The Hard Truth About Work Life Balance As An Entrepreneur

Balancing business, creativity, and parenthood—is it even possible? According to Daniel Coffman, the answer isn’t as simple as we’d like to think. In this raw and honest conversation, Daniel pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to juggle entrepreneurship and family life, why work-life balance is more of a myth than a reality, and how he navigates the constant push and pull of both.

From home staging to social media stardom, Daniel has built a personal brand that thrives on authenticity—turning a simple bathroom mirror into the backdrop for viral creativity. 

Get ready for an unfiltered look at the real entrepreneur-parent struggle (and why embracing the chaos might just be the secret to making it work).

If you’ve ever felt stretched too thin, questioning whether you can give your all to both your business and your family—this episode is for you. 

💡 Hit play and let’s get real about what it takes to do both.

Show Notes:

• Follow Daniel on Instagram Here
• Request a Cameo From Daniel Here

🏁 Connect With Us On Instagram!

• Not Nice Clever
• Candice Carcioppolo
• Kat Torre

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Find out more HERE.

🎙 Book Kat and Candice to speak at your next event, summit or workshop HERE

Transcript

There's necessary selfishness that comes with being an entrepreneur.  I think it is an uphill climb when you decide to parent. And when you decide to be an entrepreneur, both of those things aren't going to require like all of you all the time,  which isn't possible. So there's going to be like constant letting one slide while you push one up and then letting that one slide while you push one up and hopefully.


There's enough gap in between the times you don't have your hand on the other one that they're both steadily moving up that mountain. You're getting everything.  You're your boss, you set your wages, you set who you work with, you set what your day looks like, what your night looks like. Like you have asked for all the freedom in the world to be the commander of your ship. 


And now you also want to drag other people along with you on that experience. The word choice of drag. I love that. But let's really talk about how you transform your,  why'd I say basic, old school, trifold bathroom mirror? It's just pretty basic, yeah. Into  a Broadway production on the regular. Can we talk about that?


You know, the, the mirror thing has been, Such an interesting case study in, like, being fully authentic. It's like a small, impossible space to create in. That, the challenge, is ultra creative for me. I think sometimes people aren't using their hurdles or the, or the obstacles as kind of a way to craft the content.


Start with a challenge. Because there's nothing interesting if there's no problem. And that is why we're all chaos donkeys, guys. The challenge is the way. The challenge is the way. I've seen a lot of people think that a system is going to be the solution. I went to this meeting, I heard about this thing, that's going to be it.


That's what's going to get me to start posting videos. Actually, what's going to get you to start posting videos is like you posting the videos, right? Just because it's hard doesn't mean it's not worth doing it.  Clever Crew, today we are joined by none other than the creative force behind the viral bathroom mirror videos that have taken social media by storm, Daniel Kaufman.


With just a tri fold mirror and his unmatched creativity, Daniel proves you don't need fancy equipment or a full production team to create content that resonates and inspires. Whether it's through his innovative approach to content or balancing work and family, Daniel reminds us that our perceived limitations aren't always obstacles, they're opportunities for creativity.


So today we're diving into Daniel's journey and learning how he's mastered the art of turning simplicity into pure magic.  So Clever Crew, today we are in for a treat. We have with us Daniel Kaufman. And if you've seen any of his videos, you are just gonna know what type of energy today is about to bring.


So we are super excited to have him here. And it was really hard for us to lock him down because he's everywhere, including A trip to Turkey that he recently took that I thought we might touch on because as you know, we stock all of our, um, all of our interviewees here at not nice, clever. And we did some internet stocking and he's shared a lot about his trip to Turkey.


So before we dive in, um, and talk all about your social media success, do you want to share why you were so hard for us to lock down?  Yeah. Um, um, you know what, it was a, it was a number of things I will say since. the, since the shift in attention on my, um, Instagram page, like my availability, like amazingly has, has changed.


