Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, it's Bill Courtney with an army of normal folks.
Speaker 1: And we continue now with part two of our conversation
Speaker 1: with Aaron Steel right after these brief messages from our
Speaker 1: general sponsors. So you hawked everything, borrowed family money, and
Speaker 1: did child labor and got this twenty six thousand square
Speaker 1: foot building in Almah. Yeah, right, and this is in
Speaker 1: twenty twenty three.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so July of twenty three is when we purchased it,
Speaker 2: and then we started renovating. Our plan was to open
Speaker 2: the senior living first, just because that's kind of my forte.
Speaker 2: But the community really needed childcare, so they kind of
Speaker 2: came to us and said, will you do the childcare first,
Speaker 2: like we really need it. So we opened everything kind
Speaker 2: of in phases. So we opened our childcare facility in
Speaker 2: October of twenty three, We opened our first senior living
Speaker 2: in January of twenty four, and our second in November
Speaker 2: of twenty four. All the same building, but it's kind
Speaker 2: of separated by wings.
Speaker 1: So the kids have their wing, yes, and the senior
Speaker 1: living facility is its own wing.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: They have two wings in the senior and then kind
Speaker 2: of in between is the kitchen, the dining room, so
Speaker 2: the seniors can come down to the childcare center, they
Speaker 2: can volunteer, or we have what we call a combined
Speaker 2: area where the kids rotate out each day one of
Speaker 2: the classes for a combined activity with the seniors.
Speaker 1: How old are the kids, well, six.
Speaker 2: Weeks clear to school age, so clear to fifth grade,
Speaker 2: I think is our oldest. So we do before and
Speaker 2: after school care, and then in the summer we do
Speaker 2: all day and spring break, Christmas break, which that part's
Speaker 2: really cool. I mean, all of them are super cool.
Speaker 2: But the school age, the relationships is a little bit
Speaker 2: different because they obviously have a the ability to remember people,
Speaker 2: inform those bonds, and so that parts it's cool.
Speaker 1: Okay, So this is young. I mean you're still just
Speaker 1: in it, getting it going.
Speaker 2: Absolutely we get we are full as of Wednesday of
Speaker 2: this week.
Speaker 3: Congratulations, thank you full of residence.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and how many is that?
Speaker 3: Twenty four?
Speaker 1: Okay. So for me personally serving in a way God
Speaker 1: has taught us kindness, compassion, treating others with respect. That's
Speaker 1: our big mission. I say it's being God's hands and feet.
Speaker 1: I'm going to read that again because those are your words.
Speaker 1: For me personally serving in a way God taught us kindness, compassion,
Speaker 1: and treating others with respect. That's our big mission. I
Speaker 1: found it so interesting that when you were talking about
Speaker 1: growing up in a home of eighteen that you use
Speaker 1: the word selflessness in respect. It just feels like you
Speaker 1: were ruined.
Speaker 3: I mean, I definitely.
Speaker 2: I mean again, I'm kind of a believer, like this
Speaker 2: is what I was made to do. I do feel
Speaker 2: that way, and I feel like from the beginning's but
Speaker 2: I grew up with great examples.
Speaker 3: I mean, my mom was the most selfless person you'll
Speaker 3: ever I mean you'll never meet.
Speaker 2: Nothing was ever about her, yeah, yeah, her body, her,
Speaker 2: I mean, everything was for someone else. So you know,
Speaker 2: it took me a long time to figure out what
Speaker 2: that purpose was. You know, I kind of wanted it
Speaker 2: to be to have eighteen kids. My husband did not,
Speaker 2: you know, and as my kids got older, and you know, like,
Speaker 2: what is it I'm supposed to do to serve other people?
Speaker 2: And then it became very evident and yeah, this is
Speaker 2: just what I'm and I think also like inspiring and
Speaker 2: calling other people to do that.
Speaker 3: So you know, like those words for me.
Speaker 2: You know, the Bible tells us we're supposed to love
Speaker 2: and serve others the way that God taught us.
Speaker 3: Like, that's what it is to me.
Speaker 2: But you know, whatever it is for you, it may
Speaker 2: not be the Bible or God, but whatever it is
Speaker 2: that inspires you to help other people.
Speaker 1: So I want to say this. This is not a nonprofit.
Speaker 1: This is your business. This is what you do to
Speaker 1: make your living. And you know, our listeners are so
Speaker 1: used to us talking to people who have a job
Speaker 1: and then do something else as a way to give
Speaker 1: back to their community or frill areas of need. Only
Speaker 1: about a month ago I sat across this table from
Speaker 1: a guy named Alan Barnhart. Alan Barnhardt owns a business
Speaker 1: that will do what was it to a billion in
Speaker 1: sales this year? A billion, And at the very beginning,
Speaker 1: he and his brother was his partner, decided that they
Speaker 1: would live a middle income life, and they have not
Speaker 1: given themselves a raise above middle income. And they also
Speaker 1: determined that every year they would give away half of
Speaker 1: every dime the company made, and they have. And that's
Speaker 1: one thing when you're doing two hundred and fifty thousand
Speaker 1: a year and self, it's a whole another when you're
Speaker 1: doing a billion. And then recently he gave the whole
Speaker 1: company away, gave. What that enlightened me to is that
Speaker 1: being a part of the army of normal folks and
Speaker 1: serving and filling areas and need and making profound differences
Speaker 1: in the lives of people around us does not just
Speaker 1: have to be philanthropic. It does not just have to
Speaker 1: be helping people in the inner city. It can also
Speaker 1: be what you do for a living. And Alan Barnhardt
Speaker 1: really taught me that. Now I own a business and
Speaker 1: there's no way I'm giving it away, and there's no
Speaker 1: way I'm giving half about profits away. I'm just telling you,
Speaker 1: I'm not that guy. I try to be generous, but
Speaker 1: I ain't there. So there's extremes, for sure. And he's extreme.
