What happens when the corporate box no longer fits? Simona Costantini broke free — and built something louder, messier, and way more aligned. Jennifer “JJ” Sutton talks with Simona about what really happens when you leave the job, the titles, and the expectations behind — and start building a business on your own terms. From solo podcasting on the side to launching two companies and redefining her entire life in the process, Simona gets brutally honest about the mental, emotional, and operational chaos that comes with building your own thing. They talk leadership without micromanaging, managing teams without losing yourself, and what happens when your personal evolution outpaces your relationships. This is about more than scaling a business — it’s about becoming someone entirely new. If you’ve ever felt underestimated, overextended, or like you’re outgrowing your old life, this one’s for you.
Key Takeaways:
1️⃣ Your growth will outpace your old identity
Becoming a founder means shedding old expectations, redefining who you are, and learning how to navigate relationships that no longer align
2️⃣ Structure is overrated until it isn’t
Freedom and flexibility are great until chaos hits your margins. Scaling requires systems that support both your team and your bottom line
3️⃣ “This isn’t a hobby”
Simona turned freelance podcast gigs into a thriving agency and SaaS startup even when people underestimated her or didn’t take her seriously
Timestamps
00:00 Welcome to Hello Chaos
02:58 Embracing Chaos in Entrepreneurship
06:03 The Journey to Foundership
10:39 Finding Joy and Purpose
12:53 Empowering Women Entrepreneurs
14:11 Challenges of Entrepreneurship
15:32 Managing Teams and Expectations
20:27 Valuing Team Strengths
24:49 Creating a Positive Work Environment
26:49 Work Flex: Redefining Productivity
28:54 The Importance of Self-Discipline
32:31 Navigating Corporate Rigidness
36:24 The Evolution of Personal Relationships
40:15 Managing Stress and Finding Joy
45:12 Overcoming Fear in Entrepreneurship
47:17 Defining the Next Chapter: Peace and Stability
🔗 Learn more about Simona and Volt Productions
Website: https://www.voltproductions.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simona-costantini-25653a30/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simona__costantini
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/volt.productions
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-tlry97spKc8_lJ-7g3hew
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (00:00.608)
All right, welcome to Hello Chaos, a weekly podcast exploring the messy and chaotic minds and lives of founders, entrepreneurs, and innovators. Each week I have the privilege to speak with founders across the spectrum, founders from different industries at various stages, from startups to mature businesses of all shapes and sizes. Our listeners get to hear the real, the raw, the unvarnished viewpoints and stories.
getting incredible insights on what it takes to start and scale a business, to become a better founder, a better CEO, or just a better business leader in the community. I'm excited to have on our show today just the energy and the vibe that we had in the green room. But today we have Simona Costatini. Please, I hope I answered it. Costatini, because my autocorrect didn't want to throw in Constantine.
Simona | VOLT Productions (00:53.659)
You are good.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (00:57.582)
But but Simona is the CEO and founder of Volt Productions and you know a podcast Extraordinaire producer, right? Yeah been doing it for a while. So welcome to the chaos
Simona | VOLT Productions (01:07.349)
Thank you. Yes. Yes. Thank you so much. This is so fitting. I feel like my life is so chaotic in this current moment that I'm like, yes, let's embrace it. Exactly.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (01:16.278)
I know, but it's welcome. We gotta welcome it, embrace it. I know when we polled all these founders and entrepreneurs around what word describes your world, your vibe, we would hear trailblazer and grit and all this stuff, but chaos kept coming up. But they were like, some were like, ugh, but it's anxiety, but I gotta welcome it. And I was like, so we gotta, it's hello, chaos, let's bring it. Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (01:27.477)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (01:41.281)
I actually love that. Like the way that you broke that down, I love that because I feel like chaos is a very perfect word, a way to describe the founder journey and also like the most accurate description in the most like loving and kind way because chaos doesn't have to be a bad thing. It doesn't have to be a bad thing. Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (01:53.624)
that you're...
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (01:59.246)
No, and some people thrive on, and I think that's, we talked about kind of what makes entrepreneurs and founders, innovators, it's a mindset. We thrive sometimes in chaos. Some people are better at it than others, and that's where mental health and mental wellness, we gotta work on to keep the chaos from getting out of control within our,
Simona | VOLT Productions (02:10.11)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (02:20.737)
Hmm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (02:25.102)
But also as you start growing, we call it like the new level, new devil, as you start growing and scaling and bringing on, you know, as leaders, we've got to go, I got to attain that chaos and bring clarity, some of that chaos, I got to bring structure to that chaos to help the people grow with me on the team. But before we skip ahead and start jumping in, start us out about your journey. What inspired you to start?
Simona | VOLT Productions (02:45.281)
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (02:54.86)
vault, get in and jump into foundership.
Simona | VOLT Productions (02:55.745)
Hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (02:59.817)
Yeah. So I started podcasting at the end of 2018, beginning of 2019. And I started from, it was actually really interesting. I woke up one summer in 2018 and I was like, I am so miserable. Like, why am I so unhappy? Like I hated everything. And I don't like to use the word hate because I feel like that can be like really intense, but I hated everything about myself. I hated the way I looked. I hated the way I talked. I hated that. I was like a gossipy type of person. I hated that I fed into drama, like all of these things. And,
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (03:22.062)
Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (03:27.886)
And were you working for somebody at like an agency or what like what was your world?
Simona | VOLT Productions (03:31.041)
Yes. Yes. No, I was actually, was, I was working in corporate. I worked for a major airline in, in Canada. So I live in Canada. And so I worked for a major airline in Canada and I worked in internal communications and I did a lot of video production when I was in that role and all kinds of like, you know, internal comms and like that kind of stuff. And it was super fun. Like it was a fun job, but I always had this feeling. like,
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (03:52.216)
Right.
Simona | VOLT Productions (03:56.885)
there's something more to life. Like there's gotta be something more than just this. I'm like, really? Like I'm gonna wake up every single day, get in my car, drive all the way there, sit there, and then I'm gonna have someone else tell me what to do every single day for the rest of my life. Like you cannot be serious. I was like, this is horrible. and like no shade because some people have, you you have to do what people like the stability of having a job and like that's amazing. And also,
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (04:10.926)
I
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (04:16.94)
Right. There are some people that thrive in that. I I'll tell you about my journey. I never thought I wanted to start my own company. I never had. I felt like I had an entrepreneurial mindset, but it was inside of agency world. Like I'm a serial agency person. I've worked for agencies for 25 years before I started Bright Marketing, which is the company I've owned for over a decade. And, you know, I don't know what got me to Wild Hair to start.
