Episode 398: Building a Business Partnership That Lasts

Corey KupferLeah and Rebecca Wiser are twin sisters and creative partners who help service-based businesses take their brands and websites to the next level. With over 100 websites launched, they are more than web designers. They are strategic partners for companies looking to attract high-end clientele, generate quality leads, and turn their website into powerful sales tools. Having founded three companies in the digital space, Leah and Rebecca bring a deep understanding of the online world and how to fully leverage website growth. They work closely together, and this is a big part of what we are going to get into today, their close relationship as business partners. They are originally from South Florida and now based in Washington, D.C. They are also big animal lovers, which I am as well. They were co-founders of Women. Always, a free emotional well-being app featured on Forbes, NBC, and CBS, and I am so excited to have them on the podcast. These are two phenomenal, dynamic young women, and we are going to get to hear about their journey and their business partnership.

Leah, Rebecca, thanks for coming on the DealQuest Podcast. I am so happy to have you on, and welcome.

Becca WiserThank you, Corey. It's really awesome to be here. Yeah, it's such an honor, and we're thrilled to be on.

Corey KupferWe are going to get into all of your entrepreneurial journey. We are going to get into what it is like to be business partners who happen to also be twins, identical twins. But before we do all that, I want to take you back to when you were little kids growing up, maybe 10, 12 years old. What did you want to be? Because I know you had other businesses before this, so I am assuming running a web design company was not it back then, but you tell me.

Becca WiserEvery day it changed, but the one that lasted the longest was that we wanted to own a spa together, so we were very into wellness and relaxation, and we made our room, which we shared, a spa, and we'd have friends come over, and we would do yoga, and we would have aromatherapy, and we were just really into it. I remember filming a commercial for it, too, so the marketing brains were already working back then. So yeah, we were always starting different businesses and entrepreneurial journeys, even back then.

Corey KupferI love it, and I noticed you used the word together, so from day one, was there no doubt that whatever you were going to do in business was going to be the two of you?

Becca WiserOh yeah, I think because we're twins, we've never been lonely one day in our lives, and we always knew that we wanted to do something together. From the time we were 8, 9, 10, we'd be doing this little spa, and we'd have friends over and paint each other's nails, and it was a really great way to get to know how to work together, and what each of our strengths were, so we feel really lucky that we were just kind of born into it.

Corey KupferSo, one other question, looking back, what was the first deal of any type that you did? It could have been something small when you were a kid, or maybe in one of your earlier businesses. What comes to mind?

Becca WiserAs soon as you say that, what pops in is I remember being in 8th grade, and we were the last ones in our grade to get cell phones. Our parents were pretty strict with the technology and the limits there, and I think that was our first pitch deck that we created. We did a whole presentation on why now is the time, and why we are responsible enough to have cell phones, and it was a successful pitch. It finally worked. It was, believe it or not, late to get a phone. I don't know how old kids are these days when they're getting phones, but it definitely taught us the power of a good pitch deck and a good presentation.

Corey KupferNow, you actually put together a physical pitch deck, right?

Becca WiserWe printed it out, we had a whole presentation, we prepared it. We knew that we needed to go in with some solid points. You know, with a negotiation.

Corey KupferSo what had you even understand or come up with the idea that you would do this, as opposed to just saying, please, mom and dad, can I have a phone? What gave you the idea to do a pitch deck?

Becca WiserOur parents had us watch TED Talks from the time we were young, and before we could open up a TV or a computer, they would have us watch something educational first. So I think just from seeing others present, it kind of inspired us to create our own presentation. We didn't know it was a full-on pitch, or we didn't know the verbiage for that quite yet, but intuitively, we knew our parents were going to need more convincing. We're not gonna be able to just ask. We're gonna need some solid data and some good convincing points.

Corey KupferWow, I love that. And you know, that instinct to go in prepared with data and solid points is exactly what I see in effective m&a negotiation at any level. The quality of your preparation almost always determines the outcome. Did they ever regret that decision?

