Anthony Standifer 5:25
Ah, so, the name itself is a play on words. So the M, in mSEED means mustard. And both my business partner and I are of the Christian faith. And so, within the context of the Bible, it talks about having faith, the size of a mustard seed, to do huge, amazing things. And so we didn’t want to be outwardly Oh, here we are as Christians doing our thing. And so it was our sort of inward play on our faith. And what’s interesting is that everybody that we in starting our own business, we’re taking the leap of faith, and really planting a seed in the ground. And every customer that we deal with is, is doing the same thing in some form, because our whole goal is to support small and growing businesses in the beauty and personal care space. And so everybody is out there, in some capacity, taking the risk and hoping that it works.
Joshua Chin 6:20
You’ve worked with many brands, in the beauty space across your career, both small, midsize and large. What is something that you see consistently done wrong? In the beauty space that just irks you? Is there anything like that?
Anthony Standifer 6:39
There are several.
Joshua Chin 6:41
Okay, I figure
Anthony Standifer 6:42
comes with, this comes with the idea that, you know, you’ve been in a place a long time, the biggest thing really is that people that get so broad. My my initial red flag is when I asked someone, well, who is your target customer? And they give me this really, really broad answer of I’m talking to women between 18 and 54. And they want, you know, some sort of moisture retention in their hair, or they’re looking to solve a dry skin problem. And it is so broad. And I go as a small business, how on earth are you going to talk to 50 million women in the US or globally, they profile, it’s impossible. And so even within the context of big multinational brands that I’ve previously worked with, you know, they have even gotten hip to the game that they need to be very sort of niche specific, in terms of how they talk to and how they target customers. And as an indie beauty brand, and somebody that’s just starting out the gate as a product person, you’ve got to be even more narrow. And the great thing is that technology now, and social media really allows us to niche down in such a very finite way, that still gives small startup businesses an opportunity to be super successful in the early days, because they get really, really, really specific about who they were looking to superstar.
Joshua Chin 8:13
What uh, what are some examples of brands who have done as well. And I’m coming from a point of view of I’ve seen brands taking stands that are really specific, very niche and scaling really successfully beyond the seven even eight figure mark, just focusing on one category or one specific definition of what put your audiences.
Anthony Standifer 8:34
So I’ll give two examples. One will be possibly obscure to your audience, but it may be something to go and look and see. So there is a African American woman Her name is Monique Rodriguez. She is the founder of a brand called Mielle Organics Mielle Mielle organics six or. Well, really eight years ago now she was a registered nurse was looking for solutions to grow her hair back after having experienced some heat damage from just you know, doing all of the stuff that women do with their hair. And so in her exploration to find the solution, she developed her own oil, a hair oil that she was using, but she also recognized as a registered nurse that her internal health was just as important as what she was putting on top of her hair. And so she worked with a manufacturer to develop a hair supplement that was specifically designed to nourish the body from the inside to produce healthier, stronger hair. And so it was a really, you know, again, hair vitamins and everybody knows about biotin like, Oh, I’m just gonna take some vitamins for my hair. But this was more than just biotin it was a really thought well thought out herbal blend of vitamins and supplements that was specifically designed to nourish the hair and scalp and so she went to market with an Instagram account and two products. Fast forward to 2022 when we’re recording this show is the owner of the fastest growing multicultural haircare brand in a $1 billion ethnic haircare market. And so she’s, you know, running an eight figure business at this point, because in the early days, she was super, super specific about who she was targeting, and super niche in the way that she offered a solution. So it wasn’t about let me give you 12 products to solve your problem. It was I got two products, I want you to get consistent with these two products. And we’re gonna walk through the way to get value out of these two. And so that, you know, became the beginning of what again, is now a huge eight figure BD brand in the space. My second example is in a more broader stream, Kylie Jenner, Kylie Cosmetics, Kylie starting out is a huge brand. But Kylie started with a single product focused on lips. And so the idea was just focusing on something really, really specific. And again, this is somebody with capital with resources with reach. But she didn’t come out with a beauty brand that was like, let me give you a 20 piece set of beauty products. It was a single product that was focused for specific time. And that time was to just Garner people’s attention and garner conversation and initial sales, and then to expand into other areas. And so this idea of niching is, is something that can happen from you know, I’m at home myself, registered nurse working a part time, a full time job, starting a business to AMA global celebrity. But I’m still taking that same principle of focusing on an audience and growing from there.