Simona | VOLT Productions (04:20.523)
Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (04:23.882)
Mmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (04:31.549)
Interesting. Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (04:40.981)
Amazing.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (04:46.08)
Orange Whip and Hello Chaos was really a whole different inspiration of, because well, I started Orange Whip out of my frustration of being a founder and not finding the ecosystems connected enough in a broader spectrum that was really diverse.
Simona | VOLT Productions (04:51.049)
All game like a whole.
Simona | VOLT Productions (04:59.489)
Hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (05:07.573)
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (05:11.66)
and inclusive, didn't see myself in ecosystems. And I kept hearing that from other female founders, from other black founders, or if they were an art, you know, an artist that was an innovator in their space or somebody that was a restaurateur innovator, these entrepreneurial ecosystems in these communities, you know, all over the country, it was like, that's just for tech guys. Those are the tech bros. And I'm like, so...
Simona | VOLT Productions (05:27.137)
Mmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (05:36.001)
Thanks
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (05:39.374)
they're not going to get support if I don't fit this mold. And I started just talking to founder about 2000 all over the country back in like 2022. And it was that repeating. I'm going, that's how I felt for eight, nine years before I entered in and really found a community and found the benefits of a connected entrepreneurial community and really helped Greenville.
Simona | VOLT Productions (05:41.386)
No.
Simona | VOLT Productions (05:44.755)
Mm-hmm. So true.
Simona | VOLT Productions (05:59.649)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (06:05.365)
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (06:09.454)
kind of break the mold to go, you need to be looking at the broader spectrum of entrepreneurship.
Simona | VOLT Productions (06:15.713)
Well, it's so true because the way like the way in which when you start your entrepreneurial journey or you have a business because like I have volt productions, which is my agency, but I also co founded another company. It's called Northflow and that just launched in January and it's a podcast project management system. And in both of those journeys, they've been so totally different. And like it's just, it's, it's so crazy because it's like,
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (06:33.624)
Ooh.
Simona | VOLT Productions (06:41.865)
Anyways, I won't get too ahead of myself, but what you're saying makes so much sense because you need that type of community. And the more you continue to elevate yourself and the more you continue to hit that next level and that next level and that next level, like you were saying, like the more you do that, the harder it can be. I don't know if you've found this, but I've had the harder it can be to relate back to the people that were in my life before entrepreneurship. It's crazy. Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (06:48.055)
Yeah.
Yes.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (07:06.002)
yeah, no, can relay. was fascinating. And like I was on the agency, I'm like, because I would see the owners of the agencies that would just have like the stress. And I'm like, I never, but let me, you I can be the best, you know, number two, number three, you know, manager, whatever I was leading. But you know, universe happens of like the glass ceiling got crushed on my head of.
Simona | VOLT Productions (07:30.441)
always.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (07:35.054)
You know, I was told I was salary capped and title cap that a female wasn't able to go to the next level within the job I was in. They weren't ready for a female at that next level. And so I was like, well, OK, well, I'll leave and I'll go do my own thing. And really, it was like, well, I'm going to go figure out what I I had a couple of gigs and I was like, I could do these gigs.
Simona | VOLT Productions (07:44.129)
Mmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (07:53.493)
I'll just go do my own thing.
Simona | VOLT Productions (08:02.185)
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (08:04.046)
I could add more gigs, but my phone was ringing out the hook from people that I'd worked with, old copywriters and creative directors and media people and account people. And they were like, hey, can you come and do this for this client or my client needs your help? then I'm like, I could make an agency out of this model. So that's how that started. I was never one that was like, ooh.
Simona | VOLT Productions (08:05.407)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (08:24.96)
Yeah.
So cool.
Simona | VOLT Productions (08:33.665)
Entrepreneurship. Let me throw caution to the wind.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (08:33.782)
I wanna do this. So I felt very alone. Yeah, I felt very alone and very unprepared. I knew how to run like an agency, the operations of an agency, but not the business finances side of it. Or yeah, it just was really.
Simona | VOLT Productions (08:49.153)
See, it's interesting. I felt the opposite of that. when I started, yeah. So when I started like, so I had all that happen. I started to see this therapist. She was amazing. I loved her. And then she kind of like sparked something in me that I
I had this idea, I was like, just want like one person to feel less alone. And like, if I'm learning all these things about how life can be, and how we can explore our emotions, and how we can become more in tune with ourselves and what we actually want, versus just walking through life, doing all the things people expect us to do, how many people actually live their life doing the things they truly want to do? You know, you get a job and people say, oh, that's crazy. Why would you ever do that job? Or you start a business and people are like, why would you ever do that? This is insane. Or you know, you move across the country and people like, why, why would
you do that? But you know, a lot of the times people put a lot of their own fears and their own projections into everything else that you do, right? So when I was in this moment, I was like, go ahead. Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (09:34.403)
Right.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (09:42.872)
So, so hold on, when you're in this moment, so you were working at this airline, this agents, so did you start seeing a therapist while you were there? And this was like, because you needed the help, and then it's like, you started having these aha moments of these self-reflections of what do I wanna do? How do I find joy in my life?
Simona | VOLT Productions (09:48.63)
I was.
Simona | VOLT Productions (09:52.425)
I did, I needed the help.
Simona | VOLT Productions (09:57.696)
I did!
Simona | VOLT Productions (10:02.845)
Exactly. Exactly. And I was like, I was like 26, 27 at the time. And I had been with my then boyfriend, turned fiance, turned husband, now turned ex-husband. Everything is fine. was, it was a good, it was like a good thing. was a good thing. It was, it was a, yeah, it was, yeah, we had been together for 10 years, but that's like totally beside the point. But, so he had kind of like walked through some of that journey with me as well. And then when, I, when I got into
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (10:18.616)
That was a fast.
Simona | VOLT Productions (10:32.257)
When I got, when I was like in the therapy side of things, I was like, okay, I was like, well, I feel like I need a way to share this information that I'm learning. Yeah. With other people. And then I just had this like drop into my awareness. was like, Oh, happiness happens. I'm like, happens. So I actually turned happiness happens into a podcast that I launched at the beginning of 2019 and I had.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (10:39.32)
this journey, right?
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (10:49.142)
Okay. And you were doing the kind of on the side. Okay.
Simona | VOLT Productions (10:54.333)
Yeah, yeah, I was still working full time and I was like, you know, I'm like, this brings me joy. Like this is something that's very fun. exactly. they were just like, yeah, yeah, exactly. And exactly. And they were just like, they were just like 15 minute solo episodes that I did on my own. And I did that for about eight months. And then I started interviewing different business owners to understand like how they got to where they were. And then that encouraged me and inspired me to start a life coaching business that I did for about a year.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (11:00.391)
It's therapy. It's, yeah. This is my therapy.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (11:18.018)
Right.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (11:23.49)
Okay.
