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IAM2413 – Celebrate Small Wins for Big Motivation

Sat, 22 Mar 2025 06:16:03 -0400

Gresham Harkless discusses the importance of celebrating small wins and understanding the incremental steps towards achieving success.

He shares insights from his digital marketing work, where he tracks important metrics such as impressions, engagement clicks, form fills, meetings, proposals, and closed business to monitor progress.

Gresham emphasizes the value of recognizing these smaller steps even when the final goal has yet to be reached.

Gresham highlights the need to celebrate each step and understand that success is a collection of many small achievements.

Blue Star Franchise: http://bluestarfranchise.com
Browse the Franchise Inventory: https://bluestarfranchise.com/franchise
Is franchising right for you? Check this out to see: http://bluestarfranchise.com/assessment
Franchise CEO (A CBNation Site – coming soon) – http://franchiseceo.co

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Transcription:

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Intro 00:01

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:28

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast. And this is a special episode of our I AM CEO Podcast.

And this is actually going to be a snippet of a snippet, so to speak. I'm just doing an intro because I've been starting to document my journey into starting what is now called Blue Star Franchise.

We're also going to do a kind of sub site within CB Nation called Franchise CEO. So you'll see some links in the show notes related to that.

But just wanted to give you a little bit more insight, give you a little bit more color in some of the aspects of why I'm actually doing this.

I think it's something that would be super helpful, obviously for people that are looking for and thinking about starting franchises.

But frankly, if you're starting anything, any type of business, I think it's really cool to kind of just even see the journey and how it's been going from there.

So I'm going to share a few of those snippets from the, from the first couple of videos that have been created.

But definitely, of course, subscribe to our YouTube, check out a lot more where I figure out exactly where we're going to post this.

So I'll have that information that's available to you. But regardless, if you're a builder, continue to keep building, continue to do your thing.

The world definitely needs exactly what you're trying to build and needs you to be your unique self.

So make sure to run your own race, because nobody can run your race like you. This is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh here and I was actually doing part two of day 36. And the reason that I wanted to come back and do another video is just because I think one of the things that I will do to myself.

And I have to catch myself on is making sure that I celebrate the small wins, the little things and the things that are moving forward.

One of the big things that, especially around digital marketing, is sometimes we have metrics.

We have metrics that determine your likelihood of success. So in order for somebody to take action, they have to see your ad. That's an impression.

In order for that impression to happen, to take the next step, they have to click. So starting to track all those things along the journey of somebody seeing your ad, clicking, clicking and then filling out a form, filling out a form, having a meeting.

The meeting becomes an estimated proposal, that estimate proposal becomes closed business.

So understanding that journey allows you to start to see like there's things that are steps that it takes to get to your success.

[restrict paid=”true”]

So especially with this franchise brokerage, one of the things that I was a little bit frustrated by, honestly, is that one of the people that I also had that was a candidate that I was supposed to have a call with actually, I think, signed up prior to and signed up in the way that I thought she would sign up with the business opportunity in this instance.

So the reason I bring all that up is because often, when you are thinking about being successful, we think automatically, does it get across the finish line? How does it get across the finish line?

Did I check it off the box? Did I do all the things? But sometimes it's those steps that you take in order to realize that you're on the right track and in the right direction.

So of course, it's not the win the way that I wanted to win. And I'm not going to say that it's a consolation prize or anything like that.

But I think that when you're trying to achieve success and you're trying to build the foundational elements in order to be successful, you have to celebrate those wins. You have to be very present about those opportunities.

And I think I take it as a win is that the candidate signed up with one of the options that I was going to present to her potentially because I thought it was going to be a good fit.

And the fact that she did already sign up prior to us getting an opportunity to kind of have a deep dive talk. means that I was in the right direction. I'm starting to put those things together.

So as much as I want that actual piece of clothes business at the end of the day, understanding that I was able to at least see that opportunity.

And I even tried to have that meeting earlier. So I did all the things that I can do. And a lot of times I'll beat myself up and say, hey, well, you didn't get it done.

At the end of the day, all that matters is getting it done. The only thing um the only place that almost matters is in horseshoes and hand grenades you've heard that quote.

But that's not necessarily the case you want to celebrate those wins celebrate the steps that you're taking in order to get closer.

And know that success leaves clues so If it was as simple as me having that conversation earlier, that might've been an opportunity for me to close that business.

So what I have to realize is that that is telling me that some of the habits and things that I'm doing are in alignment with success.

I just have to do more of those things. I just have to be quicker or at least try to figure out a way to have that conversation quicker and sooner.

So super exciting, not exciting in the same breath. You get frustrated by not seeing things get over the finish line in the way that you see fit.

But at the end of the day, the candidate gets what she is looking for in this instance. And I think that's the mentality that we have to have. It's like, how can we get closer to success?

How can we increase our likelihood of success? And, when we're in that spirit and in that vein, it allows us to start to not just try to achieve success, but also start to reverse engineer what success looks like.

And when we aren't achieving success, or when things are not getting on the finish line, we start to be able to say, okay, let's improve this aspect.

Because this step is where things fell apart. Or we fumbled there, or we didn't do this well.

So starting to understand all those aspects is again, just giving us an idea of the entire journey.

But also the steps of the journey so that we can celebrate those steps and also tweak and change and improve those steps if need be.

So just wanted to mention that because I feel like I didn't really hammer that home as much as I wanted to and as much as I want to kind of like let everybody else know that I also am telling that to myself because a lot of times I can be my toughest critic and and hard on myself more than anybody else.

And that's something that I have to make sure that I continue to kind of remember just to celebrate those small wins, because they're everything. They end up building. Small wins become huge wins.

Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help. And of course, looking forward to giving you more and more updates.

Outro 06:30

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by CB Nation and Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community.

Check out the latest and greatest apps, books, and habits to level up your business at CEOhacks.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.

IAMCEO Podcast Transcript

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Intro

00:01 - 00:28

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Grush values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I am CEO podcast.

Gresham Harkless

00:28 - 01:08

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Greg from the I am CEO podcast. And this is a special episode of our I am CEO podcast. And this is actually going to be a snippet of a snippet. So to speak, I'm just doing an intro because I've been starting to document my journey into starting what is now called blue star franchise. We're also going to do a kind of subcite within CB nation called. a franchise CEO. So you'll see some links in the show notes related to that. But I just want to give you a little bit more insight, give you a little bit more color in some of the aspects of why I'm actually doing this, because one of the things I was doing as I was going through training to start up this new business was realizing and hearing from the founder of FBA, the Franchise Brokers Association, that it'd be really cool to document your journey.

Gresham Harkless

01:08 - 01:34

going through and building this out. I think it's something that would be super helpful, obviously, for people that are looking for and thinking about starting franchises. But frankly, if you're starting anything, any type of business, I think it's really cool to kind of just even see the journey and how it's been going from there. So I'm going to share a few of those snippets from the from the first couple of videos that have been created. But definitely, of course, subscribe to our YouTube. Check out a lot more where I figure out exactly where we're going to post this.

Gresham Harkless

01:34 - 02:10

So I have that information that's available to you. But Regardless, if you're a builder, continue to keep building, continue to do your thing. The world definitely needs exactly what you're trying to build. It needs you to be your unique self. So make sure to run your own race because nobody can run your race like you. This is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day. Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh here and I was actually doing part two of day 36. And the reason that I wanted to come back and do another video is just because I think one of the things that I will do to myself and I have to catch myself on is making sure that I celebrate the small wins, the little things and the things that are moving forward.

Gresham Harkless

02:11 - 02:48

One of the big things that, especially around digital marketing, is sometimes we have metrics. We have metrics that determine your likelihood of success. So in order for somebody to take action, they have to see your ad. That's an impression. In order for that impression to happen, to take the next step, they have to click. So starting to track all those things along the journey of somebody seeing your ad, clicking, clicking and then filling out a form, filling out a form, having a meeting, the meeting becomes an estimated proposal, that estimate proposal becomes closed business. So understanding that journey allows you to start to see like there's things that are steps that it takes to get to your success.

Gresham Harkless

02:49 - 03:18

So especially with this franchise brokerage, one of the things that I was a little bit frustrated by, honestly, is that One of the people that I also had that was a candidate that I was supposed to have a call with actually, I think, signed up prior to and signed up in the way that I thought she would sign up with the business opportunity in this instance. So the reason I bring all that up is because often, When you are thinking about being successful, we think automatically, does it get across the finish line? How does it get across the finish line?

