Show notes

Katerina: I’m good glad to see you on the show.

Kimberly: Yes. Well, thank you so much for having me on.

Katerina: I guess the first question everyone would like to know is that you are a serial entrepreneur… How did you start?

Kimberly: Oh my gosh. Well, both of my parents are entrepreneurs… they had a business that… they actually started the year I was born. So I literally grew up in an entrepreneurial world. I think I was two years old, and I marched into my mom’s office and demanded my own office so you know I was, I was determined, I guess, and so I’ve always been around it, and I… it was probably inevitable but that would be the way I would go in life just because that’s, that is what I knew and I was always in the environment. You know, they took me to the office and, you know, I was always doing… you know filing or just whatever they needed… I was the janitor… I vacuumed… it was whatever I could probably physically do…you know… I did, and it just threw me my entire life.

Katerina: Yeah. Did you ever consider going and you know have a professional sort of career or did you just start being an entrepreneur because you’ve started your first business when you were just 19 years of age?

Kimberly: Yes. So I was, I was in college, I was going to … here in Dallas, and I basically had a lot of discussions with my mom and stuff like that, and that was kind of how I was helping put myself through school was working in her… She had an insurance agency, and it I’m not even really sure how it came about that we kind of discussed maybe me going ahead and opening my own agency. And, again, I’ve been around it my entire life so I knew so much of the business already and what I didn’t know obviously… my mom was a great mentor for me. And it was a way for me to be able to kind of start, start something at that point and, and I did. I went ahead and took all of my, my tests and everything that year, and passed, and just started my own agency that summer. And of course, as a school approached that next year. I had my mom to be able to kind of help manage when I was in classes and stuff, answering the phones being alone answer questions and so it, it actually worked out really well because I worked out of her office and she was able to really help me.

Well, and the great thing was, so next three years in school, I managed to build up a fairly nice book of business that by the time I came out of school I, I had something ready for me… where I was already you know making an income and there was a time in my senior year that I thought about, you know, I looked at jobs and, you know, moving away and doing different things and you know I was looking at what I was doing and I’m thinking “How can I walk away from that to something that I’m unfamiliar with completely,” and I in course once I graduated and I had all that time available to me, I hit the ground running and how I was often off at that point.

Katerina: Yeah. So how long did you have the business, your very first business? How long…?

Kimberly: So that that is probably one of my more interesting businesses, and how I started obviously you know most people don’t start a business at 19, but it actually had a… I don’t know how to describe the end to it. I ended up selling it at the end of the year 2000. So December, literally December 31st 2000 I sold that agency. And it was, it was bittersweet. Obviously, that was my first business and honestly, I didn’t have any intentions of selling it. But the industry itself had changed so much.

And I, I literally for the last year and a half of that business, having that company. I had to drag myself out of bed and I mean this was my company. But I, I was miserable, I was absolutely miserable and could not get out of bed to go to my own office, and my stomach was always upset. I mean… I… I would have sworn I had ulcers, and I’m like I know I’m too young to have ulcers, but that’s, that was the best thing I could think to describe it. And basically what ended up happening with that is I had somebody actually approached me about buying my, my business. And I mean my first thought was, you know, are you kidding. This is the business I can’t… I can’t sell it.

And then it was probably about two months after that, but again, still just miserable. I’m thinking, you know, maybe that was something that I should have considered because I can’t keep going with where I’m at. And fortunately, I called the gentleman that had approached me and he was still interested. And we actually brokered a deal. And I sold that business now. It was terrifying because I had no idea what I was going to do after that. And unfortunately, I had also lost my mom in that period of time. She had passed away, kind of mid-1999, which did not help with a lot of the emotional issues that I was having the business and it just compounded it.

And so it was, it turned out to be the best thing I could have done. It gave me a little bit of money to, you know, not have to work, you know, to figure out how to pay my mortgage or pay the car payment and things like that. So it gave me a little bit of time to figure it out. But I cannot tell you after I signed off on selling it — a weight literally was lifted off of my shoulders. Now, I had a lot of fear. I didn’t know what I was gonna do next. It did turn out to be one of the best moves that I made.

Katerina: But why all this anxiety? Is it because of the financial side of it, or it is because your heart wasn’t in it? Why you didn’t want to… Why did you have to drag yourself out of bed?