Simona | VOLT Productions (11:23.653)
and then the world shut down in 2020. I lost my job because no one was flying anywhere and, worked a job like in between, but I very much focused on, what did I want to do? Like, what did I want to create in my life at that point? And because I had had the podcast from 2019, I actually was doing a lot of freelance editing on the side through Fiverr of all places. And I had, you know, about 10 clients or so on Fiverr.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (11:27.116)
Right?
yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (11:52.385)
So at the beginning of 2021, probably like January, February, I left my corporate job like once in a while. was like, you know, I was like, I have this new start. I don't have a job. You know I mean? Like I might as well, I might as well, I might as well just try, right? So I did that and it took me about January and February to get myself all organized. In March, I had told my Fiverr clients, I said, you know, if you wanna come over to my agency directly,
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (12:04.822)
Right?
Simona | VOLT Productions (12:20.161)
I'll give you a better rate and which is illegal. You're not supposed to do that on Fiverr. So don't tell anyone, but that's okay. Um, just tell the whole world here. And so I gave them a better rate. I launched my podcast launch services in March of 2021 sold out in 72 hours and we have never stopped since like we're going into it's at 2025 and we have, we have been doing this day in day out podcast launching management, production, all of the things. And I've learned so much about myself along the way, but I think the biggest thing that I've learned is like why
Literally, why not just do what you want to do? Like, why buy into all of the shoulds and all of the things that you should do? Like, who does that serve? Because it doesn't serve you, you know?
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (12:59.746)
Right. So that's what you learned, discovered about yourself. What's been the most rewarding aspect of starting your own company?
Simona | VOLT Productions (13:06.719)
Hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (13:10.729)
Okay, so I work with a lot of women entrepreneurs, primarily. I've helped some men along the way, but I think the biggest and most rewarding piece is the way in which the women that we get to work with find their confidence in their voice and like their inner confidence and actually show up to the mic and make a really big difference with what they share. Whether it's in the parenting space, whether it's in digital marketing, whether it's in health and wellness.
I believe that everyone has a really important message to share. And when we don't do that, we do a big disservice to our community, to our friends, to our family, to ourselves for not showing up as the person that we are and sharing the messages that we are meant to. Yep, exactly. Exactly. So that's been the most rewarding piece, I think. mean, not only that, but like it's turned into speaking all across North America.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (13:54.808)
we were meant to be. Yep, absolutely.
Simona | VOLT Productions (14:06.369)
I get to go to all kinds of conferences and events. I also get to create my own schedule and not have to sit in rush hour traffic, which is such a blessing in Toronto. Our traffic is almost worse than LA over here. So, you know, there's a lot of rewards, but I think the biggest one is definitely watching people find their own confidence and changing their lives. Like, yeah, you can't put a price on that, you know? Yeah. Thanks.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (14:26.222)
Finding their voice, finding their truth, yeah. Yeah, that's amazing. what's been the most challenging part? Have you had, like as you've developed this one also and then you started a whole other side, another business, what's been the biggest, shit, like what have I done?
Simona | VOLT Productions (14:36.289)
Oh, everything? No, I'm just kidding.
Simona | VOLT Productions (14:41.878)
Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (14:46.867)
Okay, so I have this one thought. I'm like, you know, everything that I touch kind of turns into a business. So I think one of the biggest challenges is that like all of the hobbies that I've had have turned into a way of making money, which is not a bad thing. Like it's a good thing, but then also it's true. It's very true. It's...
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (15:00.034)
Right. That's like most people want that. That's, too long over here going, yes, yes please. Like, long over here going, yes please.
Simona | VOLT Productions (15:08.769)
But then also, you know, it can be tiring though too, because it's like not everything always needs to make you money. You know, like you can do something just for fun. But I think the biggest challenge overall has been learning how to manage a team because I'm very hands off. Like I'm not a micromanager by any stretch. It's one of the things that I disliked the most about being in corporate and that I didn't love from the bosses that I used to work for. And so,
That has been a challenge because I'm like, okay, like, you know, we, have, have this one idea. Okay, let's just run with it. You know what I mean? So sometimes I'm so fast at doing all of the things that there isn't really a structure behind what we're doing. And that can be a little bit chaotic for my team. So it's managing their expectations, thoughts, and you know, what I would like to create and balancing the two.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (15:57.517)
Right?
Yeah, I think that's the biggest challenge. I coach a lot of other, not necessarily, these aren't necessarily startups, some of these are mature businesses, but they haven't scaled, they haven't accelerated. And I can say lessons learned for, and Chandler's gonna go, yes, this has been a challenge. As we've worked through our own systems, like systems and processes, systems and processes, like you can't scale and accelerate in a way that feels comfortable.
Simona | VOLT Productions (16:10.303)
Hmm interesting
Simona | VOLT Productions (16:18.911)
Mm-hmm
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (16:31.086)
without you know mapping those processes out and it was a that was a hard lesson like personally for because I would have turnover because I would go I'm not gonna micromanage I've hired adults I have a macro process you figure like as long as this is being done but I recognized that ooh I didn't have
Simona | VOLT Productions (16:35.978)
Yes.
Simona | VOLT Productions (16:45.269)
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (16:53.61)
systems in place to put guardrails up to protect the individual to make sure that the macro processes were being followed so that the quality it was consistently delivered and then also the guardrails weren't in place to protect the business financially to make sure that hey this was only supposed to take 50 hours we got people like running amok we got you know a thousand hours into this this is not good
Simona | VOLT Productions (17:01.097)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (17:12.833)
Yeah. Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (17:19.157)
Now we're at like 100. huh. That's actually a really good point.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (17:23.438)
And to see that, so, and it was my, that was like an aha for me, was somebody was like, Jennifer, you you're making an assumption that these macro processes, that people actually know how to, just because they've come from this experience and they've got this, you know, caliber of, you know, 15 years or 20 years, don't assume they know how to do those things. And I was like,
Simona | VOLT Productions (17:51.777)
It's so true.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (17:53.942)
No, they worked in the space. And they're like, monitor it. And I'm going, And also what you do, and you've come from big agency, you have been trained by some of the best minds in your experience. Do not assume those the same people you bring on. So you've got to be the teacher and the educator and map out how it works in your company.
Simona | VOLT Productions (18:18.817)
Great job.
Simona | VOLT Productions (18:22.965)
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (18:23.022)
because there's a thousand, know, 100,000 agencies out there, but what you do is very different. And map that out so that everybody can feel successful. Clients feel that, why they hired you, and it's consistent, but your team feels safe and protected that they're doing what they're supposed to be doing, but the business is also being protected financially. And I was like, when I didn't think of it that way, you know, and I was like, so that was like a-ha for me, five,
Simona | VOLT Productions (18:28.116)
Exactly.
