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In this inaugural episode of Founders and Fortitude, host Audrie Dollins takes you on a journey through the founding of AD Media Group, from its humble beginnings to its growth into a thriving agency. Audrie shares how the unwavering support of her family, their own entrepreneurial successes, and the values of resilience and fortitude shaped her path. She also reveals the meaning behind the podcast’s name and the mission to empower entrepreneurs with real stories of grit, grace, and growth.
Join Audrie as she discusses the heart behind Founders and Fortitude, and how fortitude—the strength to keep going when faced with challenges—has been key to her journey. Tune in for an inspiring and authentic conversation about entrepreneurship, family support, and the fortitude it takes to build something meaningful.
Let’s get into it!
Welcome to Founders & Fortitude, Conversations with Audrie Dollins, a podcast where we uncover the raw realities of being a founder, celebrate the brilliance of the teams, individuals, and families working tirelessly behind the scenes, and explore the fortitude, the unwavering determination it takes to navigate the twists, turns, and triumphs of entrepreneurship and life itself.
Each week, we'll share candid conversations, actionable insights, and inspiring stories to empower you on your journey.
Whether you're building a brand, an online influencer and creator, scaling a business, or pursuing your passions with relentless drive.
Let's dive into the grit, grace, and growth it takes to thrive.
Let's get into it.
Welcome friends.
I am absolutely so thrilled that we are here.
Launching this podcast has been a dream of mine for years.
Live has been very full between running a business, AD Media Group, and serving my incredible clients, along with having a wonderful family that is reaching their own milestones.
This project of starting my podcast kept being pushed to the back burner.
I even have photos and content from shoots that we were going to use to launch previous podcasts, and I have never used them.
But now I'm so excited to make it a priority and share the journey of being a founder, entrepreneur, business owner, mom, wife, and all the things with you.
And not that I have any more time these days, but there are just so many things that I want to share and feel that you could really grow and use in your own life and everyday business that is of value, and I couldn't stand to put it off anymore.
This podcast isn't just about me talking.
This is a podcast where I feel like we can create a space where we all can relate, connect, and answer some of the questions you have.
My goal for each episode is to leave you with tangible takeaways you can implement in your business and daily life.
We'll be joined by incredible guests from professional athletes, founders, business owners, and amazing people who support them.
Whether that be team members or family members, but together we'll dive into these journeys, lessons and grit it takes to make it.
So let's get started about why I'm finally making this podcast a priority.
Back several years ago, I loved going on Instagram and Facebook Live, connecting with clients, especially in the influencer and creator world, so that people could get an inside look on the why, how it happened, how they obtained this incredible following, and what they did to really gain the trust of their following.
If you look back these episodes on Facebook and Instagram Lives, I called them cocktails and conversations, I called them coffee and conversations, and it really created dialogue where we could really connect and answer some questions.
And we had such positive feedback.
And with that positive feedback, it just motivated me to have a podcast.
And as I experienced these conversations with clients, we had a lot of fun.
And some of them themselves have their own podcast.
I really thought about what I wanted to name it.
And as much as I love cocktails, because believe you me, on one of our episodes, I made a fabulous cocktail with my dear friend Tiffany Blackman.
She has her own podcast called My So-Called Fabulous Life.
And it was so much fun to connect and really give that insider look of conversations.
And so when I dug in, I really, really wanted to appeal to everyone and really show them what grit it takes to run a marketing firm, to be an online brand, to be an online influencer, creator, and all the things that it takes.
There is business behind these layers and marketing strategies.
And I really love the word founder.
I think entrepreneur is something in the pursuit of, where I found founder is something that is living, breathing exists, and there is success, and it is moving forward.
So not only am I an entrepreneur, because I'm always open to growing and having additional revenue and additional brands, I have some plans for certain other companies I want to own and run and be a part of.
So I really love the definition of founder.
The definition of a founder are the visionaries who take an idea and turning it into something tangible, where an entrepreneur is that in the pursuit of and is open.
I am a founder and I'm an entrepreneur.
Fortitude is the mental and emotional strength that keeps you moving forward, no matter the challenges.
