WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.960 Janet, would you please introduce yourself? Yes, 00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:05.799 thank you. So my name is Janet Schultz, and I'm 00:00:05.799 --> 00:00:07.879 owner and founder of Blue Jay Cleaning Business 00:00:07.879 --> 00:00:11.640 in a Box. I'm a mother of two adult children. 00:00:11.800 --> 00:00:14.779 I'm a grandmother of two. I'm a special education 00:00:14.779 --> 00:00:19.460 teacher and a social entrepreneur. That's pretty 00:00:19.460 --> 00:00:21.980 cool. All right. How did this Blue Jay in a Box 00:00:21.980 --> 00:00:25.719 happen? Well, it happened back in 2000. Well, 00:00:25.820 --> 00:00:27.739 I've always had the entrepreneurial spirit within 00:00:27.739 --> 00:00:31.539 me. As far as I can remember, I always had dabbled 00:00:31.539 --> 00:00:36.899 into businesses, home -based businesses. So that 00:00:36.899 --> 00:00:40.460 was just kind of a part of who I was. I'm a risk 00:00:40.460 --> 00:00:43.359 taker at heart. So I feel like you have to have 00:00:43.359 --> 00:00:46.399 that sense of adventure to be an entrepreneur. 00:00:46.619 --> 00:00:49.880 And I definitely have that. But I was in the 00:00:49.880 --> 00:00:58.630 classroom for many years. for the reason of needing 00:00:58.630 --> 00:01:02.009 to make a living so I did that and then it was 00:01:02.009 --> 00:01:09.329 uh in 2007 I got remarried and in that relationship 00:01:09.329 --> 00:01:14.250 he had a a construction company and so I came 00:01:14.250 --> 00:01:17.849 alongside of him and I helped you know in that 00:01:17.849 --> 00:01:21.590 construction company and really enjoyed for the 00:01:21.590 --> 00:01:25.290 first time I had you know a business that entrepreneurial 00:01:25.290 --> 00:01:29.329 part of me came out and was allowed to blossom 00:01:29.329 --> 00:01:33.430 so i realized some things about myself some things 00:01:33.430 --> 00:01:38.709 that i was naturally suited for marketing sales 00:01:38.709 --> 00:01:42.849 i'm very good with people and just have a sense 00:01:42.849 --> 00:01:46.969 of what works and what doesn't so it really gave 00:01:46.969 --> 00:01:51.989 me a forum to kind of grow in those areas and 00:01:51.989 --> 00:01:56.049 unfortunately things did not work out and i was 00:01:56.049 --> 00:02:03.909 once again faced with a life altering life happening 00:02:03.909 --> 00:02:09.330 i .e divorce and had to go back into the work 00:02:09.330 --> 00:02:13.530 force and having had a taste of being an entrepreneur 00:02:13.530 --> 00:02:17.210 i knew i could not go back in the classroom i 00:02:17.210 --> 00:02:22.199 would be like a bird in a cage and so i was undergoing 00:02:22.199 --> 00:02:25.319 trauma at the same time because like i said it 00:02:25.319 --> 00:02:29.659 was not an expected or a wanted situation so 00:02:29.659 --> 00:02:32.500 i was thrust and you know trying to figure things 00:02:32.500 --> 00:02:35.120 out you know i've got to support myself again 00:02:35.120 --> 00:02:38.780 you know and i don't recommend that for anybody 00:02:38.780 --> 00:02:43.780 but that was where i was And so I began to, when 00:02:43.780 --> 00:02:46.000 I was a single mother the first time and raised 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:49.620 my two girls, I taught school and cleaned houses 00:02:49.620 --> 00:02:53.139 on the side. And I'm very good at cleaning. I'm 00:02:53.139 --> 00:02:56.819 very detailed, oriented, but I certainly don't 00:02:56.819 --> 00:03:00.819 like it. But I'm good at it. What I do like is 00:03:00.819 --> 00:03:02.860 having my own business, being a small business 00:03:02.860 --> 00:03:07.060 owner, which I very much support small businesses 00:03:07.060 --> 00:03:12.409 in my community. And so, you know, having, okay, 00:03:12.490 --> 00:03:14.669 that, no, what can I do? I don't want to go back 00:03:14.669 --> 00:03:16.710 in the classroom. Oh, okay, I'll start a cleaning 00:03:16.710 --> 00:03:20.750 company. And so, okay, so I'm going to do that. 00:03:21.050 --> 00:03:23.889 And now I need to come up with a name. And so 00:03:23.889 --> 00:03:28.129 I want it to be eco -friendly. And blue was a 00:03:28.129 --> 00:03:31.870 synonymous color with clean. And J for Janet, 00:03:31.930 --> 00:03:34.550 my name. So it had no reference to the bird. 00:03:35.229 --> 00:03:38.979 Now, later on down. two years down the road so 00:03:38.979 --> 00:03:43.340 blue became obvious that it was the color of 00:03:43.340 --> 00:03:47.039 autism awareness which at the time two years 00:03:47.039 --> 00:03:50.280 prior i didn't know that so things are starting 00:03:50.280 --> 00:03:56.539 to connect and play out so um fast forward i 00:03:56.539 --> 00:04:00.340 started shooting out emails to my friends and 00:04:00.340 --> 00:04:03.879 and all that and they could tell they could read 00:04:03.879 --> 00:04:06.180 between the lines things aren't going well janet's 00:04:06.180 --> 00:04:10.219 in and um she's having some trouble so they all 00:04:10.219 --> 00:04:15.879 rallied around me and gave me work well sue it 00:04:15.879 --> 00:04:19.240 became obvious that i was growing way too fast 00:04:19.240 --> 00:04:22.839 for me to do all the cleaning so it was time 00:04:22.839 --> 00:04:26.699 for me to start bringing employees on to help 00:04:26.699 --> 00:04:31.379 me and at that time i i was doing residential 00:04:32.350 --> 00:04:37.170 And we found our niche in small office cleaning. 00:04:37.350 --> 00:04:43.269 So we're not competing with other big cleaning 00:04:43.269 --> 00:04:47.730 companies that would clean hospitals and large 00:04:47.730 --> 00:04:51.310 corporations, warehouses. That was not our competition. 00:04:51.430 --> 00:04:54.829 So we kind of fell in with our own niche with 00:04:54.829 --> 00:04:58.209 small office. And I had people say, do you really 00:04:58.209 --> 00:05:01.060 think there's a market for that? and i said yes 00:05:01.060 --> 00:05:04.100 and that became true that there is a niche for 00:05:04.100 --> 00:05:09.079 that and a need so when i began to bring people 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:14.620 on i was quickly disappointed and disillusioned 00:05:14.620 --> 00:05:21.139 and discouraged and frustrated you know people 00:05:21.139 --> 00:05:24.899 wouldn't show up i they came with attitudes they 00:05:24.899 --> 00:05:27.540 wouldn't clean the way i would tell them to because 00:05:27.540 --> 00:05:32.839 early on sue i developed a cleaning process this 00:05:32.839 --> 00:05:36.079 is how you clean a bathroom this is how you um 00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:39.360 clean windows so everything was broken down in 00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:42.079 the task analysis and that was the teacher part 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:47.240 of me coming out oh yeah but no you know i they 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:49.459 you know the comment well i i know how to clean 00:05:49.459 --> 00:05:52.860 well no you don't because cleaning for a business 00:05:52.860 --> 00:05:56.279 is different than you cleaning your home is is 00:05:56.279 --> 00:06:02.100 different so just came with so many issues and 00:06:02.100 --> 00:06:08.339 and just out of pure desperation I just cried 00:06:08.339 --> 00:06:13.339 out you know um I call it a prayer you know but 00:06:13.339 --> 00:06:16.300 just to cry out you know where are my employees 00:06:16.300 --> 00:06:20.879 and then all of a sudden it just came to me that 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:24.459 I need to look and