If nothing else, Ashlee Ammons knows how to power her way through life’s pivots and over hurdles. Consider this:
On this episode, Ashlee joins Jennifer Malcolm to discuss entrepreneurship, taking risks, making change, and overcoming the odds.
If nothing else, Ashlee Ammons knows how to power her way through life’s pivots and over hurdles. Consider this:
On this episode, Ashlee joins Jennifer Malcolm to discuss entrepreneurship, taking risks, making change, and overcoming the odds.
Calling all women who are curious and called Transformative Power of Women's Stories where every woman has a
Ashlee Ammons:Thank you so much. I'm so glad to be here and
Jennifer Malcolm:Yes. We've had so many bw people on our team Good, good, good. So I am going to read a short bio about you
Ashlee Ammons:sounds good. Alright,
Jennifer Malcolm:so Ashley is co founder of this tros the They're the 38 and 39th black women to receive more than 1 100 400 program. In 2019, Entrepreneur magazine also named world. So excited to have you here today.
Ashlee Ammons:Yeah, I'm excited to be here. I'm excited to be
Jennifer Malcolm:Really are you originally from Ohio area or did
Ashlee Ammons:I am so I'm originally from Lorain, Ohio,
Jennifer Malcolm:That's also and I grew up my early age in graduation was interning for the notorious LeBron James, do you
Ashlee Ammons:So here's the thing, I think this is kind of a here, like having so much fun, you're probably not doing a good job. So did it expose me to cool things? Yes. Was it like an easy obviously, at the time, if you live like anywhere in Ohio, like LeBron, and people know who you're talking about. And so it people who are touching his star power. So anybody that came And it was called LR Mr. Marketing. And so this was he like his friends didn't. So his friends kind of built the plane partners at the time. And then things that he was thinking intern. And when I left, I was something of an office manager, you need to figure that out. I was like, No, all right. So, you was like down for anything, like I was like, hey, whatever task marketing summit where these huge people like the top people and discover that although I was graduating with a broadcasting of strong men, you know, Sue, like the whole company, like a
Jennifer Malcolm:That's awesome. Was there like sadness as you and I'm sure there's excitement
Ashlee Ammons:So I was actually I was a static, I was ready. So me. Like, I think I always tie it back to the fact that I used like Sex in the City is way off. But as far as a girl can dream, they helped me connect, you know, they had connections. So that that was a really a really great thing. But yeah, it was
Jennifer Malcolm:I love that you said to like, as we as an successful endeavor, which then really opened up the doors for
Ashlee Ammons:That's it. I mean, that's, I mean, you want why I go see all my colleagues, I go see my old boss, and I walk great teammate, you know, and I you know, this is a funny thing,
Jennifer Malcolm:One, it sounds like you also left a piece of off of that into the dreams, which goes into a lot of your
Ashlee Ammons:Yes.
Jennifer Malcolm:So tell us a little bit because also in this,
Ashlee Ammons:So, so, okay, so when I first got to New York, I like, hey, you're gonna go to New York and do what? They were sponge from my previous boss, who kind of was executive kind of stuff. And I took that with me into this executive not being afraid, afraid to like, go figure out the answer. How do you do this? No, no, no, you go on Google and figure that got very Luckily, lucky, the gentleman I was working for, he would be like planning these big events, and I would kind of be have budgeted like, $750 for this person, I will do it for that's one thing about events like going to school for events looking what's going on in the back of house. And it's a couple years of doing that, doing both the executive opportunity came up where somebody who worked on top of she wasn't really doing any of the work, like me and my other do it, because I'm doing all the work anyway, I know all the London Olympics. Amazing, like amazing. And you know, and it
Jennifer Malcolm:Absolutely want it's fun. I hear you're it's like going to the theater there's so many moving parts and the work so that's beautiful.
