Fred Fisher  - Fisher Consulting

On the Unrealistic Expectations We Have in the Insurance World: "You have to know more about your insurance needs than the guy selling it, the guy who has to take continuing education classes."

Insurance is basically paying for a promise you hope you will not need to ask to be kept.  To avoid great financial loss, or to have the support of a team of lawyers, insurance is a necessary evil.  Like most things that are necessary.

Fred Fisher of Fisher Consulting has been in the insurance world for decades.  He has been working in insurance in different roles throughout his career and knows the industry inside and out.  What he shares is both educational and a bit frightening.

Listen as Fred Fisher shares hard-earned insights gained through decades in the industry as a claims expert, lawyer, consultant, and author. He uncovers the pitfalls of buying on price alone, exposes the risks of working with “order-taker” insurance agents, and explains why business owners need to demand more from their insurance brokers.

Enjoy!

Visit Fred at: https://www.fishercg.com

Sponsors:

Live Video chat with our customers here with LiveSwitch: https://join.liveswitch.com/gfj3m6hnmguz

Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service: https://callsoncall.com

Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan

 

Podcast Overview:

00:00 Pursuing law to help artists

06:12 Understanding legal claim complexities

14:22 Undisclosed potential claims risk

17:01 Handling an insurance claim oversight

23:41 Managing legal risks and disclosures

31:51 Handling policy order requests

36:00 How Farmers handles declines

39:30 Unexpected renovation challenges

44:34 Understanding building code coverage

48:41 Understanding tech liability policies

55:16 Delayed claims denial examples

01:01:21 Restrictive insurance policy drafting

01:09:55 Choosing not to compete anymore

01:12:29 Challenges in insurance claims handling

01:19:56 Treating renewals as new business

01:22:53 Program introduction and sponsorships

Podcast Transcription:

Fred Fisher [00:00:00]:

I used to tell my staff, never take a renewal for granted. Treat every renewal as new business because our competitor will. They're going to dive deep, they're going to find a hole, they're going to find out that our insured's doing something new that we didn't know about, that that we're not covering. And they can. So treat every renewal as new business because our competitor is going to do that because it is new business for them. So either we dig deep and compete or we lose the account.

James Kademan [00:00:31]:

You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumphant successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found in the podcast link found at drawincustomers.com we are locally underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie, Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service, the Bold Business Book and as well as Live Switch. And today we're welcoming, preparing to learn from Fred Fisher of Fisher Consulting. And Fred, I gotta say I'm excited. Though you probably don't hear this very often, I'm excited to talk insurance with you.

Fred Fisher [00:01:05]:

That's, that's really interesting. That's the fastest way to clear the room is. Oh yeah, we're talking about insurance tonight.

James Kademan [00:01:10]:

We're going to talk about insurance. I got a thing at that place, right?

Fred Fisher [00:01:14]:

Absolutely.

James Kademan [00:01:14]:

No, I'm, I am super excited for a few reasons, right? One, I have some property insurance that's due, so it's top of mind. Two, I live in southern Wisconsin and we just got hit with I think four out of five days. We had hail, there's tornadoes. I got some buddies that had some baseball size hail. And I'm like, man, if I was an insurance company, I'd be like, oh, we gotta write checks. We're supposed to collect the checks, not write them. So anyways, it's top of mind.

Fred Fisher [00:01:43]:

That's the product though, that's the whole problem. The claim department is where, and this is a quote from a colleague of mine, Chantelle Roberts. The claim department is where the product is produced.

James Kademan [00:01:57]:

Ah, I like it.

Fred Fisher [00:01:59]:

I do too. And I will never take credit for it. It's Chantel's. No, she's a phenomenal professional.

James Kademan [00:02:06]:

That's awesome. So tell me a story about your business and how you got started by accident. Nah, as per usual, it's all good.

Fred Fisher [00:02:15]:

You know, up until recently, the insurance industry has never been a destination profession. Everybody got into it by accident. You don't go to business school, say, I want to be working for an insurance company. That just does not happen. It Is more so now, though, because more and more colleges and universities do have risk management insurance curriculums, which is unnecessary. But for me, when I went to University of California, berkeley in the 60s, at least I think I did, and I graduated with a social science field major, but I'm more of a gestalt thinker. And so I couldn't just take political science because what good is that without knowing something about journalism or know something about sociology or know something about psychology? In the real world, all that works together. And so that's why I did a social science field major.

Fred Fisher [00:03:06]:

But when you graduate with a degree like that, where you're going to end up is probably selling life insurance, which is exactly what happened. But I intentionally had already enrolled in law school to go at night. And the reason I did that and the reason why it was intentional is back then, everybody wanted to be a lawyer. And so unless you really were smart, you didn't get into the top law schools. And even then, if, even if you did, if you didn't graduate in the top 10% of your class, you probably didn't have a job waiting for.

James Kademan [00:03:36]:

For you. Wow.

Fred Fisher [00:03:38]:

And I didn't, you know, and I didn't want to work for corporate America or whatever anyways. I wanted to be an entertainment lawyer. I wanted to represent artists and musicians because I had a lot of friends who were artists and musicians in Berkeley, in the Bay Area at that time. And I thought, well, I could help protect them, you know, from the evil of corporate America, what have you. And one thing led to another, and I got a job as a law clerk eventually. And the other reason I did this too, is because if you went to the top law schools, like I said, you wouldn't have a job. But if you went to a night law school and you could get a job in the legal industry during the day, you had a job waiting for you was 90%. I like those odds.

Fred Fisher [00:04:15]:

I like those odds. So I ended up kind of getting a job as a law clerk in what was called an insurance defense law firm. And I have nothing but good experience from that. The gentleman who was heading that firm up, and we were all employees of an insurance company, so this was in house counsel. And he loved teaching, he loved young people and helping them really learn. And as a result, you, if you work there, you, you could move to another law firm, you know, after a year and a half or so, and one thing led to another, and I did that. And then I. And then, unfortunately, the partner of that law firm, after eight months, decided, well, we don't really need a law clerk.

Fred Fisher [00:04:57]:

What we need is somebody who's licensed and can do Fred's job and also go to court, you know, on minor motions, so. Enough to send somebody heavy out. And so I got laid off. Boo. Yeah. But he actually did me a favor. I had friends that were work. I had a couple of friends that were working at this claim adjusting firm, and they were doing something I didn't even know existed.

Fred Fisher [00:05:19]:

They were handling nothing but what were called professional liability claims. They were handling cases against lawyers, insurance agents, real estate brokers, medical malpractice, which I stayed away from. A little too real for me. And oddball stuff for Lloyd's of London, including Seedman Zo, you know, for companies that manufacture seed, you know, for. For farmers, so to speak.

James Kademan [00:05:42]:

Yeah.

Fred Fisher [00:05:42]:

Coat it with this little clay stuff so that it could be put into a mechanical planter so they could have control over one seed every six inches. How do you like that? I mean, if you're. If you're going to be planting seed in 500 acres, you know, that's a lot of seed if you don't manage it correctly. And it's really expensive. So this was a whole different world. And so I handled a claim involving that where nothing grew. 500 acres, nothing. It was like what happened.

Fred Fisher [00:06:12]:

You know, I'll never forget the phrase necrosis of the cotyledon boy. There's a federal regulation on it, and I'll never forget it. But it was interesting work and I was good at it. And especially when it came to lawyers and insurance brokers, you had what was called a claim within a claim. I mean, at first you had to decide that the attorney screwed up or did the insurance broker screw up, and then what was the underlying matter they were working on? Because that's where the damages are, supposedly. And so you didn't know whether you were with an attorney malpractice case, whether you were going to handle a personal injury statute of limitations problem, or the attorney didn't file the lawsuit on time. And then the next case has to do with a merger and acquisition. Wow.

James Kademan [00:06:55]:

You see, What a variety.

Fred Fisher [00:06:56]:

Yeah, exactly....

Nuttha Goutier  - Sabai Thai Massage

On the Passion to Succeed: "I said I have the dream, I have the vision, I have the belief and I am young and full of energy. I think the vision that I have, people will like it and people will love it."

We've probably all been told to relax more than a few times.  The hustle of business can take it's toll on both the body and the mind.

How do you unwind, or recharge?  Nuttha (pronounced Neat-a) Goutier as the founder of Sabai Thai Massage in Vancouver has the answer.

Nuttha explains the different services her team provides, as well as details how she grew her business to include multiple locations.

