[00:00:00] Speaker A: Clients don't necessarily know you exist until they need you.
[00:00:03] Speaker B: After my divorce, it's like I've got my keys and I don't have a fork to eat with.
[00:00:08] Speaker C: I spread the message, and this is just people helping spread it as well.
[00:00:12] Speaker D: I'm Richard Gerhart.
[00:00:13] Speaker E: And I'm Elizabeth Gerhardt. You just heard some snippets from our show. Stay tuned to hear tips about how you can start your business.
[00:00:22] Speaker F: Ramping up your business. The time is near. You've given it heart, now get it in gear. It's passage to profit with Richard and.
[00:00:31] Speaker D: Elizabeth Elizabeth Gerhardt, I'm Richard Gerhart, founder of Gearhart Law, a full service intellectual property law firm specializing in patents, trademarks, and copyrights.
[00:00:40] Speaker E: And I'm Elizabeth Gerhart. Not an attorney, but I do marketing for Gearhart Law, and I have my own startups and podcasts.
[00:00:46] Speaker D: Are you one of the two in five Americans wanting to start your own business or already a business owner? Stay tuned. This show is about starting and growing your business. Welcome to passage to the road to entrepreneurship, where we learn why and how ordinary people, just like you, started and grew their businesses. And we also talk about the intellectual property that helps protect your innovations today on the show, we have Greg Moore, franchise consultant and author of Real why franchises are worth considering and how they can be used for building wealth.
[00:01:18] Speaker E: And then we have Renee Mondi, the founder of Dear John the Box. If you have a friend getting divorced who's a woman, this is the product for her. Stay tuned. And after her, we have Nishiah Johnson with broken baby apparel. This stems from her own pain in her life, and it's just an amazing story. So stay tuned.
[00:01:39] Speaker D: But before we get to our distinguished guests, it's time to talk about your exciting new business journey. Two in five Americans want to start one, so should you start a new business journey? Often our listeners ask, how do I start my own business? So let's ask Greg how he started his own business.
[00:01:58] Speaker A: Thank you, Richard. I appreciate that. That was back probably about 13 years ago. I got into my first business, actually, probably a little bit before that. I was actually an engineer at the time, received my MBA degree, and one of the books I read was Robert Kiyosaki's books. Rich dad, poor dad. At that point in time, it really ruined my corporate career for me, and I realized that there are better ways of doing things out there. So the first thing I got into was with a fellow engineer. We bought a dry cleaner, privately owned one, and some storage units and some rental properties. So that's where I really got started with a partner, starting out my own businesses and starting that journey towards entrepreneurship.
[00:02:34] Speaker D: That's great. Renee. How did you start your own business?
[00:02:37] Speaker B: I was inspired to begin Dear John the box when I went through my own divorce about 15 years ago, I remember being in grad school at the time and working full time as well, and getting home, like, at midnight, wanting to heal myself and wanting resources. And that's when I realized there wasn't a whole lot of resources out there for women that were recovering from divorce and breakups. And in my spare time, I started researching and putting resources together, and some things were great, and some things weren't so great. But through it all, I've noticed that the things that were most helpful were the things that gave me envision what the other side looked like and what success kind of felt like once I got through it. And that's what inspired me to start this business.
[00:03:23] Speaker D: That's great. Nishiah.
[00:03:24] Speaker C: Starting my clothing brand actually is something I just stumbled upon. I took a course, a pre college course in high school for graphic design and video production, and we had a project where we had to make our own logo and t shirt. And me, I like to make things that are meaningful to me. And one of the things I came up with was broken, baby. Because I'm somebody who has dealt with a lot of childhood trauma, verbal, mental, and abuse. I am somebody who survived a suicide attempt and as well as lost people to suicide. So when I created that, it was just something as a class project at first, and then people loved it. And it's kind of grown with me over the years because, I mean, this was when I was 18. I'm 23 now. So five years in, it's grown from just being t shirts to an entire movement.
[00:04:09] Speaker D: And that's great.
[00:04:10] Speaker E: Elizabeth my newest venture, which is a podcast studio, grew out of our need to find a way to repurpose real estate. We have a building that the law firms in, but everybody's remote now, so we're trying to decide what to do with it. I said, well, let's take the podcast studio we used all during COVID for passage to profit and spruce it up and rent it out to other people to start their podcasts. I started asking people, would anybody be interested in this? And I got a lot of interest. So here we go.
[00:04:38] Speaker D: That's great. So, for me, how I started Gearhart law, the law firm, was I wanted to start my own practice. And of course, one of the main things that you have to do when you start your own practice is find clients. So this was back in 2000 when lawyers really weren't using the Internet to find clients. And so Elizabeth and I put up a website, and people started calling a couple days later. And once that started to happen, I realized that this was a good way to find clients, and I just kind of started from there. So sometimes sticking your neck out there a little bit and trying something new can pay off. That's how I started my new business journey. And now it's time for us to talk with Greg Moore. He is the CEO of franchise maven for over ten years, and he is also the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Real Freedom, why franchises are worth considering, and how they can be used for building wealth. Greg has helped hundreds of people invest in a few hundred franchise units. So welcome to the show, Greg. What is a franchise? Richard?
[00:05:43] Speaker A: A franchise is basically where you're renting out their business model for that. So they've got that proven step by step process to go through. They've done it before. And what you're doing is you're basically renting or leasing that business model from them in order to duplicate what they've done.
[00:05:56] Speaker D: Can you give us some examples of common franchises? I mean, I think everybody's heard about McDonald's and Chick fil A and all of those are those expensive franchises to get into?
