Candid Conversation with Adrienne

cheery, like Tax Day, right? Weird day. Some people celebrated, some people didn't. But now, how are you doing with the pandemic? What's, what's happening in your beautiful household?

Well, we don't have daycare anymore, and my wife and I, we both work from home. And we work from home well before this all came about. So it's been spending a lot more time with our 1-year-old. He's going to be 2 in May, and we're expecting a second. Boy in, in July. So it's been spending a lot of time with family and spending a lot of time with my son. Since I own my own business, it's a— I'm a little bit more flexible with my schedule than she is. My wife works for Liberty Mutual Insurance as an insurance agent. And so it's been most of the babysitting has been on my shoulders, which I've been happy to do. And it's been a lot of fun.

How does your wife feel? So she's only— she's about 6 months pregnant. How is she feeling?

Um, she's very lucky with the first pregnancy, and, uh, and it went very well, and she's been feeling great. So everything has been good.

Yeah, she is gorgeous. She's so beautiful. And then you're— and then your little boy, so that he knows he's gonna have a baby soon. And is there— does it resonate with a 1-year-old almost?

No, I don't think he really— he, he, he loves babies, and he says the word baby a lot, um, and whenever he sees one on TV, he always points and says baby. But I don't think he really understands. I don't think he will until, until the other one arrives.

Oh, enjoy it.

Now, you, you have children as well, don't you?

I do, and I have a grandson too that's about that age. So he's so cute. He start— he's just about like, you know, can stand up and walk, and he's throws the ball. So that is Alex. So I have a 36-year-old Alex, he's in Connecticut, 2 tours in Afghanistan, essential worker. He provides hospitals with their, um, their clean linens and scrubs and all of that, whatever they need washed for the hospitals and field hospitals. And then Sammy is 31, he has the mace, a steel mace, very cool. And it's like a steel rod with a ball and it's a workout. Called Set for Set. So Sammy is in Shanghai and he is living the life. Proud of him. He's really very smart. And then I have Rudy, who is 25. He just turned 25 a couple weeks ago. He works for a medical dispensary in Tucson and he is just really loving life. And they're considered essential too, so they have, uh, they're very busy. And then I got pregnant at 44, and I have Alana, who you met quickly, and she's 14 and a doll. And it's just— so I'm jealous of you because having a baby is, it's just so lovely, especially the morning, right? That first morning when you— I mean, like, every morning you wake up and you can't wait to like peek and see him.

Yeah, you're right, it is a whole other new way of looking at everything, which has been Amazing.

Oh, I'm glad you're home. Now tell me about North Atlantic Consultants. Do I have that right?

Yeah, you have it right. Um, I started my small business a little over 10 years ago. Um, North Atlantic Consultants was just a name I came up with on a whim. I didn't really think it through. Um, I was living up in Boston at the time, um, and moved to Florida, uh, just 4 years later. Um, in 2013 we moved here, and what I do is I help businesses connect with providers of phone and internet services. So that would be Spectrum, AT&T, and then all of their competitors. I'm independent, um, and, um, I'm trained on all their technologies. What I bring to the table is I help business owners understand their environment, understand their bills, their contracts, and also try to find what are the best technologies to take advantage of. Right now what's been keeping me really busy is moving businesses to remote, a remote work setting. And that has been a big thing that a lot of folks have been going through over the last 4 weeks.

Are you using like a voiceover internet protocol or just getting them set up with another line?

So Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is a term that's used for the last generation of phone system. There's a new generation of Voice over Internet Protocol, and that's called Unified Communications.

Oh, wow.

So Unified Communications is more than just a phone system. It's text message, it's instant messenger, it's video, it's Zoom, it's everything in one app. It gives you the ability to communicate with all of your employees and coworkers and clients and vendors instantly. So it takes the phones, it takes voice over IP a step further and introduces all the other ways that we communicate.

