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From Renters to Homeowners: Creative Solutions for Today’s Real Estate Challenges

May 19, 2025 by angishields

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Cherokee Business Radio
From Renters to Homeowners: Creative Solutions for Today’s Real Estate Challenges
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In this episode of Empowered Voices, host Olivia J. Price, leads a discussion with Johnathan Crego and Jordan Nutter about the evolving real estate landscape. Olivia emphasizes the importance of community involvement and financial literacy, while Johnathan shares his transition from law enforcement to real estate, highlighting mental health challenges and community service. Jordan discusses her journey in the lending industry and the impact of social media on real estate. The episode covers creative financing options, the future of down payment assistance programs, and the potential role of cryptocurrency in real estate transactions.

Johnathan-CregoJohnathan Crego is a husband, father of 2, Georgia REALTOR, former Dekalb County police officer, renovation company owner, investor and director of 2 local non-profits.

Some achievements have been being married for 11 years, fathering 2 boys, Rookie of the year (NAMAR), REALTOR of the year (NAMAR), Officer of the year (Dekalb county police), Georgia association of realtors Rising star award, multiple life saving awards, 3 years as a real estate coach and 3 years as a GAR and NAMAR state director.

Connect with Johnathan on LinkedIn.

Jordan-NutterJordan Nutter is a powerhouse in the mortgage lending space, known not only for breaking records in her first year of business but for continuing to exceed goals year after year.

Through consistent value-driven content, Jordan has grown a loyal social media following of over 300K, turning her online presence into a powerful tool for education, connection, and lead generation.

Her digital impact has helped scale her business exponentially and opened doors to speaking opportunities on stages across the United States, where she shares her expertise and inspires others in the industry.

Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Empowered Voices, empowering the next generation of leaders through real estate, business, and life lessons. Now, here’s your host.

Olivia J. Price: Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. This is your host, Olivia J. Price on business radio with all things real estate. Now we are here with some fabulous, fabulous, fabulous industry leaders in the room that we’re going to be introducing. And also they’re going to be our co-host. Now, our biggest mission for all things real estate is that we want to touch on some really uncomfortable conversations, real conversations Stations and ways how we can make a difference within our community, and actually being able to make everyone’s lives more profitable. At the end of the day, right, considering that we are in real estate now, I am a Georgia realtor. I am a former board director for the Georgia Association of Realtors, the Northeast Atlanta metro Association of Realtors. I was the first vice president for the Women’s Council of Realtors of Gwinnett. I also served on my, um, city council on their development authority. So when it comes to community, I am very big on that. So having this opportunity to speak on a broader scale is going to be amazing. And I just want to go ahead and hand it off to you. Um, Johnathan Crego, would you be able to introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your mission and why are we here?

Johnathan Crego: Absolutely. So I’m Jonathan Crego, and I’ve been in the business for about five years. Uh, I started in 2020. I’ve now also kind of run a flipping business as well. And, um, I’m also a Georgia Association director. I’ve been one for 3 or 4 years. Uh, I sit on the the NAMAR board. I’ve done that for about 3 or 4 years. Um, um, yeah, I’ve done a lot in a little time, but I really also I’ve always been very community focused. Um, ever since I was a police officer in DeKalb, I’ve always been very about the community. I’m a part of two different nonprofits, uh, directors for both. That’s just a big part of me. So, um. Yeah, I hope to bring a lot of that to the table as well as, like, the flipping world and all that. And also what we do, you know, when we work with buyers and sellers.

Olivia J. Price: And one thing too, I want to say, um, and I’m going to mention you as J.R.. Okay? Yes, please. Yeah.

Johnathan Crego: I hate when I’m called Jonathan. Like, just call me J.R..

Olivia J. Price: Yes, J.R., um, I do want to touch on a few things, because that’s what made me reach out to you in terms of this opportunity. Because honestly, um, I believe everyone at this table were under 40, and we’re doing some really big things that I think that a lot of people within our age range aren’t doing or they’re emerging. So, um, when I think of us, I think of us as the future. I think of us as real estate moguls in the next 15, 20 years. So I’m excited. And to know that you literally came in, I came in in 2019 into real estate. So I was right.

Johnathan Crego: Behind you at 2020. And, uh, no, and I agree. And do you know, per Nar National Association of Realtors, the average age of an agent is 54.

Olivia J. Price: That’s. Well, well, to be honest with you, did you know that 71% of agents didn’t sell last year?

Johnathan Crego: I know.

Olivia J. Price: So when it comes to this industry right here, just knowing that we’re still here and in business and doing it at a high level, I can be nothing but grateful for that. So, um, and also to piggyback before we move to you, Jordan, Would you be able to tell me a little bit more about your background coming from the servant position and being in the force?

Johnathan Crego: Sure. Yeah. So I spent seven years as a DeKalb County police officer, um, in 2017. Well, let me back up. So I did started in 2014, uh, spent about eight months in training academy and whatnot, and got on the road from there. And in about a year’s time, I was asked to join the, uh, the fit team, which is kind of like a fugitive team that we go and basically look for murderers, armed robbers, things like that. So spent five years of my life doing that. In 2017, I was the officer of the year, and in 2018 I had two back to back really bad experience happen. Uh, I lost my my best friend, my mentor. He was on the team with me. We, uh, were in a fight with an armed robber, and basically it was a long fight. We got him in custody, and. And Miguel went home and passed away from an unknown heart condition. Right after that happened, I went to a horrible call involving kids. I don’t want to get too involved in it, but, uh, it really led me to, um, kind of understanding. I needed to change careers. Um, due to. I had kids coming on, you know, my own kids and just being involved so heavy into mental things. It really put me in a depression.

Johnathan Crego: And that’s where I really got involved with the community. I feel like when you give back to the community, it helps you as well. And and so I started the community policing Unit with DeKalb, and there’s about ten of us, and we basically work with homeless people, uh, victims of domestic violence, fires, things like that. We would hook them up with a nonprofit. So we were basically kind of like the middle people of between the people that need help and the nonprofits that are looking to help people. So we kind of became the boots on the ground for them, essentially. Um, and that was a wonderful time of my career. That’s how I got involved in some non-profits, but that’s why it’s always been. A big part of me is giving back to the community, nonprofit work, that type of thing. But I always knew, ever since that 2018 awful year of my life, I knew I wanted to do something else. And so eventually my my, um, broker, Nakia Brooks, he we had been friends before. He’s from the force as well. He sat me down at the Ted’s Montana Grill at the Mall of Georgia, and he basically said, what’s going on with you? I can tell something’s up with you. Like, I was very depressed.

Johnathan Crego: I, you know, it was bad. And I told him and he was like, what do you think about real estate? I’m like, I don’t know. I came from construction, but like, I don’t know. I’ve never thought like I would do real estate. And so I took it home to my wife. We talked about it and I was like, you know what? I feel a calling to just kind of try this out. And I didn’t get licensed until literally Covid was hitting when I got licensed and I was like, oh man, this is a terrible time, right? It was when it was when the market was weird. Like the market dropped a lot when Covid first hit. And then we all know what happened after after about two weeks of time, it just skyrocketed. Insane. And I went from making barely any money as a police officer to all of a sudden, hey, I can I can afford, you know, life now with this. And I love life and I, you know, can see my kids more. I’m not chasing murderers and working 16 hours a day and, you know, doing all this crazy stuff. I can come home. I know I can come home to them by doing this. At least I have a lot better chance.

Olivia J. Price: Well, I’ll tell you this to to piggyback on that, um, because you really don’t see especially coming from where I come from. Okay. I didn’t come from the best neighborhood. So just knowing your story and hearing your compassion when it came to your job just makes me appreciate the force even more, you know, because you have to have compassion coming into real estate. Real estate isn’t an industry where you can just come in and do whatever, feel, whatever type of way and expect for your business to thrive, especially nowadays. Yes, especially nowadays. And we’re going to talk about that too. Right. What makes us different, especially when it comes to the sales floor? Um, but I do want to mention this when it comes to when Nakia, um, was speaking to you about, hey, like, what’s going on? And he was like, hey, what about real estate? I swear, situations like that, because my husband did that to me. I was selling insurance for State Farm at that time, and I was just like, oh, I’m just I wasn’t feeling it. Um, it just wasn’t the industry for me at that time. And he was like, hey, what about real estate? And it changed my life. So situations and conversations like that can just spark a huge, soon to be fire to ignite.

Johnathan Crego: Did you grow up ever thinking about doing real estate?

Olivia J. Price: No, never. My mom didn’t talk about it. My mom was in the medical field, so she’s like real estate. Yeah, it seems so impractical. It seems so, like, not, um, steady. And, you know.

Johnathan Crego: Did you know any agents growing up?

Olivia J. Price: No, I didn’t know any agents. People from my area didn’t do real estate. Yeah. So, I mean, I just feel like real estate could be endless, you know, especially once you start to get into it. Now, I want to pause on you. Um, JR. Because you were a whole book, and I want to touch on a lot of different things from you. I want to move on to Jordan, which is our other co-host. So I want to kind of give you a little introduction because, um, how we met was pretty amazing. Um, and I just think it’s the hustle, right? So when we first met, um, you were just getting into the lending world. I was just now getting into real estate.

Jordan Nutter: I remember. Like, a month apart from starting. Yeah.

Olivia J. Price: So, um, and then we met at the Chatelaine event, which is fabulous. I love that because I actually met some people there that I’m still friends with.

Jordan Nutter: Oh, wonderful.

Olivia J. Price: So, yeah. So I always tell people, um, the power of networking could change your life, right? Um, and meeting you has been that, um. I just seen your growth. I’m like, look at her. You know. I know you left. Came back, um, had children. And I know we didn’t talk about your babies, too. How many do you have?

Johnathan Crego: Two. A three and a five year old.

Olivia J. Price: Oh, yeah. You’re in the beginning, too. So we’re all new parents, which is amazing, too. So go ahead and introduce yourself and tell us a little bit of how was that experience coming into the industry? Traveling, coming back, having kids. And now Landon is here.

Jordan Nutter: Yeah, I mean I so yeah, I started in 2019 and I. Nobody would use me. Right. Like I was brand new. Nobody wanted to use this lender that was in her mid 20s that knew nothing about mortgages. And so I had to learn everything and anything I could about like credit, credit repair, first time homebuyers because that’s those are the clients that I was given, like the people that they couldn’t qualify through their like.

Johnathan Crego: The hard ones.

Jordan Nutter: Yeah. Those hard ones. Yeah. But I learned so much and I grew so quickly. And then, as we all know, Covid hit. So that really forced me essentially to be at home and do nothing but learn and educate myself. And I’m so grateful for that time because without it, I wouldn’t have, like, pushed myself into the career that I have now. Um, and by doing that, I was able to help so many first time homebuyers, you know, with all these misconceptions of you need a 700 credit score, you need 20% down. And I love that. But I realized that I was just helping that one. Now there’s not like I love any person that I can help, but I was like, my voice can be used to help more people, like, how can I make that happen? And so that’s why I started doing social media, because I was like, if I can help this one person and they’re using this information, I can put it out there and hopefully help more individuals. Um, and thankfully I did that because now I’ve been able to to help thousands of people. From the videos that I’ve posted and continue to post, which has been very just life changing for my business, and I’m so grateful for the partners that I have and everyone I’ve been able to to help. Um, and yes, we we did. We went, um, my husband and I went back to California for a brief period of time. Um, and when we decided to come back to Georgia, we were like, you know what? We’ll we’ll get we’re going to get an RV.

Olivia J. Price: Let’s talk about it.

Jordan Nutter: We’re going to get an RV. And I don’t know why this came into my head. And I’m now that I look back at it and I’m out of the weeds, like, I’m glad that we did it. But in the thick of it, I’m like, what are we thinking right now? Like, who are we? Because we are. Our first child just turned one, and we were getting in an RV that looked like a tour bus. It was the craziest thing, like my face was on it. But I taught financial literacy across the country. So I’m.

Johnathan Crego: So you were living in the.

Jordan Nutter: I guess I was living.

Johnathan Crego: In the one year.

Jordan Nutter: Old with my one year old and my husband, and he was like.

Johnathan Crego: Wow.

Jordan Nutter: The bee’s knees. Like he was like the driver, the mechanic, the chef, the babysitter, the photographer, the videographer. Like he was like, doing everything. So I appreciate him more than he knows. But yeah, we we literally went from California down all through the southern states, down to Florida, up to New York, and then came through Ohio and back down. And, um, I’m an ambassador with first home IQ. So their mission is to give financial literacy to the next generation. Um, so high schoolers, community colleges, anywhere we, we can get in to help bring any sort of financial literacy to that next generation. Um, so that’s really what I did across the country and helped agents as well with their business and growing it. So that was really a big undertaking.

Olivia J. Price: Let’s talk about it.

Jordan Nutter: Yeah.

Olivia J. Price: With a baby. One year is right. Oh, yeah, on a RV. Yeah. And I can imagine because my husband has so many hats. Listen, I drive this man insane. I know I do, but he he holds it down, though. He’s really good. But just knowing that support and being able to take a risk and not really knowing where is this risk going to take me? I know I want to go up, right. Because that’s why you probably made the decision like, hey, I think this could change my career or whatever the case may be. And then to do it and to be in it and you’re like, oh my gosh. Okay, so I know, I know, this is my calling, whatever the case may be, because I’ve been in situations where it’s just, I’m here and we got to get through it. But then looking back, it’s like, wow, I’ve never seen anyone do that.

Jordan Nutter: I think with.

Olivia J. Price: The.

Jordan Nutter: Way with. Well, it was when I brought it to like my company and they’re like, um. What? And I was like, just roll with it. Just trust me. Trust me.

Olivia J. Price: No, but you got to have that type of. Yes, yes.

Jordan Nutter: Um, but I think in our industry, like you for sure have to have a supportive partner or else, like 100%. You can’t like. Oh, I gotta go show this house at 7:00 on a Saturday. Like I have to do this open house. Like there’s all of these things that our schedules like. Yes, we have the flexibility. But then there’s also like midnight last night, I have my Texas buyer’s agent who’s like, we’re going to win this if we can get these numbers to go through. And I’m like, all right, hold on, give me a second. And I’m like, okay, you’re good. Just go ahead. Here you go. Here’s an updated letter. Like you have to have such a supportive partner in this or else it’s hard. It would be really hard.

Olivia J. Price: It’s it can be. And um, having kids too I think makes that addition. Um.

Jordan Nutter: Yep.

Olivia J. Price: You have to think about your next move, you know, because there’s so many times I’m just like, oh, if I can just leave the house right now and do whatever. But having those kids and managing your career, especially on the mom’s side, yeah.

Johnathan Crego: I think it gives you a bigger perspective in life too. Like, for me, like I was growing up, I was like, all right, I’m going to be a, you know, police officer chasing murderers for 30 years of my life. And then I’m done. And then all of a sudden you have kids and you’re like, I need to get a pension. And I need to, you know, save for the future. And, like, these guys are my future. They need me here. And I can’t be doing this crazy thing 16 hours a day. So it gave me a whole different perspective on life when I had them. And and I knew I had to switch switch careers at that point, so.

Olivia J. Price: Well, I’ll tell you this, um, and one thing I took from both of you guys is stories, and your upbringing sort of is sacrifice. This industry you have to sacrifice. Like, I feel like the only reason I was able to actually do. This industry was because of the fact that I knew I would be willing to give up everything for it. Like, I’ll be willing to pawn my house if I could and say, hey, if it can get me to whatever level that I’m trying to get to, I will do it. And I think that you have to have that type of energy nowadays in this real estate market in order to be where we are now, like touring. Yeah. A tour bus with your kid and your husband. It’s hard. And preaching the gospel of real estate, I would say. Yeah, right. Because people need to hear these things and ways that they really can grow generational wealth. And, hey, you really can become a first time home buyer or whatever the case may be, you can actually do it and actually see it live in the flesh. That’s it.

Johnathan Crego: Now, are you going to high schools and.

Olivia J. Price: Like that’s amazing.

Johnathan Crego: Talking about financial literacy and things like that.

Olivia J. Price: On the go.

Johnathan Crego: Yeah, I wish I would have had that. We never had anything like that.

Olivia J. Price: Mhm.

Jordan Nutter: And there’s like so I’m part of the um Buford Business Alliance. And we just did the job fair at the high school and she’s like yes we have. I’m so glad that like we incorporate financial literacy. And I’m like okay great. Because if not I was going to tell you like please let me come in or or introduce this. But yeah, they more schools are taking on the idea of we need to educate our next generation on financial literacy. Like, I don’t know about you guys because we’re all pretty similar in age here, but like, I don’t need to learn how to sew a pillow. Like, do you remember in, like, home EC we had so, so the pillows I’m like, how do you do a checkbook? Like, how do you even teach? I don’t know, I went to get a notary done at UPS and he was like, okay, I need you to sign here, but only if you know how to. And I was like, excuse me? What? What does that mean? And he goes, well, like, you know, I just write my name out. And I said, you don’t like what is your signature? He’s like.

Olivia J. Price: They don’t teach it.

Jordan Nutter: He’s like, no.

Olivia J. Price: They don’t get out of the curriculum.

Jordan Nutter: Yeah. So he.

Olivia J. Price: Just years ago.

Jordan Nutter: No cursive.

Olivia J. Price: Oh, wow.

Jordan Nutter: I’m like, that’s your signature? And he said, yeah.

Olivia J. Price: Yeah.

Johnathan Crego: So they had no idea.

Jordan Nutter: Yeah. It’s the it was the craziest thing to me.

Olivia J. Price: So I can go on and on about the school system.

Johnathan Crego: No, honestly. You can.

Olivia J. Price: Yeah. Yeah.

Johnathan Crego: You can.

Olivia J. Price: Yeah. It goes hand in hand.

Jordan Nutter: Says the woman who homeschools her kids for that. That’s I, I can imagine. So my whole high school.

Olivia J. Price: Um, is a under-funded high school. Mhm. Um, and I wish that we had more people like you and me who would come into these school systems and teach things like that, because that’s how I developed my mentorship. And I only do girls, and I teach them about financial literacy, entrepreneurship and how to get into real estate. Right. Either it’s an appraisal side or it’s coming in as a home inspection. I mean, home inspector side, or it’s coming from the London side or the agent side. There’s just so many positions that you can take within this industry, that you can actually use it, grow it and do whatever you want. Um, when it comes to the kids, I’m just so big on that because, um, financial literacy, we only had the option of, hey, you know what? Instead of going through, like, because I did like calc three, I was in all types of classes, and I’m looking back, I’m like, dang, did I ever use like.

Johnathan Crego: A squared plus b squared equals C.

Olivia J. Price: Lesson? Come on. Come on.

Johnathan Crego: But I never once learned anything about taxes.

Speaker5: No no no. That’s such an important part of our life. Like you go to jail.

Johnathan Crego: If you don’t do it right. But I know how to do a squared plus b squared equals c squared.

Speaker5: Right?

Olivia J. Price: But can you use that in real estate though. I just want you to give us an example of yeah go ahead.

Speaker5: How do you use a squared plus if you buy that for me. Yeah I can’t, but I’m just.

Olivia J. Price: Saying like there’s skill sets that aren’t really practical in terms of how we really can make money. And I think nowadays children are on that. These kids on social media are just like, hey, you know what? I had girls that were like, Olivia, I know that I want to get into real estate. I’m like, really? Like, yeah, my cousin is a real real estate agent and da da da, whatever the case may be, I’m like, wow. Because growing up, real estate, back to what you were saying originally. Well, actually, I think you asked, like, did you know any realtors growing up?

Johnathan Crego: That’s exactly why I asked that.

Speaker5: Yeah, because I.

Johnathan Crego: I had a mentor, um, I grew up with who was a police officer, and I wanted to kind of be like him. He was a wonderful man. Um, but I see that a lot with people they just don’t know. Like, I never even knew any agents. So I was like, I don’t even know anything about it. Or like, a lender, I never I thought you just went to a bank. Yeah, I didn’t know. And so now, like, I see, you know, like Jordan and people like that, like where it’s like, wow. Like you can teach so many people. There is little girls that are gonna grow up and they will be agents because of you.

Speaker5: Yeah.

Johnathan Crego: You are changing their whole perspective on life and their careers. They now look up to someone like you.

Olivia J. Price: Well, I’m going to stop you right here. Hear. Um, because just me personally, being a black woman in some of these schools, I’m like, the outcome is just so not good. It’s like either you’re going to do this or that, and I’m just like, oh, why these two? Because I have a lot of my friends who went down that path. Um, which now I look back on and I’m like, oh my gosh, I have to make a difference. I have to let these girls know that, hey, you know, I know that the world is kind of pushing us in this direction, but hey, how about this over here? You know, it might not be as shiny as some of the other stuff, you know, because sometimes we’re always looking for a quick thing. Some of us, we’re like, well, shoot, if I could do this, I could make it quick. Whatever. And it’s not always about the quick. No. It’s more so like, hey, let’s build, let’s create, and then let’s help.

Jordan Nutter: And it may not be tomorrow. Like, you got to put the time in. You got to put the work in.

Olivia J. Price: You had the vision first, right.

Speaker5: And I think.

Jordan Nutter: Like you have to have the drive and want to want more for your life and your future family and kids.

Olivia J. Price: And to see.

Speaker5: It.

Olivia J. Price: Yeah, I think ours is just more so seeing it like, oh, she came from somewhere like here and oh my goodness, she actually made something better for herself. So I think that’s so important for not only for you to hear it on TV, but actually see it. And that goes back to what I admire so much about you, Jordan. I was like, God dang, I got to go back to this tour bus, though, because I was like a tour bus.

Speaker5: Do you still have it?

Jordan Nutter: Um, we actually.

Speaker5: We.

Jordan Nutter: Actually. So it’s funny because it was just a traditional RV, right? But they were like, well, we need a we need to wrap it. And I’m like, wrap it.

Speaker5: Oh yeah.

Jordan Nutter: Like legit. Um, it was wrapped with my like, I looked like I was Lady Gaga on.

Speaker5: Yeah.

Jordan Nutter: Like it was so funny. It was so funny because I’d be sitting in the passenger seat and people would be like, just looking.

Speaker5: And I’m like, you get.

Olivia J. Price: A lot.

Speaker5: Of honk. Oh, yeah, I.

Olivia J. Price: Bet.

Speaker5: I bet, yeah.

Jordan Nutter: And, um, it was just it was something else. Or like, it’d be funny, like we, because we had our truck with us as well. So I would drive if we went somewhere short, I would drive the truck separate. So I’d like drive behind and like look at everybody looking at the bus. And I’m like, all right, this is cool. Like, I like this. This is really cool. So it was definitely an experience. Um, and then when we got back here, less my husband soul, bless his soul, I know he’s going to listen to this and he’s going to be like, yeah, babe, you you better love me. He that man. Because we got a quote for an absurd amount of money to take the wrap off and he’s like, no, we aren’t. No. So he was out there, waited till it was like the middle of Georgia summer so it would heat up. And that man spent a whole day unwrapping that RV.

Olivia J. Price: Oh wow.

Jordan Nutter: It was going to cost like $20,000 to unwrap it. I was like, unwrap it. We’re taking a sticker off, y’all. What? What is going on here? So yeah. That man.

Speaker5: Good for.

Johnathan Crego: Him.

Speaker5: That’s awesome.

Jordan Nutter: He was he’s a trooper.

Speaker5: He really is.

Olivia J. Price: I tell you this, um, and I want to touch bases since you’re already in leadership, you’re in leadership. I’ve been in leadership. Let’s talk about being a young entrepreneur within some of these rooms, especially when it comes to I can only imagine the conversation. It was when you went to your leadership team and said, hey, I have an idea. Okay, now don’t get me in that energy, you know, don’t give me any thoughts right now. Just listen.

Speaker5: Yeah.

Olivia J. Price: I think that we need to take this on the road. Like, who is is boldness like that? That when you look back on it, you’re like, wow. I feel like sometimes with the information that we have is being the younger generation is sometimes be. Um, alarming to other generations because they haven’t heard of heard of it or even seen it.

Speaker5: Right.

Olivia J. Price: So when you actually was like, okay, you know what?

Speaker5: Well, I.

Olivia J. Price: Made this happen.

Jordan Nutter: I’m grateful because the company I work for, we have the first division for content creators. So like all of our not the entire division, but a majority of our division creates content. So we help educate on social media. So we are the creator collective at Ncfm lending. And so we already have that like drive and innovation of like, what else can we do to help people and be a little bit different and what’s, what’s going to set us apart? Like what? How in what ways can we help? So it very much was outside of the realm of doing.

Olivia J. Price: And they implement that within the company. Is this like recent recent.

Jordan Nutter: The social media part? Yeah. So well, no, actually they’ve had the divisions been around since 2020, 2021. Um, and I came on in April of 22. So I just celebrated my third year at the company. Wow. And so whenever I’ve brought something to them, they’re like, okay, like it’s a little it’s either really out there like the the road trip or it’s not quite out there, but either which way, like we have this, they’re open to it. Like that’s what I love. Like okay, there’s obviously a reason Jordan wants to do this. Let’s figure out if we can make it possible and if so, like, how do we get there? Um, but generally I’m not just throwing out random ideas like, trust me, we won’t be doing another RV. Like, I’ll go. I’m happy to, like, drive anywhere in Georgia, maybe even Tennessee or Florida. But your girl is not going back.

Olivia J. Price: But to be honest, you probably don’t need to. I just think that some things that you do, you did it.

Speaker5: Yeah.

Olivia J. Price: And you were the first to do it. And maybe, hey, maybe you don’t want to do it again, but you did it and you completed it. I think that’s the biggest thing that I admire about people who said they were going to do it. They did it and they finished it. Yeah. It’s not just saying it right and even doing it because some people do it and they don’t complete. But completing it has just been, for me a a great marketing move because I’m all about marketing. For me, everything I do is marketing based from the events that I throw, and I love events. I love to have a good time. Okay, you can’t stop me from.

Speaker5: Having a good.

Olivia J. Price: I do, I do, um, I love to bring people together. Either it’s we’re learning about something or we’re really learning about something, because a lot of the events I do is going to be something that you’re going to take away from it either way, um, or another. But I do want to lead into you, J.R.. So how has it been within the different leadership positions you’ve had that, um, either very similar to Jordan’s, where, hey, we’re coming in as young entrepreneurs and as a situation where it’s embracing, or did she have to break some barriers to kind of get your, um, your insight in. Yeah. Like, what is that?

Speaker5: Yeah.

Olivia J. Price: So on your side.

Johnathan Crego: I am I’ve been the Neymar’s young Professionals Network, um, chair for a couple of years now. And that, um, I will say for the most part, I’ve been very welcomed. And we always we’ve had a lot of crazy ideas. For example, I actually led a, a shooting, um, I wanted to train especially, like female agents. Um, like, if you want to carry, it’s your right to here’s how to shoot a gun. And so I introduced this gun safety shooting event just to, to show you here’s how you can carry it safely if you need to use it. Here’s how you can use it. Um, there’s a very famous Beverly Carter situation from Arkansas. She was a a female realtor who was, um, purposely basically led by a buyer and murdered. And he when they caught him, they asked him why he did it, and he said it was because I knew she would be solo and we’d be in a vacant house. And so I don’t want that. If I’m in a leadership position, I don’t want that to happen ever again. If I can, if I can help that. And so my goal is to bring this, you know, here’s how to properly train. And so we did it. And for the most part people loved it. I did have some backlash from some people and uh, about that. But for the most part it was it was really accepted by other leadership and GA it wasn’t as accepted with, I would say, older people in the industry. And so at the end of the day, I had to realize I’m doing this so that Beverly Carter does not happen again. That’s my only goal.

Olivia J. Price: So can I stop you real quick? And I think that goes back to initially what I told you. You have passion, JR. You have some passion because sometimes in this industry we can become really cold and kind of like, uh, especially if we’ve been doing it for a long time. You just kind of become, uh, it’s a normal day, regular day, you know, no changes. But you need to have that change, right? Um, especially being a young professional, coming into this industry and having that passion because I actually wanted to come to your gun safety class, but I couldn’t make it. But because I don’t know how to shoot a gun. But I think that if I had a situation.

Johnathan Crego: Change, that.

Speaker5: Friend. Look.

Olivia J. Price: Well, hang.

Speaker5: On, wait a minute. Hold on. But don’t you.

Jordan Nutter: Worry, I think.

Speaker5: I could.

Olivia J. Price: I don’t know, I think I’ll learn quick.

Speaker5: You feel.

Olivia J. Price: Me? But when you’re faced with situations, it’s flight or fight, right?

Speaker5: Exactly.

Olivia J. Price: So I think I’m going to choose the fight part on that one.

Speaker5: Right? Right.

Olivia J. Price: But I do think that we need to learn more about that, especially on the women’s side, because I’ve been in some open houses with some really interesting people, okay. And I’m like, you know, I was at this time I was pregnant. I was by myself. My husband couldn’t come with me. Usually stays in the car. And I was there probably for like two hours. And this one guy, he stayed in there for like 30 minutes and I’m like, hey, the house is only but so big, right? And at that time I was a newer agent too, and I was pregnant. So I was kind of I didn’t really know how to tell him, like, hey, let’s wrap this up, you know? Any feedback? Leave your information and we’ll get back with you type of thing. So I just let them linger. And he was just really interesting. Right. But at that time at open houses, I would always stay near the door. I’m. I’m near the door. Right. I’m not in the kitchen. I’m not in the living room. I’m somewhere where I can easily get out. So I knew that aspect of being, you know, having realtor safety at the forefront. But honestly, learning, learning how to use a firearm is just so important.

Johnathan Crego: And hopefully you never have to use it. Yeah, that’s my goal is hopefully you don’t.

Speaker5: Hopefully not.

Johnathan Crego: But if you ever are in that situation, you’re prepared. Even here in in Cobb County area, there was two Keller Williams agents that were were armed, robbed and, uh, yeah.

Speaker5: I.

Olivia J. Price: Didn’t hear about that.

Johnathan Crego: They were unalive.

Speaker5: Uh, about.

Johnathan Crego: About a decade ago right here in Cobb.

Speaker5: County.

Johnathan Crego: And so it happens a lot, unfortunately. And so that was one of my goals, is to just try to prevent that. God forbid, if I had someone that it happened to, that I knew that could have learned that like you. And that’s why we’re going to go to a range.

Speaker5: Right after this. Listen, listen, listen.

Olivia J. Price: Like, hey, babe, I need to go ahead and learn how to use a firearm right now.

Speaker5: Yeah. Yeah.

Johnathan Crego: Um, but overall, I’ve really been accepted, I think after that, because that was a big success. We did have some great feedback from it. People were like, I’ve like you, I’ve never shot a gun before. I’ve always been afraid. Now I feel confident at least to carry one. And that was our goal. So, um, after that, I’ve done a lot of other kind of crazy ideas. Um, that for the most part, I would say leadership at, um, Neymar and Gaga have been great about it. Um.

Olivia J. Price: But I do think that coming in after the pandemic, like kind of we all did, companies are more receptive to know that, hey, social media is a huge part of branding and, um, Relaying information. So I do think that in terms of when we came into the industry, it was kind of cool because they were already shifting. So now we can just enhance that shift that’s already happening anyways, right? So I do think from both situations.

Speaker5: Social media.

Johnathan Crego: Is everything.

Speaker5: Oh yeah, social media is hundred percent.

Johnathan Crego: You have to have social media to be successful in this industry. I don’t see how you’re not unless you’re working maybe for like HUD or something, but where you’re given up leads like there’s no way if you’re working your sphere of influence, there’s no way you can’t.

Olivia J. Price: So let’s talk about it though. So with social media, how do you think that it changed your business personally when it comes to sales and even when it just comes to being innovative? Because I can go on and on about social media.

Speaker5: Oh yeah.

Olivia J. Price: And how it changed my career.

Johnathan Crego: I think you both can. You both are better at it than I am.

Olivia J. Price: So but to be honest with you, you still have a presence, J.R. it’s one thing to not have a presence and then kind of sort of post. Not having a presence is just for real estate in 2025. I don’t think that it’s going to be efficient.

Speaker5: Right.

Olivia J. Price: In the next half a decade, I would.

Speaker5: Say.

Jordan Nutter: 100%.

Olivia J. Price: So you need to have at least a page and some presence, right? I know you post a lot about your family and things like that, which I love. Um, but ultimately, can you tell me a little bit within the last, I would say last two years? How do you think that social media has affected you?

Jordan Nutter: Well, um, I mean, for me personally, I’ve now amassed a little over 300,000 followers, so that’s completely changed my business. And I am grateful that I work with a company that we cover essentially all of the US except for New York. So that has really also helped with my business. But the fact that I can reach a lot of first time home buyers and educate them. It’s it’s interesting because that’s everyone does social media a little bit different, but my content is geared towards primarily that that next generation home buyer. Um, and so when that happens and I have clients that come to me that have followed me for years, which I think is also crazy, that I’ve never met these people. And they’re like, I am only using you like I have watched you for three years and you are the only person I trust. Yet they’ve never met me and they live out in Texas.

Speaker5: Yeah.

Jordan Nutter: And I’m like, okay, great. Then they don’t have an agent because they know you have to get your finances in order first. And now I have an opportunity to turn the tables, because you all know that traditionally the agent finds.

Speaker5: Yeah.

Jordan Nutter: Now I get to turn the table and be like, how do I build these partnerships with agents, like, make it to where it’s a two way street? And so now I’m so grateful to be able to have built these partnerships all across the US with agents that, you know, I don’t get to sit in a room with every day. So I have to.

Speaker5: Find and touch.

Jordan Nutter: Right. But I have to find other ways that I can touch them and help build that relationship. So I would say from social media. About 70% of my business is from social media. And what it.

Speaker5: Has.

Jordan Nutter: Done and like given me opportunities. Um, and I always tell people, think of social media as your brand, like we are building a brand, right? So you think of Nike. It’s a white background with a black swoosh. Right. Like that is how Nike started off. Yes. Maybe like you go and buy a pair of socks and they’re pink or. But traditionally it’s a white background with a black swoosh. You know that because Nike made their brand that way. So when you were going out there and you’re making your social media pages, you need to build, you like, don’t just post these houses because the houses are not going to open the doors to these other.

Speaker5: It’s you.

Olivia J. Price: Well, I’m gonna I’m gonna chime in on that because on the real estate side, we are infamous for posting these houses.

Speaker5: Yeah. And I’m like.

Jordan Nutter: Great, you post the house, but but it is you like Olivia is selling that. Olivia is the brand. J.r. is the brand. Jordan like we are the brand. We’re the person that they want to talk to and they want to hear from. And and if we are not authentic on social media and then we go and meet them and it’s complete opposite, they’re like, who is this person that I just asked to like, I just trusted to sell me a house or I trusted with my finances. Like, that is not who I thought they were. So building your brand on social media, you have to show your face. If you are real estate agent listening to this, you have to show your face. I know it’s really hard. Yeah, but you have to show your face.

Olivia J. Price: Also, it has to be in moderation too, because so much I’m going to be honest with you. I love to talk, I love to talk, I love to educate. And I think that’s one of the things that got me into the industry and set me apart. When I first came in, the only thing I was doing that I was focused on was open houses. That’s all I did. I killed open houses. I would do like 4 to 6 per weekend. I would set up my tripod. Camera. Yeah, I would set up my. And you can go on my Instagram and scroll all the way down and you’ll see. That’s all I did post in every open house I would get, I would do a run through of the neighborhood, and I would have like content for each day leading to my open house. So you’re talking about I had weeks I was posting every day.

Speaker5: I remember.

Olivia J. Price: Um, girl and I had my tripod, and I had my little spill about the house in the neighborhood. Then I go through the house and do my.

Speaker5: Little.

Jordan Nutter: Suit.

Speaker5: Jacket. Listen, I.

Jordan Nutter: Remember.

Speaker5: That red suit jacket.

Olivia J. Price: No one was at the open house. It was just me. And I’m like, hey, we had a great time.

Speaker5: We had. This was wonderful out the door line. Yeah, it was a line.

Olivia J. Price: Down the street. We had neighbors coming in and out.

Johnathan Crego: Everybody ate my.

Speaker5: Food.

Johnathan Crego: No one eats the food.

Speaker5: Listen. No one, no one, no one.

Olivia J. Price: And I had to learn, right? Because there’s levels to this thing, right? When you first come in, I had a charcuterie board.

Speaker5: Oh, yeah.

Olivia J. Price: No one touched.

Speaker5: It. Yeah.

Olivia J. Price: At the end of the day, um, when I, I would say I stopped doing open houses, like maybe going on two years ago. I just brought a little candy bags and some waters, and people took those candy bags all day. Right. I just think that it was just so much more efficient. But going back to the beginning, I feel as though between 2019 or maybe no 2020 to 2023, I was known as like the open House Queen. I met not only agents because agents started looking at my social media like, dang, I know she’s going to be in this area. And some people just stopped to say, hey! And also vendors. I have vendors that say, oh my God, I seen your sign. I seen you on social media. I’m coming back to your open house and just say, hey, you know. So that presence on social media for me has just been amazing. And I use it now as a platform to just speak my truth, to let people know, hey, this is what’s going on in real estate. This is how we can pivot. These are some ways as agents that we need to start really focusing on, you know, because real estate right now It’s not an industry that it used to be back in 2008, 2010, 2012.

Olivia J. Price: No, this is a real game. And now people are really starting to investigate you more. A lot of my business. A lot of them, they Google and they’re from Google. They go on my social media and I’m like, oh my goodness. I see the correlation because you can see the numbers like I’m like, okay, so from Google to Instagram it’s a direct and then a little bit on Facebook too. But a lot of people direct to my Instagram. And when I tell you I’m like your, your, your um, your page is like your portfolio now of like what you’ve done and you know, what are you doing and things like that. I think that people nowadays are going to start leaning more towards, hey, let me investigate these people before I just call it used to be back in the day, you just knew your neighborhood realtor. You’re like, hey Cathy, up the street is selling. I’m going to use Cathy. But now there’s so many other people.

Speaker5: In.

Olivia J. Price: The playing field.

Speaker5: Yeah, well, people.

Johnathan Crego: Use who they know, like and trust, and they build that from your social media. And so they’re gonna know you, they’re gonna like you, and they’re going to trust you off of that. So yeah, I think social media is everything.

Olivia J. Price: So this is my next thing here. Um, which is a hot topic. What are some ways how people can really be utilized in real estate if, um, home buying isn’t an option? Can we talk about some investments here? Because I think Atlanta is the hot spot for investments.

Johnathan Crego: And I would say it’s the number one right now.

Speaker5: Number one.

Olivia J. Price: Number one. And honestly, I think we are the new New York and the new LA.

Speaker5: I agree.

Olivia J. Price: Yeah this is it. I feel like Atlanta.

Johnathan Crego: Is it the last six houses I’ve sold minus one. So last five out of six houses I’ve sold has all been from people from California or New York.

Speaker5: I couldn’t.

Olivia J. Price: Believe it. I couldn’t believe it. They have the money, they have the capital.

Johnathan Crego: And that’s. Yeah.

Speaker5: Yeah, I mean, it.

Johnathan Crego: Is a big.

Speaker5: Thing. Yeah. That is a huge thing.

Johnathan Crego: They sell their one bedroom, 800 square foot condo for $8 million in LA, and they move here and they outbid us.

Speaker5: Georgia come on a lot.

Olivia J. Price: And I think a lot of my people, I have a house coming up on the market We’re we’re in a situation like that where I think they overpaid a little bit, you know what I mean? Now they’re trying to move very quickly and the equity just isn’t there quite yet. But I always tell people to in terms of when you’re selling, when it comes to the equity, you do have to be in your home for a little bit. Some people think, well, I’ve always owned the home for two years, I need I know it doesn’t work like that, you know, but, um, Georgia is that place for where you can come in as a no. One and come in as a millionaire, I swear you can. Can you tell me a little bit, JR, in terms of your investment journey, what made you want to get on the investment side coming from the sell side? How was that transition.

Johnathan Crego: So I’ll start with this. So my wife and I, we bought our house in Lawrenceville, Georgia in 2016, and we had no money left to our name like we had nothing. And we bought the worst house in a decent area. It’s at River colony off Duluth near Sugarloaf Mills.

Speaker5: Okay.

Johnathan Crego: And I come from construction. So we did a live in flip. This was Pre-kids. And so we did a live in flip.

Speaker5: I always wonder.

Olivia J. Price: How people go through that.

Speaker5: Too, especially with kids. Oh, man.

Johnathan Crego: Especially when you’re on the kitchen or like bathroom, you’re like, okay, I’m over this. You got microwave and everything. And yeah.

Jordan Nutter: In the.

Speaker5: Living room. Yeah.

Jordan Nutter: In the garage.

Speaker5: We’re like, where are the plates?

Johnathan Crego: Ramen for the.

Speaker5: Yeah, yeah.

Johnathan Crego: 10th week in a row.

Speaker5: Finish that thing.

Johnathan Crego: Come on. So, yeah, with kids, it’s a lot easier. So we did a live in flip and we bought in 2016. We sold in 2019.

Speaker5: Okay.

Johnathan Crego: And all of a sudden we sold it. And we made about $100,000 profit. And that was the most money I’d ever seen in my life. I never thought.

Speaker5: I would one time.

Johnathan Crego: Right. Probably ever. That was like.

Speaker5: But at one.

Olivia J. Price: Time that hits.

Speaker5: Yeah. You’re like, oh, I.

Johnathan Crego: Had, like, pennies in my name. Now I have a hundred thousand.

Speaker5: Yeah.

Johnathan Crego: Oh my gosh. And real estate changed my life. And that’s a big reason why I got into real estate. Because it changed my family’s trajectory.

Speaker5: Yeah.

Johnathan Crego: And so then we bought another house, and we’re now in Buford. We bought another house, and it needed a lot of work. And now we have kids. And so we were gonna continue to do live in flips until we got to, like, something crazy mansion. But then we fixed this one up, and now we’re like, well, we’ve got kids, we like this house. We’re just gonna stay.

Speaker5: But I’ve.

Olivia J. Price: Seen investors do that.

Speaker5: Too.

Olivia J. Price: Yeah, I’m like, I could tell. I’m like, hey, I think he’s probably just settled on this house.

Speaker5: Yeah, that’s exactly what happened was. Yeah, yeah.

Olivia J. Price: Let’s.

Speaker5: Enjoy it.

Johnathan Crego: Yeah. But I also got involved with Peachy Properties. Uh, they’re a flip company, and we focus primarily on, like, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Marietta, that kind of area, that north perimeter area and and also now on my own as well. I flip as well. And I would say the two hottest things I’m seeing right now as a flipping buyer’s agent is number one. House hacking, especially with veterans. And number two is seller finance. Um, that’s becoming a big thing or assuming a loan assumption loan.

Olivia J. Price: So last year, no, two years ago I started seeing loan assumptions back on the market. And, um, I had one of my clients almost get to the finish line. But when he looked at like the final turns, he was like, oh heck no. So can you give us a little information? And probably you guys can piggyback on that. Like, how does that look for assumptions?

Speaker5: Yeah.

Johnathan Crego: Yeah.

Olivia J. Price: So I see it creeping back in our market.

Johnathan Crego: Yeah. In fact I got one under contract. Now I’ve done several as well. And it’s a great opportunity for people that have the money.

Speaker5: Yes.

Johnathan Crego: Yes that’s the big thing. So yeah. Exactly. So let’s just use easy numbers. Let’s say Olivia.

Speaker5: You hold.

Olivia J. Price: On. Now we go back and what what.

Speaker5: Did you say a squared plus b squared c squared. All right. Let me get my pen and paper out.

Johnathan Crego: Squared.

Speaker5: Plus. Yeah.

Johnathan Crego: So you bought this house. Let’s say you bought a house in 2021 for 500 K. And you put 3% down and you’re on a 3% interest rate. And that’s that’s your biggest equity right there. Is that 3%. That is money to my ears. When you say you have a 3% equity or interest rate. So you’re on. We’re on 2025 now. Let’s just say you’ve got it paid down to 450,000. You still have that 3% interest rate, but you. So you’ve got $50,000 worth of equity. And then let’s say, hey, I need to move. I need to move to, I don’t know, New York, whatever. So you go ahead and put on the market, but it’s not selling and you don’t know why. It’s a great house. It’s just a tough market. Whatever. And so you go ahead and you confirm with your lender. That’s the biggest thing. Confirm with your lender. You can’t. Your loan can be an assumable loan.

Olivia J. Price: So quick question how often do we see that the loan could be assumable government loans.

Speaker5: Yeah.

Johnathan Crego: Government loans.

Speaker5: Va.

Jordan Nutter: Yeah FHA, USDA, USDA.

Speaker5: Always.

Olivia J. Price: Going to be.

Jordan Nutter: I mean I’ve never not seen one same assumable like when we when when we’re doing our disclosures, it always will say Assumable. So I’ve never had one as a government loan.

Speaker5: Gotcha.

Jordan Nutter: Um, I’m trying to even think of like, my down payment assistant ones. I don’t, I, I don’t even think about that. But conventional is where.

Speaker5: You probably.

Johnathan Crego: Some conventional, but.

Speaker5: Not all.

Jordan Nutter: It’s hard.

Johnathan Crego: To.

Speaker5: Get.

Jordan Nutter: A conventional loan.

Speaker5: Yeah.

Jordan Nutter: So that’s the hard part because FHA you’re going to have mortgage insurance. Usda you have mortgage insurance VA you don’t. But but hey, I’ll take mortgage insurance all day because my house that I still have at a 2.6% rate, I will keep that mortgage insurance for the entire 30 years of my life on.

Speaker5: That interest.

Olivia J. Price: Rate. Man 100 when we bought in 2018, I was like, the average is 4.75. But looking at it now, I’m like, whoo.

