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Fintech South 2024: Sarah Williams with IronPay

September 5, 2024 by angishields

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Atlanta Business Radio
Fintech South 2024: Sarah Williams with IronPay
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Fintech South 2024, hosted by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), took place on Aug. 27-28 at the Woodruff Arts Center and Atlanta Symphony Hall. This year’s theme was “Fintech Lives Here!”

Sarah-WilliamsSarah Williams, Co-Founder of IronPay, is an industry expert in the world of corporate payments.

Sarah’s career has spanned twenty years, managing Strategic Channels and Alliances for several B2B Payment Processing companies, where her combined portfolio across those organizations reached more than $250 MM in annual revenue.

Sarah also acts as a strategic advisor to several Fortune 500 companies.

Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studio in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio, brought to you by Kennesaw State University’s Executive MBA program, the accelerated degree program for working professionals looking to advance their career and enhance their leadership skills. And now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, broadcasting live from Fintech South at the Woodruff Arts Center. So excited to be talking to our next guest, Sarah Williams, the co-founder of IronPay. Welcome.

Sarah Williams: Thank you.

Lee Kantor: Well, before we get too far into things, tell us about IronPay.

Sarah Williams: So IronPay is a B2B payments company. So we work with corporations and enable them to automate their payments And we also work with their suppliers for them to accept different versions of digital payments. So believe it or not, corporate America, especially in the mid-market check, is still the predominant form of payment. We as consumers are so used to being paid electronically and using digital forms of payment, it seems hard to believe that you know, there’s still 70% paper check in the in the in the main middle market business space, and maybe even more so in the smaller business space. So we help to kind of optimize how companies make payments. We digitize those payments for them. And we also generate revenue in the process. And we we actually share some of that revenue back with our clients. So it’s a real win win for companies and AP departments across the country.

Lee Kantor: So what is the fear like? Why? Why aren’t they switching to digital?

Sarah Williams: It’s not a fear. It’s you know several different things. Number one AP in corporate America is not a priority necessarily. It’s not a prime business function. People are in business to do what they do not make a payment, right. And so often it’s neglected as something that they want to invest in. And paper checks still work. The other issue is that it’s a data issue with ACH, which is another form of electronic payment. You can only send about 72 characters in the addendum within an ACH, and that’s not enough information to allow for a company in their accounts receivables department to identify and reconcile that transaction. So in other parts of the world, like Europe, for example, they are almost 100% ACH, because when the euro was created, it was mandated that they had to pay each other electronically, but they also mandated how the data was sent. They had three versions of EDI that they agreed upon. In America, we don’t have any agreed upon standard for data exchange, and the ACH doesn’t allow for data to really be a part of the transaction. So because of those limitations, we’ve, you know, relied on check and continue to rely on check. Um, we as a company will take in invoice based data and we will transmit that information to our supplier clients in a digital format that allows for them to reconcile that transaction, whether it’s an ACH or we have a virtual credit card that also allows for them to receive that information and upload it into their accounts receivable system and auto reconcile. So we kind of we’re middleware that allows for that digital transaction to occur.

Lee Kantor: So now what’s the benefit for them? Like why why if they’re happy with checks. Like what?

Sarah Williams: No one’s happy with checks.

Lee Kantor: No one’s happy. They’re just tolerating it.

Sarah Williams: They’re tolerating it because, you know, it’s fairly low cost. And, you know, it’s it’s still accepted. Um, there has been an instance within the Affordable Care Act. A lot of people don’t know this, but actually the biggest thing that happened with the Affordable Care Act, it was mandated that doctors and, well, health insurance payers like Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, etc., they they had to be able to send information digitally to hospitals and doctors. We call them providers. So this happened in 2011. They created a standard for EDI which was called it’s called an 835. Um, and so everyone was able to transmit data back and forth in an effective way. And then ACH became the standard. And they do charge 1% in that industry. But that is the only iteration in the domestic US where that is. There’s a mandate, there’s a data standard. Um, so that’s why we’re still paying with checks because, you know, there’s no standard and ERPs, you know, financial applications, accounting systems, they don’t have a standard either. Um, it’s this really unique space in the market where we’re still very paper based and ERPs are, you know, are not investing in it because there’s a big service component required to make these payments and, and manage communication between buyers and suppliers and ERPs, as you may know or not know, they don’t really provide services. Um, they sell through Vars, value added resellers. They expect those vars to do the work and the implementation, etc. So, um, it’s a really fascinating Fighting piece of the American business landscape that is still very manual.

Lee Kantor: Right. And but in Europe and now health care are kind of on the same page. They are? Yes. So is this something that eventually is going to switch or is it just, you know, you’re going to be there to help this until it changes?

Sarah Williams: So I think it’s always going to be up to middleware companies to bridge the gap until ERPs start investing in us in our companies. So like SAP bought Ariba and concur. So to a degree they’re doing what we do. Um, you know, in several other ERPs are working with us, but they haven’t bought companies necessarily. So until that occurs, um, we’re here to stay. And I’ve been in this industry since 2005, and I thought it would be over in three years. And it’s not over. It was 90% pay per check in 2005, and now.

Lee Kantor: We’re at 70.

Sarah Williams: And now we’re at 70. Wow. That’s how. That’s the needle that’s moved. But I mean, talk about career security. It’s been awesome.

Lee Kantor: So, um, what do you need more of? How can we help you?

Sarah Williams: Well, look, if you’re if there’s a company out there that is struggling with manual paper based payments, Covid did highlight this issue because the only people that went into the office were were the guys cutting the checks and receiving the mail. Those were the only people in the office. So we have seen a boom in and adoption of, you know, payments solutions like ours in the last few years because Covid really did demonstrate that this is a problem. But, um, if you’re continuing to to struggle with paper based checks you know, work with a company like ours, we do not charge for integrations. Um, we actually pay you back for what we do because we try to send as much money through the virtual card network, which has an interchange of 2.65 associated with it, 265 basis points. And we share that back with the client. So it pays for itself. Um, it’s really a no brainer. It’s just a matter of an organization knowing we exist and other companies like ours exist and and leveraging us.

Lee Kantor: So now from their standpoint, like where is the pain point that you see clearly that they just might be tolerating?

Sarah Williams: Well, it’s paper tracks, right.

Lee Kantor: So if you’re sending a paper check and you don’t have a solution like Iron Pay, then you should call iron Pay.

Sarah Williams: You should call iron pay.

Lee Kantor: Right. Like so. It’s that it’s really that simple. It’s that.

Sarah Williams: Simple. It’s the easiest thing. So when I started working, I worked for Accenture and we were coding ERP. It was Anderson back then, in 1999, we literally had nap rooms. We worked around the clock. Then I sold mainframes for Unisys to banks. So I’ve always been in fintech. Um, when I started working in this industry, I was like, I’ll never have to learn anything new again. This is amazing. I’m in technology, but I don’t have to learn anything. It’s such an antiquated aspect of how companies work in the in the US. It’s fascinating, but we’re here to help. Um, and and, you know, it’s it’s free, guys.

Lee Kantor: So if somebody wants to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on the team.

Sarah Williams: Absolutely. You can find us on our website, ironport inc.com. Or reach out to me directly via LinkedIn. Sarah Williams on LinkedIn ironport inc.com.

Lee Kantor: So now why is this Fintech South Conference important to you?

Sarah Williams: So I’ve been attending this conference for 8 or 9 years, and I actually earlier on when it was used to be at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, I was on the board to recruit people. What I love about Fintech South is it’s very diverse and it’s representation of technology and certainly fintech. Um, and it really highlights that Atlanta is transactionally. Um, and it’s it really highlights what makes Atlanta so great for our particular industry. And I go to fintech conferences around the country and even in Europe. And this to me, this conference is is the most it gives. It gives us the greatest opportunity to meet people in our specific industry out of any other conference, um, that I attend.

Lee Kantor: Good stuff. Well, Sarah, thank you so much for sharing your story. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Sarah Williams: Thank you so.

Lee Kantor: Much. All right. This is Lee Kantor back in a few. At Fintech South.

 

Tagged With: Fintech South 2024, IronPay

Ramping Up to Attend the WBEC-West 21st Annual Procurement and Awards Conference with Angela Garmon

September 5, 2024 by angishields

WIM-Angela-Garmon-Feature
Women in Motion
Ramping Up to Attend the WBEC-West 21st Annual Procurement and Awards Conference with Angela Garmon
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In this episode of Women in Motion, host Lee Kantor talks with Angela Garmon from ARG Coaching & Consulting Group. Angela discusses her firm’s focus on change management and the importance of networking, particularly at conferences like the upcoming WBEC-West regional event. She shares strategies for maximizing conference benefits, such as researching attendees, building relationships, and setting realistic expectations. Angela highlights the collaborative spirit of WBEC-West and the value of personal connections. The episode emphasizes the significance of preparation and follow-up in fostering meaningful business relationships and long-term success.

ARG-Coaching-and-Consulting-logo

Angela-GarmonAngela Garmon is an award-winning business owner and philanthropist, who has been recognized as a Top 100 Women to Know across America in the Spring 2022 issue of Know Magazine and amongst the 19 Top Leaders Who Are Making a Real Difference in the Valley in the December 2022 issue of InBusiness magazine.

She is the Founder and CEO of ARG Coaching & Consulting Group LLC, a strategic change management consulting firm that supports diverse teams nationwide as they conquer change and cultivate results.

Connect with Angela on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Music Provided by M PATH MUSIC

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios, it’s time for Women In Motion. Brought to you by WBEC-West. Join forces. Succeed together. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, another episode of Women In Motion and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, WBEC-West. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Women In Motion, we have Angela Garmon and she is with ARG Coaching & Consulting Group. Welcome.

Angela Garmon: Thank you so much, Lee. It’s good to be back on the show again.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m excited to get caught up with you. For folks who aren’t familiar, can you tell us a little bit about ARG?

Angela Garmon: Yeah, of course. So, ARG Coaching & Consulting Group is a change management consulting firm. We support diverse leaders across the nation as they conquer, change, and cultivate results. Our primary focus areas are leadership development, strategic planning. We do some DEI and organizational assessments as well as coaching.

Lee Kantor: Now, for folks who aren’t kind of familiar with the terminology, can you kind of explain the difference between coaching and consulting?

Angela Garmon: Oh, yeah. So, coaching, ultimately, is the opportunity to support leaders or individuals as a whole as they’re navigating through change. So, we use it as a tool to bring out what’s within them to the surface. And so, for example, we don’t tell you in coaching we believe that you have everything within you to make the right decisions and to get the outcomes that you want. Whereas, consulting, you’re hiring me specifically to give you more guidance in a particular situation. So, we might even come up with solutions for you as we’re consulting with you. But coaching, we believe that it’s up to you. So, we just ask the right questions that’s going to draw the answers that are within you out.

Lee Kantor: So, it’s one of those things where you’re trying to help the individual if you’re coaching them, help them kind of self-discover the solution that you believe is within them. And consulting, they might hire you to solve a problem on their behalf.

Angela Garmon: Yeah, simply put.

Lee Kantor: Now, can you talk a little bit about why it was important for your firm to get involved with WBEC-West?

Angela Garmon: You know, I joined WBEC-West, I want to say, in 2019, and essentially I was struggling with connecting with corporate buyers. I didn’t really know how to get into that corporate sector. And, for me, WBEC-West has been instrumental to my business growth by introducing me – my company focus specifically in the utility space, construction space, as well as government, and so WBEC-West was instrumental in introducing me or making those connections. And so, now, instead of hard calling or hard selling, now I build relationships intentionally through WBEC-West conferences or their events to actually drive and build my pipeline for business.

Lee Kantor: And speaking of conference, there’s an upcoming conference. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Angela Garmon: Yeah. So, WBEC-West Regional Conference is coming up in September. So, I hope you ladies out there are ready to join us. And so, this is our annual conference. This year, I think it’s going to be in Vegas, and so super excited.

Angela Garmon: So, when you say we’re going to dive in right now, Lee, did you want me to just talk through just some tips that I have for some conference goers or did you —

Lee Kantor: Yeah. Well, I mean, I want to talk about it in its totality. So, first, for people who have never been, can you give them an overview of what happens at a conference?

Angela Garmon: Oh, yeah. So, expect there to be a lot of potential collaborators, a lot of potential clients, but also a lot of information for you to grow and scale your business. When I go to one of the WBEC-West Conference, I also expect to have a lot of fun because they do a lot of building and connecting exercises that really drives relationships.

Angela Garmon: Our last conference, we actually made guacamole. And at every single table, there’s typically a corporate representative and so you have the opportunity not only to get familiar with your fellow WBEs, but you can also connect with a corporate buyer. So, last year we made guacamole with corporate buyers and we were able to connect over food. And then, we had conversations around business, around family, and specifically around how can we support each other as fellow WBEs as well. So, that’s just one little snippet of some of the fun things that they do there to drive connections.

Angela Garmon: Additionally, there’s intentional times for networking to where you can really connect with other WBEs to talk about your business, to understand their business, and to really find out how you can support each other. The one thing that I most love about my fellow WBEs is that everyone that’s there, regardless of whether we have a very similar title or very similar field of interest, we look to support each other. Very seldom in the WBEC community do you see each other as competition. And so, there’s just this camaraderie that is built amongst the women that are in attendance.

Angela Garmon: And not only that, when I think about our particular region, our corporate representatives are really there to help nurture our business. And so, the regional conference is just an opportunity for us to get together, to connect and to really develop out our business and our continued strategies to connect with others that are in the room.

Lee Kantor: And for folks who don’t know this, but I’m sure anybody listening probably knows this, the 21st Annual Procurement Conference is in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada, and it’s September 17th through 19th at the Westin Lake Spa and Resort.

Lee Kantor: Can you talk about why it was important for you, not only did you become part of the community, but you got involved in a WBE Forum. It sounds like you don’t just join groups to join them and just have it in the background. You kind of immersed yourself in there to try to wring out as much value as possible when you kind of go into a group. So, can you talk about that journey?

Angela Garmon: Yeah, of course. So, again, getting my certification in, I want to say, 2019 – I’m pretty sure that was the year – but getting my certification, again, one of the best decisions that I could have made. One thing that some people might struggle with is they think that the certification is automatically going to get them a contract. So, if you’re defining the value of your WBEC certification on the contingency of getting a contract, I would definitely encourage you to think differently about the certification process, because I think that it is a tool that you could use to build out your business.

Angela Garmon: And getting involved, to your point, Lee, is one of those ways that has really helped me to not only build out business from a revenue perspective, but it’s also helped me to build out my reputation as a leader within our community. It’s helped me to build out my platform as a coach, because people actually see you differently when they see you in a position. And from a volunteering perspective, when they see you volunteering, when they see you in leadership, they actually see that you want to make a difference.

Angela Garmon: And for me, as I started out my business, I didn’t really, again, know how to connect, and so now I use spaces like the forum to actually support other WBEs that are coming into WBEC-West to understand how they could leverage this certification to be a better business owner, to be a better leader, and to also be a better volunteer. And by being active in the WBEC-West community, it just strengthens me all the way around.

