Born and raised in Gilbert, Arizona, Avauntee Andrepoint beat the odds and overcame every obstacle placed in her path. After a childhood that left her feeling disconnected the now NC based entrepreneur, mother and wife is now living a life full of connection and running a thriving business. We first met her during our “7 Days of Connection” feature where we talked to her about her entrepreneurial endeavors (Underdog Solutions). Now let’s dig deeper.
The Foundation
What was childhood like for you?
Childhood for me was complex. Until the age of 10 years old I was raised by my grandmother and grandfather (“Nani” and “Tata”). At 10, my Nani passed away and I guess the weight of it all affected my Tata in a way that he couldn’t ever truly recover from, so… I lost him the same day I lost her. I tried living with my mom for a few years, but our relationship wasn’t ever strong enough to last, and I always somehow ended up back on my own and alone. I was always the black sheep of the family, quite literally actually, and never really connected with anyone that I was related to.
My father passed away before I was born and because there was never any “proof” that I was blood related to him, his biological family also made it clear that I was not one of them. While I used to think that my childhood was punishment for something in a past life, or possibly a pain that I needed to get stronger, I now see the blessing in everything that I have gone through to get to where I am.
When you look back, what would you say to your 18-year-old self as you entered adulthood?
At the age of 18 I was pregnant with my first son and in a relationship full of pain and hurt. Because my childhood often used to make me feel worthless, or like I’d never belong anywhere, I was clinging to the toxic feelings and people to feel a sense of normality in my life. If I could go back in time and talk to a little pregnant 18-year-old me, I would tell her that she is worthy and that loving herself was more important than the love or validation from others. I would also kiss her little belly and remind her that that little boy was going to heal every ounce of rejection and pain that she ever felt and give her a piece of completion that she needed to grow.
Have you had any hurdles in life that you were not sure at first that you would overcome that you now have gained so much knowledge and insight from that period in your life?
Early in my marriage I decided that I was going to bet every ounce of me on myself and that bet landed my husband and I homeless with four children and nobody to depend on. In that moment, I felt like I had failed myself and my family, but when I look back, I realized that that singular moment in time is one of the core elements to the makings and happiness of me. In the six months that I was at rock bottom, I realized three very important things that changed my entire life.
My husband’s belief and support in me is without condition. I had sold him on My crazy dreams of entrepreneurship and without even a moment of hesitation, he watched me leave my cushy Corporate America job and career path to follow a new business idea. Then, I failed… Instead of scrutinizing me or making me feel like I was less than when it didn’t work out how I thought it would, he poured into me daily, praying over me and ensuring that I stood back up again.
Because of that moment of unconditional love that I had never felt in my entire life before, I had the strength and commitment to myself and my family to get back up again and WIN like I had never imagined. That unwavering love is present in my life every moment of the day and even when I am on track or not at my best, I know that I have him.
Wealth is never the goal, freedom is. I learned in those months that the refocus of my attention and participation in my dreams was absolutely necessary in who I am today. While I thought that this entire journey was going to be about how rich I could get and how much I could give my family, it actually turned into a journey of how much time I could spend with them and what all I could pour into them. While it doesn’t seem like it when you are building, time is much more precious than money ever will be.
Handling Business
We know that you relocated with your Family to NC from the West Coast to not only be close to family but take a chance on yourself and your dream to own your own brand design and marketing agency. Were you afraid of leaving your corporate career behind and running into failure? Did you have a backup plan or perhaps consider starting the business from where you were? Did you have entrepreneurs in your immediate circle who inspired you?
I was absolutely terrified when I left Arizona because it was all I have ever known. But I left knowing that the worst that could happen was failure, and I was up for that challenge. I had and have no back up plan and operate every single day as if the rent is due and bills are ready for payment. While I was afraid of failure, I never let it stop me. I would rather fail one million times than not feed the entrepreneur inside of my soul. I have a team, and their families, depending on my success, as well as my own little family so it is important that I live every day knowing that failure isn’t an option I have. While it is so often frowned upon, I couldn’t care less. The entrepreneurial spirit that inspires me is me. I get up every day, even on the days I just want to lay in bed, and I win. One baby win at a time… but I win.
