Tiffany McQuaid on Building a Bold Real Estate Brand and Leading With Heart

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What's up, my good people? Welcome to the CJ Moneyway Show, in association with Believe Network, the podcast that dives into the journey of successful entrepreneurs, innovators, and game changers. I'm your host CJ Moneyway, and today we're excited to bring you a story of grit, sunshine, and empowerment. I guess today is Tiffany McQuade, a powerhouse in the real estate world and the best-selling author of The 10th 3. As the founder, president, and broker of McQuaid and Company, Tiffany is not only closing deals but inspiring others to reach new heights. She's a marketing genius, a nationally recognized speaker, and a serial entrepreneur with a heart for giving back through the community, through community events like the Rockin' on the Bay concert series. Tiffany, welcome to the CJ Moneyway Johnson Show. It's an honor to have you today.

It is an honor to be here.

Ah, thank you, Tiffany. So Tiffany, yes, your story is a mix of Midwest grind and Florida sunshine. Can you take us back to your early days or what sparked your passion for real estate and entrepreneurship?

Well, it's ironic to hear you ask that question and say, you know, what sparked your interest or passion. I think there's multiple things over the course of our lives that tend to divert us, like a little map, you know, that Magellan guides us, you know, turn this way, turn this way. And sometimes we enter into things with a good intention or a pure intention of what you desire to do, and that darn map just takes us the scenic tour, and before you know it, you end up somewhere entirely different than you imagined. You know, my lifetime goal, I'll never forget it, in high school I did multiple years of what was called back then in the '80s, IOE, Intensive Office Education. I knew everything from typing as fast as I could to shorthand, you know, to all of these things. And it was my life's goal and intention to become a legal secretary. You know, that's what I was gonna do. I was gonna do that, you know, what I thought for my life. Then I get into college, I segue and decide that I'm gonna do broadcast communications. I'm gonna do the news or the weather, you know. And then I got segued into doing some marketing, and I truly loved that, and ended up in the nonprofit sector, and then realized that, you know, marketing was an innate kind of gift that I was given— this ability to visualize and create things that were new and different and unique and stand out. Able, um, you know, really had a different twist. So then time evolves. Next thing you know, you're an entrepreneur that has your real estate license and you're building a real estate business both individually. And then fast forward, you know, 10 years later and you're building your own brokerage. You know, you just never know in the course of, you know, where life throws us that your path is probably not going to be exactly what you set out for it to be, you know, in your youth, right? Mm-hmm.

I totally agree with you. And like what you said, I believe, and I say this all the time, that, you know, like you say, your path, you never know. And I think that when we go through certain things and we're in different areas, we're developing other skill sets to take us to, you know what I'm saying, to our ultimate goal of where we want to be. And sometimes when we in certain places, We don't want, you know, we may not want to be there. Like, I don't like this, so I hate this, or, uh, why am I doing this? But it's something that's developing inside of you, you know what I'm saying, that's going to take you to the next level, which, you know, in turn brought you to being the number one bestseller, a best-selling author, and a real estate genius. So, so Tiffany, you've built McQuaid and Company into a striving real estate business. What sets your company apart and what was the vision behind starting it?