Angela Garmon: So, for anybody that is interested, or maybe you haven’t gotten your certification, or maybe you just got your certification, or maybe you’re thinking about leaving because you haven’t gotten a contract, or you don’t know how to utilize it, I would say get involved because there are so many other opportunities that it opens up. There are so many different programs that you can also gain for free that’s focused on business development that you don’t have to pay for. And so, there’s so many different tools and resources that WBEC-West offers. And getting involved and tapped into the community opens up many more experiences that you can experience as a fellow WBE.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. And one of the best ways is to really kind of leverage this conference that’s coming up. Now, let’s talk about kind of tips on how to get the most out of the conference. Like is this a conference that you would just kind of wing it, just show up on day one and just go, “Oh. Let me kind of just figure stuff out”? Or is this something that you’re planning weeks ahead of time, you know, targeting certain people and having some strategy to not only interact with certain people, but also have some means to follow up with them after the event?

Angela Garmon: Yeah, that’s a great question. So, definitely prepare, Lee. I go into every single conference prepared. So, the biggest tip, the first tip that I would give to anyone is, first and foremost, research who is going to be in the room. So, WBEC-West does a really good job at sharing who’s going to attend the conference. And so, if you’ve registered, make sure that you also update your profile. And when you go into the system to update your profile, you can also see everyone, all of the other attendances – attendees – excuse me. And then, you can also see all of the corporations that will be in attendance and who’s sponsoring the event. So, you’ll have a really good idea of who’s going to be in a room.

Angela Garmon: Typically, what I do is I identify who I want to work with, who are my ideal clients. So, again, because I focus on utility and construction and government, then I always go to those spaces first. Another thing I do is I look and see who are current clients that I’ve either supported, who I’m currently supporting, or I’ve supported in the past, and I use the conference as an opportunity to reconnect with them, to catch up with them, and to understand what’s going on with them, specifically in their organization, what changes.

Angela Garmon: So, I look for words that are very specific to my keyword search. So, what changes are going on, what’s going on from a DEI perspective, or whatever your specific industry is and whatever your keywords are. I definitely would have those conversations and pull those keywords into the conversations to really understand what is going on with their respective corporations, so that we can have those deeper conversations.

Angela Garmon: And then, I also learned even though I might be so prepared, I might have a list of all of the organizations that I want to connect with, I also learned to be open to new opportunities. Because if you just get so laser-focused on specific contacts or specific organizations, and maybe they’re there but they’re bombarded – I remember my first conference I went to, I didn’t necessarily have a contingency plan or a backup plan, but that’s when I really learned to be open and I started having conversations with companies that I hadn’t never considered and that led me to new business as well. So, don’t just be so laser-focused on what you came to accomplish, also be open to new opportunities that present itself.

Angela Garmon: And then, make sure that you follow up. I think that a lot of WBEs come into the conference, it can be extremely overwhelming, and so make sure that you take plenty of notes and make sure that you follow up without being too – what’s the word that I’m looking for? – without bombarding them with too much information after the conference is over.

Lee Kantor: Now, how do you interact with fellow WBEs, because there’s always opportunities to collaborate?

Angela Garmon: Yes. So, you know, one of the very first events that I joined when I joined WBEC-West was their Platinum Supplier Program. Ladies, if you have not taken the Platinum Supplier Program, then let me encourage you to register for that as soon as you see it open. But that program actually connected me with other WBEs, and I still have relationships, very strong relationships with them. When I attended my first WBEC-West Regional conference, that’s where I deepened the connection from the people that I went through the Platinum Supplier Program.

Angela Garmon: And there’s a fellow WBE, Inside Out Learning, that I’ve connected with over the past years, and I’ve been a tier two supplier for them. And so, don’t be afraid to collaborate, build out those relationships and those connections with your fellow WBEs, because as you’re looking to build performance for your organization, and they might already have those contracts and act as a prime for some of those larger entities, you could also build out your strategy by going after tier two opportunities with other WBEs that have prime.

Angela Garmon: So, that is a great tip as well, when you go into the conference, connect with other WBEs that do what you do that might already have those connections, and they might be looking to build out their team, and you can do some tier two work for them. So, that’s a great point that you bring in, Lee.

Lee Kantor: Now, how do you measure success? Because you go to one of these conferences or even if when you joined WBEC-West and get certified, it seems like the law of large numbers is going to come into play. “There’s so many people here, I can’t help but get a contract just by being here.” And that’s not necessarily so. So, how do you kind of manage your expectations or how would a new person manage their expectations but set reasonable goals that are kind of achievable? I wouldn’t imagine you’re going to walk out with lots of contracts at the end of this conference, but you might start making inroads and start building the relationships that could lead towards a contract at some point.

Angela Garmon: Yeah. So, earlier you talked a bit about value, and so this to me is, again, a conversation on value and how do you measure success. And so, for me, I always think about business in a couple of different ways. You look at revenue but you also look at pipeline. So, when I think about the conferences, I think about how can I build my pipeline for the future? So, even if I don’t walk away from this with a specific contract, I’m walking away with connections that are going to lead to close contracts.

Angela Garmon: And so, one of my best or favorite memories about going to a conference, I went to one of the national conferences, and so on a national level, you probably have about 3,000 or more people, whereas on a regional level, you might have up to 500 odd people. She keeps it small intentionally so that she can drive those connections and really make an impact for the WBEs, which is one reason why I appreciate the regional.

Angela Garmon: But when I went to my first regional conference, it was extremely overwhelming. To your point, there’s thousands of people there and just trying to figure out how do I make it through my list? And the last day I was there, I had almost given up. I didn’t want to attend the roundtable discussions. I had went to one earlier and I just kind of felt deflated when I left that table. And I kept pushing myself and I sat down at the next table and it was actually with Cox.

Angela Garmon: And when I had this conversation, I started to listen to the representative speak about what they do, and she had mentioned the SBLA program that they they put on annually. And I was like, “Hey, I attended that. And thank you so much because that particular program was such a foundational program for me in business,” and that was a way that I was able to connect with them. And that actually led to future conversations and future contracts.

Angela Garmon: And so, the same things happen on a regional level as well. I have stories like that, you know, just going to the regional conference where it’s just when you’re feeling overwhelmed or you’re feeling like you just want to give up, if you just keep pushing through.

Angela Garmon: So, to your point, how do you define success? I define success by being able to make meaningful connections that will ultimately lead me to close business. And that’s what I believe WBEC-West does. It helps me make those meaningful connections, and that’s how I measure success is that I’m walking away with meaningful connections, whether that’s a WBE or whether that’s a corporation or a program that I’ve attended, and now I can have future conversations around how I can continue to develop out my business and business growth.

Lee Kantor: So, they are to focus in on at this conference is relationships not necessarily revenue.

Angela Garmon: Correct. Correct. And if you focus in on the relationships, I can guarantee you that they’re going to lead to revenue.

Lee Kantor: Well, Angela, thank you so much for sharing all this great advice and information. If folks want to learn more about ARG Coaching & Consulting Group, where should they go?

Angela Garmon: They can find me at argccgroup.com.

Lee Kantor: And how can they spot you at the conference? I’m sure you’re looking to meet some new folks at the conference as well. Where are you going to be hanging out mostly?

Angela Garmon: You know what? I will be all over the place. Chances are the Arizona Forum will have an opportunity to host an event. But what they typically do is they’ll introduce the forum leaders, probably in Vegas first, and then they’ll introduce all the rest of them across, I want to say, we have eight different states, and so they’ll introduce all of us. So, when you hear my name being called, feel free to come up to me and say hello and we can set aside some time just to chat as well.

Lee Kantor: Well, Angela, thank you again for sharing your story. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Angela Garmon: Thank you, Lee. It’s been a pleasure.

Lee Kantor: All right. This Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Women In Motion.

 

Tagged With: ARG Coaching & Consulting Group LLC, WBEC-West

Fintech South 2024: Alex Edquist with Good Agriculture

September 5, 2024 by angishields

FS-Good-Agriculture-Feature
Atlanta Business Radio
Fintech South 2024: Alex Edquist with Good Agriculture
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Fintech South 2024, hosted by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), took place on Aug. 27-28 at the Woodruff Arts Center and Atlanta Symphony Hall. This year’s theme was “Fintech Lives Here!”

Alex-EdquistAlex Edquist, Founder & CEO, Good Agriculture.

Alex won the Fintech South 2024 Innovation Showcase Challenge.

Connect with Alex on LinkedIn.

 

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studio in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio, brought to you by Kennesaw State University’s Executive MBA program, the accelerated degree program for working professionals looking to advance their career and enhance their leadership skills. And now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, broadcasting live from the Woodruff Arts Center for Fintech South. So excited to be talking to our next guest Alex Edquist with Good Agriculture. Welcome. Thank you. Well, before we get too far, tell us about good agriculture. What’s what’s your business?

Alex Edquist: Yeah. So what we do is we help farmers with their back offices, especially their finance functions. So the two main things we do one is do farmers financial management for them. So that’s their bookkeeping. Getting ready for tax season financial analysis, cash projections, that kind of stuff. And then the second thing we do is there’s actually $11 billion a year in grants and other funding opportunities for farmers every year. So we have one tool that matches farmers to the opportunities they’re eligible for, and then another tool that actually writes the applications for them.

Lee Kantor: So what’s your backstory? How did you get involved in this line of work? Yeah.

Alex Edquist: So I am not a farmer. I actually have a black thumb, which is an entertaining part about me running this business. So I have a lot of respect for what our farmers do. But I have been buying from a specific type of farmers called regenerative farmers my whole adult life. So regenerative farming, and this is probably not what you were expecting for your fintech startup interview. So follow me down the rabbit hole a little bit. But regenerative farming is this method of farming where the farmer cultivates the whole ecosystem, and so the food is a lot healthier because the plants or animals are able to get a lot more nutrients from the environment. And so for me, it started with I would solve some personal health issues by buying from regenerative farmers and eating better food And then, you know, as you might guess, regenerative farming is a lot better for the environment. So, for example, there are regenerative farmers who grow carbon negative beef because they raise the cows in a way that’s good for the environment. And so you learn about that and you’re like, okay, this is cool, I’m going to support these farmers. But I was going to buy the food anyways because it’s just better.

Alex Edquist: But then I was working as a management consultant. I was at McKinsey for a long time, and when I was leaving that job, there was academic research coming out showing that regenerative farmers could also be more profitable because they save so much money on fertilizers and chemicals and things like that. And so when I saw that, I was like, okay, well, the food’s healthier, it’s better for the environment and the farmer makes more money. So it seems like everybody should be doing this, but no one is. So what’s going on there? So I just went out and started talking to farmers about why is this hard, why does no one do this? And the farmers answer was everything is hard. I am doing everything by myself. And this regenerative farming thing is more time consuming and complicated and I just don’t have time. So it was like, well, I can’t help you with the farming piece because again, black Thumb, but I can help you run your business. So we just started offering these services manually to farmers and to see if they would pay us to do it. And they did. And then we we’ve been automating along the way ever since.

Lee Kantor: So it’s one of those stories where you went to the market and listened. Yes. And then learned and solved a problem? Yes. Wow. Did they teach you that in business school? Is that.

Alex Edquist: I actually never went to business school, but, yeah, I mean, I worked as a consultant for a long time. Yeah. It’s amazing. Like, people generally know what the problem is and how to fix it. You just got to. Sometimes you got.

Lee Kantor: To ask, right? Yeah. And so did when you were at the beginning, when you were just going to these farmers. Did you build relationships with them? Are these kind of small mom and pop type businesses, or are these kind of those big, you know, kind of enterprise level farms?

Alex Edquist: Yeah. So most of our customers are those smaller farmers because the bigger farmers, they have a similar need around this, but they tend to have like a full time person on their team who’s doing this stuff. And so when we meet them they’re like, okay, this is cool. Like we see what you’re doing, but also you’re a brand new startup and we don’t trust you yet. Like come back in a few years. Whereas the mom and pops are like, I’m doing this myself and I really don’t want to, and I.

Lee Kantor: Need help And.

Alex Edquist: I don’t care that you’re a new startup. Like, where do I sign up? Right. Um, so I mean, we yeah, I did build some relationships with farmers early on, but really, my co-founder, she is a farmer. And so our first few customers were people she’d known and worked with for like ten years. Um, and then now that we have, you know, we’re a little bit more established, it’s easier for us to just meet a farmer and build that relationship quickly. Um, but yeah, that’s where the initial customers came from. Was not from me. It was from my co-founder.

Lee Kantor: So what is kind of the point of entry for you now? Like what is the first problem you’re solving for them? Or they’re at least saying. Oh, definitely. I want to talk to you because I hate this part of my job.

Alex Edquist: Yeah. Um, so it’s it tends to be one of two things. Um, so one, when we sell, like, direct to the farmer, usually it starts with, let’s talk to you about this funding tool because, hey, there’s free money out there and we can help you get some. And everybody likes free money. So it’s just a good way for us to build that trust and that relationship with that farmer. And then sometimes they are a good fit for one of these grant opportunities. And so we do that with them. And then sometimes they’re not. But then they’ll say something like I’m worried about tax season or I don’t know how much money I made last year. And then it’s like, oh, we do finances too. Do you want help with that? Um, the other thing that happens is we actually work with partners who send us farmers. And so, like, one common thing is like a farmer will go to a bank and need a loan, and then the bank is like, okay, cool, here’s the application for the loan. And then the farmer is like, what is a balance sheet?

Lee Kantor: Right. So now I got another problem. I got to get into the accounting business. Yeah. Not the farming business. Yeah.

Alex Edquist: And so then the bank is like I don’t want to deal with your shoebox of receipts, like go to good agriculture. They will put together your finances and then come back to us. So that’s where half our customers come from.

Lee Kantor: So then what brings you to Fintech South?

Alex Edquist: So we were part of the innovation showcase. Um, so they picked ten fintech startups based in Georgia to go through program. There was a semifinal last week. Uh, top three got to pitch on stage yesterday. We were in the top three and then we actually ended up winning, which was very surprising to me. Um, so yeah, it was just a great opportunity to get lots of exposure to like all the fintech folks. And then you know, win 25 K as well, which is awesome, a bonus.

Lee Kantor: Now, what is agriculture? Are they leaning into kind of fintech world or are they coming, you know, begrudgingly like what’s there? Are they kind of tech friendly or is this new for them?

Alex Edquist: So agriculture is so not digitally enabled. And there’s a few reasons for that. So one, I mean, a lot of these farmers are in places where their internet access is super sketchy. So like, you know, Apple Pay doesn’t work because, you know, your retail store doesn’t have internet. Um, and but the and the other thing that happens is farmers are just slow to adopt technology generally because they have one chance a year to make money. And so there’s a risk aversion that comes with that of like, hey, if I adopt this thing and it doesn’t work, then like, I might go out of business. Um, so there’s a lot of things in agriculture where most fintech people would just be shocked to know that, like, farmers are still writing paper checks and, you know, they aren’t, you know, their banks aren’t digitized. And like when the banks are making loans, they’re not plugged into like a larger bank ecosystem to handle larger loan requests. And so there’s a lot of innovation happening in agriculture. But it is I would say it’s ten years behind most other industries in terms of fintech.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you got into it, was this something that was shocking to you or surprising to you, or did you were you kind of prepared for this, these being such slow adopters?

Alex Edquist: Um, to be honest, I don’t think I came in with any expectations because I don’t have an AG background. So I just came in and just listened a lot and asked a lot of dumb questions.

Lee Kantor: And but your previous clients, I’m sure, were more tech savvy.

Alex Edquist: Yeah. So I mean, when, when I, when I worked in consulting I specialized in non digitally native industries. So stuff like mining and manufacturing and so I’ve seen the full array.

Lee Kantor: So this wasn’t shocking.

Alex Edquist: No no it’s like there are there are many very successful businesses out there that are still running off of pen and paper.

Lee Kantor: Maybe the listener isn’t aware of that, that they assume that because they’re kind of tech savvy, they assume everybody else else’s.

