OWN YOUR BRAND SHOW with Victoria Odekomaya

She Made History in Boone County — The Monica White Story | Ep 82

• Victoria Odekomaya | LiMStudios Network

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Monica White spent 14 years building expertise in human capital, compliance, and operations before stepping into a Boone County Clerk race that no Black woman had ever entered. As the founder of COIL Solutions LLC and the first Black woman on the ballot for Boone County Clerk, Monica has built her entire life around one conviction — foundation over fame. In this episode Victoria Odekomaya sits down with Monica to talk about what that actually looks like in business, in politics, and in a community that was not always designed with her in mind.
 
This conversation covers the real work of human capital and compliance, what it means to modernize a county clerk's office using an HR mindset, how Monica responded when racism showed up in her campaign with complete dignity, and what her story means for every woman who has been building something real while staying invisible.
 
What you will learn:

• What COIL stands for and why building from the inside out is the only foundation that lasts
• Why HR is a resource for humans — not just a tool for managing exits
• What Monica's platform means for Boone County residents, rural farmers, and small businesses
• How she became the first Black woman on the ballot for Boone County Clerk and what that decision created
• What “not fame, foundation” means when you live it every single day

This episode is a reminder that leadership is not always loud — sometimes it looks like consistency, resilience, and doing the work long before anyone notices.

🎧 Watch the full episode, share it with someone who needs this encouragement, and follow Monica’s journey below.

Instagram: @strategicallyloyal
Website: www.coilsolutionshr.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coil-solutions/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Monica4CountyClerk

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ABOUT

Victoria Odekomaya is a Nigerian American entrepreneur, speaker, and content marketing strategist on a mission to help business owners grow their business, brand, and legacy through the power of storytelling and strategic content marketing.

She’s the founder of LiMStudios, a full-service creative agency and state-of-the-art content studio in Indianapolis where strategy and storytelling come together through high-quality content production and marketing implementation. She’s also the creator of Boss Ladies Magazine and host of The Own Your Brand Show, a video podcast to help business owners grow their business, brand, and legacy through strategic content marketing and authentic conversations about the entrepreneurial journey. 

To learn more, follow her journey through LiMStudios, Boss Ladies Magazine, and The Own Your Brand Show and join the movement to amplify voices, build legacy, and make impact.

Work with Victoria: https://f.mtr.cool/qmicsevjhv

📩 For Guest, sponsorship or inquiries:
 mtr.bio/limstudios | hello@thelimstudios.com | Text 260-777-7211

Know Your Business First

SPEAKER_04

If you want to be in business, know your business. Invest in your business and continue to elevate your business. If you think you have the perfect business, you're not as receptive to thinking differently, to retraining your processes, to new muscle memory. Until you have that second mindset that says, okay, now I have a business. I've attracted clients. I have customers. How do I set the standard?

Victoria Odekomaya

One way is. What if most businesses don't actually have a people problem? And maybe what they actually have is a leadership problem. I remember being in corporate America a long time ago and thinking HR is the place to go when things go wrong. Like if they call you in, it's already too late. But what if that's not how it's supposed to be at all? Welcome

Meet Monica White And COIL

Victoria Odekomaya

to the On Your Brand Show. It's your girl, Victoria Odeko Maya. Today I'm sitting down with Monica White, founder of Coil Solutions, and we had a real conversation about what it's actually like to build a business from the inside out. We talk about leadership, employing engagement, risk, and the things most business owners ignore until it's already costing them money. And then we went deeper into our run for Boone County Clerk and what it looks like to lead in rooms where not everyone is rooting for you. If you're building a business, leading a team, or stepping into bigger roles, this one is going to shift how you think. So without much ado, let's get into it. So hi Monica, how are you doing today? Hi, I am wonderful. How are you today? I'm fine, thank you. So glad to have you in the studio. So you're doing some big, big things in us in our community, and I'm excited to dive into it because I feel like people need to, you know, get a little bit, know more a little bit about the monica that's going to be representing us one day. So to jump right into it, COI Solutions has been described as um being it being about beauty from the inside out. What does that actually mean?

SPEAKER_04

I I think for COIL Solutions, COIL Solutions is the birth child of losing my dad. I renamed my business, I revamped everything, and COIL is not only the street that I grew up on, it is also an acronym for what I do in business, which is collaboration, optimization, innovation, and leadership. It is bringing together all the great components of any business. And that's the beauty of business, right? It's more than pushing papers, it's more than us uh just pushing around numbers and and always being stressed out. It's being able to understand what your business does and what your business can do. And so that's how I bring beauty from the inside out.

Victoria Odekomaya

That's amazing. Tell me a little bit about how that pertains to your dad, because you said it kind of got birth after um with your dad, right?

SPEAKER_04

Absolutely. So a lot of people are, I think, surprised at uh how I run my business now based on my dad. Um, my dad and I, we weren't necessarily the best friends, but he was the best teacher. And I think that's even better, right? When you have someone that shows you, gives you this amazing roadmap on how to live your life, um, not just as a good person, but a good steward, telling you how to make your investments, how to protect your income, how to put back more than you push out. And and it and it's key, right? It's essential. You have to know how to um have this business that everybody doesn't need to know everything that you do, but everybody needs to see that everything you do is done well.

