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R2RB Podcast - Indie Artists and Women Entrepreneurs Chronicles
Where Indie Artists and Women Entrepreneurs share their journeys.
We sit down with indie musicians from diverse genres, shedding light on their personal and professional experiences. From the euphoria of their first gigs to the challenges of carving a niche in the industry, R2RB Podcast is your backstage pass to these rising stars' raw and unfiltered narratives.
We also embark on a journey of Women Entrepreneurs and share their inspiration, amplifying the voices and stories of remarkable women entrepreneurs. Join us as we delve into the worlds of visionary leaders, innovators, and trailblazers who are rewriting the rules and reshaping industries.
We look forward to sharing your journey!
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R2RB Podcast - Indie Artists and Women Entrepreneurs Chronicles
Evolving Interiors with Ashley Miller's Sustainable Vision
Have you ever wondered how to blend the rich tapestry of past designs with today's modern flair? Ashley Miller of Livlii and Company joins us to weave a story that offers an intimate view into her home decor and design world. Through Ashley's eyes, we explore the seamless integration of inspiration from design mavens like Milo Baughman, Emily Henderson, and Tamara Day with practical tools such as Pinterest and Facebook Marketplace, crafting a space that is both historically informed and vibrantly contemporary.
This episode isn't just about admiring beautiful spaces; it's a call to action for sustainable and adaptable home decor. Ashley passionately dissects the fleeting nature of trends and the environmental cost of disposable culture, urging us to foster a more conscious approach to styling our nests. Listen in as we dissect the significance of design choices that grow with us and their impact on our planet. It's a transformative take on how our living spaces can reflect our journey while treading lightly on the earth.
Transitioning from education to entrepreneurship, Ashley sheds light on her personal evolution with an honesty that resonates with anyone standing at the precipice of change. Her candid recounting of the supportive community she found among fellow women entrepreneurs and the construction industry illuminates the power of collaboration over competition. As we wrap up, Ashley shares her gratitude, reflecting on the mentors and peers who've guided her path and offers a nod to the vital role of social media in narrating her story despite its challenges. If you're craving a blueprint for crafting a beautiful home and a beautiful life, this is the conversation for you.
https://linktr.ee/deblamotta
Hi and welcome to the R2RB Woman Entrepreneurs Podcast. And today I have with me Ashley Miller, owner of Lively and Company, and Lively is located in Delaware but is accessible from anywhere you can connect with Ashley and Lively, making it worldwide. Ashley, thank you for being my guest today. How are you?
Speaker 2:I am feeling awesome. Thank you so much for having me. This is such a great opportunity oh.
Speaker 1:I'm so glad you're here, thank you, and I'd like to ask two questions to get us warmed up. What is your favorite app on your phone and why?
Speaker 2:Okay. So I struggle with picking favorites because it depends on the time of day you ask me, but typically the most I would say, pronounced apps that I use on a regular basis that are just like my go-tos would be Pinterest. I usually go to Pinterest before I even Google something, because it's just a great source to find answers to any kind of pressing question that I have, from like what I'm making for dinner to how in the heck am I going to build that kind of piece of furniture. And then the other would be Facebook, but mainly the marketplace feature. I'm not, you know, I'll share later I'm just social media and I are still not friends.
Speaker 2:We are a working relationship. But Facebook, marketplace and I are very well acquainted. I just love going on there. It gives me access to pieces that I otherwise probably would not be able to find, that are such high quality and that are accessible to me at a very reasonable price. So Marketplace and I are definitely very compatible because it helps me connect with pieces that are just either not made anymore, not sold anymore or typically just not available in my direct vicinity.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow, okay, I didn't even think about that. Connecting that with you, that's great. And if you could sit down and have a cup of coffee with a past or present decor stylist, who would it be?
Speaker 2:One person that I'm obsessed with and they're no longer with us is Milo Bowman, and he was a designer. He actually designed his family home when he was 13 years old. So incredible designer. He has just awesome pieces that are one of a kind. I in fact have two original Mila Bowman pieces in my home. They're just in storage because I don't have a grandiose space to put them in that, like you know, it just it doesn't, it doesn't feel appropriate for his pieces because they're just so incredible. They're sexy and stylish, but very functional and easy to maintain. So I would, I wish, when he was still alive, I was able to meet him. So he was definitely. He's still to this day. Anytime that name like comes up, like Mila, my husband's, like Mila Bowman, I'm like you only know that name because I'm obsessed with him. Um, and, but the two people who are alive today that I would love to have coffee with, both of whom drink coffee, so it would, you know, it would work out very nicely. Um, emily henderson is one of them. Okay, he was.
