PP Babe: Allie Lehman

Allie has played an instrumental role in our success as a company ever since I reached out to her about wanting to re-brand 6 months after starting Primally Pure. How we met can only be described as fate. I happened to see her and her company name (The Wonder Jam) on the footer of a website I followed and decided to reach out. Allie called me the next day. Her and her husband Adam are based in Columbus, but they happened to be on a road trip at the time and were going to be driving right by our farm in Temecula, CA the following day! Crazy. We all met up, hit it off instantly, and the rest is history.

It's been so much fun to continue to work with TWJ as both of our businesses have grown. I can't speak highly enough to the quality of work that Allie and her team produce as well as the level of professionalism, integrity and brain power with which she leads her team. I know you'll be just as inspired by Allie as I am after reading her answers to our questions below!

You really are a wonder and jam out so much! From branding, blogging and photography to podcasting, coaching and coffee roasting - girl, you’ve got it going on. We’d love to get a behind-the-scenes look at what a day in the life looks like for a real life wonder woman.

I love answering this question! My weekdays always look different but this year, I’ve assigned “themes” to my days. I decided to make Mondays the kind of day that I would never stress out about. I schedule a lot of internal meetings with our team, we have a staff meeting where everyone can connect and I focus on our business.

On Tuesdays and Fridays, I take my meetings with potential new clients, current clients and team meetings. I leave my Wednesday to production. That might mean designing, a photoshoot or speaking at conferences or events. My Thursdays are sacred. I work from home or out of the office. It gives me a sense of freedom and a time to truly be an introvert. Daily, I meet with Adam (my husband and business partner). That’s non-negotiable.

I don’t allow anyone else to run my calendar. I find that if I run my schedule very intuitively, I can love every day. It always feels productive and fulfilling.

We all have to start somewhere and the “how I built this” stories are some of the best. So, please share! How did you build The Wonder Jam into such a successful small business?

Very slowly! Adam and I started The Wonder Jam back in 2013. We worked out of our townhouse here in Columbus, Ohio. I had been freelancing on my own providing design services for about a year on my own, full-time and knew we could do something pretty special together. By 2014, we had our own studio but didn’t hire anyone (besides our website developer) until last year! It’s been so amazing working with tiny, tiny businesses. That’s our passion: small business owners. We love coming alongside them to find their magic, their balance and the profitability. I try to remember every day, “Remember when you wanted what you have.” Gratitude has been very important for me this year.

We love your values + the WHY behind The Wonder Jam. Empowering others, creating a community, serving clients and supporting a creative environment for your team. How do you keep these passions + core values as a priority in the midst of ALL you do as a brand?

Gosh, what a great question! I’d say that Adam keeps me grounded in the “why.” He’s so empathetic and selfless. At the end of the day, we’re here to serve a certain kind of person and business. We’ve actively avoided our “big break” with awards, mainstream affirmation or huge clients. We make sure that we treat our clients with the respect they deserve and we keep all of our production in-house. A lot of agencies scale fast and we’ve avoided that on purpose. We know who our people are. We’re secure.

You and your hubby co-founded your business and work together on the daily. So, we just have to ask! What’s it like going to work (and going home!) with Adam and what challenges + joys come with being not only business partners, but life partners?

We do! We will be celebrating our 9-year anniversary this summer and we joke that it feels like twice that long because we’re together 24/7! Adam and I have both started and exited other businesses and there’s nothing like the trust and bond of family or life partners. It’s a unique honor.

The joys are extremely powerful because we see how it affects our team, each other and our goals (personally and professionally). The challenges feel like any challenge that a marriage faces. While it’s true that we’re here to serve our clients and help them the best way that we can, I’d say that our bigger driver in this whole thing is to spend our lives together, daily. I can’t imagine leaving every morning and not seeing him until after work!

As a woman entrepreneur, how do you make the time to nurture your own soul + self while also maintaining a successful business and meaningful relationships? And what are those things that keep you grounded and give you the strength to keep going?

I love this question! Time for myself is really important but I would say something that’s even more powerful is being true to myself. I find that when I’m just being me, I don’t run out of energy. For me, that looks like a few things:

• Communicating how I feel or what I’m thinking in the moment (unless it’s hurtful)
• Staying authentic to my energy levels. If I’m not in a great mood, I try to communicate that I’m feeling off and I don’t try to rise to the occasion. The same is true of a great mood! Share that with the world!
• Going with my gut. If a potential client doesn’t seem like a good fit, I listen to my gut. That has helped with my soul + self so much.

Other things that fill me up and help me prioritize myself? Asking friends to get a pedi, investing in facials and my skincare routine and SLEEP! I always joke, as a woman without kids, I am never sleep deprived.

We’ve had the privilege of having you photograph PP products on multiple occasions (we’re obsessed with your work, as you know!) and we’re dying to find out which products you’ve come to love for your own skincare routine and why!

I sure have! It’s so fun to smell, experience and play with your products. I’m obsessed with all of the face products. The beauty cream keeps my skin so hydrated during these midwest winters. The deodorants are magical and the only natural product of that kind that works for both me and Adam. I’m constantly ordering the body oil (lemongrass!) and I actually love the baby balm for my hands. If it’s good enough for a baby, it’s good enough for me!

You are a wealth of knowledge (and do ALL the things!) and we’d love to pick your brilliant brain a little bit. You share so much insight + inspiration on your website, blog and podcast, but we’d love if you could leave us with a couple more expert tips that are a must for current business owners, creative minds or even stay at home moms with a side hustle.

• Take care of yourself! You’re your most valuable employee! This can mean catching up on sleep, eating better to fuel yourself through the day, hiring an assistant, reading a book or stretching. When we’re frazzled, we’re doing ourselves a disservice.
• Tell your friends and family. You probably have a tighter knit community surrounding you. Use it to your advantage! It’s easy to stay in the huddle, sit in your house or keep those brilliant ideas to yourself. If you’re launching a website, brand, product or idea, get feedback from the people who love you (and can be honest).
• Connect with others. Get out there (in-person or online) and support others. Don’t think of networking in the traditional sense. Introduce two like-minded people with each other, look for meet-ups in your area, volunteer, host your own class at a local venue or collaborate with a blogger/influencer! Entrepreneurship can be lonely. You’re not alone and there are others out there seeking the same kind of support and friendship. It’s why I have so enjoyed blogging and Instagram. If you keep that in mind, you’ll have no problem reaching out to a stranger.

Find Allie + Adam's work at The Wonder Jam and follow them on Instagram!