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Steve Paras with Buck Jones Charity Foundation

July 1, 2025 by angishields

Cherokee Business Radio

Steve Paras with Buck Jones Charity Foundation

00:00 /

Steve Paras has been coordinating bike nights since 1995 in Las Vegas, Portland, Orlando and San Diego.

He has been riding motorcycles since he was 12; 55 years now. Steve joined the Buck Jones Charity Foundation seven years ago, took over as president six years ago and formed a 501(c)(3) charity foundation four years ago.

They’ve had over 400 motorcycles, 50+ jeeps and over 850 people attended in each of the last two years. The ride starts in the Cumming Fairgrounds and ends up at Veterans Memorial Park in Dawsonville, police escorted the whole way.

The charity helps the underprivileged children in five communities this year alone, helping over 2600 kids. At the end of the Toy Run, five food vendors supply all the food at no charge to the participants.

Join the Buck Jones Memorial Toy Run group on Facebook.

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

TRANSCRIPT

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

Sharon Cline: Welcome to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX, where we talk about the ups and downs of the business world, and we offer words of wisdom for business success. I’m your host, Sharon Cline, and it is a very happy Friday that I get to be in the studio because I have one of my favorite people, Steve Paras, here. He is a jack of all the stories he tells, the jack of all trades helps everybody he meets. Truly, it is an honor to have you in the studio. Steve, you are here to talk about Buck Jones and all the good things that you’re doing with your charity ride that you have in November, and we’re getting started now in July.

Steve Paras: That’s right. We’re having Christmas in July at Hooters on July 1st. First bike night.

Sharon Cline: This Tuesday it’s in, it’s in Buford.

Steve Paras: At the Mall of Georgia.

Sharon Cline: Okay, so tell me the back story behind Buck Jones for the people who aren’t familiar.

Steve Paras: Okay. Buck Jones started the toy run with four bikes, and that was 1991. Buck Jones has 20 years military experience, and he was the chief of police in coming for 20 years. Passed away, I think, in 2000, 2010. So we’ve just carried it on. His wife is there. She’s really like the grand marshal at the Toy Run in November. And the toy run is the Sunday before Thanksgiving every year, and this is the 34th year.

Sharon Cline: We’ve talked about how much it’s grown over the years, but what was the last one?

Steve Paras: Like the last two years, we’ve had over 400 bikes, 52 jeeps and over 800 people.

Sharon Cline: That’s amazing. It is. And it started with four.

Steve Paras: Right. And so his wife, it brings her to tears when she’s talking about it. And how proud he would be right now if he could see how it’s what it’s turned into.

Sharon Cline: I love that she still comes to these events and kind of represents. Oh, and his three daughters. I bet Buck Jones had no idea back in what, 1990, 91, whatever it was that he had for bikes, that it would grow into this huge event that gives so many people an opportunity to give back to the community, to children who oftentimes they don’t have choices of their own. They don’t get to have access to a lot of things that other kids do. So there are counties that benefit from the the ride. Can you talk about them?

Steve Paras: Yeah. There’s five counties that we help. Uh, Forsyth, Dawson, white, Lumpkin and Hall, all of those, uh, all the toys go to the inner city kids from the other charities. So what we do is we we collected the over over 6500 toys each of the last two years, and we’ve got five charities that we are partners with.

Sharon Cline: So. Oh my God. I didn’t know it was that many toys. Plus plus cash, right?

Steve Paras: We have cash. We have gift cards. We set a record last year for gift cards. We we had $9,400 in gift cards last year. Oh my gosh. And the 5050 raffle broke records. Also, we had $2,900 in the 5050 raffle and the person that won gave the money back to the charity.

Sharon Cline: Oh my gosh.

Steve Paras: So it was great.

Sharon Cline: So tell me what you have done to help grow this event, because initially it was obviously very small. But as you’ve gotten involved, more and more has happened.

Steve Paras: Well, they’ve had some big rides in the past, but it dropped off quite a bit. It dropped down to under 200 bikes, and when I saw how it needed some help, it needed some organization. It needed different things that they haven’t been doing. And five years ago was when I took it over. We formed a 501 C3 nonprofit, and since then, the first year that I was with it, we only had 242 bikes. Oh, wow. And so now we’re up over 440 bikes.

Sharon Cline: So they needed some direction, their right to help, not only just with the 501 C3, but someone who knows how to really organize and fire people up. So let’s talk a little bit about your history and why you were just the perfect fit for this organization.

Steve Paras: Well, we’re where I actually met these people. We were doing bike nights at Wyoming Cafe in the collection, and we rarely ever had less than 100 bikes. And so they asked me, since you’re good at this, what do you think about coming on board with this? And I had no idea what it was or what it was all about. And when I found out it was taking care of the kids I grew up in foster homes, so it hit. It hit home. So the last two years, we’ve helped out over 2600 kids. And what the gift cards actually do when a kid comes into a foster system, they get three outfits and they get toiletries and those kinds of things. So where does the money come from? That’s what those gift cards go to. And then when the kid comes into the system when they go to school, they’re still not in the system in the school. So those gift cards pay for their lunches. So there’s a lot of different things those $10 gift cards go to.

Sharon Cline: So it doesn’t get lost in the mix like they say, you know, administrative costs and things like that.

Steve Paras: Yeah. The place is one of the charities that that we’re involved with. And if you were to go to the place, you’d just be amazed on how organized it is. They’ve got a it’s like the where all the food, food is. You think you’re in Costco and it’s so organized. They have bags and bags and bags lined up for different families in need.

Sharon Cline: The place is incoming. Correct?

Steve Paras: Correct. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: And so.

Steve Paras: What? Care for kids is another one. Same kids. Just a smaller right type of charity. Like the place.

Sharon Cline: What does it mean to you to be able to see so many different charities, people, bike riders, Jeep owners come together and really want to help the community?

Steve Paras: Yeah, the what people think of bikers and what bikers actually do for the community are two different things. 75% of the bikers every weekend are doing some kind of charity work, right? Either on a poker run for a charity or helping a family or someone in need, or someone went down on a bike and they’re helping out with bills, those kinds of things. People don’t realize when they see a motorcyclist drive by them what they’re doing on the weekends, or how they’re helping out, or how many organizations really, really do a ton of charity work.

Sharon Cline: I love that there’s this misconception about bikers being these hard, you know, not caring people when the the reality is, I’ve not met one person who wouldn’t help me if I called him right now to say I have trouble with my bike or find someone who will. I mean that to me. I feel like you are making such a good statement and an example of why bikers and people who have this misconception are are. Their hearts are ginormous, especially regarding children. I feel like let’s talk about that because that is a very like close thing to me as well. I grew up with, you know, some domestic violence as well. And when I think about what it’s like for a big biker to be out there kind of looking out for little children, it just kind of warms my heart.

Steve Paras: Well, it it warms everybody’s heart when you see little kids being taken care of, right? You know, you see a little kid with a smile on his face. You can’t smile. I mean, you can’t help but smile, right? You know, it just makes you happy when you see a kid giggling or having a good time or acting up. Having fun. Yeah. Right.

Sharon Cline: Yeah. So let’s talk a little bit about your history before you got to Buck Jones. How did you get so good at having that creative brain of yours in marketing and being able to put together so many people and get them on the same page?

Steve Paras: Well, I’ve been riding since I was 12 years old, so that was 55 years ago. And, uh, I moved to Vegas in 1980 and 1987, the, uh, Las Vegas Harley opened up and I became a hog member in Vegas. Watch what they were doing. And the Las Vegas Harley. The first location, the parking lot was huge. It was like a mall parking lot. And in Vegas, there’s only 4 to 6 weeks that you can’t ride that where it’s really cold.

Sharon Cline: Oh, I was thinking hot for some reason.

Steve Paras: Oh, you can you can ride almost all year long. And, uh, so watching how they put together events. 1995 I put together my first event. And so I’ve been doing this since 95. And so you learn what to do and what not to do and how to get people to an event. And for me, and this is just personal. Uh, if I have less than 100 bikes at an event, I think it’s not a very successful event. And other people are going, man, this is great. This is a lot of fun. This is. And so I’m always in competition to myself. We had at Miller’s Ale House in Dawsonville, one of the bike nights. We had 250 bikes.

Sharon Cline: Oh my.

Steve Paras: Gosh.

Sharon Cline: That’s amazing.

Steve Paras: So that’s the that’s the number where I’d like to get passed.

Sharon Cline: Well, and at these bike nights let’s talk about what happens. So if I were a regular biker who hasn’t been to this event before, what can I expect?

Steve Paras: Well, we have 5050 raffles. We have giveaways this year. We’ve got a DJ plan, so there’s always something to do. And we’re going to be at at Hooters this year. So obviously there’s going to be a reason to come out.

Sharon Cline: Not just an opportunity to ride your bike to a cool place.

Steve Paras: Right. It’s it’s, uh, the scenery will be nice this year.

Sharon Cline: So that to me, it’s funny. It’s like I want to say, well, you know what? I appreciate that there are. Like, last year, Miller’s ale House was really so supportive in this whole goal and also provided the food at some of these events.

Steve Paras: Well, we have food vendors at the end of the ride that donate food and wowing Cafe Miller’s Ale House, the Krave, uh, Texas Roadhouse. And now this year, Hooters is going to join in and, uh, supply food as well.

Sharon Cline: You know, it seems like here we are. It’s super hot outside. It’s July almost, and we’re talking about an event that happens at Thanksgiving and it seems like it’s far away, but it really isn’t everyone because it’s almost July.

Steve Paras: Well, last weekend we did another charity ride and we went up to Blairsville into North Carolina, then to Tennessee, back to North Carolina, back to Blairsville. We were gone for nine hours in road 244 miles, and there was 35 bikes, which is a smaller ride, but it still raised money.

Sharon Cline: It’s amazing.

Steve Paras: Charity.

Sharon Cline: So I know it takes months and months and months to really build up not just the money, but like the momentum and the attention. So how do you market this kind of event? What is your strategy?

Steve Paras: I can’t tell you that secret.

Sharon Cline: Oh come on, I’ll cut it out. You can tell me after the show.

Steve Paras: So what I do is I go on to Facebook and, uh, hit all the motorcycle groups, and it’s really, it takes a lot of time and a lot of repetition. The same groups over and over. They say if someone sees something eight times, then they remember it. So you can imagine if I’m doing over a hundred pages eight times, you know, so it’s a it takes a lot of time to get them out there. But when you see them show up, it’s all worth it 100%.

Sharon Cline: So are you there when the children come in and look at some of the toys that they can choose?

Steve Paras: Oh, yeah. The place has, uh, where they give out the toys. It’s a school in a church, and every room is decorated differently. And they go by a point system, like one room will be, uh, for three years old to five year olds and then kindergarten and then, you know, different age groups. And so one room will be all Barbie dolls, and that’ll be like three points, and then one room will be bicycles, and that might be five points. And to see the parents come in and know that they can give the kids a great, you know, Christmas. It’s awesome.

Sharon Cline: Does it sort of put you in the space of what it would have been like if that were you? Because I always do that. I put myself in spaces like that and that’s why I cry over things. You know, I get so I get emotional about moments like that.

Steve Paras: Well, when I was growing up in the system, it was totally different.

Sharon Cline: Why?

Steve Paras: How? They didn’t really have regulations and and have people watching out for you. Now you really have people watching out for a kid that’s being abused or neglected or not fed. And what happens is the school is the one that recommends the families because they know what the kids are going through. Right. There’s a counselor at their school, and that kid might be talking to the counselor about what’s really happening at home. And that’s when you can really find out what’s what’s really going on at home.

Sharon Cline: Well, the fact that they know if someone needs lunches and things, that probably gives them a good indication. But how wonderful to know that you’re giving someone something that you would have wanted when you were young. You know, it’s full circle moment, right? These things do get emotional, though, right? So what would you love to see happen with Buck Jones? If you could craft the perfect event and the perfect amount of people, what would you want? The perfect amount of money. What would it be?

Steve Paras: The money. Um, I would love to see a thousand motorcycles where we could just make a ton of kids happy, but all year long we have to take care of them too. So the cash, the gift cards still have to come in. The toys are great, but we still need the cash and the gift cards to take care of the kids all year long. Right. And and to be there when the when the parents are picking up the toys. The smile on the parent’s faces is just incredible.

Sharon Cline: What? What is it like for you? Like what would you like your your legacy to be? Regarding Buck Jones, what would you like to be remembered for? Because that’s what you’re doing right now is you are building for the past five years at least. You know, a very significant legacy that affects a lot of people.

Steve Paras: We helped out a lot of kids. That’s it. You know, just just made a lot of kids happy and took care of, you know, some of these kids don’t have new shoes or new clothes. So when they get their three new outfits, it’s something new for them. You know, it’s something that they aren’t used to. Right. A brand new pair of tennis shoes or a brand new shirt that actually fits or no holes in it and that kind of thing. So.

Sharon Cline: So you’re always going to have these bike nights that are at at Hooters this year.

Steve Paras: All the way through November, the first Tuesday of every month through the new November.

Sharon Cline: So if I’ve never come to this ride that is in November, what could I expect Get to experience.

Steve Paras: You’ll have a lot of fun. Everybody there is there for a good time. You know nobody’s there to cause any trouble. We’re there to help out kids, and you’ll just see smiles on everyone’s faces, dropping off toys, even the wee, you know, 52 jeeps. The amount of toys that they put in those cars is incredible. Because, uh, Foco Jeepers is the group that comes out. There’s 3500 members in that club, so they collect tons of toys, right? And then we’ve got three, uh, trucks that load up the toys. Um, trailers.

Sharon Cline: Really? Yeah.

Steve Paras: Yeah. They’re 16 foot trailers that just get filled up and it’s great. And to see the different clubs that come out, you know, uh, the two that are sponsoring the bike nights are the Punishers and the Patriots and the Punishers. There’s 4000 members worldwide, you know, and so they’re always doing charity events and especially for kids and always being a part of. And the Patriots are always helping out in every way they can. They just had uh, for Narcan the, the.

Sharon Cline: The anti um overdose drug.

Steve Paras: Yeah. They did that uh, ride just a couple of months ago and it was great. It had 135 bikes and raised all kinds of money. And and that’s just another charity, you know, that in a different direction, right?

Sharon Cline: I love the riding with the purpose, because I have days where I just go ride just for fun, which is wonderful. But there’s a whole different energy when I’m doing my ride to go interview someone for History Highway. I have a different thought behind it, you know, and I think that’s it’s almost like I’ve got I’ve got a real reason to experience this road, but I’m also doing something that has is bigger than me.

Steve Paras: When you were talking about history, we talked about this, uh, last week and earlier this week, and we were talking about Griffin. Griffin, Georgia. Yeah. And even if you go out to Griffin, which is a small town, I lived out there for three years there. Still rides out there that go out to Newnan. Harley-davidson out 16. So if you want a ride or you want to be part of a charity, they’re everywhere. They’re everywhere you live. You can get involved.

Sharon Cline: And you don’t have to ride a Harley. You can ride any bike, first of all. But also, if you wanted to just follow in a car, you can do that. It doesn’t. You don’t have to be a writer.

Steve Paras: There’s a lot of ladies that are scared of bikes and they follow the rides. Just in case anything were to happen or carrying something that they can’t on a bike.

Sharon Cline: I love it when someone’s got a car and I can, like, can you hold this bag for me? Yeah. It’s nice. And I know that that happens on the, um, at Buck Jones ride as well.

Steve Paras: So I don’t know if everybody on here knows how much you ride and or how long you’ve ridden. Oh, let’s talk about you. You’re an expert here. You’re an experienced rider. You had a fat boy for eight years. Yes. You don’t. Or your fat boy went to a charity that we did what, last year or the year before?

Sharon Cline: It was last year. It was in October. November?

Steve Paras: How long have you been writing?

Sharon Cline: Oh, I have been writing for nine years. I learned how to ride at a Harley-Davidson that actually held Bender Harley, which they just closed. And now they’re kind of absorbed into Atlanta Harley Davidson. Uh, but I took that class twice, and the first time I took it, I had the Analysis Paralysis award because I was so worried about writing. And then a month later, I took it again and I got the most improved award, which I’m very proud of. And, uh, yeah, the.

Steve Paras: Trophy on your.

Sharon Cline: Shelf. Well, I have I have pictures of those certificates on my phone from like nine years ago, but I also took like the Advanced Rider course, which I really liked because I had my own bike and was able to kind of do those same kind of maneuvers that they give you a tinier bike to ride as you’re learning, and you can drop it a hundred times. They’ve kind of tricked it out so that you’re not going to hurt the bike or yourself, but being able to take my bike and actually know that I could handle it’s curves and little tiny U-turns and stop when I want. I felt like, okay, I’ve done my due diligence of making sure I I’m safe and everyone else out there is safe too. So, um, since then, it’s just been such a major part of my life. I’ve just loved it. And I’ve gotten to meet you, you know, through this, which I was wondering as we were getting ready to do this show. I don’t remember the first time I met you, but I’ve come to so many different events that you’ve been to.

Steve Paras: The Chuck and Z.

Sharon Cline: Oh, was it the Chuck and Z show? Is that how we met? I used to produce the Chuck and Z show, and they, um, have moved to Texas. But hopefully we’ll be coming back and we’ll start up again. Maybe. But I’ve. I loved everything they stood for because they weren’t just about bike riding. They were giving an opportunity for people like you to have a platform to do, to raise awareness for good things.

Steve Paras: If you remember, we had a live, uh, podcast.

Sharon Cline: Uh, at their show. Yeah, at their place.

Steve Paras: That’s right. No, we did it that way.

Sharon Cline: That’s right.

Steve Paras: Like Toy Run.

Sharon Cline: 3 or 3 years ago, I think. Oh my gosh, I.

Steve Paras: Forgot they were live.

Sharon Cline: That’s right. That was so fun because we got to have anybody that came by. We were like, what does it mean to you to be here? And got to shout out, hey, if you’ve never been, come on down, come to Cumming, Georgia. You know, and and experience something that’s very unique about writing, which is it’s not always about, you know, as fast as you can go, the big groups all on the highway. It’s actually it leads with Santa, at least.

Steve Paras: 2 or.

Sharon Cline: 3 or 2 or 3 leads with Santa out on to this nice little sort of police led ride, which you go maybe third gear or fourth at the most. But no, when as we’re writing, there are families that are on the side of the road and wave. And to us as you ride by.

Steve Paras: And Lisa scored a 29 mile ride, we start in the coming fairground. We end up in Veterans Memorial Park in Dawsonville. And that’s where all the food is. And everybody gets to eat for free.

Sharon Cline: Yeah. I mean, where’s the downside? I know, no, I mean, every year I just love knowing that it gets, you know, bigger and more children get to benefit. So there’s I can’t even think of what the downside is other than how much work you have to, you know, put into it. I think last year I was asking you, how are you feeling about tomorrow was the day I like, you know, I knew you were going to relax and you said, oh, I’m going to be down for about a week. It’s like, yeah, I bet, because at the end there’s just so much that happens, just the coordination.

Steve Paras: We’ve been really, really lucky the five years that I’ve been involved. We we haven’t had a big hiccup. You know, everything has been pretty smooth. There hasn’t been any problems that kind of everybody comes there to have a good time. So you never have to worry about that. Um, and we’ve just been lucky, you know, the police have been great about the escorting, you know. It’s from start to finish. You know, we run all the lights and you ride about 30 miles an hour. So it’s an easy, even for beginners, you know, just an easy ride. And then everybody gets to eat at the end.

Sharon Cline: And all the children get to benefit for Christmas.

Steve Paras: And all year long.

Sharon Cline: How do you get your sponsors to be involved?

Steve Paras: We’ve had a few and I the first couple of years I went out and started knocking on doors. And every year we we get a couple more. You know, one might fall off and then but they see what’s going on and they there’s a young man that I was in the automotive business for 24 years, and I there was a gentleman that I met that owns nine locations, and he wants a toy box in all nine locations, because I told him that we’re involved with a Dunkin Donut chain that has seven. Now they got 87 locations, and they said that we could put toy collection boxes and all the ones that make sense, right? We’re not going to put one in North Carolina. It doesn’t make sense. Right? So this year we’re probably going to have 40 something boxes collecting toys and Dunkin Donuts. Now it’s called Dunkin. Oh yeah. They corrected me. Did they Dunkin Donuts.

Sharon Cline: Did you call it Dunkin Donuts? And they said no, it’s called.

Steve Paras: Put it on the t shirts. Oh, so all the sponsors are on the back of the t shirts. Sheeran’s wearing this year’s.

Sharon Cline: T shirt, and so are you. We match. But what is it about you? You specifically that you think you are just such a good fit for things like this? Because my brain does not work like yours, I get overwhelmed very easily. Your brain. You’re creative.

Steve Paras: Well, I’m just a people person, you know? And, uh, when I talk to you, you’ll say something that’ll click, and I’ll just go to the right of that, or to the left of that and and spin it a little bit. And it gives me an idea and you know that because I talk to you all the time. But yeah, you’ll say something to me and I’ll go, what do you what do you think about that? And you. Oh, I didn’t think about that.

Sharon Cline: No, exactly. So one of the things that we talked about recently, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it, so it’s going to come up in the future for me. But Kennesaw State University is where I went to college. And they I worked at the radio station there. And. Right, this was 13 years ago. Right now they don’t have the radio station open because they’re low on funding. And when I was on campus and I saw that it was closed, it actually just hurt my heart because where the fact that I’m sitting in this radio station right now and interviewing you is 100% due to the the education and the experience I had at Kennesaw.

Steve Paras: So I have a challenge for you.

Sharon Cline: Oh, no.

Steve Paras: Find out what it would take to get that buck back up and going. And we can always do a charity ride. Oh for.

Speaker3: That.

Sharon Cline: See, I never thought about a charity ride for Kennesaw State University. Al radio.

Steve Paras: You don’t think those students would want to be a part of it?

Sharon Cline: Oh, yes.

Steve Paras: Oh, yeah. All those boosters, all the people that support, you know, all the sports teams, right?

Sharon Cline: They would love.

Speaker4: It. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Listen, that radio station was so important to me. It created enough media for me to be able to prove that I could work at a news media station here in Atlanta. And I have not let go of voiceover work and anything audio because of that experience and the interviewing, the interviewing that I did of faculty and staff and people that were on campus bands. I mean, we just I felt like we were our own little mini celebrity area because people were always coming through and there was always something to talk about, and I just loved it.

Steve Paras: Really easy for you because you’re talented at this, to do a live show once a week and then once you get it up and running, if you wanted to do it more than that, it would be easy to do and do a fundraiser would be easy.

Sharon Cline: See, you say it’d be easy in my brain. Just like scrambles. I just don’t have that.

Steve Paras: You have to do is find out a dollar amount.

Sharon Cline: That they.

Steve Paras: Just didn’t read. You know, opening it up, and then we’ll take it from there.

Sharon Cline: Amazing. Okay, well, we’re putting it out there in the universe.

Steve Paras: No reason to have a ride.

Sharon Cline: That’s so true. Not just a Sunday to, like, let’s go over and find a barbecue place, you know? Not for that, but, like. Yeah, everybody for me. Everybody loves the experience of riding in that. When you have a collective group. You’re all feeling the same way about riding. Talking about your different bikes, talking about how long you’ve been riding, what your favorite this and that is it’s like all all the favorite things all in one spot and knowing you’re doing something good as a result at the end of it.

Steve Paras: It’s the best. So if there’s someone out there that would like to be a part of either of these, either the Doug Jones Charity Foundation or the Bike Knights, or the Toy Run, or the Startup of Kennesaw radio station. Contact Sharon.

Sharon Cline: Oh, and Steve and Steve Harris. Because really think about it like you are the face and people come to you for any problem. You are the voice. You are the marketing guy. I love that you have all of these gifts that you get to put towards something. Like I was saying, bigger than yourself.

Steve Paras: It’s a lot of fun. And and you get a lot of, um, joy seeing the kids. Right. And the parents, you know, because a lot of them just wouldn’t be able to to have a nice Christmas for the kids, you know? And it’s not just Christmas. It’s just toys for the kids and everybody. Every kid deserves a smile on their face during the season, right? No matter what, you celebrate. Right. So the toys go out to put those smiles on and the money and the gift cards, you know, kids getting new clothes or being able to eat at lunch, you know, all year long with over 2600 kids, we help out.

Sharon Cline: It feels like I take for granted that I can just hop on my bike and go do things, or even just go eat. You know, and I think it’s important to remember that there is such a difference between what your normal is and what somebody else’s is.

Steve Paras: That’s right. You take her take for granted what you do every day, right? And then when you see someone that’s not as fortunate as you. All of a sudden reality, there’s a reality check. You know, that people people have a tough out there.

Sharon Cline: And you’re affecting. Who knows how many children over the years? I mean, I’m sure you could add it up if you had to, but how? You have no idea where the help that you are providing, where that will lead someone and what it will do for their life.

Steve Paras: And also the camaraderie between the bikers. Right. When you’re out and you’re talking to people and people that don’t know each other, start talking. Then all of a sudden you don’t know, maybe a job might come up, or you’re helping out somebody or selling something for somebody, or someone has a bike and they’re looking for a bike.

Sharon Cline: So that and the lifelong friendships. Yes. I think that’s underestimated. I mean, I’ve had I have friends that I met nine years ago and are still friends. And like everyone’s personality is a little different or whatever. We’re not talking about like, no drama. I just mean these are people that want to do life with you.

Steve Paras: Well, here’s a perfect example. When I started the first bike night out here, I didn’t have someone to announce it. I was I was going to have to announce it and do everything else. And John and I, John D’Angelo, who was a professional, uh, MMA, UFC and boxing announcer, I just lucked into meeting him and he wanted to get on board, and he’s been with me ever since. We’d do everything we do, we do together. And he’s a you know him? He’s a great announcer. He’s been on your show. Yeah. Um, he was inducted to the MMA, the Georgia MMA Hall of Fame, because he and a team of people were the ones that came up with the times per round and rounds per event. So he and the team were inducted the Georgia MMA Hall of Fame. He won’t tell anybody. I’m the one that always tells everybody that because, you know, he’s he’s an insurance guy and he’d rather talk about insurance than, you know, patting himself on.

Speaker3: The back.

Steve Paras: With that ring every now.

Sharon Cline: And then. I’d wear it. I’d wear to the grocery store. That’s something to be very proud of because, um, you know, he being a humble person, he’s just talking about how he can help save you some money if you bundle things. But knowing that he really had a huge impact on what MMA and fighting is like here in Georgia, and making rules like that is amazing.

Steve Paras: Yeah, he being an insurance guy who owns, uh, insurance PGM and he’s got, I believe, 8 or 9 locations now. So he’s a busy guy, but he’s always at the event. He’s always announcing, he’s always.

Sharon Cline: He comes to all the bike nights.

Steve Paras: He’s all. And at Buck Jones.

Sharon Cline: And at Buck.

Steve Paras: Jones. Uh, everybody loves him ever. He’s just a big teddy bear.

Sharon Cline: He’s such a sweet person. And he was also an actor and, you know, model. And you never know. He’s just riding his bike saying, who won this raffle? Who has this number? Just a nice person.

Steve Paras: And he’s hilarious at it. You know, when someone when he’s drawing numbers and people aren’t coming up, he’ll just say something about what the person in front of him is wearing. The first person with a white t shirt comes up here, wins.

Sharon Cline: We got to give away these gift cards.

Steve Paras: Who’s got the funniest hat on? So.

Sharon Cline: So you’re talking about people that you met five years ago that are still involved too, and that affects their life. I mean, it’s exponential.

Steve Paras: Well, the Punishers and the Patriots that are sponsoring the Black Knights met at the very first, uh, bike night that I did over at, uh, uh, the collection at Wing Cafe.

Sharon Cline: Are they because I’m not as knowledgeable about biker, um, motorcycle club culture? Um, are they like, the the Bloods and the Crips? Are they fighting?

Speaker3: No.

Steve Paras: Oh, they’re the good guys.

Sharon Cline: The good guys.

Speaker3: Okay.

Steve Paras: The punishers are, uh, a law enforcement motorcycle club.

Sharon Cline: Okay.

Steve Paras: Good guys. And the. And the Patriots are business owners and upper management guys. So they’re they’re the good guys. They’ll never be any problems.

Sharon Cline: No, no. People would be stupid, right? To cause.

Speaker3: A problem.

Steve Paras: Not a yeah. It’s not.

Speaker3: Smart.

Sharon Cline: So if any other kind of motorcycle club would like to come, what would that be like for them?

Steve Paras: Absolutely. Come and see me. I’d be more than happy. Especially lady Riders. We would love to get lady clubs involved. Be part of.

Sharon Cline: I tried to do it a little bit and I got some resistance to even just me being a woman trying to get in. It was a little challenging for me.

Steve Paras: We open arms. We will take every lady rider that’s out there that wants to be a part of it. Come out July 1st. Hooters and Mall of Georgia. Come see me. I’ll be more than happy to introduce you to everybody. Sharon will be there, so there’ll be other lady riders there as well. We had one that was going to one of the Hooters bartenders just started. Uh, she just bought her little sports bike and just started riding, and she’s just still in the parking lot, learning that she was going to be here today, but got sick so she couldn’t make it.

Sharon Cline: But you know what? I love that she is as enthusiastic about it and is willing because, you know, there’s overriding some natural survival instincts and fear, you know, but if you practice enough, like going to a parking lot and just starting and stopping when you want. That’s the best way.

Steve Paras: First thing is if you can get it to not stall like she just told me, I finally got it. Where the bike’s not stalling. Yeah, that’s the first step, you know. And then the next step is is doing.

Sharon Cline: A little bit of speed. Yeah. And shifting gears a little bit. But listen, everybody starts somewhere. And I was the same exact.

Steve Paras: Way nine years.

Sharon Cline: Ago. Nine years ago I was like, why do I even think this is a good idea?

Steve Paras: Well, your first.

Sharon Cline: Bike, it was.

Steve Paras: You had a big bike for your first.

Sharon Cline: Bike. I did, and now I have a sporty Sportster 1200 custom, which is a great bike for me size wise. The the fat boy is a big bike for me. Um, if it started to at all tip, I had no chance of stopping it from tipping over.

Steve Paras: Did you have it lowered so. I did okay.

Sharon Cline: I did have it lowered, but that also impeded the leaning a little bit because it would scrape on the little floorboards and stuff. Um, but the, the Sportster that I have, the 96 Sportster, once I got on that and I was like, oh Lord, I know how to handle this thing. Yeah, it’s almost like a dirt bike. It’s smaller and, um, light enough for me to stop it from falling. So the 2015 one I have is got a bigger tank than the 2000. I’m sorry, than the 96. So I can go a little bit further.

Steve Paras: So you went from the fat boy to a 96?

Sharon Cline: Yeah. I went from the fat boy to the 96 Sportster. And then I just picked up a 2015 Sportster 1200 custom.

Steve Paras: So the latest bike was.

Sharon Cline: That’s the 96. Yeah.

Steve Paras: Do you still have that one?

Sharon Cline: I still have that one. It’s a great bike. It just always has something that’s got to be fixed on it. And I just thought, let me get something that’s a little more reliable because with History Highway, the video series I’m doing, I ride far and it’s by myself. I’m doing it all. So I don’t want to take a chance of breaking down on the highway or, you know, I don’t want to be vulnerable as a woman out there. So it’s great to have a really reliable bike. And I’m thankful to Ted at Killer Creek, Harley, who said it all up for me, and I was able to find the one Sportster they had and bring it home like the next day. It was great. So very easy process. And so yeah, she’s I call her Ayaka, which is Cherokee Indian word for she brings happiness. That’s her name. And so yeah, we’ve had great adventures, but knowing the right fit for your the way that you need a bike to be is very important. As a matter of fact, it’s being serviced a little bit right now because the, the brake pedal is a little bit too far forward for me. And they’re going to fix some of the handlebar length. But listen, bikes can be customized to you.

