On this episode listeners will hear from Jimmy Newson, Founder and CEO of Moving Forward Small Business. Jimmy was one of the featured speakers at NABM’s BLAST Innovation 24 earlier this year in Orlando and received great reviews. Jimmy discusses the importance of planning for small businesses.
Intro music (00:00):
Intro (00:16):
This is the We are Randolph Shepherd podcast, promoting blind entrepreneurship and Independence. And now here's the dynamic duo, Nikki Gecos and Terry Smith.
Nicky (00:26):
Welcome to the We Are Rand Shepherd June edition [00:00:30] of our podcast. And of course, we need to thank our sponsors, the National Association of Blind Merchants, Coca-Cola, Blackstone Consulting, building Food Service, site Buying Wealth Management, Sodexo, Integra, Tyler Technologies, F-S-I-G-R-S-A Management Group. You selected Cantaloupe and Cure, Dr. Pepper. Terry, how are you
Terry (00:59):
Doing great, [00:01:00] Nikki. Great to be back with you again this month. And, uh, uh, I gotta give a shout out to start to my, you know, I seem like I'm doing this every month, but a shout out to my granddaughter. This is June and she is turning nine. That's Charlie Lou in Texas. And, uh, uh, unlike some of the grandkids, she may actually hear this, uh, sometimes she likes to listen to the podcast, uh, or, or, or at least you're and I part. Um, and so happy birthday Charlie Lou. I love you very [00:01:30] much. And, uh, we were out there in, uh, in Houston for Memorial Day, and it had a fantastic trip. It was a great memorial day. How was your Memorial Day, Nikki?
Nicky (01:41):
Yeah, it was great, Terry. I had a little sinus infection that you do last week and kind all went away re that ocean air and spending five days at the beach. Our, our son John, did the state of the shore for the, um, day of New Jersey, about the beaches and everything as he does every year. Um, and his capacity as a doctor of coastal [00:02:00] engineering. And, uh, Jasmine and Jayden were there spending the weekend with us. And this is a busy time of year. Uh, Terry Jasmine's got her senior prom tonight, and I don't know if we said on the list, uh, podcast, but we'll say it again, that she got a full scholarship to the University of Southern California School of Business, and we are planning to take her out there on August the 16th to move into her dorm on the 17th and 18th.
(02:26):
And then, yeah, I, and Papa will head home and mom and dad will stay with her for a few more days. [00:02:30] And, um, so excited about that. And, um, it was great to, uh, then she's got her graduation coming up on the 14th of June, so it's a busy time of year. And, um, you know, we're sitting on Memorial Day and thought about what the holiday meant and spent some time at the cemetery visiting my mom and dad, um, make sure their flags were there both being veterans. And I said to our kids, I said, do you know, is this the official Memorial Day? And they looked at me like I had three heads. So we talked about the holidays. [00:03:00] Do you know when, officially is Memorial Day the fourth, or third Monday of May? Terry, do you know that?
Terry (03:06):
Yeah, it's, um, it's the last Monday in May.
Nicky (03:11):
Well, it's actually May, May 31st was the original day, like many other holidays, like, like President's Day. We celebrate, celebrate the third Monday in February. But what presidents are we celebrating?
Terry (03:26):
We're we're celebrating Lincoln and Washington.
Nicky (03:30):
[00:03:30] Yeah, the $1 bill and the $5 bill, the blind vendor would say
Terry (04:15):
You know, I, I had thought, I I had actually forgotten until you just, until you just mentioned it, uh, May 31st, uh, was, uh, because in my mind, I always think of Memorial Dales as, as it's the 31st of May. Um, and then I look at the, you know, when [00:04:30] the Monday is. Um, I had, I do not remember my, my, and maybe it's just, uh, my mind is gone, but, uh, I don't remember the, the, the Labor Day on Tuesday. This, like, it's always been Monday, may. And, and, uh, of course, you know, some of the other ones, Columbus Day, they move it, Martin Luther King, they move it to Monday Veteran's Day, they leave it on. That's the one holiday that they do leave, um, on the, on, on the same day. But you're right, the dates have, have, have moved around. And, um, and, and, and a lot of people, [00:05:00] especially like you're talking about your grandkids, they, you know, they look at you like you got horns when you, when you tell 'em stuff like that.
