If you've ever wondered what it actually takes to start building a life you don't need a vacation from, this episode is going to give you the real, unfiltered version. In this episode of The Traveling Therapist Podcast, I sit down with Jennie Blackwood, who went from barely covering her bills in a corporate marketing job to running a seven-figure business built on multiple income streams.
Jennie walks us through the moment that changed everything, the leap she took when her family's income disappeared almost overnight, and how she's structured her business so it actually supports the life she wants instead of running her into the ground. We also get into the mindset work it took to keep going when things got hard, and what building a life you don't need a vacation from really looks like day to day.
In This Episode, We Explore…
Connect with Jennie Blackwood:
Website: https://www.jennieblackwood.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialgraze.charcuterie/
https://www.instagram.com/girlwhynotyou_
Connect with me:
Instagram: @thetravelingtherapist_kym
The Traveling Therapist Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/onlineandtraveling/
Signup to learn more about life as a Traveling Therapist: https://www.portablepracticemethod.com/free-training
Revolutionize Your Private Practice with AI Course: www.kymtolson.kartra.com/page/ai
Bill Like A Boss Insurance Billing Community: www.kymtolson.kartra.com/page/blab
Subscribe to the Podcast:
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Transcript:
[00:00:00] Kym: Hey, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the Traveling Therapist podcast. Now, you guys know I don't always have a therapist on. Sometimes I just have, like, super inspirational people that I just can't wait to learn more about that have really cool stories that I think will also help you guys. So today, we have Jenny Blackwood here with us.
[00:00:16] Jenny, oh my gosh, I feel like I could read your bio, but it's like, it's like a million pages, so I just wanna like dive in and like reveal as we go, like everything you do. part of what I love that you talk about is like...
[00:00:27] one, creating multiple income streams without burning yourself out, which is huge in the therapist world right now. Like, everywhere a therapist is like, "I've gotta pivot a little bit. I've gotta bring in some other income stream," because it is, it's getting harder and harder for us to fill our caseloads.
[00:00:42] You know, in the age of AI, and it, there's just a lot going on right now, so every day somebody's saying like, "Well, how do I bring another income stream in?" So I wanna talk about that, 'cause we're already burned out. So how do you do that without, like, burning out?
[00:00:54] And then the other thing is this building a life you don't need a vacation from, which is like a prime topic for the traveling therapist because, I mean, we, we live, most of us, a lot of us nomadically at least half the year travel around, and we're trying to work and do all of that at the same time, and essentially live on vacation really is what a lot of us are trying to do, and still bring in money and that kind of thing. At least that's what I'm doing.
[00:01:16] Jennie: It sounds like a dream
[00:01:17] Kym: it's really nice. It's, fantastic, but I think you're gonna have a lot of good suggestions. So could you give us like your background, like your bio, maybe part of your story? 'Cause I love your story. It's amazing.
[00:01:28] Jennie: Thank you. Yes, absolutely, and thank you so much for having me on today. I really appreciate that, and hopefully my story will help inspire others listening today. I'll take you way back. So basically, you know, I was kind of living the societal norms. I went to high school, I went to college, I got the degree, and then it was like, "What the heck am I gonna do now?"
[00:01:45] Right? I was a mass communication major, so there's no real path cleared out for you with that. So I got kind of thrown into the marketing world, which was an accident, but also now I can see that that was very much on purpose as far as the, the universe is aligning with my entire future. But here's the thing.
[00:02:03] I start small. I'm like, "Hey, I kind of like this." Then from there I was like, "Hey, I'm gonna..." I started with a big mortgage company. Boring. So now I wanted to go work for, like, an agency that worked with multiple different faceted types of clients, so I decided to take the leap.
[00:02:17] I love it. I realize, though, I'm staying at these firms for, like, a year, and then I'm like, I got the itch to move on. So I kept... I was, like, job hopping, and I'm like, "What's wrong with me? Why can't I just settle down, pick a place, plant my roots," right? But I couldn't. And it was at this, like, one particular firm where all of a sudden I was like, "Hold on a minute," light bulb moment.
