November 3, 2025 • 39 mins
What if kids could launch their first business before high school? In this episode of Cut The Tie, Thomas Helfrich sits down with Krystal Popov, entrepreneur, real estate investor, and founder of FuturePreneur, a company that helps kids and teens ages six to sixteen build and launch their first business.
From corporate engineer to network marketing to commercial real estate and now youth entrepreneurship, Krystal’s story is about breaking cycles of fear, redefining success, and teaching freedom through ownership. She shares the ties she had to cut—control, fear of judgment, and the illusion of “safety” in corporate life—to build a business and a family that thrive on choice and impact.
About Krystal Popov
Krystal Popov is the founder and CEO of FuturePreneur, a hands-on program that teaches kids how to start real businesses from home. Based in Tucson, Arizona, Krystal is also a commercial real estate entrepreneur who operates over 20,000 square feet of coworking and retail office space. A former engineer turned business owner, she’s passionate about empowering the next generation to build confidence, creativity, and financial independence through entrepreneurship.
In this episode, Thomas and Krystal discuss:
- Teaching kids how to own their future
How FuturePreneur helps kids and teens launch real businesses with guided video modules, business plans, and peer-led lessons. - Why corporate “success” left her unfulfilled
Krystal recalls sitting in a quarterly review meeting and realizing, “I’m climbing this ladder and I don’t even like the top.” - How network marketing built her confidence
Despite early failures and judgment, it taught her the most valuable lesson: You can’t sell if you don’t talk—and you can’t care what people think. - Building real estate that buys her time
Krystal explains how her coworking business gives her the freedom to start new ventures, travel, and raise her family without losing control of her time.
Key Takeaways
- Entrepreneurship breeds happiness
Studies and real life both show it: business owners report more fulfillment and autonomy than employees. - Failure is feedback, not final
Every failed venture, from MLM to downtown coworking, became the data behind her success. - Debt can be a tool, not a trap
Smart, asset-backed debt fuels growth—don’t fear leverage, understand it. - If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no
The advice that reshaped how Krystal manages time, business decisions, and priorities.
Connect with Krystal Popov
🌐 Website: https://www.futurepreneur.com
🎁 Free Resource: Teach Your Kids to Dream (Check the website)
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystalpopov
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krystalpopov
Connect with Thomas Helfrich
🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelfrich
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cutthetie
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomashelfich
🌐 Website: https://www.cutthetie.com
📧 Email: t@instantlyrelevant.com
🚀
Serious about LinkedIn Lead Generation? Stop Guessing what to do on LinkedIn and ignite revenue from relevance with Instantly Relevant Lead System
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome to the Cut the Tide Podcast.
Hello, I'm your host, ThomasHelfrick, and I'm on a mission
to help you cut the tie towhatever it is holding you back
from success.
As I always say, you have todefine, though, your success
yourself.
If you do not, you're chasingsome other dream that's not
yours.
And you also have a clue of whatactually is holding you back
because you don't really knowwhere you're going.
So define that success.
Let's cut a tie.
(00:20):
And today I'm joined by CrystalPopov.
Crystal, how are you?
SPEAKER_01 (00:23):
Yeah, you did it.
Good job.
How are you?
SPEAKER_00 (00:25):
I'm good.
How are you?
I'm delicious.
Uh, and you.
SPEAKER_01 (00:29):
I'm I'm wonderful.
I'm wonderful.
It's early in the morning hereand I feel amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (00:33):
Uh well, take a moment.
You know, introduce yourself,where you're from, what you do.
SPEAKER_01 (00:37):
Yeah.
Um, I'm from Tucson, Arizona.
Grew up here, lived around thecountry a little bit.
Um, my newest uh journey, I'mmost most importantly, I'm a mom
of three and a wife to awonderful husband.
Um, but I just uh started a newcompany called Futurepreneur,
and we help kids and teens agessix through 16 open their very
first business.
(00:57):
So we give them all the toolsand the plan to launch a
company.
SPEAKER_00 (01:01):
That is, I mean, that's pretty core to what we
do.
So this that's awesome.
Uh so you're the audiencelistening here should probably
resonate with this.
Uh there are other agencies thatdo this, uh, and and there's a
lot of free resources.
So why do people pick you?
What's the differentiator?
SPEAKER_01 (01:17):
Yeah, I think we walk the kid through every step.
Um, and it's really built byentrepreneurs.
So there's there's books outthere to give you ideas on what
kid business to start.
Um, there's a couple greatcompanies that that do a good
job as like a summer camp wherethey take the kid in and then
they help them launch thebusiness through the summer and
they do a really great job.
This is more at home, they getto experience different types of
(01:39):
business.
So our business plans take abouteight hours from start to launch
to make money, right?
And the kid can stip stick withit.
Uh my daughter launched at-shirt, one of our t-shirt
brands.
And as you better believeeveryone she talks to, she's
sending them a link to theirt-shirt store.
But the idea is to really textdifferent waters.
So we have a, we you could be ona subscription or you can pick
(02:00):
your plan, but our goal is toget people familiar, get kids
familiar by the time theygraduate high school with
different industries.
So we have a, you know, we talkabout the trades, build a
doghouse, sell it.
We go through all the trades.
We have video modules thatreally walk them through it from
other teens.
So teens are doing the visualmodel modules with the kids.
You can truly stick your kid infront of our video modules and
(02:23):
with our business plan, and theycan launch their business.
SPEAKER_00 (02:25):
I love this.
That's I have a little, my mylittlest is uh she has more cash
than anyone in this family.
Just she's 10.
And because we make these littleuh, you know, lip balm thingies
out of pure like beeswax fromGeorgia, and we make all you
know coconut oil and we just andand she'll sell them for two,
three bucks, whatever.
And I'm like, I absolutely lovethis business because it costs
like 16 cents total to make thestuff.
(02:48):
And I'm like, I really wish wecould find a way to mark.
And I'm like thinking, why notjust go build her a site and
just brand it?
Yeah, because it but and shealways just like so she's like,
Hey, I saw this video.
We live on a golf course.
I can't afford to join it.
It's like torture to watch it.
Yeah, anyway, because I lovegolf, cannot afford that.
Yeah, so but she's like, I sawthis video where people are
making well, they said sixfigures, whatever that means.
(03:09):
It seemed like a lot to sellinggolf balls.
Can we go get golf balls off thecourse?
So every on the day closed, wego through one hole and probably
find 50 balls, all worth fourbucks or more each.
And I'm like, now I gotta figureout where to go sell these
things.
But we have hundreds of balls,and I'm like, I'll I've saved 60
bucks a month if I ever want to,I'll never buy a golf ball again
(03:29):
because of her.
The point I yeah, kids with thatmindset are so set for the
future, it's not even funny.
Like they are the ones that willbe successful.
SPEAKER_01 (03:38):
I'm telling you, all the studies that I've done and
relating entrepreneurship tohappiness.
I mean, there's truly lots ofstudies that if you're an
entrepreneur, you just had to begenerally happier, right?
You have more freedom, you havemore choices.
Um, and what do we want asparents over everything else is
we want our child to grow up andbe a value to the community and
to be happy.
(03:58):
So if you're not teachingentrepreneurship at a young age,
Thomas, you are, but most peoplearen't.
They or they don't know how thatthis is a must, right?
And kids, you know how theygrow.
How's how old's your oldest?
SPEAKER_00 (04:09):
Uh 15, 15, 13, 10 at this point.
SPEAKER_01 (04:11):
Oh, yeah, you're right in the sweet spot.
But as they reach 14, mayberight around that 14, 15 age,
you kind of lose them as you'renot that they start looking to
other people.
SPEAKER_00 (04:20):
Well, yeah, like eight to five percent of your
time is before age 12, 100%.
SPEAKER_01 (04:24):
100%.
So this like seven to 12, thesefive years is so precious and it
goes by so fast.
And that so that's where westarted.
My kids are in that age also,and it is so fun to watch.
Um, I I'm an entrepreneurmyself.
I own the the businesses thatbring me money.
This one just launched thatbring me money and give me
lifestyle is mostly commercialreal estate.
(04:44):
So we we do co-working andexecutive offices suites and it
runs itself.
I have incredible employees, andum and and I can I can travel
for seven days and get three orfour emails.
I mean, I have a really sweetdeal.
SPEAKER_00 (04:56):
And that's a business on like my marketing
agency where I'm involved.
That is a job, just to be clear.
She just described a business.
Note she travels, she's verylittle work.
SPEAKER_01 (05:07):
You know what you have to cut to get there?
Control.
SPEAKER_00 (05:11):
I had to take your wife.
It's also what you sell.
SPEAKER_01 (05:14):
So there's a lot of yeah, true, but I had to like
I'm okay here with control.
SPEAKER_00 (05:19):
I'm fine with that.
I I am I'm core to thestrategies we do for my clients,
but we keep clients three, fouryears because of it.
So I'm like, I need to do there.
We'll talk about that offline.
I mean, yeah, I guess by theway, people, I interview people
well.
That's my skill set.
All the other stuff, just takewith the grace.
I'm good at I'm good at thispart.
That's that's that's it.
(05:40):
Talk to me.
Okay, enough about me and howwell I smell today.
Um Chris, you're supposed tolaugh at that.
I mean, it it is my secondinterview of the day.
It is your first.
I need allier.
Is your coffee broken?
SPEAKER_01 (05:54):
Sometimes my coffee You know, it it's super early,
and I I've only had three sips,so guys, we're gonna take a
pause here for a coffee break.
Coffee break, coffee pause,everyone.
Very good.
SPEAKER_00 (06:08):
Okay.
Uh how do you define success?
SPEAKER_01 (06:11):
I think uh it's absolutely for me is choosing
what you want to do at thisminute, right?
So if I want to take theafternoon off and take my kids
some skating, I'm gonna do it.
Right.
So it's really it's reallychoice of of what your what your
your energy goes to.
SPEAKER_00 (06:26):
Yeah, it's captain a big uh I'll put that into the uh
a very common answer is captainof your calendar.
SPEAKER_01 (06:32):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (06:32):
Say what you want, when you want for them for the
most part.
You gotta you know get time.
SPEAKER_01 (06:36):
And it doesn't mean we don't work, right?
It's a hours, but I get tochoose that.
And now uh so because I have thethe um commercial real estate,
because I have the executiveoffice suites, it gives me so
much freedom to start this newventure and capital to start
this new venture, right?
So it's um yeah, it's beautiful,it's a wonderful life.
And I haven't I haven't alwaysbeen here.
(06:56):
I've been in corporate.
I was in corporate, I was anengineer, graduated as an
engineer, so I went right intocorporate consulting, was there
for seven years climbing theladder, uh doing well, but I
knew after two years, I knewthis.
SPEAKER_00 (07:07):
Well, then exactly.
So my my my question is liketell me a little more about your
journey to get to where you are.
Um, and then what was the majortie you had to cut to be able to
achieve that success you justdefined?
SPEAKER_01 (07:18):
Yeah.
Um so my journey was graduatedfrom the University of Arizona
in 2004, went straight intocorporate.
I was there for seven years.
Um, but I remember very clearlyI was like two, three years in,
and I'm sitting, we we do like aroundup once every quarter.
So we're in our roundup.
There's about 30, 35 people inthere, you know, all my
(07:39):
colleagues and uh management atthe front, and they're
celebrating numbers and who hittheir milestones and da-da-da.
Numbers.
Yeah, it was just so consulting,it was so number driven, right?