Speaker 2:Did you ever watch the show the next design star? It? It was produced, it was on hgtv, I think it was the same producers as, if you remember? Remember the Apprentice when Donald Trump right like you're fired. So those producers came up with a show called the Next Design Star, okay, and it was a show that the all like no names of people, really no famous people they all basically had to compete to get to be the next like interior design professional and the winner would get their own show and have a line, I think, with target.
Speaker 2:Anyway, emily was the first. It was the first show of the whole series and she won it and she was very quiet and humble. Um, I think she was sick at some points of the show, but she just was so classy through the whole show. Everyone you know people are fighting and screaming and she was just this like poised person, yeah, and she would make a room look magical from like a grocery store challenge, where you could only buy things from a grocery store to style a room like free, I mean, and it was the producers did not do a great job that first season, like the budgets were like five hundred dollars, they were given like four hours. I mean it was like no one could do these type of renovations today. But anyway, I love her, I think. I mean I'm on her blog every week, multiple times a week, because anything Emily says is good, I like. I'll check myself and then get the confirmation. Yep, emily was right. Of course this is a great color.
Speaker 2:This is a great piece.
Speaker 2:I mean, she really loves reusing things and so that you know, so that's even more so in your wheelhouse. I would say. Another person would be Tamara Day. I don't know if you know her. She's on the. She runs the Bargain Mansion show on Magnolia Network. Oh, okay, kim and I actually met Tamara a few weeks ago at the Delaware home show. She was a guest speaker and she just kind of came up like Kim and I were talking and she just walked up and just effortlessly like joined the conversation, like we were all just like like staying there talking. We were talking about outfits and then it turned into home decor and they were talking about home organization and and Tamara's just, you know, standing there with her cup of coffee and like nodding, smiling. I'm like this woman is like a real person. This is a real person here.
Speaker 2:And she just right, like just flawlessly. So. Another person so poised, so classy, um, and I just love her approach she's she appreciates old world things. She doesn't go into these mansions and just rip to shreds every original piece, she just appreciates the artwork and the craftsmanship that goes into a lot of the homes that she works with, and I really respect that about her. So those would be two people that are alive today that I would love to walk our dogs and have some coffee with.
Speaker 1:I don't know about you, but I have to have my coffee. I mean, yes, I'm a, don't know about you, but I have to have my coffee.
Speaker 2:I mean, yes, I'm a decaf drinker, but I'm an avid decaf drinker. So I mean I treat it like when people are like you know, you can't talk to me before my coffee in the morning, I'm like well, you can talk to me, but I just need my decaf. As long as it's decaf, we can talk.
Speaker 1:and that's it. Oh my gosh, yeah, and coffee has been part of me forever, really.
Speaker 2:Since adulthood, you've been drinking coffee.
Speaker 1:I've been drinking coffee, yeah, forever. So who is Ashley Miller before Lively?
Speaker 2:Definitely less bold. It's definitely less bold before starting Lively. If you were to talk to people who know me very well, they'd probably share how shocked they were that I left a 20-year career and took this leap into starting my own company and really taking this risk. I am not a risk taker. I am the most conservative person. I stock away money. I like to save, save, save a vacuum that's not working until I find the broken piece. And then I'll find where I can buy that broken piece and then I'll install that broken piece and I'll be working that that old vacuum. You know, a couple of days later, like I am the person who just and I just research, research, research. So like I got stuck in the research phase for way too long years before I started this company. So definitely less bold, less risky, the kind of me before Lively.
Speaker 2:I would say that obsession for home decor and construction has always been a part of me. I mean it always felt like there was this tension between these two worlds. I had to pick. Like when I would be grading papers I would be looking around the room like could I knock that wall down? Or like wonder what's? Okay, let me look at the HVAC system. Okay, there's my intake, there's my outtake of the. You know, I'd be planning in my head as to, like, what I could be doing in that room.
Speaker 2:Meanwhile I'd be creating papers, and then, when I'd be, you know, painting a new room or removing walls, I'd be like, ooh, whose paper haven't I got to lately? So there was always that tension right between these two worlds of mine where they just kept competing for my time, my creativity, my energy. And it wasn't until, like a year ago, I finally saw the light where I was just like, wait, could I actually overlap these two? Like, is there an opportunity where I don't have to pick? Like, I can still be the educator and still be obsessed and passionate and creative with this home styling and construction. And so, until I had that epiphany, there was always, you know, just self-doubt and, just again, just fighting those constant urges of like, what hat am I wearing and how do I, you know, keep the passions with the two of them? But they would never, you know, be friends.
Speaker 1:They would never overlap, at least in my brain. So with that did you have other family members that are either in the design or the construction. I mean you must have gotten that drive and that passion from somewhere along the way.
