EP 222 - Tina Wells

Ellen Yin51min

Ellen Yin

00:00

You're listening to cubicle to CEO episode 222. I've always felt work life balance is an unrealistic expectation to strive for, because different seasons require different priorities. So I usually opt for the goal of work life harmony instead. Today's guest shares that same sentiment. Tina Wells, founder of RLVNT media and WNDRLN, launched a successful market research company at age 16, has published more than 15 books over the course of the last two decades, and has been recognized and Fast Company's 100 most creative people in business and Essence's 40 under 40. Her acclaimed Elevation Approach a framework for finding work life harmony Tina developed while confronting her own burnout expanded with a book and corresponding product line available at Target stores nationwide. And today's case study Tina takes us through how she's applied the four phases of her elevation approach to six extra revenue in two years, while cutting her daily work hours in half, and how you can apply it to your life seasonally, monthly, weekly and daily.

Ellen Yin

01:07

Welcome to cubicle to CEO the podcast. I'm your host, Ellen Yin. I quit my job without a backup plan and bootstrapped my first $300 freelance project into $2 million in revenue by age 28. On the show, you'll hear weekly case study interviews with leading entrepreneurs and CEOs who share one specific strategy that successfully grew their business revenue. Skip the expensive and time consuming learning curve of testing everything yourself by borrowing what actually works from the best and brightest mentors. You'll also get a front row seat to my founders journey through transparent income reports and behind the business solo episodes, subscribe now so we can grow together every Monday.

Ellen Yin

01:54

Hey, friends, I have a new friend that I made this year, Tina Wells who I was so honored to get to be on a panel with at Create & Cultivate Future Summit in Austin earlier this year. And Tina is I mean, what is Tina not is maybe a better is a better word, which if you heard the intro, you already know I mean, she's so accomplished. He's done so many things in different fields. And if you want to Google or listen to her founder story, it's definitely worth the research. But as you know, on this show, we are focused on asking founders, the business questions you can't google. So Tina, I would love for you to share with our listeners who are meeting you for the first time your cubicle to CEO story, the catalyst that really launched you into entrepreneurship. But this is just one small piece of Tina's story. So really, I do encourage all of you to go Google and listen to many of her other wonderful podcast interviews after this. So Tina, take the floor.

Tina Wells

02:50

I heard that I was reflecting on your title. I was like, I haven't spent that much time in the cubicle, right. Like I, I started in business when I was 15. The quick story is I wanted to be a fashion writer, you know, at 15 years old saw a job ad in the back of 17. magazine to be a writer for a new newspaper for girls I applied got a writing gig. And that really catapulted me into a career in market research. And I'm sure you're like, how do you go from writing to research? Well, I was a product review editor. And so I got to try products and tell people what I thought and literally spent 20 plus years doing that. And I think about what I get to do today. And I'm like, I'm still in a place of trying product and now building product and hoping that people will love it.

Tina Wells

03:34

And so I would say my quick story is really about being curious about bleeding into things that I was passionate about. Maybe not really understanding everything, but just kind of trusting my gut and putting one foot in front of the other and saying, I'm just going to try this new thing. And then that led to, as you said, a multifaceted career. And I love all the different things I get to do. But when I think about what grounds me and all of it, it's really the idea of using the skills that I'm best at which is really being a builder, right Brand Builder, or visionary in different areas coming up with product that I think serves different communities. I'm really creating the game plan and the marketing and the comms in between. And that's what I love to do and hope to do forever.

Ellen Yin

04:16

That's amazing. Well, you are an incredibly gifted storyteller as any may have ever read Tina's books or read them to your kids maybe would know and I think you're such a great connector of dots and speaking of all of the multi hyphenate things you do huge congratulations are in order your brand new product line WNDRLN just rolled out in Target stores this week. I know that's a huge deal. And I actually before we even get into the case study I just out of curiosity speaking of curiosity, I feel like I have to ask your company RLVNT media and multimedia content venture also is spelled without vowels and then WNDRLN also is missing the unintentional branding play. What's the story behind that?

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