Business RadioX ®

Yanika Daniels with Daniels Talent Solution

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Yanika-DanielsYanika S. Daniels, with Daniels Talent Solutions, has a wide range of experience in project and talent management, and change management and coaching for private, non-profit and education organizations. Over the last seven years as a consultant, she has focused on helping clients enhance talent management strategies to better recruit and retain staff.

Yanika has learned that talent placement requires not only the ability to analyze key organizational needs to find the right fit but also ensuring processes and policies are in place to retain great talent within the current organization. Investing in coaching and how an organization develops, supports, and promotes its talent leads to strong retention of staff and maximizing organizational goals.

Yanika began her career in education serving as the Director of Talent Management for the Fulton County Schools System in Atlanta, Georgia. Yanika facilitated the training of the Statewide Leader Keys performance management system at Fulton, training over 100 principals and district leaders on State required processes and changes.

She also facilitated Fulton’s own Central Office performance management system by training over 500 district managers on key performance competencies and the new required staff evaluation processes.

Yanika also worked closely with district leadership to facilitate and implement an inclusive school leader selection process for Fulton County Schools that led to the hiring of over 50 principals and 80 assistant principals over a two-year timeframe.

After Fulton County, Yanika served as the Managing Director at Teach for America (TFA). Yanika gained experience developing leaders as a coach for 12 Regional Heads of District Partnerships while at TFA, serving as a thought partner on district/charter relationships, district strategies, and implementing best practices for each region.

Prior to transitioning into education through The Broad Center, Yanika spent nine years working in the private sector in consulting at IBM and PWC. Yanika holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Supply Chain Management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

She is also a graduate of The Broad Residency in Urban Education with a Master’s in Education Leadership and holds a certification from John Maxwell Certification program in coaching and speaking.

Follow Daniels Talent Solutions on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for GW BBQ Radio’s Open for business. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, broadcasting live from GWBC’s Open House in the beautiful Bank of America Plaza. So excited to be talking to my guest Yanika Daniels with Daniels Talent Solutions. Welcome.

Yanika Daniels: Thank you. I’m so glad to be here today.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about Daniels Talent Solutions. How you serving folks?

Yanika Daniels: Yeah. So we basically recruit, retain and train your staff. So we are a talent strategy organization. We work with a lot of small businesses and organizations who are growing. And so a lot of times they can’t or don’t have the capacity to recruit the right people to put the right processes and systems in so that they can keep their people. And then once you grow, you need to train. And so that is really what we do. We help you really think about your people strategy.

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

Yanika Daniels: Time do we.

Lee Kantor: Have? We’ve got all the time. All the time.

Yanika Daniels: So my backstory, I actually have an engineering background. I spent about ten years in corporate America, and I was an engineer helping fortune 500 companies with their processes, their systems, and kind of along that path, realized that a lot of times, organizations forget about the people. So they put a lot of technology in, they put a lot of processes in. And your people are kind of left trying to figure it out. And so I became a lot more passionate about how do we really change systems, how do we make change that sustains. And it really comes down to your people. So about ten years in corporate America decided I wanted to shift, and I also wanted to do a little bit more impactful work. And so that’s why I kind of got into human resources.

Lee Kantor: So then, um, is do you have a niche or do you, uh, place people in all positions?

Yanika Daniels: Great question. Yes. So we are really great at supporting mission driven organizations when it comes to recruitment and retention. So when we think about nonprofit organizations and adjacent organizations, those that might not necessarily draw the big groups, but they’re doing really impactful work, we partner and support those organizations when it comes to our training. We will train anybody. And so we make sure that your managers can really be leaders. And so we work with any organization around really training their talent.

Lee Kantor: So what is a kind of a symptom a company is having where, uh, maybe training would be the right solution, that they may not even notice that they need training. But, uh, you know, that’s where they can connect with you.

Yanika Daniels: One symptom you might see your people leaving. So when you’re really trying to think about how do you retain your staff, if you’re seeing a lot of people leave a lot of turnover, you might want to look at your managers and really think about how are my managers trained to support their staff? What are they doing? How am I investing in that middle level of of staff to make sure that everyone is able to get on board efficiently, that the culture is right. That’s that’s the biggest thing you start to see. People are not going to stay places. This is different times now. People are not going to stay places that they are not happy.

Lee Kantor: And there’s a saying people, um, don’t quit jobs, they quit bosses.

Yanika Daniels: That is so true. It is so true. Yeah. Because, I mean, most people, um, want kind of the standard necessities out of life, right? You want a good salary, you want to be able to have benefits. You want to be able to meet your own personal needs. You don’t want to go into an office or work with somebody every day that is causing you tension and stress.

Lee Kantor: Right. So then if you’re a leader of an organization and you’re noticing there’s a high turnover in 1 or 2 positions, that might be kind of a warning sign that, hey, maybe we got something to fix here.

Yanika Daniels: Yes, you should be tracking. Always tracking from a metrics standpoint. So I told you I had an engineering background. I’m big on data. Big on metrics. Always tracking exactly who’s leaving. Why? Especially if you have one manager that keeps having to hire. That is a red flag, right?

Lee Kantor: If they’re always complaining that we can’t get the right person, it might be them, you know. Yeah.

Yanika Daniels: And you should really survey your people. Right. Always, always talk to your people. What’s going on? Trying to understand. You know, I know sometimes we do too many surveys, but people will tell you kind of what’s going on. You ask? Yeah, you got to ask. And a lot of people don’t take time to ask.

Lee Kantor: Now, why was it important for you to become part of Gwdc?

Yanika Daniels: Great question. So I recently became a member going through my certification to be a woman owned business. It was important for a couple of different reasons. As an entrepreneur, it can be very lonely trying to build a business, and so business has been around for a long time. There are a lot of people doing it. I can learn from anyone. And so one of our core values as an organization is continuously learning. So it was important for me to be a part of this organization, to be a part of like minded people who are doing similar things, trying to build businesses, building community and connecting with other people. So that’s one of the main reasons that I joined.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there a story you can share about your work that maybe you work with an organization that was struggling or had a problem that you were able to help them solve and get to a new level? You don’t have to name the name of the.

Yanika Daniels: Organization, but.

Lee Kantor: But just name. Maybe the challenge they were having.

Yanika Daniels: Um, yes I can. There are so many now I’m trying to decide which one is best. So one organization that is actually local to to the to to the city of Atlanta. They actually manager reached out to me and wasn’t sure if the organization the department itself was actually efficient. So it kind of organically grown people were kind of given titles over years. And now, you know, now you have a team of 30 and there’s overlap in some of the work that they’re doing. And so this becomes a retention problem. Right. Because if I’m showing up at work and somebody else is doing the work I’m supposed to be doing, but I was hired for something that becomes an issue. So we help that organization kind of take a look at their staff, their human resources staff, and really plot out what should each role be doing and how can they grow into where they want to be with the organization. So that’s just one example. If you have time, I’ll give you another one. Sure. If you got another one. So that’s one thing we do around retention. Recruitment is another big thing that we do, especially for mission driven organizations we like to partner. And so most of our clients are repeat clients.

Yanika Daniels: About 90% of our clients come back to us. One organization we partnered with about three years ago, they were a staff of five. They were a nonprofit organization, and now they are a staff of 32. Wow. Which is big growth for a nonprofit organization. Right. A corporate organization? Yeah. It grows fast, but a nonprofit that’s really big. And one of the things that was really important to them was that they hire people who were in alignment with their own mission, who were who cared, who were passionate. So we helped them through that recruitment process by recruiting their staff, training their leaders and managers. How do you train also working with them on anti-bias hiring? And so those are some of the things that we offer clients when we work with them. We train your staff. We help you not only build, but at some point you kind of need to get rid of us so you can do your own hiring. So we also help you do that, right? And so we can say that the staff that we hired have stayed 2.25 years. And so for a nonprofit that’s great. The national average is about 16 months for someone to stay in an organization from a nonprofit perspective.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there any advice you could share for that organization that maybe is running into retention issues? Is there some low hanging fruit that they can do to kind of help themselves?

Yanika Daniels: Yeah. So low hanging fruit. You know, we just kind of talked a little bit about talking to your people. Right. Surveying. So you know there there are key best practices that are out there. But there’s not a one size fits all. You really have to understand what’s important to your staff. Right. And so having focus groups talking to your staff bring us in. We’ll do it for you. Right and really understand what are some of their pain points? What are some of their needs? It could be that it is a manager training that’s needed. It could be that, hey, everybody’s trying to get us to go back to the office, and I still need a little bit of flexibility. Right. So the first thing low hanging fruit, talk to your people.

Lee Kantor: Good stuff. And if somebody wants to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on your team. What’s the website? What’s the best way to connect?

Yanika Daniels: Yes, we are Daniels Solutions LLC. Com that’s how you can reach us.

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

Yanika Daniels: Thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll be back in a few. With NBC’s open House.

 

Building Bridges: The Power of Collaboration in the Perimeter Area

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In this episode of Chamber Spotlight, Lee Kantor talks with Adam Forrand, President and CEO of the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber. They discuss the recent merger of two local chambers, forming a unified regional Chamber of Commerce. Adam highlights the chamber’s role in supporting both large corporations and small to mid-sized businesses, fostering community engagement, and driving economic development.

The episode also covers the benefits of chamber membership, the importance of collaboration among businesses, and the diverse industries represented in the perimeter area, emphasizing the chamber’s commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studio in Sandy Springs, Georgia. It’s time for Chamber Spotlight, brought to you by Corp Care, your Employee Assistance program partner. Caring for them because we care about you. For more information, go to CorpCareep.com. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here another episode of Chamber Spotlight and this is going to be a good one. But before we get into it, it’s important to recognize our sponsor CorpCare. Without them we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Chamber Spotlight, we have the president and CEO of the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber, Mr. Adam Forrand. Welcome.

Adam Forrand: Hi, Lee.

Lee Kantor: I am so excited to hear an update kind of state of the union of the chamber. I know a lot of exciting things are happening. Would you like to share?

Adam Forrand: Absolutely. You have found us at a fabulous time in our organization’s history and our growth. The Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber, as our Board of Directors and the board of Directors of the Perimeter Chamber this summer agreed in principle to merge our two chambers into a unified regional chamber of commerce serving the leading cities, the perimeter leading cities of Sandy Springs and Dunwoody. And we are in the process of integrating our two organizations from a technical and operational standpoint, all in service to our members, with our goal being that come January 1st, 2025, that our members of both organizations find the power and the potential and the opportunity that a larger chamber can bring them.

Lee Kantor: Now, what was kind of the impetus for this kind of combination collaboration to to bring the chambers together? I know there’s a lot of growth in the perimeter area. I know there’s a lot of activity in the the cities that surround the perimeter. But what was kind of the catalyst that brought you both together?

Adam Forrand: You know, I’d say a maturation of our two communities, the cities, the municipalities themselves of Sandy Springs and Dunwoody as they continue to grow and mature in terms of their service to their residents. We find ourselves in the context of a marketplace, the central perimeter market. The economy here has been here for many, many years and has been recognized across the southeast as an epicenter of employment and and business and commerce. And what you find is the convergence, if you will, of touring cities and equity and building and brands about what’s happening in these two cities, along with the the bedrock that is the central perimeter economy. And this conversation has been going on for the last ten, 11, 12 years, about two municipally focused chambers coming together to better serve the region. And I think it just reflects sort of that time and in a post-pandemic recovery as well, is that as our economy continues to evolve with uncertainty and economic environments, that the evolution of the central perimeter deserves a strong regional chamber for both small businesses, solopreneurs as as well as the fortune 500 that call perimeter home.

Lee Kantor: Now, there’s obviously a lot of large organizations and companies here in the perimeter area that have decided to headquarter and to call home. Yes. Um, how do you foresee the chamber creating value for them as members and also serve, like you mentioned, the many more small to midsize businesses that also are in the perimeter? Because I would imagine that’s one of the challenges, is to create value for all of the constituents. It is a.

Adam Forrand: Challenge for sure, but on the continuum of resources and partnerships and opportunities that a chamber, a good, strong chamber, can provide a member and the business community. It does run that full gamut from a small business to a large business. So we’ll start with those large businesses that you described that are resident here in Sandy Springs and Dunwoody, who continue to choose to remain in this community as they consolidate offices from across, say, the southeast or across North America into a focused hub of activity. And we’re hearing these announcements on a daily basis as new lease arrangements come up across the perimeter, that they have particular needs, cultural needs of their organizations to bring people back into the office. And as talent talent acquisition, talent retention remains a competitive challenge for all employers of all sizes. A chamber like ours can help activate relationships for those large employers among, say, their young professionals, those who are 40 and under. We know that if young professionals meet other young professionals outside of their own work environment, in the community in which perhaps they work or play or even live, that there’s a higher likelihood that they will remain committed not only just to that employer, but to the community itself.

Adam Forrand: So we are going to convene and catalyze these relationships among young professionals through our Perimeter Young Professionals program. We also know that the importance of employee resource groups, ERGs, and business resource groups Brgs and their connection to the community is a facet of that connectivity that a large employer has to the to those local residents, and the impact that they can have in advancing and sustaining these ergs and brgs. And we can serve as a conduit to making those connections and relationships to ensure that these particular areas of focus or concern or issues in the community that the large employers have articulated and stated as being important to them, that we help them activate that here in Sandy Springs and Dunwoody as well. So from a from a large standpoint, a large employer standpoint, we can serve as that local hyper local partner to activate these relationships. Um, whether it’s in talent, whether it’s in enterprise, whether it’s an issue oriented opportunities.

Lee Kantor: Now, um, as part of your role in the chamber, is is part of your role, um, helping attract other businesses to the community? Is that, um, part of the mission or is that something economic development in those locales are in charge of?

Adam Forrand: Most certainly we are a partner to our city’s economic development leadership. So in Sandy Springs and Dunwoody, we work very closely in partnership with them, um, particularly as those cities provide Opportunities to provide incentives to recruit businesses, as well as retain businesses and employers in our community as well. That looks different from one conversation to another, but our role as the local chamber is to ensure that there’s a vibrant, economic, prosperous environment in which executives choose to live, um, that they know that their employees can live in, uh, and that there is opportunity here for growth. And that growth may be challenged by, uh, amount of square footage they have access to, or perhaps the amenities in the region and the community in which they live, and they work and they play. And our job is to be sure that our members are growing and are prosperous, and then in turn, makes it a very attractive environment in which businesses would seek to relocate or to expand within.

Lee Kantor: And that relocation, obviously, the business climate has to be right, but also it has to be right for their employees. So there has to be kind of. That’s where I think the small to midsize businesses come in, right? Where everything is working hand in hand. If you have a thriving small and midsize business community that lends itself to the larger organizations employees to have a happy life and to live closer, to go into the office and do things like that. Indeed.

Adam Forrand: Yeah. The smaller businesses that provide the professional or personal services to the employees, uh, you know, as as mundane as it is, we need these services to live our lives in the high quality of life. And so whether it is, uh, your local dry cleaner or your daycare or even the quality of restaurants, the fast, fast service that you may receive for any part of your life, that is the ecosystem, that is a community and that every business contributes to that quality of life.

Lee Kantor: So what are the things as a chamber expands throughout the region? What are the things you need more of and how can we help you?

Adam Forrand: Oh, well, we need, uh, What we need more of is more engagement. And engagement shows up in many different ways. In this particular case, I’ll specifically speak to the engagement of our business owners, our leaders, those who are chamber members, to bring their knowledge and their expertise to the benefit of their fellow members. Uh, one phrase that I use often is that we want our members to show up to coach and to be coached. And what I mean by that is that they bring their subject matter expertise to the room, that if another member should be so appropriately vulnerable to say that I need help in this particular domain or this particular area that we can find and make those matches and connections that a member can help another member. And so that type of engagement in which that knowledge and expertise is shared to the benefit of fellow members in their goals and pursuits of growing their business. And so we do that in person. We convene and catalyze these relationships through over 80 events over a year. Um, but we’re also going to transition into doing so electronically and digitally in, uh, in asynchronous ways as well. And so, uh, what that means is that we’re seeking more members, we’re seeking more experts, we’re seeking more expertise and knowledge and a commitment to growing their business as well as other people’s businesses in this community.

Lee Kantor: All right. So let’s give the pitch to each of those constituents. So if you were talking to a small business owner, what would be your pitch to them to become a member? And not only just pay dues to be a member, but to actually lean in and get involved with the organization?

Adam Forrand: Yeah, membership is an interesting thing. Um, there’s a lot of analogies that we can use about membership and optimizing and maximizing membership, and they’re not many of them are not perfect. Um, and so the pitch would be that as the decision maker, if you’re the business owner and you are deciding to make an investment in your business through chamber membership, that the membership is not necessarily yours and yours alone as an individual. Although you may be the decision maker, you may be the one making that financial investment. The rest of your team needs to be on that membership roster that you deputize. You enable, and you empower the rest of your team to show up at our events, to be present at the opportunities to learn and to grow, to represent your business. And that way, your enterprise, your company gets the full benefit of membership and not just you as the owner or the decision maker. And that’s a challenge because people think about membership as being their own, their own personal membership. And we use some mixed analogies, like a gym membership. Like if you don’t show up to the gym, then you’re not going to get the benefit of it.

Adam Forrand: Like that’s such an individual thing. We’re trying to find ways in which we project that onto the business itself, that the business itself, if the business does not show up through its representatives, through through any member, any or any person, employee of that organization is a member of the chamber, that they show up and leverage the benefit of the of of their chamber membership, their businesses membership, then that’s the best thing that they can do. And that means that perhaps there’s some expertise in a very specific domain as it relates to finance or accounting or marketing, that a fellow fellow member can show up and help them with. Maybe it’s a young professional who’s learning about business development that they can show up and meet their peers and learn and grow together. And so it really is a an enterprise wide proposition that I would ask more specifically, if there are some acute areas of pain or challenge that perhaps our resources and our fellow members can help them with.