HR As A Human Resource

Victoria Odekomaya

I love that. So you've been doing this for 14 years now. Yes. That is a long time. Yes, but it also means you're really good at it.

SPEAKER_04

Yes, yes. I uh I am, I think I'm very wonderful at what I do in that you begin in human resources, and to me there was a stigma to overcome. People see human resources as we hire, we fire, we do onboarding, we refer people to other resources and things like that. No one ever wants to go to human resources, they think it's the termination date. And to remove that stigma to understand that human resources is really that. It's a resource to humans. Not only do we bring people in, we help with succession planning, right? We help people to understand, okay, you came in as a machine operator, but is that what you want to do? If you want to be a CFO, come and see me. Let's talk about what do you need to do educational, what do you need to do on your job, what do you need to do in your personal life to prepare yourself to be a CFO? You know, it's it's if you want to be a CFO, filing bankruptcy may not be a best move for you. Uh equally so, if if your dream is to be an artist and you're currently working in an office as an administrative assistant, maybe we need to look at how do we turn that around. Maybe we need to get you more engaged into employee engagement. Maybe we need to make sure that you are also working with the aesthetics of your building. How are you doing to perform in those areas? And and those are the things that we do as well as yes, we answer payroll questions, yes, we help to scale your business. In some cases, it's not always an upscale, it could be a downscale. Uh sometimes the the original vision doesn't match your projections. So we might need to tweak things a little bit, pivot on that point. But it's it's also dealing with the people. I think that uh if we learned anything else from COVID, it is that it's more than let's get people to stay at home. It's understanding the emotions of people, it's understanding what are people going through in their lives. How do we put that into business? How do we build that business model that understands our people, our employees, our co-workers, our our, if you will, our seniors. How do we put all that together? And and that's what human resources is. It's not just nine to five.

Victoria Odekomaya

Right.

SPEAKER_04

It's the holistic picture.

Victoria Odekomaya

I love that because I think this is this is the first time I'm actually thinking about the word human resources, just because of the way you put it, right? It's the you know, resources and human together, right? And so I think, yeah, that there is that stigma, like, oh, if HR is calling you, like, you know, pack your bags, you know what I mean? And I also like the way that you're thinking about it so much so for people that are still in their nine to five, where they're like, they I don't think people think that they can talk to their HR about their goals and how HR can help navigate that. Because it's almost like, oh, HR, you know what I mean? But I love that you're you're making that um awareness in even in your business, like this is right. This is more than just firing people, downsizing, upsizing, but like making a holistic um practice.

SPEAKER_04

I I can give you another example. I I often take uh contracts that deal with internal investigations. And internal investigations can be anything from financial discrepancies to allegations of you know misconduct on uh whether it is um bullying, anything, just anything. People think that we're going to just come in, we're gonna do this investigation, find out who did what wrong, and make our recommendations for termination separation or what needs to happen. For me, I go further than that. I want to find out where were you vulnerable that this even happened.

Victoria Odekomaya

Ooh, that's good.

SPEAKER_04

Because if we find that pain point, how this happened in your business, now we're in a position to make sure and ensure this does not happen moving forward. Right. And possibly while I'm there. Yes, I may have been there to find out where you're missing $20,000 or $200,000 has gone. But we also may see, hey, you know what? I noticed while I was in your building, your employees don't look at each other, they don't talk to each other. Let's work on your engagement here. Let's see how we can make this a place that if in the next five years the razors aren't what people want, they still want to stay because this is a place that for the most part, people spend most of your waking hours at work, right? So let's make it more engaging for people. Let's have a place that people want to come and want to stay.

Victoria Odekomaya

I love that. Because as you were talking about that, it's like while you're addressing an issue, you can also find other ones too. So sometimes it's important to be on the lookout for that.

SPEAKER_04

Absolutely. All of my packages, all of the services that I offer to my clients also include a general risk assessment. I look at where you're vulnerable, whether that's in your physical environment, whether that is your employee engagement, whether that is where you're located. Because sometimes businesses are hindered based on where you're located. If you're located in a certain area, maybe you need to change your hours, or maybe you need to change how your business opens and closes because it's it's it's preventing you to get the good traffic that you need. Maybe you need more social media because people can't see your business to know where you are. So I look at all of those things, and before I leave, I make sure that I make some very hearty recommendations on things that a business can do to stabilize and to grow.

Victoria Odekomaya

Wow,

Risk Assessments Before Crisis

Victoria Odekomaya

that's interesting. So when companies come to hire your services, what does it typically look like on the inside for them before they think, oh, we we need some help here?

SPEAKER_04

Unfortunately, uh, what I've seen in the past is a lot of companies come to me in crisis mode because something has gone wrong. Right. And what I'm trying to do now uh within my business model is to change it that people see us as let's use this as a preventive measure. Let's go over a risk assessment, let's go over what we can do. Hey, we want to grow in three years. You don't look in three years. You need to look now. What do we need to be doing now for our scale up that's gonna take place? And and by doing those steps, it makes it so much smoother. It and your employees see it as, oh, this is just what we do.

Victoria Odekomaya

This is just the next day.

unknown

Wow.

Victoria Odekomaya

So, what does it look like for a company looking to like do something like that, which you're like, we want to grow in three years, but right now we need to start laying out some foundations. What are some of the initial things that they have to really think about?