(05:06):
So, um, Nikki, um, you were at the NAMA show. Uh, I did not go, we did not do our traditional Randol Shepherd training this year. And, um, so, uh, um, I wasn't, I wa I wasn't there for the, for the, uh, for the show. You were there. Uh, I, I'll tell you what I did get, I got a lot of text and a lot of phone calls asking me, where are all the blind people,
Nicky (05:43):
Well, it was exciting that I got to meet and talk with George Bush, president George Bush. I got a picture taken with him. That was probably my biggest takeaway. And, you know, um, we didn't do anything this year because they changed the format to Tuesday to Thursday instead of Wednesday to Friday, which means we would've had to come [00:06:00] in and, um, you know, I told them that they went to another conference. We weren gonna support that. Um, and I met that this year. Um, but next year, uh, we can announce that we will be doing Blast Vegas, uh, the day before on the sixth of, of May, next year in Las Vegas where that will be. Um, ma goes back to the Wednesday, the Friday the same day is this year, the seventh to, to the ninth, um, of next year. So we will be doing a blast [00:06:30] conference, which will be just few months after our, our big blast coming up in November in Nashville.
(06:36):
And please make your reservations for your rooms. Now, they're going very, very fast. Uh, but my takeaways from Nava were excitement, innovation, um, still a lot of, you know, new machines, uh, a lot of, uh, cotton and candy machines and coffee machines and everything becoming accessible and more things becoming, uh, uh, robot type [00:07:00] things like we did like in Florida. But Terry, you know, NMA just put something on now about record numbers come to nma, which they said they had, and I sat in on the board meeting. But, you know, one thing that I picked up on was they had 4,800 or 4,900 registered people at this year at NAMA in Dallas. But yet there was only 1600 operator now that around to a couple of the board members. I said, I don't think those, and the numbers are good, [00:07:30] but it's the operators that purchased and buy.
(07:32):
And is that because, you know, Sodexo and USG, I mean, you and and Aramark are buying up companies and there's less operators. I mean, that's who the people wanna see on the floor. But it was good that as we walk around, and again, there were many of us. There was a handful that I saw and talked to, but, um, got to spend some time with Michael Coburn and Michael Talley. Uh, you know, as we walked around, we were definitely grabbed when it's blast, [00:08:00] we want to come. Blast was great in Florida. I did more sales at Blast in Florida than I'm doing here. So we made a name for ourselves. And that gets me very exciting. That's my biggest takeaway, that the, the name that any BM has made in the industry and with, um, with, with the industry and with, uh, purveyors and everything. So we're very excited about that.
Terry (08:22):
Well, I think it is interesting. I've, and I heard the same thing you did, um, when we were in Orlando, that some of, some of the, uh, purveyors said [00:08:30] that they get more business out of something that we put on than they do from the NAMA show. And so I think we're gonna have a great trade show coming up in Nashville in November, 'cause those people are excited. And just to, just for people who are, who are, who are planning for, for NAMA next year, just to make sure you understand, uh, you know, traditionally we've done, um, you know, a training like a two hour, three hour kind of get together meeting, uh, on a, on the Tuesday afternoon before nama. But what you're Nick talking [00:09:00] about, Nikki, is either a full day, day and a half kind of thing. So it will be expanded beyond what, um, what we have traditionally done in, you know, in conjunction with nama. So folks will probably won't be making their plans you if they're planning to, to come in on, on Monday. And we'll be getting a lot more information out on that. Of course, our priority right now is planning the Blast Conference in November. And Nikki, we got something else coming up before there. We got a national convention coming up in July.
Nicky (09:29):
We do, [00:09:30] and I know it's a tough time of year for, um, people to come to, you know, with rest areas and a busy time of year. But, uh, once again, we'll be having elections at this year's meeting, um, July 5th at the Rosen Center Hotel in Orlando, Florida. Um, we'll be having some, uh, the attorneys from Brown Goldstein Levy, and of course Lauren McCarney and, uh, Michael dto will be there. Um, so we'll have some agenda. We'll also be talking about Blast again to, you know, to do that. We'll [00:10:00] also be talking about, uh, Jeff Kellogg from the national office will be there to talk about the innovation grants or things that we're working with with Congress, uh, whether we do a fly in. And also now we have an air fly in. And we hope that, um, that we'll have some issues up there for Rand Sheppard that will invite some black vendors to go up. 'cause we know Congress will be there on the hill, and that might be a good time to piggyback as we do in, in Vegas and stuff. So, very excited. We'll get more information about the meeting room in Orlando. [00:10:30] We'd love, if you're coming to come join us. It's always a good time, a lot of new, uh, technology at the, at the National convention. Um, and, um, elections will be held this year too.
Terry (10:43):
Great. And, um, Orlando's always a great place to be, can be a little warm, but, um, still a lot of fun, a lot of good folks. So I'm, I'm, I'm looking forward, uh, to that, Nick, I did wanna just plug the, um, the, the monthly training sessions that, uh, NABM is doing with N-C-S-A-B, [00:11:00] that's the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind. First one, uh, May 30th started. And, uh, we're gonna be doing six, uh, monthly training sessions leading up to Blast in November. And, uh, so we're excited about that. Those are gonna be 60 to 90 minute training sessions, the first two about DOD contracting. So by the time you hear this, we will already be off and running and, uh, looking forward to cooperating and, and collaborating with N-C-S-A-B on, uh, bringing that [00:11:30] training, uh, to, uh, to folks. So, Nikki, I wanna, uh, before we jump into our interview for the day, uh, this is the portion where, uh, ask you what's up. So, Nikki, what's up?
