How a Business Friendship with Someone in a Different Niche Can Help You with Julie Fry and Nikki Rausch

00:00:24 - Maelisa Hall
Welcome to season two of the My Biz Bestie podcast. I'm Melissa Hall.

00:00:28 - Amber Hawley
And I'm Amber Hawley.

00:00:30 - Maelisa Hall
And today we have another BizBestie interview. We are super excited to talk to BizBestie's Julie Fry and Nikki Rausch.
Welcome, ladies.

00:00:40 - Nikki Rausch
Thank you.

00:00:43 - Amber Hawley
And it's even super, super special because they are the co-presidents of our fan club. Yes, we are.

00:00:49 - Julie Fry
We totally are. We are wearing our fan club shirts right now.

00:00:54 - Maelisa Hall
They are. We gave them, and this was Amber's idea, so props to Amber, our My Biz Bestie t-shirts. And they both showed up to this interview wearing them, even though Julie also has an event she's speaking at right after this. So... Very much appreciate this.
That's hardcore.

00:01:11 - Nikki Rausch
I was wondering if it was going to be really uncool to wear them. Because, you know, they say, like, when you go to the band's, you know, concert, you're not supposed to wear the band's t-shirt. But I was like, I'm willing to be uncool and still wear my t-shirt.

00:01:24 - Maelisa Hall
I was always the wear the band t-shirt person.

00:01:26 - Amber Hawley
Oh yeah, like, you can wear it ironically, and then it's okay, although ironically, I'm the only one who's not wearing theirs, and I feel so.

00:01:38 - Maelisa Hall
That's okay. You can't be perfect all the time, Amber.

00:01:43 - Amber Hawley
I know.

00:01:43 - Maelisa Hall
I'm so uncool. But ladies, why don't we hear a little bit about the two of you? Because you both have really amazing and impressive businesses and do some really cool stuff. So Julie, why don't we start with you? If you could just tell us a little bit about yourself.

00:01:58 - Julie Fry
Sure. So I lead a community for mom entrepreneurs to get support on their business and build their professional network through our very welcoming and inclusive and educational live events. We have 19 chapters across the country and one in Barcelona, which I'm looking forward to making a field trip to.

00:02:18 - Amber Hawley
Yeah. Really? Can someone do one in Fiji, please?

00:02:23 - Maelisa Hall
Yeah. Yeah, so if you're listening from Fiji.

00:02:26 - Julie Fry
Yes, we have a very long list of desired chapter launches. Australia, Fiji, we're coming for you.

00:02:34 - Maelisa Hall
Do you have a Hawaii location?

00:02:36 - Julie Fry
We don't, we don't. Yeah, we don't yet. Another one to... Another one to add to the list.

00:02:42 - Amber Hawley
So any of you entrepreneurial moms in Hawaii, please reach out.

00:02:48 - Maelisa Hall
I know, you just might get a personal visit from Julie Frye. And I think it's really cool because Amber and I do talk a lot about the importance of getting together with people IRL in real life. And actually meeting live is so important. So I love that you have a group where you really focus on facilitating that.
All right, Nikki, why don't you tell us a little bit about what you do?

00:03:11 - Nikki Rausch
So I am a sales coach, a speaker, and a trainer. And I primarily work with businesses and organizations and really focus on the relationship side of selling, how to build strong relationships, and how to understand the selling process. So once you know where you are in the selling process, you know, what are you supposed to do next?
So that's what I teach.

00:03:31 - Amber Hawley
Awesome. And I think... So many people need that support because so many people get stuck on this, like, I don't want to be salesy thing. Yeah. Not realizing like a good salesperson isn't going to do it that way.

00:03:44 - Nikki Rausch
Well, there's this idea of learning how to like be authentic and still sell in an authentic way. And it can be done. You don't have to be aggressive or pushy or salesy, right? You can do it in a way that allows for the other person to feel really good about the kind of communication between the two of you.
So yeah.

00:04:05 - Maelisa Hall
Yeah. I have to say, Amber and I have talked about how we like to do a lot of business trainings. And so I've learned a lot about that stuff. And just hearing you on a podcast episode, I mean, you gave some really amazing value bombs that were also very unique, like things that I had not heard before.
And I was like, man. And then I was also really impressed by your experience. So you definitely know what you're talking about. Thank you. Thank you. We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for this very special announcement.

