Business RadioX ®

Building Trust in the Age of AI: Strategies for Organizations and Employees

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High Velocity Radio
High Velocity Radio
Building Trust in the Age of AI: Strategies for Organizations and Employees
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On this episode of High Velocity Radio, Lee Kantor interviews Patrice Lindo, CEO of Career Nomad, about navigating the rapidly changing labor market shaped by AI. Patrice discusses how Career Nomad helps organizations and individuals adapt to workforce disruptions, reframe work around outcomes, and communicate value. She shares insights from supporting students and workers through job transitions, emphasizing transparent communication, strategic impact, and personalized support. The conversation highlights the importance of trust, adaptability, and empowering people to thrive in an AI-driven economy. Patrice also outlines her triage-inspired approach and invites listeners to connect with Career Nomad for guidance.

Patrice Williams-Lindo is not your average career strategist. As the CEO of Career Nomad, she’s a no-nonsense advocate for companies that want to break out of the talent retention rut and build a reputation for resilience and adaptability.

With over a decade in high-stakes consulting and a proven track record in the restoration and insurance sectors, she brings fresh, fearless insight to her audience.

Connect with Patrice on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • The impact of AI on the labor market and workforce development.
  • Challenges organizations face in implementing AI technologies.
  • Employee fears and misconceptions about AI replacing jobs.
  • The importance of reframing work from task completion to outcome-focused value.
  • Strategies for individual contributors to advocate for themselves and articulate their impact.
  • The role of transparent communication in building trust during AI implementation.
  • The significance of involving employees early in the AI adoption process.
  • The need for organizations to help employees understand and communicate their value.
  • Examples of Career Nomad’s approach to supporting students and workers in transition.
  • The importance of strategic thinking and precision in navigating the modern job market.

Transcript-iconThis 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.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here. Another episode of High Velocity Radio, and this is going to be a good one. Today on the show we have the CEO with Career nomad, Patrice Lindo. Welcome.

Patrice Lindo: Thank you so much, Lee. It’s a pleasure talking to you. I’m looking forward to our chat today.

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

Patrice Lindo: Oh my goodness. Well, as the founder of Career Nomad, we are working at the intersection of workforce development, leadership and AI. We basically help people and organizations navigate this uncertain labor market that’s moving faster than the speed of light, right? So we don’t have the systems to support it. And we’re trying to figure out what that looks like.

Lee Kantor: So who is your client? Is it the organization or is it the individual?

Patrice Lindo: Both. Both. Both both. Because what’s happening is that right now we’re not facing a talent shortage. Right? People are looking for jobs. We’re facing what they call a crisis. We have people that are being laid off. You know, AI is coming in and people feel like it’s taking their jobs. So, you know, as people are being told to reskill, upskill, pivot, we’re figuring out what they need to do next. Right. Because that slower, more predictable economy is gone.

Lee Kantor: So let’s take each constituent one at a time. And let’s start with the organization. What is kind of the pain the organization’s having where career nomad is available to help them? What what’s kind of their challenge that they’re dealing with where they need your help?

Patrice Lindo: Absolutely. So from an organizational perspective, right. Leadership is literally changing real time. It’s not just about the title in these organizations. It’s about what people need to do within this fast changing, you know, world as it speaks. So how can they help their employees? You know, that’s coming in every day to do their jobs as they know it, do it efficiently. Right. So, you know, how do we get people to understand that AI isn’t eliminating jobs wholesale, right? It’s basically just exposing those roles that were never clearly defined in the first place. So how do we help those organizations lead in a way that people can trust, so to speak, what’s in place to keep them employed, to keep them employable, and to help them innovate in a way that hits the bottom line, which is what the organization is ultimately care about. So we help them to navigate that, you know, how do they communicate to their employees? How do they let them know what they need to stop, start and continue? How do we, you know, have that conversation if in fact, their employees are going to be, you know, let go? What does that need to look like in a way that develops that sense of trust and also can, you know, match the changing needs as it relates to our, you know, our economy and the world as it’s changing.

Lee Kantor: So what does that kind of pain look like in the what’s happening kind of boots on the ground in that organization that they can recognize symptoms, that maybe they have an issue that they need your help with. Like what are they seeing? That should be kind of to you, a red flag, but to them might just be like a yellow flag.

Patrice Lindo: So the red flag would be, oh, you know, we got this new AI tool everybody’s going to use, for example. I don’t know, Claude, let’s just say or ChatGPT. And they’ve gotten it at the enterprise level, and you have a whole sector or sectors of your organization that don’t even know where to begin. So it gets to the place where the rules have changed and people don’t know what to do. And here it is. The organizations like, see, we are 21st century. We have brought in all of the amazing technology that AI has to offer, and you have people that are very mistrusting of it and feel like, oh my goodness, AI is taking my job. So it’s a red flag to the people that are on boots on the ground. But for the employers, it’s a yellow flag in a good way because hey, we’re getting ready to level up. So the conversation is more like teaching the organizers or the people within the organization that AI can be a multiplier, right? It teaches your your employees how to be clear, how to be strategic, and how to amplify the good work that they do. In other words, the messaging is that AI doesn’t replace people. It replaces ambiguity. So how should they be doing that differently? Right. Talent. You know, helping to teach people what the impact is that they need to do, not just complete tasks. If people are confused, they don’t know how to innovate, for example. So basically teaching them how to give career clarity as a retention strategy for those people that you actually want to keep.

Lee Kantor: So what I’m hearing you saying is that the organization thinks, hey, we’re being, you know, keeping up with the times because we’re leaning into this and we’re doing you a favor. This is helping you. Yes. And the employee is looking at it as like, oh, you’re just trying to replace me. And here I am just going to train some AI person to replace me.

Patrice Lindo: Correct? Correct, correct. So how do we bridge that? Excuse me. How do we bridge. Bridge that conversation. Because a lot of times, you know, people have been in these jobs for X number of years, you know, meeting their daily tasks and assignments and, you know, basically getting things over the line. Whereas now, you know, you can automate, for example, those tasks. So how do we rebrand them in a way that the work that they do still lands impact in a way that not only builds whatever the relationships are that your organization is building to sell whatever it is that they sell, but also in a way that people feel like they’re getting the employees feel like they’re getting something out of it as well, so you can recognize people truly for the value that they’re already delivering.

Lee Kantor: And so that’s so if an organization is thinking about implementing some AI solution, it’s probably a good idea to talk to you before they do that rather than to triage kind of something where you now have a trust issue after the fact.

Patrice Lindo: Absolutely. So take people on that journey. And when I say on the journey, it’s less about asking permission. It is still directional, like, hello XYZ employees, we have great information to share with you. We are going to be implementing AI. We’ll start out with a pilot, we’ll do X number of people in this particular department and then we’re going to roll it out. But again that communication right. That transparency in a way that it makes sense so that people feel less blindsided and more that they’re a part of the journey. That’s usually what decreases the level of anxiety and builds that credibility and trust.

Lee Kantor: All right. So let’s switch gears to the individual contributor. Um, when you’re working with that person, what are those conversations look like? Are are they kind of also living in this moment of fear? And they’re kind of not, you know, they’re kind of losing faith on all the expertise they have that it’s not going to be ready for the next kind of wave of technology.

Patrice Lindo: Absolutely. It typically starts there because here it is. They have, you know, met the moment where they have kept up their end of the contract, right, their end of the bargain, where they show up to work every day. They do their specific, you know, assignments and tasks and, you know, they’re they’re meeting, you know, kind of the need where they knew it to be. And so all of a sudden now it feels like the rug has been pulled out from under them because the things that they used to do now, you know, a machine, quote unquote, can do. And so then we have to reframe that to conversation. One of the things that I talk to them about is what are the outcomes, though, of the work that you do. So for example, if you take, let’s say nursing, for example, if you’re a nurse, excuse me. And you used to let’s say, you know, distribute medicine and take patients temperatures and maybe their blood pressures and that sort of thing. Now the hospitals may have brought in, let’s say, a robot. Right. To do those things. Now you can focus on, for example, the actual health of that patient as opposed to their, you know, vital signs.

Patrice Lindo: Not that the vital signs aren’t important, but the time that it would have taken you to do that, you can actually sit down and say, well, okay, if this patient has, let’s say, a particular heart disease or, you know, maybe they’ve broken a hip, you can find out what it is that they need to do to impact the outcome of getting that patient healthily out of the hospital, because before you still are expected to do that, but you were so mired down with those tasks, you were less focused, less able to focus on that. So it builds capacity. So we reframe that conversation conversation to capacity and outcomes. And what we found is that once people really take a step back from what they’re doing, they’re like, wait a minute, I have already been doing it. It’s just reframing the conversation. And that’s whether you’re in health care, education, consulting, you know, you name it. It’s just a matter of becoming less task oriented and more outcome focused and being able to articulate that now.

Lee Kantor: Do you think that that’s kind of at the heart of things that folks have been, I guess, kind of misguided in the in the way they’re defining their value? They think their value is completing 14 tasks during the day when their value is kind of like you described, is improving the outcome of the patient. That’s that’s the value. Not doing the 14 things. The 14 things were just kind of what you had to do in order to do the other thing.

Patrice Lindo: Correct, correct, correct. And I don’t know that it was misguided. I would say it’s a sign of the times, right? Because there have been times in our society where busyness, right, like motion was the thing to do. Like, oh my gosh, they’re running around like a chicken with their head cut off. Whereas to be honest, if you took a step back and really, you know, took as opposed to the 5000 foot view, the 20,000 foot view, we always should have been talking in terms of outcomes. But the way that society was set up, that was not necessarily rewarded. But now we’re being forced to evolve, right. So what is it? What’s the difference, so to speak, that you being in a particular role makes, for example. So if you were a consultant and you know, you worked with clients to, let’s say, figure out how to make their process more efficient, let’s say if they were, you know, producing beans. Well, at one point, you know, people used to count the beans, you know, figure out the quality of the beans and then figure out which could be packaged. Well, now you can have that first half, you know, automated, and you can talk about maybe different markets that could use your beads, or maybe different uses for the beads. So this is where your inner entrepreneur, um, within organizations can really come to life. And so I think, you know, there were a few that did that before, you know, relatively speaking. But now that the shift has happened, right. So I, I call it less misguided and more evolved.

Lee Kantor: Now the, the genie’s out of the bottle, right. Like this is not we’re not going back anymore. This is you. You better accept this and and learn how to leverage it rather than complain about it. Right.

Patrice Lindo: Absolutely. No. You’re absolutely right. She’s definitely going not going back in the bottle. And you know this is a reckoning of sorts right. It comes to a place where if you can translate your value in a way that is meaningful to the person or the entity that you’re talking to. So think about, let’s say, performance conversations at the end of the year, if you can translate what you’ve done over that year or that whatever that marking period into value that that, that boss, you know, can appreciate for that organization. Then you don’t have an issue. It’s those that are, you know, kind of vague, not really sure they’re talking about, like you said, the 14 tasks that are suffering at this point. So you got to get on this bus because it’s left the station for sure.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there any advice that you would give, uh, kind of an individual contributor right now? What can they do to kind of elevate themselves into one of those people that are the the people that the organization is going to invest time and resource into? What can they do to upskill in order to kind of leverage this moment?

Patrice Lindo: I’d say your very first step is to turn invisible work into visible value, because there isn’t an algorithm, right, that’s going to come and advocate for you. You you are your own best advocate. So if you think of your career as an ecosystem, you can create your own stability. You can talk about, you know, this is what you’ve done over this marking period. And these are the outcomes you’ve driven. This is how you’ve increased value. This is how you’ve collaborated with other, other groups. For example, in your organization. This is how you’ve gotten, you know, more efficiency, um, you know, when it relates to your work, but you have to speak in terms of outcomes that meet the goals of that organization, um, of that team, um, of that particular industry, whatever the case might be. But you’ve got to share those distinguishing characteristics. So it’s less about, oh my God, I work, you know, 30 hours a day. And, you know, I’ve done a hundred things. It’s like, no, at the end of the day, what did those things mean? Who did they benefit. And it basically creates this ability you’re looking forward to. Right. You know that optionality that you know, you’re not a one trick pony, so to speak. But these are the things you drive. So for example, Um, when I work in consulting, I talk about not just how I’m going to coach, for example, my team, but I also talk about how infrastructure, the infrastructure that I’m building as it relates to change management impacts, you know, an 800 000 person organization or talk about how in healthcare, you know, this one tweak can make this particular difference. And so you again, you live outside of your title and really build beyond that into the ecosystem of whatever industry you’re working in and the impact that it creates.

Lee Kantor: Now, from the company standpoint, what advice would you give them when they’re kind of, um, dealing with their talent to get the most out of them, to keep them and keep them happy, and to attract the right folks to the team.

Patrice Lindo: They need to help their talent articulate impact, because that’s not quote unquote normal yet that’s a learned behavior. So I’m going to date myself. But do you remember, gosh, probably now maybe 20 or so years ago when they started talking about lean and the different belts you could get or, um, project management, professional certifications. Again, that was something that, you know, leadership had to bring into the conversation because you had onesie twosie people doing it. But as leaders began to talk about the importance of having these certifications and what that could do for forward progression, not only for organizations but for individuals, people took that advice. So they definitely have to help articulate what impact looks like, sounds like what they’re expecting, not just, hey, did you do your ten tasks because it teaches people how to not only be clearer about what they do, but also be strategic about the work that they’re doing.

Lee Kantor: So now, is there a story you can share that can demonstrate the value you provide when you’re working with either a business client or an individual?

Patrice Lindo: Absolutely. So one of the things that I’ve done most recently is that I have a framework that’s called Built different. So it basically means understanding the system that you’re operating in and then moving accordingly. Not louder, not faster, just smarter. So it’s not hustle culture, it’s precision. And so there is, um, an academic organization that I am currently working with. And as I work with them, one of the issues that they have is that typically in this particular, um, university, people would be sought out, right, based on the way that they, uh, the work that they’re doing, companies and organizations would come to their students and say, hey, we need you. We want you. You know, there’s a waiting list. Like, do you have more people? Well, as the economy has changed now, what’s happening is that you have people that are working full time that are going to the university in the evening. You have people that are just out of school that have gone through the program and are getting ready to graduate, and both of those populations now need support getting jobs because you have the people that are working full time that in some cases may have been laid off or have had a reduction in force, or they have an impending layoff. Then you have students that are graduating, excuse me, that the job market just isn’t there because of all the changes happening in the world. And so I had to literally bring to them in a way that it would make sense to them that they can support their student.

Patrice Lindo: And by that I mean we had to be super strategic. What can we do to support their students that are, you know, unfortunately, dealing with forced transitions? And then also how can they prepare their students that are getting ready to graduate in a way that makes sense? And so as I work with them, one of the things that we do is consistently talk about how people can show up. What is the work that they need to do? What are the conversations that they need to have? And so based on that, I outlined a small time bound concept where they intentionally, practically have a shared responsibility of making the connection to that school meaningful but manageable as they anchor the work that the students do. So basically, the students we are looking to retain their current employment or reposition them effectively after job loss. We help them to translate their prior experience into credible, market ready roles today. And then we help to reduce employment related stress. Right. That usually, you know, impacts in this case academic performance graduate performance. And then basically how can they navigate this in their labor market. So the initial cohort had uh seven students. So it was a small it was a pilot that we are going to scale. And then we targeted specific students within this, um, a university that are invested, but that really fit the use case of either being recently laid off or at some elevated risk.

Patrice Lindo: And their adult learners that are balancing work and family in school. And so through doing that, we did a workforce readiness assessment that focused on their employment stability, their transferable skills and any, you know, market positioning gaps. Then we did, um, I think it’s three. Yeah, three different stabilizing sessions where we addressed like job retention strategies and unstable markets. We talked about how to reposition themselves after layoffs or any sort of disruption, and really helping them to get that narrative clarity. The ones that I was talking about before, how to speak to their impact, um, in a way that demonstrates value and experience and direction. And it went really, really well. Like we had two people that had been laid off. They were able to find additional employment. We have some of the students that are currently in school that are getting ready to graduate, that were able to get internships, so it really helped them to get to a place where they were positioned in a better direction for their career in a clearer way. They had like market aligned, um, conversations so that when they were talking with prospective employers that they were demonstrating that outcome value and they had realistic next steps. You know, as it relates to how to plan specific to their circumstances.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there, um, a niche or a best fit client for you, or is your work kind of industry agnostic?

Patrice Lindo: It’s industry agnostic because what we found is that, you know, when people think less from an individual contributor and more from an industry professional, regardless of what that industry is, that’s what begins to create that stability. So I work with individuals and organizations that, um, they come to me with their problem, and then I help them figure out what their space is, because usually it’s that insecurity and instability that’s brought them to me. So once we can sit down and have some sort of assessment, like I was saying, you know, to see where they are as far as readiness goes, figure out how to stabilize them and then basically what their plan is right to roll it out. So it’s basically triaging them similar to what would happen in an emergency room, but with respect to their career or with an organization with respect to supporting the um organizations, employees or students in the case of a school.

Lee Kantor: So what is the best way to connect with you? Is there a website or socials that.

Patrice Lindo: Um, absolutely, absolutely. Across all socials. You can find me at the Career Nomad. Um, and then website is Career Nomad. Org.

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

Patrice Lindo: Thank you so much for having me, and I look forward to speaking with you again in the future.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on High Velocity Radio.

Navigating Workplace Conflict: The Essential Role of Emotional Intelligence in Team Success

by

High Velocity Radio
High Velocity Radio
Navigating Workplace Conflict: The Essential Role of Emotional Intelligence in Team Success
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In this episode of High Velocity Radio, Lee Kantor interviews emotional intelligence coach Emily Morash. Emily explains the fundamentals of emotional intelligence (EQ), emphasizing self-awareness and social awareness as keys to reducing workplace conflict and improving team dynamics. She discusses how EQ is not fixed, but can be developed through understanding personal triggers and embracing diverse perspectives. Emily shares practical strategies for leaders to foster psychological safety, overcome bias, and build more resilient, productive teams. The episode highlights the transformative impact of emotional intelligence on leadership, collaboration, and organizational success.

Emily Morash, an Emotional Intelligence Coach, keynote speaker, and author of Unfunk Yourself: Leading Mindfully in the Midst of Mayhem. With over two decades in nonprofit leadership, Emily saw firsthand how even the best strategies can crumble under stress, miscommunication, and emotional burnout.

Today, she helps executives and teams bridge the gap between strategy and self-awareness—bringing neuroscience, mindfulness, and emotional intelligence into real-world leadership. Her message is especially relevant for leaders navigating post-pandemic challenges like hybrid teams, burnout, and the growing demand for human-centered management.

Her approach is science-backed, refreshingly candid, and actionable—offering practical frameworks that make emotional intelligence more than a buzzword.

Connect with Emily on LinkedIn and Facebook.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • Definition and components of emotional intelligence (EQ): self-awareness and social awareness.
  • The dynamic nature of emotional intelligence and its context-dependent fluctuations.
  • The role of emotional intelligence in reducing workplace conflict and misunderstandings.
  • Importance of understanding personal triggers and reactions in professional settings.
  • The significance of creating a culture of psychological safety within organizations.
  • The impact of diverse communication styles and organizational language on team dynamics.
  • Strategies for fostering empathy and collaboration among team members.
  • The balance between hiring similar individuals and those with diverse thinking styles for innovation.
  • Addressing bias in hiring and team composition to create inclusive environments.
  • Practical exercises for leaders to enhance their emotional intelligence and improve team effectiveness.

Transcript-iconThis 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.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here. Another episode of High Velocity Radio, and this is going to be a good one. Today on the show, we have Emotional Intelligence coach, keynote speaker, and author with Hampton Morash, Emily Morash. Welcome.

Emily Morash: Thanks, Lee. How are you?

Lee Kantor: I am doing well. I’m so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about your firm. How you serving folks?

Emily Morash: I am an emotional intelligence educator. I do a whole lot of workshops and coaching. I work with all types of companies nonprofit, for profit, small, medium sized companies working with their leadership teams to help them be a little bit more connected and efficient with their own teams, and helping teams connect to one another so that we have some productivity and we lessen burnout.

Lee Kantor: Now, for folks who aren’t familiar, can you share a little bit about emotional intelligence? What does that mean and how does it kind of affect an organization?

Emily Morash: Absolutely. Yeah. Emotional intelligence has become kind of a buzzword, which is a little annoying because when things become buzzwords, we lose the actual meaning. So emotional intelligence, really, when we boil it down, is are you self-aware and are you socially aware? And to be emotionally intelligent, it’s imperative that we’re socially aware. First, we have to understand ourselves. We have to understand our triggers. We have to understand what makes us tick, what we like, what we don’t like, and why. And that translates heavily into the workplace, because we are constantly navigating other human beings who also have their own triggers, things they like. They don’t like, the ways they function, which are different than ours. So. So when I work with companies on building emotional intelligence. It’s not this, like, frou frou fluffy crap. It’s like you’re a human and the people you work with are humans and you’re all different. And we are persistently, consistently misinterpreting other people’s signals and other people’s behavior. And this is where we run into a lot of conflict. So a big piece of what I do when I’m working with companies and leaders, excuse me and teams, is we’re working on where the conflict is actually coming from. And typically it’s somebody’s own lens of how they are viewing the world around them. So emotional intelligence really boils down to, are you self-aware? And from that, are you socially aware? Can you function well with other people? And that sounds kind of like sort of basic, and it kind of is, but it’s a foundation that holds up all of our relationships.

