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OWN YOUR BRAND SHOW with Victoria Odekomaya
Welcome to the OWN YOUR BRAND SHOW where you'll learn how to own and grow your brand and market your business. Every week I interview entrepreneurs and/or share branding, marketing and business tips to grow your influence, build a profitable business and make an impact.
Victoria Odekomaya is an award winning photographer, brand & marketing strategist with over a decade of experience. She is passionate about helping women fulfill their dreams and purpose effortlessly.
Click to be featured, advertise on the show or connect with Victoria: https://mtr.bio/limstudios
OWN YOUR BRAND SHOW with Victoria Odekomaya
How Making $2M in a Year Changed Everything — And Not for the Better | Epi 50
Join us on a captivating journey with Xizza and Nicole, two best friends who have weathered the storm of financial success and setbacks together. Xizza, a self-made millionaire, bravely shares her story of soaring to wealth and facing the harsh reality of losing it all, only to rise again with Nicole by her side. Their candid conversation unveils powerful insights about the necessity of having a plan beyond just making money, and the incredible strength found in relationships and communication. Through their experiences, we explore the delicate dance of business growth, the challenges of maintaining balance, and the invaluable lessons of resilience and self-awareness.
Our discussion navigates the intricate balance between personal fulfillment and professional ambitions, with a particular focus on the impact of sudden business growth on relationships and family life. Nicole offers her unique perspective on how swift financial success can transform personal dynamics and strain bonds with loved ones. Together, we highlight the importance of open communication, the pitfalls of micromanagement, and the need for a well-thought-out life plan that prioritizes what truly matters. Xizza and Nicole remind us that wealth is more than financial gain—it's about the journey, genuine connections, and finding fulfillment beyond material achievements.
Reflecting on their past failures and triumphs, Xizza and Nicole emphasize the power of decision-making and personal growth. They share stories of friendship and support, even amid the pressures of achieving financial success. With topics ranging from building authentic friendships to embracing life’s journey with gratitude, this episode is a heartfelt reminder of the importance of maintaining a healthy mindset and respecting oneself and others. As we uncover the complexities of personal and business relationships, Xizza and Nicole's story inspires us to cherish the intangible aspects of life that money cannot buy, like family, friendships, and genuine connections.
Connect with Xizza: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamxizza/
//ABOUT
Victoria Odekomaya is a Nigerian American and former drug research scientist turned brand and marketing expert. Through her Creative Agency, LiMStudios, she specializes in brand photography, video creation, and strategic marketing. Victoria's mission is to empower female entrepreneurs to be SEEN, KNOWN, and HEARD, enhancing their visual presence and attracting their ideal customers to build a BANKABLE PERSONAL BRAND. Victoria's scientific background has honed her analytical thinking, attention to detail, and problem-solving skills, which she integrates into her branding strategies. Her 23-year journey to U.S. citizenship reflects the perseverance female entrepreneurs need to overcome challenges in branding and marketing. This fuels her dedication to empower women to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams.
In 2022, Victoria launched the BOSS LADIES CAMPAIGN, giving participants a celebrity photoshoot experience to enhance their confidence and brand visibility. The campaign promotes these women through features in BOSS LADIES magazine, appearances on Victoria's 'OWN YOUR BRAND SHOW', and recognition at the BOSS LADIES GALA. The gala not only celebrates women but also raises funds for local non-profits, so far raising $19,000+ for Dove Recovery House for Women and PINK RIBBON CONNECTION.
For sponsorship/business inquiries, visit https://mtr.bio/limstudios or email hello@thelimstudios.com.
My guest today is a millionaire. She's been a millionaire, she's made the money, she's made the bag, but then she's also lost it, and she's also now building the business back.
Speaker 2:Think about this Once you like, get in shape and everything. It's really hard throughout that journey, right? But once you are in shape, then what? What do you do, like, let's say, you want a million dollars and I hand you a bag of one million dollars, what are you going to do? You're going to spend it, right, Right? Well, do I have a plan? But you have a plan.
Speaker 1:But after that, what now?
Speaker 2:It stops at $1 million. It doesn't stop at $1 million. You're going to have another thing that you're going to set for yourself, right? So it's not about what you want.
Speaker 1:It's about how you're going to get there. That's really what life is all about. But I'm glad that you're having this conversation, because it's important for us to have this conversation and know that it's not just about making the money. What are you sacrificing in the process? What truly matters to you, and what kind of life?
Speaker 2:do you want to lead? I manifest pretty quickly, so I'm very careful with what I ask for, because sometimes I'm not cut out for it. I'm not cut out for it and people are like, oh, this is what I want, but are you cut out for it? I'm not cut out for it. And people are like, oh, this is what I want, but are you cut out for it, right? Are you ready for it? Right? It's gonna be a mess if you're not like my staffing agency earning that revenue like I was a mess. I was not ready for it, right, I didn't know what the heck what I was doing.
Speaker 2:You spend it right like you spend the money, right, that's what you do. So, yeah, there's a. It's not just about money, and like, if we were to talk about money, I could tell you step by step how to get that, and that's it Right, but nobody talks about the backside. What's going on in your head? Who are you Like?
Speaker 1:Hello and welcome to another episode of the Own your Brand Show Today. Guys, it's going to be fun because we often are always looking to go from zero to a million dollars pretty quickly. Every one of us is hustling trying to make the money. But do you really want to make the money and how soon? How quickly do you want to make the money? My guest today.
Speaker 1:First of all, this is the first time I'm having two guests, so it's really fun and exciting for me. But my guest today is a millionaire. She's been a millionaire, she's made the money, she's made the bag, but then she's also lost it, and she's also now building the business back to a million dollars, and she has a lot of things that she wants to share with us on how to do it the right way. Because, just because you want to make a million dollars or just because you have a million dollars, look, there's a whole lot that comes with this, and are you ready for it? So, without much ado, I'm going to bring on my guests Saiza and Nicole. They are the two best friends that I mean. We've been. You guys have been chatting and talking, and talking. I've been enjoying your friendship and thank you so much for coming today.
Speaker 2:Thank you for inviting us.
Speaker 1:You look amazing. Um, how long have you guys been friends? Because the time that I've been like behind the scenes trying to get ready and now you guys have been talking. I wish some of this was recorded. And are you guys being talking?
Speaker 2:I wish some of this was recorded We've been friends for 17, 18 years. Yeah, 17, 18 years.
Speaker 1:So you guys have been on this journey together. Nicole has seen you make the million dollars and even lost it too, and you guys are on the you know together.
Speaker 2:Together building.
Speaker 1:It again One massive yes.
Speaker 2:Four massive yes.
Speaker 3:Four businesses Okay.
Speaker 1:So I think the question on most people's mind at least definitely me is, first of all, how did you even make a million dollars? Because I know that I want to make a million dollars, right, right, and I know you have a lot of lessons to share with us and we'll get there too, because, yes, we want to make a million dollars. But I think maybe you would say don't be too like, take your time.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So just give us the backstory of how this happened and you also make the million in your first year in business.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it was two million.
Speaker 1:Oh, two million yes.
Speaker 2:And it was just with one client.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:It was one big corporation that had 39 facilities, and we had 19 of them. Wow, eventually there was only one and then I slid my emails in there with the other facility, and that one facility had great things to say about us. So then they hopped on Wow, and then after that other facilities.
Speaker 2:they hopped on um, and then after that other facilities also hopped on because they liked working with us, with our communication, and she was actually the point of contact for a lot of them. But starting the business, I didn't have a goal of one million dollars, wow, two million dollars or two million dollars, or really five, I didn't have a number the only thing that I really wanted to do was I wanted to start that so that I could work from home with my kids because that was my biggest thing.
Speaker 2:It's like I felt like I just kept hustling but I was losing time with my children and. I just wanted to be home with my kids.
Speaker 2:So, I drafted this business and it just kind of flowed. So I knew it was something that I should do, and there was no plan. I'm going to be a millionaire, I want to have so much money. I just wanted to be content with life and be able to spend time with my family, maybe retire my husband so that we can travel and spend, you know, quality time with the kids. So that I think the first thing is really to not put a number on it because you'd be surprised where your life will take you.
Speaker 2:So I mean she. I didn't even tell anybody about the business because I'd never done it before. I had an MBA in business but, like it's different when you've never done it before and you're trying to enter into this journey to build up business, that's you know you're gonna be sending out invoices to companies and stuff, but I had told her about it and you know she believed in me. She was like I think it will work out. I mean, she believes in everything that I do oh don't.
