Intro: [00:00:07] Broadcasting live From the Business RadioX studios In Woodstock, Georgia. Welcome to Women in Business Where we celebrate Influential women. Making a difference in our community. Now here’s your host.

Lori Kennedy: [00:00:29] Hello. This is Lori Kennedy and I’m your host today for Women in Business Powered by business Radio X Lee is our producer and he’s also in the studio with us today. And we’re grateful to have you tuned in today. Today, we are celebrating three influential women. We have Katrina Singletary, who is running for county commissioner for district four of Cherokee County. We have Kirsten Ford from Fathom Realty and we have Heidi Milton from Operation Organization by Heidi. So welcome our guests. And we’re going to start with Katrina. Katrina, why don’t you tell us about yourself and how long you’ve been in politics?

Katrina Singletary: [00:01:08] That’s a great question, because I don’t really want to be a politician, but yet here I am. I am from Woodstock, Georgia. We live in downtown Woodstock. We have three children, 16, 14 and nine high school, middle school, elementary school. So very spread out. I have been working in government for the last eight years at a staff level and the last job I held was managing the mayor’s office for the city of Roswell. So I have a bachelor’s degree in counseling and a master’s degree in public policy. So from a staffing perspective, I’ve been working in municipal government for the last eight years, but raising my hand now to run for county commission.

Lori Kennedy: [00:01:49] That is so impressive and I can’t imagine trying to fit that in with three children still wanting you around. So I’m sure that that is a topic of a discussion in your home is how to balance all that. Yeah.

Katrina Singletary: [00:02:03] Absolutely. Yes. And some days they are very excited to come with me on the campaign trail and bang doors and other days they are not. And I have to wheel and deal and bargain for their attention in time. But it’s a really wonderful opportunity to display what courage looks like, what endurance looks like, and what why hard work is just not a bad thing.

Lori Kennedy: [00:02:27] That’s awesome. I believe all generations need to know that. So that’s an amazing thing to teach for sure. Heidi, what about you? Tell us about your business, what the business name is, what you do, and how long you’ve been in business?

Heidi Milton: [00:02:39] Yes, my name. I’m Heidi Melton and my business is Operation Organization by Heidi. I work with folks in their residential homes doing professional organizing services. So what that means, as I’m helping them to declutter, to find their right size of belongings and how to manage it in an effective way if they’re living in an overwhelmed status, I’m hoping to help them find peace and productivity. If they’re living in a situation where they’re downsizing or just making a change in their life, I’m helping them make decisions for prioritizing that process as well, and sometimes just giving them that extra friend extra support to make changes in their life to hopefully make it better.

Lori Kennedy: [00:03:20] And how long have you been doing that?

Heidi Milton: [00:03:22] I started my business in 2009.

Lori Kennedy: [00:03:24] Okay. And what made you move in that direction? Like, how did you know that was what you were supposed to do?

Heidi Milton: [00:03:30] So I spent a lot of time investigating what I wanted, what I viewed to be my personal gifts and talents. And I read several books. One of them was Why You Can’t Be Anything You Want to be, but you’ll love being who God designs you to be, and that helps you identify what your motivated abilities patterns are. And came to see that I was very driven by task oriented ness, but also very relational and driven by a problem solving. So when I came across the industry, you know, I think in the Home and Garden Network, it became very clear like that is for me, I can do that.

Lori Kennedy: [00:04:04] That’s awesome. Well, Kirsten, what about you? Tell us about your business, what you do and how long you’ve been doing it.

Kirsten Ford: [00:04:11] Well, I am a realtor and I am with Fathom Realty, which is a nationwide it’s publicly traded company. It’s a wonderful place to work. It’s Internet based. We have the utmost, you know, impressive technology. You just have to kind of keep up with it all the time, which I enjoy learning new things, but I’ve been in real estate for going on my 18th year now. Absolutely love what I do. I think I was born to do this. I was a young child on the school bus looking at houses and architecture, and it’s just been a wonderful career. I can’t see me doing anything else.

Lori Kennedy: [00:04:48] Yeah, that’s awesome. Well, you’re kind of famous in the area because, you know, you’re on this big billboard right down at the corner of, what is it, Highway five and East Cherokee. Yes. Yeah. I’m like.

Kirsten Ford: [00:05:00] Oh.

Lori Kennedy: [00:05:01] There she is. That’s awesome. And so, yeah, you just always loved the housing market and and real estate and architecture and that sort of thing.

Kirsten Ford: [00:05:10] Always. Even when I travel, I try to do as much architecture tours as possible, whether I’m in, you know, like a Charleston or Savannah or even in Europe. I mean, I’m just I love architecture. I’d be an architect right now if I wasn’t a realtor.