[00:06:06] Speaker A: Richard, great question. Most of the time when you and I are out there driving around, that's what we see. We see those brick and mortar franchises, the Meinekes, the Makos, the supercuts, the great clips. You have your fitness studios. Those are all brick and mortar. Those are big investments. 400,000, $500,000 on up. What we don't see on a regular basis is the service industry. And the service industry, on average, you're probably looking at around $150,000 total investment. But that's just where your clients don't necessarily know you exist until they need you. So think of things like restoration services, senior care tutoring, home improvement services. For examples of that, let's take a look at the Belfour group. The Belfour group did half of the cleanup for Katrina, the disaster over there with the hurricane. They own 1800 water damage, which is restoration franchise. They also own hoods, which is cleaning out the hoods of restaurants, things like that. So it's a huge group, or the neighborly group, which has 20 different franchises encompassing many different home services models on that. So there's many different huge franchises. You don't see out there in the service industry, unless you need those services, relatively inexpensive to get started in those.
[00:07:08] Speaker E: So what are the best franchise opportunities right now?
[00:07:12] Speaker A: The best franchise opportunities, I'd say, are the ones that interest you the most. You don't necessarily have to have experience in the field or even know the industry. As long as you're interested in that, the franchise is gonna teach you how to do everything.
[00:07:23] Speaker E: Well, that's cool. I'll tell you what, though. I'm not cleaning out hoods on restaurants.
I've heard people that actually wanna do that. That's great for them.
[00:07:32] Speaker A: The amazing things about those, Elizabeth, is that most of the franchises out there do not want you working in that business. If you're doing the cleaning of the hoods, you're not out there generating business. You hire somebody to do the work for you. You work on the business, not in the business. You go out there and meet people, tell them what you do, tell them you're the local owner, that you build that business up with the help of the franchise system, but you don't work in it. Somebody else does that work.
[00:07:55] Speaker E: So, like, a McDonald's franchise is a lot of money, but are there franchises that are affordable? Let's say that somebody is just getting divorced and they need job, they need a business, and they want to buy a franchise. Can they afford one?
[00:08:06] Speaker A: Absolutely. So what you're looking at there is probably the least amount. Most franchises generally charge what is called the franchise fee, though it's generally around $50,000, give or take. Now, above and beyond that is just what is required to build up that business, advertising and marketing expenses. So 100,000 or so is what you're looking at there. As long as you've got a decent credit score. Getting it loans for those franchises is easy because they have a proven record of success. So you basically, for services industry franchise, around $150,000. You need to come up with $20,000. You get an SBA Express loan. As long as you've got decent credit.
[00:08:39] Speaker D: And you're good to go, that seems pretty inexpensive. I mean, to start a business, $20,000 is, of course, a lot of money. Are there even less expensive franchises? If you're really strapped for cash, but you really want to get into the franchising side of things, there are one.
[00:08:55] Speaker A: Or two that are relatively less than that, that you can get in for about $10,000. It's just a little bit more challenging because now many people can get into those, and they aren't necessarily the franchises that give out of protected territory. So they'll put many different people into the franchise. So the challenge will be going out and generating the business yourself, whereas with the franchises that are around $100,000 or so, you get a lot of help from the franchise system itself in helping you generate clients, giving you a protected territory.
[00:09:24] Speaker E: So if I wanted to start a franchise, but I'm not really sure which one I want to start, but I want it to be something that aligns with some of my passions. Like, I like pets, I like hiking, I like reading. Where would we start?
[00:09:37] Speaker A: Find a great franchise consultant is probably your best bet. Now, keep in mind franchise consultants out there, you can interview a few of them to see which ones you like the best. We don't charge you for our services. If you decide to go with one of the franchises, we introduce you to the franchise, always pay us a referral fee, so there's never any charge to you for our services. So one of the good reasons to get involved with the franchise consultant, what I will do when I sit down with you was I will look at where have you been? So what do you bring to the table? What are your past experiences? Where are you at now? So what are you looking to invest time wise, money wise? What do you want to be five to ten years from now? What do you see that franchise doing for you? So among those questions and a few others, and again, going into your passions, what you like, what you don't like, I have quite a few questions that I'll go through with folks. So we'll narrow that down. I work with about 500 different franchises. We'll narrow it down to about five or ten different ones once you're looking for, and I talk with the franchises all the time, so I know who they're looking for in a successful franchisee. And that way I can do the matchup.
[00:10:31] Speaker D: So, Greg, we talked about this before the show. Trademarks are really important in the world of franchising, right. Because one of the big parts is the brand that the franchise has established. Right. And so one of the ways you protect that brand is through trademarks.
[00:10:48] Speaker A: Definitely. So when we see the franchises out there with the name brand. So a lot of people are looking for name brand type franchise because they really like the, you know, their trademark with that. They've got that popularity that are out there as well. But what you're looking for there, as far as trademarks go, is that not only just the trademark of the franchise itself, but their intellectual property. What they're going to teach you and what they're going to show you what to do is protected as well. And that's really what you're looking for, is that specialized system. A lot of them have some name recognition, but some may not. Some may not. Like the Belfour group, the 1800 water damage, you know, the largest restoration company in the world. You may not have heard of them on there. So whether they have their trademarks, the intellectual property, you may not have heard of them because you never needed them, but you really want a good trademark system, and you really want a good system, proprietary system that's in place that's different from everybody else, just make you stand apart from the rest of the competition.
[00:11:39] Speaker D: Yeah. And I think when you were talking about the knowledge that the franchisor has the one who's granting the franchise, that is oftentimes in the form of a trade secret. Right. Those are intellectual property rights that the franchise owner holds, and then they train the franchisee to use that information to have a successful business. So in the world of franchising, it's not just the trademarks, but it's also the trade secrets and the intellectual property that the franchisor has and gives to the franchisee, and they can use that to make an amazing business.
[00:12:16] Speaker A: Exactly. What you're looking for, Richard, when you're getting into a franchise, is those things that stand out, those things that are different. The franchisors fooled them dearly to their heart, and that's what you're paying for when you pay for that franchise fee and those ongoing royalties. And there's going to be things in your agreement stating that, you know, they don't want you, you know, leaving and going out there and running this similar business after you've learned everything out there. So they're going to have some stipulations in the agreement that if you leave the franchise, you know, you can't compete with them over a period of time.
[00:12:41] Speaker E: That kind of brings up what I wanted to ask you next is how much freedom do I have to run my particular little bit of the franchise my own way? So can I post on social media? Do they have really strict rules about how I can advertise and everything like that?
