YOU GUYS (!!!), I am so giddy about today’s guest!! Beth, from Days with Grey, joins me to chat all the things behind her amazing brand. As a mom with two toddlers that need a lot of stimulation and little time to plan a full curriculum for them, I am so appreciative that Beth created Days with Grey!
We start by chatting about her life before kids; she was a teacher and LOVED her job! However, when she got pregnant with her second, she realized she couldn’t justify daycare, cost wise. We dive into the early times of Days with Grey and how it started as something she needed for herself. She then explains how long it was a hobby before an actual business (hint: it was a while, and that’s ok)! We dive in to how this work is truly Beth’s passion and calling, and how she has the tools for it. We finish with her giving the tactical approach she takes to get things done homeschooling her three boys and running this brand solo. Then Beth gushes about her community and how they continue to inspire her to keep finding new and unique things to do with their kiddos!
For the very few of you that don’t already know or follow Beth, what are you waiting for ha!! You will not regret this follow and you’ll gain some fun family activates along the way. Head to her website, Instagram and Pinterest to learn more!
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Full Transcript:
Dana: Are you dying at the thought of missing a single one of your baby’s first would have no idea how you’d give up the security that your nine to five job brings. My name is Dana Graham and I had no clue how to escape that vicious 40 hour work week cycle either until I did, as the wife of a traveling husband and mom of two tiny humans, and made the terrifying and totally bizarre leap from Health Insurance Program to successful newborn and family photographer, all with the amazing craziness of a two year old and newborn into, but I’m not the only one. I’m so glad you’re joining me as I chat with other moms who took the leap into entrepreneurship and created the ultimate best of both worlds life doing it all right, hi everybody and welcome back to another episode of amidst the chaos, I am here today with a super exciting cast. This is back from days with Grace So Beth, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you, Dana, I’m excited to be here. Yeah, so she has a very interesting story and we had our intro call I’ve been dying to ask her so many things, since the second I got in touch with her. So this is like a total fangirl moment for me and I’m so pumped to be able to ask her all these questions So Beth start us out with currently what you do for somebody that doesn’t know you yet, give us a quick synopsis of your business, as it is today.
Beth: Sure, so I help families create simple ways to integrate play into their everyday so that could be Sensory Learning or the just a simple hands on gain with paper and markers using a lot of what you already own, just to show how you can inspire play and creative thinking.
Dana: And she does this, a lot through different platforms obviously your email list and Instagram and we’ll talk about all that, but that’s kind of how I was introduced to her and so if you want to check her out while you’re listening to this and kind of see what she has to offer. It’s a this is a good time to do that. So, okay, Beth. I’m so excited. Alright, so your story, your story from the beginning. Walk me through, you know before you had kids, what were you doing what was your education like what did your life look like before those kiddos were born.
Beth: Sure, so before my children, I was working as a teacher, and I took that job very seriously, I would be in first thing in the morning and I most likely be the last one out the door. It was I taught kindergarten for a few years and then I loop through that group to first grade, and then I went to become a reading specialist, and I ended my teaching career teaching fourth grade, so I was all over, and that was really fun because when I went into fourth grade, I actually had some of the first graders that I had taught in the past, show back up in my classroom in fourth grade and that was a lot of fun. I got married during that time and those fourth graders, some of them even like attended the wedding and I was very close with the classes that I thought yeah they were definitely I was invested in their life in and outside of the class, and then shortly after having my first son, It was November so I took maternity leave and came back and spring, and my parents helped out with watching my oldest son, for me to return school for the last couple months, and I went into the next school year, thinking that I would continue teaching and using daycare, but I was also pregnant. And so I reached a point in my career where I could continue teaching but when your school teacher pay daycares and your salary they compete, where you end up, Maybe you’ve been paying more for daycare than you are taking home, so that helped with the decision. I’ve always wanted to stay at home with my children, I just didn’t know what that looked like and I didn’t really know how to picture what that looks like. And now looking back I know it was the exact right decision for our family. But at the time, it was tough. I was happy with where I was and what I was doing so. After leaving teaching I had my second, so now I just try to use a lot of what I did in education experience into our home here today.
Dana: Okay so you immediately at that point you were like okay, it doesn’t make sense for me to stay at work, but you obviously loved what you did, I mean you clearly were very dedicated to it so you came home. So how old were your kids when you stopped teaching.
