Episode 222: Simple & Secure

Have you ever thought about what goes on behind the scenes every time a monetary transaction of some sort is made? We won’t speak for you, but we love seeing that “approved” message pop up one way or another 😂

Jodie is as passionate as they come when talking about the payments industry and it shows within her business - Electronic Transactions Association.

Education is a pivotal component of ETA’s foundation because there are so many moving parts when it comes to an industry that enables the movement of money in various ways.

Tune in to episode 222 as Jodie recalls the transition from law to the payments industry, explains the importance of leaning into your people and much more!

For more information about ETA:

Website: electran.org

LinkedIn: Jodie Kelley ; Electronic Transactions Association

Twitter/X: @ElecTranAssoc

YouTube:  @ElectTranAssoc ​

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

So a very passionate Jody joined us on the Down to Business Podcast today on behalf of ETA. And know that is not estimated time of arrival, but rather the Electronic Transactions Association. Because let's really think about it. Think about how often you spend, send, receive money. How aversed are you about that process? Or is it simply a tap to pay? Is it simply a cash app to a friend? Or is it simply a withdrawal from the bank when that paycheck hits? Jody really got into the nitty-gritty and spoke about all the ends in the house that comes with the payment industry, which she really loves. And honestly, after hearing about it, we all love money. Money makes the world go round in a sense. But it very much is something to think about. Very much is something to consider when you're thinking about how quickly money moves, how quickly things can get verified, all at the tap of a card or the swipe of a card. So she talks about the futuristic aspect of things and the advancements that are coming to truly make the lives easier for myself and you. So without further ado, enjoy episode 222. Simple and secure. Welcome back, everybody, to another episode of the Down to Business Podcast here with Tamar Turner. A big shout out to Jody. Shout out to the team. If y'all can't tell, she she has a very unique, very interesting setup. You're going to see the camera kind of moving a little bit. She's high tech. So I'm actually going to follow up with her offline just to figure out where she got that from because I like to move a lot and my camera doesn't follow me. So I think that would be kind of cool if I could get that as well. But no, very, very, very, very, very excited to be sitting down with her today. I appreciate her taking the time with me. And I know that one, she's going to be of a great resource of great value to myself. But as always, I we bring these people on here. We want them to real life just be able to help our audience, to help our viewers, to you know, each one teach one mentality here at Down the Business. So before we get into all things that Jody does, how she can help you and even to be able to continue to follow along her journey. Jody, how's everything on your end? How are you doing today?

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Everything is great. It's a beautiful day here in the Nation's Capitol.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

All right. So for everybody out there that'll be tapping, and as I said, I know we're going to have some people from your side. I know we're going to have some people from our side, but we're going to have some newcomers, some people who are finding out about both of us in some capacity. And wanting to tap and wanting to follow us along. So to make sure that everybody is all caught up, to put everybody on the same page and playing field, just do two things for me. One, just tell us a little bit about yourself. And then two, just tell us what brings you on the Down the Business Podcast today.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

Yeah. So my name is Jody Kelly. I'm the CEO of an organization called the Electronic Transactions Association. And what that means is that we are a group that represents an industry, and our industry is the payments industry, which is this unbelievably interesting tech-forward innovative industry. I'm in Washington, DC. And that's because we do a lot of public policy work, a lot of work with government, primarily at the federal level, but increasingly at the state level as well. So I get to work with a ton of fun companies. We're doing really interesting things, do all kinds of things with them. And in my off time, enjoy enjoy Washington here.

SPEAKER_00 3:06

It's definitely a place to be. A lot of sites to see. I do love DC. And especially coming from Philadelphia myself, DC was a lot of times a weekend trip or just on the um on the metro to Union Station, real quick and back and forth. So, all right, the payments industry, wow. Like, you know, to some that may be something that's fun, something that's cool, something that's, you know, it we we need to get paid in some capacity, you know. So depending on your involvement, depending on which side of that spectrum you're in, could depend on your opinion about it per se. But for you, why why choose to get involved in this? Why choose to do something, you know, because one, this industry requires work, as as most industries do, but it's a different kind of work here. As you said, even with your with what you're doing with government, it's a different scope of things. You know, you have to pay just a bit more detail and a bit more attention to things, especially with the landscape of everything, specifically where you are. So when choosing what you wanted to do and choosing kind of to move forward, and and before we even get, I guess, to the ETA part where you branded yourself and everything, why why did you particularly choose what interested you the most about where you're at right now?

