Girls Who Do Stuff

Lamarr started out with a simple dream. Own a franchise. But in order to open a Mcdonald's, he needed to get his net worth up to a million dollars. He started working hard and investing in real estate in the Detroit area, then the housing crisis of 08' hit and he lost his investments, but he still had his corporate job.

A couple of relocations landed him in the Chicago area where he realized he didn't need the million-dollar net worth to start a franchise and joining with a business partner opened his first franchise, A Title Boxing, outside of Chicago for only $1. After investing about $75-$100K from each partner into the club they brought it to profitability.

Lamarr breaks down the safeguards and protections every entrepreneur can put into place to help minimize their risk and ensure equitable partnerships and working relationships. Even if you have a partnership you should have an operating agreement in place to help save your relationship and to keep things moving in the right direction.

"Business is a business transaction. It is not about how you feel at the end of the day when you're working. Like whether it's a client agreement, that's why contracts are important. That's why it's important to have insurance. That's why it's important to have a legal entity and protection." -Jenny

Lamar talks about his newest business called Intelligent Office in Downtown Raleigh. 

Jamie unpacks her past job history and how she got into her current career path. Our story starts with Jamie sitting in a cubicle doing predictive modeling. Then she got her hands on a camera and started taking photos of friends and families. She had a friend who started her own photography business and a week later she started her own photography business.

After about 19 months of making just over $3,000 to making enough to fully replace her salary. She used her skills in predictive modeling to set a pricing structure that allowed her to experience the kind of success. She was inspired by ProBlogger who broke down how he monetized his blog and started thinking about how she could do the same in photography.

In her first year of running her website, she made just over $10,000 from her pricing guide and affiliate promotions. The second-year it was $109,000 and the following year $300,000. And it just blew her mind that she got to do what she loved as well as help other people.

You need to know your numbers. When you don't know your numbers your money doesn't know where to flow.

"And it builds the belief. That is possible. Correct. Once you see it, you cannot unsee it." - Jamie

Jamie's business was hit hard by COVID-19 and she had to adapt and rebuild. It was not easy but she talks about finding joy in the journey of rebuilding.

"it's not about the information and "knowing." It's about the "doing." It's about pushing past that fear, that resistance, and doing that makes the whole difference." - Jamie

Jamie unpacks the principle of trading pennies today for dollars later.

Jamie helps transformation-driven entrepreneurs who believe that we are brighter together and can make their greatest impact on the world by building a movement of crazy loyal customers around their business instead of trying to do it all alone. They do this by building a business with intention, simplicity, and focus on creating a brighter future for both their customers and the world.

You can listen to Jamie's podcast, The Bright Entrepreneur Podcast.

After a hectic five years in corporate America, she decided to make a change and find zen in massage therapy school. She unpacks the process of giving up a steady paycheck to making the leap into a new career.

Diane shares the importance of having a good business mentor. We discuss how to go about finding a mentor as a business owner.

We talk about the stigma and shame that many people feel for even asking the question "What do I want to do?" when you are in your 30s, 40s, or 50s because you may feel like you should already know. It takes courage to pivot.

Many times a career pivot comes out a time of scarcity when we are forced because of COVID-19, an organizational shift, or a shift in the market. It's during these times that we are forced to get creative and out of our comfort zone and that oftentimes leads to the greatest innovations.

At the core of her new career as a mortgage lender, she still gets to do that same thing: help people. Mortgage lending has been incredibly busy in 2020, which many are calling the year of the refinance.

Diane shares about how she and her friend created their own networking group, and what they learned along the way.

We talk about the future of offices being hybrid and how it is a shame that it took something like COVID to prove that it can work for businesses.

You can reach Diane at GoPrimeWithDiane.com

You can join the Holly Springs Small Business Network group (HSSBN) on Facebook 

Beth works with small business owners to help them navigate the wilderness of owning a business. She helps people fall back in love with their business. She is like a relationship coach between you and your brand.

Once you make it past the honeymoon phase with your company how do keep the flame alive and avoid burnout.

Sarah worked with Beth on remaking her brand and loved the experience.

Many of the principles of staying in love with your business can be similar to relationships.

Doors open for you when you set a direction but I also believe there are action steps you need to take. - Beth

Beth shares about the beautiful rowdy prisoners. This is from a poem where people who were in a cage have left a key. (a key dropper) This led to a conversation about what keys we drop as business owners.

Jenny drops permission. She gives people permission to start. You don't have to run your business like someone else. There is only one you.

We talk about how as business owners "you can be personal without forsaking your privacy."

