Latest / Local Legends with Jess: Arizona Edition / From Corporate Layoffs to Entrepreneur: Jessica Feldman on Digital Marketing and Small Business Growth

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From Corporate Layoffs to Entrepreneur: Jessica Feldman on Digital Marketing and Small Business Growth · Local Legends with Jess: Arizona Edition

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome to Local Legends with Jessica, the Arizona edition.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_03: I'm Jessica Benevento, your remote matchmaker, opening doors with phones and bringing out the stories behind Arizona's most inspiring people.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_03: From best-selling authors and elite athletes to business badasses making moves across the valley.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_03: These are the local legends shaping our communities.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_03: Get the inside scoop, real talk, and powerful conversations you won't hear anywhere else.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_03: Local Legends with Jess, where Arizona's stories connect.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_03: Can you see it?
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_03: There it is.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_03: And we have an awesome guest today.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_03: Our actually longtime friend at this point.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_03: I could say that.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_03: It's been long.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_03: Miss Jessica Feldman.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_03: Hello, hello, hello.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_03: From Digital Vibes.
• 0:50
  unknown: Yeah.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_03: We'll talk about your business too.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_03: But I wanted to get you on here because I love you.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm so happy you're in my life.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_03: And you're in my life because of my husband.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_03: Actually, how did hold on.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_03: How did you guys meet first?
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_03: Let's go back to the introduction.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_03: How did you guys meet originally?
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_02: I want to say I just looked up online.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_02: I was really?
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I was uh I was in, you know, the the trenches as one might say in that time in your life before you become a homeowner.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_02: And you're trying to figure out what your credit looks like and you're trying to find resources.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_02: And I believe I filled out the lead form online.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so great marketing to your team.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and then you reached out and said, These are all the things that you're gonna have to work on.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_02: And and it took me about another like a year maybe before I really know that.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I spent like the whole ten months or whatever it took, and I just stayed very focused on you know the goal.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_03: Mm-hmm.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_02: And I was able to purchase the home.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_03: What year was that?
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: That was in 2018.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_02: Oh my gosh.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_02: And my realtor um was amazing because I only actually went and visually looked at three properties.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, it was a lot of vetting online and stuff like that.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_02: But the three that I looked at by the third one, I was like, this is it.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_02: You know, and so I've been there ever since.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, and then that was three, so 2019 then did you purchase?
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_03: 2018.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_03: It was 18.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um May of I got my keys on like June 1st.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_03: And then 2020 was when you refied with me.
• 2:26
  unknown: Right.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_02: So 2020 actually was when I accepted the hardship program through the banking because my business was still new at that time.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_02: And I was still one foot in corporate America and like one foot on like, oh, the side hustle game.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um, which you knew when I when I by the time I met you, you were still in your corporate job as well.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_02: And then started doing the mortgages.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_02: And so um, through that experience, I ended up, you know, being laid off and really needing that assistance program.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_02: I was warned by my mentors that the banks will want that money later.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_02: It's like added on to the end.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_02: So I was very proactive about it.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_02: And in the ninth month of this 12-month agreement, I was like, I'm ready to get out.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_02: And I had been saving all the money kind of on the side just in case.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_02: It's not like I was spending it or anything, but sure enough, I started making my payments, and that's why I was so hot headed by the time I got to you because the bank was misapplying my payments, sending them back.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_02: Like they wouldn't let me out of the hardship agreement.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and that was when the rates were dropping.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_02: That when they wanted to get out to be able to.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_02: And they told me that they would refinance me, and they gave me like a 2.25.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_02: And they promised it to me, and I was traveling and doing some other things because it's like, what do you that's what you do when you get laid off Maui.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_02: That I didn't have money for her.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_02: I was using all my credit cards.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_02: It's amazing.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I I get back and it's like this communication didn't arrive, and what's going on?
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_02: And so I start backtracking, and they're they're still stringing me along.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, I'm very much like an advocate kind of person.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_02: So of course I file a complaint with Fannie Mae.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_02: I reach out to the Financial Consumer Protection Bureau.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, it was like by the time I spoke to you, I was like, I'm gonna jump out of a window.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_02: You know, because uh I even I think I said, I feel like there's somebody standing over whoever's got my case and is like, yeah, hit no.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, like no We have a photo of her eating at a buffet with wacko beef.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: Allah goes, screw this girl.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: She just put Ellen John in Fiji.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_02: Meanwhile, the filter.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my god, that's right.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_03: So that's right.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_03: I think you were, I got it.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_03: I was thinking about this this morning.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_03: What like borrow wash?
