Benchmark Happenings

Resilience and Innovation in the Beauty Industry: The Entrepreneurial Journey of Terry Kazmaier and Shanoa Pruitt

• Jonathan Tipton, Steve Reed & Christine Reed • Episode 29

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Discover the incredible journey of Terry Kazmaier and Shanoa Pruitt as they share their entrepreneurial story in the beauty industry. From launching Sugar Mama amidst the economic downturn of 2008 to forming a transformative partnership in 2014, their narrative is a testament to resilience and innovation. Terry's need for beauty services beyond standard hours sparked the creation of Sugar Mama, and Shanoa's entry brought new momentum. Together, they navigate the challenges of business ownership, emphasizing the power of strong partnerships and their commitment to empowering women in the industry.

We also dive into the intricacies of managing dynamic work relationships and fostering a healthy, respectful workplace. Drawing parallels between the beauty industry and nursing, we highlight the importance of genuine customer care and creating a welcoming atmosphere. Listen as we explore teamwork, personal growth, and aligning professional achievements with personal ambitions, using insights from Rob Campbell's book "It's Personal, Not Personnel." This episode is packed with valuable advice for anyone looking to thrive in the beauty industry and beyond.

To help you to navigate the home buying and mortgage process, Jonathan & Steve are currently licensed in Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia, contact us today at 423-491-5405 or visit www.jonathanandsteve.com.

Speaker 1:

This is Benchmark Happenings, brought to you by Jonathan and Steve from Benchmark Home Loans. Northeast Tennessee, johnson City, kingsport, bristol, the Tri-Cities One of the most beautiful places in the country to live. Tons of great things to do and awesome local businesses. And on this show you'll find out why people are dying to move to Northeast Tennessee and on the way we'll have discussions about mortgages and we'll interview people in the real estate industry. It's what we do. This is Benchmark Happenings, brought to you by Benchmark Home Loans and now your host, christine Reed home loans, and now your host, Christine Reed.

Speaker 2:

Well, welcome back everybody to another fantastic episode of Benchmark Happenings. And today we have two stars on our show, two beautiful ladies entrepreneurs, just executive businesswomen who are executives in the beauty industry. And so, Terry Kazmaier, I want to welcome you to the show. Thank you Absolutely. And Shanoa Pruitt.

Speaker 3:

Thank you.

Speaker 2:

And the two businesses that they represent are Sugar Mama. You've probably seen it, there's three locations Tri-Cities, bristol and Johnson City, and we also have the Jenny Lee Academy for Cosmetology. So thank you both for being here today.

Speaker 4:

Oh, we are excited, we are excited. A little nervous, but excited.

Speaker 2:

Oh, you know what and this is all fun the time is going to pass so quickly. So really, what we want to do is focus on Sugar Mama and Jenny Lee Academy, because we want the audience to really understand the services that you provide and really, as women who are in business you're entrepreneurs how you encourage women and the advice you would have for women that are wanting to get into business. So, terry, let's talk a little bit about Sugar Mama. Tell us how did this business come about? I mean, I know I've known you for a while and you love business, you love people and your personality. You're just infectious, you're contagious with your personality. So tell us about this.

Speaker 4:

Okay. Well, thank you for all those compliments. I appreciate it. So I started out with Sugar Mama when I was a pharmaceutical rep. I wanted to. I finally had enough money to go and get beauty services. Unfortunately, at that time you have to think we're going back to 2007. No one has a salon and spas that are open that are doing a lot of the services that Sugar Mama Waxing offers. After five they really kind of had just doctor's wives hours. So back in 2007, I was like, well, let me just try this. You know I didn't have. I went to a lot of places for beauty treatments but I had never operated a beauty business. So that's how Sugar Mama got started. Is that? Actually I wanted something that was available after a certain time, and that's how I got started.

Speaker 2:

That's awesome, and so in the pharmaceutical industry it's much different. But you know, once you get that professional sales and that experience under your belt, you know truly you can do anything with that.

