Emily Merrell  00:04

Welcome to the sixth degree Podcast, the podcast where we grill our guests about the things that make them tick and find out how human connection plays a role in their life. I’m your host, Emily Merrell. I’m your host Emily Merrell. And today I’m so excited to have my friend Melissa Lorre as our guest. She is the founder and consultant at Waverly Avenue consulting. Melissa, welcome to the show.

 

Melissa Lohrer  00:31

Thanks, Sam. Thanks for having me.

 

00:35

I’m so excited to have you and you had mentioned before we’ve recorded you’re a podcast junkie what podcasts are you listening to all day?

 

Melissa Lohrer  00:44

Oh, what am I not listening to you I mean my every day go to is Jay Shetty. I O. Nonstop but I listened to your podcast, I listened to you in Lexus podcast ready to coach. I’m always mixing in new stuff. People know I love podcasts. They’ll they’ll be like, Oh, I just listened to something. You have to listen to it and they’ll send me links. So yeah, anything I’m I’ve converted completely to audio podcasts and audiobooks. Because being on a computer all day I at night, I love reading, but I just can’t get myself to sit and read. So I get in my reading through audio and when I’m walking my dog and yeah,

 

01:31

I love I love that you you said that. I recently, I’m part of a book club in Denver. And literally the day before the book club, I was like, oh my god, I have not read said book. And so I downloaded it. I logged into my friend’s Google account or Amazon account, like started reading it. But then I felt this poll of like, should I be working? Yes, I probably should be working or reading but I also felt really eager to finish this book. So another friend was like, log into my Audible account. I have it there. So I had it on like two point speed. It was my 11 hour book. She’s gonna go do that. It’s like doing my work. I felt like I had just taken something. I always wondered who

 

Melissa Lohrer  02:19

used that feature? How I know.

 

02:23

It’s me. Um, yeah, I always I always criticize people when they use that feature, too. I was like, just listen to the podcast at its normal speed or listen to the book. But now when you’re in a time crunch, Melissa, this is your team.

 

Melissa Lohrer  02:40

That makes total sense. I thought you were gonna say you spark noted it which brought me oh my

 

02:45

god, what was what was it called? Either SparkNotes but there was like monkey.

 

Melissa Lohrer  02:52

Yes. Oh, yeah. Monkey I forget what that was

 

02:55

right. To me. Like I saw the image and there would be like a report written our version of chat DPT? Memories, meeting before you even that knew what cheating No. But yeah, so audiobooks are are crucial in tough binds. But I’m, I’m so happy to hear that you listen to podcasts and I need to talk to you more about it because I struggle with podcasts I love like the learning podcasts. But I also really love the ones that tell us story. Yeah, I feel like cereal was kind of everyone’s gateway pop podcast. Oh, yeah.

 

Melissa Lohrer  03:35

That was a great one. I was addicted to that. I also, you just reminded me I listened to what’s the other one where they go through mysteries and I’m blanking favorite murder. Now it’s two women. Ashley flowers. I’m How am I blanking on this right now. I listen to it all the time. It’s great. I can even see the hour. I’ll have to send it to you and we’ll come

 

04:06

back to it. But yeah, so there’s like the ones that really do you need to know about people’s murders? Like do you need to know this? No, I

 

Melissa Lohrer  04:14

have a dark like why? Why is that where I go? It’s how I entertain myself is like murder mysteries. And I don’t know it’s I definitely love. I like to listen to business stories and stories of people starting their business and the you know how they navigate that and then Jay Shetty is like, just this bubble of optimism of you know, meditation and how to, you know, integrate certain things into your life. I was listening to one the other day that was so good about a client sent it to me and it was about not giving up like so many people give up one step too short. So just just tell yourself I’m going to do this for one more day or one more week or I’m going to try this one more time. Before I give up, and that can keep you going and keep you motivated. And so I like listening to stuff like that, because I think it applies both to personal life and also to business. And I get tons of inspiration. Like, even if it’s not a direct you know, I’ll take something I’m hearing and listening and somehow apply that to what I do for work. And that’s basically where all my content comes from. It’s listening to audiobooks and podcasts and just getting a random spark of an idea and then capturing it on my phone before I forget. And that usually turns into something I post a week or so later. So without that, I wouldn’t know where to go for inspiration. So it’s, that’s super important for me. And it’s also something about walking while listening, that I get inspired. Because I’m not in front of my computer. So I’m just kind of looking out and I just all these ideas come to me. So it’s a I kill two birds with one stone, I get a walk my dog get outdoor activity. And then also, that’s where all my content is coming. So