00:04:35 - Amber Hawley
How would you like to spend three days and nights in a luxury setting in La Jolla, California? This will be an epic version of a GSD retreat.

00:04:44 - Maelisa Hall
Join us and four other women as you work on a major project for three days totally uninterrupted and all while having access to feedback and support along the way.

00:04:56 - Amber Hawley
You don't have to worry about a thing because everything, and I mean everything, is going to be taken care of for you. All you have to do is show up and be ready to be pampered and get in the zone to get all your stuff done.

00:05:09 - Maelisa Hall
It's all happening September 20th to the 23rd, 2018. For more information, head on over to mybizbestie.com forward slash retreat.

00:05:18 - Amber Hawley
But don't delay because there's only five slots and you know people want to hang out with us. So you better head on over. Plus, we're offering a super special discount for those of you who sign up before June 15th. Awesome. So why don't you share with our listeners how you guys met and kind of, you know, the structure of your relationship a little bit.

00:05:43 - Julie Fry
Gosh, we met a long time ago, didn't we, Nikki? I mean, it feels like a long time ago.

00:05:47 - Nikki Rausch
Yeah.

00:05:47 - Julie Fry
It was 2014. You spoke at one of our early events.

00:05:52 - Nikki Rausch
Yeah. Julie. Yeah. You asked me to do a training for you.

00:05:56 - Julie Fry
Yeah. So one of our other members had mentioned this woman named Nikki Roush that she saw speak and said she was amazing and that she was a sales coach and trainer. So yeah. I reached out to her and asked her to speak at one of our events. She came, we saw, we fell in love.
And that was how we met.

00:06:20 - Amber Hawley
I love it. Love at first sight. Those are the best.

00:06:24 - Nikki Rausch
It was. And I was so impressed with Julie's organization, like Business Among Moms, and that even though I wasn't a mom, I asked Julie, I'm like, can I just join anyway? Because I just want to hang out with you and all of your cool members. And so she let me join, which she let's everybody, all women are welcome in her organization.
But I wasn't sure. So I had to check first and she was like, no, come and join. And I actually became a lifetime member because I love this group so much.

00:06:58 - Maelisa Hall
Feel good. So why don't you guys tell us, do you two live local to one another? How often do you see one another?

00:07:05 - Julie Fry
Do you want to take that one, Nikki?

00:07:07 - Nikki Rausch
Yeah, we're in the same... area. We're in the Seattle area, although we don't see each other in person very much, not as much as I'd like to because we're both so busy, so many things going on. And I don't get to network as much as I would like to nowadays.
So when I do network, it's primarily in one of Julie's chapters. I go to one of her chapter meetings, although she's not at every single chapter meeting because she's got a I don't know, Julie, do we see each other maybe once a quarter?

00:07:39 - Julie Fry
It's like once a quarter is probably how it works out. Yeah. I mean, I would love to see more of you in real life, but we talk every week.

00:07:48 - Maelisa Hall
We do. And is that like just a kind of happenstance? Or is that a planned thing?

00:07:54 - Julie Fry
We have it on our calendar. So every Friday from nine to 10, we have it on our calendar. And occasionally we have to shift it around because of appointments, but that's our standing date.

00:08:05 - Nikki Rausch
And we keep it more than not. We're pretty consistent. And if we don't, then we try to, like she said, shift it around a little bit so that we at least get that time with each other.

00:08:16 - Amber Hawley
And so during that time, kind of what is the focus of the call? Is it like accountability or just supporting each other?

00:08:24 - Julie Fry
So initially, I would say it started, I asked Nikki if she had an accountability partner because I was looking for one. So I would say it started off as accountability and I feel like it's morphed into more sort of like our own mini mastermind where we bounce ideas off of each other and ask for feedback on things.
That's my take on it. I feel like we do share our wins and we share what we need help with, but I do feel like it's become more of an idea exchange. What do you think, Nikki?