Speaker 4:

Absolutely. You know, I think that the discipline there's a lot of discipline that you're having to do things that no one is telling you to do, like you have to show up to the office, you know, have to work the office so a lot of those same components were what I had to do with Sugar Mama. I didn't know how I was going to go through all of the laws and finding out all of the things you needed to start the spa. So that got started in 2008. And luckily, one of our first hires was Shanoa Pruitt and you know I was, you know I was learning the business kind of walking along in the dark.

Speaker 4:

So it's very lonely when you don't have a business partner and you don't have somebody that can actually have a vested interest. So it was great when we started communicating and talking and then eventually, you know she goes into being, into management and you know we're just talking one day and she's like I really like this and I was like I don't know if this is really working. You know I don't know how I'm going to keep going because at this time, you know I'm starting in 2008. And if you can remember what 2008 was happening.

Speaker 4:

The economy was not exactly. You know, it was a scary time to start a business, and I love what Tony Robbins always says if you start a business in a rough time, you can handle anything. So, with that being said, right now is the time to start a business because the economy looks like it's not a good time. So anyway, in that season, you know, it was really discouraging. So, having someone who was coming on and being supportive and understanding everything I was dealing with, I was so happy when we became business partners. It changed the trajectory of the business because I had a lot of ideas but I was still a, you know, a mom, a wife, and it was just hard to do all those things by myself.

Speaker 4:

So I was so grateful. So, um, as having the store opened, uh, we became business partners. We opened up another location, yeah, and when?

Speaker 2:

did so. When did you two become business partners? Shanoa In 2014. So, okay, you two become business partners. So let's talk about were there any challenges? I mean because you were the lead dog, I mean this was your business, and I mean the challenge of bringing someone along, and what I'm hearing from you is just like so many positive things of having Shanoa with you. Absolutely, Sounds like a beautiful partnership between the two of you.

Speaker 4:

It really is. And you know, Shanoa probably had and I'd let her speak to that some of the challenges that she had, but for me, it was really easy. For me, I am all about supporting other people, even people who've worked for us, who go on to do other businesses. I'm all about that because I believe it's more than enough. That's a core belief of ours. But, Shanoa, you can, you know, talk about some of the challenge you experienced.

Speaker 2:

Or just, or how did that relationship come about? What developed your industry? I mean your interest in this industry, shanoa.

Speaker 3:

Well, my background I am an esthetician, so that's where I was.

Speaker 2:

And I explained your beautiful skin. I mean both of you. Both of you are glowing. You come in here, you both glow. So after the show, I want your beauty tips.

Speaker 3:

We will hook you up. We will hook you up, but I had you know that's what I always wanted was to be in business. I knew, and luckily the beauty industry was just. I landed it and it's great for me. But I have such a great respect, I think people always are concerned. Well, how have you been business partners?

Speaker 1:

for so long.

Speaker 3:

Oh, and your best friends too. Yes, it's a real thing, it's a God thing first, so that's why it works. But we also, we respect one another, you know, and so she's not just a business partner, but she's a mentor, and she's a friend, and she's a sister, and so there's that. You know. Dynamic is what makes it work. The hardest thing, I think, in the beginning for me was shifting from a manager to, you know, a role of ownership. That was hard getting the people that we were working with to shift in that direction as well.

Speaker 3:

So some of those relationships that you had in the beginning aren't there now. It's a different dynamic, isn't it?

Speaker 2:

I remember that just. You know, in my line of work as a nurse, you know, I worked as a CNA when I was in college, you know, to get my way through college and then when I transitioned to an RN, you took on a leadership role and I was on the same floor. So it was a completely different dynamic. I had to walk that very carefully. A lot of learning in that, isn't it, shanoa?

Speaker 3:

Absolutely.

Speaker 2:

Because the whole goal is for us to get along. And when that dynamic changes, it takes a lot of wisdom to operate in that space.

Speaker 3:

I agree wholeheartedly, yeah.

Speaker 2:

So I love that and I love the fact that you know you give God the glory and I love seeing women succeed.