Like I went from kind of just doing the same thing every day to like, yeah, some to doing some way bigger things than I thought I would be doing because of it. All because of social media. All because of social media. And, um, the trip to Turkey was definitely like one of them. Um, I was hosted by a clinic for a hair transplant.


plant, which is something I have wanted to do forever and just like wasn't, you know, like financially, I didn't, I didn't feel like that was like an option for me after checking. Checking prices in California and they charge you like per hair here and in Turkey. It's like it's amazingly affordable  So when they when they asked if I'd be interested in a partnership, I was like, where do I sign?


You know, like sign me up. I'm there. So yeah when you reached out I was like, I feel like I'm gonna look  I wouldn't even be able to wear a hat or anything like that.  Like, uh, let's, let's pause for a minute, but I'm so glad we're, I'm so glad we're here. Yeah, here we are. And how are you feeling after the procedure?


Are you excited? You're yeah, I'm, I'm like just  over 30 days out. It is. Like, um, I, I do like a lot of updates on my, on my page about it and stuff, and I'm starting to kind of lose the donor hair that they re transplanted. But for the 1st, like, I don't know, I would say, like, after the 1st, 7 days until now, I felt amazing, like, like, super confident, super sexy.


I'm like, oh, my gosh, I had this, like, really hardcore buzz cut.  Um, and so now I'm, you know, thank you. Yeah. Yeah. It's been it's been a really good. Yeah. Yeah. A really good experience. And they, they make it feel so safe and comfortable like while you're there. I never, it was never a question of like safety or anything.


And, and I, that was like my biggest probably concern going in, you know, it's kind of like a limiting belief around it, but it just felt, it felt like anything that I would do here. That is so cool. And, Was this connection, this partnership, was this made online?  Yeah, it was. It was, I mean, I don't even remember how this company reached out to me.


Um, there have, there have been like a number, usually it starts with like a DM, like something that, like, that I even have to accept the DM.  And I feel, I feel, the Rama, my coordinator, she's so tenacious, like she hunted me down a lot, like you guys, she just like hunted me down, yeah, she like called my work, and she's like in Turkey, so she's like using WhatsApp and stuff, like it was crazy, but yeah, she finally got a hold of my partner Jason, and he like blew her off because it sounded so fishy, and um, and finally we connected, like on an email, and she just like kept at it, kept at it, kept at it, so, so, I love that  because our Clevver crew is often like, but I don't want to be on social media.


Is that actually going to help me? And Kat and I are always preaching how it not only is going to help you in your business, but it's going to help you in your life. It's going to help you in your friendships. It's going to help you in all aspects if you're using it right. And if you're focusing on connecting with the right people.


Yeah. And. So I love that you're sharing like this, like personal kind of side note that's not necessarily to do with business, but it's actually going to impact your confidence and how you're going to want to show up. I know that if I never had braces, I would have been less likely. And I had them as an adult, like later in life.


I think I got them off when I was probably 30. Like if I never had braces, I don't know if I would have shown up in the same way on video because I had more confidence after that. So.  Yeah, invest in yourself and yeah, and be yourself on online. I, I've maybe, and this is maybe like a comment for later on in the, in the, uh,  in the conversation, but I do think that that is possibly like the biggest shift we can,  um, uh, observe in social media is like, even if you were a business owner that got on Instagram or any kind of social media to promote your business, What you should be seeing now is that like the way to promote your business is by promoting yourself and you're just like  your business is just like a small extension of you like Instagram is all about curating conversations around shared interests and not about  You know, what my business is doing today and what, what I can do for you constantly, that's like more of like a LinkedIn thing.


Right?  It's like, yeah,  Instagram really should be about the people that are connected to the things that we share interests in. Um, so keeping the conversation there and keeping the content there, I think is like the most valuable switch. Anyone can like, really start to.  to start to think about. Totally. 


We've talked a little bit about transformation, we've talked about, you know, taking next steps to transform yourself but lets really talk about how you transform your,  might I Is this a basic, old school?  Trifold bathroom mirror. It's just pretty basic, yeah. Into  a Broadway production on the regular. Can we talk about that?


Because some might be like, oh, I don't know if I want to post my trifold mirror because it's a little bit old, but you've been able to  transform that entirely. Can we talk about that?  So, yeah, um, that. You know, the the mirror thing has been such an interesting case study in like being fully authentic, just like, like, from every aspect, right, like, I'm showing kind of every facet of my personality, my interests, my,  like, my insecurities are kind of even out there for all of us to laugh at.


