From Burnout to Inspired: How to Go From Idea to Launching Your Business

SPEAKERS

Kristin Fitch

Becca Gardner

00:00

Welcome to building a life you love this your host, Kristen, here's what I want to ask you. What is holding you back? What is the thing that's holding you back from going after your dreams and from finding meaningful work you love? Aren't you ready to wake up to the possibilities that are in your life and go after the things you've dreamt up, it's time for you to feel alive again lit up, and for you to know that you're deserving, and you are worthy for the future that's waiting for you. I want you to feel fulfilled and find abundance in your life. I think it's time and I'm ready to help you get started. Now, I'm your host Kristen of building a life you love. And each week we're going to talk to people that have redefined their lives and are going after their dreams. And we want to help you live your best life both personally and professionally.

00:45

So let's get started.

01:43

Hi, today, I'm a show I would like to welcome back a gardener. She's the founder and CEO of distilling, which is a non alcoholic beverage company. And naked lady is their first brand, which is a line of non alcoholic spirits, which is meant to replace traditional alcohol for your outings or at home enjoyment. Welcome, Becca.

02:02

Thank you. Thank you for having me. Oh, absolutely. Well,

02:05

I love what you're doing. I think it's such a needed thing to have more of these options, you know, in the marketplace. So can you tell us a little bit about what you were up to before this, and how you got into this and what you're up to now with the company?

02:19

Absolutely. So I spent about 10 years in New York City working in strategy building. And for a large portion of that I knew that I wanted to probably do something different. Since I was little, I knew that I always wanted to do something that was focused on kind of nonprofits, that sector had kind of a tangible positive impact. And I just couldn't quite figure out what that was for a long time. And then I actually about four years ago had some really hard things happen in my life. And I realized that my trauma response was to drink to not feel those feelings. And I ended up deciding to remove alcohol from my shelf of coping mechanisms. And it was one of the best decisions I made in my entire life. I wanted to tell everybody how great it was and how great I felt. But at the same time, I started realizing that I felt quite alienated from a lot of the experiences that had brought me a lot of joy previously, whether it was going out to hear music hanging out with friends. And you know, I just sat with that discomfort for a while. And I actually I say, I called the cocktail that change my life. But I was interviewing in London three summers ago for my dream job. And I went to this bar, I think it was called Dishoom in London, and they had this amazing Nanuk menu. And I ordered this non alcoholic Manhattan. And it was really in that moment that I realized that I did not have to compromise anything by my decision to remove one ingredient. And I was convinced that I was going to continue teaching people how to you know, bring these types of options to their menus. But when I couldn't find really great products, I then decided that I first needed to start a company to create better offerings. And that was kind of how the journey started about two and a half years ago now.

04:20

Oh my gosh, well, first of all, I love it. Because, you know, before we started recording we sort of talked about for a minute that it really is true. You know, our culture has really kind of slid one way where alcohol is so at the forefront of so many gatherings and then you know if you go to restaurant a bar, it's so at the forefront, not for everyone but for a lot. And I'm part of that as well. You know, I do enjoy red wine and things like that. But I do I do not like that we are promoting that image to younger people or that people feel uncomfortable that either choose to never have beverages or that we think we have to always have them you know or that you can't have a healthy option that still tastes Like something special. And so I love that you're that you've stepped into this. And one year being you're such an advocate, tick, tell people like how you this change in your life has made such a great impact. So my first question is, how has this two and a half years been? You came up with this idea? What is that looked like between then and you're, you're now just launching this first line, which is so amazing. So congratulations, first of

