Building a Legacy: Navigating Family Dynamics While Building a Million-Dollar Business

Briana Dai [00:00:11]:

Well, welcome back to episode two of she Means Millions. We are going to dive into a topic today that is hands down the number one most requested topic that we ever get asked about when we're on stage. Every single time we get questions about this, and that is, what, how do you work with your family?

 

Sandra Yancey [00:00:27]:

What's it like?

 

Briana Dai [00:00:28]:

What's that like? What's it like really like, for real? And so I think that we are going to get real, real on this real, real episode. We're going to get real on every episode, but this one, I think, is a little bit more personal. So go ahead and tell them how amazing it is to work with me.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:00:45]:

You mean after he fired you the first time?

 

Briana Dai [00:00:49]:

Listen, listen, listen.

 

Kym Yancey [00:00:53]:

No, you have to be willing, you know, as parents and. Yes. To go there.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:00:59]:

Yeah. It's real real.

 

Briana Dai [00:01:00]:

That is real real within fairness. So that was different. Okay. Because I was interning.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:01:06]:

Oh, let's. This is interesting. Okay, keep going.

 

Briana Dai [00:01:09]:

It was very low. Like, I don't even think I was getting paid for this internship, first of all. Second of all, it was my exploratory years. I think I was in my early 20s. And you put me into. You were trying to help me get into video editing, which was very savvy because you knew video was going to be a really big thing. And, you know, had I gotten into that, I probably would be a famous YouTuber and not be here right now. But, you know, it is what it is.

 

Briana Dai [00:01:36]:

So you put me in the video editing department. I was assigned to, like, go through all of the clips and select edit. And that just is not my forte. I'm really great at telling people what to do in that department, but to actually be that person was just not it for me. And. And so I wasn't really getting very much done. And I think Keith, who was like the senior head of the department, was like, yeah, she's not really doing anything.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:02:02]:

Because that wasn't the issue. The issue was. No, the issue was you weren't coming in on time.

 

Briana Dai [00:02:09]:

I don't know about that.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:02:11]:

Was that it?

 

Kym Yancey [00:02:12]:

No, it was both. It was. Well, you know, both things are happening.

 

Briana Dai [00:02:18]:

When you're not passionate about something.

 

Kym Yancey [00:02:20]:

Right.

 

Briana Dai [00:02:21]:

You know, but.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:02:22]:

Yeah, but it is a message, you know, that your dad fired you.

 

Briana Dai [00:02:26]:

Yeah. So what is the message?

 

Kym Yancey [00:02:30]:

No, I. I knew that it wasn't her passion, you know, that particular job and role. You know what I mean? And so that was the only reason. And I just thought, you know, you gotta have the. You gotta have the passion. You gotta want to do It. You know.

 

Briana Dai [00:02:42]:

Yeah, y' all had me doing everything. I was free child labor. By the time I could alphabetize, I was filing applications and alphabetical order. I was. Because you had, like, the printed files and abc, all the things. I remember that one. That one was a core memory that scarred me for life.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:03:02]:

But stuffing swag bags.

 

Briana Dai [00:03:04]:

Stuffing swag bags, helping put badges together, putting ribbons on badges.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:03:12]:

I remember asking you one year, so what is your biggest takeaway of what you've learned? And you said that I will never work in this office. I did.

 

Briana Dai [00:03:23]:

I said I would never work in a cube.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:03:24]:

And there you go.

 

Briana Dai [00:03:26]:

I never want to work in a cube. Okay.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:03:28]:

Light modification. Okay.

 

Briana Dai [00:03:30]:

Well, that's how I remember it.

 

Kym Yancey [00:03:32]:

Okay.

 

Briana Dai [00:03:34]:

But, yeah, I didn't. And. But, I mean, obviously, I enjoyed working with the company, and I did. Once I found my stride and what I was passionate about, I went down the makeup route, and y' all did hire me as a contractor.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:03:47]:

We did.

 

Briana Dai [00:03:47]:

I did a lot of makeup for you.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:03:50]:

Yes.

 

Briana Dai [00:03:50]:

Celebrity science clients started bringing in some of my team to do things for me when I couldn't do it, and I started to kind of get my stride more in that career.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:04:00]:

When you were first learning to cut hair, I showed up at your school.

 

Briana Dai [00:04:05]:

Yeah.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:04:06]:

Allowed you to cut my hair. I mean, if I wasn't going to support you, I was like, who? Who? How could I ask my friends to support you if I wasn't supporting you, you know? Yeah, yeah.

 

Briana Dai [00:04:16]:

But, yeah, I did. I got fired.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:04:20]:

And then you went out, though, that. What that did, though, was that made you say, okay, so I gotta go do my own thing.

 

Kym Yancey [00:04:26]:

Well, there's a big difference, man. When Brianna is fired up, you know, I mean, she really brings the magic, you know what I mean? So that was what was so important that time. Because, I mean, when you started that makeup artist Unleashed, I mean, that was a heck of a thing you put together. And next thing you know, it's like its own miniature eWomen network, but different, dealing with makeup artists. And.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:04:50]:

Yeah, tell everybody what it was. Because you. You did kind of pick. I mean, it is a great reflection of what you did witness and what you kind of picked up along the way and envisioned for yourself.

