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Dr. Madeleine F. Wallace With Windrose Vision

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High Velocity Radio
High Velocity Radio
Dr. Madeleine F. Wallace With Windrose Vision
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In this episode of High Velocity Radio, Lee Kanter interviews Dr. Madeleine Wallace, founder of Windrose Vision. Dr. Wallace discusses her consulting framework for organizational transformation, emphasizing the importance of upskilling and reskilling in the face of technological advancements, particularly AI. She shares her personal journey from Peru, where her parents’ business struggles influenced her career path. Dr. Wallace highlights the need for adaptability and continuous learning, advocating for “exploratory sprints” to discover career interests. She also discusses the evolving landscape of education, where skills are becoming more valuable than traditional degrees. Her book offers practical tools for career development in the digital age.
Dr. Madeleine F. Wallace is a dynamic and versatile professional, author, serial entrepreneur, scientist, investor, and the founder of Windrose Vision, a strategy and research consulting firm in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Originally from Peru, she immigrated to the US, excelled academically, and is less than 1% of foreign-born Latinas in the US who hold a doctorate.

She is a recognized expert and seasoned trainer in data-driven decision-making, change management, and adaptive culture.Dr. Wallace has assessed the effectiveness of diverse training and career development efforts for professionals, scientists, and the underemployed across federal, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Her contributions to national studies include evaluating the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) award, the Early Independence Award, and the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) program, as well as the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) ADVANCE program.

Connect with Madeleine on LinkedIn and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • What prompted Madeleine to write her new book
  • How digital and AI technologies have affected the workplace and what this means for career seekers and entrepreneurs
  • Insights on people who have used the SEAM framework in his or her journey—searching for a career or as an entrepreneur

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 Dr Madeleine Wallace with Windrose Vision. Welcome.

Dr Madeleine Wallace: Hi. How are you this afternoon?

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

Dr Madeleine Wallace: Yes. So Windrose Vision is a consulting company and we assist organizations in their transformation. We focus on four areas the finances, the employees, their partners. And also like, what do they do? And then based on that, we come up with a strategy so it can increase the increase the performance. And we identify different areas where maybe a new market. So we use my framework that is called the sync framework. That is a snapshot ambition act and measure. And the snapshot is when we assess the needs. And then the envision is where we identify where we want to go. And then on the third step that is the act is where we have a plan and we execute the plan. And then number four, which is the most important, is where we actually assess progress and assess whether or not we have achieved the goals that we established in the envision step.

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

Dr Madeleine Wallace: So my father and mother, I’m from Peru and my parents had a vocational school in Peru. And they used to teach back then like shorthand, typing, accounting, Bookkeeping. And guess what happened in the 1980s? Well, in the 1980s, my parents couldn’t transform. They couldn’t re-engineer themselves and buy the computers and start teaching computers. So my parents had to close the business and we had to move to another city. And that was a cultural shock for me in everything, but also in that I saw my parents from being owners of a business to become employees, and that really shaped the person who I am today, because I want to provide the the tools for businesses to succeed and to transform because it’s technology that is changing everything. I so that was my first book, and then my parents also were excellent mentors. They were ahead of their time in terms of the role of women and also the different roles for men. So I decided to write my second book and my second book is about thrive in the AI and digital age. And again, I use my framework to help individuals and also organizations to upskill and reskill. And so all of this was motivated for what happened to my parents.

Lee Kantor: And then what got you to America?

Dr Madeleine Wallace: That’s right. So then I, I wanted to come to the United States to study. So I came to the United States by my own. So my my father’s passed away, but I came by myself. So I went to the I did my undergraduate and then graduate school. And I say my motivation has always been get as many skills as as many as you can. And that is going to be something that nobody can take away. So when I was in graduate school, I was teaching at the university, but I was able I had a teaching and research assistantship. So as long as I taught my classes and as long as I took the coursework required for my PhD, I was fine. But since I was an international student, I couldn’t work outside the university. So during university I went to University of Tennessee. I taught sociology, social problems, and statistics. So since I couldn’t get out of the university, so then what I did was I took a lot of classes in engineering, in political science, in statistics. And that has given me, um, these different perspectives. So you have a problem. I can look at it from different angles. So what it was challenging or became an obstacle in the past has become my biggest asset for my company because I can do projects from diverse fields. Um, and I used to be the director of performance and evaluation for the National Institutes of Health. And I know I don’t have a background in biomedical. I’m actually a sociologist and statistician. So but because of my, I would say, interdisciplinary background, then I’m able to assess the effectiveness of programs and be able to come up with a good framework for organizations and individuals to achieve their goals.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you left academia, did you immediately start your own practice or did you work for an enterprise level organization?

Dr Madeleine Wallace: Okay, so when I left academia, I had a unique opportunity that my husband moved to a small town because he’s an engineer. So that’s when I started doing working with nonprofits. So I started working with nonprofits and then from nonprofits. We moved to Washington, DC. And then in Washington, D.C. what we did was, um, I work for large companies, for corporate America, large federal contractors. Like, um, um, back then was like ICF. Um, well, still today, Northrop Grumman. So huge companies. And they have large contracts. So then I left consulting, and then I went to the government and I worked for the National Institute of Health. Then I left the National Institute of Health, and I created my new company, vision. So I have experience in different areas and in different sectors. The nonprofit, the for profit academia, um, you know, the government and of course the small businesses. My company is a small business.

Lee Kantor: Now, what’s the pain uh, your prospective clients are having right now where Windrose can help them.

Dr Madeleine Wallace: So I think there are two going on. Um, one is about how to incorporate technology into their business processes, specifically AI, but in a way that they can actually see return on investment. And many times we spend too much time on social media because we think that’s going to be the one that is going to give us the most. But many times you need to put it into your processes. So even though we have made a lot of progress on that, I still I still think that is a challenge because you really have to see your return on investment and it may take a couple of years. And the other one that is the my second book is the one about. Individuals specifically how they are going to upskill and reskill. Since the job marketing is changing constantly and many people think they are going to be replaced by AI, right? So my book, I have a different exercises. I have also an assessment for the skills, and provide a perspective where individuals can basically engage in what I call a sprints. And on those little sprints they gain new knowledge, new skills, and then they are ready to go ahead and and decide what career they need to or what path they need to go through. So my point is that everybody is overwhelmed, right? So what I provide in my book for individuals is to say, hey, this is your career profile based on what you want right now at this point in time.

Dr Madeleine Wallace: That gives them like a push for them to try different things. And once they try different things on those little sprints, then they can go ahead and decide what path they go. It’s very different than the traditional approach. They tell you, oh, start with your goals or start with your career vision, when actually you don’t really know. We don’t really know. There is so much going on. So my book is very action oriented to give individuals basically the tools so that they can change their career, pivot their career, um, decide what they want to do. So that’s for individuals. And then for HR departments. For companies, my framework can be used for HR because it tells them what to do if they want to upskill their current employees because, you know, AI is everywhere. But how do you implement something that is going to work and and take into consideration, like the people you know, your staff, uh, consideration, your finances, your partners, you know, your customers? So I provide the, again, the framework for them to say, hey, you can do this, and this will help you to, uh, your employees to gain your skills. And these are different strategies you can do to be effective and actually see the return on investment, which is the biggest challenge.

Lee Kantor: Now? Um, what’s your vision of how AI is going to impact the business world? Is it a tool that everyone is going to be able to leverage? If you can kind of figure out how to best leverage it, or is it going to be a tool that’s just going to obliterate, you know, a lot of the working class and they’re going to be kind of left behind.

Dr Madeleine Wallace: You know, that’s a that’s an excellent point. Um, okay. So basically. We do need to understand how AI functions. We have to have a clear understanding of that. It doesn’t mean that all of us have to become programmers, or have to become the ones who develop the technology or use the technology. So I favor an approach where technology and AI and humans, they interact and they collaborate. And because the individuals will still have agency and we have creativity and ingenuity. And that is something that right now, of course, technology is evolving. I at this point. Well, I know just recently what happened yesterday about the new tool that everybody is talking from China. So but my point is that the, the context, we still have to work on the context in terms of AI. And I still believe that it’s a collaborative effort. However, it’s true on certain industries. Yes. Something that is very manual, something that is repetitive. Of course. Um, that’s going to change. That’s what happened in the past with other technologies. But again, I think it’s the individual responsibility and then the companies responsibility to upskill and reskill. So it’s not like it was in the past that somebody’s going to tell us, oh, you all you need to do this. You need to do that. That’s what my book is so important because we are the architects of our own destiny, and we are the ones who actually have to learn about and say, okay, these are my skills.

Dr Madeleine Wallace: This is how I can contribute. And in my book, I mentioned about three areas that we need to keep. So you need to see your skills in terms of the technology trends, the emerging technology, and what is going on in your field or in the field that you would like to be. So all I’m trying to say is that yes, there are jobs that are going to disappear, especially those that are very repetitive, but then it is up to the individual to go ahead and say, hey, this is what is going on with technology, but I can do this other because I have these critical skills. So we still have to analyze. We still have to interpret. Now let’s see that the technology interpret everything. Well I still believe it’s going to be new jobs and new opportunities. We have to have this optimistic view about the future Otherwise, we’re going to become what we were. It’s inertia. And if you if you don’t do anything, then it’s when things happen. But if you constantly move, then you’re going to make progress. You’re going to find out where where your skills can be applied. That’s what in my book I mentioned about sprints. Like we have to constantly try to learn something new. Even myself like right now.

Dr Madeleine Wallace: And I’m teaching myself French with this little app and I’m doing like 15 days, 15 minutes a day. And it’s hard, but actually it is good for my brain. So my point is like we have to learn every day something new and then we will be okay. Then when changes happen. And my last point is that it is up to the business. It is up to the business owner or the company, the role that they want the technology to play. I think the optimal way is that technology does not replace humans. Actually, they work collaboratively, But it could be that some companies or some business owners, they decide that they don’t want that approach, and they go to the other extremes where they say, I’m only going to use, you know, technology. But then I think it depends on the field and depends, um, how they want to take their business to the next level, because it could be that maybe in the future, in about ten years or maybe five years, then people will say, oh, I want the personal touch. I don’t want these robots. I want to go back to, you know, an actual waitress at a restaurant instead of a robot. So you see what I mean? So I guess it’s also a personal decision of the company and all the business owners for how they want to incorporate AI.

Lee Kantor: Now, who is the target for this book? Is it a young person that might be in high school or college or at the beginning of their career, or is it someone at all stages of their career?

Dr Madeleine Wallace: Thank you for asking that. It is at all stages of their career. Because, um, since everybody is facing the same thing, that is the AI revolution, but all of us are at different stages, so the different tools are applicable to different stages. So my those who started early in their career. So my um, my book launch was last week, it was last Wednesday. So I had um, two testimonials, one from a scientist who is basically the end of their career, and a young person who’s one of my mentees. Um, they both found the exercises very helpful. Like for Doctor Phillips, she found out that by doing the career profiles, she was a chameleon because I had different career profiles and people choose. And then based on that, they go to different, um, activities. So she found out that, hey, she’s not at the end of her career, actually. She has these skills that she can transfer and she can mentor others. So she was able to find meaning and and that is very important. And then so it’s not the end of her career, it’s just that she’s going to go ahead and pursue these other things and she’s going to try. And then we have Michael, who Michael just starting his career. And he has tried several springs, meaning that he has taken a lot of certifications.

Dr Madeleine Wallace: And that’s what I call a skill right now is what is called a skill based hiring. So you develop your portfolio skills, AI skills and also soft skills. And then based on that, you are deciding where you want to go. So he felt he did this exercise that I call a scenario planning where you have the best, worst unbalanced scenario based on responses to some questions. So then it helps you to strategize and to be resilient. So when something unexpected happens, you say, oh, I can do that because it’s practice. You already envision this scenario where there’s going to be issues. So you try to say, how am I going to address that? And also you envision this scenario where everything works the way you want it. So then you know also how you’re going to address it. But more importantly you need to identify if you really like it. You know, because nowadays we’re also in this shift where people want to do what they want to do. But the problem is like they don’t know what they want to do and they want satisfaction at their job. So it’s a lot of things that were demanding for the job. So that’s what I advocate. You have to try. There is a period where you do your exploratory sprints, and then we move to the next phase.

Dr Madeleine Wallace: And it’s more realistic because you already look at the pros and cons. So anyway, so then you are more realistic in terms of terms of your balanced scenario, because you have looked at your skills, you have looked at all these challenges. You try to envision, do I really like the program? Like in my case, I know how to program, but I don’t like it. I mean, no, I don’t I don’t see myself starting programing and you know, that’s not me. But I did it when I was in graduate school and also my business. I do it sometimes, but it’s something that I don’t enjoy it. So but how do I know that? Because I did it. So that’s the same thing for all of us nowadays. We really have to try and say, okay, is this for me or not? And okay, if it’s not, then how can I leverage what I know to be able to get, um, a career path or to be able to move forward? And so I think it’s a beautiful time. I know people are afraid. I don’t think so. I think it’s for the first time we have choice. You upskill, you reskill, and you don’t do any of that, then it’s your responsibility.

Lee Kantor: Now, what do you say to the young person especially, and maybe even a little older that have been told, look, you have to follow your passion and everything else takes care of itself. You know, find the thing that you’re passionate about. Is that really the path forward in this, or is it something that you got to kind of maybe lean into your superpowers, but there’s certain skills that you have to have if you want to future proof your career.

Dr Madeleine Wallace: Yes. So I think people shouldn’t follow their passion because passion is something that doesn’t last. I think people should explore their interests. When you explore their interests and you actually do what you think you are interested in, then is when you really find out if you’re going to enjoy it or not. So that’s what I do, what is called exploratory sprints. So I advise everybody that they do need to go and try different things. So in my book you have a career profile based on your career profile that push you? Basically, you decide what you want and then based on that, you do different. What I would call it tries. I call it sprints because I base it on the agile methodology that is used in programing. So then you try different things and then you realize, oh, oh, I thought I was interested or no, in in being a marketing person and using AI. But then I realized that I don’t like to do that. Okay, so but the only way is that you try. So you have to pursue different things and try. And then after you hire, you know, you have enough data where you can make informed decisions. I think we jump into, oh, I really want to work at home, but what are you going to be doing at home? What skills can you do from home? So you see, I don’t think we think through it.

Dr Madeleine Wallace: It’s just, oh, I have a passion for this. Well, let’s see you do it every day. If actually you’re going to have a passion for it. So I would advise everybody it’s true. It’s a skill base. And eventually I believe it’s going to be the thing that skills are going to become. A certifications are going to become more important than degrees than going to college. But colleges right now are also changing. So we have to wait for the college and universities to keep up with the change, because the curriculum has to change to accommodate the new change, the new technologies. And for some, you still need to go and do the education. Um, but for others, no, you just have the skills and you can get a job with that. So there are several efforts of the big companies Google, Apple, IBM, Cisco, these other huge companies that are providing training for AI and training on different areas. That is for free. So I’ll advise everybody to go and check because Everybody has to be into this upskill and reskill. And it’s something that I think when somebody tries it, then they’re going to feel empowered and they’re going to find their path.

Dr Madeleine Wallace: But if they’re going to wait for somebody else to take the initiative for them, I don’t think it’s going to work and then increases the anxiety. So to me, if you are somebody has anxiety for the future, the first thing that we advise is go ahead and try a new skill, take a course or something and apply it. And that’s how we find out. That’s what happened in the trainings in companies nowadays. They train the people, but if there are no opportunities to actually apply it, then it gets lost. So I think I can help us with training and it can be tailored to the individual. So you see, that’s a way where humans and AI can work together, because we want to train the new generation quickly. So then we can use AI. But again, it’s not going to come out with everything. Thing we have to collaborate with I at this point to teach them what to do. So you see, I see the collaboration there to training new programmers or new people in cybersecurity or even on areas where we thought that is not going to be any technology involved.

Lee Kantor: Now, if somebody wants to learn more about Windows Vision your firm or get a hold of your book, thrive in the AI and Digital Age. The seem four step career guide and workbook. Is there a website that they can go to connect with you or somebody of your team?

Dr Madeleine Wallace: Yes. So I have a website that it is Madeleine wallace.com. And I have there my two books and also my book is available in Amazon. So I have both books in Amazon. But if you go to my website you can find them there too. And they can direct you to the Amazon website.

Lee Kantor: And that’s m a d e l e I n e w a l l a c e com.

Dr Madeleine Wallace: Yes. Thank you. It is the French spelling. My grandfather gave me that name. He traveled a lot. And, uh, back then, I believe there was a miss universe from France. And. Yeah. So it’s also like the same name as the restaurant. Um, so. Yeah. So the spelling is the key. So thank you for for telling me the spelling.

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

Dr Madeleine Wallace: Thank you. Lee, I really appreciate this opportunity to share some insights and and thank you to your listeners.

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

Dr. Jarrett Grunstein With Dr. J’s Pillows

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Atlanta Business Radio
Atlanta Business Radio
Dr. Jarrett Grunstein With Dr. J's Pillows
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Dr. Jarrett Grunstein, is widely known as Dr. J, is a seasoned chiropractor with 20 years of experience, dedicated to helping thousands of patients overcome neck and back issues.

