SPEAKER_03 0:00

We've got a huge vision of helping one million women build businesses by 2030. And along that pathway, we've been doing that in a lot of different ways. And it's creating community, it's introducing women to the tools.

SPEAKER_01 0:16

If you wanna hear about St. Louis, tune into the Buggy List Show Weekly. He up Marista and Luke's day. It drops every Wednesday. Got a dope new guest every single week. Buckle up for the ride. Who's it gonna be? Who's on the show today? They rap St. Louis. What to do in the loo on a late night? I baby what to do on a date night. Yeah. Bucket list as you cover, then what's going on? What's going on? They'll give you a 18 different things to do on 19 if you need one more to choose. Yeah. The city, city, city is a place we call home. A place we call home. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 0:54

St. Louis, welcome back to another episode of the STL Bucket List Show. I am your host, Luke Farrell. We've recorded over four years of podcasts. I was on Facebook the other day and I got a Facebook memory of when we launched back in March of 2022. It's been four years. We've done over 200 episodes, really focusing on highlighting the people, places, and events that make St. Louis special. Entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, comedians, business leaders, all these different spectrums of St. Louis that everybody comes together to create a community here. So today we're diving into another cool community that you guys have created that's helping women uh build confidence, break into real career opportunities. I'm here with Holly Moore of GeekPack. Thank you for joining us today.

SPEAKER_03 1:36

Hey, thanks so much for having me. Super excited to connect on this.

SPEAKER_02 1:38

I know we've been learning a lot about you. Um, you know, we've been talking, I think, for a couple months now and learning about it. We're gonna be at your guys' event here in St. Louis, but I guess to help the um the listeners in St. Louis that might not have ever heard of you guys, kind of tell us what the mission is behind Geek Pack and what what you all do.

SPEAKER_03 1:54

Yeah, absolutely. So um we've been around since 2018 and really focused on helping women build businesses that are profitable, that let them create a life that um gives them all the right reasons for for building a business, you know, freedom, flexibility, fulfillment.

SPEAKER_04 2:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:11

Um, and so that's been our core focus for many years. We've got a huge vision of um helping one million women build businesses by 2030. Um, and along that pathway, we've been doing that in a lot of different ways. And it's creating community, it's introducing women to the tools, resources, relationships that help them grow. It's creating incredible events where they can connect with each other, they can connect with um, you know, our partners that that bring those really wonderful resources to them. So, you know, community is at the heart of all of it, but um, that looks a lot of different ways, and we try to um engage different communities in that as well and make sure that we've got lots of different voices at the table.

SPEAKER_02 2:52

Yeah, no, that's an incredible mission. I mean, to help one million women have a successful business. I mean, that's a great North Star to focus on and everything that you guys do support that direct mission. So, how did you, as the um, so you know, for those that might not know you, you're the VP of strategic partnerships at GeekPack. So, how did you personally get involved with the organization? Was that like how long have you been there? Or kind of how did you even come across what they're doing over there?

SPEAKER_03 3:14

Yeah, so I've been involved with Geek Pack since 2020, but I've been on the team since um beginning of 2023. I was a serial entrepreneur myself. So born and raised St. Louis, I've run multiple businesses here. Um, I had two of my own businesses and I worked for myself for so long, I swore I would never work for anyone else again unless the perfect opportunity that was completely aligned with my values that allowed me to do what I love doing at scale were to come along. And that's what I found with Geek Pack. So um I had been involved with them initially as a member, as someone that was part of the community, that was connecting with other women building their businesses, that was getting training. And then I started volunteering a little bit, you know, I started showing up more. Of course. And um at the end of 2022, I was at an inflection point with my own business. I was at a scaling point that I wasn't sure if it was the direction I wanted to go, and I had to make some big decisions. And that's when they approached me and they said, Hey, we're building something new. We want to expand what we're doing to start um looking at what kind of partnerships we can build and not just working with people one-on-one. Do you want to come build it? And it was the perfect opportunity at the perfect time, and uh I joined and it's been an incredible experience. A lot of building the plane while flying it. Of course. Um, but it's allowed me to do what I've always loved doing, which is creating community, which is helping other business owners, but but at scale with backing and resources and a bigger network. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:52