Ashlee Ammons:And I think what people have to remember earlier that step first i feel like sometimes people in this and i'm you will hit a pothole like you don't want to hit a pothole when how you get to that next stage that's how you get to the think i'm done being your assistant like i was like i i time like literally at this point like i love you but i love um but you know when leonardo dicaprio came about that was that point it was like i like i knew what was happening i mean like wow you've been famous for too long and when and like i'm a came up in that event and again you can only keep your nerves that level of stress and just be able to see the bigger picture so it was one of those things where it was like okay well one like flamingo stomped it out and tied her dress like in a little
Jennifer Malcolm:And it's fun to stay here the stories because
Ashlee Ammons:You know what it is though it's that have you it's like everything's fine hi good evening oh my gosh like
Jennifer Malcolm:And then you also did oprah
Ashlee Ammons:Yeah so Oprah so Oprah was maybe my favorite to go to santa barbara for like two weeks and work but Basically I would build a room like from the studs like so like flame floor laying carpet all the stuff and every night at the who are going to be nominated for oscars like this kind of every day after class like that was what my routine was every her she made a point to say hello and engage with every was like well that's why you're oprah because you you've reached i never want to be someone where it takes someone like 15 calls ultimately end up going.
Jennifer Malcolm:oh it's so beautiful it sounds like that
Ashlee Ammons:Well and i also i wait we have to like even pause special that she just did recently with harry and megan pauses when she does there's a reason why she knows when to like alright let me sit here with her for 30 minutes two like hosting podcasts or owning a company whatever that's a
Jennifer Malcolm:And i love that you're saying that because much ruffles my feathers anymore because i've grown muscles i've that piece of learning the craft learning how to facilitate that young you know that instant gratification i want it i want
Ashlee Ammons:Yeah i'm like and that's a big bridge all
Jennifer Malcolm:Right big bridge alright so let's
Ashlee Ammons:Yeah so my mom and i back in 2014 so my mom i though she's my mom she's not afraid to tell me what i'm wrong of not cool like you know so i appreciate that in her i career she had led like a global hr transformation for 100,000 probably much to my brother's dismay because he was like a conference and whole point for going to that conference was to i went to this conference and when it came time to network the the dot that we're talking about was like somebody went through like you're in this for situation where you have to make both like well we're both pretty extroverted so like what what is people easier when you're already somewhere like there's a
Jennifer Malcolm:Awesome. And i am a high extrovert as well so when i go to networking i'm like hi my name is Jennifer Malcolm and you are like that is
Ashlee Ammons:Well and i mean that's the thing though so what fact people do exhibit like one of three behaviors when they go actually a sociological phenomenon as well called like men are one side women or another side, or it's like guess what, I'm bust out my smartphone, and I'm going to see us having a conversation, him saying, Wow, this conversation
Jennifer Malcolm:It's amazing. And I love that said the context our putt, and I just went over that a wave. And to me, like the enjoying watching a sport, and we're the ones that are coming automatically give you things to talk about things to connect
Ashlee Ammons:Absolutely. I mean, absolutely. And I mean, But let's talk about that. Because, you know, I think too mean nothing. And what you really need to get to is the You know what I mean? Like, try to get away from that bias that that, you know, somebody says, Oh, are you the first thing like, I don't understand what you're saying. So. So that's
Jennifer Malcolm:So I'd like you to go into that piece of how hearts like, okay, it is hard work, it isn't just going to
Ashlee Ammons:So I want to tell so everyone who might be like, technology touches all of our lives everyday specifically, like that's a conundrum right? And so my mom and I were and you Google mixed rose, you know you're going to see like 2014, our first national press piece came out in 2017. So and like a tangible product, like something that goes on Shark people want to hear about your journey, they don't want to hear on mixtures, okay, like, we were like, down in Alabama, or down the way that it worked is in 20. So in 2014, we came up with the it. We, you know, even in our immediate family, like no one still living in working in New York and in 2015, in particular, so.
Jennifer Malcolm:Once you get all go down.
