WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.879 Hello and good morning. I'm Javanka McGee, co 00:00:02.879 --> 00:00:06.000 -host of Vision Pros Live. Thank you so much 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:09.019 for joining me this morning. I, of course, am 00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:10.839 going to ask you to tell me your first, your 00:00:10.839 --> 00:00:13.119 last name, the name of your company, and also 00:00:13.119 --> 00:00:16.010 where you're located. All right. Sounds good. 00:00:16.010 --> 00:00:19.750 Good to be on your show, Javanka. My name is 00:00:19.750 --> 00:00:22.949 Maile. Last name is Astale. I'm the CEO and the 00:00:22.949 --> 00:00:26.109 founder of SmartVines Marketing. We're based 00:00:26.109 --> 00:00:28.449 out of Detroit, Michigan in the Detroit metropolitan 00:00:28.449 --> 00:00:33.049 area. And we've been here for 38 years. Did y 00:00:33.049 --> 00:00:37.009 'all hear that? 38 years. You don't hear about 00:00:37.009 --> 00:00:40.130 a lot of people being around for 38 years, which 00:00:40.130 --> 00:00:43.439 means, Maile, that you've made it through. and 00:00:43.439 --> 00:00:46.500 successfully gone through a lot of things to 00:00:46.500 --> 00:00:48.780 include what we talked about before. And then 00:00:48.780 --> 00:00:52.140 also not to mention COVID. Can you just tell 00:00:52.140 --> 00:00:56.979 me, how did you survive all of this? 38 years. 00:00:57.020 --> 00:01:00.899 Yeah. Well, we did really well until about 2009. 00:01:01.140 --> 00:01:04.040 And I was talking about that before the show 00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:07.980 started. And so we have experienced two very 00:01:07.980 --> 00:01:13.140 significant. uh you know ultimately financial 00:01:13.140 --> 00:01:17.780 impacts uh that businesses will go through and 00:01:17.780 --> 00:01:20.319 the first was the financial crisis from 2009 00:01:20.319 --> 00:01:24.599 which lasted through 2010 a very difficult time 00:01:24.599 --> 00:01:27.239 especially with detroit being ground zero and 00:01:27.239 --> 00:01:29.340 you've got the big three automakers in our backyard 00:01:29.340 --> 00:01:32.879 all filing for bankruptcy and so yeah we that 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:36.519 was one that was a very hard lesson to learn 00:01:36.519 --> 00:01:40.079 it was also a hard lesson to get through not 00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:42.640 to mention you know trying to recover starting 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:46.079 in 2011. the other major impact that we ran into 00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:49.439 was the pandemic however this this time around 00:01:49.439 --> 00:01:53.019 uh we were definitely better prepared um in terms 00:01:53.019 --> 00:01:55.620 of how you know we we changed how we handle our 00:01:55.620 --> 00:01:59.500 finances after the financial crisis and so we 00:01:59.500 --> 00:02:01.260 were better prepared and we were able to you 00:02:01.260 --> 00:02:04.280 know get you know kind of coast through the pandemic 00:02:04.280 --> 00:02:07.420 without major issue. Now, did we have a slowdown 00:02:07.420 --> 00:02:10.000 in customer activity? The answer is yes, obviously 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:13.419 we did. I mean, I think everybody did. Did we 00:02:13.419 --> 00:02:16.879 have a slowdown in, you know, prospects, lead 00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:19.460 generation, all of that slowed down, no question. 