Speaker 4:

Yes, I always find it amazing when people say to me oh, how do you have your spas and you don't have fighting and all of that going on. And I say I say to that is that it's not women. The problem is is that people who are not healthy are not healthy.

Speaker 3:

It's not women. We get the blame for it.

Speaker 4:

We absolutely get the blame for it.

Speaker 2:

You're exactly right.

Speaker 4:

You know it's just that if you're not healthy then you're going to cause drama and problems. You know it's just that if you're not healthy, then you're going to cause drama and problems. You know it's very easy to have a disagreement and it not become inflammatory. We're not Chano and I don't agree on everything, but I have a lot of respect. But I have respect for everyone.

Speaker 4:

That's my whole thing. I think that's a core belief and you can't teach that to people. No, you know, we are just. You know. Sometimes there's a very different opinion about how something should work. Well, it's not that big of a deal. Let's just solve it and keep going, because we have other things.

Speaker 2:

We want to complete that matter. Yes, and I always think about what is that end goal? This is our goal. There's going to be different ways of how we're going to reach that goal and we're both going to have different ideas, beliefs or whatever, and the two of you coming together and your partnership, I mean I can already tell you really. I mean you are successful, your businesses are extremely successful, yes, and so share both of you. Just share your passions about Sugar Mama and there's so many services that you provide. It is not just a those of you listening, it's not just a waxing. They have so many offerings and I think the website is great. It's very informative. So share some of your passions and I'd love for you to talk about some of the website is great, it's very informative. So share some of your passions and I'd love for you to talk about some of the services you provide in the Sugar Mama business at three locations.

Speaker 3:

Oh, yeah, Well, I think the biggest thing for Sugar Mama and I know Terri, I'm sure she's on this, yeah but making people feel better, you know, seeing them when they come in, and that's really what it's about.

Speaker 3:

We are here to make you feel, live the dream you know that's why you go into get makeup, get your hair done, it's because you want to feel better about yourselves. And if we can provide just a little bit of that, which is what we do, so you have. You know the waxing, of course, but we have the facials, we have the lashes, we have the spray tan, which you know, east Tennessee, get a spray tan. Don't go to the tanning bed. Cancer is real.

Speaker 2:

Oh, absolutely Stay out of those things. Get a spray tan, I'm all about it.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so those, those are all wonderful services that we do in it and it really does. You know, you make a relationship with these ladies.

Speaker 1:

And we have our gentlemen too.

Speaker 3:

They come in and get their eyebrows done and different things like that. But it's almost like you do become friends with your clients, so you kind of grow with them. They have kids. You watch your kids grow up, so it's just a wonderful setting to be in and I mean I love it.

Speaker 4:

And I think one of the things that makes Sugar Mama really unique is that Sugar Mama offers that southern hospitality and I am really grateful. I get to travel around the world. I'm so grateful, but there's nothing like East Tennessee. You're exactly right, there's nothing like it.

Speaker 2:

That was the birth of this podcast is because of all the great things in East Tennessee Absolutely.

Speaker 4:

And that's why so many people are relocating here, because people really are genuinely nice no agenda, really are genuinely nice, no agenda. So a lot of the spas that you go to even local spas they tend to have the tendency to I don't know put on airs, and I didn't. We didn't want that in the spa. We wanted it to be a welcoming place where everyday women can feel great about themselves. I think that's the thing that makes Sugar Mama really special. You are going to have everyone walk past you and say hello and see you, because a lot of times you're going through life and you're not being seen. And we're all busy we're on our cell phones, we have grocery lists, we have things going on in our business. But when you go somewhere and someone sees you and recognizes you and says hello, thank you for coming in, and another person, everyone says everyone here is so nice. You're right, they are. And I can't teach niceness, no, no, I can't teach people just being respectful.

Speaker 2:

That's right. That's right. I know Steve talks about with the culture that we have here at Benchmark. You know how do you hire motivated people. You know how do you motivate people? Well, you don't motivate people. You hire motivated people.

Speaker 2:

Just like you said that culture being nice, being respectful of others and we all want to be seen, because we're creating God's image every one of us and we want to be seen and I just love seeing your unique gifts and talents of sharing and actually actually you're loving people. You're loving them well, and I love the name Sugar Mama. So tell me, how did that name come about?

