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Leveraging Social Media and Video Marketing to Boost Real Estate Sales

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Leveraging Social Media and Video Marketing to Boost Real Estate Sales
Chamber Spotlight
Leveraging Social Media and Video Marketing to Boost Real Estate Sales
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In this episode of Chamber Spotlight, host Lola Okunola welcomes guests Johanna Stanley from Century 21 Connect Realty and Cam Jimenez from Social4Business. Johanna discusses her focus on the real estate market, particularly serving the Latino community and helping with relocations to Georgia. She emphasizes her commitment to community and personal connections in her work. Cam, a video strategist, explains the importance of creating targeted video content to help businesses achieve their goals on social media. The episode highlights the value of social media and video content in building relationships and marketing in the real estate industry.

Johanna-StanleyAs the trusted real estate advisor for her clients, Johanna Stanley understands that selling and or buying a home is complex and deeply personal. There is also a lot at stake financially and personally.

This perspective on the process and the responsibility felt towards her clients drives Johanna to truly commit and become better every day at what she does. Johanna understands the market, the players, and all the variables involved in a real estate transaction. She makes sure you feel supported and that you have a trusted advisor by your side.

As a seller, you want to effectively (and beautifully) market the home and then strategically negotiate to secure the highest/ best price, and cleanest term possible for the sale. As a buyer, you want a reliable, professional, and assertive partner to help you locate the right home, that will fulfill all your needs at the best price possible.

2019 was the beginning of Johanna’s real estate career, and she’s built her reputation by holding herself accountable and creating solid relationships with all her clients to assist them in the best way possible. Johanna and her team work hard to keep ahead of the curve, combining digital marketing, and innovating every time with all social media platforms, with the main purpose of keeping them up to date and always providing 100% effective service to you.

Connect with Johanna on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Cam-JimenezCam Jimenez is a video marketer with Social4Business. Social4Business is a video marketing agency located in Sandy Springs.

Established with a clear vision to revolutionize the realm of corporate video production, we specialize in crafting testimonial, promotional, training, and social media videos tailored for businesses. But we’re not just videographers.

We pride ourselves on being video strategists, seamlessly combining our expertise in both video creation and marketing to help business owners amplify their growth and solidify their social media footprint. Our mission?

To empower businesses with strategic video content that resonates, engages, and delivers results.

Follow Social4Business on Facebook and Instagram.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studio in Sandy Springs, Georgia. It’s time for Chamber Spotlight, brought to you by CorpCare, your Employee Assistance Program partner. Caring for them because we care about you. For more information, go to CorpCareApp.com. Now here’s your host.

Lola Okunola: [00:00:29] Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of the Chamber Spotlight Podcast, proudly sponsored by CorpCare EAP. I’m your host, Lola Okunola, and today we have an exciting lineup of guests representing diverse industries. A big thank you again to CorpCare EAP for supporting our community. Now let’s jump into today’s conversation. Meet my guest, Johanna Stanley of Century 21 Connect Realty and Cam of Social4Business. We’re going to start with Johanna. Johanna, welcome to the show. I’m so excited to finally have you on.

Johanna Stanley: [00:01:15] Thank you Lola. For me, it’s it’s a pleasure. And it’s a it’s an honor to be here. Honestly, I cannot believe I need somebody to pinch me because this is exciting. Um, so. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you for the invitation.

Lola Okunola: [00:01:29] Yeah. Thank you. I’ve been wanting to talk to you. I think everyone wants to know about the real estate market. I mean, we hear there, there’s so many realtors in town, but you do things a little differently, and I think, you know, you should share.

Johanna Stanley: [00:01:44] Yes. And that’s usually come out to be a very hard question because it’s like people is like, what do you do different? And honestly, in regards to, uh, business, there’s nothing different I do because it’s the same marketing, doing the same thing, filling out the same contract. But what would set me apart would be like always the heart for the community, the sense of community being there for people. Guide them, help them and just, you know, getting to know them. I feel like that’s the key to know what exactly they’re looking for. How can I best help them? It’s not making it all about me. You know, it’s my business and I’m doing this and doing that. No, it’s just how can I help them and to find their home? So yeah, a market is a little bit crazy right now. You know, with the interest going up and the whole market goes up. But you know, we’re coming into the season where, you know, people need to move. So it’s picking picking up a little bit more.

Lola Okunola: [00:02:39] Yeah we are getting into summer. So summer this is true. This people move mostly in the summertime.

Johanna Stanley: [00:02:46] Yeah. Yeah. Because I mean there’s a perfect time. The kids are out of school and they need to, you know, get the kids involved in the new school and stuff. So, um, we’re getting you know, Georgia is getting a lot of people that are relocating. They’re coming from out of state here. Yes. And, you know, it’s funny because for, you know, Georgia residents what it’s expensive for them a home here for them. It’s just like, oh my God this is so cheap, you know.

Lola Okunola: [00:03:12] Where are they coming from?

Johanna Stanley: [00:03:12] Usually New York LA ah. Which are those places that are you can find a one bedroom apartment or studio for a million, right. You know, you hear they can get a huge house, uh, decent house for, you know, 600,000 or something like that, depending on the location, of course. But yeah. So we are I mean, definitely, um, focusing a lot with relocation people that are coming from out of state. Um, and, um, yeah, I find that very, very interesting how, you know, like, for them, it’s just easier just to get it. I mean, Georgia has so much potential and so much opportunities for them as well that it’s just easy. Yeah. For them to make the decision. You know, weather is amazing. So I know.

Lola Okunola: [00:04:00] We do have good weather. So do you have a particular target market like is there is there do you have a niche. Is there is there someone you’re looking for in particular to help?

Johanna Stanley: [00:04:11] I do I mean, uh, my target audience basically, you know, like the Latino community, you know, I’m a Hispanic, I’m originally from Colombia. So I get, uh, very involved with them as well because, I mean, we have something in common, right? So that makes it easier for me. Um, although, you know, like, I’m able to help, you know, anybody that I built a relationship, anybody that trusts me, know me and wants to work with me, of course, I’m going to be more than happy and willing to help them as well. But yeah, I would say the Hispanic market, it’s a big, uh, target audience for me. Okay.

Lola Okunola: [00:04:46] That’s great. So what are the kinds of things that you would say are going on? Like, what are the hot topics in real estate right now other than the interest rate?

Johanna Stanley: [00:04:57] Well, uh, we said, um, yeah, the interest rate, the, the home price is going up. So. Yeah.

Lola Okunola: [00:05:02] Here in Georgia too. Right.

Johanna Stanley: [00:05:04] And then, um, you know, there’s a lot of room, a lot of things with, uh, um, with the lawsuit that was going on that now, the buyers are not they don’t have to.

Lola Okunola: [00:05:15] Pay the interest.

Johanna Stanley: [00:05:16] It’s not going to pay. No, no. The interest, the commission.

Lola Okunola: [00:05:18] Sorry. The commission.

Johanna Stanley: [00:05:20] The commission. So does that.

Lola Okunola: [00:05:21] Pass?

Johanna Stanley: [00:05:22] Like the, uh, I guess they got they got a settlement. They won a settlement. But then, um, they haven’t it’s not signed here in Georgia yet, but they are about in June. I think it’s in June. It’s going to take place. Wow. Yeah.

Lola Okunola: [00:05:36] So how will that changed your view about this profession?

Johanna Stanley: [00:05:40] Well, it’s been always that way. I mean, it never changed. The seller has never been obligated to pay us a buyer commission. Buyer’s agent commission. It’s never been obligated. It’s just never. I mean, it helped them to you get people into the house. So it’s it’s a strategy that has been used forever. So I feel like everything like, you know, it comes to a change. You know, it’s a, it’s a, it’s a, it’s a evolution, so to speak. Right? Where uh, just like corona when it came corona, there’s so many things happen. And then everything started going back to normal. So now we’re seeing this, uh, people talking. Oh, we’re not, you know, the, uh, buyer’s agents, how they’re going to get paid. They’re going to work for free. I mean, nobody works for free, right? So, uh, there is a strategies. There’s always negotiation. It’s opportunity negotiation when you find your buyer, your seller, and it’s just a mutual agreement. So and it’s always been that way, and I’m sure I’m 100% sure that it’s going to continue being the same way. So it’s nothing to fear. I feel like, you know, as long as you know your audience as you’re doing your work, marketing yourself, um, everybody’s, you know, you should be fine. Okay. Yeah.

Lola Okunola: [00:06:54] Great. Well, thank you. Thank you for sharing that. Um, I’ll come back to you again shortly, but we’re going to pivot to Cam of Social4Business. Cam is a video strategist, not to be mistaken with a videographer. He does videos differently. Cam welcome. Tell us about what you do. Cam does our videos. By the way if you follow us on social, all our cool videos are done by him. Cam welcome.

Cam Jimenez: [00:07:26] Thank you Lola for having me. It’s a pleasure to be here. Uh, so just to get started with that difference between a videographer and a video strategist. So a videographer is someone that you pay, uh, some amount of money to shoot a video. So you usually tell them, hey, I need this video. You pay them, they shoot it, they edit it, they give it to you, and off they go. As a video strategist myself, what I try to do is just to get as involved as possible with your business, so I can put together a strategy with different types of videos that are going to help you achieve your goals, whatever those goals are, whether you want to increase your awareness on social media, if you want to hire people, if you want to shoot email marketing videos like the ones that we do for the Santa Springs Chamber of Commerce, anything that you want, there’s a video that you can use to achieve those goals. So that’s basically what I do.

Lola Okunola: [00:08:19] Yeah. But you do you you not only, um, shoot the videos like, you know, what’s catchy, what’s going to captivate the audience about how long the video needs to be, where you need to stand, what you need to wear, what the lighting needs to look like. Um, and sometimes some of these videos, I’m like, I’m not going to do that camp. Like, that’s so cheesy. But I have to tell you, the last two videos that we did, we got the most views we’ve ever gotten. So you definitely know what you’re doing.

Cam Jimenez: [00:08:53] Yeah. So that’s one of the things that people start doing video themselves. Um, and they think they have an idea of how how it works, but they don’t know how it actually works. So just to give you an idea of what I told you that day. So we usually start the videos for email marketing, like, hi, my name is Lola and Sand Springs. And that’s fine because that’s email marketing. But when you’re doing social media content, the first five to 10s is the most important part of that video. So if you start that video with saying, hi, my name is Lola and this is what I do, you lost that opportunity, that window.

Lola Okunola: [00:09:29] Nobody cares.

Cam Jimenez: [00:09:31] They don’t care about with all the, you know, respect, but they don’t care who you are. Yeah. Until you show them what is that you have to offer. Yes. It’s a very.

Lola Okunola: [00:09:40] They want the value. Now give me five things that are going to help me right now. Exactly.

Cam Jimenez: [00:09:47] And then with social media content, I mean people’s attention span is like five seconds. Yeah. So you get to grab their attention right off the get go and and that’s. What I do. I try to tell people, this is how you should start your videos. This is how we script the videos so they have more engagement and people stay till the end of the video. The longer they stay while they’re watching your video, the better it’s going to do the algorithm and social media platforms.

Lola Okunola: [00:10:13] So who should call you? Like who needs you?

Cam Jimenez: [00:10:17] Pretty much any business owner who wants to turn strangers into paying clients. That’s the way I put it. So there hasn’t been a better time to create video content for social media because all of these platforms Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, they all want video content because it’s just what keeps people engaged on their platforms. The longer they can keep people on the platforms, the more they can charge to the advertisers. Mhm. So if there’s a business owner and they need to get people to see their content, you know, to get that know like you trust you factor kind of thing. Um that’s what we want.

Lola Okunola: [00:10:58] Okay, that makes sense. I know there’s been a lot of stuff in the news lately about TikTok being banned, and I. How does that? I mean, I see people are protesting saying, you know, this is going to be my livelihood you’re taking away and this and this and that. Like, how do you feel about that? Like, how does that affect you in any way?

Cam Jimenez: [00:11:19] It doesn’t because there’s a lot of platforms that you can always post in. Uh, so it’s not like you don’t if you’re someone who has older content on TikTok that might affect you, remind you. The CEO of TikTok said, we’re not going anywhere.

Lola Okunola: [00:11:34] Oh, okay.

Cam Jimenez: [00:11:36] And he’s sound very sure of it. So really, that’s going. But, uh, that’s one of the things that we tell our clients is like, always try to, um, just build a list of emails because, yes, if you’re relying on Instagram or Facebook or TikTok and for whatever reason, your account gets banned or it gets suspended or TikTok gets canceled, yeah.

Lola Okunola: [00:11:58] You lose everything. So have multiple, um, advertising. So if you.

Cam Jimenez: [00:12:03] Have an email list, that’s something that you’re always going to be able to control. And you can always send like email marketing videos and email, uh, campaigns to that audience. So it’s it’s very important to keep those emails.

Lola Okunola: [00:12:14] Okay. Well, um, so let’s I mean, I’m let’s talk together. I mean, I know Joanna, I mean, realtors use videos a lot. They use videos for marketing the property and then even marketing themselves, like, I’ve seen so many videos, whether it’s on LinkedIn or Instagram or wherever, where, you know, they’re giving tips and you know, about real estate and whatever it is, um, you know, how do you feel like you and cam could work together or like, you know, what are some things that you can, you know, offer to cam? Like I always try and see how we can all work together because at the end of the day, this is a chamber. And, you know, we’re all members and, you know, the the objective is to help each other so.

Johanna Stanley: [00:13:02] Well, definitely. Yeah. Like we I wouldn’t want to be a secret agent. You know, you have to market ourselves, go out there and just, you know, show our the best part of us, you know, like who we are. There’s no what what we do but how we do it. You know, uh, people wanted to get to know us and kind of build a relationship. And the more you market yourself through video, social media, I feel like people feel like they know you. Yes, they know you more. Yeah. And it’s not to make it all about the business, because really, in reality, people don’t really care so much. I mean, like, okay, you’re bragging a lot now, you know, um, it’s they wanted to know you. What do you do. Mhm. Um, what’s your value. What the value you bring for them. Mhm. Um they don’t really, they don’t care so much about your, my life or anybody’s life you know. So I feel like we can uh the best way of helping you know for me I will I need definitely sometimes like the um, you know guidance of what the strategy is because it’s, and it’s constantly changing.

Lola Okunola: [00:14:03] So this week, this hashtag might be the one or this keyword might be what you’re supposed to use. And then next week it’s something else. So it’s good to have someone to guide you, like you said.

Johanna Stanley: [00:14:14] Exactly. Like I, uh, a couple of days I learned about the thread thread, something like that. I mean, like thread. Yeah, threads. I’m like, what is that? Like, what does that do? I mean, another thing, you know, another app and it keeps going. So it’s like, and you.

Lola Okunola: [00:14:28] Have to be there.

Johanna Stanley: [00:14:29] You have to.

Lola Okunola: [00:14:30] Have a presence everywhere.

Johanna Stanley: [00:14:31] Absolutely. So definitely that would be the benefit for me from com would be yeah. What’s coming up. What what’s new. What’s trending. What. How can I present myself. How can I be less boring. Because yeah, you cannot be like you say when you say, oh, my name is Joanna. I mean, really, your name is on the top of your page. You don’t really need to say your name. They most likely they already know you. So it’s just, how can I start? What’s the best word? The catchy word. Yeah. So, yeah, I need sometimes ideas for that. It’s. Yeah.

Lola Okunola: [00:15:03] Just hard, like you would think someone looking for a property they want to know. Okay, where is the best school district? Right. If they have kids. Yeah. That that helps them to determine where they want to live. So maybe tips on schools, you know, or just a video on, hey a list of 1 to 10 here. Here are the schools in Georgia for instance. And here’s how they rank.

Johanna Stanley: [00:15:27] Usually as a realtor, we are not allowed to kind of steer our clients to certain area. That’s really.

Lola Okunola: [00:15:34] Yeah, that is just I never knew that.

Johanna Stanley: [00:15:37] Yeah. We’re not we’re not allowed. Yeah. You’re not allowed to stir people to stay in certain area. So what I would do though, I will give them the website where they can go and do their due diligence, their research. Interesting. They got to go and they find something with crime. I cannot tell them, okay. You cannot go to this certain area because it’s not I’m not. That’s just not.

Lola Okunola: [00:15:58] Oh, that’s. That’s a good thing for us to know.

Johanna Stanley: [00:16:01] No, no. For us. Yeah. So we usually we can, you know, give them the sources, you can find yourself, and then you can make a judgment for yourself, you know? Okay. Um, and they tell us what to do. I mean, they so that’s different when they, uh, he’s hiring me to help them find their job, their home. But, um, I cannot steer them in any directions at all. So yeah, okay.

Lola Okunola: [00:16:27] That’s good to know. But I’m sure cam knows how to get around all of that and how to, you know, other ways that are legal and ethical for you.

Johanna Stanley: [00:16:36] To exactly as long as it’s within the parameters, you know, illegal, then it’s not going to affect my license and stuff or get me in trouble for sure. Okay. That’s something that I’ll be open to. Yeah, absolutely.

Cam Jimenez: [00:16:50] So that’s something that we’ve talked to, we’ve worked with I mean, I don’t know how many realtors in the Atlanta area. There’s been a lot of them. And that’s something that comes up like when we tell them, okay, let’s do a video about crimes and, you know, like different school districts. And they always say that not allowed to say that because like Joanna just said it, you cannot tell them where to go. Like you’re going to help them fight the find the house but not tell them exactly where to buy. Uh, so, like Joanna mentioned, there’s things that you can say, like in the first few seconds of the video, are you thinking about relocating to Georgia or Atlanta specifically? Here are a couple of resources or websites that you should check, and then you can do some due diligence. You know, just do some research and that’s going to help people. So what we want with these videos is for people to like them, comment on them and share them or save them. Yeah, that’s what’s going to tell the algorithm okay. There’s something good in here. Mhm.

Lola Okunola: [00:17:44] People like it.

Cam Jimenez: [00:17:45] Show this to more people.

Lola Okunola: [00:17:46] Yeah.

Cam Jimenez: [00:17:47] So that is it. And going back to the threads that Joanna was saying and that you were saying like you have to be everywhere. One thing that I tell people is like don’t try to be everywhere, just pick a couple of platforms. Mhm. And just be really good.

Speaker5: [00:18:01] Really.

Lola Okunola: [00:18:01] Active there.

Lola Okunola: [00:18:02] Okay.

Cam Jimenez: [00:18:03] Because if you want to be active on Twitter threads, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, I mean you need to have a huge marketing team.

Lola Okunola: [00:18:11] Yeah it’s a lot.

Cam Jimenez: [00:18:13] And and every platform needs some type of different content and the format and it’s different. So just pick a couple, master those. And once you grow in those, those platforms then you can try to, you know, just segway into your platform.

Johanna Stanley: [00:18:28] Yeah. Because like you got uh, as a realtors, we got to use each platform as a, as a source of, uh, you know, like follow up as well. We cannot just have the we have to have a purpose behind each video, whatever we are promoting. Um, we got to have a strategy so we can follow up with possible clients, you know, um, and stay, uh, very top of mind for, for the people that we are in touch with them with in a daily basis. So it’s not just like, oh, I post a video and that’ll do it. No. You got to also comment on people follow up like send a text message and hey, how’s it going? You know, just keep that relationship going. Because at the end of the day, it’s not how much what you say, it’s just the relationship, the trying to build what really makes. Because you really don’t know people, don’t they? Right now that so many people don’t need a home, but things change the next day or next week. Maybe it’s their.

Lola Okunola: [00:19:27] Neighbor, maybe it’s somebody else.

Johanna Stanley: [00:19:30] So that’s why we really has to be, you know, on top of mind of, you know, for them, um, whenever they need, they’re ready.

Lola Okunola: [00:19:37] You want to be that person when they need that service. You they you want them to think. Joanna, I just saw her yesterday on online talking about real estate or something. I get it, that makes sense.

Cam Jimenez: [00:19:50] And it’s the same thing with email marketing. So a lot of people say like email marketing is not as effective because people are getting hundreds of emails every single day. But going back to what you just said, when you get to that point, like, hey, I need to buy a house, or I know someone who needs to buy, hey, this girl Joanna has been hitting my email every single day. I might not read all of your emails, but I know she. But I.

Lola Okunola: [00:20:12] Know she’s out there and she’s doing it every day.

Cam Jimenez: [00:20:17] So you’re like top of mind.

Johanna Stanley: [00:20:18] Yeah. That’s that’s that’s that’s the goal.

Lola Okunola: [00:20:21] That’s the goal. And cam certainly makes sure that you’re top of mind whatever industry you’re in. Wow. Well this has been a great conversation. Um thank you. Thank you so much for coming. Um, with that we’re going to close out the show again. I’d like to thank Corp Care for being the sponsor, and I’d like to thank you, cam, for sharing all of your information about, um, social media strategies. And thank you personally for what you do for this chamber. And, Joanna, thank you for all that you do in the community and all you’re doing with real estate. We’re really happy that you came to share. Um, yeah. Your websites, give us your websites and how can people contact you? Okay.

Johanna Stanley: [00:21:07] So yeah, my website, it’s Joanna stanley.com. Okay. And uh, my social media, I don’t know you would you how do you have a way to share it.

Lola Okunola: [00:21:17] And we will share it in the email. But go ahead and say for those that are listening, huh?

Johanna Stanley: [00:21:22] Joanna Stanley G a realtor that would be my. I, um, Instagram. Okay. And for my last Johanna Stanley, um, realtor g a realtor. It’s for my Facebook as well. Okay. And my phone number (203) 687-9038. I know it’s from Connecticut. A lot of people is like.

Lola Okunola: [00:21:43] You’re gonna have to get a 404 or A77 0 or 6 seven eight something.

Johanna Stanley: [00:21:47] I don’t want it. I can’t, because then I will lose all, you know, like the people that already know me. You know that. So it’s like, I feel like that’s, um, more, you know, how do you say it’s like. It’s, um. I. They already know me. That’s my story. I don’t want it, you know, change it for unless I have to. Um, but, I mean, I mean, it works. So far, it’s been working. So I’m going to keep the 203.

Cam Jimenez: [00:22:11] And get a second phone and slowly transition into the 404.

Johanna Stanley: [00:22:16] Maybe, I don’t know, I just like, you know, it’s funny because my mom I don’t know why she has two phones and I’m always like, what are you think you’re a president or something? Why do you have so many phones? They have.

Lola Okunola: [00:22:27] Apps now where you you can have a whole nother line.

Johanna Stanley: [00:22:31] I guess. So, I don’t know, I have to think about that.

Cam Jimenez: [00:22:35] Google voice.

Cam Jimenez: [00:22:37] You can get a phone number and it’s free. Yeah.

Johanna Stanley: [00:22:39] See the thing is like, I feel like there’s for us as a realtor, we have so much to handle and platforms and stuff like, I feel like my direct phone number is the best way for me to stay in communication with my clients. I know for a fact that I’m going to reply and, you know, like reach back to them if I miss a phone call. So that’s why for me, like it don’t bother me, like call them later or if I if I can pick up at the time, I will do it. So it’s just I need to have that. Maybe that control. Okay. Sorry. That’s not bad.

Cam Jimenez: [00:23:13] That’s fine.

Lola Okunola: [00:23:13] Cam, how can our listeners reach you?

Cam Jimenez: [00:23:16] Um, so I’m on Instagram and my handle is at my social fourbis. So that’s going to be the number four. Okay, guys. So it’s the short form for business. And my website’s my social for business. Com.

Lola Okunola: [00:23:33] All right. Thank you again. We’d like to thank our sponsor Corb Care for supporting this podcast. And to our listeners, if you’re interested in becoming a chamber member or have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Stay tuned for future episodes where we’ll continue to shed light on our chamber members businesses and create opportunities for growth and collaboration. Until then, stay connected and stay well.

Charles Potts With Independent Community Bankers of America®

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Atlanta Business Radio
Atlanta Business Radio
Charles Potts With Independent Community Bankers of America®
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Charles E. Potts is Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer for the Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA).

In this role, he drives ICBA’s innovation initiatives, and financial technology strategies, working with ICBA leadership to develop impactful, value-added solutions that help community banks seize new market opportunities to meet customers’ evolving financial services’ needs.

His extensive experience in banking and financial service firms provided the background he needed to start, co-found or lead various fintech start-ups including digital banking, mobile engagement, financial management and payments providers. Many had successful exits via IPO’s or acquisition via strategic acquirers. A frequent speaker at national trade shows and conferences, he previously served as executive managing director at First Performance Global, where he led international business and corporate development activities for its card-control and fraud alert platform.

Before that he served as CEO for NetClarity, a start-up in the University of Florida’s Business Incubation Hub. Prior to ICBA, he worked at the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), leading the fintech practice where he mentored startups as part of the Georgia Tech-based incubator. He attended the Georgia Institute of Technology, did his graduate studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta and attended the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.

Charles, an avid masters runner, cyclist and soccer fan, lives with his wife in Atlanta, GA. They have a daughter who recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she was a nationally ranked pole vaulter on the Track and Field team.

Connect with Charles on LinkedIn and follow ICBA on Twitter.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • Why community banks are so critical, and what unique advantages they offer to their customers and the local communities they serve
  • What innovation looks like for community banks
  • How the banking industry has evolved over his career
  • The strategies for achieving growth in today’s digital landscape
  • What is top of mind for community bankers right now and how they compete and succeed in today’s market

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio. Brought to you by On pay. Atlanta’s new standard in payroll. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:25] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio, and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, Onpay. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Atlanta Business Radio, we have Charles Potts, EVP and Chief Innovation Officer with the Independent Community Bankers of America. Welcome.

Charles Potts: [00:00:47] Thank you. Lee. Thanks for having me today.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:50] Well, before we get too far into things, can you tell us about Icba? How you serving folks?

Charles Potts: [00:00:56] Yeah. So Icba Independent Community Bankers is the national trade association, um, and advocacy organizations solely focused on community banks. Um, our primary mission based around that advocacy. So, as you can imagine, given our, you know, nearly 95 years of history, we spend a lot of time lobbying on Capitol Hill, based in DC. Our legislative outreach and regulatory engagement is is a key part of our history. We’ve also built an education arm that does hundreds of training courses every year, with thousands of bankers keeping them up to speed on all the regulatory matters, all the compliance, polishing their skills and certification from marketing to risk management to lending. And then the third part of our organization, the third pillar is really our innovation arm. And and I have the pleasure of, of running an important part of our innovation initiatives where where we really look to find ways to help our community banks continue to to flourish and have the kinds of tools and services and innovative approaches they need to better serve their customers and communities.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:13] Now, for the layperson who maybe doesn’t know the difference between a bank and a community bank, can you explain? Like how does a I call them a stadium bank? A bank that would appear on a stadium be different than a community bank?

Charles Potts: [00:02:29] Well, uh, look, let me let me just say that community banks, the, you know, the the thousands of them around the United States have been here for hundreds of years and are really deeply entrenched in their local communities. Um, these have a, a very local community presence. A lot of the deposits that they gather are, are, are loaned back into these communities. Community banks are where almost two thirds of all small business lending takes place. Over 80% of agricultural lending comes out of community banks. Um, they tend to be in the in the more, um, uh, you know, uh, rural, um, uh, suburban areas, uh, where there is, you know, a strong community presence and a strong demand for the kinds of personalized, uh, products and services that, uh, that these bankers, uh, can provide. Um, you you, uh, you would be, um, amazed to see the economic development engine that is, uh, that is really driven by community banks around the country. Have you think back to the PGP program? Um, an overwhelming majority of small businesses were served by community banks. I think the numbers are, you know, they they, um, they did more, more loans, um, in general, uh, to small business America. And that is, uh, that is where they play now.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:59] Is their target primarily the small business owner? Is it the people that live in the community, like, who is an ideal customer for a community bank?

Charles Potts: [00:04:08] Well, oftentimes that is that is one and the same. So if you think about the small business owner and then their employees, they are all a part of that community. And so the, the community bank, uh, is there to, to really meet the needs, um, of, of all of those, um, all of those constituencies in that community. So it’s not only the commercial lending to the business, um, the, the business loans itself, but it’s then servicing the, the individuals as consumers with their own retail banking needs as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:40] Now, when you talk about those retail banking needs, is a customer going to get kind of a similar experience in terms of all the amenities that are out there in terms of an app, and I can make deposits easy. I don’t have to physically go into the bank. Am I getting all of those things? And I’m just that.

