← Back to Podcast Hub

Annette Smith

Annette Smith · ontario

Annette Smith

Episode

Annette Smith is the Founder of Lip Service Beauty, an all-natural, plant-based beauty company based out of Grimsby, Ontario but with...

Key takeaways

  • Building a successful business requires exceptional grit and stamina, as you never truly get time off and must always be willing to do things others won't to achieve a life others can't have.
  • The greatest challenge entrepreneurs face is recognizing they can't do everything themselves and learning to let go by hiring the right people for tasks they're not good at, despite the financial cost.
  • If a business decision or opportunity isn't a definitive "heck yes," it should be a "heck no," as going forward with anything you're uncertain about typically leads to regret.
  • Ingredients matter in every aspect of life and business, from the products you create to the food you eat, the people you surround yourself with, and the vendors you partner with.
  • Starting a business requires feeling the fear and doing it anyway, as worrying about competition or existing similar ideas will hold you back when there's actually space for everyone.

Transcript

Full transcript page · Interactive episode

============================================================
TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
============================================================

[00:00] SPEAKER_01: It's Toronto's podcast on the Canada's podcast network.
[00:04] SPEAKER_01: Hi, this is Lesslie D'Amlou with Canada's podcast, the nation's number one entrepreneurial
[00:09] SPEAKER_01: network.
[00:10] SPEAKER_01: Today I'm speaking with Annette Smith and Annette is the founder of lip service beauty and
[00:14] SPEAKER_01: all natural plant-based beauty company based out of Grims beyond Ontario, but with
[00:18] SPEAKER_01: the presence across the GGA.
[00:21] SPEAKER_01: After her life changed, which will let Annette expand upon in the moment, she decided to detoxify
[00:26] SPEAKER_01: her life and started making her own beauty products.
[00:29] SPEAKER_01: Annette, wholeheartedly believes that ingredients matter in all aspects of life and business.
[00:34] SPEAKER_01: Annette, welcome to Canada's podcast.
[00:36] SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for having me.
[00:38] SPEAKER_01: It's a pleasure to have you on the show.
[00:40] SPEAKER_01: And I know you from our hometown, so Grims be represented.
[00:44] SPEAKER_01: Yes.
[00:45] SPEAKER_00: Grims be represented.
[00:47] SPEAKER_01: So Grims be just outside of Hamilton for all our listeners who have no idea what we're
[00:51] SPEAKER_01: talking about.
[00:52] SPEAKER_00: Or in the Niagara region, I like to say.
[00:55] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Niagara region and a little town towards Niagara, I passed Hamilton way.
[01:01] SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
[01:02] SPEAKER_01: A great, great town to be in.
[01:06] SPEAKER_01: So yeah, Annette, why don't you start with just telling us a little bit about yourself
[01:09] SPEAKER_01: and what do you do?
[01:11] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I'm the founder of lip service beauty as you mentioned.
[01:16] SPEAKER_00: I have an educational background in visual merchandising and marketing and culinary.
[01:22] SPEAKER_00: And prior to me starting my own business, I worked in retail for over 20 years.
[01:30] SPEAKER_00: And every kind of role you can imagine and most recently was a district manager for an essential
[01:37] SPEAKER_00: oil company for four and a half years.
[01:40] SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
[01:41] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[01:42] SPEAKER_00: And yeah, I guess a little more about my personal life.
[01:45] SPEAKER_00: I live with my partner and he has two children and two step children.
[01:50] SPEAKER_00: So four step children are part of my equation.
[01:52] SPEAKER_00: And my little puppy Oreo, she's three years old, she's a little border collie and she's
[01:57] SPEAKER_00: my, she's my girl.
[01:59] SPEAKER_01: Is she the puppets on your website?
[02:01] SPEAKER_00: Yes, so we make an all natural puppy paw salve and she was kind of the reason that started
[02:09] SPEAKER_00: and we've built a really great partnership with the SBCA.
[02:12] SPEAKER_00: So I actually give half of the proceeds back to the SBCA.
[02:16] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's really cool.
[02:19] SPEAKER_01: So tell me a little bit about what made you decide to become an entrepreneur and your
[02:26] SPEAKER_01: journey to get to where you are.
[02:28] SPEAKER_00: Hmm, big question.
[02:32] SPEAKER_00: Well, there's kind of a twofold.
[02:35] SPEAKER_00: One I had a pretty traumatic life experience happened to me.
[02:40] SPEAKER_00: So I guess we'll start with that.
[02:42] SPEAKER_00: A couple years back, I was living in Toronto before I made the big move to Grimsby.
[02:46] SPEAKER_00: And I had a grand mal seizure while I was awake in public by myself.
[02:52] SPEAKER_00: And I consider that to be like the bitch slap from the universe that I needed to wake
[02:58] SPEAKER_00: up a bit and just make some adjustments in my life.