Talk More Survey Less

SPEAKER_04

Everyone thinks, I'm we're gonna use a survey, right? We're gonna send out a survey. Yeah. Surveys, one, you you have to have someone that's gonna evaluate your surveys, interpret the data that you get back. Why not just talk? Ooh. Just talk. Have that conversation. Conversations and make the conversations. If you start now, those conversations become normalized. Yeah. They see it as this is what we do. We always know that our COO, our CFO, our CEOs are coming out of the office. We know that we're going to see the entire C-suite on a daily or at least a weekly basis. So then when you do need to have a hard conversation and say, hey, we may need to change some job titles, some responsibilities, they just see it as a part of that conversation. Right. Not as a sit-down, a stern talk, a redirection. It's just part of what we're doing. We're growing. And they trust you now.

Victoria Odekomaya

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Because you've had conversations.

Victoria Odekomaya

Wow. I never thought about it that way because as you're speaking to, I was thinking, you know, like when I was in my ninth to five, if I saw like a VP of something coming out, I'm like, oh Lord, why is it here? Or why is she here? You know what it is. Yeah, what's happening is that's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_04

What is something shifting? Right. But if it's normalized, if your your C-suite comes out and occasionally they're even in a just a regular slack and a button-up shirt, you're you're more inclined to say, hey, you know what? I feel comfortable giving this great idea.

Victoria Odekomaya

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

And oftentimes the best ideas for company growth come from your main level, your generalized employees because it's what they're doing, it's who they are every day. Yeah. So when you get their ideas, you're getting a different lens and they feel valued. They feel heard, they feel seen, and everything it operates smoothly. You know what I mean? It's not that that disconnect. It's not that you gotta fill out a form and submit your idea. It's conversation. Yeah. It's just conversation.

Victoria Odekomaya

I love that. Because yeah, I remember we used to have this box. I think they call it the idea box or the just suggestion box, you know. But like when we have that conversation, and the the thing for me really is like sometimes the way when you talk to people, you can go further, explain yourself better than how you could ever write that down. You know, because it could also be misunderstood, too, right? You know, but if you talk to people, like you can get more done and get more insights. So that's really cool.

SPEAKER_04

Absolutely. You have highly intelligent people that are not well versed on speaking openly, they're introverts. So when you're able to make them feel comfortable, we can have a conversation, we can have a dialogue, you get those great ideas from them. You also get their feelings if they're feeling like they are being kind of separated, and you can catch them because who wants to lose a great person? If you've invested three years with this person, do you really want them to take all of your knowledge and go somewhere else?

Victoria Odekomaya

It's expensive.

SPEAKER_04

It is.

Victoria Odekomaya

Very expensive.

SPEAKER_04

It is. Even in the most baseline jobs and tasks, the process of onboarding, background checks, payroll, all of these things are are dollars. They're billable dollars. Do you really want to keep doing that over and over again? And then what happens with your insurance? A lot of companies don't realize that when your insurance rates come out, those quotes are based on your turnover rate as well. Those things all factor in. They look at your how many claims did you have for people being injured on the job? All of those things. When people are paying attention, when they love their job, you don't have as many slip and falls. That's right. You don't have as many uh call-offs. You don't have people are anxious to return uh to work when they've been out. They don't take, I'm gonna take as many days as you'll give me. Right. No, they want to be there. That's a part of their extended family. They want to come back, they want to see what's going on.

Victoria Odekomaya

Right. So there's a time where I'm you're taking me back to when I was in corporates, and I know that one of the issues that a lot of people have with their immediate supervisors is like we never know what they're thinking, and sometimes when information is being passed down, it seems like it's very secretive. Like you can only give just enough, right? And so there's that mistrust, right? Where you know you just know that they're hiding something from you or they're not gonna give you all the things, all the information. But on the flip side, now I can I know this better now, that there's certain things that you just are not able or at liberty to say because you're also protected. So, but like for anyone listening, like how would you balance both sides of the coin in that kind of situation?

SPEAKER_04

So that is where the engagement is so essential. Let me let me give you a different scenario. It's interesting how when our parents just either gave us our our allowance or when Santa Claus came or whatever it was you believed in, we didn't question it. Because we had that trust relationship with our parents. If our coworkers, if our support staff, even with our supervisors, if we continue to have ongoing conversations with them, if they come to us and say, hey, we're gonna change the way we do this, or for the next six weeks, we're going to do one, two, three, and we're not gonna do 10, 9, 8, you won't question it because you know whatever it is that's going on, you have a level of trust there. And you believe that they're doing whatever is both in your best interest and in the interest of the company. But when you don't have that relationship, when they have stood afar back and not engaged with you, that's when those questions come in and you're like, uh, nope, nope, nope. Tell me why, right, tell me more. But if you've built a relationship, you work together, you've seen them come rushing in the door from dropping off their kids because the line was long, right? Then there's that level of trust. So when they say to you, hey, I just need you to do this differently, or we're not using this door, because sometimes the the discussions are over things as simple as which door to come in. Right. But if they tell you that and you've built that relationship, it's like, okay, well, let me know when I can go back out the East Door. Right. And you just keep it moving. And and the relationships keep growing. They keep growing. And that's what's important. You can't build a relationship just because you know there's a big change coming. You don't, when you date someone, you build from day one. Day one. You have to build from day one.