Speaker 2:Yes. So if you were to ask my father, he calls it the Kadamus gene and that's my mother's maiden name is Cadamus, and so he says it. Because it's like this, this thing that all my siblings and my eight maternal cousins have, we can't turn it off. Like as soon as we walk into a space you can just see our wheels turning of like huh, why did they do that Interesting color? Oh, wow, I would have probably moved their artwork at least like three inches left and raise it up a little bit, like we just that's just, it's like that lens that we've all just been born with.
Speaker 2:Because my maternal grandparents were those people. They were in construction. My maternal grandfather built homes for a living. My maternal grandmother, his wife, did all the designs and the interior design style and the painting and the landscape. She did custom drapes and upholstery. So the Godemuses are I mean, they're just brilliant people. All my aunts and uncles from my mom's side have all chosen careers in the arts and the trades. Wow, but none of my cousins and none of my siblings chose a career in any of those trades. So I kind of felt like it was my job. I don't know. A couple of years ago I was like I have to do this. I have to be the one child from all these generations that chooses this, you know this kind of passion and love, and actually pursues it to try to create something that maybe has the potential to live on for future generations.
Speaker 1:Did you have this passion before you went off to college? I mean, why did you choose?
Speaker 2:the career.
Speaker 1:So was somebody pushing you into a different path altogether and keep you out of the decor construction?
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, yes, yes. All of that. College was not an option. It was assumed. Both my parents did not. Well, I should say my mother did not have anything beyond an associate's degree and my father went to college by the skin of his teeth he did. He had scholarships Academically. It was not his strong suit and he was he had athletic scholarships that he was able to actually go to college and get his degrees.
Speaker 2:Growing up, I always wanted to do construction or architecture. So, like my junior high school year, we had to like pick a trade and then find someone in the trade, interview them and follow them for a couple of weeks in their position. And I selected an architect. And when my parents found out they were, my dad especially, was pretty peeved. Oh no, he was just like no, all of your teachers say that you're, you're the class teacher, you could lead the lessons. All my friends had disabilities, so it was kind of like it just fit.
Speaker 2:I think my parents were just like no, no, go to college, you know, be a teacher. Like go as far as you can go. Like you can always fall back on your education. Like construction, house flipping, tier design, that's a hobby, that's something you can do on the side, but, like teacher, everyone says you should be a teacher. Teacher, everyone says you should be a teacher. That's what you should do. So I started to believe it and I loved it. It's teaching as it will always be a part of me, so I don't feel like I was pointed in the wrong direction, but I wish it was Now. They encourage me very much. They're like my biggest fan. So if you asked, them today.
Speaker 2:They'd be like oh my gosh, this is what Ashley was meant to be doing. Like you know, they would just get teary eyed about like how happy they are for me. But back then there was a little bit more. Okay, All right.
Speaker 1:I was wondering about that, how that worked out All right. So tell me about, yeah, well, it's worked out well so far. So tell me about the name of your company and what inspired it.
Speaker 2:I think I mentioned earlier like it took me a couple years just to come up with a name, which is just terrible, because you know that goes to speak to my obsession over research and a little bit of perfectionist and, you know, wanting to do something once and not having to do it over fixing things. So I picked a different name and I actually named it after my grandparents. So my grandparents were Florence and Stephen Gadamus and Stephen Gademus, and so I tried the name Florin and Finn as kind of like this cute, like the, the mashup of the two, you know the interior design and the construction from a nod to my maternal grandparents. And no one liked it. Family members are like it sounds like a dental company, like they came up with every reason why we shouldn't love it and I'm like but it's great, and they're like no, we like no, it's no, no, no. I mean people were saying Florin and phlegm. I'm like.
Speaker 2:Oh gosh, right, right. So it got all the wrong questions. So I kind of went back to my list of like I don't know 5,000 business names and I was able to kind of dwindle it down and I came up with Lively. I like word mashups, I kind of like wordplay. It was just kind of a moment of what is my brand all about, what is the whole mission of this company? And that's really to help people make wiser choices when it comes to living, home styling, home maintenance and really just kind of coming up with a word that mash those up.
Speaker 2:So lively is derived from living wisely, so I thought it would be cute on the three eyes have a little bit of a meaning, like the first eye is the one person who's kind of in solitaire, they don't know what to do, they're struggling to make decisions, and then the two eyes at the end is kind of the lively team coming to join them and say like we're here to help you. You know you're stronger with pairs and you're stronger with us to get you to where you want to go. So it's kind of a visual thing, word mashup thing and a anti first try business name that, like I said, couldn't even get my maternal aunts and uncles to buy into it. They're like no, no.
Speaker 1:So you've done all this research for flexible decor correct. Can you explain what flexible home decor is to our listeners and what separates it from the traditional home styling that you know we see on shows like HGTV and Magnolia Network?