Kimberly: So,, the insurance industry and it had changed significantly over kind of that last three years that I was in. They were cutting commissions, just left and right. So we were, you know, every year we were seeing just a little bit more and a little bit more. And then they got into… in fact in the last three years that I had the agency… I had to rewrite my entire book of business, every single year. Because the companies were basically bigger companies generally have smaller individual companies inside of them. And so, they were eliminating some of these companies and so, where it might have been in this county mutual this, this month… they have a new company, the next year to write it into, and they were eliminating this one, well they did that for about three years in a row.

Well, by that point I had actually built up a pretty sizable book of business. So I was spending all of my time rewriting, you know, a book of business, I already had which left me no time to be able to actually get new clients. And so, I had a company, you know, kind of being, why are you not going out there and you know getting more clients. And I’m thinking, well, it’s because you have been rewriting my entire book of business, every year for the last three years… well cutting our commissions so we couldn’t even hire anybody to come in and help. It actually got to a point where I made less than what I was spending on other people in the business, and that that was where that just, I did not know what I was going to do because I didn’t see into it.

I mean I’m like they’re just going to keep slashing it, and it’s going to get to the point where I’m not going to be able to have any employees, and I know I can’t do this by myself. So, that was, that was where the anxiety was coming from and like I said, I lost my mom in that period of time as well. And that did not… that just compounds the problem.

Katerina: So what do you do next after you’ve sold your business?

Kimberly: So I had about a period of about six months there where I was a little, a little shaky. I was researching a lot of stuff and, and I did a little bit here and there, just some small little helping out. I had another friend that had their own business and I’d gone and done a few things with them, and it was actually that friend just called me one day and she said you know what, I, I found something that I think is maybe just right up your alley. And I was like really Okay so she sent it over to me and it turned out it was, it was insurance based so I had a good background for it, but it was a consulting position.

It was a company that was wanting to bring…. They built steel buildings, their own steel buildings, and they felt the insurance industry was not, they felt they were too high on their rates and they felt that was affecting their business and being able to sell them. So they wanted to self insure these buildings, and so they wanted to essentially build an insurance company in the house. So I joined a team of five other people, and over a period of two years, we built an in the house insurance company for this, this company is a building company, and I loved it. I mean, I’ve never done contract work in fact, when she told me it was contracted, I was like, I don’t know what that is. No clue.

And so, but I loved the freedom of it, and of course I was used to being, you know as a self entrepreneur so it didn’t scare me not to have all the benefits package and all that kind of stuff, you know, I was able to take care of that myself. And so when that contract came to an end I’m like okay I am gonna find another one of those, I like this. And so, I essentially ended up starting a consulting firm at that point on it… That was a little bit more of a bigger business but I tended to focus more on smaller businesses because that was what I knew that was where I’d come from so that’s what I knew.

Katerina: Yeah. And how long you had it till you started The Kidz Money Project.

Kimberly: I still do contract work like that. So, I guess that would have been kind of mid-2001, when I started that one. And well I guess technically two years later, is when I started my own I, I don’t know if he called that one in there or not because that was what started it. I kind of officially just kind of went out on my own at that point. And, and I’ve done a couple of other things, I started a real estate business in there in 1999 that I actually still have today. And that’s been a… I don’t, I don’t do the day to day on it anymore… I actually have a management company that takes care of all that stuff for me. But it… that’s always an interesting one because it’s real estate can get crazy at times… I had a house, a couple of years ago get hit by Hurricane, and that was, that was a new one for me was like, hey, and that was new and I had to be much more involved in that process because at the insurance and everything.

Katerina: So, what made you kind of get involved with… you know teaching kids finances.