Well, I will tell you again, going back to your youth, you know, I started dancing when I was 2. So tap, jazz, ballet, you know, the whole thing. And I danced for 16 years. And one thing that I never in a million years thought dance would do for me, aside from like stage presence and, you know, teamwork and and, you know, learning different routines and executing and being— have pride and accomplishment. The biggest thing that that did for me in my entrepreneurial journey was learning to pivot and the power of the pivot. So, you know, who would have thought that that little dance maneuver would ultimately become a visual for how you grow and build your business? And, you know, you learn very quickly to kind of tap dance around people sometimes, or dynamics or circumstances. So, and pivoting, absolute pivoting. But the difference is, you know, I'm in a very competitive industry in real estate. And, you know, the whole country is saturated with traditional brands and brokerages that have been around for a long time. And they kind of ride on that traditionalism, you know, well, we've been around a million years, and that's why you should work with us. And, you know, we have loyalty of brand and strength, you know, and what have you. But throughout the course of all that, our world's changed a lot. And there's something great to be said for tradition. I get it. I completely understand it. I completely understand the power of a brand. But there's so many voids that have not been filled by the changes in the industry and the new needs of realtors today, um, which are not necessarily as brand-centric about where they hang their license, what brokerage has the most longevity of brand, but more importantly, getting themselves out there, making them the marketable component, um, as opposed to the brand, and/or being able to accomplish goals and stand out in an oversaturated industry in a different way as opposed to what has become standard and customary. I've kind of learned in my pivoting that, number one, I can fill those voids quickly where it takes the larger companies a long time to adjust to changes. Swerve in and maneuver and fill these voids and accommodate the needs of both our realtors and our customers rapidly, rapid fire, but also can add sprinkles of, you know, unique touches and going the extra mile in ways that may not be approved by or accepted in, you know, that longevity of brand dynamic. So, you know, I found my way, and I think that's the case with any industry. You know, there's always competition. So when you figure out who your competition is, you know, and then figure out how you can fill a void that they're not filling, you know, figure out all of your closest competition, what they're doing the best and maybe what they're not doing so well. And there is an incredible void to be filled in that middle, and that middle, filling that void in the middle is going to be what makes your business thrive. Because people are always missing. They're always missing little nuances that take something or a company or you as an entrepreneur from good to great. And it's those little details that no one else is touching that does that.

Mm-hmm. And you know, just being on the interview with you, I can tell your spark and your spirit that when you get into those business meetings and you go straight forward, I can see it, I can I feel your energy. So Tiffany, let's change courses real quick.

Sure.

You're the bestselling author of "The Inth Degree." "The Inth Degree." It's I-N-T-H.

"How to Stand Out by Going All In." And you have inspired many with this book.

Can you tell us what the book is about and what motivated you to write it?

Sure. So actually, I have one handy. So the Nth Degree, it kind of, it's something that I had a desire to put together for many, many years, and I had the incredible pleasure to be able to collaborate on it with a gentleman by the name of Bruce Littlefield, who he's a special talent and gift in and of his own self and his ability and vision to kind of pull things together to kind of create more power to the punch, you know, of what's being put out there was second to none. But he also collaborated on my mentor and fairy godmother, as I call her, Barbara Corwin CJ Moneyway Johnson's book. So it's been an immense pleasure to get to know him and, you know, make him kind of part of my family now. But the book itself is broken down into 7 keys. All starting with the word in. So it starts from intrepidness, goes to intention, invigoration, influence, innovation. You know, it covers all the dynamics of which I've believed that there's 7 of them, and just kind of ways to open your mind and understand the importance of, you know, when you're doing anything It's one thing to do things to stand out and, you know, try to be remarkable, meaning, you know, people will remark about what you've done or what you're doing or your business, what have you. But it's a whole other thing when you're doing it from an inside space. And that's really what the book is about, is understanding and finding what's inside of you and how to flip that and turn it into something amazing that most people aren't doing. You know, they're just not. And it's, you know, we've become a very surface society, uh, you know, with social media and everything. Excuse me. With social media and everything, people are, um, you know, they're posting what they want you to see, you know. They're not necessarily posting the real you. And it's in the inside and the real things that you're facing, the struggles, the heartaches, the failures, the bounce-backs, you know, it's in those dynamics that you really, uh, have the power to change the course of everything in your world, both in your personal life and your business. So it's a big difference when things like that happen and transpire. So the goal of the book is to kind of stimulate your minds with these 7 keys and show you in a comparison contrast, okay, these are the things that happened to me, of which there's a lot, right? Um, these are the things that happened to me, and I didn't let myself at a very young age rest in them and make them a story, you know, that I lived my life with a chip on my shoulder about it. I I instead kind of learned to turn that around and instead use it as a catapult to, you know, become the best version that I could possibly be of myself. And I learn every day. So my hope, my hope is that, uh, it helps others kind of do the same.

Hey, can we see the book again? I saw the red.

Yes.