Speaker 2:Flexible home decor is just, it's about styling a space, any space, whether you rent it or own it, in a way that makes your future options more approachable for you. So having the flexibility to change, let's say, a color later on, okay. So let's say you're like I am obsessed with the color red right now. Like, well, we can even do peach, peach is the color of the year. Let's say you're like I'm into peach right now, I'm obsessed with peach. But you know, looking back at your like home decor history, you're like well, a couple of years ago I liked green and then a couple of years before that, I loved gray and then, a couple of years before that, I loved purple. Right, so if you know change, well, that means it would be very helpful for you to start making different decisions with that fact in mind that your color preferences are probably going to change again. What could you pick now that allows you to express your love over peach now, with the flexibility to change the colors in your space to whatever color you love in the future. So it's just about this conscientiousness of making decisions now that give you flexibility to make changes later. Does that make sense? It does Great. I mean, shows, like a lot of people binge watch HGTV or like I mean sometimes Netflix has some new shows now about home decor. Magnolia Network has a lot of shows about home decor All of those shows, whether they're on the background while you're cooking or just kind of going through life or you're actively sitting there watching it.
Speaker 2:Most of the discussion is around what the homeowners want now or love now, as in like, live, like okay, so you love green now, so that's why we did this green and this green and this green, and you'll notice green, and they're like yeah, yeah, or it's like oh, you love open floor plans. We're knocking all these walls down. Yeah, yeah, there's no conversation about hold on. Did you like open floor plans five years ago or 10 years ago or 20 years ago? Okay, so you didn't like it before, but now you like it. So what would have to change in five years from now if you go back to what you used to like? How hard would that be to change everything again? It's that, just that. It's really a single question Like what? What could we do now to give you the more options later when your taste changes? Just that one question would change the entire dialogue for all of these shows, and I wish people were talking about it, because we know there's fast furniture, we know there's fast fashion.
Speaker 2:I mean, people can't. They're changing their minds at such a rapid pace. Most of the culture just can't keep up with it. It's just it's happening so fast, right, yet we are producing more waste than we have ever produced as a country. So if we're changing our tastes so fast and we know how harmful overproduction and overconsumption is creating for our environment, well, where's the happy medium? Right, like, what is the option in between? Can we have option and choice now without doing so much damage in the future or even today? Right, right, flexible decor. I think it meets both of those, I think, really critical necessities of today, but considers how helpful it's going to be for our future and our future generations. And I wish that was being discussed on those kind of shows. Because we have to be having these conversations about sustainability, how we're harming our environment with fast furniture. We have to be having these conversations because if we don't, we're just going to keep doing the same things we've been doing.
Speaker 2:And people are just going to be doing what they want to do now and then they're going to want to change it again later, and then everything's just going to go in the landfills.
Speaker 1:Exactly. So let me ask you this though so when you were doing, when you were starting to formalize in your mind the business that you wanted, your concept, when you were doing research, did you speak to people, did you speak to others that were, you know, going to be in, you know, getting decor ready for their new home or their apartment, and did you ask that question about had they ever thought of flexible decor? I mean, had they even heard?
Speaker 2:of it? No, they never. I mean, I did ask. I still ask. Every time I talk to a client, usually the client is connecting with me for just interior design. They don't have the flexible decor approach mindset until reintroduce it to them, like, remember, I'm that flexible decor person that you've chosen, and when I explain it to people and I walk them through, it or it, you know, just kind of authentically, naturally, organically, comes up in a conversation as we're making design choices.
Speaker 2:So, like I have a client, she's like, oh, I really want a blue couch. I'm like, okay, do you love blue? And she's like, well, yeah, I love blue. I'm like, what color was your old couch? Red, how long ago is that? Did you have that couch? Oh, just a year ago. I'm like, oh, you loved red. Then she's like, oh, I loved red. Then I'm like you don't like red now. Oh, I'm like, cause you just loved red and now you don't love red anymore. So like, what happens when you don't love blue anymore? And she's like, well, I would just buy a new couch. I'm like, okay, well, your couch takes 80 years to decompose in a landfill. It's going to outlive you, do you like, is that important to you?
Speaker 1:If it's not important to you, it's not important to that and I hadn't even thought about that because when we had our prior conversation you brought that up.
Speaker 2:It's like 80 years, the couch, you see behind me is going to outlive me by another 40 years probably. So like that's crazy, it is.
Speaker 1:And people just toss furniture like it's nothing into the landfills. Look, we don't we don't.
Speaker 2:It's not a pleasant thought, right Like it's.
Speaker 2:We don't actually go around like, oh, how many people we heard today and like, how much trash can I produce? Like you have to kind of train your brain to think like, huh, hold on, if I were to throw this out, you know what are the repercussions Unattended consequences usually. So me just introducing that question to people, whatever they decide, it's what's best for them, as long as, again, it's living wisely, right? Like I just want you to have the knowledge and understanding of, of your options and your and you to understand the choices that you're making now are going to impact the choices you have later. If that's important to you, here's how I can help you.