05:26

all, thank you. Oh, my goodness, it has, it has been a wild ride. And it is, unlike anything I ever expected. I think, as a first time entrepreneur, there was a little bit of ignorance going into it where it was, I was going to come up with this crazy idea, raise money, build the company, and it was going to be a pretty efficient process. And what it turned into was me quickly realizing I needed to move back to Kentucky, if I really wanted to build an authentic company, I felt it needed to be along the Bourbon Trail. So I moved into my parents basement in central Kentucky, and I spent about, you know, a year I would say, trying to figure out how to even do this, I wanted to create a product that didn't exist, which was non alcoholic spirits made from real spirits. So there was a big science kind of component to that I had to solve for. And I also realized that I needed to spend a lot of time actually understanding the culture surrounding drinking beyond my own experience. Because I, you know, I'm a non drinker. And so I'm approaching this from a perspective of I don't have other options, or I'm not going to drink even if the environment makes it feel like I should. And as a result, I've gotten pretty comfortable being in most spaces, bars, etc. But what I realized is that my main customer actually is someone who drinks and that is the person who the decision not to drink is the hardest for because it is so easy to say yes. And what I learned is just that so many of my friends and so many people like interviewed were so often drinking when it wasn't actually the decision that they felt was best for them in that moment, whether it was because they were focusing on their health and wellness, or, you know, because they were under the weather or, you know, for a whole host of reasons, it might even be that they were drinking more than evening than they wanted to, because the idea of switching to water meant going home. And so you know, I had to spend a lot of time trying to find out kind of who my customer was and how to make this product. And in that process, I actually ended up meeting an incredible food and beverage innovator who is responsible for a lot of the products most of us probably know and love, ranging from some Starbucks made drinks to, you know, even McDonald's McGriddle. And we really developed a special relationship. And he stepped in, I'd say about a year ago to help me really formulate the commercial recipes for these products. And you know, then I shifted to raising money, which is not for the faint of heart. And, you know, I have to say it's just, if I could describe the whole two and a half years, it's really been about getting comfortable with uncertainty. And also being able to show myself a lot of compassion when making mistakes, because most of the things I'm doing, I've never, ever done before. And you know, in the last, we've really picked up in the last couple of months, because we finally bottled our first run, we've started to, you know, place our product at some different bars and restaurants in Louisville are about to start, you know, shipping direct to consumer. So it's been a crazy journey, but it's really exciting to be market facing now.

08:41

Oh my gosh, that's amazing. Well, there's a couple things there first, I love that you found you know, or that connection happened, because so many times it really is about, you know, meeting people and connecting letting people know what it is you're doing. And then if there's an alignment people saying like, well, you know what, I think I could help you, you know, but if we don't tell people what we're working on one and two, we're not open to these relationships, these connections, a lot of times, there's people further than we are that can can really help us and bring us along so we don't stay stuck, or we don't see the growth we need to or even the getting your product to market. And so I love that you've shared that because I think most people if you actually hear their stories of building a company, there is there's that pivotal one asking for to help or finding help and to finding a mentor or someone in an industry or someone that's been, you know, further than they are. So I love that you brought that up.

09:39

Yeah, and I think for women especially sometimes it can be a little difficult to not see that need for help and support as a weakness or a liability. And I really have had to go through this exercise of pushing my ego and pride aside and realizing that at the end of The day, it doesn't really matter if I did it completely on my own, or with the help and support of others. And it's also a lot more likely to happen. I'm willing to welcome support. So,

10:12

so true. And then the next thing is, I love what you said about. So really, in this process of two and a half years, you know, you really have to keep you have to get comfortable with not knowing but then you have to keep asking questions like what do I need to know, what do I need to do, and then taking action. And years ago, I was at an event, a smaller event, and it was the founder of charity water that was speaking, but he, before his book came out, because now he has a book and it tells all this stuff. But he was explaining that he had been in New York City as like a show promoter. So he was living like the late night, kind of wild lifestyle, much like what you're trying to help people have. But so basically, finally kind of hit rock bottom in the sense of like, not feeling fulfilled, you know, he wasn't, he wasn't really living a life that made him feel good. And so anyways, he ended up going, I think it was working for, I don't know if it was mercy ship or something. But it was a nonprofit he went to do maybe like promotion and photography, but it was when he was on one of these trips overseas. He realized, like, what there's all these issues with people's drinking water, right. And so he, but it was that he started asking questions like, Well, why can't they get clean water? Like, why do they have those diseases? He didn't know anything about it. But he was it hit him enough, right? It was such an area that hit it impacted him like why is this such a problem? It pulled on his heartstrings that he started asking questions, he went back. And so you know, over many years, he started Charity Water. But the point was, is he asked a question. And then he would take a step. He'd asked another question, he take a step, he had no idea how am I going to test water? How am I going to get them clean water? How am I going to pay for this? He had no idea. He just knew this needs to be something this is an issue around the world that needs to be addressed. And he felt this pull to do it. And so I love that you kind of talked about that as well. Because we don't know when you're going to move into new business, when you're going to try something new, or there's something pulling on your heart, whether it's a group of people, whether it's a mission or a message that you want to get into the world, you just have to have that desire, and then keep asking and moving forward. I

