The Entrepreneurial Journey

🎙️ Tune in to the Centric FCU Live Better Podcast: Episode 319 - The Entrepreneurial Journey 🌟🎧

In this inspiring episode, we have the pleasure of sitting down with Chris Lewis, a remarkable local business owner and community advocate. Join us as we delve into his entrepreneurial journey and learn about his thriving business, Coney Island, renowned for serving our community's favorite chili dogs. 🌭🌟

But that's not all! Chris's passion for making a difference in our community shines through as he discusses his upcoming venture: opening a boys home right here in our own neighborhood. 🏠💙

Throughout his entrepreneurial endeavors, Chris has trusted Centric FCU as his financial partner, relying on our tailored financing solutions to support his business growth and community initiatives. 💼💰

Join us for an insightful conversation as Chris shares his experiences, challenges, and triumphs on the path of entrepreneurship. Discover the power of local businesses and the positive impact they can have on our community. 🌍🤝

Listen to Episode 319 - The Entrepreneurial Journey now on the Centric FCU Live Better Podcast and be inspired by the incredible story of Chris Lewis and his unwavering commitment to both business success and community welfare. 🎙️💪

#LiveBetterPodcast #EntrepreneurialJourney #CommunityImpact #CentricFCU #LocalBusinesses

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Live Better Podcast, brought to you by Centric Federal Credit Union, your trusted source for empowering financial advice. I'm your host and centric social media and marketing coordinator, Emma Baes . And together we'll embark on a journey toward a brighter financial future. In each episode, we'll dive deep into the topics that matter most to you, whether it's saving for a dream vacation, mastering the art of budgeting, or ways to improve your overall wellbeing. In general, our goal is simple to help you live better by providing valuable insight and practical strategies. Get ready to be inspired as we feature guests who share their expertise, real life stories and experiences from industry professionals to financial gurus. We'll bring you a wealth of knowledge to guide you on your financial journey. Join us every month as we explore ways to save, invest, and plan for the future, all while living a life you love. Get ready to live better with Centric Federal Credit Union. Subscribe today so you never miss an episode. Today we are joined by a very successful local businessman, Chris Lewis , to chat about the success he's had with multiple businesses and how centric has been a part of his journey. So Chris, thank you so much for being here today with us. Thank you . We're super excited to have you on the podcast. Um, before we get started, can you just tell us a little bit about yourself and, and the things that you experienced growing up?

Speaker 2: 1:25

Um , my name is Chris Lewis . I'm 33 years old and I'm a successful business owner here in the city of West Monroe. Um , growing up , uh, my mother and father always , um, they always tried to drill into me to be a , uh, entrepreneur. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> . Um , and I kind of, I kind of thought about it and thought about it, and as I got older , I realized that hey, it's , it is not a bad idea. And growing up, my neighbor, he owned a , uh, snow cone stand , and I worked in the snow cone stand with him , uh, each and every summer. And I saw how successful his business was. I saw where he can actually kind of, he was his own boss and it, and inspired me , um, to wanna be my own boss. And , um, that's , that's, that's one of the reasons why , um, you know, growing up, I , I really wanted to be an entrepreneur and, and help my community and , and , and show others that. Um , it's, it's , it's not easy, but it's a good feeling. It's a good thing to be , um, your own boss and be entrepreneur. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 2:26

I can completely agree. I think that's awesome. Um, so can you tell us a little bit about maybe the obstacles that you faced and , and how you were able to overcome those?

Speaker 2: 2:36

Well, you know, growing up, coming from a , a family , um, well , you know, finances was , it , it was very tough. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> , um, you know, when I was a teenager , um, my dad used to always tell me to surround yourself with people who have things going for theyself in life. And , um, I kind of did the total opposite. And when I got , uh, when I turned 18 years old, I got into some trouble. It , it , it , it led me to not be able to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish at 21. And as I got older , um, I , I , that , that trouble it , it , it followed me. But , um, when I turned 25, I changed my life and gave my life to Christ. And when I gave my life to Christ , um, the , it was, it was just a , it was a whole turnaround. And it, it , it , it showed me that , um, no matter what your past may look like, if you trust and believe in God , um, you know your future to disguise the limit. That's right. And , and , and that obstacle, that, that , that was put in front of me , um, it, it, like I said , it , it hindered me. But , um, it, it did not stop me from becoming the person I am today, a successful business owner. Mm-hmm.