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_03: You mean my second loan?
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_03: You were super like early, early on in my yeah.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_03: And I was like, oh my gosh, I am so equipped for this because my my background is counseling.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_03: So when you were pour, I'd be on the phone with you for an hour.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like, I'm like two keys and a podcast.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_03: It's like I I gave you the most perfect client ever.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like, she's my friend.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_03: We're gonna work through this.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_03: But I totally, you were going through struggle.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_03: They were really, yeah, they were really putting you through the ringer.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_02: And I can't imagine.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you're tenacious.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_02: She's well, and I can't imagine someone who isn't, yeah, or who doesn't have the ability to advocate for themselves.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_02: Well, don't, Jess.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_02: No, you you definitely I was like super seed.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_02: They had they sent me a stack of paperwork like this that literally meant nothing, but was like trying to apologize that they had messed everything up.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_02: But it's like by then my rate went up to 3.75, right?
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_02: Which still dropped two points from 5.75.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_02: But look, when you come from nothing and you work so hard to get there, those two points, it's like that's your wealth.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_02: That was a big yeah, that was a big thing.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: And they offered it to you, and you did everything to do everything right, and they're the ones that screwed up, not correct.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_02: And I don't say this word very well, but the ambiguity.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_02: Ambiguity.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_02: There you go.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_02: Did I say it right?
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_02: I think so.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_02: Right?
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_02: The schedule of your amortization.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, amortization.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_02: Here we go.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_02: Amortization.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_02: Sorry.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_02: Ambiguity.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: Amiguity.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_03: Liberty, liberty, liberty.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_02: Amateur.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_02: No.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_03: Amortization.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_03: Amortization.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_02: So when you're a new homeowner and you're looking at this amortization document that looks like the bank is winning for 40 years or like, you know, and so I do advise, you know, friends if they can.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_02: And I think some financial advisors advise differently.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_02: They want you to put your money somewhere where it's working for you.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, I want out from the bank owning my house.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_02: So if I pay an extra thousand dollars or two thousand dollars a year because I'm dumping 250, like or 500, you know, when I can.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so it goes right to the principal.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: Right to the principle.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I just want out from under them taking uh such a large percent of the the interest, right?
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_02: You look at the numbers and it's like that first year.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's a scary number.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: When you see what you're buying and what you actually finance, it's really scary.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: It's scary.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_02: You you look at it, it's like what some people don't think of interest that way.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_02: They think it's like money that you're just spending and it's going.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm thinking, no, that's money that I could keep.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_02: Like I don't want to spend right.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_02: So I do understand what the interest rates the way they are, and people wanting to keep money in their pocket.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_02: But that was really a treacherous experience for me because it just felt like the bank had the stronghold.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_02: Sure.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_02: And no matter how much I was working hard to dot my I's, cross me T's, jump through the flaming hoops, they were still had the upper hand.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:17
  unknown: Yeah.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: Well, look at you now.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_02: Look at you now.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_02: Oh.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_03: Sorry.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_03: No.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_03: Was that you?
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_03: Did you kick off moving?
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_02: I ended up moving around and talking with my hand.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_03: I know.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_03: This is hard to have.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_03: We should have one of those mics that's like like a Britney Spears, you know.
• 8:35
  unknown: Yeah, that'll be good.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um, okay, so now we're good.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_03: You have your 3.75 interest rate.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_03: You're not getting rid of that anytime soon.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_03: Unfortunately, you probably you probably that will be your lowest the rest of your life.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_02: Hopefully.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, if they ever, you know, I there's gonna be a lot of equity in that home.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_02: And um sadly, there's an HOA in that community.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, can we talk about the HOA?
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_02: Oh my gosh, let's.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_03: So I haven't, I haven't given you any HOA.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: No, but I do get little uh drama from your mom when she comes back to the city.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so she's like looking.