[03:01] SPEAKER_00: And so I started, you know, adjusting my diet, my nutrition, looking at who I was hanging
[03:08] SPEAKER_00: around with, my job, geography, and you know, over the years.
[03:12] SPEAKER_00: And I'm still a work in progress, have been making over my life.
[03:16] SPEAKER_00: And I would say the second prong to that was actually a book that I read, which is the
[03:22] SPEAKER_00: four day work week by Tim Ferris.
[03:25] SPEAKER_00: I read it while I was on vacation when I was still working at my corporate job.
[03:29] SPEAKER_00: And I had just launched lip service beauty.
[03:32] SPEAKER_00: And I remember texting like my friends from the beach, like saying, you're going to be
[03:37] SPEAKER_00: this for me one day.
[03:38] SPEAKER_00: You're going to do this.
[03:39] SPEAKER_00: And I'm going to do this.
[03:40] SPEAKER_00: And like I built my whole business plan on a beach, reading that book.
[03:44] SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
[03:45] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[03:46] SPEAKER_00: A week.
[03:47] SPEAKER_00: Call your own vacation.
[03:48] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[03:48] SPEAKER_01: Vacations are always insane.
[03:50] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[03:52] SPEAKER_01: That's amazing.
[03:54] SPEAKER_01: I think my next question is kind of related to that.
[03:57] SPEAKER_01: But are do you think entrepreneurs are wild, why are differently?
[04:00] SPEAKER_01: Or do you think that maybe an event has to happen or, you know, you need to wake up
[04:06] SPEAKER_01: call to become an entrepreneur?
[04:08] SPEAKER_01: What do you think goes into that?
[04:10] SPEAKER_00: I don't think that everybody is hardwired to be an entrepreneur.
[04:14] SPEAKER_00: I'll say that to start with.
[04:16] SPEAKER_00: I think a lot of people try their hand at it and they have a very different idea in their
[04:21] SPEAKER_00: mind of what it's actually going to look like.
[04:24] SPEAKER_00: For anyone that's listening that's thinking of becoming an entrepreneur, I can tell you
[04:29] SPEAKER_00: this.
[04:30] SPEAKER_00: It takes a hell of a lot of grit and stamina to do it.
[04:35] SPEAKER_00: You never really get time off.
[04:38] SPEAKER_00: Like you always have to be on and you have to be willing to do things that other people
[04:45] SPEAKER_00: wouldn't do so you can have a life that other people won't have.
[04:49] SPEAKER_01: And do you think it's, I'm going to get into this a little bit later, but do you think
[04:53] SPEAKER_01: there, like, what do you think the benefits are of being an entrepreneur?
[04:56] SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of freedom in being an entrepreneur.
[04:59] SPEAKER_00: You get to pick your own hours, you get to pick, you know, who you want to work with,
[05:03] SPEAKER_00: you get to pick what you're doing.
[05:06] SPEAKER_00: So the freedom is amazing, but I also recognize that for freedom is not for everyone.
[05:12] SPEAKER_00: Some people like rules and like following along to, you know, other people's instructions
[05:19] SPEAKER_00: or things like that.
[05:19] SPEAKER_00: Like some people actually work better that way.
[05:21] SPEAKER_00: I for one do not.
[05:24] SPEAKER_00: I like freedom.
[05:26] SPEAKER_00: So that's, that I would say is the biggest perk for sure.
[05:29] SPEAKER_00: I think it's also really cool because you kind of control like how much you make based
[05:36] SPEAKER_00: on your efforts, you know, so it's really, you know, as of recently, it's been really
[05:41] SPEAKER_00: fun some weekends because I'm like, holy crap, I'm bringing in on in one weekend what
[05:47] SPEAKER_00: I would have brought in in a couple months with my corporate job.
[05:51] SPEAKER_00: So that's pretty cool.
[05:52] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think you have more control as an entrepreneur over everything, right?
[05:57] SPEAKER_01: And you can do something that you're totally passionate about.
[06:00] SPEAKER_00: Yes, although the downfall of that is that when you screw it up or make a mistake or learn
[06:08] SPEAKER_00: a valuable lesson, you have no one else to blame but yourself.
[06:12] SPEAKER_01: That's true.
[06:13] SPEAKER_01: There's a lot of guilt.
[06:16] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, totally, totally.
[06:18] SPEAKER_01: So I know when you do business a lot in the GTA, like we're based in your based on
[06:22] SPEAKER_01: Grimsby, but, right.
[06:24] SPEAKER_01: You do a lot of business in Toronto.
[06:27] SPEAKER_01: Yes.
[06:28] SPEAKER_01: I just wanted to ask you for other people who are doing business in Toronto, what do you
[06:33] SPEAKER_01: think the benefits are?
[06:35] SPEAKER_00: It's obviously a broader reach more, you know, obviously it's a larger population and
[06:40] SPEAKER_00: you're getting more visitors that might not necessarily be from Toronto or even Canada.
