Women Like Me Stories & Business

Vanessa Bucherry - She Missed A $90K Buyout And Found A Better Life

• Julie Fairhurst • Episode 160

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A comfortable paycheck, a long commute, and a life that no longer fit, Vanessa Bucceri walked away from a 12-year corporate run and into the unknown. Two days later, her department announced buyouts worth up to $90,000. That missed windfall could have become the regret that kept her stuck. Instead, it became fuel. With no cushion, she leaned into visibility, consistent outreach, and the kind of messy action that builds real momentum.

We dig into how Vanessa found her lane by following curiosity: a coding and visual design boot camp that bridged her love of aesthetics and strategy.  Her solution starts with strategy: define the niche, clarify values, and build a visual identity that signals trust. Then design websites that connect and convert, clear CTAs, smart email capture, and content that proves expertise. MLS/IDX features are useful, she explains, but connection should lead the first impression; neighborhood guides, community pages, and personal favorites make the experience human and boost local SEO.

We also get candid about perfectionism and imposter syndrome. Vanessa shares why sharing work-in-progress with clients beats polishing in isolation, and how action breeds confidence. Julie adds stories from real estate sales to show how consistency prevents feast-and-famine cycles, and why owning your platform matters more than chasing social algorithms. If you’re weighing a pivot, this conversation is a permission slip to start before you feel ready and to let small, imperfect moves compound into big outcomes.

If this story helped you rethink your next step, follow the show, share it with a friend who’s on the edge of a pivot, and leave a quick review to help more people find us.

Website: https://vanessabucceri.com/

Free Resources: https://vanessabucceri.com/resources

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessa.bucceri/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-bucceri-a4684038/



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Who is Julie Fairhurst?
Julie Fairhurst – Speaker, Author, and Founder of Women Like Me

Julie Fairhurst is a champion for women’s empowerment and the founder of the Women Like Me Book Program. Since 2019, she has published 30 books and 300+ true-life stories—at no cost to the writers—giving women a platform to heal, inspire, and reclaim their power. Dedicated to breaking generational trauma one story at a time, Julie’s mission is to uplift women emotionally and financially, helping them create better lives for themselves and their families.


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SPEAKER_01:

Hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of Women Like Me Stories and Business. I am your host, Julie Fairhurst. And today we're going to be talking pivots, purpose, and the messy mag magic of starting over with Vanessa Bucherry, founder of Vanessa Bucherry Creative. And after a 12-year corporate run, Vanessa returned from MATLeave to a life that didn't fit anymore. Long commutes, rigid rules, and time away from wanting to spend it with her son. So now what she does is she does brand designs. I'm very excited to talk to her about this, and websites for women in real estate, crafting online homes that feel like them. I love that. Just I love that sentence. We're going to unpack the leap, the mindset, and why small imperfect actions build big, beautiful businesses. So, Vanessa, thank you so much for being here. I appreciate you being on. Hi, Julie. Thank you for having me. You're welcome. So, is there anything else that you'd like to use as an introduction to yourself? Or did that cover it?

SPEAKER_00:

Or wow, yeah, I think that was a lot to unpack. Um, yes, I mean, that's really my journey. I was in workforce management. It was a comfy corporate job in telecommunications, you know, with a steady paycheck. And at the time, my husband and I were having infertility struggles, and then we were finally blessed with our little boy, and that life didn't really fit anymore. And so there were a lot of years of trying to figure it out. And, you know, now on the flip side, I've been in um running my own business, my own creative studio, uh, doing branding and website design for amazing women um in all sorts of industries. And specifically, I love working with real estate agents. Um, and we've been here doing this for about eight years now. Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, congratulations! Good for you. And isn't it funny how having kids can just kind of flip-flop our lives? I mean, in a good way, but um maybe in a way we didn't think was gonna happen.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. For me, it was so much about seeing them grow, seeing him grow, I should say, seeing him try new things, seeing him, you know, try to walk. You they get up a hundred times and fail. And it's like, wow, if if he can, you know, try that hard and keep failing to do something. It's like I can find, you know, what my true passion is in life and what I was put here to really do. And yeah, I can try a few things, and and that failure is okay. Um, you know, and in the end, it's really gotten me to do something that's incredibly fulfilling and that I really love.