Simona | VOLT Productions (18:34.239)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (18:45.035)
Mm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (18:52.718)
plus years ago. And so we've been working to build those playbooks, build those systems, but also do it in a way that fits our brand. Because that was another like, aha, about a year ago, we were building all these systems and tools and I wanted to be very prescribed. And then somebody was like, yeah, but your brand is all about problem solving and agility. Have you made it so rigid that
Simona | VOLT Productions (18:53.803)
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (19:21.792)
and prescribed that you are not allowing your team to breathe and to problem solve and to adapt to the client's needs. And I'm like, shit, I'm gonna, like I need to re, so now we're in the, I'm merging our ops playbook with our brand playbook. So it becomes really clear of why.
Simona | VOLT Productions (19:28.681)
Hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (19:32.497)
Interesting. Nope.
Simona | VOLT Productions (19:40.979)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (19:46.606)
why we're doing what we're doing, why we've chosen these tools, why we have these processes in place, and it's because it lifts up our brand. So making those connections. But those were, And I'm in branding and I'm in marketing and I'm in advertising and it took other people to kind of go, like, wake me up. Oh, it's.
Simona | VOLT Productions (19:54.069)
Mm-hmm. I love that.
Simona | VOLT Productions (20:05.671)
Well, that's the thing because yeah, sometimes when you're too close to what you do though, it's very challenging to see things from a different perspective. You know what I mean? And it's like other people on the outside can say like, okay, no, this, this team member's got to go or this, this thing isn't working or this process isn't, is faulty. It's so hard to see it for your own self. And like, I don't know about you, but like I'm a huge, I don't want to say I am still because I definitely think I've worked on this a lot. But when I was first starting my business, I was a huge people pleaser. So I under
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (20:13.432)
That's right.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (20:20.462)
It's so hard.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (20:32.866)
Yeah, yes.
Simona | VOLT Productions (20:33.651)
I undercharged a lot. Like my rates were significantly lower than everybody else. You know what I mean? The work that we did was significantly better than a lot of people. And yeah. Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (20:42.594)
Right, we're still in that position. That's still the feedback that we get is that we're a value brand. But also I think it's a, I don't know if it's a, because we're in a creative world as owners and also, because I've talked to both men and women in kind of our space. We tend to be service minded and very much people pleasers. We undervalue
Simona | VOLT Productions (20:55.413)
Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (21:05.089)
Mmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (21:09.598)
yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (21:12.174)
what we do, but also we give more. Like, so it's not just, the rate I gave you for this package was probably spot on, but we tend to give more. And so, let me add for it like this, oh, you don't like that? Right. That's right.
Simona | VOLT Productions (21:22.442)
Yeah.
Like, let me add in a few more calls. Like, let me do a few extra things. Like, let me just redo this one thing for you really quick. Like, it's no problem. But I'm happy to do them. You know what I mean? Like, I'm happy to do them. And I think that's what makes people, like I know for my own agency, that's what makes people work with us. It's not because I sacrifice my boundaries and I like do extra things that I quote unquote don't want to do. I want to do all of those things that I'm happy to give them. Exactly. Exactly.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (21:46.862)
Because you're there to serve. Right, right. But as long as it's making, but you gotta make money.
Simona | VOLT Productions (21:53.71)
Yeah, exactly. Well, I'm very, very lucky. Like our agency has been very profitable since the beginning. So I've actually never had to worry about that, which has been super nice. And I hope to never have to worry about that.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (22:00.93)
That is, so as you've got it like scaling your team and you're kind of going, okay, know, that's been, what's been the biggest lessons that you've learned managing as a founder and a CEO? Like what's been your like aha moments of, man, that I can't behave that way or you know, whatever that is.
Simona | VOLT Productions (22:05.823)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (22:15.093)
Mmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (22:19.487)
Hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (22:26.046)
Mm-hmm.
So one thing that I really value is making sure that my team is playing into their strengths. So I don't want and I don't put people in roles or tasks that they don't inherently want to be in. I would rather hire someone else to fill in a gap if I need to versus make someone on my team pick up all of the different pieces because I've had this happen before and this is something that I know this because I learned this that
When people don't love what they do, it's very challenging for them to find the motivation to do it. And then when they do it, can take a lot longer because it's not their expertise. It's not their wheelhouse. It's not the thing that they want to be doing. So a big lesson that I learned is always making sure that we're playing into everyone on the team's strengths. And when I very much honor their boundaries, I ask them, say, you know, I have this task, this task, this task.
Do you want to pick up any of this extra work? If not, I will do it for now and then I'll find someone else to do it afterwards because they feel like that's the only way to make sure that people are happy with what they do. Right? So we were joking around at the beginning of, of, know, of our conversation that, you know, I had, you know, had to drive to a job and like all this and that, And like those rules are definitely needed. Like some people need and love that stability. And as an agency owner, my team doesn't want to run their own agency. They don't want to run their own thing.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (23:27.628)
Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (23:38.691)
Right.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (23:43.362)
That's right.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (23:48.653)
Right?
Simona | VOLT Productions (23:50.165)
but they do value being able to manage their time in their way and how they need to. So it's kind of a combination of that, making sure people are in the tasks that they love to do. But even more than that, I let them work whenever they want to work. I set deadlines and I expect things to be done by those deadlines. And if they're not, then that's a different conversation. But I've pretty much never had that issue because people get more time to be flexible.
And then kind of just what we were talking about, like about the processes and stuff like that, learning how to build processes was important. Like I still don't have like actual SOPs or anything like that, which is something I've been trying to create for like four years. It'll come, exactly, it'll come. you know, it's like, we all know what the SOPs are in our mind. You know what I mean? So like, it's just taking, it's finding the time to take them out of our mind and put them down on paper. But.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (24:15.427)
Right.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (24:24.674)
Right?
It'll come.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (24:35.278)
Right.
Simona | VOLT Productions (24:39.551)
When everyone is working towards the same goal, but people feel inspired and happy to do their work every day because they feel valued in what they do, that's really important to me. And how do I make people feel valued the most? Well, definitely gratitude for the work that they do, appreciation for all of the stuff that they do, and making sure that people are doing the work that they love. Because if you don't love what you do, you're going to be like, see you later.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (24:46.179)
Right?
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (24:57.558)
Yeah, no, and it's so funny. That was kind of when I started out with the agency, was very much, I was like, don't, I wanna align people's strengths with their passions because then it becomes great work. I don't, you don't have to microman, you know, you, and I don't know if you found this, I had to, you know, in,
Simona | VOLT Productions (25:11.317)
Yeah. Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (25:16.33)
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (25:25.346)
kind of the ebbs and flows of that. I think there are people that you can do that and I have people that are still around from day one and still we push on that of like, you still doing the things that you love to do and these things that you're really strong at? But sometimes it's like you get people on the team and it's like, and they're like, I wanna do that. And I'm like, let's talk about that. I know it's a passion.
