Hey, Hey, Hey, you know I add a little extra, you know, because you know.
Tiffany.
Hey, guys, Happy Brian and Vision Wednesday. Officially it's Mandy.
Yeah. Oh anything new coming up? Oh you're gonna miss me in a minute, Mandy, I'm gonna be gone for two whole weeks.
How would you deal?
I know, I think that we're going to be okay. I mean, we love you and the show would be nothing without you obviously, But like I said, we've got some really good guests lined up for the next couple of weeks. Next week, we're going to have our fairy fairy money godmother herself, Lynette Califani Cox joining the show and we'll talk about all kinds of fun stuff. I think her biggest episode with us so far has been about the power negotiating and she gets real real like
first of all, like talk about life experience. She has the most amazing stories about actual times she has gotten more of herself, not to mention launching, you know, running this huge business that she has as the money coach, which she's had for like a decade now or more so.
Lynette will be on next week, and then we have our fave Sandy Smith from Yes I Am Cheap joining the show, and Sandy has made a name for herself with all the side hustles and showing how you can you can have a stable life, stable nine to five and then also bring inside income. And I'm really excited to have her on Social Beyond next next week.
I love them both, honestly, they're so dope. Speaking of like Lynette, you know, she was like one of my very first mentors in the space. And actually, you know, it's only recently like that folks have been talking about the difference between mentor and sponsor. Have you been like listening to kind of like that not debate, but that kind of that discussion.
No sponsor, like I just thought of like alcoholics anonymous or something.
No, So apparently like your mentor is a person that kind of like gives you advice, like, hey girl, don't worry that you look crazy. You know, Hey girl, don't talk to boss like that you're going to get fired, you know. But your sponsor is like, I'm in the room, and I really think that Mandy deserves this race, Mandy, you know, like, for example, Lynette, I didn't realize I used to call Lynette my mentor, but honestly, she was like both a mentor and a sponsor. I remember when
I first met Lynnette. I was at this Black Enterprise event. It had to be like seven years ago.
She was so nice.
We were following each other on Twitter, but I didn't know what she looked like. I mean, well, he's not in person, so I didn't recognize her. Meanwhile, my cheeky self asked her to take a picture of me and Sola Dad O'Brien. I was like, oh, hey, lady, don't know who you are. Can't get the picture of me.
She was so nice, and then afterwards she's like I tipped me. I was like, oh, hey, you know my name?
Because I stood up like you could ask like a question to like Sola Dad. There was like a panel and I stood up. I said, Hi, I'm Tiffany. You have a business called the Budgeanisa. So that's told she knew because she didn't know what I looked like either. So she came over. She's like, hey, Tiffany, you know you're the Bunchanisa.
I was like yes.
I was like, look, someone recognizes me. Meanwhile, I stood up and said I am Sifney the bunch of sa and so she was like, oh, I'm Lynette cor fiddy car. I melted on the floor. I was like, oh my gosh, I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry. I asked you to take a picture with her.
Because like, so that a browny was cool, but like I stand for Lynette, like you know, she was just so nice to via Twitter. She was just so knowledgeable, and so that day she Lynette. She since moved, but she used to live in Mountainside, New Jersey, which is like right next to the city where my parents lived on Westfield, And she was going headed back to Jersey and she said, you know, how'd you get out here? I said the train? She said, you want to ride back?
And I was like what, uh yeah, And so we drove back. There was so much traffic. What would have been a forty five minute drive ended up being like a two hour drive. And she proceeded to poor, I mean, everything into me so much, so I took out a notebook so much so. So that's mentoring, right, yeahic advice. But what she did that was even more amazing. She said, have you ever been on TV? And I was like no.
She's like, do you want to be?
And I said, yeah, She made a phone call right there in the car to pix eleven News, which is a local New York Like you know, pix eleven local New York kind of like I guess try state area, right, would you say pix eleven is Mandy?
Have you ever watched pix eleven News.
I've done pix eleven. I don't know where they broadcast. I don't assume they broadcast it somewhere I never checked.
I think sounds about.
New York, right, It's all like pretty local, but still like I mean, still a huge deal to me because I grew up watching pick eleven. And so she was like she called the producers and said, you know how I'm supposed to fawn next week? I have somebody else I would I think it should come on. She gave me her spot, Mandra, and I was like looking at her like, ma'am, I.
Don't buppity boop to stare that money godmother real.
And that's a sponsor. A spot gives you more than advice, you know what it is. A sponsor gives you opportunity, real opportunity. And it wasn't just she just said, hey, take my spot. Because Lynette is so confident like, girl, they will have me back whenever I want. She was like, right before you go on, I'll do some media training with you. Oh okay, stranger lady from Twitter.
I couldn't believe it. She did.
She she coached me so well, ended up doing well, and ended up going on fairly regularly. You know, once when Lynette was.
Free was not free.
They're like, girl, you cute, but we want Linette. I was like, I'm fine with that. But yeah, so it's not easy to find. Have you ever had like a sponsor sponsor.
Like, no, no one or supports me like, oh man, I don't know.
You know, sometimes there's there may be people, and I feel like to get where I am now, I must have. But I feel like sometimes it's people who do things on your to your benefit that don't necessarily shout about it or don't tell you like, hey, I vouched for you. I get the sense that I've definitely in the past couple of years had a specific exp who's always kind of looking out for me. But it's been like an unspoken thing. But I've never been trapped in the car with Lynette. That would be nice.
Oh my gosh, Randy, when I tell you I literally had pages and pages. I've never met someone who was so I mean, I still aspire to that level of giving, you know what I mean. Like Lynette is someone who I actually model, like my not just like my business after, but like my life after. Lynette is so confident and just kind. But it's not just me. You're like, oh it, Tim, because you're so special. No, everyone has their Lynette is so kind to me. Story like she just everyone, whether
you just started yesterday or your seasoned. She Like, there's certain people in my life who I'm like, you know, if I could get it's close to them as far as personality wise as possible. Lynette is one of them.
And I'm yeah.
I was watching this video about like how do you get a sponsor, and it's like two parts. You get a sponsor through your work, right or through relationships, meaning like so one if you're just killing it, like oh my gosh, you know someone's like yo, I like Mandy, Like like I suspect that your sponsors, Like Mandy works really hard, Mandy's super smart, she's ambitious, she's killing it. I'm gonna put her on when I get into this room.
So that like that's one way and the other way is through relationships, so meaning like you know, like I used to, like almost everyone typically has like a work mom. I remember when I was like getting my internships, I had a work mom, and so she and I became really close, and so she used to put me on because she we had a relationship. Not that I was like,
you know, some amazing intern. I mean, I guess I was fine, but because she actually liked me and we had developed a true relationship, then like you know, she she was the executive assistant to the CEO where I was interning, and so she would be like Tifnany's amazing, She's so great, blah blah blah. But that's because of our relationships. Because people ask me all the time, how
do you get a sponsor? And it's not like something that you know, just like I haven't had a sponsor from what I could tell, well, at least the sponsor like Lynette. I mean, I'm sure there's people behind the scenes. And so Lynette's was more relationship based because I mean she didn't know if I was going to be good on TV. And the other sponsors that I've probably had
behind the scenes are more work work based. So I just think that's just the interesting content mentor versus sponsor, and how do you attract both.
Yeah, and especially if you're like in corporate America, you're working for a company that I don't know has more than fifty people, and you don't feel like there's anyone.
I don't know, let's say you're middle management or senior management, and there's not someone because you're you have you're managing people and you don't necessarily want to talk to them about, you know, your career ambitions or how to move up in the company, and it may not be clear to you, you know, who what your company you can talk to.
