Married to the Boss

Summary

Podcast Summary: The blondEST – Episode "Married to the Boss"

Release Date: February 24, 2025

In the "Married to the Boss" episode of The blondEST podcast, host Savanna Boda engages in an insightful and candid conversation with her husband, Lance, discussing the dynamics of their marriage, the challenges and rewards of balancing business and family life, and offering valuable business advice for estheticians. Interspersed with moments of humor and interactions with their child, Cyrus, the episode provides a comprehensive look into the personal and professional lives of Savannah and Lance.

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1. Navigating Public Perception and Personal Relationships

Hate and Public Image

Savanna initiates the discussion by addressing the topic of receiving hate, prompting Lance to share his experiences:

Savanna [01:03]: "Do you ever receive hate?"
Lance [01:06]: "Do I ever receive hate? No, not directly, but probably indirectly. But no. Nobody, like. Nobody, like, messages me hate."

Savanna reassures Lance about his likability, emphasizing their positive public image.

Business-Related Arguments

The conversation shifts to the strain that business operations can place on personal relationships. Savanna reveals:

Savanna [01:24]: "Do we ever argue because of the business? It's so hard for my boyfriend and I."
Lance [01:38]: "Well, yeah, I'm sure. Yeah, I'm sure we do."

They discuss conflicts arising from financial decisions and differing approaches to business growth, highlighting their complementary personalities:

Savanna [02:04]: "I could never be a kept woman."
Lance [02:13]: "I'm the yin to her yang, so it's her soaring to the moon and me being like, let's maybe take some precautions."

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2. The Role of a Stay-at-Home Dad

Decision to Transition

Lance elaborates on their decision for him to become a stay-at-home dad, shedding light on the practical considerations involved:

Lance [03:23]: "It wasn't just like that I decided, obviously, but it was... either me working 70, 80 hours a week with a newborn and a business owner wife."

Savanna adds context about their differing career passions and financial planning:

Savanna [05:04]: "He picked accounting not because it was his passion, but because Lance is, like, again, very, like, a safe person."

Challenges and Rewards

Lance discusses the challenges of adjusting to a new role while Savanna shares her favorite aspects:

Savanna [05:55]: "What's your favorite thing about being a stay-at-home dad besides Cyrus?"
Lance [06:00]: "Having a hot wife... probably just that you don't have to deal with a bunch of office nonsense..."

They also touch upon personal growth and balancing household responsibilities.

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3. Journey of Love and Partnership

How They Met

Savanna and Lance recount their unique meeting story, involving mistaken identities and college reconnections:

Savanna [12:50]: "This is how mommy and daddy met... you thought you were messaging me? Yeah. But it was his friend."

Lance clarifies the chronology of their relationship development, adding humor to the narrative.

Building Their Relationship

They reflect on their early relationship dynamics, including missed dates and rebounds:

Savanna [13:20]: "My favorite was, like, the first time we were supposed to go on a date... you wouldn't take me out because you weren't in a good emotional headspace because the cowboys lost the night before."

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4. Business Insights and Advice for Estheticians

Day-to-Day Operations

Lance provides a glimpse into their daily routines, highlighting the balance between family and business responsibilities:

Lance [18:27]: "I wake up when Cyrus wakes up... drink coffee, take care of Cyrus... clean around the house and help Savannah with stuff."

Business Structures: LLC vs. Sole Proprietorship

Lance explains the fundamental differences between LLCs and sole proprietorships, emphasizing liability and tax implications:

Lance [19:55]: "The biggest one that's typically said is that your liability is not... you could basically, you know, be sued for more money..."

He advises working with professionals to navigate complex business structures.

Top Business Advice for Estheticians

Offering practical tips, Lance shares his top five business recommendations:

1. Start Small:

   Lance [21:38]: "Start on the smaller end... try to get your clients and not take on too much debt."

2. Simplify Bookkeeping:

   Lance [22:32]: "Use QuickBooks... keep things organized."

3. Manage Taxes Wisely:

   Lance [23:26]: "Hold back like 30% for taxes... do your estimated quarterly taxes."

4. Avoid Unnecessary Sales Tax Charges:

   Savanna [24:14]: "Make sure you're not getting charged sales tax from your companies."

5. Employee Management:

   Lance [24:20]: "Always make sure... keep stuff organized."

Employee Benefits and 401(k) Plans

Lance delves into the complexities of offering employee benefits, including 401(k) matching and health insurance options:

Lance [30:52]: "We run payroll twice a month... automatic matching of... how to set it up."

He stresses the importance of consulting with CPAs to ensure compliance and optimize benefits for employees.

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5. Marriage Dynamics and Personal Growth

Balancing Roles

Savanna and Lance discuss the evolving dynamics of their marriage, particularly the shifts in responsibilities as Lance adapted to being a stay-at-home dad:

Savanna [41:10]: "It's a learning curve for men because they're not used to it... feel like we're finally like, this year, 2025."

Challenges of Isolation

They address the emotional and social challenges faced by stay-at-home parents, especially fathers:

Lance [43:24]: "It's very isolating."
Savanna [43:37]: "I think a lot of it was like just a learning curve for you and I think just really isolating."

Strengthening the Relationship

Reflecting on their efforts to establish routines and support each other, they emphasize resilience and mutual support:

Savanna [44:05]: "This year, we finally kind of have like, our dynamic down... helping our marriage a bit."

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6. Family Interactions and Lighthearted Moments

Throughout the episode, interactions with their son, Cyrus, add a playful and endearing element to the conversation. Cyrus occasionally interjects with cute comments and attempts to participate in the podcast activities, such as singing into the microphone and expressing preferences.

Savanna [17:12]: "Cyrus, you need to sit your booty next to mommy."
Cyrus [27:11]: "Hi, besties."

These moments provide a glimpse into their family life, balancing professional discussions with personal warmth.