Lee Kantor: Right. And that’s something important for the small business owner to understand, even if they have a small team. The brand is the member, correct? It’s not the individual. And that mindset shift is really important because that the the brand then can use that as a benefit to attract and retain employees because they’re getting part of their when they work there, they’re getting access to all of the benefits of the chamber.

Adam Forrand: They are they are. And these are great experiences for professionals of all ages, at all levels within an organization to be able to step out of the business, step into community, a community of other business professionals who are there to help and support. Have an enjoyable experience for sure. We are very proud of the quality of the experiences that we produce, but ultimately it’s what you get out of it in terms of the resources, the connectivity, the support, the encouragement, the inspiration. You will find that, Uh, as as every member of your team encounters and experiences and engages with the chamber. Your organization will benefit from that.

Lee Kantor: All right, so now let’s pitch these kind of billion dollar firms that are around here. Now, you mentioned some of the benefits of being part of the chamber and active in the chamber. But what are what’s your pitch when you’re talking to, you know, one of these fortune 500 company leads?

Adam Forrand: Absolutely. Well, beyond being able to activate and support their talent retention, acquisition and development needs around young professionals or engaging in employee resource groups or business resource groups. Ultimately, it sends a signal to the community that as a resident of this community, these large businesses are concerned about the quality of life here and the quality of the economy, and that through an investment in their local chamber, they are then parlaying that into additional resources to support small businesses of all types. And so it shows up in manifests itself in many ways, certainly visibly, when you can see that a large employer, a large global Fortune 50, has made such an investment in their local community. It’s reassuring. Um, but the flip side of that is there’s also a benefit to that. It reminds people in this community that they are an employer, that they are an employer of choice, and that, uh, if you do not want to commute across the metro and you’re looking for an opportunity in a large enterprise, there may be a company, a member of ours that is hiring today that may really suit your particular skill set and your knowledge that you can contribute to and improve the quality of your life as well that you can contribute. So we talk about that not just from a from a young professional standpoint, but also the these brands, these consumer brands that are easily recognized, that are members of our chamber and fly great flags on tops of buildings here in Sandy Springs and Dunwoody are fabulous. And it’s a reminder, hopefully to them that their employer brand here in the local community is just as strong and that it’s conveyed.

Lee Kantor: Now, for folks who aren’t aware of maybe the types of industries that are represented here in the perimeter. Yes. And especially when you expand beyond Sandy Springs into the perimeter as a region, can you share some of the industries that maybe aren’t on the radar of people who aren’t familiar with this part of town? Well, I.

Adam Forrand: Think there’s two parts to that, Lee. One is we can name those sectors or verticals or industry by name and think about specifically what they do. So we’ll use transportation distribution and logistics as an example. Ups, a fortune 50 company headquartered here in Sandy Springs. Everyone knows what Brown can do for you. And they think of the trucks, they think of the deliveries, they think of the retail storefront services. But what they may not think of is the fact that marketing, accounting and finance and all those operational opportunities are based here as well. Right. Um, but then there’s a clustering effect around transportation distribution logistics that there are a number of, um, well known, uh, companies that in that sector that are known in that sector for their specialties. Um, perhaps they may specialize in cold distribution and storage. Perhaps they specialize in a particular food group. And these companies are clustered here as well. Um, they’re in the same buildings. They share a propensity for the the needs of talent that they share among them as well. And so there are big brand names, consumer brand names, and there are a whole host of lesser known names that are in those same sectors. So transportation distribution and logistics, for example. But each of those companies have a full complement of enterprise wide jobs that that they need to fill as well.

Adam Forrand: Um, financial technology, uh, we process over I think the latest data I heard was like 79% of all financial transactions in the US come through Sandy Springs and metro Atlanta. And these are names that many people may not recognize, but Global Payments Deluxe, uh, there’s a whole host of companies that are in the fintech space are based here as well. Um, we are certainly well known for our concentration, the density of fast casual restaurants that are owned by private equity firms and other, uh, other organizations that, uh, go by the name of Inspire Brands and Roark Capital and go to foods, and they have got a whole host of consumer brands that we would recognize as well. But they’re all based here. But it’s the entire enterprise is based here. All their marketing operations, their supply chain and distribution operations are based here as well. And certainly last but not least, health sciences, health services. We have got a density of, uh, service providers, practitioners, researchers here in central perimeter that ensure that not only are our residents well taken care of, but we’re advancing medical sciences and discoveries in the community as well.

Lee Kantor: Now, I think you brought up an important point when it comes to having these large firms here. Um, it does create kind of a cluster effect where that the other companies that serve them in a variety of ways. It’s also a good idea for them to be close, in close proximity of them, so they can have access to them when those people need them to deliver some of the services that they outsource, for sure.

Adam Forrand: And we also know that, um, not only just from a vendor supplier standpoint that there’s those relationships, but many joint ventures and perhaps research and development come out of these relationships that are clustered in these communities as well. We know that there’s test kitchens in our communities. We know that there are R&D labs testing alternative supply chain distribution methods and models as well in our own community. And these are, uh, companies that are in that sector that are very interested and very keen on these relationships and proximity matters, for sure. Yeah.

Lee Kantor: And a lot of times, um, what happens is those large entities acquire the smaller entities, and that happens more times than I can count, I think in just in doing the show over the years, that you see that happening, that somebody as part of one of those clusters starts delivering a service that the larger entity likes, and then all of a sudden cut to a few years later, they’re acquiring that organization. Yeah.

Adam Forrand: And that’s where innovation occurs. Innovation occurs certainly within the confines of these large employers, but it also occurs when entrepreneurs take a step out and believe that they that they have a a new and better and a different way of doing things. And so conceptually, this is a ripe environment for entrepreneurs as well to, to test those waters, to be in the environment in which they know other industry sector companies can, will be able to easily evaluate and to partner and to test and advance innovation in those respective areas.

Lee Kantor: So if somebody wants to connect and learn more, what is the easiest way to plug into the chamber?

Adam Forrand: Oh boy. Well, you can find us certainly online everywhere, but Sandy springs.org is the current URL for the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber of Commerce. But you can just Google us. You can hit Sandy Springs perimeter chamber and you’ll find us on all the social medias as well. Uh, happy to connect with you on LinkedIn. Uh, as well, uh, where where we try to focus some of our business oriented conversations as well. Um, but we are in the community. Uh, we’ve got a fabulous office here in Sandy Springs as well that we open up for programs and events as well.

Lee Kantor: Is there an event that you would recommend a prospective chamber member attending? Is there something, uh, that they should know about? And and can they just go to try it out?

Adam Forrand: Absolutely. We program breakfast, lunch and dinner. We, uh, welcome nonmembers to come and enjoy and experience firsthand what a chamber membership may feel like and look like for them. Uh, to test those waters and ask those questions and meet those other subject matter experts who are showing up to help coach them. Um, we have a monthly luncheon where we bring in a particular subject matter expert who has some expertise that can help and inform and educate and perhaps inspire our members. That’s once a month, uh, we, uh, our next one will be in November on the I think it’s the 15th of November where we’ll have Justin Campbell from Assembly Studios, Atlanta, uh, a big new production complex, uh, on the top end perimeter over by 85. Uh, and talking about what they’re doing, not just in the backstage in the back. Lots there in terms of production, but they’re community facing activities as well as they seek to enrich our economy.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. And that’s another sector in the area that maybe people aren’t aware that is happening.

Adam Forrand: It is. It is because it happens in nooks and crannies and in locations and sets sort of tucked in in a way. You see those yellow signs, but, uh, gray, gray television has made a significant investment in our region, uh, With the support of NBC universal. With that, Assembly Studios Atlanta. It’s certainly a bright, shining star.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. Um, the perimeter is definitely where things are happening. The center of gravity of the city seems to be moving north into our backyard.

Adam Forrand: There is definitely power and magnetism here in perimeter. I think it always has been. Um, to, you know, uh, to a certain degree, at a certain times and the ebbs and flows of, of where investments are made. Uh, but definitely pay attention to the headlines of what’s happening in perimeter.

Lee Kantor: All right. Before we wrap one more time, the website, Sandy Springs.

Adam Forrand: Org. Uh, we’d love to have you there. Uh, but Google Sandy Springs, perimeter chamber.

Lee Kantor: All right. Adam. Well, thank you so much for sharing your story. You’re doing important work, and we appreciate you. Thank you. Lee. All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Chamber Spotlight.

 

From Tech Support to Trust: Transforming Company Culture in the Digital Age

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In this episode of Sandy Springs Business Radio, Rachel Simon and Lee Kantor talk with Adam Bieber, Director of Business Development at Logic Speak and Founder of Synergetic Culture®. They explore the evolving landscape of IT services and the critical role of cybersecurity in modern businesses. Adam emphasizes that every business is now a technology company due to the digital age. He discusses the importance of fostering a positive company culture, employee retention, and the need for leaders to build trust and personal connections within their teams. The conversation also highlights the value of authenticity in personal branding on platforms like LinkedIn.

Synergetic-Culture-logoAdam-BieberAdam Bieber is the director of business development for an MSP (managed service provider) called Logic Speak. He’s also the founder of a leadership and sales consulting firm called Synergetic Culture®.

More importantly Adam is a husband and father and he has an amazing family.

Follow Synergetic Culture® on LinkedIn.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Sandy Springs, Georgia. It’s time for Sandy Springs Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here with Rachel Simon, another episode of Sandy Springs Business Radio. And this one is brought to you by Connect the Dots Digital. When you’re ready to leverage LinkedIn to meet your business goals, go to Connect the Dots dot digital. Welcome, Rachel.

Rachel Simon: Hi Lee.How are you?

Lee Kantor: I am doing well. So excited about the show. You got a great guest.

Rachel Simon: Yes. And we’re back in the studio. Yeah, that’s a great day. Yeah, we have a great guest. I’m super excited about this conversation. So I’m really happy to welcome Adam Bieber with Logic Speak. Nice to meet you.

Adam Bieber: Rachel, thank you so much for having me. It’s great to be with both of you today. I really appreciate it and excited. Excited to chat.

Rachel Simon: Ya’ll, he’s a pro. We’re going to have a great conversation here. So let’s just kick it off. Tell us a little bit about you your company what you do.

Adam Bieber: Sure. Yeah. Well like you said, my name is Adam Bieber. I am the director of business development for a managed IT and cybersecurity company local to the north metro Atlanta area. Um, we’ve been in business for 20 years. We serve small to medium businesses providing technology support, technology strategy and planning and all the things that need to be considered when it comes to how you do business, how you interact online, protecting your digital assets, cybersecurity, all of that fun stuff. So I get to go and meet with prospective clients, meet with existing clients, hear what’s happening, hear from them, work on building relationships and bring them in to work with us and hopefully to drive their business forward.

Rachel Simon: It’s interesting. I was just talking with somebody recently about the change. We were talking about another industry that has sort of shifted the way it has, because I remember back in my early career, you know, there was the IT guy who had to do all the things right. He had to like, deal with the servers. And then everything from dealing with the servers to helping, you know, the older, potentially less computer savvy people figure out how to use their mouse. Yep, yep.

Adam Bieber: But or how to hook up to.

Rachel Simon: The printer or how to. Yeah, exactly. So it seems like today companies are really doing more with outsourcing those IT services.

Adam Bieber: Yeah. The reality is as technology evolves and as business evolves, every company, whether they like it or not, is a technology company. And so I always say, whether you have a digital footprint or data to protect, you’re a good client for us. And really that’s anybody. Everybody’s got data to protect. Everybody’s got a digital footprint and they need to consider those things more on the side of cyber threat cybersecurity protecting their their data, not just their data, but their clients data. And yeah, so it has evolved from, you know, just the guy that sets up the printer and fixes the server. What does that even mean to is there.

Rachel Simon: Even a server?

Adam Bieber: Yeah, exactly. So now we do a lot of that virtually. We utilize the Microsoft Azure cloud to be able to spin up virtual servers and be able to serve businesses so that if there were some type of catastrophic event to their brick and mortar, they’re still able to operate and conduct business. And then, you know, putting in all the puzzle pieces that they need to make sure that they have access to all the applications and, um, files and things of that nature. So, yeah, it’s evolved.

Rachel Simon: Is there a certain industry that you all work with?

Adam Bieber: Yeah, that’s a good question. We tend to work with professional services the most. So that’s going to be like your financial advisory firm, CPA firms lawyers things like that. We also work a lot locally with engineering firms. Our founder’s wife actually owns an engineering company. And so through that network, we’ve been able to serve a lot of the engineering firms in the in the area were also part of a couple associations that focus on on that, that vertical, um, nonprofits and churches. Um, kind of the tagline at the end of our mission statement is to have a positive impact on the community. And so we love to give back to churches and nonprofits that are doing good things in the community that we can support and protect. So usually they’re, um, 20 or so employees or greater. Um, that’s kind of where we found our sweet spot to be. And then, um, usually when you’re in that realm, you’re looking at 3 to 5 million in revenue or greater. Um, and that’s where we can come in and really do a lot of, a lot of good things, um, within a, within a healthy budget to be able to support.

Lee Kantor: So now part of your backstory is you help companies with culture. Um, why is culture important to you and why is it important to firms that you serve?

Adam Bieber: Yeah, I love that question. Um, it is it is incredibly crucial. Um, the way that I think about culture is less about what you do and more about how you feel about what you do. And it’s interesting. There’s so many different data points that you could pull out. Um, and it seems to be a hot topic right now, but people care about the environment that they’re going in to work. And, um, sometimes people will, uh, take less money for a better culture, um, or make a lateral move that’s not necessarily up the corporate, the corporate ladder in order to be in a better environment. And so to me, it’s crucial. Um, but what I like talking about is how it doesn’t matter what position you have in the organization, you can impact and affect the culture. Um, and so what I like to talk about through some of my consulting on that side, but also through the podcast that I have, is about maximizing your influence and impact so that anybody can make a difference in the culture that they’re a part of.

Lee Kantor: Now, do you find that, um, culture is one of those things. My background’s in marketing, so I look at it through the lens of marketing. Like when it comes to branding, it’s one of those things that are going to happen whether you put energy into it or not. People are going to have an opinion about your brand, whether you’ve been kind of mindful about it or not. Is culture the same thing that if you ignore culture, a culture is going to develop without any of your input, and so you might as well invest resources into it?

Adam Bieber: Yep, 100%. I love that you drew that parallel between the marketing industry and culture. I often say culture is formed either by design or by default. And so the default settings when you get a new laptop or a new electronic, usually the default settings are not enough. You got to tweak, you got to customize, you got to build it or customize it the way that you want that thing to to operate. And the same goes for your culture. When you design it, you’re actually being proactive about how you create it and develop it. And I’ve just been so blessed. Logic speak already had such a healthy, thriving culture, so I felt like I got to step into an organization that truly lived and breathed what it was that I was so passionate about.

Rachel Simon: Do you think in the culture, you know, it’s such an interesting word, right? Because people have, uh, it’s one of those words, I think that when you hear it in the within the work, uh, context, it either is like, yes, or. Oh. Um, but sometimes do you see that companies kind of use it as a crutch of why they can’t innovate? Like, oh, that’s not our culture. That’s not the way we do things here. Um, um.

Adam Bieber: I see it more as a, um, justification for toxic behavior. Yeah. Um, and so, you know, we’re just a culture that works really, really hard. Um, well, that that doesn’t that’s not a justifiable answer when you’re talking to someone that just put in a 70 hour a week. That’s not healthy. Um, and so I see it more on that aspect of not being willing to make changes and kind of own up to the design that you have for your culture if it is toxic. Um, and so, uh, that can be a really hard thing to change. And, um, what what I’ve found is it has to start at the top. There has to be buy in from the executive executive level down in order for people to really jump on board and get involved. And unfortunately, it’s uncomfortable, like, um, growth is uncomfortable. Change is uncomfortable. Um, you know, I’ve been involved in really fast paced, growing companies where it seemed like every week there was a new process and a new way of doing things, and the change was so stinking uncomfortable. Um, but that kept us on our toes and that kept us moving and growing. And I like to use the image of, like a either a river or a, a a stagnant pond. That stagnant pond grows a ton of bacteria, has a bunch of nasty pollen. We’re in the south. The pollen just sits on the top of it. It’s gross. It’s disgusting. It’s not safe to drink. Um, but when you think about a river that moves and that filters through rocks that is constantly rushing, that has power and strength. Um, you have you have cleaner water. Um, and so that’s just kind of how I think about culture and growth.

Rachel Simon: And that’s a great analogy actually. Like, I mean, especially again, for the since I can absolutely picture that gross stagnant pond covered in nasty pollen that you would never let your dog get in. Like, no, don’t get in there. Uh, um, yeah. It’s so interesting the way, um, you know, again, there is like definitely that level of, uh, hesitation and fear when change needs to happen. But I agree with you that pretty much anything that is worth building and growing has to start at the top. Yep. Otherwise, it’s really, really hard to actually make it happen and make it happen successfully. Yeah, no.

Adam Bieber: 100%. It, um, Uh, as as a leader by title. It’s it’s your job to to rally the people that work with you and work under you. Um, to head in whatever direction and execute. And it’s not just about executing the business. It’s about doing it in a way that builds the people. And so when everybody can be on the same page and they can they can work together and they can they trust each other, there’s a high level of trust involved. Um, you can see some really amazing things. I’ve seen people that are super trustworthy and may not be the most polished looking salesperson, and they are more successful because they are trustworthy and they have that grit and they execute and they know the culture versus the person that just has, you know, the suave or, you know, the look or the, you know, maybe they came from the bigger school or what have you.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. Now, what are some kind of symptoms that a company’s culture might be not on the right path? Is it like something like we’re having trouble hiring, Or is it come down to sales where, you know, our sales have plateaued? Are there some kind of warning signs for organizations you could share?