Outside of entrepreneurship visionaries who inspire me, I am inspired by my mother-in-law, Dawn. She is one of the most relentless and hard-working women that I have ever known. Although life hasn’t exactly handed her ripe lemons, she’s created lemonade and is the glue that holds our entire family together. She stabilizes herself in her own faith and inspires me daily to get closer to God and learn how to rely on others around me to love me, even if I don’t feel worthy. She teaches me self-love, embracing who I am even though I am different, and enjoying and celebrating my little wins, no matter the accomplishment. While she carries a tough exterior, she is one of the most gentle and selfless women I have ever met, and I strive to be half the woman she is on a daily basis.
What were your biggest adjustments when it came to location going from coast to coast?
In the transition of Coasts my biggest challenge was overcoming the general marketing and foundational knowledge. On the West Coast, marketing is a part of the business. Entrepreneurs budget heavily for the e orts and understand the importance that goes into the everyday tasks of marketing. Coming to NC I realized that a lot of people operate their business without a digital presence and don’t understand the importance of the daily tasks. This made it more challenging for me to break into my market and display my skill levels, but also is one of the biggest reasons that we grew 312% last year. Once people realized that my skill level and where I come from could be of value to them, it was a race to who could contract me first and I thank God for that every day.
Do you have an educational background in marketing/brand design and if not, can you share how you developed your interest in the industry and came to love it?
I started going to school in Arizona for marketing when my business professor poured into me in a way, I could never repay him for. He pulled me aside in class, while I was breastfeeding my newborn son in the back row and told me that he hasn’t seen a talent like mine in all of his years in the business. That same professor introduced me to my first investor shortly after ending our semester together and the rest was history. He will forever be someone I honor within my journey and credit my success and belief in self to.
Now, I complete CEU’s on a monthly basis with both Meta and Google to ensure that our agency is ahead of each of the marketing curves and trends. We are partnered with Yext, Wix, Meta, Google, and many other marketing power houses that keep me educated in my field and continually make advancements and improvements into my campaigns and the way that they run. I am committed to learning daily and becoming the best version of myself.
Do you find it harder to be creative when it’s your own business?
Not at all. I feel freedom in the work that I do because I have the trust of my clients. They trust me for my marketing mind, and they really allow me to use my unique and creative abilities to grow their business. Because of that grace and favor, every day is a blast at Underdog.
What are some goals you want to tackle personally or professionally this year?
This year I will make seven figures. That is my only professional goal. Personally, I want to read and apply 12 new books and tactics to my everyday life. I am reading one book a month about personal development and centering self, and so far, I have learned and loved more than ever before.
Real Life
What is family life like for you?
I come from not having a family or anyone to rely on but have created one of my biggest accomplishments on my own. I have been married 10 years this year to the man of my dreams and we have four amazing littles together. Family life is laughter and jokes. While we have our challenges, we are a family full of pranksters who love adrenaline rushes on coasters and crazy water vacations. When I am not in the office you can catch me in the woods camping with 4-wheelers or at an amusement park with the littles. Life is about enjoying as many moments as we can together, and it gets better every day we get to spend together as The Andrepoint’s. I am blessed in way too many ways and being a part of this really helped me see just how lucky I have been in my life.
Beyond what any random stranger could find on Google or potential client could find on social media, who is Avauntee at her core?
Beyond all of the fluff of being the “boss” version of myself and the entrepreneur that you can find online, I am gentle, patient, and goofy at my core. I like to believe that there are many different aspects of my personality that are all required in order to make up the true and authentic version of myself, but the aspect beyond all others-reserved strictly for my husband & children; is a soft and goofy mother and wife, simply focused on being better for my family than I was yesterday.