Lori Kennedy: [00:05:25] Yeah, for sure. Well, tell us. What motivates or inspires you?

Kirsten Ford: [00:05:29] Well, I’m motivated by the people that I work with. I to me, it’s not work. It’s about building the relationships with everybody and again, being the problem solver. There’s lots of things that come up in real estate. Every transaction is different. You just have to learn how to make it a stress free as possible for your clients. And I don’t look at my clients. I look at them as friends. Everybody I work with, they’re going to get a new friend. That’s all there is to it. So I really enjoy working with people.

Lori Kennedy: [00:06:00] That’s great. Heidi, why don’t you tell us what motivates or inspires you?

Heidi Milton: [00:06:04] I get motivated by seeing people achieve their goals. And so that’s really exciting. You know, working with folks that know they want to change in their life but maybe are feeling a little stuck or intimidated or overwhelmed with how to do it. And so, you know, if I can, you know, observe them growing and lend a hand to help them get there, then that’s really exciting to me.

Lori Kennedy: [00:06:24] That’s awesome. Katrina, same question for you. Tell us what motivates or inspires you.

Katrina Singletary: [00:06:28] I am very inspired by powerful women. My biggest role model is Dolly Parton. I just love her. She’s fabulous. She’s the number one employer in Tennessee and one of the biggest philanthropists. And she is all female and all business at the same time. I also get really inspired by Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina. Just women who can be themselves in their own skin but are making really positive changes for our country are just inspiring.

Lori Kennedy: [00:06:57] That’s awesome. Well, tell us. I feel like this question is like obvious, but then not so. I would like you to kind of be specific in how your the role that you’re running for affects people in this way. The question is, how do you use your influence in the community? So how I guess, how will this role influence individual people as you take it?

Katrina Singletary: [00:07:25] It’s it is that is a great question, because it’s not actually obvious how county commissioners influence our community. I think that as voters and as participants in our own community, we are always our attention is always getting people who are vying for our attention at the federal level and the state level. So we kind of are spent by the time it’s time to try to figure out who builds the roads and who builds the sidewalks and why does one corridor look like it’s designed really appropriately and beautifully in other quarters feel very sterile? And I don’t really want to live there or work there. So that’s how I’m going to leverage this influence over the community, is I’m going to be very focused on making certain that I’m being participated with the people I represent to create a picture of Cherokee County for 20 years down the road that we can all agree on. I want Cherokee to feel and to feel like home, to look like our home and to function like we want it to function in 20 years, which is going to take a lot of planning right now.

Lori Kennedy: [00:08:30] That’s awesome. Kirsten, tell us how you use your influence in the community.

Kirsten Ford: [00:08:35] Well, I’m constantly talking about real estate all the time. One thing that I do do on my off time is I am an advocate for animals, animal rescue, animals in need, that kind of thing. So I’m very involved with the animal control community and the Humane Society. I take donations constantly. Anything that might be needed at any given time, I’m just a voice for the animals.

Lori Kennedy: [00:09:04] Awesome. Heidi, what about you? How do you use your influence in the community?

Heidi Milton: [00:09:08] Well, I mean, honestly, it happens right there in my right there in my sessions because there’s really a compound effect when people are meeting a goal, even if it’s as simple in your home, it can, you know, manifest into other areas. Like some of my clients have gone on to lose a lot of weight after they’ve gotten their home in order. I have had some clients that have doubled their business because it’s a real big confidence booster. If they get, you know, accustomed to making decisions even on a very basic level, then that can grow into other areas that they, you know, just needed to build that up, that little muscle in their mind a little bit.

Lori Kennedy: [00:09:41] Feel like you need to add coach to your to your title as well. I feel like there’s some of that happening for sure.

Heidi Milton: [00:09:48] Yes, I actually do. On my on my site, I, I recognize both professional organizing and the residential realm as often also as family management coaching. So people are trying to figure out, you know, the best way to manage their home, particularly if they’re bringing new family members in that they weren’t there before, like babies or, you know, aging adults. Then things in the home need to shift.

Lori Kennedy: [00:10:10] All that makes so much sense. My 29 year old keeps moving home and every time he does, he brings more junk. And I got to figure out where to put it.

Kirsten Ford: [00:10:18] Well, I could sell my house, so.

Lori Kennedy: [00:10:20] There you go. Well, he’s a real estate agent as well, so. But he it’s not a good time to buy, so. Him anyway. Are you Kristen Kirsten or are you being mentored and are you mentoring others and what does that look like?