Nicky (11:44):
What's up, Terry? You know, um, I'm gonna get a little political here, but there's, um, some trials going on. There's a big trial going on in New York, um, which at the time of this thought podcast, um, will be close to a verdict. But that's not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about, [00:12:00] and I put a call into New York. I was interested to think, do we have a blind vendor in these buildings that the trials are going on? You know, this is state court in, in New York, and I was, I, I put a call into our New York vending to see if we have a blind vendor there. That had me. Interesting, because I remember during the OJ Simpson trial, we did have a blind vendor in, in Los Angeles at that trial, and they made a lot of money. They were very busy feeding the people.
(12:24):
So I was wondering if we have blind vendors at some of these trial sites in Georgia or [00:12:30] DC or in, um, New York. Um, crazy how you think about that. But, um, here's what I think about it too. I want to tell you this. I thought about this and I said, if President Trump gets President Trump, or former President Trump gets, um, found guilty, if I was Joe Biden, I would pardon him to bring the country together. And then that way he could pardon his son, hunter Biden's without getting in trouble for pardoning Hunter without partying the president. And then that way, the country [00:13:00] comes together a little bit. And, uh, as we are divided, it almost seems to me sometimes we're divided like the old N-F-B-A-C-B stuff. But, um, my main interest of that was, so that would be my plan, a couple pardons and the bottom line, but is I was interested to see if we do have blind vendors. So if you're in Georgia or if we do have a blind vendor, I think that's great. It could be good, good business, and it could be, um, for, for our blind vendors to make money. What's up with you chair?
Terry (13:28):
Well, uh, you, you scared me [00:13:30] a little bit there when you started to go political. I said Uhoh and, um, but, uh, uh, I, I had not thought about the blind vendor at that courthouse. That's interesting, Ben. So, uh, uh, you know, we need to find out. I, I, I'm assuming there's not, not one there, but that's, uh, that is a very interesting, um, question to, to, to ask. And so, um, yeah, I'm gonna have interesting times coming up. Well, I, I was going to tell you, you know, as far when what's up with me, I've been working with several states [00:14:00] on rewriting their rules and regulations. And, uh, we finally have, uh, you know, I created what I call the model rules for, for a state agency. And we, um, we finally have those ready. And, uh, so if any state is thinking about, um, the idea of revising your rules, which RSA says you need to do, uh, in order to comply with the latest tack if you're changing [00:14:30] the way you do inventory.
(14:31):
Um, so, um, the, um, um, if you're thinking about changing your, changing your rules, we've gotta a set of model rules that we could happy to share with you, and no use reinventing the wheel. And, uh, you know, a lot of these have, you know, are, are based on work we've done with other states where we've gotten the rules approved. So, uh, we know some of the things that RSA is looking for that we've been able to anticipate and include in these rules. So [00:15:00] anybody interested in changing their rules? Um, I know some states like to hire me to do that, and I'm working myself right out of a job, but that's fine. 'cause, um, um, you know, these, these rules are, are, are a really good starting point, uh, for, for everybody. Uh, Nikki, let's, uh, jump right on in. And, uh, you know, when we were at, um, um, Orlando, you know, we found, uh, Jimmy Newin, who, who who was our, um, uh, speaker [00:15:30] on the first afternoon and really got folks excited.
(15:33):
And, uh, I had a chance to sit down and talk with him and interview him for this podcast. And he's really excited about working with us and, uh, you know, creating a relationship. So, um, uh, and, and he, and he's really excited about, and, and intrigued by our program, I think would be a better word to say. So, uh, let's, let's just jump right in. And I wanna, you know, let folks hear the interview that I did [00:16:00] with Jimmy just recently. Well, many of you got to meet, uh, our guest today when you were in Orlando at our Blast Innovation conference back in February. And we got a lot of positive feedback about Jimmy Newsome. Jimmy, uh, spoke and sort of, he was our, kicked us off on the first afternoon talking about the, about innovation and about business strategies. And we were so fascinated by what he had to say.
(16:27):
We, we, we did a little clip of him on a previous, [00:16:30] uh, podcast, but wanted to bring him back and do a full interview with him. And, uh, we're really excited about having him here. Jimmy is the CEO and founder of Moving Forward Small Business in New York. And we found him, and I'll tell you a little story real quickly, and I told the folks in Orlando when I, uh, I was referred to Jimmy about somebody, and I wrote him and I said, I know we can't afford you, but maybe you can give me some tips on, uh, some ideas about this conference. And, uh, [00:17:00] he made us an offer we couldn't refuse to come to Orlando. And, uh, maybe we, we, we may talk about it a little bit, but maybe, you know, you might see him in Nashville at Blast. Um, so Jimmy, welcome to the We are Randolph Shepherd podcast.
