From North Pole to Nine Figures: The Rise of Buffbunny

Imagine growing up in a tiny town where the streetlights are candy canes, and the population barely breaks 2,000. From North Pole, Alaska, to building a nine-figure apparel empire, Heidi Somers Guzman—better known as Buff Bunny—has a story that will challenge how you think about fear, failure, and success. Heidi turned heartbreak and setbacks into stepping stones to create the Buff Bunny Collection, one of the most empowering brands for women worldwide. In this episode, Heidi shares the pivotal moments that shaped her journey, from confronting her "inner mean girl" to taking a leap of faith with a one-way ticket to the lower 48. We unpack her transition from shy homeschooled kid to social media trailblazer, and how her decision to "date herself" for a year completely transformed her confidence and outlook on life. You’ll hear how she tackled her fear of the gym and turned it into a brand that inspires women to embrace their strength—physically, emotionally, and mentally. Heidi’s story isn’t just about business; it’s about resilience, purpose, and staying true to your values, even when the world tries to tell you otherwise. If you’ve ever felt stuck, unsure, or afraid to take that first step, Heidi’s journey will remind you that greatness isn’t reserved for the extraordinary—it’s earned by those willing to try. Key Takeaways: How embracing your imperfections can connect you to your audience—and yourself. The life-changing power of "dating yourself" and rediscovering your self-worth. Why starting with zero knowledge is no excuse for not chasing your dreams. The importance of listening to your community and creating solutions they truly need. How to navigate loss, burnout, and uncertainty while still pursuing your vision. This conversation will leave you inspired to take action, whether it’s launching your business, loving yourself more, or simply believing that you’re capable of greatness. Remember, the keys to your next chapter are in your hands—grab them and go. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Ed Mylett?

  So hey guys, listen, we're all trying to get more productive. And the question is, how do you find a way to get an edge? I'm a big believer that if you're getting mentoring, or you're in an environment that causes growth, a growth-based environment, that you're much more likely to grow, and you're going to grow faster. And that's why I love Growth Day. Growth Day is an app that my friend Brendan Burchard has created that I'm a big fan of. Write this down, growthday.com/ed. So if you want to be more productive, by the way, he's asked me, I post videos in there every single Monday that get your day off to the right start. He's got about $5,000, $10,000 worth of courses that are in there that come with the app. Also, some of the top influencers in the world are all posting content in there on a regular basis, like having the Avengers of personal development and business in one app. And I'm honored that he asked me to be a part of it as well and contribute on a weekly basis, and I do.

• 0:45Ed Mylett?

  So go over there and get signed up. You're going to get a free, tuition-free voucher to go to an event with Brendan and myself and a bunch of other influencers as well. So you get a free event out of it also. So go to growthday.com/ed. That's growthday.com/ed. I hear so many small business owners say the exact same thing. They just never have enough time in the day. Well, I measure time differently. I've compressed, condensed, heck, I've bent time. My first day is 6:00 a.m. to noon. My second day starts at noon and goes till 6:00 p.m. And my third day, 6:00 p.m. to midnight. I now get 21 days a week. Stack that up over a month, over a year, over five years, and my life's completely different than it would have been otherwise. And if you want to win as an entrepreneur,

• 1:29Ed Mylett?

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• 2:38Ed Mylett?

  This is the Ed Meyer Show.

• 2:43Ed Mylett?

  All right, welcome back to the show, everybody. So just so you all know, I listen to you. The lady that's going to join us today is one of the most requested guests in the history of the show. And when you guys really want somebody on, I'm like, okay, let me research them and figure out whether I agree with you. And the more I dug into her story, I was so moved, I actually was moved to tears, listening to her story. And I'm so impressed with her and what she's built, what she's accomplished, particularly in light of where she's come from. And I would say she is in the top three most requested guests in the eight years of this show. And now I know why, and you're going to know why by the end of today. Today's going to be something that's going to move you, but you're going to learn so much about entrepreneurship, building your brand.

• 3:27Ed Mylett?

  But you're going to be moved more than anything today. She is better known as Buff Bunny, but you're going to get to know her today as Heidi Summers. She's built a nine-figure apparel business, the Buff Bunny Collection. And she is one of the most impressive people that I have met in many, many years. Because we were going to do the show a few weeks ago, or a week ago, and we had to bump it because of some technical issue. So I already know how incredible this is going to be. So Heidi Summers, welcome to the show, finally.

• 3:56Speaker 03

  Wow, what an intro, Ed. Thank you so much. It is such an honor to be on your show with someone who loves, loves, loves, loves tuning into, listen to all your guests as well as you speak on here. So thank you for having me.

• 4:09Ed Mylett?

  Thank you. Well, I'm grateful you're here, like I said, and I know there's like a couple million people that are as well. So usually when I do the show, I'm not really someone who's like, let's take 20 minutes on someone's story. I want to get to the content and the facts. But I got to be honest with you, your story is so integrated with what everybody will learn today. And I just think it'll give everybody so much hope. So. Let's just start out in the beginning. At first I learned a term I didn't even know, the lower forty-eight, which of course is synonymous. Anybody that lives in Alaska uses that term, but I didn't know that. I didn't even know I lived in the lower forty-eight. So it tells you what I know. But start out, tell us a little bit about how you grew up because to go from where you grew up to building a nine-figure apparel company and still doing it pretty young is remarkable. So tell them where you grew up and how you grew up.

• 4:53Speaker 03

  So I was born and raised in a small town, North Pole, Alaska, and I have five siblings. My parents homeschooled all of us because North Pole has a population of 2,000 people, so real small. We grew up in the sticks, very isolated, very sheltered, didn't wear pants till I was, I believe I was 14. And, you know, raised in a very traditional Baptist home and I loved my upbringing. I have the best family. I'm so incredibly blessed. But growing up in the sticks, as we call it, you know, you're very isolated and kind of sheltered from everyone. So that was kind of what my upbringing was when I lived in Alaska, but I currently live in Texas now.

• 5:38Ed Mylett?

  What about, you say, so she literally grew up in a place called the North Pole, you guys. And like, it's sort of like, I want to kind of take them back. This is, I don't know. It's almost like another world or another time, the way you grew up. I mean, when you say the sticks, we're talking about the sticks here. So give us an idea, like, is it like a Christmas town since it's called the North Pole? Or like, what was its vibe where you grew up with the 2,000 people? And I'm not laughing at where you grew up. I'm more laughing at how remarkable. Yeah, and you know this, it's more just because I know the after part of the story that's coming and a lot of people here don't. It's just incredible to come from that to where you are now. So, and by the way, it is a beautiful upbringing you had. But was it, was it like Christmasy there since it was the North Pole?

• 6:23Speaker 03

  It is Christmas 365 days around in North Pole, Alaska. So we have, our light posts are actually candy canes. So we have the whole red and white stripes. The, the roads are Kris Kringle Drive, Reindeer Road, you name it. I mean, it is, it's like living in a Hallmark movie is how I grew up.

• 6:43Ed Mylett?

  Wait, seriously, there's Kris Kringle Road. There's Kris Kringle Road.

• 6:48Speaker 03

  Sorry, Kris Kringle Drive, I believe.

• 6:50Ed Mylett?