[00:02:41] I'm doing all the work. I'm bringing in all the clients, right? Yet I'm barely keeping my electric bill going, right? So
[00:02:49] Kym: Yeah, you're getting a small pittance of what, what is coming into this place. Right, right, right.
[00:02:54] Jennie: Yes. It's like those moments where you're like, "This doesn't make sense," 'cause I saw the checks that were being cut to the actual firm itself, and I'm like, "Hold on a second."
[00:03:02] And at this point, I mean, gosh, when I was in corporate, I wanna say I don't even know if I much surpassed $20 an hour. N-
[00:03:08] Kym: Mm-hmm.
[00:03:09] Jennie: I mean, who's living on that, right? That was about 11 years ago. But I went to my now ex-husband, but ex-husband uh, husband at the time and said, "You know what? I, I really think I could do this on my own."
[00:03:20] He's like, "What do you mean?" And I'm like, "Well, I'm doing all the work. I know how to get clients. Why not take a chance on myself? You know, why not see if I could really make something of the trade that I've learned, that I loved, and that I'm good at?" So he's like, "All right, I guess." But it's like, you know, when you assess risk in those situations, the interesting thing is, well, I could always go back to what I was doing before if it doesn't work out, right? Yeah.
[00:03:45] Kym: I always say that. Like, you could always go back and work for a group practice for therapists, right? Or God forbid, the agency life, which literally is probably like $20 an hour. It's terrible. But you can... I mean, it's, that option is always there, right.
[00:03:58] Jennie: And that feels good, you know? It's like I, I encourage everybody listening to this, if there's something out there you wanna try, really ask yourself, "Is the risk not worth the potential reward? Is there a plan B? Is there a plan C?" There's always a pivot in life, right? So a lot of times I think we just get so shelled up that we're like, "No, we can't possibly try," but you never know what's waiting on the other side, right?
[00:04:20] I found that out. So when I took this leap, I immediately had five clients follow me, which got a little dicey legally for a second, but it it all worked out fine. But, you know, I was like immediately affirmed and, "Oh my gosh, I did the right thing." I tripled my income the first
[00:04:36] Kym: my
[00:04:36] Jennie: Tripled. So I'm like, "What have I been doing?" You know? And I had no idea what to expect. I had n- I knew nothing about owning or operating a business at that point.
[00:04:45] So, you know, that was huge for me. That was kinda like my first leap into entrepreneurship where I was like, "Oh, there's always a way. If there's a will, there's a way."
[00:04:55] And I was at that point and like, "I'm never going back. I'm never going back to corporate." Yeah.
[00:04:59] Kym: Oh my God, I say that every day. Like, I will never work for somebody. I don't care what I have to do, it's n- that's never gonna happen. Or go back into an office. That would be, like, death for me.
[00:05:11] Jennie: Right? That's what I say. It's like going to prison or
[00:05:13] Kym: Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Okay, so w- what were the... These were mortgage clients? Were you still in the mortgage industry,
[00:05:20] Jennie: Not at this point, no.
[00:05:22] Kym: Okay, so
[00:05:23] Jennie: This was, like, a wild range of people. So if I looked back on 11 years ago, let's see how well my brain's working today, it was, like, car dealerships and renovation companies, and there was like, salons and spas, and I had a wide range of a different type of... You know, all kinds of clients. But I did that for a few years, and guess what happened?
[00:05:44] Kym: You got tired of it?
[00:05:46] Jennie: got tired of it. Exactly. And I'm like, "I don't wanna do this anymore." And it kind of... It was amazing though, you guys, because when I look back, not only did I triple my income, but right after I started it, my dad had been unfortunately diagnosed with cancer a few years prior.
[00:06:00] He had been really struggling. The amount of time that I got back in my life to be able to spend with him in those moments towards the end of his life were things that I never could've gotten back, something money could not buy, right? And looking back, I didn't have to ask a boss to go spend time with my dying father.
