're turning the pages, it's just sort of coming to life in your head. So

And then I did, uh, when I got to uni I did wanna become a fashion designer, but I couldn't actually make clothes so

love fashion, but that dream quickly went away.

So, yeah. But those are the things that I, I did wanna do when I was younger.

[00:04:18] Kristina: Fantastic. I love it. And, uh, I mean, you did go into fashion. We'll talk a little bit about that. I actually, I love, I'd love for you to share a little bit about the journey. So we have listeners from all over the world, so not everyone will know about you yet, but certainly, uh, after this. So let, maybe just share a little bit about your journey because, um.

As I said before, we pushed record, I did not realize that you were a tax lawyer and for someone who, does not know accounting very Well, and uh, as an entrepreneur, that was like the most boring part of the business, necessary, but not the most exciting thing. And tax was like, oh, and, uh, you know, so many people complain about tax and [00:05:00] I always had the view, and, uh, you might not agree with this as a tax lawyer, but I always thought if you have to pay a lot of tax, you are very likely doing well.

And, uh, even though, you know, there's a lot of good ways that we can reduce it, obviously. But I, that's always been my, my view. Like, let's focus on, on revenue and profit versus the tax part, but love to hear a little bit about your journey.

[00:05:23] Lisa: Well, you're right about that quote. My accountant says that to me, actually shout out to Mark his amazing accountant. But, I'm not good with numbers either, so I don't really know. I ended up going into tax, uh, but I did have a very good tax lecturer, and that's why he somehow made it very interesting.

So when I finished uni I did Comm Law at uni and when I finished I ended up getting a job at KPMG. So one of the big four accounting firms. And I think probably actually in hindsight, I don't, I know that tax law wasn't right for me, or tax a career in tax wasn't right for me. It just didn't suit my personality at [00:06:00] all.

But going into a big corporation like that taught me a lot of soft skills, which I still apply today. Like the importance of brand and how important even the spacing of text is. The margins, getting a company's brand, right, making sure the colors are right, um, how to analyze, how to present, how to liaise with different stakeholders.

So I think from that perspective. I did think it was probably beneficial to go into a big corporate, but I never felt like I fit, fit in there at all. Uh, I did. In hindsight, I did feel like a bit of an imposter because I never felt like I was good with numbers or good with tax or anything like that. So I was always a bit nervous thinking, oh my God, I'm gonna get exposed and now that someone's gonna tap me on the shoulder and go, I know you have no idea what you're doing.

Uh, and then I've always loved fashion and I felt like I went into the corporate world and I would. You know, try and dress in things that I love. But I think you can make yourself a [00:07:00] target if you're in corporate and you sort of have, you express yourself through clothing and maybe it's different these days, I don't know.

But, uh, I think they prefer you to kind of just fit in as opposed to stand out, you know? Whereas if you're a founder, like I think it's beneficial if you stand out. So I think I always was a little bit nervous from that side of things. So I ended up being in tax for seven years, and then I ended up moving to Witchery to work in their marketing team, which is, for those of you not in Australia, uh, a big, um, sort of, I guess I, I guess we'd call it fast fashion company.

And, uh, I love Sex and the City, so I thought, oh my God, this is gonna be like Sex in the City when I walked in. Uh, and it was very different to, obviously it wasn't anything like that, but it was, uh, a really interesting. Opportunity for me to do something other than tax. So that was in marketing. And then, along the way, so when I actually started KPMG, Facebook just came out.

So that was like the dawn of social media and I just became obsessed with this digital way that we could share content and consume content. And so, uh, 10 years ago started [00:08:00] my first agency and it's still going today. And I've got another agency, where we focus a bit more on like emerging tech, like ai, which we've spoken a bit about, and, and crypto, blockchain, Web3 stuff.

So that's sort of me and I've done a whole lot of random stuff, which I'm sure we'll talk about, along the way. But, uh, so that's sort of, my journey to where I am today.

[00:08:17] Kristina: Mm. I love that. And, you know, I think this is such an interesting one for our listeners because I, I find so, especially people actually in laws, funnily enough, but I think so many people do choose law because they're very good at school or they, that's a pathway that a lot of people choose if they don't know where to go.

'cause it's obviously a, an incredible, uh, education to have. but I, I rarely, unless you are super passionate about the law that you are, um, practicing, I rarely meet lawyers love their job. and I think this is an interesting one for you, having, being a tax lawyer to what you're doing today, which is all around technology and obviously now writing a book.

So I love, I love hearing [00:09:00] stories like this because even if you are on a path to become a lawyer or. You know, I work for one of the big corporates. You know, there's always opportunity to take some time to think about, is this really my path? And if it's not, what can I do about it? So I'm interested to, before we jump in to talk about your amazing book, how did you go from tax law to marketing?

What was, what was your pathway there?

[00:09:26] Lisa: So I really discovered social media when Facebook started becoming popular. And so, I created with my business partner at the time, a website which featured fashion, beauty, and lifestyle news. And that was really quite, I mean, it sounds crazy now because everyone knows about blogging and things like that, but at the time you could really only publish content on the internet if you knew how to code or if you were like a news website.

So it was very new to have a, be able to have a voice, to be able to just share whatever you think what share things that interest you. [00:10:00] So that got me into the digital world. And then when I was at the tax office, I actually ended up doing an internship. So I took a couple of days off a week, which. I think a lot of people would need to realize, like I was going from getting paid, you know, reasonably well to doing internship, which I was getting paid nothing.

Like it actually cost me money 'cause I had to catch public transport. And then obviously like, you know, cover different expenses. And so uh, because I think a lot of people want to do a career change or wanna start a business, but they don't wanna sacrifice you know, I guess their earning capacity or how much money they're earning.

And it is a big sacrifice. And if you go from being, Employed in corporate or employed in a job to then signing your own business, as you would know, you might not get paid for years, like, or you might get paid literally like minimum salary for years, and then that can still fluctuate. Even if you start doing well, you can all of a sudden be doing badly.

So I think, um, that is definitely something that people need to be aware of. But I did that internship and I just became really fascinated with marketing and that was something that I felt [00:11:00] got me out of bed and excited me and interested me and made me feel, uh, alive. Sounds really lame, but I mean, who was alive doing tax law.

But, uh, I just felt excited and, you know, I think I'd been really missing that intact. And I think I was almost actually getting, starting to get depressed because I wasn't excited to get out of bed in the morning and I wasn't, I guess like in an environment where I felt like I was pushing myself to be my best.