I go back to the definition of fortitude so many times.
Now, I was introduced to the word fortitude so many years ago.
This is so funny.
When I was watching One Tree Hill, and it was just one of those days, like lazy days where I was at home and I was just like, you know, doing like computer work, but had the TV on.
And I heard him call his sports agency.
And I may even have this wrong.
This is how much I'm not like an indebted fan or anything.
But I heard him say Fortitude, his PR agency.
He was an agent for sports athletes.
And I love sports.
And you'll find out my family does too, as much as we get deeper.
And so when I heard that definition, Fortitude, many years later, many, many years later, I'm going to say about 10, 15, my husband and I were going through a certain season of business and life.
And the word Fortitude popped in my head.
And I researched it again, remembered the impact it had on me so many years ago.
I sent it to him and he agreed.
And like with it, he connected with it that day in that stage of our life.
And then it just kind of became our word.
You know, we're not out in front of people being like Fortitude or anything like that.
But it's a word that just we say, or I write it down, or I use it.
I use it almost on a daily basis.
So when I was thinking of what I was gonna name my podcast, although I loved Cocktail & Conversations and Coffee & Conversations, those fun little things, Founders & Fortitude, that name just resonated with me so much.
And so I hope that it resonates with you.
When you think of founders, you think of the fortitude and the drive.
There are many people that have had such success.
Now remember, I think success is a living and breathing thing.
This is, when we say founders, it doesn't mean the easy road.
When I think of founders and entrepreneurs, I think of fortitude because you have to have it.
When you take on something of your own and you're opening yourself up for what I call daily challenges, some people say failures.
I don't think that there's failures.
I think there's challenges.
So that is founders and fortitude in a nutshell.
Now if you don't know who I am and you are new here, allow me to reintroduce myself.
I am a wife and a mom first and foremost, and I hope people consider me a pretty great friend.
I am the founder of AD Media Group and my journey began way back in the day as I started a photography business that did evolve into a six-figure business that I ran on my own and started out as a photographer that photographed families and kids and they grew into the wedding industry.
And I met some wonderful professionals and it introduced me to the world of influencers and creators and really opening up the door for me to work with brands.
Like many people, when they start a business, they grow it and then they reach a scale.
Then they reach a different season of their life.
And you will hear me talk about seasons all the time.
I am one that truly believes in seasons.
I had a conversation with a lovely lady at a holiday party recently.
And she said, my 30s were not my own.
They were my children.
And as your children grow and your family grows, and there's certain seasons of your life during those specific times is your season.
So as I was growing my photography business that was just building into such an I'm so proud of it, I even judged myself.
I looked back at photos that I captured.
I used to not think I was a great photographer.
And I look back and I'm like, okay, okay, I was pretty good.
I am pretty damn good at that.
I scaled that business, but I was missing my family.
And my husband looked at me and we were on a trip.
And he looked at me and I said, you know, I feel like I'm meant for more when I'm taking photos.
And I know I have all of this knowledge that I want to share with these influencers.
I have all this knowledge I want to share with the brands.
And I'm creating the content.
And I just stand there and feel like I could offer so much more to them than a photo.
I could do this business.
I love pitching and negotiations.
And I love supporting people and sharing.
Like I am not a gatekeeper.
As a photographer, people would like, hey, what lens are you using?
What preset are you using?
I mean, I would share.
You could literally go to my website right now.
There's links to everything.
And so, like, I truly believe in, I want to share with everyone.
We are all different.
You could give us the same paintbrush and the same canvas and we would still, with the same type of paint, and we would still come up with something different.
So I just felt so much more layered on top of, I had young kids and if you're a photographer, that's evenings and weekends and if you're a wedding photographer, that is Saturdays and Sundays.
And so although I had a, you know, a process and a structure with my family, I was able to drop them off at school and most of the time able to pick them up.
I didn't get the fun parts.
I used to say I dropped them to their practices so they could succeed on the weekends.
And although I didn't get to see them in the game, I brought them to make them better.
You know, like I used to make myself feel better.
Like, I didn't get to see the game, but I took them to the practices that made them be ready for the game.