Charles Potts: [00:05:00] Is that Lee is exactly why we have this innovation arm, and that is to ensure that we have solution providers out there who are able to deliver those kinds of products and technology needs to the community banks to ensure that their customers, whether it’s a consumer or a small business or a commercial, um, enterprise, have at. Their disposal the same capabilities as any large international global bank or fintech provider. And and we believe in this day and time and it really is fundamental to the work that we do. Uh, we believe we know we have seen in action that those solutions exist. And, and community banks are able to, to deliver, uh, similar services from a technology standpoint. And then the huge differentiator is really the personal relationship. We like to call it high tech meets high touch. Um, because, you know, frankly, you’re going to, you know, if you’re in a if you’re in a local community, you’re going to know who runs, owns and operates that bank. And so you not only have the advantage of the modern technology, but you have the force multiplier of of actually knowing who you’re banking with.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:18] And then for a small business owner, having that kind of personal relationship with a banker could make or break that business where I don’t. I think a lot of, uh, small business owners, I don’t think they’re appreciating the importance of that type of a relationship where the person knows who you are as opposed to you’re just a line on a spreadsheet in some of these mega banks.

Charles Potts: [00:06:42] Well, look again, the the numbers. The numbers don’t lie from from PGP, the heroic work that community banks did all over this country. Um, still should be applauded by everybody. And the the soundbite I heard from, uh, from a number of business owners, uh, some are close personal friends of mine, and, uh, and I was one of them, uh, in a previous life as well, an entrepreneur who built my own businesses. The the thing that that stood out was this quote, I learned that I needed to do it. I learned that I needed to be doing business with a banker, not just a bank.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:27] Yeah, that’s a big difference differentiator. Yeah, I just don’t think people understand the level of I don’t even want to call it customer service. It’s a level of relationship that you can have.

Charles Potts: [00:07:42] These these bankers, these banks are the centerpiece of many of these communities. And so all, all of all of these people in these communities, they’re their kids are going to school together. They’re at Friday night football games. They’re going to the PTA and the rotary. Uh, they’re seeing people, you know, on Sunday or Saturdays at their their places of worship. Um, they’re buying and shopping from one another. I mean, they, they, they are personally connected at a, at a very deep level. And, and that is a very empowering thing, uh, when you’re, when you’re considering your financial service needs and knowing where your money’s going, who’s taking care of it and, and how it’s being used to strengthen that community.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:36] So what is kind of the health of the industry? Is it something that is growing? Is it you hear a lot about consolidation in banking, like what is kind of the the landscape for the community banks?

Charles Potts: [00:08:51] You look into those numbers, the the the the trends are still showing a very healthy, strong and resilient community bank marketplace. And where some of the quote unquote consolidation is happening tends to be, um, at your larger regional, super regional banks out there, um, in general. But it is, uh, it is a very healthy industry. There are there are some 4500 community banks plus or minus out there. And um, and that is, uh, that is still a very, uh, very strong and resilient, uh, reflection of the strength of our small business economy and where job growth, uh, you know, really takes place. And you know this as well, given what you do. I mean, small business America is the economic engine that creates jobs, and community banks are the ones fueling that growth with Small Business America.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:50] Now as part of your role in the association? Maybe not yours individually, but the association as a whole is sharing best practices among the bankers so they can quickly iterate and learn from what’s happening. Well, elsewhere.

Charles Potts: [00:10:05] Yeah, yeah. And, you know, kind of going back, if you think about the three pillars of our organization advocacy, which is the core, you know, kind of lobbying stuff. But between education and innovation, we spend a lot of time we have a lot of our activities oriented to really help educate, coach, mentor, nurture, um, our bankers in best practices, whether it’s purely educational in terms of lending and compliance, um, or marketing, um, or even, um, uh, running, uh, the bank directors, um, uh, education as well. Or on the innovation side, how how digital transformation works, how this journey takes place. Um, the best way to handle, uh, third party risk management and vendor due diligence. We we have a lot of our focus around making sure that we elevate, um, the game, if you will elevate the, the experiences and knowledge and expertise of all of our bankers.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:12] Now, what advice would you give an entrepreneur to, um, take advantage and build a better relationship with their community banker?

Charles Potts: [00:11:21] The the the number one thing for an entrepreneur when dealing with a community bank is to, um, listen. Ask good questions and listen. Uh, you’re going to find community bankers will give you time. They will give you their insights. They will give you their experiences and knowledge. Um, to help your business, help your product, solution, service, whatever it may be. Uh, be better. And and the discovery side of of entrepreneurism and innovation of of of starting, uh, you know, a new business, um, is critically important. You got to go out there and talk to bankers, you got to ask them questions, and you got to be a really good listener because they will tell you. They will tell you what they need. They will tell you what their problems and issues and concerns are. Uh, they will tell you how products and services need to work properly, um, to work inside the framework of the typical community bank. Uh, they will tell you exactly how things need to work in order to satisfy the kind of small business operation that is typically a community bank.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:33] Now, what’s on your roadmap in terms of innovation for the community banks? Um, or is there any emerging technologies that we should be aware of?

Charles Potts: [00:12:41] Well, um, I, I would say that, um, our innovation initiatives and the programs that we, we run, um, the, the crown jewel of which is, is something we call the Icba think Tech accelerator are designed to help find solutions, solution companies, really early stage companies that are addressing very specific problems to your question. And, and our bankers, um, really drive that process for us. They help inform us of what are those concerns. And, and look, cybersecurity continues to be at the top of that list. It’s it it only gets bigger and more complex. Um, and it is a it is a constant investment that banks are making, uh, to address those needs. Um, risk and compliance management in general is always top of mind with bankers and uh, irrespective of what’s going on, either technologically or economically, uh, those are very important practices that banks are looking to always, um, uh, always improve upon, uh, make more efficient and more effective. And, uh, and right now, uh, I have to say laughingly, in the year 2024, who thought check fraud would be a a hot topic again? But here it is. We’re seeing a resurgence of check fraud. And, uh, and so the banks are paying very much, uh, close attention to it and looking to find new solutions to help, you know, mitigate some of the risks associated with with that and, and address, um, this, uh, this growing volume and then in general and we try to, we try to avoid, you know, dragging a bunch of shiny objects in front of the bankers.

Charles Potts: [00:14:39] We tend to focus more on, on very, uh, targeted solutions to very targeted problems. But the whole field of artificial intelligence in general, um, has a lot of promise in terms of the types of tools that are that are in that bucket of things that we call artificial intelligence, um, that can actually help with a number of things we talked about, whether it’s risk and compliance, whether it’s check fraud or it’s how do I make my bank more efficient? How do I how do I automate more of those redundant, repetitive, labor intensive tasks to make my people more efficient and effective and more valuable in what they’re doing? Those are the things that are very much top of mind. Uh, probably laying over the top of, of this subject, um, is really the data and analytics side of, of, of, uh, of banking and, and how do I, how do I, um, um, acquire, access, manage, manipulate, um, and then analyze and and deploy, um, sound and prudent, um, uh, activities with the data I have available to me. How do I make my bank better? How do I provide better services to my customers leveraging data and analytics? Um, and and things such as, uh, again, fraud, uh, detection and risk and compliance management.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:19] Now, is there any strategies or tips you can share, uh, for the community bankers right now in order for them to be successful in growing, um, in today’s digital landscape?

Charles Potts: [00:16:31] Yeah. Look, we we spend a lot of time, um, with this topic and talking to bankers on a national level or grassroots through some of our state association partners, um, or through our educational webinars and so forth. And, and really, the, the the short answer is get started. There are a wealth of resources that we’ve made available inside Icba that help the banks start to navigate, um, this landscape wherever they’re at on that journey. We have some very, uh, sharp, very progressive banks. At one end of the spectrum, we have a lot of banks that are still, um, you know, still following and learning and dipping their toe into the water, so to speak. And we try to make available to them a continuum of, of resources to help them on this journey. Um, come participate in our Icba think Tech accelerator programs. Um, this is a way for them to see the way these companies think and work and how they are working to solve problems that that community banks have. And then. You know, and then work through your state association and the innovation initiatives that that they’re offering. And taking on this ecosystem that we’re continuing to foster is very collaborative in nature. And so we know that there are a wealth of resources that can help banks of all shapes and sizes really navigate what oftentimes can be a daunting landscape.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:09] Now, where can people go if they want to learn more about Icba or your innovation efforts, uh, connect with you or connect with the association?

Charles Potts: [00:18:19] Yep. Start on our website icba. Org forward slash innovation that’ll give you access to all of our programs, all of our resources. It’ll help you get started on how to find us, um, how to find our calendar of activities and events that are going on. Uh, we’re getting ready here in, uh, in a few weeks to launch our seventh accelerator program. Uh, which is very exciting. We’ve got another cohort of six companies that we will be taking through our ten week program. Um, and, and banks can participate in this program, and they can find a way to sign up through our, our website. And we’d love for them to come, uh, come see what we’re doing, see what these companies are doing, and, frankly, give us the the feedback and guidance that we know is critically important to make sure we’re addressing their needs.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:14] Well, Charles, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Charles Potts: [00:19:19] Lee, I appreciate the time to talk to your audience and and thank you for doing this.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:24] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Atlanta Business Radio.

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Hugh Massie With DNA Behavior

by

Atlanta Business Radio
Atlanta Business Radio
Hugh Massie With DNA Behavior
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Hugh Massie is the Executive Chairman and Founder of DNA Behavior International – the Behavior and Money Insights Company.

As a widely recognized Titan 100 CEO and Behavioral Solutions Architect, he helps growth-minded leaders create an Exponential Future by developing a 109 (ten to the power of 9) Quantum Leap Growth Mindset and by building a plan for over 1 billion people impact. With that framework, he addresses every opportunity and challenge through a behavioral lens.

His purpose is to empower people worldwide to optimize their natural “hard-wired” talents and financial behaviors which drives quantum leap capacity, reduces stress, and enables greater happiness, more success, and improved health for longer. Further, he empowers organizations and teams to build “category king” people-centered businesses, and in the process, enhance decision-making, culture, and performance.

Applying the pioneering behavioral finance research he has undertaken since 2001, his moonshot goal is to implement an AI-driven BeSci Tech Platform that by 2030 fully informs 1 billion people annually on how to enhance their decision-making and relationships for increasing life, financial and business longevity by 30 or more years.

He partners with clients to create an Exponential Future by developing trail-blazing financial behavior apps for building the “New BeFi Economy” impacting all key areas of life, finance and business.

Hugh has authored the following books and eBooks:

  1. Leadership Behavior DNA – Discovering Natural Talents and Managing Differences
  2. Financial DNA – Discovering Your Financial Personality for a Quality Life
  3. Business DNA – Growing a People Centric Organizational Identity
  4. Mastering Your Money Energy – Unleashing the Quantum Power of Money
  5. Mastering Entrepreneurial Talents – Behaviorally Smart Entrepreneurship

Connect with Hugh on LinkedIn and follow him on Facebook.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • What has been a key factor in his business success?
  • Why is having an exponential mindset important for life and business?
  • What is the key factor which holds people back in life and business?
  • How does a leaders financial behavior impact the organization they lead?
  • How does he help individuals and groups improve their decision-making

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio. Brought to you by On pay. Atlanta’s new standard in payroll. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:25] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio, and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, Onpay. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Atlanta Business Radio, we have Hugh Massie. He is the executive chairman and founder of DNA behavior. Welcome to you.

Hugh Massie: [00:00:45] It’s great to be with you, Lee.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:46] I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about DNA behavior. How are you serving folks?

Hugh Massie: [00:00:52] So DNA behavior is a behavioral science technology business. We’re helping organizations, growth minded organizations build a people centered culture. And we’re very keen on issues in the workplace like psychological safety, you know, unlocking people’s talents, improving decision making, improving the workplace relationships and productivity.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:18] So how do you do that?

Hugh Massie: [00:01:20] So our recipe for it is all around understanding people. So we help individuals in the business starting with the leader. So it starts right at the top. Understand what their natural hardwired talents are, what their strengths and struggles are, and then work on how do you navigate all of the differences, because that’s where the problems come, but also where where the assets are as well inside the business. So it’s you know, we deploy essentially a, in simple terms, a psychometric assessment on every person from the from the top down and get an insight into how every person is wired up differently and then put the building blocks in from there.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:05] Once an individual has that information, is then is everybody kind of know what everybody how everybody is wired. And and then they learn tools to kind of communicate and to interact with them in the most productive manner.

Hugh Massie: [00:02:18] Absolutely. And you know, Lee, it’s it’s interesting you ask that question. A big part of our philosophy to this is that if if the employees are going to be profiled and put through, you know, the DNA behavior discovery, then the information should be shared and that should be shared from the top down. Uh, if the leadership is not prepared to be vulnerable and share who they are, what their strengths and what their struggles are. They should go no further, uh, because it doesn’t build trust at the end of the day. And, you know, really what people are looking for is authentic. Is authentic leadership. They’re looking for the leaders to be authentic. And and I think everybody knows no one’s perfect. And and you know, I think if the leaders start out with that and, you know, leaders go first, then you can start to build a more open workplace, a stronger internal culture.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:12] Now, does this work, I guess primarily internally within a group, or can it also expand outside of the group, like to the clients of those folks?

Hugh Massie: [00:03:24] Good question. So I love that question because the first thing is, is it’s got to work internally and, uh, you know, so that’s the first thing. But but we’ve always encouraged this is used with clients and stakeholders. We do a lot of work with financial services firms, you know, large and small. And, you know, we believe the financial advisory teams go through this exercise themselves. And then they can get every one of their clients and the families as well to go through the exercise. And that’s really what builds a truly client centered experience. So, uh, you know, you’re bang on with that question. That’s exactly what we want to happen.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:03] So you mentioned, um, kind of the financial industry. Why does it work well in that space?

Hugh Massie: [00:04:12] One of the reasons it works well in that space is because the financial services, uh, advisers, wealth managers are trying to build a long term intimate relationship with the client. And so, uh, you know, knowing who the person is over the long term, you know, whether, you know, the long term could be, you know, 3 to 20 or more years, the person’s going to go through life’s ups and downs and knowing how to connect and collaborate with them. But also, you know, money is something that’s highly charged for a lot of people. You know, it’s got a very strong energy, you know, in fact, in a lot of my work, I talk about the energy of money. And so knowing how knowing how to communicate with a person when a market’s gone down particularly or there’s been a life event is very important. There’s no good being the smartest cat in the room with the best solution or being able to, uh, you know, have a financial product that makes the greatest returns if you cannot connect with the person emotionally. It’s not going to work and there’s going to be no trust.

Hugh Massie: [00:05:18] And, you know, and I think that that trust is what this is all about, whether it’s with the employees and their teams and with the clients. And so, you know, I set out in the financial services industry to, to work on this and to to bring the client centered model through behavioral understanding, you know, into that, into that industry. Because that’s really where I started, uh, you know, my own entrepreneurial career was with a financial services business. Uh, prior to that, I had been in a, in an accounting firm, and I wished we’d had all of this in that life, too. Uh, but but li it works, really, in any business where the organization is seeking to build long term relationships with the client. So there’s no reason why it can’t work in, uh, some areas of legal, uh, it it can work in accounting. And I think definitely an area I see in the future is healthcare. It’s just I haven’t got there yet, but I’m working with people that we’re starting to do that now.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:18] Um, I’m particularly interested in the financial services industry because I’ve interviewed a lot of financial advisors over the years, and something that always kind of stood out to me is that. They tend to be focused on their client, and they tend to want to have wealthy clients, by and large, and they don’t care as much about the children of those clients. And and I think it’s because of, you know, their typical career path is that they have clients and then they retire and they’re usually around the same age as their clients. And then so when they’re done, they’re done. But as a firm, I would think that you would want to put things in place so that you have, you know, kind of the next generation or some plan to, um, connect with the next generation of people within that. And you mentioned family initially. And that struck me is that, I mean, to me, that’s part should be part of a financial advisor firm’s strategy is to, you know, trickle down to the children of the clients, not just the client.

Hugh Massie: [00:07:24] Yeah. I think what I’m going to try to get to be very tactful with part of this response, I think financial services. Industry is still growing as a profession, and it’s been step by step moving from being highly transactional. So let’s say I meet a wealthy person or someone who’s just had a liquidity event because they sold a business. Great, great target client. I’ve got a solution for you. Uh, and the financial advisor makes money from that. Fair enough. There’s, you know, no reason. There’s no harm or foul in somebody making money out of out of that. But it’s it. And while they’re focused on the client. And keeping them happy with that. It’s quite transactional. And you’re right. What they haven’t done is the business building part of saying, okay, now I need to know the family and what’s the impact of this money on the family members? What’s the impact on the spouse? And a lot of, you know, when there’s a let’s say that. It is the husband or the patron? The male, uh, patriarch in the families made the money. It’s not always the case because there’s women who make the money too. More and more so these days. But if he dies, there’s a wealth transfer event. The woman gets the money and maybe the kids. Because they’ve got no relationship with the advisor. They go somewhere else. And, you know, uh, even though the, the, the female might have been or the wife might have been in some of the planning meetings because the good planners will have them in the, in the meetings. But there’s not the same level of trust being built. And, you know, this really gets to the advisory firms building the right teams, uh, you know, of different talented people serving, um, serving the husband and wife and then getting to know the kids and involving them in, in the discussions about money and their lives and their careers much earlier on.

Hugh Massie: [00:09:26] And, you know, I think this is the big miss for, for for a lot of advisors, you know, the topic that you’re raising is getting brought up more and more in the industry, but it’s got a long way to go. And this is really about the human skills. Uh, the money, the dealing with the money part is not the hardest part of financial planning. It’s the human side. And I think if you’re really interested, if you’re an advisor wanting to build a business. You’ve got to have the right team that can serve the whole family and recognize that you yourself are probably not going to be able to connect with the whole family. Because of different, you know, you’ve got your own style. You might be great at connecting with the entrepreneur who’s made the money initially. But it’s the rest of the family. Uh, and, you know, and there’s many, many different settings where money comes into a family, you know, through inheritance and, you know, and other events. And so I think that there’s so much work that can be done in the industry around this, and it is the human skills. And, you know, we all talk about communications being important, but not a lot is actually done to to really build it in an emotionally engaging way. The communication channels like it’s it’s fascinating.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:41] Yeah. And I think that, um, if the financial advisors really don’t lean into the younger, uh, people in the family, they’re going to miss out because the younger people are going to use a robo advisor, and they’re going to just bypass the financial advisor, uh, as a whole. So if the firm, uh, kind of holistically doesn’t have a solution, or even if the solution is a robo advisor, they should be making it part of the the services that they provide, because they’re, they they have to serve the whole family ultimately. I mean, if you to me, if you really want to serve, you’re not just serving that individual. And that might work for you individually as an advisor, but you’re not really serving the family.

Hugh Massie: [00:11:25] You’ve got to serve the whole family. And I think we’ve got to recognize in today’s age that with technology, uh, you know, the kids coming into the money are not silly. They know how to use technology tools and they can do some of it themselves. But at the end of the day, from the ones I know. They still want to engage with an advisor in the human conversation. When they themselves go through a life event, or there is a major decision to be made, and that decision could be around their careers, it could be that they’re going to get married. Uh, they’ve got kids to be educated, that type of thing. That’s when they’re going to need an advisor, but they don’t need the advisor holding their hand all day long, you know, for everything. Uh, and I think that’s where the some of the advisory models got to change as well and the thinking around it. But it’s also, you know, who you’re going to connect with if you’re if. And this is where I think that, you know, a lot of their financial advisors Li have got are, you know, the average age in the industry is around 60 now or 59, but just call it 60. You’ve got to have some younger people in your business, and a lot of them don’t want to pay for it. But that’s where you can build a very strong business by bringing in, you know, some capable 30 year olds. And, you know, and again, can’t put, uh, wisdom on a young head necessarily. But but, you know, with training, the education in this area is way better than it used to be with so many universities offering courses. There are. There are lots of kids out there or younger people out there want to be in the financial services industry. They should be brought into these practices to serve alongside the leader of the business or the financial practice. The whole family, as you say, it’s about building the right business model, I think, for this.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:17] Now, with your service, is it something that you’re you’re delivering some sort of an assessment or discovery you called it, and then are you also giving them the coaching to kind of make sure that they can communicate effectively, or is it just information because, you know, sometimes you need help and sometimes you need a helper.

Hugh Massie: [00:13:37] Um, so we we’ve got, uh, around our business, we’ve got a team of, uh, coaches. We’ve got some inside the business, and we’ve got a whole network of them outside of our business, you know that, I suppose, if you call it a more, uh, 1099 type relationships with us to, to help integrate the solutions. But, you know, we’ve also with technology, we’ve embraced technology very strongly in our business and. With AI. We’ve now got, uh, now our own, if you want to call it chatbot called Gene AI, that, uh, an advisor can ask any question they want to ask, and then they would know how to communicate, relate to their team, uh, how to relate to every client, to prepare the marketing scripts to, you know, we’ve got style matching tools in there. So which family member are you going to connect best with. And then and then you can look at how you’re going to adapt. So we built a lot of tools. To make this, uh, you know, sort of mysterious area of human behavior and behavioral finance. To make it very simple to use and accessible. Um, so, uh, if that, if that, if that helps answer that question. And if, if there are advisors listening to this, that this does not have to be hard technology now makes it easy for you, uh, to do.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:58] Now, why do you think that money is so emotionally charged? And why do you think that, um, this isn’t something that kind of taught like early on for with children because to me, money, you know, especially with the power of compounding that if you do some things right early, you can solve a lot of problems, you know, 50 years from that point.

Hugh Massie: [00:15:24] Yeah. And that’s the, uh, you know, li the very rational side of money. And I think the money has a number of dimensions to it. And, you know, I sort of talk about it having three and, you know, first one being money is a currency. And, you know, if you save money and invest it. It’s going to compound, as you say. And when I started my financial services business in Sydney in 1996, he always used to tell every person out there, money never sleeps. If you go and save enough of it, invest it. You’re going to naturally, over time, make more. And that’s where 50 years later, you make a great nest egg. My mother is a great example of and she’s 93 now of someone who’s done that. Uh, you know, all of her life. But money is also behavioral. And, you know, we’re all born, uh, with a certain behavioral style. And this is part of what got me into, you know, into this and that, uh, because of who we are and how we’re hardwired from early in life. We make this different decisions about money. So some of us just naturally are going to be spenders. Uh, probably the people who are the spenders are, you know, what I call outgoing, engaging type people. They’re great fun to be with. They usually dress well, uh, they like a nice car, but there’s nothing left over. Uh, and, you know, they’ll probably be be be always be your friends. That. But then you’ve got the, you know, the millionaire next door type person that’s very reserved, very task focused. They’re very much about saving retirement’s important. They fear not having enough money. But a lot of these traits come from from your life early on and who you are, and they’re to be worked on.

Hugh Massie: [00:17:15] You know, you don’t, you know, life. You can’t just save money and then not spend any of it because then it’s a pretty dull, uh, unfulfilled life. But then also you can’t spend it all. So, you know, this is the balance with it, but the but the part where money really gets interesting is it is an energetic force. It you know, one could say the thought about money is not with them all day long. Uh, in everything you do, it’s there 24 by seven. You go to sleep with it, you wake up with it. If you have thoughts about money when you go to sleep, you’re going to manifest those the next day or soon thereafter. Um, because it’s in our psyche. So it’s sort of like it’s it’s omnipresent and it causes a lot of stress. And Lee, this is where, you know, I’m very passionate about this area of behavior and money. It’s not just, you know, is getting people to communicate better is one part, but getting people to make better decisions, to think better about money, because money causes so much stress for all of us. You know, there’s there’s a stress level if you haven’t got enough of it to pay the bills. But there’s a stress level if you’ve got more than what you need, and then you’ve got relationship issues with it, or you’ve got a child that you worry about or what choice you’re going to make, money is there. And it’s something that’s got to be, you know, that’s got to be understood. Uh, you know, by each person.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:40] Now, how do you see technology helping in this area? Because I would think that in some regard, uh, a large, maybe not a large, but you would know the number more than me. But there’s a percentage of the population that just leveraging automation. Kind of can take money, or at least some of the stresses of money off the table just because it’ll automatically happen. Like you’re not having to think about every money decision, it’s just automatically happening in the background, whether it’s, you know, at least saving if your business or the place you work has a matching fund to just putting in the amount of the match so you can take advantage of that, or just, you know, some of these things that just take money out of your account every month and invest it into a variety of things, like how, um, how does that kind of help or hurt, uh, people with their money kind of thinking?

Hugh Massie: [00:19:37] Well, I think that technology makes it easier to deal with. With the money itself. You know, the fact that all of us now can go online, as you’re alluding to and buy exchange traded funds, you know, you can just essentially buy the market. And if it’s money that you, you know, you want to save and to, you know, to grow for your retirement or to, you know, meet a specific goal. Uh, technology makes it very easy to do that. It’s relatively safe. You don’t have to go and, uh, trade the markets like you once did. Which of itself is a stress? Uh, but you nevertheless, before you get to the technology, you’ve got to make certain decisions about how much you’re going to save. You’ve got to tick the box. If it’s, you know, you want to do the matching and you want to save. And that gets down to your fundamental attitudes about money. And I don’t know that technology can necessarily help with that. I think underneath all that, you’ve got to have the right relationship with money, which means you’ve got to have the right relationship with yourself. That comes with self understanding, uh, you know, knowing what you’re more about, what your identity is, where you want to be in the world. Uh, what drives you, motivates you once you’ve got that, once you’ve got that sorted out, so reasonable level of self knowledge, then the technology can make it a whole lot easier for you to, to, you know, to fulfill those dreams and to fulfill the life mission as, as it were. Uh, and, and so that’s, that’s how I would frame that.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:11] Now, in your work, are you primarily working with kind of enterprise level organizations, or does your work trickle down to individuals?

Hugh Massie: [00:21:20] I don’t deal with, uh, sort of the retail consumer walking in off the street to us directly. Our, our business is we work with the financial advisory firm. So we’ll work with, you know, a large, uh, organization like Fidelity or Schwab. And then we will work with their advisor advisory network and get them to, to be working with their clients that are at the consumer and retail level. Now. I will do we do do some work with families directly that want to address those communication issues. What are we going to do for the children? You know, we will do some of that work as well, or we’ll help. Uh, you know, we’re doing increasingly, Lee, interestingly, we’re helping more business leaders, CEOs out one on one address the money issues for themselves, uh, as the CEO, because, you know, some of them are making a lot of money. They’ve got complicated lives. So we do we do help there, but also how the money actually flows and, uh, into, in the business, because the energy of money itself, it affects a lot of behaviors inside the business and the corporate culture. So we’re doing a lot of work, uh, you know, with it at that level. But but it’s really our, our, our partners that use our system are helping the consumer on the street. And, you know, a big area we’re doing going to be doing a lot more work on in the in the retirement space because the gig economy is going to become a bigger thing. People are going to live longer. And, you know, you can’t just retire at 65 and do nothing. You’re going to live, you know, if more and more of us are going to live to 100, we’ve got to do something and we’ve got to make our money last. And, you know, the financial longevity of money is as big a issue as the longevity of our health. And so, you know, we’re working on some of those solutions with our partners at the moment.

Lee Kantor: [00:23:16] Now, why is the organization Boys Without Fathers important to you?

Hugh Massie: [00:23:22] Yeah. This is this is my, uh, very deep rooted, uh, passion project. Uh, I, I was a boy without a father, and my my father died when I was one. My mother was pregnant with my brother. And so she brought us up, uh, gave us a wonderful life, and. But what? You know what I learned. About three years ago doing podcasts with with our clients, just like I’m doing with you. Essentially, Lee is I did six in a row. With our clients, and I didn’t know this part of them, but they. But what I discovered was they were all a boy without a father. And one of them had done a doctorate in this in this area. And what unraveled was all these issues, you know, around literacy, uh, social difficulty, obesity, aggression, which could lead to, uh, you know, going to jail, uh, basically from a lack of boundaries. But, you know, there were there were 5 or 6 things that, uh, a boy without a father, particularly if the father leaves the home when or, uh, you know, leaves the home completely in some way. So mine was through, through through a passing of my father. Others. It’s the father just leaves or there’s a divorce. When the kids are younger, these problems are there. And and, you know, I want to help other kids to understand the environment that they, uh, have have, you know, existed in, in some way to get past it and not be a victim and to show them other men of influence who have.

Hugh Massie: [00:25:04] Lived with being a boy without a father and stepped out, overcome the barriers and been very successful. And so what we’re doing with boys without fathers is training. Men of influence out there. We’ve got a goal to train 100,000 men of influence by 2030. We’ve built the programs to do it and then to and then on the journey to be mentoring other boys. And, you know, and while I talk a lot about boys because this is my that’s my journey, the same thing has been done for girls without fathers. Uh, girls without mothers and girls without and and boys without mothers as well. You know, I think at the end of the day, the issues for them are different. But they’re there. They’re got equal in importance as well. But we but we know that there’s, you know, a lot of issues that out there with, with men because of not having had a father fatherly present in the home presence in the home. This caused certain behaviors that, you know, they need to get past and to develop, and this makes society better.

Lee Kantor: [00:26:10] Now, does your background, uh, you know, in behavioral insights, is that are you helping to kind of create this playbook for an individual so they can see who they are and seeing?