Okay, so this is interesting. When I was in Tucson with the American Cancer Society, they had a program that I thought was genius. First time ever using it, and it was through Skype, and it allowed you to immediately— you could type someone's name and connect with anyone like in the, um, that worked for ACS, or I could call anyone. And actually, it wasn't a bad service. Is that similar, but you're using a diff— you're not using Skype, you're using a different program?

So the leading unified communications providers would be, in no particular order, RingCentral, 8x8, Vonage, Nextiva. And what these companies have done is they provide voice over IP, so cloud-based phone system basically, where your phone and your phone service and your where your voicemail and everything reside. But what they did is they also went out and partnered with companies like Zoom, like RingCentral, for example, includes Zoom as part of their subscription. So in the old days, old-timers like, like, like myself, if you bought a phone service or a phone system, it would come with voicemail, it would come with caller ID, it would come with 3-way calling. But now when you buy a unified communications seat, It comes with a phone system and it comes with Zoom and it comes with eFax and conference calling and an app on your phone, on your iPhone, that, that allows you to use all of those things very easily.

That is really cool. And does someone need to have, like, what is the minimum amount of like employees you have to have for a program like that?

One.

Oh, really?

Hmm. Yeah, so if you, if you call my business, you're going to hear music on hold. It's going to sound like a great experience. You're going to say, oh, this is a huge company, but it's just me.

Oh wow, I have a lead for you then afterwards I'll send to you because that's really interesting. Okay, wow, okay, that's, I mean, I don't, that's really, really cool. And then with that Zoom program that they get, they're not getting the 40 minutes and we'll cut you off right there at the knees. They're getting like hours of Zoom.

RingCentral is one example. For RingCentral, they have their standard package comes with up to 100 users. So you would have the ability to have a, which is $20 with Zoom a month. A RingCentral seat is typically around $28 per month. So for an extra additional $8, you get the best phone system on the planet. And if you, if you're looking at your phone bill, I mean, a typical phone line with Spectrum or AT&T is $40, not including taxes and surcharges. So there's cost savings as well.

Right. And you're not using your cell phone number. I really like that idea. I want to get an idea of what that really looks like because I do. It is hard because when you're using your cell phone for as a business, you end up getting all the the fake calls?

Well, if you use your cell phone for your businesses, it presents a lot of problems. Um, one of the biggest problems that I see with my, my, with my clients is they let their employees use their cell phones, and the clients are getting the cell phone numbers, and they're, they're, they're calling in to order services or products. Now, let's say if that sales rep goes to a competitor, guess what happens? That those clients still have the ex-sales rep cell phone number. They're calling in, they're getting the competitor. With unified communications, that goes away. Each employee gets their own dedicated number, which the company owns. So if that employee leaves, you keep that number and those customers as well.

Oh my God, that, you know, that makes sense. I ended up— so when I opened up the gallery at Tanger, I had a— I bought a number. Um, and, you know, it wasn't that expensive, but it was a cool number that had my dad's favorite numbers were 2222, so it ended with 2222. And then I wish I had known— I got all messed up, and, you know, I wanted to— I kept trying to call Speck— Trump. I kept calling and calling, and I couldn't get the answer. And finally I ended up paying the last bill, and then I lost my phone number. I didn't— I didn't like sweep it over like I should have so I could have kept that number. So I literally lost my number.

That happens a lot.

That happens a lot, right? Yeah, you really have to know and understand. I do have a lead for you. That is, uh, that's really interesting how, how I make a mistake. So I know, but now it's going to be so busy, like, so I, so with RingCentral, so what is happening now? Because I like when I'm watching the news with a pandemic and looking to see the future. And I feel like we're going to be going back to business fairly quickly, but like our networking groups that we all meet together and those kind of things around the table when we're really not able to be 6 feet apart are probably going to be starting to just go on to any of these, um, what do you call it, what do you call it when we're doing this, like a video, video calls?

