 Welcome to Think Tech Hawaii's Connecting Hawaii Business. My name is Kathleen Lee with Kathleen Lee Consulting. And on this lovely afternoon here in Hawaii, our guest for today is Michelle Carmack of Oak and Pine Society. So I'll go ahead and let Michelle introduce herself and tell us about her. Hi, Michelle, how are you? Hello, hi, I'm doing well. Thanks. Thanks for having me. This is a great opportunity. I'm happy to talk more about Oak and Pine on this platform. Hi, everyone, my name is Michelle Carmack. I am the founder and owner of Oak and Pine Society. Our platform is really designed to nurture female entrepreneurs. And really, our mission is to create opportunities for women who are designing life on their terms. So I'm happy and excited to talk more about our society with you. OK, so tell us a bit about your personal background. And you can launch into how you came up with Oak and Pine. Yeah. So I come from a family of entrepreneurs. And my grandma is the OG of business owners in our family. She, back in the 50s, she bought a one-way ticket from the Philippines to Hawaii. And she eventually saved enough money to fly her five kids down. And thinking back to and thinking at how I live my life now and how incredible things are for, in comparison to how they used to live, I just think about what if she didn't take that chance in taking that one-way ticket and flying down here and making those risky moves? What if she didn't do that? My life would be so different now. So about two years ago, I realized that I wanted to do the same for my future family. And if I could create an environment where I'm just one level up of how I'm living now, I think I can call my life a success if I can provide that to my future kids. So yeah, so really back in two years ago, I decided to start a business. But I really didn't know what it was. And I think we can talk about that a little bit later. But in the midst of creating Oak and Pine and developing the concept, I really fell in love with the idea of female empowerment and supporting women entrepreneurs. And I really created a platform that allowed us to support one another in that way. When I was creating Oak and Pine, I went through these really highs and lows of emotions of, I feel really excited about building a business and starting a future and doing something that I'm passionate about. And then you would just slowly dip into, I feel so anxious, overwhelmed. I feel alone and I feel guilty. And that was really the moment of mine where I had to take a step back and say, like, why am I doing this? And I recognize that there are other people out there who are probably feeling the same way. And I just asked, why are we doing this alone? So really that was the moment when I dedicated the platform to be in support of female entrepreneurs. OK, so I know you gave me, when we were talking about your company, you gave me a brief description of Oak and Pine, which is a support system of, like you mentioned, female entrepreneurs. Could you go more into what your company entails? What does it offer, services it offers? And what, if you could sum up your company in a couple of sentences, how would you do it? And go into detail. Yeah, so going to the details of it, when I say that we're creating an environment for female entrepreneurs, it's really exactly that, where you're leading on peer-to-peer support. You also have monthly mentors that will give you the resources. And we really focus on both personal and professional development, because in the entrepreneurial world, mindset is huge when it comes to that. And we do other things as well, such as, let me back up, the base of Oak and Pine is really to nurture genuine relationships with like-minded women. And in order to do that, you not only focus on the productive stuff of building a business, but you also create an environment where we can build those genuine conversations, share our win, share our stocks with one another, and move past that paralyzing feeling when you feel overwhelmed. OK, and so going on to that, so why did you feel the need to start Oak and Pine? Yes, so for me, talking about a few years ago when I decided to start my own business, I really didn't know what that was going to be. I didn't knew myself as an expert in anything. So that moment of self-reflection and realizing that I feel alone, I feel isolated, taking that moment to think about, why am I doing this? I felt like there was a need for other people to rally. I wanted to rally people together and say, like, hey, it's OK to dream big. It's OK to really focus your energy on where you want your life to grow in towards. And that was when I actually pivoted. Oh, actually, I didn't see this yet. So Oak and Pine was originally a baby boutique. Right. I remember you mentioned that. Yeah. And with that, when I was coming up with all of these ideas and getting creative with building this baby boutique, that's when I really felt alone and isolated. And that was the moment when I decided to dedicate the platform to female entrepreneurs who are designing life on their terms. And I really just felt the need that we had to come together to support one another through those hard transitions that we experienced in entrepreneurship. OK. And let's segue into that. What were the challenges that you faced, starting off almost from scratch, because you went from baby boutique to something that empowers women. So what were the hurdles that you ran into? Yeah. I mean, the major one was I don't know what I don't know. And Google is great. I'm all about the school and university of Google. If you can just bootstrap your business by looking at it, that's perfect. But the downfall of that is you have to know what to type into that search bar in order to get