Speaker5: That’s okay.

Jordan Nutter: But yeah, that’s the kicker.

Speaker5: Like, you have to.

Jordan Nutter: Get somebody who will allow you to assume the loan.

Johnathan Crego: So you got to confirm. Yeah, you got to confirm it’s Assumable loan. And then so you’re going to go ahead and realtors need to look more into this because we need to start marketing this more. I have buyers right now that want to. We just can’t find anything that either one, the realtor or whoever doesn’t know it exists. Number two, it is it is kind of hard. It’s a harder process than a normal life.

Speaker5: I went through it. Yeah.

Johnathan Crego: Yeah, it’s definitely harder. I did one up in Blairsville. It took six months. Um, but that was when it was first starting. And so it was with Pennymac. They have their own division of assuming loan department, but they were just it was so new to the game because no one was assuming loans in 2021, 2022. But then now they are. And so all right. So you owe or you have 50,000 equity. So that means basically I’m going to bring you a buyer. They’re going to pay that $50,000 difference up front at the closing table. And then they’re essentially going to walk in to your monthly mortgage payment that you owe $450,000 left at the 3%. And so that’s dropping their monthly payments. Just an absurd amount, because they’re now going from 6 or 7% whatever interest rates are today. It’s fluctuating like crazy right now. But they’re going from this, you know, whatever it is to a 2.6 or a three. And that payment is just amazing. And so we’re seeing that more and more. Not a lot of people seem to know about it. So I kind of want to get the word out about that. But also I’m seeing a lot of house hacking or a lot of people that.

Speaker5: Want to help.

Olivia J. Price: Or wanting.

Speaker5: To.

Johnathan Crego: Yep, yep, that’s a big thing, especially with VA veterans. I don’t know why. I see it all the time with veterans, and I think it’s a wonderful thing. Um, but yeah, that’s I’m seeing those two things a lot.

Olivia J. Price: I think that the way that our economy is going, people are becoming more creative again. And I.

Speaker5: Think that is it.

Olivia J. Price: Now. And for me, I always feel as though in economies like this, it is room for us to become a millionaire, to be honest with you. Right? Just like you said, when you came in, you were like $100,000 insane.

Speaker5: Like.

Olivia J. Price: Come on in the walk, you know? But, um, I just think that now, just like you said, being creative is giving us the opportunity to say, you know, hey, way. If I can get that 2.7, whatever interest rate, I think I’ll be willing to put the capital for people who do have the capital.

Johnathan Crego: And that’s the.

Speaker5: Kicker. That’s the kicker.

Johnathan Crego: Yeah, it’s tough because some people might if they bought in 2021, they’ve got $200,000 worth of equity now in their thing. So not a lot of people can chalk that money up front. And and not a lot I’ve noticed, at least me not a lot will allow a second mortgage. I have one that is, but not. It’s 5050, it seems.

Speaker5: At least to me.

Jordan Nutter: Because there’s companies that are out there that let you that like let you look for the assumable mortgages in your area and they offer the second mortgage, but you have to find the company that you’re assuming the loan that will allow you to now carry the second mortgage, as opposed to you bringing the capital upfront.

Olivia J. Price: Okay, so Divvy Homes offered my client that divvy and.

Jordan Nutter: Uh romley. Is that the other one?

Speaker5: I don’t know, there’s.

Jordan Nutter: Another.

Speaker5: No. Rome.

Jordan Nutter: Rome.

Johnathan Crego: Rome. I think we might be wrong, but I think you’re right.

Speaker5: Well, I’ll.

Olivia J. Price: Tell you about divvy.

Speaker5: But.

Jordan Nutter: There’s. I know that there’s another one.

Speaker5: Divvy.

Olivia J. Price: I went through their program with my client. I was telling you about two years ago, and we were like, the first ones they did it on. So I was talking to, like, the execs at divvy. They were like, okay, Olivia, so we’re going to try this on your client. Um, but he ended up just buying himself because the numbers, he was just like, dang, if I’m going through that program, I might as well just buy.

Jordan Nutter: Because interest rate is quite high, is my understanding on the second mortgage. So even though.

Speaker5: It was.

Jordan Nutter: I mean, if you’re.

Speaker5: Very high.

Jordan Nutter: Let’s say $450,000.

Speaker5: For.

Jordan Nutter: The first one at two point, whatever percent. But then your second mortgage is at, let’s say, $200,000 at, I don’t know, I don’t let’s say they’re 8 or 9% like.

Speaker5: It’s kind of.

Jordan Nutter: Like your average right now, your average rate.

Speaker5: It’s like it makes sense.

Jordan Nutter: What does it look like?

Speaker5: Are you taking.

Olivia J. Price: It. It makes.

Speaker5: Sense. Right. Yeah.

Jordan Nutter: So I think every with any of we know this with real estate, it depends on the client. How long are they going to be there? What are their. What are they hoping for? What does it look like? So I mean, it’s worth exploring all of your options and having like an educated real estate agent, an educated lender that looks out for your best interest and makes sure that you understand the options that are available and what’s going to make the most sense for you because the shoe doesn’t fit everybody.

Speaker5: Very true.

Olivia J. Price: Very true, very true. And that’s one thing that my client was kind of exploring between the two. But I would say this because could you leave us with any tips or any type of things that people out here who are wanting to purchase can start doing to get themselves in position? Because I do, because I have a platform called birdie, and we focus on the community aspect of purchasing, because right now I think what the average sales price in Atlanta is, what, 375.

Speaker5: Yeah.

Olivia J. Price: 400,000. Right. And even 400,000 isn’t really 400,000, right? Because, you know, back in the day, probably when we were younger, like $1 million home was really like a $400,000 home. Probably. But that was $1 million home for us, right? It had the yard. It had the, you know, the driveway, the garages and all of that good stuff. Six bedrooms and whatnot. Now 400,000 is like, wow, you know, in certain areas, um, especially like in desirable areas, it’s not really getting us what we would hope so. Right. Um, I do feel as though right now we just need to really start pushing the pavement with people to make them understand that, hey, if you aren’t in a position to buy, let’s get you ready. Um, because we are, some of us are going to be, like, forever renters. And that’s a sad reality that I think a lot of us aren’t facing because I’m like, goodness gracious, you’re going to be in a position where some people like New York and LA where they could bought like 70s, 80s and now looking. You can’t even buy a one bedroom condo.

Speaker5: For.

Jordan Nutter: Less than a million, depending on where you’re.

Speaker5: At.

Olivia J. Price: Easy. So I feel like Atlanta is such a sweet state because there’s so much opportunity. But people, it’s going to pass a lot of people by and they could have been sitting on like my cousin, he has a property in, um, Brooklyn, his house. It’s like a it’s a little shit little shack, you know, little houses, you know. But the thing is like $7 million and I’m sitting here like, he’s not he’s a police officer, too. And, um, he refuses to sell.

Speaker5: I’m like, you have.

Johnathan Crego: A $7 million house.

Speaker5: Well, he had it for so long, though. No, he had it.

Olivia J. Price: For so long. He’s been in the family for so long.

Speaker5: Good for him. Right.

Olivia J. Price: But it’s a situation where it’s. We’re. It’s awesome to know that he’s just a regular Joe. Right? And he’s sitting on a gold mine that can change generations. Exactly right.

Speaker5: Eight.

Olivia J. Price: But people need to understand that, hey, if you have the opportunity, it needs to be like soon, right? Because it’s going to pass us by. I promise. I’m telling people now, like I can see now because my house in Loganville, I bought it for 200,000. Now it’s almost 500,000. And that’s without the renovations we’ve done and everything we’ve put into the home. And I’m like, goodness gracious. 500,000.

Speaker5: Yeah.

Olivia J. Price: Coming into the industry, I mean, coming into home ownership, I don’t think I would have wanted to buy a $500,000 house as a first time home buyer. But looking at the house, I’m like, goodness gracious, this was my first time home buyer house. And just knowing that what you could have gotten then versus now, and what you’re going to get now versus later, it’s a no brainer for me. So what can you say about that in terms of educating people that, hey, this is the time is is dwindling here in Atlanta at least?

Johnathan Crego: Yeah. Um, sure. Yeah. So I will say that, man, I’m glad I didn’t listen to the naysayers when we bought in 2016. During that time, for some reason, everyone thought that the market was going to crash. I don’t remember.

Speaker5: Why.

Olivia J. Price: Well, they think so now.

Johnathan Crego: Even now and especially like 2019, 2020. And I am so glad we didn’t listen to the naysayers because if we had, I’d still be I’d still be renting. And you know what? If, God forbid, I pass away today, I’ve got a house in Beaufort I can leave to my kids, and that’s huge. And then 22 years, it’ll be paid off fully, and that’s going to be worth a lot more than it’s worth today. I promise that, Mark my words.

Olivia J. Price: And people are like, it’s going to go down. I’m like, yeah, but it goes up.

Speaker5: It goes up too. Yeah.

Olivia J. Price: The same houses in 2008.

Speaker5: Were.

Olivia J. Price: Dirt cheap. Now fast forward and we took some dips between then and now. And the house is three times the price that it was originally bought for.

Johnathan Crego: Even if you bought in 2006 at the height of that time. Yeah. And you’re looking at today and you just kept it throughout the whole thing. You’re you’re definitely still in the green, even if you bought at the absolute height at right before the biggest recession we’ve ever seen, you will definitely be in the green still today because those prices do not compare to these prices today. Plus, those interest rates were a lot more back then than they are now, even even when they’re high.

Speaker5: Now that.

Olivia J. Price: Interest rates, it is what.

Speaker5: It.

Olivia J. Price: Is. It’s just it is what it is. Just like we were saying, oh my God, two point days, four point that at that time we were complaining to we were like, well, dang, it’s four.

Speaker5: I had people.

Jordan Nutter: That.

Speaker5: Were like, you.

Jordan Nutter: Can’t get me in the.

Speaker5: One. Oh.

Jordan Nutter: And I’m.

Speaker5: Like.

Jordan Nutter: I’m sorry. What? You’re you’re at a five right now. I’m getting a.

Speaker5: Two and a half. This is a good thing.

Jordan Nutter: I’m cutting you in half and you still want more?

Speaker5: Like what? What? Yeah, but.

Olivia J. Price: I’m telling you, I think just people’s perspectives, I think, need to start changing. Like you said, you didn’t listen to the naysayers. You were like, this is a a a power move for my family. Exactly right. Even though at that time it may not have seen like a power move because you came in broke, you know, which I did to me and my husband. Man, we were so broke. We were so broke. We were like, goodness gracious, we paid everything into this house?

Speaker5: Yeah.

Olivia J. Price: And we did a lot of renovations, too. So my husband, um, is an entrepreneur. He is not a contractor. And he is not a handyman. When I tell you my husband was YouTube University.

Speaker5: Yeah. There you go.

Olivia J. Price: Listen. He was. Every night I would hear that man in the living room just listening. And that’s why I admire the hustle so much. Right. And just the home ownership journey. Like we did what we had to do.

Speaker5: Right.

Olivia J. Price: To be able to be in a position where if I wanted to take money out on my house, I could if I wanted to, you know, open up a business using the equity from my house, I could. Right. Or I could sell it and move to another state and have the funds, which I could.

Speaker5: Right.

Olivia J. Price: So also, could you piggyback on how some people are saying right now, like, um, I’ve had a couple of, um, big time people say, you know, I would never buy a house. I’m like, you would never buy a house, but you’re still going to be renting, though. So can you can you explain to me how do you feel about that when people say, like, you know, I couldn’t, I would never buy a.

Speaker5: House.

Johnathan Crego: Forever renter.

Speaker5: Yeah.

Olivia J. Price: Like it’s a, it’s a I mean.

Johnathan Crego: I I’ll say this I, it depends on the person. Like if you don’t have kids, if you’re moving every two years, maybe you’re like military or something and you got to move every two years. Maybe it doesn’t make sense. I would say nine out of ten times, though, you’re going to want to buy because especially if you have kids, because now I have something to leave to them.

Olivia J. Price: Or just if you’re traveling to an area pretty frequently.

Speaker5: Sure.

Olivia J. Price: You know, um, like if you’re going to be in that area like six times out the year, eight times out the year, you might as well just buy. Yeah, for me, I feel as though then maybe rent it out for the days that you aren’t there. You can be creative nowadays.

Speaker5: Right.

Olivia J. Price: But temporary housing.

Jordan Nutter: Yeah I have I have two thoughts on that. So the first one is there was an article that I saw recently that said the average person will pay $330,000 in rent before they purchase their first home.

Olivia J. Price: I can see that.

Jordan Nutter: That’s insane.

Speaker5: I could see that.

Jordan Nutter: Yeah. It’s insane.

Johnathan Crego: Um, and they have nothing to show for it.

Jordan Nutter: They have nothing to show for it.

Speaker5: Right?

Olivia J. Price: Those are. Those are the people like, hey, you know what? Wait a minute. Don’t buy it. That’s the worst decision. But I’m like, for people like me, I didn’t my I’m like, hold on, wait. Okay. For people like me, a lot of people I know they’re renting their parents rented, their grandparents rented. I’m like, okay. So for people like that, which is a lot of people, a lot of people are like, hey, no one really bought, you know, we’re just renting. They stayed in apartments, may stay in houses, you know, they rented. But purchasing a home, I mean, that just sets the pedestal for so much more.

Jordan Nutter: Well, you also have to consider, like J.R. was saying, like it may not work for everybody, but to to piggyback on that, I had a client who lived in LA. Her rent was $2,000 a month. She had been at this place for a long time. She wasn’t necessarily grandfathered in fully because it was a newer built, but she had been there long enough like and knew the people that she was somewhat grandfathered in. So for her to buy the same, to stay in the same type of living would would change her her monthly, um, housing expense by more than double. So in that situation, I understand. However, what I did tell her was, I said, why don’t we buy an investment property? Because you have the for how much you make compared to how much you pay per month. You’ve been saving so much up that you have the 20% down. So what we did instead was she bought an investment property in Northern California in, um, in more of a vacation. It was going to be a short term rental. And so that’s what we did instead. So instead of her buying her primary. So in this situation she, she bought where or sorry she, she rented where she wanted to live. Because I can understand as a younger individual, maybe you don’t want to live in the suburbs where it’s more affordable. So instead, she purchased an investment property. And then she got income from that every month. And so she’s growing that somebody else is paying for it. So yes, she is renting because she wants to live in that area and I understand it. Um, so in that situation I can understand.

Olivia J. Price: But there’s fine lines between all of.

Speaker5: That, right?

Jordan Nutter: 100%.

Olivia J. Price: Um, just like I will give, um, for example, here in Georgia, Gwinnett County have a lot of people who want to live in Gwinnett County but may not be able to really afford Gwinnett County. It can rent.

Speaker5: Right?

Olivia J. Price: Which is fine.

Speaker5: You can rent.

Jordan Nutter: Taxes.

Speaker5: Those taxes all county. Well, compared.

Olivia J. Price: To Warren County.

Speaker5: I mean, Barrow and Barrow.

Jordan Nutter: Yeah.

Speaker5: Yeah, it.

Olivia J. Price: Could be very, um, I would say, what’s the word I’m looking for? Um, discouraging for some people.

Jordan Nutter: 100%.

Speaker5: But I.

Olivia J. Price: For me, I just don’t like the narrative of like, yeah, you know, I would never buy. It’s like, well, you know, there’s.

Jordan Nutter: Never say never like, what can we.

Speaker5: You know?

Olivia J. Price: I just don’t like the way people put it out there. And now people are listening to that.

Speaker5: Like.

Olivia J. Price: It’s people that I’m like, no, homie, you need to buy.

Speaker5: Yeah.

Olivia J. Price: Like, I don’t know any other situation where you’re going to be able to come up with money like that. Like, you know, it’s people that I know that they’re working their 9 to 5. They’ve been at their 9 to 5 for years. And I’m like, you’re not going to make any more than probably what you’re going to be making now, if not less. So for people like you, which is a lot of Americans, you probably need to go ahead and get a house. That’s the best thing that you could do to put yourself in a position that you can take, you know, that can grow with you. Right, right. Without having to do anything extracurricular. Right. Because you always need somewhere to stay.

Speaker5: Yeah.

Jordan Nutter: You always need a place to live. Always.

Olivia J. Price: So why not? So for me, I’m more of the practical side, like, okay, you got those people, younger ones who come in and just want to be in the area for work reasons or personal life reasons, whatever the case may be, which I, I expect that. But a lot of Americans, I’m like, wait a minute, now, you got two kids. You’re still which a lot of us do, or at least have one kid, you know. Um, and I would just say that. For me, and I’m still going to stand on that point, that buying is just it makes it makes sense.

Jordan Nutter: And there’s so many down payment assistance programs like there’s so many.

Olivia J. Price: Quick question do you see in the future with you being on the lending side, how long do you think we’ll still have down payment assistance? Do you think it will be here in the next half a decade or so? Do you think it will be a program that could be taken?

Jordan Nutter: I mean, I definitely there’s there’s been a lot recently that have been wiped out, unfortunately. But when you look at the state like Georgia Dream is still around because that’s through the state. That’s not, um, federal like through the government financed, um, or funded, I should say. Um, and then we have grants throughout. There’s like still the $15,000 grant in Georgia, the 1705, like, so there’s still grants. Um, Texas. I have a wonderful one that’s just amazing. So each state I still have all of my down payment assistance programs. It’s just whether or not it’s, you know, how long are the funds there for? Like my Florida one goes out pretty quickly at the beginning of the year. And so it’s just a matter of, like you said, everyone needs a place to live and they’re building homes. So to be able to afford them, somebody needs to help out somewhere, some way, shape or form. And if the state can come in and have those available funds for first time home buyers to utilize and be able to get them into a home and therefore pay property taxes, which goes back to the state like, you know, it all comes full circle at the end of the day. Um, so I don’t foresee it going away. I could see things changing, and maybe there’s not as as much, um, available funds. So they may be tighter throughout the year, but 100%, I don’t see that going away, um, at least anytime soon.

Johnathan Crego: And I will say that I work with a lot of first responders and military, and there’s a lot of.

Speaker5: Of course you do.

Johnathan Crego: There’s a lot of departments that actually offer monthly stipends. So like, for example, if you’re a Dunwoody police officer and you live within the city, you get, I believe, $600 a month. And so, yeah, and I think Duluth has it.

Olivia J. Price: I think I’m in the wrong field.

Speaker5: I think. No, no, you.

Jordan Nutter: Can’t change your mind now.

Speaker5: Check this.

Olivia J. Price: Out. I also thought about going to the military. I said, you know what, babe? I think I’m going to go to the military for a little bit because military benefits are just amazing.

Speaker5: It’s amazing.

Olivia J. Price: Amazing. Especially in economies like this. You’re like, Thank God I actually have something that can help. You know, but back to what you were saying.

Johnathan Crego: Yeah. And on the military side, you know, like, if you’re 100% disabled, you get the tax benefits and things like that.

Speaker5: Yes.

Johnathan Crego: There is a lot of different opportunities for first responders and military. And that also affects EMTs, firefighters if you’re living in those areas. A lot of times nowadays, these jurisdictions are are giving you some type of benefit.

Speaker5: Or.

Johnathan Crego: Housing stipend. So.

Olivia J. Price: Well, I think that we’re going to conclude with this. You all. Um, and I want to say this is some great chemistry here. This is great. Um, I think people are going to want to hear more about.

Speaker5: This.

Olivia J. Price: Especially as we dive deeper into some real topics. Right? Um, next, I do want to talk about moving forward. Um, for our next episode, I do want to talk about crypto. I know, I’ll call you the crypto King. Right? Um, and I remember you did a crypto class.

Speaker5: Yes.

Olivia J. Price: What was that? It was the end of the year in 2023.

Johnathan Crego: I’ve done a couple, and I will say.

Speaker5: That was your first one.

Olivia J. Price: Though. I was gonna say that was your first one.

Johnathan Crego: The Buffalo’s cafe one.

Speaker5: I did 120, 23.

Johnathan Crego: I did one at in 2022. It was a brewery in Suwanee. Was it that one?

Olivia J. Price: 2022?

Johnathan Crego: Yeah, I did one at Buffalo’s Cafe in Beaufort.

Speaker5: It was your first one.

Johnathan Crego: The Hamilton Mill.

Speaker5: One.

Olivia J. Price: That was the one, because I remember we were talking about it when we were on Ypn. We were like, yeah, I’m gonna do this crypto.

Speaker5: You know.

Olivia J. Price: I’m gonna do this, and we’re going to educate and things like that. So I was in love with it.

Speaker5: Then you were just telling me for crypto as well.

Johnathan Crego: There’s a lot going on behind the scenes there.

Speaker5: Yeah.

Johnathan Crego: So yeah.

Speaker5: We gotta talk about that.

Olivia J. Price: And also how you can use the currency to purchase real estate. Right.

Speaker5: Yes.

Olivia J. Price: Yeah.

Speaker5: We had to talk about that.

Olivia J. Price: Right. People want to hear the biggest thing I think that our listeners want to tune in is, first off, our beautiful voices. I think we sound great and we look even better. Um, and then next is just, um, seeing how can we put money into our listeners pockets with information that we’re giving? Because I made my clients money, which is purchasing real estate through through me. Right for you is more so on the real estate investment side. And how can we go ahead and start getting into these extracurricular things that can actually help us on the real estate realm? So crypto is a new wave there. There’s I still hear people kind of mixed feelings on it, but, you know, I still feel as though it’s kind of sort of still newer to the market. So some traditional people are kind of like.

Speaker5: So.

Johnathan Crego: What negative things you hear about.

Speaker5: It.

Olivia J. Price: Oh, we’re going to touch bases on it real quick. Well, I will say that I predominantly listen to a lot of traditional people and they’re like, well, you know, it’s not as safe as it is scam. Oh, okay.

Speaker5: Can you hear that? Let me ask you this.

Olivia J. Price: Can you? I didn’t hear about scam.

Johnathan Crego: Can you be scammed with US dollars?

Speaker5: Yeah.

Johnathan Crego: Every day.

Speaker5: Yeah. Yeah.

Johnathan Crego: So we’ll get into that more later on.

Speaker5: We’ll talk about taking over the market.

Olivia J. Price: That that leaves us with some good stuff. Right? Um, so we’re wrapping up today all things real estate. You guys. We’re signing off with Olivia, J.R. and Jordan, and we’re missing our buddy. Um, Rodney, I just want to follow up on Rodney, though. He’s a superstar. And, um, unfortunately, he had some things to do with his wife, which. And, you know, when when you have dreams, you know, dedicated to each other, you’re like, look, Olivia, I rarely get these days, okay?

Speaker5: Yeah, he’s got a good excuse. Listen.

Olivia J. Price: And also, um, he does investments with his wife, so they do it together. He took her out of her nine. Well, he got it for his 9 to 5 to do real estate, and he got his wife out of her 9 to 5 to do investments. So he she runs his investment property, well, investment company for his properties. And he’s number one with Keller Williams. I’m 16th ranked 16th in the southeast region for Keller Williams. And he is killing it. Um, he is um, a burst of energy. And I think that, um, he has a lot of insight in terms of the things that he is doing, literally. I remember when Rodney was selling CDs, he used to rap. Yeah, I’m like looking at him.

Speaker5: So many people.

Olivia J. Price: Don’t know that. They’re like, yeah, you know.

Speaker5: Rodney.

Olivia J. Price: I’m like, yes. Rodney used to be a hustler. And just looking at how he started from here and how all of that comes into full circle. You being from the force coming into real estate now, going into investment, it comes in full circle. You and I forget what you did prior to, um, lending. What did you do prior to lending?

Jordan Nutter: I was selling curtain rods.

Speaker5: Oh.

Jordan Nutter: I had three jobs. I was selling curtain rods. I was an assistant. And I did like catering jobs on the side. I had three jobs, so.

Olivia J. Price: Do you think that having that type of hustle has.

Speaker5: Helped.

Olivia J. Price: You to be able to come up with ideas like touring the nation.

Speaker5: And having you rap an RV for your.

Johnathan Crego: Curtain rods?

Speaker5: No. Oh, see?

Olivia J. Price: Nah, that was the nah. That was the finale. Okay.

Speaker5: No.

Olivia J. Price: But just I feel like everyone in their past life coming into now, it says something about your character and what you’re willing to do and how you do it, which right now in our industry, I just said 71% of agents did not sell last year, right? So not only are we touching the consumers, we’re touching agents too, to learn to hey, we’re still in it. We’re doing our thing and we need all our agents to come together, especially in this time, right? So all things real estate, you guys. Until next time.

Speaker5: All right.

Johnathan Crego: Thank you for listening.

 

About Your Host

Olivia-J-PriceOlivia J. Price is a nationally recognized real estate broker, entrepreneur, and advocate for financial empowerment. As the founder and CEO of the Olivia J Price Real Estate, a top 1% real estate team in the southeast region, Olivia has quickly become one of the youngest African American women to lead a top-producing real estate company in Georgia.

A proud graduate of East Side High School, Olivia’s early leadership skills were honed through her active participation in organizations such as Future Business Leaders of America and Junior Honor Society. Despite facing financial hardships that interrupted her college journey, she transformed her challenges into a launching pad for success — purchasing her first home at just 21 years old and building a thriving business soon after.

Olivia’s dedication and performance have earned her multiple prestigious accolades, including “Rising Star,” “Beacon of the Year,” “Best of Gwinnett,” “Best of Snellville” and top 3 rankings for closed units and closed volume across Northeast Atlanta. Beyond her personal achievements, Olivia served as one of the youngest African American board directors for the Georgia Association of Realtors, the NE Atlanta Metro Association of Realtors, the Women’s Council of Realtors Gwinnett, and the City of Loganville Development Authority.

Deeply committed to community impact, Olivia leads grassroots initiatives that promote financial literacy, real estate education, and career mentorship for young women in high school, especially those from underserved backgrounds. She offers free educational seminars, “Lunch and Learn” sessions for essential workers, and online real estate workshops featured on CBS’s Focus Atlanta.

Olivia J. Price’s journey — overcoming barriers of sexism and ageism — exemplifies the transformative power of resilience, leadership, and service. She continues to inspire a new generation to pursue homeownership, entrepreneurship, and generational wealth.

Follow Olivia on Facebook and Instagram.

Yves Lamothe with Rockbox Fitness Rockledge

May 12, 2025 by angishields

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Denver Business Radio
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Yves-LamotheYves Lamothe is a results-driven NASA Project Manager, serial entrepreneur, certified life coach, and visionary community leader committed to making impact at every level. At NASA, Yves leads high-stakes projects supporting ground systems and human spaceflight, applying expert-level precision, strategic foresight, and cross-functional leadership to ensure mission success.

Outside of NASA, Yves is the founder and CEO of multiple thriving ventures: Rockbox Fitness Rockledge, DJ Yves Entertainment, SNY Vending, and the nonprofit RockinLife Corp. His entrepreneurial portfolio spans fitness, entertainment, tech, and community outreach—each business built with purpose and a commitment to improving lives.

As a life coach, Yves empowers individuals to unlock their potential, embrace discipline, and live with intention. Whether he’s training teams, speaking at events, or mentoring clients, he brings the same Marine Corps grit and motivational energy to every interaction. Rockbox-Fitness-logo

Yves is also a published author, diversity advocate, and innovator behind multiple startup platforms that blend technology with human connection. His nonprofit work through RockinLife uplifts people affected by Parkinson’s, autism, trauma, and more—proving that business can be both profitable and profoundly meaningful.

From launching rockets to launching dreams, Yves Lamothe doesn’t just lead—he transforms lives, builds movements, and inspires greatness.

Connect with Yves on LinkedIn.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Coming to you live from the Business RadioX studio. It’s Franchise Marketing Radio. Ready to revolutionize your franchise with AI? Franchise now empowers franchises with advanced AI solutions, automatic processes, and enhanced marketing strategies. From personalized customer interactions to predictive analytics, we help you harness AI to drive growth and efficiency. Transform your franchise with the power of AI. Visit Franchise Now to learn more and take your business into the future. Now here’s your host.

Rob Gandley: Welcome back, everybody to Franchise Marketing Radio, where we connect with the most dynamic minds in franchising, marketing, innovation, and entrepreneurship. I’m your host, Rob Gandley, and today we’re diving in to a powerhouse conversation with Someone who is literally launching rockets by day and launching dreams by night. Joining us today is Yves Lamothe. I got him laughing. If you can hear him in the background there. He is a NASA project leader, serial entrepreneur, certified life coach, and the visionary franchise owner behind Rock Box Fitness in Rockledge, which is in Florida. Yves brings a truly unmatched fusion of leadership, discipline and purpose to everything he does, from commanding mission critical operations at NASA to empowering lives through fitness, entertainment, vending tech, and nonprofit work. Yves is a community builder, a marine Corps veteran, a motivational force, and a man who understands what it takes to drive excellence across sectors. We’re honored to have him here today and explore the strategies, stories, and systems behind his success and how franchising plays a pivotal role to it all. Welcome to the show, Yves.

Yves Lamothe : Oh, hey. How’s it going, everybody? How’s it going, Rob?

Rob Gandley: Great to have you. I know it was a it was a it was a quite the intro. But like in meeting you, I was kind of blown away. Gotta say in the, in the diversity of what you do and do. Well which we’ll talk more about. And I also know you have a book that you just released. You’re going to share that more with us today. But one of the one of the questions I have and stuck in my brain is like, when you hear about NASA folks, like, no doubt, like when we talk about projects with you guys, it’s like in the nine figures, right? Hundreds of millions of dollars. A lot on the line. A lot of most a lot of pressure. Big teams. You’re doing that. But somehow knew inside you are also a person that wanted to help others and be entrepreneurial and create new things. And here you have all these other projects. So I want to start with, how did those two paths meet and how did you become an entrepreneur? That was also a NASA. A NASA project leader.

Yves Lamothe : You know, one of the things that I’ll say is, um, what it boils down to the common denominator is intent. Right. Um, you know, over at NASA, you can still people you can, you know, help them grow, you can help them be a better version of, of themselves now that the money you manage is, you know, is for the people itself. Right? All the work that we do is for the benefit of mankind. And when I look at business, um, I think about what can I do for my community. Right. Um, NASA is what can I do for the world? And, you know, my businesses is what can I do for the community, right. And then because the intent is the same, that’s where the similarities like, you know, come in like, really, really, really deep in for me because whether I’m, um, you know, I’m here leading my team with all the work that we’re doing in support of the Artemis missions, um, at NASA, or if I’m in my businesses and I’m beating somebody up in my gym, or I’m providing healthy food alternatives for them, or I am helping people with Parkinson’s and autism and veterans and or if I’m, you know, out there DJing, entertaining people, uh, it’s all about, you know, I’m doing my part to give the community, you know, the people around me, the people, you know, um, around this planet, uh, a a, um, uh, a better life to live, you know? So, um, I’m a servant leader and, uh, and, and, you know, and I’m also internally, I’m one of those people that just loves to live life on purpose. Right. And and so if I can do it, man, if I can experience it and if I can, like, you know, put a smile on someone’s face or help somebody out along the way, then why the heck not?

Rob Gandley: Well, I gotta say, like I, I’ve been a student of the way you’re speaking, right? Um, most would hear you and say, and I, I would tell this to any young entrepreneur or someone getting started in business, you know, one thing at a time, right? And, you know, when you look back at what you’re doing now, you just rattled off some major things that a lot of people would be daunted just to do the DJ thing, right, or whatever. And so but that’s, you know, what I heard is a lot of sowing and reaping, a lot of, uh, open hearted, you know, there’s more than enough room, right? I have more than enough capacity. It’s for the right reasons. I’m sowing the seed in the right places, and I’m having the capacity to give back. And that, to me, is you’re demonstrating it. You’re living it. You’re you’re you’re representative of it. You’re not just talking about it. So. But tell me though, like, just so we can tie it to franchising a little. Interesting guy. So what was compelling about the rock box connection and the franchise idea, because you were already sort of doing things on your own and already pretty accomplished in different ways. But what drew you to that sort of franchise business model and approach?

Yves Lamothe : Well, you know, um, that that one is, uh, is is so interesting. You know, I I’m, I’m a, you know, textbook story, you know, grew up, um, at a younger age. Um, I was a chubby kid. And then I started, you know, at some point in my teens, I started playing sports. Felt really good about myself. And then I was like, man, you know, I want other people to feel that good, too. Then I joined the military, and and I just wanted my favorite thing in the military was the training. I love, love, I mean, the traveling was good too, but the training was was man, this is it’s hard. But for whatever reason, I, I loved it. And, um, and because I, I am, you know, one of those people that I, I want to help people live their best life. I want them to feel good. Um, it’s like, I feel like there’s always been a coach inside of me, right? And, um. So for the longest time, you know, I’ve had, um, many groups of friends that we would work out together, do all these, you know, sort of crazy, crazy things together. I competed in bodybuilding. Um, and and I’ve coached at various gyms and then and at some point, right.

Yves Lamothe : With my entrepreneurial mind, it was man, you know, I want to have my, my own place. I, you know, I want to I want to be able to have more of a say in what I bring, what I bring to the people now. And, you know, there there are some pros and cons with, you know, say, having your own, your own gym, your own place, your own thing. You do you run it however you want it. Um, you know, the nice thing about franchising is, um, is there’s, there’s a platform that you work on and it makes it a whole lot easier and manageable to, you know, to go ahead and, um, and lay that out and be able to bring people in and help them change their change their lives. But, um, you know, in regards to fitness, it is just something that I that’s that’s even to this day, um, I my alarm goes off at 1:55 a.m. every day. I’m in the gym at 2:30 a.m. every day, and, um, and I go, I start my day off with, um, with that workout, and, um, and I and I love, uh, that that I have my, my own, my own gym and that I’m able to bring people in and share that with them and help them feel good about themselves and help them change their lives and, and give them that outlet that, that they need, like after a long day at work or before they get there, before they get their day, their day started.

Yves Lamothe : And, um, you know, particularly with Rockbox, it’s um, I’ve coached at many gyms and, um, and one of the things that I really loved about Rockbox was this combination of functional training and, uh, and boxing, it’s just a combo that I, that I never really seen anywhere with, with, um, any, any other, um, fitness boutiques and, um, and a buddy of mine who, um, we were both at F45 and he and he said, hey man, you got to come up and check this out. And I literally bought a plane ticket, flew up to North Carolina and tried to class and met the, you know, the CEO and the folks that were behind, you know, on what they were doing. And I just I just fell in love with it. And in two days later, I bought three territories and I said, I’m going to spread this all all over my community if I in any way that I can. And and here I am today.

Rob Gandley: That’s that’s beautiful. So yeah, I was thinking of the military. I love talking to military guys of utmost respect. Um. Thank you. Yeah. And I, I know what you mean by changing your life. Just the idea of discipline and fitness and and just having pride and purpose and and all of that. But, like, you know, being an American and having, having, having the military by our side, I mean, we just don’t think about it. In my lifetime, I haven’t had to worry about my safety. Uh, so I appreciate the people that pay those sacrifices, right? And I know you enjoyed it and got stuff from it. Uh, so that was good. But thank you. And, um, but my question is, how does how does that discipline, that training? How would you say that overlaps with some of the experience you had becoming a franchisee in a sort of a structured path, kind of a business model or entrepreneur journey? How did that kind of with any overlaps, anything that you were pleasant to see that, you know, kind of matched your the way you are?

Yves Lamothe : Um, you know, I would say and I can’t I’m not going to speak for everybody, but I do know with me, um, a lot of the discipline and structure that you get in the military, um, I mean, my gosh, that was almost 30 years ago for me and I, and I still it still lives with me. You know, I feel that, um, you know, a lot of times when I talk about, you know, doing something, getting something done, then it’s, you know, I have to get it done. I have to be a man of my word. I have to, you know, follow through. I have to, um, have integrity. I have to be disciplined. And and those are things that I carry with me, um, at, at with everything that I do with all endeavors. Right. I want to I want to commit to, um, to what I’m doing, and, um, and, you know, the way I see it is, I’m either going to grow up or I’m going to learn something from it. So, you know, just just get it. Get it done. Right? Yeah. Um, so there there is, there is quite a bit of of of over of overlap. Now, um, where there needs to be a balance is with military is, you know, failure is not an option. Right. And, and so you always do what you got to do to accomplish the mission.

Yves Lamothe : But you could never, ever, ever forget about balance, right. You know, um, when you have wife and kids. Um, when you have, um, you know, friends, family and other obligations, you can’t be so, you know, like gung ho that you miss out on, on on them too. Right. So you gotta, you gotta know, like, how to balance, like, all the things that you have on your plate. Um, everything that all the people that are, you know, that you surround yourself with and make sure that they, they get that time to make sure that, you know, that there’s good balance when it comes to, you know, it’s easy for me to say between, you know, writing books, TV shows and movies and my full time job at NASA, owning businesses, including nonprofits and and all those things, man. Like, you know, that’s that is a lot for for for one, for one person, right? And when I say one person, I say that very lightly. Because with every single thing that I do, it is so important that I have a team behind. Me that I trust that I, that I can grow, that I, that I know that if I put this in their hands, they’re, they’re going to continue to get to get things done and make sure I interact with them so that, you know, they’re we’re always in sync.

Yves Lamothe : We always know what’s going on. We’re always like, you know, moving in in the right direction, so to speak. And and again, that’s where that balance comes in, where I can step back a little bit and make sure that I have enough of me for all those things around me, plus time to myself to, to be honest with you. You know, one of the things is as an entrepreneur is there is um, or business owner, I should say entrepreneur, business owner, there are going to be so many things that you’re going to have to deal with, you know, payroll, you got to pay the bills, you got employees, you got to reprimand someone, you got to fire someone, you got to hire someone. You got to train someone. You got to keep the business coming in. You got to partner up with other businesses. You got competition. Oh my God. Right. Um, it can it can certainly be, um, over overwhelming. Um, Um, but where the discipline I’m going to turn that back to discipline with a discipline comes in is, you know, there I believe that businesses fail because folks don’t do what they’re supposed to do, right? It’s it’s, um, you know, I think it’s easy for people to talk themselves out of.

Yves Lamothe : Well, I don’t want to do that, or I’m not comfortable doing that. Like, say, you know, you’re not comfortable doing cold calls, like, you know, calling people and asking them to come to your business and give it a shot and things like that, you know, um, and if you don’t want to do it, that’s fine, but hire someone who will, you know, um, so you got to do the things that you got to do to keep your to keep your business alive. Right. Um, the concept of build it and they will come is it doesn’t always work like that because there is there are so many people with that mindset. Build it and people will come and and so when you have like two too many businesses and people, you know, they, they will go to various places and you may not get the business. You you may not be able to execute the business model that you’re necessarily looking for. Um, so so there’s a lot involved in running your business. And that includes, you know, again, growing your people, trusting your people and, and, and delegating to them so that you, they, they can keep things rolling while you go expand work and and do and do other things. So it’s it’s a it’s definitely a balancing act.

Rob Gandley: So you you said a tremendous amount. And I think there’s something some gold in this for, for people listening because in most cases people are sort of they’re sort of um, in a one trick pony, if you will, or they’re, they have one business and they struggle with family, they struggle with personal obligations. They’re all in. And much of it has to do with the comments you made about trusting and growing people, and because you wouldn’t be able to do what you do. I can speak for anyone that doesn’t know, like what the amount of stuff you’re doing is on purpose because of the way that you treat people and the way you balance things. It’s amazing. You’re saying, look, I’m doing 19 things, but somehow I have balance like that. It’s the balance that enabled in my from what I’m hearing. And you can give us more input on that. And maybe your book gets into some of these ideas. But to be sure, this person that can have a corporate career, that they just happen to love and don’t want to leave, right. You want to be there, and then you have this desire to have a way to help the community.

Rob Gandley: Right. And then you have these other desires to do different things. You know, playing on your abilities and how do you balance it and still look at it like, I’ve got to take care of the family. I’ve got to take care of the people. And it’s in that exploration of giving and sharing with others and helping others be their best. That allows you to do more instead of less. Yeah. And it’s interesting. So I’m just dying to kind of dive into that. But before we get into your into your book, I know kind of explore some of these ideas. What I wanted to do is get back to Rock box for a minute because you you said something earlier on about how unique it was. And what I wanted to ask you is the idea of kickboxing and high energy. Like, what is it about the blend of what they do that makes it so unique? Because you had mentioned it. Now I want to dig in a little deeper. What is unique about that approach?

Yves Lamothe : Um, you know, so, you know, you do you have the functional training, which I think everybody needs that, right? Um, you know, where you lift weights, um, you know, you do some bodyweight exercises and things like that. All all of that, um, is important and it and it works well. Um, but there’s there’s just something about, um, you know, the, like, hitting the bag. Like, there’s. There’s this this power. There’s this energy that there’s this thing behind it. Um, and it’s like, um, the same endorphins that that are released when a runner goes for a run, when they have, like, a really, really good run. It’s, it’s it’s the same, same kind of ordeal for, um, you know, for the boxing and kickboxing aspect of it. Now, um, you know, another thing for me is like, I’m a very, uh, you know, I would say more or less a nontraditional coach, right? Um, even even as a, as a DJ, as a personal trainer, as a life coach, as a one, one of the most important things is knowing how to read people. Right? And, um, when I have a class full of people and then I, you know, I, you know, I think I always feel that I’m responsible for setting the energy in the room. I’m watching all my members, how they’re moving, what they’re doing, what they need, what they’re capable of, and etc. and and that’s how I deliver the same thing when I’m deejaying. Right? I’m looking at across the room and I’m. And I’m trying to figure out like, okay, I have I have grandma over there. I got some young kids, I got some, you know, some mid, middle, middle aged folks or whatever now.

Yves Lamothe : And that music has to marry the crowd so that everybody has a great time, you know. And and so my classes, my classes are run the exact same way and then and the, the synergy of, you know, like how I coach my classes, the music is blasting, the lights are on, the folks are primed and they’re ready to go. And oh my God, man, I’m those people. Listen when when I have, you know, 30, 30, 35 people lined up in the morning because they want to come in and get some of that, you got to be doing something good. You know, when you wake up at 4:00 in the morning just to go to the gym and work out because it’s like, you know, you’re going to feel so good after you get done doing what you you know, what we’re going to do? It’s it’s it’s, uh, it’s definitely, um, something something great, you know? Yeah. Um, but but, yeah, it’s it’s, uh, it’s just the, the combination of, you know, the challenges. It’s not just a jab cross. It’s not just a hook hook. It’s not just a front kick. Right? It is. It’s a combination. Depending on what body part we’re working of, how you execute the exercise. And at the same time you’re challenging them. But they’re having a great time with it. At the same time. It’s it’s this weird. Think of it as like, uh, mixing sir mix a lot with the Beatles, you know, and it’s like, whoa, wait, wait a minute. I mean, why do I like this? You know? Yeah. It’s different.

Rob Gandley: It reminds me.

Yves Lamothe : Yeah. And but it works. It works so good, you know?

Rob Gandley: Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s very cool. Um. All right. Well, I appreciate that. And that is something to say. I mean, that people are committed. I when you said earlier. Yeah, I get up at, uh, 155 or something, I said to myself, that’s crazy. That’s just crazy. Then I thought about it. About him like, but yeah, you got to be there earlier than everybody else. Maybe. I mean, if you want the personal time, I kind of understand. I’m thinking your best customers probably come at 435, whatever it is. Yeah, like whenever the door opens. Um, but. Yeah. So. So that is the case. Uh, so now go ahead.

Yves Lamothe : I’m sorry. You know, I was going to say, um, you know, one of the things, because I’ve had this conversation with so many people and it’s like, you know, oh, my God, I can’t believe you wake up at 155 and, you know, and this and that and, um, you know, anything is only as crazy as you let yourself think it is, right? Um, I, you know, I remember, um, this documentary I watched about Mike Tyson and Mike Tyson said, you know, he’s the kind of person, you know, he’ll wake up at 3:00 in the morning and he’s going to go for his run, and he’s going to get to the gym, and he’s going to work on his moves and and this and that. And and if he heard his competitor was waking up at 230 to go, he’s like, well, I’m going to wake up at 130 and go, you know. And if his competitors is waking up at, you know, whatever time he’s going to wake up before them because, you know, in, in his mind, it’s like, no, he’s not going to work harder than me. You know, I’m going to be the hardest working person in the room. And I’m and I’m just going to get it done. And it’s a it’s a mindset. It’s a mindset that, you know, if you limit yourself or if you say it’s impossible, then of course, yeah, it will, it will be. But if you’re committed and you want it and you’re you’re going to do whatever you need to do to make it happen. And I and I think that that’s a mindset that folks, you know, should have especially like if, if you’re starting a business right there, there is no oh my God, this is no, it’s I’m going to do what I need to do to make my business successful. And and so what, what what what needs to be done. And let’s, let’s go get it.

Rob Gandley: Yeah. Well, there’s two things I thought of like. One is I heard a motivational speech by Arnold Schwarzenegger once, and he kind of said something in a different way. He’s like, there are no rules. You know, don’t break the law, but break the rules. Meaning why do you think that in your mind, who put that in your mind that you can’t get up at two in the morning? Right. All right. If you go to bed at midnight, maybe that’s not a good plan, right. But.

Yves Lamothe : Right.

Rob Gandley: But like, who says you can’t adjust your life and put that effort in. Right. And just do that right. And it just becomes your mindset, like you said with Mike Tyson. So okay, with that being said, I want to kind of dive into the book because I know it’s it’s a new book and it’s been on your heart and mind now for a while and getting that all together. So why don’t we talk about that? Tell us about, first of all, the name of the book and the and the inspiration of it. And then who is the real audience of it? Like what? What problems are you solving? What message are you getting out there? So everything right? World peace?