Adam Bieber: Yeah. I mean, I think probably the biggest one is retention. Employee retention. Um, you know, that says a lot about an organization. If you’ve done any job searching or had to go through the process of applying for jobs. Um, one of the things I always encourage people that are in that season is to take a look at some of the other factors, not just how many positions do they have to fill, but look at how long they’ve been hiring for that role. Like maybe go look at some of the people that have that role and look at how long they’ve been at the company. Reach out to them on LinkedIn. Ask them, hey, what do you think? I’m seriously considering applying. Um, I’ve had people in previous roles reach out to me and just say, hey, we don’t know each other, but we’re connected. I see that you work here. You’ve been here for two years. You’ve been here for three years. What are your thoughts? Um, can you give it to me straight? And I think we need to do more of that because, um, employee retention is a big, big indicator on on the health of the organization and the health of the culture also. I think people sometimes blow it up on social media where they present themselves in one way. Um, uh, and say on LinkedIn, the company does and the people that work at the company. But then when you get one on one with someone, you realize that is not at all how it how it looks and how it happens. Um, that’s always a red flag for me. Um, I was just having a conversation this morning with someone who’s worked at a big company in the area and I said, is the hype real? Like, I know it, I’ve seen it. I, I’ve been aware of the company. And she just said for what I was doing. No, it’s not. And I was like, wow. Um, so yeah, maybe those are a couple couple indicators.

Rachel Simon: That’s interesting. The hype like meaning what they’re presenting on their like company page as being like and.

Adam Bieber: Just as employees.

Rachel Simon: We have a ping pong table.

Adam Bieber: Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah. We do beer Fridays and, you know, get pizza at the end of the quarter. Like, that’s very interesting.

Rachel Simon: Yeah, because obviously LinkedIn is something I talk about a lot. Sure. And, um, you know, it’s it’s so important for people to actually present what’s actually happening. Yeah. Um, because otherwise, to your point, it’s not really the reality of what it is like to be an employee of that company.

Adam Bieber: Sure. And, I mean, I encourage people that, um, are building their personal brand on LinkedIn. I, I tell them I’m like, look, you can look at what everybody else is doing, but just sound like yourself. Like, if you don’t sound like yourself on, on, on that online presence, it just feels fake. Um, I’ve had plenty of conversations where somebody’s got this loud personality through the keyboard. And then when you’re sitting down one on one, it’s hard to hold a conversation and you’re going, wait, I’m just confused. You’re not who I thought you were. Um, and it may not be any detriment to their character. It just gives you an unsettling feeling of like, okay, I’m just confused. So I always just tell people I’m like, if that’s not you. Don’t be that person. Just be yourself and who you are will resonate with the right people.

Rachel Simon: Oh, 100%. I mean, I completely agree. I think that there’s that’s one of the big challenges when you’re for people who are trying to build their brand on LinkedIn is they they forget that. And I was just again talking about this yesterday, um, you know, with a B2B company and they’re like, well, we’re B2B and we’re trying to present this, you know, corporate, uh, you know, whatever vision of who we are. Sure. But ultimately, you are still selling to a human being.

Adam Bieber: Yeah. You’re people selling to people, right?

Rachel Simon: Yeah. You’re just a business selling to a person in another business. Yep. Not a consumer. So we got to remember the humanity piece well.

Adam Bieber: And the farther upstream I think you go, the loss in communication like the, the, the bigger gap that happens there where it’s just, hey, I’m the vendor. All I’m doing is just, you know, trying to get the renewals and the transactions and they keep it very transactional. It’s like, no, like the downstream person that is also a business owner. They care a lot about their business. It’s their baby. It’s their, you know, their their life’s work. It’s their legacy. So talk to them like that. Treat them like a human being.

Lee Kantor: So now is there any exercises or any activities you can share for an organization to help kind of number one, safeguard against that incongruity where they’re they might be thinking there’s something that they’re not and how the public is perceiving them. Is there anything you can share that can give somebody something actionable today to say, hey, hey, we’re a little off the mark here. Let’s do this so that we can be better. Yeah.

Adam Bieber: Um, to me, it comes back to the trust of the human beings on the team. Um, if there’s no trust between people, then no team building exercise in one day is going to get you there. Um, that’s something that has to be cultivated and built. And so if you’re leading, um, you know, one team of three people, or you’re over a a couple of teams or a division or an entire group. As the leader, my encouragement would be find ways to connect with your people personally. And I think like that’s a whole nother subject. That could be a whole nother podcast. People say, check your, you know, personal stuff at the door, like, no, we’re human beings. Going back to that point, if you have a really horrible morning and you just got some really difficult news, you’re going to I’m I’m an emotional person. I wear that on my face so people know if there’s something going on. Um, cultivate personal connections, personal touch points, um, be consistent. Um, uh, honor what you say you’re going to do. And it doesn’t have to be this crazy big transformation.

Adam Bieber: Like, if for like very practical action steps. I always encourage leaders when I’m talking to them, like build into your routine either weekly or bi weekly. Touch points with your team and spend ten minutes of that meeting just connecting with them personally. How’s it going? How are you? How’s your family? What sports are your kids in and be genuine about it. Ask questions. Be be. Be curious. Um. Get into some of the business stuff. Get into. Hey, this is where I see you going. This is where you’re headed. Um, change up the way that you do your one on ones. Cultivate trust with your team. It’s hard to do it in an instant. But over time, you start to build this rapport and this this trust. And that trust turns into loyalty. It’s loyalty to the leader. It’s loyalty to the brand, loyalty to the company. And people want to stick around for for loyal, loyal bosses and loyal people. So, um, yeah, that it’s kind of hard to just say, do this one thing, but that would be where I would start.

Lee Kantor: Great.

Rachel Simon: Yeah. No, it is, um, I mean, it is really kind of just going back to basics, right? Yeah. I mean, I think that sometimes, especially as, like, organizations get bigger and bigger, they put this distance between the top and the, you know, the leadership and the people kind of lower down. Um, but, you know, we have to remember that everybody is showing up to work for a common goal, right? To move the business. The goals of that organization forward. So, yeah. Um, no, that’s that’s so interesting because you’ve got so many different aspects of like what you do professionally, right? You’ve got like your full time job, your consultancy. You’re also like a LinkedIn super user. So tell us a little bit about like what inspired you to start to build your brand. Yeah.

Adam Bieber: So I can actually relate it back. There’s a gentleman who I don’t think would care that I use his name because he’s in this, in this, uh, greater Atlanta area. His name is Peter Pasternak. And, um, he, uh, the company that I worked for with him, um, they were doing remodels and home renovations, and this was like, in my early 20s. And every time I would see him, um, he would ask me, Adam, did you build your network today? And I would look at him and be like, no, dude, I’m like, wearing boots. And I’m on this job site. Like, no, I didn’t build. And he would just say, build your network today. And then I watched him. And the way he cultivated relationships and they would do this real estate networking event that actually still happens, which is really cool. Um, and I think they just celebrated 14 or 16 years. Um, and I credit it back to him. He saw the value of building a network, cultivating relationships. And so that’s when I started. It was years ago, and I just wanted to connect with people and try to try to build and cultivate relationships. And I’ve seen in different seasons and stages of my life. And then kind of the growth trajectory of my career, it has been such a joy and a benefit to be able to, um, know so many great people, be connected to so many amazing people, support my friends that start businesses, support other creators and entrepreneurs, um, and and really, um, really build each other up. And that’s something that I’ve just loved about the the networking world, the LinkedIn world. Um, and when I launched my podcast almost three years ago, it gave me an immediate audience that was ready to hear more of my thoughts, ideas, and passions. And so it’s just been fun to be able to do that and, and share the things that I’m passionate about with others.

Rachel Simon: Can you think of a story of like a result of the what you’ve kind of put into LinkedIn? You know, like, I mean, there’s probably a great, you know, even if it’s because I can think of so many different ways of, you know, over the years where you’ve been able to connect this person with this person and it results in this. Right? Like, yeah.

Adam Bieber: I would just say like some of the coolest relationships. Um, and there’s been several very recently, like this year, um, I think out of the six most recent podcast guests, three of them were just LinkedIn connections that I met over LinkedIn. Um, saw their content, believed in who they were, start to got to know them just because of their presence. And, you know, going through the filter of like know like and trust like these were people that I felt like I got to know I really did like them. And I started to trust the validity of what they do. And then we connect. And one of the more recent ones, his name is Jeff. He runs a marketing agency. They have this really cool AI platform. They’re doing all kinds of different, um, marketing for, for businesses. Um, he and I were connected and he just reached out and was like, dude, I think we think a lot alike. I think we’re similar. I’d love to just get on a call if it’s any value. I’d love to jump on the podcast and share. And I just loved it. We got on the phone and it was like we were brothers. We knew, you know, we hit it off kind of like you and me when we first got on the phone. Rachel, we just hit it off. Um, and so it’s just it was just so cool. And then he came on the podcast and he started one and was like, all right, dude, I might call you and ask questions. And and then I got the camera that he uses. And so it’s just been fun to, to collaborate and help and, and build relationships like that. There’s so many stories just like that one.

Lee Kantor: Now, you mentioned earlier, um, a tactic that Peter Pasternack uses of having in-person events. And I know, Rachel, you believe also in that, but is there any kind of tips you can share on how to execute an in-person event and to elevate your network, you know, from maybe online to in real life? Sure. Um, in order to deepen those relationship and accelerate relationships.

Adam Bieber: Sure, absolutely. Um, I’ll take it from the perspective of not not necessarily, um, like going through the nuts and bolts of event execution, because that’s not my strong suit. Uh, but showing up how you show up matters. That’s just a good law for life. Um, how you show up for your kids, how you show up for your spouse, how you show up to network, how you show up to work. It matters. Um, and so I, I always like to encourage, to show up, not looking for what you can get, but for looking for where you can serve. Um, and so I whenever I’m talking to people, I’m always thinking through the lens of, do I know someone that I could connect them to? Is there a way that I could? Um. And what’s so cool about the world and how it works? And, you know, whether you think it’s divine or just something in the ether or however you view it, that value that you give to someone comes back around and it’s amazing. And so I always go into I’ve come to your events, Rachel, I’ve, you know, I try to be at different events throughout the week and I always just go in with that mindset. Go in curious, ask questions, learn about people, um, share a little bit about who you are, and then look for ways that you can add value. And it’s so cool when those connections come back around and start introducing you to people that you can do business with that align. Um, it’s it’s more organic that way. It’s more relational that way. Um, I have a hard time when I walk into a room and somebody comes up and shoves the business card, and this is what I do, and we should work together. And I want to hear about, um, and it just it’s disingenuous. It doesn’t feel, um, it’s.

Rachel Simon: Icky. It just it’s it’s I try to.

Adam Bieber: Avoid that word, but it is. It’s not completely. Yeah.

Rachel Simon: And that’s why that doesn’t work on LinkedIn either in the DMs. Um. Oh, gosh. Yeah. No, I, you know, I love in-person events, and, um, we’re doing another. I’ll just do a little plug. We’re doing another LinkedIn local ATL happy hour in November. November 13th at Barn in Dunwoody. And, um, you know, just being a convener I think is so fun. Yeah. Right. And getting people in the room together and like, I’ve been really into these more relaxed events where it’s just like, hey, we’re going to this bar. Come get yourself a drink and talk to cool people. And you never know who you’re going to talk. And every single time we host these, somebody tells me, oh, I met this really good person, and now we’re doing x, y, z. Yeah. Yeah.

Adam Bieber: And if you’re no matter what realm of business you’re in, if you’re an entrepreneur or solopreneur or you work for a company, you’re in sales. You’re not in sales. How you present yourself, um, in in person and online. See, like when I leave those events, I take the business cards and I look those people up and I kind of just do a, you know, I connect with them and then I just, I kind of feel them out through their online presence and the ones that are super genuine. It’s just so cool because you build this relationship. They know what I’m about. I know what they’re about. We’re not sitting there trying to just sell, sell, sell to each other. But then what’s awesome is something not as sexy as information technology and cybersecurity comes up. They go, oh, Adam Bieber, you should call logic speak. I know somebody let me connect you. And that’s that’s the really cool thing that happens as a result. It’s not the driving force or the goal, but it’s one of the byproducts of building relationships and doing it in person in such a neat and cool way.

Rachel Simon: Yeah, and obviously your online persona should absolutely match the way you’re showing up in the real world. It’s really, really weird when it doesn’t for sure. Yeah.

Adam Bieber: I’m sure you’ve got stories.

Rachel Simon: I have a lot of stories. I have a lot of stories. But, you know, sometimes it’s like you just never know. Um, when you, you know, strike up a conversation. I was at a networking event last night, and, you know. Oh, hey. Hi. How are you? What do you do? Oh, I’m a CPA. I’m an accountant. And I was like, oh, my son’s an accounting major at Georgia. And he’s like, he is. Does he need an internship? I’m like, well, in fact, yes, he’s looking for internships, right? So I’m like, amazing, mutually beneficial introduction. Yep. Um, you just never know.

Adam Bieber: Yeah, they may never be a coaching client, but they’re going to be a big fan of you. They’re going to start to get to know you, your family and how cool. I mean, I call them circle of influence opportunities, where you just are the person that people think about. And I’ve actually started I would encourage others to do this. I’ve started creating. I’m actually going to put it in a spreadsheet because for me it was like a mental Rolodex of like, who do I know that does what and who do I trust? Who’s in my network that I believe in trust in? I would do business with if I was ready or able or needed. And so I’ve started to kind of build, like I know who I’m going to print with, I know who I’m going to ship with, I know who I’m going to, you know, buy a house with and get a loan from and, you know, all these things and it’s just from building relationships, networking, talking to people. And when the time comes, you can either give them direct business or you can point them in the right direction of somebody who needs them.

Rachel Simon: Yes, my husband would call that the I got a guy for that.

Adam Bieber: Yes, yes. I used to be one of my favorite things to be able to say I got it. And my brother actually just texted me the last week and I can’t remember what he asked for, and I and I wrote back, unfortunately, I do not have a guy for that.

Lee Kantor: So is there a story you could share about your work at Logic Speak? Maybe that illustrates how you were able to help a company that had a challenge, and once they started working with you, you were able to help them get to a new level.

Adam Bieber: Yeah, sure. Um, so what’s really cool about the kind of the clientele that we work with? Most companies already have a provider. Um, most companies are used to working with a third party IT company that comes in and augments a lot of the, the, the tasks that an IT person would do on the larger company side. Sometimes they have that IT person that goes and works on the server or helps people connect to printers and they work for that company, but they also know that it’s too much for that one person to handle. So they augment. And we call that co-managed. Um, so with that being said, a lot of times we work with people that have previous experience with other providers. Um, the Atlanta market, there’s a lot of IT providers. It’s very saturated. Um, and there’s a lot of really good ones. There’s some that struggle to really do all the things that they say they do, but there’s also a lot of really amazing companies in this area. Um, and sometimes what happens is a company will grow to a certain size and then they will, um, go through the acquisition process, get acquired. I think it’s every like small business person’s dream is to sell and, you know, sail off into the sunset. And so we actually had a recent scenario with a company that they had a really good relationship. Their their IT company was very close. That guy got the opportunity to sell sail off into the sunset.

Adam Bieber: He was involved for a while. And then his kind of terms of sticking around during the transition ended And when things transitioned, this company went from local provider really hands on approach personal to national provider IT team somewhere else, service desk somewhere else, having to fly people out if they want to meet with them. And it just wasn’t meeting their business needs. There are businesses that thrive with that model. There’s a bunch of them that I know that are doing really well, but for the ones that need that personal connection and personal touch, it was too much change. They went through a backup and disaster recovery issue. They had a server get hacked because of the gap in communication. It took them three weeks to get their data back from their provider and that should never happen. Um, we put systems in place that you can either spin it up within minutes. Um, that cost extra. There’s a whole nother layer of software and hardware that needs to be incorporated. Or we can we can restore within a business day. It took them three weeks to get. And we’re talking client data. So it was just a monumental, um, the, the, the lady that ran the office has, uh, she’s nearing retirement. She said this was the second worst day of my life, which is just crazy. And so we were able to come in. Hey, we’re down the road. Um, we can help.

Adam Bieber: Here’s what we’ll do. And I just kept showing up to the office and sitting with her and talking with them and meeting the team and getting them introduced to our executive staff. And what’s so cool is Jason’s been been leading the company for 20 years. Um, if I tell him, hey, we need to go in person and meet with this person, he will make the time to go and meet with the five person, ten person, 20 person company, sit down and answer questions and help provide reassurances that they need. So it’s just been really cool. We’ve been able to really turn the corner on their perception of our industry, and they just said, please don’t sell. And Jason said, it’s not on my radar right now. I’ll let you know if it does come up. But, um, just a neat experience to be able to kind of flip the script a little bit for them on their current experience and give them a much better one. And I’ll just say this most the number one feedback we got from our end of year surveys from our clients was your team is very kind to work with, and that’s saying a lot about it people. We have a genuinely kind, easy to work with team. All the technicians, all of our engineers. They’re brilliant, but they’re also genuinely good and kind people and that makes a difference. That’s such a nice compliment. Yeah, it is.

Lee Kantor: And it speaks to the culture.

Adam Bieber: Yeah it does.

Rachel Simon: Yeah, it sure does. That’s you would not expect that in the. I’m sure that was a surprise like kind you’d think like oh brilliant. Competent like yeah. Responsive. But they’re just like genuinely nice, genuinely kind.

Adam Bieber: They’re lucky to work. They’re here. We’re not we’re not shipping it offshore. Um, larger companies need to do that I get it. It’s, you know, it is a business practice. I’m not here to knock it. But when you can really connect with the person that you’re talking to, I mean, it all kind of connects to go back to building relationships. Humans helping humans. Um. Ah, Jason, who founded Logic Speak, will often say we are people serving people. We’re not going to we’re not going to sit there and just think that we’re machines, serving machines. That’s not how we do things. We are people who serve people.