Speaker 4:

Oh, that's a funny story. So, yeah, that's a great story. So my husband is a physician and he's very funny, by the way, he's very funny. And Jan, always, you know he was like Terry wants to start this beauty business. I don't know what's wrong with her, she, I don't know why she wants to do this and I but he was supportive and I said you know, one day, jan, I am going to make so much money that I will be your sugar mama and I will take care of you.

Speaker 4:

So sugar mama waxing is a big thing for me to be able to bring financial stability even more to our home. He created it and he sustained it. But I'm also able to really add, and you know, one of the things that is special is that more women are able to do this. It's wonderful to have a very successful husband, but to want to keep going and raise the bar for yourself and your family like that is huge. And that was that was the whole premise is that I could sit here and be his wife or I can sit here and be a business woman as well, and he was supportive either way. He really was.

Speaker 4:

But that's where sugar mama came from and it's I always tell all the girls that that cause we have primarily women who are working with us, sure, and I always say you want to be the sugar mama, you want to be taking care of stuff, you want to buy a house, you want to buy a car, and we are talking about this with our team all the time. We don't want you to stay where you're at. We want you to be better and sometimes you can be better and stay with us and sometimes, being better, you might have to go somewhere else, but we are not going to be against you. You know a lot of people think, oh my gosh, they're mad at me. No, I'm not.

Speaker 4:

Just. You know, stay within your five-mile radius away from my stores. That's all I request, you know. But Shanoa and I, we are really, you know, we really. I want to say you know women, but I want to support people who want to do things for God's kingdom period. You know what I mean, because he puts a gift in all of us. You're right, and I just want to fulfill whatever he has stored for us. That's our agenda.

Speaker 2:

You know Steve and I were talking the other night about when you're operating in your gifts that God has designed within you. It's not work and you flourish, you're happy, you have that joy that nobody else can describe. But it's that deep seated joy that's within you when you are operating within your gifts and your strengths and it's it's just totally just so obvious that the two of you and what a blessing that you've recognized those and you have the opportunity to do that. So I really want to kind of talk about culture because, terry, you sort of touched on it a little bit. You know we're not against you. We want you to do better and I love how you're encouraging, you know, the people who work for you to. You know what hey go after that brass ring. You know, do better, we want you to succeed.

Speaker 2:

So tell us a little bit about the culture at Sugar Mama. And how do you keep a culture? Because there are so many toxic cultures everywhere you go in companies, so it's just difficult. Steve and I have walked a long road in this business. Oh my gosh, of course.

Speaker 4:

Right, you learned so much with this, you know.

Speaker 3:

I would say for us. You know, I hate to say this you know teamwork, you know it sounds so cliche but that is what it's about, and we're very focused. You know we have we meet with our managers every single week. Our managers are then meeting with the rest of the team every week, every month.

Speaker 3:

And we work with our the, the lovely ladies that work with us, because we want to know what. What is your goal? You know what? Where do you see yourself in five years? Because we do have a variety of ages. I mean, you've got your younger girls, but then you know, we've got the 30-year-old. So their goals are different. You know the 20-year-old she just might want the Louis Vuitton bag. That's okay, that's great.

Speaker 2:

God bless her Woman. After my own heart, see, of course it would be Gucci in my cage. Right, terry, we're Gucci girls.

Speaker 3:

Absolutely, but you know. But then the 30-year-old, she's wanting to buy her house.

Speaker 2:

Yes.