Becca WiserI don't think so. I think they were impressed that we were able to convince them, and I think they found it very useful. Communication is a great tool, and it became a convenience for them, so no regrets thus far. Yeah, it's more now, these days, that I love setting boundaries with my phone, and I'm actually really grateful that it took a little longer for us to get phones, because we were able to actually be present for longer than a lot of kids get to.

Corey KupferYeah, it's an interesting time. There are some countries in Europe now, and I think Australia might have been the first, where they are looking to ban social media for kids under 16. It is really fascinating, and there is a lot of data and science now on the impact on young brains and on depression and everything else, so your parents had good instincts.

Becca WiserThank you.

Corey KupferAlright, so let's talk about your entrepreneurial journey. Did you work for others? Did you go your separate ways at any point? When did it come together? Tell us a little bit about that background.

Becca WiserYeah, we're really blessed because we have so many amazing women in particular in our family who were entrepreneurs and showed us that you could start a business with nothing. I mean, I remember looking at my aunt, Jennifer, and she started a jewelry business in her child's playroom, and it's flourished tremendously and become a huge business over 20 years later. And our mom has run many businesses, and our grandma ran businesses, so just being able to see strong women who we admire do it, I don't think that we ever questioned our ability to do our own thing. We've actually never had standard jobs before. We've always run our own businesses, and it's a different path than a lot of folks take, but it's been really great, and we started working really young. When we were around 12 years old, we would go with our aunt, who ran this jewelry business, to trunk shows, and we would help her sell jewelry, and it was really fascinating to see the impact and show how being really hands-on in your business can make such a difference, and having that one-on-one relationship with your clients. We were really lucky in that way, that we got to have some really amazing role models.

Corey KupferI love it. It is always fascinating to me how people become entrepreneurs. I have had many on the show who have these entrepreneurial models in their family, and then there are others like me who had no entrepreneurial models in their family and somehow had the gene, because I was running businesses when I was 15. There are situational entrepreneurs and then there are, I think, natural-born entrepreneurs. I am not making any judgment on one or the other, but somehow I was a born entrepreneur even though I did not have any models for it. My parents thought I was crazy when I left Big Law to open my own firm, because they would never do that. They got to see it was the right move. And then another layer for you all, I mean, to have a couple of generations of women entrepreneurs going back to your mother, certainly your grandmother's time. I mean, going back two generations, that was really going against the grain, so kudos to your grandmother for being an entrepreneur in that era.

Becca WiserYeah, yeah.

Corey KupferAlright, so one of the main reasons I wanted to bring you on in terms of the focus of this podcast and deals is business partnerships. On this show we talk a lot about m&a deals, strategic deals, and m&a transactions of all kinds, and I want our listeners to understand that a business partnership agreement belongs in that same category. We have had some folks on in the past, it has been a while since we covered that topic, and that is a deal. The easy default thing would be to say, hey, you are identical twins, you have this connection from the womb, so it was natural. But business partnerships are not easy, and even with the level of your connection, I am assuming there must have been some challenges and ups and downs in learning how to work together. I would love for you to share some of that, if you would.

Becca WiserDefinitely. We're very honest about the fact that it's not always easy, and we luckily have had the ability to work with many coaches and counselors, specifically around our relationship in the business. There's been rough points where we didn't know if it made sense to continue. We wanted to prioritize our relationship. It's such a special dynamic that we have, and we didn't want the business ever getting in the way of that. And we have found tools, we've worked with different coaches who gave us questionnaires about our personalities and working genius, and now we have some more language to understand how we work, because even though we're identical twins, we're very, very different, believe it or not. Our brains work in different ways. Leah's a lot more detail-oriented, while I am a lot more big picture, and we just see things differently sometimes. So having tools to be able to navigate the ups and downs makes a world of difference.