Joshua Chin 11:39
It’s interesting to see that the first step that really successful beauty brand beauty brands take is in kind of, I guess, finding your tribe, whatever that means. And no matter how like, like you mentioned, no matter how large and how big a war chest is, it’s important to find that initial segment of customers that can really get behind what you stand for and what you’re trying to sell.
Anthony Standifer 12:06
Absolutely.
Joshua Chin 12:08
Hey, everyone, Josh here, did you know that email marketing is one of the most effective channels to nurture and retain your customers leads them to your business back again and again. But for most budding ecommerce stores, it can be expensive to commit to a full service agency. Sometimes you just need a starting point. And that is why we launched Kairos, the new service that offers you the freedom to pay for what you need, and to get high quality custom email flows and campaigns at Chronos. We’ve worked with over 400 clients over the past couple of years, earning them over $200 million in unlocked revenue. Trust us when we say we know what works. Why settle for boring, ineffective email templates, when you can have access to custom copywriting, beautiful creatives, and high quality email flows from a marketing experts all within a seven day turnaround time. We’ve received some incredible feedback from a beta launch clients. And now I want you to experience our top notch services firsthand without a massive price tag as a thank you for listening to the eCommerce Profits Podcast. So use the code podcast 20 off at checkout to receive 20% off any Kairos service, the offer will be available for only the first 10 redemptions. So once it’s gone, it’s gone. Again, that’s podcast 20 off that’s P O D Cast 2 zero 0 F F, check out Kairos at Kairos.Chronos.Agency that’s K A I R O S dot c H R o n o s dot agency. I’ll put a link in the description below. So you can find it as well. Cheers. And now it’s back to the episode. Scaling a beauty brand it’s it’s easy to be kind of identified with one thing specifically, how do you break out of that one thing and scale to the level that Monique has and Kylie has in multiple categories and now they have multiple, I suppose segments of audiences that they serve.
Anthony Standifer 14:20
It’s it’s super easy. Most people think that they’re going to get niched and put into a box. If you know the larger term vision for what you’re doing. You’re just really saying I’m going to talk to a specific segments of the overall population or focus on a really specific set of products solutions for that. So it’s not as if Kylie’s like, I’m never going to launch another beauty product. She’s like, I’m starting with lips, and then I’m going to move to the rest of the face. And so the body from a cosmetic solution and Monique’s example it is okay, I started with these two products and now I’m moving out to a shampoo and conditioner, other styling products. And so as long as your follow ups are complimentary or adjacent to the topic for which you initially made your disruption, that it’s easy for people to follow you. Now, if you start making beauty products, and you’re like, Hey, I’m doing skincare. And now all of a sudden, I want to talk to you about cat food, like those are completely different conversations and maybe follow you, as a brand might be a bit disruptive. But the moment you start talking beauty or a specific segment, I can easily go from skin, to hair, to cosmetics to fashion, if I want to, to home care. And so making these sort of you know movements in the space, as long as you’re serving the same customer, that customer will follow you into wherever it is that you want them to go. Because you maintain a really intimate connection with them. And you’ve really, as you said, you develop a tribe, and your tribe is like, Yes, I’m with you, like you’re the person that delivers the kind of quality that I’m looking for. So I’m willing to move with you to these various areas of life or these various products that you’re offering. And so it is a tried and true process. The kiss of death, however, is somebody who was trying to be all things to all people and offer every solution to a specific problem, and that you crash and burn, crash and burn.
Joshua Chin 16:24
But makes sense. It makes a lot of sense. And Anthony, you you coach and train us, you know, select entrepreneurs on a one on one basis. And you get to see a lot of different businesses come and go. What are some of the consistently similar traits of successful entrepreneurs that that you have identified over the years?