SPEAKER_01 4:06

Yeah, let me uh if you don't mind, let me back up a little bit and kind of tell you about how I got here. Um, so I started my career as a lawyer. Um, and I practiced law for a long time, about 12 years. And I worked with this incredible guy who was a mentor to me, and who at one point said to me, he was moving on and he was actually taking a role in government. And he said to me, like, if you want advice, well, even if you don't, I'm giving you advice. And you know, here's my advice. He said, you know, every time you make a decision about your career path, choose something that you that you think is just gonna be fun and interesting, you know, that you're gonna love getting up to go do. Because if you're having fun, you're gonna be good at it, right? If you're enjoying yourself, that means you're you're you're contributing. Um, and and you're gonna want to keep doing it. And and so I actually took that really seriously. You know, it's it's seems like kind of obvious advice. But so if you look at my career path, it's been like nonlinear to say the least. So I was a lawyer at a law firm, then I was in-house at Fannie Mae, which is a big financial services firm, so worked for a big corporation, then I came out and worked for another trade association that represented the software industry. And then I got a call for this job. And I had never even heard of payments. Like I, you know, I mean, I make payments all the time. I'm I've got that credit card thing down to a science, but I never really thought about the industry behind it. I never thought about, you know, how what goes into making payments and who the various players are and what they did. And the more I learned, the more interesting it was, and the more I thought, you know, this would just be fun. Like this would be fun to jump in with both feet, you know, be fun to work with these companies. The issues are interesting and fun. And so um, so I just did what I've done, you know, at every single job up to this point and kind of leaned into what I thought was really interesting and what would be fun for me. Um, and the challenges that seemed um, you know, like there was something that I could tackle. And I've loved every minute of it. You know, it's really clear to me that even though my career path kind of went like this, um, like at every step I was where I should be, and now I'm exactly, exactly where I was meant to be.

SPEAKER_00 6:15

And I think uh a nonlinear career path, I don't think that's really anything to be alarmed about or something even to be ashamed about a lot of times, with as if you were, especially if you're following the advice from your counterpart, because to have fun and to have interest, to have hobbies, to have things that you really do enjoy, it can sometimes be over here and then sometimes over here, and then sometimes down here and up here, you know. So I think that that's cool. And I think that it's even better to hear that you were intentional about that. You know, waking up every day and doing something that you love, but versus waking up and doing something that you know you have to do because you have maybe responsibilities or bills that need to be paid or children that need to be upkept and everything of the sort are two totally different lifestyles, you know, and one will get very very tiring very fast, but you'll still stick that out because responsibilities don't stop, bills don't end. You know, children just you know, they still need to be taken care of even after they leave your house or reach other age or whatever the case may be. So I love that even through and through, you know, you made sure to put your happiness first, your your mental first, your peace of mind first, because that's not always the easiest thing to do, especially with entering that business world and that entrepreneurial journey. So getting into payments, as you said, things started to interest you a little bit, things started to kind of pique your fancy and everything like that. So at what point did ETA come about? How does that really how did that really work its way now into your journey, into be doing what you're doing right now?

SPEAKER_01 7:32

Yeah, so I mean, so what happened, you know, as as happens uh in lots of places, um, I got a call from somebody who was doing a search uh for this organization. So the CEO slot was open. Um, at somebody I've known for a long time, uh, and asked me if I'd be interested. And, you know, I'm uh I'm curious by nature, you know, like I like to learn new things. I like, and so I thought, well, let me learn a little bit about this. Um, and then once I started learning about it, I was like, this is this is awesome. Like it's so interesting. And you know, our member companies are you know big brands, they're they're companies that you know and respect. The people I was meeting, I was really I liked. Um, you know, it was just clear there was so much opportunity and so much that would allow me to do the things that I really love to do, you know, like kind of imagining what's possible, like really kind of seeing how we could support this industry and kind of building something, which I love to do. Um and doing it, you know, like again, on behalf of an industry that is really tech forward, really interesting, driving, you know, the economy in ways that are really important. Um, and so the more I learned, the more I thought, like, this is a thing I should be doing. Um, and I'm so glad it worked out.

SPEAKER_00 8:45

You and me both, because I can I can hear the passion and you know I can just see it. And I think that it's work that needs to be done, but it's not necessarily that everybody could just do it. You know, if everybody could just do it, if it was just that easy, if people were just that passionate about it, then it would just be like that. So I want to take a deeper dive now to a phrase that I've heard you mention a couple of times now: tech forward. And I feel like with the times that we're in, with everything going on from AI this to tech this to advancement this, to there's a new app with that, there's a new upgrade here and upgrade there. Was the fact that you were entering entering an industry of such capacity, meaning tech forward is kind of ever changing, ever moving. Did that did that cause any apprehension for you, or did you second guess it at all? Were there things that you feel like you needed to do in order to be prepared? Because you know, I I think about my earlier stages of the podcast, and I think about how I didn't really pay too much attention to AI and artificial intelligence. And it wasn't until I really started talking to a lot of these other companies that I realized that one, AI is being implemented so much these days, but two, it's not a new thing, it's just that it was in different forms, it was in different spaces. There were even times where people were kind of giving me examples of things, and I was like, wow, I didn't even draw that connection that that was that and that was that. So here in this industry, hearing this phrase, knowing that things are tech forward, knowing that things could be this way today and the next and some a totally different way tomorrow. What was that like for you as you entered this industry and kind of put yourself on Front Street?