00:02:19.780 --> 00:02:23.259 But because we were financially prepared for 00:02:23.259 --> 00:02:25.699 another disaster, no matter when it might come 00:02:25.699 --> 00:02:29.460 or how it comes, we actually took the time during 00:02:29.460 --> 00:02:33.520 the pandemic to rebrand ourselves. and recreate 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:36.219 our message and because we're an award -winning 00:02:36.219 --> 00:02:38.240 marketing agency in the state of Michigan we 00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:40.939 also had consulting resources that we were tapped 00:02:40.939 --> 00:02:44.620 into during that time and so the logo you see 00:02:44.620 --> 00:02:49.020 behind me is actually a new one since 2021 and 00:02:49.020 --> 00:02:52.099 our colors are different our websites changed 00:02:52.099 --> 00:02:54.979 we kind of went you know we took the time during 00:02:54.979 --> 00:02:58.219 that whatever one year period or so when things 00:02:58.219 --> 00:03:00.500 were slow and the team just got together and 00:03:00.500 --> 00:03:02.000 everybody took a different piece of the puzzle. 00:03:02.099 --> 00:03:04.580 And we worked on, you know, our message, our 00:03:04.580 --> 00:03:07.500 marketing activities afterwards. So yeah, I mean, 00:03:07.539 --> 00:03:10.080 I think, you know, you have to experience it 00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:12.180 sometimes to be able to figure out, well, what 00:03:12.180 --> 00:03:14.400 do you do? You know, how do you get through it? 00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:17.599 But having gone through the financial crisis, 00:03:17.699 --> 00:03:21.740 the pandemic was a breeze. Yes, I bet, I bet. 00:03:22.020 --> 00:03:25.310 And I love the fact that you mentioned That you 00:03:25.310 --> 00:03:27.650 took some time to rebrand yourself. That's one 00:03:27.650 --> 00:03:31.069 of the big things nowadays is branding yourself. 00:03:33.210 --> 00:03:35.530 and making sure that that brand follows you, 00:03:35.590 --> 00:03:38.430 right? I do want to ask, this is very randomly, 00:03:38.569 --> 00:03:41.849 you mentioned earlier that you're the CEO and 00:03:41.849 --> 00:03:44.530 the founder. I don't think I've ever asked this 00:03:44.530 --> 00:03:46.870 question of anyone else, but with your experience, 00:03:47.189 --> 00:03:51.289 how do you determine how to label your role in 00:03:51.289 --> 00:03:54.270 your business when you are the CEO and the founder? 00:03:55.050 --> 00:04:02.250 Yeah, so I think part of it's my age. I think. 00:04:02.639 --> 00:04:04.979 in the early days when i was much younger let's 00:04:04.979 --> 00:04:09.300 go back 30 years right i was ceo and uh as far 00:04:09.300 --> 00:04:12.020 as you know are the different firms that we had 00:04:12.020 --> 00:04:15.099 under our corporate umbrella um but i can tell 00:04:15.099 --> 00:04:18.819 you that as i've reached now i'm 62 as i've reached 00:04:18.819 --> 00:04:22.420 this an older age i'm slowly moving to just calling 00:04:22.420 --> 00:04:30.829 myself founder okay progression That also translates 00:04:30.829 --> 00:04:33.329 to backing out of the business a little bit and 00:04:33.329 --> 00:04:36.750 let the team just run on their own. Sounds like 00:04:36.750 --> 00:04:40.410 you got an exit plan. I don't have an exit plan. 00:04:40.490 --> 00:04:44.850 I'm not ready to stop anything. But I am suggesting, 00:04:44.889 --> 00:04:47.110 and maybe I need to pull out of the day -to -day 00:04:47.110 --> 00:04:49.170 activities even further. I mean, believe me, 00:04:49.170 --> 00:04:53.180 the team I have is great. They can operate. They 00:04:53.180 --> 00:04:55.120 know they have the authority and the responsibility 00:04:55.120 --> 00:04:57.779 to do whatever it takes to get the job done. 00:04:57.860 --> 00:05:00.620 They don't need me micromanaging them. That's 00:05:00.620 --> 00:05:02.220 not, you know, that's a different issue. But 00:05:02.220 --> 00:05:04.379 by the same token, I'm still involved in the 00:05:04.379 --> 00:05:06.620 day -to -day activities of what's going on. And 00:05:06.620 --> 00:05:11.000 so the question is, well, can I pull out of that 00:05:11.000 --> 00:05:14.240 as well? And then just stick to that founder 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:19.540 role. Yes, yes. And it's because it's... When 00:05:19.540 --> 00:05:22.300 it is said, it's very interesting. It's like 00:05:22.300 --> 00:05:25.139 when people start a business and you're an entrepreneur 00:05:25.139 --> 00:05:28.779 or a solopreneur, I've often wondered, like, 00:05:28.779 --> 00:05:31.079 what do you call yourself? Where do