That's that's one of the challenges I think I've encountered, and then I've heard from other people, is not really knowing who to go to and if you're especially if you don't have a Some HR organizations do a really good job where they have in company mentoring programs, and I guess it's a form of sponsorship, but where you match sort of some employees with with people who can who have been at the company for a long time, maybe in a like a level or two higher or
on parity with them, and just say, you know, this is your buddy. This is a person who you can check in with who is not your boss, not your direct report, just sort of an objective person.
That's good.
And Yeah, it's the thing that.
I feel like a lot of a lot of people could benefit from. And and especially because like it's it's one thing having a sponsor maybe you know more generally who's not necessarily doing your job or not working at your company, But to have someone in the place where you're working, especially if you see yourself being there for a long time, who can help you maneuver, I mean, for better or for worse.
There is some.
Maneuvering in corporate and and and you know in corporations and stuff, so to how do how do you move around?
How do you remove roadblocks? To have someone like that?
Yeah, that be really have you ever been a sponsor for someone?
I mean, now that you're saying it, I'm one. I feel like I'm at the Academy Awards and I'm not doing a good job thinking of who I should think.
I'm like, damn, someone's gonna listen to this.
For myself, I'm like, I've.
Definitely I've definitely gone to bat. I was in my review of my performance review this time around, well good and bade. One of the things was you care so much about your people, like you're constantly defending that not defending, but like going to bat for them and I And as a manager, I've learned like if you don't ask for things like promotions and raises and stay the hell on your HR team, like it may not happen for
that person. And I've learned how to really advocate and be a loud, squeaky wheel when it comes to getting those types of things from my people, especially in leaner times, like when a company's not thrown around money, it can be even more challenging. So I take that upon myself because one I want people.
To be appostorship.
So you've been yeah, yeah, you know, I certainly feel like for someone to say, hey, hello, you know, reporter, you should definitely come run a whole content team. That is a form of sponsorship, like seeing potential in someone even if they don't have a proven track record. And that's something that like, So for example, I'm recruiting, I'm
always recruiting. I'm always hiring different roles and stuff. It seems like when I'm reviewing resumes, I think because of what I have been given, which is an opportunity to prove myself in a way that maybe my resume didn't
show that I was prepared for. I when I'm looking at resumes, I'm looking at them differently, you know, especially for roles that are maybe more entry level or maybe it would be a step up for someone even if their resume doesn't say they've had X number of years experience and this is why you should apply for jobs. I think that you don't have the number of you know, stated experience years that they want.
I'm thinking, like, okay.
This is a I literally have a label on the way that I organize my red recruiting, as I have labels, and I'll put wildcard by some people if I think, if I think there's something about this person, they don't have it's not on paper, but let's give them this test. Let's have them come in, let's see what they have to give, and.
I literally get that card.
Yeah, And I've given people. I've given people second stabs at a test. So you know, if I'm testing editors or writers, I've given people a second go round. If I felt like the first go round wasn't good, I've annihilated them in my remarks to them and told them how poor it was, just to see how they would react and then give them another chance.
And I don't know.
I so I think in that way, I try to sponsor, try and get people the benefit of the doubt and a chance, the chance to kind of prove themselves.
Awesome. I feel like you did. So.
So it's like it's not that you necessarily have this one core person that you're like, I'm always sponsoring, but it's like when the when the situation arises, you know where you're like, Okay, this situation requires sponsorship if I really want to see this person get this raise or you know, help navigate or remove a roadblock.
No, So that's honestly, you're in a you're in a position.
Of power, I mean, for lack of a better word.
And so yeah, that's it's good to know.
And so I'm thinking about, like, you know, just this conversation just has to be thinking like how I can do a better job, because it's different in my company because I'm the CEO, so I'm you know, I try to be conscious and I actually encourage my team members to sponsor each other because there are certain people that I work with all the time, like, oh, you know, I know.
Logan is killing a Tamra's killing it, Karen's killing it.
But that's my lead team. Rachel's killing it. I might not know that Comeone, who works on customer success and customer support, she's been killing it because she works on Tamra's team. So Tamor is her lead, and so you know, Tamor might have to be like, uh, just so you know, Comeone has been killing these last couple of weeks. So I really encourage that because I don't want to miss someone's excellence because we don't connect on a daily basis.
That's not your fault.
You didn't do anything wrong because we don't because I'm not watching you work because you already have your team lead. And so I don't necessarily think a sponsorship in my company, but I do try to think of like, well, what can I do with like other people, especially in the brown financial space, you know, like how can I put folks on? Yeah, because I we're all just so dope.
So I know.
One of the things is like with the Literature Academy, if I see someone who's really dope, like I try to be like Hey, you want to teach a class, because yes, the students benefit, but honestly, like the members, these members have been like raised and molded for like the last some of them for like the last seven years, and they are primed and ready to invest further.
And so you come on.
I mean, I've had people make you know, in a month from the people in my online school in like a one of my friends teaches people how to take their invention from idea to the shelves of like Walmart and Target. I've had she made like sixty thousand dollars from people who then invested further into her business, like as far as like you know, hiring her to do whatever it is that you know, like whatever her service
or whatever is. And so that's kind of like my way to be like because I want I want them, the people that we serve, the dream catchers and dream builders, to have access to like top tier folks that look like them. And then this is my opportunity to put on top tier folks that you might they might not otherwise run into you, you know, So like kind of like that's that's what I do for now, But I feel like I don't know, like I want to be more pointed with it, like that's pretty appointed.
You're putting them in front of your vast audience. Is a is a gift? You're like a little see your fairy godmother too.
No, but I feel like there's some people, like, for example, I love Tila holcome right, I'm like, what can I do for Tila? I just love just so you know, so like when things come up, I'm like, like, I wasn't able to do the speaking tour and I feel so bad, and you know what, they ended up asking Tila. And because I'm like, I can't do it, and I talk to myself, why did I talk them about Tila? Like I should have? Like, you know, cause that's something
that Patrice taught me. Patrise Washington. You know we all love her. She was one of our guests. So Patrice taught me that, and I forgot. She was like that when she can't do something, someone reaches out and said, hey, we love for you to do this. She never let that that opportunity leave without making a suggestion that sponsorship.
And I was kicking myself.
I'm glad that I ended up reaching out to Tila, but I was kicking myself and like all I said basically was like, oh, I'm unable to do is so sorry, I have a conflict. It should have been like, but I have somebody amazing who could take my place, And that's something I'm trying to remember that if I can't do that, that's like the Patris rule.
If you can't do a girl, don't.
Let them leave with that at least looking into someone that you know that it's dull, so you could put someone else on.
You know, what would Patrice slash Lynette do exactly?
Touch? Don't people that we know?
Yeah, for real, there's so few and you know, personal finance journalism too, is not the most diverse field. But I recently got I didn't realize there was this this. I must have known in the back of my mind that something like this must have existed. But there's like a network of black financial journalists. And I finally got the top of my shoulder to join the email chain to me up with these you know, other black financial journalists.
So I'm excited about about that because you know, I've I've tried to recruit a very as diverse a team as I can, but still it's a small it's a small little world.
Out here.
But if you don't have to like sponsor in big ways, you know, if it doesn't have to you know, you don't have to feel like, oh I can't give you
a job or like a monetary opportunity. But just like what I love about my team is we're constantly doing shout outs, like like it's like you said, when you don't when your team is growing and getting bigger and you've got layers of management in between you and the and and people who are working for you, you may not understand who the rock stars are and you need that feedback from you know, your middle management to to tell you and so to make that part of their daily
goal and expectation, like you tell me how everyone's doing and who the who's doing very well, so that you're having a sense of where the star performers are at on the team without.
I feel like if y'all could tweet us right, what's our twitter?
We? I feel like we have a been so long at.