Alex Edquist: Yeah. That’s. Yeah. So my last consulting client before I left, um, they the way they did their forecasting was they had a model, and the model would spit out a number, but then basically, like a semi at the site would just, you know, kind of and you can’t see I’m like, putting my hand against my forehead, like, I think it feels like this this month.

Lee Kantor: It’s the magic eight ball approach.

Alex Edquist: Yeah. But the thing was like the person who just like, made the guess every month was very accurate. So we were trying to build an AI digital twin that would replace that. But like beating the human, just taking a guess was actually quite hard. Um, yeah. Because, you know, sometimes, just like humans are smart and good at stuff.

Lee Kantor: And they can make connections, right? You can’t figure out why.

Alex Edquist: Right, exactly. So yeah, I’ve seen the whole whole.

Lee Kantor: Come on. So now what do you need more of? How can we help you?

Alex Edquist: Yeah. So anyone out there who knows farmers or knows people who work in agriculture, we would love to build a lot more partnerships with banks, insurance companies, nonprofits, university extension, basically just anyone who supports farmers and wants them to be successful. Um. Like, farmers love our products. We’ve had no churn since we started, which is pretty remarkable for a software company. Um, and on average, we’ve helped the farmers get $15 more profitable for every $1 they’ve spent with us. Wow. So we think it works. And we’re really excited to, like, go help more farmers.

Lee Kantor: So if somebody wants to connect, what’s the coordinates? What’s the website? And, uh, the best way to connect with you guys?

Alex Edquist: Yeah. So we’re pretty easy to find. We’re just good agriculture.com. You can reach out to me. My email address is Alex at Good agriculture.com. You can find me on LinkedIn I’m Alex Edquist. The last name is spelled e d q u I s t. It’s a weird last name, so I’m easy to find. And just let me know that you found me via business radio and we’ll connect.

Lee Kantor: All right. Well, Alex, thank you so much for sharing your story. You’re doing important work, and we appreciate you.

Alex Edquist: Yeah. Thank you so much for having me. It’s been fun.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll be back in a few. At Fintech South.

 

Tagged With: Good Agriculture

Fintech South 2024: Laura Gibson-Lamothe with Georgia Fintech Academy

September 5, 2024 by angishields

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Fintech South 2024, hosted by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), took place on Aug. 27-28 at the Woodruff Arts Center and Atlanta Symphony Hall. This year’s theme was “Fintech Lives Here!”

Laura-Gibson-LamotheAs the Executive Director of the Georgia Fintech Academy, Laura Gibson-Lamothe’s primary objective is to drive meaningful impact within the industry through the implementation of a comprehensive diverse talent development program.

The Georgia Fintech Academy focuses on educating and empowering the next generation of fintech professionals by fostering collaboration with 26 institutions aligned with the University System of Georgia, as well as private universities and HBCUs. Our commitment extends to creating academic pathways to fintech at the secondary level, strategically cultivating a reservoir of talented individuals poised to shape the future of the industry.

Connect with Laura on LinkedIn.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studio in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio, brought to you by Kennesaw State University’s Executive MBA program, the accelerated degree program for working professionals looking to advance their career and enhance their leadership skills. And now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, broadcasting live from the Woodruff Arts Center for Fintech South. One more time. This is the seventh year, I think, that we’ve been here broadcasting, and I’m so excited to be talking to our next guest, Laura Gibson-Lamothe. And she is the executive director with Georgia Fintech Academy. Welcome.

Laura Gibson-Lamothe: Thank you.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about Georgia Fintech Academy. How are you serving folks?

Laura Gibson-Lamothe: Yeah, the Georgia Fintech Academy has been around since 2019. We are a academic talent development initiative within the state of Georgia. We support all 26 of the universities and colleges that exist underneath the university system of Georgia, and we provide a curriculum, a fintech curriculum. We also provide experiential learning opportunities, career development services. We do a podcast that’s co-hosted with students, and we pull students in from across the entire state. There’s currently 350,000 students enrolled across the state of Georgia, and 8000 of them we have reached with our fintech curriculum, which is pretty amazing.

Lee Kantor: Now, how did the kind of this idea. What was the genesis of the idea? Like who raised their hand and said, you know what, there should be a fintech academy. You know, that seems very niche. Yes.

Laura Gibson-Lamothe: Back in 2019, it was a combination of industry and academics in the room. The idea stemmed from the fact that Atlanta is and has become a major fintech hub recognized globally for the fintechs that we have in this space. And given the rapid growth economically here in the state of Georgia, the focus has also been on workforce development to support that, that growing demand.

Lee Kantor: So how how does it work? You have your own curriculum teaching fintech kind of skills that young people can get involved with and then learn. Or is it something where you’re partnering with the different education places to build a curriculum so that you’re always kind of teaching them the right things at the right time?

Laura Gibson-Lamothe: Yeah, that’s a good question. I like to I think I coined the term curriculum as a service. If not, I’m going to trademark that eventually in the future. That’s a.

Lee Kantor: Good one. Yes.

Laura Gibson-Lamothe: So what we do is we offer a core set of courses, and over the years that that core has grown. But we enable each university to offer a fintech degree of study. And so we have a variety of those 26 institutions that are on board with the curriculum. And they’ve built their own packages per se. Kennesaw state’s actually one that I would love to reference is an example of evolution of that curriculum. They first onboarded with just the core, so they were offering certificate in Fintech, but now they offer a master’s in digital financial technology, which all is supported through the accreditation process and the curriculum oversight by way of the Fintech Academy.

Lee Kantor: So it’s evolved from a certification to an actual degree. Yes, exactly. Wow. That’s I mean, is that unique in the country? It is.

Laura Gibson-Lamothe: Very unique. And I think from a fintech perspective, if you look at the the market for other universities offering this type of curriculum, it’s still, you know, early days. And so that’s actually drawn some appeal outside of the state of Georgia, you know, for other universities and organizations to to look at what successes we’ve had from a fintech curriculum development perspective.

Lee Kantor: So why is this event, Fintech South important to you in the organization? Yeah, it’s extremely important.

Laura Gibson-Lamothe: I feel like one of the things that we do really well is compliment the the in the classroom education with actual real world experiences. And there is none better than coming to an event hearing in real life. Um, experienced leaders talk about relevant themes and topics, uh, applied to the industry, and then also providing them a one stop access to a very broad network. Um, and today we have 35 students and a few faculty that are joining us from six different universities that we support, uh, Kennesaw State, University of Georgia, Georgia State University, Mercer, Morehouse. I think I covered them all. Oh, middle Georgia, um, University as well. Um, and those students have taken this opportunity by storm. Um, there’s there’s some, you know, institutions that are a little bit further out. So they have kind of band together to, to stay here locally for this event overnight. And they woke up extremely early this morning to make sure they’re connecting with people via the app and other channels so they can schedule in-person meetings at this event.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there any story you can share of a student that’s gone through the program and then was able to take their kind of career to a new level?

Laura Gibson-Lamothe: Yeah, one that I’m really proud about. Astrid, who is a graduate at Kennesaw State University. She is at Truist, and today she is at the Truist Booth in the Expo Hall. And I’ve had students full circle, full circle moment. Right. And I had students approach me and they were so excited. They were like, oh, she’s on the other side. Like she made it on the other side. And I’m like, wow, it’s funny to. And I’ve only been in this role for two years and I’ve already seen that, that cycle, um, uh, across the university system where there’s examples of that. But it’s really fulfilling to see these students look up to other students who have just more recently, you know, made it through, and then they’re now leading the way for the next generation of students coming through as well. So it’s kind of that reciprocated type of perspective for the both of them, thinking about what challenges that that younger student had to navigate to to get, you know, find their way through the industry and then those who have made it, I call them near peers to be able to be mentors for that next generation right there.

Lee Kantor: Showing them what’s possible. Yeah. So what do you need more of? How can we help?

Laura Gibson-Lamothe: Oh, I need everything. So all the things that I kind of outlined need support. So whether it be curriculum, we are constantly looking at evolving the curriculum. And the industry is evolving so fast. So for me coming to these events, I love hearing about some of the emerging trends and some new technology capabilities. And you guys know like AI is a hot topic. And so we’ve been really focused on generative generative AI and incorporating some of that in the curriculum because we’ve been so data science, um, AI and machine learning focused. But that’s just an example of like some of the aspects of the curriculum where we’re really looking to plug into industry to make sure that the training that we’re providing in the classroom is as relevant and current state as possible. The other side is, you know, the services that we offer for students. So we’re always looking for mentors and advisors. We have a mentorship program where we we sync based on background and an area of study for a student or, you know, an interest of a student with some mentors from the industry. And so the mentorship piece is really key for us. We do a speaker series, so twice a week, Monday and Wednesdays. Every night during each semester, we host an event, um, which is virtual because we want to provide accessibility across the university system, across the state of Georgia, where we have industry leaders come in and speak on certain themes and topics. And that one’s really cool because we get a lot of variety of the type of leaders that are willing to dedicate their time to just speak about various topics. And so we’re looking for those types of support mechanisms from the industry.

Lee Kantor: So how does somebody connect with the Academy?

Laura Gibson-Lamothe: Yes. So on our website Georgia Fintech Academy. Org forward slash volunteer. We actually have a volunteer form, which I’m really excited about, because that volunteer form kind of leads into I built like a CRM. I’m a techie in my background and my nature, so I love having solutions that really optimize process. Um, and so this volunteer form is really important because it’s a database that our faculty, we have 20 faculty across the university system teaching these courses. They’re working so close with the students, they need all the support they can get. And so we provide them access to that database for, um, you know, the repository of folks that have volunteered. And so we’re now leveraging that as a resource. And then also at the mothership, the Fintech Academy, we’re using that data as well. Um, and so I would recommend folks to, to sign up out there.

Lee Kantor: Well, thank you so much for sharing your story. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Laura Gibson-Lamothe: Thank you so.

Lee Kantor: Much. All right. This is Lee Kantor will be back in a few. At Fintech South.

 

Tagged With: Fintech South 2024, Georgia Fintech Academy

Fintech South 2024: Loretta Daniels with TAG Education Collaborative

September 5, 2024 by angishields

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Atlanta Business Radio
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Fintech South 2024, hosted by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), took place on Aug. 27-28 at the Woodruff Arts Center and Atlanta Symphony Hall. This year’s theme was “Fintech Lives Here!”

Dr-Loretta-DanielsDr. Loretta Daniels, Interim Executive Director, Technology Association of Georgia’, TAG-Ed and CEO and Managing Partner at Kendall and Kendrick Consulting Group, is an expert in organizational Leadership, DEI, conflict management, and communication. As an executive leader in the corporate arena, she has served in executive leadership roles such as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operations Officer, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Executive Director of Sales Operations, and General Manager. In addition, she has written corporate training manuals Leading by Example and Fast Track to Excellence. As the former Executive Director of Corporate Relations of Kennesaw State University (KSU), she worked with medium and large organizations to define and deliver leadership growth certificate programs aligned with the company’s vision and objectives.

Dr. Daniels has recently created TAG Bridge Builders, a social justice and equity initiative to promote Georgia’s underrepresented tech professionals advance from mid-level positions to senior-level leadership roles, providing access to funding and customer acquisition for tech entrepreneurs.

Dr. Daniels partnered with C-level Leadership and HR to determine leadership development goals, identify training gaps, enable cultural workplace initiatives, and implement gender pay equality and equitable hiring practices. In addition, she served as the University Office of Diversity and Inclusion CoChair and Presidential Commission on Gender & Work-Life Issues. Also, she advised executive teams, including the President and Chief Diversity Officer, consulted as a subject matter expert on DEI challenges and solutions, and supported DEI’s continuous improvement efforts.

As an adjunct leadership instructor at KSU since 2002, Dr. Daniels delivered in-class and online lectures encouraging students to think strategically by applying fundamentals to real-world problems. Courses taught included Corporate Communication and Conflict Resolution, Human Communications, Public Speaking, Writing for Public Communication, and Foundations of Leadership. Additionally, she has designed a Coursera Specialty Certificate program, Advanced Leadership Skills for the 21st Century Specialization Certificate.

Dr. Daniels received a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Organizational Leadership from Johnson University, a Master of Science (MS) in Conflict Management, a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Communication from Bradley University, and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Mass Communication/Media Studies from KSU. She is a Certified Diversity Professional and the author of two books, For Women Only, Women Mean Business (J & W Publishers, 1992), and Unlock Your Success, a Comprehensive Guide for Starting a Successful Business (J & W Publishers, 2006). Dr. Daniels’ upcoming book, Organizational Leadership, published by SAGE Publications, will be available in January 2025 This textbook will offer a new and comprehensive approach to organizational leadership to address the paradigm shift in our global business community.

Connect with Dr. Daniels on LinkedIn.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studio in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio, brought to you by Kennesaw State University’s Executive MBA program, the accelerated degree program for working professionals looking to advance their career and enhance their leadership skills. And now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, broadcasting live from the Woodruff Arts Center at Fintech South. So excited to be here. So excited to be talking to my next guest, Loretta Daniels, who’s the interim executive director of TAG Education Collaborative. Welcome.

Loretta Daniels: Thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about the TAG Education Collaborative.

Loretta Daniels: Well, we are the charity side of TAG and we focus on providing workforce solutions in the tech workforce.

Lee Kantor: So so what is the kind of the day to day entail when you’re trying to accomplish such a big goal like that?

Loretta Daniels: Yeah. What we do is we take a comprehensive approach. We we take a look at how do we help Georgians get into the tech workforce. And we have programs like the registered Tech Apprenticeship program. We are the first in the state of Georgia for that program. It allows minorities, veterans, women, individuals who may have had a degree in social science or business now to get into tech jobs. So we put them through training. We work with employers. They actually hire them. It’s different from an internship program. This is a program where they’re hired as an employee. We put them through training for positions like software developer or cybersecurity analyst, those kind of jobs.

Lee Kantor: Now, we’ve heard so much about kind of the talent challenges that companies are having in all aspects of the technology industry and the technology industry has, I would imagine, an unemployment rate of like negative because there’s a lot more demand than there is supply in that. Is TAG helping kind of build up that pipeline even at the earlier ages? You know, maybe even elementary, middle school, high school level, or is it just something for adults after they’ve graduated?

Loretta Daniels: Good question. We focus on let’s get them ready now. And so we will have an internship program that we do have this program. It really develops those high schoolers, those 11th graders and 12th graders who are looking to get into the workforce. Our internship program is designed to say, here, let’s get you into a tech world. Let’s, you know, have you take a look at different tech positions, careers so that you can be geared up to go there?

Lee Kantor: Now, is there any initiatives that are kind of you mentioned some opportunities for minorities? Is there any initiatives for women, minorities, people who are big consumers of technology but maybe not have kind of self-selected out of technology as a career path.

Loretta Daniels: Yeah, we do that. We have a mentorship program that focuses on mid-level individuals who may want to go into the tech space or want to be advanced into the tech areas and leadership programs, but that registered apprenticeship program is designed specifically for that. Let’s target those women who may not have thought they’d ever be in a tech position, but now they are.

Lee Kantor: And then is one of the challenges finding like enterprise level partnerships, is that one of the things that you, you work with to create that collaboration between the company that needs the talent and this, you know, aspiring talent?

