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Speaker 1: What's up his way up with Angela Ye. I'm Angela

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Speaker 1: Yee on our Wealth Wednesday. You know we love Wealth

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Speaker 1: Wednesday and my partner Stacy Tisdale is here.

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Speaker 2: Happy Wealth Wednesday everybody, and we are so excited to

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Speaker 2: continue to bringing it to you for Small Business Month,

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Speaker 2: Black Small Business Month with two amazing ladies, one of

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Speaker 2: them you met already, Michelle Anthony, And we've been hearing

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Speaker 2: so much from all of you about how you want

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Speaker 2: to learn about government contracts that we asked and she

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Speaker 2: said yes, Michelle is going to be our guest co

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Speaker 2: host for the remainder of the month. Thank you so

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Speaker 2: much for doing.

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Speaker 1: That and this month in particular, that's really important for

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Speaker 1: us because when you say you asked, you asked, is

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Speaker 1: I asked too? Because I want to learn more about

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Speaker 1: government contracts as well and how I can make my

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Speaker 1: way to that one hundred million billion dollar status.

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Speaker 2: So, yes, the universe. You're talking about the universe, and

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Speaker 2: what we've been really focusing on is getting everybody out

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Speaker 2: of the small business hustle mentality that so many of

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Speaker 2: us are in and thinking about scaling and creating industries.

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Speaker 2: And that's why we're bringing you these role models. We

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Speaker 2: already introduce you to Michelle. She is the founder and

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Speaker 2: CEO of Anthony and Associates, which does all sorts of things.

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Speaker 2: She started as a courts stenographer and then started multiple

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Speaker 2: technology companies, energy companies, and has really scaled through government contracts.

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Speaker 2: And I'm just I don't like to using the term,

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Speaker 2: but it's like I met her mini me when I

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Speaker 2: met Ashley Kirkwood. Ashley is absolutely incredible. Your business is

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Speaker 2: number three sixty on INC five thousand lists, So start

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Speaker 2: by telling everybody about your business.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 4: So I run a company called Speak Your Way to Cash.

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Speaker 4: We specialize we're a sales training organization and we really

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Speaker 4: have a unique niche to help experts to land corporate contracts.

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Speaker 4: So most of our clients are similar to me. We're

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Speaker 4: making good money in corporate but did not like being

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Speaker 4: the only one. Okay, that was my story, So I

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Speaker 4: left a three hundred thousand dollars corporate law job I

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Speaker 4: was partner track at a large law firm to start

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Speaker 4: my own business. And so now we teach entrepreneurs how

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Speaker 4: to sell to corporations by pitching directly to them. So

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Speaker 4: I'm excited to learn about the government side of things.

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Speaker 4: On the corporate side, we really teach them to go

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Speaker 4: directly to the decision maker and pitch their services. So

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Speaker 4: if you were an accountant at like an Ernst and

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Speaker 4: Young or your own firm, you can then sell those

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Speaker 4: services to organizations, and there's a way to directly pitch

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Speaker 4: to them. So that's what Speak your Way to Cash does.

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Speaker 4: That's how we started, was helping entrepreneurs land five and

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Speaker 4: six figure of corporate speaking, consulting and coaching contracts.

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Speaker 3: That's what we did.

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Speaker 1: Yep, and you have a podcast too, right, we do

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Speaker 1: Speak your Way to Cash, Yes, indeed. And I also

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Speaker 1: saw you were on Crane Chicago's Business twenty in their

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Speaker 1: twenties list as well too, so and I always think

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Speaker 1: it's such a big deal when somebody leaves behind a

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Speaker 1: successful position, as you both have done, to start your

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Speaker 1: own thing. And so I commend you both, you know,

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Speaker 1: for being in that position, because that's really betting on

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Speaker 1: yourself and a lot of times that's a hard thing

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Speaker 1: for people to do.

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Speaker 2: That's not enough for you, Ashley, I mean, you have

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Speaker 2: an author also, you have a multi million dollar business.

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Speaker 2: But you told me you're like, I want to hit

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Speaker 2: the one hundred million dollar mark, and you think government

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Speaker 2: contracts can help.

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Speaker 3: You do that, I do.

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Speaker 4: I think you know one of the things that I

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Speaker 4: know what I know and I know what I don't know.

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Speaker 3: Oh, and so I.

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Speaker 4: Feel like I know the way. I know how we

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Speaker 4: would reach that mark if we keep doing what we're doing.

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Speaker 3: The volume that we would have to do.

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Speaker 4: But I also understand the largest buyer in the world

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Speaker 4: is the federal government, and so if we can actually

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Speaker 4: sell to the largest buyer in the world. As someone

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Speaker 4: who teaches sales, that makes sense to me, And so

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Speaker 4: I'm interested to hear is that the avenue that we

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Speaker 4: should take is at the best avenue for us to take.

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Speaker 4: And then because we train so many speakers, experts and consultants,

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Speaker 4: we have already made group of true experts that we

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Speaker 4: could team with and work with who are incredibly qualified

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Speaker 4: and already doing this work for private company, so they

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Speaker 4: can use that as their past performance and proof that

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Speaker 4: they know how to do the work. And I train

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Speaker 4: hundreds of these women personally, and we have thousands of

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Speaker 4: them in our community, and I just think it would

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Speaker 4: be a missed opportunity if I didn't learn more about

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Speaker 4: that I've always done well by learning what I don't

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Speaker 4: know and implementing and utilizing and leveraging what I do.

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Speaker 3: And so that's why we're here.

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Speaker 1: And I like that because basically this is a live

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Speaker 1: coaching session.

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Speaker 2: It is yes, and we're just gonna watch. Stacy.

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Speaker 1: I was like, you know what, I would love to

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Speaker 1: be able to do just because of the information that

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Speaker 1: Michelle brought to us the last time. There were so

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Speaker 1: many things that I wanted to do. And I said,

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Speaker 1: you know what for people listening, and also, you know,

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Speaker 1: for you to be able to for ask to be

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Speaker 1: able to sit here and do this live coaching session,

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Speaker 1: and that's going to help and benefit a lot of

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Speaker 1: people as well, and then they can delve deeper into

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Speaker 1: whatever it is that they want to do. But I

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Speaker 1: know I have questions, so I'm gonna be a fly

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Speaker 1: on the wall before we.

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Speaker 2: Get into that. Michelle, you were so successful, you have

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Speaker 2: multimillion dollar businesses. Why is this important to you? You

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Speaker 2: said you want to step back and really carve out

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Speaker 2: this time and give back. Why is that so important

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Speaker 2: to you?

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Speaker 5: It's important to me because the further you go up

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Speaker 5: this ladder, the fewer people you see that look like you,

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Speaker 5: and when you understand that if you're able to transfer

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Speaker 5: knowledge not money, knowledge because if I give you money

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Speaker 5: and you don't understand how to manage it and to

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Speaker 5: use it, you will squander it. But if I give

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Speaker 5: you knowledge and then at money, then I see a

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Speaker 5: path of success. And that's not done often enough for us.

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Speaker 5: It wasn't done for me. But I don't have a

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Speaker 5: hang up about it, you know what I'm saying. I

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Speaker 5: look at it like this when you talk about the

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Speaker 5: federal government, like I think I said in the back room,

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Speaker 5: there's so much money to be made. No person in

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Speaker 5: this room can make it all, So why not help

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Speaker 5: others who look like you make it?

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Speaker 3: Yeah?

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Speaker 1: And when you think about what you didn't have, it

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Speaker 1: makes you feel like I would love to be able

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Speaker 1: to provide that for the next person, and the next

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Speaker 1: person and the next person successful alone.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, But you know, because a lot of people they're selfish,

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Speaker 5: and that's not the way we should be. We should

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Speaker 5: want to see our sisters and our brothers thrive, not survive, thrive,

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Speaker 5: and that means give a little of yourself.

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Speaker 1: Someone's getting those contracts, why can't it be us?

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Speaker 4: Oh?

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Speaker 5: Yeah, they're getting them all day long, every day, very

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Speaker 5: large contracts.

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Speaker 2: Rachel, give our audience a sense of what government contracts

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Speaker 2: did for your business and how you know them so well.

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Speaker 5: Well, what government contracts did for me was first, there

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Speaker 5: is a major education that's going to be involved. But

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Speaker 5: once you learn government contracting, there's no business on this

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Speaker 5: earth you can't do. That's the beauty that I've learned.

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Speaker 5: That's why you can hear me say I have an

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Speaker 5: energy company, I do technology. I just I'm doing a

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Speaker 5: technology deal right now with a brand new form of

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Speaker 5: technology that doesn't even require holding or programming. And I

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Speaker 5: don't have a technology background. But because master government contracting

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Speaker 5: and business at that level, whatever you talk to me about,

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Speaker 5: whatever business you bring to me, once I hear the

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Speaker 5: model and I understand it, I can I can take it.

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Speaker 6: I can do it.

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Speaker 5: And so that's what it did for me. And look

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Speaker 5: at how many other people once you understand it. And

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Speaker 5: like Ashley and I we talked about, I love the law.

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Speaker 6: So you know.

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Speaker 5: Understanding how to use the law to my advantage, because

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Speaker 5: that's what you have to do. You have to be

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Speaker 5: strategic and so you can't be afraid of that You

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Speaker 5: can't allow the law to frighten you. You have to

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Speaker 5: learn how to use it and embrace it and use

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Speaker 5: it to your benefit. Because laws are not always there

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Speaker 5: to punish. There are laws there to just guide you

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Speaker 5: and keep you along the path, to make sure that

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Speaker 5: you don't take the wrong path.

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Speaker 6: Right, So follow the path, don't go against it.

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Speaker 2: Don't do that at all.

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Speaker 1: People in the world have used the law certainly to

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Speaker 1: their advantage. Almost a lawyer.