 

06:09

there is something to be said about like movement, really sparking inspiration. And I’m with you, like once you have your phone down, you realize how much is inside of you. And I’m ready to just come out and be downloaded. So Melissa, I think this is a perfect segue to ask you, you know, your business is relatively, it’s relatively new, you just website this week, which is incredible. By the way, you all have to check it out. But can you tell us a little bit about your background? And what brought you to wanting to create Waverly Avenue consulting?

 

Melissa Lohrer  06:45

Yeah, um, it was, it kind of is weird to look back. So I launched my business probably nine months ago. And how I did it, I almost I don’t know if you feel this way with your businesses, but I look back and I’m like, How did that even happen? How did I even go out there and just do it? It kind of just happened so organically and took off. Like, you know, while I was still processing, I was doing it. But I’m really the story of it is, I had been working in the creative agency space for 1213 years. And was very ambitious. When I started, I knew I wanted to be a leader, I worked really hard. I was very driven. And once I got to where I wanted to be, I sort of looked around and was like, Is this is this all it is, is this what I want, and there is something missing. For me personally, and I’m someone who wears my heart on my sleeve. I’m I show up exactly as I am. And I really struggled for a couple months because I felt like I was aching. I had to really like try to show up and be excited to be there. But the truth of it was behind the scenes I, you know, wasn’t excited to do what I was doing every day. And as soon as that started to happen, I felt this disconnect between my true self and what I was how I was spending my time every day. And I was it was kind of this battle for a couple of months. And last summer, I went on a trip to Greece with my sister. And we had this amazing trip and I came back and I it was like the battle within me was sort of coming to a head and I just didn’t want to go back. And I was like this can’t be this. This isn’t what it should be. It shouldn’t be like this, I shouldn’t be struggling every Sunday to talk myself into getting through another week. And I remember sitting with my mom and my sister in law, and on a Sunday afternoon and talking about it. And they were both they surprise me. I thought I expected them to react and just say, you know, push through it, you’re gonna get through it. And they were both like, just quit. And I think honestly, that was just what I needed to hear at that time just to have the permission to like, what’s the big deal? In my mind, it was such a big deal because I had been at my last company for 10 years. So like this, you know, I started there when I was in my early 20s. I lived my whole 20s within that business. And so it was a big deal to me, but the way they were kind of just like it’s just a decision make it and move on. And I think that made me feel like okay, I can do this. And so I had a long sort of onboarding period. Edie where I got to, you know, package everything up and transition my team to somebody else then during that time, I knew I didn’t want to leave and then suddenly be like, well, what am I doing now? And what’s my life about? And so I came across this executive leadership coach on LinkedIn, she had posted something the same day, I resigned, and said, You know, I forget what exactly what her post said, but it was like, I’m leaving my job, I’m starting something new, I’m going to be a coach. And she talked about some of her beliefs and her philosophy, and it just something really connected with me. And she was offering free kind of 30 minute consults. So I was like, you know, like, called, it spoke to me, I was like, I’m gonna reach out to her, see what happens, we had a call, hit it off. And I ended up working with her, starting in July to just helped me, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay in the same industry, working with creative agencies, I didn’t know if my skills could be applied to a different kind of role, I was very open. But that can also be overwhelming, like, well, what am I going to do with my life? And, you know, that’s not a comfortable feeling when you’re in your 30s, because you want to kind of know what’s happening and where you’re going. And quickly, I started working with her. And, you know, one of the early things we started to do was like, What do you want in your next role? What don’t you want. And as I started to put that on paper, it became clear to me that it was gonna be really hard to find that in an existing company, I wanted a lot of flexibility I wanted, you know, control over my time, say, over my time, which I had never really had in my, my previous role. I felt like my time was owned by the company, and whoever needed me, I had to be there. And so so I had all these things. And she would, she said to me, which again, I feel like was giving me permission. She said, why don’t you start a business. And from that conversation, that was kind of the beginning. And she laid out this, she was like, go on a Legal Zoom, you know, create a company start there. And that was just the beginning. And then once I did that, I just took it step by step. And each step of the way, felt really good. And I didn’t even know, I didn’t really feel committed to this whole thing until probably December, so three or four months in, in the beginning, it was like, I’ll just try this, I’ll do this, I’ll do that. I’ll I’ll, you know, and then. And then suddenly, I had, you know, a full book of clients, I had a brand I had clarity on my business. And then it felt real and official. And, yeah, it’s been a ride ever since. But none of this was like preconceived, or planned. So it was very much something that organically came about through. You know, and I’m very lucky, I had people guiding me along the way and giving me the confidence to take that leap. But um, yeah, it was not at all something I had been planning for years or anything like that.

