¶ Intro / Opening
Earth is ghetto. Hey, hey, we're back.
We're black, We're brown ambition in the new year.
Hey a man, Welcome to twenty twenty one, where everything is exactly the same or worse than it was last year. We're your hosts, Mandy and Tiffany.
Yes, what is that?
What is that? Little diddy? You were singing? Oh my goodness, smile on your face. It sounded like it's delightful.
Would you like to just hear like a you know, just like maybe just twenty seconds of it. It's just it's just it's just this beautiful song written by this beautiful woman who said, is scatto?
I want to leave? Can you be? I'm mad on the street by a ca on the store? You know the one I gotta write cha on?
So easy to see? How delightful? Right, Well, here's the thing.
It's like, I know this was probably written in earnest and she probably has seen some things in her life. But I can just like see myself like looking out the window at nothing in the cold, dark world and just kind of singing this song.
No, you have to listen to it, like I encourage everyone. Her name is well, it's on YouTube. It's Nikiah n I k K I A Aaliyah, So no, no Nikki Aliyah, so n I k K I A and then Aliyah A l I A l I A l I A H sorry, So yeah, Nikki Aliyah. I think that's her name on I G as well, so it went like viral on I G. But the full song is on her YouTube. And when I tell you, Mandy, get ready to cackle and then be like, oh damn that's true, but then cackle some more.
Wait it's that tire song.
Yes, it's very much like yes, Like I'm like.
Either shows extremely sincere about this or this is meant to be hilarious, because my first instinct was to laugh.
Yeah, no, I definitely laugh. It's she's like, basically Earth is Ghetto, come get me. Uh you know, I'm just out here by the corner store. She literally says, I've got five on the gas if you need me to cans of you. But honestly, but at the same time you listen, you're like, damn true. But it's it's just it's been like my delight these last few days, so you know when that's helped me fire That is twenty twenty.
One listen, not that I expected anything to change, but I didn't exactly expect it so quickly to unravel after the new year. But I mean it, I do feel I feel a little bit disappointed, but also relieved that we didn't tape a show last week because to have the time it took me to process. I mean, I'm still processing what happened at the Capitol on January sixth, of the Year of Our Lord twenty twenty one, which will be in history books. It's my rage has subsided.
But I mean, I was yelled. I would I would. I would call people I hadn't talked two in weeks, just so I could have a fresh pair of ears to like to talk to, to to just riff on, because oh man, you.
Know, it's so crazy. I felt like when I first heard, I actually wasn't even I remember, it took me a while to realize how lack like, how like My reaction was like, oh, yeah, sounds about white, you know. And then when the when the world started to really be like, oh my god, insurrection bah blah blah blahdah, I was like, oh, that's why it is a big deal. But I'm not shocked.
I was not shocked. I was not shocked by the police's reacting or did you see the woman that they helped guide down the stairs like she was on her coitillion hold on terror, Yeah, we don't want you to trip your little feet. Now, I'm on, Miss Mary. Insurrectionists this way Literally, the police waving folks in opening doors. I mean, you know, just one of the mill.
You know.
And you know what's so crazy, it's the people who, like I guess, grew up in DC. Their reaction on social media has just been so enlightening because you know, you know, I obviously I know, like you know, these federal buildings are supposed to be so well protected, but they are like people who grew up are like, I don't think y'all understand, Like the fact that they got
within feet of the building. The people in DC are just flabbergasted because they're like, that's literally impossible, let alone, to be allowed to break windows, scale walls, go with weapons, to lay down pipe bond pipe bonding Newsess, these nasty people literally took doodoos and smear it on the wall. I mean the level of nasty.
They had not read that I know someone has in a congressman's office or nearby oh, definitely. My blood boils. How we have to be I was so stunned. I don't know where you were on January the sixth, twenty twenty one, but I had just gotten off of a work call and I was sitting in the living room and CNN is kind of on in the background, and I start to see the mob happening, and they're starting to cover it. But it probably it took me a few days, I feel like two, and I really really
wanted to absorb what had happened from every angle. I mean, I tried to find every video so I could see it was a very different story from like the east side of the Capitol to the west side of the Capitol. But very quickly I was like, how how insane? How how insane?
And how?
And then immediately the fury because I didn't want to jump to conclusions about the police, you know. I think one of the first images I'd seen on social was the one of a police officer taking a selfie with one of the rioters was one of the terrorists, sorry, one of the domestic terrorists, And I was like, wait
a second, is that legit was that today? I don't know, and and everything I thought like everything that was being shared was actually something that had happened, and I was just so in so much disbelief, and then the shock of the level of hypocrisy. Yes on display, on display, and and just and and and it's almost like I've
been grieving without like I can't. I have not been able to stop running through my mind this this scene where that was a Black Lives Matter protest, and I'm like, I'm grieving the the lives I know would have been lost of dozens, there hundreds that would have been massacred by police had they been black. And I'm I'm just grieving for what if it had been us and we.
Wouldn't even gotten that clote.
I just know they would have taken the threat seriously when we were posting about it for weeks and weeks.
You know what makes me like, I don't know what I would I actually part of me is so happy because it's like these people have been despoiled terrible bracts that though you know, have to pretended when other people come around, they're on their best behavior like oh no, no, I would never never. They didn't realize Okay, you have shown your whole ass. The world has now there is no more. Oh if it was us, get over the election. You guys, these riots are you literally have shown your
whole entire ass and I'm here for it. Somebody said it best when, like the I guess the night before whatever, when the Proud Boys were fighting, the police shout out to dustin ross of the friend zone. He said, let them holds fight, And I say, you know what, Dust not agree?
Yeah?