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Speaker 2: Ashley's a lawyer, and you were top of your class

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Speaker 2: at Northwestern Western University law school. Why is knowing the

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Speaker 2: law so important in government contracts?

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Speaker 4: I think knowing the law is important in business period

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Speaker 4: because I hear so many people saying like, oh, well,

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Speaker 4: I'm a coach that's not regulated.

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Speaker 3: That's not true.

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Speaker 2: Again, it is regularly.

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Speaker 4: There's something called the Federal Trade Commission. There is a

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Speaker 4: government body that regulates how you do this industry. But

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Speaker 4: the law isn't going to not touch anything. Because when

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Speaker 4: you get caught up, what do they do They bring

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Speaker 4: a case, Well, they don't really care about you going

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Speaker 4: to jail. If it's a civil case.

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Speaker 3: What do they get? They get money. So, if you

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Speaker 3: think about it, it's a business.

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Speaker 4: People who don't know the law become victims, especially business owners,

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Speaker 4: because one they can lose their freedom, they could lose

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Speaker 4: their license, but more importantly, they end up paying more

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Speaker 4: than taxes, they end up paying penalties. So if you

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Speaker 4: don't know the law as a business owner, you will

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Speaker 4: be paying penalties. A quick example is like, hey, you

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Speaker 4: all have way up with Angela.

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Speaker 5: Ye.

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Speaker 3: Well, let's say someone was like, well, I'm going to

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Speaker 3: be way up with Ashley.

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Speaker 4: Well, if I go out and do that and I

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Speaker 4: make money doing that, Angelo could say, oh, Ashley took

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Speaker 4: my trademark. She ain't gonna just say give it back, though,

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Speaker 4: She's gonna say, hey, how much did you make using

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Speaker 4: that trademark? And then she could actually get all of

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Speaker 4: the money I made using her mark.

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Speaker 3: That's the law.

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Speaker 1: I see Isaac Hayes issuing Donald Trump for using his

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Speaker 1: estate for using his music during his campaign. But they're

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Speaker 1: not just telling him stop using it, right, They're saying,

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Speaker 1: you owe me six million dollars when you did use it.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, So, like, if you don't know the law, it

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Speaker 4: doesn't it's not just your people say like ignorance is bliss, No,

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Speaker 4: ignorance is expensive.

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Speaker 3: Okay, it's not bliss, it's expensive. It's bliss until you.

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Speaker 4: Get that knock on the door from the IRS or

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Speaker 4: the FBI. Then it gets Then it gets expensive, you know.

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Speaker 4: And so it is not just know the law theoretically,

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Speaker 4: it's make sure you are within the law so that

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Speaker 4: you can leverage it. Now, Michelle's like she leveraging the

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Speaker 4: law to make a ton of money. If you don't

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Speaker 4: know it, not only can you not leverage it to

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Speaker 4: make money, it can cost you money. Yes, and we

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Speaker 4: cannot afford extra bill I don't know about y'all. Maybe y'all,

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Speaker 4: maybe your audience can afford it. I can't afford extra

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Speaker 4: bills just for being ignorant, Like I have to make

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Speaker 4: sure I know what it is. Which is why even

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Speaker 4: though you know we've had success, we've done some things.

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Speaker 3: I am.

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Speaker 4: Michelle will tell you what was I doing, Michelle. I

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Speaker 4: was asking Michelle every as much as I could get

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Speaker 4: out of Michelle, and I was like, Okay, tell me

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Speaker 4: about how can how can my marriage be better?

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Speaker 3: Okay? How can I ask better? How can my leadership

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Speaker 3: be better?

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Speaker 4: Because I want to I'm not about to meet nobody

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Speaker 4: that knows as much as this sister right here who's

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Speaker 4: willing to talk to me and not ask for wisdom.

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Speaker 1: Well, let's hear some of those, right, because that's what

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Speaker 1: this is about, for everybody listening and for myself. You know,

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Speaker 1: these are the conversations that we want to be able

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Speaker 1: to eat, chop on and then participate in as well,

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Speaker 1: because I feel like this can spark in some people

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Speaker 1: who are some of our listeners. And to be clear,

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Speaker 1: everyone's not going to do this. But the people who

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Speaker 1: are sparked and that are going to go out and

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Speaker 1: do things within the law the right way and take

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Speaker 1: the time to learn how to do this, they're the

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Speaker 1: ones that are going to be the ones that will

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Speaker 1: be able to go online and prosper yes from this lesson.

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Speaker 2: So go ahead, Ashley. Why did you want Michelle to

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Speaker 2: be your coach? And what do you want to ask

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Speaker 2: her about?

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Speaker 4: Yes, so let's start from the beginning. Okay, because I've

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Speaker 4: looked into this, but let's assume I haven't looked into

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Speaker 4: it at all. Right, what are the first three things

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Speaker 4: that you need to have in place or whatever number

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Speaker 4: you think makes sense in order to get started selling

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Speaker 4: to the government. There's definitely some pre work So is

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Speaker 4: it registering on sam dot gov. Where should people start

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Speaker 4: if they're like, okay, I want to do this, what's

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Speaker 4: the first step?

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Speaker 5: Well, well, you can't register on sam dot gov until

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Speaker 5: you actually form a corporation.

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Speaker 3: Yep.

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Speaker 6: So you got to have a corporation.

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Speaker 5: You have to have an entity, and you have to

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Speaker 5: know what you want to do because when you go

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Speaker 5: on to sam dot gov or even when you form

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Speaker 5: that entity, the government is going to want to know

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Speaker 5: what's called your next code inn ai CS. That's the

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Speaker 5: North American Industry Classification System and it classifies all types

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Speaker 5: of businesses. So when you when you choose okay, I

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Speaker 5: want to be have an IT skill, So wan an

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Speaker 5: IT company. Typically IT there's different areas within IT, but

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Speaker 5: I'll just use one for like services that's fifty four

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Speaker 5: to fifteen twelve.

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Speaker 6: Fifty four to fifteen eleven. It's like a six digit code.

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Speaker 5: So you need to know that because when you form

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Speaker 5: your corporation, that's what everything is going to follow. Okay,

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Speaker 5: this is what this company has been formed for. Then

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Speaker 5: once you form the corporation, then you need to get

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Speaker 5: your EI in number from the gut from the IRS.

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Speaker 5: Do you want to have employees or do you not

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Speaker 5: want to have employees. So that's a decision that you

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Speaker 5: need to make because that's going to determine whether you

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Speaker 5: get a ti IN or an ei IN okay, because

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Speaker 5: an ei in is for employers, so you know, so

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Speaker 5: ti IN is just your tax identification number, so there's

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Speaker 5: a difference. So once you get those those preliminary things

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Speaker 5: figured out in your mind, then there are steps you

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Speaker 5: go to, like you say, sam dot gov. That's when

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Speaker 5: you want to register your entity and they talk about

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Speaker 5: how you want to register your entity. All the things

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Speaker 5: that you want to be able to say you can

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Speaker 5: offer to the government. So if you if you can

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Speaker 5: offer it, well, maybe you want to also offer products

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Speaker 5: so you can do the services. Okay, I cannot only

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Speaker 5: provide you professional it support and develop systems and answers

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Speaker 5: and solutions for you, but also I can create a

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Speaker 5: product and then so there's a product code that you

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Speaker 5: need to also identify. So whatever it is you think

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Speaker 5: you can offer, there are so many and once you

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Speaker 5: choose those things and you go through that process, then

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Speaker 5: they're going to go through this whole process where they're

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Speaker 5: going to verify everything, make sure everything is legit and

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Speaker 5: eventually they're going to give you something called a cage code,

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Speaker 5: and that is a code that will follow your business

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Speaker 5: the rest of.

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Speaker 6: The entity's existence.

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Speaker 5: The cage code is tied to everything from if you

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Speaker 5: have to get a security clearance like me, I have

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Speaker 5: a secret security clearance. So with my clearance, my cage

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Speaker 5: code is attached to that. Because the government tracks everything

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Speaker 5: using codes and systems, so you'll be issued this cage

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Speaker 5: code and every time you win a contract, your cage

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Speaker 5: code is entered on there. So there's a system that

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Speaker 5: can go back and tell you all the contracts that

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Speaker 5: I've been awarded in almost thirty years because I've had

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Speaker 5: that same cage code number. So then now they have

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Speaker 5: something called a UEI number instead of you using a

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Speaker 5: done in Brass Street number because it used to be

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Speaker 5: done in Bradstreet. Well done in Brass Street lost their contract,

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Speaker 5: so people didn't know that done in Brass Street all

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Speaker 5: those years you were being required to have a done

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Speaker 5: in Brass Street number.

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Speaker 6: That was a contract.

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Speaker 3: Oh wow.

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Speaker 6: So the new.

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Speaker 5: Company that came in and creased, they came in with

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Speaker 5: a UEI code system and they issued these random UEI

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Speaker 5: codes now and then, so they're doing it through that process.

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Speaker 5: So that contract went away and then so done in

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Speaker 5: Brasstreet gets what they did. They pivoted and went in

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Speaker 5: a different direction because hey, they have been accustomed to a.

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Speaker 6: Very large government contract.

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Speaker 5: So they came up with some other things that they

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Speaker 5: wanted to sell and do. So there is some other

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Speaker 5: arenas within the government. So you have to always be

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Speaker 5: willing to keep your mind open because you never know

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Speaker 5: what's going to happen. But you need to be able

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Speaker 5: to pivot. You have to be able to pivot. Just

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Speaker 5: because something changes does not mean you should go away now.

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Speaker 5: It causes you to to no longer be able to flourish,

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Speaker 5: to be able to function. So once you get the

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Speaker 5: identify the company, create the corporation, get your tax ID number,

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Speaker 5: whichever one is EI in tax id.

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Speaker 6: Then when you go to SAM, you have those things

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Speaker 6: because they're mandatory.

