Serendipitous Rebel with Wendy Guth and Krystal Eicher

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Aicila: Welcome to Business as Unusual. Joining me today are Crystal Eicher and Wendy Goth, the co-founders of Serendipitous, rebel, and C, creators of the Savor Mindset Retreat at Sea like Pirates. They blend strategic marketing and deep coaching to help women step out of overwhelm, reconnect with what they want, and build a line to.

Sustainable businesses. Their focus on combining strategy with deep alignment to combat overwhelm speaks directly to the framework of the show. So I'm really excited to be chatting with them. Welcome to the show, crystal and Wendy.

Wendy: Thank you so.

Aicila: And we've already laughed a lot. I'm very excited to bring our listeners into that experience and we'll just dive right in.

Uh, one of the biggest problems that you talk about seeing is that you have a lot of clients that they're trying to solve, this feeling of being overwhelmed. Stuck, pulled in too many directions. They know a lot about business, but they're not entirely sure what to prioritize, and so they end up in indecision, overthinking, and a lot of reaction, and you help them kind [00:01:00] of step outta that chaos into clarity.

Can you talk a little bit about both that challenge, maybe how that looks when it shows up, and then maybe a tactic or two that you guys use to address it?

Krystal: Yeah, so one of the things that we had talked about even before talking to you this morning, and I think it's so funny how sometimes things keep coming

Aicila: Mm-hmm.

Krystal: is that women, a friend of mine sent me a meme last week that says I have been 10 different women since 8:00 AM.

Aicila: Hmm.

Krystal: And we are constantly juggling. We refer to it in our business as different hats.

Okay. There's different hats you wear throughout the day. Okay. And then as a business owner, there are hats, like sub hats in between that, you know, maybe it's your fascinator if you're feeling a little British today, but it's. But you know, even when you're trying to run your business, okay, you are, you have your expertise that you have your business on.

We work with a lot of coaches, a lot of relationship coaches, so maybe it's your coaching hat, but then it's also your marketing [00:02:00] hat, your bookkeeping hat, and then under a marketer, you have to be this expert in all of the things, right? And it is hard to know where to look at any given moment, especially when you're also juggling.

The other hats, like my mom hat, or this morning I had to have my advocate hat on, 'cause my daughter's special education, and I had to go through a meeting for sped this morning, or my community member hat, you know, if you volunteer or you do anything. And then. And then to turn around and be my business partner hat and my, and then turn around and take care of clients.

So it's hard to know in the transition of it, of all the different things that you're looking. And I think that most people don't take into account all of the other hats that you are wearing.

Wendy: Mm-hmm.

Krystal: And, um, I'm gonna let Wendy speak to this, but I think we have a different, I think we have a really unique way of looking at that.

Wendy: Yeah. And I think that a lot of coaches and consultants, they jump into the [00:03:00] strategy, you know, what is it that, um, what is it that your offer needs to look like, or what is it that you're, you know, the, the end result in that regard without looking at a holistic view of our lives and, you know. So I, I think that that's the first thing to start with.

And one of the things in terms of tactics that we like to do is we call it a runway. We each have a certain amount of, we have resources and it's time, money, energy, um, community connection, that kind of thing. And really it changes with our hat. We, you know, and with, and with the season of our, wherever we are in the season of our lives, and sometimes it's a daily change, as Crystal said, um, I'm, I don't know if I'm fortunate, but, um, my kids are older, so I have a longer season where I can actually [00:04:00] go.

A couple weeks without having to have some, you know, major kind of hoopla in my life. But I remember the days where it was, you know, the constant influx. So looking at your runway, it's, you take and you really think about, and really it's sitting down with your calendar and saying, wow, how much, how much time do I have today to work on whatever?

It's, how much energy do I have? Because sometimes. They, you know, aren't necessarily in sync. And also it's, it's really how much money, you know, either do I need to, to earn or do I need to, or do I have to spend, and looking at those, um, looking at those, uh, resources and then saying, okay. How does this impact my business?

