Vicky Bates with Maid in America, Anna Bostwick and Liz Cicerchia with ESP

Intro: [00:00:07] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta. It’s time for Charitable Georgia. Brought to you by B’s Charitable Pursuits and resources. We put the fun in fundraising. For more information, go to B’s Charitable Pursuits dot com. That’s B’s Charitable Pursuits dot com. Now here’s your host, Brian Pruett.

Brian Pruett: [00:00:45] Good fabulous Friday. It’s another fabulous Friday morning and we’ve got three more fabulous guests. Uh, and it’s been a crazy week of weather. It’s warmer than day today, the last several days, and it’s going to get even colder tomorrow. So I hope everybody’s got their Eskimo jackets ready, some hot chocolate and movies ready for tomorrow because it’s going to be really, really cold. Uh, if this is the first time listening to Charitable Georgia, this all about positive things happening in the community. And as I mentioned, we’ve got three fabulous guests this morning. And my first guest is going to be Vicky Bates from Made in America. So Vicky, welcome this morning.

Vicky Bates: [00:01:15] Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Brian Pruett: [00:01:16] So, uh, you and I have met, uh, actually, just, what, a couple months ago. Networking. And, uh, you’ve got a pretty incredible story of overcoming and over achieving, I guess. And also, uh, overcoming adversity. You’ve, uh, had breast cancer. Uh, you just had hip surgery. You’re already walking around from hip surgery. So that’s pretty awesome. So if you don’t mind, share a little bit about your background. Then we’ll talk about what your, uh, how you got into what you’re doing.

Vicky Bates: [00:01:39] Okay. My background. Well, you know, Brian, I’m a little older than you, so my background is more extensive. Where do you want me to start? So background, I guess. You mean, like, with my business. So, um, my cleaning business came when I was about 30 years old, and. Oh, I just told my age, because now, you know, I’ve been in business for blah, blah so many years. But anyway, um, just as a stay at home mom, and then, um, my daughter’s dad lost his job, and, um, and then I just had parents, friends that started asking me to clean for them. And I have a home ec degree, so that’s kind of my background. And, um, so that’s where Made in America started. And within about a year, I started hiring people and, you know, just enlarging the company, duplicating myself. And, um, so fast forward 28 years, um, Maid in America has been in business. Oh, gosh. I feel dirty saying that because that is what they say as old as dirt. But, um, and so that’s a little bit about how Maid in America started. Um, God’s really blessed my company ever since then. And, um, really thankful for a lot of things that have happened since I started. Um, so.

Brian Pruett: [00:02:56] Well, if you don’t mind, can you talk a little bit about your experience of going through the breast cancer and surviving? And so can you give some people listening? Might need some hope to hear about what? Yeah.

Vicky Bates: [00:03:03] And I hope they hear this because, um, my breast cancer journey started, um, nine years ago. So next year I’ll be celebrating my 10th year. Awesome. And I’m getting my first tattoo. Oh, awesome. Yeah. Very tiny. My husband’s going to hate me, but, um, so I was diagnosed nine years ago in March, and, um, it’s what’s called ductal cell in carcinoma. Um, that’s actually the best breast cancer to have. Um, um, it’s the same breast cancer Suzanne Sommer had originally. And of course, she died later from a more aggressive breast cancer. And so, um, so when my journey started, um, it’s a little different. I had, um, my doctors that, um. Well, I need to back up. My girlfriend, who had told me about Suzanne Somers, had also had the same breast cancer I had. So, um, she told me, Vicky, I want you to read two of Suzanne Somers books before you go and do any aggressive, um, um, you know, measures that your doctors are wanting you to take and, you know, which would be chemo and radiation. Um, and so I did. And my husband is a professor at Kennesaw State University. And his background is, um, you know, a lot in the health industry, does a lot of research. So he understands how to interpret, um, you know, research and all the lingo that goes with it. So we did a little research and found out that I was at a low risk for reoccurrence.

Vicky Bates: [00:04:37] And so I opted not to do the chemo and the radiation. And I also opted not to take a really nasty drug called tamoxifen. And I’m not saying that those are inappropriate measures. It just it wasn’t my journey to do that. So I took a more, um, natural approach. Um, of course they took the tumor out. Um, the first time they thought they had gotten all the margins clear and they weren’t quite sure about one margin. So they went in, um, and took out just a little bit more. And so that’s all I did. And, um. I probably shouldn’t say this, but I don’t do, um, mammograms anymore either, just because there’s so much radiation way less now than there was then. So I’m not saying I won’t ever do one, but, um, but I do thermography and sonograms and regular checks, and I see my breast specialists every year. And so they’re just they’re happy with everything. And so it means changing your diet a lot. Um, so I did a lot of that. And, um, um, sugar is probably the biggest get off your list in your body kind of, um, thing you need to. And so I so I really watched my, um, sugar and some other things in my diet and exercise is just, just extremely, extremely helpful. And so since I’m married to an exercise physiologist, he will back that up.

Vicky Bates: [00:06:05] And so I was already exercising a lot, playing tennis, going to the gym and all those things. Um, unfortunately, right now I’m not going to the gym and exercising because I did have a hip replacement. And, um, that was exactly three weeks ago. And so, yeah, I’m, um, not using a cane or a walker. Well, you start out with a walker and then a cane, but, um, so I feel pretty blessed there. I got to be a little careful. She’s the bionic woman now. Well, in one part of my body, I hope to not see any more bionic parts. Um, and so. But once I started my breast cancer, um, journey, um, because I did have to change and modify a few things, I found out about a nonprofit organization called cleaning for a reason. Um, and so they’re based out of Texas. Um, and then I found out, well, a little bit about them and thought, well, you know, I own a cleaning business. And what do they do? They partner cleaning businesses all over the world or not. The world, the country and, um, some other countries, um, to provide free cleanings to families who have a member that might be going through, um, cancer treatment. And so I’m like, well, I’m just so going to do this. And part of my decision also, um.

Speaker4: [00:07:24] All right, I have.

Brian Pruett: [00:07:25] Well, I had cleaner. I don’t have a tissue.

Vicky Bates: [00:07:27] I’m going to get through this.

Brian Pruett: [00:07:29] Figures. Every time I don’t have a tissue, somebody cries and I have a tissue. Nobody cries. So, Kevin, I got somebody to cry. But there’s a joke there, so we’ll. We’ll talk about it.

Vicky Bates: [00:07:36] No, but I had a little nephew that passed away eight years of age, um, from brain cancer. And so we watched that journey for two years. Um, and so he’s my little hero. He’s one of the reasons why I also opted to be a partner with. Thank you. Brian. There’s my tissue. Well, who cares if my mascara runs? That’s right. You’ve seen it before.