Yeah, no, that's incredible. I think that, you know, every entrepreneur, I've been an entrepreneur now for seven years, and there's these moments of you you have these big goals and these big missions, but like at the end of the day, every day we're just putting out fires and putting out small things and just keeping this ship floating. And now we have a team of 14, and it's like I never imagined to have 14 people, you know. Just last year at this time we had six. So it's like how we scale while also finding that same love that you had for when you started is is always a challenge. And I'm sure you talk to people all the day, small business all the way up to big, because you guys focus a lot on tech. So like some of these businesses scale up so quickly. And and you know, can you can you kind of like there's there's some misconceptions where people kind of feel intimidated sometimes? They hear the word tech, they hear the word, you know, startup, they hear these certain words, but like, how does geek pack like change that perception for a lot of these founders and a lot of these entrepreneurs?

SPEAKER_03 5:42

Yeah, that's such a good question. Cause I think, especially because we've got geek in the name, we do talk a lot about digital tools and tech. People assume that, you know, we're working with AI startups that are taking millions of dollars of investment and and you know, building the next chat GPT. Right. But honestly, where where we really focus is these days, it doesn't matter what kind of business you are, you have to be engaged in the digital world. And a lot of folks don't have the background or the confidence to engage with the level of tech tools, digital tools, digital planning that it takes to really run a business right now. Like, I mean, you might be just like a mom and pop retail store that has a brick and mortar, but e-commerce can all of a sudden expand your footprint and you can serve way more customers than just the folks in your neighborhood.

SPEAKER_05 6:29

Right.

SPEAKER_03 6:30

Um, and so tech now really touches businesses of all kinds and all sizes.

SPEAKER_05 6:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:36

And staying confident and up to date with what that means, how that can help you scale, um, and what the the other components of that are uh is really, really crucial for being successful right now. And so we really try to reach, you know, the businesses that don't see themselves as that avatar, that don't necessarily say, oh, I'm a tech business, but they might, you know, be running, you know, they're definitely running uh uh marketing using tech. Maybe they're on social media, um, maybe they're creating an email list or um looking for ways to expand their team through automation and AI. These are all things that small businesses have to think about right now. Um, but it can feel really intimidating. So that's where we try to step in.

SPEAKER_02 7:21

First Community Credit Union is the official banking partner of STL Bucketless. They've been serving St. Louis families for 90 plus years with 40 plus local branches and over 400,000 members from personal credit loans to mortgages to kids and teen accounts. They also have a partnership with the STL Blues. You see, Louie here if you're watching on YouTube. Uh, we're proud to use First Community. I use it for my own family and my own business. Um, we're excited for them to be the official banking partner of STL Bucket List. And there's so many tools that come out every day. And it's like the second that we onboard on a new tool, like a better tool comes out. And it's like, you know, the cost and really not even the cost, but the time investment that it takes to learn these things sometimes is is daunting. And you go back to the old ways of doing things. But it's like, especially like, you know, with that you mentioned a small e-commerce store, it's like, you know, if they can replace some of the their own labor hours of the what they used to do with some of these automations, then they can focus on out going to events like this, growing, doing things like that. Because a lot of times people can't even like leave their desk for more than a day. So it's like, how can we really build those systems? So I guess I wanted to kind of pivot towards the event because if people are curious about what you guys do, you guys are gonna be at the 21C Hotel April 22nd. What um, you know, I've been reading the website, but like for a first-time person that's going to this event, like what can they expect from this day?

SPEAKER_03 8:37

Yeah, absolutely. We're so excited about this. So this is the Geek Pack IRL tour.

SPEAKER_02 8:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:41

Um, you know, we've been in the virtual space for a really long time, and that's where we've done a lot of our events and a lot of our building. But people have been asking for years, okay, well, like when do we get to just gather in person? And we've done small versions, but this is this is a big um big next step of bringing people together. So um the event is a full-day event. Um, we're calling it a CEO day. So we're really encouraging, you know, women business owners to step out of the day-to-day operations of their business to take a day to really intentionally focus on the strategy, the connections, the relationships that will help them truly grow their business and also step into that role of CEO, not just someone that runs that works a job for yourself, you know, not just a freelancer, but like truly that CEO mentality that requires being able to step back and work on your business, not just in it every day.