SPEAKER_01:

What a great example. Wow. Thank you for sharing that. That was a great example. So let's go to your corporate path for a moment, a moment. Um, what did you tell yourself? Um, or what kind of tipped it? I mean, I I get the sun and stuff, but were you getting burnt out? Was there more to it than just than just having your son and wanting to to spend more time with him? What was sort of tipped tipped it from tolerating to it's truth time?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I there were a lot of things sort of happening at that time. So I think just in the world of telecommunications where we were at, you know, we were originally when I started, it was an amazing team. Um, it was incredibly collaborative. Um, I felt like, you know, I had ideas to bring to the table that they were heard and implemented. Um, I loved the people that I worked with. Uh and then I yeah, I had my son, and then they when I came back, you know, they started it, you know, everything was much more um like you were in a more in a box, right? Like you, this was your specific task, your specific role to the business. Um, it was just a lot more rigid and there were less opportunities for collaboration. Um, I was moved into like a it was a promotion. I was promoted, but it was into more of a smaller team. We were separated, we were put on a different floor. Um, I there was new leadership. And so just slowly it just kind of felt like I was just a cog in that corporate machine, right? And I I just really didn't love it anymore. And just slowly and slowly, I just was like, I can't do this. Um, and then combined with I was commuting. So I live in the lovely seaside community of White Rock, South Surrey, which is about an hour and a half commute into downtown Vancouver. So I was, you know, spending three hours a day on top of my eight-hour work, work day. And my son, I was literally saying goodbye to him in the morning to go to work, catch the bus, and then come home to put him to bed. And when you've been through that fertility struggle and you really wanted to be a mom, you know, for many years, that was just really hard. And I just couldn't give that up anymore. And I just I knew I had to make a change.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Wow. Yeah, yeah. It's um yeah, tough. I know I was a single mom for for uh 24 years with three boys, and it's tough. It's tough to be away from them and not be able to be there and that kind of thing. So it's nice that you recognize that and then you and then you took action, right? You did and did something about it. Yeah. I wanted to ask you because I read somewhere, I can't remember exactly where I read it, but two days before you quit, or or two days after you resigned from your position, something happened.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So I mean, I'm I'm a planner, I'm very type A, I'm very ambitious, I guess if you want to say. Um, so I knew that I set this goal for myself to leave my job. And I gave myself a year. And, you know, you know, having a family, having a mortgage, those realities. I couldn't just quit my job without the paycheck. So I made sure I had enough money in the bank that would sustain me to give it a full year try. And that's what I recommend to really, I mean, it's tough, like depending on your situation, but I think that just gave me enough of a leeway to really give it a full shot, right? Like, you know, I have a full year to make this happen to see if I can get any traction. Um, so I gave my notice a couple of days before my 39th birthday. Um, and two days later, my entire department, we were all called into a meeting room and we were all told that the company was offering us buyout packages. And based on your years of service, it was going to be, you know, X number of dollars per week. And of course, having 12 years, mine would have been worth$90,000. So if I had waited a couple of days, I would have had this huge buyout package that really could have, you know, funded the next year or two of me like really giving this wow. And so I was sick to my stomach because I had planned so carefully to miss something like that. Like it felt like a windfall that I had just missed out on.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Yeah. And one of my questions was going to be how did you feel in your body, but sick to your stomach? I get, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Nauseous, um, angry. Another one, you know, to plan something for so long. Um, but really, you know, like there wasn't anything anybody could do. I had already given my notice. I had already made that decision. And really, the the one piece of advice that was just extremely comforting to me at that time was my coworker Nate. And he said, Vanessa, he said, at least now when you succeed, you'll know it's because you did it on your own and not because you had a bio.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, I just got shivers. Wow.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

What a comforting and and uplifting thing to tell you at that horrible time.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow.

SPEAKER_00:

It was what I needed to hear. And I still think about that because you know, they say, like, when you hit rock bottom or when you're you're in a situation, you know, sure, help is great, but really it's often like you really are the only person that can like help yourself move forward. And it's true, right? Like if I knew that I had all this money in the bank account, um, I wouldn't have pushed myself. I wouldn't have, you know, put myself out there. I wouldn't have, you know, posted on social media or shown my face or gone to networking events because I'm very much an introvert. So, you know, showing up at events is hard for me. And I wouldn't have probably done those things to the extent that I did. And, you know, maybe if I had that money, yeah, that would have maybe been like easier and I would have been more comfortable. Um, but I don't know that I would have had the same sort of trajectory, right? Like who knows if I'd be at the same place now if I had had that cushion.

