Interview with Ursula Hessenflow on My Lab startup

hello you're listening to the life of an entrepreneur coming to you from skid row studios.com in downtown los angeles we're very happy to have you here today thank you for tuning in we are here live streaming every tuesday at 11 a.m and that specific standard time on skid row studios and this is real radio on the internet and my show is the life of an entrepreneur and i am jan mccarthy and i'm the founder and creative director of entrepreneurial voice and i provide entrepreneurs with resources and tools advice and counsel to help them to launch their business and and grow it if you have a dream any of those things so i'm here to help you and share business tips topics and meaningful talk with you and i'm here to help you and share business tips topics and meaningful talk with with you and and just helping you to with your with your business needs i'm very excited today to have our guest ursula hessenflow of my lab and we're going to talk to her a little bit about her business how she is getting started what she's done a little bit about what her business is and and just uh various topics and information that we would love to share with you so welcome ursula thank you how are you i'm good it's fun to be here good so tell us how you got started tell me tell me a little bit about your background about what led you to entrepreneurship oh that that's a longer story but i'll make it short um i actually went to art school and i so i have kind of the creative background um and then that sort of led me into just wanting to put my analytical and creative sites together so i went to business school went to usc entrepreneur program loved it um and ever since i graduated it's always just kind of been this journey where i partnered with a friend of mine at a college to do an import export business and we were importing and exporting products in it from indonesia um i helped work with a company a vocational assessment company to build out all the satellite businesses and then i started to evolve and and i i co-founded an interactive agency uh with another good friend of mine that we grew over five years it started with me and him and i was doing all the operations and he was doing the business development and it grew uh substantially and still is growing um even after i left um and most recently i uh co-founded a company called channel factory and that we grew over three years to 40 employees and uh it's now grossing 10 million dollars it's every year been bootstrapped and we've just um amazingly never had to take any investment and and have grown it that that large so but i must i'm a startup guru i love the startup energy so i recently stepped back into an advisory position to launch a new company and that's the my lab um and i partner with uh another business contact and friend of mine that has been running a pr consulting agency um to launch that well you have brought up so many different things that i think entrepreneurs would really be interested knowing about i mean first of all you did you said you also got a degree in art uh yes so i the i went to art school okay so art and then i transitioned into business school yes so so that's that's the creative analytical mix which is really important skills to have i mean we've talked on this show before about the benefit of having that creative um just intuition that that helps you to kind of think outside the box and and maybe take bigger risk because in art you do tend to take bigger risk um when you're when you're being creative that way so those are very important things and the other thing that i've heard you mention uh several times is with your various companies that you've partnered and that's that can sometimes be a slippery slope or it can be the best idea that you ever had because you've taken the best of your skills and your strengths and partnered with someone else who hopefully is bringing other things to the table but it it really reinforces uh the concept of of teamwork and the fact that you have to work with someone else to work together and it sounds like you've um done an excellent job in the fact that these companies have grown substantially and all under the direction of of you and one or more other other partners so i definitely want to talk a little bit about what you look for in a partner you mentioned that you did it with friends and sometimes that can be fabulous and sometimes that can be a real disaster because we don't always look at we assume because they're our friend they will be an ideal partner and that can sometimes be a bad mix right um and doesn't always translate right and um and then uh you um also mentioned about the companies that you started but i also wanted to talk to you about um whether you the the jobs that you've held and how what made you kind of go back and forth between entrepreneurship so okay so there's a lot to talk about there okay um well let's let's start with with the creative part um because i i absolutely believe that my artistic background really drove me into entrepreneurship um and i think it's because you you learn creative ways to to solve all kinds of problems and i think it's because of problems and i think you access a very different part of your brain and that's very important to ideation and and you know being able to create something out of nothing right i think so that's what we do as entrepreneurs is we're just kind of problem solving our world and we see see a problem and it's like think thinking of of you know a an alternative that's outside the box so i think it gets you into that out of box um outside the box thinking um i think um in terms of choosing partners um i definitely can't say that that hadn't been a bumpy road um i'm still