Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Ever wish you had a mentor to help you become who you were meant to be? Crystal Ware is redefining what it means to become your best self, in business, life, and love and sharing everything she she knows to get YOU there faster.
Are you stuck? Feel like you are meant for more but not sure how to breakthrough? Every week, we will explore all of your questions on building a path to true happiness, achieving success and creating our dream life. Brick by brick, we will work through the issues and mindsets that keep us stuck, dive into finding our passion and how to take ACTION. Clarity (vision) + Confidence (Owning your worth) + Courage (to live life on your own terms and become your own CEO) propels you to your destiny. And the good news it: its all within you!
Each week, host, Crystal Ware, will bring you all of the practical wisdom to grow every aspect of your career and life including mindset, vision, goal planning, social media management, financial acumen and so much more. You'll also meet top business leaders, entrepreneurs, mompreneurers and innovative thinkers who invested in themselves and found their way success and happiness by leading on their own terms.
You were made for more, so start living like it today. Join us as we take action, grow together, and get inspired to reach for your dreams.
How to Build a Side Hustle While Balancing Your 9-5 with Morgan Stelly {Career}
[00:00:00] Welcome to the Get Clear with Crystal Ware podcast, the place where we get clear on our goals, own our worth, and learn to be the CEOs of our own lives. I'm your host, Crystal Ware, lawyer and former Fortune 500 corporate leader. Who found the confidence to say goodbye to a lucrative career and start my own business.
Now I'm opening up the playbook and sharing everything I've learned to get you there faster. It may not be easy, but it will always be worth it because you are made for more. So put on your big girl pants, jump on board and let's reach for the stars. Are you ready to get clear?
Welcome back to another episode of Get Clear with Crystal Where today, this is a really fun and special podcast because we are live in studio as you guys can see. And we have one of my great friends, Morgan Stelly on the podcast today. So welcome Morgan. Can't wait to dive in. Morgan is a corporate girl like myself.
She has been [00:01:00] working in corporate for 12 years doing change management, HR, and other functions while also building a business on the side. So we are going to dive into all of that. Learn how you can run your nine to five. The challenges that you have with a nine to five and building up well. Lifestyle, all the things that I love to talk about and what she offers to women in coaching and following her blueprint to success for building up an entrepreneurial side business all while working full time.
So welcome to the show, Morgan. Thank you for so nice to be here. Yes. So what I like to do a lot of times, Morgan is just introduce yourself to everyone. Tell us what your background is and kind of like, What got you started in corporate and how you kind of transitioned and, where did it all come from?
Yeah, sure. well I'm from Houston and we're in Houston today, so it's so nice to be here in person. I studied marketing and Spanish in my undergrad. I went to [00:02:00] UT Austin. I started my career in like a marketing space and very quickly transitioned into a human resources role. And I, about a year ago, I started to explore how do I make money outside of my corporate job?
And I, I had considered buying actually businesses, that were already running, but, interest rates are so high right now. So it didn't really make sense. And I stumbled upon kind of home services as a great entrepreneurial side hustle. And so last year I started my cleaning business. And then now I help other people, mostly women start their own side hustles as well.
So that's a little bit about me. Yeah. That's awesome. And when we're thinking about this and like thinking about building a side business, thinking about entrepreneurship, buying a business, starting a business, starting a brand. There's so many things that are out there today. Was this always in the cards for you?
Like, when did you really start thinking about the big picture of your life, where it was [00:03:00] going and what vision you had for, the rest of your life? This probably started, if I think, I don't know, five, six, seven, eight years ago, I was working at another company, a different one than I work at today.
And I was really struggling mentally at that place. I was, I was really thinking there has to be more to life than just being stuck in your nine to five. And I switched jobs. I moved to Chicago. I got my master's in HR and I started working at my current employer. Totally different environment. I'm thriving there.
it's, it's a much better for my mental health. but again, I just started to realize that there's just more to life than working your corporate nine to five. And I started to follow a couple influencers in this space. You may know Cody Sanchez and some of these other people who talk about these boring businesses.
And I just started to experiment with things that maybe I could do, to make money outside my nine to five. I did experiment with Airbnb [00:04:00] first, before I got into this. Do not recommend zero for 10 stars. People flooded my house. It was, it was really bad. So I don't recommend that at least on your primary residence.
I was renting out my, my own home at the time. And then I started to learn more about home service businesses and I started to get a little more interest in it. And they're very simple businesses to run. It's a very easy business model for anyone to do. And if you do it in the right way, you can do it while you're still working.
And that's what I do too. Yeah. And I love that you, it's, it's fun to always get tips and tricks and like things that you should be doing. But what about the things that you should not be doing? And I have several friends that do Airbnb is, and they are very successful at it, but they started so many years ago.
And I think that model. Is pretty outdated. we've seen private equity come into the space. We've seen a lot of other people that have built up portfolios and you just can't really compete with that as a one off. And then there's always the [00:05:00] risk of ruination. Yeah. I'm sorry. Yeah. And I think with, with how Airbnb, Airbnb now is very guest centric.