Steve Paras: So that’s what’s nice about owning a motorcycle unless they’re exactly how they came off the showroom floor. Everyone’s different.

Sharon Cline: Yeah. Why don’t you talk about your motorcycle history?

Steve Paras: Oh, I’ve had a million. I’ve got a.

Sharon Cline: You had a fat boy too, I remember.

Steve Paras: So I had a fat boy for 16 years. I. The only thing that wasn’t the only thing that was original was inside the engine. Every single part on that bike. It’s you. Can you. You never stop spinning because you want something new. Uh, the two bikes that I have now is a soft tail deluxe, and, uh, I have a trike, and both of them are close. Um, they’ve got a little more pep than normal bikes, so get up and go is good.

Sharon Cline: Cvts are so nice.

Steve Paras: The trike. I take on anything longer than two. Two hours each way. I’ll take the trike because it’s a little more comfortable. And then anything shorter than that, I’ll take the the soft tail.

Sharon Cline: So what’s the bike that you take when you’re on your, um, Buck Jones ride?

Steve Paras: The last three years has been the trike because my niece has always been a part of Buck Jones. She was the 50, 50 girls.

Sharon Cline: 5050 raffle girl.

Steve Paras: Yeah, she does all the, um, bike nights and that kind of thing. She just moved to Florida.

Sharon Cline: Oh.

Steve Paras: Did she? Yes, just last week. So she’s no longer helping out? Oh, yeah. So she’s down there. So we’ll see what happens this year. Which bike? I mean, I’m, like, getting a new bike.

Sharon Cline: Well, you may need a new raffle. 50, 50 raffle person.

Steve Paras: You got the girls.

Sharon Cline: You got the girls at Hooters. So smart. Look, that’s because it’s Steve and he’s smart. This is me. I’m like, I never thought of that, Steve. This is. I say that a thousand times a day when I talk to Steve about different things he’s doing.

Steve Paras: Well, you know, it sells, so.

Sharon Cline: Yeah.

Steve Paras: Thank you. You girls are going to get more sales than.

Sharon Cline: It’s just the way the world.

Steve Paras: The guys walking around going. You want a 5050 full ticket?

Sharon Cline: Thankfully, there are enough people on this planet to make it all work. Okay, so if someone wanted to get in touch with you and wanted to know more about the Buck Jones charity ride and any, any information about riding like that.

Steve Paras: We could go to our Facebook page. The Buck Jones Charity Foundation. They can leave messages, phone numbers, join. We probably have 800 people that are on that page.

Sharon Cline: That’s awesome.

Steve Paras: Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Well, maybe there’ll be a couple more from this show. I always think this lands where it’s supposed to.

Steve Paras: So we need as many people that ride to come out to the nights. Yeah. The first Tuesday of every month, all the way through. The first ones. July 1st from 6 to 10. And we really believe that the location of this one, not only does it have Hooters name, but the location is in the middle of everything. So I really believe it might rain on this Tuesday, but I really believe we’ll have over 150 bikes.

Sharon Cline: Oh, that’d be amazing. Yeah, and an opportunity to win some gift cards and just camaraderie. And it kind of builds all.

Steve Paras: Up gas gift cards. There’ll be food, gift cards. There’ll be. There’ll be all kinds of prizes and a lot of fun. And John will be up there making fun of people. And it’ll be a blast.

Sharon Cline: All for a good cause.

Steve Paras: And we’re even talking to Sharon about doing a live remote from there.

Sharon Cline: It would be so amazing. I’m looking around at equipment. I’m like, what would I bring? But who knows? You never know. People do it all the time. Technology and everything. I would love that, because getting people to talk about why they’re there is very important. It’s motivating for other people to hear. Like you’re being here today. So thank you.

Steve Paras: Thank you for having me.

Sharon Cline: Of course. Well, also, thank you all for listening to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX. And again, this is Sharon Cline and Steve Pearce with the Buck Jones charity run. I’m reminding you all that with knowledge and understanding we can have our own fearless formula. Have a great day.

From Marine Aspirations to Tech Innovations: Jason Perez’s Journey

July 1, 2025 by angishields

Veteran Business Radio

From Marine Aspirations to Tech Innovations: Jason Perez's Journey

00:00 /

In this episode of Veterans Business Radio, Lee Kantor interviews Jason Perez, CEO of YARDZ Technologies. Jason shares his journey from aspiring Marine to construction industry entrepreneur, detailing how his SaaS platform streamlines equipment management for contractors. He discusses the challenges faced by the industry, the evolution of his company, and the significant cost savings delivered to clients. Jason also highlights his dedication to the veteran community through his involvement with the Marine Raider Foundation, emphasizing the importance of supporting veterans and their families during their transition to civilian life.

Jason Perez is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of YARDZ. As CEO, Perez manages the overall strategic direction of the company as it expands in scope and size.

Before establishing YARDZ, Perez founded the Veritas Group, a consulting and management firm that had great success in the mission critical world.

Before that he was Manager of Southeast Region Construction for Syska Hennessy Group.

He has sat on the boards of several non-profit entities and is presently an Ambassador for the Marine Raider Foundation.

Follow YARDZ on LinkedIn.

Episode Highlights

Jason’s background and journey into the construction industry.
Overview of YARDZ Technologies and its Software as a Service (SaaS) platform for asset management in construction.
Challenges faced by contractors in equipment management and the financial implications.
Development of innovative solutions to streamline equipment tracking and management.
The evolution of YARDZ Technologies and its expanding features for contractors.
Impact of YARDZ Technologies on productivity and cost savings for construction businesses.
Jason’s commitment to supporting the veteran community through the Marine Raider Foundation.
Plans for fundraising events to assist veterans and their families.
The importance of community engagement and support for veterans transitioning to civilian life.

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Veterans Business Radio, brought to you by ATL vets, providing the tools and support that help veteran owned businesses thrive. For more information, go to at vets. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here another episode of Veterans Business Radio. And this is going to be a good one. And this work could not be done without the partnership we have with ATL vets, inspiring veterans to build their foundation success and empowering them to become the backbone of society after the uniform. For more information, go to ATL vets.org. Today on the show we have Jason Perez and he is the CEO with YARDZ Technologies. Welcome, Jason.

Jason Perez: Hey. Thank you. Lee. Thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: Well, I am so excited to get caught up with you. We meant we were talking before the show, that I guess we were one of the first people to interview you out of ATDC.

Jason Perez: You did? I believe we just had prototyped our first iteration of it, and we we went out. We were able to get a couple customers on. And honestly, we probably did not deserve to be in that room with you guys at that point. We knew nothing about tech. We just knew that there was a big problem to solve.

Lee Kantor: So can you talk about, well, first of all, what is YARDZ technology? Who are you serving and what are you guys up to?

Jason Perez: Yeah, so we’re a SaaS platform for those people that don’t know software as a subscription, right? Um, and what we’re solving is essentially the asset management side of construction. So contractors go out, they rent a lot of equipment, they own a lot of equipment. They have tools in their warehouse. And at the end of the day, all of it ends up somewhere and they don’t know where it’s at. And so there’s a tremendous amount of losses that occur, either through paying for rentals that sit on the side of a road. I’m sure a lot of us out there have driven along the freeway and seen those big pieces of machinery, excavators, dumpsters and so dump trucks out there just sitting and people are paying big money on those, right, or owned assets that sit in their own yard that they should have deployed, but instead they rented. And then tools that just go lost. Right. So what we did is that we built an aggregator that goes out and consumes data from all the major rental companies, and then marries that with their owned assets and with their tools, so that they have one single pane of glass. And when those rentals come in, we send them alerts to make sure that things don’t sit on their projects longer than they should. We evaluate to make sure they’re getting the rate that originally was contracted. There’s a slew of tools that are involved there. But, you know, what’s most important is we save people money and we save them time to get them home earlier.

Lee Kantor: Now, what’s your backstory? How did you kind of realize that this was a problem to be solved?

Jason Perez: Huh? Yeah, well it’s interesting, I’ll go way back because I think one of the reasons I’m on today is just my backstory in general, right? I’m not a veteran, but since eight years old, from the first time watching Full Metal Jacket, the only thing I wanted for my life was to be a marine. That was it. And in 2021, a junior in college, I was supposed to go to P.l.c., which is platoon leadership class or course, and I got medically declined a week before leaving. I mean, I had a party and everything going, and I just was kind of devastated. I didn’t know where to go with my life, but my whole family was in construction. So when I graduated college, I just kind of fell into, you know, getting into construction. And and I resisted it for multiple years. And at the end of the day was fairly successful with it. So I built a consulting company around mission critical Construction. I was involved with a lot of DoD work. I was involved with a lot of data centers and large healthcare mission critical type projects. And then after building that, my neighbor who just so happened to be in the rental industry, came up and said, hey, there’s this issue with rentals. Like I get phone calls all the time of people saying that, you know, I need to call something off because, you know, they rented it and I’m like, no, this is not mine. You rented with somebody else. And then he realized he started managing 2 or 3 different rental companies. Um, him just being a rental sales rep. And so he thought, well, maybe I can start a brokerage. And then in our discussions, they said, well, maybe we can start building technology around it and solve it. And that was it. You know, it was just about six months of a year digging our our feet in and asking the questions and visiting job sites and going, all right, how are people trying to solve it today? And what we found is there was a massive vacuum in regards to that problem.

Lee Kantor: Was it because maybe there, you know, there are analog in the digital world? Is was that the problem that they’re keeping track kind of on paper and pencil in their own memory, rather than kind of having central locations for the data to just be there and be remembered that way.

Jason Perez: That’s right, that’s right. I mean, here’s the thing about construction. A lot of people will look and they go, man, construction is so advanced. What you can do with VR goggles and walking through a building before it’s even built, you know, there’s a lot of white collar technology, at least I call it white collar technology. It’s built for engineers, architects, the big geeks. They get to do all this cool stuff. But then you get down to the blue collar guys, right? The the dirt and oil under the fingernails. And there aren’t things built to make their lives easier. And my dad was a blue collar guy. I grew up in the construction industry, actually. You know, digging. Digging holes and framing walls. I was a laborer for three years before I started actually getting into the office and doing project management work. And at the end of the day, there just weren’t tools built for those guys. And so when you look at equipment, it was Excel spreadsheets. It was whiteboards with, you know, different color markers for different companies. There were people that we saw with magnet boards and they they would print out labels and put them on magnets and move them around like it was, you know, a battlefield. You know, I mean, it was really interesting how people tried to solve it, but we knew there was a better way. You know, the second you save an Excel spreadsheet, it’s out of date. The second you move something on a magnet board, it’s out of date because something moves out in the field, you’re not going to know about it. And so we needed to tie something that would take the field in the office, marry those together and then take own rented tools, marry those together and just make people’s lives easier while saving them, you know, 10 to 30% in overall rentals.

Lee Kantor: Now, what was the aha moment? When did you realize you were onto something?

Jason Perez: I think the aha moment really came when a top 25 contractor, um, called us up and said, one of your customers told us what you’re doing and this would change our lives. This would eliminate multiple people in the process. They can actually focus on other stuff within the company. This will change everything for us. And we thought, okay. I mean, if someone that’s a top 25 contractor believes that we need to start listening and we use that as a learning lesson, we listen to them, we listen to our customers. We continue to be, you know, close to the problem. And that was kind of the aha when when somebody was willing to pay for the product. That wasn’t just, you know, us selling, you know, cold water in the desert.

Lee Kantor: Right? So this is you realize this is something that they were hungry for. You didn’t have to work that hard to sell it. Once they understood what it could do.

Jason Perez: It proved out the value. Yeah. It proved out the value of of what it was. Um, and and it really provided some credibility about, uh, around what we’re doing. It validated us as a, as a company, and it validated our purpose, you know, because again, it’s great building tech. Right. But if your goal is strictly to get rich, you’re probably not going to get there. You’ve got to be focused on solving a problem. You got to be looking at something and saying, how do I make this better? How do I impact the process, impact the people, impact the company? And it could be financially. It could be, you know, psychologically, it could be, you know, just again, getting them home early, right, for dinner with the kids. These are things that get passed on. And these are the emotions that one day, you know, lead to them referring you to the next opportunity.

Lee Kantor: So how has the kind of the software evolved over the years? Like you, you start out like when we met, it was in a conference room at at DC. Uh, where are you at today? That was probably, what, 6 or 7 years ago?

Jason Perez: That’s right. So we were lost then? We were we were doing this rental quoting platform. Um, we really haven’t hadn’t gone into the intelligence of aggregating in the way that we had, uh, have today. We didn’t have a lot of tools there, and it was really rental focus. Since then, we added the owned, uh, asset side. And on the owned assets, we have things like, uh, IoT, telematics, tracking. So we’re consuming data from, uh, miles and hours and diagnostic codes off of equipment directly from their computers or devices that we provide. We have logistics and dispatch and work orders and schedules and electronic inspections. I mean, there’s a slew of things that are involved there and a lot of reporting and analytics behind it. And then on tools, we built this whole entire warehouse component where people can manage their tools, their consumables, job costs, those things. And then also, you know, on the on the maintenance side parts and, and kitting, so that when somebody goes out in the field and manages those things, everything’s supplied on their truck and they can track what’s, what’s leaving the the warehouse. Right. What’s leaving the shop.

Lee Kantor: So now there’s actual tools for those folks that are boots on the ground where you can actually help them and save them time and money and resources, and they can know exactly where everything’s at and and how they are doing in terms of, you know, maybe it’s time for maintenance or they have more intelligence around all of the tools that they’re using.

Jason Perez: That’s right. And because we have some really proprietary, um, intuitive tools, we have things like if you’re going to go maintain a piece of equipment that’s 50 miles away, I’m going to be able to search on my phone. The other equipment that’s also due for maintenance within, you know, a mile or two miles or within that project. Um, you know, we have a lot of different ways of creating efficiency. So these individuals go out. They’ll get blindsided that something else needs to get worked on, or they don’t make an hour and a half drive to get back to the shop and go, oh crap, there was three other pieces of equipment I need to work on when I was out there. Right. Um, so we’re alleviating that. We’re alleviating the idea that they have to get a sheet of paper, you know, print it, scan it, upload it to a file, do all these things that are just absolutely time consuming and they don’t add value to the company. It doesn’t feel like they’re adding value to the person. Right. If you have to do that, you’re going, man, don’t have something better to do. I mean, if I’m a a high level diesel mechanic, let me focus on being a high level diesel mechanic. I don’t want to focus on paperwork. And so YARDZ allows them to focus on the jobs that they love doing while the application makes it, you know, a 15 second ordeal for them to snap a couple photos, say it’s a complete done deal, move on to the next.

Lee Kantor: Right. So you’re eliminating kind of the admin component of their job, and they can just focus in on kind of the art of the work that they’re doing.

Jason Perez: I love that word, the art of the work because that’s what it is. I mean, uh, these guys love working and solving problems and doing the things that they do. They hate paperwork. They hate bad technology, right? They hate waiting for things to load. Um, those just aren’t things that they want to focus on, right? They want to be out there and and when they drive up and they know they need to fix something. They want to get to it, get it done, move on to the next.

Lee Kantor: So who is the ideal customer for YARDZ nowadays?

Jason Perez: The ideal customer profile stays somewhat the same. It’s a large contractors that either I shouldn’t say large contractors, but contractors that you know own probably more than 100 pieces of equipment or rent more than a half million dollars a year, right? That that’s kind of where our customers start. And we have low plans for those smaller customers where it’s it’s cost effective. What we typically see with any one of our customers is at least a ten x on the ROI, right? So they’re going to save ten x on what they’re paying us in order to use the platform. We have one customer, Ali Schwartz, that actually saved 100 x. Um, so they were pretty happy. We have a case study with them. They drove the whole entire process of measuring how much savings they had. And it was it was just really eye opening for us. After doing business with them and partnering with them for 3 or 4 years, they took it upon themselves to figure out how much are we saving? And they determined that they had over a quarter million dollars to the bottom line, like in their pocket. Uh, and and that’s that feels good, you know?

Lee Kantor: Yeah. I mean, the impact is real.

Jason Perez: The impact is real.

Lee Kantor: So now let’s get back to the kind of the your, I guess, passion for serving veteran, the veteran community. Uh, you didn’t get a chance to actually, uh, become part of the Marines, but being part of the Marines is still part of your life. Can you talk about your work with the Marine Raider Foundation?

Jason Perez: I would love to. Uh, another thing that kind of just fell into right YARDZ I fell into in the Marine Raider Foundation. I’ll say it fell into. Um, again, I’ve had an affinity for the Marine Corps since eight years old, and I always thought at some point I would figure out how to get back involved. I have several cousins Marty Tailor, Gerry Llorente, who did their time in the Marine Corps, and I, you know, I’ve always looked up to them. And it was around 2015 that I was invited to a golf event that was a a fundraiser. At that point, they were called the the Marsac Foundation. And then they rebranded to the Marine Raider Foundation now. And it was my opportunity to go see, you know, the work that they were doing. And that’s when you start realizing, you know, um, there’s such a need for helping those that have sacrificed the most. And it’s not just about, you know, everybody thinks, oh, well, you know, the the people that died sacrificed the most and no doubt, you know, it’s a terrible thing, but people forget about the people that are still living that went out there, sacrificed over so many tours, have their family at home, put their family through stress. Now we’re getting out. Or, you know, could be that they got injured in there and and they’re still in. But at the end of the day, you know who’s helping them, right? Who’s looking out for them and who’s thanking them, not just with their words but with their resources. Whether it’s your time, whether it’s your money. And the Marine Raider Foundation is one of the most effective foundations that are out there. I mean, when you start looking at the dollars that go to mission, it’s in the high 90%. I mean, over and over again, it’s, you know, 97%, 98%. Right? I mean, it’s it’s tremendous the amount of impact that they’re making across all the Marine Raiders and how focused they are on mission.

Lee Kantor: And then so what’s been your work with them? Like, how were you involved with them?

Jason Perez: Yeah. So, um, I’ve been a contributor, uh, as a donor for over a decade and also an ambassador for them. Just getting other donors involved and obviously participating in every fundraiser and charity event that’s possible. And this year, my hope is to kick off my own event, um, which would be, uh, I’m involved in Jiu-Jitsu. And so my thought was to start a, a role a thon, right? Where essentially, instead of running a marathon, instead of doing A5K, uh, everybody comes over to the, to the, you know, Jiu-Jitsu studio, and we all roll for 12 hours straight, right? Raising money for the Marine Raiders. So I’m pretty excited about that. I, um, I think again, the work that they do, the need that’s there, um, It’s such an important cause for the families, both on the legacy side and, you know, the opportunity to bring them together, to get supported and to transition, um, out of the Marine Raiders into the civilian and professional world.

Lee Kantor: Now is the Marine Raider Foundation. Is that a Georgia based or is that national?

Jason Perez: Uh, I believe it’s out of San Diego. I say that because, um, it was out of San Diego, and then, um, there was Camp Pendleton and Camp Lejeune, right. And they moved all the Marine Raiders out to North Carolina. So I don’t know if the foundation moved with them. Um, I still have all the same contacts, uh, that are out of San Diego, so I assume they’re still out of San Diego, although the Marine Raiders are out of North Carolina.

Lee Kantor: And then so are the contingent here in Georgia, though, are you kind of championing Georgia, or is there a group here that you’re part of in Georgia.

Jason Perez: Well, that’s that’s what we’re trying to start. Right. That’s that’s what we’re trying to build. So for the people that are here in Georgia, um, that would like to get involved into and would like to support the Marine Raider Foundation. Um, I would like to, you know, my emails, if it’s okay. I would love.

Lee Kantor: To.

Jason Perez: Yeah, sure. Share it. Yeah. My emails. Jason at YARDZ. That’s why a d z.com. Um, I would like to start to get that together. Again, I’m trying to put together our first event this November around the marine, uh, birthday. So, um, it’ll be in early November. And hopefully, you know, we get a lot of people involved and this becomes a regular occurrence.

Lee Kantor: And, um, for folks who want to learn more about Marine Raider Foundation, just Google Marine Raider Foundation.

Jason Perez: That’s you can Google it, or you can just type in Marine Raider foundation.org.

Lee Kantor: Good stuff. Well, Jason, thank you so much for sharing your story. Um, as we’re trying to tell the stories of, um, how to serve the veteran community more. Thank you for making us aware of this great organization and for folks in Georgia who want to get involved with them. Please contact Jason, uh, to learn more. It’s an important cause, and it’s important to the work that we’re doing here.

Jason Perez: Well, thank you so much. Lee, for having me on. And also having this, um, as a vessel to to help veterans. Right. And to inform people about, you know, the need.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. Well, Jason, thank you again for sharing your story, doing important work. And we appreciate you.

Jason Perez: Yeah. Thank you. Have a great.

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

Diana Oehrli With Oehrli Coaching & Communications LLC

June 30, 2025 by Jacob Lapera

High Velocity Radio

Diana Oehrli With Oehrli Coaching & Communications LLC

00:00 /

Diana Oehrli, Founder of Oehrli Coaching & Communications LLC.

She is an ICF-certified coach, wellness advocate, Substack writer, podcaster, and executive director and trustee of a charitable foundation. Drawing on wisdom from five of the world’s longest-living cultures—and holding a 2nd-degree black belt in Shotokan karate—she integrates real-world wellness practices into all of her work.

A Barnard College graduate and great-grandniece of philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce, Diana blends intellectual rigor with lived experience. Sober since 2006, she holds certifications in Designing Your Life, Tiny Habits, and Recovery Specialization, and completed Harvard’s Certificate in Lifestyle Medicine.

She splits her time between Manhattan, Newport, and the Swiss Alps, where she maintains a private practice exclusively focused on serving high-net-worth clients navigating the pressures of privilege and the complex challenges of generational wealth.

Connect with Diana on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

The wealth wellness paradox
The five-culture longevity authority
The contrarian business model
In vivo vs in vitro coaching
The Costa Rican chef partnership (in planning)
The longevity investment opportunity
Protecting wisdom from corporate culture
The future of executive health

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

TRANSCRIPT

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

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here. Another episode of High Velocity Radio in this is going to be a good one. Today on the show, we have Diana Oehrli and she is a Coach, a Writer, and the Founder of Oehrli Coaching and Communications. Welcome.

Diana Oehrli: Thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about early coaching and communications. How are you serving folks?

Diana Oehrli: Well, I work with folks in groups in one on one sessions, and I help them get healthier and find purpose in their lives and find more success.

Lee Kantor: And so what’s your backstory? Have you always been a coach and involved in this line of work?

Diana Oehrli: No no no. I started off as a as a cub reporter, a journalist, and I worked for community newspapers in Rhode Island. Then I transitioned. I’m half Swiss and half American. My dad was a mountain guide from the Swiss Alps, and I moved to Switzerland to take care of my grandparents. And while I was in the Swiss Alps, I worked for the local newspaper here and started an English language magazine for or co-founded an English language magazine for sort of wealthy clients that come to stud, which is a fancy ski resort here in the Swiss Alps. And so journalism and newspapers and magazines have been my my past career. I still write because I have a blog called The Pressures of Privilege, where I write about the good and the bad side of having wealth and privilege. And I’ve in 2016, I got I started becoming a coach, a life coach, and then became an executive coach. I graduated from the corporate coaching program at coach U You and I. I just love helping people one on one. And, uh, and I sorry, I married the my background as a writer and my my love of helping people through the one on one work I do with them and through the groups that I also lead.

Lee Kantor: So do you have kind of a niche within the coaching realm that you focus in on?

Diana Oehrli: Yeah, I think more and more I’m finding that like the wealthy have a health crisis, they have a too much choice. They complicate their lives. You know, they want longevity, but they get sort of blocked. Some of them, they, they, they love using fitness trackers. But then when it comes time to actually implementing what they want to change, they, you know, they get sidetracked. And, you know, a lot of there’s a lot of factors that play into that, including isolation, feeling like not trusting some, you know, not trusting others. And also this sort of hyper agency which which I don’t know if you know what that is, but it’s the ability to change your your your lifestyle because it becomes uncomfortable. So I focus a lot on that.

Lee Kantor: Do people who have that level of wealth, do they feel a sense that I’m very good at something that obviously because I have a lot of wealth, so therefore I can just translate this to my health at, you know, a drop of a hat.

Diana Oehrli: Yeah. I mean, they that’s why these trackers, you know, these longevity trackers are so popular, but it takes more than just an eye chat bot and a hoop to to get you healthy. I think what’s what they’re missing right now. And this is sort of I think this this goes beyond just that, that one demographic. I think we’re seeing, you know, sort of the rise of AI and the depersonalization of, of coaching and therapy, actually, people are turning to ChatGPT and other kind of chatbots to find relief and to find advice and to find support And but, you know, 38% of communication is nonverbal. So, you know, I is missing a lot actually. And actually some chatbots are actually quite dangerous. Um, they, they’ve they’ve been known to give bad advice. And uh, so, you know, there is there is a cultural marker with the wealthy that they just are very distrustful and they, they tend to isolate. And so this, this right now we’re in this perfect storm where, you know, we’ve got probably the greatest wealth disparity in history, uh, combined with this technology that is making it easier to isolate. Um, and so I’m trying to focus on that and trying to get people to kind of go back to common sense and to in person, um, in person activities to help them feel better.

Lee Kantor: Now, are they receptive to this idea? I mean, they must feel that there is something a little off or they wouldn’t be tracking stuff. Yeah.

Diana Oehrli: Well, it’s it’s strange. Like, I think now it’s pretty popular to not drink alcohol. I don’t know if you’ve noticed that, but there’s a lot of, you know, celebrity people who are who have given up drinking and it’s, you know, um, and it’s become like an inn thing. And, and there’s also a rise in like non-religious spirituality. People are into going to 12 step meetings. They’re um, they’re actually talking about it on podcasts. And, um, so I think that we’re at a really good and an interesting point right now where I think there’s some that get it, um, and there’s some that don’t. And I think a lot of them are using booze to compensate.

Lee Kantor: So they’re using alcohol to compensate. But but they’re not drinking the alcohol anymore.

Diana Oehrli: Some are and some aren’t. But yeah. No, what I’m saying is that we have two things going on. On the positive side, you know, there is it’s pretty popular to not drink right now. Um, and, and, and the rise of 12 step meetings that people are now embracing that more and there’s, there’s, there’s less, um, um, stigma when it comes to mental health now. And it’s also more common that, you know, commonly known that the more mentally healthy you are, the more productive you will be. So, so there’s there’s an interesting thing happening where on one side, things have gotten tougher for for people to get healthy, but on the other side it’s getting easier. And um, and. Yeah. So I’m, I’m. Yeah.

Lee Kantor: So so you’re just you’re trying to help them kind of navigate through this. I mean, it’s obviously a disruption because like you mentioned, on one side, you have this wealth disparity. So they have to see that. And they have to either say, oh well that’s the way it goes. Work harder next time. You know they have to have some rationalization to make themselves feel okay about being on the good side of the wealth disparity, but also they realize that something’s missing. That they’re still struggling. Uh, at least emotionally or mentally in some areas, or else they wouldn’t be, you know, taking all these steps to track things if they didn’t think it was worth tracking.

Diana Oehrli: Yeah. Yeah. And they also have lifestyles that are not conducive to mental health. You know, you know, living, um, living all around the world, not having, um, community that’s consistent. Um, you know, going to places where they’re, you know, where they get less taxed, but then they, you know, they’re kind of they’re kind of rootless. They they don’t belong anywhere. Um, that those, those, those make life more difficult. And, and also there’s sort of this whole sort of guilt about about the climate. To add to add to it all. Um, it’s not easy. There’s a lot of pressure that people with wealth have that, um, make it harder for them to, to lead healthy lives.

Lee Kantor: And then on the flip side, they have the resources to take the steps necessary to kind of solve the problem if they really, really wanted to.

Diana Oehrli: They could. But a lot of them don’t. And it’s weird. And I think from what I understand about human nature is that it’s our thinking, you know? Uh, humans can get into negative thinking cycles, and if you think negatively for long enough, it’s going to create depression. And then where do you go when you’re depressed, when you’re you’ve got this, these these negative thought patterns. Who are you going to trust? It’s very. And then, you know, people who are very wealthy are really afraid of being taken advantage of. You know, who are they going to trust in their circle, you know? Um, so it’s, um, it’s I think it’s quite difficult for them.

Lee Kantor: So when you started working with them, did you have kind of an aha moment of, I’m going to be able to reach this person. They’re going to, you know, I have the skills, the unique skills because of my background, because of, uh, what I’ve done in my life that I’m going to be able to kind of open their eyes to a healthier path.

Diana Oehrli: Well, I’ve been writing this blog called The Pressures of Privilege, where I write about some of these struggles that people have. You know, some of my clients have had people I’ve known, friends I’ve had, and people have reached out to me and they’re like, wow, first of all, you’re pretty courageous, Diana, to write about this because it’s it’s kind of like, you know, being wealthy people love to hate rich people, but they also love them. They sort of glorify them on, you know, the sort of the cult of celebrity. They love to glorify them, too. But it’s usually people don’t want to read about, you know, the poor little rich girl, you know, they don’t have a lot of sympathy for for rich people. Um, so a lot of my friends and people who are reading my stuff have have commented and said, wow, that’s pretty courageous that you’re writing about this. And a lot of them have said, Diana, you’ve got it. You know, you’ve actually tapped into exactly the struggle that people with wealth are having. And, um, and, and, and I, you know, I think now it’s. Yeah. So I think they reach out to me because they read my stuff and they and they identify with the stuff that they’re reading.

Lee Kantor: And then have you, um, started coaching some of these folks?

Diana Oehrli: Yeah. Yeah, I have, uh, I’ve been coaching since 2016. Now I, you know, obviously I haven’t only coached people who are wealthy because, um, in order to get the hours to become ICF certified, you know, I had to, to log a lot of hours. And, uh, and honestly, I love helping people no matter. You know what? You know what background they have. I’ve. I’ve had a, uh, a sliding scale for people who can’t afford me at times. I will give away some of my time. Um, because I just think that’s the right thing to do. Um, but, um, I think that it’s easier to work with people or who, um, you know, who kind of like me, you know, who have had sort of who’ve lived in multiple countries who understand the pain of, you know, not belonging anywhere but being everywhere. If that makes any sense.

Lee Kantor: So when you start working with folks, uh, when it comes to let’s just tackle this kind of lack of community that seems to be, um, you know, more and more commonplace that, uh, and, and, and some people have even attributed to the lack of drinking. Actually, I’ve heard some people say that that’s not helping when it comes to especially young people, you know, socializing and pairing off and things like that. Is there any kind of advice you give people to at least dip their toe into reconnecting in the real world with, you know, an actual human being?

Diana Oehrli: Well, I’m a big fan of 12 step meetings. I mean, that’s that’s my background, but not that’s not for everybody. Um, but I there’s there’s so many groups and, um, like church, I don’t know if you’re a big churchgoer. Um, or or hobbies, like I practice. Um, I’m a second degree black belt in Shotokan karate. I derive a huge amount of community through the dojos I belong to. Like, I moved to Sarasota because of karate at one point. Um, and and Sarasota down there has a wonderful community where they go out to dinner after training. Um, and, and I never like, even though I didn’t know a soul in Sarasota, I never felt lonely because I had that community there. And, um, so I think finding a community somehow whether, you know, depending on your interests. So it’s important.

Lee Kantor: Finding your people like that’s important to kind of find people that kind of at least are like, you believe in what you believe in and are interested in a similar thing, at least as a place to plug in and find kind of a safe space where you fit in and, and, uh, you can meet a lot of people, probably in a pretty short period of time.

Diana Oehrli: I also really do believe in this sort of non-religious spirituality. I think that, you know, more and more people are espousing that, whether it’s going to yoga or doing martial arts or, um, I don’t know, do you do anything like that?