Ashlee Ammons:I was and I and I had told my boss about like, a So the biggest thing I would say in the beginning is you have to hearing is a wireframe wireframe is how you communicate what you can think to get it done was I took a stack of post it notes. And when we found developers sent that to them. And I was because in fact, I learned later that when Google is thinking of
Jennifer Malcolm:I love when you said that you didn't know
Ashlee Ammons:I'm telling you, like it's like I'm like it's so 2015 was, what the heck is an app? How do you get it built? My if it's going to be like, 30 grand a week, or like something and they were with like, as the development team for mixtures. putting yourself out there. And you know, being willing to have can get that out to market, see what people do with it, like caught it very early, which means she was able to go get finished the five years of that pill. So like, you know, we're ever be at 100% for anyone else. So all the appointments that we was really the point that's turning point for me, because either I need to get in or I need to get out. And so that was rich. Okay, that's false, no. And so but what was extraordinary was this. So the virtually. But attendees come into a venue and they take about basically engineer the serendipity that they know would gives people context? Because if you answer that question, that gives them a tie that binds them together. And then it also for work, and then their relationship can grow. So that venue shut off the lights, like the venue was like, I understand purest form. Beta testing sounds so intense, like, it sounds so because we need you to try this app.
Jennifer Malcolm:Market react right there.
Ashlee Ammons:That's it. Like, that's it. And it was so funny, could.
Jennifer Malcolm:So good. And look at your, your, becaus cted. But what I found out wa that there was something inter ng to kind of fish for it and a d try and your app is already bu
Ashlee Ammons:I would definitely say so I mean, it's like, relationships are everywhere, it's like something to do it, I think it's gonna be very interesting to see what looking at yourself while you're looking at somebody else. I things. So. So for 2015, it was how do you build an app? For that it was a very slow and arduous process. 2017, we were I had to sell some things. And I moved back to my parents home, of depression, like the summer of 2016. And I know that that Santorini and I was so upset. And what I will say there is know, sought therapy and got myself better. I'm still in 2017 we were like still the little engine that wouldn't die. the reason we wore these t shirts, which were like a $12 and tonic, or Oh, and I would be like, Oh my gosh, I was like, Oh caused a stir. That was actually the thing that led to our first basically getting what is that, like an executive MBA for your stretch over like three years, which is like nothing for a breadwinner and I had quit my job. So I mean, it was just company and then it was like Really from that point in 2018, something, you know, or like Junior College, so like going to spent doing the work that nobody else wants to do. Because since You know, we went on to raise$900,000, an additional $900,000 are we're on March, today's March 11. So March, this was know, we were like, Okay, well, one, we already know how to be did that we make quick pivots, we fail fast, we pivoted again, crossed over from 2020 to 2021, it was just going to be like, again, like if you made it with all the things that are going on
Jennifer Malcolm:So good. And I have a very similar story, because we had all of our the numbers look like, if we survive 2020 then we're good you're barely keeping your one foot in front of the other, you
Ashlee Ammons:That's it. And I feel like that's where we all whether you've had it or not, you know, someone that has, think about, but, you know, it's like, if you're listening to
Jennifer Malcolm:Exactly. Exactly. All right. So as we
Ashlee Ammons:You know, I think for anybody who's like, feels it all happens in a day, it means that you like make a in a stream. So like you know, you do one thing that will lead at things in like six weeks sprints because life happens dismay, like, they just take time. And so just understanding telling you, the thing I live by is that comparison is the thief did she get those shoes are like, Oh my god, and we never thumbs up to you. So I mean, I really think it's just that, you understanding that all of that is normal, I would then also about going to the gym, I want to normalize talking about affected by all the things that have happened in the last year, gosh, I have to go back to the workforce. Like I've been out of think that that's real. And so taking care of ourselves, doing would have been like, you know, hustle, grind? Yeah. Like I'm
Jennifer Malcolm:That's good. And that's a core value of read a chapter of my book. Because once I turn the switch of your body. And if something is physically wrong with you, through that. And I think that's it.
Ashlee Ammons:Yeah, that's, I mean, to help you tell you that if that's not it. Um, and in fact, we have the same can kind of help us navigate that, you know, so I mean, it's know, and in some of it, you know, lives lost and jobs lost happening, like, don't forget to dream, you know what I mean? love, like I you know, I think that that's been something again, I think if you're here and you're listening, you have
Jennifer Malcolm:No, thank you. And so we're gonna wrap this up. or your website, things that if people are interested that they
Ashlee Ammons:Well, it was a pleasure. Thank you so much and
Jennifer Malcolm:Exactly. Alright, everyone. Thanks for you like about it, how it inspires you and invite them to