Listen as Nuttha shares how to start your business, as well as how to overcome some of the growing pains that come with adding multiple brick and mortar locations.

Enjoy!

Visit Nuttha at: https://sabaithai.com/

Sponsors:

Live Video chat with our customers here with LiveSwitch: https://join.liveswitch.com/gfj3m6hnmguz

Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service: https://callsoncall.com

Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan

 

Podcast Overview:

00:00 Growing up in a village

03:41 The hard labor of farming

08:30 Choosing to move to Canada

11:57 Starting the first location

13:12 Early business vision and challenges

16:40 Late nights renovating before opening

22:11 Taking a business break in Thailand

25:50 Creating a caring work culture

27:59 Improving customer comfort skills

31:37 Adapting to new technology

34:06 Balancing family, real estate, and spa

36:46 Exploring franchise opportunities

42:25 Discussing increased massage industry competition

45:28 Massage as a routine activity

48:29 Discussing healthy aging habits

52:00 Types of massages offered

Podcast Transcription:

Alisa Sparks  - Linden Creek

On Realizing Your Own Success: "I kind of had this moment where I paused and realized I had accidentally worked myself out of a job, and that should be a good thing. My team had it covered, my clients were happy, things were rolling well, and I kind of scratched my head and went, what do I do next?"

As business owners we often have one speed: Go.  We run relentlessly, sometimes with action without actual accomplishment, and other times we find ourselves with an empire we built and we realize we can idle down a bit and not work quite as hard.

This is the goal, of course.

Selling houses is big business.  Like anything of value, the better it is presented the higher the sales price.  This is why staged homes sell for more than empty or lived-in homes.  But who has the skills and furniture to stage a home?

Alisa Sparks started her home-staging business, Linden Creek, and was successful.  Then she built that business into a franchise empire that took success to another level.

Listen as Alisa explains what it takes to make start a home staging business, what it takes to build a franchise from scratch, and what can be done when you have the systems and people in place and things are actually running well.

Enjoy!

Visit Alisa at: Linden-Creek.com

Sponsors:

Live Video chat with our customers here with LiveSwitch: https://join.liveswitch.com/gfj3m6hnmguz

Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service: https://callsoncall.com

Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan

 

Podcast Overview:

00:00 Discovering a passion for staging

9:22 Real estate staging process

15:42 Learning to delegate effectively

19:25 Shifting demand from staging to design

26:04 Considering a franchise business

28:37 Franchise owner support and coaching

33:07 Ensuring brand consistency across franchises

40:10 Evaluating franchise prospects

48:24 Navigating software development challenges

51:37 Importance of honest sales communication

59:48 Program sponsor and listener call-to-action

Podcast Transcription:

James Kademan [00:00:00]:

Tell me about the art or pictures. And most people's houses you'll see pictures of family or graduation pictures or grandma or whatever. Are you including some pictures like that or is it more art or maybe it's nothing.

Alisa Sparks [00:00:11]:

Yeah, definitely do not include family photos when you're selling a home. Now, you could have a really cute family and they could be fantastic, but the problem is the moment they see a picture of your family, the conversation in their brain changes from this is this could be my home. I can imagine myself living here to. To somebody else's living here. And all of a sudden it changes that emotional connection. And so we highly recommend you don't have photos of your family in a home.

James Kademan [00:00:39]:

You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumphant successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found in the podcast link found https://drawincustomers.com we are locally underwritten by the bank of Sun Prairie Calls on call Extraordinary Answering Service, the Bold Business Book and Live Switch. Today we're welcoming, preparing to learn from Alisa Sparks of Linden Creek. And Alisa, I believe we're talking home staging here. So how is it going today?

Alisa Sparks [00:01:11]:

It's going great. Thank you so much for having me today. I'm excited to be here.

James Kademan [00:01:15]:

Yeah. I'm actually very excited to talk with you because I've met some home stagers before, but I have never met a home stager with a company that's beyond many offices or even beyond really their home office. So I'm excited to talk to you, talk to you about your business growth. That's huge.

Alisa Sparks [00:01:35]:

Yeah, it's been a really fun journey. This is an industry. You're absolutely right. Most individuals in this have their one stop location and so expanding outside of just our four walls has been a really fun adventure over these last few years.

James Kademan [00:01:49]:

Nice. So let's go to the way back. Right. When did you first start this?

Alisa Sparks [00:01:53]:

I started Linden Creek eight years ago. My background has nothing to do with interior design or real estate. I have a background in finance, so I love numbers. Give me an Excel spreadsheet and I will entertain myself for hours. Right. Like that is my. My bread and butter. However, with that being said, I found myself in this place where I was always trying to fulfill this creative itch.

Alisa Sparks [00:02:15]:

So. So when I would finish my day job, I would spend time buying the ugliest houses I could find and renovating them, building furniture in my garage, whatever I could do to kind of fulfill this creative itch that I had until finally I had this aha moment of like, maybe I should take this passion that I have and this hobby and build it into something that's a true business.

James Kademan [00:02:36]:

How cool is that? And when were you working in finance industry before?

Alisa Sparks [00:02:41]:

I was in the finance industry and actually supported the Department of Defense for nearly a decade, managing their aircraft budgets. So again, nothing at all related to what I do today. But so many of the skills that I learned from that experience, whether it came from systems and operations to managing financials, have been crucial for the success of where Linden Creek is today.

James Kademan [00:03:03]:

Nice. And what was the major contributing factor to make you shift? Saying, I gotta go off and do this on my own. Government, you got health care and whatever. W2BI weekly paycheck, whatever.

Alisa Sparks [00:03:16]:

All the great benefits, all the safety nets. And so much so that I had a good friend of mine that I worked with two years into me starting Linden Creek. We caught up and grabbed coffee, and she looked at me and she goes, why did you leave such a safe, stable job with such good income? And I was like, there's something more to this. So, yeah, it was a big shift in change to get faster of make this massive jump. It actually all came down to a book. I was at the gym listening to an audiobook of Rich Dad, Poor dad by Robert Kiyosaki. I'm sure many are familiar with that one, but he talked about the value of building a business and how that becomes an asset. It's not just a job.

Alisa Sparks [00:03:54]:

And there was something about that that struck for me when it came to just that ownership of what you have and the work that you're putting into something. And as I started kind of scratching my head going, okay, what kind of business could I start? I'm playing with aircraft, right? Helicopters and things like that. That's not transferable to my own business. And as I was really thinking about it, we had just put a home on the market that we had renovated and flipped. And the feedback we got was the staging was good, but it wasn't staged. It was just my furniture that I had collected over the years and kind of made look right for the home. But it was this aha moment for me of maybe I could stage houses. I don't have an interior design degree, but there might be something to the staging.

Alisa Sparks [00:04:33]:

And so that was really what started the entire concept of Linden Creek.

James Kademan [00:04:37]:

How cool is that? All right, so what was the answer that you gave your friend? So when you're at the coffee shop and she's like, what are you doing?

Alisa Sparks [00:04:45]:

I Smiled politely. And I said, this one's for the long game and it's going to be worth it at some point in time. And it has been. I'm thankful for the transition I made. I can look back and say with confidence, this was a good call, but it's scary in that interim, right. Like when you don't know, when the math doesn't math, when you're still building your business and reinvesting every penny. It's a scary transition.

James Kademan [00:05:05]:

Oh, I totally understand that. I. You know, you remind me of a time I had a buddy of mine offer me a job at a place that he was working out. And I'm like, I'm actually starting my own thing. And he was like, why? It's just one of those things where it was interesting. Where? To a point. When someone asks you a question like that, you really don't know how to answer it, because in order for them to ask that question, they don't really have the foundation that's needed to understand the answer that you would give.

Alisa Sparks [00:05:36]:

Yeah, that's exactly right.

James Kademan [00:05:38]:

Just say, like, because. Whatever. So tell me, when you first started your business, I imagine you get the website is this. Well, I have to back up a step because I don't know a whole lot about home staging other than I have seen homes that are staged. Inserting couches, furniture, rugs, stuff like that, that once the house is sold, those go to a different house or how does that work?

Alisa Sparks [00:06:02]:

That's exactly right. Yeah. So we own our own furniture and inventory. It started small in my garage. I became best friends with my FedEx delivery guy who would drop off new furniture every day, and I would spend my evenings, you know, assembling furniture in my garage until everything was built out. We do a much larger scale of that today. So the operations are different. But yes, I was slowly building and collecting my own set of inventory and furniture, putting it in a home and.