Lee Kantor: Lee? Um, what I do, I mean, the way I meet a lot of people is in my business. Um, part of what I do interviewing people, I meet most of the people that way. And a lot of my work is done in person, face to face. So I. I’ve met a lot of my closest friends just through doing the work that I do. It’s just kind of built into the fabric of the activity. Um, and that happens to coincide with one of my interests. I’m curious. I’m interested about business, and I like learning. So when I interview people, um, it just kind of helps me build my community that way.

Diana Oehrli: Yeah. When I worked for newspapers, I had the same. I was so curious. I loved doing, uh, you know, profiles on people, like, what makes people tick, right?

Lee Kantor: Right. And just, um, I mean, I try to have a beginner’s mindset and just want to, um, learn and not judge and just try to kind of my role as the host of these shows. I try to be kind of the listener of what would they ask? And I don’t, even though I may or may not know something about what they’re doing or what their, um, you know what their business is. I tried to ask. Kind of that beginner’s question. Uh, to help them articulate, uh, the heart of what they’re doing and to really get them to share their passion and their wisdom.

Diana Oehrli: Nice. Well, you’d make a great coach.

Lee Kantor: Well. Thank you. Uh, but, um. Now, getting back to your work, is there any advice you can give people like you? You came from a journalistic background and then got into coaching. Was that kind of a shift? Do you have to to do different things in order to kind of grow a coaching practice or, uh, because on one side, it sounds like your activity as a journalist, the writing and blogging has kind of opened the doors for you to get, you know, at least the eyes of the people that you’re trying to coach on your work and then on you.

Diana Oehrli: Yeah. I’m also doing a podcast, by the way, which is really a lot of fun. So I’m in your shoes sometimes too. And I love it. It’s so fun. How did I switch over? Well, there was a period in time when I moved out of the Swiss Alps to a city in Switzerland, and I didn’t know anyone, and and I was writing a memoir, and I was feeling really lonely, and I was working and and let me, let me back up a little bit in order to move to the city. I worked with a coach to help me with that transition. It’s it’s hard to move as a single mother with two kids, um, out of a place I loved. But I did it to give my kids a better education. I worked with a coach who helped me with that process, and through that process, I realized the power of coaching, actually. Um, and then while I was working on this memoir, I was feeling a little alone. I missed being in an office. You know, having colleagues to talk to. So I decided to become a coach myself. And, um. And I loved it. I realized I realized all my blind spots. Thanks to coaching. I realized that, you know, when I run a newspaper back in, I had become. I was a general manager of a community paper in Newport.

Diana Oehrli: I had done an organizational change. I actually computerized the business. We went from, you know, waxing boards to sending the entire paper digitally to the printer. And I and I did that in a very kind of, um, um, dictatorial way. I didn’t get buy in from the staff. I just said, this is what we’re going to do. And we did it in like a two weeks time. And it was kind of a bumpy transition. I would do that differently today. I would get, you know, the whole staff to to understand what was going to happen. And we were going to do it. And I would have it, I would have them actually come up with how to, how to do that whole transition. And I realized, oh my God, I have a lot of blind spots that I need to work on. And um, coaching really, really put, put a light on what I needed to work on myself. So I’m grateful for that. And, uh, and it’s a and it’s a consistent it’s a continual growth. Like I find that, as you say, this sort of beginner’s mindset. I feel like I’m always a beginner. I’m always learning and and growing, and I love that. That’s that’s one of my values, actually.

Lee Kantor: So you mentioned kind of coaching in a, um, kind of offhandedly coaching in a business setting. Are you seeing more and more businesses embrace coaching as maybe a benefit to their people in order to help them kind of become the best them while they’re there at the office?

Diana Oehrli: Yeah. It’s interesting. Um, when I have clients go, you know, they do like the Wheel of Life, um, exercise where they, you know, they sort of look at their whole life together, including their, their romantic, you know, partnership, health. Um, there’s a section called Spiritual and Personal Growth. And they always ask me like, what’s that? And that’s I see that as, like leadership fits under that. And part of leadership is being Self-Aware and and that’s that’s usually why companies hire coaches to help their leaders develop their leadership skills so that they can get more out of their their staff and get more, you know, the happier staff. If you’ve got happy people working for you, you’re going to get more productivity. Um, and, um, and especially here in Europe, I mean, I live very close to to Lausanne and Vevey, which is where Nestle and Philip Morris have their headquarters. And they, they, they definitely use coaches to, um, to improve, you know, productivity within their, uh, leadership teams.

Lee Kantor: Is there? I mean, I think there’s an opportunity to bring coaching to the entire staff, not just the leadership team, especially with this hunger amongst young people. And like you mentioned earlier, their embrace of the 12 step programs or therapy or even, you know, they’re even like you said, they’re kind of going even with these AI chat bots there. They’re so hungry for more kind of self-knowledge and and embracing this self-awareness. I think there’s an opportunity for businesses to really lean into coaching to help their, their whole staff, um, become just their best selves in order, which will in turn, I believe, improve productivity, improve, uh, employee retention, improve, improve acquisition of new talent because their employees are going to want their friends and people they love as part of the team as well. Mhm.

Diana Oehrli: Yeah. But it’s so hard for people to solve problems at work if they don’t have a place to go that’s confidential. That’s, that’s neutral. Like they don’t I don’t have a vested interest in any you know, in, in my client’s outcome. I just want them to, to reach their goals. So you know sometimes they don’t have a like. I had a client once. Who? He wasn’t a CEO. He he worked for a big multinational company and he was having he wanted to quit his job. And he came to me and he he started talking about why he wanted to quit his job. And he started to talk about communication with his boss. And I had him, do you know, like a map of communication and how the communication worked within his firm? And while he was drawing that map, he he all of a sudden had a light bulb moment that made him realize what the problem was, communication wise with his boss. And he realized that he didn’t want to quit his job, but actually he could solve the problem. So sometimes it’s just finding somebody who’s not in your world, who’s completely neutral, who doesn’t have a vested interest, who’s you know, who’s sign an ethical agreement to keep everything confidential like a therapist and who can act, who can ask open ended questions and use certain tools to kind of like get into somebody’s creative side to come up with solutions that they have the solutions within themselves. So I don’t believe in this. Like I, I’m also designing your life coach. I don’t know if you’re familiar with that.

Lee Kantor: No.

Diana Oehrli: Um, it’s, um, it’s the most popular elective at Stanford University. It’s, um, a course that was created by an engineer and a designer for students who were becoming disillusioned with their chosen major. And it’s it’s the most popular course there. And they use creative thinking to come up with, you know, to design their lives literally. And there are all kinds of really cool creative exercises that we use to help people come up with a plan, you know, prototyping different, you know, options. And, um, yeah. So yeah, I’m forgetting what I was saying, but the, uh, using designing your life, for example, with, um, with, with clients is super powerful because once you get them out of there, um, like, kind of like they’re you get them into a more creative way of thinking. They actually tap into what they really want. Oh, yeah, I was I was going to tell you about in vitro versus in vivo. And this is something that I learned from Bill Burnett and and Dave Evans at Stanford, the two professors. Um, in vitro means like through glass, literally, literally. And that’s a type of coaching where people have a course and you do, you know, chapter one, chapter two, chapter three. And literally only 10% of people who buy courses online actually finish them. I mean, I’ve got a bunch of unfinished courses. I haven’t I haven’t finished because it’s I’m just not unless I have a deadline and somebody I’m accountable to. I just have a really hard time finishing those courses. Um, in vivo is meeting the client where they’re at. So I have a wealth of information and knowledge I can teach a client who comes on a call, but I’m not going to say, well, we’re going to go chapter one. Chapter two. I’m going to say to them, well, what’s going on? Like, why are you here? Why are you asking for help? And then we, we dive right into the very thing that they want to address, you know, in the session, rather than having them go through a course. And that’s how I prefer to work. It’s very individualized.

Lee Kantor: And then is that more effective? The people stay with it longer. If it’s kind of dealing in the immediacy of whatever their issue is at that moment.

Diana Oehrli: Yes, definitely. Yeah. That people resist having to do a course unless they’re getting like some kind of educational credit for it or I mean, I just I just finished a course at Harvard on wellness coaching and, you know, lifestyle and wellness coaching. And I finished it. And it was great because they had homework and they had deadlines and they had, you know, they had zoom calls. I thrive in that kind of an academic environment. But if it’s going to be an asynchronous course where I have to finish stuff and there’s nobody really expecting my work, I have a really hard time with that.

Lee Kantor: So when you’re kind of on your own and they’re saying, here, do these, you know, whatever, this ten part course and there’s tests at the end or whatever deliverables at the end, that’s people tend to not do that, but if it’s kind of in the moment and you’re working on it in real time, on real things that are important to them, they will, um, stick with it.

Diana Oehrli: Yeah. Well, actually, this Harvard course had some little quizzes, which were quite fun. They were like puzzles and, um, so maybe that’s why Harvard has such a name. Because they were able to deliver, you know, academic content in a way that actually is palatable. I’ve actually signed up for a lot of courses that I found very difficult to get through, not because it was hard, but because I just lacked the motivation. But in terms of coaching, um, I just love being coached, by the way, um, in order to be a coach, one has to be coached the same way that therapists need to have therapy if they’re going to be therapists. Um, I actually also have a therapist, so I’m constantly working on myself and and and trying to be, you know, trying to walk the talk. You know, if I’m going to help people with their health and wellness, like I’m working on my own health and wellness.

Lee Kantor: Now, how do you help people kind of determine is it more appropriate to have a therapist or a coach or both? Like how do you what’s kind of the the line that separates the two in your mind?

Diana Oehrli: Well, they say typically a coach helps is more forward thinking. Like we’re you know, we’re we’re not going back into your childhood to figure out, like why you have a block that would be more a therapist. Um, uh, area. Um, coaching is is definitely more setting goals and, and and coming up with, um, you know, breaking down the goals so that, so that they become, you know, you know, they become actionable, you know, maybe getting through some limiting beliefs that people might have that are holding you back, but it’s that I would say that’s the biggest distinction. Like, we’re not going to go into your childhood trauma. I mean, I’m definitely trauma informed, but I’m not um, I’m definitely not going to, you know, dig into your childhood to find out, like, you know, what your mother did to you, and that’s why it’s holding you back. That’s that’s definitely a therapist job.

Lee Kantor: But I. But you’re working with them in terms of. Okay, what do you you know, what’s important to you today? And then what can we do to help that dream come true?

Diana Oehrli: Yeah. And identifying your values like what do you like. What’s your what’s your work view. What’s your life view. What do you really care about. And then, you know, if during a session somebody, you know, one of as a client is, um, maybe out of alignment and not being totally authentic, and I can say, well, you know, you’ve told me that X, Y, and Z is really important to you, but right now it seems like you’re you’re not, you know, in alignment with what you’ve said you really care about? Um, you know. I think that’s why people pay for coaches is to have that challenge, that being being challenged that way. You know, and of course, in a very kind way. But if somebody told me, you know, that they care about something and then they’re going against it, you know, that’s why they hire coaches.

Lee Kantor: Right. So you’re the one that’s kind of an accountability partner is like, look, you know, for the last two months we’ve been talking about X and then now you’re doing Y. And where do X go. You know. Yeah.

Diana Oehrli: Yeah. And obviously I definitely strengths based. I definitely, um, really need to um, you know I’m I’m all about focusing on people’s strengths and, um, and and trying to help them. You know, I, I’m not a CBT therapist, but I definitely believe in cognitive behavioral coaching. And there is such a thing which is, you know, identifying some thought patterns that might be. So it’s the same as sort of limiting beliefs. Like if somebody’s saying, you know, things that are a little all black or all white, you know, you can call them out there or if, um, you know, there’s certain distortions, thought distortions that can come up in a session that I can say, oh, well, that sounds like what do you think? Um, this is sounding a little black and white and, uh. Yeah. And then you you you know, I don’t say that that is a distortion, but, you know, I just ask them, what do you think? And, uh, that’s usually welcomed.

Lee Kantor: Now, you mentioned earlier one of your clients, you were able to help them. They thought they needed to quit their job, but they, you know, after talking with you, they were able to kind of navigate a different path. Is there any other stories you can share about how you’ve helped clients get to a new level? You don’t obviously don’t name them, but maybe share the challenge that they had and how you were able to open their mind to maybe a different path.

Diana Oehrli: Oh gosh, I’m just trying to think, you know, I had one who was a vet and she had signed a non-compete and. And then her boss made life really difficult for her, and she ended up quitting, and she ended up working for somebody else. And he tried to sue her. And it was just she just needed a lot of support to get through that. Um, and in the end, she found in the end, she found a job that, um. No, I think she stuck with it. And in the end, I think I think it just worked out. But I just remember at the time, it was really, really hard because he was not a very nice boss, the ex-boss. And, um, she just needed support through that.

Lee Kantor: And, uh, and you were kind of a sounding board and, and helping her kind of kind of work through the, the mental spiral that was happening in her own head. But by talking about it with you, she was able to kind of find peace.

Diana Oehrli: Yeah. And also, she figured out a way through her lawyer to make it less expensive. Um, I think in the end, I think he ended up working for her pro bono. I think in the end. But it was, you know, it required, you know, some brainstorming, like, like analyzing different possibilities, different ways forward. And, um, and sometimes, you know, she didn’t want to take that home to her husband. And where else is she going to go to talk about that?

Lee Kantor: Right. Where else? I mean, that’s the the problem. They I think that they just hold it all in and they just can’t sleep at night because their mind is just trying to solve these problems that they need kind of fresh eyes on.

Diana Oehrli: Mhm. Yeah I’m trying to think of another, another. Um I don’t want to divulge too much right now.

Lee Kantor: No I understand but that’s a that gives the listener a couple good ideas on the types of clients that you’re able to help and, and kind of the way that you go about doing it is there if somebody wants to connect with you and learn more about your writing, your coaching, your podcast. Is there a website? What’s the best way to kind of plug into, your world.

Diana Oehrli: I have a website called Diana. Dot com. Um, if they can’t spell that, which I understand, it’s a Swiss last name. Um, uh, they can go to the pressures of privilege on Substack and all the links are there. And, uh, yeah, those I would say are the easiest ways to find me.

Lee Kantor: And that’s d a n a o e h i.com is the website.

Diana Oehrli: Yeah. That’s correct.

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

Diana Oehrli: Oh, thank you so much, Lea. I love talking about this stuff.

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

John Inhouse With Merrill

June 30, 2025 by Jacob Lapera

Atlanta Business Radio

John Inhouse With Merrill

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John Inhouse is the Senior Market Executive for the Atlanta Buckhead & Associates Market of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management (MLWM).

The Atlanta Buckhead & Associates Market covers three offices geographically including Atlanta Buckhead, Avalon, and Atlanta Galleria. He leads over 300 partners and manages over $300 million in revenue and $45 billion in assets and liabilities.

Prior to his current position, he was the Regional Managing Director for the Midsouth Region of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management (MLWM). He joined Merrill in 1990 after attending Youngstown State University while working at Bally’s Health and Fitness.

He was a Circle of Excellence Financial Advisor and Resident Director before becoming a Market Executive. He had led Markets and Regions for MLWM and Private Wealth across the country.

Connect with John on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

What originally drew John to a career in finance, and what made him stay with Merrill for 35 years
The most pivotal moments or changes in the industry that shaped John’s approach to leadership and client service
Leadership lessons that have stayed consistent regardless of location or era
Legacy—both personally and professionally

This 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 John Inhouse, who is the managing director senior Market executive with Merrill. Welcome.

John Inhouse: Thanks so much for having me. It’s a privilege and an honor.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m excited to get caught up with what’s happening at Merrill. Why don’t you tell the listeners a little bit about your role there?

John Inhouse: Certainly. So I’m a managing director and the senior market executive for Merrill Lynch in Atlanta, which means that I partner with several hundred professionals that help people realize their financial goals and dreams on a daily basis. And we work really hard to do it. And I’m really proud of what I do and what the team does, and I’m passionate about it. I love what I do.

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

John Inhouse: So I’ve always been drawn to people, always been drawn to relationships and problem solving and really helping people make thoughtful decisions along the way. And my father had an incredible impact on me. My father always taught me that, you know, people were important and keeping promises and going above and beyond and giving together and doing the right thing and not just saying the words, but actually living. It was a great way to help people and to be a business person. And so I learned a lot from him growing up and of course, all my life. But that coupled with the fact that, you know, I really was interested in Merrill Lynch, I my high school, you know, sort of intern day was with an advisor and it checked all the boxes of helping people and, you know, helping people make thoughtful decisions and having relationships. And, you know, I realized that wealth management wasn’t just about markets. I had a great mentor at Merrill Lynch. It wasn’t about markets. It wasn’t about portfolios. That wasn’t the only thing. It was also just really about guiding people through life’s most meaningful transitions, whether it’s kids, you know, buying a home, kids going to private school or college, and then, of course, retiring and having an impact and helping them realize their their once in a lifetime dreams and goals. I got pretty addicted to that and still am.

Lee Kantor: So now how for people who are not in the wealth management business, but maybe they’ve accumulated some wealth. How do you kind of persuade them to go with somebody like you or somebody on your team, as opposed to just kind of go at it alone, or use one of these kind of robo advisors, or just be more proactive themselves because it seems, you know, you know, over the last 2 or 3 years, the market has been doing pretty well. You know, just by accident, you’d probably be ahead.

John Inhouse: Yeah. Well, the markets, you know, they go up, they go down, and then they always go up higher. At least that’s how history has been. What I’d share with you, Lee, is that having a financial plan. Right. Not an asset allocation plan. Not like okay, put this much in stocks and this much in bonds, but actually having a financial plan that says, you know, John, you can spend this much per month once you retire without running out of money or you know, John, you need to save this much more if you want to send your children to the college. There are so many people that don’t have that plan. The last thing that you should be worried about is what to purchase. The first thing you should be worried about is having a plan, because that plan is the foundation for what’s the most appropriate investment to have. It’s, you know, the best way to explain it. Lee. Um, and, you know, I have a a next door neighbor that’s a medical professional, and he and I have great talks about our business and his business. But the bottom line is, you wouldn’t just prescribe your favorite medication as a physician to every patient you had. That would be malpractice. So the basis is, you know, just like an MRI or a physical, you want to take the time to get a detailed financial plan that gives you a network statement, tells you you know, what your goals are when you want to achieve them, and how to achieve them, and use that as the foundation. That’s why people need someone that help them guide them along the way, because they work so hard all their lives to make their financial dreams and goals come true, and they need a professional to help them. And that’s what we do.

Lee Kantor: Now what about and let’s play along with your, uh, kind of analogy that, you know, medical, uh, using a medical doctor as kind of the parallel here. Uh, when the medical person is working with me, I’m not, um, paying them a percentage of my health as the fee every single year. If a plan is really the most valuable thing an advisor can give me. Can’t I just go somewhere that just, you know, every year checks in with me, and I just purchase a plan?

John Inhouse: Well, you certainly could. Um, and by the way, Merrill absorbs the cost of the financial plan for all of our clients and friends and family. We we do not charge for the financial plan. It’s the most important thing. And we think every family and every client deserves one. So in terms of having your money managed, there will be fees associated with that, whether you do it alone or you do it with a partner. Um, and I, you know, I’ve made a career out of believing and helping people realize their dreams and goals. And I think you’ll you’ll you’ll do much better with an unemotional, you know, professional. I don’t manage my own money. Right. So. And I’ve been in the business 35 years. So how would we expect someone to manage their own money or back to the medical situation? It’s why physicians aren’t allowed to do medical procedures on loved ones. Yeah, it’s hard not to be unemotional. You make you make wrong decisions when you do that.

Lee Kantor: So when you’re working with your clients, and I would imagine most of your clients already have a financial advisor from somewhere else and they’re moving to you. What is kind of the trigger that gets them to say, you know what? Either I’m not going to do this myself anymore, or the person I’m with currently is not kind of making the grade.

John Inhouse: You asked. You asked the best questions, and I mean that. Thank you. Um, the reason why people move from another advisor to us is. John. I haven’t heard from my advisor, John. I’ve never seen a financial plan that puts everything together for me and tells me what type of shape we’re in. We always ask people questions like, what’s the primary intent for your wealth? Most people, the answer is family. We always ask clients and prospects on the first meeting. Do you feel like you have just enough, not enough, or more than enough to reach your goals? 90% of the people say, I don’t know. Or I did a plan ten years ago and it’s not up to date. Um, and then we asked them if they’ve ever talked to anyone about it and they say, yeah, you know, their partner, they’ve talked to their partner or wife or husband or spouse. And then we ask them, have you ever talked to their financial professional about it? And they’re like, not really. You know, I talk to my CPA and that is our opening, because if the person that’s helping you manage your wealth has not delivered a detailed financial plan that covers every part of your, you know, your financial life and what your goals and dreams are. How could they possibly be giving you great advice? And that’s where we come in with financial planning.

Lee Kantor: So let’s talk about that plan. What are some of the elements in that plan?

John Inhouse: Well, first of all we use Monte Carlo. So Monte Carlo gives thousands and thousands of simulations of what could happen, you know, based on capital markets and returns. So you have X amount saved, you make Y, you save Z. On a monthly basis what you put in your 401 K. If you’re doing college savings or, you know, private school savings with something like a 5 to 9, it puts all of that together in one, one plan to show you what percentage chance you have of realizing your goal. So in other words, a client might say, John, I would like x thousand dollars per month to spend when I retire at age 65. Most people have no idea what that number is. We tell them what that number is. And then we update the plan every year or more than more than every year. So they know what type of shape there. And when the market’s up they get closer. They’re able to make educated sound decisions. And the other thing is, Lee, most people don’t know why they own what they own as an investment because they’ve never had a financial plan. The financial plan makes that very clear.

Lee Kantor: Now, as part of the financial plan, is it more holistic than just the money element? Is there kind of an insurance element? Is there other kind of components to it other than just here’s the big pile of money you’ve accumulated?

John Inhouse: Uh, so so another great question. We of course, we would, you know, look at life insurance especially, you know, for, for, you know, a couple or an investor that might have, you know, children that they need to take care of, that life insurance needs to replace their income should they become, you know, disabled or if they pass away early, that’s part of it. Um, of course, estate tax strategies are very important, uh, to a client. Um, college education is important to a client, whether they’re going to, you know, are they going to stay in their same home or are they going to move to another home, or are they going to downsize? Do they do they want to? Do they want a house on the lake? Um, their health is a big consideration. What? You know, what’s health like in their family? Um, you know, we talk about issues and, you know, the percentage of of people that end up in some sort of, you know, long term care, whether it’s, you know, having a hip replaced or, or memory care, all of those things are part of a detailed financial plan, which we call the personal wealth analysis.

Lee Kantor: And then you’re going over that annually. What’s the rhythm of kind of revisiting that?

John Inhouse: You know, I suggest at least annually, I think you should have your plan. I mean, things change year to year. As you know. Lee. Um, I would suggest updating your plan at least once a year. I mean, you know, ideally every six months.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you’re working with maybe young people that are just getting into the industry, um, are you noticing a different type of person, Or is this a profession that is on the upswing? Are people, like hungry to get involved in this line of work?

John Inhouse: So when you think about being a financial advisor, you’ve got to, you know, have the knowledge to to understand people and what’s important to them and then leverage the incredible solutions we have at Merrill Lynch and Bank of America to make those dreams come true. So it is a relationship based business. You know, people want to talk to their financial advisor. They want their financial advisor to know everything about them. So, you know, that’s not something I think you could text about, right? I think that’s something that you want to sit at somebody’s kitchen table or sit in a coffee shop, you know, in a private area and say, what’s most important to you? You know, we talk about seven life priorities with with our clients, right? Like, like family is typically number one unless there’s, you know, there are no errors. And then of course health and, you know, work and all those other, um, leisure what retirement looks like. So I think you’ve got to be able to have a very productive conversation to learn about someone, uh, to learn about a client or family and then help put a plan together that makes those dreams a reality.

Lee Kantor: Now, do you find that is it easy to get, uh, kind of a new batch of, um, advisors, or is this something that’s difficult?

John Inhouse: Um, I think we’re all looking for great people that want to help others and then want to deliver. I, you know, we’re not struggling to hire, uh, new financial advisors. I think people are interested in this business. There’s a little mystery to this business. Um, um, you know, what’s it like? What? You know what you know. Many people don’t really fully understand. Um, wealth management. And so when they do, um, it becomes, at least for me, right? It becomes incredibly addictive and inspiring to help others get a plan and help their dreams come true. Because not having a plan is just not the answer.

Lee Kantor: So who is kind of the ideal Meryl client? Is it an executive? Is it an entrepreneur that has built a company? Is it a professional athlete? Like, what does your ideal client look like?

John Inhouse: At Merrill. And Bank of America we have Merrill Edge to Merrill Lynch. So it’s anyone that wants to put money aside to help their dreams and goals. You know, come together. Whether you’re a brand new investor, you’re a you know, you’re a high school kid with a part time job, or you’re a senior citizen that has a bunch of CDs that’s never done a financial plan. Um, it doesn’t matter if you have, you know, a few dollars or millions of dollars. We can help you and we can make a difference. That’s the beauty of Merrill Lynch, bank of America.

Lee Kantor: Now, you mentioned something earlier that you said that a plan is included for all the the entire household. It’s not just for the your your specific client.

John Inhouse: That’s correct. Sir. The personal wealth analysis. We absorb the cost and time of that plan.

Lee Kantor: Because I’ve talked to a lot of financial planners and wealth advisors, and they tend to focus only on the kind of the breadwinner, and they don’t really try to win over maybe the child or the breadwinner as a client. But that’s different. At Merrill.

John Inhouse: It’s absolutely different. We want to have a relationship, you know, with with their children and grandchildren. The earlier you start investing, the earlier you get your financial plan and understand and start saving money, especially, you know, if it’s a Roth IRA or some sort of individual retirement account, the better the better chance you are of have of realizing your dreams and goals. So, um, you know, we call them the next generation of investors. Uh, and we absolutely want to help them as well.

Lee Kantor: And then do your clients typically stay with that individual as their advisor or do they get handed off?

John Inhouse: Um, they typically stay with the advisory team. Um, and, you know, unless it’s a brand new start up client and that would be that’s what Merrill Edge is for.

Lee Kantor: So they get kind of placed into a team. And then there’s a team of people that they can call on if they have a question or, or need some advice.

John Inhouse: Absolutely, absolutely. But but next generation is is very is very common. Uh, in the industry is certainly at Merrill Lynch where, you know, if you’ve got children, we want, you know, if I’m your advisor, if I’m your primary advisor, Lee, and you’ve got children, I want to be their advisor too. So I will absolutely work with them because they’re an extension of you.

Lee Kantor: Well, at least the ones that I’ve talked to, they tend to be the same age as their clients so that as the client is retiring, so is the advisor.

John Inhouse: And that’s why there’s a need and a desire and a focus on teaming. Um, you know, many of our financial advisors are on teams and they’re generational. Right. That’s, you know, senior advisor. He or she may have a junior advisor because, you know, clients want continuity, they want a succession plan. And that’s what we deliver around timing.

Lee Kantor: So any advice for that young advisor out there? How to pick the right firm to partner with and how to kind of attack the work and build your own book of business?

John Inhouse: Well, that’s that’s a question. It’s going to be hard for me to be objective on, given I spent three and a half years or three and a half decades of my life with Merrill. I think you should come to Merrill because we offer every solution possible, and we do it by putting the client first and by offering a a financial plan to begin with. And I think that’s what’s important. As a new advisor at Merrill Lynch back in 1990, I had an incredible mentor and my mentor said, John, um, you will not, you know, do business with anyone unless you do a financial plan. In 1990. That was unheard of. He gave me incredible career advice that that is that has served me well and more importantly, serve the families that I was a financial advisor for. Even better.

Lee Kantor: So that’s the advice you would give a young person at Merrill starting out?

John Inhouse: Absolutely. Go with a reputable firm that offers financial planning and solutions that can deliver for a client’s dreams and goals, and use the appropriate ones.

Lee Kantor: So what’s on the roadmap for Merrill moving through this year and into next? What. What kind of things are you seeing out there?

John Inhouse: You know, we’re seeing clients that obviously, you know, all that’s going on with interest rates, geopolitical events. Et cetera. We’re seeing clients that that want and desire an update on their financial plan. They want to know that it’s going to be okay. They want financial modeling. They want to stress test. You know, again, if the market did pull back 20%, would you still be able to realize their goals and dreams? That’s what our clients are, are concerned about or thinking about. And our challenge is to be proactive and deliver those plans to them so that that they can sleep well at night and not and not worry and have some peace of mind that if there is a correction, they’re still going to be fine. That’s what we focus on now.

Lee Kantor: How do you help them through the ones that say, yeah, I’d be okay with that. But then the market drops a thousand. Um, and they’re not so sure anymore.

John Inhouse: Uh, I think that’s why you you have a plan in place, right? And the plan can model that out. Right? So if you you could actually say, look, you know, it’s down a thousand points. If it goes down another thousand points, let’s model what that looks like. Look, you’re still, you know, 90% of goal. But clients that we can educate and that understand that, you know, market timing doesn’t work. It’s really time in the market and having a financial plan and a well-diversified portfolio that makes sense for your dreams and goals. Those people don’t panic as much as someone that put money into something they didn’t understand without a plan. And now all of a sudden, the market’s pulled back. Those are the ones that panic, uh, and they don’t make, you know, educated decisions.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. I think that it’s easy to say, oh, well, I’m going to pull all my money out or I’m going to make some drastic move, but they don’t ring a bell when it hits a high or it hits a low. So when are you going to get back in? If you pull all your money out then.

John Inhouse: Exactly. And that’s why market timing simply does not work. It’s time in the market.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. It just I mean, a lot of people say they’re they can handle the risk. But when it actually happens, you know it’s like Mike Tyson say everybody has a plan until you get punched in the face.

John Inhouse: That’s right Lee. And and that’s the importance of educating a family or a client on the financial plans that you could model that out and that we, you know, part of the financial plan is, is understanding asset allocation, understanding your risk tolerance, you know, will you be as happy if your investments up 20% as you would be sad if it was down? Those are questions during the preliminary meetings Things that are so important and so critical to long term financial success.

Lee Kantor: So if somebody wants to learn more, get a hold of somebody on your team. What is the best way to connect?

John Inhouse: Uh, Merrill. Com uh, it’s a great way to connect. And, you know, you can say you’re from Atlanta or the metropolitan area and, um, you know, hopefully they’ll get in touch with one of us and we’ll be able to help them with a financial plan so that they could sleep better at night and have the best probability of success with their financial goals and dreams. I’ve spent three and a half decades of that, and I love it, and I plan to spend a lot more time.

Lee Kantor: All right, John, well, thank you so much for sharing your story. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

John Inhouse: Lee, it’s my pleasure and thanks for all the work you do and for for helping people learn. And it’s a privilege and honor to be on your show.

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

Is a Quiet Retreat from DEI Really Happening? How Women Entrepreneurs Are Navigating the New Era of DEI Uncertainty Part 2

June 24, 2025 by angishields

Women in Motion

Is a Quiet Retreat from DEI Really Happening? How Women Entrepreneurs Are Navigating the New Era of DEI Uncertainty Part 2

00:00 /

On today’s episode of Women in Motion, Lee Kantor and Renita Manley are joined by Farzana Nayani and Chrysta Wilson, leaders in workplace engagement and DEI consulting. The discussion explores the evolving language and strategies around diversity, equity, and inclusion, emphasizing the importance of aligning with client values and focusing on outcomes. The guests share insights on building authentic client relationships, navigating industry changes, and leveraging community connections. Listeners gain practical advice on adapting to shifting business landscapes and fostering resilience, particularly for women-owned businesses seeking to make a meaningful impact.

Manazil Management, LLC was founded in by Farzana Nayani (she/hers), a long-time consultant and established leader in the community.

Her vision was to create a boutique consulting firm that could meet the needs of our ever-changing environment. Manazil Management, LLC is a women-owned and certified, and minority-owned and certified small business.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA (Gabrielino-Tongva lands), the company’s team members spans locations across North America and represent a wide array of identity backgrounds, skills, and expertise.