results. And the challenge there is you spend so much time with all these hypothetical thoughts that you don't really use your energy in the proper places of building your business. So when it comes to oak and pine and allowing ourselves to share our experiences and share stories, that really allows us to share, well, this works for me. This is why you should try it, rather than trying to put in all the guesswork where we have a space where we can share our feedback with one another. OK. And what was the first thing that you did to start oak and pine? How did you even come up with a name? Oh, that's a good one. So OK, so well, oak and pine represents visually strength and resilience. And the reason why that fit with the baby boutique is because of my admiration with working moms. I've seen how strong and resilient moms are when it comes to putting food on the table, being a mother at home. And you look at moms now with COVID and the closure, they're not only working full-time, but they're also teachers now and their parents. So it's just this whole admiration for moms out there. And I think it really goes back to my love for the women in my family as well. My mom is a really hard worker, so was my grandma from that story that I shared earlier. I just always admired women who do what they need to do to make a great life for their family. So strength and resilience really fit in with a baby boutique because that's what I wanted to present. And funny enough, pivoting to the female entrepreneur space, it still fits. As an entrepreneur, you have to be strong and you have to be resilient because there's going to be so many times when you doubt yourself, when other people doubt you. And it's really important to continue with that vision and don't give up when times get tough. So that's really what the name represents is strength and resilience. OK, so let's pick up from you were talking about the women in your family inspiring you. Yes, so they really inspired me in that I saw how hard they work in their professional lives and also in their personal life too, like putting food on the table, making sure that I go to a good school, making sure I do homework, and still hustling to make sure that they bring home the bacon. And for me, that admiration really carried through when I started working at my corporate job too. I saw moms who were doing the same thing. And the baby boutique idea was really surrounded around that muse of these women being strong and resilient through tough times. And when I pivoted the platform to focus on female entrepreneurs, it really fit very well for female entrepreneurs because there are times when you doubt yourself, when other people doubt you, and you just have to stay true to the vision that you've set sail for and continue to take those baby steps towards that. OK, let's take up from that word. You mentioned pivoting. And that is what we are discussing today, right? Starting and pivoting your businesses, your business during COVID-19. And the best place to start is to talk about how you pivoted your business. Like, how was it? How was it going? And then when the pandemic hit, how did you turn that around to adapt to it? Yeah, when we were talking earlier, we were talking about the first pivot that Oakland Pine made. To give everyone some background, Oakland Pine really relied heavily on in-person events. And we started off strong in February with two really successful events come March. I had to cancel all of the events that we had lined up, not just the one in March, because everything was so uncertain. I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to pick up where we left off. And that was a tough time. I had to refund everyone who purchased tickets. And it was challenging, not only financially, but just as spirit-wise. Like, 2020, I really claimed that as my year to go full-in to Oakland Pine. And I created a strategy that really relied heavily on events. We're good to go. Ready to go. Vision fired up. Interaction. And then. Who would have thought that this pandemic would have hit so early on in the year? And it was disheartening. And I really went through all of the stages of grief when I had to cancel all of these events. Because you have this idea of what this year is going to look like. You have all of the tasks in order. And then all of a sudden, someone says, nope, that's not happening. So it was really disheartening. So when we were first talking, the first pivot that Oakland Pine did was an online three-day retreat, which we felt was very necessary for not only entrepreneurs, but anyone in the space of being quarantined. You really feel isolated and alone. And it really reconnected me back to when I first started Oakland Pine. So that was one pivot. Another pivot that we did was pretty recent. And I'm glowing about this because I'm thinking back to when I came up with the idea. And what I'm talking about is Oakland Pine launched a three-month self-care subscription box. And the whole idea of this came from the second closure of Hawaii. I had it impacted me personally, yes. But then it also, I saw how it impacted women in our community. I saw how it impacted other business owners online who I admired. And rather than feeling stuck, I decided to lean on the Oakland Pine Society and just simply ask, what would it look like if we created a subscription box? And I'm so proud of our society members because they also took the time to pivot and figured out a creative way to be included in this box. You have people who have event-focused businesses or service-based businesses. And they found a way to be included in the self-care box. And I'm just really proud of everyone for not only seeing the vision that I had with the self-care box, but also finding ways to pivot