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BRX Pro Tip: 2 Simple, but Not Easy Ways to Turn Clients Into Raving Fans

May 14, 2024 by angishields

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BRX Pro Tip: 2 Simple, but Not Easy Ways to Turn Clients Into Raving Fans

Stone Payton: [00:00:00] Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, what have you learned about converting clients into raving fans?

Lee Kantor: [00:00:12] I think it’s essential if you’re in professional services, especially in order to grow your business, you have to do a great job, you have to be the go-to resource for your clients, and you have to be referable. And that’s kind of the leap that kind of from good to great, I think, when it comes to professional services.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:32] So, number one, if you want to get your client to be a refer partner or a raving fan, I think you have to over promise and over deliver. You have to go above and beyond when it comes to delivering customer service and value to your clients. You can’t just be good enough. It has to be something exceptional. It has to be something memorable so that they will refer you.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:54] Second, you have to kind of go out of your way to create shareable experiences that make it easy for your client to refer you. You have to kind of coordinate these experiences so that they think about you at that time when they run into somebody that might benefit from your services. So, you want to create that authentic, mutually beneficial relationship with your client so it’s easy and organic for them to tell others how awesome you are.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:22] So, if you do those two things relentlessly, you’ll find that you’ll be able to grow your practice and you will get a lot more referrals.

Pricing Tip for Your Next Product or Service

May 14, 2024 by angishields

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BRX Pro Tip: 2 Ways to Create User Generated Content to Attract More Clients

May 10, 2024 by angishields

WBE Feature – Women’s Health Awareness: On Point Beauty

May 9, 2024 by angishields

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Women in Motion
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In this episode of Women in Motion, Lee Kantor welcomes Priya Burkett, founder of On Point Beauty, who discusses her journey in creating a natural hair care line. Inspired by her Indian heritage and her family’s experiences, Priya emphasizes the importance of healthy ingredients and caters to diverse hair textures. She collaborates with a cosmetic chemist to combine traditional and modern health practices, aiming to improve women’s health outcomes.

Priya-BurkettPriya Burkett is a wife, mother, leader, and business owner based in Denver, Colorado. She is the founder of On Point Beauty, a hair and scalp care product line that integrates Ayurvedic and Black techniques and ingredients.

Ms. Burkett retired from her corporate role in 2019 after the passing of her grandmother who lost her life to cancer, and her younger brother who lost his battle with mental illness. She revaluated her priorities and set a path to achieve her aspiration to be available for her three kids during their teen years.

Previously, she led the Sales team for American Express Global Commercial Services for the West Region of US. Prior to that, she was with Xcel Energy for 15 years, with her most recent role as the Director of Strategic Accounts.

Ms. Burkett, who is Southeast Asian born in Washington DC, graduated from The George Washington University with a double major in Finance and Information Systems. Upon graduation, she worked for a multi-national consulting firm in New York City to program financial systems for investment banks, and her work has taken her to over 14 countries in Europe and throughout India leading business transformation projects.

Ms. Burkett moved to Denver from New York City, in 1999 with a consulting company, and subsequently worked for three start-up companies. She earned an Executive Master of Business Administration from the University of Colorado. In 2018 she graduated from the Harvard Business School with a Certificate in Leadership Excellence.

She has served as a Board Member for Denver Public Library and Board Member and Chair for Denver Public Schools Foundation, among other nonprofits.

She has been named one of Denver Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business in 2021, Top 25 Most Powerful Women by Colorado Women’s Chamber in 2018 and was a Finalist for 9 News Leader of the Year in 2018.

Follow On Point Beauty on Instagram.

Music Provided by M PATH MUSIC

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:07] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios. It’s time for Women in Motion, brought to you by WBEC West. Join forces. Succeed together. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:27] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Women in Motion and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, WBEC West. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Women in Motion, we have Priya Burkett with On Point Beauty. Welcome.

Priya Burkett: [00:00:45] Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:47] I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about On Point Beauty.

Priya Burkett: [00:00:53] Absolutely. While during Covid, I invested in a hair salon in a historically black neighborhood in Five Points Denver. And basically through that, I launched a scalp and hair care line. And here we are in 2024, um, with a strong e-commerce site selling on Walmart.com and just completed the Target Accelerators program.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:19] So what’s your backstory? How did you get into this line of work?

Priya Burkett: [00:01:22] Well, basically, when I left corporate in 2019 due to just having some instances that occurred in my life, one which was unfortunate, where my grandmother and my younger brother passed, and as a result, I had an opportunity to invest in a hair salon and learned that there’s a lot of ingredients in our hair care products that contain what we call acceptable levels of carcinogens that ultimately, as we know, could contribute to cancer. And as a result, I decided to take matters into my own hands and develop a foundational scalp and hair care line that was rooted in my Indian heritage. And as a result of my husband being black and me raising three black and Indian kids wanted to ensure that they had great ingredients for their hair care, which was more textured than mine.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:23] And then so what was kind of your baby steps into the industry? Like, did you learn like, I know it sounds like you were kind of thrown into this situation, but did you like how did you educate yourself on how best to serve this group?

Priya Burkett: [00:02:38] Yes. No. Great question. One of the things that I did was I did a lot of research on what was out there today. And when you go into your grocery store or Ulta, Sephora and other places, there’s a lot on the shelves. There’s a lot of confusion. And don’t get me wrong, I am one of those people that are super confused and always trying to figure out the next best product. I was not into necessarily looking into making styling products, but looking into ensuring that we had a healthy scalp that promoted like hair growth. And so coming from an Indian background, one of the foundational elements that we have that we grow up on is scalp massage, as well as using hair masks and hair oils and things of that nature. And so when my grandmother had passed, as I had mentioned, I had went to India and to close out her things. And as a result of that, I was more drawn to that culture. It was almost like came full circle from having grown up there as a child to now going back there as an adult and mother. And when I came back and, um, the opportunity to invest in a hair salon fell into my lap. And then looking into products that, um, add to our shelves, which is where I then learned there were many great options out there. I literally googled how to develop, you know, a hair and scalp care line.

Priya Burkett: [00:04:08] And I found, um, a website called the Society of Cosmetic Chemists. And I wrote to all the ones that I found intriguing, and I found one that had a background in, um, Ayurvedic hair care. And she’s based in Canada, so she was like, I love your mission. I love where you’re going with this. I am also, um, Indian. I am also a mother. I also want to be on this journey with you. And as a result, we took two years about to develop the whole line. Um, and we had the opportunity to test the different products on our clients at the hair care salon. Of course, them understanding and knowing what we were doing, um, because they too wanted to be a part of this journey of having foundational, um, hair and scalp care products. And so after that, we started selling them like crazy in our salon, which was amazing. Um, and then launched it on our website and word spread and realized that we may have something here. Um, and because of that, we then found a manufacturer, and now we’re making upwards of 5000 per SKU. And we are looking to now grow from here as to what that means. And I’m still working through what that means because, um, I am trying to figure out now how to make the right investments to get into stores such as target, which is the target accelerator program, which I just completed now.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:44] I think, um, something you said really struck me and I think is a great opportunity for other entrepreneurs out there. Um, when you went out to the world and you started trying to reach out to other experts in areas that maybe you weren’t that wasn’t your superpower, you were able to find somebody that was kind of philosophically aligned, and you were able to kind of work together and maybe create something that was bigger than both of you individually. Can you talk about, um, just kind of. The mentality it takes to do something like that, because that’s something that sounds easy, but I think it requires a humbleness and vulnerability that a lot of entrepreneurs aren’t willing to do. And I think they would benefit greatly if they did take the steps that you took.

Priya Burkett: [00:06:32] Yes. Thank you for that. I appreciate that very much, because at the time when I was looking into this and, um, decided to go forward, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. And but I was so determined to make this happen. And so I drafted, you know, just opened notes in my, um, on my computer and just started typing, like, what is it that I want to accomplish? And, um, after I did that, I realized, you know, what’s it going to hurt? Like what? What do I have to lose? Right. And so, um, a lot of I think a lot of that determination also comes from, from my experience, a loss in my life. And like I had already mentioned about my grandmother and three months later, unfortunately, my brother took his own life. So I was in this mental state of like, what do I have to lose? Like I’m gonna go for it. And so that was definitely a catalyst that made me go towards my passion and not. For lack of a better word. Stay. You know, in where I was, which was in corporate. And don’t get me wrong, fortunately I had a great corporate career. Um, but that made me reevaluate my, um, direction. And so I drafted an email, and I sent it to, like, all the cosmetic chemists, um, that association that I felt was aligned with natural holistic care. And I would say out of like, the, I don’t know, I’m going to maybe 75 to 80 emails. Seven wrote me back and out of the seven, three were interested in like pursuing it further because, you know, who was I? Nobody like a woman in Denver, Colorado, right. That invested in a hair salon. Um, and one was really like, as you had mentioned, philosophically aligned. Um, and that was something that now, um, brought me to where I am today, where I am only doing this full time and working towards figuring out how to take it to the next level.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:41] So yeah, I think that’s amazing. And it’s one of those things in hindsight, it seems like, oh yeah, of course those two would work together, right? Like they’re doing a similar thing. So that makes sense. And then but to the journey to get there isn’t always as simple as that.

Priya Burkett: [00:08:57] Correct. And she had a love for Ayurveda. But, you know, Ayurveda, which is a natural system of medicine that originated in India more than 3000 years ago. Um, and it’s derived from Sanskrit. Iyer means life and Veda means science or knowledge. So Ayurveda translates to the knowledge of life. And as I mentioned, as I was like going through this. Traumatic time at the time. Um, I was trying to figure out how to balance myself. Um, and a lot of it was like finding my center and finding time to carve out self-care for myself. And let’s be clear, women are more in the process of ensuring that we’re caring for others and are available for others. And your own self-care kind of gets moved to the side. At least. I don’t want to speak for all women, but from for me and my experience, that’s how I was. And so, um, this brought me back to recentering myself so that I could be then even more present for my loved ones.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:08] And then how do you kind of see these kind of cultural factors intersecting with, uh, this type of health awareness?

Priya Burkett: [00:10:17] Yeah. So. Um, there’s a lot of factors that intersect with women’s health awareness from cultural beliefs and practices to, as I mentioned, are gender norms and roles. Um, and many cultures have rich traditions of herbal medicine, alternative therapies, and holistic healing practices that still work and hold true. And my whole thing is, how can we integrate traditional medicine with modern health care systems, right. That can then enhance women’s health outcomes and promote care. So one of the things that I really want to strive to do through my brand, through my, um, through on point beauty, is to develop a culturally tailored self-care routine that, um, practices. Um, like being connected to our heritage where we are. Um, our practices are also backed by science.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:19] So how do you find this entrepreneurial journey compared to your corporate journey? It seems like there are a little two different hats really, to wear when you’re in a corporate setting, as opposed to a entrepreneurial setting.