Before pursuing his chiropractic career, he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Contemplative Psychology with a Minor in Yoga Philosophy, studying at Emory University and a Tibetan Buddhist college called Naropa University.  Dr. J deepened his Yoga practice while  spending three months studying at a Yoga Ashram in India.

His innovative treatment approaches have distinguished his career, including serving as an official chiropractor for the Toronto Blue Jays for four years. Dr. J is an expert in sleep health, anxiety, and the critical connection between spinal alignment and restorative rest. Specializing in sleep and musculoskeletal health, Dr. J has dedicated his career to helping people achieve better sleep and optimal health through innovative sleep solutions.

Connect with Dr. J on LinkedIn. and follow Grunstein Family Chiropractic Center on Facebook.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • The role of anxiety in sleep disorders and practical ways to overcome it
  • Stress Management: Relaxation Techniques and Better Sleep 3
  • How Dr. J’s Pillows were designed to revolutionize the sleep experience

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 wouldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Atlanta Business Radio, we have Dr Jarrett Grunstein with Doctor J’s Pillows. Welcome.

Dr Jarrett Grunstein: Oh, thanks for having me.

Lee Kantor: I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about Doctor J’s Pillows. How you serving folks?

Dr Jarrett Grunstein: Well, this has been a long journey. It started about 14 years ago. I’ve been a chiropractor for 20 years in practice. And early on in my career, I started recognizing the very close link between neck pain and how people were sleeping at night. In other words, I would fix someone’s neck in my office, a patient, and I’d get a call back in a week or two that they slept wrong and their neck hurt again. So I started looking around the pillow market and realizing there just wasn’t a pillow that actually was scientifically designed for both back and side sleeping, which is how most of us sleep at night. So that started this 14 year journey.

Lee Kantor: Now, what is kind of do most people? Are they okay with their pillows or are they okay with the way they sleep? Or is this something that affects more people than maybe you realize?

Dr Jarrett Grunstein: Yeah, I’ve had a lot of pillow talk in this life more than most. On the average, probably. And what I’ve discovered is that most people, believe it or not, don’t love their pillow. They generally don’t even like their pillow. And particularly one if you have any neck pain or just have trouble sleeping at night, you’re probably on the hunt for the perfect pillow and have wasted a lot of money along the way, and likely have a closet filled with pillows that just didn’t quite work.

Lee Kantor: And then some people have pillows, like for years and years and years. Like, is there kind of a like, should you be getting rid of and updating your pillow on a regular rhythm? Like, is that I mean, I don’t think there’s a lot of education when it comes to this.

Dr Jarrett Grunstein: Yeah, this is really a black box for a lot of people, I agree. And the truth of the matter is that, well, so let’s just start with sleep position. So if you’re someone who shifts between your sides and your back, which is about two thirds of us, after a lot of research on my part, you actually need a pillow with two levels of support. In other words, when you lie on your back, you only want a pillow that’s about maybe an inch high or so underneath your head. But then when you go to your sides, you need a pillow that has more like four inches of support. So right out of the gate, any pillow that just provides one level of support really doesn’t work for both sleep positions. That describes about 98% of the pillows in the marketplace currently. So you can see there’s a huge gap in what people need and what’s being provided by the pillow market.

Lee Kantor: Now, what about the material that the pillows are made of? You know, there’s at hotels, they are made of a certain material at your house. It’s made of different material, like then now there’s memory foam material, like there’s all kinds of materials. How do you land on the the appropriate material?

Dr Jarrett Grunstein: Okay. So that’s a great question. So the pillow I designed, there’s two components to it. One is the shape. And second as you’re bringing up is the material. So let’s just go with the material because that’s where we’re talking pillow material. Most of the time in the marketplace currently is either polyfill or memory foam. Those are the big ones, and unfortunately they’re both polyurethane, which means a couple of things. One, they off gas VOCs, volatile organic compounds which are not really good for us. And secondly, since they’re petroleum based, they actually are highly flammable and therefore by law need to be sprayed down with flame retardant chemicals. Again, these chemicals aren’t good for us. So I decided to go with a material called latex, which actually it comes from a rubber tree. It’s natural. And not only is it latex, but it’s grown from organically grown rubber trees. So this is organic latex that is free of any chemicals. And it’s hypoallergenic, which is a big issue since we’re placing our head on this thing a third of the night.

Lee Kantor: So then, um, you’re addressing the material, and you’re you created the shape. That’s the appropriate shape, so that if you if you buy this one pillow, then you’re kind of you don’t have to worry about pillows for a while.

Dr Jarrett Grunstein: Yeah. So the shape of this took me only about 5 or 6000 hours to design. Uh, and I say that tongue in cheek, uh, this was the design is actually based on over 30 scientific studies. Uh, I’m also a spinal scientist and have written studies on, uh, scoliosis and, uh, spinal related issues. So I was very adamant that this pillow actually have a lot of science to back up why the dimensions are the way they are. And, uh, this is an audio program, so I can’t show it to you, but the pillow actually has a bowl in the center that your head sits in perfectly. It’s cradled perfectly. And then a neck support when you’re lying on your back. That is designed with a lot of specificity so that your neck is perfectly supported. And then when you roll to the sides of the pillow, it’s much higher, which you need to make room for your shoulder, because what a lot of people do on their sides is they’ll place their arm underneath the pillow, which ends up causing all sorts of shoulder issues. And a lot of your listeners probably do wake up with shoulder pain, and that’s because they’re propping their pillow up because it’s just not high enough. So all those issues needed to be addressed in this design.

Lee Kantor: Now, is the pillow kind of the heart of the problem when it comes to people who have some sort of sleep disorders is like, would the pillow alleviate some of this stuff? Like, a lot of people have trouble sleeping. A lot of people, you know, maybe snore. They have issues in their sleep that maybe it’s a lot of it is just the wrong pillow.

Dr Jarrett Grunstein: Well, insomnia is a huge issue in this country. Insomnia simply means either you have trouble falling asleep or you have trouble staying asleep at night. And this is affecting over half of us in America at this point. Estimates suggest, and part of the issue is mental. We can’t get our minds to be quiet. So I actually wrote a book on this in terms of meditation and breathwork that helps slow the mind down. And then the other component is physical. In other words, if your neck isn’t comfortable and you’re constantly trying to rearrange yourself and rearrange your pillow naturally, it’s very difficult to lull yourself into a relaxed state enough to fall asleep. So yes, it’s very important that the pillow is the proper shape. And then also, I do have a lot of recommendations, particularly in the book I wrote about sleep hygiene. And there’s a lot of issues related to this. But yes, these are physical and psychological factors. Participate in insomnia. The other issue you mentioned was snoring. When we’re on our backs, the throat is supposed to remain open enough for us to breathe. But people who have what’s called obstructive sleep apnea. This is a difficult issue for them because these snoring episodes, uh, allow for uh, or I should say disallow for enough oxygenation to occur. So we wake ourselves up with this snoring, which leads to fragmented sleep at night, which is not a quality sleep. So the pillow I designed it does. When you’re on your back, keep your neck as neutral aligned as possible, which does translate into the throat passageway being open more. However, I want to make very clear we haven’t done studies on this, so I don’t want to make any medical claims at this point.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there any like what are some clues that you might have sleep problems? Is it like is it obvious or your partner is telling you or like, you know, your your, uh, your fitness watch is telling you, like, what are some clues that you might have issues?

Dr Jarrett Grunstein: Well, there’s a lot of good clues. Uh, one of them, I think, is fatigue. If you’ve been in bed for seven, eight hours and you wake up and you don’t feel refreshed. That is suggestive that you’re not getting good quality deep sleep, and that is probably the biggest clue of all. But as it turns out, if we’re not sleeping between 7 to 9 hours a night, there are all sorts of health issues that can arise everything from heart disease to digestive troubles to overeating to depression, anxiety and the list goes on. So there’s actually a lot of health issues that are directly linked to when we’re not getting at least that good seven hours of sleep per night.

Lee Kantor: Now, what do you tell the. I mean, there’s a hustle culture that, you know, people are bragging about how little sleep they get and need.

Dr Jarrett Grunstein: Yeah, this is a real problem right now. I mean, America, on average is sleeping. They say somewhere between 6 and 7 hours a night, which is below that seven hour threshold. So that means as a culture, we’re actually praising ourselves for getting more done. But the reality is, is that when we do sleep that full 7 to 9 hours a night, we are much more effective during the day. In other words, issues like concentration improve when we get enough sleep. So you might be at work at your desk for an hour, but not getting nearly as much done as if you actually had a strong level of concentration. So it’s not only issue of timing, but it’s also efficiency. So that’s where good good night sleep really comes into play.

Lee Kantor: Now do you have any advice for the listener out there when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep? Is there any relaxation techniques or anything you can share that might help someone sleep better tonight?

Dr Jarrett Grunstein: Absolutely. So let’s go back to the sleep hygiene issue I had mentioned earlier. There’s a couple just basic things that we can do that will promote a much better night’s sleep. One of them is a sleep schedule. Making sure that we try to go to bed at around the same time and wake up around the same time, because our bodies are like a clock. And when this clock gets continually run at the same pace every 24 hour cycle, it works much better. We will naturally feel like we need to go to sleep at the same time when we do this ritual type of thing night after night. Another issue is light. Our body is cued by light. So in other words, if we are exposed to light late right before bed, that cues to our brains, it’s not time for sleep. And this is a real problem. So we want to dim lights out as much as possible that last hour before bed. Another thing is temperature. Our bodies will naturally drop in temperature as we’re falling asleep. So we ideally want the temperature in our room to be somewhere between around 65 to 68°F, which some people might be shaking their heads and saying, that sounds pretty cold. But in fact, that is what science shows the optimal sleeping temperature. Um, so those are big ones. Another thing I highly recommend doing some type of relaxation technique. Um, I like breathing, uh, the breathwork, uh, that I recommend because I used to practice yoga in an ashram in India. So I learned this in India, uh, many years ago. And that is breathing in and out through your nose, never your mouth. And the in-breath is three paces in three beats, if you will. And then the outbreath is six beats, and that long outbreath through the nose slowed down will really relax our entire nervous system. And that’s a great way to slow our minds down and to get into that more relaxed state, which will definitely benefit us as we’re trying to fall asleep.

Lee Kantor: Now, you mentioned that you’re a doctor Is the pillow only available through doctors, or is it something that anybody can get their hands on if they need it?

Dr Jarrett Grunstein: All right, so we are just launching. I have to be very clear about this. We’re launching our presale on February 1st. And what that will allow for is people who go on to our website. Uh, is it okay if I share the website, please? Oh, okay. So it’s w-w-w dot d r j s pillows.com. So it’s Doctor J’s pillows.com. And when you order, there’s gonna be a place for you actually to put in your height and weight. Because we have five sizes of pillows. Because just like if you were to buy a pair of jeans, you wouldn’t go to a jean company that just offers one size. And so we have this specially sized for you. And then when you order, we’re going to be sending you the pillows this summer. So they’re going to be available in June. And we’ll call you right before we send them out, uh, so that we have your proper shipping address and we make sure the size is correct. But this is an exciting journey because what we’re going to be doing is manufacturing these pillows ultimately in the United States. We are really excited to be a US manufacturer in the future, and not only manufacturing here, but paying a living wage to our employees. A very high priority for me is really making sure people are paid properly and treated with dignity, because I believe when you have a company where the employees are treated properly, they’re going to do their best for the company. It’s a reciprocal relationship. So that’s our that is our mission.

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

Dr Jarrett Grunstein: Thank you. I appreciate you having me.

Dr Jarrett Grunstein: On, Lee.

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

Zachary Larson With IntentGen Financial Partners

by

High Velocity Radio
High Velocity Radio
Zachary Larson With IntentGen Financial Partners
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When Zachary Larson launched his career in the financial services industry nearly two decades ago, he wanted to take a different route than most. One that was purpose-driven rather than fear-driven. One that focused on the joy of living generously and serving others, not just selling products. The opportunity to do just that presented itself to him in 2001 when he joined Thrivent.

And today, as a founding partner of IntentGen Financial Partners, he is able to live out these values – empowering people to make intentional financial decisions so they can live with greater purpose.

Zac and his wife, Kristin, have been married since 2003 and have four boys. In his free time, he likes to coach his sons’ basketball teams and enjoys golf, scuba diving, skiing, and bike riding.

Connect with Zac on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • About IntentGen Financial Partners
  • His book “Retire Intentionally” and the target audience

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 Zachary Larson, and he is the wealth advisor and founding partner of IntentGen Financial Partners. Welcome, Zach.

Zachary Larson: Thank you. I’m excited to be here.

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

Zachary Larson: Our firm is in some ways very similar to other financial organizations. And yet we think it’s it’s very unique in a way as well, because we’re focused on helping people use their money intentionally. And what we find is a lot of people approach their finances a little bit accidentally. They just kind of deal with stuff as it comes up and then try to figure things out. We try to flip that order and empower people to live intentionally.

Lee Kantor: So what’s your backstory? Have you always been involved in this line of work?

Zachary Larson: I have since coming out of college. I felt really a calling towards this work. We we approach it as a ministry in a lot of ways to to just give people confidence to spend and give and live the life they want rather than being paralyzed by by money, which can happen to all of us. And it has happened to me as well.

Lee Kantor: Now, you’ve recently written a book, retire intentionally with it’s with a question mark. Is that is that are you asking the question or are you making a statement that people don’t usually do that?

Zachary Larson: Well, I, I would prefer it with an exclamation point. Honestly, I think that that’s the goal is to equip people to be able to have confidence that they know they can spend money, that they can give money the way that they want, and to encourage people to retire to something. So it’s my experience that I’ve learned from others and lived and journey with them is that when people are just trying to get rid of something in their work life, retirement doesn’t always crack up to be what they want when they’re retiring to something, whether it’s hobbies, volunteering, family things, and new career and new business and they have confidence around money, then it can be an amazing new chapter. That’s what retirement intentionally means to us.

Lee Kantor: Now let’s talk about kind of the process of retiring. How do you what stage do you typically get your clients? Are they beginning to have conversations with you at the at the beginning of their career, or are they towards the end and they are nearing retirement. So then they are kind of curious about that, but it might be too late. Like if they would start it earlier, they’d have a better outcome. Like when did when do you begin relationships typically with your clients?

Zachary Larson: That’s a very interesting question. I think our firm is equipped and we have advisors that can help people across the spectrum from the beginning of their careers and journey towards savings for the future, all the way post retirement, as people are thinking about leaving their legacy and passing money on. But really, our niche is helping people that are plus or minus five years of that retirement transition time. So if you want to put an age around that, maybe it’s someone in their mid to late 50s through their mid to late 60s who are saying, I’m in that red zone. If you want to use a football analogy, we’re trying to to push this across the, the end zone.

Lee Kantor: So but are they have they been just managing their finances themselves or they have maybe they work in a corporation where they have, you know, their 401 K, where it’s just getting kind of every every paycheck. Money’s just getting kind of siphoned into that and they’re not really thinking about it. And then they know that the end is near. So I better, you know, hire a professional to help me.

Zachary Larson: Yeah.

Zachary Larson: Some people are are truly do it yourselfers and they’ve done it. Actually. We meet a lot who’ve done an excellent job doing it on their own. Uh, others have worked with advisors, but most of them have been in the mindset of accumulators. And if you’re an accumulator, you’re focused on what you’re focused on. A number like I need to hit X so I can retire. And there were commercials in, in years past where, uh, people walked around with these little bubbles on their head. And their numbers, of course, were all different, but maybe it was a million bucks or 3 million bucks, or they had to work towards this number as a target. We want to break that mentality and say your value as a person, your retirement that you want is less about a net worth number, and it’s more about the income that you can create, which will free you up to think about your impact, which is essentially what do you want that money to do? What do you want your life to be about now?

Lee Kantor: Do you find that people’s mindset have shifted over the years that maybe, um, years ago people were like, well, I’m going to retire, and then I’m going to, you know, live at the lake and fish all day and play golf. And it’s kind of a life of leisure and that nowadays people like maybe it’s because they’re living longer in this stage that they do want more of a legacy. They do want more of an impact. They do want things that have more meaning than just leisure.

Zachary Larson: I not only think that, but I see it. I feel it from clients. And it’s not always about having a a specific role or a title in this new phase of retirement, but it is about having purpose, and I would encourage anyone to really give that a lot of thought as they’re preparing for a transition towards retirement, to say, what will my purpose be? How be? How do I want to spend my time? Why do I get up? Why do I save money? Why do I spend money? Because lake time, fishing, golf, skiing, cycling those are all things I love. Those are probably what your your listeners love to do. But whatever the hobbies are, um, a life of of leisure doesn’t usually fulfill people the way that they think it might.

Lee Kantor: And when I talk to people at that age, it’s like every day you have to do something like the hours have to be filled. And it’s like, you know, if you like, uh, cake. You can’t eat cake for every meal. It’s you’re gonna get tired of cake no matter how much you like cake.