Victoria Odekomaya

Wow.

Boundaries, Trust, And Real Friends

Victoria Odekomaya

So how do you what do you suggest to like a manager that is trying to build a relationship with a new employee, but also still draw the line for professionalism? Because I remember what back in the day, right, we would want to do happy hour, right? And so, but we go to the happy hour to relax and to still be closer to the employees, but you also want to, you know, have that level of respect so that way lines are not being crossed. And you know what I mean? Like, especially for someone that is becoming a supervisor from a pair.

SPEAKER_04

Right.

Victoria Odekomaya

You know what I mean? Like you still want to have like that level of respect, respect, but also like be, you know, like friends or whatever.

SPEAKER_04

I think uh two things come into play. Transparency. You have to be transparent in that. Listen, I know we're girls, but on nine to five, I need you to respect that I am now your supervisor. We are no longer peer-to-peer. And if it's your real friend, they're gonna respect it and go with it. If they're not, you're still setting a fair and equitable boundary. You're not saying you gotta do it. I say that's not the boundary you're setting. You're doing it based upon the roles and you're leaving it there transparently. I am your supervisor, we need to conduct business. When we clock out, when we go home, that is that. But you also have to determine which is more important. Tell me. Which is more important? We can be friends, we can be friends, but in that friendship, are you friends enough with me to respect that now that I'm your supervisor, we can't do all of the things outside of the job that we used to do. There have to be some boundaries in place. If that is your real friend, those boundaries are respected. And if they're not, congratulations. You now are aware this is not your real friend. And you can make those adjustments accordingly as well. So it's not it's not that anything is gonna end poorly, because you know, you know where you stand, right? So you can kind of make those adjustments as you need to.

Victoria Odekomaya

Oh, that's good. So wow, I wish I knew that when I was because it was always one of the things where you know there's e those relationships either blossom or they, you know, there's more of like an envy, just has to just, you know, deteriorate. But anyway. Anyway, so one of the things that I'm excited about.

SPEAKER_04

Okay, let's stay there. Okay.

Envy As Succession Planning Fuel

SPEAKER_04

Envy is not always a bad thing. Envy is someone saying to you they want to be where you are. So instead of dismissing them, train them.

Victoria Odekomaya

Train them.

SPEAKER_04

Train them. Train them how to do what you do. Because you may be a supervisor today, but you could be the CEO tomorrow. Right. So let me train you to do my job. Right. Because the sooner I get you in my role, the sooner I can get to my next role. Ooh. So let's evaluate the envy differently. That's right. Let's take it differently. Thank you. You want this job? Let me let me teach you how to do it. That's good. Because when you know how to do it, I can go over here and do that job. Don't don't see it as a competition.

Victoria Odekomaya

Wow. So, yeah, beauty as you grow, you know, yeah, that's amazing. Absolutely. It's succession planning.

SPEAKER_04

It's just a different way of doing it.

Victoria Odekomaya

Right. So anytime someone shows this type of emotion, like look at it from a positive point of view instead of a negative light.

SPEAKER_04

Would you like to do this? And and not with the sarcasm. Right. You know, don't don't don't be shady. But just kind of, you know, hey, because I can show you this job. And then for your owners, for your board of directors, you have now shown them your initiative. And you've saved the company money because we don't have to go sourcing for someone to do your job. Right. We have saved money. We didn't bring in a new employee, we didn't have to advertise the roles. We are just succession planning and we are bringing everyone along on this journey.

Victoria Odekomaya

And that's so much powerful because when employees see that you're hiring from inside too, and people have an opportunity to grow and develop within the company, they're more willing to, you know, invest in it. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04

And the pay. So then when maybe your entry level, I can't pay the $23 another company pays for entry level. But guess what? Your 23 is going to become 37, it's going to become 52, you're going to be salaried, you're going to move on. And it doesn't take forever. And you're going to learn. You you already know coming in that door, based on what you're seeing, you are going to learn every step of the way.

unknown

Right. Wow.

SPEAKER_04

You don't have to keep looking for a job. That three-year plan is not a good plan. I I would tell anyone that. That three-year plan is not a good plan. Stick and stay. Right. And get some 401k. That's just a side note. Well, that's true. If it's offered, get it. 401k, whatever is offered by ways of means for you to financially save, do it. And if your company doesn't offer it, that doesn't mean it's not a good company. It means here's your opportunity to go find one of these other companies and invest yourself.

Victoria Odekomaya

That's good. But it there are also opportunities to get four well, not called they're not called 401k outside of businesses. Right.

SPEAKER_04

So go invest in yourself.

Invest In Yourself To Grow

SPEAKER_04

Um I have people that will come to me and they they say, I'm stuck. I can't raise capital. I'm not getting grants. The first question I ask them is, What did you pay into the company last year? Well, I just told you I can't get grants. Well, I can't help you. Because if you're not willing to invest in yourself, you don't believe in yourself. There's nothing I can do for you.

Victoria Odekomaya

That is so good.

SPEAKER_04

I can't make you believe. I can tell you you have a good product or not, but I can't make you believe. And if you don't invest in your company, if you're not willing to pay out of pocket for the paper, for the copier, for something, then you don't believe in what you have.

unknown

Wow.