Alisa Sparks [00:06:27]:

And the moment the home sold, taking it out and moving it to the next property. Wow.

James Kademan [00:06:32]:

So I imagine that takes a lot of space. You have all. I mean, coaches aren't small, right....

Michael Shapiro  - Ketubah.com

On How the Artist Gets Inspired for the Ketubah: "There would be a discussion of the couple's values, maybe how they met, maybe where they met, and the artist would be listening for things that were important to them, including things between the lines, maybe that they weren't speaking about, but that they got a sense of"

Business owners that become business owners because they learned a craft and saw a need are some of the most fascinating people to speak with.

Michael Shapiro learned about Ketubahs and took the bold step of starting https://ketubah.com/.  The website connects ketubah artists with Jewish couples soon to be wed.

After speaking with Michael, you learn about his keen awareness of what couples want, what artists can offer and combines this to help couples get a beautiful piece for their special day, and beyond.

Listen as Michael explains what it takes to make a great ketubah and how he has built his business around helping others.

Enjoy!

Visit Michael at: https://ketubah.com/

Sponsors:

Live Video chat with our customers here with LiveSwitch: https://join.liveswitch.com/gfj3m6hnmguz

Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service: https://callsoncall.com

Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan

 

Podcast Overview:

00:00 Reviving historical Jewish art forms

04:21 Understanding the Ketubah document

09:03 Ketubah sizing and ceremony use

11:43 Early ketubah art practices

15:12 Blending tech with craftsmanship

16:28 The significance of ketubahs in weddings

22:28 Transition to online services

24:10 Custom calligraphic font for Ketubahs

29:06 Starting the first website

32:02 Early marketing efforts

33:26 Providing custom design options

37:19 Meeting artists in Israel

42:02 Struggling to break even

43:39 Learning to delegate tasks

46:52 Managing through pandemic challenges

50:01 Managing cash flow challenges

53:09 Following your passion and persistence

Podcast Transcription:

Michael Shapiro [00:00:00]:

There are some. It's something that usually the couple, you know, there's been some dream of it for years and years, in some cases since childhood, people have imagined what their wedding day was going to be like. On top of that, add the hopes, dreams and expectations of parents, other family members. So it can be a very stressful thing. So I'm very proud of the fact that at least with the purchase of the ketubah, thanks to my team's expertise, empathy and real human customer service, the ketubah is one thing that you can just relax. It's not something you're going to have to worry about. We're there to hold your hand every step of the way and make sure that everything is absolutely right.

James Kademan [00:00:40]:

You have found authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumphant successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found in the podcast link Fun to draw in customers.com we are locally underwritten by the bank of Sun Prairie calls on call, Extraordinary answering service, both business book as well as live switch. And today we're welcoming, preparing to learn from Michael Shapiro of ketubah.com and I gotta say, Michael, I'm excited because we're talking about what looks to be some art that. It's funny, I had no idea stuff like this existed. So let's start with the foundation. What do you do?

Michael Shapiro [00:01:18]:

Absolutely. So ketubah.com sells ketubahs. What is a ketubah? The ketubah at its core is the Jewish marriage contract. The traditional text of it goes back more than 2,000 years. And there is a tradition which is only a thousand years old, if you will, of making this document into something beautifully written and beautifully decorated.

James Kademan [00:01:43]:

Is this so thorough? Thousands of years who or thousand years who, I guess. Tell me how that has translated over the course of modern times. Is it essentially the same that it was forever ago?

Michael Shapiro [00:01:57]:

Very, very interesting. And, and you know, I, I actually just, just published a book that looks into the history of this art form and then brings it up to date because there was a very interesting ebb and flow, which is it all started that the tradition of decorating these started in the land of Israel and in Egypt about a thousand years ago. It then moved through Europe all the way to Spain. And then after the Spanish Inquisition and the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, it moved all throughout the Mediterranean into the Middle East. Then over time, with the invention of the printing press and the application of the printing press to making inexpensive versions of this, the art form started to die out. From sort of the late 1800s onwards. Then in North America, starting in the early 1970s, some Jewish artists in the United States and in Canada started to bring the art form back to life. And that's what the book is about.

Michael Shapiro [00:02:55]:

My book is called Ketubah Renaissance and it's about the modern revival of this ancient art form in a North American context. And that really is what made my business possible.

James Kademan [00:03:07]:

That is incredible. It's so funny something that I would consider this to be pretty major that I must be just living under a rock because I had never heard of these until connecting with you.

Michael Shapiro [00:03:18]:

Don't feel too badly. I actually, until 1995, I wasn't aware of this tradition either. So my parents and grandparents just had a simple Ketubah, a simple marriage document that was given to them by the rabbi just on a piece of paper filed away. So that was, you know, that was from the period time when this tradition of the beautifully decorated one had died out. So it was only in 1995, when I was studying in Jerusalem, networking with Judaica artists with an idea to open a shop when I came back to came back home to Canada that I met my first Ketubah artist. So don't feel too bad because I didn't know about this tradition either until, well, 30 years ago. And then I started the company.

James Kademan [00:04:01]:

Right on. That is awesome. So tell me about the contract itself right before we dive into the art, which is probably more fun. Part, tell me about the contract. Is this just a typical copy paste from every other marriage out there or is there some type of a conversation that happens between the parties, the husband, wife, as to what's going to be included there?

Michael Shapiro [00:04:21]:

So yes and yes. So the handed down text has changed very little up until this period of the Ketubah revival. And it was a revolutionary text for its time. Imagine in biblical times a woman on her own, either because her husband died or because they became divorced. And divorce is allowed in Judaism, not encouraged, but it is allowed in Judaism. Women and her children on their own could be in serious financial straits. So this was a document that basically was a little bit like, if you will, a prenup slash insurance life insurance policy, which is that if she ended up on her own, she would have financial sum that would be available to her so that she and her children would be okay. That very legal text changed very little up until, as I said, the early 1970s.

Michael Shapiro [00:05:17]:

Around the time, and this was one of the contributing factors that opened up the, the revival of the art form, there started to be A proliferation of texts, and these included texts that went outside of the religious legal framework that the original text had come down. By that time, not all Jews were practicing sort of Orthodox Judaism. Their reform there was conservative and a whole range of texts that were more like what you're mentioning in your question. Many of them now are more like love documents, commitments of shared value, rather than a legalistic sort of a document.

James Kademan [00:05:54]:

Gotcha. You know, it's interesting because I'm thinking that the. The men are essentially assigned to support the women. So if the guy goes away for whatever reason, divorce, death, whatever woman is taken care of, does it also. I mean, we're in a time now where that could be flipped, where the woman is the one making all the money. So does that go both ways?

Michael Shapiro [00:06:12]:

You know what? That's a really interesting question. The traditional text, as far as I know, does not take that into account. And the more I would say contemporary texts, they don't get into the financial end of it at all. So I guess in that circumstance, it would really be up to the state laws in terms when a couple divorces to make sure that they're treating each other fairly versus the religious document requiring that.

James Kademan [00:06:43]:

Right on. And then last question, in regards to the contract itself, is this a legally binding document? So if some. A divorce happens, the spouse can say, hey, or the ex spouse can say, hey, this is. You owe me, according to this.

Michael Shapiro [00:06:58]:

Well, it's. So it's binding within a Jewish rabbinical court, if you will. It is. There have been some attempts to bring the ketubah to the so sort of, you know, courts of the state, so to speak. I'm not an expert in that field. I don't know how successful they have been. So I guess the answer is kind of yes and kind of no.

James Kademan [00:07:20]:

All right, fair enough. Let's get into the fun stuff. Tell me about the art side of these.

Michael Shapiro [00:07:25]:

Okay, so as I mentioned, the art form, it, you know, goes back about a thousand years. It's a very rich art form. And one of the things that I find fascinating is the. That the ketubahs from different communities across time in different parts of the world typica

Rihab Abouzaki  - This N That Communications

On What She Does: "We are a gateway to the US market. As a company, we take the international brand and help them find distributors or help them directly sell in the US market, advertise in the US market."

Often we get a little cozy with success.  Sometimes even a bit complacent, and we slow down our businesses growth.

But what if you could expand your market beyond your nation's borders and broke into other countries?  Luckily you can, but it may not be easy.

Rihab Abouzaki has started This N That Communications to solve this problem.  Her and her team, with their international experience, help companies navigate the waters of marketing, delivering and growing their business in other countries.