Gresham Harkless

03:18 - 03:46

Did I check it off the box? Did I do all the things? But sometimes it's those steps that you take in order to realize that you're on the right track and in the right direction. So of course, it's not the win the way that I wanted to win. And I'm not going to say that it's a consolation prize or anything like that. But I think that when you're trying to achieve success and you're trying to build the foundational elements in order to be successful, you have to celebrate those wins. You have to be very present about those opportunities.

Gresham Harkless

03:46 - 04:16

And I think I take it as a win is that the candidate signed up with one of the options that I was going to present to her potentially because I thought it was going to be a good fit. And the fact that she did already sign up prior to us getting an opportunity to kind of have a deep dive talk. means that I was in the right direction. I'm starting to put those things together. So as much as I want that actual piece of clothes business at the end of the day, understanding that I was able to at least see that opportunity.

Gresham Harkless

04:16 - 04:51

And I even tried to have that meeting earlier. So I did all the things that I can do. And a lot of times I'll beat myself up and say, hey, well, you didn't get it done. At the end of the day, all that matters is getting it done. the only thing um the only place that almost matters is in horseshoes and hand grenades you've heard that quote uh but that's not necessarily the case you want to celebrate those wins celebrate the steps that you're taking in order to get closer and know that success leaves clues so If it was as simple as me having that conversation earlier, that might've been an opportunity for me to close that business.

Gresham Harkless

04:51 - 05:18

So what I have to realize is that that is telling me that some of the habits and things that I'm doing are in alignment with success. I just have to do more of those things. I just have to be quicker or at least try to figure out a way to have that conversation quicker and sooner. So super exciting, not exciting in the same breath. You know, you get frustrated by not seeing things get over the finish line in the way that you see fit. But at the end of the day, the candidate gets what she is looking for in this instance.

Gresham Harkless

05:18 - 05:49

And I think that's the mentality that we have to have. It's like, how can we get closer to success? How can we increase our likelihood of success? And, you know, when we're in that spirit and in that vein, it allows us to start to not just try to achieve success, but also start to reverse engineer what success looks like. And when we aren't achieving success, or when things are not getting on the finish line, we start to be able to say, okay, let's improve this aspect, because this step is where things fell apart. Or we fumbled there, or we didn't do this well.

Gresham

IAM2412 – Financial Planner helps Individuals Manage their Finances Better and Escape Financial Stress

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 06:16:21 -0400

Tremaine Wills is an MBA, financial services agency owner, certified financial education instructor, and financial planner. Her mission is to help individuals, entrepreneurs, and organizations manage their finances better and escape financial stress. She also aims to help one million people become accredited investors and grow their net worth to $1 million.

Tremaine has been featured in reputable outlets like Forbes and Business Insider and has experience working with organizations like NASA and Teach for America.

After studying business at Hampton University, Tremaine worked as a financial specialist at a Fortune 500 company, where she gained hands-on experience in the finance industry.

Tremaine offered financial coaching, focusing on budgeting, debt repayment, and fundamental money management skills. Over time, she expanded into financial planning and built her own Registered Investment Advisory Firm (RIA), where she could develop deeper, more meaningful connections with clients.

Tremaine views financial planning not only as the process of growing wealth but also as a means to align financial resources with personal goals and values.

Tremaine credits her diverse experiences—working at NASA, teaching math, and coaching cheerleading—as key factors in her success.

She emphasizes the importance of hiring the right people to manage tasks and free up time for higher-level work.

Tremaine highlights the importance of aligning work and personal goals to live the life you want now, not waiting for some distant retirement.

Website: Mind Over Money

LinkedIn: Tremaine Wills

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

Transcription:

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Tremaine Wills Teaser 00:00

When we are working with clients, the objective is how do we allocate resources and assets so that you can live the life you want to live?

And how do we pull retirement closer? We're helping them to identify what is a priority for them and using their money to fund those priorities.

Intro 00:18

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:44

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast, and I have an awesome guest on the show today. I have Tremaine Wills. Tremaine, excited to have you on the show.

Tremaine Wills 00:53

Yes, I'm so excited to be here. It's going to be a great conversation.

Gresham Harkless 00:57

Yes, absolutely. I know absolutely why it's going to be a phenomenal conversation and a great conversation because Tremaine's doing great and phenomenal things.

I'm super excited to jump into that conversation. But of course, before I do, I want to read a little bit more about Tremaine so you can hear about why she's doing all these great and awesome things.

So Tremaine is an MBA, is a financial service agency owner, financial planner, speaker and author committed to helping individuals, entrepreneurs and organizations manage money better so that they can escape financial stress and walk in purpose.

Her mission is to help one million people become accredited investors and grow their net worth to one million dollars.

And she also helps employers retain top talent by improving their financial wellness. Tremaine is a certified financial education instructor, accountant, and two-time Investopedia Top 100 advisor with multiple investment license.

Tremaine is passionate about building wealth in our community and providing education on how to retain the wealth that we are building.

And I absolutely love her message around money. She looks at it as a resource, even a tool. I heard she mentioned in one of her videos.

So I think that's one of the things that we kind of makes it hard to kind of divorce our emotional feelings and all the good and not so good things that maybe have happened around money.

And one of the things I really love that she said is that many people tie our self-worth to our net worth.

And I think that's so powerful. She has a background which includes working for NASA, Teach for America, and so many other places.

She's been featured on Forbes, Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, and even our blog sites as well too.

So Tremaine, you're doing awesome work. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Tremaine Wills 02:29

Yes, I'm so excited.

[restrict paid=”true”]

Gresham Harkless 02:31

Awesome. Well, let's get it started then. So to kind of kick everything off, let's rewind the clock, hear a little bit more on how you got started, what I call your CEO story.

Tremaine Wills 02:39

Oh man. In the womb.

Gresham Harkless 02:43

There we go.

Tremaine Wills 02:44

From the beginning, right? So I have seeds of entrepreneurship that started when I was around 12 or 13.

Some of you guys that are listening have probably heard this, like you ask your parents or something and like, what do you got money for that? Right.

For me, it was, I was asking for McDonald's and my mom was like, do you got McDonald's money?

And I'm like, no, I don't got McDonald's money. Right. But I was like, huh, can I get McDonald's money?

And that's when I decided I'm going to learn how to braid hair and I'm going to have McDonald's money.

So that entrepreneurial, uh, journey began. My mom helped me launch my brand. She created business cards for me.

And my brand was called Tame Your Mane, braids by Tremaine. And she was passing those cards out.

It was like, I felt like a neighborhood celebrity because that was like my introduction to entrepreneurship.

But what I quickly realized was even though I had this talent, this ability to generate income, I was not good at saving.

I didn't know what investing was. Those weren't conversations that we were having. I just was like, well, if I want to make some money, I got to go braid some hair. Right.

And I remember I was like 17, 16, 17, and I'm standing up for hours doing micro braids. And if you guys don't know what that is, they are very, very small braids, individual, and it takes as long as it sounds.

We're talking about 8, 10, 12 hours sometimes just standing on your feet. And my back was hurting and I'm 16, 17 with back pain. I'm like, oh yeah, no. This isn't going to work.

And so I started to think about, well, what are some ways to make money where I don't have to work hard?

Because this ain't it, right? I am not trying to do this. And that's when I started to become interested in finance and what this passive income stuff was.

People making money, they got to stand on their feet. Their back don't hurt. What are they doing?

What are they doing, right? So when I went off to school, I asked. I was like, what's the major where people make money?

Because that's what I'm trying to do. And everybody said business. And so I went into business and when I finished at the greatest financial institution on the face of the earth, Hampton University.

I went to work as a financial specialist at a Fortune 500 company. So that's kind of how I got into this space. But man, entrepreneurship is a wild ride.

Gresham Harkless 05:14

Yeah, absolutely it is. And so I wanted to drill down a little bit more. Let me hear about how you're solving that problem. What does that look like? How are you serving the clients?

Tremaine Wills 05:22

I went to go work for a Fortune 500 company and I was only there about two years, but while I was there, they taught me a whole bunch of stuff.

So I got a lot of my securities licenses there. I started to really understand how money worked and you get your training in undergrad and in grad school, but it's nothing like the real thing in the real world.

So, I was learning and understanding what people with money actually did and how it was different than what the textbook said.