Jimmy (17:15):
Well, thank you very much, Terry, for having me. And I had a blast at the innovation, uh, 24, uh, event down in Orlando. I thought the, the, the energy there was amazing, and I, it, it was definitely one [00:17:30] of the best events I've been to where, where the audience was just super energized, uh, as then, and you could feel it, uh, throughout the, the, the multiple days that we were there.
Terry (17:41):
Yeah. And, and you, you, you helped us kick it off that, you know, I told you we, we wanted someone to set the stage and create the, the environment that we were looking for. And you did that. And, and we got a lot of positive feedback from from that. And, uh, you know, we're looking forward to, you know, to to, to working together on some, some other projects. But we're here today to talk about, [00:18:00] um, strategic planning strategies to, to help folks grow their businesses. And so let's just start out, you know, very basic here. You know, when we talk about strategic planning, what does that really mean for a business and, and, and, and and how does it relate to, to business strategy?
Jimmy (18:17):
Absolutely. So strategic planning involves defining a business's direction and making decisions on allocate resources to pursue that direction. You know, so they say strategy, you know, [00:18:30] they say nine outta 10 businesses who have a, a strategic plan or a strategy in place fail. And that's because there's a disconnect between what they want to happen and the accountability of who's gonna actually do that work. You know, it's great to have these grand ambitions, especially as a small business, but if we don't put some strategic structure into place, that plan can't come to life. And that plan actually is your business strategy. So the business strategy is the framework. The strategic [00:19:00] plan is how do you execute on that framework?
Terry (19:05):
Well, it's interesting you'd say that because, um, uh, I, I have helped several states actually do strategic plans and, um, you know, and it, it, it's amazing. Some of them, you go through the very same process and some of them are very, very successful. And you can pat yourself on the back and you can point to your successes and you do the very same process somewhere else, and it fails mad madly, um, because [00:19:30] in many cases they didn't follow through. They didn't know who, who was doing what and, and mm-hmm.
Jimmy (19:38):
Abs absolutely. And we see it a lot. And again, it, it's actually easily remedied, but it it, if you don't fully under, if you don't fully involve everyone at all levels of the organization, big or small, you know, there, there things will fall through the crack and, and, and time moves fast. And I think that's what really throws [00:20:00] people off. You're like, oh, well, in three months or six months we're gonna do this. And then month one you're like, oh, we have time
Terry (20:20):
So I'll, any, anytime you're doing, doing planning and, and strategizing, you know, you have to, you, you know, you're creating goals, you're creating a vi vision. Um, how, how, how does [00:20:30] someone really figure out what their vision is or, or what their main goals are in, in, in their business? And they, you know, you know what kind of business our guys are in, uh mm-Hmm.
Jimmy (20:44):
Absolutely. And it's, it's not as difficult as one would think, you know, to figure out a business's main goals or vision, you know? And usually I, when I, when I think about a strategy structure, it always starts with the vision. You know, we have to consider what the problem [00:21:00] the business is solving, you know, and I think a lot of small businesses misunderstand that and just focus more on the product and service versus the problem that they're solving. 'cause the problem, when you can address the problem, that's when people get excited because they want to be outta that problem. They don't necessarily get excited about, you know, let's take vending for example. Vending, you know, they're not excited about the vending machine that's in front of them. They're excited about the soft drink or the cookies or [00:21:30] the, or the healthy snack that they're gonna get because they're hungry or because they haven't eaten in a while, or because they need to calm the kids down in the car.
(21:40):
And these are the, these are the reasons why you do what you do to keep people happy through food or, or whatever it might be. And now that becomes more of something that people would want to be, become a part of. So, you know, who, who's your ideal customer? You know, what is the problem that your business solves, uh, and where [00:22:00] do you want the business to be in the future? And then that becomes that North star. So division becomes the North star to go, look, I want to be able to support, you know, everybody on, on, uh, on Route 75. I don't even if it's called Route 75, I used to live in Florida
Terry (22:58):
Well, just for [00:23:00] your own information, interstate 75, I'm sitting just a few miles from there in Chattanooga. It comes right through Chattanooga and goes from, I think it goes from Michigan all the way down to Florida. It's a, it, it is a main, oh, so it is,
Jimmy (23:14):
Okay.