Brian Pruett: [00:08:01] Nobody’s watching. They’re just listening.

Vicky Bates: [00:08:04] But anyway, those are good tears. And so he’s he’s in heaven. And, um, so he was, um, a lot of the reason why I decided because I, um, was able to help my brother and his wife a little bit with their house cleaning by sending some help when he was going through that journey. So, um, so we have been providing, you know, those services for about, um, seven years now because it was a couple of years later that I found out about them when I, um, first was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Brian Pruett: [00:08:37] So, so could you, uh, somebody might be listening again. You don’t know who. Never know who’s listening, who might be going through this kind of the same journey. Could you just give somebody some some advice on, you know, uh, just a little bit of glimpse of I mean, you’ve already talked about a little glimpse of hope, just kind of what to do and maybe who to. I’m sure people talking to and reaching out is something to do, but what what can you give some advice on?

Vicky Bates: [00:08:58] So I guess more specifically, when you find out you’ve been diagnosed with an illness, I always recommend that you listen to your doctors, of course, but to also do your homework and do your research and find out what some other options might be. How can you get healthier for some of the treatment coming up? I mean, I have a good friend, Susan Guthrie, that, um, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind me. Sharon had a double mastectomy recently, and it runs in her family. That was a very aggressive form of breast cancer. She had to do what she had to do. Mine was not aggressive. Mine was the best kind to have. But I had to pay attention. And I was glad I didn’t go through the chemo and the radiation because that’s really, really harsh on your body. Um, but I just recommend that, um, that’s a good time to really, um, to really deepen your prayer life, um, and find out who your support system is. Um, surround yourself with others that can give you some of their experience and advice. So I did that with my friend Sue Madison, who was an exercise, um, instructor at the Y. Um, over in Kennesaw. Kennesaw at cornerstone. And, um, and then, of course, I read some information she recommended, which was Suzanne Somers, like I said before. So I just did a lot of reading and so recommend, man, just when you find out what that diagnosis was, do your research all about it and find out what others have done. Find out what your options are.

Brian Pruett: [00:10:30] And I think the support system is huge because a lot of people, uh, I know some folks who just want to curl up in the corner and shut everybody out, and that’s not not what you should do. So reach out to some folks. And I mean, we’re all community. We’re here together, help support each other. So, um, so, by the way, I don’t know if I’ve told you this, but go owls. I’m an alumni from KSU, and I actually spent some time working in the, uh, office where the sports. Exercise physiologist professors are. So how long has your husband been there?

Vicky Bates: [00:10:58] Gosh, he’s been there about 15 years. It’s the nursing college. It’s in the nursing college building.

Brian Pruett: [00:11:03] Yeah. So when I was there, it was actually in where the gym is. So they moved. So, um. All right, so I had mentioned that you and I met, uh, doing some networking. So that’s one of the things we talk about on here is networking. And, um, I’ve been networking Atlanta now for about 30 years. And there’s, there’s always some bad things, but there’s more good things if you do it right. Uh, you got a positive story you can share about networking?

Vicky Bates: [00:11:26] Oh, absolutely. Um, I think a lot of people go into networking thinking what they’re going to get out of it, and about how many business cards they’re going to hand out. And I’ve learned it’s really not about you. I mean, in a roundabout way, what goes around comes around. That’s true. So what can you give to that networking group? What can you provide and how can you help others in that group? Um, I think so many people that are in networking, um, oftentimes are new in their, um, their job or the company they’re representing or their business. And so oftentimes they’re a little awkward when they go into a group. So sometimes I’ll look in that room for someone that looks like they’re just alone. And I’ll go up and speak with them. I always highly recommend look for that person that’s trying to hold up that corner of the two walls over there and introduce yourself, and instead of giving your card out, ask for theirs. Find out a little bit, a little bit about them. And you can always, um, text or email and share information about your company, your business, or how you can help later. I really think in the moment it’s about it’s about others.

Brian Pruett: [00:12:38] And so I hope other people are listening because we I talk about that all the time. Don’t go in and try to sell something because it’s you’re not going to do it. You got to learn about the other person, take interest in them. And as you said, what goes around comes around. So, um, you’ve been generous when you first met to donate something for a prize at one of my trivia shows last, actually, it was in October. Mhm. Um, and then since then you’ve actually jumped on board to be one of my deluxe sponsors for the trivia for the, for this year. So first of all, thank you for doing that. Um, but I wanted to ask you, other than the fact that, uh, you’ve gone through your journey with breast cancer and stuff like that and you had the, the support around you, but why is it important for you to be part of the community.

Vicky Bates: [00:13:17] Um, part of the community, because we’re not meant to live on an island by ourselves. Um, and in the community where you give back. So I. I read this little book one time and now I can’t remember the name of it, but it was about your. Your crowns that are. Well, your blessings that you’re going to receive in heaven. And I’m a believer, and I know where I’m leaving and where I’m going when my time is up here, I know where I’m going to be. And so that’s where we’re going to hear all the hallelujahs. And so we might not always feel them or hear them here, but I know that the least little thing that I can input in someone’s life. I’d rather it not be seen, because I know my Heavenly Father is going to see that. And I know two and hope that it blesses that person. Just, um, just a gentle hug or just an eye contact, um, a handshake, telling someone, you know, you’ve got just a beautiful smile. You should do that more. Tell my husband, I said, you know, you’ve just got this handsome smile. You should do that a lot. And, um, because he really does. So, um. That’s just kind of how I feel about that.

Brian Pruett: [00:14:35] All right, well, uh, you can obviously tell you enjoy having a good time as well, because you and your team Wednesday night were having a good time.

Vicky Bates: [00:14:42] Oh, yeah.

Brian Pruett: [00:14:43] And we’ll get you out there. Right. We’re going to get you out there for trivia. So, um, so, uh, Vicki, let’s talk a little bit about Made in America. We talked a little bit, just a little bit about it. But first of all, I want to know how you came up with the name because I obviously I like the name Made in America. Obviously it’s made not mad, but Shirley, but how you came up with the name and then we’ll talk about more of the business. Well, I.

Vicky Bates: [00:15:02] Better make sure my ex-husband hears this because he’s the one that gave me the name my daughter’s dad. And, um, he has always teased me. He said, you know, I’m going to get some rights to that one of these days.

Brian Pruett: [00:15:12] Oh, there you go.

Vicky Bates: [00:15:12] Um, so he came up with it, not me.

Brian Pruett: [00:15:14] All right. Um, well, so, uh, uh, is it just residential? You do commercial as well?