SPEAKER_01 10:12

Yeah, so you know, it's one of the things that's exciting. I I look and you're right, it's it's it can be a little bit daunting. You know, there's a lot to learn. You know, there's a learning curve that you really got to take yourself up. Um, but but it's really interesting. And one of the things I really loved was, you know, as I got to know the industry and thought about it, I love the way that innovation and kind of what consumers want were kind of driving each other. And so what I mean by that is, you know, the example I gave, I used to give when I first started this job was, you know, back in the day, right? Like you'd go out into the street and you'd wave to try to get a cab, and you'd hope one would show up, and then you'd hope you remembered your wallet, and you'd hoped you'd have enough. And and suddenly, you know, we have apps on our phones, right? And we we call for the a car, we tell it where we're going, and we pay in the app. You don't need your wallet, you don't need cash, you don't need to worry about whether you can find a cab. And people, you know, they find that and they love it, right? They they love the convenience, they love how you know lets them go about their day in a way that's easier. They don't have to worry about security because the payments industry worries about security and making sure that payments are secure, and it just makes your life easier and better. And then as soon as you experience it, you want more, right? You're like, that's awesome. Now, how do you make that even a better experience for me? And then technology steps in and says, I can make it better. Um, and there's this fascinating cycle, right? Of like technological innovation and consumer demand. And you know, you really see it in payments. I mean, just think about, you know, the way that not only, you know, ride sharing apps, but you know, how we kind of pay our friends back for dinner now, or you know, how we pay a babysitter uh or right, I mean, just all the ways that I mean, I I dropped my car off at the airport the other day. I had no cash. The guy who I dropped it off with says, you can you can send me a tip, you know, for your phone. And I did, right? I mean, that you know, we and we just and we love it. And then the more we love it, the more we want. And then the more we want, technology delivers. So whether it's biometrics, right? So making it easier to pay, like, you know, unlocking our phone or paying with our palm or our fingerprints, or whether it's AI, you know, that's making uh payments more secure, you know, all this technology goes into it. And there's a lot, there's a lot to learn, but it's what makes it fun, right? It's what really makes it fun and makes it moving forward. This is not a sleepy industry that we're supporting, and that makes it really enjoyable.

SPEAKER_00 12:42

I like that. Not a sleepy industry for sure. No, it's definitely something where, you know, if you take a take a slight nap or if you turn your head too long, you definitely miss a lot of things that are kind of going on, you know, it could be here today, going tomorrow. But I love the idea too of a learning curve with an industry too, because I think in a sense, it keeps you on your toes, it keeps you motivated, it keeps that ambition and that drive and and and just things going as well. So, speaking of learning and just along those lines, how do you because as you said to you, like, you know, when you think about how you started, lawyer, and then you think about kind of where you are now, you know, it it didn't necessarily, it wasn't just a straight shot. You know, most lawyers just don't go and enter payments now and in Washington DC and do things like that. So when it came to you embracing this, you kind of understanding this, there were some things that you know you probably had to do some research on, you have to had to probably put some behind-the-scenes work in just to make sure that you were understanding. Even today, I would I would make the safe assumption that you're still remaining a student of the game with everything going on, with things change, you know, you don't know it all, but you're you're quick to realize that you know, even people around you may not know it all. But somebody knows something you don't know, they know something you don't know. So for people out there like myself, even I'll put myself out there, who really are not familiar with payments. As we said, you know, we can tap, we can make the apps, we can when things have to get paid or auto paid, those drafts, everything is coming out essentially. But when people kind of come to you and are curious, one about what ETA does, but specifically what this industry entails, how do you explain that?

SPEAKER_01 14:06

Yeah, I mean, so so I'll tell you how I explain it, and but I will tell you when you explain it to like somebody you're talking to at a cocktail party or that you, you know, your friend that you're meeting for lunch, you can get about this deep because it's a really complex industry. But like, right, like this is the industry who like enables the movement of money, right? I mean, that that at its core, that's what it is, right? If I'm paying and giving money from meeting you, it's the industry that enables it. If I'm in a store buying a pair of shoes, it's the industry that allows the merchant to get paid. So they give me my shoes, right? The same at the grocery store, the same at a restaurant, the same, right? Like that, it is the industry that enables the movement of money in all different ways, right? Credit cards, debit cards, all the apps on your phone, you know, every day there's more ways to do it, but it's at its core, you know, that's what it is. I think what makes it such a fun industry to be part of is how much goes into that when you realize all the players involved, you know, the card networks and banks and people in between and security firms, you know, there's so many entities that go in to, you know, when you tap your card and you get an approval, like in a literally in a second, like if you know what goes into that, making sure that they're confident you're who you say you are, you know, that you're authorized to use a card, that there are funds available. There's so much behind it, but at its core, for most people, they don't have to think about that, right? All they have to know is that like if you need to get money from here to there, we're gonna help you do it.