Speaker 1: 3:48

<affirmative>. That's awesome. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> , if anything, it maybe propelled you forward and, and made you more capable.

Speaker 2: 3:54

That's correct. It, it , it , uh, again, it made me the person I am today. It made me more humble. It made me more loving and caring to people. And it showed me that , um, no matter what you're faced with in life, that if, that, if you, you know, if you trust and believe in God, just continue to move forward and treat others the way you want to be treated, you still have the opportunity to be successful in life.

Speaker 1: 4:14

That's so true. It's never too late. Correct. That's awesome. Um, you know, I think it's so important, especially for the youth in our community. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> , I taught for six years, so I see a lot of things through the lens of somebody who has an impact on kids. Right . And, you know, it's so important not to just tell the kids that are the next generation coming up, Hey, you can do this mm-hmm. <affirmative> , like, it's one thing for them to hear it, but when they can see it through your life and your experiences and see, you know, what you've been through, but also what you were able to accomplish after that. I mean, it just makes all the difference in kids.

Speaker 2: 4:49

That's correct. It does. And , and , and each time I go speak to the kids, I let 'em know. Uh , because a lot of kids at a young age, they wanna be entrepreneur, they want, they own their own business. And I let 'em know, you know, from the outside looking at it , it , it looks good. Right. But it's, it's not easy. Um , it's , it's, it is very hard. But once again, if you would , you know, being an entrepreneur, if you would just treat others the way you want to be treated and give it a hundred percent mm-hmm . <affirmative> , no matter what, no matter what business you have, I don't know if it's cooking, no matter what it is, just give it a hundred percent and treat others the way you want to be treated. You'll be successful. That's

Speaker 1: 5:23

True. It's true. Anybody can do it . Yes . And I think this is kind of a side note, but I think , um, back to the Covid times when we were all working from home and , and this next generation that's coming up saw everybody mm-hmm . <affirmative> , keep going Yeah . And saw the things that they could accomplish. And, you know, social media plays a huge part in their lives. Correct. And they just see on their phones all day, these people doing big things Yes . And making big money and mm-hmm. <affirmative> and, you know, like they wanna do it too. Right. And they can mm-hmm . <affirmative> and all they need is just somebody, you know, to model that for them and , and to help them believe that.

Speaker 2: 5:55

And , and I totally agree. And , and , and when Covid was here , um, I saw a lot of businesses closed down. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> , a lot of my friends' businesses closed down. A lot of franchises closed. And a lot of people, they say , Chris, you, you know, you never missed a beat. You , you know, you stayed open. I tell 'em , I said , man, I said, it was number one, it was God, but number two, it , it's when you, when you give it a hundred percent mm-hmm. <affirmative> , and, and people see that and you know you have a good product to offer them, you'll prevail. Right. You , you would prevail

Speaker 1: 6:26

And you did. I did. Where very few could not. Correct . You absolutely did. That's wonderful. Um , so when, you know, kind of when you decided you wanted to , to be an entrepreneur, did you have a solid business plan? Or did , is this kind of something that you just kind of went along with it as you , you learned as you went? Or how did that work for you?

Speaker 2: 6:45

I did not have a solid business plan. I was completely lost. Um , I, I'm gonna be honest with you, I was just, I was completely lost. But , um, from talking to Patrick Mays at Centric mm-hmm . From talking to some more , um, public officials in , in , in , in the city I was raised in here in West Monroe , um, they helped me put together a plan. Uh , they told me from the beginning, Chris is , it's not gonna be easy, but they helped me put together a plan. And still today I'm operating by that plane . And , uh, and I thank God my business is very successful today , uh, because of Patrick Mays attorney Eddie Clark , uh, Senator Katrina Jackson. Awesome . And people like that.