00:08:53 - Nikki Rausch
I totally agree. Julie and I both are, I think, lovers of ideas and And we each have a lot of them. And so I think when one of us comes with like, hey, I'm thinking about this and I just wanted your feedback. The other one of us always has some kind of spin on it or some take on it or some suggestion to maybe move it even further than normal.
the original person kind of thought possible. I know Julie has given me so many great suggestions to something that I was like, Oh, I, you know, I was thinking about doing this and she's like, you could do that. And what about, you know, X, Y, and Z, which always takes that kind of to the next level.
So yeah, we do a lot of mastermind.

00:09:37 - Julie Fry
We do. And it's so funny because there's Nikki's catchphrase with me. I have an idea for you. Are you open to it? And same thing. I mean, she has given me so many good ideas. So I feel like I'm just so lucky to have a relationship with her. And she is amazing.
She's an amazing business owner and an amazing person.

00:10:01 - Nikki Rausch
I feel the same. I'm such a fan. I'm a raving, raving, raving fan of Miss Julie Fry. So I feel really honored. And frankly, when she asked me to be her accountability partner, I think it's been, it's been over a year, right, Julie?

00:10:14 - Julie Fry
I think it'll be two years in September.

00:10:16 - Nikki Rausch
Oh my gosh.

00:10:17 - Julie Fry
I know.

00:10:18 - Nikki Rausch
Yeah.

00:10:20 - Julie Fry
Please don't break up with me on this show.

00:10:25 - Amber Hawley
It's not that kind of a show. You cannot have a reality show curse kind of podcast thing. You must stay together forever now. I love it. Well, that is so cool. I love the dedication by having it scheduled and having this thing where you really value and block out that time because you both are very successful business people.
So I think that's great. But then continuing to add value to each other, even after all this time. I mean, I think that speaks volumes to the level of support and understanding of each other.

00:11:00 - Nikki Rausch
The other thing that's really nice about it, I think is because we do have different businesses and we both do have quite an extensive background that we kind of bring to the table. Both of us have worked in corporate and And then with this different, you know, business thing that there is just a really, it's a very supportive relationship.
Like we really are invested in each other's success. I mean, I can't tell you how many doors Julie has opened for me and I hope that I have, you know, returned.

00:11:33 - Julie Fry
Absolutely. Absolutely.

00:11:35 - Nikki Rausch
So that has been the other thing too, is just having somebody who is really invested in your success without there being... There's never been awkward, competitive. There's just none of that in our relationship. It's very much like, hey, let's take this to the next level and really encouraging, which has been awesome.

00:11:55 - Julie Fry
We're so lucky. Yeah. I want this for everybody.

00:11:58 - Maelisa Hall
I know. Yeah, we do too.

00:12:01 - Amber Hawley
Exactly.

00:12:02 - Maelisa Hall
For sure. Because it sounds like you two have done a good job too of sort of morphing the relationship as your businesses have morphed and grown.

00:12:11 - Julie Fry
Yeah, I think that both Nikki and I were both... fairly self-motivated, I would say. And so we never actually talked about this, that the accountability piece kind of morphed, but we just got to the point where I think we were doing everything that we needed to do and said that we would do.
And that's where it just kind of turned into more of bouncing ideas off of each other. So yeah, I forgot where I was going with that, but. It's just I feel like the accountability, it became apparent that that was maybe not as much as what we needed as far as just having the support and the camaraderie and the morale booster.

00:12:48 - Amber Hawley
Well, I think that's a good point because often I think there are times where we think in our businesses that we're needing this one thing. And then when we go to get it, we realize, oh, that's actually not what I was needing because... You know, I just feel like that was what I was supposed to need or that was going to be the thing that maybe made me feel more fulfilled or that, you know, everything was flowing better or there was something there.
And so, you know, I think it's important to kind of look at that and realize like what we think we need isn't always what we need. Yeah. Totally.

00:13:20 - Nikki Rausch
One of the things I will say to you, though, that we have kept consistent, which for me has been really helpful, is that we do start our calls off with what was your win this week? And I think if I didn't have that with Julie, there would be so many times where I would let a week go by and not even think about what was my win.
And so because I know that question's coming at the start of every call, I have to actually look at my week and go like, what was my win? So it makes me a lot more thoughtful as a result. So I'm really, I love that piece. And that's the piece that we have stayed consistent on.

