You're Not Cut Out For Business - Claudia Medina

[00:00:04] Speaker A: Hey everybody, and welcome to the Worst Advice I Ever Got. I'm your host, Sean Taylor, along with my producer, jb and today our guest is Claudia Medina. Claudia is a Milner designer and entrepreneur whose journey began in Dallas when she discovered a hat making class at a local university. She started her career at Hatco, which produces hats for well known brands like Stetson Dobbs, Charlie One Horse, and Resist All. Her design soon attracted attention beyond the hat industry, leading to custom hat projects for movies like Kingsman, Dumbo Barbie and Killers of the Flower Moon. She has also crafted hats for special projects with Beyonce and Laney Wilson. Last year, Claudia left Hatco to start her own company, Claudia Medina Hatz. [00:00:56] Speaker B: Hey Claudia, thanks so much for being with us today. [00:00:59] Speaker C: Hi Sean, thank you so much for having me. [00:01:01] Speaker B: Claudia, let's jump right in. What's the worst advice that you ever got? [00:01:05] Speaker C: So the worst advice that I ever got was being told that the business world was not for me. Back in college, I had jumped into international business and I thought I was doing great. And the teacher pulls me aside and literally just says, I don't think this is for you. [00:01:23] Speaker B: So, Claudia, was the professor saying, change your major? What exactly was the professor saying to you? [00:01:30] Speaker C: That's definitely the feeling that I got. Instead of any advice to do tutoring or anything, I just felt like they were saying to me, this business is just not for you. [00:01:40] Speaker D: Do they mean the business of accounting or business in general? [00:01:43] Speaker C: Well, it was an international business degree that I was going for. And so to me, again, in that moment, at that age, being an athlete, you kind of think your coach is going to come and support you or say, hey, you need to go do some more drills or go to tutoring and that kind of situation. And to hear a professor just kind of blatantly say, you know, this isn't for you, I don't think you're catching on to the concepts. I don't, you know, really made me question at that time, can I really do business? [00:02:12] Speaker D: How many tests was it? [00:02:13] Speaker C: It was the first test. I mean, we had had some quizzes and I had done all right on the quizzes, but it was our first test in the semester. [00:02:21] Speaker B: Yeah, well, Claudia, I'm, I've been in accounting for 30 years and I would probably be silly to let the audience know that I got a C in intermediate 500 and somehow I still turned it around. So you shared that you were a student athlete, so you've been used to working through hard things. Is that, is that a fair analogy. [00:02:43] Speaker C: To make being an athlete really taught me to appreciate a challenge and to work hard. And being pushed has always been something that I've. I've loved. [00:02:52] Speaker D: Well, it seems like you have a lot of that for yourself and you have coaches and you have people. So what made this advice from this professor so damaging? [00:03:00] Speaker C: Just, I think being young, you know, kind of. And for the first time, not being supported, just kind of really. It hit. It hit a string. It definitely did something. [00:03:12] Speaker B: Let me ask a couple of questions. Claudia, first of all, might this have been one of your first instances also of where you might have felt the sting of a failure towards something you were trying to accomplish? [00:03:22] Speaker C: Yes, I think that is definitely one of the first moments that my own performance didn't match where I thought I was. So it definitely was the first one of the first times I would say that I was hit with adversity and not having a support system, I think really where coaches prior to were like, come to an extra practice, you know, and seeing the other side of that kind of caught me off guard. [00:03:48] Speaker B: I think you've been successful. Now you have an instance of failure where you need some help. And instead of someone coaching you up like you'd been used to, you have someone actually saying, give up. [00:04:02] Speaker C: I mean, I couldn't have said it better. I would agree 100% with that. It obviously left a mark on me and, like, had an impact. [00:04:10] Speaker B: You took the advice, correct? [00:04:12] Speaker C: I did. I took the advice and I switched my major. Um, so I graduated with a degree in communications, emphasis in marketing and pr, and a minor in Spanish. [00:04:25] Speaker B: Great accomplishment there, But a deviation. Basically set in motion by this advice that you got from the professor to essentially give up your first choice. Do you wish you hadn't taken that advice? Tell me a little bit about what's been the impact of having taken that advice for you. [00:04:44] Speaker C: I think it was the worst part was just having to admit to my parents that I was going to switch my major, you know, and maybe just that kind of disappointment because I really love and respect my parents, you know, and they have always been so supportive. And, you know, I think that was maybe the first thing. [00:05:03] Speaker B: What's been the effect from that advice that's affected you in your career? [00:05:07] Speaker C: It just kind of, if anything, maybe deterred me from taking on some other jobs that didn't involve numbers or anything business related. And so I actually pivoted and started working at some apparel showrooms through pure chance and kind of started learning adjacently, I guess you could say, about business in the fashion world. [00:05:33] Speaker D: So what Is that. What are you doing? What are you doing now? [00:05:35] Speaker C: So for 15 years now, I've been pursuing my passion in millinery and hat making. And the first five years were more in the millinery. So imagine the Kentucky Derby and like the Royal Ascot. And those were my dreams and aspirations. But since then it's kind of taken a life on of its own. And I've had the amazing opportunity. For the last nine years, I designed for amazing brands like Stetson, Resistol, Charlie One Horse and Dobbs. [00:06:09] Speaker B: So this is a major turn from pursuing an international business degree to being a publicist to now leading the design of hats. [00:06:19] Speaker C: The funny story is it kind of has to do with an old movie called Slaves