Speaker 1:We all need friends like that.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, and she has seen me really like elevate. And then she became part of the team and because money was coming in really fast, really really- fast, really fast. When I say fast, it was like the contract was signed two days before my 30th birthday.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 1:By November I retired my husband. Wait a minute. So you're saying that you became a millionaire, like I know, it wasn't first year, so you're even before like around 30.
Speaker 2:So I started the business September of 2021. We got the contract in October, before my birthday, october 14th. By November I retired him. By December we hired her and then by March we had another recruiter and then after that we hired two more people, but that's really. By December we found a company that would help fund us.
Speaker 2:And that was when the money started coming in. And then it was crazy. That's all I'm going to say. I didn't know what to do with the money. You know, we had talks about expanding it, but I didn't know how to expand it because I had no plan like I didn't know. It was going to be like, hey, you're going to be getting big right it was just more of like the limiting beliefs and like oh. I just want to be small and just do this on my own hire people get contracts and just do that.
Speaker 2:You know at home Right. I didn't think about like making this big and have employees and have really like large amounts for one month. Wow, I was doing the books by myself because I refused to hand it to other people.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:Because it had to be done in a specific way, a certain way. She can vouch for that. She eventually left me. She's like listen, I'm done, you're too much, you're doing too much for me. So, um, and then throughout that whole 2022, year 2022. So it was a loss from September through December, which is usually the case when you're starting the last quarter, but that whole year was the two million, where 2022 was two million in revenue, and then the profit margin was well over 26 percent wow, that is crazy, like I've never seen a million dollars.
Speaker 2:The profit was like 500-some thousand and remember I hired three people, so the payroll for them you know that's taken out.
Speaker 2:So, really, if I didn't hire anybody and I really did that on my own it would have been way more than that, right. So, but yeah, I just had no idea how to do it. I tried to find business advisors. It just I was acting on like, oh my gosh, there's so much money. I don't know what to do Now. I'll just, I'll just do this and I'll just do that because they were quick fix, because there was just like so much.
Speaker 2:And then, to top it off, like I wanted to spend time with my kids, but even though I was with them doing things, I really couldn't enjoy it and she's seen me not enjoy it. So, you know, the moment I wake up, it's like the first thing I do is talk to her and be like, hey, this and that, this and that, look at the schedule, I was micromanaging everything. Wow, and I think that's the biggest mistake that a lot of small business owners do right now, that I see, like working with small business clients right now, there's a pattern of that micromanagement and I see so much of myself and they've been in the business for like six, eight years right, and I'm just like there's so much money here that if you really delegate the right way and you trust yourself to hire the best fit for this position and delegate that task, you would grow Even beyond $4 million.
Speaker 2:Even beyond $10 million, wow. But because I'm able to see that and I'm able to see my own mistakes and things that I didn't take into account, like I'm able to put myself in this seat now where, when she was like, hey, I really want to do the home care, and I was like, okay, well, let me just see. At first I didn't believe her because I was like look, listen, you can't pull me into something and then just back out, because once I'm heading and I'm really invested, like I'm invested.
Speaker 1:I mean yeah.
Speaker 2:So now I feel like I know so much from my mistakes, and now I know where I want to go, but how I want to get there. Not where to go, but like just how.
Speaker 1:I get there ago.
Speaker 2:But like just how I get there in our minds, like what we see on social media and what everybody else says is like you know just go, go, go go get that money, secure that bag.
Speaker 2:I mean, don't get me wrong, I will right, but I might enjoy every step of the process. Yeah, and yesterday I was just like I don't even want to do this anymore because I talked to the consultant and she was like you know, there's this, there's that, and I was asking all kinds of questions. I'm like I really know all these things.
Speaker 2:And she was like well, once you get enrolled and I think she picked up on that and she was like well, then you're going to have to get enrolled with Medicare and Medicaid and to get certified. And you know, if you're accredited, then we do this and that she was making it seem like I didn't know and I was like listen what you know is something that I can go find on my own and read up on by myself.
Speaker 2:And my husband had to tell me like you need to take a few hours tomorrow to just stop thinking about this. I get on the phone with her the moment I wake up. She's like you need to step away. And so it was like a sign that I needed to step away, because that's that's another thing too, like when I get fixated on one thing, like I want to get it done right and um.
Speaker 2:So I realized you know kind of tapping into my intuition, because it's one thing I hated in business school is they would have test questions about intuition and making strategic decisions. Some will say don't Just go with your gut, right, but like our intuition is everything.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And I don't believe in that Okay.
Speaker 1:So for those that don't know more about you, I want to kind of peel back a little bit Right. Let's talk about so what was the business that you were in?
Speaker 2:So I was in healthcare staffing agencies.
Speaker 1:Okay, 2021 that when I started it.
Speaker 2:We were still in the thick of covid right. That makes sense. 2020, march of 2020 shut down and everything. 2021 staffing agency was still hot. Um, a lot of the facilities long-term facilities were getting funding from the government for staffing, so they had money to spend and I got in at the right time. So that's what I was doing. It was just healthcare staffing agents.
Speaker 1:And I remember a part of you know, when we had this conversation before you had talked about how, um, you know the business grew very quickly, but you're also traveling a lot. Tell us a little bit about you know all the things that you had to do to keep up with the growth I honestly don't know um the way my brain works is that if I have to get it done, I'm gonna get done.
Speaker 2:Whether I'm in the car or I'm out traveling, I was always on my phone, which is really sad.
Speaker 1:And I know that you and Nicole spent a lot of time together on the phone too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so always on my phone. When I'm in the car driving, we're in the Airbnb for the week. Wherever we are, I'm always, always on my phone.
Speaker 1:So why were you traveling and why were you like on your phone a lot?
Speaker 2:So a lot of the work you can do on your phone so staffing, filling in the roles, talking to the clients, whoever the point of contact is a lot of those things you can do over the phone Scheduling, putting them in the schedule, emailing and trying to make sure that everyone's in the right schedule, right facility Got it and then recruiting too. You can do it on the phone. Okay, so those are the things that I had to do on my own, even though I didn't have to because I hired people right but there was that.
Speaker 2:Uh, there was that thing like the need to to control everything, because you see all this money and you don't want to lose it, but then you're not really being strategic about it. You're just acting in fear in fear.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's good, wow. So, nicole, from your point of view, like you're, you're on, you're together, you're doing. You're doing this together, but as a friend too, you know her as a person, like what were some of the things that you were seeing with that sudden growth?
Speaker 3:um, it was definitely hard seeing her go from where she was to the amount of money she got so fast, just because normally she's a genuine person. Um, I, usually come to her talk to her about everything that's going on with me. She got so fast just because normally she's a genuine person. I usually come to her and talk to her about everything that's going on with me. She was always there. Once the money started coming in and the business started getting more hectic, she was there, but she wasn't there.
Speaker 2:Mentally.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and it was a lot of me talking to her and telling her, hey, this is going on, and then I would get a really short answer that never really answered anything, and we would always have situations where, like she did a lot of traveling to Airbnbs and when she took her family to those Airbnbs, of course my family came along and instead of us being with our families and enjoying it, we were on the laptops or on our phones working.
Speaker 3:And it was so hard and painstaking, and especially for her to go from this really sweet personality to being a very you know. She was kind of like a mothering personality, but not the kind of mother that you look up to. It was everything she said was kind of dictating, demeaning and dictated, and it just got to the point where I was like listen, if you continue down this path, people are going to leave. It's not going to be, um, something that people are going to be willing to put up with, no matter how much money they're making and it was good money, um, working for her but it was just the way that we were told to do things. It wasn't right.
Speaker 3:And then the fact that she did let us in and I did hire on a lot of the people that came into the company. I never had any say with anything that happened and I was HR manager and I couldn't tell them what to do. I had to tell Saisa and then hopefully it aligned with how I wanted things to go.
Speaker 1:I can see how difficult that can be.
Speaker 2:So really it was a waste of money to hire people, Because if I could talk to my old self at that time, be like well, if you're going to do that, don't hire people, Just do it yourself.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So I was deep in it. Wow, deep in it.
Speaker 1:So did you get any feedback, looking back now, from your children? Oh yes, what were some of the things that they were like?
Speaker 2:They don't really say anything.
Speaker 1:Because they love us, no matter what right.
