IAM867- Founder Helps Ease the Stress Around Resident Engagement

Transcription

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00:02 – Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

00:30 – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Jese ary of GreenEyed Ambition. Jese, it's awesome to have you on the show.

00:39 – Jese Gary

Thank you so very much for having me. I'm so excited to talk to you today.

00:43 – Gresham Harkless:
No problem, super excited to have you on as well. And before we jump in, I want to read a little bit more about Jese, so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Jese is the founder and CEO of Lux Giving and a speaker with a passion for sharing the importance of connection with everyday life in the business world. With over 8 years of experience in the industry, she has supported all sizes of management companies with unique ideas to help ease the stress around resident engagement. LuxGiving was created out of a passion to make a difference. Prior to starting LuxGiving, she was a full-time plus-size model who was featured in Essence Magazine and QVC. She stumbled across entrepreneurship through overcoming various adversities and a desire for something more in life. Jese, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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01:30 – Jese Gary

Yes, I'm extremely excited.

01:32 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome, I'm excited as well too. I know we had a great first initial call. So I wanted to kick everything off to hear a little bit more about your CEO story. We'll let you get started with all the awesome things you're working on now.

01:44 – Jese Gary

Yeah, so I did start with Lux Giving back in 2011. It was never intended to be a business. That's the funniest thing about it. Cause people like, didn't you have a plan, a business plan and all? I was like, no, not at all. I was just doing something that genuinely I loved and I wanted to help out with an organization dressed for success. I realized that a lot of times people don't have the opportunity to donate items. So they just keep carrying them from place to place. And I was like, you know what, how about I use my experience and my relationships with modeling to do fashion nights and have like a fashion seminar and people can bring the clothes they no longer want it.

And I would take it to the organization and then they and then anyone that attended they would have the opportunity to shop. And I wanted to do only 5 events. That was the game plan. I'll do this because people want to do and it was around this time of the year. So people want to love to do things that make them feel good. And we're shopping usually. So I thought it was a no-brainer. And to my surprise, after doing those 5 events, I was booked out almost 3 months in advance. And here we are.

03:08 – Gresham Harkless

Surprise.

03:10 – Jese Gary

Doing something that brings you joy and learning how to make money with, it can work sometimes. So yeah, that's how I got there.

03:19 – Gresham Harkless

Nice, absolutely love that. And that goes, that speaks to, just kind of going with your passions and sometimes not knowing each step along how that's going to happen or what the next step is going to be or the step after that, and just kind of going with your passions. And a lot of times when you do what you do in such a great manner, then a lot of times the business and opportunities kind of come from there.

03:41 – Jese Gary

Yes, I agree 100%. And I think sometimes when we get so stuck in the processes, we can't allow the beauty of the growth and evolution. Even when you do have a game plan, chances are, if you're really leaning into the process, it's not gonna look the same in 3 years. So I had the idea of like, let's lean into it now and figure it out compared to stopping and not progressing forward. So I think sometimes we get so wrapped up in the planning more or less in the action and seeing what actually is going to come about.

04:21 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, the action, especially that growth and evolution that she spoke to as well. I don't know if you're a boxing fan, but Mike Tyson has this quote where he says, everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face and then you don't know what to do. So a lot of times, you know, punches will happen and things will happen that'll make you have to pivot, have to evolve, have to change. And it's more important that you're able to do that and speak to that. And that's really where the true evolution and opportunity come from.

04:48 – Jese Gary

Yes, it's very true. Because when I first started, it was me doing everything. By this time, like this time this year, I don't even physically go to any events. I just do the administrative side of everything. And it took growth to trust people, to be able to understand what's needed from everyone, to be able to have it executed properly. And that was a growth lesson. I mean, it did feel like a punch in the face because sometimes we can hear in the business world, don't trust people, they're gonna let you down. Don't put your business in anyone else's hands. You'll hear all of those negative thoughts about collaboration And it doesn't have to be that way. So it took a lot of self-work work get out of my head about is this person really after me. Are they really gonna be helpful or in the best interest of the team to grow? So that was a big lesson I had to learn.

05:53 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, that's I mean, that speaks to something so powerful that I think often we forget, like a lot of times you can go to a certain distance, I guess you can say by yourself, doing all the things and working the 25 hours and then a 24 hour day, it seems like. But I think that in order to really go to that next level, you have to let go of some of those things. You have to trust, you have to empower people. And some of those things that got you to where you were won't get you to where you want to be and you have to kind of evolve and change from that standpoint.

06:24 – Jese Gary

Yeah, actually during this whole spin of COVID, I created a coursework that I have to actually launch still, and it's called the power of collaborative partnership. And with all of my vendors being an event planner, they still had their own companies. And when I decided to take on the mindset of actually having it so that people don't feel like they're working for me, but working with me so that they show up powerfully each event, that they're not just going there like, Oh, this is Jese's business and this is me and not caring.

I would find myself whenever I would bring on a new vendor, that conversation would always come up because when it's a solopreneur sometimes, they're only able to think about themselves. And I will tell them like, hey, you showing up to the event, the company that I sent you into, they don't even know that company name. They know Lux giving. So when you're going in there, not showing up powerfully and not holding up to your part of the commitment, it's now not affecting only your money. It's affecting everyone else that partners with me in this brand.