And, like, I, I spent, I would say, probably the first  10 years of, of like the home staging journey, trying to be the most impressive, the most polished, the most like  magazine cover I could be in like every aspect of life. And at a certain point that just like stopped resonating with me. It just didn't feel, it felt like a very stale message to talk about online.


And it also felt like.  This isn't actually how I'm living. Like, yes, I live in a, in an orderly space, but I'm not obsessed with it. What I'm obsessed with is like. Expression and performance and levity and theater and comedy. And, um, the minute I started like embracing those things, uh, which coincidentally happened right after our national conference for home stagers.


We like, we had this big summit in, in Las Vegas and I was surrounded by all these people that were at like the top of their game and then everybody else that's also looking at those people. And I'm thinking like.  Man, that, I'm not super far away from that at this point, but it's really not feeling like anything to me.


Like, my business is one thing, it's what I do during the day, but there's just not, there's not a part of me that's like, really present in my, in my social media. So I came back, I saw Christina Julian doing, A mirror video to what you say, the Jason Derulo, image and heap mashup. Yeah, it was, it's, it was iconic.


It filtered throughout the Tik TOK internet waves for a while. Um, a lot of people recreated it. I, I was one of those people. That's the first time I ever saw it. And that video did so much better than anything I had ever posted before. And I was constantly trying to apply this, like, creative, like, this inner performer.


Like, how do I make home staging meet me? And, like, it was like this weird, this weird theater that wasn't meant for what I was trying to do in it. Uh, theater meaning like the niche, like home stage and real estate niche and all that stuff.  Um, and, and when I saw someone else doing something that I would love to do, and I tried it and it was received, I thought I want to do it again.


And then I want to do it again. And then it changed into not just like flipping the mirror out and lip syncing. But then like incorporating dance, which is like a huge part of my background. It's like a huge part of who I am. I was a dancer before I, um, started in the real estate and, uh, design industry.


It was actually like kind of a compromise because I just kind of felt like I couldn't dance anymore, you know? Um,  and I've been living under that kind of like. veil of I'm a home stage or not a performer anymore for too long until it kind of like finally just had to shift for me. But the, uh, the attention that came from it gave a lot of validation to it.


And, um, I mean, it's kind of sad actually that.  I'm, I'm doing something that I would have loved to have been doing only because now there's like thousands of views supporting the activity. Right. Um, but it is getting over like the initial, the initial hurdle of like, am I showing up in a way that's like really authentic, like truly authentic?


Or am I just like doing the authentic trend and trying to be less polished about my business, which is how I was treating Instagram. Um, You know, now, now it is literally, like, the place I go to, to feel most like myself.  It feels like you came full circle.  You know? Yeah, yeah. Um, it was a really, so I know we're gonna talk about parenting in a little bit too, like, parenting did have, like, kind of a big, uh, a big role in all of this, because, um,  You know, I do, I do want to be a well known creator.


I do want to be like a well known performer. And the reason that like the well known part of it is important to me is because it's kind of like your barometer of how well you're doing. Like it's, it is, it's the read of your, your greatness or, or, or like how your talent is hitting. Right. Um,  I, I, I, I so badly want to be like that, no matter what I'm doing.


I was always like, I was the guy in the bank.  And, uh, working at the bank, it was like a teller, it was a terrible teller, but like super funny. Right. Because I was, all I was doing is just like looking for a new opportunity to perform. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So now that I have found like this venue that is like perfectly suited for that.


Um, I do, I do feel like coming full circle and because the way parenting fits into all of this is like it limits my time, it like shuffles my priorities and unlike a lot of performers who, um, can dedicate all of their creative resources and time and energy to kind of their, their, their craft, mine has to be so efficient, um, and, and working  Especially now that I'm dedicating as much time to it as I am, like this is, I'm saying to the world, like, look, I'm trying to do this professionally.


No, I'm not trying. You're doing it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'm like, I'm like going to be doing this. Yes. Thank you for that. I'm, I'm going to be doing this professionally and you know, I want, I want everyone to see the like consistent earnest work that goes into it. But for that to be possible, like I'm not.