Speaker 1: And when he was sitting here, I also called him crazy,
Speaker 1: which he is, but crazy in the most unbelievable way.
Speaker 1: But now you're number two after a couple of years
Speaker 1: of interviewing people of folks who are doing something for
Speaker 1: their living, for their income, but have bound a way
Speaker 1: to use their profession to also serve. What was your purpose?
Speaker 1: What was your goal in starting this thing?
Speaker 2: So it's kind of a little bit of a joke
Speaker 2: when we would go to the bank or whatever. And
Speaker 2: my husband would say, you should never say that to
Speaker 2: a banker because I'd say, I'm not doing this to
Speaker 2: get rich.
Speaker 3: He's like, you quit.
Speaker 2: Telling bankers that, or you know what I mean, like,
Speaker 2: and I mean really like I need to make a living,
Speaker 2: but I need to make a purpose.
Speaker 1: And you also have to pay your employees a fair way.
Speaker 3: Absolutely, but that's also part of it.
Speaker 2: I worked for places that they weren't getting paid fair
Speaker 2: or treated fair, or the money was not going back
Speaker 2: to the residents the people that are you know what
Speaker 2: I mean, Like, it wasn't being invested back into those people,
Speaker 2: which to me, paying your employees well and treating them well,
Speaker 2: and you know, having reliable employees, consistent employees is giving
Speaker 2: back to those seniors that live there.
Speaker 1: I was going to say, I bet the standard of
Speaker 1: care improves when you actually pay the employees.
Speaker 2: Well, well, well, it's my frustration kind of you know,
Speaker 2: being under that is you know, it should go back
Speaker 2: to them and not be patting someone else's pocket.
Speaker 3: And so that's kind of my goal.
Speaker 2: Obviously, you know, we put everything we have into it,
Speaker 2: so we have to you know, pay that off, but
Speaker 2: you know, to give back to those people. I would
Speaker 2: love to eventually be able to do charity care. My
Speaker 2: husband has a line of when I can.
Speaker 3: Do that, it's like no free beds till this day
Speaker 3: or whatever. Like I mean, that's definitely a yeah, charity care.
Speaker 1: I would love you could do that on both ends
Speaker 1: of the generation too. I'm sure there's some needy single
Speaker 1: mothers out there that would.
Speaker 2: Love absolutely, And there's state programs for people, but certainly
Speaker 2: to me, you know, and we do accept Medicaid, which
Speaker 2: would be like the program available for seniors that don't
Speaker 2: have any resources or income, but most of the time
Speaker 2: those people get substandard care, and to me, that's everybody deserves.
Speaker 3: You don't mean to have good care, especially at the
Speaker 3: end of your life.
Speaker 2: So I would I would let them all come in
Speaker 2: and never charge, But my husband says, I can't.
Speaker 1: We have to eat and pay our bills. Yeah. Profits
Speaker 1: are necessary measure of any business of success. The level
Speaker 1: of profits is what you can manipulate. Your motto is
Speaker 1: loving every generation, which is insane. So the benefits of
Speaker 1: innergenerational care, you say, are improved quality of life for
Speaker 1: both generation, multiple opportunities for shared activities and celebrations that
Speaker 1: bring joy, love, and laughter to each generation. Children provide
Speaker 1: an endless source of joy for seniors. Children learn and
Speaker 1: demonstrate empathy, character, and acceptance on your website Psalm seventy
Speaker 1: one to eighteen. Even when I'm old and gray, do
Speaker 1: not forsake me. By God, toll, I declare your power
Speaker 1: to the next generation. You're mighty acts to all who
Speaker 1: are to come. That's beautiful.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And so you know, that's that's what the Bible
Speaker 2: calls us to do. And I think if you can
Speaker 2: teach children and start, you know, at a young age,
Speaker 2: and maybe they'll grow up to do the same thing.
Speaker 3: You know, and value these you know, value that generation.
Speaker 3: You know, maybe my infants will be the ones taking
Speaker 3: care of you when you're seventy six, you know.
Speaker 1: Home.
Speaker 2: You know, I always tease the infants in our facility.
Speaker 2: They just think it's normal to grow up in a
Speaker 2: nursing home. I mean, you know what, they started coming
Speaker 2: here when they're six weeks old, and they've just grown
Speaker 2: up in this environment. I mean, I've only been going
Speaker 2: two years, but I'm like, think of those kids when they're.
Speaker 3: In high school or college or an adult.
Speaker 1: We'll be right back. So tell me what a day
Speaker 1: looks like I want to understand how it works for
Speaker 1: these kids and these seniors hang out together, what they
Speaker 1: do together, what they anticipation is what it's like when
Speaker 1: they separate. I mean, give me the how do I
Speaker 1: get the idea that it's an inner generationial care and
Speaker 1: each are really sharing for one another. But how does
Speaker 1: it work? What's a schedule?
Speaker 3: Looking sure?
Speaker 2: So how we do it is each day on our
Speaker 2: activity calendar, at nine point thirty one class rotates out,
Speaker 2: so Mondays it's toddlers, Tuesdays it's preschool.
Speaker 3: Wednesdays it's you.
Speaker 2: Know, a different class, and based on the age of
Speaker 2: that class will be what the activity is. The seniors
Speaker 2: are invited to that, so it might be Plato, might
Speaker 2: be coloring, it might be music, it might be anything.