you start 00:05:31.079 --> 00:05:34.180 at? So that's why it's so very random. Yeah, 00:05:34.180 --> 00:05:39.000 yeah, yeah. That's my idea of how I would describe 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:41.480 it. Like I said, with the years of experience, 00:05:41.699 --> 00:05:45.939 mainly, I'm like, this is the best time to ask 00:05:45.939 --> 00:05:49.860 the best person. Because I thought I was super 00:05:49.860 --> 00:05:53.740 going to get this technical, this on the Richter 00:05:53.740 --> 00:05:56.439 scale as you go through these years. This is 00:05:56.439 --> 00:05:59.040 what you like. But I love that. So tell me more 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:04.079 about Smart Finds Marketing. Our firm is what 00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:07.100 I would effectively say is a 360 marketing agency. 00:06:07.819 --> 00:06:11.699 I've got a team of 25. We've got technical, creative, 00:06:12.100 --> 00:06:16.399 marketing, writers. Everybody's in Detroit. The 00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:19.360 team has been with me since 2011 post financial 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:22.860 crisis, and we all get along very well and work 00:06:22.860 --> 00:06:26.899 very well together. So, as you can imagine, because 00:06:26.899 --> 00:06:29.439 we're in Detroit, you know, we work with manufacturers 00:06:29.439 --> 00:06:33.120 and if you're in Detroit and doing anything, 00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:35.529 you're going to be. working uh in the automotive 00:06:35.529 --> 00:06:38.670 sector so that's your starting point um but beyond 00:06:38.670 --> 00:06:42.250 that um you know we've we've kind of migrated 00:06:42.250 --> 00:06:46.750 especially post pandemic into b2b primarily okay 00:06:46.750 --> 00:06:50.850 b2c prior to the pandemic was a lot of fun we 00:06:50.850 --> 00:06:53.089 you know obviously generated a lot of revenue 00:06:53.089 --> 00:06:56.709 but it was also a huge headache and when the 00:06:56.709 --> 00:06:59.730 financial crisis came we were left holding the 00:06:59.730 --> 00:07:04.269 bag because of the b2c clients yes whereas With 00:07:04.269 --> 00:07:07.670 the B2B, I don't have that exposure, especially 00:07:07.670 --> 00:07:09.629 with the advertising budgets and so on and so 00:07:09.629 --> 00:07:14.670 forth. It's a more direct approach. It allows 00:07:14.670 --> 00:07:20.670 for time to show results. It's not as stressful 00:07:20.670 --> 00:07:24.189 either. And so and I think that also helped get 00:07:24.189 --> 00:07:26.310 us through the pandemic, not having B2C clients. 00:07:26.509 --> 00:07:30.589 And so, you know, from our standpoint, there's 00:07:30.589 --> 00:07:35.550 nothing we don't do anymore. We, you know, take 00:07:35.550 --> 00:07:40.629 a project, take a problem that a client, you 00:07:40.629 --> 00:07:43.189 know, a company might have relative to their 00:07:43.189 --> 00:07:46.089 branding, their messaging, their marketing efforts, 00:07:46.230 --> 00:07:49.649 their emails, their advertising, whatever. Obviously, 00:07:49.850 --> 00:07:54.970 you know, we can come in and be somebody's digital 00:07:54.970 --> 00:07:58.269 marketing department, literally. We, especially 00:07:58.269 --> 00:08:00.629 with our large corporate clients, we actually 00:08:00.629 --> 00:08:04.300 are in support. of an existing marketing team. 00:08:04.540 --> 00:08:06.620 So they usually have anywhere from three to five 00:08:06.620 --> 00:08:09.459 people. It's not enough. The three to five people 00:08:09.459 --> 00:08:11.339 alone, especially in a large corporation, can 00:08:11.339 --> 00:08:14.040 only handle internal marketing efforts, let alone 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:16.740 external. We come in and we support them with 00:08:16.740 --> 00:08:18.639 the external work while they handle the internal. 