I'm not just like a, an 18 year old TikToker who doesn't have kids or doesn't have like a house and a business. Responsibility. Yeah. Yeah. I have, I have to do something that works for my life. And I think that when people look at content, they have great ideas. They have like, like no, there's so much creativity out there.


That's, that's not the problem. Um, it is, it's like how to produce it. And I finally found something that like feeds.  And me, uh, creatively is efficient enough to create on a daily basis and also, uh, helps grow that like brand or that business. Right. I love it. I want to go back to something that you said, um, you said you want to be well known and I think, you know, we all have. 


Many of us, I'll say, have that desire, right? To be well known and I was at an event recently with  our good friend Neil Dhingra. He was hosting an event in Arizona and he had a slide in his slide deck that had like, you know, two lines of text and the first line of text it said well known with a  Crossout right in between like right over it.


Well, no. Yeah,  and then below it it said  Known well,  like your desire should be to be known well, meaning that you're showing up as your authentic self  and you're showing your actual life and what you're actually working on and going through and what it feels like and how you feel that day. And that should be the true desire because that's the point of connection that actually makes you memorable.


Instead of just being like, I want to be like, you know, well known for like. I don't know the popularity contest, right? And not that you want to be known well, because that's what's going to make the human connection that really stuck with me. Um, and it shifted my perspective and I guess my language now around that.


Yeah, I really like that. That's gonna, that's gonna like stick in my ribs all day today. I can already tell like, that's just, um,  I wonder, I wonder if there's.  There's a space for both  of those things. I think, I think you become well known when you give people the opportunity to know you well. Yeah. So it's just, we know what comes first.


Like the order of operations. Yep. Exactly. I similarly heard something that kind of shifted my thinking around the, the, the feeling I wanted people to get when they, when they come to my page and it was, um,  uh,  I don't remember what they were comparing it to I think it was like don't don't be Um,  don't give a hook, give comfort, like provide comfort, like make that be the hook.


Uh,  like have, have it be an authentic feeling that when you get there, you're, you're clearly getting that person's unfiltered. self that, that, um,  like a genuine,  a genuine person to connect with. And if, and if you're providing comfort to people,  humans are like, need that. We just like, even if you have plenty of it, you just gravitate towards comfort.


Um, and I do, and it's weird to think of my. Brand as going from like a real estate home stager and then kind of like change and everything filtering that out of the page and now trying to become like a Motivational or a positive outlet for people to like get that comfort every day Um, that is kind of like the, the new goal and it really, it really shifted my perspective around like my why, um, for creating the cover.


As your annoying coach, I need to stop you again because Daniel, you keep saying trying. And the thing is like, we wanted you here because you're doing that. Yeah, I appreciate that. We admire that. We see it. I appreciate that.  I love that you're unfiltered about wanting to have that validation. I think a lot of people don't admit that.


I will be the first to admit it, that it does feel good to have somebody respond. It does feel good to see a comment, to receive a DM, to know that what we're putting out there is making an impact on people, enough to the point to where they take a moment and they take They type that comment back and then it leads to a conversation, you know,  people need to be more honest about that and I think it'd be that's a step toward being authentic.


So I appreciate that you shared that unapologetically, because I feel the same. Yeah, I think the power of a compliment or sharing like positive comfort to can just like, it can really I read these comments and I think like, there's no way I can stop. Like, there's just no way. It's especially for the lurkers who aren't even like,  every once in a while I'll get a DM that says, by the way, I've been meaning to tell you, I really appreciate your videos.


Or I, you know, and, and I'll go back and they didn't, they didn't like, they didn't, you know, comment on it, but like, if I had stopped, imagine, you know,  one thing you, you brought up, it's very top of mind for me and probably even more top of mind for Candace, because, um, at the time of us recording this amazing conversation, Candace is just a few weeks out from becoming a mom.


You are? Wow. How many days from today? More or less. He's pregnant. Yeah. I'm like, I can only hope. And it's, it's also in my vision for the coming year to become a mother as well. So Daniel, selfishly, and even for like the Clever Crew who are parents and also entrepreneurial and want to. make a mark and leave a mark.


