angishields, Author at Business RadioX ® Page

BRX Pro Tip: The Value of Value

March 19, 2024 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: The Value of Value

00:00 /

BRX Pro Tip: The Value of Value

Stone Payton: [00:00:00] And we are back with BRX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you this afternoon. Lee, let’s talk a little bit about the value of value.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:09] Yeah. If you’re a service provider, it’s so important to just kind of overdeliver results. You got to be providing 10X value for your clients that’s reliable and predictable. And if you can overdeliver these results, then you can charge more. Your clients are going to stay with you longer. And they’re going to tell other people about you and other people will find you.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:36] If you’re only delivering a little bit of value, that is going to be a lot harder because people are going to shop you. They’re going to be looking for a better solution. That means you got to be better at sales and marketing because you’re going to have to talk to a lot of people. And you got to do that in order to keep your pipeline full and keep that flowing.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:57] But if you provide 10X value, you don’t have to keep that pipeline as full because your work is going to be talked about and people are going to find you. And they’re going to want to get that same result you’re delivering.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:09] So, I find it’s much better to focus on providing overpromise and overdeliver. Keep that value bar super high. Your clients are going to be happy. They’re going to stay with you. And you’re going to be able to attract a lot more faster.

BRX Pro Tip: Word of Mouth

March 18, 2024 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: Word of Mouth

00:00 /

BRX Pro Tip: Word of Mouth

Stone Payton: [00:00:02] And we are back with BRX Pro Tips. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, let’s talk a little bit about word of mouth.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:10] Well, word of mouth is super important in B2B selling. It is probably over 50% of all sales are referred by somebody in your network or somebody who knows something or suggests something. So, how do you become more referable is really at the heart of word of mouth in our world. So, what things can you be doing in your studio or for your show to be more referable? You could share more stories, you can connect more people, you can show up at more places where the people that matter to you hang out. The key is to matter the most to the people who matter the most to you. So, what are some ways you can be ubiquitous to the people that matter most to you? How can you surprise and delight the people around you, so they think of you when it’s time to recommend or to refer? Those are the things you should be thinking about. Those are the things we think about in our studio every day.

Stone Payton: [00:01:09] And to me, that’s one of the reasons that it’s so important that you’re real focal point, your litmus tests, I guess I would say, of a show, how you conduct it, why you conduct it, the way that you drive an episode of your show, you want to create an episode that your guest is really excited about sharing to their extended network. That is absolutely critical to this whole enchilada.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:36] Right. And that’s why when you’re interviewing, we recommend an interview style that supports and celebrates. It helps them out of kind of areas when their mind wanders, you want to rescue them, and make them look good, and help them create content they’re proud of, so they happily share it. They want to share it. If you’re not doing that, then you’re not going to be referable.

Breaking Barriers: Teri Agosta’s Journey to Leadership in Hospitality

March 15, 2024 by angishields

High Velocity Radio

Breaking Barriers: Teri Agosta's Journey to Leadership in Hospitality

00:00 /

Brought to You by

In this episode of the High Velocity Radio Show, host Stone Payton interviews Teri Agosta, General Manager of Signia by Hilton Atlanta. They discuss the hotel’s mission to change lives, starting with hiring locals and impacting guests through memorable events. Teri shares her journey in hospitality, from sales and marketing to general management, and her passion for service. They also touch on mentorship, gender dynamics in the workplace, and the importance of recognizing individual differences.

As the general manager of Signia by Hilton Atlanta, Teri Agosta is responsible for leading the openingand operations of Signia by Hilton Atlanta, the first new build for the brand.

Owned by Georgia World Congress Center Authority and managed by Hilton Management Services, the 976-room hotel features 100,000 square feet of meeting space, eight world-class dining options, and an entire floor dedicated to wellness, including a spa, beauty bar, fitness center and lounge pool.

Most recently, Agosta opened the 600-room award-winning Hilton Cleveland Downtown and its four food and beverage outlets in 2016.

A hospitality industry veteran, Agosta has spent nearly the last 30 years with Hilton. She started her Hilton tenure in Baltimore as the director of marketing at Inn at The Colonnade Baltimore – a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Baltimore – BWI Airport before becoming general manager.

Over the years, she’s overseen the day-to-day operations at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Wilmington, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Washington DC – Crystal City and Hilton Phoenix Resort at
the Peak.

Throughout her tenure, Agosta has received numerous awards including General Manager of the Year by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, Arizona Chapter, in 2010, and named Hotelier of the Year by the Delaware Hotel and Lodging Association in 2003.

Agosta earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing at Grand Valley University, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and studied at the L’Institute D’Tours, Tours, France.

Connect with Teri on LinkedIn.

This 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 High Velocity Radio.

Stone Payton: [00:00:15] Welcome to the High Velocity Radio show, where we celebrate top performers producing better results in less time. Stone Payton here with you. Today’s episode is brought to you in part by our community partner program, The Main Street Warriors. Please go check us out at Main Street warriors.org. You guys are in for a real treat. Please join me in welcoming to the broadcast, General Manager with Signia by Hilton Atlanta. Ms. Teri Agosta. How are you?

Teri Agosta: [00:00:46] I am great on this beautiful sunny day. How are you?

Stone Payton: [00:00:50] I am doing well. Really been looking forward to this conversation. Got a ton of questions. Terry. I know we’re not going to get to them all, but I think a great place to start would be if you could share with me and our listeners mission. Purpose. What are you and your team really out there trying to do for folks?

Teri Agosta: [00:01:10] Wow, that’s pretty easy because we have simplified it. Uh, we are here to change people’s lives. And, you know, it may sound basic and it may not be congruent with the hotel or hospitality business, but it really is, uh, because we are a state owned property here. Sygnia, uh, by the state of Georgia, uh, managed by Hilton. Um, we feel that we have an obligation to work with the community, uh, most specifically to work with the citizens of Atlanta. So as we bring our team members in, um, they are primarily from this demographic here. And we’ve worked with a lot of organizations, uh, throughout the years that have been here a couple of years, two years now. And, uh, you know, basically Job Corps, Urban League, West side transitions and identified superstars in their organizations, um, that would like to get involved with hospitality and really build a career. Um, so we’ve been able to do that. So as we bring people in, we’re hiring for attitude and training for aptitude. So we start with our team members and then our team members start changing our guests lives. Right. Because what we do is through meetings and conventions, um, you you educate, you elevate, you expose people to things they’ve never been exposed to, uh, through social occasions, weddings. We’re obviously creating memories, uh, different types of birthdays, bar mitzvahs. All these events are really life changing. So our mission really in I think if you ask any team member, we’re about changing lives. And like I said, it starts with the team members and goes to the guest and then the economic ripple through the city of Atlanta and then the state of Georgia. So it’s that simple.

Stone Payton: [00:02:57] Well, I got to know, what’s the back story? How did you find yourself in this line of work and pursuing this particular, uh, niche, if you will?

Teri Agosta: [00:03:09] Um, hospitality and the hotel business, you know, just kind of fell into it. Um, I was born in Michigan, and obviously it’s all about cars and automobiles. And I decided, you know, I really love to be around people, uh, and love to serve. I think if you’re in the hotel business, you are serving people. I got involved with Hilton Hotels. I started in sales and marketing and just really got involved with clients and and delivering exceptional experiences to our guests. And then I said, you know what? I would really like to lead the organization and become a general manager. Um, so, you know, I posted several times for general managers positions and lost out, but I really just said, I know there’s going to be a good one there for me. Uh, and I got my first appointment, uh, in 2000in Washington, D.C., and I’ve loved it ever since and just worked my way up. Uh, and the insignia here in Atlanta is my seventh hotel, uh, with Hilton.

Stone Payton: [00:04:06] Wow. Well, I have to believe I just. I got to believe this must be incredibly rewarding work.

Teri Agosta: [00:04:17] It is. I call it immediate gratification. I think when you’re in a business where you are providing a service or you have people right in front of you, or you have your team members around you, um, you’re going to get immediate feedback like you’re doing well, you’re not doing well. The gas is going to say, I love this, I don’t love this, this tastes great, or this team member didn’t treat me at the level I’d like to be treated. So you’re getting immediate gratification one way or another. Um, which, you know, takes a certain type of person and you’ve got to love that. Definitely. Um, and, you know, I’ve never really worked from home, uh, a day in my life. I love coming in. I love being in front of people. I love being in front of a community. And I love the synergies of just having a variety of people around you.

Stone Payton: [00:05:05] So I’m sure the answer to this question is yes, but I’m going to ask it anyway. But I got to believe with an organization as as large and as well placed and experienced as as Hilton, this opportunity is certainly there. But I’m going to ask anyway, have you had the benefit of one or more mentors along the way to help you, help you kind of navigate this terrain of leading other people and generating results with and through the voluntary cooperation and effort of other folks.

Teri Agosta: [00:05:42] You know, I think, yes, but I think it, you know, I had to go out and grab it, right? I think that especially I mean, if you’re thinking, you know, around 2000, you know, with men and women in the workplace, there still was that posturing of the best way to work together, to synergize together. So a lot of times it took the initiation or the drive from myself to go and ask somebody like, hey, you know, can you help me interpret this? Or how do you see this? Or am I looking at this right? Or do you have a better way to do this? And then I think once you open those doors, um, people tend to be a little more open or free with advice. But I do think, you know, it’s not like somebody came and tapped me on the shoulder and said, hey, let me mentor you, or, hey, let me be your role model. I had to kind of seek it out and say like, oh, this person is very successful. Um, I would like to understand better how they’re doing this.

Stone Payton: [00:06:54] So you found that you had to be willing to to ask. And now I’m sure you’re finding yourself on the other side of being available as a mentor to to other young people and maybe specifically even, uh, uh, female people in the organization to help them, uh, carve their path out. Yeah.

Teri Agosta: [00:07:15] Yeah, absolutely. I think especially females, because, you know, there aren’t, uh, to this day, uh, a lot of females in high level leadership. And, um, it’s just the reality of life. So I think there is always that, uh, question or their curiosity of what are the right moves that need to be made, uh, to get further along in your career or what are some of the political steps or what are some of the landmines that we can avoid? Right. Um, so I do, uh, often find myself I have three mentors. I always, uh, mentees, I always do work with, um, and have regular calls or teams calls, uh, because they’re all over the country, uh, and just, you know, like, how’s it going? What’s going on? Tell me about something, uh, that caused you to say, I’m not sure how to do this. And, you know, we talk through things. Um, and I think that that that’s what you need because. You’ve got to really pick and choose how elevated you want to be about things and how much something’s really going to influence your life. And are you better letting it go, or do you really want to go after it and say, this is something I’m going to choose to really focus on and try to make a difference? I mean, like I always try to say like, if if is what I’m going to say make a difference and is that person going to change their behavior of it? And that’s not always true with everybody, right? And you have to recognize that if somebody is not going to change and you’re not you’re not going to be that person that’s going to make them change.

Teri Agosta: [00:08:54] Um, so don’t waste your effort and put it towards an area or a person where you can really make a difference, and you guys can both have a learning and a growth from it. So I think if you don’t focus on things that are going to drain your energy or not be responsive to your energy, um, and you kind of eliminate that and you go towards more people who are really open and receptive and understand and are going to take words and they’re going to alter their behavior. I think that’s where you’re going to get energized. Right. And that’s kind of a basic. Pretty sick where I live.

Stone Payton: [00:09:34] Well, it’s marvelous Council and I’m so glad that I asked. Now I’m operating under the impression that hospitality in general is, even to this day, still kind of a male dominated industry. Is that accurate?

Teri Agosta: [00:09:50] It’s very accurate. Um, and we’re really trying to change it. Um, but, you know, it it takes a lot of work and, and and the world still is not balanced as far as work life balance. So I think we try to, to do baby steps. Right. And I think that’s the best way to approach a lot of things that are these large mountains to move. So definitely, uh, you know, try to work with as many females as possible recognizing females. But, you know, in today’s workforce, it’s interesting. If you do too much of recognition, then you get some feedback from other areas, too. So you got to kind of love everybody equally and recognize everybody equally. But then at special moments or at moments that might not be as out loud as we say, uh, you really you really work with people that, you know, have promise and that know might need a special hand.

Stone Payton: [00:10:49] Well, it’s a timely conversation because we find ourselves as we’re in this conversation in the middle of Women’s History Month. Uh, I, uh, I am on record more than a few times, uh, sharing that. I actually prefer to work with women. I find them better with money. I find them more open. I find them more relationship oriented. I find I just given a choice. I actually prefer to work with women. So I’m sure you have a lot of counsel on how a female, uh, things they might do or not do to navigate their own career, but I am specifically interested as a fan of women, particularly in the in the workplace. Anything in particular that you would share with, with males to say, hey, here’s what you can do, should do, should be thinking about not doing to create an environment that really allows you to fully capitalize on the power and the talent and the energy of, uh, a pretty, uh, powerful female workforce.

Teri Agosta: [00:11:58] Yeah, I think what you say is valid. But would you report to a woman. Right. And I think that’s a lot of times what’s very different for people. Um, you enjoy working around women, but then you think like, could I report to a woman? Could I have a woman, boss? Huh? And that’s sometimes is a little more challenging for people, right? Um, I think you have to look at it, um, as it’s generational and everybody’s different. Right. And can you take the female component out of it? Absolutely not. And you don’t want to do that. You know, and I think rather than saying women are different and men are different, we have to say people are different and everybody has to be approached in a different way. Um, and if you just really take a look at your female boss or your female direct reports and just say, what is it? Um, what is it that they want? What is the win win situation for both of us? What is their skill set? How do they best receive information? How do they best deliver information to me? And you kind of work from there. Then everything else will kind of. You know, figure its way out. And then I always say there’s, you know, there’s there’s ignorance and malice. A lot of people just don’t know. So and it’s it’s racial, it’s female. It’s a lot of stuff.