their own business and being part of something that was so different. And the reason why it was such a success is just seeing everyone rally together. Not only the members who were involved in the box, but also for people who wanted to support women-owned businesses. When we launched it, it happens really quick. So I came up with an idea on Monday, pulled the members on Wednesday, came up with a logistics by Friday, and then the following Monday, we launched it. And we sold 50% of our inventory in two days. And then within two weeks, we sold out of everything. So it was just so beautiful to watch the support within the community and also with other people on Island, too. It was just great. That sounds pretty amazing. I'm actually looking forward to learn more about that box. But we are going to go on break. And when we get back, let's talk more about your tips for people who want to start up the business during this time, as well as how they can pivot. So stay tuned, everyone. Back to Think Tech Hawaii's Connecting Hawaii Business. My name is Kathleen Lee with Kathleen Lee Consulting. And today we are talking with Michelle Carmack of Oak and Pine Society. So when we left off, Michelle was talking about how she had to pivot her business to adapt to COVID-19. Now, Michelle, let's pick up from that, OK? We can do one or two things. We can talk about how people can pivot their businesses now, or we can start with how people could start their business. Actually, let's go with the pivoting, because it seems like you're on a roll with that. So I'm a business owner. A person over there is a business owner. What are your tips for someone to turn this around or pick up from how the pandemic has affected everyone? Yeah. I mean, the first thing I would say is the way that you're feeling is OK. As business owners, we're so hard on ourselves that it's hard to move past that. I had a plan. This was what was going to happen. And now it's no longer an option. It is hard to move past that. And it's OK if you feel like you're in there right now. Don't force yourself to move through that too quickly, because there are so many learning experiences that you can get from that moment that will actually help you create a more authentic brand. Going back to Oakland Pine, that moment where I was actually sitting right there on the floor, just wondering, why do I feel so alone? Why do I feel so isolated? That was what led Oakland Pine to be where it is today. If I didn't experience those hard emotions, I wouldn't have been able to create this platform for like-minded women who are doing the same thing I'm doing, who are designing life on our terms. So self-reflection is huge when it comes to pivoting. Just really take a step back. Be OK with how you're feeling, but also try to recognize what you can pick up from it and what you can learn from it, because there's so many good gems in that. And there's so many people who will connect with that learning piece that you got. Another thing that I would say is take inventory. Take inventory of your personal skills, what you know personally, professionally, and then also look at your immediate network. As entrepreneurs ourselves, we have big aspirations. We have these big visions of where we want our business to be, but it's OK to live in that space, but we also have to make sure we're also looking at what is available to us right now. So take a quick inventory of what you have available to you, whether that be your soft skills, your hard skills, your network that you have created, and really start to take note of that. And then the last thing I would say is figure out a strategy or a way to grow your immediate network and grow your resources. With Oak and Pine, that is really the foundation of why business owners can move from startups to successful businesses is because we have this nurturing platform where women can come in here, we can support one another, we can share our wins, share our sucks, but we also have these resources that will help us grow both personally and professionally. And by creating these genuine relationships with other female entrepreneurs, you really extend your network and figure out new ways to collaborate, extend your reach for your audience, and also get creative in your business. Kind of going back to the self-care box, who would have thought that people would have partnered with Oak and Pine to promote their product or their service, right? So fast forward to now, it's that natural collision that you get when you start surrounding yourself with like-minded women and just have that natural conversation with one another, that's just where the magic happens. I like that, that is where the magic happens, that's true. So let's go back to, so you went over pivoting, now let's go over starting a business. Any tips from there? Yeah, that's actually my favorite part. Starting a business is my favorite part because that's where all the excitement is, you know? You don't, the uncertainty is still exciting enough where you wanna pick it up and start brainstorming and getting creative with your ideas. And you have to do it during a pandemic, so think about that too. Yes, we're gonna do it during a pandemic and the great thing about now is most people are more consciously aware of supporting small businesses. You know, myself included, when we were mid pandemic, like mid this year, I started to recognize how guilty I felt when I went to a big chain restaurant to order takeout, when I knew consciously like, when I knew that there were small mom and pop stores who were closing. So I think now the landscape that we're living in, people are making that shift of how can I support small, how can I support local? And I think that's where you step in. That's where you started