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7. Concluding Thoughts and Final Advice

As the episode wraps up, Savanna highlights the importance of preparation and organization in business growth:

Savanna [28:39]: "My biggest business regret... hadn't set up anything for my success and growth."

Lance reinforces the need for meticulous planning and the challenges that come with expanding a business, encouraging listeners to learn continuously and adapt to evolving circumstances.

Lance [30:23]: "Employees are very hard. Like I would say probably a lot of stay at..."

The episode concludes with heartfelt acknowledgments and playful interactions, leaving listeners with a blend of business wisdom and personal insights.

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Notable Quotes

• On Business and Personal Balance
  Savanna [02:13]: "I'm risk averse."
  Lance [02:15]: "I could never be a kept woman."

• On Marriage and Support
  Savanna [40:31]: "What's it like being married to Lance?"
  Lance [40:33]: "Having a supportive husband who loves you and supports you..."

• On Business Advice
  Lance [21:38]: "Start on the smaller end... try to get your clients and not take on too much debt."

• On Personal Growth
  Savanna [44:05]: "This year, we finally kind of have like, our dynamic down... helping our marriage a bit."

---

Conclusion

The "Married to the Boss" episode offers a heartfelt and informative exploration of Savanna and Lance's intertwined personal and professional lives. Listeners gain valuable insights into managing a business within a marriage, the challenges of role transitions, and practical advice for aspiring estheticians. The episode seamlessly blends business acumen with personal anecdotes, making it a relatable and enriching experience for those seeking both inspiration and practical knowledge.

Transcript

[Savannah]

Hi, guys. Welcome back to another episode of the Blondest podcast. I'm your host, Savannah.

[Lance]

And I'm Lance.

[Savannah]

Tyler's sick, so you'd have the other.

[Lance]

I am the worst. The kind of the second replacement to Tyler, I guess.

[Savannah]

Yes. And if you're watching the YouTube video, we have Mr. Cyrus here. Cyrus, you want to say hello? Can you say hello in the microphone?

[Cyrus]

Okay.

[Savannah]

Say hello.

[Lance]

Hello. Okay.

[Savannah]

Thank you, Silas. He's watching Blippi so that we can record because, you know, we don't have. Okay, so we are doing today Inside Voice bubby. We are gonna do a little Q A for Lance. You're gonna watch Blippi? What is he doing? Okay, bear with us, friends.

[Lance]

We're gonna try.

[Savannah]

We're gonna try our best. Okay? Lance.

[Lance]

Yes?

[Savannah]

Do you ever receive hate?

[Lance]

Do I ever receive hate? No, not directly, but probably indirectly. But no. Nobody, like. Nobody, like, messages me hate.

[Savannah]

Yeah. That's good. To my knowledge, no, I think you're pretty well liked.

[Lance]

Wow. First time I'm hearing this, so that's good.

[Savannah]

Not by me, but by everyone else. Okay, let's see. Do we ever argue because of the business? It's so hard for my boyfriend and I.

[Lance]

Well, yeah, I'm sure. Yeah, I'm sure we do. I mean, there's just so much stuff. Well, and also just thinking, like, because of the business. So I don't know how she's framing that exactly. Or he or she's framing that. But, yeah, of course, you know, we do. And, like, right now, we're building the new spa, so.

[Savannah]

Yeah, he just basically yells at me to not spend money, and I yell at him to not tell me what to do.

[Lance]

I'm the yin to her yang, so it's her soaring to the moon and me being like, let's maybe take some precautions.

[Savannah]

Yeah, I don't like precautions.

[Lance]

Let's maybe get there safely.

[Savannah]

No, I like to get there the way I like to get there. I'm really bad at being controlled. That's why I work for myself and make money.

[Lance]

Yeah. If you tell. Even if she wants to do something.

[Savannah]

I could never be a kept woman.

[Lance]

Even if she wants to do the same thing that you're saying, like, telling her to do. Like, she probably won't do it because you told her to do it.

[Savannah]

Yeah. Like, do you remember when you were trying to get me to watch silos for, like, months, and then one of my clients was like, you should watch silos. And I came home and I was like, babe, we have to watch silos. And he was like, are you kidding me? I've been trying to get you.

[Lance]

And then I'd already watched the entire show. Like, I was already caught up on the latest episode on Apple tv. It is a good show, by the way. If you want to watch Silo on Apple tv. It's pretty good.

[Savannah]

Yeah, I haven't gotten past, like, the first three episodes.

[Lance]

Very sci fi, though, so just FYI.

[Savannah]

Cyrus, are you handsome?

[Lance]

Handsome and cute.

[Savannah]

So cute. His hair looks so red.

[Lance]

That's the lighting.

[Savannah]

Yeah. The YouTube video, it's gonna. He looks so cute. Okay, next up, how did you decide to be a stay at home dad? You wanna hit with mommy?

[Lance]

It wasn't just like that I decided, obviously, but it was. I was going into busy season. I was in public accounting, and I was going into busy season because this was, you know, he's born December, this is January. And then so it was either me working 70, 80 hours a week with a newborn and a business owner wife. Come on, bud. And so we looked at everything, looked at her finances, you know, what we would gain, what we would lose. And it just really just made by far the most sense to stay at home and support her and support Cyrus. And so, yeah, that's how we came to the decision. I would say. Would you.

[Savannah]

So I remember this as I was pregnant, I was like, cover your mouth when you cough. Thank you. Good job. I remember you coming in and just saying you're, you know, you hated accounting. And it's what I think was hard when we were dating more when I would, like, you know, come home. And I, like, was so fulfilled by my job and making more money and all of that on top of it. And then he was just doing, like. He picked accounting not because it was his passion, but because Lance is, like, again, very, like, a safe person. Like, never gonna rock the boat, like, just wanted. He's not the type of person to, like, be revolutionary, which is why I am. He's very just, like, status quo, you know, like what you're told is what you do. Very, like, by the book. Very. Just kind of disciplined and safe.

