‘We all go through transitions. I think it’s important to recognize that when you’re in a transition, you don’t jump into the next new thing. You have to let there be a period that you wait before you go into something else.’
Julie Keyes is the founder of KeyeStrategies. She helps business owners at all business growth stages, but helping them exit their business is her specialty. Learn about strategic planning in business in this episode.
If you value growth for your business in the future, even when you are no longer in it, Julie is one of the best people to consult. Whether you want to fully exit your business or hand over your position to someone you trust and take a less hands-on role in it, future-proof your business by strategically planning for this big change.
For more entrepreneur success stories, listen to previous episodes.
For more info on Julie’s work:
KeyeStrategies: https://keyestrategies.com/
Poised for Exit: https://www.poisedforexit.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliekeyes/
John: Thank you for listening, don’t forget to share this episode and subscribe. Joining me today is Julie Keys, she’s the founder of Key Strategies. They help business owners at all stages of ownership but helping them exit their business is their specialty, thanks for being on the show today, Julie.
Julie: Thanks for having me, John.
John: So, I’m excited to learn a little bit more about yourself so if you don’t mind sharing with the audience members how did you get started like I know you are an expert at helping businesses exit, but how did you get into this world in the first place?
Julie: Yeah. Well, as it is for every entrepreneur out there it’s a journey right one step at a time and I think it probably started when I was a teenager. I grew up in an entrepreneurial family, my parents were both business owners there parents were business owners on both sides and so we just grew up owning businesses and I knew I would have my own someday I didn’t know what it would be but it was kind of in my blood if you want to you know kind of a weird way to say it but, so after I went to school I went to school for marketing and I started in the mortgage business as a straight commissioned loan officer and spent two short years with a title insurance company im kind of learning that side of the business and was in the sales department which is where I wanted to be and then from there I got recruited you know to be in the mortgage business so I did that in the 80’s and 90’s and there weren’t any female loan officers in my territory anywhere. So, I was kind of a pioneer in a way if you will I did really well in that business and then got married, started having children and thought you know I should just join my husband with his title insurance practice because it was just a you know kinda fledgling and it wasn’t really going anywhere and he was also a lawyer and so he was doing some law work and kind of dabbling in title and I’m like we have to really build this thing I think this would be a great way for us to make a living and I could still raise the kids. Well, for whatever reason I forgot about what you know self employment is like because you know I was raised with it and so, we launched our title insurance company in 1989 and launched a mortgage brokerage operation and another title company and we had three locations and over that period of time I had four kids. And so, business ownership isn’t necessarily conducive to motherhood but we made it work and actually sold the businesses in 2008 and went through a life change, our marriage ended unfortunately and so I had to figure out what was next. I was going to transition and you know we all go through transitions. I think it’s important to recognize that when you’re in a transition that you don’t jump into the next new thing, that you have to let there be a period of time that you wait before you go into something else, right? There has to be an ending and then a pause and then a start. I think that that’s just the best way to go through transitions. So that’s what I did, i just took a job, thought about what I wanted to do next, knew I was going to be a business owner but just didn’t know what it was gonna be and decided that I was gonna look into becoming a consultant because I’d learned so much as an employer as an owner over all those years, and so I started asking my besties “What do you guys think of this?” You know I wanted to make sure that because of what I’d gone through that I was making it clear you know I was clear-headed and making a good decision, and I picked ten people, my a couple of family members and the rest of them were friends. I said I’m thinking about becoming a business coach. I’ve been approached by three different companies, so I feel like this is a calling, it’s no longer a coincidence that this is happening right? And all ten of them said that is absolutely what you should do. So I did, and so first I had to buy a house right? So, I had to buy a house while I still had a job and then so I did that, and I think that was in 2012 nine years ago. So, I bought a house, closed on it in July, quit my job in August and launched my business and my dad was a little afraid for me but everybody else is like, you’ll be fine. So then I started doing these seminars for business owners on transition planning and exit planning because I was acquiring clients that were of the age that they needed to really start thinking about it and I knew that I didn’t know enough about it, and I knew I didn’t have the best transition myself. One of the reasons I didn’t is because I didn’t have the right advisors and I didn’t know that at the time. I think that we can all get kinda lost in what we don’t know that we don’t know and that’s where we make lots of mistakes. So, as an advisor I take that very seriously and walk with my clients through you know whatever it is that they are going through as we process you know strategy and grow the business, scale the business, improve the business and then eventually transition out of the business. So, I started doing these seminars and I heard about the exit planning institute from a colleague of mine who had just become certified and I thought, I think I need to do that so, I went and got certified through the exit planning institute in 2015 and it has been an amazing ride since then. I’m now on the faculty for the exit planning institute and I’ve written a book on exit planning. I’m also on the faculty for Hoopas, I do a lot of speaking, a lot of teaching, I have online courses that I’m producing right now for both owners and advisors. So, a lot of the teaching I do isn’t just for business owners I also teach advisors, theres a lot of advisors out there who don’t necessarily know or understand the process of exit planning and so, were all in it together to make sure that the owner has the best outcome possible. So, that’s probably more than you wanted to know but now you got the whole picture.