So then I ended up leaving to, oh, I applied for a job at Witchery and I knew that I wasn't Probably like the most suitable candidate on paper. In fact, I was probably like the, the last candidate that I'll probably even consider given I had, other than the internship and a bit of stuff in social that I built myself, I wasn't really coming from a marketing background.

So what I did was I did this, I stayed up for ages, like, you know, you know, nights after night doing this seven page application. And I like photoshopped on the last page where I did in paint at the time. And, uh, I. You know, I did a tweet and it said like, thanks for interviewing me for hashtag best job ever.

And like I was, I [00:12:00] tried to be super creative with my application because, and I'm sure you've seen, you know, with job applications, a lot of them are really dry and it's just like, here's your cv, you've obviously just sent it out to a million people and you don't really genuinely care about the role that you are applying for.

Whereas it's like, I really wanted this role. And so my, then the bo, the person that came, my boss, she goes, I had to bring you in because your, your application was so different to everyone else's. And it was just like, who is this person? I'm either gonna really like her or probably not like her at all.

And then so when I went into the interview, I mocked up a Witchery magazine to show what I would do if I got the role. And, you know, I think that passion for fashion and that passion for just, you know, showing that I was hungry, I think really probably stood out. So that's how I was able to actually get that job with no real experience.

[00:12:44] Kristina: I love that. And it's so true because, and also I think for me unless it was specific for an accounting role or, you know, something that were very specific, we always hired for attitude because if you are hungry and excited, and obviously a designer [00:13:00] needed to be a designer, so they knew the tools that they needed to use every day, but.

Apart from that attitude is because you can learn anything, but you can't learn. Well, it's harder to teach someone attitude.

[00:13:12] Lisa: it's so true. And it is interesting. I was talking with one of the, heads of like a big social platform in Australia, and he was saying like when he came into the company, he pretty much got rid of. Pretty much everyone that went to a private school, and dare I say it, 'cause like I, I myself went to a private school, but a lot of them have had everything handed to them.

So they're not hungry. Like they're not starving for their next meal. They're not, uh, you know, if they lose their job, it's like, whatever my parents can, can help me. Or I've, you know, got like a trust fund. I've got savings and nothing against private schools at all, or people come from private schools.

They're obviously, you know, a lot of people who are really hungry and work really hard from a private school. But I think, uh, I thought that was actually quite interesting how people are starting to now shift the way they hire and who they hire. And I think you, you've [00:14:00] obviously hired hundreds of people in your time and I think over time you realize, okay, there's actually some key traits exactly like what you said that you go for versus, I mean, if you're hungry and you're, you're sort of switched on, you can kind of pretty much learn anything.

So I think if you get the people with the right attitude, they, they're worth their weight in gold.

[00:14:17] Kristina: Yeah. I love that because Axel, our son, went to private school since he started school. And now when we moved to Sydney, he said, I'm not going to another private school. He's in, in a selective government school. So it's, um, it's a bit of a different school. It's just year 11 and 12. Uh, so it's a bit different, than perhaps a normal government school, but he just absolutely love It And we were talking about that the other day because, um, he's just about to start year 12 for next year. And, uh, he has his own business and, um, you know, he, he's doing really well. And, He's like, should, I really care about my ATAR because I'm not gonna go to university because what am I gonna learn when I already run my business?

And it's, um, you know, and I, and [00:15:00] nothing against universities, depending on what you wanna do, but I think so many people just throw themself into, go to university. I think it's good to actually take a year to travel and really think about what you wanna do and then go into something, because otherwise you just have this big debt.

And, uh, with ai, which we're gonna get it into later on, things will change so much. So who knows if whatever you're studying now will be even applicable unless you cannot do medicine and, law or things like that. But even law, I think will be completely interrupted now with ai.

[00:15:30] Lisa: It is so true, and I think uni for me was really probably a chance to mature. Not that I'm really mature, you know, even today, to be honest with you, but I, I don't think I would've been ready to go straight into the workforce based on. I guess my level of maturity straight outta school. Whereas I look at people like Axel these days and I go, wow, you know, like they've got so much information at the tips of their fingers.

And so you know, an 18-year-old now was, is so much more [00:16:00] advanced than an 18-year-old when I was 18. And so I, and then I look at the next generation even after that where it's, they're gonna be AI natives. Like I look at Axel and his, his generation's obviously digital native, which is already incredible.

But then, like, imagine when AI is the norm for you. Like what are they gonna teach in schools? And I, I'd be very interested to see how schools even adapt to this. And I saw the South Australian government, they just released a program that they created in partnership with Microsoft, which is pretty much like a.

I think it's like called edu chat or something, but it's like a chat GPT for teachers to get them to learn how to use it because how can they teach students if they themselves don't even learn how to use it? So they're really embracing it. So it's gonna be made, um, available to every government school, which I think is fantastic, but it's like just unbelievable isn't it?

[00:16:46] Kristina: Yeah. Oh gosh. We can, we could actually have a whole episode around ai, but before we do, and we are not gonna talk a whole episode about ai, but we, I definitely wanna touch on it, but I wanna talk about your amazing book, uh, because that's why you're [00:17:00] here. And, uh, I absolutely love it?

And, you know, yesterday I was, um, so I have a little policy for me.

I, I read a lot of books, but I'd never read business books at night because, um, I get too excited but because I was, catching up with you today, I thought I'm just gonna reread Like, the front pages and I should not have done that because I just, got, so, I just got so many ideas and so many thoughts and questions and, and I was like, Oh, I should really know myself by now.

But anyway, it's such a great read. So I'm obviously gonna link to it for anyone who is, um. listening and I think everyone should read this, but I just wanna say it's ama the content is obviously amazing. The, the 30 people you are capturing are amazing. But I love the design and it's hard to find really good design books these days, in my opinion.

So I just wanna say, well done. that's you. Absolutely beautiful.

[00:17:57] Lisa: Oh, thank you. And that's big praise coming from you [00:18:00] 'cause you are, I know, um, how, passionate you are about design, which is obviously why you, built KKK. I have to say thank you to you for being in the book because I've obviously followed your journey for such a long time. And uh, when I reached out to you, I was like, oh, I don't know if she's gonna wanna be in the book.