[00:06:19] You know? It was like, that was in my control, and that felt really freaking good. So that's another big, big vote towards entrepreneurship. But for me, it was just, like, the freedom, the flexibility, and it taught me so much in that initial venture that I was like, "Okay, what's next?" So you and I were joking, we have, like, 15 things going at one time, but that's because we've learned.
[00:06:41] You don't have to just stop at one, two, three things. You keep looking for holes. You shoot the gaps. You keep moving. But for me, I got to the point where I was like burned out. I don't wanna do this social media thing for everybody anymore. I got remarried. It was time to have babies. And I was very excited to be a stay-at-home mom and not have to work anymore.
[00:07:00] And so that was, like, really exciting for, oh, I don't know, let me look back on it, probably about 10-ish month, 12, eh, yeah, probably about 13 months. That probably was an amazing wave that I rode until my husband's income, which was... He's a real estate guy. So if anybody knows what's been going on in real estate the past few years, it has not been pretty.
[00:07:20] It's an ugly situation. So it was like, here's this income we were living off of that just went down the drain, like, it felt like overnight. So
[00:07:28] Kym: Oh my gosh.
[00:07:29] Jennie: terrifying, right? Yeah, not fun. So I, another pivot had to come. And y- y- Kim, I know that you will understand, like, the, like, freakout that I had inside, but all of a sudden I'm going, "Okay, so I see where this is going. He's been a real estate broker for 24 years. What's his next move, right?" I was like, "Oh, no. I'm gonna have to go back to a 9:00 to 5:00." And I was,
[00:07:53] Kym: Oh my gosh.
[00:07:54] Jennie: not gonna happen, right? I mean, what would you do if you got put in that position? You would scrape and do anything you could, right?
[00:08:00] Kym: Exactly. Yep, I sure would. Yeah. So, oh my gosh. So then what did you, like... because I, I tell therapists this all the time, right? We've got, like, a skill set already, right? We've got a skill set. We can listen to people, we can build rapport, we can s- essentially sell our services, people connect with us, and it's, it's pretty easy to do that.
[00:08:18] But it's a skill set you could take anywhere, right? So I guess once you went out on your own and you did it successfully, and then stay-at-home mom and all that, then you've still got this skill set, right? Crisis happens. H- husband's not bringing in the money for whatever reason. so what do you do? I've got all these skills.
[00:08:33] Like, how do you just decide? Like, to me, there's so many options. Like, how do you decide what you're g- where you're gonna channel it, and then where did you channel? Like, maybe you could tell that story.
[00:08:42] Jennie: Definitely. yeah, all of a sudden when you kind of go into fight or flight, I think some people kind of tend, like my husband, and I mean this with all the respect in the world, when things hit the fan, he kind of buries his head in the sand and kind of waits for the storm to pass, where I'm like, "Get out of my way.
[00:08:57] I'm gonna figure this out," you know? And so I remember I was super pregnant. By the way, I had a toddler, and then I had another baby on the way when this happened, and they're only 16 months apart, which you can imagine has been a wild ride.
[00:09:10] Kym: Wow. Yeah. Oh
[00:09:12] Jennie: I was only nine months postpartum when I found out, like, "Oh my gosh, I'm pregnant again."
[00:09:17] So I had these little babies to think about too, but here I am, and I want everybody to recognize something. Not everything has to come across your plate, like, in a package with a bow on top. Sometimes you have to read through the lines. I'm laying in bed, and all of... I'm s- doomscrolling, as we all do, and I see something that's like a traveling charcuterie cart, and I was like, "Oh my gosh, I could do that.
[00:09:41] I love that. I could get out. I could be in front of people. I could..." You know, it was, like, my way of being able to also hold on to kind of, like, pre-kid me. And so I told my husband, and by the way, our savings is dwindling at this point because of the situation that we are in. And I'm like, "Hey, what do you think about me starting this thing up?
[00:09:58] Probably just cost me, like, a couple thousand bucks." And he's like, "You really wanna do this right now? Like, you're about to have another baby." And I'm like, "Yeah. Yeah, I think I do," right?