SPEAKER_00 15:34

And I think about these apps that we use from your, you know, your cash apps, your Venmos, your PayPal's, everything of the sort like that. You know, we really do adopt that. It really just needs to be this easy, you know. If I if I want to Zell even, you know, if I want to, because these are some of the things that I was getting introduced to. I hadn't used Zelle until this year or maybe last year, y'all. So maybe I'm a little, you know, maybe I'm a little late myself too, but I'm learning, we're moving, we're grooving. But no, it's always very interesting, just the ease at which we expect these things to work, and we expect these things to kind of function for us and just make it happen. And but we don't know, as you said, so many things that go on behind the scenes or behind closed doors, or what's really working, or as you said, the players who is truly involved in here to make sure that your money gets from this bank account to so and so's wallet. So, with you know, even with this industry, I think about the everything that it encompasses, what we what we can see, what we can't see, and even what you're explaining here today. Is there anything for consumers? Is there anything even for clients, for people who you're working with? Is there anything to be concerned with? Is there anything to be, you know, because I feel like across the multitude of industries that we talk to, there have been some that have been here today, gone tomorrow. There have been some that have undergone some changes. There have been some that, you know, there was this big with the big AI rollout, everybody was kind of worried about, oh, is my job going to be here in five years? Oh, am I still gonna be able to do this? Oh, are we getting replaced? Oh, are well, what are the banks doing? Oh, the dollar seems to be getting weaker, everything of the sort like that. So, with what you're doing, even have you even noticed with when people kind of come to you, whether it be your clientele, whether it just be genuine curiosity, are there are people kind of nervous about certain things? Are people maybe, are there even maybe misconceptions out there around kind of what's happening, what's going on, and what you what role you guys are playing in at all?

SPEAKER_01 17:16

Yeah, I mean, I guess I guess this is uh what I would say when I think about consumers and payments and you know what what I think they should be concerned about. And that's us, right? All of us we're all consumers. Um, I guess the the biggest thing I would say is it and it's a function of the fact that where there's money involved, there's always going to be kind of bad people trying to get the money and you're good people trying to keep bad people from doing it. Um, and one thing I think consumers need to be really conscious of is the way in which they're sending money and it doesn't make sense in the context, right? So if I'm buying something in a store and I use a credit or debit card, I know that like if there's any kind of fraud, I'm protected. I know if the thing falls apart before I get it home, I can charge back, right? Like there's protections that come with that. You know, a credit card is not gonna be probably the thing that I use. If you and I split lunch and you pay for it and I'm paying you back, um I won't use a credit or debit card there. But there are these, you know, these peer-to-peer apps, right? That make perfect sense for that. I know you, I know what it's for, I can send it to you. Um, there's a lot of fraud though, people calling people, people suggesting all kinds of things, right? Like that, you know, that they're calling from the IRS or that their, you know, their their child needs help. Um, and and people send money on those apps, and you know, it that that's that's a different kind of payment. And it's gonna be really hard and and maybe not possible to get it back, right? So I think people just need to be wise as consumers, you know, understand when you have kind of a wide range of choice that you know all these options have have, you know, things that they're most suitable for. And so really, you know, be be educated and and think about um think about um you know how you're going about your day. Um, because whatever it is, there's a solution for you. But you know, understanding the difference I think is important.

SPEAKER_00 19:11

Being cognizant for sure. You you know, you have to realize, as you say, what makes sense, what the situation, reading the room almost in a sense, and just recognizing what would be what would be diligent here versus what would not so be what would be not so diligent here. Because yes, I've read emails, I've gotten letters in the mail, phone calls that look identical, that look very real, that just mirror something that if you don't read a word correctly or if the website looks off a little bit to your view, if you just you know, me as a communication major, me as someone who sends emails, journalism, everything like that, I paid a lot of attention to grammar and writing and the sense the minute capitalization is off or something is not right or anything like that. That's what kind of that's the red flags for me. But you know, for people who are just reading things through, and sometimes, as you said, you get that email and everything just looks to be good. Well, you didn't recognize that they capitalized a random letter in the email address, or you didn't recognize that this big company is emailing you from a Yahoo account or something like that. You know, so sometimes it's just little things that all of us, until you've kind of seen the trial and errors, until you've been through so many different periods and different things, you don't even realize that there are different schemes and scams like that out there from from companies like USPS and Amazon that are getting caught up in these things and in a bad light. So we talked about kind of some of the things to avoid, the dangers, the risks, the misconceptions that come with this. But I want to now talk about the excitement. You know, with the tech forward industry, with with everything that's going on, with everything that you're doing, I know that there has to be things that you are excited about that you're looking forward to, that you guys are even kind of involving yourself as players within the industry. So for people out there who are, you know, learning about ETA right now, learning everything that goes into the payments industry and and wanting to kind of follow along and keep things going, what what about this industry? What about kind of everything that you're doing and what about even what's to come is is like exhilarating for you? What really kind of makes you happy and what are you most looking forward to?

