The Growing Pains Podcast
Growing a Business and a Family with Rachel Azagury
Embark on a journey of growth and transformation as we welcome Rachel Azagury, a cherished friend and client, to share her experiences of navigating family expansion and embracing change amidst significant shifts in her personal and professional life. From uprooting to Florida to orchestrating business transformations in Toronto, Rachel provides invaluable insights into balancing family, entrepreneurship, and self-care. Join us for a compelling discussion on embracing life's transitions with resilience and maintaining consistency through it all.
Rachel Azagury is the driving force behind the Concept Agency, specializing in branding and full-stack website services. With a keen understanding of the challenges of growth, Rachel offers invaluable insights on maintaining equilibrium amidst personal and professional expansion. Her mission: to inspire others to embrace challenges, seek support, and thrive.
Topics covered in this episode:
- Difficulties faced when growing a family and a business simultaneously.
- Challenges and joys of parenting.
- Importance of leaning on a support system.
- Importance of therapy in managing stress and anxiety.
- Career prioritization and the potential guilt associated with it.
- Future developments for Rachel's business
CONNECT WITH RACHEL:
https://theconceptagency.co/
https://www.instagram.com/theconcept.agency/
RESOURCES FROM ALYSON:
The Kid-Proof Business Checklist
https://alysoncaffrey.com/checklist
Maternity Leave Planning Guide
https://www.mastermaternityleave.com/guide
Embark on a journey of growth and transformation as we welcome Rachel Azagury, a cherished friend and client, to share her experiences of navigating family expansion and embracing change amidst significant shifts in her personal and professional life. From uprooting to Florida to orchestrating business transformations in Toronto, Rachel provides invaluable insights into balancing family, entrepreneurship, and self-care. Join us for a compelling discussion on embracing life's transitions with resilience and maintaining consistency through it all.
Rachel Azagury is the driving force behind the Concept Agency, specializing in branding and full-stack website services. With a keen understanding of the challenges of growth, Rachel offers invaluable insights on maintaining equilibrium amidst personal and professional expansion. Her mission: to inspire others to embrace challenges, seek support, and thrive.
Topics covered in this episode:
- Difficulties faced when growing a family and a business simultaneously.
- Challenges and joys of parenting.
- Importance of leaning on a support system.
- Importance of therapy in managing stress and anxiety.
- Career prioritization and the potential guilt associated with it.
- Future developments for Rachel's business
CONNECT WITH RACHEL:
https://theconceptagency.co/
https://www.instagram.com/theconcept.agency/
RESOURCES FROM ALYSON:
The Kid-Proof Business Checklist
https://alysoncaffrey.com/checklist
Maternity Leave Planning Guide
https://www.mastermaternityleave.com/guide
Are you juggling the challenges of running a business while raising your little ones? Do you crave more ease in balancing your professional ambitions with the demands of parenthood? Well, sit tight, you're in the right place and in good company. I'm your host, alison Caffrey, and I understand the growing pains that come with building a business while nurturing a growing household. As the founder of Master Maternity Leave and Operations Agency, I've walked the walk as an operator, strategic coach and fractional COO for growing companies to define, create and optimize the way they operate. And, like many of you, I'm also a proud mom of two very energetic boys.
Speaker 1:On Growing Pains, we save space for parents to share about the intricacies of running a business and raising a family. I'll be sitting down with fellow mompreneurs, and dads too, who are pursuing success in their businesses, all while being wildly present at home. They'll share vulnerably about challenges, give guidance and joke a little bit about bodily functions. Think of this as a soft spot to land when you feel like your ambitions are starting to become just a little overwhelming. I'm thrilled you're here with me and can't wait to share this exciting journey with you. Welcome to Growing Pains.
Speaker 1:Hey, and welcome to the Growing Pains podcast.
Speaker 1:I'm your host, alison Kaffrey, and today I sit down with friend and client, rachel Aguri, to talk through a lot of the challenges that we face in terms of growing a family and embracing changes.