Anthony Standifer 16:50
Another great question. And it’s an odd thing. Like sometimes you would think, Oh, this person is really smart, like, Oh, my God, they come into a room and they have got their T’s crossed, and I’s dotted is this, this person is sharp, or they’ve got a lot of education, like, yes, they’re this, or they’ve got a lot of experience in some industries. So maybe they worked in corporate America, now they’re coming out to launch their own brand. None of that matters. None of that matters. Those are not the most indicative indicators of who’s in my opinion going to be successful. People that I have found that are long term successful are people who execute consistently, regardless of the environment, the people who execute consistently, regardless of environment. So I have another brand who, in the middle of and some of it can be, you know, there’s no such thing as balance in life. So I fully recognize that sometimes life happens and things sort of move you off of your intended course, and your intended path as a business owner. But as a business, your ability to show up and consistently tried to engage and convert and retain customers is the job. And it doesn’t mean it means you’re not feeling well, today, somebody died in the family. So again, consistency is the thing that matters the most in these instances, you know, people and brands that show up and deliver the value that they want to to either engage, convert or retain customers, regardless of how they’re feeling, regardless of the circumstance. I literally saw brands grow during COVID, in the middle of the shutdowns, because even though people were shut down at home, they still had access to technology and social media. And so people showed up for lives and tutorials in a way that they hadn’t before. And brands that demonstrated that they could consistently deliver content, reap the benefits of having consistent execution. And so to your earlier question, like Who Do I See succeeding are the people who execute without excuse without hesitation over a long period of time. Guaranteed. They make the mistakes, they stumble from the mistakes but they learn they pivot they keep executing, and eventually momentum catches them and rise the tide that they’re building.
Joshua Chin 19:23
I love that. I love that. Um, one of the the unique perspectives that I feel that you have Anthony is that you’ve been an employee and now an employer and an entrepreneur. What are some of the worst experiences you’ve had in a employee employer relationship?
Anthony Standifer 19:46
So as an employee, I spent 14 years inside of corporate America. I always say that it was the best training ground for me because I got to sit up close and personal to leadership. I’m in various forms of leadership. And so at the time I was paying attention, but even in hindsight, I can now see how I gravitated towards certain leaders, and the other leaders who I didn’t resonate as much with. And so it has influenced how I then show up in today’s environment, like I’m not afraid to leave it is, you know, this idea of being a leader just means that I go first. And if I go first, then other people have an option to say, Okay, I will come after you. And if I create an environment that says, If you come, I will support you in your support of my vision, and of my going first, and I support your ability to have a full experience. So the leaders that I’ve, I’ve loved the most, were also fiercely, like, bold, but also radically human. And saying, like, hey, we stepped out here to do this thing. It may not work. I’m not really sure. Um, yeah, they have said, well, you’re having that right now, but there’s no doubt in my mind, this is gonna be successful. And so they have then given me permission to sort of push forward. And so the idea of sitting under, under other leaders, some of whom I really, really love, and some of them I didn’t really like at all. But even the ones that I didn’t, like, I’m, I’m acutely aware that these were people in many instances, who presented themselves as something that they weren’t, and then didn’t show the fact that they were human beings. And they were like, Okay, I don’t know what I’m doing either in this instance, and we’re all gonna take an educated guess on what it is that we’re doing here and hope for the best. But it’s something that is fine with me, even till today is that I want to be somebody that’s fully present, willing to go first, but willing to be human through the whole experience and allow other people to be human at the at the same time? What
Joshua Chin 21:52
What what what’s your advice for someone who may be a, say, a first time manager, never been in the position of leading a group of people, peers? What’s the, what do you think are the first couple of things that they can do to set the foundation for a strong relationship with the team?
Anthony Standifer 22:18
be radically transparent. You know, if you know something, let people know, I feel really comfortable with this. And I have a high confidence that what I’m saying in this area is correct. The other side, if you don’t know, be human, and allow people to and allow yourself to say to people who report to you or subordinate to you that I don’t know what we’re doing in this instance. However, this is what I believe we should be doing or the course that we should take. And then be flexible. Because in some cases, people that supposedly report to you may have an idea or an opinion, ultimately, as the leader or the manager, you’re going to have the ultimate decision and what happens. But having that back and forth dialogue, I think is is really, really key. And it builds trust, and it builds confidence, again, understanding that as the manager, you’re the person who’s going to make the ultimate decision. But still having a dialogue with the people that report to you, then shows that, okay, like in this area, we know that Anthony’s is great in these areas, we know that he’s like, you know, but he’s he said to us, like ah, this is my area, I’m you know, I’m kind of winging it. And but we have enough confidence in him that regardless of what the outcome is, that he’s going to provide, or I as a manager is going to provide a safe space. For the people that report to me has been the lesson that I learned.