Speaker 1: 7:22

That's awesome. It really does take a village. And , and , you know, when you wanna do something mm-hmm . <affirmative> , surrounding yourself with people that can help you get there is so important. Yes. Yes . That's , and it's good to know that here at Centric , you know, we have a team of people in our business department mm-hmm . <affirmative> , who won't just fund your loan Right . But will help you along the way, cuz the co the community aspect and the helpfulness is justs crazy here? It's not everywhere because I've worked with community banks mm-hmm . <affirmative> , and it's just honestly not the same.

Speaker 2: 7:52

And, and , and I tell people all the time, I say , look, you know, I know you've been with this bank for this long, this , this bank for that long, but just give centric a try. Yes. I can guarantee you the , from the time you walk in, they're gonna treat you like, like home. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> , um, the , the finance department, they're gonna actually sit down and listen to your dream, listen to it, and help you put together a plan. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> , and like I tell 'em all the time, I'm not speaking from what somebody else told me. I'm speaking from experience since I was 16 years old when I got my first $500 signature loan . <laugh> Centric has really played a part in me and my family life. And they , they are part of the reason why my family and my business is successful today.

Speaker 1: 8:32

That's so awesome to hear. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> , I'm so, I'm so glad to hear that because like I said, it's, it's truly a special place here. I mean, it's just , it is , it is customer service that you can't get everywhere. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> mm-hmm . <affirmative> . Um, so my next question was what funding options did you explore and how did Centric play a role in that? And you kind of just answered that mm-hmm . <affirmative> . Um, so is there anything else that Centric has helped you with besides the , um, um, your restaurant?

Speaker 2: 9:00

Yes. Uh , centric helped me with my restaurant , uh, centric also helped me get my first vehicle, <laugh> . Okay. Uh , but Centric is actually in the process right now of, of helping me on my next project , uh, which is a group home. Okay. Um, I'm , I'm grateful and thankful that I just got pre-approved , um, through the finance department, Mr. Patrick Mays. Uh , so they're actually helping me , um, with , with my next project. And hopefully that'll be successful. Um , just like my restaurant is, I

Speaker 1: 9:27

Have no doubt that it will be. Thank you. For sure . Thank you. Does it , does the group home have an name

Speaker 2: 9:32

Yet? Not yet. We, we , we are still , uh, we're still, you know, kind of throwing names out there, but right now we are leaning towards my grandmother who passed away years ago. Uh, we leaning towards naming it after her.

Speaker 1: 9:42

Oh, wow. Yeah . That's awesome. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> . So what exactly is this group home? What service is this gonna

Speaker 2: 9:47

Offer? Uh , th this service we would house , uh, ba basically adolescents, teenagers , uh, is funded through the state, through Medicaid and Medicare. Uh , you can have up to 10 individuals in the house, two , um, two kids per room. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> , it has to be the same sex. It can't be a male and a female. It has to be the same sex. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> , we've chose boys. Mm-hmm . <affirmative>. Um , I, I , I chose boys and young men due to the fact I feel like that I can , um, communicate with them better. I feel like that , uh, with my story and , um, and , and , and my obstacles that I was faced with in life that I can kind of elaborate on that and, and help them , uh, with their journey on through life. So that's the reason why we chose the males. But basically , um, they'll , they'll be housed there 24 hours, seven days a week, and we'll provide them with , uh, basically everything they need. We'll provide counseling service, we'll provide their meals, room and board and things of that nature. Wow. And we're just gonna try to help them get their life on track and mm-hmm . <affirmative> , um, and just try to help change their life for the better. That's

Speaker 1: 10:40

Awesome. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> And the impact that, that can have on kids Yes . With a bad home life who don't have support at home. Correct . Who don't feel supported at their school. You know, I mean, that's

Speaker 2: 10:51

Huge and it's, it's , uh, it's, it's very important to me. Um , there's several other things that I could have done mm-hmm . <affirmative> to , uh, generate , uh, more funding and revenue. But this is a passion. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, it's a passion , uh, to want to help these young men because when I was a teenager , uh, someone reached down and , and picked me up and helped me. And I wanna do the same thing for others, and I'm gonna continue to do it as long as I'm here.

