B (3:25)

I think for myself it is my level of care. I think that the way that I care for my Clients as well as my staff. I think that because I have previously been a person who provided care for someone who did not have the capacity to understand how much it took from me, I can better empathize with my clients families. I can also empathize with my clients as moving through some of my own struggles over time. And I think that it allows me to be able to see the spaces they can grow in while respecting where they are and not asking them to be different than what they are, but the best of where they are while providing support and communication to the family.

A (4:12)

I want you to talk to our audience and they are looking for home care services. What advice would you give them?

B (4:22)

All agencies provide services, but the heart of the agency matters. In a business of care, it can be very tiresome to pour out that much. So I think it is important to try to hear in the conversation how someone may deal with their own self care, how they explain the services to you. Listen for emotion in that conversation versus just all fast. Because this isn't a black and white world as it deals with the human element. The variables of emotion matter. Ensure that they understand the trauma of people coming in and out the client's life. Those traumas can make it harder for the client to grow. And I don't think it's about years of service. I think that sometimes when you get in here, you can lose compassion 20, 30 years later. Right. So I think it's just to listen for the heart, listen for accountability, because there's no perfection. So you need a person who's willing to say, oh, that was a mistake, let me fix that and give them room to do that and be as upfront as you can with what you expect. And I think that that would help.

A (5:33)

What is something we as consumers don't know about your industry that we should know?

B (5:39)

That's a very good question. I have to first assess what I think you don't know. Again, I think that it's a matter of the emotional pool. I think that a lot of times people think people get into this industry because there is. It's a very lucrative business, but it takes a heart to push it through. It's not an industry where you just have a specific formula and it fits everybody. So it's an emotional strain on everybody involved as well as an emotional blessing. It helps us grow. And every day the agency owners are learning every day. There are no days where we don't learn new things, new approaches, different ways to do things. Well, if you make pizzas or you're in different industries, you master the formula and that's it. This is not that it's person centered. So there's a lot of adapting and adjusting for agency owners as well as staff.

A (6:33)

You talked about your constantly learning. Tell us over the last 30 days, what is a life lesson or a business lesson you learned from being an owner operator?

B (6:46)

There are trends to employment that it is important to have developed a relationship with your team and to have left them space to have developed a relationship with the clients. We had a really bad storm here recently and I was so impressed with the way that my team did not use that as an excuse to not get to their clients. 90 something percent of my team made it to work. Maybe 3% got stuck trying to go to work. And so I think that while paychecks are nice, right, we all go to work for a check. It's important to remember that people work for you and they should feel like they're working with you, not just for you. Because there are going to be things that they have to push through too, and times where they want to stay home too. And if you haven't developed a relationship with them, if you micromanage so much that they don't have a relationship with the clients, they'll use excuses to not show up versus reasons to show up. So I think that that was the biggest thing that I was able to see in the past 30 days.

A (7:56)

I want you to have a monologue and I want you to name this person, living or not, and they've inspired you so much. Who is that person and what are you saying to that person?

B (8:08)

One would be. Her name is Carla. Growing up, she lived very close to us. My, my grandmother's house. And she was always a respectable woman. She always held herself very poised and she always gave me the best advice. She didn't talk long, but she talked with quality. She carried herself with integrity and grace. And she was a blessing to everyone that I ever saw her around or engage with. I'm speaking directly to you, girl. Thank you for all the things that you did, have done. Seen unseen, known and unknown. You are a woman beyond anything I could have imagined. And I am grateful for the moments you took in my life to make me a better person. You've seen me struggle and fight and you loved me anyway. And you taught me how to give grace even when actions didn't look like they deserved it. You. You have been more of an inspiration to me than I could ever, ever, ever expressed. Just by simply being you. Just by being you. I thank you for all of the ways you've sacrificed for others, you sacrificed for your family, you sacrificed for me, and also the ways you did, you are a blessing. And you are a major part of why I get to sit here and feel the strength of my own energy and pick myself up when I fall down and never quit. Thank you very much. And the other one would be my mom. Growing up, she didn't get the fairest shape in my opinion. Life wasn't. She didn't get the worst one either. But she had this big, huge heart, right? And so I learned how to love from her. And no matter how much people exhausted her, she just loved them because she understood that was love. Love was expressed in the unlovable moment. She showed up and she stood in her passion, and she gave it everything. I mean, everything. Crawling, fighting, crying, everything. And she gave so much for us. And I don't think that she's honored enough for what she gave up, for the silent storms she carried that no one even saw happen. So to you, Mom, I love you. I thank you. There are many days where I don't know if I can push through. And my memory remembers every day that you did. Thank you for your example, for your sacrifice, for your tough lessons. Well, I didn't like them. They made me a better person. Thank you.