it was an epiphany um it came 00:06:24.459 --> 00:06:27.259 to me that Well, you need to look at people on 00:06:27.259 --> 00:06:32.720 the spectrum. Well, consequently, in my teaching 00:06:32.720 --> 00:06:38.060 days in the classroom, I taught what in North 00:06:38.060 --> 00:06:41.259 Carolina, we have a diploma track, which allowed 00:06:41.259 --> 00:06:45.500 students to gain work hours towards a certificate 00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:48.379 to a high school diploma and teach them work 00:06:48.379 --> 00:06:50.939 related skills. And that's what I did. And I 00:06:50.939 --> 00:06:54.970 that was my I was in my zone with that. And also 00:06:54.970 --> 00:06:58.949 people with autism, we just got each other. I 00:06:58.949 --> 00:07:01.449 got them and they got me. So we just naturally 00:07:01.449 --> 00:07:07.810 gravitated. And so informally, nothing formal, 00:07:07.870 --> 00:07:11.949 but recently I've been informally diagnosed with 00:07:11.949 --> 00:07:15.389 perhaps having adult autism. As a woman, it's 00:07:15.389 --> 00:07:19.709 very different looking than it is in a male. 00:07:20.670 --> 00:07:26.889 Yeah, so that's interesting. So I just, you know, 00:07:26.889 --> 00:07:30.769 didn't want to just jump on that bandwagon. It 00:07:30.769 --> 00:07:33.810 needed to make sense. So I started listening, 00:07:34.089 --> 00:07:37.129 you know, and doing some research and talking 00:07:37.129 --> 00:07:40.129 to people in that world that I happen to have 00:07:40.129 --> 00:07:47.350 connections with. And I was told that by someone 00:07:47.350 --> 00:07:51.129 in Autism Speaks that I would see, and back then 00:07:51.129 --> 00:08:00.009 it was 2014. And then she said, you would start. 00:08:00.069 --> 00:08:01.810 She said, Janet, you're going to start seeing 00:08:01.810 --> 00:08:05.069 or we are as a culture will start seeing companies 00:08:05.069 --> 00:08:09.629 like yours, social enterprises, because I wanted 00:08:09.629 --> 00:08:12.689 to align myself with a cause. I didn't want to 00:08:12.689 --> 00:08:14.689 just have a business. I wanted to have a business 00:08:14.689 --> 00:08:19.649 that had a cause behind it. You know, so I was 00:08:19.649 --> 00:08:21.810 searching for that cause. You know, would it 00:08:21.810 --> 00:08:26.209 be veterans? Would it be? human trafficking would 00:08:26.209 --> 00:08:28.930 it be prisoner you know i was just look still 00:08:28.930 --> 00:08:34.950 looking for that that cause so now okay this 00:08:34.950 --> 00:08:41.710 is my cause and so she taught she said you would 00:08:41.710 --> 00:08:45.309 see a lot of companies like blue jay starting 00:08:45.309 --> 00:08:50.289 up because you have kids that now are have graduated 00:08:50.289 --> 00:08:55.700 through the system are now adults At home, very 00:08:55.700 --> 00:09:00.480 capable, but cannot find a job. And if they have 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:03.940 a job, they do not have skills to keep that job. 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:09.679 So I thought that makes sense because, you know, 00:09:09.779 --> 00:09:15.120 what the crisis in our society is that people 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:19.460 with disabilities and autism falls into that 00:09:19.460 --> 00:09:22.580 have the highest unemployment rate. Oh, yeah. 