very good friends with my first business partner um but i think in in that particular one um you know we did learn that that that you really have to set expectations between each other and and you know what your roles are and you know what what you expect of each other um very much up front because that's where that one kind of broke down and even though we were able to get through it and and and kind of move on it it was a breakdown in expectations um i think that then i had i did take kind of a series of jobs where it was sort of more entrepreneurial um where i was kind of building out a piece of business um i also played a part in it and i think that's where i'm at right now um and i think that's where i'm at right now um and i think that's where i'm at right now um and i think that's where i'm at right now a little part in non-profit organization um as their second employee um and i think um didn't like the non-profit model um just because i felt like we it it was a culture of kind of begging for money and and you know spending a lot of time really on a whole year we would be working on trying to push forward a policy that may not may or may not get passed um and i think that's where i'm at right now um and i think that's where i'm at right now um and so while i think i learned a lot from that um i really wanted to do something more where i felt like i think there were more instant results that you could really sort of see um uh inch by inch you know happen over time um and that's when i had had kind of taken on more the entrepreneurial role with the vocational assessment company and which is a very important thing for me because i think it's a very important thing for me because also a big trend these days you know trying to get employees to think more like an entrepreneur and and take part in the company and and have some sort of ownership even if it's not a financial ownership it's a mindset of ownership yeah exactly and i think that's what he was really good at and i think that also helped it helped me give the it gave me confidence that i always knew i wanted to do it or set out on my own and i think that's what i've learned and and and do something of my own but um i did take on a series of partners and and and i have again because i think what i've realized over time that yes is very important to really evaluate your partner and i wouldn't say that the partners i've taken on have been great friends in the beginning we became better friends through our partnership we had worked together in some capacity i've been able to work with them and i've been able to work with them um a couple of my partners we actually had served on on the board of an arts organization together and i think it's just we learned really well how we worked together and that's where the partnership it started to make sense where we started to talk about well you know how how could we really build something together um that's a great point that's a great point if you're if you're thinking of some people just say oh i just want a partner i don't want to be doing this by myself but if you can look for those organic uh situations that just help you to see oh this is i work really well with this person they bring a lot of skills that i don't they're they're going to work as hard at at something as i am that's going to be really beneficial to you later on down the road right and i think you really want to look and what i've learned is just you really want to look for complementary skills and i think that i found i just work better when i have someone that um i can i can really sync with and that we can bounce ideas off of each other and and be a bit of a sounding board and and i would also say don't look for somebody that's just like you because you're gonna butt heads right um you're definitely want it it's if you start to to find that you're not necessarily agreeing on all points but then you come to like a great solution that's a great partner and that's a great way to start to work together and i think that's a great way to start to work together and i think that's a great way to start to work together and i think that's a great way to start to work together and i think that's a great way to start to work together yeah that's a that's great advice that's really great advice i'd like to let any of our listeners know that if you'd like to call in and talk to myself or ursula we'd love to hear from you and the number is 1-800-893-9562 and you can call in and ask us questions so all right so let's get back to um uh just going further with what you were talking about with the partners or any of the other subjects that we were referring to okay so i mentioned partners and then what was and we did the the creative we talked about the creative side and and even even going back to uh just the the partnership and and i do want to get to go forward and talk about your business and what you're doing now and and how that's applicable to uh entrepreneurship and and what we can learn learn from that and take inspiration from um i think that the the subject of partners and just the fact that that you did get through it and that we learned from mistakes so with your your first um company that you partnered with you said okay this is what i can take away from this and how admirable that you were able to get through the bumpy parts and still have a friendship and a connection without just incredibly hard feelings and oh you know so that's critical and and and she's still an amazing individual and i think that's a great way to start and i think that's a great way to start and i think that's a great way to start and i think that's a great way to start and i think that's a great way to start advisor to me today and is running a very successful