12:19

think I could not agree more. And I think it's, it's so interesting, because I think through that process of asking so many questions from different types of individuals, whether it was folks that were in the traditional beverage industry, or folks that you know, worked behind the bar, I started to realize actually, that a lot of the so called obstacles that seem to stand in the way of building a business like this weren't actually real, it just was that they hadn't been pressure tested. And I think because folks kind of assumed that, you know, it was just the way things are, that there was kind of a lack of innovation, in a lot of areas that there was really no reason they had to be that way, whether it's the way that you know, non alcoholic beverages are spoken about or regarded, or a lot of the lack of actual science, in the innovation around the processes. And it wasn't that you know, those were limitations, it was just that nobody had really decided to dig a bit deeper. And so I think through that process of asking lots of questions, we've found a lot of permission to do things in a much more creative way than you know, some other folks might see at least at first glance.

13:41

Yeah. And what about that, though, besides like this connection, having relationships or someone that can help, you know, guide you or mentor you? What about did you have someone right nearby you that was that you were able to bounce off of or that you're working with? So what did that look like? Support?

13:58

Yeah, so I've had the good fortune of having a couple incredible mentors. You know, my chairman of my board is actually also a non drinker. And he has been such an incredible resource as I've navigated, you know, what, what is my responsibility also, as someone who is a non drinker when it comes to positioning, you know, these types of products? And I, I'll say I kind of have mentors or advisers in different categories, and people I really rely on whether it is for a question that's about kind of creative and branding or more socio cultural or more about kind of the experience of the bar. And it's taken some time to realize that not every question is for every person, because I would often get stuck in this position, kind of my first year of analysis paralysis, where I would be trying to solve something and I would literally ask everyone I knew that had some proximity to my business and I would try to adjust it to incorporate everyone's feedback. And I would oftentimes ended up with like this diluted version of what I was working on. And so I think, you know, I've, I have a wealth of wonderful people surrounding me in supporting this, but I've had to get much better at knowing who to ask what, to continue moving forward. Oh,

15:22

that's such a good insight for people, I think because you're right, if you ask everybody, it's just kind of like if you have a new idea, but you really don't have enough to stand on yet. And you ask your friend, that might be the most amazing analytical person. You ask them to student though, and they might shoot it down. And it's kind of like your, you know, the winds come out of your sail, you know, you have is the same, then you have to kind of get somebody that's going to cheer you on, while you're getting a little further along before you ask the person that's critical, what you do need those people to but it does have to be kind of these right times? Yeah. And

15:55

I think it can be a little uncomfortable, because what I've realized in entrepreneurship, is that there are a lot of people who will tell you that they have the right answer, or that there is the right way to do something. But at the end of the day, you know, it has to be your answer and response. And a lot of the guidance you'll get is subjective and based on different individuals, its own experiences with entrepreneurship. And I think, you know, because we're creating an innovation company in the way that we want to grow and scale and distribute and communicate with our customers, you know, is what makes a special, it means that there doesn't exist this one blueprint that I can just copy and paste onto my business, which, you know, is a little nerve wracking at times, because I think when you're feeling uncertain, you want to be able to find some clear cut and dry answer. But I've just had to be comfortable with that not existing and also get more comfortable kind of trusting myself to make the ultimate decisions.