Zachary Larson: You’re totally right. It reminds me of a story, and this is something I shared in the book. But when my wife and I were younger, we. We have four teenage boys right now. But when we had four younger boys, we said, let’s take them to Disney World. And that was just kind of like people said, you should go to Disney. And we took them and it was filled with candy and fun and all the magic that Disney is and and we loved it, but it was filled with chaos. It was filled with illness. It was filled with unexpected things. It was filled with no routines. And and all of a sudden we’re looking at ourselves on like day five and saying, what did we get ourselves into? And then you compound that with the fact that money was literally like flying out the door. And in some small way, I think that’s what retirement becomes like for some people, is they think of it as this magical, fun time, and then life starts to happen. And if there’s no routine, if there’s no purpose, then you get these days of chaos in a lot of ways, and you just can feel like money is flying out the door. And and so purpose is a big part of part of that, and then having a paycheck continuing to come in is a big part of that. So you have confidence to keep doing the stuff that you want to do.

Lee Kantor: Now, how do you help people with the transition? You mentioned it like they spent their whole careers and lives accumulating. So everything was about save, save, save or invest, invest, invest. And I’m putting it away and putting it away. And at some point you have to kind of flip the switch here and say, okay, do I have a machine now that with this nest egg that I can get that paycheck, can I feel like, oh, money’s coming in in a predictable, reliable way that I will be able to sustain me and my family, you know, for the foreseeable future without me necessarily adding to it with new funds, but just kind of, um, maximizing the funds we have and hoping they’re compounding and they’re still growing.

Zachary Larson: Yeah, you’re you’re totally right. So the first thing that we try to break is this mentality of a net worth. And obviously we obviously we help our clients track it. And I think we all like to see our net worth numbers growing. But then the tendency is to say, well, if it hit a new high and it goes lower, then I’m immediately anxious. I’m immediately reserved about using more of it. So we break that mentality by setting up income. And when we look at income, we talk a lot about net income, which just simply means your income. What you can spend and use after taxes are considered. And the biggest source of that for most people is Social Security. And so deciding when to take a social social security payment is a key point. There’s lots of reasons to extend it as long as possible. There’s lots of reasons to start sooner. I’m not going to even try to go into that right now. Um, people can check out the book, they can read things online or talk to their advisor about what’s ideal for them.

Zachary Larson: But the point would be you get that cash flow going and then there’s other layers to put on top of. There could be dividends from investments, could be interest from conservative things. Uh, could be uh, annuity payments coming out. It could be business income, rental real estate, a lot of different ways to do it. Uh, not really right or wrong. It’s just finding pieces of it. And what we try to come up with is a, a paycheck number that says every month I’m used to X coming in so I can pay all my regular expenses, my routine expenses. And the best way to estimate if you’re on track for that is for a person to just look at what their net paycheck is while they’re working. So don’t worry about your total income. Don’t worry about what you save or where you spend it. But if you have $5,000 a month coming in every month, then you better figure out a way to have 5000 a month coming in in retirement, because that’s what you’re used to living on.

Lee Kantor: Now, can we get in the weeds a little bit about, um, some of the things like you mentioned, net worth, and I think sometimes people get confused like, okay, well, my house is worth, you know, $1 million. And, um, you know, should I consider that as part of my net worth? Because if I do, that means I have, you know, more money available to me. But in actuality, I have to live somewhere, and that’s going to cost me money. Like, how do you even go about calculating your net worth? I know you say it’s not a number to aim at, but it is. You know, you are accumulating assets and that is one of your assets.

Zachary Larson: Yeah, it’s.

Zachary Larson: Absolutely an asset and it’s a big part of most people’s net worth. But it’s not a spendable asset. It’s not an investable part of your net worth. And so unless people have big plans to move and downsizing is this concept I hear all the time from people. But, um, there are very few people who I have seen downsize their physical space without upgrading their living conditions. So think about what’s happened in the housing market around the country. Your home value is probably worth more, but you got to live somewhere. And even though you may drop from a four bedroom home to a two bedroom, you may be at a point in your life where you say, I want something nicer. So there’s kind of this fallacy of like, yeah, I’ll downsize my house, I’ll save a bunch of money. We just don’t see it play out for that many people. And so for that reason, we would not even include the net worth of your home in your investable net worth number when we calculate it. What we look at is a tool we use. We call it the tax efficiency checklist. And people can find that on our website at dot com. But it helps people look at their money the way the IRS does which is when does it get taxed. So your money gets taxed as it grows. We call that tax now. It gets taxed later in vehicles like IRAs and 401 plans or annuities, and if used properly, it can never be taxed if it’s in things like Roth IRAs or life insurance. So there’s a lot of different tools, but based on your purpose, if it’s college savings, you can use a 529 plan. If it’s retirement savings, you can use a Roth IRA. We’re going to lay things out across those three columns and help people say, how can they use that money on a regular basis?

Lee Kantor: Now, how do you help people kind of manage, um, the changes that are happening in life, like, you know, you retire and you feel good and everything’s great, but, you know, five years in and all of a sudden some health situation might occur. Um, or the markets could drop dramatically. Um, you know, like things. I think that’s what makes it so hard for people in retirement especially, is there’s so many unknowns that you have to plan for, and it’s hard to plan for things that you can’t even imagine happening, um, today, but might happen regularly, you know, in ten years.

Zachary Larson: Yeah. Very insightful. There was a famous philosopher named Mike Tyson. Okay, not not really a philosopher, right? Right.

Lee Kantor: But no, he has a great saying that everybody has a plan until you get punched in the face. And I think that that’s a good in a lot of that. That philosophy is a pretty on the nose in a lot of different areas and retirement being one of them.

Zachary Larson: You nailed it. And so we talk about that with people. Um, there is a lot that’s unknown about the future and we can model it. There are tools that are called Monte Carlo simulations. It comes out of the physics and mathematicians, uh, sphere, and it looks at probability. So it doesn’t assume you’re going to earn X amount per year and inflation goes up by Y. It randomizes all that. So we can use good statistical tools. But then there’s just things that are out of our control when when we pass away. If there’s health care things, if our kids or grandkids need help and we label that something, we we refer to that as a what if kind of retirement planning. And when people live their life in what if, then there’s really never enough money to prepare. And those who get stuck on that end up leaving a bunch of money behind. So what we want to do is, is plan for the best. Let’s say we use this probability tool and we give you confidence to go spend it, use it, give it, have experiences with the people you care about and then have contingencies in case things happen. This is how I will restructure my life. This is how I will reprioritize things. Otherwise, we can spend our whole life worrying about what if and not do the things that we could have along the way if that remote thing doesn’t happen.

Lee Kantor: Now, how often are you kind of working with your clients to have these conversations? Because, you know, things can change pretty rapidly. All it takes is one doctor’s visit. It could your your lifespan might be adjusted, you know, from living till 80 to living till 65. I mean everyone is that vulnerable.

Zachary Larson: So we look at proactive planning with people and our firm reaches out on a regular basis. Usually we’re meeting with clients a couple times a year, at least proactively, to say these are things that we see on your horizon that we want to keep talking about. And then there’s a lot of reactive things when life changes for them, when their priorities shift, when an opportunity comes up, we meet and go through that. But the biggest thing I would say to that is for people who are doing this on their own, it’s not so much about you having to entrust your assets to somebody else to manage. It’s about having a partner to walk on that path with you and give you confidence to say, you can do these things. I’m going to use a weird, strange word to think about Lee, but if I gave you permission to use your money, your initial thought might be, well, who’s this guy to say that I have permission? So it’s never about me giving you permission, but it’s about empowering you to give yourself permission to use your money. And I think that’s what a good partnership can do for people is to say, yeah, I can do this. I have the confidence to do it because I’ve dealt with the contingencies. I’ve I’ve thought about things that could happen, and now I have a plan to deal with them.

Lee Kantor: So now if I am, say, five, ten years out from retirement and I get this book, are there kind of is it is it kind of a workbook where there’s things for me to be doing and I can be plugging in my own numbers and getting kind of my own sense of, of a plan at the end of the day by going through this book.

Zachary Larson: There absolutely are. There are exercises at the end of each chapter to help people walk through a progression of looking at net worth and then shifting towards a net income mindset of cash flow and tax efficiency. And then a net impact, uh, which ultimately is to say, what do you want that money to do? Who are the experience or who are the people you want to have experiences with? How can you give it away to people in places you care about along the way? And make sure that at the end of your life, it gets to the people and places you care about. And step by step, there’s a progression for people to walk through that if they want to do that on their own. And if they say, I’d love a partner along that journey, then there’s information they can find out how to work with our firm.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you’re building a team of people like yourself, like who should be part of this team, um, when you’re nearing retirement, obviously kind of a wealth manager, which is somebody like you, but who else should be on the team?

Zachary Larson: Ideally there’s a a family member or a close friend that is a sounding board for you. So one of the things that we’ve walked with with our clients is how hard it is to make a decision when you’ve spent a lifetime as a couple, and then one of the people from that couple is gone. So whether it’s a divorce late in life, whether there’s an early death. Decisions are hard. So you need you need trusted contacts in your corner to help you with that. Might be a kid, might be a relative, a close friend. Um, the other things or other people involved. A proactive accountant. So anybody can do taxes pretty easily. Now on TurboTax. That’s what we call reactive accounting. Um, a proactive accountant says, let’s plan ahead and look at a lifetime of taxes rather than just year by year. That’s another valuable piece. And then someone to help with the legal structure as well, to make sure that the things that you want for your healthcare, for your property, uh, are able to be executed if you’re not able to make those choices.

Lee Kantor: So now if somebody wants to learn more about your firm in the book, what is the website? What is the best way to connect?

Zachary Larson: It’s w-w-w.

Zachary Larson: Dot com. And that’s the two words that come up when we pulled our clients and pulled people about our company. Intentional and generous. That’s how we try to live. That’s how we try to operate as a company and empower others to do that. So intent gen.com. And you can find the book on on Amazon. Retire intentionally.

Lee Kantor: Good stuff. Well Zach, thank you so much for sharing your story today, doing such important work. And we appreciate you.

Zachary Larson: Thank you Lee.

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

Neil Bedwell With LOCAL

by

Atlanta Business Radio
Atlanta Business Radio
Neil Bedwell With LOCAL
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A digital-native and strategic leader with 15+ years running work, teams and businesses in London, Amsterdam, San Francisco, and Atlanta, Neil Bedwell is now building LOCAL, a Change Marketing agency that creates people first communication programs for some of the world’s best companies .

Before launching LOCAL, he led digital strategy and content for Coca-Cola’s Global Content Excellence group. His work included leadership of the digital program for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, developing new ways to create and publish content in real-time across multiple social channels and managing global digital agency relationships.

Neil is an advisor to multiple start-ups, a General Assembly Instructor and a regular keynote speaker on brand-building and marketing innovation in the social age. Before that, he trained as a race engine designer for Benetton F1 and ran a digital incubator for young filmmakers.

Connect with Neil on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • How LOCAL came to be
  • The importance of employee engagement
  • How to build a thriving team
  • Why change is hard and how marketing can make it stick

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 wouldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Atlanta Business Radio, we have Neil Bedwell with LOCAL. Welcome.

Neil Bedwell: Hey, Lee. Good to be with you.

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

Neil Bedwell: Well, we LOCAL. We’re based down here, not too far from the Beltline on Edgewood, and we are a employee marketing company. So a group of marketing folks from all different industries and disciplines now working to try and help companies basically reach their employees better.

Lee Kantor: So how did this idea come about?

Neil Bedwell: Well, um, you probably figured already. I’m not from Atlanta.

Lee Kantor: It sounded it was Smyrna. That’s what it sounded like.

Neil Bedwell: Tennessee. Yeah. No, I’m a Brit, born and raised and grew up in the advertising industry in London, but lived in a few different spots. But like a lot of folks who have similar accents to me, the Coca-Cola company lured me from California to Atlanta, Georgia. So, um, the origin story for this company that we built, and this is our ninth year now, is really the experience of my first ever really big corporate job inside one of the biggest companies. One of the the biggest brands in the world, Coke. Trying to convince colleagues of mine in different divisions or in different countries. All to jump in and participate in one idea. The. And this was the advertising campaign for the World Cup in 2014, the World Cup in Brazil, which Coke is obviously a huge sponsor of. The idea for a marketing company that focuses on employees was that we had a hell of a time trying to reach these colleagues, these employees of Coca-Cola, across all these different divisions and and companies. And with hindsight, we could have used a lot more of the, the stuff we know as marketing folks to cut through and actually create that awareness, to create that adoption, create that interest that we needed around a single idea that was supposed to be activated around the world.

Lee Kantor: Now, what made you think you know what? Employee engagement. That’s really the key here. And companies aren’t leveraging employee engagement enough. They’re not serving their employees in the way that really makes the most sense for the wellbeing of the company. So when did that kind of that thesis. Like, I understand that you were trying to wrangle everybody and it was difficult, but what made you say, you know what? I think that this is kind of where more companies should focus. And and I want to do something about it.

Neil Bedwell: Yeah. I mean, I’ve got pretty thick skin, but, um, being sort of ignored and, you know, enough times by, uh, by colleagues is enough to kind of wake you up and go, hey, we must be doing something wrong here. You know, if all if you’re in the outside world, if the customer if every potential customer walks past your store, your shop window probably isn’t, uh, as good as it should be. Uh, and so we needed, um, that that was the awakening. Um, and then really getting under the skin of of employee engagement. I’ve learned a ton over this last sort of nine years or so. I mean, more than two thirds of us seem to be pretty unhappy with the thing we spend half our waking lives doing as adults with, with, with our jobs. Um, employee engagement is kind of the biggest secret problem in business, I think. Um, because if you look at it, um, for most companies, the employees are both the single biggest asset and also the single biggest cost. Um, when you have disengaged employees, you lose out on, uh, things like productivity or, uh, customer loyalty or profit and earnings per share. Um, things like, uh, you know, retention. Um, you have to hire more people because more people leave you. Um, they don’t serve their your customers, particularly the frontline folks, aren’t serving your customers in the way that you want them to, and living up to the promise that you’re making those customers because they’re disengaged and unhappy. So, um, for me, it’s a root cause of a lot of, of the deficits that we feel in, in business when it comes to growth or when it comes to efficiency or effectiveness. Um, yet we we try to fix those symptoms rather than going to the cause, which is really this the biggest asset in your business is, is pretty miserable and pretty disengaged.

Lee Kantor: Well, it’s interesting you say that because if you, uh, I’m sure if you looked at the mission statement of 100 companies, 50 of them would say that people are their most important asset. So they’re they’re at least giving lip service to the importance of their Her team, but what are some symptoms that maybe they aren’t really, um, delivering on that mission statement or promise?

Neil Bedwell: I mean, if you look at the data, you said it. Lip service. Um, you say it, but I don’t see you do it. Um, I don’t see you say that. That, um, people are at the center of this company, but it looks like profits at the center of this company. Um, you say that, um, that the, you know, we are human centered, but we restructure and lay off people on a regular basis. You know, it’s on a day to day, um, a day to day sort of experience. Um, if you tell me something, um, from a, you know, in a business town hall with a group of executives talking about the future and telling you what’s going to happen, but then I see something different happening in my day to day. I’m going to believe what I see versus what I hear. Um, and so those are some of the symptoms. Um, and I can tell you, um, how we approach some of those symptoms, uh, which is really if you most companies, successful companies, are pretty good at understanding and engaging their customers on the outside. They’re pretty good at getting those folks to stop walking past the store and get them in the store. You know, um, and most successful companies are pretty good at keeping those people. Um, we need to start to think of as our employees, our people inside as customers, too. And actually, if you think about it, the in order to win the customer on the outside, I kind of have to win the customer on the inside first. I have to win over my employees so that they will then do the the customer engagement on the outside every minute of every day, in every location. Um, so we our philosophy, um, really is that employees are not just customers, they’re your first customer for anything that you’re doing. Um, if you if you can reach them and engage them, you’ve got a lot better chance of engaging every all of the other customers that you need to spend the money to drive your revenue to get the growth that you want. So it’s a first customer principle.

Lee Kantor: Now that I would imagine takes. That’s a mindset shift for most organizations, because most organizations spend a lot of resources in trying to get the brand new customer. They don’t even spend as much resources in nurturing the existing customer. And now you’re asking them to not only nurture their team and and emphasize the people that are already there, rather than focus on anything new. So how do you kind of help them understand that what you’re saying is true, that your employees are your first customer, and that’s where you really should invest time when they’re typically they’re not spending time on their existing customers. They’d rather find a new customer.

Neil Bedwell: And, you know, all the data will tell you that finding new Finding new customers is way more expensive than keeping the ones that you have. Same goes for employees, by the way. Finding new recruits is way more expensive than keeping the one the folks that you already have and keeping keeping them happy. Um, you just got to look at the data. The Gallup huge, hugely respected organization produce a report on employee engagement every year. And, um, whatever metric you’re trying to move, whether it is a revenue or profit metric, whether it is a customer loyalty metric, whether it’s an earnings per share metric or any other thing in companies with engaged employees, outperform those with disengaged employees on every metric. Um, and it’s not just about keeping your employees engaged and keeping them retained as, as employees. It’s all the other stuff that those happier people do because happier people, when people are happy and engaged at work, then they’re more they’re more productive. Then they show up and go that extra foot or mile for the customer. They sell more to the customers. Um, anything that you’re trying to do is done better if your employees are engaged.