In the degree. Hey, so, uh, Tiffany, where can we pick this book up at? I know Amazon. Is it anywhere else that we can—

Yes, yes, it's everywhere. Um, Barnes Noble, Books-A-Million. It's actually, I think, in 29 different languages right now. And you can also get it on my website at TiffanyMcQuaid.com. And actually, interestingly, segueing a little bit, I just released the first in a series of 7 children's books, and this one's called There is always hope. And each one ties back to one of the keys of the nth degree and teaches similar lessons to children. So each book in the series, um, like this one is on intrepidness and hope. And her— we have these little mascot dogs— her little dog Penny, um, they go on these adventures in each book. And you know what they've learned in kind of taking each of those keys. And in Intrepidness, Hope loses her dad and then goes around. She decides that a sign to know that her dad's near and not far is a little white feather. So her and Penny go on these adventures to find little white feathers that just give her a spark of joy, you know, to know that he's close. And she has a little saying which I think we could use. It doesn't matter anybody's age, but we've all lost people. And sometimes some days are harder than others, right? You miss them and think of them. And when that happens, one of her little things is fiddle dee dee, fiddle dee doo. When I touch my heart, I think of you. And it's just a little something that Hope says to help her deal with loss or sadness.

Mm, I think that's pretty cool. I love the coloring on the book. It stands out.

Oh, thank you. The illustrator is in Italy, so it's been a fun experience working with her and the different time zones. But yeah.

I like that because there is always hope. Sometimes we give up on certain things or whatever. And so, you know, but there's always hope. If there's a way, there's a way. You said something earlier, before I move on, you said something earlier, and I tell a lot of guests this. When you do things in life and, you know, you become accomplished as you have been, but it's the part that of you guys that when you are willing to put aside the accomplishments and the things that you have done to serve and help others. I think that's the most amazing part of it, you know what I'm saying, of the journey, is when you can reach out and say, you know, okay, I've accomplished this, I've accomplished that, and you haven't took it into a selfish game. You say, you know what, if I've done this, I want to help others improve and better themselves in life. And I think that's the most important part. And so I pray that you continue doing it, do it in others as well. And so I appreciate you for that.

Thank you for listening to the CJ Moneyway Show. Don't forget to share this episode with your friends, leave a comment, and drop a review. Be sure to tune in every Tuesday and Friday for more inspiring journeys. Who knows, your story might be next.

From that and from these little bundles of hope that we have, that we call them, that are on my website, um, we're giving them to a place called Valerie's House here in Southwest Florida. And it's this amazing place. That helps children who lost family or siblings and helps them deal with the grief. I lost my dad when I was 10 on Christmas Day, and that was circa 1980, you know, and there just wasn't a platform or outlet to deal with that, you know. So I kind of spent the bulk of my life just internalizing it from multiple facets, which I do talk about in the book. And, you know, it's so— I so appreciate that in today's world that there's options like that, um, for kids. And so I'm happy to— it kind of gives me chills to even think about the opportunity and having the opportunity to help support them.

That's awesome. And you know, as far as when you talk about loss, you say you lost your father on Christmas. I know that was hurtful. I lost my father 2 days before, uh, Thanksgiving. 9 years ago.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

I know, you know what I'm saying? Like, like anytime those holidays come around, that you want to be excited for certain things, but then as you were saying earlier, you know, some days are better than others. Yeah, it depends on how, how you deal with it. So let me ask you, Tiffany.

Sure.

Mindset is a recurring thing, you know, in your story. How do you cultivate the right mindset to keep pushing forward in business and life? Yeah, especially doing as we were just talking about challenging times.