Priya Burkett: [00:11:33] So yeah. So that’s been quite a learning process. I would say. One is that I don’t just get a check at the end of the pay period, which I at times do miss. Um, however, understanding financials, um, having solid business acumen, relationship building and being consistent daily on the task that you have to complete continue to, um, resonate regardless of which hat you’re wearing, whether it’s on the corporate side or the entrepreneurial side. And it basically all falls on me. I don’t really have a team, per se. I do bring on contractors here and there as needed. Um, but a lot of my corporate background I have been able to rely upon as I work towards my entrepreneurial venture.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:23] Now, what compelled you to get involved with WebEx West? Why was that important to you?

Priya Burkett: [00:12:29] Um, it was important to me because I have realized that, at least from my experience, um, after or during Covid, um, there were a lot more, um, companies that were seeking women owned businesses and black and Brown owned businesses. So minority owned businesses and, um, as a part of their portfolio, right from Amazon to the targets to Ulta, they are all trying to meet a goal of bringing on these, this category. And so one of the ways that you can qualify to even participate and be a part of that portfolio is to come through programs like WebEx, um, and WebEx provides amazing opportunities to connect with other like minded women like myself that are also trying to navigate this very complex system where we barely get any percentage of, um, venture capital dollars. And a lot of it is bootstrapped through our own savings and, um, like through our families. So coming through WebEx, I’m able to, um, develop and find relationships of other women that are trying, you know, that have found, um, avenues that have worked for them that I can then work on and I can share what has worked for me, for them.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:53] Now, at this stage, um, is your products primarily hair care? Is that the niche that you’re in, or is it going to expand to other, um, products?

Priya Burkett: [00:14:05] Yep. So my niche is foundational scalp and hair care. Um, in the beginning when I was starting out, I was considering and did try to launch a curl cream and, um, a styling gel. Um, and what I’ve realized is that although those sold, the other five that I am currently selling now were my best sellers, they were like flying off the shelf. And, um, I continue to have great retention of my customers, um, of those same products. And so one of the things I learned from um, Target Accelerators program is you don’t want to be everything to everybody, and people want to come to you for what you believe you’re the best at. And I believe that as a result, I am the best at that scalp and hair care that are foundational. And so I decided not to pursue the styling care line. Um, because there’s so much out there that’s already amazing.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:05] Yeah. Lean into your superpower. That’s another good piece of advice for entrepreneurs.

Priya Burkett: [00:15:10] Yes, exactly. And I continue to refine my superpower. Right. Because now all my time is invested in, uh, the latest developments related to ingredients and practices and what people may be saying out there and how I can continuously improve my products and share that to my audience through whether that be Instagram or my website or a blog, so that they are up to speed. Um, because that’s where all my time goes, right?

Lee Kantor: [00:15:41] So you can go deep into that subject and then you can become that go to in that space.

Priya Burkett: [00:15:47] Exactly, exactly. And I think once people utilize our products and they kind of, you know, they understand, they see the difference and they know that there’s, um, longevity to their mental health, their, um, physical health because, um, there are studies that show that mental wellbeing and hair health are directly interlinked. Um, and so that is one of the key things that I’m like continuing to, I don’t know, highlight. Um, and also there are studies that show that, you know, healthy hair is the ultimate beauty accessory, um, and that people prefer to look natural and that their hair is the most important, creating their overall look. Um, and lastly, that people prefer a no fuss like beauty or grooming routine. And so those are all the, I don’t know, lovers or, um, like major things that we are focused on.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:52] So what do you need more of? How can we help?

Priya Burkett: [00:16:56] Um, I would love for people to follow me on my Instagram, which is shop on Point Beauty. Um, it’s also my website, so it’s shop on Point Beauty. Com um, and give it a try, you know, and you don’t have to. You can wait till your, you finish using whatever it is that you’re using. But I would venture to say many people are not using foundational haircare. They’re basically washing their hair, conditioning their hair a little bit too much because you don’t want to over wash. Um, and then they’re putting styling products on. Right. And that would be fine. In most cases. I would say, um, back in the old school kind of way of thinking, but from our heritage of many cultures, um, mine being Indian, my husband’s being black and other cultures, there’s something to be said about taking a minute and giving yourself a scalp massage, or giving it to others in your family that helps stimulate your scalp and your hair follicles, um, and ensuring your moisturize. And then, um. Also using things like leave in conditioners, which help with, um, heat protection if you use heat tools or even UV rays, um, and things of that nature. So it would be great for people to, you know, realize that linkage between mental health and hair health and that, I don’t know, like, I like the no fuss natural look as much as possible. Right. Um, and so there’s a time and a place to style your hair, and then there’s also like, something to be said to, um, value your natural beauty.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:34] Well. Priya, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Speaker4: [00:18:40] Thank you so much. I appreciate all that you’re doing to highlight.

Priya Burkett: [00:18:45] Um, the work that we women are out here making happen on a daily basis.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:49] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see y’all next time on Women in Motion. No.

 

BRX Pro Tip: 3 things to Think About When Creating Your Brand From Scratch

May 9, 2024 by angishields

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BRX Pro Tip: 3 things to Think About When Creating Your Brand From Scratch

Stone Payton: [00:00:00] Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, today’s topic is starting your brand from scratch.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:10] Yeah, that’s a really tough thing to do. And a lot of people kind of don’t spend enough time, I don’t think, in this area because it seems like, “Oh, I’ll just name my company this” or “It’ll be named after me.” They don’t really think of the nuance involved. And I think creating a brand from scratch is super important and you really have to get clear on three important things.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:34] Number one is, What is your why? What is the problem that you’re trying to solve and what makes you different? Your position in the mind of your prospective client is critical. Are you Walmart? Are you Nordstrom? Whatever you choose to be, you have to look and behave accordingly. So, it’s important to get kind of the why right before you even begin.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:56] Second, identify who that ideal customer is. And once you do that, speak to them in a way that they want to be spoken to. You have to be clear on your why, what makes you special, and your who, and who is your ideal customer.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:12] And then, lastly, you have to create a look and the feel and a voice that captures your essence. When people see your brand, they should feel a certain way. Be mindful about that and don’t leave it to chance or some template you found on the internet. Your brand is more than your logo or your color scheme.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:31] Remember, if you don’t proactively brand your business, the public is going to do that for you and it’s just going to happen. So, if you’re not proactively creating a brand, the public is going to create a brand in their head about what you stand for. But once your brand is established, it’s a lot harder and more expensive to rebrand it down the road. So, be mindful and proactive early on. It’ll pay off in the long run.

BRX Pro Tip: 3 Ways to Build Brand Loyalty for Professional Services Firms

May 8, 2024 by angishields

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BRX Pro Tip: 3 Ways to Build Brand Loyalty for Professional Services Firms

Stone Payton: [00:00:00] And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, we have addressed through our BRX Pro Tips series the concept of branding from a lot of different angles. I’d like to take a swing at building brand loyalty.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:20] Yeah, I think it’s super important to differentiate yourself among the others that do similar things that you do in the marketplace. And so, you want to be ultimately that go-to or ideally the only person that your prospect can go to, to solve a specific problem.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:40] And ways that you can enhance that brand loyalty, especially if you run a professional service firm, is you have to be crystal clear about your secret sauce. What is it about you or your firm that makes you so special and that makes you that go-to person to solve this specific problem? You have to be able to articulate that. You have to be able to show that this is the only place to solve this problem in the marketplace. And if you want this problem solved, choose us.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:09] And in order to kind of elevate that and build the trust and reputation, a great way to do that is to emphasize case studies, testimonials, use cases, and all the social proof you can find that really illustrates that you can do what you’re promising that you can do. So, if you have this kind of niche and you own it and you’re the go-to and then you have preponderance of evidence that says you’re the go-to, it’s going to be a lot easier to get your next client.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:43] And then, once you have that stable of clients, create a strong, engaged community among them. If you can bring them all together and host events, and conferences, and education, and mixers to bring that community together so they can interact amongst themselves, you’re going to further separate yourself from everybody else. You really become that place where business gets done and that these problems get solved.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:43] So, if you can do those three things, then you will not have any more competition. You will be the only game in town and the only person or group that can really deliver these kind of results.

Jennifer Edmondson with Baby of Mine 4D Ultrasound 

May 6, 2024 by angishields

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Jennifer Edmondson with Baby of Mine 4D Ultrasound 
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FF-Jennifer-Edmondson-bannerBaby of Mine 4D Ultrasound is Dawsonville, GA’s premier ultrasound imaging center. Our 2D ultrasound allows you to see the traditional black-and-white images of your baby in the womb, while our 3D ultrasoundprovides a three-dimensional view of your baby, allowing you to see more detail and contour. And our 4D ultrasound takes it even further, providing you with real-time footage of your baby in the womb, allowing you to see their movements and facial expressions.

Jennifer-EdmondsonJennifer Edmondson, owner and founder of Baby of Mine 4D ultrasound.

Between a rock and a hard place, that’s where I found myself in 2016. Things were changing, and I needed to pursue a different career. I began my journey as a banker at the age of 17. It was a good job, but I didn’t view it as a long-term option. I knew I wanted to start a family and be able to stay at home to take care of my kids during their early years. I’m a proud mom of three! My youngest was two when I returned to banking. In 2016, lifestyle changes led me to a situation where I knew I couldn’t make enough and stay where I was.

Snowed in at the hospital, waiting for the arrival of my niece, my sister and I got to talking about it all. Being in that moment and experiencing things from the opposite side of the hospital bed, I became more excited. I knew what I wanted to do! It would be challenging, but I prayed about it and knew I had to at least try. The next morning, I called a school that offered a two-year program for ultrasound. Not only did I get in earlier than expected, but I also fell in love with sonography!

Follow Baby of Mine 4D Ultrasound on Facebook and Instagram.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

 

TRANSCRIPT

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

Sharon Cline: [00:00:18] And thank you for listening to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX, where we talk about the ups and downs of the business world and offer words of wisdom for business success. I’m your host, Sharon Cline, and today in the studio, I’m very excited to speak to this founder and business owner of Baby of Mine 4D Ultrasound. She serves a bunch of different places in North Georgia. Please welcome Jennifer Edmondson. Hello.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:00:41] Hello. Thank you for having me.

Sharon Cline: [00:00:42] You’re welcome. Thank you for coming on the show. I’m excited to talk to you because I love everything about what you do, which is you are giving all kinds of patients and mothers a inside view and an early preview of what their babies could possibly look like, which is the dream. When you’re pregnant, it’s like all you think about is like, what’s this baby going to be like? And then you actually give them that.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:01:05] Yeah, it’s so much fun. Like, well, first of all, thank you for having me.