 

Briana Dai [00:05:03]:

Oh, it's so true. I wanted to do my passion, and so I got into the makeup and hair industry, and. And I was having a lot of success getting really big clients and contracts. And I think that the reason I was getting those opportunities over my peers is because I did grow up around business, and I understood how to write an Email and how to follow up and just the professionalism and the business acumen that a lot of makeup artists and hairstylists aren't taught in cosmetology school. And so I recognize at that point I was getting these opportunities, but I'm trading time for money. I. I'm not going to be able to build a life comparable to what my family has built if I don't figure out how to really monetize this at scale. And so I decided to start educating makeup artists and hairstylists on how to run their business, not just how to be great at their skill.

 

Kym Yancey [00:05:54]:

By the way, is there anybody else doing that kind of thing?

 

Briana Dai [00:05:56]:

I mean, at the time, I don't think so. That really didn't exist. There was a lot of makeup artist workshops to, like, learn how to do makeup better or to learn from celebrity makeup artists, but nobody was really doing the business side of it.

 

Kym Yancey [00:06:10]:

And you were incorporating, you know, personal development, too?

 

Briana Dai [00:06:13]:

Yes.

 

Kym Yancey [00:06:13]:

You know what I mean? Motivation, mindset.

 

Briana Dai [00:06:16]:

Yeah. I had a business partner at the time, and I remember we were writing out the curriculum. So it was like a four hour, intense, like, business part of the workshop. Half of the day was on the business side and we're writing out the curriculum and I'm talking about, you know, oh, we should teach them about people math because they're not with the right people. And she, she was learning all this stuff for the first time. She's like, I've never heard this stuff before. And she was really inspired because that it wasn't taught or talked about, but I took it for granted.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:06:41]:

Is pausing and taking a look at the people you're hanging around with, and are they adding and multiplying or are they subtracting and dividing?

 

Briana Dai [00:06:50]:

Exactly.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:06:51]:

Do they inspire you or tire you? Yep.

 

Briana Dai [00:06:56]:

So I grew up around this language and all of these. You know how you. What's another example? I. I can't think. The people math was a big one. Just even writing emails and following up and the fortune is in the follow up and just all of those little nuances that I learned through watching my parents grow their business. You know, I was able to take into the business class, but not only the business class portion, but even marketing it. I remember we wanted to host our first workshop and I couldn't.

 

Briana Dai [00:07:27]:

I was like, how are we going to fill this workshop? We started posting about it and we got a few interests, but it was a new company, so nobody really knew what they were signing up for.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:07:36]:

Right.

 

Briana Dai [00:07:36]:

And I remember every year my mom would take me On a mother daughter weekend when she had her tour. Because every year Sandra goes on the Sandra success summit and she travels to about 20 of our chapters and she speaks at the chapter level, which I think again, going back to the whole community conversation is why um, network is the powerhouse that it is. Because you've never lost that hands on touch to your community, even at scale. You always go to the top chapters and make sure that your. Your presence is seen and heard and felt. And that loyalty, I think, is what makes ewoman network special. And I witnessed you do that. And at the time I was just going to have a mother daughter weekend and I would watch you speak and you would then invite people into membership and then invite them to the conference during that event and you would sell these conference tickets and I.

 

Briana Dai [00:08:28]:

And then we would have a great mother daughter weekend. So fast forward to now. Wanting to sell my own workshops, I was like, I need to get in front of a room and invite them to my workshop.

 

Kym Yancey [00:08:37]:

Yeah.

 

Briana Dai [00:08:38]:

Because that's what my mom did. So how. What rooms can I go in? Oh, my gosh. I remember in cosmetology school there was a speaker there and he came and he invited us to a makeup thing. That's what, that's my track. That's what I need to do. And so I literally modeled my whole marketing strategy over what I saw with ewoman network and what mom did at her success summit. And I would call every cosmetology school, I would get booked to speak, I would teach the students some makeup.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:09:04]:

Drive there or fly there.

 

Briana Dai [00:09:05]:

Fly there because we were doing these in atlanta and charlotte and orlando and austin and all over. And I would literally book a week and have myself booked at every cosmetology school in the region and surrounding area. And I would sell the crap out of these workshops and we would get students coming and spending $1,000 for a day long workshop to learn half from me on business, and then the other half we would bring in like celebrity makeup artists.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:09:31]:

The other thing you learned from eWomenNetwork, how do you bring in people that people are going to go, oh, I want to go see that person. Your headliners, so to speak. And you. Yeah, got headliners. And some of those relationships are important relationships for you today.

 

Briana Dai [00:09:45]:

Yeah, it's so true. Yeah, I got to book, you know, Oprah's makeup artist. I got to book a huge makeup artist who has since passed away, AJ Crimson. And he worked with tanya luckett, I think was her name, and just some other big names, Kelly baker, who is still the Brow artist to the Kardashians. I mean, really huge people. That would really be the big draw. And then we would teach them the business, and then all the business aspects. I really did learn from you, my network as well.

 

Briana Dai [00:10:16]:

So it all. You can only connect the dots. Moving back. I think that's a Steve Jobs quote. You know, in life, nothing ever makes sense when you're in it. But when you're looking back, all of the dots and all of those little micro experiences that I had were really seeds that were helping prepare me for the woman that I was ultimately becoming. And then the events industry was exhausting, and I decided I need to start away from them to connect. And I can monetize this without being burnt out on events.

 

Briana Dai [00:10:40]:

And so I started a membership.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:10:42]:

Right. We changed businesses at that point.

 

Briana Dai [00:10:45]:

Yeah.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:10:45]:

And you called it Beauty Boss Network. So there goes eWomenNetwork.

