angishields, Author at Business RadioX ® Page

BRX Pro Tip: Undivided Attention – Another BRX Superpower

February 11, 2025 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: Undivided Attention - Another BRX Superpower

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BRX Pro Tip: Undivided Attention – Another BRX Superpower

Stone Payton: And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you, Lee. I know I’m a little bit biased. I think there are a great many advantages to the way we approach serving people, helping people, and making money. But one of our superpowers is we really are able to create an environment where you garner undivided attention.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. And a lot of people are saying this is kind of the time where attention is the most valuable currency and the most valuable service or service you can provide your clients. And it’s something that people don’t realize how divided a person’s attention is. And when you’re doing so much of your work, if you just think about yourself, when you’re watching TV, you’re probably not just watching TV; you’re on your phone doing something else, and you’re listening to something else. So, your attention is constantly being divided.

And one of our superpowers at Business RadioX, especially in a studio, is that we have the ability to – I don’t want to want to say force because that’s too strong a word and it happens voluntarily – we can capture our clients’ and their clients’ and their guests’ attention, and we have their undivided attention for the time they’re there. When we go into a studio and we put headphones on everybody, and we teach them how to speak into the microphone, and they can hear everybody’s voice so clearly in their headphones, they are not on their phone, they are not on their laptop, they’re not listening for why is the dog barking. They have their attention just focused in on the person speaking.

And this is one of the most effective tools to prospect for new clients. And if you have a way to get their undivided attention, you have something that nobody else has. And that’s what we deliver to our clients day after day. When they bring guests into the show, we have their undivided attention. They are only listening to the voice of our clients and the voices of each other. And it’s just a really difficult thing to capture. In today’s world, there’s not many activities you can be doing where you capture somebody’s undivided attention.

This is one of the main benefits that partnering with us delivers time and time again to our studio partners and to their clients. We teach them how to capture the undivided attention of the people who mean the most to them. When you’re interviewing your best prospects or your referral partners in a Business RadioX studio, you are going to get their undivided attention. I promise you, there will be no multitasking, there will be no looking at their phone, there will be no playing with their dog, they’re not going to be playing some video game. They are going to be looking you in the eye and listening and hanging on every word that’s being said. Undivided attention is so scarce nowadays, but it happens every single day in the Business RadioX studio. So, if you want the undivided attention of the people who matter most to you, please connect with the Business RadioX studio partner, and we’ll show you how to get that.

Investing in People: How Small Businesses Can Thrive Through Strategic Project Management

February 10, 2025 by angishields

Sandy Springs Business Radio

Investing in People: How Small Businesses Can Thrive Through Strategic Project Management

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On this episode of Sandy Springs Business Radio, Ramzi Daklouche interviews Dr. Kene D. Ewulu , an expert in organizational leadership, project management, and coaching. Dr. Kene discusses his extensive background in architecture, project management, and academia, offering insights into effective leadership and the evolving post-COVID work landscape. He introduces his accelerated Project Management Professional (PMP) certification program, which condenses the traditional five-year timeline into 17 weeks. The conversation also covers the importance of cross-training, hybrid work models, and lean management principles.

Dr. KD Ewulu is the CEO and Lead Coach at KDE Leadership.

He has been an architect in Africa, since the 80s, a sales professional in the UK in the early 90s, and a registered architect, project manager, professor of leadership and project management, trainer, author, and public speaker for the last 20 years.

He possesses an EdD in Leadership, an MBA in Management, Bachelors and Masters degrees in Architecture, a sustainable design credential LEED-AP, and a Project Management Professional certification PMP.

Dr. Ewulu consults for many companies in the leadership training space, one of which is Pryor Learning, since 2019.

Connect with Dr. Ewulu on LinkedIn and Facebook and follow KDE Leadership on Facebook.

This 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: This episode is brought to you by V.R. Business Sales, Atlanta, guiding business owners and buyers through successful transitions with trust and expertise. Visit Vrbas world.com or call (678) 470-8675 to learn more. Now here’s your host, Ramzi Daklouche.

Ramzi Daklouche: Thank you. And oh my God, this episode of Business RadioX Sandy Springs is going to be amazing. I have someone that resume is bigger than the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Dr. Kene. Dr. Dr. Kene welcome to the show.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Thank you. Ramzi.

Ramzi Daklouche: How are you today?

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: I’m very well, thank you.

Ramzi Daklouche: Good. Listen, I’m not gonna try to mess up what you do for a living or what you’ve done or your background. So why don’t you kind of give us just a very short version of what you’ve done, where you are right now, and what you’re up to?

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Okay. My name is Doctor Kene. My doctorate is in organizational leadership. I’ve been an architect and project manager since 1987. I’ve led design firms in in Africa and in the United States over the last 30 years. Basically, apart from being a project manager, I rose up to become a principal of an architectural firm in Columbia, South Carolina. And that was in the mid 2000. And since then, I went back to school to learn how to run a company, not just being a great architect or a great project manager, but I needed to learn how to run a company. And so I went back and did a doctorate in leadership, and that took me straight into academia. I became a professor teaching organizational leadership and project management. I’ve done that for ten years. But I realized something that while I was a professor, I was basically teaching students who just wanted to get an MBA and get a job for me to impact the corporate world. I needed to talk to train and coach decision makers, and that’s what took me into the coaching field. I’ve been doing this for about nine years now.

Ramzi Daklouche: Awesome, man. I’ll tell you, that’s very impressive. Especially different continents, not countries, continents you’ve been in. This is really amazing. So how does how has your diverse experience in architecture, sales and academia shape you shaped your approach to leadership?

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Well, architecture was an eye opener. Okay. You go in there, you’re artistic, you’re creative, and you think that that’s all that is required. But as a budding architect, you realize that you have to be a successful Social minded business person, and that means you got to mix well, meet people earlier on while they still had dreams in their minds, and you were able to articulate those dreams and convince them that you’re the guy to put their dreams into reality. And so there’s just so many other skills that architects don’t realize they have to have in order to, to survive, in order to thrive. And so I learned that halfway that not just being an architect, but being able to sell yourself, being able to let people know exactly what it is you do and how you can bring value to their own initiatives. That’s what it takes to be an architect. And of course, getting into academia opened up the theoretical aspect because you see, yes, we all know that experience works well. It’s good to be practical, roll up your sleeves and get in the trenches. However, if that is not backed up by theoretical knowledge, then you have a problem. You’re shallow. So a mix of that makes me more. I’m ready to jump into the trenches. I’m ready to educate, to mentor, to train. I’m ready to research and I’m ready to collaborate, whatever it takes to get a great, uh, outcome. I’m ready to do that.

Ramzi Daklouche: It is very interesting what you said. So if you just practical knowledge is always good, you have to have it. You have to have the will, the, the, you know, the the ability to kind of get the work done, but without the, the theoretical knowledge, it really is shallow. Can you tell me more about that? Because actually that point is very, very important. I see a lot of a lot of business owners, small business owners end up being technicians in their business. They’re really good, but without the knowledge, they really fail miserably in growing the business or actually maintaining the business.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Yeah, correct. So that segues into leadership. Uh, because if you don’t know, you can’t teach what you don’t know, okay. And some people have promoted themselves to what is called their level of incompetence. They’ve gotten so high right now that it’s obvious that they don’t know how to articulate themselves or bring value to their clients or to their customers because of the fact that they’ve been over promoted. They can’t bring value on the level they are at.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Okay. So that segues into the topic of leadership because that’s a different ball game altogether.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. So in leadership what have you seen? I mean you’ve been in it for a long time now. What have you seen lately in the business environment. How how how do you define leadership in today’s business environment?

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Well, Ramzi, in simple terms, I would say that leadership is the art of getting others to do what you want them to do. Now, that’s not manipulation. That’s just understanding what you need to get done and how to approach people to get them to willingly work with you to do those things. Okay. And that means understanding each person. And, you know, we’re all different. You’ve got to understand the keys to each person and give them what they want individually to get them to willingly give you 100% of their time and energies. That is leadership.

Ramzi Daklouche: So can you give me an example? You know, in your past or maybe leader you work with? Without mentioning name, of course. And that transport organization, what do they do? You know, what was the outcome?

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Well, I had a leader who he actually did employ me in a large architectural firm in Dallas, Texas that was maybe in the mid 2000, and he was a director of project management. And when I got to the interview, funny enough, I didn’t make it. They weren’t going to employ me as a project manager. And as I got downstairs, he called me up and he said, come on up. I saw something on your resume I want to talk about. And I came up and he said, it says here that you’ve got excellent listening skills. What are listening skills? And so. Well, knowing that I had an MBA forever, I sat down and I gave him a treatise on listening skills, and he said, I’m going to talk to management. I want you in my team. And that’s how I got that job. And then I became his Errand boy, so to say. The company didn’t want me. He insisted on having me. So I became his assistant. And so I had a run of most of the great projects in the company. And what I noticed there is each time I go to talk to really big people, owners of large shopping malls and all that, I’m talking of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: This guy, everything. He said the client took it on face value. He was honest. He was forthright. He was vulnerable. If he didn’t know anything, he would say, let me research on that. I don’t know that. If he tells you it’s going to cost X dollars, it’s going to cost X dollars. I just watched him operate. He doesn’t operate. He was just genuine. He was just himself. And I said, I got to be like this guy. So I modeled my way, my life to him. And I did what he told me to do when he realized that I needed to find my way through project management and get a get a PMP certification and what have you. He said to me, this is the way to go. And I went that way. And we’ve been apart for maybe 15 years now. But each time I crossed a milestone, he sends me a message on LinkedIn. He says. I knew I was right. My gut instinct was right. I was right about you. They were.

Ramzi Daklouche: Wrong. That’s awesome. You know, one thing you said about that leader that resonates with me is, you know, saying, I don’t know. Let me research that. Right. A lot of leaders are afraid of saying that out of confidence, right? Confidence issues stops them from saying, I really don’t know. I don’t have the answer. I’ll find out and let you know, or I’ll find somebody that can help you with it instead. So that’s that’s actually a very genuine leadership. Very genuine leadership.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Yeah.

Ramzi Daklouche: Very good. So let’s talk a little bit about can you share an example of a leader who transformed an organization and then especially post Covid post Covid.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Okay. Um, well post Covid, I would say I don’t want to sound.

Ramzi Daklouche: Things changed a lot since.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Covid. I don’t want to sound arrogant by saying I’m that leader, but I want to say that post Covid, a lot of things changed. Number one, a lot of people who were let go or who went home away from work during Covid didn’t return. And so most organizations right now that I get to coach and talk to are forced to do more with less resources. That means they don’t have enough people to do the work, and their people are stretched and are forced to wear many hats to get the work done. So what I see here is how can you get a lot more done with fewer resources? The first answer to that is cross training. You got to cross train your people in different departments so that they learn enough about different aspects to be dangerous.

Ramzi Daklouche: And make a more valuable action.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: That’s right. Cross training is very important. Number two, you got to give them flexible working arrangements. A lot of leaders are so rigid. This is how I do things and that’s it. You’ve got to give them flexible working arrangements, because when you make them happy, they’re going to work very, very hard for you off the clock. They’re going to work very, very hard for you when you’re not there wielding the big stick over them because they’re working from home. When they forget something or they are behind schedule, they can crack up their computers at 3 a.m. in the morning and get some work done without telling you. Hey boss, I did some overtime.

Ramzi Daklouche: But is there a balance between that? Like a lot of companies now trying, especially with the government now saying everybody has to go back, uh, you know, not remote back to the office. Is there a balance between remote and, uh, is there a hybrid model that works best?

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Yes, there is a balance. And I want to take us back to the to the inception of remote work. And that started with the big guys. Okay, the Microsofts and the apples and the yahoos way back 15, 20 years ago. Well, they’ve had ten, 15 years to try that model out. And now in the last five years, they’re asking their people to go back to the office. It’s data driven. There’s a reason why. Okay. Uh, if you’re a great supervisor, you can get the best, some of the best out of your people by supervising them remotely. However, most people who work from home cannot twiddle their thumbs. Okay. They give you six hours work for eight hours pay, and there’s no way you can know what’s going on. So I like the fact that there’s got to be a hybrid. Some people have to go back to work. There are people who can’t even work. Hybrid manufacturers and plants and what have you. Can’t work from home. Okay. They’ve got to go into the plant. Okay. So there. There’s just a group of people who can work from home or can have a kind of a hybrid type of style where they can work two days from home and three days right in the office. There’s got to be a balance. Moderation in all things. You can’t swing from one end of the extreme to the other. You’ve got to somehow find a balance that works.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah, you know what? That will take us the next thing we’re going to talk about. But actually, to get that done in a big organization, guess what you need. Project management, which takes me to the next subject we’re going to talk about. You’re an authority in project management, and right now you have, uh, you know, in your. On your site, in your company, you really try to work very hard to make sure you develop. That project management and help people get the project management. And it’s very, very important. What is, you know, what’s your take on it? What what does it benefit professional. Right. Some of. Some people are born project managers. Right. They’re very organized. Right. But it’s not as easy as. That so in your point of view what’s PMI. How does it work. Why is it so important.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Well project management is first of all everything is a project. Anything that has a start date and an. Ending date and takes resources is a project. And because of that, you’ve got to manage your resources. Optimally. Very well. So the motto for my business is to optimize your potential. It’s not maximize. Optimize is a higher level of, uh, of maximization. That means you’re getting more than the best. Out of the resources you have. How do you do that? By what we call resource reallocations. These are things. Basic standard techniques in project management. Okay. Um, you talked about the PMI. The PMI is an acronym for the Project Management Institute. It is the world’s largest, uh, project management organization. It’s been around for 50 something years. And they certify all sorts of project managers. I don’t want to start using the acronyms here, but I’m going to use it quite a few of them as we go on.

Ramzi Daklouche: Absolutely. Sure.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: You know, so basically, uh, apart from being part of the project management institute, um, they have two sets of things. There’s what is called the ATP, which is the authorized training partner. These are organizations. They have the ATP, which is a authorized training instructor. The instructors work for the partners. The instructors are individuals and they work for the organization. The organization is the one tasked with certifying people. The instructors are the ones tasked with teaching those people to be certified. However, the certification and the, uh, the permission to do that belongs to the instructor. The instructor can’t do his job without being attached to a partner, and the partner can’t train people without having instructors work for them. So it’s a symbiotic relationship. Okay. Now, in my company, which is called leadership. Um, I’m I’m both an instructor and my company is a partner. So this way, not only can I work for my company to train project managers, my company can also, uh, engage the services of other instructors in different fields in order to train project managers wishing to certify in different aspects. For instance, there’s a waterfall style of project management. There is the agile style. Then there’s a hybrid. Okay, the combination not every instructor is certified to train people in the agile. Not every instructor is certified to train people in the waterfall. But there’s a blend. And right now, they are all coming together. The Project Management Institute is insistent that all training has to be both of them together. So I am not just certified in the waterfall style, I’m also certified in the agile style. Otherwise, you’re going to get obsolete.

Ramzi Daklouche: Well, it’s like a one stop shop. So tell me about tell me more about this. What are you doing and how are you trying to get the word out about. I mean, everybody needs a project management, and I believe, you know, like you said, in essence, of everything you do in your life is project manage, right? It just depends at what point you need to be certified project manager. So how are you working with project management training right now? What’s your program look like?

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Well, right now I have a pet program. Two years ago, I ran a an entry level certification program called the Certified Associate of Project Management. That’s an entry level for rookies, interns coming in who want to certify and get a leg in the door of project management. Okay, so I ran that successfully this year, this March, starting next month, I’m going to be working with, uh, certifying project management professionals with Pmps. Now let me break it down. The PMP is the most recognized project management certification in the world. There are over 120,000 Pmps in the world. They are so sought after. All right. Just by getting a PMP, you can get a 36% increase in your salary or you go somewhere else. Your bosses know that. Your employers know that. Okay. So most employers are in a rush to certify their internal project management practitioners. Otherwise they certify themselves. They’ll go away to greener pastures. So there’s a big market for pmps out there. Unfortunately, the PMP will take you five years to get certified, and it will cost you in those five years and upwards of $9,000 to get it done. So what I have done right now is to find resources to get it done in 120 days. Online, it’s going to be a 17 week crash course, very intense in less than 120 days and at a cost a fraction of the cost of $2,500.

Ramzi Daklouche: So hold on one second. Something that takes five years.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Yes.

Ramzi Daklouche: It takes 17 weeks.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: 17 weeks to get it done.

Ramzi Daklouche: And how many hours per day is that?

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: It’s just 1.5 hours per night.

Ramzi Daklouche: Oh my God, are you.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Serious? A week, once a week. And it’s virtual. It’s online. So anybody from any part of the world can get enrolled in this program. Jump on it. And by June the 25th, you’re ready to take your PMP exams. It’s called a fast track. It’s not a bootcamp. There’s a difference.

