Latest / The SmallBizChat with Melinda Emerson / 30 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me

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30 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me · The SmallBizChat with Melinda Emerson

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  3, 10, 1, 0, ignition, liftoff,
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  Ending small business failure.
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  Welcome to the Small Biz Chat podcast with a number 1 small business expert Melinda Emerson.
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  Bolinda's goal is to end small business failure, and she'll give you the information
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  you need to succeed and live the life you've dream of.
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  Now here's the small biz lady herself.
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  Melinda Emerson.
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  Hi, everybody.
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  I'm Melinda Emerson.
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  This small biz lady, and I am so excited to be back here with you today for another edition of
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  the small biz chat podcast.
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  Listen, I have been getting such amazing great feedback from you guys with this new podcast.
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  And I just wanna share even more.
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  So today, I'm gonna be talking to you about 30 things you probably don't know about me.
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  Yes.
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  Small business lady is a real person.
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  And so I wanna talk to you guys about some of the things that you don't know about me, but
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  that got me on my path to being your small business lady, America's number one small
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  business expert Jojo's mom carries daughter, all that good stuff.
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  So I thought it would be really fun just to share you know, even more of myself with you.
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  I'm not comfortable doing it.
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  Every time I do it, I force myself But every time I get your feedback, I'm grateful that I
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  did.
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  So the first thing I wanted to share with you all is that I actually wanted to be a writer
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  since I was in 8th grade.
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  So part of the reason why I have been able to write so many articles and do so many things
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  that have helped so many of you in the books and things is because I recognized very early
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  on in my life that writing was my magical power.
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  And I was very fortunate because I had a a teacher that sort of, like, recognized my
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  writing ability and and pushed me.
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  And by the time I graduated from high school, I was the, you know, assistant editor of our
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  school newspaper, and I was very fortunate that the National Association of Black Journal has
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  had a boot camp for kids that were writers who wanted to be journalists.
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  And when I was a senior in high school, I went through their boot camp program and that that
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  really put me on an incredible path of, you know, being able to be a professional writer,
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  you know, to write for money.
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  And I went to college.
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  I majored in journalism, I went to Virginia Tech.
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  I am a proud hokey.
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  And while I was in school, you know, writing is the core craft of journalism, but, you know, I
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  I did broadcast.
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  I did radio.
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  I wrote for the student newspaper.
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  And because I didn't know exactly what kind of journalists I wanted to be, But, you know, if
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  you can't write, you know, writing is a core skill of all of those things, and writing
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  serves me so well now in my life that you know, so many kids text and things like this.
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  And I'm like, look, you know, if if you wanna be on TV, you better know how to write.
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  You wanna be a singer, you better know how to write a song.
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  You know, having a writing skill is is really a great magical power.
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  And so I'm grateful that that is how I got on this path to becoming your small business lady.
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  And that led me to, journalism degree.
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  And then that led me to when I graduated from college, I actually had an opportunity in print
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  and in broadcast and I went to broadcast, so my first career was actually as a television news
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  producer.
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  I worked at 3 television stations doing TV news before I started my first company.
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  So that is another factoid that if you ever hear me sounding like I'm an anchorwoman, know
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  that I've been professionally trained in broadcast news.
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  My hometown is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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  And although I have lived in Philadelphia over 20 years, Yes.
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  I am a Steelers fan.
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  So I just want you guys to know that for me growing up in Pittsburgh, it has always been
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  about the black and gold.
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  Always been about the terrible towel.
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  They actually make you move from Pittsburgh if you're not a Steelers fan.
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  That doesn't mean I wasn't super excited when the Eagles won the Super Bowl a couple years
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  ago, but, look, The reality is I am definitely a Steelers fan.
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  I'm also a totally morning person.
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  I am not at at the end of the night.
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  I'm useless to you, but first thing in the morning, I love to write first thing in the
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  morning.
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  I love to go to the gym first thing in the morning.
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  I cannot function after a certain amount of time of night.
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  So if you want something from me, hit me early.
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  I am not a coffee drinker.
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  I actually cannot stand.
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  The taste of coffee.
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  So all of you all that always send me really nice little, you know, Starbucks gift cards,
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  just know that my staff loves it.
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  Because they all drink coffee.
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  They all have a Starbucks a day habit.
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  I do not.
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  I'm a tea drinker.
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  I love green tea.
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  Chamamil, experiment, minty, any of that stuff, but I do not drink coffee.
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  I don't even own a coffee maker.
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  People have come to visit me, complain bitterly, I tell him to go to the Starbucks of
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  the Duncan.
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  I love yoga and meditation.