And when you said yes, I was like, oh my God, this is like a dream for me because I just have so much respect for you. But not only is a business person, but you genuinely care about helping others. And I think in a world where everyone just is out for themselves and just wants to take, like, it's so refreshing to meet someone of your, level who's so giving like, it's just so rare.

So thank you for giving up your time and your knowledge and being part of it. And thank you for noticing about the, even the design because that was something that was so important to me because if you have a look at the business shelves, a lot of the business books look really, really boring. And so I really wanted to do something that didn't feel like you were reading a really dry business book.

I really wanted it to be [00:19:00] something that people would feel, happy and proud of to have on their tables, like their desks or even their coffee tables. Like I want it to feel quite visual and obviously on shelf as well. Like I wanted it to really stand out but not feel. Overly feminine. 'cause I think if you look at a lot of the female business books, they're very pink or like that pastoral pink and stuff.

So I didn't wanna go down that path. I wanted it to be really bold and confident and to really stand out on shelves. 'cause part of the reason I wrote it was because to 30% of business books are honored by women. Which for me is so ridiculous when you think about women having such different experiences, different learnings, different challenges.

So pretty much half of the business stories aren't being told, uh, you know, or, you know, a, a big portion of them aren't being told because women don't have that voice. So I thought, you know, I'm probably similar to you. Like, I hate complaining about a problem that I know I can fix. So I thought, I'm going do this and interview a whole lot of incredible different women from around the world.

Uh, and I wanted to, get people from different backgrounds, um, different ethnicities, different industries. Like that [00:20:00] was really important to me as well. So I think there's only like probably one or two even in fashion. cause I, you know, I think that was probably what people would think. It's just a book of women who are doing fashion.

Yeah, actually it's mostly women like yourself who are doing lifestyle brands or tech or maybe beauty, um, FMCG products. So yeah, I think there's hopefully something in there for everyone. So when I actually approached my amazing editor, Talia from Hardy Grant, about the book concept, I originally actually approached her to say, I just wanted to do interviews with 30 amazing females. And she said, why don't you also write a guide on how to actually start and scale a business and you can weave in some of your stories in that?

I was like, oh, that's actually a really good idea. And it gave me a chance to really reflect on my journey and all the mistakes I've made. I could have literally written a whole book of just mistakes in my thought I've made in business. Uh, but it gave me, and look, I think we're, that's in a way that, and that was like one of the.

Uh, I guess chapters in the book is just how to approach failure, so to speak. And I mean failures. I [00:21:00] think a lot of people talk about failure and I know that you have some really great views on failure and it's like not really failing if you're trying and you just make a mistake or things don't work out.

Like I don't see that as failure. I think the failure is if you don't try and you just sit there in your comfort zone, you don't do anything. so it was a really great chance for me to sort of reflect back on my journey and, it's been hard as you would know, like you've done incredible things.

Sometimes looking back or you don't get that time to look back and that chance to look back and go, you know, actually like it was bloody hard. But I've learned a lot and I'm a different person and I can genuinely say that I'm a really different person from when I started my own business to 10 years later.

Um, got a lot more gray hairs and wrinkles, that's for sure. But, uh, I'm much stronger mentally. like I look back now, I'm like, geez, like if that woman 10 years ago knew what she was in for, I don't know if she would, I don't know if she would actually do it. Like it's, it's bloody hard, but it's, it's great to feel like you've grown, you know, in a

[00:21:55] Kristina: absolutely. That's a really, I often say this when I do my keynote, is [00:22:00] it's actually really good sometimes to not know where you don't know.

[00:22:03] Lisa: Definitely.

Ignorance is bliss.

[00:22:06] Kristina: absolutely, because if you did, I don't know if we could have done it. And, uh, and also I think that's like the beauty of our journeys is that, uh, you know, I could never, ever, when I wrote down my five things on my 3:00 AM list a million years ago, I felt like I was dreaming big at the time. And, uh, I could never, ever even have come up with. Hardly anything, uh, that I actually have, done and achieved. It's been an extraordinary journey and it's been lots of, lots of hard work and lots of ups and downs and you know, obviously I had two really major failures that was very public, but before that, so many times that I didn't know if we were gonna make it.

And, um, it's a really exciting journey, but it's also a, a hard journey. there's a couple of things I wanna say before I go into the next question. One is you, thank you for your lovely feedback about me being helping, but I actually feel [00:23:00] exactly like that for you with you because when we somehow got in each other's, um, social media, uh, I think that's how it started.

Or I think it was actually Chris who mentioned. mentioned you, who was one of our suppliers, who is, uh, Mia, uh, one of Mia's contacts. that's how kinda I heard about you first and then I can't remember how we, how we, uh, and then we bumped into each other recently at our mutual friend Joe's amazing, incredible crazy store on Backstreet Mall

[00:23:31] Lisa: Oh my God. That me store's gonna take all of my money. I'm like, here, Joe, just literally, I'll just transfer my paycheck to you every month.

[00:23:39] Kristina: Exactly, and that's what we met. And then we caught up, which, um, another really amazing thing was that, uh, as a coffee lover, I rarely get to drink matcha. I have had a few matcha over the years, but I never really got into that kind of craze that a lot of people are into. And I never really understood the obsession because I never, I'm not, also not a sweet tooth.

So that [00:24:00] strawberry thing, like, I was like, nah, that's probably not for me. And then when you deduce it, like, now I'm obsessed.

[00:24:07] Lisa: It is so good,

[00:24:08] Kristina: I love that. You know, sometimes you, like you're sitting in front of an incredible successful woman and you are number one takeout for that day. It was like, drink more matchup. You never know how There were so many, takeaways.

But the one that I, the one that I've used the most reflection on, what I do with my learnings is, um. I have been drinking lots of matcha since, Uh, we caught up, but I wanted to say that you are exactly the same. I felt like you've just been so generous with, um, your connections and your, um, your knowledge.

And, uh, I, I always feel when we, when we chat, that you always so helpful. So, thank you. But you are exactly the same, so

[00:24:46] Lisa: Uh, I actually feel emotional, I think, 'cause I was like, really ref actually. I don't know why I'm, I think I need more sleep as well. But like I feel very emotional hearing that because I think that there's a lot of people that don't, support you and [00:25:00] especially females, which I think is actually quite.

Hard being a female in business. 'cause you know, yourself being a female in business, it's really hard and it's, uh, 10 times harder than being a male in business. Don't get me wrong, there's some benefits of being a female, but it is really, really hard. And I think when you do something, like when I launch the book, it's like interesting to see who's, um, supported me.