Kimberly: So yeah, that seems like a total left turn from everything else that I’ve done. Again, I actually had my mom to thank for that one. I did not realise, at the time, but growing up again being, I guess someone in an entrepreneurial world. I, I was always around, and I, whether she meant to or not, she was teaching me just money. Just the concept of money… the value of money, money management, you know stocks, bonds mortgages, I mean she, she taught me that without sitting me down at the kitchen table and saying Okay this is how this works. And, and I did not realise I basically I graduated college and started realising I had a much different view of money than all of my friends, and all of my friends had graduated school…

I mean I’m thinking we should, you know, we basically had the same education I don’t know how y’all have such a different view of it because I mean I already had retirement savings started and you know they were, you know, barely making rent and all this kind of stuff. And it was, it was kind of strange for me because I couldn’t understand how it was so different. And we had very similar backgrounds. And finally, and I just I guess I assumed I learned in school, you know, that’s, I think you learn everything. And finally one day I kind of put it together that you know I didn’t learn this in school this, this came from my mom.

Katerina: Yeah, cos they don’t teach this in schools do they?

Kimberly: No, they don’t unfortunately. Yeah, they brought basic money but, you know, just the everything else that goes along with it…

Katerina: Why don’t they teach taxation?

Kimberly: Oh absolutely. And, and so it took me well at that time I’m thinking Okay I don’t get why…. but once I figured out I didn’t learn it in school then I’m thinking “Well, why didn’t everybody else’s parents teach them this,” you know, and that one took me a little longer to figure out but it finally, I realised most of it was their parents didn’t know either they were still figuring it out because nobody taught them as a child how to do this, so as, as they went through life, they’re figuring it out.

And money seems to be one of those taboo subjects, you know I read that it’s, second only to the sex talk to have with your kids and I thought, and that seemed odd to me because my parents didn’t shy away from talking about money with me. And now I could never tell you what they brought home, you know what, what they were making, I have no idea. I mean I knew they were obviously doing Okay.

But, you know, I couldn’t tell you what they brought home, and that was never discussed with me. But, like they started buying, you know, rent houses. And, you know, at seven, they had me in there, cleaning floors and painting and, you know, I was free child labour…. I’m sure they did at some point when I complained and that’s, you know, it was, I didn’t realise how much I was learning in my childhood until I got a little older.

And once I kind of put all of that together I thought, Okay, somebody needs to make sure people start… helping parents understand these conversations to start when kids are young and go throughout their childhood. And so I always wanted to do something with it but never could figure out what to do with, you know, my first thought was, I want to write a book. Well, 20 years ago writing a book was a much different feeling than it is today. And so needless to say that never happened. So, it was one of those things that were always in the back of my head, to do something with at some point.

And finally, I realised in 2017. It wasn’t going to just happen. I was going to have to make it happen I, you know, it was always I was going to do it and I just couldn’t find the time. Well, I was busy I mean I had a company I worked you know it was that… time was not just going to find itself I had to do something to find it. And I kind of started doing a little bit then, and unfortunately just…. Well, that was also the year the hurricane hit so that… that took about a year of my life right there with that hurricane. And so I kind of got put off at that point. And then this year, I was like, you know what, I’m gonna have to make some changes. So I decided to pull back in my consulting company, and really start focusing on… on this, and then ironically with this coronavirus. I am probably going to lose one of my masterminds because of it. Unfortunately, a number of the businesses that are in it are struggling… horribly through this… and I’ve already heard from three of them that they’ve pretty much decided to call it.

And so that’s uh you know the mastermind itself has 10 people in it so that’s, you know, a third of it right there. And I know the others are struggling, you know this is a hard time for some businesses especially small businesses. And so, I suspect… I’m probably going to lose that mastermind so I’ve already started kind of shifting some of that company, and I’m going to do a little bit more focus and go full throttle with The Kids Money Project because I feel like that’s where my passion is right now, and it’s so important.

Katerina: Yeah, so it’s important to feel where can pivot, really, and just move that you know to move to a different direction as opposed to just trying to cling on to the, you know, something which is not working out, isn’t it?

Kimberly: Absolutely. I mean, failure is only failure if you kind of stop at that point. And I’ve always been a big believer in… I was an athlete growing up, so you always, you just found a way… you push through because you’re not going to win every time and we all know successes, you know it’s an up and down journey, it’s, it’s never straight up and all success… it’s… there’s going to be ups and there’s gonna be downs, and there’s… you’ve got to learn how to roll with those punches and plan. I mean planning is such an important part.