Yeah, a video conference or an online meeting.

Do you think that's what's going to happen? Do you think we're going to see— because we're seeing a lot of it now, but do you see it continuing when we go back?

I do. I think that, um, this is just my personal opinion. I, I think that the world will be very different after this.

It is. So we really need to know how to, to do this and to feel comfortable, like, like Michael, it's hard for me because when I'm doing this and I look in the mirror, I look like at myself, all I see is the girl at midnight who cut her bangs with dog scissors. Like, that's it. That's what I see. And it's hard to even— like, I'm like a bit— I want to just like cover my whole head.

I think a lot of people feel that way right now. And it's a lot like, um, remember like when the iPhone came out and you saw your first iPhone? It was like 2006. And I remember when I saw my first iPhone, I was like Yeah, everybody on the planet is going to have this thing. It's just so much better than anything out there. Um, and, uh, it was a massive learning curve. You had to learn all these new things, iTunes and all this other stuff that came with it. And, um, so it's going to be like that. It's, it's, it's always painful learning new technology, but we'll, we'll get through it.

Yeah, we'll get through it. You're really right about that. And then you're with the Port Orange Chamber, so I I really look forward to— I love the office and I love the president and I love everyone in the chamber and your chair, but I just don't get to enough meetings. But tell me, what is your— like, what do you do? You volunteer, and then what is your passion with the chamber?

The Port Orange-South Daytona Chamber of Commerce is a very special place to me. I went there just with the intention of trying to make a few friends. I was new to the area. I just moved here 6 years ago. From the Boston area, and I had no intentions on getting involved or volunteering for anything, but I just fell in love with it. My— the very first event that I went to, I was just so impressed with the people, the level of professionalism, and it really starts at the top with Debbie Connors. I can't— you're right when you say the president, it all starts with her. Um, she's been there for a long time, and I would imagine it's probably taken her decades and, and turned over hundreds, if not thousands.

I'm just taking— I'm taking you in my laundry room. The thing is just gonna drive me crazy. Sorry, hold on.

No worries.

Okay, let me close the door. I told you it's candid. Okay, okay, so So Debbie doesn't look like she's been there for decades, let me tell you, because she's so young looking. But OK, I want to hear.

Oh, I was just going to say that it really all starts with Debbie. She's a tremendous— God, she has so many talents. But I would say one of the great things about Debbie is she has a great vision for leaders. Like, she's a good— she's not just a great leader herself, she's a great developer of leaders. I love it. And I just think she's fantastic and she's a big reason why I love it there. She's created a very business-friendly environment and a very professional environment. And the thing that I love about the Chamber the most is that I have a lot of fun when I go. Every time I go to an event, I get to hang out with people like you and get to know you better. And it's really connected me and It's been great.

I have to say, I agree. So I was in Tallahassee, so I got— had a chance to get to sit next to Debbie and get a feeling with her. She's one of those people that, like, you could just meet but you feel like you've known her forever. And she is so likable. And it's funny because there's classes on how to be likable. Unfortunately, some people are just not that likable, but she just encompasses that likability. And I And I love that you said that she develops leaders. That is like a really high compliment. So that's huge. Debbie, are you listening? But also, also, so now, right now with the pandemic, we are literally watching leaders and not necessarily in the political arena, but just, you know, company owners are either rising or they're falling. They're either communicating correctly and giving their employees all the right information taking it seriously and some aren't taking it seriously. And so you can see that some leaders are really being developed or just have that natural understanding to communicate.

Yeah, I'm curious what you're seeing from your, from your eyes regarding the pandemic. Is there anything that surprised you so far?