• 9:11
  unknown: Let me tell you what happened.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, the stuff that's my mother got has never happened.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_03: What's wild is when my mom showed me the cease and desist and I read it, I'm like, I'm glad that I knew your drama because You can tell your mom that's like self-potatoes.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_02: Like, mom, don't yell at the landscape.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_03: Leave them alone.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_03: They're gonna kill you, but I'm they're killing, they're killing the plant.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_03: They're killing the plant and they're gonna come get you.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_03: They're gonna kill you and kill your dog, and that's it's not gonna be good.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I didn't, I it actually made me feel a little better.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like, this is somewhat which which is that's why everyone, there's such a bad rap around HOAs.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_02: Because they have no authority over what abuse they might put that community through.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_02: Now, there are situations where they work really well.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_02: I was actually a board member for the last three years prior to this.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_02: So from 2023 to 2026.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_02: I was a board member and I advocated for equality, equal enforcement of the CCNRs, but also letting people have some freedom and a sense of like you don't control everyone just because you're on the board of directors.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_02: You gotta know where the power stops.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_02: We have someone who's abusing the power.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_02: Sure.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_02: And he has recruited neighbors to harass me.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_02: And it's it's bad.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_02: They've called the cops on me for walking down the street to get coffee.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_02: They have When did this start?
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_02: Like death.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_03: When did this start?
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_03: Immediately after my term on the board ended.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_03: So when you were on the what made you get on the board?
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_03: Because you lived there for a while.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_02: Because I wanted to advocate for the entire community, not just the people on the board because they're so self-free.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: You wanted to represent the owners.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_03: Was there an issue prior?
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_03: Like when you moved in, did you have any issues with HOA?
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_03: Um, no, but Dave and I served together.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_02: And is Dave the dick?
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_02: Sorry, Dave, you're a dick.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_02: Sorry, Dave, you're a dick.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_02: He didn't have to be this way.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_02: It's his choice, right?
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so he and I had a conflict in the way that we wanted to manage.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_02: He believed that he could raise the HOA dues based on your income.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_02: And I believed that your dude.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_02: Crazy is that.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_02: It's crazy.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_02: It's not, but it's his ideology.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_02: So I wanted the community to understand his ideology.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_02: He ran against me when my term was up and he won, but I didn't say anything about all the documented proof that I have of his verbal abuse, the way that he treats he treated me, the way he was.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_02: He married.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_02: Oh.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and he's only there half of the year.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, so you know, he he just took it to a whole nother extreme.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_02: Like they've been sending me death threats.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my god.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously, anonymously.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_02: But I've been there for eight years and I've never had this problem.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_02: Everybody in the community loves me.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_03: But how can't get you are like, and that's it's just wild that this even happened.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_03: So was it him talking about wanting to raise it that it kind of went?
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_02: Why do you resign?
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_02: So the first time that he served when I was on the board because of the conflict and the way that I exposed his uh unethical ideology, he resigned.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_02: How'd you expose it?
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_03: Like internet during meetings, like cheering at the meetings.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_03: Like you would stand up and be like, this guy wants to raise your like was there heat?
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_03: Like there was definitely heated conversations.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_02: I I kind of let the whole re-election process run itself.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: Do its thing.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_02: Because he was gonna hang himself.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_02: I didn't need to do that.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_02: And he did.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_02: I received a cease and desist for posting photos of our dilapidated community on Facebook.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so my lawyer said to do nothing, but of course that's not me.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_02: I posted a photo of my porch and said, Will they be spending your HOA dollars to send a cease and desist of me posting a photo of my patio on social media?
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_02: That's so bizarre.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_02: Everybody, their Gen Xers, honey.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_02: Nobody wants their HOA do spent on Facebook.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_02: No, they're so like everybody's in an uproar now.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_02: And the woman that won an injunction of harassment against me, who's been harassing me the whole time, but she's a very manipulative person and is able to kind of turn the tables.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_02: She won the injunction and it was just like, whatever.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_02: So I hired lawyers.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_02: I've had to spend a lot of money on this.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_02: Like I told you these numbers.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um, she filed for an appeal to have a 25-foot rule implemented because I'm walking down the street.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_02: I I pretty much know like six of the officers now because they've been in my house so many times.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_02: Like, no, not even getting.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_02: And they're coming in and saying what they're just like, oh well, you know, you can see that they're just doing their job.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_02: Like, but there's a level of This is insane.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_02: Uh-huh.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_02: So the judge denied her appeal.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_02: And my lawyer said this is the beginning of like that house of cards falling down for her.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_02: So I'll get an injunction against her and then I'll sue her to get my money back.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_03: I don't even know what an injunction is.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_03: What is that?