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:27.139 so it affects us all we are all now in this day 00:09:27.139 --> 00:09:31.179 and time affected or know someone that is affected 00:09:31.179 --> 00:09:34.980 by autism and um are faced with those challenges 00:09:34.980 --> 00:09:37.659 you know parents are faced with those challenges 00:09:37.659 --> 00:09:41.940 what happens after high school you know and i 00:09:41.940 --> 00:09:45.600 chose to be a social enterprise over a non -profit 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:51.259 because a social enterprise to me i can do was 00:09:51.259 --> 00:09:54.620 a business for profit that addresses a social 00:09:54.620 --> 00:09:56.960 need, and that's a high unemployment rate of 00:09:56.960 --> 00:10:00.179 those on the spectrum. But we also involve ourselves 00:10:00.179 --> 00:10:03.100 into our community. It's a community -based model 00:10:03.100 --> 00:10:07.639 that we integrate ourselves into the community. 00:10:08.039 --> 00:10:12.320 Some of the things that we did, we got involved 00:10:12.320 --> 00:10:19.440 in fostering the pet fostering community. We 00:10:19.440 --> 00:10:24.629 got involved in gardening for the community. 00:10:24.870 --> 00:10:29.850 So we did a lot, you know, not outside of ourselves. 00:10:29.950 --> 00:10:32.590 And that's being a social enterprise, you know, 00:10:32.590 --> 00:10:35.529 doing things in your community, you know, sharing, 00:10:35.649 --> 00:10:39.090 giving back. Yes, I'm giving back to people with 00:10:39.090 --> 00:10:42.809 autism and giving them a job opportunity. But 00:10:42.809 --> 00:10:45.649 we got to think beyond that, the business itself. 00:10:47.070 --> 00:10:49.610 And so I just, it seemed like everywhere I went, 00:10:49.649 --> 00:10:52.409 I was hearing someone that had autism. So I just 00:10:52.409 --> 00:10:56.870 really, okay, I stood up and took notice. And 00:10:56.870 --> 00:11:01.289 then the word got out in our little community 00:11:01.289 --> 00:11:04.909 that I was looking to do that. And we even were 00:11:04.909 --> 00:11:08.490 awarded a grant by Autism Speaks in the beginning 00:11:08.490 --> 00:11:10.909 because they were behind us. They wanted us to 00:11:10.909 --> 00:11:14.840 succeed. There was nothing like this. There are 00:11:14.840 --> 00:11:18.159 other nonprofits, not a cleaning business, but 00:11:18.159 --> 00:11:22.399 there is one that I know of in Chapel Hill. But 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:24.980 it's a nonprofit. But this is the first that 00:11:24.980 --> 00:11:31.460 I know of this kind that I developed for and 00:11:31.460 --> 00:11:33.480 in part by those on the alternative. They had 00:11:33.480 --> 00:11:38.789 input into this business model. that is duplicable 00:11:38.789 --> 00:11:42.210 and is a prototype that we can pass off to someone 00:11:42.210 --> 00:11:45.450 else for them to do what we did in our community. 00:11:45.690 --> 00:11:51.289 So cool. And so people with autism, I sought 00:11:51.289 --> 00:11:56.710 them out. Why? Well, not only did they face challenges 00:11:56.710 --> 00:12:00.649 in the workforce, but they had the skills I needed. 00:12:01.549 --> 00:12:06.149 Dependability, reliability, honesty to a fault. 00:12:07.639 --> 00:12:10.899 They're routine -driven. They get better with 00:12:10.899 --> 00:12:16.620 time. And they don't get bored with it. They're 00:12:16.620 --> 00:12:20.440 not going to get involved in drama. They go there 00:12:20.440 --> 00:12:22.080 and they work. They don't involve themselves 00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:26.940 in chit -chat. And they're detail -driven. Now, 00:12:26.940 --> 00:12:30.539 you can't put everybody in a box, Sue. Okay? 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:34.179 So some people didn't make the cut. And it is 00:12:34.179 --> 00:12:38.110 a business. So you had to interview. And our 00:12:38.110 --> 00:12:40.970 interview process was by way of job shadowing. 00:12:42.070 --> 00:12:44.429 Because, you know, they don't do well in the 00:12:44.429 --> 00:12:47.830 social realm. That's a challenge. But we don't 00:12:47.830 --> 00:12:50.049 shy away from those challenges. We meet them 00:12:50.049 --> 00:12:53.389 head on. And they were able to, within Blue Jay, 00:12:53.470 --> 00:12:56.129 it was like a cocoon because I understood them. 00:12:56.889 --> 00:13:02.669 And they were able to gain confidence and achieve 00:13:02.669 --> 00:13:08.460 success. and failure, which is very important. 