[00:12:56] Speaker A: Amazingly enough, Elizabeth, you've got a lot of freedom with the different franchises. The rules that they're going to have are going to be what's related to their trademark and as far as the advertising flyers themselves. So you're looking at certain colors, certain themes in there, but they're going to have all that material for you. So you don't have to come up with it on that. You can advertise and you can do almost anything, almost anything that you want to with them. You'll go over that with them and say, you know, this is what I want to try. They're all for you going out and doing that. Some of my people have. When they first started out, they wanted to do something different than the franchisor told them what to do to begin with. It didn't always work out too well when they did that on those. But the best thing to do is get to know that franchise, work with them for a couple of years, and then they're more than happy to have you try different things, work with other franchisees, try different things, see what works, see what doesn't. They will have all the material. You'll just be spending the money on that. So you can pretty much. You're pretty much open to do quite a few things.
[00:13:51] Speaker E: So, Greg, how much money can you realistically expect to make from a franchise? Let's say you buy the franchise, the mid level franchise, and you're running it pretty well.
Can you make 50,000 a year? Can you make 200,000 a year? Is there any sweet spot there?
[00:14:09] Speaker A: It doesn't really make too much difference which franchise you get into, whether it's lesser investment or a greater investment on that. The potential for making a good six figure income is there. And we're not just talking territory. So they give you a geographical area. They're going to be specific things that they're looking for. So if it's a home services franchise, they'll be looking for 200,000 people with a household income of 100,000 or dollars or more for you. So they know that you want to replace that corporate income. So they're really looking for you to bring in a great six figure income in what you do. That doesn't mean all of them are like that. Above the majority of them. They are. There's some of the brick and mortar ones that they only bring in $50,000 or, or so a year per location, but they're simple to operate, so people just get more of them doing that. But it's pretty amazing how much money you can make out there. And you can just pick up other territories as well to start increasing that income, you know, horizontal growth on that one, picking up more territories, do vertical growth, home services industry, where you're doing the lawn made service, electrical work, that sort of thing. So there's all sorts of different ways to grow that. But a good six figure income is what most of the franchises are looking for you to bring in.
[00:15:11] Speaker D: All of that sounds great, but what is the downside? I mean, do franchises fail and then what happens then? Do you lose all your money?
[00:15:19] Speaker A: Franchises do fail. That doesn't happen too terribly often. If you want to reduce your risk, then just look for franchises that have been around for quite some time and have 100 or more franchisees. That puts them in the top 5% of the franchises in the US. If a franchise fails, you do not necessarily lose all your money. It's just you no longer have the support of that franchise system to do that. So if you had first started out and the franchise failed, it probably wouldn't work out too well for you. But if you've been around for a while in order to run the business, you've got a good idea of what's going on there. So you probably won't fail on that because you've already got the system going, you've already got all that information from the franchise or to run that business.
[00:15:55] Speaker E: What is the hardest part about running a franchise?
[00:15:58] Speaker A: Making sure that you can be coachable and that you are following what the franchisor is telling you, what to do.
[00:16:05] Speaker E: That so they set it all out for you. All you have to do is execute. That's kind of nice.
[00:16:11] Speaker A: Exactly right.
[00:16:12] Speaker D: If you're starting a franchise, do they find the location for you or is that something that you typically do yourself?
[00:16:20] Speaker A: If it's a brick and mortar franchise, you want that franchise or to find that location for you, not only find that location for you, you want them to do the lease negotiation for you as well. You're the business person, you run it. You're not necessarily the real estate person, you're not necessarily the least negotiation person. If it's a great franchise, they will find locations for you and they will do the least negotiation.
[00:16:41] Speaker D: Location, location, location. Right. And if you pick the wrong location, especially with a brick and mortar franchise, that can make all the difference between successful and super successful, right?
[00:16:52] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:16:53] Speaker E: Do you do all your own marketing? Does the franchise do all the marketing or do you split that 50 50? How does that work?
[00:16:58] Speaker A: You pay for everything on that, on the marketing itself, on that. Now some of the franchises may have an advertising fund that you pay into, which they'll do national advertising for you, and quite a few of them will do that as well. So you pay into that. But for the most part, you'll be paying for the marketing and advertising. They will know and tell you where and how to do that advertising to make more successful.
[00:17:21] Speaker D: Greg Moore, franchise consultant and author of real why franchises are worth considering and how they can be used for building wealth. Passage to profit with Richard and Elizabeth Gerhart. Stay tuned. We're going to be hearing about secrets from the entrepreneurial mind.
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[00:19:42] Speaker E: Our special guest Gregory Moore. And coming up later, we have Renee Mondy and Nesheva Johnson. They have wonderful stories to tell and we have secrets of the entrepreneurial mind. So stay tuned. But now back to Greg with more questions.
[00:19:58] Speaker D: Richard, so what are the seven mistakes that franchisees make when running their franchise?
[00:20:04] Speaker A: Mistake number one is not understanding the business and the industry. If you like the industry, if you like the business, go for it. But you got to understand the model, how the margins work and the likely profitability. So get to know the business and the industry if that's what you like. You don't have to know it to begin with, but understand it. We talked about money, not enough capital. Make certain that you have enough capital to get into it. Each franchise is going to have specific guidelines for your net worth and cash to make. Certainly you don't run out of money, and together, you and I will work on that as well. But not having enough capital and mistake number three, don't let what's in fashion cloud your judgment. Just because it's hot today may not mean that it's going to be hot tomorrow, but it may. Just don't let it cloud your judgment.
[00:20:42] Speaker E: How do you market a franchise? I mean, what comes to my mind is targeted digital marketing. If it's a brick and mortar, especially, what are the best marketing secrets for a franchise?
[00:20:52] Speaker A: Do what the franchisor tells you what to do.
[00:20:56] Speaker D: It sounds like you already have a boss. Why start your own business? If you have a boss who's like the franchisor, right.