So they're not really. Going to they don't really need you or your property What they need is the guests the people who are paying because so many people want to list their homes on airbnb I I just think I had a one in a million chance Bad thing happened to me. So I don't want that like people to be discouraged by my experience, but maybe Use a separate property from your own private residence and it was just very stressful.
So I wouldn't It's, it wasn't for me. Let's just say that. Yeah. And it's also really important for people to recognize no matter what. Listen, we're talking about something that's interesting, that's different, that could help move you forward, move you ahead, move your life in a different direction. But there is not one answer for every person out there.
There's not one size fits all. So while Airbnb might work for some people, a home [00:06:00] based business might work for other people starting a brick and mortar store might work for some people. It really depends on what your goals are, what your vision for your life is. And the amount of money, what is enough for you?
What are you looking for? So I think that's important for people to really pause and think about. We're here to bring you exciting opportunities and thinking outside the box. We're not here to tell you what's going to work for you. Yeah. And if I could add to that, I think you're going to fail probably in the beginning at the first thing you try.
It's, it's not the right way to go. You will not probably achieve success or big success or however you determine success is it might not come in the first thing you, take your hand at. So that's what happened to me. I tried a couple different things and, we're still experimenting today with things that work and things that don't work.
And I, I experiment a lot with my businesses to kind of, and that's what you have to do. That's one of the mindsets you have to have. Yeah. And I call it hashtag power of the pivot. Okay. When we're [00:07:00] open minded, when we are willing to learn and grow and think about what is the next thing, willing to pivot from what we have learned, whether it worked, didn't work, we're improving when we're willing to do that, which I think a lot of people are often scared to.
They're like, I started on this path, I'm committed to this path and not willing to see what I've learned. The buck starts here. I need to move on to the next thing. And I think when you're willing to do that and the best and the brightest and the most successful, those people don't get too married to their idea and they're willing to pivot.
Yeah. I mean, it is so scary. I can totally relate to that feeling. I think in the beginning when I was first starting my. Own businesses, fear of failure was at the front of my mind. I was not telling any of my friends or my family what I was doing. I was trying to just bear all the weight myself because I was afraid it wasn't going to work.
and what I discovered was that the more I spoke about what I was doing, the more supportive people around me were, and it [00:08:00] was just such this freeing feeling, there still was this fear of failure in the back of my mind. And I still have that today. I get a lot of imposter syndrome and I worry that things aren't going to work out, work out.
But. That's, you have to be comfortable being uncomfortable. And I still, I still struggle with that. What about you? I mean, I know you do stuff on the side too. So tell me a little bit about how you feel. Yeah, I mean, I think there's still that feeling for myself, even though I've been putting myself out there, but really putting yourself out there is the starting point and there is still that fear or this is really funny, Morgan.
my son's friend was over. They're nine. But this is a boy that's nine going on 29. I mean, his, his, his like, sense of self and his quips are just so funny and so beyond his years. But he was like, Hey, so I saw that you posted your food. On Instagram, on my mom's Instagram. Why are you doing that?
Ms. Crystal? And I'm like, this nine year old is [00:09:00] borderline. He's not trying to shame me, but I felt a little bit embarrassed, And it's I, you have to remind yourself still. It's it doesn't matter what other people said. And I really just explained, I want people to learn how to live healthily.
Balance being a working mom with all of the other things, building health, building wealth, and like showing people that eating healthy can be simple. And so it's just a little photo that I put out there and that's why, and it's like just being comfortable to know what your reasoning why, what are your goals in life and it, it's just.
And some people are going to have something interesting or funny to say about it and you just let it roll off your back. Yeah. And I think,the, the people who care the most about you are going to be really supportive and be your biggest cheerleader and the people who judge you are not the people you want in your corner.
I mean, of course, like your son's friend who's nine, you can probably push that aside. But, I don't, I'm curious, what did he say once you explained what you were doing? He just kind of laughed and did, I mean, it's like a concept to grasp for a nine year old. Yeah. Yeah. He was just like, [00:10:00] Oh, okay.
Well, keep posting your food. I don't know, something silly. huh. but that was it. but funny enough, I think it stuck out in my son's mind as is this normal, is this weird? Because my son has asked me about it like two or three times since then. and not uncomfortable because they've listened to the podcast.
And when I played in the car, they really love hearing my voice and they're not really that interested in what I have to say at this point, but they think it is fun. So, and they don't have social media. No, hopefully not. No, not at all. And we're not, no, 0%. But one of the things when you're talking about, fears, one of the questions that I know we've gotten on what you're doing, where you're really working a corporate job, which is amazing.
And you have a really excellent. and then you're building this up on the side and you're posting about it on LinkedIn is how is your employer going to feel about that? And I know that's a fear that a lot of people have. So what's your hot take about that? I at first felt really afraid [00:11:00] to to tell my employer what I was doing.