  No way. I think that's probably what you said. That's crazy. That's so awesome. What a beautiful thing. So, but imagine this, guys, you go from you're around a couple thousand people and not really that, you're kind of around your family, to now millions of people on a weekly basis view her messages and content. I mean, think about that just for a second. So, I want to take them through the journey a little bit more. So at some point, while you're living there, your parents agree to send you to public high school, correct?

• 7:19Speaker 03

  Yes. So, the movie Mean Girls, when she was eating her lunch in the bathroom stall, that movie came out after, you know, I was, I think I was in high school or right after high school, but I was like, oh my gosh, when she ate lunch in the bathroom, I was like, that was me. I totally did that on my first day because I was so nervous. Uh, but yeah, I was homeschooled my whole life. And when I was 15, I begged my parents. I was like, please let me go to public school. I just want to, I want to be around friends and I would watch the movies and it just looked like a lot of fun. So I eventually went to public school. And I remember feeling so nervous the first day. And this is when I learned you can actually, if you have a lot of anxiety, you can actually give yourself a fever. So that's what happened to me day one.

• 8:00Speaker 03

  So I had lunch in the bathroom and then it was, I believe it was the next class after that. I just wasn't feeling well. And I went to the nurse and she kind of knew, you know, she kind of knew where I was coming from because when I, I think it was the first day when I was choosing the classes, um, they, they were like, okay, you know, this is your counselor. And I was like, there's nothing wrong with me. I was just homeschooled. I don't need a counselor. But I didn't realize, I was very behind, I would say socially. Um, a lot of the terms that, you know, the kids would say, I just didn't really understand. Um, everyone was given a counselor, you know, to guide you through high school, but I thought it was like a therapist and I thought they were thinking there was something wrong with me or something. So yeah, I was definitely very behind for a little while. It took me a little while to catch up.

• 8:45Ed Mylett?

  I think of that, uh, you being in the bathroom hiding just because I have a very dear friend whose son. Had that type of anxiety and he did that and he didn't get past it. And unfortunately, he ended up taking his life and the anxiety of eating lunch as precious little boy in the bathroom every single day. So I picture you, you know, with that level of anxiety too. If I'd have told you or your family then, like snapshot, this girl's walking into high school now, you're eating lunch in the bathroom that day or hiding in there. And I would have told you someday you're gonna live in the lower 48 and you're gonna have millions of people paying attention to you, not the people just on Kris Kringle road, but all over on almost every road

• 9:30Ed Mylett?

  in the world are gonna be listening to you or seeing your content every time. What would they have said to me? And then at that time, if you took a picture of yourself, who would you have told me you were then? If you had to describe you like this is who I am, what would you say?

• 9:44Speaker 03

  Oh gosh, I think back then I was so shy. I was so not confident myself. I was so quiet. I was, I just felt very, I sheltered, you know, I just didn't feel like I got along with any of the kids. I feel like I didn't fit in. I felt very lost. I think those are the some of some of the feelings that I felt in that moment.

• 10:08Ed Mylett?

  You struggled with your mental health at some point in high school or before that? And then how did you get from that place right there to, hey, I might move? Was there like a dream in your heart? Was it just like escaping where you were and wanted to see something else? What made you ultimately make this move?

• 10:27Speaker 03

  Well, growing up in Alaska, I loved it. I loved living there. But I, at the time, I was like, I want to get my biology degree and I want to go to med school one day. And I would talk about it, but I just hadn't made the plunge yet to book the ticket to go down to the lower 48. But there was a time in my life, you know, I was in school, I was in college, I was going to University of Alaska and I was, you know, I went through this period of time where I was cheated on, crashed my car, got laid off from my, my coffee job. And I was like, just sitting there with so much, you know,

• 11:05Speaker 03

  Just spiraling into this stressful time in my life and I kind of use that as there's nothing stopping me from now going to lower 48. So it's kind of, I took something that was so difficult to go through and I found the silver lining in it and that's kind of what I, what I use to kind of my inner compass, if you will. I try to find a silver lining in things. I booked my one-way ticket. I gave myself four months. I was like, get your life together. You have four months. We're gonna go to lower 48 and we're gonna do what we said we'd been gonna do. During that time, I realized that, you know, I really had fallen out of love with myself, just with everything that I was going through. You know,

• 11:49Speaker 03

  you have this inner mean girl. I know the guys have an inner mean boy guy. And we, we just beat ourselves up. And especially when you go through, you know, everything that I went through at the same time, I just was beating myself up right and left. And the way that I kind of confronted myself was like, okay, I can either live in this or I can make my life better, which was, you know, focusing on that inner mean girl and just standing up to her and just saying, no, no, no, sit down. I'm, I'm not, you know, I am driven. I am smart. I am capable. I can do hard things. And so I just, what I say is I kind of battled

• 12:31Speaker 03

  her out a little bit. You know, I had this inner mean girl I was tackling and I told myself, I'm gonna give myself one year where I date myself. I'm gonna buy myself flowers. I'm gonna take myself out on dates. I'm going to dress up for myself. I'm going to, you know, work hard on my career and my life. And in that one year, I turned that inner mean girl into my best friend. And she was my biggest hype girl. And she advocated for me and she was cheering me on. And that one year, I ended up turning into three years. It wasn't on purpose. I just, I

• 13:09Speaker 03

  During that one year, I found my self-worth and I just realized how wonderful a person I am. It doesn't mean you have this ego and I'm not like, I'm the best. But you realize things about yourself. You get to know yourself better. And you realize like what you will put up with and what you won't and what you want to work for, what you won't settle for. And it truly just changed my life.

• 13:34Ed Mylett?

  Okay, I uh, I want to unpack this because I have a really good friend. So by the way, you've all heard the behind the scenes now. We're about to get into minute to branding and building a nine-figure company and making your dreams come true. But for me, this is really important. And this idea of dating yourself, everybody. You said something even more profound maybe before that, which is I'd fallen out of love with myself. If you're listening to this, you're driving, you're on the treadmill, you're watching on YouTube, just ask yourself this. Is that the case for you right now? Like, can you honestly say, I love myself? I'm talking about guy or lady watching it. This has nothing to do with gender. But have you fallen out of love with yourself a little bit?

• 14:13Ed Mylett?

  Were you ever in love with yourself? You have the blessing of growing up in a beautiful family and this great environment. So there was love, but a lot of people have never had that. Maybe some of you need to take a year and date yourself and be kind to yourself. Maybe it's not a relationship you need to get into and maybe it's not starting a business yet. Maybe it's not those things yet. Maybe it's just taking some time. I have a very good friend and she's 39. And she's got a young son and she just did this for the last year. She literally dated herself. She'd take, she'd sent me a picture in a restaurant. She's eating dinner alone. I like, I could never do that. And she's like, I'm just treating myself well. I take walks on the beach with me. I have conversations with me. And about six months into it, sort of like what you said, she probably heard this from you, by the way.

• 14:57Ed Mylett?

