Second Round: Going With Your Gut - Debi Beard of Debi's Design Diary

**I'm re-releasing this episode because it gave me actual chills while I was recording it. And made me cry. It's a good one.

New Episode releases on October 29th.

**

Today I'm speaking with Debi Beard, owner of Debi's Design Diary in Solana Beach, CA. In the brick and mortar game for over 20 years, Debi is also the star of her own YouTube channel, the creator of her own chalk paint brand, DIY Paint Company and the founder of the DIY Bootcamp which is a 3-day intensive program that helps shopkeepers run their businesses.

Sure, Debi is super successful, but it wasn't always easy. As you'll hear in the episode, getting to this point took some major time and even more than time, it took grit. Debi's stories (she's got a ton!) illustrate her truly remarkable process; from selling Christmas ornaments to moving back in with her parents to reaching millions of views on YouTube. In listening to the finished episode (yes, I listen to every one before it goes live) I was re-struck by Debi's tenacity and her flat out refusal to give up on her dreams. She's incredibly self-deprecating about her path, but it's clear that Debi's success is the result of some hard-ass work and sacrifice.

We get real about listening to your intuition but being practical about it, about commitment and tenacity in the face of setbacks and why we need to build up our fellow brick and mortar business owners. Debi also offers up some tough love in this episode by explaining why we can't be profitable brick and mortar owners without exploring other revenue steams. As Debi says, you can't just stand behind a counter all day. Enjoy the show.

We talk about:

The stress of being a human factory when your wholesale product takes off.

Knowing when something is right for your business and the tenacity it requires to stick to your guns.

Learning to read the signs and signals from the universe but also tapping into the practicality that comes from age and experience.

The long process of building a brand.

Pitching a big magazine for PR without an agent or any connections.

Being an introvert while building a huge Youtube presence.

Being held back by exposure to all kinds of talent via social media.

Getting over her fear of speaking in public and the major lessons she learned from her self-doubt around this.

The humbling experience she had in deciding to move into her parents home to keep her store open and to build her YouTube channel.

The way you stand out and beat the big box stores is by creating a connection and an experience for your clients.

Time management skills and setting up structures within your business that allow you to do what's best for YOU.

Why brick and mortar space is only one piece to the puzzle.

Being an expert in your field and finding a way to stand out.