Loretta Daniels: Yeah, that’s a great question. That’s one of the biggest challenges because so many companies, they have a need to develop this talent pipeline, but there’s just not going to be enough of graduates in tech degrees to fill these positions. So it’s really working with those employers to let them know that TAG is here to help them to have this unique way of filling these jobs. And so that’s what we do. The biggest challenge is just letting them know that they don’t have to rely on those who have graduated with a tech degree. We have to be more strategic. We have to be more creative on how do we fill this talent pipeline. And so the biggest challenge is educating these employers now.

Lee Kantor: Or is this something where the employers are working with universities or maybe TAGged to create like certifications or like customized education that’s going to serve their pipeline specifically? I’ve seen in other industries where enterprise level companies partner with a university or create their own certifications to kind of get that person ready for a job at that company. Like, they’re kind of growing their own talent pool.

Loretta Daniels: Yeah. Um, I have a higher education background And so that was one of the major areas that industry would come in and partner with KSU to create certifications and even to take a look at the curriculum to make sure it was, you know, relevant for what they’re looking for. But for TAG, we create certification certifications as well. We partner with Skill Storm for upskilling and reskilling degrees, especially not degrees but certifications in AI because of the AI workforce. But we also have our own leadership and workforce development certifications that we create.

Lee Kantor: And then an enterprise level organization can come to you and say, hey, we’re interested in this, and together you can create a curriculum that maybe helps them with their specific talent pool, but also gets that person a skill that that is marketable.

Loretta Daniels: Exactly. Like for instance, we have two programs that we’ve developed, Pathways to leadership. It helps with those leaders to be able to lead in technology, lead in the areas. And we designed the curriculum based on what our corporate members said they needed in leadership. We also have a succession planning for tech leaders, because one of the best strategies to, you know, keeping your profit margins where you need them to be is to have people ready to go into leadership positions. 25% of the companies in the United States have a succession plan. That means there’s another 75% that don’t have succession plans.

Lee Kantor: That’s shocking. Yeah. Now, um, so when you’re working with an organization, can you share a little bit about what that looks like? Do they come to you with, hey, we have this challenge, how do we build a curriculum or do they have that kind of baked in? They’re just looking for you to kind of identify the aspiring talent. Like, how does kind of what does that look like when you’re working with TAG?

Loretta Daniels: Yeah. So it’s a couple of different approaches. So when we created our leadership development program, the PTL, we did find out from them. What are you looking for in a leader so that we can add that curriculum. And what works very well is we have industry leaders coming in and teaching portions of the class so that they are all, you know, there’s buy in from them, right?

Lee Kantor: So everybody’s on the same page. Exactly. Now, are you finding that more and more corporations are open to these kind of untraditional ways to learn, like, are they okay with, oh, this person’s got a TAG certification? I’m okay with that. They don’t necessarily have, you know, the Georgia Tech degree.

Loretta Daniels: Yeah, I call that that that degree pedigree. Right, right. But so many companies are getting away from that. They’re they’re waiving the degree requirements. And that’s where our apprenticeship program comes in. So. Well because we identify those talents for them. Because all these companies, at some point they’re going to have to take a look at waiving the degree requirements, because there’s just not enough individuals graduating with tech degrees to fill these positions now.

Lee Kantor: Are you finding the applicants or the prospective employees? Are they open to this path? Like, are they like, oh, this is great. This is it’s almost like a cheat code, right? Like I’m not having to go through that degree, but I’m still getting kind of these key learnings that are going to make me marketable.

Loretta Daniels: Yeah, that is a great point. And here’s what happens. As a as a result of that, not only are they open to it, but employers are seeing a higher retention rate. So individuals who are coming in without a tech degree getting the certifications, their retention rate for these employers are 88% and higher.

Lee Kantor: Wow. So what do you need more of? How can we help you?

Loretta Daniels: Well, we need more employers to be welcome, you know, to welcome these strategies of having us help them to solve their workforce problems, create a tech talent pipeline. Um, that’s how you can help us get those employers coming to us.

Lee Kantor: So how does Fintech South play into all of this?

Loretta Daniels: Well, you know, because in Fintech South we have so many companies being represented. We even have people here looking for positions. And so, you know, just getting the word out and sharing with our sponsors, sharing with our attendees that um, TAG is about, you know, taking care of those tech workforce pipelines.

Lee Kantor: And if somebody wants to connect with you or somebody on the team, what’s the coordinates?

Loretta Daniels: Just give me a call. You know, my email is Loretta at TAG online.org. And just ask for Doctor Loretta. And then.

Lee Kantor: Can they go to the website.

Loretta Daniels: TAG. They can always go to the website TAG online. It’s TAG ed online. Org and they can find us.

Lee Kantor: Well Loretta, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Loretta Daniels: Thanks for having.

Lee Kantor: Me. All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll be back in a few. At Fintech South.

 

Tagged With: Fintech South 2024, Tag Education Collaborative

Fintech South 2024: Larry Williams with TAG

September 5, 2024 by angishields

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Atlanta Business Radio
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Fintech South 2024, hosted by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), took place on Aug. 27-28 at the Woodruff Arts Center and Atlanta Symphony Hall. This year’s theme was “Fintech Lives Here!”

Larry WilliamsLarry Williams is President and CEO of the Technology Association of Georgia. He brings more than 25 years of experience in global branding, international trade and finance, public and industrial policy, and administration and management to TAG.

As the former president and CEO of The Beacon Council, Miami-Dade County’s official economic development partnership, he helped facilitate local, national and international business growth and expansion programs.

Under his leadership The Beacon Council created and executed a new economic development framework to help the area grow and secure investments in today’s innovation economy. This is resulted in $687 million in new investment, 119 company relocations or expansions, and more than 4,500 new jobs. From 2011 to 2014, he helped shape the vision for Atlanta’s tech sector as vice president of technology development at the Metro Atlanta Chamber.

He provided leadership and direction to the Chamber’s Mobility Task Force, positioning Atlanta as a global hub of mobile technology, and to the Technology Leadership Council.

Connect with Larry on LinkedIn.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studio in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio, brought to you by Kennesaw State University’s Executive MBA program, the accelerated degree program for working professionals looking to advance their career and enhance their leadership skills. And now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio. So excited to be broadcasting live from the Woodruff Arts Center because we are here for Georgia Fintech South. And I’ve got with me today Larry Williams. He is the grand poobah of TAG Technology Association of Georgia. Welcome, Larry.

Larry Williams: Good morning Lee.

Lee Kantor: Well, Larry, do you mind sharing a little bit about TAG first and then we’ll get into Fintech South and why this event is so critical to the Atlanta ecosystem.

Larry Williams: Certainly TAG is the Technology Association of Georgia. We are 30,000 members strong, and we are really the place that nexus that brings together everything that is technology and innovation. So everybody that wants to be a part of this great prosperity that we’re experiencing in this state, that’s all driven by technology. They want to be a part of TAG.

Lee Kantor: And this is TAG’s 25th anniversary?

Larry Williams: This is our 25th anniversary. And we are super excited about what’s going on this year. And we’re also excited about the next 25.

Lee Kantor: So how has it you’ve been around for a minute? Tell us about kind of how you’ve seen the evolution of the technology ecosystem here in Atlanta, maybe from the early days to where it is now.

Larry Williams: You know, one thing that’s interesting, and Lee, you’ve heard me say this before, is I really do believe that Georgia is where technology meets the real world. So if we think about some of the things and, you know, historically that helped build this, you know, we got to go back to the Hayes Modem, Scientific Atlanta. All of these great companies that help build and really build a reputation, and a lot have been fueled by these great educational institutions that we have research institutions that help develop products and services that people have been able to commercialize and really affect the landscape of the technology globally. So that’s if we go back to the beginnings of it. But if we go through sort of a timeline, then we can look to things like cybersecurity, great innovations that came out that helped create great companies like ES, that’s now a part of IBM. And those functions still stay here in Georgia. Secureworks with became part of Dell, still still here, and then even Airwatch. Airwatch was the first mobile security application that the iPhone led onto its platform. With that and the partnership with AT&T mobility here in Atlanta, it’s the business.

Larry Williams: It’s the company that really put the BlackBerry out of business. If you remember the BlackBerry leaf. I know. And so there’s great stories. And I tell this because it’s like fintech. And while we’re here today, fintech, you know, we used to do the check processing here. And then we were part of the industry and the ecosystem that digitized that process that created this great transaction in fintech community that we have here today. And what’s important about this, Lee, and the way I tell it this way is because when it comes to the change in what I’ve seen over the last 25 years, Georgia has been a part of this evolution of technology and innovation every step of the way, and we’re going to continue to be a part of that for the next 25. But we didn’t just stand up and say, hey, we’re a fintech capital. We actually built every, um, every part of this industry. And as I say, you know, and with cybersecurity as well, we help build every layer of the onion. So we know how it’s built. And so we’re in a position to build the next phase as well.

Lee Kantor: And because and I don’t think you can really separate TAGs efforts in connecting everybody and having kind of this cohesive, uh, mosaic of different companies and different verticals within technology. Um, but you’ve fostered such a collaborative environment where people aren’t necessarily, you know, learning here at the great universities and leaving. We’re keeping a lot of the talent here, and then the talent wants to give back, and then they keep reinvesting in here. So it’s really kudos to you for creating that kind of environment that people want to stay after they’ve exited, and they want to help kind of build this and keep the momentum going for the next 25 years.

Larry Williams: Lee, it’s a great point. And, you know, one, our skyline has transformed. You drive through Midtown today. You really do see you know, it’s a technology skyline today. Um, and it is a great thing now people see opportunities here so they can stay here. The other part of that Lee, is there are so many people that have moved out of market that want to come home, and they want to come home. They, they they miss Atlanta. They miss Georgia. There are so many opportunities for them here now. And so even if they left and had to, you know, be young and be adventurous, they’re ready to come back home and be a part of this great community.

Lee Kantor: So now let’s talk a little bit about this conference. Um, how many years has it been since we’ve been doing fintech? I know we’ve been around since the beginning.

Larry Williams: Seventh. This is our seventh year.

Lee Kantor: Seventh year. Um, how have you seen kind of the fintech community evolve over this seven years? And, you know, with the pandemic mixed in the middle of that.

Larry Williams: You know, we’re 260 fintech companies in the community today. Um, it continues to grow. We are the place where people are, you know, moving their companies. They’re building their companies. The entrepreneurial community is is very strong. We’re also seeing there’s a lot more private equity venture capital that looks to our companies here that are growing up in Georgia as places to invest. So it’s the whole ecosystem about what makes it work. So there are large companies here. You know, we have the largest, uh, transaction processors in the world are based here. Um, we have a lot of the banks that are connected to it as well. And then we have the capital that are fueling the entrepreneurs. Um, and then also the education that’s so important for us, so proud that we helped create the Fintech Academy, uh, several years ago and that skyrocketing as well. But fintech continues to be strong. And it continues. You know, it’s a global industry for us here. And it touches everything. Trillions, trillions of dollars are processed through Georgia every day.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, it’s it’s mind boggling the amount of transactions that occur. Right. You know, right where we’re standing pretty much. That’s right. Now, um, for people who haven’t been to Fintech South. Can you share a little bit about what they can expect from an event like this?

Larry Williams: You know you can. It’s really about bringing people together. So there’s a lot of learning. The content that we have on the sTAGe is world class people talking about everything, about what’s now and what’s next in fintech. It’s about, you know, how that connection with cybersecurity privacy and making sure that we’re securing our transactions all the way up to the opportunities to have frictionless payments and make that process much more, um, much easier. Um, so you’re going to learn about all of that. You’re going to you’re going to see one of the most connected marketplaces that you can see, people that can come here and do business with each other. I love seeing people sit down and make deals. I was able to make some introductions last night. Uh, people that are really, uh, are excited about getting together and do business with each other, uh, mutually beneficial. And then you see great things. We. I had the honor of doing a fireside chat with Barry McCarthy. Yesterday we inducted him into the Georgia Fintech Hall of Fame. Such a great leader, someone. He’s the CEO of deluxe, but he has been a part of this ecosystem and has helped build every part and help really be a convener to really be to coalesce this fintech industry here. So there are all things like that, you know. Another highlight yesterday, Lee, is we did our innovation challenge and there was a great company that actually got a $25,000 award. And that’s cash and that’s a young company. And they’ll be able to grow fast because of that. You know, you talked about seven years. We’ve given almost half $1 million away on sTAGe at the Innovation Challenge now over the last seven years. So that’s really meaningful. One of the former recipients, I saw him yesterday and he said, Larry, we’re not for that $25,000. I wouldn’t be where we are today.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, the impact is real. Um. So what do you need more of? How can we help?

Larry Williams: What do we need more of? Hey, listen, it’s just if you’re not part of this great community, then come be a part of it. Come be a part of TAG. We do fintech, we do cybersecurity. We do all the industries and we do all the functions data governance, AI, quantum, all of this is part of our ecosystem. We need people to be plugged in. Let’s let’s get together. Let’s be a part of it. Let’s get involved with the things that we have now, or think of something creative that we can do in the future. And from you, Lee, just keep telling the great news and keep, uh, um, broadcasting what we’re doing, as well as what a lot of our members and partners are doing.

Lee Kantor: Well, Larry, thank you so much for sharing your story today, doing such important work. We appreciate you. Thank you. Lee. All right. This is Lee Kantor will be back in a few. At Fintech South.

 

Tagged With: Fintech South 2024, TAG

Author Adrienne Morris

September 5, 2024 by angishields

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Cherokee Business Radio
Author Adrienne Morris
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Adrienne-MorrisAdrienne Morris is the author of the upcoming book “Mind Over Misery,” as well as a newborn care specialist with Dream Babies, helping babies sleep through the night.

Connect with Adrienne on Facebook.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Woodstock, Georgia. This is fearless formula with Sharon Cline.

Sharon Cline: Welcome to Fearless Formula. I’m Business RadioX, where we talk about the ups and downs of the business world and offer words of wisdom for business success. I am your host, Sharon Cline. And today in the studio I have the author of a book called Mind Over Misery Unlocking the Power of Thought to Transform Suffering. Also, really interestingly, she is a sleep specialist and helps babies to sleep through the night, which is incredibly valuable. I’m so excited to talk to you. Welcome, Adrienne Morris. Thank you for coming.

Adrienne Morris: Yes. Thank you so much for having me. Sure.

Sharon Cline: We met in an interesting way.

Adrienne Morris: Yes we did.

Sharon Cline: So I had done some auditions for um on Voices.com, which is where I have my voiceover world. A lot of my work comes from there, so I had done an audition for the book that you were ready to have an audiobook for, and she hired me. It’s so great because I never meet people that I do work for in a book world like this. And you’re local to Atlanta. So it was just kind of special.

Adrienne Morris: It was, uh, you being in the Atlanta area was a huge reason why I chose you. I don’t know, I just felt like there was a connection there. When I first heard your voice, I was like, oh, yeah, like, this is the calm I’m looking for. Like, he felt like a reflection of me. Oh, well.

Sharon Cline: That’s the highest compliment ever as far as being, you know, a voiceover artist, because I always want to reflect well on the way that the author wrote it and the way they imagined it in their head or the energy behind it. That’s like, you’re who I’m trying to please the most. So just hearing that was like, oh yeah.

Adrienne Morris: Well, you were spot on to me, so thank you.

Sharon Cline: Well how fun. I mean, what’s neat is like this. This is a new sort of venture in your life. Like you’ve got another book in your mind, actually, after this that you’re ready to to do. So, can you tell me a little bit about your journey to becoming an author?