Like  how, how has that looked for you? Like what are the questions you've asked yourself? Like it's different for everyone, right? Everyone's vision for parenthood is different, but what, what did that exploration, you know, kind of look like for you?  Parenting and specifically entrepreneurship. Yeah.


Balancing the two and, and, you know, making peace with it. I will say.  Straight out. I don't think the two are very compatible.  I think it is. It is, um,  an uphill climb  when you decide to do these two things together when you decide to parent and when you decide to be an entrepreneur, because you're essentially. 


And this is why, this is why I think it's fair that it's an uphill climb, because you're getting everything.  You, you're your boss. You set your wages, you set who you work with, you set what your day looks like, what your night looks like. Like you have asked for all the freedom in the world to be the commander of your ship.


And now you also want to drag other people along with you on that experience. And  the word choice of drag. I love that. I mean, we don't give them a choice. Candace knows, right? No, that's there's a, because there's a certain amount of, um, 


necessary, there's necessary selfishness that comes with being an entrepreneur. You have to believe in yourself enough to be like,  you guys have to come along with me if you're going to be in my life, because like, this is the plan. And I'm so passionate about this. There's just no other way. That's the only way an entrepreneur is successful. 


So, That comes at a cost a little bit, um,  there, there will always be times, I think,  where you're feeling like you're failing at, at one or the other, because to be superb at either one, it's going to take like all of you. And if you have decided to take on like more than just one or the other, That one thing  you, you, you're shortchanging,  but something, something, um,  I don't think that's a reason to not do it.


Um, I think that life is  an experience like it.  And if you're not happy with the experience, it's like literally the.  The only thing that matters. Yeah, what's the point? What are you doing it for?  Um,  I do, I think that remaining as flexible as you can be through that, that process,  especially when like kids are super young and when your business is super young, 


knowing, knowing that it will likely never feel great.  Like that, the greatness will be experienced looking back and that's kind of like what, what the,  the whole point is. Um, I also think that entrepreneurs  love a certain amount of chaos. Um,  yeah, I identified the chaos junkie. Yeah. Yeah. It's my, my partner recently told me he thinks I'm obsessed with chaos and it's addicted to chaos. 


It might be true. Yeah, take that on. Add that to my plate. No, yeah, exactly. Exactly. Um, I think like embracing the chaos and just knowing that  that that is just like what you signed up for it. Like, that's what you  it's it's an extreme lifestyle. That's that's what it is like, you know, you think of these people that do like the Red Bull sponsored stuff and they jump out of a plane and you're like, that's someone's job or like, even a firefighter that like.


You know, risks are like, yeah, it's an extreme lifestyle. This is an extreme lifestyle. Being an entrepreneur is an extreme lifestyle. You have like no structure other than the structure you've set up for yourself.  And that's, that alone is like a very scary thing,  you know? So we're all crazy. Yeah, we're basically, we're all crazy.


You have to be okay with being crazy. Yeah. And, um, and know that I, that the reward comes.  I think later because the work is is intense. It's intense.  Are there  any systems or structures, routines that you've been able to implement in your life or business that have helped mitigate that at all? Or are we still in the exploration phase there? 


I think that there are, um,  different seasons of, of life that require different structures. Um, as a home stager for many years, we just shot from the hip and it was like just me with all the ideas and me trying to translate those in real time to.  You know, people who are at like this qualification level and this qualification and like that,  that almost ate us alive until we finally realized, like, that required a system that required, like, that we needed more structure around that kind of communication for our business to actually function outside of what, like, I can physically do myself.


Um,  and I, I think, like, investing in those when the time is right.  is very important to do. Likewise, I think  investing in something before you need it is, is kind of just as big of a waste of time. Um, you know, like if, if, if you're, if, uh, okay, I'm trying to, I'm trying to like reformulate the question a little or my answer a little bit.


I'm sorry. I think simple is good. I think when your life is simple, it's good.  Keep it simple, stupid is what like we say a lot around here. Keep it simple, stupid. Um, and you know, that, that plays out in my, in my content right now. Like, yeah, I, I want to do some of the content that I used to do, like all these multiple shot things that would take me like a day to film and another day to edit, and then a day to just kind of like watch it and get the courage to like post it.