16:53

Yeah. And what about that, though, so you know, your gut your intuition, you know, and then processing everything that you've taken in right, subconsciously or consciously, with but is there anything with that you'd even mentioned? You know, was it just getting, the more you did it? Or was there something else there?

17:10

I wish it was a prettier story. But I think what I've learned is more in retrospect. So I think, you know, I've made many mistakes. And I don't think I'm unique in that. But when I look back, and I see the things that I was maybe unsure about or decisions that I drag out for a long time, I always knew that there was a gut instinct in there. And when I see that I didn't follow it, it usually has come back to bite me. And one thing I will say is that I've made it a pretty consistent practice to journal throughout this entire experience, so that I'm not looking at the past through overly critical or rose tinted glasses, and it helps me do kind of an, you know, a check in with myself every now and then, you know, to see, you know, how I handled something. And the reality that I'm I'm just accepting is that I should trust my gut more, you know, there are more decisions that I actually know how to make. But that is just something that's coming with time and practice.

18:14

Yeah, yeah, no, I think you're right. And like you said, you had to give your permission, your self permission to understand actually, when I made when I've made the decisions, and and considered what my gut or my intuition said, they usually felt more aligned right, with the brand you're building with yourself. And usually, the decisions sat better, you know, for longer. So I think that's good,

18:35

totally. And I think I've learned also to probably show myself a bit more compassion in my decision making, because I think, coming from kind of the professional world I did, where, you know, I think there was a lot of credibility for being someone that could work harder than anyone else. And longer than anyone else, I think, I've kind of always had this mentality, that I can handle it, you know, if it ends up creating more work or problems, I can handle it. But I realized that that's just not very compassionate. And so I've tried to start making decisions that actually, you know, take into consideration how that will affect me both my mental, you know, physical, spiritual wellness, as opposed to just like, Oh, she can handle it, because that's, like, not really showing much love to my future. So, so.

19:23

So what about that, though? So you're, you're building this business, you're at a pretty pivotal time where you're just about to release your product, you know, to the, if you will, you know, I know you said it's in some, you know, bars and restaurants already, but you're basically relative, you're about to go big, you know, if you will. So, what are you doing to make sure that you have space in your schedule for yourself or to not eat not be a workaholic? At this point? Where are you finding that you are?

19:50

Oh, gosh, um, you know, I think we are speaking amidst a transition I'm going through and I was joking with someone the other day Say, you know, it's a lot easier to say you're a CEO of a company that has no employees than a company that is now market facing. And I have about a team of four full time, folks. And, you know, it just means that I'm now in a different role, I had been so focused on getting everything done that we needed to do to be able to have a product, a beautiful brand, you know, raise capital, but now it is about growing this and supporting the people who are supporting me in this business. And I was joking with my fiance that it was like, I just got it, I was just moved into a different job. And I didn't even notice, right, you know, so I. So it's really been over the last week or so I've been trying to spend more time asking myself how to make this work. Because it would be so easy to spend literally every hour literally waking every waking hour working. And I know that in the long run that is not going to support me in being the best kind of CEO or mentor salesperson that I need to be so yeah, so right. It's a work in progress. And

21:09

it's progress, assessing where you're at and where you want to go and how to make those changes.

21:14

Absolutely, absolutely. And I think it's interesting, because I'm also going through this exercise of being like, you know, I am Becca, and my company is all distilling. And there's a lot of similarities between the two at this point. And but they are not the same thing. And I think when I think about who I am, it isn't just this company, there are a lot of other things that I considered necessary and having kind of a rich and a full life. And so it's easy to get tunnel vision with the business. But at the end of the day, I'm I know, I'm cheating myself if I'm also not taking into account my relationships and my wellness, and my hobbies,

21:54

etc. So true. So true. And I get it, there's a season, that there's different seasons, right for everything. So sometimes you are, you know, the week you're shipping out your first you know, orders, I'm sure it might be crazy, right? And you're different. As long as that's not the norm for forever, right? Like you said, like, gosh, last week, or a couple weeks is going to be overwhelming, maybe. And amazing. It's nice to know, you know what, maybe the week after that, like everyone needs to take a little break for half the afternoon or whatever it might look like. But to your point, it's to be aware that we need to make sure we're not going too far in one area. Yes,