SPEAKER_04

Because I'll buy my own copier because I know that copier is going to print the contracts that I am going to get that are going to pay for themselves over and over again. But if you won't even buy your own copier, then you don't believe.

Victoria Odekomaya

Yeah. I think that it's definitely a mindset shift. It is owners and leaders, right? Because if we're not if I think it's also an abundance mindset to be more specific.

SPEAKER_04

Yes. And and understanding that abundance doesn't come day two. Yeah, because we want it right now. Exactly. But it's just like anything else. If if you and I were going to go out tonight, we're not going to get up from here and go straight out. There's preparation. We're going to change the eyeshadows, we're going to change the shoes. Right. We're going to make sure that the money is there. All of those things take take place. There's steps. But people want to go into a business and expect it to be turnkey. But then what is turnkey? It means you turn to key. What are you going to do inside the door?

Victoria Odekomaya

Mmm. That's good.

SPEAKER_04

Where's your sustenance?

Victoria Odekomaya

Right. Because just because you're in there doesn't mean like, you know, things are happening. You could be in an empty um. That's what we don't want to do.

SPEAKER_04

I had someone tell me when winter was coming and it was cold. Oh, I wish I worked for myself. I'm tired of people telling me what to do. That's not what business ownership, that's not true entrepreneurship. Because in true owning your own business, being your own boss is just that. You are the boss. You have to tell yourself, get out of the bed. Right. You need to, if it snowed, you need to go check your storefront. Do you have water leaks? Do you have busted pipes? Yes, you have insurance, but the only way the insurance will pay is if you establish that we've had a problem. Right. You have to make sure, did I hire someone to shovel or do I need to go shovel?

Victoria Odekomaya

Right. It's a lot more responsibilities that goes into holding your own business than I think a lot of people think of. And those hours are real. They are real. They are real. And it's no longer nine to five.

SPEAKER_04

It's probably more 24 hours in some cases. It is until you have that second mind shift that says, okay, now I have a business. I've attracted clients. I have customers. How do I set the standard?

Set Standards That Save Money

SPEAKER_04

One way is for HR, they always get the calls when there's an accident, right? One of the things that I have trained people that I work with is do they need to go to urgent care or the emergency room? And they say, what difference does that make to me calling you? Because if they don't need to go to the emergency room and the urgent center is closed, what you're talking about can wait until tomorrow. There's the shift. There's the difference. Because if you call me, I'm going to charge you.

SPEAKER_03

Right.

SPEAKER_04

Not only am I going to get my hourly fee, I'm going to get those on-call service fees. So if there's nothing that I'm going to be doing other than be made aware, email it to me. Because here's what happens I get up before the business opens. I'm going to already have read your email, address the issue by the time you get in the office. Right. That person's illness, if it didn't require emergency services, guess what? We're going to send them in the morning.

Victoria Odekomaya

Right.

SPEAKER_04

We're going to do all of the things that need to be done. And you're going to save some money.

Victoria Odekomaya

Right.

SPEAKER_04

That's so good. It's those things, and and I don't like charging people more than I have to. I would rather set standards, train you to think differently on when to call, when not to call, because then your business blooms differently.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_04

You don't have a the sky is falling mentality anymore. Well, because it seems like it's always falling. Yes. But if if I am doing my job properly, you understand when the sky is truly falling. If it's on fire, definitely call me. Of course, yeah. Because we need to get other measures taken. But if it's something that somebody twisted their ankle, send me the email. If if they didn't need emergency services, then we need to follow the proper protocol. Oh, I want to fire them. Okay, they got off at 11 o'clock at night. They're not going to be back until 3. I start checking my emails at 5 30 in the morning. I'm going to be able to curtail them coming in again. They're going to be at home in bed. Right. Now you just paid me part of their salary on something that I can't address anyway until the next morning.

Victoria Odekomaya

Right.

SPEAKER_04

Because we don't call people to fire them in the middle of the night.

Victoria Odekomaya

Right. Well, I mean, yeah. Decently, right, yeah.

SPEAKER_04

We we do good business. So in in changing the mindset of people, we shift how they think about things. Not only, yes, it means I'm going to make a little less money, but you're more inclined to refer my business to someone else. Right. You also respect what I do charge you for your annuals, for your deposits, because you know that whatever I'm charging you is a fair and equitable fee because I've already stopped you from paying emergency calls.

Victoria Odekomaya

Right. I love that because not a lot of bas businesses operate like that, and I think that's integrity on your part.

SPEAKER_04

It's not just integrity. If I can be quite transparent, most businesses that will charge you like that are not doing good business. And they expect their business to fail. So they're trying to get you for everything they can get you for in that first one, two years because they don't see the longevity of their plan. I have over a decade in the business. I'm going to stick and stay. And even when I'm done working, my business is going to, by legacy, transfer to someone else that's going to continue that legacy. Right. I'm doing good business for them as well. I want them to inherit good sound business.

Victoria Odekomaya

I love

The Mindset Monica Works Best With

Victoria Odekomaya

that. So for people that are watching or listening right now, who are the ideal clients that would, you know, would work perfectly with you?

SPEAKER_04

Honestly, those that know they don't have it all together. Because when you think you you have the perfect business model, you're on scale, you're not as receptive to thinking differently, to retraining your processes, to new muscle memory. When it is a business that is new or looking for that shift, the mindset is open. Right. We can explore options together. That's how you grow.