Speaker 1:So they are actually on the forefront of a move to Florida and lots of shifting things in her business, as she currently operates inside of Toronto. Rachel owns the Concept Agency and is a branding and website full stack agency service and it's super, super common that when we get into these seasons of growth, it is so, so, so hard to think about what support looks like and how we can maintain some consistency throughout multiple different layers of what is going on for us personally, for our kids, for our business, for our team, for our spouse. It's all discussed today in our episode. I cannot wait for you guys to learn all of the little fun nuggets that Rachel gives us and to just hear some words of encouragement about embracing hard times and making sure that you get the support that you need. I will see you inside, rachel. Welcome to Growing Pains. I am so excited to have you here.
Speaker 2:Same. Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1:All right. So folks may, as they listen to this episode, understand Rachel and I don't go super way back, but we've got some amazing, amazing things in common. So Rachel is an amazing client of ours at operations agency. We both have the same coach, and so we also have found that even just before we press record, we have so many similarities, like in our timeline and our trajectory. You know what's next for us, and so I'm super excited to first of all have this conversation because I think that it's going to be so fun to kind of get between the lines and in the little details of what's actually happening behind growing, growing a business and raising a family. But for everybody listening who doesn't know you, what's your business, and tell us a little bit about your family at home, know you?
Speaker 2:what's your business and tell us a little bit about your family at home? Sure, so I own a marketing agency. It's called the Concept Agency. We are four years old, opened right when COVID started. I'll tell that story soon. Our agency is it's a full service agency. We focus on social email marketing, branding and web design, but we are definitely full service. And I have two kiddos at home, wonderful husband. My son, zach, is 12 and my daughter, l is nine, so they are growing up in a really good age. Actually, because they're like independent, but also that age comes with a lot of drama, we'll say but they're like independent, but also that age comes with a lot of drama, we'll say but they are really independent, which helps a lot.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, Well, it's been. I'm just super curious, like your favorite time age wise so far and like them growing up. That's such a good question.
Speaker 2:I feel like everybody always says, oh, right now is like my favorite time or um, so I definitely love my favorite time, or so I definitely love I did. I didn't love the newborn phase. That was really hard on me, especially with my first one, so that was hard on me. My second one was a lot easier, but my first one my son was hard. But I loved his toddler age. I thought that was so fun when he started like running around and walking.
Speaker 2:They're just so cute and I love all the firsts. I really am. I'm an experienced person, so every time we got to take them the first time to the zoo or the first time to, you know, the park or whatever, so I think, like that age was really fun. But this age right now is very cool too because I mean, they're people, they're actual people and they're my friends and they talk to me about stuff and they still like me and they still want to spend time with me. I mean I feel like that'll end, but they're still at that age so I get to really enjoy them and enjoy like their personalities and who they are. So but that toddler, like just starting to run around age is absolutely adorable.
Speaker 1:So that's where my kids are right now and I think I think all the time I just some days I'll just get like completely saturated with this gratitude, right, I'm just like, oh my gosh, it's better Like it's. It's. It's worse sometimes than you could ever imagine and it's also better sometimes than you could ever imagine. But I almost feel like, without the contrast, you couldn't have either like so deeply, like those those great moments. And I think about it all the time. Because right now, the age of my two boys, like two and four, is like right in that sweet spot of like firsts and chaos and like messy greatness, and I'm trying to like soak it all in but not think too far into the future of like, oh well, what's going to happen. So it's such an interesting thing to try to balance. I'm so curious. So, four-year-old business, what was the jumping point? What made you really excited to start your own company, and was that kind of like an aha moment, an overnight decision, or had this been something that had been building for a really long time?
Speaker 2:So I come from a family of entrepreneurs and back then I don't think it was called entrepreneurs, it was like my parents owned a business. You know they were business owners, small business owners, um, but I always knew I wanted to own my own business. I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, always, always, always. And uh, I, but I knew that I wanted a career first. I knew that I wanted to learn. I thought that was the best way for me to learn. I didn't jump right into it. You know, I sort of dabbled in freelance and always had like a client or two, uh, studied graphic design, so I was sort of had a client or two, but uh, I knew from, I mean, as far as I can remember, that I just sort of wanted to run my own thing. I worked a majority of my career I spent time working with in two different organizations that supported entrepreneurs, so they were like they did mentoring and funding and programming and all that good stuff. So I was not just I didn't grow, I also grew up with entrepreneurs, but I was surrounded by them all day, every day. I, you know, saw the best latest tech startups, worked with brick and mortar stores. So, again, always knew I wanted to do it.