I was worried what they were going to think in the same way that I was worried what my friends and family were going to think. I think I care a lot about what others around me think and say, and I think that's totally normal. and the way I started to shift this in my mind was I am not going to make anything for myself if I don't just break free of this.
And how I position this in my mind, and some people ask me sometimes I'm on LinkedIn, how, how they could position this with their employer and how I started to position it is I have hobbies outside of work as you should, as we all should. Mine just happened to make me extra money. And it's such a. It's a really easy, brilliant way to describe what you're doing in such kind of like a, not that you want to be non threatening to your employer, but I think there's like that sense that you want to make sure that you secure your job in a way that they're not quick to dismiss [00:12:00] you.
In a layoff or anything, because they think that you have something else going for you. it's like a part of my hobbies, entrepreneurship. And I, my hobbies just happened to make me money on the side. And that's kind of how I position. I've been really surprised at how receptive my Employer has been, and people that I work with, I've been on another podcast with a guy who, I work with, he has a podcast with his twin brother because my, me and my twin sister went on his podcast recently, and a couple clients of mine are actually people that I work with.
And my boss and my boss's boss are all really interested and curious and supportive. It's like exactly the opposite reaction I thought would happen. Yeah. That's awesome. That's good to hear. And I hope that allays the fears of a lot of people out there that you can take the opportunity to harness your additional brainpower, your additional time to do something.
And what I thought about Morgan was that it's really no different than if you are going to buy a rental house or two, you are going to start a, a property portfolio, which you might have to get a call [00:13:00] in the middle of the day for, but really a lot of your work is done. In the morning time, in the evenings, at lunchtime.
It's not something that is just going to take up. I mean, that's the whole point of it being a side hustle. But I think that perception, especially if you want to transition,on LinkedIn to really talking about that, is stepping out in faith on how are people going to perceive it? And I'll tell you for me, having, traditional corporate clients myself, I've never really gotten corporate clients from my LinkedIn.
I mean, people know me and I've been at events where people are like, Oh my gosh, you're from LinkedIn. I know you. but I've never really gotten clients. And certainly a lot of my coworkers are on there and not one time has anybody said anything. Yeah. except that they like my posts. I think a lot of times people have this like spotlight syndrome, right?
Like they think people are looking at you when they're really not. So there's like this extra pressure that we put on [00:14:00] ourselves, to I guess fit this certain mold. When you really, people are, they'll keep scrolling. They don't care as much as we think they do. Yeah, absolutely.
I love that. That's awesome. So I was curious, how and when do you think you really found your entrepreneurial spirit? Cause I know for myself, I was not born with it. I really felt like in my corporate job, because of the way my corporate job Former company looked at opportunities, looked at the world that really brought out my entrepreneurial spirit, which I knew in college, I, you saw the people, you knew the people who were like, Oh my gosh, you're going to start a company.
But how and where did yours kind of cultivate? Where did it come from? Yeah, I think I told you, I started following a couple of people on social media, I started listening to podcasts. And actually what happened was I was at a bachelorette party. where for one of my friends who I know from Chicago, and I met another woman there who actually work for the same company, but we don't work together, so we wouldn't have known each other.[00:15:00]
And she was already thinking about how do I buy this company? How do I start this XYZ business? And it just got me thinking. so I really a kind of. like her, her name's Andrea. I hope you watch this podcast. but yeah, that, that kind of started like the inklings of what could I do outside my nine to five?
And we, I really started to realize that working a corporate job. Has its limits, right? I mean, you are limited in your compensation and the opportunities that you have the incremental effort to achieve a certain promotion or a certain salary increase is not proportionate to what you can do for that same amount of effort, but on the outside, starting something of your own.
So I really started to kind of. unlearn some really traditional views I had about your nine to five is the only way to earn an income. And I'm very [00:16:00] future oriented. I, I am very planful with my money, and I think about retirement, and I plan a lot for the future. And though I have a really great job today, I work in a very volatile industry, oil and gas.
that's, that's, that's. A lot of people in Houston work in the energy industry and you just never know if one day to the next you might not have a, have a role. So it's part like, how can I re divert some effort from my nine to five into something of my own, but also a bit of like, how can I protect myself against like unforeseen circumstances?
Yeah, and I really appreciate that because that's similar to my, my same story. you eventually kind of come out from under the shell of your childhood, of your, education. And then you're voiced into the world, into corporate, and it sounds great. It sounds grand. And certainly I never want to diminish the potential [00:17:00] because millions of people that become millionaires are going to become millionaires from a corporate job.
Okay. But the people that are getting 10 million, 20 million, really building a legacy, almost all of them. I mean, that's just the facts. And it was like, once I solved that, I thought, what more could I be doing with my education, with my expertise and my strategic brain? It's what more can I be doing?
Yeah. If I could add to that, I mean, I was talking to my dad a couple of weeks ago and he was So you know, he reads my post on LinkedIn and that's he was saying he never engages with them though. So I need to get him to like, and comment to increase the impressions. But he said, he gave me some feedback on my messaging and he said, back in my generation, he's a big, he's a, Baby boomer.
