Mogul Moments S4 E1 | Before I let go....

Well, hey out there! Welcome back to Mogul Moments. I am Camille D. Jamerson, CEO of CDJ Associates and The Camille Company, and I am finally back, uh, to Mogul Moments. Now I'm recording this pretty late in the evening, but it's not during our normal time. Normally I do this live, but I will not have the opportunity to do that today, and I needed to get this episode done in March because that was my deadline. So, so much for that. So this is Mogul Moments Season 4, um, very first episode in Season 4. And we are looking to have between 8 to 10 episodes, um, in this season. And the ones that I have booked already are amazing. I'm so excited. Um, some of the episodes are going to be just— you guys are going to flip. They're gonna be great. There's one episode coming up soon, as soon as we navigate when that's going to be. But it's going to be my siblings. All 4 of my siblings are going to be on the show with me, and we're going to talk about, um, building a family foundation. And we're not talking about metaphorically, we're talking about an actual, um, family foundation to build wealth from. So the 4 of us are gonna kind of share with you our journey, and hopefully, um, you guys can kind of walk through the process with us. So if that's something you've been thinking about, thinking, been thinking about doing, or thinking about working on some projects with your family, you know, come along with us on our journey and learn from what we do right and what we do wrong and consider integrating that into your own process. So With that, we're going to jump right in. Um, this episode is going to be about, um, kind of— it's titled Before I Let Go: 3 Things to Consider Before Re-entering Our Brave New World. And the reason I felt compelled to do this episode is because, um, what I've realized is that I'm not quite ready to just run on back outside. As anxious as I am to get back outside, I'm really anxious about going outside. And for those of you who know me, know me for real, for real, um, you know I am a Christian, a believer. And one of the things that the Bible teaches us is to be anxious for nothing. So when I began to really feel that, that anxiety, or that, that press I call it, um, the closer we get back to normal, I started to feel some kind of way about that. So I took some time to really drill down to discover why and to, um, prepare myself to re-enter, um, things as best I could. And what I learned from that process, I wanted to be able to share with you. Why is that important, um, for Mogul Moments? Because if you're going to build a business successfully. The 3 things that I'm going to talk to you about for re-entering into the whole world as we know it now, the, the 3 things that I'm going to tell you that you need to consider, you need to use that for your business too. It's relevant for both business and personal. So if you haven't gotten to the place yet that you've built your business then you can use these tips for your personal and family. If you have built your business, then I recommend that you take both into consideration, your family and your business, and you'll see what I mean as we dive in. With that being said, um, the very first thing that I want you to consider before outside opens back up is to do an assessment of Things gone right, things gone wrong. That's what we call it in, um, in the engineering world, so to speak. But, um, it's also used in corporate America, and it's kind of a way to assess at the end of a project what you learned, um, by the things that went right. What things did you do well? What things did you knock out of the park? What things were on time, on budget? What things surprised you that went well and what things went wrong? What things went totally off the rails? What things cost more than you expected? What things made the project take longer than you anticipated? So taking this concept and making it applicable to where we are now is that you need to do that, like I said, for both your household and for your business. So let me give you an example of household. As far as this pandemic is concerned, what were the things gone right, things gone wrong in your household? Not the things you could not control, like the pandemic itself. We had no control over that. But over the things that you could control, what were the things that went right and what were the things that went wrong? For us, the things that went right, I would say, is we always had more than enough supplies. We bought wisely, we stacked our pantry wisely, I was able to buy things that I knew would last, I used the freezer wisely, so that was a thing that went right. We didn't go hungry. Another thing that went right is even during that time we were still able to be givers. So I was still able to volunteer and sell my time at food pantries, helping box up food and give away food. And then at the end, they even gave us food, and I was able to share that with people in my family, etc. So I was still able to get— my husband was still able to donate to Salvation Army in different places that he gives and sows into. So that was a thing gone right. Think we were still able to be givers. Um, let me give you an example of a thing gone wrong. Thing gone wrong is, um, our communication. We, we sorely sucked at communicating the important things, partly because we didn't know in the beginning— not as time went on, but in the beginning— we didn't know what was important to communicate and what wasn't. So, you know, my husband would find out, you know, somebody that he was