Speaker 3: But the teachers in.
Speaker 2: The childcare plan that activity and then the class comes
Speaker 2: out and the seniors join them or can choose to
Speaker 2: join them, because not all seniors want to be around kids,
Speaker 2: or maybe you have a day you don't feel good,
Speaker 2: so it's definitely a choice thing and so they you know,
Speaker 2: I kind of use the example like in a nursing home,
Speaker 2: you have activities and you try to get seniors come,
Speaker 2: but they think it's childish to color or to you know,
Speaker 2: if you put plato on an activity calendar and no
Speaker 2: seniors going to show up. But if you do that
Speaker 2: next to a kid, it's all a sudden fun. And
Speaker 2: we have seen years teach absolutely yeah, how to make
Speaker 2: something out of place, and it with them no longer childish.
Speaker 2: You're at And some of our seniors have cognitive deficits
Speaker 2: and so the kids are actually mentors to them, are
Speaker 2: you kidding? So like our preschool class just a few
Speaker 2: weeks ago did an Easter egg where they had to
Speaker 2: had to match the colors, and we have a lady
Speaker 2: that isn't able to do that anymore, and these preschoolers
Speaker 2: go and they're helping her. I mean, it's like completely flipped,
Speaker 2: but like that that empathy and compassion and that's they
Speaker 2: don't question that because they know her and they know
Speaker 2: that she can no longer do that.
Speaker 3: They also know that she has a story where she
Speaker 3: used to be able to do that. Do you know
Speaker 3: what I mean? She used to be a.
Speaker 2: Teacher and I do, I do a lot. Actually, how
Speaker 2: could you not watch it? It is and it's natural,
Speaker 2: it's very natural. Like a lot of those things I
Speaker 2: don't plan. They just happen. And even in my sketch books,
Speaker 2: I didn't sketch those things. They just are when you
Speaker 2: put people together and they're actually building relationships.
Speaker 3: Beautiful things happen. One of our best things, you know,
Speaker 3: our school age kids serve or take orders and serve
Speaker 3: the seniors like during the summer for lunch once a week,
Speaker 3: and you know they're learning so much from doing that.
Speaker 2: You know, it's a basic thing, learning to take an
Speaker 2: order and serve somebody, so it seems, but that's a
Speaker 2: lesson that I can't teach out of a textbook.
Speaker 1: Have you had a real especially with like a seven
Speaker 1: eight nine year old kid, because you said that they
Speaker 1: go up through like fifth grade, right, have you had
Speaker 1: like real relationships develop where they're like a senior and
Speaker 1: one of those kids like those two really like.
Speaker 2: That absolutely yeah, And some of them like I have
Speaker 2: a lady that likes the one on one and so
Speaker 2: that the kid goes down to her room to visit
Speaker 2: her because she doesn't.
Speaker 3: Like all the but the kid enjoys it absolutely.
Speaker 2: And even like the infants and the toddlers, you know,
Speaker 2: they they call them their grandma's and grandpa's. I mean,
Speaker 2: you know that's kind of what we coin, you know,
Speaker 2: our grandma's and grandpa's. So I don't know. And you
Speaker 2: can never have too many people to love a kid,
Speaker 2: you know, you never know, maybe they don't have a
Speaker 2: grandma or grandpa, maybe they don't many people.
Speaker 1: True, absolutely, yeah, how have you handled that relationship with
Speaker 1: death comes?
Speaker 2: You know, it happened sooner than what we anticipated, and
Speaker 2: so we have a chaplain who taught them early on.
Speaker 2: You know, this is what happens, and it's hard for
Speaker 2: all us, you know, but certainly those are natural life lessons.
Speaker 2: So our first senior that died, it was fairly early on,
Speaker 2: and I hadn't quite I knew it was, you know,
Speaker 2: I'd have to teach them.
Speaker 3: But we just did it naturally. You know.
Speaker 2: The Bible tells us that this person's going to have
Speaker 2: But that person she was our second resident, and it
Speaker 2: was maybe three days before she died, and they took
Speaker 2: the infants. So they have this four person stroller and
Speaker 2: they'll kind of wheel around the facility sometimes just to
Speaker 2: go visit people. And they went in her room and
Speaker 2: she said, I didn't know there were angels here, and.
Speaker 3: It was the little babies and the joy that brought her.
Speaker 3: That was three days before she died, you know, and
Speaker 3: not just yeah I can't do that, but a cute
Speaker 3: little baby can.
Speaker 1: So Sandy bondsack h This is what she says. She
Speaker 1: says she feels spoiled by her Senior Citizens home. We
Speaker 1: just talked about people having a senior citizens home where
Speaker 1: clinical depression and isolationism and loneliness is one of the
Speaker 1: biggest scourges. This lady says she feels spoiled by her
Speaker 1: Senior Citizens home, where she gets to spend time regularly
Speaker 1: with children. She talked with a Capital Journal on Thursday
Speaker 1: the inter Generational Senior Leaving Facility in Chartcare Center. Minutes earlier,
Speaker 1: she'd watched thirteen of the senter's children sing songs and
Speaker 1: draw with crayons. The Capital interview. The Capitol Journal newspaper
Speaker 1: interviewed her in a room and four kids came with
Speaker 1: an employee to visit, and her quote was these kids
Speaker 1: keep life going. Wow.
Speaker 2: Amen, yeah, yeah, and that's really he is Sandy still around?
Speaker 3: No Sandy pass? Yeah?
Speaker 1: Did she sad?
Speaker 3: No longer with us. She was our first, our very
Speaker 3: first resident actually.
Speaker 1: Did the kids know her old enough kids to know her?