[00:21:02] Speaker A: Chances of success are much greater if you go with a franchise system that has already proven and already has that model that you just step right into, that game plan that you step right into. So you once become an entrepreneur. Now there's pros and cons. Don't get me wrong. There's pros and cons to running your own business, doing it yourself or growing the franchise. Look at both options. You can do everything you want. Which one's right for you? Only you can decide.
[00:21:25] Speaker E: So, Greg, I have one more question. As a franchise owner, what kind of decisions do you make?
[00:21:31] Speaker A: You make all the major decisions all day long on that. You're following the playbook, but you decide who you're going to hire, who you're going to bring on the franchise is going to help you find the people. But you make that final decision about who's going to be working for you. You're going to be making a lot of decisions about how much money you're going to put into advertising, where you're going to advertise on that, what kind of trade shows you may attend. If you want to join the chamber of Commerce meeting, get in front of people. That business is yours basically, to run. They'll give you the guidelines for it, but you're making all the major decisions all day long about where to go with that business and how to operate it.
[00:22:01] Speaker D: Greg Moore, franchise consultant and author of Real Freedom, why franchises are worth considering, and how they can be used for building wealth. Greg, where can people find you?
[00:22:11] Speaker A: You can reach me at
[email protected] that's franchise M A V as in Victor E. N.com. Email
[email protected]. Or just pick up the phone and give me a call at 361-772-6401 don't.
[00:22:26] Speaker D: Forget Greg's book, to Real Freedom, why franchisees are worth considering and how they can be used for building wealth. I think that's available on Amazon, right?
[00:22:35] Speaker A: That is correct. Or just shoot me over your email address or your physical address and I'll send you a PDF version or a hard copy.
[00:22:42] Speaker D: Great. Well, thank you so much.
[00:22:44] Speaker E: Passage to profit with Richard and Elizabeth Gerhart.
[00:22:46] Speaker D: And now it's time for IP in the news.
[00:22:51] Speaker E: If you were in Australia, because this is where this story comes from, and you were looking for chicken, would you confuse KFC with HFC? They're both franchises, but KFC is global. HFC is only on Australia. Would you confuse those two?
[00:23:08] Speaker D: Well, I know what KFC stands for. It's Kentucky fried chicken. But what about HFC?
[00:23:13] Speaker E: Well, HFC is kind of an oxymoron. It's healthy fried chicken.
[00:23:19] Speaker D: So were they joking when they came.
[00:23:21] Speaker A: Up with that one?
[00:23:22] Speaker E: No, but there was a trademark, Disney KFC didn't really like having competition from HFC.
[00:23:28] Speaker D: That's right. So HFC filed a trademark for HFC, and KFC saw the HFC trademark, and they challenged it in the australian trademark office. And guess what? HFC won. It's very interesting. Number one, it raises the point, yes, you can file trademarks outside the United States. So KFC has their trademark in Australia. And HFC and KFC differ only by one letter, right? The letter f and the letter h. And so the question is, well, are they really confusing or not? HFC does sound different than KFC, right? I guess they thought it was different enough. The other part is that the Australian Trademark Office supported an australian business, which was the HFC business. I don't know if you'd get the same kind of ruling in the United States if KFC were fighting HFC there. But anyway, very interesting trademark issue. Big companies are always watching what everybody is doing, especially in the trademark sphere. And you can set up automated searches that go out and look for people who are using your trademark. And then when you find them, you can decide, well, are we going to try to challenge them, or is it not important?
[00:24:42] Speaker E: Do you know of any law firms that do trademark watch services like that?
[00:24:46] Speaker D: Yes, I do. Gerhart Law is one of those.
[00:24:49] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:24:49] Speaker D: So for all of your trademark needs, contact gearhart law at www.gearheartlaw.com. And if you're interested in learning more about trademarks, you can go to learn more about trademarks.com and download a free white paper on the subject of trademarks or a consultation with me, Richard Gerhardt, and we would be happy to help you with any trademark questions that you might have. So we need to take a break right now. We'll be back. Passage to profit with Richard and Elizabeth Gerhardt coming up, secrets of the entrepreneurial mind. You don't want to miss that, so stay tuned.
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[00:27:11] Speaker F: 808 244596 808 two four 4596-824-4596 that's 808 244596. Passage to profit continues with Richard and Elizabeth Gearhart.
[00:27:30] Speaker D: Our show is heard on 31 radio stations across the US, so no matter where you are, you can find us. Or just check out our podcast, recently ranked in the top 3% globally. And now it's time for Elizabeth's update.
[00:27:44] Speaker E: As you know, I've been working on this website for B two b businesses, video directory. I'm kind of putting that on hold right now because I've had such a tough time getting this website done and it just hasn't moved forward the way I'd hope. And plus, I got excited about a new project, which I think will make me money sooner because that's really one of the things I want to do with this. So Richard and I have a building and the law firm is in there, but we hardly use it anymore because everybody's remote. But we have a studio in the top of it that we use to record passage to profit all through COVID. But it's not a great studio. So we're going to spend some money, we're going to fix that studio up, we're going to make it ready to go for public consumption and we're going to rent it out to the public. And I want to make it a little high end. I want to make it a really great studio. So we're looking at soundproofing, new carpet, windows, all that stuff. And then I'm also going to consult with people on podcasting because I've asked people in just what's really cool about this? What I really love about this is it's so local. So I go to networking, local networking events, and I asked people, would you use this? And they're like, well, yeah, I would start a podcast, but I have no idea how could you help me? So there is a lot of interest there. So that's what I'm really focusing my time on now. So that's enough about me. I'm very excited to.
[00:28:58] Speaker D: We can never get enough of you, hon.
[00:28:59] Speaker E: No, I really want to hear from our next two presenters because these women have such incredible companies and I love them. So. Renee Mondy is the founder of Dear John the Box and she founded the first black owned post divorce self care box and registry, Dear John the box. Renee is a licensed therapist and after her own divorce experience, so she knows what she's talking about. Dear John the box was born. That was about ten years ago, and it was born as a divorce support group for women that met in various locations in Atlanta. Backed by therapy research, newly released therapy aids are offered uniquely in each box to help women through the rough breakup journey. So welcome. Tell us all about it, Renee.