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Speaker 5: Once you go through that whole process, SAM issues you

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Speaker 5: the cage code and they issue you your UEI number.

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Speaker 5: They'll say this entity is registered to do business with

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Speaker 5: the federal.

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Speaker 2: Government and it can be any kind of business.

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Speaker 5: Well, it has to fall within one of those cages, right,

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Speaker 5: So again you can look it up as the North

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Speaker 5: American Industry what it's the North American Industry innai C

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Speaker 5: classification System. And so for example, all you have to

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Speaker 5: do is say you can google side. Okay, let me

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Speaker 5: tell you a little bit about the size standard, because

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Speaker 5: that's important. So when you decide what you want to do,

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Speaker 5: there's something called a size standard. That's another law. So

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Speaker 5: the SBA regulates that. SBA is a small business administration.

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Speaker 5: When the SBA looks at that, so say, when you

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Speaker 5: choose it, I'm gonna keep going back to that one

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Speaker 5: that's my top of my head.

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Speaker 6: It the cage.

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Speaker 5: The next code is fifty four to fifteen eleven or

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Speaker 5: fifty four to fifteen twelve, whichever point we want to

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Speaker 5: go with. They'll tell you the average that your company

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Speaker 5: cannot earn in a five year period to still be

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Speaker 5: considered small.

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Speaker 3: Okay, okay.

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Speaker 5: So if you earn the cage code, I mean the

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Speaker 5: size standard for fifty four to fifteen eleven or twelve,

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Speaker 5: it's about forty one point five million dollars.

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Speaker 6: Okay. That's the size standard.

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Speaker 3: That's nothing under that is considered small.

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Speaker 6: It is considered small.

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Speaker 3: Okay.

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Speaker 6: So that's why I had to, you know, make sure,

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Speaker 6: ILL wanted to talk about.

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Speaker 5: You know, you may I may have signed contracts that

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Speaker 5: had billion dollars ceilings on it, but that doesn't mean

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Speaker 5: that you retain all that you can do up to

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Speaker 5: that amount of business.

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Speaker 6: But a lot of times you're sharing it.

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Speaker 5: Because the government will they'll do what they call consolidate

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Speaker 5: or they'll bundle because they're trying to not have to

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Speaker 5: do so many little bitty in it, you know, itty

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Speaker 5: bitty individual contrac Yes, because when you talk to them

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Speaker 5: and they're moving billions of dollars, those are very small

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Speaker 5: numbers to them.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, they're very small.

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Speaker 4: And with the NAICS codes, one thing I wanted to mention,

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Speaker 4: when people are looking at it and they're googling it,

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Speaker 4: you know, double check it with the official website. But

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Speaker 4: now we have AI, so you all actually can also

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Speaker 4: put in there like what are all the NAICS codes

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Speaker 4: and that relate to public speaking or law or it correct,

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Speaker 4: And so that'll give you a good basis and then

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Speaker 4: we can go to the government websites and cross track

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Speaker 4: and make sure it's right.

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Speaker 3: One thing you mentioned.

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Speaker 5: Oh one second before I forget this, let me give

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Speaker 5: you a gym. Yeah, when you're choosing that next code,

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Speaker 5: the SBA is going to when they create your profile,

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Speaker 5: they're going to say that's your primary next code. Okay,

407
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Speaker 5: And so if you choose a next code, another one

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Speaker 5: is staffing. I started out, I did that for a while.

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Speaker 5: So fifty six eleven ten is a staffing next code

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Speaker 5: that's for temporary personnel.

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Speaker 3: Right.

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Speaker 5: That next code used to be about seven million dollars.

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Speaker 5: So if that's your primary next code and you earn

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Speaker 5: over over seven million dollars within the five year window

415
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Speaker 5: that they're they're going to audit to see whether or

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Speaker 5: not you're still small or not, then if you're coming

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Speaker 5: to earns over seven million, they'll consider you large.

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Speaker 4: Wow, and you have to compete with all of the

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Speaker 4: other you go so you don't qualify for the.

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Speaker 1: Small is important with very important.

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Speaker 5: That's why I'm telling you that because when I first

422
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Speaker 5: got into the game, nobody told me. So as I

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Speaker 5: started understanding, I changed my next code.

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Speaker 4: And you can change it at any time. Yes, So

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Speaker 4: let's say you're reaching that ceiling. You could say like,

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Speaker 4: all right, now my primary and you'll just have secondaries.

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Speaker 4: But your primary could be something else.

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Speaker 5: You can change it, but they're still gonna look at

429
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Speaker 5: your revenues. So yeah, they're gonna look at your revenue,

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Speaker 5: so you can change it. But what I'm saying is

431
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Speaker 5: is when I first started out, no one told me

432
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Speaker 5: the importance of reason the right next code because that

433
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Speaker 5: gives you a longer window. See, these are the little

434
00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:01,639
Speaker 5: It's like when people go get in the A A

435
00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:03,919
Speaker 5: program and time to get a business. People say, oh,

436
00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:05,480
Speaker 5: I should go get my AD and I tell people, no,

437
00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:10,480
Speaker 5: you don't, don't do that. Eight A is another social

438
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Speaker 5: economic set aside that the government gives where they'll set

439
00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:18,200
Speaker 5: aside contracts up to four million dollars without competition. It's

440
00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:22,520
Speaker 5: called a sole source. You're the sole source to provide

441
00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:25,520
Speaker 5: that service. Okay, so there's and so those you can

442
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Speaker 5: get those without competition, right, so it's huge.

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Speaker 3: Yes.

444
00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:31,920
Speaker 5: So if you go and you get several of those

445
00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:34,679
Speaker 5: in a row, and your next code, your primary was

446
00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:38,080
Speaker 5: fifty six, uh fifty six, eleven ten, and you get

447
00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:40,040
Speaker 5: about three or four of those four million dollar ones,

448
00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:43,800
Speaker 5: pretty soon you're gonna be already at your at your ceiling.

449
00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:45,360
Speaker 6: You see what I'm saying, Because they're.

450
00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:49,720
Speaker 5: Gonna they're gonna average your revenues over the over five years.

451
00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:53,160
Speaker 4: Do you recommend that people listening start out and we

452
00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:56,439
Speaker 4: go directly for prime contracts or or no? Do you

453
00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:59,480
Speaker 4: recommend subcontracting subcontract building your capacity?

454
00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:00,520
Speaker 6: And I'll tell you why.

455
00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:04,200
Speaker 5: I used to think that people are just being selfish,

456
00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:06,240
Speaker 5: and I thought that they were just trying to keep

457
00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:07,359
Speaker 5: you down and whateverever.

458
00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:09,680
Speaker 6: But it is very.

459
00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:12,480
Speaker 5: Hard to pierce that ceiling as a prime and when

460
00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:17,920
Speaker 5: you do, if you if you do not perform, there's

461
00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:22,240
Speaker 5: something you can be debarred. There's all there's punishments. There's

462
00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:25,600
Speaker 5: something called a se PARS. Any contract over a million

463
00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:27,920
Speaker 5: dollars in value, the government has to do a sea

464
00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:31,159
Speaker 5: PARS and that is a contract to performance assessment report.

465
00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:33,680
Speaker 5: So that's when they're going to assess how you performed

466
00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:36,639
Speaker 5: on the contract. So if your ce PARS is not

467
00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:39,720
Speaker 5: good then and you and you and you have a

468
00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:42,719
Speaker 5: history of not performing. When someone gets ready to issue

469
00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:45,439
Speaker 5: new contracts, then they can look at your ce PARS.

470
00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:51,760
Speaker 1: So definitely something. So you get a contract and get

471
00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:54,120
Speaker 1: a contract, you also have to do the.

472
00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:55,240
Speaker 6: Work you have.

473
00:20:57,160 --> 00:20:58,840
Speaker 2: Subcontracting build the track.

474
00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:01,919
Speaker 5: So what subcontract acting does is it gives you the

475
00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:06,119
Speaker 5: ability to learn under the umbrella of the Prime because

476
00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:08,520
Speaker 5: the Primes report card is what's going to be reported,

477
00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:09,440
Speaker 5: not to sub.

478
00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:14,320
Speaker 2: So if she became a subcontractor to you.

479
00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:18,000
Speaker 5: Correct, they would they would, they would if we didn't perform,

480
00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:20,679
Speaker 5: And if Ashley was the reason my company didn't perform,

481
00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:23,080
Speaker 5: they don't care that actually, because if you should the

482
00:21:23,119 --> 00:21:24,280
Speaker 5: contract to me is the prime.

483
00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:25,399
Speaker 2: That's a good way to.

484
00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:27,680
Speaker 3: Make sure I performed. Don't worry every time.

485
00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:31,760
Speaker 2: You talk about so much how mentors are so important

486
00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,560
Speaker 2: and sponsors and the difference, someone will actually step in

487
00:21:34,600 --> 00:21:37,840
Speaker 2: it with you. What's a good way for someone to

488
00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:41,960
Speaker 2: find primes If someone wants to get into government contracts

489
00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:44,600
Speaker 2: and they want to start out as a subcontractor.

490
00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:46,520
Speaker 5: Is there a database to see like how there is

491
00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:48,960
Speaker 5: there's there's a database that they use for Primes to

492
00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:53,160
Speaker 5: look for subs. Most of the times it's it's challenging,

493
00:21:53,359 --> 00:21:55,960
Speaker 5: but there are a lot of conferences that that they

494
00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:59,040
Speaker 5: do for government contracting and you can go and meet

495
00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:02,199
Speaker 5: and they do what they call matchmaking sessions where you know,

496
00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:05,240
Speaker 5: a lot of times it's like, Okay, we're Prime company

497
00:22:05,280 --> 00:22:07,080
Speaker 5: and we're looking for some new subs. We need some

498
00:22:07,119 --> 00:22:09,880
Speaker 5: fresh subs to work with us and they're always looking

499
00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:12,440
Speaker 5: for a new talent. So that's one way of getting

500
00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:14,959
Speaker 5: your foot in the door. A lot of it, I've learned.