Speaker 2: No?
Speaker 3: Absolutely? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1: How did the kids handle that?
Speaker 2: You know, kids are pretty resilient, I think us says
Speaker 2: employees struggled with it more than them. They you know,
Speaker 2: they have a better understanding too.
Speaker 3: You know, you say they're going to heaven, so why
Speaker 3: is this sad you know kind of thing?
Speaker 1: So really that's awesome actually.
Speaker 3: And also I mean it is it is a reality.
Speaker 2: So you know, someday they're going to lose someone, So
Speaker 2: teaching them about it early on is the thing.
Speaker 1: I couldn't help but think when I read that and
Speaker 1: Alex's prep that it gives me to know what's going on.
Speaker 1: So all of the stuff I'm quoting to you, Automa
Speaker 1: Cup Alex did. But I did read it and study
Speaker 1: it and watch videos. But what I felt when I
Speaker 1: read that, I stopped when she said the kid's life
Speaker 1: keep going, and I just kind of thought about that
Speaker 1: for a few seconds. Is this for whatever time she
Speaker 1: was in your facility with those kids, it enriched the
Speaker 1: end of her life rather than it being lonely, sad
Speaker 1: and scary.
Speaker 2: And those are all things that that I've tried to
Speaker 2: do throughout my career, but I can't always do. But again,
Speaker 2: the kids just have a way of bringing joy to
Speaker 2: people that is different.
Speaker 3: I mean, you can't, but you're doing. It's a baby, but.
Speaker 1: You're doing it because you put it together.
Speaker 2: Yes, but I'm only as good as the people I'm
Speaker 2: surrounded with, you know what I mean. Without all of
Speaker 2: the people that make it happen day to day, it
Speaker 2: wouldn't be a reality.
Speaker 1: I got to believe the parents of these children that
Speaker 1: are enrolling them in the daycare and this multi generational
Speaker 1: weird thing that you've started that nobody's ever heard of,
Speaker 1: they absolutely know what's going on where they're putting their children.
Speaker 1: What has been the parents' reaction to the children's stories
Speaker 1: when they come home. We've had there's nothing in here
Speaker 1: that tells them about that. But I got to believe
Speaker 1: these kids are coming home tell them about their day
Speaker 1: and the day that they spent with you know, Matilda
Speaker 1: drawing or whatever. What is the Are you getting any
Speaker 1: feedback from the parents' reactions to their kids exposure?
Speaker 2: We have so much positive feedback from the parents. You know,
Speaker 2: in the beginning, people would say, I mean just skeptics.
Speaker 3: I guess you know, well, there's going to be people
Speaker 3: that think that's weird. And I said, well, then they're not.
Speaker 2: The right people to come to us, you know what
Speaker 2: I mean, Like I they can think that, and that's
Speaker 2: totally fine, but then this isn't a good fit form weird.
Speaker 2: I think there's you know, there's really world of I mean,
Speaker 2: they're seniors that we do a background check on everybody
Speaker 2: and everything. But unfortunately there are people in the world
Speaker 2: that maybe you know, you wouldn't want to trust with
Speaker 2: your kid.
Speaker 3: They're never left alone or anything like that.
Speaker 2: But I think there's people that are just paranoid about it.
Speaker 2: But anyway, for the most part, I mean, the parents
Speaker 2: are we get so much positive feedback and I think
Speaker 2: they're learning things again that they're not going to learn
Speaker 2: anywhere else.
Speaker 3: You know, you can't teach to those.
Speaker 1: Things like empathy and understanding and respect.
Speaker 2: Kindness, And sometimes it's as simple as what's that tube
Speaker 2: in that person's nose and what does that do you know?
Speaker 3: Someone that's on oxygen? You know?
Speaker 2: But those I think if you expose them to that
Speaker 2: early on, it's not different.
Speaker 1: We'll be right back. Jimmy Neil, the maintenance man, why
Speaker 1: don't you tell us about Jimmy Neil.
Speaker 3: So, Jimmy is actually my oldest brother.
Speaker 2: Oh, and he was he was our maintenance supervisor. He
Speaker 2: actually moved to Arkansas, but he and Neil is our
Speaker 2: maintenance man. And he's the youngest brother, and he has
Speaker 2: always wanted to be a maintenance man.
Speaker 3: And so then I.
Speaker 2: Have a facility and he does that. He does a
Speaker 2: lot of schedules. He hands out schedules to everybody, like
Speaker 2: stacks of schedules.
Speaker 1: Your whole place is the land, the beautiful land of
Speaker 1: the Misfit Toys. You know that. It's gorgeous.
Speaker 2: Though I'm the head of it now, I think that's yeah,
Speaker 2: just open door.
Speaker 1: We're going to do this a different way.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, And I think, yeah, those are all kind of
Speaker 2: things I'm passionate about, which is why I kind of
Speaker 2: wanted my own I wanted to be able to in
Speaker 2: a corporate world, you can't just bring your brother in
Speaker 2: to be the maintenance man, but I can. So he
Speaker 2: does a lot of measuring. He has he has his
Speaker 2: tape measure that he goes around and measures.
Speaker 3: Things and fixes things. He takes call twenty four to seven.
Speaker 3: He gives everybody's business card and says he's on call.
Speaker 2: He's kind of a fan favorite. He unloads boxes. Some
Speaker 2: our favorite thing he does is around lunch time. He
Speaker 2: usually has to measure the kitchen window.
Speaker 3: To peek in to see what's for lunch. It's like
Speaker 3: an open window, so he takes to stay.
Speaker 1: Measure, so he's measuring the window. He's quote measuring the
Speaker 1: window to see what's going on. To much.