And I very quickly realized that many of the financial institutions are in a game of still the other financial institutions' clients.

So it's just like, how can I woo you over here? Because I already know you have the assets. Because I see this money's in your bank account.

You're doing automatic transfers to some other brokerage. And the name of the game was just bringing all the assets to this one place.

And it didn't allow me the opportunity to develop relationships and really get to know clients and start folks who may not have had assets from zero and kind of build up with them.

And I didn't like that. I come from a very community oriented background where you kind of doing life with people and, I wasn't getting to do life with clients.

It was very much widget based and what's your numbers for the month? And I'm like, I don't like this.

Thank you for teaching me what you taught me. But I think I got to go somewhere and like do life with people.

And so I left. I came back home with my emergency fund and no job. And I told my parents, I was like, hey, I think I'm going to do my own thing.

And my parents were like, well, I guess you're going to do your own thing. And so Mind Over Money was born.

And I started out just doing financial coaching, helping people with budgets, debt payoff, some of the essential, fundamental parts of managing money, because I was a little bit intimidated.

I was this 20-something, looking like a 12-year-old, and who was going to let me manage their money, right?

But I quickly realized that when people can see how much you care and you are able to show your credentials and educate and when you speak, it makes sense, right?

You build that trust pretty quickly. And so even though I was a 20 something year old with an independent firm, I started getting clients and I was like, Oh, well, maybe I can manage that.

That confidence started to build and I got my RIA, my Registered Investment Advisory Firm, registered here in Virginia.

And then we added on a few different other states as I expanded. And it was like, wow, I'm doing this thing my way.

And my clients like me, and I like them. And they've been around for a while. And I was like, this is so cool, because I'm getting to do life with them.

And it's not just a transaction anymore. And it's kind of just been like, cool, to… think back to, I had this idea of what I wanted it to look like, well, vague, because I did not imagine this, right?

But just being able to build it the way I wanted it to be and not become so paralyzed that there are these large, billions under management firms, I don't have to compete with them, right?

Like, we're in the same industry, but we don't have the same clients. So yeah, that's kind of how Mind Over Money was born.

It was born out of wanting to have relationships with people and wanting to do life and grow with clients and not just, see them as a widget or a number to hit. Because I don't like that.

Gresham Harkless 09:21

Yeah, absolutely.

Tremaine Wills 09:22

When we are working with clients, the objective is how do we allocate resources and assets so that you can live the life you want to live?

And how do we pull retirement closer? We're helping them to identify what is a priority for them and using their money to fund those priorities.

Gresham Harkless 09:39

Nice. I absolutely love that. But let me ask you this. Do you consider that part of what I call your secret sauce?

It could be for yourself, the business or a combination of both, but is it your ability to be able to kind of, of course, understand these things, understand all those, maybe complex principles and things that you learned.

Like while you were working with the Fortune 500 and be able to kind of translate that to people so that they can not only just hear it.

But actually implement it and understand it and connect on that human level. Do you feel like that's part of your secret sauce?

Tremaine Wills 10:07

Oh, for sure. Yeah. So, so you mentioned briefly how I was in Teach for America and I prior, well, while I was in college and my, my first job was at NASA y'all. So I don't have that, retail store experience.

I have a few experiences that make me uniquely positioned to break concepts down and help clients then compared to what other advisors might do. Right.

So in addition to being a high school math teacher for four years, right. So while I was in the early years of building my business, I was teaching high school math full time and, working with clients after school and on the weekends.

And I also was a cheerleading coach. So I have this technical knowledge about investing in building financial plans. I was a teacher, so I can break down those concepts pretty well.

And then also I'm a coach and a cheerleading coach at that. So I'm also going to hype you up and motivate you to encourage you to keep going when you don't want to.

So that unique blend, I think makes me one more personable than a lot of advisors because advisors are brilliant. Okay.

They can crunch the numbers. They can do all kinds of graphs and just things in Excel that you, you like, you wouldn't believe.

But not all of us can have a conversation that is easy to understand. So I think that definitely is part of the special sauce where, yes, we can talk about the quantitative analysis and all that great stuff.

But also, I'm going to say, hey, I saw your budget and you were over the spending category. Can we talk about this? Right?

And it did not feel like somebody is talking above you and attacking you, but it's like, really somebody is a cheerleader in your corner that wants you to win. So I do think that's the secret sauce.

Gresham Harkless 12:09

Yeah, absolutely. I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack.

So this could be like an Apple book or even a habit that you have, but what's something you lean on that makes you more effective and efficient?

Tremaine Wills 12:20

My hack is my assistant, OK? And it took me a long time to get an assistant because I have trust issues. Had, I will not claim that anymore. I had trust issues.

And I think it just comes from starting as a CEO early and being a bit immature. I expected people to just know what I wanted and deliver without me having to explain or what I thought was over explaining what the deliverable was.

And so in the beginning, I just had a lot of bad freelance hires. So there was this level of like, people are out here doing bad work.

And it's like, no, you suck as the CEO, right? But once I got better with identifying, what the deliverable is, what the expectations are, I hired a really good executive assistant.

I'm like, oh my gosh, I needed you like five years ago. But she's definitely the secret sauce. A good hire is paramount.

It buys back time. It just, it adds a layer between you and some different things that you shouldn't be doing as a CEO. But yeah, Jackie, if you hear this, man, you're awesome.

Gresham Harkless 13:28

Absolutely. We definitely appreciate you, Jack. So I wanted to ask you now for what I call a CEO nugget.

So this is a little bit more word of wisdom or piece of advice. You might've already touched on this, but this is something you might tell your favorite client, or if you hopped into a time machine, you might tell your younger business self.

Tremaine Wills 13:43

I think around those lines though is, we really have to have a confidence in ourselves and our ability to figure things out.

Entrepreneurship is definitely a roller coaster, but the more confident you become in your ability to problem solve and, do what you say you'll do.

I think that's when you start to reach higher levels of success. and more consecutive success because you're like, I'm gonna figure this out.

And there's just like this confidence that comes with that, which allows you to execute at a higher level and to just, you know, do hard things. So yeah, I would tell the folks like, you're awesome. And you just got to know that.

Gresham Harkless 14:22

Yeah, that's such a huge thing. Now I want to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO and our goals to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So Tremaine, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Tremaine Wills 14:33

Being a CEO to me means being a creator. You get to design, you get to create, right? One of the things I was thinking about earlier today was like, what do I truly want to build?

And am I in alignment with what I said I wanted to build? And so just thinking about like the lifestyle I want to live and some of the same things I go with, I do with my clients and, you know, am I in alignment?

Is this, what I'm building How can I pull all the elements of what I want from retirement closer to the present and really just enjoy being the CEO now?

I don't have to wait until 40, 45. I can live, you know, semi-retirement now, right? So I love that as a CEO, it's like, you are a creator and you don't have to be in a creative industry, you know, to be a creative.

Gresham Harkless 15:28

Tremaine, truly appreciate that definition. Of course, I appreciate your time even more. So what I want to do now is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know.

And of course, how best people can get on view, find out about all the awesome things that you're working on.

Tremaine Wills 15:42

So if you would like to connect with me, my social media handles are Tremaine Wills, at Tremaine Wills, literally everywhere. I'm like Visa. Everywhere, every platform you want to be, in

IAM2411 – Founder and Radio Host Shares the Impact of Co-ops on Communities

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 06:16:56 -0400

Vernon Oakes is the host of the leading weekly national radio program for the U.S. cooperative community. He is also a general partner in Everything Co-op Communications, LLC, a media company focused on cooperative business models.

Vernon shares his journey, starting with his upbringing in Bluefield, West Virginia, and his experience attending Bluefield State College.

He delved into real estate, property management, and eventually, co-op housing, specifically limited equity co-ops.

Vernon explains that co-ops are businesses owned and controlled by their members. A well-known example is worker co-ops, where employees have a say in business operations and profits.

Vernon emphasizes that co-ops allow workers to petition for better pay and benefits from the government.

He highlights the importance of involving underrepresented groups, like Black women, in decision-making and leadership roles, as they often don’t receive the recognition they deserve in capitalist systems.

Vernon discusses the importance of communication and feedback, citing principles from The One Minute Manager.

LinkedIn: Vernon Oakes

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Transcription:

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Vernon Oakes Teaser 00:00

A co-op is a business that's created by and for its members. Whatever the members are who owns it, they create the business and they get the benefit of whatever the co-op produces.