Teri Agosta: [00:13:18] But there’s no malice there. So we also have to be willing to dialog about it. So I think there’s a fear where people don’t even want to dialog. They don’t want to ask the question because they feel it might be sexist or racist. But we we do have to be adults about a situation and be open to dialoging. And we have to say, you know, is that okay if I say that this way, or how would you like to be addressed? Or, um, is there a particular place you’d like me to sit at the table? Or, I mean, ask questions. I mean it, and I think then you will get the answers that you want rather than being timid about. I’m wondering what I should do. Um, just kind of start the dialog. Or if you have a relationship with somebody close enough, you can say, hey, I’ve always been wondering about this. Am I approaching this? Right? And hopefully somebody will tell you the right answer. Um, but I think just the communication, the ability to talk and the willingness to know that you’re not doing anything with malice. Now, if there’s malice involved, that’s a different story, right? Yeah. But it kind of helps you filter that these questions don’t have a sharp edge or people are not trying to be mean. Some people just want to know and are just curious.

Stone Payton: [00:14:43] Well, I appreciate you sharing that because my interpretation for what you’re saying in my environment, and I’m a small business person and we have a pretty good size, very successful media company, and a lot of our members of the team are female. But it’s what you’re this conversation is encouraging me to to not walk on eggshells, right? Just have a real conversation with Karen Nowicki out in Phoenix or Angie here in Atlanta and just have that. Don’t walk on eggshells with them just because they are female. Just as I would not walk on eggs with my business partner Lee Kantor, or the guy who runs the North Fulton Studio, right? Just have a real conversation and give them the benefit of of that, that authenticity. Yeah.

Teri Agosta: [00:15:32] Yeah, it’s true, I make missteps. I mean, the other day I said, like, maternal leave. It’s parental leave right now, right? Are I, you know, just little things like that. I’m like, oh my gosh, thank you for pointing that out. And I think that’s a really good example because it’s like, I didn’t even know that. I mean, I didn’t think that way, but now I’m I know that way and I know better. So I’m going to be better. Right? Right. And you say something and they’re going to say, you know, that’s not okay anymore. And you’re like, oh, thanks for pointing that out. And be really rather than saying, you know, don’t be such a, uh, you know, don’t be so wound up about that, you know, be grateful that somebody really had enough initiative to say, you know, we’re not doing that anymore.

Stone Payton: [00:16:13] Yeah.

Teri Agosta: [00:16:13] And if I can just.

Stone Payton: [00:16:14] Be real with them, they’ll appreciate that. And they’ll just be real with me. And neither of us are having to dance around this, uh, all these unspoken concerns that we have. Okay, I want to hear more about this property. Tell us more about this. About this property.

Teri Agosta: [00:16:30] Absolutely. Signia is first purposeful brand, uh, built high end meeting and convention hotel. Thousand rooms, 100,000ft² of meeting space, eight restaurants. Uh, just really changing the landscape of Atlanta, Georgia, on the Georgia World Congress campus here, uh, which is super exciting, welcoming meetings and conventions from around the world. About 40% of our business is new to Atlanta. So we’re bringing people into Atlanta that have never been here before. Our crown jewel is Capolinea, our Italian restaurant, just voted as one of the top ten restaurants in Atlanta. Great reviews on our Italian food. We also have a more casual nest sports bar, which is super exciting. Uh, those are really the two top favorites here at the hotel, but invite you to come and look around it. Really. We’re really shaking up hospitality, and we’re really bringing back southern hospitality to at the highest level with our team members, because they’re so excited to be a part of this project. And, you know, people are really hiring some hospitality and service, uh, generated team members.

Stone Payton: [00:17:40] So I’m always interested to know a little bit about how the sales and marketing thing works for for my guests. As a general manager, do you have a role in the whole sales and marketing side of things to get that convention business, to get that guest business, to get that dining business? Or how does all that work for somebody like you?

Teri Agosta: [00:18:03] Absolutely 100%. Any successful person has a sales vein in their body.

Stone Payton: [00:18:09] Amen.

Teri Agosta: [00:18:12] So let’s just start with that. So yeah, I mean people want to know that their, you know, sales person is representing the operation. The operation can pull it off. So clients that are booking multi-million dollar events want to see that synergy between the the general manager and the salespeople. Yes. What they say is true. Yes. We are going to be able to execute it. Yes, we’re going to be able to welcome you. Yes, I know of your laundry list of expectations and we can meet them. So I think people want to know that, um, they aren’t being sold at a level that might not be executed. So that partnership is so important. So yeah, I do greet a lot of guests and a lot of meeting planners and, uh, we have a lot of really great conversations about how we see their meeting or convention, uh, you know, really developing at the hotel.

Stone Payton: [00:19:04] Well, I must confess, I entered this conversation with a frame of reference or a preconceived notion that your world, your business was largely transactional, I guess would be the right word. But the more I’m hearing you speak of the work, the more I’m hearing of the way that you interact with your team. And the more I hear about the way that you’re trying to serve others. Man, nothing could be further from the truth. So much of your work is truly grounded in building relationships and creating the the right experience for people, isn’t it?

Teri Agosta: [00:19:42] That’s why we’re successful. You’ve got to operate from the heart, and you’ve got to operate from the people around you. And we all have to feel the same way. And it really goes back to treating the team members with respect and love and just saying hi to them every day. And they’re going to say hi to every guest that walks through the door. We’ve created that habit here. Um, and we’re all really, really proud to be a part of this, this project. And I welcome you to come down and take a look as well.

Stone Payton: [00:20:11] You should be and color me there. I will bring my bride down and we will make an evening of it. I cannot wait. I’m going to switch gears on you for just a moment before we wrap. Uh, I don’t know when in the world you would find the time, but I’m going to ask anyway. Uh, most of my listeners know that I like to hunt, fish, and travel. Before we came on air, I shared with you that I had an opportunity to go fishing this morning. Uh, outside the scope of your work, hobbies, interests, pursuits that, uh, that you try to pursue. Yeah. Outside the scope of your of your work.

Teri Agosta: [00:20:49] Yeah. I told you, I love to garden. I, um, actually live in midtown, and I’m often at the botanical gardens there. They’re absolutely gorgeous. Uh, and I do a lot of yoga. I do yoga at evolution yoga, um, and practice meditation, which keeps me centered. So the more you’re in nature and the more you’re in heart, your heart, the better your life is going to be. So I feel very balanced. Thank you.

Stone Payton: [00:21:13] That’s a great way to put it. Staying centered I’ve often heard it described as creating a little bit of a white space, but it’s so important, I think, for entrepreneurs, people in leadership positions who are genuinely responsible for impacting a lot of lives and a lot of different ways, it’s important to to get centered and and and give yourself an opportunity to, to re-energize so you can come back and attack the rigors of the day, isn’t it?

Teri Agosta: [00:21:44] Yeah. You got to plug in your battery.

Stone Payton: [00:21:47] Absolutely, absolutely. Okay, one last thing I’ll ask of you. And it’s, um, I well, I call them pro tips. You know, just a few things. You’re obviously a seasoned leader. You’ve learned a great deal about business in general, about serving. You’ve learned about leading other other people. Anything from what you’re reading, some dos or don’ts, some lessons learned. But anyone who might be tapping into this con, uh, into this content that might give them just one little thing or two to be that’s actionable, you know, something to think about a working discipline. I’d love to leave them with a with a tip or two.

Teri Agosta: [00:22:28] I mean, I think one thing I’ve realized is, um, people just lack recognition and love and appreciation for what they’re doing. So any time, you know, I’m even out, uh, at a restaurant by myself or, uh, experience any level of service, I try to thank people for their hard work and for their service. And I think I’m always amazed at how people light up when you do that. So I think recognizing what people do in every aspect you touch, you know, even when I got out of yoga the other day, I thank the guy for refolding all the blankets and lining them up so nicely. And he’s like, I can’t believe you recognize that. You know? I mean, it’s just like the simplest little thing, but, you know, everything people do puts bread on the table for their family, and you need to respect people at that level, and you need to thank them for putting forth that effort to provide for their family and their loved ones.

Stone Payton: [00:23:34] Oh, I’m so glad I asked. That is fantastic. So guys, if you want to get some great free counsel from some very learned, experienced people, get yourself a radio show, man. You can learn a ton. That’s marvelous. All right, let’s make sure that our folks know where the property is and any other coordinates you might want them to have to tap into your work. And the great things that you guys are, are doing out there at Signia by Hilton Atlanta.

Teri Agosta: [00:24:02] Yeah, I suggest our website. We put a lot of time into it. It’s very colorful. It’s very engaging. Uh, talks about all our restaurants. That’s, uh, you know, Signia by Hilton in Atlanta. And that’ll walk you through everything. We have a beautiful spa here and health club, uh, so you can even just come and have a little lunch and get a spa treatment, or just have a spa treatment and walk around, have a cocktail. So there is really a lot of things going on here. After a game, you can come over to the nest and enjoy. Uh, but I would suggest starting with our website.

Stone Payton: [00:24:33] Well, you had me at cocktail. Terry. That’s so good. Color us there, Terry.

Teri Agosta: [00:24:39] I look forward to seeing you.

Stone Payton: [00:24:40] It has been an absolute delight having you on the show. Thank you for sharing your insight and your perspective. Keep up the good work. Let’s do this again sometime. Maybe we’ll, uh, we’ll circle back and find out how how it’s going. But you’re really you’re doing important work. You’re impacting a lot of lives. And we sure appreciate you, Terry.

Teri Agosta: [00:25:02] Yes, I appreciate you, too. Thank you for spreading the good word. Have a great day.

Stone Payton: [00:25:06] My pleasure. All right, until next time. This is Stone Payton for our guest today, Terry Augusta, general manager with Signia by Hilton Atlanta. And everyone here at the business Radio X family saying we’ll see you in the fast lane.

BRX Pro Tip: The 2 Best Ways to Get Paid on Time

March 15, 2024 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: The 2 Best Ways to Get Paid on Time

00:00 /

BRX Pro Tip: The 2 Best Ways to Get Paid on Time

Stone Payton : [00:00:00] And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, let’s talk a little bit about ensuring that we get paid on time.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:10] Yeah. I think that as – especially in the professional services, one of the things you have to understand really early on when you go into business is that you are not a bank. And I think that people forget this and that because of that, they’re not really being mindful about the ways to get paid on time. And in professional services, you should always try and get paid upfront before you do any meaningful work. Because once you’ve done the work, you’ve lost any type of leverage you had of getting paid on time.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:45] So, the first thing to do is to be crystal clear about your payment terms early in your conversations, so there’s no misunderstandings. Tell your prospective client that in order to begin the work that they agreed for you to perform, they’re going to have to make payment of some kind.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:03] And secondly, I highly recommend that you make it as easy as possible for someone to pay you. Give them multiple payment options like ACH or credit card, Venmo, whatever electronic payment they would like to make. Make it very easy for them to pay you.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:18] So if you do these two things, you’re going to get paid either upfront or on time, and you’re going to be happier about it. Because the worst thing and the biggest waste of your time is chasing people for money that they owe you.

The Workshop: Where Crafting Meets Purpose

March 14, 2024 by angishields

Cherokee Business Radio

The Workshop: Where Crafting Meets Purpose

00:00 /

Brought to you by Diesel David and Main Street Warriors

In this episode of Cherokee Business Radio, Stone Payton is joined by Kimberly Mauriello, owner of The Workshop, a multifaceted boutique and workshop space. The Workshop serves as a creative hub where the public can engage in crafting activities, learn new skills, and purchase unique handmade items crafted with care by local and global artisans. Many of the products sold support various non-profit missions, such as aiding survivors of trafficking and domestic violence.

The Workshop also directly supports A Firm Foot Forward, a non-profit helping young women in difficult circumstances by providing job skills and opportunities for entrepreneurship. Kimberly shares her journey from a corporate job to establishing The Workshop, driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact and support her community.

The Workshop is a place for community, collaboration, and creativity for artisan makers. They are a social enterprise workshop designing and making unique, limited quantity, handcrafted goods.

Kimberly Mauriello started The Workshop and A Firm Foot Forward a year ago after deciding she wanted more than just putting time into a job for someone else.

With a BS degree in management from the University of MN, and over 30 years of business experience in various roles from sales, training, marketing, operations, and accounting, Kimberly felt it was time to make a difference with the skills and knowledge she had.

Kimberly is married and has been living in Towne Lake for over 12 years. They have four children; one is still a junior at Etowah HS.

Connect with Kimberly on Instagram and follow The Workshop on Facebook.

This 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 another exciting and informative edition of Cherokee Business Radio. Stone Payton 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. You guys are in for a real treat this morning. Please join me in welcoming to the broadcast with the workshop. Ms. Kimberly Mauriello, how are you?

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:01:11] I’m good. Thank you for having me. Stone.

Stone Payton: [00:01:14] Oh, it’s a delight to have you in studio. We have a mutual friend, Myrna. How do you pronounce her last name? Myrna. Caesar.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:01:21] Caesar, Caesar, I believe.