How do you nurture not only your creative side but the other sides of you as well (wife, mother etc.)? Do you have a strong support circle who undergirds and uplifts you when you need it?
I nurture my creative self with my husband. He allows me to be safe to go through all of my crazy and explosive ideas, while balancing me and providing me with logical support and tactics to growing to my next level. I am also really passionate about what I do, and my husband is always present to keep me grounded in what matters and support me through it all. My mother and father and law, as well as my husband and children, are my support system. Even when they thought I was crazy for taking the risky route, they stood by me. My mom gets the “am I crazy for doing this text?” every month and somehow, even though she never believed in entrepreneurship for moms before coming along this journey with me, she encourages me and uplifts me. They have always made it clear that no matter what happens I will always have them to rely on, no matter what I need, and their belief in me and support of my dreams motivates me to keep going for higher ceilings.
Now that you are settled into entrepreneurship, how do you continue to prioritize family while balancing being an entrepreneur?
I have not mastered this one yet, but I am striving every day to be better at this. For now, I work to ensure that I shut down by 6:30 PM nightly and have even started leaving my work phone at the office. It allows me to be more present when I am home and more productive toward the tasks of mom and wife. I prioritize cooking dinner and breakfast for the kids daily so that I get my daily mom dopamine and I date my husband as much as I possibly can. It also helps that once a quarter we take baecations and travel the world together.
What do you enjoy doing in your downtime?
In downtime I enjoy just being Avauntee. Whether that’s being goofy with my girls and cooking Tik Tok recipes that I have no business trying or outside pretending like I have good knees on the courts with my sons. In some rare cases, I like to be a hermit. No decision making, no calls, no responsibilities, just me and my littles snuggled under a blanket binge-watching rom coms in our PJs with unlimited snacks and the best husband and daddy in the world bringing us snacks and tissue!
If your life were a movie reel, what highlight are you most proud of today?
The highlight reel I am most proud of is the traveling with my family. We have been to so many theme parks and family vacation get aways that our kids are “them parked out” and have had experiences that we never did as children. Looking back on all of our memories and everything that we have built together gives me the juice I need to keep pushing. If you take a look at my Instagram page and see the highlights, you will see that my little family and I have had some of the most memorable vacations ever and as we continue to elevate, they only get bigger and better. This year I hope to take all of my little people out of the country to see the motherland and take some moments of reflection on who we are, where we come from, and what makes us who we are.
What is something outside of your business that you are passionate about and what do you want your legacy to be?
My agency is my passion. Growing Underdog and breaking glass ceilings is my primary focus in life, outside of being the best mom and wife that I can be, and I put my entire heart and soul into building it and investing into the team that is investing their efforts into helping see my dreams come true.
Anything to add?
I just wanted to share a little bit of information about Underdog Solutions and what we do as an agency. Underdog Solution is dedicated to helping small businesses, teams, and independent agents understanding of their industry demand that collaboratively works to build a “niched” short- and long-term marketing strategy for success. We thoroughly research and implement the holistic needs of each client and execute the integration of a tested and industry-proven strategy into your existing business structure. With sustainable operations as the primary goal to every plan generated, Underdog sets itself apart by committing to building the business- not the database.
Our team addresses both the internal and external needs of each client to ensure that a solid foundation is established and maintained to support marketing efforts and return. This ensures that your growth is not dependent on US, but instead on the foundation you’ve worked so hard to build upon. Before we begin or accept work in any industry, we study to understand & master the market, the consumer demand, and the existing problems that need resolution… ON OUR DIME. We test campaigns, consumer responses, and conduct live market research (through multiple channels & functions) to ensure that we not only comprehend the industry and the solutions it provides, but the consumers themselves. This way, your strategy compiles your industry experience and know-how and the trained minds behind building sustainable futures to not only market but attract. We offer brand design, website design, social media design and management, and so much more. We would love to become a part of your team and help take your brand to the next level.