SPEAKER_04 9:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:37

Um, and so to do that, so full day, we've got um some really incredible speakers, we've got um some really great hands-on workshops too. We want to make sure that you know, you're taking a whole day away from your business. Like you got to walk out of here with some value. Of course. So um workshops and speakers and really intentional networking too. Um, I think you know, we all enjoy an event where you show up and there's coffee and they just say, go talk. And for some of us that are extroverts, that can be super fun. For some folks that are introverts, that's an absolute nightmare. Of course. Uh, so we're trying to add some structure to that too. So um, you know, from the moment that folks step into the space, it's a gorgeous space at 21C. Um we'll we'll take the wheel from there and and really guide people into who they can connect with, um, and hearing from some incredible business leaders locally. Um, you know, we're starting off the day with Maxine Clark, who's the incredible uh such a figure in St. Louis. Yeah, it's great. The Clark Family Fox Foundation and also with um Buildaber being built part of Build-Abear. So starting with that kind of dynamic leader who has been there, who's done it, who's built it, yeah, and talking about how to like keep that intentionality and keep that um that passion. And then um we've got workshops on um revenue growth, yeah, on branding, um, and a panel with some really, really incredible uh women from St. Louis about you know keeping that human element in the age of AI too, like that human first entrepreneurship, especially when you're thinking about how to incorporate tech.

SPEAKER_04 11:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:19

Um, and then one thing that we're doing that I'm very excited about um is that because our roots are with a lot of digital entrepreneurs, folks that have built their businesses online, they may not have the Bicker More in a presence. We'll be doing a digital business ribbon cutting. So um, anyone that has an online business that wants to uh participate will get that ribbon cutting that they probably never had. So we'll do that as a group. Everyone comes together, uh, cuts giant scissors. Yeah. It's a special moment. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:50

For over 150 years, SSM Health has been providing hope, healing, and opportunities to the St. Louis community. With over 40,000 employees across four states, they're not only delivering exceptional care, they're one of the region's largest employers, shaping the future of healthcare. We're proud to present SSM Health as the official healthcare partner of the STL bucket list show. If you've dreamed of a career where you're truly making a difference every day, SSM Health can help you take that to the next step. Learn more at their website in the link in the show notes. And then you have my friend Keisha, uh Mabry Haymore, who's gonna be there too. She's been on the podcast. Maxine's been on the podcast as well. So, you know, we've talked to them a lot and Maxine's done a lot for my wife who's in education. Um, just she's so dialed into just younger, like she's still so dialed into like helping younger entrepreneurs, specifically women, and help navigate, you know, that world. So to start off the morning, you're gonna have Maxine, and people are just gonna be like, wow, like she's such a good speaker. And what I love about her is she's so short in size, but so large and like in in everything else, you know. So it's like she's gonna rock that. So, no, that's amazing. So I think that, you know, what people can expect is, you know, like you mentioned, is like we've been digital, people have built these digital businesses. They really don't have that many friends, but not saying friends, but like it's hard to build a network of other entrepreneurs when you're the only person doing this one thing. Like if it's a boutique retail store that's online that you're scaling, it's like there's really um no advice to get from these people, or you're building, you know, a social media marketing agency or all these other things that people do. Um, so getting in person, and that's why I love that it's the IRL tour, is like really getting out and you're meeting a lot of these people for the first time that you've connected with on your weekly calls or your monthly calls and stuff like that that you guys do. And um, so the tickets are still for sale. Um, when this episode comes out on April 1st, tickets cut off April 8th, correct?

SPEAKER_03 13:35

Yeah, that's correct.

SPEAKER_02 13:36

Um, so you have the two different options. You have the$100 option, and then you have your$150 full package VIP option, which includes the night before happy hour, which everybody loves. You get that VIP swag bag. Um, but really, you know, the value of going is so beyond the purchase price of this event. It's all the people that you're gonna meet there, is from what it sounds like from you.

SPEAKER_03 13:56

Yeah. And I'm those connections are huge. And you're right. There are gonna be people that I have seen online for years and I finally get to be in the room with them. And I'm so excited about those moments. And there's people that I just know from the St. Louis business community that I get to introduce to this world. Um, I'm particularly excited about bringing those worlds together too, because you know, you mentioned the the digital businesses that, you know, may not have those same social connections because they're working online. But there's also, we, you know, we have a lot of businesses that are in the brick and mortar world or, you know, the product or the service world. Um, and they can definitely benefit from the experience that the digital businesses have with how they they broadcast their presence online. So it's those conversations that I'm really, really looking forward to facilitating is bringing different kinds of businesses together to have the relief of, oh, someone else knows what I'm going through. But also being able to exchange those experiences and really help each other grow as well.