Speaker 2:Well, people have a tendency to be afraid of me. Oh, okay, my whole family. They won't say anything.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay.
Speaker 2:I mean, they do, you know, open up to me when I sit down with them and be like what's going on, but they've never said anything about me working so much and not giving them attention, them attention. But I would pick up on it when they're like um, when they're like um never mind, I'll, just, I'll ask you later when you're done working.
Speaker 1:So, like, just comments like that, you know I can relate with that um, my son, I have a 10 and 11 year old and it's hard, you know, even talking about it now, I'm like, oh, my goodness anyway.
Speaker 1:So when in the past, at this last year, whenever I'm in a meeting, I'm like I'm in a meeting, you see, I'm in a meeting, you know. Like, you know, but they want their mom, they just want to talk to mom. You know, right after, after coming back from school, eight hours or so, they just want to hi mom, get a hug, whatever, you know. But I'm like, do you see that I'm in a meeting? And and I'm glad that they got a chance to like, tell me, because you know my kids are kind of outspoken yeah, my 10 year old would tell you, like, mommy, you don't spend time with us. So you know, and now and I think also because the pandemic also helped us see that it's okay to still be a human, you know, and I know I'm digressing now because I know I want to ask a lot of questions about that million dollars, yeah, yeah, but this is a big part of it, this is a big part of it.
Speaker 2:People are so hyper-focused on the money that you have no idea what that big amount of money will do to you yeah yeah, yes, I was buying my kids whatever they needed. They didn't really ask for a lot my kids doesn't ask for a lot.
Speaker 2:They love traveling and spending time together. I was able to, you know, help my family with that big amount of money. I was able to just pick up and leave and be spontaneous and you know, know to spend this, never thinking about the price, never looking at the price Like it was, just spend, spend, spend and that's great and a lot of people want that. However, it'll do so much in every aspect of your life that you have got to have like a plan, a plan, a plan, and this is why I kind of want to bring in what happened yesterday um, with the business that we're wanting to do. I wanted to start with just the home care portion, where it's non-medical. It's a lot easier to manage. There's no, you know, other issues where, like, if, if it was medical, skilled nursing care in homes it would be a lot more complex, and you know they were telling me it would be a lot quicker, a lot faster, faster, and then you can you can take on non-medical under medical.
Speaker 2:But that's when I started to get stressed and then I realized today I want to actually enjoy it this time. So, yes, I understand that we can do this health care if I really put my mind to it. And I tell her and my husband because they're the business partners we're all owners of XR and the home care subsidiary company.
Speaker 2:I can ask them to be down and I can make it happen, but the thing is I'm going to go back into the same place where I'm not present with her, I'm not present with my husband, I'm not present with myself, I'm not present with my kids, because everything about me is just tied into this complex business that I'm trying to perfect.
Speaker 1:Right and you want to do it quick.
Speaker 2:I want to do it quick because it is quick money, right, when insurance, you know Medicaid and Medicare, and then private pay, like that is a lot of money. But I had to really remind myself and kind of sit back and be like OK, there's a choice to be quick and have big money, or there's a choice to wait a little bit. It's still going to be big money, but I'm able to just take it one day at a time and process it and stress one thing at a time and enjoy the process of getting there and actually building this up, because we're not just worried about this home care, we're worried about the health care staffing agency. I also have a branding company that I also want to revamp too. So like, and we have other ideas too. Like we want to open up a beauty lounge, a women's lounge, a nightclub, a restaurant. Oh, wow, like I'm not stopping, wow, but I want to enjoy the process, because if you don't enjoy it, you're gonna get so burnt out.
Speaker 2:And that's what happened to me. I got burnt out. Eventually they were like telling me oh, we need to get other clients, but I was sabotaging the whole thing because I was so tired. I was tired and my employee was like, hey, should we call other companies so that we're not just depending on one client? Because, like I told you, we only had one client for that two million. It was only one client. They were bought out. So we ended up having two clients, but it was in the same company.
Speaker 2:But I was so burnt out and, like people, I talked to somebody about this and she was like it was a very shallow thinking and what somebody would think, someone who's never been in the business and seen that money and felt what it did to them. She was like, well, why can't you just, you know, keep moving and get up and keep expanding instead of quitting? Like, why would you get burnt out by so much, so much money? And I was just, I just had to look at her and I'm like, because there's a lot of things that matter to me more than money. Yeah, like you would think that money is everything yes, it will pay bills and buy things. But once you get that, you start to realize like, wow, what do I actually enjoy this time? Because, like, everything about me is about this money making machine. It's not even me as a mom, as a friend, as a daughter, as a wife, like all of that is stripped away, right? I don't like that. Maybe other people are okay with that?
Speaker 1:No, I think that if you have not made that type of money, sometimes it's difficult to think the way you're thinking. And both of you have been there. You've been, you know, done the big moves and spent all the. You know I probably take some private jets to places I don't you know, but, like you know, for me I'm even looking at you thinking, dang two million dollars, like look dollars. I'm not talking, I'm nigerian, so you know nigerian dollars, nigerian naira is, so it's easy to become you know a millionaire, but in the dollars it's like are you like that's a lot?
Speaker 1:it's easy to become a millionaire, but in the dollars it's like are you like that's?
Speaker 2:a lot.
Speaker 1:It's a lot, and so, if you're telling me, it's hard for me to think, but I'm glad that you're having this conversation, because it's important for us to have this conversation and know that, yes, it's not just about making the money. What are you sacrificing in the process? What truly matters to you and what kind of life do you want to live?
Speaker 2:And it sounds so cliche because, you see, you know people on social media talking about, it's not all about the money, but like they don't really understand. And if I can make you understand, it's like this you see, all this money, you have the freedom to buy this, buy that, go here, go there. However, you will not have the freedom to be present, fully present, and I say fully present, because I could be sitting with them, with our kids, me and her, outside having a bonfire and having a talk, and my mind is somewhere else. Oh, what about that background check? What about this candidate? What about this client? Oh, yeah, this client, I'm not with them.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:But my family and friends are enjoying. You know what I'm able to put on the table Right, but I'm in the back Like that's all I felt was being in the background and I was freaking tired of it.
Speaker 1:And you were losing your friends too, in the process.
Speaker 3:I lost a lot of friends, a lot of yeah, I mean, when you got that growth a lot of friends came out of the woodwork Came out. That's another thing, and as soon as that money. Well, while she was having fun with all these friends and experiencing a lot of new things, I would just watch on the sidelines and I just kept thinking.
Speaker 2:And she would hear stories.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it looks nice, but that doesn't seem like something that she's into. She doesn't seem very happy. I mean, I would see pictures and things, and then I would hear a whole different story and it just didn't seem like something that somebody should brag about. You know, it wasn't a life well lived.
Speaker 1:That is so interesting because, like you said earlier, we see all the you know things on social media. This is the life that they are living, but really Inside is so important and nobody thinks about that.
Speaker 2:Right, you can be successful really at anything. Business is a straightforward thing. You do this, you build it, you market it, you sell it, you maintain it, you grow it. You do it all over again. However, there's this personal development that happens inside. It's just inner work that you have to work on. You have to appreciate people that are working for you. You have to give them that trust, and all of my employees did not have autonomy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she made an exclamation, mark.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she didn't have autonomy. So I was hiring them to literally just like be the point of contact, but they would all come back to me hey, what about this, what about that, what about this, what about that?
Speaker 2:I mean, they all had these titles, but they weren't doing, they were just a messenger right and I see a lot of small business owners doing that right now, and the biggest thing too, is that I had no exit strategy. A lot of small business owners, you know they say they love what they do, but I know for dang sure they're. They're ready to exit and enjoy the fruit of their labor.
Speaker 1:Okay, I don't think we think far in advance to that point. You know we're so short-sighted and I mean it's hard to be a business owner, right? A female business owner also. We're just trying to grind and trying to make, we're not thinking in advance. We're not having this plan, like you said, yeah.
Speaker 2:So and it's really, really important and people sit that, sit there and be like, oh, I'm so worried. What if? What if we do something wrong? What if, um, it doesn't work out? What if people make fun of us? What if people talk crap about us? I don't want to be embarrassed. One thing I've learned to really embrace is be embarrassed of what, what's happened, because, um, if I can do that, then I can do really just about anything, because no one is willing to be embarrassed or be seen trying.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna try because I've done it before, right, and I've seen the results, and then I learned some lessons along the way, and this time like this is why I'm so excited to like it was a big decision to make her as part of the owner of our staffing agency and she knows that because that that's my baby. That's my baby and you know I told her I was like, once you're in, I'm gonna need you to really help us grow this.