Connect with Farzana on LinkedIn.

Chrysta Wilson is a nationally recognized coach, strategist, and consultant with over 20 years of experience helping mission-driven leaders and organizations create more connected, equitable, and impactful workplaces.

As the founder of Wilson and Associates Consulting, Chrysta brings a unique blend of strategy, storytelling, and systems thinking to help clients navigate change, align their values with action, and cultivate cultures where people can thrive.

She is the creator of the Recipe for Transformation™ framework, which guides leaders through meaningful shifts in mindset, behavior, and culture.

Chrysta’s career spans public policy, community organizing, entrepreneurship, and public service. After serving in leadership roles within government and philanthropy, she launched a consulting practice and later, a community bakery—both rooted in joy, equity, and purpose.

She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation, a certified Positive Intelligence Coach, and holds a Master’s in Public Administration and a BS in Public Policy and Management both from the University of Southern California.

Known for her warmth, depth, and ability to make complex ideas accessible, Chrysta blends data, humanity, and hope in every engagement.

Whether she’s facilitating a retreat, advising senior leadership, or delivering a keynote, Chrysta shows up with presence, clarity, and a commitment to transformation that lasts.

Connect with Chrysta on LinkedIn.

Episode Highlights

Current state of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Evolving language and terminology in the DEI field.
Importance of aligning business language with client values and priorities.
Strategies for navigating client conversations around DEI.
Adapting marketing language for women-owned businesses.
Building authentic relationships with clients and stakeholders.
The significance of resilience and agility in changing business environments.
Evaluating the effectiveness of corporate DEI efforts.
Leveraging community and ecosystems for support and growth.
Fostering collaboration and genuine partnerships in the workplace.

Music Provided by M PATH MUSIC

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

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

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here with Renita Manley, another episode of Women in Motion and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, WBEC-West. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. This episode is actually part two of a series that we’re doing about DEI, Is a quiet retreat from DEI really happening? And on the show today, we have Farzana Nayani and Chrysta Wilson. Welcome to you both.

Farzana Nayani: Thank you. It’s wonderful to be back.

Chrysta Wilson: Glad to be here.

Lee Kantor: Now, Renita, before we get too far into things, why don’t you kind of recap part one and then let us know what we’re going to be talking about today?

Renita Manley: Okay. Thanks, Lee. So, in part one of the conversation, we spoke with Farzana, who did not hold back, she laid the groundwork on what DEI is currently looking like and why certification still matters. And now we’ve got Chrysta Wilson joining us, who is also a WBENC certified WBE, she’s going to be joining us to dig a little bit deeper into this DEI conversation. So, let’s just get started.

Lee Kantor: All right. And I think a great way to start is, Farzana, why don’t you share a little bit about your business and your background, and then we’ll ask Chrysta to do the same so the audience knows who we’re dealing with here today.

Farzana Nayani: Happy to, thanks, Lee, and thanks, Renita, for this wonderful continuing conversation. My name is Farzana Nayani. I’m the Founder of a boutique consulting firm called Manazil Management, LLC. We are based in Los Angeles, and I do a number of different services, including consulting, offering training for workplace engagement, and keynotes on leadership and inclusion. I also do coaching and assessment of workplace strategy and how to implement more effectively. You may also know my company name by Farzani Nayani Consulting and Training. People know me from the work I’ve done as an author, and I’ve written a couple of books on this topic as well.

Lee Kantor: And, Chrysta?

Chrysta Wilson: Yeah. So, I’m so glad to be here. Chrysta Wilson, I’m The Founder and CEO of Wilson and Associates Coaching and Consulting. We’re an 18 year old at consulting practice, and I’ll tell you, we help companies solve people challenges, like team tension, leadership breakdowns, or culture issues. And ultimately we help our clients improve retention and trust and strengthen the leadership bench, because we know what gets in the way of performance and things like miscommunication and tension and misaligned values. And so, we’re happy to do things like training and coaching, and strategy and change management.

Chrysta Wilson: And so, I’m glad to be here talking to Farzana, because we have a lot of things in common and overlap, so I think it’ll be a good conversation.

Farzana Nayani: Definitely.

Lee Kantor: Well, in the previous episode, Farzana, you mentioned that kind of the terminology is changing, people and culture is being used or is not being used, workplace engagement, some of the languages changing. How are you recommending your clients kind of navigate the semantics of this DEI issue?

Farzana Nayani: There is a definite shift. There’s a cooling off of certain terminology and an embracing of new terminology. And what I mentioned last time were the terms employee engagement and thinking about how we can move to people and culture. And I want to expand the conversation a bit more to those who are not even indirectly in diversity, equity, and inclusion work to think about how reframing can happen through just understanding your client’s priorities.

Farzana Nayani: So, for example, if we know that a client is focused on retention and thinking about talent management or performance, then just start with those words. And really the key as a WBE, as any business owner is to think about how to deliver value and solve a problem. And the key to that is to identify what the problem is currently and just use that terminology.

Farzana Nayani: So in the past, words that were emphasizing, let’s say, racial equity or the terminology that stress diversity, those were on the upswing. And right now there’s definitely been a shying away from those types of terms. Instead, thinking about how to create more workplace effectiveness and engagement and productivity, those are the types of words that I’m seeing now with regards to the shifting landscape.

Farzana Nayani: So, I hope that’s helpful for the listeners, and I think it can apply to anybody who’s in any field to do with working with organizations and people.

Lee Kantor: So, you’re focusing in on the outcome they desire rather than the specific words.

Farzana Nayani: Absolutely. And when we’re thinking about who’s making these decisions, I’m seeing a shift towards thinking about values-based leadership. So for example, creating an environment that does X, Y, and Z. So, instead of saying we want equity or we want X number of people, we’re not looking for quotas, we’re not looking for that type of metric. What we’re looking for is the environment that’s being created and instead emphasizing respect or emphasizing a place where everyone thrives, that sort of thing. So, I like, Lee, how you put it exactly, it’s really looking at an outcomes-based approach.

Lee Kantor: And, Chrysta, are you seeing the same thing?

Chrysta Wilson: Yeah. I would say the same. I’ve also seen other language, too, like again, looking at conditions. So, I’ve seen a lot of companies add language like what are the conditions that they can put in place to help their employees reach their highest potential. Or I’ve just seen a company put language out in their annual report, what are the conditions that can be in place to help their employees do their best.

Chrysta Wilson: Now, those of us, like I’m a retired evaluator, so we know that some of the things that have prevented people from doing their best have been things like they haven’t felt psychologically safe or that they didn’t belong. So, sometimes the language that they’re moving away from still finds its way back into the organizations. But the language that they’re talking about is around the workplace environment.

Chrysta Wilson: And so, I think that’s something that we want to pay attention to, and then use that language as you’re talking about your services and your programs, because I think when you use the language that your clients are using, it helps show alignment.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you’re working with your clients and you’re having these conversations, are they specifically using the words DEI, or are they are they mentioning that by name, or is this something that people are gingerly trying to navigate around without saying that?

Chrysta Wilson: I think it depends on the organization. I really do. I’ve seen a number of organizations who are still standing by the acronym. I also think the acronym is a kind of a hot potato right now. And so, you’ve seen people move to maybe DNI, maybe inclusion. I’ve seen an increase in belonging. And then, just like Farzana mentioned, I’ve seen also a focus on people and culture.

Chrysta Wilson: I always say this, I’ve been in the world of this work for 20 years, I’ve seen the language evolve over those 20 years. So, ultimately, what I see leaders really asking is this question, What is the environment that we want our people to work in? What do we care about when it comes to our clients, stakeholders, and customers? And then, how do we best get there?

Chrysta Wilson: And so, whether it’s called inclusion and diversity, diversity and inclusion, DEI, DEIB, people and culture, culture of belonging, I honestly don’t think it matters what it’s called. I think it really matters what’s the outcome that the company is trying to work toward and then how they best get there. And so, that’s I think what we’re seeing right now is this evolution of language, maybe an evolution of tactics. Now, true, some people are disavowing completely, but I do think by and large, a lot of people are just evolving language and tactics.

Renita Manley: Follow up question to that real quickly, for women specifically and in other groups as well, a lot of us have gotten comfortable to using our identity in marketing, in marketing our programs, our businesses, or our partnerships with other businesses. What do you say about, well, how are we supposed to shift our language now as a woman-owned business so that it’s not so all about our identity?

Farzana Nayani: I want to actually, if I could share, I think it’s looking at it with what you lead with. And I’ll just be frank, leading with race or leading with gender is, in a lot of cases, not the move right now. But what I’m seeing is if it’s layered with other things, it’s a real plus.

Farzana Nayani: So, for example, when I am going out to bid for a big contract, they’re asking if I’m a local business or they’re asking if I’m a small business. And so, I definitely lead with that, but that doesn’t take away that I’m also a woman and minority certified business. What that does, I feel like, is it just enhances my profile in total. Because if people, for example, the organizations are looking to move away from that, to be honest with you, not everybody is. It might be just a company-wide or organizational initiative, but the people that are in there making decisions, they still care about you and me. They still care about the the previous approach.

Farzana Nayani: And so, I think some of it is jumping through the hoops to kind of get in the door. But when you’re in there, we’re back to where we were, and that people know that it takes a lot. It takes a lot to be a WBE. It takes a lot to be certified. And it it takes a lot to get where we’re at.

Farzana Nayani: I’ve been running my business for eight years, I’ve been in the field for over 20, when people know and have seen that tenure, they trust it. And so, having women certification as a business owner really shows that trust. Having WOSP certification paired up with WBE certification, to me, I feel like it shows that I can play at a federal level. So, I feel that, again, it’s about packaging it together and then being able to lead with your strengths.

Lee Kantor: And then – go ahead.

Chrysta Wilson: Yeah. One thing that I would just offer as well is, last year I met with a buyer from a tech company. This was before a lot of the changes, but I think this wisdom is so good. He said that for all of us who are WBEs, that our differentiator is not that we’re OEB or a women-owned business. He said that we need to make the case why we’re the best in class. And I think that that’s how we future-proof.

Chrysta Wilson: So, for myself or Farzana, for all people who are listening, now more than ever, I think we’ve got to be clear about why we’re the best in class, what problem we solve. And if we’re not sure, everybody listening needs to figure out what’s a really expensive problem that we solve, get really good at it, and tell that story.

Chrysta Wilson: Like Farzana said, if you’re a local business, play up that you’re an expert in your geographic region because that is what makes you stand out. Not just that we also happen to be women, or people of color, or disabled, or a veteran. Those are assets that we bring, that color and shape, how we deliver our best in class service, but it’s just an addition. What’s going to help us win and be a long term strategy is being best in class.

Lee Kantor: And isn’t part of the way that you go about building these relationships is to kind of humanize the relationship and not just be boxes on a form. You want to get into a human to human relationship so people can see kind of your secret sauce and what makes you special and different.

Farzana Nayani: Yeah, definitely. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. And the way that I would suggest WBEs and any business owner to go about doing that is to ask questions. It’s to emphasize that we’re listening, we’re here to offer a solution, as Chrysta was mentioning, and to really think about how to emphasize that this is an ongoing relationship.

Farzana Nayani: I’m saying that a lot with clients now, new and old, that, hey, I’m here for the long term. I’m not interested in a one and done situation. What I am here to do is be your partner, to be your partner in progress, and be your partner in problem solving.

Farzana Nayani: And the way that I can see that WBEs can establish that is to really understand what the values are of ourselves and also the values of the company that we’re working towards working with, and then see if there’s alignment. If there’s alignment, then we know that they’re here for the long haul. They know that we can work together and be true partners. And they know that it doesn’t have to be instant because this work is not an overnight thing in this day and age.

Farzana Nayani: Well, previously it was. Sometimes there were quick decisions made and then we find ourselves in massive projects, and then, boom, now they’re gone. So, what I’m finding is that clients are taking their time to make decisions, but the way that they’re making their decisions is they have to weigh pros and cons, and they’re checking us out.

Farzana Nayani: Let me tell you, as women business owners, as any business owner, they’re looking at your social media, they’re looking at what you’re saying, what you’re doing, and how you operate, and how you manage yourself. And all of those things play into the part of how we can be better partners to our clients and we can offer better our services to support them.

Lee Kantor: Now, you mentioned asking questions as a way to elevate the relationship from a transactional relationship to a deeper, more authentic partnership. Are there any other tactics or steps or conversation starters you can recommend in order to kind of pivot from that transactional relationship that no one wants to be that type of vendor, you want to elevate, to be that trusted advisor?

Farzana Nayani: Yeah. And there’s some advice that I can give myself because I’m having to shift. I am tried and intrude being known in this field for being responsive. I’m super responsive to the needs of others. However, what I need to do now is be proactive. And I really recommend all of us reach out and move towards asking the questions early, not waiting for the bid to be written up, or not waiting for the request to go out.

Farzana Nayani: I think that people are in a time right now where they’re trying to figure out what they need, and if we can be proactive and approach people early on, then we can be seen as that trusted partner. So, that’s something I could share as a tip that I’m trying to implement in these changing times, and I hope that’s helpful for other business owners as well.

Lee Kantor: Chrysta, do you have any advice you can share in this area?

Chrysta Wilson: Yeah. I think what I could offer is, you know, as experts in our craft, one thing that we can bring is our thought leadership and expertise. So for myself, one thing that we offer our clients is not even about like seeking the next sale, but it’s asking myself and my team asking themselves how can we be of service.

Chrysta Wilson: So, we pay attention to what’s happening in the industry and what’s happening in the market. And we offer like industry trends reports just to say we’re noticing this is happening, here’s a resource, here’s a tool. We’re noticing that these are some skills for our current clients that we’re hearing that they don’t have, and so we want to offer this little free resource that may help accelerate the skills in your team. It’s not the full program that we have, but maybe it’s a little snippet that it could be a faster resource for either a prospective client or someone that we’re just in talks with.

Chrysta Wilson: So, it’s almost like I always say, we give without the expectation that we’re going to get. And I think that’s one of the ways that we have built relationships and have been seen as a trusted advisor. Because what is a trusted advisor? We are giving advice and guidance. And so, I think those are two tactics that have been proven to be effective in our relationship building and our role as advisor.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there any advice you can give to the WBE that maybe is experiencing a shake up in their client base that all of a sudden now there is a lot of challenges that they hadn’t faced in a while. Anything you can share that’ll help them kind of stay resilient and adaptive during these changing times?

Farzana Nayani: Honestly, I would say that being agile is really key. Knowing that being flexible actually is our strength and that our size is our strength. So, thinking about if we can accept that change is constant, then what is the opportunity? And I think we can kind of swing around as women business owners, as small businesses to really support that.

Farzana Nayani: I’ve seen larger firms that are in my space really have trouble. They’ve had to slash budgets, lay people off, and maybe you’re experiencing that, too. But when we move to a leaner method and we really, again, listened to what the client needs and then serve that, that’s really what will be a chance for us to be, again, proactive and responsive at the same time.

Farzana Nayani: So, being agile is number one. Understanding that change is constant is number two. And then, looking at what the opportunity is, is really key, that’s number three. And I’m finding that, personally, as I’m shifting through this change as well, I’m being more creative. I’m looking at things in a new way. I’m having to kind of throw out things that really are not relevant anymore. And it’s taken a lot. You know, it’s a chance for us to really face ourselves and say, hey, what is it that we really want to do and who do we want to work with. And just let go of what no longer serves us, which it might be a cliche, but really it’s the time to do that.

Farzana Nayani: So, given that, when we do that, then, again, we’re more clear with our offer, we’re more clear with our solutions, we’re clear with our brand, and we know who we are, and that’s where we can come back to leading with our identity. Again, not just being a woman, but what it is, is the value we offer, and what Chrysta was saying, how can we be best in class and really stand out. So, I think all of that ties together to understanding that our size is our strength.

Renita Manley: I might be prying just a little bit, but do you mind telling us what are maybe some of those things that are no longer serving you, that you had to throw out as you reevaluate and become more creative with your business approach? And, Chrysta, I want you to answer that, too, if you’ve had to do the same.

Farzana Nayani: Definitely. I think that when people would come to us, there was a bit of, you know, a request sometimes because it was on trend. And a key to really evaluating if a client is serious is to notice if they’ve done the work before and if they’ll continue to do it after this “trend.” and right now, people that are following a trend will not be doing this work because it is not on trend.

Farzana Nayani: So, what I’m seeing is people who come to me now or who I’m reaching out to also, it’s because we have a values alignment. And you can tell this by their year end reports, by the communications that they put out, and even having a one-on-one conversation and ask.

Farzana Nayani: So, the thing that I’m letting go of is waiting for people to come to me. I think I used to be the problem solver, where folks would call me, we’re the firm that you would call to get people out of a crisis. We’d be super confidential. No one would know we we’re even in there and then we’re out. And I think I don’t want to be doing that type of work anymore.

Farzana Nayani: What I want to be doing is the type of work where we lead with integrity. We lead with respect. We lead with quality and caliber that people want. And we’re proud to partner openly, not because we’re trying to sweep under the rug something that went wrong. So, that’s a huge shift for me and I’m being very vulnerable in sharing that. But I’m not looking to serve the type of companies that do wrong. I want to serve companies that do right.

Lee Kantor: Chrysta?

Chrysta Wilson: Yeah. I feel like there’s so much in line with Farzana. You know, I think in the business that we’ve been in, not that I could speak for you fully, but I think I might, a lot of our work is cloaked sometimes in NDAs, because we do get called in times of crisis, because that is oftentimes where culture, and people, and crisis intersect. And so, I say in my work, you know, we’re the kind of the clean up people sometimes.

Chrysta Wilson: And so, I do have quite a bit of my clients who I say that when people are looking to do work around people and culture, there’s two pathways that they come into my world. It’s aspirational because there’s a value and a vision that is guiding them, or it’s because the bottom has fallen out and it’s a crisis. And so, I have never found in these years another pathway in which they come into our world around crisis of people and culture.

Chrysta Wilson: And so, for me, the first question that I heard, which was how do other WBEs navigate this time, the thing that I have been clinging to, because this time has been disruptive, I think I’m like many other WBEs, too, but the thing that has helped sustain us over these last, like, nine months has been having a very clear vision of the world that we want to help co-create, and having very clear frameworks and approaches about how we believe we can get there.

Chrysta Wilson: And so, it has just meant going back to that proverbial drawing board. So for example, we have two frameworks, Thrive Operating System and our Recipe for Transformation. So, they were programs that we offered that there just isn’t demand for. And I think part of the thing that’s not serving anymore, that second question, is, even though they’re programs that I love, like letting it go because people aren’t buying up, to be candid. But we’re still in alignment with our rest of our framework, so it’s going back to our framework and saying, well, what else do we offer that people likely will want and putting that front and center?

Chrysta Wilson: It’s not changing our identity. It’s not being fake. It’s not pandering. It’s going back to our identity of our business, our belief about what actually creates workplace, where people can get what they need and thrive, and companies can be productive and have high performance and high profitability, and put those services front and center. And so, that’s what we’ve done and we have found great success looking at how do we help leaders navigate change and navigate conflict.

Chrysta Wilson: And so, I think for any business that’s out there trying to figure out how do they navigate change and disruption, it’s having a very clear – this is a nerd term – theory of change or framework for your business, having a very clear approach that you aren’t just thinking of your business in terms of we have this service, but what’s your ecosystem that you have maybe multiple services that fall underneath, that you can switch different services, you can move them in and out, but still be true to the identity and the core of your business.

Chrysta Wilson: And so, I think that has been a recipe for our transformation and sustainability, even now, and so I would really recommend that to anybody who’s listening.

Renita Manley: Okay. Chrysta, I’ll ask you this question, then, Farzana, I’d love to hear what you think about it. So, what are some things that WBEs should be looking at for now when evaluating if a corporation or a potential partner’s DEI or inclusion efforts are strong or serious?

Chrysta Wilson: Well, I think there’s a couple things you could look for. In the world, we’ve often heard about, you know, some things like performative or transformative or real. And so, this is my own criteria, so I always say it would be performative if maybe you’re asked to speak on a panel, or you’re invited to an event, or there’s a photo op you’re invited to. And so, you think, wow, I’ve just been invited here to speak, to be in this photograph, to meet these people.

Chrysta Wilson: Or you’re told, like, we love what you’re doing, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told that. We love what you’re doing. We love your framework. The periodic table of great culture elements, that’s so innovative. But then there’s no budget. Or I just got told by somebody within the WBE world, “Where’s the contract at?” And I’m like, “That is a great question. I don’t know.”

Chrysta Wilson: And so, I would say it’s almost that’s how I would call it performative. And I don’t mean that there’s even ill intention behind it. So, I’m not even calling out people for being like harmful or that’s not a kind of character attack. I just mean it’s going through the motions of support. But in small business, support really is transformative when it’s about connections, relationships, or ultimately a financial contract. And so, I would call that a profitable partnership. So, to me, what that looks like is it’s very clear from the start that they’re about introductions, relationships, procurement. You’re getting connected to budget holders, PNLEs. They see your value from the start.

Chrysta Wilson: And so, for me, a red flag is if you’re only talking to folks from supplier diversity, or maybe their DEI supplier inclusion, like, point person, but you’re not seeing any deal progress over 6, 12 months, that is feeling very, to me, performative. It doesn’t feel real in terms of the contracting relationship.

Chrysta Wilson: And then, I would say a green flag in terms of contracting, it looks like when you’re seeing decision-makers involved from the very beginning or you’re having conversations about here’s what we are investing in, here are our priorities, and we see how we might be able to work together, let’s have some conversations about what this might look like.

Chrysta Wilson: And I want to underscore, it’s not one conversation and it’s done, but that there’s an interest in seeing where this might lead to. So, I’m not speaking of timeline, but I’m speaking of from the very beginning, we want to see what kind of business we might be able to do together, let’s keep the line of communication open, so it doesn’t just feel like we’re inviting you to this luncheon, or we want to take these photos of you, and it feels more like marketing versus business.

Chrysta Wilson: So, that’s my initial thought, and I’m saying this from my own personal experience, but also from a number of WBEs that I’ve talked to over the years. I don’t know if there’s thoughts that you have, Farzana, or things that you’ve experienced.

Farzana Nayani: Yeah, I love listening to what you’re sharing, it’s making my gears turn as well. And I agree that some companies can be performative and kind of do the dog and pony show to get the suppliers to come out and sign up.

Chrysta Wilson: What I have noticed in contrast, in thinking about potential business opportunities that are real or strong or serious, I’ve seen these companies invest in building the business owner up. And I feel that I will take that education even if there isn’t a business opportunity, because I know they’re invested and I know I’m going to meet other people. And I know that when the time comes that I’ll be on a list because they know that I’m trained.

Farzana Nayani: So, an example I could give is a dear friend of mine, her name is Sonia Smith-Kang. She went through a training program, I believe it was with Macy’s. I will share her story, at the time, I don’t think there was a business opportunity. But years later, I saw this materialize in her clothing called Mixed Up Clothing, was listed on Macy’s, macys.com. I remember the day that it was listed, and I went and purchased her clothes. And I have kids, they’re teenagers now, but she sells children’s clothing with cultural patterns and prints. I remember charging my credit card, feeling so proud that I saw her from the ground up go through that program, wonder what would happen, but still believe in it, and then that company came through.

Farzana Nayani: And that’s what we’re talking about, because that was a program for women business owners. It literally was. And when I see companies, and I’ll just keep shouting them out, like Tory Burch Foundation or ones that I’m in as well, I was in the 10KSB program, 10,000 Small Businesses Program, I feel like these companies are trying to help us create opportunities, and they’re investing in us as business owners.

Farzana Nayani: So, with that, I feel that those companies refer other people. They refer us to people and they refer people to us. That’s the kind of ecosystem that we’re talking about that, you know, we want to be a part of. So, I feel like that’s what I’m interested in right now, like alliances and partnerships and collaborations that are intentional. I’m not looking for the bids that go up and go away because they already have the person in mind. We’ve all been there. You can feel it that when they put out that RFP, they already had somebody in mind.

Farzana Nayani: And that’s what’s going on in our business community. There’s nepotism. Sometimes there’s favoritism. There’s people who are incumbent that win the bid because they’ve been doing it for so long. Sure, I’ll be in those processes as well because I learn from them. But what I’m finding in my strategy is I’m looking at other places to learn and grow. And if my overall work is down right now, which it is – I’m happy to admit that. I’m working on vulnerability and sharing to help other people – but right now, I’m building my business infrastructure up.

Farzana Nayani: So, when the time comes, when this will change and there’ll be a chance for me to be on the ground again in front of people, I will be so much stronger. So, I’m learning and growing and I believe that the time is now for us to build ourselves up and learn and take advantage of these opportunities.

Lee Kantor: Now, how would you recommend other WBEs address kind of this chaos in terms of leveraging the communities and ecosystems that they’re currently in? Like WBEC-West, for example, you’re all part of that community, what is the best way to kind of lean on your fellow community members? I know each of you mentioned internally kind of figuring out what to do within the room of your team, but how do you kind of leverage the strengths of the communities that you’re part of and the ecosystems you’re part of?

Chrysta Wilson: Yeah, I can start. You know, I think, one of the things that happened when COVID came on the scene in 2020 is that we made our world the size of our computer screen. And so, I think one way that I want to invite all of us to tap into our WBEC-West resources is to get out of the computer screen and into the real world. It’s not to say that we can’t build relationships through a computer screen, we’ve been doing it for five years. But there is something so powerful when you can put a physical presence, and a face, and a voice, the smell of somebody’s perfume, just their physical energy to the name as well.

Chrysta Wilson: And I will say for myself, you mentioned it, too, Farzana, in your intro, like going to the Unconference that happens, like, on those boats and meeting both other WBEs but then also the corporates who are there. Because I think sometimes, too, we do this, we think of like, “Oh, my gosh. These are the corporates.” They’re the ones with the purses. We’re trying to get those contracts. And it feels intimidating for a lot of people. But at the end of the day, these are just regular human beings. They have a job. They care about their companies. And ultimately, they want to bring the best suppliers to their companies so that their companies can keep doing great stuff.

Chrysta Wilson: And so, the best suppliers, I’m telling you, are on these boats at Unconference because they’re us. But they got to meet us, so we got to be out there on those boats, or we got to be at the conference that we have, the regional conference, I can’t think of the name. But, you know, we have our regional conference and we got to go there.

Chrysta Wilson: So, I think it’s taking advantage of the meetups that we have, the regional conferences, and actually not thinking of every interaction as the next contract, but actually as just the next relationship that we’re trying to build as we make our world bigger than the computer screen. And for me, that has been transformational to remember that the world is bigger than the computer monitor, that you’re more than the little black byline at the bottom of your square or your LinkedIn profile.

Chrysta Wilson: And our network is big, and these people in our network are just generally great people. I say that and it feels corny, but every time I go to these events, I’m like, “Oh, my gosh. Y’all are amazing.” And I want to make connections. I want to introduce you to who I know. I want to partner with you. I want to refer you out. I want everybody to win, corporates and the other WBEs. But I don’t get that amped. It’s hard to get that amped on the Zoom screen because we’re overwhelmed, there’s 50 of us in a Zoom meeting. But when we’re in an intimate space, there’s just a different kinetic energy that happens.

Chrysta Wilson: So, I think that’s what I would say, Lee, we got to meet each other. We got to start building those relationships and not expect an instant payoff, but know that the riches are in the relationships. I guess if I had a catch phrase, that’s what I would say.

Lee Kantor: Farzana, do you have any thoughts?

Farzana Nayani: Yes. I would love to add, I think that I go to WBEC-West and the beautiful, wonderful, amazing business owners that I meet for encouragement and inspiration. I am inspired when I hear other people doing so well with their businesses. I want to be them when I grow up.

Farzana Nayani: And I remember years ago and this, by the way, was before I was even certified, I was asked to emcee one of the WBEC-West events. And I remember seeing the awardees get up on stage and receive the award and hear their stories of how they started in their garage or their the first native-owned business in their field, or others that I see that I just admire and look up to.

Farzana Nayani: And I said to myself, I want to be that one day. And it just encouraged me to get to the next step, even if I didn’t know what that was, I knew that someone started somewhere, and I’m starting where I am and I’m going to keep going. And I feel that every time I meet other business owners, other WBEs and go to these events, as Chrysta mentioned, you just get amped up. And that has kept me going.

Chrysta Wilson: And you know, LA has been through a lot. I live in Los Angeles. We’ve had the strikes in the entertainment industry. We’ve had the fires. We now have the ICE raids going on and that’s happening across the country. And morale is down. We’re upset. We’re questioning the future. And the one thing that we can do to keep our mindset strong and our hearts present is to be around each other.

Farzana Nayani: So, with all of the change and the tumultuous landscape that we’re in, the biggest thing we can do is just continue to serve the community and march on. And that will recycle dollars back into our communities the more we exist and thrive. We always give back. And that’s just a force of nature of being a small business owner and a women business enterprise. So, that’s what I would say, come to the events and take part, and you’ll also get inspiration in days where you may feel down.

Renita Manley: So, this event that Chrysta and Farzana are talking about, they’re getting all amped up about is our Unconventional Women’s Conference, the Unconference as Chrysta called. I like that nickname. The 2025 Unconventional Women’s Conference is actually happening on July 23rd at Newport Beach, California. So, if you haven’t registered for that, be sure to go to wbec-west.com and register today.

Farzana Nayani: I signed up and I’ll be there.

Lee Kantor: Now, before we wrap, Farzana, do you mind sharing some coordinates to connect with you? And also, if you could, who is your ideal client and what do you think is your superpower that you can help them?

Farzana Nayani: Definitely. The way to reach me is through LinkedIn, it’s my first and last name, Farzana Nayani. And you can go to my website, farzananayani.com. I’m on Instagram as well. I share a lot of good stuff there.

Farzana Nayani: My ideal client is a client that’s committed and is looking to continue to transform their environment, or the learning of people who work there, so anyone who’s looking for a facilitation training or a keynote.

Farzana Nayani: I think my superpower, I was reflecting on this just this month, my superpower is really taking information and making it easy for other people to understand. So, removing jargon, removing all the extras, and really getting into how it can be practically applied. So, if you’re looking for a consultant or speaker that can do that for you, I’m your person.

Lee Kantor: And, Chrysta, what is the website, best way to connect with you and ideal client and your superpower?

Chrysta Wilson: Yeah, so thanks again for having me. This has been fun. You can find me at recipefortransformation.com. And you can also find me on LinkedIn, it’s Chrysta Wilson.

Chrysta Wilson: And my ideal clients are folks who are ready to have a transformation, whether it’s through change, transforming conflict into collaboration, or ready to build the management and leadership skills that help them create productive, healthy workplace cultures. If you’re ready, I’m ready.

Chrysta Wilson: And my superpower, I would say that my superpower is helping people to bring heart and care back into the workplace. I have a dual superpower, if I could be greedy, and I would say that it is turning organizational tension into the tools required for that transformation. I help my clients move through conflict, change whether it’s unplanned or planned, and disruption and culture challenges with clarity and with purpose and with ease. Because, gosh, can stuff just be easy? That’s what my clients ask me. And I say, yes, it can be, and let’s make it easy.

Lee Kantor: Well, thank you both for sharing your stories today, Chrysta and Farzana. You’re both doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Farzana Nayani: Thanks for having us.

Chrysta Wilson: Yeah. Thanks for having us.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor for Renita Manley, we will see you all next time on Women in Motion.

Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros with Next Level University

June 23, 2025 by angishields

Houston Business Radio

Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros with Next Level University

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Kevin Palmieri and Alan Lazaros are the co-founders of Next Level University, a Global Top 100 Self-Improvement Podcast dedicated to helping heart-driven individuals achieve real, lasting growth.

Through daily episodes and coaching programs, they empower clients and listeners with practical tools, raw honesty, and a commitment to personal excellence.