00:13:09.100 --> 00:13:14.559 We have to allow our young people everywhere 00:13:14.559 --> 00:13:21.559 to fail. We cannot deny them that. And build 00:13:21.559 --> 00:13:25.620 their resume. Everybody who came through Blue 00:13:25.620 --> 00:13:28.340 Jay as a person on the spectrum, this was their 00:13:28.340 --> 00:13:32.669 first job. So we still have some. I sold the 00:13:32.669 --> 00:13:36.769 first Blue Jay that I had for 12, 13 years back 00:13:36.769 --> 00:13:40.129 in 2021. Because what I'm doing now, promoting 00:13:40.129 --> 00:13:43.409 the Blue Jay business in a box, is what I intended 00:13:43.409 --> 00:13:52.169 all along to do. But some are working still with 00:13:52.169 --> 00:13:56.450 Blue Jay. And then some have gone on Adam. He 00:13:56.450 --> 00:14:00.200 gained a lot of confidence within himself. got 00:14:00.200 --> 00:14:03.340 his license to drive he became a team leader 00:14:03.340 --> 00:14:07.840 he became able to take people to jobs and and 00:14:07.840 --> 00:14:13.460 back um and then he got he didn't want to work 00:14:13.460 --> 00:14:15.320 for blue jay anymore not there was anything wrong 00:14:15.320 --> 00:14:18.500 with it but he had he had aspirations for himself 00:14:18.500 --> 00:14:21.320 working for federal express was his dream job 00:14:21.320 --> 00:14:24.679 and that's where he is today and so i was able 00:14:24.679 --> 00:14:30.100 to help him develop those skills and confidence 00:14:30.100 --> 00:14:35.139 it was so we're mentors too yeah and and and 00:14:35.139 --> 00:14:38.779 we're in bringing education to the public that 00:14:38.779 --> 00:14:40.740 they come in you know our clients and so forth 00:14:40.740 --> 00:14:43.379 because they may be the only person that they've 00:14:43.379 --> 00:14:45.720 ever met with autism i told them i said you're 00:14:45.720 --> 00:14:49.080 on display you know people are watching you and 00:14:49.080 --> 00:14:55.019 so we became like family and so clients that 00:14:55.019 --> 00:14:58.509 are attracted to us Our clients, well, first 00:14:58.509 --> 00:15:01.429 of all, mom and pops, usually small business, 00:15:01.870 --> 00:15:04.509 because the bigger companies really don't want 00:15:04.509 --> 00:15:07.330 to come and clean their small office. So we're 00:15:07.330 --> 00:15:11.269 filling a need for them. And consistency, people 00:15:11.269 --> 00:15:14.269 on the spectrum offer me consistency because 00:15:14.269 --> 00:15:17.210 they will follow the process. They will not get 00:15:17.210 --> 00:15:21.149 bored with a routine. So that is a big key in 00:15:21.149 --> 00:15:23.850 the cleaning world that is a big need, finding 00:15:23.850 --> 00:15:27.250 a consistent. cleaning company so we met that 00:15:27.250 --> 00:15:30.830 need and they liked being a part of something 00:15:30.830 --> 00:15:33.750 bigger than just hiring a cleaning company so 00:15:33.750 --> 00:15:38.269 they got to involve themselves with our our workers 00:15:38.269 --> 00:15:40.850 and so they developed relationships and they 00:15:40.850 --> 00:15:44.370 learned communication and it was just endless 00:15:44.370 --> 00:15:46.830 the the you know once a teacher always the teacher 00:15:46.830 --> 00:15:49.769 right so i wasn't in the classroom anymore but 00:15:49.769 --> 00:15:54.480 yet i was so it was just natural and i don't 00:15:54.480 --> 00:15:57.259 know how much time we have but um i think the 00:15:57.259 --> 00:16:01.480 most inspiring things um would be to share some 00:16:01.480 --> 00:16:04.639 stories because it's not just my story i want 