Rachel Simon: And and like you said, if you’re working in a lot of the professional services, we’re talking attorneys, accountants. That’s a lot of very highly classified and important information that needs to be secure.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, and they’re probably not tech savvy. So they they’re relying on humans to help them solve this problem. Right.

Adam Bieber: The going rate for cybercrime is $164 per piece of compromised information. So take one document that has address, phone number, name, social.

Rachel Simon: Security number, social.

Speaker5: Security, credit card routing.

Adam Bieber: Information, credit card information. One one document could cost thousands. And then you take a legal document. I unfortunately got divorced five years ago. I’m remarried now, but when I went through that process, the stack of papers that I had to go through and read, oh my gosh, if one attorney got hit and only one client’s information was compromised, we’re talking about thousands, tens of thousands of dollars in not just losses, but, um, um, fines. And I mean, it really could be catastrophic. And so then when you multiply that over multiple clients, um, it’s so serious and so important to have a strong practice in place, a posture that says we’re going to protect and defend from all cybercrime. Yeah.

Rachel Simon: I mean, and, you know, to reiterate what you said earlier, every organization, no matter how small, is a technology company these days, because we all do everything through our technology, through our different platforms, right? Even if you’re a solopreneur and you’re using QuickBooks, you’re a technology company.

Speaker5: Yep.

Rachel Simon: Um, awesome.

Lee Kantor: Now, if somebody wants to learn more about your IT firm or your consultancy, what are the websites? What’s the best way to connect with you?

Adam Bieber: Yeah, I, think I’m pretty easy to find. My last name is Bieber and spelled just like Justin Bieber. So I would say connect with me on LinkedIn because that’s the best way. I’m there most of the time during the day. Um, but if you want to email me directly with logic speak, it’s just hello at Logic Speak Comm. That’s a super easy one. And the name of my podcast is Synergetic Culture. Um, that pops up too if you search Spotify and Apple and then the email for that is Adam at Synergetic culture.com. You’re an.

Rachel Simon: Easy man to.

Speaker5: Find. Yeah.

Lee Kantor: And the website for logic. Yeah.

Adam Bieber: W-w-w dot logic speak.com.

Lee Kantor: Good stuff. Well thank you so much for sharing your story.

Adam Bieber: Thank you for having me. This has been a lot of fun. I really appreciate you guys and hope to do it again soon.

Rachel Simon: Yes, we loved having you on.

Speaker5: All right.

Lee Kantor: This is Lee Kantor for Rachel Simon. We’ll see you all next time on Sandy Springs Business Radio.

 

About Your Host

Rachel-SimonRachel Simon is the CEO & Founder of Connect the Dots Digital. She helps B2B companies close more business by leveraging the power of LinkedIn.

Rachel works with professionals, both individuals and teams, to position their authentic brand on LinkedIn so they can connect organically with ideal clients, attract the best talent, and stand out as a leader in their industry.

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Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn.

BRX Pro Tip: Non Sponsor BRX Revenue Streams

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BRX-Banner

BRX Pro Tip: Non Sponsor BRX Revenue Streams

Stone Payton: Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, all of our studio partners, myself included, a core revenue stream for us is to have professional services providers underwrite, sponsor a show, and as a result, they build great relationships, they get that actual green dollar ROI. But there are quite a few non-sponsor Business RadioX revenue streams, so speak to a few of those, if you will.

Lee Kantor: That’s kind of one of the benefits of being a Business RadioX Studio partner is you have access to over, I want to say, two dozen. I think we have somewhere on our website where we mentioned close to two dozen or maybe even over two dozen other revenue streams.

Lee Kantor: And the beauty of the Business RadioX platform when you’re a partner, all of our partners set their own pricing. All of our partners keep 100 percent of the revenue generated. We do not have an operation where there’s a royalty, where there’s any type of way where they have to pay us ongoing based on any of these revenue streams. They just pay a subscription fee to Business RadioX, and they keep all the money and they can set their own pricing. So, that is a super important benefit of working with us.

Lee Kantor: So, some of the most popular non-show sponsorship revenue streams that our business partners are making money from every day, a lot of them, and us included, are doing on site broadcasts at conferences or trade shows where we actually go into a trade show booth or at a conference and interview the folks there. That is a really great revenue stream for a lot of folks.

Lee Kantor: It’s a high dollar amount because it really sets apart our clients from everybody else because we’re doing a live broadcast inside of their event. It elevates the event. It helps the event get more sponsors because there can be a radio sponsor. So, it’s a win-win-win all the way around. And we’re really good at facilitating this. And during one day of one of these events, we could interview 20 or 30 different people so it’s creating a ton of content, and it’s creating a ton of possible revenue for that event or our clients.

Lee Kantor: Another thing that we do, another revenue stream that our studio partners can tap into is that they can work with groups to interview their clients or their members. That’s something that we’ve been benefiting from where we work with associations and groups and really capture a lot of testimonials and a lot of really good content for our clients by interviewing their clients or members.

Lee Kantor: Another thing, another revenue stream for folks is content repurposing on a variety of social media channels. We have taken the content we created, and on behalf of our clients, repurposed it and created more content from it, and created a content strategy or a lot of content opportunities for them to repurpose the content in a variety of channels down the road.

Lee Kantor: Another thing that we’ve been doing is this community partner program for ambassadors who believe in our mission and want to contribute financially, but can’t afford a formal show sponsorship. So, we give them a way to participate at a community partner level.

Lee Kantor: That’s a couple ways. Other things to think of that folks have been doing, we do podcast coaching to teach somebody how to run a podcast or to create a podcast. Some of our folks have Patreon, that’s a common way to make money from your show. We have ambassador referral programs. We have studio partner referral programs. So, people who refer clients and business people to us is another way to make money. Preferred vendor sponsorships, that’s another way.

Lee Kantor: Things that you could do, we haven’t really done a lot of but it’s possible. Our mastermind group facilitations do group coaching around with all the people that you know. Workshops, podcast recording in kind of just a service delivery manner where we’ll just record somebody else’s podcast because they don’t have the access to the equipment we have. So, there’s lots and lots of ways that you can make money being a Business RadioX Studio partner that go well beyond just sponsoring a show.

Stone Payton: So, a couple of my favorites, I don’t think you mentioned them. I do the thought leadership segments like the audio newsletter. Sometimes I bundle these services, but it can be a separate service. And then, for smaller clients, sometimes attached to the community partner program, I’ll incorporate live reads on the local house show. And then, for those of you in the golf cart community, like Woodstock, Georgia, I’ve got golf cart sponsorships. So, I’m driving around town in my golf cart constantly. I’ve got magnetic signs that I can switch in and out.

Stone Payton: There’s virtually no limit to ways for helping people in making money with this methodology and this platform.

Voice Actor Rob Woody

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FF-Rob-WoodyRob Woody is a voice actor, podcaster, producer and storyteller specializing in audiobooks, animation, video games and commercials since 2015.

Connect with Rob on LinkedIn and Instagram.

 

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

 

TRANSCRIPT

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

Sharon Cline: Welcome to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX, where we talk about the ups and downs of the business world and offer words of wisdom for business success. I’m your host, Sharon Cline. And today in the studio, we have a voice actor. Hooray! And a podcaster and a producer and a storyteller. He specializes in audiobooks, animation, video games, and commercials since 2015. Nine years now. Welcome to the studio, Rob Woody. Hello.

Rob Woody: Greetings, everyone. Thanks for having me.

Sharon Cline: My pleasure. I love talking to someone who’s in the same industry as me, because I was just saying before the show started that I don’t really have many people in my world that I can say, here’s my problem, you know? Can you identify? So it’s just so exciting to talk to someone else who I can at least commiserate with some of the difficulties and some of the joys about being a voice actor. Thank you. You bet. So I was doing a little cyber stalking, as I do before the show, and realized that you had been in a couple of different industries, like in marketing and such, before you got into the voiceover world. So can you talk a little bit about your journey from before voiceover leading up to it?

Rob Woody: Absolutely. I’ll and I’ll try to make this fairly quick. Um, I’m the son of two entrepreneurs. Um, they weren’t always entrepreneurs, but in their mid 30s, they decided to go into business for themselves, actually right down the road. And for 25 years, they owned a pet supply and feed store. It was called Woodstock Pet and Livestock Supply.

Sharon Cline: Oh, no kidding.

Rob Woody: And I was a year old when they started that business. My dad was working other jobs. My mom was working in the store with my older sister, and I grew up in that business. I grew up around stacks of horse feed and bales of hay, and it was a very physical, blue collar way to grow up.

Sharon Cline: What bravery it takes for them to kind of stop whatever they were doing and throw all of their eggs in one basket, so to speak.

Rob Woody: Definitely as and as I grew up and understood more of what they were doing, I saw that they each brought different talents to the table. My dad could drive a truck, a large box truck, which you have to have a commercial driver’s license for. So he would go get the feed, go get the supplies. And my mom was a former bookkeeper, so she was really good at keeping books, writing checks, making sure money stays in the bank, and keeping the the help paid.

Sharon Cline: Perfect. So was that always their dream to to have their own business like that?

Rob Woody: I don’t think so. I think it was just something that happened at the time they saw, oh, maybe there’s a need for this and.

Sharon Cline: And made a go of it. And you grew up. Do the smells of certain like hay or something? Bring it all back to you? Absolutely. I was wondering, absolutely.

Rob Woody: Anytime I go in a tractor supply and I walk back through the stacks of horse feed, it’s like, oh, do I need to straighten these up? Or should I sweep or.

Sharon Cline: What happened to the store? It’s not there anymore.

Rob Woody: They eventually retired. They were getting older. They had worked their whole lives. Both were from North Georgia. Appalachian folk. Um. And I think they were just ready to go. They were ready to live the rest of their lives. Not working six days a week.

Sharon Cline: So you’re a native of Cherokee County, then, or Georgia, I should.

Rob Woody: Say definitely Georgia. Um, Cobb County. Cherokee. A little bit of Gwinnett. I lived over in Gwinnett County for seven years. Seven years? There aren’t.

Sharon Cline: That many. Um, you know, native Atlantans or suburban Atlantans, I suppose these days.

Rob Woody: Kind of tough to find. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Oh, you must have seen so many changes. Quite a lot. Especially Cherokee County. It’s still changing as we speak. There are things being built outside the studio.

Rob Woody: Yes, indeed. Up near Ball ground. It’s still pretty cool. It’s still a lot of farmland, but. Oh, what’s that over there? Oh, that’s a storage warehouse.

Sharon Cline: To store all our stuff.

Rob Woody: Yes, all of our things and stuff.

Sharon Cline: All right, so you grew up, um, here, close to this town, and your parents had their store. And was that an inspiration to you as well? To kind of, um, become your own boss, so to speak?

Rob Woody: Not really. I, I had. That’s all I ever knew. And most people don’t want to do this, but I wanted to go work for the man for a while. My degree was in exercise science from Kennesaw State Owls.

Sharon Cline: Yo! From Hootie hoo! Yeah! Hootie hoo! I graduated from there as well. All right.

Rob Woody: Um, I was on the five and a half year plan, which I should have done a little better with that, but hindsight. Right?

Sharon Cline: Yeah.

Rob Woody: I worked in that field for three and a half or four years. I still try to practice it personally, but I don’t work in the field. I’ve trained people on the side, things like that, and I always enjoy it. But I thought I wanted something a little different and I got into sales. I did retail sales, I did business to business sales with a large company. And then I started thinking back, what if I had that business back. Wow. There’s some a lot there’s a lot of things I could do differently because I know a little bit about technology. And our pet store was low tech. It was about as analog as you could get. We didn’t scan barcodes. There were little price stickers on on things. We had the credit card machine that goes, it sounds like a shotgun.

Sharon Cline: Yeah, a shotgun.

Rob Woody: Yeah, it sounds like a shotgun.

Sharon Cline: I never thought about that.

Rob Woody: We I think the last few years we had the machine, you could hear the dial up noise.

Sharon Cline: Wow.

Rob Woody: Great. Love those old modems.

Sharon Cline: And then you decided to kind of go back to what you thought you could experience again and do differently. And then that leads to how did this, this part of your life really explode and become your focus 100%?

Rob Woody: Well, let’s retreat back to high school, to those fun years. I was voted Best sense of humor.

Sharon Cline: Nice.

Rob Woody: I thought, well, great, what am I going to do with this besides make people laugh in the back of the room? Right? Which is kind of what I did and still made A’s and B’s. Probably could have made straight A’s if I had cut out some of the laughing, but I would have people say, you have a great voice. I could listen to you read the phone book. I thought, well, that’s thank you, but that’s a little weird. I don’t want to just sit and read a phone book. But you remember the phone books? I do. The Atlanta phone book. The last one I saw was about four inches thick.

Sharon Cline: I do.

Rob Woody: Definitely a weapon. And I started thinking, they don’t talk to you about that on Career Day. They talk about, oh, you could be an accountant or a fireman, or if you’re really smart, a pilot or an attorney, which I did flying lessons for a while. Nice. I did work at Lockheed there for a bit at their wellness center, and I took flying lessons. Awesome. Love it. Great memories. But that’s an expensive hobby.

Sharon Cline: Yeah.

Rob Woody: I have a knack for finding really expensive hobbies. I don’t know why. Snow skiing, flying lessons.

Sharon Cline: But it’s actually, I think about the fact that all of these experiences that you’ve had somehow can lend well to voiceover, no matter what it is. Yes. Um, will you talk about how you started your own studio? Like what were what were the processes that you went through to research what you needed?

Rob Woody: The first real reference I looked at was voiceover for dummies or voice acting for For Dummies.

Sharon Cline: Oh my gosh. I still have that book. Oh, wow. No kidding.

Rob Woody: I still have that book and I’m going to keep it and hopefully have a great story someday about that that book. And it it does cover a lot of great information about when did I buy that book? Probably around 2013 or 14. I was in a job at that time. I was in a retail sales setting where I might get three customers a day, and it’s a nine hour day. I started thinking about I need to work on something on the side. Hey, what about that voice thing? That’s when I really started delving into it, and I went to probably spent more money than I should have. Initially, I went to a music store and asking about acoustical foam and bought some of that. Made my own little panels because I’m pretty good with my hands. I made some acoustical panels, but was never really happy with the setup. I would have a setup and then think, ah, this isn’t very user friendly, let’s let’s change it. So I would get in my own way. I’m sure that never happens to any of you or your listeners, but usually it’s I am my own best stumbling block.

Sharon Cline: We all are. That’s what Fearless Formula is all about. Yeah, the goal for me is hoping that there’s some kind of inspiration that someone can get out of what other people have experienced and their wisdom that they’ve learned so that they don’t have to stumble as much either. So I love that you’re even willing to admit that, because I think that holds a lot of people back, is the fact that we are all flawed humans and have our own foibles and struggles. So the idea of being able to say to someone, I get it. Here’s what I did. That may work for you too. I mean, this is the best we can do is hope that someone will realize that they’re normal. I’m normal. We’re all normal. We’re all struggle and hopefully be inspired to to realize that there is resources out there that can help them. Like this show, hopefully. So if there’s a voiceover artist in the making out there listening, I’m hoping that they will find inspiration by knowing that there are solutions out there to be found. And, you know, so many people kind of hide behind their bravado and, you know, the idea that, oh, they never struggled. But to me, you know, there’s nothing more calming than someone admitting that they’re human, too. So I’m down. I’m down for you. Admitting the struggle.

Rob Woody: And one of my initial problems was thinking, I’ve been this way a lot of my life, but thankfully, I’ve realized it now. Thinking you can do something perfectly the first time you try it. And I’ve also told my son about this. I say, look, I had this problem too. Give yourself a little grace. Give yourself time to master what it is you want to do, whether it’s throw that curveball or figure out that chemistry equation. Give yourself time to do it, because you’re going to catch on a little differently than the guy sitting next to you.

Sharon Cline: But their normal is their normal, and mine is mine. And that compares. Comparison is the thief of joy thing. I have to always remind myself that because I will listen to You voiceover artists on like Voices.com, which is where I have my profile and get some work from. They have like the top 100 male artists and the top 100 female. So of course I always go listen because I’m like, what do they have that I don’t have? And I always think, well, of course they’re in the one. They’re amazing, you know. And then I’m like, why am I even doing this? Why would anyone come to me if there’s this person or this person out here? And it is kind of like a miserable thing for me. Like, I want to know what I’m missing. But then I also think, well, then, of course, you know, it’s like, I, I have like, this automatic default of I’ll never be as good as them, even though our voices are all different, which is something you ascribe to. I love that you say we all have our own unique sound, and I appreciate that too, because no one can sound exactly like me or you. And it’s so subjective. Whoever hires you, they like you or they don’t and you don’t. You can’t make that happen. Um, no matter how you sound, it just is like a thing. So, yeah, the idea that I can compare myself to someone else is pretty flawed in itself, but I do it anyway. I just want you to know that I’m my own worst enemy.

Rob Woody: It’s. It is normal. I mean, I playing sports and coaching sports, you know, the kids do that as well. Yeah, but keep it. You keep it in check. I think we grow and mature and some mature more than others. But learning to keep it in check and maybe even using it as an advantage to propel yourself.

Sharon Cline: Right, to reframe it. Yeah, not a negative, but something. Well, here’s my unique selling product, my unique sound and knowing.

Rob Woody: Okay, the good thing is I have this drive and I can use this drive as fuel, not let it drag me down.

Sharon Cline: I’ve heard success defined as not so much talent, as much as consistency and discipline. Like you can be successful if you just constantly are moving forward and trying. Um, because a lot of people are really talented that don’t really pursue anything big. Talent is is not always. Um, well, I mean, some of the voiceovers that I’ve heard on the radio, I always think, like, how did they this is terrible. Like, I’m so judgy, but this is how did they get this job, you know? And I don’t know why, but I’m always like, I wish I could have a chance to do it. But of course, things work out the way they’re supposed to, but I just mean it doesn’t. You don’t have to be the most talented person in order to have a lot of success.