Speaker 2:If that's not important to you, here's how either other people can help you or I can help you to an extent. Right, so it's definitely not in the forefront of people's minds, I think, because, again, like shows that have been on TV for 20, 30 years, they they've never put that thought into people's heads, so it never really felt like a choice to them. So I'm trying to change that narrative. Like, no, no, you have a choice to have a blue couch now or a green couch later, like you do have a choice I want to help you know that you have that choice.
Speaker 1:And so when you are speaking with your clients and you're telling them they have this choice, how do you explain that to them? I mean, what is their choices, Do you? You know you don't continue to buy a new couch every year, so how do you approach that?
Speaker 2:There's usually a dance between how much they want to explore that choice now or kind of, you know, blend that flexibility into their home decor over time, right? So I have clients that are like, well, I don't have the money to replace that couch, but the next time I buy a couch I want one that you can change the color easily, right? So it's kind of that new lens that they've put on their home decor decision making so that in the future they can start to blend that lifestyle into their home decor. Whereas other people, when I go through their choices and I'm like, hey, here are the three brands that offer flexibility with color or shape or texture or whatever. So at first it's usually overwhelming for them because they're like, oh my gosh, I have choice, right. Because it's like sometimes it's nice just to know, like you get two choices.
Speaker 2:Other times you're like here's a menu of six pages for dinner and you're like I don't know what to pick, or like now I can, you know, make my own. Like it becomes too much of a menu, right, that can shut people down. So I try to help people understand first, like what flexibility do you want? Is it color, shape, texture, use, right? So like a sideboard that can also work as a dresser, that can also be mounted on the wall for you know, like a closet or a cabinet, right Like I try to understand what are their needs now and I try to look at their past right To see, like how often does your taste change, how often do you like to change the color or your layout of your space to then say, okay, here are some brands that really align with what you seem to want. Let's help you narrow down those choices based on those brands that align with what your vision is for your space.
Speaker 1:It's such an awesome concept because we don't think that way. The majority of people don't think that way. We don't think sustainability and flexibility they don't think that way. The majority of people don't think that way. We don't think sustainability and flexibility they don't go together in most people's minds. And yet that's what you came up with, and so those were your two primary ideas for when you were putting the company together.
Speaker 2:I really wanted to provide people the permission to change their mind. If I were to say to you Deb, for now, until the rest of your life, you can only pick from five shirts and five pair of pants. You must be able to fit in those five shirts and five pair of pants for the rest of your life, right, forget the stains and whatever happens to those. Those are your only choices, right? And you're like of course, that's not how we live. We can change our diet at any moment. We can change, you know, our, our healthy lifestyle at any moment. We can change our habits at any moment. We can change our outfits at any moment. So, like, let's just embrace that. Like, let's stop pretending like we don't change our minds and actually, like, embrace and give ourselves permission. Like it's okay to not like red anymore, but we don't want you to have to throw everything in your house away.
Speaker 1:That's red because you don't like it anymore.
Speaker 2:Right. So like it's matched, it's kind of mirroring those two and I I think it was really important that people feel that they have the permission to do it and that there's actually options for them to explore that flexibility that it's not just like. Oh, here's a great concept and it's like well, now I have no. There's no brands that support that there are.
Speaker 1:No, and there are, and that's why they hire you. Absolutely Not only that. So when you're working with your clients, you're not. You're just not giving them their options, you're just not telling them about things. You also teach. That happens to come from your background.
Speaker 2:Every moment is a teachable moment. You know from strangers on the road. I'm like no, you can't do that. That's not okay. I'm going to show you with my vehicle. That's not okay, which I know.
Speaker 2:It's really not my job to like teach everybody at all times of the day. I don't know how to turn that teacher side off of me, and so when I work with clients, I make that very clear in the beginning. Like, listen, I am not the person for you. We're not going to be a good match. If you're just looking for me to give you a list of everything to buy, you're going to see my style, not yours, in your own space. Right, you just want to go through the motions, and this is going to be a transactional experience for you where you just hire me, your space looks renovated and fresh and you like it, and then, a couple of years later, you're like I hate it. Now, what do I do? But I just spent all that money. I'm like I'm not for you if that's what you're looking for.
Speaker 2:So try to make that very clear. Like listen, I want you to feel more empowered every time we meet. I want you to feel, like, less overwhelmed every time we have a meeting or an appointment or just, you know, a discussion. I want you to feel less like you are incapable and more that you actually have the tools to be your own designer. It's just about having someone to kind of filter out all the noise and just help you really see that there's just. It's much simpler than you make it in your head, absolutely. You're successful in business. You're successful in running your family. You're successful in putting together an outfit. You can do this yourself if you just have someone to kind of guide you through that process.