A (10:29)

Amber, you talked about the emotional piece in terms of the home care service industry. I want to ask you, did you marry the home care service industry, or did the home care service industry marry you?

B (10:44)

I think we both made a conscious decision eventually. I think life had kind of already chose me for some things, and then it walked me in 40 different directions so that I could gain the skill set that I needed, not just in the way of the world, meaning career wise, my degrees, my career background, but also through life lessons, because I think that heavy is the head that wears the crown. And sometimes you can get. You can get conceited, you can get arrogant. When you see life moving through you, sometimes you forget that life is moving through you. You're blessed to be in a position where you control and impact people in a certain kind of way. And you need to have certain characteristics to carry that in a way that is beneficial. So I think that life was sure developing, Amber, because it said, oh, she doesn't know it yet, but she's about to be a director of an agency. So we're going to prune her over here, trip her over there, send her that way, and. And then I was like, oh, my gosh. So I looked at all of the requirements to open an agency. And all I could do was laugh because I overstood that this is what I was supposed to do. I was like, okay, I do. And so we chose each other. But I think it's a perfect match.

A (12:00)

That's awesome. And let's talk about naming the business a different connection. Why that name? And how did you come about naming the business the agency?

B (12:11)

So I chose a different connection for several reasons, but first and foremost, I feel in my own life, something rather different covers, protects, and guides me different than I could understand in my little small mind. Right. And I'm grateful. And I wanted to my business to be an extension of that. That when it comes into your life, you know something different happen. It's not familiar, It's a care that's not known to you. I wanted people to feel like, oh, wait, while I thought you were like the rest, you're not. And I appreciate your difference. I also wanted it to be a connection hub where you can get resources, where people don't get they give the information, they help the community to the best of its ability. So we came up with a different connection.

A (13:00)

And how does Amber make impact daily in her life and business?

B (13:06)

She does her best to stay balanced internally and leave people room to be human, knowing that life has to teach them things too. And sometimes that's an inconvenience for Amber, but she gives grace while setting boundaries. She does the best to live by the rules that she states, and when she makes mistakes, she takes ownership. So for me, it's about being an example of progress and not perfection, so that people learn to leave themselves room, give themselves the ability to move in grace and to forgive missteps, but keep going. I try to ensure that when my staff look at me, when my children look at me, when strangers look at me, they see a woman who believes in the good of humanity, who believes in a higher power and believes that that power goes before her and who is highly resilient, highly resilient. And that in their story, life will teach them things too. And sometimes you get knocked down, but it's not to hurt you. Life has to build the muscle. So you get up, dust yourself off, and you keep going with your head high with new wisdom and you do the best you can.

A (14:15)

You talked about life can knock us down and we fall down and get back up. Talk about in business, that moment that whether it's with your current agency or before that life did a TKO for you.