 

13:21

And so you were basically able to follow this itch, this feeling that you had that you’re at the top of your mountain, and this isn’t the view that you want, this isn’t the life that you want, this isn’t, you don’t want to be an ondemand service to anyone and everyone at all times. Like you’re ready for change. But you weren’t sure that you didn’t know what that change looked like. And this woman that you hired, which shout out to all the great coaches in the world, IDEO to consider thinking bigger, and just like Plugging you into another business. So you’ve got nine months under your belt, you kind of just listened to the guides, and also figured it out as you went. And I think this is the funny thing about entrepreneurship and just like a teachable moment for people who are pondering it, like most people have no idea what the fuck they are doing, and are googling what they are doing to figure it out. But they’re being proactive in doing it versus overthinking it. Like you could have sat on it for four years before you did it.

 

Melissa Lohrer  14:29

Totally. You know, I was thinking about this morning about how

 

14:35

we all look at

 

Melissa Lohrer  14:36

everybody else and say, Oh, she has it all figured out. She knows what she’s doing, whether you’re an entrepreneur or you know employed. But the truth is, no one has it figured out. No one has the ability to predict the future. When you think you have it figured out you get humbled real quick and reminded that you don’t. And I think that is exactly what entrepreneurs tip is, is just figuring it out every single day. And I talk to my clients about that a lot, because I coach small businesses and, you know, getting them, they want to have it figured out, they want everything to be defined, they want it to be perfect. And I try to get them to look at their business as this like rolling thing that’s always being molded and changed because the world changes and your business needs to change with it. And yeah, I mean, I encourage as exactly what you said, just just start, just get started, just take the first step, just put something out there, you can change it later, you’re not, you know, it’s not written in stone, nothing’s permanent. And also be don’t be so committed to what you’re launching your business with, I posted something last week I launched my business with something I thought was gonna be, you know, an exciting offer and nobody wanted it. And, and I was offering it for free at one point just to see. And then still nobody wanted it. And I was like, You know what, this isn’t, this isn’t a thing, I’m gonna let go of this. And I ended up then creating an offer that did become a core offer of my business and really successful. So you have to kind of not be attached when you launch to what you think your business will be. And I’m sure you can relate to this too. You just have to like, try and then, you know, hear listen to the feedback. What are your customers saying? And if no one’s interested, then there’s probably something wrong with the offer. And just being like, unattached to it to say, Okay, I’m gonna move on, leave that behind and rebound quickly with something better. But not to say, you know, the day to day emotions of it all can be hard. And, you know, even on your days where you’re experiencing your highest highs. Sometimes you’re also experiencing your lowest lows. And you know, that’s just, that’s just the ride.