Joshua Chin 23:45
In your in your experience growing brands in the US as well as globally in markets outside of the US. What has been what’s different in, in, in scaling, product based businesses in the US versus in, say, in the UK, or Europe or elsewhere in the world? What’s been unique to you, the US or
Anthony Standifer 24:09
they’re really so the underlying needs and the underlying Why are all the same. Like for what people I want for people, regardless if I’m selling to a woman on the south side of Chicago, and I’m selling to a woman in Soweto in South Africa, if I go into Birmingham in the United Kingdom, the why of why people buy products, beauty products and personal care products are universally the same. I’m buying this product because I may have a problem. And so that’s a what, but really the why is I want to look good. I want to feel good. In the pandemic, people consume products because even in the middle of the pandemic on lockdown, I’m at home. The kids are here. It’s crazy. I don’t have any sort of peace or stability in certain areas of life. But guess what? If I buy this skincare product and do this facial treatment, I feel like I look a little bit better. And so that then gives me an extra boost of confidence in the middle of all of this other uncertainty. And so the why is really about self confidence and what it is that you want to present to the world. In many instances, the only difference is quite honestly, his language and terminology. Like the way that I language. And this is the whole purpose of niche marketing, in my opinion, is to really how do you deliver the message in a way that then resonates with people. And so I had a conversation with a client two days ago, and so they are based in St. Louis, Missouri, here in the US. And so they were asking me some questions about about like, what it is to do St. Louis marketing, I was like, I don’t know, I, I’ve been like, twice. But I do know, if you’re from Chicago, and I say, Do you want to polish? And do you want your polish with, you know, onions, or mustard? The one thing I’m not gonna say to you is ketchup, as a Chicago. Right. And so because it’s Chicagoans, you know, we have a hot dog or Polish, we don’t generally put ketchup on our stuff. So if you answer, okay, but it’s really just kind of those little nuances of Yeah, altra in the climate, that you then just say, Hey, this is what we’re gonna, this is what we’re going to do. And this is how we’re, we’re going to approach delivering our marketing message to the person that we want to resonate.
Joshua Chin 26:30
Now in action, do you cover for those gaps by being in those locations? Do you hire someone in those locations? Which the, you know, what should a brand do?
Anthony Standifer 26:40
Yeah, you you definitely, when you’re starting to talk to the intended customer, you either need to know that customer intimately yourself. Or you need to be partnered with somebody who speaks the language and understands the tone and the intonation of it. Another example, there’s a growing movement of non binary, gender non conforming people in the world. And so specifically here in the US, when you start talking male or female, it’s very clear, like our marketing, the women on marketing demand, the gender non conforming, or non binary, it’s like, ooh, that’s like a whole different thing. However, for brands that get it, and they can speak the language of the non binary community, instantly, you take a community of people who feel virtually invisible, it’s a niche community, but you start speaking a language that is specific to them with vernacular that makes specific sense to them, that just shows I see you and I know you and I recognize you, and I have a product solution for you. You’ve now said, Oh, my God, like I’m the kid at the manor that nobody’s ever asked to dance, and you just invited me onto the floor. Yes, I will dance with you. Yes, I’m going to stay with you on this dance, because nobody else at this party has even looked or paid attention to me and hear you are speaking to me in a really specific way. And there’s enough of those people in the market, that you can make hundreds of 1000s if not millions of dollars, speaking to really niche specific segments of people. But as long as you understand the terminology and the why, of what they’re doing, then it’s it’s it’s, it’s huge. And in the instance of this non binary part of the why is I’m invisible, nobody ever talks to me, or they do it in these really clumsy ways. And essentially one of the female or male when I’m saying I want to identify as non binary or gender non conforming, so just an example of like, again, be really, really specific, in a way and understanding and if that’s not your natural lane, or someplace that you understand, there’s plenty of people out there that will help you as a brand owner or as a marketer to really speak to that community
Joshua Chin 28:57
make sense and a part of the part of mSEEDs’ role in helping brands find their, their their audience and scale profitably and grow as a business is is in in identifying that niche market that that works for them. And you know Anthony, what makes your what makes your business different from many other manufacturers and contract contract manufacturers and formulators that I’ve come across is that you don’t require a massive mo que a minimum order quantity to get started with. And before we hit record, you told me it was something along the lines of like 100 250 units.