In their conversation with Trisha Stetzel, Alan and Kevin shared their entrepreneurial journey, the evolution of their partnership, and the mission behind their work.

They emphasized the importance of authenticity, accountability, and doing the hard work required for meaningful transformation.

Rather than offering feel-good content, they focus on delivering tough truths with compassion, helping others rise to their next level—personally and professionally.

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

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

Trisha Stetzel: Hello, Houston. Trisha Stetzel here bringing you another episode of Houston Business Radio. I have two guests on with me today. How lucky am I? You might recognize one of them. The other one is new, and they happen to be partners. So Alan Lazaros, who’s the CEO, and Kevin Palmieri as the CSO of Universe Next Level University. I think I did that last time. Alan. Sorry about that.

No stress.

Trisha Stetzel: Alan and Kevin, welcome to the show. I’m so glad to have you both on today.

Kevin Palmieri: Go ahead. Alan.

Thank you. I just want to give all the gratitude because at one point, this is a dream for Kevin and I, you know, and we both listen to podcasts ten years ago, and they really helped us sort of reconstruct our life in a more positive direction. And now we are podcasters helping people do that. So thank you for having us. We we don’t take it lightly. The most grateful.

Trisha Stetzel: I appreciate it.

Kevin Palmieri: The most grateful. You see, I’ve known you for like seven minutes now, and in the seven minutes I feel like you’re a wonderful person. So I’m very much looking forward to the next 15 minutes. She got you with the fishing.

Trisha Stetzel: Like, I feel like. Is this true? I don’t know, Kevin.

Kevin Palmieri: It’s true.

Trisha Stetzel: All right, gentlemen, so the the topic or the focus that we have today is really on this partnership that the two of you have had for the last eight years, like the beginning and the end in the middle, what you’ve figured out about yourselves. Um, some of you who are listening today may remember the conversation that Alan and I had back a few months ago around mindset. Uh, if you haven’t listened to it, you should, because it was a really good episode. So why don’t we dive into Let’s start with the end. Like, where are you at today? What are you guys doing? So that folks know exactly what you’re offering to your audiences. And then let’s back into that. Like, where did it all begin? So, Kevin, you always let Alan go first. So Kevin, I’m going to ask you to start.

Kevin Palmieri: No. Oh my goodness. What do I do today. So I’ll let Alan speak for for himself. But today I am predominantly in WhatsApp making sure that our wonderful clients that we produce, their podcasts are well taken care of. So the majority of what I do is customer service and making sure we are consistently over delivering on the promises that we make. I mean, I am obsessed with making sure that we do a good job with that. One of my mottos is be the last message. We are always supposed to be the last message. Nobody should ever be waiting on us for a message response. So that is pretty much what I do today. And then I, to Alan’s point in the preamble. I’m try to be creative with ideas. I try to be creative with episodes. Obviously we have next level university, so we do an episode every day. It’s my job to make sure that the show goes well and that I bring some level of value slash ideas so we can make sure we do our seven day a week cadence. So those are that’s kind of like the main focus for me right now.

Trisha Stetzel: Nice. Thanks, Kevin. Alan.

Alan Lazaros: So what what am I doing? I know your listeners kind of know me a little bit. If they did listen to the other episode, if they didn’t, I’ll presuppose that they didn’t, just in case. So my job is primarily these four things I’ve come to realize. And as you do these things, you kind of realize what you’re doing well and what you’re sucking at. So these are the four things I think I’m doing well and kind of the only four things. Uh, the first one is I’m believing in the team and I’m believing in the clients, and I’m really believing in the future more than anyone else. I’m just such an overly futuristic optimist. Like, I’ve been talking about self-driving cars for the last 15 years, and now they’re actually happening. So I’m just that obnoxious guy. Uh, number two is standards. I’m just. You even mentioned right there. Kev, be the last message. That’s a chAlanging thing to do, for sure, because if you want to have a life, it’s very hard to always be the last message. So we just have ridiculously high standards for how we operate and how consistent we are and for how we treat our clients and our customers. And then the third thing that I’m doing that is just keeping everyone in forward momentum. I always have this book with me at all times. It’s called The Flywheel. It’s not my book. I’m not selling a book on your show. Okay. Uh, have you heard of you obviously know Jim call. Yeah. Jim. Yeah, right.

Kevin Palmieri: Uh, Jim Collin’s books, I think, are the best business books ever written. You are nodding your head. So you’ve obviously. So there’s the flywheel concept of just momentum. The the companies that win are the ones that are the most consistent. And so I’m keeping everyone in forward momentum. And I always say I’ll be the pain in the ass. They think one day and maybe that second part won’t happen. And then the fourth thing that I’m doing is long term intelligent choices. I just don’t think short term. I never really have. And every time I did, I always regretted it. And I think most people do. They go on their feelings. And in business, if you go on your feelings, you’re screwed. And but you have to be creative and you have to be emotional because every business I think has a creative and a and a business mind, a creative and a mathematical thinker. And you can look at, you know, partnerships and businesses in the past, you know, Paul Alan, Bill gates, Steve Jobs, Wozniak, there’s a bunch of those. And then a lot of times the creative is the front facing person. And there’s someone behind the scenes running the company that no one knows about. Oprah obviously has her own unique version of that, that kind of thing. So Kev and I have gotten to this place where we kind of understand who we are now, and we’re leaning into it, even though that’s taking tremendous courage because I think I wanted to be liked.

Trisha Stetzel: You missed a pair. I’m just saying. You didn’t say Palmieri and Lazarus. I’m just saying that was missing from the pairs that you called out. Yeah. Oh. Thank you.

Kevin Palmieri: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Oh, nice. Yeah. Not yet. I don’t think. I mean, one day, you know, that might be a thing. Thank you so much, I appreciate that. I didn’t even know what you were making a joke there. That’s how that’s that’s alarming.

Trisha Stetzel: I know, I saw your face. I thought you were frozen. I’m like, oh, my video froze. No, no, I confused you. You perplexed. I got it right away.

Kevin Palmieri: I got it right away. Yeah. Right away. Alan’s really good at like statue thing. So sometimes when he’s, like deeply thinking, you think he’s frozen, he’s still there. I didn’t mean to give you a thumbs up. Yeah.

Trisha Stetzel: Okay, so here’s what I know. I know Alan a little better than you, Kevin. But I do know that the two of you are different, yet share values. Um, one of the things that I brought up before we started recording is I happen to see one of your old board meetings, which was on a boat catching fish. So now that we know where you’re at today, let’s roll. All the way back to eight years ago, when you guys started building this business together. Talk about why and how you met. How do you guys know each other? And then second, what were some of the early chAlanges for you as partners?

Kevin Palmieri: I’ll start this. Alan. Right. I’ll start this because usually this is how it goes. So Alan and I went to middle school together. We grew up in the same small town. We played Spin the Bottle in his basement with the popular girls in middle school, which was like, that was cool. I mean, I peaked early for sure, but that was that was a bucket list for me at the time. Then we ended up going to high school together and in high school. Alan was an academic Focused on getting the President’s award and crush in school. I was the captain of the baseball team, focused on being good at baseball and hating all things education. So we didn’t necessarily get along. But the weird thing is, we didn’t understand this about one another at the time. But we both had very similar experiences where we both grew up without fathers. So that has always been something that has stuck us together is we grew up without fathers. The picture that you talked about with us having our board meeting on the boat. That was on Father’s Day. We used to go fishing together every Father’s Day. That was our thing because all of our friends were spending time with their families and we weren’t.

Kevin Palmieri: So after college, after high school, Alan goes away to college. I work a bunch of odd, mostly terrible jobs, and then I think I was like 20, I don’t know, was I 25 or 26? I went to a party and Alan was there and him and I reconnected and he had left his job. And his girlfriend was beautiful and he had money in the bank. And I was like, whoa! I want to be an entrepreneur. This looks awesome. That would be awesome for me. So at the time, Trisha Alan had a YouTube channel called Conversation Conversations Change Lives. He said, I’d love to have you on. I was like, I don’t. I sure, I don’t know what I’m going to do in terms of adding value, but like, let’s see how this goes. He had me on baby fitness, fitness, discipline and mindset. I got those I got those three mindset, maybe not so much, but the first two for sure. So at the end of this hour and a half interview, I said to my friend who was there, we had another friend there. I said, that went by and what felt like five minutes. Imagine if you could do that for a living.

Kevin Palmieri: And he said, well, there’s people out there that do. And I was like, interesting, okay. I did all the research, ordered the mic, figured out how to audio edit, blah, blah, blah, and Alan was my first guest and that was the best. It was the best. He was mentoring me at the time. He was coaching me at the time. I don’t know if I’m sure he knew it. I didn’t know it. So yeah, I fell in love with that, ended up doing some episodes, and then I had a really tough bout with Mental health where I was debating suicide. Alan was the person I reached out to, and then after that I left my job, and then him and I partnered up in 2018 and we said, look, we’re going to come together. We’re going to go all in on one podcast, which at the time was the Hyper Conscious podcast. And then, yeah, that was the beginning of this very strange, surreal journey that we’re on today. I’ll speak for myself, surreal for me. I feel like Alan knew all this was going to happen, so I get more excitement on the day to day than he does Trisha for sure.

Trisha Stetzel: But he gets an excitement from different things than you, that’s all.

Kevin Palmieri: Yes, yes for sure.

Trisha Stetzel: All right, so, Alan, what’s your side of the story.

Alan Lazaros: Yeah, so we did. I did the traditional path. So I did preschool, kindergarten, middle school, high school, college and corporate. Little did Kevin know, I had $150,000 in a Vanguard account that I invested all my money. And all that money that you saw me balling out with was made in corporate, sir. Not not an entrepreneur on the beach with a six pack. And I was like, I could do that for sure and buy six pack. He means abs, not babes, not beer. Although it was the beer in college for sure. But ultimately two two young boys grew up in a small town and a small minded town, quite frankly, and I’ve always had huge dreams, and Kev was always kind of the rebel who wanted to do things differently. I wanted to be a professional fighter. He was really into fitness more than anyone else. Early on, early on, we were both bodybuilders. For a while there I was a fitness model, fitness competitor, a fitness coach, and that’s we started working out together. That was like a big part of it, and we just bonded over that. And then I think unconsciously, we both grew up. So I was raised by my mom and my older sister. He was raised by his mom and his mama, his grandma, and we never really had dads, so we didn’t. I had a stepfather from age 3 to 14, but I never really got along with him and I certainly didn’t look up to him. So we didn’t really have any male role models, and we kind of found that in each other. We were also really lonely. And I’ll explain why. Obviously we were single so that that’s part of it.

Alan Lazaros: But we were lonely because we were so into personal development and growth and personal improvement and self-improvement and mental health and healing our trauma. We we were so lonely in that we call it lonely land now. But it was it was bad. We were the only entrepreneurs we knew, really. And so we found sort of connection with each other. And then we just built this sort of thing. Now the piece that I want to bring up, we never stopped the podcast, no matter how hard it got. Eight years ago, we started a podcast. I had conversations change lives. He had diaper conscious podcast. We went all in on the hyper conscious podcast. Changed the way you think. Changed the way you, uh, change the way you think. Change the way you act. Change the way you live. How dare I screw that up? How dare you? I know you’re going to say that, but then we rebranded to Next Level University, probably around episode 600 or something. I’m butchering that. I don’t know when it was, but we did one episode a week. Then it was two episodes a week, then it was three, then it was five. We jumped to five, then it was seven. And we do an episode every day now. And when you say that to other people, they think nothing of it. When you say that to a podcaster, they go, wait, what? So you’re talking like one minute episodes right now. The average length of our episodes now is probably 25 minutes. And we put work into these two. It’s not it’s not just, hey, let’s hit record and do it like there’s a lot of thought behind it.

Alan Lazaros: So the piece that I want to bring up is that’s been the one thing that has really made 90% of the difference for us. If you take that one thing away, Way. I’m a coach. He does podcast coaching. We work with 106 podcasters and business owners. I have one client I see four times a week. Just grinding. Improve, improve improve. But the Next Level University podcast is the glue that puts it all together. We have our own community now. It’s an 18 person team. I have 20 clients. He has 60 plus podcasts that we produce. But it all started with one train, the main train. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing, and we just never strayed from that. To this day, we actually are recording a couple episodes later today. I think Kevin has that on the schedule. I need to look at my schedule, but and now here we are going on other shows. So it’s become a really cool thing. And the thing that I think has been interesting is it’s always been deeper than, than just starting a business together. I think it’s always been about meaning and about purpose, and it’s always been focused on helping people in a way that we feel because we felt pretty lost in different ways. I felt less lost than he did. He felt a lot more lost than success, but I felt lost as hell in relationships. I. I felt like relationships never worked well for me. So now we have a podcast that talks about holistic personal development and success, and it’s been really cool.

Trisha Stetzel: That’s awesome. So do you still feel lonely as an entrepreneur?

Alan Lazaros: It’s a great question. Yes. Yeah for sure. Just in a different way. I, I don’t know, I feel like I’m pretty. I have pride around the loneliness because this is what I signed up for. And I don’t ever expect anybody to fully understand what I’m going through other than Alan. Really. I like one of my my other best friend. I know you’re only supposed to have one. Sue me, I get two, but my my other best friend’s an entrepreneur, so he gets it like I’m the best. Trisha. I’m the best man in his wedding. He literally told two of the other guys in the wedding party, just support Kev as much as he needs because he’s super busy. Like, oh my goodness. I feel so seen in that. Thank you. Thank you for that. Because I don’t know what I’m doing. What? You’re trying to grow a business. I can’t be worried too. Too much about booking flights. But yes and no. I feel the most seen I’ve ever felt by the people that I need to be seen by. And I feel the least understood by the people that I don’t really care if they understand me. I think nice, I don’t feel lonely anymore, but only because of my beautiful girlfriend Emilia. We own three businesses between the two of us, and she she she’s my best friend.

Alan Lazaros: She’s my my everything. I used to actually think that that quote was dumb. Before I met Emilia, I was like, she’s your everything. What are you talking about? You can’t have one person be your everything. Well, she’s my gym partner. She’s my business partner. She’s my future wife. She’s. She’s my everything. And, uh, I don’t feel when you ask that question, I smiled just automatically, because I just don’t feel lonely anymore. Which is weird for me because I felt like I was alone most of my life. Internally, not externally, externally. I had tons of friends in high school and college at corporate, and I always felt sought after as a man. But I never like friends and otherwise. But I never felt, um, belonging inside. And with her, I feel tremendous belonging. And so that’s new for me. That’s within the last five years. It took me 30 years, but I am so grateful for that part. And that’s the one part of this journey that I never anticipated. Like most of the business success and stuff, I that was by design. This was, oh my goodness, this is the coolest thing ever. I can’t even believe, like I thought I was gonna be alone forever. Honestly.

Trisha Stetzel: Well, both of you, when you talked about where your business is at today, talked about the community of people in your business and how you take care of them and the people, even outside of your business that come to you for things, your clients, your customers, right. And how you take care of them through, through the journey. What I hear is that you’ve built community yet there’s still some part of you, and I think all of us as entrepreneurs may feel this space, some larger than others. That is somewhat lonely, right? And there’s some void there in some way. But you guys have built this beautiful community around your business, and now you’re supporting people who are supporting you inside of your business. So here’s where I want to go next. What were some of the biggest chAlanges in this partnership when you guys first started working together?

Kevin Palmieri: You want me to start Alan?

Alan Lazaros: Yeah.

Kevin Palmieri: Easy. Easiest one in the world, Trisha. Everything I wanted to do was dumb and stupid. And Alan would be like, that’s kind of dumb and kind of stupid. I’m like, huh? Okay. And in a kind way. Not a bad way. I got you. I said it in way more than I got you. Okay. I think the most.

Trisha Stetzel: Alan didn’t say Kevin,that’s dumb.

Kevin Palmieri: Now, now he does. Now in a good way again. We we both have permission to be brutally honest with each other, because that’s what it’s going to take. The simplest answer is, Alan, is exactly what I needed, but the opposite of what I wanted. I wanted a business partner who was going to do reckless things with me, like, let me do what I want to do, let me laptop lifestyle. Let me take Fridays off, let me have a half day Wednesday. If I could have imagined what I wanted in a business partner, it would have been that it would have been somebody just like me. In the opposite, I. I do have a boss. Alan is my boss, I don’t care. Like, I know it might sound weird. He’s he’s the boss. And it’s really, really, really good for me. I’m not a natural number one. I’m a really good number two. And I think the chAlange was for the for most of the time, my ego was not ready to admit that. So I wanted everybody to think that I built this Trisha by myself. Brick by brick. With my bare freaking hands. And it’s just not true. It’s not true. So most of the chAlanges for me were the internal not feeling good enough imposter syndrome. Am I ever going to be successful? Is Trisha going to like me? Like that was the the big thing for me. The grind it out and work 12 hours like that. I mean, that is what it is. That’s not that bad. But the majority of it for me was all of the conditioning I had to do from like the personal development perspective as opposed to learning stuff in business. I mean, there’s pain associated with that too, but it’s a deeper pain when you’re just constantly getting poked of, like, you lost that client because you’re not good enough. You got rejected because you’re not good enough. You’re not smart enough yet. Like that was that was really the struggle for me for sure.

Trisha Stetzel: So, Kevin, I liked you before I met you. Because I stalked you on social media. I’m just saying, I knew you were going to be a cool guest. I just knew that. So. Alan. Alan, before I come to you, I just want to ask Kevin one question around the wanted versus needs. Right? What you want versus what you needed. Do you find that you have to use that with your clients these days, like they come to you and they’re like, this is what I want. But you know better because you’ve been through it before, and now you’re supporting them through something that you already fell down, skinned your knees, cut your elbows, got the black eye right? Um, how do you use that with your clients now?

Kevin Palmieri: We’re all coaches here, so I’m sure we’ve all experienced this. My firm belief now is a good coach helps you get the goals you want. A great coach helps you avoid the pain to accomplish the goals you don’t actually want. And now it is a conversation of do not tell me what you want. Tell me what you’re willing to do to get it. I don’t care with respect and all due love. I don’t care what you say you want. I care the process that you’re willing to practice. I always start there. For me, it’s that because we all want more, bigger, better, whatever. But the reason we don’t get more bigger or better is not because we don’t want it. It’s because we don’t want the process. So I just try to be very honest with my clients regarding what it’s going to take for them. Great. Quick story. I was working with a young man one time and he said, I want to be like you guys, but way more successful. Like, okay, love it, love that. I’m not exactly sure the way more successful part, but I can I can tell you how we’ve gotten here. And I said before we jump into tactics and all that stuff, let’s just have let’s just have real conversation. On a scale of 0 to 10. How important is it for you to be home every night for dinner? And he smiled. He’s ten out of ten.

Kevin Palmieri: Love it. Cool, man. Love that for you. You’re gonna have kids soon. Yeah. Next. Next couple of years. Awesome. You want to be at their sporting events when they get older? You want to parent teacher conference? You want time off that type of stuff. He’s like, yeah, man, it’s super important. Big family guys are cool with all the love, my friend. You don’t want what I have. Trust me, because I’ve traded all that in. I’m not having kids for a reason. Alan and I work 12 hours a day. He works more than I do, but I do work a good amount. I put in my. I put in my hours. But Alan Alan now works me. So the point of that story was, I know you see what we have. And you think that would be really cool to have, but what it would take for you to get there would require you to trade in all of your core values and all of your core beliefs for aspirations that you don’t actually want. Let’s have that conversation. So that’s usually where I try to start with people, because yeah, it looks really good to say we have 2070 episodes and we have $1 million business. What it has taken to get here is nothing short of brutal, and I think it is wildly unhealthy for the vast majority of humans to do it for sure.

Trisha Stetzel: Except for Kevin and Alan. And it’s been really even me. It’s good. Yeah, I can tell.

Kevin Palmieri: I told you, I think it’s good for Alan. I think this is what Alan is supposed to be doing. I told him, like, very honestly and very vulnerably. And I don’t regret it, but there’s there’s pieces of me that I will never get back from this journey. For sure. For sure. Yeah. If I can just jump in real quick. One of the things I love about Kev is how honest he is. So, Trisha, that we talked about the achievers. I don’t I haven’t taken a full day off in ten years. I don’t know if I ever will again. And people hear that and they’re like, you’re out of your fucking mind. Pardon my French. Please edit that out if it’s not explicit. Are you kidding? But the truth of the matter is, is sometimes it’s one hour a day, sometimes it’s 18 hours a day, and ideally, it’s somewhere in between. It almost always is. I don’t want to not build. I’m here on planet Earth to do all I can with all I have. And I’m not joking. I am going to reach my potential and help others do the same. And that is my main focus. And I said this on a podcast one time with a woman named Deborah. I’ll never forget it. I said, I’m just being vulnerable and honest here.

Kevin Palmieri: I haven’t taken a full day off in ten years. So while I love that, you know, other people aspire to do what we’ve done, I actually don’t think everyone should be an entrepreneur. She’s like, well, what do you mean everyone has? I said, I’m just saying, I know people who, quite frankly, are lazy and they love being lazy. Kevin and I, we we are just strivers. We’re not. We don’t arrive anywhere like the moment we hit a goal. We had a $70,000 a month. We just upped the ante. Like, I literally. How long did we celebrate that? Not as long as I. Not as long as I would have liked. I would have liked some sort of fancy dinner or something, you know, not not to be happy. To me, it’s about the next level. It’s not about the current one. Right? This is next level university. Not ordinary average mediocre university. So I, I understand this isn’t for everyone, and I do think that I love how Kevin is so honest about that, because I don’t think he was wired in a way where he was supposed to be as big of an achiever. Whereas for me, I’ve been hiding my achiever my whole life. I’m just grateful I get to be more of me now.

Trisha Stetzel: You get to be more of you. So, Alan, what do you see as the biggest chAlange when you, the two of you started working together?

Alan Lazaros: Being all of me, it’s still my biggest chAlange. Even on this podcast, I. It’s easy to villainize someone who seems like an arrogant, pretentious butthead who started on third base. I’m a six foot two white Caucasian American male born and raised in Massachusetts. It looks like I started on third base. I couldn’t even see the fucking ballpark. Dad died at two, stepfather left at 14, lost three families by the time I was 14 years old. And I have a level of tenacity and drive that I don’t think is normal, I know is not normal. And it it triggers people. And I’m just trying to be honest like I, I clients come to me and they say, well I want this, this and this. It’s of course you do. Who doesn’t want to mansion on the beach? It’s not going to happen. Like, look at the statistics. You can’t work two hours a day and have a multi-million dollar mansion on the beach. Unless you inherit the money or a generational wealth or win the lottery. And so to me, I’m a I’m an earner and I’m a striver. I’m not an arriver and an entitled person. So, so Kevin and I, it took me 30 years to figure this out, but I work really well with certain people and really not well with others, and I’ve finally figured it out.

Alan Lazaros: But the hardest part in this journey for me has been being all of me. And so people with high work ethic and high humility, inward humility, not necessarily outward inward humility, and who want to reach their potential. They love Kev. They love me. They love you like I’m read on this episode for a reason because socially I’m not easily acceptable. The people that I don’t work well with are entitled. They’re arrogant and don’t know it. They want big rewards for minimal effort, and they villainize me instead of face the fact that they’re kind of lazy. And I just. I don’t believe in this new age, 21st century, four hour workweek stuff. It’s not real. It’s a trust me, I’ve I’ve coached 400 plus people over the last ten years. They’re all freaking broke. Except for the ones that aren’t on social media. Like, social media has really distorted what it takes to actually succeed. And what’s good for productivity and success is usually not good for marketing and branding. And I understand why it’s that way. But the fishing video is not the reason we’re successful, that I can promise you we actually weren’t successful back then.

Trisha Stetzel: But you were having fun and it was Father’s Day, so I’m glad the two of you did some fun things together. And hey, Alan, take Kevin to dinner, for gosh sakes for having that 70.

Kevin Palmieri: Thank you so much for that. I’ll send you a gift card, man without me. Thank you so much. I’ll just let me buy a new car so I feel like it’s good. We’re good, we’re good. Only 20:05 p.m. w baby.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, this is a good thing. All right, I’m gonna sneak my Snuggie comment in here. Kevin was, um, somewhere while I was stalking him on social media on one of his podcasts, talking about how some people just want to put the Snuggie on because it’s warm and comfortable and it makes them feel good, and that’s the way they do business. And Kevin said instead, you should be making a fire. So the two of you are high achievers. And Kevin, maybe you went kicking and screaming, but you’re a high achiever as well, right? You’re in this space now. Thank you. Alan, um, you coach a lot of people in different ways, right? One in the podcast space and one in in the business space. And I know that there are people who come to you and say, but I just want to wear the Snuggie and you have to tell them in order to be successful. You get to go build the fire. So what are you providing to the bulk of your audiences? And I know you do a lot of 1 to 1 as well, but what are you putting out there in the way of energy and information and advice to people to really get them to shift from this four hour workweek to, you got to go do the grind in order to be successful.

Kevin Palmieri: Nice. I almost think of it as like, regretful truth. Like, I hate to be the guy to tell you this. I don’t want to be the guy to tell you this, but I do believe that my heart is big enough, and I have the courage to say, look, most of these people are lying to you. And here’s how I know I’ve met them, and I’ve been coached by them. And they’re not who you think they are. That that’s one part, that part of it. And I think one of my purposes is to help people raise their awareness. That is like there is some very big people in the personal development space who it seems like they got to where they are by accident. It’s all reverse engineered. It’s built on lies, it’s built on steel, it’s built on just garbage. And I just feel like. For so long, our industry was built on making people feel good. Making you feel good has value at times, but you can either change your behavior or you can change your perception. If I come on here and say, guys, I know business is a little bit hard, but here’s the thing the economy sucks right now, so don’t worry about it. I mean, when the economy strengthens up, I’m sure you’ll get more clients. That’s not helpful. No, that’s not helpful. The truth is, yes, the economy is maybe in a rough spot, but your resources and your resourcefulness and your grit and your relationships and all the things you’ve done to build this, to build this momentum, are what are going to set you apart from all the people that quit. Don’t freak and quit. That’s a heart driven but no B.S. approach. And that’s really what we try to do, is if you listen to our show, you’re not going to feel better about yourself most likely, but you will have more opportunity to get better.

Kevin Palmieri: And when you get better, you are going to feel better because you’re going to be in control. I would much rather somebody be in control of their future while dealing with some chAlanging feelings than us. Just reset their feelings every time they listen, because I wanted that at one point in my life, and it just doesn’t serve you. You’ll you’ll feel better. But then the next day it’s the same cycle. Feel good? Nothing changes. Continue running. The same behaviors feel bad, feel good. And it just becomes this. It just becomes this cycle. Growth requires discomfort. So you feel a little bad. You reflect on it, you change your behavior, you grow, and then rinse and repeat that cycle forever. And one is up and one is down. Unfortunately. And I’ve I’ve been in the downward cycle, and I feel like I want to be the guy who helps people get out of the downward spiral, even if it makes my life much harder. Which it does, because if we help people feel better all the time, we would be way more successful than we are for sure. But we decided pretty early on, like, ah, that, that ain’t it. To your point, they lie to your point, Trisha, where that came from for me is I was looking at a book review for somebody very big in the personal development space, and they said, this is a Snuggie self-improvement book. It’ll make you feel good, but it’s not going to change anything. It’s like, oh my goodness, that’s what that’s what’s working, unfortunately. Yeah.

Trisha Stetzel: So no snuggies for everyone. I’m just saying no snuggies for you or for you or for anybody else.

Kevin Palmieri: We’ll give you a hug. If you need a hug, I will give you a hug for sure. But then we got to get after it because that that was the whole point of it is if you always have the Snuggie, yeah, it’ll get you warm. But if you’re out in the wilderness with a Snuggie, you’re gonna die. You need to develop the skills to build the fire, to build a shelter, right? The Snuggie is comfortable at times, but it’s a Band-Aid far more than it is a solution.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, yeah. And you talked about you got to go into the woods and it’s whether it’s snowing or raining or hot or cold or fill in the blank, you’re going to go through all those things as you build your business. Right? I mean, that’s just the bottom line. Yeah, I appreciate you. And I’m a lead with the carrot, but I hold a big stick kind of gal, so I get it. Yeah. That’s good. Alan, how about you?

Alan Lazaros: Oh, well, the first thing I’ll say is I think leading by example is everything. If I want so I. Can too cowardly to say this in the past. I need to share it because I need to lead by example. I’m 1179 days of consistent exercise without a single miss. And I used to be too scared to share stuff like that because it sounds so arrogant. But with my clients, I lead from the front. I’m not asking them to do anything that I don’t do. And I started saying this before I because I used to coach anyone that would be willing. I mean, in the beginning I was I always say I’ve been mentoring for ten years, coaching for eight. Which basically means I started getting paid eight years ago. And I used to coach anyone I could because in the beginning, no one knows you. Sam’s Cola or Coca Cola? Everyone’s going to buy a Coca Cola because no one knows who the f sam is. And that’s why entrepreneurship is so brutal. So if you look at the statistics, I’m big on that. There’s 137,000 new businesses that launch globally every day. Very, very, very, very, very, very few of those even exist in ten years. And so I say this to my clients, if you want to be one of the ones who is still standing, that doesn’t even mean you’re profitable.

Alan Lazaros: It just means you’re alive. I’m going to have to tell you shit you don’t want to hear. And you can make fun of me all day for the fact that I work every day. But I’m still in business, baby. And I guarantee you I wouldn’t be, because I’m almost. We almost went out of business with that work ethic, by the way. I haven’t taken a day off in ten years, and we still almost went out of business. And there’s two of us. There’s 18 of us now. But you know what I’m saying? The point is, is that it might feel really good to hear that it’s all going to work out. But the truth is, you might work your face off and still fail. And so it takes humility, I think, and maturity to say, you know what? I’m going to give it all I’ve got. And I’m I’m not going to. I’m not going to pull any punches, and I’m going to have the courage to go all in and or have the courage to admit this isn’t for me. And I think that that’s really what I get people to do before I coach them. I was on with someone yesterday who said she wants to be the next Oprah. And I and I talked.

Alan Lazaros: I took her through my spreadsheet. I said, okay, great. That’s awesome. If you want to coach with me, here’s the deal. I care about your success first, your fulfillment second, and your feelings third. I’m going to be the person in your life who cares more about your success than you do the only human being in your life. No one else cares, Trisha. No one cares about your dreams. As a matter of fact, most of your peers would be pumped if you lose. Sorry, I’m not your immediate peers, but in general, the friends from high school, they’d be like, oh, Trisha fell on her face again. Yay! Because they just see how you constantly winning so no one cares. They care about other things. They care about the barbecue and whether or not you’re at their birthday. They don’t care about your success. So when I’m going to be the one person who cares more about your success and who has the courage to ruin our relationship if I have to, in order to help you hear the truth. Because one day I don’t care if it’s two years from now or ten years from now, you’re going to go, wow, that dude actually was saying what was real. And I have a coach. His name was Alex, and I lost him because I was late too many times, but he was that for me.

Alan Lazaros: And this would be the last piece I share here about this. I’ve had mentors and coaches galore. I’ve had dozens. Some of them I definitely shouldn’t have had. I mean, holy crap, those dudes don’t know shit. Right? But I didn’t know it because I was a kid. There’s one coach who shines through. His name was Alex, and he was the most Truthful and I didn’t want to hear it. But as I got older and older and older, he was 42. At the time. I’m 36 now and I’m going, that man never lied. Everything he said was true and everything my other mentor said was fluffy, feel good nonsense. It wasn’t real. Not everything, but most. So when you get older and older and older, certain people fall from the pedestal and other people go, wait a minute. Oh wow, that person actually cared about my dreams. They actually cared about my success. They cared so much. In fact, they were willing to risk our relationship to actually tell me the truth. And I’ve done that with Kev several times. And and that’s why I said I’ll be the pain in the butt that you’ll thank one day. Hopefully that second part actually happens. And if it doesn’t, I have to make peace with that as well, because at the end of the day, I can’t lie to anybody.