Beth: Well I was pregnant with my second, I had an, okay, okay, well, my oldest was just about to turn one. And we also move like around the corner from the school that I taught it to now moving about, it’d be a 40 minute commute. So I did, yeah. So once we moved I did take a look at daycares and had some ideas, but it didn’t feel right, it didn’t feel right to you know, leave so early so I can be traffic and then five traffic coming home and pick him up, even though I hadn’t had my second yet so I wasn’t quite sure what that looked like yet it still felt like the right move to stay home and then probably about a month later, I had my second.
Dana: Wow, so yeah so they’re pretty close in age, yeah, first off, I feel like when you’re staying at home with kids, it can look very different depending on your age gap. And it looks different regardless but your age gap for sure has an impact on that. So how are you feeling when you your second was born in your home with them like you say now that you see that it was the right decision for you and your family but how did it feel in the moment.
Beth: Well, in the moment, it felt good. I always knew or always desired. You know we had some issues are always designed. Felt good I always knew or. You know, we had some issues prior to my first route, I had a miscarriage and I something called a molar pregnancy and so I knew that I wanted to have my children back to back, but I didn’t necessarily know whether or not that was going to be something that we were going to be fortunate enough to have so when I had my second I was excited to have them so close in age, but there definitely were moments of overwhelm I remember, you know a friend would want to come visit and and say hi to you know, meet the new member of the family and it would just felt like, you know, my oldest would be upset about something I’ve always, they just can’t cry at the same time. And I think when you bring that new baby home. There’s a lot of like, everybody’s upset at the same time and that’s when you need to like take a step back and be like, Okay, well which situation here. Which one can I tackle and you know, Because I spend so much time with my because I said, Can I tackle and you know, because I spent so much time with my oldest that helps that I knew his personality and I kind of had a more of a system down of like how to meet his needs and so although it was overwhelming. I was also very excited. So. So although it was overwhelming. I was also very excited to have two children that were close in age, and it just took some time and that’s how we do something called breakfast invitations and that’s how that ended up evolving because when my children would, you know will wake up, and the demands of motherhood just feel like a lot, and you wake up and all of a sudden you know you’re trying to feed the newborn and you’re trying to open your eyes and you’re trying to you know get ready and you know there’s just not enough. And so, like many, I would just allow my young, my oldest to watch the show but one show led two shows which led to three shows and then turning it off, just everybody was cranky like he didn’t really know how to what to do next and I also was just kind of a little out of it so we started something called breakfast invitations, which is a very simple two minute set up game that they’ll come down to in the morning to play. And then that really changed our trains transformed our day because now he was inspired first thing in the morning came down to like using his hands and thinking and creating, which he would then eat breakfast and then he would run off and play, and that really has helped that helped with having more than one children to kind of give them a little bit more of a kickstart and intention to the day for play, rather than just a drag on morning.
Dana: Yeah and so for those of you that are haven’t yet followed Beth or don’t know what we’re talking about, she created something called breakfast invitations that’s literally she tells you exactly what to do it’s an activity and you come down and you have everything all set up you do it five minutes the night before and they and you basically explained to them what’s gonna happen and what they’re gonna do and then they sit there and play and do the activity. It’s like magic way. So I have to true confession. I have the breakfast invitations and got them and we’ve been using them and it is crazy. They love them and it’s easy. It’s easy for me so I’m highly recommend that so Okay, so you started highly recommend that so Okay, so you started. You started with these? Easy, it’s easy for me. So I’m highly recommend that so Highly recommend that so Okay, so you started with these quick little activities in the morning with your oldest son to kind of just get your day started. And so what did you do next business wise for you? Did you even think this could be a business? Were you just sharing her knowledge? Like Where were you sharing what what happened next?
Beth: Yeah, okay, so I probably should back up. I started days with gray after my second was born. And the idea of breakfast invitations did not come right away. So I felt this deep down inside, that I needed to start putting ideas on the internet and sharing different simple ways that you could spend the day with your children or spend the weekends or after work with your kids that you can inspire their creativity and then they can take it into their own hands. So I took this very seriously. I felt that I had a mission to create this website and I would leave for two or three hours a day or a day a week and I would go to Starbucks and I’d be like, you have to work and nobody really knew what I was talking about and go to work. You know, my family was extremely supportive, but they’re like, okay, yeah, go ahead and go do the work and I felt Like, when I had time away from my little children when I had my way, I didn’t really have them. need to spend to go to Target or to go not fake and so the best way for me to Use my free time was to do something that I was really feeling Inside to put these ideas somewhere else and so I really thrived off of building days with great but I didn’t necessarily Know that I was building an acid business and they didn’t necessarily know where it was. And with having a blog I also had social media and it was oh Time on Instagram as the mornings evolved and I put a break This invitation out, you know, so there was such a huge response so like, wow, wait that makes complete sense like put something down and I just named it for transmutation then that really was the cornerstone of days with gray that It really became a focus point that I can Give these parents and caregivers just some way to start their day with play.