Anthony Standifer 29:41
Sure. Yeah. So our our our value proposition is that I don’t really have a minimum order quantity. So if you want 100 units of a beauty product, I will give you a custom formulation and a low order quantity. Now if you buy 100 units from me, I may charge you $15 per unit to get that because it’s 100 bottles, it’s 100 jars, it’s 100 products, and you’ve got a great formula. So the cost is going to be expensive. But as your volume grows, then your cost per unit will go down for us. And so we recognized early on that there were other manufacturers in the beauty space, who were servicing all of the big guy, like all of the big companies and the big brands, they were, you know, they will formulate and roll out a red carpet for you. But the moment you start saying like I want 1000 units or 500 units, then it’s like nobody will even pick up the phones to the earlier question.
Joshua Chin 30:38
Yeah, I think I think that, that in talking about the niche market, I think he really got it down down pat, because this is a often an underserved community of, of entrepreneurs who may not be able to work with the same manufacturers and manufacturer for, for, for Revlon, or for Essence, it’s their massive, and there’s no, even if they do get to work with with manufacturers like that the relationship that they have, would often be either very transactional, or very, very low in priority. Would you would you agree that that’s the case?
Anthony Standifer 31:22
1,000%, you, you then scrounge up all of the money that you have, in order to place this 15,000 unit purchase order with a contract manufacturer, and you realize that that 15,000 unit order is doesn’t even more. And so now get handed off to any any and every intern, and then enter Yeah, you get handed off to the intern inside of the company. Oh, process disorder. We’ll get to it when we have time in between our other key clients? And we’ll you know, we’ll slot them in when when we can.
Joshua Chin 31:54
What’s the what’s what’s your proudest success story? And you’ve worked in quite a number of brands in the five, five years has there been a success story that you’re really proud of?
Anthony Standifer 32:07
There’s been a couple. So the thing that I mentioned with mile organics, they will one of our early customers and our business. Awesome, really, really great success with them, both from a product development, manufacturing, and a marketing perspective. So that was super, super exciting for us. But then I have others like, again, the idea of becoming an eight figure beauty brand is not the reality for most, I am just as proud I have a client who when she started her business was in her mid 50s. So I think she was like 56, or 57, she works as a full time healthcare administrator for a hospital system. On the side, she was like making beauty products. So she’s had body butters and some other products that she had. And so NC came on board to manufacture for her both on the body side, and then some haircare products over time, like two, three years, and she’s like, I’m going to be turning 60 Pretty soon. And I am going to quit my job in order to be full time in my beauty business. And I’m going to do it in partnership with my adult children. And it was it gives me such great joy that this woman has decided to defy all of the stereotypical, she should be thinking about retirement and settling down in life. And instead, she’s like, I’m going to bet on myself. And I’m going to do that in partnership with with mSEED group, as my manufacturer and product development company to really go out here and see what the stream can be. And so she has had great success in the marketplace. And it’s continuing to grow. So she’s still in the building phase. But she’s in this thing, and she’s full time and she’s now over 60 But she’s doing amazing things in the marketplace that just really gives me such great joy. And I know that there are not many places that would have even answered an email for her and she’s one of our key clients inside of our business and one of my longest standing clients inside of my business that continues to grow consistently year over year. So impressive. Yeah. Anthony, what’s um,
Joshua Chin 34:23
what what, what is your favorite failure over the course of your career? Can we as part of a mSEED group or it can be any part of your career?
Anthony Standifer 34:39
biggest failure?
Joshua Chin 34:41
Your favorite one?