Simona | VOLT Productions (25:34.155)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It's so telling.
Simona | VOLT Productions (25:42.111)
Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (25:54.914)
But right now it's not a strength. let's work towards that. That goal, let's nurture you. But I think it's just knowing, kind of reading that. And then you've had, you know, I've had other people on the team where, because that's what I said, I'm like, I'm not going to have, you know, this structure. You work where you want to work. You work when you, you know, here's the deadlines. Here's my expectation. And if you can't meet those, we can part ways. Like, you know.
Simona | VOLT Productions (25:56.961)
Hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (26:18.059)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (26:22.407)
Mm-hmm. I wish corporations. Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (26:23.572)
It's no hard feelings. But this is what we got. And there's people that thrive under that. But I've also recognized there are some people that we've had on the team that were young enough in their career that they hadn't figured out how to discipline themselves. So they would come in and because we were like, don't get no work.
Simona | VOLT Productions (26:31.221)
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (26:53.294)
I call it work flex, right? That's what we were calling it. But people were coming in, know, working for, coming in the morning and then working for a couple hours and then they would take, go to yoga, go have lunch with their friends and then come back for a couple hours in the afternoon and then would go home for five o'clock walking or.
Simona | VOLT Productions (27:09.569)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (27:13.963)
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (27:20.984)
Cocktails or whatever with friends and then I would see them pop back on, know late at night answering emails and in my head I was like got you know, they're there, you know, it's a it's a full-time position we've got you know billable goals that we've got a gotta meet and You know, we started having come like you really only work in three four hours a day and you're getting behind on your your your task right and they were like
Simona | VOLT Productions (27:23.093)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (27:42.966)
Hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (27:47.135)
Well, that's the difference. That's the difference. I think it's okay if you're not getting behind. I think that's okay. Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (27:53.088)
It's okay, but they would come back and go, I think I need a raise. Like I'm working 70 hours a week and I'm going, let's hold on. They're like where? And so we'd have to like, are you inputting your time in correctly? And they're like, yeah, but I feel like I'm working like a dog. I work all the time. And so we kind of popped open our time logging and we were like, you've averaged.
Simona | VOLT Productions (27:56.817)
no you're not. Where?
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (28:22.058)
in the last year, 24.5 hours a week. And it was an eye-opener for them of, And I was like, well, here's the thing. You've got the freedom, but you haven't self-disciplined yourself to go, you know what, I probably shouldn't do yoga twice a day. I probably shouldn't take a two-hour lunch.
Simona | VOLT Productions (28:26.408)
I-
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (28:50.934)
Or if I want to do it, maybe I should knock out my work and do seven to three, knock everything out and then go home and have the rest of day or whatever. And they were like, I never even recognized that I was doing that. But it's like.
Simona | VOLT Productions (28:59.947)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (29:05.887)
This piece about self-discipline though is really important because even when I worked in corporate, like I am not someone that likes when people tell me what to do and when I need to be at work and when I can leave. Like I don't like, that's why I work for myself. So I always think to myself, like if I go and I take an afternoon off, then why can't my team, granted my team are, they're freelancers, they're not salaried employees, right? So it's a little bit different. But having that said,
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (29:09.432)
Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (29:29.281)
If I can go off and I can do that, then fine. But as long as all of the deliverables are always met, that's the only thing that matters. But when I was working in corporate, I used to take my lunch and sometimes I would take a little bit of like a longer lunch and I would go and I would meet a friend for lunch or I would go and I would, you know, do my groceries or you know what I mean? Like whatever it was that I wanted to do that I didn't want to have to spend my whole, yes, exactly.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (29:49.762)
Life, life, you had to do life, yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (29:52.135)
Exactly. I think corporations would be better off if they started to adopt some of these principles, but also it's a slippery slope, right? Because a lot of people will start to take advantage of that and we don't want that to happen, but self-discipline
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (30:00.398)
Right. But you, it is key. And you have to, you know, when I was in corporate agency, you the bigger agencies and stuff, I would be the manager that would get my hand slapped because, you know, I did that, like, I was allowed to leave a couple, but I was working 90 hours a week. And it was, you know, and I was traveling and all that.
Simona | VOLT Productions (30:10.741)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (30:22.099)
Yeah, it's different.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (30:25.314)
But if I had to go and take off four hours, I've got four kids, my kids were really young, and you do a dental appointment, that's a half a day. Or sometimes if I'm taking two kids for their, it's a whole day I'm taking off. And I would do my PTO, but if I'm leaving for a couple hours, my boss would kinda let it go, hey, look, I know you're gonna come back in. I don't have any worry about you putting the time in.
Simona | VOLT Productions (30:34.699)
There's your whole day.
Simona | VOLT Productions (30:40.534)
All day.
Simona | VOLT Productions (30:50.239)
Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (30:54.232)
But I was taking, I was making, I put that same philosophy on my team. There were people on my team that were eight and five, like, you know, they were only gonna do the minimum. So yes, if they were gonna leave for two or three, they needed to take the PTO to follow the rules of the corporate, you know, the corporate rules. But I had a lot of people on the team that were working 60 hours a week.
Simona | VOLT Productions (30:59.467)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (31:11.445)
Hmm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (31:21.966)
And so if they said, hey, I need to go run and do my dentist appointment, I need to go do groceries. would go, go ahead. I know you're going to come back on at night. I'm not worried about it. But I'll tell you how many times I would be brought into HR to go, Jennifer, you're not, these people aren't filling in their PTO forms. And I'm like, why am I punishing somebody that at the end of the day, they're billing? One, they're billing at 90%. So, you know.
you know, which is really high in agency world. I was like, they're making the agency money, but also they are, they're working. Like, they're still putting in 60 hours. If you're a 35 hour to a 40 hour person, that's, those kind of, see it's all like individual based, right? But you're right, corporate like have, there's a rigidness to,
Simona | VOLT Productions (32:14.571)
Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (32:21.442)
that mind, you know, it's that mindset of I gotta get out everything that I'm paying in. And unless I have an eight, we're a blend of W-2s and 1099s. can't put those parameters on a 1099, but you have the expectation set, right, of this is what I need. These are the goals. I need you, and it needs to be at this quality. And if you can't do that, we'll find
Simona | VOLT Productions (32:32.054)
Mm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (32:38.305)
Exactly.
Simona | VOLT Productions (32:48.021)
Hmm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (32:51.074)
You know, there's a lot of other people. All of our, most of our 1099 have been with us from, like I said, day one. It's the W-2s that we've kind of changed our model. Cause I was 100 % 1099s. Cause I didn't want to deal with performance reviews ever again. Like, it up. But I learned that that was kind of my evolution of I, there are certain positions that we need to have structure. There are certain positions or people that are really good, talented people.