So he said like in, in older generations, you could rely on your employer and the government to fund your dream life or your retirement [00:18:00] or whatever that was, because there were three, these three stools to employment and retired to retirement money, I guess your salary, your pension and then social security.
Well, social security we know is very. unsecure. We don't really know what the future of that program is going to be. And employers are eliminating their pension programs. I still have very great benefits at my employer, but most people don't have pensions or defined contribution plans. And I have been reading about employers eliminating their 401k match, which is It's crazy.
So the main stool, the main legs on this retirement stool, financial security stool for most people are being, the stool is becoming imbalanced now. So you have to think of different ways and unlearn these traditional views that you and I probably grew up learning. I mean, my parents are not business owners.
Are yours? No, not at all. Not, I mean, that's, I bleed often by saying. I remember a girl who [00:19:00] had what I thought you guys was an amazing job. Okay. She was working 32 hours a week for a company that had all these oil and gas leases. They were the land owners, the, mineral rights holders and making 50 grand a year.
This was a while back and she just kind of had to show up and pay some bills and do some stuff and help them, organize an annual party. It wasn't a ton. And she was like, I'm going to quit my job and start a business. And I was like, wow, she was crazy. I thought she was crazy. She built up the business.
It was a party planning and events, rental business. She sold the business and then she started three other businesses with her husband and they've never had to answer to somebody again. So it was, it was more a lifestyle. I mean, I think the money she ended up making more money, but it was really a lifestyle, like more flexibility, more time, more freedom.
I like to always think more money too, but. It's what matters most to you, but to your point, I had no idea. I just didn't know any entrepreneurs. And that's why like it took me [00:20:00] longer to figure out that that is something that I really should be pursuing, that I should really think about if you want a different life and a lifestyle.
So with that, I'm curious, has your definition of success kind of changed through this transition in this process? Yes. Yes. Yes. And no, I guess, because I think I always, and I'm very transparent about this. Like I am motivated by money. It is. No secret. I tell my every person I work for that the best way to motivate me is to give me the highest raises.
Give me the highest bonuses. That is what I am motivated by most. I don't care about my job title. Some people that's really important too. So I'm really transparent that money is one of the reasons why I do the things that I do. one of my personal values is financial security. So that's one of the reasons why I do this, but I think when I was growing up, you see your parents like in these corporate jobs.
My dad worked at the same company that I work at [00:21:00] now. So I always kind of saw him work in this like very traditional, like energy environment at the big corporations. And then when I was in college, I was, I was in business school and all of the top people were going to work for big four accounting firms and they were in accounting and, and consulting.
And I. Didn't pursue a path there, but I always thought that that was kind of what you were supposed to do. I didn't even really know what to choose in college for a major, because I didn't know, I picked a business because I just thought that that was what was, maybe I was going to make the most money doing that.
I don't know. And, but now, I mentioned earlier that I worked for, at a company that just wasn't a great match for my, my values and I really struggled like with my mental health and my physical health, there. And I think now though, I still place a lot of value on earning money. let's be real.
That's why we do any job is to earn a wage and [00:22:00] to earn a living. but I also really value my physical and mental health. And I think, As I'm, as I'm getting older, my mid thirties now, I value that so much more than what I, what I used to. but I'm curious, what do you, how has that changed for you?
We're in slightly different life phases. Yeah. Our seasons of life are a little bit different. and one, I would say it's okay if you're money motivated. I feel like some people want to put shame to that, if that is your motivator, but knowing what motivates you. Gives you that carrot, it creates this, incentive for you.
And it's okay. It is not a big deal if that's what you're motivated by. And I would say that is largely what my mo my motivator is. It's a money motivator. and so first of all, if that is what you're after, do not be embarrassed. Women and money do mix. When he, women and money make sense, you can own being a woman and equally [00:23:00] own everything surrounded by money.
But for me,being in a different season of life, I would say, yeah, I mean, my goal first and foremost was to be a millionaire. And so, my husband probably hates me saying this, but achieved. Okay. Okay. So he's not as nearly there out there with being. sharing that, but I'm like, I think people probably already know.
It's probably not a secret. and then as I got older, I mean, I always wanted to be a VP of a company, but once I had kids and realized what that meant for a corporate, for a fortune 500, what that lifestyle meant, it can be great. It can be not so great. And so my idea of success was really figuring out what was going to be legacy making for me and then how could I achieve that while not giving up more time, more freedom, more energy for my [00:24:00] kids.
And so, what I defined, success as a 24 year old coming out of law school would have been like, I want to have a Range Rover, I want to have a six figure salary, I want to buy a house. Okay. It's like very mundane, flashy things that like, I think most 24, 25 year olds are probably on the same page.