[06:46] SPEAKER_00: So it's definitely great exposure and it's definitely how I have been able to scale
[06:51] SPEAKER_00: my business, gain more wholesale contracts and just more marketing exposure for sure.
[06:58] SPEAKER_01: And what challenges are?
[06:59] SPEAKER_00: Well, for me specifically, because of my seizure, I actually still can't drive.
[07:04] SPEAKER_00: So that's been a fun challenge for me.
[07:06] SPEAKER_00: However, I've made it work.
[07:08] SPEAKER_00: Thank God for Go Transit, thank goodness that I have a team now.
[07:13] SPEAKER_00: So I have that support and a partner who's also incredibly supportive in helping me
[07:18] SPEAKER_00: get to where I need to eat.
[07:19] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because you're, I know you represent so many different events across the DTA or do you
[07:26] SPEAKER_01: even do like some outside of Toronto?
[07:29] SPEAKER_00: We haven't really gone outside of Ontario yet.
[07:32] SPEAKER_00: We're looking at some possibilities for next year.
[07:36] SPEAKER_00: But yeah, we're like London Kitchener.
[07:39] SPEAKER_00: I'm originally from Paris, Ontario, so I tend to do a few events around Paris or Brent County,
[07:45] SPEAKER_00: Toronto, Milton, Mississauga.
[07:48] SPEAKER_00: We've been all over.
[07:50] SPEAKER_01: Yes, I know.
[07:51] SPEAKER_01: I see you all over as well.
[07:54] SPEAKER_00: Burlington, because that's like, you know, the home base.
[07:57] SPEAKER_00: So for sure.
[07:58] SPEAKER_01: For sure.
[07:59] SPEAKER_01: Are you most excited about for your business these days?
[08:03] SPEAKER_00: Ooh, that's a good question.
[08:05] SPEAKER_00: I'm excited about everything all the time I feel like, but I would say I'm really excited
[08:12] SPEAKER_00: to, so a couple goals of mine for next year is obviously continued product innovation,
[08:18] SPEAKER_00: which always excites me.
[08:20] SPEAKER_00: I can't give you any spoilers yet, though.
[08:22] SPEAKER_01: Okay.
[08:23] SPEAKER_00: I would say I'm really excited to dive into our website a little bit more.
[08:29] SPEAKER_00: I really want to tackle some more like SEO and optimization.
[08:35] SPEAKER_00: So I'll be looking to hire someone to support with that.
[08:40] SPEAKER_00: And just scaling up with our events.
[08:43] SPEAKER_00: Yes, we're doing a lot of them.
[08:46] SPEAKER_00: And I want us to work smarter, not harder.
[08:49] SPEAKER_00: So really taking a look at what events we're participating in next year and making sure
[08:54] SPEAKER_00: they're the right ones.
[08:56] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I know you're in a lot of stores too.
[08:58] SPEAKER_01: So that's probably.
[08:59] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think it's going to be an evaluation of where we're out with those accounts
[09:03] SPEAKER_00: and really looking to expand outside of Ontario for next year.
[09:08] SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
[09:08] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[09:09] SPEAKER_01: And what are the three kind of like top things on your bucket list if you have one?
[09:16] SPEAKER_00: Okay.
[09:18] SPEAKER_00: Well, okay.
[09:19] SPEAKER_00: Number one is going to like the French Polynesians somewhere like Bora Bora.
[09:25] SPEAKER_00: Like I want to stay one of those little huts and go stand up paddle boarding all day.
[09:30] SPEAKER_00: Like that is like a big goal of mine for sure.
[09:33] SPEAKER_00: Number two.
[09:35] SPEAKER_00: I really, as much as it terrifies me, terrifies me, I do really enjoy public speaking.
[09:42] SPEAKER_00: And I've done a couple of events.
[09:44] SPEAKER_00: So I'd love to like do more like a really large scale speaking event.
[09:48] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[09:49] SPEAKER_00: Be like a keynote speaker somewhere.
[09:50] SPEAKER_00: So I'll just put that out there if anyone's listening.
[09:55] SPEAKER_00: And I think number three, it is a little out of my hands.
[10:02] SPEAKER_00: But I'd love to be behind the wheel of a car again one day.
[10:05] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[10:06] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's huge.
[10:07] SPEAKER_01: I can imagine that's really really challenging.
[10:10] SPEAKER_00: And if not, then I'll just, you know, quad and snow will be, and that's fine.
[10:15] SPEAKER_01: Low key.
[10:16] SPEAKER_01: I'm from Sudbury and that's how we grew up.
[10:18] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[10:19] SPEAKER_01: Everywhere, well, four-beeling, we call it.
[10:21] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[10:22] SPEAKER_01: And snow-beeling.
[10:23] SPEAKER_00: So exactly.
[10:25] SPEAKER_00: I always said if I ever win the lottery, the first thing I'm going to do is buy a pickup truck
[10:28] SPEAKER_00: and a bunch of quads and a cottage.
[10:30] SPEAKER_00: That's it.