Simona | VOLT Productions (32:52.501)
Someone who, yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (33:00.289)
Hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (33:16.437)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (33:20.544)
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (33:21.326)
who don't, who feel they need that stability in the structure of a salary. They need the stability in the structure of, I need to have like that, the hours, the structure. They thrive under that. we, and like it is, and then teaching people, hey, you know, you can get to have that more of that flexibility, but we've gotta help teach that.
Simona | VOLT Productions (33:27.989)
Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (33:50.498)
discipline that self discipline because it doesn't sometimes it doesn't come naturally for a lot of people. At least that's what you know we found over our lovely course of the evolution of our business. So as you you know these lessons are like you've discovered about yourself. What are things that you really like about yourself that you wish other people recognized about you more.
Simona | VOLT Productions (33:55.957)
Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (34:05.781)
That's amazing.
Simona | VOLT Productions (34:14.785)
Cool.
Simona | VOLT Productions (34:20.119)
that's a really good question. I think that it's almost flipped in some way. Like I think a lot of people recognize really great things about me and I don't know that I see those same things all the time. Well, you people will say, you you're like, you're so, I don't even know. you you work so hard, you're so kind, you're so bubbly. Like, and it's like, know those things, but it's also like, do other people know those things? But then they do know those things. So it's very, it's very interesting. Like I,
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (34:28.92)
Like what?
Simona | VOLT Productions (34:47.009)
you know, I'm very much staying my integrity. I do work hard. Um, I always want the best possible outcome for my team, myself, my clients, and like life overall. I, it's a really good question. Like I, I, don't know. think I, I definitely over the last years, the work has been me being able to see all of the great things that I bring to the table versus qualities that other people see in me. But I think the biggest challenge though, in all of this has been
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (34:58.083)
Right.
Simona | VOLT Productions (35:15.777)
the way in which I've changed so much as a person. And it's more so learning to or how to bring other people along that journey with me because you change a lot as a person, right? And then your friends and family have an expectation of who you've always been. But then when you start to change, that expectation doesn't fit what their expectations
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (35:27.416)
Yeah, much.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (35:32.184)
Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (35:36.91)
Or you can't have a discussion with them of this is my challenge. I mean, you kind of hinted at that at like your circles change.
Simona | VOLT Productions (35:40.925)
No, but then it's also a lot of, yeah, exactly. And then it's also like, you oh, well, you should do this. You should do this. You have to, you know, I'm looking for a house right now. Like you have to live here. You have to do this. Like you have to stay near us. And I'm like, I don't want to do any of those things. Why? But it's, impossible to explain to people who don't have the same awareness. Like when you don't have the same awareness about these specific things.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (35:57.368)
You're like, why do I have to do those things?
Simona | VOLT Productions (36:06.323)
It's very, very challenging to help other people understand when they are so deeply ingrained in their own beliefs and their own judgments. You know what I mean? So that's been like, honestly, that's been like the biggest piece. Cause sometimes it makes me feel like I'm delusional because I'm like, am I, am I losing my mind? Am I asking for something that's too crazy here? Like yes.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (36:13.538)
Right. Yeah, yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (36:20.962)
Right, right. Or you're made to feel guilty for something you shouldn't feel guilty, but then you walk into a room with other founders and entrepreneurs and it's like, this is normal. We see each other. I feel heard, I feel seen, like all of that. I've just had to accept of, I don't wanna call it boundary, but they're just things that I can't reveal.
Simona | VOLT Productions (36:31.665)
Wait, what? this is normal. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Exactly.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (36:51.224)
to certain circles anymore because it's just, it's not relatable and the conversations turn where it makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong. I'm like, and it's not wrong, right? And so I've just kind of learned of they don't relate.
Simona | VOLT Productions (36:51.295)
Yeah, it's true. They just don't understand.
Simona | VOLT Productions (37:00.273)
world. Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (37:07.413)
Yep. hear that. And it's not, and it's not something wrong. Yeah. It's just different. And people don't like the change. Exactly. And people don't like change. People don't think like things that are not familiar. You know, we're all creatures of habit. We're all creatures of the things that we like and the consistency that we can bank on. Right. And so when anything deviates from that, it's like, my gosh, this person is changing too much too fast. Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (37:26.978)
Right?
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (37:31.682)
Or the box, like people always think of, because that was like a big, I think that's a myth that exists out there, at least in, know, I'm a Gen Xer, so you know, I'm in my 50, I'm 50ish, I don't say the number anymore, I'm just 50ish. Yeah, the 50, so you know, it's like,
Simona | VOLT Productions (37:46.401)
Embrace it because not everyone gets to make it to the next year. That's how I've always looked at birthdays.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (37:58.44)
You know, they're like, well, if you're a female founder, that means you have all this freedom and that means you have all like and I think it was a no, no, no, that's just a gig. Like I'm I'm I'm starting something I'm taking like I'm I have employees. I have people that rely on me. I've got clients that it's and they're like, I thought you just did this so you could spend more time with the kids. Yes.
Simona | VOLT Productions (38:08.831)
Hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (38:13.535)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (38:22.465)
It's like a hobby versus I had someone once an old, like a friend that's no longer really a friend had said to me, this is so fun. Like your cute little podcast business hobby. And I'm like, this is the weirdest comment that you could have made. I'm like, do you, do you understand like the stuff that we do? like, we work with celebrities. Like, you don't even, I'm just like, watch like,
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (38:33.186)
Little hobby, yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (38:38.104)
Great.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (38:43.564)
Right, you're like, what?
Simona | VOLT Productions (38:44.853)
This is crazy. And I'm like, yeah, I guess so. But I'm like, you know what? If it fits your narrative of like who I need to be in your mind, then that's fine. Like I'm not going to, I don't have the mental capacity to change people's minds. No.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (38:53.004)
Right, right. I'm not going to change that. it was, it was, yeah. And I didn't know, like I would hear that from my friends, my friends circle, but also these were women that also looked at work as either a hobby or part, you know, it was a part-time thing. what they, they were, it was a job, not a career. And so I kind of dismissed that, but it was my big aha for me was when I
Simona | VOLT Productions (39:08.481)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (39:16.405)
Yeah. Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (39:22.796)
bought our building, our office building. it was huge and it was real estate. we, cause we, just like you, like as soon as we started the agency, was like, boom, we were growing. And so I bought a building with that, you know, after our first year and, you know, had an open house and, you know, people in the business that I had worked with for 20 years prior who came in like, like, this is a real company. Like you're, you've started a real company. And I'm like,
Simona | VOLT Productions (39:25.089)
Mmm. that's huge.
Simona | VOLT Productions (39:44.822)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (39:50.399)
You're legit.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (39:52.588)
What did you think I was doing? I thought it was just like a hobby. I thought you were just like, you know, one of these other marketing girls that just wanted to, you know, stay at home with their kids. And I'm like, no, I've got 20 people that work with me. It was just the bizarre, then it was like, that's what that's how people are perceiving. Not just me, but that's how they perceive women in this space.