  She said, you know, I'm starting to really like me. And she said, and I believe this, I say this in my content, you can't really like yourself if you don't even know you. You don't even know yourself. And so, thank you so much for that. So what a beautiful way to put it. I dated myself and now I've got my own inner best friend. So hey guys, I want to jump in here for a second and talk about change and growth. And you know, by the way, it's no secret how people get ahead in life or how they grow. And also taking a look at the future, if you want to change your future, you got to change the things you're doing. If you continue to do the same things, you're probably going to produce the same results. But if you get into a new environment where you're learning new things and you're around other people that are growth oriented, you're much more likely to do that yourself. And that's why I love Growth Day. Write this down for a second.

• 15:40Ed Mylett?

  GrowthDay.com/Ed. My friend Brendon Burchard has created the most incredible personal development and business app that I've ever seen in my life. Everything from goal setting software to personal accountability, journaling, courses, thousands of dollars worth of courses in there as well. I create content in there on Mondays where I contribute, as do a whole bunch of other influencers, like the Avengers of influencers and business minds in there. It's the Netflix for high achievers or people that want to be high achievers. So go check it out. My friend Brendon has made it very affordable, very easy to get involved. Go to GrowthDay.com/Ed. That's GrowthDay.com/Ed.

• 16:18Ed Mylett?

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• 17:01Ed Mylett?

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• 17:46Ed Mylett?

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• 18:22Ed Mylett?

  So from there, here we go, guys. Now we're going to shift gears. This is where the Heidi some of you know begins to get sort of created, but the the foundation for it, I believe, was this inner best friend, right? So from there, now what happens? I think part of that treating yourself well was you're eating pretty good too, right? For a while there. And that's connected to the story, isn't it?

• 18:44Speaker 03

  Yes. So when I moved to San Antonio, I, you know, I was working on myself, but I had just gotten there. And because I was still kind of going through that spiraling time, I was still finding myself. I started, you know, eating out at every fast food place. You know, broke college student. I was living on fast food and I really enjoyed trying other foods because in North Pole, we had Wendy's and McDonald's. That's it. Oh, sorry. And Taco Bell. We did have Taco Bell. So we had three. And so trying all these foods, I gained a good amount of weight in a short period of time. And when that happened, I remember trying on clothes and I realized I

• 19:25Speaker 03

  had to go up quite a few sizes. And I remember looking in the the mirror at The fitting room and I was like, man, like I came here to better my life. And here I am. It wasn't the weight gain. It was how I felt in that moment. I remember I was like, I just feel sluggish and tired and exhausted and brain fog. And I mean, you name it. I just didn't feel my vibrant self. And so from then on, I was like, I'm going to start working out. I hated the gym, by the way. I took weightlifting in high school, skipped every single day.

• 19:59Ed Mylett?

  You're the most famous fitness influencers in the world and you hated working out. That's bananas to me.

• 20:05Speaker 03

  Oh my gosh. So I started going to the gym. And I remember that feeling of walking into the gym for the first time. I was like, I hate it here. I hate it so much. I don't want to be here. I wish I could be anywhere else. And I, that feeling that I had when I walked in is so important because I've built my brands off of that girl in that moment of walking in the gym and just feeling that feeling. And so, you know, I tried, tried the treadmill for a while, then tried weightlifting, then did CrossFit. So I eventually found my groove and as I started losing weight, you know, there's a lot of women that were like, Heidi, I like, what workouts are you doing?

• 20:47Speaker 03

  Share your, share your recipes. So I started doing that on Instagram. Loved it. And I started building this community of women who, you know, they loved seeing me lift weights. Like, oh, wow, you're, you know, you're squatting 135 pounds. That's more than your body weight. That's amazing. And like, you look great. I can do that. So they started getting this confidence and like, they started lifting weights. Cause as myself, when I started lifting weights, I would see the men doing it. And I would say, I don't want to look like that. So I'm not going to do that. But me researching and, you know, going through my weight loss period, I learned so much. And so I wanted to share that with other women like, hey, you can lift weights. You're not going to get bulky. Trust me. Like the guy that weighs 200 pounds, it took him years to put on that much. And

• 21:33Speaker 03

  Women just, they felt so comfortable coming to me and asking me questions. And so that's kind of what started my fitness journey and started with social media. And I love the community that I built with women. I mean, they, even now, to this day, I take it so seriously and I'm so careful what I put out into the world because I know they trust me with a hundred percent of, you know, their being.

• 21:57Ed Mylett?

  Were you super uncomfortable in the beginning? I mean, I'm just picturing someone who's not comfortable at some point, just a few years before, walking into the lunchroom in high school in Alaska, and now you're putting yourself, because here's the thing, I think most people don't document their life because they don't think it's interesting. So they, A, don't post on social media because they don't think they're interesting, and they're wrong. And secondly, they don't want to show their weaknesses, yet that's the thing that connects you. Your imperfections are what connect you with people, not your perfections. But third, they're, they're afraid of like ridicule or feedback or it not going on. Did you have that at some point too? Like, well, I have a camera on me now. I know I did when I started. I was like, this is weird. Was it, was that hard for you or no?

• 22:42Speaker 03

  Oh, absolutely. I mean, go look, don't, I'm like, go look, but don't look at some of my first videos on YouTube. I mean, I was, if, if anything, I just felt like I was very robotic. I remember recording over and over and over again, like the same video. I was like, hi, guys, it's me. Like, I was so nervous. And I did something that I still use to this day. I did it with shaking hands. So I was terrified. I was scared. I was nervous. And I was absolutely afraid, but I still did it with shaking hands. And that's kind of something that I take to this day whenever I'm conquering a fear. Is, you know, when people are like, don't be afraid, it's, you know, don't be scared, don't be afraid. I tell people, I'm like, you should do it afraid. Because if you're afraid, you will grow after

• 23:26Speaker 03

  you kind of tackle that head on. And a lot of my favorite moments in life is me. Doing something in fear and doing something when I did have shaking hands. It's like afterwards, I felt so much better about myself.

• 23:40Ed Mylett?

  Yep, I'm the same way. My biggest fear was public speaking. And so the first time I actually finally did it, you know, for real, I wasn't any good at it, but I finished it and I was never the same human again. It was almost like on a cellular level, I changed a little bit, you know? And the next time I was 99% as scared, but not as 100%. And now, you know, it's what I do 80 nights a year. And so I'm exactly the same way. If you're afraid of it, you should probably do it because it'll change you. I totally agree with you on that. Okay, I know what everybody wants to know, so we're gonna get to it now. So you have this, you have the, you have this time where you're dating yourself. You've gained a bunch of weight. Now you're hitting the gym. Now you're making content. How does Buff Bunny collection begin?

• 24:24Speaker 03

  So, let's see, a lot of YouTubers, a lot of social media people, you know, they end up making merch and I love me some merch. So I was like, I'm gonna make some t-shirts and I'm gonna put Buff Bunny on it. And I think because women had learned so much through my channel. I mean, I've had women come up to me and say, I have lost hundreds of pounds watching your meal prep videos. And I'm like, I was just sharing my favorite tips. You know, I didn't realize how important sharing a meal prep video was. So I was like, I'm gonna make some t-shirts. So I made some t-shirts and they sold out in, I mean, I think under a minute. It was crazy, just, just like that. And I was like, oh, okay. I thought this was gonna last like two or three months. So then I bought more.