SPEAKER_01 20:55

Yeah, I there's so much I'm excited about. I I gotta tell you. I mean, it's it's all the that like another example I give. So um, so the car I have that I drive right now, like um if I'm about to run out of gas, which happens entirely too often because I don't pay attention, um, but it'll tell me, it'll say you're about to run out of gas, and like the little map pops up and says, like, do you want me to show you where the closest gas station is so I don't run out of gas? Um, and then I get there and I fill up and I you know either pay at the pump or I actually have an app on, depending on the gas station. But like the next generation of cars, the car will pay, right? If the the credentials will go through your car. You won't, again, you don't have to think about it. Like, you'll go where you're going, you'll fill up, you drive off. Um, you know, there's there are um there's uh payment mechanism mechanisms. Um like if you um run out of detergent in your in your laundry machine, it orders a detergent and pays for you. And so you it just shows up, right? There's just so much that is very cool that makes our life again, like makes our lives easier and more simple. You know, we're so busy, we're all so busy and we're

SPEAKER_00 22:00

running in a million directions anything that can make it easier and simpler while keeping it secure is a positive and you know again biometrics yeah you know a AI I mean to your point you know the the bad guys are using it pretty soon they're not going to capitalize that thing that you caught um but the good guys are using it too in ways that are really interesting and exciting um so I I just I mean you're right like you blink and you miss the next thing um and and I find that really really exciting even to think about some of the things that are happening now um even to think about where we were in 2019 comparison to now even to think about five years before that you know it's almost it's kind of it's scary in a sense because I I guess it's more so the fear of the unknown but it's it's kind of exciting because it's just like that so what just when we feel like we've done it all just when we feel like we we've accomplished everything or this was eye-opening or this was mind blowing there's something else or but wait there's more it always reminds me of that commercial but wait we got one more thing you know there's something else around the corner around the horizon that but you know I think you are very much on the right track about how it's it's more so just taking everything that we're currently doing advancing it but automating it just making it that much quicker just making it because I think now we live truly in a world of accessibility that people will do things that are just easy. If I don't have to if I can I I'm I'm somebody who I'm not really a fan of ordering food like I'm not really a fan of having to call order it somebody else go get it I don't know what happens from that time to that time and I don't like the idea of like I don't I'm not I'm not a fan of it but there's so many Uber East DoorDashes Go Puffs and delivery services that it's just like you know people will pay for that and if I got a tip a little bit extra just to make sure that it gets to my front door I'll do that. You know so we've literally live in a in a time where you know we don't even call people when we get to their gate codes anymore or anything like that. We just ask for the code or we do it on our phones or my apartment my other apartment complex used to have an app that you could open it anywhere you are. So but we could be a city across somebody tell us they're there you know so it's just so crazy now how things are just advanced and the role that technology is playing in it all. But as you said you know there are those people who want to take advantage of it and use it for their own agendas and what they do but there are companies like yourselves who are really implementing it and making sure that it's of use to the clientele it's of use to you know progress and everything. So as I could imagine ETA is not the only player within this space but I could imagine that ETA is very much a unique and prominent player in the space. So for people who are not really familiar with ETA for people who don't even remember what the acronym stands for as you told us at the beginning of the episode I'm I'm quizzing y'all you know I'm I'm I'm listening to everything. But for those people who are not really too familiar with ETA and and what it all accomplices and what you all do, what does it look like when it comes to working with ETA? I know that right now you guys said that and and you specifically are very much based within government and and making sure that things are taken care of in that realm. But what can an experience look like when it comes to ETA is this like are we doing are these like consultations are these like meetings are these things where you guys really have to you know quarterly analysis what does it really look like when we sit down to work with ETA from a company perspective?

SPEAKER_01 25:12

Yeah so you know you look at our member companies who are payments companies who work with us there are different things we do. So we do a lot of uh as you said government relations working with governments and and you know that means really understanding the industry right understanding how public policy can affect the industry. AI is a great example right like the government right now both at the federal and state level are talking about regulating AI you know we are in there talking to policymakers every day about what our industry does what it doesn't do with AI. As you said AI's been deployed for a long time right I mean in the payments industry for decades and we've used machine learning to help fight fraud that's a good thing right you don't want you don't want the government to get in the way of that. But so there's a big educational function with the government just really making policymakers understand like who we are what we do how we do it and you know what we can do to work together to get good policy that kind of enables that innovation but also protects consumers right I mean without consumer trust you have no payments and so you know we have we have the same goals there. We also work in the states and the states are really busy right now sort of kind of doing a similar thing. But we do a lot of other things too we have educational courses because it's a complicated industry and so for people who are entering it or you just want to know more about it, you know, you can learn about it starting at 101 and then kind of moving up from there. We do things that help our members comply with laws. We have a conference coming up you know because it's it's a very highly regulated again you're dealing with money so of course it's highly regulated and we and the industry wants to get it right and we want to help them. We do events we bring people together um kind of to learn and network we're going to be in Florida next week for one of our events. So we do a lot you know engaging with the industry um with member companies uh just to kind of help advance it to move it forward and and when I talked about like you know all the possibilities there's so much more we can do it's and that we continue to do it's it's really it's exciting and fun.