Speaker4: Yes, exactly.

Yves Lamothe : Um, the book is called, um, built for this, and it’s, um, from burnout to breakthrough in, in business and in life. That’s the name of the book. And, um, the audience is for, you know, those that are curious, those that are already in business, those that are starting a business. And, um, and, you know, it really, um, it’s one of those things if you’re going to endeavor in that, if you’re thinking about it because it’s, it’s something that you feel like it’s inside that you want to go do, or if you’re in the midst of it and it’s and you feel stuck or you, you have those you’re having those moments. Um, it’s a good book to read. Um, you know, to, to, um, find your balance, you know, and I talked about that, um, earlier and, um, and, you know, the way you know what, what I’m really going to say is, um, the way you you talk to yourself like if if, um, every time something bad happens, you’re like, oh, my God, this is hard, you know? Then you’re always going to think like it’s hard, right? If, um, you have an employee that, you know, um, you know, is not working the way that they need to, but you’re you don’t like confrontation. You don’t want to hurt their feelings or you don’t want to fire them or whatever. Well, you know, don’t wonder why your business is failing because you don’t have the right folks that are, you know, putting into your business, like like you need them to. Right. Um, it’s never anything personal.

Yves Lamothe : So, um, you know, you said it, um, you know, well, when you were talking about Arnold Schwarzenegger breaking, breaking the rules there when it when it comes to, you know, how you run your business and what the things that you have to do to be successful, those hard things. Right? You can’t be afraid to do them. You can’t be afraid to let somebody go. Um, because they’re not performing. You can’t be afraid to let somebody know how they can improve. Give them that feedback. You can’t be afraid to pick up the phone and call somebody and ask them to come check out your business and then come buy services from you because, you know, you offer, you know, um, good stuff. You you can’t be afraid. Um, you know, to to lead a team. You can’t be afraid to stand to stand out front. You have to. If it’s truly something that you want to do, you have to own it holistically. But going in knowing that, yes, I’m going to put in the work, but I’m also going to take care of myself because I need to remain balanced so that when all these crazy things happen, I’m here, I’m present, and I’m able to deal with them. Right. And so so the book really talks about things like there’s, there’s, you know, sections about business to business, like, you know, when you’re partnering up with another business to help promote your business and help get yourself out there in the community, how you deal with your employees. Um, you know, um, how even you do like some of your, um, accounting.

Yves Lamothe : Counting, right? Making sure that you know you’re setting aside money to pay the bills. Money for emergencies. Money for yourself. Because if you don’t do that and then you just kind of kind of let it be. Um, you never really kind of you’re never really able to really kind of look at your, like, say your, um, your profit account and say, yeah, you know what, man? I worked and look at that, I have money, I did that, I did some there’s, there’s, there’s the fruits of my labor right when it’s all jumbled up like, you know, we look at things jumbled up. So it’s really about the psychology behind, um, you know, what it takes to be a business owner and how you go about running your business, how you treat your people, how you talk to yourself, your own belief system. Right. Which is that that can either break you or make you right. Um, if you don’t, if you don’t talk to yourself, if you don’t, if you if your inner coach doesn’t give you good advice, right? Um, and and you see that whatever you know, your inner coach told you to do, you did, and it didn’t work. And, um, if you can’t tell your inner coach to shut up. Right. Um, this this is not the right thing to do. Um, then you’re always going to keep repeating the same. The same mistakes, right? So, um, you always you always want to make sure that, you know, again, you know, at your core, you’re very well centered.

Yves Lamothe : You’re balanced because things are going to come at you and you just got to be ready. Ready, you know, ready to deal with them. Um, and I feel that, you know, for me, with everything that I have going on, it’s, it’s something that I’ve learned to master because, you know, I’ve been in situations where, you know, hey, somebody didn’t show up for an event. Somebody decided that they were just going to walk off and quit. Um, somebody got in a in a in a car accident. A member, um, came up and they were, you know, going crazy because of something that happened and etc. there are going to be situations where it’s like you got to be able to keep your cool. Okay guys, well, here, here’s what we’re going to do and let’s go. Let’s go address the problem. That’s that’s that’s the biggest benefit that I’ve seen from that is I am very confident in how I deal with things and I’m not so worried. Okay. It’s like something happened. All right. Here’s based on the circumstances, the situation or whatever the case may be, let’s do this to, you know, to hold off and then and then we will we’ll get back on track as soon as, as soon as we can. It’s never the end of the world. It’s never a panic. It’s never oh, my God. You know, I don’t I don’t I don’t have those oh my god moments because I’m able to remain balanced at all times with all the things that I have going on.

Rob Gandley: Yeah. So tell me more. Are you. We’re hitting on some amazing things I think are are freeing, not just from a business, but just a life point of view.

Speaker4: Yeah.

Rob Gandley: So like when we talk about fear, like you mentioned, you know, the dealing with fear. Let’s talk about that for a second. And then the other part I wanted to get into is do you believe words create a reality, right. And that inner game that you talked about. Right. So like let’s start with fear first, because I think we all feel that when we do new things, most of us. Right. We the whole idea of doing something the first time. Right. It’s like, I don’t know how people can react or I don’t know how they’re. So how do you recommend folks just quick idea of like how do you deal with things that you maybe that you’re a little bit apprehensive about, like you said, picking a phone up or looking to reach out to a business partner and maybe strike a deal or whatever it is. You have an idea, right? And then you don’t execute. Maybe it’s fear blocking it, right? How do you how do you how would you recommend people deal with the feeling of fear? Because I know the feeling can be there, but it’s how you deal with it and execute around it and through it. But can can you help the audience understand maybe how that.

Speaker4: And so.

Yves Lamothe : Um, you know, fear, fear for me is, um, um, you know, the best, the best way that I, that I can, I can describe it is, you know, you you you don’t know, right. And then, so a lot of times, um, if, if I don’t know how somebody is, is going to react to something or what’s going to happen if I try this or or that. Uh, a lot of times I feel like it has it has something to do with, with the your, your inner self. Right. You know, some people have fear of rejection. Some people, um, what if they don’t like it? What if, what if, what if, what if. Well, you know, um, I, I really and and, you know, it’s hard for me to even go back in the beginning when, when I’ve, when I’ve ever even had, like, a thought about this kind of stuff. Um, Um, but I tend to always look at those kinds of things as opportunities. Right. And then so what I mean by that is, um, if I call someone and, you know, they, they’re like, yeah, no, thanks. I don’t I don’t want to try your product this and that, blah, blah, blah or whatever. Then for me, it’s an opportunity to maybe, maybe I need to change my approach. You know, maybe let me try the call like that for the next three. And then if I get nothing, maybe let me try a different approach. It’s it’s like if I’m a baker, if I, if I, if I make a cookie. Right. And then I, and I have you tried and you’re like, oh my God it’s terrible, you know.

Speaker4: Then let me look.

Yves Lamothe : Let me look at the ingredients. Right.

Speaker4: Let me what did I.

Yves Lamothe : Put in there. You know. And so I always look at, you know, the unknowns as opportunities like, you know, it’s it’s an opportunity for me to, to to grow. It’s, it’s not a, it’s I don’t let it be like a, a reflection, so to speak, like, oh my God, like I’m I don’t want to be rejected. I don’t want somebody to like, not like me or not want me or not want my product or not want my service or whatever. I know that I’m not going to be for everybody, and I accept that. So there’s an acceptance part of it, acceptance part of it, where it’s you have to understand that like there’s different strokes for different folks, right? And sometimes it’s not even it’s not even about the product. It’s it’s about the community. It’s about you. It’s about how you treat people. It’s about the customer service. Right? I tell my people all the time, like, you know, we don’t we don’t sell things, right? We sell relationships. We sell relationships. That’s that’s what we’re selling. Because the way you treat people, um, that draws them to you if you treat them kindly, if you give them the support, if you if you, you know, sometimes it’s not there might be a better product out there, but because they have a relationship with you, they’re always going to come to you, right? Um, and now it doesn’t mean that, you know, you don’t do whatever you can to always improve and and level up your quality and, and things like that.

Yves Lamothe : But it’s all about the relationship. It’s all about the relationship with the people and how you treat how you treat the people. But again, you know, for me it’s um, fear is it’s opportunity. I look at it and what I’m doing is I’m reframing what fear is. Like, oh my gosh, I don’t know. Well, let me go learn. I have an opportunity to go learn. So so people going into business, they have to learn how to reframe these things in their, in their minds so that it it’s it doesn’t hold them back. Right. If, if I, if I, if every time I hear fear I’m like, oh okay. What can I learn? Then I address fear very differently. It’s not an issue anymore.

Rob Gandley: Yeah. You’re just checking yourself. I mean, it’s so much about your inner game. It’s it’s about how you look at things. And I love the word frame. I use it constantly as a marketer and and as a communicator. It is. It is important to understand a frame, right? What is the frame around that idea? But that was brilliant. Thank you. Um, I wanted to make sure, uh, that we I wanted to ask you just briefly, because we do talk about marketing a lot. Um, just in your experience, because you mentioned a few times and, and, you know, we both know that being a local business owner gives you an opportunity to know the community around you. And, uh, that’s part of it. And part of the marketing is the experience and the word of mouth. But tell me is, you know, if you could sum it up, what are some of the lessons you’ve learned about marketing a local business, and what are some of the things that you would, you know, tips you might share with other new business owners or even new franchisees? Even knowing franchising, they give you a playbook. You’ve learned a lot. You again, you had to just do what it took. I know sometimes you got to go a little outside the bounds of the. Of what the exact playbook is. But tell me, what have you learned from a marketing standpoint with this type of business?

Yves Lamothe : Um, you know, when it when it comes to marketing, it’s it’s value. Um, what what kind of value are you are you giving to, um, the people. Right. And then if you can stack value, um, then it almost seems like you’re cheap, like, oh, my God, I’m getting all of this. And and I only have to pay that. Holy moly. Okay. You know, but but that’s, um, that’s the thought that you kind of want, um, someone to, um, uh, someone to walk away with. Um, anytime they see your, your ad, if they see an ad, it’s got, you got a stack value so good that they’re like, oh, my God, I got to go check this out. Right? And then when when they come see you again, like, the value has to be, like, so big that they feel like why would I walk away from this deal? Like it does not make any sense. Like, you know, I need this in my life, right? And so, um, the way, you know, even marketing, marketing is, um, is truly a, um, um, a psychological, um, thing, right? And, um, and the other thing, too, is, uh, with one thing that I think that is very important for any franchise owner is to always remember that it is not your job to spend other people’s money. Right. Um, you know, when if I am, I, I tell my staff this all the time, um, Mercedes doesn’t they don’t change their prices, right? Every car dealership has a sale. Sure. Okay. But, you know, if you go to a Mercedes dealership expecting to pay the, you know, the price of a Pinto, right? They’re going to they’re going to say no, we can’t do that.

Yves Lamothe : And, um, when you go buy a Mercedes, um, you know, it’s really up to you to figure out how you can afford it now. They’ll they’ll have different financing options for you. They’ll have, like, you know, different things that they can offer you. But as far as the price goes, they’re keen on it because they they believe in the value of, of their product. So when, when you market, it’s, um, you know, Mercedes is going to tell you at the end of the day, Mercedes is a car with four wheels and a gas tank and a steering wheel, and it gets you from point A to point B, right? But when I stack value and tell you you’re going to have beautiful colors, serene sounds, and the sound system is going to be so amazing, it’s going to drive so fast, the seats are going to be so comfortable, they’re going to heat and they’re going to cool and they’re going to oh my gosh. And and now you, you kind of fall in love with what it what it represents. Now, can I go buy a Toyota that will give, that will take me from point A to point B? 100%. You know, um, and then so but but they again like it’s, it’s, you know, no matter what you’re marketing, you know, know the value of what you offer and, and make sure you stick to it. Let other people figure out how to spend their own money. It is not your job to do that.

Rob Gandley: I love that, I love that, and it made me think of one of the first things going back maybe 15, 20 years. I learned something called a a book, a short book written by a gentleman I learned a lot from. His name is Mark Joyner. Um, but he has a software company and some other things. And and he wrote a little overview. It was a book called The Irresistible Offer. And it was all about value stacking. It was making it ridiculously no brainer. You know, and I just you’re right, because people have very quick attention spans and you glance at it, read 3 or 4 bullets and be like. Did I read that right? So if you can pull that off, you need to get to that. What is that irresistible offer? But anyway, I appreciate that was it was beautiful. So as we wrap up and I know, you know, I want to respect your time. Thank you, uh, for for sharing everything you have. Um, I just there’s so much we could talk about. But what I’d love to do is many people that listen to the show, they’re. They’re wondering about franchises. They’re wondering about starting businesses. Maybe they are thinking about investing more in your kind of model. Is there is there anything that you could share that you’d want to share just as encouragement or, you know, or what to, you know, maybe what to look out for, what to ask yourself, what to look inward about. Right. Since we were talking about that. What what are they looking for in themselves to know is the right time for a business? And how do they. How can you help them make the right decision.

Yves Lamothe : Yeah. You know, um, I think that, uh, you know, I have this this whole thing that, you know, I live life on purpose, right? There’s a there’s a life to live. I don’t go through the motions of life. I live life on purpose. And what that really means is, if I’m curious something and I want, I want to key in on the word curious. Um, then then I. I want to tickle that curiosity. Right? I want to know what it what it feels like. I don’t want I want to know the if. Is it possible? Is it is it something that I can do and, and and I’m going to go do my research and figure it out. Right. And um, you know, so, so with that, you know, my, my biggest advice for anybody looking to get into business or anything like that, I would tell them to tickle their curiosity, you know, I would tell them like, you know, whatever, whatever it is you’re you’re curious about, you know, like, go find out, because I’d rather know that. Hey, I tried something, and it’s not what I thought it was. And so, you know, it didn’t work out like I expected it to. And then so I moved on to something else versus wondering for the next 30, 40, 50 years, like, man, you know what? I should have done that I wonder what it would have been like, you know, and so take that curiosity and and who knows where where it will take you, you know, who knows, like the kind of people you’re going to come across, the people, the kind of people you’re going to work with, or, you know, the kind of doors that it’s going to open for you, what you’re going to learn from it, you know, so tickle your curiosity.

Rob Gandley: I love that because, you know, you’re you’re tapping into something that I know is very true. In marketing. We talk about marketing being very psychological. We talk about micro-commitments online. Right. Just a little stuff. To me that was beautiful because it is. If you. If you go way too deep, you’re going too far. Just just tickle your curiosity because you don’t know what’s behind the conversation or the person or the interaction. It could lead to something you never thought of, even if it wasn’t the thing that you were tickling your curiosity about as being true to that intuition inside you, leading you that way. And that’s that’s what.

Yves Lamothe : Yeah, yeah. And you know, and and once those doors open, you learn so much about yourself. You learn so much about, like, your, your abilities, you I mean, it’s, it’s it’s a fascinating thing to go through and and you do it once, you know, I guess for me, I’m addicted because it’s like, I, I seem to can’t stop opening businesses and stuff like that. But, um, you know, I, I’m, I’m all about living life on purpose, and I tickle my curiosity all the time.

Rob Gandley: Yes, apparently you do.

Yves Lamothe : Yeah.

Rob Gandley: And it was a long intro Today I had to I had to squeeze it all in. But listen, I really appreciate you being on the show today. I want to make sure we wrap up and give people clarity about how to reach out to you, either the rock box locations that you have in Florida or of course, the book. If you could share a little more how they can get access to that. But could you do that? Maybe just share with the audience how to get Ahold of you and what you’re about?

Yves Lamothe : Absolutely. So, you know, of course, like I am based out in Florida. I live in Rockledge, Florida, and so is my rock box studio, my book that I just wrote. If you search my name on Amazon, you’ll actually find it. And it’s called built for this. Um, from burnout to, to breakthrough in business and in life. Right. And and so and with the title. Right, it talks a little bit about how you can easily get burnt out. Right. And, and you have you’ll have moments of breakthrough and my, you know, for me. Luckily for me, early on, my breakthrough is understanding what that balance means. And because I’ve been able to attain that balance, I feel like there’s nothing I can’t handle. There’s nothing that I cannot do. And I have, um, uh, what I call intelligent selfishness. Right? And I, and I talk about that, um, in my book, and that’s when I know when I need to take time for myself so that I am, I am good, I don’t run it, run it, run it, run it until I break. I know when to scale back and then take the time that I need so that, like, I’m always fresh and ready to handle whatever, whatever, um, comes my way.

Yves Lamothe : But, um, you know, you can download my book on Kindle. Um, you can buy it on Amazon again, if you search my name on Amazon, you’ll see that book. Um, I have I also have a book on, uh, leadership and management. Um, I have a couple kids books. Um, and it’s, um, you know, talking about how to deal with adversity. And, um, and I also have a, uh, a novel that I just wrote, um, and it’s called The Secret Girlfriend, and it’s, it’s psychological, um, drama, which, um, the mind. The mind is just something that I’m really in love with. Um, the way people think, um, the way they do, the things that they do, why they do the things that they do and how they navigate through life and, you know, things of that nature. Um, and then and my and again, my gym is, is located over in Rockledge, Florida. It’s, it’s rock box fitness of, of Rockledge. And I’d love to have anybody come on by, take a class, feel good and and let’s build relationships.

Rob Gandley: I love it. Thank you for for sharing that. It made me think, uh, you know, when you talked about the burnout versus breakthrough is really understanding the flow or the seasonality of of life and situations. And if you can stay centered, then you can stay anchored for the breakthroughs and deal before the burnout happens. Right? You don’t get burnout. You balance right.

Yves Lamothe : You totally avoid avoid burnout.

Speaker5: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Rob Gandley: That’s the only way you could do what you do. So you’re clearly doing it. I gotta, I gotta again, once again I know all the stuff you’re doing and you’re really good at what we just said, which just getting a glimpse of that would help anybody, um, in their life. So I appreciate you for the work you do. Uh, so thank you again for being on the show. Yves lament. Uh, and I just want to thank the audience again for tuning in. If you see the value, feel the value like I do every week, every every episode, please share it. And we appreciate you. And bye for now.

Speaker6: Absolutely.

 

Tagged With: Rockbox Fitness Rockledge

Michael Moorhouse with Mosquito Shield

May 12, 2025 by angishields

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Denver Business Radio
Michael Moorhouse with Mosquito Shield
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Michael-MoorhouseMichael Moorhouse is president of Mosquito Shield, America’s trusted provider of effective residential mosquito and tick control service.

Mosquito Shield, part of the Five Star Franchising platform of home service brands, was ranked the #1 franchise in pest control by Entrepreneur in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Connect with Michael on LinkedIn.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Coming to you live from the Business RadioX studio. It’s Franchise Marketing Radio. Ready to revolutionize your franchise with AI? Franchise now empowers franchises with advanced AI solutions, automatic processes, and enhanced marketing strategies. From personalized customer interactions to predictive analytics, we help you harness AI to drive growth and efficiency. Transform your franchise with the power of AI. Visit Franchise Now to learn more and take your business into the future. Now here’s your host.

Rob Gandley: Welcome back, everybody to Franchise Marketing Radio, where we bring you the stories, strategies, and successes behind some of the most innovative and fast growing franchise brands in the market. Today. I’m your host, Rob Ganley, and today our guest is no different. He is not a stranger to our show either. Uh, this is, uh, I think his second or third time back with us. His name is Michael Moorhouse. He’s the president of Mosquito Shield and decorate with lights. Uh, Michael was a dynamic leader with deep expertise in the franchise development, marketing, and business strategy. Under his leadership, Mosquito Shield has, you know, grown into a standout name. It’s been around a while. They’ve been a top brand for quite some time in the home services sector, and they’re known for their unique pest control formula, high retention rates and compelling franchise opportunities. Michael, welcome back to the show.

Michael Moorhouse: Hey, Rob, it’s always great to be with you. So thanks for having me back.

Rob Gandley: Yeah, it’s good to have you back. I love having these conversations with you guys. You do all the hard work in franchising and I get to talk about it. So anyway, you make it seem easy when when I get to spend a 45 minutes with you or what have you. Uh, but I do love talking to you. Thanks for coming back and talking to us about your business model and your brand. Uh, so let’s just get started, like you were. You were on board about a year ago, and we talked. And so why don’t you catch us up? What’s been going on? I know we’re living in a world of fast paced change. Uh, so tell me a little bit about the last year and catch us up. And for anybody that’s tuning in, maybe just a quick overview of the brand and how you serve.

Michael Moorhouse: Um, interesting. You you talked about the timeline in, uh, in March of this past year. It was 17 years for me with mosquito shield, which is kind of mind blowing. So that that caused a lot of time for reflection and pause. And it was really interesting just to reflect back on that whole time period and launching the franchise system back in 2013 and where we are today. So yeah, the past, the past year has been a whirlwind. We, you know, we’ve been blessed to be under the platform of Five Star franchising. So the resources that have come with that have allowed us to just really scale our team internally. I think we’ve had maybe 6 or 7 team members over the last 12 months. Several folks franchise business coaches to work directly with our owners. So the support that we’re providing on that end has been amazing. We’re finally launching, um, officially, you mentioned decorate with Lights, which has been a passion of mine. I helped kick off the holiday lighting brand back in 2016, and we’re formalizing that into its own franchise entity this spring. So that’ll be a separate spin off for us. But it’s a great bolt on business for our mosquito owners, where they can finish spraying in the fall and then go right to decorating, you know, decorating homes. It’s the same clientele, the people that want to have a beautiful backyard, nice summer night, want to have the best looking house during the holidays. So yeah, it’s been a busy 12 months for us.

Rob Gandley: Well, tell me a little bit about Five Star. I, you know, I’m familiar, you know, and then the concept of platform companies is starting to become more common but still not fully understood by everybody. But that does change some things and it’s pretty, pretty cool. When did that happen? I want to catch up on that. But and if you could share a little bit more about what that means to your brand.

Michael Moorhouse: Yeah. So we were acquired so privately owned in we were acquired in 2022. So March of 2022. So we just hit three years. Uh, five star was formed by two amazing franchise, especially home service giants that, uh, Scott Abbott and Chad Jones, who had started five star painting many, many years ago, I think back in 2005. And they grew five star painting into a really large national franchise. And then they sold that to neighborly, and they took a little bit of time off and then said, you know, we really want to get back into the franchise space. Let’s, you know, sort of create our own neighborly, if you would, of home service brands underneath the five star franchising platform. So you know what that means for us as one of the brands underneath their platform is all of the the shared resources that you get, that you can then hand down or pass on to your franchisees. And again, they’ve brought in since day one. They’ve brought in resources that as a privately held company, we just simply didn’t have available to us, you know. So we always struggled to scale as our as our owner base grew, like growing proportionately with that, with the support system. Those are some of the things that they brought to the table immediately.

Michael Moorhouse: And then with the shared services, you immediately got an IT department that’s five times the size of anything you could build on your own. You’ve got marketing resources that are five times what you could ever build on your own and so on. So that’s, you know, it’s been a real, like I mentioned earlier, just a real blessing being with five star learning from these guys that are just accessible 24 over seven on how they grew, you know, their own home service platform to the size that they did. And then the learnings that came with that. And so it it shortens all of our learning curve significantly. So you know, I used to say back in 2013 when we launched, like we were the best mosquito company out there because we were really the only mosquito company. We were a mosquito company that got into franchising everybody else’s franchise entities getting into this space. But we didn’t really know franchising in 2013, and we had a lot to learn in our early franchise owners where our stakeholders in the brand, you know, to this day, they’ve shaped, you know, what mosquito Shield is. But having five star there as a resource has been invaluable.

Rob Gandley: Well, and I did I was just kind of curious. And so I kind of like did a little research on, on some of the other mosquito brands. Right. And you guys and you guys are way older. You’re right. You were the mosquito company that got into franchising. And then not just not because it’s a great business model, started a franchise around it. But I noticed that you’re really or have been around a long time and uh, and I think, I mean, at least the ones I looked at, you were the oldest you had been around. Yeah.

Michael Moorhouse: And I, you.

Rob Gandley: Know, 2001. Right.

Michael Moorhouse: 2001. Exactly. Rob. And when we do new owner training. Uh, so new owners that come to the home office for a week and it’s, you know, it’s a full immersion into the brand. But we start with the history. So I kick off the week with just a quick intro, um, to who we are, because we want them going back to their local markets, embracing that. But I tell them, the most important thing about our history is that we have one right. And there’s so much so, you know, you’re locally owned and operated. You want everybody to know you’re a new business owner in your town, but you should be opening with the 20 plus years of experience that we’re giving to you, right? There’s so many learnings from that. That is such a head start. So that, you know, we lean in on that and we we really make sure that our owners lean in on that. So that’s the way I kick the training off, is making sure they realize that we are, first and foremost, the best at controlling mosquitoes out there because of that, that legacy of of where we started.

Rob Gandley: Yeah, yeah. Now quality is I remember in all our conversations that is a focus of yours. Tell me a little bit about your proprietary approach to your blend, to your to your solution. And I know that your retention rate is 90% plus whatever that is. It’s just really unusual. And I know that’s incredibly powerful for anyone interested in running a local business. But tell me. I know part of it. There’s a lot to that. But part of it is the product. And, you know, much like I think of like a food brand where the, you know, the food, the quality of the food is everything. It’s the marketing. It’s it’s the word of mouth. People talk about it. Same with you guys. I mean, if it works and it just makes your environment better, you talk about it. But tell me about what makes you guys unique there with how you formulate your product?

Michael Moorhouse: Yeah, I’d love to. So we learned a long time ago that, you know, when you buy something off the shelf, like you can get results, but we weren’t seeing the results that we thought would make this a scalable business. And that is what you mentioned, retention rates, which leads to recurring revenue. When you know that 8 or 9 out of every ten customers are coming back for life. Like that’s just that’s recurring revenue. And that’s happening because the results are so good. And I mean, listen, if you look at if you take some of the other other people in this space, you know, and they’re in the 60 to 75% retention rate, like that’s decent in home services, like compared to lawn care, that they lose half their customers every year. People are shopping around for greener grass. As a homeowner, when you have 8,590% of your customers coming back, you can really build off of that. And that’s really a big part of that is the proprietary blend. So we back in probably 2004 started the owner, the founder of Mosquito Shield, to his credit, started, uh, playing with just formulations and doing a lot of research and, and putting together blends of all natural oils. And, uh, there was a lot of trial and error in the beginning of what’s working, what’s not working. But what we saw over a short period of time was just service calls going way down. Word of mouth increasing, so more sales coming in, which meant customers were happier with what was happening. And uh, and we really noticed it.

Michael Moorhouse: If you go back to 2008, 2009, when the economy was crashing, the founder had a lawn care franchise, and those customers were canceling during the during the crash of 0809. But what we saw that was super unique was that they were keeping the mosquito service. So, you know, again, my comment earlier that the important thing about our history is we have one. We saw what happened after nine over 11 because we were in business, and we saw how mosquito increased because people were staying home. And then 0809 was the advent of of the staycation. People were staying home in 0809, canceling their lawn care service but keeping their mosquito control. And then, uh, again, we exploded during Covid, right? So now we’ve got some some uncertainty about the economy right now. And, uh, you know, what we know for our, our owners is that we’re in a really good position because of our history of seeing what happens in down economies, but a lot of it has to do with that proprietary blend. It’s a blend of all natural oils. It’s a 25 B product, which means it’s a EPA exempt product. We do use some control materials that all the other companies use, but this allows us to use a lot less of it, but also to get another what they call mode of action. So it has its own killing properties, its own repelling properties. So when you mix it and it’s a recipe that we call it and we train the owners on it, it’s just it’s far superior results. Yeah.

Rob Gandley: Yeah. So 90% is still really high right. So and your business model, I just kind of want to pack it slightly with why that is. Right. Like obviously the product is key. And I thought actually what you just shared, I never realized, um, but it’s one of those things that people probably don’t want to deal with on their own. They probably aren’t quite sure what to do or what to use. Is it safe? Is it the best product? Right? It’s just interesting that in those downturns, every time people are like, now that’s one thing we’re not getting rid of, right? We’re going to keep that going because it’s almost like you’re wasting everything else. You can’t go outside. You can’t enjoy your house. Right, exactly. I mean, but that’s interesting. I mean, you’re talking in my lifetime. Those are the staple events, like, since I’ve been a professional nine over 11, 2008 and Covid. And in all of those, your model came actually got a boost. So, yeah, unpack a little bit more. Why do you think in the way you guys do business the retention rate is so high and why why you uh, why you’re having. Yeah.

Michael Moorhouse: There’s one other I think there’s one other really big component to what I would call sort of the secret sauce. And I don’t I don’t mind sharing it because it’s out there. Other concepts. I’ve tried to figure it out for a long time. It’s not an easy thing to do, but we don’t spray on a set schedule or a set number of visits. It just simply doesn’t work. And so we tell that to the homeowner. We market it. It’s on our website. We’re going to we’re going to monitor in your market Rob. We’re going to monitor the mosquito pressure and the weather. And we’re going to come out essentially as often as needed. So we tell the homeowner every 10 to 17 days. Any other concept out there is selling a 21 day or a 30 day program. And the reason is the control products that I mentioned, it says on the bottle, it’ll last 21 to 28 days because in the lab it still has some effective active ingredient on that 21st day. But in the real world with rain and heat, that product is not working on the 21st day the way you want it to be. So that’s why we made a shift years ago with our proprietary blender product. And then just the know how that you’ve got to be out there more frequently based on weather, that we’re coming out so much more often than the competition.

Michael Moorhouse: And the crazy thing is, we’re able to do it at a lower price point because we’re also on the property for less time. So knowing where to spray, how to spray so we can we can do a property without getting into the weeds here. We can do a property in 5 to 6 minutes, and the other guys are spending 20 minutes on a property. We’ll use two gallons on that property and they’re using 6 to 8 gallons on that property. We’re getting better results. We can pass that savings along to the homeowner. So our per spray price is less money. So when I when I look at this through the lens of business ownership. Right. So why would somebody choose like mosquito shield as a pest control company. Over over others. Like you’re getting a bigger territory, you’re paying lower fees, but you’re getting all that proprietary know how on the consumer side, like what are you selling to the homeowner? They’re getting more visits, better results, and they’re paying less, right. So there’s a lot of value proposition on both both sides of it. If you’re looking for a business opportunity, we check more boxes than any of the other options. If you buy the business and you’re going out to compete against them with the end user, the homeowner. That’s it. You’re getting more visits, better results, and you’re paying less for it.

Rob Gandley: Interesting. I mean, it’s straightforward right now I’m just curious. So the the idea that you can do what you do and I don’t want you to unpack too much, obviously, but I’m just from what I’m, what I’m, I’m packing in my mind here is you’re you’re going out more frequently. First thing I thought of was, well, that’s probably good. I don’t know that you always see the homeowner each time, but I would say that that’s an opportunity for your brand to be there. Say hello, smile, make a comment, have a conversation, whatever that might be. So that’s always good. But the other side of that was, um, and I guess the question of that would be, do you leverage the fact that you’re out there more? Is there something you think about that way? And then the other part is, is is it something to do with they know where to spray, like if it’s you just had a torrential Downpour for last week. You kind of know, okay, if that happens, here’s where we focus. Is that sort of a little bit of what you guys know?

Michael Moorhouse: You just we we use the term in, in, uh, sort of tongue in cheek when we’re training all of our owners and then even their technicians of, uh, that’s what we call sort of the spray and pray model of just every, every 21 days, dump a bunch of product on the, on the property and pray that it’s going to work. Right. Um, you can have the retention rates that we do without having amazing results, controlling something that’s near impossible to control. Like we can’t get rid of every mosquito on our property. But we will change your life in your backyard like it is a. That’s what I’ve called it forever a quality of life service. We’re allowing you to stay out at night as late as you want, as long as you want. Not having to be covered up in long sleeves or yoga pants or spraying yourself down. That’s the quality of life service we provide. But we go right down to the technician level like we hold boot camps every spring where owners will come, they’ll bring new hires. They’ll send previous texts. As a refresher. Uh, we just launched a a full scale perimeter pest program. Spiders and cockroaches, that kind of thing. So that’s a new service. So we we had a special training for that this year. But we had um, we did in-person training in Orlando. Dallas. Milwaukee. We’re doing one in Massachusetts coming up. And I mean, collectively, we will have trained this season about another 170 technicians from all over the country that are learning those exact things.

Michael Moorhouse: When you get to a property, there’s two places. Again, all the secret sauce. There’s only two places on a property you need to worry about where the homeowner is spending time, which is pretty obvious when you walk around back and see the sitting area, the fire pit, the pool like where the homeowner spending time and then where are the mosquitoes coming from? Like where are the damp, shady areas? Where are the real lush areas? Where’s is there a potential for standing water? You know what’s over the fence? You know, a lot of times you got to look over the fence and you see an abandoned pool or you see, you know, so there’s just a lot of stuff that you need to educate the homeowner on. But that’s what we do at our boot camp. Like we instill this into technicians. They’ve got to take tests. They’ve got to pass the test. If an owner sends a technician to this boot camp but they don’t attend, we report back to the owner on that technician. So it’s just a really, you know, again, learning years ago like it’s boots on the ground and what happens when the technician shows up on that property and, and we got to make sure that they are as equipped as possible.

Rob Gandley: I love that I love that it reminds me my dad was in the computer business, and someone told me a story about him one time, and it was an older guy and, uh, had a lot of respect for my dad as an engineer and a data center expert. And one of the things my dad did once they were torn, a data center, and he lifted up the floor panel and showed him a bunch of dirt on the bottom. It was. It was obstructing airflow. Like like looking on the other side of the fence. Right? It could it could be the major problem. And even though you would think it’s not your business, it’s on the other side. It’s I love that you do that extra step and make sure you know what’s on the other side.

Michael Moorhouse: Is I have this thing. I have this thing at training. I try to attend as many of them as possible. Uh, you know, over the last 12 months with this really robust team we’ve built out, it’s allowed me to not have to go to all of them, which is great. I can focus on other things, but I always tell everybody to look up, and no one ever does. Right? Everyone’s always looking down for puddles. And the problem is, you know, trash and, uh, tarps and anything holding water. But you look up and you see trees growing out of the gutters and like, you know, so it’s just. Yeah, it’s it’s it’s being you’ve got to be you got to really investigate, especially if you get a service call that happens. We do free respray. So if a customer says, hey, I’m seeing like a ton of activity. There’s no charge. We go right back out within 48 hours. That’s a company policy. We’re right back on that property. And and it’s an investigation. It’s it’s like, what did you miss? What’s hiding? Because it’s always something, right? There’s definitely something hiding somewhere that you didn’t, you didn’t see. And, um, and again, that’s what leads to really good responsive customer service, having the best product and know how out there. And then the manner in which we treat the property is, is all sort of that, um, that leads to that, you know, those magical numbers.

Rob Gandley: Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. It’s it’s all about how you make the customer feel. Right. It’s like these guys know their stuff. I love being around people that are experts. I don’t care what it’s about, to be honest. I just enjoy people that really know their craft, you know? I mean.

Michael Moorhouse: Yeah, when you’re in good hands, it’s a comforting feeling. It’s interesting having been, um, having been paralleled so long with the lawn care business because for years that’s I was I was helping with both. I was helping with the lawn care franchise while I was learning the mosquito side and getting ready to launch the franchise in 2013. You’d get people calling in, irate about their lawn, right? But they never wanted to upset the mosquito side of the office. Right. Because it’s like you’re I don’t want them to not come out. So, you know, the service calls would be the funniest thing. You’d hear someone saying, I’ve got a spot on my lawn, and you better get out here and fix it for the grass side of things. And then they’d call and be like, I may I might have seen a mosquito. I don’t, I mean, it’s okay, but like, could you come? You know, they don’t want to disrupt anything because it’s such a life altering service that we provide.

Rob Gandley: Wow. I you know, I never so let’s talk a little bit about marketing and and for those that would consider a model like this, um, I want to stay on this one. Quality of product, quality of experience. Because if you have those things, then your marketing becomes very natural as long as you just follow through a little. Right. And I’m sure you have ways of helping your franchisees figure that out, right? Take advantage of what we’ve already built, which is the best product and the best experience. Now you just need to take that a bit further and let other people know. Tell me a little bit about how you leverage that. What are the some of the tactics and strategies that go into to local marketing?

Michael Moorhouse: Yeah, no, it’s a great question. And feel free to to keep asking or jumping in because you asked a question earlier and I didn’t even fully answer it because you talked about, um, you know, the frequency of what? Of which were out on a property, if you just think about it in and of itself, that truck. And then we’re putting signs everywhere, right? So those trucks and signs are happening 2 to 3 times more than the standard company that’s only out there once a month. Right. So the the visual exposure that our brand is getting in neighborhoods. And that’s really what it’s about. It’s down to the neighborhood level. Right. So the the visual exposure, we track our sales sources every time. Right. So where did you hear about us? In the top five. In the top five. Every year. Every month. Every week is saw sign. Saw van. You know, web search is always up there, but it’s the grassroots stuff. It’s seeing the van in the neighborhood, seeing the signs in the lawn. And, you know, that’s the that’s the critical component to it. With that as some tech that we’ve layered in. So we have, you know, our routing, our software that we manage our customers with. Uh, we have a, we have a neighborhood, um, mailing option right out of the software.

Michael Moorhouse: So if we know we’re doing a route next Thursday, we can mail to that neighborhood, to the people that are not our customers saying, hey, we’re going to be here next Thursday. You know, we’ve got seven happy customers on your street. You know, that kind of thing. So super targeted. But then at the same time, we’re still putting signs out where door hanging, we’re doing all the things that you need to do just to create. If you think about Rob, this number keeps growing. But the number of touch points with the with a consumer. It takes to get them to, to to move or to act on something. You know, I think it’s I think it’s eight to 10 or 12 now of touch points. And you think about it if if a homeowner is driving into their neighborhood after work, they’re coming home, they see the van pulling out. There’s a sign on the corner, there’s a sign on the neighbor’s lawn. There’s a door hanger on their door. They pull into the driveway, go to the mailbox, get some mail, and there’s a postcard from us. Like, we just did a shit ton of things. That’s only five touches.

Rob Gandley: You still got more work to do.

Michael Moorhouse: You gotta do five more. Right. So I mean that.

Rob Gandley: Yeah.

Michael Moorhouse: Right. That’s the, um. That’s the challenge, right? The difficulty. But the beautiful part goes back to that retention rate. Once you get them the lifetime value, you can spend a few hundred dollars to acquire a customer in our model because they’re just year two is just pure profit and so on and so on and so on.

Rob Gandley: So yeah. Yeah. And I was I was going to say, you know, and I’m a digital guy, techie guy and still love all that, but it’s kind of at this point, I kind of go back to the grassroots stuff and the offline. I’m very intrigued. Uh, things like direct mail do much better now, like, than they may have ten, 15 years ago. Uh, especially when you’re talking such a great technique, like focusing on those communities, right? Yeah. For sure. Right.

Michael Moorhouse: Yeah. I think.

Rob Gandley: You know, it’s a.

Michael Moorhouse: Dms changed, like back in the lawn care days when I was helping on the lawn care business. You’d spend out, you’d spend 60, 70,000 pieces to 2 or 3 times, right? Like hundreds of thousands of pieces of direct mail. Now, with our owner base, like, we’ll look at their markets and we’ll look at where we think the lowest hanging fruit is based on data. We’ll pull up the mapping and look at, you know, the demographics of who our who our audience is. And, and they might be a 5000 piece mailer 3 or 4 times, or a 7500 piece mailer. You know, it’s not tens of thousands of pieces that are going out. So it’s very surgical. And then that, that the, um, the tech that we’ve layered in now that is that neighborhood option that’s even more surgical, that might be 15 or 20 pieces that go out once a week to a particular market, because you’re just trying to grow your root density. Right. Everything is about optimization. And how many stops can you do in one day? And um, so when you think about, uh, the fact that we’re on the property a third of the time, we’re using a third of the product, we can do three times as many stops a day as anybody else. So these these texts are cranking when they’re out there.

Rob Gandley: I love that efficiency. I mean, you’re you’re hitting every aspect of the business when you think the way you do, when you guys look at territory planning, how how do you you obviously are probably mapping that out, looking for the right communities, the right neighborhoods, the density that you need within a territory. Is that kind of how you approach it to make sure that looks pretty much the way it needs to look, because you pretty much from there know what you need to do.

Michael Moorhouse: Yeah it is. And the funny, not funny thing the interesting thing is so the franchise development team, the Fran Dev people that we have working for Mosquito Shield, they use a mapping software and they do just that. We’re looking at single family homes at certain income levels and certain home values because we know our target audience, and that’s what we’re selling to the candidate that’s coming in to look to open up a business. But as soon as they do, as soon as they become part of the family with Mosquito Shield, the marketing team goes into that same software and then meets with with Rob, the new owner, and says, Rob, let’s pick the 2 or 3 best areas, not even zip codes, but areas of what you bought. And they look at the just the, again, the lowest hanging fruit of our core audience. And that’s where they’re going to market to the first couple of years. Now that Rob will take in customers from everywhere, but where their where his concentrated marketing efforts are going is very strategic.

Rob Gandley: Yeah, yeah. That’s awesome. It’s it’s very clear. You know what works? You know who your customer is. You know where they live. And you just need to go do bring them the quality product and the lifestyle transformation and keep doing it over and over. So so is there a digital, um, is there something on the digital side you’d like to at least check the boxes? Because from what you just described, you could almost run without digital. I know you need it. I know you need it for credibility and other reasons, but what would you say are the things that you want to have in place? What are the sort of make sure you check the box kind of thing?

Michael Moorhouse: Great question. Because the landscape is changing almost by the day. Right now the cost has gone up significantly. I still think that, uh, quality, like super local organic SEO is going to be really important to any business in any industry like, you know, being found online with credibility. Right. And fresh, relevant content is what gives you that. So a good, strong, really strategic SEO program is, I think, super critical to that. Uh, pay pay per click. The paid digital side of it has to be really strategic now because of, um, just the cost of it and, and making sure you’re getting the conversion on that end. In our business, which is very seasonal for most parts of the country. You know, the nice thing about pay per click is you can turn it on and turn it off so you don’t, you know, SEO, you want evergreen like that’s that’s working for you year round. And you’re always you’re always driving new again, fresh, relevant content on the SEO side. But dialing up your pay per click and having it there. But if you’re not, if you’re not pairing that with a very orchestrated grassroots program, the signs, the door hangers, you’re not compelling somebody to get online to look for you, right? So one does not work without the other. It never will. And I think that that’s where we have it in our system. And it can be frustrating for all of us because owners just want that silver bullet. It doesn’t exist. I don’t think it ever will exist. Right. And it also will never be the same thing. Like the leverage you’re pulling will always change. Right. For a period of time, you’ll be pulling some levers that just seem to be working. And you go back the next season and it’s like, why aren’t these levers working anymore? Right. So if you’re not if you’re not pairing up your, you know, super orchestrated grassroots campaigns, you’re not compelling anybody to look for you. Yeah. Right. If you’re.

Rob Gandley: Going to spend.

Michael Moorhouse: Money on SEO and have a digital agency working for you, and you don’t want to go out and put the signs out, you’re wasting your money on the digital side. So I think I think just, um, again, I keep saying like a super orchestrated campaign, uh, like that’s omnichannel, that’s touching on the core elements of what you need is going to is going to drive, you know, is going to drive the results better than looking for just a couple singular channels and hoping that’s going to work for you.

Rob Gandley: Well, and the way you’re describing it, I can tell you just from all my years of experience, the best way to make a pay per click campaign work good is to have other marketing that works good with it to be to be smart. And like you said, people will naturally search for you when they see you more. And so you’re kind of keeping that that audience really tight and just focusing on converting, right. And then move to the next community, the next community, you know. And but that to me is the way to use it. Right? Versus let’s throw up some ads and hope it works without any other layers of of awareness. Or like you said, there’s 10 to 12 touches, right?

Michael Moorhouse: Yeah. And I think I think validation will always be sort of the end point where, you know, because like, you know, influencer marketing is is big, right? You get somebody that that I mean, I think for us like at the micro level, it’s really important that you get a local influencer in your market that has a that has a robust or decent following is going to is going to help you. But I still think the homeowner they might see, you know, Rob who they follow on Instagram. And he always has great things to say about his backyard. And now he’s using mosquito control. They’re still going to go look to learn more. Yeah right. And so what what do they find when they get there. Are there a bunch of really great, uh, high quantity of Google reviews when they get to, to your site or to to your GMB listing online, like. So there’s a again, there’s, there’s so many things that go beyond just rob the local backyard guy that somebody follows on Instagram, like they’re still going to want to learn more about mosquito shield and what do they find when they get there? That that one little location in that market has, you know, 485 star Google reviews. They’re going to be like, wow, that’s pretty impressive. Rob’s right. And then, you know, you did. You did a really good job on your SEO. So your top of fold on the on the organic listings. You just landed that customer.

Rob Gandley: Yeah absolutely. And you’re right you can’t. They did. The Google is sort of the foundation. Like they will go through that eventually they will. They will validate or verify with some quick Google reviews. And look there no matter how they learn. But I want to talk to you now about like what I believe is, again, brilliant on your part. Uh, first of all, your product design and you’re also you added, uh, some other pests, like spiders and ants and and cockroaches, which I, you know, just kind of a check box. That makes total sense, right? Uh, so that, I guess, can also help with the transaction values. Right. You have more transactions. More, more more more, more use cases. Right. But I wanted to now move into what you created, which is the other seasonal business. And I know you’re just about to launch it, but tell me more about decorate with lights and how that will impact your current franchisees and how they’re doing business. And of course, what I see is a brilliant move to increase. Uh, well, help with marketing, but help with the whole business model. But explain how they will how they will leverage that.