• 25:07Speaker 03

  And so I used the amount of money I put towards the clothing brand and I just put it right back in. I never took money out. I just kept doubling, tripling, quadrupling my inventory. Merch, I did about three times and I think that started in January. And then by August, I had looked into manufacturing overseas. I was like, you know, I stand by the quote, whatever thy hand findest to do, do it with all thy might. I believe it's in the Bible. It's in the Bible. And I was like, you know, people, women are asking me for leggings and they're asking me for joggers. And I just, I can't print it on these cheap hoodies. I just can't do it. I can't put it on the cheap leggings. I just can't do it.

• 25:49Speaker 03

  So I started looking into textiles, taught myself so much about fabrics, um, washes, recipes on how to create the most amazing fabrics. And I documented the whole thing on YouTube. So my community was seeing, ah, she's coming up leggings. And I was like, what color do you guys want? What rise do you guys want? What inseam length do you want? So I used my community and just asked them, I was like, what do you guys want? And I used their voice and I let them have a voice and, you know, suggest colors and things like that. And I would, um, just kept ordering more inventory, more pieces. They're like, we want crop tops. We want full length tops. We want hoodies. We want joggers. And I kind of built these collection based on customer demands.

• 26:35Speaker 03

  So that's kind of how it started. And I remember the first, I mean, the first two years were just absolutely wild. I was doing everything out of my home. You know, I had this fear. I was like, I can't get a warehouse. I'm just, I'm too nervous to commit to a three year lease. Oh my gosh, there's no way. And so I had a, I had moved from a two bedroom apartment that had like one working outlet at a time to then moving into a four bedroom house. And I was like, this will basically be my fulfillment center. And I utilized every room. I was like, for backstock and printing orders. I was paying my best friends with Chipotle to come help me pack orders.

• 27:17Ed Mylett?

  Oh my gosh.

• 27:18Speaker 03

  That was the start of it. And it's, it's been eight years and we've just, we just keep growing.

• 27:23Ed Mylett?

  This is this, you guys. Okay. So first off, this is real entrepreneurship here, which is like, you do pay friends with Chipotle. You do work out of your apartment. It doesn't feel real. I don't think you actually feel successful for, I don't even know if you ever feel successful. If you're a good entrepreneur, but like for years and years, you don't, right? Right now, if you just give them a peek, we, I won't get too much into your business, but. Your personal income a year is over a million dollars a year, correct?

• 27:49Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 27:50Ed Mylett?

  Yes, and it's over probably eight figures a year. Is that correct?

• 27:53Speaker 03

  Yes.

• 27:54Ed Mylett?

  Yes. Okay. Did you all just hear what I just said? This is a nine-figure brand that was built by a girl who gave herself a one-way ticket to the US, ends up gaining weight, going to the gym, starts documenting her things she's doing out of fear and anxiety, thinks nobody's going to be interested in it. Turns out people are interested in it. Builds this brand because guys, branding, by the way, businesses nowadays, it used to be, who do you know? And that's why only a few people become successful, you have to have connections. Who do you know? Does your dad know? It was always the guy who, the lady whose dad knew someone, or they went to Harvard and they got the alumni. Now it's not who do you know, it's who knows you? And when people know you, and they started to know Heidi, then she start filling their needs.

• 28:38Ed Mylett?

  And it's built this incredible brand. Along the way, though, the reason I wanted you on, here's the main reason. People see you. You've married your dream guy, which we'll talk about a little bit, right? You've married Christian, and you've married this handsome other stud influencer dude. You're, if everybody sees Heidi on YouTube, she's a beautiful young lady. She's fit. She's making all this money. And you can look at her and say, oh, she's different than me. And what I want you to hear, whether you're a man or a woman, is she's not different than you. She's done different things than you. But she is not different than you. And there's been heartache along the way. How, take us to be the real entrepreneur now, because I have real entrepreneur conversations. Have you actually enjoyed this?

• 29:22Ed Mylett?

  Like, out of a 30-day month, how many days are good days? Seriously, I mean, I mean it, where the last eight years, or how many of them are like, man, that was heavier than I thought it would be when I started? Just curious what your answer would be.

• 29:36Speaker 03

  Oh, you mean one day with no fires?

• 29:40Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, okay, let's go there first, yeah.

• 29:43Speaker 03

  I would say maybe 25% are good days. Sometimes I might have a month where it's like 50/50.

• 29:54Speaker 03

  But like, like I said, like I said, kind of earlier, it's like, I always see the silver lining in things like I might have like, it might be a small fire one day, it might be a big fire one day, but I have an amazing team, three teams, and we, we tackle everything together and we figure it out.

• 30:07Ed Mylett?

  Yep.

• 30:08Speaker 03

  And I like to say I'm a professional problem solver.

• 30:11Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 30:12Speaker 03

  So that does help.

• 30:13Ed Mylett?

  Yep.

• 30:13Speaker 03

  And, but I enjoy what I do. I love what I do every single day.

• 30:17Ed Mylett?

  What about the first three years? What would you say? First three years, was it still 25%? Or was it like every day is just hairs on fire, running around?

• 30:27Speaker 03

  Oh, yeah, I would say every single day was a hard day. Every single day was a hard day.

• 30:31Ed Mylett?

  Yep.

• 30:31Speaker 03

  So I would say it gets easier as you know, your business grows and you have teams that help you.

• 30:36Ed Mylett?

  Yes.

• 30:37Speaker 03

  But that's why I'm like, you know, 75 to 80% of my month is, you know, the harder days.

• 30:43Ed Mylett?

  Yep.

• 30:43Speaker 03

  But there's still a lot of good in those days, you know, it's like you win some, you lose some, you win some, you lose some.

• 30:48Ed Mylett?

  Do you think your temperament helps you? I'm just listening to you, even the way you tell your story, it's this like remarkable story, but you sort of say it, I would say almost like in a matter of fact way, a little bit. And it's because you lived it and you're also on the other side of it. But do, I guess what I'm saying is, do you have an ability to kind of find equanimity, like peace under duress? Are you good at that when everyone's kind of burning you, your sense of calm? Or do you have people around you that are the sense of calm?

• 31:20Speaker 03

  Actually, I would say I'm probably the sense of calm. I remember I hired a design director and with manufacturing, when something happens, maybe we have a collection with three items that are late, we're like, okay, we have to wait for these items to come into launch. So we have to push back a whole launch, which then cascades the whole year. It's a ripple effect, domino effect. And I remember it was, I think her first couple of months and, you know, she's letting me know that she's all nervous. And I was like, okay, all right, so remove this over here, this, this, this, all right, what else you have? And she was like, you're not upset? I was like, there's some things that, you know, it's out of my control, it's out of your control. And stressing about it for hours is not going to do anything. I would say in the first couple of years, the first year, I would say I You know, I would take things differently. I'm like, oh my, it's the end of the world. I have this

• 32:05Speaker 03

  fire to put out.

• 32:06Ed Mylett?

  Yep.

• 32:07Speaker 03

  But as you get used to it, it's like the longer that you struggle or worry about these things that you can't control, it's just taking your energy, it's taking your peace. And I've just learned 15 minutes. I have 15 minutes. And actually, Dr. Lyon was talking about this recently.

• 32:23Ed Mylett?

  Yep.