00:08:18.819 --> 00:08:21.899 So that's the other scenario. And the third scenario 00:08:21.899 --> 00:08:24.480 that we run into is we come in as a fractional 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:28.740 CMO. And that's a little bit different than being 00:08:28.740 --> 00:08:32.669 the digital marketing department for somebody 00:08:32.669 --> 00:08:35.169 or the marketing department. Fractional CMO says 00:08:35.169 --> 00:08:38.049 we're directly working with somebody else of 00:08:38.049 --> 00:08:42.250 authority and we need to get permission for the 00:08:42.250 --> 00:08:45.110 work that we're doing. Whereas in the case where 00:08:45.110 --> 00:08:47.250 we come in and we become the marketing department, 00:08:47.669 --> 00:08:50.470 we're not asking anybody. The CEO has given us 00:08:50.470 --> 00:08:52.330 the authority. We're running with it, right? 00:08:52.389 --> 00:08:54.909 So there's a little difference in terms of how 00:08:54.909 --> 00:08:57.889 we become the strategic partner for a company. 00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:00.759 um those are kind of the three different levels 00:09:00.759 --> 00:09:05.419 we get into um do we work with startup yes usually 00:09:05.419 --> 00:09:07.759 they're well funded and we can come in the door 00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:10.600 and uh you know work with them on a variety of 00:09:10.600 --> 00:09:13.259 elements in terms of starting their company and 00:09:13.259 --> 00:09:16.100 moving them forward so that's uh another area 00:09:16.100 --> 00:09:22.259 that we've worked on um but uh you know i think 00:09:22.259 --> 00:09:25.360 the last thing i'm gonna say is as you can imagine 00:09:26.299 --> 00:09:28.639 with 38 years out there, and especially with 00:09:28.639 --> 00:09:31.360 an internet group that we started in 94, we've 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:34.440 gone through a lot of changes. And I think that's 00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:36.820 the other important part of this of this industry 00:09:36.820 --> 00:09:40.399 and of business in today's world is how do you 00:09:40.399 --> 00:09:43.779 adapt to the changes? I don't want to take up 00:09:43.779 --> 00:09:45.639 all your time in your podcast, but I could talk 00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:50.519 about that a whole even further. Yes, yes. And, 00:09:50.639 --> 00:09:54.419 you know, you use some acronyms and I won't say 00:09:54.419 --> 00:09:56.960 what they are, but do me a favor for those that 00:09:56.960 --> 00:09:59.179 are listening and are just starting up wanting 00:09:59.179 --> 00:10:02.600 to get where you are today. Share with them what 00:10:02.600 --> 00:10:09.240 B2B is, B2C is, and CMO. Okay. So B2B is business 00:10:09.240 --> 00:10:11.960 to business, right? So business to business marketing 00:10:11.960 --> 00:10:14.799 is a different approach and different strategy. 00:10:15.460 --> 00:10:18.480 Whereas you have business to consumer, which 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:21.440 is the B2C segment, and business to consumer, 00:10:21.639 --> 00:10:25.679 first of all, in order to get it done, you need 00:10:25.679 --> 00:10:29.500 a larger budget. Everything has to be done every 00:10:29.500 --> 00:10:34.000 day. And it has to be changed. It's a very rigorous 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:38.240 strategy. It's a very rigorous activity and it's 00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:40.840 nonstop. You don't get to hold, you can't even 00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:43.600 hold your breath. Okay. So B2C is different. 00:10:44.480 --> 00:10:47.580 CMO is chief marketing officer, which is usually. 00:10:48.059 --> 00:10:50.179 who the people we are that, you know, that we 00:10:50.179 --> 00:10:53.379 work with at our clients or they're the senior 00:10:53.379 --> 00:10:55.879 VP of marketing, but chief marketing officer 00:10:55.879 --> 00:11:00.700 is the next most important element in working 00:11:00.700 --> 00:11:04.200 with businesses. Thank you. Thank you so much. 00:11:04.539 --> 00:11:07.840 I love the fact that you, you do have so much 00:11:07.840 --> 00:11:09.759 and I'm just going to bring this back up. So 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:12.419 if you're listening. You guys hear him say 1994? 