Yeah, I don't understand Honestly, what confuses me the most, like, so when you go to a grocery store like Publix and the, the person that's making the sushi, he's over the sushi and there's no mask. Yes, he's wearing gloves, but how am I expected to buy their sushi where there's no guard? There's nothing that's separating this part of his body to what is below him, and it's not cooked, it's all raw. So So I'm, I get confused with that. I have seen companies not issue any kind of information to their employees. I also feel like if you're, and I take the example that I had with Walmart and waiting for the, I was going doing the pickup. And when the young man stick, stuck his head in the car to look at my phone and I was nice, but I was like, oh, we need to wear a mask. And he said his first words out of his mouth were, I shouldn't even be working here. And I feel like part of the problem with some companies is they don't want to have their employees wearing a mask because it scares the customers. And that is what we've heard. And also, I've, you know, I, I know there's some companies that have said, you know, we're business as usual, there's nothing to really worry about, there's no real pandemic, this is all like made up and It's all fake. And so I, when I see that, I think to myself, how are they really leading? Are they doing the best for their employees? Are they really making sure their employees are being taken care of correctly and leading them in the right direction? Also, one more employee, an employee that says, here's one. My partner, my husband in my case, is working, is working with a person that he works with and whose wife has COVID-19. And so, and this is not true, but let's just say, and my husband says, I'm concerned that I am working with the, with the husband of the wife who has COVID-19 and I'm not given any protection and I'm sitting in a vehicle with him and we're only 3 feet apart. And the response is, well, I mean, you know, if you want to quit, quit, or, you know, if you want to, You know, we're not gonna pay you any sick time, you have to get tested if you want to get unemployment. So information that's not being disseminated correctly to the employees because the employer has not taken the time to learn, that concerns me too.

Yeah, so it sounds like you're concerned a lot about the business owners and how they're handling it.

That's what I think that— and there's plenty that are doing an amazing job and the chambers are teaching everyone, But it still seems like there are employers that are not looking at this as seriously as they should.

That makes sense. I don't know, it's a strange time. What scares me and surprised me maybe is how many small businesses are living paycheck to paycheck. I know that the average American Um, this number is insane, but 78%, according to the Wall Street Journal, 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, um, which is absurd. Um, and, uh, the amount of small businesses that live paycheck to paycheck was a really wake-up call to me, uh, to see these— a lot of these business owners, a lot of them friends of mine frantically trying to get these, these applications through online. So that, that to me was surprising. You just assume that people are prepared 3, 4, 5 months out and have money set aside for rainy days, but that's certainly not the case.

You know, honestly, when I had opened up my dad's fifth art gallery at Tanger, and my dad was, you know, 89 years old, just his goal was to get art off the, you know, off the ground, out of the warehouse, and put on the wall so that people could buy it. But he was really, as a, as a man that had a lot of money and built businesses, at the end of his life, because of, you know, my mom had fallen and my, you know, full-time care and needing 24/7, you know, health aid workers coming in the house. So when I was managing the store for my dad, I really had like, I was lucky if I could make the rent. And pay everyone, and I, I very rarely was able to pay myself. That was really something. So I normally would say, yeah, that seems crazy, but just understanding what was happening with my dad and his belief was, okay, Adrienne's gonna open up this gallery, it's Hanger Outlets in Daytona Beach, and she's gonna just do, you know, $15,000 a month in artwork. And unfortunately I did during the holiday season, but when January and February hit, that was really not the numbers that I was seeing. And so I guess we would have fallen into it, same exact situation.

Yeah, I guess it's like that old saying that everyone thinks when you own a small business that you make all this money and have this luxurious life, but it really— it's just an all-out war every day, right?

It really is. It's good. It could be tiring. And working in a gallery too, when you're in the four walls, and the minute that I was able to, you close the store down and get out, I joined the Port Orange Chamber. That was like one of the first things when Carol had said, okay, who's thinking about joining? I was like, you know, and I had already joined the Daytona, but then I could get more active with them. And so, but I really, really do love Port Orange. Leslie's wonderful. Jennifer is just so beautiful, lovely. I just, I got to sit with her during Tallahassee a few times and Really enjoyed that. I think the more you sit and the more you really learn from your fellow chamber members, you really do develop that really nice connection.