And of course this, you know, this crazy time that we’re in right now. You never expect that, I mean there’s so much that you can kind of expect in business you know there’s going to be slow times you know there’s going to be heavy times, you know you can kind of figure those out but this is something so different that you know… who would have thought the day would have come where we just literally shut the globe down. And it’s… so many businesses are gonna struggle to get through this. And, and we’re talking not just small but I mean look at how many big businesses or, I think I heard this morning… Australia’s second-largest airline is basically calling it…. They’re filing for bankruptcy today, I guess.

Katerina: Gosh, I haven’t heard this news yet but…

Kimberly: Yeah, I literally maybe about an hour ago I heard it on the news, Virgin Australia or something like that. So it’s, everybody affected.

Katerina: Yeah. But looking back at your entrepreneurial journey… Have you ever thought of quitting and just going and finding a job, nine to five job?

Kimberly: Oh, absolutely. There, you know, I think we all have those days and. Oh yeah, there, there have been times where I was going to throw the towel in completely and that’s it I’m just going to go work for somebody else because it’s going to be easier. And, you know, I’ve never really done that, to be honest… I, I have had jobs where I worked for other people they were earlier in my life and stuff like that so I… I have some idea but I don’t know that I could do it now because I’m so used to being the one to call the shots so to speak.

I guess if I had to obviously I could but I plan to make sure I don’t have to find out. Oh yeah, but have I had the thought? Oh, absolutely, because there’s… When you’re the entrepreneur, especially if you’re the solo entrepreneur — everything is your responsibility. And that’s heavy… that… that can really weigh on you, and especially because you can’t know everything. You know, that’s just it. It’s impossible to know everything so you have to have those resources… and it’s… sometimes people get worried about paying the money for those resources. But sometimes I mean, it can cost you a lot more if you don’t. It’s a matter of balancing, you know, figuring out what you do know, and what you don’t know, and where to get the help with what you don’t know.

And, you know, like, it would not be good for me to file my own tax returns. I mean, I could probably muster through it and figure it out but I’d much rather pay somebody that knew knows what they’re doing because you know when they come knocking or something I want somebody to be able to explain it to me because that is not my expertise.

Katerina: Do you have a plan, if The Kids Money Project will not be successful? Because this is where you want to kind of pivot right and focus on this part of the business right at the moment?

Kimberly: Yes, this is I’m kind of going full-on this, like I said, I have a couple of smaller consulting jobs that I’m doing but this is, this is my plan to go full force into it. And, I mean, obviously, this is going to be a little bit of a stretch for me because it is so different. So much of what I have done before. All ring true to each other, they had similarities to them. And this is, I’m having to figure out a lot of stuff I mean, I’ve never had to write content like this before. And so, this is, this is new for me and taking a little bit longer than I thought it would be quite honest. And … just snap right through it and it’s…

I’m probably overthinking, some of it. I think if I just get it down and get it out there I’d probably be better off because it’s not gonna be perfect, it never is you know you you figure it out as you go. And so, it’s a, it’s definitely been interesting and it’s going to be probably a little more uphill battle than I’m used to, but I have my mentors and me, I have my tribe kind of around me that when I’m having one of those days where I’m going to throw in the towel that they can kind of pat me on the back and lift me up and say “Okay, so what’s the problem… what… what… where do you need help with let’s figure it out.” That to me is one of the most important things to have around you.

Katerina: Yeah…. So, if you were… If you had a superpower, what would it be?

Kimberly: Oh, superpower.

Katerina: One of those crazy questions…

Kimberly: Probably, see the future. That might be nice to know in business.

Katerina: Because you’re also doing financial coaching right. Are you also considering, not, not to carry on with financial coaching or you think about pivoting and maybe getting ready for the time when companies that do survive COVID-19 will come back to you, and they’ll want to put it in place, all the different strategies….

Kimberly: Oh I would love to have it… because I am down to one mastermind group I had two for a long time, but I have one now. And this is the one I’m afraid it may not make it through this one. If it does, that would be great. I would love to have it. My guess is, some will make it through. And the problem is, do I rebuild the group. And that’s, that’s going to take a lot of effort, and would probably take me away from The Kids Money Project. And so I’m going to have to make a decision on that, and I was actually approached by somebody that was interested and is looking to get into this and so we may be able to work something out where he may take over some of that or something like that so… Because this, The Kids Money Project is where I really would like to focus, because that is, I feel that that is so important, and just seeing, I, I don’t know about in the UK as much but I know here in America, credit card debt alone for most families is just….