Speaker 3: But he has his own phone line. He yeah, he's
Speaker 3: a huge part of this. I have about forty five employees,
Speaker 3: only some of those are part time or peer in.
Speaker 1: It started in twenty three. You have twenty six is
Speaker 1: that right? Adult? Adult? Twenty four, twenty four adults? How
Speaker 1: many kids?
Speaker 3: We're a licensed for sixty six kids?
Speaker 1: And what do you have?
Speaker 3: We have sixty six? I mean we we're waiting list.
Speaker 1: You have sixty six kids, twenty four adults, forty five.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and that's including in part time.
Speaker 1: And your brother measuring the windows. Yeah, all in two years.
Speaker 1: How far away are people coming from to come to
Speaker 1: your place?
Speaker 3: We have some from well, we have one from Nebraska,
Speaker 3: but they had family.
Speaker 2: They're in Topeka and Manhattan, but most of them, a
Speaker 2: lot of them are local.
Speaker 3: How far they're around the area, Wamego, Topeka area and Alma.
Speaker 3: How far is that thirty minutes? Thirty miles thirty minutes.
Speaker 1: So I mean this is a regional thing now, it's
Speaker 1: not just Almus, it's all in the whole surrounding.
Speaker 3: Yeah, which, really, we've haven't done a lot of advertising,
Speaker 3: so I mean, you know, I.
Speaker 1: Really, well you better not. You don't have any room
Speaker 1: for anybody else?
Speaker 2: Well, true, true, but I think you know, having the
Speaker 2: sixty six kids in a waiting list probably speaks for
Speaker 2: itself on the parent side, you know. But also we
Speaker 2: do provide quality childcare, like that's kind of my thing too.
Speaker 2: We're not just an intergenerational facility. We also provide quality
Speaker 2: childcare and quality care to the seiors, you know, in
Speaker 2: addition to that, which I'm very passionate about.
Speaker 1: Does it have your playground?
Speaker 3: It does have a playground. Yes, it does have a
Speaker 3: play You're right about the playoff?
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, and and you let who doesn't want to
Speaker 2: see a kid play?
Speaker 1: You haven't done much marketing. I assume locally people know
Speaker 1: what's going Yeah, but I don't think you've done a
Speaker 1: whole lot of national press or anything around this, right,
Speaker 1: I'm probably the closest thing to that.
Speaker 3: Yes you are.
Speaker 1: I cannot fathom somebody with some sense and business savvy
Speaker 1: hearing this story and saying that is a better way
Speaker 1: to slay the cap. What are your goals? Because if
Speaker 1: your goal only two years ago was to use your
Speaker 1: children as child labor, drive your husband crazy, and end
Speaker 1: this parents' money and hawk your house. If that was
Speaker 1: your goal to build this thing and then fill it up,
Speaker 1: you've done that, and you're too young and the business
Speaker 1: is only two years old to have reached its pinnacle.
Speaker 1: What next?
Speaker 3: You know? I have other you know, local people kind
Speaker 3: of cheering. I don't.
Speaker 2: My goal is not to be big. I mean I
Speaker 2: want to be able to do the work every day.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 3: That's why I only have twenty four residents. I have
Speaker 3: a whole other wing. I could add, I don't. That's
Speaker 3: not my goal. It never husband.
Speaker 2: So if I can, if I can show someone else
Speaker 2: to how to do it, or you know what I mean,
Speaker 2: or uh, well, the businessman.
Speaker 1: Is coming out well. Two things. One, by not opening
Speaker 1: that second wing with a waiting list, think of the car,
Speaker 1: you're denying somebody who really needs it. I mean, that
Speaker 1: is something you got to consider here's the second thing.
Speaker 1: You don't have to run forty facilities to franchise them,
Speaker 1: generating income that you can turn around them and not
Speaker 1: just stick in your pocket, but also use to enhance
Speaker 1: your deal. I challenge you to think about that maybe
Speaker 1: in another because what you're doing is revolutionary. It truly
Speaker 1: is in my mind. Is there anything else like this
Speaker 1: in the country that you're aware of?
Speaker 2: There is, and actually kind of when I started delving
Speaker 2: into it. You know, in other countries like Japan, for example,
Speaker 2: they all live of inner generationally, you know what I mean, Like, yes,
Speaker 2: they're families, so then they're nursing homes. They actually I
Speaker 2: watched a documentary where they children are paid to come
Speaker 2: to the nursing home.
Speaker 3: Like their employees.
Speaker 2: They're paid to come visit this n No, I don't either,
Speaker 2: but I'm just saying like that was something that.
Speaker 1: They at least recognized the importance youth.
Speaker 2: Yes, that documentary was about the kids getting paid, but
Speaker 2: but yeah, I think I think there are some I
Speaker 2: don't know you know much about them or why.
Speaker 1: Heritage by the name heritage.
Speaker 2: So in the Bible it says we're all the heritage
Speaker 2: of the Lord, and so that's kind of where.
Speaker 3: I Yeah, that was one of my little sketches. It
Speaker 3: should I be a hare.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that was it. Uh huh Yeah, I just absolutely
Speaker 1: you know, look, I like all of my guests. I
Speaker 1: love all of their stories. You know. The entrepreneur in
Speaker 1: me is just always there. I started a business, you know,
Speaker 1: and that's the way it is. Your concept, I think
Speaker 1: in only two years, has been proven and gosh, I
Speaker 1: think there's opportunity here. Not to make money, certainly to
Speaker 1: make some money. Offens are going to measure very business access,
Speaker 1: like I said, but I think there's opportunity here to
Speaker 1: change an industry that, to use your words, nobody wants
Speaker 1: to go to, doesn't pay well. It's smelly and rot
Speaker 1: with depression. An entire industry that is really genuinely like that.