Lee Kantor: Now, how do you kind of measure the level of engagement your employees currently have? I can’t believe that just by asking them or giving them a bunch of smiley faces on a form is going to tell the truth. There has to be actions that they’re taking that are kind of illustrating whether they’re engaged or not. And I’m sure that, um, you know, if they’re quitting a lot, that’s probably a clue. But are there clues for engagement?

Neil Bedwell: Oh, absolutely. And, you know, you can go from the hard, hard, um, if you like, lag, measure of retention or of, um, Customer success or or revenue growth or profitability. But really, what you’re trying to do first and foremost is, um, as a as a leader, make sure that you reach every single one of your employees. A lot of internal messaging doesn’t reach most of the people inside companies. Um, I’ve been lucky enough to spend time with with companies in almost every industry. And, uh, often there’s a common theme where where leaders will stand on a stage physically or, or digitally and sort of project a message of, of, of, of the story of the next quarter or the story of the next year. They’re often called town halls. Um, and we’ve been, uh, able to go out into the field for some of the companies that we work with and, you know, meet folks who drive trucks or, um, work in maintenance or handle, you know, handle baggage for airlines, things like that. They don’t see those things. They don’t see the town halls. They don’t go on the internet.

Neil Bedwell: They don’t look at email. They talk to each other. Um, and so the message, first and foremost is often not reaching the majority of employees, particularly in industries that have a lot of frontline folks, not just sort of head office folks. Um, then what you’re looking to try and get is, well, okay, did we get what was the response to that messaging? Was it understood? Um, and then if you have understanding, then you’re going to to if you like, the harder, more tangible, um, elements. Are people adopting new behaviors because of this? Are they using an online system or are they following a process more? Um, are they actually taking actions based on, um, the reach and engagement that you’ve created? And if they take those actions, do those actions, then drive to these hard, if you like CFO level metrics of revenue, profitability, uh, employee churn, all of those kind of things. So you’re you’re looking at sort of lead and lag measures all the way from, first and foremost, did your message even reach all of your people?

Lee Kantor: Now, who is your ideal client? Are they kind of these enterprise level organizations that have kind of like a global presence, or are they like startups or are they like, where do your customers lie?

Neil Bedwell: We we found a sweet spot as local with large companies, with distributed workforces, you know, in in head offices, different offices in on locations, out with customers, um, that have a desire to change, to transform to, to, to take on new behaviors or use new technologies but struggle to reach their employees and in, in so doing, not reaching those employees hampers then those initiatives. I’ll give you a you a very simple example. If you have a new piece of software, a new piece of technology that is going to increase efficiency for 50,000 people on the front line across the country, the what you actually have to do in order to unlock that value is get those 50,000 people to actually use the technology successfully. And a lot of companies spend all of their money on the technology and the integration of the technology, and nothing on actually getting people to use it. And if you think about employees as customers, if you think about external customers, you never create a new product without thinking about how you’re going to sell it. And so we really urge any of our clients to think about what they’re doing as a product, and the fact that whatever new thing that they’re trying to bring inside that company is a new product, and you’re trying to sell it to this audience of employees. And we will work with, um, leaders across every discipline to do that. So if it’s a piece of technology, it’s often with the technology team, with the CIO and her or his group. Um, if it’s a new brand or, um, or product launch, maybe it’s with the marketing team. If it’s a new, um, learning program, it’s with the chief learning officer. If it’s a new, uh, new vision or values or, um, sort of working processes, then maybe it’s with the HR group. Um, we’ve we have experience across all of those different, uh, disciplines. And really, we’re a marketing team for anybody that’s trying to make change stick.

Lee Kantor: Now, is.

Lee Kantor: That usually your typical first point of entry, that they’ll have an initiative that they want to roll out and then they need help kind of getting the buy in throughout the organization. So they hire local to help them execute that.

Neil Bedwell: Yeah. There’s really, um, like three different ways. There’s that, which is, hey, we’ve got this new thing. We want to make sure everybody knows about it. We need a, you know, an employee marketing company. We and we’re there for that. There’s. We tried it. It didn’t work. It failed. People aren’t using it. What should we do? Maybe we need to do something different. And we are different to traditional consulting firms in terms of the approach to change. Um, we actually have a trademarked process which we call change marketing, which is everything we know about marketing to customers on the outside, but pointed at customers on the inside and sort of with a little hybrid, um, of some of the progressive change management thinking, too, so that we’re actually bringing some of that understanding of organizations. Um, you know, so it’s it’s, um, we’ve got something new and we want to make sure people see it. We’ve launched something and people aren’t using it. Um, or we’re seeing negative results in our employee engagement research, and we want to turn things around. So if you like launching something new as a tangible thing, or trying to sort of win over hearts and minds a little bit more on the intangible side so that you can foster more engagement so that you can actually achieve some of the goals that you have.

Lee Kantor: Now, what are some of the, uh, the qualities of a leader that is a good fit for local? And what are some of the qualities that are probably you’re not going to be a good fit.

Neil Bedwell: If I come back to that point I made earlier about standing on a stage and projecting a story, um, and not thinking about whether people hear you, I think it’s that I think, um, good leaders understand that the most important thing is reaching their audience versus, um, saying what they want to say. Um, and so listening and understanding the audience, understanding your, your whoever you’re leading is the most important thing. And then I’m a big believer personally in, um, doing versus saying. So if you if you model behaviors, if you show what matters and you and you do it with courage and confidence, that is a better way to lead others to want to do that versus to mandate or instruct. Um, and then the final thing is recognition. Um, your job as a leader is to, is to model and show the right way to behave and work and then recognize, celebrate those who do that so that others will follow. People follow people more than they follow leaders. So if you can model something, show others doing it, and then have them basically, um, lead for you the rest of the organization, that’s, that’s that’s the way forward. I think, um, for me at least.

Lee Kantor: Now, you.

Lee Kantor: Mentioned early on that you saw an opportunity when you were working with an organization that it was difficult to roll out your idea. What was kind of a clue when you were had this idea of employee engagement and focusing in on the importance of that, that you were like, can you share maybe that first time you did an initiative that worked and you were like, okay, this is something this isn’t just in my head. This is something that I can see really working here. And then it could work in other organizations.

Neil Bedwell: Yeah. And I have the Coca-Cola company to thank, not just for the experience of of working through something as big as the World Cup. And I, you know, I it was incredibly hard work, but I loved it. Um, but also when we first started local, obviously we had a lot of friends, you know, inside the Coca-Cola sort of ecosystem. And we got offered the chance to look at it at a employee engagement program that wasn’t working. Um, and we we were trusted enough by a leader to say, you know, what would you guys do with this? And that’s where we were able to actually show that a marketing approach, which is really about focusing on the audience, in this case the employees, how they’re feeling, what they’re thinking and then leaning into them. Maybe, you know, more emotionally first than rationally. So more about inspiration than than instruction and taking that slant on it actually did unlock some real wins for that program. And we were able to say, well, look, we made something work at one of the biggest, most complex by the sheer size and, uh, geographic spread of the company that that worked. We think that we can do the same thing for you. Um, and I’m very grateful for that opportunity to do that. Um, and it’s still we regard that that experience back in 2015 and 16, I think, as the sort of genesis of what we’ve been able to build since then.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there any advice you can give an organization? Uh, maybe not an enterprise level, but just a small to small to mid sized company. Is there some low hanging fruit that they can be doing better in terms of employee engagement?

Neil Bedwell: Yeah. My um, uh, my old boss from my Coca-Cola days and and are still a very good friend. You you have this great mantra which is you have two ears and one mouth for a reason. You should use them in that ratio. Um, so listen, so many people don’t listen. Your employees, whether you have a team of 5 or 5000, are telling you everything that you need to do. And they’re also capable of doing it. Um, so if you can listen and understand them, you know, and we always say that in marketing the, the, the, the single greatest competitive advantage over any, you know, any competitor is a deeper knowledge of your audience. And I think the same thing goes for, for for leaders inside companies to the more you know about your, your people, um, the more you understand them and what they’re what they want, what they need, what they’re capable of. The more chance you have of of leading them successfully to the outcome that everybody wants. Um, so that that’s, that’s the same no matter what company you’re in, if you’re a smaller company, you can do it quicker. I think you can be more nimble.

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

Neil Bedwell: Well, local, um, we are happily growing. Um, we are, um, investing a lot in the community here in Atlanta. So, um, we think of our clients, uh, as change makers. So a change maker, is anybody in any, any, um, discipline or division inside any company that is trying to make it better? Um, and using employee marketing is change marketing. Uh, sort of process that we have is a tool in the toolbox of a change maker. Um, and what we what we recognize is that an HR leader from a technology company, um, a technology leader from a product company, um, a marketing leader from, uh, you know, a sportswear company, they’re all change makers, and they can all can learn from each other. And we get the benefit. We benefit from knowing those people, um, in terms of growing our business, too. So, um, we are hosting change maker gatherings, events. Uh, we have a really cool, um, house space, a clubhouse space, um, down here on Edgewood that, um, the last event that we did was, uh, just before the holidays, and we had 60 or 70, um, really interesting change makers from across different industries and, and and companies all coming together, talking, sharing, um, sort of contributing, uh, to, to a dialog, but in a really fun, informal way with some really good wine. Um, so if you’re interested in being part of that, we’re also doing virtual ones because we want to reach people, you know, further and wider. But for the Atlanta community, we’d love to meet you. Um, you can find us on LinkedIn local, the change marketing company. Uh, you can find us at Local industries.com. Um, there’s plenty of ways to get in touch with us. Myself, Neil Bedwell on LinkedIn, and we’d love to meet you and understand what change you’re trying to drive and bring you into this, this burgeoning community. And I really mean this as a Brit, uh, transplanted into Atlanta. There is some incredible, um, people here doing really interesting work across a lot of different industries. And, and we, we get so much goodness out of bringing everyone together.

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

Neil Bedwell: Thanks, Lee. Really enjoyed it.

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

Hugo Gonzalez With Equity Smart Home Loans

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Pasadena Business Radio
Pasadena Business Radio
Hugo Gonzalez With Equity Smart Home Loans
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Hugo Gonzalez is a loan officer of Equity Smart Home Loans out of the Pasadena area. His main goal is to help clients feel as comfortable with the home-lending process as he does. No one should be left in the dark with something this important.

That’s why he puts everything into mastering the loan process and effectively communicating how things are working every step of the way. He hopes that by understanding the process, you’ll be able to trust that he has everything taken care of.

Connect with Hugo on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • Equity Smart Home Loans
  • Mortgage brokers vs Direct Lenders
  • Examples of how broker flexibility can save a deal
  • His approach to servicing clients
  • Getting pre-approved before beginning your search

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Pasadena, California. This is Pasadena Business Radio. And now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here for another episode of Pasadena Business Radio. And this is going to be a good one. Today’s episode is brought to you by Xavier Inguanzo, realtor. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties. Today on Pasadena Business Radio, we have Hugo Gonzalez with Equity Smart home loans. Welcome.

Hugo Gonzalez: Hey, Lee, how’s it going? Thanks for having me.

Lee Kantor: Well, I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about equity. How you serving, folks?

Hugo Gonzalez: So, equity Smart Home Loans is a brokerage out brokerage out of South Pasadena, but they have licensing in several states. So I myself am a mortgage broker, so I work with over 200 different lenders that are partnered with equity smart home loans to find the right loan, the right deal, the maybe possibly the only deal that would work in some situations. So my job is to just align lenders with my clients to help them get into their homes or get any kind of home financing.

Lee Kantor: So what’s your back story? Have you always been involved in the real estate business like this?

Hugo Gonzalez: Oh, that’s a long one. No. So I actually just got into the mortgage business late last year, but it’s been going great despite the market not being so great. I actually used to be a content creator, so YouTube and such and a professional video game player. And then before that I worked at a big four accounting firm, Ernst, Ernst and Young. So I have a very varied background.

Lee Kantor: But so you have been kind of involved in finance and numbers part of business?

Hugo Gonzalez: Yeah. And it’s funny because that part of it taught me the technical side of the business. And then the stuff I did in between with the content and working with, uh, you know, other content creators, influencers, things like that. It built up the, uh, the social aspects of this business.

Lee Kantor: So what was kind of the most difficult transition to go from where you were to what you’re doing today?

Hugo Gonzalez: Uh, I’d say.

Hugo Gonzalez: Honestly, skill set wise, none really. The difficult part was just getting everything started, getting all my licenses right. I, I went through the, uh, the Dre license, the realtor license here in California, then got my Nmls license, and it just took some time. And you can’t really do the job in that time. So you’re kind of just prepping for what’s to come until that’s all done. But otherwise, once I started the job, I loved it and it all just felt very natural.

Lee Kantor: Now, are you running this equity smart home loans office, or is that a bigger company that you work for?

Hugo Gonzalez: No. So that is a bigger company that I work for. They are the brokerage and I hang my license under them. But I am completely independent. I, I generate my own business. I run it the way that I’d like. And they offer their support and guidance. But everything is me.

Lee Kantor: Was that difficult for you to go as an entrepreneur to now working for somebody, or this had all the infrastructure you needed in order to do what you need to do?

Hugo Gonzalez: Uh, no, I’d say it wasn’t difficult at all. In fact, I think it was one of the big draws for me to become a broker because I get to maintain that independence. So they don’t really tell me how to run my business. Uh, I, I can choose how to engage clients. I can choose, uh, the kind of work I put in my schedule where I work from. I get to keep all that independence. Uh, it’s mostly a place that offers me resources and, um, like the various lenders that I have access to, for example.

Lee Kantor: So what’s the difference between, uh, a broker versus, uh, you know, getting a loan directly from somebody? Like, can you explain kind of the difference between the two?

Hugo Gonzalez: Yeah, I think the, the two big, uh, facets of this business are direct lenders and brokers. So a direct lender will work directly for one specific lender or one specific bank, and they essentially only offer the loan programs that the bank has available. And they they go by the rules of that bank in terms of underwriting, whether they accept a loan or not. Uh, whereas with me, I shop it with various different lenders so I one can I have many options. So if one bank can’t do it, I do know of other banks that might be able to do it. So I could take the deal They’re on top of that being a broker kind of. It makes you sort of function as an advocate for the client, where you’re wholly incentivized to to close the deal. Otherwise, uh, you don’t get paid, but at a direct lender, you might have some part of it, uh, be salary and then a small portion of it be commission. So it’s just the way it’s structured, there’s just a lot more incentive for me to act on your behalf through the broker channel.

Lee Kantor: And it gives you more kind of space to be creative just because our rules at, um, you know, lender A are such. I can find lender B or C or D or Z.

Hugo Gonzalez: Right? Correct. Exactly. So, um, I think that’s probably been my favorite part of the job is how creative I can be in making the deal work, just because of all the different options that I have now.

Lee Kantor: Um, when you’re working to find your clients, is this something that you need to have kind of relationships with other people in order to kind of serve that client? Because it sounds like, I mean, when I started my business, I would go to these networking meetings and there’d be a real estate person, a mortgage broker, uh, you know, an attorney they had I called them the Mafia. They had their own little group of people that they were all kind of working together to help each other, because one lead would affect all of them. They all would touch that. That client.

Hugo Gonzalez: Yeah. Yeah.

Hugo Gonzalez: Um, yeah. Everything is interconnected, and I, I would be somebody that would be at some of those networking events. Um, but I also find that, uh, clients are everywhere. So sometimes I will go to my favorite bar where they’re having a chess night, and I will just hang out with people and play chess there and meet, meet, uh, future business partners or potential clients there, too. And, um, to your point, everything is connected. So if if I do an amazing job and I was referred by a real estate client or sorry, partner or or a financial advisor partner, then that reflects well on them as well. So then and the reverse is true also, right? Like if something went wrong then it would reflect poorly on everybody involved. So there’s a lot of stakes in every single interaction. So you always got to make sure that you’re treating everyone to the best of your ability, with the best service you can possibly offer.

Lee Kantor: And you want to kind of build that trusted advisor network where everybody is in a place where everybody knows that, hey, I know I’m watching your back, you’re watching my back. And that way the customer is going to have a good experience and know there’s like, no weak links in there.

Hugo Gonzalez: Absolutely. I don’t think there’s any room for B or C players. Uh, if, if I, I basically won’t partner up unless I know that you would treat my clients with the utmost care and respect. And, you know, dedication to making something work.

Lee Kantor: Now, um, when you got into this business, was that it was that one of the hard parts is okay, I got to get the lay of the land. Like, who are the A players here? Who are the people that I should avoid? Like, you have to know that in order to do your job well and to help your clients get the outcome they desire.