business and we've talked about other business ventures together so i think you know that was just more us learning how to have a partnership with with someone else did you always know that you wanted to be an entrepreneur i know that you said you feel like the art kind of drove you but when you were growing up um you must have initially had an interest in art so that's why you went to art school but in the back of your mind what what were you thinking you wanted to be when you grew up you know at one point i think i i i thought i wanted to be a fashion designer okay um but i but that was still all very entrepreneurial like i would i would make i didn't know how to sew but i would like make clothes for my barbie dolls and my grandmother would go to the thrift store and find all these like beautiful fabrics and and i love to just make things and build environments and i would make um earrings and things and go to the craft march it's you know the park and sell them and it's like so it was always like i was always being creative but then i was always thinking of like some sort of business model around it even early on and i think that's just part of the way that i'm wired is that that i i love to be creative but i'm always thinking about about what's the business model yeah no i think that's great and so many people don't recognize or give credit to those those things that you did in the early stages and recognizing that you were kind of building these little businesses like you said taking it and selling it and and and even though you didn't necessarily have the skills like sewing skills to make this you didn't let that stop you and those are traits and skills that apply today that we're going to come up against things that we don't know because obviously we can't know everything but you had the wherewithal to to to look at it differently to figure out a different way to to keep going forward not letting that obstacle stop you well i don't know how to sew so what that doesn't mean i can't still make an outfit you know so um looking back and and recognizing that this was an entrepreneur in the making and kind of begs the question is an entrepreneur born or are they made um and and and referring back to the fact that i don't know if i'm going to say i'd love to know what you think i don't i think that they're made but you're born with certain skill sets um and and traits that will enable you to be a success and so you describing that about what you thought you wanted to do when you were younger i mean really it was just setting the stage uh for for building your own company and creating that and and learning how to overcome the obstacles and and how could you make it profitable right and i think a big part of being an entrepreneur is very much design thinking and being a good problem solver yes and that's really what it is yeah i agree with you totally so uh so you had the one business that you did with your partner and uh you dissolved that partnership then you went on and you started another business um just so i get these things in order um straight so i did take some jobs in between where i was i i was working for an arts policy um arts education policy non-profit organization because i felt like something's not just not creative enough here so um i really and i and i wanted to see how that model works um so i got a lot of experience in the non-profit space um and that's when i transitioned more into just the more entrepreneurial and helping um uh a lovely man grow his vocational assessment company um into satellite offices um and that's where i started to feel like oh okay it's it's it's time for me to to really go out and and do this again and and do this again but but also you know i've i've had partners so i feel like those partners have also given me a lot of strength um because we've always been compliments so the last two companies that i've worked with are um i've worked with um i've worked with um i've worked with um i've worked with um i've worked with companies have been the most successful um and you know i think they've been successful because i've partnered with uh basically uh a compliment you know a major compliment so and the interactive agency that we grew over five years and it's it's it's it's grown you know two or three times since then um i was always in a more uh operationally um and i've always been a more uh operational person and i've always been a more and he was very much business development and sales and the last uh startup when we first took this off the ground um it was literally you know me working it at home and and him in houston and we would be on skype and he was just an amazing sales and business development mind and you know i really understood the project management and the and how to run an operation and so when we got uh you know when when when sony said hey we want to do business with you you know he came to me and he's like well so how do we do this i love that you know people always think that you just know everything and sometimes you're definitely scrambling and these great opportunities happen but um so that's great that you shared that with us um so for for anyone who's who's listening or just just to kind of help clarify so you're in school you switched from art to entrepreneurship so at that point you knew i want to do something entrepreneurial did you know exactly what it was that first business that you wanted to start did you how did you find your partner how did how did that first idea get born and then develop and and grow um you know i wrote a completely different business plan in in school and i think that that was just i just wasn't really passionate about it i mean i went through it was a great idea i actually had won an award at at usc