SPEAKER_00 27:15

The part that stood out the most to me about that was the education piece. You know oftentimes as an expert within the industry it can be overwhelming when translating that information to the novices and the beginners and the people who are just not well versed or know nothing of it but need the services and oftentimes you know it's almost like the it's almost like what they say about women in mechanics. It's like when you go to the mechanics sometimes if you're not really that expert or if you don't have that trusted figure with you a lot of times you could feel slighted or it's nothing like those stories of sometimes I talk to some of my friends and I'm just like well dad you let them get you for that that that and that when all you needed was that but he said that sounded good but you know because I've even been guilty of it sometimes you know they pull out they start pulling stuff out or they start opening the hood and all these noises start coming about and they tell you this and you know to me I throw my hands up and I and I say okay do it but now I start asking questions like hey well is my car still going to operate without you know because before I got here I just thought this was a routine oil change I thought my car was everything but I say all of that to ultimately say that oftentimes an expert can truly make you feel like it can can almost make you feel demeaned in a sense or degraded or not necessarily come off that way because you know they're just kind of the end all be all smile or the highway type you know and I've worked with a lot of companies who have have made me feel that way who I this is not necessarily something that I'm an expert on but I need your services in some capacity. And instead of sometimes being willing to break those questions down take that time to to really spend that 101 as you said that breakdown it almost reminds me of those books So and So for Dummies you know where just from page one it literally broke down everything to you at sometimes like a grade school level and it was just it will it was what was needed you know my YouTube universities my Google gurus everything like that you know but oftentimes there can be some people who know they are the top dogs and they will do anything in their power to kind of just keep that and not really care about the latter. But with y'all you know we know that ETA is prominent. We know that you guys are the top dogs within the industry but that's not going to stop us from making sure that our clients are in the know where we're not here to you know sugarcoat we're not here to hide anything or make you feel like you're in the dark we're not here ultimately to sell you and the biggest thing that I love about the companies that I talk to is that they're not on here to make a sale I can't tell you the last time somebody came on here gave me a price gave me something we're advertising something at the bottom you know these are companies these are people who are real life passionate about what they do love what they do but also want others to feel the same way. We want you to come in here not knowing a thing about payments or the industry at all but by the time we wrap this up or by the time you're finished with us oh you will feel confident you'll be okay you may even be able to get on a podcast and explain some things to us but I love that because you know it's not something that's always offered and it's not something that's diligently sought after because you know with the education with everything that y'all are doing it still is up to the people it still is up to those companies and and those people to do their due diligence and to take advantage of things and to make sure there's asked they're asking those necessary questions because you can't say hey we put everything in front of you it's it we gave you the path to success you just didn't kind of walk it your way or you didn't take advantage of it so I love that y'all are intentional about that because I could imagine you know for myself other companies people people who this is just not what they do. This is not their bread and butter so you know to be told hey all right we need you to do this we need you to do that we need you to do that and to not always necessarily understand why it could make you a little apprehensive it could kind of make you behind closed doors like hey does ETA does Jody do they really have my best interest in mind or is this just a money grab so from y'all I definitely don't get that but as you can see it's it's always kind of stated in the foundation and what y'all do. And so I I I absolutely love that so with with ETA specifically and how you're set up right now in Washington DC to do what you do does it require could you essentially just come down to Florida and do what you do exactly the same way like work with within the government and do all of that would you have to kind of I almost think about you know as you are with a lawyer in order or an agent in order to practice different places or in different spaces you kind of need different certifications different tests different rules and everything like that.

SPEAKER_01 31:07

So does the payment industry or does payments specifically within the government realm or even just payments in general does it differ as you move from state to state or location to location yeah so it kind of so there's definitely there's federal law that governs our space and there's state law as well right and so you know if you're operating in that state you got to comply with everything right with the federal law that applies to you and with state law that applies to you. And so in the work that we do trying to make sure those laws are thoughtful and that they are kind of tailored in a way that makes sense for the industry you know so that we can be to your point you know like that trusted expert you know the one that really is explaining in a way that is kind of thoughtful and right down the middle about you know what makes good policy. We have to operate both at the federal level here in DC which is why we're here you know Congress is here the executive branch agencies are here there's just a lot going on here but we also operate in the states and and a lot of times we'll um we'll work with people in the states um because you're right you know Florida's different than DC and that's different you know than than you know Arkansas and that's different than uh you know West Virginia so um so we you know we want to make sure that we're being responsive to to what's going on in that state um and so we do everything you know we get up to speed and we learn we we grow to understand this what's happening in the states but we also frequently work with people who are on the ground um because you know they just they they know it in in a way that you can only know it if you're meshed in it.