Speaker 1:It's like being a mentor and giving support and then giving them the tools and the opportunity to take an online class with you, or taking the opportunity to have you know the time with you for you to explain more in detail, to give them an education on sustainability and flexibility in the whole process. So that's just such. That's over and beyond from anybody else that I that I know of that does home decor, and you're more than just a home decor person.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and I think and I'm not for everybody right, like that's some people just pay direction and that's okay, right, like.
Speaker 2:So, as I said, I try to be very upfront with my clients, you know, and telling them listen, this is my approach. This is I'm your advisor, I'm not your decision maker. I will help you make your decisions. I will help advise you and coach you, but I'm not the person that's going to pull the trigger. It's your hard-earned money that you are going to be leading and guiding your decision.
Speaker 2:So I think, with my wealth of knowledge and experience, I can help them just filter through all of that overwhelm and noise in their head about what they think home styling is or home maintenance is, and just be like no, no, these are the only few things you need to worry about right now, and then we'll take the next step. Just like a recipe, right? If I were to say to you here are 10 ingredients for a dish, but I don't give you the sequential recipe steps to follow, you don't know what to do. You could produce something completely different than the person next to you has the exact same ingredients, right? So it's about putting those pieces together for people to say okay, you have, you know. You have your couch, you have your lamps. Let's just change and alter the ingredients slightly or introduce some new ones, and then let's follow this recipe right. It's going to feel you're going to wonder why it felt so hard working with me.
Speaker 2:I want it to be easier the next time.
Speaker 1:And you're giving them the tools to succeed and feel like they have succeeded in what they've set out to do and and to have a home that people walk in and go wow, you know, look at what you've done and how, how and who and where right, yeah, absolutely, that's a big big thing. So let me ask you this what's been the highlight so far of of Lovely?
Speaker 2:I would say it was kind of shocking to me and this is a very sad, it's a very sad epiphany to have. But in education I think one of the biggest life lessons that I had to learn very, very just through a lot of struggles and challenges, was just that many teachers work siloed right. They have to just worry about their classroom. It's kind of survival of just these are my kids, this is my class, I can't worry about other teachers, I don't have time to help them. It's just you're kind of on your own island and at times other colleagues feel like either competition or they're working against you or they're making your life harder, because I think it happens a lot in education. And so I never really had a position, even as an administrator, as a professor, where I was surrounded by people who treated me like a colleague, a professional colleague, that they wanted to help succeed. I felt like I actually found teammates by leaving 20 years of education and working with people in construction and working with homeowners and other women in business. It's felt like, oh my gosh, you want to help me, you want to help me succeed, you want to promote me. Seriously, I have done nothing for you and you were going out of your way to try to make my path of starting a business smoother. Try to make my path of starting a business smoother, and I've never experienced that in 20 years of education.
Speaker 2:It always felt like if it wasn't a person making a barrier for me, it was the system, or it was the culture, or it was the environment, or it was the budget. You know, it always felt like there was just so many people and things I was fighting, whereas now, believe me, I have my battles, but it's not the people. Amazingly, it's. It's for the first time in all of my working years. It's not the people who I'm fighting and it's a very different, very humbling feeling of just I didn't, I didn't think that they existed, so it's that's been. The highlight is just having kind of more hope, or renewed hope of like people out there that are just really kind and generous and they want to help, and it's very foreign to me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I understand that completely and I do. The women entrepreneurs and I do the indie artists in both communities support each other tremendously 100%, 110% and I didn't realize that until I started doing the interviews, and other women entrepreneurs have said the same thing. It's not a competition. Everybody does some. You may. You may be in the same field, but everybody does or has a little bit different niche, or they have, they do something you know, or they add on something different from somebody else. So, yeah, and we all need that, we all need mentors, we all need that support, we all need to be lifted up by each other and we don't have enough of that, you know, consistently.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:I like that.
Speaker 2:That's been a major, major highlight, one of the biggest, I'd say.
Speaker 1:Would you change anything from the first time you started your business?
Speaker 2:Yes, that list is too long to go over comprehensively. So yes, I would say the self-doubt, I think, has always been an enemy of mine. I have been known to just be a remarkable optimistic cheerleader for other people. Like I immediately find things in people that should be celebrated and acknowledged, and I can't do that for myself, and so that's. I wish I was a little bit stronger in that regard before I started this business, because self-doubt is something I actively work to, either quiet or, you know, contradict in my head with positive thinking and definitely the research I think I'd shared with you. I get stuck in the research phase and that that will postpone so much, right, like if I'm like I just need, I just need to research this, this, this, not before I can take the next step, and that can get you stuck for a very long time.
Speaker 1:So as a researcher.