Stone Payton: [00:01:23] All right. I just call her Myrna.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:01:24] I know, I could just call her Myrna.

Stone Payton: [00:01:26] Uh, so special thanks and shout out to to Myrna for putting us together. But I’ve really been looking forward to this conversation. I got a ton of questions. Uh, I’m sure we won’t get to them all, but maybe a great place to start would be if you could describe for me in our listeners mission. Purpose. What are you and your team really out there trying to do for folks?

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:01:47] The workshop is kind of a hodgepodge of of things. Um, if anybody walks into the workshop, which I mean, a lot of people say, okay, the workshop, what is it? Um, people come in and say, okay, am I doing crafts? Am I building things? Am I doing, uh, you know, secretarial work, you know, what is it? Um, we do all different kinds of things. We are a workshop. We are a functioning.

Stone Payton: [00:02:18] This is a physical place.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:02:19] It is a physical place. You can walk in. And we have a window there in our back office. You can actually sit and watch us. So if you want to, we have, um, industrial sewing machines. We have embroidery machines. We have workspaces where we are actually working and crafting. Um, and so we are selling what we are crafting into the boutique that we have out front. We also invite the public into, um, public workshops that we offer. So we do workshops and classes in the evenings, on, on Saturdays where people can learn a new craft, they can learn a new skill, they can come in and have a girls night, they can have a date night. They can come in and have some fun and do make candles, learn leather working, do chunky blankets. They can come in and do whatever we have on the calendar. So we are a functioning workshop. Um, the other facet of it is we are a boutique, so you can come in and shop. Oh, wow. So not only are we making things, but I bring in, um, things from local artisans, but also global artisans. Everything that we have, somebody has carefully made with their hands and their heart. Um, so somebody has put their blood, sweat and tears into making something with their craft, with their heart and their art.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:03:43] And I sell that in the workshop boutique so you can come in and find unique, wonderful handmade gifts and items to give to, um, your friends and your relatives and your loved ones with knowing that somebody made something very special and so you can give something very special. Um, what’s near and dear to my heart is not only are those things made special, so they’re all a little bit unique. You’re not going to find just two alike. Yeah, because they are made by hand. But almost everything in there is made with a purpose. So you will find just about everything in there is made by a nonprofit. Zero. Most everything in there is made supporting a nonprofit, supporting a purpose of supporting a mission, whether it be rescuing young young women and girls out of trafficking, um, whether it be supporting, um, women, uh, leaving domestic violence, whether it be supporting artisans, just trying to put food on the table and building their communities and keeping their families together, whether it be supporting, um, orphanages, you know, whatever it is, the cause a lot of most of the products I have are all supporting those missions, those purposes. So not only are you buying wonderful, beautiful products, you are also supporting not only the artisans, their communities, their families, but also the greater missions that they’re supporting.

Stone Payton: [00:05:29] Wow, I love that I have a very artsy person in my life, my my wife Holly. Many of our listeners know Holly because she teaches a watercolor class over at the Reeves house. She was in murder on the Orient Express. She was more recently in Steel Magnolias. And I. While I have zero skill, I have a tremendous appreciation for art. And I have a sister in law in town who quilts and she won’t. She quilts them and then she she makes these beautiful quilts, and then she’ll give them to organizations like Circle of Friends or Enduring Hearts or somebody like, and then they auction them off and make money. So you’re very much in my world. So we’re going to come see you. Uh, and this place is, uh, easy to get to, right and close by.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:06:09] Yes, we are on highway 92 just before, if you’re coming westbound out of the city of Woodstock on 92, right before you get to 575. If you know where the Woodstock post office is, you will drive right by our building. You’re right behind the Starbucks. Um, right there by the goodwill, um, that I give those two landmarks. Um, and everybody knows where we are. Sure. Um, but, yeah, we, um, we’re kind of. Everybody calls us the hidden little gem when they find us. Um, they said how, you know, how did I not know you were here? And I’m like, well, we’re here. Yeah. And I raised my hand and I said, we’re here. Um, I’ve had no one come into the store and said, we hate your store. Um, everybody that I, you know. Has come in, said, I love your shop and it feels so warm, so cozy, so welcoming. I said, well, because unfortunately or fortunately, this is my home away from home. I spend a lot of time here and I’m going to be comfortable here if I’m going to stay here all day. I want this to be my home. And this is right. Right. Yeah. And I want people to come here and feel comfortable. And the other reason behind that is we also support a nonprofit.

Stone Payton: [00:07:24] I directly you guys directly us.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:07:27] Wow. Um, we support a firm foot forward, and I tell people everything in the workshop is the window dressing. Mhm. The real meat and potatoes behind the workshop is a firm foot forward. Is the nonprofit everything. Not only are you supporting the artisans that made the beautiful products and their missions, but everything in that place supports the nonprofit that we support. And that is the hope is to build relationships with organizations that are serving young women. Coming out of difficult circumstances. So young women that have come out of trafficking, coming out of domestic violence, coming out of addiction, coming out of homelessness, whatever their circumstances have been, they are transitioning out of those programs. They are survivors, they are recovering. They are winners, but they are not quite ready to just, you know, full steam ahead. Yeah, they are tiptoeing forward in many cases. Um, but they get lost in that middle ground and we’re hopefully the place where they can come in a safe, secure, comfortable environment where if they don’t have the job skills, they’ve never had a job. Um, we can give them those life lessons, those job skills, that opportunity to get that first income, to get that first job under their belt, to understand what it is to come to work every day, to understand what it is, to have a job, to have somebody stand up for them and says, yes, this person is reliable, this person is worthy.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:09:19] This person is, you know, give them a shot, give them a chance and give them the confidence and the moral boost to say, yes, you can do this. You can take a firm step forward and and go ahead with your life. Leave that old one behind. You can move forward. And so hopefully that’s the place that we become. And so that was part of building that comfortable, warm place is that is the place that they can come and be safe and work until they’re comfortable moving forward. Um, I’m hoping it becomes a place where they can become entrepreneurs and they can make their own products and they can sell their own products. That’s, you know, that’s the dream of a firm foot forward is they can be they, you know, they can make their own candle line. They can make their own jewelry line. They can make their own leather, you know, they whatever they want to be creative and make they can make and sell and support. Us and themselves. And again, they have then the whole, you know, enterprise to, um, to support them. You know, moving forward. So that is the whole dream of the workshop and a firm foot forward. Like I said, it’s kind of a hodgepodge of all different things, but that’s why they all work cohesively together. Um, yeah. That is.

Stone Payton: [00:10:42] How did it all start for you? What got you going down this path?

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:10:46] Um, I guess maybe you can say it was a little bit of a midlife crisis or realization that, um, after. I will admit, I’m over 50. Um, my my kids are all growing. I’ve got one left at Etowah High School. Um, everyone else, um, is is growing, is is finding their niches and their paths forward. And it was finally time to say, okay, I’m no longer so and so’s mom and and just tired of being. I guess if I was going to put that many hours and blood, sweat and tears into something and work so many how to hard hours. Um, I’m not one to put just a little bit of effort into anything I.

Stone Payton: [00:11:35] Can tell I’ve known. I’ve known you for 15 minutes, and I can already say that about you. Um.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:11:40] I’m. I’m both feet in, and I’m, you know, head over, you know, um, or water over my head into everything. And, um, it’s like, if I’m going to do that, I want to make a difference, and I’m going to do something that matters. And so it’s like, okay. And years and years ago, I had the opportunity to kind of do a little bit of something and. Yeah, the Lord just says no, now is not the time. Not yet. And he yanked that away from me, and but he put me in a place where I learned just about every skill set that I needed to do what I’m doing now. He put me in a lot of different roles and a lot of different opportunities and. Fast forward, you know, ten, 12 years and paths crossed again with a few people. And it’s like, you know, I think now is the time. And I said, okay, I’m leaving my corporate job. And I said, I’m taking a chance. And the Lord put on my heart. It’s like, okay, I think this is the time and you’re going to do this. And I’m like.

Stone Payton: [00:12:51] Wow, what was that like when like you came home and you said, okay, honey, things are going to be a little different around, like, what was that?

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:12:58] My husband is still reeling after that. He still thinks I’m kind of nuts after that. I mean, he’s bless him. He’s still he’s incredibly supportive, um, through this, because I can’t say it’s not been without its bumps and bruises and its hardships, and, um, but it’s it’s been scary. Um, it’s been very scary, but, um. But it has been so. So rewarding emotionally and spiritually.

Stone Payton: [00:13:30] And just what’s the most fun about it for you now that you’ve been at it a little while? You think?

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:13:35] I had the people that I meet. It’s amazing and I can’t explain it other than. Divine intervention. I just I can’t explain it any other way other than. And Myrna is one of those people. I mean, the people that just walk into my place, into the workshop and just start talking and tell me their stories and share with me their experiences and, and open. I mean, there’s not necessarily, um, there are people that, you know, share with me that, you know, I’m a recovering alcoholic or I was in a shelter once, you know, thank you for what you’re doing. And in that.

Stone Payton: [00:14:12] Environment, they open up pretty quickly, it sounds like.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:14:15] Exactly. And so it’s like I’m like, okay, I’m in the right place. I’m doing the right thing. Even though some there’s some days it’s like, oh my gosh, what did I do? I’m like, I’ve got to be crazy. I’m like, okay, pull out the wand or pull out the employment ads and want ads because I’m applying for jobs again, I’m, you know, I can’t do this. Another I can’t do this another minute. And then somebody walks in and shares a story with me and it’s like, no, okay, no, I’m doing the right thing. I’m here, I’m doing it. And I’m just I’m so lucky. And that is the best part of my job. That is the best part of doing what I did, man.

Stone Payton: [00:14:55] So how does the whole sales and marketing thing work for a physical retail kind of environment? I’ve never I’ve been in business for myself for 30 plus years, but I’ve never had a retail operation. What’s the sales and marketing thing like for something like, I mean, do you have to go out and shake the trees a little bit? Or if you build it, they’ll come or a little bit of both.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:15:16] If you can figure it out, tell me. Oh, okay. I mean, I will say. And I have a degree in marketing. That was that was my degree way, way eons ago. Go, gophers! Um. I’m sorry, I’m not sec. I’m big ten. So which is now what, like the big 22 or something like that?

Stone Payton: [00:15:38] Yeah. They got they’re merging and just like corporations now, right?

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:15:41] Um, but, uh, it is so hard as a small business. And that’s what I love about Main Street Warriors. I mean, you go after and you help the little guy, we sure try. Um, because it is so true. I mean, and you hear everything about, you know, Google has changed its algorithms and, you know, Facebook has changed its algorithms. And so you, you know, trying to do Instagram and Facebook and this, but that and yeah, but you can’t say no, I’m not going to do it. Because on the off chance that it may work well, you need to still do it. So you’re pulling out your hair trying to do social media and keep up with it. And then it’s like, well, do you do Google Ads? Do you, do you know this and that? And um, then it’s like, okay, well, does print still work? And it’s like, now you talk to my miRNA and it’s like, yes, of course it still does work. You need to do that. Right? Right. Um, so I do do a little bit of print. Um, and yeah, you try to do as much publicity as you can. Um, it’s, it’s.

Stone Payton: [00:16:49] Noisy out there though, right?

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:16:50] It is not, it’s, it’s still really who you know, and it’s still, um, I tell people share, share, tell everybody, you know, because it still comes down to the old fashioned spreading the word. Um, just tell. Tell your friend, tell your neighbor. Tell. You know, tell everybody you know, if you know, if you liked your experience, if you liked what you bought, you know, share it. Tell somebody. Um, because that still is, especially for small, um, small stores, small, um, especially brick and mortars. Um, that is how we grow is by people telling people about us.

Stone Payton: [00:17:29] Right? Right. So when you made this leap, did did you have the benefit of one or more mentors to help you kind of navigate this whole new landscape of running a business, or did you have to pretty much teach it to yourself?

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:17:43] I pretty much taught it to myself. Um, I have a wonderful friend, Sheila, um, who is my mentor in what I say is the the crazy world of pulling kind of the nonprofit and working with a lot of the, um, the people that I know in the nonprofit world that started me on this. Um. And she still is my kind of my right hand. Um, she helped me, you know, set the shop. She helped me organize. She, you know, she. I still call her my my chief juicer. So a lot of times, if you see, all of a sudden somebody will come in and say, well, the store didn’t look like this last month. I said, no, because Sheila was in. So Sheila comes in and she’ll totally change everything.

Stone Payton: [00:18:37] And we should all have a Sheila in our lives, right?

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:18:40] Exactly. So, um, so she still is very much a big part of, uh, of the shop and, um. But other than running the store and running the business and getting things off the ground, I pretty much did it on my own. Um, like I said, thankfully I had enough years business experience working with people and working in roles. That I had enough, I felt. To. It’s kind of figure things out that I wasn’t totally going in blind.