501
00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:19,280
Speaker 5: It's relationships. Okay, it's relationships, and even if it's not

502
00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:22,000
Speaker 5: something that you really really want to do long term,

503
00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:23,560
Speaker 5: but it'll get your foot in the door. You'll get

504
00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:26,800
Speaker 5: a chance to get an education, humble yourself and start there.

505
00:22:27,119 --> 00:22:27,359
Speaker 3: Right.

506
00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:30,760
Speaker 1: So being physically present at some of these conferences and

507
00:22:30,800 --> 00:22:34,040
Speaker 1: getting FaceTime informing those relationships, yes, it is going to.

508
00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:37,080
Speaker 5: Be Really I've benefited from relationships from twenty years ago.

509
00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:39,920
Speaker 5: It may have took us ten years before we did

510
00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:43,159
Speaker 5: some work together, but I kept that relationships positive and

511
00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:47,120
Speaker 5: when the time, because the sales cycle can be long, yeah,

512
00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:49,359
Speaker 5: with government contract it can be a longer sale cycle.

513
00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:50,440
Speaker 3: And what is that sales cycle?

514
00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:52,320
Speaker 4: So if they're starting today and they're doing all the

515
00:22:52,359 --> 00:22:55,480
Speaker 4: things that we've discussed to them getting their first even subcontract,

516
00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:57,280
Speaker 4: what timeline should people be expecting.

517
00:22:57,440 --> 00:22:59,520
Speaker 5: There's so many things that go on before that right there.

518
00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:03,679
Speaker 5: You can't just jump to that. You know, it's according

519
00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:05,200
Speaker 5: to whether or not we're talking about what we're doing

520
00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:07,399
Speaker 5: from the contractor side, or what is going on on

521
00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:10,000
Speaker 5: the government side, because you got both sides at the table,

522
00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:11,960
Speaker 5: so I don't know which one you want me to answer.

523
00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:14,960
Speaker 5: Because the government has their whole what they call market

524
00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:17,760
Speaker 5: research and all of those processes, and they do what

525
00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:23,080
Speaker 5: they call they'll issue an RFI or a sources sought

526
00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:29,320
Speaker 5: and RFI is a request for information, and then they

527
00:23:29,359 --> 00:23:32,800
Speaker 5: may not know you exist. So as I talk with you,

528
00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:35,040
Speaker 5: I'm going to tell you how to take your next

529
00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:39,160
Speaker 5: code and look for opportunities to respond to a sources sought.

530
00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:42,040
Speaker 5: So you need to respond to a request for information

531
00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:44,119
Speaker 5: if they put that out there. A lot of times

532
00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:46,560
Speaker 5: they don't know you exist and they're doing what they

533
00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:49,919
Speaker 5: call market research. You're in the marketplace, and if we

534
00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:53,120
Speaker 5: get the information from you, then we can consider you,

535
00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:56,040
Speaker 5: and then we can even once you provide your information

536
00:23:56,080 --> 00:23:57,679
Speaker 5: and what you can do, they may say, hey, we

537
00:23:57,720 --> 00:23:59,639
Speaker 5: really like that, you know, when we put out the

538
00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:02,440
Speaker 5: response or the solicitation. We want them to be able

539
00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:05,840
Speaker 5: to have that capability too. So there's different things that

540
00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:09,200
Speaker 5: you can learn how to use those to position you

541
00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:12,200
Speaker 5: in a position for an award.

542
00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:15,919
Speaker 4: So they can kind of shape what their actual request

543
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:17,840
Speaker 4: for proposal will be based on what you put in

544
00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:18,560
Speaker 4: your instrument.

545
00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:21,840
Speaker 1: Okay, I'm going to ask you specific to what Ashley does,

546
00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:24,320
Speaker 1: what type of because some people might be listening and

547
00:24:24,359 --> 00:24:26,320
Speaker 1: be like, okay, it T it T. But then there's

548
00:24:26,359 --> 00:24:30,199
Speaker 1: so many other things that government contacts are looking for

549
00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:33,719
Speaker 1: other skills. So say, for what Ashley does, right, what

550
00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:36,240
Speaker 1: would be like an example of some type of government

551
00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:37,960
Speaker 1: contacts that she could get.

552
00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:42,000
Speaker 5: She could get When you talk about executive leadership training horses,

553
00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:47,640
Speaker 5: they are contracts for that wherein you know, different agencies training,

554
00:24:48,119 --> 00:24:51,719
Speaker 5: So basically she's falling under the training umbrella. Yeah, you know,

555
00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:54,600
Speaker 5: and there are different agencies that have different levels of

556
00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:57,920
Speaker 5: training and different types of training requirements. So we talked

557
00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:00,919
Speaker 5: about like an SBA. I think we talked about you

558
00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:05,520
Speaker 5: wanted to do a program with the SBA for entrepreneurs

559
00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:07,040
Speaker 5: and I told her, I said, well, I don't think

560
00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:10,280
Speaker 5: I've heard of a specific program like that, But what

561
00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:16,040
Speaker 5: I have heard of are other training opportunities that can

562
00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:18,359
Speaker 5: get your foot in the door and then you have

563
00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:20,640
Speaker 5: to segue over to there, but it gets you.

564
00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:21,120
Speaker 6: In the door.

565
00:25:21,359 --> 00:25:25,280
Speaker 5: So if your training is on HR, if she's able

566
00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:28,399
Speaker 5: to tell them, you know, different rules, laws, regulations of

567
00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:30,159
Speaker 5: what they need to be in compliance with and we

568
00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:33,199
Speaker 5: want to come in and hold a training session for

569
00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:36,080
Speaker 5: your your HR department, and then they give her and

570
00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:38,080
Speaker 5: it could be a small award. And then once you

571
00:25:38,119 --> 00:25:40,879
Speaker 5: get those awards, you just you, just you. I can't

572
00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:45,359
Speaker 5: emphasize enough performance. You don't have the option to fail.

573
00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:46,639
Speaker 5: We don't have that option.

574
00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:57,480
Speaker 3: What would be considered a small award to me? I'll

575
00:25:57,480 --> 00:25:58,320
Speaker 3: give you this, Michelle.

576
00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:00,200
Speaker 4: So when we do our trainings, they started twenty five

577
00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:02,679
Speaker 4: thousand dollars for private companies. If we were to go

578
00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:05,720
Speaker 4: in the government, how does pricing work, because we do

579
00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:08,520
Speaker 4: value based pricing when we sell the corporate for the government,

580
00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:11,800
Speaker 4: is it always hourly or how does the pricing structure

581
00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:12,399
Speaker 4: need to differ?

582
00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:15,800
Speaker 5: I can't tell you specifically because I don't do what

583
00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:18,720
Speaker 5: you do, but I have partners that do. It could

584
00:26:18,760 --> 00:26:21,879
Speaker 5: be hourly, it could be what's called a firm fixed price,

585
00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:25,439
Speaker 5: where you can tell the government, Okay, you need this training,

586
00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:28,320
Speaker 5: whether I make money or I lose money, your price

587
00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:28,720
Speaker 5: is going to be.

588
00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:31,240
Speaker 1: Five thousand dollars, and you pitch to them the price.

589
00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:34,159
Speaker 5: You can tell them that because what they've done is

590
00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:36,400
Speaker 5: they've done their market research and they know what other

591
00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:39,000
Speaker 5: people who do what you do, they know what they're charging,

592
00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:41,880
Speaker 5: so you can price yourself right out of an opportunity.

593
00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:44,520
Speaker 5: So it's very important for you to do the research

594
00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:47,640
Speaker 5: to know what your competitors are charging, so that when

595
00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:50,240
Speaker 5: you give them a price, your price is not If

596
00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:52,160
Speaker 5: your price is too low, they're going to throw you out.

597
00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:53,920
Speaker 6: If your price is too high, they're going to throw

598
00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:54,240
Speaker 6: you out.

599
00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:56,720
Speaker 5: They want your price to be right in that they

600
00:26:56,760 --> 00:27:00,439
Speaker 5: call it a competitive range, So you're pricing always needs

601
00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:01,640
Speaker 5: to be in a competitive.

602
00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:03,360
Speaker 6: Range or else you will not be eligible for award.

603
00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:09,240
Speaker 5: So if twenty five thousand dollars is an average, they

604
00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:12,040
Speaker 5: have what they call the government credit card, that's a

605
00:27:12,119 --> 00:27:15,919
Speaker 5: micro purchase, so they can issue those contracts to you

606
00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:17,520
Speaker 5: all day long on a micro purchase.

607
00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:18,120
Speaker 6: That's how it started.

608
00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:20,960
Speaker 5: I was taking visa in credit card payments from my

609
00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:23,439
Speaker 5: court reporting clients when I would go do depositions, when

610
00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:24,760
Speaker 5: I would go do hearings.

611
00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:25,920
Speaker 4: And you still went through the bid process and the

612
00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:27,920
Speaker 4: proposal process. Even for the micro purchases.

613
00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:30,760
Speaker 5: Sometimes they need at least three people, they need at

614
00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:33,520
Speaker 5: least three quotes, and then sometimes in the case of

615
00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:35,600
Speaker 5: an emergency, they don't.

616
00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:37,840
Speaker 6: Their soul and.

617
00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:41,120
Speaker 5: There's always something going on in case of an emergency,

618
00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:44,440
Speaker 5: so you just it all depends. But again the key

619
00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:48,000
Speaker 5: for you is researching to understand what other competitors do

620
00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:51,080
Speaker 5: I have in the marketplace, and then what are they charging?