B (14:32)

I'll say with my last, when I had my mental health group Home I was. My father and I were working together, but he had a stroke. I lived in a different city. Oh God. Right. So here I am. I'm trying to keep everything afloat, but life is life thing in my own personal world, which is spilling into business because I'm still learning how to separate my emotions from my choices. So I came home. I'm pouring everything I have left into this business, but I'm realizing I don't have much left. I truly had to humble myself and make the decision that you have to go work on Amber. And I had to close it. And that was the hardest thing. Thing. And what do you mean what? I couldn't believe it. Like I. I was at a place where I felt like so much had been tore away. And so I'm fighting for this business with everything I have because it's all I got left. And it had to go too. I was like, well, what are you doing? Life, this isn't fair. And it was soul shattering for me. Lots of my friends changed. I mean, as you start to reach your dreams, you know, some of the people don't get to go. That's a hard part. And some things are just the path to your path. And you think they're the path. No, they weren't. But I cried. I did a lot of inner healing and dealing with myself. I didn't go start another business. I took a moment, I went and got a job, worked for someone for some time. And I just did a lot of inner healing because some of the things that were going on in Amber were spilling outside. So for me, that was a big, huge punch to the face. My pretty little face. But here we are. Life's not trying to hurt you, trying to help you. And sometimes that has to hurt, right? Most things hurt when they heal. If nothing else, they itch, right? So that was a very big thing for me in business. I had got my degree and I was so focused on, I'm going to expand this mental health and bring forth my father's vision. And life said, no, you're not. You're going to learn to go have your own. And so I just went with it. And ta da. Here we are. Right? Here we are.

A (16:50)

Amber, what problem exists in the world today that you would like to solve?

B (16:55)

The lack of compassion for others. The lack of compassion. If I could do all things, it would be that. I think that our world is very busy and we don't get enough time to self reflect in it. We have companies who care a lot about bottom line and not the individual people who create them. If I could do anything, I would want to help people heal. And I think we would have a better country. I think crime rates would decrease, homelessness would decrease, many other things, drug addiction, mental health issues. A lot of that is simply due to an inability to accept self, to always need outside validation and outside approval. We pick, we poke, we compete, we compare. When each one of us is an individual imprint meant to do an individual thing that impacts the whole world, but we feel unseen. We have to learn how to see ourselves. And that's what I would fix, if anything.

A (17:52)

And speaking of companies and the bottom line, talk about a company that, a brand or a business that you admire and why.

B (18:03)

So I recently met a gentleman who owns a company called Safe harbor, and it's an agency just like mine. I admire his humility. I admire the way that he supports his team. He celebrates his team, genuinely cares for his clients and the community. He does so many things at one time. I'm generally amazed by him. I mean, he writes books, he puts on workshops. He's got a heck of a team. He impacts other agency owners. He's a mentor, he's a father. He does so many wonderful things in his community. And I'm just amazed by the way he stretches his 24 hours every day and still manage to smile, to be kind to others, to not be arrogance toward any person, no matter their financial position, their job title. He doesn't treat you better because you own three $20 million companies than he treats his client. He treats everyone with decency and respect while impacting his community in a very large way. His services are consistent. He's honest and professional. I could go on for days about this gentleman, but I love his brand. I love the way he represents it and everything it stands for, honestly.

A (19:27)

And say his name.

B (19:29)

Carlos. Yes.

A (19:31)

And Carlos was a guest on the podcast, so we definitely would recommend that. If you haven't listened to Carlos Johnson's episode, definitely tune in. And so that was great.

B (19:45)

Get his book if you're listening. He has a book, it's called the Shift, called Shift from Employee to Empowered CEO An Introduction to Home Health Care. And it's on Amazon. It is not just a health care book. I don't care what business you may be trying to open. There are many gyms about how to handle the imposter syndrome, how to understand what type of financial, how to set yourself up financially, how to see the larger picture. Even though it's just a thought, it is an amazing book. Please go get it. If I could tell anyone who's aspiring to be a business owner, who is a business owner. It's a great book.

A (20:25)

I believe my copy should be coming soon.

B (20:27)

You're going to love it. Yeah? Yeah.

A (20:29)

Because I did order a copy of it. Amber, advice you wish you had followed.