SPEAKER_02 14:54

Yeah. And we uh, you know, our team built, we built the digital business first with STL bucket list and that has turned into all these different things the podcast studio, the sauce magazine. So now we're getting physical magazines and all these different things. So we understand that, you know, human connection gives us energy because sometimes I'm just cooped into my office and I'm looking at these spreadsheets and all these different things. And it's like just getting around other people that have been where you've been and are going through what you've gone through is such a big impact to any person's journey. And it's well worth taking that day off, taking it for yourself and learning and growing. Um, so I wanted to talk a little bit about St. Louis specifically because I know Geek Pack, you know, you guys serve people all over. But what makes, you know, from your experience working here is like, why is it so important to the St. Louis community specifically? Like, what are you seeing? Because you're actually on the ground here, you know, seeing all these conversations and all that too as well.

SPEAKER_03 15:45

Yeah, absolutely. So it's a little bit selfish. So I mentioned born and raised St. Louis, like this is my city, this is my community. And I've been involved with the business community for years. I've been part of the Mid-County Chamber of Commerce for over a decade. I just finished serving as president. Um, and so I know how incredible the St. Louis business community is. I know that hustle that is innate to a lot of us. And I also know that sometimes this is a city that gets overlooked. And so because I have the advantage of being part of a larger network, it's been a huge priority for me since I joined the team that St. Louis stays front and center in a lot of our planning. Um, and so we've partnered with quite a few organizations here in the past, um, either, you know, bringing women into our programs or just kind of sharing resources and sharing stories. Um, I've tried to be really, really present locally in in initiatives like Connect SDL, which is focused on um you know digital equity in the city. Uh, and so when we were deciding where this first tour was going to be located and we were picking cities, I said we have to start in St. Louis.

SPEAKER_04 16:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:57

I'm here, so I know I can make sure to foster some of those connections. But I also know that if we want to launch this and make it really exciting from the beginning and have people that I know will show up and I know will take this and run with it, that this is the place to start it.

SPEAKER_02 17:17

The STL bucket list show is proudly sponsored by Suede Dispensary with 11 Missouri area locations. Suede does so much for the St. Louis community. We've been working with this team for a couple of years back since Medical was here, and we're excited to support their new product launches, events, and community initiatives. We couldn't be happier to work with this premier cannabis brand, and we're excited for them to sponsor the show. Enjoy the rest of the podcast. Yeah, and in St. Louis, and I've read a lot of things over the years of like, you know, women entrepreneurs specifically. There's a lot of women entrepreneurs in St. Louis, and it's a, you know, I've read uh, I forgot where the article was from, but like the numbers, the statistics of like how many, and like just from working with STL bucket list all these years, like the amount of incredible women entrepreneurs that I've had on the podcast. Like it, like if you go through, scroll through our podcast, it's just flooded with so many people that have built things small, large, medium, big, all in between. And it's like, is St. Louis just a good city that fosters entrepreneurship? Because when I think of St. Louis, I think of the mom and pop shops, the individual neighborhoods, the local grocery store that I go to every day, like all these things that when I go to some other cities, I don't see that, I don't feel that same type of energy, you know, and there's nothing wrong with that. Like some of these cities, you know, they're growing really fast. Um, but when you go, when you walk around St. Louis, especially in some of our city neighborhoods, you can feel that energy and you can feel what people are building. And there's incredible people building stuff. You know, I just read another thing about uh Tamara Keefe over at Clementine's of like what she's doing with the in the ice cream world and like what uh Keisha's Keisha's all over the place. I don't when I talked to her three years ago, she was doing something completely different. Now she's like building all these, like, you know, using AI. I don't build all these things and like, you know, she's been doing incredible work. So I'm excited to, you know, be at the event this year, really, you know, soak in what you guys are doing, but then also, you know, the impact that you're making. So if somebody's listening right now, they want to get involved. Like, is it just getting that ticket showing up? Like, what are some ways that they can get more information? Or, you know, is it just show up to that first event and you guys are just gonna welcome them in with open arms, obviously?