And so I was in this season, I was running this six-figure photography business.
I was everything.
I was the editor.
I was the photographer.
I answered emails.
I did all the scheduling.
And my husband, he had a full-time job supporting us, and we were balancing that.
And again, you know, backing up to where we were sitting.
And he said, what is it that you can provide them, you know, without you physically having to be at everything?
Because we were on the ski slopes, and he's like, you know, if you broke your leg, you're not going to be able to take a photo.
So your whole business, if you stop, your business stops.
What can continue to go if it doesn't involve you?
And I was like, oh, my goodness, you know, and a lot of people feel this way.
If you're a hairstylist, if you're, you know, in the hospitality industry, if you're physically not doing something, you're not making an income.
And if you get sick, how are you going to sick or want to take a vacation or want to be there with your kids?
How can you continue to make revenue?
And I knew that I had so much knowledge.
I knew how to run social media.
I knew how to make negotiations on behalf of a client.
And I knew the marketing processes and structures that creators were doing every single day to run their business.
And I knew that they were in the same boat as me.
That if they got sick, their content didn't go out, their emails didn't get done, their links didn't get done.
And all of the monetization processes they have to do all rode upon them.
And I was like, I can be, for them, what I need.
I can provide the marketing services and all that back-end effort with knowledge.
Not any disrespect to any, you know, online assistant or anything like that.
But I think that if you're educated with brands and influencing and marketing and all that that I am, there's a different level of service that you can provide.
Because not only are you doing what their processes are, you're enlightening them with new educations.
So I called it AD Media Group, Audrie Dollins Media Group.
I began to set up the processes and structures on how we can create and streamline their processes, us doing it behind the scenes for them.
And all they had to worry about was the content.
And they're relating with the influencer.
Now, we'll get into the full story of you cannot set it and forget it when it comes to marketing, especially trust marketing that is in demand today.
That is why creators are successful.
Brands are turning to creators and influencers and turning to that trust marketing because that's where it all is.
And so I formed AD Media Group back in 2019, going into 2020, and it really took off.
And here we are.
So, AD Media Group is that transition of season for me.
And I have built a fabulous team over the few years that ultimately, I do not have to do every single thing in this company.
I have a team that I can walk away and be with my family.
So personally, I can be with my family.
Now I am heavily involved on the day to day.
But personally, in this season, my company can run and support these amazing businesses, brands and creators, influencers without my presence.
And now my kids are older, I have.
And let's get into that so you can see that season.
And I'll highlight a little about them.
And I'm excited.
I hope they are going to come on for an episode.
My son flies in, so I'm really hoping that we can all sit down and chat.
But I am really proud of the growth of AD Media Group and then my family.
My husband Jason and I have been together for over 10 years.
He is that, you know, high expectations with support for those.
He leads me.
He's not.
He is full truth with the hand behind me, pushing me to be great with those great expectations that he knows that I can achieve.
Now, sometimes it's heart on the heart.
Sometimes I just love to be lied to.
Tell me I'm pretty even though I have bags under my eyes because I stayed up working when you told me not to.
But he is so kind.
He is there for my children, my family.
He is home base for us.
And then we have our son that is about to be 21.
So he will, Presley, our son, will be 21.
And he is in the Air Force.
That was a whole thing.
I hope that my whole family sits down because y'all are gonna laugh, cry, choke up on that season.
And he is in North Carolina.
He is a crew chief for F-15s.
And so that's, we are so proud of him and his decision of being, taking that route.
Like such a cool thing.
It's so intriguing.
The military has been around for so long, but it's still so, it's still such a mystery to me and so intriguing to find out.
And then our daughter Scarlett, she is about to, literally, by the time this goes live, she either turned 16, is 16, all the things.
She is the most kindest, funny, and I know they're not, your kids are not supposed to be your best friends, but I try to demand her to be my best friend because she is such a good soul.
She plays select softball and so every, every day, every weekend we are at the softball fields.
We are a family of sports and if we are not talking about sports, then we're not talking because we love, we're a huge sports family.
I mean, it's so fun.
Presley can rattle off statistics like it's crazy and I just go to him like on bets and things, it's not that we're betting anything possibly, yeah.