 

Briana Dai [00:10:50]:

And you would think I knew what I was doing. You would think that it would all, like, have clicked at that point. But I had to come to the conclusion, y' all probably knew the whole time we've watching it happen, you were watching it happen. You're like.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:11:02]:

And we were. We had the person to hook you up with to build the back end of Beauty Boss Network. That was a connection that dad had. And. Yeah. And. And then you did your big launch right after the conference. There were a lot of people that were your raving fans and supporters that came over to that event and helped fill it, and it was just magical.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:11:24]:

We're off into the races.

 

Kym Yancey [00:11:26]:

There's. There's also. What I call the junction of your relationship is that, you know, after you had that internship relationship. And. And I, you know, I told you to stay. To stay at home.

 

Briana Dai [00:11:37]:

Yeah.

 

Kym Yancey [00:11:37]:

But then later, you know, you came back and we had at that time a creative director that was moving.

 

Briana Dai [00:11:45]:

Yeah.

 

Kym Yancey [00:11:45]:

Moving out, you know, moving from the state dyke Washington. And so we.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:11:49]:

We had a spare office. You were in it because you wanted to use our conference room for the team you had built.

 

Briana Dai [00:11:53]:

Yeah.

 

Kym Yancey [00:11:54]:

And so we were looking. We were hiring. And I remember you wanted to, you know, you wanted to talk about that position, you know.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:12:03]:

Well, actually, it was me. I went to her and said, who do you know? Yeah.

 

Briana Dai [00:12:07]:

And I was kind of jokingly. Kind of jokingly not joking, like, you should just hire me, you know, and you kind of raised your eyebrows, like, huh, that's a thought. And then I was like, oh, that is a thought.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:12:19]:

Huh.

 

Kym Yancey [00:12:21]:

And when that thought became more serious. Right.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:12:24]:

You started thinking about it.

 

Kym Yancey [00:12:25]:

You and I. I remember we had a. You and I, one on one, had a meeting in the conference room. And I think this is very important for any. Anybody in any family that, you know, she wasn't going to get in and work in the company because she was our. Our kid. Right. She was going to get in and work in the company because she had passion for it.

 

Kym Yancey [00:12:44]:

She wanted to succeed at it. She. And she does great work, you know, And I remember going in the conference room and. And saying to you, so. So what's going on? It was kind of like, what's going on with you? Like, you know, why would you do this? Why would you want to. Do you remember that conversation?

 

Sandra Yancey [00:12:59]:

No.

 

Briana Dai [00:13:00]:

Yeah. You're like, you. You. You really got to explain this to me. Y. And that is a huge takeaway, I think, for anyone listening who has, like a child that they are banking on being their succession plan. It's like that child really needs to come to the conclusion on their own. And you never pressured me once.

 

Briana Dai [00:13:20]:

You know, you were always supportive of me going after my own thing. And it wasn't until the stars really aligned and it became really clear that, like, oh, I. I'm kind of already doing this, and I could actually just do this at a larger scale and be an asset to the family business that my parents built. I've already learned so much from them. I think I had already invested. I literally paid for Soar coaching program and gone through Soar with me.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:13:48]:

That was my program. Yep.

 

Briana Dai [00:13:50]:

Your coaching program, your high end.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:13:52]:

And that's where you got a lot of your content. Yeah, now that I think about it.

 

Briana Dai [00:13:56]:

Yep. And that's also where I realized I was in business with the wrong person and I needed to get out of that business. And so, yeah, the stars just all aligned and I kind of came to the conclusion on my own that this is where I needed to be. It was never an ask or never anything I felt pressured to do.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:14:10]:

And so very organic, wasn't it?

 

Briana Dai [00:14:13]:

Really was.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:14:13]:

Really think about it. There was never like a formal sit down, want to run something by you. What do you think about this? It was kind of like this person is leaving and I need the kind of skills that you have. Who do you know? Like you.

 

Briana Dai [00:14:27]:

Yeah.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:14:28]:

Or you.

 

Briana Dai [00:14:29]:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's true. And that you can't contrive with a family member. You can't force it.

 

Kym Yancey [00:14:37]:

I mean, I hear people, you know, that have, you know, son or daughter, whatever case may be that's working in the business, but it's not really. It's not really performing.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:14:48]:

Yeah.

 

Briana Dai [00:14:48]:

And because they're not passionate about it and.

 

Kym Yancey [00:14:50]:

Right. And the parents are like, yeah. You know, just giving it to them. Just giving it to them. I. I know when we had our conversation, you know, I wanted to be real clear. Are you sure this is something you want to do? This is serious. Something you can be passionate about.

 

Kym Yancey [00:15:04]:

Because, I mean, it's. You know, you're going to be working, you know, you're going to. There won't be any room for, you know, goofing off, so to speak. I can't remember exactly what I said. Yeah, but. No, you made it abundantly clear to me. No, no, dad, I'm ready to go. I'm.

 

Kym Yancey [00:15:21]:

I want to do this.

 

Briana Dai [00:15:22]:

And I can't remember, but I'm pretty sure when I came in, it wasn't like, oh, you're gonna come in and we're gonna have a succession plan.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:15:32]:

I don't think it was either.

 

Briana Dai [00:15:33]:

I don't ever.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:15:34]:

I don't think that. I don't think that. It's funny how I can't remember that. Yeah, that too. Must have been just very organic. We just kind of saw you as, you know, working in the family business, but not really taking over the business.