The b A podcast, so honestly tweet as do you have you ever been sponsored? Do you sponsor? Have you ever been mentored? Do you mentor?
So?
We I just love to, like, you know, at the BA podcast, just send us a quick tweet and you know, and just like, I'd love your feedback of like what that's looked like in your life and how someone sponsorship or mentorship has really helped to take you to the next level. I think there'll be some interesting responses.
Yes, and sorry if I forgot to mention anyone who's ever helped me out and they're listening, it's very rude.
I know.
So many. I think, my Mama, God, the universe.
Let's let's look at a couple of headlines real quick. I've everyone's been following the college I can't wait to talk about this college aid scandal with Lynette next week. But the most recent thing is, you know how like you know, everyone's making fun of some people because they did it.
You know they're in the wrong.
All these all these parents who you know, paid billions of dollars to get their kids into colleges like USC. You know, it's it's fun to wag fingers at them, but think before you post, look at your own history. Because doctor dre got himself in a little bit of an embarrassing situation because his daughter got into USC and he decided to post a photo on Instagram with the caption my daughter got accepted into USC All on her own.
No jail time.
Ha ha ha.
Well, people quickly.
Reminded him that just a few years ago, he himself, with Jimmy Ivine, donated some seventy million dollars to USC to start a new academy for arts and evasion like that, which is great, which is awesome, but that's more of like the sanctioned way to get your kid into college.
Yeah, because are they really going to tell you, hey, thank you for your seventy million, but your daughter can't.
Come here, right, I mean, that was an investment in his daughter's education, I might say, yeah. And then apparently, like the Internet found an old post from his daughter that said that then she was complaining about her dad pushing her to apply to USC and she didn't really want to go.
Like, come on, guys, yo, Honestly, the Internet is undefeated. Like the FBI could sit back and just take lessons, Like they know who shot AFK black Twitter? They're like, girl by like Twitter undefeated. If you borked on Twitter ten years ago, they're like, oh, you know, Burke, are you sure?
Screenshot?
What would MLK have tweeted?
About I know, Oh my gosh, it's just it's very hard to live your life out loud. So just be mindful, folks. But I mean, I feel you, doctor today. But yees, seventy thousand dollars is I don't think.
It was million?
Million? Oh yeah, million. Now you know, I'm not calling it a bride, but it's a bride.
No, but but yeah, either way, congrats see your daughter.
That's cute. But you know they weren't going to tell her.
Now That's why I love Lynette because she's like, you know, for for regular parents, she has the best advice on how to get just She's gotten her kids like hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant and scholarship money and aid money for colleges and her kids. Her kids go to awesome schools without the uh, the shadiness.
So sit down, doctor dre please.
And then I think we were talking a little bit like a while ago about you know, both of us are thinking about motherhood and and especially for people in the workforce, there's that constant question when is the right time to leave the workforce? And then what's going to happen to my career if I leave the workforce. This is one of the reasons I'm excited we're going to have for a new Sturabbie on the show in a few weeks from now to talk about the motherhood penalty
as it were, and what happens when you leave. But just just to you know, get us all excited about that episode.
Here is a recent.
Stat that I read about really the cost of having a child in the workforce today, So it can cost sixteen thousand dollars a year and lost wages for mother working mothers. And that's according to census data that was recently analyzed by the National Women's Law Center. And also we all know about like the wage gap, but I never thought about the mother wage gap. And so women, I think, where we at eighty cents or ninety cents to the dollar a man makes.
Well, yeah, if you're not a woman of color, but yeah.
Yes, women in general, mothers are at seventy one cents for every dollar through male counterparts make.
And can you imagine if you're a brown mother.
Right exactly, it's like the double penalty. And it's not just the fact that you lose your wages, and you know, and people say, what does that mean you know, losing sixteen thousand dollars earning less. I think it comes down to a couple of different factors, one of which is accounting for the time away from work and the reduction
and wages from that. So, if you're not a salaried employee and you're you know, you're earning an hourly wage, you're missing out on your payment while you're you know, on maternity leave. And then in some cases, even if you are salary, you're not getting paid one hundred percent of your salary like to be on maternity leave. It's it's like you either get disability or you get like a fraction of your salary if you get paid at
all to be off. Yeah, and on top of that, it's like, you know, I've had girlfriends even now who have decided to leave their job because they couldn't, you know, either childcare was so expensive and they weren't getting paid enough to really make the math work out, or just couldn't justify working someplace where they weren't feeling fulfilled and the payment was off and decided to just you know, set their career aside for a while while they took care.
Of their children.
Like those are real choices, Yeah, choices that people are making in this day and age.
And I just feel like, I mean, one of the things I wish I would have thought of of like earlier, is that like and this is like something I'm telling like my younger sisters. Is that like, because you know, sometimes you're like, I don't know if I want to have kids. That's what I remember. When we first started Brown Ambition, I was very like fifty fifty.
You know.
It has been years since then, though, like we've.
Loved yeah, you know, but I wish even then, I wish I would have liked you know, but I'm like, okay, even if there's an inkling.
Like what would that look like? You know what I mean?
Because there's so much pre prep work if you're wanting to, you know, make sure that you can maintain your income, if you're you know, like to just even just physically to make sure am I even able? Should I freeze
my eggs? There's so much There are so many financial decisions and just deciding if you want to and so like what I would have told like Tiffany, like you know, early Brown Ambition days is you know, well, even if you're not sure, like if you are sure, like, you know how like Jenny mie On on the Real if you guys watch, she's very adamant. She doesn't want it, like she's like, I'm very clear, I always have always known that. Then that's one thing.
But if you're kind of like, I don't know, maybe so then like.
Really asking yourself and start looking at what would need to be done financially and otherwise it's if you did, because there's just so much I mean, there's so much pre work that I've done, and I'm like, dang, I wish I would have at least looked into the pre work earlier, just because I you know, I was never a definite no, and I wasn't not one hundred percent yes until like recently, you know that I wish I would have done that a little bit earlier, because I'm like, oh,
there's so many things like like working for myself. I you know, I was like, wait, so wait, how am
I gonna pay for a baby? If I am the Budgeanista and the Budgeanisa is a speaker, and if I was, I don't eat and so like, you know, so that was something, you know, It's one of the reasons, honestly, that it forced me to or push me to start the Live Richer Academy because I said, I still want to teach, I still want to help, but I want I have to create an avenue where I could do this without having to get on a plane and be somewhere. And so the Literature Academy is born in some other
kind of like side businesses. But yeah, that's what I would suggest now that if you are, you know, in your twenties, in your thirties, and you're just like, I'm not sure, I'm kind of ambivalent, at least look into it so that way, when you do make a decision, you're ready either way one way or the other, almost like you have to make your teach art. Like if I do have a kid, what does that look like? You know, do I have insurance?
Do I have this? Do I have that?
Should I freeze my eggs? Because I'm thirty two and I might not. You know, I'm not with anyone seriously that i'd want to have a kid with, or you know whatever that kind of looks like, you know, do your prep work because that work is going to have to be done anyway. And if you do decide that you do want to have children. You're going to wish she started that sooner, because I know I did, no.
One hundred percent. I mean, and as far as like people who are working nine to five are working for other people. It also impedes your decisions like around or influence your decision around will you leave your job if you're unhappy? You know, will can you start a new job and then become pregnant quickly after that? And the fear around being judged or being perceived as less of
a hard working individual or as a liability. I mean, as much as companies will say that they don't discriminate against working mothers, it happens.
All the time.
