136 – Marketing – with Ashley Freeborn of Smash + Tess

Elaine Tan Comeau 0:00

It's time to create better, create better family health,

Announcer 0:02

business and self Welcome to Elaine's Kitchen Table. This is where we share tips about business and parenting. Being a mom of three CEO of the award winning company Easy Daysies speaker and educator, you're going to learn the tips and secrets of successful and incredible people. Elaine wants you to be inspired, challenged and motivated, and that person you want your kids to grow up to be. This is real talk for real life.

Elaine Tan Comeau 0:28

Hi, welcome back to Elaine's Kitchen Table where we talk about how to create better how to create better family health business itself. And I'm very excited to share part two of our interview with Ashley freeborn of smash and testes. Love her rompers. And if you want to get one and you've always wanted to get one, here's a coupon code for you to use right now. There is an expiry date on it. So you don't want to miss it. And it's Elaine 15. So e l a i m e one, five and you will get 15% off right away. So here we go with Ashley freeborn. You don't want to miss her awesome marketing strategies. Did you have training and marketing? Like it was that was just your passion? And you were just stinking good at it?

Ashley Freeborn 1:10

Yeah, my mom was a marketer. So she she now obviously is a president, but her background is in marketing. And so it's always just been something that I love. And I never thought that people are like, oh savvy marketing, I'm like, actually never thought of it that way. It was more like community. So like, what comes out a community? How do you communicate with people? How do I want to be communicated to and then just doing that, you know, like, if there's an intuition, there's like a really organic way about smash and TAs and now was probably because I didn't know all the lingo. I didn't know all the, you know, hot topics, the key the buzzwords, like, I was just doing what felt right. And yeah, now we've got a really smart, awesome, cool marketing team that have helped me. Awesome. The Vision though, right? Like, and that's key, too, is like, how do we keep it feeling just like that. And so being really dialed in to marketing being and ensuring like, we're standing true to our values and our ethos, and like, we're really clear on that. So I'm, we have a team now, but yeah, for a long time, it was me and a few others just kind of running marketing.

Elaine Tan Comeau 2:14

No, but that's awesome. Because I love that and all that you put out there like in your emails and your social media. Your story is so loud and proud of you know, we love all people and community and unless celebrate you, and you need to feel comfortable and who cares? Like Like, I love that. I love that so much. And you do it so, so smartly and so well. And my listeners who are listening who may not have a huge marketing budget, what would you advise them? Is there like three top things that you say, hey, try doing this?

Ashley Freeborn 2:52

I think it can be tricky. When you don't have a budget, I think you need to really, first of all have a strong sense of your values. Because I think what can happen really easily in any industry is like Oh, Elaine's doing really cool, like calendars. I want to do that, especially Jessica do that. Why can't we do that. And it's like, being laser focus on what you set out to do, why will keep you from getting distracted, like the shiny object syndrome, you know, and I think so like getting really laser focused on being like, I will never deviate from these five things, whatever those five things are, you're gonna stay true to those things. And they are all also probably happened to be your unique selling point they are. They're what makes you you. And so I think honing those figuring out what those are writing them down, putting them out in the universe, and standing behind them wholeheartedly is so important. I think aesthetically, you have to be as polished as possible, in that you're not afraid to show who you really are. But I think that if you want to have other brands and other influencers and other people that are willing to attach their name to you, then you have to ensure that it's something they would want to attach their name to. And so early on, you know, I really invested in decent photography, like making sure there was a visual brand that felt aligned like with what we were trying to do. And that can be tough. In the beginning, you're like, well, this, take a photo here and not to say user generated content, things like that is they're very important. And you shouldn't shy away from putting an iPhone photo up because it's a really darn good photo and it really explains why you shouldn't shy away from it, but it should be a part of a cohesive strategy. And so I think sometimes if brands the first thing you're going to do is oh, you own my brand. Oh, cool. Let me go on Instagram, right. It's like let me let the Who who are you What do you the first thing people are going to do? So you want to make sure that it's whatever it is you're trying to communicate? It's communicating?

Elaine Tan Comeau 4:50

Absolutely. They say that 87% of women who do shopping or look online, on on social media first before making a buying decision. isn't for sure.