to build your own business and really start to think about what am I passionate about? What am I good at? What are the resources that I have available to me? And just take those slow and steady steps to actually pursue that vision that you've created for yourself. Well, a lot of people feel, and I completely agree with you 100%, but a lot of people feel that, you know, there's a certain sense of fear that holds them back from starting, you know, whether or not there is a global pandemic affecting us. So what would you say to those individuals who are afraid of starting something new at this time? Yeah, I tell them get used to it. Honestly, you know, being afraid and having that fear is a normal thing that you'll get almost every single day or every other day, at least with your business. Regardless of pandemic or not, you know, like being an entrepreneur means that you see the vision and you feel the fear, but that doesn't stop you from pursuing it. You know, it's funny because last month we had a free five-day challenge with our mentor, Gina Cargile, and she had helped us find our resilience as an entrepreneur because when those feelings happen, there's certain exercises and tools that you can use to help you move past that quicker. I'm not saying that it's gonna put a blanket or a band-aid over it. No, because there's more self-reflection that has to happen in order for it to actually go away, but there are tools that you can use to kind of help you move past that debilitating feeling and start to really figure out how can you use this to move forward. So yeah, if you're feeling afraid, you know, it's okay to feel afraid. It's totally normal and you're gonna feel it again, but the one piece of advice that I have is to figure out a routine that will help you move past it quicker, but then also allowing yourself to sit in that uncomfortableness because that's where you will get a lot of the authenticity in building your business and that's where so many parts of your business will start to stem off of and build off of that hard, that tough time that you experience as you grow your startup. Starting a routine is a great suggestion. Anything else that I may have missed that you want to share with the viewers out there regarding Oakland Pine or starting or pivoting your business during this time? Yeah, I do. When I first started Oakland Pine after I pivoted from the baby boutique to the platform for female entrepreneurs, the first thing that I did was I had an event. It was called the vision by event. And at that time I was not an expert in anything I didn't view myself as an expert. I was great at watching Netflix but other than that I was just a daydreamer. But what really got me to the confidence level to pursue that event was the hard time that I was going through, that emotion that I was experiencing and how I allowed myself to really sit in it and move through it and allowed myself to grow and think and dream big. And even going back to my grandma's story of how she inspired me to take a chance just by moving from the Philippines to Hawaii, that really resonated with me. And although I didn't find myself as an expert in the sense of I'm gonna tell you what to do in this workshop, I found myself an expert in creating an environment that felt safe, that felt like we gave ourselves permission to dream big and allowed ourselves to really lean on the other stories of other successful entrepreneurs. And that was the first event that I had with Oak and Pine. But really the launching pad that took Oak and Pine to the next level was back in 2018 or 2019 of October, I partnered with six other female entrepreneurs to put together the self-made summit. And the reason why that was so beautiful was Oak and Pine started to grow because I allowed other entrepreneurs into my vision. And together we executed this amazing event, a full day conference with 50 other female entrepreneurs. And since then, we've just taken off with the membership and with all of the other events that we have coming up too. And let's go into that. How do people become part of Oak and Pine? Yeah, so right now our membership doors are closed. We only have open enrollment two times a year, but I do wanna encourage you to follow us on social media. We are on Instagram primarily, but we're also on Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, and I think those are the primary ones. And our social media handle is at oakpineco.com. Jump over to our website as well, which is oakpineco.com. And you'll be able to subscribe to our newsletter and you'll be notified when we do a free 5D challenge as well, which is something that we have every single month. That's awesome. Any last words, Michelle, before we close off this afternoon's very informative session and thank you so much for joining us. Yeah, thank you for having me. If I can say final words, I just say I'm a dreamer. I'm a believer. I'm someone who believes that staying true to your vision is work and it is gonna test you along the way. But if there is something that's calling you to pursue that vision, that is something that you have to take care of because fear is temporary, but regret is not. So if you're gonna just allow fear to paralyze you, then you have to be okay with sitting with that regret. What a great way to close. It's very encouraging. Thank you so much. Again, to all the viewers out there that was Michelle Carmack of Oak and Pine Society. So thank you again for joining us this afternoon. My name is Kathleen Lee with Kathleen Lee Consulting and you have been watching Think Tech Hawaii's Connecting Hawaii Business. If you missed the live stream, you could catch it on thinktechhawaii.com or on Think Tech's YouTube page. Until then, have a good day, everyone. Aloha.