And often, like, more often than not, it's like complete strangers. And so it's like, I feel so grateful for anyone that's like, you know, even you just giving me the chance to talk about the book now, as you would know, like in terms of writing a book, unless you're writing like 50 shades of grade, it's not, you know, you're not really gonna retire on that money.

It's, it's really a, a passion project. actually I think that's probably like a big misconception about the book. I don't want people to read it, who are just females. Like I want men to know that they can learn amazing things from amazing women.

Because when you go into a business book on the shelf and it's written by a man, you don't go, oh, that's just for a man. So I just happen to interview female founders, um, for this book. But the learnings that you guys shared, it was like, oh my [00:26:00] God, anyone can apply this. But I do believe, there's something very special about female founders because they've got the odds stacked against them.

Like I look at the amount of VC money that goes to females globally, it's like two to 3%, which is honestly like, it's, it's actually pathetic. Like, you know, from a VC perspective like that is, it's not even just like a minor. Difference. It's like astronomical the gap of money that goes to men and women. So I just thought hopefully if I can contribute to something that someone out there picks up and reads and feels like they can go out and chase their dreams, even if the odds are stacked against us.

Like, I just hope that, um, as many people read this book or share this book as possible because, uh, I think we're all capable of so much, but it's like you, you can't be what you can't see, especially in as a female. So I think seeing all of your amazing women out there giving it your best go and chasing your dreams, like I, I feel like hopefully that will offer some inspiration to people out there.

[00:26:52] Kristina: Yeah, absolutely. I, I couldn't agree more. And I am, I'm always like, if, if you align with the person and you align with the [00:27:00] values, why wouldn't you support? Like, I, I just feel like there's room for all of us. I don't see, you know, I don't never see a person as a competition because even if I was doing exactly the same as someone that I was supporting.

You know, if you're a coach, you have different personalities. Some people will like me, some people like that other person. You know, it's just how it is. And I, I like to, I love supporting, um, uh, females. Um, I mean, I love support any entrepreneur. It doesn't matter what gender they are. Um, and, uh, it's just, um, it's just ma and it's also, we have so much in common and I think the more we support each other, the more we are gonna learn and the more, the better we are gonna do.

So I think that's a philosophy that everyone should, should have. hopefully anyone listening, that will be your new mantra if it isn't already. But I wanna, I wanna go in and start talking about the. The amazing way you laid out. And I just love how you designed this. I get it gets my design eyes so happy.

[00:27:57] Lisa: Yay.

[00:27:59] Kristina: It's so [00:28:00] beautiful. I'll, um, I'll, for anyone listening, I will, obviously you need to get the book, but also you can, I'm gonna put some, I'm gonna put a reel together and put lots of the design features in there 'cause I just love them. But I wanna just talk about the, the structure of the book. so number one is starting from scratch, which, uh, there is a couple of founders that have done that.

then going from idea to, MVP And then putting Profit First. Sell, sell, sell, which I love because we need to all be really good

at selling And that

[00:28:28] Lisa: women, women often aren't like, or don't, don't feel like they are. I think they doubt themselves a lot and I personally love selling, um, because I see it more as like being able to help someone or seeing if you've got something that can help someone with a problem. But I think a lot of people think, um, use car salesman or telemarketer.

And so I think they really shy away from it. But I put it in there because it is so important to be able to sell. And that's not just sell to a customer, but it's to sell to a potential investor, to sell to someone, to come and join your team. Especially if you're a [00:29:00] startup, you might not be making a lot of money, like you've gotta sell your vision.

so I think. The concept of selling is so important and it's a skill that they don't, you know, I look at someone like Axel and you've done, and I've already spoken to Kristina about doing a parenting book. 'cause I think that she's got such an incredible way of, opening up her children's eyes to the world.

but it's really supportive and it's made them very curious and she's, you know, encouraged them to take chances. And obviously Axel's built his own business, which is phenomenal. But yeah, I think it's just like important to have that, belief in yourself to be able to, you know, and, and I guess the support network around you to be able to go out and, and learn how to sell.

And I think that's what they should be teaching in schools. Uh, you know, because if you can't sell, like you're gonna really struggle in life and

[00:29:49] Kristina: I agree. And, you know, it's, it's, Um, often selling has a, like a bad, kind of reputation. But for me that's, and you, what you said there is just so aligned with what I think [00:30:00] because I was always selling our vision. Like the first thing that if anyone came to our office in the past, because now I don't have a, an official office, but we used to have a head office at Kiki.

K and I used to take everyone who came into the meeting first to talk about our vision and then talk about our purpose because. It doesn't matter who, comes to your office. They're there for a reason to work with you or work for you or, or, you know, even like, you know, bankers and suppliers.

It's so important to sell your vision because that's what, that's how we actually got to work with amazing manufacturers in China was because we were able to sell the vision before we actually had the quantity. So we, I always said to them, if you help us now, we will. Quicker, get to the quantities that you want, and once we get to the quantities that you want, you will win, even more.

and often it was just so little money that we needed to kind of get to compared to what they, you know, they were massive and then we became a really big [00:31:00] part of their business. And it's so important to sell that from the start. And that's why I always talk about creating a big vision is really important.

And that can change. And you, and obviously you can adapt as you evolve as a business, but I think it's really important. So I love that you had a big chapter on Sell Sell and then you have a chapter about from Likes to Love and then Raising Money, which, um, which I've done a lot of. And, uh, so important how to, how to choose what's right for you.

And I feel like I've done, a lot of it in different ways.

[00:31:31] Lisa: Well, well done to you though. That's, it's, you are in that two to 3%. Like that's really, uh, it's, it's really challenging, like, to get there. and I actually feel sad because there's a lot of, uh, you know, incredible women with incredible ideas that haven't been given the chance to bring them to life because of their gender.

which is, it's really disappointing, you

[00:31:51] Kristina: Yeah, it is. But I, and I don't know my, because I, I, tend to not focus so much about gender. I guess maybe my Swedish upbringing [00:32:00] was like, you know?

I, I never felt like I was any less than, anyone. Like, I always felt like we were equal. Maybe that's just the Swedish way of being brought up.