22:31

absolutely. And I think the having a team now has been one of the biggest things for me maybe even feeling more significant than having the product in the market. And it's so funny, my chairman after our last board meeting, kind of we had a debrief afterwards. And you know, we were mostly talking about everything that was going so well. But one thing he told me is that I know you're the type of person that after something big happens, you just are moving on immediately to the other problems you need to solve. But you need to pause and celebrate even if it doesn't feel natural to you for all the people that are putting so much into this. And so I think there's an accountability that comes from you know, being someone to support, you know, the folks around me that is helping me at the end of the day probably be even better to myself.

23:19

Yeah. Oh, that's amazing. So let me ask you real quick, what about so you know, you went through this thing where you found yourself in all these situations where you were, it was very alcohol centric. And then you had that experience in in London. But you at some point, you decided, gosh, this is really an area where I want to have an impact right in the world, in people's homes and in their, their social relationships. What can you tell us about maybe people that do have something on their heart like that they have a purpose or passionate group of people a message that they want to get out, but they haven't taken it from that too. We all have permission to go in the world and actually have an impact with whatever it is it's kind of sitting there, you know, in our hearts

24:00

100%. And, yeah, this is something I think about a lot. And I think that, you know, that summer, something shifted for me. And I think I had spent so much time over the past decade thinking about what I wanted to do. And that was something specific and fix that I could, you know, define somewhere out there on the horizon. But I hadn't really spent as much time thinking about who I want to be. And I think that, you know, when I stopped drinking, there was a lot of space that opened up in my life. And at first it felt kind of like an existential crisis, like who am i But then, you know, as I started to really allow myself to answer that question, that kind of became my compass, because, you know, it started to be easier to imagine the types of things that I would do if I knew they were in supported the person I wanted to be. And I'll say that, you know, there wasn't even a specific day where I I was like, I want to build a big, innovative non alcoholic spirits company. I think that I knew that I wanted to change the culture, or affect the culture surrounding drinking to feel more radically inclusive and safe. And it was honestly some of my closest friends and family that were the ones that told me that I will, it's almost obnoxious if I don't do something about it, because it's the only thing I'm talking about. And it's, it's funny, because I've come to really appreciate how you know important those relationships around you can be the folks that feel like they can be really honest with you. Because they might be the ones that can call things out that, you know, are so obvious, if you're willing, you know, to listen to them. And I think it was really kind of my family and my friends that were like Becca, like, we're all going to be miserable if you don't do something about this. And I say that kind of facetiously, but you know, it wasn't, you know, the company kind of came to be on its own. As I started asking questions about what I could do different the changes I could make. Initially, I thought I wanted to be a consultant in this space. And I thought I was going to have one product. And, you know, I think having that flexibility around what the materialization of your impact looks like, is really important. Because you know, the world has changed a lot since I first had this inclination. And I think because I've not been so rigid and fixed on what it needed to be has allowed me to continue pushing this impact I want to make through a lot of kind of crazy circumstances.

26:41

That's so good. There are a couple things there. The first was, I think, if people have found that they're having this shift from sell thinking of themselves, like and we've all been there, I think we're trying to figure out like what you like you said, What's my perfect job? What's my perfect thing I want to create to you keep thinking about either other people or like you said, something I'm passionate about because there was a transition in your life. I mean, I've talked to people, sometimes it's that they eat, they ate meat, and now they had a huge health shift when they went vegan, right. And so now there is something that's so passionate about, that's the message and the now they've built things around that. So I think if we, if we look for the that signal, right, that might be an area to step more into. And then also, what are you curious about, you know, like, what is the thing that you keep thinking like, what would it look like if if I did this? And that, like you said, what would that impact be? And I had interviewed someone that just had a new best selling book come out. And he's also a, you know, business coach, and he has a company called uplift millions look a partner, he talks about what is your million person plan for your impact in your life. And that's whether you have a business or you don't we can all have impact in the world. And so once again, you know, when you your family and friends kept saying, like you keep talking about this, like, maybe you need to do something about it. But I think people need to look for these signals, because that might be where they need to get curious. And then say like, could I have an impact in this area, because this is a message that I really want to keep sharing, you know,