SPEAKER_01:

The universe gives us what we need, whether we realize it or whether we like it or not. Wow. Wow. Well, that was a very wonderful thing that your co-worker told you. That's um something you you hold on to for sure. Yeah. So tell us about your entrepreneurship. So did you so did you right away know that you were gonna want to do websites and help women with their brand? Is it women mainly, or you work with all men and women?

SPEAKER_00:

I work with men, um, but I would say that's maybe only five percent of my client base. I really do love supporting women and uplifting them. Um, that's really what I'm passionate about. Yeah. Um, and no, I didn't know what it was. I mean, I knew I was really unhappy and not fulfilled in my job. Um, growing up, I had, you know, my grandpa ran his own small business. My uncle was made beautiful draperies, like they were in the show show homes and all of this. Um, and then we had a packaging company that my cousin um ran. So I had all of these examples of people in my family who were successful business owners. I just didn't know what my thing was, and that was really hard to figure out. Like I knew I wanted it, I just didn't know what that business was gonna be. And yeah, I tried a few things. I listened to, I remember a lot of podcasts. I even went to therapy for a few months. Um, and I really just reflected on the things that brought me joy and the things that I naturally enjoyed doing for hobbies, like looking back. I loved to scrapbook, um, I loved photography, I loved looking through magazines, interior design. And it's like when you start to sort of think about the things that bring you joy, it started to like sort of, you know, I started to figure it out. And then one day I was in my little cubicle and my coworker next to me, she had this website up for this coding boot camp. It was coding and visual design. The company was called Skill Crush. And I immediately immediately caught my attention. I went home, devoured the website, and I signed up that night because I was like, this is it. This is cool. Like it was the visual design and the aesthetics that I love. Um, it was the coding and the analytics part that I love as well, the strategy. And yeah, I did over the the next year, I did three different boot camps and then I just started doing work for friends for free just to make sure, like, is this really what I'm good at? Like, can I actually do this? Because I was learning a new skill. It wasn't something I had I had gone to school for some interior design. Yeah. So I understood a lot of you know, color principles and space planning and and that kind of thing. Um, but this was very different, and yeah, I loved it. And I was just like, okay, this is it.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow, fantastic, fantastic. So, how do people find you?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh, my website.

SPEAKER_01:

Is that what you mean? Yeah. Well, well, I guess, I guess actually, my question is more like, so how did you get clients in the beginning? What did you do? I think that because a lot of women who are business for self, that's one of the places they struggle. Is how do, you know, uh I for sure we could have a website and social media and do all of that, but but you mentioned networking, you mentioned going to events. Like, what were you doing to attract those clients to you?

SPEAKER_00:

My very first clients were people in my network that I knew. So my friend was opening a nail salon here in the community, and so she was my one of my very first clients. And then honestly, my husband was an incredible advocate. Two of two very early on clients came just from him talking about um what I was trying to build, and he was so supportive. So I did a local coffee shop in Delta, that was another first client, um, and a hair salon in Langley. Those were sort of the three, yeah. And then I just started, you know, with those, um, and then going to networking events within the community, and those were hosted by a local real estate agent. And through her, I really ended up connecting with so many wonderful people here where I live. And honestly, that really just propelled things. And, you know, she ran that event for quite a few years, and it was funny because every every Christmas, it was kind of like my Christmas party because you know, when you work for yourself, you don't really have no, you don't.

SPEAKER_01:

No, you don't.

SPEAKER_00:

And it was just so eye-opening that every year it's like more and more people in the room were like clients or people, friends, you know, that I knew. And by the the last one, like four or five years in, it was like I literally knew like so many of the women in the room. And so that to me is the power of what what you do, like your role as a real estate agent and the community that they bring. And that's why I love working with that particular niche. Um but really that's that's how it all started was getting out there and just meeting people in real life, getting out from behind the screen.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, and and when we yeah, and when we're working for ourselves, usually we're working from home, and and it's it can be very isolating and and it can be depressing sometimes if you're struggling because you don't have that coworker to to lend an ear. And maybe you have a spouse who's you know, like really trying to get a real job, like those kinds of things, like gonna be a lot of pressure on you. So I agree. I think neck work networking is just so important and uh getting out there and meeting people and and getting out of your environment just so important, so important. So tell me, what do you do for what do you so how do you help? So so if a real estate agent came to you and she said, Oh, I need help. What are you gonna do? What how do you help?