Michael Moorhouse: Yeah. Happily. Uh, so it’s it’s share a wallet, which you just said. Right. You’ve earned you’ve earned a customer in that homeowner. What what value driven services can you provide to them and generate more revenue. Right. Because they’re they’re you’ve acquired them already. So you’ve got that sunk cost in acquiring them. Now share a wallet. What else. You know how much more revenue can you generate from them? The lighting business is fantastic for us in that sense, and we have a really unique model. We take a very high end design decor approach with decorate with lights. It matches our clientele, which is a little bit upstream, uh, you know, of, um, who we target for mosquito control. Um, you know, people with, again, they invest in their backyards, they’ve got outdoor kitchens and fire pits and, and, uh, so the homes are ideal for decorating. They’re in the ideal neighborhoods. It’s a it’s a very low, uh, startup cost for our owners. We currently Rob have about, I think 20 ish owners that are that are doing holiday lighting. The expectation is that we’re actually going to double in size this, this coming year and have 40 owners, uh, doing decorate with lights. It’s a very compressed season. You’re doing it from typically October. You’ll decorate right up until the middle of December. You take a break, and then usually after the second week of January, you start doing the tear down on it. But it’s super high margin, um, low volume. We don’t do a ton. You know, there’s there’s companies out there that will do five, 1200, $1,200 jobs a day.

Michael Moorhouse: That’s not that’s not what we’re looking at. We really again, hold the homeowners hand. Really. It’s a consultative sales approach. So we sit with them, we tell them what their home could look like and we deliver that for them. So it’s a really rewarding process both for our owners because it’s you never get to be in the backyard at night mosquito free with all the homes you sprayed that day. But to be able to drive by or when you’re leaving at dusk and you look behind and see the decorations that you just did and the the beautiful design, it’s super rewarding for our homeowners. The other for owners. The other great thing is Rob it it it extends the employment opportunity for hiring people, which can be a pain point, right? No matter. I tell people, no matter what business you get in HR is going to be the toughest thing. Whether you have a year round business and you’re in retail or you’re you’re doing mosquito control for five months out in the lakes region, like you got to hire people, you got to fill them. What do you do with them at the end of the five months? Well, this allows you now to hire people essentially year round. So it’s a great tool for that, which was the original reason we launched decorate With Lights back in 2016 was how can we provide our franchisees an opportunity to keep people retained, keep their key personnel working year round?

Rob Gandley: Yeah. Now, I’ve heard that numerous times. I think I hear that almost every conversation I have with home services, especially home services. It’s it’s hard, you know, to keep employees anyway, uh, let alone if it’s by design, a part time or seasonal kind of thing. So to have, you know, be able to keep and attract your key people all year round. And I think that’s amazing. Like the whole concept of the way you you described it, um, being able to create sort of again, that experience that when okay, so if you decorate a home and you make it look beautiful, you know how many times that’s going to be brought up in that condensed period of time. And every time it’s you guys that did it, you guys that did it, you guys did it, you know. Yeah. You can’t you can’t.

Michael Moorhouse: Do the amount of jobs that are coming your way. Like that’s the case with our owners. Like it is like how many jobs do you want this year. Okay. You got them. Yeah. Yeah. That’s what it comes down to.

Rob Gandley: Yeah yeah, yeah. And it’s a good thing because it’s a, it’s a good time of year. You know, it’s a time when people can get together with their loved ones, whatever they’re doing. But that is a way to make that environment beautiful for that purpose. And I think it’s just a win win for everybody. So I’m glad you added it. That’s a really smart move. Yeah, definitely a different kind of business. But I think it’s a nice balance, right? Yeah. You know.

Michael Moorhouse: I mean, you know.

Rob Gandley: I’ll.

Michael Moorhouse: Tell you, we’ve got owners that are super successful on the mosquito side and they just want their they want their winter off and they’ve earned it. And, and uh, but then we’ve got a lot that are just like, give me more. Right. Like, what else can we do. And they see the they see they see the scalability and the ramp opportunity with with decorate with lights and um, and every time we launch an owner, they immediately have as much business as they can handle, which is awesome. That’s amazing. It is.

Rob Gandley: Beautiful.

Michael Moorhouse: I wish.

Rob Gandley: I.

Michael Moorhouse: Knew that position on the mosquito side, to be honest with you, was as easy as it is on the, uh, I look back, you know, again, 17 years of doing this, I look back and to me, the holiday lighting business is even more fragmented than mosquito was years ago. There’s people doing it. There’s a bunch of DIYers, there’s a bunch of landscapers that are throwing lights up. It’s not it’s not the quality. It’s not the process that we take. So you can really, really differentiate yourself. And again, um, you’ve got a you’ve got a captive audience. If you’ve built your mosquito business, your, your customers are all already there waiting for you.

Rob Gandley: Yeah, yeah. No doubt. And and it all well and I love that you just casually mentioned. Yeah. They can have off uh, you know, they can have off in the winter and make great a great living and run an incredible business. But be off for a few months. That’s always nice. Any kind of business model like, not that they don’t work really hard in the months where they’re working. I’m sure there’s really no schedule there. You just get the job done. But still, I love that for some. You’re right. That’s something that they would look forward to. And they could be home at their home with their nice lights all all winter. Winner, right? But very cool that you could even do that, right? You could. You could have the option. I think that says a lot about the model. So. So before I let you go, I want to make sure we do touch on technology. You mentioned it a little earlier and I just keep it broad and high level. But I’m wondering is there some technology you just love? Is there a couple of things, whether it’s operational on the operations side or the sales and marketing side, anything that you just love that you guys have implemented, you know, that’s important to your brand and you’re using it regularly. Is there something about technology you’d like to share? And I think it’s just critical to your operation.

Michael Moorhouse: Yeah, I think, you know, certainly touched on I think that new addition that we just layered in for the really we we piloted it last year. It’s full scale this year on the the neighbor, the neighbor marketing. And again, you can go right to the actual house next door. You can do a radius. You can do you can do it to whatever degree you want. But it’s and it’s just a click of a button. There’s no lift on the, the franchisees. And our owners can just add it and it’s done for them. And incrementally they’re just picking up business and it just leads to margins because you’re already on that street. So the more homes you do in a compressed amount of time and route density. So that’s a really big addition to us. We’ve got some cool stuff, Rob, that, uh, we’re working on right now and we’re testing it out, but using, um, predictive analytics on weather because again, like we can predict now. So the seasons around the country right now haven’t really started yet in a lot of markets. Right. You need you need without getting too techie on you, you need night time temperatures that drive mosquito activity. It’s not how hot it gets during the day. It’s when the when the temperatures at night get to a certain point.

Michael Moorhouse: Not going to tell everybody what it is. But we know that we know that number. And when temperatures reach that number at night, we can say, hey Minnesota gang, get ready. Because ten days from now, because the night goes from it goes from an egg to a mosquito in 7 to 10 days. So in 7 to 10 days from now, you are going to have mosquito getting in your market. So get signs out now like get ready and you can predict it. So building that in where we don’t have to have our finger on it to be looking and telling. So having it automated, which is something that we’re we’re piloting, which is really cool. So just stuff, really neat stuff like that, that just shows that this is not a spray and pray brand or model. Like we put a lot into that type of thought process on how to just get better at our craft and then, you know, um, always improving on like the route optimization software that we’re using. There was a call I was on just prior to this one that was showing some, some recent enhancements for the owners to, to see things that they can do that literally just we have amazing route optimization and we just we just released a version that is five minutes faster, like it’s proven to be like it can take it, can move things around and make your routes every route, every day, five minutes faster than before.

Michael Moorhouse: So those little tweaks over the course of you got ten trucks out on the road five days a week. I mean, that’s amazing efficiency savings that, um, so just things like that, we’re just always it’s one of the things that has me so excited after 17 years going into a season like this, I feel like it’s year one for me and that we we don’t ever rest. You know, we talked about the proprietary blend. We had a blend that we launched many, many years ago. One year ago, we spent over $100,000 and went back into the lab and reformulated. We just we had so many learnings over the years of different ingredients and what they do. And and again, through five stars backing and investment, we were able to go back into the lab and and reformulate our blend. And like who does that right. Like who would spend that kind of money on something that really the homeowner doesn’t really touch it. Right. They don’t get to, But it provides those results. So those are just things that I think speak volume about Mosquito Shield as a brand and where we believe we’re positioned within this space.

Rob Gandley: Yeah. No, it’s it’s you know, I do I talked to a lot of guys in your position that are leading brands and, and every time we talk I’m thinking you’re you’re on you have your eyes on every facet of the business. And how can we continually innovate, which I think that’s what franchising is supposed to be, right? Um, because, I mean, if I wanted to do it on my own, I would do it. But I mean, you know, you want to be part of a brand that one quality is first and the customer experience and what? And there’s a million things you could talk about when it comes to technology or. But it’s really things like what would shave five minutes off the route time, what would make the customer happier, what what would increase the the transactional value of every relationship or what have you. But it’s it’s those kinds of ideas but brilliant stuff. You kind of unpack some things. Is there anything else before I let you go? Is there anything else as you look forward into the future about your brand? And I know you want to keep you want to be excited as you wake up every day. But is there is there something on your mind now that you could share that you said, I want to get to that or.

Michael Moorhouse: Well, I mean, I think we have, you know, we have a three year and a five year plan and we do rock setting every 90 days and like so and we’re just in the weeds right now. I mean, the next eight weeks are going to be just chaos for us as a company, right? It’s where everything happens. And so when we we just did our quarterly planning recently and again, we do it through a 90 day lens. But I actually asked everyone let’s look at this as 60 days. What is the most important thing in the next 60 days to to drive our business forward and get the owners what they need? And the marching orders for 2025 has been everything we do has to drive value to our owners, and we have to be able to hold them and ourselves accountable for it. So that’s what my team is. That’s all we talk about all the time. Anything new? Is it driving value to the owners? Do we put it aside for right now? And if we launch something, can we hold them and ourselves accountable to it? So that’s just our focus right now. But long term I mean we have you know, we have Canada, Canada expansion on the radar. Um, additional services. This you know, the dwell decorate with lights launch is pretty big for us. It’s a whole nother offering that can happen outside. We’ll have permanent lighting as part of it, landscape lighting as part of it. So it’ll be bigger than just, you know, Christmas lights on a home. So D.W. is a is a big is a big venture for us. Yeah. There’s a lot of a lot of new new things on, on on the frontier for us.

Rob Gandley: I will want to say I love lights, I wish I, I other than when you know the light when, when the days get longer. Uh, but I just something about when the days get shorter and everybody starts having lights. Um, I always say to myself, Come January, February, I’m like, why do people turn the lights off? I mean, you don’t have to have Santa Claus out there, but I really like it.

Michael Moorhouse: It’s funny, my kids, I mean, they’re older now, but when I, when I, when I launched back in 2016, in the few years after that, you know, we would do the ride at night of the homes we, we decorated. And I’d bring my kids around and my two younger girls at the time, they got to the point where they could pick out DIY jobs and say, those two those whites don’t match. And you know, that’s not the right spacing on the roof line. And, and, uh, and then you’re driving around in the summertime saying, oh, look at that house. I want to decorate that one. And that one would be great to decorate. And I would do that peek, I would do that ridge. And I would put a wreath over there and, but my kids could pick out terrible warm white lights, you know, that didn’t match. Not even house to house, but on a on on a landscape, different lights on different bushes that didn’t match. So like that, you know, that’s the.

Rob Gandley: Level. Yeah. That level. Right. Exactly. You do notice it. The good I tell you. Yeah. You. When you’re really good, you notice the difference after you looked at it enough times? Um, well, that’s good stuff. So why, before I let you go, totally. I want you to share with the audience. You know who you look for. You’ve been alongside this brand since the beginning. You’ve you’ve innovated it. You continue to do so. It’s an amazing opportunity. Who do you guys look for to be your next owners? What kind of qualities are you looking for and what kind of advice would you share with them now?

Michael Moorhouse: Yeah, I mean, I think if anyone’s made it this long through today’s episode, which I hope that, yeah, I think that, um, one thing I’d love to say is, like, I, I really love, um, empowering people into business ownership, whether it’s with our brand or any other. So if they took anything out of today’s call and they want to connect with me, you know, Michael at Mossgiel. Com find me on LinkedIn. I would love to talk about businesses with you and, um, and help you take that leap because I think it’s super important. But, you know, I think we have a unique situation at Mosquito Shield where, you know, we have some very, um, very educated, strong willed, strong minded owners that that, um, bring a little bit of a different level to our brand than I’ve seen in, in others. And I think that that is something that we foster and encourage at the same time, it’s, you know, it’s about following systems. You touched on it earlier in the call, like you could do it on your own. But, you know, there’s so much that a franchise system brings to the table that you want people that you can tell from the beginning are willing to embrace it. You know, we get into the weeds on some other things about like, how well are you capitalized and what is your, you know, what’s your current work situation? Are you just looking to do this? You know, part time? I’m not a huge fan of the of the semi absentee model.

Michael Moorhouse: I do feel like you’ve got to have some skin in the game and be invested in it. So those are conversations that we have as they’re going through the process and then helping them check boxes as much as we’re as we’re checking them. It’s a two way interview, right? When they’re when somebody’s looking at a at a business opportunity there. They’re interviewing us, but at the same time we’re interviewing them. So I think that at the end you want to you want a long term partnership. I look back at some of the the early owners that we brought on are still with us today. And to me that is like just that’s amazing. What’s even better, Rob, is some of them are exiting right now and they’re having like life changing, really meaningful occurrences, which is like, so, uh, just like really means a lot to me that somebody put their faith in, in the brand 11, 12 years ago. And now they’re they’re riding off into the sunset from the hard work that they’ve put in, and maybe a little of the guidance that we gave them over the years. And, and they’re having meaningful they’re having a meaningful exit. So those are the types of people that we’re looking for.

Rob Gandley: Yeah. What an amazing thing to be able to say that. Like it’s uh, that is the end to end, isn’t it? Like, not everybody exits.

Michael Moorhouse: On our end. Yeah, it’s really rewarding because it wasn’t without hardship. It wasn’t without a lot of pushback. It wasn’t without a lot of back and forth. And, um, but again, I mentioned, you know, some of those early owners are are what I consider to be true, true stakeholders in our brand. Yeah.

Rob Gandley: That’s amazing. Yeah. They they were there with you in the beginning and, and helped you launch this thing. It’s always nice to see that. And you know like I said, the impact that then people can make with that, that exit right for themselves, their families, their community, whatever they go on to do. And franchising is full of those stories. A lot of times guys go on to build something else. They had an amazing early success with a different brand, right? And so that’s what I love about the industry. So it’s good stuff. Well, it was great having you on the show today. Um, I want to make sure we share the URL to the best way to reach out. Uh, I have it as Mo Shield franchise. Com.

Michael Moorhouse: That is.

Rob Gandley: Correct.

Michael Moorhouse: Shield franchise. Com if you’re if you’re interested in learning more about that opportunity. Beautiful.

Rob Gandley: Good stuff. Well, Michael, thanks again for being on the show today, as always, sharing what comes naturally to you. Thanks for being a great leader too and really doing cool stuff with your brand. Awesome!

Michael Moorhouse: No, it’s a pleasure hanging out with you again. I, uh, it’s, uh. I consider you a friend going way back now, so thanks again.

Rob Gandley: I know it’s starting to add up, isn’t it? Goes fast. Yeah, it feels like yesterday we had the first interview. But anyways, it’s great to have you. And to our listeners, thanks for tuning in. Please check out Mo Shield Franchise Comm if you have any interest. These guys are professionals. They’re entrepreneurs. They’re knowledgeable. I’d reach out if you have any interest at all and, uh, get to know them. It’ll guide you, I promise you of that. But thanks again for tuning in. And bye for now.

 

Hip Hop Artist Dope Chris Taylor

May 6, 2025 by angishields

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Cherokee Business Radio
Hip Hop Artist Dope Chris Taylor
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FF-Chris-TaylorWhen it comes to the music industry, there is no clear path to “making it”, but a common theme amongst those who have made it is their consistency and drive. Dope Chris Taylor, born in Suwanee, Ga, is a budding hip hop performer that is full of drive and is using music to inspire others to go after their own dreams.

Somewhat of an outlier, Dope Chris Taylor is distinct in his lyricism and his skillful ability with words. Opening his five track EP, Sessions with Censored, with a spoken word monologue, the artist’s wordplay is shown to be deeply rooted in poetry with a style he describes as self-reliant, thought provoking, and vibrant. Unlike the title of the EP suggests, Dope Chris Taylor is uncensored on the full-length project with standout tracks such as “LoveDrug” and “A Beautiful Struggle”.

Luckily, fans of Dope Chris Taylor have new music to look forward to with his newest EP, ‘The Lost Compass’, expected to release late January of 2022. The two years it took for Taylor to create this body of work was a whirlwind of an experience that led the rapper down a path of self-discovery.

He took this time to develop his artistry through writing camps and working closely with producer PANDA PURP to create a sound that would uniquely show his growth as a songwriter and artist. They would record over 25 records before narrowing it down to just four tracks for “The Lost Compass”, in which he recorded the final product at the Super Sound Studios with Recording Engineer Rosa Westfall. Each song on the EP is designed to show a different side of the artist while bringing forth a new sound, sonically.

Connect with Chris on Facebook, X and Instagram.

Transcript-iconThis 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. I’m Business RadioX, where we talk about the ups and downs of the business world and offer words of wisdom for business success. I’m your host, Sharon Cline. And today in the studio, I have a very unique guy. He’s native to Suwanee, but he’s here in Atlanta making lots of big splashes with music. He is hip hop rapper and performer, Dope Chris Taylor. Thank you for coming to the studio.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yo appreciate. So appreciate you so much. You got me like super shy right now. I’m super excited. But no, I appreciate you for having me over here.

Sharon Cline: Of course. It’s really fun, actually, to talk to someone in the music industry because I speak a lot to actors, authors, business owners. But to have someone that kind of has a unique perspective on the entertainment world is going to be fun for my brain because I’m so curious about how it what it’s like to be you, and not just having your own brand and making a presence out there, but actually being in the Atlanta market, kind of competing against other artists for attention. I can’t imagine what that’s like, too. So yeah, let’s get into it. Native to Suwanee.

Dope Chris Taylor: Shout out to Suwanee. Yeah. Uh, yeah. So I grew up in Suwanee, uh, back in the day before, like Suwannee Festival, like Suwannee Day, like my family was like when I say like everywhere, like my aunt was my neighbor, my grandma was in walking distance. So, like, on the cool side, like, I get to see family all the time on the side. That sucks. If I get in trouble, I can imagine getting like three times the punishment with just, oh, you did this. I heard you did this. Oh.

Sharon Cline: Within five minutes, everyone.

Dope Chris Taylor: Within five minutes, everybody knows. So it’s just like, yeah, it’s a.

Sharon Cline: Small town feel, right?

Dope Chris Taylor: Small town feel. But hey, shout out to Suwanee. Like definitely like my home roots. Like it makes me smile. Like back in the day. Like I used to live in the pink house. Like that’s how, like, people know. Like where I used to stay at. They changed the color of the house now. But.

Sharon Cline: But it was the pink house.

Dope Chris Taylor: Oh, yeah. Pink house. That’s like made me smile.

Sharon Cline: Okay, so you went to school in Suwanee? Yeah. I saw a little bit about your history that you were part of the band and you learned how to play drums.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah, like drums was like one of my first loves. Like, it’s crazy because, uh, when I approached music, I kind of think of it from a what does the song need versus like, oh, you know, let me be the best rapper, like bar people up. So I kind of approach it from like, yeah, me be rhythmic. Let me make sure there’s variation so it won’t sound dull or even predictable. And uh, also learning like, hey, when do I need to speak and when do I don’t need to speak? When I need to let the instruments kind of speak for itself and just like, breathe like it’s it’s a cool little, like, for lack of better words, like a Tetris feel, just like, hey, can I put the pieces together to convey the vision that I want to convey?

Sharon Cline: Right. So here with the drums, you’re not trying to overpower, you’re not trying to, you’re just adding.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah, yeah.

Sharon Cline: It is like enhancing what’s already there.

Dope Chris Taylor: It’s like my voice is an instrument, and now I just need to make sure my voice fits in and play the position that needs to play. Like if there’s a solo for my voice, boom, let’s get it. But if there’s something where it’s just like, oh, hey, it’s time for, like, the guitar to, like, breathe. All right. Cool. Hey, let me be the background instrument. So. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: So, uh, who were your influences when you were growing up or when you were in school? Who kind of inspired you musically?

Dope Chris Taylor: Ooh, good question, good question. Um, influences I give a lot of props to people that are popping up in my mind. One of my one is my cousin. Uh, I know he did some rapping back in the day. Another is another cousin, uh, Jeanette. Like, she was an amazing singer. Like.

Sharon Cline: Do you have a musical family?

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah, like it’s crazy because, like, the musical part was almost like the outcast part, because, like, a lot of my family was, like, known for sports. I was like the black sheep going like, oh, we’re gonna do music. And like, my brother played football. My older cousins play football like everybody did some type of sport where it’s just like I never did. No. Like collegiate. No, I was just straight up music. Like, even though drums was cool, it’s like, yeah, okay, cool. You’re doing drums, but it’s just not. Yeah. It was, uh, it was wild. But yeah, like people knew. I didn’t realize. I didn’t know my family was musical until, like, random situations. Like, I remember distinctly remember, like at grandma’s birthday party. I saw my mom, I think was with a clarinet. I didn’t know my mom was in the band. I didn’t know my mom was first chair. Like. She was like, good.

Speaker4: And like, where you got it from?

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. Like, I distinctly because I remember some I was like, I didn’t know this is where you get your musical talent. I was just like, I didn’t know that. Like, I asked her, I was just like, why didn’t you do the marching band? She’s like, oh, I don’t like the hot weather, which I get like, I’m not trying to be, well, I can’t that would be a lie. I was out in the sun getting yelled at, trying to make sure the music was perfect. But yeah, I get it. It’s not. It’s not sweet, but it’s the things you do for love.

Sharon Cline: Yeah, things you do for love. Well, you know, she. It’s interesting to think that she still had this musical inclination. She just didn’t want to display it in the same way. But do you all ever play together?

Dope Chris Taylor: No, like I don’t I don’t think I know anybody in the family or I take that back. I know currently my two younger cousins are doing music. One of them showed me their music, the other one I heard of doing music. He haven’t told me or showed me any tracks yet, but like his mom and his brother be like, oh, you know, you need to work with, you know, you need to work with him. I’m just like, all right, cool. Let’s see. I need to hear something. Yeah. But, uh. Yeah. No, it’s. I think I only worked with a few people in my family with music, but, uh, it’s also kind of cool to, for lack of better words, not be the. I’m not saying I’m a super music star, but it’s also kind of cool for them to look at me just like Chris. It’s just like, oh, this is the same cat that if we say, go take out the trash. All right. Cool. Or. Yeah, it’s like nothing.

Sharon Cline: You’re just a family member.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah, just a family, like. Quiet, Chris. Like, that’s. That’s literally who I am.

Sharon Cline: Well, I was thinking how interesting it is to be a person who’s got, like, a legacy in their family where everyone plays sports and you’re just sort of expected to do that. It takes such a, um, a surety about yourself to not do that, to go in a different way, a different direction, in order to do something that, you know, fills your soul, even if you think that you’re going to get kind of criticism for it.

Dope Chris Taylor: Oh, sure. It was a it was definitely a wasn’t that easy decision, I’ll tell you that. Like, I was good at sports, like my brother played defense. So in order to help him get better at defense, I would play offense like my uncle, which was also an interesting thing because he was a music manager. Uh, he also helped out with football. Like, he was kind of like helping me become like a tight end where it’s just like, alright, cool, hey, boom, boom, boom. But then just never committed. Also, ain’t gonna lie, unpopular opinion. I ain’t trying to get tackled like, yo. Like real spill. Like yo, that’s not sweet. Like let’s just put ego to the side. Yeah, that’s not fun.

Sharon Cline: A friend of mine was telling me that, um, after you get thrown down a whole bunch, it’s like, almost like your body sort of just expects it. But they have, like, long term effects of being thrown around so much that, oh yeah, I would hope that, you know, there’d be some kind of way to prevent some of the damage that happens. But, I mean, you’re smart to kind of continue your way.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. Like it’s it’s it’s one of those things where I just try to I don’t mind the physical like activity or contact, but I’m a firm believer, just like not everybody’s gonna look out for your best interests, like, uh, even like random, like sister. Like I’m part of a boxing gym. And, uh, one of the things that we make sure like, hey, you spar to help your opponent get better, you don’t spar to, like, knock somebody out because we’re all on the same team. So, like, that’s why I’m a firm believer on it was just like, yeah, these people do not care about me. They are trying to take my head off. Nah. I’m good. Like, nah, like.

Sharon Cline: So when did you know that you were sort of musically talented?

Dope Chris Taylor: Oh, so I’m about to actually so personally I hot take Personally, I don’t think I’m really like musical talent. Musically talented. Not from a standpoint of like, oh, you know, like I’m not gifted. I think I do have some like background that like, flavor me. But, uh, one of my instructors, he don’t believe he’s musical talent either, and he’s. But the reason he say that because I think anybody can do this as long as they put like the energy and effort and the consistency. And it’s kind of crazy because what consistency looks like is not the whole like, oh, hey, you know, the linear motion just like, oh, you know, if I practice every day, I’m gonna get better every day. They’re going to be some days where you plateau. There might be some days where it’ll be like, yo, I’m getting worse. Like what is going on? So like, I don’t necessarily think I’m musically talented. I think I just haven’t quit yet. Like for some strange reason, I just haven’t quit. And then I just keep seeing myself, like, level up to the next stage and just like, let’s just keep going and see how far we can take it.

Sharon Cline: You must get a lot out of it, though, in order to continue to pursue whatever, you know, whatever your albums are going to be. I Know That You, your first five track album was called sessions with censored.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Why don’t you tell me about that?

Dope Chris Taylor: Yo. So one of the things that for I remember sessions was censored. It’s a catalyst of me going to therapy. And I remember, uh, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with life. Like, I already had a career, but I wasn’t, like, fulfilled. So I remember there was a post-it note, like, I had, like, you know, HR lawyer, um, some other things. And I remember just crossing out. I was like, you know what? I always wanted to be like a rapper when I was like, young. But you can’t go tell your mom, hey, I want to be a rapper. Like, I don’t know how to pay bills. So, yeah. So sessions with sensor kind of like display like that journey of, like, hey, me going to therapy, uh, learning like some of the insecurities about myself and like, honestly, just finding the tools to improve. And when, uh, I distinctly remember it was a it was a beautiful moment because the sensor part was like the therapist’s name, but obviously for confidential reasons. I can’t just, like, put her on blast, but shout out to her. Um, I remember we listened to the whole tape together and like, she cried, I cried, we cried. It was beautiful. But yeah, that was like the catalyst because it’s like it was almost like a way to, like, let the inner child breathe. And then now hearing that other people are like, yo, I felt the same way. It was like, oh, I have a bigger purpose here. Not just like to, you know, feed my own ego, but, hey, to inspire others to like, you know, chase their dreams, you know, and like, be willing to, like, trust the process.

Sharon Cline: Was that the first time you really sort of felt that you were part of something bigger?

Dope Chris Taylor: Oh, yeah. No, I mean, it’s it’s crazy. From it was the first time I felt like my vision was part of something bigger, like being a part of marching band. I always knew, like, hey, sacrifice for the greater good. Like, definitely learned that a lot. But then when it was like, hey, this is like, hey, Chris, you’re driving. You’re driving the ship, you’re the captain. Now. It’s just like, oh, no, like you’re a lot more conscious of just like, oh, if I don’t execute, this is crazy. But then, you know, was it paralysis by Overanalysis? Yeah. Like, it’s it’s crazy where you start thinking about it. Then you just kind of freeze up, but then once you realize, like, hey, the community, the community that trusts you, they’re not looking for perfection. They’re just looking for you. So all you just need to do is show up. And sometimes it’s kind of hard to like, remember that?

Sharon Cline: Well, I suffer terribly with imposter syndrome.

Dope Chris Taylor: I feel you. We are twins right now. Because, man, like, even now, just be. Oh, yeah, this is like, this is dope and I love this at the same time. I’m just like, man, how did I get up here?

Sharon Cline: Like, I think the same thing. They still let me get in this building and everything. I’m like, at some point someone’s going to figure out that.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah, you still hear, like a knock on the door. Just like knock, knock. It’s like, oh, time’s up.

Sharon Cline: All this time we’ve let you in here, we didn’t even know who you were. Well, how did your album come about? Like, how did you find the way to make this music? In other words, you, you you have it all ready in your mind, like the melodies and the lyrics. But where did you go physically to make your first album?

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. So, uh, well, I can’t remember the studios, but it was actually up in Woodstock, actually. Oh, yeah. Uh, a friend, a music lawyer, uh, he recommended, recommended me to a friend, and we kind of recorded all up there, and, uh, it was weird because I didn’t have any experience recording. Like, I was recording off, like, a Blue Yeti microphone.

Sharon Cline: Um, that’s good enough, but I know what you mean.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. It was. I mean, I didn’t know anything about, like, sound production or, like, gain and stuff like that. So. Like what? Like my first, like, song was just like, oh, like, the game was too high. Like it wasn’t crisp. Like I didn’t have the filter on. So you’re hearing the peas and the like. It was wild. So, like, going to a studio, I kind of, like, learned how to go about recording tracks and that was extremely helpful. It was like the recording process of it was like a learning thing, and it was just like a catalyst of like, all right, cool. Chris, do you want to continue to do this? And just like, yeah.

Sharon Cline: Did you think it was when you first went into the studio, when you were first recording it in a studio, what did that feel like?

Dope Chris Taylor: It was magic. It was. It was like a magical feeling, like it was one of those like. I mean, it’s one thing to see like videos behind the scenes of like, people recording. It’s another thing to be like, oh, it’s me. Like I’m the in the video, like it was. I would tell anybody like. And not only that, it was just cool because like on the album, I had my friend who pretended to be my therapist, kind of like talking to me. And so it was kind of cool to see, like my friends in the studio where it’s just like, yeah, they may not make music, but they contribute it to something that I hold in a very high regard, and that helped change the world. Like I tell them, like when I looked at the metrics one, the favorite tracks was a of a song or I’m Sorry album was like them speaking and like I said, like I’m trying to make sure like themed it out to be like a true therapist. But yeah, no, the studio I mean, studio is awesome. Like, I love the studio.

Sharon Cline: After you recorded those songs, or even in the process of writing them, did you feel like you did sort of process the trauma that you had?

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah, no, it was very it was like it’s like journaling, like it’s almost just like it’s one thing to like, you know, oh, hey, be clever with like, words and rhyme schemes and stuff like that. But like, if you take away all the fluff and stuff like that and you look at like, it’s like, oh, like sometimes you can almost make like a self-fulfilling prophecy. And even now where you can ask some of my friends from like back in the day versus now, like I try to be more conscious of, like, hey, what do I speak into existence? Because if even if I’m like, oh, I’m having a bad day, I’ll probably have a bad day versus like, okay, cool. Hey, this one bad moment that took up 60s of my life. Yeah, sucked. But the rest of the day is fine. And yeah, like it definitely music. That whole process taught me like, hey, be conscious of like, hey, how much? Where’s your headspace is? Obviously you right off the bat. Like I’m not saying no, be positive go lucky all the time. But, uh, it’s definitely made me more conscious of like, hey, what? I’m speaking to existence.

Sharon Cline: I love that I think, um, the fact that you were able to write in a way that united other people to your story, and you realize that you’re not alone in whatever experience that you’ve had. I think that’s one of the most powerful moments that I’ve ever had, is knowing that as much as I think I’m a snowflake and so unique, but then we all are. So none of us are really unique. It’s just this feeling of if I have something that I’m processing out and I know someone else has, or at least can understand what it’s like. That feeling of not being alone, even just in my head, gives me courage.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. For sure. Like, it’s it’s strength in numbers, like, sometimes. And that’s what I’m trying to get more, uh, proactive about. It’s just like sharing. Like the fears and the behind the scenes, the ugly parts of the win, the lowlights. Because it’s easy to be discouraged. Not even from, like, a musical standpoint, but just from a life standpoint. Just, oh, I should be doing more. I should be doing this. I should be doing that. And it’s just like, you don’t have time. Like it’s just like, oh, you know, somebody like I remember, like talking to my friend about this where just like, oh, how do you balance life out? I just like, I feel like I don’t like it’s a struggle, like. But at the same time, not trying to, like, you know, glorify the struggle just more so just like, hey, like a lot of people may not have it all together and that’s okay. Like it’s perfectly okay. I’m not saying stay there. I’m not saying like, oh, I’m just gonna crash out. But it’s just like, yeah, it’s okay to admit that it’s not okay. You know, find a community to help inspire you to be better. You know.

Sharon Cline: I often think people mistake, um, someone being vulnerable as a weak person. And it’s such the opposite, exact opposite, 1,000% comfortable with showing a part of you that you’re opening to potential criticism or, um, even just feeling like someone can make fun of what you’re like as a real human. There’s something about that that just really He bothers me to know that there’s there’s a belief that you. You’re not a strong man or something. If you are, if you’re showing your emotions where I actually think it, you have self-esteem if you do.

Dope Chris Taylor: Oh, yeah. Like, I kid you not, one of the phrases I like hate with a burning passion in my life.

Sharon Cline: That phrase I gotta make sure I don’t say that on the show.

Dope Chris Taylor: Oh, no. You’re good. It’s good. Like, because anytime I hear, like, the phrase like, man up, I’m just like, yo, I will, like, kick you in your chest. Like, just because. Just because, uh, and granted, I get from, like, hey, back in the times, like, you know, hey, we growing as a people in society, but it’s just like, dawg, there’s so many different ways a to be a man. And then B’s just like, yo, it’s cool to be like, oh, you know, tuck your emotions in and stuff like that. And I’m, I’m not gonna sit here and say, hey, I don’t like high, not high, but hey, I show my emotions in the appropriate situations, but to bury them alive and just be all right. Cool. I Cool. I never see you again. And just. Yeah. No. Like, it’s it’s cool to like. Hey, say, yo, I’m hurt by you doing this. Like, I may not be the best at it sometimes. Still kind of working on, but. Yeah. Now like to man up and just all I could show is anger. And I think that’s it. Like I think.

Sharon Cline: Yeah, just.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah, that’s all it is. Just like he’s angry. Cool. Everything else. Like. You mean like I can’t, like, be happy. Like I can’t smile. I have to mean mug. No.

Sharon Cline: Or be sad.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. Like I can’t be sad. Can’t be hurt. Somebody can’t hurt my feelings like I’m sensitive. I’ll tell people off. I’m a sensitive soul like yo.

Sharon Cline: Yeah, I like that too. Because it’s like when people are like, you’re too sensitive. I always think, well, I am sensitive, so you have to watch what you say around me. If you want to be my friend. Like it’s a strength.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. No, it’s it’s definitely. And I’ll be the first to say it took time for me to get to that. Like, that’s one of the main reasons where I started therapy, because I was just like, yo, I’m like a robot. Like I’m doing everything right. But it’s just like, I cool. Why don’t I feel like I’m winning even if I’m following x, y, z a, b, c, one two, three, yada yada yada. So yeah, no vulnerability is is real. Like it’s I think it’s what makes music music like it doesn’t matter if it’s like perfect or it sounds bad, but somebody being vulnerable and you can see them like singing their heart out. Like that’s why I think shower singing is like, awesome. Like it doesn’t matter if it’s like great or not, but it’s like you’re really feeling it.

Sharon Cline: So you’re singing your song.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. Just singing your song. Whatever happens, happens. Like, yeah.

Sharon Cline: Okay. So you had the next album that you had, which came out in 2022. It’s called The Lost Compass.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Can you tell me about that?

Dope Chris Taylor: So Lost Compass, uh, for lack of better words, like, I felt like after EP session was censored, you know, I’m making music and again, paralysis by Overanalysis. I’m just like, man, I want to make something like, I want to make sure my project shows like The Growth and me and like my producer Panda, like we were just like in the lab trying to figure out we were trying like a whole bunch of, like, genre bending, like between, like, all right, cool. What does drills sound like with R&B or cool? Hey, what does a folk sounds like with these, uh, pop drums behind it? Like, we was trying a whole bunch of stuff and, uh, for lack of better words, kind of felt lost. So, uh, when we got to like, hey, figuring out, like, what traps or what tracks to put on us, like, all right, cool. We know we like our, like, dirty South hip hop. Like, we got that. We got our fast paced, like, all right. Cool. Hey, let me show you some lyrical miracle stuff, like, hey, I can put bars together and be witty. Uh, let me make my quote unquote, like, love song for the radio. Uh, and then finally, like, let me make my song where I can be vulnerable and, uh. Yeah, with four songs. It was just each song had like a cardinal direction to it. So yeah, Lost Compass was a was a thing.

Sharon Cline: It was like an evolution of figuring it out.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. Like it was because, yeah, I.

Sharon Cline: On the fly, you know.

Dope Chris Taylor: Literally on the fly. Like, I kid you not, because I remember just like sending him a hey, man, we’re gonna roll with this. And whatever happens, happens. And again, like, it’s crazy because the reception of it, everybody. And this was kind of like the purpose of Lost Compass. Like, people have songs they gravitate to where some people like shopping in Japan because it’s got that southern feel. It was a slower tempo. Some people loved the honesty of, uh, of somewhere away of just like, you know, like, hey, I want to cry, but I’m scared to cry in public. Or some people like the crazy talk of, uh, anywhere I reside, because it’s like it’s the cockiness. It’s the confidence. It’s like, yo, you put me anywhere on this earth, I’m going to thrive, or vice versa. Some people like the make me weak, where it’s just like you hear stuff that is, for lack of better words, crazy, but crazy in love, if you will. But yeah, it was just, like I said, just being lost in different directions. But at the same time, just knowing that we’re progressing.

Sharon Cline: How did you find your producer?

Dope Chris Taylor: Panda was who? This is going to be a story. So, uh, we reach out like we’d known each other since high school. Like he’s my brother’s best friend. I actually met him. Uh, I met him at a, like, college football rivalry from high schools. And, uh, there was a riot that broke out. And I remember, uh, my brother calling me to come pick him and Panda up. And so, like, picked him up, uh, tried to get out of there. Pop the tire. Cool. Yada yada. Uh, we didn’t really connect too much after that, but then years later, found out he was making music. And, uh. Yeah, Once we kind of, like, linked up, it was just like a yo, let’s just see how far we can go. Because I thought going back to the imposter syndrome, like, I thought like, oh, cool. His beats are way too good for me. Like, ah. And then when he heard me rap, he was just like, oh, he would never rap with me. So, like, it was cool to be, like, fans of each other. Like. Yeah. So like, we just became like one of those things where there’s like a certain list of, like, people where I’m just like, alright, cool. Like, hey, if I let’s just say for sake of argument, like, I make a living off music, I need to find some way to like, help bring them along. Or at least. Yeah, he’s like one of them because, uh, I joke around, he was rocking with me back when I tried to put like, 57 words in, like, one line, and I was mumbling and it was like, yeah, like, he saw the journey and he’s super patient and we’re patient with each other because we also we also understand we gotta live life. That’s like, not everything could be music 24 seven because then what else is there to talk about? You know?

Sharon Cline: True. So to balance yourself a little.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. So, yeah. No, that’s how we met. We met at a high school, and then we’re still friends to this day. Like, we still making music. And we also encourage each other to, for lack of better words, just go outside of the genre. Like, because, I mean, for lack of better words, like, yo, if we trying to just like stay limited to like not necessarily not discrediting rap because rap is always going to be my foundation. But I know if I like country or pop or gospel or R&B or blues or folk music, why not have those influences in my music? Because that’s part of who I am. Same thing with, uh, Panda. Like that’s part of who he is. So it’s just like, hey, let’s just go to these extremes that we love, let’s make the music we want. And whatever happens, happens. You know.

Sharon Cline: I like it because we were talking before at an event. That’s where I met you, um, about the fact that all kinds of music is interesting to every different kind of genre has an interest in you. So you were saying that, um, what were we talking were we talking about Frank Sinatra? I can’t remember, but like, we were talking about.

Dope Chris Taylor: Oh, you’re talking about my my weird. Oh, yeah. My weird music theory. Yeah. The spider web.

Sharon Cline: Oh, yeah. Let’s talk about that a little bit.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. No, I’m a firm believer. Like, hey, like, music is like a spider web where you got, like, your stream extreme genres on the outside. Like, you know, like your country classical, uh, you know, rap, uh, heavy metal. And, like, the closer you get to the middle, that’s where you start getting, like, those genre blending, like, you know, like hip hop or like all these other different things. And so, like, it’s almost weird now. It’s just like, I may not I may not know. Oh, hey, I like rock and roll, but hey, I might need an introduction to make me like rock and roll or same thing with, uh, blues, same thing with country, stuff like that. So it’s just like I try not to write off any genre because I know, hey, maybe this is not the gateway song to get me to go into this genre. And so like. Yeah. So I always like, be curious to like people’s like, oh hey, what do you listen to now from a standpoint like, oh, you listen to trash. It’s like, all right, cool. I kind of have an idea what might be your gateway song. And then. Yeah, like, I’m a firm believer, like, because most music, most music is personal. Like, that’s what’s so dope about music is just like you’re getting to see somebody’s personal. So that views their experiences. And then plus dog like it’s, you never know what you’re gonna find. Like it’s like hidden gems. So like yeah. So yeah, that’s my theory about, like, music, like it’s a spiderweb. It’s all connected. All I, all I can ask is just like, yeah, just be open to find the gateway to the next genre.

Sharon Cline: That’ll be your your next album. Name. Spiderweb. I’m just letting you know.

Dope Chris Taylor: Write it down the notes.

Sharon Cline: Writing it down seems like a natural fit. Um, but I was thinking, I’ve never heard hip hop before, and I’m, like, embarrassed to admit that.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah, it’s.

Sharon Cline: Okay. My vernacular ever. Yeah, I said it is.

Dope Chris Taylor: There’s a lot of genres that I’m not even gonna lie to you, I don’t know. And I think that’s also the cool thing about music. There’s, there’s we listen to a new song every hour on the hour. I’m still not going to listen to all the songs in the world. So like, it’s kind of crazy to like, see, like, hey, how do music, like, become one? Like, like I said, I don’t know. I can’t even tell you any hip hop songs because I know the genre. I just don’t know it. But like, even with one of the groups I am, I’m part of called the family name. Like that group consists of me and rapper, uh, a jazz singer and a folk artist who plays the banjo.

Sharon Cline: Oh my gosh. So interesting.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yes. But like, because, like, on paper, you’re just like, how did this how did this even happen? But like, yo, we already cut like three tracks where it’s just like, oh, yeah, like how fun. Yeah. Like, it’s, it’s one of those things where it’s just like, kind of going back to for me, like my personal goal is to say I want to make music with people I enjoy. Like, you don’t have to be like the biggest name or like most talented. Just like, can we actually hang out and do you have a good soul? If you got good soul and good character, yeah, let’s kick it. Like, let’s see what comes about, because it’s like, I’m not saying I want to make sure I’m very clear. I’m not saying disregard the money because like, I think if you want to make a living off like music or honestly any like any creative side, I think you need to understand the business side, but also don’t let the business side like mess up the creativity. Like, I think it’s like two hats or there’s like 50 hats. But for now, for this example, you have two hats where you have to fulfill. But yeah, like as far as like the creative side, you know, if we make cash cool, we make trash. Like it’s okay. Like we just have fun with the process and that’s dope.

Sharon Cline: So I think it’s neat the creative aspect of music or any media. There’s something so cool about making something that didn’t exist a little bit ago, you know, like before you showed up and then you wrote a song, and now this song is alive. It exists. And it didn’t before. There’s just something so special about that. And I’m wondering if that’s what it was like for you in writing the album The Lost Compass. And, um, I also actually wanted to ask you, for those who are listening, what is the style like? How can they how can you compare your style to someone’s. Ooh, it sounds different. Like it’s different. Yeah. The average.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. Like so the way I would describe my style, like I like I’m a lyrical miracle baby meaning like, hey, I like to be witty. But as I grown as a songwriter, I look for lines that like, make an impact. Like, sometimes I don’t need to be like, oh, you know, there’s a, you know, quadruple meaning under this one line. It’s just like, all right, cool. I’m a rap nerd, so I love that. But at the same time, sometimes the biggest impacts can be like, yo! Um, you know, hey, you make me feel special whenever we talk. You mention your son like so. Some people might be like, why is that so special? But then, hey, if you are in, like, in a relationship with somebody, where or you’re pursuing somebody where, hey, they feel comfortable enough to bring their children to you. Like, that’s a really special moment. Or if you want to be, like, more lighthearted, like, I want you to want me like you want those Arby’s cheese sticks. Like there’s nothing like I remember somebody asking me about that. They were just like, yo, how did you come that you’re so creative. That’s clever. I was just like, nah, I was trying to court a girl. And her favorite snack was Arby’s cheesesteaks. And so, like, I was making a song to her. I was just like, I really just want you to want me. Like, you want Arby’s cheesesteaks. Like, it’s real. Like it’s personal. So, like, yeah, uh, it just comes to life in a whole weird way. Like, it’s.

Sharon Cline: How you go with the girl, by the way. Just.

Dope Chris Taylor: It did not.

Sharon Cline: Go. I’m really sorry.

Dope Chris Taylor: You wrote a.

Sharon Cline: Whole song and everything. Oh, man.