So, and I'm looking around andI'm thinking, no one's happy,
right?
Like, I don't really want to behere.
They're trying to like pump usup.
No one's got a smile on theirface.
(08:00):
And I'm looking at like our teamlead up front, and I'm like, I
don't even think he's happy.
Like he's going through adivorce, he worked a gazillion
hours a week.
And I'm like, I'm climbing thisladder and I don't even like the
top, right?
I don't even like the top.
So what the heck am I doing?
My mistake was I stayed theretoo long.
I wish I would have pivotedearlier.
Um, but I didn't, I I was scaredto jump into the entrepreneur
(08:21):
journey.
And what actually took me therewas network marketing.
So I joined a network marketing,muscle of marketing company, and
you know, went to the realrah-rah um and sat in a room and
I'm like, well, at least thesepeople are happy, right?
At least they're excited to behere.
SPEAKER_00 (08:39):
Is all that was.
SPEAKER_01 (08:39):
You do most it is fun, fun, fun.
Yes, it's fun.
So, and I I I'm still part of Imy old company still pays for my
car every month.
So that you can get to residualincome there, but it is very,
very tough.
And um, it's not for everyone.
(09:00):
It's tough.
You can alienate family as this,it's a tough.
SPEAKER_00 (09:03):
Well, and let's let's dive in that just a bit,
because that was the first buyyou had a cut was corporate to
affiliate marketing, which tome, from like a personal brand,
like, oh my god, like what arewhat are my friends and family
gonna think when I'm like, hey,do you want to buy some amway?
Like, you know, like whatever.
And and and nothing wrong withamway, but like that is such a
brand, personal brand change,and people's judgment becomes
(09:24):
like laser focused on you aswhat what is wrong with like uh
maybe I'm personal, especiallyengineers, right?
SPEAKER_01 (09:31):
I'm in an engineering world.
They really don't get that one.
No, they're like you're in apyramid, you know.
I mean, it was I got it all.
SPEAKER_00 (09:38):
You're made of or whatever.
SPEAKER_01 (09:41):
But I I am only friends with probably two people
from that era, but the vastdifference in happiness was was
uh enough for me to jump.
Like corporate was you know,talking about each other's boss,
you know, getting cut out ofnumbers.
It's just it's it was just nofun.
It was drinking after work everyday.
(10:02):
I mean, it was unhealthy.
SPEAKER_00 (10:05):
It's just a it's just a miserable.
It didn't have to be, but it is.
SPEAKER_01 (10:09):
I don't know why.
And maybe it's not all corporatethis way, but I think a lot are.
So I was like, I'd rather be inthis network marketing world
where people are at least happy.
I went completely broke with thefirst company.
You know, I moved to Chicagowith them, went, went broke, um,
moved back in with my mom.
My mom was super supportive.
That's one thing.
She was she's been anentrepreneur her whole life.
She's my inspiration, but um,but then um, yeah, so then I I
(10:30):
knew I didn't want to stay inthat forever either.
So I had been part of someco-working spaces um in in
cities that I traveled to.
So when I came back home fromTucson, married, broke,
pregnant.
Um I said, I want to open aco-working space.
And that was a big leap.
It took us took us about a yearand a half to kind of save up
money to be able to, you know,start with a place.
(10:54):
Um, and then I've expanded.
I have over 20,000 square feetin Tucson retail called the L
Offices.
SPEAKER_00 (10:59):
Lease and release, basically.
All right.
So because that's a differentmodel than buy and then you're a
landlord or anything.
Like, why would I want to do it?
Um it changes your model.
SPEAKER_01 (11:07):
Yeah, we're on our way, we're on our way to that
too.
Um I love it.
SPEAKER_00 (11:12):
I mean, because you don't you don't need a big
brand, you just need to sell toa small audience and keep them
happy and give them.
I I love that.
I mean, it it and you're justyour margin business at that
point.
SPEAKER_01 (11:21):
But most co-working spaces fail, and it's because
they don't go big enough.
Um, you can't really createcommunity with 12 offices.
So, like in the location I'msitting in right now, we have 42
offices and 35 co-working desks.
And I'm like 92%.
SPEAKER_00 (11:36):
Did you discover that right away?
I'm gonna rub you just because Ithink it's so interesting.
SPEAKER_01 (11:39):
I'm a numbers girl, so I just pulled the numbers,
right?
SPEAKER_00 (11:42):
And so I wouldn't have known that.
I would have thought, like,okay, I just need to maximize my
12, but people are joiningbecause they need a co-work.
They need that community.
And I I do I don't have thatsense.
I just need a space, possibly.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So that's interesting.
SPEAKER_01 (11:54):
I did you did see, did you discover that prior to
doing it, or did you get thisfeeling of being a part of a
coworking space and like why whydo I want to go in here?
I want energy, like, why notwork at home, right?
Because I want energy, I want tobe around people.
I mean, this is the networkmarketing uh personality style,
right?
That I got.
So I wanted to be around peopleand we just didn't have it.
But also the numbers don't work.
So when you really look at afinancial sheet, and this is
(12:16):
kind of my I would say this isthis is what m makes me a good
entrepreneur in every venture,is I can just dive into numbers
and really figure out whethersomething's profitable or not.
But I knew the expenses didn'tchange much, the size of the
space.
You still have a staff memberthat's running the desk.
You still gotta buy coffee,right?
You still gotta, I mean, yourkitchen expenses may go up a
little bit, but you still gottapay the internet bill, whether
(12:36):
you have four offices or whetheryou have 50 offices, you gotta
pay the, you know, so the theexpenses don't change that much
as you scale.
And obviously your revenuechanges a ton.
SPEAKER_00 (12:45):
So yeah, I would like because your break-even
ends up being about the sameamount of people.
Cause like even the office spaceadditional to get to that, you
might smaller the offices orthere's ways to do it.
Yeah.
So I get I like listen, Iwouldn't even thought about
that.
It's amazing.
All right, so all right, so yougot the tie.
Uh, one was perception, one wasjust falling on your face uh to
do this.
And and it didn't sound like youhad a risk tie to cut.
(13:07):
It sounded like you were okaywith the risk, um, though it's
uncomfortable, but you took it.
SPEAKER_01 (13:11):
Yeah, I was okay with the risk.
Um, you know, my I've watched mymom dive into things with little
fear, and I just didn't have alot of feel.
I'm like, what's the what's theworst thing?
I can go broke, right?
Once you do it once, you'relike, oh, okay, that's that's
what that is, right?
I mean, I have family membersthat would take me in if I
needed it.
SPEAKER_00 (13:28):
So I called it roommates that were older when
they do.
SPEAKER_01 (13:31):
Yes, yes, yes.
We were roommates, roomies.
Um, so um, so I didn't have thatfear.
Um, but the what I did have isokay, here's what network
marketing did to me.
I don't care what other peoplethink, right?
And I used to care.
And now I don't.
So I've had to close a network.
(13:52):
I've had to close a co-workingspace in downtown Tucson.
It just never flourished.
But I got a lot of publicitywhen I opened it, but I had to
close it.
It is what it is, right?
So I mean, now now we're doinggreat things.
We're in a we're in a good spot.
We I was actually in a magazineTucson to Business Tucson
yesterday, they featured us umfor our retail space, our
co-working retail space.
But so we're in a good space,but I didn't I like you have to
(14:15):
not care what people think.
And that is that's something yougotta give up.
SPEAKER_00 (14:20):
It's huge.
I mean, it's that's hard.
It's hard.
It's always creeping in on you.
Uh I think people listening hereare like the what you know, it's
easy to not care what peoplethink when they don't really
know you.
What you're describing is youcan't care what your mom or your
sister or your best friend fromhigh school or your neighbor
thinks.
You have to care about what yourpassion is and what you're
(14:42):
trying to accomplish.
Uh because at the end, when youbecome successful, their their
opinion of you changes.
Like, oh hopefully.
But even then, you don't care ifyou think I'm successful or not.
It but that it that's the hardone of the people closest to
you.
And that's some of the hardestties to cut are letting go.
There's people who continuallyanchor you back because they're
embarrassed because of you.
SPEAKER_01 (15:03):
Yeah.
And they're proud of me now.
But you until when I was doingother things, they were like,
eh, why did you give up thatjob?
You know, you had a really goodjob.
But the the the interestingthing is they come around,
number one, but number two, youcan use it as fuel because I
won't stop and I wouldn't stopuntil it's done.
So it took me opening differentlocations.
(15:24):
Like I signed, I remember myhusband was like, You're nuts
because I signed another leasewhen my other one was failing.
Right.
So one of them's like, I'm notprofitable, and I sign another
lease.
And I'm like, Yeah, but if thisone's gonna go down, I gotta get
it, I gotta get it done.
SPEAKER_00 (15:37):
Now before Alan breaks.
SPEAKER_01 (15:43):
Yeah, yeah.
So you gotta just like you canuse it as fuel.
Like, I am not giving up untilit's done.
And same with future premiere.
I mean, right now we're we'vegot curricula and video modules,
but eventually it'll be anonline sales platform, it'll be
all be all be digital and it'llbe a kind of a gamified thing.
So I'm like, we're not doneuntil this is going.
We're gonna have events, butit's it's no question.
SPEAKER_00 (16:02):
Yeah, it your your idea with the so just when you
were saying that, it actuallybrought back an idea, and I
don't have the bandwidth to doit, but I was like, I mean, I
really people pay so much forlike coding camps.
And it's like if you had anentrepreneurial school where
your kids show up after schoolevery day for a couple hours,
parents would pay a ton for thatof like going through a business
and working your model and play,you know, and and you could have
(16:23):
that would be like a very goodfranchise to anyway.
So we'll take that one maybe.
SPEAKER_01 (16:27):
Yeah, summer franchise.
I yeah, like a summer summer ora fundraiser franchise.
Like how many you could have ayou could have a classroom where
you have different pods, theyeach start their own business,
but it fundraises back into theschool, right?
And they get a pizza party orwhatever they get um once they
hit those things, but that moneygoes back in the school.
So we've thought like Apex Um,but that does a fun run or
(16:48):
something, they franchised aswell.
So we we might we might do thatin the future.
What my goal is right now is tomake sure it's effective from
start to finish that theyactually launch the business.
And we have um six businessesup, and we've got seven more in
the works of different types ofcompanies that they can open.
Um and and people aren't doingit the in the depth that we're
(17:08):
doing it.
Like they are going to makemoney, they're gonna learn along
the way.
It is it's just really cool.
SPEAKER_00 (17:14):
I I love it.
Uh thank you.
All right, so let's continueyour story.
So you got the tie, you you gotyour success, and you've gotten
how you got there.
Uh the next part is the how.
How did you go about the tiethat we're focusing on
specifically, or the themetaphor is not caring.
You know, so maybe and thisprobably ties to a moment.
So maybe what was the moment andhow did you just work through
(17:36):
it?
SPEAKER_01 (17:37):
Yeah.
Um, I got yeah, I got so if youcry, by the way.
No, no, no, no.
This is a funny story.
Were it, I think it'sThanksgiving or Easter.
We're in my mom's backyard.
There's about 30 people there.
And I'm talking, and this isnetwork marketing, okay?
So there's someone that Ihaven't seen in a while.
So they're like, oh, Crystal,what are you doing?
(17:58):
Here's my opening, right?
Here's where I can talk about mycompany.
Oh, I just started, you know,just started selling da-da-da.
And I'm making money on the sideand blah, blah, blah.