Yeah. Well, I mean, we all have those times and, you know, unfortunately, or I suppose fortunately, if you want to look at a light in the proverbial dynamic, you know, when my father passed away, he chose to take his life. And my sister was 5, I was 10, and it was just my mom and the two of us, you know, from that point forward. And, you know, when you think of dynamics like that and, you know, what really would cause someone to be in a mindset, you know, to desire to do that. And, you know, so I think I kind of went through life looking at things a little differently because there was a part of me that so did not want to. And I very easily could have fallen into a very dark space. All signs would have led me there easily on multiple occasions. And for whatever reason, you know, I fought it and kind of gained strength to not ever go there. And quite honestly, I believe in my heart of hearts that my mission and purpose is to be able to share overcoming those dynamics, you know, that mental mindset when you're down low, low, low. And, you know, I've had it so many times over the years, you know, since then. But some of the things that I do that have been so helpful for me, and I employed a little rule to myself. That no matter what happens, how bad it gets, whatever it is, whatever attacks me on a certain day, person, place, thing, whatever it is, I only give myself through the end of that day to feel sorry for myself. That's it. I give myself through the end of the day and then I make a pact with myself and I go to bed that tomorrow is going to be a better day. I know it is. And I'm going to get up and I'm going to approach it. And I've been training my mind to just try to put the past in the past and not revisit, you know, although I revisit it for, you know, dynamics like this, but I don't recall it and employ and embed it into my day-to-day life. I only allow it in for positive circumstances. I don't allow myself to fester on the negative. And, you know, it kind of strengthening your mind and your mental capacity. It's like strengthening a muscle. It's like working out your body. It's the same thing. You have to do that. You know, If somebody is going to the Olympics, they have to train their body hard. You know, you can't expect that if you've got big goals and visions that you're just going to wake up one day and, oh, manifest, there it is. You know, it's going to show up. No, you not only have to do the work, you know, you can't just rest on your laurels. You've got to do the work, but you also have to work on your mindset and build that mental mind muscle so that when the hits and the punches come, because The more your business evolves, the bigger you get, the harder the hits, the harder the hits. And sometimes the further you fall, the higher you go, you know. And the more I think people have always heard this quote, I'm sure you have too, that it's lonely at the top, right? You know, we've all heard that quote. And for me, I'm nowhere near the top or nowhere near the vision of what my ideal top would be, of where I desire to go. But I would change that quote to say, it's lonely on your journey to the top, because what ultimately ends up happening is people in, in various levels, you know, you're always leveling up. And I truly believe that with each level, just as you're about to ascend into the next level you're given all kinds of obstacles and challenges and, you know, whatever things just get shot at you. And I now know that to be— that's when I'm about to level up, when things just start coming at me from nowhere. I know that I have to use my mental muscle and my physical in some cases and push myself forward to get through that. And there's always something great on the other side. And whether that what's coming at me is fear-based or whether it's in actuality, you know, just obstacles of all kinds. And the more that come, the more I know I'm about to level up big. And it's like if your mental muscle is not strong enough, if you're not really working on positive mindset despite or in spite, you know, if you're not doing that, then you're not going to be able to get through those those level obstacles to keep going. And with each level, people fall off. You know, you think the people are going to be there all the time and they're always going to be there for you. But the fact of the matter is they're just not. And maybe they're there just to help you in that level. Maybe jealousy comes into play. Maybe it's they don't want to see or be a part of, you know, whatever your next level is going to involve. Whatever that case may be, it is, it's just a fact of the matter. And that can hurt a lot too. And if, again, if your mental capacity is not strong, um, you're going to struggle getting up those levels. And, you know, I'd be lying if I said, you know, it— some still hurt me bad, you know, and have become a part of who I am and have become a part of my strength. But, you know, they can still trigger me sometimes of, you know, sadness or loss or, you know, whatever. But you can't achieve great things in a direct upward trajectory. I've never seen it. I've never witnessed it myself in any way, shape or form. I think that You're given all that you're given to make you stronger, better, and create a message for you to convey in whatever capacity for yourself, for your business.

And you saw I was laughing because I totally agree with you. You said something earlier. You said that if you had a chance, you would change the slogan that is lonely on that journey.

Yeah.

And I like the way that you, you came back and you tied it all together, because as you said, people do fall off on each level.

Yeah.

People that you expect or you thought would be there for the whole ride. And, and like you say, sometimes it does hurt when the people that you want to— that you would think that would support you the most are the ones that's standing on the sideline, you know, won't won't comment on, on your There's Always Hope book, or you know what I'm saying, or degree or things of that nature. It's like, wow, I thought, you know, whatever. But like you said, and I think you made a good point of that, we don't know what the reasons are because there could be, you know, saying plethora of reasons. Jealousy. I don't want to see you get to where you are. And I always say that people They like to see you as you are now. A lot of people don't want to see you grow it and take it to that next level. And what you said is the mindset, and that comes with us on, do I let how you feel deter me from going to the visions that— whether God showed me or whether the things that I see for myself in life. And so as you and as I feel as well, I'm not gonna let nobody stop me from going to where I'm trying to go.