Oh, yeah. And the Port Orange South Daytona Chamber loves you. So I know that you were asked to be a speaker on the Develop You series, and that series is actually moving forward next week. It looks like they're going to be hosting their first one.

Yeah, I saw that you're gonna do it. That's good.

Yeah, and, and, uh, and we're very happy to have you, very lucky to have you.

Oh my gosh, stop, stop, stop.

What?

What? I didn't hear you. Thank you. I— it's— you know what, I joined the chamber as the global etiquette. Now what am I going to do, Michael? Because part of the— first of all, a lot of people really don't shake hands very, very correctly, and I get a lot of, you know, not the best shaking of hands. I don't think we're going to go back to shaking hands. So, and, but I do think just talking about it with etiquette-wise, what I don't see a lot of is someone standing up when they go to greet someone. So when you're looking now for a way to have yourself like stand out from the crowd, make sure you're standing up. So for instance, if you're going in an interview, whether it's for an employment or to get the contract that you want, so, and the minute someone walks over towards you, stand up. I don't know if you notice it, but I'm so keen that I'm like looking at that. I see so many people that just don't stand up, they just hold their hand up. So standing up is going to be important. Maybe, maybe having really having that interaction where you're looking someone in the eye and you're taking a minute to ask how you spell your name, first and last name, and communicating. I think that will be a help. Do you have any other suggestions to anyone on how they can get that power that you get with a handshake?

I haven't even really thought of that yet. But now that you bring all this up about standing up, I'm wondering if we're going to adopt the bow in business, where we all stand up and bow like our Japanese counterparts. I don't know. It's all good questions. But I think that you'll be teaching different type of etiquette, which is Zoom etiquette, online etiquette. It's gonna, it's gonna open up a lot of new, new things. It's going to be a new way of looking at a lot of different things.

I love that. You are right. I have to really change. I did a business workshop and I finally, I found a program where I could take the workshop, the PowerPoint, and then speak over it. VoiceThreads, it was called. VoiceThreads. I don't even know if Zoom could do that where you could upload your PowerPoint and then if I want to some slides, I could just have my audio and some slides I can have my face speaking.

Zoom does have that.

So I want to really look into that because I didn't actually purchase this program. And what I found is every time I was done with the presentation, I had to pay money to then download it to, to like YouTube. So I would love to get that information, how I could do that. But anyways, I— you're really right. And if you create— if anyone out there actually has some information on Zoom etiquette, I'm always happy to have guests bloggers on my Professional Global Etiquette page too, because I, you know, I don't always have to be the one writing something. So I love when someone else has it. Oh man. So tell me, so when we get off the phone, are you busy now from like 9 to 5, just getting everyone? And how do you do it when you're not in their office?

Or I'm very lucky at the moment because my son typically takes a nap from around 1:30 to 3. So this is the time to get whatever I can get done. And so when we get off the phone, I'll probably tend to my customers. I have about 262 clients today. They're all business clients. A lot of them rely on me to manage their phone systems and services, so I'm always busy. And a lot of times I'm working until late at night, and that's usually when I get most of my work done, either really early in the morning or late at night.

Oh, I love it. Thank you for spending your time with me. You are such a nice man. I just love it. And you're a nice connector too. You're always taking a a minute to, to connect two people together. You seem to just do that very naturally and understand that that's very important. So I always appreciate that when you do that. Thank you.

My pleasure. And I appreciate you and your friendship very much.

Thank you. I, I am very awkward and I am actually very nervous, just so you know. So like when you see me standing there, I do get that real like flush feeling and really nervous and don't know how to— I just, I could teach it, but then myself, I'm not the greatest. So I appreciate you're helping me And I will see you soon.

Awesome. Thank you so much for having me.

Have a great rest of the day. Bye-bye. Thank you. And then we just— I press this button and then I stop the stream.