Now at 41, I would say my definition of success is not having to be somewhere around the corner. at a certain time, except on occasion, if you have meetings. Being able to not have to rewrite my whole week if something happens with my children. Being able to spend two, four, six weeks off with my kids over the summer when I know I only have so many summers left.
So kind of what I have defined success for myself has evolved. with, my seasons of life. And I think that's natural. Yeah. Especially for women. I agree. You can totally, you can change your mind. There's a great book called Think [00:25:00] Again by Adam Grant. And he talks about in that book that changing your mind is your superpower.
And there's this kind of stigma attached to people who change their mind. if you think about politicians, right? There's just this stigma around, well, you said thing a, and now you said thing B. And he talks about how when presented with new information, it's such a superpower that you can say, wait, I'm going to think again, I'm going to rethink.
What I believe here based on this new information. And so it sounds like you value more your time freedom and spending time with your family. And I know I'll get there one day. I don't have a lot of time freedom now because owning a business and working a full time job is, you don't have a lot of free time.
Yeah. So with that in mind, cause I like to be really transparent and really So let people know, what is your kind of day to day life look like? What does your schedule look like? I know that health is equally important to you as well. So what does that kind of, what could somebody expect [00:26:00] who is working and then trying to build them, be really honest with people?
Cause I think that a lot of people idealize what this is going to look like, what this is going to feel like. And then when they get in it, they're like, Oh, this isn't what I expected. Like you need, There is no free ride. Yeah. There's no free lunch. There's no passive income in the beginning. I think right now, one of my businesses is definitely more passive.
but the day in the life, so let me just paint the picture. So I work full time. I have my own, I have my own cleaning business, which we'll talk about here in a second, and then I also help people. their own businesses. So I'm doing kind of these three things at once. So I typically am up before 6 a. m.
Most days, 545, six of the latest. And I, I make sure I get my morning 30 minute walk in. It's about two miles. So I make sure I get morning steps. I get outside, get some exercise. I eat breakfast. I eat, I track everything I eat. I make sure that I'm [00:27:00] staying really dismal with my diet. And so I eat breakfast and then pretty much between the hours of seven and nine, I'm working on my side businesses.
And then for work, our core hours are like nine to three, nine to four. So that's kind of. What I'm working with for my nine to five, I make sure I get to the gym most evenings at the 4 p. m. class and then I come back home. I take calls with clients that I have in my side hustle and I do try to wind down by 8, 8 30 because I find that if I'm working too late, then I, My quality of sleep suffers.
So I, I really value my sleep now more than I used to. So it is a full day. I don't have a lot of time during the week on weekends. I'm mostly working two Saturdays. I do try to take like a brain break, but, usually Sundays I'm grinding away too. Yeah. And look, success leaves clues. Okay. What Morgan has just explained is [00:28:00] still similar to what mine and my husband's schedule is like too.
Almost always we're up by six. Now that we have a dog, I walk the dog, my husband makes breakfast. He lifts while I'm walking the dog, then he makes breakfast and I'm usually lifting and then we get the kids together and then we head off to work. And before me and my husband were together, I, I mean I was in law school, so I was pulling like.
many days till midnight between working school and my extracurriculars at law school. my husband was working eight, nine, 10 o'clock at night, 90 percent on the time on his business before we got married and had kids. so success leaves clues. Everybody's day and everybody's lifestyle might look different, but there are going to be a lot of commonalities.
And what I didn't hear in there was that you're going out, you're drinking a lot, you're socializing, which is not a bad thing. And I'll be honest, Morgan, I wish [00:29:00] that in some ways I did a little bit less of that and started out on this journey a little bit sooner. Yeah, I agree with you. I, I agree. I did spend a lot of time partying and socializing in my younger years.
And I've only really been on this journey. If I think about where I was one year ago, I mean, like completely different. I had a lot more free time. I wasn't doing these businesses. I do socialize. I don't want to paint the picture that like, I don't get out at all. I just am very disciplined and I know.
I know what I have to do and I do it and I unfortunately have to make tough choices sometimes I mean I went to a bachelorette party last weekend. So it was awesome I got to take some time away But I did have to bring my computer because I needed to run payroll on saturday So there are just some things that you You cannot get away from as a business owner.
You have to pay your people. You have to pay your vendors. So if you're in Mexico on a Saturday and payroll comes due, which is when I run payroll, you have to make sure that you're doing payroll before you go out to the beach. So you just have to make some different [00:30:00] choices. And I don't think it's going to be like this forever.
I've only really been on this journey the last year or so. So I do have some plans to bring in some technology tools. I've hired my sister. She's really, really good at tech sack and automation. So I'm hoping that as time goes on, I'll, I'll have a little bit more of that time freedom, but I would say discipline is
one of the really important things that you need to build in to your life if you want to be successful at having a corporate job and a family and if you want all the things, right? Absolutely. So tell us a little bit more about the actual side hustle and why you chose that because I know it involves residential and commercial cleaning.