Sharon Cline: [00:01:09] You’re welcome. Of course.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:01:10] I’m a little nervous here now that we’re live, like I said, but, you know, here we go. But, um, I just want to say that I’ve been through this experience three different times, but actually never through. Did I see my kids through 3D or 4D. So this was really interesting. Whenever I saw my first 3D or 4D, like I said, when my own kids. But even the 2D is really cool. Whenever you just get to see your baby boy or your baby girl, you know for the first time and hearing their heartbeat for the first time, um, having the grandparents in there, I mean, it’s just the whole experience is is just really fun, what I do.

Sharon Cline: [00:01:42] Well, I had initially thought I would be a nurse at one point, and I, I did go to nursing school for a couple years, and I wanted to be in labor and delivery because I always considered that to be the happiest place in a hospital, you know, as opposed to people being sick. But I really had a problem. I mean, ultimately I had a problem with blood, which is a huge problem if you’re a nurse. Anyway, I didn’t wind up, but I love the notion of what you’re doing is you are giving people that like that joy that they have knowing this little family member is coming. You are part of that. Which is why I loved labor and delivery because I’m like, look, a little baby, you know? But there’s a lot of other sides to it. Of course, it’s not just all happy all the time, but in my ideal world, I thought it would be. So what I like, though, is that you really are giving those that moment, that joy to them that they’ll always remember. And do you also give them a copy of of the ultrasound that they take?

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:02:33] Um, it depends. I have different packages that you can go through. Oh, cool. And so like my minimum one would be the 45 peekaboo session. Right. And that’s like for ten minutes and you get to hear a baby’s heartbeat. You get the 2D grayscale imaging. You get two prints of that. So it depends on what service that you come to. But we do the 3D and 4D. And then there’s one that you can get the flash drive. Or you’re going to always go out with, you know, at least a black and white photo or email that’s sent to me right now. I’m being open. For the last two and a half months, I’ve been doing a lot of emails, just sending them that way, and a lot of people seem to like it. And then perfect, you know? Yeah. Easy fun. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: [00:03:09] Well, when I think of ultrasounds, I think of the old school, you know, black and white fuzzy. You might know what the gender is. You might not. But tell me what it’s like to actually see if a listener doesn’t know what it actually sounds or looks like. What would what would you describe it as?

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:03:25] Um, let’s see. Well, the 2D grayscale imaging part is the black and white photo, and it depends on to what you’ll see how far along you are. So I don’t usually start scanning until the woman is at least ten weeks pregnant because I just do above the abdomen. Right. And so you should wait at least 10 to 11 weeks to come in. So it all depends on the stage of the pregnancy and what you’ll get to see when you’re that early. You may just not be able to really know what you’re looking at. But a blob.

Sharon Cline: [00:03:54] Like a peanut, they call it like a little peanut in there. Oh, I got you. Well, I bet there are people that still just would love to see as much as they could from the very beginning.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:04:01] Oh, definitely. And then, you know, just like and I’ll do it for entertainment purposes. So it is just all fun. I don’t do any of the anatomy or anything like that. The scan where seeing if anything is going on, um, I don’t do anything like that, but um, but it is just for fun and entertainment and hear a baby’s heartbeat, um, get to see them in 3D, which usually that’s the stage where you want to wait until you’re about five months along, right? Six, seven months along. So that way the baby has more fat. They’re not as transparent. It’s not as scary. You don’t want to do an ultrasound or a 3D or 4D when they’re like 11, ten, 11 weeks. So even though I think it’s really cool looking, it might scare some. Um, because I do, I do that as well. But um, but usually wait until about five months and then you can wait too long as well. I don’t think a lot of people know about that. Yeah, because after a certain point, especially if the woman, you know, if they’re smaller and the baby is all crammed in there anyways, you can wait too long where you can’t see the baby’s face as well, because.

Sharon Cline: [00:04:58] They’re all kind of.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:04:59] They’re all just crammed.

Sharon Cline: [00:04:59] In there in that fetal position.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:05:01] Exactly. Or the placenta is there in their face. So if you’re even dehydrated, that could that could cause some problems too, to be able to see the 3D 4D of baby. But but yeah, there’s that certain stage that you want to come in and you can get the best pictures. We can still do it and we can still try it. Um, but you might, just might. Yeah. Yeah. So I would say about five months to about seven and a half months is the best time for the 3D, 4D.

Sharon Cline: [00:05:23] What is the difference between 3D and 4D?

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:05:26] The 3D is more of a still picture, so you’ll be able to see baby’s features a lot clearer. But the 4D is just basically live, so you’ll be able to see Baby Move and everything. And there’s that loop that you can see, baby, you know, putting his her little hand up to their nose. I’ve had some that you can see. Just their feet. Both of their legs are right in their face. And that’s whenever they’re really crammed in there, you know, at that stage. But it still is really cool to see. And you can always hear baby’s heartbeat. And, you know, if nothing else, you’re there and you’re able to experience to hear that the baby’s heartbeat.

Sharon Cline: [00:05:59] That’s always such a magical thing, especially if you know you can’t hear that on your own unless you’re in that kind of like medical setting. And there is just something so amazing about hearing, you know, brand new life like that. Oh, yeah.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:06:10] I had, um, a few people come in, uh, two weeks ago with the lady that was, you know, with child, and the grandparents were there, and they just bald. Bald, you know, it made me start crying. I know. Right? She’s such a sweet moment. But yeah, they’re just like, that’s our grandbaby, you know? And being able to hear that heartbeat, it’s just really precious.

Sharon Cline: [00:06:30] So had you always wanted to be in this industry?

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:06:34] Um, I could say yes, but actually this this didn’t happen until about 2016 that I decided on, um, there’s just a change that happened in my life. And I went to school for two years to do what I’m doing now. Um, all an ultrasound. I was taught every type of ultrasound, and, um, ended up going into cardiology, which I love. But my passion has always been to open up my my own place and to see, you know, these babies and welcome them into the world and have their pictures all along. And, you know, you can just see the different stages and, and just match it up. And it’s a great photo album, right?

Sharon Cline: [00:07:10] It is. And it’s like.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:07:11] For babies, even here in this world with their own breath.

Sharon Cline: [00:07:14] So it is amazing because like to be able to really see their face. And but I always thought that after I had kids is, you know, it’s all such a mystery. And then you have your baby and you’re holding your baby as you get to know them as they’re growing. There was always this wish that I could just, like, be as close to them. Like, I didn’t appreciate the different parts about them yet until after they’re born. So you can’t do anything about that. But this way you actually get a little. I love the idea of having a preview of what what they’re going to look like. I mean, I saw one recently. A friend of mine, Anna, her sister, had a baby, um, like two months ago. And her, she has, like a little cleft in her chin. That is a family cleft. And you could see it so clearly that they were just like, this is our, you know, family member, our baby. Look at it was just kind of amazing because it’s the technology has just grown so much.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:08:01] It is. I had one last week that you could see her eyelashes just as clear as day. She’s got the longest eyelashes. And so whenever she’s here in this world for everyone to see, we’ll just get to see those pretty long eyelashes.

Sharon Cline: [00:08:13] It’s amazing that you can see eyelashes like that. Yeah, that’s fascinating to me. What has technology been like as you’ve been in the sonogram world? How has it progressed?

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:08:24] Um, I mean, it’s definitely progressed. Um, but, uh, the 3D, 4D images have definitely become more clear, and you can actually put the different colors. I mean, this might sound a little weird, but you can do, like the Fleshlight colors. Oh yeah, it’s just more, even more realistic and high def. So I would say that the high definition part of it, of it all, but um, but yeah, that’s amazing.

Sharon Cline: [00:08:46] I, I keep thinking about if I, if I could be in that world right now, I would want all the information, you know, just for my own peace of mind to, to be able to see things and know ahead of time. Can you also tell the I’ve heard that you can tell the gender of a baby really, really early, like ten, 12, 12 weeks, I guess. Is that something that you all do as well, or is that something that still is, like when you’re halfway through the pregnancy is when you can tell, you.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:09:11] Know, I think the, the whole gender thing now that people can tell through blood work, oh, is that how.

Sharon Cline: [00:09:17] They do it?

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:09:17] I think that I think that’s mainly what’s going on now that people because you don’t find out through ultrasound until, um, safely about 14, 15, 16 even some places 18 weeks, 20 weeks because you don’t want to you want to tell them something and then, you know, not 100% sure because they still have a little bit more development or maybe their legs in the way or something like that. Something’s going on that you’re not quite 100% sure. But a lot of people have been just getting this done, like so early. Now I know it’s amazing.

Sharon Cline: [00:09:44] I’m confused even how it is amazing because, like, they don’t even look pregnant.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:09:47] Yeah, it’s it is amazing. But, um, but it’s still fun. You know, like, some people want to wait. Some people think they’re going to wait, and then they get in there and they’re like, no, I just want to go ahead and find out which is what I did with my third child, my son. Um, since we had our boy, our girl, I’m like, okay, I’m good. I’m not going to find out this time and then go in there and it’s like, no, I can’t wait. They’re like, you just want to.

Sharon Cline: [00:10:08] Know, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, I think that’s so amazing. Now that we can, you really just can know as much as much about this baby. Yeah, I think it’s amazing. I want all that information for my. Myself. Yeah. Um, so I can imagine this being a really successful business for you because you are highlighting such an emotional part of someone’s life, a family’s life. So what is that side like for you? The emotion side.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:10:30] Um, well, just to back up a little bit, what you were saying was I was always interested in this. I will say I was a banker. At first, I didn’t really choose that job. It chose me. And then lifestyle changes happened and I went back to school. You know, it had been years and years since I had went to school and already had my three children. And it was it was a rough time. It was hard, but I felt led to do this. And what happened was I actually got snowed in in the hospital in January, and it was like the next morning is when I called, um, Cambridge and applied there. But my little sister had my niece, Kinley. Oh, I made it. I was the only one on my side of the family that made it to the hospital before. It was just too bad outside for them to try to come because of the snow and everything. And, um, so I got to stay in there with her all night and, well, most of the night. And, you know, they’d come in and check on her everything. And we were talking back and forth, and I just wanted to do something new. And it was always been interesting to me anyways. And I always loved the experience, getting to go in there and see my baby, you know, and, and then getting to see my niece, like right there in front of me the next morning. There she is from one place to another. And just like you said, you talked about like the joy that it brings. And it was just so much joy. And it’s fun. I just, I want to go to work, and I want to enjoy what I do and be able to help everyone else. And just to see that, you know, it’s just fun to go into work. I love it.