Ashley Freeborn 5:01

I totally see myself in that marketing. Does it look like something I would wear other people the same shape as me in color as me like, am I reflected in this community? And if I am more likely to make the purchase, you know, yeah,

Elaine Tan Comeau 5:15

so smart, so smart, I love what you said, first thing is know your values, like, what is it that you want to convey? Like, what is your company all about, right. And once again, it's not about the romper or the magnets, it's about, you know, whether it is you know, helping like lessening anxiety in a home or helping a woman to feel confident and comfortable in who she is, whatever it is, that is what you want to convey. And then you said, secondly was, you know, investing in good pictures, I think you're saying, like, really be able to present your story well,

Ashley Freeborn 5:48

for your brand is aligned with those values, and it's really clear, and it's professional, and, you know, whatever it might be whatever you're trying to do, I think is important. And then just don't like I always say like, you just have to care about people. Like, if you care about people, everything money's gonna come in, and I think we get so hung up and like, oh, like, and it's, it's often something when you look at marketing, there's performance marketing, and there's brand marketing, right? There's different kinds of marketing, there's the numbers, numbers, Traffic Conversion, you know, email digital, like, it's, it's all of that. And then there's just like, how are you showing up in the world? And What message are you conveying? And how do you make people feel and like, think there's like, an important part of that is to really, like just care about people like that's it. People know what we all want, we just want to be considered heard cared about or thought about, like that's, that's really it. And sometimes you can miss the mark, and I get it. But if you have the best intentions, and you don't think you can go wrong,

Elaine Tan Comeau 6:52

no, I love that. I totally agree. Absolutely. Just be kind to everybody, right to share that kindness, one kind act goes so very much like it goes so far. I love that. And I also love what you were saying about how you know, when someone's looking at you or your brand, can they relate? Can they say, you know, is there someone who looks like me fit? Like, like, whatever it is like, like, is this something for me? Or like they can identify right away and say, hey, I can relate right? And so, and once again, you know, not everybody is our customer, and I fully understand that I want to remind people about that, too. I mean, of course everybody can wear your awesome rompers. But once again, like know who your your target market is for sure. Definitely. Now, speaking of people we work with, you have a life partner and awesome and supportive husband, do you have any tips for how to keep like, because often people even talk about the husband, they talked about work, they talk about the kids, and then there's this like, great other person in your life that is very significant. And super important. And any tips on what you do when you feel like, okay, we've had time apart, and I am stressed, but there's this great guy. Any tips on supporting and strengthening your marriage?

Ashley Freeborn 8:21

Oof, that's tough. I mean, it's tough. And it's tough. I have an amazing husband, who, who's got my back. And luckily, I can imagine how tough it would be if you didn't have a supportive partner to really push you in lots of times, I'll be like, Ah, you don't need to go to that conference. And he's the one like, yeah, you do, you need to go and I'll be fine. I got the kids, you go into you. And so even having that next step to be like, not only just being going along with the things you think you need them to do, but also them just pushing you to be better, your best version of you achieve all that you achieved, because they know you so well that they know what, what makes you tick and what's going to make you happy and in turn make you the best wife, mother, etc. So I'm lucky in that regard. And but I think too, it's like, I everyone has a different love language. So you got to kind of figure out yes, it what is what is the love? I know what mine ends, you know, I love words of affirmation. It's important to me, like when, and so for my husband is like figuring out what works for him. And I think, you know, in general, I think people, we often don't say that we appreciate people enough. I think we're all guilty of that. And so, I really try even recently to just stop and be like, Hey, you did a really great job and like you're you picking up the kids and dropping off the kids means a lot to me. And I really appreciate that you do that and you're a great dad, you know and like just like trying to make moments to just tell somebody what they mean to you. When it can be challenging because you just start to take it for granted and you you you know you play your roles and and that It's great, but I think like really recognizing and valuing the person that you're with and making sure they know that is all we really want, you know, we all want to just feel appreciated, and we want to feel seen and heard, right? And then different with your partner. It's like, I think that's what key. And then of course, just like, lots of date nights, and try to keep the romance by,