Listen as Rihab explains what it takes to expand your product globally.

Enjoy!

Visit Rihab at: https://thisnthatcommunications.com/

Sponsors:

Live Video chat with our customers here with LiveSwitch: https://join.liveswitch.com/gfj3m6hnmguz

Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service: https://callsoncall.com

Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan

 

Podcast Overview:

00:00 Talking marketing with Rehab

06:14 Comparing U.S. and Middle East markets

10:14 Demand for Saudi dates in the US

14:25 Distributing Indian products to the US

16:26 Marketing costs versus sales returns

18:39 Finding the right distributor

22:01 Costs of launching in the US

27:09 Tracking ad performance instantly

28:59 Streaming TV and prime time

31:30 Instagram bots vs real engagement

36:55 Why Instagram is losing trust

41:10 Supporting small and mid-sized brands

44:51 Building a client-focused creative team

46:03 Understanding the advertiser's role

Podcast Transcription:

Todd Graves  - Graves Golf

On Understanding Your Value: "Your customer is going to feed on your clarity of what you have to offer. And without clarity, you're just going to be a commodity."

Some things just go hand in hand with business.  Things like marketing, closing a deal over a beer, meeting for coffee and, of course, golfing.  It seems that golf is a sport that allows you to chat on a more casual level with vendors and clients to get deals done and have a good excuse to be out of the office on a beautiful day.

But this can be challenging, especially if you don't golf well.

Todd Graves grew up with golf and learned the single plane swing from the best in the business, Moe Norman.  Using Moe's unique swing that works well, along with a 5 step training process, Todd has built a business to help golfers become better golfers and non-golfers become golfers that don't hurt their back.  He has systematized the golf swing to the point of making the game fun for entrepreneurs.

With Graves Golf, Todd has built a business around helping golfers get better.  His process has value for businesses of all types, helping you understand the reason behind the rule of 'Systematize Everything'.

Listen as Todd explains his approach to training golfers and how he built his business around one guys process that went against the norm.

Enjoy!

Visit Todd at: https://gravesgolf.com/

Sponsors:

Live Video chat with our customers here with LiveSwitch: https://join.liveswitch.com/gfj3m6hnmguz

Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service: https://callsoncall.com

Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan

 

Podcast Overview:

00:00 Outdated PGA teaching methods

09:52 Regulating equipment in sports

13:15 Learning step-by-step skills

18:40 Todd's seminar on clarity

23:42 Understanding golf swing mechanics

30:20 Fixing common golf swing mistakes

33:51 Starting Graves Golf with a trailer

37:12 Prioritizing values over quick fixes

42:22 Building a custom golf academy

51:08 Raising your standards for excellence

54:44 Golf club components explained

01:02:16 Range balls vs. regular golf balls

01:03:41 Choosing the right golf ball

Podcast Transcription:

Todd Graves [00:00:00]:

Now when you, when you look at the way the game has advanced and I'll just give you some, some data, but just from in the late 80s, early 90s, John Daly led the Tour driving distance. John Daly was the longest striker of the golf ball on the, on the Tour at the time. And he was driving the ball, I think 288 yards, 289 yards. Something was the, he was the longest. And the Tour average driving distance was around 265. Today it's 30 yards greater than that. So now. Oh yeah, yeah.

Todd Graves [00:00:29]:

So now the average driving distance is in the 295 range and the longest drivers out there in the 32330 range and sometimes longer.

James Kademan [00:00:42]:

You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumph and successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found in the podcast link found at https://drawincustomers.com We are locally underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie Calls On Call, Extraordinary Answering Service, The bold business book as well as Live Switch. Today we're welcoming slash, preparing to learn from Todd Graves of Graves Golf. And Todd, I'm excited. We are now entering what, at least in my world in the Midwest, is golf weather. So let's talk golf today.

Todd Graves [00:01:19]:

Well, yeah, the Masters, you know, coming next week. So really golf, golf season across the country and probably across the world really kicks off for us around Masters. We always gear up for this time of year. You know, nothing's more exciting than the Masters tournament. So that's a, it's a big week next week. So we're excited about what's happening. You know, it's been a, been kind of an early, interesting season this year because the weather seems to be, it's, it's always off and on, but it's, you know, I own a golf course here in Edmond, Oklahoma, and the, the grass came out early this year, which I don't know if that's always a good thing. But, but, but we're, yeah, we got some nice, nice playing conditions and we're ready to go.

Todd Graves [00:01:58]:

You know, golf's golf kicks off for us and we're ready to get busy this year.

James Kademan [00:02:02]:

Nice. Yeah, I'm in Wisconsin and we always joke that we have six springs.

Todd Graves [00:02:06]:

Yeah.

James Kademan [00:02:07]:

Last a day or two at a time. So I know that the course has been open and they've been snowed on and all that jazz. But at any rate, let's, let's talk about how you got started because it's been a while you've been in this game for quite a bit, it sounds like.

Todd Graves [00:02:21]:

Yeah. Yeah. You know, I'm not sure, you know, in business, being an entrepreneur, I'm not sure that you ever really know what you're doing at first. You know, you get into the game because you, you have an idea or you have something unique that you want to offer the world and help people with. And I think that's kind of what I stumbled into. I, you know, I, I played professional golf. I played in college, and I played professional golf, and, you know, I aspired to be a player, and I played for a while on the, on the tours around the world, and, and I just, you know, I kind of fell into. I saw a problem.

Todd Graves [00:02:53]:

I saw a problem in the golf world from, from a golf learning teaching methodology standpoint because I struggled, you know, I struggled to learn the game. I struggled to become better at playing it, even though I was a good player. I, I, you know, I came from a background of, of educators. My parents were both. My dad was a PhD in microbiology, taught at the medical school. My mother owned civil learning centers here in Oklahoma City. She was an entrepreneur herself. So, you know, I came from this background of always questioning how things worked.

Todd Graves [00:03:23]:

And, and I, I would consider myself relatively smart. I don't think I'm the most intelligent tool in the, you know, the smartest guy in the world. But, but I always, you know, I'm, I'm inquisitive. I always was curious about things and, and as I tried to approach the game of golf and get better at it, there was a lot of, A lot of dogma in, in the golf instruction world. And there was. There was really no standardized teaching methods. There was, and it just didn't seem simple to me. So the more I tried to improve, the more trouble I saw with the industry that teaches the game of golf.

Todd Graves [00:03:54]:

Matter of fact, to give you an example, the PGA teaching manual, the manual that they teach from today, if you go into a pro shop and you want to learn from a PGA pro, that teaching manual that they operate from and they, and they use has not been updated since 1990. So, so you would think that, you know, with the technology today and with, with the way the game works and with all the, I mean, look at, look at the industry. Look at your world. You know, we got AI. We got so much, we got so much information out there and the ability to do things we could never do before, and you got this antiquated way they teach the game of golf. Now, I'm not saying that everything in that manual is bad and wrong. I'm just saying that there's so much more that we can, we can offer and become better at what we do. And, and that's, that's part of an entrepreneur's job is to, so I look at that.

Todd Graves [00:04:41]:

That was part of it. And there was, you know, everybody's teaching a different method. So I just, I said, look, there's, there's something wrong with, with the game of golf. It's how it's being taught and it's what's being taught. And I've been, I, I built a business around that and, and so I kind of stumbled into it just because I saw a big need and a problem. You know, that's what we do as entrepreneurs. We find needs, we find problems, we try to solve those things as best we can. You know, that's fair.

James Kademan [00:05:03]:

That's totally true. Tell me a story, because I have to admit ignorance here I am just getting into golf, like just getting into golf. So I have played golf. Not well. We play best ball and out of 18 holes, we're probably using mine two or three times at best.

Todd Graves [00:05:19]:

Yeah.

James Kademan [00:05:19]:

And I'm going to call that pure luck. Nothing.

Todd Graves [00:05:22]:

Yeah.

James Kademan [00:05:23]:

So at any rate, tell me a story about, let's just say a typical drive. A typical drive in 1990 versus a typical drive now with the skills and the tools and all that kind of stuff. Is it. When I say a typical drive, I guess a good drive, not my drive. A good drive where it goes straight, where you intended to go. Is it farther than what it was?

Todd Graves [00:05:44]:

Well, here's what's interesting about it. You know, when you, when you look at the way the game has advanced and I'll just give you some, some data. So just from in the late 80s, early 90s, John Daly led the Tour driving distance. John Daly was the longest striker of the golf ball on the, on the Tour at the time. And he was driving the ball, I think 288 yards to an 89 yards. Something was the, was he was the longest and the tour average driving distance was around 265. Today it's 30 yards greater than that. So 10%.