SPEAKER_00:

How do I help? Well, we always start with strategy. So, like, what is it that you're trying to communicate through your brand, right? Like, are you a buyer's agent, a seller's agent? Are you you do you love working with new homeowners? Are you working with downsizers? So, what specific type of clientele are you trying to attract? Um, what's your goal through the branding? And then what makes you unique? Like, why are you uniquely qualified? Um, you know, and then so we we talk about strategy, we talk about your values, um, we talk about sort of, you know, are you community focused? Are you um what sort of drives you? What's your purpose? What gets you up in the morning every day to show up as an agent, right? And yeah, um, so we talk about those things, and then from there we build out a brand strategy. Um, so the part that I'm really great at is the aesthetic. So that's the visual identity of it. So we take that strategy and then we say, okay, now how can we communicate that through all the visual ways that you need to show up in the world? Um, how what does your social media look like? What should your website look like? Um, and then of course, we want to also make sure that it not only looks good and reflects the sort of the feeling that you want people to sort of get when they interact with you, but also is it strategic and is it helping you um get those leads that you need to run your business, right? Is your website built to connect, but also to convert those visitors into then people that you can communicate through like an email list? Um, that's generally what it would be first, um, or some sort of a consultation, um, a phone call. Um, so that's sort of the the very distilled version of it of course these projects can can go months, just depending on how much work we're doing together. Yes. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And I think that it is what you're doing is very important because um as a real estate agent, you need to focus on getting customers daily. That's your number one focus. And then when you get busy and you've got those customers, well, you're too busy to do your marketing. So that's what I always found where realtors fall down is they're like, okay, I need I need clients, I need clients, I need clients, and they're doing their marketing and they're doing all those things. Then they get busy and they're like, Oh, I'm so busy. I've got this listing and this listing and this fire, and oh, and that one just closed. And I'm going to, oh, so busy, busy, busy. And then it just stops because everybody's sold into their new homes, they're off on their new adventures, and you, the lonely realtor, go back to your office and you sit down, and there's nothing. There's nothing because you haven't been keeping up on that marketing because you're so focused, which is which is what you should be doing, is caring for your clients. So I think it's fabulous to have somebody like you who can get all of that, all of that branding nice and smooth. So there is that, even though maybe you're not, you know, maybe you're not doing your flyers or sending out letters or whatever it is you should be doing, but at least your web presence is there, your social media presence is still there.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, absolutely. I think a website is such a great tool and it's there 24-7, right? Anyone, any, anytime anyone is Googling your name or clicking through from your social profiles, that is really your number one sales machine, right? It's working for you when when you just can't or when you are in one of those busy periods, those peaks as we call it, um, which I think most business owners can relate to, the peaks and valleys of running a business. And yeah, that consistency is so important because that's what's going to make sure that you've got a steady sort of income of leads.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, it's that long-term success. Yeah. You know, if you if you, you know, I remember, I remember there was a realtor and he hired me because he was no longer a realtor. And and I said, Oh, well, what happened? He said, Well, you know, I'd work my buns off, I'd make a lot of money, and then I'd go golfing. And you know, and then there'd be nothing. Well, and that's that's what happens to so many, so many. It's hard to keep that to you know, keep that momentum flowing for sure. So so do you do your websites then have the MLS capability on them? They do, yes. Perfect, yeah, that's so important.

SPEAKER_00:

I think so. I think it's a really good tool. Um, but I do recommend not to lead with that necessarily because I think that you know, if someone's just wanting to search properties, they're they're gonna go to one of these larger platforms, right? They're not gonna go to an agent's website to do that. I think if they're gonna come to your site, they're wanting to learn more about you and if there's a connection there, right? And if you're someone that they would like to work with. So they're gonna want to know other things before they start to look at properties. I mean, yes, they might want that past sales history, right, which can be um integrated in so it's automated, which is lovely. Um, or they might want to see, you know, specific neighborhood searches that we then customize for your area, um, where you know, maybe then we're adding community guides or some of your favorite places or some of the things that you know that are really unique or special about that neighborhood. So I think yes, we can integrate that, but it's really important to give your take on it as well. Um, and you know, I think there's so many generic real estate websites out there. And yes, I really believe in that value of connection. And I think if you can connect on, you know, with the communities, with you know, schools, with your favorite places, I mean, I think that's there's such so much value there.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely, absolutely, yeah, for sure, for sure. So small messy actions, you talk about that. So what what what is a small messy action to you? What do you do that are small and messy?

