Making It – Episode 151
Starting with a Little Red Wagon (Jane Deuber)
Jane Deuber: I’m Jane Deuber, and you’re listening to Making It. I run a company called Magpie that provides assessment software for personal development entrepreneurs to use in their marketing. When I look back at where this entrepreneurial bug began, I had a little red wagon and a neighbor who had an amazing garden. And I literally, at the age of six, would take the fresh vegetables through the outback of Ohio. And I sold vegetables from my little red wagon. And I think it was the first time that I really experienced what it’s like to provide value, to make somebody happy. So I would buy the tomato for $0.25, sell it for $0.50, and I thought that was kind of an interesting concept.
I grew up in an entrepreneurial family. You got the goodies from dad if you did those things. And then up until the time I went and got my masters, I was always had some sort of side gig. When I look back at where I kind of transitioned from the side gig, I did get my master’s in business, and all of my colleagues at school, they were all interviewing for corporate jobs. And what I noticed is that having already had the entrepreneurial thing in my world, I just was pretty much unemployable. So I was one of the few graduates from my school where right out of the gate, I started a new company.
So my husband and I had just met. And so we actually were business partners before we got married. But we took $5,000 we had saved to buy my wedding ring, and we took it and started our first business, which was an import company. And when I look back at that time, what I love about entrepreneurship and why I’m so driven to not just do it many times for myself, but also support other people in doing that, is, to me, it’s the greatest personal development experience you’re ever going to have, because you have to grow, you have to be challenged. You have to be resilient and resourceful.
And I think in those early days, building that with my partner, who when I first met, I mean, was a waiter in a restaurant. And by the time we sold that first business in 2000, I mean, was two and a half million, and we grew personally. And I think that’s the beauty of entrepreneurship, is when you have a big vision and you go for it, you’re called to grow, to fill the shoes that you’re wanting to walk in. I guess you could call me a serial entrepreneur. It’s been 37 years of building businesses with my husband, and we’re on business number seven, soon to be business number eight. And I’m passionate about really supporting entrepreneurs, having a business that they love, that also gives them the prosperity and the lifestyle that they’re wanting.
I think the biggest mistake that I often see, and I work hard to help people avoid the, is in chasing a dream that isn’t really truly aligned with the life that they want. So anytime we begin work with a client, whether it’s through our assessment software, e-learning platform, or consulting, we really make sure that the vision that they’re going for is compelling and aligned with their values. I think it was Stephen Covey that says, make sure that the ladder you’re climbing isn’t leaning against the wrong wall.
As entrepreneurs, we set a goal and a vision and don’t really settle in and check in. Is this really, truly the vision that I want to create? So make sure that the business that you’re wanting to build is aligned with your values and the life that you want to live. Oftentimes as entrepreneurs, we’re pleasers. And so in all seven businesses, whenever I was at a crossroads and needed to make a decision about which way we’re going to go, I kind of took out of my decision making process what other people would think about me or how I might be judged. And I really focused on what’s the right thing to do for the customer or the individual I’m trying to connect with.
In 37 years, I’ve been blessed with a lot of mentors or guides along the way, but I always have to go back to my father. He was an entrepreneur at his heart, teaching me with that red wagon the basic principles of profit margin. When he met my mother, he was shooting squirrels so they could actually eat. And he grew multiple businesses.
There’s these key moments where you get a concept and it is forever transformational. And it was that first business. We were in the early stages, and I was running around ragged. My husband was making the product, I was delivering the product. And my father said to me, sweetie, without leverage in a business, you don’t have a business, you have a job. And so he said, let’s take a look at what you’re doing. Let’s look at how you can leverage your time. And we went on to take that business to 2.5 million with 350 sales reps. Had he never shared that concept of leverage, of how to look at a business to a different lens, I would have never been able to have the impact that we had and have the income.
I grew up in a household where risk was rewarded. When we took risks as children, like putting vegetables into a wagon and dragging it all over the neighborhood, we got goodies, we got praise from our parents. And so I think that’s the thing that’s carried over then into my world of entrepreneurship. I learned early on that when you take the risk, as long as you have a sense of self, as long as you know who you are and that you have a safety net of people around you, that you can take more risks. And in a world where a lot of people don’t feel safe, it gives you a competitive advantage because I know that no matter what I try, it’s going to be.
Having started and grown seven businesses, I think the definition of making it has evolved over time. I think that first business out of the gate, I wanted it big, I wanted it profitable, I wanted it scalable, because I knew that eventually I wanted to sell it. And in all actuality, I put too much emphasis on the business and not enough on personal. And so every single business thereafter, we’ve really made sure that we never sacrifice our relationship or our family or our health. So for me today, making it is having a business that delivers mind blowing value to the client. I believe in under promising and over delivering, but also gives you room and space to have a life that you love.
If I ask myself, okay, Jane, have you made it? I would say a big hell yes. Right? A big hell yes. Because my definition of having made it is more aligned with the quality of life that I live. You know, 37-year marriage, happy adult children who have their soulmate and their work in the world. We live in paradise. But I also know that I can’t rest on my laurels. I’m wired to create and serve. And so I think that’s something that I’m excited about. I’m 64, so I’m in what I call the third act of my career. And it’s really about how do I define the vision I’m moving towards? How do I make it more juicy? How do I make it not necessarily bigger, but more significant? So, yep, I’ve made it, but I’m going to keep on doing that and have a lot of fun in the process.
I wish someone in that first business would have pulled me aside and said, you know, Jane, you get to have this business vision, this successful, profitable business that has a big impact. And you also get to have a really healthy personal life. Because whether you’re dialing down the vision a little bit or mitigating the goals a little bit, it’s okay. You can take a little bit more time to get there and have a personal life. Because in the end, it’s only business. And our life and the people that we surround ourselves is really what creates the quality of our life. That would be the advice that I would give myself if I could do it all over again.
I’m Jane Deuber, and you’ve been listening to making it. You can learn more about my company magpie.com. That’s M-A-G-P-A-I dot com. And if you check the notes for this episode, you’ll find a link to a special free resource we’ve created called the Seven Strategies for successful assessment marketing.
Cassandra Topperwein: Making it is part of the Mirasee FM podcast network, which also includes such shows as Just Between Coaches and Once Upon a Business. To catch the great episodes that are coming up on Making It, please follow us on YouTube or your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It’s the best way to help us get these ideas to more people. Thank you and we’ll see you next time.