Hugh Massie: [00:26:22] Yeah, that’s what we’re doing is we’re using all the behavioral science, uh, that that we’ve created in DNA behavior. Plus also the, you know, the research, you know, for example, like, uh, Doctor Greg Spencer, who’s done the PhD work in this area, there’s other research studies, you know, we blend that together, you know, using our behavioral understanding to, to to provide the, the program and, and the training and the coaching and mentoring to deal with this.

Lee Kantor: [00:26:53] And the mentoring goes beyond like financial conversations. This is over.

Hugh Massie: [00:26:57] Beyond financial conversations. This is about life conversations. And, you know, is teaching resilience not how not to be a victim character, uh, how to make good decisions, uh, how to connect to the right people. You know, we’re talking foundational life life principles here.

Lee Kantor: [00:27:15] Now, before we wrap, can you, uh, share some maybe actionable advice for some, uh, some listener when it comes to, um, optimizing their financial behaviors? Uh.

Hugh Massie: [00:27:30] So though the. I think the most important thing is, is, is savings. Now that is a word that for at least half the population is sort of, uh, alien. Um, it’s a word that no one wants to hear. So if you think about it as a spending plan, but at the end of the day, the key to your future is to be able to save money. But it’s also to be in, in a role or a work that you that you love to do. That that is something that is important because, you know, using your talents is where you’re going to create money. Uh, and then, you know, it’s not to take risks that you can’t live with and not to do things financially that you don’t fully understand. I think that’s where people get lured into transactions. Uh, investments into things they don’t understand. And then they are very upset, uh, when it doesn’t work out. But it starts with savings. And then it’s, you know, at the end of the day, I suppose it’s making sensible decisions and things that you understand. But, you know, for people, what I would say to Lee is for people that need to, to change their life in some way, you know, to, to address savings, maybe it’s not the first thing isn’t always just to go and do a budget.

Hugh Massie: [00:28:50] You know, what I found with people is go and change a habit in one area of your life that you really enjoy, and it might be doing something that’s health related, sports, physical related. And then once you’ve mastered that and you mastered the habit change, it’s amazing how the rest of your life, uh, starts to to change. And you change a whole lot of other habits. And along with that, you’ll change the spending because you’re going to have a new life and you’re going to realize, uh, that you’ve got to have, you know, money for that and you feel more comfortable. But but if I just tell someone, just go and do a budget and stick to it, they’re probably not going to do it. But if you change a habit in another area, it’s amazing how you get the long term result. Right.

Lee Kantor: [00:29:38] The ripple effect of that decision.

Hugh Massie: [00:29:40] Yeah, absolutely.

Lee Kantor: [00:29:42] So if somebody wants to learn more about DNA behavior or, uh, boys without fathers, what are the websites for each.

Hugh Massie: [00:29:49] Yeah. Please go to for DNA behavior. Go to DNA behavior comm. And then for boys without fathers it’s boys without fathers.org.

Lee Kantor: [00:29:57] Well, you thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work, and we appreciate you.

Hugh Massie: [00:30:03] Thank you. Lee, it’s been great to spend time with you.

Lee Kantor: [00:30:05] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Atlanta Business Radio.

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Stephanie Fischer on the Future of the Georgia Restaurant Industry

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ALR-Georgia-Restaurant-Association-Feature
Association Leadership Radio
Stephanie Fischer on the Future of the Georgia Restaurant Industry
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In this episode of Association Leadership Radio, host Lee Kantor is joined by Stephanie Fischer from the Georgia Restaurant Association. Stephanie discusses the association’s advocacy for local restaurants, addressing challenges such as rising costs and the need for culinary education. She emphasizes the industry’s diverse career opportunities, from finance to HR, and encourages support for local eateries. The episode underscores the importance of community involvement in sustaining the restaurant industry and highlights the optimism and commitment of the association to its members.

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Stephanie-FischerStephanie Fischer has spent her entire career in the hospitality industry, beginning at KFC during high school and culminating in her most recent role as the vice president of corporate operations of Paradies Lagardère Travel Retail Dining Division, where she led strategic planning and support of dining operations with a focus on new store openings, food safety, back-office systems, and the guest experience for more than 80 brands across 170 locations in 43 airports.

Fischer was an employee engagement champion who also introduced nationwide strategic food safety initiatives and spearheaded the launch and growth of an internal DEI council. Before the Paradies Lagardère acquired Hojeij Branded Foods, Fischer was HBF’s executive vice president. She led the successful opening of 87 new airport locations, enabling total growth to $250 million in annual revenue between 2011 and 2018.

During this time, she also served as a member of the CEO’s executive steering committee, and her expertise was critical in growing the company and providing an exceptional guest experience. Fischer’s career experience also includes time with Dunkin’ Brands, leading its training center in Orlando, FL, where she trained new franchisees on store operations. Previously, she spent 13 years with the Walt Disney World Company, where she led learning and development for food and beverage and retail at Epcot, including the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.

In 2020, The Griffin Report named Fischer a Woman of Influence in the Food Industry. Fischer is also a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier’s Atlanta Chapter. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Hawaii and an MBA from Stetson University. Fischer took the lead at the Georgia Restaurant Association in January 2024.

Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:02] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for Association Leadership Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:19] Lee Kantor here another episode of Association Leadership Radio and this is going to be a good one. Today on the show we have Stephanie Fischer with the Georgia Restaurant Association. Welcome, Stephanie.

Stephanie Fischer: [00:00:32] Thank you, Lee.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:32] I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Can you share a little bit about Georgia Restaurant Association? How you serving folks?

Stephanie Fischer: [00:00:39] Sure. Thank you so much. Well, the Georgia Restaurant Association is the voice of Georgia restaurants and advocacy, education and awareness. And 2023, we represented approximately, $34.4 billion in sales. And with almost 23,000 locations here in the state of Georgia, we employ almost 5000 employees in the state, only second to agriculture. And 93% of our restaurants here in the state of Georgia have fewer than 50 employees, which makes up for a lot of small, small businesses here. If we talk about an industry as a whole, the National Restaurant Association just came out with some projected numbers. And in America, we are projected to hit $1 trillion in sales this year, which is pretty amazing. And just like Georgia, the restaurant industry in America is the second largest private sector employer in the US. And so, of course, when it comes to advocacy, our main goal is to advocate and educate at the local and state level for all restaurants in the state of Georgia. And we interact with government at every level. Any decisions they make that impacts Georgia restaurants. We will be monitoring if it adversely affects restaurants. We are going to work to stop that legislation. If it’s good policy, we’ll work to get it passed. So that’s pretty much what we do here.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:07] So your members are primarily restaurant owners or kind of the does that include like franchisors like because there’s a lot of franchisees in Georgia like the you know, Jimmy John’s the franchisor. Is that a member or is a Jimmy John’s kind of location a member or both?

Stephanie Fischer: [00:02:28] It’s a little bit of both. Right. So we have some very large national brands here and they are members. And then we have small independents that are members. And depending on if it’s a large franchise, depending on how that agreement is written, they may be members or they may sign up as members, um, for themselves.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:47] And then is our members also kind of the suppliers to the restaurant industry, or are those, have a separate way of, kind of working with you?

Stephanie Fischer: [00:02:55] We we call them Allied members. And so they’re here to support our members. So, yes, they are also members.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:02] Right. Because you mentioned that agriculture is a big part of Georgia. So I would imagine that you’re working with them in some level.

Stephanie Fischer: [00:03:09] We do, we do. We have a great relationship with Georgia Grown, which is part of the Department of Agriculture. And so it’s working with those local farmers and working with the chefs to, you know, to make sure that we we get those local products into our restaurants.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:26] Now, what is your background in association work?

Stephanie Fischer: [00:03:31] Well, um, honestly, most of my background is in the restaurant industry. Um, but I have been a part of the Georgia Restaurant Association since 2017. I joined the board 2022. I was chairman of the board. And when my predecessor, decided to retire after 13 years, um, I thought I would throw my hat in the ring. And here I am.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:56] So, as a leader of the association, kind of. What, is your vision?

Stephanie Fischer: [00:04:03] Yeah. We, you know, my immediate focus, um, this year, we’re kind of calling it the year of transition. Um, but I really want to focus on, um, our members and what kind of value we can bring to our members, you know, so, including offerings, you know, like networking opportunities, access to industry experts, um, exclusive discounts on products and services. Um, you know, our members are are the life and breath of our organization. So, you know, we are constantly exploring ways to help them succeed as a business owner and employers as employers. Um, and then looking to at, um, um, our culinary education, um, the Georgia Restaurant Association also has a foundation, um, and that foundation has what we call the Prostart program. And we’ve nearly tripled the growth over the past two years. Um, and it’s a two year program that’s in high schools around the state, but it’s a national program also, um, through the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. So right now we have 44 schools participating in the, in the program. Um, and, um, we are, you know, really excited about growing that because that’s our future workforce.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:21] Now, how do you work with, kind of the universities you mentioned this type of education, um, at the, I guess, secondary school level. But are you working with, so much of the technology startup scenes also to, um, kind of leverage technology to help make these restaurants more, effective and also more efficient in terms of execution?

Stephanie Fischer: [00:05:47] I mean, technology is a is a big piece of, I think, our future and where that goes from a university perspective, that is something it’s kind of still new to me. And, um, we are definitely looking at making sure that we’re working with the universities not only to grow our hospitality programs, but also really from a high school perspective, like how can we get, you know, our kids coming out of the Prostart program, interested in the hospitality programs in our universities here in the state and how to keep them here?

Lee Kantor: [00:06:22] Yeah, I think that, um, and I’m glad you used the word hospitality, because I think that’s an important distinction, because the restaurant industry is the hospitality industry and the skills learned in the hospitality industry, I would think are transferable to, you know, pretty much every single, career path that this person would want to go in. So giving them hospitality experience young, I think really could shape how they, you know, deal with people, how they, you know, present themselves moving forward.

Stephanie Fischer: [00:06:52] Yeah. I, I have met since being in this role um it’s amazing. I, I’ve met a handful of people not in the industry any longer but have said that, oh my gosh, I was a server, you know, in college. And that really helped me with, you know, my people skills and, and talking to people. So yeah, there’s a there’s a lot of benefits.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:14] So now, um, and before the show, you mentioned that you, took on this role at the beginning of the year and, moving forward. And any advice for other kind of people that are new to the leadership role in an association on how to kind of get acclimated? I know that you worked, in the association prior to this, so it’s not brand new, but how do you kind of get your sea legs in terms of, okay, this is now my role. This is I’m going to have to put my stamp on this and to, um, you know, first listen to your constituents, but also to put your stamp on things moving forward. Any advice in that area?

Stephanie Fischer: [00:07:55] You know, for me, Lee, it was more so this year is about establishing relationships. Um, new to me on this side is the advocacy piece. So, you know, we just in the state of Georgia ended our legislative session. And so spending time down at the Gold Dome and meeting, um, our um, association, um, counterparts, but also spending time getting to know, you know, the legislators and understanding first so they know who I am. But to just just establishing those relationships. The other piece, you know, when we talk about kind of what I want to do this year is, you know, um, now that the, um, now that session is over, you know, getting out into the state, so, you know, traveling to the different parts of the state and meeting our members and meeting state local officials is really, really important. And then to, you know, just watch and learn and really understand how the association works. I’m not you know, my my plan is to make no major changes this year. I mean, I really even. You know, I’ve been a part of the association as a board member, but really, to understand the ins and outs, to make sure that any future decisions I make are right for the association and looking at growth and how we can grow the association.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:17] Now, what are, as you’re learning, what are some of the challenges that your members are expressing to you is, you know, you we’re hearing and seeing obviously like inflation with food and, and things like that. But I would imagine also staffing is also an issue. Um, what are some of the concerns that are presenting to you?

Stephanie Fischer: [00:09:39] Um, you know, you just mentioned both of them. Um, you know, the food cost and and labor costs have definitely, um, um, been affecting our restaurants. Um, not only in the state, but, you know, throughout the country. And, you know, I don’t know if, you know, a lot of people really understand that, you know, the typical small business restaurant runs on a 3 to 5% tax margin, um, and where food and labor costs are the two most significant line items, you know, for a restaurant. Um, before this interview, you know, I reached out to the National Restaurant Association, and, you know, they track, of course, the top challenges of restaurants as of March 2024 were recruiting and, um, looking at food and labor costs, you know, top out the top five. Um, of course, wholesale food prices are edging up again. Um, in March they were up 1.3%. And that comes on the heels of a 1.5% gain in February. So these creases, these increases, you know, follow a eight month, um, of basically no changes. So you know, we’re looking at some commodities going back up. Chicken is up 22% over last year.

Stephanie Fischer: [00:10:53] Pork is up 17% over last year. And beef is up 12% over last year. So again this, you know, really um, affects, you know, restaurants that have, you know, these commodities on their menu. And then um, when we look at labor cost, of course they continue to grow, but they are at a slower pace. Um, year to date through February, labor costs have risen about 5% this year. And, you know, they definitely haven’t grown as quickly as when we were coming out of the pandemic. Um, but, looking at to restaurants, you know, our restaurants are very labor intensive. Um, and if, if we look at it, um, an average restaurant needs an average of 12 employees to generate $1 million in sales, whereas maybe a grocery store, it only takes three employees, and maybe a hardware store, for instance, would take two employees, almost three employees to to generate $1 million in sales. So, you know, when it comes to when it comes to our restaurants, it’s it is a very labor intensive business. And, you know, you need staff to run those businesses to generate those sales.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:07] Now, what is the association’s role in terms of attracting maybe new chefs or a thriving food environment for entrepreneurs to open up restaurants?

Stephanie Fischer: [00:12:24] From an association. Um. You know, it’s it’s just making sure that, you know, we try to continue to make this state a great state to operate in. Um, we’re very fortunate to have a very small business, friendly state. So for chefs to come in or, you know, who are here, who want to open their, their restaurants. Um, I think we provide a very good ground for that. Um, and I would say that, you know, having Michelin here now, you know, Michelin came in last year, um, has really also, you know, helped, create a, a competitive food scene here in Atlanta throughout our chefs. Um, and it will be interesting to see, you know, what what comes next out of Michelin. But, you know, we do have a very, very lively, um, food scene here in Atlanta but also throughout the state. So we’re very fortunate now.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:25] Is that, um, and maybe I don’t understand how this all plays together, but like from a economic development standpoint, like Chamber of Commerce, things like that are trying to attract new things into the area. Is is that not a role of the association? Is the association more for folks that are already here and that you’re working with primarily lawmakers, just to make sure that the laws are going in the direction of your members? Or is it also to kind of just, um, increase the amount of restaurant activity in the state?

Stephanie Fischer: [00:13:59] Um, I would say for us, it’s more so working with our lawmakers to ensure that we keep this state, friendly for small businesses, like our, our local restaurateurs to, um, make sure that they are able to operate with without, um, you know, harmful, mandates that come down.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:22] So then that’s what they’re kind of leaning on you for, because I would imagine most restaurants that’s, you know, that’s important. But they got people to serve, you know, at the next, you know, lunch or dinner. So I would imagine.

Stephanie Fischer: [00:14:36] We work with other, you know, organizations. Um. Um, with regards to different legislation that might affect us all from a small business perspective. but we also get support from other associations where we need it. Um, so we all do work together when it comes to legislation that is, um, affecting, you know, businesses here in the state of Georgia. But we primarily advocate on, on the, on, for restaurants here in the state of Georgia. That is, that is our, our mission.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:08] And then do you work with the National Restaurant Association to, like, maybe learn best practices? So these, you know, this state here is doing this kind of innovative thing or.

Stephanie Fischer: [00:15:18] Yeah, most definitely. So we have a, um, all the CEOs throughout the country. Um, we also, you know, talk, on a monthly basis, sharing best practices, understanding what’s happening in other states. Um, and do we need to preemptive, you know, look at something here in the state of Georgia that maybe might be happening somewhere else. So, you know, um, the National Restaurant Association deals with, um, issues on a federal level. Um, and so, you know, they, we are in constant contact. So when something is coming up, do we need member support? Um, to, you know, send to, um, send to our legislators here in the state of Georgia. So, yeah, we we have a great relationship with the National Restaurant Association, a partnership with them, actually. Um, and we all work very, very closely to see what’s happening throughout the country.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:12] Now, are you bullish about the Georgia restaurant industry, you know, looking forward?

Stephanie Fischer: [00:16:19] I am. I mean, yeah, yes. Most definitely. It’s, um, I’m very excited to see what’s going to happen, you know, in the, the next couple of years, I think, you know, as technology advances, you know, will definitely play a significant role in shaping our industry. Um, you know, QR codes became so popular during the pandemic and they’re not going to go away. Third party delivery became very, very popular during the pandemic. They’re not going to go away. And, you know, looking to see how what else is out there that can, you know, help our our restaurateurs, you know, invest in technology that can, you know, help them run their business more, um, more efficiently and help with the guest experience. Um, so we’re we’re really excited to see where this takes us.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:15] Yeah, I think that and with the ongoing growth of Georgia, just as the state is, more and more people are moving here, um, the sky’s the limit when it comes to the restaurant, kind of community, because I think that Atlanta or Georgia is a food, you know, food, town Atlanta is I know for sure. And, and Savannah. So the more the better, I think.

Stephanie Fischer: [00:17:41] Yes. Most definitely. And and that’s one of my goals I, you know, I’m looking forward to, like I said, you know, going to Augusta, going to Columbus, you know, going down to Valdosta, to Macon, to, you know, meet our members there and and really get to know what’s going on in their, you know, their area. Um, because Atlanta is, you know, a big city. Um, but these, you know, these, these outlying cities throughout the state, it will be interesting to see what, what they’re dealing with and how can we help them?

Lee Kantor: [00:18:13] Right. And I would imagine that’s probably one of the biggest challenges is to make sure that it isn’t kind of an Atlanta centric association, even though that’s probably where a lot of the activity happens. But to really kind of spread the wealth throughout the state.

Stephanie Fischer: [00:18:26] Correct. No, that is that is my goal. I’m going to be hitting the road soon.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:31] Yeah. And that’s where the opportunities are. I mean, it’s amazing. The state does has have a lot of talented people spread throughout it. And it’s just a matter of kind of getting the word out about all the great work they’re doing.

Stephanie Fischer: [00:18:44] Very true. Most definitely. And like you said, you mentioned Savannah. I mean, Savannah is a great food town. Um, and we’re going to we’re going to spend some time there too.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:55] Right? And it’s one of those things that I’m sure in every town there’s a great restaurant that people may not be aware of that they would travel to if they were aware of it.

Stephanie Fischer: [00:19:06] Exactly. Exactly.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:08] Yeah. So. Well, congratulations on the momentum. And it must be exciting time for you to be able to serve the association in this manner. And, um, thank you for doing it. Because, you know, the Georgia needs more people like you that are willing to put in the work to help kind of rise the tide for everybody.

Stephanie Fischer: [00:19:30] Well, I’m definitely looking forward to it. This is, you know, um, this is a great time to be in the restaurant industry and to really understand that this is a career. Um, and I am I’m really excited to really try to get the word out that this is a this is a fabulous industry to be in. Um, and it’s not just, you know, owning a restaurant. there are so many different like we were talking about earlier, you know, these, these national brands that are here, you know, you can go into finance, you can go into business development, you can go into construction, you can go into HR. I mean, there’s so many facets of our business that people just don’t understand that this is a fabulous, fabulous industry to get into.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:14] Right. And I commend you for doing the work kind of at the for the younger people to just open their eyes that like you said, it isn’t just all going to be a waiter. Like there’s a lot of different career paths within this industry. And to just open your mind to just, to that as a career option.

Stephanie Fischer: [00:20:33] No, very, very true. And, you know, if I can say to all of our listeners out there, you know, I encourage you to go out and try a new restaurant in your neighborhood this summer. You know, it’s going to be patio weather and supporting businesses takes a community effort. And we are so grateful for the restaurant patrons that sustain our members year after year.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:55] And if somebody wants to connect with you and the association, what is the coordinates?

Stephanie Fischer: [00:21:01] yes. Our website is GA restaurants.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:05] Org good stuff. Well, thank you again for sharing your story. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Stephanie Fischer: [00:21:12] Great. Well, thank you very much, Lee.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:14] All right. This Lee Kantor. We’ll see y’all next time on the Association Leadership Radio.

 

Elaine Read and Matt Weyandt With Xocolatl

by

Atlanta Business Radio
Atlanta Business Radio
Elaine Read and Matt Weyandt With Xocolatl
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Elaine Read and Matt Weyandt, Founders of Xocolatl.

Since 2014, Atlanta craft chocolate company Xocolatl (pronounced “show-koh-la-tul”) has given back to the community—donating money, chocolate, and time to more than 30 local nonprofits focused on education, sustainability and food insecurity (w/ ongoing partnerships with Atlanta Community Food Bank and Second Helpings Atlanta).

Xocolatl prioritizes ethical cacao sourcing—buying directly from small family farmers and cooperatives. Sustainability has always been core to the business. From the very beginning, the owners worked to source sustainably grown cacao, sugar, and other ingredients, as well as packaging and supplies. In October of 2023, they officially became Carbon Neutral Certified by The Change Climate Project. The process of becoming Carbon Neutral Certified is a process – but one the owners prioritized. And, they’re looking to help other companies achieve it as well.

Follow Xocolatl on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • How did Xocolatl get its start?
  • How did they hear about the Gusto Impact Award?
  • How has it been working with the team at Gusto?
  • What’s next for Xocotatl?

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio. Brought to you by On pay. Atlanta’s new standard in payroll. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:25] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio, and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, Onpay. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Atlanta Business Radio, we have Elaine Read and Matt Weyandt with Xocolatl. Welcome.

Elaine Read: [00:00:44] Hi Lee.

Matt Weyandt: [00:00:45] Thanks for having us.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:46] I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. I have had the chance to visit your store in Krog Street, so I’m a little bit familiar, but please share with the folks you know what you do and how you do it.

Elaine Read: [00:00:58] Yeah, well, first of all, I’m glad to to hear that you’ve been by our store. We opened our truffle factory and chocolate shop in the Krog Street Market is one of the first tenants in the market back in late 2014, and the company was born from a trip that Matt and I took along with our, at the time, newborn and toddler, down to Costa Rica. We had Matt and I had quit our jobs and decided that we wanted to unplug and go for a little adventure. So we moved to a tiny town in Costa Rica that we had backpacked through years before, when we were much younger than we were then. And when we were there, we discovered what’s called bean to bar chocolate. So a type of chocolate that’s made from the cacao that is actually growing in the the region that the chocolate producers were making their chocolate from, in a process similar to coffee roasting, where cacao beans are grown and harvested and put through a fermentation and drying process before they become ready to be made into chocolate. So that’s a really quick description of the bean to bar chocolate process. But Matt and I discovered that when we were living in Costa Rica, really enjoyed eating the the freshly made, wonderful dark chocolate there, and decided that we wanted to learn the process of making this style of chocolate and and bring it to Atlanta, which is what we did in 2014.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:26] And then when you came to when you came back here, or did you come back here or this was the first time you were here?

Matt Weyandt: [00:02:32] Yeah, we came back to Atlanta. Prior to that, neither Elaine nor I had experience in food. I mean, I worked in a burrito shop when I was in high school, but other than that, you know, we did not come from the food world or the chocolate world. So we kind of left our previous careers to start chocolatl chocolate.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:50] And then go ahead. I’m sorry. Go ahead.

Elaine Read: [00:02:53] I was just going to say Matt’s actually an Atlanta native and I moved down here for him, but we’d been living in Atlanta and in the in the Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward neighborhood, uh, before Krog Street Market was developed. And we knew when we were coming back to Atlanta that that would be a perfect place for us to launch this new business.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:13] And then when you launched, the business was there. Was it using the factory kind of as a drawing card to the business, or was it, uh, we’re a seller of chocolate.

Matt Weyandt: [00:03:25] Yeah. I mean, so you’ve seen the space. Our original space was very small. It’s, uh, 400ft² in, uh, in Krog Street Market, which is a food hall and, uh, downtown. And originally we made all the chocolate right behind the counter. So we. That was our chocolate factory. We called it a micro factory. Right.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:44] That’s when I was there pretty early on. It was several years ago. So that’s what I saw it as, as that you were a maker of chocolate, like in front of me kind of thing, right.

Matt Weyandt: [00:03:54] And yeah, the idea well, one, we didn’t have money to have another space, but the other piece of it was really, you know, we wanted to kind of, I mean, before we took this trip down to Costa Rica, I didn’t know where chocolate came from. I didn’t know it came from a tree. I didn’t know anything about the process. And I think that was pretty common. You know, in in America, we sort of, you know, think of a Hershey’s bar and just kind of comes out of a factory. And that’s sort of what most people know about chocolate. So we wanted to bring that chocolate making process, uh, to people and tell people about chocolate and that it’s a, um, you know, it’s an agricultural product, which means that there are different varieties of cacao in the same way that there’s different varieties of coffee or wine grapes. Um, and we really wanted to kind of have that educational component and, you know, bring that to the forefront and also smells really nice when you’re roasting cocoa beans kind of fills the whole market up with the smell of brownies.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:49] So yeah, I’ve been throughout the country, I’ve been to several chocolate, kind of like yours, like kind of a microbrewery for chocolate, where they have some education, where they explain, like, here’s the cacao, and here they break it apart and they show you all the different steps. And then at the end, you see the kind of production line, and then they sell you chocolate at the end. And are you finding that the consumer is hungry for that kind of an experience?

Elaine Read: [00:05:18] Yeah, I would, I would definitely say so. Um, when we, uh, only had the one location at Krog Street Market, we would do, um, tours and tastings in the market a couple a week. Um, and the space is so small that the tours really meant that we were just, you know, our guests were basically just looking at one wall and then turning and pivoting and looking at, uh, what was happening in a machine on a different wall. Um, but it was very, uh, I think it was a very popular, um, event that we had. And, uh, when we expanded our factory into Southwest Atlanta. So we now have a larger, uh, chocolate making factory in southwest Atlanta. Um, and we last year launched, um, a few tours and tastings where similar to what you just described. We start off by giving people a pretty good, you know, deep dive into cacao touching on the botany, um, on the, um, anthropological side of cacao and chocolate making, um, and the recent history and then, um, what’s happening in the craft chocolate industry now, um, with an emphasis on ethical and sustainable, transparent sourcing and using high quality ingredients. And then we’ll take our participants into the actual factory side, uh, where, um, participants will see and actually be able to sample chocolate, um, in different stages of being made. And then we finish the, um, the event with a guided tasting of, of different dark chocolates, really focusing on the origin specific flavor differences. As Matt mentioned before, cacao from different of different varieties and grown in different regions will have remarkably different flavors. Um, so letting people experience what chocolate from uh, uh, chocolate made from cacao from Tanzania tastes like and how that’s wildly different from Nicaraguan cacao. Um, we ran several of those tours and tastings last year, and we’re kind of in the finishing stages of, um, updating our program and being able to offer, uh, tastings in our factory on a year round basis.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:31] Now, um, is the customer becoming more educated in terms of a, you know, back in the day, there was, like you said, Hershey’s chocolate. That was the choice, you know, and then and then for the adventurous, there was special dark chocolate, right? Like there were there weren’t a lot of choices back in the day. Are you finding that that the consumer is more educated in searching out for these kind of higher percentage, darker chocolates?

Matt Weyandt: [00:07:59] Yeah, I think that’s definitely the case. I mean, I think a lot of people now are aware of, you know, we have a lot of people who come to us and say, oh, I know dark chocolate is good for you versus, you know, the sweeter chocolate and kind of chocolate is at 70% or more. Uh, so, you know, cacao, the cocoa and cacao, same thing. People sometimes get a little confused about it, but it’s, you know, uh, the same, uh, two words for basically the same thing. Um, cocoa actually has, uh, all of these, you know, good properties, uh, antioxidants, flavanols, things that are good for your, your heart and your circulation. Um, it’s really the sugar and milk fats and a lot of the other stuff that get added to chocolate that, um, you know, can, can not be great for you. So we have people who sort of, you know, are interested in that side of it. And then we have kind of the step, the next step where once people kind of get into the dark chocolate and then they start having the different origins and kind of start to realize that there are these different flavors. And it is like having like, you know, a good coffee from Ethiopia versus a good coffee from, uh, you know, Nicaragua. Same kind of things apply or wines. And so we do find people who, who kind of get into really into that side of the chocolate world.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:15] So you can nerd out, you can nerd out on the chocolate just like you could, like you said, wine or coffee. Yeah.

Matt Weyandt: [00:09:21] You can go down there’s there’s a pretty big rabbit hole. You can go down. I mean, there’s a lot of, you know, we go into this a little bit in our tours and tasting, you know, there’s really genetic work that has just been done in the last 20 years on cacao and the different and, you know, traditionally there were sort of three different varieties, three different families of, of of cocoa is really, um, expanded. The knowledge is really expanded over the last couple of, of years. And now there’s been 16, 17 different kind of genetic varieties identified. And you can really go down a deep rabbit hole on all of that.