SPEAKER_00:

I think it's just showing up, showing up and just being yourself, uh, which is very hard, especially for me as a brand designer. I'm so used to sort of controlling the aesthetic. But I think it's so important to show that you're human, especially in this day and age where anybody can search anything or create anything on AI, right? And we don't really know what's real. And so I think just showing up and having this conversation with you. I mean, none of this was scripted, we're just none of it for the first time. So in my mind, this is kind of a small messy action. It's um, you know, doing things in your business every day where you're just showing up and you're just being yourself and hopefully connecting with somebody and hopefully what you have to say, you know, helps somebody or add some value or maybe make some smile, right? Maybe it's just you know something that makes them feel good. And yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

What about fear? Did you have to overcome fear when you first started or or um the imposter syndrome? Like, what do I think I'm doing here?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, yes. I I think that was the biggest thing for me. I mean, I was in a good job that I knew really well, and um, you know, going into a creative industry, which to be honest, terrifies me. And the idea of creating for income is is quite a thing to be comfortable with because, and even for a client, right? I mean, for you to come to me and hire me, I mean, there's that trust and and probably a little bit of fear there too. Like, what if what she creates for me I don't like? Um, so yeah, there was a lot of imposter syndrome at the beginning. And there's this quote from Ira Glass who talks about, and he's actually a podcast host for This American Life, and he talks about that creativity and really if you have taste, those first couple years of actually doing your craft, you're not gonna like what you do. And that's actually a good sign. It means that you're trying to get better, that you have good taste, and really the only way to do it is to push through. And so a coach early on said to me, She said, Vanessa, you know, people are hiring you based on the portfolio of work that you're doing. So even if you're not happy with it, they're happy with it. And so that was really hard for me because I could have spent another, you know, 40 hours on a project to try to perfect it or make it look better. And of course, you can't spend all your time. I mean, your your hourly income when you calculated is gonna be a dollar. Um, so I really had to learn to just let go and um say, okay, like I've done my best here for this client. And if they were happy, that you know, that was really what I wanted. Um, but yeah, it's really tough to work through that. And now I'm at a point where I'm can be, I can say that I'm really proud of the output that I'm making, and I think it just gets better. And that's just you know, working at a craft. I mean, I would be, I would imagine the same as with you, like working with people, networking, negotiating, all of those skills. You have to do them to get better. Like it's not just like you just start and you're great. There's exactly a process.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, for sure, for sure. It's interesting when you were saying that because I worked for a very large uh developer many years ago, and the sales uh uh the site guy was in the office, and we were doing a flyer that we were going to send out to our database. And um and uh and we were working on it, and it was like every like several days just doing this crazy flyer and critiquing and everything. And then the actual owner of the company came in and and uh I can't even remember what was said, but he took the flyer, my flyer, and he took the other person's flyer and he held them up side by side and said, There's no difference, just send it out. And I mean, I was grateful for that, but that perfectionism can stop us in our tracks and hold us back. So I think, you know, for you to be able to say, you know what, I gotta let it go because it'll never be good enough for me. But for them, if they love it, that's what matters. It's you know, in the in the stories that I do with a lot of the women, you know, I'm very careful about critiquing uh and being careful not to not to change the way they speak, to change their