Stone Payton: [00:19:18] Yeah. So a lot of our listeners, as you might imagine, are either entrepreneurs running a small to medium sized business. Sometimes they are. They have to practice their craft, right, like they’re a business lawyer or they’re a CPA, but they may or may not have much actual business experience. I wonder if maybe as an entrepreneur, this kind of made it over that first hump anyway. And still, you know, out there fighting the good, good fight, uh, any kind of disciplines you’ve picked up or if you do’s or don’ts or words of encouragement or counsel, you might offer that, uh, that, that entrepreneur or even maybe the aspiring entrepreneur that.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:19:57] Um. I guess the biggest thing is stay organized as much as you can. And and that’s hard. And, um, I’ll say my experience right now is, um, working through getting ready for taxes. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. As much as I thought I was organized and, you know, all together, I’m realizing, well, I wasn’t as organized as I thought for last year. So I’m scrambling, pulling everything together and and buttoning everything up. Um, so even though you think you’re everything’s together, you’re probably not as together as you think you are. Um, so that is probably one of the biggest things is you may not think it’s as important as the accounting, um, and, you know, making sure that you have everything documented. Um, you may not think that at the time that that’s important, that that’s critical. Right? It will be it will come back and bite you. Um, it will um, unfortunately, that’s just the life of the world that we live in. Um, somebody’s going to come back and ask you for that information, and it’s better to have it at your fingertips, or at least know where it is. Then try to scramble at the last minute and try to, you know, find it.

Stone Payton: [00:21:17] Um, Amen. And timely advice, uh, going into tax season here. Yes.

Speaker4: [00:21:21] Yeah.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:21:21] Yeah. Um, thankfully as an I, my last role was a director of accounting. So at least I had some of that discipline in me already. So I was pretty meticulous about that. Um, just as one of me and not having a multiple clones, trying to do marketing and sales and purchasing and selling and marketing or and accounting and doing everything and trying to flip all the hats at one time. You know, it is hard, um, to somebody that wants to try and do it. You can do it. Um, it is it is doable. Um, be ready for a lot of long nights. Um, be ready for working, you know, 24 seven, if you know, not quite 24, seven. But, um, it’s.

Stone Payton: [00:22:17] Hard, though, to turn it off, even if you are in some, like, family time at the beach. On the boat. For me, anyway, I’m still sometimes thinking about that one client.

Speaker4: [00:22:27] Right. You are.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:22:28] You’re always. And all of a sudden something will pop up. And that’s. I mean, I pretty much always have a paper and a pen around, right? Um, just because something is always popping into my head and I’ve learned, just at least write it down because I’m sorry. At my 53, almost 54 year old brain, it doesn’t remember much anymore, at least very long. So I do have to write it down. And at least that way you can say, okay, I wrote it down, now I can remember, and now I can go back on to whatever I was doing. I can go back on to that watching that movie or back into, you know, that conversation or back to enjoying the beach or whatever I was doing. But I haven’t lost that thought and I haven’t, you know, um, given up that because you’re right, if you are in business for yourself, you’re always your brain is always going. And it has to you can’t turn it off. Really. Um, but it is also true that though there are times when you really do need to try your best to turn it off. Um, so.

Speaker4: [00:23:36] What, uh, give.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:23:37] Yourself a chance to refresh.

Stone Payton: [00:23:40] Yeah, you need that space, right? So I am interested to know, uh, most of of our listeners know that I like to hunt, fish and travel. Uh, how about you? I don’t know when you find the time, but it sounds like you do commit to finding the time. Uh, hobbies, interests that you pursue outside the scope of your work that allows you to create that little bit of space and refresh opportunity. What do you kind of nerd out about anything?

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:24:02] Um, one of my favorite things to do, uh, we have we rescue collies. Um. Oh, my. We have three right now. Um, and they are, um, full, full collies. Um, so we have three big, huge, you know, 70 plus pound dogs in our house, but we love them. Um, they are truly our, our fur babies. And, um, but we love taking them out in the woods and walking with them. And that is, that is one of my biggest escapes, um, is to take them out and walk with them. Um, I would love to travel. Um. That was one of my husband’s and I favorite things to do was travel and just hop in the car and take road trips. Um, that’s been harder and harder now. Maybe as empty nesters, that’ll become easier again now that the kids are kind of flown the coop and gone. Um, but now with a business to run again, that’s harder, but, um.

Stone Payton: [00:25:05] Well, and you may find as you continue to, to grow, that you can delegate more and more of that.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:25:09] Well, that’s the hope too, is that as we’re, as I’m able to bring in young women, um, to the business, that they are able to take on some of those roles.

Speaker4: [00:25:21] There you go. Yeah.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:25:22] I would love to find somebody that has an aptitude for social media, for running a website or doing, you know, photography. And I was blessed last year to have somebody that did want to go into photography and did a photo shoot for me. Um, so those are the things that hopefully will be able to come about through this. Um, so those are the types of roles that hopefully be able to be taken on by the young women that were able to serve as those things will be able to, and that they can explore to say, okay, I like this. Um, and then have the chance to explore that and say, yeah, I really do like this, you know, what can I do with this? And then say, well, hey, you can do anything with learning, you know, social media and writing and doing, you know, ad writing. And, you know, you can do it as, as a career, as a job, as, you know.

Speaker4: [00:26:19] Oh, I like that. So yeah.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:26:21] You know.

Stone Payton: [00:26:22] Everybody will win from that. All right.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:26:23] I’m hoping so. Yeah.

Stone Payton: [00:26:24] We’ll continue to follow this story okay. So the workshop I can go in right now this afternoon. Enjoy it as a patron. Yes. Uh, so so there’s that. But talk to me a little bit more about, uh, how someone like a Holly or an aunt Sandy. Sandy’s my sister in law. That does the quilting. Holly’s the one that’s, you know, neck deep in the arts and will be more so when we when we get her retired. Yep. Uh, how might somebody like Holly tap into to what you’re what you’re doing?

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:26:52] Um, there’s a there’s several different ways. Um, if if Holly if she wants, she retires. And if she has any inclination in teaching, I would love to have her or anybody else that wants to teach a class.

Speaker4: [00:27:08] Uh, if, um.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:27:11] I don’t want to be the one teaching classes, you know, all the time. Yeah. For instance, we have wine, wine, glass, painting. Um, if somebody has an aptitude to teach, um, painting, I would love to have them teach the classes. If somebody wants to teach sewing, if somebody wants to teach, you know, whatever gift that they have, if they want to teach those classes, they are, I would love to have them come in and teach. So that is an opportunity for people to come in and get involved. Um, you can shop online. We have the website, the workshop dot site s I t e you can shop us online so you can be a patron online. You don’t have to live here in Woodstock. Um, and.

Stone Payton: [00:27:53] Know that you’re not just supporting a local entrepreneur, which for me is enough. I mean, our whole mission around here is to support and celebrate local businesses. But you’re not just supporting a local entrepreneur, you’re actually helping folks in these organizations that you were describing. What was the the firm foot forward? Did I get that foot forward?

Speaker4: [00:28:11] Yes.

Stone Payton: [00:28:12] Yeah. I mean, you’re actually you’re helping them. You’re helping these these young ladies who are coming from some really tough circumstances and starting to to get their get their footing. And they don’t they all they, they just need a little a little a little little help. Right. A little.

Speaker4: [00:28:27] Help. Little help. Yep.

Stone Payton: [00:28:28] Wow, man, what marvelous work you’re doing.

Speaker4: [00:28:31] Thank you.

Stone Payton: [00:28:32] I am so glad you came in to visit.

Speaker4: [00:28:34] Me, too.

Stone Payton: [00:28:35] And I hope you’ll keep it up. I have every confidence that you will. And the other thing I’d love to do, if you’re up for it, I think it might be fun to do, like a a special episode with you. Maybe some of the folks who are creating this art, maybe some of the the folks who are benefiting from the program and just dive into how you’re working together and how everybody really is, uh, benefiting from this collaborative effort. I think that would be a fun set of stories to to share.

Speaker4: [00:29:01] Yeah, I would love to. Yes.

Stone Payton: [00:29:03] All right, so before we wrap, let’s make sure that we have appropriate points of contact. Make it easy for folks to talk to you, get to the workshop, tap into these organizations. So whatever you’re comfortable with let’s leave them with some coordinates. Okay.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:29:16] Um, again, the workshop physically, um, is located on highway 92 9539, uh, highway 92, in Woodstock, just before 575, right behind, um, the Starbucks, right across from the goodwill. Um, our website is the workshop. Dot site site. You can email me at info at the workshop dot site.

Stone Payton: [00:29:45] Fantastic. Well, Kimberly, it has been an absolute delight having you in the studio this morning. I’m quite sincere about us getting back together and doing some version of this again before too long, but keep up the good work. What you’re doing is having such an impact, probably beyond even you what you recognize. But it’s important work and we we sure appreciate you.

Kimberly Mauriello: [00:30:09] Thank you. Stone, I’m glad I came in.

Stone Payton: [00:30:11] My pleasure. All right, until next time. This is Stone Payton for our guest today, Kimberly Mauriello with the workshop and everyone here at the Business RadioX family saying, we’ll see you again on Cherokee Business Radio.

Innovative Strategies for Community Empowerment: The Role of Franchising and AI

March 14, 2024 by angishields

High Velocity Radio

Innovative Strategies for Community Empowerment: The Role of Franchising and AI

00:00 /

In this episode of High Velocity Radio, Sean Goldsmith, co-founder of Groe Global, discusses the company’s mission to support franchise owners, especially in the face of challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. He talks about the success of franchising in Malaysia and its potential in Africa, particularly for empowering women.

Sean introduces the concept of fractionalized franchise management and the integration of AI into franchising to democratize business knowledge. He also highlights Skill Samurai, an educational franchise providing STEM education through popular games, and its expansion into Africa. The episode covers the importance of entrepreneurial skills for children in the AI era and Groe Global’s role in franchise marketing and consulting across 14 countries.

Sean Goldsmith is an award-winning leader in franchising AI. As an AI Advisor, he excels in global franchise management and marketing, focusing on social impact. Co-founding Future Intelligence Technologies, we’ve developed innovative AI solutions which are revolutionizing the franchising industry.

Sean is also a co-founder of Groe Global, an esteemed international franchise consultancy in 14 countries. Collaborating with industry leaders worldwide, he’s achieved remarkable success. Additionally, Sean co-founded The Foundation for Franchising in Africa, driving economic growth and prosperity on the continent.

With visionary leadership and extensive franchising expertise, Sean strives to make a lasting impact. His journey is marked by achievements, pushing the boundaries of franchising AI. As we shape the future, Sean is excited to continue contributing to its evolution.

Connect with Sean on LinkedIn and follow Groe Global on Instagram.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

An overview of the partnership between Groe Global and Skill Samurai
What motivated Groe Global to invest in Skill Samurai
How Groe Global envisions leveraging its resources and expertise to support Skill Samurai’s mission of equipping children with future-ready STEM skills

This 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 High Velocity Radio.

Stone Payton: [00:00:15] Welcome to the High Velocity Radio show, where we celebrate top performers producing better results in less time. Stone Payton here with you this afternoon. Please join me in welcoming to the broadcast co-founder with Groe Global, Mr. Sean Goldsmith. How are you, man?

Sean Goldsmith: [00:00:33] I’m doing well. Stone, thank you so much for having me. Uh, you know, it’s a great honor to be on your on your show.

Stone Payton: [00:00:38] It is such a delight to have you on the program. I know this has been in the planning stages for a while. I got a thousand questions. I know we’re not going to get to them all, but. But I think a great place to start would be if you could paint for for me in our listeners, a little bit of a feel for mission purpose. What are you and your team really, really out there trying to do for folks, man?

Sean Goldsmith: [00:01:02] Well, I mean, you know, it’s it’s it’s quite extensive, if I’m honest. But, uh, I’ll give you a bit of history on, on myself. And that might make a lot more sense when it comes to the mission and the vision. Um, so I grew up in a, in a very, very small and poor town, uh, in South Africa, actually, um, and, uh, at the age of 21, I packed up my kit bag and shot off to England to go and find fame and fortune, which took a little longer than I thought it would. Um, but but, um, you know, just accidentally, um, purely because I was on minimum wage, and I want to make a bit more beer money. Um, I started a little recruitment agency, which about a year and a half later and at the age of 22 was, uh, you know, had about 800, um, South Africans, Australians and New Zealanders working in all the pubs in the and the, um, you know, the race courses and all of that in, in Britain. And I was very fortunate to have won the Amazon account. So we were doing all the Amazon picking and packing and all kinds of things. But long story short, I got into franchising, um, you know, in a big way. And it’s 27. We, we, um, you know, I was part of a team. I was the general manager of a of one of the first multi multi-brand franchises in, in Britain.

Sean Goldsmith: [00:02:12] Um, and it was in home services and we took that all the way from when I joined 15 franchisees, uh, you know, to, again, about 700, uh, franchisees across, um, ten brands. Uh, and we, we floated that on the stock exchange. So at the age of 27, you know, we’d we’d taken a, a brand and, and done some incredible things with it. Now during, during my sort of education on franchising, you know, in those, those formative years, um, you know, it became very clear to me that as a franchisor or somebody who’s in charge of a franchise, you’ve got a hefty responsibility on your shoulders because you are in the palm of your hands holding somebody’s, uh, future. And, uh, you know, you are you are the reason and part of the mechanism that’s going to help somebody, um, who potentially in, you know, in a, in another life where an employee very unhappy, um, you know, what what what your job is, is to make sure that that person succeeds in business. That is your only job. Um, you know, and to make sure that they’re able to look after their family, etc.. And I and I saw when I was looking around, um, especially in the ecosystem around Britain, um, you know, where there is no regulation or anything like, like there is in, in the US and in Canada.