[00:10:07] Kym: I do.
[00:10:08] Jennie: Of course I do, 'cause I'm insane. That's another testament to there is no perfect timing, everybody. But I always tell people, the perfect time is when you need it the most, and I don't care what is in your way, push it out of the way and figure it out, right?
[00:10:21] So I did. So I decided to embark on a brand-new journey. I had never done anything in the food and beverage industry, but it's a very regulated industry, as you can imagine.
[00:10:32] Kym: Yes
[00:10:33] Jennie: S- so pushing through that was very difficult. I was, like, constantly Google spiraling and on the phone with people. I knew I wanted to do it the right way. So there I was, getting it all together, making it happen. It finally comes together. I put myself out on social media, and it, like, immediately goes viral.
[00:10:52] And I'm like, "Oh my gosh, like, people are loving this as much as I do." So I start booking all these events, which was so cool, right? I'm, like, feeling good about that. I go to work my very first event, and I had a baby three days later
[00:11:04] Kym: Oh my goodness. Oh my gosh.
[00:11:07] Jennie: Yes. Talk about a moment of defeat, you know, when you're like, "Wait a minute, this is not how this is supposed to go."
[00:11:13] Kym: as I'm getting this figured out. Yeah.
[00:11:15] Jennie: So I again look back on that me, and I'm grateful that I didn't just go, "Maybe this is just a sign I'm not supposed to do this right now," or, "It's too hard," or I better...
[00:11:22] No. A door closed, and I was like, "How do I open the next door?" So I went onto, you know, Facebook, told people what I was doing, asked if anybody'd be interested, and I immediately built a team. I was able to run the charcuterie bar completely from behind the scenes. I had people who did all the prep, people who do all the events.
[00:11:38] And I was like, "Oh my gosh, what did I just embark upon? What, what have I started here?" So what happened there was it, it was honestly beyond anything I could have imagined. I was killing it with events. I was bringing in substantial income. I wasn't having to be the one on, on the front lines. I was getting to be the mom at home like I had wanted to be, right?
[00:11:59] So it was in those moments that I was like, initially, that was the first step of this little empire I've built. But it was such a pivotal point for me
[00:12:08] Kym: That's amazing. Oh my gosh. I mean, 'cause you're right, people would've stopped right there. Like, okay I don't think a lot of people think like, "Let me just get it, let me just hire a team," especially when money's running low, husband i- isn't bringing in money, there's... I mean, I guess you have savings or whatever, but that is a bold move in my opinion.
[00:12:27] Like, let me just... I'm, I'm in, I'm just gonna do this and just bring this team in to do it instead
[00:12:32] Jennie: Yeah, it was pretty crazy. Thank you for saying that.
[00:12:34] Kym: Yeah, you're welcome. It's wild. So, so it took off, right? I mean, it, it took off for you. Yeah
[00:12:41] Jennie: took off in that way, but then it took off in a way that I had also not envisioned, and that was that I started having women, I- and when I say globally, I mean that, women globally that were popping into my DMs all of a sudden and asking me how I did it.
[00:12:57] And I was like, "Oh, I, I would love to share that." But I, al- you know, at the same time it was starting to be, like, a lot to have to answer these DMs behind the scenes on everything, so I was like, "I gotta reassess this." People obviously want this info. I have the info. I had to suffer through to get to the point where I understand now how to open this business with ease and no stress, right?
[00:13:17] So I'm like, "Maybe I should create a course. Maybe I'll create a guide that teaches people how to go through it." And so I remember, you know, baby toddler, I'm like up late at night plugging away on my keyboard, just like, "Here's what I would do if I did it all over again," and I decide to launch it out. I, you guys, in the past, I wanna say it's been almost exactly two years, that one course that I just decided to do, like a fly by night, I think there's a gap for this, I'm gonna shoot it, has sold over $300,000.
[00:13:49] Wow.