Speaker 2:And she freaking, did she, you know, the whole week for my birthday. I just kind of wanted to chill and she was calling people and I kind of felt bad. So why did you feel bad?
Speaker 1:Because I'm used to be the one grinding. So are we talking in 2021, 2022? Like this year? Okay, yeah.
Speaker 2:So she just became one of the owners of the healthcare staffing agency we have, so she's got a share in the company now.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. We've talked about the fast growth and what happened at the high right, and your friend has even testified to how you've changed. Let's talk a little bit about how you determined. How did you decide to now take a turn and just talk us through how that changed. You know, like so are you still baking the 2 million? Or like, did that change? And then now you've talked a lot about starting a whole different business and so many other businesses, and so I want to go into some of the things that you would do differently as you build this business.
Speaker 2:But let's start with the transition, yeah, the shift, yeah, um. So, going from that amount of money, our lifestyle was different yeah okay and so wait, let's, let's, let's paint the picture.
Speaker 1:What were the? What I know? We've talked about going to Airbnbs, like you know, throwing parties. Give us, just paint the picture.
Speaker 2:I can't even remember if she's seen me do this, but when I say spend money, I've had to transfer, like I would spend 20k on a credit card and then pay it off wow on what on one week?
Speaker 1:wait, wait, wait, wait. I wanna on what I cannot.
Speaker 2:I don't even know. I don't know what I spent what was she spending money on?
Speaker 3:we went to Greece one year. She paid for us to go to how many people are we talking here? I mean it was just us people, but it was just the four of us that ended up going, because that was a whole nother story that happened in there with the other two the friend that she was saying.
Speaker 1:I mean starting losing friends and you know their colors showing so you, you paid for four people to go to greece and then you just went for like a week or so I think it was a week.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we were there for a week, yeah, and she was.
Speaker 2:She was so worried. She's like, oh my gosh, you know she's talking about her husband. He's worried about money, you know, spending. I'm like, listen, we are here right now and we are gonna walk out of here, go home and be like we had a great time. I'm gonna pay for everything, dang my husband. He's a very frugal man, yeah, and we love that about him to be quite honest we need someone to buy us some time Somebody's got to look at the money here. He's definitely that guy.
Speaker 3:I remember going out to restaurants and looking at the bill and I'm thinking, oh my gosh. And then they would just take the bill and my husband would be like wait a minute, let me give you something. And they're like no, Wow, it was really my husband.
Speaker 2:And I'm just like if he lets you pay, then you know, go ahead and pay, but I never brought my wallet. I don't even have my wallet. I haven't brought my wallet since 2022 because my husband was the wallet.
Speaker 2:Like he would pay for everything. I didn't. I don't know, like, how much we actually spend at a restaurant. Like, I'm telling you, when we go to a restaurant, we would be spending $500, $600, just me and him, wow, okay. And when we went to the restaurant, I don't know how much we spent Because I was tipsy. No, no, no, no, it wasn't her, we were just, you know, and like, renting the four-wheelers.
Speaker 3:Where else did we go, we got tattoos.
Speaker 2:We got tattoos. We got stupid stuff, like the fish eating the palaces off our feet. We did the yacht, not the yacht.
Speaker 1:Was this in Greece? This was in.
Speaker 2:Greece. Wow, we did the boat twice and then we did like lunch and just just like every little thing that we wanted to do, the food that we wanted to get like. I just didn't want them to worry about it. I didn't want her to worry about it and at that point. That's really when I was realizing, like who was a real one you know what I'm saying?
Speaker 2:she almost didn't go. I was gonna. I said, yeah, I don't care if your husband doesn't go, you're coming, yeah, because at that time my husband was working and he was worried about the money and he was worried about going out the country right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because my husband? He's never left the country and neither did I, but that was our first trip out and he was really worried and I'm always let's go, let's go.
Speaker 1:I want to do a new experience.
Speaker 3:Right and yeah, I mean it was something that was really scary to him and the money did scare him, but the fact that they had us covered was something that really reassured him.
Speaker 2:They were able to breathe and have fun.
Speaker 3:Built a relationship because they did not.
Speaker 2:They were butting heads before then. We despised each other for how many years? Now, 10 years, yeah, for 10 years we despise each other and I think, um, and that's that, that's the growth that I'm talking about is, once I started shifting into this person, like losing a lot of people in the business, just kind of declining, and as it declined, you know, I lost more people. I really I think it was really a time for me to just work on me.
Speaker 2:I wanted to focus on who I was, what I really wanted in life, how I wanted to live my life. And then the major turn that really started the shift in the business was when my dad died this year. So he passed away in March and it's not just that, it's just the way that he passed and when he passed. So we haven't talked in seven years. We've been estranged because he was living with my ex-husband and my ex-husband, you know, took care of him. So when he passed away in March there was a whole big issue that happened and you know I was going to be the POA to take care of his care and everything. And when we were in virtual court there was a. He was yelling and screaming and I think it's because I look like my mother and you know they got divorced.
Speaker 2:So my brother came home on a Thursday. He was like I asked how my dad was and he was like, oh, he was crying because he didn't realize that that's what he did and he was sad that now he doesn't have a POA. And I was like, well, I can still try. He was like, really. I was like, yes, that's, that's still my dad, like I just I need him to allow me to take care of him, because that's the only way it'll work right. He was like okay, I'll call him. So my dad said, you know, he wanted to see me on Sunday. This was Thursday. I was like yeah.
Speaker 2:Sunday sounds great. And you, I was like, yeah, sunday sounds great. And you know, I was kind of thinking about like, oh my gosh, he hasn't seen my new baby, my fourth child, you know, I haven't seen him in a while. Like you know how do. Like I was just thinking about the interaction. Saturday morning I got a call that he was at the hospital and I got up, got every every. I said everybody, get up and get ready, we're gonna go to the hospital. And on the way there he passed, yeah, so I and I already knew that the moment I walked in the hospital, um, I could sense that he wasn't there and I saw him from the hallway and I knew he was gone and that really shook my inner world, um, going from that regret of not talking to him and being so close to mending a relationship and starting over again. He was my best friend.
Speaker 3:Like they were also kind of close too, like he was telling her what, because she was always at my house, so you were close to my dad yes, I mean, I was there every weekend to the point where every week too, during the week, yeah, we would go to school together and he would take me to starbucks, and he actually told me you're like a daughter to me, yeah, yeah, so we were like we're not, we weren't just we're not just best friends.
Speaker 2:We were like we're not. We weren't just. We're not just best friends, we're like family at this point.
Speaker 2:But that loss did a lot to me, like I feel like it really rocked my world to like go through his things. And then finally, in June, I went to the garage and I said I want to be alone, I want to go through his stuff. And it was really really hard, like even just thinking about it now, because there was just a few things. There wasn't a lot, you know, and like that's my dad, he lived a whole life and there was barely nothing and he, he was almost like alone most of the time. He didn't really have good friends and, you know, the family wanting to reconnect with them. He really didn't want to listen to them and he just had a hard life. And I realized that I don't want to waste my time on this earth and I said I want to do something that my kids will always remember, even if I have stuff that I've left behind that they can touch. You know, I want to leave memories that will always stay with them, whether I leave a box of stuff or not. And that was really the turning point that I could sense like something was shifting in me, um. And so I launched the your brand, um. And then after that, when I started to feel better again and I was telling her like I feel like I'm starting to get back to myself because, like for so long, the whole 2023, I wasn't in business and then this year was really hard trying to get back to it, like I was like I just don't feel motivated, like I don't feel that drive that I used to have. But June was like after I go through his stuff and realizing like we all have one life to live. One life to live, like what we do today. We can't rewind. That's right. And that was like the biggest thing that shifted my mindset.
Speaker 2:And then after that, in July, we started getting caught. We were about to close the staffing agency. I said God, I'm about to dissolve this business. Give me a sign if I shouldn't.