Speaker 1: 11:14

That's so awesome. You , you are just wonderful. Um, so many kids in our area don't have that. Correct. And for you to give back like that and the fact that, like you said, it's your passion. Yes. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> , I mean, there's just the sky's the limit.

Speaker 2: 11:29

It it is I have for

Speaker 1: 11:30

You and for these kids

Speaker 2: 11:31

That , that's , that's correct. I have so many people ask me, they say, Chris, why do you do so much for the community? And I tell 'em , it's simple. The community does so much for me. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, the people that travel along the interstate on I 20, they travel east and west. When they take the exit to get something to eat, nine times outta 10, they go into a franchise restaurant. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. But the community is what keep all doors open at the restaurant. And I try my best each chance I get just, just a small way of showing my appreciation and giving back to the youth, giving back to the Westmore High School , uh, giving back in some kind of shape, form, or fashion, and let 'em know that we are thankful and grateful.

Speaker 1: 12:05

That's awesome. That's what it's all about. Correct. That is , um, so what techniques have you kind of chosen to promote your business? I mean, your , I guess what your brand identity, if you were to say that you had one , um, how have you kind of conveyed that to the community?

Speaker 2: 12:23

Well, of course when we, when we first opened social media mm-hmm. <affirmative> , uh, and , and, and that's all I relied on for the first two years, I was just dreaded on Facebook. Right . Social media. Social media. And one day , um, a a rep from KTV came in, her name was Miss Tammy Eason . And she said , um, you know, I just wanna show you this and just offer it to you , uh, advertising on TV and , uh, things of that nature, you know, running some commercials. And I was, nah , I'm , I'm okay. I'm , you know, I was young and I'm , I'm stuck with Facebook and Yeah . Snapchatting and TikTok and things of that nature, you know, showing 'em how I'll make all famous chili dolls and Yeah . All hot tamales. And I just gave it a try. And I can honestly say that my business tripled when I started running commercials and , uh, TV advertisements. It tripled. Uh , and , and also I sat down in the spirit. Uh , it gave me an idea. And this idea has also tripled my business. Each and every month , as you know, we give back to some kind of business, a restaurant, a government official. Um , um, we choose a business each month, and we go in and we feed 'em for free. Uh , we, we find out how many employees they have, and we provide them with our famous chili cheeseburgers and our famous chili cheese dogs. And , uh, something to drink. And , uh, and just that little small thing alone , you know, people, it just, it just touches their heart. Oh yeah . And they come back and, you know , once they taste that famous till cheese burger , till cheese dollar , they say , we got to go try again . Again. And , um, that's , that's the way that , that my business has grown mm-hmm . <affirmative> just by social media , um, commercials and just by giving back to the community. And, and like I say, that's, that's the way we give back. Once a month, we pick a business or a government official , some kind of entity here in our community mm-hmm . <affirmative> , and we feed 'em for free.

Speaker 1: 14:15

That's awesome. You knows, as important as social media is mm-hmm . <affirmative> , there's still a large demographic of people out there who don't use it a whole lot . Correct. Correct. And where are they gonna hear about your business? Well, on the tv, on commercials, you know , things like that. So, I mean, they're both very important, but like you said, I think nothing just about is as important as when you give back to the community the word of mouth. Correct . That comes from that, because Correct . People talk about

Speaker 2: 14:40

That. They, they talk about it and , and like you said, you know, everybody doesn't have social media. Right. Um , you know, and , and , and a lot of people don't watch tv, but , uh, I think when you actually get out in the community mm-hmm . <affirmative> and go where the people are, you know , um, social media, tv, and actually going in the community, you can touch 'em mm-hmm . <affirmative> . And , and those are the three ways that I have grown my business to be what it is today.