SPEAKER_03 19:14

Yeah. I mean, I think, I mean, especially if you're in one of the cities that we're doing these in-person events. So if you're in St. Louis, that's a such a great starting point. Like that's a very dynamic, high-impact way to just sort of experience everything we have to offer. And then there's lots of ways to stay involved after that. So I would say definitely grab a ticket to the event. And we're actually um, for anyone listening, we have a special code for STL bucket list for 30% off the tickets. Um, so STL bucket list is the code. Um, just go to the site and you'll get 30% off. So we'd love to welcome you there. We have um a lot of other ways to connect though, too. Um, going to our website, you'll kind of see all these different options. We have our own app. We have a Geek Pack app. You can download it from the Apple store or Google Play. Just search Geek Pack. And there you'll find community that's always there for you. Um, and a lot of other programs and resources, ways to share your business. And so that's a way to, you know, plug into the larger community that's there and all those resources. Um, and the cool thing about having that is so with the event, anyone that buys the ticket to the event immediately gets invited to the app. There's some special uh event-specific resources and spaces there where you can kind of pre-connect with other people, kind of check out some of the offers from our partners. Um, and then after the event, um you'll still have access to that and then be welcomed into the wider community as well. So uh we always want to make sure that those experiences continue. So even if you're you know showing up in person on the day, yeah, it doesn't end at the end of the day. There's still conversations that continue, there's still relationships that continue, access to all of our uh partners and the amazing uh offers that we've got connected to the event as well.

SPEAKER_02 21:00

No, that's amazing. Yeah, I love I love going to events and and I love that when I was reading through your website, like how bold you guys are about, you know, by 2020, why by 2030, we will empower one million women to become successful. And I want to read this mission statement like on the top of your website too. And it really is Geek Pack exists to give women real choices about how they build and run their businesses. Freedom, flexibility, fulfillment aren't accidental. They're designed. And you guys equip women and minority-owned businesses with essential skills to confidently build thriving, scalable businesses that stand the test of time through partnerships with impact-driven organizations. You guys break down barriers and enable economic prosperity one geek at a time. So, what does that mean to you? And why are you so because I can just see your energy right now, like you were so all in on this mission. And it even made you leave the entrepreneur world to come build this with this group here. So it's really inspiring to hear your story too.

SPEAKER_03 21:53

Yeah, absolutely. Uh we also um like to say freedom, flexibility, and fulfilling it. Those are all the right effing reasons. Yes. I like that.

unknown 22:01

I like that.

SPEAKER_03 22:02

Uh yeah. And being, you know, what we mean by being a geek, it's geeking out on the technology. It's geeking out on relationships. It's geeking out on systems. It's it's being a geek is just really diving into it and being excited and and learn also being a uh lifelong learner and all these things. And I think if we can inspire that excitement and that interest in people, that takes people really, really far. Right. Because that that's a lot of times what's holding folks back. They may not see themselves reflected. So there's that limitation of imagination of like, well, I've never seen someone do something like this that looks like me or you know, that feels like me. So I don't know if I can do it. There's that confidence of, oh, I'm not the kind of person that can do that. Right. And then you see someone tackle something they haven't tried before and succeed, and all of a sudden all these doors open. So it's it's really that confidence and excitement and um people's that mirror effect of seeing women that look like them doing amazing things, right? Opens the door to taking really big leaps and building really cool things.

SPEAKER_00 23:17

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SPEAKER_02 23:55

And for those in St. Louis, which is about 95% of our audience, you know, and a lot of business owners listen to our podcast as well. Um, use that code STL Bucket List30, hop into this event. You're gonna be there. So you're gonna be able to meet them. And and uh for those out of town, you guys are also gonna be in Denver, Atlanta. So, how do you also identify those cities as well as those other cities where you guys have like a lot of members or those other hometowns of other people on the team and stuff like that too?

SPEAKER_03 24:20

Yeah. So there were a couple things that went into picking these cities. Um, you know, definitely places where we have a lot of folks that we know are already there or around there. We actually we have a lot of rural businesses um in our network because being mostly digital, all of a sudden, that makes access really easy. Um, and so we pick cities that are surrounded by um a lot of rural areas. Yeah. I mean, you drive an hour out of St. Louis and like it's the country. Uh Denver has a similar setup where especially in Colorado, there's a lot of um uh rural or or you know, more spread out areas, Georgia the same. So that was part of it. That um tertiary city identity too of we're probably never gonna do an event in like New York or LA. There's already a hundred there, there's tons of resources there. And so we're trying to identify cities that you know still have some, you know, are pretty, pretty juicy, pretty big, yeah, but may not be the ones that are already attracting things like this. And so we open up those opportunities. Um, and then personal connection too. So the company is uh headquartered in Colorado. Um, our founder, Julia Taylor, she lives in Durango, down in the southwest corner. Um, so Colorado was an easy pick. And then uh she's also from Georgia. So um, and we have quite a few organizations in Atlanta that we've worked with over the years. Um, Greater Wealth Works Women's Business Center are we're really tight with them and have have brought a lot of the women that they serve through our programs. And so that one, um, that was a pretty good pick too.