Speaker 3:

And so we work with them and let's see where you are now. How can we get your sales to where you can start putting that money back every month? So, you're able to attain that goal and we're very involved with them, and I just think that is what's made it so successful.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. I love that. I mean, I think that's really, you know, it's the interest. We had Rob Campbell on the show a few weeks ago and it's just the recent. You can pull it up and listen to the podcast and he does coaching and he has all about blinds, but really that's just kind of the core for him to do his coaching and he talks about. He wrote a book. It's personal, not personnel, and he really focuses on those individual people and understanding their needs. And you're doing that. I mean, how many employers do that? Like, take interest in someone? Say what's your goal? You know how can I help. Come alongside you to help you. Do you want to buy a house? And send them to Steve at Benchmark, by the way. But you know what are your goals. Do you want to buy a house? Let us help you and send them to Steve at Benchmark, by the way. But you know what are your goals. Do you want to buy a house? Let us help you, you know, do you need budgeting help? I mean, wow, right.

Speaker 3:

Well, and I think for Terry and I we didn't have that, you know. Absolutely we didn't have that and had, we had that. Wow. So I think that that is, for us, what we know is going to make a difference, because most young ladies don't have that, because they're clearly not teaching these skills at school or most of the time at home, right, and you know, like you know, growing it depends on the era that you grew up in.

Speaker 2:

And you know some things. You had to work for things before you could have them, and now you know it's like even when our children were growing up, we gave them everything because we didn't want them to do without like. We did with that, because we've always had to work for everything, and that's not good. Nope, everybody needs to have a little skin in the game, don't they?

Speaker 4:

they do, sure do, and just bringing up the coaching. That's one of the things that I feel like really changed our business, because, at when we did open up the johnson city location, chanel and I were working nonstop. It was not healthy, but we didn't know what else to do, so we just kept throwing the paint up on the wall and working, working, working. Finally, we went to a Tony Robbins seminar and it just it transformed us because we saw new ideas. No, we didn't transform. Then Let me say that Sure we did not transform.

Speaker 4:

Then it takes time. It takes time. So back in 2017, when we went to it, we finally decided we're going to pay the money to go to a seminar and hopefully we'll learn something. And we really. We had never really gone into that environment, we had just worked our butts off. That's all we knew to do. But when you start to get around other people, there's such an expansion. If I had any advice, I would say I wish I had gone sooner into an environment to learn how to grow, because what that taught Shanoa and I is how we could bring that information back to our stores and implement it. And we had learned as much as we could. We had read the books, but we weren't going any further.

Speaker 4:

And when we started learning to delegate within our business and trust the people that we gave the assignment to like, even it's huge. I mean even driving over. Today, you know it's like. You know, we got a lot of packages in and we need to go over and unbox those packages because they're going to be there all weekend because she's on vacation, and I said, shanoa, we can't do that, that is not our job, but what we do need to do is to work on this project that our CPA asked us to complete, which we didn't want to do, but that's what we need to do. And Shanoa and I were both like, yes, we're going to do that for the rest of the afternoon, finish that and not do something that somebody else is supposed to do.

Speaker 4:

That delegating is a lot harder. I think a lot of people who don't have businesses think, oh, that's super easy. Oh, no, it's not, because we're type A, totally type A and also maybe a little bit OCD. So, that being said, you know, I used to think, oh, those are awesome trademarks, but in a way, it really hurt us in our business because we couldn't trust. Therefore, we didn't allow anybody else to help us. So this is why, hence, we were working 80-hour weeks. Wow, you know, it was just crazy, crazy. So I think I think that really helped us by delegating and learning that we need to continuously be growing and stretching ourselves and putting ourselves around people that are going in the direction we want to go in. So we're constantly stretching, we're constantly growing.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's like the rubber band we always want to stretch but we don't want to get to the point where we break Absolutely. And you know it's having that self-awareness that the two of you have, you know. You know that there was a need there. Coaching just be stretched to learn new things. But the fact that you learn, the fact that you need to delegate I mean so many people in businesses they will not delegate because it's almost like a badge of courage ownership. I'm going to do this. I don't trust nobody else can do it like I do. But it's really when you hire the right people and have the culture that you have, then you can delegate and sleep at night because you trust the people that you have working for you.

Speaker 2:

That's going to do this absolutely right, and that's that's why you're so successful. That's the keys to success.

Speaker 4:

Yeah it definitely, it totally and, of course, it made our, our spouses, happier because I can't imagine 80 hour weeks and I know, and we had small kids at the time, you know I mean they were still, you know, and her son was in, you know, elementary, because I remember picking him up.