And I think that's like a really important piece of it. How does it impact? We talk about, you know, we have clients who come to us and say, so I wanna launch and I wanna launch, uh, in [00:05:00] August, or I wanna launch July. Um, I have littles and they're gonna be home for the summer. When are you gonna do this? You know, when, when are you going to have the time, the money, and the energy to be able to do those sorts of things?

So it's really taking a good, hard look at your life, at your holistic life, um, that I don't think is always comes into play, especially for, for women. Yeah.

Aicila: I think getting real is, is a, it's a very important. Skill, honestly, to develop. And it's interesting because I, I do feel there are times in my life where I have leveraged the power of delusion. Like I've looked at something and been, oh, this is completely impossible, and I don't have an option. So I've just, I'm gonna decide that it's possible.

So I, I do think there are strategic moments where that's a, a helpful skill, but also being really clear, [00:06:00] I am in this moment. Choosing to do something that legitimately isn't possible, and I have decided I will make it. So, and that can be functional, but it can't be a default strategy. That that's the, that's the let, let the path to crisis, right?

Wendy: Mm-hmm.

Krystal: Right. Uh, I always say like a small amount of your time can be left, can be left with magical thinking, and that's what we call the delusional piece of it. And the rest of it needs to be, to your point, very much rooted in a reality. And I think that sometimes that doesn't mean not now, or sometimes it means not ever.

It just means not now. And sometimes it just, and that's what I feel like our job. As coaches, as people that help people run businesses, I would not be doing my job if I didn't shine a light on those facts. I'd be doing art. It's a huge disservice and actually all I would be at that point is a grifter taking your money by allowing you to continue this magical thinking.

Because then [00:07:00] we l that leads us to like sunk cost fallacies and all kinds of other nonsense that keep women in that vortex of a downward sp downward spiral. The idea is to actually like pause, know, are we making decisions from the data points?

And from, from facts, right? Not off of hopes. And you know, we always joked that you can't make a business plan or a business strategy off of hopes and dreams.

Like I can make the spreadsheet say whatever I wanna say and say that, yeah, if we did have a thousand clients, $37 a month, we could make $37,000 a month. But that's a hope and dream, not a basis in reality in year one.

Aicila: Yeah.

Krystal: What are the metrics and how can we backwards strategize to get to that point?

Aicila: Yeah.

Wendy: Well, and I think it's also really important to realize that our goal is not to [00:08:00] gaslight or shame, because as women, we tend to feel all of these feelings if we purchase a course and. We're not, you know, and, and they promise, yes, we're gonna make, you know, $10,000 a month or whatever it is, or after completing this course.

And if we don't do it, the feeling is it's our fault. We're the ones who, what did we not do? Right? What is wrong with us? So one of the things that I think that, um, we really try to, it's not about. Shame. It's not about blame. It's about putting all of the, and it's not about judgment. It's putting all of those types of feelings aside and trying to look with curiosity at, okay, well, what can we change?

Maybe it's, maybe it is the strategy, maybe it is the mindset, whatever it is. How do we need to change this to ultimately make you a joyous [00:09:00] person with whatever it is you're doing in your life?

Aicila: Right. When I think, you know, to speak to your, your point about the, the courses, it's, you know, if somebody says you're gonna make thousands of dollars by buying my $60 course or whatever, ultimately what they're doing is making thousands of dollars, selling $60 courses. And, And, that, you know, so unless that's what you wanna do, that's not actually gonna give you the information that you need to be successful in, in your, in your goals and your dreams.

And, and I think we're really aligned in that. When I work with people, I sometimes find myself fighting for their vision because they, they get kind of exhausted by the, the, um, the constant distractions and or that feeling of, well, maybe somebody else knows what I'm supposed to do, and it's like, no, no, no.