Kirsten Ford: [00:10:35] I am not being mentored. I have mentored new agents in the past and they have gone on to have very successful real estate careers. One of my favorite stories is a friend of mine who was my client, and now she is a top notch real estate agent. She’s been on it five years, but some people have it and some people don’t. This is not for everybody. You have to be able to a lot of disappointment, a lot of hand-holding, a lot of education. So it’s it’s been a great reward for me to be able to see other agents succeed.

Lori Kennedy: [00:11:10] Yeah. What kind of traits do you think, since you say that about, you know, it being successful for certain people, what kind of traits do you think are necessary for people to have if they want to be successful in real estate?

Kirsten Ford: [00:11:24] Well, number one, you have to be patient. You have you have to be a problem solver. You have to think all the time about the solution. And it’s always a constant coming up with a solution. Every transaction is different. People’s finances are different, the market is different. You just have to be on top of what’s going on with the market at all times. So and it’s constant evolving. It’s changing. It’s up and down every day. You just need to be able to explain it to people where they understand it and they feel comfortable with you and it not being a stressful situation. Moving can be a nightmare just in itself, you know what I’m saying? But going through the entire process of a contract too close can be stressful for people, so I try to keep it as stress free as possible. I’ll have organizer home stagers come in. Just make sure that it’s, you know, everybody is feels good about it. And, you know, we want success for everybody.

Lori Kennedy: [00:12:22] Yeah. Awesome. Heidi, tell us about mentoring for you. Are you mentoring anyone? Is anyone mentoring you like? What does that look like in your industry? Well, I.

Heidi Milton: [00:12:31] Have seen during transitionary times in my life, I’ve definitely sought out the advice or encouragement of a mentor. Like when I launched my business, I worked closely with someone who had been in the industry long before I had. And so it’s good to just bounce ideas off of her. And, you know, she gave me ideas I probably wouldn’t have thought of for myself and, you know, cheered me on when I was a little nervous about, you know, thinking about it in a different way. And then I went through a life transition and I reached out to, you know, other people in the community to kind of feel like, well, how is this going to shift, you know, my life right now. And so that was very profitable. And as far as who I’m mentoring right now, as they will allow the teenagers in my life.

Lori Kennedy: [00:13:14] As they will allow. That’s right. Keywords, for sure. Mm hmm. All right, Katrina, tell us for you, who are you mentoring and how does that look and who’s mentoring you?

Katrina Singletary: [00:13:26] I do have a couple of mentors. Well, advisors. My favorite one right now is Mr. George McClure, and he is one of the original developers of the Town Lake Community area. So he developed the town lake area and he’s just been in politics for a very long time, very blunt. And I love him. I love those voices that will just cut to the chase and say and tell you what no one else is telling you. It’s so valuable. But through this season of me running for office and us coming out of the pandemic and everything, I have had several female candidates reach out and ask for me to spend time with them and I left with my cup overflowing to be able to share my experiences, share what it’s like on a staff side and then on a non staff side. And I hope that after this chapter is over I can do more of that.

Lori Kennedy: [00:14:16] That’s awesome. Heidi, I’m going to go back to you and ask you to tell us who is in your household.

Heidi Milton: [00:14:22] So I have a blended household. We have four teenage boys under our supervision. But the the 19 year old is kind of partially launched. He’s working full time. So we’re very proud of him for that. But he still comes around a lot to get fed and visit the family dog. And then we have two in high school that are going to be a junior and senior next year. And then I have a rising freshman and he’s very excited to be on the ninth grade football team.

Lori Kennedy: [00:14:53] How do you.

Katrina Singletary: [00:14:54] Afford to feed them all?

Lori Kennedy: [00:14:57] Ways, right?

Heidi Milton: [00:14:57] Yes, we are. We are regulars at Costco. So thankfully, I have a husband who likes to go, you know, through the aisles and he’s a bargain hunter. And so together we make it work somehow. And meal planning makes a big difference.

Lori Kennedy: [00:15:10] Yeah. Kirsten, tell us about who’s in your household.

Kirsten Ford: [00:15:16] It’s just me and my husband, Mike. And we’ve been married 34 years. We have.

Lori Kennedy: [00:15:21] Two children.

Kirsten Ford: [00:15:22] Thank you. We have four dogs and a cat at home. They’re all rescued. Is I still will bring in a foster every now and again, even with our crazy schedule and, you know, the chaos of having so many animals all the time. Yeah, my children are grown and they live out of town. My son is a working musician in Nashville and my daughter is here based in Atlanta.

Lori Kennedy: [00:15:44] Okay, great. You guys have another family business, don’t you?

Kirsten Ford: [00:15:49] We do. We? My husband is in the restaurant business. He started off with some Japanese pizzas. He still has one, but he founded Keegan’s Irish Pub I it’s called Keegan’s Public House. So we currently own the one in Woodstock and then we own the Johnny’s out in Marietta.