[Lance]

Servative in the sense of not, like, you know, trying to be risky and stuff like that.

[Savannah]

Yeah, I'm risky. Yeah.

[Lance]

I'm risk adverse is what I would say.

[Savannah]

Yeah. So, I mean, it fit for him. But I think after a while, you know, just, like, he realized it wasn't that great. And, you know, he was working a lot of long hours and he wasn't getting paid a ton, and it's boring. And Horrible and terrible. And so then when I got pregnant and we just, you know, I think it was like right when we had psy, we were like, you should just not go back to work because you're not passionate about what you do.

[Lance]

Yeah.

[Savannah]

And you know what? We'd have to pay a year for a good daycare. A good nanny would have been right at what he was making. A year. So it just didn't make sense. Yeah.

[Lance]

And we didn't decide until after he was born and when I got closer to going back to work. So we didn't decide. Right. It wasn't like I wasn't ever like I was planning on going back to work, but we had him and saw the reality.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Lance]

Next question, though. Good question.

[Savannah]

What's your favorite thing about being a stay at home dad besides Cyrus?

[Lance]

Favorite thing besides Cyrus?

[Savannah]

Having a hot boss.

[Lance]

Yeah. Having a hot wife. Yeah. Probably just that you don't have a. Like, Savannah is like my boss. Well, she actually is, like, technically as, well, my payroll. Yeah, she is in that sense. And then she is in the way that I just want to support her and do what you know is going to help the family. But yeah, probably I don't have to deal with a bunch of office nonsense and corporate talk and waste, wasteful, dumb meetings and stuff all day long. So kind of more fulfilling in some ways than just talking about auditing an oil and gas company.

[Savannah]

I know. Now he gets to clean, cook, drive.

[Lance]

Drive a lot. Guys, I did like 24,000 miles last year. What are you doing, bud?

[Savannah]

Is there a rock in your sock?

[Lance]

Are you Dr. Seuss?

[Savannah]

Okay, next question. Baby number two, question mark.

[Lance]

I say yes. Go ahead. Let's do it.

[Savannah]

I was ready when he wasn't, and now I have too much going on. I want another baby, but just a lot. I wish Lance could carry it like a seahorse. If Lance could get pregnant, we'd have 10.

[Lance]

Sadly, I cannot get pregnant. To my knowledge, I have no ability to get pregnant. But I can get her pregnant. And I'll help her and support her and give her back rubs like I already do and feet rubs and then Cyrus take care of the. The little baby when it comes out.

[Savannah]

Do you want a brother?

[Lance]

Do you want a baby? You want mommy have baby?

[Cyrus]

I have to take a picture.

[Savannah]

You have to take a picture. Say cheese.

[Lance]

Cheese. He actually has the camera.

[Savannah]

Thank you, buddy.

[Lance]

Thanks.

[Savannah]

Yeah, I feel like this is one you'll have to watch the YouTube video for. I fear. Hey, Psy, can mommy ask you a question?

[Lance]

What's A mommy question.

[Savannah]

Hey, Cyrus, can you say in the microphone, say, do you want a brother or sister?

[Cyrus]

Yes.

[Savannah]

You. Do you want a brother and a sister?

[Lance]

He said yes for the. He said yes for the record.

[Savannah]

For the record. Let the record show he did say yes. Okay, so you have to come sit your booty next to mommy.

[Lance]

Come sit down. Come on.

[Savannah]

Thank you. Okay. He's. Someone asked, did Lance lose weight?

[Lance]

Did Lance lose weight? Yeah, probably.

[Savannah]

His dad was skinny.

[Lance]

Yeah, probably. I'm trying to help here stay at. At or under 200 pounds. That's my goal. Well, and I'm six foot, so that's kind of Lansome.

[Savannah]

Went some. Through some thyroid stuff, which is why he gained a lot of weight.

[Lance]

Well.

[Savannah]

And lost a lot.

[Lance]

Lost weight. Gain weight. People with thyroid issues would know I'm dealing with some thyroid stuff as far as I'll go into it. But it affects your weight, and the medication affects your weight, so. Yeah.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Lance]

I'm trying to balance out the normalize.

[Savannah]

Why. Okay. What's it like being married? I didn't write this. To the famous Savannah, who can literally do it all.

[Lance]

It could be a lot at times. You got to keep up. She's. She's a busy lady, and she's a busy mama and a busy woman. So.

[Cyrus]

Let'S buy a scissor.

[Lance]

What?

[Cyrus]

A scissor.

[Savannah]

You what, baby? You want mommy to go on the stretcher?

[Lance]

He wants to call 91 1. It's probably a little hectic. Probably a little crazier than maybe a normal person, but pretty great at the same time.

[Savannah]

He's tried to call 911 like five times this week.

[Cyrus]

I need to go line one.

[Lance]

You're gonna lock my phone? I need to go line one for eternity, bud.

[Savannah]

You can't call 911 because there emergency.

[Lance]

What's the next question, Mama? Are there any that are not that are like. Well, I don't know. Whatever.

[Savannah]

How did we meet?

[Lance]

How did we meet? We met because Savannah was Twitter DMing. Maybe. Was it DMing in the. In Twitter or. No, my friend DM'd her. And I'll let her fill in some of the Part of it. But my knowledge how we met at the time was my friend was DMing her, and then we went over to her house. Some of my friends. And then I think she had one other friend there. And then that's the first time we ever met.

[Savannah]

And then what?

[Lance]

And you ended up. She ended up dating my friend. I kind of almost dated her friend. Not really. I don't know. It Was a long time ago. This was a long time ago. This is over 10 years ago.

[Savannah]

She would have said y'all were dating. For sure.

[Lance]

She would have. Yeah. I just don't remember very well. I'm so sorry. I don't. I don't mean to be offensive. I don't mean.

[Savannah]

Are you pregnant?

[Lance]

We were.

[Savannah]

Cyrus, you need. What?