Elaine Tan Comeau 10:22

oh, so many great things like you're saying, like, you know, just appreciating like the everyday things like, that we might take for granted, right? Like when someone goes and picks up somebody or, or makes dinner when they didn't have to, they didn't have to do any of it. Right? And then now it just becomes routine. And it isn't routine. They're kindly doing those things. And right, it's like, if we didn't show up, when they did, the things that we're supposed to do as a partner life partner or a mom, it's like, they would notice, but people expect it. And it's just still nice to hear someone say thank you. Right? That's such a great reminder, like, thanks for taking out the garbage. I'm

Ashley Freeborn 11:06

so grateful. It's simple. It's so simple. But it's, you are

Elaine Tan Comeau 11:10

my hero for taking up the garbage you truly,

Ashley Freeborn 11:13

you really are. And if I pinpoint the times where I feel most disconnected from my husband, because we know marriages are like that, where you like kind of ebb and flow when when you're like in each other's pockets, and you feel super connected. And the next minute, you're like, super in your own zones, you're like, oh, yeah, my husband, like happens, it just happened. So it's like, it's the quickest way to just like, bring us back together to be like, Hey, I see you and I thank you. And it's in those moments when I feel we're most disconnected is that we're not appreciating each other, we're not, we're not saying thank you, we don't have the gratitude, right, we're just going through the paces of day to day, and if you just slow down and show some gratitude for for each other, and we'll be playing in both having in having as much of it all as we can, which is hard to do. But it's like, my husband and I are an excellent team, you know, and it's like keeping the gel of that team strong and and is really important. So

Elaine Tan Comeau 12:06

wow, I'm gonna start calling you Dr. Ashley

Ashley Freeborn 12:09

hard though. Like this is the thing. I want to say like there are times where we're just, there are times where we're disconnected there are and we have to have conversations and we have to find, find the groove again, like I think that's totally normal. Like a marriage is not easy. It's, it's amazing. It's the filling. It's so many ways, like, but it's also hard. It's really hard. So you got to,

Elaine Tan Comeau 12:33

but it's worth it worth the hard work.

Ashley Freeborn 12:35

Yeah, you gotta be intentional about it sometimes. Oh, absolutely.

Elaine Tan Comeau 12:38

I'm gonna pull something out of what you just said as like the prescription for for marriage counseling and marriage therapy right now. And it's like what you just said, Right? When there's disconnect, and you sit the so well. And I was like, We got to put this on a mug in a T shirt now is that when there's disconnect, just looking at each other and find something three things that you appreciate about that person? Right, there's three things one thing that you can say thank you for and you know, it's going to start melting that, that block that way between,

Ashley Freeborn 13:15

yeah, working mom to like, we're playing all kinds of roles, the roles are no longer we're doing a lot like keeping doctor's appointments, keeping my schedule, so I can do podcasts with Maisie people like you and but then running a team of people like and still like it's it's a lot going on as moms and it can feel really, thank you sometimes because you're just you're expected to do these things. You're expected to have the appointments done, you're expected to have the lunches made, like you just and I think if you that becomes you become resentful of that actually. But wait, I'm also doing XYZ, you know, and you're not noticing that and it's just it. No one wants anything to be expected of them. Right? You're like, wow, well, Mom, thanks for like doing all of that plus this plus that. And I'm like, Yeah, wait till

Elaine Tan Comeau 14:14

teens Ashley. It's like, Oh, my goodness. I cannot keep on top of their schedules. And I've said to my husband before I'm like, I'm like the stinking CEO of like four companies. Like each of my kids. I'm like their CEOs because I have to like run their lives like and their schedules and like not let them conflict with their appointments. And maybe I'm not even the CEO like I'm like their assistant. Assistant is crazy. And a given today like I just like I texted my husband and my son as they left at 730 Is my mic. Because I'm standing in front of the fridge. I spent the time to make them sandwiches and I see them in the fridge Oh Like, come on, like, I could have gone to bed so much earlier.

Ashley Freeborn 15:04

Yeah, exactly that I could have done a lot of things with that 15 minutes that I chose to spend on you, right. And you think about how you feel it's no different than how your husband feels. Right? It's like if they're doing other things, and they're playing that role, they just want to hear that too. And I think at the end of the day, like just hearing like, you're really I know, right? You're like, oh, yeah, it's same with my husband's like, you're a great dad, you're doing a great job like that.