Hugo Gonzalez: Oh, yeah. Yeah, that was probably one of the, um, more difficult things. It’s kind of you’re only going to learn through trial and error in that sense. And sometimes I would work with people where, you know, thankfully, it never led to anything disastrous, but possibly at worst, just time wasted. But you got to know how they operated. And after some time you realize, wait, this isn’t someone I’d like to work with. So now I know what to look out for for the next time. And you get better at it as as you go on and you start to realize who, um, who fits exactly the type of person you want to work with.

Lee Kantor: So now let’s talk about, um, you know, kind of the nuts and bolts of what a day in your life looks like. So a person comes to you, they’re ready to buy a house, or they’re coming to you, you know, to pre-qualify. Like, what is the, um, you know, kind of that first interaction you’re typically having with a client?

Hugo Gonzalez: Uh, it could be all of the above. So sometimes let’s say they were a referral from a real estate agent partner. Then, uh, they’re ready to go, right? They’re looking for a pre-approval. They’re ready to start shopping for homes. Sometimes they are just inquisitive. And they saw me post something online and they just maybe not even to find out more. They just messaged me saying, oh, these rates are kind of rough right now, right? And then we just get to talking and they start revealing their their goals of homeownership. And a month or two later now they’re there, ready to get pre-approved. They’re they’re asking me if I know any realtors that can help them out. Um, sometimes that’ll just. Everything will change very quickly. I’ve had people message me saying, yeah, we’re about a year to two years out, and then we talk and then they find out, wait, we are a lot closer than we thought we were. And then within a week, they’re already shopping for their home. So it it varies. They talk to me about anything at any stage and then we see where we go from there.

Lee Kantor: So do you have any advice for the person that’s looking for a loan. What could they be doing. You know, before having that conversation with you to get ready to maximize their chances of getting the right loan at the right rates?

Hugo Gonzalez: I think the best thing you can do is if you have an interest in buying a home or refinancing or or taking out a line of credit on your home, or doing a fix and flip anything you want to do with a home. If you have questions regarding that, just reach out to a loan officer because I think the worst thing a person can do is go to some heavily advertised or sponsored article on Google that doesn’t actually speak to your situation. If you speak to someone directly that understands your specific circumstance, you would know best what to do from there. Right? Like you. I’ve had people reach out to me thinking that they need to wait a year because they don’t have 20% down, and I say, wait, you have the minimum of 3% down already. Your credit is great. You’re about to get into another year long lease at your apartment. Is that really what you want to do? Or are you ready right now? And then they will see that they’re ready right now. But they might have just avoided the conversation altogether if they just felt like they weren’t ready to talk to me yet.

Hugo Gonzalez: Right.

Lee Kantor: Because they read some blog post that gave them some general rule of thumb that isn’t relevant to their specific situation.

Hugo Gonzalez: Exactly. And that’s not to say that the information out there is wrong. It’s just as you said, it’s a lot of things that are written out. There are rules of thumb and it doesn’t like loans are complicated. It doesn’t necessarily apply specifically to your scenario. So it’s always best just to talk to an expert.

Lee Kantor: And that’s the key thing there. You want to talk to somebody who’s done this before, not somebody who’s you know, just read an article like you like somebody who’s kind of been in the weeds of this that can kind of figure out kind of creative ways to solve these problems that a blog post just they can’t. That’s not what blog posts are, you know, general information.

Hugo Gonzalez: They’d have to write an entire story, like multiple pages to cover every possible scenario. Right? It’s just not practical.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there a story you can share maybe that explains this or illustrates this type of complexity, where somebody did come to you with a challenge that they thought maybe was insurmountable, and you were able to be to be creative to help them get the outcome they desired.

Hugo Gonzalez: Yeah. Sorry about that.

Lee Kantor: You don’t have to name the name or anything like that, but just maybe the general problem and the solution you provided.

Hugo Gonzalez: Yeah.

Hugo Gonzalez: Um, so I worked with a, um, a content creator at one point. So this is somebody who who makes videos on YouTube or live streams, games, things like that. And, um, with people like that, they could have a year where they maybe did something viral that took off and they made a lot of money one year, and then the next year their income just goes back to normal. And that normal income in this particular situation I’m thinking about was totally enough to qualify for a loan on its own. However, some lenders would find issue with the dramatic decrease from one year to the next on the income, and they might consider that income in unstable. And so my this is what I love about the job. I get to become creative and I start finding out. There’s a rule where if you are self-employed in the same line of work for five years, you get to a lender will only require one year of tax returns. So the solution was to, you know, get the CPA to write a letter to prove the five years. And then all they needed to see was the one year. And while there was a decrease, they never had another year to compare to. So just to the lender, all they knew was that my borrower made enough money in this given year to qualify. And it was and it was smooth from there. And he had brought this situation to other loan officers, and they just kept giving pushback about the stability of the income. And I just found a solution. And it was smooth and it worked out.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. And that and that having the background you had in that industry probably didn’t hurt either.

Hugo Gonzalez: Yeah, it makes them very comfortable to tell me their situation and I know how the business works. So when someone tells me they. Dropped an income, that doesn’t mean they’re not going to shoot back up the next year.

Lee Kantor: Right. That’s not a red flag to you. That’s just part of the business.

Hugo Gonzalez: Exactly, exactly. So my job is to understand what would be red flags to a lender and like and navigate that. I’m basically just aligning lender expectations and requirements with borrower circumstances. And my understanding of what they do helps me navigate all that.

Lee Kantor: And you can cherry pick the right lender for the right situation. You don’t have one way to do something. There’s lots of ways to do this. If you have the right lender and you have access to more than one.

Hugo Gonzalez: Exactly. So if there’s ever a moment where it’s a gray area, right, like the example I gave, it was per the guidelines, and I knew it would work wherever I took it. But sometimes there’s a gray area in the guidelines and I can get on the phone, call a representative from the lender, tell them the them the situation. They could tell me. Yes, they could tell me. No. And now I know who all my yeses are. And then I can choose. And I could go from there. And I’m not stuck. Whereas, you know, if you go to a direct lender and their specific lender doesn’t do it, then that’s just the end of it.

Lee Kantor: Now, do you have a niche? Is there an area that you would feel like, okay, this is my sweet spot. I want to get more clients like this.

Hugo Gonzalez: To be honest, I would say no because I have so much fun figuring out every situation that I wouldn’t say I have a niche, but where I seem to be falling into is the the um, the niche where I need to get creative. Right? The the income is there, the credit is there, or sometimes not. Right. But there needs to be a creative way to pick up the credit. Um, that’s where I shine. So if somebody feels like they might not get what they need out of, um, the easy like, you find it on Google or you go walk into a bank. If that might not be for you, then talk to me and I can get creative, and I can find the right loan and the right circumstance to make it work.

Lee Kantor: So if they’ve been kind of having having some friction with one of these mega banks, maybe it’s worth giving you a call to see if there’s, uh, other options that maybe this mega bank isn’t. It’s may not be the right fit for them, but you can possibly find them. The right the right lender.

Hugo Gonzalez: Yeah, 100%. And I’d also say that, um, sometimes you don’t want to find out the hard way either, because everything that a mega bank can do, I could do it too, right? That’s not to say that I can’t do the, the, the straightforward stuff either. Right? But sometimes people will go to these larger banks and then find out the hard way in the middle of Escrow that it won’t work and it might be too late to fix things at that point. Whereas maybe you could call me on the weekend. You could call me at 1 a.m., you could text me at any time, and I’m responsive and I you’re going to know right away what where the loan is at and what we need to do to make it work.

Lee Kantor: Now, if somebody wants to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on your team, what is the website? What is the coordinates to connect?

Hugo Gonzalez: Uh, so the best way to connect with me is, uh, to go to equity smart loans.com. And, uh, my, my contact info is on that website. Otherwise, I don’t know if, uh, Lee, I don’t know if I’m allowed to give my number, but I, I am somebody who is totally okay with giving that out.

Hugo Gonzalez: Well, it’s it’s.

Hugo Gonzalez: 100% the best.

Hugo Gonzalez: Way to contact me.

Lee Kantor: Um, or can they find you on LinkedIn? Is there ways to, uh, find you or just go to Equity Smart loans.com and look for Hugo Gonzalez and then.

Hugo Gonzalez: Uh, honestly.

Hugo Gonzalez: Another fun way. So this is this is me going back to my content creator roots. I don’t mind people messaging me on Instagram. I post, uh, loan officer content there. Uh, I’ve had several future clients reach out to me through Instagram. I think it’s a great space for loan officers and realtors to share information. Um, so my Instagram is at huggs 86 and I kept it to my content creator days because I don’t feel there should be a difference between my personal page and my professional page, because I keep it professional throughout no matter what.

Lee Kantor: So good stuff. Well you go. Congratulations on all the success. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Hugo Gonzalez: Thank you so much Leah I appreciate it.

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

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne With T.I. Verbatim Consulting

by

High Velocity Radio
High Velocity Radio
Jean Kay Ibanez Payne With T.I. Verbatim Consulting
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Jean Kay Ibanez Payne is a Military Sexual Trauma Survivor, Certified Coach (Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, DEI) Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker Born in the United States and raised in Colombia, South America, she represents a remarkable blend of cultural experiences that shape her impactful narrative.

Following her military service, Jean embarked on a 20-year career spanning workforce training, communications, marketing, diversity, program management, and risk management. As a corporate leader, she excelled in communications, marketing, and diversity efforts, culminating in her role managing the Diversity and Inclusion program for a Fortune 200 utility company with over 14,000 employees, where she launched groundbreaking employee resource groups for veterans and women.

In 2014, she left a successful corporate career, selling their dream home and cashed out savings to start TI Verbatim Consulting (TIVC) with a mission to help people work better together. TIVC rapidly gained trust among corporate clients and government agencies such as, NASA, FDIC, and the Departments of Treasury, Homeland Security, and Defense.

Her impressive credentials include a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, and a Master of Business Administration. She serves on several nonprofit boards and holds multiple professional certifications from accredited institutions in the areas of change management, leadership coaching, resilience, emotional intelligence, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

Today, Jean stands as a powerful advocate for survivors of abuse, using her voice and her story to ignite hope in others. She embodies the belief that every woman, no matter her past, has the power to reclaim her worth and forge a life filled with purpose and joy. Through coaching, workshops, speaking engagements, and personal storytelling, she engages with her audience, imparting valuable lessons learned through her journey..

Connect with Jean on LinkedIn and follow her on Facebook.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • Brief overview of her book “Reclaiming Your Worth”
  • Her experiences of losing her worth in different stages of life – during military service, in the corporate world, and as a small business owner
  • How she managed to overcome the adversities in life

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 Jean Kay Ibanez Payne and she is with T.I. Verbatim Consulting. Welcome.

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to be here today.

Lee Kantor: Well, I am excited to learn what you’re up to. You’re an author, you’re a women’s advocate, and you’re the CEO of T.I. Verbatim Consulting. So tell us a little bit about your work.

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: So I ten years ago, I took a leap of faith working in the corporate world, decided to to leave that behind and start a company, sold everything, cashed for one K and started this amazing company called Verbatim Consulting, which is focused, is to help people work better together. We focus on culture in the workplace, improving the culture of the workplace. So then yeah, so.

Lee Kantor: What about your your work in the corporate world kind of led you to this moment. Did something big happen or what was kind of the genesis that got you moving in this different direction?

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: Well, I always believe that there’s nothing in isolation. Every decision comes about as a combination of many different things. So I just had I just had adopted a baby and I had a listing ideal boss. And then I was also navigating some aspects of my mental health from the sexual trauma in the military. So it was a combination of many different things that led me to leave everything behind and start the company.

Lee Kantor: So when you decided to start the company, did you have clients already or was this kind of like, okay, now that I’ve done this, I better find some people that want to buy some services, like how did you get your first clients?

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: My passion has always been human capital optimization and how to help people work better together, how to attract, develop and retain talent. So I was doing some of that work in the corporate world, and I literally, you know, it was a situation, kind of precarious situation where I thought about it for a moment, but I decided just to leave everything behind overnight. I didn’t have any business experience whatsoever. But my father has always been an entrepreneur in Colombia, South America, and I just decided to leave everything behind. And I’ve given some thought to what kind of company I wanted to do. And I know my passion was to help people work better together. And so that was kind of like the baseline, that trampoline for me to, to, to get going. And, uh, you know, for the first two years, I just knocked in a lot of doors and, and I was able to not take a salary for 2 or 3 years, and I was able to get my first contract within one year of starting the company. So that was kind of the launch of that of, of, uh, of the company. And I do remember that the first service that we, that we received, it was $50. And then things just kind of kept growing from there on for the next couple of years.

Lee Kantor: So when did you kind of develop this methodology around culture?

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: So the, the, the mission, it was something that I wanted to do. But um, once I started the company, it was kind of based on the dynamics and things that, that we were seeing in the marketplace. Uh, the, the suddenly quitting or they just people just leaving workplaces because of the culture. So from there, we created our own model of culture optimization, qualitative and quantitative Approach. And fast forward to two years ago, we decided to create our own software and how to analyze the culture in natural language software. So he has been an evolution for us to get to where from where we started, which was very tactical and very manual to be able now to to have something that that we can use and stand behind and have the credibility to do so.

Lee Kantor: So, um, how does kind of an engagement with your firm work, what pain is your client having right before they contact you.

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: So different things can happen? Either they’re having a hard time attracting talent, the people that they have are leaving or companies have, um, ethics or just general HR complaints. So they’re trying to figure out is kind of like what is causing the issues is a is it a managerial, is it a policy? It’s a process problem. And then that’s kind of where we go into doing the qualitative and quantitative analysis, the one on one interviews, the the focus groups and really kind of going through all the policies and procedures to really understand the root cause of the problem, because there’s a big difference. With full disclosure, I love donuts, okay. Especially Krispy Kreme hot donuts. So there’s a big difference with with one person saying, well, I do want I do not want to work for X company because they do not provide donuts for us to have every day with their coffee versus having a group of employees five, 15 or 20 say that we want the same thing. So we really try to isolate what is the big root cause of the problem and what is causing that, and how does that align to policies, processes and procedures.

Lee Kantor: So now, um, when you’re working with a company, does sometimes do you have the feeling the person who hired you might be part of the problem that, um, because like you said early on, you don’t most people don’t quit jobs. They quit bosses.

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: Yes.

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: It can be a very difficult, very difficult situation that we have had some instances. One of the agencies that we did a cultural assessment for, it was the US mint, and we actually ended up in a newspaper. So if you Google Verbatim Consulting, you will find, uh, you know, you will find an agency that that agency that we did work for. And there has been many other agencies where where the leaders who have hired us to, you know, to find out what is causing the the toxicity in the workplace Have been part of the problem. And then when you conduct a cultural assessment and you provide the results. They challenge the methodology or they might challenge the the, you know, the items, the that we have looked at artifacts. So it can be it could be it can be quite challenging and actually fascinating at the same time. Because yes, you might be cause of the problems, but it’s all about improving what you can do as a leader to create a better place.

Lee Kantor: Now, can we talk a little bit about your new book, Reclaiming Your Worth? Um, what was kind of the impetus of writing a book? Uh, that’s a, you know, that could be a job by itself.

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: Mhm. Mhm.

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: So in addition to leading a company, I am a Navy veteran. I am a service disabled veteran. I served in the US Navy for. For a little over four years. Many years ago and over that time, I was sexually abused, assaulted and harassed. So I suffer in silence for for 20 years, which included depression, suicidal ideation and, uh, in many mental health issues. So the book really came about me reclaiming my worth because for many years, suffering in silence. And nobody knew about it, not even my husband of 30 years. What I was going through, and I was outsourcing my, uh, my mental health to other people and hoping that they would fix it. So it wasn’t until back in, you know, late 2022, when I decided to reclaim my worth, which is me taking ownership and stop outsourcing it to people around me to fix it, that I decided to take control. And, uh, in January of this year, I was finally in a place that I could write a book about my story and how I could help other sexual abuse, you know, people. And I just kind of, like, hunkered down in January and I wrote 50,000 words in four weeks. 35,000 of those in one week. So that’s how my work came about, is my story of abuse, empowerment, and how I was able to to build my life on my own terms and stop relying on people to, to resolve my issues. And that’s a long winded answer, but that’s kind of how it all came about.

Lee Kantor: So it it’s a book about your what went on personally with you. Is it does it have any kind of ties to your business at all, or is it about just as an individual kind of reclaiming your worth through that trauma?

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: Well, it is it is my story as I reclaim my worth to the trauma. But it also details the fact that as I was creating my business, executing my strategies, and being what we call and define as a successful professional in the corporate world. I was suffering in silence and nobody knew because all they saw was somebody who was motivated to grow, somebody who presented themselves well. So there is a story within the story.

Lee Kantor: So now the readers who are kind of learning about the book and reading about the book, are there kind of tactics for them to kind of take control of their lives, or is this something that it’s like, well, it’s your story and this is how you dealt with it, but are there lessons from this that other people can learn from?