SPEAKER_00 32:45

Sometimes you got to be in the you got to be in the trenches as we say you got to be right there foot feet on land. So I know I I love to hear that no but as you you know as you spoke to with anything one you have to make sure you're complying with where you are and what's going on but also to you have to that's that's another testament of be a student of the game and recognize that you know there while the industry itself is changing while the advancements and technologicals are changing okay well there could be laws right now being adopted in Florida that I need to stay up on just in case you know there could be laws or things happening within this space that I need to make sure that I'm well aware of that I'm always reading for so you know it always goes to show that within any industry even when you feel like you're ahead of that curve or even when you feel like you just got enough there's always going to be something that's as you said as as long as you're not in a sleepy industry. So I think you know as long as we continue to to move forward as you said propel progress with this industry as long as new advancements are coming about as long as new things are happening as long as money is being spent sent everything of the sort I feel like this this ball is everything is going to keep rolling for sure. So all right I know that now we're gonna have well I guess I'm I've I guess I want to be a little bit nosy. So with what you do with with everything that you kind of have been doing is this where you want to be I I know that you love everything that you have going on. I know that you specifically even love who you're helping who you're serving who you're being a voice and a resource for is there anything else left for for for Jody within this industry do you kind of want to branch off and do everything because we already know that you haven't followed the linear route so so sometimes you you know we could be over here today we could be over here tomorrow but for you for everything that you've done for the experiences that you've been able to amass people you've been able to talk to testimonials everything of the sort is there more to this that you want to do that you want to accomplish that you want to kind of dive into and are curious about or is this where you want to be right now within ETA? Well I think the answer is yes to both.

SPEAKER_01 34:38

So I mean and what here's what I mean by that look I am right where I want to be right I am so privileged to lead this great organization we have an amazing team we're doing great things you know we have members who are effectively you know our customers our clients who you know who are fabulous who are supportive um it's I mean there there's it's all goodness right is a great industry great people you know it's hard to imagine it getting much better than that but if the question is is there more you want to do the answer is absolutely right but absolutely you know we are positioning ourselves we came out of COVID thank goodness you know kind of got our feedback under us and we're positioning ourselves to do more and more for our members every day and and so and we're actually right now in the middle of building you know our plan for next year. And so I will never sit still it's just not my nature right it's not my DNA so is there more I want to do I you know a hundred percent um but do I love what what I'm doing and who I'm doing it for a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_00 35:38

Yeah I love that the grind the grind never stops but in a sense you also recognize a good thing when you have it and I love you know I think a lot of what I'm hearing too with that is not only the passion behind what you do the work and and what you've been able to kind of experience but who you're surrounded by. Culture is equally if not just as if not more important than the job itself sometimes because if I can't show up if I can't feel comfortable if I can't feel welcomed accepted happy appreciated you know if I these are all things that you know one should just be it shouldn't be any extra it should just kind of be the the standard in a sense you know who wouldn't want to work around a great company environment who wouldn't want to work around people who are happy every day who are doing what they do yes nobody's perfect days are bad you know but at the end of the day I know that even sometimes with a bad day with maybe things not going my way maybe things didn't necessarily work out with the client I know that my company has my back through and through and I know that at the end of the day this culture is undefeated and unmatched. So that's really what it seems to be that I'm hearing over there and I think that that's just as amazing too because it'll keep you motivated it'll get you out of bed it'll be that you know even when that alarm is going off early even when you don't want to see anything even on vacation sometimes when we're not supposed to be doing work on vacation you're just like huh sometimes I found myself just that now look I'm not telling y'all to love y'all job so much y'all working on vacation but I'm saying it won't really feel that way if you really love what you're doing if you're really you know engaged and enthralled that much so all right now I don't want to close out just yet so we're not gonna close out just yet so but before we get to that point of you know I want people to be able to tap in with you guys. I want people to be able to find you maybe ask questions maybe even do a little bit more due diligence read and follow along the journey but before we get to that do you feel like there is anything that we have not touched on that you want to leave the people with whether it be business owners out there entrepreneurs out there whether it be people within this industry people curious about the industry people who don't know anything about the industry at all but will come across this episode in some capacity whether it be anything that you want to leave us from a leadership perspective anything that you just want to lead us from an experience perspective or just anything that's on Jody's mind.

SPEAKER_01 37:41

I love that there's so much on Jody's mind um so uh here's what I I think I I I just want to pick up a threat from what something that you just said and and it you know you're talking about culture and you know your company and the support you get and you know as I think about my happy but nonlinear journey you know and kind of what I've learned along the way um you I think there are two things that you have to have and they have to work hand in hand if you're really gonna take something to great right and and that's you know and it's kind of been part of everything we've been talking about it like you gotta you've got to aim big you gotta be ambitious right like you got to look and figure out what you can do and then just decide you're gonna you're going for it right like you see it it's gonna be great and we're gonna do it. But the the flip side of that is the only way to do it is by having the people if you're not leaning into your people and your culture you have the best ideas in the world you can have a perfect plan and vision and you're not gonna get there. And so really making sure that you know everybody is right there with you right that they're supported that they're excited about where you're going that they feel because you are going there together right and when you get there it's like a celebration for everybody and make no mistake you're gonna get there right but you can't do it without everybody I it's it's one of the things that I love the most about leading an organization is really focusing on the people part and the culture part and getting that right. Because I'm just ambitious by nature that part's gonna come um but I want to accomplish it and that that is how you accomplish it and um uh I I just think it's a critical critical kind of leadership lesson that I have learned everything.