28:10

100% Because I think we we have more wisdom in us, then we often like to give ourselves credit more. And I think it's kind of the knowledge that we have now, you know, one other thing that was a helpful exercise is actually being a little bit nostalgic, and thinking back about the things that really brought me a lot of joy when I was a kid, you know, what were the things I was spending all of my time doing. I was always, you know, making up your business schemes, and they always were, you know, to try to create, like, some sort of positive impact, even if they weren't executed very well. And, you know, I realized that, you know, before the world made much of an impression on me, I knew I was my happiest when I was being creative. You know, being a little leader, like all of those things, and it kind of helped give me some, you know, ideas of the things that probably needed to be present. And however, I'm going about trying to impact a specific issue or group of people because I think I've realized, like, without certain things being present in that experience, I I just don't feel as alive. You know, I don't think I'm I'm operating in my integrity. And you know, so that's also been something helpful along the way.

29:32

Mm hmm. That's yeah, that's so good. Oh, my gosh, should tell me, let's step in for a minute about what's been the maybe the hardest thing in the last two years that you've had to step through as an entrepreneur or just getting new with or getting used to this new space that you're in, you know, being an entrepreneur and you're in a new industry?

29:54

Yeah, yeah, I think, oh, gosh, there's been a lot of challenges. is and I have no regrets. But you know, there's been a lot of challenges. You know, if I could pick two, I think, you know, one would be just impostor syndrome, because I think when you step into a new arena, especially if you were successfully doing whatever it was that you were before, you know, I didn't leave because I was fired. You know, I just I left because I was doing really well, but wanted to do something different. And I had no idea what I was doing. When I started, I knew nothing about entrepreneurship, I knew nothing about how to raise money at cetera. And I think to just not be good at something like truly flat out not good at something at the beginning, you know, brings a lot of insecurity, and it's taken me time to be able to shake that off. And also, I've realized that a lot of times that I felt like an impostor, it just like wasn't really warranted, you know, I was just being hypercritical with myself, I think the other thing is just, I've had to get a lot clearer with myself on what I actually need to survive. And I don't mean survive in terms of just kind of staying alive, but like, you know, for me to feel like I'm living in a way that's conducive to me still creating, and, you know, pursuing what I'm doing. And I think when I was living in New York, I was making a lot of money. And I, you know, lived a pretty great life in that aspect. And, you know, there was a point, you know, eight months ago, when I was completely out of money, I was living with my credit card. You know, before that I had been living in my parents basement for a year driving my car from high school, which is basically a vantage now, and, you know, my world worked before me, because I, you know, it just looked like I was a failure on the surface in terms of kind of those financial metrics I had for myself. And so I had to really, and I encourage a lot of people to do this, because I think if somebody is kind of taking a step to go pursue building something, I think it's important to also develop, you know, kind of this acceptance that your life will likely change in a lot of ways that might seem terrifying to you in the moment. And, you know, none of those kind of crazy decisions were actually as terrifying as I imagined they wouldn't be that would have been, but like, my life does not look like it did, you know, three years ago, and so I think just developing kind of a level of comfort with that, you know, helped me navigate that financial peace, because that was incredibly difficult.

