And welcome back to the Build With BBB podcast. I'm your host, Kasey, Farmer with Better Business Bureau serving Central Oklahoma. Today we have a very special guest. We have Tracy Lambert, who is the chaos coordinator for Bumble Bee Farm in Oklahoma City. They do some fantastic work. They are a BBB accredited business and strong community partner. You will often see them bumping around at different trade shows and different things. So welcome, Tracy, to the podcast. We are so glad to have you.

Thanks for having me, casey, I appreciate it.

Yeah, so I love to start off with just about the easiest question Tell me about the origin story of Bump Week Live.

It is an amazing story. My boss, monica Hope, is an incredible woman who has a background in corporate America and she, like many post-COVID, had enough. It kind of changed for her in priorities and we'll just say a wake-up call. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy her role, but long hours kind of the same song and dance and then, really kind of looking at life through a different scope, she decided she wanted more. So she took the time with being at home with COVID and doing more remote work because things were pretty much shut down.

She was fortunate to keep her job, but really just looking at life differently, and her and her husband came together alongside her mother-in-law and they decided they wanted to build a legacy for her children, give back to the community and really do something that made a difference in their lives and the lives of others. And that's where they decided to embark on Bumblebee. So they went to a show that was called Discovery Day and got the information on Bumblebee and she was on the fence about it. It was between bumblebee and another company and she opened up a calendar one day and it was National Bee Day and she really took that as a God wink and decided on that day that that was the sign she needed, and since then there's been no looking back. And then they found me, which was also a God wink.

Yeah, and we chatted about this just before and I think we'll talk about it a little bit later in the episode, but I think an easy place to take it from there is what makes Bumblebee Blinds different from other window treatment companies. I think the heart of the business.

The motivation is a servant's heart. When Monica interviewed me, of course you know there's always the question why do you want to work here? I really do have a servant's heart. When Monica interviewed me, of course you know there's always the question why do you want to work here? I really do have a servant's heart. I'm very people-oriented and I do believe home is our safe haven.

And yes, we are talking about window treatments, but window treatments play a very important role in our home. They block light, they help our babies sleep, they block it when we're watching our ball games and they definitely dress up the space and can elevate the home as well. So we're spending a lot of money and a lot of hours at work. So when you come home, you want to enjoy your space and I like to empower people in that process. And for Monica and Terry that's her husband, who is also an owner, and our head installer I believe that what separates us is we're saturated in the community, we're a local business and we're very accountable. When we hang those blinds or drapes or Romans or shutters, we do it with such care and such accountability. We're going to see you at ball games. We're going to see you at the grocery store, we're going to see you at the bookstore and we know that and that's in each one of us, that accountability and that just need to do the right thing, and I think that separates us.

And you touched on one of BBB's core values, at least here locally in our office, beyond our standards for trust is accountability, and aligning your business with trust and ethical business practices is clearly important. You guys have an A rating and have been doing some great things here locally. Tell me why that's at the center of how you operate.

I think, because A lot of times when you launch a business, you're kind of just doing it on the wings of faith. You really can have all the tools, you can be equipped with all the knowledge, but at the end of the day it's really how you show up and how you grow from your mistakes and you're going to make mistakes in any business.

But when you're, you know sole proprietors and entrepreneur spirit and, like for Monica, coming from a very regulated corporate world, unlike me who has very entrepreneur spirit it's kind of that merge of personalities that helps us to come together and understand the process of a new business. And through making those mistakes you do see the accountability to the customer client. You do see, you know what that really did go south, we really mismeasured that. But we will do everything to make it right. And we know how disappointed you might be that it didn't come in when you wanted it to come in or you know it didn't fit as snug as we would like it. But we're going to make it right and we're going to expedite this and we're going to get it done. But we're going to make it right and we're going to expedite this and we're going to get it done and you're going to love it.

So it's not the panic or the deflection and I think so much nowadays sometimes small businesses get a bad rap and being part of the BBB and then having that accountability as Bumblebee and partnership with BBB, I think that we just drive that home we just stay true to ourselves and go to bed at night knowing that we've done the right thing. Wonderful. Can you see it in the work that you do? Absolutely.