Let's take, if the business is owned and controlled by the employees, it's called a worker co-op. So you can have any business you can think of could be a worker co-op.

Intro 00:27

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:51

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the IMCEO podcast, and I have an awesome guest on the show today. I have Vernon Oaks. Vernon, excited to have you on.

Vernon Oakes 01:01

Thank you, Gresh.

Gresham Harkless 01:02

I am excited to be here. Thank you for having me. Absolutely. And Vernon is doing so many awesome things.

I'm super excited to have him on to get the opportunity to hear his story, hear about all the awesome things that he's doing.

And of course, before we do that, I want to read a little bit more about Vernon so you can hear about some of those awesome things.

And Vernon hosts the leading weekly national radio program for the U.S. cooperative community.

He is general partner in Everything Co-op Communications, LLC, a media company that promotes cooperative business models by providing education and resources specifically for under-resourced Americans and their communities.

And I was doing a little bit of homework before we jumped on the podcast. Vernon's doing so many awesome things.

One of the things that was really cool is that he taught at Howard University, which I graduated from, so I have to make sure to shout that out. as a fellow bison.

And then he also has recognition for his contributions in the cooperative movement. He was inducted into the U.S. Cooperative Hall of Fame in October 2024.

And one of the really powerful things I was listening to when I was listening to his video is that they said that he seeks transformation through co-op education.

And I think that I'm a big quotes person. I was an English major, so one of the things that I think he said that his coach said when he was in high school is that winners never quit and a quitter never wins.

So I'm super excited to talk about everything co-op and all the education that we can have. But Vernon, I have one question for you. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Vernon Oakes 02:28

Absolutely.

[restrict paid=”true”]

Gresham Harkless 02:29

All right, let's get it started then. So to kind of kick everything off, I know I touched on it a little bit.

Let's rewind the clock, hear a little bit more on how you got started with a call your CEO story.

Vernon Oakes 02:38

So I grew up in Bluefield, West Virginia, which is a very small town. And I ended up, we integrated schools in 1955.

I was in the third grade. West Virginia integrated schools earlier than most. So I went through majority white schools and elementary, middle school, and high school.

And then I went to Bluefield State College, which is right there in Bluefield. It's a historically black college that is now 95% white. Okay.

They took it, literally took it over. And so from Stanford, I worked at Cummings Engine Company, and I then took a job as international parts marketing director.

So I literally traveled the world and I took the job to go to Africa. And I went everywhere, but I even went to Australia. Okay.

And I traveled the world and saw, and I would want to, I would walk to see how people live. That's what I was extremely interested in.

How do different people live? From Cummings in Columbus, Indiana, I went to Puerto Rico and I ran a distributorship for them in Puerto Rico and got really bit by the entrepreneur spirit.

I had an option to buy this company. It didn't work, but it was a great, great deal if it had worked.

And so then I just came to DC. I just pick and choose where I was. I decided either Atlanta or DC. I wanted to be around Black folk.

I'd been around white people all of this time, and I just wanted to be in communities, so I went to DC.

A little bit closer to Bluefield, where my mom was still living, so that was the main trigger. Ended up teaching at Howard, doing some consulting, selling real estate.

And then I started a property management business, and I started managing and got introduced to cooperative, affordable housing cooperatives.

They were called limited equity co-ops. When I first heard about them, Gresh, I thought it was white folks trying to make sure that black folks couldn't get any equity.

They were limited equity co-op. And I just got fascinated about it. There's seven co-op principles. The fifth one is education, training, and information.

Since education is part of my background, I had 11 years of teaching. It was fascinating watching people, adults, get the education they needed, just-in-time education, to run a business.

From there, I got that most people didn't know what a co-op is. Even if they were in a credit union, they didn't know it was a co-op.

Even if they bought cabbage, cheese, or what's this? These different drinks, they are co-ops, but people don't know it.

So I started as the president of NAHC going to podcasts, radio shows, everywhere I could and spread the word.

And so I'm on my cousin's radio show at WOL in DC. It's called a Thornton Business Hour. And she, when we finished, the person that runs the station, Karen Jackson, came out and put her finger in my face and said, you should have your own show.

That's where the idea came, okay? That's 12 years ago, June, 12 years ago. And we decided, Pat and I, that we would do it for one month. October is co-op month.

So we decided we would do the show for one month, that month came, we did the show, and I just thoroughly enjoyed the conversations.

Like you enjoy your conversations with your guests, I enjoyed the conversation. And just constantly learning about co-ops and people that are into co-ops and the different types of co-ops.

So looking at all of the different co-ops and then all of the people that support co-ops is the ecosystem.

So I have people on the show that talks about all of this and then government officials that know about co-op.

Gresham Harkless 06:41

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I definitely do want to drill down a little bit deeper, because I imagine that's a lot of the conversations that you're having on your show as well, too, is like, first and foremost, like, what is a co-op?

And then like, kind of understanding, like, the benefit for black and brown people and how this I don't know if that's even doing it justice.

This opportunity may be a better way to say or just awareness of it can provide so much opportunity for people that don't know much about it.

Vernon Oakes 07:08

So this thing is a business. Okay. So this business, a co-op is a business. that's created by and for its members.

Whatever the members are who owns it, they create the business and they get the benefit of whatever the co-op produces.

Let's take, if the business is owned and controlled by the employees, okay? It's called a worker co-op.

So you can have any business you can think of, could be a worker co-op. I've had some people say to me, if you get over 500 people, employees, then that may not make a good co-op, but I don't buy that.

In Mondragon, Spain, they have a consortium of co-ops, and they, I don't know, 20,000 people in them or something. They have a bank, a school, they have a lot.

So I don't buy this worker co-op can be no larger than 500 employees. Yeah, it's already proven that's not the case.

So if you, I, and two other people, well, there's everything co-op communications. There's four of us that started that. It's a work, we own it. It's a media company.

And so we created a company and then we created a nonprofit also that the company owns. The largest worker co-op in the U.S. is 1,500 member home health care in New York.

So if you take home health care like child care, they don't normally get paid much and they are at the bottom of the level.

They're essential workers that are not paid and treated essentially, okay? So they now have a say in their scheduling because they're members, which is huge because a lot of these folks have children and they have to be able to do their scheduling.

They have a say in creating how much they get paid. The problem with home health care is that the government sets what Medicare can pay for home health care.

So now if you have a group of home healthcare workers or co-op organizations working together.

They can now petition the U.S. government to change the pay step so that these workers can get more money so that they can live a quality life. So there's a lot of benefits for cooperation.

Gresham Harkless 09:53

Yeah, that's a huge thing. And I appreciate you so much and breaking that down. And I almost feel like in this might be part of your secret sauce or just your show and everything is the ability.

I think, it comes in my mind is like you can you can go faster, you can go farther. And in order to go farther, you want to go together.

And it sounds like that's the spirit of like understanding not just the collective, but actually that business model and what it can do.

I think if you think strategically on how you can employ that, like you said, all the examples that you give, it gives a great opportunity where it's not a win-lose or a lose-win.

It's a win-win-win because you pull things collectively so that you can reach whatever goal you want to reach.

You're a convert. There we go. For me, it sounds like it's very much so rooted in abundance. I don't know if you feel like that'd be a hack and that's something that is so huge.

Vernon Oakes 10:43

When you sell something, you sell it for a little less than what it's worth. So you're giving somebody something to start with. Right. Okay. I had a guy on the show named Joseph. Okay.

So I had him on the show. He talked about umbuntu. Umbuntu is, he said, an African way of being, a Southern African way of being that says that I am because Gresh is, and Gresh is because Vernon is.

We're constantly looking out for each other. He said the reason Mandela could not hurt the jailers and the people that put him in jail, because he would be hurting himself.

And I was going to say, boy, it would have been great if those Europeans felt that way. But that Umbuntu is at the core of cooperative. I am because you are and you are because I am. we exist for each other.

Gresham Harkless 11:48

That's such a huge thing. So I wanted to ask you a little bit more of what I call a CEO nugget. So this is kind of like a word of wisdom or piece of advice.

But I really want to drill down and understand, like, if someone is listening to this and they understand that that is a business model that I want to try to adopt, like, how do people do it?

And also, like, when is it a good fit for people to start to adopt that within their business structure or their organization that they have?

Vernon Oakes 12:14

A lady by the name of Dane Pauline Green, this is a nugget. She was the president of the International Cooperative Alliance.