Yeah, I mean, I mean it's the smallest things from having inflexible work schedules, from not offering you know, working mothers things like work from home privileges if they need to ease back into you know, work life even after
maternity leaves over. I was talking to a friend of mine from a former place I worked at, and I was so surprised she was, you know, she came back from maternity leave and they you know, granted they have a generous policy of like sixteen weeks paid maternity, but you know, even she was realizing how difficult it was to leave her child at forem months to go back to work, and she felt so afraid to ask her manager for time for you know, a different schedule where
she could come in earlier and leave earlier. And I was like, how can this be, Like, just go ask, But it was the fear around the perception, and when I was this is the same company, I think it's
just a wider culture there. When I worked there, you know, several years ago, there was a perception that if you were male and had children, that they would be likely they would be not penalized socially if they were to ask off because of a sick kid, but that the mothers on my team would complain that they felt like they were judged more harshly when they asked to leave early or take time off for a sick kid. So it's like not just a financial impact, it's also the workplace experiment.
Yes, And it's crazy because like I looked like one like my sister she just had a baby, well, yes, Lily is six months and you know she had her maternity lead and it just made her look at her job like you know what, this is not really a thing, you know, like it really opens up my My sister is like a genius. She has a whole how to get a job system. She actually I had her teacher class in the academy because she had this whole like like she has. She's super organized, like the opposite of me.
And she has this whole intricate how to interview and get the job and find the right job. And she's never she's never gone from level to level. She either super levels up or at minimum is getting like a five to ten thousand dollars raise, you know, from job to job. So she it made her really look at her current job. She just hit me the other day and she was like we were just talking like, oh, how's Lily. She said good, Oh, she said, did I tell you have a new job. I'm like, of course
you do, because that's what you do. And she was like, yep, it's closer to the house. The hours are more flexible because they were not trying to I guess wherever her whole place was was not an alignment. And she was like, and I think it's like, you know, it's a significant raise, like you know, a five figure raise on top of what she was already getting paid, and I was like, wow,
only you and so so. But but the thing is she had prepared because I guess, you know, you don't get your insurance right away, you know, like there's like that like moment where you're on Cobra or whatever, you're kind of like gap insurances. So she had saved for that, and so there's like I said, that's that pre kind
of planning. But now she's like, I'm happier. I feel like this job is more in alignment with where I want to go, you know, in my career, but in alignment with who I want to be as a mom.
And I'm making more.
And so it's just you know, those opportunities are out there, just might not be at your current job.
Yeah, and I definitely felt the pressure to move into Like so for example, where I am now, I feel in a really good position to start a family here. And you know, I think, like anyone in my business right now, there's just so many jobs out there. I'm always recruiting for a reason. People are coming from my people,
They're coming to poach them. We're all approaching each other's people, which is good because it means you know, the job market's really hot, and if you're you know, in my business, then you are.
It's more competitive.
It drives up wages, it drives up salaries, all that good stuff. But it's definitely made me question is now the right time to leave? Because of the I'm planning a family. I decided no, I'm gonna stay put for a while, you know, even if and I have to think, well, so far, it hasn't been like a huge opportunity come my way that I was.
Really I think if.
It were the huge opportunity with lots of upside, it would be hard to like turn it down. But I would have to give myself pause, I think, like anyone else, and just really question is this the right thing? You know, starting a new job when you have a child too, it's like of all that, like you have so much new in your life to also change your employer.
You know, it's a lot.
I have people though, I will say this, and I wish somebody would have told me this, and I guess they probably did, but I wasn't listening. That you can you can always as a woman, can always have a business, You can always have a job, but you can't always have a baby. There are physical limitations to giving birth.
Now you can adopt, you know, at any age obviously, but I mean physically giving birth, you are limited at a woman of when that can happen, and so you know that to be mindful of that because I really wasn't.
I was like, ah, I had it out. I mean, people getting knocked.
Up every day, and I'm like, yikes, you know, like all the fertility trouble that you know I've been having.
I'm like, I mean, who knows.
I mean I might have had fertility trouble when I was twenty one, you know, I don't know, because it's not like I was checking trying to have a kid. But it's just I'm just being mindful of that now, Like Okay, that like that's why now I'm not playing.
I mean I've been turning now. I just turned down like a very lucrative contract because I was like, no, just kind of interfere with my with my you know, like all that I'm doing to have a baby, and they're i mean, like you know, even just like big like media stuff.
I'm like, no, I'm not flying out.
Nope, nope, nope, Like you really are not going to catch me like on like a plane, you know, unless it's like, you know, a family thing or whatever. But this year it's just not happening because everybody get kick rocks. Like I don't want to look back and be fifty and be like I'm so good but out of Colorado just peak at that thing, and then it's that's a whole white man. But you know, no baby for me,
there's no way. I don't care people. I mean there are people who are let upset with me, like Tiffany, but we really wanted you to come. I mean actually canceled the tour and I was like, yeah, I'm so sorry. I did the first leg, but I'm not doing the rest. What I'm like, yeah, keep your mindy, I can't even refund the first money. It's that's how important it is to me that I'm making it priority number one, two, three, four,
am five. Everything else means nothing because I don't want to look back and be like, you didn't even really give it a try.
I can always work.
Always it's not going anywhere, but I cannot always give birth. And so like I'm making that like my super priority, like my team. As I know they listen, hey guys, they're like they even they know, they're like Tiffany, it's like operation give Tiffany's base to have baby. Everybody knows, like you know, like it's just that, you know, taking things off my plate, and I'm usually like, for ten
years I've been doing a budgetista and I actually enjoy working. Well, I'm a workaholic, but I in a way that like I love it. I love waking up early, I love going to bed late, I love putting in the work.
But like in the last couple of months, I'm like, yeah, I don't love it anymore because hindering me from like what I truly want because at the end of the day, you know, I want a family, and so just being mindful of that, which I would have thought of that, like I said earlier, but I mean, you know, hindsight is twenty twenty. But yeah, it's just so you know, when y'all hit me up and you're like, how come you're not at the such and such because I'm home having.
A baby, I'm grateful for your candor because I feel like you and then you're not the only person who has been older than me and told me the exact same thing. So that's honestly how I got over myself and my you know babies. That's so you know, I'm so above that right now, not starting a family. Yeah, I mean so, yeah, thanks for being honest about that, because I think it's something that people in their mid twenties, because you have time to start planning ahead.
Now.
Well, of course there's like the stigma of a woman trying to plan ahead for her, you know, having a child. Someday people want to call that woman desperate, or call her you know, you know, I don't know, just just someone who has no career and has no career ambitions. No, that's just a smart ass woman. Yes, it is like you would plan ahead to say, for a wedding, you know,
or for your retirement. I think parenthood is also something that you should start thinking about when you're laying the steps in the groundwork for your career in your mid twenties, you know, for you're going to be five years from now when you might want to have a child, and then setting yourself up to be in a place where that can be something that is not as hard.
Also, so I just think that we.
I know so many people who are doing really well professionally, you know, great business, great career, great, job, great, whatever that does not. Professional success is not personal success, and it takes people a long time to realize that. Even me, I was like, oh, okay, you know, you work so hard you don't even think about it, and then one day you quote unquote kind of arrive. And I feel like lately I felt like like this sense of arrival ten years in and I'm like, oh wow, like it's
not a matter of me asking for opportunities. I mean, they're being I can't even I can't even hold the opportunities that are coming my way. So there's a sense of like, you did it, bitch, you did You don't even curse like that, right, But and I'm like, okay, like you know, I guess you know, you work so hard and not that I thought that success was going to bring this like sense of like euphoric automatic like happiness,
you know. But you know, I guess just like you know, you think to yourself, like, you know, once I arrived, that's all my dreams. And I realized that's not all my dreams. Like I'm super gassed and geeked. Yes, I professionally have felt like I.
Arrived, but.