Dana: Okay, and so when you were going to your Coffee Shop to work on this website right? So it was basically it was you have you have a full website but I feel like probably what you’re doing a lot of was blogging right you were blogging or different ideas to have different sets. So how are you getting this information out there? Were you relying on just people googling like hey Need activities with My kid or were you Have we sharing it and add actively growing your network at that point Yep
Beth: Yeah, I Well, you know, first anybody who starts a business they actively share with their family and friends, you know why I am so thankful for all those people that follow the very beginning because it has evolved to something very different than what it did when it started. And so yeah, I would put an idea out and actually, I was super ambitious, where I was giving new subscribers every single day, I would work every night so that in the morning, they had a new activity in their inbox. And, you know, now we know now that I know a little you know, now we know and now that I know a little bit more about business, it’s too much for people to have in their inbox. You know, they need five to seven emails a day, but at the time, I felt this calling to make sure that every single morning when they woke up, they had a new idea in their inbox. And then if Whatever idea I shared, I would also share it on social media. And you know, looking back, it is just I don’t even know how I was able to find the time to do it, but it was something that I felt so deep inside that I just always made time for it in the night time so I wouldn’t be with the children during the day and then at nighttime, they would go to bed and that’s still a similar pattern to now. I go to sleep and then that’s when, you know I can open up my laptop and I can tackle some things that I wanted to do for this Day, but in the very beginning, I would even even shortly after having my third child I would get a babysitter and I would take my new one Weren’t with me to Starbucks and I remember I would you know I’ll be pushing the stroller back in Fourth for him to take a nap as I was typing with one hand and so when you look back at your business and see how it has changed over Yours it’s just incredible to see how you know you not only grow with it With the Things that you’ve learned about best practice. But you also Have, you also have to have that beginning time where it’s messy and and it’s not perfect, but it’s out there and then you have time to perfect it as you just learn more as you learn more about your business and you also learn about the families that are connecting with you and the families that are along with you on this journey. You know, there are many families that have been with me from the very beginning and they’ve seen you know, me transform as a parent. And you can really connect with that because you can see I was looking back on Instagram and I looked at this post from like, 2017 and it’s a messy playroom. And from day one, it was always about just showing you know, the messy and you know how to kind of put it together but, you know, when you when you see that messy playroom and as a as a first parent you are you’re overwhelmed. You’re like, Well, where do we even start with this? You know, how do we organize everything, where were the parts and where the pieces go. And it’s been great to connect with these families so that over time we all kind of grow together.
Dana: Yeah and I think that you starting this and being consistent with it and providing your followers and your subscribers with something, the this entire time. Obviously, now you know it’s too much but the fact that you were doing that and keeping that consistency and showing up constantly probably made all the difference in you starting out, I mean that is one thing that you know you hear all the time and it’s hard to do, like it is. It’s exhausting to show up all the time, provide something but I think doing that, probably had to have made a huge difference in your business.
Beth: Yeah and accountability for me is huge and so even now, subscribers always they get something on Monday morning and Wednesday morning at 7am and that accountability always keeps my brain going and ideas fresh, to make sure that there’s new content, along with the older content constantly just rotating throughout days with Grey.
Dana: Okay, so you started and you’re sending out all this information when you first started and you had the blog and you had the website up and all the different activities coming, were you purely just growing and giving ideas at this point when did it change from sort of a hobby and when did you monetize it into more of a business.