Elaine Tan Comeau 15:34

Anybody who's listening right now to like, go home to their life partner tonight. And say, thank you for being an awesome dad or awesome husband or awesome partner to say it. Yeah.

Ashley Freeborn 15:48

It feels weird to say it doesn't. Drown. Yeah, that's not on a regular realm of your conversation. You're like, what happened today? And the kid did this. And that. Oh, and also, thank you for being here. You know, it doesn't, it doesn't slide easily into your conversations, but like, wow, like, is that is it ever an impactful thing to say? So like, maybe we need to find more opportunities to say that, and they don't have to be perfect opportunities. They can be in passing as you're brushing your teeth, you know?

Elaine Tan Comeau 16:16

Yep, absolutely. Like, like to slide it in there. Like, like, even like, you're having dinner, and he's getting your plate for you like taking it away to bring into the dishwasher. Like, don't just say thank you, like, take that moment and say, really? Thank you. Thank you for being like such an awesome dad or husband or partner. Yeah, like, that's our challenge. One of our challenges. But yeah, I'm gonna

Ashley Freeborn 16:39

get better at that. Now. Now that we're talking about this, this that's it this week is a week of gratitude. I'm gonna just I'm only on real thick. Yeah.

Elaine Tan Comeau 16:48

But you know, it does, like if you wake up with gratitude that your day is just better like this, like, I'm grateful for today. Yeah, yesterday may have sucked. But I'm really grateful for today. And, and santur kids too, but that's a whole conversation. I respect your time. But I do want to talk about something that most people don't talk about is self care. And I know we touched on this a little bit. And I'm like you what is self care like, and, like self care to me, sometimes it's taking a really long shower, because no one's gonna bother me. But they're asked me more like, what do you do? Like,

Ashley Freeborn 17:32

oh, my gosh, my husband laugh right now and be like, Ashley does not take care of herself at all. But I it's, it's to your point. It's the little decisions that I make that I carve out and I'm like, No, I'm doing that. Whether it's, it's like I am a multi shower, like I like to have multi a day. And so I'm like, I don't even need to be along I just want to have like two sometimes three every day, but that's like whereby I just love like the war the water but like it's maybe it is it's just me time nobody's talking to me bugging me. I'm just like in my own zone. But I also like love carving out things for myself. Like sometimes I call it maintenance, but like getting my hair done. Sometimes. It's like, that's also my time. It's like I have to I have to put me first and certain little things.

Elaine Tan Comeau 18:21

Different you like your gorgeous nails that you have your nails. Yeah,

Ashley Freeborn 18:25

like sometimes I'm like, I just want my nails done. I don't care. I deserve to have my nails done. And like me,

Elaine Tan Comeau 18:30

I did mine in the car with good reading for my son. Great,

Elaine Tan Comeau 18:36

thank you. I just did my nails in the car.

Ashley Freeborn 18:42

Yeah, I think whatever it is that like or like I said, My practice is to be very intentional in the moment. And sometimes I'm not great at that. But that's something I'm working on. And so for me self care looks like cutting out you know, half an hour early turning off my phone and making dinner because I want to and it's it's it's just little decisions like that. But I also recognize that like there's so much more work to be done in my self care regimen. And so I'm that's actually a big focus for me right now. It's like how do I get my life better and balance, you know, putting me first whether it's just going for a 20 minute walk on my lunch break and not booking myself over my lunch break, which I do a lot. But just like carving out some of those moments and be realizing too that like, it's okay, like I rec I realized that I was working so hard on the week during the weekdays. And then I would like go into the bedtime or dinner bedtime routine. And then I'd get to the weekend and I'd be like so exhausted and then I'd be on for two days with the kids right? Like what are you gonna do? Are we gonna go What are we like? And I was like, oh my god, I'm not even having a minute for me. Not one minute Am I having for me? And so part of that was like I ended up getting myself a sitter on Saturdays for three hours in the morning. Oh my gosh, like game changing for me and like that's awesome. Yep. enjoying the sun for free and nothing else to no one's emailing me. Nobody's put to Saturday morning. So like, you gotta just yesterday feel guilt being like, well, that's three hours I could spent Yes. But it's also like, oxygen mask, I gotta put mine on first. Like, I need to take care of me. And I'm feeling like when I'm running on all, you know, you're just running I had to stop and be like, Yeah, this is not a pace that I can maintain. So for me that's been a nice little treat for myself is having those few hours a weekend for just me.

