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Naa Adoley Pappoe is a licensed social worker and psychotherapist with almost a decade of experience supporting the mental and emotional health needs of individuals, children, adolescents and families. Naa earned her Bachelor's in Psychology and French Studies from the University of Albany and her Master's in Social Work from Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. She is  licensed in both NY and NJ.

As a social work professional, Naa has provided support in direct and clinical practice with diverse populations including: Child Welfare, Developmental Disabilities, Serious Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities, Medically Fragile, Traumatic Brain Injury and Geriatrics. Naa also has a significant background in providing crisis intervention and Intensive counseling services to children and families. Naa specializes in helping women work through emotional and mental health challenges related to infertility, and the perinatal experience including pregnancy and postpartum periods; as well as a host of other issues related to and affecting women including: anxiety, stress, depression, trauma, grief and loss, life transitions, relationship and interpersonal issues.

Naa's Take Aways from her business journey and actionable tips:
- meditate/pray; sit with yourself and make sure that you are in alignment with your purpose
- surround yourself with people who will support and challenge you
- START even when you think that you are not ready

Recommended Movie(s)/Series:
- Call The Midwife

References:
- Business Coach/ Professional Consultation - Dr. Kimberly Bonds-Grocher
- When Naa refers to 'Back Home'; she's referring to Accra, Ghana

Resources:
- Time with Naa Adoley Pappoe; please reach out to Naa using the contact information below, letting her know that you heard her on our podcast.

Contact Information:
- Website: https://www.naapappoe.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naapappoelmsw
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone : (862) 256-5581

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Mix a creative mind with a number-cruncher, then throw in a dash of New York City and what do you get?  Kelly Gonsalves - a true entrepreneur that is all in, all the time.  She has started three companies and is a force to be reckoned with. 
Her first endeavor began in 2015 when Kelly founded Totally Booked (TM).  The purpose: to assist every small business in becoming more profitable by utilizing efficient accounting processes.
 
Where else has this passion for small business solutions taken her?  Kelly is a QuickBooks Advanced Certified ProAdvisor (™), an Alumni member of the Intuit Trainer Writer Network (sunset after 20 years), a HubDoc Top 50 Cloud Accountant,  and a two-time Insightful Accountant Top 10 ProAdvisor! Kelly has also spoken at many industry conferences and hosted countless webinars to share her knowledge with other accountants and bookkeepers so that they can excel at what they do.
 
In her downtime Kelly spends her weekends paddle boarding on the lake with her dog, Nina, cooking up a great meal, or taking on DIY projects at her new home.

Kelly's Take Aways from her business journey and actionable tips:
- DO IT!!! Taking the first steps like getting an Employer Identification Number, choosing a name, starting a bank account, pushes you to get it done.
- Be persistent; work within your network and
- Be consistent - Keep going

Recommended Book(s):

- Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You

- How to Make Sh*t Happen: Make More Money, Get in Better Shape, Create Epic Relationships and Control

References:
Marketing Genius: MarketingMax

Resources:
- Small Business Administration (SBA)
- Eventbrite
- Time with Kelly Gonsalves; please reach out to Kelly using the contact information below, letting her know that you heard her on our podcast.

Contact Information:
- Website: https://totallybooked.nyc
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/totallykellyg/
- Telephone: 718-218-4941
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/totallybookedny

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Jacqueline Gathers is a NY State licensed home inspector and owner of Pillar To Post home inspections. She is the only black female home inspector in NYC.  Jacqueline is also retired from the New York City Housing Authority after 30 years of service.  She has expressed that she is happy to share her expertise by educating first time home buyers on the importance of a home inspection when purchasing property.

Jacqueline's Take Aways from her business journey and actionable tips:
- research your industry; know everything there is to know about your industry
- look at successful people in your industry and see what they have that you don't have e.g. certifications and other credentials
- create a great customer service; be consistent
- do something a little different to separate yourself from everyone

Recommended Book(s):
- The Bible

Resources:
- Time with Jacqueline Gathers; please reach out to Jacqueline using the contact information below, letting her know that you heard her on our podcast.

Contact Information:
- Website: www.pillartopost.com/jacquelinegathers
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacqueline.gathers
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacqulinegathers
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone : 917-670-8536

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Thaddeus 'Bram' Simeon is a seamoss farmer in the beautiful village of Laborie, St. Lucia. He has worked as a fisherman and he also had a shoe repair business. He is the father of two, including father of the host Clarita. He is grandfather of four grandkids; three resides in Australia and one in the US (NY).

Thaddeus' Take Aways from his business journey and actionable tips:
- need start up cash to buy essentials like ropes, anchors etc.
- need the sea moss crop to start
- hard work and passion goes a long way
- be happy and do the work with love and happiness


References:
- Documentary about Thaddeus 'Bram' and his sea moss business 
- At the beginning of the episode, Bram's holiday is referenced. To provide some context, the podcast was recorded on a Wednesday.  Bram has chosen Wednesdays as his personal holiday/sabbath. He doesn't work on that day and instead rests and engages in activities that reconnects him with nature such as hiking. 
- 

Resources:
- Time with Bram; please reach out to Bram using the contact information below, letting him know that you heard him on our podcast.

Contact Information:

- Phone : 1-758-733-3520

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Alajahwon Ridgeway, Founder of A.B. Ridgeway Wealth Management, is a Certified Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA®️) professional with over a decade of experience in investment management and creating retirement plans. He is also the host of Financial Advisors Say The Darndest Things Podcast, a Christian Finance Podcast where they teach believers how to be rich in spirit and righteous in action.