You know what you're supposed to do. I believe in tools and self-development for sure, but only and always from that space of understanding that. I have what I need. I might need to sharpen a [00:10:00] skill. I might need, you know, someone to take something on that has to happen that I'm not great at. Like most of us probably should have an accountant or a bookkeeper.

Krystal: Yeah. I mean, this is why we love your park. That's why we love you so much. I think it's that we think they,

Aicila: Yeah.

Krystal: it is that women innately know one thing we know with our clients. They discount so much of their previous life experience and their wisdom that they bring to the table of things. And um, you know, nobody wants me to be their bookkeeper.

Like, let's just call it spade a spade, but Right. Yeah. But also that's why I hire a bookkeeper, be clear, um, sharpen a skill. I can learn how to do something a little bit better. We have so much wisdom that we're bringing to the table to figure out how to do this. And we forget the fact that other people in this space are making money by telling you that you don't know [00:11:00] what you're doing.

And this way is actually better. And that's how I, I think most of our clients, by the time they get to us, they have Frankenstein their business in such a weird way that it looks nothing like what they originally had started. And so, so much of we, what we ended up doing. With our clients, whether we do it through our coaching on one on one or two on one or in our retreat setting, is really like stripping down all of the pieces that are weighing them down that serve them.

Like I'd love to tell women, like, if you've never gotten a client through an Instagram post, why are we spending so much money pouring into an Instagram strategy? That makes no sense to me. Um, and you know, I could go on and on with like a thousand examples of that and I, we see it all the time though all the time because we start to have that self doubt that creeps in.

And I hate the word imposter [00:12:00] syndrome, but by

Aicila: Hmm. Well, 'cause it's cultivated, right? It's not imposter syndrome. It's a cultivated condition and speaks to exactly what you were saying, that a lot of people make money off of telling you you're not enough, and that you're not, you can't do it. And so eventually you'll believe that it's, you know, we, we do look for social proof and you get enough social proof and you're like, okay, maybe, I don't know.

And I'm sure you know the stats, right? Like, women will apply for a job if they're a hundred percent qualified, men will be, will apply for the same job if they're 60% qualified. And, and I do it. I, I, I can know all this in my head and it doesn't matter. I'll be like, oh, I need to take a course before I do that.

It's like, why? Why do I need to take a course?

Wendy: Yeah.

Krystal: Yeah. Yeah.

we say that all the time, like you're just so much better investing in, I mean, that's why we created our, the retreats that we did was that we just felt like women were so much better off investing in time away for themselves to decompress, to regulate their nervous system, to have fun, to connect with [00:13:00] other business owners who.

Language and work on their business than they are in another $5,000 group program where they're just one of many or another like high-end course. And it's not to say that there's not sometimes value in all of those things, right? Because everybody has different gaps that they want to fulfill. Whether it was, you know, understanding that, hey, this is a strategy that really worked for you, and like you said, you can sharpen up that skill maybe, but.

That's not all. Things are everything. And man, if I could take all that money back that I invested in nonsense things in my first couple years of business and reinvested into myself or reinvested even in a high yield savings account, I'd probably be way better off.

Wendy: Yeah.

Aicila: I wanna hear more about being a pirate, IEA mastermind at Sea, which I know that's not what you're calling it, but I have just, I've embraced

that in my inner my heart.

Krystal: Um, the best part is, is that the last one [00:14:00] that we hosted was in October and, um, it was a Halloween theme night and

Aicila: I see. That's. If it's not a costume and I come as a pirate, is that okay? That's what I

just need to know that

Wendy: of course.

Krystal: mean it, but also that speaks to

Aicila: were You

Krystal: Food and chocolate and just needing to be silly. All the

Aicila: love it.

Krystal: totally.

Wendy: Yeah, Yeah, yeah, yeah, And you know, it's, it's, and it, it's built around our, this, the Saver Framework and Saver stands for stepping out of your comfort zone, aligning your passions and purpose, venturing under your own power, open to community and connection, unwinding with self-care and ritualizing gratitude and celebration.