Dope Chris Taylor: It’s okay. It was, uh, fun fact, uh, I wrote the song, and it was wild because it was almost like a. Oh, man. Like I’m trying to make it work, but you’re not trying to make it work. All right. Cool. And then I distinctly remember I had a concert, and I did not plan for her to show up, and she showed up and to perform that song in front of her. And for the greater. I’m glad that, uh, she didn’t recognize some of the lines because, like, I’m sure she looked back and, like, listened to the song. She was like, you were talking about me. I’m glad she did not pick that up because, uh, yeah, that was, uh, when I saw her walk in. I was just like, ooh.

Sharon Cline: This could be a moment.

Dope Chris Taylor: This could be a moment. This is my first show. I’m already nervous. Yeah. And then walking her like, yeah, she didn’t like in the front, but she was like, within, like, distance. I’m just like, oh. All right. Cool. Chris, are we gonna cut the song or are we gonna ride with it? And yeah, we rolled with it and yeah, all is well.

Sharon Cline: What was it like to perform live?

Dope Chris Taylor: Yo! Performing live is like a man. It’s like a natural, like elevated feeling because it’s just like it almost becomes a conversation. Like when, like I try to be a student of the game, like, watch, like different performance, go to different concerts, see how people like, you know, just like, interact with the crowd and see, like what resonates with me. Like I’m a firm believer of like the storytelling, the process, just being human. So like whenever I do shows like, yeah, I kind of let people know, like, hey, here’s what I’m feeling. Like, hey, here’s the background to the song, like or like, yeah, like if you like if you just having a bad day, hey, let’s just leave that behind. Like, hey, like it’s cool. Like it’s really just to me. It’s just like, hey, I just want to see excitement. Some people voices. Sometimes it might be like a karaoke song where I might do a cover of a song just to have the crowd participate, because at the end of the day, it’s just like, yo, I’m a firm believer that everybody can do anything in the world right now. So like if somebody like spent especially spent money. Spent money. Come see me. Oh, yeah. No, I want to make sure you have a great time because. Yeah. Nah, you could have spent that money on food. You could spend that money on anything. Spend your time on anything. So. Yeah. So I just want to make sure, like I give, like a just a good hearted feeling. Just make sure people like, feel the same type of, like, happiness and experience. I do so like. Yeah. So like it’s just it just becomes like a cool event you know.

Sharon Cline: Mhm. How do you market yourself in an online presence. I saw on your website you’ve got all the socials and all the links to everything. Do you have, do you feel like you’ve got to promote yourself like with TikTok. Like where a lot of artists do. How do you how do you promote yourself?

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah, that is that is the question for every artist content creator out there because, uh, yeah. So obviously with the social medias, uh, word of mouth merchandise, uh, dope. Chris Taylor. I gotta make sure I shout that out where you can get like, the Good People merch. Uh, a lot of merch. Honestly. Truthfully, just kind of come from things that I naturally say. So just like if you ask my like, people from, like my day job to hear me say, yo, yo, yo, what’s going on? Good people. So it’s just like, yeah, just things that resonate within me and then kind of find a way to like, merch that out. But, uh, yeah, just trying to make sure, like, the content, like, doesn’t be like, oh, hey, Chris is doing a backflip off the train. Yeah. No, I don’t even know how to do a backflip. That’s it. I’m like, you’re just.

Sharon Cline: You’re a musician.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. Like it’s just like trying to make sure the things that I put out there, like, relate to the content. And then, uh, also kind of just find different ways to show people. Me. I think that’s the way I kind of go about marketing was just like, hey, I want to show people, like, not necessarily, oh, hey, here’s my address. You know, uh, one, two, three.

Sharon Cline: Main.

Dope Chris Taylor: Street. Yeah. Um, yeah. It’s not nothing like that. It’s just like, uh. All right. Cool. Let me just show you the. Hey, here’s the artist. Here’s the person. There are some things that obviously I want to keep private just because, uh, I realized that, hey, my life or the people in my life may not want as much attention, which is, you know, very understandable, because I get it.

Sharon Cline: Well, these days, there’s really no limit to what people can find. And it can be bullied online 24 over seven.

Dope Chris Taylor: That’s and that’s what’s kind of crazy. And that’s one of the things where the older I get, the more I kind of get conscious about as far as just like, all right, cool. Like, hey, and am I putting somebody’s even? Let’s just say for the sake of argument, like, if I’m writing a song to somebody, am I putting enough information out there for somebody can get like bullied or harassed or stuff like that? Even if I got like, I don’t have no bad blood with nobody, but, uh, let’s just say for the sake of argument, like I have like a girl. So somebody I’m not going to just be like, oh, yeah. Uh, this person, Jane Doe at one, two, three. Uh, Main Street is a horrible person. And then. No. First of all, that’s a lawsuit. Second of all, it’s just like, no. Because people sometimes, sometimes online can be like a blessing to be like, hey, can be uplifting, but sometimes it can be like a horrible place where people just kind of like, for lack of better words, want to see you fall, to be like, oh, hey, it’s my job to humble you. Is it really your job? I thought your job was a XYZ.

Sharon Cline: So, you know, it’s hard because I think, I mean to say it’s hard. It’s like too simplistic. But to try to strike a balance between being out there in a public way, but also to to not put yourself in a position to be targeted. But you also want to succeed and believe in yourself, which is very triggering for a lot of people who don’t, you know, in themselves. And they there’s a lot of jealousy, obviously, about and envy about people who are successful. I haven’t had to deal with that quite yet because it’s, you know, it’s just a small little radio show here in Woodstock, Georgia. But who knows what’ll come. I’m just saying, I don’t I don’t know how I would be able to manage trying to grow and not and also have a thick skin for that kind of thing and feel protective of my family.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Um, that would be very difficult. I think for me, it’s hard. It’s it’s hard to know how how far and wide things go because they go viral and you don’t know, you could be on TikTok just saying one little thing, and the next thing you know, that’s what’s going around for 48 hours.

Dope Chris Taylor: Oh for sure. Like, it’s it’s crazy because like you said, just like, yo, I want to make sure, like, you know, the people that I care about are, like, safe as most like, as much as I can protect them. Uh, it’s weird because I had to. And granted, I know it’s definitely sensitive soul, but I had to train myself from a creative standpoint where when I do get feedback from, like, my loved ones or the people I trust to give me musical feedback, I’m like, hey, they’re coming from a place of love. They’re not coming from a hey, I’m trying to make sure you don’t get too big for your britches. But, uh, once, once I kind of go through the ringer with some of that stuff. I’ll be all right. Cool. Hey, I’ll throw it out there, and then whatever happens, happens. Like, someone might be like, oh, Chris, you talk with a mumble. Hey, you don’t enunciate all your words. All right. Cool. You’re right. And then, like, that’s it. Like it’s at the end of the day, it’s just like, hey, there’s some comments. That was like wild. Like, I remember, uh, I can’t remember the video, but there was like, somebody was just like, you don’t sound like, you know, you hit the education system or the. I was just like, dawg, I got like a college degree, like, what are we talking right now? Like. But I mean, at the same time, it’s like, I get it. I charge it to the game like it’s it’s one of those things where I try to double down on either I’m extremely invested or hey, or whatever happens that happens. And what I mean by that is like, hey, I really care about the people opinion, who I really care about. If it’s not somebody within that circle, then hey, I’m not going to let that opinion just, like, bother me because, hey, somebody’s just trying to make somebody else feel bad. And I get it like negative energy, like negative energy and misery loves company.

Sharon Cline: And we’re not doing that.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah, I like to be by myself being happy. We talking about like, oh, hey. So now I’m just trying to make sure that, hey, I got my circle around me. Uh, make sure to have the accountability there. Make sure I have the uplift in there. Go back to being mindful. The tongue. And then. Plus, I ain’t even trying to sound like cocky or confident. It’s just like dog. If you hear my, like, subject matter and you’re hating on me, I’m just like, dawg, like, what are we hating on? Like, I’m not, I’m not talking about, you know, embarrassing you. It’s just, hey, I’m just somebody that’s trying to have fun and at the same time, give some lessons out to people who can do it bigger and better than me.

Sharon Cline: What’s your big dream?

Dope Chris Taylor: Ooh. Good question. My big dream. Hmm. So, my big dream. I want to be the example, like, you know, like if you when you tell your kids you can be anything you want. I want to be an example for them. I don’t want them to be like, oh, hey, you can be anything you want. And they’d be like, but daddy, you’re not what you want. I’ll be like, ooh, life got real for me. But like, now, like I want to like, show my kids. Like, hey, like you can make. You can really do whatever you want. And let me be the example of that. So like, hey, I will show like the good, the bad and the ugly to them. Not from a standpoint of just like, oh yeah, you know, you got to grind it out. Just like, hey, there’s a lot of work that comes to this lifestyle that not even just music, but that creative lifestyle. But it can be so rewarding. Like it’s just like, oh, watching my, like, family come see me perform. Or like, I remember, uh, being at Cass Cafe and, like, seeing, like, a wave of people like, have like Chris dope Chris Taylor shirts on. Like, it was very nerve wracking. But at the same time it’s just like, yo, all these sacrifices were worth it. Like, So that’s my big dream. Like, I want to inspire people to chase their dreams and be willing to put in the work and trust the process as well as just like, aspire my own kids. Like, if I do that, I’m good. I’m good to leave this earth.

Sharon Cline: I heard like I wanted to, I don’t know, I was expecting you to say something like, well, you know, I really want to win a Grammy and blah, blah, blah, but that’s not at all what you said. You really want to be an inspiring person. You want to help other people feel they can do their own music. Which is why I think you’re such a great fit for Fearless Formula, because that is kind of the whole the whole goal of that is to, of the show is to have people kind of see someone else’s journey and maybe take courage and inspiration for their own. But yeah, I somehow thought, you know, you’re going to have this big story about, yeah, you know, I want to be play at with State Farm Arena, whatever. But you’re really like looking at it more from a spirit side.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. Like it’s because I think I always go back to, like, what music did for me as a child, I always remember, like having, like certain songs on Pete and like, and I still say I’m weird for this, but like, I would listen to like one song, especially if, like, resonates with me, like for a whole day on repeat and like just nerd out about it. So like, I think about, like, all right, cool. Hey, I’m grateful for the artist, and especially if I have a chance to, like, see those artists in person. Yeah. Thank them. Even my friends that do music. Yeah. Like, I’ll listen to them on repeat just because it’s just like, yo, hey, they got something that’s touching. So yeah. Now, like, as dope as it now I want to make sure I’m on the record. Yeah. Hey, I want a Grammy state for all that. That’d be cool. I’m not gonna be like. No, like, no, like I.

Sharon Cline: Don’t get that big.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. No. Yeah. No, I don’t want the million dollar checks or the yacht or the big houses. Oh, no, I’m not gonna say that. But yeah, like, if that comes with. That’s awesome. That’s great. But, uh, no. Like from a, like, truly, truly good point. Like, I just want to make music that, like, like feel good, like. I’m fortunate. Like, I got I got a great day job. They don’t hate me. Uh. They are. Yeah. They haven’t fired me yet. Like, they don’t hate me. They haven’t fired me. Uh, they’re super supportive of the music. Uh, they listen to me talk cash crazy. Uh, there was a funny story. Uh, I was at a conference out in Switzerland, and, uh, they found out, you know, I was a rapper, and I was like, yeah, you know, rap. And I ended up doing, like, an impromptu rap, like at the, uh, at our strategy meeting, which was super dope. And, uh, I remember we were going back to the, uh, restaurant and, you know, everybody was talking, you know, you got background music, and I’m just like, wait a minute. I realized somebody went to, like, the restaurant owner and said, hey, can you change it to this person’s music?

Sharon Cline: That was your music?

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. Like they started playing. I remember, like, first of all, I remember, uh, I was like, oh, this is cool. And then there’s one song I was just like, hey guys, I value my job. Can you skip this? You can listen to anything else, but I value my job enough to know, like, hey, ego is not getting in the way of this. I value my consistent paycheck. Like, it’s cool to pay some bills, but yeah, no, for the greater good, guys. Let’s, uh, let’s skip this, but. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: Oh, but how funny. And how what what was that like to be like in that restaurant environment and then, like, hear your own voice?

Dope Chris Taylor: It was so real because it was just like, uh, like it wasn’t like a. Oh, somebody told me like, oh, Chris, you’re on. It was just like, I’m, you know, you’re just having regular conversation. You’re just like, wow, this song sounded really familiar. And then like, when you actually, like, get through, like the noise, you’re like, oh, this is me. Like, this is like.

Sharon Cline: My.

Dope Chris Taylor: Song. Yeah. Like it’s not like, oh, I told the DJ, hey, man, can you put some like, somebody went out to request me cuz it’s not like, oh hey, I’m getting played on like VH1 on three or hot 1 or 7.9. It’s just like, oh, this is Also, I’m not in America right now. I’m in Europe. So it’s just like that’s.

Sharon Cline: What played in Europe.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. Like so it’s just like, yo, it’s it was like a super surreal moment and, uh.

Sharon Cline: It’s a magical moment.

Dope Chris Taylor: Oh, yeah. No, I’m not gonna lie to you. That was hard to go to sleep that night because as much I was like, oh, you know, skip this one song in the back of my mind, I was like, yes, I’m just like, I’m doing everything because it was just like, yo. Like it’s almost just like, uh, there’s this book I love called The Alchemist and, uh, yeah, one of my favorite books, and it’s just like, hey, it’s almost like a to me. It was like, hey, this is a sign that you want to right track. It’s like there’s like little things that keep reminding me. Hey, just keep going. Hey, just keep going. Hey, there might be some times where you might feel like, hey, this is not it. Just keep going. Like, here’s your one little breadcrumb. I haven’t run out of breadcrumbs yet, so I’m just gonna keep going.

Sharon Cline: So that’s amazing.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. So that was. Yeah, that was one of those like that was actually like a whole loaf of bread when that happened. I ain’t gonna lie to you. I was just I was eating good. I was eating good.

Sharon Cline: So what advice would you give someone who’s interested in in pursuing music?

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. Uh, the advice I would give like, hey, first of all, let the creative side be free. Let it be fun. Don’t move in with expectations. Like, I know this might be an unpopular opinion, but it’s okay to suck like it’s okay to suck. It’s okay to not be where you want. Matter of fact, I think that’s a good thing. Because if you’re not where you want from a oh, the execution standpoint, you can always improve the execution. Just keep putting up shots, keep showing up. And then when it comes to the business side, yeah, just, uh, be a student. I’m not saying you have to be like, oh, touching all bases, but yeah, like, understand the business, understand that, uh, networking horizontally is great and fantastic. Like, some of my friends that are in better positions than me are helping me grow and vice versa. Like, hey, there’s some people that are newer than me that I’m trying to give advice to as well. Like just be a student. If you’re a student forever. You’re never going to fail like so. I would just tell people, yeah, just enjoy the process. Enjoy the journey.

Sharon Cline: If there’s a way for people to get in touch with you, if they have any questions, what would be the best way?

Dope Chris Taylor: Best way would probably be my social media. I’m a dope. Chris Taylor all social media platforms. That’s Twitter or X formerly known as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, uh, all of them. Uh.

Sharon Cline: You also have a Spotify, right?

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. Spotify, Apple Music, uh, all that good fun. I got a website. Dope. Chris taylor.com. Uh, yeah. I mean.

Sharon Cline: You’re doing all the things.

Dope Chris Taylor: All of the things. Like, if you really want to talk to me, there’s you can find me, like, just be like, oh, yeah. Hey. What’s up? And I’ll probably be like, oh, hey, what’s going on? And then, hey, let’s start a convo.

Sharon Cline: I can’t thank you enough for coming to the studio because we rescheduled and I normally don’t do that, but you were so kind to me about it, so thank you for that. But also being willing to talk about the music industry, not in terms of I want to conquer the world. It’s really more I want to enjoy what I’m experiencing. And that’s definitely a different take than what I’ve heard before.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. No thank you. Like thank you for having me up here. Like it’s crazy because, uh, in my mindset, I know this is not the popular, like, road to take with music just to, hey, let’s make music that we enjoy. But that’s to me, that’s like the music that people love and remember. Like, you know, everybody likes to talk about the deep cuts. Then, hey, let me just make a deep cut, Chris. And yeah, here we are.

Sharon Cline: Well, what you’re saying is, in my mind, it feels like the journey is is what is considered or enjoying the journey is what is considered success.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah, yeah.

Sharon Cline: Because people define it differently. But like, yeah, yeah.

Dope Chris Taylor: Because at the end of the day, like, hey to me, you woke up, you chose to pursue what you want to do. That’s a win regardless of the results. Like my motto for 2025 and hopefully for the rest of my life is hey, we don’t celebrate the results, we celebrate the effort. So yeah.

Sharon Cline: I love it. There’s so many good quotes.

Dope Chris Taylor: Well, hey, the music artist popping.

Sharon Cline: Up there, it was. Well, I can’t thank you enough for coming. I’ve just so enjoyed chit chatting with you, and I’d love to kind of follow along where your journey takes you, because it’s kind of to me, it seems pretty unique. So please come back sometime and share more about what you’ve learned along the way. And um, and yeah, thank you. Thank you for being a really cool human.

Dope Chris Taylor: Yeah. No. Thank you. And hey, until next time.

Sharon Cline: Until next time. And thank you all for listening to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX. And again, this is Sharon Cline reminding you with knowledge and understanding we can all have our own fearless formula. Have a great day.

 

CertaPro Painters® Chief Brand Officer, Dawn Perry

May 5, 2025 by angishields

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Denver Business Radio
CertaPro Painters® Chief Brand Officer, Dawn Perry
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Dawn-PerryDawn Perry joined CertaPro Painters®, North America’s Most Referred Painting Company®, in August 2022 as the Chief Brand Officer. In this role, she leads the company’s brand strategy and marketing.

With more than 15 years of franchise marketing expertise and 30+ years of marketing experience, she has a proven track record of driving lead generation and delivering extraordinary brand experiences with a customer-centric approach. Prior to joining CertaPro Painters, Ms. Perry held two roles over 12 years at Anywhere Real Estate as Senior Vice President Cross Brand Marketing, and as Chief Marketing Officer at ERA Real Estate.

Previously, she held marketing management positions with Avis Budget Car Rental Group, Scholastic Book Club, and Time Inc. She also led her own Little Gym franchise for four years.

Ms. Perry has received several accolades for her innovative branding and marketing strategies with bottom-line impact, including being a recipient of the Consumer Marketing Achievement Award from Time Inc., the Alex Perriello Innovation Award, and the Realogy Round of Applause recognition.

She is currently a member of the American Marketing Association (AMA) and was previously a Forbes contributor. She also holds a master chef certificate from The French Culinary Institute.

Connect with Dawn on LinkedIn.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Coming to you live from the Business RadioX studio. It’s Franchise Marketing Radio. Ready to revolutionize your franchise with AI? Franchise now empowers franchises with advanced AI solutions, automatic processes, and enhanced marketing strategies. From personalized customer interactions to predictive analytics, we help you harness AI to drive growth and efficiency. Transform your franchise with the power of AI. Visit Franchise Now to learn more and take your business into the future. Now here’s your host.

Rob Gandley: Welcome, everybody. Welcome back to Franchise Marketing Radio, the podcast that dives deep into the story systems and strategies behind today’s leading franchise brands. I’m your host, Rob Ganley, and I am thrilled to welcome back to the show, a person that’s been helping lead transformation in the home services space. Her name is Dawn Perry, chief brand officer of Certapro Painters. Welcome back to the show, Dawn. It’s great to have you back.

Dawn Perry: Thank you. It’s great to be here.

Rob Gandley: Well, I love to tee up your your background as both a successful entrepreneur as well as a successful executive. And I think there’s a there’s a distinction and you maybe do a little of both at some point. But being that entrepreneur to being a founder as well, I just love that. So I would love to have the audience just again, I know you’ve been on the show, but if you could maybe introduce and tell us how you got to be to where you are today, a little bit of that journey.

Dawn Perry: Sure, I’d love to. Thanks again for having me. I really enjoyed our first conversation. I’m glad we get to chat again. Just a little bit about me, just for the audience as a refresher. So I started out in basic direct response advertising way back in the day. I worked for people magazine and what was once called Time life. And then it became a whole other things. Time. Time Inc. became Time Warner. Uh, so, uh, I started in true direct marketing. And when I say that and you’ll I know you’re going to laugh when I say it. This is where I actually mailed you something. And you had there was a postcard with prepaid postage on it that you would send back to me. It was true. Direct response. So, you know, nowadays we don’t have that luxury. We do direct mail, but we don’t expect anybody to mail us anything back. So, uh, it’s just that’s where my core, my roots were. Um, I just went from, uh, publishing went from there to Scholastic books. I ran 32 different book clubs for Scholastic Books. And for those, I think it’s a US only. But for those in the US, it’s it’s those book fairs and things that you get at your school growing up, um, you know, great brands like Clifford the Big Red dog and the Baby-Sitters club, right? So real fun, uh, branding exercise. And then I went to Avis Budget Car Rental. So I’ve gone through started with Avis we acquired as part of the Cendant Corporation back in the day. They acquired budgets. So I’ve done, uh, you know, basically a marriage of two brands.

Dawn Perry: And how do you keep them separate and all the different intricacies of managing two brands and two different, um, brand value propositions. Yet it’s the same thing. It’s car rental. Right? So that’s a whole other thing. Um, and then I decided I wanted to go out and, uh, be my own entrepreneur. And, you know, I did found something. I was a franchisee of the little gym. And, uh, I will say it’s a humbling experience to be a business owner, as you know. Right. It is. You think you’re really smart, and then you get in the trenches of local marketing and the day to day and you’re like, wow, there’s a lot I did not know. Um, and I did that for quite a few years. And then I wanted to go back to corporate America. So I’ve been able to leverage that, uh, you know, opportunity as an owner, as a franchisee to then help other franchise owners and other entrepreneurs. When I worked at ERA Real Estate, which is part of the Anywhere real estate brands, and now at Certapro painters. So I’ve just been, you know, I’ve had a bit of an eclectic career, but always in marketing and kind of bounced around. I also did a stint as a I went to cooking school. So I’m a also a chef. I certified chef, if you want to call it. So I’ve been kind of all over the place. And you would I? That’s a whole other podcast about the parallels between working in a hot kitchen and working in franchising. So we do that a different time. But I’m happy to be here today.

Rob Gandley: I love that, I love that that we could have a whole show of the parallels. I love like sports. I always think of sports. I compare sports to like business and things. But I never thought of that. I never I immediately thought of you becoming like you being a chef. I thought of how marketing campaigns are a little bit like that. Like these ingredients, like a little bit of this, maybe a little less of that. Let’s test this. You know, I could see where there’s some parallels with, with creating, uh, recipes and doing marketing campaigns. So anyway. Great.

Dawn Perry: Well, it’s funny, we’ve been talking about that. It’s ironic because I just has been using this the souffle metaphor at work, right where an integrated plan is like building a souffle, even if you have all the ingredients. You forget to do one thing correctly. Maybe you don’t whip the egg whites enough. You wind up with a pancake and not a souffle. So you know the importance of an integrated strategy. So yeah, I use those metaphors all the time.

Rob Gandley: And it’s just a little only a few details when we talk about digital marketing.

Dawn Perry: Exactly.

Rob Gandley: That’s crazy. Well, let’s talk about that. Let’s jump in and talk about digital marketing. Um, so for 2025, let’s get real about where we are now because things are evolving all the time. And now that is sort of the thing is, is just constant evolution. And you’re dealing with an iconic, I’d say, iconic brand. I know your name. I think most a lot of people know your name. Um, and you know how how do you keep your pulse and eye on things that can help your franchisees balancing it between, you know, running the kind of business that you’re running, which is a local painting service business and in the community. And it’s very it’s very people centered. Right. So you have that thought, but then there’s still this digital world that is constantly evolving. And us as people and consumers, we’re using it differently. So that always makes it a little different for you to think about what is worth putting energy behind what is moving the needle. So what are some of the ideas for expanding like? One of the things that I think most franchisees care about is continuing to grow and reach new audiences. So how do you reach an expanded audience with digital marketing in a in a model like a home services brand?

Dawn Perry: Yeah, it’s a really good question. You know, we could look at it a couple different ways. I was just having a conversation this morning. It was really quite funny because, look, it’s a it’s a Google world and we live in it. Right. And so remember I just used the souffle metaphor and you’ve got all the ingredients and you do everything right. But Google’s changing the temperature of the oven every ten minutes. Right. Like that is the problem we’re having. Right. So you could go crazy trying to really focus all your energy and time on digital, right? It is important you have to do it, but you cannot get, um, um, I guess waylaid by all of the all of the things that are constantly changing that are completely out of your control, all you can do is learn from them and move on. Right? So one of the things we’ve been telling our franchisees from a digital standpoint is it’s important to be in all channels, right? So even if you just think about, um, you know, we, uh, we promote an integrated full funnel marketing strategy, of course, which has some digital, some traditional, some what we call assertive marketing, which is extremely important in franchising, particularly in home services. And I’ll tell about that in a second. But ultimately, we want you to be doing local service ads if you’re in the US only. We have some Canadian franchisees. Local service ads are not part of their ecosystem yet. In Canada, you would need obviously paid search branded and unbranded. You need lsas. But now Google has the AI bot, right? That’s providing content. So it’s essentially important that you are constantly optimizing your websites for SEO. You’re adding content, you’re adding relevant content to your local market as well as to your business. Because then when the AI chat bots are looking for information, you are coming to the top in terms of your expertise and your value, you’re more likely to get picked up. And now that’s considered organic, right? So what we originally called organic. Now we’ve got AI in there. And I’m like really? That’s organic. But I guess it is right.

Rob Gandley: Yeah I think it’s brilliant what we just talked about. Like you just you just hit something that it just in my head, it’s still kind of new, like I’m, I’m learning with you. But I’ve noticed that for a lot of the work I do, I know, and again, the only thing that I can put an AI or the only thing I can connect it with. In other words, how do we show up in this new space of the AI output at the at the top of the search results, right. Which I dearly love, especially being a software person. I love the quick, the quick fixes the quick, the quick recipes.

Dawn Perry: Right?

Rob Gandley: Yeah yeah yeah. So but it’s like how do you how do you get get there. How do you know your brand is going to be the one. And I know it’s a lot to do with content. It’s about constant content marketing and relevance and personalization and quality. And I’ve been talking to franchises forever about telling stories like we’re doing right now. That’s exactly talking about the brand. We’re talking about marketing. We’re talking and it’s like, but you got to do constantly do it. I don’t think there’s a way to yet do it just a little bit or a certain amount. I think it’s just this idea of how do you do it perpetually and do it well, maybe everybody that’s a different amount. The bigger the brand, the bigger the website, the more you probably got to think about, right? So what a challenge there. But so tell me a little bit about social media then. So we’ve got this idea of Google which you’re right. Just to be clear, Google is is by far the biggest web presence, even way past Facebook. Right. And they own they own YouTube on top of that so that it is a Google world. I love that and gosh knows what their market cap is. It’s almost like you didn’t think a company could be that big, right?

Dawn Perry: Right.

Rob Gandley: Um, but anyway, so so tell me about social media then. So then you have this idea of Facebook and, you know, Instagram and some of these other platforms now gaining momentum. Even TikTok now is in the conversation for for traditional mainstream marketing versus just the kids using TikTok. Right. Yeah. Um, so tell me how how now do you and how does that relate to Google, the social presence, the content? Tell me a little more about how you’re balancing those ideas.

Dawn Perry: Yeah, I mean, you just hit on a lot of different things that are all related, right? So yeah, content is king. I didn’t I certainly didn’t coin that. I’m sure you’ve heard it. I forgot actually who did coin that phrase. But your ability to tell stories in a very relevant and meaningful, meaningful and authentic way about yourself and your business are essential to making a connection in your local customer. Local community. Right. I think one of the from franchising, it’s unique, right? We I am the steward of a a tremendous brand. Right. It has we we do all of the polished brand advertising, if you will. Right. But the it is essential for franchisees in a local market to come across and appear as local entrepreneurs. I hear this from franchisees all the time. Well, sometimes our marketing, we seem too big and people don’t want to work with us because we’re not local. Of course you’re local. You’re not only working there, but you’re hiring and employing people from that local community. And you are, and we encourage them in. Many are like, this is I we talked about this the first time. Franchising is a tremendous community of people that are giving back to their own local community. Right? They’re all entrenched in that. So just showing up in those type of ways really helps tell your story. Right. So then you asked about social media. It should be, you know, look, Facebook has the opportunity. You can do lead gen campaigns from there. Everybody’s interested about where’s the next lead coming from. That’s extremely important, but it allows you, whether it’s through Facebook or Instagram and now TikTok, depending on the the audience, you have the opportunity to tell a very authentic story about who you are, your expertise and why anybody would want to work with you. And it’s sometimes it’s not about the product, the output of the product, the paint on the wall for us, if you will. It’s how you show up and the, um, the commitment that you make to your customer and to their expectations. Yeah.

Rob Gandley: Yeah, yeah. So with the you mentioned community, right. And I know with local businesses, uh, obviously it’s key, right, to to not just think that you’re going to hide behind, uh, some digital presence and then get leads and work with people. Never interact with your community in a broader way, right? In fact. Well, you could, but it wouldn’t be a good idea. And let’s talk about why not, you know, so how do you integrate this idea of community outreach or events or interacting with other business owners, other organizations? How do you create opportunities for that through marketing programs? And then how does that then link back to what we just talked about, where you can connect the two. Like so you’re doing these local events. You’re doing some kind of outreach. You’re helping a cause, whatever it might be. And then you can take that and again create storytelling around it. And then it becomes more, um, dealing with a business that’s like a has a heart and is a person. And most of us, by relationships I know, like trust. And of course, you can’t just be triple the cost or, you know, be the worst reputation. One star reputation. Yes. But people do buy from people. They they feel like they know and they can relate to on a personal level. So tell me more about that. The idea of creating this community, and it’s so great to do it. I mean, like, it’s not that it doesn’t feel good, but it’s also a great marketing strategy. So tell me more about how that works for you guys.

Dawn Perry: No. Happy to. I I’ll tell a little story I had in my former life when I was in real estate. There was a real estate agent out of Charleston, South Carolina, and he did a phenomenal job. First, he was the when I met him, he was a rookie agent. He was his first year, and he built his whole business. On working with local, uh, restaurants and small businesses. And he would go and promote them. He’d stand in front of their office on social media and say, hey, I just worked with Bob over here at ABC restaurant, whatever it is. Um, and they’re doing a phenomenal things here. And guess what? I, you know, I’m bringing my whole team here on Thursday to do whatever. Right? So he was promoting them a little bit. It was not about him and what he does. He did of course say he was. He’s in his brand and he’s, you know, he’s a real estate agent. But, um, he was always giving back to them and promoting them on his channels, which of course they would either share or tag and do the same for him. So um, him, together with other local business owners, they were building like a little network of, uh, referral.

Dawn Perry: Right. The social is now the new town square. Right. What you might used to do at PTA meetings or rotary clubs or whatever, which still exist, of course. But you can do that now in these Facebook groups and other places in social media. That same agent now, you know, fast forward ten years, he actually now he’s moved into commercial real estate. I was just on vacation in Charleston, South Carolina. I saw him pop up again in my feed. He’s talking about all the development, real estate development that’s going on and you know how it’s going to impact the local community. Well, that makes him valuable not for his expertise in real estate, but for what he what the impact of all of this change is going to be on the local community. Right? So that’s the opportunity for you to work with others in your market to do that. Um, we also have a franchisee. Now back to Certapro. You know, we are focused on creating raving fans. And before I tell that story, I just want to share at our conference this year, I don’t know, have you ever met or worked with Brittany Hodak.

Rob Gandley: No. He wrote.

Dawn Perry: So what’s her book I wrote her. It’s it’s creating super creating super fans is her book. But she was our keynote. Yeah. At our speaker, um, keynote at our conference this year. And she, you know, basically, this is not going to be news to you or anybody who’s in marketing, right? The way that you create a raving fan is what you do, not what you give them. Right? So it’s not yes. You need obviously good quality work or, you know, product, but it’s the way you make them feel and not exactly what you do. Right. And so we tend in marketing get twisted up. And I need a referral program and I need to get a coupon for this. All of those things are important to your marketing strategy. But if you can create an extraordinary experience with your customer, they will talk about you. They will refer you. Just like I shared with that, that one real estate agent who I don’t, you know, I don’t keep in constant contact with. But I know the commitment he has to his community, and I know how well he is entrenched there. And I tell the story all the time. So that’s how you build real customer loyalty.

Rob Gandley: Yeah, yeah.

Dawn Perry: That is and you could do that on social. That was your question, right? Like how how does social interact that it’s a perfect platform for it.

Rob Gandley: Right? Right. And I love the idea. Like you, you said a lot in that. I mean, one thing that that and I and I see this strategy used over and over, but in any kind of service business or any kind of business at all, really, where you’re a local local owner, uh, the idea of interacting with other business is extremely valuable. We know that, um, there’s ideas around masterminds and, and consulting groups where you get ideas from different industries, different CEOs, different owners. We get that. But the idea of joint venture content marketing to help your community in a greater way, where both entities contribute. Right. And it’s and again, you’re just talking about how you’re going to help or what the impact is. And so you’re doing kind of what you’re saying. You’re making people feel a certain way. The assumption is, oh, you’re really good at real estate. Oh, you’re really good at it. It’s more about you’re a cool person and you’re helping our town, our our area. And I think that’s an immediate transfer of no, like, trust. Right. Which is the important thing. We’re going to assume that you’re good at what you do because you’re not good at what you do.

Dawn Perry: In.

Rob Gandley: Business.

Dawn Perry: Yes. Exactly. Yeah.

Rob Gandley: Yeah, yeah. But it is the feeling, right. Yeah. I you know, and if you think about that just for a minute, I know for me everything in my life has been influenced by what you said. Like if I really liked a company or an experience, it was because of how they made me feel. Yes, there was. The output was there, but if they made me feel good and made a couple mistakes and addressed them, still no problem. Still love them, right? I might like them a little better because they’re just everyday people trying to do their job, just like me. So. So anyway, very cool stuff. Um, so let’s talk about operations a little because you mentioned it early, earlier, um, where this you know, one thing about marketing today is it is so complex compared to, say, maybe 20 years ago, right, where you had less moving parts, let’s say, um, there’s a lot of details. You had said it with the souffle. It’ll it will be a pancake or not, you know, whatever. If one little thing. Right. Or Google’s always changing the temperature of the oven, there’s a lot of detail, which means operations when it comes to marketing has to be super tight. Everything has to flow well. And there’s a relationship between what you’re marketing and selling and how you’re delivering the experience, the feeling, like you said, right? Like we’re trying to make this work, but we’re not doing it over here. How does tell us more how you get that working in a big company? How what is that? First of all, why is that important? The relationship between ops and marketing, and how do you optimize that and what is that then what is the benefit.

Dawn Perry: Yeah. Um, so let me lead into this. You know, we talked a lot about marketing to start. Right. And the importance of this integrated plan. Right. And you can only throw so much money at things, right? There’s only so much money to be thrown at the problem, right? To try to generate leads. So many times. What you now then need to throw out is your time and your energy. So what we’re telling franchisees is, yes, you have to have a smart paid media plan, both digital and online and offline. We will support you with what we’re doing at the at the system wide level, but it is essential for you to build your brand locally. And the way you do that is being present in your marketplace. So, um, at certapro over the last two years, we’ve had two, two focuses. One was mastering the basics, and that’s just getting back to the core of what we do and doing it well. And then the other part of it is, um, just, um, increasing the opportunity to win business locally. Um, we call it self-generated leads, but it’s, there’s versions of that. Right. And that comes from all the things we talked about being present in your community, getting out, putting out yard signs, um, having your vehicles wrapped, all of those things that local franchisees do. So we aligned with operations pretty quickly about okay, these two things will drive value for our businesses. One, if you get back to basics and you are. So let me take a step back. Do you remember Covid? It seems like a long time ago now.

Rob Gandley: I love that question. Right. Do you.

Speaker4: Remember Covid? Yeah, it’s almost that. It’s almost that. Yeah.

Dawn Perry: Yeah. It was called Covid 19 at one point.

Speaker4: It was 18. 19.

Dawn Perry: Yes, exactly. Um, and when that happened in home services specifically, um, it happened in real estate as well. We had this influx of business that was pulled forward because in real estate at one point was considered essential workers. Same thing with painting and other things. So there was an opportunity. A lot of people couldn’t go anywhere. So they renovated their homes, they painted, they sold it, uh, bought new homes. And when that happens in any service industry, it it’s easy, right? It’s easy to take the order, do the job, move on to the next one. And you are still doing a great job, just like you and I talked about, right? If you weren’t good at it, you wouldn’t still be in business. However, now when it’s harder and there’s more competition and we’re all like, there’s only so much discretionary income in any particular, you know, household. So we’re all fighting for this in the home services market. It is essential. It’s essential that you are going back to the core of selling and what you were good at right before it was easy. And the and the fish were jumping in the boat. Now you actually have to go and create a plan and basically master the basics on how you win customers. Right. So that’s the focus. And so when we said that we sat with operations, said, okay, if this is our focus, well then how does marketing impact that. Like what can we be doing.

Dawn Perry: And the self-generated leads is part of that. Right. Building your brand in your local community. That’s and being assertive with your marketing locally that helps you win the customers. And then of course, if you’re executing the basics after that. And I find that when companies go wrong in this, when they’re not aligned with operations and you don’t have a singular goal or a singular focus, it’s look, it happens. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s not because of best of not intending to do well, but we’re all running a million miles an hour at different goals, and you’re never going to get to the end to the end point. Right? Because we have different, uh, perspectives. So it’s not easy to stay aligned. You have to spend time working together. We just actually got the operations and marketing team together, um, in February, right before the big spring season started and made sure we were aligned on our core goals. And we did some training together so that we can, you know, there’s a level of empathy that comes when you work together on a training exercise, because I don’t know what you do every day and you don’t know what I do every day. But we, we, we agree that we’re all moving towards the same goal. But wouldn’t it be great if we actually, you know, were working on it together? So those type of exercises really help strengthen the bond between marketing and operations.

Rob Gandley: I love that you made you made me laugh in a sense, because it’s like, it’s great to know you, but listen, my agenda is more important. Okay?

Dawn Perry: Right. You know.

Rob Gandley: Needs to fix themselves, right? It’s never us. It’s them. No kidding. Kidding. But that is. You can’t really get to that reality of understanding each other without that interaction. That was a great, great suggestion. But what? Yeah. Tell me. Like when you guys do that, you’ve been doing this a while. And what are some of the gaps you have identified. Like what what can other brands or people listening? What can they be looking for? What is the common pitfalls between ops and marketing strategies? Like what are the gaps and what are some of the things you’ve solved by by knowing by aligning better?

Dawn Perry: Yeah. So I think the biggest pitfall is, you know, when you’re measuring the goal, right. So if let’s just say let’s use a round number of 1000 leads, we’re all shooting for 1000 customers. Customer leads. Right. Well, you would think it’s all marketing’s problem to generate those leads. But if remember I just talked about all of this local marketing. We’re doing well. The operations team are speaking to our franchisees every day. So if they’re not reinforcing the message of. It’s equally important to buy, you know, spend your marketing dollars appropriately, but be present in your marketplace to earn the leads, then you’re not going to get to the thousand. So it depends on whether you’re measuring, okay, we’re just going to wait for the thousand, or if we’re all actively measuring the activities that will get you to the thousand. Marketing has activities. Operations has activities that can reinforce the message with the franchisees. Right. These are independently owned and operated people and that they have the opportunity to go their own way. So you can only help influence that. And when marketing and operations are aligned on that and on the goal and the activities that will get to the goal, then you have better success.

Rob Gandley: Yeah. So I like to ask this in every interview because I is obviously in our face all the time now, and I think a lot of us are probably tired. And the marketing in the marketing world, we’re just pelted with, yeah, with this. And but it is a reality as a technologist and someone who has a passion for it. I know it’s a real thing. It’s going to transform society for sure. Just a question of timing and how we all evolve with it. But I’m wondering, like from your view, like what are some of the thoughts you have on where that might play into the future for services kind of brand like you guys, and there’s are some things you’re doing now or what are you what are you thinking about in terms of AI and its capabilities and where it impacts marketing?

Dawn Perry: Wow. It’s a that’s a good question. It’s a big question.

Rob Gandley: Right?

Dawn Perry: Yeah. Well I’ll start with very high level. Right. Like AI is just the next new thing. It’s a very powerful thing. But there was a time when we didn’t have CRM automation. There was a time where we didn’t have email. I mean, now it really dated myself, right? There was a time where I mailed you something and you mailed it back, right? There is always going to be some technology or enhancement that makes it. It’s a different way of reaching your customer where you have to be thinking about. And I don’t have the answer. Certainly not is the next. So every franchise has their own target of who they’re trying to. Who is their ideal customer? Well, those customers age out and you get new customers who have different habits, different behaviors, and AI is going to be the norm by the time the Gen Z and Gen Alpha get to a place where they’re going to be looking for paint services, it’ll be a whole different landscape on how they consume media and where where they’re influenced to pick a brand, right. So I just think we just have to like, let’s not get excited yet, right? Like the world’s not coming to an end in terms of marketing. I will have a place, right?

Rob Gandley: Yeah.

Dawn Perry: But it’s a little scary right now because you’ve got you’ve got a balance with open AI. Is is could be dangerous to a particular brand, particularly if you have a competitive advantage. Right. You can’t if you just throw things into open AI. Well now it’s out there. Right. So there is no more secret sauce, if you will. Right. Um, it’s not like, uh, what is it like, uh, Heinz ketchup is not going to put their recipe out or put it in. Hey, how do I change the color of whatever for Saint Patrick’s Day, but use the same recipe if they throw that into ChatGPT. Now everybody knows what the secret sauce is for Heinz ketchup. So, um, we just have to be careful. You know, obviously the closed platforms are better. And then you also, as the person sitting in my seat as the chief brand officer, you are getting bombarded daily with, uh, new tools, new technology that utilizes AI. You have to be mindful from the, uh, from the corporate seat to make sure they’re following best practices and the policies before plugging in a vendor to work with. Um, and then you also have to balance that with every franchisee saying, just use AI to do it. Can you build me 25 ads and just use AI to do it? There’s a place for some of that. But no, like there is an expertise that you either leverage your own internal resources or your agency partners to help use Smart Data Insights to create the right messaging to create the right campaign. So we’re not there yet where you can push a button and it spits out a perfect campaign. Um, yeah. Will we get there? Maybe. But I’ll leave that for the agencies to figure out how we leverage that to their best success. Right?

Rob Gandley: Yeah. Right. Right, right. Yeah. No, that is that is true. And so with operations and marketing and I think obviously tech has a big influence of all of it. Um, but just in general we were talking about because the way, the way I see it is, is digital digital technology is. So as I said earlier, there’s so many moving parts. And if ops and marketing aren’t completely aligned, I just see constant friction. And I see it over and over. Yeah. Tell me some success stories. Let’s talk about like yeah, okay. That was an issue. And now we got on the same page. We aligned and boom look at that result. Like help us see that. What was some maybe some examples where marketing and ops got together through some of those exercises and you really saw the impact at the local level.

Dawn Perry: So okay, I’ll tell a story, but I think we’re missing somebody in this in this conversation. And that’s technology. So in some companies technology leverages ladders up to operations and other companies it’s a different pillar, right. And in this day and age, without technology, uh, you are pretty much sunk on a lot of your initiatives, right? So one of the things that we had done, oh, God, it was two years ago now, we noticed from a marketing standpoint that we had leads, abandoned the website. That’s not uncommon. People know how it is. We captured information up front. We had their name. We had, uh, probably either an email or a phone number, but they never. Our lead form for painting asks you a few questions about the property and and, you know, is it residential? Is it commercial? Um, if it’s residential, how many rooms? Whatever. If it’s a commercial, what type of property. And then you hit submit. So the submit button would to schedule an estimate. Or to schedule somebody to come do an estimate. That’s the lead right. That would be considered the lead. But we had all this information up front. And when they abandoned the form we had it, but we weren’t doing anything with it. And it doesn’t help. Yes, I could do nurture campaigns from where I sit for all of these people, but it’s better to get it in the hands of the franchisee because it was a person who had interest and probably just got the dog barked or something happened and they abandoned the cart.

Dawn Perry: Right. So we created this program, we noticed it, we shared it with operations like, well, hey, how about we just send those down to the sales agents, right? So we’ll have it as an unscheduled lead. So somebody had interest. They didn’t book an appointment. Let’s have them follow up. And we had much more success with a human in the local market following up, whether through text or email or whatever. Um, then we did from a broad based campaign. Right. It’s much more personable. It’s it can be closer to real time because someone’s reaching out the moment it abandons. So that was working with ops. Like, would the franchisees be open to this? Yes they would. How do we use technology? Then we got technology involved. How do I just deliver this to their dashboard so they can action it? And we’ve that was two years ago. And now it’s it’s part of the whole process. Right. It’s considered a lead. And many times we’re easy they’re easy to convert because like I said they just got distracted. They just wanted a quick answer. And they were tired with the form and they abandoned. And when they speak to a person, they get on the schedule and off we go. So that was one opportunity where we leveraged an insight, and we married it with operations expertise about how the franchisees actually work. Right? Because they’re they’re in the front line with them. And then we use technology to solve it.

Rob Gandley: I love that. I love that because it’s as simple. So like super simple. But this thing happens a billion times a month or whatever it is like. Yeah, over and over and over and thousands of times.

Dawn Perry: Yes.