 

Briana Dai [00:15:45]:

Right. It wasn't until. I don't even know when. Yeah. I don't even know how it happened or came about, but when I came in, it was not under the pretenses of, I'm going to come in, and for 10 years, I'm going to work this, and then I'm going to take it over. That was not. I don't even recall how that came about, but I do recall when we told the foundation advisory council, and they.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:16:07]:

Were like, don't announce it. Yes, don't announce it. Sandra, people aren't ready to hear. They're going to think that you're leaving and this and that and the other, and Brianna's still too green and this and that and the other. And I was like, okay, okay, okay.

 

Briana Dai [00:16:23]:

And.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:16:23]:

And then that was in the spring before our conference. And then there was something that just. I got out on that stage and there just was. I just got this download this, prompt this message, and I'm like, you know, this is our community. And how wonderful for them to know that there is a much more extended future than what I'm going to be able to deliver. And I remember it just came out. Did you hear me say that?

 

Briana Dai [00:16:56]:

Yeah. You were introducing me onto the stage for the. Found. For the. The Femtor Awards at the conference. And you were bringing me out, and you said, the future CEO of eWomenNetwork, Rihanna. And I didn't even know you were gonna do it, so I kind of was like, hey.

 

Kym Yancey [00:17:18]:

Okay.

 

Briana Dai [00:17:19]:

Hi, guys.

 

Kym Yancey [00:17:20]:

Right. Yeah.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:17:23]:

I just got this message that I had to own it, and I didn't. I needed to be, you know, in my own way, it was a form of authenticity in front of our community. It felt inauthentic to know that we had made this decision, and I wasn't going to share it. It just. There was something that happened to me in that moment that I just felt like, you know. Yeah.

 

Kym Yancey [00:17:51]:

The dynamic of a family working together, especially, you know, husband and wife. You know, we've got some great role models. When I think about Mike and Laura Herring being a couple that work together. You know what I mean? And that we, you know, that we admire and respect.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:18:08]:

Gravitated towards husband and wife.

 

Kym Yancey [00:18:10]:

Yeah. As I think about it, in real.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:18:13]:

Estate, even back in Ohio.

 

Kym Yancey [00:18:15]:

Back in Ohio, there's a real estate.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:18:17]:

Couple, you know, that became your godparents and that were. Yeah.

 

Kym Yancey [00:18:20]:

And our friends here, you know, that are in real estate. But, yeah, we. We do tend. And, you know, across the street. Right. I mean, it's all over the place. Couples working together. But.

 

Kym Yancey [00:18:32]:

But there is a dance. You know, we had to. Man. You know, we went through some challenging period.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:18:40]:

We still do with our staff. Our styles are so different.

 

Kym Yancey [00:18:42]:

Yeah.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:18:43]:

They could not be more different. We are in alignment regarding, I think, the mission, you know, the grand moonshot. The mission, the values and that kind of thing. But our work styles are so different. And I would venture to say that I think people that work for you, Kim, would not want to work for me, and people that work for me would not want to work for you.

 

Kym Yancey [00:19:05]:

That's fair.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:19:05]:

I think you're right because, you know, there's. It takes a certain kind of person. I'm a very kind of structured, orderly deadline. You know, I'm. And you're much more of the. You have a greater ability. It's one of the reasons why I fell in love with you, and it's one of the reasons why I think our marriage continues to work is because you have this creative. You know, you have to be careful saying to me, like, you know, let's.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:19:33]:

Let's go and have, you know, Italian dinner tonight at a certain restaurant. Because for me, the journey begins as we're, you know, with. Do you have reservations? The journey for you is as we pull out of the driveway. What. Are you still feeling that, or. I was thinking about this or I just saw this restaurant opened up, and it's taken me a while to learn how to kind of roll with the punches and discover that that really is, you know, what I love about you. But that can also drive me crazy working with you. So that's why we have very clear kind of shops.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:20:10]:

And Brianne, I think you're a. A real. A real great blend, you know, of. Of the two of us, you know, I think.

 

Briana Dai [00:20:19]:

Yeah, I've. I've. I've reported directly to both of you at this point, and your styles are completely different. And I think.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:20:28]:

Which one do you like better?

 

Kym Yancey [00:20:30]:

Mm.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:20:34]:

This is the real real.

 

Briana Dai [00:20:36]:

This is the real real. I can't believe you're asking me this question.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:20:39]:

It's okay.

 

Briana Dai [00:20:41]:

I think my quest, my answer is neither. But I love you both.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:20:46]:

That's the politically correct side of you.

 

Briana Dai [00:20:51]:

But each have their challenges, right? I think that the older I have gotten and the more responsibilities have been added to my plate, the more I favor your mom's style. Because, dad, you're notorious, bro. You're notorious for, like, coming or call, giving me a call and be like, hey, you. You think you can come down to the conference room and have a little creative discussion? I just want to talk about. I just want to talk about the website. And I'm like, what's the agenda? What part of the website are we going over? What's the what. What deliverables are we trying to achieve in this meeting? But you just love to have, like, creative discuss discussions, and that's your style and that's how you create new ideas and all.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:21:33]:

But I'm like, without a timeline.

 

Briana Dai [00:21:35]:

Without a timeline or an agenda. I need an agenda. What are we trying to achieve? I need to know. And so. But I think that that's also a beautiful thing because I can come into those meetings and I can now I can come into them and. And have a little bit more business acumen. I remember there was a time, a story. I'm going to digress and go off for a second, but probably one of my biggest learning edges with working with my parents has been being able to compartmentalize between when they're my parent and when they're my bosses or colleagues, because the way that I behave is totally different.