And the [00:15:00] retreat, uh, and the, the experience at sea really is wrapped around all of that. And, um, you know, it's, it's checking. It's like checking the, the judgment bag before you, um, leaving it at home, actually replacing it with sparkly shoes and other sorts of things. Um, but it's really combining a lot of the, and making it more like multisensory.

Because we've all sat in the, you know, in that conference room, in that chair that, oh my gosh, um, listening to a talking head in the front of the room, oh, go on and on, and it's like, why am I doing this? Why am I here? And you really here 'cause you wanna chitchat with the people standing in line for coffee, that kind of thing.

So we really feel that we've, we're cutting it all to the chase and taking our um, collective wisdom. Both of us have meetings, backgrounds. [00:16:00] So, um, taking, you know, what did we like about a past life and what did we not like? And then creating something around that. And I think it's super powerful. And, um, we use Virgin voyages, um, their.

Lady ships. And, uh, it's a totally different experience too. Most people think cruise ships. They think, um, you know, raucous parties and lots of kids and things like that. And this is really not the experience at all. It's, it's very much, um, they've built a brand around connections and we totally embrace that.

Um, and the fact that it used to be rebellious, lux, um. We still think it is ties in with the whole rebel thing.

Aicila: Yeah,

Krystal: Yeah.

so so much of the way we kind of build this mastermind, like Wendy said, was to take the best of all of our [00:17:00] previous mastermind experiences because when between Wendy and I, we've attended and been part of a lot from high $30,000 a year masterminds to smaller group programs. And we really said, okay, what was the best of those experiences and where were the moments that we got the most out of it?

And it was the small, intimate connections that really mattered in those experiences. It was very rarely anything to do with the guru at the front of the room and very much with the ability to decompress and have fun. So our mastermind retreats are very unstructured on purpose, which actually freaks, uh, be honest.

People out the first time they come because they're like, where am I supposed to be when? And I said, you know, we have standing working breakfast where we meet, um, and come together at meal times and we let the day kind of organically e evolve from there. And at the end of the day, we all are here because we want to work on our business.

And we do a lot of pre-work coaching with clients [00:18:00] before they come on. So I know by the time we step onto that ship. I have done, we have done, Wendy and I have done our due diligence. We know your business backwards and forwards. We've had multiple conversations with you leading up to it. We're really getting the heart of what it is that you do in your business and what it is that you're working on.

And then we're gonna spend five days problem solving that. And here's the secret, and I, I'm like hesitant to share the secret because, um, it's. All of you have the same problem

Aicila: Mm-hmm.

Krystal: and everybody has the same problem, and that is that we need more traffic and visibility on our offers, and we need to figure out how to best workshop that for us.

Aicila: Mm-hmm.

Krystal: And all we're doing now, and, and I mean, and there's like a ton that goes into that. There's mindset stuff behind it and you know, maybe we don't have right systems in place or things like that, but at the end of the day, we're all have this offer and this gift, and we're trying to get it out into the world.[00:19:00]

And how, what is the best way for me individually to do that? Taking into account all those other things we've just talked about, my personal life issues and all the other obstacles that I have to deal with. And we are, and we're literally sitting on the back of the day, bed at the dock in the back of the ship, in the sun, in my bathing suit or in my robe.

Workshopping exactly that. So I'm not, I don't want you to spend a ton of time getting dressed up. I don't want you to spend a ton of time, I mean, dress up all you want in your sparkly shoes and what you want for dinner, and we're gonna go dancing for sure. But I want you to open up your laptop and let's talk through and look at all of the pieces of your business and let's get like the eyes of not just Wendy and I though we're, we are experts in our own right and brilliant in all of that, but the other experts in the room to look at it too.

You know, we might have this other gal who her whole business is that she's a Facebook ads ads expert

and you've been struggling with ads. Well, I can help you with that, but man, you really want Tammy's [00:20:00] eyes on that at the end of the day. Or maybe there's some other things. So it's bringing in also the collective wisdom of everybody else in the group into that. And we're all here to help elevate each other.