Sean Goldsmith: [00:03:29] Um, you know, there were some, some franchise laws that really weren’t taking that responsibility to heart. And, you know, when when a franchise goes wrong, as with any other small business, um, you know, the repercussions are way more, more severe than just losing money. You know, uh, families divorce and, you know, crazy things happen. So, you know, we we, you know, I kind of, you know, made a promise to myself that the, you know, or at least the an assertion that that my job is to make sure that people don’t fail. That’s the only reason that franchising exists. Yes. You make some money and you’ve got a great, uh, you know, system to follow, but ultimately your job is to look after humans. Anyway, fast forward to to Covid and about, uh, two weeks before Covid, we launched this, uh, this program in the UK called the Franchise Mastermind. Um, and we started inviting all the franchisees that we could find, uh, into this, this little group. And it became very evident very quickly to me that whilst franchisors and this, this, this holds true in every country I’ve worked in around the world, whilst franchisors peddle the the narrative of when you buy a franchise, you have the support, you have the infrastructure, you have the business model, you have the plan of action, you have all of these things, right? And they push this very, very, very hard on on to potential franchisees.

Sean Goldsmith: [00:04:53] They have none of those structures in place for themselves, none of them really, really interesting, if you think about it, because a franchisor statistically. Right falls into the same category as a as a small business right. Failure rates sky high where whereas whereas franchisee franchisees their success rates are very, very high. So what happened is we immediately thought, well, God, we gotta we gotta be able to put a support system in place here for franchisees doors. Um, you know, they are, you know, especially over Covid, the, the mental health, uh, challenges that they were going through and the, you know, the financial challenges and all of this kind of stuff. And, you know, in my mind, you save one franchise or you potentially saving 30, 40, 200 small businesses. So we put a lot of effort into, into these, um, into these franchise doors. And, um, you know, funny enough, we that is where the sort of the, the where grow global in its in its current format, um, you know, became formalized because we were doing that previously. But what we noticed was that franchise stores are the ones who need additional support, and ironically, the ones who need it the most are not McDonald’s. Right? Uh, they they’re pretty clued up with these kind of things.

Sean Goldsmith: [00:06:12] It’s the little guys. And, you know, those little guys when they go bust the franchise doors and this, this whole story, I think in the States, too, when they go bust, they go bust when they’ve got five franchisees, when they are tiny, when they’re insignificant, they’ve not been part of an association. They’ve not done anything like that. But they, they, they, they have great fundamental businesses that they’ve built themselves. And those businesses often don’t go bust. But the franchising element of it, right, uh, is, is very, very difficult. And it’s a completely different skill set to running a business, doing window cleaning or doing burgers or whatever it might be. So, uh, we, we set about to develop the infrastructure to support franchisees. So what we did, um, as Grow Global is, uh, we decided that what we were going to do is we were going to start fractionalizing franchise management, um, so that a small franchisor of like three, 4 or 5 franchisees, if necessary, could access a team of highly experienced franchising people and, and really focus on on the relationship part of the of franchising rather than the operational part, because really they need to grow into that. And our, our job and our mission is to become redundant for those franchise owners. So to help them to get to the point where they know which person they want to hire, they’re not just guessing and they’re not putting an ad out and thinking, oh God, I need a franchise manager, I need an ops person, I need a marketing person.

Sean Goldsmith: [00:07:42] What they do is they grow with us. And then when we get when they get to the stage where they can afford or they have the, um, you know, they have the knowledge to be able to get rid of us. Um, you know, we, we, we, you know, do that with, with a smile on our face because that was our intention in the first place. Um, so so that was the kind of nexus of, of of grow Global, um, and at the same time, um, you know, being from Africa, um, I just kept seeing these horrible stories about people in massive poverty. And, uh, during my time in franchising, I’d come across, uh, the Malaysian Franchise Association, and they sent over a delegation of about ten people to me to, uh, into to England specifically to buy franchises. Right. And this is the government wanting to buy franchises. And this was fascinating to me. I was like, well, you know, either this is a like a huge scam or, you know, there’s a politician who’s kind of using government money or, you know, to buy their own franchises. I was like, what the hell’s going on here? But no, it turned out that, um, you know, Malaysia sort of 23, 24 years ago now, um, they had a massive problem in that the actual local Malays, you know, the Malay people themselves, uh, were impoverished and they were really, really struggling to get out of, out of this the doldrums, basically.

Sean Goldsmith: [00:09:01] And, um, you know, the wealthier, um, people were of Chinese origin or of Singaporean origin, etc., but the Malay people themselves were the poorest of the poor, similar story to South Africa, you know, um, but what they did is they had a really forward thinking president and he, he basically said, look, the way to get people out of poverty is through entrepreneurship, right? There’s not a person in the world that won’t agree with that. However, he said, it’s not through just giving people money and saying, go and start a company because the failure rates of small businesses are way too high. So he looked at franchising and he was like, hold on a second, here we go. We could buy master licenses for various franchises which conform to things which people need. So window cleaning or home cleaning or, you know, burgers, but the smaller the smaller, uh, concepts, etc.. And he said, if I buy the franchises as the government and we become the master licensee, then we can fund our people to start businesses, but they’ll be franchise businesses.

Sean Goldsmith: [00:10:04] And those franchise businesses have the systems in place, they have the support structures in place. And most importantly, there is a commercial vested interest up and down the line all the way from the the US franchisor, um, down to the, to the, to the master franchisee and then the franchisee. There’s a vested interest up and down that line to make sure that the guy on the ground succeeds. So fast forward 22 years and they have completely turned around the fortunes of the whole of Malaysia. The Malay people are doing incredibly well. The proportion of entrepreneurs that are that are being spun out of franchises, if you if you know what I mean, guys that learn the trade, they learn the systems, they learn the processes of, um, you know, business through franchising are going out and they’re creating their own, uh, variations of, of, of businesses and franchises. And that became Grow Global’s mission for Africa. So we ended up on the on the stage with the president of South Africa, sir Ramaphosa. Uh, we got very involved in an organization called Wakona, which, um, is primarily there to, to, um, you know, try and help women who have been, uh, you know, suffered violence at home, which is endemic in Africa. It’s terrible. Terrible, especially in South Africa. Um, you know, so we figured, well, you know, why don’t we do this? Why don’t we why don’t we start introducing franchises? We’re going to follow the model proven model.

Sean Goldsmith: [00:11:32] Um, and we’re very pleased to say one of one of the first US brands, very big brand. Um, you know, we managed to to get, uh, master licensee into, into, um, South Africa, a company called teki um, where, you know, the most wonderful thing is happening because they specialize in tech repair. Um, you know, so what we are being able to do is we’re able to, you know, train women who otherwise would have no opportunities to start repairing phones and tablets and drones and PlayStations and, you know, all of these things. So we’re giving them a very real trade, uh, while we’re doing it. Anyway, um, you know, the third and the last very long winded part of this, um, is that, uh, about a year and a half almost now ago, um, this funny little company called OpenAI dropped us. Funny little thing called, uh, AI and ChatGPT on our laps. Um, and, um, it was, it was, uh, it was it was very, very important for us because, uh, what we immediately saw was an opportunity to be able to take all these principles of, you know, uh, eliminating franchisee failure and, you know, helping people that are impoverished. Um, and really, the redistribution or at least the smooth distribution of knowledge and experience. Um, you know, I just saw all of these things, you know, just in, in the droves in, in, um, in AI and immediately we, we set about creating small business AI, right? Um, from the ground up based on franchising principles, you know, um, so we, we, um, are sort of franchising division called Grotech.

Sean Goldsmith: [00:13:16] Um, we building operations manuals. We are building, you know, and these are live AI operations manuals that give somebody context. So, you know, if they, they come along on their phone and they say, oh, sales are low, you know, what should I do? It’ll give them context based on the fact that the franchising world is the most prolific and successful, um, you know, contributor to, to small business success in the world. So we’re taking that combined intelligence, that unified intelligence of franchisors, um, you know, and franchisees from around the world. We are building that into AI with the single minded vision that we are able to help a lady who is selling coca-colas from a mud hut in Central Africa. As long as she’s got a cell phone and she can access the internet, that this I will give her the knowledge of Elon Musk and all the other billionaires combined, along with some of the, the, the, um, you know, the franchise laws when it comes to running a business and how to make it successful. And that’s us in an incredibly large nutshell.

Stone Payton: [00:14:24] Well, no, it’s very helpful context. You must sleep incredibly well at night. The this strikes me as a very noble pursuit. Now that you’ve been at it a while, what are you finding the most rewarding about the work? What are you enjoying the most?

Sean Goldsmith: [00:14:43] Um, I think it is the, you know, the maybe just the diversification or the breaking up of centralized knowledge. I think that’s probably for me, the most, most exciting bit because, you know, when I got into this, this game called franchising, uh, you know, there were there were some guys with big mustaches and walking canes, um, you know, that that weren’t sharing any information, you know, and really, the knowledge when it came to running a business, or at least what the pitfalls are, was, was all very secretive and hidden. You know, uh, a few guys would write books, uh, you know, and I’m, I’m, I have to say, I’m probably one of the only people who’ll ever hear that says I’m skeptical about authors and business books. Um, and, and really, the reason the reason is, is because when you write a book, right, any person, you know, you tend to think about big picture stuff, right? And you, you speak, you speak philosophically and you and you, you, you, you you reach into your into your, um, you know, the knowledge that’s in the forefront of your mind. Um, and, you know, if you were talking to your friend, that same author, if they were just talking to their friend, they would speak in a very, very different way to what they write books and the knowledge and the and the precision of the knowledge that they would impart when chatting, you know, would be much more, much more relevant and much more, more interesting.

Sean Goldsmith: [00:16:06] So similar to a podcast. So I listened to a lot of podcasts because often, often the the authors will say things, uh, in the podcast, which are about 5000 times more useful than what they wrote in their own book, you know, um, because they, they speaking it. So I think the, the, the ability for me to, to know that what I’m building is something that can go into the hand of an ordinary mom and pop, or a lifetime employee that has been working in manufacturing, and the mere thought of running their own business gives them the heebie jeebies. You know, being able to put a, a, an advisor, a world class advisor that is better than a team of advisors in their hand that can talk to them any time of day. Um, that to me, um, is that’s just magic.

Stone Payton: [00:17:03] Well, it certainly sounds like magic to me. Now, you guys have something exciting and intriguing to me, cooking with an outfit called Skill Samurai. Can you speak to that a little bit?

Sean Goldsmith: [00:17:16] Absolutely. So skill summary. Um, in all my travels around, the franchising world is one of the most interesting, uh, little franchises that I’ve come across. So, um, it was originally founded by a wonderful guy called Jeff Hughes, um, who’s Canadian. I think he’s down in Florida at the moment. Oh, God. So sorry. Um, and, uh, so what we what we liked about Skill Samurai was it was part of our broader mission. So what I mean by that is skill samurai is all about education. But they but it’s an intelligence education. They do Stem education. They teach kids coding. They, uh, use the Singapore method for maths. Um, so they say they do, uh, maths training, but they do it in such a smart way, they let the kids, um, code for their favorite games. So Roblox and Minecraft, you know, and they could, they could even do, uh, create themselves a game similar to Fortnite. And I’ve got got three boys under 12. And I can tell you what a powerful sort of, uh, draw card that is. So, um, you know, we started looking at Skill Samurai in the context of the fact that, you know, we could launch it into places like Africa, um, you know, as a, as a relatively low, uh, investment franchise with a high impact. So, so, um, you know, after some discussions and, you know, some very, very amazing alignments, uh, in our thinking between Jeff and I, um, you know, we decided that we’d go ahead and, uh, you know, take 50% of the company, uh, with the mission that we want to we want to empower children.

Sean Goldsmith: [00:18:51] So we’re going to in addition to the Skill samurai curriculum, which is already better than almost any other franchise that I’ve seen out there. Um, we are adding AI training, and we’re also adding something I’m very, um, passionate about, which is an entrepreneur curriculum. So, you know, in in my view, if I look at where AI is going at the moment, I can’t honestly tell you what jobs my kids are going to end up doing. You know, that’s I can’t do. And, you know, I’m I’m developing the AI. So, you know, it’s like it’s it really is very scary to me. Um, I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you, Stone, I’ve got a I’ve got an AI that we’ve deployed in the, in the US that will take an inbound call. And we’ve done tests right. And 85% of the people that this AI speaks to have no idea that it’s an AI. So what’s hoped for my children. Right. So, you know, this was a this was a big problem for me because here I am trying to trying to help, uh, people in Africa, you know, in, in South America all over the place. And this AI thing comes along and I’m just like, oh, God. What, what, like how what what’s, you know, you you’re going to have to become a plumber, my son. You know, it’s nothing wrong with that. But, um, then it just occurred to me, you know, the the one thing that is true about humanity is that the most innovative and, um, you know, uh, I guess, um, uh, sector or at least the way of thinking.

Sean Goldsmith: [00:20:22] Right. That is the most protected for the future is entrepreneurial thinking. So as far as I was concerned, you know, everything that you teach children must come with the mindset and the method of thinking of entrepreneurs, right? Where they are able to spot a gap, you know, a millimeter wide and about ten miles deep, you know, and and that, that that was the key. So with Skill Samurai, what we’re going to be doing is we’re going to be, uh, you know, teaching kids the engineering side of things with 3D printers. We can teach them coding. Uh, you know, we’re going to be teaching them, um, all kinds of things. We’ve even just, uh, you know, started discussions with, uh, you know, um, the company called techie that does electronics repair, um, to incorporate that into the kids training. So they got physical, actual engineering training along the way. And then we’re going to combine all of that. The glue behind all of that is going to be entrepreneurial thinking and entrepreneurial training, but not in the way that, you know, currently exists, where, you know, you go to, uh, you know, you have an entrepreneur class at school and they tell you to sell some soap or cookies or whatever it might be. Um, this will be this will be franchise AWS. I mean, franchise AWS are that’s their job. They train people on how to run businesses. So we’re going to be using the fundamentals of franchising to help these kids take the skills that they learning, whether it’s coding or, you know, working on Canva or whatever it might be, and find a way to make a bit of money out of it.