Alajahwon's Take Aways from his business journey and actionable tips:
-  take advantage of trainings, continuing education and opportunities to go back to school. Overall, get educated and sharpen your knowledge; read, read, read
- make sure that you have emergency savings before going out on your own
- learn to automate (to help with workflows), delegate and eliminate

Recommended Book(s):
- The Bible

References:
- Podcast: Financial Advisors Say The Darndest Things
- Book: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
- Story: The Fisherman and the Businessman story
- Organizations: XY Planning Network and Small Business Development Centers
- Education: CPWA Designation and Enrolled Agent Designation
- Technologies/Systems: Mailchimp  and Hootsuite
- Other Financial Planner: Kaysian Gordon

Resources:
- Time with Alajahwon Ridgeway; see contact below.

Contact Information:
- Website: https://www.abrwealthmanagement.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/abrwm
- Email: [email protected]

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Grant Atkinson is the founder of Framework Law Group PC, a law firm dedicated to supporting creative entrepreneurs.

Take Aways from his business journey and actionable tips:
- Make sure that the business is truly something that you truly love and care about
- Keep going, let your self vent, meditate, take time for wellness, exercise, have a sense of humor about the journey
- Take the appropriate steps to make sure that you are on solid legal footing & consult with professionals
- Celebrate every little inch of victory including a new client, a new follower or a new comment
- Trade of services with other entrepreneurs

Recommended Book(s):
- Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn

References:
- Podcast: Legal Lore with Grant Atkinson Tales of Entrepreneurship

Resources:
- Time with Grant Atkinson; schedule a call here. Please let him know that you heard him on this podcast.

Contact Information:
- Website: https://www.frameworklawgroup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frameworklawgroup/

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Randy Hughes III is the Founder and Lead Instructor of the Well-Rounded Accountant Program, a 6 to 12-month mentorship program designed to assist accountants with existing practices to move from compliance to advisory and to help corporate accountants identify their niche and start their own accounting firm.

As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Tax Coach (CTC), Certified Tax Resolution Specialist (CTRS), & Enrolled Agent (EA), Randy is uniquely qualified to also assist businesses owners in various avenues of business such with tax planning, tax resolution, and CFO services.

Randy graduated from Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland with a B.S. in Accounting. Randy has also served in financial leadership roles in the hospitality industry as a Controller, in both centralized and decentralized accounting settings. He currently serves as an elite member of the Intuit Tax Council.

In 2009, he left the corporate world to devote his efforts to growing Counting Pennies, LLC into a full-service accounting firm and to give back through volunteer work for his community. He is fluent in American Sign Language and enjoys teaching and traveling the world with his wife, Renèe.

Randy's Take-Aways from his business journey and actionable tips:
- work hard, e.g. - make sacrifices and work on your business
- work smart, e.g. - realizing when it is time to bring someone on (admin, business partner, mentor etc) and figuring out how to do that
- be patient, e.g. - many times a ‘no’ is really a 'not yet'

Recommended Book(s):
- The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman
- What Your CPA Isn't Telling You by Mark J Kohler

Resources:
- Time with Randy; please email Counting Pennies Managing Director Pamela Tyler at [email protected]​, letting her know that you heard about Randy on our podcast. The first person that contacts Pamela and mentions the podcast will be gifted 30 minutes with Randy.

Contact Information:
- Website: https://cpennies.com/
- For Accountants: https://cpennies.com/thewellroundedaccountant/
- Email: [email protected]​
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/countingpenniesllc/
- Office: (800) 234-1449

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DJ Brainboy, Founder of DJ Brainboy Dee Insaneboy, is a St Lucian DJ known for his infectious high energy when performing behind his decks! This DJ tours St. Lucia and the Caribbean region performing at night clubs, weddings, streetjams, carnival events and staged events. One of this DJ's most notable achievements is performing at a wedding for a couple from the UK who couldn’t get enough of his Soca Music. On his channel, you’ll find a variety of high end energy DJ Mixes.

DJ Brainboy's Take Aways from his business journey and actionable tips:
- figure out what you enjoy, what you are good at or what you can tolerate the most when called upon
- spend time around those you'd want to be like or who have similar interest as you
- network and make friends

Recommended Book(s):
- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

Resources:
- Time with DJ Brainboy; please email or direct message (DM) DJ Brainboy, letting him know that you heard him on our podcast.

Contact Information:
- Youtube: Dj Brainboy Dee Insaneboy
- Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
- Instagram: @djbrainboy_dee_Insaneboy    
- WhatsApp +1758-488-8518    

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Neel Panji, Founder of PodLeaf Productions, is a a mechanical engineer who left his corporate job at a multinational corporation to build a podcast production company. He has been in business for about 4 years; 3 yrs part time and 1 year full time.

Neel's Take Aways from his business journey and actionable tips:
- mindset change; remind yourself that there is at least one person that requires yur services; find that one person
- research target audience and send cold emails
- search social media for people looking for your services
- connect with as many people as you can and talk about yourself and your work as much as possible
- accept the fact that people do forget so follow up. When reaching out to others, do write something that will catch the reader's attention

Recommended Book(s):
- Atomic Habits 

Resources:
- Time with Neel; please email or direct message (DM) Neel, letting him know that you heard him on our podcast.


Contact Information:
- Website: www.podleafproductions.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @neelpanji