Had her on a show and she said, co-ops help people to come out of poverty with dignity. That thing dignity is more important to me than the monetary wealth.

When a senior woman has a say in a business, how that business operates. Now I put women because our black women, they get it because they're a woman and they get it because they're black. Okay.

And they're not, women are not listened to in the, in the, in the, in the capitalistic world.

Black women definitely are not, unless they act like an angry black woman, whether angry or not.

But at any rate, when you're in an organization and people will hear you, and your word directs and helps to direct that company. That's where the dignity comes.

Gresham Harkless 13:14

Absolutely. So I want to ask you now my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO.

And our goal is to have different quote-unquote CEOs on this show. So Vernon, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Vernon Oakes 13:25

Right now, I'm in a interim position with a group called Columinate. They can do what's expected of them.

They've got the training, they got the material, whether it's computers or lasers or whatever they need, they've got what they need to do their job.

They know what to do. They have the materials to do what they need to do. And then they hold them accountable.

They tell them when they do it right. They tell them when they do it wrong. But you don't tell them when they do it wrong until you know they can do it and they got everything they need.

That to me is what a CEO or anybody with any title ought to be doing. In the workplace, I tell people something's going to change.

You're either going to do it or I'm going to have to find somebody else to do it. But the work is going to get done. That's my job. Make sure the work is done.

So change is going to happen here if you're not doing it. And if you're doing it right, The only change I would want is if you can figure out a way of maybe even doing it more efficiently or effectively.

But it's having those communications with people, the CEO, the manager, supervisor. It doesn't make any difference.

They know what they're supposed to do. They can do it. You hold them accountable. Tell them why it's important to continue to do or to change. Give them the feedback.

And the greatest feedback is communications and pats on the back. accomplishments. Next is money.

Okay, so you line up all of that. That to me is what a manager does. And you get that from the book, The One Minute Manager.

And I learned about that in the 80s. I graduated from Stanford in 76. So I didn't learn about that until afterwards and then put it in place.

Gresham Harkless 15:27

Vernon, truly appreciate that. And of course, I appreciate your time even more. So what I want to do now is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know.

And of course, how best people can get on view, subscribe, or find out about your radio show and find out about all the awesome things that you all are doing.

Vernon Oakes 15:43

You can go to everything.coop, and you can listen to 430 episodes on there. Put in Dr. Jessica Gordon-Nembhard and you can get the five or so.

A guy named Malik McKinney was on. McKinney was on. He's out of Detroit, the Detroit Food Co-op.

Gresham Harkless 16:03

Absolutely. Well, I truly appreciate that, Vernon. Of course, we're going to have the links and information in the show notes as well, too, so that everybody can find out about all the awesome shows.

There's loads and loads and loads and loads of nuggets and resources and conversations that you're having, and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Vernon Oakes 16:18

Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I love talking to you anytime.

Outro 16:23

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by CBNation and Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community.

Don't forget to schedule your complimentary digital marketing consultation at Blue16media.com. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.

IAMCEO Podcast Transcript

In the ever-evolving world of entrepreneurship, the constant push for hustle often overshadows the vital need for harmony. Asmâa Methqal, a global business consultant and the creator of the Fire & Flow leadership methodology, emphasizes that true success lies in balancing action with intuition. This powerful approach not only ignites businesses but also nurtures holistic leadership.

In this blog, the reader will be let into the secrets of Asmâa on how entrepreneurs manage to maintain a good balance of both their personal and professional lives resulting in them being fulfilled as well as successful.

Understanding the Fire & Flow Methodology

The process of Asmâa is Fire & Flow is applied is to enable these leaders reconnect with their major aim and resolve the intricacies of contemporary business. The main parts of this way are: Fire, representing action and execution, and Flow, which symbolizes trust in one's intuition and inner strength.

The pandemic saw a good number of entrepreneurs who had to go through emotional disconnectedness that prevented them from being their true selves. According to Asmâa, the curfew which was the major part of the pandemic stimulates individuals to stay still that finally letting them realize a truth: one should firstly focus on being and then do it. The new outlook is visible but is necessary for one to dream and to succeed.

The Importance of Self-Leadership

The subject of Asmâa is self-leadership, which is the key to her teachings. According to her, there are indeed many people who follow the career paths predetermined by society rather than their own wishes. As a result, they become unwelcome and sometimes destituted people. Asmâa brings up the fact that entrepreneurs have to face the difficult question about their actual selves. The question that is, “If there were no limits, who would you be?” This question acts as a stimulus for the realization of what you are on earth for.

The path of self-identification is about getting rid of the burden of external validation and accepting one's distinct advantages. Asmâa tells her story about how she had to climb the wrong ladder in her profession only to find out that the real happiness is in the conformity of their actions with their inner essence.

Creating Sacred White Space

Among the main practices Asmâa promotes the formation of sacred white space in our timetables. This means purposely taking time out to stop and reflect, which is a great way for people to get back to their own inner wisdom. In a society that is often very busy doing things and seemingly too busy to just be, the simple act of just being could open up a whole new world of understanding and clarity.

According to Asmâa, it is best to start with small steps—like spending a few minutes each day to do this practice. Individuals can deepen their connection to intuition and creativity by the act of sending a message to the self that this time is valuable.

Embracing the Duality of Being and Doing

Business owners regularly find themselves caught in a conflict between being efficient and giving up the pressure of existence. Asmâa brings up that it is essential to find a fair balance between the two states. Instead of seeing them as opposing, she supports the inclusion of both in one's daily life.

The state of equilibrium that allows people to grow both emotionally and professionally, therefore, will bring about more joy to their business voyages. The entrepreneurs, who choose to rely on their gut feelings and love who they are, will be the ones to make available to the company an environment that nurtures creativity and innovation.

Transformational Insights for Entrepreneurs

Through her work experience, Asmâa has come to realize the impactful ability of self-acceptance and being true to oneself. She motivates enterprisers to express themselves allowing no apologies, having noticed that their diversity in idea is what distinguishes them in the market.

Innovation of the heart and authenticity of the leader are the two things that entrepreneurs need to have in order to influence others and form valuable links. Asmâa's last piece of advice is spot on: to go within and discover your essence. This path of self-awareness is the grounding of meaningful and lasting success both at work and in daily life.

Conclusion

The journey towards harmonious entrepreneurship is not a destination but a continuous process of self-discovery and growth. By integrating the principles of Fire & Flow, creating sacred white space, and embracing the duality of being and doing, entrepreneurs can unlock their full potential and lead with purpose.

CEO Hacks for additional resources and strategies.

Podcast Episode: https://iamceo.co/2024/12/13/iam2314-global-business-consultant-empowers-leaders-and-businesses-to-unlock-their-potential/

LinkedIn: Asmâa Methqal

Website: Fire and Flow with Asmâa

Instagram: iamasmaa

Previous Episode: iam612-educator-harnesses-teams-collective-strengths

The post Why Entrepreneurs Need Harmony, Not Hustle appeared first on CBNation TV - Entrepreneurship Videos, Steps to Start a Small Business.

IAM2410 – Event Planner Helps Create a Great Client Experience with a Touch of Hospitality

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 06:16:27 -0400

Dee McCoy is an event planner who worked with Akia on the design, décor, and aesthetic elements of the conference to make the environment engaging and visually pleasing, especially since it was a gloomy day outside.

Dee’s reasons for attending the event were threefold: to pour back into her business, to reconnect with her own work after focusing on clients' needs, and to introduce her daughter, a young entrepreneur, to the business world with a Christ-centered foundation.

She learns that clients often struggle to understand hotel jargon, and her goal became to bridge that gap, ensuring both the hotel’s needs and the client’s vision were aligned for successful events.

Dee helps clients execute their vision while ensuring the event meets both aesthetic and logistical requirements, such as negotiating contracts and managing budget expectations.

Her business is defined by the idea that “the difference is in the details,” and she takes pride in offering valuable advice and insights, even if it means stepping in to help when needed.

Dee highlights the importance of continuous learning and honing your craft. She also discusses that business owners should always learn something that replenishes them as well.

Instagram: mdmassociatesdc

Facebook: Events by MDM Associates

Previous Episode: iam240-event-planner-helps-create-a-great-client-experience-with-a-touch-of-hospitality

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Transcription:

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Dee McCoy Teaser 00:00

To help my clients get their vision to kind of align or work in tandem with the hotel's vision so that everybody's on the same page to make the event a success, from the hotel hitting their numbers.