So anyway, that's our family and of course, we have our three lovely dogs and we are a dog family, Leti, Findi and Sadie.
So that's it in a nutshell.
That's me and that's my introduction.
So I hope I gave you a little insight about AD Media Group, my family and yeah, it's going to be a fun time.
We're going to connect and I really want them and they will shoot the truth and tell you, hey, this is what you guys see on the front of a founder.
But we're going to let you in a little bit on the life of a founder.
Does my mom sleep?
What's her routine?
What are founders routines?
I see a lot of parallel and that's what's so great about the episodes coming up, is I see a lot of parallel of the athlete mindset and the entrepreneurial mindset and that drive of going.
And I really hope that when my family comes on and the guests come on and that brings their spouse or their supportive team member on these episodes, that you really hear what works for them or what doesn't work for them and what may work for you.
And this is really that conversation.
And then along with that, we're going to give you tangible things that we use.
So I think that's what has me so excited is that I love podcasts and I love the podcasts that are like, check this app out, check this process that I do, check out this workout that I do.
And some may be sponsored, some may not, but it's something that you can use and really implement in your daily life and business.
There are going to be some fun segments that we bring up.
So we're gonna have a Founders' Favorite segment.
This is where we highlight some fun things that are going on online, social media, sports, and those great conversation pieces.
And then we're gonna have a segment called Three for Me.
And that is where we will have those tangible items that you can take away.
And of course, we will have all of it in the show notes.
So let's lead into Founders' Favorite segment right now.
Cue the Founders' Favorite music.
Hi friends, this is the part of the show where we're talking about all that's trending, what we're loving and hot topics that are worth discussing.
After all, AD Media Group collaborates with influencers' brands that helps set these trends.
And AD Media Group is the sponsor for Founders' Favorites this week.
If you want your business to keep running while you stop to enjoy family time or just a little bit of a break, AD Media Group is that monetization marketing firm that helps you do so.
Visit admediagroupllc.com and you can find them on all of the social media outlets.
Okay, you guys, it's been the holidays.
There are some funny things.
There have been some reindeer games.
There have been some funny things on social media, mainly referring to TikTok.
Now I'm hoping that we don't get a TikTok ban.
We have a lot of people on TikTok and it's one of my midnight, like I just, if I can't sleep, I'm watching TikTok.
My favorite thing that is happening on TikTok, which has passed a little bit, but it's the suspect.
You know, like suspect is, you know, had a gym membership for three years and has never went.
These are such passive aggressive humor moments.
That is literally what great therapy is made of.
Like I am laughing so hard at these husbands and wives that are just crashing each other.
Like it is hilarious.
I also am loving, we listen and we don't judge on TikTok right now.
I think these are like these.
I really want to tell you something that I've been keeping a secret and boom.
It is just just so hilarious to me.
Another thing that I love is give me all of the recipes.
I can watch every person on Instagram.
It's the being a resource for me.
That is where, and we're going to dive into this.
It's my founder's favorites have to be the content that shows how to do something and being a resource and saving money while doing it in easy ways.
So trending social media is suspect, listen and we don't judge and all of the resource show me how I need to do my makeup, showing me how to make a charcuterie board, show me this best recipe that saves me time.
That's what I'm loving.
That's a founder's favorite for sure.
And then currently a founder's favorite are books.
So we can laugh about this, but as you know, as a founder and entrepreneur, you know I'm listening to podcasts and all the things that motivate me and all these self-motivational books and how-to books and all the things that basically help you stand in your greatness.
I went to therapy one time way back in the day and she asked me like, what are you listening to?
What are you reading?
What are you watching?
And I told her and she was like, okay, let's take that back a little bit because you're being a little bit hard on yourself of the need to achieve that maybe start reading something or listening to something that can kind of give you an escape.
And so I think that was some of the best advice and to really monitor how much I'm taking in on the self-help and the motivational and all of that and really kind of get an escape.
So I'm telling you when she said that I have a stack of books that I've ordered off of Amazon of all of these wonderful like romance novels and all of things.