00:11:14.919 --> 00:11:19.580 Someone that has gone through something to get 00:11:19.580 --> 00:11:22.840 through to where he is. And it's funny because 00:11:22.840 --> 00:11:26.659 your name says a lot to me. Smart finds. You 00:11:26.659 --> 00:11:29.240 know, it's not like you started something and 00:11:29.240 --> 00:11:32.179 you knew exactly what you, you know, what direction 00:11:32.179 --> 00:11:35.039 you were going into. I'm sure it was this, you 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:37.759 know, this up and down type of road, as you mentioned. 00:11:38.940 --> 00:11:44.399 2009 and then the pandemic. As you continue going 00:11:44.399 --> 00:11:46.919 through and making it, what, you got two years 00:11:46.919 --> 00:11:54.399 till you hit 40? Your vision in 94 is completely 00:11:54.399 --> 00:11:57.860 from your vision today. So just do me a favor 00:11:57.860 --> 00:12:00.980 and tell me about your vision. Yeah, I mean, 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:03.960 you're right. I mean, when I started, I was in 00:12:03.960 --> 00:12:08.470 a whole other world at that time. You know, I'm 00:12:08.470 --> 00:12:13.309 40 years younger back in those days. And the 00:12:13.309 --> 00:12:15.909 vision was with a lot of energy that I had in 00:12:15.909 --> 00:12:18.250 there is just to build a company, grow a company, 00:12:18.309 --> 00:12:21.110 and just make a lot of money, right? And not 00:12:21.110 --> 00:12:25.710 to say that that has changed per se, but as I've 00:12:25.710 --> 00:12:28.549 gotten older, my vision is changing relative 00:12:28.549 --> 00:12:33.100 to being a leader. And I think that's the difference 00:12:33.100 --> 00:12:37.500 in where I am today. And I'm saying that's my 00:12:37.500 --> 00:12:39.740 personal vision. I'm not suggesting this is my 00:12:39.740 --> 00:12:43.340 company vision. You know, the company continues 00:12:43.340 --> 00:12:48.240 to focus on what we're going to do. But again, 00:12:48.360 --> 00:12:51.159 just as much as I told you how my description 00:12:51.159 --> 00:12:54.500 of CEO to founder has changed over the years, 00:12:54.620 --> 00:12:58.080 right? The same thing goes with my vision, and 00:12:58.080 --> 00:13:03.620 especially at a... at a personal level. In other 00:13:03.620 --> 00:13:07.399 words, you know, how do I bring out the best 00:13:07.399 --> 00:13:12.539 in others, for example, right? How do I help 00:13:12.539 --> 00:13:18.700 people and organizations, you know, to see, to 00:13:18.700 --> 00:13:22.259 take them to another level, to take them to limits 00:13:22.259 --> 00:13:30.700 or solve problems? Yeah. You know, my vision 00:13:30.700 --> 00:13:34.299 tends to go in that direction. You know, it's 00:13:34.299 --> 00:13:37.120 about strategy. It's about storytelling. It's 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:39.279 about technology, right? And how do you pull 00:13:39.279 --> 00:13:41.419 all these together, not just in the business 00:13:41.419 --> 00:13:44.340 environment, but then in the digital environment? 00:13:45.340 --> 00:13:49.200 You know, let's face it, in the last three years, 00:13:49.259 --> 00:13:52.100 we're going on almost three years. We've been, 00:13:52.120 --> 00:13:55.419 you know, we're in the AI world. We're being 00:13:55.419 --> 00:13:58.399 bombarded with AI from multiple different directions. 00:13:59.299 --> 00:14:02.240 And this goes back to this idea that I mentioned 00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:05.399 earlier. You have to be able to adapt to changes. 