[10:31] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[10:33] SPEAKER_01: There's lots of Sudbury.
[10:34] SPEAKER_01: It's fun.
[10:35] SPEAKER_00: Amazing.
[10:36] SPEAKER_00: I think it's time to work for Indigo.
[10:41] SPEAKER_00: We did a lot of like store renovations and the store openings and things like that.
[10:45] SPEAKER_00: So I was up there quite a bit.
[10:47] SPEAKER_01: The new Sudbury shopping center.
[10:49] SPEAKER_01: Oh, no, you went to the other one.
[10:50] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[10:51] SPEAKER_00: Where where were the chapters or Indigo is there?
[10:54] SPEAKER_01: That sounds like a good bucket list.
[10:56] SPEAKER_01: And I'm with you with the French Polynesian Diki Hut in the middle of the ocean.
[11:00] SPEAKER_01: That sounds just phenomenal right about now.
[11:04] SPEAKER_01: Right.
[11:06] SPEAKER_01: So I'm going to switch gears a little bit.
[11:07] SPEAKER_01: I just I want you to tell me about the greatest challenge that you faced so far in your business.
[11:15] SPEAKER_00: That's a good one.
[11:16] SPEAKER_00: There's so many.
[11:17] SPEAKER_00: I think the greatest challenge I've experienced and something I had to like let go of is that
[11:28] SPEAKER_00: I'm only one person and it's impossible for me to do everything.
[11:34] SPEAKER_00: And once I realize that and you know, started hiring the right people to do the right things
[11:41] SPEAKER_00: that I'm not good at, game changer.
[11:45] SPEAKER_00: And I think it's hard for a lot of entrepreneurs to let go because it's your baby.
[11:50] SPEAKER_00: And you want to be in control of everything and you still can be in control of most things.
[11:55] SPEAKER_00: It's just you have to learn to let go and acknowledge and recognize like what you're not awesome at
[12:02] SPEAKER_00: and like let someone else take the wheel for that one.
[12:05] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, for sure.
[12:06] SPEAKER_01: I think a lot of like entrepreneurs in general just try to do everything all at once, especially
[12:10] SPEAKER_01: you.
[12:10] SPEAKER_01: I'm hearing a friend like as I enjoy you more entrepreneurs, but especially we're starting out right?
[12:17] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like when I first started out, I was still in my corporate job.
[12:20] SPEAKER_00: So for the like the whole first year of me building lip service beauty, I was still a district
[12:26] SPEAKER_00: manager traveling and trying to do all these things.
[12:29] SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, oh my God, I don't even know how I did it to be really honest with you.
[12:34] SPEAKER_00: And the first couple of months where I was doing lip service full time, that's when I sort of
[12:40] SPEAKER_00: had the epiphany of like, oh shoot, like I don't really know how to do some of these things.
[12:45] SPEAKER_00: And I really need like farm this out to people who do.
[12:48] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[12:49] SPEAKER_00: And it's scary too because it comes with a cost financially too.
[12:53] SPEAKER_00: And that's sometimes scary when you're starting out because you don't have a huge
[12:59] SPEAKER_00: capital to work with.
[13:00] SPEAKER_00: But that investment is worth every penny because it's going to give you your time back.
[13:06] SPEAKER_00: It's going to free you up to do the things that you're meant to do.
[13:10] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I think that there's that shift right from seeing it as an expense to an investment.
[13:15] SPEAKER_01: 100% important for people to come to terms with.
[13:20] SPEAKER_01: Like, no, you're going to get your money back.
[13:22] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[13:23] SPEAKER_01: You should get your money back if people are doing it properly and strategically.
[13:28] SPEAKER_00: So exactly.
[13:29] SPEAKER_00: And if you're not, then that's when you need to assess this the right person to work with.
[13:35] Speaker UNKNOWN: And exactly.
[13:36] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[13:36] SPEAKER_01: So when things happen that you're not expecting, when things, and that people in general
[13:43] SPEAKER_01: aren't expecting, how do you recommend that people handle the situation?
[13:48] SPEAKER_00: Well, I would say first of all, you can't control anything that's happening outside of your
[13:55] SPEAKER_00: realm. Like, you know what I mean?
[13:56] SPEAKER_00: You can't control how people react.
[13:58] SPEAKER_00: You can't control things that happen to you.
[14:01] SPEAKER_00: The only thing you can control is how you decide to react to it.
[14:05] SPEAKER_00: And so I think that's everything like having a positive attitude despite
[14:10] SPEAKER_00: bad things happening.
[14:12] SPEAKER_00: And I would say another thing that comes up for me in this in this conversation right now is
[14:17] SPEAKER_00: like setting up healthy boundaries.
[14:19] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, if someone's being difficult, whether it's a customer, a vendor,
[14:24] SPEAKER_00: whatever the case might be, like really assessing is this person in alignment with you and your
[14:29] SPEAKER_00: brand?
[14:30] SPEAKER_00: Is this person, you know, causing more grief than not?