And I hear like my cousin aroundthe corner going, Don't as they
walk away, my cousin goes, Don'ttalk to her about it.
She's gonna try to rope you in,you know?
And I should, and I rememberthinking, I was so hurt that I
(18:24):
remember thinking, this is whatthey prepped me for, right?
Is you can't sell if you don'ttalk.
Whether I was selling somethingfor a network marketing company
or I'm selling futurepreneur orI'm selling an office space, you
cannot sell if you don't talk.
And I'm like, just because Italked, he's pulling me down,
right?
This cousin of mine that I love.
And I was done.
(18:44):
I would from that point on, Isaid, I'm like it, it fuels my
fire.
I'm not gonna fail.
I did very well in networkmarketing.
It took me six years to getthere, but I finally figured it
out and did really well.
Um, because I wasn't gonna stopuntil it was done because of
what he said in my thing.
So I'm like, I don't care whatyou say because I'm gonna prove
you wrong.
And that's where I startedshifting.
(19:04):
So then when it when that creepsback in, because it will, when
something creeps back in andlike, what if they talk about
your you closed your businessdowntown, they're gonna talk
about it in the newspaper, blah,blah, blah.
And I creeps back in, it doesn'tmatter.
I'm out there trying and I'm outthere talking and they're doing
nothing.
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (19:19):
So well, and it and you're and and I think that how
is important because uh if youdon't have that resilience to to
pull through, you never cut thetie and you never get to where
you're going.
And and and this is so core of,I mean, this is a big one.
Like people's perception of youholds you back from leaving,
doing uh it in there's there'sother ones that tie with it as
well with lifestyle and someother stuff.
(19:40):
But but that's uh very I'm proudof you just knowing you're a
little bit here of because Iknow how hard that is.
SPEAKER_01 (19:45):
It's hard.
SPEAKER_00 (19:47):
You know, the ones you probably won't are your kids
initially, but they usually lookat you as wow, she's doing it.
And they and and you they theytake it as no, you're gonna
fail.
That's part of it, but that'sjust a lesson.
And if they look at you likethat, like they don't judge you,
they just see you home, they seeyou around.
SPEAKER_01 (20:05):
I mean, my kids, my oldest is nine, so they don't
really know.
And it's part of why it startedFuture Impreneur.
Like, I could have just, youknow, eased, eased my, you know,
collected my residual from theoffice spaces.
I just renewed my lease, youknow, we just expanded, and I
could just ride this out.
But I'm like, I want to, I wantthem to watch something, right?
Because I got to watch my mombuild a pool, a swimming pool
(20:25):
construction company.
She came from real estate, umresidential real estate, and
she's building a swimming poolconstruction company when I was
in in high school, and I watchedher do that, and it was so
inspiring to me.
And I'm like, I want my kids tobe in this great, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (20:39):
Like my one of my best friends does pool, and I
see how broken that industry is,and I'm like, I'm like, I could
win in this industry just forthe fact that I can do project
management and communicate it.
Like percent.
SPEAKER_01 (20:53):
I've watched my mom.
SPEAKER_00 (20:54):
I mean, that's all like everything else is just
people digging holes and doingshit and getting it to code, but
but customer interactions,because we're in the process of
billing pool 15 months for apermit, really?
Really?
I know we're not gonna go downthat path.
You will I was blowing bottlesand I think she was hoping I
could take it over.
SPEAKER_01 (21:11):
And I was like, my my husband, my husband's the
best sales guy there.
Like, he is he I had no ideathat he crushed it.
My high school boyfriend'sactually the president.
Super funny.
Oh, that's fun.
SPEAKER_00 (21:22):
Others good friends, but uh you shopping publics with
pineapples upside down oranything like that.
Conversation is taking a turn.
SPEAKER_01 (21:30):
It's taking a turn.
Where did it do?
Let's go back.
SPEAKER_00 (21:32):
Let's come back.
I don't want your uh agents toput you on here to be like,
well, the founding.
SPEAKER_01 (21:36):
But entrepreneurs that are looking for something,
or those of you that are likestepping out, I think there's
two key things that I would sayis number one, I knew that the
co-working company would give mefreedom.
So look at someone who's doingwhat you're doing.
And is that the lifestyle youwant to live?
You chose this lifestyle.
You knew you were gonna be on,you were gonna be hand holding
people through your process,right?
And um, but that's you that'swhat you chose.
That's what you wanted.
(21:57):
I knew that I wanted to be homewith kids.
And so I had to choose adifferent life path.
It's also why I couldn't donetwork marketing, even though I
was kind of at my my top, is I'mlike, I am answering phones and
my kid was like, Mommy, why areyou on the phone all the time?
And I'm like, ding, I gottapivot.
So look at where someone hasgone before you, where you're
going, and see who's done it.
And do you want their lifestyle?
And that's just been key for mewhen I choosing choosing what
(22:20):
I'm choosing.
SPEAKER_00 (22:21):
You know, you're it's it's a good interesting
piece because the firstrequirement is I just didn't
want to work for anybody.
SPEAKER_01 (22:26):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (22:27):
Now that I'm in the services business marketing,
we're pivoting because I don'twant to do services long term.
I want to do something whereit's more a faceless company,
I'd say it that way, where it'sa service, it's a problem.
Um, I just happen to run thecompany, which means you can
exit, which means anybody can doit.
So, like those that model shiftsover time that you might solve
one problem that's the easiestway to do it, and then you're
like, all right, let me solvethe next one.
(22:48):
Or like you said it's networkmarketing, but like listen, I
think the real estate one'sbetter because then I can still
do residual, but not have to bethere every day once it's sold.
And so I I I think that uhrecognizing that you're you're
probably not gonna jump to realestate right away sometimes
without the experience of youjust go as fast as you can.
Anyway, we'll come back to that.
Um we'll come back to thatoffline.
The uh the journey is happeningfor you.
(23:09):
You have cut the ties, you'vefigured out screw you, cousin.
Thank you.
I love you, but thank you forthat lesson.
Though I I have a chip on myshoulder towards you now.
Um maybe not.
Um what's been the impact sincethat moment?
SPEAKER_01 (23:24):
I think I put more pressure on myself to keep go,
go, go, go.
Um, so I've I've I've also hadto learn to like, you don't have
to grow.
I just started this e-commercecompany, right?
So I'm like, I don't have togrow to 100 million in a year.
So slow down.
Um, the impact has been, I mean,the impact on my life is is been
totally different, right?
I mean, I've truly have some,I've have freedom that I've
(23:46):
never felt.
And I'm I can invest money in aminute, I'm in a really good
space.
But the impact on my umphilosophy has really been it
doesn't matter how long ittakes, it just matters that you
finish, right?
So, um, and and it and it easesa little anxiety or stress.
I mean, we all as entrepreneurs,we all have this a little bit of
crazy in us, and in the middleof the night, that crazy comes
(24:08):
out.
I'm like, why isn't it thereyet?
We get impatient.
And it's been like, it's it canhappen.
You're gonna go up and down, butit can happen for you.
And you just keep going and youpivot and you pivot and you
pivot and pivot until like youwill get where you want to get
if you don't give up, right?
SPEAKER_00 (24:23):
The word pivot is almost like a it's not it's like
a four-letter cuss word or fiveletter.
How many are letters are in thatthing?
SPEAKER_01 (24:30):
It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter.
SPEAKER_00 (24:31):
Somebody who doesn't I had this this challenge with
my wife sometimes because I'mlike, it's not really a pivot,
it's the evolution of what youneed to do next.
She's like, Yeah, I'm like, it'sbecause if I stay here, we die.
Um and it doesn't work.
You're right, but to them,they're like, oh my god, you're
unstable.
Like, when we when are you gonnaget to the revenue that you
could have made working forsomebody?
SPEAKER_01 (24:49):
And have you has have you read the book The One
Thing?
SPEAKER_00 (24:54):
I haven't read that one.
It's on it's like number six onmy list as I'm working for.
SPEAKER_01 (24:57):
Yeah, I know that I can't.
That's just not me.
Like, I'm like, no, no, no, Ineed three things.
I not well, okay.
SPEAKER_00 (25:04):
I all right.
So what she's referring to is isthe ADHD or in us.
Now I am a director of ADHD thisyear.
That's Mike Tide to Cut.
And I will tell you what I havefound is the podcast plus an
agency plus uh something thatsome other stuff we do, they all
work together.
Yeah.
And and so what was happeningbefore, none of them really
worked together, and now I'm I'mzoning in on how making those
all work together.
(25:24):
And so that three thing thingworks, but it's all around um,
you know, building a businesslead generation and and getting
getting out there to do itright.
So so that is some truth tothat.
The the book that I love that'saround that topic is 10x is
easier than 2x by Dan Sullivan.
That one really tells you tojust go all in on the one thing
so you can actually read that.
10x is easy, and I will tellyou, it will change your
(25:45):
perspective of how you look atyour business.
Uh yours is interesting becauseyou've done a 10x on one and now
you let it go, you can do itagain.
That's how you get there.
So you're you're kind of in thatzone uh to do it.
SPEAKER_01 (25:56):
But you're and it's not Grant Cardone 10x.
SPEAKER_00 (25:58):
This is no, no, this is this is Dan Sullivan, uh
believe it's his name.
Um and so anyway, what we thatthat'd be my book, even if that
was your question later.
Uh here, I have a question foryou now.
Um if you could go back in yourtimeline at any point, when
would you go back?
What do you do differently?
SPEAKER_01 (26:16):
Yeah, I wouldn't have stayed in corporate for as
long as I did.
So I would, I would have, afterthree years of there, I think I
had enough experience on what itis um in corporate that I should
have shifted after three years.
And I stayed there for just shyof seven.
Um and that's why I'm sopassionate about teaching
entrepreneurship at a young age,is I didn't I watched my mom,
(26:37):
but I didn't really listen toher.
Um, and she's been so great.
She just lets me do what I wantto do, even though she knows
it's gonna fail.
She's okay.
She supports me every step ofthe way.
She's amazing.
But I, after three years, Iwould have, I would have left.
I would have, I could have beena freelance, I was a software
developer.
I could have been a freelancesoftware developer.
I could have done, but I wasjust tied in the and I was
spending money like you wouldn'tbelieve.
(26:59):
I was making such good money atthe engineering firm, but then
it was all going, I was lived inScottsdale.
So I'm like, I remember doingtaxes at the end of the year,
and my mom's like, you made thismuch, and your living expenses
are this much.
Where's the rest of it?
And I'm like, not in my bankaccount.
It's somewhere in downtownScottsdale, right?
So about that.
(27:21):
So I just spent, spent, spentfor, I mean, seven years.
So um I wish I would have beentaught entrepreneurship earlier
and I wish I would have had alittle bit more money sense.
Um, because I was already into30 before I started, I mean,
before I started doingsomething.
SPEAKER_00 (27:37):
Yeah.
Well, you know, it's it'sinteresting because you you're
like, or at least I would havedone it as a side hustle, right?
Because it's like I would havestarted.
Uh that sometimes, by the way, Ithink advice to give people out
there.
A side hustle sometimes keepsyou interested in your job
longer because you because youstop caring about it.
And you might let's say you'remaking$10,000 a month gross.
I assure you the$300 you makethe first time on the side
(28:00):
hustle feels better.
Totally.
It's like, oh my God, I madethis extra money doing
something.
I can't believe someone boughtthis.
And you're like, I and yourealize later I could have
charged$3,000 for that.
