IAM1019- CEO Believes in Embracing Physical Activity with Vigor

Erin Bradley is the Founder and CEO of Zyia Active, an activewear lifestyle brand that believes in embracing physical activity with excitement, vigor, and delight. Since founding the company in 2017, Erin has led Zyia’s growth from inception to its position today as a leading activewear brand. As CEO, Erin is heavily involved in the design process of the company’s high-quality activewear from coordinating product releases to managing production schedules to planning photoshoots. Erin was named a 2020 Ernst & Young LLP National Entrepreneur of the Year®, and Zyia Active has been recognized as a Utah Business Fastest Growing company and a Mountain West Capital Network Emerging Elite company.

• CEO Hack: Taking 10 minutes for self-help
• CEO Nugget: Perfection impedes progress
• CEO Defined: Being a leader that people trust and want to follow

Website: https://zyiaactive.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zyiaactive/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zyiaactive/

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00:25 -Intro

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO podcast.

00:53 – Gresham Harkless

Hello, Hello, Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. I have a very special guest on the show today. Have Erin Bradley of Zaya active. Erin, it's awesome having you on the show.

01:02 – Erin Bradley

Thank you very much. I'm excited to talk and be here today.

01:06 – Gresham Harkless

Definitely super excited to have you on as well. And before we jump into the interview, I want to read a little bit more about Erin so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Erin is the founder and CEO of Zaya Active, an active-wear lifestyle brand that believes in embracing physical activity with excitement, vigor, and delight. Since founding the company in 2017, Erin has led Zaya's growth from inception to its position today as a leading activewear brand. As CEO, Erin is heavily involved in the design process of the company's high-quality activewear from coordinating product releases to managing production schedules to planning photo shoots. Erin was named a 2020 Ernest and Young LLAP National Entrepreneur of the Year. Congratulations. Zaya Active has been recognized as a Utah business, fastest growing company, and a Mountain West Capital Network emerging elite company as well. Erin, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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02:00 – Erin Bradley

Yes, I am.

02:01 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Well, let's do it then. So to kind of kick everything off, I wanted to rewind the clock a little bit here, a little bit more on how you got started. Well, I like to call your CEO story.

02:11 – Erin Bradley

Yeah, it actually was about 5 years ago when I found myself on a moonlit snowshoe hike with other amazing women. Some I had met before and some I was just meeting actually for the very first time. And we found ourselves, you know, out of our comfort zones And we're about ready to go up the summit and it's slippery, it's cold. I was in the very back of the group and I looked up and I saw just an incredible sight. I saw women helping each other, supporting each other mentally, physically, you know, they were like physically pushing each other up with the with it being slippery that night, but also mentally, you know, you've got this, we're almost there, keep going, there was laughter, it just stuck with me. I left that night and I kept thinking of ways that I could feel this more often in my life.

So I feel like, you know, too often enough, we're very quick and easy to put each other down. And I loved being able to be around others. And again, like I said, some that I had never even met before, were there to support each other and encourage each other. And so I left there thinking like okay maybe I could create some type of community where once a week we get out and we do something active together and we're there supporting each other and uplifting each other and things just kind of started to evolve from there. But that's really where we have 4 pillars here at Zaya that we go back to. Everything goes back to either uplift, light, community, and activity, and those all stem from that night. Zaya actually means light in another language. So that was the very beginning of these thoughts, and then it just kind of evolved from there.

04:05 – Gresham Harkless

Nice, well, I definitely appreciate that. And I keyed in on what you were saying, you were getting a little bit out of your comfort zone. And I know there's a phrase that, everything you want is on the other side of your comfort zone. So it kind of sounds like when you were able to kind of get past that, that bear that it provided you all the opportunity and all the lack of a better term light that you have for with everything you've been able to grow.

04:24 – Erin Bradley

Exactly. That's so true. Yep. As much as I hate it, sometimes I think I'm still constantly getting out of my comfort zone with this company, but it's true. So much growth comes from that.

04:36 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. It's never fun when we're kind of in the midst of it, but when we can look back and say, because of that challenge and that opportunity, that's where really phenomenal things came from. And so I know I touched on it a little bit and you did as well too about the pillars and everything. Could you take us through a little bit more about the company and the brand everything that it stands for and what you all do?

04:57 – Erin Bradley

Yes, for sure. So we started 4 years ago. We started just in the U.S. And then about 2 years after we launched, we also opened up in Canada. So we sell high-quality activewear and it's just, you know, it's been super fun to lead this community and have so many people just dive in and be like, you know, we want to be a part of this and see them have so much passion for the act of wear and the community and really stand behind the idea of uplifting each other.

I mean, I think that's probably the coolest thing about being a part of all of this is watching so many people truly come together. And like I said, fall back from that night, like my, that vision of being able to support and uplift each other and watch them like really take that to heart and help each other and do just that over activewear and be able to also, I'll get into this probably a little bit more later as you ask more questions, but our sales model, like to be able to then provide a living for their family has just been super, super cool.

06:09 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, that makes so much sense. And I imagine, and I'm a big believer in, I imagine you probably feel the same way that, you know, we're all kind of craving that community, that belonging, that sense of mission. It sounds like you've been able to provide that through everything that you've created.

06:25 – Erin Bradley

Yeah. I think that's what separates us from other companies for sure.

06:30 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome.Awesome. Awesome. So that's what you consider to be like your secret sauce, the thing you feel kind of sets you apart or is it the combination of that and that business model you mentioned?