Sharon Cline: [00:11:49] I love that you know what feeds your soul and you. It’s like the American dream of being able to do something that you love and make money at it. And there’s obviously always going to be babies being born. Exactly right. So it’s such a good business to go into because you always are going to have clients and especially where you are. You said there really aren’t other 3D or 4D ultrasound companies that are in your area. Yeah, I’m.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:12:12] Actually other than maybe like the hospital itself, I’m I’m the only one that does the entertainment side of it. And, you know, a lot of people, they just wanted a peace of mind. And they don’t want to wait until they have to wait until the doctor says, okay, this is when you’re going to have your ultrasound, because I think that everyone has like two most insurance that only do like two. And and so some people just want to come and hear that heartbeat, you know, if they wouldn’t have a good day or if they had some doubts or whatever, just come in, get that peace of mind, you know. So it’s not just the side of the fun part about that, but also that peace of mind that you get when you come in there and say, okay, everything’s all right.

Sharon Cline: [00:12:45] Yeah. You know, you see the baby, the baby’s moving. I remember at 1.1 of my babies was not moving very much, and I had a complete panic attack because, you know, at a certain point, you keep track of the movements, right? Um, and it had been several hours and I was like, oh, no, but my insurance would not actually cover another ultrasound unless there was something clinically wrong. And so they kept telling me to eat things that were like, high in sugar or just try to wake the baby, like, smack the side of my belly to wake my baby up. And yeah, it was so stressful. It was a horrible feeling. So I can imagine if I had another option, I would have gone for it. Because that peace of mind, it’s priceless. Exactly. You know, when you have such precious cargo. Yeah.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:13:25] Especially if you’ve gone through something like that before and you just just like I said, it’s just a really good thing to go to. And I’m opened, um, basically five days a week. Amazing. Yeah. So. And I’ve been trying to since I am a new business, just come in when I can. You know, I try to work around everybody. Like I had one lady that came in last Monday, a week ago Monday, because she couldn’t make it on Tuesday and Thursdays in the evening times when, you know, I would be open for her. And so I just worked it in there and she just felt so much better. She just had that relief, you know. And that right there is another part that I love about my job. Just them leaving, you know, you can see them come in how they look and then they leave out like that happy.

Sharon Cline: [00:14:06] Yeah. I would want to be part of that too. Like just knowing that I had a little hand in someone’s peace and joy. I mean, that’s kind of a why wouldn’t you want that in your life? So what was it like to become a business owner to, to start, you know, even find a name and a logo and all of that. What was that like?

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:14:23] Um, overwhelming. Yeah. I think it is exciting. Very exciting, but overwhelming as well. Um, connections. You know, it’s really nice to have connections. Yeah. Um, I have my little sister. She actually knows a lot of the people that I got my logo done, the door done. Um, and that that has helped a lot. Just being able to trust the person that you have all this in your faith in, because this is something that is hopefully going to work out at the end, but you just don’t know. And so you have to have the people that you trust to make it a little bit less overwhelming.

Sharon Cline: [00:14:58] Everyone that I’ve had on the show, that is a universal theme. Um, and I’ve been doing this show almost two years. They all say to surround yourself with good people. That is like the actually crucial to your business success, which I, I mean, I get it, especially when you’re, you don’t know all of the ins and outs of business. So it’s like you’re it’s wonderful to. Have resources, of course, like Google or whatever, but to be able to have someone in your corner that’s helping to guide you, it’s pretty invaluable. Yeah.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:15:24] And a lot of people that that I ended up, you know, that did help me is local, like the person that did my business cards. He’s got his own, um, own place. And we went to school together, you know, and so it’s nice seeing them succeed. And you win.

Sharon Cline: [00:15:40] They win, you know.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:15:41] Exactly, exactly. And I try to, like, go to different avenues and to help, like I had the logo done, I had my business cards done. I had the logo put on the door all by three different people. Um, just, you know, just to help each other out and to spread the word. That’s what we got to do.

Sharon Cline: [00:15:55] You help each other? Exactly right. I love it because you’re also a native of Dawsonville, I saw. So how is it? How have you seen Dawsonville change? I’m just curious. I know it’s a little side note, but.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:16:06] Don’t get me started on that. Oh, no. Really?

Sharon Cline: [00:16:08] No.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:16:09] I mean, it’s good. It’s growing. It’s growing a lot, which is great for business owners. Exactly right.

Sharon Cline: [00:16:13] Yeah, that’s exactly right.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:16:14] But it’s different than than what I remember and what I grew up in for sure. There’s there’s just a lot more population, a lot more going on, which some people like that life, you know. But I’m more of a small town, right.

Sharon Cline: [00:16:25] Especially if that’s what your normal. But it’s kind of cool to think that, you know, as more people are going more north, you know, and it’s going to be considered an outskirt of Atlanta, I guess. Um, yeah. You’ll have more people having babies that are. That’s right.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:16:37] It’s a double edged sword there. Right? Yeah. Because the traffic is like, oh, it took me five minutes. It’s now taking me 15 minutes. Oh wow. So you know the ups and downs of that. But but no but it’s definitely growing. It’s growing fast. Dawson County is growing very fast.

Sharon Cline: [00:16:50] Well I mean what I love though is that, um, what you’re doing is and I always think of this with people who are business owners is having you’re creating a legacy for your family, too. So as you start your business and get going and get more clients, people will always say, oh, I had my ultrasound at that place, you know? Or I just love the notion of that. Like such a champion for people who want to live a life like their their choice, they want to live a life that they find the most satisfying to them. And that’s like what you’re doing. Exactly.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:17:19] It’s funny you said that because, um, my daughter and my sister, my big sister, they’ve already been fighting over the receptionist job. I’m like, listen, it’s just me, myself and I. It’s just me. But, um, but maybe one day, you know. So. Chloe, my daughter. Yeah. She’s already talked about that. My son Reece, my youngest one, he’s like, mama, I can scan. I’m like 20 hours of schooling and all this other stuff, and, you know, a little bit of age and height, and we’ll get there. But. But it is. It’s sweet to see them so interested. And they are my, my biggest, you know, warriors. My I love I love my kiddos. And that’s why I think I love what I do too. Just because, you know, being around just giving life, you know, birth to to. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: [00:17:56] Just all those emotions are so high and heightened and so I’m it must be a challenge to, to kind of keep yourself in that mindset of professional when you’re seeing people all around you. So emotional. And it is joy, of course. Um, but I also was wondering if there’s something that, as you got started in your business or now that you’re, you know, a few months in, is there something that you sort of wish you knew before you got started? Is there anything that’s happened where you’re like, wow, I had to learn that the hard way.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:18:23] Um. I guess, uh, being a little bit more patient, um, making sure that you have everything laid out. And, um, the biggest thing, of course, starting anything is finances. Right? So, you know, just know that sometimes things take a little time to, to ignite. And it’s not going to happen overnight unless it’s like a really good sushi place. I heard the other day that the one that opened up in Dahlonega is just, is just packed, like every night, you know? I’m sorry, I don’t have food. I mean, I can get food if that’s going to draw you forward. I’ll even get sushi, which I don’t really like. But, you know, I’ll do that. Um, but no, that just to just to realize that it does take time. I guess that would be another thing, is just that it patience and time. Um. And just keep on, keep on going. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: [00:19:11] Faith of knowing that what you’re doing is what you really believe you should be doing, you know, and that the joy that you have with it, there’s like an energy around something that I believe that you really love to do, and you’re doing it for all the right reasons. Um, whatever is supposed to happen will happen.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:19:25] And if you want it bad enough, you’ll get it. It just might take that time. But if you want it bad enough, you just work hard.

Sharon Cline: [00:19:31] Do you have any mentors or people that you sort of look to to say, okay, this is how I would want to model my business.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:19:39] Um. Mentors would be. I mean, more of who I look up to would be my dad. His work ethic, he’s always going, always going. He’s almost 71 years old and he’s just just all the time. So you got you got to, you know, have that work ethic for sure, because it does take a lot of work to to be able to have your own business. And so my dad would be one. Um, well, Presley would be another one. Um, common friend that we have, um, he opened his own business, and you actually had him on here a few months ago. I know, and that’s someone that I would go to and talk to, because I know he knows the struggles of a newly opened business. And, um, so actually, you know, we were talking the other day and he’s just like, keep going, you know, so people that also in kind of along the lines of entrepreneurs. Right. And um, just kind of getting advice from them and everything.

Sharon Cline: [00:20:28] So yeah, I love that. It’s because it’s like a community, you know, it’s a collective. You all are trying to help each other, right? You know, and I think there’s enough room for everyone. One of the things that is really cool about some of the networking groups that I go to is like, if I need a plumber, I know who I’m going to call. If they need someone to do voiceover work, they ask me, it’s like we get to help each other, just try to succeed because it’s so hard when you just by yourself doing so much.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:20:53] And then I also have, um, my brother in law, he’s had his own business for years and years and years, and I know how stressful that that can be. I’ve seen from an outside view, both sides of it, where it can bring a lot of joy and it can bring a lot of, you know, downside the heartaches and everything. So but again, it all goes back to if you want something bad enough, you got to stay with it through even the hard times.

Sharon Cline: [00:21:17] So but I think that’s important for anyone who has a dream, a potential business that they would like to open. Yeah, is that they really need to have that belief, that work ethic, surround themselves with really good people and have faith that what they’re doing, they really believe in, it’ll go where it’s supposed to go. Um, I think a lot of business owners don’t, or people who would like to own their own business don’t follow that dream because it is so scary. You know, it’s like a huge leap of faith. What was it about you that kind of made it okay? This is a real thing that I’m going to do. I’m not going to dream about it anymore.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:21:51] Funny you should ask that. I’ll maybe I’ll give you a little insight on that. Um, so I’ve been working at this one place for quite a while. Um, after I graduated and something happened there that kind of pushed started me. But I knew that when I went to school in 2016 that this is what I wanted to do.

Sharon Cline: [00:22:06] Ultimately, you had this in your mind already. Oh, interesting.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:22:09] And I blinked and it’s like, all this time’s gone by and I just needed a push. So I got that push and I was just in the car one day, and, um, I just felt like the Lord was telling me this is not what you’re supposed to do anyways. Jennifer, this is not what you went to school for, and it’s time to just step out and have that faith.

Sharon Cline: [00:22:30] So we were talking yesterday just briefly about coming on the show and everything. I was saying to you that so many people get their life structured around what they make in whatever current job they have. And oftentimes, like you said, something will choose them as opposed to them choosing because it’s just life. This is how you’re building your your whole life around what you’re making, and that they stay because they know how much they’re making. They know the job or something comfortable. Comfortable. It’s familiar and normal. Um, but yes, I guess it does sometimes take a moment where you are at a crossroad, you know, and that’s what happened to you. Yeah.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:23:03] That’s what happened to me. Yeah. So here we are, I know.