Rob Gandley: Right. And so you just it’s a little it’s not to say that if it just happened once a year, it would be that impactful. Yeah. But your, your numbers then or you feel that you know in the revenue side it’s just like because you’ve implemented that and it’s just like now instead of converting x percent you move the needle up to a higher number and boom, it’s a massive impact because of that little tweak. That’s incredible. Yeah that’s great. So so just thinking about, you know, the future and and you have an interesting, uh, view of things because of one the brand you work with and, and your exposure to other brands, other your colleagues and the industry of franchising, which is some of the most I mean, you’re going to see some of the most advanced strategies in marketing in different brands. But what when you when we’re in 2025 right now, as you said, things have changed and things will continue to. What do you see right now? Is there anything you see as being common mistakes people are making or things that they they become bigger mistakes if they don’t pay attention. I know we kind of alluded to some things, but I’m kind of trying to zero in and say, what are the wrong things to do in 2025 versus the. And maybe that helps people realize, oh, wait, we’re not looking at this the right way, but how do you see that?

Dawn Perry: Yeah. So wow. Um, so for 2025 and beyond, I think the, the if I, if I could say anything or leave and this is again, this is not my mantra, but let’s just control what we can control. I think the biggest hurdle we have right now is all the uncertainty, right? I there’s things I can’t control. I can’t control wars in other countries or even the sentiment in the United States. I can’t control, um, you know, the stock market. I there’s things that I cannot control. Um, and as a small business owner, if you get so focused on my business is being impacted by these things, um, I it is occupying all my brain space. When you can’t control that, what you can control is that you’re out in your community talking to your customers. You could do customer appreciation events. You in in my business, right. We have, um, independently owned and operated franchisees. They have employees. Right. So it’s what you’re doing for your employees to make them feel good about what they do, to get them additional training to make sure that they’re working for every opportunity. But we also employ all of these other small business owners, which are painters, um, except in California, where they have to be employees.

Dawn Perry: But in most cases, these are subcontractors and you are fulfilling their life, um, and helping them build their, you know, net worth as a, as a family. So there’s so much you can do and can control in your own business. And if we get focused on all the things we can’t, it’s going to drive you crazy. So yes, you have to have a great integrated marketing plan. You have to spend the right amount on marketing. You can’t. That’s one of those things where everybody decides, oh, it’s a little tough right now. I’m going to pull back my marketing. Well, we all know that you when you do that, that has a longer term impact on your overall success, right. To the extent that you can keep your foot on the pedal from a marketing standpoint, um, both paid and earned right in your local market, that’s essential to your success. Don’t focus on the world when that’s going on around you that you can’t do anything about. And but it’s hard, right? I say this it’s easy for me to say it’s very hard for us to, to get out of get that out of our headspace.

Rob Gandley: Oh yeah. Exactly. It might the answer might be don’t look at the screens as much. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Dawn Perry: Um, when I had my friend just real quick though, when I had my franchise. Right. That was when the housing market crashed, I. So I had a whole community of people that were losing their homes. Um, so Kids fitness was not the thing that they were focused on, right? So I couldn’t control any of that. All I could do was try to manage my business and maybe evolve my business to help the community. Um, so like I said, you can only can control what you can control.

Rob Gandley: Yeah, Exactly. Stay focused. Stay focused. Um, so with franchise development, how how does your role in this particular brand? Because I know all brands are sort of structured differently and certainly smaller brands, you know, they don’t have the teams that the larger brands have. Your role is as chief brand officer. How how does that impact how the brand markets the opportunity and how do you everything we just talked about is so vital. If I’m considering becoming a franchise owner, you know, obviously how you’re handling operations, technology and marketing is going to be really important to me to, to to signal to me that this is a great opportunity. So how do you take all that knowledge that you just kind of shared, and how do you connect that with franchise development and make sure that is represented in a consistent way. So when the franchisee comes in they they understand what they got to do. So it’s also understanding what their role is and all that. But how do you align that too? Because I know a lot of times you can kind of market something that’s not really what it is, right? Not maybe on purpose, but a lot of things you talked about needs to be embedded in how the opportunity is presented. So how’s that alignment work?

Dawn Perry: Well, it’s an interesting question. We spent a whole time talking about like how marketing and operations should be aligned. It’s essential for everybody to be aligned with franchise recruiting, right? Um, I’ve been at organizations in the past where kind of what they promised wasn’t necessarily what was being executed. Nobody’s fault. Right? But it was just sold in a way that it was, um, a little bit more forward thinking than what was actually happening on the street. Right? And you don’t want that to happen, because then that leads to a whole host of other problems. So, uh, I make sure that our brand messaging, our core values, everything that we say and do about ourselves is well represented and that we bring along the franchise recruiting team if there’s any change to be had. Uh, we’re not alone. I’m sure every franchise, whether they call it a VIP or a Discovery Day or whatever they call it, when you bring in franchise potential prospects, um, into the office to try to win them over to to buy a franchise, uh, we make sure that that is a really tight, uh, um, presentation. It flows. Well, it tells our story. Well, right. We talked we started out by saying the story is everything. And if I can’t tell a really great story about this brand and how it has evolved from a bunch of college guys who were entrepreneurs and started painting house exterior houses in Canada all the way to what it is today as a, you know, $1 million brand. It is, um, it’s essential that I can tell that story well, not only in what it means to me as the franchisor, but what it means to you as a potential small business owner. Um, and we’re aligned on that messaging, and we work hard to do that.

Rob Gandley: Yeah, yeah, you you do got to work hard, right? I mean, it’s constant communication. You can’t underplay the word communication. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I told you that.

Dawn Perry: Essential. I’m sorry to interrupt, but it’s, you know, it depends. All franchises are different. When I was in real estate, we didn’t use brokers to help sell franchises. It was. It’s a different, uh, animal over there. Um, but we do in, in for what we do in this type of business. So it’s also important that the people that are representing you, trying to find candidates also understand the brand story. So we take them through our our discovery day, make sure that they know what we’re presenting. And so that we’re all aligned on what the value is to a potential franchisee. So that’s helpful too.

Rob Gandley: Yeah. Now just just out of curiosity, your role, is it is it both sides or is there a counterpart that kind of considers the marketing for franchise development? Or is is you kind of handling that too, or how does that work in your brand?

Dawn Perry: So for my brand, uh, it is franchise recruiting is separate. There is a person who does marketing for them, and then there’s the head of franchise recruitment. Um, obviously I support them from my seat, but that’s just based on how our PhD defines how you use the general advertising fund. So it really just varies in that regard.

Rob Gandley: Yeah, but it’s so important. That’s the point is that you have to communicate well with that side so they understand what you’ve created. Right. Yeah. To bring them into the right thing and align that messaging. Yeah. Well that’s cool. And that’s very rare in a business, right. To have both sides like that, which is one of the frustrations I always have with with vendors that don’t understand franchisors. It’s like you’re not seeing it the right way. You’re just missing it. It’s hard to do unless you’re involved in franchising. So.

Dawn Perry: Well, it’s funny because you can bring in a vendor and they start to work with one franchisee and it’s great. Everybody’s happy. It’s wine and roses. And then they’re like, oh, I want to add franchisees. And you add 4 or 5 and then they totally overcapacity. They can’t scale correctly. Like you know, you’re also trying to marry your vendors who are also trying to grow. And they would like to, you know, work with more franchisees. And when that happens, the, the, the level of service they can provide is diminished because they just don’t have enough teams. So yeah, it’s a balance always.

Rob Gandley: It’s always a balance, yeah. So as we wrap things up, I know I want to make sure that we, uh, had plenty of time, but I also wanted to leave you a little time to just share. I mean, coming from your seat, I think a lot of times it becomes routine, the great things that you do and the accomplishments that you’re able to to, uh, to get through. And what if you could leave? Maybe your colleagues. Is there anything about the industry that you just wish was done a little differently? You know, at different brands or anything like that? Or what advice would you give other leaders like you in big brands? Because you’re you’re more in the big brand kind of side and there’s a lot of influence, like we have some big brands that affect the economy and, and so but is there anything as a leader that you wish other leaders embraced, or is there any advice that you might leave, even emerging brands that are going to become like you someday?

Dawn Perry: Yeah. Uh, wow. Um, do I wish we did things differently? Um, it’s hard to say, I’ll be honest with you, because every franchise network manages their brand fund. As, for lack of a better term, uh, how they use it, how it’s defined, how they can use it, um, how what what is the responsibility of a franchisee versus what we handle at the corporate level? Um, I would for it’s easier for me to tell about emerging if you’re emerging, um, brands and you’re small and you’re trying to grow your franchise network. Be very clear on, um, how, um, let’s just say the standard operating procedures of how people should be using their marketing dollars. Um, what happens is when you start little and you start growing and growing and growing, as an example, if you’re a small franchise, you might not have any co-op marketing, but as you build as a brand and you have, you know, dozens of franchisees and say the Atlanta DMA, well, then you can actually leverage your, you know, your dollars to buy media that you wouldn’t buy as an individual franchisee. Right. So if I am one franchisee in Atlanta, I’m not buying radio in Atlanta. I’m not on TV in Atlanta. I can’t afford that.

Dawn Perry: But if there’s 25 of us we possibly could pull pull our money. So that’s great. You start to create co-ops, but if you what I would encourage everybody to do is be consistent in how the co-ops are set up, how they’re run, make sure you have all these rules in the road, because as you some brands just accelerate growth significantly and then they start throwing these things together. And or you have franchisees that collaborate on their own, and then you try to put that in a different market. So I just would say be clear on your standard operating procedures, um, as you move forward with that standpoint. From my seat, though, look, I don’t think there’s something I can say for from a big brand that I wish we all did differently. I do think I would like to have more franchising marketing collaboration opportunities, right? When you go to some of the big events, they’re either about advertising in general. You might be looking at programmatic marketing, very specific niche type marketing conferences and conversations. But franchising is different. And even franchising con conferences are more about how to sell more franchises or how to work operationally. I would love for more franchising marketing leaders to get together.

Rob Gandley: Oh my goodness, that was that was an amazing thought. Yeah, because we just talked about how integration marketing or joint ventures. I mean, of course it’s at the community level and you’re talking other brands, but there’s a lot of franchisees in communities, and so why not brands need to collaborate more for, hey, how can we work together and make an impact across the whole again, the network effect. Right. But that’s not happening. You’re right. It’s not. I’m not seeing that collaboration happening, not at least at the national level where it might Right? Yeah. That’s pretty.

Dawn Perry: I mean, I was lucky enough to be at anywhere. Real estate brands had six real estate brands, so all the heads of marketing would collaborate right on. But that’s like, look, that’s a little ego. It’s a big it’s a big ecosystem, but it’s just real estate. Now I’m part of Firstservice brands right. So first Service Brands has floor coverings. International has California closets. Right. So we can collaborate. But again right. For franchising franchise marketing, we’re not really spending a lot of time, you know, digging into what’s successful and how we can all leverage and learn from each other.

Rob Gandley: Yeah. No, no. Exactly. There’s a but that’s so that’s interesting because the, the idea of a platform company is is definitely has picked up momentum in the last whatever ten years. Let’s say there’s I don’t know more than 100 that I know of and probably more than that. But but because of what you said. But it’s like but that’s that is there’s more to that. There’s the operation, there’s everything. You’re synergistic. But just the marketing side just saying, how can we collaborate? How can we do events, how can we do good works together? Right? I just think there’s more could be done there and that would be cool. Great thought. Yeah, great I love that. Yeah.

Dawn Perry: Maybe a little spin off. Maybe in your in your downtime you could you could build that.

Rob Gandley: Yeah.

Dawn Perry: Yeah that’d be great.

Rob Gandley: There’s a there’s a quick tip, you know, reduce your workload if you think you’re already doing too much. There you go. That’s it. Look at your list and whack half of it.

Dawn Perry: That’s it.

Rob Gandley: Yeah. Alright. Well, before before we do end the conversation, I wanted to first thank you for for sharing your innovation, as always, sharing your innovations and your strategies, your smart person. Thank you so much for being on the show. Uh, but let’s make sure everybody knows how to get Ahold of your brand. Even though I know the name Certapro painters, I think that’s pretty common. But how do they get Ahold of you? Maybe both ways. Consumer or if they’re interested, maybe in being part of the brand as an owner, what’s the best way to approach that?

Dawn Perry: Yeah, no, I’m happy to share. So, uh certapro comm. That’s Serta with a C, right? We have to say that because there’s others that start with an S, it’s right here. Well, you can see me. I’m on a podcast. Anyway, you can see me. And, um, if you want to reach me, you can certainly reach out on LinkedIn. Say that you heard, uh, heard of me, um, in this conversation. And I’ll connect with you. Um, you can also send a, a request if you’re interested in franchising, uh, through the website itself. Um, but also, you can just send me an email directly. I’m pretty open. It’s just my first initial D Perry last name@certapro.com. So I’m happy to, uh, hear from any of you.

Rob Gandley: That’s beautiful. Take advantage of that, folks, and thank you for listening. And listen. If you you find value in our show, please share it with others. We appreciate you guys for tuning in. And again, thank you, Don Perry, for being here.

Dawn Perry: Oh you’re welcome. It’s a great show. Everybody should listen I love it. Thank you for having me again. Appreciate it.

Rob Gandley: Very cool. Thank you.

 

Tagged With: CertaPro Painters

Navigating Payment Processing: How to Save Money and Protect Your Business from Hidden Fees

April 29, 2025 by angishields

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Greater Perimeter Business Radio
Navigating Payment Processing: How to Save Money and Protect Your Business from Hidden Fees
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In this episode of Greater Perimeter Business Radio, Ramzi Daklouche is joined by Mitch Torbett, Senior Director of Sales at Payroc. Mitch shares his journey from building cell towers to excelling in the payment processing industry. The discussion covers the differences between direct and third-party processors, emphasizing how businesses can save on fees by choosing direct processors like Payroc. Mitch also highlights the importance of understanding hidden fees, PCI compliance, and the role of AI in combating fraud.

Mitch-TorbettWith nearly a decade of experience in the payment processing industry, Mitch Torbett’s passion is simple: helping people. He’s dedicated to ensuring business owners are set up for success by providing customized payment solutions that improve cash flow, reduce costs, and streamline operations.

As a National Director at Payroc, Mitch takes pride in building strong relationships and delivering personalized support. Whether it’s guiding clients through POS system upgrades, integrating payment solutions with software like QuickBooks or Clio, or identifying ways to eliminate unnecessary fees, his goal is to empower businesses to thrive.

When not working, Mitch enjoys spending time with his wife, Victoria, and their two daughters — one attending NYU Tisch School of the Arts and the other at Lassiter High School. They live in East Cobb, Marietta, Georgia, with their loyal 3 1/2-year-old German Shepherd, Arya, who’s a beloved part of their family. Payroc

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Greater Perimeter. It’s time for Greater Perimeter Business Radio. Now here’s your host.

Ramzi Daklouche: Welcome to another episode of Greater Perimeter Business Radio, where we spotlight business leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs making waves across Atlanta and beyond. I’m your host, Ramzi Daklouche. This episode is brought to you by V.R. Business Sales of Atlanta. You can reach V.R. Business Sales at. Com or at (678) 470-8675. Today’s guest is someone who’s redefining how businesses manage their most critical financial systems payments. Joining us is Mitch Torbett, senior director of sales, business development and national team leader of Payroc. With nearly a decade in the payment processing industry, which has made its mission to help business owners improve cash flow, reduce fees and streamline operations, all while building meaningful partnerships along the way. Whether you’re a seasoned business owner or just getting started in B2B services, this episode is packed with insights and on navigating the evolving world of payment technology. Protecting your bottom line and growing your network the smart way. Let’s dive in. Mitch, welcome to the show.

Mitch Torbett: Thank you so much, Ramsey. I’m super excited to be here. Thank you for the option to be here. Thank you.

Ramzi Daklouche: Appreciate it. How are you and how is the year going for you?

Mitch Torbett: Fantastic. I got to tell you, it’s it really started out quick and it’s just been a fantastic year. We’ve got a new acquisitions coming down the pike with our company. We’ve purchased 22 companies Peyrache has in the last two years. So things are moving quick.

Ramzi Daklouche: Wow, fantastic. So Mitch, let’s start from the beginning. How did you get into this world of payment processing?

Mitch Torbett: Oh, that’s a great question. I’m glad you asked that. Um, well, it’s kind of a funny story, actually. I was, uh, I just started dating my now wife, and I, you know, was going to be moving into a family situation. So obviously I needed my income to be somewhere different. And I had met some successful people that worked for the company. They interviewed me, and I interviewed them, and and they were sharing with me their commitment to excellence and, and how they just really take care of their clients. And that was just me all the way. So, um, it was just a win win. So I started training and that lasted about two years and then I started. Now I’m training other people, of course, but that’s how I came to the company. It was just by friends that were already working with pay Rock.

Ramzi Daklouche: And what did you do before that?

Mitch Torbett: I was actually building cell towers, which is why I wanted to pivot, because there was too much, you know, too many airplanes all the time in the field.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. Wow. And before that, what’d you do? I mean, cell towers is your first career.

Mitch Torbett: Actually, I owned a tree service, uh, that I sold for a profit in 2007, which is, you know, that was a rough time to sell, but we were on the front end of it.

Ramzi Daklouche: I wish you kept it, because now these companies are selling really well.

Mitch Torbett: Yeah. Oh, you got. It’s funny, I trained a lot of it’s now competition, but it was fun. It was just time for me to sell and wanted to move out west. My brother was already out there and I wanted to go skiing.

Ramzi Daklouche: Well, okay. Fantastic.

Mitch Torbett: Utah? Yeah. Salt Lake City, Utah.

Ramzi Daklouche: And what brought you back to Atlanta?

Mitch Torbett: That girl. My wife. Yeah. My wife Victoria.

Ramzi Daklouche: They sometimes do that. So a lot of people think all processors are the same, right? They don’t care what they have. So what’s the difference? What’s the big difference? Why would I choose one versus the other?

Mitch Torbett: Oh, that’s a great question. So if you think about the companies that advertise, we see a lot of we see square, we see stripe okay. Those are not what people think is usually the case is that all processors are the same. That’s actually not true. It’s quite the contrary. Um, so we are a direct processor, meaning that we are. There is no middle man, right? People actually buy from us and sell back to the public, just like Worldpay. You know, they will buy from us like stripe. They’re not a direct port processor, so therefore they must buy their time or their railroad tracks, if you will, as we call them. And then they resell to the public businesses. Same with Stripe Square, both those companies and others. There’s actually about 3,003rd parties and there’s only about 12 actual processors like pay Rock.

Ramzi Daklouche: So what’s the big difference between working pay rock trade? Because you know, everybody knows Clover Stripe all these. And a lot of people use them. Right. What’s the difference between working straight with pay Rock and working with these companies?

Mitch Torbett: That’s a great question. And we even have, you know, some companies that, um, that are third parties that even have our name somewhere in them, but they’re not actually, um, direct, if you will. And so you really have to be careful in this industry with so many thousands of companies out there, you you have to be really on your toes when you look for these kind of things, because again, there’s just thousands and thousands of these third parties. But the difference is to answer your question is that let’s say you’re selling a business, which I know that you do a lot of. Right. And let’s say that you’re they’re using square. Okay. And let’s say that they’re using square at and their rate is public knowledge around 3%. So if their revenue is let’s say it’s a small company, $100,000 just for quick numbers. And we’re going to be able to go in there based on that average ticket and absolutely cut that in half. Right. So from an EBITDA standpoint, at the end, when you’re, you know, looking at those books or when they’re doing their taxes, what have you, they’re going to be, if we’re doing that for half, then you’re going to put, you know, 1.5% back into the business. So that’s what we do. We take away the middleman who’s making that extra layer of profit, and we give it back to the business.

Ramzi Daklouche: You know, that takes me to the next question. So yeah, you’re right. I mean, cash flow is the lifeblood of, you know, we talk a little about small business, right? So how can. And I think it’s misunderstood because I work with a lot of businesses and ask. About the merchant services. And they have no idea what they pay. Why should they pay attention to it? And how can they pay attention to it? Because let me give you a fast story. So I was helping a lady sell her business, right? And she didn’t have a good. You know, system and all that stuff. But she showed me her merchant service. Look at all these payments I’m getting. Right. And then at the bottom, I looked. And they were charging her extra $75 a month, right? Plus a percent plus. I mean, they literally said, you got to stop. You’re paying way too much. She had no idea. $75 for a pick, whatever they call that PCI. Pci. Right. Which we should talk about that. You know, buyer beware. Pci is a rip off, I think. Absolutely need to be taken care of. But then she was paying a percent, right. They may have told her, oh, it’s a small percent, 2.75 75 and then 2020 $0.05 per transaction. So do you understand how much money you’re actually losing? Right. And they pack it because you know you know, I hate to say this, but you know, her English was not first language, poor and uneducated, but she’s you know what she should be doing. She’s good at what she does for a living. But they I think they take advantage of her. How can buyers be aware of this? Because I don’t know if there’s laws for this or there’s no laws for this. So can you walk me through this? Because I deal with a lot of businesses and typically I want to introduce them to merchant services. Right. But how do I do that? And main thing is for small for small business owners, how can they protect themselves.

Mitch Torbett: Absolutely. Well the first line of your defense is knowledge, right. So if you know about 90% of businesses, believe it or not, Ramsey are not even getting a statement. So if your company is no longer sending you a statement or you’re having trouble struggling to find that statement. Red flag. That’s when you need to reach out to us. And that’s when you go to, you know, our our site and we help you out this way. Um, but you’d be very much surprised. So if a company says that their rates are, like you said, 2.75%, but you nailed it on top of that is that $75 PCI fee and or and nowadays it’s actually gone up to $155 a month fee. Pci stands for Payment Card Industry and what it is. Basically, it’s not a government fee which most people think that it is, but it’s not. It’s actually the industry getting together and creating what I think is a, um, it’s a sham. Honestly, it really is. It is. And it started out at $19 a month, and that was two years ago. And now it’s $150 a month. 155. Uh, I believe heartland is.

Ramzi Daklouche: Charging a business that’s 200, $300,000 a year. Survive on that.

Mitch Torbett: You know, you nailed it. It is really tough. And that’s where we come in. When I’m. I’m usually sitting down face to face with my clients. That’s my preference. And that’s the first thing I look at is that that bottom line. And you really have to find it. Because it’s not just that Ramsey, it’s also the equipment that they get stuck with that they’re in a lease.

Ramzi Daklouche: Lease or rental or.

Mitch Torbett: Rental.

Ramzi Daklouche: And get out of it easy.

Mitch Torbett: And right. So, you know, and I also find that there’s previous companies about 50% of the time that I’m helping. And these merchants have previous leases or previous rentals. They’ve sent back the equipment. But guess what? They’re still getting charged for it. And so therefore I help them do that. But one one key feature that we help our merchants do is we actually do the PCI for them annually. In fact, I have a team that does nothing but that. So we make sure you are not going to be charged, not any amount. It’s zero. And even if you do receive a fee, we reimburse it to you. And we also have a merchant assurance policy. It’s even on our website that if you ever find a price, That’s that. That is more than ours. We have to beat it. So from a from a standpoint, I mean, we literally have to beat that price.

Ramzi Daklouche: That’s incredible because I don’t know how you educate us and what venues you use to educate, uh, small businesses. Right. Because, you know, you may be in a BNI group or or chamber group, but not enough because I think there has to be national education to small businesses to look for this. Because I could tell you for a fact that owning a small business, even before this business that we had, we looked at this on a regular basis and I was shocked that they they started charging me PCI because something we had to do that takes two minutes, we didn’t do or we didn’t know we had to do, or we missed an email because we’re busy, whatever that happens, and they charge. At that point it was $55. They were charging me. And then I called them and said, either come take your equipment or you take it off. Either way, just do something because I’m not going to pay for that. But you know how I know? I’m educated, I knew it, I found out about it, I did it, I went the website, all the stuff. How do most people find out about it? Like how can we protect these small businesses? Because it’s irritating. They don’t know where the money’s going. They just know it shows up if they have, you know, QuickBooks or whatever, it shows up, oh, you know, credit card charge, that’s it. And that’s it. Is there a way for them to kind of learn that? What’s the one thing they should look for today? You know, if anybody listening to this podcast say, oh, okay, let me go do this.

Mitch Torbett: Absolutely. That’s a great question. I’m so glad you brought that up, because you’re right. It is. Um, it can be misleading. Um, it can be, uh, ultimately, most of my clients are utterly confused. Uh, they, um, so we approach it like this. It bottom line is what is coming out of your bank account at the end of the day, when they go into their business bank account or they’re from a sole proprietorship, a personal bank account, what have you, whatever the whatever says merchant on it, they need to start adding these things up. And what you do is you simply say, okay, let’s take that $100,000 business, for instance, that we talked about. And if they’re getting a, you know, if they’re a, you know, 5% of that or 4% of that is coming out, all they have to do is take add up how much there is coming from their their business or their checking account and add that up, including the equipment, including the PCI charges, and then divide that by their total volume of credit card volume. And that equals their what we call all in effective rate. And if that is anywhere north of 2%, you need to call me.

Ramzi Daklouche: North of 2%. That’s right. People are paying 3% and they’re happy with it.

Mitch Torbett: Yeah. And you know, that’s that’s a I’m glad you brought that up. It works like this, if I may, if you’re, let’s say a coffee shop. Right. And a coffee shop does thousands of transactions, hundreds and thousands of transactions every single day. Right. So that per transaction fee adds up. So people say, well, I’m only selling, you know, small cups of coffee, like $7 cups of coffee. Why am I getting charged the most? I mean, my neighbor down here is getting charged, like $200 a month, and I’m getting charged like 450. And it’s based on that average transaction. So it’s actually the contrary of what most people think. The, uh, the the lower the ticket, uh, the more of those per transaction fees they add up. And like in the, for instance of square and we talked about, um, uh, you know, just your other third parties, if you will stripe, um, and there’s a lot of public information out there, especially now with AI. So one thing you can do is in your, um, you know, just by due diligence is just to go in and Google, you know, or preferably go into AI like ChatGPT and just say, what is the difference between my company, uh, square and, uh, pay Rock. And it’ll just tell you it’ll literally break it down for you that we’re like half the price, number one, because we’re not buying from anybody else. Um, and but that’s what people can do.

Ramzi Daklouche: So that takes me to my next subject. How is AI changing the industry besides searches? Everybody does that, right? They you know, the, you know, command control. I call it command control. If you have good command control of ChatGPT, you can really do well with it. But is AI changing this industry? How do you see it in 3 in 5 years? And the whole credit card industry.

Mitch Torbett: Oh, wow. Man, I got to tell you. Yes it is. It most definitely is. Um, I use it on a daily basis. Um, the the biggest change that I see coming down the pike is that there’s no longer going to be these third parties, these thousands of third parties that are going to be able to walk into these businesses and utterly, um, not say, what’s the truth? Right? That’s what happens. They they say we’re a direct processor. We’re processing direct. Well, not if you’re buying from me. You’re not. Um, not if you’re buying from Worldpay. So how it’s changing things is it’s making it much more simpler for your average merchant to simply go on to AI right now and just say, what’s the difference between pay Rock and the company that I’m with? Whatever that company is, and it’s going to say, I need pros and I need cons, and you’re going to see it right then and there. It’ll say if in fact they are a third party or if they’re not.

Ramzi Daklouche: They can also just put, hey, I have square. Is that the best deal I can get from my barber shop or for whatever it is.

Mitch Torbett: And yes.

Ramzi Daklouche: Probably come up with different solutions. Anything in the in the machines itself or the point of sale itself that’s changing with AI. And do you think do you see anything coming up? Ai at the point of sale?

Mitch Torbett: Yes, we’re working on it every single day. In fact, we develop our own terminals. One I brought with us. But, um, we have, um, made those implementations. We have much of our AI is in beta right now. Um, but it’s to be released shortly. Um, our beta programs last anywhere from a year to a year and a half. And what we do is we give those to our producers in the field, like myself and other heavy producers that are able to manage a lot of transactions or what have you. And we monitor those merchants super closely and, and, uh, but yes, uh, it is changing the industry. The, the biggest thing I see again is that it’s, it’s going to be very difficult for merchants to be, uh, lied to or taken down a path that they didn’t think that they were going to be on. In other words, they were told one thing, but now another thing is happening. So they started out. Yeah, the first couple of statements are 2%, just like they were promised. But then what happens every quarter? Third parties, how do they make money. They actually do what’s called tiering okay. And so if they start out with a 2% say flat rate, right.

Mitch Torbett: And that 2%, uh, or it ends up being a 2% with all those fees, including the PCI or what have you, that’s not there yet. But when it does come in, that 2% obviously will jump Significantly, and especially on that $100,000 business annually. Right. So when something gets so what these businesses, these third parties will do is they will, um, meet and they will discuss what they’re going to rename the card. So let’s say you got a Chase Sapphire Reserve card and you’ve got American Express Platinum card and you’ve got a, um, just a Citi card, right. Uh, Best Buy Citi card. And then you’ve got a debit card. So debit. One misconception is that debit is actually half the price of or less than half the price of credit. People don’t realize that. So if all I can do in meeting with my clients is get them and show them to how to just take more debit, for instance, I’m there’s a 13 location, uh, bicycle shop that I have been helping for years, and we have put a debit pin pads in those businesses. And you’d be surprised the the differences that that can make just by doing that one thing.

Ramzi Daklouche: Because is there a reason for that? By the way, I know, I know that American Express works. La da da da da da da. I mean, we’re processing the same thing, but what’s what? Why would debit be cheaper than a credit card?

Mitch Torbett: Great question. So if you think about it um, let’s do that Delta business reserve card. Right. You know you’re going to get one point for every or sorry, 10 or 1 point for every $10 spent. Right. Um, well, where do you think that comes from? Who do you think is paying that? The merchant. Right. So the merchant is literally paying for me to get my Delta points, which is quite frankly, just in the last two years, the industry or the merchants have said, stop, we’re not doing that anymore. And that’s when pay Rock came out. Actually, we were already out with these three different programs. So you have, if I may suggest so, you have traditional credit card processing, which is what we’ve known for the last 40 years. You know, it used to be the Diner’s Club, and that turned into American Express. And then it became like the tail wagging the dog. And that went on since, you know, it was the Wild West there until the last 2 or 3 years. And pay Rock was really the first innovator to come out there and say, here’s how we’re going to do this. So we have three different programs. One is traditional and that is just doing it like you have been doing it. But guess what? You’re not going to pay like 3.5%. You’re only going to pay under 2% usually. And then there’s if let’s say you want to share the fee with your, uh, your customer. So the merchant says, hey, I tell you what, we’re going to take care of all the debit and I will get to that.

Mitch Torbett: I’m going to land this plane about the debit, but we’re going to take care of all your debit if you’ll just be so kind to use a debit card. Of course, we accept all major credit cards, but if you’re going to use, you know, a fancy credit card, we just ask that you pay the fee. So we just pass that right on to the to to the customer. Yeah. And then the other program is just passing all plastic. Uh, and that is directly passed on to the customer. So there’s three different programs there. The first one traditional. The second one which is sharing the debit and credit. Whereas the merchant will pay the debit and the customer pays the credit portion. And that’s the happy medium. We find that most 74% of our clients prefer this route because it is. Think about it. It’s the fair, happy medium. Yes Mr. Customer, we do miss customer accept all major credit cards. But respectfully, if you want your airline miles. Yes, we’ll give those to you. But you pay the fee and. Yeah. And from a debit perspective, to answer your question, their debit being half the cost or less than half the cost of credit is because they don’t have those miles. They don’t have those, um, you know, bank, uh, perks. Yeah, exactly. No perks. So therefore, without the perks, you have, you know, cheaper processing. Exactly.

Ramzi Daklouche: Interesting. So may I ask you about this? So let’s say I have a coffee shop like you brought up the coffee shop, right? And now, everywhere you go, there’s a tip, tip tip tip tip tip. So this tip adds to the charges credit card charges right. So the employees taking the tip full full full on. So they now the owner is paying for the for the service fee on that tip right. Dollar two three. Right. So they’re paying that two 3% on it.

Mitch Torbett: Well we can split that up actually. Yeah. You can actually split that up. In fact I mean we can adjust it to however you deem necessary as a business owner. So let’s say you even want to share, um, it entirely. So you want to share. You want the let’s say you want to pass half the fee, whatever it is to the customer. So you’re going to give them a flat rate of, say, 1%. And we’re going to cover everything else.

Ramzi Daklouche: So you could do that.

Mitch Torbett: Absolutely. And that’s one way of adjusting that.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. I wonder from your experience, do retailers or coffee shop owners or restaurant owners know that the tip has a charge on it? And are they charging the, uh, you know, person behind the the customer service person they have for that?

Mitch Torbett: Yes. Well, it depends on how it’s written up. Right? So if you’re sharing the the fee then no. Yeah. That comes into play of what the, what you’re sharing with the customer. So so you can split it up accordingly. But uh, in your uh, in that for instance, if it’s all plastic then yes, the customer is absorbing that, that fee on top of that tip because it’s, it’s and the tax sorry, not the tax. Uh, but yes the tip.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. So, uh, the next set of questions is going to be about fraud and chargebacks and all this stuff. And again, that’s detrimental to small business. Right? We’re talking about small business and big business by the way. It’s still detrimental. But before we do that is AI playing a role in chargebacks? Is it we’re going to see something chargebacks and and especially fraud because first fraud then chargebacks. Right. Yes. Is there a is AI playing a role in that.

Mitch Torbett: Yes. You know, we have um, our risk team, which I’m on the phone with. Not a lot. I mean, this happens maybe and I have hundreds and hundreds of businesses that I help on an annual basis and monthly basis, but we don’t have per se chargebacks. It’s really industry specific. So there’s industries that you just know to, you know, they’re just high risk by nature. But the fraud perspective I’ll give you, for instance, there was a um, um, it was a colleague of mine in a different working for a different company. And he had, uh, suggested that, uh, he has two businesses, and it was a family owned both the businesses. The wife worked in Atlanta. Uh, sorry. The husband worked in Atlanta at the Apparel Mart, where they have a jewelry sold. And, um. And the wife works in Alpharetta, Georgia, at another jewelry location. Right. And so what had happened was, uh, a fraudster, you know, bad actor comes in to first the Apparel Mart. Don’t even know how he got in, uh, and purchases $9,000 in jewelry. Uh, and first he says, verbatim, this is what, uh, the merchant told my colleague is that, well, you know, that car didn’t work. So do you have another card? The merchant says, oh, yeah, you know, I’ve got an Apple Card. I don’t have the card, of course, but I have it, you know, I have the number. So I’ll just read it off to you. So and that’s when it becomes watch this. He doesn’t have an Apple Watch to tap. He doesn’t have an Apple phone to tap.

Ramzi Daklouche: But he has an Apple card.

Mitch Torbett: But he has the Apple Card to say it right. So that turns into what card not present. That’s the most dangerous way to take a card.

Ramzi Daklouche: That’s that’s when you get charged back.

Mitch Torbett: Absolutely. It doesn’t matter about the signature. Um, we have measures to, to to completely get rid of that. Uh, when I enter, um, any particular business for the first time, I’m also I’ve contacted the company, uh, and I’ve asked, like, just the one 800 number or the direct line to the business corporate headquarters. And I’ve asked the controller or and or, uh, the matters that be, um, directors if they have, uh, inquired about a new merchant account and you’d be surprised if it said that. No, obviously we know it’s fraud and we just, you know, it’s just it’s just handled handled accordingly. We just pass that on to the FTC, the Federal Trade Commission. And um, but in that particular, uh, scenario, uh, the, the the purchaser, the fraudster went over to the other store and got another $9,900 worth of jewelry on the same card, and they had not spoken about it until, I guess, later that evening they found out they had both been defrauded.

Ramzi Daklouche: Oh my goodness.

Mitch Torbett: Now, if they would have been written with us. Right. So we have insurance for those type of things.

Ramzi Daklouche: Even if they do manually.

Mitch Torbett: Uh, yes. Yes, even if they do manually. Um.

Ramzi Daklouche: So what are some of the basic things that a business can protect themselves from chargebacks?

Mitch Torbett: Well, number one, never take a card not present. I mean, come on, that’s just bad business. If somebody says, I’m going to give you over the phone, you say, no, let’s say you’re in the automotive industry. Look, 55% of my books are automotive. And let’s say it’s Friday afternoon and you just want to you just want to get home, right? And I just want to drop the keys off. The guy’s going to give me a credit card number. I’m going to run it. It’s there’s better ways. So watch this. We are we are purposely, um, showing business owners on a on a real time in front of them or sharing screen, uh, environments where we’re showing them how to send a link via text and or email or both, where people can just pick up their phones and just, you know, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, any pay. They can even split it up. Let’s say they want to put $500 paying for that car on one car in 750 on the other. They can split it up. They can put half on this debit card and half on that credit card. And but it’s encrypted this way, right? But the one thing they can do to answer your question is to just do not enter a card, make sure it’s tapped. Or the EMV that stands for Euro Master Visa, that little chip on the card. You want to make sure that goes into the machine or it is tapped and or the watch is the Apple Watch is tapped, or the Android is tapped or the phones are tapped.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. Yeah. Great. Yeah. I think anytime you enter the numbers manually, you’re risking yourself to fraud and chargebacks. Yeah. Uh, so from tap to pay, you talk about that to mobile first experiences. Where do you, where do you see the industry heading in the next 3 to 5 years?

Mitch Torbett: Well, I think we’re going to do away with fraud from a, from a, from a standpoint of there’s not going to be so much of it. Like, let’s talk about that for a second, if I may. Yeah. So what typically happens or what other than people purchasing credit cards off the dark web. What typically happens however, is someone will call from it. Usually it’s a different country and you’re hearing, um, maybe it’s um, the last one I heard about was, uh. In South Korea, actually. Or it was something on a different continent, right? And it was, um, they were pretending to be a dentist office in the States, right? It’s always pretending to be a company in the States. That’s how it goes. But it’s an accent and, you know. But no matter what accent or not, we’re our underwriting is checking to make sure that that business is legit. And what does that do that’s also enabling us to stay at that or under that 2% mark on traditional processing. And um, but what they do is they, uh, somehow, um, get other companies to allow them to process credit cards. They already have, you know, 15 to 1500, uh, black card or black market credit cards that they’ve already purchased, and they’re going to run those cards, uh, accordingly. And it’s going to be in the name of that dentist, per se. Right. But the dentist never had any idea that any of this is going on. In fact, they just know somehow because, you know, they got contacted that they’ve, uh, they’ve been compromised.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. So, uh, is there any new technology in this business coming up in the next three, five years?

Mitch Torbett: Most definitely. You mentioned AI, right? That is one key factor. And that’s why it’s going to be able to troubleshoot these equations much, much faster. So our underwriting team we’re at the cutting edge of this. And we are we’ve always been that progressive company. Um but now more so than ever because of AI.

Ramzi Daklouche: So let’s talk a little bit about partnerships changing subject a little bit. So you’re big on win win partnerships. Can you share an example of strategic partnership or referral relationship you had that created meaningful results in this, you know, for you and for both sides?

Mitch Torbett: Absolutely. You know, a wise man, my father once said to me, uh, you you can’t have you can’t lose what you never had, you know, so whether it’s 1% or a 50% or 75%, um, you know, whenever I’m always on the lookout for people that are, let’s say, retiring or people that are just have time on their hands or they just do a lot of in-office work, but yet they have a multitude of contacts. Their Rolodex is just, you know, a mile long. And I’m the first to say, you know what? You could really make money with that, with that Rolodex and how well you’re going to partner with me. And I’m going to give you 25% of everything that I make is going to come to you on a residual basis, just like it comes to me on a residual basis, because that’s how we’re paid as agents in the field.

Ramzi Daklouche: Sure. Yeah. That’s amazing.

Mitch Torbett: I have clients that are making 2000, 4000, some making 6 or $7000 a month just because they gave us a name and a phone number. Um.

Ramzi Daklouche: That’s incredible.

Mitch Torbett: Yeah, it really is. And it’s really changing lives, especially for retiring individuals.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. Great way to to kind of keep them busy and, uh, you know, allow them to make some money and, you know, more golf.

Mitch Torbett: Yes.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. In the industry that sometimes seems so transactional, right. I’m in the same industry, very transactional. How do you ensure relationships are long term and value driven?

Mitch Torbett: How do we show? Uh. I’m sorry. Ask that one more time.

Ramzi Daklouche: How do you ensure that your relationship stay long term and not just, you know, value driven, not just transactional?

Mitch Torbett: Perfect. That’s a that’s a fantastic question. Uh, so glad you brought that up. So we don’t do I don’t do contracts. I just don’t do them. I mean, unless you need a, you know, a purchase, a huge POS system, and you’ve just got to finance that. Of course, we have all those different ways of renting, leasing, tax deductions. Um, you know, but I truly implore my customers to stay away from those things and to just purchase outright. Um, but if I don’t do contracts, and the only thing that’s keeping me in, uh, the business as their, uh, merchant, uh, as their merchant services provider is that I let my yes be yes and my no be no. And that has to always remain the same. You know, you’re only as good as your last presentation, right? And you never get a second chance to make a first presentation. So, you know, letting your yes be yes and your no be no is how I maintain that. And that’s predominantly how our company maintains that as a whole.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah, I tell you from your passion, and that’s not the first time I talk to you. You guys are very passionate. What you do, and it’s incredible. You see, you can you can see it come through so and I can see how people want to build relationship with you. And kind of.

Mitch Torbett: I’m thrilled by it. I love this industry. I truly, you know, if I may pivot for a second. Sure. I’m I remember, I guess one of my, um, you had mentioned, you know, how to you maintain longer business. I want to give you an example. I’ll never forget Christmas Day. It was 2017. It was Christmas Eve, sorry. And there was a gentleman that owns a sports, um, sporting goods store in, uh, Gainesville, Georgia, and he had contacted me. He had remembered that I gave him a pitch, you know, some months ago. And and I come in there to purchase because, you know, I’m an avid angler and, and love to fish and what have you. And, um, so, uh, he remembered me. He calls me on this day, and he says, and I answer my phone right away. I knew exactly who he was, and I knew exactly what he might be calling for, and he said, hey, listen, uh, Mike, the gentleman that was helping me, um, they have gone dark on me in this situation, and I need a terminal. I need it tomorrow. And so I got on the phone with corporate. I said, I’ll call you right back. And it was like, five minutes till six. I called corporate, they got it out the door that day. It was delivered on Christmas Day.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. Keep going.

Mitch Torbett: It was delivered on Christmas Day.

Ramzi Daklouche: Okay. Uh, so deliver on Christmas Day. What happened?

Mitch Torbett: So. So we were, um, able to not only provide that equipment for him that day, uh, that next day, but also we reduced his rates, as I quoted him before. And that was 2016. So he’s still with me. Uh, and actually we split that up. So he does about, uh, this particular store does about $700,000 a month in revenue. Um, that’s, you know, millions on an annual basis. He went from spending, you know, thousands like almost ten, $12,000 a month to now paying about half of that. How do we do that? He has one account that is cash discount for those particular what he deems necessary items. Yeah. To go that direction and then a traditional account. Um, so that he’s able to, you know, take all debit over here on that traditional and able to take all the credit, um, cash discount, expensive cards over here. And that brought his total, um, rate, his average effective rate down to 1.12%.

Ramzi Daklouche: Oh my goodness.

Mitch Torbett: Instead of 3%.

Ramzi Daklouche: I don’t think I’ve ever heard of these rates. I probably didn’t know much about payroll.

Mitch Torbett: Yeah, it’s a lot of fun.

Ramzi Daklouche: So that, you know what? Some of the passion you have and and the way you talk about your clients and your relationships has to come from company culture, right? Some of it, you know, personal, right. Because we all bring that extra thing that we bring into any business that we run or, or part of, but a lot of it is probably company culture. What’s in, you know, company culture that makes it us meet people like you?

Mitch Torbett: Absolutely. I’m so glad you brought that up. So I was mentored by a gentleman. His name is Richard Norton, um, Richard Norton, but he goes by Rich and, um, you know, I met him three months or four months after I had entered the industry, and he became my personal mentor. He is, till this day, almost a decade later. Oh, wow. Um, rich is, um. Well, let’s put it this way. I mean, he is just a man among men in my book. He he, uh, runs a charity that is for homeless and people that need shelter, um, that are trying to change their lives. Uh, he personally sponsors all of these things. Um, he is, um, just when it comes to, uh, he owns the Super Crew, which is of pay rock. So the Super Crew is about consists of about 300 individuals, agents just like myself. Uh, well, and then there’s the team leaders like myself that that help that manage those, um, and train those individuals that are rising up to become team leaders. So we train from within. That’s important. Oh yeah. And we’re also always, most always in front of the merchant whenever possible. And that’s a big difference because, you know, there’s so much that’s missed.

Ramzi Daklouche: When you guys must go through a whole lot of training on customer service more than anything.

Mitch Torbett: Else. Absolutely.

Ramzi Daklouche: We do as much technical.

Mitch Torbett: We do for blitzes a year. So that’s, you know, all the all of our, um, new, uh, agents are in the field for new times a year. They’re able to go to these blitzes and we’re able to go to, let’s say, Birmingham, Alabama, or it’s, um, you know, a city in New Mexico, and we’re training them hands on. So they’re literally driving with a trainer like myself for an entire week. And then we’re discussing those environments in the morning at 7 a.m. the next day. So it really is, uh, the best training in the industry. And it said all over, I mean, people just know this, but Parok truly is the safest space to be for new agents in the in the.

Ramzi Daklouche: Industry industry and they can be part time, full time, any, any time they want.