 

Briana Dai [00:22:13]:

The way that I would totally feel comfortable sassing my dad is not the way that I should behave in an office environment in front of staff members. And there was actually an employee who was reporting to me at the time, but she was in the department also working with You. And we were having kind of like a. A meeting about, you know, how. How are you feeling? How's it going? And she was like, you know, I'm kind of having a hard time. I kind of. I get really uncomfortable sometimes in meetings with. With Kim.

 

Briana Dai [00:22:44]:

And honestly, it's kind of the way that you speak to him. And I was like, yeah, you wouldn't speak to your dad that way, huh? She goes, I wouldn't speak to my boss that way. And that was like, oh, shoot. Like that. To me, that was a defining moment in terms of how I show up in the environment. Environment that I'm creating for our team. Because this is not the time or the place to be the sassy daughter. You know, this is the time to be a leader and to present myself as such.

 

Briana Dai [00:23:15]:

And I really flipped a switch from that point forward. Even when I was feeling kind of frustrated or like, oh, we're not following the agenda, instead of being sassy about it, I figured out how to be political correct and respectful. And that communication piece, I think, is really huge. Is. Is assimilating and being able to turn on mom and dad mode versus Sandra and Kim mode.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:23:36]:

Yeah.

 

Briana Dai [00:23:37]:

And now I even have you both saved in my phone as Mama Sandra Yancey, or Daddy O Kim Yancey. Because depending on the mode that I'm in, I'll tell. I'll say, siri, calm Mama. And it'll call mom or Siri calls Sandra, and it knows to call Sandra. But it's really like you're two different entities now in my mind.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:23:58]:

And I know it when you walk in my office and you say, sandra, I know it's business.

 

Briana Dai [00:24:02]:

Is that weird for you, by the way? It's not weird anymore.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:24:04]:

Not anymore. I don't think anything of it.

 

Briana Dai [00:24:06]:

Yeah.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:24:06]:

Because for me, it's a. It's a delineation. It's kind of like I know what headspace you're in walking into my office. And other times you'll come in and go, hey, mom. And I'll know immediately that it's a mom conversation.

 

Briana Dai [00:24:17]:

Yeah.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:24:17]:

You know what I mean? A mom daughter versus a Sandra Briana.

 

Briana Dai [00:24:22]:

Yeah, no, it's. It's true. Like the.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:24:24]:

I'll come into your office, say, hey, Brianna. I'll say, hey, honey. You know what I mean? There's just. There's a way. It. For me, it's become a way to understand how we shift and manage the different roles and keep them separate and distinct.

 

Briana Dai [00:24:39]:

Yeah. I think that's the secret to being able to do it effectively, too. But I do. I love working with both of you. I think that I favor mom's style more and I think that it complements you well, because you can kind of, when I say you, I'm talking to dad, Kim, whoever. You can kind of go all over the place. And I am, I think now a lot stronger at reeling in the creativity and saying, okay, so what are we trying to accomplish and making sure that we're walking away with productive action? You know, that I think has become a skill set that I've developed within the UMA network that I've had to.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:25:16]:

Learn to do with you, Kim, is just to make sure that you, that I'm honoring the time that you take sometimes because your brilliant ideas sometimes really do come at the 11th hours. I mean, it's never been like you are just wasting energy and time. You sometimes, I mean, there's times I go, that is the most unbelievable, brilliant idea had. I wish you'd come up with it a month ago. But the truth of the matter is, I can't deny that while this is going to require rework and last minuteness, it is so the right thing to do, you know, and to honor creativity like yours has been something that has been, you know, a skill and a gift for me to be able to honor in you. It took me a while to do that because I would be like, it's the 11th hour. You can't do that. You know, we're done, we're ready.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:26:25]:

You know, and I've learned to say, lance, wait a minute here. This is Kim. This is Kim. This is his gift. And to slow down and listen. And sometimes you are just so spot on and has caused some of the most brilliant things that we've done.

 

Kym Yancey [00:26:40]:

Well, you know, it's, it's really fascinating how we've had to learn ourselves, all of us. I mean, I remember how. And you told me this, Sandra, you know, but my emotions would show on my face.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:26:54]:

Yes.

 

Kym Yancey [00:26:54]:

You know what I mean? And so if I'm disappointed, you know, or disapproving or disapproving in a way that's not good, you know, and, you know, I remember just making a change. Just making, making a change. Maybe it's as profound as that employee that was reporting to you that said, I wouldn't talk to anybody that way.

 

Briana Dai [00:27:16]:

You talk to my boss that way.

 

Kym Yancey [00:27:18]:

Yeah, but I, you know, I so respect you and your ideas, Brianna's ideas. I, you know, I know. And there's times when you guys have a concept that I'm not rarely but sometimes I'm not on board with. I mean, one of them was when we did the first success reimagined out of COVID and all that stuff. And I just thought, yeah, not the place to spend this kind of money on something that we had not ever done. Well, so to speak.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:27:48]:

We had never done. Yeah, well, never, never done an online event. And now we're going to do a, you know, the challenge.