Katerina: Yeah.

Kimberly: And so, I again, I think, talking to kids earlier and explaining how this money works and getting… I, it helps me so much in life… plan… me like I said I had retirement savings and stuff like that started immediately because compounding interest was explained to me and you know most people they’ve heard that term but they don’t have any idea what that actually means. And I think if they really saw what it was, you know, time is the biggest factor in it you have to start early. And, you know, you teach that to a kid, and they take in that information, they just, they start doing it because they don’t know any other way to do it.

Whereas, right now, it not really being taught. You know they have to figure it out for themselves and you’re going to make mistakes. I mean that’s, that is the life you’re, you have to learn one way or another and. And we have a… We tend to like things when we want them we want nice things we’ll go out and buy a $40,000 car but by the way, we’re only making $40,000 a year or something like that. And, you know, those numbers don’t always add up and, or worse it’s they’re buying a $40,000 car and or making $24,000 a year. And you know, it’s, it’s just it, there are so many things that I just I can’t thank my parents and certainly my mom enough for teaching me this stuff that I didn’t dig myself into holes that I couldn’t get myself out of.

Katerina: Yeah. Now that’s fascinating I guess I, I can see how this can work because so many parents now have to home educate and, yeah, that would be something that would fit right into the whole education environment, wouldn’t it?

Kimberly: Yeah, and I think people think it’s so much more like I said my mom didn’t sit me down at the kitchen table with a book and say this is how this works. A lot of it is just having these ongoing conversations, you know, when you go to buy a car, take your kid along with you now. Then put duct tape over their mouth so they don’t mess up something… a negotiation part, as I know I was always threatened “Don’t you say a word,” because there’s some negotiation and maybe you know, you don’t necessarily want them to know… maybe you own a business, you own your own business or something like that and it’s, you know, there’s a whole process of that and you don’t want your child going.

Well, it’s kind of sad to say, because it’s of what happened but it was actually an episode of The Cosby Show, which Bills Cosby, you know, that’s what it is. But I remember there was an episode where she was a doctor and his wife was an attorney. So they were doing quite well. And he took his son with him to buy a new car, and his son’s decked out to the nines you know you can tell it’s an expensive outfit and he’s in this like cold sweats or something like that he’s trying to negotiate this car and get the best price and his son keeps saying something about you know dad your doctor. You know, as soon as the salesman hears this good like, yeah, you can afford this car.

And so I always laughed when I saw that episode because I was like I remember being threatened not to keep, you know, keep my mouth shut during this process. But I also saw the process of going in and not paying the sticker price that was on the car just because that’s what they said it was worth, you know, do my research and, you know, have the negotiation so it was many things like that.

Katerina: Yeah, but you see you you’ve been doing entrepreneurship for so many years and you have this vision and you plan ahead. What can you tell people, especially women who want to give up on their dream? They have an idea but then they have this fear, whether they’re capable of doing it, or maybe they should be doing it. So what can you tell them?

Kimberly: Well, one I would say that fear is normal, don’t, don’t think that you’re, you know that that is a very normal feeling to have, especially on maybe when things are not going in well, and know that that is actually normal to it again it’s not a success only journey on that in entrepreneurship. And I really would… I would say is, find a mentor if you don’t have one find somebody that knows more than you do. And be able to bounce ideas off of them and have them be able to, when you’re having that downtime, be able to explain to you, this is going to happen, this, this, this is normal. You can fight your way through it. You can give up. I mean, that’s one option that you have.

And it’s, I think a lot of people don’t realise maybe how hard it’s actually going to be because it sounds great. on your own business, make your own hours, do what you want to do when you want to do it, take a vacation whenever you want to. I think that’s probably one of the biggest misnomers is… You have to realise when it’s your business, you almost never go on vacation without your business being there someway somehow. You know, you when you are the boss, even if you have somebody running it, you know, it’s still You’re the last line, you know you’re the responsible party in it. And so, in fact, I had a client one time, asking me, you know how I took vacations. And I said, you know he was like do you just leave the computer home I said no. The computer is with me.