So out of all the options that are out there, why was this your choice? And just tell us a little bit more about how that works. Yeah. So I think Sometimes people assume that entrepreneurship, you, in order to be an entrepreneur, you have to come up with the latest app or software program or. Some other complicated like [00:31:00] technology tool.
And I am here to say that that's not true. You can do some of these more, I'm going to use boring businesses because Cody Sanchez and some other people talk about them in that way, but home service businesses are the most underrated business that you can start. Whether you want to do that as a side hustle or your full time, gig.
I know a lot of people who do home service businesses full time, but, I do a cleaning business specifically. And I chose that because I can really easily subcontract the jobs out. So how it works is I get. people who book jobs with me. I have a network of cleaners that I subcontract those jobs out to, and they do the cleaning on my behalf and I collect basically a commission on the job.
It's simple to start. It's a simple business model, but there are some difficult things that you need to do in there, some complex things. And,now it's at the point where it's pretty passive. So I have a virtual assistant who does my day to day operations, and I [00:32:00] have a lot of really good cleaning teams that I trust.
I do a mix of residential and commercial. I'm trying to get more commercial jobs in there. cleaning people's homes is sometimes people are a little bit sensitive, it's their home, it's their own space. And I'm trying to explore a little bit more about the commercial clients. So. I've been doing that for about a year now.
And what are the other kind of categories for people out there thinking about it, wanting to do a little bit of research, ruminating on it? What are the other kind of options are there for in this category of business? So I would say cleaning is so easy because you typically don't have. I don't know of any state that requires some special license.
At least in Texas, we don't have any special permits or licenses or education. Anyone can get started. you only need a really small market share. So I usually tell people, my clients in particular, that if you're only going to do residential, you only need about 30 clients a month to make 10, 000 typically.
you probably have 30 friends and family that you can sell on your services. Throw in a handful of, [00:33:00] Medium sized commercial clients and you're at 20, 000 in revenue. So I picked that one just because it's, like you don't need a big market chair, it's a simple business model. It's really easy to scale.
and you don't need any special education. Some of these other things like electrician, plumbing, HVAC, you do need some special permits and licenses. But. But in general, if we have any plumbers or electricians listening here, they, they know what's up. They make a lot of money. but in general, the other home services could be like landscaping or power washing, window washing.
I ha I know people that just do commercial cleaning, so you could specialize in commercial cleaning or residential cleaning, but really any, I know people that build decks and those are really high ticket items. these home services. They are always going to be in demand. you hear all this news about AI and how that's going to take over a lot of people's jobs that that's just not coming for this space.
So in, at least in our lifetimes, robots are going to come clean your house. At least I think they won't. So, yeah, I would [00:34:00] say there's a lot of advantages and a lot of different spaces that this model could apply to. Yeah. So that. It goes into the third leg of your financial stool, which is the service business blueprint where you are coaching and working with other people that want to get up and running on a side business.
So can you tell us a little bit more about what that entails and who is the kind of person, That would like to work with you. Yeah. So I started helping other people kind of by accident because on the same platforms, I was looking to purchase businesses. I just made a post saying, Hey, I can show you how to start a clean business.
And my first sales call, which was terrible, I was a horrible like salesperson for my, for myself. She ended up.and paying to join my program. She was my first client. And so that, I don't know, started about six, eight months ago. And so I started to kind of by accident. And what I do now is I [00:35:00] have, as you mentioned, what's called a service business blueprint, and it's literally your exact step by step guide on how to start.
It's for cleaning businesses, but the model can apply to any type of home service business. And we teach people how to get your business infrastructure in place, hire your team, because hiring is really important in this business. You have to hire people that you can trust and have enough people to cover your jobs.
And then in the last part of the program, they do basically a marketing sprint, I call it. So for 30 days, they're checking off. All the marketing actions, they are creating content. They're reaching out to friends and family. They are cold emailing, cold calling, DMing businesses on Instagram, and they're launching paid ads.
So generally within 60 days, people have a business I've been running. I think the record I have so far is 47 days. One of my clients got their first booking. he got a orange theory fitness, which is a portfolio of a couple of I think 18. So he really has a lot of [00:36:00] potential in his business so far, but 47 days, usually around day 60, I see people up and running, ready to start their marketing sprint, which means they're ready to accept jobs.
So how often does an orange theory need to get clean? I think they get. That particular client might get weekly service. I would recommend more frequent cleanings from gyms though. ? Yeah, I would think it would. It's three to five days it, it seems but although, I dunno, you've been to an orange theory then.
It's not the same type of lifting gym that you're thinking. Yeah, they might, so it may not need that frequent. They might have, so they might have their own staff do some maintenance and I think maybe they come in and do the deep clean. Yeah, a little bit more. I, we do a gym that we do monthly cleans and I think their staff do some maintenance in between.
So what do you think, with all of this, you work with a lot of people in your day job, so Yeah. You have your two side businesses where you work with a lot of people. What do you really think is the biggest challenge facing millennial women today? [00:37:00] Well, this is such a good question, so I'm curious to hear what you think, but I think one thing that I struggle with is.