Vicky Bates: [00:15:20] Oh, we do residential. Um, uh, we specialize in residential, but we are just now expanding our commercial division. Um, so, um, which would be offices, uh, facilities in, um, larger commercial industrial areas where they have, you know, break rooms, bathrooms, offices, um, that type of commercial and then, um, and then we also serve um hoa, um, community amenities. So if you’ve got a neighborhood you live in that has a large clubhouse and some bathrooms, pool, bathrooms, um, we have several accounts that we serve there, and we really love those accounts. Um, so those are the majority of the areas that we service.

Brian Pruett: [00:16:07] Okay. And what part of metro Atlanta where all do you serve?

Vicky Bates: [00:16:09] Okay. So we serve all of Paulding County and cities around. So let me just describe this or tell you the cities, because it’s not every city within all the counties around. So um, so Acworth and Kennesaw hub, um, and I did start in Paulding County, so that would be Dallas and Hiram, um, parts of Douglasville that go into Paulding County. Um, and then, of course, Powder Springs, you wrap yourself around to, um, um, parts of Marietta. We go to northern and western Marietta. We don’t go into eastern South Cobb. Um, and so we also. So we also serve Woodstock and Canton, I think Holly Springs. So I think I did a big circle. Hope I didn’t miss anything. There you go. Cartersville. Oh my goodness Cartersville. How did I miss that right. Love Cartersville and Emerson. Um, and so those areas of Bartow County.

Brian Pruett: [00:17:07] Okay. Um, so do you have any advice you can give some people who just love clutter?

Vicky Bates: [00:17:14] Love clutter? Why? Do you know what’s growing inside of clutter?

Brian Pruett: [00:17:19] Obviously they don’t. So just just give some tips on some cleaning. And you know, obviously other than hiring you, what can people do to kind of, you know, keep it from getting to that point?

Vicky Bates: [00:17:28] Well, work on it, um, one day at a time. So I recommend getting, um, a project list. Um, that helps me a lot. But if you what really helps is when you hire a cleaning professional cleaning service that should free up your time for the projects. And so we all have those projects, those spring cleaning projects where we’ve got to attack that closet, we’ve got to attack that catchall table that’s got all kinds of stuff. If I could tell you the stuff that my technicians see, I’m like, I’m glad they hired me. Now they can get rid of some of that. But it’s just you just got to, like, put it into bite sized pieces. You can’t just go at it all in one day. So you just got to break it down.

Brian Pruett: [00:18:09] So folks who might not have ever used a cleaning service and they have tables like you just went with stuff on it, but specifically stacks of stacks of paper and all that. How do you guys go about, do you guys throw just throw stuff away, or do you kind of organize it so people can go through that?

Vicky Bates: [00:18:24] And, well, I’m going to tell you, no, we don’t. When you walk into someone’s office space, you’ve got to respect the office space. So if you came in my office, I have stacks. I don’t want them touched or moved. And this stack represents one thing and this stack represents another. And if you were to walk into my husband’s office. Well, there are stacks on the floor, stacks on the credenza, but he knows what’s in those stacks. And so they’re there for a reason and a purpose. So we respect that and we will clean around that. But when we go into other areas where you’ve got a kitchen table and a few things, we’re going to move as much as we can. But we do want to respect someone’s working space, right?

Brian Pruett: [00:19:07] Yeah. Um, what all is involved in the cleaning? What all do you guys do?

Vicky Bates: [00:19:12] Um, pretty much anything that’s not a liability to my technician. Um, where she’s not climbing, um, or she’s exposed to hazardous, hazardous, um, material. You know, if there’s a room that, um, has, you know, animal droppings and that kind of thing, we’re not. I’m not going to make her do anything that I would not want to do, but, um, so it’s pretty much all the surfaces in the kitchens and bathrooms or bathrooms specialists. So we know to disinfect in those areas. Um, and we don’t just clean around and cut corners, we actually move things. Um, and it’s a top to bottom scrub. All of my technicians have gone through a cleaning excellence program through Made in America. Um, before I even I do want to tell you how I hire this is really important. So before, when I’m interviewing someone, um, of course, we check all of our technicians when we hire them, their background through a national, um, background service. So there’s a whole vetting process. Um, and so before I hire someone, I feel like she’s first I hire people that have experience, I have her clean my house, and she gets me a three hour sample of her cleaning skills. And if for any reason, I see stuff that I feel like is not trainable, I’m not going to hire her. But, um, that’s where we start. And then the next day, she goes out into the fields with one of my three, um, well, four trainers, one of my four trainers, just the two of them. They spend a day cleaning about three, 2 or 3 clients homes. Um, she, um, and then after that, she’s able to go out by herself. So we don’t do team cleaning. It’s solo cleaning. So there’s no bumping elbows. Um, there’s no rotating faces like you would see in a team.

Vicky Bates: [00:20:54] And, um, and then there’s more rapport built between my employee and that client. That client. The other thing, too, there are a lot of companies that use subcontractors, and we don’t all of our cleaning specialists are calling my cleaning angels are actually employees, so we take good care of them. And, um, another way we take care of them. So they take care of my clients is we pay them well, I make a lower profit margin and pay my technicians probably more than I would get paid if I were the one doing the hourly cleaning. And so we have less of a turnover and more loyalty. Um, so but back to the cleaning. So it’s pretty much everything. We have a list of what’s considered basics, what most people want day to day. Um, we have what a lot of people start with, which is our most popular cleaning. It’s called the deluxe top to bottom. It touches a lot of high and low surfaces. It’s kind of like a big spring cleaning. Um, and then we have an add on, you know, list, so no clients. Cleaning profile is the same. I mean, we got a basic list. Um, and then I customize as needed. So I tell my clients, hey, this is your cleaning, not mine. So there’s my basics. That’s the foundations. Is there anything you want to add or take from that? And so that’s what we do. But the liability part if there’s China crystal, that kind of thing, we’re not going to touch grandma’s stuff because you can’t replace that. And my clients know that. Um, and the other liability would be to my technician not climbing on anything below beyond one step or bunk beds, because her health and her safety is important. Right.

Brian Pruett: [00:22:35] Can you give somebody an idea of what the basic package is and looks like and then maybe what an add on is?