Leah WiserYeah, and I would just add that being really honest with each other about when something's not working makes a big difference. It's really easy when things are super busy to just go on about your day, but just like how in relationships it's important to take time and assess things, in a business relationship you need to ask each other, how are we feeling? Are you feeling valued? What can I do to be a better business partner? And that really changed everything for us. This one particular coach, we called it business therapy, because it really just felt like we were being able to open up and be honest, and have no filter. That was really helpful, because we had been doing the business for about four years, and we felt a little bit stuck. Being able to express how we felt without hesitation set a new foundation for us.

Corey KupferYeah. To whatever extent you're comfortable, are there some examples of specific incidents where the challenges came up that you are comfortable sharing?

Becca WiserYeah, definitely. This probably goes back to when we were kids, but sometimes you feel like you're doing more than the other, or keeping track, and it can become more about checking off a box than really being in it. And there are times in life where you're able to show up more than others, and that's something that we've realized, too. There are times where Leah wakes up and she feels awesome and is ready to tackle the day, and there are times where I don't feel quite that way, so she's able to really balance it out, and we're able to show up for each other. Some of the issues that we faced were surrounding us not being compassionate about that. Just like how when you're a little kid and your parents give you a brownie to split, we were almost so obsessed about making sure that the split of work was so perfect that we forgot about how value comes in different ways. It's not about the hours that you've worked that day, it comes in waves, and it ebbs, and it flows.

Corey KupferYeah, I love the brownie split analogy, because most every listener can identify with the experience of kids measuring things between siblings, and it could be a microscopic difference. So bringing that energy into a co-founder relationship, and where the brownie analogy breaks down, is that there is a measurable what is half and half when it comes to a brownie. Whereas in a business partnership, you said it well: bringing value in different ways. And in any deal, deal value is rarely just a number on a term sheet. It is about what each party is genuinely contributing over time, and that is as true for a business partnership as it is for any other transaction. There is this default to think about it in terms of hours, which brings up a whole other issue of how we tend to tie success to how hard we work. I went through a process many years ago of working to decouple those. What if I could be way more successful and work less? And that was just my own internal journey. I still work hard, I love what I do, but not having it be how I measure myself, not making it my identity, that was a journey. And when you add in a business partner to that journey, and the comparisons that could easily be made, I can only imagine it can get very complex.

Becca WiserDefinitely, and that's where the boundaries come in, too, learning how to set limits. We also live together, we are in our 20s, we live together in Washington, D.C., and we work together, so that could be a recipe for a lot of conflict. And while we have had our issues in the past and we're definitely not perfect, we are really committed to talking through everything and having different things in place, like stopping working at a certain time, or knowing that the weekends are not for work, and when it's sister time and when it's business time. Having some parameters in place makes a big difference.

Corey KupferI love that, when it's sister time and when it's business time. It is interesting, my wife and I do not work together. She has her own business and I have my own business. But we do support each other. We are like each other's advisors, and we actually do a weekly meeting for the business of the relationship, and then we have time that is separately defined. Because the business-of-the-relationship conversation is its own thing, what is going on around the house, what do we need to do, all of that, and we designate separate time to support each other in our individual businesses. Having those defined containers, and certainly not mixing it into, for example, date night, and keeping it separate, is sometimes challenging but absolutely worth it.

Becca WiserThat's amazing that you do that. Do you have a meeting specifically about your relationship to talk about things, or is it more to set boundaries between the relationship and the business?

Corey KupferWe do a weekly meeting in which we talk about the business of the relationship. That could be anything about what's going on between us, scheduling, when we're going to vacation, all that logistics and business stuff. I put that in its own container so it does not spread out to the rest of our time together. We have a place for it, so when she gets off five calls, I'm not coming to her and saying, I need to talk to you about this, when she is about to relax. We have our time slot for that.

Becca WiserThat's so smart. When I had the opportunity to meet you in LA a few months back, right before the New Year, you mentioned that you and Ra were going to do some visioning work together before the new year, and I just have to tell you that I love that you do that as partners and as a couple. I went back and I told Leah about this as well, thinking about the vision that we want for the business. So thank you for sharing that. What you and Ra have is really beautiful, and we listened to your episode together with Ra, and it was really fantastic.