Mitch Torbett: Well, I’m glad you brought that up. That’s a great question because actually we prefer to only work with individuals that are prepared to to do this full time, to treat it like a daytime job. Now, don’t get me wrong. We, uh, we put you in business for yourself, but not by yourself. So if you are.

Ramzi Daklouche: I love that I’m going to steal that.

Mitch Torbett: Well, yeah, that’s kind of what you do, um, with.

Ramzi Daklouche: Trying to recruit people, man. I’m going to put you in business for yourself, but not by yourself. I love that.

Mitch Torbett: Right. And so, you know, you’ve got your, uh, early birds that want to get out there like myself. I mean, I want to my favorite time to get out there. And I pull doors every day. I love it. I mean, I really love it. People be like, I can’t believe you love doing that. I do, I’m just I love meeting new people, you know? And I love helping them. And, uh, but when those garage doors start opening and I’m there and I’m like, hey, just great to meet you. I just wanted to give you my card by way of introduction. Just let you know I’m in the neighborhood and I can help. Um.

Ramzi Daklouche: That’s phenomenal.

Mitch Torbett: Yeah, it really does make a difference.

Ramzi Daklouche: So you built a very strong career. You know, a decade now, raising a family. How is being a dad influenced what your approach to business leadership and service.

Mitch Torbett: Oh, that’s a great question. So our daughter, um, uh, she, she is actually NYU Tisch School of Arts now. And, um, you know, I worked with her extensively, uh, just and she helped me out. I remember when she was like 13, 14 years old, and she was helping with my myself with. And with the and the business with with my business, my part of the business with new clients and helping to onboard them and what have you. And and that taught her a lot. You know, I don’t know if that had anything to do with her getting into NYU. She pretty much did that on her own.

Ramzi Daklouche: What is she studying?

Mitch Torbett: Uh, film.

Ramzi Daklouche: Oh.

Mitch Torbett: That’s incredible. Yeah, film. And she’s just doing. She loves it. Oh, my gosh, she’s just loving it. She’s having a fantastic time. Yeah, just dinners every other night. You know, pizzerias. The best pizza on Earth, I think.

Ramzi Daklouche: Oh, of course.

Mitch Torbett: Joe’s.

Ramzi Daklouche: Pizza. I don’t know about that. Yeah. Joe’s every corner is Joe’s Pizza, by the way. That’s right. In Manhattan.

Mitch Torbett: And then our other daughter, to answer your question, um, Chloe, uh, she’s a 15 now, and she goes to Lassiter High School. Um, she, uh, helps me on an almost weekly basis. I allow her to do some things to help me with the business, and it just sharpens her skills. It’s getting her, um, like we did with Ella. Getting her used to dealing with customers. Get her, get them. You know, starting kids out early. I believe we believe as a company is imperative, you know, and I’m not the only one. It’s the most of the people that Rich Norton has apprenticed does the same thing.

Ramzi Daklouche: That’s incredible, because I have the same. I have five daughters. Right. So, you know, one of them is, uh, never going to be with me. She’s a hand surgeon. Uh, but the other one, who was in law school now is full time with me. And she left law school to to do this. It’s, uh. She loves every minute of it. I have another one, uh, that will be joining me this summer as well. Both will be working for me full time.

Mitch Torbett: Wow. That’s fantastic.

Ramzi Daklouche: I love it, I can’t wait.

Mitch Torbett: Isn’t that great? I mean, and we get to spend so much time with our family members. Yeah, yeah. I got my older brother into this industry, uh, in 2018.

Ramzi Daklouche: Um, that speaks very highly of the industry. When you have your wife, your older brother, your kids involved in it that really respected the industry, respect to the work and the company I work for speaks Miles. I mean, that’s incredible. What a story. Um, so if you have 30s with a business owner who’s on the fence about switching processor, what would you want them to know?

Mitch Torbett: All right. We’re going to draw a line down the center of the page. And we’re going to put pros on the left and cons on the right. And we’re going to literally just go down that page. And we’re going to do that with with pay Rock. And then we’re going to do that with their company. And I guarantee you ten times out of ten pay rock wins.

Ramzi Daklouche: That’s incredible. Bow Wow. How many Asians do you have in Atlanta?

Mitch Torbett: 3000 total in Atlanta. Well, you’ve got myself and maybe 15 or 20 more. I haven’t done a count recently.

Ramzi Daklouche: Is that Georgia or Georgia?

Mitch Torbett: Not Atlanta, but Georgia. All of Georgia. Yes.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. You built a career in relationship and referrals. Very important to me to talk about you. And I come from a background with, you know, BNI and you know, we understand networking really well. So you built a career on relationship referrals. What is your approach to networking in a way that’s authentic and actually drives business growth? Any tips for turning connections into real partnerships?

Mitch Torbett: Absolutely. You know you mentioned BNI right. So I’m part of the um, as you know, the Success Alliance in Alpharetta, Georgia, BNI Group chapter. And it’s the givers Gain which is the BNI. Um, you know, principle. The core principle is the givers gain. And, you know, so let’s say your goal is to get, um, ten referrals this month or this, this quarter or what have you. And the idea is that you want to really give 20 referrals to get ten. And that’s how the number works. The numbers work out.

Ramzi Daklouche: Mhm. Yeah. That’s fantastic. And how how do these I mean besides that I mean you meet people all the time right. I mean you’re probably in locations, stores businesses on a regular basis. How does that work for you with even referrals to these businesses that are not part of your BNI, not part of your chamber or whatever it is? How does it work for you?

Mitch Torbett: So you mean when I’m walking into a cold environment? Um, well, let me kind of role play with you, right? So I’m walking. Is that the question? Whereas, um.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. I mean, how how do you remember them? How do you make them memorable enough to kind of make sure referral people. Yes. Because not everybody is. You guys are a huge chapter, 65 people or 75 today. I don’t know, every day it’s another ten people that’s on the chapter. But how do you outside of that, you know, that’s your kind of core. But other than that, you’re meeting a lot of businesses. How do you refer people to these businesses? Like if they’re working with you, car mechanic, for example, let’s say car mechanic, right. You see their work and all that stuff. Do you actually end up referring businesses to them?

Mitch Torbett: Oh, absolutely. You know, as you know, as we discussed, I have hundreds and hundreds of businesses. And these are small businesses, mostly mom and pop. But, you know, we I do have enterprise companies that are my businesses, um, that I actually cultivated from BNI. You know, these are opportunities. I feel that would not be as, um, recommended, if you will, if it was not for BNI. So I do believe that in, in business it’s important. A wise man once told me, you know, you need to take 10% of your time working on your business, not at your business.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah, yeah. Not in your business. Absolutely.

Mitch Torbett: And so working at it. And that means, um, offering the. When I’m walking into a cold environment, I’m getting to know them. I want to know about the fish on the wall. And where did you get that? Catch that bass. And how many pounds and what lure did you use? And or the. You know, where do you guys hunt and what part of town do you is your property? And, uh, what else do you enjoy? I want to know about their families, and this builds a rapport. I authentically want to know these things. Just come on. I’m that guy. I’m just a networker by trade. But by doing so, you become a trusted, a trusted, um, part of their business. And it’s not just the first time you show up and you just go walk out with the business. It’s not, um, it’s a it’s cultivation. And you come back. Exactly. And it it does pay off.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. I love what you said. So I think we have. This is in common. I really, you know, the word I use is curious when I talk to people and I use this platform, for example, I’m just curious about people in general. I love to see what people do, how they do it. Don’t envy anybody. I wish them all the best of luck. But like you said, for example, you talked about, you know, you’re an angler. I want to learn how to surf fish because we have placed, you know, on the beach. So I want to learn to surf. I have no idea.

Mitch Torbett: Well, you need to come with me. I’ll teach you.

Ramzi Daklouche: See, this is why I use this platform and other platforms right now. Working. Because I learned so much more. Not just business. Because life is not just about the business. No it’s not. I don’t go to networking events just to, you know, to get referrals for me. It’s what can I do to help them and even their pitch or their, you know, five minute presentation. I’m very honest about, hey, this sucks or it’s good or whatever because I want them to get better. I really, genuinely want people to get better, but the word I use always, I’m very curious about people, and that’s what makes me network really well because I like to go networking. You know, I’m actually very reserved in some ways, but I like to go networking. And because of that, I learn a lot about people.

Mitch Torbett: Likewise, I got to say likewise, first of all, yeah, we definitely got to go fishing. I mean, but, um, yeah, me too. I exactly that. I’m fascinated by small business. I’m fascinated that look at how many small businesses there were, say, ten years ago. And then do the math. Now it’s it’s exponentially grown. Not only do we have more, you know, people that are entering the planet, but businesses are I mean, that is now way north of half of what constitutes the GDP in America.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. And you know, the baby boomers are getting older. That’s right. So a lot of I deal with a lot of, you know, buying and selling. Right. So I sell a lot of baby boomer businesses, a lot of them. I mean, typically when a business is ready to sell, either it’s failing and they they’re young, they just haven’t done well with it. Or baby boomers have done very, very well right now. Average age of a business owner in the business I’m selling is over 30 years. And they’re ready to retire. And somebody young coming. Right. So yeah, you’re right. I mean you have a lot of opportunity to kind of help these young minds on how to run a business that somebody cultivated and started and may not have had Even a high school degree. But now they were, you know, mowing lawns. Now they have a huge landscape, you know, hardscape business, right? I mean, just amazing how this happens. So let’s talk about these young people because you and I, you know, been tried and true and we became now we’re an age probably that we are more wise. Sure. Because we made tons of mistakes. I mean, I made tons of mistakes. That’s how I become.

Mitch Torbett: Likewise my friend.

Ramzi Daklouche: Yeah. So now I’m kind of a little bit smarter. But still every now and then I like to make my own mistakes. So. But you have some young people coming into the business, B2B business services business. And I think the most rewarding business is where like what you started, right? Listen, this is a commission based business goal. Yes. I love these businesses. For me, I strive in these businesses. So what advice do you have for them to get started, not get frustrated and to go get their first, let’s say, five deals fast? I asked that question. Let me tell you why. When I started in this business, my biggest question was, well, how do I go get my first five listings? That was it. Tell me how so I can go get it. And a lot of people stumbled to give me good answer until I kind of find somebody that can mentor me and help me say, here’s exactly what you do. And I still do that till today to get more listings. So tell me, in your business, let’s talk about merchant services. Somebody starting the business, how do they go get it and what should they go after? And, uh, just go ahead.

Mitch Torbett: Yeah, sure. So, uh, great question. That’s a fantastic question. You know, that’s what sold me on this industry. And Richard Norton, my, uh, trainer, my, uh, mentor of all these. Oh, you do, I’m telling.

Ramzi Daklouche: You on the phone, on, uh, on on a podcast.

Mitch Torbett: Well, he he’s he’s done thousands of podcasts, uh, and, uh, also other I mean, he’s just known on social media, YouTube, Rich Norton, um, uh, sales pro um, but, um, you know, he, uh, has developed a system, uh, a training system that is second to none. It is so far surpassed any competitor tenfold. And I’ll tell you why. Here’s why. Not only do we do the four blitzes a year where we’re spending four weeks out of the entire year, and you’re in these in these meetings every morning with Rich Norton, you’re having dinners. We pay for all the dinners. Rich does pays for all the rooms. All you have to do is get there, right? In some cases, we help people out. If they need a plane ticket, we’re going to. We’re going to get them there no matter what. If we’re not going to let anything standing in the way of somebody with desire, determination and the will to want to succeed, that’s what we look for. Um, but going through the training process is actually a lot of it is now done online via YouTube videos that Rich Norton has created. Um, the, uh, and you can find those everywhere. If you just type in Rich Norton and Supercrew, you’ll find those. So what I do when I’m personally training someone for the first time, especially if they’re young, new to the new in business, even new in sales. The first question I’m going to ask them is, you know, can you treat this like a full time job? Because that’s important. It doesn’t matter when you start working. I don’t we don’t care if you start working at 11 a.m.

Mitch Torbett: and go till whatever time, but if you can just treat it like a full time job, you will be successful. It’s not a matter if it’s. Yeah. I mean, it’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when. And therefore also I’m in the field personally with these new recruits and I’m pulling doors, I’m showing them how to walk in there and say, hey, you know, I gave you my card last week. Does that sound familiar? I don’t think I got one of yours. Do you mind if I pick it up? I’m going to send you an email, and I’d like to come back by and just see if you had a time, you know, some time to look at, or they’re watching me actually go through the presentation. A lot of times I’m able to just right then and there, go and hey, I’ll be right back. Let me grab my book. And those are, those are the the best. That’s so much fun because I’m excited I get to share with them. I get to learn about them. I’m curious as can be, like you said, but it can just see the look on the the person I’m training’s face is when they’re like, oh my gosh, you just walked in and out of here and you got the business in 40 minutes or an hour less than an hour in, like, how did you do that? And it’s not rocket science. It’s just it it matters. People can smell if you’re desperate. People can smell if you are confident. Yeah, exactly. So you must be confident, and you just simply have to stay in that space.

Ramzi Daklouche: Well, this has been great. So tell me, if people want to get in touch with you or in touch with the company, what’s the best way to do it?

Mitch Torbett: Well, two things. Either call my cell phone number, which is (770) 318-3527. So that’s (770) 318-3527 or text, and I’ll respond back accordingly. Um, and or uh, my website is pay Rock and that’s with a C, so it’s p PAYROR3 65. So P 365.

Ramzi Daklouche: Easy enough. All right, well, that’s a wrap for this episode of Greater Perimeter Business Radio. A big thank you to Mr. Orbit, uh, for sharing not just his expertise in payment processing, but also his passion for empowering business owners to grow with confidence. If today’s conversation sparked an idea or question, we’d love to hear from you. You can learn more about Mitch and his work from D365. And as always, connect with us at Business Sales Atlanta or find the full episode on your favorite podcast platform. Until next time, keep learning, keep growing, and keep building the kind of business that makes the difference. I’m Ramzi Daklouche. Thanks for listening.

 

Tagged With: Payroc

Simone Kelly with Seniornicity

April 28, 2025 by angishields

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Denver Business Radio
Simone Kelly with Seniornicity
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Simone-Kelly-beachSimone Kelly is a dynamic entrepreneur and industry leader with over a decade of experience serving seniors and their families through innovative, service-driven platforms. With a career rooted in compassion, strategic vision, and community-building, Simone has dedicated herself to creating solutions that bridge the gap between aging adults and trusted service providers.

As the Founder and President of Seniornicity, Simone has built a first-of-its-kind B2B networking website designed to connect affiliate service providers across key senior- focused industries—such as real estate, caregiving, downsizing, financial planning, and estate management. Seniornicity empowers professionals to collaborate, share referrals, and streamline services to better support families navigating aging-related transitions.

Simone also leads Estate Sales Near Me, a modern platform that features a curated directory of professional estate sale companies along with their active sale listings. The site goes beyond traditional estate sale marketing by integrating affiliate service networking and leveraging influencer partnerships to increase visibility and attract highly targeted audiences through digital and social media channels.

Inspired by personal experiences and a passion for elevating the senior support ecosystem, Simone is committed to helping families make informed decisions while giving service providers the tools and connections they need to thrive in a fast-changing marketplace.

Connect with Simone on LinkedIn.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Coming to you live from the Business RadioX studio. It’s Franchise Marketing Radio. Ready to revolutionize your franchise with AI? Franchise now empowers franchises with advanced AI solutions, automatic processes, and enhanced marketing strategies. From personalized customer interactions to predictive analytics, we help you harness AI to drive growth and efficiency. Transform your franchise with the power of AI. Visit Franchise Now to learn more and take your business into the future. Now here’s your host.

Rob Gandley: Hello everybody, and welcome back to Franchise Marketing Radio. I’m your host, Rob Gandley. We’re the show where we connect with the brightest minds in franchising those driving innovation, building meaningful customer relationships, and transforming systems that scale. And today we actually have a special guest. And he has been involved in the franchise industry and and now is building a very cool tech company and business within the senior care industry. So I want to welcome the founder and CEO of Seniornicity, Simone Kelly. Welcome to the show.

Simone Kelly: Thanks for having me, Rob. It’s a pleasure.

Rob Gandley: Well, it’s great to have you. And so like I told you earlier before we started, the way I love to get started is to help the audience understand a little bit more about how you became you. And, you know, we’re going to talk mostly about you today and what you’re doing, but love to hear that journey story as an entrepreneur. I know you are one. You’ve been in the franchise industry as a franchisor, which is very interesting. Tell us more how you how that journey led to this and and we’ll take it from there.

Simone Kelly: Well, I guess I could cut to the chase. So I started building businesses this. When I was 29, I started lending company and then I started lenders that could I try to cross-train them into real estate. And then I did an escrow company, transaction coordinating company, all within the same. And then I ended up selling that. And then moving forward with raisins and raisins was my franchise wasn’t a franchise when I started, I actually fell into it. It’s an estate sale company. And then we got busy really fast, and at that point I was either going to divisionalized it or I was going to franchise it. And since I’d already been in the franchise world, I’d purchased a Remax when I did the real estate and the lending company. So I kind of knew what franchisees wanted and what was missing, and was able to plug that into my franchise model and decided, oh, franchise Grayson’s. And so I did franchise that up until we got to about 32 franchises. I stayed on board until we got to 52, and then I moved on to senior necessity. A senior necessity actually has been in the back of my mind for 3 to 4 years prior to the Grayson setup, because I had gone through it with my mom.

Simone Kelly: She had had a stroke at 55, a major stroke, and she was really young, and I had the background that I thought I knew what to do, and we had taken care of my dad until death do him part when I was 21. And so I just thought I knew enough about it and I really didn’t. I made so many poor choices financially how to care for my mom. I mean, it was I mean, we I got her better within six months, which was like a miracle, but my mom’s like a fighter of all fighters. Um, and so she went back to work. And when I was done, I was decimated. Like, emotionally, physically. I mean, everything was just turned upside down in my world. And so it took me about 5 to 10 years to get back to where I normally would be. And, I mean, I took like an hourly job for six months, um, with a friend of mine just to learn how to get back up and not have to worry about my mom. Right. How to rebuild. How to have a success again. So I saw what it could do to somebody in such a short period of time in making the like the poor decisions.

Simone Kelly: When you’re caring for your family because your emotions, your emotions are everywhere and you just throw everything at it and you just it just ruined me, to be honest. Um, and then, um, build back up and started Grayson’s and now, unfortunately. But fortunately, I had another stab at it. My mom had a near fatal accident on Mother’s Day a year ago. So it was a year. Time has been flying by, but I knew better then you know. I’d been working with Grayson’s and seniors and family members, and I knew what, um, assisted living, you know, assisted living people did. I knew what, um, like the skilled nursing, which I hadn’t known anything about before. Um, all of the, you know, where they had to go through rehab, the rehabilitation, so I could make better choices based on my experience. And wow, it was seamless. Like it was incredible to know what I knew then. Now when my mom had her accident, it had I known that prior then it would have been a lot easier. But I think now, because I did know that experience of the hardships of doing it without using all the things I know now, how many people are going through exactly what I went through that first time, because most people go through it one time.

Simone Kelly: I unfortunately got two times, but fortunately because I was able to learn as I went. So it was an incredible journey. So seeing your ethnicity was really put out there, um, to help seniors and their families, because I’ve always thought it people don’t want to be a burden, right? My mom always says, I don’t want to be a burden. Um, but unfortunately, you inevitably will be one, especially if you don’t know how to navigate. Um, and it’s a burden on the family. It’s a burden on the time. It’s it’s the emotional burden. It’s the it’s the financial burden, which is one of the biggest burdens is that financial one. You do you quit your job. Do you go live with your parents? Do you move your parents in? Is there a disruption in the family, like there is so much going on, and if you have the proper tools and the people to work with as a team, you can get through it pretty seamlessly. But if there’s not something like senior out there walking them through that step of what they go next, it will devastate you. At least it did with me. And I’m a pretty strong person, so I’m assuming it’ll devastate many of them.

Rob Gandley: Well, I can tell just from my background and experience with senior care, and I just happened to work with a brand that is in that, uh, in that industry. And it is very much, uh, like what you’re describing, like I would say, anybody that’s, uh, in that age range where your parents are older, where you start to think maybe they’re getting older and they might need you in some way, that you know you don’t want to wait until you’re confronted with a situation you have to react to. You don’t want to react. You want to be able to respond is probably the better way. And so what you’re describing is what I hear all the time from people going through it, uh, people that we help, people that run businesses that support families that go through it. It is very much like that, very emotional. Uh, everybody has a different emotional scenario, probably depending on the parents and the situations and families. So very, very interesting situation that you don’t really plan for, do you? I guess until it happens, which is nice because that’s a lot about what we’re going to talk about today. So I was I was interested in, you know, you have this vision for senior ethnicity and this beautiful platform and website that you’ve built. Um, take us through, well, first, before you describe sort of what it is now and where maybe the vision of it is going. Was there something when you were with Greyson’s That sort of triggered this? Was it. Was it the first time with your mom or was it, uh, so it kind of came in your mind. Was there a clarity about the model, though? But the actual model you have now? When did that sort of become? Yeah, that’s what we should do. Like what was there a time, something that triggered that sort of vision?

Simone Kelly: Yeah. Was early on actually before I franchised, um, my first client at estate sales. Um, there were two daughters that were my age at the time, twins. And they had gone through something very, very tragic with their family and they did not want to go back into the home. So I ended up meeting with one of the husbands of the daughters, and we walked through everything. Um, I did a sale there, and, and, and the family was overwhelmingly happy because it didn’t. It allowed them to avoid a lot of what they would have to go through, which is going through all the family memories going through the house that they were born and raised in, um, dealing with the tragedy head on with going inside the home. And so I thought, well, if we can help family members like that, if people have passed on. And as I started doing Grayson’s, more and more and more, I realized a lot of what was happening is not just somebody passing on, it was somebody going into assisted living, or they wanted to go into active living because the the parents were by themselves and the kids, you know, they come home with their kids and they’re like once a month, they’re like, we’re going to grandma’s. And then, you know, they come in and everybody’s doing the dishes or cleaning the house, and nobody’s really sitting, spending time or that quality time because they’re like, we have to clean the house.

Simone Kelly: And then five hours goes by and they’re like, why? And the family feels great as they’re leaving grandma’s house. But then the grandma or the grandfather is sitting there like, whoa, like that was a lot. And they’re like, oh, thanks for coming by. But it’s almost overwhelming because you’re not having that normal interaction like you would if you had lived with them. Um, and so as we went through Grayson’s, what I noticed with a lot of the customers is they weren’t getting a lot of care or attention that they needed that interaction with other people because people are busy. We have kids going to soccer games and swim practice and this and that. You don’t have time to spend all that time at the home with the senior and the seniors home by themselves. And so you can hire a caregiver. Obviously we have that on senior in age at home. And you have, you know, your companion with you 12 hours a day. Sometimes people have them for 24 hours. It just depends on what you want. But then you still don’t have that full interaction with society because you’re inside and you maybe walk the park or something like that. So we did see a lot of, um, deterioration of the home because they weren’t going upstairs anymore. They were living downstairs. Um, you know, everything got really dusty, dirty. It just seemed like, um, basic deterioration of everything.

Simone Kelly: Um, and so when we went in, we had to clean everything up, and I just saw, like, families were trying. They were trying to get there as much as they could, and they were, you know, and some of them lived thousands of miles away because there’s such a transient going back and forth. And so when we came in, it just kind of felt like almost like a sadness. Right? Like, like something so wonderful happened here for years. And then it just kind of degrades as time goes on and people run out of time and they get busier and they’re working or whatever they’re doing. So yeah, senior ethnicity definitely came into fruition during that time that I was working with, um, our clients over at Grayson’s. And, you know, the franchises went through the same thing. And it was really, um, enlightening to see. And, of course, obviously, my mom and what I went through with her kind of I look at senior ethnicity as almost like a pay it forward for all of us that work with seniors, like we know all this information and we’re able to help people. Are we going to take our time to help them, or are we just going to keep it within ourselves and just let people keep bouncing around out there? And so that’s kind of what I look at. Senior is like a pay it forward of what we’ve learned from our experiences.

Rob Gandley: Yeah. Tell me. Tell me a little bit about the website. Like, just so the audience understands, um, the service sort of the, the experience of of senior ethnicity. I mean, I think you were in your mind trying to solve some key problems, right? And so in your mind, could you explain, you know, sort of the main goals of senior city and the problems it solves for families, and then maybe also for the professionals around the families?

Simone Kelly: Yeah. So senior ethnicity is really out there to help families and and their seniors, their parents actually make better decisions if possible. Right. It is really geared towards, um, parents that own their own home. I mean, most of our wealth now in the economy is based on, you know, the higher age group. You know, you’re 60 on up and a lot of that wealth is built because of their homes. They have a ton of equity in their home and they don’t know what to do with it, right? And oh, the kids want to satisfy the children. You know, the siblings that are going to inherit homes and also the seniors and the care they need or the activity they need while not crushing that home because you could sell that home and, um, let’s say 300,000, but your dad and mom in a, in an active living and all of a sudden, after four years, because it’s expensive, you now have flushed through all that money for mom and dad’s care. You don’t have a home and are now moving in with you, so you basically have just prolonged it because people are living longer, especially when they go into active living. They’re they’re having a time of their life. They don’t want to go anywhere. Right? It’s not like they’re sitting there just waiting, you know. Oh, when’s he going to come? Uh, no, you’re you’re living a lot longer.

Simone Kelly: And so the idea of seeing unicity is to take like, we have six providers, we have, um, you know, lenders, we have realtors, we have senior placement, we have estate sale companies, we have property managers. And of course we have caregivers. If you want to age at home and of those providers, if you think about them, how do we keep a home, right. And we say we don’t want to sell the home that satisfies siblings. It satisfies the seniors. And you’re able to keep that home. How do you do that? Will you use a property manager or property manager is going to come in and they’re going to rent that home out for you. So that money you’re making on rent is actually going to subsidize the care or the active living that they’re going into. So now you have the home and you’re subsidizing the care so you’re not out of pocket. Or if you are, it’s very minimal depending on what you’re going to rent your home for. So that’s another way. Now the realtors are there because they’re there if they want to sell the home, if if it’s a dire thing and they need to sell the home, right, then they will sell the home. They and they work with senior placement. Now senior placement um, is fascinating to me. I knew nothing about it.

Simone Kelly: Have you heard my background? I didn’t even know it existed until three years ago. Um. And it’s unbelievable what a service. I and I really feel like senior placement is the core of senior ethnicity, because that’s where you start off. That’s where seniors and their families are coming to you to say, we don’t know. Mom wants to go to an active living. We don’t know active living places. We call the communities. They don’t call us back or they’re full. We’re racing around town. We want to go ten miles. We didn’t realize 25 miles out is the perfect place for you and all the senior placement people that I’ve come across from the professionals, they are so good at knowing every single place. Is it a big community you want or do you want to? Which they are amazing at? Is finding those homes that there’s only 5 to 10 seniors in and it’s a home in a neighborhood, and they feel comfortable because they don’t want to be in a giant home. And as they figure out their financial situation, because senior policeman is very good at saying, what is your financial situation? They don’t shy away from it. A lot of people and the older generations of 67 and up don’t like to talk about their finances, right? But they’re really professional about what is your financial situation? Do you have equity in your home? Do you have, you know, what type of money can you afford to move so that we can find the best place for you? And then once they know that, then they can either gather with a property manager and work with them as a team.

Simone Kelly: They can gather with a realtor, work with them as a team. Any situation that they put them through with their home. You’re always going to have an estate sale because the home is packed. And so that is part of that provider section that’s really important is having that. So each one of those helps them get through their next stage because it’s really important to understand there’s so many crevice to it. Yes. You you want to go to active living and you’re like, I don’t want to wait for my kids to come over. They can come visit me when I’m, you know, playing cards with my friends at the community, right? But when you do that, you have a house full of things. You have to pay for it, obviously. Um, where do you go? Um. And are you going to sell your home? Are you going to rent your home, or do you want to age in place? And that’s why the caregivers are there. So Senior City is like a team of people that are coming together to help one family at a time.

Rob Gandley: And, you know, you’re checking a lot of boxes there. And I think just from my understanding, um, that is sometimes the problem is that there’s so many considerations and they’re sort of disconnected sometimes, and one doesn’t know the other, and they’re not thinking holistically of the actual use case. I like to throw that word out. That’s a technical sort of. We use that a lot. But but you know, the idea that the scenario is mom or dad is in a scenario where they’ve got to make a change. It’s it’s probably something significant that’s driving the thought process. And Then you start to think about what do we do with the house? Or what do we do with all the extra material things that we don’t really need right now? What do we you know? And all these other questions start to creep in and it’s just yeah, it’s a lot. Right. And you don’t know quite what to do. So from my view, senior ethnicity is really bringing together the team and allowing each to kind of be the quarterback so that they can bring the other partners in as well. So if I’m a senior placement expert, I could be working with the real estate side, with the financial side, with the legal side of things and really help and all that can be through senior ethnicity. Tell me a little bit about the model for the website. Like how how are you going to make this. Well, you got to fund it, right. You got to make you got to sustain it and allow it to grow and flourish. Um, tell me a little bit how you do that. Like you launched it a certain way. Now, I know you have some packages and things to explain the model and who it serves. And if there are services and and how that all works.

Simone Kelly: Yeah. So you have to fund it. So that’s me. The buck stops here. Yeah. Well, it’s it’s not a, um, technology that’s out there right now where you have, uh, websites that focus on senior placement. You have websites, obviously, for lending or property management or all of the different ones, caregivers. They’re all separate. Right? What I’m doing is I’m taking six different providers that work together. And we’re really building like a B2B platform where you’re building teams and your placement people are building teams with real estate agents, with property managers, with estate sale companies. And not just like one estate sale company. You want several in your area, right? Because personalities matter. You you know, as we get older, our personalities, we want to work with people who we get along with or who we can relate to. So it used to be in the old days we would be like, and you and I are old. Unfortunately, you would get like one person and you’re like, I’m loyal. I know it’s reality. It’s like, you know, I’m loyal to this realtor and I’m just going to work with this realtor. Even if that realtor didn’t get along with those clients, you still try to just stuff them in front of those clients because you’re loyal to that one. You can be loyal to many, but where your loyalty lies is with your customer, right? So if you know your customer and your placement, you go in and maybe he’s a little cranky, right? And you’re like, okay, this person has no patience for the cranky one.

Simone Kelly: I’m going to use this particular property manager because they have a lot more patience. That’s not loyalty to, you know, like disloyal to the people you’re working with on your business or business team. It’s actually loyal to your customer so that you can get more referrals and more things. As we know, when we help somebody, that family is going to refer you to other people to help them. Like this was seamless. This was amazing. I mean, the people I use for nurses, for my mom, I’ve referred them to 5 or 6 other people to go work because they were amazing and that’s how we build our referrals. So senior initiative was built as like almost like a virtual, uh, like meeting, right. People were seeing now are going on to the site. They’re emailing each other different providers. Would you like to meet for coffee? Would you like to meet up here in my area? I have a client that wants to work with something like this. Would you like to be part of my team on this? And that’s so important that we keep that open.

Simone Kelly: Because if you’re just doing senior placement and you don’t have a real estate license, how are you to do all those other facets unless you have people within your area and senior initiative? We work with people that are virtually they’re getting proper training through a lot of franchise models, and that’s why it makes perfect sense to me, because obviously, being an owner of a franchise and then starting a franchise, I know franchise models, they can be, um, they’re supported, they get proper training. Um, they’re working around other people, hundreds of other people that are owning the same business and they’re able to get feedback back and forth. They’re going to their conferences and everything else. So synchronicity definitely does a bit of vetting when it comes to who’s on there. And it’s not just franchise models that are on there. Obviously we have independence, but independence to a point that we have to vet them to make sure that they’re still getting the right certification. Are they getting the training? Are they communicating with other people? What are their reviews like? If they have like five reviews that say the same bad thing, you’re thinking, that might not be. So we want to put on the side. So it’s it’s um, it’s how it works. Like so for senior is free for providers to join.

Simone Kelly: There are add ons, like if you wanted to put your phone number and your website on the site, um, you could do that. I think it’s like 11.99 a month or something. It’s very inexpensive. Um, the basic one gives you obviously your picture, your biography, the biography. Um, you can I, you can just put in one thing. We’ve had the biography triggered for keywords per provider. So if you’re seeing your placement and you say, I’m an incredible senior placement, but I’m a senior advocate as well. When you click the I it’s going to know your senior placement. It’s going to bring up all of those keywords and put it in paragraphs that are better understood to the public. Um, so it’s it gives you like a mapping. You pick like five territories, five cities. If you want more cities, then there’s an add on for that. But five should cover a majority of what you’re doing. Um, and really, that’s we didn’t want to burden with a payment plan. Right. Like, we could very easily say it’s $99 a month to be a part of synchronicity. It’s 29. It’s whatever it is. But what happened when we started that model? We started with a 29.99. A lot of people were resistant to pay that 29.99. And what that was doing, it was hurting our seniors and our family members from coming in and finding providers in their area, because people were not willing to pay that provider amount to be a provider.

Simone Kelly: You have to cut that out. Sorry. But anyway, so back to that. Um, so what we did is we basically said, look, we built a microsite. Let’s see if that microsite can cover the cost of synchronicity so that we can make senior free for all providers. That way, making it free for all providers, that is, you guys are the product providers are the product of what I’m selling. It’s like filling up your store with your product, right? If people are resistant on paying a monthly, then there’s no product for the senior or the family members to come in and purchase or be a part of or call because they’re in new Jersey and we don’t have somebody in new Jersey, they’re going to be like, why did I even go to this site? There’s nobody even near me, right? And so the idea is to make sure that there’s product on the shelf for when the seniors come in. So it is free to all providers because we didn’t want to hinder helping seniors because there was a measly 29.99 price tag on that. We want to make sure that we have enough product for everybody in the United States to utilize.

Rob Gandley: Yeah, what amazing thinking. Yeah, because if you think of LinkedIn as a as a business model or as a platform, it’s it’s very different obviously. But but wouldn’t it be great if you could find teams on LinkedIn that actually worked together and they work together to help other people? Um, that that would be cool. It’s not built that way at all. But but it’s that’s how I’m seeing this is you have one side which is the consumer, the families, people like myself. I’m in the age range where I have an older mom, and, um, but I’m sort of the visitor. I’m the person experiencing senior, but the providers are also experiencing it from a different point of view. They get to work together, they get to partner. They get to meet each other, be you know, you just mentioned awareness not being like a few years back. You weren’t aware of senior placement advisors, and there’s probably four franchise brands that specialize in that service. But you’re right, in one of the biggest marketing challenges most of them have, even the biggest ones are awareness. Still, believe it or not. You think, oh yeah, people would know about it. But a lot of people like myself in my age range, they wait until they need to do something and they’re on Google, or they’re hopefully finding synchronicity, right. Like and maybe a lot sooner than that. But I also think it’s pretty amazing that the groups can get to know each other, right? The professionals can work together. That is one of the keys to their businesses, is really having the other people around them.

Rob Gandley: And that’s probably one of the best marketing tactics for their individual businesses, is to meet other professionals and get referrals from each other and work together as a team, and that becomes an extended product for everybody. Everybody has a greater reach of a holistic solution, right? Even if I’m a placement person, but I’ve got the estate planner, I’ve got the real estate folks, I’ve got the funding. I can get that job done. And that’s what we strive for. Uh, like I said, I’m involved with a certain brand that does that, and that’s what we try to, you know, it’s one of the major, um, tactics we use is to partner with other professionals in the area, and this just facilitates that in a technological way. So with that said, let me ask you this. What was the and what is the marketing strategy for you? And from a maybe, maybe break it down into a digital side, like how do you get more consumers right to keep seeing the site? What does that look like for you? And then of course, on the partner side, I think it’s probably been a combination of things, right. Like a little grassroots outreach partnerships, but also same kind of thing. Like you need to get out in front of them and make them aware of senior density. Tell me a little bit about the marketing. And did franchising influence any of your thinking when you when you launch this.

Simone Kelly: Yeah. So the marketing side of it, one of the things that I had to, you know, because as as you grow businesses, as you know, you pivot with where your market’s going to take you. Right? You have a a grand master plan, right? When you start and generally it never ends up where I mean, it’s a general reason. Like I want to help a million seniors in their family. Our first, you know, year into fruition. Right. And that stays. But what changes is how you get there. Right. So when we started it, like I said, we had the payment one that wasn’t getting people in. So then we were able to make enough money on the microsites to make synchronicity free forever. Right. For the basic plan. And you’re like, okay, that’s great. Now we’re there, now we’re moving. We’ve gained over, I think, 400 plus people now. And so what we want to get is like we have, I think, 3200 providers on there now. Um, and the different aspects of it. But what we want to get is those people who are on there to make sure that they put their picture in their biography, in all the things their, their cities in, right, their social media because they have their social media hookups there. And to have that look professional as the consumers come on.

Simone Kelly: Because if you just put in the fake ghost picture, right, that’s already on there and you say, I’m a senior placement person and you pick one city and you don’t put your social media up there, that reflects poorly on everybody else. It reflects poorly on the site. It doesn’t look like you even put the time in. And if you haven’t put the time in to a site that’s so easily put, you know, out there for seniors, then what do you think the seniors and the consumers are going to think when they come? And they’re like, oh, this is weird. Like it just has like this ghost picture and a name. And I got an email over here and they do senior placement. I’m not sure what that is. It just they only do one city. So it really tells them like, hey, where where’s your professionalism? Like you want me to hire you? Take the time to fill out all the things so that I know what I’m hiring. I can read up on you. I can look at your social media and do all the things I need to do. So the marketing part. The first stem of it, what I realized is making sure the providers take the time to put all of those things that they have in place up, so that the seniors and their family members can come and see them and before they launch into a conversation with them.

Simone Kelly: So that’s the first part of the marketing plan. The second part is we want to be, at least before we do a giant like we market now. We stream, um, on like different channels. Uh, there’s like 263 channels that seniors really go on and they stream on, like their iPads or their TVs or whatever. And so we do little commercials on there. Um, we’re doing, um, the banner ads on, like, you know, MSNBC, CNBC, Fox News, sporting events, things like that. Seniors are going to LM garden, all of those garden housekeeping real estate ones. We do all of that on a very small scale right now, though, because we’re not trying to get consumers in right now. What we’re trying to do is get providers in that product that we talked about earlier, because there is there is a very unique line here because you don’t want to shove out all this marketing and have them come and be like, nobody’s here. And then but you also want providers to come in and join. And they’re like, well, how are you marketing like, and what am I going to get a lead right away? I’m like, listen, this is what we need to do.

Simone Kelly: This is a journey we all have to take together. So we have to basically bring providers in. And I would say my goal is to have within the next couple of months and at least 45 of the states in the United States, at least, um, and within those states, at least 5 to 10 providers of each provider. Given so of all the six provider sections, we have, you know, real estate, senior placement, the provider ones that we have at least 5 to 10, um, of each one within that one state before we start the heavy, heavy marketing, which is, you know, that’s obviously an investment in itself, but it’s waiting to be invested until we get to that point. Because I would not feel good about launching something. Let’s say we were like, right now we’re in 20 states, right? That’s not even half of the states in the United States. That’s not that’s not a good use of money, if you ask me, because one, I’m going to bring people in that aren’t going to be able to use our site, and they’re going to end up on Google with 50 million choices. They’re going to get frustrated, go down this rabbit hole. How do I, you know, Google? How do I help my mom who fell and broke her hip? And then you’re going to have all these sponsored ads first, and you’re going to go down the rabbit hole of Reddit and all these different things, and you’re going to go on and on and on.

Simone Kelly: You’re just going to quit and you’re going to make all these poor decisions. So I want to make sure when we launch with the big marketing that we want to push towards, is we have enough providers in there to do that. And a lot of that is, like you said, grassroots. Um, like what we’ve done is like, we are the national vendor of Keller Williams, right? And we just did their conference. I mean, they’re one of the largest real estate companies out there and I understand team aspect. So that’s why I went to them first and became their national vendor. You know, we’re working with your group and four other groups, right? Um, we’re working with five other property management groups, and these are larger groups. These are people that we’re not going for the 1 to 1 provider. Right? They will find us. Those providers will. But we’re really going for the ones that, like I said earlier, have already been somewhat vetted. They’ve been through a process where they and they’ve done business and they’re surrounded by people that can help them through their business as well.

Rob Gandley: Yeah.

Simone Kelly: And we don’t want I think what we talked about was like, it’s I think Google is an incredible search engine. But I also think that what Google really if you look at Google and you’re building a business, what it is, is taking a segment out of Google that they have, you know, spread out over billions of bytes and taking that segment and making a search Specifically for what you’re looking for. So what synchronicity is, is like a tiny minute site of Google for seniors, right? Where we’re going to be able to assist you and your family through their next phase of life, whether active living or whatever you have on that.

Rob Gandley: Right. You’re stringing the rabbit hole. You’re you’re you’re kind of putting the rat so you don’t have to go to the down the rabbit hole to discover that you needed those seven other professionals. Right? Maybe you start with real estate and you figure, you know, but you kind of string them all together all in one shot. So you you don’t waste as much time. Uh, and and I love your franchise thinking. I know being a former franchisor means that you, um, you understand that that. So your grassroots strategy to go and build up synchronicity by partnering with some of the biggest brands in the world was a smart move. And and you’re right, they are consistently vetted in that sense. And it’s why there is a A problem, in my estimation, in senior care, because without franchises, I don’t think you could put people on the street that are at that level. Right. In other words, to hire that many employees that are that good, that can help people at that level is hard to find them. But you can recruit a franchisee, somebody who wants to be a business owner, someone who has, you know, and that’s why you’ll find a lot of the franchise brands will be your providers, because trying to have a big company do that, right. You go to a big corporate and they just have a lot of advisors. Let’s say you don’t find that many, right? They’re mostly going to have to be franchises because again, finding that level of person and hiring them would be extremely expensive for any big company to try to, to deal with.

Rob Gandley: And that’s why most benefit providers for corporations, if you have a senior care need, oftentimes it’s just by the phone. There is no one to help you like on the street. And senior city is the local on the street Professionals that you can you can depend on, which is a sorely needed, uh, solution. It truly is. So. So I’m glad to hear that. I, you know, I wanted to kind of tie in the franchise. I figured that had some influence on you. Um, let’s talk a little bit about. I didn’t want to I want to be more specific about it in most of my conversations because it is affecting us all. And I think it’s important, um, in every industry, how do we evaluate every business has to evaluate this a little uniquely. Tell me a little bit about you. You mentioned quickly, uh, in passing in a previous question that when you do the Bios, you know, you just put a word in or something, a couple things and boom, it it writes a great bio for you. It makes you look good. Right. Um, tell me more about your thinking around how you deploy AI features for your audience is one thing. You got your professionals and your seniors, uh, your families, but also for you internally, like your internal teams and your developers and anybody else like, how are you seeing I play out? And as a leader, how do you kind of decide what to focus on?

Simone Kelly: Well, I is it’s one of those words like synergy. Remember when synergy was everywhere and I’m like, ah, if I hear that word one more time, I swear. And it was on, like, billboards. It was everywhere. It drove me crazy. Um, and I kind of, um, replaced that word, it seems. And, you know, some people are like, I’m scared to death of it or. Oh, I use it for everything. Um, I should be introduced in, in in small segments, right? Um, like, where we have I obviously you have it with your social media aspect where I everything to a certain platform and it’ll do all these different things it needs to do like LinkedIn. You have to wear a suit to post on there. Well, I will take that one post and it’ll send it to LinkedIn and and it’ll post it professionally with the right verbiage for LinkedIn. But it’ll take that same post and send it to, let’s say, um, Facebook and make it a little bit fun and jazzy and Instagram a little bit more jazzy, or maybe some music, and I can do that for you. But for me, AI is something that you introduce lightly as you go. So when I mentioned, like it’s part of the bio, okay, that’s the most important part. Um, when you, your picture obviously make it something that you didn’t take 30 years ago because of a senior meet you and you don’t look the same. They’re going to shut the door and you’d be like, there’s a criminal at the door because you don’t look like your picture, right? I look through that people and they’re like, no, I’m sorry, I had an appointment with somebody else. This is the picture I had. Um, so. Yeah, you know, but that bio.

Rob Gandley: I’m thinking I’m thinking. I’m thinking LinkedIn is, what, 20 years old now? So people, like, threw stuff out there from 20 years ago and they still haven’t updated. It’s funny. It’s like some people probably have it. It’s been ten, 20 years, right?

Simone Kelly: There’s this like thing going around to where it’s like you can make an AI Barbie doll or something. I’m seeing it all over the place and I’m thinking, don’t use that as your like this or like this. I don’t, I don’t get it. Um, and then a lot of people are using AI for their pictures, so then they I mean yeah, that’s again looking 20 years younger than what you are. Um, I mean, yes, obviously you want to look a little younger and take better care of yourself if you want, if that makes you feel good. But I don’t necessarily know if making a Barbie doll is the right place to be, for that would.

Rob Gandley: Not.

Simone Kelly: Be.

Rob Gandley: That would not be a good use of AI right now. Yeah. Let’s zero in on what what what, uh, what we should be zeroing in on. So. Yeah. You were saying, right.

Simone Kelly: Like, don’t don’t put your, your apple avatar up there. Right. Like, here I am. Like, it’s not going to work. Like what real picture. You know, you gotta do. We’re working with seniors so they are reality is everything to them. And so, um, I think they are you bleed it in there. So the biography is very important. One of the most important things you can have. And so what we’re seeing and what I’ve seen in the real estate market being broker and lending and obviously senior placement and estate sales, all the all the different providers that I offer there, I’ve been in that business. I’ve either owned or started a company in that business. I’m very versed on what what is needed and what what role they play with each other. Right. Which made synchronicity a lot easier for someone like me to build. Whereas if you were to build as, let’s say, a senior placement, you’d be like, why do I need property management? That’s like, I know why you need it, because I’ve been there and I’ve done it right. But when you look at I, you can’t go, oh, my whole site is I. So someone comes in and they call and they go, they go. I don’t know who I need to use. And you use a chatbot and they’re like, um, my mom fell down and it hit.