I you know, I have partially quite honestly neglected my personal success, you know, and I worked really hard, like especially the last year, I've worked really hard to like,
you know, like spend time with friends. I see my niece and my nephew all the time, like just the like you know, just the babysit, you know, hang out with Superman more So, I have really in the last year been really conscious of like working on the personal success of like you know, like and I hate the redbalance, but like harmony in life, Like do I speak to my parents regularly?
You know?
When Drina, my best friend, and I talk on the phone, are we just talking about because she's my publicist? Are we just talking about the budgets? Are we just like how's Gabe? That's her her son and my god my godson. You know, when's the last time I went to the movies with a girlfriend or just walked in the park.
And so I really I feel like this part of my life now, I'm really turning my gaze more so towards my personal success because I feel lopsided that like there's a statistic it says something like less than one percent of women owned businesses will ever make over a million dollars a year. I mean we've blown that out of the water. I mean, like, you know, probably collectively the businesses of one business I have now mixed double that, double,
nearly triple that. And so it's like, yeah, you know, you reach what less than one percent of women run businesses or owned businesses will do. And it's still kind of like, okay, so what you know, like I really like I cannot. I mean, like, I'm just sharing this now because I know there are folks who are listening who are giving everything they got to like their professional success. And I'm not saying that you shouldn't, but I'm not.
I'm just saying, don't lose sight that that's not the only thing that's going to make you feel fulfilled, you know, because you know, I'm at a position where I can say every dream that I've ever really kind of had, except for the whole you know, sitting on Oprah's couch, but other than that, everything that I've ever thought how much I want to make being able to help my parents, you know, being debt free, owning home, like everything that I ever thought kind of like professionally that I've ever
wanted to do, I've done that.
Plus some and I'm still.
Kind of like, uh, I mean, it's cute over here, and I know it's because of the personal side that I'm like, Tiffany, you have to put the effort into
that as well. So I'm talking to Tiffany, but I'm also talking to you Brown and mission listeners, who from someone who came from not having any professional success really to like having all of the professional success I could ever dream of and and kind of arriving and saying, I mean, I guess and I'm like, what like or I should be geeked, and I'm like, and I know why I'm not, But I'm working on the profess the
personal side, just keeping that in mind. I just you know, like I said, I wish, I wish somebody could have pulled me to the side, like in your quest for this. Don't forget about this piece here. I'm fortunate that I'm young,
I'm still in my thirties. That you know, I'm turning the boat around to say my focus is, yes, I'm still recognized the Budgetista and the other businesses and stuff, but I'm placing my personal success and I'm giving it more more attention than my professional success because you know that's what's important to me now preach and people are like, oh, honestly, I feel like brown and missing listeners like love when
we're like super transparent like that. You know, I don't want anybody to think like it's timpany, unhappy.
No, not at all.
Honestly, it's just very eye opening of like oh, because I kept waiting to feel like this, like oh, moment you did it, you did it, and I'm like yeah, and it feels great. But still I'm like, dang, what's the last time i want to date with Superman?
Poor Superman. I'm always like I'm taking with Mandy, I'm doing a live you know.
Okay, I'm part of the problem. Okay, but you.
Know, but I'm like, I don't want that. You know, we were just talking about this morning. I was like, Babe, let's have it. I'm actually gonna surprise because we both love comedy shows, so like there's like some comic coming
to like New York. So I'm gonna surprise him with tickets because I'm like, Babe, we always said we want to have regular dates, and even though we hang out a lot at home, we're not like dating each other like i'd like to you know, and so like that's something that like I'm adding that to my professional my personal success. Like, you know, are you going on regular dates with Tuberman? Although you guys hang out, you know,
we talk every day. We like he's, you know, my best friend, but you know we weren't like dating, like oh you look cute.
With your alpha on.
You know, we're like home and like our grungy clothes, like so pizza or Chinese, you know, and so like that, like you know, like how often am I seeing my.
Niece and my nephew?
You know, they acted like up strangers because you know, when you when your niece and nephew are like two and three, if you're not there enough, they're like who are you again?
That's the worst feeling when they forget who you are.
You know, Like am I going to see my parents regularly?
I'm like, I have to go see my dad more and like cause my dad is in his seventies, you know, and every day is a blessing.
That's true.
Yeah, I know I was complaining about not being able to take a vacation, but it's only because I've used all the rest of my points that I have on my Chase account for two trips, one to Saint Louis to see my mom, my sister, and my brother, and then one to go to Atlanta to see my dad for his birthday, which I haven't done in Like, I don't know if I've been with my dad and his birthday in ten years.
Maybe. Oh, I know he was happy.
I mean, I guess he'll yeah, he'll probably be happy.
He'll grumble, Oh, oh you haven't Oh you haven't gone yet. Oh you use it?
That okay now that yeah, coming up in April. So that's my Those are my travels.
No, you're right.
I mean I think what you're just, what you're just.
Spouting is the wisdom that comes with you know, being in the business for a long time. So, I mean, I think that's why people like Gail King and other people who are in their sixties and seventies say how amazing it is older you get, because everything just becomes more clear.
Yeah you hope. Yeah.
Yeah, I'm happy for you too, because I the way that you're talking about everything, it just feels like you've got the sense of clarity and then that you know, you're a few years ahead of me.
So I always feel like Tippy's got it.
Go okay, I'll be fine, and you, I feel like you will let me just keep rubbing her shoulder.
And so you have a good sense of like, I feel like you've got a good sense of harmony going on, you know, in your life.
So listen, if my dog makes a really good poop, then it's just my whole day is made.
I mean, honestly, the fact you got a dog, that's that's the point in your in your your personal success column, I was like, yeah, when you say.
You got a dog, I was like, man, that's exactly what I mean. You know what I mean.
That has nothing to do with like I got a raise or like I'm a new such and such supervisor.
Like you know, that dog gets a sense of joy And I just love think.
Here who I am. She's like, you got the treats, you got the cucules.
I love that. Ah. So we don't have a clear transition. So we just go say, hey, guys, do you have any questions for us?
Yeah, we got a couple of good questions. You guys, send us your questions. We're hitting springtime is happening?
What's going on? Wedding season?
Oh? Man?
People sending their kids off to college the right way. We hope.
Send us your questions about anything, financials, career, investing, saving, taxes, you name it, all of it. Hit us up at Brannbision podcast dot com, hit ask us anything, or you can email us directly at Brannibision Podcast at gmail dot com. Okay, I always say that for people like me who don't trust those forms, you know, like, it's my email really going to go to you guys.
So it does.
Couple of quick questions from our audience, let's see. First one from listener Paulettes. I don't know if you heard about this new Apple credit card that just launched yesterday. Apple is launching its own credit card, and the internet was all of us, and listener Paulette wanted to know. First, have we heard about it? Yes, we have, well half of us has. And what are our initial thoughts? I guess I'll share mine along with the same lines as so.
She's also looking for information about the City Double Cash credit card that Mandy has.
Yes, I have talked about that.
Card and I love it. Is the City Double Cash card better than the Apple card? Worse than the Apple card? Just wanted to pick y'all's brains as I continued to search for my next credit card.
Good question.
So I actually went to the chief credit card industry analysts that works on my team here at lending Tree, and he's.
Given this a big meh, meh, meh. Not that exciting.
You know, Apple's foray into credit cards is kind of as underwhelming, I feel like, as all their software and
hardware updates have been lately. Yes, yeah, this card is offering what is it, two percent cash back on Apple Pay transactions, three percent cash back if you're making purchases on Apple products, and just one percent on purchases made with the actual card, which, if you're talking about rewards cards, is not that all exciting unless you shop at Apple every day, which now they don't have food exactly, no
or groceries there. So if I were if I were between the two options, I would definitely say the City Double Cash Card is one of the better cards on the market for every day spending. I was a huge fan of it, like I said, during the renovation, because we were making all these purchases that didn't fall into any really lucrative rewards category like travel or restaurants that
I'm used to. So the way City Double Cash card works is it will give you one percent cash back on purchases and then another one percent when you actually pay your balance off, So it's potentially going to give you two percent cash back on all purchases. So this card, I would say, beats Apple, which only gives you one
percent cash back on purchases Apple, you know what. The positive side, The Apple card is a no fee, a no annual fee card, so good at least if you were to get it and say, use it only for your Apple products purchasing, then it wouldn't necessarily hurt you to have it, but I wouldn't run out and scoop it up.