32:30

I, you know, I'm glad you brought that up, because and I've walked through that as well. And I think it's important to talk about it. Because if we want to make a big change, there's usually going to be unless you started a business or a side hustle that grew into business, when you were still making a full time income. But if you're somebody that you had to leave your industry, because in your case, like you moved, things were going on, if that happens, where you have to fully step out of something like for me, when I, I started my own business, well co founded a business with my mom years ago. But a couple years ago, I wasn't planning on taking a full time gig, but it was with an old colleague of mine. And while I did that, for some time, that I've stepped out of that in the last year or a year ago, to, you know, to, to do my stuff fully again. But in doing that I just went I was working for them, I didn't feel like I'm very much a loyalist, I'm very much in alignment for me to like, do this side thing, especially because I've always been remote for 20 years and anything, whether it's my own business or other ones, I had to fully break away for me to feel in alignment with my own truest self. And I couldn't do both. I just couldn't in good conscience. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that. But because I was remote, I wasn't in office where it could be so separated, I ever want there to be this image that I could be doing the other thing when I'm supposed to be working. So for me, I needed a clean break away. But I had never had money in the bank to allow that time, right for me to grow into my new business ventures. But I'm glad you brought that up. Because yeah, so you know, you don't want to quit your job, and you don't have any way to support yourself, or you're gonna, you know, move in with a friend or someone. But you have to know that there's probably going to be hard, you're going to walk through less financially profitable times before you can step into possibly more, you know, better financial times. So I think it's important to mention that. Yeah. And

34:21

I think, you know, your example is so it's so great, because I think it really highlights that, you know, everyone is different. That's right, right. And I think I'm probably more similar to you where I was like, There's no way I can work on this while still doing this other thing. And I think, you know, if you're in that camp, I think making sure that, you know, you have allowed yourself to have some runway, you know, or, you know, ways that maybe there's freelancing, things you could do if you needed to have kind of, you know, some extra, you know, funds at different points like, I think because what you don't want to do is you know, quit and put yourself in a position where you're just living in fear constantly because you know, you're living with a ticking time bomb, but like, you know, I think if you're going to do a clean break, which I think is amazing, because then it really is you have all the time to focus on that. And it's just about planning to make sure you're being kind to yourself in the process.

35:17

Yeah, and don't be wrong, I support and talked about, you know, people starting side hustles all the time as a great way to test out a new idea. And I was surely doing work towards what I was thinking I wanted to step into prior to leaving, but I wasn't trying to bring on clients, and I wasn't, so I was more doing the background work, you know, that was the kind of stuff more I was doing. And I don't think there's one right or wrong way, either. It's like you said, it's really do have a little bit of a plan. And you have a little Do you have a runway financially, if you're not already making money and whatever you're starting, you know, so that's important. So let me ask you, let's just for a few minutes, jump back into the conversation about the culture of drinking. And just, let's say that somebody, like you said, I think first of all, I think it's fascinating that your main customer, I'm sure your secondary customer, of course, are people that are non drinkers, but your main customers, really someone that may still enjoy an alcoholic beverage, because they want to make that choice on, you know, on some of the days they want to make that they want to have as a choice, right in their, their options. So what would you just say to somebody that maybe whatever boat they're in, you can speak to whatever you want, they what are some things we can do to encourage that or realize that there are options that you don't have to have the drink at a party? Or it might just be? How do you have less like, so any recommendations for healthy living that you would just, you know, share with us?

36:39

Yeah, I think, um, you know, one thing that I've found that, you know, supports those types of environments, it's just, you know, whenever I have parties, or get togethers at my house, I always have like, interesting non alcoholic options, whether that's something I've ordered, or made something up with some of our own product. And I think it's so interesting, because what I've always discovered is that there are more people that you know, probably want to participate in that than you might think, even if it's alternating beverages, or using something non out to cut something that's stronger. And, you know, so I think thinking about the hospitality environment you're personally holding. And I think, you know, the other thing is, you in most kind of, in most major cities, you know, there are going to be like a bar or two, at least that has put some thought and intention into kind of a non alcohol in you or some non out the options. And, you know, one thing that we hope to do as we start to go to different cities is actually create a map for all of those, you know, different locations that isn't just about where you can get our product, but places that do accommodate different types of drinking decisions, so that people can, you know, have a better idea of where they might want to go if they're not going to be having a heavy alcohol night. And, yeah, I think it's, it's interesting, but yeah, you're right. It's like my, my main customer, someone who drinks and I learned a lot of that actually through my friends, because when I stopped drinking, they were like, how do you do it, you know, it just felt so unfathomable to them. But I think, you know, the way that I've personally also navigated it, which I think has maybe inspired some of my friends is that I've continued to participate in these experiences that I think people might otherwise think they were excluded from. So like, I'm always going to be that like, sober girl at the bar, I'm going to be the sober girl at the concert, I'm pretty open about the fact that I don't drink and so I think even just continuing to be who I am and participate creates a little bit more of a safe environment opening for others that might feel some nerves around making that decision and still participating. So,