Let's talk about your offerings because it's a wide range, and how you customize for each client that you might contract with. Tell me about that.

Well, one of the things that definitely separates us. People will call and say well, can I come to your showroom? Well, I am the showroom I drive a big yellow bus is what I call it. It's not really a bus, it's a van, smothered and covered in bumblebees and we have given it the name Bee Gee. It was kind of a thing where we all named our vans and we came up with that name for two reasons. And we're staying alive. And then you know that song was made by the Bee Gees, so it was just a fun name.

And you know, in new business you're trying to stay alive, right? You're trying to survive the dance of growing and getting your name out there. And so I drive that and inside of it is every kind of sample, every kind of lookbook see it, touch it, feel it, and then even examples of the actual product. So what I do is I never bring all that in, I just bring myself and my iPad and we just start with a conversation because it's very overwhelming and I've been in the business long enough to recognize how overwhelming the investment is and people don't know until they know and you can throw out names like a Roman or a roller or a cellular or solar roller, and that means nothing to them. Nothing to them. So I have two rules when I go into the home, and those two rules are functionality first. If it doesn't fit the needs and the desire of the customer, I didn't do my job. And then the second one is I don't sell ugly.

Yeah, you have a design background. Yes, let's talk a little bit about that.

Yeah. So I moved back to Oklahoma when I was 24. I am an Oklahoma native and went to school in Kentucky. I am an Oklahoma native and went to school in Kentucky and I enjoy again having that servant's heart, really helping people feel confident and empowered in the choices they make for their home, whatever that is. I've worked in granite and marble and tile. I've been my own sole proprietor. I ran my own business and did staging and one-day makeovers. I still talk to some of those former clients. Some of them have purchased Bumblebee Blinds. So I love helping people feel good in the space that they live in and that folds into everything I do.

Every single day I have people say are you really happy doing that? That's so far from what you did. Well, most of us, if you have that conversation, most of us are far away from what we thought we might be doing. So I feel like I found my role and I bring that into the home with me.

When they get stuck on the visual, when they don't really understand the look, sometimes I'll take a swatch and put it on the floor just to show them the cohesiveness and how that blind even though it's just maybe a simple roller how that will pull the space together, much like a rug. Because what people don't realize, pardon me, is that on a big window or even just a standard window, when you pull it down, you're getting a lens of a big piece of fabric. So it is a commitment. It is a commitment If you go with a print on a Roman shade. That's basically like a drape in a smaller footprint on your window. That's kind of what a Roman is. So it's really making them understand the commitment that they're making when they choose that print or that pattern, and that's design. So it's a great experience.

Yeah, I love that and I think so helpful for a lot of us who don't deal with this every day. We know how to decorate our homes to the taste that we like, and maybe we don't have a design background, but bringing in somebody who has the taste for how to really pull it together can be so helpful. Yeah, Making your home feel homier. It's so much fun, yeah. Okay, let's talk about Bumblebee Blinds and being a woman-owned business. How have you put that information out? Just to let people know like we're a proud woman-owned business. This is how we partner with other organizations in the community. Here's how we lead. Talk to me a little bit about that.

We just stay very proud and excited and enthusiastic and recognize that women have a voice and we have a place. And I've always said people will say to me and they've had for years, you know, I'm all a 5'2 on a good day They've said, oh, honey, you can't move that or you need help with that. You know. And I say I'm strong and mighty. And you know, little and mighty actually, and I think it's the mentality of what you show up with. Your empowerment is your empowerment, no matter what size you are, no matter what direction you're going. You have to believe in yourself and not let the world tell you differently.

Monica has been an inspiration for me because she took a giant, giant leap, leaving a very comfortable world that she was in 20 plus years herself and there's such stability in doing the same thing in a corporate umbrella and there's no wrong in that, there wasn't any wrong in that, and if that's what gives you joy and gives you peace in your life, then keep keeping on. But for her she was craving that change and it came in a season for all of us that it was so unknown, and so she took a hold of that and looked at her life and said I want more. And now here we are and she's getting more and doing more and surprising herself every day as a woman owned business. And so to your point. I think it's just that believing in yourself, first trusting your instincts and not letting one tell you you're too small or shrinking your life Just keep keeping on and know that you can do it.