Aicila: Yeah.

Krystal: And that's really what the looks like. And it's five days of that and it's at sea. So we can disconnect and we can kind of break away from every day minutiae of our own offices. Um, I know that you're, you're not working from home right now 'cause you are doing everything right, but like for us, it's, I'm looking at. My dog's in the corner. He really needs to go to the vet this week. He stinks. He needs to go to the groomer and I need to like, I need to go through, you know, after we get off, you know, this paperwork over here and I've got laundry over there and I, I've got all the distractions that I can see, right? Just in this space, right?

I

need to get out of that environment to get out of my head.

Wendy: Yeah,

Aicila: it's really true. That makes

Wendy: yeah,

Aicila: when you can step away.[00:21:00]

Wendy: yeah. And you know, we find also that sometimes it's the stepping away piece and it's also looking at again, how holistically things fit. You know, when ultimately it is really. You know how many people can see what it is that your, your gift and your brilliance and, you know, getting it out into the world.

Sometimes the roadblocks and the stumbling blocks are. In your head and in your personal life. So we also, you know, really get to know each other and are able in a, and again, in a judgment free environment, able to talk about, you know, uh. Some people, I just got divorced, or some people I'm going through empty nest syndrome or I am, you know, this or this or that.

You know, the different, the different things. And it's even sometimes talking about the fact that it was really hard to be able to break away from the family and actually get [00:22:00] on a ship and, hey, you know what, we only, um, one of the things that I was thinking a lot about last weekend is we have a limited number of. Limited, limited amount of time. Especially like we're talking about, you know, we're the next, April, April is our next mastermind. We have a limited number of a, this is so probably too deep for a Friday. But, um, we have a limited number of, of Aprils in our lives. We have a limited number of Christmases and Thanksgivings and all these different things and to say, well, you know, I can do it some other time, or, you know, it's like, how do you prioritize the things that are important in your life?

And for some reason it really hit me, um, while I was on vacation last

week about that. The importance of knowing that you're we're all important and we don't necessarily, you know, taking the second fiddle does [00:23:00] not, um, nec isn't necessarily good for any of us. Not your families, not your partners not, and definitely not your self, so, Hmm.

Aicila: Right. That's a really good point. Well, and. I'm gonna, I'm gonna say this, this, uh, for, for folks that are listening, 'cause it's something that I, I hear come up occasionally and I think women do this to ourselves a lot, especially competent women, which is, well, but I could do this without anyone like I can.

And the reality is, yes, yes you can. And also if you haven't yet, there's a reason for that. And that reason is that we get, we all do this no matter how competent, no matter how aware, no matter how clear we are, we all get in our heads or we get in a routine and we get a simple blind spot. And having somebody like Crystal and Wendy have take you to a space where other people are that can reinforce a new pattern or a habit or a way of thinking about things or even.

Uh, YY and so, yes, to a [00:24:00] certain extent what, what happens when you do these things is you actually are the one that solves the problem. But that perspective that you get, and I liken it to, you know, training for a marathon, like if you hire someone to help you train for a marathon, you are absolutely the one who's doing the weightlifting, and you are the one who's running those 26 miles.

That is. That is your success for sure. However, if you have someone help you train, they can give you tips. They can look at your body from the outside. They can tell you, oh, you're running in a way that's gonna strain your hip. And that is invaluable advice and perspective. And it's, and and sometimes we can equate, oh, they did it.

They didn't do it for us. No. Then that's the guru mentality. The guru was like, I'm taking credit for your success. No, that's not, and that's obviously what you guys are not doing. Right. But, but at the same time. That success wouldn't happen in the same way or with the same ease without that trainer giving you that support, guidance, and expertise advice so that you can avoid the pitfalls that either you're [00:25:00] not aware of or you can't see 'cause you don't see that you're hitching your hip funny.