Finding other women or like even other people in general around my age who are trying to do what I do. So sometimes it can be very lonely, I guess, as you feel like you're the only one in your friend group or the only one in your network trying to do this. And that's another reason why I would encourage people if they're trying to start this to tell people about it, start to post on LinkedIn, start to post on social media because you meet such cool people.
That's how we met. We met on LinkedIn and I met a couple other really amazing, interesting people through posting on social media. So just being more vocal and being more open about what I'm trying to do. So I say sometimes it's a little bit of a lonely spot to be in because other people can't relate to what you're doing.
I would say the other thing I struggle with. Is in this might not be for everybody, but like I struggle, I'm [00:38:00] single and, I want a family and I want to partner one day. And I think I struggle, finding someone that's.I guess I just have really high expectations. Like I want to be with someone that has like similar values and similar mindset to me, and I, I think, people like us maybe struggle to find like their values and their mindset in another person.
They're just like more rare, I guess, at our age. So I don't know. What, what do you, what do you think? Curious about your thoughts. I could not agree with you more that finding people that are aligned and looking to do. Something different is hard. I mean, you have herds for a reason, right? There's protection there.
And a lot of people feel like there's protection in nine to five jobs. We've already talked about a few of the reasons why there's not protection there. There's not a fail safe. You will never be vital or integral to a company unless maybe you're the CEO. So I think. I have also struggled with, that's why we resonated and came together, is finding other [00:39:00] people that want to do something different, that want to build a different life, that want to build a business, is rare and even more rare, I think, for women.
but I also think that I am an older millennial. And I think that what I have found that I'm only realizing in the last couple of years is a challenge is that we have this hustle culture and we've been fed via the media, the news, now social media that like hustle, hustle, hustle, go, go, go work till you drop.
Ambition till you die is like the only way to be. And I think that once you have kids, it's really hard to know how you're going to feel and why aren't people out there saying, it's okay if you want to take a break, it's okay to step back, it's okay to coast, it's okay to take a pause. would my choices have been somewhat different if I had somebody that helped me see [00:40:00] that I didn't have to go back to work when my baby was eight weeks old, that I would never have those time back.
And so that's also what I'm working on being is like, I, it actually just came to me last night that like really what my aim is to be a great encourager, a great encourager of women and building your dream. and hearing the voice that it's okay, no matter what your goals are, no matter what season of life you're in, that it's okay.
And you can always be ambitious and slow down. The timeline is yours, not somebody else's. And with social media, everything feels like super fast and like I'm going to be successful and I'm going to be a millionaire in a year. And now that I'm not, what's wrong with me? and even if, if your goal is always to be a VP of a corporate company.
That's okay. You don't have to expect to get there in four years, especially when you're having a family, especially when you're building a community or whatever else is going on. And so I, I feel now that I'm on the other side of it, when I was in it early, I didn't [00:41:00] really realize that, but now that I'm kind of on the other side and getting more comfortable with like, All facets of, my ambition, like my ambition for my family, my husband, and also my career.
that's what I've seen. So I love what you said about time, because when I was young, I used to think. I still am young, but when I was younger, I used to think I have to be X, Y, Z position in the company by this many years. And I would like. really, really sacrifice a lot of other things in my life, like my mental and physical health to try to get there.
And what I have come to realize is that careers are really long. Like you work for, I don't know, 40 or 50 years sometimes. Hopefully we are, the two of us are not in that same boat, but,you have all this time, why rush it and, but I think that's what's so great about if you start something on the side, you might have more flexibility, you don't have to go back to work at eight weeks.
You might have a little more flexibility in terms of your finances if [00:42:00] you're bringing in a couple thousand dollars, every month on the side. So. That's what I like to think around, there's such value in having something for yourself because it allows you to consider alternatives that you wouldn't have otherwise.
I think a lot of times people choose certain jobs or certain careers because they feel forced to because of money. And that's a position that I don't necessarily want to find myself in, that I have to accept a certain job or work for a certain, you know, position.
Well, getting to the last few questions we have in time we have with Morgan today. One of the main things I wanted to make sure that we talked about was financial independence. What does that mean to you?
Well, that's such a good question. I think it goes back to what we were just discussing. I love working my job. I like working a nine to five. I love the people I work with. I love the work that I do. But I think financial independence to me [00:43:00] has come to mean you don't have to make these decisions anymore out of, Fear or out of scarcity or because of money you can make, financial independence would really mean that you can make decisions where that's not a factor anymore.
and ideally, in, in an ideal world in five, 10 years, hopefully I can eventually leave my corporate job because of some of these other things. But, until then I really enjoy what I do. And, but just having that financial security that I have a choice one day. Yeah, that's great. And I think that is what's so important to other people is that when you come to that realization that I don't have to have this job, that is so freeing.
Yeah. I agree. What about you? Tell me more about what you think it is. Well, I followed the FIRE movement, which is Financial Independence Retirement Early movement that started I guess, around 2000 or so. I was early into the blogs on that. [00:44:00] So I was, I've always been thinking about what does that look like?