Sean Goldsmith: [00:21:54] Um, and we think that if we continue to do that, if we do that from a young age and we get the kids continually working in the program, what’s going to happen is one of the most beautiful things that could possibly happen to mankind, as far as I’m concerned. And that is we will be able to allow children to leave school as. Trends of entrepreneurship. Now think about the implications of that. In all my years in franchising, the vast majority of people that have come to us, you know, that are wanting to start a business for the first time, are in their mid 40s, plus first time they’ve ever done anything. They have to learn how to be an entrepreneur at that point, right? Right. Doing this, doing it this way. What we would be able to do is empower young people with the ability to, regardless of what the future is, what I can and cannot do, figure out the tiny little gap that is going to make them, you know, help them feed their kids one day. So that’s our that’s our kind of mission. And, you know, along those lines, we’ve been engaged with, again, the South African government, um, and we’re going to be trying to take this across the whole of Africa and try and see if we can, you know, find a few entrepreneurial sparks that might turn into a blazing fire.

Stone Payton: [00:23:15] Well, it sounds like it’s a it’s a marvelous marriage, if you will, because it’s allowing you to live into your mission and specifically your commitment to corporate social responsibility. But you’re going to be able to help these folks gain some reach well beyond anything they would have achieved without the discipline and rigor and methodology that Gro Global brings to the party. Huh?

Sean Goldsmith: [00:23:41] Yeah, absolutely. And you know, we very humble when it comes to these things. You know the the the fact is, you know, I grew up poor and I remember, you know, what it was like for my parents. I still have this this one little vision. I must have been I probably about six or so. And I remember we were in this big department store and I was begging my mum for, for this, uh, this little toy car. And I was begging and I was begging. I was begging. And the reason I think it got seared into my memory is, uh, because she just turned to me and she had tears coming out of her eyes, and she just said, boy, I just can’t today, right? And that that stuck with me. And, you know, the thing is that this is happening all the time. I’ve got to tell you, Stone, you know, you come to a place like Cape Town and, um, it is it is like the best that the first world has to offer. It is beautiful and it is impeccable. And, you know, the it’s it’s almost dream, like, it’s like that old 1960s American vision, you know, of the of the suburbs. Um, and then five minutes later, um, there’s people living effectively in a favela, you know, uh, dirt poor, got nothing. So, you know, those things just don’t marry up for me in my head. And, uh, as far as I’m concerned, you know, we should all be trying our very best to figure out how to help people like that. Uh, not by by handouts, but by empowerment. That’s the core.

Stone Payton: [00:25:08] So are you guys at Grow Global? Are you still taking on additional clients, or is your plate full right now?

Sean Goldsmith: [00:25:16] No, we always taking on additional clients. Um, so, you know, we are, um, pretty busy at the moment. We do franchise. Well, we work in 14 countries around the world. Wow. Um, you know, we, uh, we do a huge amount of franchise marketing, uh, you know, a lot of consulting, um, you know, just, uh, really, really fundamental, um, you know, basics of franchising. And we, we combine all the learnings we, we have from, from the global franchising community and we apply them to our clients. Um, and then, of course, we’ve got the AI that we’re working on heavily. So, you know, the beauty is that our workforce is a lot cheaper than, than the US workforce at the moment. So that’s helpful when it comes to marketing and bits and pieces for the franchise laws. Um, and because we, we kind of offer a management solution, um, you know, we manage entire franchise networks, their global networks for US based clients. So, you know, they focus on the US, we represent them as them, uh, on a white label basis, um, worldwide. And we, we build the international, uh, network and they focus on the US. It’s a marriage made in heaven.

Stone Payton: [00:26:24] Well, I’ll tell you what, if you’re up for it, we’re going to do this again and we’re going to try to follow this skill. Samurai story. I’d love to have you come back sometime and get caught up on the progress, what you what you’ve learned in that process. That would be a fun story to follow. If you’re up for that.

Sean Goldsmith: [00:26:41] We’d absolutely love it. And, uh, you know, there’s plenty more amazing entrepreneurial stories coming out of Europe and and Africa I’d be happy to share with you.

Stone Payton: [00:26:50] Oh, it sounds marvelous. All right. For now, though, let’s make sure that our listeners can tap into your work if they’d like to have a more substantive conversation with you or someone on your team, or they just want to tap into your work, uh, you know, website, LinkedIn, whatever you feel like is appropriate. I just want to make sure we make it easy to connect with you guys.

Sean Goldsmith: [00:27:08] Yeah. Great. Um, so on my LinkedIn. Absolutely. I’m very happy with that. So it’s Sean s e a n Goldsmith, uh, at, uh, well, it’s LinkedIn forward slash Sean Goldsmith. And then of course our websites, which is uh, grow globalcom which is g r o e globalcom. Uh, and uh, of course we’ve got our tech, our AI side, which is grow tech, grow tech. Com and, uh, you know, any of those ways are completely perfect to contact us on.

Stone Payton: [00:27:41] Well, Sean, it has been an absolute delight having you on the program today. Thank you so much for your insight, your perspective. Keep up the work, man. The work you’re doing is so important and we sure appreciate you.

Sean Goldsmith: [00:27:56] Thank you so much Stone. I really, really enjoyed this and thank you. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my very long winded story.

Speaker4: [00:28:04] My pleasure.

Stone Payton: [00:28:06] All right, until next time. This is Stone Payton for our guest today, Shawn Goldsmith with Grow Global and everyone here at the Business RadioX family saying, we’ll see you in the fast lane.

BRX Pro Tip: 3 Quotes About Networking

March 14, 2024 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: 3 Quotes About Networking

00:00 /

BRX Pro Tip: 3 Quotes About Networking

Stone Payton: [00:00:00] Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, today’s topic, networking.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:08] Yeah. I was going through some of the early paperwork that we had when we started Business RadioX, and I see that I wrote down some quotes about networking from, you know, some thought leaders, and I thought I’d share them because I think they’re still relevant today, and I still think that they speak to, really, the heart and mission of Business RadioX.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:27] So the three quotes that I wrote down, you know, many, many years ago, are number one from Dale Carnegie. He said you can make more friends in a month by becoming interested in other people than you can in a year by trying to get other people to be interested in you.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:44] Number two is from Stephen Covey. He said successful networkers build genuine relationships and give more than they take.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:54] And finally, number three is from Maya Angelou, who said, “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Lee Kantor: [00:01:07] Those three quotes were important in the formation of Business RadioX because we tried to live into those principles, and we tried to do that every single day. And if you’re out there and those quotes resonate with you and you want to become a better networker, then really take some time to learn about Business RadioX because we put those lessons behind each of those quotes into action every single day.

BRX Pro Tip: 3 Sales Tips for Introverts

March 13, 2024 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: 3 Sales Tips for Introverts

00:00 /

BRX Pro Tip: 3 Sales Tips for Introverts

Stone Payton: [00:00:00] And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, as our resident introvert here at the Business RadioX Network, what counsel, if any, do you have for being effective at sales as an introvert?

Lee Kantor: [00:00:19] Yeah. This is – as you know, this whole business radio was invented because I didn’t like sales. And I don’t like certain aspects of sales, but I understand how critically important sales is. So, I had to come up with a system or a process or a platform that helps leverage my strengths and kind of hides my weaknesses.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:38] So, my three sales tips for introverts, number one is to leverage your active listening skills to truly understand the needs and challenges of your prospects. That is a huge superpower. Most prospects don’t get listened to. They get spewed a lot of kind of features and benefits, but they don’t really have salespeople that are selling to them that are really trying to understand what it is that their challenges are. So active listening is your superpower. Lean into that.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:09] Number two, you want to move to a one-on-one conversation as soon as you can in order to build a deeper relationship faster. And that is something that seems counterintuitive for an introvert, that you would want to have a conversation with a human being, but that is something – that is another way to leverage what you’re great at, which is this kind of good listening skills and coming up with solutions. So, you want to get to that as quickly as possible. So, in my opinion, you want to move to that one-on-one conversation and get out of kind of a mass situation, if you can.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:45] Number three is something that I couldn’t stand is avoid cold calling as much as possible because for me that caused a lot of anxiety and stress. I didn’t like to be in a situation where I was cold calling.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:58] So if you’re an introvert who wants a cheat code when it comes to selling in a more authentic and less stressful way, then check out Business RadioX. Everything we have done as a business is to reverse engineer selling so that we can help introverts sell more with a lot less stress.

Unleashing Creativity: The Urban Essence of Street Studio Creative

March 13, 2024 by angishields

Sandy Springs Business Radio

Unleashing Creativity: The Urban Essence of Street Studio Creative

00:00 /

On this episode of Sandy Springs Business Radio, Lee Kantor and Rachel Simon talk with Lisa Weltsch, CEO of Street Studio Creative, about the significance of branding for businesses. Lisa shares how her dance background influences her work and the importance of understanding a business’s vision and ideal clients. They discuss the challenges solopreneurs face in defining their brand and the need for congruence in branding. The conversation also covers personal versus company branding, the value of a brand audit, and team involvement in brand definition.

Lisa Weltsch has devoted 30 + years to her career as a graphic designer, creative marketer, and businesswoman.

Fueled by a natural entrepreneurial spirit, she uses her eye for design and talent for marketing with a sharp, creative edge.

Born and raised in Los Angeles in the 70s, Lisa is a proud “Valley Girl” from Encino. During the 80’s will living in San Francisco, she pursued her passion for design and also taught dance professionally and appeared in MTV music videos.

In 2009, she established her first brand, “Street Studio Dance and Fitness” in Roswell, where she gained valuable experience in building a brand from scratch. Today, she uses her marketing skills to help other businesses build their own brands from the ground up.

Going into its 12th year, Street Studio Creative exists to serve local and regional lifestyle businesses, restaurants, lifestyle brand. Lisa’s vibrant energy and passion for building relationships and community is ever-present.

As her company name suggests, Lisa’s long-standing belief remains unchanged to this day: that all our cultural influences, styles, vibes and trends that drive business first come from the ‘streets’.

Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn and follow Street Studio Creative on Facebook.

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:12] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Sandy Springs, Georgia. It’s time for Sandy Springs Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:28] Lee Kantor here with Rachel Simon, another episode of Sandy Springs Business Radio. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, Connect the Dots Digital. When you’re ready to leverage LinkedIn to meet your business goals, go to Connect the Dots dot Digital. Rachel, what a show we have today. I’m excited.

Rachel Simon: [00:00:49] Me too. Hi Lee, I’m really excited about our guest. We’re gonna have a great conversation talking all about branding, which is something that I think is all around us all the time. And, uh, there’s always great real world examples. So I’m really pleased that we have as our guest today, Lisa Weltsch, who’s the CEO and founder of Street Studio Creative. Lisa, hi.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:01:13] Hi, Rachel and Lee, thank you so much for allowing me to be on your podcast today. And thanks for the introduction and sort of the lead in about branding. So we have a lot to cover here today too.

Rachel Simon: [00:01:26] So why don’t you tell us a little bit about you and what you do?

Lisa Weltsch: [00:01:29] Well, starting I can go way back, but I won’t necessarily go, well, we’ll get there. Let’s say, um, we I am the, the I run a branding and marketing agency in downtown Roswell. And what we do for clients and for our clients and for businesses help build the foundation of what they need to, to, for their their ideal clients to know who they are in the digital marketplace. So building brands, building branding tools like logos, brand messaging, all of the brand strategy behind that as well as websites. So websites are kind of our that’s usually the big ticket item that, um, is really critical in communicating all your marketing and sales tools need to kind of point to that hub. So we are a boutique agency. We are women led. Um, I have a team and we have a host of designers and web web designers and designers and writers and content writers, videographers and so forth that we use. And we’ve been in Roswell as an agency, as a creative agency for going on 13 years. So I have and I’ve lived in Roswell for 30 years. So that’s really my community. Um, I do have a back story behind that, if you want me to segue, or we can just kind of keep going to.

Rachel Simon: [00:02:51] Ask you about that later.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:02:52] Yeah, it’s all good.

Rachel Simon: [00:02:53] Um, well, you know, Roswell, our lovely neighbor to the north. Yes. Sandy Springs. Yes. Um, yeah. So it’s so interesting when we think about brand and the value of what branding brings to an organization, you know, in so many companies want to jump into a digital strategy. Why do we need to have that brand first? What does that bring to.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:03:14] Well, that is kind of the dilemma or issue that we see with businesses all the time. It’s very easy to like look around and go, okay, we need to get on social media. We need to be on TikTok. We need to be in all these crazy places. And I say crazy because that is, you shouldn’t start there. I have to always catch myself because I am a designer by trade. I tend to lead with design, and I have stopped myself because it’s really important to take a look at what the strategy is behind the brand. Building that foundation first, and there’s elements there in building the brand that’s really critical before. So actually it creates the roadmap. So you know which where to take your your next steps. So you by knowing certain things about your company and your vision and who your ideal clients are and what problems you solve, and really identifying that and then laying the brand foundation on top of that, the marketing and sales tools become that much stronger.