But, but I do believe that the reason why we got like our f first private equity deal, which was a very long time ago, and I remember it vividly because I think they must have thought I was absolutely crazy. So we are talking about, bankers here. And bankers in my experience, are often quite conservative, often quite considered, you know, private equity obviously take risks, but, only so much and, uh, so it was an interesting one, but I, I never forget it because we were just, we were a startup with hardly any money. And, um, everything that we did were like, 180 and with no people. so then this whole private equity team came, I don't know how many, but the first thing that I thought is like, this is an expensive meeting for them because I was like, I was working out quickly in my head. Um, I'm not good at numbers, but I'm good at like everyday numbers. So I was like, first this meeting is gonna cost them this [00:33:00] much.

That's how I thought. And then we were just about to sign, which lots of documents and lots of witnesses and all those kind of things. And then I heard downstairs that the door was opening and I was expecting new samples coming in and it was actually samples in my favorite color being yellow. And we didn't sell a lot of yellow in the, in Kiki K 'cause we then, it never really worked.

But I was really excited about creating something in yellow. So I left the meeting, run down and open the boxes and uh, you know, some of them would've thought I was crazy. Here, here I am about to sign my biggest deal that I've ever done. Uh, I did many bigger deals after that, but there was a big deal for sure.

And I was signing it with my blood because I was like, this is, this is, um, you know, I can't go back from this. It's.

like a, a real deal. Anyway, I just got so excited and I took the samples up and showed and, um. [00:34:00] one of the guys said, this is why we are investing in you because you're so passionate.

so this is a good lesson for anyone listening that if you are really passionate about, and you're good at selling, and selling isn't about pushing things down people's throat. Like I, that's not selling to me, that's like forcing selling to me is like finding the people who wants your product and, uh, or wants to hear about your product and they might not be ready to buy.

It's not about actually always transact. It's about being passionate about your product and excited. And I, I think that's so important and really so helpful for especially startups.

[00:34:37] Lisa: Yeah, you're Yeah, you're selling solutions. I guess at the end of the day, like that's really what it comes down to or offering solutions. And so I, if you change your mindset to think of it like that, selling doesn't feel so, like you're pushing something onto someone that they don't want.

[00:34:52] Kristina: No, exactly. And you know, it's funny 'cause I now, I now have a coaching program and the thing is, I often do like a, a little [00:35:00] 15 minutes soon for people who are not sure. And that is as important for me. If they're not sure, I actually don't, if, if they're not right for me, for our community, I don't want them in there.

So I'm never gonna push someone who I think now if they're not ready, if that's not what they wanna do, I don't want them in there. And I think that's a really good one too, because I think then so you might lose some sales, you know, straight away if you, if you have that. But in long term I think it's creates a better community.

It creates a better, functioning business if you, um, if you sell to the right peoples.

[00:35:31] Lisa: That's it. Because eventually if you sell to the wrong people, they'll just drop off eventually anyway, and it would just be not a great relationship. and I'm, I, you know, 'cause I've got two agencies. I say that all the time to potential clients. I actually, some of them I say, I'm not gonna, we wouldn't even take you, even if you wanted to throw all this money at me, I just wouldn't take it.

'cause I know either, A, we can't help you, or B, there's fundamental problems with your business model and I know you won't be successful. So it is just gonna be a waste of your money giving it to us. So I'd rather you just not do it [00:36:00] or, yeah, I just wouldn't take it. I think as a business owner. it really sucks sometimes, like walk away from money, but I don't wanna sell someone the wrong thing.

Like it's gonna, and I said it's gonna be an awkward conversation in three months 'cause I know this isn't gonna work and you need to go away and fix these fundamental issues. So then I think if you get the right people that understand that and, believe that, then they'll come back in three months and be like, all you were the only, 'cause We get that all the time.

Like I'll literally get people who say, you are the only people who gave us this feedback. Or you are the only people who said our product actually needs a lot of work. And I think that's how you can actually build trust just by being honest.

[00:36:32] Kristina: Yeah.

absolutely. And we'll link to your, um, we'll link to your agency as well in show notes for anyone who is looking for an agency because I think it's so rare. It's so, I work with so many and what I find is as agencies, this is my experience. I'm not, I'm not saying that that's everyone, but my experie is that a lot of them are re have a really good sales team and not the delivery.

And I always say deliver first and then sell me more. Because I just feel like I, I [00:37:00] often say to the people I work, I can introduce you to so many people, but you have to show me first what you can do, you know, which I think, not everyone wants. 'cause they often want the recommendation of like, no, when you show me that you can do what you, what you are selling, then it's a no brainer in my opinion.

[00:37:15] Lisa: Uh, it's actually interesting that you say that. 'cause I think in my, in the agency industry, there's a lot of really, bad, agencies out there just because they don't operate with many ethics. But I mean, even when we're selling things, I actually will, if I'm not sure, I'll actually ask the team who will be executing, do you feel confident that you can execute this?

And if they say, no, I'm not gonna go and try and sell it then. So I think that makes a big difference too. Like, if you work with a team that feel really confident, because I think, uh, if you have good salespeople, they can sell anything. Like, they could literally sell, you know, like ice Eskimos. But, then it's like the execution team.

If they don't think that they could actually have helped in the first place, then it's just gonna be very awkward. So I think it's, that big disconnect in a lot of agencies, whereas like if you have the sales team working directly with the people who execute [00:38:00] to feel comfortable with, yes, I can execute, then it makes such a big difference.

[00:38:03] Kristina: for sure, for sure. So, um, then the, we, got to chapter seven, which is failure, not a Dirty Word, which I love. And then, the last one is, can you have it all? So I I really wanna talk a lot about the book, but, was it one story that you remember thinking Wow or something that you implemented yourself in the book that, just really stood out?

[00:38:24] Lisa: Oh my God, there's so many. I obviously loved your story, you touched on this before, but you had quite public things happen to your company, which it's scary when things go wrong, but it's, I can only imagine. It's a million times scarier when it's playing out in the public eye.

[00:38:42] Kristina: Oh, awful. It's actually, it's really awful. It's like, 'cause we all fail, but having to do it publicly Is.

just like, that was my biggest fear.

[00:38:51] Lisa: Yeah, but and this is why I think that chapter was so important to me because I look at what happened to your businesses as achievements because you grew them [00:39:00] into something that not a lot of people can say. They've grown a company to that size, obviously raising money along the way, dealing with a lot of uncertainty, you know, things like the pandemic.

But I don't look at what happened to your company as failures. I like, I actually look at them as success. Like the fact that you were able to build a company to that size. Yes, it might not have turned out the way that you wanted, but. All of the things that you did before that time, like that's bloody amazing.