for it but um i i just wasn't passionate about it so i think i was really looking for something that i could really you know that's sparked so that's very key i just want to pause for just a second to say that even though this may be a great business if you don't have that passion and you don't have that why am i doing this then it will be hard to sustain that business and help it to uh launch successfully and and grow into to something meaningful yeah so so you ditched that that business plan then i guess yes okay yes and and that and that's when when we had started and we we my my friend and i think we were just really looking for you know what sort of resources did we have? And, you know, what was interesting? You know, what could we, you know, be passionate about? I mean, literally, we had looked at, because she had the Indonesia connection and her family had quite a lot of business there, that's where we started to think of, okay, so what's unique there that we could import or export into Indonesia? And so we were doing water filtration systems exports, and we were looking at like mahogany products that we were importing. And so that was just very organic. I would say, again, it was just kind of like looking at like problem solving, you know, what's needed, you know, what could we do? I don't know. What is cheaper? What is, you know, more beautiful than, you know, what you can get here? What are unique products? And that's how we started that business. It was very organic. And so when you left, you went, you worked at other companies, and then that entrepreneurial bug was... It's always been a bug. Was really starting to hit you on the head. It wasn't... It wasn't just a little buzz in your ear. I'm ready for this again. Now it's hitting you on the head and saying, okay, let's do this. Let's do this. How did you come up with, again, how did you find your partner? And how did you come up with the next idea, the next great idea? Of my current business? No, after... After that one. After the import-export business, then you had jobs that you did. That was also kind of organic. Because I knew that I had this bug, and my former business partner and I both served on the board of an arts organization. And he was, you know, just starting this business by himself here in the U.S. He was from Austria. And all these people on the board were all volunteers and, you know, had amazing busy lives and business. And I was like, oh, I'm going to do this. I'm going to do this. I'm going to do this. And I was like, oh, I'm going to do this. I'm going to do this. I'm going to do this. I'm going to do this. And I was like, oh, I'm going to do this. I'm going to do this. I'm going to do this. And things they were running. And I think we just... We realized like how... I think just how tenacious we both were. Again, another great skill. Yeah. And just, you know, where our strengths were. I mean, because you're just doing it, right? When you're doing something that's all just completely volunteer effort, we were throwing things together like huge art fundraisers with like... amazing artists and we were just doing it. And I think when you're just kind of in the thick of it together with people, I think that's where you also just like really learn like what their strengths are. And so we just found that bond and, you know, realized like, hey, you know, like he was wanting to start this agency here and, you know, I kind of had the complementary skills and sort of that evolved organically. And what was that exactly? You said it was an interactive agency. What was that specifically? So we were doing all kinds of digital advertising, web production. So we would build website properties, branded website properties. We were working with a lot of institutions like the L.A. County Museum of Art, the L.A. Museum of Art. So you were able to tap into some of those contacts that you had made being on the board and also being involved in the businesses, the companies that you were being an entrepreneur in, correct? Yeah, to some extent, I think definitely. I mean, it all, you know, as I mentioned before, even we started the show, it's just, I think it's just important to just keep talking to people about your ideas. And there was a point where I think it was a lot of people were like, oh, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. I think I was very protective about my ideas. But now I think I've realized over time, you know, with each business and each iteration is that you just need to keep talking. And you'll never know when somebody that, you know, maybe you live next door to like comes back around and is like, you know, sitting next to on the airplane is like, you know, a perfect piece of the pie. Right. And you're in your business solution. Right. And that brings up a good point, too, because a lot of entrepreneurs really do feel very protective. And oh, my gosh, if I share this and someone's going to steal it and this is I think this could be a really great idea. But the truth is, is it takes a lot to start a business and and to follow through with with everything. And there are there are no real, real original ideas. And the best kept secrets are really just that a best kept secret. Yeah. If you don't share it. So I love that you brought that up, that it's important to talk and and share that because you never know the information that you might get that could be that key piece to the puzzle or that person could be a great connector for you or maybe even come on as a partner or something like that. So. So you did the interactive agency. And is that the one that you're you're still a part of? No. So I. I think that that. There I felt like there was a limit to that that model because it was very much all a production