Lori Kennedy: [00:16:08] Okay. Awesome. Awesome. Heidi, I’m going to skip to you for a second. Tell me about a mistake you’ve made in your business and what you learned from it.

Heidi Milton: [00:16:18] A mistake I’ve made in my business. I mean, there’s been a few along the way, but I think not setting strong expectations. You know, sometimes I felt myself, you know, fumbling to because every client has a different end result that they’re looking for. And, you know, so I like to go into a situation kind of knowing what their what their end result is, because some want, you know, just I want to feel like I live in a magazine. I want to feel like I’m Pinterest perfect. And, you know, some people have a very tight budget and so, you know, really asking the questions ahead of time. So I’m not in a situation where they’re like feeling like they’re not getting what they were hoping for, you know. So I’ve had, you know, just one one time I was working with a client and she had a particular vision of how it was going to go. And her husband had a completely different vision. And so, you know, if if there is a family, you know, cohesiveness going on, I try to involve everyone on the front end. So there’s not this kind of awkward well, what’s happening here? So communication, overcommunicate, if necessary, to meet what they’re looking for.

Lori Kennedy: [00:17:21] Yeah, that’s definitely good advice. Katrina, why don’t you tell us about a mistake that you have learned from in your life?

Katrina Singletary: [00:17:28] So in my twenties, I founded and started a nonprofit for teenage girls. And they all the girls went to a high school that has 60% dropout rate. And we were just trying to get them to graduate and then study the variables in which helps them graduate. So it was more of a research effort than anything else. And through that process, I just I was very sure of myself. I knew my my role and I assumed everyone else on the team were just as sure of themselves and knew their role. But I was the leader and I did not. I failed to recognize that I did not pour into them and I did not appreciate them. And I did not take the time to let them know what a great job they were doing, because we were all, you know, pounding the pavement and raising money and getting these girls across the line. I was just so focused on the goal crossing the finish line. I really was not the best leader to the other people on the team and that was very detrimental to the team. And it still haunts me today that I did not have that emotional IQ to look around the room and know that everyone wasn’t didn’t have their eyes on the goal the way I did. And that was more relational than anything. And a leadership failure for me.

Lori Kennedy: [00:18:37] Wow, I’m going through something like that right now. And so later I want to get together and and kind of like just learn from you as to how you navigated that. Because I’ve had some struggles in the same area where I’m I just want to make others feel seen. And I don’t always do that well. And I want to learn how other people have done that so that I can get better at it for sure.

Katrina Singletary: [00:19:05] I ate a lot of humble pie during that time of my life.

Lori Kennedy: [00:19:09] I hear you. So, Kirsten, tell us about a mistake that you’ve made in business and how you have what you did to correct it or learn from it.

Kirsten Ford: [00:19:19] Well, I think with any business, you have to set your boundaries for sure. Just going all in in the beginning, it’s not a very good time management solution. So what I do is I have to limit myself onto what I can say yes and what I can say. Now, if you say no, it’s okay. It’s okay to say no. People take a yes as graciously as they do it now. You know, so my thing is, is just being able to tell people what it is I do and what I can do and what I cannot do. I can’t make miracles happen. I can’t change your finances, I can’t change your credit. So I do my absolute best with what you give me and go from there. But I realized early on in my career that you have to set boundaries, you have to take care of yourself. If you don’t do that, you don’t. You’re not able to take care of other people.

Lori Kennedy: [00:20:12] Yeah, for sure. For sure. Do you have a message that’s for women specifically, Kirsten?

Kirsten Ford: [00:20:18] I would just say believe in yourself and go for your dreams. I mean, if you you know, if you have a passion for something, you’re going to be very well. To do very well. Don’t ever give up on anything. I think in this industry it’s an open territory for men and women. I see a lot of successful women in real estate. A lot? Sure. Yeah.

Lori Kennedy: [00:20:41] Heidi, do you have a message that’s for women specifically?

Heidi Milton: [00:20:44] Yeah, I would say do your best to always protect your mindset. You know, there’s going to be negative things coming at you sometimes and just circumstantial or people, you know, that are challenging and always carve out time for yourself to, you know, recenter, you know, what is most important to you?

Lori Kennedy: [00:21:04] What about you? Katrina, what’s your message for women?

Katrina Singletary: [00:21:07] I would love to encourage women to be confident with the season they’re in. Like be the best mom you can be when your kids are little and then be the best mom you can be when they’re teenagers. And then when it’s time to step back into your career, do that well, but feel confident that our season, our life is a multitude of seasons and they don’t have to all look the same. And it’s okay if you step out, it’s okay if you step in. Because the work of being a mom and a female and a wife and a homemaker is just as equally important as running for office and anything else.