Anthony Standifer 34:42
My favorite one all my favorite, favorite, favorite failure? Um, my favorite failure as a entrepreneur has been that I could figure it out myself. I started my business after having 14 years in corporate America thinking, I kind of know what I’m doing. I’ve never had a manufacturing business. But I know the beauty space. And I’m a kind of smart guy someday. Well, the first two years of being in business, I was all adrenaline and all positive, like, there’s a problem, but no problem. We’re smart, I have a business partner, we’re gonna figure it out. About three years in, I realized that I had to hit a wall. And I was like, This is not good. I mentally am not in a good space. And I have reached a level of fatigue that I had never experienced ever. And I didn’t even know that I was fatigued until it was like, way, way, way, way, way down the path of just exhaustion, and borderline burnout. Because I was just going and doing and building my business and doing the things that I needed to do. And so three years, and I hit this wall, and I’m like, and literally have a meltdown. In Paris, we’re on a client trip walking in Paris, and literally was like, I’m miserable, I’m coming home, to the US cutting my my trip short. And I say it, Anthony, you need help. And the help that you need is beyond, you know, just the casual conversations that you’re having with friends and associates about what’s happening in life. And so my intention then became how do I either find a therapist, or a support group that can help me on this journey beyond where I am today. And so it took probably about eight months or so. But I eventually found a group. And so within that I joined an organization of other entrepreneurs that are running businesses at various sizes and various levels. And EO or Entrepreneurs’ Organization has been tremendous for me and finding a tribe of people that are also navigating this unknown territory called entrepreneurship, and have given me like cheat sheets and support. And the kinds of things that I need to dow have done this for seven years, in terms of our total business, but it was really at that year three that I hit that wall, and I was like, Oh, this, I can’t do this. I don’t know how anybody does this. Yeah, long term. Because I am, I am just about done. So it was it was a failure for me. And just tons of like, hitting a space of like, I don’t know how to do this anymore. But really sitting in that space and going okay, like how do I dig myself out? And digging out was really finding a support group and a peer group of people that I could latch on to.
Joshua Chin 37:40
So scary going through things alone, especially as the final decision maker of your business, it’s like, oh, I screw up. That’s, that’s absolutely,
Anthony Standifer 37:50
absolutely. And decision. Fatigue is real. Like, I’m a person that I don’t mind making decision. I don’t even mind being wrong. Like, if it’s wrong, I’ll find a way to fix it and try to make it right. But when you do that, day after day, and it’s not one decision, but it’s 20 decision, and a day, and you get past the 24 for Monday, and Tuesday brings you 15 More, and Wednesday brings you you know, seven of the ones that you have for Monday that come back to you on Wednesday on time, yeah. You just go like Who in the world, you manage all of this stuff?
Joshua Chin 38:29
And it’s like, yeah, at some point in time, those decisions become so critical that the stakes get higher and higher as you you know, as the business grows, and as we go deeper into entrepreneurship, the stakes get higher and higher. And every decision matters a lot more than what it used to be. Absolutely. Yeah. So it’s it’s really, yeah, EO has been really helpful to me as well. And the network has been incredible. I’ve met some incredible people from all around the world because of EO. And it’s, it’s such a, it’s such a great community, because there are things that you can never be able to share with anyone else in your, you know, in your social circle, your friends, your family, your spouse, there’s, but there’s there’s yo that you can kind of just process these problems in.
Anthony Standifer 39:21
Absolutely. So even as I’m talking to other entrepreneurs and saying, You have got to find your tribe. And for some people, that tribe is a single, they’re like, Hey, I’m finally out there because we talk every week. And that’s how I get through whatever I got to get through. In other instances, it is like, Hey, I’m going to go out and find an organization and a collective group of people in order to do that. But I think part of the work of an entrepreneur is making sure that you find a place to attach yourself to ensure your mental health and well being for the long term. And agree this thing alone, and grounding is key to the law. term success of your business, even when you’re amazing. Even when you’ve been an overachiever in life, even when you have decades of experience, or no experience going into it, you still gotta have a foundation and a base to go back.
Joshua Chin 40:15
Yeah, without Without which, it’s, it’s horrifying.