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_02: She's she was saying that all of my attempts to ask her to leave me alone were intimidating her.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_02: So that's an injunction?
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_02: Well, when I lost Bubba, like so think about it, you know, my term ended in March.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_02: My cat died in in June, but it was like April, May, June.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_02: He was terminally ill for months.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_02: And their efforts to harass.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_02: Weren't they mad you were walking him on a leash?
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_02: That I didn't have him on the leash, and I was carrying him.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_02: He was terminally ill.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_02: He wasn't even walking anymore.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_02: And we've seen we have a violation or two every single month, ever since my term ended.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm getting violated from the HOA.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_02: I'm getting the cops called on me for walking down.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_02: Like it's coming from all angles.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: And do those have fines as well?
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_02: So I like wrote her a note that said, You're the worst neighbor ever.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_02: I've asked you to leave me alone.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_02: Stop stalking me.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_02: It's really weird that you're so obsessed.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_02: And I left her like some Jesus stickers and said, like, let go and let go and let God go.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_02: Well, if it wasn't for my newfound love of my perfect person.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_02: Understanding like how my connection should be with Jesus showing Jess.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_02: Girl, you don't understand.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I, if it wasn't for finding a stronger connection with Jesus through my dental situation, I would have already lost it.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my honey.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_03: You're doing great, Jess.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_03: I love you.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_03: Special thank you to Justin Liszt from State Farm.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_03: Justin is our sponsor here at Local Legends with Jess and Jay.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_03: His mission is simple.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_03: He treats customers like family, provides real solutions, ensures every client feels confident, supported, and genuinely cared for.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_03: That level of intention and service is exactly why he's considered one of our favorite local legends here in Arizona.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_03: We're grateful for the support and proud to highlight Justin and his team for truly making a difference in our community.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get some positive vibes going.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_03: We are so positive.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: Let's talk about the fun thing you have coming up.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_03: Wait, let's talk about digital vibes because I want to I want to expose your business and tell people, tell our audience what you do, how fabulous you are.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: Actually, we have Dave from the HOA.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_03: Dave, come take a seat.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_03: Dick.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_03: Dave.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_02: I'm definitely going to get a seat.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_02: I know it's really calummates for them to watch me thriving and winning.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I think that that sometimes can be um when these people are are acting this way, it's it's not me.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it's it's their own inner demons and their own lack of ability to continue to grow.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_02: Like when you peek in high school and then the rest of your life is just like mehrh, I'd be upset too.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'd be pissed.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_02: But they're ugly picking.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_02: Are they ugly?
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_02: Not picking on people.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_02: Is Dave and that woman?
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_02: You know, your physical appearance um shouldn't hinder like your ability to be kind.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_02: But a lot of ugly people are not.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_02: Are they ugly inside and outside?
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_03: They're they're angry, they're they're ugly.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_03: I know it.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_03: Are they ugly?
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_02: You already said it.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_02: You know it.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_02: They're ugly.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_02: To to each their own perspective.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_02: Beauty's in the eye of the beholder.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_02: All right, let's get on digital vibes.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: I said I.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_03: If they're one of those.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_03: Digital vibes.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_03: Give me digital vibes.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_03: How'd you start the business?
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um, digital vibes agency really, you know, started through my journey in corporate America working in marketing.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_02: Like that was my career.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_02: And so when I would go to the nail lady or, you know, a restaurant that I really liked, I'd I'd look at their website.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, I'd, hey, can I get your card?