B (20:35)

Trust yourself. Trust yourself. And don't pour from an empty cup. You are allowed to take time for yourself. You're not more valuable because you give all of yourself away.

A (20:53)

And what is Amber's zone of genius?

B (20:58)

I would have to say understanding human behavior.

A (21:02)

Okay. What is the most costly lesson you have learned in life or business?

B (21:12)

Be your own counsel. Be your own best friend.

A (21:16)

I like that. What is the best discovery that you have learned in life or business?

B (21:25)

In life. My best discovery was me.

A (21:28)

Okay.

B (21:29)

And it was long journey to find myself in business. Hold your vision. I don't care what it looks like, what anyone says it sounds like. Hold your vision. I was just talking to someone the other day. We were talking about Tyler Perry going from homeless in a car to becoming Tyler Perry. There's a becoming that happens, and when it's just a thought, you don't know what it's going to become. Hold your vision during the becoming. It's going to happen for you.

A (22:02)

I like that. Speaking of Tyler Perry, and he's talked a great deal about when you talked about being homeless and his experience. Amber, what was your first wound that you experienced as a boss or a leader?

B (22:20)

I had a client. He was a young male, and this is in this agency. And I knew he could grow. Knew he could, but he had a guardian. And so I. I quickly learned that it is not just my ability to see their growth. The people who oversee them have to be okay with it. And it doesn't matter how well intended I am. Sometimes your well intentions make people feel bad because they didn't have one. And they will take a person from you rather than let them grow. So it. It hurt my feelings a little bit because I'm a feeler, Right. If we haven't noticed, it hurt my feelings. I was like, no, I just want the best for him. No, no, no. I'm pushing, push to push it, but it's not my agenda. So what I learned was you have to learn how to work with people where they are. Everyone is not you. And if you have great intentions but the wrong message, the intentions don't come through. So it's important to learn how to navigate people in this industry. So that was my first wound, really coming to understand that I couldn't want more for him than his guardian did. Literally. Literally. Like, you know, we say that in. In figurative ways, right? I can't want more for you than you want for yourself. But this wasn't. He wanted what I wanted for him, but there was someone else who was in the way of. And they carried the control, and there was nothing. It was out of my hands. And so in that moment, I learned that there will be aspects of this business that are out of my hands. And sometimes I. A client that I probably could have helped, I don't get to. Everybody doesn't get to be my assignment. I have to help who I can help and be okay with people being transitioned to someone else.

A (24:14)

What is your biggest achievement so far in your business?

B (24:19)

Oh, my gosh. We've had so many. I would say, creating a team that people like to be on. Like, really like my employees, they enjoy coming to work. They like their jobs. They're happy. As far as clients go, we had a client who was just having a horrible time. It was hard. Nobody wanted to work with him. I mean, nobody. Anytime someone saw you, they'd be like, hey, good luck with that. I'm like, give the man some grace. Been through some things, right? He went from. I had three people quit in the same day, so I understood what they were talking about. Right? But again, we helped the vision we kept. I had a small group which is still with him to this day. We held the vision for what he could be, and we fought through it with him, through the behaviors, through the attacks. And he went from being the person no one wanted to work with to the person none of my staff want to leave. And so I am highly proud of myself and my team for the work that was put in to help him get to that place. He's very proud of himself, which are things he hasn't said to himself or about himself in years. That would be our biggest achievement as far as clients. But overall, like, every single day, there is just another reason that I'm like, go, team. All of the most amazing people in the whole world work for my agency. Yes, I'm biased.

A (25:43)

And what is your biggest challenge in being an entrepreneur?

B (25:48)

You have to push yourself. There's no so with my team. I'm there, right? If they're dropping the ball, I'm on them. If they're, hey, hey, hey, hey. But when you own it, there is no one who pushes you. The people who push you are a governing agency, and you do not want them calling you. So you have to push yourself. It's a lot of staying on top of your P's and Q's and sometimes, you know, you're going to want to do some of the things you used to do. Like, I don't have the time to be as social as I once was. Some days I'm like, I want to be social. Life's like, not this week or next week. So I think that's for me. Yeah, that would be it. That's what I had to. That's what I deal with. That's my biggest challenge, pushing myself.