00:13:55 - Julie Fry
Yes. And sometimes when you've had a really crappy week, it's good to go through that exercise of like, okay, what did go well this week? And what can I count as a win? Maybe it was that I got up every day and took a shower. It's usually not that bad.
But you know, it's I think it's a really great exercise as a business owner with all the ups and downs.

00:14:15 - Maelisa Hall
Oh, yeah. And so often, I know I'll get caught in like, okay, this thing is done, move on to the next thing. And so it's really, really valuable when you have those people who are reminding you like, hey, look at all the stuff you did. You can take a minute to enjoy that and be proud of that.
That's awesome.

00:14:32 - Amber Hawley
Yeah. And that's a great practice because as they say, whatever you focus on expands. So if you're taking that time to notice the positive, notice the wins, that's something that you're going to start seeing more of.

00:14:43 - Maelisa Hall
I love that. So do you ladies have any other biz besties or have you had any other biz besties in the past? Before the call, we were talking about the polyamorous nature of some biz bestie relationships.

00:14:58 - Julie Fry
Do you want to go first, Nikki?

00:14:59 - Nikki Rausch
Yeah, sure. I do have one other accountability partner and that one is more of an accountability piece.

00:15:07 - Amber Hawley
This is the first she's hearing of this.

00:15:10 - Nikki Rausch
The MyBestBestieReveal show.

00:15:12 - Amber Hawley
If you need support after the call, I will help you. Thank you, Amber.

00:15:19 - Maelisa Hall
Thankfully, we have a couples therapist here. Well-versed in affairs.

00:15:24 - Julie Fry
I'm just kidding.

00:15:27 - Nikki Rausch
Yes, she does. So my other accountability partner was actually assigned to me as part of a group coaching program. And it's been a great relationship and it probably will continue. It's a much shorter... Sometimes that call is 15 minutes. It's on, it's off.
It's like, this is what I'm going to do this week. The other person says what they're going to do. And then we check in the next week from an accountability standpoint. So that's really my only other... relationship. How about you, Julie Fry?

00:15:56 - Julie Fry
So I do have another biz bestie. So her name is Amy Lang. You both met her at Biz Chicks Live. She and I talk Monday through Thursday. So our calls are pretty quick and it's more of an accountability. What was your win? What are you going to get done today?
And that's pretty much it. And then when we come back the next day, we talk about, did you get it done? Every once in a while, there's a little bit more of the idea bouncing, but we stick more to the talk on the phone, have a quick check in, get it done.
And sometimes, and honestly, sometimes it's more personal stuff of what we're dealing with and what our win was personally and what we're looking to get done personally. So I feel like there's a little bit more flex between our professional life and our personal life.

00:16:45 - Amber Hawley
I absolutely do love how you compartmentalize them on certain days.

00:16:52 - Julie Fry
I was like, oh, that's fascinating. Well, it's funny because Amy and I have been talking now for almost two years. And so I think that this started about the same time that you and I started. And so she approached me and I said, well, I'm, you know, talking to Nikki once a week, but I could do Monday through Thursday for a quick check-in.
And so it's all worked out really, really awesome.

00:17:14 - Nikki Rausch
I love it. That just shows you like Julie is a sought after person. So every day I think my lucky stars that she actually asked me, frankly, I was beyond flattered when she did. I was like, what me? Okay, sure. So yeah. So she's sought after. So I feel lucky.

00:17:36 - Amber Hawley
Seriously. And I'm just like the highly structured nature. I'm like, that is so appealing. Like this just shows why your business rocks because I am pretty structured.

00:17:45 - Julie Fry
I'm a structured.

00:17:47 - Maelisa Hall
Which I think is even more impressive because you're also an ENFP.

00:17:52 - Julie Fry
Yes.

00:17:53 - Maelisa Hall
Who are not naturally very structured people.

00:17:56 - Julie Fry
Yeah. It's funny. Before I had kids, the thing that I was most afraid of is that I was going to have to have more structure in my life because with kids comes a schedule. I remember being so terrified by that. But then once it happened... it was really actually quite great.