Ramzi Daklouche: So can we back up a little bit because it’s very important. Very interesting. So right now, people in companies, right. They work in big companies or medium sized, whatever it is, size companies, even small size companies, right, that are working on projects, whatever project that is. Right. Everything they work on is actually a project. Anything after strategy, even strategy becomes a project to execution. Correct? You know that from literally anything. It doesn’t matter architect or business, sales or whatever it is.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Construction people, health.

Ramzi Daklouche: Health.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Health people.

Ramzi Daklouche: And so many of them right now are really working with systems and maybe lacking. Right. And they don’t know what they don’t know. So if they go through 17 years and I know it sounds like an advertiser, it’s not an advertising, I’m shocked. You go from 17, you go from five years to get your PMP, which some of them do, I’m sure to 17 weeks. And you can actually even either the company that you have appreciates you or you get appreciated somewhere else.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: That’s right.

Ramzi Daklouche: And you can actually say PMP certified, you can.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Once you know you have your you have the PMP appellation behind your name. Once you say like I’m Doctor Kene on the side PMP. Once you see that PMP, they know you are the apex of project management and you’re sought after and they better give you what you’re looking for. So when you talk about 17 weeks, it sounds as if it’s um, um, it’s it’s a fairy tale, but there’s certain things that cost you five years. One of those is you got to demonstrate 7500 hours of verifiable project management experience. That means you got to get people that you’ve done projects for in the past to sign off, that you’ve done those 7500 hours. Do you know how long? 75 hours, 7500 hours of project management will take you to, to to verify.

Ramzi Daklouche: A.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Whole lot? That’s between 3 to 5 years. That alone? Well, I’ve been pursuing the authorized training partner designation for my company, because once you get that and you run a course, anybody who successfully goes through that course automatically gets that 70 500 hours of project management experience.

Ramzi Daklouche: I don’t even want to ask how you got that, but I really have to ask because I’m curious. Because for me, anything that takes, you know, shortest distance to success is really very important as well sometimes. So how do you get that? Okay. I’m going to ask a question. You may not be able to answer it, but like, you know, how do you get from I have to have 7500 hours or whatever it is, hours to just 17 weeks and, you know, hour and a half a day and then guess what? You’re going to be PMP.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Well, we’re not allowed to say you’re going to be a PMP because I won’t take the exam for you. Okay. I will prepare you. I will get you ready. And my program insists that you register for your exam maximum two weeks after the program. So this program ends on June the 25th. By July the 4th or fifth, you should have taken your exams. We insist. So by the last fifth, by the 15th or 16th week. We’re working with you on documentation, ensuring that you’re approved by the PMI to take this exam. You’re going to show us evidence that you’ve registered for the exam and your place. You’re going to take the exam. All those things are going to happen before the 17th week, before we can give you a clean bill of health and sign off on your 7500 hours, because you need those 7500 hours to be able to take the exam.

Ramzi Daklouche: Wow. So you ran it before? Correct. You ran a couple of years ago. Oh, yes. So tell me some success stories from two years ago. I mean, how many students you had? How many students actually went through it? Because it seems intense.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: The one I had I ran two years ago was the entry level, the Capm. And I had a young man. I want to I want to highlight him a little bit. I had a young man who had been in the financial services industry for five years. Young man, you know, late 20s. And he was trying to change industries. And he said, I want to be a project manager, but I don’t know anything about projects. He’s a newbie, completely a neophyte. Height. Okay. And he enrolled in my program and he said, how can you help me? That program was strictly for three months. And I said, just, just, just follow what we’re doing. And you see, he passed that exam. He not only finished the program, he passed the exam the next week in exactly three months. And he said to me, I don’t even have a job yet. I’m in between jobs. This is incredible. He’s been on one of my broadcasts before. He said, this is incredible. How do I let people know that you’re a germ? I said, don’t worry. They’ll find me out someday.

Ramzi Daklouche: That’s fantastic. I’ll tell you what. This is very impressive. And I know a lot of people right now are losing jobs, especially the beginning of the year with company strategies changing or restructuring, which is fine. You know, it’s a new, fresh start for everybody. But I think this is this becomes very important. I don’t care what level you are if you have PMP. I’ve worked with a lot of people. Um, and we always hope somebody is organized enough to become our project manager without really PMP, Um, designation, so that really helps a lot. So yeah, I appreciate it.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: And the thing about the PMP thing is that most very experienced project managers don’t have the time to get away and study and pass an exam that has been the bane of most very experienced project managers.

Ramzi Daklouche: Nobody has five years.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Yes, nobody has five years. Nobody has the time. This gives them not just a forum. It’s once a week, every Wednesday night for 1.5 hours. We go through a knowledge area, one knowledge area at night on their ten knowledge areas, and then we begin to work on past exam questions. At week 15 and 16 are strictly past exam questions, which nobody else can have access to unless you’re an authorized training instructor with the PMI. They give us those because they know we’re training people, and we need those questions to be able to train people. So there’s a lot of everything. Is closeted okay. Everything is private is protected. The information is we are bound by law not to divulge or share any of those exam questions.

Ramzi Daklouche: You talked earlier about the event. I hope it’s not shot by now. I mean, I hope you didn’t book it all completely because it just sounds silly for people not to do this.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Well, because it’s online. Because it’s on zoom. Okay. Zoom. You can have a webinar. Sort of. You can have 5000 participants, so it’s not fully booked. I have until.

Ramzi Daklouche: So you’re going to try to do like Kamala Harris did with her uh, zoom broadcast.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Well the more the merrier.

Ramzi Daklouche: 100,000 people on it.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Well, not 100,000, but I’m really looking for maybe 500, 600 people.

Ramzi Daklouche: I think you could do it. I think I think it’s silly if it’s not done.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Because it’s it’s it’s online. It’s at the same time and it’s, it’s on zoom and people are very comfortable doing that. And I purposely put those classes on Wednesday nights at 730 in the evening so people can finish work wherever they are. If you’re on the East Coast, it’s 430. You’re finishing work in the West Coast, it’s 430, and if you’re in Hungary or in England, it’s midnight or 2 a.m. you know, it’s it’s that’s when people were, well, older people who wake up early, very early in the morning.

Ramzi Daklouche: So and I know we’re going to have your information so people can reach out to you if they want to sign up for this or sign up for other programs. I want to switch a little bit because you’re a lot more than just, you know, a PMP certified instructor. You had a lot of acronyms, so I’m not going to remember any of them except for PMP. But you’ve done a lot. I mean, your, uh, your, uh, the Leadership Institute that you have really does does a lot. Yeah. Give me the two other big ones that you work on. What are what are the programs that you work on that people can kind of tap into? Because, I mean, just your experience at all is, is.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: There’s a lot we the first one we have is called the CTP. It’s called the corporate Turnarounds program. This is for the organizations who want to scale up. Either you’re doing badly and you want to turn your fortunes around. You want to revitalize, you want to grow or you want to enhance your fortunes. Whatever the case may be, it’s called the Corporate Turnaround program. There are four different periods. We’ve got a 12 month program 24 months, 36 months and 48 month program. All right. And we work with organizations. Sit down with them. Uh, one thing I’ve discovered in doing this is let me digress a little bit is that when you’re interviewing the top bosses in an organization, they’d give you a vision of what they want, but they don’t have specifics. When you call in their heads of departments, directors to come sit with them and you interview them jointly, you don’t get much information because the heads of departments are afraid of their bosses. They don’t want to talk. So you’ve got to separate them to have proper interviews where you can get to the nitty gritty of what’s really going wrong here. Mhm. All right. And nobody’s going to accept that things are going wrong in their department. That’s where the vulnerability comes in. That’s where the leadership comes in. Being able to say we’re trying to figure out what’s wrong here so we can fix it. We’re not trying to point fingers. Okay, whatever I get from you right now is going to be confidential. I need you to be vulnerable with me.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah, it’s interesting, you say about the vision of the, you know, the C-suite, right? And you kind of try to understand how it trickles down to that next level and the next level. And then it’s like talking about cheeseburger and then, you know, vegetarians. Right? Yeah. Conversation changes completely. There’s a different people.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: On the front lines.

Ramzi Daklouche: I have no idea what.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: They are different. They know how to get things done, but they don’t know what the vision is. They don’t know what the top guy up there can see from a higher level. It’s like being in an airplane way up there you can see the countryside, beautiful landscaping, the buildings just look pristine, everything is great. And then you start coming down, you see some brown patches. You see that the buildings, the roofing is a bit leaky brown.

Ramzi Daklouche: So do they bring you in when the, you know there’s a fire, or are they smart enough to bring you in when they really don’t have fire and things are going good? Because I think I think they need to bring you bring you in with things that are going good. Not when there’s a fire.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Exactly. We want to come in and enhance the growth. We don’t want to come in and revitalize. But that’s why the name is corporate turnarounds. Okay. You’re turning things around. It could be something is great and you want it to be better. Yeah, it could be that something is bad and you want to improve it get get it better as well. So but I would ideally prefer that people call me in or call my team in when things are going well and everybody is happy. Then when there’s fire on the mountain and there’s a problem and they need the problem solved yesterday.

Ramzi Daklouche: Do you have any. Okay, so let me back up a little bit. And I know you work with big corporations and you don’t need to name any. And I’m sure they they love your work. But do you have any, any programs that small businesses can benefit from without really breaking the bank? Because small business, the biggest thing with small business owners usually, and I’m talking small below $1 million, right? Actually small by the by by the government is completely different, uh, than small, actually on the ground. Right? Um, they really are working in the business all the time, and not a whole lot of work on the business. Right? They need that somebody to show them to kind of pull them out so they can see what’s going on in their business. Do you have programs for that?

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Well, the one program we have that gives people a larger benefit or more comprehensive access to all our products is what we call the annual coaching subscription. This is like having the season’s ticket to your favorite ball club. Okay. You you take us on for a year and any emerging, evolving problems that happen within that year, you’re able to bring them. You own us for that year. And so some people have been smart enough to get 3 or 4 different problems, challenges solved in that one year period. So the most the most sought after product we have is the annual coaching subscription. Now this this can deal with leadership, management, conflict resolution, communications. Doing more with less. Project management software training. Just name it is their change management. A lot of the things that team dynamics. Yeah a lot of the things that we struggle with, big organizations struggle with. You know, the bigger you get, the more unwieldy it is to really manage everybody. But when you bring in a team dynamics expert and he just comes in to show you how a team can suddenly become like a family and want to work well together and be happy with each other. And really, people take correction without thinking you’re belittling them. There are rules and regulations on how to correct people. For instance, you don’t correct people in in public. You correct in private, tactfully, respectfully.

Ramzi Daklouche: I think you should scream that from top of the mountain, because that doesn’t really happen that often. A lot of people here just on the in the moment and and then they apologize. Oh, I didn’t mean to praise.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Praise must not be withheld.

Ramzi Daklouche: Telt. Yeah.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Praise is in public now.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. Really? I tell you, I enjoy it when I see small business where they’re really investing in their people. I went to a business today, and I was meeting with the owner and in his in his office, it was all the strengthsfinder for all his team. Wow. This is very interesting. Yes, he knows that. And he was able to talk about how I really do respect how they do it. Because when they come to my office, I really look at their chart first and remind me of how to kind of engage them. So it’s all about them. I thought, and he has a very successful business.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: And.

Ramzi Daklouche: No wonder.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: You know a lot of business. And this takes us back to leadership. A lot of business people need to take a leaf from Ronald Reagan’s quote. It says that, um, if you hire people who are smarter than you are, give them the tools they need to get the job done and get the heck out of.

Ramzi Daklouche: Get the hell out of the way. That’s right.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: You know, hire people who are smarter than you are. Yeah. Give them the tools they need and get the heck out of the way. You do that, the skies will not be your limit.

Ramzi Daklouche: All right, so, man, I tell you, we can talk all day, but I want to ask you a few things. So you wrote how many books?

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: I’ve written about nine books, but my most recent is called Big Dreams Making It Happen for Organizations and Teams. Because it’s obvious that a lot of entrepreneurs, a lot of business owners, a lot of CEOs just don’t have the tools, a little handbook they can open up in their private moments to get guidance. And that’s that’s what led me that that’s what motivated me to write that book, that there’s no limit to how far you can dream. Okay. There’s a song, a lyric that says, aim for the aim for the moon. You might hit the stars. And people just listen to that. And don’t you forget that the stars are so much farther away than the moon.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: So when you’re aiming for the moon, what he’s saying is you. You will surpass the moon. If you aim for the ceiling, you can get to the stars. That’s what he’s saying. And so that’s my favorite. I tell CEOs the sky is not your limit. There’s no limit to what you can achieve if you can harness the potential of your people, their cohesion, their teamwork, their job satisfaction, the equipment you give them, the lack of micromanagement because people don’t like you sitting on their shoulders. They want you to get out of the way and allow them to determine the ways and means of getting things done.

Ramzi Daklouche: Okay, I have to admit something, and I feel like I’m not the only one or listeners. So I all my life, until now, I thought, you know, you hit the moon, you know, whatever the correct. Yeah, it’s actually the moon is further out.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: No. So stars are further out? Yeah.

Ramzi Daklouche: And I took a classes in college, but I didn’t. I probably missed that. I was sick sick that day. But it was very interesting. Yeah. Very interesting. I actually didn’t know it. Thank you for teaching me that. Listen, we have to bring you back here to talk about your book because very interesting. It’s really, really interesting to kind of understand that. So just to kind of, uh, finish this. Tell me a little bit about a little bit more about the Mars class, because very, very important to kind of spread the word and help you spread the word out, because it’s so important for people that are looking for jobs today or in jobs today that want to enhance it, that are, you know, that I just wrote an article about, you know, the 3% increase a year, right? It’s like, what are you waiting for? What do you mean, 3%? You’re waiting for your boss to tell you you’re good enough to get 3%. What are you doing to get more than 3%, right. So it’s very important to kind of break from that, right? That one, that one more thing you could do, one more thing you could do, just one more thing you could do to enhance your skills. Right. One more thing you can do is really 17 weeks training to enhance your skill. Because a project manager, I ran companies, I was part of big groups. And I tell you, I’ve always looked for the smartest person to become, I made them, hey, you’re the project manager, and if they’re organized enough, I gave them the title without really the proper skills they need behind it, and they learned on the fly. So tell me a little bit more about this. Tell me how people let’s plug you. Tell me how people can reach out to you and what do they need to do today?

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Okay, I will I will ask people to go to a landing page that explains everything right up to how it’s going to be done, when it’s going to be done. It even has convenient payment plans. I know it’s only $2,500, but not everybody can pay that out of pocket. So they have convenient payment plans for for payments of 500 each. We made it simple. We dumbed it down so much. And so the the the the the URL to go to to get all the information you’re looking for is um https Fast-Track, PMP, cert. Let me say that again. Fast track PMP, cert CRT, short for certification, Fast-Track, PMP, CERT dot, KDE leadership, Dot net, Forward Slash enroll. Let me say that again. It’s Https and then you have fast track PMP, cert dot, KDE leadership dot net forward slash enroll. You go there you get all the everything is on that one page right up to the contents per week. Everything you’re going to be doing per week, what subjects, what outlines you’re going to be doing per week right up to the end of it. The payment plans are there. There are four payment plans, those that can afford to pay all at once $2,500 fine, those that can pay in two installments at 1250, 1250 first and third month. That’s fine. And then those that can pay in four, five installments of 500 each. So it makes it really very easy. The buttons are there, it there. It makes it very easy and it explains everything to the very bottom. Now, if you have any more questions, check me out on LinkedIn. Just type in Doctor Kennedy a k e n e d a r e w u l u and you’ll be able to find me on LinkedIn. You’re going to see a lot of.

Ramzi Daklouche: You’re very active on LinkedIn. I was going to say all this, you know, the fast track, just go to LinkedIn, find you and they get all the information you pay is well done so they can find you there. All right. So what’s coming up from Doctor Kene. What’s what’s your next project? I know you got something cooking because you never you never really rest. So what’s next?

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Well, right now, um, apart from us being in BNI, um, I have I’m looking forward to going to Sydney in, in November, and that’s our global convention. I’m already registered for that. Just thinking about plane tickets and what have you, but it’s still a long ways off. But coming back to my company, I’m going to run this again. For those who cannot handle this in March, because March is three weeks away. I’m going to run this again in, um, in August because it takes 120 days. I don’t want to be running any training programs in November. I want to end by October and be able to plan and strategize for the new year. So we’ve got two streams of this running this year. This is the first stream, and we’re going to repeat that again, uh, in August. Uh, that’s the first thing I have to say. I’m dedicating this year to project management because I, a lot of project managers are suffering because they don’t have the certification. They’ve hit the ceiling and there’s nowhere else to go without that certification.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah, yeah. They’re stuck. I’ve got somebody I’ve put through it. Not in March because they’re out on maternity leave. After that, I probably put them through it because I think it’s very important to any size company to make sure somebody is there. And all these company owners or, you know, entrepreneurs that have people working for them, get somebody PMP certified to help you a lot. Perfect. Any new books coming up, any children books, any anything that you want to share with us?