model, very resource intensive. And I wanted to branch out and really like look at other types of digital business models. So, you know, we had talked about it and we had long conversations and we had replaced myself in the business model. And I think that that's a really significant step for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're doing for what we're of in the discovery process where you're just kind of putting yourself out there and really looking at a lot of ideas and, and, you know, problems, you know, that, that, that you want to solve. I was introduced to my, um, current business partner, uh, the, the CEO of, of, of Channel Factory. And, uh, that was really just a, a doing a favor for a friend and talking and, and, you know, bouncing ideas and introducing him to some people here in LA. And that's what I thought I was doing. And then all of a sudden he kept coming back and we kept talking and talking and, and, you know, six months later we were in business together. So again, it, it's, it's just a little bit of an organic discovery, whereas like, I, I think the intention was always there that I'm looking for something, um, sort of new and interesting to solve. And, you know, when he came to me, I, I think that I could really see the uniqueness and, and, and, and what, you know, he was trying to do. And I think we, we, when we distilled it down into sort of the bare bones of what it is, like I could, I could see like what, how broad it could be. And what, you know, a great business it could be. Um, so, and that was just, you know, putting the intention out there that, Hey, you know, here's my background and, and, and making connections. Well, I think just a blessing and a curse for most entrepreneurs is that we are always thinking and we're always coming up with ideas and, and looking at opportunities, uh, that will, um, continue to access and utilize our skills. Um, which is like you said, problem, problem solving and being creative and, and, uh, being tenacious and, and determined and looking for ways to, uh, make something better and even pulling from that, that place of, of pain or passion or something like that. So, uh, very, very common, not everyone always acts on it or is in a position to be able to act on it. But, uh, I think that, that we are all sort of addicted to ideas. Yes. You can become very addicted to ideas, but I think that there's a space for that. And that's, that's just what I figured even in this last transition when I decided like, okay, you know, we've grown a ton. We've got awesome people on our team. I can take a step back and I can really, you know, go back into startup mode again and explore. And, and, and, and, and, There is a certain amount of time, I think, that you need to allow yourself to just talk a lot and, you know, go to a lot of events and see what are people trying to solve and ideate. But then also not get too stuck on, you know, any one idea. And I think that's what's kind of amazing about our time and space in terms of starting a business is that it doesn't always, it doesn't take a lot of money to start a business anymore. I mean, some businesses do, but it's actually fairly easy to prototype a business. And can you elaborate a little bit on that? But before you do, let me just give out our number again for anyone listening. If you want to call in, it's 1-800-893-9000. 1-800-893-9000. So we'd love to hear from you. So go ahead about how, because what you just said is pretty profound. And most people get stuck back there at just that idea place of saying, wow, I know I've got a great idea, but I don't know how to do this and it's going to cost so much money. And there, the dream just dies. So if you can expand on that a little bit, I think that would be really awesome. Well, I think the first step is just talking about it. So, I mean, there's all kinds of spaces to be able to, like, even when I decided to, well, Channel Factory is very focused on social video marketing. And I think, you know, I had my head in that space, you know, for a long time. And while I had kind of been playing in the digital arena, I didn't know a lot about what was going on outside of that. So I spent a lot of time just, you know, going to a lot of different events and talking to a lot of different entrepreneurs. And I think you just feed off of that and you get a lot of ideas and you make connections. And I think that that starts to also build a certain confidence in some of the ideas that you're playing with. It modifies them. You're finding partners. You're finding business relationships. And then I think that's when you really realize that, oh, okay, you know, I mean, there are people that want to help me. And, you know, there are a lot of resources out there for me. And I do have something interesting. And it's also like what they say to exercise your writing muscle or it's exercising that muscle that one idea begets another, right? Exactly. And your ideas may evolve. But I think that doing a lot of talking and realizing how many people are out there that are interested or maybe not, you know, gives you like a lot of feedback on, you know, is this good? Is that idea good? What sort of sticking with people and what sort of feedback am I getting? And then you also realize that there's a lot of people that want to help you. Yeah. And that are very willing to help you and are willing to invest. So is that what you mean that it doesn't cost as much money to start a business by the fact that you will be able to, if you get out there and you take action and you start, you keep talking, which I think is a real key factor. Well, what I mean by that is what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what I mean by what That's one part. So one part is