Elaine Read: [00:09:54] I think also going back to your your previous question, um, you know, Atlanta, I think, established itself as a food centric city quite a while ago. Um, and I think that that that nature of Atlanta also helps to, um, make the make the connections between, uh, chocolate, fine chocolate, um, and the, the different nuances and flavor, um, of different cacao’s. Um, so people who are in Atlanta who, you know, may be very well educated on, uh, different types of coffee varietals, or as Matt said, uh, wine grape varietals may not have known that the same concepts exist in cocoa, but then once learning that from either doing a tasting at our shop or tours at our factory, those pieces click, you know, and people get it pretty quickly.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:48] Now, how difficult is it to source a kind of the right being, from the right region, from the right people?

Matt Weyandt: [00:10:56] Yeah, I mean, that was something that was really important to us from the beginning. Um, one, because we wanted to have fine flavored cocoa. So, you know, there’s, there are different grades of cocoa in the same way. Again, the same way that there’s different grades of coffee beans or, or, uh, you know, other agricultural products. And, uh, so, you know, we wanted flavor was really important to us, but we also wanted to source directly from farmers and farmer cooperatives, because another piece that drew us to chocolate was we started as we learned more about chocolate and kind of the history of chocolate and chocolate production and everything. The a lot of the issues around equity, uh, farmer pay, uh, farmer equity, environmental issues, uh, so many of these things that we had kind of cared about in the previous work that we had done, uh, we connected back with chocolate. And so, um, 65% or so of the cocoa and all of the cocoa in the world comes out of West Africa, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. It’s really dominated by industrial chocolate. Uh, and farmers there are typically making dollars on the day for, uh, the cocoa that they produce. Um, it’s oftentimes not always the case, but it’s oftentimes not considered great quality, uh, cocoa either.

Matt Weyandt: [00:12:17] And we really wanted to buy directly from farmers or farmer co-ops where we were. We knew how much the farmers were getting paid. We’re paying above fair trade pricing for all of the beans, uh, that we, we get. And, um, you know, that was also an important piece of it. So we’ve spent, you know, a lot of time. We’re a very small, uh, chocolate company, and we work with other small craft chocolate companies to, uh, source beans together. We can’t buy a container load on our own. But if we get together with a couple other chocolate makers, we can, uh, buy a container load, bring a bean, bring the beans in, and then split them up once they’re here. And we’ve traveled down to Peru, uh, and Nicaragua and other countries and, uh, met with the farmers and the, um, farmer co-ops where they’re, uh, working together as a collective to ferment and dry their beans and arrange those, uh, you know, purchases sampled the beans while we’re down there. So that’s kind of been a big focus for us since day one.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:19] Now, is your a customer a typically kind of an end user like me going in to buying a bar, or do you sell to restaurants and you sell to like, people who make other things that want to use a kind of a better quality chocolate?

Elaine Read: [00:13:33] All of the above. When we started, uh, our, our end customer was our retail customer. Um, within I think about a year or so, we started making connections with other local Atlanta businesses, primarily in the food and beverage space, also some retail, um, who were interested in using our chocolate as a higher quality, you know, alternative to what they can get from their regular suppliers. Um, and then also retail stores that we’re looking for, locally made fine chocolate. Um, but that was a very small part of our business. Um, we had a website and we were very passively taking the, the couple of orders that would come in, um, from, uh, from our online customers. And then the pandemic hit. That really changed everything we saw. Um, our online, our e-commerce business, uh, boomed, actually. And a lot of that was our retail customers, uh, transitioning over to purchasing online. But it was also getting in front of, I think, other online customers from other parts of the country who would have never, you know, had the opportunity to to see us in Atlanta. And then our, um, wholesale business, uh, grew pretty significantly during the pandemic, too, which is actually a surprise to us. We didn’t anticipate that that was going to happen.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:51] Now, are your offerings is bars or is it, um, like drinking chocolate or, um, cooking chocolate, like, is it, uh, a, you know, a variety of all in every way you can use chocolate now.

Matt Weyandt: [00:15:05] Yeah. So, you know, we our chocolate bars, like you mentioned, drinking chocolate. We make a chocolate hazelnut spread, some trail mixes, even some cacao teas, along with some other products. Those are all, um, you know, we sell online as well as, uh, to, uh, you know, specialty grocery stores, coffee shops. We’re in, uh, Whole Foods in the southeast region, um, in their specialty food section. And, and then for restaurants and chefs, we sell, uh, bulk chocolate, uh, that’s used in, um, you know, bakeries, ice cream shops, uh, places like that that are, are buying, um, that’s typically where the, where the buying like the bulk chocolate that we make.

Elaine Read: [00:15:49] But our bread and butter is our, our chocolate bars. So that was how we started. Um, and our chocolate bars make up the, uh, definitely the majority of, um, the chocolate that we produce. We very recently launched a confections line. Um, so the micro factory in Krog, our original micro factory, where we used to produce all of our chocolate, uh, we have converted into our truffle and bonbon factory. So now we have a confections team that’s taking chocolate that we’re making over in our larger factory in southwest Atlanta, taking that chocolate, turning them into ganaches and, uh, chocolate coatings for bonbons and dragées and other fun confections that we’ve just started releasing over the last couple of months.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:34] And then, uh, recently you were awarded the Gusto impact, uh, or the Gusto Impact Award. Can you talk a little bit about how that came about?

Matt Weyandt: [00:16:44] Sure. Um, gusto. It was doing a impact award, which was basically, uh, recognizing small businesses who have an impact in their community and the world at large. Uh, um, in three different, uh, cities, Atlanta was one of the cities and, uh, they just announced, um, a week or so ago that we were the winner. And I think, um, you know. From the beginning. I kind of mentioned this, touched on this a little bit, but the, uh, sort of some of the economic justice issues around, uh, farmers, uh, the work that they do, some of the environmental issues, those those issues have always been important to us. And so we’ve had a big focus on that. We last year became a certified carbon neutral company, which means that we did a complete accounting of all of the, uh, CO2 emissions that come from making our chocolate that goes all the way back from the farmers all the way through, including things like, uh, the paper that we use for our wrappers and, um, and basically everything we use in our office and factory. And, uh, then we’ve worked on a plan to reduce that footprint, and we, uh, and then are also offsetting, uh, the part of the, um, uh, CO2 emissions that we’re not able to totally reduce.

Matt Weyandt: [00:18:04] And we do things like power our factory and our shop with renewable energy and things like that. So I think that was a component of it. And then, uh, we’ve also done a lot of work in Atlanta area. We wanted to be, you know, we wanted the business to kind of, uh, be a way for us to engage with the community here. And so we’ve done things like, um, you know, support the Atlanta Community Food Bank, a dollar of every Easter bunny sale that we do every year we donate to the community food bank. Uh, we’ve worked with a bunch of other organizations. We’ve done tours for Atlanta Public School kids to show them the chocolate factory and the whole process and, uh, coordinated with teachers on kind of academic curriculum around that. So, um, we’ve tried to be engaged, and I think that’s kind of, uh, you know, what gusto was looking for, um, when they were, um, announcing these impact awards.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:57] And.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:57] Then the award was some money also, right?

Elaine Read: [00:19:01] Yeah. So, um, there were three components of the award. Uh, one was a $10,000 cash. Um, the other is a year of of free service from gusto. Um, and the third part was $50,000, um, in towards the marketing campaign that gusto is producing, um, on our behalf, which is, which is really actually quite wonderful because as a small husband and wife team, this, this business feels very much like, um, like our family. We’re we’re small, you know, we don’t know how to do everything, but we try and so, um, to and neither Matt nor I came from, uh, marketing backgrounds. So to be able to have, um, a professional team that knows what they’re doing, um, to, to help us with marketing, um, was a great part of the award.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:56] So, um, any advice for other entrepreneurs when it comes to deciding to go for some of these awards, like because that usually involves some work on your part on the front end in order just to apply. Like any advice for an entrepreneur of pursuing an award like the Gusto Impact Award.

Matt Weyandt: [00:20:18] Well, I think, you know, looking for things that fit with you and your company is kind of the first, you know, piece of it. And being, you know, um, you know, genuine and like, who you are. And, you know, we’ve tried to really build the company to our values and to our ideals. And, you know, I think that’s true for a lot of small business owners. Um, I mean, you know, creating a business, being a small business owner is, is an act of creation, and it’s going to sort of represent you. And so I think looking for, um, the types of awards that fit with your personality and the personality you’ve built for your company is kind of really the first and probably most important step.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:57] So if somebody wants to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on the team, or get a hold of some of the chocolate, what are the coordinates, website or addresses of where you’re located?

Elaine Read: [00:21:10] Yeah. So probably the easiest place to find, um, different ways of contacting us would be to go to our website which is Chocolatl chocolate com and that is spelled x o c o l a t l. Then the word chocolate.com. And from there you can contact us by phone or email, depending on what you might be looking for and whether you are looking to establish, um, a wholesale partnership with us, or want to learn more about our tours and tastings, or have questions on ingredients, anything like that. Hopefully the website, um, should give good give folks a good map to, um, what phone number, what email address they can call.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:50] Well, thank.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:51] You both so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Elaine Read: [00:21:55] Thank you lady. Thank you for having us.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:57] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Atlanta Business Radio.

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WBE Feature – Women‘s Month & Stress Awareness: Stress Management

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Women in Motion
WBE Feature - Women‘s Month & Stress Awareness: Stress Management
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In this episode of Women in Motion, Lee Kantor and Dr. Pamela Williamson discuss stress awareness with guests Heather Cox and Sarah Hope, both CEOs managing their businesses and personal lives. Heather shares how she balances running Certify My Company and raising five children, emphasizing independence, scheduling, and exercise. Sarah talks about juggling three businesses through extensive lists, calendar management, and delegation. The conversation also touches on leveraging certifications for business growth, the value of organizational systems, and the significance of thorough hiring processes to protect company interests.

Heather-CoxHeather Cox is a champion and a cheerleader for underestimated women entrepreneurs!

As president of CMC, Heather works with both diverse businesses and corporations to increase visibility in supplier markets, and connects certified businesses with the corporations eager to do business with them.

Heather educates corporations about diversity practices and collaborates with managers of supplier diversity programs to help them reach their diversity goals, including a coveted seat at the Billion Dollar Roundtable.

She sits on the board of the national and regional forums for Women’s Business Enterprise Council – West, and has held past posts with the Women Presidents’ Educational Organization (WPEO-NY), WBENC National Council, the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and the Advisory Board for Super Bowl XLVIII.

Away from her many professional pursuits, Heather enjoys not relaxing with her husband and five small children.

Follow Certify My Company on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Sarah-HopeSarah Hope, a dynamic and visionary serial entrepreneur, leads several thriving ventures including Vertical Identity, 911OccMed, The Mission Wedding Chapel, and Easy Trim Weight Loss Clinic.

Her exceptional ability to envision future pathways and assemble formidable teams has been pivotal in scaling her businesses. With her husband Jason—a steadfast partner and the executor of her visions—by her side, Sarah navigates both her professional and personal life with a blend of determination and strategic foresight.

Recently, Sarah has embraced Alaska as her newfound haven, where she is embarking on an exciting journey to establish a general contracting business in 2024. Amidst evolving her enterprises, Sarah is keenly focused on steering her businesses towards the future by integrating Artificial Intelligence, ensuring they remain at the forefront of innovation and efficiency.

About Our Co-Host

Pamela-Williamson-WBEC-WestDr. Pamela Williamson, President & CEO of WBEC-West,  is an exemplary, dedicated individual, and has extensive experience as a senior leader for over twenty years.

She has served as the CEO of SABA 7 a consulting firm, overseen quality control at a Psychiatric urgent care facility of a National Behavioral Health Care Organization where she served as Vice President and Deputy Director,and has served as the CEO of WBEC-West, since 2008.

Her extensive experience in developing and implementing innovative alliances with key stakeholders has enabled the organizations to reach new levels of growth and stability. Her ability to lead and empower staff members creates a strong team environment which filters throughout the entire organization.

She takes an active role in facilitating connections between corporations and women business enterprises and sees a promising future for WBENC Certified women-owned businesses.

Dr. Williamson holds a Doctorate in Healthcare Administration, a Master’s degrees in Business Administration, and bachelor degrees in both Psychology and Sociology.

Connect with Dr. Williamson on LinkedIn.

Music Provided by M PATH MUSIC

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

 

TRANSCRIPT

Transcript
Intro: [00:00:07] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios, it’s time for Women In Motion. Brought to you by WBEC-West. Join forces. Succeed together. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:27] Lee Kantor here with Dr. Pamela Williamson. Another episode of Women In Motion, brought to you by WBEC-West. Dr. Pamela, have you fully recovered from the big weekend in Colorado?

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:00:42] You know, Lee, I am not going to lie, I have not. I think I need another three or four days of rest. The conference was fantastic. Almost a little shy of 5,000 attendees, 300 corporate members, and just a gigantic trade show floor to get through, so it was a pretty exhausting experience.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:06] And it’s so important that the conference happens like that in person, having 5,000 people like that, the energy must have been off the charts.

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:01:18] I would say that it was beyond any chart that has ever been measured. It was absolutely crazy connections happening everywhere.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:29] Well, it’s great to be back with you here in the studio and so excited to be talking to our guests. The theme this month is Stress Awareness Month, and we have Sarah Hope and Heather Cox with us. Anything you’d like to share or talk to them about before we get going?

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:01:47] Yeah, I would love to. So, I have known both of these ladies for a very long time. I have watched them go through the trials and tribulation of growth and expansion and I have seen them both handle stress amazingly.

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:02:04] So, I’m going to start with you, Heather, and have you introduce yourself. Heather Cox is the CEO and President of Certify My Company. And I don’t want to say this wrong, Heather, I am counting on my fingers, but I think you have five kids while you are also trying to run a very successful business that is expanding. Can you tell me a little bit about your business?

Heather Cox: [00:02:28] So, Certify My Company, we work with diverse entrepreneurs and corporations to make sure that (A) they get matched up, but also to make sure that everybody in the supply chain that should be certified is certified with the right certifications for them and their business. Otherwise, you know, like really use it for what they want to use it for.

Heather Cox: [00:02:48] And, yes, I do have five children. I started the company right after I had baby number one, which is when you start a business, right, like right when you have a new baby? And so, there have been plenty of conferences that I was pregnant at.

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:03:02] So, I want to bring in Sarah Hope into this conversation. Sarah Hope, I’ve also known for a very long time. Sarah, I think when I first met you, you only had one company and your kids were at home. Now, if my recollection is correct, you have three companies. You you separate your time between here and Alaska, here being Arizona. But can you tell us a little bit about your company?

Sarah Hope: [00:03:31] Yes. It’s been ten years. Can you believe it? Next year is our ten year anniversary for Vertical Identity, which I’m the CEO and Founder and ultimate visionary. My biggest issue with Vertical Identity or any other business that I start is I love starting, and then I get absolutely bored whenever running it. So, I definitely need an implementer to help me just to run the companies and execute the vision for sure. That’s one of the biggest takeaways that I’ve taken from the last ten years, my love is just starting the company.

Sarah Hope: [00:04:12] So, I have Vertical Identity, which is a background screening and employment screening company. We do a lot of compliance also for trucking companies. We also recently started a easy trim weight loss clinic. So, after I lost 30 pounds, mind you, that I had gained because I was working 24/7 for the first seven years or so of my business journey, and gained some weight and then realized an amazing new technology that has basically come out, a medicine that’s really helping women all over the world at this point. It is a game changer for obesity in America.

Sarah Hope: [00:04:54] So, we switched over. We had drug testing facilities, four of them. We were also frontline in COVID and frontline with mass COVID vaccinations and testing. Got through that and then I just pivoted and did the weight loss clinics. And we also own a little wedding chapel. So, I have my hands in a bunch of different stuff. But, yes, my kids are gone, so now I can just work 24/7, right?

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:05:19] Thank you, Sarah. Hey, Heather, I do have a question for you, which I think is on all of our listeners mind, is, what is the secret of running a successful business and raising five kids? And none of your children are teenagers, right?

Heather Cox: [00:05:37] No. My big two are 15 and 13 so, yes, we have a lot of attitude also in the house now. I don’t think there’s a secret. I mean, people say to me all the time, “I only have two and I can’t do it.” I don’t know if it’s two or five, but I don’t think it matters. Kids are kids. They all need your attention in different ways, different times.

Heather Cox: [00:06:02] I will say that my kids are very independent from a very young age. They make their own lunches for school. My big two do their own laundry. Some people do allowances and they can earn money in the house, but there’s citizens of the household chores because we all live here, we all have to take responsibility. So, I think that independence is huge when it comes to having to run a business.

Heather Cox: [00:06:30] I started a second one and I have a JV as well, so I think it’s just a matter of keeping things going. Schedules are very important. During COVID actually, I was interviewed by GoDaddy. They asked me, you know, How are you doing it? I was like, schedule, schedule, schedule. Schedule is so important because everybody knows what’s expected of them at that point.

Heather Cox: [00:06:51] Same for me. I live by my calendar. If it’s not on the calendar, it’s probably not going to happen because this brain can only hold so much information and it’s already reached its limit. So, we do a lot of scheduling, and I think that’s really the only way. And then, as far as like the stress part goes, the gym is the reason that I don’t lose it quite often because I get that stress out at the gym.

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:07:13] Well, I also see you, because we both were joined together on Peloton, so I see your name sometimes and I check out your workout.

Heather Cox: [00:07:21] I am in the Peloton cults. I do love it. It’s easy. It’s in my room. I run upstairs if I need to. But I just think that was such a great shift. Of all the technology, I think, that’s happened over the years, that one, because you still get the camaraderie of being in a class but you can roll out of bed and jump right on the bike.

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:07:41] Yeah. Hey, Sarah, with your juggling your three businesses, how do you handle stress?

Sarah Hope: [00:07:51] Well, like Heather, the calendar is basically my Bible. So, if it is not on my calendar, it is out of sight, out of mind. A trick that I learned some time ago is that our internal mindset is really important. So, for a while, all I would do is continue to remind myself of the things that I had to do. So, in order to stop that, I keep extensive lists. So, I’m super old fashioned, if something comes up, either comes up in my email or someone asks me to do something, I give myself permission to not continuously think about it all the time.

Sarah Hope: [00:08:37] So, I have different lists for different things. I have a business list for each business, and then I have a personal list – and then I’m in a pretty big legal battle right now with an ex-employee that’s costing me a lot of stress – and I have a legal list. So that way, I don’t miss anything because I think, for me, there’s so much stuff going on all the time that I cannot miss anything as a result between my calendar and then keeping my list.

Sarah Hope: [00:09:11] But then the other thing too is – I hate this word, but it’s so important – compartmentalizing tasks, so I shut things off. If I’m going to do something, all of my notifications on my phone go off, I don’t look at my email. I focus on that one thing and get it done for an hour or two, which is really hard, but there’s no way that I can be as productive as I am without having major organization.

Heather Cox: [00:09:43] Do you delegate well to, Sarah? Are you a good delegater?

Sarah Hope: [00:09:45] Yes. At this point, absolutely, you have to delegate. We run on EOS, so it’s based on the book called Traction, so it’s the Entrepreneurial Organizational System. And we have our Level 10s at our meetings and how we’ve set up the company to where – you know, I’m famous for interrupting everybody’s day when I want to know a number or something – the promise of everybody is that on our Level 10, each company communicates to me where we’re at. So that way, I’m not having to blow up people’s day or hour or I want that because I know that I’m going to get all the numbers that I need on the Level 10. But, yeah, delegation is certainly key when you’re managing a lot of different projects.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:33] Now, were you always this way or was this something that you started having a bunch of kids or you started having a bunch of companies and you were like, “I better change some behaviors or else I’m going to have to manage this.”

Sarah Hope: [00:10:45] This was so much fun in the beginning, because my husband is in the business with me too. And we say we’ve been married now for ten years, but it’s more like 20 or 30 because we’re together all the time. But I remember when we first started the business, we were like, “There’s nothing going on, let’s go see a movie.” Those days are long gone. And we did. When we started the business, we had four teenagers at home and managing their schedules.

Sarah Hope: [00:11:15] What we did at that time, forget it. Our office, we had a tiny little office. We paid $350 a month. It was the best thing ever, like, ten years ago when it was simple. We would drive to that collection site. It was a drug testing collection site. We got a contract with Valley Metro at the time, and we started off that way. And then, we were only open, like, 9:00 to 3:00. Now, looking back, it was so cute, right? Like we were so cute. So, we would leave so we didn’t have to drive traffic. It was 30 miles there, 30 miles back. We would be like, “Okay. There’s no one coming, let’s go catch a movie.”

Sarah Hope: [00:11:50] Those days are long gone because you get so busy. You have to have so much grit to get through the last ten years. I mean, it’s literally flown and we’ve grown so much. I think the first year we did, like, 18,000 in revenue. The next year, we did, like, 50, we got up to 100. And then, we were like whew. whew. Well, two years ago – well, it’s been a few years now, we had a million. And then, last year we hit 4 million in revenue.

Sarah Hope: [00:12:20] I mean, the difference of the journey of what actually goes on and the multiple different levels of things that you have to handle, things that you don’t even realize that you had to learn because, as Allison Maslan says from Pinnacle, what got us here isn’t going to get us there. And so many things changed along the way and we have to adapt. As the leadership of the company, you don’t have a choice because everybody’s staring at you like, What’s next? So, yeah, stress management is really important.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:02] Now, Heather, let’s go back in time with you a little bit. What was the impetus of your business idea? Like what was the pain that you were going through that you were like, “Hey, I might be able to solve this.”

Heather Cox: [00:13:14] This wasn’t even my own pain. When I was pregnant with that first baby way back, you know, 16 years ago or 15 years ago – she’s 15 so nine months before that – I was asking, I knew I had to work. I didn’t know exactly what that looked like, but I knew I would have to work. And I’d always done sales and operations. And I was asking a lot of women about their experience as working moms, whether they were executives or part-time or worked for themselves, whatever it was, I’m asking a lot of questions.

Heather Cox: [00:13:43] And the business owners, I just really, like, gravitated toward. I thought they were amazing. I loved their energy, their passion. And when I started talking to the ones, especially the ones that were doing business-to-business sales, I really was like, “Wow. This is fascinating” and I just kept asking them more questions. And at some point a couple of them said to me, “Oh. There’s this certification that I need, they want me to get, but I just can’t get it done.” I’m like, “Hold on. You run a $2 million business, whatever, a $250,000 business, $2 million business, or $2 billion business, what do you mean you can’t get it done? I don’t understand.”

Heather Cox: [00:14:20] So, I went home and did a little research, and my husband’s an attorney, and he’s never worked in my business because I would like to stay married. Unlike Sarah, she’s much braver than I am. But I asked him, like, What’s an operating agreement or what’s a certificate of organization? He’s like, “Well, in some states -” I’m like, “Wait. Some states?” So, that’s when I realized that documents are called different names in different places.

Heather Cox: [00:14:41] So, if you’re a busy business owner and your time is – this is even before I was a busy business owner or a mom of five, I’m like, “Well, how do you know what it is?” And he said not everybody knows what they don’t know, and so they’ll be spending hours and hours trying to find their certificate of organization, only to find out their state doesn’t do that.

Heather Cox: [00:14:58] So, I said I could do it for you. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I never really thought about running a business before. And then, this one told that one, that one told that one. And then, someone said Can you do minority? Can you do this one? Can you do that one? And then, about five years later, we had our first corporate contract and they started calling me a certification expert. And I’m like, “Yeah. I sure am.” I went with it.

Heather Cox: [00:15:23] So, that’s really how it started, was just somebody had the need and I have always said one of my biggest attributes is I’m a very resourceful person. And so, I just figured it out, and now I have five people who work on my team with me to figure it out for them.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:40] Now, how did you kind of figure out pricing? You know, you figured out, I’m sure the first time you were doing it as it was as if they were doing it. So, you had to learn like they would have learned. But you’re just doing it now so many times, you now probably no shortcuts and you know where all the landmines are, where the regular person doesn’t know that. So, how did you kind of build it into a business that you could delegate and you could teach other people how to do it?

Heather Cox: [00:16:11] Yeah. I mean, until probably eight, nine years ago, it was just me doing everything. And, yeah, first the pricing is just kind of were like, “Yeah. This sounds good and no one said no,” the first few times we did it. And then, now, obviously there’s metrics behind it and there’s information statistics. We know how long it takes us. We know what payroll is. We have a lot more actual data behind what we’re doing. But we just kind of, “So, this is the price.” And then, I realized everyone’s saying yes, it probably means it’s too low. Everyone’s saying yes. So, we raised it and then slowly just kind of changed a little bit here and there until we really found our sweet spot.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:55] And, Sarah, what about you, what was kind of your back story on beginning your adventure in business?

Sarah Hope: [00:17:03] So, I have a huge risk. I have a huge fear of failure, so it dominates in everything that I do in my life. So, as a result, I have chosen businesses all the way up through the weight loss business that are required by law. Why? Because I felt like if it’s required by law that you get a DOT drug test, or that you have to have compliance for your trucking company, or that you have to do a pre-employment background screening because you have a federal contract, then that’s safe for me because then it’s more about not trying to convince someone that they need something, but they’re coming to you because it’s required.

Sarah Hope: [00:17:55] And so, as a result for me, it was easier because then I can go shop the competition. So, understanding your market and what you have to offer. And then, at first it was more about price. But now that I understand more about the values that we have and what we bring to the table, especially, for example, with our background screening process, we have really, really great turnaround times.

Sarah Hope: [00:18:23] I was talking to a friend that they were getting hired at a retail store, I’m not going to say who it is. But it took them, like, a month. They’re like, “I couldn’t get the job. It took a month to get my background check back.” And I just started giggling because we do a lot of school districts in Arizona and their turnaround time, we got them down to, like, three days. And that’s really important for whenever you’re trying to hire a teacher with a teacher shortages and they’re competing. They’re competing with another school to get the teacher. So, it’s not even so much about price. It’s more of how can you get us what we need in the timeframe that we need.

Sarah Hope: [00:19:02] Cooperative contracts have been really huge with the state, especially because the State of Arizona, they do have a DBE program, but it’s not very friendly as far as I’m concerned. So, getting in front of cooperative contracts – and I don’t know if everybody’s familiar with what a cooperative contract is. So, just imagine Costco or Sam’s Club. If you belong to Costco or Sam’s Club, then you can buy there at a certain rate. With cooperative contracts, every state has them and it’s like cooperative association.

Sarah Hope: [00:19:47] So, one of ours for the State of Arizona – actually, they cover a lot more – it’s Mohave Cooperative. And under Mohave Cooperative is they have, for example, electricians and plumbers and background training companies and people who build the outside yard toys for the kids and office supplies. And they bid them out every, you know, three to five years.

Sarah Hope: [00:20:09] So, this contract that I finally won, this my third try and it was actually another WBE that helped me, The RFP Success.

Heather Cox: [00:20:24] Love her.

Sarah Hope: [00:20:25] Yes. So, I had her check out my RFP because our lives revolve around responding to RFPs. And sometimes we’re too close to the tree or too close to – what do they say? – you’re too much in the woods to see the trees or whatever, so anyway, I had her check it and helped me with it. And we won the contract and now people are just lining up. So, it’s not necessarily price all the time. It’s you have to look at the market, really understand what people need.

Sarah Hope: [00:20:53] And, Heather, one of my biggest things is I became an ADA certified. Oh, my gosh. Do you do that?

Heather Cox: [00:21:01] No.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:02] She means she will do it shortly, right?

Sarah Hope: [00:21:07] I cried. I remember the process was so painful. It’s a federal certification. I remember getting back something that I didn’t do something right. And I remember being in Thailand on vacation, because I thought it was all the way on the other end of it, and I was in tears because I was like, “Oh. They’re asking us for something else that I don’t even know.” And it took me, like, two years to get the certification. It was the worst thing.

Heather Cox: [00:21:35] We have a partner that does it, and I have my own thoughts on it, but that’s not what this conversation is about.

Sarah Hope: [00:21:40] What about stress?

Heather Cox: [00:21:41] I will say, though, that your point was right, Sarah, you talked about changing over the years and it becomes less about price and more about value. So, now that we are the leaders in what we do, there are other people who say they do what we do. There is nobody who does it to the extent that we do it to the level that we do it. So much so that we’ve had a good number of our corporate clients who are like, “You know what? We want to divide your contract into two because this other company is less expensive.” And every single time, they’ve come back and given us the entire contract, every time, because they just don’t have the process. They don’t have the expertise that we have the way we do it.