06:38 – Erin Bradley

Yeah, I do. I believe that it's a mixture of both of those things. So like I said, we started out wanting to create some type of community And then it evolved. My husband was the CEO of another direct sales company. So I knew that he had that expertise. We had been in that industry with him and him leading and having that expertise before. And we love the family feel of what direct sales can provide. And so that kind of, you know, I was like, why don't we marry that along with, I love fashion, I love active wear. So let's marry those 3 worlds together. And I do believe that our secret sauce is the direct sales model the way that these women can can provide for their families and create new experiences and opportunities for them.

And it just makes it so much more fun for us for them. And so I believe that that is a huge part of our success, along with the secret sauce being the community just I think that we've created, I don't know how many times I've heard from other people in our company that have been in other direct sales companies say there is just something unique, there's something different about Zaya. And I've had some of them even dissect it even more for me. Because I do, I believe we have the most incredible community. And I'm like, what, maybe I'm just being biased. Like, oh no, we've been a part of other direct sales companies. And I believe what it is.

You know, people feel out of place if they come in and they're not uplifting each other and they're not holding true to those four pillars, they eventually find themselves just kind of slipping away. And so it really does attract people that are here to support and uplift and encourage each other. And it's super humbling and super cool to watch so many of these scenarios go on. I mean, in fact, just the other day I was on a text thread and I had the privilege of being put on with a bunch of other women that 1 of our reps had had surgery and somebody had started a tech start to be like, okay, let's send meals to their family.

Let's send them these gift baskets. And what I loved seeing is that it wasn't, I don't know how, how familiar you are with the direct sales format, but a lot of times it's like teams stick to teams, but it was girls from all over the spectrum from different teams in different states and all coming together just to support this 1 girl. And just because they care. And I just love, I mean, I see that over and over and over again. I mean, our girls say all the time, we came for the leggings and we stayed for the community. So I think with those two things combined, that's definitely the secret sauce here at Zaya.

09:48 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, I absolutely love and appreciate that. I can imagine, you know, everybody as a part of the community does as well too, because I say so often that I think we often forget about the human aspect of business. Of course, the products and services are important, the accounting, all those things are important, But I think so many times we forget about that human aspect, that connection, that caring for somebody if they're going through surgery or something like that. So I love how that's kind of, for lack of a better term, baked in the foundational principle that you all have. And it kind of sounds like empowerment of those, of the people in the community as well too, plays a big part.

10:22 – Erin Bradley

Absolutely.

10:24 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, awesome, awesome. And so I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

10:37 – Erin Bradley

Yeah, this one I was really trying to dig deep for. I'm like, what is, my hat? But I do believe something that has helped me throughout the years that I've been with, had such a big role as Zaya, is taking 10 minutes to myself and doing like self-help, whether that's a podcast or whether it's a book, but really taking 10 minutes of just like upliftment, like for myself, my own, it's like just self-help kind of like encouragement for myself because it can get a little crazy on a day-to-day basis when you're leading a company.

And so for myself, I believe that being authentic and staying authentic and true to yourself while leading is huge. And for me, that is really trying to find out what is authentic to me. And for me that is, you know, listening to so many of these self-help, whether it's there's lots of podcasts and books or whatnot, but I do listen to something every single day that I believe kind of uplifts me and my spirits and, and helps me stay true to my core values while leading this company.

11:55 – Gresham Harkless

Nice, nice, nice. And so I wanted to ask you now for what I call a CEO nugget. So this could be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. It might be something you would tell a client or if you happen to be a time machine, you might tell your younger business self.

12:09 – Erin Bradley

This one was easy for me because I had to fall back on this over and over again. When first started this company, I was talking to my brother and, you know, just trying to talk to him through my nerves. And he told me, he said, Erin, you have to remember that perfection impedes progress. And I had to fall back on that so much when starting Zaya and even sense them like just throughout these years, but perfection impedes progress. And sometimes you don't need to wait for it to be perfect. You just need to get out there and put 1 foot in front of the other each and every day. And like I said, the little things all of a sudden start to add up and you start to, you know, make adjustments as you go, but you've got to just start somewhere and not worry about it being perfect from the get-go.

13:00 – Gresham Harkless

And so now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. We're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So Anna, what does being a CEO mean to you?

13:11 – Erin Bradley

To me, it means being a leader that people trust and want to follow. I think it's so important as, that you be that person as a CEO that somebody wants to follow, is excited to follow, that they can trust, and that you can live up to that for other people and set that example for them.

13:32 – Gresham Harkless

I appreciate you for giving us that reminder as well too. And of course, I appreciate that definition. I appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do is just pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know. And of course, how best they can get a hold of you and find out about all the awesome things you and your team are working on.

13:50 – Erin Bradley

Yeah, we're just you can find us at zayaactive.com if you want to be a part of a pretty amazing community whether it's just being a part of you know buying part of the product or getting involved with the teams. It really has been something that I'm very, very proud of, and that I could truly lead people this way as far as putting them in the right direction and knowing that they will find an incredible community that empowers uplifts, and supports each other.

14:19 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, awesome, awesome. And to make it even easier, we'll have the links and information in the show notes so that everybody can follow up with you. But I appreciate, you know, that reminder of, I think, you know, community over competition and be able to provide, you know, such a strong community for many people to empower themselves and feel all those founding principles that you mentioned as well today. But I appreciate you again and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

14:41 – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.