around had COVID, and he wouldn't mention it. Until like 3 days later. And then he's like, oh yeah, because you know, so-and-so, you know, they got COVID. And in my head I'm like, you wasn't gonna say that today at all? You— unless I have, you know, so— but we didn't— it wasn't that he was trying to put me in danger or anything like that, or, um, but it's just that we didn't understand the importance at the time of how important it was to— hey, if you've been exposed to someone, you need to quarantine you need to get tested or whatever. So our communication around the pandemic was bad at first, but then, you know, we got in lockstep. We watched the news together. We figured out what we needed to know and what we didn't need to know. I'm a research queen, so I Google everything, everything. So during that time, we would watch New York's press conferences. Falchi's press conferences. We would stay on top of the news, and we were able to communicate better as time went on, back and forth, um, as to what he learned and what I learned. And we would compare notes and know what we had to do different, better, or more. Okay, so that's an example for home. But an example for business, things gone right for me, um, communication. I did that part right as far as business was concerned. Um, I communicated, I very, very small team, but I communicated to my team what was going on. Um, I lost over half of my client roster relatively quickly because so much of it was event-driven. So I lost over half my roster and, um, over half of my business income. So, um, based on what I had, I knew how long that would sustain us. Um, and I was very, very, um open and honest with my team about what things looked like. And I remember talking about, you know, hey, we might have to close down. And my executive assistant, Rima, was the first to say, no, ma'am, this is what we can do. What about this? And what about this? And people start getting creative when you're honest with them and they care about you, right? So I did that part well. We were able to really band together, make some, some cutbacks on some things that we were doing. Some infrastructure projects that I had planned, we kind of put on hold and put those resources out of the budget into payroll to make sure everybody still was able to sustain. And then we started getting different clients. Um, because, uh, different needs came up because of the pandemic. So churches, um, who weren't online or weren't online prominently needed help with, um, branding and graphics and communicating online, and we were able to bring them on as clients and rebuild the roster. So we did that right. Things gone wrong is that I did not have nearly enough money saved for an emergency in our business, um, account, in our business fund. Not, not nearly. I know they talk about, as far as personal expenses, that you should have enough to sustain 3-6 months in case something happens to your job, and that's great. But for business, um, I really need to get my arms around um, what type of savings or what type of, um, rainy day fund, I guess, what have you, what bucket do I want to build for the business so, um, I'm— I never have to make decisions like that again out of fear, that I have enough to, to navigate for a minute so I can make decisions out of wisdom. Right? So, um, I didn't do that that well because I did not have nearly, um, enough money saved. No, of course we did not know a pandemic was coming. Who foresaw that it would be a year long, even once it did? Um, nobody. But, um, as a CEO, as a business owner, as an aspiring mogul— so that means I'm talking to you too— um, it's our responsibility to make certain that we have the resources in play to keep our businesses afloat in the event of an emergency. So that was the things gone wrong for me. And so before you get ready to re-enter outside, I would say get a whiteboard, or I have— and show you kind of what I use. I have these giant Post-it notes. This way. Giant Post-it notes.. And you can write on these, stick them on your wall, and go forth. Sometimes just having a visual like that will help. And I would take one sticky note and do— just make a list of things gone wrong and make another list of things gone right. And you can do separate lists for business and home if you want to. But the reason that it's important to do that is before you re-emerge, you want to close those back doors, and you want to put systems and processes in place to make certain that you're not found in those situations again, especially on the things gone wrong part. Now, as far as the things gone right, you want to continue to nurture those things so you continue to do them right, and then you build upon those strengths. Okay, so that's, um, the number one thing for, um, consideration. Before you let go of being in quarantine and quarantine life, um, that's one of the first things that you should do this or should consider. The second thing that you should consider is this, that all things are not the way you left them. And There's just no dressed-up way to say that. The world that we went into 2020 with— and I still remember some of the New Year's Eve services in the 2020 vision, and everybody had that theme going, and 2020 was supposed to be so promising. Whole way of life is gone. That, that way is, is gone. That whole how we were living back then, that's gone. And that, that's not coming back, um, I can guarantee it. And I— and the reason why is because, um, when I say all things aren't the way that you left them, um Things have changed so much that when you re-emerge and