621
00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:55,000
Speaker 5: And then if you can understand they're what they're charging,

622
00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:57,600
Speaker 5: and then you can make that makes sense based upon

623
00:27:57,640 --> 00:27:59,720
Speaker 5: how much you're going to need in order.

624
00:27:59,560 --> 00:28:00,560
Speaker 6: For you to be profitable.

625
00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:02,520
Speaker 5: Because the federal government is not in the business of

626
00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:05,400
Speaker 5: driving small businesses out of business. Now, they don't want

627
00:28:05,440 --> 00:28:08,160
Speaker 5: to overpay, but they want but they want your price

628
00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:11,000
Speaker 5: to be fair and reasonable. And then there's something called

629
00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:15,000
Speaker 5: the lowest price technically acceptable. That's where the government has

630
00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,439
Speaker 5: gotten into a lot of trouble when they take the

631
00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:20,920
Speaker 5: lowest price technically acceptable that most of.

632
00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:23,159
Speaker 3: The time mean technically acceptable.

633
00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:27,320
Speaker 5: When you prepare your proposal, your proposal has to be

634
00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:30,240
Speaker 5: technically acceptable. You have to you have to meet all

635
00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:33,760
Speaker 5: of the compliance standards in the solicitation document that they

636
00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:36,639
Speaker 5: gave you. So if you do and you answer it

637
00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:39,480
Speaker 5: in accordance to what they're looking for, you're technically acceptable.

638
00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:41,520
Speaker 5: If you're not, if you miss something, if you leave

639
00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:45,400
Speaker 5: something out you will be disqualified as being not technically acceptable.

640
00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:49,040
Speaker 5: But when you go to the lowest price technically acceptable,

641
00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:51,120
Speaker 5: a lot of times they get garbage.

642
00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:53,160
Speaker 2: This sounds really intimidating.

643
00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:54,640
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's what I was gonna say.

644
00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:58,560
Speaker 6: It's like, I guess for me, it's not because I'm

645
00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:00,920
Speaker 6: very competitive. You got it. You got to think about

646
00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:02,760
Speaker 6: your athleticism and the things whatever.

647
00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:06,400
Speaker 5: Anything competitive. That's all it is. It's a mind game.

648
00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:08,160
Speaker 4: But is there a database where we can see like

649
00:29:08,240 --> 00:29:10,280
Speaker 4: sample proposals so that you get an idea?

650
00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:12,920
Speaker 2: Okay, well, what you can do is you can follow

651
00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:17,200
Speaker 2: that AI. Yes, yes, you can follow on Instagram, which

652
00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:22,600
Speaker 2: is at Michelle Vegan's anthony, and you can hashtag ask Michelle.

653
00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:27,320
Speaker 2: We're starting this question, question and answer. But someone Okay,

654
00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:30,240
Speaker 2: suppose I'm someone I'm out here listening and I have

655
00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:34,280
Speaker 2: a beauty company. I sell hair care products, and I'm

656
00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:36,280
Speaker 2: listening to the two of you, and I'm like, gosh's

657
00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:39,320
Speaker 2: Ashley Lucky. But she has somebody to walk her through

658
00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:42,840
Speaker 2: this process where you're talking about how important it is

659
00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:44,680
Speaker 2: to follow the letter of the law, how important all

660
00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:46,920
Speaker 2: these things are. Where can someone where can I learn

661
00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:49,160
Speaker 2: this stuff without getting myself into trouble because.

662
00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:51,120
Speaker 1: You both do have a background in law.

663
00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:54,960
Speaker 5: In law, well, you need someone to teach you do.

664
00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:59,000
Speaker 5: You need someone that has already blazed that trail. And

665
00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:00,320
Speaker 5: and you know, when I was in the midl military,

666
00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:01,800
Speaker 5: that was one of the things that they would they

667
00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:04,520
Speaker 5: would they would say, you know what is you know,

668
00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:07,360
Speaker 5: what do you want to do? You know in a situation,

669
00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:10,480
Speaker 5: if you have a potential situation that can be harmful,

670
00:30:10,880 --> 00:30:13,200
Speaker 5: you want to follow someone who got through that trail already.

671
00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:15,000
Speaker 6: You don't want you don't want to create your own.

672
00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:18,880
Speaker 5: So at the end of the day, it's a willingness,

673
00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:22,760
Speaker 5: a willingness to give of yourself. It's not going to

674
00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:26,959
Speaker 5: be easy, it's not. But what it is is life changing.

675
00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:30,800
Speaker 5: And to me, I was always reared to believe anything

676
00:30:30,840 --> 00:30:33,400
Speaker 5: worth having I had to work for it. So for

677
00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:36,840
Speaker 5: this I worked for it. And now I've reaped the

678
00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:37,640
Speaker 5: fruit of my labor.

679
00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:39,960
Speaker 1: And it's second nation more to you now because you

680
00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:41,880
Speaker 1: know what the process is like a joke. It's like

681
00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:43,840
Speaker 1: once you let in the process and you know how

682
00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:45,600
Speaker 1: to do it and you know the right way to

683
00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:48,440
Speaker 1: go about it, it becomes easier and easier every time.

684
00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:48,840
Speaker 6: It does.

685
00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:51,120
Speaker 1: It's kind of like the first time buying a house

686
00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:53,040
Speaker 1: and having to get a mortgage and you're like, oh,

687
00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:55,240
Speaker 1: this is so difficult. But then you do it again,

688
00:30:55,280 --> 00:30:57,000
Speaker 1: and then you do it again and you understand the

689
00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:58,880
Speaker 1: process and how it works and the time that it

690
00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:01,080
Speaker 1: takes and what you should be bidding and the people

691
00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:04,280
Speaker 1: you should be working with, and then it becomes easier

692
00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:04,520
Speaker 1: for you.

693
00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:08,800
Speaker 2: And think about the time people spend hustling, entrepreneurs really hustling, hustling, hustling,

694
00:31:08,800 --> 00:31:12,320
Speaker 2: putting that time and energy into getting a government contract

695
00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:14,200
Speaker 2: for your business. It's worth it.

696
00:31:14,200 --> 00:31:15,000
Speaker 6: It is.

697
00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:17,640
Speaker 5: It is life changing because when you when you take

698
00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:21,520
Speaker 5: the time to learn and and and not try.

699
00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:22,600
Speaker 6: To take all the shortcuts.

700
00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:24,680
Speaker 5: You know what I'm saying, you want to take. You

701
00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:26,960
Speaker 5: want to take some that are reasonable. But at the

702
00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:29,640
Speaker 5: end of the day, if this is something you're looking

703
00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:34,200
Speaker 5: to change your financial future and your status, if you

704
00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:36,760
Speaker 5: make up in your mind that you know what, I'm

705
00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:38,520
Speaker 5: going to put my mind to this and I'm going

706
00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:42,600
Speaker 5: to do this, it becomes easy. Right. I remember about

707
00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:45,160
Speaker 5: five or six years ago I had stepped away. I've

708
00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:48,880
Speaker 5: started the company over twice, and because my the first

709
00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:49,880
Speaker 5: time I started over.

710
00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:50,760
Speaker 6: It was when.

711
00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:54,840
Speaker 5: I left Virginia to move to Atlanta with my daughters,

712
00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:57,520
Speaker 5: and I was like, Okay, well, I think I'm supposed

713
00:31:57,560 --> 00:31:59,240
Speaker 5: to go in the ministry or something, so I'm just

714
00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:02,120
Speaker 5: going to do that, and I terminated the corporation. And

715
00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:06,479
Speaker 5: then like two months later, that's when I heard in

716
00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:08,800
Speaker 5: my spirit or no, I'm gonna I'm gonna bless your government.

717
00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:10,000
Speaker 5: You were government contracts.

718
00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:11,480
Speaker 6: I never even thought about it like that.

719
00:32:11,760 --> 00:32:15,000
Speaker 5: And then within within thirty to thirty between thirty and

720
00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:18,480
Speaker 5: sixty days, at my first one point eight million.

721
00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:20,320
Speaker 6: Dollar contract, I was like, was life changing?

722
00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:23,040
Speaker 5: It was life changing, yeah, but it was something that

723
00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:25,320
Speaker 5: I had been doing all this time. I never knew

724
00:32:25,320 --> 00:32:27,880
Speaker 5: that the government bought it and that at that at

725
00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:30,360
Speaker 5: that level, you see what I'm saying. And so then

726
00:32:30,440 --> 00:32:35,720
Speaker 5: after I did that one, my dad and became ill

727
00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:39,600
Speaker 5: with cancer, and so I was a if you google

728
00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:42,920
Speaker 5: daddy's girl, you're gonna see me. And so I took

729
00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:44,960
Speaker 5: care of my dad from the day we found out

730
00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:47,080
Speaker 5: till the day God took him home. And then like

731
00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:50,160
Speaker 5: six months later, my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer.

732
00:32:50,480 --> 00:32:52,280
Speaker 5: I jumped in the fight right behind that with my

733
00:32:52,320 --> 00:32:55,120
Speaker 5: sister until God took her home. So I stepped away

734
00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:58,440
Speaker 5: from the company. But then in twenty nineteen, I said,

735
00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:01,680
Speaker 5: you know what, I'm gonna do this thing one last time.

736
00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:04,120
Speaker 5: And when I do this thing, and I let all

737
00:33:04,160 --> 00:33:08,640
Speaker 5: my employees go, I went down to zero employees. I did,

738
00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:11,640
Speaker 5: and I came back in twenty nineteen and I said, Okay,

739
00:33:11,680 --> 00:33:13,640
Speaker 5: I'm gonna do this one more time. And when I

740
00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:17,320
Speaker 5: just told myself, regardless of what you see, whatever you hear,

741
00:33:18,280 --> 00:33:21,040
Speaker 5: this is it. And when I made my mind, when

742
00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:24,720
Speaker 5: we make our minds up, yeah, I'm not kidding you.