 

Briana Dai [00:27:54]:

It was the challenge, I think that was like.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:27:56]:

But the challenge was selling the event. The reason for the challenge ye was to sell tickets to the event. And I didn't even know what a challenge was. Neither one of us knew what a challenge was. And you were on maternity leave with Tatiana. And so I'm staying at your house actually, but trying to listen to challenges to understand, you know, the, basically the anatomy of a challenge. What is the purpose of this, how does it work and that kind of thing so that I can turn around and do one. Your first day back from maternity leave.

 

Briana Dai [00:28:29]:

Yeah.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:28:29]:

That then sold tickets to our three day online event. And that was a tough time. That was a real tough time for me in our working relationship because I felt like I was, I. I felt like I was alone.

 

Kym Yancey [00:28:44]:

Well, and I think it's critical that the other person doesn't feel valued or there's empathy, you know, and awareness about your feelings in your space. You know what I mean? I will say, I mean really, e Women network really put a spotlight on that for me in terms of just the other one.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:29:05]:

You weren't on board with that. We did anyway and we've learned a lot from that and leverage it today. And that was when I said, people keep asking me, how do we do retreats, how do we do high end, the kinds of high ends. Would I be able to, you know, peel back the curtain and share with them all the tips and tricks and secrets and, you know, that kind of thing. And remember. And I proposed, why don't we do a retreat on retreats and let's call it that, let's buy the URL, let's take everyone to Thailand. And I proposed it to the entire executive growth team. And everybody was, no, that is not a good use of our time.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:29:51]:

And nobody was going to sign up.

 

Kym Yancey [00:29:54]:

Yeah, it was so big, you know, Thailand, my God, we're going to take them. That's across the ocean.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:30:03]:

And I really had to go away and pray about it, you know, and journal and meditate. All the things. All the things.

 

Kym Yancey [00:30:09]:

What do you think though, that that makes. Because I feel, you know, definitely Definitely heard. Hopefully. Hopefully you feel the same way, but in the company, I mean, today, you know, what do you think is key to a healthy. You know, I think business life and personal life.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:30:28]:

I think our values are such that we allow everybody to say what. How they feel. And I think it's happened so rare. Like, I really can only think of two, but maybe there's another one I just can't think of right now where we've really disagreed on something. But we've always said that somebody's gotta make the decision. I mean, there's gotta be somebody that ultimately makes the decision when we're in a disagreement. And you have been honorable enough to say, sandra, that should be you. Because after all, our audience is women.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:31:00]:

And I'm gonna wake up every day as a man. I'm not always gonna see things the way you see them as a woman. And what we've said was, okay, so when we walk out of this room, we may not all be united in terms of wanting to do something, but once the decision is made, we're going to all walk out of here and support it 100%. And I think that was when we figured that out. I think that that became a real critical component for our success, both in marriage and in business. Okay, we're going to make this decision. Right. And then the other person can't say that they, I told you so, or I never wanted to do this or hit a roadblock.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:31:48]:

See, I told you this was going to be. No, we decided that we were going to support this decision regardless of whose idea it was. Once we make a decision, we're supporting it. I mean, we're all. We're all 100% in. There's no holding back kind of thing.

 

Kym Yancey [00:32:08]:

What do you think is the key? This is really for both of you. What do you think is the key to us having a healthy work relationship today? You know what I mean? For you, that supports you in the right way, you know? Now, understand, we've all been around people where, you know, one spouse makes a recommendation and the other one rolls their eyes.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:32:38]:

Yeah.

 

Kym Yancey [00:32:38]:

You know what I'm saying? Does the old roll your eye thing or what it gets may be.

 

Briana Dai [00:32:42]:

Yeah.

 

Kym Yancey [00:32:42]:

You know, not a good look. Not. Not a good look. Not a good look.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:32:45]:

You know, I. I do think it's the united front that we ultimately. I mean, we have a fundamental value around when we walk out of the conference room or when we get off the meeting on Zoom or whatever. Whatever the decision is, we're all in, and we're all going to do whatever it takes that's in our shop to make sure that that decision is given its best chance to work.

 

Kym Yancey [00:33:12]:

Yeah. What about you, Brianna?

 

Briana Dai [00:33:17]:

I think it's just doing what I say and caving into my beliefs on everything is the key. No, no. I think, honestly, yeah, I think I take for granted that the. The open and transparent communication. You know, there is definitely a respect level that you have to have in front of your team, you know.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:33:46]:

Because.

 

Briana Dai [00:33:46]:

You don't want to create that kind of toxic work environment for the people around you. So I think that that is critical. And then if there is a strong disagreement, that it's handled more privately because as family, we can be a lot more candid with each other about how I. I really strongly see this differently.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:34:02]:

Yeah.

 

Briana Dai [00:34:02]:

Like we. I really want to put my foot down on this, but I won't sometimes press that hard in front of everyone. I'd rather do that privately because then puts other people in an awkward situation and then they feel like, oh, like mom and dad are coming down on Bri or Bree's.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:34:19]:

There's cracks in the foundation, you know.

 

Briana Dai [00:34:20]:

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And you don't want that. So I think that creating a solid foundation for your team is important. And then having really transparent communication privately and, you know, sometimes it is hard because you're. We're passionate about the business. The business is your third baby. And, you know, to me, it's my sibling.

 

Briana Dai [00:34:40]:

So I love this business. You know what I mean? And so when we disagree about something, it is very personal. Yeah, the business is personal. You know, it's not totally separate and it's not just a black and white. And so I can, if I don't feel good about something, leave the office and bring it home and feel frustrated about it because it's not just a business. It's so much more than that.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:35:03]:

And so it's not a job.

