IAM2423 – Organizational Development Consultant Helps Start-ups and Non-Profits Tell Their Story Digitally

Nahamani Yisrael

00:00 - 00:24

So what we do is we take entrepreneurs and even people who just want to look at their career a little bit differently, and we teach them to recognize opportunities, to use their network in a more genuine way. It's not just about what you know, but who you know and how those people can help you get to the next level. We teach people how to take their business ideal and actually vet it and turn it into a thriving business.

Intro

00:26 - 00:52

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I Am CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless

00:53 - 01:02

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 Nahamani Israel of nahamani.org. Nahamani, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Nahamani Yisrael

01:03 - 01:04

Thank you so much for having me. I'm glad to be here.

Gresham Harkless

01:05 - 01:41

I'm super excited to have you on. And what I want to do is just read a little bit more about Nahamani so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Nahamani is an Organizational Development Consultant and Senior Webmaster at Nahamani.org. She obtained her BSBA from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio before launching her consultant and communications firm. Nahamani is a certified Ice House Entrepreneurship Program Facilitator. She was featured as Natural Woman Magazine's Top 10 Women of the Year in 2017 and 100 Wise Women of Cincinnati in 2018. Nahamani serves on the board of directors for Bethany House Services.

Gresham Harkless

01:41 - 01:46

It's active in the West End community. Nahamani, are you ready to speak to the IMCEO community?

Nahamani Yisrael

01:46 - 01:49

I am. Thank you, Rich, for that awesome introduction.

Gresham Harkless

01:49 - 01:58

Well, it's easy to give an awesome introduction when you're doing awesome things. So I appreciate you for all that you're doing. And I wanted to hear a little bit more about like your CEO story and what led you to start your business.

Nahamani Yisrael

01:58 - 02:36

I started Nahamani.org. A lot of smaller organizations, whether it be small businesses, not-for-profit organizations, they really struggle to communicate their value to their target market. Most small businesses don't have a full PR staff. They don't have the technical abilities to do awesome websites. And the organizational development piece, I was seeing a lot of organizations struggling when they get to that three to five-year mark. as to how do I sustain this business and turn it into a legacy enterprise that I can either pass on to my children or I can, you know, use that as a retirement fund when I decide to close the business.

Nahamani Yisrael

02:36 - 03:04

So being able to help them be able to pivot their business and look at, you know, what's causing problems in their organization. and really working to solve those problems. It really gave me a lot of joy. I love seeing businesses thrive. I love seeing my clients move from, you know, where they started off when we first started working together and they get to the next level and, you know, they're being featured in magazines and doing all these great things and then seeing the business continue. I like my client's businesses to outlive their founders.

Gresham Harkless

03:05 - 03:22

Yeah, that's definitely the definition of legacy because a lot of people, you know, start thinking, you know, long term like that. But I think, I mean, you might have already touched on this and you might find this with clients that sometimes because they're so close to it, it's sometimes hard to make those organizational decisions or be able to communicate if you spoke to them. Do you find that happens a lot with clients that you work with?

Nahamani Yisrael

03:22 - 03:55

Definitely. The managers, you know, we're busy, we're running the day to day operations, we're trying to satisfy our customers. We're, you know, managing inventory, we're managing people, and it's really hard to kind of take that bird's eye look at what is causing my business to stagnate or not get to that next level. So bringing in a consultant like myself gives them another perspective And with my background, Xavier University is one of the top business schools here in the region. So having that background and being able to understand what makes businesses work. And a lot of it is really engaging your key stakeholders.

Nahamani Yisrael

03:55 - 04:21

Everyone looks at their stakeholders a little bit differently. You know, of course, your customers are going to be a stakeholder, your employees are stakeholders, but the community around you is your stakeholder as well. So if your business is doing well, then that's bringing traffic to other businesses. and just the economic drivers that new businesses bring about. It's very important that we take all of those people's opinions and how the organization should be changing into consideration. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

Gresham Harkless

04:22 - 04:28

And I know I touched on a few things in your bio. What's the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program? I don't know anything about that. What is that?

Nahamani Yisrael

04:29 - 05:03

Ice House is an entrepreneurship training program where we train entrepreneurs to think entrepreneurially. So Eli's Mindset is the organization that founded Ice House. And Gary Schoenegger, he got with Clifton Tolbert, who was the founder of Stairmaster. And Clifton told him the story of his Uncle Cleve. And Clifton's Uncle Cleve, Clifton grew up in the Mississippi Delta in the 1950s. At that time, for a black man in his teens, it was kind of expected that he would go into picking cotton and working in the fields. And Uncle Cleves saw something in Clifton and kind of took him under his wings.

Nahamani Yisrael

05:04 - 05:41

Uncle Cleves owned the Ice House. He was an entrepreneur, black entrepreneur in the 1950s in Mississippi. And he taught Clifton his principles of entrepreneurship. And because of that training that he had at such a formidable age, Clifton went on to do some really powerful things. So what we do is we take entrepreneurs and even people who just want to look at their career a little bit differently, and we think we teach them to recognize opportunities, to use their network in a more genuine way. It's not just about, you know, what you know, but who you know and how those people can help you get to the next level.