Lee Kantor: Now. I think some of the confusion around this is when they refer to EQ. A lot of people are familiar with IQ, and when they hear IQ they think, oh, the higher the number then the smarter I am. And is it work in the same way with EQ? Is it a similar thing? The higher the number you are, the more, um, emotionally intelligent you are.

Emily Morash: Um, I guess that’s kind of a that’s a good question. Um, and I really think it’s, it’s in the application of the EQ. So, I mean, it’s sort of the application of IQ as well. You can have numbers all over the place, but if you can’t necessarily apply what you think that means, then it doesn’t really matter. So um, so I guess, you know, if you’re, if you’re taking and there are so many different EQ assessments, right? So there’s not it’s similar, there’s a few IQ tests as well. So what are you actually measuring? Um, and I feel like some of these assessments give a false they kind of give false information about how emotionally intelligent you are, because you’re taking assessments in a vacuum of a test where really the application is in the middle of a conversation or a disagreement or an argument, um, or, you know, with your spouse where, where you’re having some really significant, difficult long term conversations. That is where the application comes in. So you I guess you can score really well, whatever that means in an IQ test. But can you actually apply it? And so not that I don’t discourage people from taking these assessments. It’s really good to know where you are. And it gives you an idea of how you think about particular things. But it’s hard to get a grasp via an assessment on how a human looks at the world around them, and how you navigate with that world is really. It’s the practice that tells you how emotionally intelligent you are and isn’t.

Lee Kantor: Um, is it fixed? Like an IQ is kind of fixed. Um, is an EQ fixed where you are, where you are, and then you just learn tools to adapt around wherever you are. Or is this something that I think this is where there’s, um, a gray area and maybe creates confusion because, um, using EQ versus I or people are going to think about IQ, uh, when you hear EQ, because IQ has been around a lot longer than EQ has. So I think that it does it a disservice by using that frame. But so how would you is your EQ fixed number one. And if it is or isn’t a what can you do to just be better at it? Is it something? Is it learn that you can just have, you know, different tools and skills just to be kind of the most, most intelligent, emotionally intelligent as you can be.

Emily Morash: This is a really cool question, and I’m glad that you asked this. So, so no, nothing is. When we talk about neuroscience and psychology, which emotional intelligence is rooted in both. Nothing is fixed. Um, our emotional intelligence ebbs and flows related to whatever stimulus we’re trying to navigate at the time. And so let me give you an example. So, um, every whoever’s listening, I’m sure you all have a job, right? Or you have worked for people. And so if you are fairly uncomfortable with your boss, um, your emotional intelligence level related to, like, navigating that relationship might be a little bit lower because Neuroscientifically speaking, when your boss, um, gives you a project or criticizes your work. The way your brain interprets that is probably different than when your best friend tells you something. They may be criticized. So it’s important. I have to kind of like tell you a story, to tell you a story, to get to this place. So our brains are limbic system specifically, is constantly scanning our environment to determine whether we are safe or not. When our limbic system comes up against a stimulus that it determines is not safe, it sends your brain into survival mode. When that happens, our logical thinking brain, that executive functioning brain goes offline because our our survival brain is trying to get us prepared to either fight or flee. What this has to do with emotional intelligence. And this goes back to the Know Thyself piece. The whole self-awareness piece is if you work with someone or you work in an environment that is constantly piquing your survival brain, your logic center is offline more than it’s online. And so your ability to actually navigate intellectually is diminished. So therefore the emotional intelligence in that moment is lower than it would be if you were in an environment that you’re comfortable in, or working with someone who makes you more comfortable.

Emily Morash: I hope that makes sense. I mean, and that’s why I’m saying this, it’s not fixed. Um, and anything can be learned. But really, this is this is a practice of sitting down with yourself and understanding. What is it that that triggers me? Um, so if I, if I don’t like my boss, well, why don’t I like my boss? Is it is it just because there’s more of an authoritarian relationship here, or is there something about that person that really bothers me? What is that? Why does it bother me? So it’s having these exploratory conversations with yourself to understand why you react the way you do around certain people. So, um, the emotional intelligence piece really starts with that conversation with yourself about, you know, pick somebody that you work with that you don’t like. Why don’t you like them? There are reasons other than that person’s a jerk. Okay, so let’s dive down a little bit further. Why is that person a jerk? But really being able to to recognize that that person is tripping your limbic system into your survival brain and you feel a fight or flight around that person instead of staying logical. So. So that’s a really long answer to your question, but it’s important that people understand that EQ isn’t this static thing, and it’s not something that you can aspire to because it’s not a fixed it’s not a fixed, um, object. Right. It’s not like you’re trying to get a personal record on A5K, like it doesn’t work that way. It really has to do with how your own brain is wired and how you’re interpreting all the various stimuli around you.

Lee Kantor: Now, how is an organization, a leader of an organization? Um, how are they best situated to give everybody the feeling of safety where they don’t get into that fight or flight mode, uh, in order to be their best self in the organization, because that the person that is triggering me say it might not really be a them problem, it might be just be a me problem. Like, how does an organization kind of understand, um, you know, who the problem people are and, and, um, and what can they do to help those people, you know, create that, um, culture of safety in order to get the most out of everybody without anybody. You know, if I don’t even know if this is possible without people getting defensive about kind of the way they are, um, showing up at work.

Emily Morash: This I love so much that you asked this. And I kind of want to piggyback on something that you said, which was maybe that’s not really a you problem. It’s a, it’s a me problem. Right. And when we look at conflict and so when I talk to when I go into companies, usually I’m brought in because there is some sort of conflict in a team.

Lee Kantor: But is it like you got to fix a fix, Bob? Is that like they’re hiring you to fix Bob or they’re they do.

Emily Morash: Yeah. They’re like, we got this person. And he kind of sucks. And I’m like, really? Let’s see what’s going on. And a lot of times when I come in, um, the conflict and I’m using air quotes, the conflict has to do with some communication styles and and challenges. But really when we look at this sort of stuff, nine times out of ten, what we’re looking at is self-awareness issues among the team. So when we talk about conflict, people tend to see conflict as something that is outside themselves. That has to be fixed, right? When really conflict is your own mindset about a thing. So, like, Lee, if you and I, um, were traversing the highways in Atlanta to go to a concert, right. And we are inevitably going to hit traffic, and we might be driving. And here we are in traffic, and I start freaking out because we’re in traffic. In this freaking traffic in Atlanta. Can’t you get your highways together? What’s the problem? Blah, blah blah. And I’m all sorts of mad because I want to get to the venue where you are like, you know what? This gives us more time to listen to this band’s new album. This is really not a big deal. So the traffic is the traffic, right? But how we see the traffic is where the conflict comes in. I see it as this massive problem. You don’t see it as a big deal, but the traffic hasn’t changed. So it’s the same thing when we’re looking at workplace dynamics. And to get to your your question about what can leaders do, really the answer is get to know your people.

Emily Morash: And it’s what’s wild is when I say to different leaders, I’m like, so tell me about, you know, let’s say they’re bringing me in to fix Bob. Bob’s a problem. Bill would tell me about Bob. And they’ll be like, oh my God, he you know, he’s entirely too serious and he doesn’t know how to take a joke, and he’s just. And all these things. Right? And, well, tell me about, you know, how does Bob communicate? What’s his communication style? Typically they don’t know. And, well, what’s his motivation style? They typically don’t know what makes Bob’s clock tick. They typically don’t know. So what we tend to do as humans and everybody does this, and this isn’t like because we’re terrible people, it’s just how we’re wired. We see the world through our own lens. And and then we apply because we don’t necessarily think outside ourselves. We apply our lens to everyone else. So if I’m the kind of person at work that likes to cut jokes and I like to chat with people, whatever, the person who doesn’t like to joke and doesn’t like to chat with people, well, I’m going to see them as a problem because through my lens, that’s how you’re supposed to function. But Bob might just be a when I’m at work, it is nose to the grindstone. I get my stuff done. Socializing is for after 5:00. Et cetera. Et cetera. It’s actually not a problem. So what leaders need to do is really take stock of who is on your team. And if you have a quote problem unquote person, what is the actual problem? Is it a perception like do you really have someone that’s not doing their job? Or is this a perception issue? And so a lot of times I talk about how conflict is a construct, and the construct comes from our own mental roadmap of how things ought to be.

Emily Morash: And if they don’t match our roadmap, then they are a problem. But for other people that’s not a problem. So. So it really is for leaders and teams. It’s understanding one. Everybody’s different and there’s nothing wrong with that. We all say that in theory. Oh, everybody’s great. Diversity is great. But it’s in the practice of this person is a complete opposite personality Than mine, but we still have to figure out how to work together and not see it as a conflict. And so it really does come down to get to know your people. And there’s a ton of tools that I offer. Um, they’re actually in the book. There’s a communication style assessment in the book that I wrote that helps people understand the nuances of how people communicate, which is really a foundation of how we all function together, um, and, and other types of tools related to how do people, how are people motivated, what matters to them most in their life? Are they a work hard, play hard? Are they a work to live? Live to work like what? Who are these people? Because they’re not. We’re not all like widgets in a machine. We’re humans. And every human has a different method of being motivated. And when leaders can learn what those are, they’re incredibly powerful and then they create incredibly powerful teams.

Lee Kantor: Now, um, is some of this or it sounds like a lot of this is just clarity around communication, even the word conflict, I don’t know, is it has a lot of, uh, emotion and it has a lot of semantic weight where friction to me has less, even though they might mean similar things. Um, you know, friction creates diamonds. Uh, conflict kind of in some people’s minds might create, you know, arguments or fights and might be seen as a negative. Uh, how much of your work is kind of just getting everybody on the same page when it comes to using language, um, more effectively and creating more clarity around, look, we’re all in this together. You know, like you said, Bob is a live to work. And then, you know, Mary is a work to live. They but we all want the company to do well. We just have to kind of get on the same page and understand, um, you know, where we are instead of, like you said, reverting maybe to our own internal biases. Like if, if I am a work to live. And my boss’s boss is a work to live. We might be kind of simpatico where if the middle person isn’t, that person looks like a, you know, oh, they’re the problem. When in fact we’re just kind of just reaching ourselves. But we’re not kind of aligned on on how we are and how to communicate.

Emily Morash: Um, right. So, um, to answer the question, all of it, all of my work, it’s getting people on the same page. You cannot read from the same book unless you are on the same page. And so it is the idea behind the workshops are getting everybody to understand the neuroscience behind their existence and then diving into what is communication? What does it look like? What are the behaviors look like? What is your communication style? What are the things that matter to you? And having having leaders and teams do this work together in person and actually seeing there’s so many. It’s the stuff that I do is very interactive, um, where people are literally learning right now on the fly with each other. And, and I see so many light bulbs go off. It it’s it’s very cool. Um, watching people go, oh, my God, I didn’t know about that. Know that about you or. Oh, I, I didn’t understand that about you or like, oh, that’s why we have a hard time communicating because we’re actually saying the same thing. But our interpretation of what we’re saying is different. So we do the purpose of the workshops. The purpose of my work is to get human beings to be socially aware and empathetic to the other people with whom they’re working. And so instead of seeing somebody as a competition to you or some kind of weirdo that works different, it’s broadening the perspectives to not only understand yourself, which is something that we immediately do when we start working in these workshops, is we we’re doing a ton of self-awareness work.

Emily Morash: But then also, what does that mean? How does that translate out when you are judging or assessing your coworkers? So because what you said earlier about like, you might be, you know, a work to live kind of person and your boss’s boss might be. So you guys think that you’re on, you know, the right team, and then you got this other person and they’re a weirdo instead of rolling it back and understanding, oh, all these people function differently. But at the end of the day, we’re all getting the work done and we’re all building the company the way we’re expected to. We just get to it differently. So it’s taking a look at that, that, um, the conflict, which, you know, the construct of the conflict. And I appreciate what you say about like friction versus conflict, but they’re really the same thing because friction also causes burns. So how are you defining the words that you’re using? So in those workshops we absolutely talk about language. Language matters greatly. And then how are we defining what we’re defining. And and certainly, you know, each team, each company, their language is going to be different than another company or another organization. So it’s very company specific on on the words, the language that they’re using and what it all means, but definitely getting everybody on the same page and broadening perspectives so that um, so that the considerations for everybody’s, you know, nuances are considered, um, is incredibly important to get anything done.

Lee Kantor: Now at different stages of an organization. Is it better to hire people that are more simpatico, or is it better to have kind of, uh, contrarians in the mix as you at the beginning stages of an organization?

Emily Morash: That’s such a great question. So it’s funny that you bring that up, because I’m actually in the middle of this right now with the company. Um, I will have. Every time I work with a company, I will have executive leadership team or their board of directors do this communication style assessment. And a lot of times we have a whole lot of a similar style, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. However, you need people who think differently than you. Um, who function a little bit differently than you because that’s where you’re going to get a, a more functional team. If everybody does stuff the same exact way to get from A to B, you’ll get from A to B, but you might have someone who understands there’s a more efficient way or a more lucrative way to do something, but you’ve never invited them in because they think differently than you do. So like, for example, um, I there’s this one board of directors I’m working with right now, and they have a lot of very, um, uh, relationship based. You know, they’re all about going and finding the donors. And they’re they’re all about the relationship with the people they’re serving. And this is all very good. They don’t have anybody on their board to hit the gas and make stuff happen.

Emily Morash: Not only that, they don’t have anyone on the board who’s super analytical to sit down and say, well, I’m looking at our fundraising projects and I’m looking at this, um, you know, our pipeline and our goals, and you think we’re going to hit $1.2 million in the next year, but we’re not we’re looking at 600,000. And so there’s you need to have these different styles of thinking and these different styles of communicating in a team setting to make sure that everything is being thought about. You have people who are more innovative and then people who are more analytical. These are very good things. They might not like each other, but that’s not the point. The point is, is that you’ve got some work to do. You want to raise $1.2 million. You need somebody who knows how to hit the gas on fundraising and somebody who knows how to analyze the budget. And so, um, is it good to have people who are similar to you? Sure. But it’s really important to find those people who are going to challenge you as well. Um, people are afraid to do that. This goes back to the neuroscience. This goes back to how our limbic system is interpreting different stimuli.

Emily Morash: And when we sit with someone who doesn’t agree with us or they think differently, we might. And this is subconscious. We feel threatened, we feel threatened, and then we don’t like that person. We can’t tell you exactly why. I just don’t like them. I just they rub me the wrong way. And that right there is a clear sign that your limbic system has hijacked your survival brain. And now you’re not thinking clearly about the skills and the talents that that person might bring to the table. And so the challenge for leaders, and this is a big thing that I work on with leaders is challenging that gut reaction that, oh, I don’t like that person. Well, why not? I just I don’t know, I just don’t like them. And that’s not a real reason. And so does that person have the skills that you need to be on this team to drive this team forward. If they do, then you need to figure out the conflict is your own deal, not them. And so, um, so to answer your question, it’s kind of a mix of both, but you don’t want to have everybody on your team be exactly like you because that’s not going to get you anywhere.

Lee Kantor: And I think that what you’re saying is where those kind of subconscious biases come in, you know, like if you went to Harvard and you’re preferring Harvard people, you might not be to, you know, uh, jazzed about the Stanford person that’s coming in that might look at things in a totally different way than you do because you just, you know, have been around and prefer people who have gone through the same path you have.

Emily Morash: Oh, sure. I mean, that that kind of tiptoes into all sorts of conversations about bias, that man, that’s a whole different conversation. But like, do you hire people who look like you? Do you hire people who sound like you? Do you hire people that graduated from a university? That do you think is more prestigious than the university that you went to or like, what are you basing your decisions on and are they truly fact based or are they emotional based? And and so this again comes back to the self-awareness work that we do, the emotional intelligence piece of understanding why you think what you think and how you got there. Um, so but yes, it’s important to be able to examine, um, how you’re interpreting people and in and environments and colleges like, to your point, um, and, and various ideas that are coming in to the companies.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there a piece of advice you can share right now for leaders to at least get a taste of, of how the impact of emotional intelligence can affect their organization? Is there some low hanging fruit that anybody could do right now, today that can, um, help their organization?

Emily Morash: Oh, yeah. So okay. All right. Leaders who are listening. Here’s what I want you to do. I want you to grab a piece of paper and a pen. Pencil. And I want you to make two columns. And on one column I want you to write worst, and on the other, I want you to write best. And then I want you to think about the worst boss you ever had. And I want you to write down adjectives of the worst boss you ever, ever had and give that some time. And I’m sure you will fill up the page and it will be a whole thing, and you’re probably going to get, like, sweaty while you’re doing it. Because we have we have a physical reactions when we do these emotional things. And then I want you to, when you’re done with that, take a big breath and then go over to the other side of the page and write down the adjectives of the very best boss you ever had, and what you will notice when you go to analyze what you wrote down. It has everything to do with your boss’s level of emotional intelligence. A lot of times when people write down the worst stuff like disrespectful, violent, demeaning, um, avoidant, there’s all sorts of things on this side of the list, and it’s all social and emotional aspects of how that leader has worked.

Emily Morash: It has nothing to do with their KPIs and their performance measures and their outcomes versus their projections. Like has nothing to do with that. It has everything to do with how they functioned as a human with other humans. And so that’s the first kind of like, I guess, look into the emotional intelligence piece. The self and social awareness piece of how we’re existing means everything. And like when you’re looking at that worst list, how productive were you for that boss? How productive did you actually want to be for that? But maybe you gave it 100%, but you really only wanted to give 70. And when you look at the best boss side, what do you want to do for them? 120. Why? Because they were more emotionally intelligent. And so it matters when we look at productivity. And we know this when there’s when there’s low psychological safety on teams production drops. You know, there’s a phrase like happy employees or productive employees. Well, yes. And the reason they’re happy is because their psychological safety on the team, and that comes from emotionally intelligent people on the team and that comes from doing the work.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there, um, kind of an avatar you use for an ideal client? You mentioned some work in nonprofit and for profit. Is there kind of a sweet spot in terms of your work, or is there kind of qualities that, uh, the right organization is a best fit client for you?

Emily Morash: You know, this is going to be like the worst answer because we’re all told we’re supposed to have our model client. But really, if you’re a human and you have humans that work for you, that is my ideal client. And I’m not kidding. It does not matter the size of the team. It doesn’t matter if your for profit, nonprofit, small, medium, large. I work with municipalities and state. I work with huge state organizations. I work with little bitty nonprofit. It doesn’t matter. It’s working with the humans and working with the teams. And so if you’re listening to this and you’re like, oh my God, my team could definitely learn to communicate a little bit better, well then yeah, you’re my kind of client because this is and one and here’s the here’s the sneaky thing Lee. We do this in the workplace, right? Like I do a lot of these workshops, workshops in the workplace, but we don’t live our lives in a vacuum. So like when you leave work and you go home, your emotional intelligence, your self-awareness that’s going to come with you. One of the most amazing emails I ever got was a couple of years ago, I had actually done I have this my signature workshop is called the Mindful Leader Practice, and I had done this with this huge law firm. And um, and I received an email, uh, maybe like a month and a half later from one of the folks that was in the workshop and it said, your workshop helped me at work, certainly. And our team is getting better, but I’m pretty sure it saved my marriage.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, these skills are transferable to all parts of your life, that’s for sure.

Emily Morash: So there’s like no ideal client, there’s no ideal industry. There’s no ideal age. It is if you’re a bunch of humans that are trying to work together and you’re finding that you’re just not well oiled machines, then you probably need a little bit of of EQ work.

Lee Kantor: So if somebody wants to learn more and connect with you or your team, what is the website? What is the best way to connect?

Emily Morash: They can get Ahold of me through, um, it’s Hampton morass. Com and, um. Yeah, that’s the easiest way to find me.

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

Emily Morash: Thanks, Lee. I appreciate you having me on. It’s been such a pleasure.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on High Velocity Radio.

Empowering Communities: Melanin Money’s Mission to Educate and Build Wealth for All

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High Velocity Radio
High Velocity Radio
Empowering Communities: Melanin Money's Mission to Educate and Build Wealth for All
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In this episode of High Velocity Radio, Lee Kantor interviews George Acheampong, founder of Melanin Money. George discusses the company’s mission to close the racial wealth gap by $100 billion through free financial education, workshops, and personalized advisory services. He explains Melanin Money’s approach to cash flow, tax strategies, investments, risk management, and estate planning, emphasizing the importance of patience and long-term wealth building. The episode highlights Melanin Money’s commitment to empowering people of color nationwide with accessible resources and expert guidance for achieving generational financial security.

George Acheampong is a recognized thought leader in finance and entrepreneurship, serving as the Founder and Managing Partner of Capitalwize, LLC, a financial planning and investment management firm dedicated to helping aspiring and current first-generation millionaires build lasting legacies for their families.

He is also the Founder of Melanin Money, the #1 brand for wealth builders of color. Through merchandise, targeted initiatives, and programming, Melanin Money aims to close the racial wealth gap by 10%.

Connect with George on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • Financial literacy and its importance in wealth building.
  • Strategies to close the racial wealth gap, specifically targeting a $100 billion reduction.
  • The mission of Melanin Money to create inclusive wealth-building opportunities for people of color.
  • The role of free financial education through various platforms, including podcasts and workshops.
  • Personalized wealth advisory services and their significance in financial planning.
  • The ideal client profiles for Melanin Money, focusing on high-earning professionals and business owners.
  • The importance of cash flow management and tax strategies in wealth accumulation.
  • The challenges of transitioning from traditional employment to entrepreneurship in financial services.
  • The impact of misinformation in financial education, particularly among younger audiences.
  • The long-term mindset required for sustainable wealth building and the dangers of seeking quick financial fixes.