[Lance]

But then we reconnected in college. But that was like.

[Savannah]

This is such a boring version of the story. You're not giving enough details.

[Lance]

I said you were gonna give the other part.

[Savannah]

Said this story so many times. You've never.

[Lance]

Well, why. Why is she even asking then? Or he. Well, she thought the picture on the profile of my friend was a picture of me and him, I guess. And then most of the other pictures, I was included in it as well. And so Savannah thought that she was potentially messaging me. But then when we got over there.

[Savannah]

Cyrus. Gentle hands. No gentle hands.

[Lance]

When we got over there, she found out that she was not messaging me. Right.

[Savannah]

Right. And then we're gonna talk about how you stalked me and came to the restaurant, and then how you invited me to the restaurant. Not that one time you came.

[Lance]

Not one time I came. Well, I messaged her multiple times, trying to. To date her or something when I was in college, and she denied me, like, every time.

[Savannah]

Go put that on the table. You know what would be so fun? To go roll the police car on the table.

[Lance]

Table. She denied me. Over in 20.

[Savannah]

Thank you so much. Okay. And then Mommy will tell the story. Is it ready for him?

[Lance]

My phone is locked.

[Savannah]

So basically how this went down was I thought I was messaging his friend, but it wasn't. It was.

[Lance]

You thought you were messaging me?

[Savannah]

Yeah. But it was his friend. Yep. And then Mommy. Cyrus, are you listening? This is how mommy and daddy met, Okay? I dated this man, and Lance and I always kind of got along a little bit better in big group settings. And, like, you know, I thought he was cute. He thought I was cute. And we never, like, obviously did anything. And then college came around, and we were both kind of, like, the only people left in our hometown, so we were desperate.

[Lance]

Yeah, that's the only reason I messaged her, because it was like, she's the only one here.

[Savannah]

And so then he took me to Crackle Barrel, and that was it. But there was a little bit in between. My favorite was, like, the first time we were supposed to go on a date, and the Cowboys had lost a game, and you literally told me that you wouldn't take me out because you weren't in a good emotional headspace because the cowboys lost the night before. You literally did that. Do you remember that?

[Lance]

I don't remember that.

[Savannah]

You don't remember this?

[Lance]

That was supposed to be our first date.

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Lance]

No, I don't remember. I remember you saying you didn't want to. You didn't want to see me or hang out with me because it was my birthday, and so we didn't date until after my birthday.

[Savannah]

And then I remember you and I did finally go hang out. And then you got back together with your ex girlfriend. Yeah, daddy got back with his ex girlfriend and then reached back out to me, like, two weeks later and took me to Cracker Barrel. And then we dated.

[Lance]

That timeline's a little sketchy, but there is some reality in it.

[Savannah]

It was a rebound.

[Lance]

Okay? To be fair, I messaged her before I ever dated the other girl.

[Savannah]

Yeah, but then you got back with her.

[Lance]

Okay, well, at least I was honest and I said I can't date you because.

[Savannah]

Yeah, and remember we couldn't go to one of my favorite restaurants anymore because you said you got broken up there and it was, like, traumatic for you.

[Lance]

No.

[Savannah]

You don't remember any of this?

[Lance]

What restaurant?

[Savannah]

Taco oo.

[Lance]

Oh, I think that place is closed anyways now. Is it? I don't know.

[Savannah]

I don't know you. We haven't been back since you told me that.

[Lance]

Oh, I would go. I forgot that that even happened.

[Savannah]

Well, now you would. But it was fresh back then. Are you going to come sit with mommy? Okay. Lance, what is your favorite skincare product at SBA and why?

[Lance]

Probably one of. One of my longest used products. It has to be, I would say, like, Solo and one of my favorites. So skin better. Solo. Did they say why? Right. So Solo is really great, especially for. For men. It's because it was designed for men's skin. It's your. Your moisturizer and your vitamin C in one.

[Savannah]

It's your phone.

[Lance]

And it just has really helped. It really helped my skin out, especially in the beginning. And I've just been using it for so long, and you can. You can basically just use that product in, like, a sunscreen, and you're, like, good to go. So that's probably my favorite product.

[Savannah]

5 reasons you love Savannah. Go.

[Lance]

Who asked? Somebody asked that on my phone. Five reasons I love her. She is kind. She can be very kind and very loving. She is super funny, has a great sense of humor. She is the most beautiful woman in the entire world. She's a great mother. She is very Ambitious, very driven, hardworking. She basically just the coolest person I freaking know.

[Savannah]

So I know five reasons you don't like me.

[Lance]

Talks too much. Me to me. I don't know. That's. Then they're watching cow videos.

[Savannah]

Yeah. This is all you, boo. You said I talk a lot and I'm mean. What else?

[Lance]

I was kidding. Said you're mean to me.

[Savannah]

I am mean to you.

[Lance]

Only sometimes you're mean. You're a little sassy. I'm not gonna list five reasons why I hate you. I love you.

[Savannah]

I didn't say hate. Whoa. I said don't like.

[Lance]

Oh. Don't like.

[Savannah]

Cyrus. Do you want to see this long?

[Lance]

I plead the fifth.

[Savannah]

Okay.

[Lance]

I can't answer that.

[Savannah]

I can tell you five reasons I don't like you.

[Lance]

I'm sure you could.

[Savannah]

Okay, let's see here.

[Lance]

Oh. Oh, Lord in heaven.

[Savannah]

What do you think is Savannah's biggest accomplishment?

[Lance]

Biggest accomplishment? I don't know. I mean, I'm not sure how. How I would do that. I. Is that even the thing? Like, would you say you have a biggest accomplishment?

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Lance]

You do? Well, it's kind of a personal thing. I mean, I. I think. I don't know.

[Savannah]

First look at this.

[Lance]

Just really. Just the. The brand and the reputation she's built around herself. I mean, it's kind of the biggest. But I don't know how I could quantify.

[Savannah]

I would say.