Like, you know, and so I don't want people to feel like if things don't work out, they've failed. Um, you know, and I think it's, it's really more like a lesson, like not so much like a failure and. I really want people to walk away going, if you're, you know, to not be afraid to actually take chances and take risks.

'cause more often than not, like the reality in, in life is like things will not work out. Um, because it's, it's, you know, I think that's just life. but if you let that get you down, you end up just trying and, and doing nothing. Like you end up just in a really safe bubble. And I [00:40:00] think all the women in the book, I think the thing they have in common is that they were willing to take risks.

They were willing to put themselves out of the comfort zone. And, um, it was really important for me to also have women that were self-made. it's nothing against people who come from money, um, or anything like that, but that's like a very particular journey. Like the risks that a lot of these women are taking, like they don't have millions of dollars to fall back on.

like I remember one, um, Sandra, who. But she's from this amazing beauty company called No Paletta. She's like a Latin American. She's like very passionate about celebrating her, brand's culture. She's actually stocked in Mecca, in Be Street. and she was literally, using her credit card to fund the growth of her business.

Single mom living in an apartment, not sure if she could even afford, like to pay rent. I'm like, that takes a lot of balls 'cause she's got literally nothing to fall back on, you know? Like she could be homeless if things don't work out. So I think those kind of women make me think, okay, wow, like I look at myself and 'cause people go, oh wow.

Like the things that you've achieved, not that I've achieved, [00:41:00] anything I think is particularly amazing, but like, I'm just an ordinary, well I'm just an ordinary person. And I think that's the thing that a lot of people can realize. Like all of these women, like. They're just made up of the same atoms as, you know, the next woman, the next woman.

So like, everyone's got something special within them and the ability to do whatever they, want to do, but it's just like being able to believe in yourself. And so I think seeing other women go out there and do that is, I mean, hopefully inspiring.

[00:41:29] Kristina: Oh, absolutely. And you know, it's, um, love that you brought that up because when you see someone's success, so, so now when I'm out and about and I talk about Kiki, k people just say, oh, you know, there was such a success and Yes.

it was, and also it wasn't. but. I started from having no idea, like no idea about business, no experience English as my, my second language, no business skill whatsoever.

and that's why I'm so passionate about books because actually almost everything that I learned was from [00:42:00] either books or people that I had coffees with. but the, the difference, and that's why I started my my book club, is because it's one thing to read a book, it's another thing to implement.

So, so for anyone who's listening and are gonna read, get Real, this is such a great book because you have it all in one thing. So I used to a lot of coffees and I read a lot of books. I actually feel like this is a great combination because there are 30 founders there and they're all so inspiring and they all started from not much.

And you know, obviously some people are, are more clever than others and some people have, you know, a very passion for something. But I really, truly believe that if I can do what I've done. Anyone really can. But, but it requires work and persistence and belief and all that stuff. And, um, you know, that's probably a whole, whole whole other epi episode and we have to get you back.

Um, but I so believe that, anyone can do whatever they want, but you have to really do the work [00:43:00] and, uh, it's not gonna happen overnight. And that's why I think it's great that you didn't take people because from a lot of money, because that is a different safety net that you can then actually take, take risk.

It is not easy for them to start a business in any shape or form, but the risk, 'cause that's the hardest part. Like I also used every credit card that we could get our hands on and we actually had family and friends investing, which is everyone tells you not to. And then we had every possible private investors, private equity, we had it all.

And, um, think it's just been. Such a journey, learning about all that. And I think if I can do it, anyone can. So, and what you have done in terms of starting your own business, coming from corporate and then starting your own business and then now supporting so many people, it's just such an exciting journey to be on.

And isn't it like we, we wouldn't, that's why I love having a podcast and that, you know, I meet people like you. I wouldn't, well, you know, who knows if we would've met if it wasn't for that? And I think that's just so exciting to be [00:44:00] in business. That's why I want everyone to start their own business.

[00:44:02] Lisa: Yeah, I think honestly, outside of having kids, nothing will teach you more about yourself or I, you know, very few things will teach you more, more about yourself than running a business. Like, you know, you'll see the best of yourself and you'll also see the worst of yourself.

[00:44:16] Kristina: Absolutely.

[00:44:16] Lisa: but I think it's so important to also, like you said, go into it with your eyes wide open. And that's why I wanted to write, and that's why the book is called Get Real, because I wanted all the founders in there to be as real as possible about how hard it is to run a business. And, you know, I think part of the challenge that I found is that it's been really glamorized over the years.

So, you know, I look at, uh, shows like Shark Tank and uh, you know, the Girl Boss era and the hustle culture and all that. It like seems fun to be an entrepreneur and with social media and founders sharing their journey, it seems like fun. But you know, I always say it's like. it really sucks 99% of the time.

Like it's really freaking hard. And then with that 1% where you get a big win and you can, you know, ring the bell or you [00:45:00] can, you see someone with your team and they do something amazing or they've grown from X to Y and that's like fantastic. But then yeah, most days it's just like you're putting out fires, you're like, is my business even gonna survive to the next month?

Like, it's really quite challenging. And so I think if you do wanna do it, I would recommend everyone do it. 'cause it's like, there's almost like no better teacher in life, but you need to be prepared that it's going to be long nights, no holidays, probably no money for a very long time. it's going to really test your mental strength.

And I think that's, it's good because in a way it can help you get stronger, but it will be one of the hardest things you'll ever do.

[00:45:42] Kristina: yeah,

yeah,

[00:45:43] Lisa: one of the most reward.

[00:45:45] Kristina: Yeah.

But you know what, what I think is harder is to wake up every day knowing that you could do something that you're passionate about. And, uh, yeah, I just, I could, I just couldn't recommend, recommend it anymore. And I think now with ai, so let's [00:46:00] quickly talk about ai, 'cause I'm watching the clock here. Oh, my gosh. It's like, and, and you know, you're working with us. I just wanna say one thing, it's like now starting a business compared to when, when I started my business 20 over 20 years ago, 25 years ago. I can't believe that. It's day and night AI is just it's like starting a business with employees that you can't afford, and are working harder than any other people. So,

[00:46:27] Lisa: that's actually a really great way of looking at it. And, and they're not even just employees. It's like actually experts in their field. Or imagine if you could have people like Whitney Wolf heard from Bumble advising you on your board, Steve Jobs, giving you advice like that's actually possible with ai.