Yeah, because you know what you have they have. They have discredited folks who literally were marching to say, please don't kill us while we sleep. Please don't kill us while we walk, Please don't kill us while we run. Please don't kill us while while we patronize other businesses. This is what the marching was about. But I'm honestly, I'm like, what exactly are you marching against? Your marching
against a line? I just think he did not. I mean, because here's the thing, and I just wish just a little bit of research would unveil it, because here's the thing. The reason why the Trump had lost every court case except for one is because when asked fully, like, because when you know people can say whatever you want on TV, you know you can say whatever garbage you can say I'm a Martian, Okay, whatever, But when you step into that courtroom and the judge asks, has there been proof
of election fraud? Has there been proof of what you're saying? Every single one of Trump's attorneys, including ruly Fuliani, has said no. Because you want to know why, Because if you, as an attorney, step foot into a courtroom and lie,
you will lose all your licenses. So this is why, this is why he's lost every battle in court, because when they go to court, they tell the truth because they must or risk losing their license and their ability to practice law, and their ability support to support themselves and their family. So they lie on TV, but they don't lie in court because the justice systems does not play that. That's why they've lost over and over again.
And I just the fact that Donald Trump is willing to burn this country to the ground on his way out because he's mad that he lost. It's literally the equivalent of a kid saying, well, if I you know, I'm out, I'm taking my ball and I'm going home, and not just I'm taking my ball, I'm going home. I'm popping the ball, I'm burning the ball, I'm stepping on the ball, so no one could ever play with this ball again. Like what in the entire hell country Kenya had a little key key which how you even
met at Kenya, Kenya? Key key girl. Ken You put on their national newspaper, Who's the Banana Republic now? And pictures from the insurrection?
Listen, well deserved America And this is what I know. We talked for a little bit over the holiday. I feel like one of the most infuriating soundbites that I keep hearing is this is not what America stands for. This is not America. This is America. It is And
that is the truth. That is the ugly truth that those thousands of people, that angry mob, blood thirsty mob, silent mob of thugs, of rioters, of insurrectionists, of these domestic terrorists, these people are exactly It's like when you finally look under the rug in your house, or you look, I don't know what kind of house y'all got, I mean under the rug, But when you kick over like an old moldy log in the woods and you see all the gunk and the critters and the filth that
has been festering, that's what this is. This is yeah, to take America, good, bad, and ugly, and there's a lot of ugly and we cannot heal until we reveal this ugliness and we call it what it is and we react to it.
So yeah, call a thing a thing, Call a thing a thing.
Yeah. So I kind of agree with you without sounding too I don't want to be flipping at all. And I mean, this is this was in insane. I mean this is this is a democracy. These are elected officials doing their constitutional duty to certify an election. And that was free and fair, in spite of all the reasons, in spite of all of the threats against it over these you know, these past months and years. It was free and fair. It had been proven, like you said,
in our court system dozens of times. It was free and fair. And these people were there to certify this election and and and and go along with the will of the American people. And it just makes zero, zero sense why these people had to do what they had to do. But I am grateful that we witnessed it. I'm grateful that we're in a digital age where there is video. And you said they showed their asses, they also showed their faces. They put their driver's license on their.
Dudes who took the podium, the gall the audacity, the caucasidy. This man took the podium. Now here's the thing. It's one thing to be seen inside the Capitol building with the podium, because the assumption is by the time this man gets to the door, they're gonna be like, bro, put that podium back. Oh no, no, he wasn't stop. That man took that podium home. Put it on eBay. Mandy put it on em left.
Oh lord, can you.
Imagine the cavity as of caucast because do you understand what kind of level of privilege that you know, I can wave at the camera, take this home, put it on eBay. Because I'm thinking to myself, they ain't gonna do nothing. I'm doing the president's bidding and will I just will chap with the moles fight.
Meanwhile, Trump is hiding behind the resolute desk just and I know I know he was thrilled. I know he'd loved every second of this, every second. It gave me so much satisfaction that social media finally took away his his bankie, which is his platform. That the same time interest in I was like, yeah, where y'all been? We we be, But do you also feel I think what was hardest for me was and the reason I was so emotional this past week is all this rage, all
this action that's being taken. You know, they're going to try and impeach him again. Cabinet members are resigning, there's calls for because it believed me. For me, it's not just Trump. I want every GOP elected official who enabled this guy for years to do what he has done and to fly in the face of everything this country stands for for so long. I want them all to go down. And for me, it's also this rage that
like why now, Like why did it take this? Why didn't Twitter and Facebook take away his microphone so long ago? Would we even be dealing with this today had they done it? And I think part of me is like, yes, finally we're seeing, well we still have. We have yet to see what the true consequences will be. He's still the president somehow, some way. But you know, why why did it take this for people to say, oh, yeah, we got problems.
But you know what the to me, the the Karmac glee that I get is that Republicans who were like Key Key and they thought that this was hilariously funny because of course they all knew he's an idiot, right, so they thought that it was hilariously funny. Had had Democrats. Look, we've got this raging, uninformed like mob. And I'm not saying like we're not because I know people are like, oh, this is the olive Garden set. No, a lot of these people were wealthy, still stupid, but wealthy, like a
lot of people are affluent. But anyway, this raging, uninformed mob of folks that have been supporting this present and they thought it was delightful because they said, ha ha, look at this, this mob of Republicans. We had. What they didn't realize. I was looking on Twitter and someone said, Republicans, you're mistaken. We're not Republicans were Trumpsters, and Republicans quickly realized that on July sixth, that weight you are not sick. January sixth, you are not safe either.
No, they were calling from Mike Pence's head. They were like Mike girls, Mike Pence, even.
Lindsay Graham got attacked at that at the airport like that was like, you know, Trump's little lat boy. And they were like, oh what we heard what you say Trader. I was like, oh my mama, how the tables have time?
