Q&A WITH FOUNDER ASH

Ahhhhh drum roll please!! (cue tooting horns, triangles, cheerleaders, all of the things).

We are SO excited to bring to you this really special Q&A interview with Bonne Media’s very own founder, Ash. She talks about juggling all of the things mom, work, running a business and day-to-day life. She does it all and holds nothing back! She pours her heart into everything she does and she does it all SO well! We know that you will love her as much as we do!

So pour yourself your favourite bevie and think of this as a mix between gal talk with your bff and business coach, she is the real deal!

What is your Starbucks drink?
Venti caramel latte made with almond milk extra hot with salted caramel cold foam on top! Only for treat days... my usual is a venti blonde 2 milk!

What is your favourite work-from-home attire?
Cute lounge wear! Aerie ribbed flare jogs with a fresh white tshirt!

What is your favourite guilty pleasure show on Netflix?
Not Netflix right now but YELLOWSTONE (Amazon Prime), but counting down the days until Emily in Paris on Netflix!

What is the first thing you do every morning to start your day?
Snuggle with my baby girl and hubby, read a morning devotional to set the tone for the day, and then get a COFFEE.

What is your dream client or partnership/collab?
I would sayyyyy.... I'd love to partner with Jillian Harris in some way! I just love everything she puts her hand to! Or my fav YouTuber Milena Ciciotti or Aspyn Ovard!

What do you do to preserve your creative energy? What sparks the creative in you?
Rather than "preserve" I am always trying to intentionnally "fill my tank!" I do this by setting time aside to step away from "tactical" marketing work, and doing things I enjoy day to day that are simple, like spending time with family, working out, shopping, being involved with my church community, spending time with friends, as well as looking to women I admire that I view as "ahead of me" in life, so I can learn from them in their pursuits, and they usually always inspire me with an idea, with new momentum, or motivation for something!

What trait about yourself do you love the most?
I think my enthusiasm & energy. I can literally quite naturally as my knee-jerk reaction to each day, make it feel like Christmas. I think I get that from my mom. Growing up she just truly approached each day as if it were special and always made it as special as possible, because why not?! It often takes the same amount of energy to slug your way through a day as it would to celebrate your way through the day. One leads to a life of joy, excitement, energy, momentum, positivity, great experiences, smiling, and the other, well.... not so much!

What does success mean to you?
Succcess to me means, not missing out on anything God has for me in this life. I believe that God has an amazing narrative set out for each of our lives, but it's up to us to stay close enough to him, his voice and his leading to really get to journey through that story, and take hold of all the goodness that he has planned for us. I don't want to miss out on anything God has for me-- that's success to me. Staying close to him, walking his path. Because whether in business, family, extra curriculars, I believe he has the best for us in all of life's pursuits. And the best part of all that is simply getting to live day to day life in his company, relationship and presence. There is so much life, peace, joy and purpose in that.

What is your best tip for someone wanting to start their own business? When should they consider getting support to get started, like from Bonne Media?
It's always great if you are afforded the scenario, to give your business concept a try on a small scale. To test it out, find it’s holes, it's flaws, before you scale up. IT will be a lot less stress and a better experience for you, your eventual staff and clientelle!

Have you ever experienced moments of imposter syndrome, self-doubt or overwhelm? How do you build yourself back up?
Of course-- everyone does. I remember that there are many women who have similar ideas to me, similar aspirations, interests, style, but we're all needed, there's room for everyone. Everyone is slightly unique in their own way, everyone has a different sphere of influence and no one's calling in life will be outworked in an identical manner. We will all impact and reach different people and have impact and influence in different ways. Go all in with who you are, be 150% YOU and lean into that! And at the same time, cheer everyone else on around you too!

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in running a business?
We are not perfect. The sooner we learn to be easy on ourselves when we make a mistake, to just own it, apologize to anyone affected, pull up your big girl pants and grow from it-- the better. When we approach "mistakes" with a lightness of grace for ourselves and people around us, growth is so much more enjoyable of a journey.

What resources would you recommend to someone starting a creative business?
Find a real life mentor!! Invest in that relationship, it will be well worth it.

How has becoming a mom changed you as a business owner?
It's taught me that life is a beautiful mosaic of passion and pursuits. Being a the best mom I can be and my relationship with my family is #1. Having a child teaches you about what TRULY matters. It's love, it's family, it's the health of realtionships we have with one another. I could loose my business, my house, my car, my closet, my eyelash extensions (LOL), my travel, as long as I have God, my daughter, my husband, my family. My life is full and my heart is joyful and thankful. Business isn't everything, it's not even close to everything. Yes I love my business, I'm passionate about it, but at the end of the day, it's a opportunity that enables me to be all that I can be for those around me, both my family, my friends, my team, my clients AND my daughter.

Is there a woman in business that you admire or look up to?
I can't say I have one woman in business that I particularly look up to.. I really have always just looked up to my mom. I think that it's really about the person you are day in and day out, your heart, your soul, your posture towards life, God, others, it's about selflessness, love, kindness, joy, work ethic, optimism, energy. My mom exudes that everyday of her life. If I can do that, everything else will fall into place.

What called you to your field of work and starting Bonne Media?
Well, that's a long answer. But in short, I knew that I wanted to communicate in life, I actually LOVE public speaking, that is my first love, and it's on my dream board to do more of that, whether in a motivational type setting, coaching, workshops, life coaching, youtube, Instagram, church, Podcast, I want to prioritize that passion as I feel like I am supposed to out work that in a more intentional way. But that's not really answering the question LOL. It's my love for communication that got me studying communications, brought me into journalism for my first job out of university, which eventually led into more marketing based opportunities. And eventually after 10 years of working in marketing, journalism, communications, I wanted to pull all of my experiences together to create a space with unlimited potential, innovation, creativity, and culture growth! Something I could dream as big as I wanted to and go for it! A place where I could create an energizing place for people to outwork their passions, earn great income, and live a life that they LOVE. That's where Bonne Media came from!

What is your favourite part about working with and leading a team like you do with Bonne Media?
It's the BEST part of having a business. It's getting to be in realtionship with like minded individuals, and you are created an outlet for them to get to do what they LOVE to do. I only want to have people on my team that view Bonne Media and the opportunity it brings as their DREAM job. That's what I want to provide for people, and for specific people, this style of work & culture would be their dream job! I know it's mine! So it's being patient to curate your team around those people! Life is all about relationships, that's where the joy is-- even in business!

There you have it, from the queen herself!

Make sure to follow Ash here to keep up with all she does! And if there was something she said that resonated or if you are wanting to give her some extra love, leave it in the comments below!

XX

Bonne Media