SPEAKER_04 25:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:55

So when we're looking at next year, um, then expanding this probably to more cities. We're doing three this year, we're hoping to do more next year. Those are the kind of uh criteria that we're we're looking at.

SPEAKER_02 26:06

Yeah, no, that's amazing. Yeah, I love Denver and Atlanta. And uh I understand that because a lot of times when we get invited to go to conferences, it is in other cities, and it's like, why can't we have that here in St. Louis? You know, where you can wake up in the morning, drive in, go home after. You know, it's not a huge cost thing for people have to fly in and some of the ticket prices, like you guys' ticket prices are very affordable when it comes to business owners and other events like that too. So I do I align well with that and um excited for those that get the VIP because you guys got that night before happy hour. Is that also at the 21c as well?

SPEAKER_03 26:37

It's not, it's at a secret location that we will reveal soon. Uh so yeah, that one will that will be revealed very soon. We'll make a big announcement. Um, but it'll be another great, iconic St. Louis place.

SPEAKER_04 26:50

Nice.

SPEAKER_03 26:50

Um, we're bringing probably about 40 or 50 folks for that. Um, so it is definitely more intimate than the the day of, but it's a pretty large group. And so um, you know, having the right place where we've got the space to do that and our spar partners can can really shine in that um is important, and that's gonna be really fun. Um, you mentioned a great thing too about the the ticket prices. That's been super intentional. Like this is definitely way cheaper than a lot of stuff that I've gone to. Um and I've I've fielded from some people, okay, what's the catch? You know, why is it so cheap? Because we want to make sure that you know, financial barriers are not an issue. I mean, even though a lot of the folks that we're working with are established businesses that probably have the means, when you're running a business, like every dollar counts. Like you're really looking at what is what's a good investment. And um, there's also folks that that has been a barrier. And we want to make sure that those barriers are really limited and and people can show up. And part of how we've been able to do that is we work with a lot of um partners, both national partners and also local companies who um, you know, are showing up to these events and bringing their expertise and bringing really great deals and discounts or you know, special, special offers for folks because they know women business owners are an incredible market to connect with. You've got business owners who, you know, are decision makers who are are looking to get past the decision fatigue of um who to work with and and what direction to go in. And you've also got a lot of women who are the decision makers for households, for families. Um and so we try to be very curated about what brands and what companies we work with because there's a lot of folks clamoring to meet those women. So we make sure that our partners are able to show up with value. Yeah. Um, but that really helps us keep those prices low. And you know, the cool thing about this is we're working with both national partners. You know, we've got Verizon as part of this, 99 designs by Vista. Um, they're incredible. Uh they'll both be leading workshops. Um and then we've also got a number of local partners too. So smaller businesses that are showing up to be part of this community, but also to connect with their ideal customers who are who are themselves, they're their own avatar. Like we've got um Cruise Dental, which is a woman-owned dental practice locally.

SPEAKER_04 29:22

Oh, wow, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 29:22

They're um they're our official smile partner. So they're sponsoring a photo booth. Yeah, um, that's awesome. And they'll be on premise and they're incredible. We've got uh Lacey Mitchell's State Farm, so local State Farm agent, also woman-owned, woman-led state farm agency, uh staged and styled STL. They're gonna be um providing decor and and doing our stage, another woman-owned uh business, which is really, really cool to be supporting all of them.

SPEAKER_04 29:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:51

Um, and we've got partners that we've worked with for years. So, like Termageddon, which their online privacy policy is so cool. Um, we've been working with them for so many years, and we found so many different ways to connect them with our programs. And yeah, so they're Chicago-based actually, and they're gonna be coming in for this one. Um St. Louis, it's a five-hour drive. You can be there.