That is like the kind of it's like one Scar was, you know, move Simba didn't just attack Scar at the end, he fed him to the hyenas his own pack pack that he created. You know, That's kind of what I feel like needs to be happening. They need to reap what they sewed. They allowed this to happen. They can't
get away scott free. And yes, Trump is this is the is the symptom, but I think the disease is truly these these spineless legislators and lawmakers who who were who would not stand up to the greater good because of their own political ambitions, which is disgusting to me, purely disgusting. Where do we go from here? There's still
a pandemic. I was talking to Tiff like, before this all this is happening, and you know, I have had some family members who have who have gotten COVID, but it feels like on the other side of Thanksgiving and Christmas, the numbers the case. I mean, we just had record cases, record deaths this week. And I was supposed to have my my cousin Anna, she was supposed to come here to New York Friday to live with us and be my in home care taker. Lord knows I need someone
to help with the baby. And she came down with COVID. She was living with an aunt and her aunt got sick, and then she got sick, and I'm just like, oh no, and there's this this stronger wait wait is it more more? What's the word contagious strain? That's going around? And cases are just going up, and it's not like any one region, it's all over the country. Cases are going up, and
I just feel I just want to. If I didn't want to before, I truly have have had trouble not wanting to just like bury, dig a little cave, just take my baby and my husband than maybe the dog, if you know, and just hide, just hide until until it's all all over.
Yeah. I mean, honestly, I don't know where we go from here. I mean, this is someone said what I would not kill for some presidented times?
Yeah, right, Like I.
Just would love the president at time? Can you imagine that we we when remember when Bill Clinton, when the biggest drama was like, oh my god, he lied about getting a DJ in the over office, Like that's why he got mph right?
Right?
Can you imagine not? Oh you you you you asked your your your group of Mary Marry men to to desecrate a federal building and people came really to kill people, had zip ties. They did kill people.
They did. They trampled one woman, They killed the police officer, another police officer committed suicide. Was it over the weekend? Capitol police officer after the right? I mean they have blood on their hands. I mean, who's who's who? Why haven't they caught the people who have who murdered that police officer?
You know?
Like what was so blue lives remember? Because you know, where's all these blue lives matter? People? Blue lives only matter when they're harassing black lives. Got it? Well, I have not heard one person say, oh my gosh, they killed this police like. I haven't heard them say that. I have not heard like if that was black lives matter, that they would be burning black churches down as a result.
Oh, we better believe it.
And that's yeah, it's just they hit him in the head right with the fire extinguisher.
Can imagine that that is a that to that's an intimate way to kill someone? Yes, And I you know, and I know that the officers, you know, there was even the officers who were there, you know, they weren't supported, Like they weren't given the backup. I mean, you saw that black officer like being chased up the staircase by the rioters and by himself with like a little a little baton in his hand, and I'm like, man, they let him down, and listen. I I've got family who
are law enforcement. I've always you know, I respect law enforcement. I definitely think there needs to be police reform and defunding of police and more funding for social services to prevent these types of interactions from happening. But the lack of the bias that went into the decision not to take these threats seriously enough to call in reinforcements, that is,
those offenses will not soon be forgotten. And you've seen I think it was the chief of the Capitol Police has stepped down, like he said no to National Guard resources, like the day before he said, no, we're good. It's white people, we're good. And one of them and they're my homies. Like it's.
It is.
But it's like you said, there's three, it feels very much like there's three Americas. There's the there's the Republicans or the Conservatives, there are the Liberals and Democrats, and then there's Trumpsters. Trump He's formed this whole new faction and they cannot be negotiated with. They cannot be There's
no such thing to me. I think all these calls for understanding and negotiating across the aisle bump that I am so tired and I am so done waiting for lawmakers to do something for American people, real working American people, people who have been suffering all year long, and even
before that, from inequality, from job loss. You know, my dad still has not gotten his unemployment check, and you know he's he's he's I'm just and you know he still hasn't even gotten his seculent his second stimulus check. And I feel and especially and listen, Georgia, we haven't
even talked about Georgia. Georgia amazing. I'm so proud of I'm sorry, Yes, Thunder was just, but listen, every one of y'all is my hero, the one who went out and voted in that election and turning Georgia purple, bluish purple. That being said, though, I if I have to hear one more Democrat, just thank black people, oh, thank you, like black people really really saved us. Black women saved us in the general election. Now it's black people in Atlanta saved us. And yes they did, they truly did
you know? We showed up for them in Georgia. But where is the policy to say thank you? Like I'm tired of lip service, like I and I think you know, I've I've been listening really closely. Like it's it's hard to balance the instincts, which is, we want revenge against Trump for what he he what he incited on our
nation's capital. But I also want Biden in his administration to get relief for people, to make good on promises that were made, and to serve Black America because clearly we have been under served for so long and continue showing up to vote, calling us in to save you know, another election and what that. But like, where is the actual gratitude. I would like to see true, true political reform, and I need Senate to just you know, the House, Senate to be working overtime. I want boths. I want
Trump out. I want GOP lawmakers you know, to be punished in some way for their complicitness in this whole administration and also want reliefs to economic relief for working Americans and especially relief and black communities. It's it's time.
Yeah, no, I agree, it is time. And but yeah, it was just like, I just what Honestly, I love that Georgia. Truly what happened was the legacy of the great John Lewis, you know, his pastor and his intern you know, are now representing him in Georgia and in his work and the Georgian people obviously, and so it just it just felt so good. I was just like, look at look at good you know what I mean, because you know she's still around God up there, right. We had a rough but you know, I just what
it just shows. What it shows is that even in the world where you know, the dumpster fire is burning, that there is still light at the end of the tunnel, and that there are still more people who want good than those that do not. I think that's what all of this has shown, even though it's the race is definitely too tight, but there's still more people who won't get than those that do not.