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: No. Well, for the books, um, I am going to take on what is called. I did mention it earlier what is called resource reallocations. It’s a it’s a it’s a minuscule part of project management. But if you think that ten people can get a lot done, you’d be surprised that those same people, ten people can get things 20 times more done in half the time by resource reallocation. I’ve got it down to an art. I can’t teach that in classrooms because those are just MBA people trying to get a degree, you know? I need to teach that to captains of industry to understand that they can do a lot more with the people they have. They currently have on staff just by relocating. It doesn’t cost them.

Ramzi Daklouche: Anything for everybody. Anybody that has a team of something, they need to figure that out so they can work lean. Because, you know, if when you learn lean management, it’s just a completely different world, right? Yeah. Perfect perfect, perfect. Well, listen. Anything else? Thank you very much, Doctor Kene. It’s fantastic. I can’t wait to see the results out of your, uh, your, uh, you know, PMP certification program. And what is going to happen from that? And how many students are going to come to you and say thank you? You changed my life because I think it’s a life changer.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Thank you so much for for that. Again, the name of the book that I have written is called Big Dreams Making It Happen for Organizations and Teams. You can just go to Amazon, type in my name or type in the title. If I want to hit in Big Dreams making it, it’s going to pull it up as well. Yeah, and there’s a e-book version, and there’s a paperback version for those busy executives who, uh, unfortunately, I don’t have the audio version yet, but, uh, it’s, uh, it’s it’s in the works.

Ramzi Daklouche: Awesome. Well, listen, thank you very much again. Have a wonderful afternoon.

Dr. Kene D Ewulu: Thank you, Mr. Ramzi. Thank you for having me. And you too. Have a wonderful afternoon. Thanks.

About Your Host

Ramzi Daklouche is Principal at VR Business Sales. His mission is to facilitate seamless transitions for business owners looking to sell or scale. The organization’s four-decade legacy in managing transactions, from modest enterprises to extensive mergers, resonates with his expertise in mergers and acquisitions. Our collaborative approach consistently unlocks the true value of businesses, ensuring sellers’ peace of mind throughout the process.

His journey began when he left corporate world to venture into the challenging realm of entrepreneurship. After running their own business for several years and earning accolades for their dedication to service and quality, he decided to establish VR Business Sales Mergers and Acquisitions Atlanta. Their mission is to provide unmatched value through transparency, security, diversity, service, and experience.

At VR Business Sales Mergers and Acquisitions Atlanta, they empower business owners and buyers with clear, honest guidance and exceptional service throughout every step of the transaction process. While their office is based in Atlanta, they offer their services nationally and globally, embracing diversity and engaging with a broad spectrum of communities and businesses.

With decades of industry expertise, they aim to build lasting relationships based on trust and excellence, enabling their clients to achieve their business goals with confidence and peace of mind. Whether they are transitioning from owning their business or moving toward ownership, they’re here to support every step of the way, navigating the vibrant landscape of Atlanta’s business community and National & Global markets for remarkable success.

Connect with Ramzi on LinkedIn.

Embracing AI: Overcoming Fears and Maximizing ROI for Small Business Success

February 10, 2025 by angishields

Sandy Springs Business Radio

Embracing AI: Overcoming Fears and Maximizing ROI for Small Business Success

00:00 /

In this episode of Sandy Springs Business Radio, host Ramzi Daklouche talks with Dale Myska, president of Train in Your Lane, about the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on small businesses. Dale emphasizes the necessity for business owners to embrace AI technology, offering practical advice on starting with AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude. The discussion covers the distinction between AI platforms and tools, the importance of structured prompts, fostering a culture of AI use, and addressing common fears such as job displacement. Dale also highlights the potential return on investment (ROI) from AI adoption and shares real-world examples of successful AI integration.

Dale Myska, President of Train in Your Lane, combines over two decades of franchise operations and sales leadership experience with a passion for making AI accessible to businesses.

Drawing from executive roles at PostNet, AlphaGraphics, and UPS, Dale has mastered the art of transforming complex systems into practical, actionable solutions. Known for creating engaging, results-driven learning experiences, Dale is revolutionizing how businesses adopt AI technology through training that’s both impactful and enjoyable.

With a track record of building high-performing teams and driving organizational growth, Dale is dedicated to helping companies thrive in the AI era through education that eliminates technological barriers and delivers immediate business value.

Connect with Dale on LinkedIn.

This 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: This episode is brought to you by V.R. Business Sales Atlanta, guiding business owners and buyers through successful transitions with trust and expertise. Visit vrbizworld.com or call (678) 470-8675 to learn more. Here’s your host, Ramzi Daklouche.

Ramzi Daklouche: Thank you. And with us today in the studio is Dale Myska. Dale, how are you?

Dale Myska: I’m doing well, Ramsey. Thank you. How are you today?

Ramzi Daklouche: Fantastic. Welcome to Business RadioX. Really excited about this episode. There’s a lot to talk about and I’m looking forward to getting started with you. So before we start, tell me a little bit about what you’ve been doing now and what you have done before. Kind of give me a little bit of, you know, information about what you do there.

Dale Myska: Of course. Uh, I am the president of a company called Train in Your Lane, where we specialize in, you know, individual and corporate trainings. Uh, we do a lot with AI right now. We also have some what we call be a better human training. So empathetic leadership, allyship, things of that nature just to help companies just show up better for their employees. Uh, I’ve been with them for about six months now, based here in the Denver metro area. And before that, as has Ramsey and I met in a in past lives, I was with, uh, a franchisor as an executive vice president of operations and sales for Postnet and Alphagraphics. So I spent six years with them and Decided it was. It was time for a change in my world. And since ChatGPT came out with two and a half years ago, I. I’ve been geeking out on it. So it was a great fit to join this company and really start to to dig in more on on everything AI.

Ramzi Daklouche: That’s awesome. I love how you said geeking out on it, because I think I feel the same way about it. And this is I’ve been waiting, like I said before, I’m really been waiting for this and to record this episode because I geek out on AI a lot. I cannot stop talking about it. So I have a lot of questions for you, specifically when it comes to small businesses and how we can help small businesses really understand the power of AI in any business. I don’t care if they’re a baker or a shoe maker, right? I mean, just there’s so much you could do with it. Very good. So the overview of the topic today is how AI is shaping small businesses and why it’s important to embrace it. So let me kind of start with a few questions. How many small business owners feel overwhelmed with AI. Right. So they know they should be using it, or they probably heard of it, or some of them may not have heard of it, but they don’t know where to start. What is your advice for taking those first steps without getting lost in the tech?

Dale Myska: Great question. I think the best place to start is to just start. Honestly, get get into one of the tools. Get into ChatGPT. Get into cloud. Spend the $20 a month because it’s just better. You’ll get your money back. And and I think where people get frustrated at first is they think of it as a Google search, and they put in the same thing they put in in a Google search and don’t necessarily get the results that they’re looking for or hoping for. So, you know, we teach in our entry level class, our beginner class, you know, the structure of prompting and really helping people understand that it’s not a Google search and that you have to work with it. You know, it’s like working with an employee, quite frankly. You have to be clear on the instructions and give them context and tell them what they’re trying to do. And and you know, one of our things we always tell is you need to tell it to do better when it doesn’t do what you want it to do. So, um, yeah, it’s it’s it’s definitely, um, I think small business owners really across the board, people have heard a lot about the scariness, you know, the security issues or security concerns. I wouldn’t say issues. Concerns. Um, I think another piece is, you know, they’ve seen Terminator at some point and machines are going to take over the world. And, I mean, there’s bad actors everywhere in everything. You know, I like to think there’s more good people than bad people in the world. And, you know, there are going to be people that try to use it against, you know, for bad. But I think we’ll good will prevail, if so to speak.

Ramzi Daklouche: Dell, you said something that I got to go back to structure your prompt is that trademark because I think you should trademark it. I think it’s very, very important. I mean, every time I talk to somebody about AI and I try to talk about as much as possible to understand, you know, what level people are getting help with AI and all this stuff. One of the things is, is I try to help them with this whole idea of structure. Your prompt, right? Because if you don’t structure it, you crash and crash out. I call it, right. So you don’t really get what you want out of it. I mean, what are there specific? I mean, I’m new. I’m a new business owner. What specifically AI tools should I start with? You know what? How do you kind of build that knowledge first? Knowledge. Right. So you’re not fearing AI because, you know, like you said, it’s not Terminator, right? I mean, it’s very smart, but it’s really information available, just structured differently.

Dale Myska: Yeah. I think, you know, the obvious ones are the ChatGPT of the world. You know, I, I think the models are changing so much. We had all the. The news last week of of deep sea are1 getting released and how it’s you know, it took China a lot less money to to build the model. Meta has models. Everyone else has models there. There’s no shortage of tools out there right now. The ones that are the easiest to. Easiest to access and probably the you know, the most common are that from from Claude, from anthropic or ChatGPT from OpenAI. Um, you know, and then the tool, I mean, the tool set is that’s probably where it can truly get overwhelming for anyone is, you know, everyone’s building AI tools. And I think over the next 12 to 18 months, a lot of that’s going to flush itself out because, you know, the cream is going to rise to the top. And some of these other ones that just weren’t as good are going to probably fall out, unfortunately.

Ramzi Daklouche: It’s amazing. So I gotta keep on this. I have a lot of questions, so but I’m going to stay on this for me. You know, you talk about the, the the AI platforms, right. And then the tools. And I don’t think people understand the difference between AI platforms and tools. Can you expand on this a little bit? Because it’s very important, because what I’m going to do is kind of like having, you know, friends share info, kids share information. What I use, what I use. I really am going to go through the session for a second. But can you expand a little bit about the platform and the tools?

Dale Myska: So yeah, there’s the the LMS, the large language models, and those are ChatGPT. Claude Meta has one called, you know, there’s it’s called llama. Um, Google’s is called Gemini, you know, and there’s numerous out there. Those are, as you would say, the platforms that are they’re the ones spending the money on the data centers, learning from the internet and consuming publicly available information. Supposed to just be publicly available information. But, you know, that’s that’s debatable for people on much smarter than than I. Um, you know, there’s a lot of lawsuits out there, but. And then there’s, there’s also image generation ones where like Midjourney or, um, what’s the other one I’m thinking of? I just lost it. Lexica that we that we talk a lot about in our trainings. There’s all these tools and, and that, you know, these platforms and then there’s tools that leverage those models, um, out there as well. Another one I forgot is perplexity, which, um, is live on the internet, was the first one to be live on the internet. Now, uh, OpenAI or ChatGPT is as well. But where I was going, what I think is, is an important point to make is it’s the buzz, right? Everyone’s talking about AI in some form or fashion, and companies are rushing to implement AI tools.

Dale Myska: But we kind of go through what this eat um as an acronym, which is education, adoption and transformation. A lot of people are skipping to adoption and not getting transformation because they’re not educating their their workforce or their employees, regardless of the size of the company or educating themselves. Quite frankly, they just think I got to implement AI and not learning how to properly do it. And you know, if you have a company with, you know, employees building a culture around that because you can you can have people using it and they’re not talking about it, which is pretty common right now. Or you can bring everyone up to a certain level and teach them how to use the tools. Um, which is is really the best way to do it, because those companies building that culture, they’re going to they’re going to surpass the ones that are, you know, keeping it at arm’s length.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah, I see a lot of articles on LinkedIn and other places where they say, well, you know, AI is never going to replace this or they’re never going to replace this. And I think they missed it. All these articles have missed it, right. Dale? I believe I is just your best employee, sitting beside your assistant, sitting beside you as you’re working to be more productive. That’s how I use it. It’s making me more productive where I can blog and, you know, do all the social media within literally five times myself. Five minutes. Right. And without this structured what you call the structured prompts, I couldn’t do it. But I learned how to do structured prompts by myself because I thought one question is not enough. You got to keep asking questions, keep asking questions and make sure you’re not confusing. Also, because you really can’t confuse I. So okay, I’m going to geek out on you a little bit. What are your top three best use tools on? Um, the.

Dale Myska: Top three tools. Um, I, I love Claude, I do, I mean, I know ChatGPT, you know, we we we joke in our trainings around it’s the become like the Kleenex of facial tissues, like tissues like everyone just says ChatGPT, even if they’re using other, other large language models. I love Claude. I love the output that it gives. I just I’ve been able to build some things in there. It’s gotten to know me very well. Um, so I would say that that’s probably my number one, but they bounce back and forth. I mean, you know, since the 1st of December, these models have just stair stepped one another and with new releases and there’s rumored to be a new Claude model being released any day now. Um, but I would say is is definitely, you know, number two. And then man, the third one, I guess it just sort of depends on what you’re trying to do. Like, we’re I’ve been messing around with one called Hey Gen a lot, which is not a platform. It’s a tool to do like, um, AI avatar type, um, digital. Um, you know, where you can you I can I’ve put my voice into it. I’ve recorded myself into it. Now I can give it a script and it’s going to sound. It’s going to be me, but not me, if that makes sense.

Ramzi Daklouche: So what is the name of that?

Dale Myska: It’s called hagan h e y g e n h e y. So that’s fun. I mean, I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t figured out a great way to put that into, like, a good use to drive US business, but it’s fun to mess around in. Um, so that’s a lot. There’s another one that does the same thing called did. Um, and those are fun to play with.

Ramzi Daklouche: Awesome. For me, I got to tell you, mine as a platform. I don’t know, Claud. I’m gonna get to meet Claud, but I like ChatGPT. I mean, I’m a huge user. And like you said, one thing that people don’t know is once you really get involved in it and use it on a regular basis, it knows you, right? I can ask a question. Hey, uh, remember this. Do this, and it will bring it all together. So it’s really, really cool, right? And the second one I like, I got like 4 or 4 of them all from my business texter. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it. Teksty. It really does. Incredible with blogging and adding videos, adding pictures, all the stuff. So I love that tool. And it’s a tool, not a platform, right? So the only platform I use is ChatGPT. The rest of my tool, the other one, which is incredible. So short story is I wanted to buy, you know, in my business I got to get a list of businesses right to go to. Right. And everything I found is kicks back 80%. Like, if it’s infozoom, whatever kicks back 80%. So I thought somebody is doing. I work with it. So I found this company called invent I and I and I literally can tell it. Hey listen, I’m looking for companies in whatever industry owner has to be over the age of 55, ready to retire, and the revenue has to be between five and whatever.

Ramzi Daklouche: And I get all this information. I get the CEO, the president information, I get, uh, email addresses. I can see, uh, how long have they been in been in business, how much they’ve grown, how how many people. They’ve literally everything. So invent I, I highly recommend it for people that are in sales. Incredibly positive tool. And the last tool I have is something called Cyber Pro. And literally they write for, for my business. They write a confidential information memorandum and and very professional work they do. It’s all based on AI. So for example, if I need to write it, I could be talking to you right now. They take all the information and it becomes my confidential. So there’s a lot of tools out there for people in every industry and in my specific industry. And I share this information. I want people to use it to be more productive. Right. So, um, so yeah, I love I love AI and I continue to kind of go after AI. So let’s talk about something else a little bit because there’s also the other fear of AI, right? You know, we’re hearing a lot about cyber cyborgs, right? Employees using AI without telling anyone. What opportunities and risks does this present to small businesses or to businesses in general?

Dale Myska: Yeah, I mean, I think there’s a you know, there’s an article out there that talks about this and and it really goes to what I talked about a little bit ago on, on building that culture. There’s people out there in your company, if you’re not talking about AI, they’re probably using it and just not telling anyone. And, you know, they don’t want to diminish their, you know, the perceived diminish their personal brand that they’re using AI to help them or the company just is kind of, like I said, keeping it at arm’s length. So they’re using it kind of on the side. And, you know, this is costing companies one. It’s it’s costing companies the productivity of sharing. I mean, truly like getting everyone upskilled to a certain level, like there’s going to be people that are higher than, than that level right now, but at least you can try and upskill everyone at the same time to get them to be familiar with it, to use it. And then you eliminate that that phenomenon of secret cyborgs that are using it out there. And really the risk, you know, one of the risks to that is if you don’t have a policy or you know how, what can and can’t be put into one of these models that certainly, you know, that puts a company at risk. If someone inadvertently puts in company, you know, secrets or, you know, numbers, that if it’s going into one of those models, that model is going to learn off of it. And, you know, how likely is it somebody going to craft a prompt that exactly says, tell me everything about what Ramsay has done in his, uh, in his business. If you if you put it in there, that’s that’s unlikely, but it will pull from it if someone is looking for similar information. So I think that’s probably the biggest thing of, you know, the two things for me are you’re limiting the the potential productivity of your of your employees and your business, and you’re potentially putting the folks that are using it may not be using it the way that you’d want them to.