Yeah.  You know, um,  And then like, you know, when, when do I post all that stuff? Like that, that wait is such a time waster. Like, uh, it doesn't fit my lifestyle. It doesn't, it doesn't do anything other than waste my time. Um, I, the system I have set up right now is I film certain videos on certain days. I respond to comments from this hour to this hour, but my life requires that right now.


Later on, um, you know, hopefully I, I will be able to have. Help doing some of that, um, as like the different, the different platforms grow. But the, but the, but the growth was the same when I was doing homestaging. The growth was the same as a, like a parent. There were some times in life where we needed a nanny, uh, where we, like, I was paying more for the nanny than I was making personally, just so I could continue to be out working.


Um,  and financially that made no sense. Psychologically that made enough sense. Yeah. Yeah. It made enough sense to do it. Um, so I think systems, structures are important. I do, I do not think, I think like real estate agents in particular, because I've worked with them like so much,  are, are, think that a system is going to be the solution.


Sometimes they'll sign up for like a mailing system. One thing. Yeah.  Like if, yes. Yeah. I went to this meeting. I heard about this thing. That's gonna be it. That's what's gonna get me to start posting videos. Actually, what's gonna get you to start posting videos is like you posting the videos, right?


Creating videos. That's how that works. Say it again. Yeah.  So, um  I don't like systems for that reason. I've seen, I've seen a lot of people think that a system is going to be the solution, but a system is just a tool. It's just a tool. It's just to support you. It's not, it doesn't fix, it doesn't solve, it's support.


Yeah. So. I have a good friend who is a broker in LA. She works with high level professional athletes. She's a real estate agent and she has a six month old. And this just happened yesterday. So I feel like it's super relevant yesterday in her Instagram story. She's like out with the baby, like baby in the stroller.


And she's like new working hours, 10 to three, you want to see a house? I'll show it to you between 10 and three. And I'm available for a text or calls before or after that, but. Here, here it is. If you want to work with me, I'm available from 10 to three, unless you want to just call me. Right. And I love that she put that out there and I bet you there are agents or brokers who are like, she thinks she's going to be able to like build her business on those working hours.


People need to see houses after work, whatever, but she knows her clientele and her clientele don't, they don't have nine to five. Right? And she is creating a boundary that works for her that maybe doesn't make sense to the next person but is what she needs right now. And I feel like her clients are going to be absolutely fine with that because they're also parents.


Right, you know, and their and her clients are likely people that respect people that have boundaries and that are like bold enough to say she's in high demand. Exactly. Yeah. Or just like this is also super important to me like that. That gives me like a human reason to resonate with this person other than like, okay, so they've sold other homes.


In a similar price point. Great. Or, this, this lady's a mom, she's a brand new mom, and she's like, kind of a, a boss babe that's like, willing to say, you can wait because I'm, I'm prioritizing this. Like, so many different ways to connect with her, just from her being herself.  Amanda Allen, if you're looking for an agent.


I was going to say, this is Amanda, right? Like, fucking love, boss. So I want to ask you, Daniel, One of the questions we get a lot from our Clever Crew, and sometimes Candice and I even find ourselves in these moments in like creative ruts, right, like if we're just like,  we want to post, we have the basic equipment, we know how we can do it, but how do you spark creativity?


What's your creative process? And obviously it's different for everyone, but what have you found that works for you? Because you've been through different stages and seasons in your life.  When I was, um,  creating industry specific content for like real estate and home staging, I found my biggest source of inspiration from looking at creators in different niches and then applying what they were doing to my content.


Yeah. Like food, makeup, any, like anything I could take from it, from like,  How they're showing products or how they're just like where the camera is, um, applying it as like a lens. This is definitely something that, um, I learned in college going through like theater, um, is kind of like how to, to examine a scene like many different ways.


And, um, that's what I love about the bathroom. It's, it's like a small, impossible space to create in. And the  That the challenge as, as kind of like my.  My structure to, to start in is, is, is, is ultra creative for me. So I think sometimes, um, people aren't  using their hurdles or the, or the obstacles as kind of  a way to craft the content.