Simona | VOLT Productions (39:58.869)
doing it
Simona | VOLT Productions (40:05.959)
No. Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (40:14.527)
Yeah. Exactly.
Exactly.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (40:21.326)
that our founders were not taken seriously. And that became like a mission of, we gotta change that perception. So how do you deal with the stress? And cause you know, your whole thing is about how do I stay happy? How do I find joy? How do I...
Simona | VOLT Productions (40:29.953)
We gotta change it. Exactly. Which we do.
Simona | VOLT Productions (40:38.433)
Cool.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (40:44.938)
self-discipline and bring joy into make sure that my people are happy and are finding their space. So how do you deal with, cause stress happens, like shit happens. So how do you deal with that?
Simona | VOLT Productions (40:47.22)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (40:54.739)
Mm-hmm. yeah.
You know, it's for me, like stresses is something that has been a work in progress for a very long time. Like I just went through like a divorce a couple years ago. I've, you know, paid for all of the bills in my house that I live in by myself. That was previously two incomes now down to one. like, you know, that plus managing a team plus client ebbs and flows, ups and downs, like all those things. Like I feel like stress to me has just kind of become a
constant. I think I've just accepted what it is and I try not put too much pressure on myself because when you do put too much pressure on yourself, it's almost impossible to like, then you put all these, these conditions around how you have to manage your stress. You know what I mean? So I like to, I'm very protective of my time. Like that's one thing. Like I don't like to be on extra calls if I don't need to be.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (41:31.778)
Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (41:47.093)
I don't like to stay extra if I don't need to be. I don't like to attend meetings that I don't need to attend, like that kind of stuff. I'm very protective over my calendar. That's like been the number one thing. I walk a lot. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. I walk a lot as well. Like I have a walking pad. I have two desks, like side by side, and one of them is a walking pad desk and the other one is a sitting desk, which is nice.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (41:50.284)
Right.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (41:56.824)
Yeah. Also it gives your team freedom to own things. Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (42:12.801)
I walk a lot. have a dog, so I like to just enjoy, you know, I take them to the dog park or whatever, like anything that I can disconnect. I just, when I'm not working, I very much try and just be present in my life with what I'm doing. And I just, what I've learned and come to accept in entrepreneurship and you know, the whole founder journey is there's always going to be more work. There's always going to be more things to do as long as my to-do list of the day is done. And the other things I know
can roll over to the next day and it's okay that they roll over, I feel like that's fine. You know, like it just is what it is.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (42:43.724)
Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (42:48.91)
So I'm just like rethinking of your timeline. in five, six years, you have started now two companies, but you also got married.
Simona | VOLT Productions (43:02.687)
Good. Good. Yep.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (43:04.096)
and divorced while doing that, was becoming a founder, because I've heard this from a couple other founders, and if you don't want to answer it, that's okay. If this is too, I'm poking into, know, poking the bear or whatever, but, because I've heard this from a couple other founders of, I liked the person that was, you know, that worked for somebody versus,
Simona | VOLT Productions (43:08.875)
Mm-hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (43:16.479)
No, you're good. No, no, you're good. Poke away, poke away.
Simona | VOLT Productions (43:33.302)
Mm-hmm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (43:33.676)
when I, you know, but when I became a founder and because you are challenged as a, it really makes you, your inner strength comes out, like things, know, courage, you do, you change. But for the better, you know, a lot of things like that have been buried inside of you get uncovered. But I heard, know, another founder was like, yeah, they,
Simona | VOLT Productions (43:40.491)
Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (43:51.367)
yeah.
Exactly.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (44:03.234)
You know, my wife liked me this guy, you know, the career guy, but when I became founder guy, they didn't like me. They didn't like this person. And I don't know if that happened to you or...
Simona | VOLT Productions (44:08.299)
Mmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (44:12.159)
Yeah. You know.
Simona | VOLT Productions (44:19.489)
It's honestly, it was more just like, mean, we were so young when we got together. were 22 and 21 and we had gone through different things in life together. And I think I just threw all those years. I don't regret any of it. Like he's a wonderful person. I don't have anything bad to say. It didn't end in any like horrible way. You know what I mean? Like there was no, um,
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (44:40.94)
It just was like, this is, we're not on the same journey anymore. Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (44:41.801)
Yeah, there was no like abuse. was no cheating. There was no nothing. Right. And I think sometimes that makes it even harder, right? Because if there was something like that, then you have something to blame, right? It's like, they did this, this thing, whatever, whatever. The hardest part for me was being able to accept mostly responsibility in my own way. I guess that it was me. Like I had gone and I would say this all the time to my, to my girlfriends. I'd say, you know, I went and I, I just had to change so much, you know, but I couldn't imagine being that version of myself.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (44:50.914)
Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (45:07.758)
Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (45:11.251)
ever again. So it's kind of like, it's just, I think it was just like the natural evolution of the relationship. And I believe in marriage. I believe in being with someone. I believe in all of those things. What I don't believe in is sacrificing your happiness and knowing that you'll never ever have what you're truly looking for. And, know, to be loved in the way that you deserve to be, you know, cared for in the way that you deserve.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (45:12.354)
Right.
Simona | VOLT Productions (45:38.003)
you have one life. And when I really started to look at that, I'm like, I have one life. Do I want to spend my life always like feeling like there's more, more, more? And it's not even more. Like I have a wonderful partner now. Not to say my ex wasn't a wonderful partner, but my partner now, we are so aligned. Like we're both entrepreneurs. We have the same values. We have the same missions. Like we're very, very energetically aligned in that way. And so
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (45:40.642)
right?
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (45:56.867)
Right.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (46:07.394)
Yeah. Well, I'm sure you show up and that makes you show up differently. And I'm sure that, you know, the energy of the vibe, your partner showing up in the way that you need. So that's fast. So would you be doing this if you had no fears? What would you be doing if you had no fears?
Simona | VOLT Productions (46:18.269)
Exactly.
Simona | VOLT Productions (46:27.155)
You know, that's a good question. So I believe that when I started happiness happens all those years ago, I truly believe that the message that we have to share for me anyways, always, always, always far outweighed the fear of not being sorry. Hold on. My dog just came running in and he's distracting me. he's just, he just tried to almost knock my camera over. don't know if you saw that. I'll just restart the, I hope that's okay.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (46:47.574)
I've like, heard a little collar.
Sorry. No, that was all right. We've had kids that have come through and it's okay. It's life, that's right.