voices, um, because we want them to be real. Right. And I think that that's you know, that's the same with everybody. So, but but perfectionism, boy, it's dangerous. And it's not real. No. That's the other thing, right? So we're striving for something that isn't real. So here, you know, we are three days later with these stupid that looked pretty much, oh, well, maybe the font should be a little more like this. Like, oh my goodness, is anybody even gonna notice that? And it took the developer himself to say, really, you guys get over it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And I think the other thing I've learned is that while you know, sharing sort of more my work in progress, as opposed to just hiding, doing a bunch of work and then presenting this like beautiful thing to the client, it's really a lot more helpful to have them involved. So maybe I do like a first concept and then I show them, and it's not totally complete, but then I can get their feedback. Like maybe the font that I picked, they really hated, and maybe we need to pivot. And so by showing them more of the work in progress, it really is more collaborative. And honestly, we get to that finish line with something that they love in in less time and and less effort, and then it's just a much nicer sort of work partnership, as just saying this is what I think you should.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, yes, yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. So, do you have any tips for um anyone who's thinking about well, everybody should have a website, people. So, first of all, I'm gonna tell you that right now, because to be professional, you need to have a website. But if there's anybody on the fence and they're like, oh, you know, I don't know, blah, blah, blah, blah, what are you, what, what would you tell them? What are your what's your advice to somebody who's not sure whether they need to have a website or not?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I think absolutely. I think it's it's the one piece of internet real estate that you own where you can say, This is who I am. You have full control of your message, your visuals. Um, it's the one place where you can share your testimonials, your knowledge through a blog, if that's the case, right? You can capture those email addresses and those email lists. We all know that Instagram could go away, Pinterest could block your account, like however it is that you do business now, something could happen. You know, Twitter was sold, right? Like we see changes all the time. And then all of that time and energy you've invested into this platform that really you have no control over. It could go away in a second. But your website is the one place that you truly own. Um, and so I absolutely recommend someone might find you on these other places, but they're probably gonna come to your website and just to see what you're all about. Right. That's that's usually what happens is you're found in social because those places are good at churning out content and showing people that might suit you, but then they're gonna come back to that that website.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. I've I've always said that marketing yourself is not just one spot, and you need to be everywhere so that your clients, potential clients, can see you everywhere. And then, as you said, direct back to that one spot where you're really gonna be able to shine. And that's and that's always gonna be your website. And you can share it. I mean, it's super easy, you know, copy, paste, there you go, done, right? So it's like a it's like a you know, a uh um, oh, what's the word I'm looking for? A business card that's virtual, right? Yeah, it's the same, same kind of thing. Yeah. So for I think we already well no, this is a little different bit of a different question, but for a woman standing out on her own crosswords, what's what's um what's a what's one piece of advice that you would give them to get them going? Because you came, you were in that court. Corporate world, you went to the to the um working for self, your own business, uh, which you're doing very well. And then, you know, what what if somebody's standing there going, oh, I hate what I'm doing, or I'm just, I don't necessarily hate it, but maybe the passion's not there anymore. What do you what what what's some advice that you could give them?