Corey KupferWell, I appreciate that. For the listeners, I was just out in Florida at the Quantum mastermind that I am involved in and led a session for about 25 entrepreneurs to set their vision for the next five years. We are recording this in early February, so by the time it comes out it will probably be March, but you can do visioning work at any time. It does not have to be the calendar year. If you have not done it, it is super important. Alright, let us go back to your entrepreneurial journey, because the bio mentioned you have had a few companies together. Let us talk about that journey. What worked, what did not work, what did you learn about working together that you are now bringing into your current company?

Becca WiserYeah. Well, we were talking about working just the two of us together. Our previous company, we actually worked with our parents and our younger sister. So in many ways, this feels like a piece of cake. Our other business that we ran with the family is called Wumaze, a mental health app for women. We started the business from our college dorm rooms, and ended up leaving college once we got investors. We took a leave of absence initially, and then left entirely, went back to Florida, and worked on this business with our whole family for five years. So to say it was an interesting journey is definitely an understatement. We learned so much. The app surrounded mental health and emotional well-being, and I think we learned very much about how important our own experiences are and how that comes into play.

Leah WiserIt was, as Becca mentioned, just the ultimate lesson in business. We met the most incredible people, and it set the foundation for the rest of any other entrepreneurial journey we do. But it definitely led to some burnout, and it was during COVID as well, so we were stuck at home, and it was a very interesting experience. By the time we were ready to part from the business, it definitely took a lot of time to make that decision, but we were ready to start something new, particularly because of the way A Wiser Website allows for flexibility and working with people one-on-one. We learned which types of businesses we are most aligned with, and we're still very early on our learnings and our lessons.

Corey KupferSo you said you raised capital. Let us talk about that a little bit. You are college students. Were you going to the same college?

Becca WiserI followed Leah, yes. I was initially at a different school for a year and a half, and I guess that twin connection is pretty strong, so I followed Leah over to school in Washington, D.C.

Corey KupferDid you bootstrap the app for a while? What stage did the capital come in, what kind of capital was it? Tell us a little bit about that fundraising journey.

Becca WiserYeah, definitely want to give credit to our younger sister, Hannah, whose idea the app was. So it was the summer of 2017. We had all been very passionate about mental health. Our mom was trained as a therapist. We always had conversations growing up surrounding body image, surrounding our emotions, anxiety, depression, and thankfully these conversations are a lot more common now. Our friends started coming to us with different questions, and we would have these conversations. And we talked about how late we were getting phones, and one of the things we were also pretty delayed with is social media. Our goal with the app was to create a place where you could mindfully scroll through things that would actually help you feel better, as an alternative to social media. Hannah came up with this idea for kind of a toolbox for life in the form of an app. So we ended up writing down this idea, and there is something about writing it down and having a vision. We wrote down the idea, and then we ended up at our cousin's wedding meeting her company team. She works for Giphy, and we met the CEO of the company, and he was so encouraging and so excited about this idea that we had. By that point, all we had was an idea, but he really gave us a boost of confidence. Then we started drawing out our ideas, first on paper and then digitally. I had already started my first marketing company, a little Wiser Marketing, and I had some experience in design and already had a small business. So that entire semester of school, I think it was the fall of 2017, we spent designing this app, not really knowing how we would build it, because we were not app designers. With our very limited skill and design knowledge, we first literally on paper drew it out, how everything would work, and then eventually as we met more people who knew way more than us, we used different platforms and were able to build something that we could actually show an app developer. As all of this was taking place, we were in school, so this was kind of a passion project. We did not really see it as a business. It was just something that we all felt really passionate about. We kept it very quiet. We felt that it was very sacred, so we did not want to share it with too many people, especially because it was so new. But we ended up meeting two people who we had known for years, and just met with them kind of synchronistically, and they wanted to invest in the business. We did not even know that we were doing an angel investment raise. We were really just going to them for some advice, saying, we have this idea, it is very, very early on. We had very rough drafts of a design, nothing too professional, and these people really saw our passion and took a chance. They invested, and pretty much right after, we decided to take a leave of absence from school initially, and then pursue this full-time for five years.