Speaker 1: And I know there's some yearly good facilities, and there's
Speaker 1: somebody here in us right now that works in assisted
Speaker 1: living utilities, like, come on, Bill, we do better than that.
Speaker 1: I know I'm painting with a broad brush, but this
Speaker 1: concept can add value to two generations of life, and
Speaker 1: you're bearing it out and and I just got to
Speaker 1: believe there's opportunity gonna come knock it, we'll be prepared.
Speaker 1: That may be my.
Speaker 3: Well, I'm just this normal person just kind of wanting
Speaker 3: to serve other people.
Speaker 2: So I mean, like, to me, that's I don't know,
Speaker 2: that's like out here. But also at one point this
Speaker 2: idea was out here, You're this dream, you know, and
Speaker 2: I just kind of but yes, I'm a very normal
Speaker 2: person from Kansas.
Speaker 4: So Personville who's wrestling similar to what you're saying. Erin
Speaker 4: this Marva Collins started one of the best schools in
Speaker 4: inner city Chicago, and she got approached by this donor saying,
Speaker 4: I want you to start one hundred Marva Collins schools
Speaker 4: across the country. I'll pay for it, And she said
Speaker 4: no because she said, I can't guarantee that those kids
Speaker 4: are going to be successful in those other schools because
Speaker 4: I'm not there. So I do understand you know where
Speaker 4: you're coming from with that. But at the same time,
Speaker 4: hopefully somebody picks up this ball and runs with it.
Speaker 1: If it's not Aaron, there's got it.
Speaker 4: It's just too I have people listening to us right now.
Speaker 1: Well, I'm just gonna be real candid. I think the
Speaker 1: quality of care in a place like wherever Kansas. It's
Speaker 1: probably way different than the standard of care and inner
Speaker 1: city or Louiville or Memphis or wherever, just because of
Speaker 1: the challenges that exist in a living facility in that environment.
Speaker 1: And BOI, I just think about how this could enrich
Speaker 1: the lives of two generations also anyway.
Speaker 2: No, I agree, and I think too, like when you
Speaker 2: talk about kids, just relationships in general, you know, taking
Speaker 2: the phones and all the other stuff, just really building
Speaker 2: that and if you can do that in your every day,
Speaker 2: you know, eight hours a day at school, you know,
Speaker 2: because some.
Speaker 3: Of those kids don't have that out. I don't have
Speaker 3: a person that doesn't know what they're talking about.
Speaker 1: That's an interesting thing.
Speaker 3: But this generation doesn't do that.
Speaker 2: You know, the generation of seniors that I serve, they
Speaker 2: don't sit on their phone when you're talking to them.
Speaker 1: Love that. We'll be right back, Aaron, I what are
Speaker 1: your kids and your husband thing? Now? I gotta be proud,
Speaker 1: I think so.
Speaker 3: Yeah. I think I think there when we're done with renovations,
Speaker 3: I think they'll be prouder.
Speaker 1: Oh are you still renovating the.
Speaker 3: Whole another wing?
Speaker 2: That our plan for that wing is to kind of
Speaker 2: have a chapel in a salon kind of some extra
Speaker 2: amenities for our seniors.
Speaker 3: So there's still, you know, some work to be done.
Speaker 2: And my youngest said, his son said, he's only inheriting
Speaker 2: it if he doesn't.
Speaker 3: Ever have to do it. But in all actuality, I've
Speaker 3: worked in this field.
Speaker 2: For a long time and my kids have always you know, hey,
Speaker 2: we have something for you. We'll be standing outside. They
Speaker 2: don't want to go in. They don't want to, you know,
Speaker 2: because it's a nursing home and it's smelly here. I
Speaker 2: have to like kick them off the couch, you know,
Speaker 2: like this is not your home. Go like you know,
Speaker 2: they're very comfortable. They love our people. My son that's
Speaker 2: graduating said, can I fight so and so and so
Speaker 2: and so our residents at.
Speaker 3: So they're learning that too, just because they're a part
Speaker 3: of it. It is a you know, they love the
Speaker 3: people there.
Speaker 1: And I was pausing, but I got to ask you
Speaker 1: are you profitable? Is this thing not yet? Wow?
Speaker 2: We just we just got our twenty fourth residence, so
Speaker 2: or we will wednesday and then you know, will.
Speaker 3: Be childcare is not profitable?
Speaker 1: Can it be?
Speaker 3: I don't know in this model. So when you talk
Speaker 3: about a business like Kansas.
Speaker 2: I don't know, you know other states, but childcare is
Speaker 2: a very dying field because you don't make money and
Speaker 2: nobody wants to do it.
Speaker 3: It's hard work.
Speaker 2: So this is kind of a way to elevate childcare.
Speaker 2: Also because the seniors pay the mortgage on the building.
Speaker 2: We have a full time cook, We have a business officer.
Speaker 1: That's interesting.
Speaker 2: We have a nurse on side, you know, all those
Speaker 2: kind of extra things that most childcares can't afford.
Speaker 3: We have all that for ours.
Speaker 2: So they get good food because we have a cook
Speaker 2: and seniors want good food. Again, my business office she
Speaker 2: does all the billing, all that. Normally the childcare director
Speaker 2: has to do that, so that frees her up.
Speaker 1: So there's some economies of scale that elevate the childcare
Speaker 1: business as a result of it being attached to a senior.
Speaker 2: Living Yes, yes, so, and they're obviously benefiting in other ways.