Transcript-iconThis 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.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here. Another episode of High Velocity Radio, and this is going to be a good one. Today on the show we have the founder of Melanin Money, George Acheampong. Welcome.

George Acheampong: Thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about Melanin Money Mission purpose. How are you serving folks?

George Acheampong: Absolutely. So Melanin Money is a platform designed to create inclusive opportunities for people of color to build wealth. We are on a mission to decrease the wealth gap by $100 billion. Our clients have improved their collective net worth by over $244 million in the last 12 months and counting, and so just really excited to bring wealth building to underrepresented communities.

Lee Kantor: So how does it work? How does someone kind of join the opportunity? And is this an educational platform? Is it an investment platform or is it both?

George Acheampong: Yeah, it’s kind of a a generational wealth ecosystem if you will. So we have a couple of entry points. So number one we have our media and financial literacy platform. So we have a free for everybody. So we have a podcast that airs every week where we dive into various financial topics. We also produce obviously lots of content online. In addition to that, we have a free a community education platform people can tap into and join. We do live workshops about 52 times a year. Last year we taught over 30,000 people for free. And then of course, we have a full scale attacks and wealth advisory firm. So for those who are ready for a little more hands on support and want to hire their money team, we also have that available as well.

Lee Kantor: So what is kind of the path for the person that wants to increase their wealth? Like it sounds, a lot of it is content and a lot of free content that is kind of for the do it yourselfer. That would just kind of learn and then kind of go off on their own and do some of the recommendations. But ultimately, are you trying to move them into being a client at the wealth management? Is that part of it?

George Acheampong: Yeah. You know, obviously, you know, everybody may not be at a place where they need a full scale wealth management advisor or a money team. But um, so the pathway is we do a virtual five day workshop. And basically the thought process is there is we want to educate and coach people on the top strategies that have helped our clients get results. And at the end of that workshop, we invite people to the opportunity to work with our team intimately. And so this is the best of both worlds, because those who aren’t yet ready, they just got five days of training on the top strategies that we work with for our clients and then those who are ready to move forward. Then they are invited to to start working with our team.

Lee Kantor: Do you mind sharing some of those kind of top tenets that you recommend.

George Acheampong: Yeah, I think we’ll be helpful is I kind of I’ll go through kind of our advisory framework. Um, so first thing is we everything starts with cash flow, because if you don’t have a good pulse on how you are managing your money, then we’re not going to have the available resources to allocate towards building wealth after we go through cash flow, the cash flow matrix, then we dive into tax strategy. Um, we create a plan for our clients to save more money on taxes, because if they stop giving away unnecessary money to Uncle Sam, then they’ll have extra money to be able to invest. Then we move on to investment in wealth building. Um, and really get a clear pulse on what our client’s goals are, uh, what their time horizon is on, when they want to retire and ultimately develop a wealth building plan to make sense for them. Um, and then we address risk management, um, making sure they have all the right types and amounts of insurances in place, whether that’s, uh, health insurance, property and casualty, Um, disability life insurance, whatever the case may be, and make sure that that is dialed in. And then last but not least, uh, we move on to estate planning to make sure that they can protect and preserve their wealth that they’re building on to the next generation. Um, and and, of course, I can speak more specifically to some of our, like, flagship strategies that that’s helpful too.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m just trying to get an idea for the listener, uh, ways to plug in. What would be the most beneficial to them? Is your the ideal kind of prospect for this, the aspirational person who is just kind of grinding and doesn’t know what to do? Or is it the person that maybe has been burned, uh, like, who is kind of the avatar for your ideal client?

George Acheampong: Yeah, I would say the avatar for our ideal client is on from a working professional standpoint, is someone who’s making, you know, at least $150,000 a year in income. Um, who’s who’s seeing that? A decent amount of their income is being kind of eaten up in taxes and is looking for a way to, uh, save more money in taxes and ultimately use that tax savings to build more wealth on the business owner entrepreneur side. I would say a business owner whose business is doing at least over, you know, 250 to maybe half $1 million in revenue. Um, and they focus a lot on growing their business. But ultimately, um, want to start focusing on prioritizing their personal wealth building. Um, I would say those are kind of our two ideal sweet spots for clients.

Lee Kantor: So it’s people who have a little bit of escape velocity, but maybe aren’t kind of maximizing it to get to the next level.

George Acheampong: Correct.

Lee Kantor: And do you find the people that are maybe the people that are making 150 grand or so are they are just they’re just kind of not doing anything with their money, like to, to be making that kind of money. That means you’re either at a job that has probably benefits, that has 401 that has some of these things that they could be doing to expand their wealth. Are they just not tapping into that or they’re not? They don’t know how to maximize it.

George Acheampong: Yeah. Great question. So to your point, someone who’s making, you know, $150,000, you know, they they, they figured out the money making part at least on one level. But I look at it in three major buckets. You it’s the money you make, how you manage it and how you maximize it. Right. And just because someone’s making decent money doesn’t mean they’ve ever been taught the best way to manage it. And it definitely doesn’t mean that they’ve been taught the best way to maximize it. And so essentially what we find is that, yes, maybe they have a 401 K, maybe they have some benefits. Um, we call them financial puzzle pieces, but ultimately they haven’t been able to figure out how it all fits together to put together, uh, those puzzle pieces in one cohesive and clear picture. And so our job is to kind of do an evaluation on what they’ve done already, um, identify areas of opportunity and really put together that financial puzzle that they’ve been looking for.

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

George Acheampong: Yeah. Uh, so I’ve been in the financial services industry for about 14 years. Um, the way I got into the line of work was, uh, actually graduated with a double major in marketing and economics. I only got the economics degree because I just wanted to understand how to how to develop my personal economy. Right. Not how to do it for other people. But when I graduated, uh, back in oh nine, that was, you know, right around the time when the recession was happening, uh, marketing was viewed as a luxury. So I was interning for Coca-Cola, and they couldn’t bring me on as a full time employee at that time. And so I said, well, I have this economics degree. I wonder if I can do something with that. Um, ultimately explore some opportunities. Um, and started working for a financial services company, and they asked me to do an exercise called project 200, where essentially they wanted me to write down a list of 200 names of people who I felt like were doing well and I would want to trade paychecks with. But the problem was, I didn’t have a list of 200 people.

George Acheampong: I don’t think I could name 20. And so then from from from that point on, I was curious, why is it that the people that come from the communities that I come from, right? Maybe it wasn’t people that came to mind to be able to serve and to be able to help, right? And so I knew that there was a financial literacy gap, and I knew that there was a representation gap because there at the time, I’m not sure the stat today, but I think less than 2% or 1% of all the advisors, um, were advisors of color. And so as a result, if someone doesn’t if you don’t see someone that looks like you in this space, you probably think that it’s not for you. And so because there was not representation, most, most people, uh, didn’t think that wealth management was for them. And so I wanted to go on a mission to dispel that myth. And then ultimately create a platform that could serve people who, um, had the need but just didn’t know that it was available for them.

Lee Kantor: So that was, uh, so you became, at that point, kind of an entrepreneur that says, I’m going to, you know, open up my own shop and I’m going to bring in my own people, and this is who we’re going to serve.

George Acheampong: Exactly. Yep.

Lee Kantor: Now, what was that transition like to go from kind of the steady paycheck, the, you know, hey, I’m doing this. Um, I know as a wealth advisor, you are kind of an entrepreneur because it’s kind of an eat what you kill world. But, you know, doing your own thing and being responsible for other people is kind of a little bit of a mindset shift.

George Acheampong: Yeah, it’s a good question. Well, I actually have a funny story. So when I started out in the business, um, I thought I was getting a job, right. And then I remember like three weeks or so went by and I was wondering, you know, what happened to my paycheck? Um, and to your point, it was an eat what you kill environment. I wasn’t I wasn’t on salary. I was 23 at the time, so I didn’t have the, I guess, the foresight to understand that it wasn’t a base salary. And so, um, from the very start of my career, even when I was underneath another umbrella, it was 100% eat what you killed. So the transition, um, wasn’t as hard. Um, now, granted, there were other things that I had to now be accountable for. Like, I had to be in control of more of the marketing. I wasn’t able to leverage the the household name of the company I was working with. I had to get my own office and things of that nature. So that transition in terms of just building out the infrastructure of the business versus just being the industry expert, there’s a little bit of a shift there. Um, but ultimately, um, it was kind of a little bit of a blissful ignorance. I didn’t know what I didn’t know I was young, I didn’t have a lot of obligations, didn’t have a child at the time. Um, and so I just kind of grinded it out, um, and worked really hard. And then ultimately, um, you know, fast forward, it worked out.

Lee Kantor: So now when you were starting out and you have the mission that seems clear and that seems like something that, you know, you can rally people around. When did you kind of financially when you put your financial hat on, say, okay, this is something I’m going to be able to pull this off. We I’m getting traction now. Did you have kind of a moment where you were like, okay, I think we got this now.

George Acheampong: Yeah, that’s a good question. So I would say around might have been might have been 2017, 2018. I had an inflection point, um, because I wanted to build a business that was accessible for what? At the time, I believed to be everybody, but I didn’t quite yet understand the economics of what that what that would mean for the business itself. And so, um, I try to have like a low cost subscription service for financial planning. And I told myself at the time I was like, I’m going to be the Netflix of personal finance. But what I didn’t realize is Netflix’s intellectual property, and they and they’re a venture backed company. I was providing services. And so at that point, I had to kind of reimagine the way in which I showed up for the marketplace, and I had to split, uh, financial education from financial services. And so once I did that and really got clear on who my ideal avatar was, I was able to still make good on my mission by educating and coaching people at scale, while also still building a business that was sustainable. And I would say probably around 2019 is when I really started to build traction and momentum, that I knew this would be something that would be sustainable long term.

Lee Kantor: So it seems like your background in marketing and kind of this wealth management angle or economics was the kind of the secret sauce that helps kind of elevate you from others in the space.

George Acheampong: That’s a very astute observation that almost nobody connects the dots on, because for me, it wasn’t. It wasn’t even originally, uh, I guess transparent for me either, because I was like, all right, I knew I had this marketing degree, but once I went into the financial services industry, I didn’t really think much about it. But it wasn’t until I had to start doing marketing and it became innate. I was like, oh, okay, well, this is because I have a background in it, and it ended up still being a useful degree. Um, but yeah, most people don’t make that observation. So yeah, that’s that’s 100% accurate. My marketing acumen played a huge role in my ability to grow and even think creatively about how I needed to position my business model. That set me apart from other advisors in the industry.

Lee Kantor: Now, you mentioned earlier that a lot of your work is around education. Um, can you talk a little bit about how much misinformation is out there? And there is so much. I mean, one of my pet peeves in this space, uh, at least for a lot of young people I’m talking to, is they’re seeing all this kind of gambling and DraftKings and Polymarket, and they’re putting it in the pile of wealth management. And that’s really scary to me because I don’t see, you know, investing in the stock market the same as, you know, going to DraftKings and, you know, making a prop bets.

George Acheampong: Yeah, 100%. So, um, what I like, what I like to say is me and my company, we sit firmly in the middle of credibility and relatability because what the the challenge in the marketplace is you have people who are very credible, but it’s like watching paint dry when they talk about personal finance. And you have people that are relatable, but they don’t have the credentials, they don’t have the expertise, but they have a way of conveying the message that seems cool and innovative. And so people might gravitate towards that. But to your point, in many instances there can be a lot of misinformation there. So what I try to do is instead of calling out either side, I sit in the middle of being able to be relatable, but also having the credibility of a world class advisor and just try to drown out the noise and give people more context, because what I believe is that the missing bridge between between limiting beliefs. Right, um, of people who are trying to get into the space of understanding financial literacy, right. And the oversimplification of how it works is context, because you have financial creators that will say to your point, you can, uh, just do sports betting and make $50,000 a month.

George Acheampong: And it’s like, okay, sounds good. Um, and then you have, um, other people who, um, have limiting beliefs around what’s possible. But I think the, the bridge is context. If I can say, hey, look, yes, you can build a portfolio that pays you passively, but it’s not going to happen overnight. You’re going to have to, uh, do the boring, repetitive thing for years. You’re going to have to, uh, get skill set acquisition to create more margin between your income and your expenses so you can have a disposable income to invest. And yes, over time you can create that passive income. But the road to passive income isn’t passive. And so when people get the context, then they can say, okay, let me actually create a plan that makes sense. Create a plan that’s sustainable versus thinking I can, you know, just gamble and try to get a Hail Mary win and then maybe make some money off of a meme stock or, um, placing bets with DraftKings.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, it’s, um, one of the biggest gifts I guess my family gave to me when I was younger was explaining or for me to understand the power of compounding. And once I kind of understood that, that unlocked a different mindset on how I approach different things. And I just think that’s missing in a lot of younger people today.

George Acheampong: Yes, 100% 100. Like, everybody wants instant gratification. Um, and I think it’s just a derivative of like the easy access to dopamine by virtue of the way the world works with, you know, social media. Like, everything is just seemingly at your fingertips. Um, everybody seems to have it all figured out. Everybody seems to be living this grand lifestyle. And so people are unwilling to wait. Um, and so instead of taking advantage of the power of compounding, they’re looking for quick fixes in short term solutions that can get them to their perceived goal faster.

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

George Acheampong: Um, I think just more people having awareness that there’s a platform that will meet you where you are and provide quality, uh, education to you. Um, again, like I said, we do free complimentary workshops all year long, mainly about, you know, 20% of the people that we reach most likely will be able to work with us in a 1 to 1 capacity. But ultimately, um, you know, the other 80%, we’re still providing high quality information. So just, you know, sharing the word that money and money is a platform that’s here to serve you, educate you, empower you on all things tax strategy, wealth building and personal finance.

Lee Kantor: And it doesn’t matter what stage you are in your kind of, uh, career or work life.

George Acheampong: Correct. Yeah. We can help people all across the country.

Lee Kantor: And, uh, the website socials. What’s the best way to connect to get a hold of you or somebody on the team or learn about the podcast?

George Acheampong: Sure. Um, uh, as far as our, our company, uh, social melanin money everywhere. So melanin money com is a website. Melanin money on social media, um, all platforms if you want to tap in with me personally. Um, George Jr, uh, my last name is a little bit unique, so hopefully you can put that in the show notes or something like that. But, um, um, if you search me, I’m probably the first one that’ll show up on social media. Um, and we’re happy to help.

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

George Acheampong: Thank you so much for having me.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on High Velocity Radio.

Breaking Down Barriers: How Brij the Gap Consulting Transforms Employee Development

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High Velocity Radio
High Velocity Radio
Breaking Down Barriers: How Brij the Gap Consulting Transforms Employee Development
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In this episode of High Velocity Radio, Lee interviews Devika Brij, CEO and co-founder of Brij the Gap Consulting. Devika discusses her transition from tech roles at Google and LinkedIn to founding her firm, which partners with global companies to improve leadership and employee development. She shares insights on overcoming career growth challenges, the importance of supportive leadership, and how her company helps organizations retain and empower talent. Devika also highlights her book, Thrive in Color, and invites listeners to connect for knowledge sharing and collaboration.

Devika Brij Maurice is the founder and CEO of Brij the Gap Consulting and the author of Thrive in Color. Her journey is a powerful testimony of God’s grace, resilience, and the transformative power of faith, demonstrating how life’s deepest challenges can be turned into purpose driven triumphs.

Born into a single parent household, she was shaped by her mother’s unwavering strength as an immigrant in North America. Her mother juggled multiple jobs to provide for her daughters, modeling sacrifice, perseverance, and faith. Watching her mother navigate constant pressure instilled in Devika a strong drive to succeed, while also revealing the quiet cost of living in survival mode, including diminished self advocacy and settling for less than one’s true worth.

She went on to excel at world renowned organizations such as Google and LinkedIn, rising into leadership roles and earning recognition as a high performing professional. However, her corporate journey was not without hardship. Despite her results, she experienced an unjust termination rooted in bias and persistent micromanagement. The loss left her questioning her value and direction, marking one of the most painful chapters of her career.

In that season of rejection, she leaned fully into her faith. Rather than allowing disappointment to define her, she trusted God to redeem the experience and redirect her path. What felt like an ending became the foundation for a greater calling.

She founded Brij the Gap Consulting, a global talent and leadership development firm that partners with brands including Visa, Meta, Nike, Reddit, and Lionsgate. Through customized training and strategic guidance, she equips individuals and organizations to build confidence, develop leaders, and create values driven workplaces.

Today, as a sought after speaker and trusted advisor, she empowers others to transform setbacks into growth, steward their gifts with excellence, and pursue purpose with faith.

Connect with Devika on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • Challenges employees face in career growth and the shortcomings of existing development programs.
  • The importance of customized and actionable workshops for employee and leadership development.
  • The role of self-advocacy skills in helping employees articulate their value and seek growth opportunities.
  • The disconnect between upper management’s growth values and frontline managers’ talent hoarding.
  • The significance of fostering a culture of growth and accountability in organizations.
  • The impact of empathetic leadership during difficult times, such as layoffs.
  • The relationship between employee development investment and organizational retention and innovation.
  • Strategies for bridging the gap between employee potential and opportunity in the workplace.

Transcript-iconThis 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.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here. Another episode of High Velocity Radio, and this is gonna be a good one. Today on the show we have CEO and co-founder of Brij the Gap Consulting, Devika Brij. Welcome.

Devika Brij: Hi, Lee. Thanks for having me.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about Bridge the Gap. How are you serving folks?

Devika Brij: Brij the gap is a talent and leadership development firm. We partner with global organizations like Samsung, Nike, Meta to equip professionals with the tools to increase performance, strengthen leadership capability, and drive lasting growth.

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

Devika Brij: Well, it was not part of the plan, I’ll tell you that. No, Lee, You know, I was in tech for most of my career. I spent a lot of my time at Google and LinkedIn and had a great career trajectory there. But I noticed that there was quite a gap in terms of, you know, leadership development, employee development and and actually getting employees to, you know, feel, feel productive in the workforce and feel like they had a shot at the growth opportunities that they desired. And so, you know, just feeling like a lot of that, you know, the resources around that. The programing was just very fluffy and motivational. And so I left corporate, I started Bridge the Gap to create, you know, highly impactful but really tangible programs and workshops that professionals and leaders could, you know, obviously understand the context, but also have the tools and the strategies to apply immediately for career growth.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you’re working in the environments you were, um, those organizations have the ability to kind of hire the best of the best of the best, that there’s a lot of people seeking roles there and a lot of the, you know, the most talented arrive on the steps there. Is your service primarily geared to that kind of avatar of a, of a client, where they’re the best of the best, and they’re just trying to squeeze out the most out of that group. Or, or does it kind of go down the ladder a little bit to regular folks that are, you know, just out there grinding every day?

Devika Brij: Yeah. Well, I think we’re all out here grinding every day.

Lee Kantor: Right. But there are some people aren’t getting invited to Google, and they’re not going through the interview process and getting through all of those kind of hurdles to get and not only to be considered, but to be hired at Google. That’s a different type of person than might be, you know, in the majority of the places and the majority of the organizations in the country.

Devika Brij: Yeah. So, yeah, so typically, you know, my company partners with the organization who are looking to develop and empower their current employee base. So a lot of what bridged the gap does is kind of like the, you know, B2B and partnering with organizations. And, you know, then, yes, of course, serving the employee base and the leadership teams, that’s where Bridge the Gap comes in. But, you know, there are other ways that I work with professionals who might want to enter those environments or maybe don’t want to enter those environments, but are still thinking about career development and advancement. And so I actually released, um, my first book called Thrive in Color, um, which is filled with the same tools and strategies I would share with corporate partners. But just making that education and coaching more accessible to the wider public.

Lee Kantor: So right now, your clients are those kind of, uh, larger enterprise organizations.

Devika Brij: Yeah. Yeah, that’s that’s like the meat and bones of Bridge the Gap, but I am finding ways to kind of, you know, give more resources to the general public, you know, through whether it’s through social, whether it’s through books and, you know, speaking and things of that nature.

Lee Kantor: So now how do you go about advising or consulting with these organizations? So what’s kind of the pain point they’re having where they’re like, I better call the brij the gap folks.

Devika Brij: Well, a lot of it is, you know, some of these I typically partner with learning and development or, you know, corporate engagement, employee engagement, like, these are the decision makers that I’m partnering with. And a lot of the gaps that they’re having is one, how do we actually provide career development and leadership development, education and support, um, to folks that we consider high potential or folks that we want to retain as, you know, as, as leadership potential at the company for some of these organizations, you know, when they’re creating career development or leadership development, education content and training, if you really think about it, it’s kind of biased, right? It is really, um, as they’re building it, they of course know that they’re trying to develop their employees. But if you think about it, in the employee side of things, they desire a different perspective. They’re desiring, um, facilitation and leadership from someone who isn’t tied to the company, who wants to see them succeed, but can take a very unbiased approach to, to helping them. And so a lot of these companies acknowledge that. And that’s where I come in, kind of marrying my tool, strategies, programs and everything I’ve built. But combining it with their corporate culture and their retention goals and their employee development goals.