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_02: In the beginning, I was literally willing to build any website for free.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_02: And it wasn't the best website, but the nail lady was like, I'll do trade with you or something.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_02: And so that's kind of how it started.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then I think through that evolution, realizing that I could have a side hustle because corporate America wasn't paying me enough, it kind of, you know, helped me with my income.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_02: You know, and so having that on the side turned into a full-time company that I own once I was laid off 15 million times in corporate America because marketing budgets get cut immediately.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_02: People want to get rid of their marketing department.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_02: Which you would think is the last department that you get rid of.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_02: Because you but they look at it as a loss leader, you're you're costing us money and not generating that revenue, even though it directly correlates when you're you have marketing, it generates revenue.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_02: So that was why I said I can do this better and on my own.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_02: Like I could facilitate strong marketing strategies for small business owners on a scrappy budget.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_02: You know, because I don't have large overhead, I have a small staff, I work with international talent.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm able to deliver really quality products without asking for a$10,000 a month retainer.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_02: And so that looks really um positive and and potentially lucrative to a small business owner.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, of course.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_02: And I always encourage them, go and get quotes from every marketing agency.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_02: My mentor taught me that that's how you get your best free ideas.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_02: Going to agencies and re interviewing with them and asking them what kind of ideas they have.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_02: What would you do differently with our brand?
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_03: So who do you like, what is your ideal, I guess your ideal client or business?
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_03: Like, is anything too big or too small that you would take on to do their marketing?
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_03: Are there different packages that you offer?
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_02: That's a great question.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_02: So I have a rate card that keeps it very simple.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_02: And then we offer packages based on your business needs.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_02: So every business is like at a different point in their digital marketing journey.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_02: And sometimes it's a digital transformation, depending on where they are.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_02: Like if they don't have a website at all, they're looking to implement, you know, point of sale products.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_02: Like something that is the technology to build the landscape that they need so that they can be a more digital forward business.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that's a good thing.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_00: Do you guys do anything with the sales side like Shopify and all that stuff?
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_02: I work with Shopify, WooCommerce.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um those are those are two of the e-commerce platforms that are really popular because WooCommerce um plugs in with WordPress.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_02: So most of the sites that I build are WordPress or Shopify.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_02: There's also Squarespace and some other code that's out there.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_02: I try to bring people into those two wheelhouses, either WooCommerce on the WordPress platform or Shopify.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_02: If you're selling products online.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_02: But I think because of my business and the companies that I work for in the past, I really have a talent for lead generation.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_02: And who always needs leads?
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: Basically everyone, to be honest.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_02: All businesses.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_02: But service businesses.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_02: Those are the ones that are like really gung-ho about their leads all the time.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_02: They want to stay on top of it.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_02: They want to have a high lead flow.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_02: And so there is a special um strategy and recipe that goes into creating leads.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_02: You do that.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_03: You set that up for them, and you basically is that SEO, and that's all that stuff that will drive people to.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_02: So we build the entire funnel.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_02: We'll build the website, we'll put your SEO, we'll bolt in your AI readiness, um, all of the back end and front end, front end, excuse me, my company will handle.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_02: We also handle your Google Ads, your meta ads, um, any of your social strategy, photography, droning, because of my pilot line.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_02: You have a drone.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_02: That's right.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_02: Do you know that?
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_03: A lot of people like she has a license, she had to get a license because she has a drone.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_03: But I don't think a lot of people actually get a license.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_03: Why did you?
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: So I You probably can't use it for for business for commercial use, correct.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_02: So I've finished all my courses, haven't taken the test just yet.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna do it when I come back from New York.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_02: There's been so much going on, but I'm very confident that I'll pass.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_02: I have um courses that I've taken in an app that I use to make sure that I'll score high.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a is it a written test and a course test?
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_02: It's no.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_02: So for the pilot's license for unmanned aircraft, you don't have to do any testing.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_02: It's just a written test.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_02: But you do have to take it at their the FAA facility training uh testing centers.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um and then it's open book, you know.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_02: So I mean, you should be able to pass it.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_02: I think they only want you to have 70% or something.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_02: So I just need to go and get it.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_02: Just get it done.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_02: I just need to get it done.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but yeah, you can't have it for commercial use if you don't have that license.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_02: There is um very hefty fines.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm pretty sure that through all the harassment, one of my neighbors called the FAA.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_02: Ask me how I know.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_02: No, I'm just gonna know Jazz.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: Jazz can only take a car everywhere.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my god, can you imagine if I had a flashy car?