John: No, that’s amazing! I mean, I’m gonna ask you maybe some of these questions early stages right? Because and now probably pick some of them throughout your journey as well but-
Julie: Yeah!
John: Early you mentioned your family had a lot of entrepreneurs in the family. So, did you have siblings? And also your parents, did they involve you much in their own business while you were growing up? To see firsthand how it was to be an entrepreneur or business owner.
Julie: Yeah. I had two younger sisters who are both business owners themselves and yes I did work with both my mom and my dad. With my mom, when before she started her own business she was in the family business which was a banking business and they owned the banks. And so, she was raised in the banking business and so, were her siblings. So, I worked in the family bank for just one summer as a drive-up window teller and I was horrible at it you know I just at that point in my life I didn’t really understand debits and credits yet and I didn’t have, I didn’t even have my own checking account so, I totally didn’t belong there but my grandfather felt there was a great way for me to learn. So, so, I did that and then with my dad, my dad was, is actually he still practices believe it or not he’s a financial advisor and an insurance agent and he has had his own advisory services firm and an insurance agency firm for as long as I can remember. And back in the day when it was just him he decided that, that I would be good candidate to help him in the office and so, Dayton myself but this was back in the day when we use typewriters. Not necessarily computers, there you know some people had computers but most people didn’t, offices still had typewriters and I was a horrible typist but that’s where I ended up and filling things and learning you know seeing what he did and learning his business and how he operated. I learned a ton from my mom and my dad and then when my mom started her business, she was selling original art for a company in Chicago and she had numerous people that were under her and so she was like a regional director or something like that. She won a lot of awards and she wanted me to sell art with her and so I did that for a couple of years, earned a couple of trips, had some fun, but you know all of this stuff is like learning experiences and hearing you know when you’re brought up in each like your kids kinda listen to you talk about different things. It’s different than having a job and so, I have to really think about how much I actually learned from my mom and dad just at the dinner table or you know working in the office with them or listening to them on the phone or whatever. All are super valuable, super valuable.
John: And, I think that’s something that you can’t even you know now that you look back and you appreciate what actually transpired right? You brought up in a entrepreneurial family, the verbiage is different, the mental state is different, you know the hard work, perseverance of like working whenever you can all the time to ensure that clients you know get served properly right? Adding value and and taking care of them, all these little nuances probably plays in you D is a part of your DNA right? As you mature and grow, and you get off on your own now that, you know now that you’re doing this on your own and you’ve been doing it. How has it helped you inspire your children as well? Because you know your parents were entrepreneurs, now you’re an entrepreneur and you’re trying to give them advice as they mature and get on their own as well like because I’m a dad myself and I’m a small little guy. So, for me I would love to ask you like, what have you done differently? Or is it very similar to your parents to just give them a little bit and pieces so they can absorb and see what’s going on in your life?
Julie: Well, I don’t think that most people grow up believing that they’re gonna be business owner maybe some people do but I think most people kind of evolve into it because they realize that they can. And I have never really pushed my kids to do anything other than finish school and to do the best work that they can but what I’ve really installed in them and they’re all doing what I tried to install in them was to play the music that was in them. You know, what is it that you love, what is it that you do best, where does your heart tell you to go,and to do, and to be because that’s what you were made to do and be, and they’re all doing that and they’re doing really well with that because I kept saying it right? Use your talents, you have them for a reason because that’s where you’re gonna be happiest in life. You know an example would be if I had a child who would have made a fantastic CPA but I really pushed him to go into sales and marketing school and they did, and they hated it, and they weren’t good at it, and they didn’t like the people work and you know, you’re wired for certain things and if they would have gone into a career path that they were more suited for, they would have been so much happier. But there are people out there who are in roles that they’re not happy in and there’s a lot of stress in that, there’s a lot of stress in doing something that you’re not wired to do. I’m not saying that it is not work you know, we all have work and work isn’t always pleasant but for the most part we want to be able to get up in the morning and go “I get to do this.”