Heather Cox: [00:22:21] And we’ve had other people who’ve tried to compete with us, but they’re just not in the same level. I mean, there are some people who are more expensive than us, people who are less expensive than us, but I always tell entrepreneurs, especially, I say after polling a bunch of our customers, we found out we saved a lot of our clients approximately 22 hours of work. That’s about the time that we’ve saved them by outsourcing the process to us. So, I tell them, you take what your hour is worth to you, whether it’s your billable hour, whatever it is, multiply it by 22. If it’s more than our fee, you’re saving money. If it’s less than our fee, then you might want to try to do it yourself. It just depends on how valuable your time is.

Heather Cox: [00:23:03] I outsource everything I possibly can. I remember one time all five of my kids got lice at the same time. All five. I was like, “Where’s that lice lady?” I called up a lice lady. I was like, I’m not doing this. There’s no way I was going to spend all that time and get it wrong. Because you know what? If you don’t have a time or money to do something once, you don’t have the time or money to do it twice. So, I did not need to do that again. So, I outsource everything I can, taxes, marketing. People are like, “Do your website?” It’ll look like I did my website and it’s going to cost me more in the end.

Sarah Hope: [00:23:34] I wish I had my card because when I first started my business in 2015, I was a lice picker on the side because I got paid $35 an hour.

Heather Cox: [00:23:41] Oh, that’s so funny. A lice lady.

Sarah Hope: [00:23:42] Yeah. And I was just like, whatever I could do to get a little bit of income. I mean, I would have stood in the corner of the road and sold water like they do in Hialeah when it’s hot. I would have been like, “Here’s some lemons. Here’s some water.” Whatever it is that you need to get your business going because you’ve got to make it and you’re so great in time. But, yeah, I just saw my card recently from the lice doctors.

Heather Cox: [00:24:15] And I think we used lice happens or whatever.

Sarah Hope: [00:24:17] Yeah. It was awesome.

Heather Cox: [00:24:19] See, outsource and delegate, that’s how you make it happen.

Lee Kantor: [00:24:23] Now, you both mentioned the importance of systems, processes, these kinds of delegation, can we talk a little bit about AI. Are either one of you kind of leaning into AI or leveraging AI at this point in your business? And if you’re not, are you seeing that as part of the future that you’re going to have to at some point kind of lean into that?

Heather Cox: [00:24:45] I mean, we are in some respects, obviously, a lot more automation than we’ve ever had. Through our CRM, we’ve included a lot of automation and sort of take away some of the manual tasks that are just time consuming for the team. So, we’ve definitely done a lot of AI with that.

Lee Kantor: [00:25:02] Sarah?

Sarah Hope: [00:25:03] I am really deep into AI. So, not only am I investing in every single AI stock that I can get my hands on, Nvidia was at 400 recently, up to over 900. I bought some AMD. So, I’m researching everything. But more importantly is I’m embracing it to the extent. So, I have just replaced my outbound sales team with outbound AI callers. So, I have basically two fulltime AI caller – I don’t even know what to call them – agents that are making outbound calls to trucking companies.

Heather Cox: [00:25:50] They’re like robocalls, Sarah?

Sarah Hope: [00:25:51] Yeah. But they sound exactly like a human. You listen to the call and you listen to the conversation that our potential customers are having with them and they’re like, “Yeah. do you want to get transferred?” And then, we initiate a transfer to the live team. But they don’t know. They don’t know the difference at all.

Sarah Hope: [00:26:13] And the most beautiful thing about AI is that you can upload your knowledge base, so you can upload the questions and answers. Like for us, it would be DOT Part 40 of the regulations of what a trucking company has to do to be compliant with the drug and alcohol testing policies, and the randoms and all the things that they have to do. Again, back to my fear of failure, this is not something an optional. Nobody wants someone in an 18 wheeler getting into an accident being on drugs, so we manage those processes for trucking companies. And as a result, every new trucker, we reach out to them. We were having live agents do that.

Sarah Hope: [00:26:53] And the AI, the AI doesn’t have any feelings. The AI is going to ask every single question that you tell it to ask and it’s going to have a conversation. So, it is completely fascinating. Our sales, since we launched that, have gone up drastically. So, we were getting about five new signups a week, and we’re getting three a day now. So, yes, it’s been huge AI.

Sarah Hope: [00:27:24] Then, the other changes that we’re making is that I know where this is going, so while I’m not [inaudible] yet, but I’m on it. Like everyday, I get up in the morning and I watch YouTube about whatever new came out. Because my goal is to transition a lot of the administrative duties that we have internally to an AI process, to where, literally, the AI can record your screen, follow whatever admin tasks that you’re doing.

Sarah Hope: [00:28:05] For us, a lot of times it’s like, What collection site for drug test do you have in zip code 85086? Now, it’s a human that has to go in and enter the stuff. The AI, you can train it to go log in here, check here, answer here. Imagine not only being able to service our customers 24/7 to be able to automate that process, make them feel like – well, it’s not just make them feel. Honestly, a lot of this, let’s face it, our employees don’t always do what we ask them to do. Our team skips questions because of whatever it is that they think is happening. The AI doesn’t have that emotional response. They’re just going to ask the question, and it’s so polite. And you can pick male voice, female voice. I mean, I can’t even tell you how much fun we’re having with it. It is absolutely amazing.

Lee Kantor: [00:29:03] Did you have someone kind of Sherpa-ing you through this? Like, how did you kind of find the service you’re using for this? Or is this just you kind of just dove into a ChatGPT and just started doing it yourself?

Sarah Hope: [00:29:19] Oh, I’m a ChatGPT queen, too. Let me tell you, I want to write a book about ChatGPT because it’s handling my entire legal case. By the way, I didn’t even hire an attorney. It is my attorney. It’s writing all of my motions. It’s writing everything for me. It’s handling my entire legal case with this ex-employee issue that I have, so I’m using ChatGPT for that.

Sarah Hope: [00:29:41] But I ended up going to Traffic & Conversion. And at Traffic & Conversion, there is one called AIRAI, and they kind of kicked it off. But at Traffic & Conversion, there was a company called Acquisition AI and that’s who I use. So, I liked their setup fee, it was pretty reasonable. Don’t quote me, I want to say it was about $1,000. It’s about, I want to say, $800 a month for two fulltime AI. So, I gave them the script, everything that we wanted, and then they set it all up, and then we launched. And I want to say, it probably took about ten days to get it all set up and for them to set it up on there, and test it, and run it, and run with it.

Sarah Hope: [00:30:28] But I did a lot of research. Again, YouTube is my best friend because how I use YouTube in the morning is I’ll sit and have my coffee, and then I’m like, What’s new in AI? And AI is going to revolutionize the entire world. And I know that there’s a lot of people that are like, “Oh. I’m afraid. I’m afraid.” Don’t be afraid. Open AI is the main source of the large language model, but it is written in an open language. So, there’s a lot of large language models that are being built under that.

Sarah Hope: [00:31:04] So, it’s not like one big brain. It’s kind of like the gremlins. You have one and then there’s a ton of large language models under it. So, I don’t feel like they’re going to take over and the robots are going to kill us all and all of that stuff. It’s more of, how can we use a large language model that can really understand our business, that can really help our customers, that can facilitate the changes that we need, improve processes, better customer service. I love it. I’m completely obsessed.

Lee Kantor: [00:31:38] Well, Sarah, I mean, you could tell how passionate you are about this. Is there a fourth business kind of lurking there? An AI business?

Sarah Hope: [00:31:46] I wish I had the time. That’s something I’ve been playing with. I actually named it and everything. I named it Denali Sky. But we’ve recently started purchasing a lot of property up in Alaska, so I’m starting a general contracting business up there. So, it’s called Denali Sky Builders and Contractors. So, I’m kind of involved in remodeling and flipping some houses up there while we’re there for the summer and just learning Alaska. But part of that is also subcontracting and using the technologies that are coming with AI and being able to facilitate a lot of these smaller businesses and being able to get their marketing out.

Sarah Hope: [00:32:24] But AI, guys, this is bigger than the internet. I don’t think that people are realizing the effect that this is going to have in all of our lives daily and how amazing everything is going to be. I am so excited to be alive to be part of this.

Heather Cox: [00:32:45] I also love it. I just need to make sure my children know how to actually write an essay also and not just use ChatGPT, so there’s that part that I need them to use their brains. But we use it a lot also for those type of things, marketing documents, things like that. That’s my only downside to it, is that I still have little ones who I’m trying to raise to use their intelligence and intellect.

Sarah Hope: [00:33:06] I don’t know if you’re going to be able to stop it though. So, that’s the biggest thing, is that unless we start taking things away —

Heather Cox: [00:33:15] Well, so far they don’t have smartphones. I’m a very mean mommy.

Sarah Hope: [00:33:18] Oh, well that’s good. But there’s a lot going on with AI. The thing is that people like jobs, right? So, I do think that a lot of analytical jobs that are going to be – I’m using it as an attorney. I don’t have no else to go. I’m not suggesting anybody go replace your attorney with this. But if I need a case law or whatever, I’m researching it, or what the rules are for Maricopa County, or what I have to respond to this motion or whatever, it’s a matter of prompting ChatGPT and asking the questions so you don’t have to be sitting out there waiting or going through tons of Google questions and answers, because it’s a conversation that you have back and forth.

Sarah Hope: [00:34:00] And there’s software out there that is doing automatic training, like day traning for you because it’s learn. And it can look at the stocks analytically in a way that our brain can’t do it. So, I think that the human touch is still going to be really important, that the relationships are going to be really important, but how we use AI to help our processes and our business, it’s going to help us be more profitable, keep our costs down in this very expensive world we live in. And it’s amazing. I’m so excited.

Lee Kantor: [00:34:44] Now, Heather, do you mind sharing a little advice for folks out there that have maybe joined some associations, got some certifications, but they aren’t leveraging it and they’re not kind of maximizing their investment into that. Because there are so many people that go, “Oh. I have to be certified or I have to join this group,” and they check the box and they think they’re done. And then, they go back to work and they’re like, “Well, where’s the ROI on this? I don’t see it. It’s not working for me.” So, can you give some advice to kind of maximizing your certification or leveraging your association?

Heather Cox: [00:35:22] Absolutely. I mean, we tell people all the time, it’s a tool and not a magic wand. It is not if you certify it, they will come. You really have to leverage it and use it, as you said.

Heather Cox: [00:35:32] So much so we created a whole program called Diversity Masterminds, because after hearing so many of our clients say like, “I’m not renewing my certification. I didn’t get anything out of it.” And I would say, “Did you do this? Did you go here? Did you talk to these people?” “No. I didn’t know I could. I didn’t know I should.” And so, we really wanted them to understand how to leverage the certification to maximize growth. And so, we created a whole program both on demand and in person to do that.

Heather Cox: [00:35:59] But it’s really about being part of the organization. I would say that’s probably one of my biggest pieces of advice is that, you know, when I moved from New Jersey to Nevada, I immediately reached out to Dr. Pamela Williamson and just said, “Hey. Now I’m one of your WBEs out here in Nevada,” and then I was all in. I was like, I want to be part of however I can support the organization because I think that – what’s that expression? – rising tides bring all the boats to the top, whatever that is. You know that expression?

Lee Kantor: [00:36:31] Yes.

Heather Cox: [00:36:31] So, I really believe in that. I believe in elevating each other elevates ourselves as well. And so, just any way that I can meet more of the WBEs, be part of it, show up, and you have to really let go of any kind of entitlement that like, “Well, I’m certified. Where’s my contract?” Because that will get you nowhere. It’ll actually get you less than nowhere, whenever that’s possible.

Heather Cox: [00:36:55] But that’s what I think what it is, is kind of wherever you can, sharing your expertise with those around you, and they’ll share with you, obviously you’re not going to give things away for free, but just having conversations with your other WBEs and the network, everybody knows someone or something that you don’t. And so, by being part of this organization and the network, you have so much exposure to resources you never even knew you needed and never knew you had.

Heather Cox: [00:37:26] And so, that’s what I think at the WBENC conference last week during the WBEC-West RPO breakout, both Dr. Williamson and myself mentioned that elevating the other people that were there at the conference was a game changer for your conference. Not just their conference, but your conference. And I think that’s what people underestimate.

Heather Cox: [00:37:45] And, also, the business development part of the certification, people get. They understand that’s the logical part. What people often forget, what entrepreneurs often forget is the company development and the leadership development opportunities that are out there. [Inaudible] scholarship to go to the talk education business, the executive MBA program, or being a part of mentorship opportunities, these are all parts of the organization, parts of your certification that are underutilized and under recognized, in my opinion, by the entrepreneurs out there.

Heather Cox: [00:38:21] I think there’s so much that they can take advantage of, even WBEC-West has the – oh, my gosh. Dr. Williamson, I’m blanking on the name of it.

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:38:31] I’m going to take a guess, Platinum Supplier Program.

Heather Cox: [00:38:35] Platinum Supplier Program. Thank you. Platinum Supplier Program that really teaches you how to elevate the use of your certification. And so, I think people forget about those and they get so caught up in just filling out RFPs or just buy for me, buy for me, buy for me. They forget about the relationship part of it and, really, the other aspects of the certification.

Lee Kantor: [00:38:56] Now, who is the ideal client for you? What’s your ideal client profile?

Heather Cox: [00:39:01] Well, we really have two sets of clients. We have our corporate clients who utilize us to make sure that everybody in their supply chain understands the value of diversity certification, and what it is, and how to use it, so we do a lot of webinars and trainings. And, also, they’ll engage us to work with the suppliers in their supply chain that should be certified but are not, that they have relationships with.

Heather Cox: [00:39:21] And then, our the entrepreneurs that hire us are people who understand their time and worth of their time. But also companies who are already doing business-to-business sales or either have already started doing business with the Fortune 1000 or the government entities or are just about to, who maybe have been a tier 2 supplier previously and they maybe seen the opportunity cost. So, really anybody who understands the value of outsourcing and also the people who are business-to-business and are ready to take that next step.

Lee Kantor: [00:39:52] And if somebody wants to learn more, what’s the website?

Heather Cox: [00:39:55] It is certifymycompany.com.

Lee Kantor: [00:39:59] And, Sarah, who is your ideal client?

Sarah Hope: [00:40:04] My ideal client is a company that needs help with compliance and screening their employees, basically. Making sure that they have the right team. One thing is the interview, but another thing is their history. You know, California Act, California recently just passed a law – before it was seven years. If you had any felonies before seven years, they didn’t show up. Now it’s after four years, they’re completely expunged. And now California has decided to not verify dates of birth.

Sarah Hope: [00:40:57] So, let us just take Heather Cox. I don’t know if there’s more than one Heather Cox in California. But if there is, it makes it very difficult for us to run a background check and then to actually verify who you are. And if you have an employee that has felonies – one of my ex-employees, the one that I’m in a legal battle with right now, had eight felonies and we did not know. We ran a background check, but California kept the information because they were not allowed to release it.

Sarah Hope: [00:41:42] And so, understanding that, we put everything into our business. Our business is everything. It’s like our children. And then, you allow someone like this. People can change. It just so happens that this person didn’t. And I found out about it after the fact in the investigation. I’m horrified. I’m horrified for myself and my company. I’m horrified for possible new companies that come in. But this is happening everywhere.

Sarah Hope: [00:42:16] You know, California isn’t the only one, but the ramifications that come from not having the right hire, which you’re not completely, I guess, immune to, I mean we are a background screening company and it didn’t come up. The background check was completely clear, so we didn’t do anything wrong because we didn’t have any idea. But then, what goes through my mind is, “Oh, my gosh. What if a teacher comes over from California and we’re hiring a teacher for a school district, and we can’t release this information or we don’t see?” There’s so much. There’s so much stress that goes along with it.

Sarah Hope: [00:42:58] So, I just think it’s really important to screen and to do the reference checks for as painful as it is to talk to their personal references, to talk to their prior business references. It’s not just about the criminal background check. You guys, check. Check who you’re hiring. Protect your company. So, that’s my ideal hire, someone that really wants to protect what they’re doing and have a background check and compliance. And let us be human with you and help you navigate this journey.

Lee Kantor: [00:43:33] Now, what’s a website for Vertical Identity?

Sarah Hope: [00:43:36] Vertical Identity, so vertical, like horizontal and vertical, and identity, like in stolen identity, .com.

Lee Kantor: [00:43:42] Well, thank you so much for sharing your story. Dr. Pam, what an episode. A lot of smart people in this room.

Dr. Pamela Williamson: [00:43:50] There are a lot of smart people and a lot of great information. We discussed AI. We discussed health and stress. We discussed positive energy. I think we discussed everything possible under this topic. So, I really want to thank Sarah and Heather for joining us and sharing all the nuggets that they did. I appreciate you both.

Sarah Hope: [00:44:15] Yes. Thank you for having me. It was nice to see you both, all of you.

Heather Cox: [00:44:20] Thank you.

Lee Kantor: [00:44:21] All right. Well, that’s a wrap for this episode of Women In Motion. This is Lee Kantor for Dr. Pamela Williamson. We’ll see you all next time.

 

Realtor Olivia Price

by

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Cherokee Business Radio
Realtor Olivia Price
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Brought to you by Diesel David and Main Street Warriors

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Olivia Price of Olivia Price Realty Group joins Stone Payton and guest co-host Madeline King. The discussion emphasized the importance of community involvement, with Olivia and Madeline recounting their participation and contributions to local events, like Woodstock Arts fundraisers.

Olivia shared her journey from working in car sales and insurance to thriving in real estate, underscoring the value of building relationships within the community and industry. For first-time homebuyers, Olivia advised not to focus solely on location but consider long-term financial impacts, while homeowners were encouraged to explore investment opportunities, leveraging their home equity in an “equity-rich era.” 

Olivia-PriceOlivia Price is a dynamic and accomplished young professional making waves in both the real estate industry and community leadership.

A native of Florida, Olivia has an extensive background in sales, customer service and business management.

Connect with Olivia on LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Our Guest Co-Host

Madeline-Henriques-King-headshotMadeline King, Owner Closing with Madeline, is a Woodstock native – enjoying life with her husband, Chase, two girls – Lucy (2.5 years) & Della (1 year) – and 2 fur babies, Lando & Yoda (4). When she’s not with her family, she is helping Real Estate Agents leverage their time and grow their businesses.

As an Independent Transaction Coordinator, Madeline brings calm to the chaos of a Real Estate transaction. She communicates with all parties, making sure deadlines are met, the contract is legally compliant, and generally, helps get you to the closing table.

While Madeline takes care of all the details, Agents are free to focus on what scales their business – nurturing relationships and selling houses!

Follow Closing with Madeline on Facebook.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:07] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Woodstock, Georgia. It’s time for Cherokee Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Stone Payton: [00:00:24] Welcome to this very special edition of Cherokee Business Radio. Stone Payton and Madeline King here with you this morning. And today’s episode is brought to you in part by our community partner program, the Business RadioX Main Street Warriors. Defending capitalism, promoting small business, and supporting our local community. For more information, go to Main Street warriors.org and a special note of thanks to our title sponsor for the Cherokee chapter of Main Street Warriors Diesel David Inc. Please go check them out at diesel.david.com. Madeline, it is so good to be back in the studio. What’s going on in your world?

Madeline King: [00:01:07] Uh, I mean, I have two small kids, so a lot, all the time, but um, most recently I’m super. This is the first time I’ve really. This is like a wide audience. I’m about to say this, too. It’s a big deal. I just got my real estate license. What Olivia doesn’t know is I’m a transaction coordinator, so I am. So I’m a transaction coordinator, and I decided I started this back in November. Oh, it’s been a month, but I finally did it. I’m super excited. Opens up a lot for me. I can do more for my clients, etc. very exciting.

Stone Payton: [00:01:38] Well, it’s an exciting time for you, and a large part of today’s conversation, I think is probably going to be geared toward serving community. You and I were just at a community event for the fundraiser for Woodstock Arts, and, uh, your husband did more than eat the buffet dinner, and he was there. Or did he even get a chance to eat?

Madeline King: [00:01:57] He almost didn’t. Because I’m the wife that forgot to get him a plate, I did. I’m not kidding. He was like, hey, did you get my food? I was like, I ran up. Luckily there was still food there. He ate. He also did a live painting on stage. It was super cool. Um, that Woodstock Arts is really great. They they started doing this with him in, I think, 2019, which is his first ever live painting. It’s like in front of 400 people. It was like, oh, you don’t know if you want to do it. Let’s see. And good. He loved it, actually, and he had a great time. The painting sold in the silent auction after which is sweet, so exciting. So all donated to the Woodstock arts.

Stone Payton: [00:02:32] So so Holly, my wife was with me and, uh, air quote, she air quote, won this plate that she was bidding on. Oh, she did. Yeah. So she got we need to get in the buggy and ride down there and get it later this afternoon. That’s my life now. I walked to the studio, I do a show, then I go home, get a late breakfast, and then we hop in the golf cart and tool around town. And so that’s it’s a nice. Oh, you know. And did I mention I’m going to Paris next week?

Madeline King: [00:03:01] Oh my goodness, I want to live your life.

Stone Payton: [00:03:02] Yes you will, but not for the next. You don’t. You have no hobbies or anything for like years.

Madeline King: [00:03:06] You know what I don’t know? I have a friend that has a three year old similar to one of my daughters. They have been to Japan, Singapore, uh, Paris for sure. Like they’ve done all the things because they said I am. My life is not stopping. So, like, we haven’t quite done that. We haven’t even quite gotten to go camping in North Georgia. So that probably needs to be the first thing we do.

Stone Payton: [00:03:28] Kudos to them.

Madeline King: [00:03:28] You know, so.

Stone Payton: [00:03:29] So we’ll get a lot of that under your belt before soccer, gymnastics training and all that.

Madeline King: [00:03:35] I know I want to hear about your kids. Yeah.

Stone Payton: [00:03:36] Oh you are in for such a real treat as are our listeners. Please join me in welcoming to the broadcast with Olivia Price Realty Group. The lady herself, Olivia Price. How are you?

Olivia Price: [00:03:49] I’m ecstatic. Listen, I am loving the energy, okay? Because I am also a mother of two. I have a three year old and also a seven year old. So yeah, so with balancing that work and then motherhood and being a wife mom, I give you the MVP for the year. It’s a lot. It is a lot. And um, congratulations.

Madeline King: [00:04:12] Thank you.

Olivia Price: [00:04:13] That’s exciting. Um, and, um, so you were already in transaction coordination before getting your license?

Madeline King: [00:04:19] Yes.

Olivia Price: [00:04:19] Well, that’s awesome.

Madeline King: [00:04:20] I did it the other way, right?

Olivia Price: [00:04:21] No, that’s okay though. That’s okay. That’s awesome. Um, so that’s that’s exciting. Thank you. But I’m excited. I’m excited to be here. Um, in Woodstock. I know the traffic was crazy, but I am here. I’m glad.

Stone Payton: [00:04:35] You. For what it’s worth, even when you’re here, traffic is crazy. Unless you can walk there or buggy there. Look, we.

Olivia Price: [00:04:41] Don’t have the the, um, the luxury of of buggying here, especially on 285 to 85. Right. All the routes that we had to take to get here once you.

Madeline King: [00:04:50] If you come to downtown Woodstock for like a date, family night, just let me know and I’ll tell you where to park that that I can help you with.

Olivia Price: [00:04:57] Is it pretty? Um. It’s packed. Oh, yeah. But if you know.

Madeline King: [00:05:01] Where to park, you’ll be good.

Olivia Price: [00:05:02] Um, see, it’s all about the tricks.

Stone Payton: [00:05:05] Madeline is in the know. Uh, so I got to know backstory. What has held you to get into this arena? To get in the real estate arena?

Olivia Price: [00:05:14] So initially, um, I’ve been in sales for years, since my early teens. And, um, I started off with car sales. I was working for Ford. I was a Ford for several years. Um, then I got into, um, insurance with State Farm. Um, so after I left Ford, literally, it was after I had my first daughter, and, um, I was spending so many hours and my husband was like, yeah, I think you need to find another career. So that’s why I ended up getting my insurance license and started working for State Farm. And literally I was there for a few years, and I just thought I could just do a little bit more. Right? I was my daughter was a couple of years old at that time. I was like, okay, I think I need to get back to me, right? I like the, um, aggression of car sales. I like the fact that I do, I do, I love the fact that we’re able. Um, I do, I do, um, and now I’m able to use those same skill sets into real estate. Right. Um, and it’s just a little bit more impactful. And that’s what I like about it. Um, car sales is pretty straightforward. You come in, you do your thing, but real estate is more relationship based. So I do like that. I like building relationships and seeing my product form. Right. It’s a different product that we’re selling than cars, right? It’s more of you and the idea of being in home ownership or, you know, your secondary home, whatever the case may be. So I just like that. So I’ve been in real estate now going on five years and I love it. So you are in you’re in a great, great profession. So I wish you all the luck.

Stone Payton: [00:06:45] So what was it like the first Tuesday after you got your license, which is what was it had to be an exciting time, but maybe a little scary too.

Olivia Price: [00:06:54] It was just because that test. Right. The test I think is pretty extreme. And I think it’s you’re still in shock. You’re like, oh my God. Okay, so, um, I got I got the piece of paper. All right. Now you’re, you’re a business owner and now you’re like, okay, so what do I do to get business? Where do I start? And I think it’s just so broad that I think I was just kind of still in shock. I was like, okay, so I’m here now. Now what?

Madeline King: [00:07:21] So when when you got your license, you were you you weren’t in real estate yet and you were like, I want to be let me get my license. Jump in. Good for you.

Olivia Price: [00:07:30] Fresh in, fresh in. So I didn’t you’re.

Madeline King: [00:07:31] Like, what.

Olivia Price: [00:07:32] Lesson? Besides the previous, besides the previous sales experience that I’ve had is nothing compared to real estate, though it’s still new.

Madeline King: [00:07:41] By the way, I am really impressed that she was in car sales, because that scares me. Like the fact that you did that makes you. I know you’re a good real estate agent, because you probably advocate for your clients and know how to negotiate and also know how to be a nice person, but be just aggressive enough, yes, to get it done right.

Olivia Price: [00:08:01] And that’s one thing too, because it’s male dominated. Right. Um, and I just learned a lot from my fellow counterparts. I did, and I loved it. Um, they loved me. I was in Buford. Um, Buford, um, shout out to Marla Georgia Ford, by the way, because now I can.

Stone Payton: [00:08:17] Send them an invoice. This is great.

Olivia Price: [00:08:19] Now, um, because they were great. It was. It was real family. So really good experience. That really helped me get into the field that I’m in now. So real. Really. Um, from real estate for me, um, since I’ve been in, it has been a whirlwind of learning experiences. Right? And seeing what works for you and what doesn’t work for you and your business. But ultimately, I’m just happy to be here. I am and happy to still be in business, so I’m just happy.

Stone Payton: [00:08:45] So have you found yourself gravitating to a certain type of client, a new home buyer? The investor, the luxury? The.

Olivia Price: [00:08:53] So in terms of. Which route I take for business. I tend to find a lot of first time home buyers for me and resell on this. On the listing side. Um, I love my first time home buyers just because it’s like. How can I put it? Your aversion. You don’t know. It’s like you’re new to everything. So the first impression that they get from me is is is lifelong. So I like that. I like being that. Hey, your first experience was a good experience. And I like to build those because that’s where my business comes from now is referrals for people that have done business with and also people that haven’t done business with me but have heard about me, and they send people business. I mean, they send me business. So within the released, um, the resale and then the first time home buyers, that’s really my lane. Um, so.

Stone Payton: [00:09:50] So now that you’re five years in, what’s the what do you think is the most rewarding? What’s the what’s the most fun about it for you?

Olivia Price: [00:09:58] Fun. Hmm. Can you put fun in real estate in the same sentence? Yeah, I don’t know, but, um.

Madeline King: [00:10:06] What’s happening?

Olivia Price: [00:10:07] It depends on what’s happening. But I can say that, um, at year five, we’re building our team, and I think that is the. That’s the fun part. I will say that’s the fun part. Or the, um, the liberating part about it, that you can do that. I started from ground zero. I, I’m originally from Florida, born and raised right. I’ve been in Georgia going on 12 years now. I didn’t know anyone, didn’t have a dime when I started, and to start at Ground Zero to build it up now, to come into the position to build a team. I mean, right there, that speaks volumes. So I’m just to a point where I’m like, okay, you know what I’m at, where I’m at, and I’m just looking to continue to grow. That’s where I’m at with it. Just continue to grow.

Madeline King: [00:10:59] I’m really impressed. And yeah, you’re not kidding when you first start and you get your license, the fees and the what? It’s like $120 just to take the test. You don’t want to fail it.

Olivia Price: [00:11:11] I was just going to say hopefully you listen. Listen, I’ve had so many stories of people trying to get in and you got in, so I just want to say congratulations on that. Thank you. That’s an accomplishment by itself. I’m sitting here.