Speaker 2:And then, um, something changed in my career, like you know, one day, just a couple of changes, and I was like, well, maybe, like now's the time, now is sort of the time and I decided to just step out and start the business. Um, I had a partner for a little bit and then we decided to just go our own ways. Totally amicable and amazing, we just went our own ways and the day we decided to go our own way was March 13th 2020. So it was the day before the school shut down and I thought, great, I'll spend the next two weeks really leaning and learning into building my business at home. And then, you know, four years later, here we are. So, yeah, that was literally the day. It was very interesting journey and my kids were home and everybody, but I thought it was only going to be a few weeks and it wouldn't be a big deal, but that was very different.
Speaker 1:How old were the kids then when you started the business? Were they in school when COVID happened and everything shut down?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So my son was eight and my daughter would have been five. Five, yeah, five. So they were very young. My daughter went into JK, if I remember correctly, in like 2019 or whatever it was, so she was in kindergarten when everything really started. So she spent her first few years of like school kind of in and out of school, Right, and so they were very like it was. It was very hard. I remember putting a note on my door once that said only come in if the house is on fire, cause they were just like running meetings and like opening and closing the door and it was like really hard. When I was starting my business doing that, my husband was home, working from home too, but he had, like he has a corporate job and then back then nobody worked from home. So it was very strange for them to do this. And, yeah, it was, it was wild and they were little, so it was really wild.
Speaker 1:What was it like getting your footing in that situation? Do you have something that you leaned on, at least top of mind, that you were just like okay, I would not have made it through without this?
Speaker 2:My therapist. It was a disaster. It was a disaster for me, honestly, opening a new business, running it, and it was doing like well enough that I had like a steady flow of clients and which was like incredible, but also a lot. And then kids at home and then COVID and like the whole world was like in panic. And I am from Toronto and for those you know who were from Toronto or are from Toronto and during COVID it was bad here, Like we shut everything down for a very long time, so all of that together at once.
Speaker 2:At the time I was like I don't understand why I'm so anxious now. I like totally get it. Um, so, honestly, therapy. I like really I started therapy, I think a little bit before that, but it was more of like okay, I want to get to know myself better and just like sort of thing, and that then it was. It became like a requirement, um, therapy, therapy. And then I had a few like business besties who started also around the same time, um, and they were just people I knew but also happened to be starting around the same time and but two or three of those people and I would not have made it without any of them and again my therapist.
Speaker 1:so yeah, I I love that you've brought like therapy into this, because I personally feel like there's even still a stigma around therapy and folks pursuing therapy. I personally actively, am not seeing a therapist, but have kicked up therapy in my life through tough seasons in early motherhood, like I knew proactively that there was going to need to be a time where I could just like truly like unpack my baggage and like leave it on somebody who was like trained to be able to handle it. Cause I think what we do sometimes is like we need therapy, but then we like talk to our friend or talk to our spouse or whoever in our life, and that person, although so well-meaning, is like literally not trained to handle our baggage and so there is no, like there are no questions, there are no, you know, like there's no working through it or like somebody holding a mirror up to you. So are you like? I don't know?
Speaker 1:I guess my big question to land this plane is like are you always in therapy? Is this something that you're always proactively doing? Is this something that now is kind of like a standing part of how you do motherhood and business and self-development? Or is this something that you kick up in seasons? Cause I personally do the kick it up in the seasons where I know it's going to be tough. I'm like, all right, got my gal, here we go. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Um, I was pretty constant for I would say like two or three years, uh, and then I felt like I was at a really good stage where I could slow it down. Uh, and now I am more like you. It's really I come in, I reach out to her when I need her, um, so it sort of was like every two week thing, and then I went to like once every three weeks, once a month, and it's still, you know, once every few months. Uh, month, and it's still, you know, once every few months. So now it's when I need her. But I spent maybe again like two or three years really focusing on how to like, learn and get those tools of how to.