Simone Kelly: And then the AI gentleman comes back to you. Or the female, do you want a female? You want a male. What’s your name? What’s this? What’s that? And it’s just so impersonal, right. And what we’re dealing with in seniors is we’re very personal. And so taking away that aspect of being able to call in. So we don’t have AI generated call ins if someone doesn’t know what they need, or they just want to call because they don’t like just going to a list of people who can help them, then they can call and they’ll get a person, and that person will have ten separate questions. And those questions are so pointed that by the time you’re usually on the sixth or seventh question, we already know what provider you’re going to start with. Right. And so that part of it I know a lot of people are doing AI with get rid of your receptionist, get rid of your, you know, your assistants. It doesn’t work in this industry in my opinion, because it’s it’s it’s it’s a personal thing. I mean, this is your life. Like this is where you’re going to go in your next phase. This is where your family is going to go visit their mom and dad or grandma and grandpa. So for us, we don’t utilize AI that way. Well, how we’re bleeding it in is through the biography.

Simone Kelly: Because if you go and market and you say, I’m the greatest senior placement person in the world. Okay, so the consumer consumers looking at that going, great, what can you do for me? Right. So you really want to start off your life, right? It’s all about them, right? But you you want to start off talking about the consumer. I have been a senior advocate working with seniors for 20 years. I absolutely love working with seniors. For me, I would put the crankier the better. Bring it on. I love cranky people. I find them quite amusing. Um, and then moving on to where my accolades are at the bottom. What everybody got really trapped on is competition, right? Um, how can I be better than Rob? Well, Rob says he’s been in the business 35 years. I’ve been in the business 35 years in two months. So I’m going to put. I’ve been in the business 35 years in two months, right? You know, it’s just insanity what I’ve seen on these biographies. So the I generation of that is how do you put together a biography using keywords? Have it make sense? Um, acknowledging the seniors. Right. What can you do for the seniors and not what you have done at the first three sentences. Right. And so that’s what the AI does. It’s helping them become more in tune with what the senior or their family members are looking for, rather than talking about you.

Simone Kelly: It’s not it should not be your resume on LinkedIn. It should be how can you help them? And I don’t care if you’ve been in the business 50 years, does that mean you’re good at it? In my mind, I think you’ve been doing the same thing for 50 years and you still haven’t figured it out. Like that drives me crazy. Like, why haven’t you moved forward? Right. So for and and I think probably like some people maybe, I don’t know, I’m a little off, but maybe I do. But I would rather see AI implemented in little increments. So once you do that with the biography, then you go on to the social media, which we have a platform where you can go to the AI for that. And then when you get comfortable with the AI or social media, then you move it over to, let’s say, the mapping and the mapping becomes AI generated. But if you were to have and then eventually you’re going to have a point where someone’s going to just connect you with the right people, right? And that’s all. I mean, that’s not even I that’s already being done outside of AI. It’s just going to be quicker. It’s going to be more efficient.

Rob Gandley: It it it’s mostly behind the scenes. It will be a better experience for the visitors. But a lot of AI behind the scenes, right. Not really taking anything away from the quality of the interactions. Right. On any side with the the providers, with the families, with everybody, the whole community that you touch is and I’m with you on that. I don’t I think a lot of, a lot of marketing, maybe in the last 2 to 3 years has been a little more like this gold rush mentality of, oh, you know, AI’s going to take over and we can just come in and and create all this revenue or something. And it’s really not what it’s about. And not a very good message either. Um, it’s really about people becoming better. And if you become better, that should mean you have more time. If you have more time, you can invest in relationships, and I believe every business that’s a relationship business will just be able to do that better in the future. Not not getting rid of people. It’s getting more from people and people enjoying what they’re doing better.

Rob Gandley: Uh, yes. It might mean some companies don’t grow like they may have grown, but I don’t think they need to get rid of anyone. They just need to make everyone better. I should serve us, right? That’s what it should be. And I think hopefully it stays there. But thank you for being that kind of leader because that’s. Yeah, you think about what’s going to actually help your, your audience, not, uh, not what the shiny object is, but I before we, we wrap up today, um, I wanted to make sure you shared the website. And also if you had just, I don’t know, one piece of advice that you just feel like keeps resonating for a family, right? You can make it for a partner if you want, or a provider if you feel like that’s coming to mind. But what would it be? So share your website. And what would that one piece of advice or family member or for a provider, be that you would leave with them to help their journey go a little smoother?

Simone Kelly: Well, the website is senior nicety. It’s s e n I o r n I c I t y. Um. It derived from the, um, word of synchronicity. Um, and it actually was. I was in a car and on my car, it had a thing that said, um, the police was on, I think it was king of Pain, and it had the album synchronicity, and I love that word. And then I’m like, oh, a senior, because the plan was already there was the name I needed. And so that’s where Senior Nicety came from. Um, one piece of advice that was given to me, and I can give to everybody that they’ve already probably heard when you go through something that is life changing, whether you’re going to go to living or your parents, um, you know, a hip’s broken or or Alzheimer’s. God forbid you know some other ailment. Make sure not to make decisions financially without actually connecting to somebody on synchronicity, because that was what my first mistake was, was I wanted to. I was almost embarrassed, like I was embarrassed to call people and say, I don’t know what to do, right? Don’t be embarrassed to call somebody and do it. And don’t make a fast decision because it could affect your life like it did mine.

Simone Kelly: It took 5 to 10 years financially to get back where I needed, and that was all because I didn’t have senior ness. I didn’t have this platform. And really, so when you’re working with your mom, your dad, or it is your it is you a senior looking at don’t make a financial decision because you don’t want to, because you don’t want people to think that you’re all knowing. Right? Because we all think we’re all we are not all knowing. We’re I mean, look at these six providers, six provider types. It takes six provider types to get you where you want to be without devastating your entire life and your family’s lives. For providers, one thing I can say is if it doesn’t fit right, if it doesn’t make sense to sell the home. Okay, we’ll refer that to your network, your B2B, of of property management. Because when you do that, then you get a better referral base from that person. Wow, I went I went to them, I was going to sell my home. And they said, no, you know what? This doesn’t seem like the right thing to sell your home. You’re going to be out of money in four years.

Simone Kelly: Let me get you over to my one of my property managers, and they can take care of you. And then you do take care of them. That’s what that family member who did that, they’re going to refer you. So don’t try to fit them in a pigeonhole. Don’t be like, oh, well, you know, I can send you over to atria. Doesn’t have half the stuff you need or want. It’s a little bigger than what you want, but I have a really good relationship with them, so I want to send them to, you know, me, send them to another place that’s smaller what they want. Take your time. Um, it doesn’t have to fit, I guess every lead doesn’t have to fit into your lead. It can fit into somebody else’s, but you will then in return, that lead back. I do believe that things come back to us as we give out so good things, right? Don’t give bad things, but when you do something good, it will come back to you. It may not come back when it shouldn’t come back from that same person, but it will come back in another way. And so maybe just taking our time and is probably the best advice.

Rob Gandley: Yeah, well that was some really good advice. And I feel like what you had said about the provider just doing the right thing. I think doing the right thing pays massive dividends. If you just trust in that. Like don’t force deals, you’ll be you’ll be you’ll have too many deals to do if you just do the right thing by people. And I really believe that. And exactly. People will remember you, probably the one that you gave away. They’ll remember you more than all the other deals combined. Right? But it’s important. And you have that ability, especially with a website Like in a service like synchronicity. So Simone, thank you for being on the show. Thank you for sharing your insights, uh, with everybody. And I think at this point in time, this is a needed message. I mean, I keep saying that it’s I’ve been in the senior business, senior industry a while, um, in terms of the marketing side. But, you know, it seems like the awareness still is going to be a thing. And, uh, hey, if we can and I’d encourage the audience, please share this, uh, share with people that you know that you think it might resonate with. Um, ultimately, it’s a message that needs to be heard. You know what? It hits the leaders in our country. Uh, most leaders are in that age range where they have older parents. So we really need to get the word out how to do this right. So anyway, thank you so much for being here. Appreciate your time today. Bye for now.

Simone Kelly: Thank you for your time, Rob.

 

Tagged With: Seniornicity

Leisa Reid With Get Speaking Gigs Now

April 28, 2025 by Jacob Lapera

High Velocity Radio
High Velocity Radio
Leisa Reid With Get Speaking Gigs Now
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Do you want to be a speaker, but aren’t sure what to talk about, where to go to find gigs, or how to offer your services from stage? As the Founder of Get Speaking Gigs Now, Leisa Reid trains entrepreneurs who want to use public speaking as a soul-fulfilling marketing strategy.

Clients who work closely with her build their speaking skills and confidence through the Speaker’s Training Academy. They get their “Talks Ready to Rock,” and learn how to STAY booked as speakers through easy to implement strategies.

As a speaker herself, she has successfully booked and delivered over 600 speaking engagements. She is the CEO of the International Speaker Network, a community of heart centered speakers who value collaboration, relationships, results and fun.

In her book, Get Speaking Gigs Now, she shares her 7 Step System to Getting Booked, Staying Booked & Attracting Your Ideal Clients Through Speaking.

Connect with Leisa on LinkedIn and follow her on Facebook.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • How can entrepreneurs tell if speaking is the right marketing strategy for their business
  • What’s a simple way speakers can attract ideal clients without feeling pushy
  • What’s the biggest obstacle aspiring speakers face—and how can they quickly overcome it

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

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

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here. Another episode of High Velocity Radio and this is going to be a good one. Today on the show, we have Leisa Reid, who is with Get Speaking Gigs Now. Welcome, Lisa.

Leisa Reid: Hi, Lee.

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

Leisa Reid: I serve entrepreneurs who have a deep calling to use public speaking as a way to attract their clients.

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

Leisa Reid: Well, I. My dad would say I probably started in preschool when I started teaching other kids how to speak English, when he wanted me to go to a Spanish speaking school and learn Spanish. But I started professionally speaking in In 2013, and my first year I booked 83 speaking engagements in my local area, brought in hundreds of clients to the company I was representing, and started an organization for speakers and network, and people started asking me for help all the time and I told them no until eventually one day I decided to tell them yes.

Lee Kantor: Now tell us about how that beginning started, where I guess you were working for someone and they said, you know what? As part of our marketing, we’re going to use speaking. And FYI, you’re the speaker. Like, how did that all kind of bubble up?

Leisa Reid: It was a company that has been around for decades and they’re still around. So they’ve probably been around over 40 years now. So they had started that model a long, long time ago. And it really worked. They do experiential work. And so it helped to give people an experience of the work. It was like a personal development model. And so that had worked for them for years. I loved the work that they did. And when they said, would you like to be a speaker for us? I said, yes, I actually have a bachelor’s and master’s degree in speech communication. So it wasn’t like a total 180 from what I love to do. I just hadn’t done that professionally.

Lee Kantor: So now if a person is kind of in a boat where maybe in a similar way where they’re thinking, hey, you know what, maybe I can be a speaker too. What are some of the, I would guess, foundational things you have to really get right before you can even attempt getting that first speaking gig?

Leisa Reid: Yeah, there are some things I call it getting our ducks in rows and we would want to what I call get your talk ready to rock. Meaning you need to have it decide what your talk is going to be called. What’s the title, what’s the description? What are the learning points for the audience, and what’s your call to action? Those are the key decisions that you want to make right out the gate. Because once you say that you’re a speaker, even if you’re at a barbecue or you are saying it on LinkedIn or wherever on your website, people are going to ask you, what do you speak about? So that would I would think that’s the first step. But you also want to consider who is going to be hearing that talk. Who would be best served by your knowledge. So there’s this thing that happens where both of those things need to happen somewhat simultaneously.

Lee Kantor: Now when you work with clients, are they coming to you as like, say, I’m an entrepreneur and, you know, maybe I’m an accountant and I’m like, you know what? I’m pretty good speaker. So I think I’m going to use speaking as a way to get my name out there and get the word out about what we do. Um, or are they coming to you with, hey, I’m want to be a speaker for a living. And that’s, you know, I think I can be the next Tony Robbins.

Leisa Reid: Uh, most of my clients are utilizing public speaking as a way to generate clients. So if they’re an accountant and they want to use speaking to get clients, or they’re an attorney or a doctor or a coach, a nutritional coach, a healer, those are different types of people that have I’ve worked with and they just have a desire to do it. They enjoy it, they think it’s fun. You got to do sales and marketing anyway. Might as well enjoy yourself doing it. When someone comes to me and they just want to be like, no, I only want to be a full time speaker, that’s it. I’ll typically refer them out if like, especially if they don’t have a program at all. It really depends. If they’re newer into speaking, then it’s actually a really good idea for us to work together so that they can start to get an idea of what they need to put together and how they would start to approach it, especially if they have something to offer. If they don’t have anything to offer, like they’re they’re just going to generate money through a speaker fee and nothing else. Then I usually refer them out to someone else.

Lee Kantor: That’s so interesting because in our business, we work with entrepreneurs and we tell them the same exact thing. If you want to be famous, um, you know, we can have the beginning steps, but that’s not what we do. We’re here to help an entrepreneur kind of leverage the platform to make more money in whatever they’re doing.

Leisa Reid: Exactly. And I think a lot of times people miss that. There’s a lot of misconceptions. I’m sure that you find this, too, Lee, in the speaker world, because that is how it used to be. It was like you are a speaker, period, and you don’t do anything else. But now it’s like, no, it’s a platform. You you can utilize the platform and leverage it to do the thing that you love. The other thing. So for me, it’s about like, well, can we make marketing and sales fun? And if you enjoy speaking then yes, you can. You can make it fun.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. That’s so interesting that a lot of people think that whatever the it doesn’t matter really, the platform is that their first inclination is I’m going to do it to become famous like that. It’s a path for me to become famous or, you know, make a viral video. Whatever the thing is, whatever the new platform is, they think it’s a means for them to be famous. But that’s such a lottery ticket effort to to be famous in doing anything.

Leisa Reid: I think that’s I can really relate to what you’re saying, Lee, because when someone comes, I don’t get that too often in my industry. But there is a couple of times I’ll get that where I get the sense that they just want to be like, I want to be on the biggest stages ever and be like, Tony Robbins or whatever. That’s not really my client. Um, and that’s there’s nothing wrong with those desires. That’s just not my area of focus. I definitely work with, and we’re probably aligned here. I work with people who want to make a difference. People who want to make an impact, people who have a purpose. They’re a little more heart centered, um minded, and they just really want to educate people because what they’re doing matters and they’re actually providing solutions for people, but they need to attract more people.

Lee Kantor: Right? Yeah. No, it’s just interesting that there were these parallels. I never connected the dots that you would have those same issues that we have that uh, sometimes, you know, like your lane sounds like our lane. Look, we’re here. We are very specific skills. And if you want to do this thing, we can help you. But if you want to do this other thing, uh, you know, we probably can give you some general advice, but you’re better served going somewhere else. And and that’s probably a good lesson for entrepreneurs at all. You got to know when to say yes and when to say no to anything.

Leisa Reid: I agree, like you’re creating your own path, your own, your own lane. What do you want that to look like? What do you enjoy versus what you think you might enjoy. And everyone has a different approach to that. And that’s totally okay.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you’re working with us for an aspiring speaker or sometimes these people have never spoken before, they just think they would be good at it.

Leisa Reid: I do have occasionally some people who’ve never actually spoken before. Usually they come to me and they already know they’re good at it. Maybe it was something they did a long time ago and they just really enjoyed it. Or they volunteer for things like that, or they get asked to speak because they’re really good in front of an audience, but they don’t have a strategy or a plan. It’s kind of been happenstance. It hasn’t really happened on purpose. There’s been no intention. It’s more reactionary. Um, occasionally I will get someone who’s never spoken like officially before. And depending on the skill sets they bring to the table, we’ll just start where they are. I was I gave up a long time ago, Lee, of thinking that everyone was going to come to me at exactly the same point. I have found that what we do, especially when we have, like our speaker readiness assessment call, I will say, okay, tell me what you’ve got. You know what, what holes are in the boat. What do we need to do to get you to the place that you want to be? And we start from there.

Lee Kantor: Now, are there certain things that are maybe, uh, indicators that you’d be good at it? Like if you’re if you’re the person they ask to do the sales presentations or you’re the person that they asked to go to networking meetings, like, are there certain kind of indicators that, hey, you probably can pull this off?

Leisa Reid: I think it’s really a personal, internal, personal desire. I because I don’t want to get into like, oh, you need you know, you need to be an extrovert or an introvert or whatever. I have had clients who fall along all those different spectrums. So it doesn’t mean that you aren’t shy potentially, but what? Or that you’re really outgoing. It could be any of those things. But what I have found, the commonality is when my clients come to me like before, they’re my clients. They will confess to me. I’ve always wanted to do this. Like, I look at that speaker when I’m. I’m in the audience and I think I could be up there like I should, I should be doing this. And they have talks that start occurring in their mind like they’re they’re crafting them. And they’ve always secretly wanted to do it and they just didn’t know the roadmap. So we take like whatever that desire is, whether they’ve done it before or not. How can we get them that clear roadmap so then they can go out and do that thing that they’ve been dreaming about for a long time.

Lee Kantor: So really at the heart of it is if there is a desire to do it, then you can give them a pretty good shot at at getting some momentum. And maybe that escape velocity needed to launch their career.

Leisa Reid: Yeah. And and not just the so there’s desire. But then now we’re talking about entrepreneurs. So it’s like we’ll have a very candid conversation. All right. What are your programs. What are your offerings. Does this make sense for you to do this? If you’re selling a book for 14.95 and that’s all you have on the shelf, you’re probably going to need to develop some programs first or some services or some products or something that you can offer because, uh, a lower ticket is going to be a little tricky if there’s no sales funnel behind that.

Lee Kantor: And then in order to have a sales funnel that sells an inexpensive item, you better have a lot of money behind that.

Leisa Reid: Yeah. Or what? Yeah. However, however, it’s going to look like I do work with a lot of coaches, which is usually pretty simple. Their programs are 1000, 3000, 5000, 10,000. Something along those lines. So even if they got one client from one talk. Usually they’re going to get their investment back pretty quickly.

Lee Kantor: Right. So now let’s talk about uh, you mentioned coaches. So a business coach comes to you. Says I’m in. What do I have to do? So what are can you walk me through kind of. The steps that you or the maybe that initial conversation you’re having with. That business coach in order to, um, build out their, uh, talk.

Leisa Reid: Yeah. We have a. Get your talk ready to rock session. And it’s a two hour deep dive where we decide their title, description, learning points and call to action. Not necessarily in that order, but that’s what they come out with. Then they can go and work on their slides, or we discuss what’s the what’s the next step for them and then start practicing it and refining it, shifting it, letting it evolve until it’s ready to until they feel like, okay, I am ready now to take this to the market. We’ll do that within the first 30 days of working together, because that is the catapult to all the other stuff. So once you have your talk decided, then you can start creating your speaker sheet. You can start adding it on to your website. You can start talking about on social media. You can start practicing it. Then you start all of a sudden you start getting booked and we figure out, like, where’s your ideal audience going to be? How would you field questions? How would you create the conversation in order to get booked? How do you start to develop your own comfortability with, um, those kind of conversations and tracking it all and really having a system to being a booked speaker.

Lee Kantor: Now, how long is a typical talk nowadays?

Leisa Reid: I create a 30 minute talk because in my opinion, and I don’t know if you agree with this, Lee, but it’s much easier to cut than or it’s much easier to expand than it is to cut. So if we created a 60 minute talk, the person would be like, oh my gosh, what do I cut? This is so hard. Everything’s so important. If we create a 30 minute talk, you can always add in more stories, more engagement, more exercises, more whatever. You know, depending on the person’s style. Um, it’s much easier to add than it is to, to cut. And I find I usually talk for 30 minutes is very standard 45 minutes an hour. Those are those are pretty standard.

Lee Kantor: Now, the speaking opportunities that will be presented to your clients or prospective clients, are they all paid or are they all not paid? Like how does the kind of the money work when it comes to speaking?

Leisa Reid: That’s a great question. And I get that, gosh, if I had a dollar for every time I had that question. So the how I look at it is what I call monetize your speaking. So if we have a plan that you can monetize your speaking regardless of the speaker fee, that’s what we want to do. Um, so that way that client could go for speaking engagements that have a fee or don’t have a fee, but know that, oh, I’m in the right room with the right offer, with the right talk. Um, probably going to have good odds of of receiving some clients or some traction there. So that way we can not limit ourselves on just the speaker fee alone, because sometimes that would be way less than it would be if you received a few clients out of the speaking engagement.

Lee Kantor: And then, um, where do they go for these speaking opportunities? Is there is it just locally or is the world your oyster?

Leisa Reid: Well, the world is our oyster right now, which is pretty exciting. Again, this this is really depends on the person. So it’s not a cookie cutter standard. This is the exact model for every single person. So what we do is we figure out okay, what’s your lifestyle? What’s your personality, what’s your desire? What are your business goals. And we put all those things into the the filter and figure out okay then this is the kind of engagements that you’re going to be going for. This is the kind of engagements you’re probably not going to want. So we figure that out. It’s different for every single person. But with zoom now when I used to speak in person. Nine. 99% of the time. Plus I also was, um, you know, selling to a local event. So there was a reason why I stayed close by. But once Covid hit, nearly all my speaking engagements are virtual now. So it depends on the on the client and where they live and what they’re trying to achieve.

Lee Kantor: Now, are there different speaking mechanics? Um, when you’re doing something virtual as opposed to in person?

Leisa Reid: Oh, yeah. Yes, definitely. Slight. I call them like fraternal twins. You know, they a lot of things could be similar but could be similar. Excuse me, but I had to really adjust when I went back in person after the pandemic. Kind of lifted a little bit. I had forgotten all the things that I needed to to bring. I was like, oh yeah, I need a cord, and I need, I need a clicker, and I need to make sure my slides are, you know, going to be on the computer wherever I’m going. Did they receive them like just little things like that. Handouts for the tables. How many people are going to be there? Those things I used to do hundreds of times before the pandemic. But then I had a couple of years where everything was virtual and I had forgotten. Wait. All these things I need to remember. So, uh, there there’s pros and cons to both. But I would say for virtual, it’s pretty simple. You click, you know, as long as you have your links and everything ready to go in the chat, you have slides. If you’re using slides and you have a great microphone and a webcam, uh, you are good to go. When you’re speaking in person, you need to remember to bring some extra things.

Lee Kantor: And then, um, when you’re helping your clients get launched and maybe book that first, um, gig. Is there some do’s and don’ts or is there is there kind of places to look early on to get some just flight time.

Leisa Reid: Yeah, there’s definitely places to look. And again, it would depend. We still want to go for something that’s, um, you know, kind of an easy yes or somewhere you would feel comfortable. Oftentimes we’ll start with a warm, I call it start with your warm market. Who do you know? Who might you know, who knows someone who books speakers or who belongs to an organization that brings in outside speakers? So Warm Market is an easier place to go because you’re probably going to get an answer. You’re probably going to get someone on the, you know, on a on a zoom call to to talk or a phone call. Uh, they’ll be more apt to give you an opportunity if they’ve never heard of you. That type of a thing.

Lee Kantor: Now, if you’re doing, um, a talk to an organization, how do you kind of elegantly weave in some sort of offer to buy stuff? If everybody’s kind of an employee of a company?

Leisa Reid: Yeah. That’s different. So again, I love this question because speaking is like a deck of cards. There’s a lot of different games you can play, but you need to know what game you’re playing and how to win. Right? So we don’t want to offend or give an offer that seems awkward or outside of the scope of the event, because no one’s going to, you know, it’ll it’ll create a little awkwardness. It really depends on what you’ve discussed with the organizer and what our what’s the framework of you being there, for example, if gosh, that’s such a good question. I have so many thoughts because if you were there speaking to, let’s say, a lunch and learn and they’re an organization brings you in, they might pay you to deliver this lunch and learn to their employees and to provide value. You might be working on a contract with the with the organization to offer something for all their employees. So you’re not necessarily selling to the employees. You might be already sold, you may already have a contract tract created or you’re looking to create a contract. But if you’re if you’re saying, well, I’d like to reach these employees because there’s this, let’s say a nutritional coaching and you want to they they’re like, yeah, fine.

Lee Kantor: Right. Everybody eats. So everybody’s my prospect. Yeah.

Leisa Reid: So then, so then if it’s okay and and they say you can offer this thing that you’re doing whether it’s a free something to get on a mailing list or a free a low ticket offer to try something out or, or maybe it’s let’s have a conversation about coaching. So again, it will depend on the venue and the conversations and the purpose. All that needs to be nuanced. And I think that’s where speakers get stuck. They think, oh, just one offer for everything, and I’m going to just force it on every single audience I have. And I don’t agree with that. I think you should have a monetization menu, and you pick and choose depending on, on the venue that you’re at and the rules And because you don’t want to burn those bridges.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there, um, some best practices when it comes to the actual next, uh, the call to action you’d like when you’re having, uh, speak, uh, talk like I know you mentioned it depends whatever that call to action might be, but is there, like, is it better to have a free thing versus a paid thing or, um, you know, like there’s a whole menu of calls to action, right? It could be by my annual, um, coaching package. It could be, you know, here’s a PDF of the ten things you should do the next time you’re doing whatever I’m an expert in.

Leisa Reid: Yeah, it depends on how the person’s business model is set up. Like if, for example, I have one client who, um, she she’s just getting her slides together right now. She wants to sell her course that she’s creating, um, versus doing more coaching for people. So she’s kind of not necessarily interested in jumping on a phone call with them. She’d rather them just go to this thing, purchase the course and be done with it. And that’s where she is in her business, where I have another client who has a mastermind and uses a phone call, a free phone call to generate clients to join her mastermind. But she wants to have a conversation with them first, because she wants to make sure that you know, she’s protecting who else is in the mastermind and needs to interview them. So it really depends. Um, another client I had, she wasn’t. She was in between business, like she was selling one of her businesses and moving into another one, but wanted to really boost her Instagram and her email list so she would use those as her calls to action. Since she didn’t, she was still kind of baking her new business idea. Um, behind the scenes.

Lee Kantor: Now, is this a reason? I mean, because it sounds like a compelling reason, just as it is to work with you or somebody on your team. Because if you can help me get that right, I’m just leaps and bounds ahead of somebody who’s just throwing stuff against the wall and hoping it works and then seeing, you know, oh, well, that didn’t work. Let me try this other thing. But by having an expert by my side, I’m probably closer to the bull’s eye than I would be if I’m just throwing the dart. Um, you know, on my own.

Leisa Reid: Absolutely. And I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is they spend all the time when they’re speaking at the beginning. They spend all their time on this content and trying to whittle down all their expertise into, you know, 30 minutes and they then forget to do the call to action. They haven’t even thought of what the call to action is going to be. And then it’s like this afterthought, and they will forget to do it completely run out of time. Or it’s really clunky. It doesn’t, it doesn’t. It’s not consistent throughout the whole thing and it gets people off guard. So there’s all these different mistakes that I’ll see people make when it comes to the call to action, then it’s usually because they’ve never had sales experience, which is fine. It’s not taught in most college courses and which I don’t know why that that is astounding to me.

Lee Kantor: That should be an elementary school skill. I know.

Leisa Reid: I don’t know, especially in elementary school. They’re so primed they they have no problem bugging you over and.

Lee Kantor: Over, right. To buy, uh, wrapping paper or popcorn or cookies like they.

Leisa Reid: Yeah. Well, if any any parent, I mean, any parent can definitely agree that kids can be persistent as all get out so they’re primed and ready to go to be salespeople. I don’t know why they don’t teach that in elementary school and high school and college, but they don’t. So.

Lee Kantor: So it’s your job now. Now, I guess you’ve taken on the charge here.

Leisa Reid: Yeah. They don’t teach it in medical school or law school either. So sometimes I’ll have a medical doctor or a or, you know, PhD, uh, client or an attorney who’s like, why, why is this not working? And I’m like, well, you’re not. Have you ever sold before?

Lee Kantor: Right? Like.

Leisa Reid: You know.

Lee Kantor: You got to ask them to buy something at some point. Yeah.

Leisa Reid: So it’s a different animal.

Lee Kantor: So, um, so what’s the, uh, for anybody listening here? And they’re contemplating speaking. So what’s the path for them to, you know, what’s your call to action to get them, uh, at least into your funnel and into kind of your, uh, speaking universe?

Leisa Reid: There are a couple ways, uh, one, you can get five top tips to get more speaking gigs now. So that’s further information than what we’ve talked about today. If you’re like, oh man, I really do want to be a speaker. I don’t want to think about that. I want I could use that. And that’s easy. You can just go to get speaking gigs. Now.com it’s right there for you. And if you are thinking, I need to talk to her like yesterday, and I want to start getting booked on stages quicker, and I and I need to figure out this roadmap so that I can catapult my business and really use speaking to attract my clients. Then you can go. You can. We can have a conversation at the get speaking gigs now.

Lee Kantor: Good stuff. Well congratulations on all the success. And I know you have an academy also, right?

Leisa Reid: We do. Yeah, we have the speakers training Academy, and that’s for people who are like really serious about. Yep. I want to get I want to get to the front of the line, get me closer to the target. So I’m not trying to figure this out on my own.

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

Leisa Reid: Thank you. Lee.

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

Tagged With: Get Speaking Gigs Now, Leisa Reid

Building Harmonious Workplaces: The Enneagram as a Catalyst for Change

April 25, 2025 by angishields

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High Velocity Radio
Building Harmonious Workplaces: The Enneagram as a Catalyst for Change
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In this episode of the High Velocity Radio Show, Stone Payton talks with Kimberly Collins, an executive coach and Enneagram consultant. Kimberly shares her journey from managing an orthodontic practice to becoming a coach, focusing on the Enneagram’s role in leadership and team dynamics. She discusses the importance of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and psychological safety in creating harmonious workplaces. Kimberly explains how the Enneagram helps individuals understand different perspectives, improving communication and collaboration. The episode emphasizes the ongoing nature of personal and team development, encouraging leaders to embrace continuous growth and reflection.

Kimberly-CollinsKimberly Collins is an executive coach, author, blogger, musician, philanthropist, and certified Enneagram and MBTI consultant.

She is passionate about helping individuals, teams, and organizations build stronger connections and create healthier, more productive work environments.

When she’s not working, she enjoys walking, reading, singing, and spending time with her family. Enneagram-Reflections-logo

Connect with Kimberly on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

  • Using the Enneagram to Build Self-Aware Leaders and More Cohesive Teams
  • Emotional Intelligence: The Ceiling for Growth and the Antidote to Burnout
  • Transforming Teams Starts with Self-Aware Leadership
  • Psychological Safety: The Foundation of High-Performing Teams
  • Coaching as a Catalyst for Self-Awareness—and a Lifeline of Support

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

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

Stone Payton: Welcome to the High Velocity Radio show, where we celebrate top performers producing better results in less time. Stone Payton here with you. Please join me in welcoming to the broadcast with Enneagram Reflections, Kimberly Collins. How are you?

Kimberly Collins: Great. Thanks for having me.

Stone Payton: I have really been looking forward to this conversation. I have heard a thing or two in passing around this whole idea of enneagrams, and so I’m interested to dive into that conversation here in a moment. But before we go there, how would you describe mission? Purpose? What are you really out there trying to do for folks? Kimberly.

Kimberly Collins: Absolutely. You know, what I do comes from a lot of experience in the leadership world and a heart for leaders who, uh, you know, are serving teams or, you know, uh, having to manage large businesses and seeing the amount of pressure that these leaders are put under, um, has inspired me to work a system and my business around supporting these leaders so that they can, uh, not only show up for their teams better, which, of course, is such a wonderful thing, but to show up for themselves better and to feel more fulfilled, uh, by the things that they are doing. So really, my mission is to walk alongside leaders and teams and create a more harmonious workplace so that everybody can feel like they are, uh, working at their best and they’re working with each other and serving their clients the best as well.

Stone Payton: So what’s the backstory? Tell us a little bit about your journey and how you landed here doing this?

Kimberly Collins: Yeah, absolutely. So I am now an executive coach and an Enneagram consultant. But before I started this business, I was part of a co, I was co founded, co owned an orthodontic practice, um, in Minnesota. And I did that for 11 years. And during that time I did everything that didn’t require a doctorate of dental surgery. So I was payroll and 401 K and finance and taxes and HR and hiring and firing. And, um, I found myself it was about six years deep into that 11 year tenure that I found myself really burning out. Um, you know, thousands of patients, 35 employees and three little kids at home. And I thought, you know, uh, it’s something’s got to go. It’s either going to be me or this business. And, um, I was introduced to the Enneagram as a way of kind of managing myself, um, and my emotions and how I show up to the conversation. And I found that it was so helpful for me to manage my own burnout, that I decided to become certified in it, and I started applying it to my team and saw that we had better communication and more harmony and more productive conflict and that, uh, that inspired me to, uh, use it more and also to now do this full time. So now I work with especially small business owners, but I, I work as well with more corporate, uh, groups as well on how they can use the Enneagram, not only for the team, which is a great place, but also for the leaders, which is always, uh, you know, where I think that the most growth comes is working with leaders.

Stone Payton: Yeah. Well, say more about the topics or competencies or the areas where, uh, the Enneagram really can have a have an impact.

Kimberly Collins: Absolutely. So the Enneagram in and of itself is not a growth tool. And I always have to be, uh, you know, super clear about that because people will get into it and they’ll say, wow, now I know what my personality type is, but what do I do with this information? But where it really thrives is improving our self-awareness, which, of course, is the first stop on any personal growth journey, is knowing what are the stories that are driving my life, what are the motivations behind a lot of those patterns of thoughts and behaviors that are make up the majority of my life? And how is this tinting my perspective of the world? So the Enneagram is, you know, of course, in my I’m biased, but of course, in my perspective is the best at giving us a great view of how we’re showing up, um, and giving us a language for an inner experience. From that self-awareness, we’re able to see how we show up, and we can make decisions from there so we can choose better ways of emotional regulation, better ways of communicating and understanding how other people are experiencing us and in improving our conflict. Uh, showing up how we can, uh, disagree, but also how we can communicate in a way that those disagreements lead to something productive.

Stone Payton: As you’re describing this, um, a mental image came to came to me a long, long time ago. Arcade games were different back in my day. But there was this driving game and you could pick between two different views and one. You were sitting in the car and driving, but the other one was like a bird’s eye view.

Speaker4: And oh yeah.

Stone Payton: It seems to me like doing this allows you to to have a bird’s eye view of, uh, how do you put it? Like, uh, how you’re coming to the conversation or how you’re, uh, I don’t know. That’s that’s the mental image I got as you were describing it.

Kimberly Collins: I love that, and absolutely. It’s a way of, uh, like I said, a language for your own inner experience. But like you said, it’s a way of seeing how you’re showing up through this conversation and what you’re bringing to the table and seeing how that’s interacting with other people is really powerful for improving, uh, how you show up and how you interact.

Stone Payton: So a term that I’ve been coming across a lot as we’ve been doing this coaching series is emotional intelligence. Gotta believe that that there’s a lot to be done in that area with this work. Yeah.

Kimberly Collins: Absolutely. I mean, emotional intelligence, uh, in my mind, that’s your ceiling for growth is how how you can improve the soft skills of your job so that you can show up as the leader that you want to show up as. I think that a lot of times when we first start out our careers, we’re heavily leaning on those hard technical skills that maybe we’ve gone to school for. Maybe we’ve had kind of testing or training or whatever it is around that, and then we get to a point where our soft skills are those emotional intelligence skills, and that’s all that emotional regulation, communication conflict, that’s all emotional intelligence that becomes either equal or greater than those hard technical skills. And yet leaders are frequently thrown into leadership positions without any training. And, you know, things that happen from that are one, you know, ineffective leadership, of course, but if you’re the leader, you’re dealing with issues of imposter syndrome. That shame of, I can’t handle the situation. What’s wrong with me? There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re having to rely on a set of skills that have never been developed. Um, and then of course, the issues of burnout, which are just rampant, especially with leaders, there’s so much pressure, uh, to not only manage the position you’re in, the expectations from the company, but now you’re having to make decisions for other people. And if you don’t have a good set of skills around your own self-awareness and how you can fit in that slipstream of, uh, you know, boundaries versus connection, um, as well as improving your communication and conflict. I mean, you’re gonna burn out so fast in these positions.

Stone Payton: I’m getting a pretty clear picture of how of how this might apply to an individual. And for that self-awareness as you’re describing, how does it, uh, how do you utilize it to help entire teams?

Kimberly Collins: Absolutely. And I’m going to cop out a little bit and say the the best place to start for any team is with a leader. Um, the research is in, uh, if you want to improve a team, you go to the leader, the boss, the parent, the teacher. These are the people who make the greatest impact. The smallest. Uh, you know, the biggest bang for your buck is starting with the leader. However, if you want to use it with a team, You know, the Enneagram again, is going to thrive. Even just introducing the topic of showing a team that, hey, there are nine different perspectives of the world that are totally normal. And it just blows up that, uh, it’s like the normal paradox that Chris Voss talks about, where we all think that we’re normal. Um, and then when we encounter someone else who has a different normal, they just drive us nuts, you know? So it’s helping us see that, hey, I, I might see the world through this perspective, but that’s just one of nine ways of seeing the world, and that there’s an infinite number of variations to those perspectives that, uh, is coloring our interaction. And that even just by opening up the eyes to that can be really, really helpful. Of course, you know, if I’m going to work really in depth with a team, I’m going to be focusing on those, uh, big points of contention, communication, how we show up to conflict, how we show up to expectation. And these can really improve just how we see each other when we’re tackling projects or tackling something we disagree with.

Stone Payton: So when you were kind of getting started with this and trying to go out and describe to someone who could write the check and had the authority to bring you in to do this kind of kind of work, was the was the business side of of coaching tough like the whole sales and marketing thing? Was that a bit of a challenge in the early going or did that come pretty easy?

Speaker5: Well, I think.

Kimberly Collins: Anytime you get into a new venture, you’re going to be working with tools you’ve never worked with before. So I come from a small business area and, you know, dental care. So it’s kind of a healthcare. So I was very familiar with all of those laws and regulations and softwares. Um, and then moving into a new space, of course, there’s going to be a lot of learning the new technical things and learning too, about how you want to talk about these topics. And I think it’s a lot of a, um, exposure, uh, exposure therapy or whatever you want to call it, of talking about what you’re passionate about and, uh, being confident that what you are providing is, you know, something that’s really valuable. And, you know, eventually you’ll find those people who see the value in it, and it’ll just kind of click. But, yeah, I mean, of course, anytime you start something new, there’s going to be those hiccups.

Stone Payton: So what are 1 or 2 things? What are some things that people sometimes just get wrong, maybe have a misconception about the nature of this work that that maybe you run into before you have an opportunity to kind of educate them through that.

Speaker4: A lot of times.

Kimberly Collins: Especially when I’m working with the Enneagram, it’s the idea that this is a one and done that. Okay? We, uh, we have the tool. This is great. Our team is exposed to this information, and we’re never going to have issues like this again. And really, you know, the conversation of the Enneagram or the conversation about emotional intelligence, self-awareness, this is a lifelong conversation. Um, this is something that, uh, we’re all we’re always going to be working on as individuals and as teams, and that the work itself is the importance that there’s no solving it. It’s just going through ups and downs and learning from those ups and downs. Um, but I see that a lot of this. Okay, we had the conversation. Let’s move on to the next thing and then, uh, being surprised that those nuggets that they got from the conversation aren’t being carried six months down the line. So it’s something that has to be come back to intentionally, uh, to be able to really improve that, uh, the psychological safety of the team. Long term.

Stone Payton: Psychological safety. I like that phrase. I may I may borrow that one.

Speaker4: Yeah. No, that’s a mouthful.

Stone Payton: Right. And with teams and having the trust and feeling safe and being able to be. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. So I’m sure the answer to the question is yes, but I’m going to ask about it anyway. Maybe ask you to expound on it a little bit. But, uh, have you had the benefit of one or more mentors along the way to help you navigate this terrain of coaching on these competencies, but also on getting people to write you a check to coach on these competencies?

Speaker4: Absolutely.

Kimberly Collins: I think you always I think if anything, you need to have mentors who are showing those practical sides of things. Of course, you know the how to the where to do this and uh, giving you ideas about software. But I think it’s so much it’s.

Speaker4: Encouragement.

Kimberly Collins: And support for, uh, the individuals starting these things out and just even those little pep talks of, you can do this. Uh, you know, working through this mindset shift that’s really bogging you down is so crucial because, uh, you know, starting any, any new venture, especially if it’s a solo venture, it’s a lonely position, just like leadership is. And and so it’s so important to have people in your life that are also encouraging you when the times get kind of discouraging.

Stone Payton: Well, and you chose to, to become formally credentialed in this enneagram, um, arena and, and in other ways as well. This was a commitment that you made, and it’s my understanding you don’t have to go get these kinds of credentials to hang your shingle out, but, uh, I’m interested. Are you are you glad you did?

Speaker4: Absolutely.

Kimberly Collins: I mean, I am a lifetime learner. I that’s definitely one of the things that I love to do the most is learn, and so it was very natural for me to want to lean in and, uh, you know, get the credentialing so that I felt like I understood things from beginning to end. There’s a lot of information out there, especially about the Enneagram, that can lean into kind of the pop culture side of things, which totally. I love that stuff, too. It’s it’s a party. It’s fun. Um, but I love to know the psychological underpinnings of things, the history behind things, so that when I’m teaching this to teams, I feel like I have a depth to it as well. So for me, uh, that was a no brainer because I love to learn. But definitely you don’t have to be accredited in Enneagram. You don’t have to be accredited in coaching, um, if you don’t want to be. But for me, I feel like having that underpinning of, uh, formal training helps me have confidence in that. What I’m offering to teams and offering to To individuals as an executive coach is helpful and rooted in something more than just culture.

Stone Payton: So in the in the white space, I’ll call it, when you’re not actively engaged in coaching and that kind of thing, you’re probably writing, speaking all that stuff just to continue to educate your, uh, your market. Yeah.

Speaker4: Absolutely.

Kimberly Collins: I, I read I read a lot of books every year. Um, I, and I definitely love to write about them as well. I and then it’s of course keeping up on your industry too. So I have more continuing education that I do every year just to again, keep growing my perspective of what I do so that I can provide even more benefit to my clients.

Stone Payton: So I’m going to shift gears on you for a moment. If I might, I would be interested to know hobbies, interests, pursuits, passions outside the scope of the work. Anything you nerd out about, that’s that’s not this stuff.

Kimberly Collins: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. I’m actually I’m a professional musician as well. I’m a professional singer, and so I, I love to do music stuff, and I am so blessed that I have three little kids, and I have one of them who’s old enough to be into music as well. And so it’s just been such a cool passion to pass some of my music love onto my kids. But, um, I definitely spend a lot of time nerding out about music.

Stone Payton: Oh that’s fun. I’m so glad that I asked. I, I’m learning that asking that question. You really do get to learn a lot about people and you get to.

Kimberly Collins: Oh, yeah. Absolutely.

Stone Payton: The whole person. Right?

Kimberly Collins: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

Stone Payton: Hey, before we wrap, I would love to leave our listeners with a with an idea or two. Sometimes I call them pro tips, uh, for kind of getting their arms around some of what we’ve talked about the Enneagram, this idea of self-awareness. I like the idea of psychological safety. And look, guys, the number one tip is reach out and have a conversation with Kimberly. But, uh, let’s give them a little something to to noodle on between now and then. Kimberly.

Kimberly Collins: Absolutely. Um, I guess one pro tip I would always say is that if you want to start creating psychological safety, either in your teams or let’s say it’s just at home with your with your kids or your family or your spouse, um, it’s always going to start with you. It’s going to start with you becoming more aware of how you’re showing up to that conversation. And when you are given the opportunity to react, choosing to respond instead. The psychological safety is all about, um, providing a space for another person to be themselves. Uh, have differing opinions and differing preferences and not experiencing negative feedback. And that all comes from being in the vicinity of a person who is emotionally regulated and is able to respond instead of react, even when, uh, you know, the tensions get high, it can be out of response that things move forward. So that’s where I would always say is that if you’re interested in creating a better work culture, home culture, friend culture, whatever it is, start with you and how you’re showing up to the conversation and it’ll improve from there.

Stone Payton: Well, that sounds like marvelous counsel to me. What’s the best way for our listeners to reach out, tap into your work, start learning more, maybe have a more substantive conversation with you. Let’s leave them with some coordinates.

Kimberly Collins: Absolutely. So I have a website. It’s Enneagram reflections.com, and it has my email on there. It has my socials. So check it out and you can always contact me for more information or if you have any questions.

Stone Payton: Well, Kimberly, it has been an absolute delight having you on the show. Thank you for your.

Speaker6: Yeah, thanks for having me.

Stone Payton: The work you’re doing is so important, and you are a fresh breath of air. You are really doing good work, and we sure appreciate you.

Speaker6: Yeah. Thanks so much for having me. What a what.

Kimberly Collins: A great opportunity to be on this show with you. Thank you so much.

Stone Payton: My pleasure. All right, until next time. This is Stone Payton for our guest today, Kimberly Collins with Enneagram Reflections and everyone here at the Business RadioX family saying, we’ll see you in the fast lane.

 

Tagged With: Enneagram Reflections, Kimberly Collins

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