Speaker 2:The day before, my husband was at work and he texted me. He was like hey, somebody is getting a hold needing a nurse and I said okay, and then another client, and then another client, and then another client. And it's just like I'm like wait a minute, I think this and I hate. I hated it Cause I was like I don't want to get back to staffing, cause I don't like doing it and you know it really burned me out and I don't want to be there again and I just had to take a step back and be like this is what he wants me to do right now. So I'm going to take my time and use what I've learned and I've really been trying to connect with my intuition, with myself, try to think about what I've learned. And then the home care came and that, even more like fired me up even more. The only difference is that I know what not to do and I that's why I'm telling you right.
Speaker 2:I want to enjoy this process because money will come, trust me. It's really. It's so cliche when they say it's not the destination. You guys, it's the journey. But no, really it really is. Because think about this once you like get in shape and everything, it's really hard throughout that journey, right, but once you, you are in shape, then what? What do you do? That's right. Like, let's say, you want a million dollars and I hand you a bag of one million dollars, what are you gonna do? You're gonna spend it, right right, you're gonna spend it.
Speaker 1:What do I have a plan, but you have a plan but after that, yeah, what now?
Speaker 2:it stops at one million. It doesn't stop at one million. You're gonna have another thing that you're gonna set for yourself, right? So it's not about what you want, it's about how you're gonna get there. That's really what life is all about. And then you're gonna die. You're gonna be like, oh, this is what I did. Yeah, I wanted one million and this is what I did to go get it, and I enjoyed every single day of it right.
Speaker 1:So what I'm hearing you say is that usually, when we get to that goal, there's gonna be another goal so it's almost like we never stop it never stops. It never stops, yeah so we just need to enjoy that process of getting there, because we'll never be satisfied with whatever that.
Speaker 2:Billionaires. They want something else. They want to be the first one to build something you know, go to space. And once they get that, they move on to the next, like there has never been a person that wanted to reach a goal and stop there. Right, they always. Okay, I did this like riding a bike. Once you're able to ride a bike, then what do you do? I want to drive a car.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:After you drive a car you're like you know what I want to start traveling and fly.
Speaker 1:That's right. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:Like it never, ever stops. So like people want the results right away. That's boring. Why would you want to live your life that way? So now we're building these businesses and I used to be this instant gratification type person.
Speaker 2:But now I'm just like I'm grateful to be human and feel all these things like worries. And I was telling her I was praying last night God, thank you so much for allowing me to feel human and feel all these things like worries. And I was telling her I was praying last night God, thank you so much for allowing me to feel human emotions, like doubting myself, worrying that it's not going to work out, thinking less of myself, like I'm not good enough, like all these negative emotions. That's what makes us human and what an honor to even feel those negative emotions right, like to be able to feel sad, betrayed. You know it's bad, but that's what life is. It's not just good feelings. That's right.
Speaker 2:And once I started really shifting my mind, now I can apply it in business. So when I start sweating and I'm like, oh my gosh, what if we're doing this application wrong? What if we're not doing the criminal background right? What if we're not doing the policies and procedures right? I'm able to like. Thank you for allowing me to feel worried, for allowing me to feel like I'm not doing good enough, because that's part of it. That's how you grow. If you don't feel negative emotions, you never grow.
Speaker 1:You're just that prick that thinks that you're better than everybody this is so deep because majority of people are always wanting not to feel that emotion, that negative steering away from it.
Speaker 2:And don't get me wrong, I've like listened to a lot of like people on social media on how to um, think positive when you're feeling sad. Think positive and I'm like but why do we push away the sadness instead of being grateful for it? Because if we couldn't feel sadness, fear, anger, doubts, then that's freaking weird. Like that's just weird overall. Like imagine if I didn't feel burnt out at my, my company, I would have never learned, that's right, so never felt. If I never felt fear that things might go wrong and if I never felt doubt that they're not doing everything right, then I wouldn't have learned the lessons that I learned now and not be able to do it right.
Speaker 2:So, like, those things you really gotta and and I'm practicing it, that's right, I'm not like expert at it, but instead of me pushing it away, yeah, I say thank you for allowing me to feel these emotions because I get to live this human life that you know. I believe in the higher things. Like someone decided that I was good enough to be a human yes and feel human things and go through human experiences.
Speaker 2:That's, that's an honor that we're all here, yes, so I just kind of apply that into business. That's amazing, wow. And things will just, things will just come to you. I can't tell you the times that the money was real tight and then I just call her up. Like you would not believe, not going to joke, we found $2,400 worth of check one day in our mail. Wow, that was just sitting there two months prior to that and I was like I really need this money. Blah, blah, blah. I was like you know what, I'm not going to worry about it. God, you got me. You always got me. Every single time we were sitting there at the office and my husband found it, I said there ain't no way.
Speaker 1:Wow. So you know what? I'm so glad we have this conversation because since my kids and I have been having this conversation about, you know, spending more time together, and I've been thinking a lot about it, I decided I think it was maybe March of this year that I don't want to hustle anymore, Like I feel, like I want to, like you've been saying, enjoy the process.
Speaker 2:I'm not attracted to hustle anymore.
Speaker 1:I mean, yeah, like there was like.
Speaker 1:So I I'm thankful for you saying all of this, because I feel like it validates, because obviously I've been feeling yeah, I've not made a million, so I don't know right, but I've been thinking a lot about this and putting things in place for me, like, you know, hiring people so that way I can have more time to spend with you know, my children and do some of the silly things you, you know, because this is a time that we have, and um, and then I think one of the other things that I'm learning is just like preparing for when that high, you know, because when you make money real sudden, like that, unless you got like a whole team with you.
Speaker 2:Listen, you're good, but you, you know, if you're trying to do it from scratch, you really have to be strategic about it and make sure that your mental state is intact, because then you're gonna if, if it's not, you're gonna make decisions based on desperation. That is a bad, bad idea, and I've done it so many times.
Speaker 1:So so what you just? So? It's funny that you say that, because usually when we don't have the money is when we're desperate and do big decisions. Exactly so you're saying even when you have a ton of money, you still make desperate decisions. Yes, Wow.
Speaker 2:So when you have a ton of money, you make desperate decisions based on crap. There's so much money coming in. I need an advisor. You're going to pick the ones that's the quickest because you just need somebody to be there right there, right now You're not thinking clearly because you, like, your mind is just all over the place and getting back to the hustle mode. This was also a sign from the universe for me when we went bike riding. And I get really anxious when we bring all the kids because I'm like, oh my gosh, what if somebody hits us? And you know my kids are going to die Like, oh my God, I'm just so paranoid sometimes.
Speaker 2:But we went on the trail and my 10 year old you know we're just having conversations of what his worries are and how he's been really feeling like the world is just off and I was like, actually I've been feeling the same way. I think it's because there's a lot of sadness going on in this world right now. There's kids getting killed, you know, there's the flood, the hurricane, and people are losing their homes. People are dying injured and people are losing their homes. People are dying injured. And you know, throughout our conversation after that he said wow, mom, I didn't know I could have a conversation. He said I didn't know I could talk to you like this and I was like I like had to pause. I was like you know what? I understand why you would feel that way, because I'm always on my phone and I'm always on my laptop working.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I never take the time to look up.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And so we've been making it and I was telling her like I want to start riding bikes, but then, because it's the only way, I'm not on my phone, I'm not on my laptop and we can just have conversations where we're riding a bike, and that filled me up so much, that was like a recharge. Yeah, to my soul, really yeah, and when your soul is recharged, listen, it's on like you can do anything really. But, um, the hustle mode is not, it's not. Um, that's probably. She probably saw it, and then my husband probably saw it, which is probably why they both said something like you need to step away.
Speaker 2:Because I probably started showing that thing that I do, where I get too deep into it and like I don't take the time to breathe and pull myself out, because I've always felt my whole life I had to hustle. And if I'm not hustling then I'm not doing good enough, and if I'm not doing good enough then I'm not really providing enough, and if I'm not providing enough then I'm not really worth that much. So it all like goes back to me but taking, I'm just. I'm just like enjoying the fact that I'm in this space now where I'm able to think about what really matters most to me but still be able to be that boss, boss, lady. And like our relationship has changed too.
Speaker 2:And I was, I was telling her, I was like I've never felt this way towards you. We're like I was staying up till 2 30 picking out outfits for her. I was like if you're gonna be a boss, you gotta dress like it. And you know I was staying up till 2.30 picking out outfits for her. I was like if you're going to be a boss, you got to dress like it.