Adrienne Morris: So a little bit about my journey. So I first got into Toastmasters and I wanted to work on just communication and just my public speaking. I realized I didn’t make any eye contact with people. I looked down, you know, um, as far as networking, I was, like, scared to communicate with people. And so it challenged me. Um, I feel like I faced my fears. I once I signed up, I was so nervous. And the lady was like, so when do you want to do your speech? And I was like, she was like, next week. And I was like, um, sure. Like, here we go. So. And after a few speeches, I built up the courage and I was like, I think I’m ready to write my book. I think I’m ready to get started. But just like in Toastmasters, I didn’t know where to start. But just getting the ball rolling, just trying something different. I started working on my communication. Um, because in Toastmasters they give you feedback, they evaluate you, they give you feedback. And I just implemented the feedback and I built up my confidence. And so same thing with the book. I, uh, I was living with a friend and she was a writer, and I thought that maybe living with her, maybe, you know, we could collaborate and work together and produce this book. And then it didn’t work out. Then I went to Thailand to visit a friend, and for seven weeks and I’m like, okay, here we go. Like, I got it this time, you know, this friend is going to help me. He had bought like a book course. So I’m like, okay, he’s going to help me. But in that time in Thailand, I realized, like, it was all in me. That time of solitude, just being there to be able to work out or wake up Journal, work out, um, Google or YouTube, some book stuff to try and learn. Um, I just realized, like I got this.

Sharon Cline: It’s interesting to think that here we are in our lives, our everyday lives, right? The routine. But to take yourself out of it and go into a completely different culture can unlock a different side of you that you didn’t even know you had.

Adrienne Morris: Yes, it definitely got the ball rolling. So when I got back from Thailand after that seven weeks, I came back with an outline and I was like, okay, I’m in it now. I’m doing it. What did you how.

Sharon Cline: Do you what was it about the culture and what was it about that environment that just gave you a different sense of who you were. Was it being quiet or was it the people that you met?

Adrienne Morris: Um, it was in the stillness, I would say. Um, I had time to, like, think my own thoughts. I think one thing a lot of people I’m going to say in the States, um, they don’t have the time to themselves. Most people are just waking up and doing the same things every single day. And a lot of it is work which consumes most of your time and most of your mind. And in Thailand, I had all of my time and all of my mind, like I remember just sitting and I’m like, I’m controlling my time and I’m controlling my habits that I’m like, I didn’t have to go into a job. I didn’t have to worry about my expenses. I didn’t have to worry about what I was going to eat. I didn’t have to do any of that. I literally had the freedom to just be. And I think that was the most powerful thing for me.

Sharon Cline: It’s it’s a lost, um, value system, I think, because as much as I’m in the same thing, I’m always running. There’s always something on my calendar. I’m very busy, but I have dreams, too, you know, like, I would love to do this or love to do that, but then, like, it’s almost Christmas like that. If that’s what it feels like, the year will go by so quickly and I haven’t really accomplished my goals. Um, some of them, yes, but a lot of them, no. And I guess that feeling of, um, um, being able to really appreciate, um, the, the impact of your own thoughts only as opposed to being constantly barraged with social media or TV or anything. I think I underestimate that, yes.

Adrienne Morris: I think a lot of people underestimate it. Um, there. So from 2021 to I would say 2023, I was by myself a lot. And that’s when I came into like, the mindful eating, the mindful walking, um, and listening to the, um, keynote speakers on YouTube and the motivational speakers every day and my meditation every morning. And I felt like I was choosing what was going in my mind, not the other way around, not showing up to work. And this person saying, oh, you do this and you do that, or, you know, I didn’t feel like an octopus, like being pulled in so many different directions. I felt like I was controlling my time. So who could I blame besides me, because I was controlling everything, right?

Sharon Cline: I don’t even think I realize how much my attention gets pulled into a thousand different directions. I react, you know, or respond, I guess, or react, but I don’t direct my time, I think. And I loved what I was reading that part in the book. I was thinking, this is so smart because it is feeding your brain what you want as opposed to just seeing whatever is out there in the world.

Adrienne Morris: Yes, I think everyone needs to take back their power to control their own thoughts. You get to say. But I think, um, society just. We’re just kind of taught, you know, either go to school or get a job and that’s what you do. And then that consumes 8 to 12 hours of your day every single day. And then, like you said, you have your own dreams. You have your own goals. But when do you find that time? And then if you have kids or a relationship.

Sharon Cline: Or a relationship, like anything that pulls your attention away, it’s it’s everything. Yes.

Adrienne Morris: It’s pulling your attention and it’s controlling your mind too, because it’s in the back of your mind. It’s like your to do list. You’re always thinking about, okay, how can I fit this in or how can I fit that in? But when I was in that time of solitude, I literally could map out every hour of my day or just be spontaneous and say, I’m going to go for a two hour walk just because I had that time. And I was like, I know this is going to help me.

Sharon Cline: When you came back to the States, did you find that there was a huge disparity between the way you felt there and the way you felt here? Like, was it really challenging to keep that peaceful mindset going?

Adrienne Morris: Um, I don’t think that it was challenging to keep that peaceful mindset. Um, this I started this journey in 2021, so I feel like I’ve had three years of practice. But in Thailand for the seven weeks, it just felt like a freedom and a peace I never knew I really needed. Um, working with the babies. Um, if anybody needs help, I’m always like, yes, yes, I.

Sharon Cline: Know how to do.

Adrienne Morris: This. It’s easy. Like, you know, the parents are like, you know, they’re so good with you. I’m like, I know these are my babies. But being 12 hours away, I couldn’t say yes. Nobody could ask for help. I couldn’t just get on a flight and say, hey, I’m coming back. Like I feel like me going away for seven weeks. I set that time out for me. So I feel like if anything, it just intensified my solitude and my mindfulness and creating even better habits than I already had.

Sharon Cline: Wow. It makes me wish maybe at some point in my life I’m going to put it out there as an intention. You know? I’ll be able to take some time to myself like that too. Yeah. Um, well, why don’t we talk about, um, your journey that you went through, not just writing the book, but how you got to the point of being able to have that mindset to say, I’ve got a lot here that can help a lot of people. So when I think about the fact that you started off kind of realizing that you were out of alignment with a lot of things and reacting to situations that you didn’t love, then you realize there are there are intentional ways that I can change myself in order to get a response that I’m proud of and really like. Um, what was it like to kind of get that into a whole book? Because you talk about, I mean, these are major transformative moments, especially regarding your father, which, you know, can be very emotional as well. So feel free to to fill in the gaps of what I kind of just outlined.

Adrienne Morris: Okay. So, um, when I started in 2021, it was challenging. There were tons of tears because I’m like, I don’t even know how to be with myself. Do I even like myself? You know, because the thoughts that were consuming me were so negative. So like I said before, I decided to take control of my day. So waking up early and doing my journaling and doing my meditation, and I started listening to other speakers because it was positive on social media, when you’re scrolling, you don’t know what you’re going to get. So I was more intentional when I woke up and I was like, this is what I’m going to fill my mind up with, or doing the affirmations as soon as I got to work, setting the reminders for my reminders to go off each hour just to affirm me and keep me positive throughout my day. Like those little things, um, helped me develop the mindset. And there was a time when I got off of social media because I realized how much it was controlling my mind, and I was like, everyone’s saying the same thing, doing the same things. And I was like, they’re just vulnerable. Vulnerable enough to do it, you know? And and at that time in my life, I wasn’t vulnerable enough.

Adrienne Morris: There were times when I would turn on my camera and try and talk to the camera and I’m like, uh, no, I’m forgetting everything that I need to say. So. But that’s what got me into the Toastmasters. That was my real challenge. I’m like getting up, getting out, getting around a community to, um, around people with similar mindset helped me. Um, and like I said, build the confidence to be able to even write the book. And I will say so with my dad. He is in the book too. And his absence, I think, drove a lot of this. And a huge turning point was when I called him and I had rehearsed all these lines of what he was going to say, what he was going to do, or how he was going to respond, because I could only think of the negative stories that I had from a child. But when I called him and he said, whatever I have to do to fix it, it shut down every negative thought that I had and the more I was around him, the more I realized how much like the good things I was like him. So I found value in that. And it takes a.

Sharon Cline: Lot of bravery, though. Bravery, to call your father and say those kinds of things when you haven’t had him in your life for most of your life. Um, that’s like says a lot about your spirit because you really felt like to go to the OG, you know? You know what I mean? To go to where it starts, where a lot of people kind of, you know, play off of the people around them to kind of try to heal those parts of themselves. And obviously it doesn’t work that well. And there’s a lot of drama that can happen. And you instead decided to go to the source and say, okay, this is what I need to heal. And how wonderful that your father took responsibility. Um, that’s a gift as well.

Adrienne Morris: Yeah. Even, um, I did a speech two weeks ago, and he was up here, and he actually came. And you. So in Toastmasters you have to introduce yourself and they ask you like who you are. How did you hear about us and what you’re what you’re looking to get out of Toastmasters. And he stands up and he says, uh, my name is Adrian Morris. And he puts his hand on my shoulder and he says, I’m Adrian Morris father. And then I do my speech and my evaluator mentions, like, does everybody realize? Like she spoke her truth and her biological father is sitting right here. So I do think that we have built a relationship where, um, I would say I have a more positive outlook. You know, everything isn’t perfect, you know, but I think that we are building slowly. So and even with me expressing myself about how, um, I attracted relationships similar to the, Um. Like unemotional or. Unemotional.

Sharon Cline: Kind of like a dynamic that is, like, similar to the way that your father was. These relationships were very mirror mirroring the similar energy, right?

Adrienne Morris: Yes. And I kept attracting that. But then I realized, like, the more I leaned into him, I feel like the more I could recognize this signs because I’m like, this is a source and this is where it’s coming from. And I feel like the more I avoided it, it was like the more I still didn’t know and I just stayed on the hamster wheel. So it wasn’t until I challenged myself to call him and say, hey, like, this is what’s happening. It hurts. Yeah, this.

Sharon Cline: Really hurt my life. It hurt. Well, you know, I have to give you props here because, um, obviously the show is called Fearless Formula, and everybody understands the emotion of fear. It’s just a basic one. Um, but you do have a fearless formula that you do face your fears and do things anyway, especially Toastmasters. I was thinking, I think statistically people are more afraid of public speaking than dying. Some some crazy statistic like that to where most people would be like, yeah, I would do anything than get up, you know, rather than get up in front of people. But you did it. You, you went and faced it. And then obviously confronting your father the way that you did, you were brave enough to do that. What is it about you that you think that you just pushed through the fear and do it anyway?

Adrienne Morris: Um, I will say sports. I am very athletic. I played volleyball, softball, basketball, baseball, um, you name it, I tried it, and, um, I’m small. I’m like 110 pounds. I’m short five one And I feel like, um, everyone just always just saw me as small and tiny or like, I couldn’t do something or like, you know, I wasn’t going to win or, like, they’re going to beat me. Yeah. And so I think I just developed this mindset like, I’m going to show you, you know. And I think it allowed me to like, push through. Um, when I was in high school, I soccer and basketball was at the same time. And my freshman and sophomore year, the coaches let me play both sports. But my junior year, they were like, you’re going to be on varsity. You have to pick. So I was like, okay, well, I’m going to go with soccer. So I went with soccer. And then my senior year I was like, I don’t want to do soccer. I think I want to do basketball. But the coach, he says, I like four year athletes. So he wanted me to have played basketball my junior year, but that wasn’t the decision I made. So when I went to the tryout, He? I felt like he already was kind of counting me out. And then I was like, well, I’m just going to keep showing up then. Then after the first day, he was like, well, I have a junior that can do the same thing you can do. So I’m like, okay, but I’m not the junior, you know.

Adrienne Morris: And then he’s like, well, you know, you’re not working hard enough in practice. Like, everyone else is like hunched over, tired after the running drills and you’re not. And I’m like, I can’t help that. I’m fast. You know, like, I’m making the time. I’m just not out of breath. So then I started pushing harder. And then the next day I still come back and he’s like, well, even if I put you on the team, you’re not going to get any playing time. So I’m like, do you know who I am? Like on all the teams I play on, I always start, I always play. So I think that drove me. And so I wound up making the team. And then after the first few games, like 2 or 3 games, I was six man off the bench. And so I was like, first of all, he told me I wasn’t going to make the team. Now I’m on the team. Then you told me I wasn’t going to play. Now I’m six man off the bench, so I’m the first person to be put into the game. I’m like, oh, starting position is right around the corner. So sure enough, I began starting. So I think, um, that’s where I feel like I developed like this ability to just push through anything. Like, I’m going to try it, I’m going to do it. If I put my mind to it, I know I could do it regardless of what anybody says.

Sharon Cline: It says a lot about sports in general, because when you’re part of a team, it’s not like just you. You’ve got to show up because you have other people counting on you. So there’s like, I don’t know, I don’t know exactly how to say it, but maybe like a disconnect of what you yourself wants, but you are able to look at what’s best for the team or something. There’s like a distancing that you do of your own emotions, I guess. And there’s something really valuable there, I think, because I’m my own worst enemy and, you know, I make it so difficult for everything in my head. But like, if I’m thinking beyond myself, it’s amazing how much I can put somebody else’s needs forward. I don’t want to let them down. So I’ll do it as opposed to I can let myself down, like all day long.

Adrienne Morris: No, you matter too.

Sharon Cline: Yeah, I know right? This is such a good lesson for me to hear. No, but I love that because, you know, it says a lot about, like, if you have a child that you want to have the same kind of mentality, it makes sense that you would allow them to be part of a team so that they can see that they’re a part of something bigger than just themselves.

Adrienne Morris: Yes.

Sharon Cline: I love it. And also, I think there’s a huge element in your book, um, regarding manifestation and how much what your mind, how you focus your mind and that mindfulness determines your reality. Can you talk a little bit about that as well?

Adrienne Morris: Yes. So. Oh, I have so many stories. I know. So in that time of like, solitude, that’s when, that’s when I was able to, like, really see my thoughts and see how things come into fruition. I could think of something, and then I would get a text message, or I could see something on my phone, like an advertisement on social media, and then go to like HomeGoods or TJ Maxx, and it show up right in front of me and I’m like, wow. Like, so if I can think this thought and then something show up that fast, like I need to keep my thoughts positive. And it was like a reality check for me. I remember one time driving around running some errands and I saw a Tiff treats, um, advertisement vehicle, and I was like, uh, you know, I think I kind of want to treat. And then I was like, no, I’m not going to get it. So I go home, go to sleep, go into work. That night it was the mom’s birthday and she had three boxes of TIFF’s treats, and she texted me and she was like, have as much as you want. We can’t eat it. Take them home. They’re Ziploc bags on the counter, like so. Just little things like that. Um, that same family. I wanted to take a trip with them. I was like, if I could just show them, you know, like my skills, like on a trip, like, you know, maybe it could, like, lead to more. And I remember thinking about it right before I went to sleep, and I woke up from my nap, and I got a text message like, hey, do you want to take a trip with us to, like, Turks and Caicos? And I’m like, um, yes. I was just thinking about that before my nap. Like things would happen within minutes or things would happen within hours.

Sharon Cline: But you can’t deny either.

Adrienne Morris: I cannot deny that. And I’m like, oh my gosh, like I’m here by myself. Like, yeah, no one knows that I said this. Yes. So like I there’s proof in my experiences that it works. Like, our mind is just that powerful. So. And if you realize that you would keep your mind more on positive things and be more intentional about the things that you say that you actually want.