Speaker 4:

Mom can't, your mom can't get you. Just jump in my car, I'll get you to where she's at. We just did whatever we had to do. You know and you know my son going. Where is she? He's calling me on all the cell phones. She's in a. So it wasn't good, it wasn't. It sounds good, but that's not good for reality. So we had to really force ourselves to get out of doing everything ourselves, and it's still a battle. That's why I gave you that story when we were driving over. Today, even here, we're thinking of all the boxes and a storage room of supplies that have come in that need to be put up, and I'm like it can wait, it can wait, it can wait.

Speaker 2:

And that's good because we're always learning right and it's always it's a work, it's work in progress. You know we never arrive. So let's talk a little bit about we've not talked about Jenny Lee Academy. So now you've got these three amazing uh spas in three locations. But now you turn around and you're like, oh well, we're just going to have a cosmetology Academy. So layer that on top of what you ladies are doing.

Speaker 3:

Oh gosh, uh. Our husbands think we're crazy. Husbands think we're crazy. You know, I don't believe that we really set out to have a school, honestly, but we did want to grow our spas and we were really struggling. They're just as you know. I mean, I think after 2020, society is starting to acknowledge trades are not hobbies, they're real jobs, they're more lucrative.

Speaker 2:

Now, absolutely Forget the college degree. You need a trade.

Speaker 1:

I mean go into the.

Speaker 2:

Who would have thought the beauty industry would be what it is, right? I mean, it's like amazing, and I don't care if I'm going hungry, I'm going to get my nails done, you know what I'm saying we're not going to go without those things? Absolutely yes.

Speaker 3:

So we needed to be able to grow and we couldn't.

Speaker 3:

I mean the education, just there wasn't enough of it here in the area and when Jenny Lee came about, it really was kind of just a call and they said hey, terry, we know this lady and I think she wants to sell her school. And it happened to be Jenny Lee. So it was never that we were seeking to invest that way. We really were trying to figure out what are we going to do and through a lot of prayer it was like okay, god, if this is for us make a way.

Speaker 3:

And the doors just kept opening and opening. And it's a little bittersweet. I just got chills.

Speaker 2:

You know, you weren't even looking for it and the call came to you. Isn't that how God works in our lives? We just have to listen to the call, listen to the Holy Spirit and be obedient to the path that he's laid out for us.

Speaker 4:

Absolutely, I couldn't have said that more beautifully. That's exactly what we believe, because so much of the time in my life I believe that God wanted me to do something huge, but I was leading myself and I got myself in a lot of problems. I did. And you're the only one, Terry.

Speaker 2:

You're the only one. None of us have ever done that, absolutely.

Speaker 4:

So I just kind of I mean, I'm at a point in my life that I'm like God if you want this to happen, you're going to have to open the door and show me some clarity, because I don't want to be out there anymore pushing. You know, one of the things that is a great trait for Shanoa and I both is that we will work until it's done. You cannot outwork me. I will. I will do whatever it takes. That sounds, that sounds really beautiful in a movie.

Speaker 4:

However, in real life, it's not the truth, it's just not. You only have so many hours each day, so it really is taking that time and saying what do you want me to do? And sitting there quietly. That's hard, it is hard, and I think maybe I hope that people who hear me say this don't think I'm on rainbows and butterflies and I'm doing something on the side. I really believe that that's what you have to do is that you need that thinking time, you need that solitude time, you need that time and prayer to say what do you want to do, to say what do you want to do, and it's just.

Speaker 4:

It's amazing how we're. You know, we're working on some new concepts and we were doing that this morning and just that oh, what about this and what about this and how can we do it this way? So it's always that time when we sit back and we used to think people are going to think we don't work, when actually that time that Shanoa and I are sitting down and writing notes, who do we need to call? What do we need to contact? How can we learn more about this for training, for our staff? We're writing it all down and then we all were putting it into notes. So how are we going to execute?

Speaker 3:

yeah, I think we did that that's what we did this morning yeah, it's that thinking time you, you have to have it.