[00:29:45] Speaker B: As you mentioned, I'm a licensed therapist in the state of Georgia and I've been specializing in divorce recovery for about twelve years now. And my inspiration was my own divorce. And I remember just looking for resources like this and wishing I had some guidance on, you know, how to get to the other side of things, collecting resources and not finding very much. So as I collected things, I began to, like, make notes of what was helpful and what wasn't. And I knew I was in the process of becoming licensed. So I said, you know, one day I want to pay it forward. I want to give back to these women, you know, that are also in my shoes, juggling more than one thing, looking for an out, looking for, you know, some rate of hope. And so with that, I began to, you know, counsel women, giving them the advice that I found on my journey. And it did start in person, and I loved my in person group therapy sessions. They were fantastic. COVID happened. And like so many of us, I started kind of having to step back and find another way of delivering this service. And there are some things that I did to kind of get prepped for this care package that we provide now, because there were a few things coming from the wellness industry that I felt needed to happen before we took a full launch to online. But long story short, as a therapist, it's been everything that I've ever wanted. I'm getting a chance to work in an area that I'm very passionate about. And on a personal level, it's giving me a chance to pay it forward. It's giving me a chance to be an influence to not just other therapists, but other industries that are looking for ways to kind of migrate their services into online and hybrid models. And so it's been extremely rewarding.
[00:31:31] Speaker D: So if I could ask a question, Renee. So what kinds of things do you do to help support people, specifically women who are going through a divorce? What are the types of things that they need to hasten the healing process?
[00:31:44] Speaker B: What helped me, and this is what I've actually added to the services, what's helped me a lot was just learning a how to set healthy boundaries. Most of us are coming from places where we're having to reestablish and look back at how we build relationships, not just with family, friends, and, you know, just, you know, intimate ones, too. So I had to reestablish that. My services helped do that. And then the other piece is just learning to trust yourself again. Even when you come out feeling like you've made the best decision along that path, there's usually some self doubt that creeps in. And so my boxes really tackle the day to day things. So we're more than bath salts and candles. We are activities that you do every day. You know, for instance, you know, we have dinner and recipe kits where women actually have step by step instructions on how to be mindful of when they're making these decisions and how they're doing their recipes. And there's always an inclusion piece that allows them to bring in loved ones and friends, because we know how important being connected with others is in this process. It was extremely important for me. And so there's that. And then we have a registry where their friends can get involved with helping them find things like knives and forks, which is what I forgot when I was moving into my first apartment after my divorce. It's like I've got my keys and I don't have a fork to eat with.
Oops.
[00:33:12] Speaker D: Well, you're so focused on, like, all of the stuff that's going on around you, right. It's kind of hard to pay attention to some of those basics.
[00:33:19] Speaker B: It is. It is.
[00:33:20] Speaker E: It's heavy.
[00:33:21] Speaker B: You know, in most cases. And even if you're the best of planners, like me, I consider myself a pretty good planner. You still forget things, you still miss things. And so that is what this service is for women. It allows them to have some extra support and guidance in the things that they need to do to move forward.
[00:33:40] Speaker E: Well, I think that's important. Greg, do you have a question or a comment about maybe the marketing or how she could franchise this, or not.
[00:33:47] Speaker D: Divorce, but franchise, but recovering from divorce. Right.
[00:33:52] Speaker A: It's unfortunate that it does go on all over the US, but because it does go on all over the US, the services are needed across the US. And that's one of the things that we look for when people say they want to start a franchise, is that can your services be used pretty much throughout the US? Anywhere? And unfortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, yes, your services can absolutely be used anywhere in the US. So it's a great business. It's something that people look for. They need help. And helping others is always a wonderful franchise to get into. Where you're giving back to your community, you're helping others. At the same time. You know, you're making money. It's a good thing.
[00:34:25] Speaker E: Yeah. So how are you promoting this?
[00:34:28] Speaker B: There's a couple of ways. One is through my platform, the socials that we have in place. And the second thing is working with family law attorneys. So I have partnerships with family law attorneys across the country, and what they do is provide referrals about the box to their clients. And in turn, I give them opportunities to share their expertise on our socials and our website.
[00:34:52] Speaker D: Well, one of the interesting things that we talked about before the show, Renee, was, as you asked me a question, and that was, can you co promote events using your trademark, which you have trademark on Dear John the box, and can you co promote those with other trademark? It was an interesting question because I don't often get that the answer is yes, you can. As long as you have the permission of both parties. You can both put your trademarks up there. You can advertise them together. And why not combine the marketing power of both your brands? And I'm assuming that you're kind of doing that now with the attorneys that you're working with to promote your events.
[00:35:30] Speaker B: Yes, we're heading into that direction with George on the box. So that's really great information. Thanks so much for that feedback.
[00:35:35] Speaker E: Have you gotten feedback from the women on the types of things they want to see in the box? Is there something that's really popular?
[00:35:41] Speaker B: There is. It's interesting that the feedback, or I'll say the compliments we hear the most are women wanting to have something that brings humor into their experience. It's that old saying, you know, one day we'll be able to look back and laugh at this all. I think women are really craving that. And whenever I add and I try to, our boxes change each season, but it's interesting that the humor piece is what I get the most compliments on.
[00:36:05] Speaker D: So what kinds of things do you have in the box?
[00:36:07] Speaker B: We have coffee mugs, which is usually something that has a very fun logo or not so much, you know, more positive is what we call it. There's also affirmation cards. We have shower affirmations and shower kits, and we also have recipe and meal kit ideas. And so every once in a while, not this particular box, but the last box, we actually had chefs that donated their seasonings to the boxes, along with recipes. And me, as a therapist was able to include recipe steps that were mindful, that encouraged women to take that chance and make a decision. Even if it's just dinner and a movie, it gives them a chance to kind of play around with putting things together that are very simple but essential to every day, but also drawing attention to how important that is to larger things that they'll be wanting to do later.