Beth: The honest answer is, it was really a hobby for about a year and a half to two years. And part of that is my is to me because I came at this as an educator, I have no background, and I knew that I just wanted to share with families, ways to inspire buy, and I didn’t. And since then, I’ve learned, you know that it matters how Google reads your blog posts, and I realized that it matters like your email subscribers and your email subscribers and social media and there’s just so many different compartments that, that it took me time to understand how to use each one, and so. So for the first year and a half and it wasn’t until I really thought of the first the first product that we thought of was alphabet activity cards and each card has a letter of the alphabet, but instead of like how to teach a it was more like an action word, so a was art and their first card had a picture of art on the front and then in the back had, you know, two different variations of something new art and he was balanced and then on the back had to. It wasn’t until finally I put a product, physical product together, that it started to transform into more of a business, and since then we had a couple more items that have been added to our shop, because I got to learn my community and I got to hear okay well here’s what they’re really thriving off this is like a common theme that I’m seeing in my DMs. This is something that I keep seeing on my email okay well this is what they really can use so yeah it just takes work and and some different businesses grow faster than others and I think I just needed that time to learn on my own and to give myself Grace along the way to realize that, you know, it’s not necessarily perfection. The first time around, but he devolves over time.
Dana: Yeah and I think that balance between like somebody who, who is ready and like needs the income to go ahead and start right then, like, that balance between patients and getting the finding the right product and the right thing to do for your audience is really a fine line, and I appreciate so much that you know you’re honest about how long it was a hobby because I think that’s important to people and if you’re out there and you’re listening and you’ve been doing something, giving some sort of talent or skill that you have to friends and family that they’re like hey, this is awesome, like this is uh, this is really helping me and my family like that’s where you can kind of say, Oh, maybe I could pivot this a little bit. It’s encouraging to know that somebody else has, has had a trajectory trajectory like that.
Beth: Yes, I heard one time, you know, your business can reflect off of what’s your best friend or your friends your circle of friends but they come to you for advice for, and I love that I think that that’s so true, if there’s something that people keep asking you advice for that could easily be your calling. You know, before I joke around because when in my early 20s I used to make these bachelorette wine glasses, and I would decorate them and so you know that was what I did and so I put it on Etsy and I, one sale, one sale. It was my mom. Mom. As sweet as that is, that wasn’t my calling. But when I worked for that year and a half or two years, and didn’t make a dime from what I was putting into, I still felt like it was an important role and important job to have. So it’s just interesting how you know you can. If it’s something that you really believe in it have a passion for you do take the time to learn it, rather than feel like you need to see it instantly reward.
Dana: Yes, agreed so okay so you were mentioning that you, it took you a while to learn the difference between like how Google reads things and where your email list subscribers think and how your Instagram responds to things. How did you find that balance like what have you found, and it’s a lot, I mean that’s a lot to manage I mean to manage all your SEO your blog to manage your email list subscribers and to manage Instagram, some things can overlap for sure a lot of platforms to get things out to people on on a multi weekly basis, how are you managing all the different facets of the business.
Beth: Once you feel like you’ve learned why and you realize how you have not learned the other right. No, I think that one of the best things that I’ve done, Is that my husband and I, we’ve talked and so Saturdays are my work days, and that has really helped because then I know when to tackle those bigger question mark so you know if SEO is a question mark. I know that Saturday, I am not handing out snacks in between trying to type something that, you know, I am in my room and I can focus on something that’s new or something that I want to improve on, where the other days I can delegate for tasks that I can do as I’m feeling distracted as I’m as I’m working and so I think that that is the biggest way to balance all of the roles that you play as a business owner, you know you were in charge of your finances, you’re in charge of your social media your marketing your communication you know your and your content. And so, deciding that right Saturdays was the day that I can knock out those harder tasks that really helps me concentrate on the tough parts, and I will always be going back to old content and correcting it and making it better. And I think that there’s a lot of benefit in doing that, I think that, You know you can hire out and I know eventually I’ll be able to, you know, maybe I can get some help, but right now everything is in my hands. And so, so yeah so deciding which day, and batching different tasks for different days is a really helpful way to balance it all.
Dana: Yeah, I think that, you know, especially for you like you are, you’re home five days a week. Let’s go, seven days a week technically with your kids, and the fact that you have that time to carve out is great. How has your husband handled a whole day and you guys kind of losing one day of your weekend and your family time, how has that a fact for him. What’s his opinion on that.