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:10.440 You know, getting, staying stuck in one place 00:14:10.440 --> 00:14:13.740 and saying, I'm comfortable here. It doesn't 00:14:13.740 --> 00:14:17.019 work. It just doesn't. You have to find a way 00:14:17.019 --> 00:14:22.759 to move forward. Yes. And adapting isn't. Isn't 00:14:22.759 --> 00:14:26.279 easy at all. I also believe, strongly believe 00:14:26.279 --> 00:14:29.059 that being an entrepreneur or business owner 00:14:29.059 --> 00:14:32.159 is not for the weak because then adapting becomes 00:14:32.159 --> 00:14:38.110 probably even more challenging. It's I love that 00:14:38.110 --> 00:14:40.409 you mentioned that because you don't get to where 00:14:40.409 --> 00:14:43.409 you are just with the same vision. Right. And 00:14:43.409 --> 00:14:45.830 I love how you said, you know, the energy that 00:14:45.830 --> 00:14:47.889 you have to, you know, get my own business and 00:14:47.889 --> 00:14:50.669 make a lot of money, because I believe that that's 00:14:50.669 --> 00:14:54.649 how a lot of people start off. But what I love 00:14:54.649 --> 00:14:58.009 mainly is how you transition into wanting to 00:14:58.009 --> 00:15:01.490 be a leader. And when you said that, my body 00:15:01.490 --> 00:15:04.490 just went into calm mode because I love the fact 00:15:04.490 --> 00:15:07.340 that. You may have made all the money. You do 00:15:07.340 --> 00:15:10.320 have a business. But being a leader puts you 00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:14.019 in such a different position of where your mission 00:15:14.019 --> 00:15:19.639 begins to just grow and evolve. And so, of course, 00:15:19.659 --> 00:15:22.480 I have one more question for you. What's your 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:27.899 why? What's my why? That's a good question. What's 00:15:27.899 --> 00:15:31.740 my why? And I don't know if I have an answer 00:15:31.740 --> 00:15:37.769 on that. What's my why? If I had to think about 00:15:37.769 --> 00:15:39.370 that, because as you were talking, I had other 00:15:39.370 --> 00:15:45.870 things in my mind. Yeah. I said, I'm a hero. 00:15:47.690 --> 00:15:51.210 Because, you know, it's interesting. And the 00:15:51.210 --> 00:15:54.710 reason why I did that, because there is you, 00:15:54.830 --> 00:15:57.269 you speak with passion. You're not just speaking 00:15:57.269 --> 00:16:00.379 just to. Just to tell people, hey, just become 00:16:00.379 --> 00:16:03.279 a business owner and get your marketing together 00:16:03.279 --> 00:16:06.500 and have this amazing brand. You didn't start 00:16:06.500 --> 00:16:09.659 this in 1994 and end up to where you are right 00:16:09.659 --> 00:16:13.299 now without a why. So I was like. Yeah. So, yeah, 00:16:13.399 --> 00:16:16.000 I think, you know, I think we have to keep in 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:20.539 mind that I think a lot of it has to deal deal 00:16:20.539 --> 00:16:23.740 do with the person. OK. And the person in my 00:16:23.740 --> 00:16:27.110 case is I'm an early adopter. Yeah. OK. All right. 00:16:27.190 --> 00:16:30.690 And so if you if anybody's ever read the book 00:16:30.690 --> 00:16:33.889 Crossing the Chasm, by all means, please do read 00:16:33.889 --> 00:16:37.409 it if you haven't, because it is about change. 00:16:37.549 --> 00:16:40.590 Yeah. And over the years, this is where, you 00:16:40.590 --> 00:16:46.250 know, I have kind of built up around my what 00:16:46.250 --> 00:16:49.169 I call my four A's of marketing or if you want 00:16:49.169 --> 00:16:51.990 to call it four A's of change. You need to anticipate 00:16:51.990 --> 00:16:54.309 change, which usually is the easiest for everybody. 00:16:55.720 --> 00:16:58.200 The second one is the hardest. It's accepting 00:16:58.200 --> 00:17:04.579 change. You can sit there and say, yes, I can 00:17:04.579 --> 00:17:06.500 accept change, but I will tell you most people 00:17:06.500 --> 00:17:11.079 don't. And they will fret, fuss, and fume because 00:17:11.079 --> 00:17:14.980 of that change. And while they're fretting, fussing, 00:17:14.980 --> 00:17:17.259 and fuming, their competitors are moving ahead 00:17:17.259 --> 00:17:21.599 of them. There is no version of waiting for something 00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:24.420 to prove itself for you to say, yes, now I'm 00:17:24.420 --> 00:17:26.910 ready. i'm sorry that just doesn't work in today's 00:17:26.910 --> 00:17:30.269 world you have to just run with it try it out 00:17:30.269 --> 00:17:34.509 see test it out you know you won't lose i