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: Yes, yes. So the book has 20 chapters and it tells my story, but it also shares a lot of tips in in how you can reclaim your worth and just just really quick. So I have the book has been released in English and Spanish, and I also released a children’s book in December. So some of the tools that I have for the book is, um, you know, stop outsourcing your worth to people. It’s not the responsibility of anybody around my circle to to make me happy, because that just led to disappointment and unhappiness. Uh, the other thing is, as a business, as a business owner is for me, there has never been a plan, you know, a plan B, because I always have a strategy and how I’m going to execute plan A, and I’m so committed to it that I don’t even think about about plan B. Plan B means that you you’re not fully committed to plan A, and, you know, there are other things is that that I’m finding out and, you know, and you might be able to speak to this too is something that my mom taught me is surrounding yourself with cheerleaders and protectors. That’s a big one. That’s a big one for me as a business owner, as a as a as a person and realizing sometimes not all the time, that regardless of where you are in your journey of success or not, that people may only be happy for you when they’re happier than you.

Lee Kantor: So let’s talk about that a little bit. So are you saying that it’s important to have supporters and celebrators around you, or are you saying that you. That’s nice to have, but don’t kind of over rely on them and you need people maybe to tell you some hard truths as well.

Lee Kantor: Like.

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: Yes, yes.

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: So my analogy of the the cheerleaders and protectors is that I travel a lot. And sometimes when you travel a lot, you have to become loyal to to an airline to get, you know, perks. And, uh, the one that resembles the most for me is I like Delta, and I know that with when you’re flying, you know, you do have choices, but sometimes it’s based on what you can afford. So if you do take that that that the money aspect of of the selection, you have first class, you have comfort plus and then you have main cabin. So you have three choices. So for me I look at it the same way. I have my protectors who are going to be having those tough conversations with me when I need to face the truth. I have the true leaders who are always rallying around me, and I’m talking about all the cheerleaders, you know, like 2000 followers on on Facebook and all that stuff. But I’m thinking about the people who are going to protect me when I am not in the room. And then you have the acquaintances, which are the your main classes, that those will come and go, right? They will come and go and, and you know that often you can rely on them. And those may be the people who are happy for you when they’re only when they’re happier than you.

Lee Kantor: So I think this is an important, um, point that you’re making. And I think that a lot of people don’t really, uh, lean on their team and the people around them in the most effective ways. Like sometimes you need your team to just cheer you up, and that’s all you want from them is just say, good job. You know, just appreciate me and just let me kind of vent here and just say, good job. And then other times you need their real truth. Tell me if there’s something in my teeth, you know, tell me the truth. Let me know if I’m off the mark here.

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: Or.

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: If I’m coming out of the bathroom and have toilet paper, you know.

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: Right.

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: And you tell me, will you tell me if, uh, if, uh, in, that’s when I go back to people will be happy for you and they’re happier than you. You know, if I have a if I have, uh, a spinach in my teeth, will you be will you tell me or will you just let me walk away and have people make fun of me.

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: Right. So.

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: Um. And I have become I think it’s part of my mental health journey. And also as a business professional, once I decided to reclaim my worth, I truly cleaned up my circle. I have a couple of protectors. I call them like my two, 3 or 4 maybe. I have like five cheerleaders. And then there’s the other, the the the acquaintances that I have. It’s nothing bad, it’s nothing good. But I’m just going to be very picky in how I spend my time. And spending time with me is a privilege.

Lee Kantor: Well, this is really, uh, really important things that we’re discussing here. And I hope the listener really appreciates, um, what you went through in order to have this kind of wisdom right now, I’m sure you, as you were going through this difficult times that, like you said, maybe other people weren’t aware of it, but obviously you were learning from it, and for you to be able to articulate these important messages is so important. And thank you for sharing.

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: Mhm.

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: And Lee, one other thing that I want to touch on when I, when I, when I say stop outsourcing your work to people around you. How many times have you, have you had somebody who, uh, you know gets a gym membership? Let’s just be real and talk about the beginning of the year. They get a gym membership, they go to the classes maybe once a week. Uh, you know, they’re still eating bad and unhealthy food. Then they cancel the membership because I’m not seeing any results. Or. Or you are expecting the people around you to make you happy. Yeah, it is. And that’s kind of what I did for a long time is I was I was going to the, the therapist, I was going to the, the psychologist and I was not using the tools. I was not using, you know, the the items, the things that they were giving me so I could get better. And then I blamed them for that, for not improving. And it is not the responsibility of my team to make me happy. I have to find that. And that’s why I talk about self. That’s that’s why I talk about self-worth. Because self-worth is all about your self love, self value and self respect. If you can find that within yourself, you’re always going to be looking for things in a different place and you’re always going to be disappointed.

Lee Kantor: So if somebody wants to learn more about your consulting firm or get their hands on this book, what is the website? What is the best way to connect with you?

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: Tiara. Beetham. Uh w-w-w at tiara. Com is the website. And then if you want to purchase my book, you can go to w-w-w, reclaim your now.com. Or you can go to Amazon. The book actually has been a best seller. And my goodness I have received so many. So much feedback from men and women that are telling me this resonates. Yep, this happened to me. Thank you for telling your story. So that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to create awareness to people so people can feel safe in telling their story, but also getting help.

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

Jean Kay Ibanez Payne: Oh, thank you for having me. It means a lot. It means a lot to me to be able to just talk to you and then also share my story.

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

Jessica Mortarotti With Carmela Ice Cream, SUN LOVE Skincare, Story of a Startup

by

Pasadena Business Radio
Pasadena Business Radio
Jessica Mortarotti With Carmela Ice Cream, SUN LOVE Skincare, Story of a Startup
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Jessica Mortarotti is an entrepreneur with a knack for identifying market trends and a track record of successfully launching start-up businesses. She founded & developed a farm to table ice cream company called Carmela Ice Cream in 2007, when she rightfully predicted the rise of specialty ice cream.

She was credited by KTLA in July of 2024 with starting the artisan ice cream trend. Carmela Ice Cream is to this day considered one of the top ice creams in the nation and has won numerous awards and accolades.

More recently, she worked in the wellness space when she identified a niche for a fast casual sauna concept. She developed an infrared sauna studio brand that became a best in class, industry leader that currently has over 20 locations nationwide.

Her expertise in identifying emerging trends, creating strong, impactful brands and her ability to launch concepts has led her to her newest endeavor, SUN LOVE, which is a holistic suncare business carving out an untapped niche within the $160 billion dollar skincare industry.

Jessica has been a guest lecturer on the topic of entrepreneurialism at UC Santa Barbara and was featured in a “trailblazers” event for female entrepreneurs by Voyage Magazine. She has been asked to be an expert panelist at a female entrepreneur’s event and has been the subject of many interviews on the topic. She is currently the co-host of an entrepreneurial-focused podcast Story of a Startup.

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • New ventures: SUN LOVE, Story of a Startup

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Pasadena, California. This is Pasadena Business Radio. And now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here for another episode of Pasadena Business Radio. And this episode is brought to you by Xavier Inguanzo, realtor. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties. Today on Pasadena Business Radio, we have serial entrepreneur Jessica Mortarotti, and she is with Carmela Ice Cream, Sun Love Skincare, and the Story of a Startup Podcast. Welcome.

Jessica Mortarotti: Thank you. Thanks so much for having me.

Lee Kantor: I am so excited to learn what you are up to. Let’s start with ice cream because everybody loves ice cream. Tell us about Carmella ice cream. How did you get that started? And kind of what was the genesis of the idea?

Jessica Mortarotti: Yeah. So I started Carmella Ice Cream a long time ago. I actually started it in 2007, and I’ve always been very entrepreneurial, so it was disappointing for some people to hear, but I actually had no experience with ice cream before I started it. It was really more of an entrepreneurial endeavor for me to start a business and learn from the process of starting a business. I happen to be really into food at the time and just kind of saw a niche for kind of, you know, artisan or handcrafted ice cream. At that time, that wasn’t a very common thing at all. And so I just sort of was intrigued by creating sort of an elevated ice cream experience and had to basically teach myself how to make ice cream as my first step in that. Uh, so exercise.

Lee Kantor: So take me back to back to that. So you’re at your house and you’re like, you know what? There’s no super high end, you know, kind of farm to table ice cream. And then you just like, go on. I don’t know, was YouTube even a thing back then at that time, do you even honestly not really know how to do that?

Jessica Mortarotti: It totally. Yeah. So it was, it was really just like, oh, let’s I’m going to start an ice cream business. Had that decision. And then it was like, well, how do you even make ice cream? And so I actually started looking around for classes, kind of like you’re saying like to teach me and just sort of I think I went to one at Sur La Table and kind of watched them make ice cream. And then I ended up going to this course in Pennsylvania called the Penn State Short Course, which is. Right.

Lee Kantor: So they’re known for making, you know, ice cream or teaching ice cream around the northeast, at least, I don’t know. I guess you had heard of them here from the West Coast, but they’re known in that space. So you so you really kind of said, I’m going to educate myself. I’m not going to just try to wing this. I’m going to learn from people who are experts at doing this.

Jessica Mortarotti: Well, yeah, that’s what that was my idea. So then I went I went out to that course in Pennsylvania, which lured me in, I guess, because it was it’s famous as the place where Ben and Jerry went when they got started. So I was like, this is perfect. I’ll just go and learn and it’ll be great. And then I pretty much went to it, came home and was more confused than when I had left because it was much more geared towards bigger manufacturing and, you know, like focusing on things like what kind of stabilizer do you put in your ice cream and like preservatives and like cleaning, just stuff that, like, I wasn’t interested in doing as a small kind of craft ice cream. I wanted to make a really high end product. So I had to kind of take a step back. And I ended up actually teaching myself, um, at the end of the day, I was hoping to learn, but then I ended up just sort of going, okay, well, how hard, how hard can it be? And um, and then essentially just started tinkering around at home with recipes and found, you know, got to the point where I was happy with the flavors and recipes that I was coming up with. So I, I assumed other people would be, too. And of course, I tested on, you know, friends and family during that time as well. But do you start with.

Lee Kantor: Do you start with like a vanilla base, like what is the what is the beginning? Like, do you say, okay, let me do vanilla, let me get that down. And then I can add, you know, things to it and make it, uh, different from that point. Or do you say, look, let’s add let’s do a flavor. Let’s start pistachio or chocolate or something that’s more complicated or like what was the the 1.0 version of this?

Jessica Mortarotti: The very first flavor I ever made was rose rose petal ice cream. Um, and that was just kind of because that flavor was one of the ones that inspired me on my business to begin with. I was very into like, floral infused ice creams, um, uh, ice cream that used like, fresh herbs and spices and things like that and like seasonal fruits. So I actually made Rose as my first flavor. But the way ice cream works is basically there’s a base and then you kind of add flavor to it. So, um, I, uh, you know, basically like once you kind of have your base down, which is what gives you the texture and the mouthfeel, it’s kind of like how much sugar, how much, um, you know, egg, there’s egg yolk usually in ice cream, how much egg yolk and just kind of getting those basics down. Then you can kind of tinker with flavor. But um, but yeah. So actually the first flavor was, was Rose, which um, yeah, not not vanilla.

Lee Kantor: So is there still Rose today?

Jessica Mortarotti: Yeah, I still do. Rose. Today we actually do it. Um, we try to do it in February. It’s a little tricky because we use, um, we use real roses that are grown in Pasadena, and we try to have it in February for like.

Lee Kantor: Valentine’s.

Jessica Mortarotti: Day and stuff like that, but, um, but yeah, so we, we actually put real roses, um, in our, in our ice cream that are grown for us in Pasadena because we have to have them specially grown without pesticides because most roses are heavily sprayed. So we’re not trying to, you know, infuse pesticides into our ice cream.

Lee Kantor: So then, uh, so you have this and you start developing flavors, you testing it on friends and family at that point. At what point do you say, you know what, I think I got something here. This is now I’m going to try to sell this now and see if people will buy it. It’s one thing to give it to your neighbor and they say, thanks for the ice cream. And the other thing is to get someone to, you know, cough up some cash for it.

Jessica Mortarotti: So yeah, as someone who had zero experience in ice cream and also starting a business, I basically didn’t have a lot of credibility at that time to go out and like get a big investor and like, open my own shop and do all the things that would be would have been nice to do. Um, so I had to really figure out a way to start super small. And so I actually, um, started renting kitchen space behind a pizza shop downtown LA. Like this is again, 2007. So it was like before it was cool. And it’s like now it’s like, I don’t even know if it’s cool anymore. But you know, there was a phase. Um, so it was like pretty sketchy, but. So I’d go at night and like, make ice cream in the back of this pizza shop and then took and I started selling at one farmer’s market a week. Uh, and that was how I wanted to get started, because I figured it was a good way to kind of market with like a low without really.

Lee Kantor: Not a big risk. But then you’re getting the market’s going to tell you if this is good or not. You’re getting strangers to test to see if they really like it.

Jessica Mortarotti: Yeah. And you can literally like sample and hand us, you know, a spoon of ice cream to somebody and look them in the eye and kind of get their reaction.

Lee Kantor: And get immediate feedback. Right? Yeah.

Jessica Mortarotti: Yeah. So it actually ended up being really good. And it made sense for Carmella Ice Cream because we’re kind of like a farm to table ice cream. So I would actually work with the farmers market vendors to use their produce and then put it into our ice cream. So it was like this nice kind of synergy that we had with that. Um, so it kind of worked out really nicely.

Lee Kantor: And then, um, at that point, was it a hit at go, like the first day you’re there, you sell out or did it take some tinkering to get the right flavor mixes that people liked?

Jessica Mortarotti: I mean, I think when I first started, yeah, I had a handful of flavors. I remember that I when I first started in the farmers markets, I didn’t even have a chocolate ice cream because I couldn’t figure out how to make it. I couldn’t figure out a good recipe for chocolate. So I just started, which is crazy as an ice cream company, but, um, I didn’t. I was like, I don’t know, I just have these other flavors that’ll do for now. But, um, it started slow, but like, actually not that slow. So the first year I think I was in the farmers market, and then I expanded to some other farmers markets around LA, um, and we were, we were voted, uh, I think best of LA. I’m trying to remember it was the first year we were there, but it was like very early on. We were picked up by like Bon Appetit magazine. Within the first year, as you know, they had us featured. And so I think it was just I think we had good timing. I think we had a unique product at the time that was, like I said, wasn’t really out there at that point. It was kind of like during the froyo era of popularity. Um, and so artists and ice cream just wasn’t a thing yet. So we were kind of timed right to be interesting. And then, um, and then, yeah, it was kind of also timed with, I guess it was like sort of the slow food movement where people were very into, like where their foods came from and like kind of the craft behind it. Um, so, so yeah. So we ended up getting a lot of recognition just simply by being out there at the farmers markets in LA and getting featured in a lot of like publications and, and shows and things like that. So yeah, now.

Lee Kantor: That’s a dream of every entrepreneur. They start a business and they get picked up by the media and they get some, uh, you know, excitement built around the brand. Was that something that just was pure luck, or did you have contacts in the media business? You had experience in marketing? Like like, did that just happen, or was it something that you were able to leverage a network to help achieve?

Jessica Mortarotti: It was honestly, I think, you know, looking back, I realize how fortunate I was at that time that that all went off so well. And again, I think it had a lot to do with just what the brand was and the product we were doing and the timing of everything. But I didn’t have, um, I didn’t have contacts in the media. So it was really just like meeting people. Again, a lot of people just out at the markets or wherever and just kind of making connections. And, um, and just figuring it out. You know, I think when I opened my first location, the shop in Pasadena, I just basically had, like, hired an intern who worked for free, who sent out a I wrote my own press release and had her send out, like announcing the shop was open and this and that and and just sort of like, fake it till you make it a little bit.

Lee Kantor: And then, I mean, I’m just trying to get for an entrepreneur that’s listening. You don’t have to be an expert and you don’t have to be, you know, this mega influencer to be successful. You have to have a good product. I mean, if you didn’t have a good product, I can’t believe that this would have all happened the way that it happened. I mean, you you had a quality product and then you grinded. I mean, you were going to the shops at night just trying to make something happen. I mean, it’s a great success story. You should be super proud.

Jessica Mortarotti: Oh. Thank you. I mean, yeah, I agree, I think you have to have a good product and then you also have to have what I always call like fierce determination. Like you have to basically not have, you know, failure as an option because you do just pretty much have to grind. And I and I definitely did when I started Kamala, I was it was a full on thing. I mean, I had my I had my daughter. I, I had gave birth to my daughter, went home 12 hours later and was like hauling her around to the kitchen to, you know.

Lee Kantor: Time to make the ice cream.

Jessica Mortarotti: Right. This is not nothing stops for this, you know. So it just it takes kind of being a little psychotic and, like, just not being willing to, you know, compromise any energy on just moving forward. I think momentum for entrepreneurs when you’re starting a business is really, really important, um, to keep the momentum moving. However, however you can.

Lee Kantor: Now, it sounds like you also had a support system that people were kind of rooting for you and giving you kind of the bandwidth you needed to get that escape velocity. Um, no.

Jessica Mortarotti: Not so sure. I mean, most people thought I was crazy because they were like, why would you make an ice cream business? Because you don’t know what how to do that, you know, you don’t even know how to make ice.

Lee Kantor: So you were fighting that. So you.

Jessica Mortarotti: I was fighting all that too. Yeah.