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  I believe that stretching and balance are things that we need, especially as we get
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  older.
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  And I used to love doing hot yoga and everything else.
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  I don't do that anymore because now that's dangerous, but I do love yoga.
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  And that's something that I do to just center myself to get that peace be still in my heart.
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  Yoga and meditation is is is is the thing for me.
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  I am a devoted southern baptist.
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  I go to church Most Sundays, I believe that god's love never changes.
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  And I believe that prayer changes things.
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  So if you didn't know that I was a Christian.
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  I definitely am, and that's how I raised my son.
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  And and and that's what I believe that's how I was raised.
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  And so just know that when I tell you that I'm praying for you, I really am.
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  I am someone that absolutely loves sour candy and gummy candy.
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  As a matter of fact, sour patch kids are probably my favorite sour candy, and I
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  absolutely love Champagne coming bears from sugarfina.
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  I love them.
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  If I can find them anywhere, I absolutely always love to get my hands on a little box of
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  their champagne gummy bears.
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  My favorite, just like snack food, snack food is Hers barbecue potato chips.
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  I know it is totally random.
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  It's a very northeast thing.
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  Hers is a original brand of potato chips up here, but, listen, Her's barbecue potato chips
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  are my thing.
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  So that's a a random bag toy for you.
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  I am the oldest of 4 children.
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  I am the only girl.
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  The joke in my family is that I have been the boss like my entire life.
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  So no one is surprised that I'm an entrepreneur now or that I train other entrepreneurs because
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  they said it was truly my destiny to be a boss.
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  I've always been a boss chick.
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  My new book fixture business is really about encouraging people to take back control of
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  their business and change how their businesses is run.
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  It's not okay to skip paychecks.
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  It's not okay to never feel like you can take a vacation, and it's also not pay to not know how
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  much profit you've made in your business until your taxes are done.
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  I really want business owners to stop letting their businesses be runaway trained.
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  I've written this book to teach people processes and systems to help them run their
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  businesses intentionally.
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  My goal is to help existing entrepreneurs create a business that allows them to live
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  their dream life.
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  I love to dance.
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  I especially love to line dance.
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  It's a great form of exercise.
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  I do exercise, but I don't particularly love doing it.
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  So I had to find some other things to do to get my steps in.
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  And so dancing and line dancing are are one of the things that I love, love, love, I'm a
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  flower person.
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  I love flowers.
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  My favorite flowers are lilies, any kind of lilies, color lilies, day lilies, whatever.
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  I love lilies.
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  My favorite color is purple.
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  My favorite show that I go to every year in Philadelphia is the Philadelphia flower show.
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  It's the largest flower show in the world, and It is amazing.
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  I just love how flowers smell.
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  And if I can find Purple Lilies, I really love that.
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  Here's a fun fact.
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  You guys probably don't know about me.
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  I'm in graduate school getting my MBA right now, and I'm gonna do a special post just all
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  about that.
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  But I definitely want you guys to know that I believe that you can continue sharpening your
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  knife.
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  It is something that all of us should be doing, and I decided to go back to school to get my
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  MBA.
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  My passport is well used.
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  I have traveled to over 17 countries, including Russia, China, Singapore, Indonesia, Nigeria,
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  certainly all over the Caribbean.
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  I love to travel.
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  I try to take an international trip at least once or twice a year.
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  One for work and one just because my favorite type of food is seafood.
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  I love Cajun, New Orleans, crawfish.
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  All that's good stuff.
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  I really love crawfish a toofae is my favorite dish, and I actually love to get it from
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  Papadose when I'm down south.
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  Don't let me go anywhere near Houston because that's where, Dallas, I love to pop into
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  Popadose and get me some crawfish edufay.
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  My favorite meal that my mom makes fried pork chops, pinto beans, rice, and cornbread.
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  Yes.
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  My mother is Southern from Mississippi, and nobody could like my wife does.
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  And so she knows when I'm coming home, what to make for me.
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  And I'm always grateful that she does it, and that she does it with so much love and care But
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  what I found now is that if I get my son to call and ask her to make it, she'll definitely
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  make it for him.
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  So now I get kicked to the curb for her number one grandson.
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  My favorite dessert is red velvet cake.
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  I love me some red velvet cake.
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  I have a severe nut allergy, so I do not eat things with nuts in them.
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  I love to sing.
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  I was classically I'm a classically trained vocalist since junior high.
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  I used to compete, you know, states, nationals, regionals, all that stuff.
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  And even thought about singing as a career for a split second, but my my love of writing kinda
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  drew me to that.
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  So that's what I ended up how I ended up going to school for journalism.