Terry (23:15):
It's a main thoroughfare to, uh, uh, to get from the north to the south. So, uh, you were, you're, you're right on target. Um, so we talked about you, you mentioned the goals and, and, and, and the vision. And, um, and that's something that I [00:23:30] always work with. And another thing that I always work with agencies on, and I'm, I'm, I'm going to hear your take on this because mm-hmm,
Jimmy (23:51):
Absolutely. This is something that I actually personally slap on myself, meaning I didn't put much value in it. And, you know, and because, and, and again, this is how [00:24:00] I know I can look at small businesses where I spend most of my time working with to go, you know, this sounds like a big business thing, you know, values, what is that? You know, it's usually your, your your targets or your, your big super stores or your big telecom companies that talk about their values. And it's always trust, honesty, respect. And at the end of the day, it, it, it, it comes back to, well, those should be a given. What are the real values? So the first question is, how do we [00:24:30] really define value? So in a business sense, values are the core principles or standards that guide the way the business operates and makes decisions.
(24:39):
And when you have real value. So, uh, my, one of our board members really made it clear to me when he was going through, we were doing a project together, a training program, and he was talking about values. 'cause that's part of his mo and he goes, wow. And, and Jimmy, with moving forward small business, they have a great value. [00:25:00] And, and I'm like, well, where'd you find that? And he is like, on your website. And I was like, I don't think I have values listed on my website. And he goes, yeah, you talk about fighting for entrepreneurs, fighting for small business owners. He goes, that's a great value. So what it, what it is, is people usually try to go out and search for values, but in essence, values already exist inside you. And so the question is, is that value a part of the business structure that other people can align themselves with?
(25:28):
So, so a prime example of that [00:25:30] would be, um, me, I, I'm a consultant and the guy next to me or the young lady next to me is a consultant, and we're both trying to get this one client, and we both may say something. So she might go, well, you know, you should go with us because you know of the respect. You know, we believe in respect. We, we, we believe in trust and we believe in honesty. That's their values. And I'm gonna say, you should go with me because I'm gonna fight tooth and nail and if it until it kills me to make sure that you're successful. So my value [00:26:00] is I fight to the, I fight to the end for your success. That's a value. And so now I can, now they go, well, that sounds like something somebody I want, because that's the type of, that's the type of support I want from somebody I have to pay money to.
(26:16):
And now it, it, it doesn't work just for the client, but it also works for, for the people that work for the organization. So we're like, and, and, and it gives them a, a, a, an opportunity to li it gives them a license to make changes [00:26:30] in instead in the status structure because the value says, I can make these changes to, to fight harder for this client. And so if you're not willing to fight tooth and nail for our clients, this is not the place that you should be working at because that's how much we care about our clients. So those values can really be leveraged in such an incredible way for co for company culture or influence behavior to attract customers and to differentiate yourself in the market from [00:27:00] your competitors. So there's a lot of important reason, reasons to really dive into values and the values that currently exist in the organization. And put, put those to the front so people really know how you feel and what you stand for.
Terry (27:15):
I think it's important, um, you know, bi your take on it, I think, I think goals and values and visions, um, you know, are are important processes, but they're there for you ultimately to [00:27:30] make money and for you to be profitable and you to be successful. And, um, so, you know, those are just, those are just steps to get you there. Um, and in the way I see it, and it, it's okay to value making money.
Jimmy (27:46):
Absolutely. It is definitely. Okay. And the thing is though, in order to make money, you have to help people. So, so when you, so if you still look at it through that lens of how do I support people? Well, the, the, the, the, the [00:28:00] great side effect of that is you make money. You know, it's when you only are in it for the money, then there's no real motivation or emotion behind it. And at any point it could fall apart because your heart's not in it. Mm-Hmm.
Terry (29:05):
I like the way you, the, the, the way you framed frame business in that you are solving a problem. And, um, uh, 'cause I, I'd to be honest with you, I'd never really thought about it that way. The person is sitting at the desk, their problem is they're hungry, they wanna snack, and how are you solving that problem? Um, I, I sort, I sort of liked that whole, what the way you frame that, and we had, you had some [00:29:30] really good discussion around that when, when we were in Orlando and you also talked about, you know, having victories and maybe, maybe even small victories, uh, along the way. Can you talk to us about having, when you talk about having victories, what, what, what do you mean by that?
Jimmy (29:48):
Sure. And, and, and victories are just milestones. You know, they don't have to be big and, and people like to win. So, you know, in most [00:30:00] cases, people might spend time trying to do some big audacious goal and consider that a win. And one, it eats up massive amounts of resources. Two, it could take forever to do, and three people lose steam after a while. So if we focus more on smaller wins, then we're always winning. And that keeps that momentum going. So a small win could be, let's just say a cafe who's following some type of re strategic advice from, I don't know, Terry or Jimmy, you know, those are two great guys [00:30:30] that I know. Uh, and they decide to follow the advice and they, and say they determine that customer service can be something that they could focus more on. Um, and since they start to focus more on customer experience, you know, it leads to a 10% increase in returning customers by implementing, say, a customer feedback system and tailoring the services accordingly.