Sharon Cline: True. Because how many people look at the negative side, um, like, oh God, I hope it doesn’t rain today because I just, I have so much to do. And just the fact that you said that, you know, can affect I don’t know if it can make it rain, but just the idea of being negative as opposed to I love when it’s sunny, just keeping your thoughts on what you do want as opposed to what you don’t. That’s a challenge. It’s almost like a habit of thinking of the darker or negative things, I think.

Adrienne Morris: Yes, I think in our society we’re kind of just like raised that way and we just think that it’s normal. So I feel like I just challenge the norm to do something different. And it wound up working out for me and I manifest With ease. That’s amazing. There’s little things, like. Because I’m a live in nanny now. Um, one day I wanted vodka, pasta, and the mom put in the Instacart all the ingredients for vodka, pasta. And I woke up from my nap, and she’s like, oh, I’m making vodka pasta for dinner. And I’m like, I was just thinking that. Or, um, last week, Friday, I was thinking about buying myself some flowers. I was like, I haven’t bought myself flowers in a long time. And I go into my room, the lights turned on and they had like the lamp shining the light on roses. And she had a little note for me and she was like, thank you for everything you do for us. We love you. I’m like, there’s my flowers. Like, I didn’t even have to go get them.

Sharon Cline: Really. They’re so valuable. And I think, too, it feels so much better to think this way. It feels good. Right. So it’s like, positive and joyful and expectant and it’s, uh, that energy is so vastly different from thinking, oh, I don’t want this to happen or don’t want that to happen. So I think that’s for me as well. Um, that’s a really good nugget of wisdom for me to keep my mind thinking of positive things. Um, and knowing that the feeling behind it being positive and good is just what I need for the manifestation to happen.

Adrienne Morris: Um, just know it. Just believe it. It’s that intention, okay? Know that it’s already yours.

Sharon Cline: It’s already mine. I love.

Adrienne Morris: That, but.

Sharon Cline: I mean, how cool is it that you actually thought of other people too? You didn’t just keep all of this wisdom to yourself. You were thinking about how other people can benefit. And it’s really sweet. A lot of people, when they feel like they have power, it almost, you know, is something that they want to keep private. You know, they don’t want to. They don’t believe there’s enough for everyone. But you’ve never thought that. I know in your book you had talked about how really this universe is for every human here to make their world how they want it.

Adrienne Morris: Yeah, like you find your own way. You find what works for you. Like, I’m offering tools and techniques. But take my tools and techniques and make them your own. Because I don’t know what’s in everyone’s head. I don’t know everyone’s experiences, but I feel like if you give someone like, a basis of tools and techniques, then that could jumpstart their journey. It can get them out of the turmoil. It could stop the negative thinking it could. Maybe they will challenge their own thoughts and say, why is this happening? Or why am I doing this? Or why do I keep thinking about the same thing over and over again? Or why do I keep dating these similar guys? You know, I do like we all want freedom from that.

Sharon Cline: Yeah. And I think there’s nothing to be afraid of here because it’s it can seem daunting when you’re looking at the foundation of the way that you think, you know, um, that keeps you safe. And that’s how you you live your life is with that foundation. So to shake it can seem like, well, I don’t want anything too different. You know, I don’t want everything to be upside down. But I love that there’s nothing to be afraid of here. It’s all a positive, um, not just for your own character, but for what you can offer the world and how it affects the world in a bigger sense. Um, and I think that’s important to keep in mind.

Adrienne Morris: Um, and we’re all human. We all have our struggles, and we all have our story. We’re all just trying to find our way, whatever that may look like to us.

Sharon Cline: So true girl. I love that you feel the fear and do it anyway. And if you were to say, um, what your fearless formula is, is it that you’re able to not think too hard about something and talk yourself out of it? Like, how do you push? Because there are people that have their dreams and then it just seems overwhelming. Too difficult. What could you say to someone that’s listening, that.

Speaker3: Has.

Sharon Cline: That fear that keeps them back.

Adrienne Morris: So one thing I do try and find is someone doing what I want to do. And another tool I learned was to sit back and observe and not talk so much. Because when you look with your eyes, you’re able to see like, hmm, is this you know what I want around me? Like, is this the system that I’m looking to create? Like, is this the way that I’m looking to do things, you know, because someone can tell you anything. And like we were talking about earlier, like filling your mind up with things that, you know, you really don’t want, but like, seeing it, you can just remove yourself like, no, turn the other cheek like something else. Yeah. I’m not trying to attract that.

Sharon Cline: I love it. So it’s almost like you’re letting someone’s life that that you wish you had. You’re kind of learning from their wisdom. You’re learning from their experience. And if you like their outcome, then you can align yourself with that as opposed to just looking at anything and not knowing if the outcome is anything that you really want. There are a lot of people that I’m sure don’t have the outcome, you know, that feels right to you. Yeah.

Adrienne Morris: So for me, one of the things I kept saying was like, I wanted a housekeeper. Like, I want like, I wanted to learn household systems. That’s what I kept telling myself. I wanted to travel the world, all expenses paid. I wanted to live, um, mortgage and rent free. And I wanted to exchange less time for more money. And I got a call from the family that I’m a live in nanny for in January, and they offered me 30 hours, so I was exchanging less time for more money. Um, I traveled with them for free, and and I live mortgage and rent free now. So, um, a few friends and I that I met at Toastmasters, we would get on a call every single day at anywhere from 5 to 6 a.m., and we would recite each other’s affirmations. And after eight months, I manifested those three things, all in this one family. So. And they show me things that I said that I wanted. But I don’t have the experience, and I’ve never seen anybody do things in the way that they do them. And so I do my best to stay present in the house because I’m like, I asked for all of this, all of it. The good and bad. Yes. The stress and bad. Yeah, yeah. Sometimes I do have to call my mom and talk to her. And she’s like, you asked for this. I’m like, yeah, you’re right. Thank you for saying that. Like, after the emotions are gone, I’m like, okay. Yes, back to reality. Yes. You’re right. It’s so true.

Sharon Cline: I love that. Listen, everyone needs the mom. That kind of brings it back to the real.

Adrienne Morris: My mom is going to keep it real. Yeah, but how amazing.

Sharon Cline: And what a wonderful Toastmasters group to be part of where you support each other on like a spiritual level. Not just your speech was great or you can do it, you know, but but to actually really kind of go through life together a little bit, that’s really special.

Adrienne Morris: Yeah, it was, um, a shaman. She told me, because I was like, in my book, I talk about this too, where, um, I’m like, well, if they don’t call me, I’m not going to call them. And I reached out to her and I was like, why does this bother me? And she was like, you need hobbies. I’m like, hmm, I thought I had hobbies, but maybe it’s not enough, you know? And so I think that drove me to go to Toastmasters to and I was talking to someone yesterday from Toastmasters, and I was just saying, just being around like minded individuals helps out so much because everyone there is one looking to be positive and looking to grow in some way, shape or form. And a lot of people want to be heard and they want to be understood and they want you to communicate effectively, and Toastmasters gives you all of that. And so the community just kind of like puts the stamp on it every time I go. It’s amazing.

Sharon Cline: It’s such a positive thing for your life. Well, if you’re just joining us, we’re speaking with author of Mind Over Misery, Adrian Morris. I also wanted to talk to you about the other side of your life. Obviously, you’re a live in nanny. You were saying. But you provide a very valuable service for parents who have new babies who aren’t sleeping through the night. And those parents need that baby to sleep through the night. So can you talk a little bit about how you and your sister got into this business together?

Adrienne Morris: Yes. Okay. Shout out to dream babies. Dream babies. I love it. We get the babies to sleep. Um, so my sister, um, I went to Albany State and my brother and sister lived in Atlanta, and they were like, come up here. There’s more opportunity. So I decided to move in 2014. And so when I first started with her, I was just doing like date nights, like kind of getting my feet wet with, um, taking care of the babies. And she was just getting her business up and running. And then we started something called sleep learning. So we’re newborn specialists where we, um, teach babies to sleep eight hours by eight weeks or 12 hours by 12 weeks. And we create structure and systems for the parents and for us. We get them on a feeding schedule that, um, ensures that babies are being fed, so they’re being taken care of and that they’ll sleep peacefully throughout the night. So they’re not waking up angry or upset or anything like that. We all like a calm baby. Um, yeah. Most people can’t handle babies crying. So yeah, I.

Sharon Cline: Was just saying that before the show. I’m like, I can’t and I love that. What you do is, I mean, I don’t know, there’s a philosophy where babies kind of decide when they’re hungry and you feed them when they’re crying. Or like there are three basic reasons why they cry. Um, but I like that you are kind of anticipating what they’re going to need before they do so that they never actually get that dysregulation or that that, um, so upset, you know, because they’re so hungry like that. So it’s, it’s something that if I could go back, I would be more mindful of is keeping kids on a good schedule, like babies in particular.

Adrienne Morris: Yeah. They need the consistency. And so to you, it gives you peace of mind too.

Sharon Cline: So I was going to say like to me, um, the being sleep deprived as a new mother, um, it’s almost just messed up to have like another, a very helpless infant to take care of when you can hardly take care of yourself. And I remember thinking, it’s like kind of cruel that you have like, they let you go home with this baby and no one is there to check on you. You’re like, you’re letting me take this baby. Yeah. And now you. Yeah. And no one’s there to help, you know, other than if you have someone at home to help you, like a mom or something. That’s wonderful. But oftentimes, like, I was alone. So it’s just the idea of not being able to really make sure that your mind is as clear as you would want it to be to take care of an infant. So I love the idea of being able to say, in eight weeks, you will at least be able to get eight hours of sleep. Oh my goodness.

Adrienne Morris: Yeah, well, with us being there, the parents can sleep a little bit longer. Um, it makes.

Sharon Cline: Everybody.

Adrienne Morris: Happier. It does. Like within the first two weeks, depending on how many nights we’re there. Like, um, with the parents, it just depends on how much sleep they’re going to get. Because the first two weeks is just like every three hours. We’re doing this like. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: You’re dealing with.

Adrienne Morris: It. Yeah. And so after, like, week three and week four, we can slowly, you know, begin to stretch baby, overnight, you know, a few more hours, which helps out the parents if we’re not there. So just getting that extra hour just helps them overnight. And so week after week we stretch a little bit longer, and we’ve gotten to a point where within 6 to 8 weeks we we could have babies sleeping 12 hours. So I mean, imagine in your first two months of having a newborn, you know, your baby can be sleeping 12 hours. So if you put baby to sleep at 7 p.m., baby’s going to sleep till 7 a.m., so that gives you time to yourself. If you want to shower, talk to your husband, make a little eye contact. You know if you need a little 15 to 30 minute bath, you know, with some candle lights just to relax, some quiet time or sitting on the patio. It allows you, yeah, it allows you all of that time. And you know, baby’s fed. Baby’s going to be okay. Baby got their calories throughout the day, so it provides a lot of peace of mind.

Sharon Cline: Do you think it helps that it’s not your baby crying? In other words, when my children and babies were crying. You know, my heart just hurts so bad. So do you think that little degree of separation makes it easier for you to manage? Or are you finding that the theme is the same like most moms are? Just like my baby’s crying, I got to go get this baby up even if it’s two in the morning. Do you know what I mean?

Adrienne Morris: Yes. So I will say for me, um, the response I get from a lot of moms or parents just in general, because a lot of the dads are very active, um, they always say I bring a calm to the house and like, the babies know me like the last baby I had. Hardly. She wouldn’t even cry, like, on the changing table. And, um, we had trained a new girl, and the one night she had went had.

Sharon Cline: Cried the whole time. Yeah. No.

Adrienne Morris: So she was like, she she misses Miss Adrian. And I’m like, yes, because they know like they know your heart. They know your mind. They like if you’re calm, the baby’s going to be calm too. So. And I always say, all of my babies are so good. If you see them around me, the kids are not crying. I don’t care what age they are. We’re having fun. We’re laughing like there’s still some structure. But I mean, we’re still going to have fun at the same time. So from newborns to seven year olds, like I’m not getting a lot of the tears. I’m not saying 100% of the time these kids are not crying, but 95% of the time I’m not experiencing having to help them with their emotions through crying.

Sharon Cline: All right. So the takeaway from that is the energy that you’re bringing. They can feed right off of yes, even babies, even newborns, even.

Adrienne Morris: Newborns, they know they can’t talk, so all they can do is sense energy.

Sharon Cline: Interesting.

Adrienne Morris: Yes, I.

Sharon Cline: Should have started this a long time ago. I mean, my kids are like, they’re great, but I’m just saying, how valuable is this when you are just getting started in the parent Field. It’d be really wonderful to kind of be mindful of your own energy. It’s so tough though. It’s all emotional. You’ve got hormones happening. Your body is not the same. It’s like the challenge is real. So someone like you coming in with good energy is very, very valuable.

Adrienne Morris: Yes. And then I’m always like, constantly telling the parents, like, you are doing such a good job. I’m like, give yourself some grace. Your baby’s sleeping like, you know, six hours and they’re only four weeks old. I’m like, some kids are two years old, still waking up every three, four hours. Like, your kid’s doing great. Like, how important are those words?

Sharon Cline: Those words are so important. Especially when you’re a new parent and you don’t know.

Adrienne Morris: You don’t know. You don’t have anything to compare it to, but I do. I’ve seen thousands of babies.

Sharon Cline: So this is your next book that you’re considering writing or you’re getting started writing. Is that right? All about what you do with your sister?

Adrienne Morris: Yes, I like to put that in a book as well and help other parents. I mean, going in overnight, You know, the physical part is lovely, but I for the people who possibly can afford the services, I would like to put it in a book so that I can help even more people. And I feel like this can help anyone in the world. Anybody with a baby. Babies aren’t going to stop coming. So. I just want to help the world. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: It’s so exciting to that. Energy is so good. Just knowing that you’re trying to help people to get to feel like they’re living their authentic life, whatever that looks like. It doesn’t have to be a cookie cutter, anything but whatever reflects their reality, how they want to live. Being congruent, I think that’s so important. But also just starting at a baby. A baby level, you know? Yeah. But also I was you were saying how important it is for adults to have that structure and balance too. It’s it’s I don’t think that ever really ends because one of the things I was thinking about recently is like, if I had all the money in the world, where would I go? What would I do? The whole world is open. So if I’m not happy in this moment, well, I can do something else to make it even happier and happier and happier. There’s always more. More. But there’s something about having a natural limit that calms my spirit down because it’s not always trying to one up. Oh well, this will be even better if I get more and have more. But knowing that, and it’s the same for children like that, having boundaries gives them peace. And I think it doesn’t end as an adult either. Having boundaries around myself gives me peace too. Mhm.

Adrienne Morris: So, um, living in the house, I am very structured. I like pick up the kids at like 445. Well I start cooking around like three and then I pick up the little girl at like 445. I get back to the house and we all eat dinner together, and then I shower them up and we’re like, done by 630, like, every single day. But I don’t have to, like, give a lot of instruction. I just do it. And then when you keep doing it the same way every single day, it kind of gets the kids to, like, fall in line. So after our shower, the little girls are like, oh, we have to brush our hair and brush our teeth, like every single day. So and it’s not like I have to like, harp on this. It’s we just go from the shower to the bathroom. So I think when you create these systems or these habits with the kids, it gives you peace of mind and them peace of mind. So now I’m not having to say like, hey, it’s time to brush our teeth. It’s time to brush our teeth. It’s time to brush our teeth. It’s time to brush our teeth. Why haven’t you done it yet?