• 32:24Speaker 03

  Love her. And she was like, yeah, I just, I give myself 15 minutes. I was like, yeah, I kind of do that, too. It's like, I have 15 minutes to complain about it, to be upset about it, to, you know, yell it out or call a friend if I need to, but then I have to move on because I have so many other things that I have to juggle.

• 32:38Ed Mylett?

  I think it's one of the number one qualities of successful people. You know, I think about, I look at a quarterback in football that I admire. You take a Tom Brady. It's, it's not how he is in the first quarter. How is he when it's, the heat is the most hot in the fourth quarter, under pressure? Can he find his best decision then? Or Serena Williams in tennis, or a politician that you might admire, entrepreneur like you that I admire? It's that ability to do that under pressure. Okay, a couple more things.

• 33:05Ed Mylett?

  So you know those pieces in your closet that you find yourself wearing like on repeat all the time? That sweater that kind of just goes with everything, or these perfect pair of pants? Those are the pieces that make getting dressed easy, and that's what Quince does best. Quince focuses on high quality wardrobe staples with premium materials like 100% Mongolian cashmere, organic cotton. The styles are timeless, versatile, and designed to become the dependable pieces you reach for every day. It's what I'm wearing right now. They give you the softness and quality you'd expect from a luxury brand without the price tag. Quince also makes premium pants, fitted tees and polos, and breathable activewear. Quality basics designed to work with your wardrobe and hold up to everyday wear. I love their cotton tees. I'm wearing one now, and I get a ton of compliments when I wear them on the podcast and when I speak. So find your next fall favorites at Quince. Download

• 33:50Ed Mylett?

  the Quince app for app exclusive offers, or go to quince.com/ed for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too. That's Q U I N C E dot com slash ed. So you know, I've been trying to take my health and my morning routine to the next level. And I used to do a whole bunch of different stuff, tons of different supplements. And then I found all in one in a drink with IM8. IM8 is the way to simplify your supplement routine, finally, once and for all. 16 supplements replaced 90 ingredients across nine major organ systems in one drink. You can have all these supplements for $2.61 a day. I've changed my mornings, the whole IM8 routine has changed my mornings.

• 34:33Ed Mylett?

  I feel great and I bring energy to the entire day. Go to IM8health.com/Ed10 right now, or click the link in the description and use code ED10 for a free welcome kit, five free travel sachets plus 10% off your order. That's code ED10 at IM8health.com/Ed10. Code ED10 at IM8health.com/Ed10. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. I know that everybody wants me to ask you different stuff. Has it been worth it?

• 35:11Speaker 03

  Oh, absolutely. I can't imagine doing anything else than what I'm doing right now. And I remember one pivotal moment that I had where I was in my apartment that had like one working outlet. It's like I could either make my oatmeal or my coffee. I had to pick one or the other. And I remember, you know, I had worked so hard on my biology degree, which I dropped out of school. I had six classes left, but I worked so hard and I worked so hard on my resume and, you know, building out my future to one day, hopefully become a doctor. And I remember a conversation I had with a family member.

• 35:52Speaker 03

  They said, I was like, I think I'm going to take time off and do this whole social media thing. And this was 10 years ago, possibly longer. No one was doing social media as a full-time career. It's like, some people sort of were, but to full-on be like, this is my career now? It wasn't as common. And so telling my family member that, I remember they said, Like, oh, my gosh, what if you're making a mistake? Like, you're never going to make as much money as a doctor. And I remember at that moment, I was like, for me, it was never about the money on becoming a doctor. My love language is acts of service. I love, I love doing things for people, helping people. And I always felt like I had a calling for that, helping people in any way.

• 36:37Speaker 03

  And so for me, I was like, it was never about the money. I, it was always about helping people. And right now I'm helping so many women just by making meal prep videos. I was like, I want to expand on this. I think that this could do so much good. And maybe it's not, you know, surgery, but it's a different version of helping people. And I remember that was a really hard fork in the road. It was like this, it's like I was at the end of the road and I was like, I gotta go right or left. And I struggled with that because I had worked so hard and I had put myself through school, worked four jobs and did so much and, and completely doing a 180 and doing social media full time. Was, oh, my gosh, it made my stomach sick.

• 37:21Ed Mylett?

  That's the best part of life.

• 37:22Speaker 03

  It was so worth it, so worth it. I don't regret one decision.

• 37:25Ed Mylett?

  Oh, good. I'm so glad to hear that. That those butterflies you get in your stomach, I call those butterfly feelings. That's indication God's telling you, you're about to have something great happen. You know, everything in life is preceded by the butterflies. That person you go into a relationship with, hopefully got butterflies on the date. If you played high school sport, you know, before the game, you get the butterflies, you know? Go to social media and drop out of becoming a doctor and getting your biology degree. Butterflies, you know, that's, that's the juice of life. This has been so good. I feel like I've been on this whole entrepreneurial life, mindset, mental health journey with you.

• 37:59Ed Mylett?

  This is a real entrepreneur question because it's something I am sitting here a lot older than you that I still wonder if I struggle with. And I don't ask very many guests this, but I'm going to ask you. Are you afraid it's all going to go away? And if you are, does that motivate you or paralyze you? In other words, I think a lot of people like to know, when I get to this place that she's at where I'm. I seem unstoppable. Are you still, do you live in some fear, I could lose it? It could go away. I could not be relevant. And if it does, how does, if you do feel that, how does it affect you? Good or bad?

• 38:33Speaker 03

  That's a really great question. I would say that throughout, you know, the whole process of last 10 years on social media, when I first started with online programs, every single day, I was like, this is not forever. This is temporary. This is temporary. This is temporary. And so I just put money away. I just saved it, saved it, saved it. And then starting Buff Money Collection, same thing. I was like, every single launch I did, I was like, this is temporary. This is temporary. This is temporary. And then I remember, I think it was the first or second year, we did, I think it was like, in five minutes, we did, I think it was like half a million dollars in just five minutes. And when that happened, I thought there was something wrong with the website. I'm calling my website guy. I'm like, oh my gosh. I was like, something's going on. He was like, Heidi, you've sold out. I was like, no, there's no way. Like, it was

• 39:18Speaker 03

  five minutes. There's no way. And I looked at it. I was like, oh my gosh, we sold out in five minutes. It was, it was wild. I'll never forget that moment. I was like, me and my assistant, we looked at each other. We're like, we gotta hire a bigger team. This isn't temporary. And so I started getting more confident, I think, with each launch that went by. Now, I'm not gonna sit here and lie and say that I never have those feelings, because I think any business, you know, some businesses have, you know, they're, they do great for two years. They go down three years, five years, eight years, 10 years. I would say that I do my absolute best to not let

• 40:00Speaker 03

  that imposter syndrome pop up. But it does. And if anything, I just use it almost like as this, like, fear to fuel me. I'm like, well, then you better work really hard right now, because it could go away. I don't know if that's the healthiest way to think about it, but I've, yeah, I've just kind of used that fear to fuel me a little bit more with business. And, you know, I also have diversified with, you know, I have my three personal brands, but I still have, A lot of other things that I've done in the backend, I've saved up, you know, money with all the different brands and I have investments going on. And you know, at one point I was like, I'm going to save up X amount of money and I'm just going to live off the interest. And that's how I'm retiring. And so I did that, I think a few

• 40:43Speaker 03

  years ago. And I was like, oh, no, I'm not done. Like, I love this. I love everything that I do. And at the end of the day, it's, it's not about the money. I love what I'm able to do and provide for women.