(30:53):
So it's, and that, and that, the win is they're measuring that, you know, we've got a 10 per 10% increase [00:31:00] in customer returning. And again, this could be measured in numerous ways, maybe it could be measured in sales. Again, I talked about a customer, um, feedback system, and that would be necessary to know if the customer is returning. It could be as simple as going to all of the people that interact directly with the customer. Go, is this your first purchase? You know, especially if it's a, if it's a, if it's a offline thing, it's not, it's not being done digitally through a website or a third party platform. You know, asking them, you know, [00:31:30] is this your first purchase? And they're like, no, I brought from you last week. And if we've done that last month and then we do it again this month and we see people are returning, that's one way.
(31:38):
The other way is using your digital analytics and your digital stuff. If you're, if you happen to be operating online, so let, let's say for a vendor, you know, you're not necessarily dealing directly with the customer, you know, but you might, you know, if you're seeing that your machines are not churning enough, you know, the, the, the stuff inside the machine, what could you do to increase that, [00:32:00] that churn rate, especially if you're monitoring how often you're refilling the machine, you know, or it could be leveraged based on the fact that, you know, at the end of the year, I'd like to have 12 new, and, and again, I'm, I'm just kind of speaking just openly. I might wanna have, let's just say for, for argument's sakes, I wanna have six new routes by the, in, in 12 months. So now you go every two months I gotta lock it, I gotta try to lock it at least one new route. What's that gonna take? [00:32:30] And so that could be a, a, an easy victory. And if you only hit three out of the six, at least you were so focused on it that you still have three more new locations than if you didn't. And it's just sticking to that and calling that, and then that becomes like a, a a, a, a, a victory for you.
Terry (32:49):
So we, in, in, in creating all of these goals, um, you know, I know when I work through the process, it, um, you know, you, you try to [00:33:00] do consensus building the, and, and, and, and the, so, so that means you need buy-in from, from, from e everybody on, on the team. And the example you talked about, um, you, you want, um, you want six new, uh, locations over the next 12 months. Well, that's great that, that you, Jim, you want six locations, but your whole team has to buy in to having those six locations. Can you talk to us a little bit about, you know, the team, the team, uh, aspect [00:33:30] of it and why it's important that they, uh, they understand and agree to those goals?
Jimmy (33:36):
Absolutely. Well, the first thing I think is making sure you bring them in early enough. Don't make all the decisions and then expect everybody to accept it because they don't e especially if they have their own set of things that you've attached them with. And so before I fully answer that question, I'm gonna go, I, I, I was, I was running a, a a, we run a three hour workshop every, every month in New York City for the New York [00:34:00] Public Library, and it's around these topics. So we go deep with this, with workbooks and all the stuff. And one young lady that was there, she said, we, I used to work for a very big organization. And she goes, and, and the issue was, you know, you got leadership, you got management, and then you got everybody that's actually doing the day-to-Day work. So she was kind of in that management role.
(34:25):
And so she's got the CEO and maybe the CMO and [00:34:30] maybe the CFO, um, giving her specific objectives. 'cause she's in, um, let's say she's in it and they're giving some instructions to the people in marketing and they're giving some stuff for the people in sales. So there's, so they tell people in sales, Hey, we have to in, we have to, we have to get more sales. Okay? And then they tell marketing, we have to get better. We have to get a better bang for our buck. Okay? So [00:35:00] marketing comes to her and goes, look, I need you to do more bundles, so give away a few things and so there's more value in the product. And so she goes, okay. And then so that, that helps them with their objective. Then sales comes in and says, Hey, separate the products 'cause I need more sales per customer.
(35:22):
'cause we have to meet our quota given to us from the higher ups on the same products. And now you've got conflicting, they're both [00:35:30] trying to hit their goals given to them by the higher ups, but the goals are conflicting with the people who actually have to do the work. So, and, and, and that, and that's lack of alignment. So now everybody's fighting. So the objective is when you come in, you gotta, you know, this is our structure. When we do, uh, when we work with companies like, like this, we go, we figure out what the vision is, we, and then we, we align, make sure it aligns with the mission and the values. And then under that we have to figure out what are the three main focus areas we're [00:36:00] gonna focus on for the year. Okay. And once everybody agrees to that, then we can start to think about, well, what are we doing now?