I said now I get it to where it’s not 24 seven that I’m working when I’m on vacation and, I plan and things like that but if something happens while I’m on vacation, I may have to take a couple of hours and take care of it. And where if you work a nine to five job, you don’t, you know, once you’re on vacation, you’re pretty much on vacation, for the most part, you don’t have somebody calling you going hey what’s this… this. And when you’re an entrepreneur that… that’s not really the case it’s your business is still going. If you’re sitting on the beach. So, sometimes it follows you on vacation and, but yeah mentorship I think is one of the biggest.

And actually… I actually taught that with one another I think mindset, your mindset is actually. I am… I was a psychology major in school so that’s probably, I am just naturally, an optimistic person. And so, that probably helps. I mean it’s not that I don’t have those days where I can be a pessimist. But there, for the most part, an optimistic person. So when I do have those down days, it may be a little easier for me to come out of it. Because I’ll stop, take a deep breath. I’ll tell you what I do and this is so embarrassing to be quite honest, if I get so overwhelmed or something like that — I have to just pry it out, it’s just almost like I have to release it all. And I’ll just, it’s all not it’s not a temper tantrum, I wouldn’t say it’s just I have to hit that breaking point, it, it’s very short, but it’s like, I have to go all the way to that point, to be able to stop and take that deep breath and go. Okay. Well, that wasn’t really helpful. Now, what do we do?

And, but it was like once I get that out, you know, it’s, I don’t know if it’s just stress relief, I just have to get it out. And then I can stop and focus, and you know, as I said, you know, the back crying fit or whatever, doesn’t do any good, other than maybe getting it out, and where I can stop and focus and in a lot of times it may be a phone call to my mentor going “Oh my gosh. Okay, so here’s where I’m at, and I don’t know where to go.” And usually, it’s not that hard to get out of in all honesty, I just can’t see it because I’m too close to it.

Katerina: Yeah, that’s right.

Kimberly: And that’s why I think mentors are great I think masterminds are great for that reason, masterminds are great because they’re a like-minded group of people that can be able to see things in your business maybe they can’t see. Because they understand business, but they’re not too close to yours. Because sometimes when you’re too close you know it’s the forest through the trees, you just can’t see it because you’re too close. Yeah. I think you have to have those tools around you.

Katerina: Yeah. Do you think it’s? Today’s a good time to start a new business though.

Kimberly: Oh, well, actually, I think, certain businesses, yes. If you’re trying to start a restaurant right now it’s probably not the best time, unfortunately.

Katerina: You can plan for it. You can plan a menu.

Kimberly: [laughs] Yeah, right. So, you know, there’s always, I don’t think there’s really a right or a wrong time, necessarily. I think you have to be ready I think it’s more about you and where you are in your head, what your mindset is… what you’re. Do you have what you need for your business, to be able to… If you have an idea. And I think that’s what frustrates me sometimes on Facebook, with so many of these like women entrepreneur groups. I’ll see all these people that are especially right now’s it’s worse because a lot of these people just lost their jobs. They’re like, I need to start a business right now, what can I do to make money quick.

Katerina: Yeah. There is no such thing…

Kimberly: Yeah, exactly. There is not such a thing as that… if there was — everybody would be doing it. And it’s… It doesn’t work that way. And it’s, and I get there in a situation where they just lost their job they need money quick. And, but starting a new business that’s, you know, it doesn’t happen quickly like that… it’s just, you don’t get a windfall right out of the gate. And it’s especially in a time like this, where everybody’s so unsure of everything. It’s… You’ve got to have a plan, and you know you’ve got to have it in place. And like I said, have your mind in the right place for it.

You know, I think… I heard, restaurants should be able to pay their bills for six months… have enough capital when they start to be able to pay their bills for six months without anything coming in to be able to expect to survive. And now, there have obviously been restaurants that had did not have that that made it. But, but that’s that was I remember hearing that thinking “Wow, that’s a lot of money to be out,” you know… six months, particularly in a restaurant because you’re talking overhead, like nobody’s business… with a restaurant and you know obviously there’s certain businesses that you don’t have that kind of overhead and things like that so it’d be much easier, but understand it doesn’t happen fast, you know… it’s a building process you have to build an audience.