[Lance]

I mean, I don't know.

[Savannah]

I would say my biggest accomplishment was becoming a mother. That's a big one. But professionally, I think the new spa. Just scaling the business.

[Lance]

Yeah.

[Savannah]

See a snowman, which I would say.

[Lance]

So too, but we're still in the works on that.

[Savannah]

Hopefully will have that next question for you. Is someone wants to know, like, your day by day, like, starting from when you wake up.

[Lance]

Oh, that's so boring.

[Savannah]

Well, that's what they want to know about. Three of those questions.

[Lance]

Three of them. I wake up when Cyrus wakes up, or I wake up before if he's going to his little to school three days a week. And then I eat. I've been. I've been big on Huel. H U E L. Did I spell it? H U E L. Yeah, it's like a meal replacement shake with a lot of protein. So I drink that, and then I drink coffee, and I take care of Cyrus, whatever he wants. And then when it's time for Savannah to wake up, then I say, good morning, sweetheart. I love you. Would you like some coffee? And then I get her some coffee and then run around With Cyrus and start doing stuff around the house. And then if Cyrus goes to school, then I take him to school, then I come back, and then I clean around the house and help Savannah with stuff. And then, oh, my God, I have, like, a weird. It's pretty much my entire day.

[Savannah]

Yeah, he's basically Cyrus and I's servants.

[Lance]

Just doing stuff for Cyrus. Doing stuff for Savannah. Doing stuff for the house. Yeah, yeah. Stuff that I need to do for the business or for the house we're building. Anything like that. Pretty. Pretty boring. And then hopefully after Cyrus goes to bed, then we can spend a little time together.

[Savannah]

Okay, here's a business one. What's the difference between an LLC and a sole proprietorship?

[Lance]

Well, a lot of times when people start their business, they start as a sole proprietor because it's easy. Just basically anyone who. Anyone can just kind of basically create a business. And so a lot of times they start as a sole proprietor. Savannah even did that. Even as a sole proprietor, you can still get, like, a ein, which is your employee identification number. So we still had employees as a sole proprietorship. But there's obviously some disadvantages to being a sole proprietor. And I guess kind of the biggest one that's typically said is that your liability is not. Is, like, unlimited, and so you could basically, you know, be sued for more money, and it could potentially reach your. You personally. Whereas when you have, like, something like an LLC or you're incorporated, you typically are somewhat shielded from liability, or it doesn't extend past the business, which is why it's called, like, a limited liability company. So that's probably the. The basics. And then you could become. You could be an llc, and then you can. You can elect to be taxed as, you know, in different ways as, like, a partnership, as an s. Corporation. Um, so there's a lot of stuff. And my biggest advice would be to work with professionals that are knowledgeable and know what's going on with you. So, like, a. Work with CPAs and attorneys and lawyers and stuff like that.

[Savannah]

Okay, cool. Next question. Five top business advice that you could give someone. Like, the best business advice for an esthetician.

[Lance]

For an esthetician that's like, new, maybe.

[Savannah]

Or just anyone that's trying to start a business or some of your, like, best tips or things that, you know, we've had issues with that you've, like, we've learned along the way.

[Lance]

Yeah. Yeah, I'd probably say to kind of start it. It can be hard to. To. Obviously it takes a long time to scale up, so Start on the smaller end, you know, and try to get your clients and not take on too much debt. You know, maybe start in a suite and then kind of there, which is kind of what Savannah has, has kind of said, you know, that way you can get your clientele up. You don't have this huge overhead or a 5, 10 year lease, you know, so start small, work your way up, keep your bookkeeping simple and keep up with your bookkeeping.

[Savannah]

And no, you're not going. Bye. Bye.

[Lance]

Come on, buddy. Now they're running away. Yeah, Try to, try to simplify it. Make sure you have a separate account for the. The business. And then if you do choose to or eventually make like an LLC, then you'll have to have a separate account. And QuickBooks is easy to use. So you can use QuickBooks. If you are really not savvy or you don't want to learn, then you can get a bookkeeper to help you out with some stuff. But just keep stuff organized. It'll really help you out. Save receipts is good. And remember, you have to pay taxes. So a lot of new business owners, they just see money coming in and money coming in. But guess what, you're not paying any income tax on that typically. So make sure you're holding back like 30% just so you know you have money because eventually you're going to want to start paying quarterly. You do your estimated quarterly taxes. So, yeah, just try to learn that. I always say try to learn the back end some because even if you are the most successful person at, at selling in and growing and doing this and that, people like that still have ended up in bad financial positions because they are not responsible. And so I would say that's just part of business. It's sad reality. You have the back end and then you have. You're making money on the, you know, on the front end. So.

[Savannah]

I agree. I think one of the big ones for me too was to make sure you're not getting charged sales tax from your companies that you're buying products from.

[Lance]

Yeah, that could be a big issue.

[Savannah]

Potentially that you're being taxed properly.

[Lance]

Always make sure. So. And it's really easy, pretty easy to get that.

[Savannah]

Do you want to come sing in the microphone?

[Lance]

I can't remember the exact, exact name of it. And it's a different name for different. Hey, you want to sing, buddy?

[Savannah]

This is the good one. This is the one that's on.

[Lance]

Oh, he doesn't want to sing. Cool guy.

[Savannah]

Okay. He's singing up on the rooftop for you guys.

[Lance]

Yeah. Although I'm pretty sure he's not Mike. Close.

[Savannah]

I don't think it's Mike. Spider is his mic. I did not know that.

[Lance]

I did not know that either.

[Savannah]

Santa Claus. Okay, all. Bye. Bye. Done.

[Lance]

Oh, he was doing karaoke yesterday, so he has way more familiarity.

[Savannah]

Can you sing mommy's favorite song? What about Frosty?

[Cyrus]

Frosty so red.

[Savannah]

And what else did you just say? The cancer?

[Lance]

I'm not sure.