00:18:14 - Amber Hawley
It really is the key to success.

00:18:16 - Julie Fry
I've enjoyed the structure and the schedule.

00:18:18 - Amber Hawley
I heard it sets you free, but I don't know. Maybe one day.

00:18:25 - Julie Fry
I do what works for you is my motto.

00:18:28 - Amber Hawley
Yes. Well, I think it's cool because that is important to know like, okay, I'm going to It sounds like your BizBestie relationships are very business-oriented. There's a good structure even to how you guys do your check-ins. So there's a lot of thoughtfulness there that I think is really nice to highlight because every BizBestie couple that we've interviewed have just such different ways of approaching it.
So I just love hearing about all the different approaches.

00:18:54 - Julie Fry
Yeah. And I think that for us, it's led to longevity, which is fantastic. I don't want to go through the process of finding a new BizBestie.

00:19:02 - Amber Hawley
Yeah. I know. Because I also know, even though technically Nikki is my conference bestie. I am.

00:19:08 - Maelisa Hall
Which I was okay with, even though it was sprung on me a little bit.

00:19:12 - Amber Hawley
But I'm cool with it. Yes. And I believe you're the one who walked away from me first. We were at separate tables. But you guys, you do conference together. So you guys do get more time together doing other kinds of things as well.

00:19:30 - Julie Fry
Yes, that was great. So doing BizChicks Live together along with some of our other Seattle friends and then doing social media marketing world was fantastic because we did get to spend a lot more time together. It was awesome.

00:19:43 - Maelisa Hall
Julie, would you mind? Because it sounds like you were seeking it out because you actually asked for an accountability partner. Would you mind talking a little bit about maybe what was going on or what you were thinking or hoping to get out of it?

00:19:57 - Julie Fry
Yeah, I think at that time... I am highly social in nature and need people. I need conversation. I need that real life touch. Whenever I had tried to get accountability through a Facebook group per se, it just doesn't work for me. I am not It just does not work for me.
So I think at that time, what I was really looking for is I, and accountability groups were hot and accountability partners were hot. I want to say at that time, they still are, but I feel like it was sort of coming up and I just thought, gosh, you know, if I could stay accountable with the things that I want to do, because I have some big goals, let's see what I can do.
And so that's really where it came from is I felt that it would be really beneficial to me and hopefully my my counterpart would appreciate it as well.

So that was my driver that I just thought that it could be a really big game changer for my business. Cool. And it has been. Thanks, Nikki.

00:20:58 - Nikki Rausch
Well, you're welcome and vice versa.

00:21:00 - Amber Hawley
What are you guys going to do for your anniversary? Oh, gosh. September.

00:21:06 - Maelisa Hall
You got to celebrate.

00:21:07 - Amber Hawley
It is September.

00:21:08 - Maelisa Hall
Gosh. We need to think about this.

00:21:11 - Amber Hawley
Yeah. You got to honor those.

00:21:12 - Maelisa Hall
I know a retreat happening at a nice beach location in September. Oh.

00:21:19 - Amber Hawley
I swear I wasn't thinking that when I said it.

00:21:22 - Julie Fry
Oh my gosh. You guys are so funny.

00:21:24 - Nikki Rausch
Although Naz planted a seed.

00:21:27 - Julie Fry
You did plant a seed.

00:21:29 - Maelisa Hall
Shameless plug, folks. www.mybizbestie.com slash retreat.

00:21:33 - Julie Fry
Retreat. That's right.

00:21:36 - Amber Hawley
It's happening. I'm so excited. Yes, we're very excited too. I swear that was not my intention. I know it wasn't, but it was perfect. It's perfect.

00:21:45 - Julie Fry
You got to take advantage of those opportunities.

00:21:48 - Nikki Rausch
You got to love it. Yeah. When your partner sets you up and you just like knock it out of the park.

00:21:54 - Amber Hawley
Good job. Says the sales coach. I know. I know. You got to love that.

00:22:00 - Nikki Rausch
You know, there's this part of me that wants to be like, and tell them more, like tell them how to grab a skirt and like the process, you know, that's great.

00:22:08 - Amber Hawley
She's like, don't downplay it, Amber. Don't do that. Amber, stop.