What does that feel like? What now financial freedom means to me is that I make 100 percent of my decisions, I don't That are in alignment with what my true values are and what I feel for my time, my energy, my wellbeing. And that is really as simple as it is. I love that. So it doesn't, I mean, I have a number that I feel like is the number that's out there.
My husband and I go back and forth on what that number really is. But also if you're doing what you love, if you're finding that you're bringing value to people, that you're bringing value to community, that there is something that you're gaining from working. Yeah. Work till you're 80. Work till you're 90.
Do something you love. It doesn't matter. When they say, do something you'll love, you'll never work a day in your life. It's absolutely true. Because when I'm doing tasks that I know are totally aligned with me, I don't feel like it's work. And so it's what else would I do? Sit around and knit? No, not a chance.
Lift weights more. It's interesting [00:45:00] that you use that. The word number, because when I, when you first asked me that question, I didn't necessarily think of a number, but now that you mentioned, I mean, I don't really have a number, I guess, in my mind, I have more of a feeling. And I think how I've, how my mindset has changed around money over the last, I don't know, couple years is really to try to go from scarcity.
I'm, I'm really trying to move away from scarcity. I think a lot of times people. Their money mindset is around scarcity. And so it forces them to make certain decisions that they wouldn't make otherwise. I'm not in a scarcity. Mode anymore, but it is hard to kind of separate what is actually happening from like this protection thing that happens in your mind around scarcity.
So interesting how we, we answered this the same in a sense, but we had differences. Yeah. And I, and I agree with you. I mean, that is a switch, growing up lower middle class that I had to switch. And I think that was [00:46:00] a good. but it is really interesting on what independence is and what financial freedom is.
but I would, I would say have a number just so that you not because of what is your goal. so that when you start reaching somewhere, the number doesn't keep moving on you. And I talked to, I think I might've talked about it in a podcast or on social recently about how, Oh my gosh, I am, don't remember people's names all the time, but, I don't The Vanderbilts or something like that.
how did a PR guy had asked him a publicist or a, a newspaper writer had asked, have you ever met a rich man or what's enough money? That was the question. What's enough money. And he said, just 1 more. And so if you don't have a number out there, then you run the risk of always Going for more.
And when we know what enough is, that is when we can really reach success. That's when we can [00:47:00] really feel comfortable. That's when we can feel fulfilled. And so I think it's really important to have an idea of a number out there just so that you don't keep pushing yourself for more and keep, your foot on the gas when it's time to step back a little bit.
So what is on the horizon? For Morgan, what do you see in the next 5, years? Oh, goodness. well, if I, I think I mentioned this earlier, but if I look back at my life one year ago, I mean, I couldn't have imagined that this would happen. It has changed so much. I, if you would have told me that I would have been on a podcast in like a studio like this, I would have told you you were crazy.
So, so much has changed for me in the last year. It's very difficult to imagine what that is going to look like in another year. so I, I just really struggled to answer that question. I just hope that, well, not hope because hope is not a strategy, but I'm planning You know, helping more people start their businesses.
I, I love that feeling when people get their [00:48:00] first booking and they're so excited. Like, how do I ride that wave myself? Cause they get that little hit of dopamine. And so I'm really looking forward to kind of seeing where this entrepreneurial stuff takes me. And I love all the, all the people I'm meeting through the, the Through Instagram and through LinkedIn and just learning what other people are up to and kind of seeing how I can learn and grow from, from meeting them as well.
Well, that's awesome. Listen, you guys, if you've been thinking about this, follow Morgan on LinkedIn. She has actually amazing, incredible content that I love. That was what attracted to me to her. Her twin sister is also on there and has incredible content. And. And if you have any questions about building a home based business, definitely reach out to Morgan.
Tell them how they can contact you and where they can find you. Yeah. So as you mentioned, Crystal, I am on LinkedIn. My name is Morgan Stelly, so it's linkedin. com slash IN slash Morgan Stelly. And you can also give me a [00:49:00] follow on Instagram. It's Morgan Stelly with a little underscore. At the bottom and we will definitely have the links in the show notes for you guys.
So you can find her really quickly and easily. Thank you so much for sharing your time. I know you're a busy, busy woman. We are just so thankful and privileged to be able to talk to you today and. Guys, just remember, keep getting clear on your goals, keep getting clear on your vision. Everything that you could possibly want to achieve is out there and waiting for you.
Okay? I want to continue to encourage you and bring inspiring stories like Morgan and other women that are out there doing it. Okay? Because the more you can see it, just like Morgan, I mentioned that hearing from a colleague and a friend, listening to Cody Sanchez, hearing and seeing it and being able to touch and feel it is the way that we feel less afraid that we can move forward.
So keep doing that. If you guys have any questions and don't forget, check out my new website, www. thewelldefinedwoman. com. [00:50:00] Until next time, we'll see you later.