A (26:32)

Amber, if someone had to spend 24 hours with you, what is something that the audience don't know about you that they should know about you?

B (26:44)

I've created a lot of coping skills to deal with my own mind. So where it may look crazy, it's my beautiful crazy, right? It's my. My mind could do a lot of things at one time sometimes. And so I create coping skills to deal with that. I am 90% love and light. And some days I have to be quiet. So sometimes, depending upon which day you come, you'll get mostly yay. And then sometimes you'll get okay. Yeah. I'm always kind, though, even in my stern way. So I don't know. I would think that I'm constantly self assessing. I am not hard on myself. I'm not judging myself, but I am always assessing myself. I think sometimes people mistake that. They think that my self assessment is judgment because I'm responsible for other people. To me, it is very important that I don't spend my day just looking at them. I look at me as well.

A (27:41)

Let's talk about business continuity. What is your highest risk as a business owner?

B (27:49)

Expanding too quickly. I think that in this industry that you have to find that fine line, like, what can you hold and keep your quality of care. My business went boom really quick. I had to stop accepting new clients so that I could ensure I maintained the quality of care that my current clients had. So I think that that would have been my. That was my biggest risk, saying, hey, just pause here. Where maybe someone else would have been like, no, keep bringing them on, bring them on. I was. The quality of care is a big deal to me. So it's okay with me if there's 100 other, you know, opportunities that have to go to other people because I want to maintain my level of care. The other risk, I think that is finding that fine line with how many employees to carry. Because in this business there is a high turnover rate. But you also want to be able to honor Those who didn't leave. So those for me are the two biggest risks.

A (28:46)

What is your vision for the next five years for your agency?

B (28:51)

In the next five years, I'd like to be at around 50 clients while maybe serving. I probably have a few hundred employees at that point. I would like to have set up community programs where we can give back to others. And I would like to have started a mentor program to help people within my agency with professional development. And not just the people, but their families, like just people related to this agency. I would like to have some workshop shut ups to help them elevate in their own lives as well.

A (29:24)

And speaking of giving back, is there a nonprofit that's attached to the agency or a nonprofit or cause that you consistently give to because of the agency or in the name of your agency?

B (29:39)

I do not have a nonprofit attached to the agency at that time. I do give two different drives that help the community. None specifically. If what you're doing adds to the underprivileged and I'm finding out I'm for it. My giving is while I give to some agencies like other nonprofits, I also give individually to people. Right. A lot of times there's a lot of red tape through nonprofits. If I hear of someone needing something, I just am an answer.

A (30:11)

And what keeps Amber going? What keeps you pushing forward every day to do this work?

B (30:18)

Gratitude. I have come through many phases and versions of Amber and truly nothing shy of a miracle that I get to sit in this space. And I will not let it be in vain. I've worked very hard for this version of myself. Gratitude to my children, to the people who held space for me, to the people who believe in my vision, my parents. So it's just a thank you. And every day when I'm tired and I say, oh my gosh, I say, hey, hey, hey. Remember, we prayed for this. Come on, rise and slide, sunshine. And I get it up and I keep going. Because one day a few years ago, this was just a far fetched thought that I didn't even know I could make happen. I didn't know that the door would swing open for me. And it did. And so I walk through it with grace and consistency and I show up and I bring in everything that I have because I am grateful for the ways that this door allows me to provide for my children, to stand in the strength of my own energy, to show my daughters that sometimes we fall down, baby but get up, get up and we've broken. Well, you know the generations gave us blessings they gave us a couple hardships, and so they get to see me shed some of those things. So every day, those are the things that keep me going.

A (31:35)

If you lost everything and you had to rebuild in 30 days, in what industry?