Beth used the analogy of how our branding can feel like moving people from the sidewalk, to the front door, to the front room, living room, etc. But we have control over that process.

What is a poo flinging cage squatter? We break it down. They are people who don't really want to get out of their cage, in fact it may be unlocked with the door open, but they will never get out.

Good advice not taken is still good advice.

Beth has two Facebook groups that are open to anyone. One called "Beautiful Rowdy Prisoners" and another geared more towards business owners called "An unlocked you, an unlocked brand."

You can find out more about Beth and her business on her website keystoyourbrand.com
 

Laura shares a story about her dad and how she inherited her sense of humor. Sarah shares a hilarious story about people not being on mute on a zoom call.

We talk about how important it is to have boundaries as a business owner and individual. As business owners, we start by saying "yes" to everything because we are trying to make it work. Laura shares her journey of learning to set boundaries with her business.  Part of her success was delegating booking appointments at her salon.

"I am a firm believer in boundaries with my clients" ~ Laura

The Girls Who Do Stuff were guests on Laura's podcast - FRINGE and flourish.

Fringe, adj: not part of the mainstream; unconventional, peripheral, or extreme.

Flourish, verb: grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as a result of a particularly favorable environment.

There is an uprising microcosm of individuals who have decided to take another path. These service industry providers, entrepreneurs, and non-traditional job holders make up the fringe. This fringe environment is not very defined and with little understanding from mainstream society. Those in the fringe live amongst the majority who are set up for success, all while being misunderstood. The everyday life, conversation, and expectations do not fit in the puzzle for those who have taken the risk to create their own path.

But, as human beings, we NEED community. We strive for growth, and we crave belonging.

So, how do we bridge the gap?

Laura unpacks the benefits she has seen in her life because of establishing boundaries. She is respected more. She had some clients leave that made room for better clients. She also found herself with more time since she is not wasting effort on ineffective activities. 

We talked about the phenomena of people who post to forums or Facebook groups looking for cheap... photographers/stylists/plumbers/etc. and how you should respond to attract your ideal clients.

We also unpacked the number one asked question by most business owners who are service-oriented, "How do you set your prices."

She really connected with a student in her class when she was a teacher. That relationship led to her understanding that Jawan didn't have a bike. She asked other kids in her class and found that most did not have a bike and if they did it was old and rusty. She decided to start a gofundme.

When home life is not predictable a bike can provide joy and ownership of something of value.  

The GoFundMe was a success and she was able to get all 650 kids in her school a bike, helmet, and bike lock! It went completely viral. Katie’s campaign went viral and some of the top news outlets in the country reported on it including Good Morning America, The Today Show, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, ABC World News, Time Magazine, USA Today, Post and Courier, and The Steve Harvey Show. The story behind Going Places was catching on fire throughout America. On March 30, 2017, she surprised every student at Pepperhill Elementary School with a brand new bike. After this successful event, Katie now had an even greater vision.

She took the step to create the nonprofit and started helping more schools every year. She eventually left her job and focused on growing the business and furthering her mission to bring joy to children in need.

Now they have multiple fundraisers and provide more than just bikes. 

Numerous organizations focus on providing the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter, yet one thing often overlooked for children is their social-emotional need for Joy. For many kids living in poverty, it is when they get home from school that the real stress begins. So why a bike?

These kids can live in less-than-desirable and unpredictable circumstances and a bike provides them with a sense of freedom and escape. It also builds self-worth by being the first item of value they can call their own. A bike can restore the innocence of childhood that many have had taken away.

A person may have all of the basic "needs" in life, but what kind of life is one without Joy? What kind of adult will a child grow up to be if they have lacked Joy?

Find out more about Going places at goingplacesnonprofit.org

Genie shares her story of falling in love with a wonderful man in high school and married him after one month. In two years they ran into all the same issues that most relationships face and learned how to "bring love back to life" and now spend time coaching others.

Her book "Win her & Influence Him". The book addresses the top issues that men have women and women have with men. Jenny and Sarah spend time with Genie unpacking some of the top marriage issues.

Genie teaches the difference between male and female so we can honor the difference so each person can get what they need. Genie thought that her husband needed to be loved the way she needed to be loved. Her husband would come home and the last thing he wanted to talk about was work and she engaged with him wanting to hear the details of his day so she can feel connected with him. The issues would come up when she would make her version of love "right" and his version of love "wrong."

Genie breaks down the common issues between men and women through the lens of chapters of her book.