And getting all of their, I's dotted and T's crossed, and then the client's vision to having their event be as successful and as legendary as they'd like it to be.

Intro 00:23

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:48

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast, and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Dee McCoy of MDM Associates. Dee, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Dee McCoy 00:59

Thanks so much for having me.

[restrict paid=”true”]

Gresham Harkless 01:00

No problem. Super excited to have you on. And could you tell us a little bit more about what brought you to the conference, what you were hoping to get out?

Dee McCoy 01:06

So it's twofold. I worked with Akia on the design and decor and decoration and the pageantry for the event to make the event aesthetically pleasing to all of the participants.

So they have something nice to look at. It's kind of a gloomy day outside, so they have something to hold their attention, pops of color in the room.

Make a nice seating area outside of the ballroom space in case they needed to take a moment to make a phone call or just step out so they'd have something comfortable.

And I wanted to pour back into my business. My business is a lot of external, so it's a lot of me pouring out of myself into what my clients' visions are for their events.

So this is my time to pour back into myself so that I constantly have a full picture. I guess it's threefold because I also brought my daughter, who is a young entrepreneur, and I wanted her to learn the basics of the business. And that starts with Christ and having a Christ-centered foundation.

Gresham Harkless 02:03

Absolutely. Well, you're doing an absolutely phenomenal job, especially I've been to events and sometimes I know my gift is not an event planning.

So I don't take for granted any of this stuff I see because you assume that everything just happens.

You just walk in there and it happens, but there's definitely people behind the scenes of you creating the strategy and executing on that strategy.

That's what sounds like what you do. Absolutely. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So could you tell me a little bit about how you got started? Could you tell me what I call it, like your CEO story?

Dee McCoy 02:28

So for me, I kind of started in hotels. So all of the tables and chairs and meetings with clients to get them to book into a hotel, I started as the hotel point of contact.

What I learned in that is that a lot of clients don't understand hotel speak. They don't understand the hotel's vision for your event, which is very different than the client's vision.

So what prompted me to kind of start my own business is to take the knowledge that I have as a hospitality professional and use that to help my clients get their vision to kind of align or work in tandem with the hotel's vision so that everybody's on the same page to make the event a success.

From the hotel hitting their numbers and getting all of their, I's dotted and T's crossed. And then the client's vision to having their event be as successful and as legendary as they'd like it to be.

Gresham Harkless 03:21

That makes perfect sense. And it's funny. And again, I haven't been a lot of event marketing or event planning, but sometimes I forget.

I didn't even think about it until you just said it about the hotel or whatever, the venue having their own goals that they're trying to hit as well, too.

So to be able to kind of dial into that and make sure that that is understood and executed on every level is huge. It sounds like.

Absolutely. Did you just decide that you wanted to get started like one day or was it something that took a little bit of time?

Dee McCoy 03:46

So it was a kind of a marriage of two things. I had a lot of clients who would ask me, so what does this mean in a contract? How fluid is that? What can I do?

And then from the hotel side, there are times when you're like, I don't understand why they don't get it. Like, why don't they know what I mean when I say certain things?

And my clients would ask me kind of off the record, like, so what can I do? And what can I do? And how can I?

And why do they say this? And what does that mean? And I would talk to them outside of business.

Sometimes after hours, sometimes on the phone at home. And one day my husband was like, why don't you do that for yourself?

Like they clearly know that you're the expert. They call you. They don't call your boss. They don't call somebody else. You haven't worked with them in three years.

They're in another city, but they're asking you to help them. Like, why don't you do that on your own?

And then I was like, well, I'm not really sure. And then I kind of gave myself a goal, like by this date I want to do.

And then my husband was always like, so you ready to do it? Like, this isn't the time that I said, and like, I'm not ready. And then finally he was like, like, you're really ready.

Like either start as a consultant and get them to pay you for the knowledge that they know you have.

And then, so I started that way. And then it was like, okay, I had a lot of clients that were consulting that it was like, okay, now I need to do this for real because it is meant for me to take this to the next step.

So I started to pull back a little from my hospitality job and pour more into a different avenue of hospitality because it's still hospitality.

It's just kind of making the difference between one person saying one thing and one person saying the other thing when they're really saying the same thing. They're just using different terms.

Gresham Harkless 05:21

It's kind of like a translator or something.

Dee McCoy 05:23

Absolutely.

Gresham Harkless 05:23

Interesting, interesting. Yeah, it's definitely huge because you don't know what the other being the other being the hotel venue actually wants.

And you kind of want to understand exactly what the client wants and be able to have that be a win-win situation. So it kind of sounds like that's exactly what you want.

Dee McCoy 05:38

Absolutely. And because I have the hospitality lingo, because I work in hotels, I am able to take the client's vision and kind of put that into, OK, hotelier, this is what they're asking.

This is what they want. I know this covers this business. And once I use their language, then they know that I know what I'm talking about.

And the conversation changes because they now see me as a partner because they know they can talk to me in their terms and I can relay that back to the client in their terms. And everybody's happy.

Gresham Harkless 06:06

Absolutely. Win, win, win situation. So I love that. And I know you touched on a little bit. Was there any more you can add to that?

Like how you work with clients and what you do to kind of get them started? Like how do they find you? What do they do?

Dee McCoy 06:16

So, I'm on social media. A lot of my marketing and imagery is geared towards more social events in terms of weddings and parties and things like that.

But I do corporate events, summits, workshops, such as the one we're attending. Clients can find me on online events by MDM associates, you'll find me.

And what I always start with, I have a questionnaire, it's about seven pages, but it's a lot of, if you don't need it, you don't have to fill this part out.

But what it does is it builds the foundation. From there, after I look through everything and compile everything that I need for the next step.

Then we schedule a discovery call, last about 15 minutes, have five key questions that I need to know in order to know first if we're the right fit to make sure that I am the planner for you and that you're the client for me.

Because we need that synergy. That has to be there first. So after we go there, then we start into building what the next steps look like.

To go from there, pricing comes into what contracting terms look like, what exactly it is. And then sometimes we hit a place and that's all we need.

And then there's sometimes where we started on a path of, I just need this. And then the direction changed because now you see additional areas that I can offer assistance.

Because while, yes, I do staging and table decor and things like that. If you need me to call the hotel and negotiate your entire contract, I can do that too.

If you have, I don't like the adage of champagne tastes and then kind of boxed wine budget.

But if you are a more budget conscious person, I'm going to make sure that it looks like a champagne budget because everyone deserves to have that special moment.

Whether it's a conference, whether it's your wedding, your event is your event. And I am the difference between an average event and an exceptional event.

Gresham Harkless 08:12

Absolutely. Absolutely. And I love that. And I love especially, making sure that you do a lot of the work.

It sounds like in the very beginning, like if I have that question, are you understanding if they're on the same page, if you're absolutely on the same page as far as like we are able to execute exactly what you want.

And I love that as far as like the execution as well, too. So now I want to ask you for what I call your secret sauce.

And this could be your unique selling proposition. What do you feel kind of distinguishes you or makes you unique?

Dee McCoy 08:34

So when I started my business, I knew what we were going to call it because it is me. I am the D in my business.

My name is Desiree, and that's what the D is. My husband, however, was the driving force behind me actually taking the step.

He is the first M in my business. The last M is our last name, McCoy, because together, this is what we do.

This is who we are. If I need a wall built, he is going to build it. If I need, oh, I don't know if I want to make that phone call today.

I have a really difficult client. He is the one that's like, take time away from everything else. Find your space. Find your time. Do it.

You know what it is you need to do. Go ahead and handle it. So that was easy. What was not as easy was defining my business.

I knew what it was we do. I knew why we do it. But it was kind of what sets us apart. And one of my girlfriends was like, it's you.

You're the difference. You are so detailed and so on top of, you have already thought of three more questions after you asked your first question.

And from there, that's where our tagline came. The difference is in the details. I am the difference, but the details, the attention to detail that I pay is what makes sure that every event that I am a part of whether I'm in charge of it.

Whether I'm behind the scenes, whether I'm an attendee, I am going to make sure that if I see something that isn't flowing right, I may overstep and say, hey, you guys know you should be doing this as opposed to this.

Why don't you do? And then I will go back and say, hell no, I'm not running your event, but let me explain to you what I saw and what I did and why I did it.