I love it. Well, and you bring up such incredible points, you know, in that trajectory, you know, there's also people that are going to want to see your demise, you know, or are kind of sitting back like waiting for it for for whatever reason, you know. And that, that's a lot of negative energy to feel, you know, people that for whatever reason don't want to see your success. And you just have to get that out of your mind, you know. I myself, I'm not a jealous person. Like, there's not one person out there in the world that has something that I want that I would like get that feeling over. And I think that probably over the years that mental muscle, I look at it as I get excited when I see people having something that, you know, maybe I would desire. It doesn't matter what it is, but I get excited because I feel like the fact that I'm seeing it and witnessing it just shows me that it's in my path to come when it's time, you know, when it's meant to be there. So I flipped that around and now I get excited, which I have for many years. You know, from that capacity. But yeah, that's, that's a part of building your mental strength, because I think if people allow themselves to sit in that energy, um, jealousy or envy, or, you know, when to sit in that energy is no good for anyone. And if you can tighten that up and circumvent that and use it to your advantage and genuinely and enthusiastic when you see it happen, it always happens. It's really weird.

Yeah, I like you, Tiffany, because you speak— I feel the same way. I was just sitting there thinking about that maybe yesterday or when I got off work last night, the same thing. If I get a Maybach, don't get jealous of me for getting a Maybach, or don't get mad at me or wanting to see like, how he get a Maybach, you know what I'm saying, or whatever, and then want to see it being repossessed, you know. I've never been jealous of anyone. Yeah, if I see somebody with a nice car, yeah, that's a nice car, you know. See somebody with a pair of nice gym shoes on, oh, I like those, you know. Or somebody get a, a nice house, hey man, this is a nice house. Because as you said, because in me, if I see that you have it, you know, your house may not be, you know, saying my house, but if I can compliment you on things, you know what I'm saying, and and say, oh man, that's nice, or, you know, cool, good luck. You know, it's just that it's building me up because, like you said, being a hater ain't what it do. It's really not. Because what's for me is meant for me, and what's meant for that person is meant for that person. So why— you know, it was a saying a long time ago, that's what made me think about it. I heard somebody say, he say, if you're not willing to do what that person did to get what they got Why you hating on what they got? If I'm not willing, you know, like you see the drug dealers and they got the flashy cars and they got the gold chains and this and that. If I'm not willing to do what they did or doing to get to what they have, why should I get jealous of what they have? I'm not— that's not my lane. That's not what I'm willing to do. So I totally agree with you on that. So that was cool. So Tiffany.

Yeah.

Let me ask you, now that's going to your marketing and your entrepreneur and your fun stories. You're widely recognized as the marketing whiz. What's your approach to marketing in the real estate industry, and how can other entrepreneurs use creativity to stand out in their fields?