If, if you're, um, a brand new mom that is struggling with creating content because you're like breastfeeding and stuff, um, and, and even just finding like enough time in between. Yeah, to get into that mode or set up your tripod or like the minute you got it going like the baby's crying again.  Make that work for you, like, incorporate the baby, do this, wow, be the breastfeeding real estate agent, like, like, you know what I mean, like, that, that is how, um,  niched down niches are formed, is when, like, people are using their actual,  uh, obstacles as something kind of like iconic in their, in their content, um.


My husband Dom says the obstacle is the way. Yes. Like a  stoicism quote or whatever, right? The obstacle is the way into your recording in this  small, maybe not ideal lighting kind of space and you're making it work. But with that, it's also a very, I don't know, intimate setting, like we're in the bathroom with you.


Like me as a woman, I'm like, that's where I connected with other. Women in a club when I was young, right? Like that's where the real stories were told. That's where, you know, that's where you get into it. That's where you're looking in the mirror and you're thinking about how you look and how you want to be and how you want to show up in the world.


And it's like such an intimate space that just by that setting, I'm already focused on who you are as a human being. You know, it's relatable to, it's like an activity. All of us do every single day. We look in the mirror. We're like. And we've all, we all kind of have seen that mirror or something like similarly to the example of like  a new mom agent, like  a lot of women are going to know what that feels like to be like quietly recording your content because you don't want to wake your baby because they just fell asleep, but your like boob is in their mouth.


It's like, it's awkward, but it's like, it's relatable. Do you know what I mean? Like that is,  um, yeah, showing up, showing up that way is what kind of.  Draws people to you.  Yeah  Using using the Using the obstacles as my as my biggest It's  my biggest tip there. I think in home staging we I always used to say challenge the space  Yeah, like we'd walk in and my first rule is like I'm not gonna set it up the way they had it that's like  The only rule.


I can put furniture in here, any other, any other formation, but like for them to have kind of that HGTV wow, like the homeowner and the agent, it's not going to be in the same formation. Now, sometimes the homeowners have it totally right. It needs to be in that way. But like, and that's where you end up, but that's not where you start.


You start with a challenge, like. What's because there's nothing interesting if there's no problem. That's the other thing  and that is why we're all chaos junkies guys 


That's why we watch any movie or a sitcom or whatever. Yeah, we want to see If Frodo never left the Shire, we would have never fucking watched Lord of the Rings, okay? Totally. Stuck around for three movies. Yeah.  Seriously. Three long ass movies. Totally, totally. But yeah, with no problem, there's no, there's  no point. 


On to the next. Yeah. I mean, you should put that on a t shirt. Seriously, I would buy that. Let us know when you have your Shopify set up. I know. Gosh, so many, so many different directions to take, uh.  So one thing that we saw online is that you now are, um, creating cameos, so you're on cameo and you're creating custom videos for people.


And that sounds so fun to me. How did you decide that was something you were going to take on and what kind of cool stuff have you been creating over there? Um, so I'm really new to it. Like I've done. Only a handful and I love it. I love it. Love it. Love it. It's it's it's it feels so much fun  the thing I like most about it is  The challenge a little bit is like you get this little barb and it's kind of like a scene study like here's my my daughter This is what she's going through blah blah blah blah blah And that's all I get and then I like want to create something that I feel like resonates But that's like the initial the initial challenge  Is getting kind of like my character study.


It's just it's it's it's so it's so much fun. Um,  I decided to do it because I'm looking for ways to make this make money for me monetize it. Yeah. Um, Instagram is, is the platform where I experienced most notoriety. Unfortunately, Instagram doesn't pay their creators like at all. Um, the, the partnerships that come through Instagram have been like amazing and I can't wait for everyone to see some of the ones that are coming out.


Uh, but.  The, like, TikTok is a less familiar space to me. Um,  getting paid per view is something that happens there, but it's just not, it's not quite. What, yeah, well, it's interesting. I don't understand it at all. Like I don't know how to read the analytics or anything like that.  It's like all of us, like, Oh, I got to do that.