[00:13:50] Kym: Wow. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh,
[00:13:54] Jennie: Isn't that crazy?
[00:13:55] Kym: That's amazing. That is absolutely amazing. And is this something, is it like evergreen? Are you showing up and doing like a coaching cohort with it, or is it more just like, "Here's the course," and people are just buying it
[00:14:07] Jennie: that's just the course. Okay, nice.
[00:14:08] Kym: Okay, nice. See, that is amazing that to not even have to...
[00:14:13] 'Cause I think that's everybody's dream. It's like, I wish I could just put a course out there, you know, around my specialty and have it sell and me not have to like always do that, like be present, like the whole thing is dependent on if I can show up consistently over time, that kind of thing. Yeah.
[00:14:26] Jennie: Yeah, it's a really great aspect of a funnel. I found that as people were purchasing this guide, there started to be a need for more. People were like, "Hey, I want more hands-on support. I wanna be able to go to somebody to ask questions. I need... My mindset is constantly getting messed with as I start this business."
[00:14:44] So I was like, "Okay, I see another gap." So then you're, you're absolutely right. Like, I then decided to open a higher ticket coaching program to where in the past 18 months I've had over 300 people go through my coaching program. And so... But you guys, this is all because I, I, I had a moment of despair. I didn't wanna go back to a nine to five.
[00:15:04] I saw an idea that kind of resonated with me. I didn't ignore the feeling I kept having about it. I chased it even in one of the hardest times of my life, right? I saw it through, and I continued to see where there was room for growth, where I was seeing a need for more from the people who liked me, followed me, all of that, and I just went for it.
[00:15:24] That's really what all it comes down to. There was nothing special about me, and this business this m- month just became a seven-figure business.
[00:15:32] Kym: Oh my gosh.
[00:15:33] Jennie: It's insane. Thank you.
[00:15:34] Kym: Ah,
[00:15:35] Jennie: can't even believe
[00:15:35] Kym: so exciting.
[00:15:36] Jennie: that. But it's like, if I could do it, trust me, guys, any of you listening to this can do it too.
[00:15:41] Kym: That is amazing. So how do you, how do you help with the mindset, right, right? If somebody's like, "Gosh, okay, I hear you. I'm so glad you did that, but I could never do that." Like, how do you help people with that mindset to just say, like, to keep pushing through when you're, like, postpartum with the second kid?
[00:15:57] And like, Where'd you find that? Is it, is that just, like, an internal driver that you have, you think? Or do you help people develop that and go and stay consistent and see it through to the end kind of thing,
[00:16:08] Jennie: Super good question. I would say that I've had to fail a lot of times to be able to get the knowledge, the experience, and the growth to be able to give those types of talks to other people. You know, there's been plenty of times in my life where I felt like, "What am I doing? I can't do this." Imposter syndrome, all of those things.
[00:16:26] But every failure I've had has only made me better. And now I really believe that from the experiences that I've been able to have in the past 11 years, and trust me, it's, it's been a lot I now know kind of what it takes to talk somebody off a ledge. I was there once, right? And I can see past it. I got past it myself, so now I'm a pretty good advocate to helping people get out of their own way
[00:16:48] Kym: That's amazing. Yeah. And, especially in an industry where it's, like, kind of fear-based, like around the food and the regulations, and I don't wanna make a mistake and all of that. Yeah. Oh my gosh, that's amazing.
[00:17:00] The other thing that you talk about too is, like, building a life you don't need a vacation from, right? can we talk about what that looks like? Like, how are you making that work? You've got a team. You're doing this high-ticket offer, all of that going on.
[00:17:12] Like, how do you manage to, like, still have time for the kids and, like, enjoy your life and all of that? Let's talk about, like, how you build that out for people that are listening.
[00:17:21] Jennie: Yes, really good question. So h- are you familiar with a human design
[00:17:26] Kym: Yes. Oh
[00:17:27] Jennie: all about that, you know about
[00:17:28] Kym: I'm a generator.
