Podcast Summary: "How Heidi Somers Built a $100M Business From Her Living Room | Ep 260"

Introduction and Background

In Episode 260 of Build with Leila Hormozi, host Heidi Summers welcomes a remarkable guest who has made significant strides in the fitness industry. Known for building a loyal following as a fitness influencer, the guest has transformed her influence into a nine-figure empire. This episode delves deep into the strategies, challenges, and personal insights that propelled her journey from managing a business out of her living room to scaling it into a thriving enterprise.

Starting the Business

The guest shares her unconventional background in biology, emphasizing that she had no formal training in marketing, fashion, or business. Starting from scratch, she had to rapidly acquire skills in various domains essential for running a successful business.

Guest [01:26]: "My background is biology. It is not marketing, it is not fashion, it is not business or anything of the sort."

Utilizing resources like Google and later ChatGPT, she educated herself on marketing, customer service, leadership, hiring, and online sales. Her initial drive stemmed from personal experiences of feeling uncomfortable in gyms, inspiring her to create empowering fitness apparel for women.

Guest [02:00]: "I knew that myself as someone that has walked into the gym for the first time and I really struggled with feeling comfortable... that moment."

Key Lessons Learned

One of the most significant lessons she highlights is the importance of creating a high-quality product. Her commitment to excellence ensured that her offerings resonated with her audience, fostering loyalty and driving sales.

Guest [03:16]: "I don't cut corners or anything. So I had to learn every aspect of the business."

Hiring Friends and Family

Initially, the guest hired friends and family to help manage her burgeoning business, often compensating them with food or social outings. While this fostered early support, she quickly recognized the challenges of maintaining professional boundaries and preventing personal relationships from complicating business dynamics.

Guest [03:35]: "When you hire friends and family, it's a different type of respect and boundary."

She now adheres to a strict policy of not hiring friends or family to preserve personal relationships and ensure professional integrity.

Guest [04:33]: "I have a rule right now that I never hire friends, and I never."

Leadership Evolution

Transitioning from being a hands-on founder to a strategic leader required significant personal growth. The guest discusses overcoming her innate people-pleasing tendencies to assertively protect her brand's integrity and quality.

Guest [07:49]: "Growing up, I was always a bit of a people pleaser... When you start a company you realize that it can be a dog-eat-dog world."

Her leadership style emphasizes calmness, transparency, and empowering her team to take ownership without micromanaging.

Guest [08:37]: "I always say I do it with shaking hands... making sure that you're not taken advantage of in the business world."

Work-Life Balance and Relationships

Balancing a demanding business with personal life, especially marriage, posed its own set of challenges. Both she and her husband run multiple businesses, necessitating deliberate efforts to maintain their relationship amidst their professional commitments.

Guest [11:18]: "We worked 12, 18 hour days all the time and barely sleeping, but we loved what we did."

They allocate specific days for content creation and product development, ensuring that personal time is respected and preserved.

Guest [13:32]: "Tuesday is my product day... Thursday and Friday I keep fully open for content."

Dealing with Trauma and Resilience

The guest opens up about personal traumas, including the loss of a close friend, and how she navigated these challenges while managing her business. She emphasizes the importance of giving oneself grace and space to process emotions without letting them derail her professional responsibilities.

Guest [09:43]: "With trauma, I give myself grace and space to feel those moments."

Her approach involves leaning on a strong support system of friends and maintaining a positive outlook, which she attributes to her resilience and ability to overcome adversity.

Guest [19:06]: "I've always just tried to survive and be independent for myself... you really just have to roll up your sleeves and do the work yourself."

Growth and Scaling the Business

Expanding from a single product line to multiple brands required strategic decision-making and patience. The guest discusses the importance of focusing on product excellence before diving into marketing or scaling efforts.

Guest [13:54]: "You can't out market a bad product... I spend one day a week fully focused on product."

Implementing structured processes, such as dedicated launch blueprints and regular team debriefs, allowed her to maintain quality while scaling efficiently.

Guest [38:02]: "We have a launch... we have debrief... what we did right, how we could do more of that."

Future Goals and Advice

Looking ahead, the guest aspires to achieve a billion-dollar impact by continuing to empower women through innovative products and services. She also emphasizes the importance of patience and strategic planning in business growth.

Guest [61:08]: "I want chickens and children and land, but still work on my businesses and keep growing them."

Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs centers on taking action, starting without waiting for perfection, and not being afraid to take up space in their respective industries.

Guest [69:54]: "Just start... Don't be afraid to take up space."

Rapid Fire Questions

In a segment of rapid-fire questions, the guest shares quick insights about her business decisions, essential tools, and daily practices that keep her ventures moving forward.

• Best Business Decision: Launching pink leggings.

  Guest [79:55]: "Making pink leggings."

• Worst Business Decision: Waiting too long to secure a warehouse.

  Guest [80:02]: "Waiting too long to get a warehouse."

• Essential Tool: Utilizing Slack for team and manufacturer communication.

  Guest [80:20]: "I utilize Slack for my teams, but also for manufacturing."

• Daily Practice: Giving herself grace and space to manage her mental and physical well-being.

  Guest [81:24]: "I give myself what I call grace and space."

Conclusion

This episode offers a candid and comprehensive look into the entrepreneurial journey of building a multimillion-dollar fitness empire from humble beginnings. The guest's emphasis on product excellence, strategic hiring, personal resilience, and purposeful leadership provides valuable insights for aspiring business owners aiming to create impactful and sustainable enterprises.

Notable Quotes

• Guest [07:22]: "I like reading people... I know if they were a good key player or not within the first five minutes."
• Guest [33:25]: "Do things with excellence. Always."
• Guest [68:02]: "I turn off my phone, I tell my assistant... I really want to focus on how to make this glute seam perfect."
• Guest [71:54]: "Just start... It could be a baby step. It's actually sitting down and writing out your plan is step one."

Thank you for tuning into this detailed summary of Episode 260 of "Build with Leila Hormozi." To gain deeper insights and hear the full conversation, be sure to listen to the episode available every Monday and Wednesday.