743
00:33:25,640 --> 00:33:30,960
Speaker 5: It has been NonStop and it's just the truth. If

744
00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:33,240
Speaker 5: you make your mind because I knew the potential that

745
00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:33,680
Speaker 5: it had.

746
00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:35,720
Speaker 1: Right, government contacts aren't going anywhere.

747
00:33:35,840 --> 00:33:36,080
Speaker 6: They're not.

748
00:33:36,680 --> 00:33:39,719
Speaker 5: And when you look at them, if you understand it,

749
00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:42,920
Speaker 5: it's some people that have been in place for decades

750
00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:47,120
Speaker 5: and they're not going anywhere because the government contracts have

751
00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:49,240
Speaker 5: created dynasties for people.

752
00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:51,680
Speaker 6: They created dynasties.

753
00:33:51,920 --> 00:33:53,960
Speaker 4: Now, when you say you, cause you've talked about a

754
00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:56,840
Speaker 4: variety of verticals that you've been in, do you recommend

755
00:33:56,880 --> 00:33:59,440
Speaker 4: for everyone listening in also for us, like if we

756
00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:04,080
Speaker 4: were to do government contracts. Would you recommend starting a

757
00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:05,720
Speaker 4: separate entity to do it or do it under the

758
00:34:05,840 --> 00:34:07,960
Speaker 4: entity you already have. Is there ever a reason why

759
00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:09,520
Speaker 4: you'd recommend starting a separate entity.

760
00:34:10,200 --> 00:34:12,000
Speaker 5: It could be a reason that you would start a

761
00:34:12,040 --> 00:34:15,880
Speaker 5: second entity. But because this entity has the past performance.

762
00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:17,560
Speaker 1: You need to use that, right Okay.

763
00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:20,520
Speaker 5: And there's a difference between past performance and past experience.

764
00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:24,399
Speaker 5: Explain that government sees that differently. So past experience means

765
00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:27,640
Speaker 5: Ashley is an attorney. And if you bid on a proposal,

766
00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:30,400
Speaker 5: instead of saying that I can show you that I

767
00:34:30,400 --> 00:34:34,360
Speaker 5: did a contract for attorney services for the government, I

768
00:34:34,360 --> 00:34:37,239
Speaker 5: can show you my past experience that I used in

769
00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:40,279
Speaker 5: my civilian realm that I was an attorney. That's your

770
00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:43,920
Speaker 5: experience that counts as well as past performance. Means I

771
00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:47,080
Speaker 5: have contracts that I've done that work and I perform.

772
00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:48,080
Speaker 6: And you can find my.

773
00:34:48,080 --> 00:34:52,400
Speaker 4: Separs government only government contracts or will private corporate contracts?

774
00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:54,440
Speaker 6: Right will? They will take corporate contract.

775
00:34:54,200 --> 00:34:55,600
Speaker 2: And they just want to see your experience.

776
00:34:55,640 --> 00:34:56,600
Speaker 6: They want to see it.

777
00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:57,080
Speaker 2: Now.

778
00:34:57,160 --> 00:34:58,880
Speaker 4: If I don't have the experience, could I pull that

779
00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:01,480
Speaker 4: experience from a team member that I hire, or how

780
00:35:01,480 --> 00:35:02,000
Speaker 4: does that work?

781
00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:05,080
Speaker 5: It's according to the way they write the solicitation sometimes and.

782
00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:06,719
Speaker 6: Then you have to remember, now the government is.

783
00:35:06,760 --> 00:35:10,879
Speaker 5: Ran by people, yeah, and people are not perfect, So

784
00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:13,240
Speaker 5: you have a lot of issues that go on behind

785
00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:17,920
Speaker 5: the scenes with government contracting to so. But you can

786
00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:22,200
Speaker 5: allow all of those other things to deter you. I

787
00:35:22,239 --> 00:35:24,000
Speaker 5: look at it like this, It's just like a gumbo.

788
00:35:24,680 --> 00:35:26,600
Speaker 5: All of that's part of the ingredients in the gumbo.

789
00:35:27,600 --> 00:35:29,920
Speaker 5: But the outcome is this gumbo. It's gonna be delicious,

790
00:35:29,920 --> 00:35:31,640
Speaker 5: it's gonna be good, it's gonna be what I want.

791
00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:34,160
Speaker 5: And as long as I keep my mind there, then

792
00:35:34,200 --> 00:35:36,799
Speaker 5: I manifest the outcome that I'm looking for. But if

793
00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:38,080
Speaker 5: I get caught up and what's in the middle of

794
00:35:38,120 --> 00:35:42,279
Speaker 5: the gumbo that that's not right there, then you don't

795
00:35:42,320 --> 00:35:43,959
Speaker 5: get the outcome. So at the end of the day,

796
00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:46,920
Speaker 5: it's okay that that there are things in the middle

797
00:35:46,960 --> 00:35:49,560
Speaker 5: that you don't like, because at the end of the day,

798
00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:52,719
Speaker 5: all I'm thinking about is what I've my outcome, and

799
00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:55,400
Speaker 5: as I think of my outcome, it becomes my reality.

800
00:35:55,640 --> 00:35:58,640
Speaker 1: All right. And listen, Ashley, I love that we got

801
00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:00,960
Speaker 1: to sit here in each job on this conversation, and

802
00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:04,200
Speaker 1: I just want to ask Michelle, if people are dealing

803
00:36:04,239 --> 00:36:07,640
Speaker 1: with you after this and coming to you for a mentorship,

804
00:36:07,680 --> 00:36:09,920
Speaker 1: will you be able to help with the We're getting

805
00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:12,400
Speaker 1: a general idea, but I know as she's going to

806
00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:14,000
Speaker 1: need help when it's time for her to start like

807
00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:16,560
Speaker 1: doing actually putting her bid in and doing things like

808
00:36:16,560 --> 00:36:19,799
Speaker 1: that and figuring out that process. Are you able to

809
00:36:19,840 --> 00:36:22,319
Speaker 1: help with that process too? Is that something that you're

810
00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:23,399
Speaker 1: going to do or.

811
00:36:23,719 --> 00:36:26,600
Speaker 5: I will help to a degree. You know, I'm only

812
00:36:26,640 --> 00:36:28,640
Speaker 5: able to do so much. But I have a team,

813
00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:33,080
Speaker 5: and I have other people that you know, it's because

814
00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:35,960
Speaker 5: of them I'm successful. So, like right now, my team

815
00:36:36,040 --> 00:36:37,719
Speaker 5: is doing everything that I need them to do. They're

816
00:36:37,719 --> 00:36:40,400
Speaker 5: working on bits, they're doing those things, they're doing the pricing,

817
00:36:40,640 --> 00:36:42,279
Speaker 5: and I just want to take this time to just

818
00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:45,000
Speaker 5: give them a shout out. Yes, because I have let

819
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:49,920
Speaker 5: me see, I have Melvin, I have Nikki, I have Sheila,

820
00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:53,279
Speaker 5: I have Rita Rita Is.

821
00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:54,600
Speaker 6: They all have nicknames.

822
00:36:54,640 --> 00:36:57,120
Speaker 5: I won't tell you their nicknames, but they all have nicknames.

823
00:36:57,400 --> 00:37:00,400
Speaker 5: I have Kiara, my daughter Kire. I have Roy, I

824
00:37:00,440 --> 00:37:03,799
Speaker 5: have Mike, I have Sean and dwell A. So I

825
00:37:03,880 --> 00:37:07,879
Speaker 5: have this this team and then we have partners. As

826
00:37:07,920 --> 00:37:10,080
Speaker 5: well that we partner with because you're not going to

827
00:37:10,120 --> 00:37:12,680
Speaker 5: always have everything that you need in house, and you

828
00:37:12,800 --> 00:37:15,080
Speaker 5: have to be okay with sharing a piece of the

829
00:37:15,120 --> 00:37:18,279
Speaker 5: pie because some money is better than no money, you

830
00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:18,960
Speaker 5: know what I'm saying.

831
00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:22,200
Speaker 1: So, and less stress is always better too, Yeah, money

832
00:37:22,239 --> 00:37:22,880
Speaker 1: and stress.

833
00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:26,399
Speaker 5: Yeah, So sometimes we choose which one is going to prime? Okay,

834
00:37:26,480 --> 00:37:28,399
Speaker 5: this time, you know what, I'm not gonna prime you prime.

835
00:37:28,440 --> 00:37:31,719
Speaker 5: I'll be yourself, you know. And so but all of

836
00:37:31,760 --> 00:37:34,880
Speaker 5: those things you're right there going to require additional training.

837
00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:38,200
Speaker 5: So what we want to do is create some training

838
00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:41,880
Speaker 5: modules and sessions that people can go back to and

839
00:37:41,920 --> 00:37:44,279
Speaker 5: they can listen to, and then I'll give them time

840
00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:47,240
Speaker 5: to ask me questions. The team is figuring out, Okay,

841
00:37:47,719 --> 00:37:49,960
Speaker 5: which day of the month that you want to just

842
00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:52,640
Speaker 5: just allow thirty minute segments for this group of people

843
00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:55,200
Speaker 5: that just ask you questions, then your next group of people.

844
00:37:55,320 --> 00:37:58,040
Speaker 5: Because different people are at different stages, so what I'm

845
00:37:58,080 --> 00:38:01,000
Speaker 5: talking to you about someone else may be a little

846
00:38:01,040 --> 00:38:03,120
Speaker 5: bit more advanced or less advanced.

847
00:38:03,360 --> 00:38:04,719
Speaker 6: So we want to break all of that.