Speaker 2: But that's kind of the part that I've kind of
Speaker 2: with legislation and stuff like this might be your ticket
Speaker 2: to getting childcare, you know, working in Kansas.
Speaker 3: Well, no, that's a whole it is a whole other aspect. No,
Speaker 3: it really is very it's very true. Because it is.
Speaker 3: It's a very big struggle.
Speaker 1: There's a whole other reason somebody should want to be
Speaker 1: interested in scaling this idea. Yeah, yeah, that makes so
Speaker 1: much sense because when you're just doing childcare and you
Speaker 1: have to pay your people and facility and light bill
Speaker 1: and heat and air, how do you also have a
Speaker 1: kitchen and how do you also have some of these amenities?
Speaker 1: But when it's attached to the senior living facility that
Speaker 1: has to have these amenities, you get them by default,
Speaker 1: which elevates.
Speaker 3: The level of childcare absolutely.
Speaker 2: So, I mean that's a big that's kind of a
Speaker 2: big thing I've been kind of chatting about because people say,
Speaker 2: how can you make childcare sustainable? And on the business
Speaker 2: side of it, it's not, I mean without the other Well, what.
Speaker 1: Is a So there has to be levels of childcare.
Speaker 1: There has to be the kind that stay there all day,
Speaker 1: and then there's before and after school care. What does
Speaker 1: that cost? What is a parent have to pay?
Speaker 2: So in Kansas where I mean we're our facility and
Speaker 2: infants one hundred and ninety dollars a week and then
Speaker 2: the pre one hundred and a day.
Speaker 3: Yep, that's that's full time a week. Six forty five
Speaker 3: am to five thirty pm.
Speaker 1: Holy smokes.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but that's I mean, that's cheap compared to No,
Speaker 3: get that's almost.
Speaker 1: Eye hundred a month. But I get that one hundred
Speaker 1: and ninety. Frankly, I get both sides. One hundred and
Speaker 1: ninety does not sound like a lot of money. I
Speaker 1: mean it's you said five win forty.
Speaker 3: Five dollars six forty five am to five thirty pm.
Speaker 1: Okay, so that's that's eleven hours. Right, So at one
Speaker 1: hundred and ninety dollars one ninety divided by eleven, you're
Speaker 1: only getting seventeen dollars and twenty seven cents an hour
Speaker 1: for the carreer. How much you have to pay the
Speaker 1: person watching the baby?
Speaker 3: Well so there might well I pay our starting wages
Speaker 3: sixteen dollars an hour, which.
Speaker 1: But there's probably one higher than most three kids.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so the ratio is one to four.
Speaker 1: Wonderful.
Speaker 3: It used to be one to three. They just change
Speaker 3: that because.
Speaker 1: Okay, so one to four at sixteen an hour, that's
Speaker 1: that's what taxes and all. That's five bucks. So now
Speaker 1: you're down to twelve twenty seven per hour after the
Speaker 1: labor of profit to cover facility, maintenance, insurance, everything. I
Speaker 1: can absolutely see how it does not work from a
Speaker 1: business perspective that I can also see at one hundred
Speaker 1: ninety dollars a week, at eight hundred dollars a month,
Speaker 1: which is ten thousand dollars a year now, charging anymore
Speaker 1: only makes it almost impossible for someone to actually send
Speaker 1: their kid to child career. I mean, if you make
Speaker 1: forty dollars forty thousand dollars a year, you're paying twenty
Speaker 1: five percent of your total income for your kids. So
Speaker 1: it's also really difficult to pay that. It is.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and when you're like when I was a parent
Speaker 2: paying child care, I find I'm like, God, these people
Speaker 2: are getting rich off me, but they're not.
Speaker 3: I mean, when you really put all the numbers into it, it's.
Speaker 1: What about before care and aftercare school?
Speaker 3: So we charge like fifty dollars a week for them
Speaker 3: to come.
Speaker 2: I mean they're only there a couple hours, four hours,
Speaker 2: but still, but yeah, I mean, and that's and it's.
Speaker 1: Your twelve dollars an hour you're getting for that. If
Speaker 1: they're two hours before, two hours after fifty bucks a week,
Speaker 1: that's forty eight twelve. It's twelve dollars and twenty five
Speaker 1: cents an hour you're making on that before labor.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but also you're asking a twenty year old kid
Speaker 2: to get paid sixteen dollars an hour to come take
Speaker 2: care of three in things.
Speaker 3: That's a big responsibility.
Speaker 1: Nikes. Yeah, yeah, I guess childcare doesn't work, does it.
Speaker 3: It's hard, it's yeah, So you know, again it's a
Speaker 3: that field. I don't I don't know how anyone just
Speaker 3: does that. And it's hard work. It's not easy work.
Speaker 3: The kids yeahs all day.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and they don't get a break. A lot of
Speaker 2: those people you can't leave the room to go to
Speaker 2: the bathroom.
Speaker 3: You can't leave.
Speaker 2: I mean, you don't get any break in ours. I
Speaker 2: mean are people we do because that is kind of
Speaker 2: my business for a lot. You wrote right, I want
Speaker 2: them to have a lunch break. I want them to
Speaker 2: be paid. Well, I want them to be you know.
Speaker 1: So what you're saying is the income from the senior facility,
Speaker 1: the supplements, the child care to make it all work.
Speaker 3: Sure?
Speaker 2: Yeah, because again the seniors, you know the business model.
Speaker 2: You know, they're paying the mortgage on the facility and
Speaker 2: all of those things. And if you have a cook
Speaker 2: cooking for twenty four seniors. Then they just also make
Speaker 2: food for the children, and and you know, there's a
Speaker 2: nurse on site. There's kind of extra bodies in the building.