Sharon Cline: What’s it going to take? I think I was very structured as well, like as a, as a parent, but I, um, I would say that. Yeah, seeing it now, our lives feel different than when I was actively parenting small children. When I think about it now, it’s there’s always a screen around. There’s always a distraction around, so I would have to be a different parent. I think now very, very structured with what they are exposed to as well and how they spend their time. I don’t envy any parent right now because I do think it’s like constant exposure. Yeah. Um, and you don’t even have to have a TV anymore, you know, in order to, to be affected by media. Mhm. Um, it’s just really interesting because it’s like I almost wish I could do a bit of a do over in some ways, when you know better, you do better, you know. Um, but I love that you’re giving people who are just getting into it all of the structure that they would need to to make their life the way they want it, whether it’s through your first book, you know, mind over misery or being able to help new parents, um. It’s exciting. Yeah.

Adrienne Morris: So the thing for me is I have a lot of experience. Um, when I was ten, my cousin would have me come over and watch my five year old cousin and my newborn cousin, and she would start dinner, but I would have to finish dinner, and I would feed the kids and put them to sleep like. So I feel like I started this a long time ago. Um, I feel like most parents have 1 or 2 kids and that’s where they get their experience. And, you know, doing anything in life 1 or 2 times.

Sharon Cline: It’s not enough.

Adrienne Morris: It’s not enough.

Sharon Cline: It’s not enough for anyone. It’s the truth not to be a master at something, or to really even understand your own self in that whole process.

Adrienne Morris: Yeah. So, I mean, you’re trying to figure it out. They’re trying to figure it out. You’re trying to figure it out together. So with all of my practice, I’ve been able to create systems and try things that I know work. So when I show up in any household or when I show up around any kid, I show up as me. And I’m confident. Yeah, in my way.

Sharon Cline: So I love that. I mean, that’s, it’s a, I do the fake it till you make it thing, you know, pretend that I really am confident and know what I’m doing. And every time I walk in the studio and the code still works and I’m still allowed to come in, I’m like, wow, they haven’t figured it out yet. That’s great. You know, like the imposter syndrome is real for me anyway. Yeah. Um, but I love that too, because it’s not like you’re saying no one can have access to these things. You have to be special, or you have to have had the exact experience I have. You say it’s there for everybody. Yeah, that’s very hopeful. I think that you don’t have to be super special. You can just be your normal self and still have access to be able to live your life the way you want.

Adrienne Morris: I think you’re already special, but you have to know that you have to be confident in that and know that it’s okay. We are all human. That is one thing I always say. We are all human, trying to find our own way. Truth, truth.

Sharon Cline: That’s the best thing about this show, I think, is because it focuses on the things that make us all human and our universal truths. We know love, we know fear. We know pain, disappointment, all of those emotions that are universal to all of us unite us. That makes us the same. And that’s one of my biggest themes, is that, you know, things that helped someone else get through fear. Well, maybe that’s the same kind of thing you could use, because we all know what it feels like to be afraid. If you were going to give an author who has an idea of a book some advice on how to get to the point of actually publishing, what would you say?

Adrienne Morris: I would say, just believe in yourself. Just don’t stop. And I would say take daily action. So when I started my journey in 2021 and I just started meditating, I didn’t know what to do. So I got on YouTube and I would do a five minute guided meditation, but my negative thoughts consumed the whole five minutes. But I was like, I’m going to keep doing this. So I did it every single day until I was able to change my thoughts. And then I went up to ten minutes and then I was like, okay, one day I’m not going to need the guided meditation. I’m just going to do ten minutes on my own. So, um, same thing with the book. Just start. Start with the title, start with the cover and just take daily action. Learn from somebody who’s already doing it. And you may not even use their way, but just to hear a different perspective when you don’t have a perspective at all because you’re not in it. I think that helped, but just doing a little bit every day. I feel like you start training your brain like, okay, we’re doing this, I like this, you know? And so I feel like eventually you will complete it, like just start gaining some knowledge a little bit at a time, every single day. Just don’t stop and create the cover. Once you have the cover, you’re like, okay, I’m in it now. It’s real. It’s such.

Sharon Cline: Good advice. And you know, people can use AI to make their own covers these days. And also it’s not like you need to go anywhere to do it. You can just say, I don’t know, the cover is going to be, you know, a mountain with this on it. And then it’s a real thing. It’s a real it’s not just out there as an esoteric idea. It’s actually something you can look at and get inspired by.

Adrienne Morris: You can use AI if you’re already creative, you can use Canva. Do it yourself. Um, if you’ve got extra funds, you can use Fiverr or Upwork. There’s so many ways to get help.

Sharon Cline: All at our fingertips.

Adrienne Morris: Yes, we need.

Sharon Cline: It, including your book and soon to be audiobook. Yeah, out there in the world.

Adrienne Morris: So excited. I was listening to it earlier. I went to the river and I was just like, I did this. Yes you did. You created a book.

Sharon Cline: I love it, it’s so inspiring, even for myself. So I Adrian, I just want to thank you so much for coming into the studio and being such a positive light to the world, because so many people can look at their past and blame lots of people and circumstances for why they don’t do what they’re, you know, could do. You don’t do that. You don’t blame. You say, here’s what I’m going to do to make a change. And you actually did it. So I hope everyone who listens gets inspired and picks up your book, whether it’s audiobook or just the physical book or Kindle or whatever, please feel free. Everyone out there who’s listening to feel inspired to make your life the way you want it. I mean, it’s it’s so well structured how you have the chapters and nothing feels daunting. Everything feels like, okay, a little step, a little something out there to do. It doesn’t have to be your whole life upside down.

Adrienne Morris: No, I mean, you won’t see the change overnight anyways, but most people want it upside down like they want to go 0 to 100. But life doesn’t work like that. No. At all. I mean, little things might show up like my Tiff treats manifestation. But yeah, if you want real like internal change, give yourself. It might sound crazy, but at least a year because it’s going to take practice. Like I said, even with writing the book, it’s going to take daily effort and it’s going to take daily habits, daily discipline every single day. You’re going to have to do it. And then eventually you come into that person that you’re looking to be. But a lot of people will do it for a week or even with like fitness programs, they do like 30 or 60 days. Okay. Well, what did they do after the 30 or 60 days? For most people, if they spent five years not doing something 30 days typically doesn’t change that and make them continue to do it for another five years. So you just have to keep going every single day and just create the habit until it feels like it’s just a part of your day, and you can’t do without it.

Sharon Cline: I want to say, I heard that it takes 21 days to create a habit to where it starts to feel like, like you said, like brushing your teeth or something where you don’t have to think about it. So I think anyone can commit to three weeks.

Adrienne Morris: Yeah, that was actually my journal goal and I did it, and that’s what started it. I was like, okay, I did it. I got this and it.

Sharon Cline: Feels so much better to live that way. And I guess that’s the ultimate goal, is if you’re not happy with the way that your life is going right now, to be able to change it to where you do really like it. Like, what do I really want? And how do I want to really feel? Yeah, that’s very motivating. And that’s something I would keep in mind because all these these tips and tricks that you have are for that ultimate goal. So it’s not I just need to journal today, but it’s actually I really need to feel better. And this is the tool I’m going to use to do it. Yeah I’m on board. Yeah.

Adrienne Morris: Thank you. Thank you. Sure. Thank you so much.

Sharon Cline: For coming in the studio. If anyone wanted to get in touch with you as well, how can they do that?

Adrienne Morris: Um, Instagram. It’s Adrian Morris, TikTok. It’s Adrian’s journey. Uh, Facebook. It’s Adrian Morris two. And the book will be released September 20th. Woo hoo!

Sharon Cline: It’s coming.

Adrienne Morris: And I’m having a book launch October 13th, so all are welcome. Oh, that’s so exciting.

Sharon Cline: Oh, I’m so happy for you. And please come back when you are ready to talk more with your next book. I would love to explore that with you as well. I think everything you’re offering is so useful and needed in the world, and it’s just a joy to have someone in the studio who kind of wants the same kinds of things that I do. It’s like really fun, you know? Wants good things.

Adrienne Morris: Yes. You’re so easy to talk to. And thank you so much for having me. Oh, my pleasure. A pleasure working with you.

Sharon Cline: Yay! That’s good news. And thank you all for listening to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX. And again, this is Sharon Cline reminding you with knowledge and understanding we can all have our own fearless formula. Have a great day.

 

Tagged With: Adrienne Morris, Dream Babies

BRX Pro Tip: Moneyball Your Sales and Marketing

September 5, 2024 by angishields

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BRX Pro Tip: Moneyball Your Sales and Marketing

Stone Payton: [00:00:00] Welcome back to BRX Pro Tips. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you today. Lee, let’s talk about Moneyball.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:08] Yeah. For anybody who hasn’t seen the movie, I highly recommend the movie because Moneyball is about how some baseball teams that didn’t have a lot of resources were able to compete against some of the teams that had a lot of resources by using kind of statistical analysis, by being more clever and finding things that are undervalued in the marketplace, and using them to their advantage rather than paying extra for things that are overvalued once you kind of realize what’s most important.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:40] So, where that comes into play with Business RadioX is in sales and marketing. What we’ve discovered is that traditional media sells what they’ve always sold, which is fake attention through an audience that they think they control and can pretend to measure. Because they have this audience, so they say, then people pay a premium to get access to this audience. What we’ve realized is that they really don’t have an audience, and they really don’t have kind of the juice to make an audience buy the stuff that their sponsors or advertisers sell.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:17] So, there’s a saying that 50% of your marketing is wasting that you don’t know what 50%. So, that’s why you keep spending a lot of money on it. What we do sell at Business RadioX is real human relationships with the people who matter most. And the way we do that is by reverse engineering a media property on our network to serve the group that our client wants to reach, and that we do marketing and sales by flipping kind of the funnel in terms of who we interview, who we serve, and who we get in the studio. So, by doing that, we’re able to provide way, way more value to our clients by not selling an audience, but by selling a relationship, and by elegantly putting them in a room with the people who matter most with them for them. So, that is a difference, and that’s how we moneyball the sales of marketing operations of our clients’ businesses.

Elevate Your Brand: Essential PR Tips and Strategies for Women Entrepreneurs

September 4, 2024 by angishields

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On today’s Women in Motion, Lee Kantor interviews Allison Monette-Cordova, Founder and CEO of Cordova Creative. Allison shares her journey from journalism to PR, highlighting the evolution of PR in the social media age. She emphasizes the importance of storytelling, visual elements in media pitches, and leveraging media opportunities. Allison provides practical tips for pitching to traditional and influencer media, the value of awards and recognition, and media training essentials. She also discusses the significance of community connections and networking for women entrepreneurs, offering a roadmap for effective PR and marketing strategies.

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Allison-Monette-CordovaAllison Monette-Cordova is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cordova Creative, a marketing and communications consulting firm she started, after spending nearly two decades working in national marketing.

An Emmy-Award winner, Allison began her career as a television news reporter, where she interviewed the likes of President Barack Obama and Reverend Jesse Jackson. Since leaving the newsroom, her work has focused on helping organizations advance their missions through strategic communications, digital marketing, and social media.

Her extensive portfolio of work includes a variety of marketing campaigns with PBS, the Clark County School District, United Way of Southern Nevada, Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada, Blueprint Sports, and more. Allison has also served as an adjunct professor at the UNLV Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies. Allison holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and Spanish from the University of San Diego and a Master of Communication Management degree from the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

She is a member of the Junior League of Las Vegas, Latinas In Power, Alpha Chi Omega Alumni, Public Relations Society of America, and the Las Vegas Innovation Marketing Association. In 2022, Monette was named a “40 under 40” honoree by VEGAS INC. She has received various PRSA Pinnacle Awards, AAF Addy Awards, and Telly Awards.

Allison is originally from Lima, Peru and immigrated to the US at the age of 12 with her family. She has native fluency in Spanish and also speaks French. She is an advocate for supporting and mentoring college-bound students, who are also first in their family to pursue higher education.

Connect with Allison on LinkedIn and Facebook and follow Cordova Creative on Instagram.

Music Provided by M PATH MUSIC

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios, it’s time for Women in Motion. Brought to you by WBEC-West. Join forces. Succeed together. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here. Another episode of Women in Motion. And this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, WBEC-West. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Women in Motion, we have Allison Monette Cordova, founder and CEO of Cordova Creative. Welcome.

Allison Monette Cordova: Hi, Lee. Thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about Cordova Creative. How are you serving folks?

Allison Monette Cordova: Sure. Yes. So, Cordova Creative is a marketing, public relations, and digital consulting agency, and we work with folks who are looking to grow their brand, reach new audiences, and really find a strategic and cost-effective way to do this through marketing and digital efforts.

Lee Kantor: So, what’s your backstory? How’d you get involved in this line of work?

Allison Monette Cordova: Sure. Well, I have been, you know, doing marketing communications and public relations in this space for about 20 years. I started my career out as a news reporter. I was working at the NBC station in eastern Washington. It’s where I got my start in reporting. At the time, I was a one-man band. That’s one – I guess one-woman band is what they call it. So, you edit, write, report your own stories, you shoot your own video. So it really is an interesting way to get into that storytelling mindset, which I think has really grown with me through the business. But that’s kind of how I got my start.

Allison Monette Cordova: And then after doing that for a couple of years, I transitioned into the world of public relations and marketing, primarily working with nonprofits. But it has grown since then to other industries.

Allison Monette Cordova: But during my time as a reporter, I should highlight, you know, I got to do some really cool stuff. I got to interview President Obama while he was campaigning in Oregon during his first term in office. And then also got to interview, you know, Reverend Jesse Jackson and a few other folks in entertainment. So, you know, all in all, it was an amazing experience. That kind of set the foundation for eventually going off on my own and having my own business.

Lee Kantor: Now, can you talk a little bit about how kind of that pre-work you do when you’re interviewing somebody like a president comes in handy when you’re interviewing maybe your client, who might be a CEO of a company? Are there some lessons learned from that journalistic lens that translate into the public relations advocacy lens?

Allison Monette Cordova: Yes. That’s a great question. There is a lot of prep that goes into it. I think the number one thing is just trying to make the interviewee feel comfortable. And, you know, sometimes when there’s someone in front of you with a microphone and a camera, you know, people tend to get a little nervous, right? And certainly, someone like President Obama has a team of people who preps him with media training. But, you know, as someone who is maybe the CEO of a business or even a small business person needs a little bit more preparation. So I think just letting kind of helping folks understand that they can let their guard down and starting off with some basic questions, something to make them feel comfortable, and then maybe getting a little bit into the the meat of it.

Allison Monette Cordova: I also think it’s interesting that you asked that because I definitely, when I do video production, for some of my clients, they tell me, you know, oh, you’ve definitely done this before because they can hear me asking, you know, putting my Barbara Walters hat on and asking those poignant questions because I’m looking for a soundbite. So I think that’s something that you also learn, right? You’re looking for the soundbite. I know kind of what I want this person to tell me so that I can do the storytelling bit and then we can create the full story. So I kind of know what I’m looking for, if that makes sense.

Lee Kantor: Having worked in this space for as long as you have, can you talk a little bit about the evolution of PR and how it’s changed over the years? You know, at one point there was scarcity that it was difficult to get in front of, quote-unquote, the media. But now where pretty much everybody is the media, you know, that’s less difficult, but you still have to, like you said, kind of have the talking points and have the ability to communicate and articulate your message.