Devika Brij: So a lot of what I do is, you know, connecting with my partners and really understanding why they’re trying to drive employee growth or leadership development. Are there gaps, are there challenges that they’ve identified? Has there been feedback from employees that there isn’t a general satisfaction with their career development at that company, and really just combining forces to offer programing, workshops, coaching all of the good stuff to make sure that their employees are doing well at the company, because that drives productivity and it drives retention over time. So there’s that piece. Um, sometimes the teams internally just don’t have the capacity. Uh, maybe their teams are very slim. So they’re looking for kind of external partners to come in and help build what can be sustainable for their employee and leadership development growth at their organizations. Um, and so that’s why they’re generally calling on Bridge the Gap to partner with them. And the way that I, you know, explain to them is I’m not here to substitute. I’m more of like an extension of them. Um, but also just kind of meeting in the common values and the mission that we want their professionals or their employees, rather, to succeed and to win within their companies. So the company as a whole can win.

Lee Kantor: So what could that enterprise company that you left have done to keep you there?

Devika Brij: Sorry. Can you repeat your question, Lee?

Lee Kantor: What? What could that enterprise company that you left have done to have kept you there?

Devika Brij: Well, I think, you know, they’re one of the things is a lot of the times there is not opportunity for growth, especially if you want to grow within the current team that you’re in. And I wish there was more development around, hey, we value you here. We want to see you, you know, grow within our team. But we also recognize that you’re ready for development, you’re ready for advancement. And if it’s not this team, how can we explore other options with other organizations or other teams? How can we empower you? So when we do have opportunities, you’re in a good position in terms of skills and strengths and leadership qualities so you can succeed. That conversation doesn’t exist, right? So a lot of corporations, when they know they don’t have headcount, they try their best to just keep people in position. And we have to recognize that, you know, for folks that are ready to move on in their careers, that are ready for growth, that are ready for advancement, that’s an unfair ask. And so when there’s not, you know, room to move. What then happens? That individual has to look externally. And now that that company has lost top talent.

Devika Brij: So really the conversations I’m having, which was a gap for me in corporate America, is okay. So we know you can’t control that. There’s, you know, lack of headcount or lack of mobility. But how do you actually practice self-advocacy? How do you empower leaders to know your overall, you know, value that you’re driving your contributions, your achievements? How do you make sure you’re partnering with the right mentors and sponsors? How are you negotiating correctly to make sure that you are positioning yourself for career growth? That might not be in the kind of lateral move or upward trajectory that they’re thinking. Um, so just really helping them think outside of the box of, hey, yeah, there’s not headcount here, but there are other opportunities that I can explore and being able to facilitate that for themselves well, while also empowering the company to retain top talent by giving them opportunities, you know, that might be outside of the box versus kind of just saying, hey, sorry we can’t help you out, and then letting them leave the organization because, you know, turnover is expensive and finding good talent is difficult.

Lee Kantor: Do you find that sometimes there’s a disconnect, maybe from upper management, where they would have those kind of, uh, values and they would believe in what you’re saying, but then you trickle it down maybe to a lower level where that manager might be, have a more scarcity mindset and doesn’t want to give up. The good person is hanging on to them for their own kind of, um, internal reasons, rather than what’s the best for the employee or even what’s best for the company.

Devika Brij: I think that’s the biggest leadership challenge there is. So as you know, the way that it needs to work in my corporate advising is that growth opportunities and moving people forward needs to be built into the culture and the values of that company. So, for example, I’ll give you with LinkedIn, you know, I worked there for quite some time. I think that the thing that I admired most about them was that they knew that you were going to move on to another role, you’re going to move on to something outside of the company at some point, and they have positioned it in terms of their culture and values that you are there to, of course, deliver, perform, but they want you to be empowered to position yourself and learn. Um, you know, uh, as you’re growing so that when you move on to what, you know, your next play in your career, that you are equipped. And so that’s baked into the cultures and values. It’s the expectation that leaders have that, hey, we should be, you know, growing our employees. Maybe we don’t have the space for promotions or upward growth opportunities, but what are, you know, other ways that we can help them grow? What are other ways that they can feel fulfilled at work? Um, so when that’s baked into not only the corporate culture and values, but also there’s leadership training around that, then we start to see kind of, you know, a more collaborative and mutually beneficial space versus leaders who are saying, hey, you know, we selfishly want to keep you in seat because, you know, you can do that as much as you want. But when that when that talent is being recruited to a different company and they’re going to be making more money and they have a higher seniority, or they’re going to be challenged in a new way, there’s nothing that you can do to keep that person in seat. So wouldn’t you rather grow that person and see them move on? Yeah, you might lose them as a team member, but the company is still retaining that person as talent.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you’re explaining that to the leader, Do you have kind of some stories you can share that demonstrate how that can really work and that doesn’t? It isn’t some pie in the sky kind of theory that you have some kind of, uh, evidence based, uh, results that can back that up.

Devika Brij: Well, you know, I think about one of my previous roles where, you know, I was working in Toronto at the time, and, you know, I think it’s changed quite a bit. But at that period in, in just having kind of working in satellite offices in Canada versus in the Bay area where this company was headquartered, and there was more opportunity opportunities in the Toronto office were very slim. So, you know, you could be absolutely crushing it, doing a great job. You know, you’re valued. But when I was ready to move on, um, you know, there was nowhere for me to go. And so then it became a conversation of, hey, do I wait for this opportunity or do I leave this company? And when I started to have authentic conversations with my leader, um, who I knew, of course, would want to keep me on their team because, you know, she she needed my skills and my expertise. Her focus became. How do I keep Devika at this company so she can grow? Um, and so she started to facilitate introductions to other departments, um, that were, um, you know, based. Yes, in Toronto, but also in the US where, you know, there was remote work opportunities or there was opportunity to kind of travel back and forth between both countries and service clients, um, across North America. She positioned me with other leaders that would consider me for open headcount on their teams. Right. And the results of that was that I ended up spending many years at that company and growing and working across different teams and organizations and adding value. Now, how have she said Devika? There’s nothing I can do. Like, sorry. Um, I would have definitely moved on to a different company. And, you know, that would have been costly for that company that I was employed with. But also, you know, having to train and develop other individuals and the ramp time. Um, it, you know, that was a challenge that they didn’t have to really experience because leadership was so invested in my growth versus their comfort.

Lee Kantor: Now, was that a manager you have is she the exception or is she the norm that you see out in the corporate world?

Devika Brij: You know, the more that I have now worked with, uh, enterprise companies globally, I would say it’s a challenge. So again, the key here is that how you expect your leaders to show up needs to be baked in the culture and values of the company, and they need to actually be measured towards that in their own performance evaluations. So, you know, for example, with the with the story I just shared. If that leader was measured on. Hey, how have you helped, uh, an employee with a growth opportunity? That is something that that leader could go back and say, hey, you know, Devika was, you know, likely going to move externally for another opportunity. And I actually aligned her with one that helped us retain her as as talent here at this company. If that leader is now measured on that, and yes, it aligns to the corporate culture and values, that’s easier to reinforce. Now, there are certain companies I’ve worked with that have, you know, they don’t have a focus on career development. They don’t have a focus on leadership development. You know, they just kind of see it as our people are here and they’re going to do their job, and if they don’t like it, they can leave. But I can tell you that those are the companies that often get caught in cycles of, um, you know, high turnover, um, which slows down, you know, uh, innovation, it slows down product development, it slows down, you know, so many ways that the company could actually move forward if they actually, um, got behind their, their employees and their leaders. Um, so I see the stark difference. Um, it’s just a matter of them buying into the fact that your employees make or break your company. And I think, um, as soon as people start to understand that we need to empower leaders to be more effective and to be more, you know, have a have a mindset of growth and development and not stifle that. That’s the companies that tend to have more consistency, innovation and growth.

Lee Kantor: And from the leader, your former managers point of view, in some ways it was very selfless and generous. Um, because you no longer were working with her and she valued you or you weren’t working with her exclusively. Um, but she was helping you, like, she. She wanted to make sure that you were taken care of. So there was a high empathy level from her standpoint to help you. Um, which I think is unusual. And if companies could bottle that quality or, you know, somehow measure that quality, they’d be in a lot better shape when it came to employee retention.

Devika Brij: Absolutely. I think the challenge here is getting people to buy into that. Um, and, you know, there’s been a lot of shifts like, uh, you know, we’re seeing layoffs happen even with that whole experience. Right? Are you honoring the people being laid off? Are you giving them, um, empathy? Are you giving them resources so they can figure out what is next? Um, even that whole experience that, you know, the world is going through right now. I’m seeing how certain companies are moving versus others that lack empathy, but it really does play a role in their overall success, because I don’t think companies realize that their brand matters, right? Their reputation matters and how they’re treating employees and leaders. And, you know, taking a development first approach really does impact their success overall.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, it’s getting so transactional now. And it’s getting um, it’s going to, you know, people talk, you know it’s just and they.

Devika Brij: Right.

Lee Kantor: Right. I mean these were things that were, you know, kind of whispered back in the day that are now, you know, on the internet for everybody to see.

Devika Brij: Yeah, absolutely.

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

Devika Brij: What do I need more of? Well, you know, I’m always looking to connect with, uh, decision makers who are focused on leadership development, employee development. Um, and really, the overall, you know, growth of their employees across organizations. So, um, as I mentioned, you know, I’ve worked globally across, uh, a lot of really great brands, um, you know, Google and Visa and Reddit, um, just a bunch. And so if you are, um, a decision maker or somebody interested in having a conversation, I love connecting. You know, obviously partnerships are great, but I also just love knowledge sharing and helping people along. So, um, you know, just getting to connect with with new faces and folks that are interested and equally passionate about my line of work and bringing that value to your organizations.

Lee Kantor: And if, um, somebody wants to connect with you, learn more about the book, Thrive in Color, or, um, get on your calendar to discuss opportunities. Is there a website? Is there a best way to connect?

Devika Brij: Absolutely. So it’s just brij the gap consulting bridge is b r i j like my last name. And, uh, you can reach out to me through the website. Um, the book is also linked there. You can find it, um, through physical book, audio book, wherever you purchase and listen. And, uh, I will say Amazon, uh, sent me a note saying that they, uh, overstocked my book so you can actually get it for quite a good deal right now. So if you’re looking to pick it up right now is the time. But yeah, feel free to connect with me through my website, uh, through the information, my contact information in the book, which is listed in there as well. Um, and also on social. So I’m at Devika Bridge, Maurice Morey ce on all social.

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

Devika Brij: Thanks for having me, Lee.

Lee Kantor: All right, this Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on High Velocity Radio.

The Art of Buying Loans: Transforming Mortgages into Profitable Investments

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High Velocity Radio
High Velocity Radio
The Art of Buying Loans: Transforming Mortgages into Profitable Investments
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In this episode of High Velocity Radio, Lee Kantor interviews Nathan Turner, President of Earnest Investing. Nathan explains his fund’s approach to investing in residential real estate mortgages across the U.S., detailing how he acquires loans from private lenders and manages borrower payments. He shares insights on the benefits of note investing, the importance of networking in the industry, and educational opportunities like the Diversified Mortgage Expo. The episode provides an accessible introduction to note investing as an alternative real estate strategy, highlighting how accredited investors can participate and learn more.

Nathan Turner is a leading voice in mortgage note investing, with more than 15 years of hands-on experience buying, managing, and optimizing large portfolios of performing real estate notes.

As founder of Earnest Investing, he works with accredited investors seeking predictable, secured, passive income backed by real property. He is known throughout the note-investing industry as “The Canadian Note Guy” and is the organizer of the annual Diversified Mortgage Expo in Nashville.

His signature “Be the Bank” philosophy empowers investors to shift from volatile, effort-heavy strategies to a more stable, secured approach rooted in first-position liens. With a fund that consistently pays an 8% annual return, he combines simplicity, transparency, and deep expertise.

Connect with Nathan on LinkedIn and Facebook.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • Overview of Earnest Investing and its business model.
  • Explanation of note investing in residential real estate mortgages.
  • Comparison of residential real estate notes versus commercial real estate.
  • Process of purchasing loans from private lenders and collecting payments.
  • Importance of vetting loans and assessing borrower reliability.
  • Networking within the lending community for loan acquisition.
  • Educational resources available for those interested in note investing.
  • The role of the Diversified Mortgage Expo in promoting note investing.
  • Insights on how to get started in note investing for beginners.
  • Discussion on the target audience for the investment fund, specifically accredited investors.

Transcript-iconThis 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.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here. Another episode of High Velocity Radio, and this is going to be a good one. Today on the show we have the president of Earnest Investing, Nathan Turner. Welcome.

Nathan Turner: Hey, thank you so much. So glad to be here.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about earnest investing. How are you serving folks?

Nathan Turner: Earnest investing is an accredited investor fund where people put money into the fund, and I go and buy residential real estate mortgages all over the country.

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

Nathan Turner: You know, like so many things, I kind of fell into it by accident, which was a happy accident. So I’m glad to be where I am today. I just was introduced to it by, uh, by, you know, some friends, colleagues and started doing some seller finance where we had some properties that I was in charge of and we were selling them on terms. So meaning I would have somebody come in and say, okay, I have, you know, whatever it was a couple thousand dollars for a down payment. We would set them up with monthly payments with principal and interest rather than a rental, so that they’re the ones living in the house. And they are the homeowners. They’re the ones who are taking care of the property. And I’m just collecting. So in essence, I was kind of becoming a bank. I didn’t even realize that’s what it was doing at first, but but essentially that’s what we started doing. And the more I learned about it, the more people I met all those different things, the more I realized this is actually a fairly sizable industry. And there’s a lot of people doing this, even though almost nobody’s heard of it.

Lee Kantor: So what was the attraction of residential real estate over commercial real estate?

Nathan Turner: I think especially initially, the size just, you know, I only had so much capital available, and so that’s what initially attracted me to it. And then it just kind of fell in love with the asset class. I really I really liked that. Everybody needs a home. Everyone needs a place to live. And so that’s, uh, it’s become my niche just providing, uh, you know, the opportunity for people to get into these homes where maybe they wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity.

Lee Kantor: So how does it work? Like, say, I would like to buy a home. Why do I pick you and your firm rather than, like you said, the bank or more traditional bank.

Nathan Turner: Well, this is where it gets really interesting because technically I don’t actually loan out the money. I let somebody else do that. So there’s private lenders all over the country, and there’s tons of them out there that do a really great job at what they do. I actually come in after the fact, so I’m not actually dealing with the person living in the house. I am dealing with the loan holder, whoever created that loan. And I approached them and say, well, you’ve created this loan for X amount of dollars x percent interest rate over so many months. If you’re interested in getting cashed out, I’m your guy, so I will buy that typically at some kind of a discount and I take over the receiving the payments. So instead of the borrower, the person living in the home, instead of them paying, you know, a company ABC or individual ABC. Now they’re paying me. So I just I’m I’m the vulture. I come in after the fact.

Lee Kantor: But is it invisible to them? Like, do they just say they just get a notice that now you write the check to this company instead of that company?

Nathan Turner: That’s exactly it. There’s very little that changes for the borrower. They just instead of sending a check here now they send it to me.

Lee Kantor: So now when you’re doing this kind of work, how do you know. Like how are you vetting that homeowner to make sure that they’re going to be able to make all the payments? Or are you just relying on the person who made the initial loan to do that kind of vetting?

Nathan Turner: There’s a couple of things I do look at whatever the the lender set up. Uh, hopefully they’ve gone and done it correctly, and they’ve gone through a mortgage loan originator and involved with that. There’s all kinds of paperwork and checks and balances that are tied into that. To me, that’s a very important part. First of all, that’s the legal way to do it. So that’s an important piece. Uh, but it definitely gives me peace of mind because of the, uh, what’s built in already to check that out. Secondly, I’m going to look at history. So if they typically I’m going to want at least a few months worth of regular payment history. And it’s not even necessarily did they pay that month, but what day did they pay if their due date is the first? Are they paying on the 10th or 12th, or are they paying, you know, the 31st of the month before? Just to kind of get a sense of who they are. What kind of habits have they established? Uh, that plays into it a lot as well.

Lee Kantor: Now, are you currently kind of teaching other people how to do the same thing, or are you just looking for more, um, companies that have loans that they’re looking to sell. Like, what’s your, um, kind of. What’s your end game in all this?

Nathan Turner: Yeah, that’s a great question. So I have a, I guess a couple of end games. My first thing, I guess, is I’m always looking for more investors, people that are going to put money into the fund so I can go out and buy more of these loans. I don’t actually teach it. However, I’ve got some really great colleagues that are interested in doing that, which I would highly recommend. Uh, and I don’t get paid for saying that, but it’s because it’s a finance game. It’s not real estate. We have a lot of people, including myself, where they get into this note investing thing and they have some kind of real estate background, which is great. And that was me too. But just because you’ve got real estate background does not mean that you understand the finance part of it and how the lending, uh, side of that works. There’s different kinds of rules. There’s different kinds of even licensing in certain states and things that you need to be aware of. So it’s important to get some education. Now, that being said, I don’t teach it, but I do host an annual conference. And the next ones coming up, actually in May in Nashville, where, um, anybody who’s either in the business or interested in learning more about it, you come together with everybody who’s already in the business and we just get together. My whole goal for that conference is just to establish a place where people can get to know each other, and as they get to know each other, they can get to like each other. And as they get to like each other, they can get to trust each other and they can start doing some deals together.

Lee Kantor: Now, if somebody wants to get involved with this for the first time, uh, does it just like, what do you need to do in order to kind of, uh, explore this or these opportunities? Like, it’s not you’re not, um, like, this isn’t flipping houses. This is kind of you’re playing one level higher than that in a way. Can you explain, like, what it takes for somebody who has some money that likes real estate and that feels that there’s opportunities there that maybe they could be leveraging in a different way than they’re currently leveraging it.

Nathan Turner: Yeah. For sure. So, uh, like I say, I came from a real estate background as well. So I’d done some flipping houses. I’d been a landlord for a little bit. What I discovered with being a landlord is it’s way more work than anybody talks about. And so I didn’t really love it. And that’s what I liked about this note investing is it’s the same kind of monthly income that I was getting with the rentals, but I don’t own the house, which means I don’t have to take care of the house. I don’t have to fix the roof. I’m not dealing with property taxes. All of that goes back to the borrower. And so that became very attractive to me. So if you’re just getting started and it sounds great and interesting, um, I would say go to my website, Ernest Investing.com, there’s some more information there. And if you’re looking for someone to teach you, like I say, I’m going to point you in a different direction. Uh, but some people, colleagues, friends that I’ve known for years, that would be great at doing that for you.

Lee Kantor: But if I was going to try to do this myself, how do I Do I look for somebody that is a small lender that maybe only has a few properties? Or do I find places that are doing this already and are just looking for ways to, you know, unload some properties, like what is the best, you know, kind of early fit for exploring this.

Nathan Turner: Yeah. And that’s the million dollar question is where do you find these things. And that’s one of the biggest challenges in this business is identifying where these loans are and then how to evaluate them and make sure that it’s going to be a good deal. It’s going to be something that’s going to produce long term. And of course, it’s never a perfect, uh, kind of evaluation, but we all do our best. Um, it’s really all about relationships. There are two, maybe three different websites where you can go and browse loans that are for sale. Um, but really and truly, the way this business is done is just getting to know people who are in the business and talking and networking and passing lists around and things like that. Oh, that’s really how the business is done.

Lee Kantor: So is this one of those things where you just wherever you are locally in the country, you just start kind of getting involved with the lending community and see who the players are and who, who, who is doing a lot of loans, who’s not doing a lot of loans, who maybe wants to stop doing loans. Like, is that is it just kind of old fashioned networking, you know, getting to know more people?

Nathan Turner: Yeah, that’s a really good way to do it. Um, if you want to expand your network, you start going online. There’s different Facebook groups and LinkedIn groups and things like that that you can get involved with just to, at the very least, dip your toe in and start meeting some people and having some conversations. Um, to give you an example, though, I actually live up in Canada and everything I do is in the US, so you don’t have to invest in your local market. Um, I’ve got loans spread out all over the country, and so it really doesn’t make that much of a difference where you’re located versus where the loans are.

Lee Kantor: So you just have to find the individuals who have the loans and then just start building relationships with those people.

Nathan Turner: Yeah. That’s right. And, uh, ideally my my best case scenario is I meet up with people who are creating these loans on a regular basis. So not necessarily just a one off where, you know, a mom and pop, they own a second property and then they, they sell it on terms and create this note. Those exist as well. And those are actually harder to find. Uh, so ideally you’re you’re trying to network with those who are doing this, at least, you know, semi-regularly where they’re creating a few of these, you know, a month or a year or something like that, where you can keep tapping into that same, same vein.

Lee Kantor: And then that way it’s a win win for both of you. You get to take over the loan, they get to exit the loan. They get something, you get something and you know, and the band plays on.

Nathan Turner: That’s exactly it. They get cashed out. They can go back and do it again and then come back and say, hey, are you interested in buying this one? It’s basically the same thing we did last time. Great. And we can just keep turning them over and over.

Lee Kantor: Now, what was kind of that first moment for you where you were like, hey, I think this is going to work out. Like, what was that aha moment early on when you were like, I think I’m on to something here.

Nathan Turner: Yeah. So when I first got started, it was 2008, 2009. Uh, the first.

Lee Kantor: So that’s right in the in a bad time for real estate. Yeah.