Lori Kennedy: [00:21:41] Well, tell us, what are some misconceptions about running for office?

Katrina Singletary: [00:21:46] That’s such a good question. I think the misconception I personally had was that I was going to raise my hand and I was going to say out loud, Hey, can you guys tell me what it is? I don’t know. Or maybe another misconception was I was going to ask these same people, if we know I’m the better candidate, will you get behind me? And that was a complete misconception. So in politics, you are only a good investment once you win. So I have to go and knock. As of today, I have knocked on 3652 doors and I don’t have a ton of people behind me outwardly supporting me. I have a lot of people supporting me from their doorsteps, but I think that was a misconception that I was going to be able to lay out my resume and lay out all of this experience. And and people understand you’re a great candidate for this job. Thank you for stepping up to the plate. But that’s just not how it works. They’ll support you after you win.

Lori Kennedy: [00:22:39] So how how can people support you right now.

Katrina Singletary: [00:22:44] By calling their neighbors and calling their parents who live in District four? Who in District four is from downtown Woodstock all the way to 75? That encompasses Town, Lake and the Kellog Creek area. So if you know one person that is in that area, you could pick up the phone, you could shoot them an email, you could shoot them a text, remind them to vote and say, Hey, I ran into Katrina. Hey, I was hearing her speak. She would be a great candidate. People listen to other people.

Lori Kennedy: [00:23:13] Why would you be a great candidate?

Katrina Singletary: [00:23:17] That’s another great question. Thank you for asking. I think I’m going to be I am going to be a good candidate because I’ve already done this job. I managed the mayor’s office for the city of Roswell. And I was so passionate about picking up the phone and walking someone through a frustration and then finding a solution on the other side. That is exciting excitement to me. It is very the the the intersection where local government touches your life is the coolest thing for me. And I can think of no better way to spend the next four years than to work on that intersection in my own community.

Lori Kennedy: [00:23:55] Well, I will say personally that we’ve had a scenario where government is coming in and affecting one of our businesses in reference to taking some land. And you have helped tremendously me walk through that, which is going to be a long you’re going to be walking for a long time. You won’t be tired. But but I have been tremendously grateful for your insight and your wisdom and your assistance. And I’m going to cry if I look at you. So we are going to ask you, Heidi, what are some misconceptions about your industry?

Heidi Milton: [00:24:29] Misconceptions about my industry. There are few because, you know, in mainstream media right now, there is lots of different perceptions about what it means to be organized. And, you know, with the different shows that are available, you know, streaming and the magazines, it’s all about, oh, that’s so pretty. That looks so nice, you know? But it’s it’s so much more than that, you know, having an orderly space because you could you could shove a bunch of things in the cupboard and it would look nice on the outside. But on the inside, it’s still going to take you, you know, 30 minutes to cook dinner because you can’t find anything. And so it’s about, you know, creating a lifestyle more than just what’s more than just a pretty space. You know, like the phrase I’m more than just a pretty face. You know, your house is more than just a pretty space. It’s creating an environment that where you can thrive, where you can, you know, allow creativity to flow. And just, you know, just as we were talking about the different seasons of life, I mean, you have to create space for that to occur. You can get stuck. You can just hold on to things that really are not important, and then you’re causing yourself to not be able to move forward. So it’s more than just a pretty bin. It’s more than just, you know, matching canisters. You know, it’s really creating a lifestyle.

Lori Kennedy: [00:25:48] I love the concept because I think we do that in our own lives. We like, you know, shove things in the closets of our lives and slam the door and then we still have all that clutter in there. So I feel like that’s a great analogy to our hearts, you know, and to our lives and how we we live that out. Kirsten, what about you? What are some misconceptions about your industry?

Kirsten Ford: [00:26:11] Well, my industry, one of the misconceptions is that I can’t afford to buy a home. You know, it’s surprising to a lot of people and they realize that you’re paying somebody else’s mortgage and are in a rental situation and you’re not getting any equity. That’s so that’s one of the things that I would have to say about my industry. It’s very affordable to buy a house. It’s not an easy process, but I make it as easy as is possible as I can. And again, there’s certain things that the buyer and the seller would need to do in order with me to help, you know, buy the house or sell the house. So there’s.

Lori Kennedy: [00:26:55] Yeah. How has COVID impacted that?