go back outside for real, for real, um, you're going to feel and know and recognize the differences. This reminds me of my sister and I used to, uh, go down south in the summer and spend down south, uh, spend summers down south with my great aunt and my granddad. And, um, her— she had a dining room table just like we had a dining room table at our house, but her dining table was like so much taller than ours. And, you know, after being down there 3 months almost, um, by the time we came home, everything in our house looked so much smaller Why? Because we have been around that huge dining room table so much that when we came home on Cardone, we're looking at that dining room table like, this looks like a TV tray compared— and you didn't notice it until you were exposed to something different. How about that, right? You didn't notice how small yours was until you were exposed to something different. So it's like Wow, this is different, you know. And, um, one thing I would tell you is when you go back outside, things are going to look different. Yes, it still may be the same old table, but it's going to look different to you because of some of the things that happen. So let's just talk about the elephant in the room. What are some of the things that have happened? Racism has been uncovered in a new and not so new and in-depth way. People are just saying the quiet parts out loud now. They don't even care. Bigotry is, I want to say, at an all-time high, but it's not. It's just exposed and being taped so everybody can see it. We've been saying it. We've been telling folks that that's just how this country is. Nobody really believed us. Then all of a sudden we were like, oh, okay. And the key is we show you the tape and people still don't believe. Um, and then we saw this major divide politically in our country. To say that you aligned with one party or the other, um, automatically attached things to you, true or untrue. And it's just this big gulf that people have crossed, and there's no way back. There are relationships and friendships that have been strained and, in some cases, destroyed. Um, over the things that have happened over this last year. And some of them just can't get right. I mean, there may be, um, a way to repair the breach in, in some cases with some of those relationships, just contingent upon, um, what they were really about. But in some cases, they just can't get right because people showed themselves for who they were. They showed themselves for what they stood for. They showed themselves for what they wouldn't stand against. They showed their cowardice or their fear or their, um, racism or their discriminatory, um, way of living, their privilege, whatever. Their intolerance. And, um, so that world that we had before where everything was kind of hush-hush and, and a little bit under the COVID it's not like that anymore. Um, so things aren't the way that you left them. And quite frankly, some of us are not in a hurry to go back out there and face all of that, and I don't blame you. But there's a key word in this statement that I want you to take away. And what I said here is that all things aren't the way that you left them. So that's indicative of the fact that there are some things that are the same. What, what are some things that are the same? Sun still rises and sets every day. The moon still comes out at night. Still, uh, we still have four seasons. Although weather is crazy here in Michigan, we still have all four seasons. Summer comes when summer comes. Spring is happening right now. We still get fall. We still get winter. Music is still healing. That's still the same. Family is everything. That's the same. And some of us have learned that at an even deeper depth during this pandemic. So those things haven't changed, and you need to grab hold of those things. On the other side of that, what hasn't changed is that losing a loved one hurts. That hasn't changed. And all of those serve as stark reminders that some things will always remain the same, and those things are just like you left them. And so learn— and, well, I shouldn't say learn, but discern the difference between what has changed out there, what has stayed the same out there, and how you fit in the grand scheme of things. Accept the things that have changed and know that you can't make them go back to the way that they were, nor should you probably want to in some cases. Understand the things that stayed the same and lean on those things, like family, like music, like getting out in the sun, you know, like really self-care and enjoying, those that, um, you love and are around. So, um, that's number 2. Before you go back outside, you need to consider that. You need to really, really recognize whether you want to or not that all things aren't the way that you left them. Okay, third thing, we're almost done. I said I wanted to do this in 30 minutes, so I'm gonna get there. Um, we're gonna talk about what about you is different. So here's the trick: you didn't stay the same either over this pandemic. You changed. What you want has changed, perhaps. Who you will tolerate has changed. I know that for me, that's on my list. Um, how long you will tolerate something has changed. That's, that's for me too. Um, having less Concern or worry about what other people think of you. That's on my list. Um, I, I— that's on my list for real, for real. Um, there was a time where I really, um, it really concerned me or bothered me what people thought of my, my perception of, of them or how I felt about this, that, or the other. And I just got to a place