I think that you will realize, you know, what are your good ideas by going out there in the world and just talking a lot and talking a lot to people who maybe know more than you and, you know, and have experience. And maybe it's something that you have absolutely no experience in, but it's just a great idea. We'll talk to people who do have experience and you'll be amazed at how much they want to help you. So I think just in terms of building the confidence to know that if it is a good idea, you will find the resources to make it happen. But what I meant in terms of it being fairly easy to just determine like market viability for an idea, it's just now, I mean, I operate a lot in the digital space, so it's not hard to get up, you know, a website. And just start to do some lead capture where, you know, maybe you're doing some Google ads and some Facebook ads and you're just testing it and seeing, you know, how many people actually, you know, sign up pre-launch before you even have anything. So we've been starting to do some of that, but then also, you know, there's the whole crowdfunding phenomena. So there's, you know, Kickstarter and Indiegogo. And while I don't... See those as major fundraising platforms, what's amazing about using those is that it's very easy, again, to determine market viability. So if you start, you know, a campaign and, again, you've got to be prepared to promote it. So, you know, and we can all do that, you know, where there's... Or you find someone that's really good at social media, you know, that's passionate about your idea. But just, you know, through social media, through friends and family, you can get a sense of, is this idea... Are people really interested in this idea? Would they actually contribute money to this idea just through a very simple crowdfunding campaign before you even have anything? And there are places that you can go. Like you said, it's easy to put up a website or relatively easy, even if you're not that technocrat. I'm not a technical guru. And that there are places that you can go and build prototypes. There are several without... That's a whole other discussion. But there are places that you can go and build some of these prototypes using the collective use of machinery that may not have ever been possible to you just even a few years ago to be able to see if you can even build this product and what your capability is. Right. So let's continue a little bit because I want to talk, too, about the company that you're starting now. So you've got these other two companies that you were doing and the interactive agency and the collective... Channel Factory. Channel Factory. So you took the time to... Started getting knocked on the head again that it's time to... I've got more ideas up there that I can share and launch. And so you took the time, to be very creative, to think through about really kind of helping to clarify what it is that you thought you might want to do. And that's where you're... And then you've gone forward from that. But let's talk... Which is very recent. Yeah. So let's just talk a little bit about that process, like how you came up with my lab and what it is. And... But how you came up with that idea and how you're going forward. Okay. Well, it's funny because I, in the last year, had kind of recently been propelled back into the dating space. And so, you know, very naturally, that was kind of an area that I was looking at, like lots of problems and just thinking about, you know, what's going on in that space and how people are operating in that space because I had been married before. And so it was kind of new to me again. And a different world. And, you know, I was also looking for a business that... And, you know, going back to my former business partner and talking to him about a bunch of ideas. He just said, Ursula, you know, just like take some time and, you know, also really think about a business that, you know, that you can be passionate about and that has... You know, some level of social impact. So I think in all the ideas that we've sort of been evaluating with different partners, it's just I was really kind of looking for, you know, something that I could relate to and something that had some level of social impact. And funny enough, it's like in the dating space, I just found that people were being very awkward or not having conversations about their, you know, about being tested. And either not having a conversation or, you know, trusting. Trusting basically is the way that most people and especially I found younger people sort of operate in the dating space. And so when we looked at that and then we looked at, you know, 20 million STDs just in the US are breaking out every year. And what could we do with the latest technology that could be fun and also sort of take the burden off of people? So what my lab is, it's basically a subscription service where we kind of let people take control of their sexual health through home testing kits. So it's a complete home testing solution. So we're not asking people to replace, their doctor visits. In fact, we're encouraging that and we give them props and points, you know, in our system for doing that. And we remind them. But it's really more of a system for in between to keep testing, you know, regularly. So if you're dating and you're active, then you don't have to remember anymore. You're going to get a kit with all, you know, when you should be testing. And we've done a lot of research about, you know, when you should be, when you should be testing and what you should be testing for, you'll get the kit in the mail. You don't have to remember about it. And you'll do the kit and you'll be able to share those results with anybody that you want to, privately and securely. I