Speaker 2:And you know I was really sad because when we went to the store, you know she wanted to get outfits for her and I realized in that moment I was like dang. My best friend has never bought herself clothes or anything like that for herself for all the years that I've known her, and the fact that it just hit me in that moment, after 17 years, after 17 years like that, made me even more sad, because that told me I wasn't really paying attention to her. She was more of the one paying attention to me and making sure that I was okay. I was in the right headspace, you know, and I haven't really done anything for her Not that she's asking for it.
Speaker 1:But like it's not mutual. In the emotional realm you know like you could exchange the money and give her the things, but like emotionally, you know, yeah.
Speaker 2:And I really have not paid attention to her and it was mostly like other people that I would like give so much of myself of. And I really had to sit down and like kind of think about it, why? And I think it's because I've lost so many friends that I felt like, okay, if I did all these things for her, then she's just gonna be like those other people and I think subconsciously I was just like I'm not gonna do that because I was also doing it to my husband.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't like cook for him or, you know, serve him as a wife. And we had this conversation yesterday and I told my husband too, like with my ex-husband girl, I was cooking, I was budgeting, you know, recipes was on point, you know cleaning, chores the kids. You don't got to do nothing, you just got to come home as a husband and eat the food. Okay, everything was clean, clean, everything was taken care of. But then I got divorced and we've been together for almost six years and I'm just now starting to do it again slowly.
Speaker 2:It's not even. I told him it's like it's not even half of it. I used to do so much when I was a, when I was a wife before you, um, so that's another thing, like that fear. I'm trying to let go of all those things because I don't think she's going anywhere, obviously.
Speaker 1:I mean, you guys have been together for a while.
Speaker 2:We've not been talking the whole time. It's an up and down, not talking revenge with each other. And it was just like at this point I was telling her like at this point we're not even friends, bro, like we're like sisters, that'd be fighting right and not talking to each other. But, like now, I'm seeing her and I've been praying for her like lord, just please give her something that aligns with her oh, that's good so when she started you know, thinking about podcasts, business I'm like, yeah, go do it, I it, I would keep myself from helping her.
Speaker 2:Don't help her, don't do anything for us. Unless you ask.
Speaker 2:No, no, okay, no, I'm like you want this Figure it out. And she really wanted to do the podcast and I was like, wow, this is really what she wanted to do. She was thinking about topics and she was really just passionate about it. And then, with the home care, and I was like, girl, I know, you want to do it. Yeah, she dragged me to a freaking office tour and once I got there I was like, oh, I'm just here, she just dragged me. And then we saw the offices and I could visualize it and I just felt it and we sat down with the guy and I started asking questions. She was like you shifted real quick.
Speaker 2:I went I went from like I'm just here to like okay, so how much is it? Like I started getting into business mode and I was like, listen, if you back out, I know where you live and like now I can see her. Like she's just not even just like in business, but like in her relationship, like she's just like this person. That's like starting to see who she is, she is and she I was telling her and I was like you know how, like back then you would get anxious when, when you talk to me, and you would be like what does she want now? Now I feel the same way with you because I'm more calm now and she's just like telling her husband go get me my food. I'm like Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:I want to ask from Nicole too. I want to hear from your point of view, like how she's changed from when things were really, you know, high back in the day from when things were really, you know, high back in the day.
Speaker 3:It's like she said when I used to work for her she would call me and I would literally look at my phone and see her name and I would dread answering that call and I just it was so anxious, I would get so anxious and anxiety and it was terrible. And we could not be friends when I worked for her. And that's when I told her, like when I left the company, I said you know, so you left the company?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I left.
Speaker 3:I said you know, working at you. I feel like it's it played a toll on our friendship and also with my family Because, like I said, I would go on trips with her and when I would go on the trips, she would delegate things for me to do on the trip for the business, while she was also doing the same thing. Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 1:That was a walk trip.
Speaker 3:My kids would want to do stuff with me and then I would be like I can't. And I saw myself slowly turning into her and for the longest time I've never just been Nicole.
Speaker 1:I've been.
Speaker 3:You know the mom the wife. I've never been this business woman. That was never my aspect of life. So when I started working for her, that's when she was slowly turning me into her and I did not like it, so I did ended up leaving the company and she was mad at me for a while Was it a difficult decision.
Speaker 1:Like what was that conversation like?
Speaker 2:It was difficult, it was. Yeah, we went out she. I wanted to cuss her out.
Speaker 3:to be honest with you, yeah, she went out to lunch. She went out to in Italy, wait you did it in a foreign country.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, no. She was in Italy, and then she came back it was when I came back from Philippines, oh the Philippines.
Speaker 3:Okay, so she came back from the Philippines and we went out to lunch and I had just casually told her but wait before that.
Speaker 2:She didn't know this, but I wanted to get on the phone with her because, on the way here from the Philippines, I wanted to promote her as the head of XR so that I could just step away because I couldn't be that leader anymore. And then she hit me with that Dang.
Speaker 3:I told her that I was stepping away and that I was starting my own company I said um what?
Speaker 2:so I had to calm down. I said what's wrong? She was like it's either I'm going to be friends with you or work for you, and I'd rather be friends with you, yeah it was, and that was the realest thing that I've heard from her.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there was no in between, and I tried for so long. That's what she said she was like I can't do it.
Speaker 2:I don't know how you do it, but I can't do it Because when I work for you, like our conversations, that was not even like. I don't feel like I'm talking to my friend. I'm talking to my boss, yeah, so.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I left and when I told her that, I told her the name of the company that we were starting and I helped her yeah, she helped me, and then she stopped talking to me for a while, which is fine Well that was when, like things started to yeah. I told her. I said I knew you needed your space. I wanted you to have that time to validate how you feel, because I mean, it was a difficult decision for me to do this, and because she was my most trusted person yeah and um, after she took that space, I let her know that it was.
Speaker 3:There was no ill intent with me doing this. It was just something that I wanted to try myself and, um, I just could not do it under her why I? Mean even she had hinted at promoting me before. And I knew from talking with my husband that it was most likely something that I was not going to be able to do Wow, wow.
Speaker 1:So do you see her as this different person now?
Speaker 3:Oh, definitely, yeah, After. It's like kind of a riches to rags story with her, because after she had all the money and she is where she is now and like I wouldn't say her lowest point, but she is at a point where she is pretty low and losing a lot of her friends, and then realizing that, no matter what she's going to go through, I'm going to be right there beside her. I mean, when she started the digital marketing, I right there.
Speaker 3:I mean it doesn't matter. If she told me that tomorrow we're going to scrap everything in our house and become homeless people just traveling the world, I would say, honey, this is what we got to do. I have faith that she's going to take us somewhere so I think we're going to do it but seeing her grow into the person that she is now. It's just been a beautiful change.
Speaker 1:I like that and I think that what I'm hearing you say is like she's grown to be a human too, because she talked about being human right and that's, I feel like what you were also missing, because you wanted a friend, not a boss, a friend that was human and understood like human feelings and all the things that come with that, and I think that that's probably why you can even still work together.
Speaker 3:Now you have your partners, you know, because it's a whole different dynamic yeah, and I feel like before she had that, before she started her business, we had such a beautiful friendship, even though there was years in between. We would stop talking to each other and we would come back and not even miss a beat. And then, when the business started, I could slowly see it like oh, this is turning to something that it shouldn't be, it's not fun anymore, we're not happy. So once I left, I could see us going back to where we were.
Speaker 1:And that's when we're truly our happiest.
Speaker 3:There's nothing that could replace that.
Speaker 1:Right, I like that you guys have that open conversation about it too, and you know it took a while. I figured that's not, that's not it did not come overnight.
Speaker 2:It was a lot of learning with me and her learning not to take things personal, because I've had to stop talking to people and I've had to remind her like hey, I'm not mad at you, I just really need to, like, have my, my time, and it's not about you, it's not what you did or you did something, I just and she was also going through some stuff too and just like to be able to have friends that don't take it personally that you're not talking to them.
Speaker 2:I don't have time. I got four kids. I can't talk to you on the phone, but now we talk all the time, but yeah.
Speaker 1:Wow, interesting. So, gosh, I've learned so much from this conversation and so what would you say is the biggest takeaway from a business point of view, right? So you've talked about how you would do things differently and you would enjoy the process as a human and, you know, enjoy all of that. But, like, as you're building this new brand, if you guys are building this new company together, like, what are some of the things that you feel like you're going to do differently?
Speaker 2:I'm going to work on my mental health.