John: Yeah. Exactly. It doesn’t feel like work when you wake up doing something you love.
Julie: Yeah. Yeah.
John: But, I wanted to ask you throughout this journey of yours, when did you know that business ownership was for you? Because you took on some of these and roles, and doing the mortgage, and working you know I just wanted to ask you like, was there something triggering you to then take action to wanna try something on your own?
Julie: Yeah. I think, I think that having a vision for the future and knowing that you have the potential. Knowing that there’s something more that you could be doing more. You know when I was an employee for well, I was in college, in highschool, I worked at a nursing home so I was employee the whole time then right? And then after that then, I got the job at the title company and I was an employee there and neither time was I happy working for someone else so I knew that I had it me to be to because I’m a self motivator, I create my on work I don’t need to have people putting work on my desk and that’s not everybody, and that’s okay nothing wrong with that. But if I know that about myself then I should honor what I know about myself and, is it scary? Sure! But I think that you have to have you know obviously calculated risk you know, if to be able to take a risk and believe that you’re gonna be able to see the next step, you’re not gonna see the whole picture. So, I knew that about myself and because of the fact that I’m kinda an overachiever, I knew that I wouldn’t be happy working for anybody else. So, I just, I had, I had big dreams and I’m just a big picture thinker so, I think that if that resonates with anyone who’s listening then, then it could be something that you’d want to explore a little bit more.
John: And, I think it make total sense because a lot of people who are in their 20’s, they’re discovering themselves on what they actually want to do and throughout this lifespan when you’re in your 20’s and 30’s a lot is going on. Everything is new to you, from jobs, relationships, family potentially, right? And you’re discovering on how to live on your own self you know, self-sufficient right? Understanding like, how to survive on your own. So, all these things and then starting this business is a huge venture on its own and if you’re not prepared, equipped with you know not just the vision but even the know-how, the knowledge right? And what’s your course, values, strengths, what service product you’re bringing to the table like understanding what’s your expertise, bringing it to the forefront, and then building that foundation of equipping people, systems, and you know understanding so many dynamics of building business. I’ts now for everyone like you mentioned earlier as well because it’s so, a lot of people are jumping into business ownership or entrepreneurship not knowing what the unknowns right?
Julie: Yeah.
John: Yes. They’re watching videos, you see some social posts, they read books but until you’re in it right? And you’re in it for a couple of years, not like gabbling in a couple of months like you do some side hustles, it’s not real business.
Julie: Right.
John: Real business is when you start hiring people and you start hiring people and you start servicing a larger group of clients right? Like that’s what I when you’re actually making more income than what you were making on a salary right?
Julie: Right.
John: And it’s hard.
Julie: At least you hope to be.
John: Yeah. You, you hope to be. But that’s a goal right? And that’s a vision, that’s why you jump into it because it’s huge subset of risk and ability to learn if you’re lifelong learner, business ownership is evolving every single day, every minute and you gotta be hungry all the time because there’s new competition, new landscape, new trends, there’s so much going on.
Julie: Yes.
John: So, what motivates you today to continue doing what you’re doing?
Julie: Because, I truly believe that the work that I do makes an amazing impact on the lives of my clients. So, it’s a very edifying way to make a living and it’s so, it’s kinda like a social enterprise if you will. In addition, to being an enterprise that’s growing like crazy because of my belief I think, because of the value that I bring, and because I am that person that my clients walk with you know, I walk alongside them; they’re not alone and business ownership many times you feel like you’re alone. You know like you said, lifelong learner that’s me to a t, I see all the books that you have on your shelves behind you and I see that the titles that I can read are very familiar to me, I’ve read all of them and they’re great and so I love to read, I love to listen to shows and you know, videos and things like that. There’s so much to the work that I do too that there’s no way you can ever learn it all, not possible to learn at all. So it’s, there’s no arrival okay? And I think that, that’s something I think that our, our world especially younger people need to understand that life is a journey that you’re not gonna arrive, there’s no arrival. And so, to keep learning and keep growing, and keep the more, I guess the older I’ve gotten the more I realize how much I don’t know, you know.
John: And it’s okay to acknowledge.