Beth: Yeah, he’s been great, you know he’s a big hiker, and I love so he will take the three boys out hiking for the day. Now not every day. Some days I’m trying to work, they’re down in the branch doing who knows what. But, you know, that’s the only thing to about and if you request this time, then you can’t micromanage the time you’re getting. So, haha. I also have seen, you know, it’s great for him to learn the kids the way that I do during the day and for them to understand that he’s also in control. So, having that one on one time for him, has also been great, you know, they always do movie night on Saturday so they’ve really gotten there, they’ve gotten their thing down right and he it is great because he expects it and knows that ahead of time. You know if I was to just throw at our family schedule like okay well Thursday I’m just going to be working, that would not necessarily work for him. The biggest challenge right now is that we are homeschooling this year, on top of having. And so another thing that is really helpful for me is, is when I have something to do, like if it’s homeschool or if it’s getting some work done, I have to stay focused on that task because you can easily be swayed and pulled in so many different directions. And so finding designated time and sticking to that has really also been helpful.
Dana: And so do you have anything specific that’s helped you stick to that designated time because that’s my struggle right now is that I say okay, this is the time for this and I’m designating it but actually staying in that lane is so difficult especially if your kids are even technically being managed by somebody else but just around I mean that’s hard.
Beth: Well So for number one the biggest thing in that kind of situation where I actually have to concentrate and I’m saying okay I’m going to concentrate on this those things I have to be more flexible. Because the other thing is validating my children so if they are on top of me, if you push them away, they paint you, not necessarily because they were actually hungry but because they just needed that validation so sometimes, even when my three year old, if I just like put him on my lap and show him what I’m up to, chances are he loses interest and he, and he leaves but if I, if I. So, Being flexible in that time is also huge. I will save those bigger tasks for after they go to bed or for that Saturday, because the tasks that I have to choose while they are home. It’s true you do, be I have to choose things that I know that I can get pulled away from, but as far as like, Okay, Now it’s school time and I have to focus on school, I have to just put my phone away and I have to not worry about Instagram or social media or emails coming in and so when I’m in a task I think the biggest benefit is just staying with in that, you know I like to call it zooms right so like if I’m in the classroom I need to just keep my head in the game and that has been helpful. The other thing is that predictable schedule, really makes a difference as well, because the when the children know what to expect out of the day, it helps everything run smoother so they know that we always start our mornings, you know, with a breakfast temptation or play we go through school, they know they get that midday break we go outside. They can watch TV at three o’clock so all of that predictability really helps my day also goes smoother because I know that I have a three o’clock time to, to catch up on something that maybe I got taken away from at 930.
Dana: Right, and I love that the the predictable schedule. It is such an under rated tool, and then not only, like, not only for adults and not only for the workforce in general but for your kids and it doesn’t matter how little they are, they really catch on to that so quickly in it, it impacts their day, like crazy. I mean, I’m predictability is so tough for little ones, it really is and to give them that normal schedule, you can, you can see it regulate them for my kids, it’s pretty quick, like if we get up get pulled out of routine and you know we’re doing other things or my husband travels a lot for work so when he’s home it’s like chaos, and then they almost, they’re like hung over from it, like getting back to an into a routine of him is like, like what I imagine pulling a child out of a hangover would be, I mean it is hard. So I love, I love that advice I think that’s, that’s really great so you know we talked about you kind of having social media on your phone and that being a thing, your social media following has obviously grown so so so much. So how have you handled being sort of a public figure at this point, I mean, how has that impacted your life,
Beth: you know, in my role I really enjoy it because the majority of people that I run into are saying thank you, and the community that we’ve built is a really positive one and so I’m always more than happy, you know, when you’re a mom and or a dad and or caregiver and you’re at home all day, you know, you feel like you make friends with all of these people and so sometimes to see who you’re connecting with and who you’re meeting and you see them in real life it’s actually really great gift you know to be able to see them live in person so I really like it I really enjoy being able to see the people behind the community.
Dana: Yeah and it is nice, like especially with what you’re doing, I mean I think when you’re going to have any sort of a presence as a business owner or just as anybody on Instagram or in general any amount of positivity that you can spread, and then also on top of that if you can give someone, somebody something that’s going to improve their life. I mean, which is clearly what you have, that just makes your space, so much more positive. If there’s anything that you’re doing online and sharing with people and if you can find a way to do it in in like even a more positive light than you’re already doing it helps so much because social media can be a real big black hole. I mean it really you can get stuck on there I have I have spent a lot of embarrassing amount of time on your page and I remember when I get off, I don’t feel like I feel inspired to do something with my kids and to do something that stimulates them and it’s fun for them and for me, but sometimes I’ll go down a black hole, you know of Instagram and not feel that way, so I appreciate that that’s what you’re doing and trying to manage that, while managing your business, I mean some people do that as a full time job is just to run their Instagram. Oh yeah so that you can do all that and homeschool your kids, I’m like, Teach me your ways now.