Speaker 1: 15:02

That's awesome. And you know, another thing that makes me think of, you're so involved in the community Yes . That people know your face. Correct. Like, when they see you out, they know exactly who you are. And , and that's just because you make sure that you're a part of everything. Right. Because you , you are so involved in giving back mm-hmm . <affirmative> . And , um, that, that means a lot to people, because a lot of times you'll have businesses where the boss just kind of Right . Stays back, makes the money. Mm-hmm . Mm-hmm . <affirmative> doesn't get too involved. Um, but to have somebody like you who is deeply involved and connected to the community, I mean, people, you can't help but notice that. Right. Right. And I mean, that alone will grow your business significantly.

Speaker 2: 15:38

It will . I have people come in and they take a picture of me when they see me working on the grill or see me working. They , they're just shocked. But yeah . You know, I tell 'em , you know , um, my dad always told me, he said , son, never start a business or open a business that you can't do yourself. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Uh , so I try to be hands-on and be , and , and learn how to do everything you know myself and be very helpful to my employees.

Speaker 1: 15:58

That's great advice . Your dad nailed it with that one. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So how did you kind of come to understand the legal aspects of starting a business and operating a business? Did you have to hire somebody to help you with that?

Speaker 2: 16:10

Well, I didn't have to hire anybody. It goes back to what I was saying earlier. Uh, you know, our cities , it's , it's wonderful. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, it's wonderful. Um , I reach out to, I was able to reach out to my pastor. I was able to reach out to public officials and people like that, and, and they connected me , um, to the right people. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> , who other business owners who guided me and helped me , uh, get, get everything together. Because in , in the very beginning, I didn't know how to do none of that stuff. Right. I mean, opening the business, you know, I didn't know nothing about the permits. I never knew anything about having to have a , a grease trap, you know? Right . What is a grease trap? You know, I didn't know anything about those things. And , and like I said , I was very young and , and I reached out to the , my , uh, the public officials of my community, my pastor, and people like that. And they connected me with the right people, and we was able to get it done. And , uh, we ran into a couple roadblocks on having to go back and do this and do that, but , right . Uh , we did not let that stop us. Um , we continued to move forward and , uh, again, it , it wasn't easy, but we got it done.

Speaker 1: 17:08

That's good. Mm-hmm . Yeah. I mean, that's a big hangup for a lot of people. But like you said, you know, knowing people asking for help when you need it , you know , it's not easy for people to ask for help. I think when you do stuff like what you do mm-hmm . <affirmative> , you kinda have to rely on other people sometimes.

Speaker 2: 17:21

That's correct. And , and , and , and I tell people , uh, that, that that's in the process of opening other business . I , I reach my hand, I tell 'em, I let 'em know, look, if you need any kind of help, I don't care what it is, I may not be able to help you myself, but I can assure you that I can point you in the right direction. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> , just like people did me. Okay . Because , um, you know, it , it is very important that we help one another.

Speaker 1: 17:42

Mm-hmm. <affirmative> another way you're giving back. Right. To business owners. Right . Because a lot of people just, they know they want to do something. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> , they don't necessarily know all the steps to get there. So having somebody who's walked through it mm-hmm . <affirmative> , you

Speaker 2: 17:53

Know, that helps a lot. And , and , and a small heat up , it , it would deter you. Right. Of , of , you know, you'll be surprised how small just something would just, it'll just make you just want to give up. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. But when you got a community like Westmore , when you got people like centric , Mr. Patrick Mays, when you got, you know, people like Ms . Jennifer who telling you just, just slow down and calm down. And , and Patrick saying, just Chris, well this idea, let's , let's do this way, let's try this and try that . Right . It really helps. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> , it really helps.