Rob Woody: Precisely. And I’ve done the exact same thing. I’ve listened to something, or I’ve played a video game, or I’ve done this or done that, and I’ve heard this voiceover and just automatically I’ll resay the line how I think it should be heard.

Sharon Cline: And then you think, how in the world did they someone greenlit this. Yeah.

Rob Woody: And while yeah, maybe I’m a little biased, but I could sell that character a whole lot better, but I wasn’t there.

Sharon Cline: I know I.

Rob Woody: Didn’t audition.

Sharon Cline: This the way things work out, the way they are supposed to, but at the same time, yeah, I always wonder the same thing. Like, how did this all fall into this person’s lap somehow? And you know, I’m not the perfect voiceover artist too, so it’s just me in my own head being critical and jealous and all of those things. So I’m I can reframe it to be peaceful in saying things are just the way they’re supposed to be. But there are times where I kind of I get being a voiceover artist by yourself, you know, it’s a very, very lonely job. Yes. You know, I only have me to talk to, and that’s not always the best, but to be able to kind of get in my own way of saying, you know, I’m never going to be that successful. I’ve only had a little bit of success. It’s never enough. There isn’t enough success, I think, for me. Um, so yeah, I like hearing that somebody else does too, because it does normalize me a little bit. I’m not trying to make my life miserable, but I have days where it’s the challenge is so mental to audition as much as I can and accept whatever feedback, good or bad. Um, do you struggle in the same way, or are you much more disciplined about getting yourself into your booth and recording?

Rob Woody: Honestly, I think if I had. Well, let me say, I wish you could always wish you had started something earlier. But was I mature enough? Now I understand how life can be. Life’s going to kick you and it’s going to kick you. When you least expect it. Or when you most expect it. It’s going to kick you in some form or fashion. And I think starting this, at least for me, starting this a little later in my life, not when I was 20. I think I had a thicker skin. I have a thicker skin in order to deal, because with 95% of actors voice actors. You’re eventually going to be fired or your run will end, and then you look for something else, right? It’s not like you’re going to clock in for 40 years. Go build this widget and then go go home. It’s go do the performance part of your practice and part of your job is the auditions IV. I definitely think that’s helped by. Well, I joke that my maturity level is not my age, but just having that thicker skin and knowing that just because they tell me no doesn’t mean they don’t like me. It just means that’s not what they’re looking for, for that product, for that character. And there have been times I’ve gotten home I thought, I need to put in an audition, even if it’s just one. I don’t have anything going on right now. I’ll be tired. I’ll throw something together, edit it. Boom. They love it. I didn’t even really like it, but they love it. We’d love you for you to narrate the book. Oh, well. Awesome. Great. I can start on it tomorrow. And then there are times you you read the script, you think about the character, you imagine what that character looks like in your head. I might walk around outside with the birds chirping, coming up with voices, or I’m in the car a lot as well, so I’ll just practice and have my little phone recorder on recording different things. And you think I nailed it? I nailed this audition, or I nailed this interview, and then crickets.

Sharon Cline: That happens to me all the time. Or you might.

Rob Woody: Even get something like, I’ve gotten several of these. Wow, you sounded really great. You just weren’t quite what we were looking for. I take that as a compliment because somebody did listen to it. They liked it. And maybe now they’ll remember me in six months or. Oh, now you’re doing a video game. Hey, that guy had a good voice. Or that lady had a really nice voice. Let’s contact them back.

Sharon Cline: I think that has happened. I mean, 99% of the time. That’s exactly my story of working so hard on something and and going back, like, even if I’ve finished recording it and edited it and then just listening back, I’m like, it’s missing something, and I’ll go back and do it again and then hear nothing. And then there are times where I just phone it in and I’m like, I don’t even know the energy of what they’re looking for. I don’t think I have the right message at all, but okay. And then have gotten that one job that I was like, this is terrible, but I just don’t have the energy to work on it. I don’t understand. And I think that’s like somewhat frustrating because if I knew the formula of how it all would work, I would do it every time. So it is like this surrender that I have to practice every day with it.

Rob Woody: It’s funny, I definitely grew up blue collar, but it is an art and art. All art is subjective. Really?

Sharon Cline: Wow, that’s such a good point. And yeah, I never thought about it like that. Yeah.

Rob Woody: Especially acting, voice acting, voiceovers. It’s still subjective, and I try to keep that in somewhere in my brain when I’m reading for something.

Sharon Cline: Not to take it personally. Right. Man, my ego gets in my way so much. But I really appreciate your pointing that out to me, because that’s something I think I can hold on to on the days where I’m really struggling to feel like I’m good enough, or feel like it’s worth the effort. Um, and I know that people have some resources where they have a group where they can get together and talk about it. It’s almost like support that keeps your mind positive. Um, but that’s kind of what I feel like I’m doing right now on the show, having different voiceover artists come on and tell me what it’s like to be them for a little bit, because then I feel like seen to, you know, I feel heard, too, because so many similarities are pervasive throughout the industry. What’s something that you’ve learned over the last nine years about voiceovers that you think, or just being an audiobook narrator? Anything in the voice world that has been really surprising to you?

Rob Woody: Surprising? Maybe a couple of things. This is a little more granular from a sound sound engineering perspective, because we we have to edit a lot of our own stuff, right? You don’t understand how many noises your mouth makes because your ear doesn’t pick it up. It picks up nothing. And the first few times I edited my files, I thought, oh my Lord, do people hear that? They don’t, but that sensitive microphone does. And then when you play it back at an amplified volume, you hear these little pops and clicks and oh my goodness, get that out of there.

Sharon Cline: There are days where I have nothing, no sound. And it’s so great. And I’m like, I feel everything’s so easy. And then there are days where I just. I don’t know what I’ve done, but that’s all I hear.

Rob Woody: I haven’t eaten Pop Rocks in 20 years, but it sounds like there’s a pack in my mouth that’s that’s surprising. Um, from a high level view, there’s a lot of work. There’s really a lot of work. And I know there’s a concern about artificial intelligence. I like to think most people are going to opt to work with human beings. If you’re watching some, quote, boring training video, maybe that’s what AI is for. But there are plenty of people that would love that job too. So that’s my thought on that. I haven’t probably done my due diligence on artificial intelligence as much as I should, but that’s where I stand on that.

Sharon Cline: Well, if you’re just joining us, we are speaking with voice actor and audiobook narrator and podcaster and producer Rob Woody, who’s here in Georgia. I wanted to say that artificial intelligence is something that comes up a lot with almost every business that I’ve spoken to, any owner, they’ve kind of they’ve talked about the pandemic and then how AI is affecting their industry. How did you survive the pandemic?

Rob Woody: My day job is putting up window treatments for interior designers. I’ve worked really all over the country, from most of it in the southeast. 90% of it’s here in the Atlanta area. But I’ve worked in Beverly Hills, I’ve worked in Florida. That level of person or that income level, they have the money to do their thing. So we did kind of willingly took a few weeks off, um, just because nobody knew what was going on in March, April of 2020. And then we slowly started working again. We’d just do one job a day, try to limit contact with what we did. We were able to survive that. And at the same time I thought, well, this is a great idea to dip my toe a little deeper in the voiceover over water, because up until then, you mentioned 2015 is when I started. And technically, that’s right. There were times that life would get in the way or my self-esteem would just decide to leave. And sometimes you just get in a habit of what you do every day and your dreams take a back seat.

Sharon Cline: And then ten years goes by and 15 years goes by.

Rob Woody: You get busy coaching a little league team or you get busy. Well, we’re home a lot more. Let’s, uh, let’s paint this room since we haven’t had time to do it. Now we’re at home. April of 2020. Let’s buy some paint and paint the room like a lot of other people did, which was, those are all good things, but you can make your life so busy you don’t have time for your dreams. And sometimes people ask, oh, how are you? Oh, I’m really busy. Is that good? I mean, it’s good, but if you’re not pursuing something worthy that 20, 30, 40 years later, you’re going to regret not pursuing, maybe it’s not good.

Sharon Cline: I think a lot of people during the pandemic working from home and kind of making their own studios because even voice actors weren’t going to studios, so they had to have their own equipment. I think a lot of people kind of use that time to make their own studios, and I had just started voiceover school January of 2020, and then March is when everything kind of happened. And as much as I tried to get equipment, I really struggled. Everything was sold out everywhere. But I’m grateful that there were such resources for me to be able to understand how to set up my own studio, which we call a DAW, by the way. And, uh, you know, different mics and, um, you know, the sound, the sound absorptions and moving blankets and all of that. So initially I was in a closet and now I have my own little booth. But it’s interesting to think that during the pandemic, this actually kind of exploded in this realm, you know, the voice world. Um, and then also, what was it like for you trying to promote and advertise? Like, do you put anything on Facebook about yourself or how do you kind of get the work that you get? In other words, we’re not out there in, you know, the public all the time promoting ourselves. It has to be more digitally. So how do you do that?

Rob Woody: My Facebook account is more personal. It’s mostly friends and family. I do have Instagram. I have a LinkedIn, which is probably way out of date, and that’s one of the last things I haven’t revamped yet. So that’s on my.

Sharon Cline: We’re friends on LinkedIn as of today. Just to let you know.

Rob Woody: I’ve redone my website. I’ve Instagram’s kind of personal stuff, but it’s it’s usually, oh, I did this cool workout or look at this pretty sunset or oh, here’s a new voice project that I just finished or I’m about to work on. That’s pretty much what my Instagram is. Or look at my cute dog. Isn’t he silly?

Sharon Cline: It’s a little bit of all of of your life. Yeah, that’s what mine is.

Rob Woody: But it’s a lot of people want to know a little bit more about you, not just I try not to over promote because I know I get weary of that. And there’s a lot of great actors and voice actors that I follow. Some do a good job of not over promoting, but they’re at such a level they don’t have to either. So I try not to over promote, but I could. I probably need some lessons and.

Sharon Cline: I think I do too.

Rob Woody: Um, and that kind of thing.

Sharon Cline: The struggle is real for sure, because, um, unless someone really needs a voice and are looking for a voice actor or, you know, someone to do a commercial for them, or business wise, it’s very difficult to know if you’re just, like, annoying the heck out of people by saying, here’s the book I just did or whatever. Um, and like, like you were saying oversaturation. I don’t want to be in people’s faces all the time, but the part of me wants, you know, okay, we’ll get sick of me. At least you’ll remember me. So, like, I struggle, like, who’s going to look at me? But then I want you to look at me. So that’s where my head is with that.

Rob Woody: It’s. It’s a tough balance.

Sharon Cline: Yeah. For sure. What was it like when you got your first professional job? Your first booking?

Rob Woody: It was a children’s Book, and it was only about eight minutes long. And I was actually in, I think I was in North Carolina when I found out that I had gotten it. And it it was a leprechaun book. It was like a little Saint Patrick’s Day leprechaun adventure book. And I just put.

Speaker3: On a little Irish accent and did about five minutes of research on how to do it. And oh, you’ve got the job.

Rob Woody: Wow. And it’s an Irish publisher. Okay. Pretty soon those thoughts creep in of am I an imposter? Is this is this what imposter syndrome feels like? But I’ve been doing this for 30 years since I was 12. Now I’m just actually using it.

Sharon Cline: That’s so exciting. What’s the name of the book?

Rob Woody: It’s called a Saint Patrick’s Day. A Saint Patrick’s Day adventure.

Sharon Cline: Okay, everyone should go. Listen.

Rob Woody: It is fun. Yeah, it’s. And it’s a project that I would have least expected.

Sharon Cline: But that’s the way things work out.

Rob Woody: Like we said earlier.

Sharon Cline: Yeah.

Rob Woody: You can think you nail something and then crickets and you think you just. I’ll just blow that off and I’ll read for it because it’s good practice, right? It’s like stepping up to the batting tee and hitting 100 balls because, you know, you have a game tomorrow and you may get to see three balls to swing at. So you just you do the auditions, you try to put some care in into it. Don’t just completely phone it in, but sometimes you phone it in and you don’t realize it. Um, and then the project I got right almost back to back because I had done several auditions and uploaded them as a batch, was a nine hour military science fiction book. And I thought, am I over my head now?

Sharon Cline: That’s amazing.

Rob Woody: But I had plenty of time to do it. Their deadline was, and I still finished it a couple of months before the deadline. And I like science fiction. I grew up with Star Trek and Star Wars, so that’s kind of in my wheelhouse. And I the good thing is, because it started out as more of a side hustle, I get to choose what I audition for. I don’t have to just pick something because, oh, well, that’s going to pay the bills a little better than this one. I’m more or less paying the bills, but I want my name attached to this project, or I would like my name attached because that’s me.

Sharon Cline: I love that you’ve got discernment. You’re not just throwing yourself out there to everything. You’re being, um, you’re looking at things critically.

Rob Woody: As I kept doing it about a year later, I started thinking my great grandkids could hear me read books or whatever project. That’s pretty cool. If I never make another penny doing this. There is stuff out there right now that will hopefully survive me, and if I have great grandkids, generations down the line might be able to hear my voice reading a story. What a great way. And I thought that was just more fuel to don’t quit, don’t stop.

Sharon Cline: So those are the tools that you use in order to keep yourself going on the darker days or the more difficult days. Is thinking about the bigger picture?

Rob Woody: Definitely. And I listen to podcasts and some of them are business related. Some of them are more fitness focused. But one common theme is don’t have a zero day. There are days when all I do is I’m tired when I get home or it’s just been insert fill in the blank happened. Okay, I’m going to I’m just going to submit one audition or I’m just going to record something. I’ll go to my little studio down in the basement, record something for five minutes, or even just do some research on something or something you’ve already recorded. Spend five minutes editing. And that way when I go to bed, I know, okay, I chipped away at that marble a little bit more. No zero days and you can apply that to anything if you’re trying to gain muscle. I didn’t work out today. We’ll do ten push ups before you go to bed. Or if you’re trying to lose weight, walk ten minutes back and forth to your mailbox. Don’t have a zero day. It is so important in your mind that that little pilot light stays on.

Sharon Cline: I think that’s the key. What you just said right now in your mind, because it is a mind game. It’s constant mind game for me. I overthink everything, but I do have zero days and I’m not proud of that. So I’m thinking I’ve never really thought. Let me just do one because I feel like if I’m if I go to the booth and I’m going to just do one, I’m probably going to do a bunch because I’m there, might as well I’m in the mode. But I didn’t think how I can convince myself of just doing one audition. I don’t know, five minutes, five minutes is nothing. So I’m going to actually employ that, give that a try so that I feel like I have I have progressed even a little bit for the mental, um, confirmation that I haven’t given up or that I’m still if I’m, I’m moving energy around and wants it.

Rob Woody: One other thing I found out is many of those times where I just think, okay, just check the box, do this a little bit of work. All of a sudden you get a little burst of energy. Oh no. Well, I’ll edit for ten minutes now or I’ll just I’ll record something else. And before you know it, you’ve done twice what you were planning on doing without really any more mental effort.

Sharon Cline: That’s great. Do you find that there are days that you’re doing you’re recording a book and it just goes so smoothly and everything’s wonderful. And then there are days where one sentence is a struggle. I find that for myself.

Rob Woody: Definitely. Um, but I pivoted on that, and I’ve started building my own blooper reel.

Sharon Cline: No kidding.

Rob Woody: I have a I have a blooper reel that when when something screws up or I screw up, or there’s just a weird noise somewhere that bleeds through into the studio. Okay, open the blooper file. Cut and paste. Good use. Use that for fuel later. You? I like to laugh. I like to make people laugh, so.

Sharon Cline: That’s.

Rob Woody: Awesome. Let’s just use it.

Sharon Cline: Oh, I never thought of that. I just usually get really mad. I’m like, damn it, I can’t get this sentence out. No matter what I do. Or that truck keeps driving up and down this road and I can’t get that sound out. I’m telling you, I’ve never thought of making it kind of funny. That’s hilarious.

Rob Woody: Who cranked up the leaf blower?

Sharon Cline: I know right now.

Rob Woody: It’s 8 a.m..

Sharon Cline: Dog coming from like that. You know what I’m telling you? Oh. That’s hilarious. Good for you. What a great way to look at it. To, like, make it something fun and funny rather than drudgery, which it can be, you know, and.

Rob Woody: It’s still an effort sometimes I’ve, I’ve lost both of my parents in the last three years and.

Sharon Cline: Sorry.

Rob Woody: That was honestly, that was a driver, especially my mom, about three years ago. And, um, that sort of gave me a kick in the pants to stop feeling sorry for yourself. Just go do it. She was always behind me on whatever that I was doing. Go make her proud.

Sharon Cline: Oh that’s wonderful. Using things that a lot of times people will use as an excuse to to not do things, use them for fuel.

Rob Woody: And also, I have a teenage son and he’s watching me succeed. He’s watching me fail. It’s kind of important that they have some kind of role model, because there’s not a whole lot of fun out there for them to look at. Sometimes, yes, but ultimately they’re watching you.

Sharon Cline: I think whatever they do see on social media is a very curated, very crafted, um, fake, you know, counterfeit presentation of what real life is like, you know? So, yes, it seems as if so many people are so successful and they’re having this great life, but there’s nothing showing what it was, you know, to get them there or what’s behind that, or how they have days where it’s good and bad. So everyone wants to show the good. Me too. You know, I don’t love exposing my flaws, but I wanted to ask you. What? How do you describe your voice? What if you had three words? I was asked that recently and I was like, okay, three words.

Rob Woody: Wow. Gosh, versatile. At least I think it is. Um, maybe not versatile like Prince. Versatile, but there’s only one prince. Um, pretty good mimic with a lot of things. Also calming. I’ve heard that. I heard that a long time ago.

Sharon Cline: Calming.

Rob Woody: Or it can be.

Sharon Cline: Well, I’m thinking, um, like, credible. That sounds like, uh, if you were going to be reading a medical journal, I would be like, okay, this is important to hear. This is a.

Rob Woody: Real doctor reading.