Kirsten Ford: [00:26:57] Well, COVID. It was interesting because we sold a lot of houses. The market was really up during COVID. However, we weren’t doing a lot of open houses COVID. What we would do is we would have appointments and no back to back or overflow or people going overlapping on each other. So it was a it was very interesting. We had to prepare our clients for, you know, gloves, masks. We had to take care of everything. So it was a little scary in the beginning because we weren’t going to we weren’t sure where the market was going to go with all this. But it was surprising. It was very busy. We did a lot of sales. The market was up. So.

Lori Kennedy: [00:27:40] Wow. Okay. What about you, Heidi? What how did COVID impact what you were doing? I mean, you’re going into people’s homes and touching their things. So how did that affect you?

Heidi Milton: [00:27:51] Well, of course, early on there was no organizing happening. But then when, you know, everyone had a different threshold of being comfortable, you know, with being around people. And so I always made it my goal to just kind of meet people where they were at. You know, I always made a point to ask, you know, how protective are you in your home? You know, because I myself, you know, was very aware of how to be out in the world, you know, as far as wearing protective gear. But, you know, not everyone, you know, different people had different levels. And so, again, it goes back to that communication. So I just asked them questions and it was interesting, you know, of course. And when I wasn’t going into anyone’s home, there was no business happening. But then after people started feeling more comfortable, it was like I had a lot of interest because they had been at home staring at their walls and you know, for a long time. The excuse was if I only had more time, I would get organized. And then they’re like, If I haven’t done it now, I definitely need the help.

Lori Kennedy: [00:28:50] I think I said that about losing weight. But well, Katrina, how did Kovac how did COVID impact your race?

Katrina Singletary: [00:29:01] Well, I have only been in this race since January, but I was running a different race for office. I was running for office during COVID last time. I was running for state representative, and it impacted it completely. It shut us down. We could no longer knock on doors. I think we did a great job overcoming those obstacles. It was a five way primary open seat and we made it to the runoff. But lack of experience, lack of knowledge. And I think COVID got us in the end.

Lori Kennedy: [00:29:27] What is the difference between county commissioner and state representative?

Katrina Singletary: [00:29:32] State representative is going to affect policy on a statewide level, and that’s going to represent us at the state. And a county county seat is going to affect us very personally on a local level. We’re going to be building the roads, designing the corridors, partnering with economic forces to bring in the jobs. And at a state level, you’re kind of at the Capitol and in Atlanta representing our interests on a state level.

Lori Kennedy: [00:29:57] Quite a drive these days. Yeah, not used to that any longer. So why are you running for county commission?

Katrina Singletary: [00:30:05] I think I touched on it a little earlier. I just love public service. It’s really who I am and I really want to make a positive impact in my community over the next four years. I love where I live. Woodstock made our American dream come true, and I want my kids to feel that same excitement when they live here in 20 years. And that’s only going to happen if we put some very specific plans in place right now, which we lack at a county level.

Lori Kennedy: [00:30:34] Yeah, we’re growing pretty fast, aren’t we? Yes.

Kirsten Ford: [00:30:36] Yes, we are.

Lori Kennedy: [00:30:38] And one of the questions that I had for you, which I think you’ve touched on, but you may have some more to say about this, how do you find people to vote for you? I know you’ve you’ve knocked on, you know, the number 3005, 650.

Katrina Singletary: [00:30:51] Okay.

Lori Kennedy: [00:30:52] I had all the numbers I had. I’m out of order. I must be dyslexic. Anyway, are there other ways that you find people to vote for you besides knocking on doors or us telling our friends?

Katrina Singletary: [00:31:03] Absolutely. We put out a lot of yard signs, so we have a lot of signs. Expect more going up everywhere. We have fliers, direct mail going out. We have some lovely ladies making hundreds of phone calls every day. And I am just talking to as many people as I can get in front of for the next until May 24th. 12 more.

Lori Kennedy: [00:31:23] Days. Yeah. I was going to ask tell us what some of the deadlines are that that you have for different things like May 24th is what.

Katrina Singletary: [00:31:31] Is the is the primary. So you can go vote right now at any of the early voting locations and you’ll pull your primary. And my name will be on the Republican primary. So our county commissions are partizan races and I can see why that is. But I also might be supportive if it was a nonpartisan race as well. I could see the benefit to both. But for right now. Republican primary ticket. You can vote right now and you need to vote before May 24th or on May 24th.

Lori Kennedy: [00:32:03] And then right now, you are you are against another Republican, the incumbent.

Katrina Singletary: [00:32:10] Yes, I am challenging the incumbent.

Lori Kennedy: [00:32:12] And then once that happens, assuming you win, then what’s next?

Katrina Singletary: [00:32:17] Well, there is no democratic opposition. So whoever wins this primary will be the next county commissioner for district.

Lori Kennedy: [00:32:25] So May 24th is a big day for you.