• 40:56Ed Mylett?

  That's the best answer, because that's exactly how it works. I did exactly the same thing. I'm like, I'm going to get to where I've got enough money, because this is gonna go away, to live off of it interest wise. And then I got there and I'm like, I don't want to stop doing this. I love doing it. But it, but it, but you only know that, I think, if you save a bunch of money. And so I think that's a great lesson for entrepreneurs is to continue to save money. Along the way, though, there's been tragedy as well. And one of them I was thinking about was someone that you lost along the way as you were building the business as well. And because I just think, life happens to everyone, you know, and you don't, you don't go from, I'm in Alaska on Kris Kringle Road to, I'm making

• 41:41Ed Mylett?

  30 million bucks a year. Easy, right? And I want people to see the behind the scenes on this. So along the way, probably the part of your video that I watched that got me the most emotional was you as a little girl, growing up in Alaska, and then this particular loss that I'm referencing. So, talk about that and then how you handled it. Tell them what happened and then how you were able to process it even.

• 42:04Speaker 03

  Yeah. So that was a, that was a really, you know, heavy thing that I went through. But I was moving to Houston. So I lived in San Antonio for a good chunk of time. And then, my husband now, we were dating at the time, and I moved to Houston. And a lot of my friends lived in San Antonio. And a lot of them, I mean, they were coming over, they were helping me pack packages, they were cheering me on, they were going to the gym with me. And I had one friend who, I mean, she was my biggest cheerleader. She was, I mean, she was repping the clothes. She, we would be out at HEB, and she's like, do you see these leggings? I mean, she was like, the best cheerleader. So, when I moved to

• 42:47Speaker 03

  Houston, I got a call one day, and

• 42:52Speaker 03

  You know, I think loss of any friend is hard, but a friend that was there for you for every, you know, part of your journey and a friend that was taken, you know, took her own life is, I mean, that's a, it's a heavy thing to carry. Um, so when that happened,

• 43:13Speaker 03

  I mean, I was just lost. It was just a, a dark, dark time and going through that, I think, trying to run a business while going through that was probably the hardest because I had just uprooted my whole company to a new city and I had two employees with a big booming business. I was trying to build out my team. So trying to process that, the loss of a best friend by suicide, trying to be there for my company was, I mean, I can't even like,

• 43:55Speaker 03

  I can't even really describe that time. I think that what got me through that hard time was letting myself process it and taking some space away from my team. Um, and again, it's hard because as entrepreneurs, when do you shut off? When do you take care of yourself? There's not really a blueprint or a book that you can read to try to, to navigate those feelings. Every story's different. So for me, I just, I spoke to my friends very often about her. I think that's, that really helped me. It's like not shutting myself into a room. It was

• 44:36Speaker 03

  taking space that I needed to give myself grace and give myself time to process it, speaking to friends of hers that were friends of mine and reliving all of the best moments, sharing, sharing videos and not being afraid to watch those. Um, I think when people go through loss, a lot of times they try to not look at photos, not look at videos, but it's like I forced myself to do that because I was like, I want to remember the good times. I want to remember my favorite memories in a different way. And yeah, I mean, it was, it was a hard time and it's just like, You know, it's like you'd cry before work, you'd cry after work and like while you're

• 45:17Speaker 03

  there, just it's almost like you have to put this like shield on to be there for your team.

• 45:23Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 45:24Speaker 03

  That was something that I, learning that was hard.

• 45:27Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 45:28Speaker 03

  It was hard.

• 45:28Ed Mylett?

  God bless her. I, uh, I was in my backyard, you know, I told you this the last time we talked, I was in the backyard, I saw that part of the video, I just started crying alone in my backyard. Also for you too, you know, I think there's three types of people in the world and all are great. I mean, that, that move people. There's motivational people. They play to people's motives. Hey, I want to look like them or get a car, get a house. You have that, you know, you're a motivational person. Then there's inspirational people and they touch people. I say those people are in spirit. They move people's hearts, you know, not just their motives. And then there's aspirational people. Aspirational people are people that you look at and you go, I'd like to be more like them. I aspire to be more like them. And I think you're all three.

• 46:13Ed Mylett?

  I think that, I think a lot of people look at you, you've motivated them with the way your body changed and you're changing your life and you've been very inspirational for so many people as they've rooted for you on your journey and you've interacted. And then I think this super small town girl who builds this massive brand who's still got all this humility, that's the biggest thing about you. You have all this humility. I think people aspire to be like you. I want to acknowledge that in you.

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• 46:47Speaker 02

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• 47:09Ed Mylett?

  And then I want to ask you something. As you've interacted with the world through your brand, what have you learned that most people struggle with? And your brand is more women, obviously, than men. So we'll talk about women here, but I think whatever she's about to say, just so you know, in my brand, it's probably 70% women now and 30% men. It's just changed over time. But people are people. You said you love your community. What is it that most of them struggle with? What do most people struggle with? And maybe did it surprise you how many do whatever that thing is?

• 47:42Speaker 03

  I think, you know, my brand is all about women and I love them. And this is something that I tell, you know, other women, like you can build a community. It just takes one person, and then two, and three, and you can build it over time. That's something that I try to tell women there, you know, they'll see my, my social media and they'll be like, we have millions of people that follow you. But I was like, but there was one day where I started and I had zero. It's like you can build your own community over time. And for mine, I've always focused on women. In the past, I've been suggested to, you know, add menswear to the Buff Money collection line, or maybe to add men, men's workouts to Grounds Fitness app, which is my fitness app for women.

• 48:25Speaker 03

  And I've always been like, I just, I love men, but I know women so well. And I want to give them more tools and everything they need and like this safe space where it's, you know, women only, they can just be themselves. And I think that is one of our superpowers is just having this community of only women. So I don't want to change that with the brands, at least. I was like, my husband has amazing brands where it's men and women. I'm like, so I just, I tell the men to go over there.

• 48:56Ed Mylett?

  Yep, you're right.

• 48:57Speaker 03

  But I think that What we do different is I really listen and you know, when women ask me for advice and men with, you know, building their brands, I'm like, have you ever asked your customers or your target audience, like, what do they want? What are their problems and how can you solve them?

• 49:15Ed Mylett?

  Mm hmm.

• 49:16Speaker 03

  For Buff Bunny Collection, you know, I was solving a problem. Women in the weight room were like, we want pink leggings. That was one of the first things that I did is I made a bubble gum pink, obnoxious, fun, bright color legging.

• 49:28Ed Mylett?

  Okay.

• 49:28Speaker 03

  Because girls were like, I want to go to the gym and deadlift 200 pounds and do it in pink leggings. And I was like, cool, I can help you with that. And so that's kind of why I started, you know, making leggings and all these like fun, bright colors. And, you know, I try to do a little bit of everything for every woman. It's like we have neutrals, brights, fun prints. And I just listen. I'm like, great. I am not afraid to, to look back at designs and being like, ooh, I wish I would have, you know, listened to this other customer who wanted, I don't know, a different inseam. Um, I think what you said about humility, I, I don't get my feelings hurt very easy. I'm like, oh, you guys don't like this legging? Don't worry. Like, we have some more coming out and I'm going to make exactly what you want.