Julie: Probably okay.
John: You don’t know and-
Julie: Yeah it makes life exciting because there’s so much more than right?
John: Exactly.
Julie: Yeah.
John: And I know that you’ve doing this for so many years right? Has there been people that resonate with you like that really mentored your coach, your people that standout that you can think of? And why did they, why do they stand out in your life?
Julie: So, when I was still in the title business, I was at a networking event and I think I sponsored you know part of the event and I met someone who was an attendee there and we ended up meeting with a bunch of other people during lunch sitting at the same table and we became friends after that and I learned so much about networking. You know, I thought that I understood networking and I kinda did but boy I learned so much more about networking that I never knew and that, that single you know aspect right? Of developing a business has made my business, I’m nothing without my network you know I have a saying that I say “Your network is your net worth.” So, if you have a super strong network and I’m not talking about always expecting people to be giving, that’s a give and take thing this is a relationship business right? When I talk about my network I’m, I got their back and they you know, these are people that have similar values and beliefs that I have and work you know client philosophy that I have. Very important because if I’m going to refer my clients to them, or my friends, or my family to them, I wanna make sure they get taken care of right? And so, networking that guys he’s dead now unfortunately but I learned a ton from him and when I was having issues you know, he was much older than me and having issues with you know different business things like that. I just call him, his name was Jake and I just like “Jake, you gotta help me through this. I don’t exactly know what to do.” And you know this was so long ago and I’m sure that these kind of you know like round tables existed and you know different entrepreneurial groups and peer groups things like that. I know they’re very popular today but I didn’t know any of then and I didn’t even know it existed right? I didn’t know exit planner existed, I didn’t really give myself permission to hire a consultant to help me, you know. So, I had people on the outside I could call an occasion but I don’t wanna bother them all the time so, it is kinda of a, it’s kinda lonely place being a business owner you really do have that outside help and that networking thing even if it have to do with so much with business development having a really good network as a business owner is essential because it’s always good to have people you can bounce things off of, we need-
John: Yeah. It’s great that you’re saying this because it doesn’t matter if you’re by yourself or you’re you know, everyone thinks they can do it themselves as an entrepreneur but in reality different perspectives from different walks of life, different industries, different age groups because they’re much more wise right? Like, I always look at and I was very fortunate to work at yellow pages actually, working with thousands of business owners before I started this in this industry, agency. And, just the perspective of people 10 years, 20, 30, 40 years in all walks of life in every industry gave me so much knowledge and insight, and wisdom that I every meeting was like a coaching session right? And I was just trying to figure out why they were doing what they were doing and why they still loved it right? And they were so passionate and that’s what triggered me to wanna help serve them because they were my bread and butter kinda clients right? That really rooted on values right? Like family first, relationship, and understanding like making sure client comes first, taking care of them, you know all that other stuff right?
Julie: Yeah. For sure.
John: Like understanding, I was very fortunate to then start this agency with and I didn’t reach out to them at the beginning but eventually I did and I just said “Look! this is what I’m doing.” And you know it’s a lot easier when they see that you’re actually taking action doing something, serving people that they, that meant the most for me as well. So-
Julie: Awesome.
John: It’s interesting to hear that and also I wanted to ask you, so now your company, is there a specific avatar persona that you target? And who is your ideal type of client? And what’s the duration of the relationship? Like, what are you typically looking for in someone looking for your service offering?
Julie: Yeah. Good question. I have several different services they’re kinda like buckets, revenue buckets if you will, revenue streams, you can call it different things. My primary source of income right now is clients. I’m working towards having that be something else because I can serve more people that way but that’s another conversation so, my clients generally are business owners who are looking to transition from their business in five years to ten years some of them are less than five and because of whatever reason maybe they have partner they have to buy out or there’s an illness or they’re just done, and they just wanna move on whatever the reason is or they’ve got a family member that they wanna bring in and groom. The, I mean industry agnostic so I don’t have any specialty in any industry but I’d have to say that the size of the business somewhere around 25 to 100 employees, revenue size 5 million to 50 million. So, you could consider that probably to be the lower middle market when you’re talking about company size obviously they are all privately held closely held businesses and many of them are family business they’re going to transition internally and you need a longer runway for that. There’s a lot to transitioning a family business and much of that doesn’t happen unfortunately which is why the failure rate is so very high in family business transition, so, I do a lot of that and primarily the duration of time that people work with me is somewhere between two and five years. So, if they’re gonna transition internal or externally doesn’t matter, there’s a process that we need to put them through them as owners and their business, two different distinctions when it comes to transition planning. I don’t always say exit planning because not everybody wants to exit you know and that’s okay, you don’t have to but you do need to transition out of being the leader of the company at some point, okay? Everyone’s going to exit their business, they either gonna exit in their own terms or someone’s else’s terms. So, if want to exit in your own terms then the time to start planning that is now, I mean depending on how old you are but you know I mean not everybody wants to buy and holds a business forever sometimes they want to transition out and go to the next one. You know some entrepreneurs are lifelong and and they wanna die with their boots on, nothing wrong with that either but having some continuity plans in place and making sure that if there is some kind of disaster that everyone knows what to do and what your wishes are and all that, that’s another conversation too. But, so consulting is one and I’m sorry go ahead.