That that's that's an that's anevolution.
SPEAKER_01 (28:12):
And it's so easy for people to do that today.
With all the tools, all theonline tools we have, all the
you know, AI and stuff, it's soeasy to do a side news.
SPEAKER_00 (28:20):
Yeah, but everybody and everyone gets the
technology, it still comes backto a very, you know, all the
core things, problem solved, allit's so anyway.
Yeah, it's it's easier.
You still have to, anyway, thewhole of our podcast, probably
actually.
SPEAKER_01 (28:32):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (28:32):
Um if um if there was like a question I should
have asked you today though, andI didn't, what what would that
question have been?
SPEAKER_01 (28:41):
Are we gonna do rapid fire after this or no?
Uh well I there's one in yourrapid fire that someone said,
What's the but you said, what'sthe best advice that you've been
given by someone?
SPEAKER_00 (28:49):
And you know, I'll do rapid fire.
I I was just conscious.
SPEAKER_01 (28:52):
No, no, we can we can end with this one.
This is a good point.
SPEAKER_00 (28:55):
I want to come back to it.
I skipped it just every time ifyou're gonna call out my rapid
fire, we're gonna have a rapidfire.
But here I have a littlevariation on it, though.
SPEAKER_01 (29:02):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (29:03):
What is the worst business advice that you've ever
gotten?
Um I'm gonna hit you with thenubs.
SPEAKER_01 (29:10):
Don't go into debt.
SPEAKER_00 (29:12):
Woo.
I hate debt.
I will tell you.
It puckers my butthole right upto hear the word debt.
I'm like, mm-hmm, owing peoplemoney.
Please help me work through thatone quick.
I know it's a rapid fire, butgetting it.
Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_01 (29:26):
Really quick, really quick.
A 3%, a 5% on debt, if it's asmall percentage on a loan or
something.
Um, as long as you have a mapout of it, you and you well, are
you are you willing to go allin?
Debt can get you so much, right?
So you've got to work your buttoff.
(29:46):
Now, um, yeah.
So someone said, you know, likethe Dave Ramsey, I just don't
get.
I now have like real estate umproperties that pay me also.
And it's like, but in 10 years,do you know what that real
estate property is gonna be?
So as long as you know, so I I'mall about going into smart debt.
SPEAKER_00 (30:04):
So smart debt.
So uh debt that's tied to anasset, I'm cool with all day
because there's a math formulathat works with that.
Uh uh be taking the line ofcredit to go fund an ad campaign
that might work, I really wouldsay don't do that, people,
because because unless you haveum done it once before and an
act is produced, I'd be carefulof going into debt to do
(30:25):
something that's on the riskside that doesn't have an asset
base, because that's where youcan get in trouble quickly.
Um, because there's no path outif it didn't work.
Yeah, that's where we kind ofput up.
SPEAKER_01 (30:34):
Debt for marketing is really tough if you're
starting off, right?
So it's like what companies doyou hire?
And you've gotta know, like, soso so futurepreneur specifically
is I hire someone to do my PR.
Um, and I probably could do itmyself.
But I'm also doing my ownprogramming and my own um
website and my own.
So I'm doing the technicalstuff.
(30:54):
So you've got to pick one lane,you right?
And then you can hire outsidethat lane, but you can't hire
too much because you will end upspending a hundred grand in a
year with your$15,000 coach.
And so, but I believe incoaching.
I've never gotten to where I'vegotten without coaching.
So I believe in investing incoaching, but you really have to
be smart with it because you canspend$20,000 here,$20,000 there
(31:17):
before you know it.
SPEAKER_00 (31:18):
Well, exactly.
SPEAKER_01 (31:19):
Credit card debt is not good.
I'm talking low interest loans.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (31:22):
Yeah.
And so I think that's a very bigdistinction because uh an
asset-based debt, meaning likebuying a business for cash flow
is smart and or it's smarterbecause at least there's
something behind there and youcan set up a deal that make it
make sense.
Uh real estate, sure.
Spending even spending your own,let's say savings, which is a
form of debt that you should bepaying yourself back as a
return, is probably moreacceptable than lending, you
(31:44):
know, borrowing money for a riskor an idea that you haven't
proven.
Now, if if I have a marketingcampaign that I've spent$10,000
in ads and it's produced$50,000and I've done it several times,
it might make sense to say, hey,could I handle$100,000 of volume
if I put it in to go make 50x onthat?
That might make sense becausethe revenue from it would be
phenomenal.
And then you could go back tomore of a cash basis if you
(32:06):
really wanted to do it.
The point is be careful with itin proof with small scale.
unknown (32:11):
Yep.
SPEAKER_00 (32:11):
Exactly.
Well, and small doesn't alwaystry, you know, it's just be
careful with that.
All right.
Um, here's my here's my onerapid fire of actually I'll give
you an easy one first.
Must-go-to book.
What's the read?
SPEAKER_01 (32:22):
Ooh.
Okay, this is a little personal,but I read a book called
Conversations with God.
I was like spinning, spinningfor a while on religion and
purpose and in this phase ofwhat am I doing in my life and
what does life mean?
Um, and I read Conversationswith God and it really, um, and
(32:43):
I'm I am Christian, but itdoesn't matter what you are.
Um, but it really um it reallywas good for me.
SPEAKER_00 (32:50):
That's great.
I mean, you have to religionaside, faith is agnostic to
that.
It has to do to belief insomething bigger and something
bigger in yourself or something.
SPEAKER_01 (33:00):
I I grew up Catholic and um and my kids are in
Catholic school, so nothingagainst Catholicism, but I had a
lot of like guilt and a lot oflike rules, right?
So I was like, and andconversations, God just kind of
threw out the rules for me andsaid, Listen, you're you know,
you're loved, right?
You're loved.
SPEAKER_00 (33:17):
I think that's great.
You know, it helps set themindset that things happen for
instead of to you.
And um, and given what's goingon in the world, like you know,
the floods, like I mean, I don'tknow how those people saw that
one ever.
Uh but anyway.
SPEAKER_01 (33:27):
I couldn't even get on social, couldn't even get on.
SPEAKER_00 (33:28):
If three girls, yeah.
It's yeah, yeah, me too.
And it's like uh in they're atcamp right now in the middle of
Canada.
So I'm like the point being isuh it's only gonna help you to
have some kind of faith beliefabove, I think, in something
beyond just yourself.
So I I really applaud you forthat.
That's uh that's a that'sprobably one of the harder books
(33:49):
to read because of where you arein life when that happened.
So I I really do mean thatsincerely.
Uh what is a tie today thatyou're struggling to cut?
It's a surprise question.
SPEAKER_01 (34:00):
Yeah, this is what is the tie today?
I mean, I I'm really working onthat patience of not wanting it
now.
Um so I balance that.
Um, you bounce I balance momguilt, right?
Because I want it now.
So then I dive all in it beforeI know it, I'm at work for eight
hours.
Um, and so then I'm uh then I'myou know not with my kids and
(34:23):
they're home for summer.
And so really kind of tying thateverything's okay.
It's gonna do it's gonna happenwhen it happens.
Your kids are okay, they'rehappy, they lie in other, you're
with them most of the time.
It's okay.
And so really cutting that likereal built-up pressure of um it
needs to happen now.
I'm really trying to cut that.
It affects your sleeps, itaffects everything.
SPEAKER_00 (34:45):
Yeah, it's uh the the impatience of life, right?
Where especially where you'relike you see so much opportunity
and you're like, I just cannotmove fast enough.
And you know, and I it it's it'sit's maddening and it's
frustrating and you feel likeyou're always behind.
I very much so I identify withthat feeling.
It also makes you read bookslike Conversations with God,
which that's that's a recentread.
(35:06):
I can tell.
I can understand that one.
Yep.
Um all right.
I think finally, who inspiredyou?
SPEAKER_01 (35:16):
Uh definitely my mom.
Definitely my mom.
She came from, you know, she hadfive, it was five, her and four
siblings, and they were in likea two-bedroom house.
And I have a I have an articleclipping at she was the youngest
real estate agent when she gother license at 18.
Now it happens all the time.
But when she got her license atH turn her real estate license,
she was the youngest one inTucson and it she was in the
(35:37):
paper.
And um, I've watched her, youknow, she doesn't have life
figured out.
Um, she's been divorced twice,right?
So there's an area of her lifethat she hasn't quite figured it
out.
I I learned a lot from, but umbusiness, she really just grit
and grind.
She was in a man's world in theconstruction world, and she was
(35:57):
they are scared of her.
She just felt her own.
And she's four, ten and a half.
She's not even five foot.
I'm telling you, she is mightyand amazing.
So I'm very lucky to have her.
SPEAKER_00 (36:08):
You know, it's like what Pablo Escobar, I think, had
said something like the name ofthe lady, I can't.
There's a whole show on it.
Like the the one late, the oneman I fear more is this woman
name.
It was like she has a famousquote from this this this other
mob boss.
I know it's he it's like true.
Uh the truth is, I mean, fromthe era that your mom came
(36:29):
through, uh, the women that madeit that really they are tougher
than anyone because of what theyhad to do to go through there.
Like you have to have like nailstough, don't care, you cannot
get under my skin because ofwhere they are they so when
she's looking at you going, Iknow it's gonna fail, but I also
know if I say anything, it'sit's gonna be my fault.
So I'll be quiet.
SPEAKER_01 (36:47):
Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You know, the downside of whatis uh the downside of it is um
people are scared of her.
And so like I'm like, youremployees don't love you, you
know, like she like she she hasso much love in her, but she
doesn't have a lot ofcompassion.
And so she's like, You're sickand you didn't show up to work
today.
Like, you know, like here's whatI did.
(37:09):
You're you're having a mentalday off, you know?
And I was like, what's a mentalday off?
SPEAKER_00 (37:16):
Oh, that's good.
Is that a new thing?
Mental days off because we needto get that for a hundred years,
so you're you're gonna never gowork.
SPEAKER_01 (37:21):
Oh my gosh, I I remember an employee coming to
me and is like, Can I haveunlimited vacation?
And I'm like, wait, what do youmean?
And she's like, Yeah, it's thisnew thing that's like it's kind
of unlimited vacation.
I mean, it's not paid, but youcan take as many days off.
And I'm like, well, then who'sat the desk?
Like, I keep giving unlimiteddays off.
SPEAKER_00 (37:39):
We call that unemployment or
entrepreneurship.
Yeah, you can choose.
You can choose.
I want unlimited.
Yeah.
Some states you can't giveunlimited because you'd have to
actually give it to them.
Um and and anyway.
Uh different things.
So, a what was the one questionI should have asked today,
though?
I didn't.
SPEAKER_01 (37:57):
Um, I think my one piece of advice that someone
gave me, I'm gonna give this.
If there's an opportunity outthere, I look at opportunities
all the time, whether it'sbuying a real estate or a or a
business.
I had one guy look at me and hesaid, and I'm and I'm pondering
over it, and he goes, Crystal,if it's not a hell yes, it's a F
no, right?
Like if you're not like, yes, Iwant to be there, yes, I want to
(38:18):
do that, yes, I want to go tothis happy hour, yes, I want to
go to this birthday party, oryes, I want to go on this
vacation.
If it's not hell yes, it's a no.
And if you operate like that,your time management will get so
much better.
SPEAKER_00 (38:29):
So that's my saying no to stuff opens up a lot of
doors to yes.
Uh yeah, I that's uh well, youcould apply that in ways that
you're like, well, I guessanyway, that can get you.