[14:34] SPEAKER_00: And do you need to maybe break up with this person?
[14:37] SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
[14:38] SPEAKER_00: Like, I think setting up healthy boundaries in business is like super important.
[14:43] SPEAKER_01: I think something that you mentioned, I can't remember before when we're
[14:48] SPEAKER_01: emailing back and forth, but something that you mentioned that's really important to you is how
[14:53] SPEAKER_01: like ingredients, you know?
[14:55] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, it's this the tagline for everything that I do ingredients matter.
[15:00] SPEAKER_00: And of course, I'm talking about the ingredients I've put in my products,
[15:03] SPEAKER_00: but I mean that to every extent of what that means, like in life, the food you put in your body,
[15:12] SPEAKER_00: the people you choose to surround yourself with, like those are all the ingredients of your life,
[15:16] SPEAKER_00: and they all matter.
[15:18] SPEAKER_00: I believe that like wholeheartedly.
[15:20] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I really like the mentality, I guess.
[15:23] SPEAKER_01: But you guys have, so yeah.
[15:26] SPEAKER_00: And you know, in terms of like the ingredients for our products, it's, we work really hard to find
[15:33] SPEAKER_00: vendors and partners that are doing things ethically that are doing things with integrity and
[15:39] SPEAKER_00: honesty, and that's really important to me and the brand.
[15:44] SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
[15:45] SPEAKER_01: It's not just what goes into them, it's like all the people that you're recommending to you.
[15:48] SPEAKER_01: That's really cool.
[15:48] SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
[15:50] SPEAKER_00: Even if the, you know, say their branding is amazing and I don't know, they have a really great
[15:56] SPEAKER_00: ingredient, but they're sucky people and we don't feel like they're in alignment with what we're
[16:01] SPEAKER_00: doing. Like, no.
[16:03] SPEAKER_00: And I would say another thing, another motto of mine that I have is,
[16:09] SPEAKER_00: if it's not a heck yes, it's a heck no.
[16:12] SPEAKER_00: That I want to get that like framed somewhere.
[16:16] SPEAKER_00: Anytime I've ever been like wishy washy or on the fence about something and I've gone for it,
[16:23] SPEAKER_00: I've always regretted it.
[16:24] SPEAKER_00: And so it's like follow that intuition.
[16:26] SPEAKER_00: When you know something's not 100% right, it's not.
[16:30] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, do you ever feel like that?
[16:32] SPEAKER_01: I feel like this.
[16:34] SPEAKER_01: So I'm just going to blab this out.
[16:36] SPEAKER_01: But yeah, you're writing an email and you're like, not sure if you want to send it or not.
[16:41] SPEAKER_01: And you're like, oh crap, like that was not a heck yes.
[16:44] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[16:45] SPEAKER_01: So you're resonating with me in terms of email writing.
[16:50] SPEAKER_00: Yeah. Well, email's so tricky too because it can be so misconstrued if you're not careful
[16:55] SPEAKER_00: on how you communicate.
[16:58] SPEAKER_00: If I'm fired up or like pissy, I always wait a day to respond.
[17:04] SPEAKER_00: It's a good rule of thumb.
[17:06] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[17:08] SPEAKER_00: Learned that lesson hard way a couple times.
[17:10] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[17:11] SPEAKER_01: So talk to me in the lessons.
[17:13] SPEAKER_01: If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your 20 year old self?
[17:18] SPEAKER_00: Well, the first one without a shadow of a doubt is to have been smarter with my money.
[17:24] SPEAKER_00: I was a reckless spender in my 20s, early 20s.
[17:29] SPEAKER_00: And I had to work really hard to like pay off all those debts and you know, get myself free
[17:35] SPEAKER_00: of all these credit cards.
[17:37] SPEAKER_00: And I'm proud to say now I'm much much smarter with my money.
[17:41] SPEAKER_00: But I wish I was smarter sooner.
[17:44] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[17:44] SPEAKER_01: Right here.
[17:46] SPEAKER_01: What advice would you give an entrepreneur looking to start a business?
[17:49] SPEAKER_00: Toronto.
[17:50] SPEAKER_00: There's a couple things that are like on my heart right now.
[17:53] SPEAKER_00: One, feel the fear and do it anyways.
[17:56] SPEAKER_00: I think so.
[17:57] SPEAKER_00: Our friends will are afraid to start their business because they worry about competition
[18:02] SPEAKER_00: or they worry about oh, well, someone else already has this idea.
[18:05] SPEAKER_00: Like no, your idea is different.
[18:08] SPEAKER_00: Their space for everyone.
[18:09] SPEAKER_00: So just do it.
[18:10] SPEAKER_00: Don't hold yourself back with the what ifs should a could of what is.
[18:14] SPEAKER_00: I would say the second thing is like have a little bit of a cash flow when you're starting a
[18:18] SPEAKER_00: business because there's always going to be like emergencies or things that happen or things
[18:24] SPEAKER_00: that go sideways.