00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:07.720 to tell it's their story and i owe everything 00:16:07.720 --> 00:16:10.700 to them because like i said in the beginning 00:16:10.700 --> 00:16:13.600 when i was undergoing starting this business 00:16:13.600 --> 00:16:17.299 i was undergoing such emotional trauma that they 00:16:17.299 --> 00:16:20.399 hung in there with me They were so patient with 00:16:20.399 --> 00:16:23.159 me because I wasn't always on the top of my game. 00:16:23.840 --> 00:16:29.440 You know, I owe so much to them. So, yeah. Yeah, 00:16:29.559 --> 00:16:32.440 I definitely want to hear that. I also want to 00:16:32.440 --> 00:16:34.759 hear first, though, like. Where do you want this 00:16:34.759 --> 00:16:37.960 to go? You know, so now you had Blue Jay and 00:16:37.960 --> 00:16:41.000 now it's Blue Jay business in a box. So people 00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:43.600 are able to talk a little bit about that and 00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:45.860 what you want that to become. And yes, definitely 00:16:45.860 --> 00:16:48.539 like inspire with those stories because that's 00:16:48.539 --> 00:16:51.480 that's huge. All right. So what is my vision 00:16:51.480 --> 00:16:57.100 for Blue Jay? Cleaning business in a box. My 00:16:57.100 --> 00:17:01.980 vision is, well, is to have it everywhere, you 00:17:01.980 --> 00:17:05.240 know, because it. it cannot it doesn't just work 00:17:05.240 --> 00:17:07.880 in concord north carolina i've got one that's 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:12.559 starting up this month in greensboro north carolina 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:16.299 so it's not just a north carolina thing it's 00:17:16.299 --> 00:17:20.140 a colorado thing it's a canada thing it's a community 00:17:20.140 --> 00:17:24.019 thing uh in the philippines it because everywhere 00:17:24.019 --> 00:17:30.359 people are affected you know by you know the 00:17:31.720 --> 00:17:35.079 the working issue that people on the spectrum 00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:38.359 face. So it solves a problem. I'm the type of 00:17:38.359 --> 00:17:42.779 person, Sue, that if I have always been this 00:17:42.779 --> 00:17:46.900 way, and I guess it's the best explanation. If 00:17:46.900 --> 00:17:50.920 I see a problem and I just get a passion about 00:17:50.920 --> 00:17:56.200 it and I can see a solution, I'm going to do 00:17:56.200 --> 00:17:59.890 what I can. to do to make that solution happen 00:17:59.890 --> 00:18:04.569 you know if it's just in my little circle um 00:18:04.569 --> 00:18:09.910 so my vision is that it would be everywhere that's 00:18:09.910 --> 00:18:14.630 that that's possible you know and what i'm trying 00:18:14.630 --> 00:18:19.130 to do now is align my finding those non -profits 00:18:19.130 --> 00:18:25.609 or other businesses or groups that we share the 00:18:25.609 --> 00:18:30.869 same goal in the end but I'd like to align myself 00:18:30.869 --> 00:18:36.430 with them so that maybe they're looking to start 00:18:36.430 --> 00:18:45.069 to a business so that they can employ people 00:18:45.069 --> 00:18:49.250 in their community their group home you know 00:18:49.250 --> 00:18:52.799 and so it it could be that's kind of what i would 00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:55.420 like to do is and it seems like it's happening 00:18:55.420 --> 00:19:00.759 because um that i am i'm going to be speaking 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:04.920 at an event not far from concord in july and 00:19:04.920 --> 00:19:07.819 i've been invited to a networking group here 00:19:07.819 --> 00:19:12.019 in charlotte so you know that's kind of i gotta 00:19:12.019 --> 00:19:17.470 align myself um with people like