[Savannah]

You have to sing it in the microphone or they can't hear you. Okay, thank you, Cyrus.

[Lance]

I didn't know that microphone was on, so hopefully he didn't. I don't know much audio bad, but hopefully it's all right.

[Savannah]

Our boy Spider can fix it. Maybe. Okay, go back to your little.

[Lance]

Well, you just said with wholesale.

[Savannah]

Can you come sit with mommy? She wants to get.

[Lance]

Yeah, so if you're like an esthetician buying stuff from a company, you're. They're selling it to you at wholesale cost. But in order. In order to do that, you have to have like, your sales tax permit from the state. So make sure you have that so you can pay. You don't have to pay sales tax, guys.

[Savannah]

You just can skip this whole episode. It's okay.

[Lance]

It's okay. We've been going for a while on this one, haven't we?

[Savannah]

Or no, Cyrus. How about we sing. What's your other favorite song? What about the Wheels on the bus?

[Cyrus]

The wheels on the bus go round and round the baby. I'm.

[Savannah]

Sorry. You have to sit here so they can see you. Because they can't see you when you sit there. The camera is not showing you. You want to come sit here and you can have mommy's microphone.

[Lance]

You want to come use this microphone?

[Savannah]

Cyrus says, well, you're not on the video.

[Lance]

What's your daddy say?

[Savannah]

How about you and daddy switch?

[Lance]

You want to sit over here, buddy?

[Savannah]

Come sit with mommy. We're going to interview you. Cyrus, it's your turn. Come sit with mommy.

[Lance]

Sit over here, bud.

[Cyrus]

No, no, no.

[Savannah]

Oh, Cyrus, be gentle with daddy.

[Lance]

Daddy sensitive.

[Savannah]

There you go, Cyrus. He really just likes that one. Okay. Anyway. Okay. What would you say, Lance, is our biggest regret in business?

[Lance]

Just keep everything organized as possible and. And just cut. Make sure you have time to work on the boring back end stuff that you don't want to work on. Make sure you know the normal ways to hire employees and what documents you need. And he's saying, bow, bow, bow.

[Savannah]

Hands on your knees.

[Lance]

Hands on your knees.

[Savannah]

He learns a little bit of sexy red. We just we dabble with Christmas songs and sexy red. That's all he knows.

[Lance]

It's the only things he knows.

[Savannah]

Yeah. I would definitely say that my biggest business regret, I would definitely say, was that I hadn't. Didn't have anything, like, set up for my success and growth. And I think that's so important to have, you know, because you never know when you're gonna go viral. You never know when your business is gonna take off. So do you find a random book, Cyrus?

[Lance]

Very nice.

[Savannah]

Nice. Be gentle with it, because we don't know whose book that is.

[Lance]

What do you mean by that being set up for your, like.

[Savannah]

No.

[Lance]

Good point.

[Savannah]

Just understanding, like, how to grow business. Sales tax, employees, employment laws, contracts. If you're having 1099 workers, just everything like that. Like, you just have to have it ready to go. Like, systems in place. Because, I mean, when I was in my salon suite, I was doing everything on my cell phone. Like, I literally didn't have square. I didn't have a POS system. Like, I would just type in, like, I'd have, like, a sheet from the company, and I would just type in, like, every product that they're purchasing and then give them, like, a grand total on. And then just charge that way. So it wasn't tracking anything. I didn't have good charting.

[Lance]

Yeah. Thank you, Cyrus. Yeah. It can be hard being a business owner, especially as you grow. You just come up, you just run into. Hopefully he's not too loud because he's not on, but you just run into kind of more and more things that are happening, and you find out that you have to pay just more and more taxes to, like, the county, to the state, to the federal government. So it can obviously be very fruitful, but you have to put up with kind of more stuff, and you're gonna pay more in taxes and in fees and stuff than you ever thought you would have.

[Savannah]

Yeah, I definitely think that's true. There's just a lot of things when it comes to business that you just kind of learn along the way.

[Lance]

Like, employees are very hard.

[Savannah]

Employees are very hard.

[Lance]

When you get a good one, maybe try to hold on to them. Right.

[Savannah]

Would you say that 1,000%.

[Lance]

Yeah. Loyalty is worth a lot?

[Savannah]

Okay, I want you to talk about this, because this is above my head. 401k matching that we do, like, all of our benefits that we offer at SBA and how to do it.

[Lance]

Do you want me to say what we do have?

[Savannah]

Yeah. And PPO and, like, all that insurance.

[Lance]

So are you saying my name Savannah Boda. So at this point.

[Savannah]

Welcome Savannah Boda. Aesthetics is what you say. Sisai.

[Lance]

We primarily use. We primarily use QuickBooks for stuff. And so like for payroll right now we just use QuickBooks. At some point we, we might not do that or might not be able to as we grow. And so obviously you have to run payroll. We run it twice a month, which I'm pretty sure we're required to. So make sure. I mean, there's just a lot of employment loss. And so we run payroll twice a month. I had it set up. We made a safeguard for 1K. It has a automatic matching of. I can't remember if it's 4 or 6%, but so everyone that. That works with us, let's say they make a hundred dollars, well, that's kind of a bad number, but. Or a thousand dollars, like $60 is automatically going to go into the 401k for them that we're paying on their behalf. So then safeguards to the reason why you set them up like that traditionally, which is not really advice I'm giving, but just kind of what happens is that 401ks get kind of complicated and all this employee benefits get complicated because they want to make sure that 401ks aren't like discriminatory. They don't get too top heavy, which would be like the owners. If Savannah had a 401k plan, but she's the only one with money in it, then that obviously it doesn't look good and basically there you won't be able to have a 401k plan anymore. So if you do the safeguard like that, it was good for the employees because they're getting. They're earning more money on top of what they're already earning and it's helping with their retirement. So that's why. And we had advice of how to set it up. So make sure you're consulting with, you know, probably CPA on that, of how to do it because they see that stuff day in and day out. So that's how the 401k works, at least with us. And then health insurance, I mean there's just so many ways to get health insurance and so many companies and salesmen and saleswomen that will help you out and are knowledgeable. But like there's obviously like ppo. So we have a PPO option which is that's kind of the typically the better group option that a company would have. Like if you worked for a large company, you would typically have a PPO plan which is better and you have a lot less limitations. And so we do offer, like, at least one PPO type, and then we have the HMO type. HMOs are less flexible and less ideal, like, if you're actually going to be using your insurance often, although it is much cheaper. And so I would recommend to kind of have both, because just typically that way you're gonna have more participation, and you have to have so much participation, otherwise they cancel your insurance. So it's another issue you run into with health insurance.