And that wasn't possible before. Like it's actually phenomenal.

[00:46:47] Kristina: my gosh, it's unbelievable. So, we could speak forever. So I think we, I'll have to have you back because I, I'm now gonna really, I'm gonna have more segments around small business because I'm so passionate about it and because now [00:47:00] I have my, my business book club, I feel like there is, there will be more people interested in hearing that.

So we'll definitely get you back. But I wanna, I wanna hear a little bit about, more about you and, um, I wanted to ask you, as a business owner and also, uh, a mom to a young son, have you got a morning ritual that supports you? And if yes, what is it?

[00:47:23] Lisa: Oh, Kristina, I would love to say like, I look at people like you. I'm like, that's my goal to get to a place where I could, but most days I'm like, have I gotten enough sleep to function like a normal person?

[00:47:37] Kristina: Yeah.

[00:47:38] Lisa: I, I think the bar's so low for me.

[00:47:41] Kristina: Fantastic. No, that's really good. 'cause this is real, right? And, uh, a lot of people, because I I have so much people, so many people interested in morning rituals, it's just 'cause I, I am very passionate about it, but it, it was because I didn't sleep because, um, Tiffany, our daughter, she, she didn't sleep for the first five years properly. [00:48:00]

That was, and that,

[00:48:01] Lisa: And you're like a zombie then, you

[00:48:02] Kristina: oh, it was so hard. And running a then a global business, it was so hard. And that's what got me into, so once I fixed my sleep. Then, um, and it wasn't just her, it was also my active mind, and I, it just wasn't a good sleeper. So it was a combination. But then once I fixed that, I, I just then started my own, uh, little ritual in the morning and that just changed everything.

So that's why I'm curious. So it's good to hear that you're not there yet, but, um, hopefully, uh, hopefully we can get you there. So I'm gonna definitely support you on that. And the other question I have, um, have you got apart from your own, a favorite book, a book that really made a big impact on you or maybe even, um, changed your life?

[00:48:45] Lisa: Yeah, actually I do. and actually just on the topic of morning rituals, I think we've spoken about bone broth, love, bone broth and mucha, which I have in the morning. Um, and I try and go for a walk. But one thing I've realized about myself is I try and limit the amount of decisions I need to [00:49:00] make. Which I think is something that like, so I'll, decide. So if I know I'm going to, you know what I'm gonna do for the week, I'll actually, pretty much, like on a Sunday night, I'll know what outfits I'm gonna wear each day. And I've got such a ti, like I love fashion, but I've got one black belt, one brown belt, one bag of a certain size in black, one a bag of a certain, like another size in black.

Like, I've actually tried to limit my options as much as possible. 'cause as you know, in business, like you and as a founder, you're making decisions every single day and it can get, like, you get decision fatigue. So over time, I realize, and it's, I've just tried to limit the amount of decisions I make in a day.

So I pretty much eat the same thing every day, until I get sick of it and then I have to change.

[00:49:40] Kristina: Yeah.

[00:49:41] Lisa: It's, uh, I've got like that, uh, I think ability to just repeat food and just be like eating the same thing and not get sick of it. But, um, yeah. So it's so interesting over time to think, okay, so I've tried to.

Make my day as simple as possible so I can give more brain space for those hard decisions because I, I think having what I have for lunch, I don't [00:50:00] wanna have to think about it every day. 'cause it's really hard. Like I'm, you know, even for dinner, like when I'm gonna have a dinner tonight, it just seems so challenging.

So I think over time I've just tried to simplify my life. So, yeah. Uh, yes, I am a mess.

[00:50:10] Kristina: Love that. Thank you for sharing that. That's great. That's, that is worth so much because that takes a lot of people, a lot of time.

[00:50:16] Lisa: Yeah, exactly. And I mean, even though I feel like everything, my wardrobe looks kind of similar and it's like mostly black, it's still like I can go into a spiral where I'm like, oh my God, what am I gonna wear? What's even gonna fit? Because like, you know, since I had a baby and then so I can literally waste half an hour just trying to work out what to wear.

And so if I know it's already that, it's this, grab this bag, this, this. It's just so much easier. I actually love books, so, uh, I would have to say this was, probably, uh, I've got like a little book thing there. Um, but that will never work by Mark Randolph, co-founder of Netflix. This was probably the first business book that I read because.

I thought in my head I had this perception that business books are really dry and boring. And so I never thought of reading a business book from someone's [00:51:00] story. And I think this is what kind of almost like inspired get real as well. Just like learning from people's stories as opposed to just learning.

'cause I think people think business books has been very theoretical and so I think it can be quite off-putting thinking, oh my God, I don't want to feel like I'm back at uni learning. So I um, I actually listened to Mark's book, before I got the physical copy and it was him, his narrating it. And so it was a really interesting way to hear his, you could almost like feel his pain.

During the down moments and then you could hear how excited he was when things were going right. So I really, really love this book. And I actually ended up sharing, um, some excerpts from the book on LinkedIn 'cause I'm really active on LinkedIn. And he ended up liking it and we ended up actually connecting and I ended up, uh, as an agency, we ended up working with him for a couple of years on his personal socials, like managing his personal socials.

And then we became friends. And so I, you know, I feel so fortunate that from just me picking up that book, I [00:52:00] now can. You know, if I need to have a call with him or get his advice on something, like he'll make the time. And I just think, wow, that came from reading a book. Like, you know, and so there's so much power in books, which I know that you believe in as well.

But that book really, I think, changed my life. And, uh, I just got so many learnings from that. And I think one of the most important learnings was about balance. So he, at, at 5:00 PM every Tuesday, he would, um, say to his team, I'm not available because I, I want to have date night with my wife. And so, regardless of what was happening, he's like, do not contact me.

'cause I will not be checking my emails or anything like that because it's. Important for me that I'm not on my seventh startup and seventh wife. 'cause he's sort of seen a lot of divorces like over the years and they're still together till this day. But it was because he prioritized, even in the midst of growing one of the most recognizable brands in the world today, he prioritized balance and his family.

And so, you know, I think that's something that I think a lot of [00:53:00] founders really struggle with. And I've struggled over the years and my partner Saul, he's been amazing at actually trying to ground me and, you know, trying to keep me in the moment and, you know, not, uh, let me work all weekend and all night.