And, and it's still your success. And, and that's, to me, that's a really important thing for people to understand because I feel like, especially for competent women or women who've had to do it all themselves, they're just like, well, why would I, why would I pay someone else to tell me stuff I already know?

Well. Kind of, you know it, but also if you knew it, you'd be doing it. That's kinda the way it works. So I'm just gonna stop the commercial and move on. But I just wanted to add that, 'cause I feel like I run into that here and there, and it's even in my own self sometimes. I'm like, why am I doing this? And I'm like, well, because I know that ultimately when I give myself good advice and I listen to it, that's great, but I can't always see the advice that I need.

I do much better when I have somebody else come in and point it out.

Wendy: Yeah.

Krystal: Well, and how do you know the questions to ask if you don't know the questions to ask? Like there's no way to get the answer. And I, I take it a step further that I'm a hyper independent woman and have, you know, that's probably super trauma informed and that's what I unpack on my Thursday morning therapy sessions.

But [00:26:00] at the end of the day, um. There is shame that comes around with. When your launch is, and by the way, again, I get the dirty secret, is all of us have a launch at some point that fails. All of us have put out an offer that fell flat or worked stupid hard on a reel that got like 10 views or whatever, right?

And there's all these feelings around it. And shame thrives in the dark, but it cannot live. And when you speak it out into a group of women and, and they can reflect back to you, yeah, me too. Or I've done that too. And then again, take you out of the shame of it and into the, I want to get curious and let's look at it.

And it was like, you know what? I remember looking at one participant's funnel and saying, look. Your sales page is dynamite. This copy is gold. Like your conversion rate on page again is like [00:27:00] 40%. That's amazing. But our conversion to get people on there is was like 1%. So like, all right. How it's about looking again at like the, how can we get more eyes on this?

What, what are great ways to get your voice into the world? It's speaking on another podcast. It's. Encouraging other people to get on. You know, stop wasting your time on the social media. Maybe we need to get you into more networking and conferencing events. Maybe you should be a speaker. Maybe you kill it on Instagram reels, and we just need to do more of those and run traffic to it.

We can problem solve this, but we can't do it if we're in a shame spiral in our own little silo.

Wendy: And that's exa Yeah, and that's exactly what I was going to say is that as, especially as ENT entrepreneurs and solo entrepreneurs is, we end up in these silos and you know, crystal and I. Sort of joke about it now. But even though when we originally [00:28:00] started working together, we were in a partnership with a third person, but we were all in our own silos, and we did not, I, I wasn't in Crystal's head, I or her heart, I didn't know what she was thinking or feeling.

And until we actually came together and met face to face, we had a a, a retreat. Did we actually open the lines of communication and. We all and, and we live in this world that's so performative. Well, I have to be perfect. Oh God. I mean, you know, it's such bs, but it takes a lot of time and a lot of. Um, our own, uh, or either our own soul searching or help from, from others who can help us to realize that we don't have to live in these silos.

And to be perfectly honest, the silos are really unhealthy and keep us stagnant and stuck and really in our, [00:29:00] in this comfort zone that isn't gonna get you to where you really wanna be.

Aicila: Right. That's really true. Um, so to lead into what does success look like for you guys?

Wendy: Hmm. That's such a good one.

Krystal: Oh, I, I have to pull up because somebody literally just messaged me this other day and I was like, yes. And it's like what? It was like true wealth is the freedom to be unproductive, but it, the idea that. Um, I think success is so different, but it's getting to do what you want, when you want on your terms.

And I think so much of, you know, our business is called Serendipitous Rebel, and it's like finding the joy in life your

way. I, and it's like, and that is, and the your way part is very rebellious because especially as women. I think [00:30:00] we're told a lot like what you should want out of life and what you should be pursuing out of life.

And if you're not looking for the married with two kids in the burbs, um, the PTO mom president or something, I don't know. Like if you're not fitting, especially if you live in like, like the suburbs, like where I live. Like if you're not carrying the Louis Vuitton bag and carrying and we're driving this car and doing this, then you're not successful. that's not where we tend to find our

Wendy: Well,

Aicila: Okay.