Sharon Cline: This is a real doctor. I would believe this. You know, that’s one of the words I used to describe me, like conversational is another one. Warm, authentic. Those are the kinds of words that I’ve been told I could use. So I just don’t think too hard about it. I just use those kind of the basics. Um, but I like the mimic part. So what are some of the mimics? What are some of the mimicking things you do? Obviously you can do an Irish leprechaun.

Rob Woody: I grew up watching the Dana Carvey era of Saturday Night Live, so that was my training ground. Uh, sometimes you do a little Bill Clinton. I mean, you just gotta stuff like that. It’s. I just enjoyed making people chuckle and never had a theater class. Never.

Sharon Cline: You just get the energy of it, right?

Rob Woody: I do get the energy. And I do like entertaining. I’ve just never thought of myself as an entertainer.

Sharon Cline: You know, they will ask with voiceovers. They’ll say, you know, can you do something that sounds somewhat like Scarlett Johansson or, um, you know, a different actor? And so if, if you have that in your wheelhouse. It’s so nice to be able to pull out different character voices.

Rob Woody: Phil Hartman was one of my favorites. Oh, I love Hartman. It was so tragic what happened to him. I know, but you could put that guy in any skit and he would. He would fill a crack, basically. Okay, we need a guy who’s just going to be. We need a dad to sit on the couch and talk to his son about drugs. And we’re going to make it a little funny, but Phil could do that. Phil could be Frankenstein, or. He was so versatile.

Sharon Cline: I saw an e! Hollywood story about him. E true Hollywood story. I think they called it about him and his wife and what happened with them. And he was interviewed about auditions, and he said that there came a point where he just really didn’t care if he got booked for whatever. And he said, I don’t know what it is about that release of the outcome, but the minute I stopped caring, I started getting booked for everything. And I never forgot that because the idea of just auditioning for the best I can in this moment and releasing it out to whatever feels so much more authentic when you do get get the job because you weren’t trying to change anything about yourself, you’re just being 100% you. So if it came to you as whatever job you got, it was meant to be yours. I love that, but I don’t always do that. But you mentioned him, and that’s the first thing I think about is the fact that he had kind of released, but he meant it too. He was just like, I don’t care, you know? Anyhow, I miss him too, because I still see a lot of his work that’ll show up, like on my TikTok reels or whatever. And I just think there wasn’t anything he did that I just didn’t think was funny and believed and was entertained by.

Rob Woody: He had a knack of it goes to what you said about him having fun with it. Yes, he’s had the training. He went to the to the He did all the classes. He did the schooling. But then you still have to put it out there and perform because you want that. Good job. Have fun with it, do the training, do the reps, and then have fun with it because your audience will know if you’re having fun. So true. Robin Williams was a master of of that. You just you knew he was having fun.

Sharon Cline: You felt it definitely. When when you auditioned for a job, do you feel like you can you can feel it when you know that you’ve kind of hit the note that you think that they want because there’s like a your voice can really reflect whether or not you’re believing what you’re saying. It’s amazing how you can hear a difference.

Rob Woody: Yes, I thought I really nailed one recently. It was a I think it was a young adult. Like one vampire faction is going to war with another vampire faction.

Rob Woody: So of course, I took a slightly dark, lightly British smoky aspect to the older brother.

Rob Woody: And then there was a younger brother, and he was a little more flat and diabolical. I thought I nailed it. Never heard back, but it was great practice. Yeah, I discovered a new voice.

Sharon Cline: So true. When you are recording a book, do you read the entire book first?

Rob Woody: No. Well, it depends. If it’s an eight minute Saint Patrick’s.

Sharon Cline: Day kids book, you could spare the minute and eight minutes. Yeah.

Rob Woody: Now, what I will do sometimes is read the whole. Read the chapter. Okay. What’s what’s going to happen? But sometimes I like to be surprised because maybe they want to hear that. I don’t want to play surprised. I want to be surprised and be a little more genuine. If you ask five different voice actors, they might give you five different answers.

Sharon Cline: I’m part of a voiceover group on Facebook, and some of them are audiobook narrators. And just the other day, someone posted who reads the entire book before they record the entire book, and 90% of them read the entire book. And there were just a few that were like, I’ll read a couple chapters ahead. And I was one of those don’t read the entire book. I don’t I just want to kind of get into it. But there is wisdom in reading the whole book because several of them were saying, well, this is why I get to figure out where the character is going. I get to inform, you know, the audience of the growth that the character is going to go through, because I already know what’s going to happen. That’s true, yes, but I think I might be lazy and I just want to do it once I get it. So I don’t always I read maybe a little bit ahead, but I don’t really go through the whole thing. I like the idea of being in the moment to where I see this part coming, where I’m about to have a very high emotion in whichever way they’re sad or happy or whatever. I feel like I can. It can feel very authentic and spontaneous, you know? A realness to it because I’m experiencing it for the first time that way. But I was curious. I haven’t talked to anybody else who does audiobooks either like this, so I’m really glad to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t read 100% the whole book.

Rob Woody: And from a technical perspective, you identify any words maybe you haven’t seen or how is that pronounced? So it’s that’s really the main reason to forge ahead.

Sharon Cline: And well, usually also the author will send notes on each of the characters. So I know the character breakdown. I’ll know that there are five women, so I’ve got to come up with a little different sound for each of them and how to pronounce their names and things, um, which is so helpful. But yeah, good to know. Good to know.

Rob Woody: It is helpful. I’ve I’ve asked for that from a couple of authors and they’ll just say, oh, have fun with it. I trust you and like, you don’t know me, do you?

Sharon Cline: Wow. That’s faith.

Rob Woody: It is faith. And so far I haven’t disappointed.

Sharon Cline: But so would you say that you have a fearless formula to keep yourself going?

Rob Woody: I you guys probably all hear it, but don’t quit. You may have to step back for a day. You may need a vacation. You may need to go camping in the woods for a week. I would love that. I like to hike and backpack and. But don’t quit if there’s something. If there’s something you’re going to look back on when you’re 85 and go, why didn’t I do that? Maybe I would have failed, I don’t know, but why didn’t I check that box? Well, I shouldn’t have quit. Don’t quit.

Sharon Cline: I love that. I also love someone asked me recently what what would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do if you knew that you would get what you wanted? Um. And I would be braver. You know, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t doubt myself or second guess myself so much or be afraid of how someone’s going to feel if I ask them, you know, can I meet with you to do this or that? Or. I’d like to learn about this. Would you be willing to spend time with me? Usually I feel like this is such an imposition. No one’s going to want to do it like that. But if I knew 100% that they would be on board, well, I would ask. So I have tried to do that this week. I’ve been employing the idea of not letting, um, my own doubts decide for me, as opposed to my just forging ahead and just letting someone else surprise me because I do get surprised sometimes. It all works out great.

Rob Woody: And imagine if you took that perspective or any anybody took that perspective in a larger view, how we might set our goals a lot higher.

Sharon Cline: So true. Yeah, I’m my own worst enemy sometimes. Guilty on my own. I’m my own advocate too. Who else is going to fight for me? You’re right. I mean, I love I love the idea of expanding that into something that is even scarier for me. You know, the idea of rejection or I’m imposing on someone’s life, um, stops me a lot. But people ask me all the time, how did you get into voiceovers? And, like, can we meet sometime? And I’m always like, yes, and I do. And it doesn’t bother me at all. So I need to assume that other people are going to think positively about it too.

Rob Woody: And to to kind of frame my background a little bit. I didn’t mention this earlier. I have had a few classes. Oh, good for you. I’ve had I’ve taken probably 4 or 5, maybe 5 or 6 classes in the last 5 or 6 years. Whatever. Whenever time and money allow to take a class, Atlanta VoiceOver studio is a great resource. They do all kinds of classes there. They can recommend economical equipment for your home studio, or if you’ve got a bigger wallet, they can recommend something else. I’ve taken classes online, in person from people that actively work. They do video games or really cool class I had. It was remote, but it was still neat. Um, I had a class with the lady that does Jimmy Neutron.

Sharon Cline: Uh, delivery?

Rob Woody: Yes. Yes.

Sharon Cline: Uh, or is that how you say her name? Derryberry. Derryberry. I follow Terry.

Rob Woody: Terry. Derryberry.

Sharon Cline: I follow her on Instagram. She’s wonderful.

Rob Woody: It was like an hour and a half or so class, and there were 30 or 40 of us right there on the zoom.

Sharon Cline: But how was it?

Rob Woody: It was really good. And every time you take a class, you’re going to learn something you didn’t learn in so-and-so’s class.

Sharon Cline: I watched an Instagram of her, uh, talking about how she was able to come up with a voice for a character. She just had a piece of paper with a character drawn on there. So taking information about this character. Will they have braces or whatever it was? Inform the sound. And I mean the way that she was able to break down, um, logically, what she thought someone should sound like based on the drawing. Oh, I thought it was the most fascinating thing, and it really matched when she was like, and this is the voice. And she said it. It’s like, wow, that’s amazing. I could I love the idea of that because it’s something I can figure out for myself, too. Um, so I’ve never even known she did those classes, so that’s good to know. Something I can look into as well just to listen to.

Rob Woody: She did this through Atlanta voiceover studio. Got it. Even though she’s in California. Um, Debi Derryberry, I believe that’s that’s her name. I thought it was Teri, but I knew it rhymed.

Sharon Cline: Yeah, she has a. We’ll get.

Rob Woody: Close.

Sharon Cline: Um, if someone were going to get started in this industry, what would you advise them to do?

Rob Woody: Practice. If you have kids, read, read books, take a class. Those are my sons, 15 up until age 12. I read him books. Story time was every night. He’s read. Let’s see. I’ve read. How many Harry Potter books are there? 7 or 8 of the originals. I know I’ve read 4 or 5 of those cover to cover with characterization. Wow, that was the ultimate proving ground. And some days you phone it in, oh, it’s your seven year old. They don’t care if you sound like Dumbledore or not. You’re reading them a story, but it’s still practice. And that was huge for the success that I’ve had. And also taking a class with other peers and hearing other professionals give you feedback. Immensely important.

Sharon Cline: Gosh, I feel really inspired to be able to maybe take some more classes that are local here because the Atlanta market, it’s wonderful in so many ways. Um, and I never really thought about the fact that even though I have my own reels and I’ve been doing this for a while, I could really use a refresher of someone saying to me, maybe you could go this route or that route because they’re a professional, like, I want to be advantageous with my time. So if there’s a way that I can, you know, be in a market that’s sort of more curated for the way I sound, I would really appreciate the feedback for that, too. I never thought about it.

Rob Woody: It also gives your you kind of get your own feedback, because maybe you’re in a class with 30 people. Everybody gets up and does a read and you can. I know judging is bad, but we all do it. You can tell yourself I did really well or I got work to do, and you can kind of see how you can rise to the top.

Sharon Cline: Would you say? Would you say that it’s nerve wracking to be in front of your peers and try to be brave enough to hear their feedback? How is that for you?

Rob Woody: Honestly, for me, and again, I’m going to go back to my age because I’m a little older than somebody starting something in their 20s. It doesn’t bother me. Now, if I was 25 again, I’d probably be a little more sensitive. But thicker skin and some things bounce off you osmotic. You got to be semi osmotic. Let’s go deep science here. So some things you let through. Other things maybe they don’t get through.

Sharon Cline: But you have the discernment.

Rob Woody: Either way you’re going to learn something.

Sharon Cline: Because I’m thinking for myself, I’d be so nervous to do a voiceover in front of other students or people who know the industry well enough to know if it’s good or not.

Rob Woody: No, totally. And there’s.

Sharon Cline: Always feeling.

Rob Woody: There’s that little bit of a butterfly every time that I’ve ever done it. But I think that’s good. That means you’re excited to be there. That means you’re having a good time. You care, you want to perform well, but then you just take a breath, step in that batter’s box.

Sharon Cline: I love the sports.

Rob Woody: Rely on your training and let it rip.

Sharon Cline: Well, Rob, Woody, I’ve just really enjoyed our conversation today. I love speaking to people who are, um, have different experiences in the same industry because I get to learn, hopefully not by doing the same kind of mistakes. I get to learn from your wisdom and feel inspired just to spend this time focusing on the one thing that is my side hustle, um, gives me just enough energy to to want to go home and do some good auditions. So thank you so much for coming to the studio.

Rob Woody: You’re very welcome. It was my honor to be here.

Sharon Cline: Well, how can people get in touch with you if they would like to.

Rob Woody: Uh, you could check out my website. It’s got all my demos there. It’s Rob Woody jr.com and which is r o b w o o d j r.com. There’s a link there or a tab for my podcast if you want to check that out. The podcast is I just look at old uh, out of print short stories. I’m a sci fi guy, so I look at old Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov. Most podcasts are 20 to 40 minutes. I’ll voice the whole story, narrate it, do a little voice characterization if there’s dialog, and then see what I’ve learned from it, add five minutes to the end of it and oh, what did I pick up from this? What did you pick up from this? Awesome. What I’ve learned about short stories is they really beg more questions, because you don’t have 400 pages to tell a story. You have ten pages.

Sharon Cline: I want to say Shawshank Redemption was a short story that got really? Yeah, that got turned into obviously a very big movie, but it was just in the Green Mile, I believe was a short story. Stephen King did, like a little book.

Sharon Cline: But interesting because I never thought about the fact that it’s not sort of spelled out for you. It leaves a lot of interpretation and thought, which is intriguing if you like that kind of thing.

Rob Woody: So I do, I always I loved watching the old black and white twilight zones, and my favorite stories are the ones that are sort of like a twilight zone, where there’s a little twist or something you’re not expecting happens.

Sharon Cline: So. True.

Rob Woody: I’m on Instagram as well. Are Woody, 76, on Instagram? Got it. And I’m on LinkedIn, but I’m still in the process of redoing that.

Sharon Cline: Are you on Facebook as well?

Rob Woody: I am, that one stays private. Gotcha. That’s, uh, I maybe should make a public one, but.

Sharon Cline: Man, we have so many different channels these days for social media. You don’t have to do all that if you don’t want to.

Rob Woody: But there’s so much to do, and I don’t have a person to do it for me. So I have to pick and choose bootstrapping all the way, baby.

Sharon Cline: Rob, thank you so much for coming in. I’m just so enjoyed it. And you’re welcome. I’d love to have you come back sometime and tell me about some of the other things that you’ve learned along the way as your career progresses. And, uh, and thanks for the inspiring words. I’m hoping that whoever is listening to feels inspired, no matter what industry they’re in, to just keep going.

Rob Woody: Definitely, uh, keep keep going. Do the reps.

Sharon Cline: Don’t give up.

Rob Woody: Don’t give up. Get your rest.

Sharon Cline: Drink some honey and tea. Do the.

Rob Woody: Fundamentals. Yes. Fundamentals are huge.

Sharon Cline: Well thank you and thank you all for listening to Fearless Formula here on Business RadioX. And again this is Sharon Cline reminding you that with knowledge and understanding, we can all have our own fearless formula. Have a great day.

 

Lindsay Gainor with Two Men and a Truck

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Lindsay-GainorLindsay Gainor started her journey as the Vice President of Human Resources and Talent Management for ServiceMaster Brands in late April of 2024. Gainor is the head of HR for TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK®, and Merry Maids®.

In addition, Gainor is tasked with building out talent management, which includes performance management, engagement, learning, and development and DEI for all of ServiceMaster Brands.

With more than 10 years of experience in HR and people-focused areas for private and public companies, Gainor brings along a wealth of knowledge. In her past roles, she has served as Human Resources Manager, Head of HR and Continuous Improvement, and People Operations Consultant for McDonald’s, and most recently, as Senior Director of Talent Management for Acrisure.

During her time with McDonald’s, Gainor provided HR consultation for about 40 corporately owned restaurants. While serving as Senior Director of Talent Management for Acrisure, she was tasked with delivering a talent and engagement strategy from onboarding to leadership development through extensive change and program management.

She also developed a diversity and inclusion program, led the implementation of a Workday Learning Management System and Performance Management modules, launched Acrisue’s first employee engagement survey, and developed a performance management program.

Gainor’s people-driven mindset along with her passion for helping others and her extensive experience and knowledge will guide her as she develops, launches, and supports employee development initiatives and creates impactful employee engagement programs for TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK, and Merry Maids. She’s a graduate of DeVry University with a BSBA in Human Resources and Davenport University with a Master of Business Administration.

Gainor holds HR certifications from both SHRM and HRCI in addition to being a Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths Coach. Gainor is originally from Jenison, a small suburb of Grand Rapids, Mich., and has a passion for hiking, backpacking, and any outdoor activities.

Connect with Lindsay on LinkedIn.

Service-Master

Olivia Newell and the Team from Theory Salon

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Theory Salon is a culture that provides visionary looks with a world class customer experience. With a welcoming environment and luxury product lines like L’Oreal Professionnel and Oribe, we value integrity.

You will find through our passion for one’s craft, our dedication to establishing a salon that works with purpose and meaning.

Commitment to innovation, and continued education is a must, because we know that it is integral to keeping our skills sharp and our artistry inspired.

The driving forces behind the Theory Salon experience are to provide unparalleled hospitality and extraordinary hair artistry.

Olivia-headshotOlivia Newell is a small business owner in Woodstock that does it all, from hair and makeup to consulting for other local businesses.  She is a L’Oreal Professionnel Educator and she grew up in the Woodstock area. She graduated from the University of Georgia in 2013 with a degree in Public Relations.

For over 18 years, Olivia managed, staffed and trained in the salon industry upon opening Theory Salon with her two business partners. She firmly believes in continuing education and travels from New York to LA throughout the year to train, coach, and mentor other salons.

She has a passion for both hair and makeup, while specializing in cutting, blonding, balayage. Olivia is a L’Oreal Pro Certified Balayage Artist, Network Expert Color Specialist, as well as being Keratin Complex Smoothing Treatment certified.

When she’s not behind the chair making her clients laugh, you can find her planning her next travel adventure or spending time with her hubby, son Sullivan and three pups!