Nathan Turner: Yeah. And so that when I first heard about this, I thought, man, that sounds crazy. Um, especially because what was really popular, the time was what we call nonperforming loans. So loans where people were not making any payments. And I thought, why would you do that? That sounds nuts. So I had talked to some friends and kind of had been mulling it over, and then a friend of mine approached me and said, well, I have a package of three loans, all in Columbus, Ohio, on three different properties, three different borrowers, all that. And at the time, pricing was crazy, crazy good. So I bought the whole package for a total of $10,000. And I thought, this is worth a $10,000 experiment. So let’s see. And, uh, it worked the way that I hoped it would. At the time, I was very much centered on the real estate. So for the first two properties, I located the homeowner and just said to them, hey, I now own your loan. Um, I’m not here to collect any money. If you just deed the property over to me, then I will wipe out the balance of the loan. And two for two. They said absolutely, 100%. Let’s do this. And the third one? It was a house that wasn’t too far from Ohio State University, and it was a larger house.

Nathan Turner: And so the idea was I was going to turn it into student housing. Um, the challenge was that the house had had a fire, and so nobody had done anything with it for a while. The owner lived out in Arizona. I contacted him, he just didn’t really respond. And so, okay, what do we do? In the process? We found out that this property had a fairly sizable property tax bill, something like $12,000, like it was fairly large and I had already made my money back on the other two and then some. So to me, the aha moment was I’m not actually directly responsible for these taxes. I’ve already made my money over here on these other two deals. Uh, and so I can just let this go. And so that was, that was huge. Just to know that although those property taxes affected me, I wasn’t directly responsible for them. And I thought, man, that’s really cool. And so that was kind of what led me into thinking maybe there’s something to this, maybe there’s something that can, you know, work long term. And that’s kind of where I went from there. So.

Lee Kantor: Um, what could we be doing for you? What do you need more of? Are you just trying to get more people in America to go to this event of yours later this year? Is that kind of would that be a big win for you?

Nathan Turner: That would be a big win because, um, if you’re even if you’re doing any kind of real estate investing that you should at least be aware of this and have it as a tool in your toolbox. You don’t have to go out and start buying loans or whatever the way that I do, but you should at least be aware that it’s out there. Uh, and so when you’re doing some kind of they call it creative finance these days, a lot of the time you have some idea of if I’m going to create this loan, uh, there’s a chance that I’m going to want to sell this somewhere down the down the line. So if that’s the case, I know that this guy Nathan would like it structured a certain way so I can learn about that now so that when that deal comes up, I can structure it properly so that I can hang on to it if I want. But then I’ve also created a very attractive note for somebody else to purchase in the future.

Lee Kantor: And for you, the people that you’re working with, are they primarily accredited investors? Is that the level that you’re dealing with?

Nathan Turner: Yeah. My fund. It’s, uh, it’s a regulation D 506 C uh, that all the letters and numbers in there, but it’s, uh, limited to accredited investors. So that’s where I’m at with that.

Lee Kantor: And then the event that we’re talking about in Nashville is called the Diversified Mortgage Expo.

Nathan Turner: That’s right. Coming up May 1st and second.

Lee Kantor: Good stuff. Uh, Nathan, congratulations on all the success. You’re doing amazing work, and we appreciate you.

Nathan Turner: Hey, thank you so much for having me on.

Lee Kantor: And then the website, if people want to learn more about earnest.

Nathan Turner: Yeah. It’s earnest. Investing.com. That’s. Uh, and there’s more information about what I’m doing with the fund, about notes in general. And there’s a link over to the Diversified Mortgage Expo website as well.

Lee Kantor: Good stuff. All right. This is Lee Kantor. We will talk to you next time on High Velocity Radio.

Discovering Your Career Ownership Potential: Insights from a Career Coach

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High Velocity Radio
High Velocity Radio
Discovering Your Career Ownership Potential: Insights from a Career Coach
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In this episode of High Velocity Radio, Lee Kantor interviews Kim Boike, a career ownership coach with The Entrepreneur’s Source. Kim shares her journey from teaching to coaching, and explains how she helps clients—especially those in career transition—explore new professional paths, including entrepreneurship and franchising. She discusses her holistic, supportive approach, the value of networking, and her focus on helping veterans and others discover fulfilling, flexible careers. Kim’s story and insights offer encouragement and practical advice for anyone navigating job changes or considering business ownership. Listeners can connect with Kim for further resources and coaching support.

Kim Boike was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. Six years ago, her husband’s career brought their family to Arizona. Her professional background is in elementary education, where she spent time as a classroom teacher and later as a Reading Specialist. After relocating to Arizona, she continued teaching for a few years before deciding to pursue a new professional direction.

During that transition, she and her husband were introduced to a coach with The Entrepreneur’s Source and chose to go through the exploration process themselves. Through thoughtful discussion, education, and clarity around her goals, needs, and expectations, she discovered that franchising was the right path for her. She has now been a coach for two and a half years and truly enjoys the work she does.

She and her husband have three adult sons, ages 25, 22, and 20. Their oldest is a plumber, their middle son is a barber, and their youngest is currently in college studying data analytics.

She is passionate about working with people and helping them see that there are opportunities beyond what they may currently know. She firmly believes that knowledge is power and that education equips individuals to make informed, confident decisions, no matter which path they ultimately choose.

Connect with Kim on LinkedIn and Facebook.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • Career transitions and their significance in professional development.
  • The role of a career ownership coach in guiding individuals through career changes.
  • Strategies for individuals facing job loss or seeking new income streams.
  • The importance of aligning personal and professional goals during career transitions.
  • Various career options available, including franchising, independent business ownership, and investments.
  • The coaching process and ongoing support provided to clients.
  • The significance of education and transparency in the coaching relationship.
  • Networking strategies and community engagement for business visibility.
  • Challenges faced by veterans and military spouses in transitioning to civilian careers.
  • Personal growth and resilience in adapting to new professional roles.

Transcript-iconThis 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.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here. Another episode of High Velocity Radio, and this is going to be a good one. Today on the show we have career ownership coach with The Entrepreneur’s Source. Kim, welcome.

Kim Boike: Thank you Lee. Thanks for having me.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. I have never heard of someone that is a career ownership coach. Tell me about it.

Kim Boike: Yes, yes. So what we do is we work with people that are in a transition. Maybe they’ve been laid off. Maybe they want to keep their jobs but have a multiple stream of income or diversify their portfolios, and they don’t really know exactly what step to take. And what we do is we work with what diving deep into? What are their goals, needs and expectations? You know, we want to talk to them holistically about it. You know, what are your professional goals as well as your personal goals? We think that so many people in the past have negated personal or didn’t look at them together. So we want to make sure that we’re looking at both areas and seeing what those goals are. And then what we do is we look at the different paths, whether what paths you can take to reach those goals and expectations. You know, is it looking at, you know, staying in the same industry? Is it looking at maybe more investment in stocks or real estate, or is it even learning about business ownership, whether you start your own business or looking into franchising? And the space that I’m affiliated with are the franchises. And it’s not about pushing people down that path, but it’s about giving people a safe space to learn about the franchising and to see if it’s a path for them or not. But we just want people to be open to a lot of what other possibilities are out there other than the traditional corporate or W-2 jobs.

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

Kim Boike: Yeah, no, I was an elementary school teacher for 27 years. I worked in elementary schools, was in the classroom for about nine, and the rest of the time I was a reading specialist, so worked with the kids at risk and reading, uh, worked with community administration, working with closely with the teachers, uh, giving education when we could and when we moved out here. We’re originally from Detroit, and we moved out to Arizona six years ago because my husband’s company moved us out here. So out here, I just it wasn’t making sense anymore. I wasn’t working for the same pension. I took a huge pay cut. And so I just thought, you know, if I’m ever going to do anything different, now is the time to do it. So my husband and I, we were contacted by a coach just like myself, and we actually went through the exact same process that I take my clients through. And I learned about, you know, what my goals and expectations were. You know, we take a deeper dive. So I really had to really think about it and not just think about it on the surface level. Um, and what I really wanted, I really wanted a flexible schedule, you know, being from Detroit, where it’s cold in the winter, we have a lot of company that comes out here, you know, January through April.

Kim Boike: Uh, so I wanted to be able to have a flexible schedule and be able to spend time with family and friends. Also, if my, uh, parents ever needed my help, my sister, our family back home, uh, we wanted to or I wanted to be able to have that flexibility to go back and help them. And then another one was, if my husband’s job moved us again, I didn’t want to have to quit what I was doing to start over. So Looking at franchising and realizing that it had a, you know, systems and processes, processes that are in place, um, really gave me what I was looking for. Um, and so I decided myself to be a franchisee, owner of the Entrepreneur Source. Um, and there are many brands that we introduce people to, not just the entrepreneur source, but that’s just the one that I chose, um, with my coach, because that’s the one that met my goals and expectations the best.

Lee Kantor: So when you began this coaching relationship with your coach, was it something that is supposed to just kind of triage your situation that you’re in initially, or does the coach kind of stick with you just to make sure everything’s going well and to continue coaching you for other opportunities? Or is it something that you were like, I don’t know what to do next, and then they help you figure out what to do next? And then that’s kind of the end of the coaching relationship.

Kim Boike: Yeah. No, no, we, uh, we definitely. What we always want to do is we want to help our, uh, clients in any way that we can. You know, franchising isn’t the only pathway, right? That’s just the ones that I am set up for education. Uh, to help specifically with. If you decide to go down the franchising path and learn about it, then I do guide you through that experience. I do not leave you. I guide you all the way up until you sign. And even after, um, as investing and signing with a franchise, if you choose to go down that path, if you realize that franchising is not for you, that’s okay. You know it’s not for everybody. But at least you had taken that, um, time to learn about it and educate yourself about it. The one thing, uh, that we have after that, then, is like, if you choose to go back into the corporate and that’s where you feel that your calling is still, then we do have affiliates that we can set you up with, and they will help you look for a job. You know, they are a paid service where I am not a paid service. Um, my, uh, coaching and guidance is free of charge. Um, I get paid by a third party if they do invest. But we have enough people that go down that path that we’re not salesy, we’re not pushy, we’re not putting pressure onto people. We’re more about the education, which is another reason why I fell in love and chose this because it, you know, matched up with my background, with education. Um, if you choose to go into independent business, uh, instead of franchising, then we have an organization that we can set you up with that gives free mentoring and, uh, very inexpensive webinars and, um, seminars that they’ll give in person and, and online to help people start with, uh, their own business.

Lee Kantor: So when you meet somebody that’s kind of in this transitional, um, kind of place, then you can help educate them about all the variety of possibilities, and then you can point them in the right direction, no matter which kind of path they choose.

Kim Boike: Yes, we we first of all, like I said, we talk about their goals and expectations. Then we talk about the paths to take, and then we talk about the pros and cons of all the different paths, you know? And where are they coming from? What are their thoughts about these different paths, um, in order to reach their goals and expectations? Um, and then what we do then with me, if they’re going to choose to go into franchising, then it is a guided process. And we talk specifically like what type of business ownership would you like to learn about? What type of industry would you be interested in learning about? And we tell people to not don’t just pick on your passions, um, and experience. If there’s anything out there that you would be interested in learning about, you know, you don’t have to be the expert in enfranchising. Uh, or in that that industry, uh, you’re going to hire those people that are going to be working in the business. You’re going to be working on the business. Um, and then with the franchising, you get the training, you get the coaching, um, and all the support as you’re moving through the business, uh, to help you in that area. And then what we do is we go ahead and present them with three different possibilities to start learning. They have several, you know, 4 to 5 conversations with franchisors just to get a good understanding of the business, the model, how territories are set up and then the financials.

Kim Boike: And then they’re going to go into validation calls where they get to have conversations with the franchisees, where they are getting to get more of the nuts and bolts out of it. So, you know, they get to ask the people that are in the trenches working right now, how has this, uh, process and this business been for you? What were your challenges? How did you get through those challenges? What are are the franchisors supporting you in the way that they’re telling me that they would support you? Um, and I always tell my clients, you know, ask them if the franchisees if they would do it again. You know, that’s a really important question. And, um, you know, you can get a lot of information by talking with them. So then they take that information that they’ve gained, and then we’re talking again looking at their goals and expectations. Is this something that can help you get to that? Yes. And if so, do you want to move forward? If not, do you want to continue learning about franchises, maybe a different brand or, um, you know, and if they come to the the consensus that, yes, they want to keep learning, we’ll keep having phone calls. If they don’t, then we go ahead and see where I can pass them off to to learn more about either real estate, stock markets or other ways to invest or looking for a corporate job as well.

Lee Kantor: Now, can you remember back when you were, um, thinking about, okay, when you made the decision? Okay, I’m not going to get back to teaching because you spent your I mean, a long time, I mean, several decades involved in teaching, you know, through, uh, the school systems. And that was kind of your boss for, I guess, what, 20 or 30 years. Right?

Kim Boike: Right.

Lee Kantor: And then, um, when you said, okay, that’s not for me. Do you remember, like, did you go online and Google? What should I do next, like, or did you find, like, how’d you find this coach to help kind of guide you? Because I would think at that moment when you make that decision, you know, it’s one of those the world’s your oyster. Now, you could pick anything and then at some point you need some help in curating the list and narrow things down. And then you found a coach. But did you go online first and then find a coach? Like how did that find a coach part happen?

Kim Boike: Yeah, actually my husband, it was a LinkedIn outreach. Uh, that, uh, coach that contacted my husband and my husband actually responded back to them. So I didn’t I didn’t even think I was going to go into franchising. Uh, I had always thought of business ownership, but I just never knew what to do or how to how to get a business even started. So I didn’t even think about franchising until he had, uh, responded to the coaches, um, outreach. Um, so if people are looking for a coach, yes, you can Google and you can find coaches. But I never even knew that this even existed until we started going through the process. So we do do LinkedIn outreaches. We do do, um, like franchise shows. We do do webinars and networking and things like that, trying to get our names out, uh, and letting people know that we do have this opportunity out there for people to take the chance. But that is how we were engaged, um, was through a LinkedIn outreach.

Lee Kantor: So. But the outreach wasn’t to you. That was to your husband was what were you doing anything to look around? Were you, like talking to people or you were just like, I guess I’m not going to teach anymore. Oh you were.

Kim Boike: No, I wasn’t going to teach anymore. I just decided, um, it just didn’t fit our family anymore with the pay cut and, um, what was going on with our family at the time? So I took, kind of took the year to just kind of be home for a while and just kind of really think about what I wanted to do, not not knowing which direction to go. Uh, I started getting antsy. And I’m like, all right, now it’s time for me to go back to work. I, I enjoy work, uh, so I wanted to so honestly, I was just looking on LinkedIn, looking for jobs. Uh, I had been lucky enough to get at least one interview with one company, and I interviewed, had several interviews with them. Uh, but I really noticed that looking for a job was not at all what had been, you know, 27 years ago. You know, how do I get through the Linked in AI? You know, or, you know, get past that so that somebody can recognize my resume. You know, back in the day, I can make a phone call or even go into the office and hand my resume in, at least have a human connection, um, and at least maybe show my personality where it’s not like that these days, you know, um, they have filters, and you just.

Kim Boike: I was having a hard time getting noticed, so that was frustrating in itself. And I also see that with a lot of my clients as well. So we were lucky enough, honestly, uh, that a coach reached out to my husband and he started going through the process. At first I didn’t even I’m like, no, no, that’s your thing. And then he’s like, no, I really think you need to get on here and start listening. So I did, and yes, I wish I would have gotten done sooner, even, um, knowing what I know now, but I didn’t know what I didn’t know until I started learning. And that’s what I tell people. You know, you may have some ideas of franchising. Um, you know, people think of fast food restaurants right away. Um, or, you know, some of the, the bad things, you know. Oh, my uncle’s friend had a franchise, and they didn’t do so well. Um, but we want to go ahead. And it was nice for me and my husband to go through this experience, because we got to actually talk to the people that are doing it right now and what their experiences is, are, and not base it on other people’s perception of it.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you decided, okay, I’m going to do this now, and in your whole career, you never really had to do selling. Like you were there as a service provider, as a teacher and as a reading instructor. Um, and now you have to, you know, sell somebody something and ask for money. And for some people that’s, uh, you know, a little I don’t want to say difficult, but it’s challenging. It’s something new. It’s just they’ve just never had that. Hey, do you want to buy this thing? And I know when you’re selling in the way this is framed for people, it’s more of a. Here. I’m showing you options. Is this something you’re you’re comfortable with or want to learn more about? And it’s very you have a very elegant sales process. But ultimately you’re asking someone to invest a lot of money in something. Uh, so it’s a, you know, a high ticket sale. Uh, no matter how you frame it. And, you know, if it doesn’t work out, you know, they’re going to come to you and say, hey, you encourage me to do this. Did you feel any trepidation about that? Like, how did you kind of work through the emotions that are associated with selling somebody, you know, a you know, it could be their life savings.

Kim Boike: Right, right. No, it, um, it definitely was a concern of mine because I am not a sales person. I always said that, um, I was glad that my husband received the outreach, because I probably would have just deleted it because that’s what I do. I say yes too quickly, so I just have learned to say no right away. So, um, my with learning about the entrepreneur source and then the two, two other brands that we were looking at, um, the entrepreneur source for me was less of a hard sale. It was more about the education. And that’s what made me feel comfortable, you know, giving people that safe space to learn. And I had people that trained me. I had people that, um, are supportive, you know, through our franchise and coach us through that, um, uncertainty and through those fear feelings. Um, you know, can I do this imposter syndrome? You know, it definitely doesn’t happen overnight. It definitely is something that takes time. Um, and that was new for me. Um, but honestly, I feel like maybe like the first sales thing I have to do is just get them to move forward. Um, and I and but from my clients in the past, I’m always asking them, how are you? Are you getting value out of this? You know, give me some feedback. And a lot of it has been that they have felt very understood. They were given that safe space. They didn’t have the pressure. Um, obviously, if it’s not right for them, it’s not right for them. And then, like I said. And that’s okay. Um, it just happened to be right for us. Um, but you don’t know what you don’t know until you start learning. And then just having that opportunity to learn, um, is really was a nice experience for us and have been for many of our clients.

Lee Kantor: Now, do you remember that first person that you approached, that you talked talk to that said, hey, this is something I’m interested in and then went through the entire process and then ultimately, you know, purchase one of the franchises that you recommended.

Kim Boike: Yes, yes. He, uh, was in it. He was in corporate and had been laid off unexpectedly and, uh, didn’t know what to do. So was looking for jobs, uh, having a hard time with the AI as well. And so it’s like, you know what? I’ve got time right now. You know, he’s laid off, I’ve got time. And we always encourage people to take a parallel path. Don’t just do this. Also look for a job, you know, and I have many clients that will even get a job and continue the process. Um, but he, uh, he my my client, my first one that had triggered has, uh, went into a senior care service full time, uh, helping, um, families look for places, uh, for their family members. Um, and he is enjoying it. So in contact with him today? He is enjoying it and, um, really feels like he has a good purpose and he’s got control of his his time, his energy, his efforts, and he’s working and working hard for himself and making money for himself instead of for somebody else.

Lee Kantor: Now, as part of being a business owner yourself, is there activities you have to do every day to stay top of mind to find that next coaching client, or is that part of the playbook that they share with you?

Kim Boike: Um, yes. That is definitely part of the playbook that they share. Uh, we have LinkedIn campaigns that they have taught us how to use and how to, um, I use those effectively. Uh, we also are encouraged to get out and network. Um, networking was not easy for me in the beginning. I didn’t even do it until after the first year, gave myself the first year just to learn the business and get used to the business. Now I’m out in networking groups and it has just been a very welcoming and inviting and wonderful experience, uh, with the people, um, that are there. They’re just really there to help you and to help grow your business, uh, in ways and then also encouraged to go to franchise shows, um, and, you know, even do webinars and get involved with the community, um, in different ways because you never know who’s going to need you. And it may not even be the person, uh, sitting right next to me. Like I go to the networking events and those people don’t need me. They already have businesses, but it’s somebody maybe that they know that gets laid off later on down the line. And another one I’m really my goal this year is to really get involved more with the veterans. I’ve done recruit military, um, even working with the spouses of military, um, you know, coming out of that military life into civilian life for the veterans, uh, can always be challenging. Um, and, you know, looking for a corporate is definitely one, uh, area to look at, but also look at business ownership to see if it’s for you or not.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you were, um, going to these networking, uh, meetings for the first time, was there did people give you advice or tips on how to get the most out of those experiences? Because again, that’s another area that if the thing that’s interesting for one of the things that are interesting about your path is that you came from an environment that isn’t very it’s not a businessy thing. You’re, you’re you’re a really a public servant helping children. And now, uh, just from a mindset standpoint, like when you entered work every day, you were going to talk to a child about, you know, their reading or help them be better at better human beings. And now you’re helping somebody with their career. I know it’s learning and education, but it’s just a different type of interaction that you have to do now, every day after I’ve done done something for, you know, 30 years the other way and it just the mindset shift that it takes, it takes someone really strong and resourceful and resilient. And it just kudos to you for making that transition. And I’m sure it wasn’t it. There had to be some bumps in the road of doing that.