Speaker 1: I am such a dope. I'm sitting here twenty minutes
Speaker 1: ago talking to you about what's next, and this whole
Speaker 1: concept and ideas just great for senior living business to
Speaker 1: look at things a different way, way, a different way
Speaker 1: to kill the cat. But what I completely missed is
Speaker 1: what you've just taught me is that what really is
Speaker 1: is a great way to look at it, a way
Speaker 1: to actually fund childcare in a way that it could
Speaker 1: be impactful and lasting and have a really high quality
Speaker 1: of air. It's actually really is a twofold answer absolutely,
Speaker 1: the two different problems combining them to make a solution. Yeah,
Speaker 1: for sure, man, somebody's gonna call you. I know they are.
Speaker 1: Hell I might call you. I don't know. I think
Speaker 1: it's I think it's really really a creative, cool, inspirational idea.
Speaker 3: Thank you. I appreciate that.
Speaker 2: Like I said, I ah, it's it's all God driven,
Speaker 2: a lot of a lot of prayer, a lot of
Speaker 2: you know things that came to me and I have
Speaker 2: a really really good team, and I have really good
Speaker 2: leadership team. I've kind of through my career, you know,
Speaker 2: handpicked people that have that art, you know, kind of
Speaker 2: are doing it for the right reasons and love their
Speaker 2: people and have.
Speaker 3: A few sisters that we're creating. My dad picks up groceries.
Speaker 3: I mean, yeah, my mother, mother in law works there.
Speaker 3: My father in law helped with all the renovations. I
Speaker 3: mean it's definitely a family business. You know.
Speaker 1: I don't know how your relationship with your husband is,
Speaker 1: but I'm just going to speak up and say, Joe's
Speaker 1: gotta be insight.
Speaker 3: Well, yeah, yeah, it is a lot. It is a lot.
Speaker 3: He probably just gets sick of hearing me talk for soon,
Speaker 3: but he is. I think he just he he's just always.
Speaker 2: Been supportive of my dreams and my passion and kind
Speaker 2: of got drug along the way. And he is very
Speaker 2: talented when it comes to like the renovation side, Like
Speaker 2: he's very good at stuff like that, and so he
Speaker 2: was able to so he works his full time job too. Yeah,
Speaker 2: and then he goes and does this, So all of
Speaker 2: his vacation the first year is doing renovations.
Speaker 1: What right, Aaron, I am. I'm so pleased to come
Speaker 1: to a story story and it really is an honor
Speaker 1: to meet you. And I really hope somebody out there
Speaker 1: either calls you or somebody who knows somebody will say
Speaker 1: you got to hear this story. If anybody wants to
Speaker 1: get in touch with you, how do they reach you?
Speaker 1: Email or whatever?
Speaker 2: Yeah, my email is E steal s T E E
Speaker 2: L E at Heritage Homefamily dot com or my cell
Speaker 2: phone this seven eight five four five eight.
Speaker 3: Eight four seven three.
Speaker 1: Well you just screwed up.
Speaker 3: But I.
Speaker 2: You know, I give my cell phone to all the
Speaker 2: families all that. I just feel like, I don't know,
Speaker 2: I want to be accessible to people and if I
Speaker 2: can help one person.
Speaker 1: Is there a website?
Speaker 3: We do have a website.
Speaker 2: It's www dot Heritage Homefamily dot com. And my sister
Speaker 2: in law built my website. I mean it's all very
Speaker 2: like I said, we we kind of Yeah.
Speaker 1: Well, when you have a when there's eighteen of you
Speaker 1: got your own small army.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: My dad's plan was to have a doctor, a lawyer,
Speaker 2: a mechanic. You know, he's like and they'll never pay
Speaker 2: for anything.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it did not work work out.
Speaker 3: He has a hairstylist. Hemissage there.
Speaker 1: Well, he's got somewhere to go when he gets to
Speaker 1: OLDA Walt.
Speaker 3: That is true. I have his room for it.
Speaker 1: Thank you. It's a great story, and I really honestly
Speaker 1: don't be surprised if you don't get some people emailing
Speaker 1: you and calling you after this, because this is really
Speaker 1: a phenomenal thing.
Speaker 3: And I.
Speaker 1: You know, I love it that you found a way
Speaker 1: to make your living and serve people in need and
Speaker 1: come up with a creative idea that could really change
Speaker 1: two industries. I think it's phenomenal.
Speaker 3: And I.
Speaker 1: Promise me if someone does reach out and things to
Speaker 1: start developing a different way, you'll just email me and
Speaker 1: let me.
Speaker 3: I absolutely will. Yeah, and thank you.
Speaker 2: It is a pleasure to meet you. And I loved
Speaker 2: your story too, and yeah, you're an inspiration as.
Speaker 1: Well, So thank you, thank you, and thank you for
Speaker 1: joining us this week. If Aaron Steel has inspired you
Speaker 1: in general, or better yet, to take action by starting
Speaker 1: an intergenerational senior living and childcare center in your community
Speaker 1: or something else entirely, please let me know. I'd love
Speaker 1: to hear about it, y'all. You can write me anytime
Speaker 1: at Bill at Normalfolks dot us, and I guarantee you
Speaker 1: I will respond. If you enjoyed this episode, share it
Speaker 1: with friends and on social subscribe to the podcast, rate it,
Speaker 1: review it. Join the army at normalfolks dot us. Consider
Speaker 1: becoming a Premium member there any and all of these
Speaker 1: things that will help us grow an army of normal folks.
Speaker 1: I'm Bill Courtney. Until next time, do it you can