Speaker 1: 18:19

Makes all the difference. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So can you give us a little insight on how you've managed to expand your businesses and grow even during difficult times? Like kind of how we talked about during Covid?

Speaker 2: 18:29

Well, the way I've expanded my business is by being very active in the community. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um , I've , I've learned that if you be active in the community and people see your face and , and you tell 'em , you know, you know what you have going on, I own a restaurant, they , they'll come in and , and they'll, you know, they'll wanna try it mm-hmm. <affirmative> . Um , and , and during Covid, it was a very difficult time, a very difficult time. And , um, I had to run a little more advertising during Covid , um, by, you know, letting people know that, that I'm here because I'm a small business owner there . And when Covid hit, of course, you know, small business, we was affected tremendously. Oh yeah. Um, you know, my restaurant , um, we only had , we was only able to sit 25, 20 5% up the capacity, and that was very difficult. So we had to run a lot more advertising. We had to be a lot more active in the community. Um , people laughed at me because I actually , uh, had flyers made <laugh> with , with cheeseburger specials and stuff on it, and I was going around to business passing out, but I had to do what I had to do to That's right. To keep my business alive, because this is the way that I provide for my family. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> and my kids, they rely on me. So I had to actually , you know, get out in the community , um, very, very active and heavily

Speaker 1: 19:41

That's good. And you know, a lot and just kind of be reassuring to people mm-hmm . During a time where everybody was scared. Right. You know, people were nervous mm-hmm . <affirmative> , you know , but being there to say, Hey, I can, we can still serve you and , and we're , and we can follow all the guidelines as well, you know, come get your chili cheese though , <laugh> .

Speaker 2: 19:57

Right. And , and what we was doing was we , we , we had cars just pulling up at the front of the restaurant and I was literally taking them out myself, just , just taking food out to the cars myself. Because once again, you know, we, we had to do what we had to do to stay afloat. Uh , you know , um, you know, that's , that's some of the , uh, downfalls about, you know , uh, being a small business owner. But once again, if , if you give it a hundred percent and you let the people know that this is your passion , uh, I can assure you that you will succeed.

Speaker 1: 20:25

I agree. I think if you're a small business that made it through Covid, I think you can just about make it through anything. Yes ,

Speaker 2: 20:30

You can. You can for sure. You can.

Speaker 1: 20:32

Um , do you lean on technology at all to make your businesses work? Um, how do you use technology much?

Speaker 2: 20:40

I , I don't use technology very much. Um, I'm , I'm very old school uhhuh , uh, so I don't use That's okay . I don't use technology very much. Uh , I just kind of believe in just, you know, just hands on and , and just doing it to old school, relationship

Speaker 1: 20:54

Based .

Speaker 2: 20:55

Yes. I , I learned that , um, that that's kind of, you know, in the community that I grew up in, I learned that that's, that there is just kind of more successful than mm-hmm . <affirmative> than , you know, than , than yeah . The new technology.

Speaker 1: 21:07

Yeah. I agree. And I mean, I haven't lived here, but, oh God , I guess it's been about 10 months now since we moved here. Okay. And I can tell just, you know, my kids being involved in sports mm-hmm . <affirmative> and being at their school mm-hmm . <affirmative> and meeting different parents and stuff, like , it's seems like a very relationship based community. It is . And I mean, I , I've lived other places and everywhere is not like that. Right. For sure. I mean, west Monroe seems to be very, very community and relationship based , and That's awesome.

Speaker 2: 21:33

I love video . Yeah.

Speaker 1: 21:34

I love video . I do too. Um, okay. So this is a big one. Um, do you have anything you wanna share, like tips for hiring and how have you managed to , um, retain staff that has worked hard for you and , and believes in your vision?