Beth: Yeah, and that’s where you know that’s where those Instagram stories really come in handy because you can see the raw you can see the behind the scenes and you know you can see that yes I am managing a lot but at the same time, it’s not that I’ve zipping up a superhero costume, as I’m trying to, how to add double digit, you know, so there’s a lot going on behind the scenes all at once, and this is my calling. I was a teacher, so homeschooling to me is everything that I have been trained to do. And so it’s not necessarily, although it’s different, it’s definitely different to teach your own children, you know, even as a classroom teacher, you see that, maybe you have this class and then the parents come in for something and you’re like, Whoa, totally different children, well it’s the same here you know my kids definitely act different for me than they do for their teachers, but everything that I’m doing right now fits what I desire to do, and so you know if somebody told me right now I needed to be an accountant for my husband’s job, you know, that wouldn’t necessarily work. You know, so the match is, is a good match for where I am in life so it’s not necessarily that I am a superhero and I can do all the things and, but it’s just the these things that I’m doing right now, I’m, I have the tools in my toolbox to do them and to share them with others to make them a little bit more manageable, the same way I would go on and look at a cookbook, if I need a recipe or, you know, listen to a podcast if I need help with my taxes so this right here is actually what I enjoy doing and that is really helpful for putting out content, because the information that I’m giving out is the same thing that I thrive off of day to day.
Dana: Yeah, and that right there is so inspiring for somebody who’s thinking about starting a business based on something they love doing, it’s going to make your day today and everything that you’re doing from top to finish. Just even just that much easier. Not saying that it’s easy, but it does make it easier because you are doing something that you love and something that you’re passionate about. But for people who are, you know, in a job that can’t crossover right it’s not they are home teaching their kids but it doesn’t have anything to do with kids, as long as you enjoy what you’re doing and you love what you’re doing, it’s going to be easier than if it’s something that you’re just kind of trudging along and dragging your feet through. So I think we have to also remember that everything you’re doing. This is like this life was built for you this is amazing that you have everything kind of in your path and you’ve created it so that you can do exactly what you want to do be home with your kids and now you get to teach them, and then share those things with the world. You know you’ve made it back where your whole life is set up to be something that you want it to be, and something that you enjoy doing. And I think that so many people don’t value, what they like, and yours fortunately is it’s pretty incredible skill that’s really fortunate and COVID times in kids or kids or home but that being said, it’s still what you’d be doing regardless. That being said, it’s still what you’d be doing regardless, I mean you’d be teaching in some form, with kids, regardless and I think that if you’re out there trying to follow a passion and you’re saying that you know this doesn’t really seem like a job, you can make it a job, you can do something to pivot to create and build a life that’s enjoyable for you, because I feel like so many people just say, Oh, this, you know, this pays the bills, but I don’t know that I’m really happy.
Beth: Right. Yeah, and knowing that there’s somebody out there that also wants to hear what you really enjoy, you know there’s there’s somebody for everybody. Yeah, and over time you’ll find your people that you can connect with and that’s the thing too, if I was doing all of this, and I didn’t have this community to do it, alongside of, I don’t know if I would thrive the same way, there’s definitely be said about doing it all together as a team and so on Sunday nights on Instagram, we’ll do the Sunday night setup, and so I’ll show how to set it up and showing also that it really is taking three to five minutes, we’ll set it up, but then after that, you’ll tag me and, and I’ll see all the different people and all the different variations of everybody doing it in their home. That’s motivating that’s motivating to me that’s motivating to them because that’s really all connecting and being like, Okay, well here we are, we want to make the most out of our day, we don’t want to drag our feet during the day you know managing children at home or whatever we whatever we’re working on, and so how can we make the most out of the situation that we’re in this season. Right. And so being in the community and sharing the ideas and then the community sharing it that really helps us all, it’s helping. I’m sure I’m motivating them but they’re really keeping me motivated as well. No walk around with like the muffin tin some days because I’m like okay no everyone has a muffin, what can we do with them. Oftentimes, you know and like you just saw He saw really like you know I’m putting it out there, but it’s the feedback and it’s the response that really also keeps me motivated as well.