Todd Graves [00:06:15]:

Oh, yeah, yeah. So, so now the, the average driving distance is in the 295 range and the, the longest drivers out there are in the 32330 range. So. And sometimes longer so that, you know, you can, you can attribute that to probably, we call it the tiger effect. In the game. You can, you know, better athletes,...

Eddie Speed  - Note School

On Timing the Market: "What's the best time to be in the note business? I said, there's two things. Either it's inflationary times or disruptive times. Right now we have both."

It is always best to have an attorney before you need one, especially in business.

Often, to make a deal happen, you need financing.  In real estate especially.  But often the typical bank cannot offer financing for a home to an entrepreneur.  We just don't check the W2 box like the banks want to see.  So where can you get financing for a home, if you are an entrepreneur?

From another angle, you want to invest in something that has some great returns, but being a landlord isn't really your idea of fun.  What is another real estate investing option that can help you make money in your sleep?

Eddie Speed has started the Note School.  A school that teaches how to invest and offer notes to people that need financing outside of traditional banks.

Eddie shares insights from his decades of experience teaching people how to "be the bank, a strategy that has helped countless real estate investors convert their rental properties into seller-financed opportunities. As rental profits dwindle and banks tighten their lending standards, Eddie explains how seller financing can transform a landlord’s cash flow and serve an underserved market of aspiring homeowners. From practical math to tax strategies, and a behind-the-scenes look at the NoteSchool training process,

Listen as Eddie explains innovative ways to thrive in disruptive, inflationary times. Whether you’re a seasoned investor, a curious landlord, or an entrepreneur seeking new revenue streams, Eddie’s expertise will open your eyes to possibilities beyond conventional real estate.

Enjoy!

Visit Eddie at: https://noteschool.com/DrawIn

Sponsors:

Live Video chat with our customers here with LiveSwitch: https://join.liveswitch.com/gfj3m6hnmguz

Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service: https://callsoncall.com

Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan

 

Podcast Overview:

00:00 Learning to become the bank

04:18 Discussing rental properties as businesses

07:22 Helping sellers with financing

12:41 Rental income and market comparison

13:35 Tax tips for installment sales

19:13 Training successful yet overthinking students

22:05 Starting in the business

25:22 Finding a niche in real estate

27:43 Challenges of property management

32:12 Challenges with traditional mortgage lending

35:16 Frustration with appliance durability

40:36 Comparing 30-year vs 50-year loans

44:25 Finding reliable, hardworking realtors

47:50 Finding local property services

50:19 Getting started with online basics

54:43 Funding notes and marketplace strategy

Podcast Transcription:

Eddie Speed [00:00:00]:

Think and think in terms of the easiest way. People say, people say, give me a reference of seller financing that everybody can relate to the car industry. You, you buy, buy a car, maybe it's a used car or you are, you know, whoever your secretary buys, whatever that is. Right. Somebody buys a car and the car dealership carries the financing. They sell or finance the car. Does that make sense?

James Kademan [00:00:26]:

It does.

Eddie Speed [00:00:26]:

Instead of seller financing a car, you sell or finance a property. So you're not renting it anymore. You're, you're transferring the deed to the new guy, but you're saying, wait a minute, I'm going to carry, I'm going to be your bank and I'm going to carry long term financing.

James Kademan [00:00:47]:

You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumphant successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found in the podcast link [email protected] we are locally underwritten by the bank of Sun Prairie Calls On Call Extraordinary answering Service, the Bold business Book as well as Live Switch. Today we're welcoming Slash, preparing to learn from Eddie Speed of the note school. So Eddie, how is it going today?

Eddie Speed [00:01:15]:

I'm great, how are you?

James Kademan [00:01:17]:

I am excited. We're talking about real estate notes and I gotta admit, I don't know much about that at all. So I'm excited to learn from you. So let's start with the basic foundation. What is the note school?

Eddie Speed [00:01:31]:

Well, note school teaches people how to be the bank. There's basically two ways you could be the bank. You might have a rental property that's far more profitable for you to finance the rent property than continuing to pay rent and taxes and insurance and the plumber and the all that. Right. And, or you may say, no, I don't have a rent house, Eddie. I just, I like the idea of being a bank. How would I find a note? And so we have run a school for 25 years showing people how to go be the bank.

James Kademan [00:02:09]:

So help us with a foundation here. A real estate note. Is that essentially the same as the deed or what is that?

Eddie Speed [00:02:15]:

No, is what we all sign when we go to the title company and buy a house and get financing.

James Kademan [00:02:22]:

Gotcha. So it's the loan on the property.

Eddie Speed [00:02:25]:

You know, you sign a promise to pay to the bank, it has an amount that you owe, it has interest, it has a monthly payment and then you sign another document that says if I don't pay, the bank can foreclose. Usually in some states that's a deed of trust in some states, that's called a mortgage, something kind of like that.

James Kademan [00:02:46]:

Okay.

Eddie Speed [00:02:47]:

Yeah.

James Kademan [00:02:49]:

So if somebody has a property, is this. I guess in this case with the notes is this. You are helping somebody purchase the property. So instead of a bank, they'd be using this person?

Eddie Speed [00:03:00]:

No, I. No, I am, I am pretty specialized in the business, and so we help people. Seller finance.

James Kademan [00:03:12]:

Okay.

Eddie Speed [00:03:13]:

So I deal with a lot of landlords. Main, I don't usually deal with too many mom and pops. Normally the people that I deal with are people that are real estate investors. Some really big, some super small, but normally they're a real estate investor. And so I help them create notes and I buy notes that they've already created. And in the, in the little, narrow little world of seller financing, I bought 50,000 seller finance notes. Wow.

James Kademan [00:03:42]:

So I feel like that's a lot.

Eddie Speed [00:03:44]:

It is. And in that little industry, it is. And so we're. We're pretty. We've got a seat at the table in that industry. And so we find a lot of these notes and we spend a lot of energy trying to find them. Right. So we do pretty good at that.

Eddie Speed [00:04:00]:

And then right now we have a really active program where. And a lot of the podcasts and things I do, people are interviewing me, like, okay, how do I convert my rental to seller financing? Because rentals aren't making near the profit they used to. Inflation messed up the rental model.

James Kademan [00:04:18]:

It turns out as I, as I interview people that are in the real estate world and I look at the rental property world, I'll reach out to a real estate agent and I'll be like, hey, man, from my point of view, a rental property is a business. You look at what it costs, acquisition costs, and then the money coming in, the revenue, the expenses. I don't see how some of these businesses are making money. Who would buy this? This is a. Not necessarily a failing business, but it's a business that's going to cost you money rather than make you money, unless you're working on speculation and saying, in 30 years down the road, this is going to be worth more.

Eddie Speed [00:04:55]:

So we help people get paid now versus having to wait for appreciation.

James Kademan [00:05:00]:

Gotcha.

Eddie Speed [00:05:01]:

And if you, if you just look like this would be kind of an easy way to think about it. The average rent in the United states is about 1800 bucks.

James Kademan [00:05:12]:

Okay.

Eddie Speed [00:05:13]:

Ohio and California and Iowa, and you know what?

James Kademan [00:05:19]:

In the whole US So you got New York and San Diego, and you

Eddie Speed [00:05:21]:

also have everywhere in between, right the middle of nowhere. The average single family house rents for about 1800 bucks. Okay, that's not an apartment. That's not. That's not a duplex. That's it. That's a single family standalone house. The average payment that a brand new customer pays their mortgage payment is 138% of rent.

Eddie Speed [00:05:49]:

Okay, so that tells me the banks are making. Getting a bigger payment now. That includes taxes and insurance. So you got to saw a little off of that. Right. But Even if it's 110%, 100, 115%, people's mortgage payment is more than rent. But wait a minute. If I'm the landlord, half of my money runs out the door and paying expenses.

Eddie Speed [00:06:10]:

And if I'm the bank, none of my money runs out the door. So it doesn't, it doesn't take a, you know, a long spreadsheet to look at the math and go, you know, you know what, Eddie? It is more profitable for me to be the bank than a landlord.

James Kademan [00:06:27]:

Gotcha. So tell me, who is coming to you?