Alan Lazaros: And I know what this has taken, and I know the stats. And I spoke to a group of entrepreneurs four months ago, and I was their first exposure to business. They were engineers, not entrepreneurs, engineers. And I just was on this panel with these other two entrepreneurs, multi-millionaires. And they were talking about passion and purpose. And I said, wait a minute, hold up guys. How many times have you guys failed? They both start laughing. One of them seven times eight businesses failed. I said, real quick, let’s give them something real here. This is all fluffy. Let’s give them something real. How many? How many spreadsheets do you guys have? They both laughed. He said, Alan, I’ve got eight open on my computer right now. That is what success is. Success is spreadsheets and metrics and boring ass shit no one wants to talk about. And it’s not it’s not feel good stuff on YouTube that does well. You watch the biggest YouTube channels, watch the biggest. It’s it’s mental candy. It’s someone running with backpacks of money. It’s all nonsense. I love cats too, and I love cat videos. It’s not going to help you. And that’s just so. That’s just my truth. And thank you for giving me the permission to come out with it.

Trisha Stetzel: I knew there was another reason that I liked you. I love cat videos too.

Alan Lazaros: Oh, perfect. Yes I do, I do, but but they’re not gonna help you succeed. They’ll actually be the reason you don’t succeed, unfortunately.

Trisha Stetzel: Exactly. Because you’re scrolling through cat videos. All right. So circling back around, I think we’re going full circle here. So we we started where you’re at today. We went all the way back to the beginning. We talked about the chAlanges. You guys are very different from each other. Um, Kevin, I’m so glad that I got to meet you today. And, um, Alan, I’m so glad that you came back on with the two of you. Yeah, the differences are there, and I can see them. Yet. There are so many core values that you have in common. So, Kevin, what’s your what’s your favorite thing that you and Alan connect on from a just intrinsic and an intrinsic way or from a core values use perspective.

Kevin Palmieri: Being good men. Yeah. Being good. Being good men I don’t. We will not trade ourselves for success. What we feel about ourselves matters way more than the bottom line. At the end of the day. Like, I will not be able to put my head down on the pillow if I wasn’t a good man. And Alan’s the same that that I’m never worried. I’m not worried about that, ever. I’m not worried about our characters clashing. I’m not worried about that. And I think that’s rare. I think that’s especially in business. Like we know I’ve just been. So much truth has been revealed at how many people are just kind of lying and cheating and and they’re just not who they, who they say they are. If anything, very honestly, we’re more behind the scenes than most people think because we’re just so focused on that. I want to be successful in real life, not necessarily just on social media. So and Alan’s the same more he’s more of that than I. And that’s yeah, I would say that and I think we When the times get rough, right, wrong and different, whether it’s valuable or not, I tend to get more funny. And I love making Alan laugh. It’s one of my favorite things in the world if I can get him going. It’s one of my favorite things in the world. So we have very different humor, but when we are in the pressure cooker, we have some good giggles and I would say that’s probably my second. My second favorite thing that we have in common. Nice.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that. Alan, how about you?

Alan Lazaros: The same. Who we are and what we are when no one’s watching is just. It’s it’s the core. It’s the core. And anyone and I came to realize this. Anyone. And Kevin’s realizing this, too. And he’ll second that. I’ll let you speak for yourself. I will get along with someone. I’ve realized to the extent that, number one, they want to reach their potential. And number two, they’re not full of shit. And we’ve had we had a 24 person team at one point. I mean, we have gone through the the hard knocks of just bludgeoning of who to hire, who not to hire, how this hoof. I mean, it was really, you know, at one point I considered the team, my family, my chosen family. And I don’t do that anymore. Just just because I got to be careful with my heart. Uh. My favorite thing about us is who we are and what we are. When no one’s watching is always what matters most. Despite all the glitz and glam and the nice shirts and the beautiful like, we grew up with nothing. We both grew up with very little. Seriously. And that’s why I told Kevin once we were cleaning out the studio, I said, dude, I could never have worked with you if you were spoiled because we we make, you know, we make great revenue, but we were making no money in the beginning.

Alan Lazaros: Right. And and he’s just not he’s not entitled. He doesn’t have spoiled brat syndrome. He he’s willing to earn every penny. And he just got a 20, 25 brand new electric BMW. And it’s it’s less than the last one that we had. So it’s a good actually mathematical play, finance play. But he basically waited eight years for shit like that. You know, and it’s I just if you want big rewards for minimal effort, I can’t work with you. And I’ve just learned that. So that’s my favorite part about us is that we’re not spoiled. We’re not spoiled, even though we live in America. The number one economy on the planet Massachusetts, born and raised, we we don’t have any spoiled Brat syndrome. And whenever I get around people who have that entitlement of like, I should make more money without contributing more, it’s it’s what do you you need to go, like travel to Somalia or something. I need you to go. You need to get perspective. And every now and then behind the scenes, Kev will say that person needs to get their ass kicked. Martial arts. There’s nothing more humbling than than, yeah, somebody kicking your ass. Mhm.

Trisha Stetzel: Absolutely. All right. I’d like to spend a couple of minutes before we close today talking about what you bring to your clients. So anybody who’s listening, who wants to engage with you, um, either on next level university or in a coaching, um, scenario one, how can they reach out? And to how do they know that you’re for them?

Kevin Palmieri: Good. Alan, lead the charge.

Alan Lazaros: Well, the first one is we. I think every business owner needs to find their absolutely people. And they’re absolutely not people. Actually. All people, not just business owners, but business owners especially. So I already mentioned our absolutely people. Hi humility, hi work ethic. And they want to earn it and they want to reach their potential in life, in business or podcasting. That’s our people. If you’re an earner who has humility and work ethic, you are going to I mean, we’re going to help you just amplify everything. You are part driven. The absolutely not people are people who already shut this off because they don’t like me. Um, which are people who are entitled and they want big rewards for minimal effort. We don’t work with people like that anymore. And we never will because it’s just not going to work. We just butt heads and, uh, so those are absolutely, absolutely not people in terms of what we do for people. So we have next level university level up yourself podcast Growth University as Kevin’s podcast. Level up your podcast. And then we have business Growth University that I just started. Level up your business. But ultimately underneath all of that it’s success and personal development. Identify your own unique version of success and then reach your potential through personal development physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. To bring this into one sentence. We’re going to help you reach the next level when you feel stuck in life, podcasting, or business. Well said. And where you can find us okay, where you can find us. I just left that whole part out. We have a website called Next Level universe.com. Next Level University is the podcast 1% improvement in your pocket every single day from anywhere on the planet. Completely free. Next level University podcast. The website is Next level universe.com. Because the person charging the person who has next level university.com was trying to get it. Yeah, we’re going to get it. Trying to charge us too much. We’re coming for him. Yeah.

Trisha Stetzel: Next level universe. It’s okay. It’s it speaks to so many, right? It’s much quicker.

Kevin Palmieri: Just we we convinced ourselves of that too early on, Trisha. That’s how we got through. It’s like no universe is bigger than university. We win, you lose.

Trisha Stetzel: Hey. No, really. It’s fine. No, you’ll you’ll get it. Because I know both of you are after it, and you will win. I know, I know you will.

Kevin Palmieri: That’s the goal. I don’t know if we even want it at this point.

Trisha Stetzel: Right? That’s true. So, Kevin, from from your perspective, who are the people that you want to connect with?

Kevin Palmieri: Heart driven people. I work really freaking well with people who are amazing and super heart driven. But our martyrs. I work really well with people who are just amazing, but they’re afraid to show how amazing they are. That is like the my favorite people in the world to work with, because all we have to do is amplify your truth. You’re already amazing. To Alan’s point, if you’re trying to look way better in front of the scenes than you are behind the scenes, I’m not the guy for you. I believe in the process. So yeah, if you’re a podcaster out there and you want to grow and you want to scale and maybe turn it into a business and make some money, but it’s coming from a place of heart. You didn’t start your podcast to get rich. You started your podcast to help people, and you will go out of business if you don’t figure out how to monetize it. Those are the people I tend to to work really well with. And then as they grow and say, I really want this to be a thing, it’s like, cool. Let me pass you on over to Alan. That’s his specialty. I’ll get you rolling. We’ll get some things running and and then we’ll pass you on. So those are the people I love. Heart driven people who want to do good in the world. If I can help them amplify their message. Feels real good.

Trisha Stetzel: Thank you both for being with me today. I don’t know where the time went, but we just blew through it. It is time to close the show. I’m just saying. So, Alan. Kevin, thank you so much. It’s been a pleasure having you on and take us through your story. Uh, look forward to sending some folks over to you and having another conversation sometime really soon. Because we’re not done here.

Kevin Palmieri: Yeah. Trisha, thank you so much for having us. Thank you. We really wonderful. It’s wonderful. You’re an amazing host.

Trisha Stetzel: Thank you very much. It’s all the time we have for today. If you found value in this conversation, share it with a fellow entrepreneur, veteran or Houston leader ready to grow. Be sure to follow, rate, and review the show. It helps us reach much. Reach more bold business minds like yours, your business, your leadership, and your legacy are built one intentional step at a time. So stay inspired, stay focused, and keep building the business and life you deserve.

Alicia Todisco with Ace Handyman Services and Jim Hilber with Merchant Gladiator

June 18, 2025 by angishields

Cherokee Business Radio

Alicia Todisco with Ace Handyman Services and Jim Hilber with Merchant Gladiator

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Brought to you by Diesel David and Main Street Warriors

Alicia Todisco is a Georgia Native. She opened ACE Handyman Services serving Acworth, Kennesaw and Powder Springs area. Has recently expanded to include Hiram, Dallas and west cobb to the Marietta Square.

Before ACE Handyman Services Alicia was involved in the technology world for 12 years. As a sales leader in the working with other sales professionals to teach them to sell with the need of the client as the priority.

She spent the last 3 of 12 years working as the Director of Learning and Development creating programs to teach and train on those processes companywide to create a productive sales professional selling the most ethical way to sell any product.

Her transition was not an easy decision, however, made with three very important factors. Grayson and William, her 8 and 6 year old sons being the most important aspect of her transition. She has gone from 50% travel to coaching soccer, at Legacy Park and running club, at Swift Cantrell and is seeing a major change in the way her boys are developing and responding to her work life balance.

The third reason is to be more engrained in a local community. Ace Hardware and Ace Handyman Services are both companies that encourage and support their owners to make an impact in the community and that is exactly what Alicia is here to do.

Connect with Alicia on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Jim Hilber is the President of Merchant Gladiator and a Champion in his industry.

He is armed with viable payment solutions for every industry type. He is sworn to serve and protect local businesses.

He is fighting for good and has been victorious in the merchant payments arena for over 30 years.

Connect with Jim on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

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

Joshua Kornitsky: Welcome back to another great episode of Cherokee Business Radio. I’m Joshua Kornitsky. I am a professional EOS implementer. And your host. This morning and today in the studio, I have two fantastic guests. Let me start by introducing Alicia Todisco of Ace Handyman Services. She is the owner of Ace Handyman Services. Uh, good morning and welcome.

Alicia Todisco: Good morning. Thanks for having me.

Joshua Kornitsky: It’s a wonder to have you here. I really appreciate it. So, Alicia, I’m so happy to have you in the studio because I have so many questions. But I want to start by explaining how involved in the community you are. And the way that I met you was through the Acworth Business Association. But I also know that you now sit on the board of the Acworth Business Association. You sit on the board of the Kennesaw Business Association, where I was this morning. Uh, and that you’re now on the board of the North Cobb Rotary as well?

Alicia Todisco: Yeah. That’s right, actually, president elect for the Acworth Business Association. So I’ll take the reins next year.

Joshua Kornitsky: That is, uh, a pretty impressive accomplishment, but not as impressive as how you yourself spend your time. Because I understand you’re one of the only female franchisees of ace handyman.

Alicia Todisco: Yeah, there are me and maybe 1 or 2 others. Um, the other ladies, uh, partner with a father or brother husband. Uh, so it’s really it’s really an interesting place to be in my world.

Joshua Kornitsky: Well, and did you say you’ve started a women’s group.

Alicia Todisco: Within the Ladies of ace? Yep.

Joshua Kornitsky: That’s really great. Uh, and there was even an article about you recently.

Alicia Todisco: So it was actually a couple of years ago, but they did a, excuse me, an article that is called resiliency. It’s just a Women in Franchising Blazing the Path article so well.

Joshua Kornitsky: And in the in the field that you have established yourself in I’m sure as you just indicated. Right. There’s not an abundance of women operating in that space. So you really are trailblazer. That’s really, really great. Um, what got you here? What did you do before you decided to become, uh, the the the first female franchisee, or at least one of the only female franchisees of Ace Handyman.

Alicia Todisco: Get me in trouble by calling me the first.

Joshua Kornitsky: But sorry, one of them.

Alicia Todisco: One of the only. Yeah. So, um, my background is in sales. Um, I owned a couple of small businesses in my 20s. Um, but then I went into corporate America selling payroll and HR technology through a company called Paychex.

Joshua Kornitsky: Okay. I know that name.

Alicia Todisco: Yep. Most people would. But then I started working for a company out of Louisiana called Netflix, and I spent seven years there in sales, leadership, sales management, national or regional management. And then I took over the director of learning and development for them, and spent about three years developing their sales program.

Joshua Kornitsky: Wow. So you’re a process driven person.

Alicia Todisco: Very process driven. Mr..

Joshua Kornitsky: So, well, thank thank you, thank you. So, uh, all of that sales experience and then learning and development on top of that, how did that prepare you for where you find yourself now? Do you spend a lot of time having to educate your prospective clients?

Alicia Todisco: It’s no, you know, my prospective clients still mostly with our office team. Okay. Um, I am more community focused. So we’re brand building, brand awareness, driving sales. And so it’s 100%, 90% of what I do every day is sales.

Joshua Kornitsky: Okay. So let’s talk about what you do. What type of services do you provide.

Alicia Todisco: So my company is Ace Handyman Services. We provide services for both residential and commercial. We say we do 162 different things in the home. That’s it. Yeah. That’s all.

Joshua Kornitsky: Okay. So let’s I’d like to ask let’s put commercial to the side because I want to come back to that. Let’s talk about the residential side so people know what you can do to help them around the house.

Alicia Todisco: Yep. So it just depends on their need really. I always encourage if they’re curious what a handyman does to call us. Um, so we can do everything from installing a door, uh, you know, closing in a room, building a wall. We’ve done that for one of our fellow networkers and the associations you discussed to something as simple as hanging pictures on the wall. If you could see this beautiful wall in the studio, um, with command strips, uh, it doesn’t really matter. It’s where the need is and what provides value to our clients.

Joshua Kornitsky: So you’re really able to sort of customize the offering to fit whatever it is they’re after.

Alicia Todisco: A beautiful long honey to do list is one of the guy’s favorites. Yep.

Joshua Kornitsky: Wonderful. I think I told you this before. I just need somebody to live at my house because I don’t know how to do any of this stuff. So? So what’s a good rule of thumb? When. When should somebody call you on the on the let’s again, let’s stick to the residential side. Then we’ll get to the commercial.

Alicia Todisco: Sure, sure. Um, so I’ve had people sit on a honey to do list thinking that it was going to take forever. Um, and then we go in and knock it out in two hours because of the skill set of the guys. Right? They’re used to doing this every day. They’re in and out of the hardware stores a lot faster. Um, so when someone’s thinking about a project, just call and ask questions. My team is very, uh, well, they’re sales oriented, right? Because of of what I do. Right. So they’re happy to consult and really dig in and ask a lot of questions that will help the customer. Self-actualize maybe I can do this piece of it myself. Um, and maybe I really do need to get to this. A lot of times when people sit on a project for too long, the damage that son gets worse. Um, let’s say you have a leak in a gutter and it’s dripping on a door. Well, instead of replacing the bottom of the door, now you have to replace the entire door. So if we can help to protect and preserve the home, it’ll help to prevent issues in the future.

Joshua Kornitsky: So you’re telling me my long standing practice of turning up the radio so I don’t hear the noise in the car, is not the way to do things correct? I know I’m talking about a car versus a house, but. But I can turn the TV up real loud too, so I don’t hear the dripping.

Alicia Todisco: Both. Assets? Yes.

Joshua Kornitsky: So? So what you’re saying is that’s not a good strategy.

Alicia Todisco: Not the.

Joshua Kornitsky: Best. But but in that circumstance. So so you know, ace itself always had this helpful persona. Right. So let’s talk about the the types of people that you bring on board to, to execute on the services that you provide. Are they just, you know, any anybody knows how to swing a hammer?

Alicia Todisco: It’s funny. Um, we we say we bring helpful into the home. Right? So we’ve, we’ve taken that helpful hardware folks and we, we do bring it to the home. I mean, it starts with, uh, the ladies in the office. So that is a specific skill set that we, that we hire for. Um, they have to be patient. They have to be kind. Um, they have to also be able to remain in control because if someone’s calling the office, they don’t know what they don’t know. So for us to offer a lot of education is really important as far as the craftsmen are concerned. The number one thing I hire for is humble and kind. Within our industry, there are a lot of peacocks.

Joshua Kornitsky: Okay. That’s an excellent description of of someone who perhaps wears their perceived accomplishments out front. Yeah, right. Doesn’t mean they have those accomplishments, but they think they do.

Alicia Todisco: Yeah. So I’m not a skilled, handy professional myself. Um, I really rely on them to be good at what they do. And so they have to be humble enough to, you know, talk in layman’s terms to me and to the ladies in the office, which translates to how we’re speaking to our customers. We’re speaking to them in a language that they understand. We’re not talking over their heads. We are very cautious not to belittle them. So humble and kind is really important. What I’ll tell you is over the years, um, the craftsman quality has gone up because we’ve learned what we’ve learned. Right. Um, and that becomes really important. So it becomes kind of hard to hire.

Joshua Kornitsky: Well, it’s I gather that it becomes kind of hard to hire because you’re, you’re hiring at a higher standard based on the what you’ve come to expect from your craftspeople, your tradespeople, when they’re executing on your behalf.

Alicia Todisco: Precisely.

Joshua Kornitsky: So holding people to a higher standard so that so that the higher quality output, that’s a positive, that’s not a negative. If it makes it a little harder to hire, I understand. But I also suspect that you get a much better hire when you do find someone.

Alicia Todisco: And that leads to a higher retention in our clients. They come back.

Joshua Kornitsky: So do you. Do you have a fair repeat rate with your clients?

Alicia Todisco: Yeah, we hover around 35%. Um, we’re pushing for a goal of 50%. Um, but 35% of our customers come back on a regular basis, whether that’s monthly, whether that is quarterly, whether that’s annually.

Joshua Kornitsky: That’s great because that’s truthfully that’s the Google reviews are great, online reviews are great, but repeat business tells you how much they find value in what they’re getting and what they’re paying for. Um, do you get a lot of referrals from your customers?

Alicia Todisco: We do, we do. And one of the biggest compliments is when a parent, um, has an experience with us and they bring us into their children’s homes. Um, they know that they’re going to be able to offer an experience that’s protecting them, that they’re safe. They feel confident with the guys that we’re sending in. Um, on the other side of that, they send us into their parents homes. Sure. Um, so for the same reason.

Joshua Kornitsky: I can understand that because those are, uh, we’ve all heard horrible stories of of people, uh, let’s just say making bad decisions about who they hire. And it costing them a lot more than just a few bucks. Uh, so that’s great to know so that you’re a resource for that. Um, let me now ask, tell me about the commercial side of your business. What type of, uh, services do those skilled craftspeople bring to to the businesses you work with.

Alicia Todisco: So sitting in a meeting with Ace a couple of months ago, and I guess I hadn’t thought about it through this lens, but it is really valuable to know that if you are a business owner and you have a ladder in the back, your insurance may not cover your employees getting on that ladder. So if something happens, uh, with them doing that, it’s it’s really more of a liability to them than the cost would be to hire someone to come in and do simple things around the office. Um, so we do things like, you know, change light bulbs, um, change HVAC filters that are in high awkward spaces. Um, we just did one at Vino Market in downtown Acworth, for example. That was kind of cumbersome to get to. Um, but Toby would rather hire us to do that versus sending one of his people up into the attic space in the rafters.

Joshua Kornitsky: Right. And that makes sense. And when you engage on the commercial side, I imagine in addition to simply paid service, like I need light bulbs put in at a high ceiling. Do you also offer agreements?

Alicia Todisco: We do, we do. We have a membership program for both residential and commercial. Oh, wow. Um, and so let’s say that a client has multiple locations and they want regular maintenance, those simple things that keep them in compliance. The light bulbs, the air, the air filters. But maybe they also have some projects they need to paint a bathroom door. They need to rearrange a couple of offices, paint an office space, hang a couple whiteboards, you name it. Simple tasks that we can do for them. They can hire us for a bundle of hours that will offer them a concession. And that concession we do throughout the course of the year, if for whatever reason, they don’t use those bundled hours throughout the year, we can allocate those. They can share those as incentives for their employees where we can do projects in their homes.

Joshua Kornitsky: Wow, that’s pretty amazing.

Alicia Todisco: Um, we can do it in combination with one of our giveback programs, like if we go into the VFW or if we go into a battered women’s shelter, they can donate those hours. Wow. In which case we would then give them the write off, obviously. But they can allocate those however they choose if they don’t use them all for the business.

Joshua Kornitsky: That’s a really compelling offer and a really kind thing that you as a business owner are offering to your clients. So that’s that’s an aspect of your business I was less aware of. So is that something that you’re continuing to to grow and get out there? And when people want to learn about either side of this on the commercial or the residential side, two different phone numbers or all one thing.

Alicia Todisco: It’s all the same phone number. Um, so the office manages both commercial and residential. So they would call our main line. Do you want me to share that?

Joshua Kornitsky: Now I’m going to come back to it. But yes, let’s go ahead and share it because we’re talking about it.

Alicia Todisco: So what’s that number? Uh, the office line is (770) 627-7770. We have an amazing office team that can troubleshoot either. Um, so that we can take care of our clients on either side, residential or commercial.

Joshua Kornitsky: Awesome. So we’ll come back again to to how people can best reach to you in just a minute. But there’s one other thing on my list that I that I was looking through that we had talked about before that I really want to ask you about and, well, really two things you were talking about the, the skill of the craftspeople that you’re bringing on board. And, and when it comes to that, how important is that as you kind of look to the future, how do you ensure that you’ll have those tomorrow and next year and the year after?

Alicia Todisco: So we, uh, the skill of the craftsmen, I always say I’m as good as my craftsmen. So oftentimes people will come up and say, can you do fill in the blank?

Joshua Kornitsky: Right.

Alicia Todisco: Can you do tile work is probably a good one because tile is very specific. It’s very tedious. Historically, we’ve said no. Right. Um, partially because we’re hourly. And that would become very expensive for them to take on with an hourly model. But tile has gone up. If you call a tile professional, it’s just as expensive as an hourly model would be, for whatever reason, right? So we’ve started taking on tile jobs, and as long as I have a craftsman who is skilled to do that, we can take on those jobs. Um, sometimes we have a new guy, got a new guy starting today that I’m very excited about. We understand his his skill set from his history. Um, so he’ll do some projects at my house. He’ll do some projects by my craft, my field supervisor’s side. So we really get a chance to inspect what he’s good at. Um, we do talk a lot about transparency. Communication, integrity and teamwork are our three core values. So if a guy can’t do something, we highly encourage him to be very, very transparent with us about it.

Joshua Kornitsky: I’m only laughing because I’ve been that guy not working for you where I thought I could do something that I well, I didn’t know how. And it turns out that fixing it after the fact usually costs a lot more than if I’d called somebody ahead of time.

Alicia Todisco: So much more money. Yep. Um.

Joshua Kornitsky: So what advice would you give to somebody that was looking to get started in the trades. Now what what can they do to improve?

Alicia Todisco: Um, this is my favorite. And honestly, probably one of the hardest things that I had to find coming into this industry was I’m a very mentor driven person.

Joshua Kornitsky: Okay.

Alicia Todisco: I’ve had some crazy, amazing people, um, in my path, um, very, very lucky. Probably. Probably more than most. Right? That’s just me being very blessing, right? Um, silly about it, but also really, really true. Um, I had a really hard time finding a good mentor, uh, when it came to the trades industry. Um, I come with a very different background of mindset. I’m not the technical side. I am way more into the business side. Um, so we had some nice shared value there. Um, but what I’ve done is I’ve had the opportunity to, to generate a lot of great people around me that are trades professionals. It was one of the first things I did when I came into Acworth Business Association at the morning jolt, in fact. Right. Um, was I looked for other trades professionals who could do the things that I can’t do but operate with the same level of professionalism that I expect out of my team. So if I ever have to send a referral, you know, Jim calls and he needs a plumber. I know where I can send him, where he’s going to get top notch service as an extension of my business. And that, to me is invaluable because we work very closely with other trades professionals. Um, if a mover hits a wall, for example, and they need someone to come and fix that, they’re going to call us. If an HVAC company steps through a ceiling, they’re going to call us. We’re going to fix it. We’re responsive. We’re on time. We’re quick. We’re offering that same level of professionalism. And if you are a trades professional that wants to do things differently, I really encourage that behavior.

Joshua Kornitsky: So that’s a really great point and a great tie back again to the commercial side of things. So that if you are, uh, someone already operating a business in the trades, if you’re a plumber, if you’re HVAC, if you’re an electrician, uh, no one wants these things to happen. But sometimes these things do happen. And rather than trying to scramble and spend the valuable time of a plumber and electrician or an HVAC technician, they can just call you and you can mitigate the issue.

Alicia Todisco: Yeah, we can get them in touch with great people. It’s worked on both sides. You know, when we were brand new, we would we would step in it from time to time and we would need someone to come in. So we have great general contractors that we can call on if we made mistakes. And thank God we haven’t done that in a long time.

Joshua Kornitsky: Well, that’s how we all learn.

Alicia Todisco: But yeah. And so it’s cool to for the tables to have turned, you know, three and a half years later and we’re that resource for other trades professionals.

Joshua Kornitsky: Now that’s that’s a wonderful thing. I am grateful to have a few clients in the trades, and I will make sure they know to call us. Last question that I have is, is really, uh, related to what you shared with me ahead of time. One of your passions was we were talking and you touched on something that’s near and dear to my heart because my wife was a professional, uh, a collegiate soccer player. Pardon me? I almost said softball, and that’ll that’ll cost me later. I’m gonna say, uh, my my wife went to Florida State on a soccer scholarship, but you and I were talking about soccer.

Alicia Todisco: Yes.

Joshua Kornitsky: So share with me or with us. Uh, what? Your passion is there. What? What is it about soccer? About kids?

Alicia Todisco: It’s kids. Yeah. For sure. Um, I played soccer growing up in high school. Okay. Um, and then I happened to have this little rock star soccer kid. Um, he’s ten. And a few years ago, he started to get involved on a soccer team. Uh, about a season in, his coach quit. Um, and it was about the same time.

Joshua Kornitsky: Whoever would fill in that song.

Alicia Todisco: Who would it be? Um, I stepped in as the assistant coach for a few seasons, um, with some amazing, uh, other coaches. And, you know, I was still traveling, uh, half. You know, part time with my last company. So it was a good way for me to get ingrained in the community without really having to transition yet. So I got to see. Well, did I like the community? Is this a community I wanted to be a part of? Sure. But it’s really interesting to me. I don’t know that people talk to kids the way that I talk to kids a lot do. Right. I don’t mean.

Joshua Kornitsky: In a positive way, I hope.

Alicia Todisco: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you know what? They deserve to be held accountable. Sure, they deserve to be treated like humans and not little breakable, fragile things. They they really thrive in an environment where you’re teaching them integrity and balance and rules and consequences. Um, so between running club and between soccer, those are those are good platforms for me. And to watch them thrive, um, is pretty incredible.

Joshua Kornitsky: That’s really awesome. And what an incredible way that you give back. So thank you for that. Speaking as as a soccer dad and a soccer husband, it’s, uh, it’s really something. And the only thing I’ll say on that, and it’s not my interview, but the only thing I will say on that is they’re not little adults. They’re children.

Alicia Todisco: Yeah.

Joshua Kornitsky: And and people who treat a child like a little adult. Yes. You’re correct. Discipline. Yes you’re correct. Rule set. But you have to understand that this is this is a unique individual that’s learning. And you can’t treat them like they’re a small 38 year old individual. They don’t have the skills and the knowledge. And I’m grateful that you’re there helping them see that.

Alicia Todisco: Thanks.

Joshua Kornitsky: Well, uh, Alicia Tedesco, the owner of Ace Handyman Services. What’s the best way for people to reach you again?

Alicia Todisco: So our office can be reached. We multiple people see this. So the best way to do it is to call the office line or the office email, which comes to three of us. Okay. Um, the line is (770) 627-7770. And our email is Acworth, like the city of Acworth at Ace Handyman Services. Com.

Joshua Kornitsky: That’s awesome. Well, we will also have your phone number, your website, and all of your social links posted on the Cherokee Business Radio site when the interview goes live for download. Uh, we’re live right now as well, but thank you so much for sharing your background and your story. And I’ve got one more guest here in the studio. If you don’t mind hanging out. We’d sure love to to have you here. Uh, I’d like to introduce someone who I’m very pleased to say I’ve known for a few years as well, uh, and has made a great positive impact on me because he’s such a giving guy. I’d like to introduce, uh, Jim Hilber, truly the champion of merchant payments and the president of Merchant Gladiator. Welcome, Jim. Good morning.

Jim Hilber: Good morning. Joshua. A pleasure to be here. Alicia. Great to hear you speak.

Joshua Kornitsky: I’m just so happy to have you here in the studio with us. You and I met early on in my journey, uh, kind of reaching out into the networking universe. And I think it’s fair to say, with due respect to Alicia’s board seats, that you are a very effective networker because I think you get the value of it.

Jim Hilber: Yeah, absolutely. Are you networking or not working right?

Joshua Kornitsky: Oh, nice. Nice. That sounds like something my dad would have said. So I understand, uh, first and foremost, because this is a really unusual thing, that you’re actually a certified payments professional, and that’s that’s a designation that not a lot of people have or know about. Tell us what that is.

Jim Hilber: Correct. I’m actually in the inaugural class of the Certified Payment Professionals. And, uh, it’s something not a lot of merchants know about. And I think everybody should. Uh, when I first, uh, went for that certification, it was to really rise above the competition like we all want to do. Uh, but the truth of the matter is, I do believe in the ethics of the industry and doing things the right way. And it’s a very loose industry. Believe it or not, payments for merchants are non-regulated. So, uh, I believed in it, and, uh, it didn’t get the traction I thought it would globally or nationally. But ultimately it is something showing that I have, uh, worked a little harder than the average Joe to, uh, make the industry great.

Joshua Kornitsky: Well, and you. So you touched on the ethics of the industry, and I won’t crack any any jokes this way simply to say that, you know, ethics to me, tie to core values and core values are pretty much what an organization needs to run on in order to be who it says it is. Not not aspirationally, but in reality, you know, so so I think the the fact that that, uh, was what drew you to it, it speaks a lot to what your character is. But, you know, how long have you been involved with, with this type of business, with, with payment processing and specifically with with what you’re doing now?

Jim Hilber: Probably my greatest achievement. Thank you for the question. I’ve been 30 years victorious in the payments arena. Wow. I came.

Joshua Kornitsky: Undefeated.

Jim Hilber: Undefeated, undefeated. Well, I don’t know about that. I think I failed more times than most people have tried in a tough industry.

Joshua Kornitsky: But you gotta fail to move forward. It’s the only path.

Jim Hilber: Michael Jordan, right? Michael Jordan uh, but yeah, 30 years in, I came from the days of when there was a little thumb buster, if anybody knows.

Joshua Kornitsky: Oh, I remember that.