[18:25] SPEAKER_00: So have a little bit of a slush fund.
[18:27] SPEAKER_00: I think the amount of the slush fund really depends on what you're doing and what you're up to
[18:32] SPEAKER_00: and maybe do some research and find out like what you know costs are going to look like for you
[18:38] SPEAKER_00: to decide and determine what your slush fund looks like.
[18:42] SPEAKER_00: Well, I would say those are like the top two.
[18:44] SPEAKER_01: What do you think this is still on the top of a good advice?
[18:47] SPEAKER_01: But what do you think is the best advice that you've ever received from something else?
[18:51] SPEAKER_00: Oh, wow.
[18:52] SPEAKER_00: I got to think about this one because I want it to be juicy.
[18:58] SPEAKER_01: I'm trying to think yeah, like it's hard to
[19:01] SPEAKER_01: resurrect those memories and words and wisdom.
[19:06] SPEAKER_00: I don't know if I have like words right now, but let me say this.
[19:11] SPEAKER_00: One of the most influential women in my life was my grandmother, my grandma Smith.
[19:17] SPEAKER_00: And what I really admired about her, it was her perseverance and her grit.
[19:23] SPEAKER_00: She just never seemed to give up no matter what happened to her.
[19:29] SPEAKER_00: And she always had like a really positive attitude.
[19:33] SPEAKER_00: And that's something that I have taken with me and I always think of her often when I'm like
[19:40] SPEAKER_00: coming up with ideas or day to day in my business.
[19:45] SPEAKER_00: I'm sure there's things she's actually said.
[19:49] SPEAKER_00: I just can't think of anything like like a quote or anything in specific at this moment.
[19:55] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's really that's really interesting.
[19:57] SPEAKER_01: It's almost like she gave your advice just by leading by example.
[20:01] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, totally.
[20:02] SPEAKER_01: It's really interesting.
[20:03] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, she was like I hung around with her a lot when I was little.
[20:07] SPEAKER_00: I spent a lot of time with her because she lived right up the street for my parents house.
[20:11] SPEAKER_00: I almost feel like she kind of raised me.
[20:15] SPEAKER_00: And she yeah, I really, really always admired her strength and her positivity.
[20:22] SPEAKER_00: And I really like carry that on my heart for sure.
[20:25] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you're making me miss my grandma.
[20:27] SPEAKER_00: Well, I miss her too, but she visits quite often.
[20:31] SPEAKER_00: I have a little ed cardinal that comes to my backyard probably once a week.
[20:37] SPEAKER_00: And I'm convinced it's her.
[20:39] SPEAKER_00: That's amazing.
[20:40] SPEAKER_00: And she always seems to come when I'm like doubting myself.
[20:43] SPEAKER_00: And it's like, oh, there she is.
[20:44] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[20:46] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, just reminding you, keep pushing up.
[20:49] SPEAKER_01: Okay, so I'm in as much years.
[20:52] SPEAKER_01: I'm going to ask you some rapid fire questions.
[20:54] SPEAKER_01: So, okay.
[20:55] SPEAKER_01: Well, yeah, these are duses.
[20:58] SPEAKER_01: But really just like just say the first thing that comes to your mind and don't think too much about these ones.
[21:03] SPEAKER_00: I'm ready.
[21:04] SPEAKER_00: I like I sometimes just like feel like I buckle under pressure.
[21:06] SPEAKER_00: Also fun fact, since my seizure, I actually have a little bit of a stutter.
[21:11] SPEAKER_00: And sometimes when I feel like I'm like under the gun, I like stutter more.
[21:16] SPEAKER_00: So I'm like, we could be in for a wild ride here.
[21:19] SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
[21:19] Speaker UNKNOWN: Okay.
[21:21] SPEAKER_01: Sounds good.
[21:23] SPEAKER_01: If you were doing what you're doing for right now, what would you be doing instead?
[21:27] SPEAKER_00: Be a beach bum on a stand-up paddle board with my dog all day.
[21:31] SPEAKER_00: There you go in French Polynesia and Boire Boire.
[21:34] SPEAKER_00: Obviously or Costa Rica or I don't know, anywhere hot and cool.
[21:38] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Costa Rica is a good pick.
[21:41] SPEAKER_00: What book are you currently reading?
[21:44] SPEAKER_00: I do not read books.
[21:46] SPEAKER_00: I listen to books.
[21:48] SPEAKER_00: What do you listen to?
[21:48] SPEAKER_00: And I actually have to pull it up because I forget the name of it.
[21:52] SPEAKER_01: No worries.
[21:53] SPEAKER_00: Sorry, you said this is rapid fire and I'm terrible.
[21:56] SPEAKER_00: I can tell you a book that I really, besides Tim Ferriss that I really, really love.
[22:00] SPEAKER_00: It is Recovery by Russell Brand.
[22:03] SPEAKER_00: And it is a book written for addicts.
[22:07] SPEAKER_00: But I found it just so powerful.