(36:08):
Or what could we be doing that everybody can contribute to that aligns with with these goals? So no matter what we're doing, we're always in sync with each other. And two, it always goes back to supporting the, the, the, the mission of the organization. So it's about bringing everybody in early enough, uh, at, at the right time [00:36:30] to make sure that they are part of the process. Okay, I don't really care how it gets done, but here's what we need to do. Let's talk about how we could do that. And now marketing and sales are in the same room, uh, with it, and now they can go, well, I think we can do this. And now you can get that feedback from the other side that goes, well, that's gonna conflict. And now, so alright, so then how do we work this out next? You know, maybe it's an hour, a couple hours later, you've all come up with a system that everybody can get behind [00:37:00] and everybody's happy with and everybody signs off with. So they have to be a part of the strategic process so they can at that point feel like they do own a part of this process and a part of the strategy.
Terry (37:15):
Let's stick for a minute with the, um, uh, the goal, which you, we talked about earlier about getting, uh, six new locations over the next 12 months. Um, and, and we talked about the buy-in for the team that everybody needs to buy into that. Uh, [00:37:30] but I, I've heard you speak about, you know, that that, that that's the big goal, but you gotta break it down into smaller task, uh, in order to achieve that big goal. Can you sort of talk about that just a minute for us?
Jimmy (37:42):
Yeah. And it, and that point, it's, it's almost almost about your SOPs, your standard operating procedures. What does it take to get a, a new account? You know, there's the, there's the market research part and then there's the outreach part, and then [00:38:00] there's the, you know, what do we get the machines from, uh, you know, whether it's through, I know you guys have a number of programs for the, the, uh, the, uh, vendors that are in the program. And I know, and I think, I believe I've spoken to a few of, of, of, you know, I remember having a couple conversations with some people in on the, the Florida state side of things that, you know, help support these, the vendors with the machines. So there are processes. So now you, you put that into some type of a, a, [00:38:30] a process and then those become milestones.
(38:33):
So, and, and, and there, there there'll, there'll be somebody that's assigned. Normally we try to assign two people to a, to a a project or a task. One person's job is to, uh, is to make sure it gets done. The other person's job is to actually do the work. So then there's kind of like a checks and balance there. And, and then the most important thing is making sure there's a deadline. You know, so we know when something needs to be done. So at that point, [00:39:00] if we know it takes, uh, let's just say 15 to 30 days to ideally secure a new location, well what does that look like? What are the major steps? What are the major milestones? And then those become the, the how you break it down to go, step one starts and step two doesn't, doesn't begin until step one is complete. Where are we on step one? So being able to know what those steps are, and again, so it's not really rocket science, [00:39:30] it's just being a little bit more thorough than just winging it.
Terry (39:35):
So Jimmy, uh, we, I mean we, we've talked about the goals and, and all of this. And, uh, but you know, now we're, we're, we're into the nitty gritty. I'm a big data guy. Mm-Hmm.
Jimmy (40:05):
Absolutely. I, I, I am a massive, massive data guy. I do these conferences all over the world, and I usually am the chair, meaning I'm on the stage for the entire time and bring it on speakers and moderating panels on data, CRM and ai. So I live and breathe the data and, and it is the best way to get the most, [00:40:30] um, clean. Uh, I'm just trying to figure out the best way to say that. It's the best way to get unfiltered data. The data, you know, if you can see how many people are doing something or you can see how long something is happening and, and you, and you can see patterns in the data, it helps you make better decisions. It's never about your gut. I, I joke a lot and say, I do nothing by my gut other than feed it, you know, and we can track things like machine downtime, maintenance [00:41:00] schedules, sales per for machine, uh, per machine, customer preferences, inventory levels.
(41:07):
So, uh, you, you could, you could look at these data and you can start to make predictions. And then you've got, if we throw AI in the picture, you can feed this data into these AI tools and the tools can actually do predictive analytics on your behalf to tell you how often it looks like, you know, this route is really picking up and this route is slowing down, [00:41:30] you know, so then the question becomes, it's not that you, the data, the question is, well, what do you do because of it? Do you put more resources towards the, the, the, the, the, the route that's picking up? Or do you try to now focus attention on problem solving? The one that slowed down, you know, that's now up to you, but the data's given you all of this great information to go, it looks like this, that this one has started is losing steam monthly where there's a problem.
(41:57):
You know, and you know, and the question [00:42:00] is maybe, maybe it's not that the machine itself is, is is not performing up to, to task. 'cause there could be in the data you can see it, there's actually one or two items that always sell out. It's the other ones that are not selling out. So then you might make a new decision on, well, maybe I need to change what I put in the machine and you, and, and maybe I'll do things that are more aligned to the first two, and then all of a sudden you, you that, that that machine [00:42:30] starts to perform better because that area that you serve maybe likes Ho Hos over little Debbie's, you know, and, and all, and it was just you going, wait a minute. It's not that it's performing bad, they just don't like some of the selection items. So they're not, they're choosing to opt not to do it. And, but I do notice that two of the items are always sold out.