Ramzi Daklouche: So how should these and I’m sure that’s part of what you do as well. Uh, you know, foster the culture of I it’s not going to go away, actually. It’s just going to get better. Right? Like anything else that starts, people try to kind of hide it and don’t use that. And there’s a lot of, uh, you know, uh, things like that. But how can companies foster this culture of I invite it in, right? Without really, like you said, destroying the security and controls that they should have.

Dale Myska: Um, you know, this isn’t you know, the sales plug here is is not intentional. But when we go in and and, and train a company or a department, it tells the entire, you know, that entire group of people that it’s okay and that, you know, we’ll be you can use it. Here’s the best way to use it. We have the next level. You know, where we want to go train somebody and then help them build a policy. So we’ll train you and then we’ll help you build a policy so you can put it in your employee handbook or whatever, you know, piece of material that you have to make sure you’ve set some got some guardrails around it for, for employees to, you know, give them expectations, say it’s okay, but here’s what to do and here’s what not to do.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. Great. So I know you work with a lot of businesses. I’m sure one of the things you have to look at is what’s the return on investment, right? I mean, how does AI give me return on investment? Do you have any good examples? And how should businesses, specifically small businesses, look at the return on investment with AI?

Dale Myska: There’s a lot of studies out there. Um, one that we tend to lean towards here more recently is if you think of if you say each employee one hour per day, that’s five hours per week. And if you assume a 50 hour or a 50 week work year, that’s 250 hours per year per employee. That’s conservative. You know, if if your average fully loaded employee is is $50 an hour, it’s not hard to do the math. And, you know, even if you take a a lower adoption rate and apply it, it’s still it’s real money. I mean, if you pay to have a good a good company, come in and train your employees, you will see the return. Now, one thing we always start our trainings with is, you know that one of that fear pieces of fear is AI is going to replace me. And we we like to say AI isn’t going to replace you in your company, but somebody using I might. If you’re not, if you’re not indeed yourself. And I think that’s where if you again just level up everyone at the same time, you’re telling them it’s okay. And then, you know, everyone starts sharing and hey, I tried this or this is a great way to to get that information. And, you know, we see it a lot in marketing departments. They’re usually the early adopters with it right now for exactly what you said, Ramsey, as far as content creation and, you know, it’s just so much faster to do it. And, you know, if you take the product that you get and just copy and paste it, it’s not great. You know, it’s probably 80% there. It’s good to take it and personalize it and make it your own. And and you know, so it’s not just copy and paste from I, you know, you can train these models to do pretty darn good. But initially you’ve got you know, you’ve got to do the work to get them there.

Ramzi Daklouche: That is exactly right. Yeah. Do you have any good examples of companies that you really have seen transformed since you’ve been in this industry? Warm their business and what was the outcome?

Dale Myska: We certainly have worked with with several clients that, you know and that always want more. You know, that’s that’s the the really fun thing is we’ll sit in a training and typically our trainings are done over Google Meet or Zoom. And we ask people to keep their cameras on and you’ll see like we’ll cover something. You can see the reactions of people or you know, they’re playing with with prompts that we give them, and they’re seeing the output because they’ve never, never used it before. So the use, you know, the the company, the clients that we’ve seen that have truly not just sent one person to one of our classes, but trained their entire department or their entire company. They continue to want more. They want to keep leveling up because things are changing so fast. And the feedback that we receive from, you know, the decision makers that are hiring us is, you know, it’s it’s changed how we do business. Everyone’s talking about it, everyone’s using it. And the fun thing is, is when people realize that it’s not just. You don’t just have to use it for business, you can use it at home, too. I mean, I used it to help fix my microwave a couple weeks ago or, you know, do meal planning with and put in like, I have two young children that have very different palates and help me plan out five days of meals with recipes and a grocery list, and it’ll do that. So that’s the fun thing of, you know, yes, there’s there’s such great business aspects to it, no question, but it’s really cool when you start seeing people apply it to their daily lives and, you know, is the ROI there. I said, you know, early on, pay the $20 for the for the pro versions or the, the plus versions of the models because you’re going to get you’re going to get it back relatively.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah I think you’re right, I think but I think one thing that stands, it takes time to learn it and not learning it. I mean, learning it is easy. Just ask a question, Let’s start with asking a question. But I think the the, you know, on purpose prompts and asking the next question are very important. So you got to really learn how to ask a question. And then once you see the outcome, what’s that next question. So you got to be a little bit curious about what this model could do for you to kind of continue to ask questions to get to the, you know, the root of what you’re looking for. And then I’m like you, I literally use it for everything. I mean, I don’t know anything, but, you know, a short story. I want to get back into golf. And I say, you know, I haven’t played in 20 years. So I said, hey, uh ChatGPT. What are some really forgiving, you know, uh, golf clubs, uh, for, for new players. And they gave me a list. Okay. But here’s kind of like where my speed is based on what I did last, you know, last time. And it gave me exactly what I should be looking for. So after that, I bought and went to the pro. I said, what do you think? He said, oh my God, I could not have picked anything better for you. Honestly, I had a pro told me because I’m because I’m taking some lessons that. Oh, no, I couldn’t have picked anything better for you. They’re perfect for you. So you can really. And again, this is probably silly that I did it. It’s lazy. I didn’t want to go to the store and get fitted for perfect. So I did it just online and order them online. But you know, you could do it more fun way than I did it. But you can really get to the bottom of a lot of things with these tools. That’s awesome.

Dale Myska: Absolutely, absolutely.

Ramzi Daklouche: They’ll tell them a little about your company because I know you guys serve a business of all sizes, but how can I really do focus on, um, on a small business? I really have compassion and passion for small business. And because I see them a lot and I in a different episode, we talked about it where they work in the business, on the business. Right? I mean, they always working in the business. They are the best technician for any business, right? They’re the best engineers for their business, but they’re really not working on their business. And I find that with AI, you can really, um, some of the things that you should be doing can be handed to AI to help you, right, with your assistance. Um, and, uh, the best podcast I heard last week. And I forgot the name of the podcaster. He said. Ai is really your best executive for small business. The best executive. And I thought that was genius, because for me, like, I, I don’t know, a day that I don’t spend. Hours, uh, creating or doing something with AI, right? I, you know.

Dale Myska: I pride myself on how many times a day I can run out of tokens. Um.

Ramzi Daklouche: I’ve done that. I’ve done that with everything. I even used, by the way, I use AI for, uh, you know, for zoom, because. And then I send it out to my clients, like, here’s what we talked about. Like, they think I’m really that attentive. I’m not I don’t have that attention span, but other AI actually doesn’t. You know, he doesn’t have the attention span. So he helps me a lot. Right.

Dale Myska: Absolutely.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. So tell me, You know. Like how? Tell me a little bit about the company. And tell me, how do small businesses engage in something like this? And maybe you guys have classes and maybe you haven’t thought of, like, for multiple people to kind of come in online and learn a little bit about I. I’d love to hear more about that.

Dale Myska: So we do it in a couple of different ways. I mean, you and I met, you know, in our past lives in the franchise space. So a lot of our clients are franchise brands, um, both on the franchisee side and the franchisor side. Um, but we kind of approach business in two different ways. So we have our individual classes that we run quarterly. You know, I 1.0 I for franchise development, marketing, so on and so forth. I 2.0, um, a list of classes that we just offer for anyone that wants to sign up. So that’s really a great opportunity for a small business owner to, to level up, go and just join one of these. I they’re all live. They’re not recorded. So we’re facilitating them live answering questions. People are engaging from different companies and backgrounds and and sharing ideas and things like that. Those are um, those are there. Then we have our enterprise training. So a lot of times someone will take the initiative themselves and join one of our class. Our individual classes, and then go tell their their company, we need to do this for everybody. And then they’ll hire us to, to come in and do either live or virtually.

Dale Myska: Um, come in and and teach them on AI. So, um, we’ve got a really good client right now that they’re we’re training their entire company on AI 1.0. We’re training their marketing department on marketing, and then we’re training their franchise development department on franchise development with AI tools. So, um, there’s a lot of ways to engage with us. I would say for, you know, a small business owner that doesn’t, you know, only has a handful of employees sign up for one of our of our individual classes. It truly is. The feedback we get is unbelievable. Um, and people just taking it and saying it’s not as scary as I thought it was. I mean, I think that’s the the biggest takeaway is it’s so our trainings are very approachable. First of all, you know, we say it’s just humans learning from humans and then, you know, but then they realize that AI is pretty approachable too. It just it sounds scary from, you know, Terminator or Minority Report or any of those movies out there that came out in the 80s and 90s.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. An AI is industry agnostic when you ask questions. It doesn’t care what industry you’re in. It’s going to give you some information so you don’t really have to go to somebody in your industry or whatever and learn AI. You can really learn it just once you once you get the hang of it. It’s like anything else. You just have to kind of continue to practice. But hopefully these two vows, you know, you’re not ashamed for using these two vows because I hear that a lot. Like, oh no, we don’t use AI. We do it the old way. We spend an hour or two a day working on something that actually takes me maybe an hour to do. You know, in my office. So. And I see that a lot in my industry. It’s a very antiquated industry. So when I started this company, I thought, I’m going to use AI for everything, and I’m not going to allow anyone to shame me for using AI. I seem to be vocal about it and teach people how to use it, so hopefully that continues. So okay, what is the future?

Dale Myska: It’s a great way to scale a business. I mean, truly, if you do, if you start using it, you’ll use it as you’ve seen with your business, you’ll scale faster and without as much, you know, capital investment or human capital investment, you’ll be able to to do a lot more with less.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. You know what I mean. Three things every business needs, right? You need assist somebody to help you take away from you all the stuff that you don’t want to do, right. You need an assistant. Then you need somebody to do marketing for you. And then you need somebody to do sales. That’s when you know you have time when somebody do a selfie. And then the fourth is to kind of work outside the company so you can actually build more on the company. Right. These four things well, already eliminated two things, right. I mean, my my assistant is I, um, now my marketing is also through I, I build it through all through. I sales still have to do myself, which is right now. Great. But eventually once I build my team, I can get out of that and actually just focus on how to build more so and without without hiring two people, just myself and AI tools that I use. And you’re right, I paid the $20 a year, the $20 there, that’s fine. But total it cost me a lot less than hiring 2 or 3 people working. And then if they don’t work out, I got to let them go or whatever it is, including all the stuff. So for small business, I find it to be invaluable what we could do with it. What’s the trend for AI so we can close this up? What’s the trend for the AI in the next two three years? Where do you see it going down?

Dale Myska: I mean, I think the, the only way I can try to wrap my brain around AI is, is another revolution. You know, the industrial revolution, the internet, you know, things like that. This is the next kind of big revolution. Um, and I’m not trying. I don’t think that’s even over overselling it, quite frankly. I think where it’s going in the, in the next few years is it’s going fast. I mean, just the way these models are growing and changing. And, you know, if you’re an Nvidia stockholder, you can see, um, how much their stock has changed because they’re the ones making the best GPUs in the world that run in these data centers. It’s it’s it’s going to get to a point, just like the internet is for us today. You can’t do business without it. I mean, truly, you can’t have a true business presence without some sort of presence on the internet. I don’t think you can. You can’t compete 1 to 1 with a company that’s using AI effectively to a company that isn’t using it at all, that one that’s using it effectively is going to pass them by. So I really think it just the next couple of years are just going to be adoption. You know, more and more people are going to realize that it’s it’s unavoidable and then start to, you know, get in there, get trained, get educated and, and get on, you know, get going in it quite frankly, because it’s it’s coming and I don’t think it’s stopping anytime soon. And the only place in the world that’s trying to slow it right down right now is the is Europe. Everyone else is isn’t doing it right now. And I don’t think they will because there’s so many benefits. And if you can do the right thing on the front end to, you know, make it harder for the bad actors, then there’s there’s no reason to not use it.

Ramzi Daklouche: I agree with you, and I really do believe that the tools we’re going to see out of AI are going to continue to grow, right? We have platforms. We have very strong platforms. I mean, you know, I think now use ChatGPT more than I use Google actually. And I actually one day I looked at it and say, wow, I’m, I’m looking for things on ChatGPT and not Google. Uh, so yeah, but I think the tools next like, you know, uh, all the way from financial tools all the way to graphic tools, anything you want, I think that is going to continue to grow. And a lot of platforms are building on that. Sometimes the tools, the prices are a little bit higher and they will drop as more entrants will come into that market.

Dale Myska: Absolutely.

Ramzi Daklouche: Great. Well, listen, Dale, this has been fantastic. I can talk about AI all day long, I appreciate it. I appreciate your time and anything, uh, at the you know, what do you think? Uh, anything you want to kind of close with, please. It’s your time.

Dale Myska: I’d love to just give a plug to our website and, you know, give people the tools to to reach out to us, if that’s okay. Um, yeah.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. Do that. Absolutely.

Dale Myska: Yeah. The website is train in your lane.com. Com so it’s spelled just like that all the way out. You can reach me directly on my email address is Dale Dale E at training your.com? I’m happy to answer the questions. All of our classes are are put up there on the site for people to to register for. And if you want to look for an enterprise training, um, for your, for your company, uh, contact me directly. I’ll be happy to, to walk you through that process and how how it all works. So I look, Ramsey, I’m so excited that you invited me to be on this. It’s fun to talk. As you said, it’s it’s fun to talk about AI. And, you know, I think the more people that just start to mess around in the tools, you know, outside of sharing, like confidential information or company secrets, you can’t break it. So just go play. You know, just go use it, get familiar with it, ask it the questions that you want to know. Um, you know, a lot of people say, well, how do I know how to prompt? Well, you can ask. You can ask ChatGPT to help me write a good prompt for this. And it’s remarkable the the results that you’ll get.

Ramzi Daklouche: So and once you once you ask it, read that little paragraph at the bottom every time you ask a question because it knows what your next question should be, just say yes to it. Right. So I can I can geek out. I can talk about it all day long because I’m excited about AI and I think that should be adopted. Shouldn’t be. These two small vowels shouldn’t be, you know, a shame. You know, vowels. They should be really adopted by a lot of companies. And keep it moving forward so we can get more productive as humans. Great. Well, thank you again, Dale. I appreciate your time.

Dale Myska: Thank you Ramsey. Always good to chat with you.

Ramzi Daklouche: All right buddy, thank you.

About Your Host

Connect with Ramzi on LinkedIn.

BRX Pro Tip: Ways to Play in Easy Mode

February 10, 2025 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: Ways to Play in Easy Mode

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BRX Pro Tip: Ways to Play in Easy Mode

Stone Payton: Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, I would like very much to explore what, if anything, we can be doing, so that we’re playing in easy mode.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, I think that’s really kind of another secret to success is figuring out a way to play in easy mode, instead of always dealing with the most difficult path and the hardest way to do things. And don’t confuse operating in easy mode as being lazy. Think of it more in terms of working smarter, not harder. And this is about really being smart with your resources, removing friction wherever there’s friction, and focusing in on the things that truly matter.

So, think about I would go after one thing in your business or in your life, what aspect feels unnecessarily complex? You know, where is an area that it just seems like we are working way too hard in getting the result that we want. There has to be a better way to do this. So, once you find that place where maybe there’s too much complexity, then start thinking about, you know, what actions do you have to take? And then, this is really kind of a little bit of self-analysis. Start thinking about what are your weaknesses? Is the reason this is complex because I’m having to rely on my weaknesses to get this thing done. And my weaknesses are weaknesses, so I’m not good at it, I don’t like doing it. And so, therefore it’s not getting done. Is that what’s causing this kind of more difficult path?

Number two, what are your superpowers? You have superpowers. Is the task aligned with your superpowers? Are your superpowers contributing to making this easier or are you not leveraging your superpowers enough, and that’s why it’s hard?

And then, number three is, is it possible to offload some of your weaknesses to somebody else? Can you delegate some of your weaknesses to someone else, so that this process becomes easier?

And number four, how can you be spending more time doing what you do best where your superpower is? Think about that. How can you layer in your superpower into this process, so that you’re maximizing your superpower, kind of eliminating your weakness, and putting the weakness in the hands in someone else’s strength? And this way, it’ll make that task a little less difficult and more easy.

And number five, if you’re doing this really well, hopefully, you have somebody on the team that can automate some of these elements to make it that much more automatic and that much more simple. So, where can you automate? I’m always looking for opportunities to automate. And where I think everyone could do better is finding places to delegate around the weaknesses and leverage the superpowers. So, that’s some ways that you can be playing on easy mode.