Corey KupferThere is this saying in the capital-raising world: when you ask for money, you get advice, and when you ask for advice, you get money. Which is exactly what happened with you.

Becca WiserI love that. I haven't heard that. Yeah, yeah.

Corey KupferSo now you have these two, essentially, angel investors. In terms of deal structuring at that early stage, the analysis of whether you should take the money, what the valuation was going to be, that kind of stuff. How did you figure that out?

Becca WiserThere was a lot that we learned just on the job. We didn't even realize initially that this was a business, to be honest. So a lot of it was trial and error. We definitely met with some attorneys and accountants and coaches. There are many out there who offer free consultations, and you can learn a lot and then find one that works well for you. We're very passionate about having people who are a lot smarter than us and who know a lot more than us helping us, and early on that was certainly something that we had, because we were so new at this. We ended up having these two investors who also became advisors, and they had each run several successful companies, which is why we went to them initially, just for advice. They were very well connected and helped us get in touch with business coaches and folks who really allowed us to be in the right rooms.

Corey KupferLove it. Did any of your family members have experience raising capital, or were they all running self-funded businesses?

Becca WiserI think it was all pretty much self-funded. This was the first time we had experienced raising money, even though we didn't really know that's what we were doing. Eventually, further on in the business, we really got familiar with pitch decks, and the goal was to raise a significant amount of money through a series of official investment, but in the beginning it was really pretty informal. It was more of a conversation. Obviously we had legal documents and all that set up, but it was kind of an accidental raise.

Corey KupferOne of the things I always like to ask people about is your relationship to being a steward of other people's money. It is a different ballgame when you raise outside capital versus risking only your own. There are some folks for whom it is very easy, they do not have a lot going on around it. But some people actually do not want that responsibility at all, and even if it makes sense for their business to raise capital, they just do not want to do it. And then obviously there are people who make a decision to do it but struggle with it a little bit. What was your relationship to taking in outside capital?

Becca WiserThat's a great question. It was something that we felt very, very grateful that we had access to. We did not take that lightly at all. It's a lot of pressure. Anyone who has gone through that process knows that it's almost a little harder to sleep at night knowing that you are taking a risk, not with your own money, but with someone else's. We did not take that lightly, and we didn't take a salary for any of our time in this company, so we worked pretty much for free for five years. The company was a free app, so monetization-wise, that was our biggest struggle. The business that we're running right now is set up very differently, and it's a service, so it's a lot easier to determine the value. But for a free app where you don't want to have advertisements and you don't want to make people pay, it's certainly a tough sell for investors. Yeah, it was really important to us that we kept the app free, because we would get hundreds of messages each week, at a certain point, and that's really what kept us going, just seeing how much the app was helping people. We wanted to make sure that it was always accessible. That's why we had a really hard time with the monetization, because we wanted to keep it that way. We ended up growing the community to over 100,000 people, and we put on events, and we had other facets of the company outside of the app, and then COVID came, so things changed. One thing for the listeners as well: we're people who believe in the vision, and also giving yourself the grace to pivot. So after five years of running the business, and working with the whole family, we knew it was time to move on. And we are forever grateful for that opportunity.

Corey KupferThat's great. And I have to give you a little credit here, because especially in the entrepreneurship world, especially in the funded company world, there is this ethos about grinding it out, hustling, you cannot quit, it is all about persistence. And I think there is some value in that. Someone who is not willing to believe in their idea and work at it and deal with the inevitable ups and downs is not going to be successful. So there is truth in that piece of it. But there is also something in, and I think this is why we come up with the word pivot, because nobody likes to admit that something either failed or is not serving us anymore. So pivot sounds like a more strategic decision. But the truth is, sometimes it is time to surrender, and that does not mean you are a failure. This comes up in m&a strategy all the time. Knowing when to walk away, whether from a transaction or from a venture you have built yourself, is just as important as knowing when to push through. It could come from finding out that to make something viable is inconsistent with the values that you want, or that the personal cost is too much, or that the dynamics with the other people you are doing it with have become too challenging. This hustle culture and never-quit culture goes way beyond where it is healthy or appropriate or even good for the business. Any thoughts on that?