Katrina Singletary: [00:32:28] It is. It is. And it’s exciting. We’re feeling good.

Lori Kennedy: [00:32:32] Well, how will you define success during your first term?

Katrina Singletary: [00:32:36] I personally am going to define success by implementing the plan that I would like to implement this countywide strategic comprehensive plan. It’s really going to be the the playbook in which we should be making our decisions. And that’s going to really bring a lot of transparency to how we’re making our decisions. And. To the people. And I would like to have a 100% response rate at the end of four years.

Lori Kennedy: [00:33:04] What does that mean?

Katrina Singletary: [00:33:05] That means if you reach out to me via email, text message, phone call, if you walk into my office, you will get a response from Katrina Singletary.

Lori Kennedy: [00:33:16] What are some details of that plan that you have.

Katrina Singletary: [00:33:20] Of the comprehensive plan? Well, one is design guidelines. The best way the best example I have is to the level of planning I’m trying to describe is the town light corridor was a plan to build community. So in the late eighties, early nineties, the County Commission planned all the infrastructure improvements for Town Lake. They plan the design guidelines, they plan the density. They set back the neighborhoods very far off the Town Lake Road. Our realtor is shaking her head. She knows exactly what I’m talking about and it aged really well. And it and it held its value and it’s still a great place to live. So we have to get back to that level of planning and we need to do that level of planning really on a countywide basis so that we can make certain that we’re preserving Alaska the way it needs to be preserved. And we’re developing the south area of the county the way it needs to be appropriately developed.

Lori Kennedy: [00:34:12] Okay. Awesome. What advice would you give to someone trying to get into your industry?

Kirsten Ford: [00:34:22] Kirsten My advice would be to just absorb as much information, get with a good mentor, like you said, somebody with experience. This is a textbook. Industry. It’s all by experience to of course you have a lot of continuing education. But my one thing that I would say to people is just believe that you can do it, believe that you can make a difference, and believe that you can help people and learn everything you can about your industry. Learn from other people, network. Never stop talking about it.

Lori Kennedy: [00:35:05] And tell me what. How does what who you are as a person reflect on what you do?

Kirsten Ford: [00:35:12] Well, I think me as a person I like, I’m a caretaker again, animals and humans. So again, I just want to try to make sure that everybody, you know, is is happy with where they are. And I just try to make everything as stress free as possible. And you just leave the worrying to me. I’ll take care of everything. So I just feel like being a caretaker, you know, putting other people in front of me, I tend to do that a lot, so I just make sure that everybody is well taken care of.

Lori Kennedy: [00:35:43] Awesome. Heidi, tell us what advice you would give to someone trying to get into your industry.

Heidi Milton: [00:35:49] I would say explore what your strengths are because there’s lots of different types of organizing and there’s lots of different ways of executing it. And, you know, I think, you know, there’s it’s my opinion that there’s enough business for everyone. And, you know, even if you have someone else in your same line of work, you know, one of you may be better suited for that for that particular project or that particular client and vice versa. And so just being confident in what you bring to the table for your personal strengths and not feel like you’re always looking around and wondering if you’re if you’re good enough, if you can execute the same. So I would say, you know, figure out where your strengths lie and celebrate that and continue to grow and learn. You know, there’s always something to learn for sure.

Lori Kennedy: [00:36:36] And how does who you are as a person reflect on what you do?

Heidi Milton: [00:36:40] I’m definitely a very naturally empathetic person, you know, so clients who are working with me are going to get someone who’s, you know, asking and inquiring and trying to figure out what’s going to best suit their particular lifestyle and understand, you know, where they’re coming from, like why they’re in the position they’re in. And, you know, oftentimes there’s a big life transition that’s happened, sometimes positive, sometimes negative. And Zillow’s to just having that safe space to kind of bounce ideas off of and decide, you know, sometimes they’re a sentimental clutter that you didn’t ask for that comes to you and you feel guilty and question, you know, the right thing to make. And sometimes you just need that permission. Like, I don’t need to hold on to this. It’s okay, you know? And sometimes just telling the story behind it kind of frees you to.

Lori Kennedy: [00:37:22] Yeah, for sure. Katrina, what advice would you give to someone trying to get in to politics?

Katrina Singletary: [00:37:31] I would say, well, depending on what agency. So federal, state or local, we’re just going to assume you’re saying how do you get into local politics? Because that’s my favorite.

Lori Kennedy: [00:37:40] Let’s do.