Vicky Bates: [00:22:40] Okay, so basics would be cleaning all of your countertops, your faucets, your sinks and detailing, not cursory cleaning. It’s going to be um, um, some of the the cabinets. It’s going to be the outside of all your appliances, the inside of your microwave, your tables, your furniture, your knickknacks. Um, we specialize in floor cleaning. So, um, the sweeping and mopping and, hey, with our floors, we use a company called a private company called Norwex. And that’s they carry some of the highest fiber on the planet. So after Christmas, when all the throw up is there, the glitter, the tinsel and everything. So it grabs all the glitter that a regular mop or broom won’t, won’t pick up. So we use pretty expensive cleaning products and materials and um, of course, dressing, making beds. Um, we’re specialists in the bathroom, so top to bottom, tub showers, toilets inside out, disinfected. Um, and we now make our own disinfectant, um, so that we know that it’s more nontoxic. Um, and then, of course, mirrors and, um, um, cobwebs, uh, shutters, blinds, window seals, uh, light fixtures, ceiling fans, wall vents and then add ons will be things like thoroughly washing your baseboards. Most people don’t want that every visit, right? So why make an ongoing service impractical? Because you’re going to get charged for that. So I try to make it real practical. So the add ons would be like washing baseboards, washing doors, door frames, um, washing walls, um, fully washing cabinets top to bottom. Most people, most people don’t want their cabinets or need them washed top to bottom every visit. So it’s an add on. So we try to just keep it real practical. So a windows we do we do the interior windows. Um your garage if you need your garage swept a mop that can be an add on. So there you go.

Brian Pruett: [00:24:37] There you go. Um, so what um, I just had a question and went out of my head. Um, yeah. Um, so when you guys are cleaning and, and, uh, working with individuals, what, um, how often would you recommend somebody do you guys do, like, packages or do you do it one time or what does that look like?

Vicky Bates: [00:24:58] Everybody’s different. So the majority of our cleaning, um, clients are bi weekly, have a lot that are just monthly and have quite a few that are weekly. And then we have our occasionals that call us when they need it. Um, so it really is up to that household. If you’ve got, um, a lot of kids, you’re probably going to need it more often. Okay? And everybody has a budget, so it depends on that.

Brian Pruett: [00:25:22] Okay. So if somebody listening wants to get a hold of you for your services, how can they do that?

Vicky Bates: [00:25:26] They can call me. Um, so my number is 770. Well, don’t call me right now because I’m busy, but it’s forwarded anyway. My business manager gets it, but it’s (770) 427-4448. You can also text me. You can also go on our website if you want to get a free cleaning quote. Um, go to made Made in America and that’s I in America. And then GA as in Georgia. Don’t forget that part because you’ll get the wrong cleaning service. So it’s made in America. Ga. Com and forward slash quote will take you over to a three minute, um, form to fill out, submit it, and then I’ll get back to that person with a quote.

Brian Pruett: [00:26:07] Awesome. So I do have a question on on how you guys do the quote, because that kind of brings up a question in my mind. Anyway, um, without looking at the, the the space, how do you guys go about doing a quote?

Vicky Bates: [00:26:18] So without looking at it, um, I’m pretty good at ballparks and so I can give good ballpark. I can also show it to give an exact quote. But when you’re doing a first time cleaning, it’s really hard to know how long a technician is going to be there, because you can walk through and see it with your eyeballs. But when unless you’re down on your hands and knees cleaning it, um, um, time is money. And so we charge for time. And so I give a good ballpark on how long we feel like it may take. To clean the first visit. And then once we’ve cleaned that first visit, I have a little follow up, um, that I send to that client first, want to make sure they were happy. Then I have a follow up to the technician, and that follow up system that I use helps me to give them an exact quote for what their cleaning would be every time.

Brian Pruett: [00:27:08] Um, so you you actually are going to be part of something coming up this Thursday. Mhm. You want to share about it.

Vicky Bates: [00:27:15] Oh yes. I’m really looking forward to that. That is the second annual. Is that right. Yep. Okay. Um Acworth Business Expo and yeah I appreciate you inviting me. I’m looking forward to it.

Brian Pruett: [00:27:27] Um, so come check out Vicki and her her booth. It’s going to be 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday night at the Acworth Community Center. So got any you want to get? You got any surprises coming up? You gonna do anything surprising there? No magic tricks or nothing.

Vicky Bates: [00:27:40] Oh, I try not to do magic.

Brian Pruett: [00:27:43] Show off your your bionic hip.

Vicky Bates: [00:27:45] Oh, that would be really a disaster right now. Nothing magical there.

Brian Pruett: [00:27:49] All right. Yeah. So just come by, check her out. We got about 32 vendors right now. There’s still some time to sign up as well. If you guys want to sign up, you can reach out to me, Brian at B’s. That’s B’s Charitable Pursuits dot com. So Vicki, thanks for coming on and sharing a little bit of your story. Don’t go anywhere. We’re not done. But um, I’m going to move over now to Anna Bostwick right. Yeah. And Liz uh, sure. Do it again because I’ve already forgotten how you say it.

Anna Bostwick: [00:28:14] How you say your last name. Liz.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:28:16] Oh, Cicerchia.

Brian Pruett: [00:28:17] Cicerchia. Don’t see, I had to totally mess that up. But you guys are with ESP. You and me, right? Correct. Yeah. So, um, for. We’ll get into that in just a second, but, um, we’ll start with you and I. Can you share a little bit about your background?

Anna Bostwick: [00:28:30] Yeah, yeah. Um, first off, thanks for having us. We’re really excited to be here. Liz and I are pumped, excited to share the mission of ESP and grateful for this opportunity. Um, a little bit about me. I’m from South Georgia, uh, born and raised in Swainsboro and then went to the University of Georgia, where I graduated with a degree in special education and an emphasis in adaptive curriculum. Go Dawgs. You know, still feel like we should have made the playoffs, but that’s for another conversation.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:28:57] I agree.

Brian Pruett: [00:28:59] Um, I don’t, but we won’t talk about.

Anna Bostwick: [00:29:01] Yeah, that’s okay. We’ll drop that. We’re good friends right now. Yeah. So I graduated from the University of Georgia. Um, that’s how I kind of got involved with the ESP. What started as me having to meet credit hours and get volunteer hours for my major of special education, and volunteering with ESP quickly became something that I just picked up doing in my spare time, because the minute I walked through the door, I was able to see how special it was and, um, how much the mission was really impacting the lives of so many families and so many participants, and really changing that community of Watkinsville Athens for the better. Um, so graduated from the University of Georgia, went on to teach for five years in between Athens and DeKalb County. I taught self-contained special ed, really enjoyed certain aspects of it. But around the fourth year I started really noticing that the skills which I actually kind of noticed during the pandemic, when we were taken out of the schools and were teaching from home, what I missed the most was the interaction between myself and my families and my students that I was teaching in person every day, and I really realized how much I missed that and that the the connection was the piece that I really enjoyed. So about that fourth year, I started thinking about what my career could look like after that. So insert ESP, I started emailing some people and lucky enough they were expanding or relaunching in Atlanta. So I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. That’s a go into a whole story about that and talk about tissues. I would need them. Um, talk about God. Thank. Put me where I needed to be at the right time. But, um, yeah. So I started there about a year and a half ago, going on two years, started as a program coordinator and have transitioned into a program manager and get to work every day with people like Liz and, um, really cool people who have taught me more about myself and teach me a lot more than I’m able to teach them every single day.