Jim Hilber: Listeners, uh, you know, I went to a chamber event and I said, everybody, close your eyes. And I made that sound with the old chunk chunk and half the room knew what it was. The other kids in the room were like trying to YouTube it. What was that?

Joshua Kornitsky: Yeah, but for that other half, if you played the Apple Pay sound, they all know that.

Jim Hilber: Yeah. There you go. Exactly. Excellent.

Joshua Kornitsky: So 30 years in, in in merchant payments. Uh, I guess you’ve probably seen a lot of change because just looking back over it as a consumer and as a business owner myself, the landscape, just with my limited understanding, is completely different than it was a two years ago versus now. What are some of the changes that you’ve seen over over time that help give you perspective?

Jim Hilber: Oh, I absolutely love it. Previous to being a merchant payments professional, I managed grocery stores. Joshua, if you don’t remember this, but a lot of the listeners might relate to this. I was a manager and I got called to register seven and I ran right up to that cash register. Are we on fire? Are we being robbed? No, sir. I have a credit card over $50.

Joshua Kornitsky: Over. Wow.

Jim Hilber: And I really had to take this card out of the customer’s hand. I had to walk it to what they called the lobby, the lobbies, where we rented VHS tapes back in the day, and we called a square DVD. Yeah, there we go. Square DVD. Exactly. It had a sticker on it, said, be kind, please rewind. Okay, that’s a different hot topic.

Joshua Kornitsky: Yeah, we’ll have that as a totally different dialog.

Jim Hilber: At any rate, I had to call a bank Joshua an 800 number, and I had to request authorization for a $51 card payment. And I had to recite the 16 digit card number over the phone. No, not a 773. I’m sorry. Seven. Three. Two. Starting again. And then they gave me a six digit authorization code. I had to look for a crayon, a pencil, write it on a piece of paper. That’s the short version. Right. And then take it back to the cash register. And I say thank you, customer, for your $51 in grocery payments. Carry out register for.

Joshua Kornitsky: Right. But in those days, $51 probably filled your grocery cart too. So. So there is that. But but still that’s that’s a really amazing piece of perspective kind of looking back, and I imagine that helps inform what you do now. To a large degree.

Jim Hilber: Fast forward to today. You’re waiving your watch over a Coke machine in the airport and something pops out.

Joshua Kornitsky: So. So let’s talk about specifically what is a merchant gladiator, right. I love the term. He’s got a great badge on on all of his stuff in his shirt. And he has the coolest business card I’ve ever seen. It actually looks like a credit card. Yeah, I’ve tried the number on it. You can get Jim on the phone, but you can’t buy anything.

Jim Hilber: You know? Uh, really, the gladiator comes from. If you study the history of gladiators. They weren’t all slaves. Many of them were servants. And I believe to, uh, you know, nothing really happens in this country to something gets bought and sold. Uh, and merchants are out there in the wind. You know, it’s a huge industry. You see those big logos Mastercard, visa, American Express, discover, and, you know, they need someone who can unravel the madness, but more importantly, that not just getting the facts, it’s about who’s going to protect them, who’s going to fight for them. And that’s really where the premise of Merchant Gladiators started is I am unraveling the madness for merchants and protecting them, along with the great taglines armed with viable payment solutions, sworn to serve and protect local businesses fighting for good in the merchant service arena. I’ve said that a couple of times.

Joshua Kornitsky: I think that’s awesome though, man. That and and because here’s the other part of it, right. And I and I want to touch on this, but just based on on the clients I’ve had the pleasure to interact with throughout my entire career, um, let’s just say there’s a lot of assumptions that are made with regards to any type of electronic payment, right? Sure. But what are some of the misconceptions that you encounter when when you meet somebody new? And I want to come back and specifically talk about protection, but let’s talk about first what are some of the things that everybody knows. And if everybody knows it, chances are it’s probably not 100% accurate.

Jim Hilber: Yeah you’re right. There’s always exceptions to every rule. Uh, there’s a great photo album in my, uh, in my iPad here. Uh, and it shows what customers see when they go to pay and you went to go buy a donut or get your car fixed, isn’t there a little sign written on the back of a piece of paper in Sharpie marker? No payments over this amount. The $3 surcharge for this 5% surcharge fee. So, um, you know, this is affecting things every single day from the consumer side, but keep in mind, being a merchant gladiator, I’m on the acquirer side. My job is to put myself in the side of the merchant, not the payer. But if you’re going to be a merchant like Alicia, I have the pleasure of having her as one of my clients. She knows more importantly, what her customers think and do and how they operate is super important. So ultimately, um, it’s those queues that we see that are misunderstood. Why did they charge 3%? Why did they charge a dollar? Why are they trying to add money on? Can they do that? Can they not do it? So again it goes along those lines, Joshua unraveling the madness of the queues we see every day when we buy something.

Joshua Kornitsky: Okay, so what are some of the things that people get wrong on the merchant side. So let’s talk about that because that’s who we’re this show is is a business to business show and and most of the most of those that are listening are on the the business owner or the business leadership side. Beautiful. What are some of the challenges that that you often encounter that you’ve got to overcome?

Jim Hilber: Yeah. The two hottest topics. Thank you for the question is again what I mentioned that Surcharging, you know, what percentage are they legally allowed to charge? Are they allowed to do it? And they’re still cardholders saying, are they allowed to do this? Right. You know, it’s a difference of a guy saying, hey, you know, remember the guy on the movies when your car breaks down in that little town and he’s holding that big wrench? Sure. They say, well, how much is it going to cost? Well, how much you got? Right.

Joshua Kornitsky: You know.

Jim Hilber: Right. That’s what it is. It’s almost like they’re holding your cup of coffee, you know, hostage with this, you know, surcharging amount. But the truth of the matter is, it used to actually be, for lack of better terms, illegal to surcharge. And that’s where people are confused. You should not be able to allow it. It was a cost of doing business.

Joshua Kornitsky: You couldn’t do a pass through charge.

Jim Hilber: You could not do a pass through. That’s correct. And now you can if you do it the right way. But the biggest challenge you see for merchants is they are in good faith trying to say, hey, I need to work on costs. I am choosing as a merchant to pass this through. Many have, but there’s the right way to do it. And so Merchant Gladiator can help unravel that and make sure they’re doing it in the word of compliance which comes under the shield, the safety doing it the correct way, but doing it in a way to benefit them. And what merchants have to understand is there’s good vendors like myself out there that our job is to really focus on them being, which is not a dirty word. Are you ready for it? Profitable profit is not a dirty word for anybody.

Joshua Kornitsky: You’re speaking my language. I always joke with my clients is it doesn’t say on your website, you’re the last thing I want anybody to be is an accidental nonprofit. If you choose to be a nonprofit, that’s your business. And that’s great. But they still have to. Even in the instance of merchant processing, it’s not like the banks are going to give them a pass on on the execution charge or the processing charge just because they are a nonprofit, correct?

Jim Hilber: That’s correct. Absolutely. It has to be paid for. And then just a quick recap on the other challenges, very common for both merchants and consumers. Um, if I say square on this podcast, everybody knows what square is. And then, of course, I can be at a networking event with Alicia and I say, don’t be square and do the little hand signal making a square. Um, but the truth of the matter is, Square’s a fine product. Nothing wrong with it. And it might fit some merchants, but once merchants compare truly apples to apples and understand what they’re getting. Um, the misconception to your point of your question is that they are, um, just saying they’re all pretty much the same. That’s just not true. They’re not the same. There’s a lot of differences.

Joshua Kornitsky: So you help your clients kind of sift through the differences and understand what’s going to be advantageous for them.

Jim Hilber: Absolutely. Just give them the facts. Because once the facts are clear, the decisions will jump at you.

Joshua Kornitsky: So how often if I. So I am a merchant. I occasionally accept a credit card. It’s not my preferred because of that same surcharge. Um, and I and I don’t always want to pass that along, because I do think it can, in the circumstance might, might give somebody a bad taste or bad impression. That’s case by case. So I’m not going to ask your opinion on that. But, um. What what how often excuse me, should someone reexamine who is handling their merchant services? Because that’s something I know. Uh, when it’s like an embedded payment system, they may have the right to change it, but, you know, it’s just easier to leave the way it is.

Jim Hilber: Absolutely. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it or. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Let me say it correctly. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Right. No you’re right. That’s a that’s a harmful statement for merchants. So as a blanket statement, for the sake of our listeners today, merchants should evaluate at least annually. And it’s one of my qualifying questions when I’m networking or meeting with people or referral partners is I have them ask Mask it. Hey, I know this guy, Jim, but let’s pocket that for a minute. Josh was talking to a great business owner. How often do you evaluate your merchant payments? And if they’re being honest, they’ve never evaluated them.

Joshua Kornitsky: Or they signed up. And whoever provided the equipment provided the processing, and they. And that was that.

Jim Hilber: You’re talking about every day. Joshua. Wow. Yeah. So so.

Joshua Kornitsky: That’s.

Jim Hilber: Really good. Yeah. Yeah.

Joshua Kornitsky: Wow.

Jim Hilber: Yeah. That’s and beyond that, you know, it’s like when you work with someone, you know, versus an 800 number or a.com like Alicia. And a matter of fact, Alicia, you do for your evaluation. We need to probably do that. Yes. At any rate, truly the the you don’t close deals, you open relationships. And when you say that on the front end when you’re selling the deal, hopefully you’re available on the back end to do that as well and kind of put your money where your mouth is or I guess your credit card where your mouth is.

Joshua Kornitsky: So, so all joking aside, you you just mentioned to Alicia, do you actually help your clients do this annual review once they’re working with you?

Jim Hilber: Absolutely. And it should be done because things change. Uh, you know, volume and average ticket are the two most important things volume and average ticket. So when I met Alicia in a little coffee shop in Acworth when we first met. Day one. Do you think her volume has grown since then over her last years of success in the last.

Joshua Kornitsky: Couple of years? I suspect so.

Jim Hilber: So possibly. Maybe she needs to sharpen the pencil with her vendors a little bit. Again, she knows as well as I do. Profits is not a dirty word for me as her vendor either. Sure. And so that’s part of it. Um, so yeah, the valuations are super important, but you need a good, viable option, not just somebody. What’s your rate. What’s your rate. That’s the most dangerous statement that can be made. What’s your rate. Because if you say oh I’ve got a good rate, the guy gave me 2%. If you look at that bill and drill it down, he could be paying 4.5% overall effective rate. Because what matters is not what your rate is. Every merchant. This listing will know this. How much money comes out of your bank account is what the important number is, right?

Joshua Kornitsky: Right, right. Well, and it sounds like, uh, not maligning the, the processing providers, but it sounds like there’s a lot more nuance to it than just the rate.

Jim Hilber: Absolutely.

Joshua Kornitsky: Absolutely. So that’s why you’ve got to have a gladiator in your corner.

Jim Hilber: Glad you got to say Gladiator.

Joshua Kornitsky: Gladiator. So one of the other things that we, uh, we chatted about ahead of time, because I was curious to know, is you had shared with me a concept that resonated with me. You talked a little bit about something called the 12 week year, and I wanted to ask you about that, because that aligns a lot with what what I work with my clients on talking about a 90 day world. Almost the same, but not so. Can can you share that with us? Because I think that’s a really insightful thing that you brought to my attention.

Jim Hilber: Yeah, absolutely. Thank you. Uh, the 12 week year is a book by Brian Moran. Um, that whole concept could be an entire another podcast.

Joshua Kornitsky: And so I’m going to stick a pin in you. We’ll come back and talk about that.

Jim Hilber: Yeah. Yeah. Um, it’s a beautiful thing, but, um, the 12 week year is based on the premise of, I think, from the insurance companies. Remember how, like, these insurance guys were always bonused for annual, um, you know, production. And they always made their bonus and they were most busy. And if you look at their, um, flash reports for the year, December, they crushed it and they crushed it. It was an annual bonus. It was available January 1st, but they don’t make their bonus till December. So what happens is they’re all just kind of waiting, you know, things are going good, you know? I’ll get there. I’ll get there next month. Oh, I’ll make it up. Stacking your goals. Right.

Joshua Kornitsky: So we used to call that sandbagging.

Jim Hilber: And then all of a sudden magically have a great year. So, um, I think the pressure that puts on salespeople, um, especially when you’re trying to stack goals, which you should never do, should recalibrate, um, I think is is monumental. And I’ve again failed more times than people have tried in sales. And so ultimately, I think that, uh, when I was reading Brian’s book, it spoke to me. It’s like, why don’t we break this down in a way that if you put your entire year into 12 weeks and it’s not 90 days and it’s not quarterly.

Joshua Kornitsky: I understand.

Jim Hilber: That’s a that’s a different.

Joshua Kornitsky: Concept, simply drawing a broad comparison. No, you’ve got it.

Jim Hilber: You got it. Um, it’s really just, um, you know, uh, setting those goals to be in 12 weeks. And guess what? The fast forwarding to the end result. If you have a bad year, that’s pretty detrimental for any business.

Joshua Kornitsky: Absolutely.

Jim Hilber: But if you have a bad 12 weeks, do you think you could bounce it back and save the true calendar year? 1,000%. And more importantly, if you have a great year or 12 weeks, do you think that’s time to put the hammer down and make it even better? So, you know, it helps minimize the challenges of the industry, but it helps capitalize on the actual strength of it. And um, ultimately, like I said, it’s it’s celebratory. You get 12 weeks and you’re doing the happy dance or saying, okay, I got to bear down. And what mistakes did I make?

Joshua Kornitsky: So is this how you run Merchant Gladiator?

Jim Hilber: Absolutely. I’ve been doing it for the past five years, and it’s really helped me, um, grow in a way that’s very systematic, because at least I know very much of a process. Person by nature, I am not. I’m like, uh, I’m the president of Merchant Gladiator, the guy who runs a pretty loose ship. Okay. I mean, I’m a I’m a field player. I, you know, and I’m in a tough industry that needs to have, you know, decimal points in the right position. Sure. But ultimately, this that process allows me to be intentional with how I use my time. And if you open my iPad right now, the first thing on the screensaver says script your day. So every day, because in the 12 week year, to finalize that thought in a 12 week year, a day becomes a week becomes a day, a month becomes a week, and a year becomes 12 weeks. So it’s it’s really scaling things down and just helps you just succeed in a faster way.

Joshua Kornitsky: Okay. Well and obviously it benefits and trickles through to your clients because you’re helping keep them ahead of things that could potentially impact them.

Jim Hilber: Absolutely, absolutely.

Joshua Kornitsky: Well, thank you very much for sharing that with us, Jim. That’s that’s just great. Uh, anything that enhances the business relationship between you and your clients and helps your clients get a better view down the road. That ability to predict is everything, right? Nobody. Nobody knows for sure what’s around the corner. But. But if we make educated predictions, we we have a tendency to do a lot better than just randomly guessing and hoping. We come around the corner to a bridge and not a gap in between the mountains.

Jim Hilber: Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, I always say, what’s a man? But I say, what’s a what’s a business without energy? Nothing, nothing at all. So that’s where the, you know, the motivation and all that type of stuff comes in. Gladiator motivator sounds great, right? But I learned a very.

Joshua Kornitsky: If there was a motive, if there was a gladiator behind me, I’d be pretty motivated.

Jim Hilber: But that’s awesome. But I learned a sad fact. I’ll be honest. I learned that you can’t motivate anybody. You must inspire them. But Gladiator inspire just doesn’t click. So I’m going to stick to Gladiator Motivator at this point.

Joshua Kornitsky: So. So my last question for you before I ask how people can get Ahold of you is, is you had said this earlier on and I just want to ask about it. You had said that you you don’t close deals, you open relationships. Absolutely. Um, tell me what you mean by that.

Jim Hilber: Um, I see a lot of salespeople, and I’ve been one for my entire 30 year sales career. And, um, you know, most of the things once that that that app gets signed, I guess it’s now digitally. I used to literally get them signed on paper and Fedex them at the airport.

Joshua Kornitsky: And then you rode the dinosaur to the delivery.

Jim Hilber: Exactly. Uh, somebody tried to send me a fax. I said, I can’t get a fax. He goes, oh, where are you at the 21st century? Um, so yeah, I think relationships are everything. Um, not only is it good for business, it’s really good for our spirit and our heart. Uh, the energy that’s created in a room with Alicia and I seeing her run a meeting or be a participant in a meeting is absolutely contagious. Joshua, I saw you operating in northwest Georgia and just taking names, and I loved your style. I loved it, and that’s one of the reasons I’m here today. So, yeah, let’s, uh, let’s talk about relationships more than just deals.

Joshua Kornitsky: That’s fantastic. Well, Jim, what’s the best way for people to reach you And it sounds like if I’m going to ask this question, but I’m asking Alicia as well, it sounds like both of you are willing to answer questions from people that are just curious. Is that.

Jim Hilber: Absolutely.

Joshua Kornitsky: Is that a fair?

Alicia Todisco: Absolutely.

Joshua Kornitsky: Okay. So, Jim, how do people reach you if they have a question?

Jim Hilber: Yeah. You know, um, I always say, you know, everybody in the industry has a help desk, and I’ll be honest, I’ll help desk suck. And we hope ours sucks the least. But let me tell you something. Uh, I like to talk to people, and I give every client and every prospect and every person out there my direct number. It is (770) 883-2080. And a lot of listeners like to text. I’m happy to take one of those as well. Um, but yeah, reach out to me or Jim at Merchant Gladiator.

Joshua Kornitsky: Wonderful. And as I mentioned before with Alicia, we will have your contact information, your phone number, your website, any social links. All of that will be on the Cherokee Business Radio website. Uh, as soon as we get everything posted and live. Well, I can’t thank you enough for being here, Jim. Uh, the champion of merchant payments, the president of Merchant Gladiator. Uh, Alicia Tedesco, the owner of Ace Handyman Services. I felt like I needed to give it more emphasis.

Alicia Todisco: A little oomph.

Joshua Kornitsky: A little oomph. Yeah, I like it. The gladiator. Now, that doesn’t work. Uh, I thank you both for coming in. It was a wonderful dynamic between the two of you. I think you both are focused on helping the people that just are are brave enough to ask for the help. Uh, and that’s the last thing I thank you for being here. I appreciate your time and your energy. Um, this has been another wonderful episode of Cherokee Business Radio. I’m your host, Joshua Kornitsky professional US implementer. We’ll see you next time.

Katherine Gyolai With Katherine Gyolai LLC And Find Love Safely

June 9, 2025 by Jacob Lapera

High Velocity Radio

Katherine Gyolai With Katherine Gyolai LLC And Find Love Safely

00:00 /

Katherine Gyolai, CEO and Founder of Katherine Gyolai LLC.

She is an ICF-certified individual and team coach. Prior to launching her coaching practice, she built a successful career as a branding and marketing executive working in everything from boutique agencies to Fortune 4 companies, from startups to billion-dollar corporations.

In addition to her coaching practice, she is a healthcare marketing consultant as well as the founder and CEO of Find Love Safely, a personalized matchmaking service for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

CliftonStrengths assessment–leaning into what makes us unique and where our talents naturally lie
Coaching couples using CliftonStrengths (compatibility does NOT equal sameness!)
Building empathy within teams using CliftonStrengths
Coaching female entrepreneurs
Find Love Safely: matchmaking for adults with IDD

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

TRANSCRIPT

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

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 Katherine Gyolai, who is the CEO and founder of Katherine Gyolai LLC, which is a coaching firm, and also Find Love Safely, which is a matchmaking service for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Welcome.

Katherine Gyolai: Thanks so much, Lee. Thanks for having me.

Lee Kantor: Well, I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Why don’t we start first with your coaching practice? How are you serving folks in that manner?

Katherine Gyolai: Sure. So through my coaching practice, I serve both individuals and teams. For individuals, my focus is primarily on women, specifically women owned or female entrepreneurs. I really love to coach anybody who is on the precipice of change. So that can be somebody in a business setting who is going from being an individual contributor to managing a team, perhaps, or it can be somebody in more of the of their personal life where perhaps they are a mother and they’ve stayed at home with their children as they were younger, and now their children are off to school or heading off to school. And so they’re the women are really wondering, what’s the next step in my life? Do I go back to work? Do I continue to stay home with my children? So those are sort of two of my sweet spots with the individual coaching. I also love to coach couples, and I do that through using Cliftonstrengths, which used to be called the Strengthsfinder assessment. And what we often think with couples is that sameness compatibility equals sameness. And that’s just not true. And what we learn through the Cliftonstrengths assessment and through that work is that it’s really the understanding of one another’s strengths that make a couple truly empathetic and and compatible more than it is the sameness of that couple. And then finally, through the coaching, I also coach teams. And again, I really enjoy using the Cliftonstrengths assessment to coach teams. I find that the team work, the team coaching helps to build empathy, and so we can put ourselves in other people’s shoes a little bit better. And in order to be able to make the team work better as a whole.

Lee Kantor: So when you’re doing your coaching, it sounds like you’re it’s not just strictly this is business, and I’m helping you become a better kind of business person or a better worker in your business. It expands beyond that into more personal areas.

Katherine Gyolai: It does. The coaching that I like to do really involves and incorporates all aspects of somebody’s life. And so we, you know, we look in the personal life and the personal support that people have and in terms of how that informs what their professional lives can be. And again, like in my example of the women who are, um, stay at home, currently stay at home moms and sort of wondering what the next role in their life is going to be, that wouldn’t you know, it’s finding it’s helping them find who they who they are beyond being a mother. It’s helping them tune in to that inner voice, what’s right for them. There’s so much pressure out there to either go to work or to stay home. We women are getting it, getting that kind of pressure from all over the place. And so my job and my passion is really around helping women find what is right for them and their circumstances, because it is not a blanket approach. For some women, it does make sense to go back to work, and some women it makes sense for them to stay home and that’s really where their heart is. And so I think of myself as as helping draw out that inner voice and then giving women permission to lean into what that voice is telling them.

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

Katherine Gyolai: No, my my, my. I’ve spent most of my career in branding and marketing and around Covid, like many of us, I had a bit of an existential crisis and wondered, you know, am I really doing what I’m supposed to be doing? And while marketing is great, what I love about marketing, what I enjoyed about marketing throughout my career was the ability to try to figure out, uh, decode and then connect with the consumer on the other end. Not so much about what campaign is, is, um, flashy and and and that, but really more about how can we truly connect and communicate with that end consumer. That was always what really energized me about marketing. And, um, so around Covid, I decided to pursue a coaching certification. And, uh, and, you know, I went through I went through a whole journey of what do I what do I want to become? Do I want to go more into therapy? Do I want to become a therapist? I’ve always loved the the the inner workings of how people connect, how they communicate, how they relate to one another. That’s always been fascinating to me. I really like journeying with people, um, along the ups and the downs. And so I, I just decided at that point to pivot. I continued in marketing, but was pursuing a coaching degree, um, on the side. And so now I have made the the full pivot from the marketing world into full time coaching. And then also, um, my other business, Find Love safely.

Lee Kantor: So how did you, um, make the transition yourself, going through a big transition of having worked for somebody in kind of a worker kind of mentality, where now you’re an entrepreneur and now it’s kind of an eat what you kill world as a coach. How did you get your first customers, and how do you kind of keep your pipeline full when it comes to marketing, or you’re just using the same tactics you were using as a marketer for others?

Katherine Gyolai: Yeah, well, certainly having a marketing background helps and and having a passion for how to connect with people on the other side helps. Um, I would say I lean a lot and did in the beginning and continue to lean a lot on my networks and my relationships that I’ve built, um, in order to, to keep that pipeline full, um, continuing to connect with them authentically and, and provide, you know, valuable service, right? When you’re providing a service that is working and, people are appreciating, then it’s it’s pretty easy and word can spread. Not to say that keeping my pipeline full has always been a breeze, but it really, I find, is more about the relationships than anything else.

Lee Kantor: So for the listeners out there that may be contemplating their own coaching practice, how do you create that initial bridge when a person sees you a certain way and now you’re asking them to see you a slightly different way, how do you kind of make that transition?

Katherine Gyolai: Well, I can tell you how I how I did it for me. I don’t know, um, you know, I don’t I can’t say that I have, uh, you know, a magic wand that it, that I was able to use. But for me, I my, my whole, um, being my whole way of existing is sort of in that coaching realm. And I don’t mean that to sound so grandiose that it’s like what? You know. What are you even talking about? But for me, I really. When I told people I was a, I was becoming a coach. Um, the answer was not, you know, the response was not. Oh, really? It was more like, yeah, finally, finally you’re doing that because I that is what I, it’s sort of just how I show up in the world. I’m very curious. I ask people lots of questions. I want to get to know them. And I ask those deeper questions. I love to go deep. In fact, um, I that’s that’s my happy place. Small talk is really exhausting to me. Uh, I don’t enjoy it at all. And so I’m much more comfortable in that deep space of asking really thought provoking questions. And so the transition from marketing to coaching was a pretty seamless one for me, because that’s how I’ve been showing up in my career, um, for most of my career. And so that’s it was not a big leap for those who know me and for those in my network.

Lee Kantor: And so for those initial people that you were talking with to share and be vulnerable, they were already sharing and being vulnerable with you. That wasn’t kind of a leap.

Katherine Gyolai: No, not a leap at all. And that’s how they know me. That’s how they knew me for those initial ones. So they knew me as that person. Uh, it was a it was almost like I was I was finally becoming who I, who I really am, just in a work setting in a, in a professional setting, um, versus sort of trying to put the, the round peg in the, you know, what is it, square peg in the round hole. Um, so it was it was actually a really natural transition for me. It made a lot of sense to to those in my network and those in my support system.

Lee Kantor: Now, how did, uh, your business Find Love safely come about? Was that kind of an outgrowth of your couples coaching?

Katherine Gyolai: Yeah. So find love safely. I am a mother and stepmom to eight children, four of whom have an intellectual and developmental disability. And so when my son was 20, he is my son with down syndrome. He came to his father and I and said, can I join Tinder? And we just about panicked and said, no, you you cannot do that. And so I but he was clearly expressing a need and a desire for a girlfriend for connection with somebody other than his family and his coworkers. And so I began this search online for how I can help him date safely. Um, he is, you know, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are extremely vulnerable to online scamming. Um, one of the recent statistics I saw, it’s not so recent, but, um, but I saw it recently. It was that in 2022, uh, people with disabilities lost $33.7 million to online scamming, and that was up 71% from 2021. It is a real problem when I am out in in in public at representing Find Love Safely, I have people standing in line waiting to tell me a story of a loved one who’s been taken advantage of online. Um, typically romantically, through a romantic scam. So I knew that online dating and apps and Tinder and match, right? Those just are not going to work for my son. And I began, um, seeking something that that would would work.

Katherine Gyolai: And I, you know, I’m a big fan of love on the spectrum, as so many are. And I thought, well, that must have been based on a real life service that exists already. And I did some digging and it just there’s nothing out there that exists. So I decided to create it. I was in a position to be able to create it. I have a real passion for this population. And so I built the kind of matchmaking service that I wanted for my son. And it is. It’s not an app. People like to say, oh, it’s an app or it’s an it’s an online dating service. It’s not at all. Um, the only thing that happens online is that you submit an interest form. Everything else happens with a real person, which is me in the Twin Cities. Or we have a matchmaker out in California as well who’s servicing that population. And so, uh, find love safely is really find love safely, I feel is a culmination, a true culmination of everything that I have done in my personal life and my professional life. Um, it brings together my coaching. I have coaching videos on my website that where I, um, coach members or find Love Safely members through some of those, um, not well, simple is a word, but some of those sort of basic dating concepts of what do you say when you are meeting that person for the first time.

Katherine Gyolai: How do you handle rejection? Um, what do you wear on your first date? Those those things that you and I have maybe had to learn through trial and error that are a harder lesson sometimes for the disabled community. So I’ve got my coaching videos there. I’ve got a blog for guardians, and then it really is a true matchmaking service. I’m trying to broaden the community, um, of the disabled. And, you know, we kind of tend to be in our own little circles, right? I’m in my little school district with my kids, and I know that I know that there are adults now, but and I know the other adults in this area and then, you know, go ten miles up the road and there’s another family that knows the adults in their area and the families in their area, but we’re not as connected. And if we don’t fill that space there, people, bad people are going to come in and fill it for us because there is still a deep longing for connection and relationship and friendship in the disabled community that, um, we need to be answering for that, and we need to be able to have an answer for that. Uh, otherwise the scamming is going to continue. It’s going to become more pervasive, um, which is a really, really scary thing and something I’m I’m pretty committed to stopping.

Lee Kantor: Now, I’m a big fan of that show as well, and it’s really kind of breaks your heart to see the parents rooting so hard for their children and the children trying their best. And then I think sometimes the the audience gets frustrated with, come on, you know, it’s right there. Like it seems doable. How do you, um, how do you kind of find the people to participate, to be part of this? Because I would imagine, like you said, you know, people’s networks are usually pretty small, and that just the geography of it and the, the convenience of it, I would imagine you’re going to find her in real life, you would find a match that somewhere near your work, or somewhere near where you hang out or where your hobbies are. Where do people with these kind of disabilities, where do they go if there wasn’t, you know, your service to help them? How was the matchmaking happening before you?

Katherine Gyolai: Uh, it’s a good question. Um, you know, I the answer is probably that it’s happening more organically. Maybe somebody at work, maybe somebody at the Special Olympics swim meet that they’re part of. Um, maybe somebody they went to school with. And the transition plus communities, which is the 18 and 2018 to 21 year old. Not every state has that Minnesota does. Um, so it was it just sort of was not happening. Actually, there’s nothing like this that solves that crisis. Um, if they’re not meeting organically, then you know, where where they’re just meeting somebody at work, or they’re meeting somebody as part of their Special Olympics team. Um, then they’re probably meeting people online. And, um, that rarely works out for the for for most people, and even less so for this precious community. So, um, the answer is that they they just aren’t meeting people necessarily that they are able to date. And and the other thing I find with this, with this, um, community, and when I say this community, I’m referring to the intellectually and developmentally disabled. My theory is that they silo their environments a little bit. So work is work. Church is church. Um, school is school. Dance class is dance class. And I’m not there to date in any of those. Uh, I’m there to do dancing or I’m there to work or I’m there to be in church. Um, and so to create this environment where you’re here to date Suddenly opens up their mind in ways that they maybe would not have been before. Um, we have speed dating events, which is really exciting and people love those. We have another one coming up, um, at the end of this, at the end of either end of June or beginning of July, we’re getting that date firmed up for, for Minnesota.

Katherine Gyolai: Um, and they’re, they’re to date, uh, we have a story of this is a great example, maybe a good answer to your question. Lee. Um, we have a story of a couple who saw each other every Wednesday night for eight years in their dance class. They have been in the same dance class for eight years together, and they never spoke. They saw each other at the speed dating event. They were immediately smitten and they have been inseparable ever since. So it just took creating an environment where dating is what you’re doing here, and dating is the purpose. And you can have a dating mindset at this event for that, for it to open up their minds a little bit to the possibilities of who could become a romantic partner or friendship partner. We also match for friendships. I have some people say to me, I just want to meet more friends, or I just want to have friends who aren’t toxic. Can you introduce me to more friends my age? Um, I do that. We do that as well at Find Love Safely. So, um, you know it. Just to answer your question, it’s it’s not happening. Uh, until now, Find Love Safely is really the first and only service of its kind, and, uh, I my dream is for it to be in every major city in the United States. Right now, it is just in the Twin Cities. And so in Minneapolis, Saint Paul and Minnesota. And we have a location in the San Francisco Bay area, and we’ve just recently launched a location in Los Angeles as well. Um, but my hope is that before too long, we have one everywhere.

Lee Kantor: And then in order for that to happen, you have to find. Are you looking for parents? Is that who typically is kind of launching in a new environment? Is the parent of a child that is going through this?