John: No, it’s great to hear like because a lot of people don’t even realize this is nothing you shouldn’t even think about right? It’s like having a will for your business and understanding like how do you transition from maybe you are working 40, 50, 60, hours a day or a week right? Not a day, and then you want to eventually build a lifestyle business and just passively work or you know because a lot people are their names on the brand, on the brand right? And they built it and so, it’s their baby right? And they, it’s hard to let go of anything but they have to realize also like you know this is the next generation like, what do you wanna continue doing? That can you know, do you still have the desired passion to continue it? Or do you want to move on do other things that you now have the luxury to do with abundance of whatever it is that you’re exiting with?
Julie: Yup! It all depends on the needs and wants of the owner and you brought up an important term when you said lifestyle business. The vast majority you know of small businesses out there are lifestyle businesses and a lifestyle business is a business that’s basically dependent upon you the owner, that if you went away there would be no business or it wouldn’t last very long right? There’s plenty of small businesses with employees that are still lifestyle businesses because they’re owner-dependent and, and, and doesn’t have to be so, if you have a business that it is a lifestyle business but you don’t want it to be then, you need to turn it into an asset that you can sell someday and the first step is to make it less dependent upon you.
John: And that so true because I see a lot of friends, professional services, and they are the business but I can go away for three months and the business would still operate and that’s the difference right? Like making sure that you can still live your life without being actively involved but that’s hard for a lot of people because they’ve got themselves so deep into the relationship with clients and whatever it may be. But there is a transition period people are aware of that like, they have to understand where you’re going with your business as well as what your future holds so, understanding all that. I just have a couple other questions, I know your children are a little bit more, maybe they’re in teenagers or a little bit older now. How involved are you in terms of their career? I know you wanna equip them with making sure they’re going in the same, the right direction right? The paths that their strengths are their skill set but how do you make sure that they learn by making their own mistakes?
Julie: Well, I don’t think it’s good idea to do anything for anybody if they’re able to do it themselves you know and that’s kind of like the work that I do is I’m not like a project manager or like I’m not a project person and that’s a different thing you know than being an advisor, and advisor advisor advices and a project person does work and they basically go in and they do a job for the owner like you call an IT person, they come in and they do the work right? Because the owner doesn’t know how but the owner does know how whatever it is and they just choose not then you know that’s their choice but I just, there’s I don’t do the work for my children and I don’t do the work for my owners, and my kids have figured out how to figure it out like how to take care of themselves, how to make decisions, I’m not doing them any favors by doing it for them and they are all established, they all have really good jobs, they all live on their own, one of them is married I have two grandkids.
John: Amazing!
Julie: And yeah so it’s, I’m really proud of all of them.
John: That’s amazing! So where do you see yourself in the next, I would say five, ten years? Like, what are some of the biggest, bigger aspirations that you have? Like, aiming because I know you’re working on a book, and you have some courses. So, if you don’t mind sharing some of that?
Julie: Sure! Well, the book I wrote a year ago has, has kinda prompted me to think about the next one. I am, I am producing some online courses and I need to be able to do that because I’m not able to help as many people when I’m just doing what I can do in a day. I’ll always consult for a handful of business owners privately, individually, but I like to be able to do what I can to help the masses because there’s so much need out there so that’s the purpose of the courses for helping advisors and helping owners both of them are in the throes of being produced right now and they’ll be on a learning management system. They’ll be the owner one is going to be a program that I’m going to sell licenses to and then I do a lot of speaking so that’s you know, these are all kinda different revenue buckets if you will. And so, I see myself in the future doing more speaking, less advising, probably mentoring, and I have a couple of family members that might be interested in coming in and learning a business and taking it over for me so, we’ll see where that goes. You know I thought that I thought this way my next act well, it is my next act but it would be great if I could pass the torch sometime to somebody so, I think about that all the time. You know a lot of people think when you’re consultant you know there’s no way you’re gonna be able to sell your practice but, there’s a way and so you know having the recurring revenue model I think is one of the ways to be able to do that.