 

Briana Dai [00:35:04]:

And it's not a job. You know, it's. It's a calling. And it is something that I'm incredibly passionate about, as are you. So I think that I value the fact that we can have open and transparent and honest communication. And it's something that I have certainly taken for granted that we have this ability to do because it's one thing to say it, but it's another thing to do it.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:35:27]:

Oh, totally.

 

Briana Dai [00:35:29]:

And I've learned that with working with friends because I'll. I've brought friends in that I love that come from other worlds that I've brought in as contractors that have had really strong relationships with, both personally and professionally. But it started out personally and it's never ended well. And it's unfortunate to say that, but it's the truth. And I think I just take for granted I can say to somebody, hey, it's really important if we're going to work together that you know that the minute something, it feels off that you have to tell me, you have to communicate that with me. And I can say that all day long. And maybe it's a woman thing because I. I haven't admittedly done this with very many men.

 

Briana Dai [00:36:07]:

It's always been with women that I bring in that I'm friends with that will start to do some work with, but they always hold things in and they always let it bubble up and then it always turns into an explosion. And I think the key to working with each other is never letting something get to that boiling point where now you're having an explosion. If you can keep everything at a simmer level, it's never going to boil over. And I think that that's been our key to success. And whether you're working with family or friends, making sure that not only you have that understanding, but you live that understanding that you don't just say you're going to be transparent when something's bothering you, but you are transparent when something's bothering you. And it's easier said than done when it's an uncomfortable conversation, you know?

 

Kym Yancey [00:36:50]:

Yeah. Yeah.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:36:51]:

One of the things I want to say that I admire about you, Brianna, is that we had a meeting not too long ago with someone that has been in, that we've relied on, that's provide our technology and that kind of thing for events. Very, very long period of time. And he was before that even a friend of Kim's. And so their relationship even goes way back, talking well over 20 years. And. And he recently came into a meeting and he's worked with our executive growth team, you know, that which is the core executive team for many years. And he knows everybody and we had a new member. And so when he came into the meeting, I started providing him a longer introduction.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:37:38]:

We didn't get to the agenda right away. And I was explaining the new team member and how we've known her for 18 years and just all the things. Not realizing that you were like, why is Mom.

 

Briana Dai [00:37:52]:

Yeah, I was like low key, getting irritated, Sandra, on this. Get to the meeting.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:37:56]:

Right. But what I loved about that is you really didn't say anything during the meeting. But that evening you actually called me at home and you said, hey, how did you phrase it? This might be a mentor moment or something like that.

 

Briana Dai [00:38:10]:

Yeah, this is a learning moment for me.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:38:11]:

Yeah. Tell me what was behind the amount of time you took to explain the new team member, you know, to our. To our top tech guy. He was the owner of the business. And when I explained, you know, he's known us for so long and this is a brand new face, and I know how private he feels and how attached he is to our success and that kind of thing, I just wanted him to know this is a new team member. It has a long history with us that we are so excited, you know, to have on the team, etc. And then you said, okay, now I got it. I.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:38:44]:

And I really. I never did say to you, I've been wanting to. I never did say to you how amazing I felt in terms of how you handled that, you know. Yeah, it's just a real moment. You'd thought about it. It was clear to me you'd been thinking about it for a couple of hours and you wanted to get that clarity before you went to bed.

 

Briana Dai [00:39:09]:

Yeah. Yeah.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:39:10]:

And I appreciated it.

 

Briana Dai [00:39:11]:

Well, thank you. It's true sometimes, you know, sometimes y' all can be long winded on things. And as a millennial, and I know the Gen Z's are even worse, we like to move really, really fast. And so sometimes it's like, oh, my gosh, this feels like overkill of information. Can we just get to the point? But I think one of the better lessons that I've gained from working so closely with you and seeing the success that you've built is recognizing that sometimes it's okay to slow down in order to speed up.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:39:42]:

Yeah.

 

Kym Yancey [00:39:44]:

So why don't we each give our top. Whether it's three or top five, whatever they are. But. And I don't mind starting and go first, so you can see where I'm coming from on this. But your top five, let's say suggestions or critical areas of critical concern that couples working together need to be mindful of.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:40:08]:

I have one.

 

Kym Yancey [00:40:09]:

You have one. You want to go first?

 

Sandra Yancey [00:40:10]:

You can. I just know I don't need five. I have one.

 

Kym Yancey [00:40:12]:

You have one. Well, dag on it. What's your one?

 

Sandra Yancey [00:40:16]:

My one is be clear on your sandboxes. What I really do believe is that I don't get into your sandbox without being invited or asking for permission. And you don't get into my sandbox without either being invited. Hey, Kim, I need your ID in this. Or asking for permission. Hey, Sandra, I'm seeing something, and I know that this is in your shop, and I just. I want to talk to you about it. I want to share some thoughts.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:40:48]:

And whenever we have done that, it has always worked out really well. And whenever we violate that, there's always a little bit of attention.

 

Kym Yancey [00:40:58]:

Yeah. So mine is one. I like that communication piece you did with your mother where you had a concern, you didn't bring it up. Then at the meeting, you called her later and talked about it. But I happen to like that. I think that's. I think that's a really good. Really great.

 

Kym Yancey [00:41:14]:

I know personally, I've noticed you not being as reactive to things and giving yourself space so you can think about it, reflect on it, or whatever the case may be, and, you know, give patience and again, empathy to the person that you might be engaged with in this case, with me, you know, I really appreciate it. All right. Are you tracking with what I'm saying?