[00:36:57] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:36:58] Speaker E: So do you still run the support group? Is that online now? And do most people that get the box join your group?
[00:37:03] Speaker B: I don't personally run divorce recovery groups right now because I am super busy being a mom and running this business. It does take a lot into socials and things like that. But women do have a chance to network with each other when they purchase the box or subscribe to the box. And interesting enough, most of our purchases come from friends and family members. And so they have a chance to also join a support group that they can learn ways to support their loved one through this divorce process as well.
[00:37:34] Speaker D: What steps did you go through to create your online business?
[00:37:38] Speaker B: Again, the pandemic sort of swayed me into this direction. It wasn't something that I had envisioned, you know, initially when I began counseling in this area. So it took me about a year of just gathering data and building the platforms that I have now because I wanted more than just product. I wanted experience. People ask me all the time, how'd you land on Dear John the box? And how did you land with these colors? They're bright colors. And why are they bright colors? Divorce. Sad. Absolutely. The approach doesn't take away or lessen the experience. I think that what I'm promoting is what I feel is more needed, and that is the more positive side of what's next. And so I did take about a year of building my platforms and my socials, and that's kind of my secret thing for anyone who is in wellness who is thinking of this, is to think of experience first and hold on to that vision and what that means for you. And then build your platform and survey and survey and then survey some more. Whoever is joining you, because or whoever you're selling this to follow you want to follow you because they're going to be the voice and lifeline, and that's what they were for me. They really gave me ideas that I could cling to, and they really inspired the colors and the logo and the website and the products.
[00:38:52] Speaker D: So are you active on social media as well?
[00:38:54] Speaker B: I am. We have a very active Facebook group, and we have an active Instagram as well.
[00:39:00] Speaker E: Is that under Dear John the box?
[00:39:02] Speaker B: Yes, we're on Instagram. Dear John Box and on Facebook. Dear John the box.
[00:39:08] Speaker E: How did you come up with that name?
[00:39:10] Speaker B: So it's interesting. My husband and I were exchanging ideas, and we thought, what represents breakups? And the dear John letter came to mind. We chuckled to ourselves. We were like, those letters are really never about John. It's about how you feel. It's you telling John how you feel about whatever they did to you or whatever you envision or how you feel they did. You know, what happened to you is that's really what it's about. And so I like the idea, and I clung to it and made it the name of the business.
[00:39:43] Speaker E: I think it's a great name. I think people will remember it.
[00:39:48] Speaker D: And what are your plans for the future?
[00:39:49] Speaker B: I hope to continue the route this is going. Greg, I may need to connect with you about franchise ideas, and I eventually, just as a therapist, I'd like to partner more with other areas that are helping people heal.
[00:40:03] Speaker E: Well, thank you. That was a really great segment so people can find Renee
[email protected]. And now it is time to move on to our next guest, Nishiah Johnson. She has broken baby apparel. Her website is shopbrokenbabyapparel.com. She's the founder of broken baby apparel and a voice for people with mental health struggles, and she wants to help others who struggle to find their voice. She developed the broken baby brand as a visual representation of her own struggles, and the brand has evolved beyond just clothing and is a movement to help inspire others to heal the broken baby within themselves. So welcome. Tell us all about it.
[00:40:47] Speaker C: Broken baby was a term a lot of people asked me at first, like, you know, what does broken baby, what does broken baby mean? I was someone who dealt with a lot of childhood trauma, abuse, verbally and mentally. I saw my mom be abused. I dealt with depression. And at a very young age, I was diagnosed with a bipolar disorder. I'm a manic depressant, so I experienced really high highs. And my mom had found out that I was self harming my sophomore year in high school. And I actually, you know, I have a behind the brand story where I explain, but I had missed 56 days of school that year due to my depression and things that had been bottled up and suppressed for years. And it kind of just came up and I had a snap. And when she found out, she didn't really know what to do. And as a mother, you know, you never think it's going to be your child. And she says that all the time. But I ended up, you know, we ended up going the route of, you know, going to the doctor, seeing, you know, what could be done. And the first things that they did was put me on medication. And, you know, medication, when it comes to mental illness, is trial and error until you find the right dose, the right balance, the right prescription. And I eventually stopped. I hated how it made me feel. And you know me, I didn't have much education on the side effects of different medicines, antidepressant medications. And I cold turkey took myself off of it. You're not supposed to do that. And I tell people to this day, when you do that with whether it's antipsychotics, antidepressants, it's like force ejecting a hard drive from a computer, and you get that message that says it might hinder the information on the hard drive. And I feel like that's something that had messed me up for years, but I really went down a bad spiral, and that's what led to my attempt to take my life. And once that happened, it was like, to survive. It is kind of an awakening feeling. And it's like, why? For a while, it was just like, why? Why? I had, at the time, a cousin and a friend who had taken their lives. And it was like, why me? And the survivor's guilt from that is something that not a lot of people talk about, the trauma that's created from actually attempting to take your life as well. And I was doing better in school the following year, and I had to really beg to get into this course, but it was a course to do a graphic design and video production. And because of the prior year, my sophomore year, I missed so much school, we had to do a lot of explaining. So, you know, a lot of my teachers and stuff found out about what was really going on at home. And I got into the class and we had a project, and it was just to make a t shirt. And I never really imagined myself having an entire clothing brand, let alone one stemming from my own traumas and then creating a movement out of it. And I had came up with broken baby, and it was something that stuck and something that was just like, that's it. It's what I felt I was supposed to be doing. Because the slogan of the brand is, from one survivor to another, we all have a story to tell. And I call broken baby the official uniform of survivors.
[00:43:41] Speaker E: Well, I think that you're very brave. I think it's amazing that you're putting yourself out there like this. And I do think it helps a lot of other people. I think it's a great message that, look, I wanted to leave the earth, but I didn't. And I'm so glad now I didn't. Yeah, things got better.