Yes, it's a thin margin, it's too thin, but it's there. Nonetheless, and yes, I think we've got to continue. You know, It's funny how when I started talking on the podcast about this kind of stuff to like, honestly, I've been dealing pretty okay this past week. Like, yes, I've been angry and talking and stuff, but you know, I throughout the day, like throughout my day, I'm genuinely finding pockets of joy and taking walks and hanging out with my son and talking to my family and trying to find
you know, these moments. And it's I sat down to do the podcast and I'm like, oh, yeah, I'm fucking outraged. I forgot. Like it's hard. It's hard to handle all these different emotions and carry that throughout the week. So you know, for anyone who's just it's like you're feeling the emotional whiplash of this year and honestly four years, it's exhausting. But nonetheless, I feel the need to say, you know, do what you can to take care of yourself.
We have to hold our elected officials accountable. We do so call them, you know, send your emails, post whatever you got to do. But you know, ultimately the fight is not over, and we've got to stay strong, stay healthy, wear your masks, take care of one another, take care of your community, and you know, let's continue to try and just survive.
The best we can. M Yeah, no, truly, I mean I don't even know, you know, you're just like I just it just can be all too much. But they're there. You know, there's just is a lot of good, no matter what. I just remind myself there's a lot of good. There's a lot of good. There's a lot of good. Not to grow weary in the you know, and while doing the good work. And yeah, so I mean that's all we can do.
There's good here at Brand Ambition.
There is.
We had to purge the demons from this past week. But let us know how you guys are feeling. I did get I was going through the inbox and were about to jump to questions, and I saw a couple of emails come through, and I know that our listeners really wanted us to call out the hypocrisy of the
comparisons between that riot and BLM protests. And I got to say, I I don't know why, I think I'm a masochist, but I went to a couple of friends Facebook pages who I know have Trump leanings just to see you know what are they saying in their circles to defend what had happened. And you see these like infographics comparing the number of people who were injured at blm rallies versus the riot, and how there were hundreds of BLM rallies versus one capital riot, like those are
you know? Those are equitable things? And yeah, so we hear you, our listeners, and the hypocrisy is there, and this tap for me, this this this not that we needed any source of justification or we needed a reminder that it was. It was understandable and the least we could do to hit the streets that the way that we did in the in the wake of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor this past spring and summer, those protests mattered.
They continue to matter. We have got to keep we have no we have every right to keep doing it. And uh so, anyway, just wanted to acknowledge that from our listeners. And if you see that stuff on I just I should I really, I really need to stay away from those people's pages because it's quite it's quite baffling to me how quickly they can find a rationale for even this extreme nonsense.
I mean anything can be rationalized, right, I mean for real anything, And so once you start to see that, you realize, like, why am I even going back and forth with you? You clearly you know common sense is not what you're thinking.
Yeah, I honest, I'm taking a break from even trying to comment or trying to talk to people who I think you know, are supporting the other side. Like I just I got no words. I think you know all everyone has the same education act. Well that's not true.
Everyone has access to the Internet, and you know, you choose to believe what you choose to believe, and if you don't take advantage of the educational resources and truth and facts out there, then that's on you, not my responsibility to educate everybody.
I know that was a lot, but I hope you got a chance to woo saw. And let's go into my favorite part of the show, question question.
Happy twenty twenty one to all of our lovely listeners who sent questions. I am catching up. I took a little bit. I'm continuing to take like an Instagram break specifically for the new year, but I dug back in. I broke my Instagram fast to go and check questions there, But we also got a couple from email. Sly oh, I have there's one from our email. They want to be writing. They want to remain anonymous, but they have a question about side hustles, Tiffany, specific to you. All right.
They listened to a recent episode and said, Tiffany, you mentioned in one episode that when you were trying to pay off your debt, you used to have side hustles, and one of them was taking surveys. You didn't really get into how you did it, But my question is,
¶ Can you really take online surveys as a side hustle?
did you ever have a privacy concern doing online surveys. I recently found a great survey website where you speak your thoughts out loud and they record your screen and voice while you review website surveys, et cetera. It's not big money, but it's a nice chunk of change that I didn't have before. My only concern is that with some side hustles, it feels like you are selling your soul in privacy. Sometimes they want me to turn on my video for facial expressions and authentication, which would be
the same thing as going in person. So I'm not sure if it's really a big deal, but it does feel weird do well.
I'll have to say that when I was doing surveys were really like, I didn't do as many surveys as I did studies, meaning like I basically went to a place and I was like, every Monday, I come and wash my hands with this soap and be like, it's dry, it feels silky. I like it. I don't. So I did way more of those. I did, like a sleep study. I remember the sleep study was the best because they paid like twenty two hundred dollars. So I was like, ooh wait, really yes.
But it was go to like a sleep institute type and sleep. Yeah, it's so weird and mean, but it is.
I was like, but look, I wanted that twenty two hundred. It was like I remember it was me and A but of my roommates we were like, so who fit to sleep? So but it was twenty two hundred dollars And honestly, rent at the time was five hundred bucks a month, so you can imagine that was like four months worth of rent. So it was worth it to me. So I will say that that I did way more studies than I did surveys, but even that, I mean,
it's a sleep study. They put like things, you know, and we're like, hey, let's see if you sleep through the night. So it is a little invasive because they're wanting to know your reaction to help them gauge what's going to be the reaction of the end user eventually. So I mean you you will have to decide, you know, just how comfortable you feel. But there are other I mean it's a little it's harder now because we're you know,
because of social distancing and staying inside. Where before I used to always be able to babysit someone always had a baby that they wanted an ex preschool teacher to babysit. I mean, because who doesn't want an ex preschool teacher to babysit a baby? You know, So I could always easily make money doing that.
I guess you to ask you why you're an ex you know?