Yeah, because every time you know you you apply for a line of credit, you potentially lose points on your score. So you're right unless you're an alcoholic where I mean, how many computers can you get in a month?
You know what I mean?
So, yeah, it doesn't sound like it's a even though I hadn't heard of it. I've been like under a roilug, but.
It was only yesterday, don't worry. Okay, it's also the fancy it's made out of titanium or something.
It's like the fans. Everyone's about metal cards now listen, are.
I do feel fancy? Would I have had my what's that Chase go everywhere that you always.
Chase a good time card?
My Chase ning car. You're like the Venture or some far I don't know it.
It's the Chase Reserve card.
Yes, ye, And so that card is metal and I'm not gonna lie when I take it out. Someplaces people are like, who you.
Let it click on the table make a noise.
We actually wrote a whole story about metal cards, and if there's anything particularly special about them, it's all about that status. Feeling a little bit extra went into it. Meanwhile, I totally lost my Chase Reserve card. But thank god for Apple Wallet. Do you guys use Apple wallet wallet? You don't have an iPhone? I mean yeah, you have like an Android?
Right?
Is there a version of like a mobile wallet for the Android?
Oh? I don't know. I don't think so, I mean maybe.
It's well the Apple Wallet.
I basically loaded my credit cards onto it, and and a lot of places now do Apple pay or Android pay where you can scan your phone and like through your phone pay for stuff. And I honestly lost this card. It's not somewhere. People have stolen it clearly, or else I would have canceled it. But it's probably in my house somewhere. But I haven't had a problem making purchases because I just whip out my Apple wallet and just pay my phone everywhere. And I'm like, oh, this is the future.
Who need it? There sounds so neat right now. They're like, listen, this has been around for years and this is not news.
You're not repetenting millennials properly or like, you know, like if you're for the rare few of you like me who still goes to the bank, you know, you can like access your money via code and you don't have to have your card anymore, which is nice.
Oh okay, yeah, I haven't been to the ATM, and.
I know, I was like, I don't even want to say that, because I just knew the millennials are like a bag, what's that?
What's the big chat?
Like, you know, you'd be surprised.
I'm telling you young millennials and like gen z yeers, I think they're the ones who have the big banks because it's what their parents use and they just haven't come to the level of the older millennial young you know gen x Land yet because they're just Yeah. I was talking to my editorial assistance. She's, you know, first I out of college, and she's like, yeah, I finally closed my Wells Fargo account and got an ally account because I've been harassing her for a while.
The youth man must lead.
Them, alrighty, So thank you for your question, Paula. And let's see the second question from listener Enid. I hope I said that right. She has a question for Tiffany. I heard the tip works at home. Yes, that's that's a rumor that we can confirm despite multiple attempts to do you pay rent at a coworking facility of some kind?
I do?
But I mean yeah, but you were from home.
So Enan says, I've heard tiff works at home and she's massively successful, and I'd like to hear some tips on working from home and making it financially viable. Also, how do you, Tiffany hire and maintain quality staff who work virtually. I am always challenged to get reliable support for short, short term projects. Thank you Enan for your question.
So working from home I mean well, I mean for me, I tried to work in an office because at first, I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't that productive working at home because I was like why.
Work when you can nast, you know.
And then I tried to go into the actual office, like I have a I share office with my I was Drina, but I found it to be really restrictive because I don't like to wear pants, and so I was like, okay, so what I what I ended up doing was like Tiffany, So I had to basically create a schedule for myself at home, Like I still had to approach working at home as if I was going into an office, like I wake up at a certain time,
you know. In the beginning, like like I was like, okay, you wake up, you know, brush your teeth whatever, take a shower, and do.
Yoga whatever is I was going to do in the morning, and they eat.
But then I would have a kind of like start at this time type of like a schedule in the beginning. Now, like I'm pretty good at self regulating where I don't have to have like like really tight strict schedule, but I had a schedule like you know, by nine o'clock, you're sitting in front of your computer. The first hour
is emails, the second hours phone calls. So creating like a schedule for yourself and scheduling in you know, a walk, scheduling in lunch, don't be afraid to like if you're cause some times I can get really stagging in at home. So I actually ended up buying this like portable what is it called. I don't have the battery in front of me, but I have this like portable battery. It's like the size of a I want to say, like a big a really if a if a cell phone
was like twice as big, and it's that. So I'll take it with me and I'll actually like work in the park or like sit in the car in the park, just to change it up if I because sometimes you know, working at home, you're you're not as productive. So I'm typically more productive at home, but if I'm feeling just really like kind of like stuck, I'll take my portable battery with my laptop and I'll find someplace else to work. But creating a schedule for yourself until you can kind
of stuff regulate. So now, because of the way my business is run, I've got standing meetings typically like you know, like during the week, so it helps to kind of regulate me too.
Like I know, on Tuesday, always have our marketing meeting. At ten, I have.
My meeting with my with one of my not one of my my only business owner co owner for one of my businesses, Jabrill. That's Tuesday at nine thirty. On Mondays, I have my lead team calls individually with a teep on the team. So those calls also help to kind of like regulate how my day goes. But that's what I would just say, create a schedule, stick to it. You don't have to get all dressed up. I mean, that's the benefit of working from home. You can get to look crazy. But the kind of like the con
of working from home. And sometimes I don't know when to stop. So you know, like I might have started working at like eight or nine, and like at ten, I'm still I'm answering email still, So even creating a stop time for yourself is really going to be important and letting folks know, like Okay, I close my laptop of like five or six or whatever, I'm still working on that component. I'm just speaking to the clouds on that one because I'm not good at that part.
Because you know, working from home is so convenient.
It's just really easy to be, like, let me open up my laptop one more time. What I think I'm actually gonna do is I think I'm actually gonna get a second cell phone just for family and friends, because what will happen is my best friend, my other best friend, Linda will call me, but I'll see I have an email, and I look and before you know, and I open
my laptop back up again. And so I think that also having kind of like separate kind of like technology for like work and personal will be helpful because it's hard for me not to address an issue. You know, if I see something on my my laptop might be closed with my phone is like it's not even like
it's a mini computer. And so that's like the next kind of like a productivity tool that I'm gonna I think I'm just gonna get like a new phone number and just get a phone so when I pick it up, I'm not reminded of work, which is what's happening now. And as far as finding really good people to work with you, so it's practice. I mean I was terrible at it up until like three years ago, and I've been in business for ten years. So for like the first five, you know, six seven years, I wasn't that
good at it, but I was learning. So one of the ways that so I found one really good person. And once you find someone that's really dope, then it sets the tone for like, you know, and that person I found I found randomly. I think I posted on social media, Hey, looking for interns, and she started off as a intern and then I brought her on as
my admin. But she helped to set the tone. So basically, what I just would say is like, kind of you have to interview and work with multiple people to see like what it is that what does excellence in an employee or contractor look like to you? Because I didn't know until she came. And then when she came, I was like, okay, so she's self directed, she's smart, she's quick, she's fun.
I mean I needed.
Somebody who were like I was also going to enjoy and like working with. So once I found kind of like, she became the template and helped me to set the tone for now when I interview somebody, I can quickly tell if there's gonna be a fit or not. So once I found her, then it was easier to like look. So I typically we use social media to look for folks or what I do is on the team itself, because our team is pretty big now for a small
business is I'll ask team members. So I might say, like, for example, we work with this woman named Latrice who is a genius.