SPEAKER_01 (38:40):
Where are you going with this?
SPEAKER_00 (38:42):
We don't have time for that because we're gonna
thank you so much, Crystal Pop,for joining us today on uh I
don't know the name of this showis even discussed guy.
That's right.
All right, shameless plug, whoshould get a hold of you?
Where are they, and how shouldthey do that?
SPEAKER_01 (38:57):
Yeah, parents, parents, especially kids six to
twelve, five to twelve.
Um, you can go to our website.
I have a freebie on our website,futurepreneur.com.
That's teach your kids to dream.
Um, so it starts with just thosesteps of you know, conversation
cards, what conversations shouldyou be having?
What lunchbox notes?
So that's a freebie that we do.
So futurepreneur,futurepreneur.com.
(39:20):
Um, or you can find me on socialat Crystal PopOff.
I'd love a follow.
SPEAKER_00 (39:25):
Thank you for joining me today.
SPEAKER_01 (39:26):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (39:26):
Unless anyone who made this point in the show, you
rock.
This is the first time you'vebeen here.
I hope it's the first of many.
And if you've been here before,you've heard me say this a few
times.
Go cut a tie to somethingholding you back after you've
defined what success is for you,because then you know what is
holding you back from it.
Thanks for listening.
Welcome to the Cut the Tide Podcast.
Hello, I'm your host, ThomasHelfrick, and I'm on a mission
to help you cut the tie towhatever it is holding you back
from success.
As I always say, you have todefine, though, your success
yourself.
If you do not, you're chasingsome other dream that's not
yours.
And you also have a clue of whatactually is holding you back
because you don't really knowwhere you're going.
So define that success.
Let's cut a tie.
(00:20):
And today I'm joined by CrystalPopov.
Crystal, how are you?
SPEAKER_01 (00:23):
Yeah, you did it.
Good job.
How are you?
SPEAKER_00 (00:25):
I'm good.
How are you?
I'm delicious.
Uh, and you.
SPEAKER_01 (00:29):
I'm I'm wonderful.
I'm wonderful.
It's early in the morning hereand I feel amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (00:33):
Uh well, take a moment.
You know, introduce yourself,where you're from, what you do.
SPEAKER_01 (00:37):
Yeah.
Um, I'm from Tucson, Arizona.
Grew up here, lived around thecountry a little bit.
Um, my newest uh journey, I'mmost most importantly, I'm a mom
of three and a wife to awonderful husband.
Um, but I just uh started a newcompany called Futurepreneur,
and we help kids and teens agessix through 16 open their very
first business.
(00:57):
So we give them all the toolsand the plan to launch a
company.
SPEAKER_00 (01:01):
That is, I mean, that's pretty core to what we
do.
So this that's awesome.
Uh so you're the audiencelistening here should probably
resonate with this.
Uh there are other agencies thatdo this, uh, and and there's a
lot of free resources.
So why do people pick you?
What's the differentiator?
SPEAKER_01 (01:17):
Yeah, I think we walk the kid through every step.
Um, and it's really built byentrepreneurs.
So there's there's books outthere to give you ideas on what
kid business to start.
Um, there's a couple greatcompanies that that do a good
job as like a summer camp wherethey take the kid in and then
they help them launch thebusiness through the summer and
they do a really great job.
This is more at home, they getto experience different types of
(01:39):
business.
So our business plans take abouteight hours from start to launch
to make money, right?
And the kid can stip stick withit.
Uh my daughter launched at-shirt, one of our t-shirt
brands.
And as you better believeeveryone she talks to, she's
sending them a link to theirt-shirt store.
But the idea is to really textdifferent waters.
So we have a, we you could be ona subscription or you can pick
(02:00):
your plan, but our goal is toget people familiar, get kids
familiar by the time theygraduate high school with
different industries.
So we have a, you know, we talkabout the trades, build a
doghouse, sell it.
We go through all the trades.
We have video modules thatreally walk them through it from
other teens.
So teens are doing the visualmodel modules with the kids.
You can truly stick your kid infront of our video modules and
(02:23):
with our business plan, and theycan launch their business.
SPEAKER_00 (02:25):
I love this.
That's I have a little, my mylittlest is uh she has more cash
than anyone in this family.
Just she's 10.
And because we make these littleuh, you know, lip balm thingies
out of pure like beeswax fromGeorgia, and we make all you
know coconut oil and we just andand she'll sell them for two,
three bucks, whatever.
And I'm like, I absolutely lovethis business because it costs
like 16 cents total to make thestuff.
(02:48):
And I'm like, I really wish wecould find a way to mark.
And I'm like thinking, why notjust go build her a site and
just brand it?
Yeah, because it but and shealways just like so she's like,
Hey, I saw this video.
We live on a golf course.
I can't afford to join it.
It's like torture to watch it.
Yeah, anyway, because I lovegolf, cannot afford that.
Yeah, so but she's like, I sawthis video where people are
making well, they said sixfigures, whatever that means.
(03:09):
It seemed like a lot to sellinggolf balls.
Can we go get golf balls off thecourse?
So every on the day closed, wego through one hole and probably
find 50 balls, all worth fourbucks or more each.
And I'm like, now I gotta figureout where to go sell these
things.
But we have hundreds of balls,and I'm like, I'll I've saved 60
bucks a month if I ever want to,I'll never buy a golf ball again
(03:29):
because of her.
The point I yeah, kids with thatmindset are so set for the
future, it's not even funny.
Like they are the ones that willbe successful.
SPEAKER_01 (03:38):
I'm telling you, all the studies that I've done and
relating entrepreneurship tohappiness.
I mean, there's truly lots ofstudies that if you're an
entrepreneur, you just had to begenerally happier, right?
You have more freedom, you havemore choices.
Um, and what do we want asparents over everything else is
we want our child to grow up andbe a value to the community and
to be happy.
(03:58):
So if you're not teachingentrepreneurship at a young age,
Thomas, you are, but most peoplearen't.
They or they don't know how thatthis is a must, right?
And kids, you know how theygrow.
How's how old's your oldest?
SPEAKER_00 (04:09):
Uh 15, 15, 13, 10 at this point.
SPEAKER_01 (04:11):
Oh, yeah, you're right in the sweet spot.
But as they reach 14, mayberight around that 14, 15 age,
you kind of lose them as you'renot that they start looking to
other people.
SPEAKER_00 (04:20):
Well, yeah, like eight to five percent of your
time is before age 12, 100%.
SPEAKER_01 (04:24):
100%.
So this like seven to 12, thesefive years is so precious and it
goes by so fast.
And that so that's where westarted.
My kids are in that age also,and it is so fun to watch.
Um, I I'm an entrepreneurmyself.
I own the the businesses thatbring me money.
This one just launched thatbring me money and give me
lifestyle is mostly commercialreal estate.
(04:44):
So we we do co-working andexecutive offices suites and it
runs itself.
I have incredible employees, andum and and I can I can travel
for seven days and get three orfour emails.
I mean, I have a really sweetdeal.
SPEAKER_00 (04:56):
And that's a business on like my marketing
agency where I'm involved.
That is a job, just to be clear.
She just described a business.
Note she travels, she's verylittle work.
SPEAKER_01 (05:07):
You know what you have to cut to get there?
Control.
SPEAKER_00 (05:11):
I had to take your wife.
It's also what you sell.
SPEAKER_01 (05:14):
So there's a lot of yeah, true, but I had to like
I'm okay here with control.
SPEAKER_00 (05:19):
I'm fine with that.
I I am I'm core to thestrategies we do for my clients,
but we keep clients three, fouryears because of it.
So I'm like, I need to do there.
We'll talk about that offline.
I mean, yeah, I guess by theway, people, I interview people
well.
That's my skill set.
All the other stuff, just takewith the grace.
I'm good at I'm good at thispart.
That's that's that's it.
(05:40):
Talk to me.
Okay, enough about me and howwell I smell today.
Um Chris, you're supposed tolaugh at that.
I mean, it it is my secondinterview of the day.
It is your first.
I need allier.
Is your coffee broken?
SPEAKER_01 (05:54):
Sometimes my coffee You know, it it's super early,
and I I've only had three sips,so guys, we're gonna take a
pause here for a coffee break.
Coffee break, coffee pause,everyone.
Very good.
SPEAKER_00 (06:08):
Okay.
Uh how do you define success?
SPEAKER_01 (06:11):
I think uh it's absolutely for me is choosing
what you want to do at thisminute, right?
So if I want to take theafternoon off and take my kids
some skating, I'm gonna do it.
Right.
So it's really it's reallychoice of of what your what your
your energy goes to.
SPEAKER_00 (06:26):
Yeah, it's captain a big uh I'll put that into the uh
a very common answer is captainof your calendar.
SPEAKER_01 (06:32):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (06:32):
Say what you want, when you want for them for the
most part.
You gotta you know get time.
SPEAKER_01 (06:36):
And it doesn't mean we don't work, right?
It's a hours, but I get tochoose that.
And now uh so because I have thethe um commercial real estate,
because I have the executiveoffice suites, it gives me so
much freedom to start this newventure and capital to start
this new venture, right?
So it's um yeah, it's beautiful,it's a wonderful life.
And I haven't I haven't alwaysbeen here.
(06:56):
I've been in corporate.
I was in corporate, I was anengineer, graduated as an
engineer, so I went right intocorporate consulting, was there
for seven years climbing theladder, uh doing well, but I
knew after two years, I knewthis.
SPEAKER_00 (07:07):
Well, then exactly.
So my my my question is liketell me a little more about your
journey to get to where you are.
Um, and then what was the majortie you had to cut to be able to
achieve that success you justdefined?
SPEAKER_01 (07:18):
Yeah.
Um so my journey was graduatedfrom the University of Arizona
in 2004, went straight intocorporate.
I was there for seven years.
Um, but I remember very clearlyI was like two, three years in,
and I'm sitting, we we do like aroundup once every quarter.
So we're in our roundup.
There's about 30, 35 people inthere, you know, all my
(07:39):
colleagues and uh management atthe front, and they're
celebrating numbers and who hittheir milestones and da-da-da.
Numbers.
Yeah, it was just so consulting,it was so number driven, right?
So, and I'm looking around andI'm thinking, no one's happy,
right?
Like, I don't really want to behere.
They're trying to like pump usup.
No one's got a smile on theirface.
(08:00):
And I'm looking at like our teamlead up front, and I'm like, I
don't even think he's happy.
Like he's going through adivorce, he worked a gazillion
hours a week.
And I'm like, I'm climbing thisladder and I don't even like the
top, right?
I don't even like the top.
So what the heck am I doing?
My mistake was I stayed theretoo long.
I wish I would have pivotedearlier.
Um, but I didn't, I I was scaredto jump into the entrepreneur
(08:21):
journey.
And what actually took me therewas network marketing.
So I joined a network marketing,muscle of marketing company, and
you know, went to the realrah-rah um and sat in a room and
I'm like, well, at least thesepeople are happy, right?
At least they're excited to behere.
SPEAKER_00 (08:39):
Is all that was.
SPEAKER_01 (08:39):
You do most it is fun, fun, fun.
Yes, it's fun.
So, and I I I'm still part of Imy old company still pays for my
car every month.
So that you can get to residualincome there, but it is very,
very tough.
And um, it's not for everyone.
(09:00):
It's tough.
You can alienate family as this,it's a tough.