Sharon Cline: [00:23:06] So what is what is a normal schedule like for you? Like you said, you will work around other people’s schedules, which is awesome because. Right, if you can’t come during the day, you could do something in the evening, right?

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:23:16] Exactly. Yeah. So, um, I still work at a place in cumming just about two and a half days a week. And so that’s the only reason why I’m not open every single day. I want to get to the point where I’m open every single day, and that’s the only thing that that I do. But right now, you know, I’m still working there. And that’s why I try to work around when I can, because I have noticed that more people are more interested in coming whenever their husband or, you know, their boyfriend, when they get off their partner gets off from work. Yeah. And so it’s in the evening time.

Sharon Cline: [00:23:46] It’s smart to do that. Yeah. Because it is like it’s such a sacred moment, you know, that you want to share it with someone. Yeah. Or family.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:23:53] Yeah. So and then there’s also those times where maybe, um, the grandmas in just visiting from somewhere else and it’s like she’s here and it’s just her and her daughter. I just want to let mom hear, you know, the baby’s heartbeat. Just see the baby have had that, you know, and and so, yeah, it’s just whatever I can do if I’m, if I’m not working, then I’m going to be there working.

Sharon Cline: [00:24:15] I like because you’re doing kind of what I’m doing where I have my voice over business, but I can’t quit my normal job yet. But at some point I’m hoping there’ll be a little balance where it’s like 5050 and then I can like do, do a leap of faith, like what you’ve done at some point, but you’re just trying to make it work.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:24:30] Right? Exactly.

Sharon Cline: [00:24:31] So how do you advertise your business now that you have your logo, you’ve got your Facebook page. What are the different ways that you get the word out?

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:24:38] It did start mainly with. Facebook with my business page, and then I’m now on a couple of other sites, social medias. Um, Instagram. I think I have Twitter or X or whatever. Actually, actually, um, I’m not the one doing all of those. I’m the one that’s over the Facebook business page. But I have Google right now working for me, and they’ve put out a website where it takes you to the main website, and they are supposed to be posting different things for me here and there. And I have actually had friends screenshot through Facebook ads that Google has has run for me. And oh my gosh. So that’s really exciting when I first got the first one. Yeah. Um, yeah. That’s amazing I love that. So hey, you know, keep it going. And um, but that that’s what I’ve got going is, is just me. And then Google’s helping me some.

Sharon Cline: [00:25:27] I heard a statistic on NPR this morning that, um, Google, uh, covers 90% of all search engine searches, which is a ginormous. Oh, yeah. So if you are investing in getting advertisement with Google, that would be the way to go. I mean, you have every reason to know that it would actually work. We actually talked a little bit about this yesterday with this media company that I had, um, I guess about a year and a half ago, their Google Analytics. And there are people that have their degree like Google degree, um, which is amazing to me. It’s actually very difficult for, for that to, for you to have that certification. But that’s why.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:26:03] I don’t that’s why they do it for me. I know.

Sharon Cline: [00:26:04] Right? I pay somebody it’s like confusing in my brain. But I’m so glad that there are smart people out there that can handle that. But it’s it’s interesting to me how they can really advantageously put your ad, you know, during a, during a time where people are driving or whatever time would work best for moms, you know, if it’s a preschool or something. Exactly. I love that they can kind of put all of those analytics together and make it so easy for you to be found. Yeah.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:26:30] And to, um, family and friends. I mean, word of mouth is a big thing. And, um, since growing up in Dawsonville, you know, we do know a lot of people and we don’t know all the pregnant women, especially as much as Dawsonville has grown. Right. But, um, but that that’s helped a for sure. And, um, just friends spreading the word and family. Family spreading the word and appreciate it, by the way.

Sharon Cline: [00:26:52] Oh, of course. And you know, what’s so nice is you don’t have to have a billboard out there. You don’t have to put an ad in a magazine like a paper magazine. Can you remember the last time I actually looked through one? I mean, I know there are important still, but it’s just not the same thing as opening up your Facebook and seeing that ad. Um, so how did did you actually go on to Google ads and figure out how you wanted that all to work?

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:27:12] Yeah. And then eventually I just got in contact with them and just talked to a person, and we talked for quite a while. You know, it’s a process for sure at the beginning. But, um, again, if you’re not really that savvy on it or have time to do it. Yeah, because it takes time to do all this. Um, then that’s it’s a great way to go because.

Sharon Cline: [00:27:32] Any, any business owner that’s listening, you know, would want to know exactly what your steps were. If it’s working for you and you are getting business this way. Well, that’s the.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:27:41] Dream I have. I’ve gotten I got two from last week that actually through through Google. Um, so yeah, I’m just I’m giving a try. It’s worth it. I’ve done it for about three weeks now. So two out of three weeks, I mean, again, it’s new and and it takes a little bit, but with their help it’s going to speed it up a little bit too I.

Sharon Cline: [00:27:59] Think it’s an investment isn’t it.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:28:01] Yeah for.

Sharon Cline: [00:28:01] Sure. It’s hard I’m sure it’s hard to part with money like that.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:28:04] That’s what you have to do though. That’s the thing about any business owners, they know that it is going to take some. Some businesses may not take as much as other businesses do. But I tell you that ultrasound machine is not cheap.

Sharon Cline: [00:28:15] So I bet I can’t even imagine. Yeah. So of course all of the money that you’re investing in the beginning, but as you’re obviously getting clients, then it all kind of pays itself out. And when I have.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:28:26] Good scans, man, I’m the happiest in the world. You know, everybody’s happy when they’re bad scans. It’s like the horrible it’s like one of my doing, you know? But you have to come realize that again, it’s like it depends on there’s different factors that go on. So it could be a really good one. It could be a bad one. But um, hopefully the majority will go out smiling and laughing and we’ll all have a good day.

Sharon Cline: [00:28:47] So if you were going to tell anyone who’s listening, sort of your your service area that you would like to draw from you, we were talking just briefly before the show, you were saying coming obviously Forsyth County.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:28:58] South County, um, Dahlonega, um, Gainesville, white, white County. Yeah, I mean anybody heck, you can be in Atlanta if you want to just come see me, I’ll scan your baby. You know I will do it. I will come in at 5 or 6:00 in the evening. 7:00, I don’t care. It’s fun.

Sharon Cline: [00:29:15] I really love that you’re talking about something that’s so joyful. Because I feel like if more people loved what they did, you know, and did it for that joy and not I mean, obviously you’re making money, but the the idea of doing something that you love so much and find such satisfaction out of, it’s like such a beautiful thing.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:29:32] Oh yeah. Because I’ve had it where when I was in the banking banking business, it wasn’t that it was bad, it was all horrible, but I just that wasn’t what I wanted to do. And so there would be a lot of mornings. It would just be hard to get up out of the bed just to go into work. And, you know, I’m fortunate, thankful, and I’m very thankful and blessed that that I get to do what I do. Now that I was able to go back to school because I had the family support to, you know, it’s a big thing. And when you have children. Yes, exactly. And I had a lot of family support and I’m just I’m really thankful and blessed for sure.

Sharon Cline: [00:30:04] Well, this is like such a beautiful story of perseverance, belief in yourself. Um, knowing what’s the most important thing to you in the end, which a lot of people I don’t even, you know, you can just get up and go to work and go to go home and you don’t really have that sense of satisfaction. But I like that you really had a real clear vision and knowledge about yourself enough to know that this is what’s going to satisfy my heart at the end of the day, right?

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:30:29] Right. And it’s taken a while. Oh yeah, it’s a journey. I’m not a spring chicken, but I know it’s taken a while and it’s still going to be a while too. Um, but hopefully, hopefully it will all pay off in the end. And, um, you know, get over that hump of being a new business and just have it every day. Like I said, that’s what my goal is, is just to be open every day and to be busy every day.

Sharon Cline: [00:30:52] I was going to say, like, do you have do you think far ahead, like three years, five years or something? Like, what would you love to see happen?

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:30:59] Oh, definitely. Um, I’d like to see maybe in about two years, um, hiring somebody else, you know, young stenographers and having them scan and be able to, you know, see what I see. And the joy that that I get to have to go into work. And, um, I would love to have that to be able to have an office that has maybe three people going at one time. And, um, because, you know, it’s not only like I love my job, I also know that to have more job opportunities for other people, because I was in that position one time where I was in school, but I didn’t know if I was going to have a job when I got out of school or not. School is not cheap. No, college is not cheap. But as long as you’re going there with that goal and you’re not just going there and being like, oh, I might do this, I might do that, you have to be set on it for it to be worth anything. And so I’m very thankful that I was able to get through those two years. It was hard, but it’s definitely been worth it if, I mean, even the past six years, seven years that I’ve been working, um, I have loved what I’ve done, you know, but now I just get to hopefully continue to be my own boss. And yeah.

Sharon Cline: [00:32:01] I love the idea of being my own boss. There’s something so nice about that. I know. I just love that at some point I think I will be. I hope so if I put it out there in the universe.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:32:09] There you go. That’s what you have to do too. That’s right. Put it out there.

Sharon Cline: [00:32:12] What do you think? That, um, women who are pregnant don’t know about, um, 3D and 4D ultrasound? That would be really important for them to have an appreciation for.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:32:23] Um, probably what we talked about a little bit earlier. Um, just how well you can see your baby and the different stages that if you go in and, and at 12 weeks, at 20 weeks, at 28 weeks, they grow so much within the nine months, you know, and and just to have that appreciation of having that little photo album because you don’t you used to not get to do this. You used to not get to go in there and be like, okay, I’m going to get to see my baby this week and ultrasound is safe. You can you can go in there. You don’t have to worry about anything. Um.

Sharon Cline: [00:32:54] Safe technology a lot of people have. I remember at one point they were saying, yeah, we only do two ultrasounds because there’s a potential of it’s not the radiation, but there’s some kind of wave or whatever that can affect their ears or something. Right.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:33:07] And it’s all through. It’s all through sound waves. Um, that’s that’s what ultrasound, 3D, 4D is. It’s all through sound waves. But, yeah, it’s safe technology. You don’t have to worry about that. Um, and my sessions, they last from five minutes to up to 30 minutes. Um, recommendation, I believe is like 35, 40 minutes. But even so, I mean, they they say it’s safe, so, um, but yeah, it’s just a fun thing to do. And, um, also just to, to make sure that you go in knowing that to drink water like that is a big thing that people don’t really think about just to stay hydrated, because that does really help get the better pictures, because the sound waves, how they hit and they hit through the fluid like that. That’s what projects off and brings back the reflections of the images. And if it’s not there, if the placenta is right on the baby’s face, that’s again what we went into. If they’re like eight and a half months, it’s just so crammed in there. The legs are in the face, so there’s no fluid in between. And that could just really hinder the picture. So just make sure that you stay hydrated because that’s you’re going to get a lot better pictures that way.