of New York. It's a very obscure movie, but at the time I really connected with the main character. She was a hat shiner in the movie. And it just the job opportunities that are available now, I think like the sky's the limit. But one of my favorite sayings is there's things, you know, there's things you didn't know and there's things you didn't know that you didn't know. And this was an aspect of the fashion industry that I had no clue. So getting to see a little glimpse behind that was. Made me want to explore it even more. [00:06:57] Speaker B: You are in business, right? You know, maybe not international business. I don't know, maybe you have some international sales. But you, you do have international sales. [00:07:07] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:07:07] Speaker B: Okay. [00:07:07] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. [00:07:08] Speaker B: So this is international business after all. So you were advised. International business is not for you. Yet you end up in effect involved in a international business. [00:07:18] Speaker C: Yes, sir. Learned it from the ground up in just a completely different way. I feel learning through actually doing things, I think has been something that from the very beginning, even when I fell in love with hat making a millinery, I had the opportunity to go interview with a milliner in Dallas. She gave me advice and she said, you know, I love your passion, but you need more experience. And I think that has been honestly the advice too. Now that I really look to and have taken, you know where before, they told me to just forget about it. I think if anything, I've switched that mindset around 180. And now it's like you tell me if I need to go do something. And again, just the way I'm being told, I'm. I love hard work, I love learning. And so that's what I. That's what I did for the. With the advice that I was given. [00:08:15] Speaker B: Was there like a light bulb that Went on where you said, you know what? The professor told me to. International business wasn't for me. And lo and behold, look at me, I'm, I'm, I'm conducting international business. When was that moment? When did you go, wow? [00:08:27] Speaker C: With the brands that I've been able to design for, especially Stetson, I think getting to work with our Japanese licensees, and that's really given me such a foundation to pursue now my own business. [00:08:43] Speaker B: The question I want to ask is, did you even need to go to college? [00:08:46] Speaker C: Well, for me, I believe, yes. I think I learned so much. Again, being a student athlete, I think that alone teaches you so much, just about prioritizing. You have to, you have basically a full time job when you're a student athlete. Having to learn to juggle, you know, school and a volleyball gave me the drive and passion, like the drive, the determination. It taught me so many other things. And so for me, college, I wouldn't change it in any way. And I think it, it did prepare me just in a very unexpected way. [00:09:21] Speaker B: You know, Claudia, our discussion has really stemmed from the fact that, you know, these things happened, they were bad, but everything happens for a reason. And ultimately I'm enjoying my best life now. But why was this advice so bad and what was the impact of it? [00:09:37] Speaker C: So the impact, as I've been able to look back, I think really was me not quite believing that I was meant to be in business, you know, and there was definitely opportunities, I think especially the beginning when pursuing, you know, millinery and hat making. I didn't think I could handle the business. You know, it was, you know, kind of took me down the road of working for other people in their businesses and helping their businesses. You know, it kind of was kind of surreal even being given the opportunity to work for sometimes the companies or brands that I did. [00:10:17] Speaker B: You've been told that you don't believe you understand business. [00:10:22] Speaker C: There are definitely moments that I imagined a slightly different life, but I think it kind of just stopped me for pursuing my own, you know, career or own business. [00:10:34] Speaker B: Was there someone who said, look, I think I know you pretty well and I'm not sure what your professor concluded upon, but what I see in you is this. Did someone do that for you? [00:10:43] Speaker C: I've been so lucky with the people that have been placed in my life. And there was an amazing mentor, Michael Paradise. He owns Stronghold, it's a brand in la. And I've, I've always appreciated our conversations. And there was a specific moment where he just kind of not, you know, we were talking through the phone, but one of those shaking moments where he's like, hello. Like, do you know who you are? And I'm so thankful for him and just the advice that he has given me since then. [00:11:14] Speaker D: How different do you think your life is if the professor just sort of. [00:11:18] Speaker E: Said, oh, you'll be fine? [00:11:19] Speaker C: I think it would have been very different, to be honest. I think it would have affected volleyball for me. And honestly, at that time, volleyball was life, like I mentioned. And so I think it would have made it more difficult, and who knows if I even would have been able to have played, you know, or the struggles that that would have brought. [00:11:36] Speaker B: It's important for our audience to note that at the time, your number one focus wasn't international business, it was volleyball. Once you've graduated from college, your focus isn't volleyball anymore. It's your career. The distraction of, you know, what if I fail? I can't play volleyball. That's gone now, you know, once volleyball. [00:11:54] Speaker C: Is off the table. Yeah, like you said, it was a different focus, but again, learning to have those. That focus, I think, was what I took the most out of having the opportunity to be a college athlete. [00:12:05] Speaker B: Can I ask a question? How does someone who's focusing on international business and then publicism determine after the fact, that they're a good hat designer? Are you just the unicorn that can do unbelievable algorithmic mathematical equations and at the same time draw a beautiful picture? [00:12:23] Speaker C: No. I've had to work very hard, and to be honest, I can't draw that well. I see things a lot visually, and having the opportunity to work