Eddie Speed [00:06:35]:

In the last two weeks, I've been to the largest two real estate masterminds for house people in the United States. So call it top, you know, 800 top thousand house buyers. A good percentage of them are in. Are one of those groups or another couple that I'm involved in. They have. I sit down with a guy on Friday who's a fractional CFO for other real estate investors....

Jane Muir  - J. Muir & Associates P.A.

On the Bold Truth: "But long story short, litigation has to be part of your comprehensive business plan."

It is always best to have an attorney before you need one, especially in business.

Jane Muir is a business attorney that has seen almost everything.  She started her law practice to help entrepreneurs navigate the law.

From the basics of forming your business entity to protecting yourself through solid contracts and smart bookkeeping, Jane Muir shares invaluable advice for business owners at every stage. She discusses common pitfalls companies face, such as collecting unpaid invoices, navigating litigation, and when (or if) it’s even worth chasing what you’re owed. You'll also hear about the often-overlooked power of credit reporting, and why a solid business plan includes preparing for legal disputes, not just dreaming big.

Jane Muir gets candid about her own journey: growing up in a family of lawyers, how market downturns led her to start her own practice, and why embracing technology and AI has helped her firm stand out and serve clients more efficiently. Plus, she recommends the essential business books every entrepreneur should read (hint: it’s not all about law).

Listen as Jane explains what to look for in a great business attorney and how an attorney can help you prevent and solve some issues you may come across.

Enjoy!

Visit Jane at: http://www.jmuirandassociates.com/

Sponsors:

Live Video chat with our customers here with LiveSwitch: https://join.liveswitch.com/gfj3m6hnmguz

Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan

 

Podcast Overview:

00:00 Business Entity Options Explained

05:45 "Small Claims: Worth the Chase?"

08:51 "Litigation: A Business Strategy"

12:59 "Enforcing Judgments with Legal Writs"

16:03 "Fighting for Justice and Fees"

18:49 Settlements vs. Trials: Key Insights

21:01 Partnerships and Legal Financial Dynamics

26:20 Beginner Business Tax Tips

28:49 "Credit Reporting Agencies Explained"

33:02 "Gemini and AI Automations"

34:07 Automated Document and Scheduling System

39:03 "Spot, Read, Decide Quickly"

42:00 Vespa Insurance Coverage Gap

46:24 "Starting a Law Firm"

50:33 "Legal Challenges and Opportunities"

51:21 "Assessing Threats and Opportunities"

56:23 Bookkeeping: Your Business Backbone

Podcast Transcription:

Jane Muir [00:00:00]:

in whatever that area is. You could be a painter or a social media marketing person, but if you're not getting your invoices out and getting paid, you're just not going to have a business. Well, that's really so important that we make sure everybody is aware that bookkeeping is the backbone of your business and you might not like it. It might be boring. So you got to find someone who's going to do it for you. But if you don't have your bookkeeping in order, then you're lost and you'll never be able to succeed.

James [00:00:39]:

You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumph and successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found on the podcast link found at drawincustomers.com. We are locally underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie, Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service, The Bold Business Book, as well as LiveSwitch. Today we are welcoming/preparing to learn from Jane Muir of J. Muir and Associates, PA. Jane, how is it going today?

Jane Muir [00:01:09]:

It's a beautiful day in Coral Gables. How are you?

James [00:01:12]:

I am doing well. You know, you and I were chatting right before here about the initials after the name, J. Muir and Associates, the PA. So let's dig into some legal stuff right away. What is the PA?

Jane Muir [00:01:26]:

Every state has statutes that define the different types of corporate entities that they allow. And in order to tell the public what corporate entity you have, there are little letters at the end of the name of the company, like Inc. or LLC or Co. And those are designed to give notice of what rules and, um, rights and responsibilities apply to that corporate entity. Uh, my entity is called a professional association, which is specific to professionals who hold a license. It can apply to accountants, architects, engineers, lawyers, doctors, and it's essentially a partnership form. Um, which is an option just for licensed professionals.

James [00:02:18]:

Nice. So that would be in addition to, or instead of an LLC or S corporation, something like that?

Jane Muir [00:02:26]:

It would be instead of.

James [00:02:27]:

Uh, instead of.

Jane Muir [00:02:28]:

A professional group like lawyers or doctors, they can have a PA or a PLLC, or they can have another thing called a limited liability partnership, an LLP. Theoretically, they could have other types of entities to allow non-licensed professionals to participate. Like if, if I were going to start a non-law firm business, for instance, I can have anything I want. It could be an LLC, it can be an Inc. And in Florida, they allow us to kind of make a Frankenstein where we take features of the different statutes and make them into one. Corporate entity that has features of all of them. Uh, but really anything goes and the, the little letters at the end are supposed to just kind of give the public an idea of what to expect.

James [00:03:24]:

Interesting. Is that, is the PA thing newer or has that been around for a while?

Jane Muir [00:03:29]:

No, it's ancient. It's, it's one of the earliest corporate forms.

James [00:03:33]:

Oh, really?

Jane Muir [00:03:34]:

All right.

James [00:03:35]:

How cool is that? And just outta curiosity here, why did you or your team choose PA versus LLC or LLP or whatever?

Jane Muir [00:03:44]:

I think, well, I, I'm the sole shareholder of our firm. We have partners, but, um, I'm the sole shareholder and I just think it's a classic choice. It, to me, it conveys that we're traditional even though We're advanced in technology and we're advanced in, in our approach to managing matters. We, we do want to convey to the public that we're old school lawyers doing real legal work.

James [00:04:18]:

Right on. I love it. So let's dig into that, Jane. What is, what do you do?

Jane Muir [00:04:24]:

I'm a business lawyer. I'm located in Miami, Florida. Our firm has offices in Dade, uh, Palm Beach, and, um, opening soon in Alachua County.

James [00:04:36]:

Nice.

Jane Muir [00:04:37]:

And we help business owners with their legal issues from mainly contracts and, and issues relating to permits needed or, or business licenses, troubleshooting all kinds of random things that can pop up in a business. Uh, and then the remainder of our practice is commercial litigation.

James [00:04:59]:

Oh, that sounds like fun.

Jane Muir [00:05:01]:

I don't, yeah, we deal with a lot of conflict.

James [00:05:05]:

All right. All right. So let's dig into that cuz that sounds like fun, right? Uh, tell me about the conflicts that a typical business owner or business entity would run into.

Jane Muir [00:05:15]:

I would say mainly it's collecting money. All right. Or dealing with—

James [00:05:20]:

it always comes down to money, right?

Jane Muir [00:05:21]:

Yes. It's always money.

James [00:05:23]:

All right. Um, and is this because somebody put together a partnership that's bad or more, uh, vendor-customer type relationship?

Jane Muir [00:05:32]:

We do have the partnerships gone bad, but I would say the majority of our work is vendor and customer relationships. Like someone owes you and you need to sue to force them to pay.

James [00:05:45]:

All right. So in my extremely limited experience. There is a dollar amount threshold where it's just not worth chasing from the headache and the way the system is set up. I guess in the, the little experience that I had of going to small claims court, it was annoying. It was expensive. And in the end, even when I won, I still didn't get paid. So tell me a story from, uh, what you would like small business to know, small business owners to know when it comes to collecting money, when it comes to dollar amounts. Or who's worth chasing and things like that?

Jane Muir [00:06:19]:

What a great question. That's, that's my every day. I process that question. What, what the cost benefit analysis is for a litigation. So first you want to know how much is at issue. And let's say if it's under $50,000, I really don't, I usually tell people, don't throw your good money after bad. And the reason is because our average litigation has expenses of about $50,000. And takes 2 to 2.5 years to come to a conclusion.

Jane Muir [00:06:50]:

Wow. Our, our least expensive litigations are $10,000 to $15,000, and they either resolve early by settlement or we win by default. And then the most expensive litigation we've had so far was a 3-year litigation. It had expenses of like $800,000. We ended in a jury verdict of $6.3 million. So that justified the expense, but whether we're ever going to collect on that is still an open question. So question number 1 is how much is at issue? Does it make it worthwhile to pursue? Then you want to ask, is there a way to recover the fees if you win? Because you don't just want the money you lost, you want to get the fees back. So oftentimes when I consult a business owner, I'm looking at their agreements with their customers and they don't have a prevailing party fee provision, which makes it not really worthwhile to pursue.

Jane Muir [00:07:51]:

So you want to see if you can collect fees and then you want to see that there's a pocket to pull the money out of either insurance or a property that's not protected by homestead or some other exemption that makes it uncollectible,...