SPEAKER_00 (09:03):
Well, and let's let's dive in that just a bit,
because that was the first buyyou had a cut was corporate to
affiliate marketing, which tome, from like a personal brand,
like, oh my god, like what arewhat are my friends and family
gonna think when I'm like, hey,do you want to buy some amway?
Like, you know, like whatever.
And and and nothing wrong withamway, but like that is such a
brand, personal brand change,and people's judgment becomes
(09:24):
like laser focused on you aswhat what is wrong with like uh
maybe I'm personal, especiallyengineers, right?
SPEAKER_01 (09:31):
I'm in an engineering world.
They really don't get that one.
No, they're like you're in apyramid, you know.
I mean, it was I got it all.
SPEAKER_00 (09:38):
You're made of or whatever.
SPEAKER_01 (09:41):
But I I am only friends with probably two people
from that era, but the vastdifference in happiness was was
uh enough for me to jump.
Like corporate was you know,talking about each other's boss,
you know, getting cut out ofnumbers.
It's just it's it was just nofun.
It was drinking after work everyday.
(10:02):
I mean, it was unhealthy.
SPEAKER_00 (10:05):
It's just a it's just a miserable.
It didn't have to be, but it is.
SPEAKER_01 (10:09):
I don't know why.
And maybe it's not all corporatethis way, but I think a lot are.
So I was like, I'd rather be inthis network marketing world
where people are at least happy.
I went completely broke with thefirst company.
You know, I moved to Chicagowith them, went, went broke, um,
moved back in with my mom.
My mom was super supportive.
That's one thing.
She was she's been anentrepreneur her whole life.
She's my inspiration, but um,but then um, yeah, so then I I
(10:30):
knew I didn't want to stay inthat forever either.
So I had been part of someco-working spaces um in in
cities that I traveled to.
So when I came back home fromTucson, married, broke,
pregnant.
Um I said, I want to open aco-working space.
And that was a big leap.
It took us took us about a yearand a half to kind of save up
money to be able to, you know,start with a place.
(10:54):
Um, and then I've expanded.
I have over 20,000 square feetin Tucson retail called the L
Offices.
SPEAKER_00 (10:59):
Lease and release, basically.
All right.
So because that's a differentmodel than buy and then you're a
landlord or anything.
Like, why would I want to do it?
Um it changes your model.
SPEAKER_01 (11:07):
Yeah, we're on our way, we're on our way to that
too.
Um I love it.
SPEAKER_00 (11:12):
I mean, because you don't you don't need a big
brand, you just need to sell toa small audience and keep them
happy and give them.
I I love that.
I mean, it it and you're justyour margin business at that
point.
SPEAKER_01 (11:21):
But most co-working spaces fail, and it's because
they don't go big enough.
Um, you can't really createcommunity with 12 offices.
So, like in the location I'msitting in right now, we have 42
offices and 35 co-working desks.
And I'm like 92%.
SPEAKER_00 (11:36):
Did you discover that right away?
I'm gonna rub you just because Ithink it's so interesting.
SPEAKER_01 (11:39):
I'm a numbers girl, so I just pulled the numbers,
right?
SPEAKER_00 (11:42):
And so I wouldn't have known that.
I would have thought, like,okay, I just need to maximize my
12, but people are joiningbecause they need a co-work.
They need that community.
And I I do I don't have thatsense.
I just need a space, possibly.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So that's interesting.
SPEAKER_01 (11:54):
I did you did see, did you discover that prior to
doing it, or did you get thisfeeling of being a part of a
coworking space and like why whydo I want to go in here?
I want energy, like, why notwork at home, right?
Because I want energy, I want tobe around people.
I mean, this is the networkmarketing uh personality style,
right?
That I got.
So I wanted to be around peopleand we just didn't have it.
But also the numbers don't work.
So when you really look at afinancial sheet, and this is
(12:16):
kind of my I would say this isthis is what m makes me a good
entrepreneur in every venture,is I can just dive into numbers
and really figure out whethersomething's profitable or not.
But I knew the expenses didn'tchange much, the size of the
space.
You still have a staff memberthat's running the desk.
You still gotta buy coffee,right?
You still gotta, I mean, yourkitchen expenses may go up a
little bit, but you still gottapay the internet bill, whether
(12:36):
you have four offices or whetheryou have 50 offices, you gotta
pay the, you know, so the theexpenses don't change that much
as you scale.
And obviously your revenuechanges a ton.
SPEAKER_00 (12:45):
So yeah, I would like because your break-even
ends up being about the sameamount of people.
Cause like even the office spaceadditional to get to that, you
might smaller the offices orthere's ways to do it.
Yeah.
So I get I like listen, Iwouldn't even thought about
that.
It's amazing.
All right, so all right, so yougot the tie.
Uh, one was perception, one wasjust falling on your face uh to
do this.
And and it didn't sound like youhad a risk tie to cut.
(13:07):
It sounded like you were okaywith the risk, um, though it's
uncomfortable, but you took it.
SPEAKER_01 (13:11):
Yeah, I was okay with the risk.
Um, you know, my I've watched mymom dive into things with little
fear, and I just didn't have alot of feel.
I'm like, what's the what's theworst thing?
I can go broke, right?
Once you do it once, you'relike, oh, okay, that's that's
what that is, right?
I mean, I have family membersthat would take me in if I
needed it.
SPEAKER_00 (13:28):
So I called it roommates that were older when
they do.
SPEAKER_01 (13:31):
Yes, yes, yes.
We were roommates, roomies.
Um, so um, so I didn't have thatfear.
Um, but the what I did have isokay, here's what network
marketing did to me.
I don't care what other peoplethink, right?
And I used to care.
And now I don't.
So I've had to close a network.
(13:52):
I've had to close a co-workingspace in downtown Tucson.
It just never flourished.
But I got a lot of publicitywhen I opened it, but I had to
close it.
It is what it is, right?
So I mean, now now we're doinggreat things.
We're in a we're in a good spot.
We I was actually in a magazineTucson to Business Tucson
yesterday, they featured us umfor our retail space, our
co-working retail space.
But so we're in a good space,but I didn't I like you have to
(14:15):
not care what people think.
And that is that's something yougotta give up.
SPEAKER_00 (14:20):
It's huge.
I mean, it's that's hard.
It's hard.
It's always creeping in on you.
Uh I think people listening hereare like the what you know, it's
easy to not care what peoplethink when they don't really
know you.
What you're describing is youcan't care what your mom or your
sister or your best friend fromhigh school or your neighbor
thinks.
You have to care about what yourpassion is and what you're
(14:42):
trying to accomplish.
Uh because at the end, when youbecome successful, their their
opinion of you changes.
Like, oh hopefully.
But even then, you don't care ifyou think I'm successful or not.
It but that it that's the hardone of the people closest to
you.
And that's some of the hardestties to cut are letting go.
There's people who continuallyanchor you back because they're
embarrassed because of you.
SPEAKER_01 (15:03):
Yeah.
And they're proud of me now.
But you until when I was doingother things, they were like,
eh, why did you give up thatjob?
You know, you had a really goodjob.
But the the the interestingthing is they come around,
number one, but number two, youcan use it as fuel because I
won't stop and I wouldn't stopuntil it's done.
So it took me opening differentlocations.
(15:24):
Like I signed, I remember myhusband was like, You're nuts
because I signed another leasewhen my other one was failing.
Right.
So one of them's like, I'm notprofitable, and I sign another
lease.
And I'm like, Yeah, but if thisone's gonna go down, I gotta get
it, I gotta get it done.
SPEAKER_00 (15:37):
Now before Alan breaks.
SPEAKER_01 (15:43):
Yeah, yeah.
So you gotta just like you canuse it as fuel.
Like, I am not giving up untilit's done.
And same with future premiere.
I mean, right now we're we'vegot curricula and video modules,
but eventually it'll be anonline sales platform, it'll be
all be all be digital and it'llbe a kind of a gamified thing.
So I'm like, we're not doneuntil this is going.
We're gonna have events, butit's it's no question.
SPEAKER_00 (16:02):
Yeah, it your your idea with the so just when you
were saying that, it actuallybrought back an idea, and I
don't have the bandwidth to doit, but I was like, I mean, I
really people pay so much forlike coding camps.
And it's like if you had anentrepreneurial school where
your kids show up after schoolevery day for a couple hours,
parents would pay a ton for thatof like going through a business
and working your model and play,you know, and and you could have
(16:23):
that would be like a very goodfranchise to anyway.
So we'll take that one maybe.
SPEAKER_01 (16:27):
Yeah, summer franchise.
I yeah, like a summer summer ora fundraiser franchise.
Like how many you could have ayou could have a classroom where
you have different pods, theyeach start their own business,
but it fundraises back into theschool, right?
And they get a pizza party orwhatever they get um once they
hit those things, but that moneygoes back in the school.
So we've thought like Apex Um,but that does a fun run or
(16:48):
something, they franchised aswell.
So we we might we might do thatin the future.
What my goal is right now is tomake sure it's effective from
start to finish that theyactually launch the business.
And we have um six businessesup, and we've got seven more in
the works of different types ofcompanies that they can open.
Um and and people aren't doingit the in the depth that we're
(17:08):
doing it.
Like they are going to makemoney, they're gonna learn along
the way.
It is it's just really cool.
SPEAKER_00 (17:14):
I I love it.
Uh thank you.
All right, so let's continueyour story.
So you got the tie, you you gotyour success, and you've gotten
how you got there.
Uh the next part is the how.
How did you go about the tiethat we're focusing on
specifically, or the themetaphor is not caring.
You know, so maybe and thisprobably ties to a moment.
So maybe what was the moment andhow did you just work through
(17:36):
it?
SPEAKER_01 (17:37):
Yeah.
Um, I got yeah, I got so if youcry, by the way.
No, no, no, no.
This is a funny story.
Were it, I think it'sThanksgiving or Easter.
We're in my mom's backyard.
There's about 30 people there.
And I'm talking, and this isnetwork marketing, okay?
So there's someone that Ihaven't seen in a while.
So they're like, oh, Crystal,what are you doing?
(17:58):
Here's my opening, right?
Here's where I can talk about mycompany.
Oh, I just started, you know,just started selling da-da-da.
And I'm making money on the sideand blah, blah, blah.
And I hear like my cousin aroundthe corner going, Don't as they
walk away, my cousin goes, Don'ttalk to her about it.
She's gonna try to rope you in,you know?
And I should, and I rememberthinking, I was so hurt that I
(18:24):
remember thinking, this is whatthey prepped me for, right?
Is you can't sell if you don'ttalk.
Whether I was selling somethingfor a network marketing company
or I'm selling futurepreneur orI'm selling an office space, you
cannot sell if you don't talk.
And I'm like, just because Italked, he's pulling me down,
right?
This cousin of mine that I love.
And I was done.
(18:44):
I would from that point on, Isaid, I'm like it, it fuels my
fire.
I'm not gonna fail.
I did very well in networkmarketing.
It took me six years to getthere, but I finally figured it
out and did really well.
Um, because I wasn't gonna stopuntil it was done because of
what he said in my thing.
So I'm like, I don't care whatyou say because I'm gonna prove
you wrong.
And that's where I startedshifting.
(19:04):
So then when it when that creepsback in, because it will, when
something creeps back in andlike, what if they talk about
your you closed your businessdowntown, they're gonna talk
about it in the newspaper, blah,blah, blah.
And I creeps back in, it doesn'tmatter.
I'm out there trying and I'm outthere talking and they're doing
nothing.