SPEAKER_00:

Um, I mean, the first thing I would say is really the best thing you can do if you're feeling stuck is just to do something. Try something. It could be anything, and you never really know what that's gonna lead to. Um, follow those passions, those things that you're interested in. And I mean, when I was trying to figure it out, I was reflecting back on my past and the things that really brought me joy. And I loved looking at those, like on a Sunday morning, that was my ritual. I'd have my style at home, my house in home, my earl gray tea, and I would just analyze them and devour them for two, three hours. That was like my favorite thing. So, is there something that you love to do that could then somehow translate into something that you could earn for money or like do for money? Um, because that's important too, right? I mean, there's things that you probably love, but there's no way anybody's gonna pay you to do them. So it's sort of figuring out that intersection. Um, but I would say, you know, really looking back at the things that you love and then not being afraid to sort of take action. Um, and then maybe if we wanted to add a third thing, you had commented about signs from the universe, and I I really believe that too. And I think, you know, I saw that website on that on my coworker's desk. And if I didn't, you know, follow that link and follow that curiosity and that sign and try that course, take that messy action and just try that course, I never would have come down this path.

SPEAKER_01:

So true, so so true. I I had a dream about uh uh women writing. Um, and I woke up in the morning and decided I'd go for it. And here I am, you know, that was 2019. And we've got over, I've helped over 180 women write, and we've got 42 uh published books out there now. Wow since 2019. So I believe so often the universe gives us these little nudges and and says, okay, this is what you need to do, but but we're scared or for whatever reason we don't listen. Even when I went into real estate for 18 months, I starved. I had bill collectors calling, because of course, sometimes people don't don't who are on the outside of real estate don't really understand. There is no income. If you don't sell a house, you and it's very expensive to be a realtor. So the so the office fees are still building up, whether you've sold anything or not. So I actually went and uh um applied. I went to see if I could get my old job back, like all of this kind of stuff. It was like, and it was the universe saying, no, no, just wait. It's coming, it's coming. And then something happened, and then something else happened. 18 months, so 18 months I went and with a few sales, but not much, and then Zoom, you know, uh yeah, and it just took off from there, and I got my bare my footing and away I went. And I was meant to be there, I know I was, but then I felt the pivot to my to where I was meant to go next.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, absolutely. And I've sort of gone through a similar pivot too. I mean, I've been doing this for now eight years, and you know, I I had a few real estate clients, I really loved working with them. I saw this gap in the market where every templated site was exactly the same. And I was like, like these women deserve better. And then I met an IDX person, and that person ended up being like a mute how we had a mutual friend, and it's like the the pieces just start to to fall into place, I find sometimes. And and sometimes sometimes you are meant to follow that that easy path, right? Like sometimes I think I I always think everything has to be hard. Yeah, it's like no, like you met this person for a reason. You know, you've got these clients for a reason. You see this gap, you see this opportunity. Why not try it? I mean, this might not work, and I might have to pivot back and help somebody else. But um, you know, I think you know, listen to that, listen to those signs.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I I agree, and not and not just like hear them, but then take messy action. Yeah, because it's not gonna, you know, even for me in the beginning was you know, my very first book had 165 errors in it. Like that could have shut me down, or because I was like, oh my lord, was I really was I meant to do this, but I figured it out and now good luck finding any errors in our books. But but it's it's taking that messy action, knowing this is where you're wanting to go, you're meant to go, and just do everything you can to learn it and to and to just keep keep on that path, and it and it will come. But it was it's even like I think about me in real estate, you know, and then I I think, well, you can I think, well, if you're meant to do it, you can either go with a smile on your face or you can go kicking and screaming with bill collectors calling, right? Like there's really it's a choice, and I for me, fear was holding me back, and as soon as I release that fear, zoom, and I think that's the way it is with most of us. Yeah, yeah. Well, this has been just a fabulous conversation, Vanessa. I've loved it, and um so I'm going to have all of Vanessa's details in the show notes so you can find her on her website, whatever other links she wants to give you. And uh, and she does more people than just realtors. So you heard that. She's done coffee shops, she's done a nail bar, she's done uh hairdressers. And so just because we focused a little bit on realtors in this in this podcast, don't forget she helps people in all different aspects. So if you've got a business and you need to, because you should have a website, you should have all of those marketing pieces in place, and so she can help you with all of those. And of course, if you're a realtor, well, that's she can help you there too. So it all of the details will be there so that you can reach out to her. Um, and don't hesitate to do so. So, Vanessa, what can I what can I ask you at the end? Can you can you give some words of wisdom to people that might be listening?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, thanks, Julie. That was really sweet. Um, what I would say is we've talked a lot about messy action here and we've talked about that courage that it takes to start a business. And I think the one thing that I love about what I do is it really helps, helps it, makes it easier, right? Like when you have that great suit or that new haircut or you're looking great, you feel better. And I think when you have a great brand, it just helps you show up. It helps you be more visible. And so if anyone is at that stage where they feel like they're pivoting or growing or wanting to start something new, um, I think working with a designer can can definitely help and it can really, you know, give you the clothes to sort of make you feel the part, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, for sure. Absolutely. It should it should help you to feel um professionable and powerful uh in what you do. Absolutely, because you're there to help other people. So, for example, as a real estate agent, I had close to 3,000 clients by the time I retired that I had helped in the world. And so we, you know, whether you're doing nails or hair or making people feel beautiful or or in health or whatever it is you do, we're helping other people. And so we need to show up and be professional and look professional in order to to also attract those people to us so we can help them and also to to just feel better about what we're doing.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely. Yeah, yeah, it gives you that confidence, yes, we need and we need that.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely need that confidence, yeah. Very good, very good. Oh, this has been so good. I thank you so much, Vanessa, for doing this. I appreciate it so much. And for all of you, thank you for watching uh and um and supporting our our YouTube channel and our podcast. Um, without you, we wouldn't be able to do it. So thank you so much, and we will see you again on another episode of Women Like Me Stories and Business.

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