Now, we have so many tools today that it’s a lot easier to build an audience today than it was 20 years ago. You know, we, there was no such thing as the Internet. Well, I guess there was we just didn’t have the ability to use it yet. And I’ll date myself here but I remember when I started right after I graduated college, I got an email address and thought that was the greatest thing ever. And there was really no Internet yet… I think Prodigy was coming out and you could. It was a glorified Encyclopaedia. And so, I, I can only imagine having this resource back then, what maybe would have happened so that we have it today so… it’s a game-changer.

Katerina: I know… on our news they say… that might be a second and the third wave of COVID-19… so, and you see a lot of messages and posts on… social media and you know, people just… it’s either very negative or sarcastic and people just say, you know, they are binging on Netflix.

Kimberly: I have watched more TV, than the last month than I have in a long time. And not that I don’t have plenty to do… well you do… yet well, actually you know we’re kind of talking a little bit about, you know, almost like some of the depression and stuff. I have felt that this… this month… this past month. It’s… nothing specific, you know, I’m healthy fortunately, all of my family is healthy I’ve known a few people that have gotten it but fortunately, they’ve gotten very mild versions of it where they’ve been fine, but I’ve been cooped up a little bit more. And I think it was not this past weekend but the weekend before I… I was in a bad mood that’s probably the best way to put it. You know I was snapping at my husband and I’m sure he’s thinking man What did I do? And it took me a little bit to figure out what was just I was tired of being in the house.

And yes, I had gone for a walk or I had done this, but it was just, it wasn’t enough. And actually, a friend of mine… It was probably the perfect timing, but she had actually text messaged me that they were getting together on Zoom for drinks that night just to sit there and chat there’s gonna be like five girls. And I thought, you know what, and I didn’t know any of them but her, and I thought you know, I think I need some interaction. I think that’s maybe part of my problem. We did that three nights in a row. And my attitude completely changed in that period of time.

And I think it was just pure interaction with people and not that my husband wasn’t, you know, great to talk to. But it is different and it’s. I’m used to talking to a lot of people. Most days, and not having as much as that interaction or seeing people even. I mean because I’ve talked to people on the phone but for some reason, seeing them was a little different.

Katerina: You can always call me [laughs].

Kimberly: I don’t know it’s psychological… I’m sure but it helps. My, my attitude completely changed so I think it’s a lot about finding what helps you dig out of those things. I went at a time without a mentor, and my business definitely struggled because of it because… I didn’t realise that I had it with my first one because it was my mom. I didn’t, I didn’t put it together, that that’s what that was. That’s what she was. And then when I was trying to build up that second one I struggled, and I think I did this before. And in a sense it was easy. And I didn’t have a true picture of what it was like to build a business because I did have so much hand-holding in that first one. And so my second one was a much more difficult process and I got probably a better picture of what it was like to build a business and I made a lot of mistakes. Oh my gosh, I, I’m embarrassed to think of some of the mistakes that I made because I’m thinking you knew better than that, but hey ho… sometimes you just do things that you can’t explain at the time. And I can’t explain them now. I have learned from them…

Katerina: Yeah, it’s no point beating yourself up.

Kimberly: Exactly. Well, you can’t, because we do that all day long and you’re not going to get anywhere so. And I did plenty of that early on, too. So…

Katerina: Any final advice from you, your final comment for entrepreneurs?

Kimberly: Just stick with it, even on those bad days, you’re gonna have them and just fight through them call somebody find a mentor and find him and when I say find a mentor, find somebody that understands business. A lot of people will maybe call their best friend, who is not an entrepreneur. And while they are a great person and can help you in so many ways, they probably are not going to understand the entrepreneur part of that, because there… It is a different world like I love my husband, but he has always been an employee of a company. And we think very differently. You know, and it’s just, I grew up, an entrepreneur and he grew up an employee. And so it is a different mindset. And it’s not either one is right or wrong. They’re just different. And so if you’re an entrepreneur and you need some help in that realm… you need to find another entrepreneur that understands what you’re going through.

Katerina: Yeah. Well thank you so much thank you for sharing your story with us and I wish you good luck with the new project…. People will have to survive these somehow.

Kimberly: Absolutely.

Katerina: Thank you so much for being on the show.

Kimberly: Oh well thank you for having me.