38:52

yeah, no, absolutely. I mean, I have many friends that you know, choose to have adult beverages, you know, or alcoholic beverages and friends that don't, you know, we all hang out together, but to your point, I think as long as there's ones available, and hopefully people aren't feeling that pressure, that that's what they need to do, you know, especially if it's not in alignment with where they're trying where they're how they're trying to live their life. And also, let's be honest, I mean, you know, you don't want people to be drinking and driving and I mean, there's so many options. But you know, so there's so much to be said for how do we make sure we're being safe how you know, being healthier, being good to our bodies. And so I love that there's going to continue to be more options in the marketplace you know, and more conversations around this because I think that's a really good thing and I've seen you know, some of your images for your your product and they do they look beautiful and like you said because a lot of times what we're really looking for right when someone goes to get a glass it's like well, I want to have the celebratory feeling. It's not so much. It's not so much even for a lot of people that they wanted to alcohol but it's like you get a glass of water and plastic cup and then you ordered this beautiful cocktail and it looks so cool and amazing. It has this ram of some color. So part of it is it's a, it looks exciting, it looks celebratory. And so by you all replacing things that look as beautiful and tasty as delicious. And I know some some of the products have other products in it that are health minded. But I think that's such a great thing because it sort of replaces how people had a perception of it.

40:20

Yeah. And I think the way that, you know, we've always thought about it is that not out would be everywhere, but there are two problems, you know, and one is a product problem. The other is what you're alluding to, which is that psychological problem. And I think, you know, even in naming this first brand naked lady, the idea is that, you know, the culture surrounding drinking the word surrounding drinking non alcoholic are inherently dissuasive that you know, Virgin mocktail or non alcoholic, right? And so, you're, you're going through this experience of like, othering yourself, even through kind of the admission that that's what you're going to order. And so we've also put a lot of thought into how can we make it even, you know, kind of bold and hip to make these decisions, but also easy, so that you don't feel like you're being sent to the children's table and Thanksgiving when you're asking if there's a mocktail menu unit.

41:18

Oh, my gosh, that's so good. You're right. It's like saying, Oh, my kid can get a Shirley Temple. You know? It does sound like a little girl because it was based on girl. Really good point. And oh, by the way, I do love the brand naked lady. That's amazing. So let me ask you about that. How can people connect with you learn about your products and order them online and all

41:38

that great stuff. Yeah, so the best place to follow along right now is Instagram. And that is at naked lady and KD LDY. And we've just launched our E commerce site, and that is drink naked lady.com. And we have launched pre orders now, and we'll be fulfilling them early April. So I encourage everyone to check them out.

42:04

That's amazing. They look amazing. And I definitely look forward to checking them out. So thank you so much for being with us today for such an amazing conversation about entrepreneurship and impact and making a choice to live healthy and know that we can have amazing experiences and social gatherings and choose, you know, many alternatives to alcohol.

42:24

Well, thank you for having me.

42:26

Oh, I'm so glad Becca joined us today on the show. I think it is such an inspiration to talk to someone that is building a business around a lifestyle that they're so passionate about. And about helping others see that there's other options available for them if they choose those options. But I think what was so important in this, this episode was making sure that you get help from the people around you, you know, people like mentors, or advisors in the industry. The fact that she was willing to try things she was willing to do research even though she originally thought her ideal customer was someone else. By doing her research, she really learned who would be her number one primary customer. So there was just so many great kernels in here for all of us that are either creating our businesses or building them, you know, we're diversifying, we're growing them. And yeah, I hope you've also got some takeaways from this episode. And until next time, I hope you have a great week.