see. So that sounds great because obviously if someone is active, it's not feasible financially, probably, to go to the doctor every week. Exactly. And get a test. So... And that's why people don't test as regular as they should either is because going to the doctor is expensive and even going to a lab is expensive. And we're, these home kits that we're using are actually FDA, ISO, just very governmental agency approved. Did you create the kit? No. Okay. So we actually are working with an exclusive distributor. Okay. A major manufacturer that actually invented the pregnancy test. I was going to say, this is really like the pregnancy test. It is. And once you find out that you're pregnant with that test, then obviously you need to go to the doctor and confirm that and everything. But that gives you the initial stages to start taking care of yourself once you find out. So doing this with the home test sounds just fabulous. What a brilliant idea. Yeah. And these are 99%. 99% accurate tests. And obviously, yes, if you do, the whole point is that most of these things are treatable and are not going to cause harm if you catch them in an early stage. Right. And they can be treated with most. Right. And even if you do run into something dangerous, obviously, you want to know that up front because you don't want to spread it. And you also want to be able to seek treatment as soon as you can. And so that's what we're really trying to solve. So how many things are you actually testing for then? I mean, there's a variety of things to test out there for. So does one kit do it all? Yes. So we have a couple of different plans. And each one is kind of designed more around, I guess, how active you consider yourself. And so, you know, on the sort of first tier, there'll be, you know, a certain packet that you'll get every month. And that's based on, again, on just a lot of data and, you know, CDC information and just about like when you should test for what. And so the really common ones we'll test for on a monthly basis. And then some of the most common ones, the more dangerous ones, but that you need a little bit of time to know, we'll test, you know, on a two or three month cycle. Okay. And so how much would something like this test, this home test cost? We're really looking at, so right now we're establishing the various tiers. We're really looking at trying to keep, keep it under $29 a month. So what we're trying to make, A, make it convenient, right? Because nobody likes to go to a lab. Nobody likes to go to a doctor. We're trying to make it. And it can be embarrassing too. Yes, it's embarrassing. And you don't want to disclose certain things to your doctor either. And we're trying to make it very convenient. So, you know, you're doing it at home. It's, you know, in the convenience of your own home and it's more affordable. So the, the, the, the reason why we decided to create a subscription model is so we can sort of break down the cost. So it's not as though, well, you know, it's been six months, maybe I better go spend a few hundred dollars with my doctor or a lab and, you know, and get tested for everything. So we're kind of breaking that cost down. So it's really palatable, but then also it's so you can just like, forget about it. It's like, you know, it's, you know, it's like, you know, that you're going to get this kit every month or every three months or, you know, whatever, you know, tier that you decide to sign up for and you just do it and, and, you know. So it's not like you have to remember and it's just making it sort of automated. Yeah. And, and we, we want people to sort of forget about it to an extent because otherwise they forget about it and they don't do it. Well, you're taking the worry out, but yet still providing a means for them to, to be in the know and to protect, protect themselves. So you're actually creating awareness about them protecting themselves and also protecting a partner as well. Right. And then, and then the other piece is just being able to like easily share that information, like in a non, you know, in an awkward way with partners. So, you know, it's not just like you're dragging, you're dragging out your last lab, which nobody does. That's very rare or go to a lab together, which again is even more rare. You know that this person is subscribed to this system. And so, you know that they're testing regularly. So you don't even necessarily always need to see their labs. I mean, obviously you want to know their status, but there's, you know, various levels of privacy and very, you know, however you want to share is, is, is up to you. So, you know, if it's just, you know, for your personal knowledge, then, you know, you can keep it private. If you want to kind of have a mechanism to share in a very, you know, an awkward way, like, you know, here's my, my lab and share it with a partner, then it's, you know, easy to, to send, send it, you know, a link that, that will only be available for a short period of time via email, or SMS. I see. That's great. So they're able to take this test. Are they able to get their results immediately or do they have to send it in? So our first rollout is going to be instant. So they'll do it. Like the pregnancy test. So you see a plus or minus and you know, I'm pregnant or I'm not, right? Yes. So this will say, yes, I have this STD or I don't, or I test clean or, or however. Yes. Yes. It is for that. Okay. Yes. So we feel, so, so our first model is going to be just rolling out with those home kits. Then we're going to, you know, just kind of based on, on, you know, where we see that grow, we may open up an option where they can do it through a clinical laboratory that we're associated with and get those verified results back into our system