Nahamani Yisrael

05:41 - 06:21

We teach people how to take their business ideal and actually vet it and turn it into a thriving business. So we take individuals through an eight-week training program. It's partially online, and it's also, sorry about that, and it's also, we teach it in person, so we take them through an eight-week training program where, you know, through that process, we're doing discovery campuses, we're encouraging them to go out and talk to potential customers, because it's one thing to think, okay, my business is gonna do this, and this is the problem that we're gonna solve, but when you actually start talking to the people that are facing that problem, and understanding what their needs and their expectations are, a lot of times our businesses actually shift.

Nahamani Yisrael

06:22 - 06:24

And people don't know that if they don't go out and talk.

Gresham Harkless

06:24 - 06:48

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And a lot of times you have to have those conversations and do that due diligence and that kind of self evaluation for yourself, but also for your business. So it's great to kind of hear about that. And I think I've heard about that actually years ago than I remember. And that's great. I remember, you know, seeing it. So I remember reading about that program, definitely a great program. So it's great to hear that you're helping out entrepreneurs as far as doing that. And now I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce.

Gresham Harkless

06:48 - 06:54

This is what you feel kind of distinguishes you or sets you apart, or it could be for your organization, but what do you feel like your secret sauce is?

Nahamani Yisrael

06:54 - 07:36

My secret sauce, and the reason I named the organization Nahamani.org is that I'm bringing all of the Nahamani to the table. So I am a strong communicator. I am very passionate about what I do, and I've got a very positive disposition. So even in seemingly daunting situations, I'm able to kind of remain calm, you know, crack a couple of smiles and a couple of jokes and help people get through whatever hurdles that they're facing. So when I go into a new business relationship, I'm really able to ease people's fears because I really found that fear keeps a lot of people from starting a business, growing their business, and going out there and putting everything on the line.

Nahamani Yisrael

07:37 - 08:11

I mean, you're risking your time, you're risking your life savings, and your reputation when you hang up that open sign. So I'm able to kind of comfort people and help walk them through that process so that they can be successful. And once they break through that fear, what happens is just phenomenal. I have a client, when she came to me, she had one location, just a few clients coming in and working with her on an ongoing basis. She's now got a second location. And now people are reaching out to her to, you know, learn about her business model and how they can, you know, mimic that and grow their businesses.

Nahamani Yisrael

08:11 - 08:12

So it's a great process.

Gresham Harkless

08:13 - 08:22

I wanted to switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. And this might be an Apple book or a habit that you have, but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient.

Nahamani Yisrael

08:22 - 08:52

My biggest hack is networking and actually turning those networking contacts into relationship. You know, when you go to a networking event, you know, you collect all these business cards And you're wondering, you know, a lot of people, we collect them, we stick them in our billboard or in our purse and we forget about them. But I have a process where I actually go through, not at the event because I want to be engaged in talking to people, but I'll sit down and I'll kind of brainstorm, okay, how does this connection, how can I either bring value to them or how can they bring value to me?

Nahamani Yisrael

08:52 - 09:26

And then I'll do a quick, Hey, it was great meeting you at this location. You know, this is some thoughts that I think that we could definitely come together and partner on. or we can work together on and actually starting to build those relationships. Sometimes I just met Monday with a lady that I had met at an event for coffee and we've been sending emails and texts and it's great for both of us because We're in very different industries and you wouldn't think that we would really need each other as much as we do. But once you sit down and talk to people and during the event, of course, you know, everybody's talking, there's lots of noise, there's lots of things going on.

Nahamani Yisrael

09:26 - 09:28

They usually have some type of agenda. You

Intro

09:28 - 09:28

know,

Nahamani Yisrael

09:28 - 09:56

they have a presentation and all of that, but doing it kind of outside of the event, you start to build these really wonderful relationships. And sometimes, you know, you might meet someone and it might be six months or a year before the actual spark goes off and say, this is how we can work together. But because I've taken that initiative and I've shot them an email, they're built into my contacts. They know who I am and what I do, so they can send me referrals. And then six months, a year later, I just met with a gentleman that I met in 2017.

Nahamani Yisrael

09:57 - 10:29

We talked about doing a website. He didn't have his product quite ready, but he's referred me to other clients that need my services. And it's just that offline conversation, that human factor and being able to interact with people on a human level. And I try to tell people to do the same thing with social media. So we have, you know, a lot of us have hundreds and thousands of friends and connections, but what are we doing with those? You know, are we just doing, again, is it just for self-gratification? or is there actually some way that we can turn those into real world contacts?

Nahamani Yisrael

10:29 - 10:56

You know, meet with someone for coffee, have a little get together if there's three or four or five of you. And even if people might look at it and say, well, that's my competition, there's enough food at the table for all of us to eat. You know, you never know what someone else might need, or they might need to outsource some of the work to you. Or, you know, you just, those relationships are golden. And I really take those very preciously and I just use them and I open myself up as well. You know, how can I help you?