And that was an eye-opening experience because it's usually, oh, well, I'll just do this and I'll fix it. And not always wanting, you know, everyone doesn't operate or run their business the same. And I had to even learn that. Everyone doesn't have the same perception of timeliness, effectiveness, and professionalism. I mean, those, we hear those terms, but they can all be, they all can be interpreted or defined differently according to that person's beliefs.

08:19 – Gresham Harkless

Well, I wanted to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce. It could be for you personally, or your business, or a combination of both, but what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique? Is it that ability to be able to communicate that in different levels, in different fashions, to different kinds of, I hate to say constituents, but just different people in different roles and things?

08:39 – Jese Gary

I think that that is my secret sauce. When I've had conversations with some of my customers that have allowed the space to actually authentically see me, even me showing up as myself and being open, still people are gonna see me as a… I'm growing in that space of not taking that as offensive. But for the ones that do allow me to connect with them, usually after our conversation, I can tell that you enjoy what you do. I love creating spaces where I can help someone. And that's actually how this all started. It was me having a conversation at one of my events with someone. And she turned to me and was like, because no one, it wasn't even a lot of people there. It was her and another person that showed up.

So for someone who is starting out, if you only have one person that shows up or buys, I'm sorry, or they buy something from you. It doesn't mean that it's not going to work. I learned that there's something to learn even in our perceived failures. I remember sitting there and talking to her with only one person that came to that event and I had gone to Texas for this event. I sat with her and afterward, she said, it was just so great to sit down and talk to someone. We get so wrapped up and we're passing by people all the time and we never take time to learn about anybody.

And that's been my secret sauce, to be able to be that person that can help other people feel that way, where they're getting to know their neighbors in a way that it's uncomfortable when you're on an elevator or you can stand right next to them and ignore them. So my secret sauce is really just being that person that's planted and the importance of humanity and connecting with others.

10:53 – Gresham Harkless

I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. This could be like an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

11:06 – Jese Gary

One of the hacks that I would say is that I am in love right now with Asana And InShot.

11:18 – Gresham Harkless

InShot, I've heard of this.

11:19 – Jese Gary

InShot. Yes, it's a video editing.

11:22 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, okay. I wanted to ask you that for what I call a CEO nugget. And this might be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. It might be something you would tell a client or if you have to do a time machine you might tell your younger business self.

11:33 – Jese Gary

Don't be afraid to grow even in the moments that don't make sense.

11:41 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely love that and I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So, Jese, what does being a CEO mean to you?

11:55 – Jese Gary

I would say being a CEO, the first thing that came to my mind is a leader. A leader And leader can be a thought leader, like as far as being a thought leader, a leader of your team, or a leader in your industry. And that's not, I don't want to sound cliche, but it's not you telling people where to go. It's like you bringing people along with you. And that's even leading with a vision, which is really, really important. Leading with a vision is important. And I think that going into business where money is great, but if you are not a great leader, then the money won't come or it comes and then it goes, and then no one's there because you have a high turnover. So I think that that's a big part of being a CEO.

12:54 – Gresham Harkless

Nice, I absolutely love that leadership piece. And I expected you to talk about that win-win opportunity as you create with so many people. And I think that a lot of times when we are really showcasing our leadership, at least I would say, in my definition, I imagine you would too, is that you're empowering those around you, as you said, to show up in their best light, in their zone of genius and to be their best selves. And I think that when you're able to do that and not feel threatened but feel like an opportunity to create something phenomenal, that's when you're really showing up as a leader and having a tremendous amount of impact.

13:28 – Jese Gary

Yes, I agree. And the thing is, is like, I've had to rep, like pivot my brand. And during this time, I was, I've been extremely transparent with everyone that I've worked with. And each person that I actually had authentic connections with, totally understood. And they all were able to sit back and say, I'm just grateful for the years that we've worked together. I've grown within my business. I've had to learn how to show up differently and it helped them grow as individuals. And to me, that is leadership, where people are being left in a better place than how they came to you in your business.

14:14 -Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. A lot of times we forget by kind of running our race and not running somebody else's race and using and having that ambition and pivoting and being okay with that telling our story. It reminds so many others that they can do it and that they have the tools to do it too. So that kind of gives everybody permission as well. So Jese, truly appreciate that definition. I appreciate your time even more. What I want to do is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know, and of course, how best they can get a hold of you and find out about all the awesome things you are working on.

14:47 – Jese Gary

Yes, thank you so very much for having me. For anyone that is interested in following me, my personal platform is Green Eyed Ambition. It's on, my website is www.greeneyedambition. On Instagram is green-eyed ambition. There's no 1 that has any name that's close to it. So it was like the color green, your eyes and ambition. And that even came about because it's important to look at life with a fresh set of eyes and full of ambition. So everything about me, if you're looking to find business tips and resources, you can check them out on my website and stay connected if you're looking for more information.

15:32 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, Jese, I appreciate that so much. We will have the links and information in the show notes as well too, so that everybody can follow up with you. But thank you so much for, you know, again, reminding us how important it is to show up, show up authentically, and be the best selves in our own form, shape, or fashion. So you do that so well and it definitely is a reminder for us to do it as well. So I appreciate you for what you do and I hope you have a great rest of the day.

15:38 – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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