[Savannah]

We can't have dental. Did you tell them that?

[Lance]

Yeah, we couldn't get dental because nobody signed up for dental. And so we just don't have dental insurance. So hopefully in the future, or coming this next cycle, we'll get dental insurance.

[Savannah]

Hopefully everyone gets cavities on my team.

[Lance]

Hopefully other people want dental insurance, so that way we can offer it. Yeah, but, yeah, there's a lot.

[Savannah]

Okay, how about we talk about how we pay Cyrus to set him up for his future through the business?

[Lance]

Yeah. So a pretty common thing that business owners do and.

[Savannah]

Hey, Cyrus. Have to be very gentle. That's not ours. So you have to be gentle. Hey, don't beat up daddy.

[Lance]

Hey. There's a common thing that a lot of business owners will do if they can, is that you can hire members of your family because they can work for you, and even your children can work for you, too. And if you earn under a certain amount, you obviously don't have to pay, like, federal taxes on it. So what people will do is that if they have younger kids, they'll pay them maybe a few grand. And then as your kids get older, they pay them a little more as they do work, which they needed to do some kind of work. Right. Or some kind of promotion or after they need to do something to add value. You can't just pay someone to pay someone, but at least not through a business. But, yeah, so what people will do is hire their children, make their children work. They don't have to pay taxes on that. And then they'll a lot of times just put that money into a 401k plan, not to a 401k. I'm sorry, you cannot do that into a Roth. IRA is typically what people do. And so that's a really common way. And if you do that and you have compound interest and everything, and they're earning a few thousand, five thousand as they get older, a little more as they get older, that money could turn into a lot of money when they're 20, and then when they're 59, 60, 65. That could be a lot of money potentially. So that is a pretty common way that people help kind of jumpstart their children's, you know, financial future.

[Savannah]

And Cyrus is on my Instagram quite a bit, so that's helpful.

[Lance]

Yeah, he's done a lot of stuff with, like, photo shoots and with photos and. And even, like, recently with the new, like, Civ, the skincare product. He was a model. His. Yeah, yeah, he's a model. He had, like, the eczema really acting up and showing, like, before and afters and stuff, and. And it gets. It gets easier, obviously, to pay them a little more as they get older because they are actually doing stuff. They're taking out the trash. They're. You could pay them hourly. You could pay them contractually, although it wouldn't be a 1099, but.

[Savannah]

Hey, hey. No hitting. Dottie. Ah, no kidding. Cyrus James.

[Lance]

Mommy said no. I love you. Has this been a long episode?

[Savannah]

I'm not sure where we're at. Cyrus, I think we're doing a little interview for you. Do you want to answer questions? You do you need to see mommy?

[Lance]

Come here, because we're on the last. We're on the last portion, buddy.

[Savannah]

Do we have a lollipop?

[Lance]

Probably not.

[Savannah]

Wait, really? I told you to put some in his bag.

[Lance]

I don't know if I put more in there because he ate so many the other day because we drove for four hours yesterday.

[Savannah]

Here, give it to mommy. Hey, be careful. You're so strong.

[Lance]

Okay, we'll look for it. I don't think we do.

[Savannah]

Okay, Cyrus, you want to answer some questions? No.

[Lance]

No.

[Savannah]

What's Cyrus's favorite color?

[Lance]

Does Cyrus like monster trucks? Yes. The answer was yes.

[Savannah]

Look what mommy has. Highest and active. I think there might be one.

[Lance]

Oh, you got a lollipop that's. Well, it's really bad. Oh, no.

[Savannah]

So what's inside yours's diaper bag? Hyacintactive. And a sheer stick from skin butter reapply Sunscreen.

[Lance]

Sunscreen. And also I'll use that, too. I'll use his in a pinch as well because I use the same one. Candy from a baby.

[Savannah]

Thank you.

[Lance]

It actually wouldn't be easy to take candy from Cyrus. I guess he's not a baby either, but yeah.

[Savannah]

Do you want daddy to open that, Mommy? You just want to touch it? It's sticky. Okay. I think we'll see if there's one more question for you, and then you guys can skedaddle so I can finish efficiently.

[Lance]

Yes, ma'am. Yeah, that way you can get a couple episodes. Yeah, because, you guys, we're distracted.

[Savannah]

Easiest to work with. Hang on. My phone's a little.

[Lance]

And then we're doing this. We didn't have child care today, so.

[Savannah]

Cyrus, do you see yourself in the camera? Go say hi to the camera. You have to go to number two. Do you see the one that's lit up right there? It has the red light. You have to go stand in front of that one and say hi. And say, hi, besties. You have to go stand in front of it, Bubby. You have to go stand in front of it, baby. Like, stand right in front of that.

[Lance]

It's funny. He's barely off frame, by the way.

[Savannah]

Like, keep scooting. He's like, daddy, show him off.

[Lance]

Come here, bud. Go. My foot is. Go where my foot is. Oh, you want to.

[Savannah]

You want to shoot here?

[Lance]

What's wrong, Rabbit?

[Savannah]

I'm on me. Oh, it's stickies.

[Lance]

Is it stickies? Here, I'll get this out. Try not to put it in the mic.

[Savannah]

Okay?