 

Briana Dai [00:41:43]:

I am, yeah. No, I definitely worked very hard at consciousness. I can tell me or healed me. Gonna show up on this meeting?

 

Kym Yancey [00:41:48]:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I've really noticed that. I think, especially for the male counterpart in the relationship, you know, and I said this before on stage, you know, men are really simple with this. They just like to know what it is. You know, it's almost like, you know, guys can get hit, like, hit with something that's bothering you in the same way that you. That a person is driving down the street and somebody honks at you like you're doing something wrong, and you're looking around and saying, what did I do wrong? I mean, yeah, you honked at me. I mean, I'm looking at my. What did I do? But no, you're.

 

Kym Yancey [00:42:25]:

You're way over in the other lane. You could hit that other person. You know what I'm saying?

 

Sandra Yancey [00:42:28]:

Yeah.

 

Kym Yancey [00:42:28]:

So I think. I think it's so vital that you explain to the person, you know, what's going on or how you're feeling and not letting things mount up. You know what I call. I used to call it pancake. Here's something here's bothering me. Here's something here's bothering me. You got this pancake of emotional things that he has no idea. You know what I mean? I think it's very important for couples to talk about, and I think it is also being honoring.

 

Kym Yancey [00:43:02]:

And believe it or not, this is a big thing. But, you know, what is communication? All of communication is. 7% is the actual words. Right. I think it's 35%. Is tone of voice, tone. And then 55% is body language. Now just think about that for a second, how important your tone is, you know, to make that connection where the tone is not elevated.

 

Kym Yancey [00:43:29]:

You know, it's a big thing. I see that. You know, with. It's amazing those times when someone's maybe in the office for some studio work, we're doing something and they're talking to someone else, and I hear something come out of them. I'm like, whoa. Like, man, not only was your tone, you know, abusive, you know, but also your message. I mean, how you framed it. And they were talking to their husband, you know, I mean, those things, that tone of voice and body language is.

 

Kym Yancey [00:44:00]:

I've had to learn to really pay attention to that. I think those are key. And then my last one are the three T's. You know, three T's. Time. Touching, talking. You have to spend time. I don't care whether it's going to a movie or holding hands or whatever, but, you know, you have to spend time with the person.

 

Kym Yancey [00:44:19]:

You know what I mean? Touching. Touching their heart, touching their emotions, physically touching them, you know, and talking. I mean, having that conversation. I've appreciated. I've appreciated the times that here, especially recently, where it's like, I didn't bring my phone. I didn't do this. Even though I know every now and.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:44:43]:

Then he'll ask me something. Kim's great for saying, how old is so and so? You know what I mean? And I'm the one that goes, hey, sorry, how old are you? Was Robert Redford when he passed away, Whatever it might be, you know, and what I've been doing is leaving my phone at home, just really trying to detach, because when I have it, it's very easy for me to get distracted, and I'm trying to give you more of my attention.

 

Kym Yancey [00:45:03]:

Well, it's also, you know, you want to share the. Share the scenery with the person that's sitting next to you instead of the person.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:45:13]:

Final thought on what you've learned.

 

Briana Dai [00:45:18]:

So much. I. I mean, you two both touched on really big ones. But I think that the thing. The big takeaway, I'll add, which we've kind of already spoken to, is being able to compartmentalize who you're talking to in that environment. You know, for me, as the. As the next generation working with their mom and dad, you know, the. The way that I interact with my mom and my dad at home or in the house that I grew up in or, you know, is.

 

Briana Dai [00:45:50]:

Is it. It's a It's different. It's different than when you're in a professional environment and when you are trying to be a leader in that environment, making sure that you set that tone. Because people do look at me, I feel that I have almost like a higher expectation to uphold an image because I'm representing you. And people almost expect the, you know, child coming into the business to have an air of entitlement. And so it's really important to me to never, ever come across as an entitled kid that's coming into this business, but also to set the tone for how we treat each other. Because I think that how I learned how I act and the way that I might interact or, you know, who I might go to to vent. Right.

 

Briana Dai [00:46:41]:

You know, most people, they, if you had a rough day at the office, you could call your mom and vent, you know, but who do you call when you're venting about your mom? You know what I mean? Like, you need to know who's a safe space. And for me, that's my husband, you know, not that I'm venting about y' all often, but, but, but no, but.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:46:59]:

You know, you do.

 

Briana Dai [00:46:59]:

You have to have that safe space. And so, and recognizing who is that safe space, it is certainly not a co worker. That is an absolute. Never. You can never speak negatively about your family or your bosses or anything that's happening in office to a co worker. And you have to treat everyone with respect. And that is something that I have had to. It's a skill that I've had to develop and to learn.

 

Briana Dai [00:47:19]:

And I think that any, any next generation family member coming into a second generation business has to really hold up the mirror to themselves and make sure that they're really holding that standard for their parents, but also for everybody and on the team.

 

Kym Yancey [00:47:36]:

Good. Great.

 

Briana Dai [00:47:38]:

Yeah.

 

Sandra Yancey [00:47:38]:

All right. Okay.

 

Briana Dai [00:47:39]:

All right.

 

Kym Yancey [00:47:40]:

Almost called that a wrap.

 

Briana Dai [00:47:41]:

All right. All right. Well, until next time. She doesn't just mean business, she means millions.