Speaker 2:I am very you know the nicest way, feel like, very controlling. I want certain things done as you know, certain way. I definitely have ADD, and so all the thoughts in my head running at the same time, while still wanting to manage everything, like and do everything myself is just not. I mean, I think a lot of entrepreneurs are like that, but it's very hard. So she's taught me how to like, let go. She's taught me how to lean into my support system, which is like my husband, who was always willing to help and I sort of never really let him. And so she gave me all those tricks and so now I really feel I just check in when I need to and I have the right tools.
Speaker 2:And she taught me how to deal with, like you know, when you're super anxious, you know what are some things that you can do. So I definitely feel like now I'm at a stage where I can check in and I know there's a stigma around it, but I I now that I've been through it I don't get it. I mean, don't you want to just have someone you can just talk to and can lay everything out for you? It's such a great like tool and feeling for anybody, but especially someone who has a few things you know going on. At the same time I advocate for I've referred her to everybody and I advocate constantly for therapy to people. So that's why I'm pretty open about it. I just don't see how it can't help you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, totally, it's like preventative, proactive medicine, right, like you don't want to wait until something goes wrong and then, all of a sudden, you have to start detangling. I personally love that and, honestly, it sounds like she imparted you with a lot of valuable tools, one of which is asking for help, and I know that you have an incredible husband behind the scenes who supports you. I do too, and I feel grateful every day that he has been able to step into a position to support our family the way that he has. Since he left the military, he's been predominantly stay at home dad, like that's been his role.
Speaker 1:Talk to me about that relationship and with your husband and how he supports you, because I think even this has a little bit of a stigma around it in the sense that if you have a supportive husband, there's always someone who's like oh, it must be nice to have somebody who's so supportive of you. Like I don't have that and I feel for the single parents out there, I really do. Honestly, I have no idea, like almost no idea at all. My mom was a single mom for a while when we were young and I remember talking with her about that and being like how? And she was like honestly, I think I just like blacked out and just like kept going and I was like whoa I mean seriously, though. So talk to me about that support and being so type A right, knowing what you want, having sort of that control over things. What made it possible for you to let go and like actually have him support you in the ways that perhaps he wants to?
Speaker 2:So he's definitely always wanted to. I'll say that he's definitely always been supportive of any career direction. I've always been very ambitious. I've always put my career first. In many ways I thought I could do both and I believe you can do both. But I also feel very fortunate to have a strong support system, not just in my husband but in my parents and my siblings and they're all amazing and so they've all helped.
Speaker 2:But my husband, I think for the first few years of my kids' lives I was primary caregiver, um, mainly because of proximity. I worked really close to home, like fairly close, but I at one point I did work far away and I actually quit my job and found a local job because I couldn't get to daycare. One day when my son was sick and it was like a whole thing and I was like my mom ended up going to pick him up or trying to pick him up. She couldn't get to him. It was like a very sad situation. He was just had the flu, but coming running to daycare two hours after a phone call and seeing my son sort of like lying on the floor sick, I was like, no, just I'm not working far away. So I ended up finding a great job close to home. I was very lucky. So because of that I sort of became primary caregiver. I spent a lot of the first, let's just say, eight years up until COVID um, taking my kids to school, didn't making the lunches If my husband was gone by the time the kids woke up, basically, uh, cause he had worked further away. So I would do everything from the morning routine to then take them to the, pick them up, take them to their programs. If there was doctor's appointments, if there was early pickups, it was all me, um, and COVID happened.
Speaker 2:He started working from home and I started running this business and we started like sharing some things. And then he started seeing, like, how difficult it was to like deal with it, get homework and do the like, even though they were home, like you still have to feed them and, you know, clothe them and make sure everything was like functioning and happening. That he didn't. He couldn't do a lot of because he would be gone from seven to six or whatever it was. So he started helping out, you know here and there, and just doing some stuff, like naturally, and I was in therapy at the same time and she kept saying you know like he, he wants to help. You have to learn how to accept that help.