848
00:38:04,760 --> 00:38:07,080
Speaker 5: Down and see what I can do to help them

849
00:38:07,480 --> 00:38:10,759
Speaker 5: understand how to look at their proposals, what to look

850
00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:14,000
Speaker 5: for uh, how to understand what the government wrote. See

851
00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:17,319
Speaker 5: that's the other piece, understanding what the what is the

852
00:38:17,360 --> 00:38:20,319
Speaker 5: government really saying here? And don't read too much in

853
00:38:20,360 --> 00:38:23,080
Speaker 5: it and don't read not enough into it. So those

854
00:38:23,120 --> 00:38:25,879
Speaker 5: are nuances that that we're going.

855
00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:27,080
Speaker 6: To be able to help people.

856
00:38:26,800 --> 00:38:31,319
Speaker 1: To do the work. Yes, you to do the actual work.

857
00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:35,560
Speaker 6: Yes, I can only I can only lead the horse

858
00:38:35,600 --> 00:38:35,959
Speaker 6: to water.

859
00:38:36,440 --> 00:38:39,879
Speaker 5: And I am not over there slavery slaving doing all

860
00:38:39,880 --> 00:38:40,840
Speaker 5: that slavery work.

861
00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:44,799
Speaker 6: No, you want to reap the benefit, you can do

862
00:38:44,920 --> 00:38:45,360
Speaker 6: the work.

863
00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:47,160
Speaker 1: We're just yea.

864
00:38:48,680 --> 00:38:52,799
Speaker 5: Because again, if I work with people, I want to

865
00:38:52,840 --> 00:38:55,800
Speaker 5: be able to position them with a with a partner

866
00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:59,239
Speaker 5: that's going to give them a contrast. But but so

867
00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:01,080
Speaker 5: we're trying to think through how we want to do this,

868
00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:03,399
Speaker 5: because you need to perform in the class. If you're

869
00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:05,520
Speaker 5: the top performer, you know, I've been thinking about things

870
00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:07,279
Speaker 5: like that. If they're the top performer, I need to

871
00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:09,400
Speaker 5: have a partner that's already on deck and willing to

872
00:39:09,440 --> 00:39:12,000
Speaker 5: be a mentor and say, okay, out of this class

873
00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:14,279
Speaker 5: the top performer, then this company's going to take you

874
00:39:14,360 --> 00:39:15,960
Speaker 5: under their wing and they're going to make sure that

875
00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:18,080
Speaker 5: you get your first subcontract they're gonna you know, I

876
00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:20,560
Speaker 5: don't want people to come and listen to me and

877
00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:22,239
Speaker 5: they walk away and they just spent their money, they

878
00:39:22,239 --> 00:39:22,920
Speaker 5: don't get anything.

879
00:39:23,040 --> 00:39:25,920
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a failure to That's the difference between a

880
00:39:25,920 --> 00:39:27,040
Speaker 2: sponsor and a mentor.

881
00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:29,520
Speaker 6: Y yeah, yeah, I don't you know, I'm not here

882
00:39:29,520 --> 00:39:29,759
Speaker 6: for that.

883
00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:31,799
Speaker 3: And you do have to be careful about who you

884
00:39:31,840 --> 00:39:32,399
Speaker 3: do that for.

885
00:39:32,480 --> 00:39:34,400
Speaker 4: But that is that is the biggest difference to a

886
00:39:34,480 --> 00:39:35,960
Speaker 4: sponsor a sponsorship.

887
00:39:36,280 --> 00:39:40,000
Speaker 2: I've watched her, Glinda Goodwich, I mean totally totally takes

888
00:39:40,040 --> 00:39:42,160
Speaker 2: a steak and everyone and that's why we're honored to

889
00:39:42,160 --> 00:39:45,360
Speaker 2: help you build this. And you can hashtag ask Michelle.

890
00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:48,200
Speaker 2: You can send questions to Wealth Wednesdays. You can send

891
00:39:49,080 --> 00:39:52,080
Speaker 2: I'll follow her on Instagram at Michelle Vegan's Anthony. And

892
00:39:52,160 --> 00:39:54,800
Speaker 2: one thing I want you both to touch on people

893
00:39:54,880 --> 00:39:58,080
Speaker 2: hear this and they see a million people out there

894
00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:00,520
Speaker 2: who say I can help you learn about government contracts.

895
00:40:00,920 --> 00:40:02,280
Speaker 2: Beware of bad actors.

896
00:40:02,719 --> 00:40:06,400
Speaker 5: Yes, yes, if they tell you somebody you ask me

897
00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:12,239
Speaker 5: about beauty, Okay, the government does purchase and give contracts

898
00:40:12,520 --> 00:40:13,440
Speaker 5: in the beauty realm.

899
00:40:14,080 --> 00:40:14,880
Speaker 6: It's okay.

900
00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:19,680
Speaker 5: One of the instances is for like cancer patients. Okay,

901
00:40:19,760 --> 00:40:22,800
Speaker 5: say the Veterans Administration. They have to take care of veterans.

902
00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:26,319
Speaker 5: So if a veteran gets cancer, the VA will will

903
00:40:26,320 --> 00:40:29,919
Speaker 5: buy wigs. They buy wigs, you know. But for someone

904
00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:33,600
Speaker 5: saying that they'll pay for your manicure, your pedicure, please

905
00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:38,239
Speaker 5: don't give them your money. Please, I beg you don't

906
00:40:38,280 --> 00:40:41,160
Speaker 5: do that. You know, you gotta use some reason and

907
00:40:41,239 --> 00:40:44,480
Speaker 5: common sense. Yeah, to the government buys it pretty much everything.

908
00:40:44,800 --> 00:40:47,480
Speaker 5: But they're not paying for your beauty needs. They're not

909
00:40:47,560 --> 00:40:50,160
Speaker 5: doing that. And they're not paying for their staff's beauty needs.

910
00:40:50,440 --> 00:40:53,120
Speaker 5: They're not doing that, you know, because that's a waste

911
00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:55,720
Speaker 5: of our tax payer dollars. You know, when you start,

912
00:40:55,760 --> 00:40:57,919
Speaker 5: you know, doing things of that nature. But like I said,

913
00:40:57,920 --> 00:41:00,839
Speaker 5: if there's a medical need or something like that, yes

914
00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:03,920
Speaker 5: they do, they will provide that. When you look at

915
00:41:03,960 --> 00:41:07,239
Speaker 5: medical products, like if people are in the hospital, there's

916
00:41:07,280 --> 00:41:11,880
Speaker 5: a huge, huge volume of business for medical products and

917
00:41:11,920 --> 00:41:16,680
Speaker 5: supplies everything from band aids, masks, gloves, you name it,

918
00:41:16,719 --> 00:41:19,719
Speaker 5: medical products. But a lot of times, because they can't

919
00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:24,640
Speaker 5: do a trillion little small onesie tuoesie contracts, they bundle

920
00:41:24,680 --> 00:41:27,520
Speaker 5: them and so once you get in the right relationship

921
00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:30,359
Speaker 5: with people who can move it in volume then, and

922
00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:33,480
Speaker 5: that means you got to have character. You have to

923
00:41:33,520 --> 00:41:36,719
Speaker 5: have character, you have to have integrity. And as you

924
00:41:36,880 --> 00:41:39,480
Speaker 5: do that improve yourself. People will give you the chance.

925
00:41:39,680 --> 00:41:40,360
Speaker 5: They just will.

926
00:41:40,719 --> 00:41:42,879
Speaker 2: And beware of the bad actor saying they can help

927
00:41:42,920 --> 00:41:44,480
Speaker 2: you with government contract Yeah.

928
00:41:44,560 --> 00:41:49,120
Speaker 5: Yeah, if it sounds like it's just too easy when

929
00:41:49,120 --> 00:41:52,279
Speaker 5: it comes down to government contracting, it is because you're

930
00:41:52,320 --> 00:41:54,759
Speaker 5: going to have to put in the work. But if

931
00:41:54,760 --> 00:41:56,279
Speaker 5: you make up in your mind and you put in

932
00:41:56,320 --> 00:42:00,160
Speaker 5: the work, I promise you you will do well. You

933
00:42:00,200 --> 00:42:03,360
Speaker 5: will exceed your own expectations, and a million dollars in

934
00:42:03,440 --> 00:42:05,440
Speaker 5: revenue will be something you laugh about.

935
00:42:05,840 --> 00:42:06,719
Speaker 6: It just will.

936
00:42:09,360 --> 00:42:09,919
Speaker 2: About that.

937
00:42:10,520 --> 00:42:13,160
Speaker 5: It will be, you know, because I heard something once

938
00:42:13,440 --> 00:42:15,880
Speaker 5: that only three percent of women earn a million dollars

939
00:42:16,120 --> 00:42:18,960
Speaker 5: in their business. And that was sad to me. It

940
00:42:19,040 --> 00:42:22,319
Speaker 5: was sad to me because we work so hard, and

941
00:42:22,520 --> 00:42:24,400
Speaker 5: you know, we drive so much with the engine. And

942
00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:28,280
Speaker 5: the other thing I'll say about small businesses, the difference

943
00:42:28,360 --> 00:42:30,479
Speaker 5: is we really do drive our government and we drive

944
00:42:30,520 --> 00:42:33,520
Speaker 5: our economy. Because the larger businesses can take their money

945
00:42:33,520 --> 00:42:36,399
Speaker 5: and they can invest it offshore. They don't care about

946
00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:38,640
Speaker 5: whether or not the US has whatever they need, but

947
00:42:38,680 --> 00:42:41,239
Speaker 5: it's small businesses. When we get that chance, we go

948
00:42:41,360 --> 00:42:43,840
Speaker 5: above and beyond. You know what I'm saying, because we

949
00:42:44,000 --> 00:42:45,960
Speaker 5: like Look, we know I got this chance. You heard

950
00:42:46,040 --> 00:42:48,960
Speaker 5: me say, you can't not perform. But large businesses they

951
00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:50,160
Speaker 5: fail to perform all the time.

952
00:42:50,239 --> 00:42:50,399
Speaker 6: Yea.