Katherine Gyolai: Yeah. It’s both. Um, and so the way that our model works is that essentially a parent or an appointed agent is the language we use now that an appointed agent can be a guardian, a conservator, a supported decision maker, power of attorney, someone who’s been appointed to care for that member or to to to support that member or a parent. So they essentially sign up with them. Um, safety is part of our name. It is paramount to to what find love safely is. And so member contact information is never shared. That’s what makes this a little bit different from, uh, Tinder or, um, you know, a hinge or some other service. All matches go through that support person, um, so that it keeps member phone number and email and even last name keeps those safe. So, um, that support person, that adult, it’s it’s 99% of the time. It’s the parent. They are signing up essentially to walk alongside the member throughout this journey. So I send matches to the Guardians. Those are the parents. That’s who I communicate with as the matchmaker. And then they work with their member to say, hey, we got a new match. Let’s take a look. Let’s look at Sophie and see what we think of Sophie. And does she is she seem like somebody you might want to meet that way? The parents have.

Katherine Gyolai: It’s almost like they can be a human firewall around these individuals who are normally so, so vulnerable. Um, so the parents are there to really protect their, their child’s information. And again, we say, child, I should be saying young adult, they’re, um, 18 and older is the age that, that people need to be to be part of, um, safely. But the parent is there then to guide throughout the dating process. They know who their member is talking to so they can help take care of that. You know, make sure that that process is going well, that that’s safe, that that’s a safe experience. Um, and, and that, that really they’re working together. Um, and then the final safely member always has the support of that parent or appointed agent. And at any point those parents can decide, yeah, let’s let’s have the kid, you know, let’s have our kids exchange phone numbers or let’s, um, you know, let’s have them go on a date first, and then if it goes well, then we can have them exchange phone numbers. But but that parent is in place to help make sure that the amount of support is right for that member and that, um, everybody’s on board with, with how it proceeds.

Lee Kantor: And then the the coaching element is you share, I guess, videos or some tips or some strategies for the individuals to kind of make the most out of those, um, matchmaking, uh, incidents.

Katherine Gyolai: That’s right. So I have videos, uh, on the website. I also, um, we’re considering adding coaching as a service to find love safely. So, um, Mary the matchmaker out in California? She’s an occupational therapist. She’s also a certified social skills trainer, so she has some coaching experience. I am, um, ICF certified, so I certainly have coaching, um, experience and certifications. And so what we are what we are going to be doing is adding an element of coaching before and after dates. So that’s going to be an an add on to the membership where you can purchase like uh, coaching for getting ready for the date. What are your concerns? What are you you know, let’s let’s kind of go through how we can show interest. How can we how can we end a date if we’re not interested in seeing somebody again? You know what? Let’s talk about consent. Let’s talk about what unhealthy date behaviors look like. Let’s talk about what healthy behaviors look like. So coaching them through the, you know, the experience before the date and then doing a debrief after and doing some coaching after. So that’s coming up. But currently, uh, we have videos on the website where I’m coaching them through things like how to decide what to wear on your first date. Um, those things may come really naturally to you and I to figure out how to dress, if it’s bowling versus a nice restaurant versus a walk out in the park. Um, it may not come as naturally to everybody. And so spelling some of those things out, uh, is really, really important for this population.

Lee Kantor: And then when they are going through, uh, the matchmaking, have you been doing it long enough where you’ve had matches?

Katherine Gyolai: I have, yes. Yeah. So I just launched this Live Safely in January. Um, I really launched it for my son. I, I, I used to tell people, if I can find a young woman for him to be happy with, then this nothing else can happen. And I this will have been a success and I’m really happy to say he is my first and favorite success story. He has found a young woman named Stella who has down syndrome and they share their lives together. They speak every night on the phone via FaceTime. They sing worship songs to one another. They love to sing Justin Bieber songs together. They do push up contests, they cook together and then they go on dates together. They just went to a movie together this week. So, um, I, you know, he he really feels that she is going she’s she’s his wife. He’s his future wife. So what a it’s been a wonderful success story and he’s not the only one. It’d be easy to say. Oh, great. Sure. The founder, the founder, uh, the founder’s son has success. It’s an easy one. But there are there are several others who’ve actually requested that we pause their membership so that because they have either found, um, found love and they’re like Matthew and Angela, who were the couple that I, um, told you met at, you know, had known each other for eight years, but then started dating, starting the Valentine’s Day event. So they have paused their membership. Several others have paused their memberships because they have expanded their community so much, either through friendships or through potential romantic partners that, um, you know, and our model is we send you unlimited matches until you tell us not to because it’s an annual membership. And so we we’ve certainly had success stories, and we’re building up those stories now and writing them and adding them, adding them to our website.

Lee Kantor: And how many, um, how many young adults are in this boat where this would be a useful is it millions? Like, how many are there about.

Katherine Gyolai: Uh, in the United States?

Lee Kantor: Yeah.

Katherine Gyolai: Oh, millions. Yes, yes. I don’t know the exact number, but it is certainly millions. Um, definitely. Definitely. Who are you know who? Uh, it can be, uh, anywhere from high functioning autism. And I just, you know, I tried out the dating apps, and it’s just not working for me. And I’ve gotten scammed out of money, and I’ve gotten scammed by people saying they are who they say they are or who are. People are not who they say they are. Um, high functioning autism. I have some members who are nonverbal, um, and they only sign. So it’s it is a wide, wide spectrum. And, and you know, I don’t even know if you could say that the you know, I don’t yeah. I don’t know that even I think this is I think this is something if, if people are willing to have that support person in place. Right, a person who doesn’t have disabilities would not be interested in having their mom vet their dates for them. Um, and so really that that alone, that model alone sort of filters out and makes sure that somebody has a disability before entering, uh, find love safely. But I am also laying eyes on them in a virtual call. So nobody is eligible for matches until a matchmaker has had a phone call or a zoom call with the member and their support person. It’s another way that we ensure safety. So, um, but to answer your question, Lee, certainly it’s in the it’s in the many millions, um, of people who would be eligible for this service.

Lee Kantor: And then when you started in Minnesota, was it something you just started running ads like, how did you even get or was it just through your network? Like you knew a lot of folks and you were like, hey, I’m going to start this thing. So sign your your, uh, young adult children up.

Katherine Gyolai: It was um, I didn’t do ads. It’s a combination. Um, it is of, you know, the latter. So I, I have two children with down syndrome. Two children with autism. Um, actually, one of my children has a dual diagnosis of autism and down syndrome. And so then I have a daughter with autism and a son with down syndrome, and then another son with, um, undiagnosed disabilities or unspecified. They’re not. There just wasn’t a diagnosis to go along. So we’ve got the range even just within our own family. Um, and so I had lots of connections that way, just by being in this world very organically and naturally of of having children in this world. Um, so I had lots of connections that way. I will say the excitement around Find Love Safely when it first launched and continues is just remarkable because there’s there really, truly is nothing like this that exists anywhere. And so this has answered find love safely is the answer to many, many, many, many, many parents and guardians and members needs. Um. And so when people heard about it, it was extremely easy to gain traction because people were so excited because nothing like this exists. It really it got its own traction. And, um, it was it’s been so successful in the Twin Cities. That’s why we I knew, I knew I have to get this out to the rest of the world, and I want to do it sooner than later.

Lee Kantor: And then it just organically grew into California through people you had already known.

Katherine Gyolai: Yeah. I was introduced to Mary in California through somebody seeing me on LinkedIn saying, would you mind if I made an introduction between you and my friend Mary, who’s out in California? I talked to Mary ten minutes into the conversation. I said, how would you feel about being a matchmaker out in San Francisco? Let’s see how this goes. And she said, yeah, let’s do it. Um, and so we just launched in San Francisco in May, and we already have members there growing every day. Um, launched in, in Los Angeles just about a week ago. Um, so it’s, you know, it’s it’s really growing. It’s really taking off. We’re doing a speed dating event in partnership with the San Francisco Autism Society out in the Bay area, um, in August. So that’ll be really, really exciting. Um, the traction is just there because there is a huge need to get our this vulnerable population off of online dating apps just off of them. It is it’s really, really, really scary as a parent and guardian to worry about what your kids are able to access online anyway. Um, and then knowing that you’ve got, you’ve got, uh, a loved one with a disability, it’s just even it’s just that much scarier. So the traction has been really I haven’t had to pay for any PR, I haven’t had to take out any ads. It’s just been people willing to share because this is such a needed service.

Lee Kantor: Does the folks at love on the spectrum know about you and what you’re doing?

Katherine Gyolai: Uh, I don’t believe they do. I’m trying to get them to know about me. Um. Very much. I’d love for them to know about me. I think there’d be a really great synergy there. Um, I know some people who know the love on the spectrum producers, and so, um, if you’re listening, keen, I’d love to have a conversation with you, but know that people I’ve been approached to potentially do, um, a series about this work and and about the journey of the actual matchmaking, you know, and love on the spectrum. You see the relationships unfold between the adults with disabilities. But it it could perhaps be really interesting to see the process of the matchmaking and then the experience of the parents. You know what what the what the back. You know what the back story is before they get to the date. What it might be really interesting to see all of that too, and I’d love to share it.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, I saw that some of the parents of the of the people on there have their own podcasts and they are, you know, kind of sharing their stories about them in particular, but I think there’s a a lot of people care about those folks and they are interested and want to help if they could. So this is, I think, an amazing service and what a gift you’re giving folks. I mean, um, you know, this is this must be such rewarding work for you to be able to take something that’s so challenging and to make something so useful from that.

Katherine Gyolai: Yeah. Thanks, Lee. It it is incredibly rewarding. I mean, I just really I said it earlier, I feel like this is a culmination of everything in my life has led to this. And being able to do this, to do this work. Um, it’s been exciting to solve the problems and to figure out how are we going to make this work in a way that’s safe but appealing and not restrictive, but also, um, protecting, uh, this population? Um, it’s it’s it’s extremely exciting. Uh, and I’m so privileged to be able to be in a position to do this work, so I’m excited to see where it goes.

Lee Kantor: So if somebody wants to learn more about your coaching or find love safely, what is the website? What is the best way to connect with you?

Katherine Gyolai: Yes. So for my coaching website is just Kathryn Jolie. So that’s k a t h e r I n e last name g o l a.com. And then for my matchmaking service, that website is Find Love. Com.

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

Katherine Gyolai: Thanks so much, Leigh. I appreciate the time.

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

Caryn Craig with Six Figure Chicks

June 5, 2025 by angishields

Houston Business Radio

Caryn Craig with Six Figure Chicks

00:00 /

Caryn Craig is a seasoned real estate professional with over 20 years of experience in the Houston market, known for her strategic approach and unwavering passion for empowering women and small business owners. With an MBA from the University of Houston–Victoria and a dynamic background in owning and operating bars, restaurants, and nightclubs, Caryn offers clients a unique blend of business insight and real estate expertise.

Named Business Woman of the Year by OutSmart Magazine for 11 consecutive years, Caryn has launched and led 10 successful small businesses in Houston. She is deeply committed to supporting women in real estate investing, helping them build wealth and financial independence through smart property decisions.

In her conversation with Trisha Stetzel, Caryn shared her personal journey as a real estate entrepreneur and her involvement in the 6 Figure Chicks book project. She discussed the power of female support systems, overcoming business challenges, and the importance of building strong networks. Caryn also gave a preview of the upcoming book launch in Houston, encouraging other women to find strength, connection, and success through shared experiences and mentorship.

Connect with Caryn on LinkedIn.

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

TRANSCRIPT

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

Trisha Stetzel: Hello, Houston. Trisha Stetzel here bringing you another episode of Houston Business Radio with one of my sisters. Yes, you guessed it. We’re not done yet, so we’ll be talking about that in just a few minutes. I want to introduce you to the most amazing woman sitting right in front of me on zoom. Wink, wink. And I’d love to introduce you to Caryn Craig. She’s a seasoned real estate professional with 20 years of experience right here in Houston. Driven by a passion for empowering women and small business owners. She’s a background that includes owning and operating multiple bars, nightclubs and restaurants. Karen combines her entrepreneurial expertise and an MBA from the University of Houston, Victoria to offer strategic real estate solutions. Her commitment to helping clients thrive in the Houston competitive market is at the heart of her career. Dedicated to supporting women in real estate investing, Caryn provides the knowledge and resources needed to build wealth and achieve financial independence. Karen, welcome to the show.

Caryn Craig: Thank you so much for having me, fellow sister Trisha.

Trisha Stetzel: Absolutely. Isn’t it fun when somebody else reads your bio because they’re so hard to write about yourself?

Caryn Craig: No, not awkward at all.

Trisha Stetzel: No, not at all. But how cool is it to hear all of the amazing things that you’re doing? And, um, I love how we met, which is through this book collab that we’re working on, and we’re going to talk about that in a few minutes. First, I want to tackle who is Karen. So tell us a little bit more about you and the work that you do in the community.

Caryn Craig: So I am, like you said, a commercial realtor and I really love to work with female entrepreneurs because I am one. So again, like you said, I have owned multiple bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and one food truck and that is a story in and of itself. But you know, I and there’s a lot of stories there, bar industry, there’s a lot of stories there. But you know, I take that experience, and all I wanted to ever do was to help small business. And there was nobody really to help me. I learned it, you know, on my own walking the path. And, you know, there’s so many resources out there. And I want to be that resource for other women, other women entrepreneurs and small business owners. And, you know, that’s just it’s my passion project. I prefer to stay in the commercial side of real estate. I’ve done residential for a really long time. It’s like riding a bike. But commercial is great because it’s different every single day. Even if you’re renting the same type of space or selling the same type of space, it’s still to two different businesses, and every business’s needs are different. And I love to look at their goals and to see how I can help them and, you know, surpass them. So that’s a little bit about me. I have two kids. I’m a single mom, lived here for a really long time. It’s hot, it’s getting hotter. And that’s always just such an adventure in real estate is that, you know, you have four Stanley Cups in your car at all times. They’re all full, and at the end of the day, you don’t have any of them full. So it’s so great. At least I’m getting my I’m getting my glasses of water in.

Trisha Stetzel: Well, that is good. Yeah I’m glad to hear that. You have four Stanley Cups.

Caryn Craig: Hydrating hydrating.

Trisha Stetzel: Hydrated. Um, something that Karen might not tell you, but I know about her is that she was voted businesswoman of the Year by Outsmart magazine for 11 consecutive years. That is amazing, Karen.

Caryn Craig: And the amazing thing about that was that my employees did that. So I don’t self-nominate myself or anything, but my, you know, my employees voted on that and that’s great. And so, you know, I’ve, I’ve pretty much left that industry now. But, you know, you circle back to it because real estate circles back to everything. So that’s the most special thing is that my employees thought well enough of me to nominate and support me in that.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that. So, um, I have this conversation with women quite often where we don’t self-nominate I heard you say that like I would never self-nominate myself, my myself for that. Um, it’s really cool. And of course, it’s amazing when other people nominate us for things. So why do you think it is that as women, we’re not as good at self nominating or stepping forward and saying, hey, I did this and I want to be recognized for it?

Caryn Craig: Yeah. You know, it’s kind of funny. And I have a story. So my mom has a PhD in nursing. So she’s retired now for like the third time. But she did medical research after her nursing career was done. So she did medical research and she never really took the credit. It was never doctor Craig did this. It was, oh, this other guy did this. And so, you know, I remember my father who was not a doctor saying, no, doctor Craig did this. But Doctor Craig never really stood up and said, Doctor Craig did this. And mom, I love you. I know you’re going to listen to this, but it was one of those learning lessons for me that maybe I should self-nominate. And you know, I’m going to be honest with you. For me, I just don’t have time. I’m really busy. I don’t even think about it. So when things come my way, I’m like, oh, that’s really nice. How great. But to put myself out there right now, I don’t have time. I mean, right now I have, I think, 11 clients. My kids are out of school. I can’t even think about it right now. But women in general, we all need to be better about putting ourselves out there and about saying, hi, I did this. It’s me. I’m the one that did this. I’m this awesome. I’m this amazing. And I think the six figure chicks movement really helps with that because, you know, the founder of that movement, Mel, is really good. Trisha, you know this at putting it out there. Hey, you need to be promoting this. You need to be putting this on social media. Here’s your bio. Here’s your links, here’s your this, here’s your that. And I haven’t been as good about that because I’m like, I don’t want the attention. I don’t want the attention. But I’ve done all these things. I’m amazing. Just like my mother. We’ve done all these things. We’re amazing. We deserve the attention. Doctor Park is amazing. Karen Craig is amazing, you know.

Trisha Stetzel: And we need to be okay with saying those things out loud and not being embarrassed that we’ve done all of these amazing things. Right. And I think to surrounding ourselves with other women who understand that it’s okay to stand up and say, look at all of these amazing things that I that I’ve done right. And I think Mel has really done something amazing here. Absolutely. Let’s talk about six figure checks if it’s okay to roll right into it. You guys, I know you’ve all heard it from me a few times. The book six Figure Checks Houston Edition Volume one is going to be released on June 14th. So we need all of you to rally around Amazon on June 14th to get your book. Okay. That’s just the bottom line. So, Karen, my first question for you and around six figure checks is why did you say yes?

Caryn Craig: I was actually the first Houston chick. So I’m just going to put that out there. It was me. I was the number one Houston chick. And I had. This is actually kind of a funny story. So Mel and I. And maybe you too. Trisha, are you still in B and I?

Trisha Stetzel: And I’m not still in B and I. But it’s how I met Mel.

Caryn Craig: Yeah. Oh, okay. So B and I, for those who don’t know, is Business Networking International. And I’m the president of my chapter. And we had a newer member who met Mel on, I think, some speed networking online or whatever. And at the time I was getting divorced. And so I was so busy, my head was not in any game other than trying to stay afloat and keep my kids mental health healthy, as healthy as you can be going through something like that. And so this gentleman in my chapter is like, there’s somebody you really need to meet. She’s in Phoenix. And I’m like, yeah, okay, whatever. I don’t have time for this right now. They asked me again, you really need to meet this woman. But I recognize that you’re going through a lot right now. So I’m just going to connect the two of you and Mel. Being Mel kept connecting with me, even though I was like, I can’t be with you. I’m really busy. I haven’t slept in five days. So I finally meet with Mel and it was. I don’t even think she knows this. And it was this, this 1 to 1 meeting where I’m like, I don’t even want to be on this zoom. Why am I on zoom? And then she started talking about the book and about the movement and about the women.

Caryn Craig: And I started to kind of perk up, and I was like, oh, this is really empowering. This is something I could use in my life right now. And so I literally signed up. I think I cut her off. I was like, we’re good. I’m gonna say yes. Don’t talk yourself out of a sale because I’m a salesperson, so just. Shh. Yeah. How do I give you my money? How do I do this? How do I make this? You know, the biggest piece of my marketing for 2025? And so here we are. And that’s what it was. It was something in my life. In my life at that time that I just really needed. I needed that part to say, I have a book coming out next year, I need it. It was kind of like a lifeline pulling me to the surface, and it was so great in my most down moments to say I’m so excited that this is going to happen for me this year, and it was so exciting for me at Thanksgiving to stand up in front of all my family saying, guess what I’m doing? I’m going to write a book this year. And I did.

Trisha Stetzel: And you did. And it’s going to be a bestseller because I already feel it. It’s going to be a bestseller.

Caryn Craig: Our stories are so amazing.

Trisha Stetzel: And they’re all different.

Caryn Craig: And they’re wonderful.

Trisha Stetzel: So I like you. Karen was first in line. I must have been second in line. Uh, Mel and I did meet through a bad connection, so I was in BNI for almost 15 years between two businesses. I bet there are those circles. I have family, right? Um, extended family and all of those circles. So someone I know in Florida who’s in BNI reached out to me and said, I met someone in Arizona that’s in BNI that you need to meet. And I said, okay. And it was Mel and it was amazing. It was absolutely amazing. So B and I is a wonderful tool. I would, if you don’t mind, would you plug your chapter real quick and just let people know where they can find your chapter meetings?

Caryn Craig: Yes. So actually our chapter was awarded the International Culture Award at the National Conference. Yes. Congratulations. We are award winning. We’re number one in the Houston region right now. So we have had you know, we’ve had a great year. We are an amazing group. And we meet every Wednesday morning at 715 at the Rudy’s on Mason and I-10 and Katie. And there’s about 40 to 45 of us. I don’t know exactly what number we’re at right now, but we are an amazing group of people. And I always say it’s the best way to start the middle of my week because it is explosive energy. I have a lot of energy. I run the meetings. And so when you go in there, it’s it’s just electrifying. And it is. It is contagious. Our energy is contagious. And it’s such a wonderful group of people. And they are my family. I mean, there are people there who have carried me through the last few years so bad I is great.

Trisha Stetzel: Congratulations and congratulations on being the president of an amazing award winning chapter.

Caryn Craig: Not that humble about it.

Trisha Stetzel: I’m happy to put the information about your BNI chapter in the show notes as well. So if people are interested and want to connect with you that way or even come to a meeting, then certainly they can do that. So outside of that, Karen, what is the best way to connect with you if folks are interested in having a conversation?

Caryn Craig: So my name is spelled differently. It’s c a r y n. And I like to say I’m a Karen, not a Karen, because the spelling. You can find me on any of the socials at Karen Craig Realtor or on my website at karen.com. Com.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that. Okay, so back to the depths of our conversation. Um, each of us were asked to write a story about how we got where we are today. And before we started recording, you said what you do is different from your story. And then you said, oh, wait a minute, maybe not so much. So do you want to give us a sneak peek? Don’t tell us too much, but just a sneak peek into your chapter.

Caryn Craig: So a sneak peek into my chapter. I have been a six figure chick since I was in my early 20s, and I’ve owned my own business, and I learned so much owning those businesses because I’ve had so many. I’ve had 12, 15, 17. I’ve had so many of them. And I write about leaving my six figure job and starting over literally from rock bottom. And that’s right. That’s what I’m doing right now.

Trisha Stetzel: Thank you for being vulnerable enough to tell your story. I think it’s going to be very, um, moving when people read your chapter, when people read the book and they see the stories of all of these amazing women that Mel has brought together, which I think is really important as well. So you love serving women? Uh, but you’ve been through a lot of stuff, we’ll say, right over your lifetime. Uh, what is so special about the way Mel has brought this project together? Or you even called it a movement. What’s so special about that for you?

Caryn Craig: I think anytime women can get together and be completely supportive is magic. Because society doesn’t really like that. You know, I have a young girl, I have she’s 13, and so she’s just starting to learn Kind of navigating those social roadways. And, you know, sometimes people are not as kind as we need them to be. And my parenting motto has always been lead with kindness, which my children call cringey, but it’s not cringey. It’s this is a life lesson we should always lead with kindness and the six figure chicks. We are all so different. There are doctors, there are, you know, people with that we look different, we act different. We have completely different networks. But we are sisters and we all are brought together in this one way, and it’s very special. There is zero judgment. Zero and its beauty. Its beauty.

Trisha Stetzel: Absolutely. Um, I’ve done a book collaboration before, and it was nothing like this. There was no there was no relationship. There was. I don’t even know who the other authors are. It’s been an interesting ride for me. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s it was a fantastic book and it has great chapters in it, but I never got to meet the other people the way I’ve been able to meet you ladies. And you’re right, there’s no judgment. We had a photo shoot. All of us together. Not we didn’t know each other. And we were changing and getting dressed and hair. All the things that we do, right. As women, we’re getting ready for a photo shoot.

Caryn Craig: So I have all these things in my head. Now about that photo. No judging. None. Zero. None. We were we were googling each other’s shoes. It was great. I found those shoes, by the way.

Trisha Stetzel: Oh you did.

Caryn Craig: Oh, those will be featured at our paperback launch. I’m already planning my outfit. I’m so excited. Thank you, Lily, for your shoe inspiration.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that. Well, I think somebody lost some shoes. I left my hat.

Caryn Craig: Oh, yeah, I think I left my glasses there.

Trisha Stetzel: You did? Yes.

Caryn Craig: Yeah.

Trisha Stetzel: This is the environment that that Mel really created for us, which is just bringing women together so that we can support each other as we go through this journey, because writing about yourself is hard. Yeah, I’ll put that out there. It’s very hard to tell, and it’s not your whole story. It’s even just a part of your story. And it’s still hard, right? So tell me more about how your story or how you hope that your story will leave this legacy behind as it’s written in this book.

Caryn Craig: My my biggest wish is for a woman who is in a very difficult marriage, or even any type of difficult relationship, will look at my story and say, I can do it too. And I can leave this very scary situation and have that fear and still know that you can just put one foot in and one foot in front of the other every single day, and eventually you’re going to get to where you want to be as long as you just keep putting one foot in front of the other. It’s the biggest wish I have is, is that somebody will see that, and it will give them the courage to do what they need to do to be okay in life.

Trisha Stetzel: There’s a reason why your stories in this book, because there’s somebody out there looking for it, right?

Caryn Craig: I think so too.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. I love what do you think about the idea, um, that Mel’s brought to this group, and it is a movement about mentorship day.

Caryn Craig: Yeah, I love mentorship Day. I absolutely am so excited about the chance to sit with women who are younger than me and say, this is the path that I took in my life. Take from it what you will. What do you want to do? You know, I have a new part of my career that’s starting with, you know, business coaching and business consulting because all I ever wanted to do was help small business. And I’ve done some of that. And it’s amazing through those conversations, how you can kind of weed through and find why people do what they do. And maybe that’s not what they should be doing. Maybe they should actually be doing something else. Yeah.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. Find your passion. Work in your passion. Right. That’s great. In the businesses that we’re in, for sure. So, Karen, I think I read in your bio that you’ve owned more owned and operated more than ten businesses.

Caryn Craig: Yeah, it’s it’s ten, 15, 17, something like that. We’ve we’ve had a lot I had a lot.

Trisha Stetzel: And in some hard industries being a restaurateur or a nightclub or a bar owner, like, those are some really hard, like, heavy challenges. So women or anybody who’s listening to us have this conversation right now. You’ve you’ve talked about your story. We want everybody to go get the book on June 14th, because there are some amazing stories in there. But thinking about all of the things that you’ve been through and the people that you could connect with who might almost be going through what You already went through. What would you say to them?

Caryn Craig: I would say that there’s a path to whatever you want to do in life, and you create it. And for me specifically, I was stuck for a very long time, and it was fear that made me stay. There was fear of a lot of things. And you finally get to a point where you’re just done and you’re your will to be done overcomes the fear. The fear is still there. It doesn’t go away. It morphs a little bit, flattens out a little bit so you can walk over it. That’s what I have to say, is that, you know, I think fear is there. It’s there’s biological reasons why it’s there. It keeps us safe. But it’s that. But, you know, we’re smarter than our fear. We’re smarter than our anxiety, our anxiety rule us. And so I think what I’ve been through, those industries were difficult. They’re great industries. All they do is, you know, when you look at a bar or a nightclub, they’re there to make people happy and to connect people. And, you know, there’s, you know, certain aspects to the industry that I don’t particularly enjoy. But as a woman, it was hard to be in those industries because I was generally the only one, and it made me a lot stronger. It made me tough. And I have a very, very tough exterior because now I’m in commercial real estate, which is still male dominated. And, you know, even today, I had a man try to mansplain industrial property and Katie to me and I was like, no, I’m aware. Thank you. Thanks. I’m gonna argue with it. It’s not a point. I’m not scared of him. I would have been at one point in my life. But I think overcoming your fear and just getting to the point where you can do it. Yeah.

Trisha Stetzel: When you’re at your networking circles. You’re so intelligent, sitting on the outside looking in like you’re surrounding yourself with other intelligent people and other people who can support you and have your back and be there when you need somebody, whether it’s through BNI or even now in this book. Collab for six figure chicks. How important is it for us to choose the people or have the right people in our circles?

Caryn Craig: It is the most important thing. You know, they say when you’re bringing up children that it takes a village, but it really takes a village for all of us. That’s not just for, you know, babies and toddlers. It literally takes a village for all of us. When I was getting divorced, one of my dear friends said it was my friends that carried me through my divorce. And I can honestly tell you it was my friends that carried me through my divorce. And part of the reason why I was scared to leave before was because I didn’t have the village surrounding me. And so it is the most important thing. You know, we’re social humans, especially women. We need to have the love and support of others around us. We just do.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. And working in a male dominated space for so many years, how has that, I want to say, raised you as a woman, right? Or how have you matured as a woman because you worked in this male dominated space?

Caryn Craig: So. My therapist would say the male parts of my personality are very dominant. And that is true. I have a very dominant personality. It it had to be there to work in those environments. You know, I’m not as big as they are. I’m not as you know, I’m not physically intimidating. So certain parts of my personality had to become, especially with the type of personalities that work in the bar industry, but how it. It made me very patient and it made me very understanding. It made me be able to listen. It made me a very good manager, and it made me so grateful when I could be surrounded by women because, you know, people like what they are and people want to recognize what’s around them. And so I just value female friendships and female relationships so much. And, you know, it really is a sisterhood.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. It is. Hey. Thanks, Mel. I know you’re listening right now. There are so many of us who wouldn’t have met each other had she not put this together, because we do have different circles and we do come from different places. I have noticed that BNI happens to be one of those things that runs through a majority of us.

Caryn Craig: Yes.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. Of the women that are there. And how cool is it to be connected in that way? Um, as we close up today, Karen, what what would you say to the young women? We’ve talked about women and circling ourselves and making sure that we’re supporting each other, especially in the the age groups that we’re in. But what would you say to the young women, the ones that will show up for Mentor Day? Uh, when we bring our stories out, what would you say to them today.

Caryn Craig: To the young women who are coming up behind me? I would say be ready to mentor and get yourself ready to mentor the people coming up behind you. Be ready to put yourself on a podium as the strong, beautiful, smart and intelligent woman that you are. And be that for my daughter and for her friends and eventually their daughters. That’s that’s do do big things and do them well so that others can come behind you and do bigger things.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that and be proud and be loud and loud.

Caryn Craig: I’m always proud and loud, except for right now, because I’m trying to not be out in my office.

Trisha Stetzel: It is all good. I’m so excited about this book collaboration with you. Karen, thank you so much for being on the show. This has been a great conversation. I cannot wait to read your story. I have not looked at anyone else’s story yet.

Caryn Craig: I haven’t either.

Trisha Stetzel: I most of us have not. Which is right? We’re all we’re just save it. We’re just going to save it for when it’s somebody.

Caryn Craig: Somebody wrote about Mount Everest or Kilimanjaro or something. And I was like, not reading it, not reading it, not reading it.

Trisha Stetzel: Don’t read it, don’t read it. Well, I have a sneak peek because Melanie was on the show, so I’m just saying she gave me a tiny sneak peek into her story around Kilimanjaro. Yeah.

Caryn Craig: Oh, really?

Trisha Stetzel: She’s a hiker. So our our whole conversation was really about, um, outdoors and hiking and her dream, and. Yeah, it was really cool. Oh, the stories are gonna be amazing. Amazing. Okay, Karen, thank you so much for being on the show with me today. You guys listening? And, of course, uh, if you’re watching on YouTube, you can grab the show notes and go directly to Karen’s space so that you can connect with her. Karen, will you tell them one more time how how to find you?

Caryn Craig: Sure. Remember, my name is spelled differently, so I’m c a r y n and you can find me at Karen Craig realtor on any of the social platforms and my website at Karen Craig. Com.

Trisha Stetzel: Thank you Karen and June 14th six figure checks Houston volume one I’m super excited. So you guys be on the lookout for the links. They’re going to come from me. They’re going to come from Karen and all the other sisters in the Houston, Greater Houston area. And you guys go buy the darn book. I promise it’s not very expensive. We’re not even going to talk about it. So just when the links go click and buy. Okay, Karen, that’s all the time we have for today and everyone who’s listening. If you found value in this conversation that Karen and I had, share it with a fellow entrepreneur, a veteran or a Houston leader ready to grow. Be sure to follow, rate, and review the show. It helps us reach more bold business minds just like yours. Your business, your leadership and your legacy are built one intentional step at a time. So stay inspired, stay focused, and keep building the business and the life you deserve.