that And then 00:19:17.470 --> 00:19:20.990 just for people, parents, special educators like 00:19:20.990 --> 00:19:24.009 myself, people that want to be a part of something 00:19:24.009 --> 00:19:26.930 bigger, that want to give back to their community, 00:19:27.049 --> 00:19:30.009 to help give someone a helping hand, not a handout, 00:19:30.309 --> 00:19:34.609 because this is not about that at all. I do not 00:19:34.609 --> 00:19:39.970 coddle my autistic employees. I probably expected 00:19:39.970 --> 00:19:42.950 and was harder on them than I was anyone else. 00:19:45.130 --> 00:19:47.170 i didn't rate i didn't lower the bar the bar 00:19:47.170 --> 00:19:50.670 was high and they reached it every time so it's 00:19:50.670 --> 00:19:54.109 not about that it's not a handout at all and 00:19:54.109 --> 00:19:57.309 not everybody gets a job with blue jay and sometimes 00:19:57.309 --> 00:20:01.970 i had to fire some because they weren't ready 00:20:01.970 --> 00:20:07.130 emotionally or socially and behaviorally so you 00:20:07.130 --> 00:20:09.349 know there's a lot of factors that go into but 00:20:09.349 --> 00:20:13.410 by it is not i'm not giving anyone a job i'm 00:20:13.410 --> 00:20:15.930 offering them an opportunity that's beautiful 00:20:15.930 --> 00:20:20.809 tell me your favorite success story okay i'm 00:20:20.809 --> 00:20:22.529 going to tell you about eric since i've already 00:20:22.529 --> 00:20:27.690 told you about adam eric was my first person 00:20:27.690 --> 00:20:31.390 that i hired on the spectrum and and i want to 00:20:31.390 --> 00:20:34.289 make sure everybody understands that i saw these 00:20:34.289 --> 00:20:38.630 guys out because they had the skill set i needed 00:20:38.630 --> 00:20:43.359 so we helped each other So Eric was my first 00:20:43.359 --> 00:20:47.440 hire and I was told that Eric really probably 00:20:47.440 --> 00:20:50.279 wouldn't be able to work independently. And so 00:20:50.279 --> 00:20:53.680 you have to be able to work independently. So 00:20:53.680 --> 00:21:00.380 I, I didn't believe that. And so in the end, 00:21:00.380 --> 00:21:06.900 Eric was allowed. I trusted Eric. And see, I 00:21:06.900 --> 00:21:10.440 expected of him and expected of all my employees 00:21:10.440 --> 00:21:16.099 until I was proven otherwise. And so once Eric 00:21:16.099 --> 00:21:19.200 lived with his mom and she had developed cancer 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:23.640 and she was no longer, this particular day, she 00:21:23.640 --> 00:21:26.839 was no longer able to take him to work. Now, 00:21:26.859 --> 00:21:30.039 at this time, Eric had been with Blue Jay for 00:21:30.039 --> 00:21:32.880 a little while. He had earned the right to have, 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:37.339 he got promoted. He got a raise. He was what 00:21:37.339 --> 00:21:40.559 we call the keeper of the keys. And there was 00:21:40.559 --> 00:21:44.039 a pretty large ring of keys. And nobody dared 00:21:44.039 --> 00:21:46.799 take those keys away from Eric. And they tried, 00:21:47.000 --> 00:21:50.700 but didn't succeed. And I told that person who 00:21:50.700 --> 00:21:54.059 was not on the spectrum, like you and me, I said, 00:21:54.119 --> 00:21:56.539 you've got to trust Eric with the keys. He's 00:21:56.539 --> 00:21:58.619 the keeper of those keys. Do not take those keys 00:21:58.619 --> 00:22:03.759 from Eric. And some people couldn't understand. 00:22:03.819 --> 00:22:07.230 I know I'm rambling. some people couldn't understand 00:22:07.230 --> 00:22:10.390 how i was able to give them so much responsibility 00:22:10.390 --> 00:22:16.130 you know i trusted them you know they were that 00:22:16.130 --> 00:22:18.829 they were the ones in charge a lot of the times 00:22:18.829 --> 00:22:23.829 so eric found himself and i couldn't take eric 00:22:23.829 --> 00:22:26.109 this particular time he never asked me either 00:22:26.109 --> 00:22:30.509 but it became apparent later that when eric was 00:22:30.509 --> 00:22:33.750 on his job i don't know how it came up in conversation 00:22:34.650 --> 00:22:36.549 But I said, Eric, how did you get to work today? 