Because I want you to know, I'm not trying to step on your toes. But I want your event to be flawless because when you're running an event, you don't see all of the things that happen all the time. If I see it, I'm going to say it.

Gresham Harkless 10:22

Right. No, I absolutely love that. And I love that because it's the details, but it's also the experience with the details.

Because I think you can be very detail oriented, have never run an event in your life and you don't really see all those details.

So I really love that experience because I was just talking with somebody earlier and I was saying that I saw something on Instagram that said that I guess somebody paid a contractor to come and fix whatever it is that they need to get fixed that came.

It took literally 10 minutes for them to turn a screw and figure out exactly what the issue was.

But you didn't pay them for the 10 minutes. You paid them for the 10 years of experience that they had been learning how to turn that screw.

So kind of sounds like the same thing. Absolutely. Awesome, awesome, awesome. So what I wanted to do was switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack.

And this might be an Apple book or a habit that you have, but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient.

Dee McCoy 11:05

So for me, time is one of the most important factors in my personal life, my professional life, and to my clients as well.

In order to keep up with industry trends and things like that, you have to be on social media and have a social media presence.

Social media can take up a lot of your time. For a business person, it has to be strategic. It has to be well thought out.

But like I said, it takes up a lot of your time. That's your greatest commodity. So for me, it's an app that's called RecurPost.

And that's R-E-C-U-R, post. You can post to up to three social media platforms for free. You can schedule your posts out.

You can go as far out as the app will let you. I have it scheduled to post on various different days at various different times based on the different algorithms of what time and day get the most hits and things like that.

But the app will also prompt you on what it says are the best times. Sometimes these apps kind of talk to each other.

So what I'll do occasionally is if it's telling me that that's the best time to post, I'll pick that time to see what happens.

And if that doesn't work, then I go back to what has shown is beneficial to my business on the different platforms.

What that also does is it allows me to say I'm posting to Instagram and then the other two platforms that I use are Twitter and Google.

It allows me to take that content. It reminds me to do it. So I know that it's that it's happening at that time.

So it'll remind me to go to Instagram. It'll make sure that I'm not on my personal Instagram. I'm on my professional Instagram because I like to mix them when I want to.

I don't want them to order. I don't want all of my posts about my business to come from my personal page. I like to talk about my personal stuff on my personal page.

Gresham Harkless 12:47

That makes perfect sense. It's kind of like your business can be open 24/7 even though you don't have to be up 24-7.

Now I want to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO.

We're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show, so I wanted to ask you, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Dee McCoy 13:01

So for me, my business is events. That is my area of expertise. So the traditional definition of CEO is different for me because it kind of mirrors all of my passions.

The C is for creative because, when you think of an event, a workshop, the room that we're in, the flowers make it different. that brought in the creative.

You're still here for a workshop, but it kind of brightens the room. It puts something different in it.

This isn't just your average summit, so it shouldn't look like your average meeting room. You don't necessarily feel like you're in a meeting.

When we were setting up yesterday, the banquet staff saw all the florals and all the vases and were like, I thought this was like a workshop. It looks like a party.

So that let me know that what my vision was spot on. The E is for experience and events. I create epic experiences. My passion is events.

So regardless of whether it's a workshop, a summit, a training, it is still an experience and it is an event.

You came here for something transformative to happen. So I bring that in. And then the O is organizer.

That is what I do. You came in for a creative event that was organized. Everything went according to a plan.

We deviated a little bit

IAM2409 – DMV Entrepreneur Specializes in Modern Headshots Photography

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 06:16:09 -0400

Crystale Spearman is the founder of Eye Imagery, a photography business primarily focused on headshots for entrepreneurs and business owners.

Crystale organizes a monthly event called “Smize and Socialize” for female entrepreneurs, business owners, and bloggers, where they can network and get free headshots.

Crystale discusses Eye Imagery, focusing on her work with headshots, primarily for entrepreneurs and business owners who need professional photos for business cards, websites, and social media.

She emphasizes the importance of professional headshots for entrepreneurs, which are different from selfies and require a more thoughtful approach to ensure they look polished and professional.

Crystal learns the value of narrowing her niche and building her brand around what she truly loves to do.

Website: EYEImagery

LinkedIn: Crystale Vail Spearman

Previous Episode: iam239-dmv-entrepreneur-specializes-in-modern-headshots-photography

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Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Crystale Spearman Teaser 00:00

I mostly work with people that are entrepreneurs, business owners who need headshots for business cards, websites, social media, anything like that.

I kind of do the modern end of headshots where they kind of include their personality because that's what people are kind of looking for now.

So I give them an opportunity to show off their personality and things that they're doing.

Intro 00:20

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:47

All right. Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast. We have Crystale Spearman of Eye Imagery, because I can't say it right.

So I told you I mess up more than you. So Crystale of Eye Imagery. So Crystale, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Crystale Spearman Teaser 01:00

Thank you.

Gresham Harkless 01:00

I appreciate the time. And I wanted to get an idea a little bit more about what you do and what brought you here today.

Crystale Spearman 01:06

Well, what brought me here is actually I met Akia at another event that I hold for entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial women, and I give them headshots for an evening of networking and things.

So she came to that event and then because of that, she invited me to this event. And I was gladly coming out because I heard of the topics and everything.

So she just had me come out, take a few headshots of her guests if they wanted it. And that's how I ended up here.

[restrict paid=”true”]

Gresham Harkless 01:29

Okay. Okay. What was the event that you, uh, that you were holding? Are you hosting it?

Crystale Spearman 01:32

Yeah. So I have a monthly event called, Smize and Socialize, and it's an event for female entrepreneurs that are business owners, bloggers, or just a brand that they represent.

And, I have that monthly event where they can come out and get a free headshot. Oh, that's okay.

They can come out and get a free headshot and also network with each other and things like that.

Gresham Harkless 01:53

Okay. Okay. You're based out of the Washington DC Baltimore area. Okay. Okay. So anybody that's local to that area can come out.

Crystale Spearman 01:59

And actually move around. I have a different host site, so I do go between Baltimore DC and anywhere in between. So every month is at a different location.

Gresham Harkless 02:07

Okay. Okay. Now tell me, I guess a little bit more of what you're doing with eye imagery. So are you doing headshots? I know you're doing headshots here today.

Crystale Spearman 02:14

So headshots is the only thing that I do right now. I mostly work with people that are entrepreneurs, business owners who need headshots for business cards, websites, social media, anything like that.

I kind of do the modern end of headshots where they kind of include their personality because that's what people are kind of looking for now.

So I give them an opportunity to show off their personality and things that they're doing.

Gresham Harkless 02:35

Okay, absolutely. So, all right, so you told me a little bit about what you do. Tell me a little bit about what do you feel kind of makes you unique? What do you feel is like your secret sauce and kind of sets you apart?

Crystale Spearman 02:46

I can say what people tell me all the time. So what it is, is everyone says that I kind of make them comfortable with the posing guidance.

I make them feel like, they're doing great. They're feeling great. They're looking great.

Gresham Harkless 02:59

Okay, that wasn't just for everybody? That wasn't just for me? I did feel special, so I can, I can assess to that.

Crystale Spearman 03:06

I want those good pictures, so, I got to get them going. So people often say, they work with other photographers or whatever, and they're just like, OK, go.

They don't know what to do. So I'm like, I want to, I want to negate that and give them some good vibes so that they, their pictures look good in the end.

Like, it definitely shows in the final pictures that they were kind of loose, they were laughing, they were having a good time.

So that's what, that's the feedback that I get often. So that's what I kind of run with.

Gresham Harkless 03:32

Yeah, I can definitely attest to that. I haven't just done my pictures myself. And it's funny that you say that, because a lot of times, I guess you have to go.

We talked a little bit offline about bad experiences. Sometimes you go through bad experiences, you appreciate good experiences.

But taking the pictures was definitely, I felt like I was a pro. And I'm probably not, because if I was really in front of somebody else, I wouldn't have went.

Crystale Spearman 03:49

Yeah, that's what I want. I want them to feel like they know what they're doing. So I couldn't just have you sit here and just be like, all right, let me snap.

Just do what you're going to do, because they're going to look crazy later. They're not knowing how I was looking in the camera or any of that.

They're stiff. They're like, I don't know what I'm doing. So I definitely try to give them that energy so that they get going.

I let them loose at the end so that they can kind of do their own thing. But by then, they're good and warmed up.