La Trese is amazing.
She's our tech support and Latrese knows how to fix and do everything when it relates to like tech. But we found Latrese through Tamra. Tamra is our amazing literature academy manager. And so I found Tamra through the initial person that I've hired, like that first template person, and so my template person found Tamra and like, and then Tamra is like amazing. And so when I said, hey, I'm looking for some a tech person to help us
on the team, does anyone know anyone? So typically I look inward because if you deliver excellence, hopefully the people that you know will deliver excellence too. And so they all know the company culture and the expectation inside the company. So it's important for you as the leader that you set the vision of this is how we navigate. And so Tamra found Latrese and Latrese was a perfect fit.
And so I just say all that to say, if we need another tech person, I would go to Latrese and say, do you know someone you know that you know now that you know us as a as a team and a family, do you know someone that's going to fit. So I just say that you find your one template person and you build upon them. But it's critical as a leader, you have to set the tone and the vision. People work for the budgeties. I mean, we pay decent, but I don't pay like amazing. I'm
not gonna like us. We're still growing, you know, but they work for the company. And this is just feedback for my team because of the mission and the vision. You know, we've got an amazing company culture where we really look after each other and the fact that we're serving other women that are like us. So creating Like especially women and I suspect maybe men too, is that it's not going to be just money that's going to.
Attract people to you.
You have to create a culture that's going to attract top tier talent. Like my team goes so hard. There's times when I'm like, honestly go to sleep. They're like you first, and I'm like, you know what, because they go so hard because of the culture that's been created, and that is your job. Like if you just make your company a job, then that's how they're gonna treat it. They're gonna be in and out, give me my money, let me go. And then when someone offers them more money.
People try to poach my team all the time. When someone offers them more money, they're gonna be out because they're they're just to get a paycheck. People are not at the budgetista just to get a paycheck. My team is there because of like the energy, like yo, we love on our team members, Like they have meetings about me, like how do we give Tiffany this opportunity to have this baby? Like for real, they always have a secret meeting.
We're always having like secret. I feel like Logan is overwhelmed.
What can we do? I feel like Tamlin needs a fruit basket, someone send it to her.
I feel like like we're always it's a family, and so create go ahead.
Ooof that was an epic, Yes, Tiffany, Like sometimes I just have to just t bone you to get a word in Edgeway. But I wanted to excellent tangent. However, so she wants to know about reliable support from virtual workers. And I feel like that's also something that I am challenged with too, because half my team might feel like a staff in the office here, and then I have a bunch of people who are full time staff, but they are remote for me, like not in my office.
And then we have like one hundred freelancers who are writing and editing for us. So one thing that I've been challenged by is how do you judge productivity? And then how do you yeah keep tab some people when they're all over the place and virtual.
Well, we use asana, that's a very like a great.
Foot I love a sauna. We use Trello. I've talked about Trello before, Big Fan.
And that we also use this thing called t sheets. Actually we just switched to something else, but that was what we were using before. But T sheets is a virtual time clock. So someone has to punch in, say, I am like when we first started, because all my team is virtual, you know, like Sylvia she lives in Arkansas and she runs all the Facebook like social media platforms for us, and so well most of them, and so Sylvia will punch in and be like, you know,
she might put a little note. Because we have multiple companies, so sometimes people work. She might be like working on something at the academy side, so she might put a note saying, you know, like you know, doing something for the literature Academy as she's working. And then if she punches out and then punches back in for the BUDGETESTA side,
she might put a little note. So T sheets helps tremendously because with T sheets you can also kind of like link that to like your payroll company typically, so then you can pay someone, you know, T sheets will download and say, Sylvia work ten hours this week and her her you know, her pay rate is whatever it is. And if you have questions, because sometimes what happens is someone will punch into T sheets and forget to punch out, So then you can manually override and fix it, you know.
But that's another tool that we use T sheets to kind of keep track of, so of like where people kind of like are and are they doing the work. And then what happens is as you get to like trust people more, then I start offering flat pay. So in the beginning, when you first come on everyone's hourly you know, you're like, oh, you come on, you're hourly punching the T sheet and I know I usually know kind of like how how much time something takes.
I'm not gonna lie.
We had at one point someone who was taking time. We have to look that person go a while ago, because it was like, you're punching in but the thing you're saying you're doing doesn't take that long. And so T sheets helped to alert us to that, and so it was like, Okay, this person is not a fit. And maybe I wouldn't have known that had we not had T sheets and asana in place to kind of be like, hmm, it's only one task. One task doesn't take ten hours.
Wow, you know.
So yeah, those are so those are some of the but like I said, it's also to creating an amazing environment to work in, because if you don't have a ton of money to pay people, and even if you do have a ton of money, money is not what keeps really great employees. And it's not what attracts really great employees. I mean likecers.
Though, that's all they care about. No, you mean sprit persaries.
Well, yes there are some, cause there are some people who we work with are that are just straight freelancers. But if you're building like a team team, but like, yeah, you know what, Like I feel like this too. If you treat people well, you know, we find people that will give us like they might be charging another client this, but I found a lot of people who are like, I want to be part of this team because it's so amazing. I'm going to give you like kind of like the I want to be a part of the
team discount. So that's possible, you know, depending on like what kind of business you have. So creating that work environment but then also having like a clear structure and everyone should kind of know, like we love everyone, but we're watching. That's what t sheet is and that's what asana is, and you know, that's what those regular check
ins are too. Like you should be checking in weekly with the people on your team to make sure that they're in alignment with what they're supposed to do, and be quick to let folks go when it's not a fit.
I'm terrible at it.
I mean I've kept people for years and so if it's not a fit and you notice they're taking time or you're notice they're not they're not productive then it's okay to be like, you know, I'm slow to hire permanently. I might give you three months of like, and I'm clear, like, hey, we're going to try to test you out for three months and see and if we two it's not fitting. I'm good at saying it's not fitting now and then I'm getting better and letting go much faster when someone's not a fit.
So that's something that you have to work on too.
It's not easy, yeah, and especially with in my two senses, because we do have so many freelancers in our network, writers and editors who we constantly need.
We are our work.
Our workload tends to fluctuate like any content team, and every month isn't always the same, the same amount of work isn't always there. But we have we try to maintain a good network, in a loyal network, like you said, to make that make it nice to work with us to you know, pay competitively, but then also you know, keep lines of communication open, give them their own Slack channel,
and give them their own trainings. You know, every month will do or every few months will do a training with our freelancers to remind them of what our standards are and just have interface with them and communicate with them, and I think that goes a long way, especially if you're looking to staff like ongoing projects where you need virtual workers or remote workers freelancers. It helps to have
those relationships. You can, you know, pull from the person that you worked from a few months ago, or have someone that you are throwing a few things to each month just to keep them warm and just to keep them, you know, on your on keep the year, keep yourself on their radar so that they are more likely to drop everything and maybe come help you out. Because it's such a it's so annoying to have to go out
and recruit for every new project. Yeah, I've been there, and it's the same thing like social media LinkedIn I and you know, we posted we had three different editor jobs. We needed freelance, just part time freelance for a few months, and we posted it on our main job site. Five hundred, six hundred applications came in.
It's thrediculs. I feel you.
And if I didn't have help from staff just to go through the resumes and to you know, get referrals and stuff, I don't know where we would have been.
So that's why I worked really hard to not have to recruit.
And just go back to the same freelance team that I've built over the last three years and.
The create like if you are kind of looking and you're like getting a flood like we have, we'll say something like, you know, send us three sentences and then well we'll vet from there, like well if you send five or six or seven, you know, it just helps to vet. And I like to pull from our audience, you know, because I feel like my audience, you know, we call them the dream catchers, and I feel like that's one less thing I have.