[00:43:57] Speaker C: Well, I attempted, and it just. It didn't go how I thought it was going to go. And the purpose of me telling my story is I want to give people hope that you don't have to attempt and fail at the attempt. I want to try and break it before it gets to that point. You know, I was a person who comes from a household with a single mother, we couldn't afford therapy and things like that, which is why, you know, in the future, we're working on starting a nonprofit to be able to help things like that. But for now, we actually started a podcast with a friend that has a similar background and dealt with a lot of traumas, where we talk about how we overcame our experiences from my side without medication and being able to still deal with it, with the lack of resources, as far as being able to have access to therapy and actual services that will teach people how to cope with these things. And it's not saying that we know what's best. By no means are we medical professionals, but we can only speak from experience. And the thing that I'm glad that we do is how to positively go about things instead of falling into, you know, substance abuse. We know positive coping mechanisms that we've tried and what worked for us might not work for everybody else, but that can still instill hope that they can find positive things to get them out of that dark place. And whether it's just struggling with being in a depressive state or actually being clinically depressed, you know, is a difference that I speak on as well.
[00:45:23] Speaker D: What are some of the mental as tools you use to cope with your challenging past, and how do you cope with that and still maintain a positive outlook for the future?
[00:45:32] Speaker C: I actually, in three days, will be done with the 75 hard challenge. That is a very intense process of building mental strength. And along the way, I've learned. I mean, I've always known that the gym was a good thing because the gym, it releases serotonin and endorphins, which are like your happy drugs, that it helps with stress, it helps with anxiety, it helps level out your chemicals in your brain. So I go to the gym seven days a week. I also journal my thoughts. I'm somebody who is still learning to communicate emotions and learning how to get them from out of my head to being able to speak to somebody. So journaling is something that helps as well, and that's something that I've started to push and promote on my platform with the movement as well. Aside from that, it's just learning how to reroute your thoughts, which is, you know, also something I'm promoting. Because for every negative there's a positive, for every bad, there's a good. Any loss is a lesson you can learn from anything. You know, you gotta try not to get so caught up in the dark side of, you know, the situation and find the light. Look at the glass half full in.
[00:46:35] Speaker D: Any situation, if you can challenge your negative thoughts and try to see the positive in it, just say, well, that's a negative thought, but that's not really me, then I think those are great tools to help. So let's talk a little bit about your online business now. So tell us a little bit about that.
[00:46:52] Speaker C: I actually go through a platform called Shopify. I did coding in high school, but as far as actually building an entire website from the ground up, it just. That wasn't my profession. So with Shopify, you know, they give you templates and stuff that you can basically build off of. And I haven't had any issues with Shopify. I know there's a couple other ones, but that's the one that I started with, and I haven't had any issues with it since.
[00:47:15] Speaker D: And then where did you get the designs? Do you do all of the designs for the clothing yourself?
[00:47:19] Speaker C: So, yes, I do make all of, all of my designs because, you know, the experience that I do have in graphic design and video production, I love.
[00:47:28] Speaker E: The clothing that you're wearing here today. So you have on a cap that says broken baby, and it's got a broken heart in the middle. And then this wonderful bomber jacket. Like that is so cool. So who's buying your products?
[00:47:40] Speaker C: Honestly, everybody. There's really not a specific group because, you know, it's really the message. I don't sell clothes. I spread the message. And, you know, this is just people helping spread it as well. This is something that's for everybody. It's for anybody. It's anybody that is a broken baby, anybody that knows a broken baby, anybody that resonates with the story in any way, shape or form.
[00:48:03] Speaker E: Is that like 95% of the population? Yeah.
[00:48:07] Speaker D: So, Greg, do you have any questions or comments?
[00:48:09] Speaker A: Uh, you know, it's. It's interesting when you're talking about how the two could do a market their material and information to other folks all the time. With me, you know, I'm very specific in who I can partner with and market to, because not everybody wants to get into franchising necessarily, but with these other two folks, I mean, everybody has got some experience in either one. So just getting your word out, just getting on other people's networks to get the word out and to let the folks know what you're doing and what you're all about is just a great way. Just find as many other people that you can do, get on many other podcasts for getting on other people's networks. And I think that you'll find that you'll get a whole lot of people who never knew that these avenues existed before and will reach out to you.
[00:48:49] Speaker E: Yeah, I think you're right. I think anytime you go on somebody else's podcast, they're going to promote you, right? So you get their whole network. Right? So you not only get your podcast network, you get the networks of people that your guests on. So it's a great way to get known.
[00:49:02] Speaker D: So how does the creative process work for you? I mean, do you just sit down and start doodling clothing designs, or do you go through, like, 500 to get one good one? How does that work for you?
[00:49:14] Speaker C: Every piece has meaning behind it. Every t shirt, every hoodie. It was inspired by something. I have an unreleased tee that I actually started wearing the other day, and people were like, oh, my gosh, why haven't released that? And I was like, honestly, I had just made the design. And there was a quote that my grandfather used to say, and he had passed away. So it was basically a broken baby tee in memory of him. And the quote goes, you can give out, but you can never give up. If you give out, you rest for a bit, you get right back up. You can get right back in the race. And it has, like, a Corvette silhouette on it and things like that. And, you know, that was just such a. Something I could tie into broken baby. Cause he loved my brand and stuff before he passed as well. They're always one and done for me. They're always like, I make it just right the first time, and it looks good, but every piece has a story behind it, has its own.
[00:50:03] Speaker D: That's great.
[00:50:04] Speaker E: I think it's cause it's coming from the heart. Yeah.
[00:50:07] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:50:07] Speaker E: I love that jacket. So I know the people listening can't hear it. It's this baby blue felt, and then she's got these silver sleeves and sayings on it and decorations. It's beautiful.
[00:50:18] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:50:19] Speaker C: These were our fifth year anniversary jackets, so I wanted to do, like, a trophy piece. So the varsity jackets were something that I worked on for a little bit, and it came out I loved them.
[00:50:29] Speaker E: Excellent. And we've been talking to Neshiah Johnson, shopbrokenbabyaparrel.com. And what is your social media?
[00:50:37] Speaker C: You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook at brokenbabyapparel, and you can also follow the movements page on both platforms as well. At the broken baby movement passage to.