Kim Boike: Right. Well thank you. Um, but yes it’s it’s never easy right. If it was easy, everyone would do it. Uh, that’s what I tell my clients too, uh, that there definitely is growth. Um, and a mindset shift, um, as you go through the process and still ongoing, I’m not even where I want to be. You know, I’m always going to be improving myself in one way or the other. Um, it could be technical. It could be, um, just emotional, just myself. Talk to myself. You know, I’m not listening to those negative thoughts. Um, but getting the coaching through the franchising. You know, they have the coaching that they’ll give to you. Um, has been very beneficial. Uh, and then the support from other franchisees that are doing the exact same thing that I am. I’ve got people to, uh, rely on that. Hey, this is what’s going on for me today. You know, people in my training group, actually, we’re, you know, we’re talking and understanding and talking about challenges. Um, and then we also have the veterans, you know, that have been here for a while. The people that you know are five years ahead of me, you know, okay, you’re at this spot now, but how did you get there when you were at my spot, you know. What tips can you help me? And and a lot of times, it’s not even just with the business. It is mindset. For me, my biggest challenge probably is the mindset, um, because, you know, that imposter syndrome comes in and, like, you’re a teacher before Kim, you know, and you know, you’re like you said, like a public servant. Um, what what makes you think that you can do this now? Well, why can’t I do it? You know, and that negative talk.

Kim Boike: I really had to train my brain not to go there and to push it away right away and not listen to it. Um, because everyone is. A a growing, um, career that challenges them. I like to be challenged. So it does definitely challenges me. It definitely gets me out of my comfort zone. But one thing I’ve learned through this whole process is that if you’re you’re not growing, if you’re in your comfort zone, the only way that you’re going to grow is if you get to get yourself uncomfortable and getting past those barriers. Um, and so in that way, it has just been exponential, uh, experience for me. And I have appreciated all the support that everyone gives me. And everyone wants you to be successful, you know, um, it’s not worry. We’re not worried about oversaturation or things like that. Everyone’s rooting for you. And I also, and I tell my clients the same thing. Put yourself around like minded people. You know, you want to, uh, be around the positive, the optimistic people. You don’t want to be around the naysayers, uh, because that will just bring you down. And we talk about that sometimes. It’s your family and your friends. You know, they have the, um, your best interest at heart, but they’re not always as optimistic or can see the big picture like you can. So you have to be careful with who you’re sharing, what you’re doing with, um, until you have come to that absolute decision that this is what you’re doing and I don’t care what you say, I’m going to go ahead and do this. Um, but yeah, it’s not easy, but it’s, um, it’s been exciting, to say the least.

Lee Kantor: Now, in your previous work, I’m sure you had rewarding moments on the regular on a regular basis when kids got the, you know, the aha moment when they figured something out or you helped them kind of learn something new. Are you? Can you share maybe a rewarding moment that has happened since you’ve changed gears into this entrepreneurial venture? Is there a moment that has happened where you’re like, okay, I’m on the right path. This is making an impact.

Kim Boike: Yes, yes. No. Uh, I love working with the kids. You get those? You know, just making them feel safe, secure and, um, feeling and letting them know that they’re doing a great job always made me feel good. Uh, of course, students now that I’m working with are older. Uh, could very easily well be my old students, um, with how many years I taught. So I look at it that way as well. But, yes, uh, I have learned that there is a statistic within our franchise that there are 95% of the people that have gone into business with us, uh, have actually gone into something that they would have dismissed early on. But what we do is we really do challenge people to be open minded to the different possibilities. I want you to learn in the beginning. I don’t want you making decisions. I’ll learn about the business models, learn about the finances, learn about absentee or semi absentee and full time owner operator. See what it will get you. What the difference is. With that in mind, I’ve had many clients of course start looking at things they’re passionate about, uh, things that they have experience with.

Kim Boike: But when they learn that maybe those passions aren’t going to give them the income and the lifestyle that they’re looking for, uh, when they are hesitant with me in the beginning about looking at maybe plumbing, you know, or I have a female looking at automotive or I have a male looking at beauty, beauty and healthcare, you know, wealth care. They, um, they kind of hesitate, you know, and I said, I want you to learn, um, and then when they have that aha moment of like, wow, I never thought that this business could do this for me. That’s an exciting time. And that’s when they see, you know, why we challenge them, why we want them to keep that, be open to the different possibilities. Think about possibilities, not probabilities. Um, it’s very interesting. And that’s why I tell them you don’t know what you don’t know until you start learning. So when they have those, uh, insights and are finding out that there’s industries out there that they never even thought of, uh, that could give them their income, lifestyle, wealth and equity goals. Um, that gets me excited.

Lee Kantor: So if somebody wants to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you. What is the website? What’s the best way to connect?

Kim Boike: Yes. They can uh, go to my website. At. And my, uh, you can read more about what we do. We have podcasts. We have a link to my calendar. Uh, there’s, uh, testimonials. And, uh, I’d be happy to have, uh, a call just to see if this is something that would be, um, kind of helpful to you. You know, if I, if I would have known that this opportunity was out there, I now wish I did. I would have done this a long time ago. I just never knew the opportunity was available.

Lee Kantor: And that’s k b o I k dot e o u r c e.com. Kim, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Kim Boike: Thank you Lee I appreciate it.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on High Velocity Radio.

Stretching Beyond Limits: The Innovative Approach of Stretch Zone

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Franchise Marketing Radio
Franchise Marketing Radio
Stretching Beyond Limits: The Innovative Approach of Stretch Zone
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In this episode of Franchise Marketing Radio, Lee Kantor interviews Lindsey McFadden, Chief Marketing Officer of Stretch Zone. Lindsey shares the origins and growth of Stretch Zone, a franchise specializing in practitioner-assisted stretching. She discusses their unique approach to stretching, inclusive client base, and the ideal franchisee profile. The conversation highlights Stretch Zone’s collaborative franchisee support, grassroots and digital marketing strategies, and commitment to community engagement. Lindsey also outlines future plans focused on operational basics and franchisee empowerment, emphasizing the importance of relationship-driven business practices for long-term success.

Lindsey McFadden currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Stretch Zone.

In this role, she leads the company’s marketing operations: overseeing advertising, branding, public relations, corporate communications, and support for franchisees.

Connect with Linda on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • Origins and founding story of Stretch Zone
  • Unique approach to practitioner-assisted stretching services
  • Target customer demographics and client benefits
  • Marketing strategies and community engagement efforts
  • Franchisee support and ideal franchisee profile
  • Growth plans and operational strategies for 2025
  • Importance of relationship-building in franchise operations
  • Balancing digital marketing with in-person outreach
  • Collaborative dynamics between corporate and franchisees
  • Educational resources and tools for franchisee success

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Coming to you live from the Business RadioX studio. It’s Franchise Marketing Radio.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here. Another episode of Franchise Marketing Radio. And this is gonna be a good one. Today on the show, we have the Chief Marketing Officer with Stretch Zone, Lindsey McFadden. Welcome.

Lindsey McFadden: Thank you so much for having me. Good to be here.

Lee Kantor: Well, I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. For folks who aren’t familiar, share a little bit about Stretch Zone. How you serving folks?

Lindsey McFadden: Absolutely. So Stretch Zone is a franchise network of practitioner assisted stretch studios where we do all the work and you get all the benefits. That’s kind of our unofficial tagline. So. So what we do is one thing and one thing only, and we professionally stretch people. We have a proprietary protocol in series of stretches that we do, and we have a patented strapping system that is affixed to our tables to make sure that you’re properly positioned, stabilized, and isolated, to really get the most of the stretch, and also to ensure that you are safe and secure. And so all of our sessions are 30 minutes and they are one on one. Think like personal training where one of our certified and trained practitioners guides you through a series of stretches to to address whatever your needs are. You know, people that come to us sometimes perhaps have sciatica pain or lower back issues. Others are athletes, you know that just use stretching as part of their recovery and really everywhere in between. So that’s kind of who we are and what we do. We just hit 413 locations open across 41 states.

Lee Kantor: So what was the genesis of the idea? How did this kind of launch?

Lindsey McFadden: Sure. So our founder, Jordan Gold, his grandfather, his Pop-Pop, is kind of the why behind stretch zone. So his grandfather was suffering from loss of mobility due to side effects of diabetes, and a personal trainer and kind of therapist by trade, he said, you know, I’m going to start stretching him every day and see if I can get him some quality of life back. And that’s kind of how Stretch Zone was born. And so he started that. But it was really a one on one business for about ten years. And he just had clients and would travel the world stretching people. And then in kind of 2014 ish, it became a business. And then in 2017, we began franchising, and all of the early growth was was really organic and authentic because of the impact stretch zone was having on people’s lives. It really spread like, like wildfire solely through word of mouth. And that’s really the genesis of Stretch Zone and how we started our growth story.

Lee Kantor: So at some point it just transitioned to stretching. Only that was the only kind of protocol that was being offered.

Lindsey McFadden: Correct. So, you know, kind of Jordan’s theory behind stretch zone is that you can’t overstretch a muscle. Right. Think of it like a seat belt. When you slowly pull out your seat belt to get buckled in, it’s loose and it’s easy and it’s fluid. If you jerk your seatbelt, it’ll recoil right? And tense up. Muscles are very similar, so instead of trying to elongate or lengthen the muscles, our theory for stretching is that we really work to reeducate your your nervous system and your stretch tolerance so that over time with our protocols you’re more flexible, but it’s really adjusting your stretch tolerance and your reflex than it is stretching your muscles.

Lee Kantor: And at the beginning, it sounds like the first, uh, kind of person to use it was just a regular person. It wasn’t a professional athlete. They were using it to kind of help with a medical concern.

Lindsey McFadden: Right.

Lee Kantor: So is that kind of the lens that you look at it through, like the the client can be anybody That’s right.

Lindsey McFadden: We say our geographic base is is really everybody anybody can benefit from stretching. You know, if you talk to your doctor or a physical therapist or personal trainer or really anybody, everybody knows that stretching is beneficial for your body. And so we say we have a limitless demographic. You know, we stretch everybody over the age of 14. Um, and we do not stretch pregnant women, but otherwise, really we see people. I think our oldest, um, member we had was 104. Uh, so, so really, everybody comes to stretch zone.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you’re trying to attract somebody who maybe isn’t athletic or considers themselves into fitness but leads a sedentary life, how do you kind of even find those people in a local market and introduce just the concept of stretching, and that they might see benefit?

Lindsey McFadden: Yeah, I think that what we’re seeing, though, you know, here in America in general, is such a shift towards wellness culture. Right? There’s just so much more of an awareness of alternative, I alternative, I think wellness avenues that ten years ago didn’t exist. So when people are looking for, um, for solutions to problems, right, whether they’re just googling something or through word of mouth stretching really is so much more common today as an actual vertical in the space than it was, you know, even just a few years ago. So I think, you know, we try to lead by, by telling the consumer what are the problems that we’re solving, right? So whether you have sciatica pain, say you’re not an athlete at all. You just have that nagging pain that affects your sleep or your posture, you know? Or maybe you’re hunched over a computer all day, right? We’re we’re trying to lead with what we solve. Right. And you don’t have to be an athlete or a weekend warrior or even a senior. Everybody can benefit from stretching. And that’s really the message that we’re working to get out to the to the general public.

Lee Kantor: But how does a layperson who isn’t kind of fitness minded even connect the dots that their lower back pain might be solved by stretching rather than, you know, like a doctor would maybe prescribe something for for that alleviate the pain.

Lindsey McFadden: Yeah. So we work with a lot of what we kind of call referral sources unofficially, you know, with we have a lot of actual franchisees that are chiropractors, for example. So when people are looking through more traditional mediums of of care, whether chiropractic or physical therapy, we work closely with a lot of those modalities as a referral source for either if those are not working or care after the fact. And then, you know, we do a lot of consumer education. So our franchisees in the markets they serve, we really focus on a lot of grassroots marketing, showing up at, you know, green markets or events in communities where we can display our service and really get the consumer to have eyes on it, because if you’ve never seen it, you might not know what it is or even what to expect. And so we really try to take an education first approach through, you know, thorough blog writing that we do on our site. We do a lot of press and really local engagement to try to get the word out, um, in local communities that we serve.

Lee Kantor: And what is that profile of that ideal, uh, franchisee? Are they people that are chiropractors or are chiropractors, for example, just a referral source?

Lindsey McFadden: Yeah, most of our franchisees are not. I think the commonality between our franchise owners is that they want to make an impact in their communities. They’re looking to be entrepreneurs, or they already have perhaps other businesses. And this is another step in their entrepreneurial journey. Um, but they really want to work in a service that makes people feel better and impacts the lives of their community. You know, there’s a lot of people that say, sure, there’s a lot of ways to make money in this world. You know, you can have a franchise in food or coffee or something. And I’m sure those are lucrative as well. But are you actually helping people? And so I think the common thread between all of our owners is that goal and that desire to help people. Um, some of them do have either a medical background or exercise science physiology, but a lot of them are really just looking for a business that is focused around community connection and helping people.

Lee Kantor: And then is this typically, are they leaving kind of a corporate background or a more enterprise level organization? And this is kind of their first venture into entrepreneurial ism, or are they kind of just expanding their base from, you know, maybe I was a personal trainer and I’m just going to add this to, you know, what I’m doing?

Lindsey McFadden: The answer is really all the above. I mean, we have owners that are from, you know, fortune 100 companies to people that are, like you said, personal trainers or massage therapists that have looked to own their own business and, um, and everything in between. And one of the things that makes Stretch Zone so attractive is that there’s a very low barrier to entry from a capital perspective, and we have an exceedingly quick and easy build out. Um, you need, you know, basically a 1000 square foot box with a bathroom and we supply the equipment. Right? There’s no waste spoilage, uh, overhead, moving inventory. And so I think because it’s a, quote, easy business to open and maintain, it’s very attractive to first time entrepreneurs. And then there’s a lot of synergies of multi-unit ownership. So that is what really attracts, I think, more seasoned entrepreneurs or business professionals. Um, 93% of our owners are multi-unit owners.

Lee Kantor: And then there there is also a mobile unit. You mentioned that you show up at different, um, markets and events. Is that a another revenue stream or is that more for promotional purposes?

Lindsey McFadden: Yeah, that’s for promotional purposes. We have portable tables that are patented, straps affixed to so we can demo our service. But that is not um, that’s not the main business. That’s really just community awareness and outreach.

Lee Kantor: Now, um, you’re in next year. I think you’re trying to really kind of put the pedal to the ground. This is going to be a big year for you. Next year hopefully.

Lindsey McFadden: Oh, that’s if I do my job right. That’s the goal.

Lee Kantor: So for folks out there that are, um, you know, part of a growing franchise system like yours, how do you prepare for kind of a growth surge? What are some of the things you’ve done as the chief marketing officer to kind of launch the year in the in the way you hope it goes?

Lindsey McFadden: I think that we’re really focused our kind of 2025 mantra, at least for, for me and my department was back to basics. You know, I think this pendulum swung really far from organic and grassroots and, you know, connection marketing to almost an entirely digital space, largely as a result of Covid, right? Our events and all of our, you know, in-person marketing kind of went to zero. And and I’ll tell you, I think as a system, we didn’t really recover from that in terms of our our event initiatives and our marketing in different markets that we serve, really until this year. And so I think the focus this year was really back to basics and connecting the community. And that’s how this business was built. I mean, we had hyper successful stores before Meta or Google ads were ever a thing in our world. And so as we prepare for for next year and what’s to come, I think it’s really making sure our foundation is solid, right? Making sure that everybody has a handle on our tools and platforms and is really up to speed with where we are. So, for example, the entire month of December, my team has been hosting what we call refresher trainings, where we have a live training. Two of them a week every week to on everything. Right. So people who are new to the brand or people that just want a refresher as the name states, can really opt in. You know, it’s really our goal to make information accessible and make sure we have beyond ample training resources for our franchisees and for their staff. Um, and so we really prepare by kind of making sure your house is in order, um, and doubling down on the training and support for the tools that we have to execute.

Lee Kantor: So you’re really leaning into the franchisees and helping them just be more effective community builders locally.

Lindsey McFadden: That’s right. And making sure it’s not just them, but their staff is familiar with all the tools at their disposal, right. Because it’s one thing when you first go through training, but, you know, life happens and maybe you get busy. So I think it’s really, you know, arming them to be pillars of their community, whether it’s the franchise owner themself or somebody on their team. Um, that’s really where our focus has been and making sure that we can meet the consumer where they are. Right. You know, we have definitely seen, um, shifting consumer behavior. Um, for sure. There has been a return to work culture also, right, in this post-Covid time. And so making sure, for example, that our studios are staffed on nights and weekends. Right. Because if you’re a working professional, which many of our members are, you need options of when you can come in. So it’s really when I say back to basics, you know? It sounds like an oversimplification, but really doubling down on the basics of availability and scheduling and really using the tools that are at their disposal has been our focus for this year.

Lee Kantor: And it sounds like you’re really investing in the franchisee. You’re trying to upskill their learning and and their whole staff, not just the one person that cut the check, but just give everybody on the team this the knowledge to serve the community.

Lindsey McFadden: And people want connection, right? People want to be part of something and something that they believe in. And if we empower not just our franchise owners, but their teams, they become, as a marketer, walking billboards for me and for us and for our business and the service that we offer. Right. So getting them to to really buy into the business and the culture and the change that we see in our members lives is really paramount. Because if we’re grounded in the why, then the rest kind of comes easy. And I think that, um, we’ve always been a business again. We are not like a McDonald’s type franchise or something, where it’s exactly the same in every single community that we serve. The service and the stretch absolutely is. But the way that our franchise owners connect with their communities. You know, we have some that are in very heavy golf or tennis communities and some that are nowhere near a golf course or a tennis court. Right. And so we want to make sure, you know, we’re just launching some new creative, for example, around skiing and snowboarding for some of our mountain town owners. So the goal is that we’re really making sure that we arm our owners and their staff to meet their customers where they are.

Lee Kantor: Now, how are the franchisees? Are they kind of saying, thank you? Where have you been all my life? Like, is that exactly what I need? Or are they kind of like, oh, now you’re giving me another thing I have to learn and do?

Lindsey McFadden: I think they’re really receptive. And one thing that stretch zone and you know, kudos to to Tony, our president, CEO, my boss, um, is that we’ve always been really focused on the core business. You know, there’s so many shiny balls that you could be chasing and new objects and and I’m gonna be honest with, with past colleagues and people in the franchise space, I see that end so poorly all the time, you know, trying to implement a new tool or try something new. And it creates this whiplash effect for the owners because there’s so much to learn and to keep up. And maybe some are successful and others aren’t. Uh, but I think that we’ve really remained true in our support of the franchise owners, and they’re very receptive and appreciative of that. And I think that we have an exceedingly open dialog. Um, like we have a franchise advisory council. We had a call today. And, you know, if they don’t like something we’re doing, they’re not shy about telling us and we vet and run all of our things by them as well. So to me, we have an exceedingly collaborative relationship with our franchise owners. Um, and that is definitely not always the case. I’ve been part of other organizations where I would not be able to say the same.

Lee Kantor: Can you share maybe something that you’ve kind of decided to do from a corporate standpoint, that may be the initial idea was brought to you by one of your franchisees.

Lindsey McFadden: Oh, absolutely. I mean, it might sound silly, but having trainings on nights and weekends, you know, we have franchise owners that they have staff that only works nights and weekends. And so we had to expand our training calendar and our training offerings to meet nights and weekends as well. Um, that was just something super simple, but I think that we rely on them because they’re the ones in the field every day executing, and we rely on that feedback to help guide what we’re doing, to make sure that we’re adequately supporting them. Or if we’re not, what can we do to change to ensure that we are now?

Lee Kantor: Part of your playbook is kind of to create these, um, partner relationships or at least referral partner relationships with some of the local community people. Do you have kind of a some best practices when it comes to, uh, building up those kind of referral systems? Because a lot of franchisers talk about that. And then they kind of leave it up to the franchisee to figure things out. But do you have a kind of go to market strategy in order to help your local franchisees build those relationships with people who might refer their next customer to them?

Lindsey McFadden: Absolutely. We have an exceedingly thorough guide. We have a checklist. We have scripting, for example, you know, if you’re going to approach this type of business, here’s how to position the service. If you’re going to approach that type of business, here’s how to position the service. Because, you know, we work really well with a lot of boutique fitness concepts. So whether that is a CrossFit or a Pilates studio or a hit gym or whatever it is in market, we do a lot of, um, events and co-branding initiatives with those types of businesses. But then we also work a lot with corporate initiatives, right? Dentist’s office, doctor’s offices, um, attorneys, or just big corporate offices where people are sitting all day and, you know, they need to be stretched out. And so, you know what you would say when you’re going into a a fitness brand versus a corporate office is certainly not the same approach, right? So we have all of that scripting and those best practices outlined for our our owners. And I know it sounds silly, but my main pillar of marketing is it’s really hard to make things really simple. But if you make things really simple, people will do it. And so, um, I got some funny looks when I rolled out this guide and it was, you know, very thorough and step by step. But I said, listen, I want somebody to be able to pick this up at a studio in Pick Your City USA, who’s never done any sort of sales or introductions to feel comfortable and confident that they have the tools at hand to be able to do so.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there a story you can share about maybe, um, how one of your marketing ideas helped take a franchisee, maybe who was struggling to a new level?