 

17:03

Yeah, all. Thank you for sharing about the launch thing, because I think there’s so many people make assumptions like, wow, look at her. She’s launching, and she’s selling so much. First time I launch something, Melissa, I think one for it was a group program, one person signed up. In my defense, I think I sent one email out and I was scared to knock on people’s doors. So there’s a lot of learning and growing that happened from there. But you know, you you everything that fails, just teaches you to iterate and to to reapply it. So when thinking about what you’re offering, how did you you had this experience under your belt of 10 years at one agency? Which is mind boggling. Hmm. Very loyal person? And then what? How did you decide what you wanted to do?

 

Melissa Lohrer  17:49

Yeah, um, so I think, again, it that sort of happened organically with my first service offering, which was consulting. So I had been in conversations with a couple of agencies, and one of them was, you know, I was just at that time putting feelers out, because I wanted to know, I wanted to have some backup plans, if, if this time off, didn’t turn into anything, and one of the agencies was open to hiring me on as a contractor slash freelancer. And I started to sort of reflect on that’s something I want to do. And initially, it was, okay, I’m gonna do this to buy myself time and to be able to pay my bills and all that stuff. But then the more as I started doing the role I used to do as a consultant, freelancer, I realized, I loved the role a lot more in that way. Because some of the things that had took me away from what that job is, when I was in house was, you know, internal politics and managing a team, which all of which, you know, I did enjoy that, but I wasn’t actually doing what I was, you know, really good at what I felt called to do, which was the business development aspect of my role. And so by being a consultant, that could be my core focus, and I wasn’t bombarded with you know, 40 slack messages a day, getting pulled in all these directions, I could really just focus, do my job and add a lot of value to the business and have strategic conversations with the leadership teams. So then I was like, Okay, this is a thing and I went from, you know, it started out as like a consulting offer. I eventually evolved that months later into a fractional role to better define the consult because consulting can be a very broad term, what you get and what that means. So that felt better. There was better definition around graph Should all business development partner for that offer. So that was kind of up and running. And then I started having through I mean, a couple of entrepreneur communities, I started meeting smaller businesses and creative agencies that were earlier on in their journey. And I just connected really well with some of they were all female founders I was connecting with, and I wanted to work with them. But I, you know, I knew I couldn’t charge what I was charging, they wouldn’t have been able to afford me as a consultant or fractional business development partner. So I was like, How can I work with these amazing, smaller businesses, and that’s how I created my coaching offering, which was a way that I could give them all the tools, the advice, but wouldn’t be the one executing, they could I could teach them how to execute themselves. So that turned into that was my second offer. And then the third one came about, again, organically, I spoke to an agency owner, and she wanted to run a workshop and get clarity around their agency positioning their pricing their services, and also, you know, how do they attract the type of work they want. So I created a workshop ran that loved it, and, and those became my three core offers. So they all came about in a very organic way where someone I wanted to work with wanted to work with me, but I didn’t have anything to offer them, and I created something for them. And I think the other piece of it is being a little bit open to what you might enjoy, because I might have assumed that I didn’t want to do workshopping. But when I did it, I really loved it. So I think just being open to where your business can go and trying different things, to see what you enjoy most and what kind of construct if you’re a service provider, like how you like to work with your clients, and what cadence feels good to you, and that kind of thing. So and

 

22:13

what a great way to demonstrate to people to that, like you don’t have to have your offerings fully baked, the moment you launch, those offerings can be an evolving, and evolving decision and an evolving thing that that come to be because you can’t solve a problem with this one. So you created this one. Yeah, that’s a really important story to tell to people. Because, again, there’s so much pressure that everything has to be perfect and fluffy and whatnot out of the gate. And I like that. Also with you, Melissa, in your success in the last nine months that you’ve had your business, your website wasn’t launched until this week.