Speaker 2: 21:52

The , the tips I have for hiring is when you're hiring someone, I'm sorry. The tips I have for hiring when you are looking for new, new employees is to be very transparent. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, let 'em know what position you're hiring from , let 'em know how much you , you you're paying, and let 'em know what shifts are available. Um, the way , um, I've retained such good employees. My , the longest employee I have, she, she's been there 23 years. Wow. Um , the , uh, employee that's been there the least amount of times has been there 10 years. Oh, wow. And what I do is every single time I ask my employees to do something, I say, please. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> , I cannot remember one time, I've never asked my , any one of my employees to not do something and say, please mm-hmm . <affirmative> , we each and every day, you know how busy we are mm-hmm. <affirmative>, I need two fries, please, I need two chili cheeseburgers, please. No matter what I put please on in . But I give them a bonus each year mm-hmm . <affirmative> , and they look at me and they say, thank you. It's, it's the small things that count. And some days I walk in and I give each one of my employees a $20 gift card for gas, and they just say, thank you. It's, it's , it's those small things to let them know that even though you are above them, let 'em know that we all in this together mm-hmm . <affirmative> , that there's no I in team because my employers are the reason why I'm able to go home and eat in time and sit down on my couch and watch TV and know that my business is ran the right way. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, it's because small things that I do for them to show them that I appreciate them, and I believe that as a business owner, other business owners, we need to all do the same thing. Let let your employers know that you appreciate 'em . Right . In some kind of shape, form, or fashion. Mm-hmm.

Speaker 1: 23:32

<affirmative>, that's such a big deal. It seems like people struggle today to, to retain good employment mm-hmm . <affirmative> . And , um, I think you're right. I think a big part of it is just how do you talk to them? Correct. How do you treat 'em correct, you know mm-hmm . <affirmative> , or , or do you talk to them like, you know, their family mm-hmm . <affirmative> , like you're actually their friend. You know? I think that makes all the difference.

Speaker 2: 23:52

And, and, and, you know, no, it , it's not gonna be perfect. No relationship is perfect. It's , it is not gonna be perfect. But each and every day I walk in my business, I go in my office and, and , and I pray for about 30 seconds. Not only that, but anytime there's a problem at my restaurant, you know, we , we talk it over. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> , you know, I write it down and , and we talk it over and you know that , that's the big thing. You'll be surprised what a small conversation, you know what it would do. It , it'll fix , it'll fix a big problem. Right. And , and , and , and , and that's , that's the key. Uh , just being, you know, being nice, being generous , uh, and being transparent, being correct. Yeah .

Speaker 1: 24:29

Correct. Yeah. Make all the difference. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> . Um, so is there anything specific that you do to ensure like a good work-life balance that you don't, that you're not so involved in the community, that you overdo it or that you, you're not spending enough time at home? How do you manage that?

Speaker 2: 24:47

What I do, every six months I take a vacation. Oh, wow. Um , it , it , it's mandatory. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, every six months, me and my , me and my fiance, we're gonna take a vacation because it can get overwhelming. Yeah . There has literally been times where I wanted to give up. There has literally been times where I just sat in my vehicle and just cried and just, just wanting to give up. But you , you have to remember that nothing is , is easy in life. Nothing. You know, you have to work hard. You have to give it a hundred percent. And, and I just honestly believe that, you know, when you make it to the point where you want to be, you have to, you have to just , just , just , just keep pushing, just keep pushing. And, and, and that's what I do. Like I say , every six months, me and my fiance, we take a vacation and just, just just kind of get away from everything. Decompress and, and just <inaudible> . And not only that , I try my best to meditate at least four or five times a week mm-hmm. <affirmative> and just, and just let it all out.