Speaker 2:Definitely, with that background, it was to my detriment with wanting to have all the answers before I took any major steps. And that's, you know, someone like we had talked about Kim and her wife Jess. I mean, they're so incredible, like their approach, I admire it so much because they'll just start running and the bridge just kind of forms underneath their feet and I'm like I need to build the bridge, I need to test the bridge, I need to re-engineer the bridge, I need to inspect, I need to bring experts to. You know, give me critique on the bridge and then maybe I'll like send a slug across the bridge and like test the bridge before I like put a toe on it. It's just so expensive.
Speaker 1:But now though, you have support, you have the other women entrepreneurs, you have other people in, you know small businesses that want to help, so it's total. It's such a different environment from coming from the school environment to where you are now, which I just think is absolutely wonderful for you, Absolutely. So you talked a little bit about Facebook and marketplace. What other areas do you do promote promotions on or marketing on?
Speaker 2:Not, I mean Instagram and I are still getting acquainted. I have a coach. She's incredible. She's at least gotten me to the point where I don't treat Instagram like it's an enemy, so I am embracing the Instagram approach. I'm still trying to get more comfortable with being on camera and getting out on social media Again.
Speaker 2:I think I'm working against the 20 years of just it being drilled in educators' minds of like social media is bad. You stay off of social media. Like you are the staples and pillars of the community. You know like, like I mean it was. I remember like having to train teachers in like the I would say, mid 2000s, like 2008, 2009, about like horrific stories about people get teachers getting fired. One post on social media I mean, yeah, it was like the devil. I mean it was literally like the four letter word. So even today, like when I'm on social media, like are they a teacher? Like do I know them? I mean that's terrible. It's terrible. I mean because people I mean so many of my coaches are like Ashley social media, social media and my immediate thought is like no bad bad, like bad girl, like don't do it. So it's. It's amazing how powerful that is, because it's it between that, that that message ingrained in my mind, and the self-doubt and the research, it's just like I'm amazed. I even have one post on Instagram, but if you want to check out my like 30 posts on Instagram there you go, that's right, you can go on there and encourage me or give me feedback add to my research as to what's working for
Speaker 2:you or what's not. So they can find you on Instagram under Lively Yep, it's Lively Co, I think it's on Instagram. So it's L-I-V-L-I-I-C-O. Okay, All one word. And then Pinterest. I've been around. I think I was on Pinterest in I don't know 2004 to 2005. Right after, of course, I did my wedding, which I wish it was. Oh my gosh, it would have helped so much with wedding planning. So on Pinterest, I'm Livly and Co, so you can follow me there on Pinterest All right and you don't do the Facebook, only the marketplace.
Speaker 2:So I mean, I really I think my Instagram posts sync with my Facebook. That goes to show you how little I know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and they do if you do it that way, yeah, and then your website.
Speaker 2:Yes, and my website. There's a contact us. I'm adding my email and my business line there too, so you can someone can reach out.
Speaker 1:But yeah, that's another place where people can find us and it's L-I-V-L-I-Icom. That is correct. Okay, all right. So what advice would you?
Speaker 2:give someone else starting out, starting their own business. Yeah, so do your research, but don't get stuck. Maybe, like set a timeline or send, like set your deliverables and then, once you're there, like you know, don't use that as an excuse or barrier to keep moving forward. You know, don't use that as an excuse or barrier to keep moving forward. I definitely have a backup plan. So, like I've set a time in my mind with my family, like if things aren't going to where we expect it to be, like we need to implement the backup plan so that things don't go too far off our financial plan or family plan. Right, be realistic with your timeline.
Speaker 2:I think, statistically I'll give you a little fun fact here Humans tend to overestimate what they can achieve in one year, but underestimate what they can achieve in 10. So I think because statistically that's definitely I fall in line with that statistic where I'm like I can do so much in a year and then a year it'll be a year in August and I'm like I'm not anywhere close to what I wanted to be, Right. But then I think, okay, 10 years hold on. Right, like, typically, people underestimate what they can do in 10 years. So I'm hopeful for, you know the next nine.
Speaker 2:I would say treat your partner like a business partner. I definitely made those mistakes. I think when I started to read about you know how challenging it is, on a family and a partnership, starting a business. It's just challenging. I mean it's very similar to like when I started my doctorate degree, like it's a family commitment, whether they're getting the degree and you are or you're they're getting, you're getting the degree and they aren't right. Like family decision and it. It everyone feels the feels right. So I think, understanding and going into the journey of starting a business, that this is this, everyone's invested here, whether it's emotionally, physically, financially, like we're all investors here, like you got to do so much to keep this, this afloat.