Brian Pruett: [00:30:58] So you shared a little with me about, uh, some yesterday when you, you and I sat down and, uh, she was talking about you, Liz, a lot.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:31:05] Oh, wow.

Brian Pruett: [00:31:06] So, uh, she said you’re the, uh, the first original what we coffee person, right? Or something like.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:31:12] That? Um, yes, I am the first original. Um, we actually call it, um, juristas. It’s like barista, but with adding joy.

Brian Pruett: [00:31:24] Nice, nice. Can you share a little bit more about that? What do you guys do?

Liz Cicerchia: [00:31:32] Um, I actually at first initially I did start out. I first heard about it through a good friend of mine who I know really well, who has been part of ESP. Then he was like, okay, I should get more involved with this. In urban, more involved with it in an Athens since 2005.

Anna Bostwick: [00:31:58] What about Liz? What a joy. Sisters do. Like, who do we work for? What’s the company you work for?

Liz Cicerchia: [00:32:03] It’s actually called Java Joy. Okay.

Brian Pruett: [00:32:07] And do you guys? Is it like a mobile thing or do you go into a facility or both?

Liz Cicerchia: [00:32:12] We actually are mobile, but we do have a permit place at the, um, Mercedes-Benz, which I highly recommend. I’m going, by the way.

Brian Pruett: [00:32:21] So if you go down and see the Falcons of the United, make sure you go see Liz.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:32:24] Yes.

Anna Bostwick: [00:32:25] Kart 116.

Brian Pruett: [00:32:27] Nice. Awesome. So Anna, let’s uh, talk a little bit. First of all, I’m curious about the name. Do you know a little bit how the name came about for the the foundation for ESP?

Anna Bostwick: [00:32:37] Um, so it stands for Extra Special People. And that’s exactly who we serve. We? Yes, we serve people that have unique abilities, um, that are unique in their own way. And we really, um, like to exemplify the fact that we celebrate those disabilities and the abilities of all people and that it’s not something to shy away from. It’s something to be proud of when you have something that’s unique about yourself. So we really celebrate all of our participants and our families in every single way, which is exactly what the name sounds like.

Brian Pruett: [00:33:07] Extra special people, right? And I like the you and me part right there in that too. So, uh, that’s really cool. And I also like the, the participants aspect of it. Right. Because, uh, as you mentioned, it is one of the, uh, I guess, uh, people in society kind of look down on folks like that, and they’re all, we’re all human. Yeah, right. So, um, Liz, what’s your favorite part about being a part of ESP? What do you what do you like doing the best?

Liz Cicerchia: [00:33:32] Oh, wow. For me with the power of ESP and Java Joy, I made some great lifelong friends.

Brian Pruett: [00:33:46] Awesome. That’s awesome. And you said you’ve been with since 2005. Is that right? Yes. Awesome. So, Anna, share a little bit. You told me yesterday about some of the programs you guys do. Can you talk a little bit about those?

Anna Bostwick: [00:33:58] Yeah, absolutely. Um, Liz filled chime in anytime you want to, girl. Okay. Um, so we have a couple of different things that we do. We have some umbrellas that we like to call them under. We have 360. Hooray! And then Java Joy 360 is, um, our events that we do once a month. We call them club events. It’s a way for our participants to be able to really have a social two hours and be able to mingle with their peers. We’re doing a really fun one coming up on the 26th. Do you remember what it is, Liz?

Liz Cicerchia: [00:34:29] This one actually coming up on this coming Sunday. Oh yeah.

Anna Bostwick: [00:34:32] We are having one on Sunday, which we’ve had a great partnership with Elite Skills and Fitness, which is a local business in the Marietta area, and they have welcomed us in and are providing karate lessons for our participants this Sunday. But next week we are having a masquerade ball to kind of kick off Mardi Gras and get in the get in the spirit of that. Um, but yeah, we do club events once a month. And it is not only is it a way for our participants to be able to hang out and just do what anybody else would do on a Friday night, but it’s also built in respite for our parents. It allows our parents to be able to go out to dinner with their friends or, you know, go grocery shopping or fold the the load of laundry that’s sitting on the rocking chair that they haven’t gotten to. It’s really, um, two birds with one stone kind of situation. We also do family support, which that can look lots of different ways. It can go from helping a family that’s struggling with, you know, keeping their lights on to providing a free meal after a surgery or something like that, and also family dinners once a month where we invite every single one of our families, new and current, to come in. It’s a free meal. It’s a really informal setting for our families just to be able to chit chat, get to know one another, talk and mingle in.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:35:44] A some training as well.

Anna Bostwick: [00:35:45] Yeah, some training sometimes. Um, it’s really a way for our participants and our families to get to know each other. I always say the people that can talk the highest of ESP and that can advocate for us the most, are our families that have been a part of it for so long. They’re the ones that can really spread the mission and speak to how it’s changed their lives directly. Yes. But yeah, so that is some things that we do with our 360 programing. And then we also have hooray, which is our camp portion of ESP. We have eight weeks of day camp in Athens, Georgia or in Watkinsville, and two weeks of camp in Rome and in Atlanta, Georgia. We’re really excited to say that we are having our first summer camp in Atlanta this summer. So yeah, two weeks of that to look forward to. We get to partner with the YMCA of the McClusky YMCA in Marietta and also the Georgia Highlands College, um, in Marietta, the campus. So really, really excited for the.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:36:41] Sometimes it’s sometimes KSU as well.

Anna Bostwick: [00:36:43] Yes, yes. Um, and then we have Java Joy, which is what kind of Liz was talking about and referencing earlier. It is our way to provide meaningful employment to adults with disabilities. Um, it’s really how we launch in new cities and how we expand. It’s a way to push forward our mission. Um, we recognize that 87% of adults with disabilities are able to work and do not have the opportunity to work, and lots of times it’s great opportunity, any, any kind of employment opportunity for our adults with disabilities. But we wanted to make sure that they were forward facing and have the ability to engage with community members and really, you know, advocate for themselves. I think everybody can tell that Liz is perfectly capable of talking and being able to express what she’s thinking and feeling and has all the skills to be able to do that. And we want her to be able to provide a space for that. So Java Joy, we really are. We are a mobile coffee cart that goes into metropolitan Atlanta. We serve all areas of Atlanta, really. We go into the we really disrupt the workday. We go in and be and able to form those meaningful connections with adults and different places that may not have the opportunity or have ever had the chance to interact with somebody with a disability. And it’s a way to show that like, hey, we’re just like you. We are normal. We can do everything you can do. We are just here to kind of advocate for our participants and allow them to do that themselves. Yeah.

Brian Pruett: [00:38:06] Now there is a specific age range you guys work with. Are you guys work with all ages?