with manufacturers, literally, I got to visualize and then create the product that I was making. I think I just look at things differently, and that's kind of allowed me mixed with the hard work and the drive to get where I am today. [00:12:46] Speaker D: Why did you give this advice so much? Credence? You talk about drive and determination and that you didn't want to tell your parents that you had to switch majors. So why did you listen to this guy? [00:12:55] Speaker C: I think I just listened again. And not wanting to struggle with. With having to fight for my first passion, volleyball. You know, it was. It seemed, you know, a little tough to tell my parents, but again, how quickly I bounced back, and it was just kind of, you know, okay, that's not for me. Let me find something that is for me so that I can still play volleyball. And it wasn't that big of a deal, but it definitely, looking back, made a huge impact in how I maneuvered. Learning about Business after that? [00:13:30] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. I'm hearing a little bit of priorities in here. I'm hearing a little bit of, you know, when I could give my all to, you know, my career, then my career took off. You know, if you find a passion, you might need to go all in on it if you really want to know whether it's going to be successful or not. Because you clearly did that with, you know, your current business, with the role you play in the design aspect and some of the other aspects of it. And that's, that's paying off a billion percent. [00:14:01] Speaker C: And I look forward to taking those exact, you know, lessons and values that I've learned and pursuing my own business now, which is even more exciting because like you said, I'm finally coming full circle and going to use all of the hands on experiences along with what I got out of being a college athlete. And I can't wait to see what's to come. [00:14:25] Speaker B: So, Claudia, one question that pops into my head is what about this time has you not quitting or not changing like you did back in college? Sure. [00:14:37] Speaker C: I think, I think there were definitely still moments that, not specifically, maybe the exact professor telling me that I wasn't cut out for business, but there were still moments that I think that still kind of popped into my head unknowingly. But I think the difference this time really had to do with, again, what was it going to take for me to continue on this path to, you know, becoming a hat maker designer. Now this was that same challenge, but it was what was going to hold me back from learning about, you know, the business. And I wasn't going to allow that to happen this time. I just like, this was the new passion, this was the dream, and nothing was going to hold me back this time, and I wasn't going to let it slip through my fingers. [00:15:29] Speaker B: That's great. Well, I can't wait for our audience to hear what's to come when they listen to your episode, Claudia, because this has been a real delight. Thank you so much for joining us today. [00:15:38] Speaker C: Oh, thank you so much. Sean and I had a great time too. [00:15:41] Speaker B: Hey, jb. [00:15:42] Speaker A: You know, something that may not have come through in that episode is that Claudia really is just getting started in her business. And it's really refreshing to hear advice that someone thinks was bad but really hasn't even completely proven it out yet. You don't necessarily have to have the complete results to know when advice was really bad. [00:16:02] Speaker E: Sure. I mean, we've definitely heard people about, you know, don't start your Own business and all these things. But there's. It's more reflective 20 years later, you know, here's what it worked out. So that advice must have been bad. She actually has not even proven that the advice is bad yet. She just doesn't like how long it took her to get started and really think, well, I'm not ready for business. I not cut out for business. And my professor told me that, and it must be true. [00:16:26] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:16:27] Speaker A: She was so young at the time, and it made her feel for the first time that she wasn't supported. And just makes me wonder in my head, like, how important is it that we support young people when they're experiencing failures or adversity or challenges for the first time versus telling them, maybe this isn't for you. [00:16:43] Speaker E: Yeah, she wanted the help. She's as a college athlete, you know, it's like, hey, do this. Work on this. You can make this better by doing this. She wanted that mentorship, that helpfulness that she just didn't get from the professor who just told her to quit, which was very much as a college athlete against her nature. [00:16:58] Speaker A: Every one of our guests leaves me with something that they said that I really like. Like, Claudia said that there are things, you know, there are things you didn't know, and there are things you didn't know that you didn't know, which is, I think it really, really great way to look at things for her. Getting to see new things piqued her desire to pursue alternatives that she never would have thought of for sure. [00:17:22] Speaker E: Reminds me of that Mark Twain quote, it's not what you know that gets you in trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't true. And that's really kind of what she was going through. Just thinking, I'm not good at business, I'm not good at business. So every decision I make for my career is going to be based around, well, I'm not. I don't have a business mindset, so I'm just going to go work for somebody else who does. [00:17:44] Speaker A: Well, this. It's just crazy to think that she was told that this is not for you, and it's going to end up being ultimately part of her true calling. She went from international business to publicist to hat designer to an international business that she owns herself. Isn't that cool? [00:18:00] Speaker E: Very cool. [00:18:02] Speaker A: Well, if you thought Claudia's episode was cool, you should listen to all of our episodes because they all have their own nature of cool to them. And when you listen to those episodes, if you enjoy what you hear. Be sure to share with your friends about the podcast so they can tune in and enjoy the episodes that we bring. Look forward to delivering another great episode next week for you. Of the worst advice I ever got.