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (19:19):
So well, and it and you're and and I think that how
is important because uh if youdon't have that resilience to to
pull through, you never cut thetie and you never get to where
you're going.
And and and this is so core of,I mean, this is a big one.
Like people's perception of youholds you back from leaving,
doing uh it in there's there'sother ones that tie with it as
well with lifestyle and someother stuff.
(19:40):
But but that's uh very I'm proudof you just knowing you're a
little bit here of because Iknow how hard that is.
SPEAKER_01 (19:45):
It's hard.
SPEAKER_00 (19:47):
You know, the ones you probably won't are your kids
initially, but they usually lookat you as wow, she's doing it.
And they and and you they theytake it as no, you're gonna
fail.
That's part of it, but that'sjust a lesson.
And if they look at you likethat, like they don't judge you,
they just see you home, they seeyou around.
SPEAKER_01 (20:05):
I mean, my kids, my oldest is nine, so they don't
really know.
And it's part of why it startedFuture Impreneur.
Like, I could have just, youknow, eased, eased my, you know,
collected my residual from theoffice spaces.
I just renewed my lease, youknow, we just expanded, and I
could just ride this out.
But I'm like, I want to, I wantthem to watch something, right?
Because I got to watch my mombuild a pool, a swimming pool
(20:25):
construction company.
She came from real estate, umresidential real estate, and
she's building a swimming poolconstruction company when I was
in in high school, and I watchedher do that, and it was so
inspiring to me.
And I'm like, I want my kids tobe in this great, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (20:39):
Like my one of my best friends does pool, and I
see how broken that industry is,and I'm like, I'm like, I could
win in this industry just forthe fact that I can do project
management and communicate it.
Like percent.
SPEAKER_01 (20:53):
I've watched my mom.
SPEAKER_00 (20:54):
I mean, that's all like everything else is just
people digging holes and doingshit and getting it to code, but
but customer interactions,because we're in the process of
billing pool 15 months for apermit, really?
Really?
I know we're not gonna go downthat path.
You will I was blowing bottlesand I think she was hoping I
could take it over.
SPEAKER_01 (21:11):
And I was like, my my husband, my husband's the
best sales guy there.
Like, he is he I had no ideathat he crushed it.
My high school boyfriend'sactually the president.
Super funny.
Oh, that's fun.
SPEAKER_00 (21:22):
Others good friends, but uh you shopping publics with
pineapples upside down oranything like that.
Conversation is taking a turn.
SPEAKER_01 (21:30):
It's taking a turn.
Where did it do?
Let's go back.
SPEAKER_00 (21:32):
Let's come back.
I don't want your uh agents toput you on here to be like,
well, the founding.
SPEAKER_01 (21:36):
But entrepreneurs that are looking for something,
or those of you that are likestepping out, I think there's
two key things that I would sayis number one, I knew that the
co-working company would give mefreedom.
So look at someone who's doingwhat you're doing.
And is that the lifestyle youwant to live?
You chose this lifestyle.
You knew you were gonna be on,you were gonna be hand holding
people through your process,right?
And um, but that's you that'swhat you chose.
That's what you wanted.
(21:57):
I knew that I wanted to be homewith kids.
And so I had to choose adifferent life path.
It's also why I couldn't donetwork marketing, even though I
was kind of at my my top, is I'mlike, I am answering phones and
my kid was like, Mommy, why areyou on the phone all the time?
And I'm like, ding, I gottapivot.
So look at where someone hasgone before you, where you're
going, and see who's done it.
And do you want their lifestyle?
And that's just been key for mewhen I choosing choosing what
(22:20):
I'm choosing.
SPEAKER_00 (22:21):
You know, you're it's it's a good interesting
piece because the firstrequirement is I just didn't
want to work for anybody.
SPEAKER_01 (22:26):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (22:27):
Now that I'm in the services business marketing,
we're pivoting because I don'twant to do services long term.
I want to do something whereit's more a faceless company,
I'd say it that way, where it'sa service, it's a problem.
Um, I just happen to run thecompany, which means you can
exit, which means anybody can doit.
So, like those that model shiftsover time that you might solve
one problem that's the easiestway to do it, and then you're
like, all right, let me solvethe next one.
(22:48):
Or like you said it's networkmarketing, but like listen, I
think the real estate one'sbetter because then I can still
do residual, but not have to bethere every day once it's sold.
And so I I I think that uhrecognizing that you're you're
probably not gonna jump to realestate right away sometimes
without the experience of youjust go as fast as you can.
Anyway, we'll come back to that.
Um we'll come back to thatoffline.
The uh the journey is happeningfor you.
(23:09):
You have cut the ties, you'vefigured out screw you, cousin.
Thank you.
I love you, but thank you forthat lesson.
Though I I have a chip on myshoulder towards you now.
Um maybe not.
Um what's been the impact sincethat moment?
SPEAKER_01 (23:24):
I think I put more pressure on myself to keep go,
go, go, go.
Um, so I've I've I've also hadto learn to like, you don't have
to grow.
I just started this e-commercecompany, right?
So I'm like, I don't have togrow to 100 million in a year.
So slow down.
Um, the impact has been, I mean,the impact on my life is is been
totally different, right?
I mean, I've truly have some,I've have freedom that I've
(23:46):
never felt.
And I'm I can invest money in aminute, I'm in a really good
space.
But the impact on my umphilosophy has really been it
doesn't matter how long ittakes, it just matters that you
finish, right?
So, um, and and it and it easesa little anxiety or stress.
I mean, we all as entrepreneurs,we all have this a little bit of
crazy in us, and in the middleof the night, that crazy comes
(24:08):
out.
I'm like, why isn't it thereyet?
We get impatient.
And it's been like, it's it canhappen.
You're gonna go up and down, butit can happen for you.
And you just keep going and youpivot and you pivot and you
pivot and pivot until like youwill get where you want to get
if you don't give up, right?
SPEAKER_00 (24:23):
The word pivot is almost like a it's not it's like
a four-letter cuss word or fiveletter.
How many are letters are in thatthing?
SPEAKER_01 (24:30):
It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter.
SPEAKER_00 (24:31):
Somebody who doesn't I had this this challenge with
my wife sometimes because I'mlike, it's not really a pivot,
it's the evolution of what youneed to do next.
She's like, Yeah, I'm like, it'sbecause if I stay here, we die.
Um and it doesn't work.
You're right, but to them,they're like, oh my god, you're
unstable.
Like, when we when are you gonnaget to the revenue that you
could have made working forsomebody?
SPEAKER_01 (24:49):
And have you has have you read the book The One
Thing?
SPEAKER_00 (24:54):
I haven't read that one.
It's on it's like number six onmy list as I'm working for.
SPEAKER_01 (24:57):
Yeah, I know that I can't.
That's just not me.
Like, I'm like, no, no, no, Ineed three things.
I not well, okay.
SPEAKER_00 (25:04):
I all right.
So what she's referring to is isthe ADHD or in us.
Now I am a director of ADHD thisyear.
That's Mike Tide to Cut.
And I will tell you what I havefound is the podcast plus an
agency plus uh something thatsome other stuff we do, they all
work together.
Yeah.
And and so what was happeningbefore, none of them really
worked together, and now I'm I'mzoning in on how making those
all work together.
(25:24):
And so that three thing thingworks, but it's all around um,
you know, building a businesslead generation and and getting
getting out there to do itright.
So so that is some truth tothat.
The the book that I love that'saround that topic is 10x is
easier than 2x by Dan Sullivan.
That one really tells you tojust go all in on the one thing
so you can actually read that.
10x is easy, and I will tellyou, it will change your
(25:45):
perspective of how you look atyour business.
Uh yours is interesting becauseyou've done a 10x on one and now
you let it go, you can do itagain.
That's how you get there.
So you're you're kind of in thatzone uh to do it.
SPEAKER_01 (25:56):
But you're and it's not Grant Cardone 10x.
SPEAKER_00 (25:58):
This is no, no, this is this is Dan Sullivan, uh
believe it's his name.
Um and so anyway, what we thatthat'd be my book, even if that
was your question later.
Uh here, I have a question foryou now.
Um if you could go back in yourtimeline at any point, when
would you go back?
What do you do differently?
SPEAKER_01 (26:16):
Yeah, I wouldn't have stayed in corporate for as
long as I did.
So I would, I would have, afterthree years of there, I think I
had enough experience on what itis um in corporate that I should
have shifted after three years.
And I stayed there for just shyof seven.
Um and that's why I'm sopassionate about teaching
entrepreneurship at a young age,is I didn't I watched my mom,
(26:37):
but I didn't really listen toher.
Um, and she's been so great.
She just lets me do what I wantto do, even though she knows
it's gonna fail.
She's okay.
She supports me every step ofthe way.
She's amazing.
But I, after three years, Iwould have, I would have left.
I would have, I could have beena freelance, I was a software
developer.
I could have been a freelancesoftware developer.
I could have done, but I wasjust tied in the and I was
spending money like you wouldn'tbelieve.
(26:59):
I was making such good money atthe engineering firm, but then
it was all going, I was lived inScottsdale.
So I'm like, I remember doingtaxes at the end of the year,
and my mom's like, you made thismuch, and your living expenses
are this much.
Where's the rest of it?
And I'm like, not in my bankaccount.
It's somewhere in downtownScottsdale, right?
So about that.
(27:21):
So I just spent, spent, spentfor, I mean, seven years.
So um I wish I would have beentaught entrepreneurship earlier
and I wish I would have had alittle bit more money sense.
Um, because I was already into30 before I started, I mean,
before I started doingsomething.
SPEAKER_00 (27:37):
Yeah.
Well, you know, it's it'sinteresting because you you're
like, or at least I would havedone it as a side hustle, right?
Because it's like I would havestarted.
Uh that sometimes, by the way, Ithink advice to give people out
there.
A side hustle sometimes keepsyou interested in your job
longer because you because youstop caring about it.
And you might let's say you'remaking$10,000 a month gross.
I assure you the$300 you makethe first time on the side
(28:00):
hustle feels better.
Totally.
It's like, oh my God, I madethis extra money doing
something.
I can't believe someone boughtthis.
And you're like, I and yourealize later I could have
charged$3,000 for that.
That that's that's an that's anevolution.
SPEAKER_01 (28:12):
And it's so easy for people to do that today.
With all the tools, all theonline tools we have, all the
you know, AI and stuff, it's soeasy to do a side news.
SPEAKER_00 (28:20):
Yeah, but everybody and everyone gets the
technology, it still comes backto a very, you know, all the
core things, problem solved, allit's so anyway.
Yeah, it's it's easier.
You still have to, anyway, thewhole of our podcast, probably
actually.
SPEAKER_01 (28:32):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (28:32):
Um if um if there was like a question I should
have asked you today though, andI didn't, what what would that
question have been?
SPEAKER_01 (28:41):
Are we gonna do rapid fire after this or no?
Uh well I there's one in yourrapid fire that someone said,
What's the but you said, what'sthe best advice that you've been
given by someone?
SPEAKER_00 (28:49):
And you know, I'll do rapid fire.
I I was just conscious.
SPEAKER_01 (28:52):
No, no, we can we can end with this one.
This is a good point.
SPEAKER_00 (28:55):
I want to come back to it.
I skipped it just every time ifyou're gonna call out my rapid
fire, we're gonna have a rapidfire.
But here I have a littlevariation on it, though.
SPEAKER_01 (29:02):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (29:03):
What is the worst business advice that you've ever
gotten?