Speaker 2:So, definitely would advise that. I think marketing I wish, again, as an educator, what marketing educate? No, like we don't have to pitch to people that teachers you know are needed, in that Like we know every kid needs a teacher, like that's there's no marketing and branding for that, right. So I think that there's no marketing and branding for that, right. So I think that, and then I would say I would highly recommend someone who's starting a business to just network. I think having people skills is very helpful, but again, as an educator, you don't need that skill. That's not, you know. Naturally, just your children and your students and their parents become your whole life and the community becomes your whole life. But networking is not really a priority and so, even whether you're an educator or not, going into starting a business, it really is about getting yourself out there, meeting people. You'll just never know who is going to be willing to help you or can you know, mentor you or just get you and your business to a step that you wouldn't otherwise be able to do by yourself.
Speaker 1:So you go, do you attend a lot of networking events?
Speaker 2:It's definitely a priority for the next six months. I've kind of set a goal to be at an event or hosting an event every month, like once a month, so just to again get my name out there, to meet more people. So I've been able to. I was at the Delaware Home Show in March. I was I hosted my first booth at the Philly Home Show this a couple of weeks ago, and then I'm going to be a guest speaker at a Moms and Mimosas event in Dover in the next couple of weeks so, and then I have another event in June. So I'm trying to trying to get out there more. I mean, I love talking to people. I love listening to people. So it's not uncomfortable for me, it's just finding people who are willing to give me the time and kind of platform to be able to speak to people.
Speaker 1:What's your next project or the next thing that you want to add on to your company.
Speaker 2:When I first researched the company and I mean like a two-hour video, deb, of like what is Lively and you know what are some questions, what is the research saying, what is market, and you know, like of course, of course I would do this Like even my family was like what are you doing, ashley? Like we needed like a 10 minute, like tell me about maybe a 60 second. And I was like, no, no, you need the research behind all of my ideas, right, research behind all of my ideas, right. So this huge long video like with me, like camera, like I mean it was out, it was out. It took me like six months to make this, but it was outrageous.
Speaker 2:But the concepts, it was like this, four ideas. It was like I want to, I want a TV show that really, or just you know some episodes out there to help spread the word of, you know, flexible, sustainable decor. I wanted a brand of of sustainable, environmentally friendly and flexible home furnishing, so like you know, sofas that you can easily change the color of Ottomans and you can easily change out the cover, you know that kind of stuff, but it's using recyclable plastics and and minimal metals and those kind of things. So that's where I like to see us in the future. I mean, I don't know if there's a market on HGTV or Magnolia network for those that kind of show, but I think our environment needs it.
Speaker 1:I agree, no, absolutely. I mean, we've done so much damage. You know we have to start. Yeah, you know, adding on to making it better, absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I mean, if our, of all of our mattresses and sofas and, you know, plastic chair, outdoor chairs are outliving us all, like what is our plan here?
Speaker 1:Right, exactly, and I don't think there is one.
Speaker 2:Unsustainable Literally.
Speaker 1:Literally no, there's not.
Speaker 2:So I'm hoping, I'm hoping to have those kind of brands out there and messaging and just kind of platform to be able to help people understand it again. It's an option, it's not for everybody, but I want my goal is to help people understand and recognize and and really accept the fact that they have options in choice and that if they know what decisions are making now and the impact of that, as long as they know what they're doing, then they can't say, you know 10, 20, 30 years from now. Oh, I didn't know, I was hurting the environment I didn't know.
Speaker 2:Well, you know. Ignorance is no longer an excuse anymore with the damage we've caused to our environment. So you need to know and you just need to accept that those are the decisions you're making and own it Right. Right, Absolutely and and and that's okay, it's, that's what you're choosing to do. But I want to, you know, help get the message out that there's another choice.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Ashley Miller, owner of Lively and company, is it Lively company?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's Lively and co or Lively and company Again. Lively Company. Yeah, it's Lively Co or Lively Company Again for the future generations if they want to take on flexibility with future choice.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Ashley, thank you so much. I have enjoyed our conversation and finding out all about you and your company. I wish you the best of luck, because it definitely sounds like you are on the right path.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for this opportunity, Deb. I can't wait to follow you because you are the inspiration for people like me who have all these passions and hobbies, and it's never really directed intentionally to things. So I just I'm excited to keep following you and hopefully this is the start of many years of friendship and mentoring and supporting. So thank you so much.
Speaker 1:No, thank you. I appreciate that and I will have to give a shout out to Kim to consciously cleared and contained and contained. Thank you. Consciously cleared and contained.
Speaker 2:Kim, we love you, we absolutely love you. Keep doing what you're doing. And, jess, and contained, thank you Consistently cleared and contained. Kim, we love you, we absolutely love you. Keep doing what you're doing. And Jess, jess, jess. Love goes out to both of you guys. I'm so, so thankful for both of you.
Speaker 1:Me too, and I've actually gotten to speak with Jess and she you did. I'm interviewing her next week. Yeah, oh my gosh, I.