Liz Cicerchia: [00:38:10] Um, it is all ages. But in order to be a barista, you had to be 18 and over, all right.

Anna Bostwick: [00:38:16] Correct? Correct. So like Liz said, we serve all ages zero to no upper age limit. Our oldest participant right now is in Athens, and she’s in her 60s and our youngest is probably four months old. Um, wow. We really pride ourselves on being able to accept everybody at the stage of life that they’re in. And we also accept all disabilities. So whether. You have ADHD or down syndrome or cerebral palsy, you are welcome in ESPs doors and not only welcome, but you are going to be celebrated from the moment you walk in until the moment you leave.

Brian Pruett: [00:38:45] Awesome. So, um, you probably already mentioned this, but share again the areas that you guys are in.

Anna Bostwick: [00:38:51] Yeah, yeah. So right now, specifically in Atlanta, we are localized in the Marietta community where we are doing Liz’s from Marietta. So she loves it. It’s in her backyard. Um, we are localized in the Marietta community where we are doing all of our 360 programing that I mentioned earlier, like our club events, our family dinners, stuff like that. But we also we welcome families. Although we’re localized in Marietta, we have families that are driving from Stone mountain, from Buckhead, Brookhaven, all over the metropolitan area, and Java Joy, like I said earlier, you know, really serves all of Atlanta. So anywhere that’ll book us, we are. We will. Like I said, we’re mobile. We can hitch the trailer to a car and we are on the road. It takes. Liz has had some early, early mornings. I think we served. We had the privilege last week of serving the Georgia Chamber of Commerce at exit issues at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. And what was that wake up call, Liz about 3 a.m., something like that.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:39:44] Yeah.

Anna Bostwick: [00:39:44] Yeah, yeah. Early.

Brian Pruett: [00:39:45] You just stayed up all night, right?

Anna Bostwick: [00:39:47] Early wake up call, but worth every second. We really enjoy it. Um, but then is as far as statewide, we have our original location that started in Watkinsville, Georgia. It has. It’s about 37 years old. We’ve been here for a while now, and it’s really flourished from where we were serving about 15 families to where I think it’s 900 families now in Athens. So we’re serving, um, over over 1100 families statewide right now. And then our other, um, city that we serve currently is in Rome, Georgia. So kind of Dallas area is a halfway point. Um, but yeah. So we’re currently just, uh, reiterate in Rome, Watkinsville and the Marietta area.

Brian Pruett: [00:40:27] So you shared with me the story yesterday, too, of the, uh, the CEO. Now that how she took over, could you share that? Because that’s pretty incredible. Yeah, yeah.

Anna Bostwick: [00:40:34] Yeah, I love sharing.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:40:36] Actually. She’s actually a personal friend of mine that I’ve known for much longer than Ispy actually first started. Yeah.

Anna Bostwick: [00:40:46] Awesome. Yeah. Liz, Liz and LA are very close. Um, but yeah, I think Laura’s story is truly just a testament to the person that she is and how, um, I think you can look at ESP from where it started and where it is now to see how much it truly means to her. But just a little about that. She, um, Martha Wiley was our founder of ESP. She started it just because she saw a need for the community of people with disabilities to be able to gather on a regular basis, that there’s not really anything for them to do after school. There was no social activities or anything for them to participate in, and she saw a need for that. So she would meet anywhere where there was a prison parking lot, church parking lot. Um, she just needed some space. So that started. They had summer camp. Um, and then I won’t get into all the nitty gritty about all of that, but Laura was not ten years old. She was a sophomore in college, and Miss Martha, unfortunately, was diagnosed with cancer and sat them down and told them that this was it essentially, um, that if ESP was going to continue, it was up to them. And she handpicked Laura at 19 years old, old to take over esp um, Miss Martha unfortunately did pass away, but she left, in my opinion, esp to the only person that could have done with it. What they did. Laura, like I said, was 19, took over, she became a student and uh, um, executive director overnight. And she turned ESPN to what it is today. She is still currently our CEO. She has been in Leadership Atlanta. She is um, you can see her all over. She has a podcast or is working on getting a podcast. She’s working on a book deal. Um, she’s just great and has been such a driving force with ESP and truly has a heart for serving our participants and making sure that they are getting equal opportunity in this world.

Brian Pruett: [00:42:32] That’s awesome. So you and I met on January 2nd at a referral rally. Yeah, yeah. So obviously you do some networking as well. So, uh, share a positive story of networking for you.

Anna Bostwick: [00:42:42] So networking like I said, we have actually I don’t know if I did say it. We have just come to the Marietta area in March of 2023. So we haven’t been here even a even a year yet. Um, but it’s been great. So networking has been something that’s been very new and something that we’ve had to really lean into since we’ve been in Marietta to make sure that our name is out in the community. But just I mean, the referral rally was so positive in itself. So many positive experience like yourself came out of it. And I just have to reiterate what you said earlier about it was so important to listen to people as they were explaining what that they did and not try to push your name forward, but really figure out ways that you could help. Um, that naturally, I feel like comes for employees of ESP to be the people that help and support and do things like that. So it’s been great just to be able to provide that kind of, um, experiences for people and how wonderful it’s been to be a part of the community and really get our name.

Brian Pruett: [00:43:36] Out there. So. So, Liz, I have a question for you. What’s the you said you made some really lifelong friends from from this. What’s a what’s a favorite thing for you of meeting new people.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:43:46] Um between new people and and also old friends as well. Um, most of them actually do live in Athens, which I really want to live there, by the way.

Anna Bostwick: [00:44:03] What’s your favorite part? Liz, what’s your favorite part of meeting new people?

Liz Cicerchia: [00:44:11] For me. I just say I’ll just mean for me. Like me, like I’ll be like saying, hi, how are you? Mhm. Just the.

Brian Pruett: [00:44:19] Simple things.

Anna Bostwick: [00:44:20] Yeah Liz is great at making connection and just getting anybody to talk. She has no problem. And being the first one to speak up. Um she is I mean there’s a reason why I supposed to be here today. She is great at spreading the mission and just making people feel extremely.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:44:34] And we do have a great team with Hayden, Emma Barton and Hayden and Taylor. Mhm.

Anna Bostwick: [00:44:40] Yep.

Vicky Bates: [00:44:41] Awesome, awesome. She’s got a great handshake.

Anna Bostwick: [00:44:43] She does have a great handshake. She does.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:44:46] We also do give hugs. Yes.

Anna Bostwick: [00:44:48] So that is something that Java Joy does. As we say. You get your cup of coffee and then you get a hug. Um I think Laura talks about this all the time, and she’s going to kill me for not knowing the right number, but I want to say it’s eight hugs a day that you have to get nice. That does like something for your that releases some endorphin in your brain. So Java Joy likes to fill that gap and likes to make sure that we are providing those hugs and a cup of coffee to start out your day.