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  My favorite book is the E Myth revisited by Michael Gerber.
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  I think it was one of the most important and pivotal books I ever read in my business
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  career.
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  I mean, I've I've read a lot of amazing books, but that is certainly one of my favorite I have
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  a couple of addictions.
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  I'm gonna confess.
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  I am addicted to wawa lemonade and shoes.
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  I'm absolutely a shoe addict So I've never seen a DSW.
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  I didn't wanna walk into.
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  Wawa is a regional chain in the northeast.
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  Actually, I guess it's up and down the East Coast now.
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  It's like what 7 elevens are, but we have them here on the East Coast, and they have their own
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  brand of drinks and lemonades and stuff.
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  And I love wild wild lemonade.
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  My favorite holiday is Christmas, and my favorite thing about Christmas is Christmas
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  trees.
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  I love Christmas trees.
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  I love decorating my Christmas tree.
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  I mean, literally, like, the minute Thanksgiving is over.
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  I am out in the garage, getting my stuff, getting my tree up.
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  And the the best thing I love about working from home is that I can cut on my Christmas
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  tree every day during the day and look at my tree.
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  I absolutely love it.
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  I'm one of those people at the end of the season that runs around all the stores and gets
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  my ornaments for next year.
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  So I'm a little bit anal.
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  I, like, do 2 colors.
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  I don't like, you know, homemade ornaments make me crazy, but I love themes.
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  I love white Christmas trees too, so I'm in artificial trees so that, you know, I love how
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  fresh Christmas trees smell, but I love my Old fashioned artificial tree.
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  I am a professional single super mom.
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  I am divorced.
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  I was married for a long time.
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  I have an amazing teenage son, Doddo, who has some learning disabilities.
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  So I am someone who can relate to people out here who have had to very much advocate for
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  their child and do battle with all kinds of people trying to get your child what they need.
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  I have a soft spot for children with autism.
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  My my son is is dyslexic and has ADHD, but, he is really extraordinary in so many ways.
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  And sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do for your kid.
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  And so My son and I have have walked an amazing walk in his educational career, and he's gonna
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  be in high school next year, which I can't even believe because I can totally tell you my birth
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  story.
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  I won't now, but I can.
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  You know, and he is just the light of my life.
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  And so I'm grateful that that to be his mom.
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  And I believe that god gave him to me because he knew I would do what was required.
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  I am a movie person.
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  I love you know, Netflix.
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  I love, you know, me and my son are often at the AMC movie theater on opening day to see
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  whatever My son has turned me into a a Marvel maniac.
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  We've seen, like, all those movies, but my favorite movie of all time is comedy is is
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  coming to America.
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  It's one of those movies that I've probably seen a 118 times can recite, you know, some of
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  the the the the scripts from the show, from the movie, rather, but it never gets old.
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  It never gets tired.
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  I laugh hysterically every time.
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  My favorite dramatic movie is actually Shawshank Redemption with Morgan Freeman.
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  It's one of my favorite movies.
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  There's there's so many things you can learn from a movie like that.
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  And and that's another one, Ketchup on TV on a Saturday.
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  I will totally sit there watching even though I've seen it a ton of times.
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  And my favorite music group of all time is new addition.
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  I love music new addition.
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  I had a poster on my wall as a kid of new edition.
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  One of the first concerts I ever went to was new edition, and I'll be sure when I was in
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  Junior High School, love love love them.
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  My favorite individual artist is Prince.
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  God rest his soul.
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  He was amazing, you know, Pravorian's classic, but there's so many good print songs, you know,
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  you can't just pick 1.
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  You know?
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  And and I guess the reason why I decided to share is because For so many years, when I
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  started being the small business lady, I thought that it was just about the content.
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  I thought that you didn't care too much about me.
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  You just wanted to know what I knew about how to make money and run a successful business.
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  So I never really talked about myself.
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  Very rarely even in blog posts, do I reference you know, my own experience and what I have
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  learned since I have started to share on this podcast that you guys love it and that you want
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  more.
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  And so I wanna always give you I I'm I'm a firm believer that you gotta give the people what
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  they want So here you are.
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  These are the 30 or so things that you probably didn't know about me, but now you know So I
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  think if I had to make an action point for the week, it would be this.
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  The more you share, the more people can relate to you.
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  And so I hope this is giving you just a small window into my world.
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  This is Melinda Emerson.
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  You are listening to the small biz chat podcast, and I will see you next time.
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  Thank you for listening to the small biz chat podcast.
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  With Melinda Emerson.
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  For more resources and small business success strategies, visit succeed as your own boss dot
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  com.
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  Subscribe to this podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and join us next Wednesday.