Dana: And I think I, we’ve actually I’ve actually talked about this several times on episodes prior to now that if you’re a listener and you don’t have any desire to start a business, but you’re interested in these people’s stories and you’re listening to my podcast for some reason, anything you can do to show anybody that you admire that you appreciate what they’re doing or that it’s helping your life like that is so motivating for all of us, it really is like to know that like, okay I’m doing all the sparking putting it out there, I think people like it. It’s free, you know, and it will make somebody’s day so in anything you’re doing if you want to go and you know tell somebody that you love it because they’ve impacted you then it’s, it won’t go unnoticed. Yeah, that it changed you. Okay, so with all that being said, you know you have all these platforms all these places where you can talk to people and meet people and get this feedback. Was there a point through all of this that made you say, oh my gosh, this is working, this is awesome like Do you have a fun like success story where you just suddenly and it might be tiny, but where you just felt like, oh my gosh this is doing it, I’ve done it.
Beth: Oh well, gosh, there’s so many different little moments, I’d say, being featured in Parents Magazine that was the first magazine that I actually I had the chance to meet one of the editors and I sat next to her and really just hit it off, and so that was the first publication that we were in and that was a huge moment for me to see the days with grey and breakfast invitations featured in Parents Magazine, I was a huge one and then last year as we were rolling into school and home virtual or home school, we had the chance to be on GMA and that was another really exciting moment in between all of the every day. Hearing that families lives were being transformed and people were happier and children were thriving in between all that either so both moments were equally as valuable, and getting that little recognition you know when we’re more caregivers. We don’t hear, usually a great job as much. And we’re hard on ourselves, you know we’re hard on ourselves too because we’re thinking about well, you know, gosh, I could have, could have done that a little bit differently and so when you do hear it being in a magazine or on TV, or a simple note. Those are all just those moments, you just shake your head and you have a big smile and you’re like, Okay, we’re doing this here we go.
Dana: It was so so so cool. So, throughout all of this and you know your whole journey thus far, what have you learned that you would want to tell somebody that was you, you know, five years ago. Well,
Beth: I’d say the learn SEO because I’m making up for a lot of time, all those hours put into, you know those Starbucks trips and staff all those early blog posts, years I mean probably the first three and a half years, and we’re just about to go on to the fifth year so I, if I had a little bit more of an understanding with SEO because there’s just so much to learn, and I’m at the beginning stages and so, if I could have been in the beginning stages a few years ago. But you know why SEO is, is maybe not necessarily where I thrive and so having to learn that may have already damper on all of the ideas that I wanted to just get out there and so I guess the other thing with that being said is just to trust that you have something valuable to put out there, and to not get caught up in the details, find your friend that’s, you know, the web designer and just ask them for a few tips, find your friend that you follow on social media just ask them for a few tips and then just hit start and see how it goes from there.
Dana: Yeah, I feel like you can only do so much, especially at the beginning, especially when you’re one person like you can only do so much and so whatever feels the most right to you. And it seems to be working, you obviously have to have your basic you know website and those types of things, met but to find something that works the best for you and you’re finding success and to sometimes to stay in your lane until you have the capacity to move outwards, is the best advice you could give. Yeah, I really think that’s can be very very important in starting a business. Well, Beth, thank you so much for coming on. I am just delighted that you’re here and can’t even believe you said yes to coming on my little podcast but I think, you know, from a business perspective what you’ve built. It’s so amazing to see somebody who’s built something that gives so much back to all of your back to all of your followers and your subscribers and give them just so much positivity and creativity for their kids, but also is such a thriving business and I just really really admire that and hope that you know anybody out there if you have a business already and you can learn something from, from our conversation here I would love to hear about it because I know I certainly have and I can’t wait to kind of like infiltrate some of the things that I’ve been thinking about into my business so thank you so much for being here and tell everybody where we can find you on social media and how they should Google you to look for your SEO.
Beth: Sure it’s Days with Grey mostly everywhere, and that’s on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and on the web.
Dana: Well thank you so much for coming on and we will talk to you later, bye Thanks Dana. I am so honored you spend any minutes of your day listening to me babble about living this entrepreneurial life amidst the chaos in any mom’s normal day to day. If you love what you’ve learned more snippets of knowledge about this mob boss life, head over to our website at amidst the chaos podcast, calm. For show notes and links to anything mentioned in today’s episode. If you’re really feeling inspired the world to me and my family if you take the time to read it. Thanks for joining me, amidst the chaos.
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