Sharon Cline: [00:34:06] My last baby. I was dehydrated and I went into labor early, and I didn’t even know that that was something that could happen. So yeah, I definitely could. Imagine if that’s how you can see a baby, you would want them to be drinking as much as they could, right?

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:34:19] Right. And when you come in, maybe you know, before, if you want the baby to be moving some, just drink a little bit of orange juice or something. Just eat a little bit before you come in as well. But, um, but yeah.

Sharon Cline: [00:34:28] This is the dream, I love it. I’m excited for you because just knowing that you’re doing something that you really love and believe in and know that you’re giving a service to people who who just will eat it up because that’s like the best thing they could possibly have in the moment. It’s all the good things of life, you know.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:34:45] It’s the fun part of life, right?

Sharon Cline: [00:34:47] It’s all the fun.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:34:47] And it’s before baby comes. It’s the safest place that baby’s going to be.

Sharon Cline: [00:34:51] You know it is. What a good thought. I never thought about that. Yeah. Oh, that’s so sweet. Well, I can’t thank you enough, Jennifer, for coming to the studio. I know it was kind of a trek down here, but I’m so excited to to be able to talk about all the good things that you’re doing for and services that you’re offering people, and the fact that you’re one of the only ones in North Georgia. I just I’m going to tell everybody all about you and hopefully help to grow your, your business. Like I said, there’ll always be babies. Yeah.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:35:20] So come see me. You know, if you’re not pregnant yet, you know, I can see you in 3 or 4 months, ten, 12 weeks from now, you come see me.

Sharon Cline: [00:35:28] Where is your office located?

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:35:30] It’s in Dawsonville. Um, it’s actually right behind the urgent care. So there’s an OB right there. And basically in front of our in front of our office. So any ladies that are going there definitely stop by and I’ll get a picture of your baby there. But it’s 135 Providence Court suite 140 and that’s in Dawsonville.

Sharon Cline: [00:35:49] And if someone wanted to schedule an appointment with you or find out more about you, how can they do that?

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:35:55] Um, definitely check out the Facebook page. It’s like I said, that’s the one that I’m personally running myself. So I put specials on there all the time. You know, like right now you can, um, come in for one service and the next service that you have, the next package is going to be half off. So that’s pretty cool, especially like one of our bigger packages of 110. So if you come in for the peekaboo session for 45, you get half off of the 110. So you get to see baby twice, right? Yeah. But um, but what was the other question? Oh, my website baby of mine 40.com. So check out baby and monforti.com. And that’s where you can actually schedule your appointments. And you can see all of our different packages that we have. And I just want to mention the sweet lady that goes to church with me, Miss Janna. She’s actually the lady that’s on my website. She took the pictures, but she’s also was my first client.

Sharon Cline: [00:36:43] Oh no kidding.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:36:43] Yeah, and little Johnny’s here now. He was born, I believe, a week or two, maybe ago. Time flies. Oh, wow. But he’s here now with us. But she was my first client, and she’s the one that you see actually on, on that website.

Sharon Cline: [00:36:55] So you got to see his little face. Yes. And now he’s got a real little face out in the world.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:36:59] That’s right.

Sharon Cline: [00:36:59] Oh, sweet. Jennifer Edmondson, thank you for coming into the studio. And I’m so excited to see where you go. And if you ever want to come back and talk about your journey some more as life goes on. I always think these lessons that you learn are very important for anyone out there who has a dream and would like to follow it as well, because the more you know, you know, um, it’s like I was saying, we’re all helping each other to just try to succeed. I think that’s just a very important for people to feel like they’re not alone on their journey. So when we share like that, that’s what the whole show is about.

Jennifer Edmondson: [00:37:29] That’s right. Thank you for having me once again. Welcome.

Sharon Cline: [00:37:31] And thank you all for listening to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX. And again, this is Sharon Cline reminding you with knowledge and understanding we can all have our own fearless formula. Have a great day!

 

Tagged With: Baby of Mine 4D Ultrasound

BRX Pro Tip: 4 Places to Look for Your Next Networking Event

May 6, 2024 by angishields

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BRX Pro Tips
BRX Pro Tip: 4 Places to Look for Your Next Networking Event
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BRX Pro Tip: 4 Places to Look for Your Next Networking Event

Stone Payton: [00:00:00] Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, where do you look for upcoming networking events that you feel like are going to be productive for you?

Lee Kantor: [00:00:14] I subscribe to a lot of newsletters. I go online a lot to see what’s out there. But I think that if I was brand new into a community or I just maybe was working in a corporate job and I was like, “Okay. I want to plug into the business community here,” some of the places I’d look, first, I would go to the Chamber of Commerce. I think that’s an obvious one. If you go to the Chamber of Commerce, they do events all the time.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:36] I would also check out some of the general business associations in the niche, whatever I am working in, to see what kind of events that they’re putting together. Another place to look are kind of co-working spaces and startup incubators. Those are always doing events and they’re a great place to plug into a community. A third place to look would be any industry specific associations and groups that are out there. There’s a lot of those and you’ll find events happening there throughout the year.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:07] And lastly, and probably younger people are better at this than I am, but there are so many online directories and groups out there that you can plug in online, and then a lot of them do in-person events as well, like meetup.com or Reddit or LinkedIn groups or Facebook groups. Find a group that kind of matches your interests there, and then see if they’re putting together in real life events. And if they’re not, maybe you should be the one that’s organizing that event for them because that’s a great way to put yourself at the center of these groups.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:36] So, that’s something that I would think about if I was new to networking in a community. I would want to plug in in-person and meet some folks that might help me grow my business.

Attorney Howard Abrams

May 6, 2024 by angishields

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In this episode of Chicago Business Radio, Stone Payton interviews Howard Abrams, a plaintiff’s personal injury attorney, about his journey in the legal profession and the mission of his law firm. Abrams shares insights into the complexities of personal injury cases, emphasizing the importance of building trust and establishing a personal relationship with clients. He discusses the evolving landscape of personal injury law, including changes in courtroom procedures and the challenges posed by insurance companies. Abrams also provides valuable advice for individuals involved in accidents, emphasizing the significance of seeking legal counsel and avoiding common pitfalls. 

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Howard-AbramsHoward S. Abrams is the founding partner, specializing in personal injury, at the Howard Abrams Law in Chicago, Illinois, where he handles and oversees a wide variety of plaintiffs’ personal injury and professional negligence matters, both pre-litigation and through trial.

Howard has been the lead trial attorney in over 50 jury and bench trials, successfully resolving numerous cases through mediation and arbitration. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, and his law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law in Chicago, Howard was a trial attorney at various Chicago-based law firms for nearly a decade before opening his own firm in 2016, where he has dedicated himself to serving all of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs with passionate legal representation.

Connect with Howard on LinkedIn.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:05] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Chicago, Illinois, it’s time for Chicago Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Stone Payton: [00:00:18] Welcome to another exciting and informative edition of Chicago Business Radio. Stone Payton here with you this afternoon. Please join me in welcoming to the broadcast with Howard Abrams Law, the man himself, Mr. Howard Abrams. How are you, man?

Howard Abrams: [00:00:36] Good. Thanks for having me, Stone.

Stone Payton: [00:00:38] Oh, delighted to have you on the show, man. I got a ton of questions. I, I know we’re not going to get to them all, but I, I think maybe a good place to start is if you could give us just a little bit of an overview, mission, purpose. What are you and your team really out there trying to do for folks, man.

Howard Abrams: [00:00:56] Well, I mean, I’ve been a plaintiff’s personal injury attorney since 2006. And, you know, I started my career like everyone else did in, uh, you know, law firm law clerking, learning how things go, and then realized there’s two worlds to, you know, being a lawyer. There’s the courtroom, uh, where I spent the first ten plus years of my career. And then there’s the claims side where you try to resolve cases outside the courtroom. And I took a sort of hybrid approach when I started my law firm in 2016 of handling both prelate and litigation files. And I found that, you know, the litigation skills don’t go away as long as you keep going to court. But there is a different area of the law and practice of handling these claims outside the court when the clients first got injured. So my focus has been since Covid, when things kind of came a little bit of a halt in the litigation arena on helping clients really at the beginning of the cases, which in turn helps them at the end of the case.

Stone Payton: [00:01:58] So what prompted you to go out on your own?

Howard Abrams: [00:02:03] Uh, it’s a good question. I didn’t it wasn’t one exact moment. It was sort of a domino effect of like. Things happening in my career and the law firms I was at while I had good relationships there. Didn’t really have anywhere for me to like, advance or be promoted. You know, there’s partners and. There could be an equity or non-equity or, you know, you can pay people more and all those types of things. But once you. Uh, develop a clientele or way to get cases. It’s hard to stay somewhere that doesn’t, you know, value that. And so the firms I was at at the time, while they valued my skills as an attorney, I didn’t think valued, you know, the business I was bringing in. And after talking to other colleagues who had went out on their own, it seemed like that was at least a no brainer approach to my next step. Instead of just trying to find another law firm that might value me that I had no relationship with besides, you know, knowing who each other were.

Stone Payton: [00:03:06] So after all those years of practicing and now particularly out on your own, what’s what’s the most rewarding man? What’s the most fun about the work for you?

Howard Abrams: [00:03:17] The fun part is, while it’s usually the hardest part on the clients is giving them, not always. It’s not necessarily legal advice where it’s about the law, like you get in a car accident. It’s not rocket science to figure out right and wrong, right? Like we know what the traffic laws are. We can kind of, you know, use common sense approaches to who was at fault or, you know, it’s the little games that the insurance companies like to play in the beginning. And it’s amazing. Even though people know the answers, they’re just not expecting that, like they’re being put to a test by the insurance companies. And when I give them this, you know, introductory or free consult, and then they become my client, you know, they’re like, oh, all that stuff you told me was true. And like, because it happens to them. Because even though insurance companies technically aren’t supposed to call clients, once they know they’re retained by attorneys, they still do. And, you know, it’s only, you know, for the benefit of the insurance company, not for the injured party.

Stone Payton: [00:04:17] So how does the whole, I guess, the whole sales and marketing thing worked for a law practice? Because you don’t really need a personal injury attorney until you need one, right?

Howard Abrams: [00:04:29] Oh, that is something that I’ve been trying to figure out, you know, especially since I’ve been out on my own and there’s sort of two schools of thought. There is, you know, the good old fashioned advertising. You used to see it, you still see it, but billboards, TV commercials, it used to be the good old Yellow Pages, which not many people even know what those are anymore. Um, then, you know, the internet era of Google is still the. Traditional way to advertise, which you know is only increasing. Um, but then there’s this good old fashioned marketing where there’s a lot of lawyers, there’s a lot of professionals that are lawyers that get in touch or people that get injured have contact with, and it’s knowing how to market to them or being able to be a leader or a presence. Um, so those people seek you out when they are recommending attorneys to somebody who was injured. So I take the latter approach.