Rachel Simon: [00:04:20] So I think I saw something on your website and it was like something is the. Something is the GPS. Oh, yeah.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:04:28] Thank you. I wish I’d have to pull my website to get it. And that was quoting myself. Yeah. Um, if I can do it while we’re chatting. Because I have my iPad here. Um, if brand, if marketing is the roadmap, and, um, sales are is the the the the guide that branding is the GPS, that, that is the engine that drives the whole bus. So so if you look at that, let’s just say a triangle or depending on what side of the triangle, you’ve got branding really in the center. And then you have your, you have all your bigger sales tools off on those points that foundation creates. Especially I have to make a point of this. When a business owner has a very clear vision about who they are and what they want in that experience they want to create. That’s one reason why we love working with restaurants. Typically, restaurants understand that, you know, they know where they’re located. They know what their menu. They know they typically have a vision. So it makes it very easy for us to build the brand. The logo then comes out of that vision. It’s like designing or creating from the the brand from the inside out, because essentially it’s a personality. You know how you dress and what you look like and how you want people to perceive you is just the same as a brand. Um, and kind of make a sort of a side asterisk here. We have worked with restaurants, for example, that don’t know who they are, and they’re looking to us to create that vision for them, and it tends to get squirrely. We can’t we have to know the foundations and have that, and that has to be driven from their vision. Then we then can reflect back what they need in their logo design and their messaging and their colors and their their style and and so forth.

Rachel Simon: [00:06:09] It’s so interesting. I just had this conversation on a LinkedIn live that I did when I was in New Orleans. If anyone caught it, it was literally the most ridiculous LinkedIn live of all time. Okay, it’s so silly. Um, silly. And, um, we were talking about this and how, you know, when I started my company, Connect the Dots Digital, I was like, I kind of did what you said. I was like, oh, I need to have this. I need to do this, of course. And I went to Canva and I built a logo myself, which actually, you know, six years later, still functions okay. But I didn’t know what I was doing. Um. It’s very. It’s very challenging, I think, especially for the solopreneur to figure this stuff out and to figure out like, well, should I invest in this? Can I do it myself? Sometimes you can, sometimes you can’t. I’ll tell you where I learned that I couldn’t was my website. I tried to build my first website. It was an absolute hot mess. And then I was like.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:07:06] Okay, then you need a.

Rachel Simon: [00:07:08] Big girl website for my company.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:07:10] Now, right? And then what happens is if, okay, you just unpacked a lot of things in that one little statement, because that’s an experience that a lot of businesses or solopreneurs or businesses have. Where is the starting off point now? You might have created a logo that was functional. Like you just said, we often get businesses that come to us at that point where they’re ready for growth and they’re ready to go to the next level, maybe open more locations or whatever. They have cash flow coming in. And so we might do a logo refresh at that point. But the website is a is a key thing. But if you go to, let’s say a web designer and I’m not I’m not let’s say you start there. I’m not. Criticizing web designers. They still need to understand your core values and understand who you are, and if you are able to hand them a brand deck for example, your colors, your fonts, your styles, your brand voice, who your market is, how you want to look it will make it that much easier for the designer when you come for the for the web designer. But when you come to an agency, that’s when you put your big girl pants on and you recognize that I. I have a vision about this company. I have to bring in a team. And that is there’s a like, for instance, we have a couple of options. We have a custom option, but we also have a I hate using the word DIY, but we do have an entry level option in which it allows them to be self-starter and then maybe hand-holder and then fully engaged with our team.

Rachel Simon: [00:08:33] Yeah, it makes a lot of sense.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:34] Okay, now, well, let’s dig in about the brand. What kind of the definition of the brand is? Because brand I think means different things to different people. And, and and like you said earlier, some people think it’s the logo is my brand. But really the why of your being is closer to the brand, right? And brand is one of those things where you’re doing it whether you think you’re doing it or not. So you might as well be proactive about it because people are going to have an opinion about your company just however they interact with you, whatever they see you, whether it’s a website, whether it’s a business card, whether it’s a hat, and they’re going to come to some conclusion. And that, in essence, is your brand. So if you haven’t done anything proactively to really help define it and to clarify it, you’re kind of doing yourself a disservice, right? Isn’t isn’t that where you have to begin when you’re talking to people about a brand?

Lisa Weltsch: [00:09:27] I would say yes, all of that. You’re absolutely right, brand. Your brand is. I’ll go back to what I said a moment ago is definitely the personality of the the the experience, the vision of the business. So having an expression that’s really targeted to who your ideal client is, you cannot be all things to all people. And that’s something that, you know, when I had my dance studio, I would I used to call it spamming. I would just put and I was this is the 2020, what year are we 2010 I know, 2010. I’m just saying that it was a lot of like throwing everything out there and whatever stuck, stuck. And we have learned the value and the importance of really niching down. There’s riches in the niches. I heard someone say, and I love that. So it really does require investing in understanding what it is that drives the what solutions you provide in your business, and then how to address that and target your ideal client. So I don’t know if I answered your question.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:29] It also has to be it has to be congruent. Like, you can’t say I’m the fanciest place in town and then have like paper napkins at the restaurant, right? Like you can’t be Nordstrom. Say your Nordstrom and then be Walmart. Yes. Right. Like you can’t behave like Walmart and and say your Nordstrom. It’s just incongruent. So everything has to kind of work together. And I think the brand is is at the heart of it. Like you said it’s the engine. If you don’t get that right or you’re misspeaking in what you think you are and your customer thinks you’re something else, yes, it’s going to hurt you.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:11:04] It’s going to confuse your customer.

Rachel Simon: [00:11:06] Confused, right? And this is something that I work a lot with, with my training clients when it comes to LinkedIn is, you know, you have a sales team and they are all describing. They could all be describing the company in their own words as opposed to, you know, as simply as having a consistent boilerplate description. Right, clear.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:28] Messaging, right, to get that.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:11:30] Right. And it’s almost like a bit of clay because it does require molding and kind of refining. We were actually working on our own strategy right now and and defining it even closer or, or more more well defined as we have niched down in our services. I know who my ideal clients are, but we’re not. We’re serving we are serving a broad range of clients. But when I’m in front of restaurants or retail or right now, it’s commercial real estate because that’s been a rainmaker for us. Obviously, commercial real estate has all the consumer forward businesses. I in creating that experience and leveling up our brand so we can talk to those big guys. Some of these guys are these are we’re not talking to the little guys anymore. I we need to have a very clear understanding about what we can, what solutions we provide. And, um, I hope that we answered your.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:26] Yeah, well, I just want the listener to understand that this is not, you know, let’s pick two colors and that’s our brand. Or let’s pick a.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:12:35] Or even pick a logo. Right. And I’m actually I’m looking at because I’m looking at my iPad right now. Marty Newman Neminger is sort of the king of um or The Godfather, I guess, of of brand building if you want to look him up. Marty Newman. Newman I can’t pronounce his name, but he talks about how a logo is not a brand. Your logo is not a brand. It is the brand experience that’s represented by that logo. You think of Nike and you see the swoosh you have that you already, or target or any of the bigger brands that you have an experience with. They are they are consistent in their messaging. They know who their market is. They have, um, really identified the brand that experience. And when you see the logo, you can it’s very clear. So right.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:20] And it’s one of those things also especially um, Rachel, you were bringing up like the solopreneur just because Nike has can put a swoosh up there or even chick fil A can put a cow up there and you know exactly what that means and feels and all that. The small entrepreneur can’t necessarily copy the same strategies that these larger brands that have millions of dollars to invest in their brand, to put it everywhere and in fact, like chick fil A doesn’t put the cows in in brand new markets. They only do that in mature markets where everybody has already heard of them. So they have to do more education early on. And that’s. Do you help your clients with that, Lisa? Is that something that you can really help them kind of manage their expectations? Because you can be too clever sometimes for your own good when you’re doing this kind of work because you think, oh, this is so creative. And then if nobody gets it, that’s.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:14:14] Actually a very good point. In fact, I tend to be cheeky in my designs and in my, my, my taglines, for example. And my team is the one that really I really we, we, we operate as a team, but they’ll I’ll find them catching me saying that’s just, you know, this is not doesn’t it’s not congruent. It doesn’t fit the who the ideal client is. So we need to take the cheekiness out, maybe be a little bit more sleek or elevated. And our goal here is always to identify who the client’s ideal customer is, where they are. So we can make sure we’re on the right or they are on the right platforms. We’re not managing social media, by the way. I hope I kind of made that clear, but we do provide the, the, the graphics or the the brand messaging and the tools for them to execute that. Um, but having the understanding of who the what the ideal experience is is always at the forefront. And yes, we that is one of our strengths is because that’s something that a that a business owner will miss. They’ll think that, okay, this is cute, or this color is great and and things just don’t align right.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:22] And they all understand it. They get they get the joke right. They understand the message because they’re in it 24 seven. But the the prospective customer isn’t in the business 24 seven so they don’t they need more explaining sometimes. And it has to be kind of simpler, clearer.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:15:38] Simple and clear. That’s really that’s really a good way of putting it. Yeah.

Rachel Simon: [00:15:42] I think it’s interesting also on this, speaking as a solopreneur, um, you know, when I. Initially. Sort of built my company brand. I was very much in the background. But people are buying me. Ultimately, I’m. I am my business. And so when I did, which feels like my millionth rebrand. Um, I put myself front and center, like, on my website because I can’t be hiding. Right? So it’s like for solopreneurs, we have to balance our personal brand with our company brand and make sure that we’re hitting all the marks. In the same way, we still have to know who our ideal customer is, what’s the message that’s going to resonate with them, and who are we? The right personality for that?

Lisa Weltsch: [00:16:30] For them, right? In fact, that’s a good point. We may not be the right branding agency for every industry. We understand a lot of industries. And so even though I mentioned, um, restaurants, hospitality, that’s kind of a broad, um, a broad experience. We are working with lawyers, insurance. These are more service providers, professionals. What we still apply the same, um, the same techniques in order to understand who they are. But I will tell you, and I’m thinking of something ahead. So, uh, we apply that, apply the same techniques to understand who they are, who their ideal client is, and how to best communicate. I want to say when we do work with we’re now working with several, um, insurance and some, you know, this is more, I guess on the B2B side, we are applying some of the the things that we’ve learned, um, let’s say for our websites, for example, we’ve discovered that by and you guys probably already know this adding video and adding adding something more dynamic. It’s more engaging. So you’ve got these sort of businesses that might want to obviously remain very professional and very polished, but we we have ways of elevating that and bringing it, making a little bit more engaging. You know, and when you have video on a website, somebody stays, they stay there longer. And the goal, of course, is to, um, have lead capture and have, you know, the tools on there. So you can then that’s, that’s the marketing side. But we, we know what it takes to build those tools.

Rachel Simon: [00:17:57] Yeah. We got to infuse that humanity. Yeah. Right. Some of those right industries.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:18:01] Right. Exactly.

Rachel Simon: [00:18:03] Um, so Lisa, you have got a fun background in dance.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:18:08] Yes.

Rachel Simon: [00:18:09] So tell us a little bit about that. And how do you feel like that has like infused what you do in your. In your agency.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:18:18] Are you taking me back into my kind of my my own, you know. Actually, I don’t haven’t built a personal brand for myself. Um, I really focus on street studios as sort of the forefront, but I think if I’m going to talk about me as a and bring in my personality, I am a former dancer. I am, um, that meaning I did dance professionally in the 80s. I just gave away kind of my age and, um, and I’m from originally from California. So my MTV days and the days I was in dancing, um, and teaching, I was also in art school. I was in design school. So that was in San Francisco. Um, I felt like that was the lifestyle that, you know, reflected. I’m from Los Angeles originally, so I and I had a designer mother and I was sort of the the flavor and color of Los Angeles was sort of infused in me. So how does it help me today? It, it um, as I mentioned, I did open my own brand, which was Street studio Dance and Fitness. I segwayed into that in the 2010, I think. I come lost in the years here. Um, and what that did was gave me the sort of confidence because I opened it. Not as a dancer. I opened it as a business person, an entrepreneur, and the confidence to stand in front of people because that’s what you do as a dancer.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:19:34] You’re still it’s still a sense of performing and communicating and and connecting with people. So I think that one of my strengths, probably my biggest strength, is the fact that I’m I love people, love business. I’ve been in businesses shoes. I understand the, the the risks involved and what it takes to what drives business owners to have that, you know, fire about their their business and what it takes to bring it into the marketplace. My dance studio was an opportunity for me to have a brick and mortar and kind of be in those shoes. Now, today, I, I’ve, I find myself. Still. I mean, I still teach dance, so I mean, that is a different side to my personality, but I just love connecting with women because these were this was a dance fitness studio was for women, not for kids. So I want to be clear there. And and I still teach weekly. So I have an opportunity to kind of, uh, feed that part of my self, the part that makes me feel confident and excited about working out and feeling good about myself. And I like that value that I bring to people in, in business and in my professional and my personal life.

Rachel Simon: [00:20:47] That’s so awesome. I’m going to make a mental note because I was literally my husband and I were just joking about how for when we’re we have a milestone anniversary at some point, and I was like, we should go and have someone teach us the La La Land dance.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:21:03] Oh, okay. Well, actually, I have a teacher for you for that. Who can? A private teacher, if you want something. I don’t do that. I mean, I’m teaching essentially. I mean, you teach like hip hop. No, I actually am a jazz dancer. So I teach what I would call it’s a dance fitness class. If you come to my class, you just have to be prepared to really work out and sweat. I want to say it’s on the Zumba side, but I say the Zumba spectrum because I’m not a Zumba teacher, but it’s just essentially you’re following along and and I have following me. And if I have dancers in my class, we definitely add choreography. Um. It’s scary. No. Well, it’s it’s still, if I don’t have the answer, I got fitness people. I keep it on the beat. But anyhow, I mean, it’s listen, dance, just like branding or just, like, everything. It’s not for everyone. So I could still do a workout class with you because I lift weights and make sure I do all that stuff as well.