[Lance]

Thank you for bearing with us.

[Savannah]

Yeah, no one really, really had that many questions for you, I fear.

[Lance]

Nobody had questions for me.

[Savannah]

No.

[Lance]

What if they had a question like. Like, what's it like being married to Lance? Answer positively.

[Savannah]

What's it like being married to Lance?

[Lance]

What's it like having a supportive husband who loves you and supports you and does almost everything he would want?

[Savannah]

Well, I'm not gonna out you, but how is it? Some days are good, some days are bad. I think marriage is hard. I think, for the most part, though, we have a good marriage. It's just, you know, it's hard with a little one, and I'm very high stress. And sometimes, you know, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink, you know?

[Lance]

Would you rather me be working, or would you rather me be doing what I'm doing now?

[Savannah]

I would rather you do what you do now, but without me having to tell you what to do. Which I think it's also to be fair and not kick you down, is. It's a. It's a learning curve. Like, you don't have. Whoa, Bubby. Cover your mouth. You got a boo boo. I'm right here. I think it's like a learning curve for men because they're not used to it. And, like, you know, Lance and I both came from living at home. We've never lived alone until we live together. And so for him, like, to learn how to do, like, laundry or, like, learn how to cook and like, all of those things. I feel like, you know, it took him a hot minute to, like, get comfortable with, but again, I mean, it's like, you know, I feel like we're finally like, this year, 2025. Like, I feel like we have, like, a good routine with our family and, like, you feel more capable of doing things without me having to, like, tell you. Because I think that was, like, honestly wanted to, like, your throat every day when I'd come home from work and you'd ask me, like, what's for dinner and things like that. So, yeah, I think it's nice now that you can cook and go to the grocery without me asking.

[Lance]

True.

[Savannah]

Any thoughts on that? Any notes?

[Lance]

Nope.

[Savannah]

No. Don't be sad.

[Lance]

No, no. I just don't have anything else to say.

[Savannah]

Would you not agree in the beginning of you staying home, like, it was really hard on our marriage.

[Lance]

I don't know what you mean by the beginning, though.

[Savannah]

Like, right when he was. Right when we had Cyrus. Yeah. Oh, and you started staying home and us getting, like, in the swing of things. Would you not say?

[Lance]

Yeah, it's a transitionary period. It's always going to be a challenge to get adjusted.

[Savannah]

And do you feel like it was hard for you to, like, take on the maternal part of the dynamic and, like, be able to be the one to provide at home and, you know, do all that? Because that is a lot. It's a big job in itself, you know, But I think it's. I think it's hard in general to be a stay at home mother or parent, and I think it's even harder to be a stay at home dad because it's not like, in your blood and DNA. You know what I mean?

[Lance]

Yeah. And there's other disadvantages too, because it's not like, like, it's a lot. Well, men can join a stay at home daddy group, but like I would say probably a lot of stay at.

[Savannah]

Home, it's very lonely.

[Lance]

Moms have. I mean, it's lonely for anyone, but they kind of can have a little bit of a better support structure.

[Savannah]

Yeah, definitely. In a community.

[Lance]

Yeah. And I didn't have that. I mean, luckily we have family that. That's close, but.

[Savannah]

Yeah, but no, I definitely think that was a big part of it, too. I think a lot of it was like just a learning curve for you and I think just really isolating, you know?

[Lance]

It's very isolating.

[Savannah]

I love you.

[Lance]

It's very different, but.

[Savannah]

Yeah, but I feel like this, like, year, like, we finally kind of have like, our dynamic down on, like, who's in control of what and, you know, whose responsibility is what in the house. And I think that's helped our marriage a bit. I mean, it was a rocky. It was rocky for sure. I think having a kid in general puts a strain on a marriage, but definitely, like, when roles are different in a marriage like that very quickly, I think it can cause a lot of, like, stress and just irritation on both sides.

[Lance]

Yeah, true.

[Savannah]

What do you think? You want to tell us what you think? What, what, what?

[Lance]

What?

[Cyrus]

I want guacamole.

[Savannah]

You want some guacamole?

[Lance]

Me and you, we'll go out to eat because daddy's hungry.

[Savannah]

Don't go eat without mommy. Mommy wants a taco.

[Lance]

We'll get a snack.

[Savannah]

What flavor is that lollipop?

[Cyrus]

Green.

[Savannah]

It's a green flavor.

[Lance]

It's watermelon.

[Savannah]

You say watermelon?

[Lance]

Green watermelon, though. So he's right. Yeah.

[Savannah]

Cyrus, what's your favorite color?

[Lance]

He doesn't have favorites. I don't think yet.

[Savannah]

He has favorites. He tells me red.

[Lance]

He tells you red?

[Savannah]

Yeah.

[Lance]

No.

[Savannah]

Cyrus, what's your favorite animal? Is it Nala?

[Lance]

No. Is it fit?

[Savannah]

Hey, Cyrus, what does sheep look or. This is cute. Are y'all ready for this? What does fits look like? A sheep. A doodle. And what does Millie look like? A burn. A noodle. Can you say it in the microphone so they can hear your cute voice?

[Lance]

A sheep. A doodle. Say, Cyrus. He's distracted.

[Savannah]

He's like, I'm getting my lollipop. Okay, well, hopefully you guys don't hate this podcast and cancel us. I fear was not probably my best work, but I carried the team as much as I could, so thank you.

[Lance]

Thank you, Savannah. Thanks for bearing with us. It's hard. It's very distracting.

[Savannah]

Cyrus, you want to say bye, besties? Lia, keep blowing my kiss on the camera. Look in the camera and blow. Kiss. Oh.

[Lance]

Oh. Come back.

[Savannah]

Very cute. Okay, Come back to mommy.

[Lance]

Oh, Lord. Oh, Lord.

[Savannah]

Can you say, hey, welcome to Spain, about aesthetics? All right, that's all we have to say. Cyrus said bye. Bye, guys.