[22:09] SPEAKER_00: First of all, Russell Brand is hilarious.
[22:13] SPEAKER_00: He takes the 12 steps and like Russell Brandalizes them.
[22:17] SPEAKER_00: But I found it really powerful for just looking at things in my own life.
[22:24] SPEAKER_00: And it really helped me change some things
[22:28] SPEAKER_00: that I was doing in my life that weren't good habits.
[22:31] SPEAKER_01: Cool.
[22:32] SPEAKER_01: I'm ready to go on Recovery by Russell Brands.
[22:35] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and there's a workbook component that goes with it online.
[22:39] SPEAKER_00: And it's really like if you want to take a deep look at your life,
[22:44] SPEAKER_00: wow, like it's pretty powerful.
[22:47] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like there's so many different types of recovery, right?
[22:50] SPEAKER_01: Like you could have a re-era, an emotional recovery,
[22:52] SPEAKER_01: or you could be an addict, or like there's so many ways to apply recovery to your life.
[22:59] SPEAKER_01: So that absolutely.
[23:00] Speaker UNKNOWN: I'm ready.
[23:01] SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
[23:03] SPEAKER_01: Did you find the audiobook?
[23:04] SPEAKER_00: I did.
[23:05] SPEAKER_00: It's called Fuck Your Feelings Master Your Mind by Ryan Muncie.
[23:11] SPEAKER_01: Nice.
[23:11] SPEAKER_01: Okay, well, I'll remember that.
[23:15] SPEAKER_00: I probably downloaded it just because it has an F-bomb in the title.
[23:19] SPEAKER_00: Yes.
[23:23] SPEAKER_01: Okay, so are you a morning or a night person?
[23:27] SPEAKER_00: Morning, hands down.
[23:29] SPEAKER_00: And if you follow my Instagram,
[23:31] SPEAKER_00: you'll see that I'm up at like four or five every single day,
[23:36] SPEAKER_00: walking my dog and batching products.
[23:39] SPEAKER_01: And that is how you get so much done.
[23:41] SPEAKER_00: Yes.
[23:42] SPEAKER_00: Come nighttime, I'm dead.
[23:44] SPEAKER_00: I'm like brain dead, camp function.
[23:46] SPEAKER_00: Don't ask me to do anything, but the morning game on.
[23:49] SPEAKER_01: So you're on Instagram,
[23:51] SPEAKER_01: lip service, underscore beauty, just for all.
[23:54] SPEAKER_01: Correct.
[23:56] SPEAKER_01: If you had to pick one word to describe yourself, what would it be in why?
[24:02] SPEAKER_00: Grit comes to mind.
[24:05] SPEAKER_00: I've been told that I have a lot of grit by people.
[24:08] SPEAKER_00: I just never give up, ever.
[24:11] SPEAKER_00: I don't understand the word defeated, like I really don't.
[24:15] SPEAKER_00: If you tell me I can't do something, I will find a way to get it done.
[24:20] SPEAKER_00: Like challenge accepted.
[24:23] SPEAKER_01: The nations, that would be a yeah.
[24:26] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, that would be a good one too.
[24:29] SPEAKER_01: Okay, so next question, what's keeping you up at night these days?
[24:35] SPEAKER_00: My website.
[24:37] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[24:37] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[24:38] SPEAKER_01: My website's are big problems.
[24:41] SPEAKER_00: It is and like it's so much work and ongoing work and things are always changing with algorithms
[24:49] SPEAKER_00: and search engine optimization.
[24:51] SPEAKER_00: And that is not my wheelhouse.
[24:53] SPEAKER_00: Like I know a little bit about it, but not as much as I clearly need to.
[24:59] SPEAKER_00: So that's keeping me up at night.
[25:01] SPEAKER_00: Are you doing it yourself?
[25:02] SPEAKER_00: For now, yes.
[25:04] SPEAKER_00: I want to hire someone in the new year to support me.
[25:08] SPEAKER_00: Putting it out there, if anyone's listening as an SEO expert, please hit me up.
[25:13] SPEAKER_01: Um, next.
[25:15] SPEAKER_01: What is your favorite place in the world?
[25:18] SPEAKER_00: I think I have two answers for this.
[25:21] SPEAKER_00: One would be anywhere in British Columbia.
[25:25] SPEAKER_00: It's just so beautiful.
[25:27] SPEAKER_00: And like I feel like the air there is different.
[25:31] SPEAKER_00: It's just so clean and crisp and like I just love it there.
[25:34] SPEAKER_00: And I love that everyone's a health not in Vancouver.
[25:37] SPEAKER_00: It's like amazing.
[25:38] SPEAKER_00: It's like my mecca.
[25:40] SPEAKER_00: Um, and the second place is going to sound really corny,
[25:44] SPEAKER_00: but my grandma's house, even though she's no longer with her.
[25:47] SPEAKER_00: And like I can't go there anymore.
[25:50] SPEAKER_00: It was just like my favorite place to be.