B (31:42)

And why the same one? Because I love it. I opened this agency to give a voice back to people whose voices had been quieted, who were set aside by society because they didn't fit their set of normal. And I'll always do work that advocates for people whose voices were quieted due to circumstances beyond their control. I would probably always be in this field. In some aspects, I am a helper. I care for people naturally, and I have a little bit of business savvy, just a tad, nothing major. So I always work in a field that allows me to combine all of that, because that's where my passion lies. And I think when passion meets purpose, you benefit your community while benefiting yourself.

A (32:31)

Amber, if you conducted this interview, what is the one question you would have asked yourself? I want you to ask the question question and answer it.

B (32:40)

How do you deal with imposter syndrome? Did you ever feel imposter syndrome? Well, yes, I absolutely did. When I first started this business, I doubted myself, especially because how big it was becoming. And I was like, oh, my God, me. This is what you have for me. I. I don't think, Lord, I think you picked the wrong person. I don't think it was for me. The way that I deal with that is I believe that my higher power doesn't make mistakes. When I'm doubting my human. I believe in my divinity, and I believe in the God that runs through me. And so some days, Amber falls short, But God is sufficient. So I keep showing up even when my legs are trembling, even when I'm not sure if I got it. Then that's how I deal. And I've come to learn, doubt it. It will happen because you're shifting. That's you're doubting because you're doing a thing you've never done. The only time you won't doubt yourself is if you are not changing something. If you are changing something, elevating. There will be doubt that comes with that. Try to starve it. Feed your mind every positive thought. Only take in positive people, positive words, watch positive shows. And that's how I managed my own imposter syndrome and still manage my own imposter syndrome. As you keep growing, it doesn't just disappear, right? You're like, oh, my gosh, I got this. I got this. You got this, right? So that would be. That's how I deal with imposter syndrome. And I think it is a natural part of elevation. So I would say to anyone who is expanding or challenging themselves in a different way, be okay with your doubt. Just don't feed it too much.

A (34:25)

We've come to the part of our interview. It's called fun facts, the rapid fun facts. And I'm going to give you a series of questions and I'd like you to give us very quick answers. If there's something you desire not to answer, feel free to say pass. Are you ready for the rapid round of fun?

B (34:44)

Ready.

A (34:45)

The last movie you saw, split the.

B (34:48)

Guy with the 234 personality split.

A (34:51)

What is your favorite comfort food?

B (34:55)

Cheese and crackers.

A (34:56)

You relax. Doing what?

B (34:59)

Reading books.

A (35:00)

Your favorite singer or rapper?

B (35:03)

Anita Baker.

A (35:04)

Your favorite dance song?

B (35:06)

It's a Luther Verdor song. And all I know is bad boy swinging. Oh yeah, that song. My dad hand dances with me to that.

A (35:16)

What food do you eat every week? No matter what?

B (35:20)

Bread.

A (35:21)

Your favorite month? August workout or Hit the couch.

B (35:28)

Hit the couch.

A (35:30)

Amber, thank you so much for joining us on Black Entrepreneur Experience podcast. Before we let you go, share with our audience the best way for them to connect with you. Leave all your social media handles and and share anything you want in closing with our audience.

B (35:48)

Okay. So the best way to reach a different connection is you are able to contact the office at 1-234-900-6793. I do not have any business social media at this time. I do have a website which is www.adcnow.org. you can leave a message or a comment there and if you do, I will gladly get back with you if I could leave one last message with you. Love yourself. Be kind to yourself. But challenge yourself and stay great because you are.

A (36:23)

Thank you, Amber. That's a wrap.

B (36:25)

Thank you for listening and subscribing to Black Entrepreneur Experience.

A (36:29)

We would love for you to leave.

B (36:31)

A review and rating on itunes and share with your friends. For show notes and more episodes, go to www.beepodcast.com. join us next Wednesday. And remember, green is the new black, so keep your bank accounts and your business in the black.