Katrina Singletary: [00:37:40] Local. And I think it’s the most important. I would say start attending your city council meetings and start attending your county commission meetings and get behind someone that resonates with you and and help them. There are many ways to get involved without actually running for office. You can support someone in a campaign. You could apply to be on a border commission. You could show up at a city council meeting and just say why you think an idea is good or bad. It is wild how little few people in our community actually do that. And I think that is so important. And I know that our elected representatives on a local level listen.

Lori Kennedy: [00:38:16] Yeah, I feel like I’ve never done that because I would be scared to do it. But you make it sound so easy just to show up. I can do that. Yeah, just show up. Well, how does who you are as a person reflect on what you do?

Katrina Singletary: [00:38:28] I am incredibly optimistic. I am super goal oriented and I my skin is very thick. So I think all of those things kind of make for a good political candidate.

Lori Kennedy: [00:38:40] Well, tell us how we can. Well, first of all, is there anything that you want to say or wrap up with and then tell us how to get in touch with you?

Katrina Singletary: [00:38:52] I am very grateful to be here. This has been a lot of fun. Being around other women is, gosh, it gets me really stirred up. I’m ready to go knock 1000 more.

Lori Kennedy: [00:39:01] Doors before the end of the day.

Katrina Singletary: [00:39:04] Before the end of the day. But what I want people to hear in my voice and what I want them to leave when I interact with them, is that I am sincerely here for the right reasons. I am not trying to be anybody else than who I am. I’m trying to be incredibly comfortable in my skin, which sometimes is hard to do in a man dominated world, wearing pants and with pockets and and ties. And there, you know, you know what I’m saying? It’s hard. And I’m a mother and I’ve got goldfish in my pockets. And I have to remember to pick my kid up at 430 from band practice. So things are different for me, but I think that is what’s resonating in other people is that I’m not trying to be anybody else but who I am.

Lori Kennedy: [00:39:47] I love that. I love that. Heidi, is there anything that you would love to leave us with and then let us know how to get in touch with you?

Heidi Milton: [00:39:53] Yes. I mean, I would always say, you know, never put yourself in a position that you feel like you can’t ask for help. You know, we are in a society that you feel like you need to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and you can figure this out and you have access to the information. You should be able to do it. You ought to be able to do it. And so, you know, wherever you’re feeling stuck, you know, whether it be in your home or whether it be in your community or, you know, trying to figure out what’s next where you live like, yeah, ask for help. Someone is there to to be able to do that for you so you don’t have to do it on your own.

Lori Kennedy: [00:40:26] And tell us how to get in touch with your business and with you.

Heidi Milton: [00:40:31] So I have a website operation organization by Heidi. And so all of the ways you can reach out to me are available on there. I’m on Facebook and Instagram. I have my email operation organization by Heidi at gmail.com. So and I’m also on Google my business, so lots of outlets to reach me.

Lori Kennedy: [00:40:52] Awesome. Okay, Kirsten, tell us, do you have anything that you would love to say to leave us with and then let us know how to get in touch with you?

Kirsten Ford: [00:41:02] Well, first off, thank you for having me. This was wonderful. And again, I feel very inspired being around a bunch of successful women. But I just want to leave with with this right now, just hanging in there with the market. It’s always evolving. It’s going up and down. If you have any questions, you can always reach out to me. You can reach me again. All the social media outlets. Kirsten Ford Realtor, Fathom Realty K Forward Homes. Or you can always email me at Kay Ford Homes at gmail.com. So you text me, call me. I still answer my phone. It’s 4045780559.

Lori Kennedy: [00:41:41] Awesome. Katrina, tell us how to get in touch with you. I skipped right over that. I’m so sorry.

Katrina Singletary: [00:41:45] That’s okay. It is. My website is Katrina for Cherokee, Macomb. I’m on Facebook, I’m on Instagram. Or you can call or text 7707010831. And that phone number is also on all of those outlets.

Lori Kennedy: [00:42:01] Awesome. Well, my name is Lori Kennedy and I am with Alpha and Omega Automotive. My husband and I own that business and we sponsor this program. We are grateful each of you have been here today, but I am going to leave us with a car care tip. I’m going to talk about cabin air filters today. Your vehicle has several types of different filters, but cabin air filters are the ones that deal specifically with the air that you breathe in your car. So the filter needs to be changed just like your filter in your HVAC system. And during this time of the year, you got a lot of pollen coming in your your into your car and it will also protect from odors and that sort of thing. So typically you would do that every 15 to 30000 miles, maybe once a year. If you are like Kirsten and you’re driving onto new job sites where you’re on gravel roads or dirt roads, you may want to look at that a little more often than once a year, but that is my car care tip for today. It may be time to check your cabin air filter. So I would just like to say thank you for joining us today on Women in Business Powered by Business RadioX. And until next time, this is Lori Kennedy reminding you to keep learning and growing.