Becca WiserI love what you said about surrendering, because at a certain point, I think there's a lot of power in knowing that something has completed its course, and it's time to move on, because sometimes things are meant to be learning experiences. I think it was a phenomenal learning experience. We don't see it as a failure. We see it as something that really set the foundation for everything else that we do business-wise. And there was so much freedom that we all had once we decided that it was time to move on.

Corey KupferAlright, so you make that decision to move on, what I think is a courageous decision especially in a business where you had been having a positive impact on folks. So now you are in this business. What was that journey like? How did you decide to do what you're doing now? Talk to me a little bit about that transition.

Becca WiserThis business was also kind of started accidentally, which seems to be a trend over here. With the app, we were doing a lot of design, and when you're running a startup, you're doing a little bit of everything. Of course, with the app development, we were involved, we had some amazing developers working with us, but we were heavily involved in the design, the branding, the marketing. And we realized that we really loved it, and that that was something that was really lighting us up. So for fun, we created a website and a brand for a therapist who was involved with the app. We had connected with so many people in the mental health space because of the app, so we were building this really special community. A lot of these people, especially in the beginning of COVID, needed websites and brands, and some of them did not have that in place. So we started doing websites for fun, doing the logos and the branding, all self-taught. We have done a lot more training since then, but most of what we have done is really self-taught and through lived experience. It started with three clients, and then it has grown to over 100 websites. It was very much just word of mouth in the beginning. And that showed us that there was something here, because there was a need for it, and we just loved working one-on-one with people. For us, it is always about helping people share their gifts with the world.

Corey KupferSo let me give you a chance to talk about the value proposition, because websites have changed a lot. I remember in the early days of the internet, people used to pay tens of thousands of dollars for websites, and then obviously technology changed, they became easier. You even have website builders like the Wix of the world and Squarespace, so at some level it has become commoditized. In this day and age, what is the web design strategy and brand strategy value that a firm like yours brings, beyond someone throwing up a Wix site? Why are people paying someone to do this work? And I say that to give you the opportunity, because I know there is a reason and there is a real value proposition.

Becca WiserAbsolutely. Similar to how, when we were younger, we were really passionate about having that spa, we call our business internally the website spa. With anything, it is all about how it is done. So we are very concierge, very white glove. We take our clients through a very hands-on process where we are doing everything from start to finish for them. Yes, anyone can go on and create their own website. And we have many people come to us who say, I have spent hours and hours trying to build my website, I thought I could do it, and I have surrendered to the fact that I need some extra help. That is not what I wanted to do when I started my business. I want to do my actual services. And then they talk about how the website is just taking up all their time. So a lot of times we come in and we are able to totally take that off their plate. I think a huge part of our job is not just the design and development, but it is the brand strategy and the marketing strategy and how that pieces into your website. We say that your website should be your greatest sales tool. It is not just there to look pretty. For us, it is more than just having something up. It is about how hard it is working for you.

Corey KupferGot it. Talk to me a little bit about how the duties break down in this business between you two as business partners, and how each of you brings your specific skills to what you are doing.

Becca WiserIt has been about six years since we have done this business, and it has evolved. But overall, Leah is our creative strategist, and very detail-oriented, very design-focused. And I tend to be a lot more client-relations-focused, business operations. I am on every call and still involved with the design, but Leah is definitely the lead in that. But we are always giving input and helping each other with different roles.