Of course, you know, I'm going to talk about Colleen Hoover and I have a fun story about that and then all of the wonderful things.
So the books that I'm currently reading right now are the ones by Carley Fortune.
Right now, it's the Every Summer After.
This is like a three book series and it's so great.
So that's my Founder favorite book for this week.
And then my Founders favorite music.
Now, I am a, like my love language is music.
If you send me a song, like that is conversation.
Like, however I feel, if it's in a great mood, a sad mood, you know, miss my kids mood, I just love music so much.
And it has to be Ela Langley that is like the shining star that's coming out for me right now.
I just love her, love her rasp, love her music.
Just, just, just enjoying it.
So that, that's gonna be my Founders' Favorite Song of the Week.
And then my Founders' Favorite Sports Teams.
We're not even gonna talk about the Dallas Cowboys.
I have, was raised, born in Arlington.
If you don't know, the Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys Stadiums in Arlington, born and raised in Arlington, moved north over time as an adult.
But, I love the Mavericks, love the Cowboys, Stars, you name it, any local that I believe are sports teams.
And we have such a name for ourselves.
I don't want to talk about the Cowboys.
As our office is located in Frisco, just like a block away from the Star, just, we're not gonna put them in the Founders' Favorite.
We're gonna bless it and block it and move on.
You know, as the words, as my friend taught me, uh, Natasha, bless it and block it, go, go girl, move on.
So that, we need therapy for that.
Of course, I am loving the Stars.
They are doing, they're making a great run right now.
Um, Mavericks, yes.
I mean, Luca's out right now with an injury.
But, the Founder favorite sports teams are always gonna be the Stars, the Mavericks, all the Thanks, the Rangers, uh, Cowboys, you're there, but just on the back burner right now.
Um, God bless it.
If you have a Founder's favorite or a suggestion, what you're loving, a trending topic on social media that I need to check out, please DM me, drop in the comments, send over.
We'd love to hear it.
What songs are you loving?
Tell me about your sports teams.
We don't want to hear about the Eagles.
No one cares.
Just, I mean, you can share a book with me, share a song with me.
I can't wait to hear.
And that's our Founders' favorite segment.
This part of the show, we will be sharing a favorite quote each episode.
Quotes are like those little, knowledgeable nuggets that I feel help give that motivation to connect.
And this week's favorite quote is sponsored by Southern Junkiez.
Southern Junkiez is an online and storefront boutique in the charming town of Pilot Point.
They keep me on trend and treat me like family.
Southern Junkiez is so darling, and I know that if you shop with them, they will treat you like family too.
Let's dive into this week's quote.
It's easy to like those who make life fun and paths simple, but the ones we're choosing are those you respect, who challenge, push and ultimately draw out the greatness within you, leading you to true strength and success.
Okay, I love this quote for so many reasons.
I am like everybody.
I love people that come into my life and are inspiring and fun and just a great time.
But then there are people that come into your life that draw greatness out of you, that challenge you.
And I identify these people like with people like coaches and mentors.
I can also parallel this with coaches in the regards of like if you're trying to get physically in shape, they are making you sweat.
They are pushing you.
They are doing things to pull that greatness that they know is within you.
And those are the people that that truly have the best for you for that success.
Now, I'm not saying don't be friends with someone that's a good time.
I am, I think there is a season and moment for all of that.
But it's that you don't always just love the people you respect, right?
I think that is the greater of friend, person, is the person that you respect.
What our parents, you know, I look, I kind of identify that in with like a father figure.
Like you respect that person and you carry yourself in a way that brings that greatness and respect out of yourself.
That is also mentoring and coaching others.
There are people watching you and that is why I love this quote.
If you want to sponsor a quote or if you have a great quote that you want on the show, please DM, comment and share and I look forward to hearing what gets you through those trialing tribulations or motivational times.
Cue the music.
We have now landed in the segment of the show called Three From Me.
Here we go.
As mentioned, it is so important to me that each episode you walk away with actionable tips, steps, apps or processes that you can use in your business or everyday life.
I truly pride myself on not being a gatekeeper.