Andi-headshotBeing a Woodstock native, Andi graduated from Paul Mitchell and joined the Theory family in summer of 2021.

Andi specializes in blondes, where she is a true perfectionist and stays busy foiling her clients. She also holds a certificate for Keratin Complex Smoothing Treatment.

When not at the salon, you can find her by any body of water or cuddling up with her pets.

Lacey-headshotLacey is from Modesto, California, and joined the Theory team in the early spring of 2019. She attended Kennesaw State University before pursuing her passion for hair in 2016.

Lacey has a love for balayage, pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain. She considers her chair a safe space for all conversation and values each unique relationship the hair industry has brought her.

She is Theory Salon’s L’Oreal Color Ambassador where she holds a certification in the art of color.

Jess-headshotJess is from right here in Woodstock!  She graduated from Chattahoochee Technical College with her Master Cosmetology License in 2020 and spent a year working with wigs and toppers.

Since starting at Theory she has grown a passion for natural lived in color as well as formal and bridal hair styles.

Outside the salon, she is teaching children’s choir at her church or coaching her swim team!

Emma-headshotEmma is originally from McDonough Georgia, but raised in Kennesaw.  She graduated from Chattahoochee Technical College on the President’s List with her Cosmetology Certificate.

Her goal is to provide a welcoming environment for her clients and be a creative asset to the Theory team. Emma loves color and is a head spa guru with our Japanese Head Spa.

In her free time, Emma enjoys exercising with her dog Bella and continuing her education with hair.

Follow Theory Salon on Facebook and Instagram.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Woodstock, Georgia. It’s time for Cherokee Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Stone Payton: Welcome to another exciting and informative edition of Cherokee Business Radio. Stone Payton here with you this morning. You guys are in for a real treat. Please join me in welcoming back to the program with Theory Salon, Miss Olivia Newell. How are you?

Olivia Newell: I’m good. Thank you so much for having me back.

Stone Payton: It is a delight to have you. What have you been up to since we talked last?

Olivia Newell: So many things. And I’m even more excited because today I brought some of my girls from the salon. So I’m so excited to have them here with me.

Stone Payton: So the last time you and I traded emails. I think it was you had some exciting news about New York Fashion Week and then it blossomed to even more stuff. Get us updated. Yes.

Olivia Newell: So last time I saw you was last year, right before our fall market and right before I was heading to New York Fashion Week for the first time, which was really cool. Um, so I went on the trip. It was fabulous. I worked for BP, who is the owner of the boutique brand. He’s from Italy, and I had the honor of working with him last year at New York Fashion Week, and I got to work for him again this year. Um, and then after the fashion week was over, we got offered to do, like a partnership with him. Um, and that kind of in itself looks like fashion weeks for Paris, Milan, London, Berlin, all these exciting opportunities. Um, another thing that I think is so cool, I’ve always loved, like, the fashion world. And this partnership with him will help lead us to do brand campaigns such as like Dolce and Gabbana and Fendi and Prada. Whenever they’re doing like photo shoots or commercials, will be the team that they call to do, like hair, makeup, nails were a part of that, like boutique family now.

Stone Payton: Well, congratulations on the momentum.

Olivia Newell: Thank you. My business partners and I were leaving next week for Milan to officially sign on and and get the team started.

Stone Payton: I didn’t mention as we started, but we’ve got a studio full. Tell us who you brought with you.

Olivia Newell: Yes, yes. So today we have Lacey Lang. She’s one of our stylists.

Lacey: Hello.

Olivia Newell: Andi Dirk. She’s one of our stylists.

Andi Dirk: Hi.

Olivia Newell: Jessica Inibit. As I say, last time, I’m like, I don’t know how to say this. She’s one of our stylists. And then Emma Cosentino. Okay.

Emma: Hello.

Olivia Newell: The last names are hard.

Stone Payton: All right, well, let’s start with you, Miss Lacey. Tell us a little bit about what drew you to? To work at theory?

Lacey: Oh, yeah. Gosh. Forever ago. Um, I started at theory. Well, I started actually, Olivia had a different salon in a different place, and I was led there. Um, when I was in college, I started doing hair and myself, just like, in my bathroom. And someone suggested, um, that salon and I interviewed with Olivia and was just, like, all work so hard, please. And so she hired me when I was 19. Wow. Um, yeah. Like weeks.

Stone Payton: Ago.

Lacey: So I’ve worked with them for almost nine years, actually. Yeah. So it feels amazing. Um, and I went through their apprenticeship program. So from the very beginning of my whole hair life, I’ve been with Olivia. So thankful for that. I tell you what. Um. And. Yeah, now to being a I’m a level three stylist at theory, so that’s super cool. We just got promoted.

Stone Payton: Um, Congratulations.

Lacey: Thank you. And yeah, getting to. I never in a million years would have dreamed to be traveling to do hair in other countries or anything. And, um, it’s been such a beautiful. Yeah, journey to get to do that and to meet incredible people and work behind the chair. So cool.

Stone Payton: So what do you remember about that initial interview? What kind of questions did you have to field, or did you ask all the questions?

Lacey: Oh no, I didn’t know what to expect at all. Um, I do remember I went in to interview after another girl who really looked like she had it, um, and I had quite.

Stone Payton: Literally took the air out of her tires and it.

Lacey: Yeah, I had just cut all of my hair off in my bathroom. And so Olivia asked me like, what do you, you know, what’s your experience? What do you know about hair? And I was like, you’re looking at it, babe. This is it. Um, but I told her that I would clean toilets. I would do whatever. Um, but she just. Yeah, she was so warm and welcoming, Um, and was really kind of like, you know, we’ll teach you what you need to know if you’re willing to put in the work.

Stone Payton: So you mentioned the apprenticeship program. Say more about that.

Lacey: Yeah. So you can, you know, go to beauty school, which is kind of a traditional way to move through that process. And you learn everything quick. And then you go into a salon and you learn more. And the apprenticeship program is takes you longer, but you just it’s all hands on kind of stuff. So I’m working under a mentor and yeah, starting from the ground up just in salon work really.

Stone Payton: So so I have the same question for all of you. And then my, my next victim is Emma. But what brought you to theory? Why theory? Because you you’ve got some choices, right?

Emma: Yeah, I actually don’t even I don’t live in the Woodstock area, so it took a while to figure out where I wanted to work. And when I was looking for salons, it was actually the New York Fashion Week that really, really drew me in because, you know, I started simple. I went on Google salons and Woodstock, and then I went through websites and Instagrams, and when I saw theories, Instagram. It was first. Lacey’s tattoos that, like, really drew me in. I was like, okay, this place is cool. It’s him. Like, there’s a lot of freedom. And then I saw their New York Fashion Week and I was like, oh my gosh, I can do my dream in Woodstock. I kind of always assumed that if I wanted to get to fashion, I would have to go towards the city. And so to be able to do it and kind of a small town, you could call it and get to accomplish something so big is my like final decision. I was like, I have to go here. So I submitted an application and I was interviewed and I was kind of hired in my interview. I feel like she basically was like, well, look at you.

Stone Payton: You go girl.

Emma: I had already done hair school, so I did the more traditional route. I spent a year and I went to Chattahoochee Tech. They have a hair program there, and I graduated last year in November and then got theories position in December. So I’m I’m the baby here. I’ve in the process. I assist some days still and then I’m in the process of taking clients. So I have two client days and then three assistant days. So they do it very gracefully. So the more I build my books and the more comfortable I get, I’ll get granted more days. So that’s really cool.

Stone Payton: I get the sense that the onboarding, the development processes here are pretty robust. Is that your experience, Jess?

Jess: Yeah. So like Olivia kind of said, I’ve been working with theory for almost two years in January, and I actually came to theory already as a licensed hairdresser, having just shy of about two years. I was working for a different company, and I, I knew stuff about hair, but it was my first time, like in a real salon environment. So I was like, I don’t know what the heck I’m doing. It’s like, I need help. I need some guidance. Um, and so I actually interviewed with Olivia’s mom, who’s one of the other owners, Joy. And she was like, she’s like, if you want, we can give you a few days. But she’s like, if you want to assist, it would kind of be a cool way for you to get used to a salon environment and all that kind of stuff. And so I was like, yes, please, please, please, please. So I assisted four days and then I already had a day behind the chair since I already had a few clients. So it was like like Emma said, it was a very nice way to get into it and start building the clientele and everything. Yeah.

Stone Payton: So how do you get new clients? Is it a lot of referral? I mean, you can’t really do typical sales and marketing or maybe you can. Yeah.

Jess: So there’s there’s so many different ways social media has a big impact in it. Um, for me personally, I’m very involved in my church. And so a lot of my clients are from my church, which is amazing and so much fun. Um, and then, like, kids, you know, if you ever get kids in, then the mom wants to come to you and everything like that. Just being a happy, fun person. Family wants to come see you because you’re just having fun. You’re having conversations, you’re enjoying each other. It’s it’s really easy. You can go so many different ways to build a clientele.

Stone Payton: All right, Andi, it’s all butterflies and unicorns, as far as I can tell. Give us the real dish here now. Tell us about your experience.

Andi: So I did go to Paul Mitchell and once I finished.

Stone Payton: Steve and I have heard of Paul Mitchell. Yeah, there’s Paul Mitchell and Olivia Newell.

Andi: That’s so funny.

Andi: Yeah. So I went to Paul Mitchell. And then once I finished there, I did interview at a few different salons and theory salon, I think was like the second or third place that I did interview at. Olivia interviewed me. And funny enough, at that time there was no AC.

Stone Payton: That’s a tough environment to recruit in.

Andi: It was, it was.

Andi: And you know, I yes, I actually had extensions at the time and, you know, jeans and a long sleeve shirt. Um, and, you know, Olivia gave the interview, you know, using the papers, fanning both of us at the same time.

Andi:

Andi: I felt like it was very welcoming. And I really enjoyed the environment, the energy. That sounds very young to say. Um, but I think that whenever we do walk into places, you can feel energy. Um, and so, yeah, I mean, since then, I was an assistant for six months, I want to say seven months. Um, I was very nervous to go on the floor. And actually, I remember in our salon meeting, I thought that I had two months before, um, going on the floor. And Olivia looked at me and said, nope, you’re going next month. Actually, within a few weeks. And so nervous. Um, but if she wouldn’t have pushed me, then I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. So I’m so thankful. Very grateful. Don’t get me wrong, the industry is hard. You know, things aren’t given to you. Um, but within time, you know, your hard work does pay off.

Stone Payton: So say more about the salon meeting.

Andi: I’m intrigued. Well, more so, like.

Stone Payton: Margaritas Mondays.

Andi: Or I wish. No.

Andi: Um, but. So every Thursday morning, we do have class and so that kind of goes on a rotation. It is a mandatory class. It kind of keeps up with our education. Um, and so I believe once every month or once every two months, we do have a normal salon meeting to kind of check in with everyone, see if there’s any issues that we have, kind of go over any issues that we have. Also with being on the floor with some of our clients. Um, and so, yeah, just tons of education, which is great.

Stone Payton: So how long have you been at it at this point?

Andi: So 2019 is whenever I started going to beauty school, I would say 2020 was when I started working at the salon. Um, and so it’ll be going on my fourth year.

Stone Payton: Fantastic. So at this point, what are you finding the most rewarding? What’s the most fun about the work for you these days?

Andi: Um.

Andi: I don’t know. I feel like it’s.

Stone Payton: Okay to say.

Andi: Cash. Yeah.

Andi: Which sounds bad, but I do really enjoy all of my client relationships. Um, I think that that is very great. One of my clients just got married, and it was amazing to kind of go through her engagement to, you know, hearing everything. Um, as well as, you know, I have heard the downside about Passings and just kind of being there and over time, you know, your job is still hard, but these are all like your friends, you know, granted, you do have to be professional, you know? Um, but yeah.

Stone Payton: So I really I have that question of everyone and we’ll just go around the table. So I’ll ask, uh, Jess next, but I am genuinely interested in what’s, um, what’s stoking the fire for you these days, because in my experience, that can change and evolve over time. How about you, Jess? Yeah.

Jess: So my my kind of direction for my career has recently changed very much. So, um, I love being behind the chair and doing, like, lived in, um, specialties, whatever that may be. But I’ve really grown a love and passion for bridal. I love doing bridal hair. It’s so, so, so much fun. The cool thing about the hair industry is there’s so many different things you can do with it. If you want to, you can be like just a cutting specialist. You can be a color, you can be a stylist. There’s so many different opportunities. So if you want to, you can kind of change it up with whatever feels fun and everything. But for me, recently, I’ve really been into the bridal stuff and everything has been so much fun.

Stone Payton: Is there any interest of anyone here in specializing in old men with broken dreams?

Lacey: There’s not a good market.

Andi: Not a good.

Stone Payton: But but you, you do cut men’s hair or you don’t.

Andi: Yes, sir. Yeah, yeah you do.

Jess: Yeah, we all do.

Stone Payton: Oh, wow. Okay. All right, Miss Emma, it’s kind of a hard act to follow. I’m sorry. I’m making you.

Andi: Follow.

Emma: I feel like I fall a bit with everyone. I have to agree with Andy that, like, the relations with your clients you have are super duper huge. You learn so much about people, and it. It makes your job so fun. It doesn’t feel like you’re working. You just have these friends all day and then even your coworkers. It’s like, I forget I’m working when we’re bored, we just. We do each other’s hair. We hang out in the back like it never feels that stressful or that you’re working. But the most exciting things for me have just been the opportunities. I love the idea of getting to potentially travel and whatever that looks like. The fashion weeks is definitely my biggest dream and that’s something I want to be involved in, even if that’s just standing in a corner and watching like that would feel like such an accomplishment. But I mean, there’s so much fun. Me and Jess recently did like a branding photo shoot, and that was super fun to do and meet these girls and do their hair and have this whole networking group that we created, and it felt very professional, but also so, so freaking fun to get to do this thing. And we we rented a studio and we did everyone’s hair and we took pictures and it was a blast. And I loved being able to do stuff like that. Anything that’s networking really is up my alley.

Andi: Yeah.

Stone Payton: And I’m going to come to you on this, Lacey, but I want to dive more into this branding shoot, because that’s a whole different ball game, right? Yeah.

Jess: It was our definitely our first time ever doing it. It was just kind of fun because we both have really enjoyed styling and everything. And so we both just wanted an opportunity to show our work and get connected. I mean, that was one of the main things that Olivia always talked about, like branding yourself with other owners, other businesses, other things because it’s it’s just fun at the end of the day, getting to know other people in the industry, whether it is in the hair industry or we connected with a young photographer. And it was just so much fun just getting to hang out with all the girls. And like Emma said, we kind of got an opportunity to tip toe into that whole, like, professional world of doing people’s hair, having a timeline, like all that kind of stuff.

Andi: Oh, I bet.

Stone Payton: There is a lot of. I would think there could be some pressure, right? Time pressure that you got to. Oh, yeah.

Emma: Oh, it was stressful trying to figure out like, okay, we need the studio for this amount of time. It’s going to take us x amount of time to do each person’s hair. The photographer needs this amount of time to get the photos. And it was stressful and it went by so fast. But at the end of the day, it was it was really cool to see our work payback with the photos we got.

Andi: Oh, I’ll bet.

Jess: And the girls just had so much fun. That was really fun. They were like, I’ve never had my hair done before.

Andi: Yeah.

Jess: We got you girls so much fun.

Emma: Yeah, the outfits we brought, like, a whole wardrobe for them. And it was a lot. A lot of fun.

Stone Payton: It sounds like a lot of fun.

Andi: Yeah.

Emma: Got to make some content with it, which is always exciting and so necessary. Now with the industry to have your social media up to date.

Stone Payton: So you could add this to your portfolio and oh yeah, this.

Emma: Will be on my Instagram. I’m on the radio. Yeah, yeah.

Andi: Same same same. Very cool.

Stone Payton: What are you enjoying the most, Miss Lacey? What’s what’s fun about it these days for you?

Andi: Oh, yeah, I know.

Lacey: Well, and now we’re like a broken record because I definitely. I mean, I love doing hair. I love, um, it’s so cool because hair is definitely, like, such a tangible thing that you can, like, see, so visually your ability to improve. So, you know, looking at the pictures that I took when I first started and being like, wow, I’m so good at this. And then seeing those pictures now, like, wow, okay, girl, you really did that.

Andi: Um.

Lacey: But that hair, like, especially going through the apprenticeship program and, like, working under a mentor who is another one of the owners at theory that I remember when I was assisting that one of her clients moved the day that she came in to get her hair done so that she could see me while I was assisting. And that really opened my eyes to like, wow, there’s a whole ecosystem that exists inside a salon that matters to people, you know? And I got Christmas gifts from these clients. And I mean, yeah, to have these moments where you are sharing and like Andy was saying, like, you know, processes of people, you know, dating, getting married, having children and then doing their children’s hair, you know, and that it’s not, you know, hair is hair, but it’s not just hair either. It’s these like incredible. Yeah. It’s just incredible. And then yeah, all the coworkers. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Ridiculous. You know, you come into the salon and you.

Speaker9: Have.

Lacey: You never know what you’re going to walk into.

Andi: It could be a fashion show.

Lacey: We could be crying on the couch. You know, we could be making people dance for their discount. You never know what’s happening. Show up on Halloween and see what’s going on. See what’s going on on Halloween. So it’s always something and I leave. I mean, pretty much every day being like, wow, I can’t believe this is my job. People really cry going to their jobs, and I get to just have like, the absolute best time of my life.

Stone Payton: It didn’t dawn on me that Christmas cookies and in your case, just, you know, maybe I would bring some deer sausage or something.

Andi: I’m into that. I’m into that for sure. Please share.

Stone Payton: It’s part of the comp.

Andi: Package, right? Yeah.

Stone Payton: So who at the table is, is or has traveled for this New York thing? Is that anybody at the table traveled for that.