Brian Pruett: [00:45:11] So, speaking of hugs, uh, March 21st I’m doing another. It’s a it’s called the America’s Hometown Hero Expo, and it’s veteran and first responder owned businesses and businesses that want to hire them and and just support them. But we have a group coming and they were on the show, uh, a few a couple months ago called paws for life. And they’re bringing Rufus out, and Rufus gives hugs. So if you want a hug from Rufus, come on March 21st to the Acworth Community Center. Now, Rufus, when he stands on his hind legs, is looking you in the eye. Okay? His front paws are on your shoulders. He’s literally giving you a hug. I’ve got some pictures. I’m getting a hug from Rufus. I don’t know about anybody else, but I’m getting a hug from Rufus. That’s just awesome.

Anna Bostwick: [00:45:50] Yeah, yeah, I think I put Liz and Rufus up against one another. Yeah, well.

Brian Pruett: [00:45:55] You guys will have to be there to get because we’re going to have a booth. That all it is, is come get hugs from Rufus. Oh that’s awesome. Liz can come and get your hugs from Liz and Rufus. Cool, cool. There you go. So, uh, and let me ask you this, um, you shared just a little bit already, but why is it important for you to be part of the community?

Anna Bostwick: [00:46:11] Um, our mission. I’ll just go ahead and say it is to create transformative experiences for people with disabilities and their families while we’re changing communities for the better. So it’s in our mission statement to make sure that, yes, we’re serving people with disabilities and their family, but we’re also serving our community on a daily basis. It’s a way, in my opinion, I feel like you’re fulfilling God’s mission and God’s Word when you are, um, serving people that aren’t like you in a in a way. So it’s a way just for people in our community to be able to serve their community and be able to be a part of ESP. I always call it you get bit by the bug. Once you come to one ESP event, you’re going to come back to a second. It is truly a magical experience, so it’s just important for us to have the community involved, to really buy in and to lean in to our mission and be able to be a part of something that’s really unique and really special. Um, we’re excited, like I said, to be in Marietta, we’re pretty new here, which I’m again, so grateful to have this opportunity to be able to kind of spread our mission and spread the word and get people to know about ESP a little bit more from this area. But the community is a big part of that. We can’t do this without community members. We can’t do this without the support of the community. So it’s important for us to be a part in every way that we can and to have people joining us.

Brian Pruett: [00:47:24] So. So, Liz, do you uh, obviously you love giving hugs. Yes. And that that can make anybody smile anyway. But you smiling and giving hugs, I’m sure, uh, brightens anybody’s day. But why do you like being in the community?

Liz Cicerchia: [00:47:38] Uh. For me. The for me, being a community is a I can do more. Mhm.

Brian Pruett: [00:47:48] Mhm. There you go.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:47:49] Yeah. And plus with, with being a barista you actually start out with a actually a brown apron not a right. Because you have to get 20 hours before you get your white apron with your name on it. Mhm.

Anna Bostwick: [00:48:04] Mhm. This is exactly right Java Joy. It’s treated just like any other job. There’s an interview process. There’s a training period and we take it very seriously. There’s job improvement. We have professional development. We have all that fun stuff. So we treat our jewelry pieces just like you would treat any other employee. But Liz is exactly correct. And you have graduated to your white apron, haven’t you, girl I.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:48:25] Have, yes, we have a thing called, um, a white apron ceremony when they fulfill their. I’m going three hours. We do a white apron ceremony and and usually a. Senior priestess. We give it to them. Yeah.

Brian Pruett: [00:48:41] That’s right. Awesome. Well, I can tell you, if you gave me a white apron, it’d be stained pretty quickly. I spill stuff. That’s why they made.

Anna Bostwick: [00:48:47] Bleach, right?

Brian Pruett: [00:48:48] Yes. So, Anna, how can other than the financial aspect of it, how can individuals and businesses get involved with the ESP? Absolutely.

Anna Bostwick: [00:48:56] Um, volunteers we need we are serving so many participants right now, and, um, our families are just really flocking to ESP, which is I think it’s a testament to how much our families need the services that we’re providing, and they need that support group that’s built in within ESP. So a great and easy and free way to get involved in ESP is just to come volunteer. You can find what we are doing on our Facebook page ESP Atlanta. Or you can go to our website esp UNM, org.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:49:27] And Instagram and.

Anna Bostwick: [00:49:29] Instagram. You’re right esp Atlanta, we have our own Instagram page. Um, Liz is a frequent, um, source or subject of our Instagram page and on our posts. But, um, yeah, I would just say that volunteer is really where we need our community members, and it is a easy way to be able to see the mission in action and be able to see the way that we are transforming the lives of our participants and our families. Yes, obviously the financial support, we’re a nonprofit. We can’t do it without that financial support. So it’s a great way we always invite people to come volunteer to kind of, um, see what we’re doing, and then they want to give us their money after they see it, because they truly do see how special it is and how wonderful the things that we’re doing are.

Brian Pruett: [00:50:13] Do you, uh, you mentioned something that’s coming up Sunday now, but you had some other events that’s coming up pretty soon too. Do you want to share about that?

Anna Bostwick: [00:50:19] Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, um, a way to for families, if any families are listening that have a child or an adult with a disability or know somebody that has a family member with a disability, you can fill out our new family interest form by by going to ESP, um, org. Um, but yeah, some of the events we have coming up this Sunday, like I mentioned, from three to 2 to 4, we are having a karate class at Elite Skills Fitness on January 26th. We are having a masquerade ball at another wonderful, great partnership that we’ve been able to form here in Marietta. We are currently housing our office space and all of our programs, club events, family dinners, things like that out of First United Methodist Church of Marietta, which they’ve been wonderful, great host, um, great connections, but that’ll be on the 26th, that masquerade ball and then followed on the 31st of January. We will have our family dinner.

Brian Pruett: [00:51:13] Yeah. Awesome. So I do have another question. Um, if somebody is listening and maybe new to having, uh, somebody in their life that, you know, has special needs, what kind of advice can you give them?

Anna Bostwick: [00:51:27] Um, I actually have a stepbrother with down syndrome, so I don’t even know if we were able to chat about that yesterday. But the advice I could give you is that you’ve hit the jackpot, in my opinion. Um, I always say my stepbrother’s name is Seth, and that if everyone in the world could be a little bit more like Seth, the world would be a much better place. Um, I think you look at it as obviously your life is going to look very different. You’re not going to be able to have the same things that you maybe dreamed of for your neurotypical child, but man, oh man, the experience that you’re going to have with a child with a disability are completely unique, but so special in their own ways. And really, um, I think that they are the gifts from heaven to be able to have the ability and the opportunity and the privilege, in my opinion, to be able to have that experience of working with somebody and being able to have a family member with a disability is just really special. So my advice would just be, you know, don’t look at it as an opportunity that’s being taken from you would be looking at it as an opportunity that some people never get the chance to have, and that it really is unique in its own way.