Oh yea yeah, yes exactly. That's children, that's true. No, but you know what I mean, Like if I was like, oh, my preschool shut down, you know, and I'm just like, you know, you know, looking for you know, other means of work, people are like I mean people will literally call me and say, what are you doing this? Weekend girl, and I'm thinking they want to hang out and they're like, can you watch the baby? So there's that no, So
I would just say, so it's hard. It's a little harder now, but certainly leaning into what do I have my degree in that's first and foremost, and what do I have experience in? And how can I monetize that? So you might right now if you're super organized, you're good at answering email. I can't tell you how many people that I know are looking for admins. There are Facebook groups that are filled with entrepreneurs. So I would
look for entrepreneur Facebook groups. If you are so inclined and you know admin work is you know, you're not how to use Google, Google Calendar, you know how to answer emails? I mean, you can really make some good money being someone's admin. Are you a good writer? People are looking for copywriters all the time? You know, are you do you can you edit? So leaning into what you went to school for and what you have experience
in and is there a way to monetize that? If you feel uncomfortable, which I can understand doing surveys and such, there are other ways. I highly suggest working with these new entrepreneurs. There are so many news, especially women, especially black women, entrepreneurs that are looking for book keepers, accountants, support, staff, customer support. I mean, so I would lean into that if I felt uncomfortable doing surveys.
You know, that's an amazing coincidence because I was going to save this question, but it's related to what you're talking about. This question comes from a listener who doesn't reveal their name, but anyway, she's an entrepreneur just like you're talking about. And she had a question about hiring a VA virtual assistant, which is basically an admin. Right,
¶ What's the key to finding good virtual assistants for your business?
so let's seg way really quick. So they say, I'm seeking help with hiring a VA and working with brand ambassadors slash influencers. I found a VA and she understands HOWE run my business. I know that Tiffany has a team as an entrepreneur, so I'm wondering how she did the onboarding process. Did you have them sign an NDA or a contract? How do you pay them? My VA will be full time. I'm also looking to hire someone who will be part time to work on SEO slash
Facebook ads. So this is like, okay, cool, find somebody, but like, how do you protect yourself when you know, do they sign a contract and how do you pay them?
So everyone signs a contract, everyone, whether you are a consulting contact worker or full time or part time employee with me anyway, everyone signs an NDA, and everyone signs a reasonable non compete, like meaning like while you're working with me, you're not also going to be simultaneously working with a business that does the same thing and passing our stuff from business to business. So we do that,
I mean well within reason. If say, if you are you're someone who does websites, then no, there's not this noncompete because it's not. But if you are our CFO, then yes, you know there's a non compete certainly, So yes, you want to have your VA sign an NDA, sign
a noncompete. And then if they are a full time employee, then you're going to want to There should be some sort of HR onboarding and you can you can do some contract like hourly like HR person to help you to make sure that you have them fully aligned with you know, whatever your state is, and making sure that they're getting the benefits they're supposed to and getting, you know, like you're paying the proper taxes and things like that, So you want to you know, having someone who does HR.
They don't have to be full time. We hire someone when we need them. But as far as the actual onboarding of like to do the work, if you've had a virtual an assistant prior, then you can help have them help train. Like for example, I've got this amazing like Leah on my team used to be my admin. So did Sylvia on my team. She used to be my admin. They were so awesome, And I always like for people to work where they feel like most joy and Leah really loved finance and she did bookkeeping at
her church and things. So Lee is now on the finance team. Sylvia really she's amazing at managing our community, our dream Catcher community. So Sylvia moved on to do that. But when we onboard a new executive assistant or virtual assistant, those two women helped to train her as people who did a good job at it already. If you don't have someone, then you will have to train them because you I'm sure we're your own admin ahead of time.
So that's for that person now for the SEO and things like that, like that person will already come with the skill set, so you might be helping to onboard them as far as like maybe some company culture stuff, but they should know how to do the thing you're hiring them for. Like when it came to my CFO, I'm not going to train you how to be a CFO.
You have to come with that knowledge. But certainly there's some onboarding when it comes to like we actually have like video where like this is like the Unicorn way, So I call my my my team the Unicorn Squad. We literally have like this video and in a set of like series of like many classes almost to understand the culture of what you're coming into and depending on the position. We also have sps, which are scopes of well, no, what does the SOP stand for project? Yeah? Oh no, no, this.
Is scope of project And I thought I nailed it.
I know. No, Basically, an SLP just basically said this is how we do this thing right, and so like so when somebody else comes in, they know they can see through video and written word how how something is done. So that takes time to build those things. So yeah, that's what I would just.
I would stands operating proceed Yes, there it is.
I always just call them SOPs. I just I always forget what what they were, go what they meant. But yeah, so when someone comes in, yes, we're like, here's a SOP, here's a unicorn way.
I love an sp Oh my god, I live and die by sps. Listen, I have SOP from everything. You're just going to call it an SOP folder and now I call it resources folder. But everyone asks me questions and I'm like, yeah, there's a doc for that.
Yeah.
Here. It lives here because you use it for transitions, yes, and for training. Do not said, do not skimp on training time to one week or two weeks for training. Don't think they're going to be ready for the jump, like you need to teach them the ways of your work.
Yes, and just know that that takes time to build up your SOPs. It takes time to get those things together. But the sooner you start to build like kind of like that back end part of your business, because that's the real part of business, Like making money is the
front end of your business. And don't you know obviously that's that's important, but if you want to sustain and be here for years and years and years, it's that back end stuff that the reason why so many businesses fail because they fail to do SAP SOPs, They fail to do trainings, they fail to adhere to understand that there's a company culture that they have to actively cultivate. They fail to understand like girls, should I be an LLC partnership sole proprietor should I be an escorp? Should
I be a seat corp? What do those things mean? And I have four? Should be a you know A five or one C three? Like, they fail to do the foundational things and so they build, but they build on a shaky foundation. So yeah, lean into those foundational things. It's gonna take time if you're not going to do it in one year, two year. We still work on those things every day.