 

Melissa Lohrer  22:52

Yeah, I was actually gonna say I think that was a benefit. Because once it’s out in writing, then you have to work with that service as it is by not having a website and not having anything like tangible written on paper, I could iterate my services from one week to another. And I was always iterating in interest of the client, like, what did they need for me? You know, how can I frame up my offer to best support them to add the most value to them? So I was constantly with each and every conversation I was having adding something to that offer package that I felt like, okay, they need this, I’m going to add that in. And so it was yeah, the timing of my website was actually such a gift. Because I was able to get all that feedback, integrate everything into the packages that I knew, made. My offer great for my client, my target client, and then now I can have it on my website. And I know those are things people need. And I’m not in that state of questioning. But had I launched with that, like my website would be totally different than what I launched with because I had a different idea of what I was going to do. So

 

24:08

yeah, you didn’t know what you didn’t know. Until Until now. And now you can also change your website. So I’m curious to hear your experience. It’s been nine months, what have been some things that have surprised you about being an entrepreneur. Um,

 

Melissa Lohrer  24:26

one of the biggest surprises has been how supportive other entrepreneurs and in particular, female entrepreneurs are. I literally made the best connections in this space, the people that and everyone’s always saying, like, who can I connect you with? How can I help and in return, I do the same for them. And that’s been such a beautiful surprise to me. I thought it was going to feel much more competitive and I was going to be in my own world figuring it out. But yeah, I mean, I have The best friendships that I’ve created from going into this space. So that’s been a great surprise. I think being an entrepreneur is also a beautiful journey of like, getting to under understand yourself in a different way, I’ve learned so much more about myself and probably ever before, just like, what my limitations are what I need to be at my best. And you have to be aware of that. Because you have clients counting on you. So if I’m not at my best, it’s hurting my relationship with my clients. So I’ve learned to really, you know, prioritize myself put, take care of myself, so I can show up as the best coach or fractional partner that I can be. But I think also learning to back to the, the conversation on the highs and lows, just learning to not let the highs get to you too much, because they can kind of get you love drunk and like, you’re like, I got this. And then the next day, something happens, you’re like, I did not have that. Or, and also the lowest, don’t let them affect you like, you know, you post something you’ve been working on for a while, and you’d like get two likes. And that can be really deflating, you’re like, What am I doing wrong. But I think just trying to stay level through it all. And of course, celebrate the wins. Like that was a great moment, but not let yourself get too high on the highs and not let yourself get too low on the lows and just stay steady yet. This is the sort of mission I’m on. I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing. I believe in this. And sometimes you’re not always seeing the results. So that can be hard to keep going and just be consistent and be authentic to yourself and not feel pressured to, oh, well, that person’s doing this. And that seems to be working better. But just kind of staying true to you is hard. But that’s been a lesson I’ve learned and something I talk a lot about with my clients. And the consistency is definitely can be discouraging when you’re like it’s not working. There’s crickets no one’s out there. And then to your point earlier, where it’s like that one day, you decide to give you yourself one more day. Maybe that’s the day that everyone’s like, oh my god that resonated so much. Thank you so much for sharing the I want to work with you. You’re like, where did this come from? Or people come out of the woodwork. And hopefully, yeah, it’s so weird. I had someone tell me recently, like, oh, my gosh, I love all your social content, which to me is always such a compliment. I’m sure you find that too. When you spend, I spend a lot of time writing content. And it’s really just me sharing ideas and experiences I have with clients. But when someone compliments me, it means a lot. And this person who complimented me, I’m like I’ve never seen you like one pose. So it was just a good reminder that there’s people out there seeing your stuff, even if they’re not engaging with it and commenting on it. You’re having an impact on people. And that’s, that’s a good thing for me to remember. Because you can get really caught up in the vanity metrics of it all and the comparisons of it, am I doing, you know, better than last month? Or should I be growing in X percent? And I try to just take it back to like,

 

28:42

Am I doing what I love, that’s all the matters, in my sharing what I care about. That’s all that matters, I don’t really need to be tied to the metrics. And that all makes sense. I think. Just figuring out just figuring out all the things as you go and also not getting caught up in metrics. And of course, use them as a guiding light. But don’t necessarily hang your hat on it and be like I’m a failure to likes. I also find and you’re probably experienced this if you haven’t already, whenever you’re selling in a post, those are like the quietest posts, you know, they’re sharks swimming around it, but they’re like, Oh, I can’t like it because I like it, then she knows that I’m interested in you. So So you have to kind of put your ego aside and moments and just be like alright, and a post and I’m going to give two shits if someone cares or not.

