We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joy Broils a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Joy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

This is such a great question because it ties directly to Hustle & Ground’s mission – the importance of Pausing in the hustle and bustle of life! Hustle is a way of life in our society. It is hard for many of us to take time for ourselves, to do activities that help us relax and unwind from the daily grind. For some of us, it’s a matter of re-prioritizing and making our Pause activity a priority. For others, it is finding that Pause activity or multiple activities that resonate with us. Imagine yourself completely stressed out, anxious, angry and burnt-out (that might have been you last Tuesday, right)? Then think of an activity that you love, that puts a smile on your face, Now take the time to do your favorite activity, without distractions, actually set aside that time for you. Check in with yourself after your activity and see if you feel calmer, more relaxed, maybe less anxious and definitely less stressed. If that’s how you feel, then the activity that you did is what I call your Pause activity.

Like many entrepreneurs, I wear many hats and hustle all the time. However, I also make sure that I take a Pause on a regular basis. I have different Pause activities, one of those being taking vacations. When I started Hustle & Ground, I made a change in how I take vacations. I used to take my laptop with me and check-in on things at night, but the quick check-in would turn into a couple of hours and my relaxed mood would change quickly as I kept wading through emails.
Now when I go on family vacations, my laptop stays home, I put an out of office reply on my email accounts and I silence my phone only bringing out my phone to take pictures. My out of office messages reads something close to the following “I’m enjoying a vacation right now and taking time to unwind, relax and be present in my vacation. I will return all emails when I get back.” This message lets everyone know that I am prioritizing my time away and being present in it.

Entrepreneurs in general wear so many hats and hustle all the time. It’s easy for entrepreneurs to get burnt out on their businesses especially if the business is a passion. As an entrepreneur, it is so important to take time and Pause.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

The idea for Hustle & Ground came during a pivotal time in my life. I was in the midst of recovering from a double concussion that I suffered from a car accident. I had to limit my work to 2-4 hours of work a day in order to heal. That was so challenging because I have always been someone who is on the go with work, kids and many volunteer board and committee positions. As I was notifying people that I had to step away from my duties and activities, the common response was I could never do that. It causes me anxiety for you! I quickly realized that our society needs to focus more on Pausing and being comfortable with time to unwind and relax.

I started Hustle & Ground with the mission of helping people Pause in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life. I curate themed well-being gift boxes with items from small businesses in Kansas City and the surrounding region. The well-being boxes are great gifts for both yourself (self-care is so important) or people in your life. You can give a gift box for birthdays, anniversaries, get well, teacher appreciation, mother’s and father’s day and holidays. Companies and organizations can give gift boxes as part of the well-being programs, as amenities, to celebrate work anniversaries, or as raffle prizes. Well-being boxes also make great closing gifts for realtors to give their clients.

I am most proud of several things with Hustle & Ground. I love hearing from customers on how much their Giftees enjoyed the well-being boxes that they received. I love working with a wide variety of small businesses to include their products in the themed boxes. I know when I place an order for products to go into my boxes, that order not only helps that vendor survive, but also thrive and grow their business.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

My core values run throughout Hustle & Ground and have helped build my reputation in Kansas City and beyond. First, inclusion is so important whether it is the vendors I work with or my customers and clients. I am adding new vendors on a regular basis to ensure that I am working with vendors from all different cultures. This is reflective in the new themed boxes that I am launching throughout 2023. Second, Lift as I Rise is one of my favorite mottos. I love to find small business owners who are doing amazing things. As Hustle & Ground grows, I can shine a light on these businesses, not only by featuring their products in my boxes, but also including them on my Collabs page on my website. Third, be kind to people. Kindness runs throughout everything we do, whether we are responding to email inquiries, shipping packages or talking with people at vendor events. Fourth, it is important to be active and involved in your community. I love volunteering and giving back in this community. I sit on different boards and committees and volunteer to help with events because I know that these organizations and events help make Kansas City a great place.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Word of mouth and the support of our community has been vital to helping Hustle & Ground grow! From the start, so many people have connected me to other people in the community. I love being at networking events and having friends introduce me to someone new and say let me tell you about Joy’s company. They proceed to share the story of Hustle & Ground, our mission and our products which leaves me with a big smile and a grateful heart. I also love talking with people at vendor events who say I remember seeing you at this event and I love what you are doing! Word of mouth is so powerful!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hustleandground.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hustleandground/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HustleandGround
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joybroils/

Image Credits
Ashley Photos KC and Great White Oak Media