Speaker 2:That's really, like I mentioned earlier, like business is a very linear thing. There's a process to it. You build it, market it, sell it, scale it. There's these things, the steps that you do. But if your mindset is not where it's at, your mental health is not where it's at, you don't feel Intuned with yourself or aligned with what you're doing and spiritually you have to be. You really have to do personal development. When you do a business, especially when you start growing, you can't just treat people like crap. You can't just blow your money everywhere. You can't just Make decisions based on external validation, like on social media oh I gotta wear this necklace, this bracelet, this car so that I get more views, more engagement, more money. Like that is so shallow and not sustainable. And now you've made yourself to be this person that if you're one day deciding I'm not going to be this person anymore, people are going to look at you like oh okay. So my biggest thing right now, because the business itself is not the problem. Right, because there's a process.
Speaker 1:Like I said, and you've already done the process. I've already done that. I know how it works.
Speaker 2:You know how to make a million and two dollars. Two million dollars. Yeah, it's more.
Speaker 1:We're gonna tap into more than that, right, right, yeah it's not about trying to hustle to make the money anymore there's a process and people need.
Speaker 2:If I could just tell somebody one thing business is a process. You just got to follow that process. No matter what niche you're in, there's a process to it and launching it and operating it, maintaining it and scaling it. What you really need to worry about is your mind.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And you need to be careful about what you consume on social media. When you consume on the news, you know what you read about. Like those can affect your subconscious mind and it can affect you know what is attracted to you, your subconscious mind and it can affect you know what is attracted to you. So if you're seeing like one thing after another, like this person betrayed me, this person did this, this person did that, this business happened this, you might want to start looking into yourself like okay, what am I consuming every day?
Speaker 2:on social media, reading it, hearing it, that it's attracting all these bad things. I don't like push away bad emotions, negative emotions, but I'm talking about, like external things that happen. So my biggest thing right now is respect like my really my mind, my mindset and who I am as a person. I need to respect her. I need to respect my husband as business partners, like it's not just me and I'm so used to like I make the decisions. This is what we do. I'm tired of that.
Speaker 1:So how are you going to be making decisions now, Like what's the decision process?
Speaker 2:now. So we use ChatGPT, and by we I did. I asked ChatGPT to do numerology and I'm really into numerology. She's a number six, so she's like nurturing, and my husband is three. He's all about communication and I'm one. I'm a leadership person. So I asked it to do a title for us and what we're good at, and I read it to all two of them and they were like oh my gosh didn't you agree?
Speaker 3:yeah, yeah, I definitely that aspect of being in that business and being able to talk to people and Making sure the patient care is good and make sure everybody was okay and everybody felt like they were heard was something that I really enjoyed doing, Even now talking to a lot of our employees that are coming in and making sure that they're validated. I love that.
Speaker 2:Right and I let her do that. And my husband is more of like business development, like trying to get clients and nurturing that relationship with clients, and I'm more of like foundation strategy, scaling and maintaining. She's all about operations, so she's the COO, I'm the CEO, my husband's the chief marketing officer.
Speaker 1:That's right so.
Speaker 2:You got it all covered. And that's imagine me doing that all by myself. Yeah, like I would be nothing but that Right. So now I'm I'm happy because we have an upper hand in the industry. I have the experience. She, you know, she's innately just very nurturing, so she's going to make sure that our patients are taken care of, our staff are taken care of. You know, our systems are where it should be to make sure that everything is running smoothly. My husband is really good at talking to people. Everyone just absolutely loves him. Okay, even if they have to tell him no, they've enjoyed talking to him and he nurtures that relationship with clients and that's what he's good at. So we're putting him in charge of that. I'm really good at strategy and where we need to go and what we need to do to get there. So I embody that role and I let them do their thing, because I'm not doing no hustle, no more hey, that's it's good, it's too much.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I can't. You know, I can't sleep till 3 am every night, like insomnia is really bad. But imagine if I was wearing all those hats.
Speaker 1:Oh, my goodness, in addition to being a wife, a mom, mom, all the things. Yeah, wow, this has been amazing. Yeah, that was a lot. This has been amazing. Yeah, that was a lot. That was like a free therapy. I know I was going to say thank you for being open and transparent and willing to share, because a lot of people would not be comfortable sharing their riches to rag story. You know what I mean, but, like you already know what it takes to be a millionaire, you know, and so you know you can replicate that process, that process, and you said something like you're not ashamed to share that.
Speaker 2:I'm not ashamed that it failed because at the end of the day, I think I really self-sabotaged the whole thing right, and I don't even know that it failed because you made a decision. I made a decision, whether consciously or not right, I made a decision to not actively reach out to other clients because we really could have.
Speaker 2:My husband could have. He could have spent, you know, eight hours a day trying to get clients. He would have too, but I would pull him away from you know, doing things and I really think I sabotaged it because I was tired and I was burnt out and I didn't know where to go from there and I just wanted to get to know who I was and all the people that I've lost just this year alone, you know I've I've still lost people people that I've helped out with starting their business and you know when it was me that was in desperate help.
Speaker 2:I was just left on read I don't want to make decisions out of spite but, I will remember that for sure.
Speaker 1:I think that's the one thing that I don't know that we really touched on Like the friends that you make. We kind of touch a little bit, like you know, when things are rolling and things are good. You know where are they now?
Speaker 2:Where are they now? You know, I remember a specific friend.
Speaker 1:That's okay to talk about it.
Speaker 2:I remember a specific friend that's okay to talk about it, Because I think this is a really really big lesson to take into account too. When you're having so much money, you don't really realize who's real. They try to make it seem like they're real but they're really not, Until you get to a point that like, oh crap, you know I really need help right now. So, getting into, when I back in June June and I started to get that motivation again.
Speaker 2:Um, I was like, okay, I want to do branding agency because I'm really good at you know, I look at something. I'm like that doesn't go together. I'm not really a matchy person like I'll wear whatever I want. If it matches, it matches. If it doesn't, I really don't care, because I love it so um, but I wanted to start that and you know I wanted to start a portfolio and.
Speaker 2:I at the time I had a good friend, but I thought was a good friend. Um, you know I helped her out with her business. You know, making time for her even though I was busy like we're talking about even though I was busy and I had other things to do I would make time to text her and call her and just really try to help her get through that mental block because, like I said, business is a linear process. It's all about mindset and who you listen to and if you're not careful you're gonna set yourself up for failure. So I had to remind her like, don't listen to people who's never gotten out of their comfort zone. Listen to me, you got this. You're going to make it happen. Go, do what you need to do to open this up.
Speaker 2:And, you know, just really be that friend and motivate her, someone who I wish was there when I was starting my business. So, long story short, you know they're successful now, like they. You know they're growing and everything. And when I was getting, when I was having that shift this year in June, I wanted to start a portfolio and I was like, oh, they would be good, uh, company to do this for. And you know, I'm having like this long text message explaining, like what I wanted to do, and I was like it depends on what you want to do, um, and the only thing that she said was how much.
Speaker 1:To that long message.
Speaker 2:To my long message and I was like you know what, she's busy, she has kids and she's got a business. I'm not even going to, you know, because I don't really take things personally like that. But then when I explained it some more and I was like, well, it just depends on what you need, like, what do you want to work on? And you know, I wasn't really worried about the cost because I was like I'll probably do it, do it for free, you know, just to get my portfolio and just do a pro bono, um, and so I explained it some more. I was like you know, where are you guys? You know, I know what you guys need, but what do you think you need? You know, and just kind of sending a long text, I was just left on read, wow, and I said you know what, maybe she's busy one week, two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, and I said that's okay, I'll. I'll forever remember that and I try not to make decisions out of spite, because that will come back to you right so don't do that.
Speaker 2:Um, but I want to remember who was there when I specifically said I desperately need your help because, I don't ask that you know, and.
Speaker 2:I'm a very prideful person Like I'm like no, I got this, I'll do it, I don't need your help, you know. But I also have had friends that, um and this is like really personal too Like you know, I was telling her what was going on and everything, and I was, you know, I wasn't asking her for help or anything. I was like I'm negative right now, a thousand dollars. And blah, blah, blah did not ask her for anything. After we get off the phone. We were just catching up, we get off the phone and she texted me. She was like if you need help, just tell me, just say the word.