[00:17:29] Jennie: Oh yeah, girl. Yes, yes, yes. So the thing is I, you know, I... It's funny. I didn't need that plan to know this about myself, but I feel much more confident in it now. I am, like, the builder. I wanna come across something, I wanna build it, and then I wanna send it off into the sunset and let somebody else run it, right?
[00:17:46] And so y- you're like, "Yes, I know that."
[00:17:49] Kym: I hear you. Oh my gosh.
[00:17:51] Jennie: We're kindred spirits here.
[00:17:53] Kym: I think so.
[00:17:54] Jennie: you know, it's just one of those things that it's like I, I wanna be the brains behind it, I want to have success from it, but my entire goal in what I've built... Remind you, you know, I started this because I wanted to have more time with my kids.
[00:18:07] I don't wanna be the one that's gone all day. I want that. So for me, it's like I've been able to build it up, and I, I mean, I work crazy hours in the build phase. Crazy hours. Like, put my kids to bed and stay up till midnight, 1:00 just making sure things meet, but I'm laying that foundation. I am now at a point where because I've gotten the machine well-oiled, I've hired people in the places that I don't want to do the work, right?
[00:18:32] I mean, there are certain things that when... whether it's the event side or the coaching side or whatever side, I've hired people in the places that I don't wanna spend my time. And then even lately, I, I, th- I put myself on time out a couple weeks ago. I was like, "You know what? I am working more than I want to."
[00:18:47] I am only going to work three days a week now. I'm done on Mondays and Fridays. I'm only working Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and I'm just holding myself to that. But I can because I've built this life with multiple income streams that fund it, not only for me to get to go do things like travel and enjoy time with my kids, but also fund it in ways that I, I am not burning out because I have people helping me where I need it the most.
[00:19:13] Kym: Exactly. So having, having that intention to begin with, I think, before you even start building, knowing that that is the ultimate goal and the life you wanna live, so building around that idea and making sure what you're building eventually supports that. I mean, I think we all have those, like, really late nights and, like, all week long, like working just nonstop in the beginning.
[00:19:31] But then knowing, like, "I can't do this on my own," like, "I need this team. I wanna be able to..." You know, your bio talks about a petting zoo, and I wanna hear about that too, but being able to build that, you know, build that lifestyle and then build in things that can support it, all with this, like, this energy of just like, "I'm gonna, I'm gonna make this happen no matter what."
[00:19:51] Jennie: Totally. It's like you know, we all believe in manifesting, some of us more than others, right? But I'm here to tell you guys, it's not hocus pocus. Like, it really works. The things that I have manifested in my life, it's like you you were joking about the, the petting zoo. But it's like, I just... I, in my...
[00:20:09] I, I live on six acres out in this, like, beautiful countryside. I have a miniature pony, three bottle-fed goats. I had just got two fluffy Highland cows, which for me have been, like, on my list of a, "I have to own a Highland cow," for I don't even know how long in my life. But it's like, I manifest it all, and I make it happen, you know?
[00:20:28] And so it's like, when I go outside and I see my beautiful babies and my fluffy cows and all, you know, all the things that I've manifested in my life, even down to my husband, you know? I mean, he's the best. He's the best dad. He's a great husband. And, like, I built that up here. I believe that firmly. I called that in, and now it's like I just get to live in this life daily.
[00:20:50] I mean, I, I still pinch myself in the fact that from a small charcuterie cart, this empire has erupted. But I... It's here, and I'm here, and I'm living my dream. So it's, it's possible, everybody. Manifest your life.
[00:21:05] Kym: yes. I mean, so do you think when you're looking back on it now, were you actively manifesting? Like, actively like, "I'm gonna put effort into this every day. Like, this is the vision for my future." Or do you think now looking back on it like, "Oh gosh, I think I manifested that"? Like, I'm just curious if, like, it, that was an intentional thing,
[00:21:21] Jennie: I've done like vision boarding, but no, I'm not the person that wakes up every day and is like, "I am worth millions. I am." You know? It's like I wanna do that, but I always forget to do it. I think it's more just like knowing where you wanna go and being unbelievably delusional and almost like living that life before you even get there.