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_02: Just walking around is already flashy enough.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_02: Seriously.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_03: It's my aura.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_03: Poor thing.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_03: The poor thing.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_03: So now do you also do since you have a drone and you're saying video or photography, do you do videography?
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_03: Do you offer those services as well for business?
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_03: Because obviously everything is social media.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_03: Correct.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_03: Right?
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_03: Are you able to do that and run their social media?
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_03: Like your team could handle that too.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_03: Is that another package add-on?
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_02: We have several different packages.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_02: We handle all of the services for an omnichannel approach.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_02: And then with all of our packages and our clients, we you know, we stage everything so that it's a client agency partnership.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_02: Right?
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_02: You guys have certain tasks, and I hate to send people away with homework and housekeeping items, but that's the way that we keep things moving.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_02: Because if I'm sending leads and you're there's a breakdown from the front of the lines, people answering phones, people going out on the job site.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we have to make sure that operations are running smooth so that then we can say, all right, here's what's working in your marketing.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_02: Are your operations ready?
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_02: Let's go.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_02: Right?
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_02: And that's how you get growth.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_02: Love it.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_03: And you love what you do.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, I love what I do.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, tell us where you're going, because we only have a couple minutes.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_02: Oh my gosh.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm going to New York City, where you're from, your hometown, um, where my family originated, but I grew up in Hawaii, nowhere near New York.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_02: But I'm going to Adweek.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_03: That's gonna be so odd.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_03: Do you know anyone going?
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_03: Are you just going?
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_02: No.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_02: Well, good for you.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_02: Let me rephrase that.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_02: Digital Vibes Agency was invited to fats.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_00: She is amazing.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for asking.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_02: You messed it up.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_00: Go ahead.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_00: No, it's okay.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's got out.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_02: It's great.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so Digital Vibes Agency was invited to the TikTok headquarters in New York.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_02: So amazing.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_02: And they said it's ad week.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_02: And I went, wait, what?
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_02: And so I kind of scrambled.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_02: I literally just booked it um a week and a half ago.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_02: So I probably could have got better rates on the hotels had I planned.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna get thrown out of it anyway.
• 25:06
  unknown: Stop.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_02: I'm saying the W.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's really nice.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_02: Dave could possibly reach out.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_02: What if Dave knows someone?
• 25:14
  unknown: Right.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: Dave's the doorman.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my God.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_03: That's gonna be awesome.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_03: You're gonna learn so much, meet cool people.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_02: It's awesome.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be a good experience.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_02: There's gonna be a lot to learn about AI.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um, like AI readiness, how AI platforms are changing marketing.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_02: There's gonna be a lot of brands there.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_02: There's famous people there.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, it is it is a big to-do.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_02: So I actually bought one of those um AI recorders.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, cool.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_02: For note-taking.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_02: Because I'm gonna be drinking from a fire hose for five days.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_03: It's a lot.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's you thought you she was gonna say she'd be drinking.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_03: That's what you thought she was saying.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_03: No, that's where your mind goes.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_02: There are cocktail parties every evening.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_03: That's awesome.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_03: So, how many days is the actual conference?
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_02: Monday through Thursday.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_02: So I fly in, yeah.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_02: And I fly in a day early, so I'll be there Sunday, and then I leave on Friday.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, so I have a little bit of time after maybe a Broadway show.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, totally.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, that's gonna be awesome.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_03: All right, cool.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_03: Well, give your plug.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_03: Talk to our audience.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_03: How do they get in touch with you?
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_02: So if you want a free audit for your website or you need any assistance with any facet of your digital marketing, you can go to digital vibesagency.com.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_03: Yay! Yeah, thank you for being here.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_03: I love you.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_03: You're amazing.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_00: You definitely have two cheerleaders that root you on.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_02: I love you guys too.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_02: I'm proud of you.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_02: Did so like it was a blessing when I found Jason.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_02: And then, you know, I always seen that character that came through the marketing that I didn't even realize that that was your wife.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_02: But I'm like, her name is Jessica, and one Jessica to another Jessica, we're always embatico.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_03: That's so funny.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we love you.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_03: I love you too.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yay! Thank you for having me.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_03: Of course.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you for being on here.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_03: And then until next time, take care.