Madeline King: [00:11:23] Impressed by you because now you’re okay. You’re five years in and you’re building a team. What does that look like? You’ve got agents, you’ve got transaction coordinators. You got all of it. That’s really exciting. Next level.

Olivia Price: [00:11:33] Yes. Um, so like I said, I just started with me. So I’m my marketer. I’m a cold caller. I’m my, uh, back office team, my transaction coordinator. I’m my showing agent. I’m everything right? Yeah. Come on. As a first time business owner like myself, I came into an industry at the age of 24.

Madeline King: [00:11:51] Okay, okay. Thank you. Because I have no idea how old anyone is. I’m like, I like you. Could. You could be 20. I don’t.

Olivia Price: [00:11:58] Know, um, that’s.

Madeline King: [00:11:59] That’s. No, you couldn’t actually technically.

Olivia Price: [00:12:01] Okay, listen, listen. So I’m the same way I usually not. And that’s you to listen. Because when I first met him, he was like, well, look, that’s an old picture. I’m like, look, I didn’t know. Okay, listen, it looked good, okay? But honestly, I can say that from the beginning of having to do everything myself now I’m like, okay, I have people in position now. I have my back office team, which is my outsourcing team, which is like my cold callers. Then also I have, uh, my transaction coordinator and then she has her own team as well. And then I have my preferred vendors. Right. That goes hand in hand because I think that without having two vendors, I think it’s hard to navigate through real estate, especially with professionals that you trust. Um, and then on the front line, which is me. And then I have my several agents. So front line agents, back line back office team, which handles all my contracts and communications with my clients. So, um, I mean, right now I can say that especially with being a new agent and coming in and just getting licensed, I think the biggest thing for me, especially with coming into the industry, was just getting more involved with events and seeing who’s who in the industry. I think that was a big thing for me coming in. I think that helped me build my team. That’s because I started to see other agents and they started opening up to me and we started networking, and that’s a good thing about our field too. People want a network. Mhm. People want to help you. People want to see you grow. So I think with that, along with my five years in, I just think everything is collective. It’s a collective thing.

Stone Payton: [00:13:36] Was the turn that you just used. Was it preferred vendors. Mhm. Say more about that because it sounds like that’s an integral part of a successful practice. Yeah. Mhm.

Olivia Price: [00:13:45] It is, it is, is this.

Stone Payton: [00:13:46] Home services type people.

Olivia Price: [00:13:48] Yes. Yes. Home services I.

Madeline King: [00:13:50] Mean even lender. Can we talk about that.

Olivia Price: [00:13:52] For a second. We’ll talk about the money because.

Madeline King: [00:13:54] I well the lender uh it’s so important to have a good lender. And when I was a first time home buyer I was not in real estate yet. And our agent was like, here you go, call him. And I was like, huh? Who is that? Why? What are you getting out of it? Mhm. Nothing. And that’s it took me a while to realize that. And I think it’s important to teach people that. So yeah having the vendor list but especially a good lender, we just wanted to go through. Right.

Olivia Price: [00:14:20] I think that is huge when it comes to the money. Right. And that’s one thing too. When we first bought our house we weren’t in real estate, so we were just two pigeons in the road. We were like, well, shoot, okay, she’s great. She knows what she’s talking about. Let’s just take, you know, let’s just follow her lead. And I think with having those. Trusted partners with you is everything. Because, like you said, you, um. When you’re new. And you don’t know, and you’re trusting your agent to know and to refer you good business. Right? Either. And and how it works is that we don’t get anything from this. Right. But just knowing that they took care of my client, that means everything to me. Yeah. So I was able to build different relationships and one of it too. So when I came into the industry, uh, maybe two years deep into it, I really got involved within the Georgia Association of Realtors, um, my local board and also my local development authority because I’m in Loganville. So I served on, um, all of my boards as board directors. Um, I.

Madeline King: [00:15:31] How so you got kids? Jason.

Olivia Price: [00:15:34] It was a lot. I’m impressed. It was a lot. It was a lot. And, um, honestly, that’s my husband. My husband is the real MVP, honey, because, listen, I it was times where I’m like, oh, my God, I know he cannot deal with me because it was a lot. That’s the first thing that we spoke about too. I said, look, motherhood, being a wife and being a business woman, it’s a lot. But, um, with serving on those boards and seeing how people do business and seeing how relationships are really cultivated and, um, held to a high degree, I just learned from the best, I learned from the best and built some really solid relationships. And that’s how I was able to find my vendors through networking within our real estate boards. Um, so.

Stone Payton: [00:16:17] In our pre show forum that we have all our guests complete, they send it in. Sometimes they’ll have I’ll suggest that they, uh, give me a couple of topics and maybe 3 to 5 topics to tee up and fold in the conversation. I got one topic for from Olivia, but it’s the one thing that made me say, I cannot wait to do this interview under Topics and Questions. Empowering our community through Real estate. So so obviously though this is this is very important to you community and empowering the community. So yeah, speak to that a little bit.

Olivia Price: [00:16:50] So we do a lot of things for our community. And one of the things I think you asked was, okay, who is your I won’t say target audience, but who do you predominantly work with? I said first time home buyers and resell. So one of the things that we focus on is helping our people invest. Either it’s in your first property, or it could be from when you’re already a homeowner and getting into Airbnbs, duplexes, vacation rentals, um, fix and flips, X, Y, and Z. So one of the things that we do is free investment property seminars for our community. And it’s free. Oh yes. Oh yes. Very big. Um, just because right now in Georgia, our market is already owned by 45% investors, which blew me. Well, it doesn’t really blow me because to be honest with you, our population between the years of 2022 to 2023, we grew like 60 plus thousand. So I think a lot of that is is bringing our investor friendly people here. So I’m encouraging people who live here who already bought their properties here or just currently work here in Georgia. We need to invest here. That’s I’m pushing that agenda that. Hey everyone. Young, old, new, whatever you need to invest. No.

Madeline King: [00:18:01] You’re right. And I actually work with an agent in another state, and he’s bringing buyers from that other state investing in South Georgia. So I see it.

Olivia Price: [00:18:11] I hear you, they’re not here. Right. So I’m encouraging people who are here. Right. Especially for my people who’s been here for years. I’m talking about 20 plus years, 30 plus years. And I’m like, listen, we really need to get you to own a lot of where you already built your home and your farm. And when I say farm, I mean your friends, your family, your job, whatever you have going on, that’s your farm, right? My farm is in Loganville. That’s where I am. That’s where I built my family. That’s where I do a lot of my networking. I’m involved within my city council and community, so I’m big on that. I served on the City of Louisville’s development authority. Yeah. That’s. Yeah. So I care about what’s going on around me. So I want everyone else to care about what’s going on around them. Right? When it comes to investments, super big.

Stone Payton: [00:18:57] So as a layperson, I have a couple of observations that may be assumptions or conclusions that are in error. So I want to get them validated and checked out here. One is your arena and I’m talking to both of you. It looks from the outside looking in very crowded like there’s a lot of players. And so yes. Is that is that.

Olivia Price: [00:19:17] No. That’s a great.

Madeline King: [00:19:18] Thing to bring up.

Stone Payton: [00:19:19] That’s true. But there’s a lot of folks in the arena. So to me, I got a whole set of sales and marketing questions that I’d like to dive into if we if we find time. But also it’s a dichotomy because there’s that. And you guys, you seem to be such a collaborative group of people. Madeline and I, Madeline and I go to a mastermind group and it’s held inside a realty place, Vibe Realty, there on the wall there a community partner is and there must be. There’s people from 3 or 4 agencies. There’s there there’s.

Madeline King: [00:19:52] A Keller Williams person there the last time.

Stone Payton: [00:19:54] Right, right. So anyway, I’m just throwing that out there. It just seems, you know, like it’s crowded and you’re very collaborative. Can either or both of you talk to that a little bit.

Olivia Price: [00:20:06] So honestly I can say from experience and I said that before too, I mentioned when I first came in, I networked and I was able to meet some really great agents who took me underneath their wings who were like, hey, Olivia, these are some pointers on what you can do within your business and how to navigate this industry. Now, when it comes to population, we’re out here, agents, we are getting our license by the bundle. We are. That’s a fact. But I agree with it too. I think everyone should have their real estate license. Why not? Right. And one way or the other, you’re going to come across someone who needs to service, right? But at the end of the day, I can see I can say that. I’m trying to find a good terme. We’re together, but we’re separate, if that makes sense. Right? Because everyone offers something different. And that’s what I think the collaborative ness. If that’s a word, it’s going to be a word. It is now. It’s going to be a word today. I think that, um, how we come together is the fact that first off, at least right now, at least in our economy. I represent the buyer. You represent the seller, right? So it’s always going to be a situation where we have to.

Stone Payton: [00:21:22] Well that makes sense okay.

Olivia Price: [00:21:23] We have to learn how to get along with each other. Right. Because I don’t know, you might be listening to home. Let’s just say I made you upset, right? I pissed you off. So let’s just say you’re listening. A beautiful home up here in Woodstock. And I have a client that’s looking at that particular home in Woodstock. At that particular time, it was me versus several other, you know, um, buyers. Who would you go with? I don’t know, probably don’t answer that.

Speaker5: [00:21:49] I’m like, I would, I would try I would.

Madeline King: [00:21:51] Hope most people would not base it off emotions. But we know that people are people. Yeah. Yes.

Speaker5: [00:21:55] But it’s like I.

Madeline King: [00:21:58] The networking networking within your community and networking within your community of agents to um, I’m, I see a lot of collaboration versus competition. To your point and to your point, we kind of have to. Right. Especially because at the end of the day, you want the deal to go through, you both do. So even if you like, don’t vibe with each other like your personality also too.

Olivia Price: [00:22:20] And that goes back to business practice, right? And not saying that you’re going to be in a predicament where it’s like, okay, that agent isn’t going to use me because they feel some type of way about me, but it’s more so business, right? And I think a lot of it boils down to that. Like, okay, it’s like, okay, this person, the deal didn’t go through or something happened or you were just really hard to work with. I think that that can be a little difficult navigating in this industry with professionals who think like that. Right. Not saying that’s the sole basis of it. No it’s not, but you want to just make sure you’re doing clean business, that’s all. Make sure that you’re building relationships with people fairly. And I believe in that. Um, especially when it comes to situations, like I said, if there’s me versus especially with me, right, it’s still competition, right? At the end of the day is competition in terms of bidding wars and things like that. So but the way that I structured my business, the way that I represent my buyers, relationships matter when it comes to agents. If I know the agent not saying that the agent is going to pick me because they know me, but if they know my track record, they know I sell. They know how I represent my buyers properly. Then by all means, I think that that stands to a certain degree, a high level of degree when it comes to choosing who’s the best fit for that particular client that you’re representing on the seller side? No, I think it has.

Madeline King: [00:23:38] I heard that from other agents. Like just like when you get offers like, oh, well, I know Olivia. Okay, cool like that in the back of your mind you’re like, well, I know that this is going to be a and the.

Olivia Price: [00:23:48] Offer to now the offer has to make sense. Right? That too. At the end of the day, the offer looks great. The lender.

Madeline King: [00:23:56] Yeah the lender. All of it. So but to Stone’s point like there’s a like in your point there are a lot of agents out there. And as a new agent that can be scary right. Uh oh. Well what who’s how am I going to get business? There’s it’s a mindset thing, right? Because I network with, you know, okay, there’s a group that meets Monday mornings and we network and there are several realtors there, but none of them have an issue with the other agents being there. The people who have an issue aren’t there. Right? They’re going, well, I’m not going to go. There’s a bunch of agents there. Why would I do that? Those agents are going, I’m going to go because I’m networking with my community, and I know I’m not everybody’s cup of tea and they’re not everybody’s cup of tea. It’s going to be different strokes for different folks. Right. And I think.

Olivia Price: [00:24:39] All of it comes together. What makes you different in a field of a lot of realtors? I think at that point, um, and I guess we can really touch bases on to piggyback on what you said. There’s a lot of us here. We collaborate with each other, but also what are some things that can make you stand apart? And I think with having the full circle, which is your community, your sales volume, of course. Right. Because we’re it’s a sales game. Everyone looks at everyone’s numbers, right. Everyone wants to see what are you doing in your business. And it’s accessible. That’s a beautiful thing. You can is it really. It is. Oh, wow. Yeah. You can see who’s selling what in what area, you know, and things of that nature. So community, um, your production and then also your relationships within your industry. I think those three building factors, I feel as though that can make you a very strong agent and a field where there’s so many agents in here. Right. You want to be cool with your counterparts, but at the same time, you want to set yourself apart when it comes to business practice, right? So that’s how I see it. If you have if you’re mastering those three levels, I feel as though you can really stand out in this industry, especially in Atlanta, because I think, what do you think.

Madeline King: [00:25:53] Makes you stand.

Speaker5: [00:25:54] Out?

Olivia Price: [00:25:54] Oh, that’s a good question. I don’t know, question. That’s a good question.

Stone Payton: [00:25:57] I thought you said you were a first time co-host. I’m not saying jumping in.

Olivia Price: [00:26:01] Huh? I love.

Stone Payton: [00:26:02] It. I want to go get some coffee.

Speaker5: [00:26:04] Oh.

Olivia Price: [00:26:05] I love it, I love it. Um, I love the energy. Um, so some of the things that makes me different is back to what I said. I’m one of the youngest African American board directors to sit on the Georgia Association of Realtors, um, the Northeast Atlanta metro Association of Realtors, the Woman’s Council, Realtors of Gwinnett. I served as their first vice president and membership director. And then I also once again served on the City of Loganville Development Authority. So I think with that, on top of my sales production, I’m a top 5% team with Keller Williams Realty, Atlanta Partners. And then also, um, in terms of community. That’s one of the reasons why I do my free investment seminar is for the community. Love it. Um, and also I speak at high schools to speak to you.

Speaker5: [00:26:55] Is there anything.

Madeline King: [00:26:56] You don’t do?

Speaker5: [00:26:57] Well, yes. So I’m sold a lot.

Olivia Price: [00:27:00] No, but, um, honestly, I can say that, um. Uh, but, yeah, I speak at different high schools, too, about financial literacy, because I feel as though that’s a big thing. I feel as though as children, if we I wouldn’t say as children, but as teenagers, because we predominantly, um, speak to high schools, if we had a basis of helping them understand credit, understand homeownership, understand different trade positions, right, because everyone isn’t built for college.

Speaker5: [00:27:29] That’s I love you.

Olivia Price: [00:27:31] Address the elephant in the room, right. Everyone’s not meant for college. So what are some trade positions. Because real estate is a trade. Mhm. You don’t have to go to college for it. You don’t have to be the brightest cookie in the jar. You don’t have to do any of that in order to come in here and make a decent living for you and your family, or just you and yourself. So, um, like I said, biggest thing here that made me different, my community involvement, I do, I do charity events, my, um, seminars and um, then I have my production and then also I’m pretty popular with them, my community, well, real estate industry.

Madeline King: [00:28:08] I am really impressed that she speaks to high schoolers. Like we don’t learn that in high school. There is no let me talk to you about finances and I wish I had that so.

Speaker5: [00:28:18] Me too. That’s awesome.

Olivia Price: [00:28:19] Me too. That’s great. But hey. Oh.

Speaker5: [00:28:22] No. Go ahead.

Olivia Price: [00:28:23] No, I was just going to say. But, um. And I think that’s the biggest thing in real estate. Be cool with everyone. Be great with everyone. Know your counterparts. Know who’s selling. Know who’s not selling. Right? Because those are people who are going to sell eventually. Um, and just build those meaningful relationships with people like what you’re doing with networking with other realtors or whatever, um, groups that you’re affiliated with that has other realtors there. I’ll get to know them too, because you never know when you need someone help. Like, for instance, I had someone looking for a house down in Douglasville. I’m like, girl, I can’t make it out there. Can you go show my person for me real quick and help me out? Honestly, that’s that collaborative, um, relationship that comes into play. So. Or I give it away, I’m like, hey, look, they’re looking and making I can’t I’m not driving to making referral.

Madeline King: [00:29:12] Sure.

Olivia Price: [00:29:12] And that’s big. I’ve gotten so many referrals from social media okay.

Madeline King: [00:29:16] So that’s going into the sales and marketing and I because I’m going, okay, how do you well you have a team now. So you have someone doing that for you in social media. You’re doing oh that’s nice. How is.

Speaker5: [00:29:28] That?

Olivia Price: [00:29:29] Um, it was hard because for me I was so tight on everything. I’m like, oh, wait, I don’t know. I don’t know if you might not do it right. Oh yeah. I’m that type of person. I feel like I could do everything by myself.

Speaker5: [00:29:39] I have like, business.

Madeline King: [00:29:40] Owners are like.

Speaker5: [00:29:40] That, right?

Olivia Price: [00:29:41] And also I think with being a mom, oh, help my kids way too much. They. I probably disabled them just a little bit. Um, but if they’re not doing something right, I’m like, look, baby, let me help you. You know, um, so I had to learn to let other people do the things that are necessary to my business and giving that to someone, right? So, hey, here’s my baby, because your business is like your baby. At least mine is. Because I’ve seen it. I’ve. It was at my baby had no legs, no anything. Right?

Speaker5: [00:30:09] Honestly, I helped it grow legs.

Olivia Price: [00:30:11] It was just an idea. Yeah, just. I don’t know about what made you get into real estate, but mine was like, okay, well, shoot, I’m not really feeling my career right now. I think I need a change. Yep. So it was just an idea?

Speaker5: [00:30:21] Yep.

Olivia Price: [00:30:21] And growing it and forming it and putting some legs on it, pinning some eyebrows.

Speaker5: [00:30:25] It’s your baby person molding it.

Olivia Price: [00:30:28] And now I’m like, okay, you can walk. You can go to someone else now and they can build you up to whatever is going to be.

Speaker5: [00:30:34] Mhm.

Madeline King: [00:30:35] I love the way she put that.

Olivia Price: [00:30:37] It is a baby. It is like can your stomach come on. We had two. You know how it was. That baby was just a.

Speaker5: [00:30:43] I do it’s.

Olivia Price: [00:30:43] Like a little some.

Speaker5: [00:30:44] Hard work. Hard work.

Stone Payton: [00:30:46] But it occurs to me you have so many um and rightly so. I think a lot of lines in the water. You got all this stuff going on in the background. You have this activity, you’re serving the community, you’re building these relationships with everything from people in other aspects, the other services that homeowners and potential homeowners are going to need. And I think you said early in the conversation, you’ve got people in the office cold calling. Mhm. Yeah. So you still got to get out there and shake the trees. Yeah. Mhm. And then so they’re uh they’re cold calling like how do you, how do you even know who to call. Or do you just call them all.

Olivia Price: [00:31:20] No. That’s a good question. So and that goes into where are you trying to get your business. I had a conversation, one of my colleagues in my office. And that’s one thing too, why I love my brokerage. They’re so they they’re like, Olivia, what do you need? What do you have going on? What do you need help with? I like that, right, because you need that, right? Besides your family being your foundation, you need your counterparts to help you sometimes hold you. Accountable or different things of that nature. So he was like, hey, so what are you? Because he asked the same question, like, who are they cold calling? So my biggest thing in terms of where I’m getting my business from or where I’m wanting to get more business from, is businesses promoting our service to them. Right? When it comes to that investment, not only are we helping our, um. How can I put it? Not only are we helping our clients like our resellers and our first time home buyers to invest, but also we’re teaching business owners to invest too. Like, for instance, it might be a small dentist office. They’re like, hey, you know what? Um, I was thinking about wanting to open up a second location, but, you know, I’m not too sure on how that process will look. So that’s who we’re targeting and different things like that. So smart. So they’re literally just dialing out.

Madeline King: [00:32:35] Yeah, that’s really smart.

Stone Payton: [00:32:37] So I don’t know when you would find the time, but I’m going to ask anyway. Passions, interests, hobbies outside the the scope of of your real estate work?

Olivia Price: [00:32:47] I think we talked about that too before we aired. You were like, oh, I don’t I think he was saying that what you do, you don’t have.

Speaker5: [00:32:54] Yeah.

Olivia Price: [00:32:54] Listen, I, I think it’s almost $1 million question. And for hobbies of mine. To be honest with you, I don’t really do much. I don’t have many hobbies.

Speaker5: [00:33:05] Like I said, I.

Stone Payton: [00:33:06] Don’t know when you do it.

Speaker5: [00:33:07] I don’t have anything. Okay?

Madeline King: [00:33:09] I’m gonna make you feel better, okay? Because I understand what you mean. Because your mom, your business owner, is like, how do I even have time for that? Versus, you know, like, I don’t know, riding horses. I’m just, I don’t know, throwing that out there. But real estate is such a large thing and there’s so many facets to it. So like, I hear a lot of people who are good at being agents say, but this is my passion. So there’s nothing wrong with saying that real estate is your passion, because within that you’re helping people. You’re serving your community. Yes, there’s all of those things and it’s enriching you too. So there’s no shame in that at all.

Speaker5: [00:33:44] Well, I.

Olivia Price: [00:33:45] Can say that in the real estate thing, I was going to say that I think within the real estate field, I think there’s a lot of different perks that you get to do with being in our field. Right? Like for instance, um, I use like Dalakhani, Hunter and Tucker. I use their office for a majority of my closings. Um, so they do a lot of events. So I’m able to go out to different events through them. Right. Um, because they do a lot of things for real. That’s the beautiful thing, right? Realtors, we get special privilege. I think they want to invite us out to different things, right? For us to talk about it, for us to promote it to our clients. So I think there’s just a. It’s a win win, right? Because I don’t do much outside of what I do in real estate. But within being a real estate, a lot of things come with it. So I go to a lot. I go to the Hawks game, I go to concerts. So okay, I think we get a lot of that. But then just being in a job. So I guess I really don’t have any hobbies, but just real estate.

Speaker5: [00:34:43] That’s. Yeah, nothing wrong with that.

Olivia Price: [00:34:44] It’s time consuming.

Stone Payton: [00:34:46] Well, no, what I think I’m realizing I like to hunt, fish and travel and I enjoy bourbon, but I, I imagine if I were in the real estate arena, I would get my, I’d get to have plenty of access to bourbon, probably. And maybe all the, maybe the, you know, the lenders would want to go fishing or hunting or whatever. So yeah, it’s all kind of interwoven. It’s a very symbiotic, uh, environment.

Olivia Price: [00:35:06] Those relationships. Right. Yeah. Those relationships once again, um, they’re so important. And I think with the way I formed them. So, like, Olivia come out, my wife and I are going out, and me and my husband will go out with them and hang out. That’s one thing to my husband is amazing because he really, really holds holds the fort down. And he he’s with me everywhere. And a lot of times my family too. That’s a beautiful thing to real estate. The whole family can be involved.

Speaker5: [00:35:33] Yeah. All right.

Madeline King: [00:35:33] We’re gonna have to talk about that after this. Like, how does that. Does your husband have a job? Does he a full time job?

Speaker5: [00:35:38] Yes, he is.

Olivia Price: [00:35:40] But he’s an entrepreneur, too. He owns two barber shops.

Speaker5: [00:35:43] Oh, my.

Olivia Price: [00:35:44] So he’s not hands on, hands on as much, but he still works.

Speaker5: [00:35:48] Yeah, that’s. Wow.

Stone Payton: [00:35:49] He’s a superhero. Oh.

Olivia Price: [00:35:52] You call him what you call it, I don’t know.

Stone Payton: [00:35:55] Well, shout out to him. That is fantastic. All right, before we wrap, I wonder if we could leave our listeners with a with a few pro tips and pick an area. You know, maybe it’s the first time home buyer, maybe it’s the investor, maybe a little bit of both, but or maybe just some things to look for if you’re entertaining listing, um, a home or like, I don’t even know if I know what questions to ask a realtor. Anyway, let’s leave them with a couple of pro tips if we could.

Olivia Price: [00:36:20] Okay, so, um, I’ll start off with first time home buyers because I experienced them all the time. Um, my tips would be for them is. Do not get caught up on location. I think a lot of times people are paying to be within a certain location. That they may need to be open to trying different areas. Like for instance, um, I know right now a lot of people are wanting to be certain parts of Atlanta, certain parts of Cobb County, certain parts of Gwinnett County, and I’m encouraging them that, okay. Yes. In this apartment, you’re getting all these amenities and you’re super close to certain, um, certain, um, activities, restaurants, whatnot. But at the end of the day, we have to think longevity, right? In the next however many years. How much did you pay in rent for that certain location? Um, I think when it boils down to the numbers, I think if we focus more on the numbers, I think that we can make better decisions in terms of is that location even worth it? At the end of the day because I’m telling people, we’re actually starting a buyer di campaign that we just launched. Yes.

Stone Payton: [00:37:32] She’s so creative.

Speaker5: [00:37:33] And I’m like, no.

Olivia Price: [00:37:35] It’s extreme. And I and I wanted to be buyer Di because with the way that we’re going for our rental rate in Georgia, because we don’t have a rental cap here. And that’s one of the reasons why so many people are coming to Georgia first and foremost, especially on the investment tip. But I’m just encouraging people look at the numbers. Let’s be real. Do you feel as though where you are right now, and how much money you’re making and where you’re trying to go, longevity wise? Does it add up to your long terme goal? Honestly, because I’ve had so many people, the amount of money they’re paying in rent is astronomical. I’m like, oh my God, you could have paid off like three houses.

Madeline King: [00:38:10] That’s painful.

Olivia Price: [00:38:11] Honestly, I’m telling you, I’ve dealt with people who’ve been renting for 20, 20 plus years. Wow, do the math.

Madeline King: [00:38:16] Maybe some of them don’t even know they can buy.

Olivia Price: [00:38:18] They don’t. And that comes to advertising to our advertising is very detailed and we get a lot of calls from that advertising. So I just tell people, look at the numbers and let’s focus on where are you trying to go longevity wise. So that would be my tip for first time home buyers. Uh, my tip for, uh, my resale people, my people who already own homes or whatnot. Let’s talk about investments. Let’s go ahead and see, for instance, um, for my people who like to travel to Florida or whatnot, South Carolina, Nashville, Tennessee, whatever the case may be, let’s see about getting a vacation rental out there if you’d like to visit there a lot, let’s see how we can get you another property out there. And in the meantime, let’s see how we can Airbnb it out or whatnot. So, um, that would be my tip if you’re if you own, let’s see how we can go ahead and reinvest into something that you’re interested in and what can give you some cash flow and build your exit plan. That’s the biggest thing too, especially for my late people. Building that exit plan is real right now. And if you can still build it and and gain some residual income from that built, it’s worth it right now because George’s field effect filled with equity.

Speaker5: [00:39:22] Um, yeah.

Olivia Price: [00:39:23] This is the equity rich era they’re calling it. That’s what they call it equity rich era. Um, I’m living proof too. Honestly, my house has a lot of equity, and I’m like, I don’t know what to do with it. Well, I can tell you, I reinvested it. I bought two Airbnbs in Florida, so. Good.

Speaker5: [00:39:41] Oh, good for you.

Stone Payton: [00:39:42] She is building that empire.

Speaker5: [00:39:44] This is what all.

Madeline King: [00:39:45] Of what you said. I and people I know need to talk to you.

Speaker5: [00:39:50] Yeah.

Madeline King: [00:39:50] I think things people need to know for sure.

Stone Payton: [00:39:52] I am so glad I asked. All right. What’s the best way for our listeners to connect with you? Have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on your.

Olivia Price: [00:40:00] Team, for sure. So, um, we are all social media platforms. Um, first we’ll start with Google. You can Google Olivia J price rules to group and everything will pop up from our social media or websites. Um, then you can find us on Instagram at Agent Olivia J. Price and then Facebook at Olivia J. Price, and then TikTok at Olivia J. Price. Um, everything is going to be Olivia J. Price, um, across the border on all platforms, LinkedIn as well. And, um, you can always reach me directly through DM, or you can call me at (407) 601-9025.

Stone Payton: [00:40:34] Fantastic. It has been such a delight having you in the studio. Thank you for making the time, making the drive.

Olivia Price: [00:40:41] It was all worth it.

Speaker5: [00:40:43] It was a.

Olivia Price: [00:40:43] Pleasure meeting.

Speaker5: [00:40:44] You. You as well.

Stone Payton: [00:40:46] All right, until next time. This is Stone Payton for my co-host, Madeleine King and our guest today, Olivia Price, with Olivia Price Realty Group and everyone here at the Business RadioX family saying, we’ll see you again on Cherokee Business Radio.

 

WBE Feature – Women’s Month & Stress Awareness: Mental Fitness

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WBE Feature – Women’s Month & Stress Awareness: Mental Fitness
Women in Motion
WBE Feature – Women’s Month & Stress Awareness: Mental Fitness
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On today’s episode of Women in Motion, Lee Kantor talks with Amy Yip, a mental fitness coach and founder of Somatic Life Transformation. Amy discusses her transition from a corporate career to coaching, focusing on helping women overcome societal pressures and intergenerational issues to author their own life stories. She emphasizes the difference between coaching and therapy, with coaching being future-oriented and goal-driven. Amy also explains the role of somatics in her practice, teaching clients to understand and respond to their body’s wisdom to effect change.