Speaker 2:And so the combination of all of these things, I and I was really just at a point where I was feeling super anxious and overwhelmed in the combination of all. You know, one day I think it was about a year into my business, I turned to him and I said I really think this can be something like I'm doing well enough, but I think it could be something. But I need you to like super lean into being like pickup and drop off and all that stuff. And he was like yeah, sure, like no problem, like no issue at all, and all that stuff. And he was like yeah, sure, like no problem, like no issue at all.
Speaker 2:Um, and I started like giving up control over certain things and just like handing things over to him one by one, by one, by one.
Speaker 2:Um, and you know, I'll say this for most moms, I feel like they feel like this even if you don't love the way he does things like, even if you don't love it, like it's just the way they do things right, you do things differently and they do so. I had to it was a very hard for me Just turn away. I don't want you to put that snack in their lunch, but like that's the big deal you know. So there's things I had to like learn. Anyways, he leaned hard and ever since he has, my business has probably doubled and tripled in sales because I got to step back a little bit and really focus on running the business and still getting to be a fun mom, because I wasn't really fun mom, I was just mom, you know, like doing stuff. So I am and I feel super fortunate because I know I don't know how single parents do it, but I feel super fortunate that I have that support system in him, like it's he's my number one supporter, that's for sure.
Speaker 1:That's so incredible and what a what a gift like to your kids too. Right? Like I think parents forget sometimes that you decide to do life with this other person and then the moms are like no, they must be done this way. But then we actually forget the other 50% of like the value that dad can bring to the scenario. There are so many times where I've done the same thing.
Speaker 1:I'll be like hovering over him doing something and he's like, well, you just like let me freak his, do this. Like get out of here. Like go do the thing you said you wanted to do and you handed me this task in the first place. Like it's just so interesting. I don't know why we do that to ourselves or what, but I actually find right, like our. I don't know why we do that to ourselves or what, but I actually find right, like our kids having the opportunity to see both of us working together and like making it work. You know our kids are little, so I mean there's still. You know, time will tell if, whether this is helpful or not, but I believe, yeah, I believe it will be, does he still?
Speaker 2:work.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he still works full time. So now he's back in office two days a week. It was, like you know, work from home for a very long time. Now he's back in office and I feel those two days like it is not having him be able to do especially the drop off and pick up just little things. Or you know, somebody forgot something and you have to run to the school and drop it off. Not having that person, it's just sort of like looms and eventually he's going to go back to work and that's going to be really interesting. Thankfully my kids are a little bit older so it is a bit easier now.
Speaker 2:Um, he works full-time while you know, supporting this. But I will say too, that's what I did, that's what all moms do, like I work full-time my whole, like, besides Matt Leaf, which we have a year here in Canada. So it was amazing, but I worked from the, you know, one year. My son was one years old up until now, full-time, and was primary caregiver, so he was willing to do it. He just had to be. I guess let's allow him to do it. Poor guy Like I didn't even realize I was doing that Right, I didn't even realize I was sort of stopping him from helping.
Speaker 1:Yeah, totally Helping in his way, like leaning into it too. And I think the same is true, like when we grow our business, when we hire a team right, we hire somebody to take something over for us, and then we're like Nope, nope, actually this is the way that you need to do it. And so training ourselves to kind of step back and consider right that, like handing those reins over, is super important. I want to before we go down that path, because it's super, super important, especially for I know, like the timing and trajectory of the future of your company. Spoiler alert, y'all I know some fun juicy information that I'm about to ask Rachel about.
Speaker 1:But I want to talk about your career focus, because it's very, very clear that you're like I'm unashamed, I'm a career first gal.
Speaker 1:I know that we like that will make me a better mom, and so I actually feel like moms struggle with this quite a bit If they're a business owner or if they're career focused or if they know that they want to be. I always say like more than mom, right, like more than just mom, more than um, you know, just doing all of the things. And there's no dishonor in staying home with your family, there's absolutely none whatsoever. But I also think on the other side of the coin, there's also no dishonor in being extremely career focused and bringing that into some of the ways that you support your kids. So talk to me about like has that always been the case? Have you always had this confidence that you know you want to put your career really high on the priority list, and have there been times where you've really struggled with that? Maybe some mom guilt creeps in, because I know that is very true for me. I'm still working through this transparently.