Stone Payton: [00:05:33] Got it. So I bet there’s been a lot of changes in your in your tenure as an attorney. Has a lot changed over the years.

Howard Abrams: [00:05:44] Yes. Um. Too many to count or too many to talk about. But, you know, the biggest changes are that, you know, things used to be done, you know, the old fashioned way on typewriters and mail and, you know, you would go to court and come back and write up a whole summary where now with technology and apps, you know, I can communicate with my clients via text or, uh, email, obviously the court system. Until Covid, I would say didn’t go through a lot of changes. I mean, yes, they have increased the use of technology, but you still had to go to court in person. Um, zoom didn’t really come into play at all. I didn’t even know what it was until Covid hit. Mhm. Um, they knew what a video call was, but I don’t think I ever did one besides maybe Skype, you know, which I’m not even sure if that still exists. Uh, but what has happened now is the ability for remote proceedings has allowed one attorney’s to branch across multiple jurisdictions where you usually just practice where you, you know, your office is. And two, I’ve seen a lot of law firm growth in terms of these we could call mega firms. I don’t know how you would define it, but these firms that are starting to go nationwide. And while that’s not to discount that they are they have quality lawyers. You just don’t know unless you do your research as a client, if that attorney is even, you know, present in the state, which I think has some downside, if you are, you know, considering a court case.

Stone Payton: [00:07:22] Yeah. I’ll bet. All right. Let’s talk about the work a little bit. And, um, I guess the only way I know to attack this is from my perspective, if if I think I might have a claim or I’ve been in an accident or something, I reach out to you or I’ve been referred to you because I have another trusted advisor in some other capacity that says, oh, for that, you need to talk to Howard. Um, I come to your office, we sit down and chat. What? What is that? Especially the early stages of that engagement or process look like?

Howard Abrams: [00:07:54] Yeah. I mean, a lot of it is fact finding. I mean, usually if, you know, we’ll use automobiles because those are the bread and butter and personal injury. Although I do every type of personal injury case from, you know, slip and falls premises, uh, animal attacks. Uh, you know, medical malpractice, which is, you know, a very complicated field. There’s construction, I mean, but, you know, the the, the majority of cases do fall in the automobile, uh, arena. Um, in this day and age, I mean, people don’t even usually have the police report. I mean, they get, like a report number, which is then uploaded to a site like LexisNexis or some, depending on the the size of the county or town that you get the accident in. You have to do a FOIA request, but it’s getting the accident report that’s, you know, the starting point of any good consult. Mhm. Um, you know, obviously you’re going to get the version that the driver or a passenger that they have. And but a lot of times they come in and they don’t even necessarily, you know, know they just know they got hit like they don’t know where the person came from or what speed they were going. So you know, the police reports, the big part, I then, you know, still believe in good old fashioned investigative work where, you know, not on every case, but I will tend to take my client to the scene of the accident, because you will find that when you bring someone to the scene of any sort of trauma, no matter big or small, things come back to them. They remember certain things that you, you know, there’s just, you know, it’s one thing if you’re stopped at a red light and you get rear ended, it’s another thing if the driver’s coming from, you get T-boned.

Howard Abrams: [00:09:39] And you said you had a green light and the police report says, you know, both drivers said they had the green light. We both know that’s not possible, but somebody’s not telling the truth. Right. So I tend to, you know, sometimes I just meet them initially at the scene if it’s convenient because the sooner I can get there with them in time, as opposed to going out there six months later, you’d be amazed on the information that I can get from a client, and it’s a free consult in the beginning. Or even if they’re signed up, I’m not charging them an hourly rate or contingency fee, so we only get paid at the end of the case if we collect for them. So all these things we’re doing is for their benefit. And why would I do something that wasn’t, you know, the further the prospects of the case, you know, and I find that the clients that want to meet me in person or want to go to the scene, you know, they have a vested interest and are probably, you know, injured to the point where, you know, there’s things going on there. We don’t know the extent, but they have a real injury. They’re not just, oh, I got bumped and bruised and yes, you have a case, but do you really need a lawyer? You know, for some bumps and bruises you should probably handle, you know, talk to the insurance company on your own.

Stone Payton: [00:10:47] Uh, so these scenarios, um, any of them that you describe strike me as a, a good opportunity to shoot yourself in the foot if you don’t, um, if you don’t at least consult with someone like you first, or do you run into some of the same mistakes over and over, or or do you find yourself, you know, like very quickly saying, okay, do this, do this. Whatever you do, don’t do that till we talk, that kind of thing.

Howard Abrams: [00:11:13] Yeah. I mean, there’s some golden rules that any attorney who’s been, you know, actually does this type of practice and not just, you know, represents them. Because once you’re an attorney, you can, you know, there’s no like it’s not like medicine where you get, you know, you get a subspecialty in orthopedics or anesthesiology or, you know, ear, nose and throat. Any lawyer can do personal injury. Just like I could hold myself out as a criminal lawyer, you know, there’s nothing that all I need is a license. I don’t need anything else. What? You know what separates, I think, myself or others that have had the experience I have, and I have almost 20 years of plaintiffs personal injury work, having started off as a litigator in the courtroom doing jury trials. You see the end of the case, right? And the end of the case, good or bad? Mostly good in my world. Um, you’re prepared for anything then, right? You know, so talking to somebody now, 15 years later or 14 years later, when I went out on my own talking to people at the beginning of the case, I was already thinking about the end of the case, what jurors told me, what mistakes clients made and what the you know, all those things help, you know, separate. I think the attorneys that actually, you know, do more than just file an insurance claim for the plaintiff, uh, or potential plaintiff. And, um, you know, I think that shows when I meet with a client, right.

Howard Abrams: [00:12:37] Like, anyone can tell you anything over the phone, anybody can. You know, everyone can be a salesman for something. Um, but where I, where I remind people, is what those conversations they have at the beginning about. Hey, you’re going to get a call from the insurance company, you’re going to get a call from, you know, four other lawyers looking for your business. That’s fine. You know, that’s just the world we work in. You don’t just get, you know, one lawyer recommendation these days. Um, and if you go on Google, you can get a thousand. Um, it’s telling them the things up front that they’re going to experience or what they’re not going to experience. I can tell sometimes just from talking to a potential client, I guarantee you I had one the other day I signed up, uh, he’s out of state in Maryland, but he was here for work in a rental car. Right. Which nothing wrong with that. He gets rear ended, he returns the Hertz rental car, um, for property damage. He was going home three days later. He didn’t think he was seriously hurt. So he’s like, I’ll see how I feel. He went home. He wasn’t feeling well, so he went to the, you know, urgent care at home and his family doctor at home. And he got my name from a prior client. And when I talked to him, I go it had been almost a week, right. Which doesn’t sound like a lot of time, but in automobile world, that’s a lot can happen in a week.

Howard Abrams: [00:13:53] I go, well, have you heard from XYZ Insurance Company? You know, um, and he goes, no. And I go, well, you’re never going to hear from them. And he goes, why not? I’m like, because you’re in a Hertz rental car with no reported injury from Hertz, because they probably didn’t even ask you. And Hertz is only concerned about getting the car fixed. And, you know, I said, you know, he signed my paperwork, but I haven’t even sent out my letter rep to the insurance company because I wanted to get some medical records in. It’s been now two weeks, and he called me the other day. He’s like, yeah, I haven’t heard anything. I was like, you won’t. They’re gonna they’re gonna get a letter from me as their first knowledge because insurance companies aren’t. You know, actively looking for claims, right? You know, but they’re looking at this as a property damage only claim they’re not going to even ask for it if the other party was injured. They want to wait for you to make the claim. So you know that that gentleman, had he not had his friend who I represented successfully, might have waited a month. And that doesn’t necessarily mean he does he still have a claim? Yes. But had he not sought medical treatment, had he not taught, you know, then they’re denying the case just because they don’t believe he’s injured.

Stone Payton: [00:15:04] In the path to take can can vary. When you take all that into account, you do your investigation. You get the information. You may very well go. My whole frame of reference for this is watching stuff on TV. So forgive me, but you, you, you might go to a courtroom, or you might take a whole different path and settle and settle it out of a courtroom environment. Yes.

Howard Abrams: [00:15:28] Of course. And listen, I don’t avoid court. I mean, that’s. Silly, for lack of a better word. I’m not trying to think of a better word to put out. You know, uh, put on it. But port is long. It is exhausting. And the insurance companies know that, and they are built to withstand the time. Right. It’s not their you know, they are a business corporation. You know, they have X, you know, millions of dollars, you know, otherwise they’d be out of business. Um, they don’t care if a case lasts three, 4 or 5 years. But in Illinois, for example, it’s a two year statute of limitations for personal injury. So you have up to two years. You don’t have to wait that long. And most attorneys don’t. But you don’t also want to rush off and file a lawsuit, because in Cook County, where the city of Chicago is, where my office is, is, you know, the. You know, third largest media market. And I think it’s I think besides Los Angeles County, the highest volume of um, cases are filed. Wow. Statistics. So, yes. Does everybody get their day in court under our legal system? Of course. But it’s going to take longer than in a smaller town or where there’s only so many files or cases.

Howard Abrams: [00:16:52] Do we have more judges? Yeah, we do, but there’s always, you know, short judges or short staff or short jurors, and you wait and wait and wait. I tell any client from the beginning that if we can’t resolve their case outside of court, you plus and you have to file a lawsuit on average, you will wait. I tell them 2 to 3 years, and I can probably count on one hand the amount of cases. I got the jury trial in two years. Wow. It is much closer. Three and that was before Covid. Covid then had a backlog. Depending on who you ask, they will tell you that that backlog has cleaned up. I, I am skeptical of that belief, but you know it doesn’t. It is still 2 to 3 years minimum as opposed to 2 to 3 years in your case will be resolved. Um, and that’s in addition to the one, you know, six months, a year, 18 months, up to two years that you might try and resolve it outside of. So you’re talking 4 to 5 years to go to jury trial from when the accident actually happened.

Stone Payton: [00:17:55] Wow. This is a very sobering conversation. Okay, let’s go back to the one where the guy got rear ended or anything like that. What if I’m the guy that did the rear ending? Should I still also maybe be in touch with a with some legal counsel as well, just in anticipation of what might be coming down the pike?