Amy-Yip-Coaching-logo

Amy-YipAmy Yip is a Somatic Life Transformation and Mental Fitness coach, keynote speaker, self-confidence trainer, and the author of Unfinished Business: Breaking Down the Great Wall Between Adult Child and Immigrant Parents.

She works with women of color to strengthen their mental fitness, heal their intergenerational wounds, and have agency to let go of all the ‘shoulds’ so that they can be the authors of their own life stories. Her mission is to empower AAPI women to be seen, to be heard, and to f-ing rock the boat.

In January 2020, after 16+ years of building and leading global teams in organizations including Google, Clorox, and Booz Allen, Amy left the corporate world, sold everything, and took a one-way flight to Ghana with her husband to volunteer at a breast cancer nonprofit and travel the world. COVID-19 shifted their plans; they got stuck in Ghana for seven months.

One of Amy’s greatest learnings is this:
Your mindset, not your circumstances, makes all the difference in your happiness and success.

Through this lens, she works with organizational leaders, including corporate executives, nonprofits, and social entrepreneurs, to find their voice and the courage to speak up, build self-confidence, navigate change, and discover what they really want next in their lives and careers.

Amy is an International Coach Federation Professional Certified Coach, a Certified Hudson Institute Coach, a Certified Strozzi Institute Somatic Coach, and a pioneer Mental Fitness Coach certified through Positive Intelligence.

Amy received her MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, and her BS in computer science and BA in communications from the University of Maryland.

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Music Provided by M PATH MUSIC

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:07] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios, it’s time for Women In Motion. Brought to you by WBEC-West. Join forces. Succeed together. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:27] Lee Kantor here. Another episode of Women In Motion, and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, WBEC-West. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on the show we have Amy Yip. She is a Somatic Life Transformation Founder and a Mental Fitness Coach with Amy Yip Coaching. Welcome, Amy.

Amy Yip: [00:00:52] Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:53] I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about your practice. How are you serving folks?

Amy Yip: [00:00:58] Yeah. So, I work with women to strengthen their mental fitness, heal intergenerational wounds, and have agency to let go of all the shoulds so they can be the authors of their own life story. And I work with organizations to accelerate the upward movement under represented groups, so women, people of color, really, helping them to learn things like how do you say no, how do you set boundaries, how do you ask for what you want, how do you take space at the table.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:30] So, what’s your back story? How did you get into this line of work?

Amy Yip: [00:01:34] So, how much time do we have? So, it all started, I spent 16 years in corporate America, so I was leading global teams and organizations like Google, Clorox, Booz Allen. And when I started at Google, I had always said I have this dream. I want to go travel. I want to go explore the world and figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life. Because the thing that I was doing, as much as I loved it, it wasn’t it. I wanted to serve people. I just didn’t know what exactly that was.

Amy Yip: [00:02:07] The thing is, during my time at Google, I hit my mid-30s. And in your mid-30s as a woman, a lot of people have opinions about what you should do next. So, for one, my career at Google was going really well. Everyone said “You should just stay. Why would you leave? What are you thinking?” I got a husband during that time. And when you have a partner, things change also. And the biggest shit of all was that everybody was telling me, “You are hitting that age and you need to settle down and have babies. What are you thinking about going off traveling the world? You really need to settle down.”

Amy Yip: [00:02:46] And so, my husband and I, we really wanted to go explore the world and do this thing before settling and starting a family. So, we had our embryos frozen. A year later, we found out the facility where our embryos were stored lost power. And the tank that our embryos were in lost temperature control and they didn’t know the viability anymore. So, basically, they were like, “Unless you plan on using it, we can’t tell you if your embryos are good anymore.”

Amy Yip: [00:03:18] And that was my rock bottom point because we tried again, you know, it just didn’t work out. And I felt like I was stuck and I had to make these decisions. You know, What do I do next in my life? Do I go off and pursue my dreams? Do I stay here, listen to what everyone’s telling me I should be doing? And that was the start of my self-help journey.

Amy Yip: [00:03:40] And I first started with reading books because, honestly, there was a bit of shame attached to it. Because on the outside everything looked great. I’m working at this wonderful company. I’ve got this great husband, supportive friends and family. But on the inside, things didn’t feel great. So, I figured, you know what? I’m smart enough. I’ll just figure this out on my own and nobody has to know. Reading books, eight months still didn’t get the answer I wanted of, you know, Do I have babies or do I go pursue my dreams?

Amy Yip: [00:04:08] I then went to Peru. A friend told me about ayahuasca. It’s supposed to give you clarity on life. I was like, “That’s what I need, clarity.” I went to Peru, five day ayahuasca ceremony to try to gain that clarity. And I gained a lot of clarity about life, like the power of vulnerability and asking for help. But I didn’t get the answer. Do I settle down, have babies, or do I pursue my dream?

Amy Yip: [00:04:33] And it wasn’t until I returned back to the U.S., a coworker told me about coaching. I had no idea what coaching was at the time. And I was honestly skeptical, like how could somebody who doesn’t know me help me figure out the answers to my life? But I was very desperate, so I hired a coach. And it was the most amazing thing because she helped me to peel back the layers of my onion. I call those the shoulds, all the shoulds of what the world is telling you who you should or shouldn’t be, what you should or shouldn’t do, what should or shouldn’t matter in your life. And she helped me peel all of that back so that I could get to the core of what really mattered to Amy.

Amy Yip: [00:05:11] And I realized two big things. One is I will regret it if I don’t pursue my dreams. I’ll always regret it. And honestly, you know, there’s nothing that I’m really in control of. Even if I stay, I’m not in control of whether or not I can have kids. It’s just not something that I control. But I can control if I pursue my dreams, so I decided I’m going to leave my job and I’m going to go travel.

Amy Yip: [00:05:36] And the second thing that I made the decision of was it sucked to be stuck and I want to help other people. I want to help people to have that self-confidence, to have the courage, and to live life aligned to what truly matters to them and not what the world is telling them.

Amy Yip: [00:05:53] So, I went back, got my coaching certification. And then, in January of 2020, my husband and I sold everything. I left my job at Google. And we took off to Ghana to volunteer at a breast cancer nonprofit. And the plan was to travel after. As you probably remember, the little thing called COVID came along in 2020, we ended up stuck in Ghana for seven months. But it was the best thing that could have happened for me because it gave me the time to focus on building my practice and my business. I started coaching more people, doing group programs, and things just kind of blossomed from there. But that was really how my business started growing.

Amy Yip: [00:06:35] And then, when the borders opened in Ghana, we started living, working nomadically. So, I was continuing my coaching practice. We were doing a little bit of traveling. And the beautiful thing is I ended up getting pregnant at age 40 overseas, naturally, and that’s what brought me back. And so, there’s this kind of interesting thing of the fear of not being able to have a child was what held me back. And what brought me back was my little kiddo. And he’s just over two years old now. So, that’s why I do what I do and how I got into it.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:13] Now, can you talk about that point of inflection? You were struggling and then you were trying to solve it on your own through reading. And then, you kind of, I guess, accidentally stumbled upon or the universe made appear a coach that you resonated with. Can you talk about during that point of inflection, was therapy ever in the mix there? And then, kind of in a macro level, how does a person decide if coaching is a better fit for where I’m at versus therapy?

Amy Yip: [00:07:48] That’s a great question because I get that all the time. And I considered therapy and I talked to therapists and coaches. And what I learned was the difference between therapy and coaching is, therapy helps you move through past pains and things of the past, whereas coaching is very forward looking and goal oriented.

Amy Yip: [00:08:13] So, the analogy that I often use is riding a bike. If you’re in therapy, a therapist will talk to you about a bike until you’re comfortable talking about it, maybe showing you a photo until you’re comfortable looking at it, and maybe eventually bringing a bike into the room until you’re comfortable with it in the room, touching it, and eventually sitting on it.

Amy Yip: [00:08:31] Whereas, a coach talks to you about what are your goals with the bike, where are you trying to head, and maybe you’re not totally clear. They put you on a bike, you head off in a direction maybe you think you’re going. The coach will take photos and videos and watch how you’re biking, and you come back and they’ll show you. So, it’s almost like mirroring and reflecting back and showing you what they notice. Maybe they’ll see that you’re carrying a backpack that’s holding you back. And we might dig into the backpack and pull some of the things out that you don’t need anymore that’s holding you back from going there. We’ll share your learnings, put you back on the bike and go off again. But it’s very much goal oriented.

Amy Yip: [00:09:07] You can also think about a coach almost like a sports coach, right? They see your strengths, your opportunities, and they can mirror that back and tell you about it and help you work on that to get to a goal or an objective.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:21] Now, in your corporate world, did you ever have a coach there? I’m sure you had mentors and there was people that were trying to help you be a better you in the corporate sense? Was the coaching part of that experience?

Amy Yip: [00:09:33] I never had a coach. So, when my coworker told me about coaching, it was the first time I’d ever heard of coaching. No idea what it was. And I do a lot of research on, well, what exactly is this coaching thing? Because I’ve had sponsors, I’ve had mentors, but I’ve never had a coach. And so, that was my first experience with coaching.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:55] And then, when you went through it, you just kind of got lucky that it was a right fit, that first coach worked out?

Amy Yip: [00:10:02] So, this is what I always tell people, all coaches has an initial, every coach calls it something different, but it’s a chemistry call or a discovery call. And it really is like a matchmaking session. You meet with them 30 minutes, 45 minutes, an hour, and you see if you’re a good fit. And I tell people all the time, don’t just meet with me, meet with multiple coaches. It’s almost like when you’re going speed dating, figure out if you’re a good fit.

Amy Yip: [00:10:33] Because coaching sessions that really help you get somewhere, you need to be willing to be vulnerable, to be open, to share, which means you need to feel safe with the coach. And if you don’t feel that connection with the coach, that’s not the right coach for you. And you also have to ask, make sure that the coach is willing to tell you the same thing of, “Hey, I don’t think we’re a good fit, but here are these other coaches that I could recommend to you.”

Lee Kantor: [00:10:56] So, is it something that if you were to give advice to a person who’s never done coaching before, like you were in that same boat there, you can tell in a short period of time should you just trust your gut when it comes to this? Or is there certain things that would have been red flags for you, or certain things that were green flags like, “Okay. This has a chance of working”?

Amy Yip: [00:11:19] I think, one is definitely listening to your intuition. And the second is there are certain things you want to look for in a coach. So, one, are they certified? Have they done the training? Because unfortunately with coaching, anybody could put up a sign and say I’m a coach and they’ve never actually done the formal training. There are certain schools that are fabulous out there. Have they done the training? Are they ICF certified? The other thing is asking the coach why they became a coach is a good question to know. And the third is asking the coach whether or not they are working with a coach and their history of working with a coach, and also what self-work they’re doing themselves because the work continues.

Amy Yip: [00:12:05] And as a coach, I continue to do my own work. I continue to work with coaches myself. And I have seen therapists, like when I needed a therapist, I saw a therapist. When I needed a coach, I saw a coach. But it’s are they continuing to grow and develop themselves?

Lee Kantor: [00:12:22] Now, have you developed a sweet spot for you in terms of, okay, I’ve identified my superpower and my ideal fit client that I can make the most difference in their lives?

Amy Yip: [00:12:32] Yeah. I work a lot with ambitious women who have been living life according to the shoulds of the world, carry a lot of guilt, and aren’t pursuing the thing that they want to pursue. They might not even be clear what that is, but they know that something is off, and that’s been my real sweet spot in really helping them to build the self-confidence to pursue that thing.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:58] So, what does an early call with you look like? How do you kind of dig in there? And, again, I’m trying to paint a picture for the person who’s on the fence about this. It sounds like you, early on there was a an itch you were trying to scratch, you weren’t sure, and you were kind of feeling around. And then, you had somebody that was the right Sherpa to help you kind of connect some dots and then really transformed your life. And I want the listener to really see some symptoms that maybe they’re having that a coach is the right move for them to make to kind of create that escape velocity into a new path.

Amy Yip: [00:13:38] Yeah. So, the initial call with me, the chemistry call, we talk through what coaching is and isn’t, just because there are people that come with like, “I’m not sure exactly what coaching is,” so I talk through what is coaching, what is it not. For example, coaching is not therapy. It is not advice giving. People come and think that I’m just going to give them advice. And it’s not that.

Amy Yip: [00:14:03] Because, for example, a lot of people say they want to get healthy. And if I were to ask you, Do you know what it takes to get healthy? Everybody knows. You sleep eight hours, drink water, eat healthy, get movement. And so, what gets in people’s way? It’s not lack of advice or knowledge. It is figuring out what are the specific obstacles that are in your way that hold you back from where you’re trying to go. And so, coaching is very much around that, what are your specific obstacles and how do I partner with you to navigate that versus me just telling you what to do.

Amy Yip: [00:14:34] So, in the initial chemistry call, we talked through what coaching is and isn’t. And a lot of that session is really understanding where are you today, where do you think you’re trying to go, what are you hoping for out of coaching, and understanding the barriers to get there. And then, I share what it’s like to work with me and we decide are we a good fit.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:56] So, there’s a lot more questions than answers, right? you’re trying to help them uncover the path.

Amy Yip: [00:15:04] Yeah. And with all of coaching, it’s all about questions. It really is. Because all of us have the answers within us. And the coach is more like a mirror. I hold up the mirror and you get to see things that you might not have seen or maybe things you don’t want to look at or you haven’t noticed. And I don’t give you the answer. I ask questions that dig really deep to help you get those answers.

Amy Yip: [00:15:31] The other piece that’s a little different is I’m trained in Somatics, which is part of my work. And Somatics is really around using the body and the wisdom of the body to help drive change. For example, one of my clients really wants to say no. And if you think about it, if you already know you want to say no, all of us know how to say this two letter word, why is it so hard? And it is because change and transformation happens in the body.

Amy Yip: [00:15:59] And so, with Somatics, the idea is the tissue has a lot of knowledge, muscles have a lot of memory. They remember things. It’s like riding a bike, driving a car. The first time you did it, you might have fumbled. By the tenth, hundredth, thousandth time, what happens? Your body remembers how to do it. You don’t even have to think about it.

Amy Yip: [00:16:18] So, for example, the client who wants to say no, she’s been practicing saying yes her whole life. So, her body just remembers how to do that. And when she even thinks about saying no, it’s like that first time riding on a bike, she’s uncomfortable, she fumbles. And oftentimes we even go into this fight, flight, freeze, where your heart tightens, your throat tightens, you get sweaty, it gets uncomfortable. And to get out of that discomfort, what do we do? We say yes, because that is the automatic thing to ease that fight, flight, freeze.

Amy Yip: [00:16:51] And so, with Somatics, instead of just telling her go say no, it’s helping her body to practice saying no, getting her accustomed to that discomfort of saying no, and teaching the body something different. It’s like teaching the body to ride a different bicycle.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:10] So, can you share some techniques when it comes to using their body? Is it breathing? Are you physically moving around? How does it kind of work in real life?

Amy Yip: [00:17:22] It depends on what you’re working on. So, for example, with the no, the first step is just awareness. What is my body doing when I’m even thinking about saying no? Most people don’t even notice that right when they’re even thinking about saying no, their body goes huh and their heart starts beating and their throat starts choking up. So, the first step is always awareness. What is my physical body doing in response to this thing?

Amy Yip: [00:17:47] Some people, that happens with when they want to ask for what they want. And this happens with a lot of women in particular, because many women struggle with saying no and asking for what they want. And if they just pause to take notice of what’s my body doing when I’m even thinking about doing that, they’ll start feeling those sensations. And so, the first step for anything is just awareness of how do I do that. It’s like if you were playing a sport and you had a bad technique, your coach will help you point it out. And so, the first step is becoming aware that, “Oh. I’ve got this technique that isn’t working.”

Lee Kantor: [00:18:23] And then, the thing is that you’ve been doing it on autopilot for so long, you’re not even noticing kind of the nuance to what you are doing.

Amy Yip: [00:18:32] Exactly. And so, the first step with the coaching is let’s become aware of what we’re doing. And then, the second step after that is can I sit with the discomfort. Because my automatic response right now is to get out of that discomfort, so can I learn to sit with it?

Lee Kantor: [00:18:48] And then, they’re sitting with it, is that kind of a breathing technique or is that just becoming aware that, “Okay. I’m feeling discomfort now”?

Amy Yip: [00:18:57] It is just the noticing of the sensations without putting meaning to it. Have you heard about how a lot of people are doing cold plunges?

Lee Kantor: [00:19:07] Yeah.

Amy Yip: [00:19:08] So, it’s the same thing. Like the first time you do it, it’s very uncomfortable. But the more you do it, you get accustomed to it. But it’s can you sit with that discomfort of that cold water or the ice? So, it’s the same thing with this. It’s, “Oh. My heart is racing. Oh. My throat’s choking,” and just paying attention to that without saying that’s bad.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:28] But there’s also the discomfort of the moment before you do it of how do I really want to do this? Oh, this is going to be freezing cold. And like all of those kind of imaginations of what it’s like prior to it actually occurring.

Amy Yip: [00:19:42] Yes. And so, the whole idea is to get out of your head, which is why I’m a mental fitness coach. It’s your head will always create stories. Emotions, sensations in the body are very informative, and then the head will create stories. It’s like if I’m about to go on a stage to speak in front of a hundred people, my heart rate might start going, I might start sweating. And those are sensations, and that’s an emotion. And then, my head will create a story about it, “Oh, my gosh. I’m going to go on stage and people are going to laugh and I’m going to fall on my face and I’m going to forget things.” And then, you start spiraling in that headspace. So, the whole idea is, how do I get out of the head space into just feeling those sensations without creating the stories?

Lee Kantor: [00:20:25] And so, you’re just supposed to be kind of neutral and just experience them and be aware of them without kind of making, like you said, a story or a judgment about them.

Amy Yip: [00:20:37] Yes. Exactly that.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:39] And then, once you’ve done that, then you’re just executing that whatever it is you were trying to do, whether it’s saying no or it’s getting on the stage.

Amy Yip: [00:20:49] So, once you start doing that, so that takes time. After time —

Lee Kantor: [00:20:55] Well, it sounds very easy. We just said it in, like, a few seconds.

[00:21:01] I know. Over time, eventually, you have higher tolerance for it. You don’t notice it anymore. It’s just a backdrop. And as we’re doing that, we’re also practicing something. So, for example, saying no. Some of my clients, I put them on a no diet. And what that is, is you decide how long, so it might be two weeks, for the next two weeks your job is to say no to every request. And you’re going to tell your closest friends, family, coworkers, “Hey, when you ask me for something, my automatic response is going to be saying no, because I’m trying to practice this new skill. And if you catch me saying yes, call me out on it.” And friends, family, coworkers, people just love calling you out on things so they’ll call you out on it. And it is about that practice. So, you’re building a practice in a safe way, while also building the awareness and the tolerance of the discomfort.

Lee Kantor: [00:22:02] Now, you mentioned earlier that when you got into coaching, a certification was important for you. And for somebody thinking about hiring a coach to make sure that they’ve done the work, why was it important for you to join WBEC-West and to become part of that community?

Amy Yip: [00:22:20] A couple of reasons. One is just the learning. There’s so many opportunities to learn from others around their work and what they’re doing. There’s just so many fascinating people out. And that goes to my second, which is the network and the connections. I’ve met so many amazing women doing amazing things. And it’s very inspiring to be connected to that. I attended the WBENC Conference recently and there’s this energy to be around with these amazing women. So, the network, the community, the connections and the learning.

Lee Kantor: [00:23:03] Now, what do you need more of in your business? How can we help you?

Amy Yip: [00:23:07] What do I need more of? I think it’s just any referrals or things. I’m expanding my work. I’ve started doing a lot of work with organizations because I want to reach more people. So, I’ve been bringing workshops and year long training programs to organizations to help them accelerate their underrepresented groups into leadership. And so, that’s my passion. I really want to share this work with more people, and that’s the way that I’m heading into doing it.

Lee Kantor: [00:23:42] So, if somebody wants to connect with you and learn more, what is the website?

Amy Yip: [00:23:46] It is amyyipcoaching.com, so it’s A-M-Y-Y-I-P-coaching-.com.

Lee Kantor: [00:23:53] Well, Amy, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Amy Yip: [00:23:58] Thank you.

Lee Kantor: [00:23:59] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Women In Motion.

 

Matt Thomas and Lee Meyer with The Highlight Reel

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Cherokee Business Radio
Matt Thomas and Lee Meyer with The Highlight Reel
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Matt Thomas and Lee Meyer of The Highlight Reel are not just any video production company. They are a group of creative and passionate video producers who are dedicated to bringing your unique story to life through video.

Matt-Thomas-Fearless-FormulaMatt, the Creative Director and co-owner of The Highlight Reel, combined his passions for music, technology, and visual arts into a dynamic career.

With a background as diverse as his interests, Matt’s journey is a testament to his creative spirit and entrepreneurial heart.

 

Lee-Meyer-Fearless-FormulaLee, the Creative Strategist and co-owner of The Highlight Reel, brings a unique blend of creativity, business savvy, and a passion for people to her work.

Born and raised in the Midwest, Lee’s love for storytelling and design has been with her since childhood.

Follow The Highlight Reel on Facebook and Instagram.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:07] Coming to you live from the Business RadioX Studio in Woodstock, Georgia. This is fearless formula with Sharon Cline.

Sharon Cline: [00:00:17] Welcome to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX, where we talk about the ups and downs of the business world and offer words of wisdom for business success. I am your host, Sharon Cline. And today in the studio I’ve got the Creative Director and the Creative Strategist, which I love these names, of The Highlight Reel and I’m so excited to talk to both of you. We’ve got Matt Thomas and Lee Meyer. Thank you for coming in.

Matt Thomas: [00:00:41] Thank you for having us.

Sharon Cline: [00:00:42] Sure.

Lee Meyer: [00:00:43] I’m so excited.

Sharon Cline: [00:00:44] I know. And you know what? I’ve seen so many good things that you’ve been doing in the community with the highlight reel, and it’s not even been in business that long. So I see such huge growth. Matt, why don’t you tell me a little bit about the history of getting started?

Matt Thomas: [00:00:57] Yeah. So that’s actually kind of funny. Um, excuse me, I was still working my full time IT job early 2022, and I can’t remember where I was, but I got a random call from Lee re, came out of a meeting and had this inspiration and she’s like, I’m not telling me or I’m not telling you that you have to start a business with me, but you got to start a business with me. We got to make some videos.

Sharon Cline: [00:01:22] Well, you had done a little bit of work with her previously, correct? Yes. I remember seeing you at one of the social events with a camera. So. Yeah, I.

Matt Thomas: [00:01:31] Was just I was just out just capturing photos and, you know, that was kind of like my go to disconnect.

Sharon Cline: [00:01:38] Yeah. Like, it’s like creative fun things like no.

Matt Thomas: [00:01:41] Stress all day working it. And it’s like I’m going to get out and take some photos and just have fun with it.

Sharon Cline: [00:01:46] So and so you all work together a little bit already.

Matt Thomas: [00:01:49] Yeah. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: [00:01:50] So I love that you, you had had your it’s sort of like your side project, your thing that you really enjoyed. You had your one thing that you were making, you know, your basic. Right. And then now look how it’s kind of grown and become something that you can do all the time.

Matt Thomas: [00:02:04] It’s pretty amazing to be able to take a passion and make it your full time gig.

Sharon Cline: [00:02:10] Leave. What was it that you saw in Matt that sort of made you have that moment of calling him?

Speaker4: [00:02:14] Well, Matt and I had we had developed a really good friendship first and foremost. Um, for people that don’t know us really well, we’re also in a relationship, a dating relationship now. But it really started purely as a friendship, and it was because I was around him for other business matters. Um, and when we were developing that friendship, he would talk about his passions and the things that he loved to do. And, um, that mainly revolved around photography and videography. And he would be so excited, you know, for the year before we started our business, he would show me things that he had been working on, and I was just blown away by it, especially because he wasn’t a quote unquote, you know, professional. He wasn’t selling it. He wasn’t trying. He didn’t even want to monetize it. Which was the funny thing. I thought that, yeah, you fought.

Sharon Cline: [00:03:07] You fought the monetizing.

Matt Thomas: [00:03:09] Yeah, I fought it really hard.

Sharon Cline: [00:03:10] Why did you fight it, do you think?

Matt Thomas: [00:03:11] Well, um, so I have a past with audio engineering as well. Um, and. In the process of building up a recording studio and bringing in clients and working with music all day long. For some reason, it just it ruined it for me. Like I couldn’t listen to music the same. I didn’t see music the same anymore, and I was just afraid that that was going to happen to something else. So photography and videography for me, I was just holding on to so tightly like, no, you’re not going to, we’re not going to take this away from me.

Sharon Cline: [00:03:44] I’ve heard people say that if they have something as their hobby, you know, when they make it their full time thing, it’s not as enjoyable somehow or the pressure of it, it just feels different. So I can get I get why if you really loved it, you wouldn’t want to surrender that feeling for money, you know? Yeah, and.

Matt Thomas: [00:04:02] The process has not ruined video for me at all. I love it even more. It’s just something you just continue to grow at and, you know, learn from. And it’s just been amazing.

Speaker4: [00:04:12] That was my hope. And I didn’t want to ever push him or or push a boundary, because I don’t believe in pushing people to to do things that they really don’t want to do. But for me, knowing him so deeply and having such a deep relationship, I felt like that was based out of fear from what had happened previously. And I really wanted him to try to be open minded and and think just because this happened before doesn’t mean it has to happen again. I think as creatives, it’s really, really important to let yourself stay in that space. Um, yes, we run a business and our clients have needs and that is a huge priority. But there’s I believe there’s always a way to find some sort of balance, um, to where you can really have both and you can enjoy it and have it as a business as well.

Sharon Cline: [00:05:04] What were you doing, Lee, previous to this as well?

Speaker4: [00:05:07] So I was running. I have another small business myself as well. It’s called go getter personal assistant services and um, it has obviously majorly taken a back seat. I do still run it on a very low level when I have some downtime with the highlight reel, because I just personally love helping people. Um, so I had been hired, um, to come into an office and do a design project, and that happens to be the office that Matt was working at. So before that, I did not know him, I did not know who he was, and I had to spend a few months in this office because we were doing, you know, painting and furniture and all of the things that go along with design. And Matt got stuck with me, and we always tell this story. It’s funny, when he met me, he didn’t actually even like me.

Lee Meyer: [00:05:58] What?

Sharon Cline: [00:05:59] How is that possible?

Matt Thomas: [00:06:00] I don’t know, I was yeah, I was just stuck in a computer screen and, you know, working all day.

Sharon Cline: [00:06:06] That’s a different energy.

Matt Thomas: [00:06:07] She comes in all bubbly and happy and I’m just like, loud, get out of my office.

Speaker4: [00:06:12] And now he’s stuck with me forever.

Matt Thomas: [00:06:16] I love it.

Sharon Cline: [00:06:18] So when you approached him about starting this company, did you have a vision of how you thought it would be Lee.

Speaker4: [00:06:23] I did, um, very loosely in the beginning. Um, very, very loosely. In fact, I didn’t even really know how I would be able to truly contribute, because everybody knows that Matt is the talent that you see on the screen, and I’m the business side of that. Um, but when I just didn’t know what that was going to look like or how I could really be valuable in a way to match his value. So that was a really big concern when we started. And luckily it’s just blossomed. And we we both know our roles now and we do have equal contributions. And it’s it’s been it’s been an amazing journey.

Sharon Cline: [00:07:05] What a leap of faith. Yeah. When you think about it, so many people talk about their dreams and you know, someday all this or that, but you actually did it, you know, you really did.

Speaker4: [00:07:16] It’s one of those things you look at and it’s honestly doesn’t feel real sometimes because you I think anybody that starts an entrepreneurial journey or any journey of growth or, or things where you want to develop your skill set, even if you’re in a corporate job or whatever it is, it it does feel terrifying. And you hear those stories of people that took the jump and they made it. And and you think to yourself, well, how do people actually do that? And going through that ourselves, to be honest, we look back and and we can tell the story and we we know truly we’ve made it because we’ve had a lot of support from our community and and people backing us up and all of these things. We wouldn’t be here without those folks. Well, you know, 100%. It’s just we look back and we’re like, how did we even go through this journey? How did we get here? It feels like a huge blessing.

Sharon Cline: [00:08:08] Well, a lot of people, the financial part of it so scary, right. And that stops so many people. Right. It’s the bottom line of everything. What was it about sort of that exact perfect alchemy of moments that made you not afraid? Like, what was it?