SPEAKER_02

Yes.

SPEAKER_04

And sometimes it's how you stop growing because you have to realize that you know what? We need to stay right here for a minute. Right. We need to explore. All growth isn't larger, sometimes it's lateral. Instead of let's do 1.5 million, maybe we need to introduce 10 more products. Because those 10 more products, after we introduce those, will earn us 3.6 million. So sometimes it's it's that type of shift, but you have to have an open mind.

SPEAKER_02

I love that.

SPEAKER_04

If you feel like, oh, we're always in the top 10 of best places to work and we're doing everything perfectly, you need me, but you don't know that you need me, and that makes the job harder.

Victoria Odekomaya

Right.

SPEAKER_04

I'd rather have someone that understands what they need.

Victoria Odekomaya

Right. So in terms of description of those types of companies, are they like, you know, what size are they at, or like how long have they been in business?

SPEAKER_04

I don't think that in this case, size matters. Okay. Because I work with all streams of business. So I work with nonprofits, I work with for-profit, I work with large corporate Americas, as they say, companies, and I work with smaller mom and pop shops that have the dream of becoming franchise businesses and things like that. So for me, it's not the size. It really comes down to what is your mindset and where do you want to be. As long as you have a vision. And it doesn't have to be clear. It doesn't have to be clear.

Victoria Odekomaya

Because that's part of what you're helping them clarify to.

SPEAKER_04

Understand that I want to grow or I want to scale, or I know what we do, we do well. I think we can do more well. All of those things are indications to me that yes, you need my services. Absolutely.

Victoria Odekomaya

That's good to know. Okay. All

Why She Runs For Boone County Clerk

Victoria Odekomaya

right, I'm gonna shift gears a little bit because I know you are running for politics. I am, I am. Um, and I know that you are the first black woman on the ballot for Boone County Clerk.

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely. Yes.

Victoria Odekomaya

That is, how does that how did you even think about, you know, putting your name in the ballot?

SPEAKER_04

Well, I have always been of a servant mind. I love helping others, um, not just for financial gain, but to be their best possible self.

Victoria Odekomaya

Um I mean, I think it's very evident because he just talked about how you can help people say you help people save money, a lot of money.

SPEAKER_04

Absolutely. But in in that, uh, I completed a program called Advocacy Works. Uh, Representative Robin Shackled had this program. I was in her first class, and I went to the clerk's office and I wanted to know what I could do. And because I have an HR mindset, I saw things that could be done better. Not that they were being done poorly, and I want to be very clear on that. Everything that can upscale, that can grow, that can be better doesn't mean it was bad. It just means there's room for growth. Right. And there's only two options in this world life and death. Right. It grows or it dies. So I saw those opportunities, and um I was asked to to consider that run, and I was excited. I was so excited. And the more I learned about everything that the clerk does in Boone County, uh the size of Boone County, Boone County is actually larger than Marion County by size. It's just we have a lot of very rural areas, so we don't have as many residents, but we still have a lot of residents. And I I'm anxious. I want to keep the charm of Boone County. I want people to still sit on their porches. I want farmers to enjoy their land, but I want them to be able to stay in their fields and farm and not have to run into Lebanon every other week or or once a month or once a quarter to do things that maybe we can put online so they can stay in their fields. Right. Uh Boone County is the fastest growing county in the state. It's in the top 25 for the United States. Oh wow. And I want to be a part of that growth. I want to see us grow, but because I live there, I want to be able to protect what makes Boone County special.

Victoria Odekomaya

I love that. And I can hear from your voice just your so how your ink, you know, your excitement about this role. I am so excited.

SPEAKER_04

And I do I love Boone County. Yeah, I live in Zionsville proper and I love Boone County. I love the quaintness of the downtown areas and the restaurants and all of that. But I love the big businesses that are coming as well. Um, but when the big businesses come, I want to be in that clerk's office and make sure that they're coming the right way. That they are mindful that Boone County will not be run over by big business. We are gonna stand, we are going to still have our children play and ride their bikes, we are going to have our elders able to be on sidewalks. We are not gonna be over polluted by noise. We are gonna just be a great county.

Victoria Odekomaya

I love that. So for those that are out there thinking, what does a clerk do? Right?

What The Clerk’s Office Actually Does

Victoria Odekomaya

I know we've talked a little bit about this and how much more work it is the Boone County, you know, uh clerk would do more than the Marion County, even though it's, you know, population size is bigger. Um just give us a little bit of a, you know, what what are your rules? What would be your rules in this job?

SPEAKER_04

So, an example, uh, Marion County Clerk still oversees all the things that a Boone County clerk would oversee. However, because they're so densely populated, they have groups and teams of people for for the election board, for child support, for different tasks. In Boone County, all of that still resides very closely within the clerk's office. It's very hands-on. Uh, if you're getting married, if you're getting divorced, that's coming through the clerk's office. When you buy your property, that is coming through the clerk's office. When you're paying fines and fees, your court appointments, your court assignments, those are going through the clerk's office. The elections, which is what everyone is is really geared up on right now, that is going through the clerk's office. Making sure that it's done with integrity, those are going through the clerk's office. Even some of your records, your old and dated things, those go through the clerk's office. And uh when you think of the size, again, uh how large it is, you you need to be on your P's and Q's at all times. And that's where having been in human resources, understanding all the competencies of human resources uniquely makes me a perfect fit for this role.

Victoria Odekomaya

I was gonna say that too. Plus, also the fact that it's such a fast-rising, you know, county too, like to like really be on top of that because before you know it, it's a whole different thing.

SPEAKER_04

Absolutely. And again, protecting Boone County, being in human resources, that gives you that eye to understand how to make sure that businesses are doing good business for Boone County. Making sure that the tax rates, if there's an increase, does this increase make sense? You know, and and it may not be my job to move forward tax increases, but it will be my job to sound the alarm that this does not look good for Boone County. Just because I don't set the policy doesn't mean that I don't have the ability to sound those alarms to say, hey, hold on. Yeah, no, no, we're not we're we're we're not ready for that. And to have that relationship, Bob Brenner's running for the commissioner, he's an excellent man. He is a great person that I feel very confident because of how we're running our campaigns. We will work very well together. We mesh together, we understand each other very well. I love his wife, she's the sweetest person on the earth. So having those relationships makes a difference. Yes. You have to be able to blend in that way to be able to run a good office.

Victoria Odekomaya

Wow.

Responding To Racism With Competence

Victoria Odekomaya

So, you know, we're running right now, you're running right now, and the the incumbent has, you know, made some racist remarks online.

SPEAKER_04

Isn't that unfortunate?

Victoria Odekomaya

Well, so yes, it is very unfortunate.

SPEAKER_04

So I will I will address it in this way this campaign will be run based on experience and what is best for Boone County. It is never gonna be what you call me. It is always gonna be what I answer to. My name is Monica. That's right. And that is what I answer to. I don't care what you call me. That is not my problem. That is your circumstances. Fight fair. Meet me face to face, head on, on the issues, on the office, on the term, on what we are going to do for Boone County. Whether I am light, dark, polka dot, navy blue, indigo, has no bearing on how that office is run. It is a position on intellect, experience, and dedication, nothing else.

Victoria Odekomaya

And you have the receipts.

SPEAKER_04

Absolutely.

Victoria Odekomaya

You have all the credentials.

SPEAKER_04

Absolutely. I have been credentialed in human resources for a decade. Even before I was credentialed, I was gaining my experience and getting my footing. And before I was in human resources, I was in telecommunications, and I do that well. I live under my father's legacy. He spent 30 years under what was originally Indiana Bell to become ATT. Under SBC Ameritech, I spent seven years. I have earned every bit of my experience.

Victoria Odekomaya

And what I'm hearing from you is that you are passionate about using your experience to make sure that Boone County is just at the top of the top.

SPEAKER_04

Absolutely. Absolutely. It is where I live. And I think people need to understand that. No matter what part of Boone County you live in, you live in Boone County. What harms one, harms all. What helps one helps all. And that is what I want us to continue to forge forward under. I don't want a person or a small fraction of people's views on whatever to overshadow the place that Boone County is an amazing place to live, to call home. We're not going to let the small things overshadow the big picture.

Legacy Means Holding Doors Open

Victoria Odekomaya

So let's say five four years from now, you've won the race, you've, you know, done the you know the job. What do you want your legacy to be?

SPEAKER_04

The door is still open. The door is still open. I'm not going and putting my hand on a door to open it and walk through. I'm going to that door and I'm holding it open. And that doesn't mean just for little brown girls. That means for little brown girls, brown boys, whatever the genre is, whatever you identify yourself as, uniquely you, I am holding that door for you. You can walk through. Now, you need some credentials. Right. You need to come in and learn and grow. But if you are prepared, we are ready.

Victoria Odekomaya

So am I also hearing you're only doing the one term, like four years, or is that what you're trying to tell me to?

SPEAKER_04

We are going in to the first four years as Boone County Clerk. And in that first four years, we are going to open doors for everyone. And who knows what happens after that. There may be more for me to do in other areas. I will not limit myself in any such way. But what I will do is say anyone that wants to come behind, anyone that wants to come side by side, let's go. Let's go.

Victoria Odekomaya

You know, a thought just came to mind, and you know, there's a lot of people out there that may not want you to, of course, well, not me. They not want you to be this and you know, to be the clerk. And I think that, and I want you to speak on this, right? You have your your legacy, you'd say you're wanting to open doors and let people in. Yes. Could that be the fear that they have? Like now she's gonna let everybody in, and but they don't want everybody in. You see what I mean?

SPEAKER_04

What does that have to do with being the best for Boone County? Because this is not about me. This is about Boone County. Right. What advances Boone County? What protects Boone County? I may be five foot three, but I got I got a little fight in me. And I will fight for Boone County. I will make sure that documents are done correctly, that they are retained appropriately, that they last for until this world stops spinning. That's what's important. Even if you don't like me personally, consider am I what's best for Boone County.

unknown

Right.

SPEAKER_04

Am I capable of doing the job? Will I do a good job? Do I function well under stress? Can I handle the pressure? Will I show up every day for work? As long as all of those things are a yes, that's what you waited on.

Victoria Odekomaya

That's right.

SPEAKER_04

Because the lights could go out tomorrow. Now you don't see my skin tone. But what you will know is I know how to run a generator. So we can still get the job done. That's right. It doesn't matter. The things that are are catching people off guard are detracting from what's important to Boone County.

Victoria Odekomaya

So as

Modernizing Access Without Losing Charm

Victoria Odekomaya

we're going into this election, there are probably there are probably people that are looking and you know, thinking, should I vote for her? You know, maybe they are not clear. Some people may already know what they want to do.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

Victoria Odekomaya

Um, speak to them and just tell them what makes you to give them that comfort that you're the one.

SPEAKER_04

One of the first pieces of literature that I put out was a comparison. It was a brief comparison, but it was a comparison over what the job duties are and what my experiences are and how they line up. This is what you need to look at. It is wonderful to have great friends, as we discussed in a business aspect, but I will take a great representative when we're talking politics over a good friend. I need to know that when I go to sleep and wake up, that office is being run and run well. I need to know that someone is looking out to make sure that big business filed their paperwork correctly, that they didn't sneak something in on that paperwork that shouldn't be on it. I need to make sure that when the votes count, they're counted correctly. That is what you need to concern yourself with. That is what matters. Not is it good enough. Because there's a lot in this world that's good enough. But if it ain't horseshoes, it don't count. We need to know that we're doing the best. The best we can possibly do. And if we're not. Then we're not. We're not the best boon. Right. And we need to be the best boon.

Victoria Odekomaya

I love that. I know one of the things that you said also is still keeping Boone County, you know, like that quaintness of it, but also being able to make it easy and accessible for people to do things easier.

SPEAKER_04

Yes. So let's let's look at Boone County. Uh people move to Boone County and they don't move away. They stay. So we have a population that is is reaching some of their more seasoned and senior years. We want those people that maybe use their adult children for transportation to be able to not have to bother them for a certain task. Let's help them to advance and say, you know what, I can pay this bill online. I can do this research online. I can even make an appointment so that I'm not in the clerk's office all day. Let's let the people that work in the clerk's office do their best work. Maybe the person that is taking care of registrations isn't necessarily the best at documentation filing. So let's figure out a way to let everyone do their best possible job, their best task. And in that way, we are advancing Boone, right? We're giving Boone a chance to grow, but we're also utilizing people in their best seat. And those people get to spend time and go home to their families and want to show up for work. We're not constantly retraining new staff. Everybody loves what they do and they're doing it well. And when people come into the clerk's office, they see smiles and happiness and joy. We can we can do those shadow days, and children come in there and love the experience they gain, and they go home and they tell their parents, Mom, Dad, you know what? I think I'd like to get into government. I'd like to be in politics. I'd like to see what I can do. I want to see and be a part of my community growing.

Victoria Odekomaya

And that's it at the end of the day. That's amazing. As you describe that, I'm thinking, how many government offices have I walked into and people are not happy? You know, they're just there to just do the walk. It can be overwhelming because there's a lot on their minds and there's a lot that they're trying to do. But you want to create an environment where people, government workers, actually love what they do.

SPEAKER_04

Not only do they love what they do, but the people like to come in there. They they like it and and they entrust that I'm coming in, I'm gonna get my business handled, I'm gonna get a smile of pleasantry. They may remember my name, and even if they don't, they remember my face. And at the end of that transaction, I also entrust that whatever I came in there and did, I did it. It's held in confidence. If I come back next week, they know exactly where the copies are, they know exactly where my papers are. If it's supposed to be online, it's online, it's online with clarity, readability, I can print it, we can move on.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_04

My technology is meeting my task, and we're good.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

And that's what it is that I'm trying to do for Boone County. I don't want to reinvent the wheel. I just want to make sure it turns smoothly.

Victoria Odekomaya

Nice. And I feel like your experience over 14 years managing organizations is so well positioned for this job.

SPEAKER_04

Absolutely. Absolutely. Because I don't want to go in there and and it's here comes a new boss. I want to go in there and I want to be, here comes innovation. Here comes someone who wants to see us, every person in that office, be their best possible self.

Vote, Participate, Use Your Voice

Victoria Odekomaya

So, any last words before we wrap this up?

SPEAKER_04

I always have last words. Um, because I love I love people and I love talking to people. But I think my last words on business is if you're going to be in business, know your business, invest in your business and continue to elevate your business. Elevate your business upward, elevate your business laterally, but elevate your business. When it comes to politics, if you are not using your voice, if you are not voting, if you are not showing up for town halls, what are you doing? What are you doing? Use your voice and be effective with your voice. Go to your meetings, register, vote, participate in your government. Speak to your neighbors. All news may not be good news, but it's informative news. Evaluate what you hear, make sure it makes sense, and cast your vote accordingly.

Victoria Odekomaya

It's amazing. Thank you so much for your time today.

SPEAKER_04

Thank you for having me. It has been my pleasure to be here.

Victoria Odekomaya

Thank you. Well, I am gonna be voting because everyone Absolutely. And everyone, I definitely encourage that you vote, check your registration, make sure you're voting um in the primaries, primaries as well as in the general election, and make sure, like you know, Monica said, check, check, make your decision based on the facts on who is able to do the job, on who is able to do the job well, and not emotions, because sometimes we get carried away. Right, right. So well, until next time, I hope you do vote.

Contributor

Victoria Odekomaya

Host