from, from a lab. The irony is that the lab is doing exactly the same thing as they're doing at home. And it's a very sort of foolproof system. There's not, there isn't any way to really, to, to, to screw it up. It's, it's very easy to do, but you know, it just gives somebody, you know, more confidence and, and, you know, potentially a partner more confidence if, if they're seeing something come back from a lab. Right. Well, I think. It's just more expensive. So, so awesome that you have, have taken a real problem out there. I love the advice that, that your former partner gave you to think about something that you're passionate about. And certainly you're out there, like you said, in the arena dating and, and, and obviously this is something that you have to be aware of and conscious of and, and to protect yourself. And then the fact that there's a social consciousness to it as well. Mm-hmm. And this is a growing epidemic, as you mentioned. And so you've, you've channeled that into a business that can be incredibly beneficial and, and sounds on the, on the face of it, very profitable as well, and, and can really solve a, a, a great problem out there. So you're in the, still in the beginning stages. Very beginning, yeah. You found your partner. And is that just through, did you have a partner in mind when you kind of came up with this idea or is this just through talking like you said? Yeah, it's really just been through talking. I, I think that, that I started talking a bit with one partner and, and, and kind of realized that that wasn't quite the right fit. And then I was talking quite a lot with my current business partner and, and I think we just sort of found, you know, she was just, like, I meant, and, you know, she got it. And she was like, I could use this, you know? And I think that's where we both, you know, both just knew, like, it was something that, like, we would personally like to see out available. And, and so, you know, that's where the synergy sort of came. And, you know, I had worked with her in the past. In fact, I had hired her as a PR consultant a couple of times. So, you know, I knew how she worked and, and I knew what she was capable of and, and, you know, she had produced a lot of great events and projects. So that's, that again, that's, that's how it started. It was just kind of talking to, to people that, you know, I knew I had some synergy with and, but it was, that was more the stage where I was really bouncing ideas off of people that I knew had a certain point of view. And so, you know, I knew she would have a great sort of PR and marketing angle. And she would tell me what she really thought and she loved it. And so we started to connect there, but, you know, we're actually found our supplier because again, I was talking with another friend mentor where I was just bouncing all the ideas that we, that I had kind of all the threads going on. And this is the one that really stuck with him too. And it was very ironic and well, I guess serendipitous. I think you'll, you'll find, I think when you, when you're out there, you know, you're out there, you know, you're out there and you're kind of planting the seeds for your ideas that they will come back around, that people will come back around. So serendipitously we were looking for a supplier and I was starting to do some more research on suppliers and he reached back out to me and he was like, I know this guy and this is a major supplier and they, you know, invented the pregnancy tests and we can get exclusive distribution and you should talk to him. I'm like, great. That's awesome. You know, I, we only have a couple of minutes left, but what I, did you even know that this type of kit existed or were you just hoping they have the pregnancy kit? Surely they have something like this. No. I mean, originally we were thinking of this more as a sharing app and we found a sharing app out there. So what we thought we were going to do, is actually integrate with a lab network. So this just totally evolved once you've, like you said, just through talking, you found out that this kit already actually existed and that could supply this kit to you. Well, that just sort of came to mind is that when we were thinking about the convenience piece, we were like, I wonder if there's a home kit. If there's a home kit, or we could design a home kit, that would make this pretty, like, much more interesting. I can see the light bulbs going off. Yeah, so then we were like, you know, Googling and found that there are home kits and people are selling them on Amazon, but like there's no model like this. Right, there's no instruction. There's no, you know, we do the work for you. You get it in the mail. You subscribe. We break down the cost. It's more like, you know, you pay $7. You know, for a test and you do it once and then maybe you do it six months later. And that's not, that doesn't solve the problem. It's not really the solution. Right, exactly. Well, I am so excited and thankful that you came to visit with us today and chat. It's what you are creating sounds brilliant and fascinating and you're solving a problem and you're thinking outside the box and you're being very creative and you're partnering. So, thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it. And I appreciate you sharing with others that are, have strengths and compliment what it is that you do as well and things that every entrepreneur should think about. So, thanks so much for being a part of the program and I look forward to sharing this information with our listeners. So, thank you. Well, thank you so much for inviting me. This was fun. Awesome. Thank you. I got the eye of the tiger The fire Dancing through the fire I am the, I am the champion And you're gonna hear me roar