Speaker 2:I get it. First of all, anyone who stays at home with their kids hardest job ever. I had a little take during COVID and I just it's incredible. Because's incredible? Because you know, kids are hard and uh, or can be hard, right? So, um, I think that's probably why I really put career first, because that side of that career is is just a bit too hard for me. Um, yeah, I I definitely first of all think again. There is a stigma around it of, you know, women who want to put their career first their priority when they have children.
Speaker 2:I've had mom guilt in certain moments. So you know, again leaving my job like downtown Toronto and finding something closer because I've just felt so horrible that I couldn't get to my kids on time and I wasn't near them and all that stuff. So that was definitely. You know. I got to the school, he was fine, he had the flu, it was all okay, but it just was that two hours to get home was horrible. I still remember it and he was one.
Speaker 2:So I think that I've always again, I've just always been ambitious and excited about running my own business and excited about my career. I've had really cool jobs and so I saw what it was like to love what you do. I know what it's like to not like what you do. So I love what I do. I don't know why I would put that at the bottom of my list. Like I enjoy what I do every day, I enjoy making cool things working with great people. Like I enjoy what I do every day, I enjoy, um, making cool things working with great people. I'm good at what I do and if I were to move that to the bottom of my list, I would resent everything and everyone. I would resent my husband, my kids, even if they didn't do anything. Um, so I knew from the beginning that I just didn't want to be that person, that I wanted to put that side of me first. Now I put other stuff, other parts of me.
Speaker 2:You know, I don't prioritize, like I wasn't prioritizing my health, I wasn't prioritizing, you know, taking care of myself. So that was a lot of stuff that I wasn't prioritizing at some point because I chose kids and career. I felt like I couldn't have it all. Prioritizing at some point because kids and career, I felt like I couldn't have it all. But, uh, I did feel mom guilt and I felt it when I was far away. When I found a job that was closer to home and that was my balance. I was lucky to find something where I was 20 minutes away and it was a really good career. That was my balance that I could go to the appointment but still work at a job, uh, that I loved and loved doing what I need to do. I also had a boss who was amazing, who I'm still very close to, that supported me, that allowed me to work from home, and work from home Wasn't a thing when I needed to be home with my kids and that was just absolutely amazing If I just needed to step out for a bit. And.
Speaker 2:But I also believe, giving everything you have while you're there. So when I was at work from nine to five, I gave it all. I was all in. So when I left at five, or if I need to leave at four to go to my kids, you know event or whatever it was nobody ever cared because they knew I was all in all, like when I was there. So I think, like I just learned how to find that balance of the two. I always knew I wanted to do this. I always knew I wanted to be. I always knew I wanted to focus on my career and be an entrepreneur way before I knew I wanted to be a mom Way before when you're young, I mean, I don't really, I didn't really think about that. So yeah, I think like again, I definitely felt guilty at times but I kept saying to myself like no, this is why the opposite.
Speaker 2:The opposite is scarier. Resenting my family because I don't get to be who I want to be is way worse.
Speaker 1:So Absolutely you, and I believe very similarly in that vein where resent will build, you know, if you don't follow the thing that you're super passionate about, like as an individual right, like the difference you want to make, the impact you want to leave. And I actually do believe that pursuit of that needs to be intentional, in the sense that, like we don't want it to bleed into our family time and we look back and say, wow, I was such, you know, in ruthless pursuit of my goal that I forgot my husband or I forgot my family. But also like showing our family that passion that we have and the dedication and the commitment, like I think that's beautiful and it's a gift to our family to show that. I want to talk about the next season. So you guys are planning a really awesome move and you guys are, you know, preparing for another season of the business, growth and business development and almost an entire rebirth of your life as a family. You guys are moving away from family.
Speaker 1:So I'd love to talk about, you know, that thread that we'd opened earlier regarding support and, you know, leaning on your husband and leaning on folks, is support going to look a little bit different, I'd imagine, in Florida, and what are you struggling with? What are you looking forward to? I think, as we enter into these new seasons of business and life, there can be a lot that we feel like we've figured out before and then now we almost need to redefine what success and the calendar and the systems and all the things need to look like in order to support this new version. So what are you thinking through, what are you excited about and what will this look like for your family, at least that you know of right now?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, it's a tough one. So I, you know, I've lived, born and raised here in Toronto and Canada and so many great things here, had a great life here, and but always I mean at first it's the driving factor at the beginning was weather.