Um I'm gonna hit you with thenubs.
SPEAKER_01 (29:10):
Don't go into debt.
SPEAKER_00 (29:12):
Woo.
I hate debt.
I will tell you.
It puckers my butthole right upto hear the word debt.
I'm like, mm-hmm, owing peoplemoney.
Please help me work through thatone quick.
I know it's a rapid fire, butgetting it.
Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_01 (29:26):
Really quick, really quick.
A 3%, a 5% on debt, if it's asmall percentage on a loan or
something.
Um, as long as you have a mapout of it, you and you well, are
you are you willing to go allin?
Debt can get you so much, right?
So you've got to work your buttoff.
(29:46):
Now, um, yeah.
So someone said, you know, likethe Dave Ramsey, I just don't
get.
I now have like real estate umproperties that pay me also.
And it's like, but in 10 years,do you know what that real
estate property is gonna be?
So as long as you know, so I I'mall about going into smart debt.
SPEAKER_00 (30:04):
So smart debt.
So uh debt that's tied to anasset, I'm cool with all day
because there's a math formulathat works with that.
Uh uh be taking the line ofcredit to go fund an ad campaign
that might work, I really wouldsay don't do that, people,
because because unless you haveum done it once before and an
act is produced, I'd be carefulof going into debt to do
(30:25):
something that's on the riskside that doesn't have an asset
base, because that's where youcan get in trouble quickly.
Um, because there's no path outif it didn't work.
Yeah, that's where we kind ofput up.
SPEAKER_01 (30:34):
Debt for marketing is really tough if you're
starting off, right?
So it's like what companies doyou hire?
And you've gotta know, like, soso so futurepreneur specifically
is I hire someone to do my PR.
Um, and I probably could do itmyself.
But I'm also doing my ownprogramming and my own um
website and my own.
So I'm doing the technicalstuff.
(30:54):
So you've got to pick one lane,you right?
And then you can hire outsidethat lane, but you can't hire
too much because you will end upspending a hundred grand in a
year with your$15,000 coach.
And so, but I believe incoaching.
I've never gotten to where I'vegotten without coaching.
So I believe in investing incoaching, but you really have to
be smart with it because you canspend$20,000 here,$20,000 there
(31:17):
before you know it.
SPEAKER_00 (31:18):
Well, exactly.
SPEAKER_01 (31:19):
Credit card debt is not good.
I'm talking low interest loans.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (31:22):
Yeah.
And so I think that's a very bigdistinction because uh an
asset-based debt, meaning likebuying a business for cash flow
is smart and or it's smarterbecause at least there's
something behind there and youcan set up a deal that make it
make sense.
Uh real estate, sure.
Spending even spending your own,let's say savings, which is a
form of debt that you should bepaying yourself back as a
return, is probably moreacceptable than lending, you
(31:44):
know, borrowing money for a riskor an idea that you haven't
proven.
Now, if if I have a marketingcampaign that I've spent$10,000
in ads and it's produced$50,000and I've done it several times,
it might make sense to say, hey,could I handle$100,000 of volume
if I put it in to go make 50x onthat?
That might make sense becausethe revenue from it would be
phenomenal.
And then you could go back tomore of a cash basis if you
(32:06):
really wanted to do it.
The point is be careful with itin proof with small scale.
unknown (32:11):
Yep.
SPEAKER_00 (32:11):
Exactly.
Well, and small doesn't alwaystry, you know, it's just be
careful with that.
All right.
Um, here's my here's my onerapid fire of actually I'll give
you an easy one first.
Must-go-to book.
What's the read?
SPEAKER_01 (32:22):
Ooh.
Okay, this is a little personal,but I read a book called
Conversations with God.
I was like spinning, spinningfor a while on religion and
purpose and in this phase ofwhat am I doing in my life and
what does life mean?
Um, and I read Conversationswith God and it really, um, and
(32:43):
I'm I am Christian, but itdoesn't matter what you are.
Um, but it really um it reallywas good for me.
SPEAKER_00 (32:50):
That's great.
I mean, you have to religionaside, faith is agnostic to
that.
It has to do to belief insomething bigger and something
bigger in yourself or something.
SPEAKER_01 (33:00):
I I grew up Catholic and um and my kids are in
Catholic school, so nothingagainst Catholicism, but I had a
lot of like guilt and a lot oflike rules, right?
So I was like, and andconversations, God just kind of
threw out the rules for me andsaid, Listen, you're you know,
you're loved, right?
You're loved.
SPEAKER_00 (33:17):
I think that's great.
You know, it helps set themindset that things happen for
instead of to you.
And um, and given what's goingon in the world, like you know,
the floods, like I mean, I don'tknow how those people saw that
one ever.
Uh but anyway.
SPEAKER_01 (33:27):
I couldn't even get on social, couldn't even get on.
SPEAKER_00 (33:28):
If three girls, yeah.
It's yeah, yeah, me too.
And it's like uh in they're atcamp right now in the middle of
Canada.
So I'm like the point being isuh it's only gonna help you to
have some kind of faith beliefabove, I think, in something
beyond just yourself.
So I I really applaud you forthat.
That's uh that's a that'sprobably one of the harder books
(33:49):
to read because of where you arein life when that happened.
So I I really do mean thatsincerely.
Uh what is a tie today thatyou're struggling to cut?
It's a surprise question.
SPEAKER_01 (34:00):
Yeah, this is what is the tie today?
I mean, I I'm really working onthat patience of not wanting it
now.
Um so I balance that.
Um, you bounce I balance momguilt, right?
Because I want it now.
So then I dive all in it beforeI know it, I'm at work for eight
hours.
Um, and so then I'm uh then I'myou know not with my kids and
(34:23):
they're home for summer.
And so really kind of tying thateverything's okay.
It's gonna do it's gonna happenwhen it happens.
Your kids are okay, they'rehappy, they lie in other, you're
with them most of the time.
It's okay.
And so really cutting that likereal built-up pressure of um it
needs to happen now.
I'm really trying to cut that.
It affects your sleeps, itaffects everything.
SPEAKER_00 (34:45):
Yeah, it's uh the the impatience of life, right?
Where especially where you'relike you see so much opportunity
and you're like, I just cannotmove fast enough.
And you know, and I it it's it'sit's maddening and it's
frustrating and you feel likeyou're always behind.
I very much so I identify withthat feeling.
It also makes you read bookslike Conversations with God,
which that's that's a recentread.
(35:06):
I can tell.
I can understand that one.
Yep.
Um all right.
I think finally, who inspiredyou?
SPEAKER_01 (35:16):
Uh definitely my mom.
Definitely my mom.
She came from, you know, she hadfive, it was five, her and four
siblings, and they were in likea two-bedroom house.
And I have a I have an articleclipping at she was the youngest
real estate agent when she gother license at 18.
Now it happens all the time.
But when she got her license atH turn her real estate license,
she was the youngest one inTucson and it she was in the
(35:37):
paper.
And um, I've watched her, youknow, she doesn't have life
figured out.
Um, she's been divorced twice,right?
So there's an area of her lifethat she hasn't quite figured it
out.
I I learned a lot from, but umbusiness, she really just grit
and grind.
She was in a man's world in theconstruction world, and she was
(35:57):
they are scared of her.
She just felt her own.
And she's four, ten and a half.
She's not even five foot.
I'm telling you, she is mightyand amazing.
So I'm very lucky to have her.
SPEAKER_00 (36:08):
You know, it's like what Pablo Escobar, I think, had
said something like the name ofthe lady, I can't.
There's a whole show on it.
Like the the one late, the oneman I fear more is this woman
name.
It was like she has a famousquote from this this this other
mob boss.
I know it's he it's like true.
Uh the truth is, I mean, fromthe era that your mom came
(36:29):
through, uh, the women that madeit that really they are tougher
than anyone because of what theyhad to do to go through there.
Like you have to have like nailstough, don't care, you cannot
get under my skin because ofwhere they are they so when
she's looking at you going, Iknow it's gonna fail, but I also
know if I say anything, it'sit's gonna be my fault.
So I'll be quiet.
SPEAKER_01 (36:47):
Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You know, the downside of whatis uh the downside of it is um
people are scared of her.
And so like I'm like, youremployees don't love you, you
know, like she like she she hasso much love in her, but she
doesn't have a lot ofcompassion.
And so she's like, You're sickand you didn't show up to work
today.
Like, you know, like here's whatI did.
(37:09):
You're you're having a mentalday off, you know?
And I was like, what's a mentalday off?
SPEAKER_00 (37:16):
Oh, that's good.
Is that a new thing?
Mental days off because we needto get that for a hundred years,
so you're you're gonna never gowork.
SPEAKER_01 (37:21):
Oh my gosh, I I remember an employee coming to
me and is like, Can I haveunlimited vacation?
And I'm like, wait, what do youmean?
And she's like, Yeah, it's thisnew thing that's like it's kind
of unlimited vacation.
I mean, it's not paid, but youcan take as many days off.
And I'm like, well, then who'sat the desk?
Like, I keep giving unlimiteddays off.
SPEAKER_00 (37:39):
We call that unemployment or
entrepreneurship.
Yeah, you can choose.
You can choose.
I want unlimited.
Yeah.
Some states you can't giveunlimited because you'd have to
actually give it to them.
Um and and anyway.
Uh different things.
So, a what was the one questionI should have asked today,
though?
I didn't.
SPEAKER_01 (37:57):
Um, I think my one piece of advice that someone
gave me, I'm gonna give this.
If there's an opportunity outthere, I look at opportunities
all the time, whether it'sbuying a real estate or a or a
business.
I had one guy look at me and hesaid, and I'm and I'm pondering
over it, and he goes, Crystal,if it's not a hell yes, it's a F
no, right?
Like if you're not like, yes, Iwant to be there, yes, I want to
(38:18):
do that, yes, I want to go tothis happy hour, yes, I want to
go to this birthday party, oryes, I want to go on this
vacation.
If it's not hell yes, it's a no.
And if you operate like that,your time management will get so
much better.
SPEAKER_00 (38:29):
So that's my saying no to stuff opens up a lot of
doors to yes.
Uh yeah, I that's uh well, youcould apply that in ways that
you're like, well, I guessanyway, that can get you.
SPEAKER_01 (38:40):
Where are you going with this?
SPEAKER_00 (38:42):
We don't have time for that because we're gonna
thank you so much, Crystal Pop,for joining us today on uh I
don't know the name of this showis even discussed guy.
That's right.
All right, shameless plug, whoshould get a hold of you?
Where are they, and how shouldthey do that?
SPEAKER_01 (38:57):
Yeah, parents, parents, especially kids six to
twelve, five to twelve.
Um, you can go to our website.
I have a freebie on our website,futurepreneur.com.
That's teach your kids to dream.
Um, so it starts with just thosesteps of you know, conversation
cards, what conversations shouldyou be having?
What lunchbox notes?
So that's a freebie that we do.
So futurepreneur,futurepreneur.com.
(39:20):
Um, or you can find me on socialat Crystal PopOff.
I'd love a follow.
SPEAKER_00 (39:25):
Thank you for joining me today.
SPEAKER_01 (39:26):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (39:26):
Unless anyone who made this point in the show, you
rock.
This is the first time you'vebeen here.
I hope it's the first of many.
And if you've been here before,you've heard me say this a few
times.
Go cut a tie to somethingholding you back after you've
defined what success is for you,because then you know what is
holding you back from it.
Thanks for listening.
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