where I don't care. You know, you gonna walk around me like I stole your bike. I ain't did nothing to you. I— and I don't care what you think and what you feel. And after I did that, it was just like a weight just, you know, lifted up off me. And it's like, whatever their problems are, their problems, they'll deal with them or they won't, but they're not mine and I'm not taking them on. And I have to let that go. So that's happened even more so during the pandemic. So that is different about me. Wow. How and where I worship now is different. Not that I'm going to stay online forever. I love online, but I do miss going to my place of worship. Um, but I have a new appreciation now for where I go and who I will worship with. There are certain things I'm just not going back to anymore because I'm different. Um, what's something else I'm different about? Um, I don't want to be different about dressing up because I used to like to dress up, but I don't even know what heels feel like anymore. So that's different, but I'm gonna work with that just a little bit longer to see if I just need a refresher course. But I am so over putting on clothes. I was just talking to somebody on Facebook the other day. I'm like, are we ironing? She was talking about ironing her clothes because she had to go to work. I'm like, I work every day, but I ain't ironing nothing. I'm gonna take this shirt out the dryer and shake it out, and that's what I'm gonna give the people. Today. Um, I didn't know we were back to ironing. I remember when people said that we had to start wearing undergarments again. I remember that, but I was like, is somebody gonna send a memo out about ironing? Nobody did. I thought we weren't doing that. But yeah, so I'm really different about, um, clothes and having to wear this, that, or the other. Um, Yeah, I'm over it. Um, but I mean, I still got my clothes over in the closet, don't get it twisted, and I can pull them out if need be, but I'm just not pressed. I'm a little bit different about that now. I like being comfortable. Um, what else about me is different as far as business is concerned? I've always known this because my dad used to tell me this, but it has been firmly planted and reiterated that all money is not good money. Um, there is some money and projects and processes and people that you need to just say, nope, we're not a good fit, and I don't care how much they offer you. And that is different about me as far as business is concerned. Um, there was a time where I would just flip-flop and adjust to accommodate whatever it was that potential client wanted. I'm not, I'm not doing that anymore ever. So nope. So that's different. Another thing that is, um, different about me as far as business is concerned is that I don't feel compelled to limit myself to what I said. And that sounds bad, so allow me to explain. Um, and I did a Mogul Moment about this, a Mogul Minute about this, so, and it's on YouTube. But just because I said, um, this was going to be my scope, or these were the people that I was going to serve, it doesn't mean that I can't add someone or take someone away. Um, I used to be very stringent in that area, and my awesome, incredible Board of Advisors, um, really pulled my hair until I let event planning go because it was taking up too much of my time. And, um, the ends didn't justify the means as far as consulting was concerned. Um, they wanted me to really tighten up my focus, and they were spot on. I love planning events, but they were right. It was taking up too much of my time. And so now I've had to do that even more so in a different way. I had to say, okay, even though I started out in this area and this was going to be my focus, it's okay that I've added churches because it's the same skill set, just transferred to a different industry. And I, I'm okay with that. I'm okay, um, with changing my mind. So that's what about me is different. What about me is different personally, I mentioned already. Um, so like I said, make sure you do it both ways, both in business and in personal, and then, um, really reevaluate and come to terms with who you are now, because the same person that went into the pandemic isn't the same person that's coming out. And if you're not clear as to who this new person is, um, there's no way that you're going to be able to, um, function successfully, let alone build a business, let alone build multiple businesses. Right? So if you don't know and understand who this new person is coming into this new world, you're going to be at a disadvantage. So take the time to do the work, okay? Take the time to do the work. Like I said, you're going to look at things going right, things gone wrong, business and personal. You're going to look at, um, what things, um, changed on the outside because The point was things weren't the way that you left them. Not all things were— are the way that you left them. Look at what things are still the same, but definitely look at what has changed out there and what you're going to be facing out there. No matter what your race, creed, color, religion, gender, whatever, the world is different. It is not the same. You can't go out there with the same mindset that you had going in from 2019 into 2020, thinking that 2021 is going to be just like it was before the pandemic. No, it's not. So you got to be ready. And then the third thing we talked about is what's on the screen now. What about you is different? What about you has changed? What about you has grown? What about you has suffered? Come to terms with those things and take that