Lacey: Oh well we went so we haven’t done a fashion week, but we have um, Andy and I have been to the Academy in New York, the L’Oreal Academy, and I’ve taken some classes and y’all.

Stone Payton: Are dropping some names that even I recognize.

Lacey: Yeah, it was amazing. Um, we are a L’Oreal salon, and so they obviously the biggest beauty company in the world. So getting to be educated by some of, I mean the top people in the world is, I mean, mind blowing. But to continually be able to like, wow, this is so cool and be kind of on the cutting edge of stuff.

Stone Payton: So in just a moment, I’m going to get Olivia back on the microphone and ask her some questions, which is why I’m going to ask him a first before she has to go. Emma and Olivia are sharing a microphone because they brought like the whole team. And I got this little bitty, you know, I don’t know if Olivia needs a microphone. Did you hear that? Uh, but I’ll ask him this first, and then we’ll head over to Olivia. But again, I want to hear this from everybody. Interest, pursuits, hobbies, passions outside the scope of your work. It’s no secret I like to hunt, fish, and travel for my listeners. But, Emma, you nerd out about anything else.

Emma: I don’t know, I feel like my life now is all about beauty. Like everything I watched my Instagram, everything is something beauty related. But I’m a big crafty person picking up how to crochet. I don’t know what I’m gonna do with it yet, but it’s fun. Something to do with my hands. I definitely need to stay busy. It’s what I’ve noticed and one of the reasons I got in the industry, it’s like it’s a hands on job. I’m on my feet, I’m talking, I’m moving. And so I do anything outside that can keep me busy working out or crafts, I would say, are my biggest things.

Stone Payton: Neat. How about you, Jess?

Jess: Um, well, like you said, I love hunting. I am an outdoorsy girl. Um, grew up with a bunch of fun. Fun? Like, country uncles and stuff like that. So anything outside I absolutely love. And then I just, I love community, I love hanging out with people. So any opportunity I can to just hang out with my friends, go shopping. I love like the symphony. I love going and seeing art museums, stuff like that. So anything kind of like that’s fun for me.

Andi: Well, in.

Stone Payton: My experience has been and it sounds like maybe yours too. There’s not like this hard line between this is my work. This is my play. This is my community. It for a lot of us, I think it all kind of blends together.

Jess: Oh, yeah. For sure. I mean, like Andy said, community also comes from my clients in the chair. I mean, so many of them are friends prior to being clients or to a degree, come become really close friends after when they come into their appointment. It’s like, so how was the date? Did you have so much fun or be like, did you get your dress for prom or stuff like that? So it’s fun because they do interlock a lot.

Stone Payton: Yeah. So Andy, you collect stamps, what’s your deal? Um.

Andi: Honestly, a lot of my time outside the salon is either shopping. I do have a spending problem.

Andi: I was right about.

Stone Payton: The cash thing earlier. Right? It’s a direct.

Andi: Connection.

Andi: Um, read.

Lacey: Her like a book.

Andi: Yes.

Andi: Um. Or recently, it’s been working out. I’ve been getting into fitness and trying to lose weight. Um, down 22 pounds, which is very exciting.

Stone Payton: And we made you walk right by those donuts on the way in. I’m sorry about.

Andi: That. No no, no.

Andi: Um, but, yeah, that’s pretty much my life. And hanging out with my dog.

Andi: Oh, you’re a dog person.

Andi: I am my boyfriend, my high school sweetheart. He drives semis, so he is gone a lot. So kind of. You know, my dog is my best friend. Sure.

Andi: So. Yeah.

Stone Payton: Lacey, what are you into? If you’re not cutting hair or styling hair.

Lacey: Oh, yeah. Um, I play pool, actually. Yeah, I’m on a billiards team, so that’s pretty fun. Yeah, I went to Las Vegas to play in the World nine ball championship this year. That was really cool. Um, yeah. So that’s kind of I mean, most of the time I like after work, try to talk the girls into, like, you guys trying to go play some pool. It works. Every once in a while, you should see Olivia on a pool table. She’s pretty good. No, she’s shaking her head, but that’s. That’s not true.

Stone Payton: Lacey could probably beat you with a broomstick, right? Right. Yeah.

Olivia Newell: It’s terrible.

Stone Payton: So I’ll tell on myself. I got a marketing degree. This was a long, long time ago. You could see I’m a little longer in the tooth than everybody else in this room. Uh, But I didn’t go to class a lot. And so I got, you know, kind of good in pool and ping pong and actually, I got good enough in ping pong to call it table tennis. Okay, okay. So I hit the next level, and I discovered that I was like, you know, the king of the hill in my little pool room. But, buddy, I didn’t have to travel a mile down the road to find somebody better.

Andi: Yeah, that’s. Yeah, but.

Stone Payton: You’re you’re hanging out with the big dogs. You went to, like, the nine ball.

Andi: Yeah. I mean.

Lacey: I can’t say that we did super well being there, but having made it was so cool. Yeah, but I play on a team, so it wasn’t just me. Most of the guys on my team are really great. My boyfriend and I play together, and so there’s eight people on my team, and all of them managed to to get us there. And I got my little pom poms out and oh.

Andi: Yeah, it was great.

Stone Payton: And so regularly here locally though, you’ll go play like in a league or something. Yeah.

Lacey: Yeah I play on the APA. Mhm.

Stone Payton: Yeah that sounds official. That is fun.

Lacey: It’s the amateur pool association.

Andi: Very cool. Yeah.

Lacey: Yeah it’s super cool. It’s really fun.

Stone Payton: I love asking that question. You just never know what you’re going to learn about people. All right. Olivia. I do want to dive into the particulars of this whole partnership, the New York Fashion Week. But and I’m really looking for and I know our listeners are, too. Just insight on how you how you you get a little aperture, a little opening to do some good, and then it just continues to build and snowball. That is not pure luck. There’s there’s something you’re doing to create what you’ve created and to, to have this new opportunity.

Olivia Newell: I think I have a slight obsession. My my brain doesn’t turn off like my I always laugh. One of my business partners, Lita, like my best ideas come at night. So she’ll she’s very used to getting, like, a 1 a.m. text. Like, I got this business plan. We got to save this much money for a down payment, and we got to do this, and then we’re going to go here, and we’re going to go there. And she wakes up and she’s like, okay, just run the numbers. But like sounds good. So she’s always like on board to my my crazy. Um, but yeah, I actually spent some time with them this weekend. My husband threw me a surprise birthday party and I was happy birthday, 1,000% shocked and it’s very hard to get something past me. So he did good. But I was outside in my backyard by the fire, talking to my mom, my business partner and Lita and we were just chatting. And I’ve always wanted to fully embrace like a true motto for our business and our salon and what we stand for. And I’ve always had one, but I would say that it was like a generic motto, like we’re a luxury luxury salon, we offer you a high end experience, blah blah blah.

Olivia Newell: But there was no like story to it. And I feel like as S3 business owners have been together for going on eight years, I feel like we finally have like our story to tell. And I think the main focus that I was realizing this weekend is I love that our salon literally sees all walks of life. Like, you don’t come in and see everyone with lived in blond extensions and feel like, oh, I can’t get my hair done here. Like, I don’t look like that. We have. I mean, I think you’re the the newest baby, Emma, 21, all the way up to my mom, who’s 70. So we have so many different generations of women that work in our salon as stylists that you will see everyone from, like just said, children all the way up to like people are getting driven there from the nursing home, like all walks of life. So I love that. Um, it’s just so great. Like the girls were saying, the community of people and you just get to know, you know, our community so well and everyone’s so great. It’s awesome.

Stone Payton: So three owners. Yeah. And so how do you, if we’re not getting too much into the secret sauce, how do divide up the responsibilities. Responsibilities.

Olivia Newell: It’s great. I, I truly have to say I would never ever do a salon by myself. It is so hard. You’re always working, never a day off. But having two business partners, I mean, we laugh all the time. Like, this is my second marriage, I’m married to my husband, but I’m also married to my mom and Leah with the business. Um, it’s great. Like throughout, you know, I have a four year old Covid happen. All the things throughout all of that. It’s been a nice shift. Wherever one drops the ball, the next one picks it up. Um, we’re always there for one another. We’re always in constant communication through our group text. Um, we try to make sure that at least one of us is in the salon all the time. We’re going to be gone for a week, though. You girls are gonna have a party, I know it, um, but but yeah, it’s, um, it’s it’s good. Um, it’s almost like, unspoken, unsaid what the responsibilities are. Everyone just knows. And if you can’t do your role for whatever’s going on in your life, it’s. You’re given such grace that I truly am so thankful to have them as my business partners. It’s it’s been an incredible journey with them.

Stone Payton: Okay, so say more about this partnership. Kind of share with us again how it got started and where you think it’s headed. And any counsel that you have for other people that are trying to scale or trying to really leverage good relationships like that in, uh. Uh, a tangential is not the right word. Connected businesses. Yeah.

Olivia Newell: I think my biggest thought on that is just say yes to everything. Um, I from the minute we opened theory, my thought was I want everyone when they hear that word to know that it’s a salon and Woodstock. So it was just about like getting the name out there. So I was like, almost like business to business, like door calling, just going to businesses, dropping off our business card, introducing myself, offering the owners to do free hair, um, whatever, whatever I could do, and then any kind of like networking event, the ypo stuff that they have in Woodstock. I was there every week on Friday morning at 8 a.m., um, just doing all of the things anytime that someone wanted to do a photo shoot or a fashion show or literally anything, I’m like, yes, we’ll be there. Yes, my my team will come. We did an event a few weeks ago in downtown Woodstock at one of the boutiques. We did like a braid and, um, Tensile bar. So we’re going everywhere. We’re doing all the things. Um, so I just think that’s a good way. And I’m so proud to see, like my younger two girls, I talk about them like they’re like my family, but, um, my younger two girls like, it makes nothing makes me more happy than to see them, like, have such a passion to, like, network and brand and put themselves out there. Because I truly know that, like, that’s what’s worked for me. And like you said, the secret sauce. And so I love that they have that drive within. And I feel like my job as the leader is just to like, smooth that and like, shape it. So yeah.

Stone Payton: Fantastic. All right. Before we wrap, I would love to leave our listeners with a little bit of advice. Counsel. I call them pro tips from from the four of you. Um, so put a little thought, since I give you all this advance notice into you’re speaking to the world. So now you get to go on record and, I don’t know, maybe you want to focus your comments on a younger person in there. They’re considering a career in this arena. Counsel for them or, I don’t know, maybe coach a client on what to be looking for in a, you know, maybe they live in a different town and these are the characteristics they ought to be looking for in a salon. But let’s leave them if we could. You know, each of you, please, maybe a pro tip or something. Andy, can we just put you on the hot seat just right out of the box like that?

Andi: Um, my biggest advice it’s going to be towards stylist is don’t give up. This job is very hard. It’s going to take a lot of time. Stay that extra hour two hours after the work day, you know, to get that client in. Because who knows. You know they’ll come back. Their friends will come back. Um, don’t ever turn anyone away. When I first started, it took a lot to be confident and comfortable having consultations with clients and figuring out, okay, this is what she wants. Have no idea how I’m going to get there, but I’m going to get there. You just need to keep trying. And over the years you will get better. Kind of like Lacey was saying, looking back at pictures. Um, the other thing is find your salon that you truly love. Because as much as I hate to say it, you know, there can be very toxic salons and you want to be able to go into work knowing that you’re around your friends all day and that you can go and ask them for advice. And, you know, and if you’re not enjoying it in that salon, that might just not be the salon for you. That doesn’t mean that the industry isn’t.

Stone Payton: Very nice, Jess.

Jess: Um, I was actually going to kind of say basically what Andy was saying, but this is to the stylist, because I know this really had a big impact for me, but I struggled really hard with finding a salon that I felt safe in. It’s a very vulnerable industry. You can be brought down very easily. Um, and theory really stood out to me when I was looking at just in their in their Instagram post, the Instagram post literally said no drama. If you have drama, we don’t want you.

Andi: Yeah, and here’s your.

Stone Payton: Recruiting tip.

Andi: Guys. And it’s it’s.

Jess: Funny and it’s silly, but that actually is very important in an industry of women, which are awesome. But oftentimes we can tear each other down so easily. And it can be a competition and finding somewhere that you feel like you can be an individual, but also be a part of a team at the same time is very, very important. And if you can find that you’re going to grow and thrive in the industry in a way that you never thought you could.

Stone Payton: Fantastic. What do you think, Miss Emma?

Emma: So I have to kind of tag team all of them, like the industry can be so discouraging. And as a baby stylist, I’m seeing that kind of firsthand. It really takes a while to get established. But education, I would say, is so important. The industry is constantly changing, and I mean, season by season, there is something bigger and better, and there’s always going to be a better stylist than you. So I would say it’s so important to make sure that you never stop learning. And that’s something I’m so grateful about. Theory is not only do we have classes weekly on education that we learn from, um, our stylist ourselves, or we have like guest come in and teach us, but we also are partners with L’Oreal, so we get so much free education from them, which is huge because I, I know, at least from theory, I will never stop learning from them. And then what I decide to do outside of there, you know, it’s always beneficial, but you always need to keep always need to keep learning. Everything’s always changing.

Andi: That is.

Stone Payton: Good counsel. So, Lacey, if you’ll mention L’Oreal one more time, I could send them an invoice.

Lacey: Yeah, mine’s definitely similar. Um, but like, definitely focusing on having your. It’s so great to go and, like, have your friends there, but like, having strong like, mentorship in the salon, like me knowing that I can go and that we have I have a relationship with our owners that I can bring up anything that I feel like I’m struggling with, that maybe I feel like, you know, the that we just need as a community and feeling heard by the people that, um, that run your salon or that, you know, I know that I can go to Olivia, I can go to my specific mentor, Lita, and be like, I don’t know what I’m doing, you know, going in the back and having my freak out and, um, having somebody that’s going to guide you that is not, you know, in the weeds with you. Um, yeah. Finding, finding a mentor.

Andi: You know, stuff.

Andi: And it’s not only when it comes to owners or different people coming in for classes, it’s also other stylists. And, you know, not to shout out Lacey, but, um, Lacey has helped me grow a lot because with the owners, sometimes they’re a little farther in advance sometimes, and it needs to be dumbed down to beginner. Um, but Lacey has helped me a ton, um, throughout my journey and given me advice. I mean, I’ve lost friendships because I valued, you know, my work and where I want to be in my future. And that kind of happens throughout all walks of life. Stop crying.

Andi: Um, love you girl.

Andi: But, you know, it is a big thing that, like, Emma can come to me or, you know, anyone and Lacey as well, or whoever, and be like, what do you think of this formula? Or what do you think of how I’m going to go about this haircut? And it’s not a judgmental like, you don’t know what’s going on. It’s, you know, very true and honest and is like, take a second, breathe will formulate through this together. And the other thing is Lita, one of the owners, she will question you and she will make you stand there. She will ask you a question about why you’re formulating this, and you will stand there and she won’t give you the answer. But over time it has really helped you learn. But anyways, yeah, love my girls.

Andi: Olivia.

Stone Payton: I know we stole the microphone from you, but you must be absolutely beaming with pride.

Andi: Yeah, to be like a little mama bear. Proud. So proud. Wow.

Stone Payton: This is fantastic. Congratulations on the momentum, the insight, the perspective. Ladies, it has been an absolute delight having you in the studio. And we’d love to have you back sometime. Olivia knows I’m being quite sincere and maybe keep us updated on the on the progress, but this has been a delightful way to invest a Monday morning. Thank you all for coming and joining us.

Andi: Thank you so much.

Stone Payton: All right. Until next time. This is Stone Payton for our guest today from Theory Salon and everyone here at the Business RadioX family saying, we’ll see you again on Cherokee Business Radio.

 

BRX Pro Tip: Thriving as an Introvert Entrepreneur

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BRX Pro Tip: Thriving as an Introvert Entrepreneur

Stone Payton: Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, this topic is definitely for you in your wheelhouse, a product of your life experience, but talk a little bit about thriving as an introverted entrepreneur.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, this is one of those things where you’re an introvert and then you’re thrust upon, hey, I got my own business here. Maybe I was just laid off, and all of a sudden now I’m in the mix here, and I got to, you know, find my own clients. I have to go out into the world and do a lot of the things that I’m not comfortable doing. I don’t like to do public speaking. I don’t like to schmooze and network. So, I was forced to kind of go out into the world and lean on my strengths as an introvert and drum up business that way.

Lee Kantor: So, here are some of the things that I’ve done to leverage my introvert strengths. So, some of my introverted people strengths are my listening skills, and my ability to connect dots in unique ways, and engage and build relationships with people who don’t know each other and be that kind of person who helps other people find hidden gems and things like that.

Lee Kantor: So, those were my superpowers, and the way that I kind of leveraged them at the beginning is I would join networking groups and do things like that, which I did not like and did not look forward to. So, I said, how can I use these active listening skills, the ability to ask good questions, the ability to find hidden gems in the business world, how can I leverage that and grow my business?

Lee Kantor: So, that’s where, obviously, Business RadioX came along. I figured out a way to lean on those superpowers. And that’s what I found that helps a lot of introverts, if they want to go to market in their local community as an introvert and don’t like doing those traditional networking things, being a Business RadioX Studio partner can be a good fit for introverts because we spend our time looking for interesting guests. That’s how we go to networking meetings. We’re not trying to sell anybody anything. We’re just saying, “Hey, do you know anybody that’s doing interesting work? We’d love to interview them.”

Lee Kantor: Then, the activity that we’re doing on an ongoing basis is interviewing people, which is active listening and asking good questions. And when we do that, we find those people who are doing unique work, and then we can help connect them with other people who are doing unique work. And we can explore ways to work together down the road.

Lee Kantor: So, all the things that introverts are good at, Business RadioX requires you to be good at that as well. And for introverts, that means they can go about their day doing all the things that they’re good at and not really have to do a lot of the things that give them stress or give them anxiety. So, that’s why introverts really thrive in the Business RadioX ecosystem.

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