00:22:11 - Nikki Rausch
People want to go to your conference.

00:22:13 - Julie Fry
So I was wondering a question about the retreat. Is it an application process? Do you have to apply?

00:22:21 - Amber Hawley
Yes, because we are sharing a house. So we want to just make sure it's a good fit for people.

00:22:27 - Julie Fry
I think that's a good call.

00:22:28 - Maelisa Hall
Yeah. Awesome. Yes. It's not in depth. You know, we're not going to be doing background checks necessarily, but we do want to chat with people ahead of time. So when you head to the sales page, you will see that. And you can learn more about what's going to happen.

00:22:42 - Amber Hawley
It will not be the Spanish Inquisition, but we do take blood samples.

00:22:46 - Maelisa Hall
And everyone will be turning in their driver's license.

00:22:52 - Amber Hawley
I need to have your 23andMe results. So Nikki, for you, what would you say you feel is the biggest value in having this relationship?

00:23:02 - Nikki Rausch
Well, the biggest value in the relationship is really having a trusted partner, somebody that you can just be... like lay all your cards on the table because, you know, I know this came out in the biz chicks community today about like, everybody's a mess, you know, it's like, so you can kind of show your messy pieces to somebody who isn't going to go out and tell the whole world, like, wow, if you only knew like Nikki's a mess this week, right.
There's that trusted relationship. And then there's, you know, the other thing for me is that because Julie is who she is and she And this is part of, I think, why she does and is so good at what she does is she's a great collaborator. She's a great community builder.
And for me, she has just, I think one, I feel a little stretched sometimes because she's more extroverted than I am.

And she's out there, which kind of encourages me to want to be out there and participate a little bit more. So it's just that like, it's a gentle push sometimes. I would say for me and my business. And also, it does make me feel I always want to be contributing at the same level that she is to me.
So that's a driver as well for me.

00:24:13 - Amber Hawley
Right. I think the best relationships bring out the best versions of ourselves, right? When you have a really good, healthy relationship, whether that's with your partner or spouse or your biz bestie, it's people who, yeah, you respect them enough that you want to be the best version of you.

00:24:30 - Julie Fry
And so true, that is my sentiments, exactly because I feel like Nikki is so genuine and so authentic and so helpful with everyone she meets, whether they're a client or not. That I also feel compelled to be the best version of myself when we're together or collaborating, or sharing ideas.
So, yeah, it's. when you can find that person, it is really, it's magical.

00:25:04 - Amber Hawley
I love it.

00:25:04 - Maelisa Hall
Do either of you, since you do have a lot of great experience and you've really taken action in these areas, do you have some tips for people who might be searching for their BizBestie or searching for their general support system?

00:25:17 - Nikki Rausch
I do for sure. The one thing that I recommend when people are telling me that they're going to find an accountability partner, one tip that I always give is make sure that that person is kind of in a similar stage in their business. Because if you're in startup phase and they're in...
kind of next stage of their business. You can feel this competitive, like I can't keep up. Why is their business growing? You know, it creates this weird dynamic. So I think you want to be with somebody who has kind of a similar kind of trajectory and isn't a similar kind of building phase of their business.
That to me. And then I think it's important to set some parameters up front. And I know I did this with Julie and this is very me, is I asked for us to have a trial period.

Let's try it for a quarter and see how it goes. And at the end of the quarter, if it's not a good fit, then we'll both just be fine with letting it go and no hard feelings because I never want to damage a relationship. And at the same time, I don't want to get sucked into something that doesn't serve me or my business, especially because it is a big commitment to meet every week.
And so Julie was willing to do that. And I think we got to the end of our first quarter and we were both like, do you still want to stay together?

00:26:32 - Maelisa Hall
In college, we called that the DTR, define the relationship talk.

00:26:39 - Amber Hawley
Oh, yes. I love it. That's a new acronym for me.

00:26:43 - Nikki Rausch
Me too. I didn't know that one either. You all apparently did not go to Christian college.

00:26:49 - Amber Hawley
Oh, I absolutely love that you did that. Again, I think it speaks volumes to the thoughtfulness there because this is something where I think like we go hard and fast and it's like, what? Like, oh, we should think about those things. What if it doesn't feel good?
Yeah. It's not even a thought.