Speaker 2:I want to be outdoors year round, like everyone sort of feels that way. Right, winter's hard here. We're really indoors between November to April, like we just it's a sunny day and it's been the first one in a very long time, and so so, um, covid also drove that and there's just a lot of factors that ended up. You know, that was the time my son's older now and I don't want to do it when he's in high school, so it was like either now or never, um sort of feeling, or maybe like retirement. So, uh, you know we've made this decision to really like lean into it and look and look into what it would look like to just not live here anymore.
Speaker 2:And the other thing is COVID. What COVID taught me are a few things on the business side, you can work with anybody from around the world. Like I had Canadian clients not even Canadian, I'd say like local to my little circle and then all of a sudden COVID introduced me to you know one person, like I joined some groups and a person in California and a person in you know Texas, and sort of like all over the place. So now I have clients half of my clients are in the U? S and I started going to meet them and started going to visit them, and so for us as a business opportunity, this is incredible. For us as a personal, we are so excited for an outdoor lifestyle, we're excited to meet new people, we're excited to just for a change. I think we're really itching for something different. So, you know, all of that is the good stuff, that's all what we're excited for. I really think that my business is going to expand greatly. I'm looking forward to going to meeting like again, to events and stuff like that that I haven't done in a long time.
Speaker 2:But the support side of things is kind of terrifying because I have my parents here who are always very supportive. Like they're picking up the kids today because my husband's on home and I have a bunch of meetings and uh, and I booked those meetings knowing that my parents could pick up the kids Uh, I will have that. They're still here. I'm trying to bribe them to come with me, but I'm not really sure they're going to come visit a lot. But, um, my in-laws aren't going to be here and my in-laws are also always ready to like help, however we need, so we're going to be alone. We have some friends, which is great, but we're going to be alone and likely my husband's going to be in an office, like in person, because that's what everyone's leaning in hybrid or in person.
Speaker 2:So it's sitting, it's sitting in the back of my head constantly. How am I going to do this? I have to pick up the kids. I'm going to be the one who was like I don't have friends that are going to be able to pick them up. Uh, I don't, you know things like that, so I don't. I went. I don't have an answer.
Speaker 2:I all all I know is that, uh, the benefits are going to outweigh all of this, and I truly believe that. And the part of the reason we're doing this is because we want to live a more adventurous life, we want more opportunity for us and the children. So some sacrifices will need to be made and you know that's one of them. It's going to be really tough, but that's one of them. And you know, my kids are thankfully. My kids are excited, so it makes it easier, but it's like thankfully. So I just I keep reminding myself of all of that good stuff that we're going to get and then, but it is sitting in the back of my head like how am I going to do all this, but I mean, just like we did it before, we'll figure it out. I don't know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's fun when a lot of the growing pains of having your own company and being a parent and making it all work, like you have evidence or proof that you've weathered hard seasons and you've come out. You know well on the better, you know end of things and I think that is one of the greatest gifts, like personally, we can give ourselves is like all that wonderful proof that like we are resilient, we can figure it out. I think Marie Forleo says like everything is figureoutable and I think as you guys go into this new season, you know creating that spirit of things are going to look different, but different is good and you know we're going to kind of figure our footing but we're going to do it together. I also think there's such value in like navigating a new location like just your family, like little family, do you know?