SPEAKER_00 39:28

And I I think with that too like it's it's one thing to be able to to celebrate to achieve to to have that for you. It's another thing when you can have people with you and bring you know I tell people all the time like it's it's my dream and my aspiration and my hope to one day have a a down the business like empire enterprise or you know and I don't want that to sound like a a monarchy and me just kind of at the top but no I want this to be a true community you know I want if you're well versed in this then I want to have you you know comfortable and doing this and celebrating that I want this ultimately to be an each one teach one. I want this to be everybody helping everybody because I've sat down with so many people at this point that I I feel like whenever people come to me or ask a question or need something I can point you in the right direction. But even when I can't I know that those people can point you in the right direction or somebody can so I think it's you're you're so right when it comes to the people who are you surrounded by who is the like minded but who is also there with you there through the good there through the bad there through the ugly the pretty and everything of the sort because I think too your team is always going to be a reflection of you of your company of your brand and of your vision you know you can't do even as a one man band even as a one woman band you're still you still have people around you still have people in those shadows in your corner who are a reflection of everything that you have going on whether their name is on it directly or not so I love that you said that and even how you started ain't big look you you're you're you have to shoot beyond the stars. I even tell people now you know we say the the sky is the limit I feel like the sky is the floor we're limitless you know so I think you have to of a a famous um artist of my he pretty much said if it if if your dreams don't scare you then I feel like you're not dreaming big enough you know that it should be things that almost feel unattainable or or things that you know you can't just wake up tomorrow and just have it but you can wake up tomorrow and really just have it or build that foundation and make that so that aim big too is just as important. I don't want that to go unnoticed either. So all right I feel like today we we we gave people a inside scoop an inside look into into kind of what's going on what what are these you know we're sending as somebody who just was using Zell this morning. Now I now I kind of know that you know it's not just well I I know for me it's just as easy as adding this recipient and sending it there I know behind the scenes I know there are so many different things involved and action but I also know that there's so much progression that's even being thought about implemented right now that we don't even kind of see so I love to see that but it also just opened my eyes to kind of just the behind the scenes of what goes on and things that we're just doing like that. So this is for me the call to action. This is me you know this is where we can really get on here we can have an episode we can have a discussion we can educate we can talk but this is really kind of where this is now up to the audience. As I've I've as I've kind of been um repeating in some of my more recent episodes I may have to adopt the cliche you can lead the horse to the water but you can't make them drink it. So this is the part where you know we've given we've we we we pushed y'all as close as we can and as Florida being in the come on I'm I'm very close to water y'all so we're right here. But as as now it's up to the people it's up to those tap in it's up to those who are curious to then take that extra step. So for everybody out there for everybody who's listening coming across this as I said in some form or fashion what are the best places to reach you if people want to find out more information about ETA really take a deeper dive into what it is you guys are doing into the industries and even as you said into that tech forward into really just seeing what's to come what's happening because you even spoke about some things to to be on the lookout for today.

SPEAKER_01 42:50

So what are the best places to reach you best websites to check out give us everything you got yeah okay well well you should come to our website um uh I mean of course right and it is electron.org E-L-E-C-T-R-A-N I didn't create the URL but it's a we're electronic transactions electron.org um there's a ton of stuff there we're in LinkedIn follow us in LinkedIn um you can reach out to me on LinkedIn if you're interested you know I I will tell you this um this is a really cool industry to be part of and people you know get into it and they never leave because they love it. So you know people are interested um either because they just find it interesting or because they're like that might be something I want to try. Yeah you know read you know check out our website we've got we've got all kinds of resources there. You can follow us on LinkedIn and you can always reach out to me on LinkedIn as well.

SPEAKER_00 43:43

All right y'all she she told y'all how she ended up in the industry you know moving all around but she also just told y'all that once you once you're in you're not going back. So it it it it begs it begs the question it begs maybe some curiosity. I know we pick a lot of interest on this podcast. I know we've made a lot of connections and spoken a lot of things into existence So I'm hoping that we could do the same for somebody very soon. But no, Jody, honestly, thank you for everything. Thank you for the energy. Thank you for making this Monday not feel like a Monday for the interview today. I'm not sure when this will even air, but hopefully we're not dropping this on another Monday, but we might just hurry people phase up just the same. But no, one, two, just thank you for the diligence, the everything that you did. One to get connected with me and making this happen. But two, just really taking the time today to give us some insight to really let us know kind of what's what, what's not, what people may think, but what really is going on. And three, thank you just for the work that you are doing. You know, I may not be affiliated with the government in any capacity, but I know what you're doing is needed. I know what you're doing is important. I know what you're doing is is truly making a difference. And as I said, the education piece alone spoke to me, and that's something that is is is much needed. And I'm really hoping and praying that my audience can tap in with you in some capacity. But if not, I'm tapped in. So I'm here, I will ask all the questions, I will pick all the brains that I need to, and here to show all the love and support. But to everyone who continuously taps in with us, whether you popped in with us today on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, it's a lot of things we got to keep up with, y'all. So thank y'all for just continuously showing love for making things happen. I love y'all. This has been another episode of the Down to Business Podcast here with Tamar Turner.