• 50:07Ed Mylett?

  When, when you started, Heidi, I'm asking, I was just thinking about this when you were talking, one to a hundred, when you started, like the first one you, you know, got from somewhere else that you, that you ordered and you sold out of your apartment from there, one to a hundred, what did you know about merch apparel manufacturing? Rank yourself. And then what would you say you're at now? Like, this is so critical.

• 50:30Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 50:31Ed Mylett?

  Okay. What would you say out of one to a hundred, what was your competency level in the industry in general?

• 50:36Speaker 03

  Is zero an option?

• 50:38Ed Mylett?

  Really? Really?

• 50:39Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 50:40Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 50:40Speaker 03

  Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I went to school for, I was in, you know, I was in school for science. I was, I love science, I'm math, but anything with fashion, I mean, I don't know if you've looked up the fashion in Alaska. I mean, we, we wear Carhartts, we wear

• 50:54Ed Mylett?

  Yep.

• 50:54Speaker 03

  Planel. It's not super, you know, high fashion by any means. And so I would say I started at zero. Yeah.

• 51:02Speaker 04

  Does everyone hear this? Because I really, I was hoping you were gonna say zero to 10, right? Because I, I think everyone's afraid to get into a business or pursue a passion because they know nothing about it now, thinking someone's like born, they know merch, born, they know apparel, or they have a flair for these things. And that's not the case. Like, if you've got a dream in your heart, you've got something you want to do, just take the next step. Just print the first set of leggings, man. See what happens, right? Like, take a little risk. You're gonna, life is short. This is gonna be over anyway. Live your damn dream. Look at this woman. Look what she's done. It's like, we're having this very like, back and forth conversation. She's from a town

• 51:45Speaker 04

  of 2,000 people. Kris Kringle Road, Candy Cane's streetlights, for gosh sakes, homeschooled, didn't wear pants till she's 14. Now she sells more pants than almost anybody on the planet. Like, hello? Right? Because she took a step. And she's giving you the keys. It's like, you shouldn't be listening to my show to just passively listen. These are keys for your life. Look what this woman's built. Right? And you can do this too, your version of it. Maybe it's not a business. Maybe it's your body. Maybe it's your finances. Maybe it's your faith. You know, it could be anything. Maybe it's your family. But you can do these things, but you've got to take these keys. I, I just don't want people to lose that.

• 52:30Speaker 04

  Now, speaking of family, you mentioned him, and he's, you know, important part of your life now, probably the most important part of your life. But you also kind of married kind of the competition, I guess, sort of, right? And Christian. So, tell us about that relationship, because it's not easy to marry someone who's going 3 million miles an hour like you are, and climbing and climbing and climbing. That takes a very special man to be able to deal with the attention you get, the demand of your time. And I think because Christian was who he is, and is who he is, probably made it, him understand your journey pretty well. But talk about the two of you for a second.

• 53:07Speaker 03

  Yeah, well, they say that, you know, you should keep your enemies close. So, I always like to joke that I married mine. I married my enemy.

• 53:16Speaker 03

  Christian and I started dating eight years ago and I just started Buff Bunny Collection. I think I was a few months into, it was my first year, I'm sorry, it was my first year. And, you know, he approached me and I was like, no, no, no, I'm, I am just, I'm going to focus on my career, my business right now. I want nothing to do with dating. But he, he was persistent. He would message me, send me DMs and he found his way in, which was actually like talking about business. So he was like, hey, so are you doing custom pantones? Are you doing overseas? What kind of, where are you manufacturing out of? So I started replying back. And then all of a sudden, it's this long discussion back and forth because he also had a business. Very similar to mine. That's awesome.

• 54:00Speaker 03

  But, um, yeah, so we, we started dating and I mean, it was, it was amazing because we're both entrepreneurs. We had a lot in common, but I will say it's hard when it's two entrepreneurs because you don't know when to shut off. So we try to like fill each other in for a little bit when we get home about our businesses. And then we just try to be husband and wife and not talk about business all day. But it's hard because we both love what we do. We love it. For me, it's like, you know, I've built these brands, but it was great because we also, also had this like little healthy competition because, you know, I have my personal brand, my fitness app, and then my athletic wear line. But, you know, he has a gym, his athletic wear line, he has an energy drink company, he has a bodybuilding league.

• 54:43Speaker 03

  So he has more companies than me and some of them are quite bigger. So it was like this healthy competition where, you know, we'd be like, we would share insider information of like, hey, like this, this type of legging does really well for us or like, ooh, this didn't do well. So it's almost like instead of being competitive in an unhealthy way, we, we actually shared, you know, colors that did really well, colors that absolutely bombed and, It was fun.

• 55:10Ed Mylett?

  It's the ultimate collaboration to these two titans. I love seeing a young power couple, by the way. I just love that. If you were to start over right now, you had 500 bucks, what would you do? Entrepreneur, someone to give you advice back then, someone's listening going, look, I don't have a million followers. I got, I got two and I only got a couple bucks, but I want to start something. I want to start a business. I want to start a journey. I'll tell you what my answer is after you tell me what your answer is, but what would you do with the $500 and just start?

• 55:40Speaker 03

  If I had $500, I mean, tough question. If it was me as a person,

• 55:44Ed Mylett?

  Yep.

• 55:45Speaker 03

  I would probably use that to create some sort of service. So rather that's in the fitness industry, if you're selling, you know, downloadable programs, um, let's say you want to start cleaning houses, whatever is in your niche, trying to find some sort of service. So you can turn that 500 into, you know, $5,000 over a period of time. And then you could take that money and invest it into the bigger picture. And that's kind of what I did with Buff Bunny Collection as well as I started doing, um, online coaching and I, I saved every single dollar until I could put it into Buff Bunny Collection.

• 56:17Ed Mylett?

  Hmm. Okay.

• 56:19Speaker 03

  It depends on the individual. Everyone's answer is probably different. It's probably fun to hear.

• 56:23Ed Mylett?

  Yeah, I know. I should ask that question more on the show. Mine would be, I would probably put it into myself. I would probably invest in myself in some form of personal development, sales, persuasion, a coach or something like that. I would take that initial investment and grow you because ultimately I think you're probably going to get out of your life, who you believe you are. And until you do that journey that you talked about of dating yourself and really getting to know yourself and loving yourself. I think personal development is a way of doing that. And by the way, I'm not saying that because I'm in that industry. My podcast is free. And so I just would probably take the, and do that. Have you ever had burnout? Just thinking about me as I was answering that question, the interview's about you, but what, what, have you ever had burnout? And if you have, how have you dealt with it?

• 57:07Speaker 03

  Oh my gosh, yes. I remember there's a few times where I was just.