Wendy: it's, it's a, it's so interesting. I grew up, um, where success was measured by how hard did you work and how much money did you make? I, I'm the product of depression era kids or parents, and that was a hard thing to work through. And now I realize that success is actually based on having. Or, or doing what I [00:31:00] do because I love it and it feeds certain needs of mine.

I have a love of learning. So this is just, you know, content creation is the most amazing thing when you love learning. Um, and I, I'm also a person who needs to belong. So having a business partner who's also my soul sister, who is my travel buddy, et cetera, is fantastic. And we have a very. Tight. Um, so we call it a square.

Well, we took it from Brene Brown, but a square squad, but a close knit, you know, the biz besties who we travel together and hang out and all that good stuff. Having that is so important. I also have time where if I wanna go travel, I've been gone for two weeks, um, or I wanna do something with, you know, I wanna drop everything and run up and visit my kids at college or hang out with my husband.

You know, it's all these things that. The business and, and success allows me to do, [00:32:00]

Aicila: Yep.

Wendy: and at the same time paying for it,

Aicila: Yeah. Right.

Wendy: Yeah.

Aicila: You need to be able to, what is your least favorite business piece of a business advice, the one that you would ban if you could?

Wendy: Oh my. Um, it would be that some of the formulas that, you know, I remember starting out, you, you have to do this, you have to, you know, you have to, you must do at least three posts a day and you must 10 dms a day. Oh my gosh, I'm an introvert and all of these things, or you must be on TikTok or you must, these [00:33:00] musts must dos, um, are really, I think to some extent very unhealthy, um, terms of figuring out what your business mix is because we're all different now.

Fortunately, Crystal's the TikTok girl, I don't have to.

Yes, thank you. I don't, I don't, I don't have to be, but I, I, I think that there's just, I think it's really, it's wrong to say that everything must be a certain form formulaic way. Um, and a disservice to women who have, or actually justice women, anyone who's got, you know, a great idea and the passion to put it forward, but may not just be comfortable, I don't know, DMing people or, you know, whatever other tactic.

Um, there are other tactics that you can use and that fit [00:34:00] better with your personality. I.

Aicila: Right, exactly. I'm there with

Krystal: Yeah. And I have such a harder time answering that. 'cause I don't know if it's just like one piece of advice, but I think it was for me, the, um, I think it was not advice, but so much as a promise of that this is that you can have a part-time business and a full-time income.

Aicila: Hmm.

Krystal: And I think that. When we got started, um, and I say we, 'cause we came into the online space through the travel industry, both Wendy and I did, and I sat through a webinar where somebody has said, you know, you could build this during your kids' nap time.

And you, it's very little. Um, yeah, it's funny. Like it's funny now, isn't it? And then you get into, it's. [00:35:00] I had enough knowledge and enough drive and enough ambition to like do it and, but the idea that I wish that we could tell everybody getting ready to start a business, like, are you, are you prepared to work 60 hours a week and pay to be there?

Like, I mean, honestly, like I I, you kind of joke, but it's like, no, I'm paying my, I I'm paying the business to work. For the business and because there's capital contributions that come into play and all these other investments of the time and the energy and money and the return was delayed. And I think that that's different for different people.

You know, some people find this instant success, but I think that's rare and not the common thing. And so. We've had clients who come to us and they're like, I, I need to make six figures. You know, because they're single moms or they're getting ready to get a divorce [00:36:00] and or not married. And so it's like, okay, I'm the sole breadwinner of my family and I need to make this much money to live, but I only have 10 hours to give and I'm gonna sell a $25 offer.

Well, the methane method, and I think that, um, the biggest disservice gurus have given to a lot of women is this empty promise that they can do this. Very part-time with little time, money, energy, or resources. And again, we start to think that if it didn't work, we were the problem. And the fact of the matter is, this is not hard because you did it wrong.