Raymond Giles with REGal Luxury Travel

February 7, 2025 by angishields

Beyond the Uniform

Raymond Giles with REGal Luxury Travel

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Raymond Giles, a seasoned travel advisor at REGal Luxury Travel based in Kingwood, TX, has turned a lifelong passion for exploration into a thriving career.

Inspired by his father, a U.S. Navy veteran, Raymond followed in his footsteps, serving as a nuclear-trained machinist’s mate aboard the USS Miami. His time in the Navy fueled his desire to see the world, leading him to visit five continents, 38 countries, and 56 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

From the historic streets of Europe and the tranquil waters of the Danube to vibrant Christmas Markets and the vast deserts of Saudi Arabia, Raymond ensures his family experiences the wonders of the world alongside him.

In a recent discussion on the HBR Show, Raymond and Trisha Stetzel, both representatives of the Houston Regional Veterans Chamber of Commerce, explored his transition from military service to travel advising.

As a Pathfinder in the Chamber, he specializes in curating bespoke travel experiences, particularly for frequent travelers and high-net-worth individuals. With a keen eye for detail and a wealth of global insights, Raymond shared expert travel tips and highlighted the unique benefits of his services.

Trisha encouraged listeners to connect with him for unforgettable journeys, crafted with the precision and expertise of a true explorer.

Connect with Raymond on Facebook.

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

TRANSCRIPT

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

Trisha Stetzel: Hello, Houston. Trisha Stetzel here bringing you another episode of Houston Business Radio. Beyond the uniform series. Really excited about the guest that I have on today. We have something. Well, we have a few things in common. One happens to be the Houston Regional Veterans Chamber of Commerce, where both Raymond and I serve. So I have Raymond Giles on with me today from Regal Luxury Travel. Raymond, welcome to the show.

Raymond Giles: Hey, thanks for having me.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, we have more than just the HVC in common. And I know that you serve as a pathfinder. We’ll talk about that in a few minutes, because I think that’s a really important role. But you happen to be in the Navy, too.

Raymond Giles: I It was was a few years ago. But yeah, I was in the Navy. I was a nuclear trained, uh, machinist mate or mechanic on a fast attack submarine, the USS Miami.

Trisha Stetzel: Wow. How closely related. Like when I told you that, uh, you met another CT, you were like, oh, I know what that is. Yep, yep.

Raymond Giles: It’s funny. I mean, there’s there’s more of them popping up now because I actually I ran into one this past weekend up in Northeast Texas.

Trisha Stetzel: Wow. That’s crazy. All right, Raymond, tell everybody about who you are.

Raymond Giles: So. And, you know, as Trisha said, you know, my name is Raymond. Um, I am, um, probably a fifth generation vet all the way back to my great grandfather in World War one. Um, you know, I tried college, and like most nukes in the Navy, I was, uh, not very successful the first couple of years. So I said, hey, I need a challenge. Somebody that’s going to make me, uh, behave and give me some discipline. So I went into the recruiter and said, give me the toughest thing you got. I qualified for the nuke program. And I thought I was smart. Um, the Navy nuclear power program showed me how smart I was. Not. Uh, I was, uh, I was pretty close to the anchor. Uh, graduated 440 out of 444. But just like the person that graduates last from med school, they still call him a doctor. I’m still a nuke. So, um. And, you know, it really created some great memories for me. Uh, met some great people, and, um, you know, it was about that time that I started to, um, get the bug for travel. I really I remember our first port, uh, foreign port was in Brest, France, and it was just like, oh, this is so cool because I’m at some place that’s not the US. And just palling around with the guys, uh, through France and, you know, a few other countries in Europe and like, you know, this is something I could kind of get used to. And about that time Samantha Brown came out with her passport to, uh, to Europe series on the Travel Channel. And I’m like, yeah, I gotta do this. And, Um, so when I got out of the Navy, I did manufacturing for a little bit, and I’m like, this isn’t me.

Raymond Giles: So I ended up with a very good engineering and construction company, and I’ve seen more of the world working for them than I did in the Navy, funny enough. And so, um, in the course of that time, I’ve been to, uh, 38 countries and 56 Unesco sites. And I’m seeing all this. I wanted my, um, I wanted other people to see what I’ve seen. I’ve been very lucky in being able to see as much as I have. And some of my friends, uh, and their family might only be able to see one of these places. And I wanted to give them the inspiration to find that one place they really needed to see. And then last year, I realized that a part of that was missing and that was helping facilitate, um, everybody being able to do the travel. Um, we talked about my father. He had an accident at the beginning of last year. And, uh, throughout the year, I was finding myself right? Why am I sitting at home? He’s in the hospital. Um, and it really started to where my mental health. I needed something to occupy my time in the afternoon and the evening. And I found a fantastic travel agency. And that’s luxury island travel. Um, so they’re my host, and it really did help my mental health. And then it helped me find some purpose outside of the Navy. And that was, um, helping people travel. And my first, uh, booking was five days after I completed my, uh, my assessment. And, um, it’s been pretty fun since then.

Trisha Stetzel: Wow. That is fantastic. So, Raymond, I want to dig into a little bit that the mental health statement that you made, like your, uh, you found this business to help you with that because you needed something to do. I find that many business owners don’t take advantage of things like this because they feel like they have to be at work all the time, so I work with them so they can take vacations, but let’s talk a little bit about, um, the mental health factor in being able to get away from work and travel.

Raymond Giles: So with regard to, you know, to me, um, it’s like a hobby. Okay. I thought I knew travel when I started this, uh, you know, I thought if I stayed at a nice Hilton or, you know, a Waldorf, you know, I was doing pretty good. But then when I started doing this, I realized that there was so much more to travel, especially in the luxury world. And so it was kind of like being back in school again and, you know, and going through the new program. It was stressful, but it was the good kind of stress. Yeah. The stress that your body kind of needs and feeds on. And so like I said, it sort of started to balance everything out. But as far as, you know, travel and the importance for, for other people, you know, we we say that, you know, you can sell a commodity that is out there in the, in the, the the people want it or need it, but not everybody does. Like, you can sell milk and eggs, but not everybody can eat eggs and not everybody can drink milk. But you look at travel. Everybody travels somewhere. It might be that you only go to Austin once a year, but you know what? You’re going to Austin and you’re probably going to need a place to stay. That’s where I come in. If you are, I have a client. Uh, she just retired, and she wanted to do three weeks through Europe. She had no idea where to start. I helped her plan an itinerary so that she can immediately start enjoying what she has worked so hard for. And that is reaching her retirement.

Trisha Stetzel: Wow. That’s beautiful.

Raymond Giles: And what what what does said me a little bit is that some people do wait till they retire to travel. And I understand that, you know, our culture and our mindset with a work life balance isn’t the same as everybody else. They you work hard till you can retire, but if you wait till then, you start to limit yourself on what you can she can do. It’s much it’s much harder to get to Machu Picchu when you’re at retirement age than if you had started to do travel when you were younger.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah.

Raymond Giles: So that’s why I’m here. I want to show that if it’s possible, it’s financially achievable and that with me as an advisor, I don’t I don’t even consider myself an agent. An agent I see as someone who just books. Yeah. I’m helping coach my clients through the process so that they go in with a better understanding. Um, they don’t have any worries, and they’re able to just go and enjoy their trip.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. That’s beautiful. So there’s hope that for these business owners, number one, they can take time off. And number two, they can enjoy an amazing travel excursion with Raymond. Raymond’s going to get you there.

Raymond Giles: Absolutely.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. That’s fantastic. So how do you as, uh. Why would someone use a travel concierge in the first place?

Raymond Giles: So there’s a lot of things, you know, when you look at a business owner specifically. So if I’m looking at this from a B2B model, business owner is running their business, they don’t have time to be planning their travel doing all of the research. So what I do is I give those clients their time back because on top of doing the travel planning for you, I don’t charge my clients any fees. Okay? I get paid a commission, so I don’t need to double dip on my clients to make money. And in doing that one, I’m showing that I’m not just trying to take your money, but two, I’m giving you that money back so that you can invest it in your vacation or your trip. And that’s exactly what a vacation is. It’s an investment. You’re investing in memories. And so by doing that, you say you were only able to afford a balcony on a cruise ship by giving you that extra $1,000 or whatever another agent might charge you, you’re able to elevate that to a suite or at a hotel. You might be able to upgrade to a room where you have a butler who will unpack and pack your bags for you. So as soon as you land, you hit the ground running and start to enjoy your vacation.

Trisha Stetzel: Wow, that I didn’t even know that was possible.

Raymond Giles: I didn’t either. Like I said, there is so much that I have learned that I did not know I’m.

Trisha Stetzel: This is so exciting. So, um. Raymond, what sets you apart from other. I’ll just call them travel agents. I know you mentioned earlier you don’t consider yourself a travel agent, but how do you. How are you different than what we’ve come to? Known as travel agent.

Raymond Giles: So I think there’s a couple of things. One is that if you were to book through Expedia or something like that, you’re going to get a call center. All of my clients have my personal cell phone. And so if you have a problem, you are able to get Ahold of me 24 hours a day. And I have direct contacts with the name Brand hotels, these other luxury hotels, I have direct contact with those properties specifically. And so I’m able to address those issues. And not only am I saving you money by not charging you a fee. The beautiful thing about my company is that our CEO was a programmer in a previous life, and he has created a software, excuse me, that uses APIs, that pulls, um, a bunch of different rates for hotels. So I’m able to shop and I can find you hotel rates that are far cheaper than what you’re going to find through Expedia or even direct.

Trisha Stetzel: Wow. So, Raymond, who’s your let’s just call it ideal client. Who are the people?

Raymond Giles: So my ideal client is, uh, going to be people that do frequent traveling. Um, because at that point, we can develop a relationship. I understand what your needs are. You can call me up and say, hey, Raymond, I need to go to this place at this time. And this is what my budget is. And I know already know what your likes and dislikes are. Uh. And I can make it happen. And I say, hey, this is where you’re going to stay. These are the nights I’ve got your driver set up. You have executive pickup, you have a car hire for the entire week or whatever. So those are things. By having a frequent traveler, I can develop that relationship. Um, also, uh, high net worth clients, because once again, you have developed, um, a lot of worth because of your ability to probably run businesses or you’re involved in a lot of activities to where, uh, you know, your funds are coming in. So to allow you the time to be able to work on that, I’m taking this burden off of you. Even if you have an executive assistant who is booking your travel for you, I’m giving you your E back. So that and I as the travel expert, I handle all of this. I mean, there’s nothing better than having an expert handle something for you. Who’s not going to charge you anything.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. I, I love that, yeah. The Smee, you’re the Smee subject matter expert. Get us where we need to go. And, um, you know, I’m thinking about people who are in the business of like speaking, and they travel all over the planet on speaking engagements. This would be such a great service. Yours in particular for them. Um, okay. So, Raymond, you said you’ve been to 36 countries, I think, or. Yeah, 36 countries. Were those all because you were traveling, or were some of those because you were in the military?

Raymond Giles: So, uh, four were in the military. I have been to all of them since then. Okay. Um, but I’ve actually lived in two others with my what I call my day job. I lived in Finland for 18 months during Covid, and I lived in Saudi Arabia. And because of, uh, the time I’ve spent in Finland, I’ve convinced my wife that that’s where we’re going to retire, because for eight years in a row, they have been called the happiest people on the planet. And they’ll tell you they’re not happy, jovial, happy like what? We think they’re happy and that they’re content with their life. Okay. And they’re happy going about their day. They’re not chasing the Joneses. And so I went back there, uh, in September 23rd and from the airport to the city, riding the train, my face hurt because I was smiling. Because I was just so happy. I sat in the rain with a coffee and a pastry, because I couldn’t think of any other place besides with my family that I would rather be. And those are the kind of experiences that I want other people to have.

Trisha Stetzel: That’s Holly. You have such a passion for this and you have so much experience as well, which I think is a really big benefit of working with you specifically. So, Raymond, if we’ve already convinced some people that they need to take a vacation or travel and they want to do that with you, what is the best way to connect?

Raymond Giles: Honestly, the best way is if somebody was to drop me a text at (281) 536-1713, uh, we can get a time set up for a phone call. Um, for me, I believe in striking when the when the iron’s hot. Um, I want to have you a quote. I want to have you a preliminary itinerary put together in a in an hour or two. I don’t want to wait for a couple of days. Um, because you obviously have something that has caused you to have the passion or the need for travel, and I want to get it done now to show you how possible it is so that you don’t start to second guess your decision.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, I believe in that, too. Right. Uh, because it’s top of mind. And that’s what we need to. Yeah, we gotta tackle it while it’s top of mind. So, Raymond, um, how has the military, how did your military service prepare you for being your own business owner?

Raymond Giles: So for many years, I had always thought, how am I going to. What if what would I do to run a business? How would I run it? And I think, honestly, going through the nuclear power pipeline with the discipline that it required, because I had to be in school, you weren’t allowed to take your training material outside of the schoolhouse. So the discipline that was required to be able to do that has demonstrated my commitment to my business and my clients. Uh, because, you know, we live and die by referrals. So it’s my job to make sure that my clients are satisfied with what I’ve done, everything from the booking process all the way through the end of their travel. I have a couple clients having some problems with their travel insurance. They finished their travel back in October. I’m still handling the problems with the insurance to make sure that my clients are happy, and they see that I’m continuing to fight for them, um, as their advisor.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, I think as, uh, military veterans, we don’t let things fail. Right. This is not in our vocabulary. We just got to go do the thing. So while we’re on the military subject, I’d like to talk a little bit about your role in the Houston Regional Veterans Chamber of Commerce as a pathfinder. What in the world is a pathfinder?

Raymond Giles: So, uh, a couple of things that, uh, the Pathfinder is going to do is I’m going out and I’m looking for veteran owned Veteran-owned businesses. And I’m looking for passionate patriots and let them know that we do have this veteran Chamber of Commerce thing here in Houston. You know, we have the largest concentration of vendors in the state of Texas. And I believe the number is something we have 6500 veteran-owned businesses within the metropolitan area. And we want that to grow. We are the most we want to be the most active and the most well known of the chambers. And then as a pathfinder, once we get somebody into the chamber, they’re getting ready to come to their first meeting. I kind of welcome them in, let them know, because, you know, for those that went through the military, in the Navy, we had, um, the first 72 hours that we use for our leadership training. And I think it’s so important that we really kind of grab a hold of somebody at that very first bit, and we show them that they are a part of the family. Just leaving somebody to their own devices. And, you know, Lou always says, you get out of it what you put into it. I want to get a hold of our new or new members and show them that it is very important to put in to the chamber, because you are going to get far more out than what you ever put in, but you do have to make that effort. And and furthermore, I’m working with, um, we have a couple that are managing our mixers throughout the city of Houston. So I’m helping because I live up in Kingwood. I’m helping with the Conroe mixer that happens at the first Thursday of every month at Honor Cafe. So, um, I’m going to be they’re going to be, you know, gripping and grinning, meeting everybody and welcome them to the, uh, to the mixer and want us all to, uh, to realize that we help each other out.

Trisha Stetzel: Mhm. Absolutely. Y’all. This is a give back. This is Raymond’s give back to the community. And it’s what I like to call serving after we’ve served. Right. Uh and I think it’s really important. So thank you for being a part of that I really appreciate it. Um why don’t we talk about let’s add a little value here about when I travel. What are some travel tips that you could give to the listeners today?

Raymond Giles: So I think, uh, the first one is, you know, if we’re thinking about it from the American point of view, we think there’s nothing as powerful as the USD. Okay. So if you go to an ATM or you go out to dinner and you swipe your credit card, they’re going to ask you, do you want to pay in the local currency or do you want to pay in USD? And we always want to hit that because we know that that’s what we paid. That’s really is the wrong choice. You want to pay in the local currency because your bank is going to get you the better exchange rate. So and plus you’re going to get hit with exchange your fees and everything else and what you think you might be taking $20 out. And then you see that you might have, you know, a $2 fee, $3 fee, but in the end, you could be paying upwards of an extra ten bucks for that $20 you took out. Um, so that’s I think that’s your first safety tip. And, you know, uh, some of the of the Facebook groups I’m a part of where people talk about traveling. Hey, they have ATMs overseas, right? You don’t have to go to your bank and get €500, €1,000 to go to Europe. You’re able to take money out of the ATM there. So that’s another one. Don’t you don’t want to be walking around the airport and going through customs and everything with a bunch of money in your in your pocket.