Allison Monette Cordova: Yeah, it’s definitely evolved a lot over the years. Public relations, you know, in and of itself, I guess used to be print, TV, radio, you know, those staple outlets. And now with social media, it really feels that PR and social media are intrinsically tied. I mean, even if you go on TV for a news interview, you’re going to post about it on your Facebook and your Instagram to extend your reach because you never know who’s following you on Instagram, right? And Instagram, for example, allows that collaboration, right? So you can collab now with the TV station and the TV station’s Instagram account. And that account might have, you know, 50,000 to 100,000 followers. So that’s more eyeballs to your product.

Allison Monette Cordova: So, I do feel that with the onset, I guess, if you will, of social media, you know, 20-plus years ago, you know, I think it’s really evolved in that sense. And also just pitching has also taken on a different form. It feels nowadays that reporters are looking for more juicy things. I mean, reporters have always looked for things that sell. Right? But really that storytelling thing, they typically ask for video now. Whereas before you used to be able to just send the photo, and now they really want that video along with that press release, you know, a video news release, or “Do you have anything that you can share?” so that they can make it easier for them to share the story and get that publicity.

Lee Kantor: Now, are there any tips you can share because you’ve kind of been on both sides of the camera here? What are some kind of do’s and don’ts when it comes to pitching traditional media or even kind of influencer medium?

Allison Monette Cordova: Yeah, I think we – I think what people struggle with sometimes is thinking about it visually. And sometimes it’s not the CEO that should be the person being interviewed. You know, the reporters and the news, they want to hear from whoever the recipient is of what you’re doing, right?

Allison Monette Cordova: If you have a bank, they don’t want to hear from the bank president necessarily or an official representative. They want to hear from the business owner working with the bank, and they want to hear their experience with, you know, the people angle. I think that’s the big thing. Making sure that there’s always a people angle that is applicable to the masses. I think that’s the thing with PR, right?

Allison Monette Cordova: If I’m sending a press release out or a media alert for something, is that event open to the public? If it’s not open to the public, then the public is not going to be interested so why would I put it on channel, you know, 5 o’clock news? So there always has to be a people angle, again, telling the story. I think that’s a big one when it comes to pitching. Again, something visual.

Allison Monette Cordova: And you can, you know, make it – make a small thing visual. Right? If there’s a check presentation, like, yes, does it make sense to spend a little bit of extra money to get a big check and make a big presentation and have a photo moment, a photo op? Absolutely. I mean, those things still go a long way, again, from that visual side. Show and tell was like one of the biggest things that you learn in reporting at the very onset, right? Show and tell. Like, you know, I’m holding this, this deposition or this affidavit right here from whatever, you know, court case is going on. Like, people still want to see that show and tell. So that’s still really big in life shots that you see in, like, any morning show, you know.

Lee Kantor: Now, are there any opportunities for folks who maybe don’t have a PR team as part of kind of their team on how to leverage like maybe their traditional media’s editorial calendars, or kind of understanding what that media outlet is looking for at any given time? Are there any kind of tips you can share on how to become more aware of that, and maybe cater to that and create content on their behalf that would fill those needs that they have throughout the year?

Allison Monette Cordova: Yes. I mean, a lot of the outlets out there offer a couple of different things. So, news stations and even magazines still offer a community calendar so you can easily put your event in the community calendar that will get to the magazine, you know, as long as the deadlines are online typically. As long as it’s by the deadline, your event will get on there.

Allison Monette Cordova: Magazines are always looking for post-coverage, too. Like, if your organization is having a big event or a gala and you’re going to hire a photographer for the gala to take photos, always send those photos to the magazine because sometimes they will do recaps, right? Like last month, it was like, you know, XYZ gala and here’s some photos. So those are always good.

Allison Monette Cordova: Also, I’ve encountered – editorial calendars are typically also online, honestly. A lot of the publications will have their media kits and that includes an editorial calendar. So you kind of know ahead of time, especially for print, what they’re working on. Right? Hispanic Heritage Month is coming up in September, October. Arts Month is coming up in October. You know, Alzheimer’s Awareness is in November. So some of these things are always kind of there. And a lot of the times you could do it through a quick Google search, but an editorial calendar is typically going to be online. So I think just a quick search or maybe dedicating some time from your own team if you don’t have a PR person to do a little bit of research goes a long way.

Lee Kantor: Now, can you share a little bit about maybe the importance of awards and recognition in kind of elevating a business’s brand and reputation?

Allison Monette Cordova: Yes, that’s a really, really – a really good one and another way that I think people sometimes forget. I went to one of my clients who just received an award from a local publication here in Las Vegas, and I showed up to the event, which was a big to do. And that somebody said, “Was this you? Did you nominate us for this?” And I just thought that was so funny because I think people forget sometimes that there is someone, you know, working on the publicity, right, and kind of making those things come to light.

Allison Monette Cordova: Sure. I mean, word of mouth is great, but sometimes you have to toot your own horn, right? And that’s what PR is about. So when you have somebody working with you, you know, like a publicist or a company, like, they can seek out those opportunities that maybe are sometimes forgotten, right? So recognition for the leadership but also recognition as an organization as a whole, and there are quite a few opportunities that you can seek out that sometimes people just forget. And I think it is really important to, again, toot your own horn, because who else is going to do it for you other than you, right? I think sometimes people forget that.

Lee Kantor: So, how would you recommend somebody go about deciding which award is the one that they should nominate for, or which one is maybe, you know, that wouldn’t be the right fit? Like, how do you align whatever that award is with a kind of mission purpose and something that would be in long term beneficial for your organization?

Allison Monette Cordova: Yeah, I think doing a little research on the publications themselves. I think that would go a long way. You know, there are a slew of publications. I mean, there’s, you know, the regular magazines, for example, that go out on a monthly basis or a weekly basis in your market, but there’s also trade publications, right? If you’re in real estate, there’s going to be maybe, like, a realtor magazine or realtor-specific award or nonprofit-specific awards, you know, healthcare-specific awards. So I think there are, you know, lots of publications and lots of different outlets that you can seek out that you might not know about.

Allison Monette Cordova: You know, locally in every market there’s also always the chambers of commerce. I mean, that’s also something. Like a local chamber organization, a Rotary club, I mean, they’re giving awards out. So there’s, you know, lots of opportunity. I think it’s just, like you said, a matter of aligning, kind of like what your goals are, and which areas do you want to grow in as far as audience. Right? Which audience are you trying to reach? And again, to that point of making it an integrated marketing plan, which is essentially like you’re putting that recognition and making sure that that goes out on your newsletter, that that recognition goes out on your social media. Put it on your website so that folks are knowing and seeing it multiple times.

Lee Kantor: Now, when it comes to awards, is it something that is it a better idea to kind of start at maybe a lower level award and then work your way up to a more prestigious award, or should you just kind of go for it like it doesn’t matter?

Allison Monette Cordova: I think any opportunity is a good opportunity, right? There’s no such thing as bad PR. I think, again, depending on the publication, I think that’s important to kind of like dole out I will say. I think most people know and maybe they don’t know, but there are some that will come across your desk that are like, “Hey, they’re kind of a paid opportunity so they want you to place an ad in this magazine and as such, you will be named in this list.” So I would caution folks on those paid opportunities. I think there are still a lot of opportunities out there that are earned media.

Allison Monette Cordova: So earned media means it doesn’t cost you anything. It’s just literally there. You’re nominating someone and they will earn it, you know, based on their merit, if you will, and not so much a paid opportunity. So I would definitely caution on those ones that are a little bit paid. But overall, I don’t think that there’s a bad one to apply for, you know, as long as again it makes sense for your brand and it’s an alignment.

Lee Kantor: And then, like this is like you mentioned, you can get a lot of mileage out of this. So if you get nominated, then that’s something you might be able to pitch to the media. Or if you win, you could pitch that to the media as a media opportunity. Like, you can kind of get more bang for your buck for the effort.

Allison Monette Cordova: Absolutely, absolutely. Like, once you’re in and you get that award, then, you know, again, like back to my client who just received this award, I mean, we’re getting her on a one-on-one interview show that goes out on a weekly basis on a local TV station. Through that award, I think he was picked up by a national, you know, kind of a trade publication as well. So that recognition then just starts to make waves, right, I think over social media. I mean, we placed it on LinkedIn and it just blew up. And the same thing on Instagram; it’s like the most liked post that month because people just like that, you know. They like to see when folks are recognized and they’re like, “Great job. You know, you’re doing a -” so I think overall it’s a really good strategy.

Lee Kantor: Now, earlier you mentioned media training. Is there any advice on do’s and don’ts when it comes to doing interviews with the media that you can share?

Allison Monette Cordova: Oh, there’s so many. I don’t think we could cover all of them here. But yes, I mean, media training is something and coaching is something that I think teams and, you know, leadership should absolutely have. There’s, you know – you never know when you’re going to encounter a reporter that is going to give you a gotcha question either.

Allison Monette Cordova: And I think folks sometimes think that’s happened to me in experience where I’m representing a client, showing up, and reporters sometimes can be sneaky. Not all of them, but some of them. Right? You show up and you think the interview is going to be about this topic and the fundraiser, and then they kind of come at you at a left field with like, “Well, what about this?” And it’s like a gotcha thing, you know. And so, I think it is important to be prepared for that. And there are tools. There are absolutely tools and things. There’s things that you can do to block it, you know, block the question and try to, you know, rephrase the answer or rephrase the question.

Allison Monette Cordova: There’s lots of tools and things that, you know, I offer folks in my media training. But I think media training is a key thing that folks should really consider. And sometimes, you know, you think you’re like, “Oh, well, how hard can it be,” a live interview, which is only going to be three minutes, but then the camera goes in front of you and then you kind of freeze and you’re like, “Oh, goodness. I forgot everything I had to say.” You know, so talking points, I mean, having the talking points. There’s no shame in having a little note card. Even if it’s just a live interview, you can have some notes with you. Talking points are key.

Allison Monette Cordova: Certainly, when an interview is not live, you can, you know, say, “Oh, can I start over again?” Right? “Oh, let me start, let me start again,” because you get confused or you just – you didn’t quite get started like you wanted. So that’s the benefit of not doing a live interview. But I mean, there’s lots of things that people can do.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. Something that when people ask me when they’re preparing for an interview with me on the show, I say always have like an anecdote at the ready that kind of illustrates whatever it is, the point, you’re trying to make, or what makes you unique and special. So, stories to me are a great way for somebody to convey expertise and authority when they’re doing an interview.

Allison Monette Cordova: Yes, I love that. See, Lee, you’re a pro. Like, you know what – you know you already know, right? You could probably give media training advice to folks. I love it.

Lee Kantor: Well, when you do something a few thousand times, you start figuring things out. Now, can you talk a little bit about why it was important for you to get involved with WEBC-West?

Allison Monette Cordova: Yes. So, you know, I’ve thought about opening up my own business for a couple of years now, and, you know, it all just kind of happened, and I think I’ve been really blessed to be connected with some great people. I think overall there are so many great resources out in there, in the community for women entrepreneurs.

Allison Monette Cordova: And I came connected – I got connected with WBEC-West through Chase. Chase has made a very conscious effort to support diverse businesses and minority businesses. And as part of that commitment, I was connected to somebody at Chase and one of the first things they said was, “You have to, you know, become certified.” Like, “This is one of those things that is going to be great for your business.”

Allison Monette Cordova: And honestly, so far it’s been amazing. I’ve made some really great connections with other folks and other women business owners and advice, right? Getting advice, getting some lessons learned right off the bat. And even locally here in Las Vegas, like there’s two or three other WBEs that I connect with, and I see them and I go, “Oh, are you a WBE? I’m a WBE.” “Oh, great. This is such a great connection.” And you immediately have that connection and someone to go to. So, it’s been really valuable.

Lee Kantor: Now, can you share a story about your work at Cordova regarding an impact you made with a client? Maybe share the problem they had. Obviously, don’t name the name of the client. But maybe share what they were going through and how you were able to help them get to a new level through your work.

Allison Monette Cordova: Yeah. I think storytelling is a big piece for folks. You know, a lot of the times, like, I had one client who came to me and they were like, “Okay, well, we have our website and we have all of our materials and we have our brand, but now we feel like we’re still not resonating like people are not getting us. They’re still not understanding what we do or what we’re trying to do.” So something that I worked with them on was putting together some storytelling pieces. Video was part of that. But also, you know, I specifically asked them, I said, “Do you want a highly produced video or do you want something that’s more organic?” And they specifically said, “No, we want something that’s more organic. We want a social media-type video.” So, that is really big these days.

Allison Monette Cordova: Like again, think about how we consume information. A lot of folks are on Facebook; a lot of folks are on their phones. And that’s just how people are consuming the info. So we did something that was like storytelling specifically for social. But then we also went to another step, a step further, and took that onto like a blogging-type thing. So we’re doing storytelling via blog and we put that on our website and then they put that on their newsletters.

Allison Monette Cordova: So again, like – but really telling the story of, again, like I was saying at the beginning, the recipient of the services, and this particular client is an education. So, it’s like hearing from teachers, hearing from principals, hearing from administrators, students, youth, folks that are involved in these curriculum things and the projects that they’re doing. But it’s not so much the head. Right? Because the State Superintendent of Education in Nevada is involved with this project. And so, yes, we hear from her, but we also hear from the folks that are involved in other areas.

Lee Kantor: So who is your ideal client? You mentioned early on nonprofits. Can you – do you have an ideal client at this point?

Allison Monette Cordova: You know, our ideal client is really anyone that is a mission-driven company. I mean, a lot of the times we do work with nonprofits. And I would say, you know, a lot of my experience has been with working with nonprofits in Nevada, you know, Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, Girl Scouts, United Way. I mean, these are folks that I’ve worked with for many years, but, you know, in general, we do have other clients. We have real estate clients. We have some healthcare clients. So there are other – I think everyone needs help with their brand, right, again, trying to reach new audiences, trying to grow your brand. So, you know, our ideal client is essentially anyone with, you know, a mission, a mission-driven organization. And that really could be anybody.

Lee Kantor: So, what do you need more of? How can we help you?

Allison Monette Cordova: Oh, man. Well, that’s a great question. You know, I’m really looking forward to going to the conference. It’s actually here in Las Vegas, the WBEC-West Conference in September, and I cannot wait for the connections that I’m going to make there. I think the connections. Like, there’s going to be a – I think there’s a connection with Blue Cross Blue Shield that I’m looking forward to there, and the networking will be key.

Allison Monette Cordova: I think, you know, my business is, you know, we talked a little bit more about PR throughout this, but we do so much more. I mean, we do social media. We do marketing strategy altogether, branding. I also have a web team within my team. So, we help folks with websites and developing their websites because I think that is a big struggle, too. Lots of folks’ websites are, you know, very heavy, copy-heavy. And revamping those areas and websites is something that I’ve worked on for a long time in my career as well. So, I mean, you name it, I’ve done it. And so really trying to help folks with their overall marketing.

Allison Monette Cordova: And yeah, so, I mean, I think, you know, those are the biggest things. I’m always looking for more followers on social media. So more – connect with me on LinkedIn. You know, Cordova Creative has a LinkedIn page and an Instagram account as well. So if you want to know what we’re up to, that’s where we are.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. Please share your website and any of the socials. That’d be great.

Allison Monette Cordova: Yes. So our website is cordovacreative.com, and our Instagram is @cordovacreativ, without an E at the end. So it’s creativ with just the V. And then on LinkedIn, you can just find me, you know, Allison Monette Cordova. And you’ll be able to find Cordova Creative on LinkedIn also.

Lee Kantor: Well, Allison, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Allison Monette Cordova: Thank you, Lee.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Women in Motion.

 

Tagged With: Cordova Creative

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