Lee Meyer: [00:08:24] We weren’t. Not afraid. You were afraid. You were.

Speaker4: [00:08:27] Terrified. Um. Terrifying. Terrifying. And to be honest, I feel like this isn’t something that’s talked about publicly and widely enough. You hear? Well, you got to take a risk and you got to give it your all. But you don’t necessarily know what that looks like in your life. And for me, I’ve decided that I want to be really vulnerable and authentic with this journey because I think it’s really important we can sit here all day and be like, business is great, community is great, like and it is. But there’s obviously a lot that goes into that. And um, prior to starting my second business with Matt, the highlight reel, you know, I was in a good financial spot and I did have savings and I did have all of those things going. But when you have to take time away to build up, you know, sales or build up your branding and all of those things, it doesn’t just happen instantaneously. And so we have taken financial hits, both of us, and we are in debt. And that’s because we have had to keep the faith and say, you know what? Right now we we are in this place, but it doesn’t feel like a bad place. It feels hopeful because we know that we are putting our all in and we are giving it our all. We’ve drained everything that we have to invest, everything that we have to create what it’s become, and we feel really hopeful where it’s at.

Sharon Cline: [00:09:58] So, Matt, it’s not about being afraid as much as it is about being afraid, but still moving forward because you trust in the product. You trust in what you’re doing.

Matt Thomas: [00:10:07] Right? Right. Um.

Speaker5: [00:10:11] Sorry. Blank.

Sharon Cline: [00:10:12] No that’s okay. It’s the. But that’s part of it is to me. I let fear make a lot of decisions for me. Like all day long. Yeah. And so but the moments that I decide to do something that I’m, you know, a trepidatious, trepidatious about where I will actually throw caution to the wind and say, well, I’m just going to go and we’ll see what happens. You know, there’s there’s always been a bit of a pride at the end of it. Like, look, I did something I was afraid of, but I’ve never had like a positive feeling when I’ve ever let fear make a decision for me. I’ve always just been like, yeah, that was yeah, well, maybe another opportunity will come. You know, like, I just try to tell myself it’ll be okay. But that’s different than what you all did 100%.

Speaker4: [00:10:50] Yeah. That fear, um, I, I guess, have let fear control a lot of my life. And I think that before starting my business, I spent years getting inspired by people, um, you know, their stories and following their companies. And just because I wanted to be that person that could make a jump and that could be brave and all of these things that I saw all these people doing and I just, I, I guess just submersing yourself in people that are doing that constantly and also not being irrational about it either. I think that there’s a difference. You mentioned feeling secure in the product, and it’s not just about the product necessarily. Obviously, I think that we do deliver a good product because that is really important. People don’t want a video that makes them look in a bad light or their company or their product quality, and that’s all so, so important. Um. And I just had a blank.

Lee Meyer: [00:11:58] But it’s not.

Sharon Cline: [00:11:59] Just so much about the product. There’s other sides to it too.

Lee Meyer: [00:12:02] Right.

Speaker4: [00:12:03] And the passion and we know kind of our hearts and we know the connection. It’s deeper than a video. We know the connections we have with the people when we’re working with them. And we’ve seen the impact that the video does for people. And we kind of have a motto that’s a core value in our company and that’s use video for good. And we really believe that video has a strong purpose in helping people. And that’s kind of where our heart is. It’s not about the money, it’s not about the product. It’s about what it’s doing for people, for their lives, for their business, whatever, for their mission.

Sharon Cline: [00:12:40] I love that it’s similar to the way I look at voiceover, because it’s not just me saying here by this solo cup, it’s what will this solo cup do for your life? You would posted something on Facebook because I did a little cyberstalking you. You posted something on Facebook about how important it is to highlight what your videos make people feel. And I love that because that’s ultimately what we’re talking about is the emotion behind the product, which is, you know, when I’m trying to sell something, I want someone to feel like, oh my gosh, this is going to really help me. I’m going to have peace because of this, where I imagine you all think, look at what somebody is doing and how they’re helping the community or look at look at this company. Um, it’s not just what they’re doing, but it’s why they’re doing what they’re doing. So you get to do similar things that I do. You’re using communication just a little different medium to get people to see the truth about who people are 100%. But I also think that when you’re in that vein, when you know that you are doing something like with that energy behind it, it’s got integrity, you believe it 100%. It lands where it’s supposed to land. Things work out the way they’re supposed to because you know, you’re doing your true north, I guess.

Lee Meyer: [00:13:50] Absolutely.

Speaker4: [00:13:51] And, um, I also am a very big, faith based person, and I don’t believe that Jesus is going to make my business successful or give me all of these things. But I do have faith, and that carries you a long way. Faith goes a long way. And and feedback from people that we we’ve gotten enough of the vibes to know that we need to stay committed and keep going. And if there’s problems along the way, we’re learning, you know, as this goes on to, to be better and to communicate better as partners and to be able to support each other. You know, maybe we both have different fears about different things. So it’s just really important to have people in your corner. And it’s not just Matt. We have a whole community and friends in our corner as well. You got to keep that present and if you’re doing the right thing and you’re not being negligent, keep pushing past the fear.

Sharon Cline: [00:14:49] A lot of companies that I’ve had in here have talked about how important it is to surround you with yourself, with the right people, and also how important it is to work on your strengths. So, Matt, what would you say your strengths are? And then, Lee, what would you say yours are? Because the both of you makes kind of the perfect team, right? The dream team strengths wise?

Matt Thomas: [00:15:10] Um, I would say. Man, it’s really hard to talk about myself.

Lee Meyer: [00:15:17] He does not like.

Matt Thomas: [00:15:19] We’re.

Lee Meyer: [00:15:19] Working on that.

Matt Thomas: [00:15:20] So working on that one. Um, strength wise, I don’t really know. I mean, I know that.

Speaker4: [00:15:26] Maybe I could tell your strengths.

Lee Meyer: [00:15:28] Oh, that’s.

Speaker4: [00:15:28] You could tell mine.

Matt Thomas: [00:15:29] There we go. We’ll do.

Lee Meyer: [00:15:30] That. Okay. So Matt’s.

Speaker4: [00:15:33] You know, he’s just, um, like, our powerhouse and our backbone. Um, obviously anything creatively that gets done, he’s just got a really good eye. And when we started this, I didn’t just want anybody that had a camera. I wanted somebody that would deliver people things that were very beautiful and very meaningful and really evoke emotion. I think that’s really important. He just has that natural eye and he’s just a really honest, solid person. You know, people don’t realize that when you’re doing work with video, we’re in the weeds with a lot of of delicate information. And when you’re hiring somebody and you’re partnering with somebody, it’s really important to have somebody that you can trust and that has a lot of integrity and not, you know, just is that through and through? Um, not to mention his extremely strong, you know, 15 year background in it. He is our guru for, you know, our back end, all of our setup, all of the technology. Um, you know, he has led a very diverse life. So it it leads to him having a lot of talents. Um, he mentioned that he opened a recording studio many years ago. So he’s got a lot of audio engineering capabilities that really go a long way for our clients and help be able to deliver them extra value, because we don’t have to hire an extra audio person. Matt honestly gives away a lot of those talents for free because we do love being able to add extra. Um, I could honestly go on and on, but he’s our tech. He’s our our strong one. He’s I tell him this like he’s the calm. I’m the I feel like every partnership kind of usually has a crazy one and the voice of reason. And he’s our voice of reason.

Lee Meyer: [00:17:25] Ah.

Sharon Cline: [00:17:26] What do you think about Lee?

Matt Thomas: [00:17:27] So Lee is our crazy one. Yeah. She’s the the perfect complement in business that I could ever ask for. Like. Everything that I can’t do like that well, or I’m not confident in. She has that confidence. You know, when it comes to business sense. Like, you know, I came from the perspective of, you know, working for people. Now, I did open a studio and I had no idea what I was doing when it came to business. Um, so on the business side, she definitely comes in, you know, with that knowledge. Um, the, um, just she’s very, very detail oriented, um, helps keep me in line a lot. Uh, not in a bad way, but, you know, you know, very, you know, processes and procedures and things like that, that just keep things running as smooth as possible. She can literally talk to anybody. And I think that’s amazing because I struggle with that so much. Um. She’s just has such a big heart for everything that we do. And like, you know, again, going back to the emotion part of it, like the emotion comes from both of us. Like, yes, I’ll be working on the video, but the final result is both of us putting our hearts and souls into whatever project we’re working on to get that message across.

Sharon Cline: [00:18:50] This is so sweet. Just stay.

Lee Meyer: [00:18:53] Stay in here. Got me a little misty.

Matt Thomas: [00:18:55] So, did you get a little misty eyed?

Sharon Cline: [00:18:56] I got a little misty eyed, too.

Lee Meyer: [00:18:58] It’s so sweet.

Speaker4: [00:18:58] We’re not making you throw up.

Lee Meyer: [00:18:59] That’s fine. Quite the opposite.

Sharon Cline: [00:19:02] I actually think that it’s. What you’re talking about is ultimately at the end is storytelling, and that you each bring a strength to storytelling. And I think that it does seem so important to be able to have someone who’s really great at the communication side with the outside world, and then someone who can kind of shut everything down and really focus on what needs to be done. So it seems like that’s the perfect little setup for what it really is.

Matt Thomas: [00:19:29] It’s worked really, really well.

Sharon Cline: [00:19:30] You know, are there things that you now that you’ve gotten further into the company, things that you wish you had known before you got started? Are there sort of like hard lessons that you learned?

Speaker4: [00:19:42] Oh, yeah. I mean.

Lee Meyer: [00:19:43] How much time.

Speaker4: [00:19:44] Do we have?

Lee Meyer: [00:19:46] Hard lesson. I mean.

Sharon Cline: [00:19:48] What would you wish you had known beforehand? I mean, one of the things that I do talk about to just to give you an example of what I’m asking about, is just the struggle of of being business owners, but then putting limits about how much you put into the business with your time.

Lee Meyer: [00:20:03] Oh, yeah.

Speaker4: [00:20:04] I think anybody that you talk to, anybody that’s ever been in this realm at all, they know that being in business super difficult just in that on its own. Then you add a partner. We knew what we were. We didn’t know what we were getting into, but we knew that we were going to be embarking on a really difficult journey. Um, just because it is, you know, when you have a, yeah, you have another person that you’re you’re doing so much big stuff with. There’s a lot to communicate about. And I think that’s probably one of the biggest lessons we’ve learned. Everybody anybody you talk to will say communication is king. Um, but you don’t really know what that means until you learn how to effectively do it. So I would say for us, the biggest lesson we’ve learned is even when you think you’re communicating well, you’re not. Yeah.

Lee Meyer: [00:20:59] No way. You’re not. Um.

Speaker4: [00:21:01] And we’ve we’ve grown and we’ve gotten a lot better. I will say, um, this is another thing I firmly believe in. Matt and I both really prioritize self care, and we are both in therapy separately so that we continue to work on our best selves and learn how to work on communication. There’s nothing wrong. It’s just constantly putting in that effort because we don’t want, you know, when we’re off and we’ve been off. You know, anybody that’s in a relationship or in business has those moments. Um, we come out stronger because we look for the problems to create opportunities to grow from.

Sharon Cline: [00:21:42] So you have a proper perspective on what the problems are. It’s not like you did this or you did this, but you’re actually looking at the problem to solve together.

Speaker4: [00:21:50] Sometimes when the.

Lee Meyer: [00:21:51] Argument first starts, you know, the day one, it might be a little bit like that, but.

Speaker4: [00:21:57] We do. That’s one thing I, you know, I love about my partner is that we have that respect and we can come there. And that’s really important for anybody, um, to, to try to just really see that other person and communicate well solves a lot of problems.

Sharon Cline: [00:22:11] So that’s huge communication. And that’s in you’re in that industry, right. But you also have a relationship on top of that. So I can see how it can get kind of I don’t know complicated.

Lee Meyer: [00:22:22] Yeah. It can get hairy.

Matt Thomas: [00:22:23] Yeah. Just assuming that somebody knows this or that, you know, I have a bad habit of talking in my head a lot. And so I’ve already had the conversation in my head. I’m thinking, oh, everything’s good. No, I haven’t actually said it yet.

Lee Meyer: [00:22:35] You didn’t tell me that.

Matt Thomas: [00:22:37] So just trying to remember to just communicate. Communicate and then communicate again.

Sharon Cline: [00:22:42] Gotcha.

Matt Thomas: [00:22:43] That just helps.

Sharon Cline: [00:22:45] Do you have to put limits on the amount of time that you invest in, in the company? Like, you know, it’s 5:00 on a Friday. Do you kind of shut things down, or do you always feel like you have to be putting effort into growing the business?

Matt Thomas: [00:22:57] I think there’s the the that constant drive of, you know, we have to keep going. We have to, you know, a lot of work to do. So we could just keep going all the time. But we do regularly communicate. Hey. You want to, like, take some time for us this afternoon and then maybe pick back up a little bit tonight or, you know, we’ll change the schedule around to make it work for us.

Sharon Cline: [00:23:20] That’s wonderful that you can.

Speaker4: [00:23:21] And it’s still a balance. You know, we’re doing these things, but we’re constantly not constantly, consistently. We have to keep ourselves in check. And um, when I talked about that years of research of just trying to be inspired by people, that was another thing I saw was I noticed that there’s this huge problem with burnout and just severe stress and anxiety and, um, not managing your life to, to where you just don’t have a life anymore. Your life is your business. Your identity is your business. Your kids have grown up and all they saw was you running your business. And I very strongly I started my business so that I could have a life that I wanted for my children. So keeping that in the forefront of our minds, it’s important and we try to do that again. It’s not perfect. You’re always going to have to keep yourself in check, and it’s just that constant check in. What am I doing? How have I structured my day, my week, my time? It’s very tempting to work all the time, but you can’t.

Sharon Cline: [00:24:28] How do you advertise? Do you advertise?

Lee Meyer: [00:24:32] No, we don’t advertise.

Speaker4: [00:24:34] We are making a commitment this year. Our third year in business, to finally pull. Our problem is, since we’ve started, we’ve just been okay, let’s work, work, work. And we just we work a lot and we don’t prioritize that back end enough. And I think we’re finally catching our breath this year. And we’re telling ourselves, hey, let’s get serious. We have social media and we have a website, and you have.

Sharon Cline: [00:25:04] Products that you can refer to, like people can see what you’ve.

Lee Meyer: [00:25:07] Done.

Speaker4: [00:25:07] Yeah, absolutely. It’s it’s all out there. But a, a true a true strategic marketing advertising. We have not yet and we’re, it’s on the list.

Sharon Cline: [00:25:17] But what I love is that so far you really haven’t had to because word of mouth is, is sometimes more powerful than anything.

Speaker4: [00:25:23] It is. And we feel really blessed. I mean, we talk about our community all the time. We literally love our community, and we try to be as supportive and involved as we can because we know that we were given that, and we have had so many people from the community and businesses and just I’ve never seen anything like where we live.

Sharon Cline: [00:25:46] I haven’t special, it is special. A lot of people say that that, you know, you go a little bit farther south, Marietta or whatever, and there’s just a totally different feel to what this community is, is like. And it’s um, it’s something that like, makes you want to protect it a little bit.

Speaker4: [00:26:01] It’s a little piece.

Lee Meyer: [00:26:02] Of.

Speaker4: [00:26:03] A little.

Lee Meyer: [00:26:03] Bubble, a little bubble, a little.

Speaker4: [00:26:05] Special bubble.

Sharon Cline: [00:26:06] So I saw that you also on your website, you have different markets that you work with. It’s not just Atlanta, but they’re like different cities all over. So how did you get involved with different cities really?

Speaker4: [00:26:19] That’s just from people finding our products online. Or honestly, you talk about word of mouth that even goes across the US. We’ve just been really fortunate enough to have some really solid relationships with people that have referred us, and we love traveling.

Lee Meyer: [00:26:37] I was going to say.

Sharon Cline: [00:26:38] How does that feel? Like Miami? Let’s go. Yeah, I don’t know.

Lee Meyer: [00:26:41] No, we love it, love it.

Matt Thomas: [00:26:42] It’s exciting is what we want to do.

Lee Meyer: [00:26:45] Yes.

Speaker4: [00:26:46] Our plan, you know, now that we’re entering our third year because we want everything, we love our community and we want to travel. So strategically, we’re trying to base our time so that we’re about 50% in our, you know, here local and then 50% travel. And that works well because, you know, my kids will be with their dad. And it just gives us a lot of freedom to get to do all these wonderful things.

Sharon Cline: [00:27:11] You get paid to travel, right? Yes. That’s the best.

Lee Meyer: [00:27:14] It’s kind of the best of the dream. Yeah. For sure.

Sharon Cline: [00:27:17] Who is your ideal client?

Lee Meyer: [00:27:20] So you take that one, okay.

Speaker4: [00:27:23] So honestly, that is really tough to answer. But in a basic sense, it’s anybody who has something that they want to share with people and they want it to to be done in a way that makes them feel true and authentic to who they are and their mission and their product. Um, authenticity, I feel like is a buzzword for this year, and everybody is saying that, and I know that’s a thing, but that’s because it’s true. And people are really tired of the fake advertising and the commercials and the sales, and people are really invested in who businesses are and what they stand for and what their heart is. And for us, anybody that wants to show anything with authenticity, with with true heart, that really wants to be reflected in a great way. I mean, we work with small business owners a lot. We work with cities, we work with local governments, we work with corporations, we work with non-profits. That’s a huge part of our company. And our heart is again, that use video for good. Do you have, um, an event this year that you’re trying to raise a lot of money? Because maybe it’s cancer research, maybe it’s organ transplantation, maybe it, you know, it’s it’s big things. It’s saving people’s lives. Sometimes it’s a product that’s going to make your life easier. It’s in any facet, even personal. We work with a lot of folks that just want to tell personal stories, because maybe they want their family legacy captured, and they want their great grandchildren and their great great grandchildren to know who they are. There’s so many ways.

Sharon Cline: [00:29:04] My goodness, I never thought about that boy. I’d be so emotional in those, you know, because it does feel like what you’re doing is leaving a legacy, but not just for that family, but for the different companies that you’re representing or the different non-profits. You are making a piece of media that will live eternally.

Lee Meyer: [00:29:22] Absolutely.

Sharon Cline: [00:29:23] The internet’s forever.

Speaker4: [00:29:24] And a lot of times what we have found is that we have a big heart for small business owners. And we we know ourselves, too. You don’t always see yourself the way that other people see you, and for us, it’s a huge gift to get to deliver a video to somebody and just make them feel really good about all the heart and soul and passion and financial, you know, all of these things that they’ve poured in. I had a I’ll make this really quick. I had a business owner in the community that I had been trying to work with for months, and I was stopping by her office and visiting her, which I normally I don’t do that, but I thought her story was so cool. And I told her, I said, I’m not here to try to sell you. Obviously I would be selling you a video.

Lee Meyer: [00:30:13] But but I really.

Speaker4: [00:30:16] Want to work with you because I love your story. And I don’t know if it was a question of like, why? It was, why do you love my story? Like, what is it about my story that makes you want to work with me? And I went off on a tangent for like 20 minutes, telling her all the things that I see in her and all the things that she’s done and all the the roadblocks she’s overcome and just the legacy that she really has truly created. And after I got done with my story, she just kind of looked at me wide eyed and she was like, I’ve never thought about myself like that. I, I’ve never seen myself like that. And I’m like, well, it’s very obvious to me and I just think it’s so beautiful. So it’s, you just really want to help people see themselves the way that you see them, too.

Sharon Cline: [00:31:05] That’s a gift. And, you know, to give someone that validation and to highlight things that when you’re in the weeds of everything, your every day routine, those moments or whatever it is that you see, they’re just part of your story. But it’s not that important. I got to do this. I got to do that all day long. But for someone to take a step back and see it from such a beautiful point of view of growth and positivity, that must have been like an emotional moment, too.

Speaker4: [00:31:33] It was. And that’s the moments we live for. We. We strive for true connectedness with our clients. Um, we we want to empower them. We want to help them feel just ready to represent themselves in the world digitally in the best way. And we are truly not happy if our clients aren’t happy and we stand by that.

Sharon Cline: [00:31:58] Are what good energy in the world you know, there’s a lot of negative there. There just is. And so it’s wonderful to see. Can I ask you briefly before we finish, what was the 2024 Cherokee Film Summit that you were associated with?

Matt Thomas: [00:32:14] Is it? That’s a just a giant group of area creatives coming together. They had panelists and different classes that were being taught on various different subjects. It’s just a really amazing gathering of all of these professionals in the movie industry and other, you know, videography companies, you know, production companies, things like that. Um, the one of the coolest parts about it for me was in the morning, they have a students section, like this whole session of, you know, a bunch of different schools coming together, and you just get to see these kids just absorbing this information like, oh my gosh, like, I want to do this and they get to play with the props or, you know, get to ask questions, play with, you know, equipment. Um, so yeah, that was, that was probably. It’s one of the coolest things to be involved in, for sure.

Sharon Cline: [00:33:09] It’s like you’re helping the future, you know, to do similar things to you. Like, wouldn’t it have been nice if someone had kind of come to you and said, here’s a way that you can get involved? A lot of times we’re just figuring it out ourselves, you know?

Speaker4: [00:33:21] Absolutely. And I know I had those moments as a kid. I have had adults pour into me, and I think it’s that full circle moment that also makes our business so special, is finding any ways that we can to get to be involved, you know, and in that experience. And the Film Summit is actually put on and run by the Cherokee County Office of Economic Development. And Molly Mercer and her team run that, and they just do a phenomenal job. Um, I don’t think a lot of people know about that organization in our community and all of the wonderful things they do for us and for small business owners. But, um, they bring a lot of revenue into our community, which is really good for everybody. Um, you know, you wouldn’t think that we would have major motion.

Lee Meyer: [00:34:10] Films right here, right here in Cherokee County.

Sharon Cline: [00:34:13] Yeah, yeah, I definitely don’t think that that’s highlighted so much. Many people think just Atlanta, but we’ve got, um, a talent agencies here. I was thinking about how the fact that you are on this panel, like you’ve only been in business a couple of years, look at how much you’ve been able to affect not just our community proper, but like the next generation of people that will come up.

Speaker4: [00:34:35] Just to clarify, we’re not on the panel.

Lee Meyer: [00:34:37] Giving expert advice.

Speaker4: [00:34:38] We’re filming it. We sponsor with with The Office because they’ve poured into us and we love what they do and we want to give back as well. And they’re just phenomenal. But we are there to create a story of what’s happened for the day. We do enjoy the panelists, though, and what they have to offer, and it’s it’s just really cool. Even though we’re not making movies. Um, it’s just really neat to connect with people in that area. And it’s just another way that Cherokee County stands out, um, just as an amazing place. And if anybody is listening to this and is intrigued by that, I highly encourage them to reach out to the coed office. That’s their acronym. Um, they help with even film scouting and just jobs for local. I mean, there’s just so many wonderful things they do.

Sharon Cline: [00:35:25] But how neat is it to see young students to or young people be so excited about something that you know so much about, you know, and that they genuinely have. And it’s not because of money, but it’s genuinely what they want to be involved in. You know, it’s like, um, I meet a lot of people who want to get involved in voiceovers all the time. I kind of sit down and explain kind of the basics of what I’ve done in the industry. It’s a very small amount, but you know, when you don’t know anything, it’s great to just have someone explain. So when you are talking to someone who really just wants to be like, loves the idea of voiceover and you’re just like, oh, I feed off that energy too. You know, it makes me excited for what I do. And then it’s almost like I get in my own weeds of, oh, I’ve got to do this. I got to edit that. Oh, you know, I sound horrible because of the allergies lately. Like, I just plain, you know. But the truth is it is a it is a change, a reframing of appreciation, you know? So and I love the idea of the fact that you are not just making you’re not just part of it in that you’re filming, but you’re giving students real time opportunity, real in that moment, to see what it’s like to actually use the equipment. It’s not just theory.

Lee Meyer: [00:36:34] Yeah.

Speaker4: [00:36:34] And we got to interview some of the students and that was that was probably some of my favorite parts of the day. Because you see the passion in their eyes and you see how excited they are. And just to have those opportunities, it’s really meaningful. And Matt and I talked about it after, uh, our day was done filming that day and I said, you know, we should really look into finding a way that we could help mentor some of these younger kids and possibly even pay them to intern. And so smart, you know, really be able to help them develop their skills and feel happy and excited about getting any way that we can help. We’re just now that we’ve got a little bit of feet under us. You know, we’re thinking about how can we do that and how can we expand that, because it is so cool. You want to help these kids? Yeah.

Sharon Cline: [00:37:23] It’s giving back to directly to the community, which is wonderful. Yeah. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Matt Thomas: [00:37:30] Oh, man.

Lee Meyer: [00:37:31] We we ten years.

Sharon Cline: [00:37:34] Whatever. Whatever timeline you’d like. Where do you.

Lee Meyer: [00:37:36] See?

Speaker4: [00:37:36] What’s funny about us is we just. We are in a little bit of a transition right now. We thought we had an idea for what we wanted to do. And it it’s still very much, you know, our core values of creating video for people, you know, doing good work, creating great relationships, all of that basis. But we had thought that we were going to open a physical studio and as a five year plan, and we’re actually kind of thinking that we may not do that now. So that’s going to be a TBD. And normally I can answer this, but you literally caught us in the middle of a, a transitionary.

Lee Meyer: [00:38:15] Period.

Sharon Cline: [00:38:16] It’s what that’s it’s kind of unfolding the way it’s supposed to then, because you don’t need a physical brick and mortar store technically or studio, because so much can be done at home these days too, right? Yeah.

Speaker4: [00:38:29] And we love going to people, and we love seeing their space and traveling and and getting to connect with people all over. So it’s.

Sharon Cline: [00:38:38] It’s all unfolding. It’s like the journey.

Lee Meyer: [00:38:40] It’s still the.

Speaker4: [00:38:41] Journey we’re on. The journey.

Lee Meyer: [00:38:43] Continues.

Matt Thomas: [00:38:44] Yes.

Sharon Cline: [00:38:44] Well, how can people get in touch with you if they would like to hear more about you or or use your services so.

Speaker4: [00:38:50] They can find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, we are the highlight reel ATL. You can also go to the Highlight Reel ATL comm. We always offer anybody that’s interested, even in chatting. Um, maybe you’re not ready to make the jump, but you just want to see, hey, what would this look like? And what do you think about my business or my product or my event? And what could you creatively, you know, spitball with me? I love spit balling. So give us a call like we’re happy to just chat. And we are bad business people because we will always find a way.

Lee Meyer: [00:39:23] To tell people.

Speaker4: [00:39:24] How they can do things themselves as much as possible as well. So we’re here to help.

Sharon Cline: [00:39:30] Sorry we’re bad business people. We are not. That’s not the tagline we want to leave you with.

Speaker4: [00:39:37] But I’m like, hey, you may not. Sometimes people don’t always need a super high end professional video. It’s not necessary and that’s a waste of their resources. So I’m never going to convince somebody to do video. You know, on this scale if it doesn’t make sense. So that’s why I joke and I’m like, we’re bad.

Lee Meyer: [00:39:56] But.

Speaker4: [00:39:57] It’s what’s best.

Sharon Cline: [00:39:58] So no, it’s honest and it’s and it’s looking out for what ultimately the, you know, is best for what the client needs. It’s not about what you need, but it’s about what the client needs. And that’s like having that reframe of what’s most important is making the client happy. Ultimately, you know, releases all of that kind of negative karma that comes when people are just like money driven all the time. I don’t know, I seem to find that a lot of people that have that energy of being truly in an almost an altruistic mindset, things just work out. Things are that that’s a beautiful energy to be in. Yeah. You know, and you can feel it. You can feel it too. So I feel it in here. Yay!

Lee Meyer: [00:40:37] She tells you people, it’s real, it’s real real.

Sharon Cline: [00:40:41] It’s real for the highlight reel. Um, well, I can’t thank you enough, Lee and Matt, for coming into the studio today and sharing your story. Um, and please come back again, because it’s just so fun to see how your journey is evolving. And it’s it’s inspiring for me to know that even if there are obviously fears, you still you manage them. And that’s the biggest thing to me is as a business owner, I mean, even you guys are talking about sort of at the end of the pandemic, starting this, you know, or sort of in the middle of the pandemic, you still did it. You know, so many businesses didn’t survive. And yours, you know, got started and is thriving. So yay.

Lee Meyer: [00:41:18] Well, I appreciate it.

Sharon Cline: [00:41:19] I do a golf clap for you, some golf clapping for you here in the studio. So exciting.

Lee Meyer: [00:41:23] Thank you so much.

Sharon Cline: [00:41:24] You’re welcome. And thank you all for listening to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX. And again, this is Sharon Cline reminding you that with knowledge and understanding, we can all have our own fearless formula. Have a great day!

 

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