Howard Abrams: [00:18:15] Uh, yeah. I mean, I tell every client or potential client, I should say, or any referral source, they’re like, oh, so and so I said, have them call me. I tell them, or call somebody, right. Like one. It’s free. I mean, like, I know that’s like silly and that’s like a line on every advertisement. Like, no, you know, it is literally a free consult. It doesn’t cost you anything but your time. And sometimes you don’t know what may or may not be coming down the pipeline. That’s what talking to an attorney does, is it gives you one free advice and help you. Sometimes I call clients and I tell them, yes, you have a case, yes, I can help you, but it’s really not worth your time and energy to hire a lawyer because you told me you went to the emergency room only you’re not going to seek follow up treatment. It’s been 45 days since the accident. Your car has been fixed by the insurance company. You just don’t know what to settle for.

Stone Payton: [00:19:13] Right.

Howard Abrams: [00:19:14] And you don’t want an attorney for that situation. But calling an attorney, someone like me and will still give him a five minute talk and I say, hey, what’s your er bill? And I’ll, I’ll be like, I would demand something like this. Do I get paid on it? No. Will that person ever call me again? No, no, but it doesn’t hurt. Um, you know, from a marketing standpoint, that person might know somebody or think of something like helping people out is, you know what I’m in the business of doing? I would always say, even if you don’t think it’s the case, or even if you’re not sure, you should always call an attorney, because even the ones that will charge you the initial consult or initial call isn’t going to cost you. They don’t charge you 500 bucks just to get on the phone. They do go running. Um, it can’t hurt. It can only help. So, you know, that’s my my, you know, long and winded answer to that is I would always call an attorney if you’re concerned whether from a defendant or a plaintiff side. Okay.

Stone Payton: [00:20:09] So from either side. Yeah that’s okay. So like even if I think or know that it’s pretty sure it’s my fault, then at least have a conversation.

Howard Abrams: [00:20:17] I’d have a conversation and you call your insurance company because that’s what you’re paying them for.

Stone Payton: [00:20:21] Gotcha. And then I guess I and maybe the maybe, you know, good counsel. I don’t have to worry about it too much, but I gotta I gotta say, I’m a little intimidated at this point. Like, I don’t even know what to ask or or what red flags are like. If if I were to hire a consultant, I came from that world. I know some things to look for, but I don’t know what to red flags, you know, yellow flags and or green flags. And talking to a potential engaging an attorney.

Howard Abrams: [00:20:50] Yeah. I think, you know, the good advice is that it sounds too good to be true. You know, it still rings true for anything in the sales world, right? If an attorney tells you he could do it quicker or cheaper. There’s a reason why. Because you’re not getting the same level of service. I mean, personal injury work has been, you know, around since the United States, you know, developed its legal system, right, like in some fashion. And personal injury contracts have more or less looked the same for well over 100 years. I don’t know how long exactly. I’d have to do some digging on that answer, but there’s no there’s nothing in a personal injury like retainer contract that shouldn’t tell you exactly what the fees are. You’re you’re paying that there’s no fee unless you recover. You know what costs are. You know that the attorney is fronting and can reimburse for. And then every state has like a right to in Illinois, it’s like up to five days after you sign a contract, you can null and void it for any reason with either side. Like if you don’t understand the document that you’re signing, then you know and the attorney doesn’t explain it to you. There’s your first red flag, right? You know, I always when I get on the phone and I explain what I do, I, you know, I give them a short version, the legal documents longer it’s one page because they’re not going to look at anything longer than that. And I always tell them, read it.

Howard Abrams: [00:22:15] Any questions, let me know you know, and we’ll go through it line by line if you want. But you know the attorneys or. People that you know are just looking to make a quick buck. As I like to say to clients, they’re the ones rushing in to sign the paperwork, rushing you to settle the case, doing everything just what seems like very quickly, which again, you know, I believe I know people get frustrated with the length of a case sometimes and like you are hearing me talk about and I’m not saying longer is better, but you have to take into account a timeline, right? If you get into an accident. And you’re hurt. At a minimum, it’s usually a 2 to 3 month acute injury phase where you’re getting treatment or therapy or seeing specialists. Right. And any good lawyer is going to. Even if you sign up the client from day one, I don’t evaluate a case for settlement until I see a discharge from therapy. The specialist, wherever, because that tells me that the client has healed right? And then I still wait another 30 days because people have setbacks. So you’re talking about at a minimum from date of accident, six months is what I tell clients before I’m even talking to the insurance company about a settlement, because I don’t know what your injury is. How can I evaluate or make a demand or make any sort of suggestion about what your case is worth if you’re still in treatment or you’re still hurting?

Stone Payton: [00:23:51] Sounds to me like rushing it is probably. There must be several mistakes and pitfalls, but like the biggest mistake you could possibly make and in trying to in filing a claim is just getting in a hurry.

Howard Abrams: [00:24:06] Correct. I always tell clients like the consult, and if you and the other benefit of what I’ve learned from the prelate phase, what I call outside accord is, you know, luckily I do get a lot of clients relatively soon to the accident, which isn’t an easy thing to do, is they get this free advice. And I said, listen, you can sign with me six months from now, right? But you’re still going to pay me the same attorney’s fee. I don’t reduce my attorney’s fees because I work for me less. It’s contingency by signing with me on, you know, day one or day seven, whatever day it is after the accident. Now you get to call. I mean, I don’t want you to call me every day, but you get to ask me whatever questions you want because you hired me as your attorney, and that’s my job. And I walk them through this, you know, step by step. And there’s a lot of, you know, a lot of attorneys just want to go to court. Um, and that’s okay. But there’s a lot to work to do before you go to court. And that’s where I’ve sort of specialized the last few years, is walking these clients through these steps in anticipation that if I can settle it with the insurance company. You don’t have these red flags or pitfalls in your case in the courtroom that, you know, the defense attorney is going to try and wave the wave, the flag about that, why you’re not as injured as bad as you say you are.

Stone Payton: [00:25:25] I’ll tell you something that’s coming to light for me during the course of this conversation, I guess I in my mind, I was thinking that your relationship with the attorney would be more transactional. But it seems to me like you’ve got to establish so much trust and that, I mean, your work is really pretty heavily grounded in relationship, everything from the sales and marketing aspect of it, but actually trying to work with and get the best set of results for a client. I mean, it’s really pretty heavily grounded in relationship, isn’t it?

Howard Abrams: [00:25:57] I think, you know, I think you nailed it right on the head. And that’s the service that I’m trying to offer my clients is there are a lot of good litigators out there. I would not pretend then to, you know, say that who’s the best? And there’s a lot of, you know, media or marketing or advertising that says that, you know, this attorney is the best here, this one. There’s a lot of us, you know, who can litigate. And yes, some, I guess, you know, it’s subjective, some objective. Who’s the best one. And, you know, I’m not even gonna, you know, pretend to say that that’s who that is or why that is. What I think is important is again. It’s not. We’re not talking a you know, there are complex personal injury cases. Okay. There’s product liability and things like that where, you know, people have developed specialties and that’s why it’s good to, you know, be in the industry for a while. You can refer cases to other attorneys if you think it’s something outside your wheelhouse. But for your standard personal injury case or for an auto case, um, I think the personal level of service is something that is missing, you know, and it’s not required. It’s not something that is, you know, you’re required to do to handle the case. But it’s personal injury. It’s personal. I’m like, I’m not trying to make a joke, but it is personal. So I mean, you got hurt like you lost time from work or all those different, you know, areas of damages.

Howard Abrams: [00:27:21] But, you know, those are the main ones. It’s very personal to the client. And yes, it’s a transactional, you know, relationship. But, you know, someone told me a long time ago, you almost like, you know, a therapist for the client to, you know, I would recommend they see, you know, factual help if they really need it. But they’re going through a lot. Their car needs to get fixed and they need it for work. They, you know, their job won’t give them time off to seek medical treatment. All these things that they have to deal with because someone else caused an accident or caused them an injury that they’re not, you know, necessarily going to get compensated for. Because at the end of the day, an insurance claim is a loss for the insurance, right? They’re in the business of writing underwriting policies and collecting premiums and investing that money for their business. The claims department is where they lose money. So their goal at the end of the day is not to just pay you off. Their goal is to pay you as little as they can or not at all, because it’s better for their business. Bottom line. So, you know, taking those two things into account if you don’t establish some sort of personal relationship, I don’t know how you can best represent a client in this business.

Stone Payton: [00:28:33] Well said. So what’s next for you? You’re going to try to grow the firm and expand what’s on the horizon for you.

Howard Abrams: [00:28:43] Um, expansion is definitely a consideration. I think I’d like to continue to focus on the early stages. I know how to litigate, and I can teach other attorneys how to do that. So I’m happy to sort of push some of that work onto, you know, other attorneys or, uh, as I grow my law firm and continue to focus on, like, the early stages, I can always go. I mean, I’m never going to stop going to court. Uh, it’s time consuming. And, you know, I find lately that I’m better service of my clients in the beginning. And as long as my law firm can offer every stage, whether it’s me, you know, the whole time or other people taking over, if we go to court, I’m comfortable with that. And, you know, I think I could do the best for my clients by being involved, um, early on and staying involved early on and not being like, oh, can I call you later? Because you can get stuck in court all day. And the client. Yes. You know, their question may might not have been urgent, but it was important to them.

Howard Abrams: [00:29:49] And it’s hard for me to be able to, you know, have a full conversation with them because the judge is, you know, yelling at me to get in the courtroom. So, yeah, I mean, that is the plan is to continue, you know, to expand so that I, you know, because when you’re in pre-suit there, besides the statute of limitations to file the claim, there’s no deadlines. You know, the insurance company might make you think there are or that you have to get them something or they’re not going to. That’s just, um, you know, trying to make you do things that you don’t want to do is I can take the time, whether it’s a five second conversation or a five hour conversation, I hope not with my clients, I can I can give that level of service because the other attorneys in my firm are handling the court calls and the court cases, and if I need to go to court, I will, but it won’t be. You know, I used to spend every day of my life in court, and it can be exhausting.

Stone Payton: [00:30:47] I’ll bet. All right, man, what’s the best way to contact you? Have a conversation with you or someone on the team. Whatever you feel like is appropriate website, email, LinkedIn, whatever.

Howard Abrams: [00:30:58] Yes, it’s all pretty easy. It’s Howard Abrams Law.com is the website, uh, phone number (312) 985-7368. And if you want to reach me by email Howard at Howard Abrams Law com.

Stone Payton: [00:31:13] Well, Howard, it has been a real delight having you on the program. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for your insight, your perspective. We sure appreciate it, man. You’re doing important work.

Howard Abrams: [00:31:26] I appreciate your time today. This was a lot of fun.

Stone Payton: [00:31:28] My pleasure. All right, until next time. This is Stone Payton for our guest today, Howard Abrams with Howard Abrams Law, and everyone here at the Business RadioX family saying, we’ll see you again on Chicago Business Radio.

 

Tagged With: Howard Abrams Law

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