I got to update my website. I got to like, yes, I do. Yeah. All the things. All the things. Right. All the things. And like, this is the entrepreneurial like thing. It's like, we're just like this, this, that, you know, it's. So  cameo was like, I didn't think I was, I didn't think I had enough followers, honestly, to even like apply for it.


I just, I was at my folks house over the holidays. I thought, well, that's kind of interesting. What if I did personalized performances for people? I got on the thing. I was approved. I thought, wow. I  know you've done a handful so far, but is there one that stuck out to you as like unique or different or fun?


Well, um, I recently got a request from a, uh,  Parents for their daughter. She's headed to this college program for Walt Disney World and I was in that college program and I don't like there's no way they would have known that. How crazy, please talk to you. They knew that they probably did. Right? They like went all the way back. 


Um, but yeah, I just. The,  the connection between people is really, really fun. And that's so cool. All right, Daniel. So we have come to our not nice advice segment and very excited because we had one of our clever crew right in. They are, they signed this stretched too thin. So here's their question for you. 


A little over a year ago, I decided to finally take the leap and launch my own business. Eek! Congrats! And while I love what I do, it feels like my work day never ends. My family just gets frustrated because I'm always just finishing one more thing, and then I feel guilty for not being present. When I try to spend quality time with them, I'm distracted, thinking about everything I didn't get done.


Is this just the entrepreneurial way? How do I find a balance? It doesn't make me feel like I'm failing at both work and home.  Wow. We literally talked about this. We did literally talk about this. It's like the perfect podcast for  seriously, it's something that is so, um, closely linked to what's happening in my life right now to, um, something I never experienced with  any love, any kind of fame was going to be  the, the feeling of being able to give less of myself to the people that.


I've been here the whole time. Um, that seems so strange, but just, just the attention away from them has made massive effects in my, in my family structure, and something that we're all, like, struggling with. Um,  to be fully transparent, like we're all really struggling with this.  So, my advice is, um, to, to someone in the, to, to the, the, the person writing it,  is that you're, you're embarking, like we said, on something that's It's almost impossible, like you're, you're  deciding to man a ship essentially by yourself professionally, and you know, undoubtedly have like a very significant role in your family life. 


Both of those things are going to require like all of you all the time,  which isn't possible. So there's going to be like constant letting one slide while you push one up and then letting that one slide while you push one up and hopefully there's enough gap in between the times you don't have your hand on the other one that they're both steadily moving up that mountain. 


And it's going to feel  almost all the time like it might not be worth it.  And that's a constant, that should be a constant consideration that you have, is it worth it?  I think in terms of supporting your priorities as a family should,  I'm sorry, I think in terms of supporting your family should be a priority.


Um, it will come  probably less naturally to you than supporting your business. You're likely, if you've already decided to be an entrepreneur. You're probably already obsessed with what it is you're doing, you know, like I'm obsessed with what I'm doing I don't have to think about when I'm gonna make time for it.


Like I'm I'm compromising everybody else's time to do it  Finding flexibility from that aspect of your life. I think is a way you can honor your family  It's about the only way you can honor your family because they are  typically going to be less flexible than what your business is. And remember, you're an entrepreneur in the first place because you wanted to craft your life.


Like you wanted your life to work for you.  You didn't want to work for somebody else. So make sure you're actually doing that. Like make sure your life is, your work is actually supporting your life. And if your family is a huge part of your life. It needs to support them also. This is something that is easily said and almost impossible to do.


But the challenge is the way. This challenge is the way. And, um, just because it's hard doesn't mean it's not worth doing it. Oh,  I'm going to just replay this episode.  Six months from now and nine months from now and twelve months from now. It's so much truth that you're speaking and I really really appreciate it.


Candace and I both do. Yeah, I, uh, I appreciate the opportunity. This is like,  super relevant stuff in my life and, um, God, if it like connects with just like anybody else, that's like really totally worth it. I think it's great what you guys do. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Love what you're doing. And you're gonna both be like fabulous mothers.


You can just, you can like, you have the energy for it.  Thank you. Yeah, and I really hope that the experience for you professionally and personally is like 


Only one way to find out. Yeah, right? The challenge is the way. The challenge is the way.  Love that. 


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