[00:21:41] You know what I mean?
[00:21:43] Kym: A- absolutely. Yeah. I, yeah, I think you're so right. I keep envisioning the, the big yacht that my whole family can live on with me, but that hasn't happened yet.
[00:21:51] Jennie: You have to invite me out whenever it
[00:21:53] Kym: Okay, I will. Yeah, that's my... You know that what is that TV show Below Deck, where they come and they live on the yacht? I'm like, I, I wanna be that person one day.
[00:22:00] So that's my, that's my manifestation right now.
[00:22:03] Jennie: Where we make so much money we can just hand out a $40,000 tip like it's nothing.
[00:22:07] Kym: "Yeah, here you go. Here's your envelope of 40,000. Thanks for the three days." Yeah.
[00:22:12] Jennie: I'm with you. I am so with you
[00:22:13] Kym: Oh my gosh, I love it. So, so the petting zoo and all that, I mean, that's just amazing. Yeah. And then d- do you feel like, like, you're able to, like, devote all the time to the kids that you want?
[00:22:23] Or is there still a struggle with that? Like, 'cause for me, right, 'cause I've got my boyfriend, and we got the grandchild, and all this stuff, and you know, it's like I, I, I still struggle with that. Like, I wanna put more energy into the business, or do I wanna spend more time with them, you know? So have you found, like, a healthy balance, or is that always a struggle?
[00:22:40] Like, just curious how you manage it.
[00:22:43] Jennie: Yeah. So this is something that I'm kind of constantly reassessing. I'm a believer in the fact that if I want to build the life that I'm dreaming of for my family, that I'm gonna have to put in more time and more work upfront. Knowing that this build upfront is what I'm hoping will pave the way moving forward, it's like I'm okay to be spending maybe not quite the exact amount of time that I'd be hoping.
[00:23:10] They're both of preschool age now, and it's like I've seen them go, they thrive, they're socializing, they're learning way more than they would at home with me every single day. So that was kind of a pivot that I started with preschool this last year with both of them. But I was just, you know, gone...
[00:23:24] Again, reassessing, talking to my husband this morning going, "Oh, you know, I feel like they may be gone too much. I need to do this three days a week so that I could be home with them more," 'cause before I know it, they're gonna be in full-blown academic curriculums, and then I'm not gonna have a choice. So I think it's always finding a healthy balance, but also being realistic.
[00:23:43] Like, I can't spend three hours a day on this and get to the goalpost that I've set for myself. So happy mediums, you know, ne- not continuing to move the goalpost forward and forward and forward, but like really being realistic about what matters most, and then
[00:23:59] Kym: Yeah. Love that. So inspirational. Oh my gosh. So is, so right now it's, is, it's still the charcuterie business, it's the course, and then the higher ticket like mastermind. That's kind of the structure you have right now. Are, are, are there other things in the works or is that basically your core like offer right there with those, those three things?
[00:24:19] Jennie: Yeah, so that is like for any Snack Cart entrepreneur. I have that whole system set up for... And these, by the way, these women that are joining this program are making like crazy money. I
[00:24:29] Kym: I love it. I've seen, like, reels of like, oh my God, I want a personalized charcuterie board
[00:24:35] Jennie: Right?
[00:24:36] Kym: yeah, to my house. Oh my God,
[00:24:38] Jennie: You can make
[00:24:38] Kym: I just wanna drink a glass of wine and have one.
[00:24:41] Jennie: I, you know what? We're gonna bring it on the yacht. We're gonna bring it on the yacht when we, when we do that, 100%. But yeah, so it's, you know, I'm helping people establish that. Women are just desperate for transition, and, you know, and it's like i- people don't wanna go start a brick-and-mortar, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars.
[00:24:57] It's like I'm giving them this transition that may cost them a few thousand, and they're paying it off within a few events. And so that is, like, my, my flagship. But I have started, at the end of January, I started my podcast called Girl, Why Not You? And it's a very inspirational, entrepreneurial, female podcast.