Speaker 2:

Yes.

Speaker 3:

And you know, sometimes you're sitting there and you're like, okay, I could be doing a thousand other things, but ultimately, at the end of the day, that time, I think, for us has been the most beneficial.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, it is. It's having that strategy planning session, you know know, marking off your calendar at the first of the year. You know, this day we're going to give to this, right here. We're going to spend on our business, we're going to focus steve and jonathan do it a lot and they'll take a full day. And it's all about strategy with benchmark. You know, what do we need to be doing better? How do we need to reach out? How can we grow?

Speaker 4:

absolutely, and doing those check-ins during the year like are we, where are we supposed to be? Are we moving in this direction? Do we need to reevaluate where we are? I mean, that's where we, that's what we do. I think that's the special sauce.

Speaker 4:

If I had to say that makes our relationship with Sugar Mama and Jenny Lee work well, is that we understand we have to set up a lot of goals and then we have to give people the room to execute those goals, because it just takes time and that's systems and those systems I mean me and chenoa are big on on systems like almost a little obsessive about it, but it works because at least people know what they would do if I weren't there.

Speaker 4:

Right, you know we are talking with, uh, someone we just brought on and she's only worked with us probably about seven months and when we were doing a meeting with her we was like the more we have these meetings, the better you'll understand our thinking process and the why behind. Not just that you better do what I'm doing. That's not where I'm coming from and what Shanoa and I are trying to do. We just want you to understand why we think that way and if you have a better way, we're all about it, because I just want you to understand why we think that way. And if you have a better way, we're all about it, because I just want to be better. My ego is not on the line. I think that's. What's helped us is that I'm not going well. Everything has to be my way?

Speaker 4:

or the highway, or I started sugar mama, so she knows what needs to get in line. That's not it. I would not be where I'm at if I didn't have the wisdom to say tell me what you think we need to do in this business, tell me how you see this. You know, I mean it was a time where I thought we should change the name of the business because maybe that sounded you know, I don't know lewd or something, and so I was like no, because people remember you know, even when we remember

Speaker 4:

it it's a great name it is. And we have waxing, because this is a technique that just for putting in categories in Google. You know, I didn't even think about it when we decided to stick with Sugar Mama Waxing, but it even helps us with raising up our lines in Google just because of the waxing, just having that in their name. Yes, we do a lot of other services, but that's our main service, that's our specialty and it helps us get to that Google ranking highest just by one simple thing on people's names. So people really need to be thinking about that when they are starting off a business. But, that being said, I was thinking about changing it and Chanel was like no, don't do that. And let me tell you why. So I think business partnerships you know people have gotten a lot of negative things about partnerships I think a partnership is beautiful, especially when you do respect what someone else?

Speaker 4:

is saying and you do believe, and having someone coming from a problem from a different angle is a beautiful thing, it's not a negative thing, it's not.

Speaker 2:

Well, ladies, this has been absolutely phenomenal and I just love everything that you shared. We love having you on the show. We'd love to have you come back and do some follow-ups of how things are going in your life and how you're encouraging women in the industry. And so, terry Kazmeier, shanoa Pruitt, sugar Mama, jenny Lee Academy, thank you both so much for being here today. It was fabulous, fabulous, great conversation, and I know that people listening this is going to love it, so thanks for being here.

Speaker 4:

Yes, thank you for having us, so we really appreciate it.

Speaker 1:

Yes, this has been benchmark happenings brought to you by jonathan tipton and steve reed frommark Home Loans. Jonathan and Steve are residential mortgage lenders. They do home loans in Northeast. Tennessee and they're not only licensed in Tennessee but Florida, georgia, south Carolina and Virginia. We hope you've enjoyed the show. If you did, make sure to like rate and review. Our passion is Northeast Tennessee, so if you have questions about mortgages, call us at 423-491-5405. And the website is wwwjonathanandstevecom. Thanks for being with us and we'll see you next time on Benchmark Happenings.

People on this episode

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Christine Reed

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Jonathan Tipton

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Steve Reed

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