Speaker 1:what I'm saying Like I think it may bring y'all not that you need to be brought closer together, but it could be, you know, unifying in a way right, it's y'all. And then there's like everybody else right, there's not like extended family, there's not friends. We had like a fraction of that when we all went to explore a new area together in Colorado when we'd gone out at the end of last year. We went to a new area that none of us had ever been before. We were just like exploring and open to opportunity and it was really really fun to just experience a new place together, like all of us at the same time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm excited about that. I think you know, uh, again, being very focused on this business for the past few years has taken me a little further away from parenting duties. I'll say, uh, and I'm excited to spend more time with my kids, especially when they're at an age of, you know, being sort of little adults, like getting to know them. Like I said, they have their personalities and they're my friends, you know they're. They talk to me about stuff now. So navigating this with them, like I feel like it sounds a little ridiculous, but you know, I am so excited to have my girl especially, who loves going shopping and loves picking stuff, with me. And I was at first I was such a silly thing but I was like, well, who am I going to go pick all our home stuff with? Like I don't really have anybody there. And then I was like, well, let's just go with Elle and I'll just go with her, and she loves that stuff. And so, you know, having a buddy to do all this with and I think is I'm very lucky that I have that with them.
Speaker 2:Um, it also helps that my best friend is moving with us too. My best friend and her family, they're moving at the same time as us. So that's very helpful. But we are I don't know, we are just, we're just looking at the positive. That's the only way to do this. I think that's the way to keep sane, and if I manage to get through COVID and all of that, then this is at least. I'll do this in sunshine. It's going to be difficult, but I'll be in sunshine, so I'll just like take it.
Speaker 1:I love that. I love that. I'm so excited for you and your family and I appreciate all the things that you've shared. I think, like I said to kind of open the episode, you and I have found ourselves in a friendship and a professional relationship that feels like it's running very parallel, and so I love hearing your shares and your encouragement and your excitement, because I always I say this most episodes. So folks who are listening they're like, oh my gosh, allie, what? But this is like my little therapy session where folks come in and they're like I'm going through this too. So I appreciate you sharing and I'm so excited for what's ahead for your family and for the concept agency and all the growth. So folks want to follow along and they're like let's help Rachel and get excited about her navigating this next journey and like, see the concept agency explode. Where can they follow along?
Speaker 2:I would love if they follow along. I'm trying to share as much as I can, especially about this move, because a lot of people have questions, so it's really fun to share it. They can follow along on our Instagram, which is the conceptagency and then, or on our website, the conceptagencyco, and yeah, we share most things on there on Instagram. We're also on TikTok it's also the concept agency so you can sort of follow along there and if they are, I'm happy to answer. I'm pretty transparent, so I'm happy to answer any questions about business or motherhood or this move, which is a big one.
Speaker 1:So or, of course, branding and digital landscape. Like you guys are excellent at that. I've seen your work and it is absolutely so beautiful For moms listening Rachel, who are in the thick of it, growing businesses, raising families. What words of encouragement do you have for them before we sign off today?
Speaker 2:I would say, first of all, keep going, like, just keep going, even if it's one little step at a time. I learned very early that a win is a win, even if that's answering five emails that day or taking that one meeting that week, whatever it is, it's a win. A win is a win. So keep going.
Speaker 2:And if you don't have a support system, there are so many ways to find people who are going through similar things online. There are so many groups online and they're free groups and attend those events. Go to that lunch, you know, meet the people, listen to these podcasts, read the book all of those things. You feel like you're part of a community. Being part of communities changed a lot of things for me, and that's from earlier on my career until now. I'm still part of so many communities, one. They've helped my business by just clients, but also talking to people like you and who are going through similar things. So find that community and just breathe one step at a time. Like it's, it'll happen, it'll happen, oh my gosh, that's such great advice, rachel.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for joining me today and for encouraging everybody listening. I have no doubt that there are some, some women out there who are feeling inspired from our conversation.
Speaker 2:I hope so. That was you know. Again, I I find myself inspired on a daily by so many women especially, so I love doing this. Thank you for asking me.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode of Growing Pains. I know that you have so many things vying for your attention right now, so I am so grateful that you just spent the last hour or so with me. So I hear all the time from mompreneurs Allie, allie. What systems do I need to have in place in order to thrive in business and in parenthood? If you go over to allisoncaffreycom checklist, you can grab my kid proof business checklist and it will get you started in the right direction around making sure that you build a business that doesn't steal all of the time away from your family. If you loved today's episode, I would be so, so, so honored if you would leave a review on the podcast. It helps us reach even more incredible mompreneurs just like you and give them the resources they need to be wildly successful in business and wildly present at home with their families. Thanks so much again and I'll see you next time.