[00:25:17] It is really just showing how so many different women started from nothing, started super messy, and then ended up turning their lives into something they never could have imagined. So I'm really excited about that. And then alongside that coaching, I have what's called the Why Not You method, which is for women who are not necessarily interested in snack carts, but are interested in more so understanding how to take an idea like I did, and how to transform it, scale it, grow it online, and turn it into a seven-figure opportunity the way I did
[00:25:49] Kym: Oh my gosh, that's amazing. So how do people find you? Where, where do we go
[00:25:53] Jennie: find you? You find
[00:25:54] Kym: start our own snack cart? Yeah.
[00:25:57] Jennie: There's a couple places to find me. Sorry, your show notes are gonna be long. But if
[00:26:01] Kym: We love it.
[00:26:02] Jennie: you can definitely find me on jennieblackwood.com, and it's I-E Jennie, not Y. That's kind of like a, a hub for all things. But then girlwhynotyou.com is my podcast.
[00:26:13] And then if you wanna see what we're doing out there on Instagram for my snack cart companies, it's socialgraze.charcuterie. So check it all out, you know? We, we've got a lot going on, a lot of irons in the fire, but really at the end of the day, all we're trying to do is help people get to the next level
[00:26:32] Kym: I love it. And, you know, I love that you're a guest because even the therapists listening, every- the other thing I see all the time is like, "I wanna quit this career and do something else," and what a amazing job this would be, especially for traveling therapists, right? I mean, I feel like this is a portable business that you could probably just, like, go live in a city and, and do it around there.
[00:26:51] And then, I don't know. I mean, I don't know how that would work, but I really like the idea of it.
[00:26:55] Jennie: It's so cool. I have women in there, I'll tell you one person just real quick. Her name was Shelly. She came on one of my walkthrough calls, which essentially is like telling you about the business so you can decide if you wanna start the business. She was a stay-at-home mom forever. Her kids are older now, didn't wanna go work for somebody else, and she was craving some new purpose.
[00:27:13] So she was like scared on the call, "I don't know if I can do this." Her husband talked her into it. And then, you know, week one she's like trying to fly off the handle and I'm like, "We got this, girl. We got this," right? So we set her on a path. She decided in those moments, "You know what? Because I don't know what I'm doing, I'm just gonna listen to everything they say.
[00:27:29] I'm gonna follow a roadmap and I'm just going to go." She did that. Couple of months in, she gets on one of my Q&As, I have weekly Q&As, and she goes, "Y'all, I have a problem." And I'm like, "What's the problem, Shelly?" She's like, "Well, in the past 48 hours I've had 72 people request a quote." And I'm like, "What?" I'm like,
[00:27:48] Kym: That's a pretty good problem.
[00:27:50] Jennie: huge problem. It's a huge problem. And so she's like, "I don't know. I've been doing what you said and I've been posting in all these Facebook groups," and it was like Wednesday, Tuesdays, and it exploded. Well, 'cause it was the end of the school year, it was graduation, it was summer parties, all these things.
[00:28:03] But she's like, "I can't do it." I'm like, "Oh no, you're gonna do it. You know, we're gonna get more carts. You're gonna hire people." That woman, Shelly, who almost didn't start because she was scared, in the month of May did $22,000 with her cart. Wow. Can you imagine?
[00:28:19] Kym: That is amazing.
[00:28:20] Jennie: if for anybody listening to this, this isn't just like, "Oh, I can make like 300 bucks a month."
[00:28:24] No. Like, people are out there making thousands a month, and it's all what you make of it, side hustle or, or a main gig. But it's pretty awesome
[00:28:32] Kym: Oh my gosh, so inspirational. Thank you for coming and sharing your story. I really appreciate it. And everybody listening, you can check out the show notes, find all the links to everything. And Jenny, I can't wait to go, like, discover everything you're offering. It's amazing.
[00:28:46] Jennie: Thank you, Kim. I really appreciate you having me here today