Annie  - The Garden Mind Body

On the Figuring Out That it is All Connected: ""I was so skeptical because I was like, how is working with my mind going to change what my body's doing?"

Pain seems to be everywhere.  In our bodies, often we have the aches or headaches that seem to have no real reason for existing other than to feel like misplaced karma.

But what if the aches in the body were due to issues in the mind?  What if you realized that everything in the body is connected to the mind and vice versa.  Through many challenges and illnesses and a lack of progress from typical doctor visits, Annie Kubena has researched and discovered what should be common knowledge, but isn't.  Our thoughts and our bodies live and work together, essentially as one.  Sometimes there messages are delivered by using pain as an esoteric way to inform your mind that your subconscious mind has some issues it needs you to deal with.

Annie discovered this and this has led her to become a holistic mind-body coach.  She is helping others find relief from anxiety, chronic pain, and even the lingering effects of COVID through nervous system regulation, brain rewiring, and tools like somatic parts work and EFT tapping.  Annie Kubena details the ins and outs of her methods, and why tending to our “inner garden” is essential for lasting health.

Listen as Annie explains how you can get the relief you need from the pain that may be slowing you down.

Enjoy!

Visit Annie at: https://www.thegardenmindbody.com/

Sponsors:

Live Video chat with our customers here with LiveSwitch: https://join.liveswitch.com/gfj3m6hnmguz

Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan

 

Podcast Overview:

00:00 Listening to My Body

04:43 Listening to My Body

08:36 Long COVID's Lingering Body Effects

11:05 "Building Resilience Through Reflection"

15:53 Homeopathy and Nervous System Rewiring

18:32 Understanding People One-on-One

21:08 "Overcoming Functional Freeze Patterns"

26:24 "Vagus Nerve Healing Commitment"

27:08 "Everyone Has Their Baggage"

30:42 "Remote Coaching Works Well"

34:36 Mind-Body Connection and Pain

37:51 Surgical Collaboration Insight

Podcast Transcription:

Annie Kubena [00:00:00]:

And also I always prioritized like work and school over what my body was asking for. So I learned how to like tune in more to what my body is really asking me for, tune in more to like impulses. I was the kind of person that would like sit at my desk for so many hours without moving, without going to the bathroom when I needed to, like anything. I was just like, I would like settle into my work and just focus and push through. And so this was really having to train myself out of that and more into like, what's my body asking me for today?

James [00:00:37]:

You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumphant successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found in the podcast link found at drawincustomers.com. We are locally underwritten by the Bank of Sunbury, and today we're welcoming/preparing to learn from Annie Kubena. Of The Garden Mind Body Wellness. So Annie, how is it going today?

Annie Kubena [00:01:01]:

It's going great today. Thanks so much for having me.

James [00:01:03]:

Yeah, thanks for being on the show. Tell us the story. What is The Garden Mind Body Wellness?

Annie Kubena [00:01:08]:

Um, I am a holistic mind-body coach and I help people with anxiety, chronic illness, chronic pain, um, recover or prevent those things too through the power of the nervous system.

James [00:01:21]:

All right. And how do you get in there?

Annie Kubena [00:01:25]:

It's really a passion I have because of my own decades-long health journey.

James [00:01:32]:

Decades?

Annie Kubena [00:01:33]:

Decades long, yeah.

James [00:01:34]:

All right.

Annie Kubena [00:01:35]:

I struggled for a really long time with my health and just being a highly sensitive person in the world.

James [00:01:43]:

Okay. You're talking emotionally, physically, both?

Annie Kubena [00:01:46]:

Both. Yeah. Yeah. I've always been just really sensitive since I was a little kid.

James [00:01:51]:

Okay.

Annie Kubena [00:01:53]:

Yeah, I really struggled with my health for a very long time. I got into a lot of holistic health approaches to help myself, and then I did a 1-year-long nervous system and brain rewiring program.

James [00:02:09]:

Okay.

Annie Kubena [00:02:10]:

Just because I was like really desperate. I was like, I'm doing everything right. Like, why am I— why am I having— I kept having these cycles of like, pushing really hard when I felt well and then crashing and getting really sick. Oh, um, and I think that happens to a lot of people with chronic illness. But I did this nervous system program and realized, wow, like, I've almost never in my life just been like calm and centered on a consistent basis.

James [00:02:37]:

Is that an option?

Annie Kubena [00:02:40]:

It is, yeah. And it's what your body needs to really heal and digest food and absorb nutrients and turn over cells and all different kinds of things. So So I got into this because I'm so passionate about it and I think it's so needed in our world right now. I think people are chronically stressed and really struggling with their health, and I'm hoping that I can get to people before they have these like debilitating crashes like what I was having.

James [00:03:12]:

So now where are you at now, I guess, with your health?

Annie Kubena [00:03:15]:

Are you tip-top or I'm I'm probably realistically like at 80%, but I have all these tools where I'm like, oh, I'm starting to push too hard now. Oh. And I know when to pull back. I'm someone who just, I wanna do everything. I'm so driven and then my body kind of fights against me with that. So I have all these tools now for taking much better care of my nervous system that go really well with all the great food and movement things that I was doing. So I think it, it might take me a while. I was really sick when I was a kid and then I got diagnosed with an autoimmune disease when I was in college.

Annie Kubena [00:04:00]:

So, but I, I feel so much stronger now because I have this more holistic approach to taking care of myself.

James [00:04:10]:

Okay.

Annie Kubena [00:04:11]:

Yeah.

James [00:04:12]:

Tell me about the, you said nervous system rewiring.

Annie Kubena [00:04:15]:

Yeah.

James [00:04:15]:

I've never heard of that. So tell me what that is.

Annie Kubena [00:04:18]:

Yeah. Well, I think for most of my life I ran on adrenaline. I motivated myself with stress and I really had to change my way of being to one where I could say I can do, I can do life and do everything I want from a more centered, relaxed place.

James [00:04:41]:

Okay.

Annie Kubena [00:04:43]:

And also I always prioritized work and school before, like over what my body was asking for. So I learned how to tune in more to what my body is really asking me for, tune in more to impulses. I was the kind of person that would sit at my desk for so many hours without moving, without going to the bathroom when I needed to, like anything. I was just like, I would settle into my work and just focus and push through. And so this was really, having to train myself out of that and more into like, what's my body asking me for today? How can I prioritize like grounding before I like just dive into my work or dive into the day or taking care of other people or other things? So that was part of it. Another part of it was just training my nervous system not to react to everything. So I had a point in my health where I was like reacting to almost every food I ate.

James [00:05:47]:

Like physically rash type stuff?

Annie Kubena [00:05:49]:

Yeah, just like all different kinds of reactions. Okay. But some, sometimes it would just be a stomachache or a headache. Sometimes it would be a rash, but I was down to like barely being able to eat anything without like feeling sick.

James [00:05:59]:

Oh.

Annie Kubena [00:06:00]:

Because my nervous system was in such a, such an activated state all the time that it can start just tagging a lot of things in your environment as dangerous.

James [00:06:12]:

Oh.

Annie Kubena [00:06:13]:

It's like, oh, you're in a state of fight or flight and you are eating a strawberry. You must be allergic to, you know, the strawberry must be dangerous. And so it just, our nervous systems were never meant to be in that state like all the time. So anyway, part of the program was exposing yourself to things that you're reacting to and like staying really calm, just small amounts at a time. So I started eating like small amounts of the foods I was reacting to. I started, listen, like sounds were something that really bothered me. So I started like exposing myself to louder sounds and then keeping myself calm so that my body could learn that the world is a safe place again and stop reacting to everything.

James [00:07:01]:

All right.

Annie Kubena [00:07:01]:

Yeah.

James [00:07:02]:

And was this a program you went through or is this something you did on your own?

Annie Kubena [00:07:06]:

Yeah, it was a program I went through. It's called Primal Trust. It's a nervous system regulation and brain retraining program. I did a lot of my own stuff too. I learned a lot about somatic parts work, which is, um, it's a therapy style called Internal Family Systems where it's like the movie Inside Out.

James [00:07:26]:

Okay.

Annie Kubena [00:07:27]:

You kind of work with your anxious part or your angry part or— yeah. So you really like learn a lot. Um, through that I really learned a lot about parts that were reacting and why....

Hilary Berning - Gio's Garden

On the Unrealistic Timelines of Insurance Companies: "It's a 6 to 9 month process just to get a wheelchair. I really need some way to get my son from point A to point B."