Yes, I mean the blueprint for your processes is exactly. I mean, it saves you so much time for one thing, because the time it takes you to train people is going to be cut drastically down if you have documents that they can read and be trained on and then doing we even do like I kind of treat my team as a I don't know, like like they've they've been certified in a certain skill set and then every
you know, depends on what we're talking about. But every like at least a quarter we have a training, some kind of training to revisit something, a tool, a process, you know, a certain skill that we're trying to emphasize. So you know, I think as a good leader, you're constantly, you know, dusting off those procedures and making sure that they still make sense, people still know how to do it.
We're looking for inconsistencies and oof. Yes, especially the bigger but your bigness, bigger your bigness kits, the bigger your business gits, the higher the stakes are from when mistakes happen. So you've got to make sure that people know, you know, how we get from A to Z. And ooh, I'm glad I know what that's called. Now, Tiffany, thank you because you know SOPs. Yes, all right, cool, Well that
was fun and unexpected those questions. But thank you Tiffany Entrepreneur in residence for your insights there, all right, and thank y'all for your questions. Shall we pause there and we'd right back with our brown boost, brown break.
Yes, let's do it, lovely, and now its time full of the boost or break or boost or are you going boost Mandy or are you going to a break.
I'm going to boost against all odds, I'm going to find some things to boost. So one of I sounded so valuate there. So oh, I'm sorry for your ears at home. Please don't unsubscribe because of that. Anyway, I did something that I'm going to make well. Listen, I'm not going to start pressuring myself to make this a certain routine, but I have over the past year, you know, being stuck at home all day has really helped me see where we need to be trimming in terms of stuff.
So this past week I am really the past like two weeks, and especially with Christmas. Listen the number of toys. Listen, if you're listening and you're my family, don't get this child anymore toys. He doesn't have the space for them. I don't have the space for them. Where do you think we're going to fit a child sized Maserati? Talking to you, Grandpa, we have a child trike and we have a child BMD what it was a BMW. We have like three cars. Oh, I love more cars than
we do. There's no garage for these cars and on time he's got anyway, so many toys. So we did a huge excuse me like a big I've gone one minute of time and just tried to get rid of something, you know, get rid of if it's five things or ten things, or organize things, and I feel it's so satisfying to me. So I wanted to kind of list
a resource that I've been loving lately. I know, last year or the year before, it was all about Marie Condo, and I still do ask myself, especially in the closet, you know this this spark Joy before I get rid of some things, But what's been helping me with the parts of the house that you know aren't really like a joy, like you know, the silver word drawer, you know, the the utensils that you need, but they don't like
spark Joy. But you know, every once in a while you got to pick up something hot, so you need a spatula or you know, tongs or whatever. But I have been using the Home Edit, which is they're like this big Instagram kind of what do they called. They have a Netflix show now and they have a blog and they they just know how to organize stuff and
it's so satisfying. Listen, my stuff's never going to be as beautiful as what the Home Edit people do, but they have inspired me, and I've learned the power of containers, like the power of just getting a bunch of little, shallow, little trays and putting them in my drawers and then putting like stuff together and mentally, I just feel so much better. So that is my That is my boost, I guess for organization and for purging stuff and just kind of trying to create more breathing space for life
in general. So that's yeah, that's my boost.
Oh lovely boost. I was also going to boost because I feel like, you know, the whole first segment was breaking.
Yeah, it was.
No, I'm I have no regrets. My boost is going to be I think, well one is one the sidebar. I think I'm gonna get a peloton. We'll talk about it, but.
I know, I know, Hell, I'm not happy for you. You don't get all me and I'm just happy for you. But you would love the peloton, power walking, the guided walks, they're great. I did one today, Okay, okay, come by, Chase.
It's part of my boost in that I am well always trying to lose ten fifteen pounds off, you know. I mean, we've been talking about it for like five years, right, just always just like.
Hmmm, I only have to lose ten, but yeah, I continue.
So I just said, you know what, Sidney, you are forty one years old, and I don't want to live the next ten years like always be like if you would, only if you would, only if you So instead, I said, you know what, let's make what I have. I call it my health checklist, and it's about twelve things that I aspire to and my job is to try to do at least six of them. So I'll give you example.
I'm need to see my health checklist. Is this every day?
But it's like I'm telling you, the things are not like I told myself, you are not major like I am. Purpose. I have some white things and I have some like heavy things. So okay, I found it. Okay, so health checklist. So here's some of the things. Right, stretching, thirty minutes of exercising, whether that's a walk or otherwise. Apple like taking apple side of vinegar. I try to take that like once or twice a day. Taking a nap because health, you know, having at least a full sized serving of
raw vegetables like a salad or whatever. Meditate, start start eating after noon, I do intermittent fasting when you know the mooth strikes me, So not to eat until noon and to stop eating after six thirty, having lemon water only water, no juice, no soda, no takeout, candy, flash cookies. If you know me, that never happens, but you know it's on my list.
No, no takeout?
Yeah, well, meaning like that day right, and then sleeping at least seven hours at night. So what I do is like I'll give you an example for today. Did I stretch today? Now? Did I get thirty minutes of exercise or walk?
No?
But you know what though, if I don't get it in, I on a treadmill before I go to sleep and just walk on a treadmill and like, you know, watch like Netflix, So I'll get that in later apple side of vinegar. I'll have that later tonight. I did take a nap, So did I have a serving of raw vegetables? No, but I'm going to have a salad after this. Did I meditate this morning? Yes? Did I start eating after twelve noon? I did? Did I stop eating after six thirty?