Gresham Harkless 04:14

Yeah, that makes sense. And is that how you came through that process of everything? Or is it just, like, vibes, just understanding, like, who the person is and just going with that?

Crystale Spearman 04:21

Probably for, you mean, the process of helping people along?

Gresham Harkless 04:24

Yeah, like how you would say, do this pose or that pose that you just kind of play off of.

Crystale Spearman 04:28

Yep. So it's been, like, years in the making. So over time, there's certain poses that I know look good on camera. I'm like, hit this angle, hit this angle.

Over time, I've definitely learned that if you leave them to their own devices, there's certain go to's that everybody's going to do.

And I'm just like, you can't do that for every picture. You're not going to like it when you see it. Trust me.

You can't lean back. So I'm looking up your nose. You can't show me the same side of the face every time.

You need some options. So just over the time, doing so many head shots and so many shoots, just learning after a while what works and what doesn't, especially for entrepreneurs who need these shots for certain type of things.

They might not realize, a professional headshot is kind of different than a selfie or whatever.

So just kind of garnering that expertise over years and years of taking people's faces. Cool.

Gresham Harkless 05:15

That's good. And it's funny, I just saw something on, I think it was like Instagram. And a lot of people said, even though it takes me 10 minutes to do this, you don't pay me for 10 minutes.

You pay me for the 30 years that I've been doing it. A lot of people, you know, stiff people about price and things like that. But a lot of people don't take into account the repetition of how that builds out.

Crystale Spearman 05:30

And how it comes out differently than, if you did just go off the cuff with somebody else.

Gresham Harkless 05:36

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So I'm going to switch gears a little bit. OK. And I want to ask you for something that's called a CEO hack.

And this is something that you use that makes you more effective and efficient. So it could be something tangible.

It might be a habit that you have. But what do you feel kind of gives you that edge that makes you do what you do so well?

Crystale Spearman 05:53

Hmm. What do you call it?

Gresham Harkless 05:55

CEO hack.

Crystale Spearman 05:56

CEO hack?

Gresham Harkless 05:57

Uh huh.

Crystale Spearman 05:57

Oh, let me think.

Gresham Harkless 05:59

It could be anything. It might even be something super small that you don't even think about, that you use all the time.

I know, but I probably don't even think about it. I know you gave me one. I could tell you one. I know that you just told me.

Crystale Spearman 06:09

Oh, the timer?

Gresham Harkless 06:09

The timer was one. I'm looking at it too.

Crystale Spearman 06:13

Yes, I did find this little, it's called a Cube Timer. So it's easy to start. I knock it over, but it has definitely been a great hack because as I'm shooting, if I'm shooting volume, a whole bunch of people, I need to keep it moving.

Sometimes it's hard to do when somebody's sitting in front of you and you don't know how much time is passing.

So that is definitely a hack that I have started using where I know exactly how much time is going past because I just knock my little cube timer over two minutes.

I see the lights flash and I'm like, all right, we got to start wrapping this up for the next person. So it definitely helps me get through the lines a lot faster.

Gresham Harkless 06:44

Yeah. And I love that. I love this. We were talking offline the story behind it because a lot of times, you're in the moment, you're doing your thing here and you're in crapping your passion, doing your thing. You don't realize it's like 50 other people.

Crystale Spearman 06:56

So they're like, when am I going to go over? And they're like staring a hole in your brain. Like, when is it my turn? I'm like, my bad. I'm sorry.

So you definitely want to make the person sitting there feeling like they're getting their value out of it.

But you don't want to keep people waiting too long getting tired all that kind of stuff so this is a little fine line of a balance.

So the timer helps a lot, especially when the people are kind of aware of it, too so they're like, okay, I do have kind of a limited amount of time.

But the good thing about it is I can make it where it doesn't make a sound. So, if it is a little wiggle room or something, I can kind of keep it going.

They don't know that the time went off, so they don't know exactly where we are in there, but they know that there's some kind of boundaries.

Gresham Harkless 07:36

Right, right. When I initially saw it, I thought it was like some, what is it, where you can read somebody's fortune or something like that?

Crystale Spearman 07:44

Oh yeah, where you're shaking it with what it says.

Gresham Harkless 07:45

That's what I thought it was. It does look like that. Yeah, so I thought it was pretty cool.

Crystale Spearman 07:48

Yeah, I was happy to find this. It's helped a lot, because not even just with me, like, not knowing when to stop.

But sometimes people get here, they'll see that there's a long line here, but they'll get here and be like, I have to clean my lip gloss, maybe fix my hair.

Like, you've been sitting there the whole time, waiting, just like the person that's waiting after you.

Like, why didn't you do all that? They wait till they get here to make sure everything is good. So I'm like, look, we have a certain amount of time here. So it helps with all of that. It's definitely a good CEO hack.

Gresham Harkless 08:16

I love that CEO hack. It came from experience. That's why I love it so much because it's something you would only know later on.

So after doing a bunch of these shoots that you realize I need to add that in. I love that. Now, let me ask you for another thing.

And it's called a CEO nugget. And this is a word of wisdom or piece of advice. Or if you hopped into a time machine, like what advice would you tell you in your business?

Crystale Spearman 08:36

Tell my younger business self to not take everything just because you can do it. I went through like a period.

It was probably just a couple of years ago where like I went through this year of anything that people were asking me to photograph, I was pretty much doing it, whether it was something I found joy in or not.

Like I've always found joy in headshots. It's like my favorite thing to do. But I did enjoy like certain other types of photo shoots, too.

But I started off with like events and stuff. I didn't like that. But if somebody would ask me or even beg me, it was hard for me to say no.

So every time I would say yes, I would go do it. I would hate it. I'd be like, why did I say yes? And then I would do the whole cycle again.

So I definitely burned myself out that year just trying to do everything. This year where I've really, really honed into the headshot thing has been like my most like freeing, low stress year so far.

And it's also been like my highest revenue year because it's like I really honed in on to a specific thing.

It's what I like to do. It's a specific niche. So if someone's looking for that thing, they're asking me for it as opposed to me saying, I do everything. I do everything.

And there's a ton of people out there that do everything. So now I got to pick and choose.

But if you have this one person like, well, Crystale does headshots for entrepreneurs, modern headshots or whatever, that's who we're going to go to. So it's definitely worked out. I would have bypassed all of that in the past.

Gresham Harkless 09:58

That makes sense. It is funny because people always say the riches is in the niches. So you have to focus down.

But I myself have done a million things to kind of get started where I'm just trying to see like what I like, what I don't like.

And it takes is a process, at least for me to kind of figure that out. It doesn't just happen. But once you are able to laser focus, then it does help out a lot because you start to see and you can break through the noise and all those things.

Crystale Spearman 10:18

Exactly. It takes finding what you like to do. Like I said, I went through I went through all of it and there was other things that I liked.

I really like doing maternity sessions and things like that. I didn't like paying rent for a studio, so that was kind of part in that decision as well. You have to jump in the hospital or something. Exactly.

But yeah, so I've gone through the gamut, but people always are like, can you do my wedding? Can you do my wedding? I've never done weddings. I don't want to do weddings.

Gresham Harkless 10:47

I've seen the stuff on like AMC or TLC or w

IAM2408 – Franchise Broker Journey: Overcoming Day 36 Sales Slump

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 06:16:28 -0400

Gresham Harkless shares the harsh truth about sales in entrepreneurship – not every conversation will lead to a sale. It's crucial to accept that not every potential client will become a customer, no matter how much effort is put into the process.

Gresham discusses how candidates sometimes get cold feet due to the perceived risks, even when they see the opportunity and believe in the business.

He reflects on how often sales that seem certain don’t close, while those that seem unlikely can unexpectedly succeed.

He also mentions that in franchise sales, it's common to speak with 100 to 150 leads, but only one will convert to a franchisee.

One key takeaway from Gresham’s experience is the importance of moving quickly towards a yes or no answer to avoid wasting time.

In addition, he recognizes that sales is a journey that requires patience, perseverance, and sometimes, talking to many people before finding the right fit.

Blue Star Franchise: http://bluestarfranchise.com
Browse the Franchise Inventory: https://bluestarfranchise.com/franchise
Is franchising right for you? Check this out to see: http://bluestarfranchise.com/assessment
Franchise CEO (A CBNation Site – coming soon) – http://franchiseceo.co

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Intro 00:00

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:29