Corey KupferYou know, it is interesting. If you look at any of the business operating systems, whether it is Scaling Up, EOS, Strategic Coach, you name it, they all have the same concept, this visionary-and-integrator or executor dynamic. There is the outward-facing, front-of-firm person, it is the Steve Jobs and the Wozniaks, it is Buffett and Charlie Munger. Very often you have this combination. I am, in my firm, the visionary, the front-facing one who is out speaking and getting business. And if I did not have people who actually executed and integrated, a lot would not get done properly and nothing would actually be delivered to a client. There is sometimes this false view that the visionary is the most important role in a firm, and everyone else is just helping out. No, no, no. The integrator, the operator, the execution person is at least as valuable, because nothing would get properly executed or delivered to a client without them. And at the same time, the business probably would not be sustainable in terms of business development or new creative directions without the visionary. The fact that you two, despite people assuming identical twins would have similar skills and personalities, actually cover those two key co-founder roles and have learned to work well together to execute on that is phenomenal.

Becca WiserThank you. Our brains work in completely different ways, and doing all of these assessments and trying to figure out what my strengths are and what Leah's strengths are has been so helpful. We have learned to value each other's strengths because no job is more important than the other. They really work in tandem, and because we each have these qualities, that's why it's successful.

Corey KupferThat's great. So you started more focused in mental health, healthcare, therapists, things like that, but the service-based business work has expanded to other verticals now as well, right?

Becca WiserAbsolutely. We specialize in working with service-based businesses, so what that means is anyone providing a high-quality service that they really want to represent in the best way possible. That's who we work with. So we work with lots of people still in the medical world, and also in interior design, architecture. We've worked with different organizations, historical foundations, so it's pretty broad. In business, a lot of times they tell you to really niche down, and we're working on it, but for now we really love working with a wide range of people, and we always lead with our process and the results. We're fairly industry agnostic for now.

Corey KupferLove it. Last question about the business before I close out with my final two questions on the podcast. What's the vision moving forward? I mean, you have already had a funded company. This company is self-funded at this point, right? Where do you see this business going? I don't even think I have to ask whether you anticipate it continuing to be with the both of you, because I think that is a given. But what do you see for the future?

Becca WiserI think there are so many advancements in technology and in web design, and we are always trying to stay really informed on what's new. Even with AI being so involved in website design, we're really learning a lot and want to be at the forefront of that. Keeping that same ethos and keeping the same goal of wanting to make our clients' lives easier, make the process enjoyable, and the outcomes amazing, but seeing how we can utilize this new technology to make websites even better.

Corey KupferLove it. Alright, I got to connect with you both personally. I love who you are as people, and I am excited for your future and for what you have accomplished and everything you have learned on these journeys at a pretty young age. I cannot imagine what you are going to continue to create together in the decades to come. If people want to find out more about the web design and brand strategy work you do, where do they go?

Becca WiserYes, you can go to awiserwebsite.com. Our last name is Wiser, so we got that thrown in there. And we are also available on Instagram at AWiserWebsite.

Corey KupferLove it. My final question on the podcast is always about my highest value in life, which is freedom. For me, that means everything from freedom around the world for people from oppression to why I am an entrepreneur and have not had a boss for decades. What does freedom mean to you, and how does it impact your life and business?

Leah WiserThat's an amazing question. I think freedom is having the ability to give freely. To choose how you spend your time, where you spend your money, where you live. It's all of the things that having the type of business that we have and being an entrepreneur gives us. That's life's goal for me as well, just having freedom.

Corey KupferLove it. Becca?

Becca WiserI think you said it perfectly, Leah. I would add my own twist, that for me, a lot of freedom centers around being able to be present. Because that, in today's world, is such a gift. You can have all the riches in the world, you can have everything you've ever dreamed of, but I think the ability to be present is where a lot of real freedom comes. Obviously still learning, very much human, and my goal is to become better and better at being more present.

Corey KupferLove that. Leah and Becca Wiser, thanks for being such great guests on the DealQuest Podcast. And for anyone listening who wants to share their own story and expertise with the DealQuest community, you can apply to be a guest at [beaguestondealquest.com](https://beaguestondealquest.com/).

Becca WiserThank you so much for having us, Corey. Such an honor.

--- *© DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer*