Echoes Of Impact (Aired 06-17-25) Caregiving with Purpose: Hillary Bailey’s Journey to Dignity

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Sam Foreign welcome back to another episode of Echoes of Impact, where we explore the stories behind the business, the service, the nonprofit. I am your host, Noor Al Masri. And today's guest is someone who knows all about the emotional depth of giving. Today I am talking to a new guest. She hasn't been here with us at Echoes of Impact before. Help me welcome Hilary Bailey. Hillary, thank you so much for being here with me today at Echoes of Impact. How are you doing today? [00:01:07] Speaker B: I'm doing good, Nora. Thank you very much for having me on. [00:01:11] Speaker A: Of course. Thank you so much. Usually when I have a new guest on, I like to introduce you, but I feel like no one can introduce you better than yourself. So would you mind talking a little bit about yourself so the audience know a little bit about you? [00:01:29] Speaker B: Absolutely. So I am married to an amazing man. We have together four daughters who are 26, 24, 22, and almost 16. So we're almost done. Yay. And I am a physical therapist assistant by trade. I am a certified dementia practitioner. I have a love for the geriatric community, so I started a caregiving agency just because I want to. Taking care of people fills my soul. And I just, anything that has to do with the geriatric community is just my jam, so. [00:02:08] Speaker A: Oh, that's awesome. So from physical therapy, then you did the caregiver agency. So tell me a little bit about the caregiver agency. Like, is it like about physical therapy or is it like more like what is it exactly about? [00:02:23] Speaker B: So we are a non medical home care agency. So basically what that means is we have caregivers that come out and they're going to help with those daily activities such as bathing, dressing, using the restroom, maybe some light housekeeping, some meal prep, doing the laundry, you know, transportation to doctor's appointments, just socializing with them and being a companion for them. So we're not going to do like the physical therapy now. We can help them with their exercises and things like that, but we're not, we don't have physical therapists or anything like that on our staff. We're more of the custodial care, just kind of help with the daily activities. [00:02:59] Speaker A: Oh, that's awesome. And can you tell me a little bit, why did you get there from physical therapy to caregiver? [00:03:09] Speaker B: So being a physical therapist assistant the last four years of my career, I mean, I'm, I'm still a therapist assistant, but out, you know, after opening my agency, obviously I stopped doing that. But what I saw in the home, I did home health. And so I would go out to clients homes and do physical therapy. And what I found is they needed help with, you know, the other things. I love doing physical therapy with them. But you know, I might be walking out the door and they might say, oh, hey, could you maybe put, I have something in the refrigerator, could you put it in the microwave for me? Or you know, my back's really hurting, do you mind moving the clothes from the washer to the dryer? Just things like that. And I found that doing those things for them, those are the things that matter. Although they might like physical therapy for 30 minutes, they want help with the things that keep their life going and running smoothly and keeping that norm. And so what I found is that I just love doing that because I feel like it brought them joy and took some stress off of their plate because they're not able to do all of the things that they were able to do before. [00:04:17] Speaker A: That's really interesting. And yeah, you know, like you saw the need and you filled the gap and that just gives a strong, meaningful like, you know, it gives something about your character. Like, you know, like you wanted to help them further more than physical therapy. Thank you for doing that. I'm sure a lot of people are appreciating this and also like a lot of people, like maybe they have kids with them at home, adult kids, and they don't really have time because they have to provide for the family so they won't be able to be taken care off. So thank you for doing this. Just so people understand more. Like would people pay for that out of pocket or is this something covered by the insurance? [00:05:04] Speaker B: So there are some insurances that will cover some amount of caregiving. So if you have Medicaid, Medicaid will sometimes help cover some of the costs if they qualify. If you're a veteran that served during wartime, there are aid and attendance benefits that you may qualify for that will help pay for those services. And again, there are some managed Medicare policies out there that might pick up some of the services. We are a private pay agency only, but there are other agencies that do take Medicaid and VA and such like that. Definitely some resources out there and I always try to point people to those resources before so they don't feel so overwhelmed with the out of pocket cost. Also long term care insurance, I highly recommend if you are my age or older, that you get some because that will help cover costs later on down the road. Like for in home care, assisted living facilities and skilled nursing facilities as well. [00:06:09] Speaker A: What's the insurance again? [00:06:11] Speaker B: It's long term care insurance. [00:06:13] Speaker A: So it's usually not offered long term care insurance. [00:06:17] Speaker B: Yes. [00:06:17] Speaker A: So do they get it from like other insurance agency like the, that provide the home, the health care or is it like its own place? [00:06:27] Speaker B: It's usually so we, my husband and I, we got ours from our financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual. So normally the financial advisor is where you're going to want to go to because there's only about four or five companies left that actually offer long term care insurance. And it can be very hard to qualify because of course they look at your family medical history, your medical history. So the younger that you can get it, the cheaper it is. So you can have it throughout. It is one of those things that, you know, you lose it if you don't use it. But now that I'm in the work I'm in, I would definitely rather have it than not have it. [00:07:02] Speaker A: Nice. So when do you think, like people will say, oh, okay, it's time for me to get your service that caregiving, that's, this is what I need. Because we know that most of our parents and elder, more elderly people, they think, oh, I can't do it, I don't need help. When do you think the alarm will say, no, you need it now. And you don't need to say, I'll take care of myself anymore. [00:07:28] Speaker B: When it becomes dangerous, when things like falls are starting to happen, we're having trouble driving, maybe they're getting in more wrecks, maybe because of their eyesight or, you know, other issues, neuropathy from, you know, diabetes, any, anything of that nature. But I would just say, you know, you want to try to do it before it gets dangerous, but when it, when it starts to get to the dangerous level, you really need to think about that. And I'll tell you that most of the calls that we get are not from the clients themselves, you know, because most of the time they're going to go to their kids first and their kids are going to be helping them. You know, maybe it's run to the grocery store or maybe mom had a fall. So we're going to help her shower for a couple of weeks to make sure she doesn't have another fall. And it's the children or the relatives of the person that needs the help that normally gives us a call first because they're exhausted and they're tired and they can't, you know, like you said, they have kids at home and they're trying to take care of their family over here, but they also have aging Parents, it's us in that sandwich generation where we have to. We're trying to juggle both, and they just can't. So like I said, most of the call we get are from the people that are actually filling in and doing those, helping with those activities, and they just get burnt out and can't do it all or do it well. [00:08:48] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. This is. This is really, like, something people don't want to think about. Like, I have a question now. Like you we're mentioning elderly. What age do you start offering service, caregiving service, too? [00:09:04] Speaker B: Well, with our agency, we can see anyone that's 18 or older. I would say most of our clients are probably 60 or older, but we have had a couple of clients that we've had that maybe are in their 40s and 50s and maybe have had a knee replacement surgery. Maybe they live alone and they can't be at home, you know, after the surgery for a couple of days. So they hire us just to come out for those few days to be with them and help them get around in their home if they don't have, you know, anyone else to help. But I would say probably 60 and above is probably the age group of our clients currently. [00:09:39] Speaker A: Okay, awesome. So how can that protect their mental health? Because, you know, we think. Always think about, like, okay, like, are we gonna get injured? Like, can. Can we physically do something? But what about their mental health? Like, do you think that's going to affect them negatively because, oh, I cannot take care of myself. Do they feel bad about this? [00:10:07] Speaker B: It can. It affects different people different ways. Of course. You know, in my experience, you know, no one likes to lose their independence. That is very hard, you know, when you can't. It's one thing to not be able to drive anymore, but it's another thing when you need help with something intimate like a shower. Right. That's not. I think that's probably harder when they start to need the help with the more intimate things, the toileting and the showering. I think for what I try to tell family members of people that need help is just validate their feelings. Let them know, like, hey, we understand that this is hard for you. We understand that having someone come in and help you with these things, not easy, but it's necessary. And stay in communication with them and be honest with them. You wouldn't. You know, there's a lot of times where the kids will just hire us and we kind of just show up there, right? Like, well, you know, your daughter hired us to come in and, you know, blah, Blah, blah. But we need to let them know what we're doing. They need to be in on the decision making. And so I think if we can keep the communication open, the honesty open, you know, the family's got to be open and honest about what they're willing to do and what they can't do with that person that needs help. So they understand that it's not that they don't want to do it, it's just that they can't do it and they need a little help because they want to make sure that they're well taken care of. So, again, I think communication, honesty, validation are huge. Getting past that mental point of them, you know, maybe feeling bad about themselves because they need some help. [00:11:48] Speaker A: All right, thank you so much, Hilary. We will be right back with you guys. We're gonna stop for a break. This is Echoes of Impact with Noora. We'll be right back. Welcome back to Echoes of Impact with Noora. This is your host, Noor Al Masri, and I am back with the incredible Hillary. Hillary, welcome back. [00:12:38] Speaker B: Thank you. [00:12:39] Speaker A: Of course. So obviously you have a passion for this purpose. I want to ask you, look, what kept you going when your mission started to feel too heavy? Because obviously it's not easy to deal with people who are facing those emotional challenges and physical challenges. So what keeps you going? [00:13:01] Speaker B: Remembering why I started, you know, actually physically taking care of someone is what fills my soul. It makes me feel. It makes my insides light up, I guess is the best way to say that. So I remember why I'm doing this. I remember. I go back and remember the impact that we are making on the people's lives that we're caring for. I just go back and read compliments from our clients or call and check on my caregivers and see how their day's going to call some of my leadership team, see how their day is going, keeping that community inside my company. So we call and check on each other. But, yeah, I would say sometimes even for myself, I'll go out and physically see a client. I will go and take a client's session on and help them. And it brings me back to, oh, yeah, this is why I'm doing this. It gets me out of my leadership role. It gets me back into the field, back to actually working with people, which is what I love. [00:14:10] Speaker A: That's awesome. And what area do you serve through your agency? [00:14:14] Speaker B: So right now, our license allows us to serve all the way down to Galveston. Right now, we mainly focus in northwest Houston. So we're up all the way up to Montgomery, Texas, over to Conroe Willis area. We go over to Katy Cypress, down to the Memorial area and then kind of back up through 45 Spring Woodlands area. We are trying to get a name for ourselves in the Heights as well. So we're slowly growing our territory as we get our business in place. [00:14:45] Speaker A: That's awesome. And can, how, how can people reach you? [00:14:48] Speaker B: Well, they can call us 346-468-1000 or go to our website which is freedomcaregivers.net they can call. We usually have, you know, we're there from eight to four every day. But if it's an emergency situation and you need a caregiver now, you know you can always call. Somebody always answers the phone. We're always some. We always have the number transferred so somebody will always pick up that call. Yeah. So I would say definitely our website or give us a call because we're always available. [00:15:20] Speaker A: That's awesome. Can you repeat that phone number one more time? Because I know people might not. Didn't have a chance to write it down. Especially those who are or listening on audio. [00:15:29] Speaker B: Yeah. 346-468-1000. [00:15:38] Speaker A: Awesome. Thank you. So we're going to continue the conversation with you, but I just want to make sure we don't, we don't miss how we can. People can reach you because I'm sure a lot of people are looking for your help and for your service and the conversation is really like we're gonna get into a lot still. So I don't want to miss, I didn't want to miss it. So what, what have you learned about balancing passion with self self preservations? [00:16:12] Speaker B: Number one for me is making sure that I'm taking care of my whole self. And that means physical, mental and spiritual doing the things I need to do to upkeep in those areas of my life. I've definitely had to learn how to delegate. That's been huge for me. I have a wonderful leadership team that I have been able to delegate those day to day tasks to and they do a fantastic job. Took me a while to get there. You know, when you start a company it's kind of your baby and you want to be involved in everything. But I was definitely, you know, month five and six getting extremely burnout. And you know, I thought, well, how am I going to grow this if I'm already exhausted? So delegation. I love to promote within my company. I have wonderful caregivers and I think keeping a community of people that have done what I am Doing and have been through it. I have a wonderful community of business owners that have been doing it a lot longer than I have, that have faced many challenges, faced the burnout, faced the maybe losing your passion. And I'm able to talk with them and just. They give me a lot of advice and support. So I have a great community, and I think that definitely helps as well. And, you know, my leadership team, they back me up. You know, if I'm having a day where I only have 50% to give, they have the other 50%, and they. They hold me up and they hold our team up, and I'm really, really grateful for that. [00:17:44] Speaker A: Well, that's awesome. So what's the qualification of someone who wants maybe to start to work with you and to be a caregiver in your company or maybe wants to start their own? Like, what would be the qualification to have that? [00:18:00] Speaker B: So to work for my company, you need to be a pretty. An experienced caregiver. Not. Not all of our caregivers have a lot of experience, but most of them have at least five years of experience. So I would. I would like for them to have some experience. But we've also been talking about, you know, growing our own caregivers, meaning, you know, bringing them in and training them, teaching them, you know, the core values of our company and the way that we do things. But the qualifications are basically just, you know, you have to be 18 or older. You have to be able to. You have to have a driver's license, pass a background test and a drug test, and then we can take it from there pretty much. If you want to start your own agency, I highly suggest that you hire a consulting company like I did. The rules and regulations through the state of Texas to become licensed are many and very hard to break down for the layperson, especially if you have no medical training or background. I do. So, I mean, I probably could have done it, but I had a wonderful consultant out of San Antonio who has been doing this for 20 years, and she was instrumental in helping me open my company. So I highly recommend you pay a consultant. It's worth every penny. I still talk to her to this day. She still helps me in situations that arise that maybe I'm not sure of what to do. But, yeah, as far as being able to get a license through the state, you know, there's. There are several things that you have to do. You have to have a policy and procedure manual that you send to them. You have to have an administrator, an alternate administrator that can pass, you know, a background Check and have at least two years of experience in the healthcare field. [00:19:45] Speaker A: Awesome. So would you, at this point, would you wish, like you started something else or are you happy with your business? [00:19:53] Speaker B: Oh, I am extremely happy with my business. It is hard, and I'm not going to say that it's not. It is a hard business to be in. It's emotional. It's a lot of dealing with different personalities and different people. But it's also helped me grow tremendously as a person and as a business owner. I've never been a business owner before, so this has definitely been a. It's been a beautiful and scary ride. But no, I wouldn't want to do anything else. [00:20:26] Speaker A: That's awesome. And you're doing it the right way. Like, congratulations for using a consultant because, you know, why would you just reconfigure something someone else configured and can save you tens of years and thousands of, not hundreds of thousands of dollars? So that is amazing. Congratulations on having a successful business and I wish you that you always have that successful business and grow more. I have one more question for you. I know, like, you, you and other caregivers, and maybe sometimes, like, there are caregivers within a family, that's not their business, but they do do that caregiving. So how would the people around them support the caregiver? [00:21:15] Speaker B: Help them, make them feel seen? Taking care of somebody is not just about the physical part of taking care of them. It's about the emotionally emotional part, the mental part. So they're doing a lot emotionally, mentally and physically, and they. It's exhausting. It's. I mean, it is. If you think back, if you're a mom or a dad and you think back to, you know, having a small child, I mean, it's. They need constant attention. And so it's very physically demanding and emotionally exhausting. So I would definitely say be there for them without them having to ask you, please call them and say, can I bring you over a hot meal? Or can I come sit with your loved one while you go to the movies or go to the grocery store? Can I go to the grocery store for you? Caregivers are not good at asking for help. It's just in their nature sometimes. So if they're not able to ask you for help, just tell them what you're going to do. Tell them you're going to bring them a hot meal. Don't ask them, hey, how can I help you? Because most of the time the answer you're going to get is, oh, everything's fine now. I can do it. Don't worry about it. Just show up for them. Let them be themselves around you. They have to be on, if you will, when they're taken care of, even if it is their loved one, even if it is their family, they have to be on, meaning they have to, you know, have a good attitude and act like they just love every minute of what they're doing, even when they're exhausted. So let them be who they are around you. Help them, tell them what you're going to do, bring them a hot meal, just come sit with their loved one. Just offer to do something where they can get away and take care of themselves. [00:22:59] Speaker A: Awesome. Thank you so much, Hilary, for the incredible advices and the incredible talk that you. We learned a lot. Definitely. And for those people who are maybe looking to start a business or maybe work to work with a caregiver agency or maybe they didn't know they can hire someone to help them take care of their loved one. Now you guys know and Hillary told you all about it. Thank you so much again, Hilary. Thank you for being here with me at Echoes of Impact. And guys, if you love what you're watching, catch this episode of Echoes of Impact and other episode and also every NOW Media TV show. We have a lot of TV shows here and now Media. Catch that live or on demand at any time. You can simply just Download the free Now Media TV FreeNow Media TV app on RupCo and get instant access to all our bilingual content in English and Spanish. Obviously I do not speak Spanish, but there's a lot of shows in Spanish from business and news of lifestyle culture. It is all streaming. It's all streaming 24 7. Whenever you are ready, search Now Media TV Now Media is one word and then TV on Ruko device on your ruko device and never miss a moment from NOW Media tv. This is your host, Noora Masri. And this is Echoes of Impact with Noora. We'll be right back. Foreign welcome back. This is your host, Nura Masri and this is Echoes of Impact with Noora. I am excited for the next guests. She has been here before and she spoke a lot of great diamond. What do I want to call them? Like a great talk about finances, accounting that's going to benefit every business owner. If you are a business owner out there and you are still not taking care of your finances, if you still don't know what bookkeeping mean or you don't do bookkeeping, then you want to be here with us, you're going to destroy your Business. If you just keep ignoring this, I know it might feel scary and overwhelming, but you have a lot of professionals around you. You just go and talk to someone who does this for a living, and they can help you. You do not have to do this on your own. And to help you navigate through this, let me welcome my guest, Olga. Olga, welcome back to Echoes of Impact. How are you doing today? [00:26:04] Speaker C: Hi, Nora, how are you? Nice to see you again. [00:26:08] Speaker A: Nice to see you too. Thank you. It's always a pleasure to have you here. [00:26:12] Speaker C: Thank you. [00:26:14] Speaker A: Awesome. So we're talking about, like, really people, like, feeling overwhelmed and sometimes embarrassed about their finances. I have a lot of clients on my end saying, oh, I usually don't. Trying to defend themselves. Right. Like, trying to make it like, I will do this better next time or something. Feeling that very, very ashamed of their finances. But they come because they are forced. Kind of like either they got that letter from the IRS or maybe something happened. They now, like, have to go talk to an accountant. So they feel they have to, like, they're very embarrassed to talk about it. So from your experience, why do those small business owners feel scared from their finances? Embarrassed about their finances? [00:27:08] Speaker C: Nora? I think because nobody taught us how to run a business financially like, most entrepreneurs start with a passion for or a great idea, but none of them have, like, a financial background or most of them have no financial background. So when it comes to taxes, cash flow, profit margins, they feel like they. They're walking into a test they were never prepared for. So there's, you know, there's this shame that not having it together, and especially when they start comparing themselves to other business owners. But the truth is that most business owners, they are all. They are also figuring it out as they go. So basically, we have. We shouldn't have any fear in terms of finances when we have a small business. [00:28:03] Speaker A: Absolutely. But, you know, I see, like, I myself experience that, like, I don't want to. Especially when you are going through hard time, you don't want to go and look in your bank account. I've experienced that myself. I don't want to look at my bank account because I've been in negative times. Like, in my life, being a single mom raising two kids, I've been in negative a lot. So I feel that, like, I got this scared, scaring, like, to look at my bank account, and we tend to ignore it, and then that makes it worse. So what are some simple steps entrepreneur can take to feel more in control today and to just, like, don't feel that fear Anymore. [00:28:47] Speaker C: Well, I, I would say first log into your bank account. [00:28:54] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:28:56] Speaker C: Don't avoid that. Okay. Because knowing where you stand is empowering yourself. So. And the other thing I would highly recommend is to set up, you know, the place for receipts and expenses, even a basic folder or an app, you know, like QuickBooks, which is, you know, very popular among small business owners. And review your numbers weekly. Like, don't do it yearly because at the end of the day, it's like brushing your teeth. If you don't brush your teeth every day, then you're going to have a big problem with your mouth. So it's the same thing with your business. You have to do small routines to, you know, in order for you to avoid big problems. Also, don't do it alone. You can have, like, you can make an investment with your accountant at least 30 minutes, a 30 minute monthly checking with your accountant that will make a huge difference in your business. [00:29:51] Speaker A: Absolutely. And absolutely. Like, I learned that the wrong way. The not the wrong way, the hard way. Long ignore your bank account. Just look at it and you'll figure it out like, you made it through this time. You made it through, you know, like, you didn't die from hunger. Right? You're still here. So absolutely everything's gonna work out like, and if you have an awareness and you know where you're standing, your brain's gonna work on like, okay, how can I make this better? How can I just, just be happy to look at my bank account and don't be scared again. But if you just ignore it, well, there's nothing gonna happen. You're just, just gonna get distracted and the situation will be worse. From experience, I'm telling you this. [00:30:36] Speaker B: So. [00:30:36] Speaker C: Listen to the voice of the experience, please. [00:30:40] Speaker A: Absolutely. So how you mentioned, like, talk to their, talk to their accountant in a weekly basis or on a monthly basis. So how can a good accountant or bookkeeper or financial partner, whatever you want to, you want to call it, of course there's a difference and we can maybe mention the difference a little bit. But how can that partner change the way they run their business? [00:31:08] Speaker C: Well, I would say that a good bookkeeper tell you your business story, okay? They will help you understand where your money is going, what's working, what's not, how to grow smarter. So basically, they help you remove that fear and they help you bring clarity to your business. So, for instance, here in my firm, we help, you know, we have become the full accounting department for our clients. So that gives them peace of mind, that confidence. It allows them to Live with vision, not with that anxiety that you don't have your numbers, you don't know what to track. So make sure that you hire or you have a good bookkeeper or a good CPA or accountant or finance advisor, whoever that is that can, can help you with those numbers. Building you that story, building that story is going to make a huge difference in your business. [00:32:01] Speaker A: Absolutely. Thank you for that. I want to ask you about your company. You mentioned your firm. So how do you help people and how can people reach out to you? [00:32:13] Speaker C: So what we do is we are their full accounting department. Okay. They can reach out to us at infoedbooks llc.com so they go over a discovery meeting with us and you know, we can see if they are a good fit for us or not. And if they are business owners, like multi entity businesses or franchisees, franchisors, everything that can help your business in that way, we are here to help you. And also, and as a matter of fact, Noora, now that I see, we have a very nice tagline that is gonna crack up everyone because it's keeping your together. You know what that means? So it's basically what the business owners feel like. They are, they feel the chaos and we try to bring clarity and we speak their language and we are like normal people. We don't. We are not like the stuffy accountants, like oh, you know, with the ties and, and stuff like that. So just you know, give us a call or send us an email to the info@neatbooks llc.com if you are a franchise owner or a multi entity business owner. [00:33:19] Speaker A: That's awesome. So you help people with a French who are franchise owner and multi what? [00:33:26] Speaker C: Multi entities. [00:33:27] Speaker A: Multi entity. [00:33:29] Speaker C: If you have different businesses. For instance, we have clients who have franchises but they also have investments in properties. And so we don't close the gap that much. We can offer the service not only for the franchises but also for their business, for their property, their real estate properties. [00:33:48] Speaker A: Oh, that's awesome. So guys, reach out to olga needs books llc.com right. [00:33:57] Speaker C: Needbooks llc.com. you got that right. [00:34:00] Speaker A: Awesome. So reach out to. How do you work with like, I mean like in terms of locations? [00:34:07] Speaker C: Well, we have an office in Miami which is basically in Doral. It's Doral, but it's Miami. But I would say 99% of our clients are remote. Like we are 100% virtual. Let's say that. Okay, so if you are. We have clients in California, Texas, Florida, Tennessee. So if you. New York. So if you are located in any of These areas, we can help you too. [00:34:33] Speaker A: That's awesome. So you do bookkeeping. Do you do taxes as well? [00:34:37] Speaker C: We do taxes, but only for the clients we do the bookkeeping for. [00:34:41] Speaker A: Awesome. Yeah, it's amazing, like how much easier to do the taxes for people who work with you as a client all year round. I still have some clients coming now. Like they didn't want to do bookkeeping and they don't have anything organized. We had to do an extension and it's just messy and you know, it's not going to be accurate. [00:35:04] Speaker C: I know, I know. Yeah, I feel your pain. Or yeah. [00:35:10] Speaker A: So yeah, guys like you want to see here, both of us telling you please, please, please, at least minimum do your bookkeeping because if you do your bookkeeping, you're going to have a good tax return that you are not overweight when you're doing your taxes. [00:35:29] Speaker C: Let me just right there. The problem with the small business owners is that they think the tax returns are the end game. And there's no end game in your business. The tax return is not your end game. It's only a form where you compile all the information. So make sure that the bookkeeping is the backbone for your finances, not the tax return. [00:35:53] Speaker A: Absolutely. And I love how you put it like they, they feel it's the, the destination, the end game. And it's not. It's not. It's just a reporting and you have to back it up with your bookkeeping because believe it or not, it's your compliance. So if you're not in compliance, you might lose those deductions. So tax return is just like talking to your to Ira saying, hey, I paid you this and this is how much I made. Do I owe you or do you owe me? Technically, that's it. That's it. That's your invoice. Awesome. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Olga. We'll be right back with you after the break. Guys, this is Echoes of Impact with Noora. We'll see you with Olga after the break. We'll be right back. [00:37:09] Speaker C: Foreign. [00:37:16] Speaker A: Welcome back. This is your host, Nora Mosri. And this is Echoes of Impact with Nora. We've been talking to my friend Olga before the break. We spoke about bookkeeping. Why is it important to your business? Why is it the backbone? We spoke about the tax return and how the tax return is not really the end destination. And that is the term Olga mentioned that I loved. So we're going to continue this conversation because this finances is very important thing for your business. So Olga will Come back to echoes of impacts. [00:37:56] Speaker C: Thank you. [00:37:58] Speaker A: Thanks. So what does the messy middle of business really look like and how do you push through it? [00:38:11] Speaker C: Well, the messy middle is where doubt creeps in. You're not the new exciting startup anymore, but you're also not where you dreamed of being. So it's late nights, tough decisions, imposter syndrome, which is very popular right now, and sometimes questioning why you even started the business. And it's like you are not. You're moving, but you're not moving forward. So how. How do. How do small business owners or entrepreneurs push through it? Because they need to remember that growth isn't always visible right away. Like, it's. It's like the iceberg. You see the top of the iceberg, but sometimes when the IBER is growing, you don't see it. And you need to focus on systems and structures, because when things feel chaotic, that's when you have to organize. Like, you have to sit down and settle down and think about systems and structure. And also you need to surround yourself with people who reminds you of why you're doing what you're doing when you forget about that. So I think that's how the messy middle business really look like to me. [00:39:23] Speaker A: Yeah, I hear you. Like, how do business owner know they are in the messy middle? [00:39:28] Speaker C: Well, I think when they feel like it's stagnant, like, oh, something's happening, but it's not happening. Okay. And you are in the middle of something that is growing, but it's like, stop. It's on hold. So when that happens, you need to look for that change. Either you go find a new tribe and you hire yourself a mentor, a coach, someone who can guide you and, you know, and take you through the next level, that's. That's where you get unstuck from that middle, from that messy middle. [00:40:06] Speaker A: So when they feel like they are about to give up because they are like, it's boring now in the business that you want to give up. But you mentioned, like, you know, if they get a mentorship and coaching that can help them stay grounded and just really help them to go to the next level. And. But I can see this to be maybe like, scary because now they're kind of getting out of their comfort zone. So how do they navigate through that? [00:40:46] Speaker C: Well, I think people need to reconnect with their original vision. Okay, why did you start what you started? Who are you doing that for? Why are you doing what you're doing? Because the fact that every successful entrepreneur felt like quitting at some point. It doesn't mean that you're weak. It means that you care about your business and you need to create, like, small anchors. You need to talk to someone who understand your journey, which means that, you know, you can hire your mentor or your coach. Also, you need to step back a little bit and zoom out and look at how far you've come. Because sometimes you don't believe that because that is that imposter syndrome and that that evil is talking to you in your ear, whispering, oh, no, you're not enough, or blah, blah, blah, or simply rest. Because rest is also part of staying grounded. Like, you need to sometimes stop and think, zoom out and reconnect with your original vision. [00:41:49] Speaker A: Absolutely. All right. Thank you so much. So part of, like, sometimes, like, you maybe are progressing, but not really. You don't feel it because you're so busy. You are so. You have so many things to do. You are chasing the next goal, chasing the next client, chasing whatever it is, like, maybe the next improvement. And you grow, but you don't really feel like you are growing. And you might, like, mistakenly feeling like, oh, you are in the messy middle. Like, but in order to do that, like, what do you suggest? Like, how do we really not miss that we are growing? [00:42:34] Speaker C: Well, I think. Let me see if I understand your question correctly. What it means to me is that every single process in your business, you need to celebrate it, not just the outcome of every process. So if you're only waiting for the big wins and celebrate, oh, I did this by the end of the month with a client. I closed this deal. Or, oh, I just did this or did that. That's great. But at the end of the day, you need to think about what is helping you to move forward. Okay. Because success is not the finish line. You need to find it. You need to find your process and celebrate it and celebrate your small wins in order for you to achieve that huge goal that you have. That's what I was talking about in the previous question. Okay, you need to find that. Why. Why did I date? Why did I pick this career? Why did I pick this business? That's how you celebrate all that progress when you get to the finish line in your business, which is not a finish line. We just talked about it. There's no end game in your business. Success is a snowball. It's every single day. [00:43:56] Speaker A: Absolutely. And I have a coach who says. I wrote evaden. He says, success is a rent that is due every day. Something like that. I hope I'm not messing this up, but that Reminds me of that quote. So how do we celebrate? Like, you know, as an entrepreneur, you know, like, we don't want to waste our time. We want to just like keep going and doing the thing because we don't want to be late on anything. So how do we celebrate? Do you have like, maybe some tips and some examples like how can someone celebrate their wins? [00:44:31] Speaker C: Well, I think the. The best celebration you can give to yourself is to pay yourself. Are you paying yourself? Okay, sometimes business owners, they don't. They don't understand the importance and the relevance of paying yourself a salary. Not, not because of the IRS or tax planning or anything like that. It's just because you need to get paid in order for you to motivate yourself. That's it. That's just as simple as that. When you start paying yourself and you start celebrating your process, it means that you're getting successful. Successful doesn't mean being a billionaire. Okay? Successful for people. To me, success was picking up my girls, a parent's pickup. Okay, that is a small success and I used to celebrate it every day by having lunch with my girls. So don't look at it as a big thing. Look at it as a small things that at the end of the day, they sum up with a big thing. That is your goal, your personal goal and your business goal. [00:45:36] Speaker A: Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for that. Now, Olga, how can people reach out to you so they can inquire about your service and get your help? [00:45:46] Speaker C: Well, they can reach out to us@infoitbooks llc.com they can visit our website or they can give us a call at 30536. If you are a franchise owner or a construction business owner, we are here to help you. [00:46:03] Speaker A: Awesome. Thank you so much. Olga. Thank you so much for being here with me today. We've came to the end of this episode and that went really, really fast. Thank you guys for being here with me again today and this episode. If you love, if you love what you are watching, then I want you to catch this episode of Echoes of Impact and other episodes and every NOW Media TV show. Because NOW Media has more shows and they talk about business and other stuff. Mostly like to support your success. You can watch NOW Media TV on live, Live or on demand? Oh, live or on demand anytime. Just download the free app of NOW Media TV app on Ruko and get instant access to all bilingual content in English and Spanish. From business and news to lifestyle and cultural. It's all streaming 24 7. Whenever you are ready. Search Now Media TV on Roku device and never miss a moment from Now Media TV and go watch this episode and other episodes for Echoes of Impact and give me a feedback. I have an email that I want you to reach out to me to hellochoesofimbact.net hellochoesofimbact. Net tell me what you think. Tell me what would you want to hear more from? Tell me. If you have a story and would like to share it on NOW media TV I would love to hear from you. Maybe every story is worth sharing but we will see if this is a good for this story for this show. Or maybe you should go to another show of NOW media tv. Just reach out. Thank you Olga. Thank you Olga. Thank you everyone who was watching and we came to the end again. This is your host Nura Masri and this is Echoes of Impact with Noora. Watch Echoes of Impact again next Tuesday at 5pm Central. Until next time, keep making an impact.