So fantastic question for everyone. I think people think that marketing in any capacity is typically about collateral. Or creating a video and getting it out there, that really is branding. You know, marketing is the transition from what you put together as a brand to how you make people feel. And in, in a marketing capacity that, you know, I think people get lost on is you could be— let's use a dentist for example— you could be the best dentist in town, but if you don't appropriately market yourself and you're not getting word of mouth, let's say— oh, word of mouth, marketing— but if you're not getting great, you know, word of mouth from your current customers, it's because you're not doing anything remarkable.. And in reality, marketing is what you do that causes people to remark. So if you're going, um, using that example as a dentist, if you're walking into an office, your experience should be not clinical, you know, like most dentists, but you know, what if you did a little differently? What if it became a warm experience? And when you take them in and you put them in the chair, you know, you let them pick whatever music they want to listen to in the room that may calm them down. Anything from spa music to rap to, you know, Britney Spears, whoever, whatever would make you feel good, you know, giving them that opportunity. Maybe Well, you probably don't, but creating a scent that maybe is a little more calming within that environment. You know, when you exit, what are you doing to make that customer walk away feeling great? You know, yes, they're shelling out some money to pay for their service, but what are you giving them, maybe aside from a toothbrush and toothpaste, that could cause them to walk away elevated, elevated. You know, that's really what it's about. Anyone can do status quo. Every retail store out there, everybody vying. You walk down, you know, Fifth Avenue in any town and there's retailer or business after business vying for that same customer, right? You know, and the difference is, is in the experience. Everyone can do status quo, but what's going to make you stand out over and above the others? Sometimes being remarkable causes you to have to maybe spend a little more, but it doesn't have to cost a ton to do the extra mile things. You know, one thing that we have in our office that always causes remarks is we have up front these clear jars all different kinds, all different sizes, full of nostalgic candies. And it's all things— we don't mix them because remember, you got to go for visual. People, you know, it's kind of that old rule of retail. Everyone wants to be on the end cap, right? They want to get their products on the end cap. And the reason why is it stands out more. You know, they keep it a certain eye level and you know, whatever their strategy is. But it's kind of the same thing. So you're walking into a real estate office, what are you expecting to get? Maybe somebody greet you, an agent jump up to greet you, give you property information, give you a magazine, a flyer, right? Isn't that pretty well what you would expect? But what if it's different? What if you walk into a real estate office, AKA ours, and there's popular upbeat music playing overhead, maybe a little decibel higher than what you would ever— not elevator music, not calming music, but something that's good. Maybe it's NSYNC singing Bye Bye Bye. But it's elevated a little higher that you walk in and say something's different here. The music's a little higher. And then all of a sudden you're smelling this. Beautiful smell. In our case, it's our own smell called Happy Home that we pipe in. So now you're smelling the smell, and when the doors open, it wafts people in. It's insane. Then you're, you're looking all over, and instead of just everything looking monotone or, you know, your typical branding, now you've got color. There's vibrance. There's things on the wall that are going to attract your eye and maybe stimulate you. And now you see this array of clear jars full of these nostalgic candies that draw you over. Oh my gosh, I haven't seen this since I was 10. Oh, I used to love Bit of Honey. I used to love this. My grandma used to get me these for a penny. There's always a memory. And what happens in those memories? There's a mind belly connection. That happens. And it doesn't matter whether it's an office or any kind of experience that we all have. You know, there's something about sitting down with people and having a meal. That's why there's family dinners. There's something about conveying something, especially when it's food-related, that's going to create a positive feeling in their minds and connect with their belly. What happens with that is it creates a comfort. That comfort then equates out to conversion. And what does that become? Marketing. Because they now have walked in, there's an elevated experience in a 1-2-3 punch, and there, there's many more, but let's just say that's where their eye goes first. You know, 1-2-3 punch. What happens now? They're leaving elevated. They're leaving feeling heightened. That then becomes the difference of just a regular customer or a raving fan. You know, raving fans are the ones unsolicited, unsolicited. If somebody says, or you're out with people and you say, oh my gosh, I just went to the best real estate office in town. I walked in and they, oh my God, they had this candy that I haven't seen since I was 10. You know, they're playing this music, they've got sent. You got it. And they were so nice and so helpful and so knowledgeable. And I know that they're going to be the ones to find me my dream home.

Why?

Because we've set the stage of connectivity. That is a raving fan, a satisfied customer, or a happy customer. You know, whether it's at the moment of impact or whether it's, you know, for us at the date of closing, they're going to walk away happy. They're going to be excited that they have a new property or sold their property. But are are they going to unsolicited tell everyone and that they know that they should use you? Yeah, yeah. It's a complete difference when there's an experience, an elevated experience that creates raving fans. Otherwise you get happy customers, and that, that's not a bad thing, but you want to figure out where you want your business to go. Where do you want it to land?

I like that. Raven fans, you know, that's the list. Hey, and, uh, I just have to ask, since we're talking about the candy, do you have the peach chews or the apple chews?

That's a fantastic question too. Um, we don't have either of those, but I guarantee I will be finding those. We have, we have Tootsie Rolls. Yeah, yeah, we do have that. We have all sorts of stuff. We put red, um, big red gum packages. We've got, um, oh my gosh, there's so much out there, and we rotate it all the time.

So yeah, that's cool. Go get the peach apple, uh, uh, chews.

I am going to.

Hey, so on a lighter note, uh, Tiffany. Yes, on a lighter note, you mentioned, as we talking about candy and stuff. It was something about ventures with, uh, Little Debbie Cakes. Can you tell us a little bit more about that story?

Well, my entrepreneurial spirit, you know, circa 1980s, we lived in an area that nobody was close, you know, we weren't close to anything. You had to drive. And growing up, you had to drive anywhere, everywhere. We were not close to anything. So my little 12-year-old entrepreneur entrepreneurial spirit decided my mom would go to the grocery store on Saturdays because she worked full-time, and I would babysit my sister over the summer. And so Monday when she would go to work, I would go into action, and I would set up in the front yard a table full of Kool-Aid, you know, because that's all we drank back then. Nobody drank water. If we did, it was from a hose. Um, but we— I set up Kool-Aid, and then I would sell off all the Little Debbie snack cakes. Cakes that she would buy on Saturday to all the kids in the neighborhood. And the only reason why she found out of my venture is because she was putting some clothes away in my sister's room, and in her drawer she had a stash of snack cakes. And she's like, "Why do you have all these in here?" She said, "Because Tiff sells them every Monday." Ah. So she couldn't figure out why we were going through them so fast. She just thought we were growing kids, you know, and we were eating our way through the Little Debbie snack cakes. But she made me— good for her— she made me reimburse her the cost, but I got to keep the profit.