So he's been really good from that perspective. But, um, yeah, that was probably a book. If you haven't read it, I'd probably definitely recommend it. It's very

[00:53:19] Kristina: Yeah. Yeah.

No, I actually have read it and I loved it. And, uh, and I love that he, I mean, I, I, I've been, um, following him for a while and it's, it's really inspiring for that, for that balance part for sure. But also, you know, creating something that, you know, now is like a household name globally is amazing.

and I love too, that you have learned so much from books. So we're definitely gonna add that book. so I've already put 12 books in for my book club, but we're definitely gonna add that book, uh, you know, in the second year because I, I think that's a good one. that was when I choose to 12. It's like choosing your favorite child is impossible and, uh, [00:54:00]

[00:54:00] Lisa: would be very, very hard.

[00:54:01] Kristina: Yeah,

And when I set the books I didn't know about, um, um, I didn't, haven't read your book yet, so we'll definitely add yours in as well. But saying that, I think for anyone, uh, who's listening, don't wait for the book club. Just get the book and read it 'cause there's so much gold in your book. So Lisa, thank you so much.

Before we finish, I wanna say one more. I wanna ask one more question. Knowing what you know now, what kind of advice would you give to your younger self?

[00:54:30] Lisa: so much advice. Uh. I would probably say invest in your mental health because it's gonna be really hard. And there'll be times where you feel like everything's going wrong and it probably is going wrong. And if you do not invest in your mental health, like you can have a breakdown. Like, it's like it can get that stressful.

'cause it's not just your livelihood on the line when you've got a team, it's like their job security, their income, [00:55:00] their supporting families and partners and themselves. So e every decision you make, it's not to say it's burden, but it, you have to factor in all these other people's lives into every decision you make, which makes, which is a very heavy burden to carry.

And it's not for everyone. So I think if you can invest in your mental health, like I have a therapist, um. Which I've been seeing. I actually started seeing her before the pandemic, so quite a number of years now. And she's helped me become so much stronger. 'cause like they arm you with the tools to deal with the challenges that life face you.

And like, don't get me wrong, that we still times where I'm like, oh my God, I don't think I can do this. But like, you get through it and you always get through. But just becoming mentally stronger means that you can like, you know, I'm sure that if you, if things happen to you now, you'd be like, whatever, I've got this.

Like, you know, 'cause you've, everything that you've done in the past and all the experiences you've had in the past, like it builds you up so you're so strong. 'cause even if you, even if you face something that was bigger than what you faced in the past, because [00:56:00] you've got through that, you're probably mentally now tougher to go, you know what, I can, I can deal with that.

Yes, it's gonna be challenging, it's probably gonna be uncomfortable, it's gonna be hard. But I know that I got through that. So, which means I know I can get through this.

[00:56:12] Kristina: Yeah.

Yeah,

I love that. And I, and I think that's why like often a lot of people come to me for business advice, but I actually feel like it's really not really what they need. They often need know what they need to do. It's just that mental, you know, mental toughness and the beliefs and not giving up. And that's why I started my coaching program because I feel like that's, that's really what caught me through working on myself all the time.

That's why I think I also dealt with the failure really well, because I constantly worked on myself and I think that's such a good advice. So, and you've done that really well, so

[00:56:48] Lisa: Uh, still, still trying, but I think, you know, actually just on your coaching program, that is something that's so important because the founder journey is so lonely, especially if you're running a company on your own and you don't have a business [00:57:00] partner. It's like your wallet that's gonna, your bank account, like it's all the decisions gonna impact you.

And that's, it can be sometimes a very lonely burden to carry. And so having a coach or someone like yourself who you can talk to and say, Hey, actually can you help me? I've got this problem. It's worth us weight in gold because you can feel very lonely, um, at times. And so actually having someone as well who's done it before is really like on another level.

Like if people can get access to someone like you who have, who, who have experienced those things firsthand, like, you know, you're not just teaching things that you've learned from a book, like you've actually lived them, lived them, breath 'em, like that is so valuable. So I think as much as possible invest in that, you know, invest in coaches, invest in consultants, you'll avoid so many mistakes.

[00:57:51] Kristina: Yeah.

absolutely. And also much more fun. And also it's not just the, I feel like it's not just the coaching, it's also then the, the things that you can teach and [00:58:00] the, the people around you, like the community you of, you often go somewhere for their, their knowledge, but then you stay for the community. And that's my whole aim for both the coaching but also for their business book club.

So thank you so much, Lisa. You are amazing and so inspiring and it's such a great book. And, um, Yeah.

I'm gonna link to it and, Uh, I have no doubt that you'll be back here on this podcast. So thank you so much.

[00:58:24] Lisa: Uh, thanks for having me. I feel like we could just keep talking, honestly, you and I, so, um, you did well just to squeeze all that into an hour. Um, but thank you everyone for listening as well. Uh, really, really appreciate you giving up your time. Time so valuable. So if you've gotten this far and you haven't been completely bored to tears by what I've had to say, I just wanna say thank you Thank you for listening.

[00:58:44] Kristina: Fantastic. Thank you.

 Wow. What a beautiful, fun, and inspiring conversation with Lisa Tay. I just love how she reminds us that behind every success story there are lessons, [00:59:00] struggles, and moments of courage that shape the journey. If today's episode sparked something in you, I encourage you to, of course, to. By her book, get Real.

It's such a great book and so many great people. We didn't actually get to speak about all the people because we've got so much to talk about, but, there's 30 women sharing their stories, all very inspiring. And if you are ready to go deeper, join me and an incredible group of women in the Dream Business Book Club where we read and discuss and implement one business book a month.

It's also my way of sharing some of my many lessons, having built a global business and also doing a new startup. Lots and lots of learnings. So very excited to do that. We just kicked off in September and uh, this is gonna be ongoing so you can join whenever you are ready. And as always, I would love to hear what resonated [01:00:00] most with you.

So come and share your thoughts over in the Facebook group, your dream life, or on Instagram. My handle is Christina dream life. I absolutely love connecting with, you on any of those platforms. Until next time. Remember, progress not perfection is what brings your dreams to life.

Keep dreaming big and keep taking those small daily steps to towards the life you truly want. And I hope you're excited to maybe start a side hustle, maybe start a business. and I'm really excited to help you through the journey if you choose to. So I'll see you, some of you in the book club. As always, I will be back on Monday with another Monday morning episode.

I'll see you then.

 

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