Terry (42:57):
So Jimmy, it's been great. It's been, uh, you know, high level [00:43:00] stuff and I think, you know, there's a lot more room to get into the, the, the details of this. And let's just say hypothetically, uh, you ended up in Nashville doing a workshop for us, uh, at the Blast Conference. Um, why should somebody, why, why would one of our vendors want to attend it?
Jimmy (43:19):
Absolutely. And know you're talking about the, the, the blast itself or me speaking
Terry (43:25):
Uh, the, the bla No, you, your, your portion.
Jimmy (43:29):
Um, [00:43:30] because I, I hope that people are realize and I tell it how it is, you know, and, and at the same time, time I try to use, I, I need to know, as I, I try to learn as much about the audience as possible. So when I do make the, you know, examples, I can make it as relevant as possible to the audience. And at this point, I'm talking to vending entrepreneurs, you know, and you know, my objective is without strategy, you don't have a human resources problem. You don't have a finance problem, you [00:44:00] don't have a marketing and sales problem. You typically have a strategy problem. And if you don't understand strategy, you don't really start to think about the strategy. If I go back to the, what I said at the beginning, strategy is your blueprint. The business, the business strategy and the strategic plan are your, are is your direction.
(44:22):
And when you really can understand this way of, of, of, of, of getting things done, it actually makes your life easier. [00:44:30] You know, it makes it easier to make decisions, to move forward, to move backwards, to move to pivot left, to pivot, right? Because it's based on real data and it's also based on the fact that you know what you're trying to achieve. And it also puts everybody else in line with that. And if they're not in line, it will be easily, it will be easy to, to see who's outta line and why is it, and make it easy for you to course correct. So for me, I think attending [00:45:00] my talk is, is, is really about fully understanding how do I leverage business strategy and strategic planning to the fullest if I'm in growth mode? Because we are talking about growth. If you felt you're, if you feel you're stagnant, if you feel that you're, you're not, you know, there's much, there's so much more potential, but you're not sure how to tap into it. This is why I'm here.
Terry (45:24):
Well, Jimmy, it's been great. I've enjoyed it. Uh, I will just add this, that if anybody out there listening wants [00:45:30] to know how to get in touch with Jimmy, I can get you his contact information and um, you know, he's available to work one-on-one with folks. So I'm glad he'd, I'm sure he'd be happy to work with anybody that'd like to, uh, reach out to him. But Jimmy, thank you so much for being on the we r end our Shepherd podcast.
Jimmy (45:47):
It it is my pleasure. And, and I was very grateful that you invited me to be here, so I thank you and I thank everybody at the, at uh, in, in a, uh, you
Terry (45:58):
Got it,
Jimmy (46:00):
[00:46:00] I got it. I got, I get those letters. I'm like, I gotta get it
Terry (46:04):
Okay, man, thank you. We really appreciate Jimmy. He's a really great guy and I, you know, I'm looking forward to see what, what we can do with him, um, and, and how he can benefit our blind vendors. And, um, you know, it, it's not necessarily a scoop, but um, you know, you might just see him on the agenda at blast in Nashville and you might just see 'em doing something, you know, a, you know, a little special training, uh, in addition. So stay [00:46:30] tuned for more information about, about that. So, uh, I'll flip it back to you, Nikki, you got anything else for us?
Nicky (46:39):
Well, just quickly, Jimmy always brings innovation and enthusiasm and, and you know, and that's hard to put into people. So he gets people enthusiastic. And you know, our theme is innovation 24. So I'll just say make your reservations for blast, make your reservations for Orlando. And, um, besides that, I hope everyone [00:47:00] has a great summer and we'll see you in July.
Terry (47:04):
And I will just echo that. And, uh, I will thank, uh, Josh for his, uh, great work in making us sound better than we really are. And, uh, as produ producing this show for us. And, uh, we will see you next time, next month, we'll be our traditional blitz. And so it'd be all the news. That is the news, and there's a lot going on that we've not touched on. So, uh, that [00:47:30] will be coming up, uh, the 1st of July. So until then, so long
Outtro (47:35):
The we are Randolph Shepherd Podcast would like to thank our sponsors, the National Association of Blind Merchants, Coca-Cola, Blackstone Consulting, Southern Food Service, Siteline Wealth Management, Sodexo Tyler Technologies, F-S-I-G-R-S-A Management Group. You selected [00:48:00] Cantaloupe, Keurig, Dr. Pepper.
Terry (48:03):
If you would like to support the We Are Randolph Shepherd podcast, we would love to have you on board. Corporate sponsors may contact Nikki gecos@nikkicolorado.netscape.net. Individuals who would like to support the podcast may do so by donating to the National Association of Blind merchants@www.blindmerchants.org. We would love to have your support.