I want to share tools and resources because we all approach things differently and bring unique value and just because I provide it doesn't mean that you are taking away from me or I from you or anyone else and I hope that you use these tangible takeaways to really grow and hit that vision that you have laid out for yourself and or your business.
I am going to share these with you and link them in the show notes.
If you head to our show notes this is where some of our guests details and these items.
Now, this is not sponsored.
However, if you do click one of our links, it possibly could be monetized, meaning I may get a little bit of kickback if you do sign up with one of the apps I refer you to.
However, they are not sponsoring me.
Now, let's talk Asana.
Asana is a popular project management and collaboration tool that helps teams organize, track, and manage their work.
Asana allows users to create tasks, set deadlines, and assign responsibilities.
It tracks progress in a visual way.
It is designed to improve team productivity, streamline workflows, and ensure projects are completed on time by offering various views such as lists, boards, and timelines.
Asana is commonly used for task management, project tracking, and team collaboration.
Asana is the foundation of our company and what we use for every client.
Now, there's other things out there like Trello and Mondays and they all can integrate.
Asana is just it for me, and I feel like I use it for everything.
I literally build it out for personal, professional, and it streamlines my calendars, my tasks, what I did, and I can always document and track all the many and various things that I am responsible for as a founder, entrepreneur, business owner, and mom.
So Asana is a fabulous tool.
It can be used in browser, on your phone, and on your computer.
And I just love it.
I can't say enough about it.
And a few people will probably be like, oh, it's so hard to use.
I just love it.
It's just one of my favorites.
Another tangible takeaway would be Showit.
Showit is where I design all of my websites, my own website.
I have worked and used Showit for years.
I have tried to use other platforms, and although I think they have great things about them, Showit is it for me.
Showit is a flexible website design platform for creating visually stunning, customizable websites without needing coding skills.
Showit allows users to design and build websites with a drag and drop interface, offering high levels of creative control and flexibility.
To me, if you use Canva for designing aspects, that's how Showit is for me.
I feel like I can maneuver design and make it so trending and modern that if you work with our team at AD Media Group, that is where we will design your website and it integrates with WordPress.
And that is just my go-to with fantastic SEO results.
That is my professional and experienced opinion.
Take it or leave it, but I love Showit.
Flowdesk.
Flowdesk integrates with Showit and this is a user-friendly email marketing platform known for its sleek, modern templates and intuitive design tools.
Flowdesk is your newsletter hub.
This is where you create newsletters, own your audience and as much as our company loves social media, we know that with Showit and Flowdesk, you can own your audience and then flow them to and from your social media.
But these items with your website and newsletter allows you to own your audience so that anything that the algorithms decide, your audience still know where to contact you on a consistent time.
Again, Flowdesk allows users to create beautiful customized emails, automate, whoa, let me say that again.
Flowdesk allows users to create beautiful customized emails, automate workflows and manage their email marketing campaigns easy with a focus on aesthetics and ease of use.
I again use other platforms and truly feel that Flowdesk brings that trending, easy to use, Canva type mentality that keeps me looking like I'm in the know.
The older I get, they all continue to keep me cool and that's what I want to be.
I want to be consistent, classic, but continue to stay up with the times of trendings and these three apps and items that we're sharing with you, I feel like do so.
So that is our three for me segment this week and I can't wait to share more.
That makes my little heart get so excited and I can't wait to hear how you implement these in your business and everyday life.
That is our first episode and let me tell you, it is so hard to have a conversation by yourself and make it make sense.
So coming up, it won't just be me.
If you know me and you meet me in person, I am full of conversation.
I love listening to you and I can't wait to just lay it all out there and really get into it.
I cannot thank you enough for tuning in and I truly hope that you enjoyed today's episode.
If you could please take a moment and leave a five-star review, it really helps us in growing and being seen.
Of course, you can follow me on Instagram at Audrie Dollins and our team at AD Media Group on Instagram as well or any social media outlet and visit our website at audriedollins.com or admediagroupllc.com.
We are so appreciative of you.
Remember, you are so valued, so appreciated and capable of so many things.
Keep the fortitude, never give up and always remember, capture, brand, engage and let's do big things.