Elaine Tan Comeau 20:30

That is so important, right? Like for like, people forget, they think physical health, but they forget mental health. And I think mental health is is actually Paramount, like more important than physical health. Because if your thoughts aren't like, right, it's going to affect your health, it's going to affect your business or family and everything. So taking that time for you, like you said, Put your oxygen mask on, so that you can breathe so that other people can breathe around you otherwise gonna be like mass murderers. breed? Yeah, I love that. And you know, like my daughter, she my oldest one, she babysits. And she does exactly that for a mom who has three little ones. And she's just like, she's home that she just wants to, like, just, like, just come over for like three hours. Just so I can like, just breathe. I just want to do like an exercise video without anybody hanging onto my legs.

Ashley Freeborn 21:31

Or even sometimes I just want to go to Michael's and run, like, wander through the craft section for like an hour and a half uninterrupted, you know, but

Elaine Tan Comeau 21:40

still bring the story so you could put the stuff on it.

Ashley Freeborn 21:43

Totally, but like have to be responsible for my children in those moments like, yeah.

Elaine Tan Comeau 21:51

That's awesome. I love it. Now, I know our time is like trickling. And I just wanted to ask, what makes your heart smile? Like what is one word of inspiration you want to leave us all with? Let me makes you smile, what makes your heart smile?

Ashley Freeborn 22:13

I mean, I think it goes back to the impact that we make in one another's lives. I think what makes my heart smile is the impact I make in my children's lives and my community's lives. And so I think it goes back to like, sure my children make me smile. They make my heart smile. But I think it's like, just again, caring about people and all the other stuff will come. And I think like if we, if we sent her, if you think about like whatever you believe in this world, in terms of your spirituality, whatever, at the end of the day, it's really about like, what we're doing on this planet, and the kind of legacy that we're going to leave behind. And for me, it's like, I want to be known as that person who cared about people who did stuff for people who tried to make people's lives better. And so I think like if we all just focused on that, all the other stuff that's gonna come.

Elaine Tan Comeau 23:06

I love that. You said care about people first, the rest will come. Yeah. Well, Miss Ashley, you are awesome. And I adore you. And it's been too long since I've seen you in, in person. But I look forward to that moment. And I just want to say thank you so much for sharing your heart and, and your wisdom with all of us. You're awesome.

Ashley Freeborn 23:29

Thanks for the chat. I couldn't think of a better way to spend an hour in the middle of a busy Thursday afternoon. It's like let's stop everything and just chat. I love it. I'm into it. Self Care. Self Care.

Elaine Tan Comeau 23:39

You are awesome. Thank you. Thank you to our listeners for joining us today. Thank you. I'm so grateful for you and for your time that you just spent with Ashley freeborn and me and oh yes, you must get one of these awesome rompers there are so much I want to get to one of her. One of your dresses, Ashley

Ashley Freeborn 23:58

actually wearing my elevate pants, you can't tell but they're like Tansa dropped today and there's so comfortable. So yeah, if you're not a romper person, try something else got cute dresses, I want

Elaine Tan Comeau 24:08

to try a dress. So I'm going to be ordering and I'm going to be ordering with a special super code that Miss Ashley just gave to us and as Elaine 15 So use that code and you will get 15% off your next purchase and everything will be in the show notes. But our listeners right now Ashley if they wanted to find you where should they go?

Ashley Freeborn 24:28

You can find me personally, my Instagram handles at a freeborn and of course all smash and test our handles on all social channels as at smash tests. So you can check us out there or smash test.com or smash, smash test.ca If you're in Canada,

Elaine Tan Comeau 24:45

love, love, love and all of this will be in our show notes. And once again, Ashley thank you so so thank you and bye for now everyone