Nahamani Yisrael

10:56 - 11:03

Who can I introduce you to that you might not know that I might have known for 20, 30 years? And people really appreciate that.

Gresham Harkless

11:04 - 11:13

And you might have already touched on this, but I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And this is a word of wisdom or piece of advice, or if you can kind of hop into a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?

Nahamani Yisrael

11:14 - 11:46

I would tell my younger self to not be able to overcome that fear. You know, I talked about it a little bit earlier, but that fear is really, it holds a lot of people back. And I've experienced it. I've gone to, you know, schedule myself for events or opportunities, and then I cock myself out of it. And you just miss that opportunity. So, you know, Face your fears head on. Don't let them run your day or run you away from opportunities. And just accept that they talk about it in public speaking. Imagine the entire audience being naked.

Nahamani Yisrael

11:46 - 12:18

Well, imagine that everybody else that you're interacting with, they're afraid. We all have personal lives and personal things that we're trying to overcome. But when you start to deal with people on a human level, you'll start to learn that we're all a little bit afraid, but I wish I had told myself 20, 30 years ago to not let my fear hold me back. I think my business could be way further ahead had I taken advantage of some of those opportunities when I was younger, had a lot more energy back then, but today, and then I also have to be appreciative.

Nahamani Yisrael

12:18 - 12:39

God had to take me through those things in order to use me in the way that he uses me today. But that would be my nugget to pass on to other entrepreneurs that are thinking about starting a business. I really want to start a business. I have this great idea. Just go out there and do it. Go out there and try it. If you fail, don't look at it as a failure. Look at it as a learning opportunity.

Gresham Harkless

12:39 - 12:58

Exactly. It's all part of the process in the grand scheme of things. So you can only fail if you stop. You got to keep moving, keep moving forward. And Mark, take that as a learning lesson. So now 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 Nahamani, I want to ask you, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Nahamani Yisrael

12:58 - 13:31

It means that I am in charge. It means that I am in control of my destiny and that as long as I continue to make strategic moves that I am going to be successful. As a CEO, I have to look at what resources are out there for me. I don't have a large staff. I have, I get interns from some of the local colleges and I have one or two individuals who help me, but being able to guide those people and give them, you know, as a leader, you have to, you know, set the pathway for their success and you have to celebrate their success.

Nahamani Yisrael

13:32 - 14:06

So being in charge is not just, you know, I'm the boss and I'm running the show, but I'm actually responsible for outcomes for other people. And I take that very seriously and I hold myself accountable and saying, okay, what opportunities, how can I use this opportunity? And I have an intern right now that's doing social media. And she's taking a lot off of my plate and allowing me to do things like this interview and meet with clients, do more writing, which is something I love to do. So I'm always looking at how can I, other than paying her, which she appreciates, but also how can I help get her to the next level?

Nahamani Yisrael

14:06 - 14:20

She wants to be a blogger. So I'm always introducing her to other bloggers that I know, tagging her in posts where I know that she'll get value from it. But you know, taking her success and taking responsibility for her success, part of my role as a CEO.

Gresham Harkless

14:21 - 14:28

Nahamani, I truly appreciate your time. What I want to do is pass you the mic just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and our listeners know. And then of course, how best I can find you.

Nahamani Yisrael

14:29 - 15:12

I definitely want to let people know about my branding blogs. I started a blog, it's called Influencer, and what I do with that blog is I get branding nuggets from different CEOs. I've interviewed GMs of sports organizations, nonprofit organizations, various organizations. I'm actually interviewing a social media influencer. But if people go to my website, which is nahamani.org, it's N-A-H-A-M-A-N-I dot O-R-G, and hit the influencer blog, there are tips on there that people can use to further their brand. And we talk about things like using the media as brand ambassadors. We talk about bringing innovation. So I definitely would love for people to come on there.

Nahamani Yisrael

15:13 - 15:43

They can definitely follow me on social media. I'm on Facebook at asnahamani.org. And then I'm on Twitter and Instagram as Managed Sensi. So if people want to connect with me, I'm very, like I, just as I am in person, I'm very approachable. Hop in my DMs, let's chat, let's talk. If you're local, let's get together and have coffee. If you're not local, who knows, I might be coming to your city soon. And it's so great to come to a new city where I don't necessarily know people. And then to realize like, Hey, I've got some social media friends here.

Nahamani Yisrael

15:43 - 15:54

and get to meet them in person. So I'm very open to that. And I just, I love talking to people. I love seeing people win. So I think that would be awesome to connect with more entrepreneurs and like-minded people.

Gresham Harkless

15:54 - 16:04

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. And we'll make sure to have all those links in the show notes as well, too, so that everybody can follow up with you now, Imani. So I appreciate you, appreciate everything that you're doing, and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Nahamani Yisrael

16:04 - 16:09

Thank you so much, Gresh, for this opportunity. This is so much fun. Bye everybody.

Intro

16:10 - 16:45

Thank you for listening to the IMCEO podcast powered by CB Nation and Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at imceo.co. IMCEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and everywhere you listen to podcasts. Subscribe and leave us a five star rating. This has been the I am CEO podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.