We talk through the common communication issues between men women, how understanding and empathy can help diffuse some of the common fights and frustrations between men and women when it comes to expectations and reality.

You can get a free copy of her book from her website 

Rachel started out wanting to become a therapist but during her internship with a therapeutic foster care, she changed her mind and decided instead to become a foster parent. She had a tragedy in her life that completely altered her direction. Her brother was killed in a motorcycle accident.

When something like that happens everything comes into focus. She left her job because she wanted her life to make a difference. During the time she was studying to launch the next chapter of her life she visited a friend who introduced her to the world of sweepstakes. She used some of her free time during her career transition to start entering contests. She started winning. Then winning big.

She shares where to find sweepstakes and some of her tips and tricks with us, but also shares about the comprehensive master class she created to help other people. One tip for finding giveaways on social media is to search hashtags. There are tons of comment-to-win contests.

We talked about the mindset of being in something for the experience without being attached to the outcome and how that type of perspective really sets people up to have amazing experiences. It was with that mindset that Rachel bought a dress from a thrift store and entered to win Miss Virginia and won!

She loves to share her winnings with friends and family and shared a story of reconnecting with an old friend with a NASCAR race.

Rachel shares the most impactful prize she has ever won: she won $54,000 with a tweet to win a contest that allowed her to pay everything off and make an investment to create the sweepstakes masterclass course. 

You can find Rachel on Instagram
Website | Sweepstakes Master Class
Facebook 

Jamie Tulak, The Designing Realtor, is in our opinion "kinda a big deal."

From her website:
Jamie’s first visit to Raleigh (and Holly Springs) was back in 2009 - she and her husband John had some friends in the area. She absolutely fell in love with the area, and knew that one day she wanted to plant roots and raise a family here in the Triangle. Because life happens, it just took a roundabout path of about 9 years to finally plant those roots. 

When Jamie realized their son would soon be starting kindergarten, she knew that God was opening a door for them to finally make the long distance move from California, and relocate their family of 4 to the Triangle. After much prayer, a lot of faith, and some hard work - they packed up their life and they finally made the move and will never look back.

Now that they are living in Holly Springs and planting roots, Jamie vows to help families in similar situations to help make their dreams a reality. Her drive and determination to never stop working hard for her clients, coupled with her 9 years of real estate experience along with her education in interior design has helped Jamie become a driving force as a top producing real estate agent. With almost a decade of real estate experience and an education in interior design, Jamie has the drive and the passion to help you find the perfect home to meet your needs and your budget. Are you selling your home? Take advantage of the FREE home staging Jamie offers her listing clients. Relocating to or buying a home in the Triangle? Jamie's keen eye for design can not only help you find the perfect house, but turn it into the perfect home for you, too.

If you are ready to browse the local real estate market, click here to search homes for sale in the local Raleigh area. 

Curious to know your home valuation? Click here for a FREE Market Analysis. I’m happy to also provide a FREE Prep Your Home to Sell Guide, to help walk you through the process of prepping your home to hit the market - you don’t even have to be my clients!

If you are ready to set up a FREE virtual appointment with Jamie, click here to get started. Connect with me online: https://linktr.ee/jamiepiercetulak

Born and raised in Apex, Jacque has seen the evolution from 3,000 to now over 67,000. Jacque served as Police Captain and spend 29 years and felt like this time in public service was not done. He wants to see communication between the citizens and the town government and take steps to reform and become a model for the rest of the nation.

Apex is a small town but has a great skate park that Jacque played a pivotal role. There was a growing rift between skateboarders and the police department and Mayor Gilbert shares his story of meeting and discussing with local teens and helping them to reach their needs.

It started with a noise complaint to a young man doing kickflips in his driveway and he had to tell the young man that he could not skate in his own driveway. After that interaction, it didn't sit well with him, after driving two blocks away he went back to ask if he could "work with him" on a solution. 

They agreed to meet at Chick-fil-a. It started as a conversation. Mayor Gilbert learned that he was abusing his power as a police officer instead of working with our neighbors to get them to treat us the way we want to be treated. 

We have a timely conversation about the importance of "answering the call" and doing the right thing in the situations we find ourselves with the ability to act.  

We talk about Mayor Gilbert's decision to allow a Black Lives Matter peaceful protest in their town. He knew it would be controversial. He met with the group and said they represent many people in their community who want their voices heard. They decided to add a march (unity walk) to the event and it set the tone for a powerful display of unity.

In 1991, Jacques's first protest in Apex was with the police department provided protection for a Klan event. It was a powerful distinction between the two protests for Mayor Gilbert.