Rachel Simon: [00:21:54] I would just be pretending like I was in A Chorus Line the whole time.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:21:57] Okay, there you go.

Rachel Simon: [00:21:58] Um, that’s.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:58] So let’s talk though. But your brand has the word street in that, okay, so that that’s not an accident. Obviously, that’s part of your brand. So can you explain how that kind of all fits in?

Lisa Weltsch: [00:22:09] Thank you for that. So the the initially like when I mentioned that I we we were street studio dance and fitness. The idea is is that I, I personally lived in London. I lived in New York, I’m from Los Angeles, I lived in San Francisco. And I felt that this is going back to the dance studio. All dance and all culture came from the streets. So that was the street studio idea and and the design and the studio was. So I branded it this way. Again, I didn’t fully realize that I was launching into building this brand until after I went, oh my God, I’m building something that doesn’t exist, solving problems. And I’m doing all these things to create value in people’s lives filled with graffiti art. Very fun, very open, very urban. It felt very urban for being in Roswell. Close the studio open it rebranded as Street Studio Creative. It’s still the same experience. All of our communications, our culture, the words we choose, how we identify who we are as a as a people originally starts from the streets. So I feel that the that I carry that value because that is how ultimately we have we all. We all experience one another other. It’s in our cultures and in our daily lives. So the street represents that experience.

Lee Kantor: [00:23:25] And that’s at the heart of branding though, right? This is these are not accidents. They they happen. They’re there for a reason. And you lean into them. And that’s the full expression of what you do every day.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:23:36] Thank you for bringing that up, because that’s really important to me that, that, that that also drives the conversation of why Street Studio is different. We are a women led agency that loves creative, providing creative solutions and creative solutions. We’re not just designing something for fluff. There’s we put the meat behind the business in terms of how it’s experienced online. Maybe in print we do print. I’m a print designer. I mentioned that I was a designer, but that’s not our lead. Um, we really talk more about the digital space for business. Yeah.

Rachel Simon: [00:24:12] Um, well, speaking of women, um, you were you just received an award.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:24:16] Yes. We were. We will be. We will be receiving the award. We were, we are. We are honored. This award. So. Yes.

Rachel Simon: [00:24:22] So, um, you are involved with the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce? Yes. And you just shared with me before we started talking that you will be receiving a Bold Company award, which is about contributing to the success of women in North. Yes. So congratulations.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:24:41] Wow. I am really honored by that. Now, this is a team or a company award. Um, I am part of the Bold Women Committee through the Greater North Fulton. So I’m. I’m also proud of that. There’s probably. 25 to 30 women on this this committee and through Greater North Fulton. They have four significant dates that for that are women led events, women forward events. Their wine their wine event has men there, but it’s still in honor. It’s the bold wine event. I don’t know if I have all the names correct, but I was nominated and I was really proud that we had, um, we successfully were honored this award. So they’re having a luncheon in a couple of weeks and we’ll our team will receive the awards.

Rachel Simon: [00:25:31] Very exciting. Congratulations.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:25:32] Thank you very.

Lee Kantor: [00:25:33] Much. Now for the listener. Do you have any advice? Um, if there hadn’t really thought about branding, is there any piece of advice that’s maybe low hanging fruit for somebody or some questions they should be asking themselves when they get into the beginning stages? You know, maybe before they need you that they’re trying to do this on their own. What is some of the low hanging fruit that can help them at least be in the neighborhood of a brand that could, you know, last?

Lisa Weltsch: [00:26:02] There’s a lot there. But, um, and I do have a, um, we have a branding guideline that you can download on our website, and I don’t necessarily I mean, I, we can send that out or I can send it to you to send out or.

Lee Kantor: [00:26:14] We can put the link.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:26:15] On, we can put the link, or you can.

Lee Kantor: [00:26:16] Maybe share the link of your website and then they can they can probably get to it through the website. Exactly.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:26:22] It’s um street studio creative.com. But we do have it’s sort of a worksheet in and it’s something that just breaks down the basics and identifying your ideal client. It’s kind of the header. And in there you’ve got the who what, why your mission statement. Who do you serve? What do you offer? What is why does your business exist? In other words, what problems do you solve? Those sound like really easy questions.

Rachel Simon: [00:26:47] They’re so not they’re not easy. They’re not easy at all.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:26:50] No. And so when you stop to really reflect on these things, it helps you refine and define. I also would recommend writing a business plan if you’ve not written one. And a lot of this would fit into the business plan because that will help answer the questions about your about all of this, your budget and so forth. Um, and then what are your values? And then so I do have like a brainstorm list and write down the, the top words, which are your values. Um, refine and focus limited to five words. Um, and then define your core values. So all business, all brands, all have um clearly what I would call brand propositions, what those core values are. And when that is defined, it makes it very easy for you to understand what decisions to make at that point. Right. Um, and then you want to become this is really this is a it’s new Neumeier, Marty Neumeier. Why couldn’t I get his name? This is something I learned from Mani Neumeier, and that’s on his website, as well as how to become the one and only in your category. So, um, we have connect the dots. What makes you the, the go to and the specialist. And we don’t have to answer. I’m not I’m not interviewing you here. It’s okay. But really we have to we all have to answer that. So what makes you that one and only. And that is your clear brand differentiator and separates you. You want to keep your eye on competition. Competition is good because it kind of keeps you juiced up. It keeps you aware. But if your competition is doing a bunch of things, whatever that might be, email marketing, um, they decided they wanted it. You kind of got to be careful, though. They end up on TikTok, they’re on YouTube, they’re doing all these things. Doesn’t mean that means you have to do it. Just keeping your eye on it is really critical and important. But understanding what makes you different from that competition and and that allows you to really focus on your differentiator or problems you solve and how to niche down.

Rachel Simon: [00:28:46] Yeah. And it’s interesting because you and I are both in spaces where they’re they’re very crowded. They’re very crowded. Right. So, you know, very crowded.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:28:54] But I have to tell you, I don’t I know a few brand, um, agencies that I really respect here in Atlanta. Some especially that focus only, let’s say, on the restaurant space really, they do amazing work. Most of the time they do more than just that. They might do PR, they might offer, you know, full packages. And we really try to I bring referrals in if I need to because we don’t do PR, for example. Um, but I don’t, I don’t I feel like what our, our differentiator is, is that we really are true creatives and we really do boil it down to these, these the, the the root of the root, the core of the core.

Lee Kantor: [00:29:30] You want to be the go to. Right. That’s it. Yeah. Right. And let other people do whatever they do. But if you want this thing.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:29:38] And in in this I’m again I’m kind of glancing at my checklist here. We have a checklist of how to build your brand experience. And so there’s there identifiable things in here. And again we could share I’ll share the link with you and share this. Yeah.

Rachel Simon: [00:29:51] We can put it on the in the show notes um for sure.

Lee Kantor: [00:29:53] And that’s. Yeah. So. The website. Do the website so we’re clear on the website.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:29:58] Street studio creative.com. And. You should should pull up.

Rachel Simon: [00:30:03] Right. That’s I mean honestly just listening to that tells me it’s probably worthwhile just to take a brand audit to see how that’s.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:30:10] Exactly that’s exactly how.

Rachel Simon: [00:30:12] Are you, you know, kind of showing up. Do you need to refine any messaging? I mean, I’ve changed my messaging so many times. Yeah.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:30:19] So have so have we.

Lee Kantor: [00:30:21] And it’s interesting, if you took that that worksheet and gave it to your whole team, have them all fill it out individually. Then you’ll see the if there’s clarity. Right. Actually that’s.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:30:32] Real. That is you’re absolutely right. And I like I said, we are working on refining our our strategy right now. And that will be one of the exercises I’m sure. Um, and I’m really excited by it. Yeah, it makes me excited because new, you know, when you come out, you have your website, you’ve been open. Let’s just picture a business picture a business that has been open for five years, have the same website, same logo, same messaging, same, same, same. When they decide, okay, we need to pivot, we need to make a few changes. When they come to a company like us, they come out fresh. It changes in attitude. It catches an eye. Um, you can really see a difference because then it changes your kind of your body language. Like now, now I’m there’s confidence in building, having a solid website, having solid messaging, having a solid experience is a confidence booster. Not having those things and hiding behind it. Well I wish I could. I mean, it happens to all of us. There’s a there’s a lot at stake here and there’s a lot of investment, and branding is a little bit more of an art form than it is like marketing can you can tie to ROI and actually look at benchmarks and, and things like that. It’s not as easy with branding. It’s much more of, um, it’s a little more like I said.

Lee Kantor: [00:31:46] It’s it’s art and science.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:31:48] Yes. Thank you.

Lee Kantor: [00:31:49] And it’s one of those things where you need fresh eyes and you have to hire a professional that does this every day to ask the right questions, because you have all the answers. The the company has the answers. You just need a professional to facilitate it.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:32:03] There’s also trust, right. So trusting us and we do have a track record I we have lots of really great referrals and lots of really great experiences. So but it is that trust factor because they are it’s like leap of faith right. You know you have to you have to by by stepping off, having that leap of faith and knowing that you’ve got a team that will will kind of be there to catch.

Lee Kantor: [00:32:25] Right?

Lisa Weltsch: [00:32:25] I like that analogy. I’m going to use that.

Rachel Simon: [00:32:28] There you go.

Lee Kantor: [00:32:29] We’re all learning. We’re all learning.

Lee Kantor: [00:32:31] Well, thank you so much for sharing your story today. I mean, you’re doing such important work. We appreciate you.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:32:38] Well, Lee, I’m honored to be here, quite frankly. So I and Rachel, I don’t know, do you have any other questions for me?

Lee Kantor: [00:32:45] I do.

Lee Kantor: [00:32:45] I want to make sure one last time the website, okay, that people go there.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:32:50] Thank you. And you can follow us. We have um or I’m on LinkedIn as Lisa Welch. We do have our LinkedIn business page, which is Street Studio Creative, also on Instagram, Pinterest. We we have a lot of followers. Pinterest is a good platform for us because we do have and I don’t mean to jump into any sales pieces, but we do have some templates and some things that we offer as other types of solutions. Some digital templates and Facebook of course. Street studio, creative.com.

Lee Kantor: [00:33:17] Good stuff. Well thank you. And Rachel, before we wrap, it’s time for our sponsor spotlight. You have some LinkedIn intelligence. Yes. So, listeners.

Rachel Simon: [00:33:27] Since we are talking all about branding, just a reminder of where we can infuse our brand into our LinkedIn profiles. And so first and foremost is in that in your banner image, which is the picture, the rectangle that sits above your profile photo. It is too often I’m doing a training for a company. Today I took an inventory of their sales and customer service manager’s profiles and I would say. Probably about 10% of them had something in that section of their profile. It’s such a missed opportunity to infuse company brands. So they didn’t have.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:34:06] They didn’t have anything there. Blank. Yeah. That is definitely an opportunity to have a brand message. Absolutely. And and use your brand colors. And so I have a question for you for people who are in a company and they may work for the company, would they have the message of the company that they work for or have a personal, let’s say, so experience about them.

Rachel Simon: [00:34:27] Ideally based on people’s, you know, comfort? I think that it’s great to have your company brand in there, particularly if you are in a customer facing role, but it is your LinkedIn profile. So just don’t have a blank, right? Because it just looks incomplete. So infusing your branding through in the banner image in your headline by adding a tagline to your company. Because so many company names mean nothing and require that tagline to make it clear. And then if you are a solopreneur or a small business owner, please build a company page so that your brand.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:35:02] Exactly. And I would say going back to this, the header, because we do a lot of those for not just for LinkedIn, but also for other platforms where you’re able to do that, um, keep it clean, keep it simple, don’t clutter it with a whole bunch of stuff. You don’t have to put all your contacts one if you because you can’t click on that. So if you are to put your website or whatever your main contact, but that’s going to be in your bio and all that, just keep it, keep it clean and and let it speak loud and clear. That’s another one. Loud and clear the kiss method.

Rachel Simon: [00:35:32] Keep it simple.

Lisa Weltsch: [00:35:33] Yeah, I love that.

Rachel Simon: [00:35:34] Um, so yeah. Utilize all those brand opportunities on LinkedIn.

Speaker6: [00:35:37] Good stuff. Thank you. Rachel.

Lee Kantor: [00:35:39] All right. Well Rachel, thank you so much for putting this together. Great episode. Oh, we all learned a lot okay. Awesome. All right. This Lee Kantor for Rachel Simon. We’ll see you all next time on Sandy Springs Business Radio. Ooh!

About Your Host

Rachel Simon is the CEO & Founder of Connect the Dots Digital. She helps companies ensure that LinkedIn is working for them as an asset, not a liability.

Rachel works with teams and individuals to position their brand narrative on LinkedIn so they can connect organically with ideal clients, attract the best talent, and stand out as a leader in their industry.

Rachel co-hosted LinkedIn Local Atlanta this week along with Phil Davis & Adam Marx – a networking event focused on bringing your online connections into the real world.