Speaker 1: 25:51

That's awesome. Yeah. I think it's so important. I know. I mean, I've just seen firsthand people that I know, you know, great at their job and, and so involved in it to the point where it kind of overtakes 'em and they lose that balance. And then once you lose that, it's like,

Speaker 2: 26:07

It's, it's , it's , it's , it's very , you're a mess . It's very hard to get back and, and, you know, owning your own business, the way technology is with your phone, counseling your hand all day mm-hmm . <affirmative> having a family at home, it can get overwhelming. Right. But you have to, you have to be able to know when to shut it off mm-hmm. <affirmative> and, and that , and that's very important. And that's why every six months, you know, I try to, you know, put back, you know, to the side just a little bit to where when that six months come, I'm able Right. To go on a small vacation to just gather myself and, you know, just, just let it out.

Speaker 1: 26:43

Right? Mm-hmm . I think that's a great idea. Just like it's mandatory. Correct. Like , you know, in six months I'm gonna, I'm gonna calm my nerves and I'm gonna go on this vacation and get away

Speaker 2: 26:52

And, and , and , you know, I , and , and I look forward to it. Right. And when you look forward to it, it , it just, you know, it's , it's just a whole lot better. Right.

Speaker 1: 26:58

It gives you something to look forward to. Correct. That's awesome. Mm-hmm . <affirmative> . Um, so did you have anything that you wanted to add before we kind of wrap all this up?

Speaker 2: 27:08

I do. Okay . Um, I just wanna let, let the people know that owning your own business, it's , it's not easy. There's gonna be times where you want to give up. There's gonna be times where people are gonna say things that are not true. There gonna be, there's gonna be times where the numbers are just not adding up. But whatever you do, do not give up. Continue to give it a hundred percent, continue to push forward and keep God first. And I can assure you that you're gonna be very successful. I never thought that when I opened my restaurant that I'd be where I'm at today. Now, in the process of opening a group home, being able to help young men get their life on track. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, it's a beautiful thing. Uh , just continue to push forward, continue to stay strong, and don't give up.

Speaker 1: 27:57

That's, that's awesome. And I , I wanna add to that too. Um, you know, if you have a dream of owning your own business mm-hmm . <affirmative> , like you said, it's gonna be hard, but anything you do is hard. That's correct. Working a nine to five is hard too. That's correct. I mean, whatever you land on, there's gonna be obstacles. So if you have a dream mm-hmm . You might as well go for it. Go for it. Because regardless, there's gonna be things that are hard. E

Speaker 2: 28:18

E exactly . And , and , and if you surround yourself by the right people, I can assure you that you're gonna be successful. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> , that, that plays a , a , a very important part, you know, surrounding yourself with people who've been through, you know, life obstacles and , and made it out surrounding yourself with, with , with a great institution , uh, like centric , uh, who can guide you and , and help you and , and be firm, but fair at the same time. I love Patrick Mays. He's, he's like a , he's like another big brother. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> , you know, he , he , Chris, that don't make sense. And , and, you know, and I , and I look at it in , in my head, I'm saying it makes sense, but when I calm down and get outta my feelings and go home, guess and look at it, guess what? It doesn't make sense. So that's , that's, you know, I feel like that's very important, but just giving it a hundred percent and , and just push forward, I think you'll be a very successful entrepreneur.

Speaker 1: 29:13

I think so too. I know. So I know that, that , that you're right about that. For sure. Thank you so much for coming on our podcast today. No problem . We really appreciate having you. I think our listeners are really, really gonna enjoy this podcast episode. Thank you. And that concludes our inspiring episode on the Entrepreneurial Journey. We hope you found valuable insights and motivation to pursue your own dreams and aspirations. Remember, entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster ride, but with determination and the right tools, you can navigate the twists and turns towards success. Before we sign off, we wanna express our gratitude to our listeners. Thank you for joining us on this episode of the Live Better Podcast. We hope you feel empowered to take action and make positive changes in your financial life. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and leave a review. Your feedback helps us bring more engaging content and reach a wider audience who can benefit from our insight. Stay connected with Centric on our website and at my centric on all social media platforms for more resources, tips, and updates . Remember, we're here to support you on your financial journey every step of the way. Until next time, keep striving, keep growing, and keep living better with centric Federal Credit Union. Okay .