Part 2: Celebrating All Things Boss Project
If you missed Part One of our four-part series, then you must go back and listen immediately! There are details and nuances that are going to be noticeably absent if you don’t go back and listen to that first episode first.
In this episode, we look back at the last eight years and celebrate all that Boss Project has accomplished! We’re sharing our journey as business partners, what it’s been like to work together, and some pearls of wisdom we’ve picked up along the way. Let’s dive into how we got here!
Listen on your favorite podcast player
The Origin Story: How Abagail and Emylee First Met
We’re so surprised that we still get this question! But recently, we had an in-person retreat and a few of our long-term clients asked us again. It all started when Abagail was working in marketing and design, and Emylee worked in photography and strategy. We were placed in an Instagram pod and teamed up to host Abagail’s first webinar. It was a seamless success. We got talking about where we wanted to go in the future and found that there was a lot of overlap. So we started working together with clients in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas. Soon after, we left client work behind and embraced the world of digital courses. We threw spaghetti at the wall until it began to evolve into the Boss Project you know and love today!
The One Thing That Stuck and Why
Over 10,000 people have gone through our Trello for Business program. That’s just wild. People loved it so much they blogged and shared about it themselves and told everyone they knew. It shaped a lot of what we became known for. It also helped us establish where we really excel– systems! We became the people who could help you behind the scenes. You could be good at what you did, and we would focus on running the operations and management of your business. That’s been a lot of fun.
Highlights From the Hottest Year: 2017
We launched the podcast. We had our first speaking gig. Then, we launched Trello 17 months later. There was no formula for any of it at the time. We’d just put things out there and pray! We landed in the top 15 in the world the week we launched our podcast. Literally how? You! If you hadn’t listened to it, it wouldn’t have gone anywhere, no matter how good it was. Since then, it’s consistently been in the top Business Management Podcasts worldwide. That is wild to us. That’s what has led to our millions of downloads on the podcast. We also made people mad with our strong opinions.
We Stand By Our Strong Opinions
Most recently, we’ve said some things about introducing a digital product to your service-based business. Although this could be controversial, we received so many messages from people thanking us for giving them permission to do things differently. Over the years, we have not necessarily followed the trends or what has been popular. That’s just because of who we are. For many of you, you feel seen and heard in a way you can’t find elsewhere. We’re giving people permission to be themselves and pursue what’s important to them regardless of what society says they should be doing.
Finding Synergy and Alignment in a Changing World
Recently, for the first time in eight years, we were not in sync with what we wanted to do with Boss Project. We are both so dedicated to making decisions that are in alignment that this posed a challenge. We couldn’t figure out what was next. We still can’t. It all goes back to what we’ve said from the beginning: our partnership works for us, we couldn’t tell you why, DON’T DO IT! With what we have been through over the last six weeks, we couldn’t emphasize that more. There are so many ways to engage and collaborate with people and a partnership is not necessary to have incredible relationships.
We Couldn’t Have Imagined Our Future
Saying yes, to begin with, was super low risk. We were in our twenties! We had no idea how huge this would become. We couldn’t have imagined it. Boss Project has grown far beyond either of our imaginations. We have served tens of thousands of clients all over the globe. We have generated millions of dollars. We have built a team. We have done so much together! Saying goodbye to what we’ve built, transitioning from it; that’s hard, no matter what. Neither of us would do any of it again. We’ll hire, equity share, and collaborate; but we won’t enter into another partnership with anyone.
Busting the Toxic Myth that Business Should be Easy
There’s a running theme in this industry that if you’re not happy, and you’re not finding it easy to run a business, you’re doing it wrong. That’s a gaslighting tool! Anyone who is telling you that it should be easy is trying to sell you a service or a product. They’re not telling the truth. We have intentionally said “no” to many people in this industry because we don’t jive with how they present themselves, talk about business, or navigate issues. We’re really picky. It’s hard to know who to trust; even for us! If you choose to run your own business, you are choosing to have different problems than other people. Everything is your problem.
Entering a Season of Experimentation
We’ve learned so much over the past eight years that entering into a new transition feels totally different to starting the Boss Project journey. We understand seasons now. Something can serve you for a year if you want it to, or eight years, or ten years, or anything in between. There’s a sense of lightness going into this transition. Some things we’ll try because they’re fun, and others we’ll implement to lay the groundwork for long term success. We’ve been working together for a long time, and entering a season of experimentation is super exciting and new for both of us. It’s also going to be challenging for both of us — to say that we have been unaffected by one another would be crazy. We were babies when we first started working together! There’s so much we’ve taught one another.
Starting Over is Not the Same as Starting From Zero
The speed with which things are coming together with our latest transition is literally all because of the years of experience we have behind us. This experience has shown us that while it’s still scary and emotional, there’s so much we’ve already learned. There’s so much we’ve already done, and it’s going to be okay. Even though this is a fresh start for both of us, Emylee’s legacy will always be a part of Boss Project. This is the most amicable separation you could imagine. It’s been a really wild ride, and we wouldn’t have done it with anyone else, and we never will again.
Stay tuned to hear what’s next for Emylee and everything that lies ahead. Abagail will share what’s next for Boss Project. We appreciate you! If you have a favorite moment or a way in which Emylee has impacted you, send that over to our Boss Project team. Let’s flood her with appreciation!
Quote This
There are so many ways to collaborate and work with other people that I don’t necessarily think a partnership is necessary to have incredible relationships and connections.
Highlights
The Origin Story: How Abagail and Emylee First Met [0:00:55]
The One Thing That Stuck and Why [0:04:22]
Highlights From the Hottest Year: 2017 [0:07:38]
We Stand By Our Strong Opinions [0:10:09]
Finding Synergy and Alignment in a Changing World [0:12:49]
We Couldn’t Have Imagined Our Future [0:17:39]
Busting the Toxic Myth that Business Should be Easy [0:21:26]
Entering a Season of Experimentation [0:26:06]
Starting Over is Not the Same as Starting From Zero [0:30:41]
Today’s Guest:
Abagail & Emylee
The Strategy Hour Podcast
The Strategy Hour Podcast is a twice weekly show hosted by Abagail Pumphrey and Emylee Williams, the founders of Boss Project. Join us for semi-ranty biz conversations for service providers looking to ethically grow their agency businesses. Episodes cover everything from lead generation to leadership mindset to team culture and beyond.
Key Topics:
Decision-making, Partnership, Creativity, Business, Operations, Strategy