Lee Kantor: Well, so. But you were determined. I mean, you didn’t have you. You believed in this so much, you were investing a lot of time, energy and resources in this. This wasn’t something that’s like, oh, I’ll give it a shot. And you, you try it one time and you’re like, oh, that didn’t work out. Like you were. You put all your cards on the table and you, you went kind of all in on this.

Jessica Mortarotti: Kind of all in. Yeah. And just basically a very strong vision. And, um, this is something I always tell people too. It’s like you just have if you have like a really, really clear vision of kind of your end goal of what you want to be creating and what you want to be doing, and then you just basically as you move forward, just keep asking yourself, like, is this step I’m taking right now getting me closer to that goal or not? And then just, you know, and then you just take one step at a time and keep keep moving along and figure it out as you go.

Lee Kantor: Now how did Son Love kind of pop up here? Was this something that happened at the same time or you had gotten stabilized? Carmella where it’s it’s successful. It’s doing what it needs to do. And then now let me do something a little different? Or was this an opportunity that bubbled up, like, how did this come about?

Jessica Mortarotti: Yeah. So like my actual my actual story is I had Carmella kind of kind of rolling at a certain point and then because again, like, I’m not I don’t see myself as only an ice cream person. I see myself more as an entrepreneur. I started as a second business based on an interest I had at the time in wellness, which was an infrared sauna studio called hotbox. And, um, I didn’t give you that information earlier because I don’t I’m not involved in it currently, but it was basically another business that I created from scratch and got got launched and then ended up, long story short, sort of getting purchased by a business partner. Um, but so that one was just based on, you know, my, my desire, you know, to like, you know, like wellness trends that I saw happening and things like that. And, um, so I created, like a franchise, uh, sauna studio business. Um, and then Son Love is actually about to launch. I haven’t quite started it yet. Um, it’s about to launch this spring, and it’s something I’ve been working on for probably very kind of on a part time basis for a couple of years now. Um, but it it’s a skincare business that sort of it’s sort of in, in more of that wellness vein like the other business I started.

Jessica Mortarotti: Um, so it’s just again, it’s kind of like based on personal interest, but I always look for, um, a niche within the market to kind of carve out, uh, something that’s a little more, a little bit more noteworthy, I guess. So in terms of Son Love, it’s a skincare brand. Um, that’s going to be a direct to consumer skincare brand, uh, that focuses on sun care. But it takes a different approach to sun care. It’s Its not a sunscreen brand, its more of like a holistic sun care brand, and I kind of was inspired off that because I live in Palm Springs part time and was in the sun a lot, and realizing there’s a lot more that goes into sun care than just putting on sunscreen. Um, and you want to, you know, take care of your skin in terms of like, hydration and like things you can do after you’re in the sun to kind of nurture your skin and things like that. And so, um, yeah, we’re working with, like a really cool ingredient that’s in all of our products. And, um, at the end of the day, it’s been a little similar to starting Carmela, I guess, because I, I’ve created, um, I’m creating formulations, which is kind of reminding me a bit of creating ice cream recipes.

Lee Kantor: And then this is something that you didn’t have a background in creating this. You’re learning it or you learned it or partnered with experts that knew this business.

Jessica Mortarotti: Yeah. Like same same thing. I don’t have a background in this at all and have had to learn along the way, which I guess is why it takes me a little bit of time to, to get it going because, you know, and I’m still running Carmella simultaneously right now as well. Um, so yeah. So I’ve had to kind of learn about the whole industry of skincare. And there’s actually we actually are doing a supplement component to the business too. So we’re so I had to learn about supplements and also topical skincare products and just everything about those industries. And um, yeah. So that’s kind of the part I like though. It’s it’s like the fun challenge of, of learning something new and, and getting something created and launched.

Lee Kantor: Right. Like you’re figuring out a puzzle.

Jessica Mortarotti: Yeah. Yeah. It’s kind of like the fun part. Now, I don’t really love the ongoing operations after that, but I like the beginning part.

Lee Kantor: Now.

Lee Kantor: How did the podcast come about? Is that is that are you kind of documenting your, uh, Your your journey.

Jessica Mortarotti: Yeah, exactly. So, um, it was an idea to like, I love entrepreneurs, I love talking to other entrepreneurs. I feel like they’re my people, you know? And, um, we I can relate, and I find it inspiring. And I think it’s also the best way you can really learn about, you know, starting a business is by just hearing somebody’s story about how they started. So the idea behind my podcast is, um, yes, it’s actually it’s in real time, sort of something where I document and talk about the process of starting Sunlove, um, which I think is pretty, pretty cool because I think a lot of times people keep things close to the chest, and I’m trying to be a little bit more just like open about the process and, um, share as I go, you know, the process of, of creating this business and getting it launched. And then but I co-host it with my brother and then we also interview other, you know, basically startup entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs who have started businesses and we interview them. So it’s a mix of that and talking about the story of of starting Sunlove.

Lee Kantor: Now, is Carmella is there franchising on the horizon for that, or is that something that is going to be what it is, uh, today?

Jessica Mortarotti: Uh, I am figuring that out right now. Carmella I originally started with my now ex, who when we sort of separated, I ended up having I ended up sort of retaining Carmella for myself. And so now, um, that’s been relatively recently. So now I’m just actually deciding what I want to do. And yeah, like figuring out how I would like to grow that business and, um, the best path for it at the moment. So, so I’m not really sure right now, actually, I’m kind of like it’s a little bit in a startup phase in a way, with, with that business, even though it’s been it’s been existing for a long time.

Lee Kantor: So if somebody wants to connect with you and learn more about Carmella or Sunlove or check out your podcast, what is the websites or coordinates for each of those?

Jessica Mortarotti: Yeah. So, um, yeah, my you can do like Instagram. Jessica mortara is my my name. Um, or you know Carmella. Carmella ice cream. Com uh sunlove is Sunlove skincare.com and story of a startup. Uh is I think it’s just story of a startup podcast. Com.

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

Jessica Mortarotti: I appreciate it I appreciate you taking the time to chat with me. Thank you so much.

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

Lizette Ibarra With Latina Chief | Diversity Executive Search

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South Florida Business Radio
South Florida Business Radio
Lizette Ibarra With Latina Chief | Diversity Executive Search
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DTLLogo-Blue-Bannerv2As the Founder and CEO of Latina Chief, Lizette Ibarra specialize in providing professional recruitment services for middle to senior-level management roles. Their mission is to transform leadership landscapes in North and Latin America, strategically emphasizing advancing Hispanic and Women Leaders.

Latina Chief is a pioneering force in Executive Search and Diversity-focused hiring. With over two decades of industry experience, she have successfully matched exceptional talents with high-impact roles across diverse industries, facilitating more inclusive decision-making within organizations.

In addition to her professional endeavors, she serve on several non-profit and for-profit boards that align with my purpose as a catalyzer for a more inclusive world. These board roles allow her to extend my impact, mainly focusing on the advancement of Women and Hispanics.

Her passion for tennis symbolizes my competitive spirit and commitment to strategic agility. She is unwavering in her  advocacy for women’s advancement and Hispanic/Latino inclusion in Corporate America.

She is open to meaningful collaborations and conversations that align with her vision for a more inclusive leadership landscape.

Connect with Lizette on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • About Latina Chief
  • Kinds of clients she have worked with

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in South Florida. It’s time for South Florida Business Radio.

Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, another episode of South Florida Business Radio, and this is going to be a good one. Today on the show, we have Lizette Ibarra, who is with Latina Chief Diversity Executive Search. Welcome.

Lizette Ibarra: Thank you Lee. I’m happy to be here. Thank you for having me.

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

Lizette Ibarra: Oh, of course. Well, we are an executive search firm. That means that we help organizations finding the talent they need in their leadership roles to be more successful. That’s the way I can sum it up. But we do have a focus on diversity. You know, it’s been proven time and time again that diverse leadership teams are more successful, are more innovative, are more productive. So we make sure that in our processes we cast the net wider and or that our talent pools are, you know, inclusive of, you know, race, gender and so that the client gets the best candidates out there, you know, to do the job, but also bringing diversity of thought to the organization. So that is what we do at Latina. Chief.

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

Lizette Ibarra: It’s it’s funny, you know, I’ve been involved in talent acquisition in some shape or form ever since I started my professional journey. I’ve been working for 30 plus years. My first 12 years were in corporate. I was born and raised in Mexico, and when I graduated, I started working for Eastman Kodak. When Eastman Kodak was like the Apple of nowadays, and I was in charge of leading the talent acquisition strategies for Mexico and Latin America. And then I worked for another world renowned organization, also in talent acquisition. And then about ten, 12 years in, I became a mom. So I decided to take a career break from corporate because, you know, it was very difficult to to deal with corporate and motherhood. So that’s how I became an entrepreneur. So instead of going back to corporate, I decided to start my own executive search practice. Given all that I knew already about what what organizations were looking for in the talent market, and that’s how I landed in this business. So, so 15 years in, I’m still up and running.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you made that switch from corporate to being an entrepreneur, what led you to lean into this diversity?

Lizette Ibarra: Well, actually, the diversity space I leaned into this four years ago when I started my search company. It wasn’t specific to the diversity space, but what I did do was I hired women to my company that, like me, had to step out of corporate to become moms for 1 or 2 years, and then they weren’t finding a path back to corporate. So that was very personal to me. So I brought a lot of these women to my organization. I taught them the search business, and together we built one of the fastest growing boutique search firms in Mexico. And then I moved to the States 11 years ago. And when I started realizing the powerhouse that Latinos are to the US economy and how underrepresented we are in corporate, that’s where I decided to shift my practice and making sure that corporations understand the power of diverse leadership teams.

Lee Kantor: Now, in the corporations you work with. Do you have a niche or is it kind of industry agnostic?

Lizette Ibarra: It’s industry agnostic, but a lot of we have a focus more on functional roles. We do a lot of searches within the HR, finance and supply chain space. That’s that’s our comfort zone. But in either process that we’re undertaking, we make sure the candidate pool is diverse. That’s what makes us different from a lot of the search firms out there.

Lee Kantor: Now, what does it look like when a client contacts you? What kind of, um, challenges are they facing where it’s it’s a good idea to call Lisette and her team. Okay.

Lizette Ibarra: Yeah. So, um, we are called when the company already conducted the search and they couldn’t find the right candidate for the role. Uh, or either this is a confidential search. Sometimes it happens, like, let’s say the CFO. They have to make changes there, and they you know, this is a critical, sensitive process for the organization. So they need confidentiality in that process. That’s where, you know, companies bring us to the table and also for very specific strategic searches, you know, searches that require a lot of technical expertise or a combination of industry backgrounds, those sort of aspects that are not easily find on LinkedIn or databases. That’s where we are brought to the table. So basically strategic searches, not easy to find candidates that that’s where we come in.

Lee Kantor: Now. Do you have any advice for the candidate. How what could they be doing today that will help them be found by you and your team tomorrow?

Lizette Ibarra: Yeah, that’s that’s a great question. You know, I believe that a lot of the candidates, especially the ones that are being successful out there right now, uh, let’s say you’re working at a corporation for seven, ten, 12 years. You’re successful. You don’t have the need to go to go out there to network. And all of a sudden you lose your job. Right. So networking is key at every point of your career, not only when you’re unemployed or not only when you are seeking your next big role. And that is something that I see a lot of the times, especially with folks that are more seasoned in their career 15, 20 years into their into their professional journey. Um, they want to make a change and they haven’t built a network where they can rely on, you know, building those relationships, uh, like true, honest relationships from the ground up, uh, to, to be able to build these bridges to their next step of their career. And also, I believe a lot of people want to have a more personal touch in, in, in their quest when they’re seeking, um, again, a transition, a new role. Because nowadays everything is, you know, so automatic. With LinkedIn and AI, uh, candidates get very frustrated that they’re not able to speak to a human being. And that’s where we come to the play. You know, as a boutique search firm, what we do is very personal, because even though you you see a resume and you can see, uh, you know, people with similar backgrounds, every story is different and every candidate brings something different to the table. So again, what I would say is network, network, network early on in your career, build meaningful relationships early on.

Lee Kantor: And is there any tactics you would use to build those relationships? Is it as simple as just, you know, getting mentored by somebody or reaching out to a thought leader in your space and building a relationship? Like, how would you go about kind of building and enhancing your network.

Lizette Ibarra: Of course it’s it’s a combination, as you very well are, you know, are you finding mentors is is key to your career, but also getting out there to your community. That’s a great way to connect. Like find something that you’re really passionate about, what inspires you and connecting your community, whether it’s that, like in my case, I’m very connected with the Hispanic community. So I connect to the chambers of commerce. I volunteer for their, uh, for their community work, and I’ve met incredible people along the way, and I’ve made incredible businesses along the way because you’re building the relationship from a from outside of an interest, if you know what I’m saying. And also, um, participating in, in industry conferences, just, you know, getting out there, what is being said? What are the people that are out there in your industry? What is happening? And LinkedIn is also a fantastic tool to network. I believe there’s still this misconception that LinkedIn is to look for a new job, and that is not the case. Um, when you’re on LinkedIn and when you invest 1 or 2 hours a week on LinkedIn, you know, saying, you know what other people in your industry are saying, connecting, commenting, posting, you know, what do you think about the trends in your industry? Those are great ways to connect and to network early on, and also find ways to give back to your community. Networking. It’s not about what you can get, it’s what you can give so that you can receive in return. So it has to be both ways.

Lee Kantor: And that’s great advice for young people, especially, um, when you join an organization or you are part of a trade group, don’t just sign up to be a member. You got to kind of volunteer and you got to you have to do some of the work. You don’t just sign up and then get a result. You have to kind of lean into there and do the work to demonstrate you are a leader.

Lizette Ibarra: Exactly, exactly. Get involved. Get involved. Not only participating, but giving. Always think what you can give to that group, what you can give to the organization. And you know, nowadays a lot of organizations have their ERG groups. So you can find a lot of groups and within your organization to connect. And eventually those people are going to probably leave to other organizations. And you have built that relationship already. So yes, it’s get involved and do not think of networking, of just of receiving, of what you can get in return, but what you can give so that you can eventually collect that relationship.

Lee Kantor: Now, earlier you used the word transitions. That’s also the name of your new book. Can you talk a little bit about the book and what we can learn from it.

Lizette Ibarra: Of course.

Lizette Ibarra: Well, translations is very close to my heart. That’s going to come out in the first quarter of next year. And um, transitions is, you know, during my professional journey as an executive recruiter, I’ve seen so many people go through difficult transitions in their lives, whether that’s, uh, getting a promotion too early and not being able to fulfill their expectations or losing a job, you know, after unexpectedly, you’ve been in a company 15, 18 years and all of a sudden you’re let go or, um, transitioning through motherhood early in your career. You know, those are huge adjustments in every, every person’s life. And they’re not easy to, to go through. So changes changes are external events, situations that happen and often they alter the status quo. While transitions is the internal psychological and emotional process that people go through in response to those changes. So the true power is, you know, when going through a transition is that you can recognize that changes might be outside of your control. You have the ability to shape your transition. And the journey can lead to growth, resilience and a deeper, more authentic version of ourselves. So what is that is what I’m trying to transmit in transitions, but very specific to professional transitions.

Lee Kantor: And to really understand the things you can control and the things that maybe are out of your control.

Lizette Ibarra: Yes.

Lizette Ibarra: Um, yeah. So let’s say, um, you talk about the different scenarios that you can go through.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. I’m just trying to, you know, give the reader a sense of what they can take away from reading the book, because transitions are going to happen in everybody’s life, and some things are out of your hands and some things you do have some control over.

Lizette Ibarra: Exactly. So the things that you have the control over is what happens internally to you. And, you know, when people go through transitions, almost inevitably when there are difficult transitions to go through, you think you’re alone and you’re the only person going through that transition. So that is the first realization that you have to be aware of that you’re not the first, you’re not the last, and you’re not the only one. And that’s some sort of a of a reassurance in your life. And then you, you know, during the book and reading through the stories and the anecdotes of that other people have gone through, um, you start to gain some control and some certainty that after that transition you will become a different version of yourself. And oftentimes that version of yourself is going to be a more authentic and more wise version of yourself. So that’s that’s what it’s important to. When you’re going through a transition, you recognize that you’re going to be in a different space but a better space after that transition.

Lee Kantor: Now, can you share a story maybe that illustrates what it’s like to work with you and your team? Is there a story you can share? Maybe. Maybe, um, share. Don’t name the name of the company, but maybe share what they came to you with, what challenge and how you were able to help them identify the right person and help them kind of get their organization to a new level.

Lizette Ibarra: Of course.

Lizette Ibarra: So very recently we helped this organization in the real estate space. This is a very successful Organization. And but they had this challenge. So all the knowledge of the organization was in individuals. They didn’t have this automated system to transfer that knowledge to the rest of the organization. So every time a new person comes to the organization, they relied on the leadership team to train to do the actual training to these new folks. So they wanted to hire someone that was able to build the to democratize that knowledge and to build and to bring in the technology and the resources to be able to expand that that knowledge throughout the organization. And that was a very challenging search, because this is not a role that you typically find, um, in the market. So we had to search for different skills, different, um, backgrounds in people. Then we were able to find, The company just interviewed two candidates and they said, these people, where did you find these people? Like, this is the combination of expertise that people bring to the table is just fantastic for the role. So that is that is one very recent experience that that we have with one of our clients.