Raymond Giles: I landed in Italy and in Milan, and I had taken money out of the ATM. And the Carabinieri comes up to me. Where are you going? Why are you here? Do you have any money on you? And I’m like, well, yeah, the money I just took out of the ATM. But, uh, you don’t want to be in a situation where it looks like you’re bringing a lot of money into a country, because then it makes you a red flag for them. So that, I think, is your, uh, one of your first tips. And also, if you’re going to be traveling to Europe and it’s going to be a vacation, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. Really look at upgrading your experience by booking business class or, if nothing else, premium economy. Because the last thing you want to do is spend $10,000 on a On a vacation and you lose the first two days because you’re so tired. Okay, so go ahead and look at, um, booking the premium economy. It might be twice as much, but you’re going to have a more comfortable seat. You’re going to be able to sleep a little bit better and you’re going to have better food. So you’re rested. Uh, when you get there and you can hit the ground running. Yeah.

Trisha Stetzel: There’s nothing worse than having a nine hour flight in, coach.

Raymond Giles: And I think the last one is when you go to a place where there is a significant time difference from home, your first instinct is, okay, I’ve got to go to the hotel, which you need to do because you want to drop your bags off, go to your room, drop your bags off, do not hit the bed. Leave. Go back out into town and walk around. You’ve got to get yourself put on their clock. You might be, but once you start walking around and seeing things, you’re going to be invigorated. You’re going to have that energy that you need to make it through the day and then go to bed that night. So you wake up at the same time as the locals are.

Trisha Stetzel: Jet lag is a thing. It is even coming back. I always feel like coming back is worse. Oh my goodness. So, Raymond, you talked about Finland, so I know that’s probably one of your favorite places to live, but what’s your favorite place to vacation or your most favorite vacation?

Raymond Giles: So, um, I’m a history buff, and so when I was living in Saudi Arabia, we had a ten day vacation. So I flew to Greece and did, um, some of the Balkan countries. And the funny thing about that is so doing Greece, I’m not interested in the islands. I don’t have an island body. So I’m interested in going and seeing the ancient sites of Greece. So, um, I went to Delphi and, uh, to meet the or meet the or is a place that Americans just don’t hear about. And I’m going to tell you what, if you haven’t been to Meteora in Greece, you’re missing out. You have these, uh, ancient Byzantine monasteries built up on top of these rock monoliths that you have to climb to the top of, and it just has this beautiful view of this valley. And it is just so. It is a cultural and a natural Unesco World Heritage Site. So it’s it’s inscribed with two. That’s how fascinating this place is. But and then I went to Croatia and Bosnia and Serbia and, you know, looking at it, I remember the war in the 90s and the Balkans.

Raymond Giles: I didn’t know what it was about, but I knew that there was a war on and there was genocide going there. And having a tour guide who was of the local ethnicity was probably the most educational experience of my life. And just seeing the won, the beauty of those countries and being able to actually immerse myself with locals, and that was probably one of the most fulfilling experiences. And then when I came back, you know, my father, unfortunately, he passed in September. But as my brother and I are going through his things, I’m looking at his photos because he had gone to Delphi in 73 and I’m like, oh, I’ve had I’ve had to listen to him talk about Greece for 44 years. I’m going to go to the places he went, and I’m looking at photos. I’m like, I think I have that picture. And I started looking through and like 3 or 4 of the photos that he took were the exact same spot that I took a photo of 50 years later.

Trisha Stetzel: Wow. That’s amazing. All right, y’all, if you’re ready to travel even even if you’re just going to Austin, Raymond can help you if you want to take the trip of a lifetime. Raymond has experience, and I’d love for you guys to connect. So, Raymond, one more time, how can people find you?

Raymond Giles: So you can text me at, um, (281) 536-1713. If you’re on Facebook, uh, you can look for Regal Luxury Travel. The Regal is capital letters. The R, E, g is capitalized because those are my initials. So there might be another one out there, but that one is going to be mine. You’re going to see a photo of me and my son on a river cruise in front of the Hungarian Parliament, uh, from back in December of 22. So that’s how you know.

Trisha Stetzel: You can’t miss that. Definitely. All right. As we get to the back end of our conversation today, Raymond, can you tell us your favorite client story?

Raymond Giles: So one of my, uh, one of my friends from high school, we hadn’t talked very much, uh, since graduation, but she reached out to me a few weeks ago and said, hey, you know, there’s me and five other families. We want to do a vacation. We want to do all inclusive. So all inclusive. You cannot do the United States. We do not have them. So you have to go to the Dominican Republic, Jamaica or Mexico. So we started looking, went all the way through, uh, the Lesser Antilles. And finally she settled on Tulum, Mexico. And I, they said they wanted to stay at this particular property. And I started looking. And in the end, there were six families, seven rooms. And I was able to save them $7,000 over if they had booked directly through Hilton, and $9,000 if they had tried to book through Expedia.

Trisha Stetzel: Wow. Wow. Okay. If that doesn’t solidify you guys listening that you need to go talk to Raymond. I don’t know what’s wrong with you. I’m just kidding. Uh, Raymond, thank you so much for being on the show today. You are a just a plethora of of energy one and information two. And it’s been a pleasure to host you today.

Raymond Giles: I appreciate you having me today.

Trisha Stetzel: All right. That’s all the time we have for today’s show. Join us next time for another exciting episode of Houston Business Radio. Until then, stay tuned, stay inspired, and keep thriving in the Houston business community.

Christa Rollock with C Rollock Photography, Inc.

February 7, 2025 by angishields

Houston Business Radio

Christa Rollock with C Rollock Photography, Inc.

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From Bavaria, Germany, to Houston, Texas, Christa Rollock’s life has been a journey of love, family, and artistic discovery. After marrying a U.S. Army soldier in Denmark, she embraced a life of frequent moves, raising two children while navigating military life.

Following her husband’s retirement, her deep-rooted love for Houston brought them back, where she transitioned from a successful career in insurance to fully pursuing her artistic passions. A lifelong creative, she explored painting, drawing, singing, and theater before discovering her true calling in portrait photography.

At 58, she returned to college to study graphic design but was ultimately captivated by the power of light in photography. Earning a certificate in digital photography, she launched C. Rollock Photography, a business dedicated to capturing individuality and authentic expression in both personal and professional portraits.

In her discussion with Trisha, Christa shared insights into her approach to photography, emphasizing the importance of personal branding, regularly updating professional headshots, and capturing life experiences with authenticity. She is deeply passionate about building relationships with clients and creating meaningful portraits that reflect their true essence.

With the unwavering support of her husband, Christa continues to pursue her dream, using her artistic vision to tell powerful visual stories—one portrait at a time.

Connect with Christa on LinkedIn and follow C Rollock Photography on Facebook and Instagram.

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

TRANSCRIPT

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

Trisha Stetzel: Hello, Houston. Trisha Stetzel here bringing you another episode of Houston Business Radio. Really excited about this guest coming by way of an introduction from Uguanda Simpson. Thank you, Uguanda, for the amazing introduction to Christa Rollock. She’s the owner of C Rollock Photography. Christa, welcome to the show.

Christa Rollock: Hello. Thank you.

Trisha Stetzel: So excited to have you on today. Okay. Let’s start with tell us a little bit about who you are and why you’ve ventured into this space of photography.

Christa Rollock: So, um, so my name is Christa, as you said. You know, I am someone who was born in Germany. I moved to the United States because I met my husband, and he was in the military at the time in the army. And so we moved to Milwaukee. We moved all over the place because he was an Army recruiter, and I was always there supporting him all the time, you know, raising the children, being there for him. And so my kind of my professional life took always a little bit of a step back. Right. And so finally at one point, I, um, I started in the insurance business, Life and Health for a long time, you know, and, um, enjoyed it because I am a people person and I like to help people. I like to be with people. So I enjoyed it. But there came a time in my life especially, that was when Covid hit. I, um, I found that because I was always a very creative person all my life. So I always did photography from a, from a, from a young age on, starting with, um, you know, push camera, like the cameras that you just push together to get a picture or the ones that just printed something out. You know, it was from very young on.

Christa Rollock: I did that, and I loved it. And I also loved drawing. Painting. But all of this, you know. Yeah, it just never really came out during all these years following my husband around. And then when that Covid hit, all of this came back to me. It it was like an eye opener. And I said, what is happening with all my creativity that I have? And, um, and so as I took a deep look at what I was doing right, I think a lot of people did it back then, you know, to take that deep look into their lives. And I went back to college. So I went back to college, to Houston Community College and, uh, started with, uh, graphic design, Lightroom, Photoshop and photography. And I learned everything about lighting. You know, how to light a human face. You know how to how to pose them. What light actually can do to a face. You know, when you really, really how it can shape somebody, how the eyes can pop. And I just I fell so hard for portrait photography. And I said, this is it. This is absolutely it. And from that moment on, there was no holding me back. And I started my business.

Trisha Stetzel: That’s that’s beautiful. So for those of you who aren’t watching the video, you need to go to the YouTube channel and see how amazing Christa’s light is on her right now. Because it’s beautiful. You you definitely have a knack for that. And by the way, I am old enough to remember Polaroids and flashbulbs. I’m just saying. I’m just saying. Wow, what a journey. Thank you. First off, I want to say thank you for doing the hard duty of being a military spouse. It’s not an easy thing to do. And moving all of the time and starting over all of the time can be very taxing. So I’m so glad that you’ve settled in and found the love that you have for photography. I want to talk about your motto because I love it. I mentioned it to you before we started recording this morning. So can you share what your motto is?

Christa Rollock: So my motto is every face has a story to tell. Let me help you tell yours because I am focusing on faces. This was always my passion. I went on my mother’s nerves and my whole family’s nerves back then because I always did these close ups. Right? Because faces, they tell a story. They really do. They I, you know, the older we get, actually, the more powerful a face becomes, because every, every wrinkle that we might have, every every gray hair we might have, you know, and the expression, you know, that we have I think that our life experiences can show in a face. You know, and it it to me, it always shows up great no matter what somebody’s life experiences were. But they made us who we are. And I, I want to show that because I think every face is so beautiful, and we live in a time where people think, oh my God, I am not the beauty standard. I am not looking like what I see out there. Right? And I want to tell people that’s not what it’s about. It’s about you. You are special and your image is special. And so that is that is the reason why this is my motto.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that that’s so beautiful, Christa. I love your story. I love your passion for the business that you’re in and what you bring to faces. And it’s can sometimes be challenging or even rewarding. So what are some of the unique challenges and rewards of capturing different personalities on camera?

Christa Rollock: So I think the, the, the biggest challenge is when somebody when you photograph someone who had, for instance, a headshot done before or and it was a, it was a three minute thing in a, in a, in an event, you know, where there was no time to really spend with that person, you know, to find out who are you, you know, well, how is your smile really working for you? Right? And does it reach your eyes? You know, and and so a lot of people come with that notion already. Oh, my God, I look so terrible in front of the of the camera and and my image will look so terrible. So this is a big challenge to overcome. But I feel that, um, because the way I work with people just, you know, really chilling, listening to music, talking, laughing and just getting people involved in the photo shoot itself. It makes people realize, hey, it’s actually great to do something like this. You know, it’s kind of a treat, you know? So this is the biggest challenge. Uh, I think that to overcome the, the preconceived, the way how people see themselves, you know?

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. I don’t like the way I sound. I don’t like the way I look, all the things. Right? Yeah. We hear it all the time. Um, can we talk just a little bit about just the production? So who do you work with and how do you work with them?

Christa Rollock: So I call myself a headshot photographer because I do so many headshots. Right? I, um, I love showing business people the strengths that they have, the the tenacity that shows up in their face, you know, the, the spunk that they have. I really love that because of the fact that I have been self-employed for so many years. And I think that we need to show, you know, who we are as business people, um, and what we represent, you know, and so that is something that I really like to do. Portraits is just all for me. It portraits is my. Yeah. It’s my passion. It’s that is what I do. So I you know, I always say this, you know as a photographer, yes. We can shoot a lot of different things, you know, we can shoot. Yeah. But where is your passion? Where is your niche? Where is it? Where you absolutely feel excitement. And for me, the excitement is a phase.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. I can see that. You light up when you talk about what you do. You have such a such a passion for it. So, Christa, uh, are you in studio? Do you come to your clients? How does that work?

Christa Rollock: So I work in my studio where people can come and have that extended session. You know, where they really get, you know, where they can relax more. And I also go to businesses where I spend time with with people there. And because not every business owner can send their employees to me, you know, so I go to them, I have my equipment and I take the lighting with me and have fun there and just get to know the people that are working there and, and have fun with them and, and create that headshot for them there.

Trisha Stetzel: Okay. Fantastic. Tell me location wise, how far do you go and where is your studio?

Christa Rollock: So my studio is in Richmond, and, um, but because I have all my equipment, I can travel it. I travel basically anywhere, you know, to, you know, in Houston, Galveston. I mean, um, yeah, I mean, it really doesn’t matter, you know, because of the fact that unless it is, you know, out of state, that is something I don’t do. I use I don’t travel out of state.

Trisha Stetzel: Okay. All right. Fantastic. So if someone’s already interested in meeting you and finding out more, what’s the best way to connect with you?

Christa Rollock: The best way to connect with me is by giving me a call or emailing me. Um, but the best thing is get in touch with me, shoot me a text, you know, and I call you back or call me. Um, so that way we can find out more about what it is that you need, because that’s very important to have that conversation beforehand. What is your expectation? What do you want out of this photo shoot? You know, what do you want to show? What do you want to present? And, um, so that way, it makes it already easier to understand a little bit more about you before you even come to me.

Trisha Stetzel: Oh that’s lovely. So I’ll put all of Christa’s contact information in the show notes. If you’re listening or watching, you can just click on the link and get in touch with Christa if you’re interested in having a conversation. So you do a lot of headshots, and I know I may be a dirty word, but what really sets the professional images that you’re putting together apart from someone using a cell phone or even creating an AI image online.

Christa Rollock: So let’s just talk about AI first. Uh, yes, there is a lot of these programs out there. You can, you know, you post so many images and then they put it all together into one. Who is there to coach you about how to how to lean in, how to you know about your smile about is your smile reaching your eyes. For instance, you know, how are you turning your head. How? How do you. Nobody is there to coach you, you know, for that. And, um, nobody is talking to you maybe about. Hey, what would look great about, you know, what do you wear? How about your backdrop that you have what goes well with you, the colors. Um, and, you know, and then the filters that are put on there, this is often not even looking at the person anymore that they are, you know. And so I’m thinking always, if you want to have a portrait of yourself, then why not show who you are instead of having it all that tons of filters on it and really not not, you know, and then somebody sees you and it’s like, is that really her or him?

Trisha Stetzel: Yes. It’s very hard to build trust with your audience if you’re not putting your real face forward and having someone like you really assist in that space can make it so much easier, right? Uh.

Christa Rollock: Yes. I think it’s a it’s a challenge. You know, when you sometimes meet someone and you saw them first on LinkedIn, and it is actually not who you’re expecting to see?

Trisha Stetzel: I agree. Yes, absolutely. All right. So, Christa, what would you say to those nice people out there that have a picture that’s 20 years old on their LinkedIn profile?

Christa Rollock: So, so.

Trisha Stetzel: Well.

Christa Rollock: You know, it’s great how we look 20 years ago. Ten years ago. Right? But I am someone who is very proud of how what who we are who are we’re becoming, like I said earlier, who are we? Right. And so I think that as a professional, you really should. Every year you should have it on your calendar, get a new headshot every year, because that way you have every year an updated headshot. You keep your you keep it fresh. Do you need branding for your website because what you know, do you not just need a headshot? Do you need to know for people to see who are you? What are you doing now? Right. And updated yearly. So that way it’s always fresh content. I think that’s really important.

Trisha Stetzel: Wow. I’ve never heard anyone give that advice before. Get it done every year. And I was thinking back to when we were in grade school. We would have a photo every year. Right. To see, uh, how we had grown each year I love I think it’s a fantastic idea. Can we just talk a little bit? I’m not talking about dollars and cents, but the investment in having good headshots and marketing for your business. Can you talk a little bit about how important that investment is?

Christa Rollock: I think that as a business you look into marketing, right? What do I put out there? Do I pay my Google ad? What do I, you know, how do I what kind of advertising that I do? And you are putting the putting the money in there because you know it’s important. You have to get your name out, right? But isn’t it the same important to also get out how you’re looking, you know, so people realize who you are. They feel comfortable when they are meeting you. They feel like they’re already knowing you a little bit when they’re looking at this headshot. And that is why. Or your branding image on your website. That is why this investment is very important, not just putting the advertising out and putting the money aside for that, but also investing in your, um, in your profile profile is the wrong word, probably. But in your in your who you are. So people get to know you.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. Your personal brand. Right. Your personal brand. Absolutely. So important whether you’re a leader for another company or you’re the owner of your business, that personal branding is so important. Absolutely. Okay, so if you could Photograph any person, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Christa Rollock: So it is not somebody famous that I am thinking of, because there’s a lot of famous people that are very interesting, right? And that have a lot of images out there. I would love to be able to go back and photograph my grandparents, because when I hear people saying, oh, I don’t want to be photographed, you know, then I think about how it is for me. I have no images of them or or the ones that I have are so awful I can barely see them. See them, you know, and I would love to go back and just show their life experience and show what they were about. So it is for my memory, for my personal thing and for the family, for my for my brothers and my sister, you know, so we can look back and see and and see more about them. And we don’t have that. And I think that’s sad. So if I could, I would go back and say, yes, that is absolutely what I want to do.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that. And and each picture portrait, photo tells a story. How important is that storytelling through the work that you do?