Simona | VOLT Productions (46:56.893)
Okay. I figured, I figured exactly, exactly. I do have a hard stop at 1115 though. have a mastermind call that's already started. So I just wanted to let you know. Okay. I could chat with you forever for being honest, but.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (47:06.08)
Whoa, whoa, whoa, we will, we will, we will, I know, I know. I'll ask my two big questions and then yeah, we could actually do a second episode or something and do one on just like podcasting life. Founders that podcast, that would be fun. So, go ahead. So would you be doing this if you had no fear or would you be doing like, what would you be doing?
Simona | VOLT Productions (47:14.217)
Okay, sounds good.
Simona | VOLT Productions (47:18.249)
We could. We could.
Simona | VOLT Productions (47:23.073)
Yeah, I would love that. Founders of podcasts. feel like that would be really good. No, no, you go ahead, please.
Simona | VOLT Productions (47:35.753)
Hmm. I feel like that is just such a good question. I don't know what I be doing if I didn't have any fear. I think that when I started my podcast, happiness happens all those years ago, I always knew deep within me that like the message that needed to share and the way in which the planet would shift, you know, and the energy would shift if I found the confidence within myself to actually share my knowledge and what I was learning with other people that I knew would be helpful for other people. And I always just remember that now I'm like, you know,
the purpose and the mission far outweighs the fear of being uncomfortable. Right. And so I just, really try and remember that. I think I probably would be speaking on more stages. I probably would be asking to be paid to speak on those stages. That's definitely like, that's like a next like thing for me, which, which will be good, but I don't know what else I would be doing because I kind of just say, yeah, I just kind of say yes to like, not yes to everything, but I say yes to all the things that feel in alignment and then kind of go from there.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (48:17.166)
Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (48:23.47)
We're gonna manifest that. Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (48:32.225)
But I know that fear, if I fed into fear and if I let fear dictate my life, I know that I would still be working in corporate and I probably would be very unhappily married. Yeah. So there. Exactly.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (48:32.227)
Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (48:42.924)
Yeah. So you've broken free of that. There you go. All right. If you okay. So if you could sum up your founder journey in just one word what word would that be.
Simona | VOLT Productions (48:57.857)
Mmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (49:02.547)
exciting. I think it would be exciting. And the reason why is because I've gotten to do and try so many new things that I never thought possible. And I've learned so much about myself that I'm so grateful to wake up every single day and to get to do this every single day. I'm so excited about it. Yeah. Thanks.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (49:12.749)
Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (49:20.406)
and just stay excited. Love it. Okay, so, you know, next chapter. What's the word that defines that next chapter in your journey?
Simona | VOLT Productions (49:29.953)
Hmm.
Simona | VOLT Productions (49:34.497)
Peace, would say peace and like stability. Yeah, it's been like, you know, it's funny because the show is, the show is hella chaos. And my life has been very chaotic for the last few years and I'm in the process of moving. And then once I move, I know it's just gonna be like, yeah, yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (49:39.736)
Peace and stability, yeah.
That's... Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (49:51.078)
You're like, okay, we can settle. We can take a breath. You've had a hard, I mean, would say, you we always say entrepreneurship and, you know, foundership is hard the first five years, but you added extra stress on top of yours. And I think, I heard this from another founder and I love it because I think it speaks to us, you know, not only are we roller coaster, you know, the emotions, but somebody was like, we have two emotions. It's euphoria or depression.
Simona | VOLT Productions (50:04.179)
Yeah. Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (50:17.461)
Hmm.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (50:20.424)
And we want, you know, that, the ability to just like take a breath and have the pause. you know, but we do, you know, the dips in the valleys so much. we, yeah, you gotta find it. That's right, that's right. You're like.
Simona | VOLT Productions (50:25.185)
constant like you for a state. Yeah. Yes.
Simona | VOLT Productions (50:33.121)
Sometimes you have to force that pause, you know, otherwise the universe will do it for you. It's very true. You can't operate at a thousand percent every single day. You really have to like take every day as it is. Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (50:46.412)
No, you cannot, you need to find, you gotta take the breaths and know when to, you know, that was a lesson for me of like, cause I was running hard, hard, hard, hard, hard for so long and it was like, and then you break, your band of resilience, like the rubber band became super brittle and you need to, it needs to build the elastic back is what I,
Simona | VOLT Productions (51:00.085)
You can't. Exactly.
Simona | VOLT Productions (51:07.24)
yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (51:12.361)
I love that. That's a good analogy. I love it. Amazing.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (51:15.0)
There you go, that's my lasting little advice. All right. Okay, we're out of time and I'm gonna wrap up. So where can people learn more about you, about Volt, about, did you say it was North Star? North Flow, where did that name come from?
Simona | VOLT Productions (51:32.78)
Northflow. So, well, that can be a whole other conversation. You could have, we're four founders. That'd be fun. Part two, I love it. And that would be fun on the podcasting world too, because it's a podcast project management app. But that company, became a founder of May of 2024. And it's been an amazing journey. We can talk about it. But anyways, you can, you can.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (51:38.774)
Yeah. We're gonna do, we're gonna do part two. Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (51:48.365)
Yeah.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (51:57.25)
Yeah, we'll do a part two on Northflow. Yeah.
Simona | VOLT Productions (52:00.235)
Sounds good. Okay, so you can find my agency at voltproductions.co. So V-O-L-T productions.co, not .com. It will take you somewhere else. And you can also find me on Instagram, simona with two underscores, costentini or on LinkedIn as well. Those would be the easiest places. Yeah. Thank you. This was so fun.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (52:20.244)
Awesome. All right. Well, this was very fun. I love this. was even though I know it's we've been almost an hour and but these go by so fast and I love it. And yeah, for everyone listening or watching, thank you for joining us. The podcast is available on all your favorite podcast platforms. So subscribe to Hello Chaos. Give us a five star review on Apple or Spotify. We'd love that.
Simona | VOLT Productions (52:30.624)
I know.
Jennifer "JJ" Sutton (52:46.336)
or share this great content and help us build a more connected entrepreneurial community. Hello Chaos is one of the many resources brought to you by OrangeWIP, that is OrangeWIP, W-I-P for work in progress, because that's what we all are. OrangeWIP is a multimedia company dedicated to serving founders and entrepreneurs in affiliate cities. We've designed hyper-local media platforms to inform, inspire, and be the independent connective tissue between founders and their local entrepreneurial ecosystem.
We're in three cities of South Carolina today looking to expand to other cities in the coming years. Our innovative digital zines are an all-in-one content hub. We tell fresh and engaging stories. We curate local calendars. So it's only one calendar that you have to keep up with of all the shit happening in your community and dynamic roadmaps to help founders navigate all the resources that are available to them in their local market.
We are, you know, we're always taking guest requests and sponsorship. So if you want to support us, send us an email to hello at orangewip.com. Thank you for tuning into Hello Chaos. is where aha meets shit. And we'll see you again next week.