Lee Kantor: Now, if somebody wants to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on the team or even kind of get on the waitlist for the book, what is the website? What is the best way to connect with you in the team?

Lizette Ibarra: Of course you can reach out to me. You can either my company website, which is latina.com, or you can reach out to me on my personal website. It’s lizette.com, and in there our folks can also find resources, free resources to go through their transitions, their career journey. Because as a part of the work that I do, which is recruitment of leadership roles, I become a career strategist. I’ve advised so many people about, you know, when to move and what not to move, how to negotiate. And, um, this transition, this, this knowledge that came through this to becoming a career strategy is available to these, uh, folks for free, uh, on my website. So it’s listed.com. It’s another way to reach out to us. Linkedin. I’m super active on LinkedIn. You can find me there. You can direct me, direct message me on LinkedIn as well.

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

Lizette Ibarra: Thank you so much, Lee. Thank you for having me and looking forward to staying connected.

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

Maggie Ishak With Focal Point Coaching

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Atlanta Business Radio
Atlanta Business Radio
Maggie Ishak With Focal Point Coaching
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Maggie Ishak is a Certified Focal Point Business and Executive Coach and a Certified Trust Edge Partner. She educates and empowers her clients to reach their professional and personal goals: to grow their businesses, to engage their teams, to manage their time, and to maintain a healthy work/life balance.

Before launching her business coaching practice, she enjoyed a 28-year corporate career at Michelin North America, holding senior leadership roles including VP of Supply Chain, VP of Operations and Director of Customer Experience.

She left a lasting impact not only on the business results but also on the teams she coached and managed and the customers she served. She has a BS Chemical Engineering from MIT and an MBA from Wake Forest University.

Maggie lives in the Atlanta area with her husband and three teenage sons.

Connect with Maggie on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • About Focal Point and how she serve her clients

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, Kennesaw State University’s Executive MBA program. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on the Atlanta Business Radio, we have Maggie Ishak and she is with Focal Point Coaching. Welcome.

Maggie Ishak: I late? It’s great to be here.

Lee Kantor: I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about your focal point coaching practice.

Maggie Ishak: Sure. So my coaching practice is almost a year old, so I’m really excited about that. I maybe I’ll take a step back and tell you how I got here. I started my career as an engineer, spent 28 years in the corporate world, and realized what I enjoyed doing was actually coaching my teams. When I look back on those 28 years, I don’t necessarily remember the business results. I remember the people and the careers that I was, the trajectories that I was able to change. And so that’s when I realized that that’s really where I need to be spending my time. So today I have my own solopreneur coaching practice, and with that I work with two primary groups of clients. One is female business owners. They might be solopreneurs like myself, or maybe they founded a business and they’re trying to grow it, or they’re trying to be more efficient with it. But I’ve also found that I’ve had good success working with teams very similar to the ones that I managed in my corporate life. And so I’ve been able to work with both of those groups and really enjoy that.

Lee Kantor: Now, in your career prior to coaching, were you working for a large enterprise level firms or were you working for kind of entrepreneurial organizations?

Maggie Ishak: So the majority of the time I was working with a very large enterprise company that was based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I spent my time in a supply chain and operations and basically grew into senior management roles there. Towards the end of my time there, I had the opportunity to work at a much smaller company that this larger company had purchased. So I spent time working in an environment that was much more entrepreneurial, a little more kind of let’s just figure it out as we go along. And so I’ve had experience working in both kinds of environments, the structured enterprise environment, as well as the smaller, more entrepreneurial environment.

Lee Kantor: Now, when it came time to kind of launching your own coaching career. Why did you choose Focal Point rather than just say, you know, I’m going to be Maggie Coaching Inc. and I’m just going to figure it out that way.

Maggie Ishak: Awesome. Yeah. Awesome question. So I did a lot of research and I talked to a lot of people, and I met several coaches who were already working with Focal Point. And one of the things that really stood out to me about Focal Point was the sense of community that they offered, even though I was going to be on my own and have my own business, I had a whole network of other coaches that I could lean on. As part of that, I went through a process with them to get certified and trained. I was part of a training cohort of 13, so I had 12 other colleagues that I went through training with, and I still keep up with them. And they’re almost like, you know, my little business family, um, we kind of went through that training program together, so we bonded over that. Um, another thing that focal point offered was the ability to have a mentor coach. So, you know, one thing I tell my clients is even as a coach, I have a coach. And so they provided that as part of their program. And I’ve got access to this whole suite and library of materials that I can use with my clients. I can take it off the shelf, I can use it as is. I can customize it. Um, and that’s typically what I do, is I take that content and customize it to meet, meet my clients needs.

Lee Kantor: So when you were deciding when you were at that point in your career where you’re going to, you know, change directions a little bit here, there was a was there a period where you were like, okay, I can do this on my own, but I’m going to do my due diligence and research. And then you found Focal Point, and then you really became enamored with their processes and systems and then decided to go that way. Or were you always kind of going, okay, I’m going to find somebody that has already been there and done that so I can kind of work with them.

Maggie Ishak: It was the former. Um, I spent about six months doing research, and in fact, I probably drove them crazy because I took so long. Um, but I did do quite a bit of due diligence and, and then it took me a while to even pull the trigger. Um, it almost feels. And I think anybody that starts a business feels like this. It’s like you’re standing on the side of a cliff looking down, and you think there’s a net down there and you think you’re going to jump, but then you’re like, okay, is there really a net? How is this going to work? Um, so it did take me quite a bit of time to make that decision. But once I lined up with Focalpoint and did that research, then it became clear to me that this was the way to go.

Lee Kantor: Um, I’m sorry to belabor this, but I think this is important for a lot of people that are in that same spot as you are, where you have obviously the knowledge and expertise to do the work, and you don’t really need, um, help in that area. But a sense of community was an important component of the decision, it sounds like.

Maggie Ishak: Absolutely. Having been in that corporate environment for almost 30 years, I was used to having people around me, and the thought of doing this 100% of my own really scared me. And I think a lot of solopreneurs probably get cold feet because of that. And so launching this business with Focal Point gave me the best of both worlds. It gave me an, you know, a place where I could kind of go pursue my entrepreneurial bug and go have my own business and work for myself. But yet I still had that community behind me. And, you know, one of the nice benefits of Focal Point is if you have a question about something, you literally can call up any coach and they will spend time with you. Um, I’ve talked to dozens of other focal point coaches and everybody is always willing to help. Everyone is willing to lend a hand. And and the sense of community is such that none of us are competing against each other. Um, there’s enough business out there for all of us. And so we kind of take the approach of all boats rise with the tide.

Lee Kantor: Now, how did you kind of land on your niche and or the two niches that you serve the teams and the women owned businesses? Was that something by design as you were going through the training, or was that something just in your heart that you were like, okay, these are the groups of people that I want to serve.

Maggie Ishak: So I’m going to say a little bit of both and I’ll share that. So I knew when I started this business that I wanted to focus on women. Um, just because having been a female in the corporate world, I oftentimes was the only lady in the room. Um, and it was tough. And I also realized that over that time, I may not have managed my time very well. I had periods where I was like, okay, I’m just about ready to throw in the towel. I saw many other women through the course of my career kind of give up on their professional goals. Um, or they became burned out. And as I started networking in the community, I met lots of other fantastic female business owners, and many of them were really strong and really capable, but just needed a little bit of help to kind of move things along. And so that’s that’s a real passion of mine, um, to work with and support and empower other women. The team piece, I will tell you, almost came a bit accidentally. Um, as I was out there networking, I had a couple of opportunities come my way and I realized I enjoyed that, and it kind of brought me back to when I was with my teams in the corporate world. So that’s where I’m spending the the focus of my time is between those two areas. But but it kind of came the female piece of it came very deliberately. The team piece came organically.

Lee Kantor: Now, can you kind of talk us through what it’s like to work with you? What is like, say, I am I have a woman owned business and I am what am I struggling with where it’s probably a good idea to contact Maggie. What are my frustrations? What, like how does a relationship begin?

Maggie Ishak: Fantastic question. So, um, typically I’m going to I’m going to break it up into kind of four areas time, team, money and strategy. So what somebody might say is something like, oh my gosh, I’m working 70 80 hours a week. I don’t have time to do Fill in the blank. I don’t have time to go to my kid’s soccer games or baseball games or whatever. Or I can’t take a vacation. So there might be something around where they’re spending their time. When it comes to team, it might look like I can’t seem to hire the right people. I can’t get them on board. They don’t seem to understand my vision. Money. It could be okay. I’m growing my revenue. My profits don’t seem to be growing. I can’t seem to get any growth with my business. Um. Or strategy? Uh, I set goals. Can’t seem to achieve them. My to do list is way too long. I can’t prioritize effectively. Um, so those are the kinds of things somebody might say that would then trigger, hey, you might want to call Maggie. She could help you. So then once I have an initial contact with somebody, my first meeting with them is typically 20 minutes. It’s typically just a discovery conversation. Tell me about your business. Um, and I like to ask the question, Lee, to open the conversation of if you could change one thing about your business, what would that be? So if you had a magic wand, what would you. What would you fix change, solve? And that typically gets the conversation going where I can understand like what is the most painful challenge that they have.

Maggie Ishak: And then I’ll ask a few more questions and try to basically confirm that what I bring to the table can help solve their their challenge. But I’m also looking to them to see do they have a willingness to change? They have a willingness to listen, um, and to maybe take somebody else’s perspective into consideration as they approach their business. If that’s all positive, what I will then do is schedule something called a strategic business review with them. I have a document that I send them to ask them to think strategically about their business, asking them questions like what are their strengths? What do they struggle? Um, what are their top three business priorities? It’s a couple of pages and it may take them, you know, 15, 20 minutes to fill that out. And then I use that for the next conversation, which is typically about an hour, um, hour, an hour and 15 where I really dig deep into their business. And it’s in that conversation that I try to bring some value to them, and I try to provide some insight into what it’s like to work with me. I do ask a lot of questions. I’m going to ask you to be introspective about your business, but I’m also going to challenge you to think through some things. And so typically in that first conversation, that second conversation, the PSBR, um, most clients will start to get a sense of the value they can get in working with me.

Maggie Ishak: Then at that point, we will then decide what program is best for them. So could it be one on one coaching? So this is very individualized, very personal and tailored to them. And we typically with clients like that, I meet with them once a week for about an hour. Or is a group coaching program more aligned with their needs? I have a couple of flavors of group coaching programs. One of them is kind of like a boot camp type program, where it’s eight sessions over about 12 to 14 weeks, where we go soup to nuts from the beginning and end up coming out of it with a strategic plan, a dashboard to be able to measure progress on their business sales plan and a marketing plan. Um, or if something like an assessment may solve their needs. So I use things like Disc assessments which assess communication styles and behavioral strengths. And in some cases, if it’s a team or maybe an organization that’s got a number of people working there, sometimes starting off with the Disc assessment works really, really well. They can understand their team strengths and behavioral styles and use that to drive an action plan. So typically those are the entry points in terms of how I start working with clients. But I do tailor and customize the program based on what the client needs.

Lee Kantor: Now when you’re in coaching, you know, obviously aligning your superpowers with their needs creates that ideal client fit. Is there anything that’s kind of a red flag where you’re like, you know what, this isn’t the type of, uh, client for me. I’m going to have to pass, and I recommend you go somewhere else, because it’s important to be able to be clear on your yeses, but also be clear on your nose.

Maggie Ishak: Absolutely. That is, uh, very, very important. So, um, I’ll maybe use a couple of examples. So in in one kind of scenario, the person may not be open to change, and they may not be open to being introspective about their business. I had somebody tell me once, um, I’ve tried goal setting. It doesn’t work. So I’m not going to do that again. I said, okay, uh, so that that likely would not be a client. That’s a good fit. Um, the other thing that may come up is if clients are bringing things to me that are really outside of my lane, and in those cases, I will refer them to another coach that I know. So for example, if somebody is really struggling with things that are, um, like all mindset based, I do do some mindset work, but I’ve got some great partners that that’s all they do. And if I think the business itself is sound, but but it’s a mindset question that I’ll refer them to one of my partners, that that’s all they focus on. So those first two conversations that I mentioned, the 20 minute and then the one hour strategic business review, that’s where we get to the bottom of that, and that’s where I can assess. Are they even a fit for coaching to begin with and or does it align with my strengths in terms of, um, really focusing on, on the operations of their business, the leadership of their business, the team aspect of their business?

Lee Kantor: Is there a story you can share that maybe illustrates how you work with somebody, maybe their problem they came to you with and how you were able to get them to a new level. Now, obviously don’t name the name of the client. Yeah, but just the problem in the solution.

Maggie Ishak: Sure, sure. I can give you a couple of examples. And these are both relatively recent. Um, I was working with a client, and one of the exercises that I do with them is to understand who is their target client. Who are they really serving? Some people know that really well, and some people really struggle and need to, you know, we spend a lot of time kind of talking through who is your target client. And one of the exercises that I do with that is something called the good, the bad and the ugly. Um, and don’t worry, doesn’t have anything to do with the movie. Uh, it’s just a little moniker that we use. Um, and the idea is to understand who’s your best client, best client or clients? What are the attributes about them that make them a good client for you? And then who would you call a client? You know, somebody that maybe you prefer not to work with at all? Um, maybe they’re not as profitable for you. Maybe they just take a lot of energy from you. And then the ugly ones, the ugly ones likely make you money, but maybe there are a lot more time consuming. And so I was going through this with a client, um, not too long ago, and she was actually pretty specific about describing her good client.

Maggie Ishak: And we went through and described all the attributes of her good client, and then she talked about her, her bad ones. And then in that same conversation, we were talking about where their marketing funds were going and what kind of activities they were spending their marketing money on. And, and I asked her just a very simple question, what kind of client are you getting from this particular marketing activity? And she literally just froze. She looked at me and she said, oh my gosh, that’s going to get us more of our bad clients. And so it was in that conversation made her realize that their marketing activities need to be aligned with attracting more of their good clients, which tend to be profitable, easier to work with than their bad clients. So that’s one example. Um, another example, and this is also pretty recent. Um, when I start working with clients, one of the first things that I do is conduct a risk assessment, which, um, disc is around understanding communication style and behavioral strengths. And there are four primary disc styles. Generally each person is strongest in one, maybe two. And what most people tend to do is address the rest of the world as if they were just like them, which is obviously not the case.

Maggie Ishak: And so this one particular client was very proud of telling me he’s like, oh, I fire clients. And I tell people, you know, as I’m having a discovery call with them, we’re not we’re not the place for you. And as I dug into this conversation with him, what became really apparent was he was discounting clients that just weren’t like him from a disc perspective. So his disc approach was to be very fast paced and make quick decisions. And not everybody’s like that. And so he also had one of these aha moments of, oh my gosh, I probably just need to be a little more patient with some of these other clients, as opposed to automatically thinking they’re not going to be good clients because they don’t make decisions as quickly as he does. And so those are kind of just maybe two examples of, of, of recent interactions where those clients came away with some, some pretty strong value in terms of understanding what they’re doing and, and how just very small tweaks, they can either drive more revenue, spend their marketing funds more effectively, or be able to work with a broader range of clients and perhaps grow their business even more quickly.

Lee Kantor: Now, before we wrap up, is there any advice you can share right now? Maybe a person’s not ready for coaching right now, but there’s some things that they can do that are actionable. Um, you know, some low hanging fruit that anybody could kind of at least explore a little bit right now.

Maggie Ishak: Yeah. That’s a that’s a great, uh, that’s a great question. Um, for me, for anybody that’s open to coaching, they are open to learning. And there’s a lot of places that we can gain education from. It could be a podcast, it could be a book. Um, it could be doing one of these assessments and then just reading the report and reflecting on that. Um, so I do have clients like that. I may recommend some podcasts or some books to them just to get their brain going. And then at the end of that, you know, maybe a couple of months later that they come back and say, okay, now I get that, now I understand this, and now I’m ready to to dive into a little more detail.

Lee Kantor: And now, is there a place for someone to go if they want to learn more and connect with you? Um, have a more substantive conversation. Do you have a website or is it social media or LinkedIn? What’s the best way to connect?

Maggie Ishak: A little bit of both. So I am on LinkedIn pretty easy to find. So Maggie Isaac is h a k. And so I’ve got um, some things on LinkedIn where somebody can see what it’s like to work with me. I do have a website as well. It’s Maggie Isaac, Dot Focalpoint Coaching.com. That link is also found on my LinkedIn profile. Um, also on both of those places is a link to book a discovery call. So if somebody is just curious about coaching, wanting to have just a very introductory no obligation phone call, you can find links on both my LinkedIn profile and on my website to book a discovery call.

Lee Kantor: And that’s Maggie e I s h a k correct. Well, Maggie, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Maggie Ishak: Lee, thank you so much for having me. It’s been a pleasure.

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

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