John: I forgot to ask you, why did you pick the mid-market lower end of the spectrum versus the SMB’s or the larger market? Like, what really boiled down to like is that your expertise? Like, did you feel more comfortable working with those kind of individuals? Like, how did you refine it to that pocket?
Julie: Yeah. That’s, that’s a really good question. Well, the now that I don’t wanna work or help with the small companies, the smaller companies need it greatly but they generally can’t afford to hire me. Which is one of the reason why I’m doing you know things like speaking and writing books, and doing online courses because it helps that market. They still get the information that they need, they’re not necessarily getting the consulting but they’re getting what they need to get things going so, that’s the purpose of those things. And so, the lower, middle market is a place where business owners can afford to hire me, they need me because they don;t necessarily have the people on staff that do a lot of work that I do, which when you’re getting into you know upper, middle companies. They have a lot of those in internal you know leadership directors and managers and people like that report to the owner and so, not that they’re not that exit planning isn’t necessary at that point because it does it definitely is but when the company’s that large then, you should almost bring in a team from the outside to help with the transition. And so, it’s, it would be a scope of work that would be beyond what I can do and I could hire, I’ve thought about it people have asked me “Are you gonna hire and put a bench together?” And my answer has been so far it’s been “No” because the work that I do is so specialized and finding someone who actually wants to do this work and is good at it. They’re already doing it themselves right? And anybody who did come to work for me and was on my bench, is on my bench because they can’t do it themselves so then therefore, I’m not sure that I want them. Does make sense? So, could I scale if I had a bench? Sure! But right now, I’m good with the way things are with me and my one employee
John: That’s amazing. I think it all depends on what you want right? Your story-
Julie: And I’m not gonna get any younger you know I did all that, all those years, managed all those people and I need to keep it fun and I know what about, about myself that I’m not a good manager, okay? There’s a difference between being a good leader and a good manager, I’m a leader, I’m not a manager.
John: And it’s great self-awareness right? Understanding what makes you happy, what you enjoy doing, who you wanna serve, and how big or small you wanna have your company but it’s this journey of learning all the aspects of running a business that’s always exciting because it’s a never ending journey.
Julie: Yeah.
John: Of trial and error and there’s no right way or wrong ways, it’s you know try to evolve, how do you get better, make less mistakes, build more systems, process, all that, all that other stuff. So, I’m glad that you’re on the show, Julie. Is there anything that I missed? Or how’s the best way people can reach to you? If they have any questions, we can share it on the show notes as well.
Julie: Yeah. I think maybe one of the best ways to reach me would be to go to poisedforexit.com. That I have a key strategies website as well, that’s my consulting website but they’re both interconnected and just kinda save the time and having to spell that out. I would go to poisedforexit.com because you can you know, find out more about me there, find out about the book, learn about the podcast show that I have you know, kinda see some of the work I do and then it’ll take you to that other website too if you wanna do that. The other thing that I would just say for anyone out there who is a business owner or aspiring to become a business owner. “You gotta have a plan, you’ve got to have a plan.” And it’s important if you have some people on the outside who can help you, some advisors, an advisory board even because there’s so much to know about running a business and a lot of people will start a business because they really good at something, okay? And so, the more the technician than they are, business savvy many times which why so many businesses fail. They fail because people start a business because they wanna hang their own shingle and do their own thing but they really don’t understand the business side of the business. They just know how to do something really good, and that’s good but then you need to be with other people maybe a partner or someone who does have, the business savvy so that together, you can really make it be something. So, have a plan and then hire and work with people that have skills different than your own.
John: Great advice, Julie. Thanks a lot for being on the show. Great insight, great value you brought to the audience members. We’re gonna share those show notes with all the links that you just provided.
Julie: Awesome.
John: Again, I’m honored. Always grateful to have great guests on the show so, thanks a lot for coming on. Thanks a lot, Julie.
Julie: Thanks a lot for having me, John. It was really a pleasure, I appreciate it.
John: Thank you.