SPEAKER_04 30:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:13

And then um, you know, even like 21C, they're they're a partner too, and they've been incredible to work with. Our production company, Heard Global. Um, but yeah, we're really forging these relationships and and bringing in these partners. One diversifies the kind of value that we're able to offer, um, tapping into the expertise of these companies, tapping into uh what they can bring. But um, those partnerships are, I mean, it's a big part of what I do is finding those relationships and partnerships. It's why we can put on an incredible event like this.

SPEAKER_02 30:46

You're here today. It's how we met you. Absolutely. Yeah, and our incredible media partner, uh Steel Bucketless. This episode is sponsored by Upshot Coffee, three St. Louis area locations in Cottleville, Break Shop in St. Charles, and their new Hi-Fi location in Clayton. I personally use Upshot Coffee every day at my espresso machine at home, and I try to visit one of the shops at least once a week. They source the beans responsibly from local farms all across the world, um, and they take care of their staff and they take care of the community. Let's get back to the show. I mean, we're gonna have three of our team members out that day that are super excited. So, you know, they're excited to soak in, you know, the stuff there. And I'm looking at some of your community partners, like the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Mid County Chamber of Commerce. Those are the places of the people that need to be at these events. Or those chain, I'm I mean I've been in the chambers, I've been in the networking groups, like those are such tight-knit communities of people that help each other out and help refer and help, you know, help other business owners. And it's so hard when you're an entrepreneur because there's really there's really not that many people you can get advice from. Sometimes, like even when you go home, it's like if your partner works a regular job or a corporate job, it's hard to like bounce off, like, oh, like, you know, they shut off when they leave, but we don't shut off when we get home. So it's just, it's just hard sometimes to to do that. So it's nice to get into these groups and specifically for women, um, because a lot of these chambers that I've been to are sometimes not dominated by women. Sometimes it's a different room that you're in. So it's like being in this room with other women entrepreneurs, I think is going to be special. And um just to wrap up here, you know, obviously, you know, going through some of the other details of the events, um, they'll have a meet and greet with Julia and the rest of the team, and then some breakfast and lunch included, giveaways, swags, surprises, the hands-on workshops, expert-led sessions, um, really meaningful networking um and some fun activities and interactive things that you guys have planned as well. But it's not just a sit-down stare at people speak conference. Like you are really actually getting people, you know, going throughout the day. And you're gonna be at one of the prettiest places in St. Louis. So even during those breaks, just to walk around the hotel is just gonna be a vibe too.

SPEAKER_03 32:41

Yeah, having that backdrop of the 21C Museum Hotel is so nice. Like that's done so much of the work.

SPEAKER_04 32:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 32:47

You know, I I I wanted to be really intentional about we're not gonna do this at just like a conference center. Yes. Like being in that room needs to feel like needs to capture the energy of what we're doing. And that backdrop is incredible for that. Um, yeah, I mean, the I think the connections are the biggest, the biggest value of just being in such a room with so many incredible women. Yeah. Um, but yeah, I mentioned earlier, our goal is really to make sure that people walk out of this with value. It's not just a nice to have of show up and oh, that was interesting. Oh, you know, I I I listened to someone talk about their experience. Um, we want to make sure that there's there's some really tangible next steps for folks, um, no matter what their stage of business, you know, if they are a little bit newer, if they are more established to really um have the end of that day be a very clear beginning of what to do to to achieve what your goals are. And maybe figuring out what your goals are is part of that.

SPEAKER_04 33:52

Right.

SPEAKER_03 33:52

Um, or maybe it's I want to hit this level of revenue. What do I need to put in place to do that? Maybe it's I have been a freelancer for years and I'm trying to be more established. Does my branding communicate that? Like, am I showing up the way that I want to? And so all those questions are things that we hear a lot and we've we've designed this day to um maybe not fully answer all of them, but at least put people on a path where they feel really good about what they can do to um take their business to the next level.

SPEAKER_02 34:24

Yeah, no, that's amazing. So I know you guys want to grab your tickets. So geekpack in real life.com and you spell out in real life.com. Um, you also go to geekpack.com, click over to see the events page and stuff like that. So we're looking forward to being there. Glad that we could, you know, support you guys and can't wait to feel the energy on April 22nd at the 21C. So thanks for coming in today.

SPEAKER_03 34:46

Thank you so much. I'm so excited to be able to be doing this in St. Louis. It means a ton to me.

SPEAKER_02 34:51

Let's get it. We'll see you guys next week.