 

Melissa Lohrer  29:38

As long as I think you’re doing it for you, then you can detach yourself from the metrics of it. I think it’s easy for people to get caught up in the content game of doing it for likes and attention. And I think that that’s where you get you know, it’s not authentic and over time you lose your Sell for that. And I always want to stay true to the content and posting is not for the sake of it, but because it’s something I want to share or I know will help somebody else. So I use that as my filter. And you know, tell myself that, but it’s still hard. It’s hard when you get a post that does really well. And then the next day, you post something that like nobody even sees, and you’re like, What did I do wrong? Um, but yeah, I try to stay focused on the mission of it and not get caught up in the rest. Yeah,

 

30:36

I like thinking of us all as like little secret agents, just trying to fulfill this mission, and can feel lonely and you sometimes can articulate to people what that you’re doing, and sometimes they’re not gonna get it, you just keep your eye on the prize and keep moving forward.

 

Melissa Lohrer  30:52

Exactly. And I think community plays a big role in that I was actually texting a mutual friend, we have Lindsey Julian this morning, because she was asking me, how’s it going? Congrats on your website looks awesome. And I was saying to her, you know, honestly, it’s a mixed bag of emotions. I’m really proud of it. I’m excited that I’m having total impostor syndrome about it and feeling weird that my, like, faces on the internet. I feel very exposed. And, and she, she was venting back to me about her experience. And we were just like, you know, it’s so nice to have each other people that are building businesses alongside each other. And just to have someone to vent to and say, This is normal. And it’s not just me. And you know, that just makes it I think, less personal.

 

31:46

Totally. Oh, my gosh, you’re absolutely right to like the feeling. I remember my first bid photoshoot. And just thinking like, this is everything you’re told not to do. Like, don’t draw attention to yourself. And don’t talk to strangers don’t, you know, make it easy to find out information about you, and you’re like, Whoa. But by having to do all those things

 

Melissa Lohrer  32:07

hard, and you have to, I mean, selling yourself and selling a business you have to have be confident no one wants to buy from someone who’s like, I’m unsure about if this is going to work. So I think that’s been a lesson through this journey is like finding my confidence and keeping my confidence despite whatever else is happening in my business, or, you know, with my clients businesses, which is hard because I’m very, I’m an empath. So when they’re anxious, I’m anxious, and I’ve had to learn to kind of separate myself and be a little objective about what’s happening. So I can best serve them as a coach or a partner, and also not let that affect my business.

 

32:53

Totally. And that’s such a good learning to have just been like, Okay, I’m not gonna be in this energy, because it’s not gonna serve me. Yeah. Melissa? How? How can people find out more about you and your business? And is there anything coming up that you’re excited to share?

 

Melissa Lohrer  33:12

Um, so my, my website is definitely the best place to find out more about me, we really ask.com But I’m also very active on LinkedIn and Instagram Instagrams, we really have consulting and LinkedIn, you can just find me under Melissa Lor or Waverly Ave consulting. Yeah, what’s coming up? Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t know. And that’s the most honest answer. I’ve had the past, you know, four months, the website was something I was really working towards. Now that that’s done. I think I’m looking to just regain balance in this season of business and calibrate a little bit I, I’m one who can easily just kind of be like, Okay, on to the next thing. And now I need to do this. And I’m trying to not create projects for myself that I don’t need. So I’m just enjoying this moment of, you know, working with great clients and watching my brand grow and in an organic way and also just enjoying the work that’s most important, because why run a business if you’re not, might as well work for someone else if you’re not enjoying it. So

 

34:26

1,000% I completely agree. Well, before we wrap up, up, I love asking my guests six best questions.

 

Melissa Lohrer  34:34

Are you ready for them? I hope so.

 

34:37

She’s like, I gotta go straight. Go. Yeah, so my first question is Helen, unknown fun fact

 

Melissa Lohrer  34:43

about you. Um, so definitely unknown to your listeners, not unknown to my close circle of friends and family, but I’m a huge traveler. I’ve been to I think 32 countries is the count now. If I if I go through a year and I don’t get a passport stamp, it’s disappointing. So 2020 and 2021 were not great years for my passport, but I just love I’m very drawn to languages and cultures and I love leaving the US and that’s when I feel like I’m at my freest most like true self is when I’m traveling.