It's hard because it's hard and there is, um, a little bit of formula to business, but not, um, you know, but there's basically like how, again, we reverse engineer how much money do you need to make?

This how you price your offer, and this is how many[00:37:00]

Aicila: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. What advice would you give your 18-year-old self.

Wendy: Wow. Um, uh, wow, that was so long ago. You know, I, I do think about it 'cause I, I think about. I have very lit, I have very few regrets in my life, but I do think about, um, I think it's find it, it's realizing that you wanna do something that you enjoy in life and do working, you know, some, doing whatever it is that you enjoy, that you're good at, that matches with your skills.

But. Throwing everything into a career with [00:38:00] no balance is really not good. I remember early on in my twenties, it was all, again, it was all about how many hours can I put in? Uh, and it was, and, and you know, I remember missing my best friend's wedding at the time because I had to work and that. Is a regret, um, that, um, you know, looking back I would've prioritized differently.

Probably

Aicila: Yeah.

Wendy: Yeah.

Krystal: And I think mine would be that you matter as much

Aicila: Hmm.

Krystal: that you're trying to take care of.

Wendy: Hmm.

Krystal: And, um,

Aicila: O.

Krystal: that respect is innate, not earned. And when I think about, it was so funny. I was, I was telling somebody at around the [00:39:00] holidays about our business and I said, you know, I just really wanna take in this energy and because everybody, you know, at the end of the year, and we're transitioning over to, you know, the new year and you're supposed to pick your word of the year and what do you wanna bring into the new year?

And I said, well. My, my whole mantra this year is that I'm going to do the things that bring me joy because I deserve joy. Not because I have earned it, not because I have, um, it's not a quid pro quo. Like you don't get to be happy just because you work hard to Wendy's point, or you don't get to experience these good moments because you did these things.

There's not morality tied to it or. Anything else, it's just that we are all innately worthy of those things. And I think that younger me thought that I needed to prove it or I needed to earn it. And, um, and if I could go back and, you know, tell 18-year-old me that I was like, I was worthy of it [00:40:00] just being here.

Aicila: That's beautiful. Thank you both.

Krystal: Mm-hmm.

Aicila: So you've got your, your, uh, mastermind at C-A-A-A-K-A pirate training in April coming up. Uh, and, uh, you've also, what else do you have that way? What other ways can people, uh, hook into what you're up to? Either you you have cohorts, worksheets, you know.

Krystal: So, um, so we actually have a, so if you're looking to just follow along, see more what these two crazy ladies are about, we do have a podcast. Podcast, um, you can always find us there. We do offer strategy sessions for people who are like, I just would like to know what the heck is going on in our strategy sessions to what we've alluded to early, kind of look at you holistically before we give you a strategy.

And then we also offer coaching, um, that's just two on one that goes on on a monthly [00:41:00] cohort basis. And those are individual and, um, we don't. We don't love locking people into cohorts because we have found that if you don't wanna be there, we don't want you here either. But also, um, so those things all go month to month and, um, and that's it.

But then the big thing is we do offer twice a year. Our mastermind retreats, the next one goes April 11th, and then we will, um, open the doors fairly soon. Um, with our fall retreat, we're just trying to nail down those dates currently.

Aicila: Awesome. And you guys, so you, if people are listening, people that are listening and they wanna learn more, follow you, get in touch. There's the podcast, right? There's your website and your Instagram.

Krystal: and our Instagram, so we can find us on Instagram at Serendipitous Rebel on our website, serendipitous rebel.com. And then yes, the podcast is the

clearly branded.

Aicila: fantastic. And it's a great [00:42:00] name. I love the whole po I like Lucky Rebel. It's fantastic. Uh, well thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today. I really appreciate

it.

Wendy: you

Speaker 2: Thank you for tuning into business as unusual, remember, in this ever evolving world of modern business, it's not about fitting in.

It's about standing out. See you next time. Stay curious, stay innovative, and always keep it unusual.