To explain to you.
So I would I venture to say eighty five percent of the people that work for the team were a DreamCatcher or are dream catchers, meaning.
Like they were in the audience.
They were like, you know, taking the literature challenge or whatever, and so I didn't have to explain this is what a DreamCatcher is, this is what the budget needs to do.
So it makes life. That makes life easier. But not everyone. It's gonna come from that pool.
Like I don't think latse knew what you know, like the budget needs to but now she educated herself on it, and now she's you know, killing it, But yeah, I mean it's really team building is very difficult. Like I said, it took me seven years to get it semi right. I feel like I'm you know, I'm good at it now, I'm not great at it, but good at it. But you have to actively work on it and really be open to critique from your team. And so I really try to be like, if I'm doing something wrong, how
do you guys feel about this? It's it's okay to tell me that, Like I'm sucking right now or what?
What?
What would you have liked if I have done something differently? Because you want to get better, you know, you want to create a dope environment because a dope environment yields to dope results.
Excellent. That's probably more than you bargained for. I don't know, that was awesome.
I'm like, I'm like right before, right before we went on, like Maddy, I was like, I'm so tired.
Now I'm like, this is what you do.
Spread the wisdom.
Thanks for your questions again, you guys, hit us up Brandonbision podcast at gmail dot com with your questions or go to Brandnibision dot com. Sorry, Brandimission podcast dot com and click ask us anything to send your questions to us.
Yes, stuck out. So now it's time for a booster, have break or a boost to have break?
Slow jam style?
What you fin to do? Boost to break?
I don't know what I should boot. I'm gonna call it a boost.
I'm gonna do a boost for adjusting your tax withholdings, which is the single most like I don't know, cringe worthy sentence ever, because no one wants to look at their withholdings and just the word taxes may people want to cringe. However, now that people are getting their tax returns filed and they're getting the news on whether they owe or are getting a refund, I think it's the perfect time for you to look back and see how you can adjust your withholdings. For twenty nineteen, I personally
adjusted mine a little bit. I feel like I've been calibrating them over the past couple of years since we got married and now we have the house and our incomes have been changing. So I went in and actually changed my allowances this time around because I haven't. I'm trying to get to that place where I don't actually get a big refund because in my mind that means that I'm not giving the government money throughout the year that they don't need. And this year we got. Last
year we were way out of whack. We owed a bunch of money.
This year we net.
We came out kind of net a little bit even. We ended up owing I think net negative three hundred dollars to federal when we took into account our refunt from state. So I met with my accountant and I was like, how do we get this? How do we get to a place where we're just like net zero?
And he had me, you know, do another tweak to my withholdings and it literally took me two seconds in my you know, in my employers withholding area, and also the IRS has a withholding calculator which is it's actually pretty simple to use, considering it to IRS. And I'll put a link to it in the show notes. So if you're wondering, you know, what should my withholdings be
based on my current situation. It's a really handy little tool to use, and it sometimes is the answer to whether you're owing or getting too much of a refund to how you actually fix it.
Yeah, and oh, these taxes, these taxes, right, I'm going to do like equal boost and break, so a boost to well. Yes, So for those of y'all, like if you follow me and then you don't realize that I've been relaunching the Literature Academy. I don't know if it's relaunching, but we're like the prices of the Academy are going up, so by the time you listen to this, it'll be
too late. But I just want to share, like the level of work that it took to let as many people know as possible that we're upgrading the Academy and as a result, it's going from nine dollars and ninety nine tens a month to twenty nine ninety nine a month.
But I wanted to make sure that anyone that was wanted.
To lock themselves in it didn't feel cheated, like what if I would have only known my team has been going so hard. I'm sure you're sick of seeing my fac me timeline. But the boost is just like you know, launching, and you just learned so much. It's like all things business and like a week and a half span, I mean everything from marketing to budgets to just it's been an amazing experience.
But I also a break because it is so exhausted.
We've been working double digit hour days and so today is the last day. By the time you listen to this, it'll be too late. So I'm not pushing the academy because the registration will have been closed.
But just like, keep that Drake album.
What's the Drake album?
I think, isn't it called if you're listening to this, it's too late?
Yeah, something like that. Ah yeah. So so you know, like our one of the.
Things I like to do for the audience is that, like I tell them, you know that if you're investing yourself, I'm not penalizing you for you know, being loyal. So like if if you lock yourself in at ninety nine, if you have locked yourself in at nine nine tens a month, that's like where you stay for life. And so so Tuesday today was the last day to kind of lock that in because we tried our best to make sure that everyone within the sound of our.
Digital voice would know.
But just like I said, the boost is just whoop the team and how successful the launch was and letting as many people know as possible. And the break is child launching is back break like mentally breaking labor.
It's so there's so many things, maybe everything.
The day that we opened the doors of the data we kind of like launched, that's the day that Facebook and Instagram were down.
The whole day. We were like, oh that's great.
Oh god, yes, And when I tell you, everything that we've used has broken. I was doing this business webinar where I was like doing kind of like a sneak peek into like this is kind of what you get into the academy, and we like broke webinar jam or whatever we were using. It just was anything that could have broken broke. So it's just been a trial to not get discouraged. And I'm just really proud of my team. They are amazing, Like everyone is deserving.
Of like you know, just like a bonus rage or something like that, you know.
And so yeah, just I cannot wait to take my two weeks of like USA, I see now why Carlos, my accountant, after February fourteenth, he always takes like the next two weeks off because he's like leave me alone, like once I do your taxes, and so I feel like this is my tax season that you know, once the launch is done, I'm like everyone leave me alone. I just want to like lay quietly someplace and just like Usa.
So that's it for me.
Who sah, it's like champ yess.
You know, Michael Jackson stole that mama saying Mama Sama makusa.
I mean I didn't think he made it up. Isn't that some sort of African language?
No?
I think it was like a singer or something like that had it. Like I was listening to this other podcast and they were talking about IP intellectual property and all that kind of stuff, and it was like some other musician. But you know, Michael Jackson was like, Michael Jackson, what are they gonna do? Well, they sued him and they successfully won.
Yeah, that's that's just a little We.
Don't want to end the show on the Michael Jackson past, do we, because.
Thinking about the other I was just thinking of but.
Like everyone probably is now, just think about Mama, don't think about the other.
Stop.
I don't know if we're allowed to say that anymore, No kidding.
But yes, I'm gonna miss you guys. I mean, obviously I'm gonna be tuning in. I'll have one without me.
We'll miss you, but I'm happy for you and you know, all of the relaxation. I hope that you actually relax so, I know, because otherwise, why are you leaving us for if you're not gonna actually relax.
I have been on the show a social media break too. I'm gonna try to take a social media.
I don't want to hear from you.
I don't want to see the Instagram ads.
Well, here's the thing.
I do have a team, so you'll likely see like, got me here, hey, Sylvia. That's like the social media posting team. So if you see that, you know, you might see them doing that. But as far as me personally, I'm really going to try to take a social media break so it won't be like because usually I do a.
Lot of my social media myself.
But yeah, I'm gonna take a break from that because the system needs like more naps in her life.
Yes, and then I like you just started thinking about what you'll do in August when I'm also away for two weeks, because that is my life goal for this year is to not be here when everyone else is gone in August.
Oh all right, well, enjoy your break. Thank you guys for listening.
I'm back next week with Lynette CALIFORNI Cox, ask the money coach, send us your question, send questions for Lynette. I got to keep her busy. And then the week after that we'll have Sandy Smith from Yes I Am Cheap. It's gonna be a fun couple of weeks, y'all.
Yes, indeed,