953
00:42:51,120 --> 00:42:55,200
Speaker 5: And when you build that reputation that you that go to,

954
00:42:55,600 --> 00:42:57,360
Speaker 5: you want to become their go to whenever they have

955
00:42:57,400 --> 00:42:59,239
Speaker 5: a problem in their mind. You want them to think

956
00:42:59,239 --> 00:43:01,759
Speaker 5: about you. That's what you want to become. But you

957
00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:05,080
Speaker 5: can't do that off of somebody else's reputation, off of

958
00:43:05,120 --> 00:43:07,680
Speaker 5: somebody else's sweat equity. You have to get your own

959
00:43:07,800 --> 00:43:09,440
Speaker 5: and when you do, it will pay you over and

960
00:43:09,480 --> 00:43:10,240
Speaker 5: over and over.

961
00:43:10,960 --> 00:43:14,799
Speaker 1: Amazing. And Ashley, I can have you leave without telling

962
00:43:14,880 --> 00:43:17,399
Speaker 1: us about Black Women Sell Live, just so people who

963
00:43:17,400 --> 00:43:19,000
Speaker 1: are listening get to know about that.

964
00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:20,120
Speaker 3: Absolutely.

965
00:43:20,320 --> 00:43:23,760
Speaker 4: So you know what Michelle said is true. Three percent

966
00:43:23,760 --> 00:43:25,680
Speaker 4: of women own businesses make a million dollars. We don't

967
00:43:25,680 --> 00:43:28,680
Speaker 4: know the stats exactly for black women owned businesses, but

968
00:43:28,960 --> 00:43:31,680
Speaker 4: I know that it's less than three percent, right, And

969
00:43:31,719 --> 00:43:34,120
Speaker 4: so what we're doing at Black Women's Sell Live very

970
00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:36,439
Speaker 4: simply is we are helping black women learn to sell

971
00:43:36,560 --> 00:43:38,760
Speaker 4: in the private contracting space.

972
00:43:39,239 --> 00:43:40,920
Speaker 3: We teach direct outreach.

973
00:43:41,360 --> 00:43:44,759
Speaker 4: So we've landed contracts with Avy Pharmaceuticals, Blue Cross, Blue Shield,

974
00:43:44,880 --> 00:43:48,560
Speaker 4: major corporations by reaching out directly, going directly in their

975
00:43:48,560 --> 00:43:52,560
Speaker 4: LinkedIn in boxes, going directly through emails, and building relationships

976
00:43:52,600 --> 00:43:56,000
Speaker 4: that way, and having a sales conversation, having a sales call,

977
00:43:56,080 --> 00:43:58,040
Speaker 4: and then closing the deal. You don't need a large

978
00:43:58,040 --> 00:44:00,440
Speaker 4: Instagram following, you don't have to be an influencer for it.

979
00:44:00,680 --> 00:44:03,560
Speaker 4: You don't need startup capital, you need a laptop. You

980
00:44:03,600 --> 00:44:06,919
Speaker 4: need the ability to have sales conversations, tell people how

981
00:44:06,960 --> 00:44:09,080
Speaker 4: they can do business with you, what you're going to

982
00:44:09,080 --> 00:44:11,239
Speaker 4: give to them, and then close the sale. But I

983
00:44:11,400 --> 00:44:15,400
Speaker 4: found that sometimes, you know, women particularly will be like, well, I.

984
00:44:15,400 --> 00:44:16,960
Speaker 3: Don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want

985
00:44:17,000 --> 00:44:18,560
Speaker 3: to put myself out there. I don't want to say

986
00:44:18,600 --> 00:44:19,040
Speaker 3: too much.

987
00:44:19,280 --> 00:44:21,680
Speaker 4: And so Black Women Sell Live is an assembling of

988
00:44:21,719 --> 00:44:26,719
Speaker 4: black women experts, and we're teaching direct sales principles, right messaging,

989
00:44:26,920 --> 00:44:29,600
Speaker 4: right audience, right fit. We've worked with thousands of women

990
00:44:29,719 --> 00:44:32,879
Speaker 4: entrepreneurs to do this, and it's something that I'm very

991
00:44:32,920 --> 00:44:35,160
Speaker 4: passionate about because before I was a lawyer. I actually

992
00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:38,360
Speaker 4: did cold calling, So I've done over twenty thousand cold calls.

993
00:44:38,360 --> 00:44:40,359
Speaker 3: I was rejected over ninety times a day.

994
00:44:40,840 --> 00:44:42,680
Speaker 4: And what I found is that once I got to

995
00:44:42,719 --> 00:44:45,040
Speaker 4: that ninetieth rejection, I would get so happy because I

996
00:44:45,080 --> 00:44:48,320
Speaker 4: was like, this means that's off of the law numbers,

997
00:44:48,560 --> 00:44:51,080
Speaker 4: Like I am going to close it deal now, like

998
00:44:51,160 --> 00:44:53,719
Speaker 4: I've gotten my rejections in. So the best thing that

999
00:44:53,760 --> 00:44:56,080
Speaker 4: ever happened to me was I learned how to properly

1000
00:44:56,480 --> 00:44:59,960
Speaker 4: handle rejection and nose because once you're not scared of

1001
00:45:00,160 --> 00:45:03,080
Speaker 4: know you can always go after any opportunity. So at

1002
00:45:03,080 --> 00:45:05,960
Speaker 4: Black Women Sell Live, we're really teaching women one to

1003
00:45:06,080 --> 00:45:08,800
Speaker 4: learn who you are for real, not who your business

1004
00:45:08,840 --> 00:45:11,280
Speaker 4: said you were, not who your auntie and your mama

1005
00:45:11,280 --> 00:45:15,080
Speaker 4: said you were if that wasn't an appropriate classification of you.

1006
00:45:15,160 --> 00:45:16,160
Speaker 3: But you got to know who you are.

1007
00:45:16,200 --> 00:45:18,240
Speaker 4: Once you know who you are, you can go after

1008
00:45:18,440 --> 00:45:22,040
Speaker 4: any opportunity, even if it means you may get rejected

1009
00:45:22,200 --> 00:45:24,839
Speaker 4: and your rejections go down. The better you are at

1010
00:45:24,880 --> 00:45:28,120
Speaker 4: explaining what you do. So we're gonna teach you write audience,

1011
00:45:28,160 --> 00:45:29,839
Speaker 4: write fit, and how to sell and close the deal.

1012
00:45:29,880 --> 00:45:31,880
Speaker 4: And that's what we're doing in October and Atlanta, Georgia

1013
00:45:31,920 --> 00:45:32,839
Speaker 4: at Black Women's.

1014
00:45:32,520 --> 00:45:34,440
Speaker 2: Cell Lives and how can people find out about it?

1015
00:45:34,480 --> 00:45:36,719
Speaker 3: They can go to black Women sell event dot com.

1016
00:45:36,760 --> 00:45:39,200
Speaker 4: And the theme this year, you guys, is black women

1017
00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:41,000
Speaker 4: the world's strongest superheroes.

1018
00:45:41,640 --> 00:45:44,759
Speaker 6: So it's.

1019
00:45:45,400 --> 00:45:47,480
Speaker 4: Yeah because everyone tells us, you know, take your cape off.

1020
00:45:47,520 --> 00:45:49,000
Speaker 4: You don't need to be superwomen. But if you put

1021
00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:51,279
Speaker 4: a cape in your hand, A cape isn't heavy, it's

1022
00:45:51,320 --> 00:45:53,840
Speaker 4: your thoughts that are heavy. Use that cape to lift

1023
00:45:53,880 --> 00:45:57,200
Speaker 4: you up, use your superpowers. Don't let your thoughts overwhelm you.

1024
00:45:57,239 --> 00:45:59,480
Speaker 4: Get a clear head so you can dominate in business

1025
00:45:59,719 --> 00:46:01,359
Speaker 4: and it won't cost you everything else.

1026
00:46:01,400 --> 00:46:04,160
Speaker 2: You love, you too, are perfect. Our whole goal this

1027
00:46:04,280 --> 00:46:07,520
Speaker 2: month is to get people to stop thinking small yank you.

1028
00:46:07,680 --> 00:46:10,120
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, thank you both, Thank you, Thank you for

1029
00:46:10,160 --> 00:46:10,799
Speaker 2: having me a.

1030
00:46:10,680 --> 00:46:12,680
Speaker 1: Great wealth Wednesday. Thank you guys. I can't wait to

1031
00:46:12,680 --> 00:46:15,160
Speaker 1: hear about this next one hundred million dollars.

1032
00:46:15,400 --> 00:46:17,839
Speaker 2: Yes, you're gonna come back. We have to see how

1033
00:46:17,840 --> 00:46:20,120
Speaker 2: her advice helped you. Have to come back for sure.

1034
00:46:20,360 --> 00:46:21,440
Speaker 3: I will thank you, Michelle.

1035
00:46:21,440 --> 00:46:22,799
Speaker 4: I want to you know, thank you and give you

1036
00:46:22,880 --> 00:46:25,080
Speaker 4: honor for being a trailblazer and being a woman who

1037
00:46:25,280 --> 00:46:27,800
Speaker 4: I can look to and Jesseee, that is possible.

1038
00:46:27,840 --> 00:46:28,480
Speaker 3: You know, You're.

1039
00:46:28,320 --> 00:46:30,560
Speaker 4: Decorum, your grace, the piece that you carry with you,

1040
00:46:30,880 --> 00:46:33,279
Speaker 4: it means a lot as a representative thing. And even

1041
00:46:33,280 --> 00:46:35,960
Speaker 4: the nuggets you gave us before this incredible. So thank

1042
00:46:35,960 --> 00:46:37,719
Speaker 4: you guys so much for having us and bringing us on.

1043
00:46:37,800 --> 00:46:38,480
Speaker 4: I appreciate it.

1044
00:46:38,520 --> 00:46:44,240
Speaker 1: Thank you,