I love that. I love the surprising yourself every day. What a great way to bring that to your business. Just try it, because how would she have known that she could have built this amazing business unless she just gave it a shot Right on? If somebody was listening today and they were interested in learning more, what kind of ideal client should come to Bumblebee Blinds Like who is your ideal client that might need help with? Or do you do commercial or you only do residential?

We do it all. We are certified in outdoor screens. I'm very excited we're doing one for a gentleman in Norman. He has a huge graduation party for his daughter on Saturday and I met with him and he was a little anticipatory because it is a big deal. You know, kids work really hard and parents alongside of them and that's just a big celebration. He has a lovely, lovely patio and it was very large and we are certified in those screens. And when you're dealing with motorization, dialing it back about 10 years, we've met those clients. They've had bad experiences. You know the motors burn out, they don't know the warranty, they weren't given the information and they need to feel empowered again in that decision. So we're installing that for him tomorrow, just in time for his graduation party. So, to your point, we do commercial, we do residential and then we do outdoor as well. And when I mean outdoor, we've done, you know, big pergolas, outdoor kitchens, things like that. So that can encompass a lot of things. It can encompass bar spaces or just someone's backyard.

So it sounds like maybe a phone call is the first place to start. Just reach out to see if you guys can fill the need because you offer so much. Yes, we do. Okay, cool, what trends are you seeing in the blind?

industry I would say the biggest is drapes are back. Drapes are back and just in normal fashion. Just, you know. Full circle. Full circle, you know. But it's always different. I remember my daughter saying something when the neon showed up in the stores. You know, daughter saying something when the neon showed up in the stores, you know. And I said oh honey, I've been there, done that, she goes. Yeah, mom, but 2000 was a reset, so that was in her brain. You know meaning that what's old is new again, right, but it's always different.

And so people that have had drapes they might envision like these, you know, heavy gone, with the wind, tassels, old world hanging out. And that's not the dance, unless you want it to be, you know we can get you there in a more modern way. I always tell people you need to do what gives you peace. I leave my aesthetic in the car. I never push my look onto anyone. They have to live with their choices. It's all about empowering them and getting them to feel good about what they've done.

And drapes take a lot of work to get it right. So it's a process, but it's a great win. It elevates the space. Something as simple as raising the rod higher, can draw your eye up, make your room look larger, make things look more elevated in the space, can really dress things up, like if you still have a dining room off the kitchen, an actual dining room, which that's kind of coming back in the build, not as many opens. You know, people are starting to see more walls coming back and floor plans, so things like that drapes, I would say.

Big plans? Does Bumblebee happen for the next few years? Anything you want to tease to our listeners today?

I would say we are growing and just going forward and we cover so much of Oklahoma. We're doing things even in Tulsa, so we are just on fire to be a part of the community. We're looking forward to doing some community events, possibly this summer, and we're doing a contest right now on Facebook. It's kind of like an iSpy If you can name the location of where I'm at, I take a picture of the BG. And if you can name where I'm at the first five that are correct, I'll announce them on Friday, I post it on Monday and we send you a treat. It's just a treat in the mail, yeah, super. So just engagements like that.

Where can people connect to Bumblebee Blinds if they've got questions after they listen to this?

episode. We're on Instagram, we're on Facebook, but directly it would just be calling. I would say call the office. Our consultations are always free. We always provide you a free, full consultations and they are in fact a consultation. I go over all the choices with you and that's what we would start with Just a phone call and free consultations. If you want to actually look at some of our work, I would say, go to Bumblebee Blinds of Norman and check us out.

For anyone who is listening today that wants to connect with Bumblebee Blinds or Tracy, you can find all of the information down in the show notes. Make sure to give Bumblebee Blinds Norman a follow on all of their social media channels. Check them out on bbborg and if you've got questions about today's episode or want to leave a comment down below, let us know and we will connect you to Bumblebee Blinds. Thanks so much for listening and we will see you in the next episode. Bye, friends.