Christa Rollock: It’s for me, it’s very important to tell that story because we are so different from each other, and we should show to people who we are. Who are we? And and, uh, not. Well, yes, we can always pretend. Right. But I always like to tell the real story about someone, you know? And, um, because it comes across, it comes across to people instead of, you know, the, the filtered images, you know, that show nothing, uh, the real, the real images have really come across to people and say, wow, I want to get to know this person.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that. So as we get to the back end of our conversation today, Christa, I’m going to drop a fun question on you. Can you tell us a story or a time of someone that you’ve worked with that was really enjoyable for you, being behind the camera?

Christa Rollock: You know, I, I have just recently, um, did a photo shoot for a very interesting company, uh, here in Richmond. They are a veteran owned as well, you know, disability. Veteran owned. Right. And, um, it’s a very and and I learned about this company so much because I’ve wanted to it was a photo shoot that the images went into Forbes and in fortune magazine, you know. And so I wanted to show the business owner. Right. You know, and he was told me, he said, no, this is not what it is about. My company is not about me. My company is about the people that work for me. So my company is all about them. And I loved that photo shoot because it was such a inspiring time to work with them and to see how they are, you know, how they’re working together, how they are, how they really like each other. You know, uh, it’s just I love that photo shoot. I loved I loved it very much. I love to get to. I love the people that I met there. I love the the commitment that he had to his people. I also love the nonprofit organization that they started, you know, um, uh, and it’s just everything was inspiring about them. So that’s just what hit me right off the top.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that. So lots of headshots. Lots of business people. You do personal photo shoots as well. You kind of have it all. Everything all encompassing. Right. Um, how do you find your clients? How do they find you? Normally.

Christa Rollock: So I network a lot, you know, in, in, in, you know, I’m out there a lot, shaking hands, meeting people at networking events, and, um, so people get to know me and then. Yeah, certainly, I, you know, make the connection by phone afterwards, you know, and, um, hopefully also by people referring me then, you know, saying, you know, I had that photo shoot with her, I loved it, you know, maybe you should get in touch with her. So that’s that is what I that is what I do mainly.

Trisha Stetzel: Awesome. I’m so excited that you came on the show with me today, Christa.

Christa Rollock: Thank you.

Trisha Stetzel: I know you got. Yeah. I’m glad that you had fun. So if you guys are looking for Christa, she and I are connected on LinkedIn, so if you and I are already connected, then you can find her that way. You can find her on LinkedIn at Christa dash dash 992675. And her first name is spelled c h r i s t a. You can also find her on Facebook at Sea Relic Photography and her website so you can go see some of her beautiful work is Sea Relic photography.com. Christa, thanks again for being with me today. It’s been my pleasure.

Christa Rollock: Thank you so much. It was so much fun.

Trisha Stetzel: I’m glad you had fun today and that’s all the time we have for today’s show. Join us next time for another exciting episode of Houston Business Radio. Until then, stay tuned, stay inspired, and keep thriving in the Houston business community.

BRX Pro Tip: Create Your Own Pro Tip Series

February 7, 2025 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: Create Your Own Pro Tip Series

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BRX Pro Tip: Create Your Own Pro Tip Series

Stone Payton: And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, this ought to be a fun topic. Let’s talk about pro tips.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, I think it’s important for anybody that’s in professional services, anybody that aspires to be a thought leader to create some sort of a pro tip series like this one here. And we’re happy to share how we do what we do and the why behind it. But I think it’s important to create some sort of a series of short, actionable tips. This kind of nuggets are great for social media, they’re easy to share on LinkedIn, they boost engagement and visibility. If you do this right, over time… I mean, we’ve done a thousand plus of tips of these over the years. We release them every weekday. But it can be curated. You can create playlists around it. Spotify is great for pulling playlists. You can create playlists around a variety of curated topics to, then, take these existing tips and then turn them into other types of tips.

But in order to do it right, I think it’s important to plan some sort of a content calendar with themes for each week or month. The way we do it is we record ten at a time, a couple times a month, and we release that content every workday. We try to keep the content two minutes-ish. We found that that kind of is the best for optimized for maximum engagement. And we try to include clear calls to action in a lot of these pieces of content that helps drive engagement and traffic back to our website and to us.

So, think about it. Is a pro tip series good for your business? Do you have enough thought leadership? And do you have enough content that you can share or willing to share? We find that it’s important to give away all the secrets. We don’t really hold back everything that we share, or stuff that we’re doing, or stuff we’ve learned firsthand, or stuff we’ve read about from other thought leaders.

And it’s important to be doing this with an end in mind. And the end in mind for us is we want to be considered thought leaders, and we want to help other professional services people, prospect properly grow their business and hopefully leverage the Business RadioX platform to help them grow their business. So, if you’re interested in learning more about pro tips, how we do it, and get really into how it might be able to help you, give us a call.

Lea Appleton with Appleton Coaching

February 6, 2025 by angishields

High Velocity Radio

Lea Appleton with Appleton Coaching

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Lea Appleton is a fourth-generation Southern Californian connected to place through walking—from the beaches of the Pacific Ocean to the pinnacles of the High Sierra mountain ranges.

She spent a couple of decades in theological higher education, helping to build multicultural and interreligious communities, and is now a professional certified coach.

She has expertise in using mindful practices to reduce stress and build resilience and supports her clients to create a better day at work through transformative coaching conversations.

Lea has a Master of Arts in Music, a Master of Divinity degree, and holds the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential from the International Coaching Federation.

Lea lives in California with her husband Billy, has three adult children, and loves to make lentil soup!

Connect with Lea on LinkedIn and Instagram.

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for High Velocity Radio.

Stone Payton: Welcome to the High Velocity Radio show, where we celebrate top performers producing better results in less time. Stone Payton here with you this afternoon. You guys are in for a real treat. Please join me in welcoming to the broadcast with Appleton Coaching the lady herself, Ms. Lea Appleton. How are you?

Lea Appleton: I am well. Thank you so much for having me today. Stone, this is great.

Stone Payton: Well, it’s my pleasure. What a delight to have you on the broadcast. I got a ton of questions. Lea, I’m sure we won’t get to them all, but I would love to to paint a picture if we could. For me and our listeners. Mission. Purpose. What are you really out there trying to do for folks?

Lea Appleton: Yeah. So in my coaching, I’m really here to help people and be a guide so that they can find their way, whether it is in making their work life better or their personal life more in order. My goal and my mission is to provide a way for them to act with intention, pay attention to what’s important to notice and be aware so that the choices that they make every single day really align with their values.

Stone Payton: Well, it sounds like great work if you can get it. How in the world did you find yourself in this line of work? What’s the backstory?

Lea Appleton: Well it’s great. What’s interesting is, honestly, I didn’t really know about coaching, and I was in higher education for decades, and I took a course that was part of my professional development, and I chose the coaching training program because I wanted to learn how to ask better questions. That was my sole reason. I had a lot of conversations with people, Well, listened a lot and realized I could do better at asking questions. So that’s how my journey began. And it was like coaching found me. And when I retired from higher ed, I thought, this is this is how I’m going to spend my time. So it’s been a really great journey so far and have had fabulous conversation hours, hundreds, thousands of hours of conversation so far. It’s been great.

Stone Payton: So what are you finding the most rewarding at this stage in your career at this point in your practice? What’s the what’s the most fun about it for you?

Lea Appleton: You know, what’s really fun is that I have such a wide variety of people that I work with because I have private clients, and I also work for two coaching companies where I’m a contract coach. So I have access to such interesting people who are willing and to share their story with me, and to be able to inquire of themselves what it is they really want most. And I get to be witness to that. And that is really the most exciting part for me to be able to watch people’s lives unfold in ways maybe they didn’t even realize they wanted, or they weren’t sure how to get there. And I get to to be there, as it happens for them.

Stone Payton: So let’s dive into the work a little bit. Let’s talk about the mechanism for the work. You know, are you doing one on one work? It sounds like you’re well, I know because you and I had a chance to visit, uh, before we came on air. Uh, you’re getting people outside. You talk about the work itself?

Lea Appleton: Sure. So I do a lot of coaching. One on one in the online environment. Um, I became a coach, uh, as a digital first, uh, learner. So that was terrific. I didn’t have to translate like a lot of people did after the pandemic or during the pandemic into an online platform. So I do most of my coaching online, but I have a on my website, I talk about how I have an indoor job and an outdoor job, and part of my outdoor job is having opportunities for people to go on mindful walking excursions, if you will. Usually a day long or a good portion of a day. And so in a lot of ways these partnered together because inside, when we’re in our offices or our homes and we’re talking online about the life that we want to create for ourselves, or in particular with my clients, the work life that they want is, is the wayfinding and how they find their way and how they make those choices. And when I work with people outside, it gives them a hands on opportunity to think through or experience the next choice, the next, the sign that they actually see on the walkway and what it makes them think about and to be reflective in that process. And so it’s a practice of mindful walking that allows them really, I think, to live more mindfully.

Stone Payton: So mindful walking I’m operating under the impression that while there is this, this element of freedom and expanse, that there is some structure, some rigor, some discipline to this so that it delivers some some results and opens up some opportunities for internal exploration. Can you say more about the structure?

Lea Appleton: Sure. So usually I invite people to come up with an intention for their walk. So it’s a purpose, not just I want to do, you know, 12 miles today or I want to be done in three hours. So it’s not so much a quantifiable, um, result that they’re looking for, but more this idea of how do I want to be with myself in this moment. A lot of people don’t spend hours and hours with themselves and, you know, their thoughts and their ramblings in some senses. Stone. What’s interesting is that it is actually a little bit of of wandering there. In some cases, there isn’t a destination. We’ll just go as far as seems right, and we’ll turn around and go back. In other cases, we’ll walk as far as it seems, and then we’ll take a Lyft or an Uber back to where our car is. So, um, that I think kind of is nice because then it allows the very specific things of what’s your intention? I create booklets that give questions that ask people to reflect every few 30 minutes, every hour, depending on how long we’re going. So there’s some structure around that that I’ve created and then to but not to necessarily have a specific place they’re trying to get to, both figuratively as well as on the map. And I think that allows for people to explore whatever is going on.

Stone Payton: So this may be a little bit of a selfish question, but maybe it’ll serve the listener. After this particular conversation, I’m going to hop in the truck and I’m going to go to a place called Wildlife Action. I have 450 plus acres that I have a chance to roam. My question is this does there become a point in working with you where there is, uh, what’s the right word for this? Some capability transfer where I could incorporate some of what I’ve learned from working with you into my ongoing excursions out in the woods as I’m playing, is there some individual capability that happens over time to exercise some of these disciplines and these techniques?

Lea Appleton: Absolutely. And in fact, you know, I told you that I wrote a book last year and it was published. And one of the things that’s in the back of the book, the last full chapter, is the DIY tips, right? So really the goal and the hope for me is that people are being able to learn to practice paying attention, learn to practice noticing. So both what you see with your eyeballs or you hear is what’s going out there. Because so many times, whether we’re walking along a sidewalk in a city or whether we’re in some open space, there’s a lot going on that we can pay attention to. And then to focus some of that attention inwardly what’s going on with us as we explore these places. So being able it’s really a really a matter of practice. I think that most of us can do these things on our own, but we don’t necessarily try it. We don’t do it yet. So my hope is both to explore again in my indoor and outdoor job, getting people to practice, the opportunity to pay attention, to notice, to really begin to make the choices and respond to kind of the yearnings of the heart, if you will, and being able to make those choices in their daily lives, whether it’s on the walk or whether it’s in the office. And, um, really, my honest hope is that you don’t need me as a coach eventually. And I don’t know that every coach will say that, but I really hope that people are able to develop these skills on their own and the practices on their own, so they can go do it themselves. That’s really my goal.

Stone Payton: So I know the answer to this has to be yes, but I’m going to ask you to expand on it. But is there a a peer to peer dynamic application for Application for this work. Like if I if I work with you to go out with our with our team, does I gotta believe that this would really lend itself to some tremendous peer to peer dynamics?

Lea Appleton: Yeah, absolutely. And you know, depending on you know, sometimes I’ve brought people together who don’t know each other and maybe they don’t want to share. But if there’s a group of friends or if there’s a team, that’s a really great opportunity to be able to say, um, with the booklets that I create, they can be more customized. But then you could do that too and say, all right, people have done their internal exploration of their own landscape. Then what does our team look like together when we look, um, or our, our organization or our group of friends, whoever it is that’s doing this together to begin to explore and share what’s going on in ourselves, which sometimes, you know, takes some vulnerability, some willingness to do. Um, but I think it can really help build trust and, um, build focus for a joint effort, whatever the Whatever the team or the group is wanting to do together.

Stone Payton: So you briefly mentioned this book. I’d say more about the book. I’m interested in the structure and the content, but I also candidly, I’m interested and I’m sure many of our listeners, because many of our listeners are practitioners or aspiring practitioners, the experience of committing your ideas to paper and crafting a book, speak to that a little bit.

Lea Appleton: Sure, absolutely. It’s called walking and wayfinding. Create your own mindful practice one step at a time. And it actually just came out on audible a couple weeks ago. And it’s available on Amazon, which is great. And the the point of the book for me became when I realized that I didn’t have it in me, both in time and energy and and focus for how I wanted to run my business to, to lead wayfinding days all the time. Um, took me away from my family, take me away from my home and my other opportunities. I love to do it. But I thought, well, how could I make this possible for even more even more people. Plus, I live in Southern California and like, you know, it’s not so easy for you to join me on a walk at the beach in California, right? So how can I I create this opportunity for people because a lot of people asked me about it. I had done these walks on my own and people said, that’s really cool. I want to do one. And so that’s what led me to create them for other people. And then I thought, well, if I write a book, then even more people can do these themselves, whether they and there are questions in the book. So each chapter is a process of developing a mindful practice, and mine happens to be around walking. And the book talks about that, but it leaves open the opportunity that it could even be something else. And then the so the writing of the book became this way to share both my personal experience and the group experience that I had helped create with other people. To really make it possible for you to go do this yourself. Again, this, this goal of of making I’m kind of a DIYer, and I think that I love, um, being able to to share that excitement with other people so that you all can do it yourself too.

Stone Payton: So is there some science or at least intention behind using the the nomenclature, the the the frame of wayfinding?

Lea Appleton: Well, it’s interesting because I don’t I don’t know if I would say that there is science, but I was very particular in why I chose that. So wayfinding is and I talk about it in the book, the idea that we’ve used the term wayfinding, particularly in seafaring going early on and, and people finding their navigating by the stars and, you know, the nature that’s out there and finding your way from one island to the next, or one continent to the next. And then wayfinding also is used, at least in contemporary language in the US around city planning. So wayfinding is a term that’s used for like, here’s a sign that tells you how to find parking. Here’s a sign that tells you to go to the restroom. Here you can navigate this open, you know, community space, let’s say. And there aren’t signs, but it’s obvious where you need to go to find things. So wayfinding is paying attention to what’s out there so that you can know where to go so that you can find your way. Whether it is a destination like the restroom or the parking lot or whatever. Or it could be how I’m going to get from one place to the next on this city street, that it’s the design of the the structure of the area is made so that people can find their way. So I thought, wow, this is a really great metaphor for being able to find our own way, both based on what we see, but also what we see and notice inside ourselves.

Stone Payton: So what are you learning from your practice? And I guess maybe your clients on this topic of work life, play balance. Any new learnings there?

Lea Appleton: Well, one of the things that’s really interesting to me is that many, many of the people that I work with, they may come in saying, hey, I want to be able to, Um, hone my leadership skills. I want to really a lot of people will say out loud, I want to wake up and be excited about my job. I want to go to work. Uh, looking forward to the day and what’s been really interesting in working with people. And this is, again, one of the thing that’s great about coaching is that it’s directed by the Coachee. It’s not directed by me. And they come up and in invariably it’s I want to have a better morning routine. I want to go to sleep on time. I want to be able to take a lunch break. So they they begin to realize that they haven’t paid attention to the signposts along the way during their day, and their bodies haven’t come along very well. So being able to um, so a lot of people make lots of changes and choices around, um, their own health and wellness and sleep patterns and taking lunch and then setting schedules and routines and things like that when they need them, and allowing for freedom and choice when they don’t. Um, so it becomes a much more much more pragmatic approach to kind of crafting a day, if you will.