It's about six thirty is now I'm going to have a salad, So no, did I have lemon water all day? Yes, did I have any juice today? No? But do you see, like, how's it's way less pressure about like loses ten pounds. It's more so, here are some things that like attribute to a healthier lifestyle for you. Let's try to get some of them in. And it's like, honestly, it's made the journey less. I don't know, because you know something, you're just so hard on yourself and so.
Feel that you know so like deeply.
Yes, because so it's twelve things, but my goal, honestly it's not the twelve because honestly the twelve will be doing too much. Instead, Tiffany, can you get to six of these things? And the usually there are like three things that I really think like would make the biggest difference, like the exercise, the raw veggies and then not even eating after six thirty. So I try to get at least two of those three core things in. But ideally,
like so it's made it so much easier. So I look sometimes I'll look and I say, oh, I only did three things today. But you know how quickly I can get down and stretch knock that out. You know how quickly I can have my apple side of vinegar. Okay, now you've just gotten two things done in ten minutes. And so it's just made the process of like living your healthier lifestyle less I don't know, less shamefield and less guilt filled, and just more so like I am
holistically trying to live a healthier life. And so it's just honestly it's and because of that, honestly many because of this. I have walked almost six days this week for almost an hour every day. Because it's not about did you get your exercises in, Tiffany, come on, you know you put on that five pounds. It's more so, you know, let's look at our list. Did you get your walk in? You know you like walk? Oh you know I didn't. You know what, I'm gonna call a
friend while I walk today. And so I just encourage you that if you're working on something to take away like the I don't know, like the shame of it all. And my health checklist has just really helped in the
last two weeks. And I stepped on the scale today and I was like, oh, look, I lost three pounds, but I haven't felt you know, I lost the three pounds, but not in the way like I normally do, which is like I only drink water and I only had salad, and then the moment I look at a pizza and it's like, well we're back, and so yeah, so yeah, So my boost is my health checklist. It's really helping to change the way I look at living a healthier lifestyle.
Yeah. I got addicted to endorphins again this past six months, and I'll take them anywhere I can get them, a nice brisk walk. I love a good dance party. Sometimes I'll go down to the Zenden, which is not quite zeny right yet, but it's zen enough, and we have a speaker down here and I just play some music and maybe I'll be like three minutes. But I love a little dance breakout, just something to move and get the blood flowing. And it just the endorphins. Baby, They're
so good. But that's right. I mean, I personally have tried. I was talking to my therapist about this. I was like, look, what can we do here, Lora, Like, what can we do here to make it so that I don't have to spend another year looking at pictures from last year and being like, man, why did I think I did? Look good, I look great. I'm so tired of that, Like, why can't I just think I look good now? Yes, So I have been trying to Uh, I have been trying to do that, and I feel the same way
you do. I'm just sick of it. I'm just it's just such a it's a broken record. It is like I remember being eight years old. My sister and I were dieting, running circles around the house to lose weight when I was eight. That means for like nearly three decades, I have been obsessed with weight, and oh my god, I'm just over it. I'm like, I choose, I don't. I don't want to choose that anymore. I don't want to choose that sacred record lifestyle alcohaie.
And that's what I'm honestly, I'm excited about Peloton. So you man, do you have the new new one. There's like some new new one and then they have like the other one. The difference isn't other than like, well the I think the new one honestly seems like it's just like a larger screen. I'm like, who's paying five hundred dollars extra for this larger screen?
Okay? I don't know what I have. I have the one that I got in I ordered it in June and I got in August. So listen, I think Peloton's still having really like slow delivery times because of the ten weeks. They said ten weeks. Yeah, so you have to it's a it's definitely, you know, a long wait to get one. It's not the kind of impulse purchase
where you're gonna get satisfaction tomorrow. But the app is really great, even without the actual bike, and they had I don't know if you're getting the treadmill or the bike, but for me, the app, it's it's awesome, and I just started to use. They have amazing meditations. They have tons of different meditations. I love that. I love their little five minute or ten minutes guided stretches, so I'll do some of those sometimes. And I recently started to use the guy walks. And I never knew I needed
a walking you know buddy. Well, I mean I always knew I needed a walking buddy, but you know, I
don't have one because COVID. But I've loved, you know, having someone kind of in my ear coaching, and I probably won't follow every you know, guideline, like walk faster here because you know, I have my dog with me and she runs me ragged, but it's it's nice and it gets me walking longer than I might have and anyway, but I'm I'm I'm one hundred percent of proponent for it, but I'm also you know, I'm also proponent for the free the free high of those endorphins and just because
just moving because it makes you feel good and not because of the scale, because it truly does make you feel good.
Yes, and you know I love that you said. That's exactly how I felt like. I don't know that I'll do the guidance walk only because I I had gotten the Nike app, and all of a sudden, the walk that I used to enjoy so much became like this thing that I didn't like because I'd be like, okay, well then you got to do far more minute, No, you got to and I'm like, you used to love walking. So I turn off all that stuff and I do
one of three things when I walk. Now, I phone a friend or like a family member, like talk to my mom or my bestie or my friend Cabrella Rihann whoever. I listen to a podcast, shout out Brown Ambition, or I listen to an audiobook. Those are my three favorite
things to do on a walk. And I live next to a park, and so I play this game with myself, like are we gonna do the city or the country today, Tiffany, Like the country is like walking the park, like because the park has really great walking trails, or like am I gonna like? I love where I live and new because the houses are so historic, so you see these really beautiful Georgian mansions and Victorian this and the So I choose every day like what am I gonna do?
And it's been such a joy. Like literally I will walk for an hour and won't even have noticed it. Sometimes I walk longer because the chapter I'm listening to is so good. What audiobook are you into right now? I'm into this audio book called Small Giants. I'm gonna it's like so good companies that chose to be great instead of big.