So yeah, whatever. That was cool. Starting off your entrepreneurship at a young age.

Yeah, right.

Tiffany, I only have one more question for you. It's been a pleasure having you on.

Thank you.

Let me just ask you in closing, let's look back on your journey.

Okay.

What's one of the most important lessons you learned that you would like to share with aspiring entrepreneurs?

Oh, only one. Okay, let's see. I would say I was given an amazing quote from my fairy godmother mentor, Barbara Corwin CJ Moneyway Johnson, and This has literally— so you're kind of getting advice. I'm sharing the advice, but it's from her. And this is a good one. If you watch Shark Tank, she knows her stuff, right? It's ignore the naysayers on everything. Anything fresh and innovative makes them uncomfortable, and their intentional job is to clip your wings. In my mind muscle, I have that embedded, and I recall it probably more times than you can imagine, because anytime you're doing something unique and different, that's outside of the norm, there's always going to be people that may say it, that question it, second-guess it, it's never going to work. You know, if you were given the idea, you were given it for a reason. If you were given it, the desire, you were given it for a reason. So, you know, push forward, do your best, you know, put forth every effort to make it work and just block out the noise. That is the best advice that I could give, because otherwise, if you ask people, what do you What do you, you know, don't do that. If you're going to ask anybody anything, ask them how they feel, whether you're showing them properties or whether you're showing them, you know, a new invention that you've created. Ask them how they feel about it because you're going to get a lot more information, like true authentic information from them from that perspective than you ever would when you ask how they what they think, because think is quick, reactionary. And likely, if they're in a negative space about their lives or about anything and they're feeling anything, you're not going to get a positive outcome. Ask how they feel and then block out the noise and don't listen to the naysayers. That's the best advice that I could give.

I like that because on top of that, I use one from scripture. Don't let anybody kill your dreams, cause if he showed it to you, if he showed it to you, it's meant for you. And a lot of times we try to go out and get people excited about the dreams that we have, but because they didn't see the dreams that we have, or it wasn't given to them, they're not as excited as we are. We can't understand, like, why, why you not excited? Because they didn't see the dream that you actually have. And so sometimes it's hard for people to get excited for things that they don't really know about or really see, and they can deter you. Like we said earlier, they can cause you to go off course because you like, "Oh, well, they don't like what I'm doing," or, "They not feeling what I'm doing." And so it can take you off of your journey at times. So I like what you're saying. Keep your dreams positive, keep it moving. And block out the naysayers. Hey, so Tiffany, as I said, I really appreciate you coming on. So, uh, before we wrap up, you said that your book, In the Degree, is on Amazon, it's on all the major book companies. Provide us with your website again and tell us where can we find you on social media.

Sure, my website is actually TiffanyMcQuaid.com, and you can reach out to me in any of my social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, feel free to DM me. I am happy to meet all of you virtually, or if you have any questions, I am happy to help in any way that I can. And you can call our office at 239-300-4880.

Mm, you heard it here from Tiffany McQuay. Hey, go grab the book and the degree and There's Always Hope from her 7 series children's series out there. She had the little dog Penny that you can travel with the story with. Hey, so thank you again, Tiffany, for joining us on CJ Moneyway Johnson Show. To our listeners, thank you for tuning in. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, subscribe, and share it with someone who may be inspired by Tiffany's story. Make sure to follow Tiffany on all social media, check out her book and the degree, and as we said There's always hope. Until the next time, stay driven, stay inspired, and keep reaching for the next level. And as she said, don't let nobody take you away from what you're trying to do. Block out the naysayers. This is CJ Moneyway. We signing out. Peace.

Thank you for listening to the CJ Moneyway Show. Don't forget to share this episode with your friends, leave a comment, and drop a review. Be sure to tune in every Tuesday and Friday for more inspiring journeys. Who knows, your story might be next.

Mm-hmm.