information, reevaluate, come up with maybe, I don't know, 3 to 5 things that kind of define who you are now, what you learned in this pandemic. It could be in a journal form, however, whatever way is best for you. I'm not here to tell you how to evaluate this. But do the work, guys. This is so important. Because otherwise, you're going to go back outside and be shy. And, um, you're going to be confused as to who you are and, um, why you're responding the way you are to things, um, because you may not have really made the adjustment knowing that, whoa, whoa, I've changed, I'm different, I, I, I forgot, you know, I've been in the house, you know, um, or, um, you might find yourself trying to go back to business the way it was before the pandemic and you'll be making the same mistakes that you made before and still not having the money saved, in my case, that I was looking to have saved because I just went back to doing the same thing over and over again, right? So if you don't take the time to do the work, you'll go back outside and you'll miss an opportunity to really be well. And that's what we want most for you. Yeah, we want you to build businesses, we want you to make money, we want you to leave a lasting legacy for your, your family. But you can't do that out of a place of brokenness. You got to be whole, and you only can be whole if you're willing to do the work. So, um, and for some of you, you might discover— and we're done here, guys, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm legit done. Um, some of you may discover that you need a little bit more help, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you think that you need more help and you want to, um see a counselor or therapist, do that. Do that a lot. If you have health insurance, a lot of the health insurance plans are offering it without— you don't have to pay a copay. Blue Cross and Blue Shield, which is what we have, is one of them. You just can click on— you can do it online. You can do a therapy session online. There are tons of resources out there right now because of the pandemic. Take advantage of them. They're not going to always be there. Take advantage of them. They are either free or low cost. And if not through your health carrier, then check with your physician for mental health and wellness referral. There's absolutely, absolutely nothing wrong with doing that. And it might be wise to do that before you go outside. Um, so you're ready. And that therapist can help you navigate, um, kind of what you've gone through, especially, um, if you've experienced major seasons of grief. Um, and when I say grief, that doesn't— that doesn't even necessarily mean that you lost someone close to you, like, you know, your mom, dad, sister, brother, kid. It could mean just the overwhelming continuous cycle of grief has gotten to you., to the point where you're numb to it. I, I know that that's kind of where I was. I was sharing that on Twitter. I'm numb to it. So if you find yourself, um, in, in that boat, then, um, seeking out therapy, um, would be, be good for you. So, um, yeah, that's what I wanted to share with you today. I'm so grateful, um, to be back with you on Mogul Moments. This is a new format for me. We're using StreamYard, um, I, I like it. It's kind of a cool, um, way to broadcast. Um, we were doing great on Zoom, but, um, I, I saw the opportunity to upgrade Mogul Moments and I wanted, um, to do that. So, um, thank you guys for tuning in. If you are interested in being a sponsor or host of Mogul Moments, please just, um, let me know. You can leave me a message, you can inbox me, DM me. You can contact my assistant, which is always the best, info@cdjandassociates.com. I'm gonna put that up on the screen, um, for you guys. Ho, please. Um, yeah, my assistant Rima is amazing and she will, um, get y'all set up. And get all the information about your business, let you know kind of what packages we have, and you can be a part of the Mogul Moments broadcast. It's really great for small businesses. It's a way to get your name out there, not just when I go live, but you'll also be on my YouTube channel, you'll be on my Twitter channel, which is Periscope, you'll be on Facebook Live. I'll mention you several times throughout the broadcast, just depending on which package you get. And it's very, very low cost. It's just kind of our way to recoup some of the costs, um, to make Mogul Moments, but to, um, give opportunities, um, to entrepreneurs to allow them to get exposure. So if you're interested in that, send Rima an email, let her know and she'll hook you up. So again, thank you so much for, um, spending this time with me in Mocha Moments. I had a great time just chatting with you guys. I know I normally have a guest, but I thought this was kind of some personal one-on-one time that we wanted to spend together to talk about these things and, um, get you started on the right foot before outside opens back up. So, um, you guys be good, be safe, and, um, tune in, um, probably in about a week or so. We're gonna hope to have, um, our episode 2 up and ready to go. And like I said, it's gonna be a great season. You guys are gonna have a blast tuning in. Tell all your friends on that Mogul Moments, um, if you're talking about building a business, um, particularly if you're talking about building several businesses, this place you want to be. All right, I'm your host Camille D. Jamerson of C.E.M® and Associates and the Camille Company. Thanks to the Camille Company for sponsoring Mogul Moments this season. It's been an honor. Talk to you guys later. Bye.