00:27:11 - Maelisa Hall
Yeah, no, I think it's so smart. And it sounds like the way you framed it is... it is a nice way to like give people an out because you don't know what might happen. And as you are getting to know people, and like you said, the way you guys have it structured, that is a big commitment.

00:27:24 - Amber Hawley
So you don't want to be stuck with that. I think that's a fantastic tip that people should absolutely follow. So do as we say, not as we do people, because that, no, it really is a good tip because it is hard when you're out there meeting people and getting to know people.
It takes time to know if that's a really good fit.

00:27:43 - Julie Fry
Yeah. Yeah, I totally agree with Nikki's tips. And I have one more to add. And especially if you are out there in the world and networking, and this is, I have two women that are in the BAM community that I match made because one of them had mentioned to me that she was looking for an accountability partner, BizBestie.
And I happened to know another woman who had mentioned to me a couple months earlier that she felt like she really needed some accountability. They were both in very similar places in their business. So I suggested that they talk to each other about it and the same deal, you know, set a trial period in case it doesn't work out or it wasn't meeting either one of their expectations.
And they're still together. And I want to say it's been about six months, maybe longer.

So put it out there to your network that you're looking. because you never know who could introduce you to somebody that might be your next BizBestie.

00:28:38 - Amber Hawley
Nice. I like it. Yep. Serendipity, right? So that's such an important thing. I love it. We want everyone to have BizBesties. I know. That's the thing. And I think that's what made us want to start this podcast because we've gotten so much value out of our bigger support system and then especially out of the BizBestie relationship.
I know for me, it was very transformative because there were we had so many similarities and also understanding, you know, cause we both have ADHD and that can be a hard thing when you're in business and then you constantly feeling bad because you're not living up to expectations that, you know, other people are setting or that you're setting.
And so I do think it's such a valuable thing and, you know, we should all be having more fun.

00:29:23 - Maelisa Hall
Yes to more fun. Absolutely.

00:29:26 - Amber Hawley
Are there any last thoughts or anything else that you'd, would like to share with our audience before we let them know where they can find you and get a hold of you?

00:29:36 - Nikki Rausch
My last tip that I would share is never be afraid to ask somebody who you have some interest or some desire to want to connect with or have some type of a biz bestie relationship because you just never know that person might be super flattered by you asking and they might feel intimidated to ask you.
So always ask. That's the salesperson in me coming out to you. Always ask for the sale. Ask people. Nice.

00:30:02 - Julie Fry
And even though it might be uncomfortable or you fear rejection, it's a lot like dating, right? But I think that's a fantastic tip. I have nothing to add because it's the perfect tip to end on.

00:30:12 - Amber Hawley
You guys have offered a lot of value and a lot of great tips. So I just wanted to make sure we didn't cut anybody off. But where can they find you? So Nikki, where can people go to find you if they want to find out more about you?

00:30:24 - Nikki Rausch
They can visit my website, which is yoursalesmaven.com. Awesome.

00:30:30 - Amber Hawley
Love it.

00:30:30 - Julie Fry
And how about you, Julie? They can go to my website also, which is businessamongmoms.com.

00:30:37 - Maelisa Hall
Very cool. And they can find a local chapter too through that website, right? If they're looking for maybe an initial place to connect with some other women.

00:30:45 - Julie Fry
Absolutely. They can find a local chapter or they can apply to start a chapter. Cool. Hello, Hawaii.

00:30:53 - Amber Hawley
Awesome. Thank you so much, ladies, for being with us today. This was awesome.

00:30:59 - Julie Fry
Thank you so much. I am so grateful and honored to be on one of my very favorite podcasts.

00:31:05 - Maelisa Hall
We are honored to have you two as co-presidents. I know.

00:31:10 - Amber Hawley
I think we brag about it because you guys are so awesome and thereby it makes us look more awesome.

00:31:17 - Nikki Rausch
Well, we are both raving, raving fans of both of you. So thank you so much. Thank you.

00:31:22 - Amber Hawley
Wonderful. Thank you guys.