guarantee 00:17:34.509 --> 00:17:37.009 you you will have learned something so you can 00:17:37.009 --> 00:17:40.450 move on to the next change or the next item so 00:17:40.450 --> 00:17:43.569 accepting that change isn't tends to be an emotional 00:17:43.569 --> 00:17:48.410 uh uh emotional of impact on a lot of people 00:17:48.410 --> 00:17:51.269 rather than a logical one now if you're gonna 00:17:51.630 --> 00:17:54.410 get past that point then it's about adapting 00:17:54.410 --> 00:17:56.930 to the changes right in others what do you need 00:17:56.930 --> 00:18:00.250 to do to move yourself forward with that change 00:18:00.250 --> 00:18:02.769 and the last one tends to be the easiest which 00:18:02.769 --> 00:18:05.950 is adopting the change and implementing the changes 00:18:05.950 --> 00:18:09.190 so those are my four a's okay and you know if 00:18:09.190 --> 00:18:12.910 i take those four a's um and if i you know if 00:18:12.910 --> 00:18:15.390 i had to answer your why as i had a little bit 00:18:15.390 --> 00:18:17.609 of time to think now i'm going to say that i 00:18:17.609 --> 00:18:22.009 am really there and always have been about challenging 00:18:22.009 --> 00:18:25.789 outdated thinking and that comes as a direct 00:18:25.789 --> 00:18:28.390 response with me being an early adopter you can't 00:18:28.390 --> 00:18:33.069 be an early adopter and um not challenge outdated 00:18:33.069 --> 00:18:35.829 thinking because the bottom line is the world 00:18:35.829 --> 00:18:39.430 has changed we're 200 years where the world was 00:18:39.430 --> 00:18:42.609 50 years 100 200 years ago is a whole lot different 00:18:42.609 --> 00:18:45.369 than where we are today and so trying to bring 00:18:45.369 --> 00:18:50.940 that past and implemented in today's world and 00:18:50.940 --> 00:18:53.160 into the future doesn't work. The only thing 00:18:53.160 --> 00:18:55.440 you can do with the past is learn from it. So 00:18:55.440 --> 00:18:58.619 my why is about challenging outdated thinking, 00:18:58.859 --> 00:19:01.980 introducing something creative, practical, right? 00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:08.000 Essentially trying, it's about forward thinking 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:11.519 at the end of the day. Yeah. And you said anticipate, 00:19:11.980 --> 00:19:16.740 accept. Anticipate change, accept change. Adapt. 00:19:16.900 --> 00:19:23.220 Adapt. Yep. And adapt. Adopt. Adopt. Adopt and 00:19:23.220 --> 00:19:27.819 adapt. Two different words. And I love how you 00:19:27.819 --> 00:19:31.420 just, man, I really, really, truly appreciate 00:19:31.420 --> 00:19:36.140 this because it definitely helps those that are 00:19:36.140 --> 00:19:39.539 just in that mindset because anticipating, I'm 00:19:39.539 --> 00:19:41.019 going to be honest and I'm going to put myself 00:19:41.019 --> 00:19:43.160 out there, Maylee, I never even thought about. 00:19:43.609 --> 00:19:46.769 doing that right because that's inevitable right 00:19:46.769 --> 00:19:49.930 it changes inevitable but you don't think about 00:19:49.930 --> 00:19:53.269 anticipating what type of change just change 00:19:53.269 --> 00:19:56.450 in general right so i guess it's in my mind as 00:19:56.450 --> 00:20:00.529 i'm thinking here it's not the it's the uncertainty 00:20:00.529 --> 00:20:04.390 that you anticipate because of the simple fact 00:20:04.390 --> 00:20:07.410 that it's it's it's inevitable you know so that's 00:20:07.410 --> 00:20:10.509 really good i i really like that and and i mean 00:20:10.509 --> 00:20:13.680 think of anticipate change you know if i Turn 00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:17.160 this around into the Boy Scouts motto, right? 00:20:17.259 --> 00:20:21.759 And my youngest son went up to being an Eagle 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:24.079 Scout. Boy Scouts motto is be prepared, right? 00:20:24.140 --> 00:20:28.680 Anticipate change is that. Be prepared. And as 00:20:28.680 --> 00:20:33.059 long as you can at least ask yourself questions 00:20:33.059 --> 00:20:39.160 and use those questions to answer yourself, right? 