Speaker 2:And I was like no, I'm okay. She was like no, seriously, all you have to do is ask me. I'm not even going to just tell me how much you need. And I was like you know what? Yes, can you help me cover this? Send me $1,000 to cover that negative. So, even though there's this one portion of friends that this whole journey has been showing me like, hey, the people that you think might be the good friends and will be, there is not. So you really need to have this space, this headspace, to be able to say, okay, she's doing this, she's doing this? Who are really the real people in my life? I didn't ask this person to help me, but send me a thousand000 to cover me, and I'm not ashamed to do that Right, you know I've had negatives my whole life, so you know it's just like, and I asked this person I desperately need your help.
Speaker 2:Did not help me, Did not respond to me, Just left me on. Read the person that I really invested so much of my time of just convincing her that she's good enough to do this business. And there's this friend I'm just catching up with, you know, venting and what's what's going on with my life?
Speaker 2:Didn't ask for a dime and insisted Seriously if you ever need anything, just tell me how much that's it Like. That's that to me, that's. I'm grateful for that, even though you know that doesn't make me happy with the other person, but it's a lesson that I'm honored that God gave me. Like, here you go, make your decisions. So.
Speaker 1:Wow, ok, so what's next for the two of you Tell us a little bit about I know you've given us a little bit here and there, giving us a little bit here and there the home care business, the U brand.
Speaker 2:I'll let her share, because I feel like she's driven a big part of this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because I want our viewers, you know, to be able to use our services, you know. So tell us a little bit about what's next, where we can find you all of the good stuff.
Speaker 3:So we've talked a lot about a lot of things that we want to venture into and right now there are a lot of things that are still on the drawing board and there are definitely things that will come to pass for us. We're just working on getting our home care out there and growing.
Speaker 1:That Okay, okay, that's good, and when that's available, you let us know.
Speaker 2:Yes, when you start it and all that, yes you let us know, yes, when you started and all that, yes, so um right now we run the health care staffing agency and subsidiary company would be the home care which will lead to um, skilled nursing care for homes, for people in the homes that are wanting nursing care.
Speaker 2:Um, and from there we want to grow in other countries and I told her this um, from there I want to maybe eventually get into hospice and then maybe adult daycare. So it's not going to stop there, right. And then after that we really want to do after the home care and we get the gist of it and the flow and we feel comfortable with it. We get the gist of it and the flow and we feel comfortable with it. Then we're going to move on to the next project, which my husband is really wanting to do. He wants a nightclub and we want a beauty lounge. That will the restaurant. Yeah, but we both really want to start the beauty um lounge because we want to promote natural beauty.
Speaker 2:Um, not saying like oh, it's a no for makeup and botox and all of that, but like if we can provide services like to promote you know your well-being your your inner health, like doing reiki, yoga, breath work, massages and, you know, maybe like facial massage to help your your face just kind of look like you you had a botox, anything like really natural. And for women to come in and feel, feel good about themselves and not feel like man I'm, I don't have makeup on like this girl. I don't have nice clothes on like this girl. It's just going to grow into like as we go with it.
Speaker 2:It starts with an idea, you implement the idea and you start learning along the way of what people like, what people are looking for. So that's really those two things the home care and the beauty.
Speaker 1:That's very fascinating, that's very interesting. Yes, so happy for you guys and where your relationship is at right now and your business. So thank you so much for coming and sharing. This has been such eye opening and I know that our audience we've learned a lot about this. I will put your contact information so that they can. Maybe you have questions. I know that you both are open to answering questions, especially if you're here in indiana and you need home care um, you know now they're gonna have one, so pull in and you know um. And also, if you need staffing for home care too, that's something that it can help you with. But thank you again for coming and for sharing and just being open.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you for inviting us. This was really fun. It was. Did you have fun? I had a blast. She loves to just listen. Yeah, I am a listener.
Speaker 1:You guys have such a wonderful friendship.
Speaker 2:Thank you, we worked hard at it, we did. Thank you, we worked hard at it.
Speaker 1:Oh my goodness, wow, I feel like we covered quite a good outrage.
Speaker 2:You know like and I, I feel like, um, I feel like the biggest takeaway, too, is not even the money right this is all about you your your inner self and who you are as a person, because everything else will, as cliche as it sounds, everything else will fall into place if you know who you are I feel like this is more of an empowerment story empowerment, really, because that money is there for you to take but, you gotta be in the right mindset right so start worrying about the success right stop worrying about worry about failure, cool.
Speaker 2:Spend 20 minutes on that. Spend 40 minutes on what you're gonna do when you become successful no one thinks about that right.
Speaker 1:So good. What are you gonna do when you're successful? Are you ready for that success?
Speaker 2:yeah, or it could be like okay, maybe it's a revenue. Think about your plan, step by step, in a, in a piece of paper or whatever, record yourself whatever. When you get a million dollars revenue, revenue, and let's just say you know your profit margin is 25 250 000, what will you do with that?
Speaker 1:money.
Speaker 2:What is your plan? Are you going to roll it over to the business and expand, or are you going to keep that and just grow later on? Are you going to save some of it? Put that plan into place.
Speaker 3:And the key word there was when, not if A lot of people understand that you speak a lot of things into existence. So when we were looking at our office, Saiza had this idea that we weren't going to get the office and I was walking around saying, look at our office Look at this, and then it was ours. Wow.
Speaker 2:She manifested that one. I actually didn't. I manifest pretty quickly, so I'm very careful with what I ask for, because sometimes I'm not cut out for it. I'm not cut out for it'm not cut out for it and people are like, oh, this is what I want, but are you cut out for it right? Are you ready for it? It's gonna be a mess if you're not. Like my staffing agency earning that revenue. Like I was a mess. I was not ready for it. I didn't know what the heck what I was doing.
Speaker 2:You spend it right like you spend the money, right, that's what you do. So, yeah, there's a lot. It's not just about money. And like, if we were to talk about money, I could tell you step by step how to get that, and that's it Right. But nobody talks about the backside. What's going on in your head? Who are you Like? Are you willing to scam people for money?
Speaker 1:The whole nother story. Right there, are you prepared? Prepare yourself before that time comes.
Speaker 2:Prepare, let go of what no longer serves you.
Speaker 2:I also read this thing If your year is supposed to be an abundance year, and you've not let go of the things that you're supposed to let go, and getting the abundance will cause more harm than good, then you're not going to get it. You're going to get negatives, you're going to get bad opportunities, you're going to get bad partnership. All these things are going to start happening. So you need to be able to step back and be like what is it that I need to let go?
Speaker 1:Right so? So be prepared for the success and enjoy the journey Enjoy the ride.
Speaker 2:Goodness, just enjoy it. And people take that as oh my gosh, enjoy the ride. Yeah, I've heard that. No, seriously, enjoy it.
Speaker 1:And that could mean anything. They could mean taking time out with your kids or spending time with yourself intellectual conversations, not just like about your Prada, your Chanel, your Porsche, right not?
Speaker 2:only, not only about work, but other things that matter to you, that matters that money cannot buy and me and my husband always talks about this. I told him that the fact that we're together and we made the decision to work on ourselves, even though it was hard, because we're both very prideful, and now we're able to communicate with that, with each other openly and I would rather be broke with you than anybody else because I know that we'll both come out of that really strong that is something no amount of money can buy. That's right. That mindset, that mindset, your relationship and you know I'm not bashing people with like expensive stuff, like I like those things too, but they are they're. They're not my drivers. My driver is family, friends, genuine connections, genuine opportunities, genuine partnerships, like even with my clients. I tell them like I think you were supposed to be with me and they agree.
Speaker 2:They're like, yeah, because you know, I make a lot of things happen for them. I make a lot of things happen for them just to help them out, and that's what I'm about. And they can't get that from another health care staffing agency like big agency. They're not gonna blink an eye. They're like, oh okay, you can't afford it, find someone else. Right, they have an issue with the staff. They're like, oh well, you gotta pay again, but with me. And I'm like, okay, but what's? What's the problem? Let's look at it. And then I tell them a suggestion like let's have a communication with that person, you know, so they're not out of the loop, they know what's going on. And after they communicate, you know, they hash it out and they're good. So you know, you can't get that from a big corporation, right?
Speaker 1:Wow, this has been so, so good. I feel like if we continue, we'll just continue to talk forever.
Speaker 2:It was just an all night thing, it was just an all night thing, but this is so good.
Speaker 1:I think that the biggest takeaway today is being get ready for the success, because it would come. You will have it, it would happen, but then also enjoy the ride. Enjoy the journey, and that's what I'm going to leave you with today. Make sure you come back for the next episode. Thank you, bye.