• 57:12Speaker 03

  Just exhausted. I was like, I can't, I can't keep doing what I'm doing. There was a period of time, it was a few years ago, actually. So I grew the business without a marketing, I was a marketing director, I was a creative director, I was doing a lot of the product development, I was going to the fulfillment center and, you know, doing audits on like, hey, like, why can't we pack faster? How can we get the launches, you know, out quicker? Because with a launch-based company, you can have a backlog of orders all in one day. So, you know, packaging them as quickly as possible. So I was, you know, at the fulfillment center, talking to the team like, hey, how can we get the orders out faster? And, and going through that, again, a lot of times, like, my superpower is just listening, like, hey, what would make this faster?

• 57:55Speaker 03

  What could I, what tools could I give you guys to make us do this quicker? So we could, you know, get people's orders out faster and then they'll place more orders. So I think there was a time a few years ago where I was just, again, I was, I was doing everything. I was also doing a lot of the operations. So I was, I was wearing every single hat and I had people that I had hired, but a lot of, nobody had experience in anything they were doing. So I was teaching them. So I was wearing all the hats and then teaching all the hats. And so there just came a point where I was like, I'm exhausted. So I hired a COO slash CFO. She changed my life. She was like, you can't be, you can't keep doing what you're doing. This is, I love

• 58:39Speaker 03

  how hands-on you are, but you are way too hands-on. So she changed my life in the sense of, she's like, we need to bring on people that have experience that are better at this than you. And I was like, absolutely, that is a dream. So we started hiring people that, you know, I'm like, I didn't go to fashion school, I didn't go to business school, I didn't go to marketing school. I know that there's a lot of other more brilliant, talented people out there than me. I just wanted to be able to work with them and, and show them like my special sauce, which is like, Let women have a voice and make sure we are always connected to them. Make sure that they always feel. And that's, you know, what I try to tell my team is like, we sell apparel. But my thing is, you know, when women purchase the clothing, when they watch the campaign videos,

• 59:23Speaker 03

  when they look on the website, I want them to feel something.

• 59:26Ed Mylett?

  Yeah.

• 59:26Speaker 03

  Not just like put on a pair of leggings and be like, great, these will get me through a cardio session or a weight lift session. I want them to feel something.

• 59:35Ed Mylett?

  Whenever I'm around, you know, really brilliant, successful people like you, I listen really close for what I think their superpowers are that maybe even they don't know. And a couple of things I've noticed about you. Number one, you're really rooted in your own philosophy. You have a really intense philosophy and you're not going to move away from it. And I think a lot of entrepreneurs just start businesses to solve problems, but they don't develop a rooted core value or philosophy. Yours is very, very deep. The other thing is, and this is what all great entrepreneurs do. Steve Jobs did this at Apple. You start with the customer experience first. Every single question I've asked you about your business, you've started with the ladies. You started with them on your social media, not you on your social media. You started with what they wanted on the brand.

• 1:00:19Ed Mylett?

  You just started with the experience they're going to have. Everything you think about is them first working back to you. Not the other way around. And it's, it's, it is the secret lens. It's this little subtle filter that the great entrepreneurs have that the not great ones just never possess. It's, it's just FYI, every question I've asked you has started with this audience that you love and respect, this community of yours. And you see them one at a time, not millions of them in a group. So just FYI, I noticed that about you.

• 1:00:53Speaker 03

  Thank you.

• 1:00:54Ed Mylett?

  It's an absolute fact. All right, now really the last question, I promise.

• 1:00:57Speaker 03

  Okay.

• 1:00:58Ed Mylett?

  You embody the brand.

• 1:01:03Ed Mylett?

  And so you are fit. You do care about your community. You do train. How important is it when you have a brand or a business of any type to be the example? And when I think of you, I think she is kind of the buff bunny collection because she's buff bunny. Like she is the brand. She lives, trains, works out, eats like the brand itself. And I see a lot of other brands. I'm like, wow, it doesn't fit. So how important has that part been to you to actually be the brand, be what you say you are?

• 1:01:38Speaker 03

  That's a good question. I would say that, you know, you lead by example. And so, you know, I've had a lot of employees and, you know, customers who start following the brand. And, you know, they, they see what I eat. They see how I train. They see, you know, my business tips that I give on YouTube. You know, for a while it was like all fitness content, but people are like, show us more business. So, I mean, I've been very open in my YouTube videos about, you know, launches and how everything works. And they love to see that part of the journey, even if they're not an entrepreneur. They're like, this is really interesting to see, you know, your day.

• 1:02:13Speaker 03

  I think that the three words that we, like I embody with my team and our customers is three words. It's excellent. So it's do everything with excellence. So whatever that hand finds it to do, do it with all they might. Whether you are, you know, catering to a customer or you are designing a legging or you are thinking of a marketing plan, it's do it with excellence. And then transparency, I think that companies that have full transparency are the best companies because you're transparent with your customers. Never lie to them. Be transparent with your influencers, your athletes or your sales team. Just being completely transparent. Don't try to hide things or, you know, shovel them under the rug. And then the last word for us is diversity. So everything we do is with diversity.

• 1:02:58Speaker 03

  I know that some women may relate to me, but some women may not. And so we actually work with, I think right now we have about 150 influencers that we work with that come in all different bodies, shapes, sizes, backgrounds, countries. And they actually, they actually shoot the brand more. Like I talked about on YouTube, but I always joke, I'm like, oh no, my marketing team, they fired me. They were like, get out of here. You don't need to be the photo shoots. Like go, go build the brand and we have plenty of influencers that we can work with. And so, yeah, it's, it's, I, I used to be the face of the brand, but now I've taken a step back and I love to show all the different women, you know, there's so many different, amazing, brilliant, creative women that come in all different shapes and sizes and we

• 1:03:43Speaker 03

  love, love, love, love to show that.

• 1:03:45Ed Mylett?

  I loved today. I love most how you honor the people that you serve. And so I'm sort of hoping that today was one of those occasions where you were honored, because I really admire you and I'm always going to be here to support and help you. I'm glad that we're going to become friends now after all this time. And I'm serious, like, you're, you're evidence that good things happen to good people eventually. So congratulations on all of your success. I'm really proud of you.

• 1:04:14Speaker 03

  Thank you so much. This means so much coming from you, by the way, because I don't think you realize it, but you are who I listen to when I work out, when I'm getting ready in the morning. I mean, your YouTube videos are so amazing. And this is something that I wish I would have done in my earlier years. I'll be honest and say like, it's only been the last few years that I've started listening more to podcasts. And I'm like, man, if I had one regret, it's not doing this sooner because you, you come up, you, you, you hear these little nuggets as I come, I'm like, oh, that was a good nugget. And so a lot of the things that you say in your videos, and I listen to other podcasts as well, it's amazing. So it's like some of the things that you talk about, like the motivation, inspiration, aspirational. I was listening to a video of yours recently talking about that. And

• 1:04:58Speaker 03

  I was like, wow, aspirational. So you saying that was like, that made my, I'm going to be on a cloud all day today.

• 1:05:05Ed Mylett?

  Absolute fact. Thank you for telling me that. That means the world to me. She's got so much stuff that I could send you to. You guys got the Grounds Fitness app. You got the Buff Bunny collection. Probably just go follow her on Instagram and TikTok and YouTube and just follow her on her journey, you guys. Thank you for saying that at the end. I appreciate it. Heidi Summers, everybody. God bless y'all. Share today's episode. Max out.