00:20:39.380 --> 00:20:42.460 That's the anticipate change process, essentially. 00:20:43.129 --> 00:20:46.609 I hate to say go to chat GPT, but let's face 00:20:46.609 --> 00:20:50.849 it. I was thinking the same thing. Use GPT. I 00:20:50.849 --> 00:20:53.750 don't care what you do. Just ask them something 00:20:53.750 --> 00:20:58.190 or someone or yes. Right, exactly. Find some 00:20:58.190 --> 00:21:03.349 ideas up. And it's, like I said, it's interesting 00:21:03.349 --> 00:21:06.710 because if I am sitting here and being very honest 00:21:06.710 --> 00:21:10.559 and not thinking about that first step. I believe 00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:13.420 that those that are listening, if you start that 00:21:13.420 --> 00:21:16.819 off, I think that's even a day to day kind of 00:21:16.819 --> 00:21:19.819 statement or four A's that you can use every 00:21:19.819 --> 00:21:23.619 day when you wake up, anticipate change, you 00:21:23.619 --> 00:21:26.940 know, accept it and adapt and adopt. You can 00:21:26.940 --> 00:21:31.099 use that every day. So if you're listening, use 00:21:31.099 --> 00:21:33.059 it every day. You know what I mean? But then 00:21:33.059 --> 00:21:35.880 also, Maylee, I don't want to keep you any longer. 00:21:35.920 --> 00:21:39.779 Please share with myself and everyone else. the 00:21:39.779 --> 00:21:43.000 website that they can possibly reach you at, 00:21:43.059 --> 00:21:45.500 get more information and your social media handles? 00:21:45.880 --> 00:21:49.519 Sure. So first of all, the company's website 00:21:49.519 --> 00:21:53.380 is smartfindsmarketing .com. That's the easy 00:21:53.380 --> 00:21:56.460 part. If you want to reach me, the best place 00:21:56.460 --> 00:22:00.220 to reach me is on LinkedIn. I have 22 ,000 really 00:22:00.220 --> 00:22:06.460 close friends. So I guarantee I'm the only Malia 00:22:06.460 --> 00:22:08.339 Hassel in LinkedIn, so it shouldn't be hard to 00:22:08.339 --> 00:22:13.480 find me. And do tag me on your posts. I don't 00:22:13.480 --> 00:22:15.220 care who you are. I don't care if we're connected 00:22:15.220 --> 00:22:20.519 or not. I'm happy to react and comment with hashtags, 00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:24.420 something significant in that post. It'll help 00:22:24.420 --> 00:22:28.640 others expand their reach. Ultimately, that's 00:22:28.640 --> 00:22:31.299 what's... social communities are all about is 00:22:31.299 --> 00:22:35.079 trying to share and help each other out. So that 00:22:35.079 --> 00:22:38.339 would be my other suggestion in terms of reaching. 00:22:38.660 --> 00:22:43.819 I love that spoken like a leader. He said, most 00:22:43.819 --> 00:22:46.660 people ask the question, can I tag you or feel 00:22:46.660 --> 00:22:49.079 bad like myself? Like, oh, I didn't ask. Can 00:22:49.079 --> 00:22:54.420 I tag? I love that. Just tag me. And that just 00:22:54.420 --> 00:22:58.450 means that you have definitely. define what a 00:22:58.450 --> 00:23:02.710 leader is. And that's the unselfish thought process 00:23:02.710 --> 00:23:05.089 about just your business, but everybody else. 00:23:05.150 --> 00:23:07.849 So I love that. Meili, thank you so much for 00:23:07.849 --> 00:23:10.109 choosing. Thank you. It was great to be on your 00:23:10.109 --> 00:23:12.299 show, Jovanka. Thank you for being here today. 00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:14.259 I'm really happy that you tuned in to Vision 00:23:14.259 --> 00:23:16.880 Pros Live. I'm looking forward to seeing your 00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:19.660 reactions as these episodes continue to move 00:23:19.660 --> 00:23:21.599 forward. This is going to get more and more fun. 00:23:21.640 --> 00:23:23.500 We'll have more and more engagement as well. 00:23:23.519 --> 00:23:25.440 We'll invite people to participate in the show 00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:27.619 and thank you for giving us your time and attention. 00:23:27.900 --> 00:23:30.539 Have an excellent time building out your vision 00:23:30.539 --> 00:23:31.920 and becoming a vision pro yourself.