Concept. I haven't heard of that.
And so I was like, because for those of you I've shared this like openly that I'm not, I don't I would like to step away from being the CEO of the Literature Academy, like still obviously owner and still you know, like being on the board and you know, giving advice and stuff. But I want to instead just focus on Budgetista. But I with the Academy, the aim is to grow bigger. But I just was like, while reading this book, it's like, well, who said that's what
you have to do for the Academy. That's fine, But I'm realizing I don't necessarily want that for Budgetista. Instead, I think I'd like to keep it relatively small and just do great work and you know, and make enough money to continue to do that great work. And so I've just been just exploring what that might look like.
And yeah, but it's been such a great book because it's a lot of case studies of these amazing companies that have done this and this amazing work while not being you know, Apple and Facebook, and it's like, you don't need to aspire to do that. You know, you could just be Amazing and Newark and change hundreds of thousands of lives and you know, make enough money to retire yourself and build even build generational wealth while still
maintaining like smallness as relative obviously. But so I've just been exploring that, and I've been reading like before that I was, I read like I loved Joonah Burger's books. He's got this book called The Catalysts and Contagious. They're all marketing books and they're really good. There's also a book, The Effective Executive that's up next for me. So I've just been reading. When it comes to audiobooks right now,
I'm really into like business books. But then I also read Lead from the Outside or Listen to Lead from the Outside by Stacy Abrams and so and after this, I also wanted to read this book called I think it's called The Vagabond How to Travel This World or something to that effect. So I was a big reader as a kid, and life got quote unquote in the way. And so, just like walking, I forgot how much I loved reading, and that I've just been enjoying reading and walking one of my two favorite things.
Oh, I love that. I'm actually I've I like to keep several books going. I have my audio books for when I'm doing something where I can't hold a book. And then now that you know homeboy is sleeping more regularly during the day, he's down to one nap and I can kind of like, I know I'm going to get that little break, which is nice, and I picked up I have like a hardback book. So recently I read Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, good one, and I also read Outliers. I gobbled up Outliers real quick. I love
that message. I love the message and Outliers from and I think that's a good It's a really fast read, and it's also kind of a case study. I was kind of like, I felt some type of way about how all the outliers he chose was white man, but I'm like, aren't. I'm sure there's even more encouraging stories
from people who weren't white. But anyway, it's just a good message in the sense that it's a good message for people who think, you know, greatness is something like you were born great, and that's what you're great.
You know.
It really acknowledges certain inherent privileges and also just the how how a stroke of luck the time you were born, the decades were born the day you were born and can have can have ripple effects for what happens the rest of your life. So I really enjoyed those And then oh my god, I'm looking at my audible and I'm like, damn, I have a lot of books. So I finished Hunger by Roxanne Gay. That's a memoir speaking of which Hunger. You know Roxanne Gay, she's she's morbidly obese,
and she's really open about talking about that journey. But Hunger is a memoir of her body. It's literally about you know that her her uh being young as a young as a young girl she was she was raped by a group of boys in her neighborhood and how that manifested itself into an eating disorder. And it's a really beautiful you know, it's pretty dark, but as a person who struggled with her weight your whole life, I found it very it was it was a good book.
I enjoyed it. And then, my goodness, I have all the Harry Potters. They're my fun and the meaning of Mariah. I was listening to Mariah Carey's memoir and she sings sometimes in it, and it's fun.
I can see that.
Yeah, it is her voice. I knew I wanted to listen to her voice. Watch. Yes, it's uh yeah, So reading for joy, I'm I think the Blink that Malcolm Gladwell were as like workish business you related as I've been because I like to escape. But that I love that. Yeah, getting back into some reading, trying to rediscover the time, you know, I can save when I'm not scrolling through the gram getting mad and all my friends who are doing things they shouldn't be doing, like being a public.
Or just you know what, you could just not post it so we can.
Just you know, you know what, you cannot post it. I would be so ashamed. I mean I would be so ashamed to be posting the mo these pictures. I got so mad on It's like, why don't people care?
Like what are they like, hey, look at me, get it covid or spreading it?
Yeah, I was like, I'm one of the Bahamas. I don't care anymore. If they don't care, I don't care. My sister talk me down, but yeah, anyway, find your pockets of joy anywhere can Yes, it has been we're turning the corner onto a year of this pandemic life.
And I don't know what that means other than the fact that it has been a long ass time and this has been a marathon and we all like we have to acknowledge that we have been through something and we need to yeah, try to find those pockets of joy and grace and you know, keep on going on.
Yeah, and just thank you guys for being here with us. We truly, truly, truly appreciate y'all.
Likewise, I'm glad to be talking to you again. TIF. I know we back, we back, all right, We'll have a good rest of your night. Enjoy your greens, all right, thank you. It's almost seven though. You better run, I know.
But you know greens. I feel like, you know, you get a little you know, you get a with greens.
Yeah, absolutely, okay, take care of Sesme Street would say that's good. Anytime snack you can tell you have a toddler, Tiffany. The the willpower it takes me not to break out into any of the sesame Street songs. Is I need to go because I'm about to.
Do wait wait wait wait no no, no, we have to we I want to like just like I want the song to take us out. But Earth is ghettos like we might as well just let that play out as we are. We willing to pay for this.
We go ahead now, No.
Earth is scared.
I want to leave your bab me up. I'm mad on the street by the corn on the store, you know, the one fifteenth I gotta write on so easy to see.
I've been down and stranded and definitely I can't reach my planet, but I need to let you should see these people.
It's hard to bully, how they tread e j other, it's hard to conceive, O.
Esca.
I want to leave bowl all right there, right, okay, bye, let me know when you get the rocket ship.
I'll be there.