[25:52] SPEAKER_00: I always felt so safe and like loved there.
[25:55] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I can totally relate to that.
[25:58] SPEAKER_01: What are three non-negotiables that have to happen in your morning?
[26:01] SPEAKER_01: I mean, hydration.
[26:03] SPEAKER_00: Hydration, so like water and tea.
[26:06] SPEAKER_00: Um, walking my dog.
[26:08] SPEAKER_00: And I want to say going to the gym, but I don't go every single day.
[26:13] SPEAKER_00: Um, but gym time every week is definitely a non-negotiable.
[26:17] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's what my non-negotiable is too.
[26:19] SPEAKER_01: And I think it just powers you.
[26:21] SPEAKER_01: It fuels you for the day.
[26:22] SPEAKER_00: 100%.
[26:23] SPEAKER_00: And it teaches, it teaches you how to push yourself.
[26:27] SPEAKER_01: It does.
[26:28] SPEAKER_01: It probably fuels into, or funnels into,
[26:31] SPEAKER_01: like being a fighter.
[26:33] SPEAKER_00: I think a little bit.
[26:34] SPEAKER_00: And I also am not as mentally an,
[26:36] SPEAKER_00: an awesome of a person if I don't go.
[26:40] SPEAKER_00: Like I've had bouts of my life where I haven't been able to go to the gym for whatever reason,
[26:44] SPEAKER_00: if I'm traveling or like,
[26:46] SPEAKER_00: whatever.
[26:47] SPEAKER_00: And I'm not a happy human when I don't go.
[26:51] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
[26:52] SPEAKER_01: Okay, so I have one more question for you.
[26:54] SPEAKER_01: And it's, uh, this is one that we asked to all guests.
[26:58] SPEAKER_01: I heard it on the other ones, but it's the last question.
[27:01] SPEAKER_01: So there's a small tropical islands.
[27:04] SPEAKER_01: Uh, in the middle of the ocean, let's say it's Bora Bora.
[27:08] SPEAKER_01: It only has one phone booth and no internet.
[27:11] SPEAKER_01: We drop you off there with no technology at all.
[27:14] SPEAKER_01: And I can use the phone on the island to call the boat to can pick you up.
[27:18] SPEAKER_01: How long would you last?
[27:19] SPEAKER_01: And what are you going to do until you make the phone?
[27:23] SPEAKER_00: Oh, well, I'm going to be,
[27:26] SPEAKER_00: I'm not going to be on that phone right away.
[27:28] SPEAKER_00: I'll tell you that right now.
[27:29] SPEAKER_00: I'm going to explore that island as much as humanly possible.
[27:33] SPEAKER_00: God, I hope there's a stand-up paddleboard or a boat or something,
[27:36] SPEAKER_00: because that would be really fun.
[27:38] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, for sure.
[27:39] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think I'm not using that phone until I'm like close to dying.
[27:44] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[27:46] SPEAKER_00: I'd want like all the adventure, explore everything,
[27:50] SPEAKER_00: get a nice tan.
[27:51] SPEAKER_01: And let's just say that like food is plentiful,
[27:55] SPEAKER_01: so you're there.
[27:56] SPEAKER_01: You're there.
[27:56] SPEAKER_00: Oh, well, then I'm not using that phone for a couple years.
[28:01] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's awesome.
[28:03] SPEAKER_00: So if I have a lip balm in my pocket.
[28:05] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[28:06] Speaker UNKNOWN: You can take that.
[28:08] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, for sure.
[28:08] SPEAKER_01: With the, you'll get all your,
[28:10] SPEAKER_01: lips are up, you'll be all dry with this time.
[28:12] SPEAKER_01: So, and thank you so much for joining us today and being a guest on Canada's podcast.
[28:16] SPEAKER_00: Of course, thanks so much for having me.
[28:18] SPEAKER_00: Thanks for the fun questions.
[28:20] SPEAKER_01: You're welcome.
[28:21] SPEAKER_01: They were fun.
[28:22] SPEAKER_01: Where can our listeners find you online just last but not least?
[28:26] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so lipservicebeauty.online is our website.
[28:30] SPEAKER_00: If you're looking for us on Instagram,
[28:32] SPEAKER_00: we're at lipservice underscore beauty.
[28:35] SPEAKER_00: We're also on Facebook, Pinterest,
[28:38] SPEAKER_00: all the things.
[28:39] SPEAKER_00: Oh, and LinkedIn.
[28:40] SPEAKER_00: We're on LinkedIn now, too.
[28:42] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[28:42] SPEAKER_01: Cool.
[28:43] SPEAKER_01: Well, thank you very much.
[28:44] SPEAKER_01: So glad that you're able to come as a guest today.
[28:47] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, thanks so much, Leslie.
[28:49] SPEAKER_01: Thanks for listening to Canada's podcast.
[28:52] SPEAKER_01: Like, comment, and subscribe to all our channels to get the latest podcasts from entrepreneurs across Canada.