Stone Payton: Yeah.

Lea Appleton: And that surprised me, I think. I didn’t expect that when I began my coaching practice a number of years ago, but it is a very common topic. Like I really just have to get a handle on my day.

Stone Payton: So you and I discovered in another conversation previous to to coming on air that you’re singing to the choir here, right? Like I’m heading to the woods after this. But what is the whole sales and marketing thing like for a practice like yours for, for the, the people you’re trying to to to serve is I mean, I’m operating under the impression maybe every one, every organization doesn’t initially embrace this idea of you just found a way to just play your music to the ones that who want to hear it.

Lea Appleton: Well, I think in a lot of ways I play my music to the ones who want to hear it, but I don’t always know who those are. And I think that that’s something that is important, particularly for new coaches, to realize that, you know, you may have a particular niche or a particular audience that you are wanting to work with, but there also may be other people who really find what you have to say valuable. And the thing that’s been interesting for me is that people who have chosen me, or companies that have hired me to come in and do a workshop, I do things like that as well. In terms of my mindful practices at your desk, things like that. And, you know, it’s finance companies and, you know, software techs and things like that, which isn’t my background. If I thought, oh, I only want to talk with people that come from education or music or outdoor adventuring or something like that, that I might be limiting some of the people who really find value. So particularly for new coaches, kind of being open to who might actually really like the song you’re singing and be willing to share it with, with as many as possible, and then they choose you. And then that helps you choose who you want to focus on and who you market to, and things like that.

Stone Payton: Yeah. So passions, pursuits, interests outside the scope of the work we’re describing. Most of my listeners know that I like to hunt, fish and travel anything you have a tendency to nerd out about that’s kind of outside the scope of this work.

Lea Appleton: Well, it’s a little bit tangential. I love being outside, so whether it’s a walk around the block, I love to backpack for days and days on end. Um, I’m currently not able to do that, so I’m recovering from an injury. And what’s really interesting with that is I’ve discovered, again, I love to read. I think puzzles are fun. Um, I’m I’m developing. My secret passion is someday I’d like to be a really good cook. Um, that’s not really what I am, but I keep trying. And so that’s been fun. And I’ve loved making. I’m a I’m a good soup maker, and I’ve discovered that maybe I’ll just stick with that. That’s my niche in terms of cooking. Um, but I’m excited about it and I love doing things like that. So being outside, creating good food, um, spending time with people that I really appreciate, either eating good food or being outside. So they all work together.

Stone Payton: They really do. And I have to confess, uh, as a product of my extensive pre-show research, not because I like to just have conversations, but you’ve taken an interest in lentil soup, right? You’re working on on perfecting that? Yes.

Lea Appleton: Yes, very much so. And I did not realize there were so many ways to make a good lentil soup. So I’m having a great time with that this year so far.

Stone Payton: Oh, I love it. So I would love to. Before we wrap, I would love to leave our listeners with a couple of pro tips. And a lot of our listeners are other practitioners, uh, Lea and and quite a few, I would think, would be people who are genuinely considering the idea of bringing on some type of, uh, some type of coach. But I would love it if we could leave a pro tip maybe on on practicing the craft, but also the business side of coaching because you, you know, you have to run a business as well. Right.

Lea Appleton: Mhm. Absolutely. And it’s interesting that you should ask that because I just recorded late last year um, with the, the company where I did my, or the school where I did my coach training because they looked at me and they said, you know what? You just did it. And we’d love to hear how how that process saying, I don’t come out of corporate America. Right? Like I told you, I didn’t know what coaching was until I learned about it. And I think the biggest tip is to start where you are to to fight the urge to make an excuse for the reason why. Well, maybe I can’t do this because I don’t have this and I don’t have that. Well, you have whatever you have, whatever your experience is, use it. Um, and if you don’t have a big network, then begin with a network of one, right. And then begin to build it and begin to build it. And I think that particularly anybody with any business where you’re an entrepreneur, I think that it can be isolating a little bit and it can be hard. Um, but to try to try to stay as positive. That’s the biggest, um, the biggest tip I have. Find the things you like and do them, and then the things that you like, uh, will continue to build and you’ll continue to shine, and people will be interested in you because you’re doing the things that that you enjoy.

Lea Appleton: And then pay attention to the people who are hiring you and learn from them and find out what it is that they I always ask people like, well, what did you find interesting about me? You know why? Why me? Why did you pick me? Because then I can learn in that process as well. Um, and and be able to, to talk to more people. So definitely on the business of coaching to start where you are and to stay as positive as you can. Um, I had to take a part time job when I first began coaching to make it possible for me to do this. So sometimes you have to just make the choices, even if they’re not exactly what you want. Um, now I’m doing full coaching full time, and that works great. So I think, um, to be persistent and to keep, if that is your goal and your dream to create a coaching practice, then then do everything you can to make that possible in terms of the craft of coaching. I think coming from a place of curiosity, genuine interest in the person that you’re talking to and listening with, because really a lot of coaching is listening. But then again, my reason for taking coaching training was to ask the better questions. So to listen and ask the good questions that really stem from curiosity about what that person is saying and what they want.

Stone Payton: I am so glad that I asked and I think that’s marvelous, counsel. And look gang, the number one pro tip is reach out to Lea and have a conversation. Connect with her. Start to tap into her work. Let’s make sure that they’re able to do that. Let’s leave them with some coordinates to get their hands on this book, maybe have a conversation with you and kind of get to know you and your work.

Lea Appleton: Absolutely. So my book Walking and Wayfinding, you can find it on Amazon and on audible. I spell my name, Lea, and that’s helpful because sometimes you might not find me otherwise. Um. My website is w w w Appleton Coaching.com Apple t o n and my. You can email me if you like at Lea. Lea at Appleton Coaching.com.

Stone Payton: Lea. It has been an absolute delight having you on the program. Thank you for your insight, your perspective, your enthusiasm. You are clearly having a tremendous impact on so many and we sure appreciate you.

Lea Appleton: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me, Stone.

Stone Payton: My pleasure. All right. Until next time. This is Stone Payton for our guest today, Lea. Appleton with Appleton coaching and everyone here at the Business RadioX family saying we’ll see you in the fast lane.

Celebrating our WBE Star: Angela Garmon’s Journey to Empowerment

February 6, 2025 by angishields

Women in Motion

Celebrating our WBE Star: Angela Garmon's Journey to Empowerment

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In this episode of Women in Motion, Lee Kantor talks with Angela Garmon, founder of ARG Coaching and Consulting Group and the 2025 WBE Star Award winner. Angela discusses her business, which specializes in strategic change management, team resilience, and collaboration. She shares her journey from the hospitality industry to starting her own firm in 2016, emphasizing the importance of managing change effectively. Angela highlights the significance of community engagement, networking, and focusing on impact rather than accolades.

The WBE Star Award is the nation’s top recognition for excellence among women-owned businesses, honoring 14 women from across the country within each of our 14 Regional Partner Organizations who are leaders in their local business communities and respective fields, and an inspiration to women business owners across the country.

The WBE Stars are especially recognized for their remarkable achievements, contributing invaluable leadership and influence to the dynamic business landscape. Beyond their professional accomplishments, these women serve as a wellspring of inspiration for others within their communities. The recognition they receive through the WBE Star Award is a powerful testament to the profound impact they’ve made in their respective business environments.

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

With over 20 years of business acumen, Angela specializes in helping teams enhance their resilience and build strong collaborative environments that inspire peak performance. In 2021, Angela launched an Arizona-based nonprofit that developed a groundbreaking program to support Black-owned businesses statewide, securing multi-year funding for its measurable impact.

As a leader in the business community, Angela’s work is grounded in the belief that people thrive when inspired, fostering a culture of excellence, resilience, and innovation.

Connect with Angela on LinkedIn and follow ARG Coaching & Consulting Group on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Music Provided by M PATH MUSIC

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

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

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here. Another episode of Women in Motion. And this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, WBEC-West. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. And this is going to be a very special Women in Motion because today, we’re going to celebrate the 2025 winner of the WBE Star Award. And WBE Star Award is the nation’s top recognition for excellence among women-owned businesses, honoring 14 women from across the country within each of the 14 regional partner organizations, who are leaders in their local business communities and respective fields, and an inspiration to women business owners across the country. Today, on the show, we have Angela Garmon and she is with ARG Coaching and Consulting Group, and she has been named a 2025 WBE Star. Welcome and congratulations.

Angela Garmon: Well, thank you so much, Lee. It’s always an honor to be on your show again. Super excited to dive into the conversation with you.

Lee Kantor: Well, before we get talking about the award, let’s talk about your business. Can you tell us a little bit about ARG Coaching and Consulting Group? How are you serving folks?

Angela Garmon: Yes, of course. So, ARG Coaching and Consulting Group is a strategic change management consulting firm serving clients nationwide. We specialize in helping teams enhance their resilience and building strong, collaborative environments that inspire peak performance as they align, redefine, and grow through change. Our motto is that you can conquer, change and cultivate results.

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

Angela Garmon: Oh, my goodness. So, I started the business in 2016. Prior to that, I worked in the hospitality industry, and I specialized in project management. My background is Six Sigma. And what I learned over the time that I was in hotel management is in rolling out best practice projects is that teams or individuals resist change. And we know that how we handle change today really impacts the results that we cultivate for tomorrow. And as I look back over my journey and my career, I really excelled in those spaces where I helped other individuals and teams as they conquered change and cultivate results. And so, when I embarked out on this journey on my own, it was the pivotal moments from my hospitality career that helped me to develop out all of the services and the products that you get from ARG Coaching and Consulting Group.

Lee Kantor: Now, was it kind of a little counterintuitive for you? Because everybody says change is the only thing you can count on. And if people have an apprehension or anxiety around change, it’s going to be difficult to kind of evolve and grow. So, how did you, kind of, make that mental leap to embrace and lean into change and help people get through that transition?

Angela Garmon: You know, I think that understanding that the only thing, to your point, the only thing constant in life is change, right? And to help people overcome the hurdles and, really, it’s just those spaces where we get stuck and it’s where, you know… Excuse me. So, when we work through those spaces where we’re stuck, that’s really where we’ll start to see growth. And so, it was an opportunity for me to really look back over those times and those careers where people excelled beyond their own hurdles. And so, that’s really what has driven my passion and my desire to see other people and organizations grow.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you made the transition to working for somebody, to working for yourself, when did you get kind of clues that you were on to something, that you had a service or an offering that people would buy and that they would benefit from?

Angela Garmon: I think that especially for when we look at it from a small business perspective, we always look at it from the ability to test your products and your services in the market. And so, I think that when I started working with another small business owner, she was growing her law practice, and I was actually working with her as an employee. And our first couple of years when I helped… Our first year, excuse me, when I helped her grow her practice, she was able to expand her business by 40%. The second year, we were able to increase her revenues by another 45%, and then also help her bring on a larger team and stabilize her firm. And I think it was her that really acknowledged the breadth of work that I did within her firm and encouraged me to expand out on my own.

And when I look back over my career and even the results that I cultivated when I was in the hotel industry just starting out my career as a Six Sigma Green belt, I was able to help the Phoenicians save over $1 million that first year by rolling out a project that went on to become a national best practice project. And so, it was those pivotal moments that really catapulted me into this space that I’m in. And so, when you talk about testing your products and your ability to serve your clientele, I would have to say, it’s just looking back over those moments, but most importantly, when I was working with that other small business owner and she showed me or working with her really illustrated to me the services and the impact that I can have not only on a small business but also a large organization as well.

Lee Kantor: Now, as we mentioned early on, you’ve been named a 2025 WBE Star. Can you talk a little bit about how it felt when you got this kind of important recognition? Like, were you just… I mean, you must have been so excited.

Angela Garmon: Right. You know, Lee, I don’t really know if I’ve fully taken on the magnitude of this recognition. It was just… I think I was really at a loss of words. I had a loss of words. There are over 2000 certified WBEs in WBEC-West and there are some phenomenal WBOs or women business owners, excuse me, that are doing some amazing work. And so, WBEC-West has one of the highest engagements across our RPOs. So, to be recognized in such a way for me is just, again, I still don’t know if I fully have recognized it, but it is an amazing experience, and I know that I have shared it out with friends, and family, and to my network. But it is truly an honor to represent the RPO in this manner.

Lee Kantor: What do you think that are some of, kind of, those key accomplishments or milestones you reach that enabled you to get this recognition?

Angela Garmon: You know, I think that over the past few years, I have worked not only within the community but also worked within the WBEC-West community to help other women business enterprise thrive and to be successful as they look to achieve their own business goals. You know, I often tell the story whenever I speak on different platforms about how Dr. Williamson, she and I were sitting down talking, I want to say it was back in 2019 or so, when I was about to step into a role as president of NAWBO. And she said to me, “Angela, you know what? That is all well and good, but what are you going to do with it?” And her words have echoed in my mind for the last, what, 5 or 6 years? Because we all have… many people have businesses or we’re leaders in some type of facet, but when we think about the impact that we can make, man, we have such a greater… you know, we can make such a greater impact when we think about the community at large.

And so, I’m always thinking about, “But what am I going to do with… in this? What am I going to do with the spaces that I have been granted access to?” And so, when I think about just some of the achievements that I’ve been able to make, just working within WBEC-West in a couple of different capacities, helping other women grow but, most importantly, also help reaching back out to the community of other women businesses that are looking to grow their business, that has been instrumental. And then, also, trying to identify ways to collaborate not only with other WBEs but also collaborate with corporations that are looking to support small business development growth. I think both of those have really been instrumental in achieving this work.

Lee Kantor: Now, any advice for others, maybe people who want to shoot for the award for next year, how best to lean in locally? Like you mentioned the importance of contributing to your local business community. What advice would you give somebody on how to do that in a way that kind of provides the most value, not only to yourself and your career, but also to the community itself? Because a lot of times people are like, “Oh, I got to join these groups,” and they just join and they never participate or they just put their name on a list of, “Yeah, Yeah. I’m just going to sign up for this thing, but I never really do anything with it.” Like, how do you choose the right group for you? And how do you get the most out of that once you have chosen?

Angela Garmon: Great questions, Lee. And I’ll start, a couple of weeks ago, I was talking to another WBE, and she said, “Man, I want to get the next Star award.” She’s like, “What did you do to get to that space?” And you know, the one thing that I shared with her is don’t focus so much on the award, focus a lot more on the impact that you’re going to make because there’s always someone watching. And again, this award was truly unexpected. It’s nothing that I necessarily strived for, but it’s truly appreciated. And I think that the one reason why I obtained the award is because I was so focused on building up everybody else. Well, let me take a step back. I was focused on building my business, first and foremost, because I think as a business owner, that is truly important, but also focused on building other people up along the way as well because I found that as long as I’m doing what it is that I’ve been called to do and as long as I’m also reaching back and supporting other people’s efforts, that someone is going to recognize not only the impact that I’m making but also recognize all of the work that I am doing and how I am engaged.

One of the questions that you also asked is, how do people choose the networks that they want to be part of? And I think that’s a great question as well. The one thing that I always consider every single year as I’m strategizing for my business or putting a strategic plan in place for the business is I also look at the networks that I’m connected to. How are those networks either connecting me with my ideal clients, how are they helping me to create exposure for my business, or how do they align with my mission and values of my business? And so, I would encourage any business owner to look at those three areas for themselves and to try and determine which organizations or associations are driving or helping them in each of those efforts. And that’s how they can really select organizations that are going to support them.

And then to your other question is how do you choose to get engaged? You know, I often will look and see, how can I support other people, which is really that mission-driven work. So, I would tell in any small business owner to really look and see what their mission or their overall purpose is, and then figure out how they can tap into the associations or the organizations that they’re part of to help them build out their mission-driven work as well.

Lee Kantor: Now, who is the ideal client profile for AAG? Who is your ideal client and how can we help you get them?

Angela Garmon: Yeah. Thank you for that question. ARG, again, works with clients nationwide. We really specialize in utility construction and government spaces. So, if there is a… there’s a lot of change right now going on in the world. And so, if your team right now is struggling with building out cohesion or if individuals are impacted with understanding how changes that are going on within your respective organizations, so if they’re having challenges understanding those changes and you just want someone to come in or organization to come in assess your team where they are from a change management perspective, then please consider AAG Coaching and Consulting Group. We’ll assess your team’s readiness for change. We’ll offer recommendations and solutions that will help enhance the culture of your organization. And then, finally, we’ll be able to assist you as you put growth measures in place to help sustain those change efforts.

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

Angela Garmon: Best way to connect is www.argccgroup.com.

Lee Kantor: argccgroup.com?

Angela Garmon: Correct.

Lee Kantor: Well, Angela, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work. And we appreciate you. And congratulations on being named the 2025 WBE Star.

Angela Garmon: Thank you so much, Lee. It’s always a pleasure.

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