Brian Pruett: [00:52:34] Another thing that I would say, and this goes for anything, but also don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Anna Bostwick: [00:52:37] Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely. Yeah, that’s a big part of ESP is that we have we haven’t launched the program here in Marietta or in Atlanta yet. It’s called ES play. It is a way for our babies. We like to call them 0 to 3 years of age to be able to gather. They participate in music therapy, and it’s a way for our children to be able to start building that support system, but also our families. Um, I can’t imagine going home. Well, I need to start imagining I’m actually, you know, uh, me and my husband are welcoming a baby boy this summer, so really excited about that. Thanks. Thanks, but I can’t. I’m trying to slowly wrap my head about it. I guess it’s coming one way or the other. Leaving a hospital with a child, much less leaving a hospital with a child with a disability. You’re really just kind of sent with no resources and nothing to be able to tap into and no support system. So ES play ESP recognized that and created ES play to be a place for that. These families can come and have that support system right out of the bat. We have some mothers that are still. Found out that their child is going to have down syndrome. Um, so we want to provide that space of support and that space of community for our families to be able to ask questions and have a the opportunity to really seek help in any way that they can.

Brian Pruett: [00:53:52] Right. Hey, Liz, what kind of advice would you give?

Liz Cicerchia: [00:53:56] Uh. Mm for me says I’m the. First kids with down syndrome in my family.

Anna Bostwick: [00:54:10] What kind of advice would you give? What’s what’s special about you?

Liz Cicerchia: [00:54:15] Um hum.

Anna Bostwick: [00:54:19] Can I help you out?

Liz Cicerchia: [00:54:20] Uh, yes. Yeah.

Anna Bostwick: [00:54:21] I think that Liz is capable and and able to do anything that anybody else does. I think my advice would be that when you see somebody with a disability is not to assume or not to just, um, the stereotypes that come with people with disabilities is completely false. And I think that it is important to look at each individual and their unique abilities and be able to really get to know them.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:54:47] Yes.

Brian Pruett: [00:54:48] And I would agree for you guys, you obviously you can’t see in here, but Liz is a firecracker.

Anna Bostwick: [00:54:52] She is she is that.

Brian Pruett: [00:54:53] She’s lighting up the studio. I can tell you that. She’s got the red.

Anna Bostwick: [00:54:56] Hair to match.

Brian Pruett: [00:54:57] Yes. Um, so you you work for a nonprofit, so you haven’t really started a nonprofit. But let me ask you this. If you were to start a nonprofit of your own, what kind of advice would you give somebody who might be thinking of that or even trying to look for a job for a nonprofit?

Anna Bostwick: [00:55:11] Um hum. Um, networking. I think getting your name out and really spreading the mission for nonprofits is important. People. There are more good people in the world than bad people, I really think, and people that want to help and want to be a supporter. So just making sure that you’re sticking your neck out and you’re not afraid to talk to people, um, Laura Whitaker is the queen of that. She is not scared to talk to anyone. She will spread. Yes, I agree with that.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:55:38] Yeah.

Anna Bostwick: [00:55:38] Liz, um, she will spread Espy’s mission any chance she got, she gets. So I think it’s really important just to take every opportunity you have to network with your community and network with people that want to help you spread your mission.

Brian Pruett: [00:55:49] Awesome. Share your website one more time.

Anna Bostwick: [00:55:51] It is ESP you and me, the words Y-o-u and me.org.

Brian Pruett: [00:55:57] All right Vicki, I’m coming back to you because I forgot to ask you a question. So you obviously started your business. You said we won’t say how long again, but give somebody some advice who might be thinking about starting a business. What would you tell them?

Vicky Bates: [00:56:10] There are so many things you got to really pay attention to. So. But mine’s a for profit, so. Right, right. Probably a little bit of a difference. Um. Well.

Vicky Bates: [00:56:23] Starting a business is knowing what you’re kind of knowing what your goals are going to be in that business. I think that’s really important is setting goals and you’ve got to know resources. So any new business starting needs to have resources that they trust. They probably should do that first. Um, who is going to be your human resource? Um, you know, company or person, um, who is going to be your accountant, who knows your business, who is going to be your, um, your banker that knows your business. So the things that all of the, the cogs in a wheel that, that facilitate a business running smoothly, make sure you’ve got trustworthy resources set up first. And make sure you set up your business correctly, um, you know, through your accountant, however that’s supposed to be because I had to reestablish mine early on because I had not set it up correctly. So and having really good business systems will come out of that.

Brian Pruett: [00:57:25] Right. And the same thing, don’t don’t be afraid to ask for help. Right.

Vicky Bates: [00:57:28] Oh yeah. Absolutely.

Brian Pruett: [00:57:30] Um, all right, so as we wrap this up, I always like to do this too. So, um, I would like for each of you to share either a word, a quote, just a positive nugget for somebody listening today, the rest of 2024 and beyond. So, Vicki, what can you share?

Vicky Bates: [00:57:46] Hey, put me right on the spot. So it’s probably, um, a scripture. And um, I think it’s we just get so tempted to be anxious when we’re in business or in endeavors. And so is to go to my Philippians Scripture, and you put me on the spot. Now, I can’t remember it, but it’s, um, be anxious for nothing. But in all things, um, let your request be made known to God, and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds and your checking account.

Brian Pruett: [00:58:19] Liz, you got something you can share that’s positive? Good quote.

Liz Cicerchia: [00:58:23] Um, since I also do work at chick fil A as well in Marietta. Um, definitely. Since we were just honoring MLK day, I would. Definitely after just a very quick quote that, you know, go after that awesome girl.

Brian Pruett: [00:58:45] Very good. Make sure you go by and see Liz at Chick fil A in Marietta. Anna, what kind of what you got?

Anna Bostwick: [00:58:51] Um, I think I would just say to be open minded to new experiences and new people that you could meet, especially with espe, you come across people that are unique in every single day and every single way. So just being open minded to that would be my advice.

Brian Pruett: [00:59:07] Awesome. And the last thing that I like to do is to thank you as a lost art. These days you talk about the simple things. No, thank you is just simple, but it’s lost art. So first of all, Vicki, thanks for what you do for the community and especially those with the cancer, uh, and being the uh, being hope for those who have, uh, are going through that and gone through that. Liz, thank you for being a light in this dark world. Thank you. And, Anna, thanks for what you’re doing for the, uh, the, the ESP group and and all the community as well. So everybody out there listening, let’s remember. Let’s be positive. Let’s be charitable.