 

35:26

I love that and I will I’m so with you on that. Who would be a dream person to be connected with?

 

Melissa Lohrer  35:33

Um, oh my gosh, I feel like I’m connected to so many people that are dream people I want to be connected to but I’ll bring it back to the top and say Jay Shetty because I totally admire him as a person and everything he does, and yeah, it would be really cool to meet him.

 

35:53

Hey, Jay, if you’re listening called. Why? What show are you currently watching?

 

Melissa Lohrer  36:01

I’m okay, I’m obsessed with Apple TV is like my current. There’s a lot that’s happening on there. Ted last though, which is a crowd favorite. But I loved shrinking. Have you seen that yet? I

 

36:16

did. Yeah. I really liked it to that show cracks

 

Melissa Lohrer  36:18

me up. It was just such a good that, you know, storyline and setup. And I loved the way yeah, very well done.

 

36:28

And I feel like every time I go to my therapist, I’m like, is this what you want to be doing with me versus can’t do legally?

 

Melissa Lohrer  36:37

I related to it a little bit with coaching. Sometimes you’re like, Can I really or true?

 

36:43

You know, I’m asking you questions, but I’m gonna actually just tell you what to do. All right, we’re gonna cut the bullshit and just go for it. Yeah, I feel you 1,000% You mentioned your big reader, what book are you currently reading? or listening to?

 

Melissa Lohrer  36:58

Ah, I don’t I’m not I read a bunch of books on vacation. This is the most boring answer, but like World War two novels. So that’s the genre that I’m sort of obsessed with. I went through like Nightingale I’m reading that right now.

 

37:15

I have like 90 pages left. It’s what I’m doing right after this

 

Melissa Lohrer  37:19

podcast, actually, Oh, good. D Day girls I went through I’ll send you a list of like crap out of that if you’re into that. So that’s an era that I’m like, always kind of reading in. But um,

 

37:31

yeah, stressful to read though. I’m like, literally my I can tell I feel my whole body, my whole system, like feeling more alert, and so appreciative to be like, I don’t have to lie about who my child is or fear for someone like me out of my house.

 

Melissa Lohrer  37:47

Totally. It makes you realize how much we take for granted. What they went through when they were going through that. So yeah, yeah,

 

37:55

yeah, we I would love to list. What is your favorite or most used emoji?

 

Melissa Lohrer  38:01

That one’s easy? The Disco guy. Every day, I use that for everything. It’s just my love that. Yeah.

 

38:12

You’re the first one who said disco guy. And then my final question for you, Melissa? And you’ve kind of answered it at the top. But I’m curious if it’ll be the same answer. But who gave you permission or inspired you to do the thing you wanted to do with your

 

Melissa Lohrer  38:25

life? Yeah, I mean, I have to take it back to that conversation with my mom and sister in law. And they were both just like, just quit. So they that was the beginning of it all that opened the door to everything that came after. But I think ongoing. It’s I give myself that permission. And I think that’s something as an entrepreneur you have to cultivate within yourself is to give yourself that permission to try and fail and learn and go for it and go outside your comfort zone and try things. So I think I’ve become that person for myself. But I definitely needed that in the beginning to get it from somebody else to say just do it. What’s the big deal? Try it. So yeah,

 

39:13

I love it. Well, Melissa, it was such a pleasure having you on this podcast, learning about your journey to entrepreneurship. Your clients are very lucky to have you and thank you for sharing all your tips and insights about starting a business.

 

Melissa Lohrer  39:27

Thank you. Well, thanks for hanging out with me. And it was great to hear you and I’d have our sidebar about mutual connections and dogs and all the things so thanks for having me.

 

39:38

The world is too small. And listeners if you liked today’s episode, give us a five stars on wherever you listen to us. Share with friends, and we’ll see you the next time on the sixth degree with Emily Merrell.