Anthony Standifer 40:18
And that’s where we talk about this idea of depression amongst founders and suicide amongst founders. And you know, it’s a real thing, because you, you literally dig yourself into a tunnel and you go, like, there’s nobody that understands what’s happening in this tunnel that I mean, and it’s a scary space
Joshua Chin 40:37
can be good, it can get really lonely as well. And it’s, it can get really dark very quickly. Especially because we, a lot of times, you know, people just don’t realize it, because just so you’re just so busy and making decisions and doing things all the time that you just don’t realize that you like asthma you didn’t, you didn’t even know that you were fatigued until you stop and just
Anthony Standifer 41:00
look Oh, I was I was all the way dead into into the tunnel. And by the time I realized, because again, my mode is like, Oh, you’re just having a bad moment, it’ll be fine, tomorrow will be better, tomorrow will be better. Like, you just got to get through this one thing, take a day off, come back, you’ll be fine. And so I will, I will run myself into the ground and believe, to get a thing done. And that has been my pattern my entire life. But at a certain point, that behavior doesn’t serve you because you’re not addressing the underlying, or I wasn’t addressing the underlying issues of what I was having, and what I was dealing with the uncertainty, and this idea of decision fatigue inside of a business. And I’m just going like, I really don’t know what I’m doing. And now I’m starting to question my own decision making capabilities in a way that I traditionally do. Because I’m tired, and I’m feeling Yeah, I’m like, I’m out here by myself.
Joshua Chin 41:54
Yeah, and sometimes it just takes a you know, a, someone who is in the same boat as you to kind of hold up a mirror and a sounding board and go like, Hey, Anthony, you know, what’s wrong with you, you know what, what you got to do, but you’re just taking your own advice, here’s a mirror, look at yourself.
Anthony Standifer 42:12
And it’s amazing. And so what EO has done for me and the connection with other entrepreneurs, is I hear the experiences of other people who are like, listen, I did this thing, and I shut out everybody in my life. And quite honestly, I hear, you know, stories amongst other entrepreneurs that are far worse than what I’m going through, and I go, God, if you could get through that, then, you know, surely I can figure out something here in my own situation, or other tangible experiences of things that are maybe parallel to what I’m doing. And then the way that people saw their way through that circumstance or situation then just gives me the motivation and the insight, and maybe a tip or trick on how to navigate my own decision. Because the one great thing I realized in this whole journey, particularly as an entrepreneur, and inside of some of the support that I’ve gotten, I’m not really looking for anybody to give me the answer to the problem. Like, I really don’t, because most of the time, I’ll say, well, that doesn’t really apply to me, you know, I’m a black man. And I, you know, I’m running a manufacturing company and the customers answer, like, you don’t really get that. But if you share with me your experience and how you’ve navigated the situation, and I can freely choose, this is the part of your experience that I want to take and apply to my own situation. And so it gives me the autonomy that I need in order to still be the captain of my own ship, and moving things forward. And so you know, it has proven to be a real value for me, and just in terms of holistically how I’ve approached and been approached with problem solving, and entrepreneurship and leadership inside of inside of my office.
Joshua Chin 43:52
I love that. Anthony. Thank you so much. It’s been wonderful kind of diving into your experiences, your background and your insights. What is the best way for people to connect with you? Who may be interested to learn more about your, your services, and to connect with you in chat even further?
Anthony Standifer 44:12
Yeah, so I’m out here on the internet’s my company, the interwebs and so my company mSEED group is that mSEEDgroup.com If you want to follow me personally, then you can find me most active on Instagram, and on Facebook, if you go Anthony Standifer I’ll also share the link with you for your show notes. My podcast is called Driving the Business: Beauty Brands & Entrepreneurship with Anthony Standifer. It’s available on iTunes Spotify, I heart media, other places that US based podcast podcasts are available. So I welcome people to do that. And then you know people can always DM me I love a good deal and people say oh my gosh is so difficult to get in like slide into the via the DM is the place where you can get a quick question in, ask what you need. It’s super, I can do it at like midnight and do it super quickly and keep it going. So I always encourage people to just, you know, sort of reach out or if you want to be formal, you can go to LinkedIn. And I’m also out there as Anthony Standifer on LinkedIn and happy to engage.
Joshua Chin 45:22
Perfect, Anthony thank you so much for being on the show it’s been a pleasure.
Anthony Standifer 45:26
Hey, Josh, thank you.
Outro 45:31
Thanks for listening to the eCommerce Profits Podcast. We’ll see you again next time and be sure to click Subscribe to get notified of future episodes.