Lindsey McFadden: Oh, absolutely. I mean, one of the biggest things is we have an ownership group here in Florida that has a lot of stores. And, you know, I was really, really focused on they need to stop spending so much money on digital ads and get out in the community and create, like a budget spreadsheet, allocate your team’s time and dollars to these events. And for four weeks, do two events a week and get back to me and see how it is. And it was incredible because it’s not just about selling at the event, but those connections, those referrals. And that eyes on Your brand is such a downstream effect as it pertains to lead generation and even conversion of of members, because if they’ve seen the service or they’ve even experienced it, that is that’s a really warm lead versus somebody that’s scrolling, you know, on Facebook or Instagram that happens to see a picture or video.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. If you figured out how to, um, move people away from digital ads to, uh, more human interactions, uh, kudos to you, because a lot of people are just looking for that magic bullet that, oh, I just run these ads and I don’t have to think anymore. And this is just going to fill my, you know, blank business. But I just think that that’s shortsighted. And especially today, it isn’t working anywhere near as well as it did maybe in the past.

Lindsey McFadden: Of course, we see that that’s exactly what we see, right? It’s more it’s more costly. It’s less efficient. And, um, and you need to supplement that. Right. And so for sure, we have owners that are not doing what I say or, or following that same guidance, but the ones that that are, are seeing such success that I really try to highlight them as case studies almost, you know, don’t listen to me, listen to them. They did it. And here’s what they’re seeing. Um, so I think the goal here is really from, from our system is how can we leverage, uh, those positive stories to really tell the story to the other owners that are perhaps on the fence or just not participating?

Lee Kantor: Yeah. It’s so funny that, um, people don’t realize when they’re doing digital ads. The worst case scenario is that nothing happens, right? But the worst case that happens when you do a human to human interaction is they know who you are and they like you. Like the worst case scenario is so much better. Um, it might be more inefficient in terms of numbers, but it’s a much better outcome.

Lindsey McFadden: Yeah. And I think that we see that, you know, in terms of, you know, customer lifetime value too, you know, that’s just a way more informed and interested consumer. And I think even if you’re, you know, we say this all the time, if somebody has seen you stretching people out at a fair or a street event or something at a gym in a community, even if they’re not looking to sign up right now, they’ve seen it. And you don’t know that they’re recommending it to their brother or sister, cousin, husband, whatever it is, as a referral. Um, that’s going to come to you in a day, a week, a month, whatever, have you. So, you know, I think that’s that’s really our goal. And it’s not free, right. Like, there’s certainly a cost to doing that. But what I, what I try to teach the owners is that the cost is so much lower than you think it is, and so much more efficient than digital ads. And the long term benefits are just so much greater.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, but it takes that kind of long term view. This isn’t kind of you have to be really a relationship minded person to believe what you’re saying, as opposed to a transactional minded person who just wants to throw dollars at something and hope, you know, that leads are going to come from that.

Lindsey McFadden: And I think we try to, especially now, you know, I’ve been around the brand for for a little while now and, and we try we are exceedingly clear on that, especially during our franchise vetting process. Right. When we’re looking to bring new owners into the business or people are looking to join the business, is that, you know, this is not a set it and forget it business. We’re in the people business. We’re in the relationship business. And you meaning potential franchise owner needs to understand that and be on board with that. Right? And if you’re not, then this is probably not the business for you.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. I mean you got to have those conversations at go. Not after they wrote the check, that’s for sure.

Lindsey McFadden: For sure.

Lee Kantor: Well, uh, congratulations on all the momentum. If somebody wants to learn more, what’s the website? What’s the best way to connect?

Lindsey McFadden: Yeah. Go to. Com and you can find the location nearest you. Um, for all of our studios, your first stretch is free. Uh, we believe in in that and letting everybody experience the service themselves. So I would encourage anybody to find the location nearest them and get stretched if they haven’t, um. And write about it. Let us know how you enjoyed it.

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

Lindsey McFadden: Thank you for having me. Appreciate it.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Franchise Marketing Radio.

Navigating Labor Shortages and Supply Chain Issues: Key Findings from the 2025 Business Owner Report

by

Atlanta Business Radio
Atlanta Business Radio
Navigating Labor Shortages and Supply Chain Issues: Key Findings from the 2025 Business Owner Report
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In this episode of Atlanta Business Radio, Lee interviews Shuron Hall, a business banking executive at Bank of America Atlanta, about the annual Business Owner Report. They discuss key findings on labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, inflation, and the growing adoption of AI and digital tools among small and mid-sized businesses. Sharon highlights how AI is transforming jobs, not eliminating them, and offers advice for business owners and job seekers on adapting to technological change. The episode emphasizes the importance of strong banker-client relationships and leveraging resources like the Business Owner Report for business growth.

As Senior Vice President and Atlanta Metro Business Banking Market Executive, Shuron Hall leads a team of experienced Business Banking Relationship Management professionals serving Atlanta and the surrounding markets.

The team specializes in supporting clients with revenues ranging from $1 million to $50 million, delivering tailored solutions in treasury and cash management, lending, merchant services, equipment finance, and a comprehensive suite of other banking services to enhance clients’ experiences.

With over 20years of commercial banking experience, she brings deep industry knowledge and has managed relationships across a diverse range of sectors, including commercial, private wealth, government, not-for-profit, and institutional banking.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Russell Sage College in Troy, NY, and a Master of Accountancy from Georgia Southern University.

Connect with Shuron on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • Overview of the Bank of America Business Owner Report
  • Insights from the 2024 and 2025 reports on business owner concerns and aspirations
  • Trends in labor shortages and hiring challenges
  • Impact of supply chain disruptions on businesses
  • Effects of inflation on business operations and pricing strategies
  • Adoption of digital tools and AI technology in business
  • Job transformation due to AI rather than job elimination
  • Strategies for businesses to adapt to economic changes
  • Importance of building relationships with bankers for business support
  • Recommendations for small businesses to leverage the report’s findings and resources

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

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

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio. And this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, CSU’s executive MBA program. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on the show, we have the business banking executive with Bank of America Atlanta, Shuron Hall, welcome.

Shuron Hall: Thank you. Lee. Thank you so much. I’m so excited to be here.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. We’re here to talk about the business owner report. So do you mind sharing a little bit about what prompted you to develop this report and maybe some of the highlights?

Shuron Hall: Sure. I would be glad to. The Business Owners Report is an annual study conducted by Bank of America. It explores the concerns, aspirations and perspectives of over 1000 small and midsize business owners across the US. The report examines the evolving business landscape, including economic outlook, concerns, and business projections. This report also explores entrepreneurs plans to leverage digital tools and major events to drive growth.

Lee Kantor: So when you were looking through the report, did anything stand out, uh, from you when you were looking at maybe the 2024 report versus the 2025 report?

Shuron Hall: There are several things that were very similar from the 24 and the 25. One of the things included talent. 43% of the employers are looking to hire, which was down from 2024, which at that point was only 52%, and today we’re at 43%. Labor shortages are affecting 61% of the respondents, which is increasing five percentage points from 2024. As a result, those impacted are working more hours due to staff shortages and rising wages to attract more competent talent. We also found supply chain to be a big driver there too. 75% of business owners say they’re currently being impacted by supply chain issues, and that’s holding steady with the 2024 result as as an impact. The way that they’re combating that is, of course, there’s going to be a rising price of the goods and services. That’s going to be up 52%, up from that 49% of 2024, and many are having difficulty sourcing products and supplies. And that’s 32% currently, up from the 29% of 2024. Lastly would be inflation. 88% of the business owners say they’re currently being impacted by inflation. That’s pretty consistent with 2024. As a result, those impacted are having to raise the price of the goods and services, and they’re having to sit down and reevaluate cash flow and spending for the rest of the year.

Lee Kantor: Now, how did you go about putting this report together? Who was polled? Is it just metro Atlanta? What what is where is the kind of geography for the report?

Shuron Hall: Well, no, it’s not just metro Atlanta. The report is nationwide.

Lee Kantor: So do you drill down for Atlanta specific?

Shuron Hall: There are some things that we do drill down to for for Atlanta. Um, perspective. Um, some of the things included some of the trends. You know, there’s more adoption of AI technology. The report showed that 90% of business owners plan to utilize digital tools in the next five years. And we’re seeing the same thing in Atlanta.

Lee Kantor: Now, are you seeing any of the, um, kind of the jobs being eliminated because of AI.

Shuron Hall: I don’t think that the jobs are necessarily being eliminated due to AI, but I do believe that some of the jobs are probably changing because of AI, because you have to support the new, you know, the new technology and advancements that are coming.

Lee Kantor: So how are businesses going about making those changes?

Shuron Hall: Uh, that’s where that hiring. And that’s also one of the challenges because of the tough labor market. Finding qualified talent that can help with that AI transition.

Lee Kantor: Now, if you were a job candidate, what would you be doing to be one of the people chosen to be hired?

Shuron Hall: Well, the first thing is, I would make sure that I started getting myself, um, really entrenched in AI because even in offices, people are using ChatGPT. Chatgpt. Um, AI is pretty much being used in lots of different forms and fashions. I’ll give you a great example. We were visiting one of our clients and, um, something that was normally done by, you know, humans, they now have robots doing some of the cutting. So that job for the person doing the cutting was being replaced by a robot. But now you need someone to program that technology. So that way that robot can do the cutting. So that’s what I’m talking about as far as the transfer, the transference of the job of the job and the labor market, it’s getting to be more technically advanced. And so those that lean into that technology are the ones that’s really going to thrive in the future.

Lee Kantor: So how are some of these, um, job candidates supposed to, uh, go about learning this? Do they have to go back to school? Where would you recommend they go to get this up? Leveling of the training?

Shuron Hall: Well, that part of it, our, our, our report did not go into. So I would probably not be able to give a lot of depth in that depth to that to that question, I would recommend that of course there is online learnings that can be done. Um, sometimes there’s on the job training that can be done and some of this is just self-study.

Lee Kantor: So how is Bank of America going about, um, training their, uh, people when it comes to AI?

Shuron Hall: Uh, we are actually leaning into, um, of course, AI and of course digital. Um, we’ve got Erica for business. Um, if you go on our, um, our website or our mobile device and you, um, encounter an issue, you can use Erica, that can help you to navigate through some of those challenges. So we to as an organization, we’re leaning into, um, digital as well.

Lee Kantor: So when you’re um, so is that a customer facing tool or is that just for internal use.

Shuron Hall: Internal and external. We have it as well. And what you’ll find is a lot of the businesses are using the adoption of AI. And it’s been and it’s actually in the last five years, more businesses are moving towards more AI generated tools to help them to be more efficient and productive.

Lee Kantor: So now, um, if you were a business owner in the Atlanta area, what would you do with this report that’s actionable in your business that you could take action today?

Shuron Hall: Well, one, each business owner is going to have to sit down and consider some of the factors that are challenges. You know, how are they being impacted by tariffs. That’s something that you’ll have to sit down and decide how are you going to handle that issue? Um, are you having a tight labor market and what type of labor are you looking for? And how are you going to market to utilize the resources that are available to you to attract that quality candidate to your position, as opposed to them applying to someone else? The other thing too, that people are sensitive to is interest rates. The current interest rate environment is impacting borrowing decisions. So these are a lot of different areas where businesses today have to sit back and kind of decide, how are these different factors impacting my business, and what are things that are controllable that I can control, and what are things that are not controllable? And how can we adjust and pivot to ensure that we are, um, moving along with the prevailing headwinds that are happening now?

Lee Kantor: Is this report primarily for the enterprise level organizations, or can small mom and pop or solopreneurs benefit from this report?

Shuron Hall: Small mom and pop can benefit from these reports. It just gives you a lot of data on what we’re seeing, um, how it is year over year changing, what things to look out for. And, um, it just helps you to be more nimble in your business.

Lee Kantor: So if you were a solopreneur or a mom and pop, uh, how would you go about, um, learning from this report and getting the most out of it.

Shuron Hall: Well, the first thing I would do is I would sit down and I would, um, if you want to know specifically about our report, I would go to Bank of America. Com you could actually go to your local Bank of America financial center, or you can reach out to one of your Bank of America business bankers, and we can sit down and talk to you about the report and some of the impacts that we have found within that report, and how we can help you to navigate some of the things that we’re seeing as prevailing headwinds.

Lee Kantor: So if somebody has a banking relationship with Bank of America, is this something you recommend them doing every year when the report comes out?

Shuron Hall: Yes I do. It’s a great way to just and as relationship managers, we’re having conversations with our clients several times a year. And some of these key themes are the conversations we’re already having with our clients. This report is also good because it gives us a high level, and because it’s not just for Atlanta, it’s nationwide. And we do do some drilling down to the Atlanta market. So that way we can know what we’re seeing locally. But then what are we seeing nationally. Because nationally it can have an impact on the local.

Lee Kantor: So if you’re a business owner right now that isn’t taking advantage of the the relationship you have with your relationship banker, can you give me some some specific tactics that I should be using in order to build that relationship to, to really benefit from that? Um, my, the human being that’s on the other side of the table, rather than just treat my bank or my banker as somebody I never talk to or see, and the money just goes back and forth digitally.

Shuron Hall: I, I love that because as relationship managers, our job is to help our clients navigate through the uncertainties. Um, you should be looking at your banker as part of your leadership team from that perspective. And if when we’re when we’re all doing it right and we do it right most of the time. We should be letting you know of the prevailing headwinds when we’re having our meetings with you, whether that’s quarterly, um, whether we’re meeting every three, four months, depending on your cadence. We, of course, try to do things in a way that’s agreeable to our clients. Some clients, you know, they’re high season might be in the first quarter. So in the second quarter we should be having conversations. So yeah, your banker should be part of that of that team of advisors that’s helping you to get you ready for the things that we know are coming so that you can prepare your business.

Lee Kantor: So if I’m going into me with my banker, what what should I bring with me to be as prepared as possible? That will give the banker enough information, uh, in order to help me.

Shuron Hall: Well, I will tell you. And this is banking and business banking. We specialize, um, in. And for my team, I’ll say specifically, we are 1 million plus. Our clients have revenues of 1 million to 50 million. And in that, in that space, we’re having conversations with our clients on a quarterly basis. Um, if you don’t have a business banker assigned to you, if you’re going into the financial center, you can have some of those same conversations with your banker in the financial centers, the relationship managers and the financial centers so that they can help you. Bank of America has a lot of data and a lot of information, and we try to help to provide guidance to our clients so that they can navigate these waters.

Lee Kantor: So what percentage of your clients are meeting with you four times a year?

Shuron Hall: Now, I do not know what percent. If you’re asking just about my team or are you asking from the.

Lee Kantor: I’m just trying to get an idea because most people I know in business, they don’t meet with their banker one time a year, let alone four times a year. So if you’re able to to create meetings with your clients four times a year, that’s fantastic. I just want to know, um, you know, you must be giving them a tremendous amount of value. If a high percentage of your clients are meeting four times a year.

Shuron Hall: Absolutely. And that’s the way we go to market. We don’t want to just be just your depository. We want to be that trusted advisor to our clients. And the only way we can do that is we have to understand your business. And that starts off with us building the rapport and the relationship where we are trusted, and we’re bringing something of value to the table.

Lee Kantor: Well, I know that’s I mean, that’s amazing. I think it’s fantastic that you’re able to do that. I’m just trying to understand, um, how other people can do the same thing because the people that I’m talking with aren’t meeting with their banker anywhere near that amount of time. So what can a person do in order to to build that relationship with their banker, that that they’d be wanting to interact that many times each year?

Shuron Hall: Well, of course, I’m going to be partial to Bank of America because that’s who I represent. But if you’re not getting that level of service from your current bank, This is a great opportunity for you to reach out to a Bank of America Business banking associates so that we can help you.

Lee Kantor: Well, if somebody wants to, um, kind of deepen their relationship with a banker or get Ahold of this report, what is the best way to do that? How does somebody connect with you or somebody on your team?

Shuron Hall: Uh, you can go to your local financial center, and they can get you connected with a relationship manager that can assist you with any of your needs. Your local Bank of America financial center would be probably the easiest place to start. Or you can go online to bankofamerica.com.

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

Shuron Hall: Thank you so much for the time today.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Atlanta Business Radio.

Mastering Paid Advertising: Proven Tactics to Generate High-Quality Leads and Drive Growth

by

High Velocity Radio
High Velocity Radio
Mastering Paid Advertising: Proven Tactics to Generate High-Quality Leads and Drive Growth
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In this episode of High Velocity Radio, Lee interviews Brennan Haelig, founder of Jumpstart ROI, a digital marketing agency specializing in paid ads for small and medium-sized businesses. Brennan shares his journey from the music industry to digital marketing, discusses effective ad strategies, budgeting, and client success stories, and explains the importance of lead magnets and retargeting. He offers practical advice for businesses looking to improve their paid advertising results and highlights Jumpstart ROI’s hands-on, results-driven approach to helping high-ticket service businesses generate qualified leads and accelerate growth through platforms like Meta, Google, and LinkedIn.

Brennan Haelig first business was a music management company, where he managed hip-hop artists and owned two recording studios in his college town. When that business fell apart, he lost everything and ended up homeless, living out of his studio while trying to figure out his next move. That rock-bottom moment lit a fire under him.

He realized he had marketing skills, so he taught himself how to run YouTube ads, landed his first client in January 2019, and slowly built the agency from scratch—no investors, no shortcuts, just relentless consistency and a drive to never end up in that position again.

Connect with Brennan on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • Strategies for helping small and medium-sized businesses acquire customers through paid advertising
  • Typical advertising budgets for clients and the importance of effective spending
  • Challenges in tracking advertising results for brick-and-mortar businesses
  • Ideal client profiles for Jumpstart ROI, focusing on high-ticket professional services
  • Campaign timelines and expectations for lead generation and quality assessment
  • The significance of lead magnets and nurturing leads through retargeting and email marketing
  • The concept and benefits of ad retargeting in digital marketing
  • Practical advice for managing paid advertising campaigns effectively

Transcript-iconThis 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.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here. Another episode of High Velocity Radio, and this is going to be a good one. Today on the show we have founder and CEO with Jumpstart ROI Brennan Haelig, welcome.

Brennan Haelig: Haley. Thanks for having me on.

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

Brennan Haelig: Yeah, so we’ve been around for, gosh, about seven years or so now. Uh, we’re a digital marketing agency. Specifically, we focused on paid advertising. So, uh, Facebook ads, Google ads, LinkedIn ads. That’s our bread and butter. So all of our clients are small and medium sized businesses that are wanting help acquiring more customers through all of these paid advertising channels. And I guess the long story short is that we help them do that. So.

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

Brennan Haelig: Yeah. So, you know, funny thing, before this, I worked at a brief stint of working in the music business. So in college, I went to the University of Wisconsin. I’m from Minnesota originally, and college, I started my first business, wanted to manage musicians. And so I had the, you know, the dream of going on tour and working with artists and all of that and did that for a few years. He has a very small local business in Madison. The college town that I was living in had a lot of fun. It was an absolute blast. That’s what I sort of started doing, some of the same things that I do today. So some of these different marketing skills, I kind of, you know, cut my teeth doing that in the music world. That kind of fizzled out after a few years. And I realized, you know, hey, instead of working with rock musicians, maybe I should work with, you know, businesses that might be able to actually pay a little more for these services. And what I did was I just went to all of the local bars and restaurants that I already knew from organizing local concerts and things like that, and basically just walked in and pitched them and said, hey, you know, will you let me? Do anything to help you on Facebook or Google. You know, help me. Let me run your ads. Let me post content for you. Got my first few clients that way. Parlayed that and do a few more. And seven years later, now we’ve got a team of about 20 people and over 100 clients. So that was the origin story.

Lee Kantor: And everything started with paid advertising. You were kind of bought into that as the best channel to use.

Brennan Haelig: Yeah. You know, for, for for me, it was like I had already dabbled in that when I was working with the music stuff. And at the time this was like 2018, 2019, you know, Facebook ads had been around for a while, but there was like, there still is a ton of opportunity, but it was just kind of the most lucrative way for me to offer the most value to these clients. You know, I tried to look for what skill is going to be the most valuable for them and the most valuable for me to offer. And that was it. And it kind of lent itself well, because it’s a good marriage of creativity and also being very type A, you know, logic oriented and that’s kind of how my brain works. So it just kind of felt natural.

Lee Kantor: Now what were kind of the early budgets you were dealing with.

Brennan Haelig: At that time? It was a lot of pretty small time stuff. So, you know, $1,000 a month, $2,000 a month, you know, that was that was what most of these local businesses were spending, some even less, you know, $300 a month, like basically whatever I could get my hands on just to get some case studies and some, you know, some actual client references under my belt. And I would kind of take anything on, but it was mostly pretty small time.

Lee Kantor: Now, is that like what would be the minimum nowadays for, um, I guess you were there doing primarily brick and mortar back then. I would imagine that’s different now. But, um, like what what is kind of the range that a brick and mortar has to spend nowadays to get noticed?

Brennan Haelig: Yeah, it’s a good question. You know, I would say it’s not. The threshold hasn’t increased a ton. I mean, we have currently have clients that spend $1,000 a month. You know, I usually tell people it’s not really it’s not it’s generally not worth it if you’re spending less than like one or 2KA month. Most of our clients start around that like 3 to 5 K is kind of our average clients. You know, our fees are a couple grand a month. So um, our the ad spend is always separate from that. And so for most of our clients they’re in that 3 to 5 K sort of minimum range we have, you know obviously some clients that spend a lot more than that. But if you’re like a local brick and mortar, you know, 1000 to $2000 a month is still an appropriate place to start to at least validate, hey, is this channel is Google Ads? Is Facebook ads going to be worth it business.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you’re doing, uh, an advertising campaign, there’s a few variables that I would imagine you have to test pretty quickly. Like, is this the right channel to get the right people in the door? And is this the right message to use to get the right people in the door? How do you kind of, um, do the the math part of this?