[00:50:47] Speaker D: Profit with Richard and Elizabeth Gerhart. Stay tuned. We're going to be hearing about secrets from the entrepreneurial mind for over 75 years.
[00:50:55] Speaker G: The Marine Toys for Tots program has provided toys and emotional support to economically disadvantaged children, primarily during the holidays. But needs are not just seasonal, and now neither is toys for tots. They've expanded their outreach to support families in need all year long with their new programs, including the Foster Care initiative, giving toys intangible items for children to move with. Inspiring hope for a brighter future, the Native american program has grown to benefit over 200,000 children annually, providing toys and books to participating reservations and the Youth Ambassador Program, a select group of our nation's youth children, helping children going above and beyond to raise peer awareness and encourage local community support on behalf of toys for tots. To learn more about how you can help, visit toysfortots.org and help bring hope to a child's future.
[00:51:52] Speaker D: It's passage to profit now it's time for Noah's retrospective.
[00:51:58] Speaker E: Noah Fleischman is our producer here at passage to profit, and he just has a way of putting his best memories in perspective.
[00:52:05] Speaker H: From the time I was a small kid, I loved going to restaurants. Not for the cuisine, for the jukeboxes. I loved those great big old decorative music machines. They were so beautiful and their sound filled the room and they were like a great musical grab bag. I certainly couldn't have one in my home, but I could sure create a good pretend one out of an old cardboard box, a little handwritten song grid, my stereo and 45s. That's all I needed because I actually held the image in my mind. If your product can convey such a strong image to your consumer, how it can improve their day, their life, that's the winning ticket. There's lots of reproduction model jukeboxes out there now, and they're all great. But I actually had the very first one, the one that I imagined and made it real.
[00:52:48] Speaker F: Now more with Richard and Elizabeth.
[00:52:50] Speaker E: Passage to profit it is time for secrets of the entrepreneurial mind. So each of our presenters has agreed to dig deep and share a secret. Greg, what is a secret you will share with our audience of your entrepreneurial mind?
[00:53:09] Speaker A: Elizabeth one that I share with everybody and one of the mistakes that I say do not make. Always make use of free experts. Almost every town and city should have a local score chapter score.
Those are people that have been in business in your area for many years. When you're starting your own business, whether it be a franchise or your own private business, always seek out your local score chapter. Get advice from them.
[00:53:35] Speaker E: Renee Mondi, what is the secret of your entrepreneurial mind?
[00:53:39] Speaker B: I think I mentioned this earlier, but being able to survey and get feedback from your current subscribers followers and just really seek out their honest opinion about your product or your goals is, I think, always a great idea before you launch something great.
[00:53:55] Speaker E: Nishiah Johnson what is the secret of your entrepreneurial mind?
[00:53:59] Speaker C: Be unique. Don't go with the trends because that prevents you from standing out.
[00:54:05] Speaker E: I think that's a really good one. Richard Gearhart, what's the secret of your entrepreneurial mind?
[00:54:10] Speaker D: Well, one of the secrets of my entrepreneurial mind, and I have many secrets, but the one that I want to share today is about forming good business habits. Running a business is part art, but you have to have some structure. You have to have some regularity in the way you do things. For example, we work on the finance piece at the law firm every Friday, or we might work on the marketing piece every Tuesday. But we have regular habits that we form and that provides a certain amount of consistency to the business. So anything that you can do on a regular basis, I think helps make your business more efficient.
[00:54:46] Speaker E: I agree. My secret is to constantly be researching your industry and see all the new things that are going on in your industry and use them as best you can to help yourself. So with this new podcasting thing I'm doing, there's something new every day, and I'm talking to people and I'm doing online research and I'm listening. I think that's helping me a lot. So with that, we will go over the websites of everybody who was on the show today. We had Greg moorefranchisemaven.com. And you know, this was a really interesting discussion. Do you think so, Richard?
[00:55:19] Speaker D: Absolutely, Greg. If you're starting a franchise, do they find the location for you, or is that something that you typically do yourself?
[00:55:27] Speaker A: If it's a brick and mortar franchise, you want that franchise. Or to find that location for you. Not only find that location for you, you want them to do the lease negotiation for you as well. You're not necessarily the real estate person. You're not necessarily the least negotiation person. If it's a great franchise, they will find locations for you and they will do the lease negotiation.
[00:55:46] Speaker D: Location, location, location. Right. And if you pick the wrong location, that can make all the difference between successful and super successful, right?
[00:55:55] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:55:56] Speaker D: I think franchises are so great because they really do a lot of the work for you, and it's a great way to be your own boss and make money as a small business.
[00:56:04] Speaker E: And then we had Renee Monde with dearjohnthebox.com. If you know someone getting divorced or you're getting divorced and you need a little pampering and uplifting. This is great.
[00:56:14] Speaker D: I never know whether to say I'm sorry or congratulations to somebody who's gotten a divorce.
[00:56:20] Speaker E: And then we had Nishiah Johnson with broken baby apparel, and you can find her apparel on shopbrokenbabyapparel.com. That was just an amazing story. And I think that this movement to help everybody who feels so broken because of things that happen.
[00:56:37] Speaker D: Yeah. And out of all of that came a very inspired woman who is doing amazing things, designing clothes and getting people to think about really important things and helping people persevere through all the challenges that you face in life. Very good stuff.
[00:56:52] Speaker B: Great.
[00:56:52] Speaker D: Passage to Profit is a nationally syndicated radio show appearing in 31 markets across the United States. Thank you to the P two P team, our producer Noah Fleischman and our program director Alicia Morrissey. Look for our podcast tomorrow, anywhere you get your podcasts. Our podcast is ranked in the top 3% globally. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram x, and on our YouTube channel. And remember, while the information on this program is believed to be correct, never take a legal step without checking with your legal professional first. Gerhardt Law is here for your patent, trademark and copyright needs. You can find
[email protected] and contact us for a free consultation. Take care, everybody. Thanks for listening and we'll be back next week.
