A high school friend, Corey Elder, recently started a podcast. Being a podcast junkie myself, I hit play right away. Corey is on a mission to find his passion and is doing so by interviewing everyday people who took a leap of faith by pursuing their passion(s). I have personally really enjoyed listing to his podcast. It was such a compliment when he asked me to come on the show.
A little back story...
In high school, I applied to represent my school at the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) conference. The school counselor at the time told me that I didn't really fit into any of the "attributes" HOBY looked for in its student participants and therefore she had selected two other students for the conference scholarship. She went on to say, that there were still open spots if I wanted to pay to attend. Me being desperate to add anything to my resume in hopes that it would help me get into a college, I paid to attend. The irony is, once I arrived, I discovered the counselor was completely wrong in stating that HOBY was seeking attendees with certain characteristics. The organization is quite accepting of all and its mission is to teach students leadership skills.
At this time in my life, I was lost with no idea who I was and seriously thought my grades would forever hold me back from obtaining any form of success. The weight and pain this younger version of myself carried are hard for me to comprehend, even now that I have proven these limiting beliefs false.
Before I even stepped out of the car, it was very clear this was an interactive conference...extravert turned up ALL the way. I was too insecure to shamelessly participate in the cheers and activities with STRANGERS. Yep, still to this day, I can't forgive myself for not joining in on "stupid" cheers.
This conference did introduce me to new people, exposed me to personal development, provided me with mentors, showed me new careers options, and sparked my interest in communication. HOBY showed me possibilities and gave me direction to turn those possibilities into reality. (Picture that classic movie scene of a small-town girl seeing the city for the first time. That was me at HOBY. HAHA) This conference was a catalyst for me to change my life in many ways.
All this to say, Corey Elder was one of the students I met at the conference. He was very outgoing, shamelessly participating, genuine, kindly encouraged others to join in, and right away I remember thinking to myself "this guy is going somewhere." I've been following him on Instagram ever since waiting to see what he accomplishes. And that is how I heard he started a podcast.
This interview is a full-circle moment for me.
I pursued a degree in communication to learn how to communicate in many different forms. Unknown to me at the time, the degree program I chose was research-based not an application program. The desire to be an excellent communicator is still deeply entwined in me. Spoiler alert, my communication skills need practice.
So this interview is me being vulnerable (in a way I wasn't able to be at HOBY) by publicly showing myself learning how to podcast (proficiently communicating in an interview while using technology). Having now done three podcast interviews, I understand that podcasting is hard, even for someone with a communication degree. I have so much more admiration for podcasters.
Cory asked if there were any edits I wanted to make. I told him to leave the audio raw because I think it's important to show vulnerability and the learning process unedited.
I hope even amidst the vocal pauses, nervousness in my voice, fast-talking, sidetracks, and internet cutouts, something I shared will resonate with you.
Listen:
Eva Hatch is an entrepreneur from the small town of Julian, an hour east of San Diego. Unlike most, Eva doesn’t believe that one should have to leave their humble town to “make it.” Instead, she set out on a mission to bring her town to the world with her company, Mountain Made.
Interview Outline:
00:00 Intro
01:05 Give the listeners a background of your company, Mountain Made.
05:07 What was it about your hometown that drew you to want to stay in Julian?
10:25 Walk us through how you went from just talking about your hometown to making it more of your identity and eventually starting a company around it.
17:00 What was the tipping point when you decide to make a product?
18:50 How the hell do you make a candle? What is the process behind your business?
22:23 What were the mental obstacles you had between wanting to start the business and actually launching it?
27:18 Do you think there is value in trying to learn everything before diving in or do you think you have to learn as you go?
29:45 What would be the first step you would tell someone who wanted to start a business? What was your first step?
36:20 Can you walk us through your current product line and how you developed it?
46:50 Do your products come with a synopsis stating the history and representation thing the product?
49:00 What inspired you to finally put your company out there?
54:40 Can you talk a little bit about the experience of having to go back to the job you left to support the business? What were the emotions tied to that?
58:00 What was the first time you realized that you had to make a sacrifice because of how serious you are about entrepreneurship?
63:00 Are there certain stresses that are hard to deal with?
64:00 Do have any employees? When is there value in outsourcing?
68:00 Summary of key takeaways
72:00 Do you have any further ideas you want to dive into more?
74:00 Boundaries in businesses and social media
78:00 How can people connect with you and by Mountain Made products?
Eva's Contact
Website: www.mountainmademe.com
Social: @mountainmademe
Discount code: thecoreyelderpodcast
Corey's Contact
Instagram: @howdyhowdyproject
Instagram: @corey.elder