Brennan Haelig: Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. Great question. And you know with brick and mortar it’s always tricky because it’s hard to track from the actions that happen online. Like somebody visiting your web page or clicking on an ad and target them. Quantify how many of those people actually come in the door. If you are selling something online, like an e-commerce product, or if you’re selling a service where people are visiting your website and then filling out a form or clicking on a button to call you all that stuff is trackable. So for those clients, we can quantify back to them exactly how much it’s costing them to acquire a lead, how much it’s costing them to acquire a customer, and then what those customers are worth to them. The in-store brick and mortar is a little bit trickier, and we have a couple clients that are, you know, for example, clothing stores or restaurants. Um, and so for them, it’s not always 1 to 1. And so really we have to look at their total revenue. Maybe they have something like a door counter where they can track the number of people coming in the door. And then what we can do is say, all right, you know, between, you know, quarter one and quarter two. You increase your ad spend by X amount. Do we see a correlated increase in some of those other meaningful metrics? People in the door. Total revenue. Total number of orders at your restaurant, for example. All of those metrics as well.

Lee Kantor: Now is your ideal client nowadays more digital and online?

Brennan Haelig: Yeah. Our ideal client is is generally going to be some kind of like high ticket professional service business. That’s really our bread and butter. So people selling services these might be local and also national. We have a lot of both. Um but things like businesses in the trades and home services in uh, you know, accounting law firms, it might be uh, consulting services, different B2B, uh, you know, services, industrial services, things like that. Um, but generally those businesses that are serving, you know, and charging more for their services and serving more up market are better for us just because they’re willing to pay more to acquire those customers. So they spend more on ads and they pay us more. So that’s really our bread and butter.

Lee Kantor: And how long does it typically take to kind of see if this is working, if you’re getting traction or not.

Brennan Haelig: Yeah it’s a great question. And when I tell most clients is 4 to 6 weeks. Um, but the longer your sales cycle, the longer that can take. So you have, you know, a couple clients where maybe there’s sales cycles like 12 months, you know, for some of these big enterprise deals that they’re chasing. But I’d say the vast majority of our clients within 4 to 6 weeks, you have a good understanding of, is investing in this channel going to be worth it for me? And what they should be looking for is at least some volume of consistent new leads coming into your business. Leads that are qualified, that do want what you have to buy. Maybe they’re not all closing within 4 to 6 weeks, but at least you’re generating conversations with more of your ideal customers, and that’s what you should see within that first month to month and a half or so.

Lee Kantor: Now, when these folks are coming to you initially, are they just frustrated with their growth. Or maybe they plateaued, or are they coming from maybe a different agency that they were dissatisfied like, or this the first time they’ve ever done paid ads?

Brennan Haelig: I would say it’s a pretty even split between customers who’ve never run paid ads. And they’re like, they’ve just lived off of referrals. Maybe they’re doing some email marketing, they’re doing more organic. Um, you know, maybe they they, uh, just sort of going off word of mouth and then they come to us because they want to add some fuel to the fire. That’s probably half the clients that we get. And then the other half usually are coming from having worked with either a freelancer or another agency, and for whatever reason, it didn’t pan out. Most commonly, there’s issues with communication with that agency. They didn’t do the reporting well. They weren’t as proactive as the client wanted. They, you know, basically just didn’t they didn’t have the confidence or the strategy to, like, really lead the strategic side of the campaign for the client. And so things weren’t going up to par for that client, and they want to go find a better option to take better care of their ad spend. And that’s the other half the clients that we get.

Lee Kantor: Now, can you walk me through what it’s like to begin a relationship with you? I can give you a hypothetical client, and then you tell me how you would approach working with them. Are you up for that? All right. Okay. So I’m going to hypothetically pick my company, Business RadioX and our. We’re trying to grow and expand into other markets, and we’re going to partner with business coaches. And that’s that’s what we’re trying to do. So what are some of the questions you’d ask me about implementing a paid campaign, or that you’d have to get to know my business enough so that you can kind of diagnose the challenge and come up with some solutions.

Brennan Haelig: Yeah. Are we assuming that you have not run any paid ads before?

Lee Kantor: Right. Never ran paid ads.

Brennan Haelig: Got it. Yeah. So and you mentioned you’re trying to get in touch with business coaches. Any specific niche or size of business coach, any specific industry that they work with.

Lee Kantor: Um, just general business coaches who want to be known locally as kind of a go to connector. Um, that one that are frustrated that they’re a best kept secret and they don’t want to be a best kept secret. So by partnering with us, we help them become the media locally, and then they can be the ones sharing those stories.

Brennan Haelig: Are they already actively looking for a solution? Are they not yet aware that what you offer is out there?

Lee Kantor: They’re typically going to like BNI or chamber events, and they’re just either they’ve plateaued in terms of what they’ve gotten out of it or they’re you know, I don’t know. I don’t want to say they’re actively looking, but they’re probably frustrated with where they’re at and the amount of time and effort and lift they have to be doing to get what they’re getting.

Brennan Haelig: Right. Gotcha. Okay. So yeah. So that would direct me as far as where you should put money when it comes to paid ads, I’m leaning meta or LinkedIn, one of the two. Both are going to make sense for something like this. Usually I tell people, start with meta if they haven’t run ads, and that’s why I asked about the intent and if they’re already looking because Google, if they’re already typing this stuff into Google, run ads on Google, in this case, they’re probably not. Like, sure, some people are looking for maybe, you know, something to do with radio or digital radio advertising. But, um, these coaches are not really searching for this service already, so we need to make them aware that it’s known and one of these other social channels is going to be the best way to do that. Um, LinkedIn is going to give us the option to target those coaches very specifically based on their job title. That can be a great option. Obviously, there’s a lot of, uh, networking that’s happening on LinkedIn already. So these coaches are possibly probably active there and looking at their DMs and looking to start conversations with people. Maybe they’re, you know, commenting on other people’s posts or things like that. So that might be a great option. Um, Main thing that I used to determine should we run ads on meta or LinkedIn is I look at what is the average customer value. The reason being LinkedIn is basically a more expensive version of meta ads to to dumb it down a little bit. And, uh, so I tell people is unless your average customer value is at least $5,000, I wouldn’t bother with LinkedIn. So depending on what you’re selling them, like, what do you say these customers are worth at least five K to you as a client?

Lee Kantor: Yeah.

Brennan Haelig: Okay. Cool. So LinkedIn could be a great option for us. Um, what kind of content do you already have available that we could use for ads? Do you have videos and graphics and things like that that we could be used or repurposed or edited? Um.

Lee Kantor: We have a lot of playbooks like, um, how to prospect or how to get, um, ten discovery calls in a month, things like that.

Brennan Haelig: Gotcha. Okay. Awesome. That’s great. So, um, I was gonna ask you about kind of what the what the funnel or what the conversion process looks like. So it sounds like they would sort of they would engage, maybe download one of these lead magnets. And then from there they would book some kind of sales conversation with you or somebody on your team.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. So the thinking around the playbook is that this playbook shows you kind of how we do what we do and the why behind it, but we’re targeting people who aren’t into technology because ours is a done for you process. So like we’re targeting people that just say, why don’t you do it? Probably similar to yours. Like you, I mean, I’m sure there’s people that can go on YouTube and figure out how to do what you do, but why don’t they just hire you and be done with it?

Brennan Haelig: Right. Yeah, totally. I mean, I tell people that pretty. I mean, I’ve learned how to do this on YouTube, you know, YouTube and then just doing it over time. Uh, all of this is everything that we do you can learn on YouTube, but most people just don’t want to take the time to do it, which is, you know, why? Why we have a job.

Lee Kantor: Right. Exactly, exactly. So ours is the same premise is like when they work with us, they’re getting kind of, I don’t want to say a cheat code, but they’re getting an accelerated, shortened learning curve and they’re going to get more results faster.

Brennan Haelig: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, so so I’m still torn between recommending either meta or LinkedIn. I mean, honestly, both can work. If they’re really not that technologically savvy. They might not be on LinkedIn or might not be checking their LinkedIn as much. So that’s my only consideration there. There’s also just so much noise on LinkedIn now. Either one can ideally really I would say test both kind of depending on budget. But I’d probably allocate like because your deal size is at least five K for these clients. I would allocate like a 2 to 3000 a month starting budget. And that would be for each platform like LinkedIn and or meta. You could pick one like meta is just so like ubiquitous like everyone’s on there. So it always works great. Yeah. Even for B2B, a lot of people ask me, Does Facebook ads? Instagram has work for B2B? Yes, 100%. We have a number of B2B clients. Very niche B2B services and SaaS products that do very well on meta ads. Stuff that you would never think would do well on meta because everyone’s on there. And Meta’s targeting is amazing and it really understands how to reach the right people at the right time. Um, so yeah, I would probably start with, you know, kind of that budget allocation on, on one of these channels.

Brennan Haelig: Um, and I would start with driving people to one of these lead magnet offerings with the goal of qualifying them and then leading them into some kind of sales conversation. So the ad is kind of promoting getting that free guide. That guide should be really valuable and it should like give them a lot of information, a lot of value so that they go, wow, this is like incredible. This service is really high quality. And then it should also maybe qualify them. So they’re going to opt in to receive that guide. So our goal is going to be to generate leads from that lead magnet offering. They have to give us their name phone email and maybe answer a few other questions. Company size company revenue what their ideal customers are. Have they done any marketing before? What are their goals? Some few other questions. Then they get that guide and then you’re going to nurture them through retargeting ads. Email, text. You or your sales team can reach out to them. Try to book that call with them if they’re qualified. Um, so that’s kind of the initial approach that I would take for something like this.

Lee Kantor: Now and then you you’re service is turnkey. I just kind of give you information and then you’re, you develop the ads and the messaging and then you’re kind of managing all the behind the scenes stuff, and we’re just adjusting based on what we’re learning from results.

Brennan Haelig: Yeah. That’s right. Yeah. So it’s done for you. So we’re able to create the content for you. Uh, we handle all the copywriting, all of the tracking set up. You know, we’re able to track and report back to you how many leads are coming from this investment. You own all the content. You know, our clients, they all own their ad account. They own all the ads that we create for them. Um, they’re basically just, you know, we’re inside of their, their ad accounts, running the ads for them. Um, but, yeah, it’s turnkey. Oftentimes we might. The only thing we might need from clients sometimes is some help with video. So like recording video, especially if it’s if you’re a personal brand or you’re the face of the thing, you know, you might need to be on camera recording some content for the ads, but we can edit all of the raw footage for you. Um, and obviously you already, you know, create some content pretty consistently. So maybe there’s stuff there that we would be able to use. Um, but other than that, we don’t really need much to get everything up and running. And then on an ongoing basis, we’re just making sure we have a consistent communication cadence where we’re meeting with you and making sure that we’re discussing. All right. How is the sales process going? How are these conversations going? Are we sending you the right leads? Are they closing? You know, all of those kind of things? Um, just a feedback loop with our clients to make sure that they’re seeing the impact from making this investment in advertising.

Lee Kantor: Now, you mentioned, um, ad retargeting. Can you explain that to the listener? Because I don’t know if everybody’s familiar. I’m sure they’ve all experienced it when they said, you know, I want to buy that sweater. And then all of a sudden the sweater is following them around for the next couple of days. But can you explain how that retargeting works?

Brennan Haelig: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. So, um, yeah. So retargeting is just the concept of sending targeted advertisements to people who have already engaged with your business in some way. So it’s basically any time that you’re seeing an ad more than once, you’re being retargeted by them. So, you know, you have the initial ad that you see the first impression, the first time you ever are made aware of this business or this product, and then you’re going to start to see more of those ads over time and more. You see those ads. In theory, the warmer you are to buying that product or that service. And so, you know, all of these ad channels, meta, Google, LinkedIn, they’re able to track all of the web traffic and they track your browsing history. So when you land on these different websites, that are able to track that and then serve you targeted ads based on the content that you consume online and the things that you shop for. So that’s why you’re able to see a very curated, personalized feed of content when you, uh, when you log into Meta or Instagram or when you’re browsing the internet, you see those display ads for the stuff that you were just looking at on Amazon. That’s how they get you. Retargeted.

Lee Kantor: Now, can you explain maybe the pricing is the price you pay the most for that first click, and then it’s less for Retargeted or is it the same no matter if it’s a retargeted ad or the initial ad?

Brennan Haelig: Yeah, yeah, that’s a good question. And you know, so typically, yes, like I would say it’s generally more expensive to acquire that first impression or that, that, that, uh, you know, top of funnel customer. Um, it can vary. But yes, usually it’s more expensive to get that first click, less expensive to get the clicks after that. So you generally see the cost per click. The cost for the impressions decrease when you’re retargeting people, retargeting warm traffic for example. That’s correct.

Lee Kantor: So like if you could just put some numbers to it, like say it costs $5 for the first click, what would a retargeted click cost?

Brennan Haelig: Uh, it could be as low as a dollar or two. It really depends. I mean, I’d say even a better ballpark for, for some branded. Like, maybe it costs you 1 to $2 for that top of funnel click and then that bottom of funnel click. Uh, you know, that retargeting click might be $0.30 or $0.40, you know. So oftentimes it’s like, you know, a good amount cheaper, at least half the price, if not maybe even a quarter of the price of that top of funnel first time click.

Lee Kantor: And then from uh, from a standpoint of of leaning on paid ads, that’s more valuable, really, the more clicks down the road, because then it’s a warmer and warmer lead. They they’re already familiar with the brand, you know, several clicks in.

Brennan Haelig: Usually at the conversion rate is higher. So the likelihood of that, you know, that second, third, fourth click, the likelihood of them taking action. So buying the product, filling out your form, whatever that conversion action is, the likelihood of that should be higher because they’re warmer. Yeah.

Lee Kantor: And so you build retargeting into all your campaigns. Is that just kind of just basics?

Brennan Haelig: Yeah we do. Yep. Yeah. It’s it’s pretty par for the course nowadays. In fact you know meta and Google will even do it automatically for you now sometimes. But uh, but yeah, it’s, it’s part of the strategy for all of our clients where, uh, you know, we want to make sure that we’re reaching people more than once, uh, because it’s been almost always does require more than one ad impression in order to get a conversion. So yeah, it’s something that we implement for each client.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there a story you can share about, um, how you started working with somebody, maybe somebody that was skeptical or maybe hadn’t had good results before, but used you and were able to get kind of to a new level. I obviously don’t name the name of the company, but maybe explain their challenge and how you were able to help them.

Brennan Haelig: Sure. Yeah. So, um, I would say we had so a couple of our local business clients are coming to mind, but, um, one of them, actually, they’re a limousine business. Uh, they’re based in Atlanta. Actually, they’re based in Atlanta. They serve a couple different states, but they are based in Georgia. Um, they’re running Google ads mainly. So they’re, you know, they’re trying to get people that are looking for limo services, you know, executive transportation and party busses, that kind of stuff. And so, um, they run a Google Ads. And like a lot of our clients they worked with, I don’t remember if it was an agency or a freelancer, but they had somebody, you know, they had they had an ad guy before us. And there’s a lot of these clients do ads guy um, and they weren’t getting good results. They were getting a bunch of leads, and they were just not good quality. They were getting a lot of people that were just tire kickers, people that didn’t want to spend money, uh, you know, people that they would try to call them back. And they were saying, hey, you know, I didn’t fill this out. Why are you calling me? A lot of that kind of stuff. And they’re running Google ads. And so what we did was we came on, and what we do for clients in this situation is we always start with adding some value up front.

Brennan Haelig: So we will provide them a very thorough audit of what they’re currently doing. And it’s a very clear strategic recommendations for improvement. We do that for free. We do that up front. We spend a couple hours doing a comprehensive audit for them, totally for free, just to kind of make them trust us because, you know, of course they’ve had their trust broken by these people they’ve worked with in the past. So we went through, looked into their Google ad account, digged into it, and there’s always a few common issues that I see for clients like this that are running Google ads. In their case, they were running very broad keywords on broad match, meaning they were giving Google the opportunity to serve their ads to people who weren’t even specifically looking for these limo services that were looking for like Uber and Lyft and like these different transportation services. And so Google, again, like many of these platforms, they have a setting where you can really let Google do a lot of the targeting for you. So you upload a keyword and you give Google the ability to basically show your ad to anything that’s even remotely related to that keyword. Well, that would that, as you can imagine, generates a lot of low quality traffic.

Brennan Haelig: And so they were getting a lot of these low quality leads. They were also serving ads across placements that weren’t actually Google search, meaning that you have Google search. So people are actively typing in keywords and searching for stuff. You also have Google’s search partner network and display network. So these are like all the other digital real estate where Google can serve ads, but it’s not actually Google search. And so they had that turned on in their campaigns. Basically whoever is running the campaigns just kind of missed this setting or didn’t think to look and adjust this setting for them. So they were spending like 40% of their ad spend was not even going to Google search, so they weren’t even paying for high quality clicks with most of their budgets. So just throwing money away, basically. So those are the main two things we identify. There’s, you know, some other nuanced things that we identified. But really those are the key changes. Um, and the cool thing is we’re able to change those things like basically immediately. And so within a week they come on board. Um, you know, we have a pretty extensive, like, onboarding process where, you know, we immediately try to set the tone with the client that like, we’re going to communicate with you really proactively, really effectively.

Brennan Haelig: We have a recurring meeting in place. We send a weekly report every single week. So immediately the client goes from maybe they’re working with somebody who doesn’t tell them what’s going on and doesn’t respond fast to a team like ours. That is very prompt. Talk to them multiple times per week and provides them very clear reporting with exactly what we’re doing. And then we were able to immediately fix the couple issues that were causing them to get bad results. And within a week, they could see an immediate improvement in the quality of the phone calls that were coming into their business. Um, so that’s pretty cool. When we’re able to do that, it’s not always the case that clients see things that fast. But, uh, it’s pretty awesome that we’re able to, uh, you know, show them some, clear results pretty fast. Um, so that’s a good example. They’ve been a client now for 4 or 5 months. Um, and we’re looking forward to hopefully, you know, continuing to work with them all throughout next year. Uh, and their business has done really well. So we’re even expanding for them outside of Google Now into Bing ads, which surprisingly effective people don’t really think of Bing, but it works pretty well. Um, and maybe some ads for them as well. So I think that’s a good example.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there any advice you can give the do it yourselfer out there? What are some things like you mentioned? You know, checking making sure that you’re checking all the boxes that you want that you really want, not just that exist. So I’m sure doing that kind of going through line by line when you’re filling out the forms. That’s probably good practice. But is there any, uh, kind of low hanging fruit for the do it yourself or out there?

Brennan Haelig: Yeah. So I would say, you know, I’m trying to think of like the, you know, the, the few key things that I could say that are going to be the most effective. So make sure you’re using the right strategy, meaning you have Google. Whether it’s Google or Meta LinkedIn. Make sure that you’re tracking conversions, that you have that tracking set up, and that you’re telling these platforms that you want leads or purchases, not clicks. A lot of people run ads and they just optimize for traffic or clicks, which sure is fine if that’s what you want. But keep in mind these platforms are very literal. They only give you exactly what you tell it to give you, so make sure you’re using the right objective. Uh, make sure that your content so that you know both the keywords, the ad copy, the ad creative, if you’re running meta ads, is very specific to your target customer. So, you know, your keywords need to be very high intent. Go for quality over quantity. So I don’t care about having 100 keywords in the account. You could have three keywords, but if they’re really high quality keywords, that’s going to be more effective. And then your ad copy should speak directly to your target customer. So if you’re a real estate company and you want distressed seller leads, your ad copy should speak directly to that person’s pain point and to their emotions.

Brennan Haelig: You know, if you’re wanting, you know, business coaches, that coach, uh, you know, a certain type of business owner. Make sure your copy speaks directly to them. It seems obvious, but you’d be surprised. A lot of people run very generic content, and they wonder why their leads are bad. Well, your content needs to do some of that qualification for you. Um, and the last thing is, you know, don’t overlook all of the default settings. Don’t assume that all the default settings that Meta and Google choose for you are the right ones. Um, very good YouTube tutorials on all of this stuff. So that’s a great resource. But, you know, as I mentioned and gave that example by default, Google and Meta, both of them, you know, there’s all these settings now that will basically allow them to sometimes derail your campaign. You know, they’ll they’ll add all these AI enhancements to your ads. They’ll target people outside of your geographic area. Sometimes by default. So just keep an eye on that stuff. Take a second or third look through it. Watch a little YouTube tutorial. Um, and that’ll help you get set up in the right way.

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

Brennan Haelig: Absolutely, yeah. So our website is Jumpstart ROI. Com. They can feel free to reach out to me there. There’s going to be a link to my calendar. They can book a call with me. I’m always happy to hop on a call and just have, you know, a consultative conversation with people. I offer free consultations to anyone who wants to jump on with me. No hard sales pitch, no obligation to move forward if you’re running ads, or even just thinking about running ads for your business, reach out to me at Jumpstart. Com. Let’s jump on a call and see if I can help you out.

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

Brennan Haelig: Yeah. You’re welcome. Thanks for having me on I appreciate it.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on High Velocity Radio.

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