00:22:37.349 --> 00:22:40.990 He said, well, I took the bus. And Eric really 00:22:40.990 --> 00:22:44.630 didn't talk much. You wouldn't say he was nonverbal, 00:22:44.630 --> 00:22:48.230 but he didn't talk much. And so I said, you wrote 00:22:48.230 --> 00:22:50.250 the bus? He said, yeah. I said, well, how did 00:22:50.250 --> 00:22:53.029 you know what bus to take? He said, I got on 00:22:53.029 --> 00:22:56.190 the computer and I looked at the bus routes that 00:22:56.190 --> 00:22:59.670 I would need to take from my house area to my 00:22:59.670 --> 00:23:03.240 job. And that's what I did. And I said, how about 00:23:03.240 --> 00:23:06.559 the vacuum cleaner? Because we had so little 00:23:06.559 --> 00:23:09.740 capital that we only had like one vacuum cleaner 00:23:09.740 --> 00:23:12.200 for many jobs. So we had to take that vacuum 00:23:12.200 --> 00:23:15.099 cleaner all around. We had humble beginnings, 00:23:15.400 --> 00:23:19.140 believe me. And so he said, I just took it with 00:23:19.140 --> 00:23:24.019 me on the bus. And so Eric, to everyone's surprise, 00:23:24.220 --> 00:23:26.200 you see what I'm saying? Do you get what I'm 00:23:26.200 --> 00:23:33.019 trying to say? no one told eric that he he didn't 00:23:33.019 --> 00:23:36.140 ask anyone he took responsibility for his own 00:23:36.140 --> 00:23:39.140 self he had a problem how am i going to get to 00:23:39.140 --> 00:23:44.220 work he figured it out he figured it out and 00:23:44.220 --> 00:23:49.099 if given that opportunity they can do it see 00:23:49.099 --> 00:23:52.319 that's what blue jay gave them it gave them an 00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:58.119 opportunity to not be not to depend on someone, 00:23:58.359 --> 00:24:02.599 a job coach or a teacher, to tell them the next 00:24:02.599 --> 00:24:05.640 move to make. Because a lot of times in school, 00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:11.819 they become what I call Q -dependent. They are 00:24:11.819 --> 00:24:15.960 not allowed to problem solve and then figure 00:24:15.960 --> 00:24:19.619 it out. Whether they make a mistake or not, that's 00:24:19.619 --> 00:24:23.319 part of life. So they're not protected from those 00:24:23.319 --> 00:24:27.539 things. But encouraged, they've given the space. 00:24:27.940 --> 00:24:31.119 And evidently, he gained the confidence within 00:24:31.119 --> 00:24:34.299 himself to do that. And when Eric had to leave 00:24:34.299 --> 00:24:36.859 and move to South Carolina because his mother 00:24:36.859 --> 00:24:38.880 passed away and he moved in with his sister, 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:43.299 it was a big loss. Oh, yeah. It was a big loss 00:24:43.299 --> 00:24:45.640 when we lost Eric. Thank you for being here today. 00:24:45.819 --> 00:24:47.579 I'm really happy that you tuned in to Vision 00:24:47.579 --> 00:24:50.220 Pros Live. I'm looking forward to seeing your 00:24:50.220 --> 00:24:53.000 reactions as these episodes continue to move 00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:54.940 forward. This is going to get more and more fun. 00:24:54.980 --> 00:24:56.839 We'll have more and more engagement as well. 00:24:56.859 --> 00:24:58.779 We'll invite people to participate in the show. 00:24:58.920 --> 00:25:00.960 And thank you for giving us your time and attention. 00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:03.880 Have an excellent time building out your vision 00:25:03.880 --> 00:25:05.259 and becoming a vision pro yourself.