Families with special needs children already have some challenges.  These families need help and some guidance on where they can get this help.  This is where Gio's Garden comes in.

Gio’s Garden is a one-of-a-kind therapeutic respite center based in Middleton, Wisconsin, and recently expanded to Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Their essential mission: to provide safe, enriching respite care for children with special needs aged 0–7, giving parents the chance to take a break, run errands, or simply breathe.

Hilary Berning shares the struggles many of these families face.  From finding a place to care for your child temporarily since you can’t just leave your medically complex child with the teenager down the block. Gio’s Garden fills that gap with one-on-one care, specially trained staff, and a joyful, home-like atmosphere. Their houses are filled with arts, crafts, sensory rooms, gym equipment, and caring people who “never like to say no” to a family in need.

Listen as Hilary explains the needs and complexities of these children and their families and how Gio's Garden is a place that is doing all they can to help these children and their families.

Enjoy!

Visit at: https://giosgarden.org/

Sponsors:

Live Video chat with our customers here with LiveSwitch: https://join.liveswitch.com/gfj3m6hnmguz

Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan

 

Podcast Overview:

00:00 "Local, Unique, Community Focused"

06:03 Supporting Families Through CLTS

08:49 Greek Life Fundraising Show

11:10 "Sanfilippo Syndrome Journey Shared"

13:51 "Growth, Funding, and Strategic Planning"

19:18 Franchise Expansion Plans

20:56 Inclusive Childcare and Respite Plan

25:14 Emergency Presidency Amid Crisis

27:07 "Sun Prairie Location Announcement"

30:07 "Navigating a Life-Changing Diagnosis"

35:42 Sun Prairie Studio Renovation Details

38:07 Wiseman Center Connection Insights

40:48 "Planning Ahead for Kids' Safety"

44:38 "New Podcast Venture Launch"

47:10 "Reinventing With Youthful Engagement"

51:00 Nonprofits: Vital, Challenging, Impactful

52:00 Supporting Local Nonprofits

Podcast Transcription:

Hilary Berning [00:00:00]:

Um, because you have the big nationwide organizations, right? Make-A-Wish, Boys and Girls, like they're all over the nation. They've got nationwide people telling them what to do when providing all these things. And then you have organizations like mine, like there's no one else that does this. We are the only one that does it. We're doing it on our own. We are local. We're serving local people. All the money stays here and goes back to the kids.

Hilary Berning [00:00:22]:

People can really think that through a little bit where we don't have We are local, we're serving local, and we're doing good. Goal and focus on those nonprofits.

James Kademan [00:00:35]:

You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumph and successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found on the podcast link from drawincustomers.com. We are locally underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie, and today we're welcoming slash preparing to learn from Hillary Berning of Gio's Garden. So Hillary, how is it going today?

Hilary Berning [00:00:58]:

I'm good. Thanks for having me.

James Kademan [00:01:00]:

So let's start with the foundation here. What is Gio's Garden?

Hilary Berning [00:01:03]:

So Gio's Garden, so we are a respite center. We are located in Middleton, which is our original location, and we recently just opened a new location in Sun Prairie.

James Kademan [00:01:11]:

Nice.

Hilary Berning [00:01:11]:

So what we do is we provide therapeutic respite for children with special needs from ages 0 to age 7. So respite means to take a break. So it's really hard for parents of special needs kids to get a break.

James Kademan [00:01:23]:

Mm-hmm.

Hilary Berning [00:01:23]:

Because you can't just leave your special needs child with the teenager down the street. So we provide that opportunity for them to come leave their child with us and they can go and have a break.

James Kademan [00:01:33]:

Nice. So when you say special needs, tell me the gamut there.

Hilary Berning [00:01:36]:

We will see, um, everyone with, from autism to cerebral palsy to diabetes, to babies who have had strokes in utero to rare genetic disorders. We have kids with seizure disorders, so we kind of really don't say no very often. There's a few higher-grade medical needs that we can't see, like if they would have a tracheostomy or something like that. But otherwise, we don't— our motto is we don't like to say no.

James Kademan [00:02:04]:

Fair. And what does the care look like? Because I imagine it's not just an empty room.

Hilary Berning [00:02:09]:

It isn't, no. So our original location in Middleton, it's a house. It's a 100-year-old house. But we have specific rooms set up for different activities. So we have a sensory room. A lot of our kids have sensory sensory issues. So it's a quiet, subdued room where they can go and have quiet time. We have a reading room.

Hilary Berning [00:02:26]:

We have an arts and craft room. We have a gym that has swings that hang from the ceiling and an indoor play structure that kids can play on. Wow. Um, in Middleton, we also have outdoor, um, fenced-in yards so kids can run around and we have a place, a play structure out there as well.

James Kademan [00:02:42]:

Okay. I imagine you need people to be there present, right?

Hilary Berning [00:02:45]:

Absolutely. Yes.

James Kademan [00:02:46]:

It sounds like you'd need a lot.

Hilary Berning [00:02:47]:

We need a lot of staff. Yeah. So we provide one-on-one care. Oh, you do? Oh, wow. For every child that's in our care, they have an adult with them.

James Kademan [00:02:54]:

Okay.

Hilary Berning [00:02:55]:

So we currently have, including our executive director, 6 full-time employees. And then we have around 24 part-time employees that kind of comes and goes depending on the semester.

James Kademan [00:03:06]:

Okay.

Hilary Berning [00:03:06]:

And then we have a ton of volunteers that work with us. We are blessed to be in the Madison area where we have 3 colleges essentially that we can pull from and a lot of students who are going into medical fields or educational fields or occupational therapy or recreational therapy who need experience working with children with special needs. So we're able to provide that opportunity for them. So we're lucky that we have a large pool of students to pull from.

James Kademan [00:03:33]:

That's amazing.

Hilary Berning [00:03:34]:

But also means we have a lot of turnover and their availability changes every semester.

James Kademan [00:03:38]:

So that's just the nature of students.

Hilary Berning [00:03:40]:

It's just the nature of the, the, our staff that we work with just because we working with students, but we're blessed to have them and we, we give to them just as much as they give to us.

James Kademan [00:03:50]:

So nice.

Hilary Berning [00:03:50]:

It's really great.

James Kademan [00:03:52]:

So I got a lot of questions for you.

Hilary Berning [00:03:53]:

Nice.

James Kademan [00:03:53]:

So I'm gonna try to keep on task somehow. How do you let the students know that you exist even as an opportunity for them?

Hilary Berning [00:04:00]:

So we are on like all the job boards, like through the university and we're well connected within the different disciplines in the universities at Edgewood and at UW and at, is it Madison College? MATC? I don't— sure.

James Kademan [00:04:13]:

Sounds good.

Hilary Berning [00:04:13]:

Yeah. Yeah. So we are heavily involved in word word just kind of has gotten out about us and the people. And there's a special program, especially at UW-Madison, where they can get— part of a class credit is to volunteer at organizations. So they know about us. So they send a lot of students our way as well.

James Kademan [00:04:29]:

Gotcha. I imagine there's an interview process.

Hilary Berning [00:04:32]:

There is. Yep. There is an interview process. It's not just like, hey, come on in. Yes. There's a background check that we put all of our employees through. And it all varies depending on if you're coming in as a volunteer basis or you're coming in as a paid employee.

James Kademan [00:04:44]:

Okay.

Hilary Berning [00:04:44]:

Because your level of Um, if you're coming in as a volunteer, you're kind of paired with a full-time or part-time paid staff member, um, versus we won't just have 6 volunteers and 6 kids in the house at once. We will have paid staff to kind of help balance with that.

James Kademan [00:05:01]:

All right, let's talk funding.

Hilary Berning [00:05:03]:

Funding is— with nonprofits, yes, it is. My life revolves around funding quite a bit.

James Kademan [00:05:08]:

With for-profits, it's a big deal.

Hilary Berning [00:05:10]:

It really is. Yes.

James Kademan [00:05:11]:

Tell me a story. The parents of the children, are they paying?

Hilary Berning [00:05:15]:

They, yes and no. So when we first, when they first started opening Gio's Garden back in 2012 is when they opened their doors. It was a small subset of parents that got together and be like, we need help, we need help. We have special needs kids and there's no one to help us. So they, the idea of Gio's Garden was born. It's named after Charlotte de Lassiter. She used to be on Channel 3 News and her husband, Ron, it's their son Gio. Okay.

...