Building a Business With Your Spouse Without Losing Your Mind — Kenny & Stacy Maggard

Welcome & Introducing Kenny and Stacy Maggard

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Good day, everybody. Welcome to the Deal Podcast. This is uh a fun chat. I love having husband and wife conversations in the world of business owners because who knows where it's gonna go. We've interviewed uh a few married couples, and um, you know, business is hard, marriage can be hard. It's a beautiful thing. I love you, Anna. Uh, but you know, put them together and you know you could have some adventures. So with that, let's invite uh Kenny and Stacy to the podcast. Welcome, guys.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

Hey, thanks for having us. Yeah, thanks for having us.

SPEAKER_01 0:26

Yeah, let's start with this. Stacy, why don't you tell us a little bit about who you are and uh and then we'll go for you.

SPEAKER_03 0:32

Um my name is Stacy Maggard, married to Kenny. We have uh three beautiful kids. Um I was born and raised here and met Kenny at LSU. We have been married for 17 years.

SPEAKER_00 0:46

Almost almost 18.

SPEAKER_03 0:47

Um, and we just started our company, it'll be three years this summer. Um, so that's just my background is in like marketing and public relations. Um, I worked for agencies, I worked for um like a media company, and that was kind of like my background before um having kids. And then when we had when we got pregnant with our first, um, went back to work a little bit and then stayed home for a while up until we started this company. So that's a little bit about me.

Kenny's Background: Banking, Capital One & Hurricane Katrina

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Super cool. I'm glad you're here. What about you, Kenny? Yeah, so um born and raised in in New Iberia. Um, like Stacy said, we met at LSU, um uh been together for um quite a while, married almost 18 years now. Um, post LSU, um I went to New Orleans um to work for um it was Hibernia National Bank at the time. Corporate headquarters was there. Um exciting time kind of getting out of college, getting out into the real world. Um, it had just been announced that Capital One was buying Hibernia National Bank, which was really big news because it was the first bank that they were going to buy. And um so you know, moved to New Orleans, summer of 2005, and then um, you know, there was a pretty big event in um August of 2005 in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit, and that was um obviously like a game changer um for New Orleans, um, certainly Mississippi um and and the Gulf Coast, but really kind of really shifted where I was going, where you know, trying to build my career um in New Orleans right after um school. Well, then there really wasn't much to um to go back to after that hurricane, unfortunately. And um, you know, the the the bank was very good to me. Um, you know, they basically said, as soon as you find a place to put your head down, we'll find a desk somewhere. And I was just like, oh, okay. Well, I've been here for three months. That's great that they didn't just say time to start over. Um so anyway, I ended up working in Baton Rouge for a few years. Um then we got married. Um, the bank moved me to Lafayette, which is where we wanted to be, and uh worked as a middle market banker um at Capital One for you know, totaled about 15 years, um, first 15 years of my career, where um, you know, banking middle market companies in southwest Louisiana, um, kind of a generalist, so different industries, um, healthcare certainly being one of them. And um whenever I left the bank, um I went and worked for a small kind of quasi-family office, private equity um shop locally, um, did that for a few years. Um, but ultimately, with where we are now, um really wanted to do something on our own and build something that was going to be, you know, something that um that would be, you know, for Stacy and I that we could build together. And um that's kind of how we ended up where we are now.

SPEAKER_01 3:41

Yeah. So um went from you know, banking to the world of investments, family office, private equity, to looking at, you know, maybe portfolio companies and how they made investments. And you and Stacy are having a conversation one day, and you're like, maybe we should do something for ourselves. So is that how it went, Stacey? All right, walk us through the the origin of the the idea.

SPEAKER_03 4:03

The real story was we were at La Fonda's one night, like every good business uh discussion, and he's telling me.

SPEAKER_00 4:09

This started over margaritas, right? Got it. Okay, maybe there were margaritas.

SPEAKER_03 4:13

He had done his research and due diligence, and this had lasted for a few months, and then we're at uh La Fonda's, and he's like telling me that he wants to start this company and this is what it will look like. And I'm literally thinking the whole time, like, this is just total BS, like this is never gonna happen. I'm just gonna let him talk, like because I'm a supportive wife, and just say, like, that's that sounds great. Like, yeah. Um, and then next thing you know, we're doing it. Um, he left his full-time job, and it's just us. Um, and then I think too, like an important part to mention is that I was not like, hey, I want to start work again. He was like, hey, we're gonna start this company. Here's a job. And I'm like, wait, wait a minute. I literally was like, what am I gonna do with all this free time now that all my three kids are in school? And then Kenny, um, you know, we started the company. But honestly, like looking back now, I am very grateful for it. Um, I enjoyed that season and that time with my young kids, but this has been super fulfilling. And um, you know, I'm just grateful that he saw something that maybe I wasn't ready to see at the time.

SPEAKER_02 5:15

Pause for a second. So if you hadn't started the company, what would you have been doing with all the free time with the kids in school?

SPEAKER_03 5:22

Um tennis, uh, you know, I'm sure mahjong. I've I'd find something to fill the time.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

Yeah. Yeah. So this is probably a little more productive. Exactly. Maybe a little less fun.

SPEAKER_03 5:32

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 5:33

It's still fun though.

SPEAKER_03 5:34

Yeah, no, and I'm very grateful for it. And I think it just brings out a side of me like I'm a better mom when I'm working. Um my kids are, I feel like, more adaptable because we're not, I'm not with them all the time. Um, and it's just it's really it's worked for me and for us.

SPEAKER_02 5:49

Tell me tell me more about that. Yeah, I've noticed that in my household that um it's hard to have a mom who's home with the kids and like that's the full responsibility because it's such a silent thing. I know whenever Ashley bought her company, it was like it turned on a bunch of light bulbs and like all the circuit panels that had shut down were lighting back up again. It was it was a pretty cool thing.

SPEAKER_03 6:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:11

How did that go for you?

SPEAKER_03 6:13

Similar. Like I was just I didn't realize it at the time that I needed like a um an outlet that wasn't just family and kid focused. And you just kind of like get bogged down in the day-to-day and the laundry and the groceries, and which granted I still manage and do all those things. But yeah, like like you said, like light bulbs going off and feeling like I am contributing and doing something um, you know, financially, obviously, but also like mentally. Like I have like this outlet and I can like, you know, contribute to the family and our company.

SPEAKER_02 6:44

Fantastic. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you.

Why a Banker Chose a Healthcare Startup He Never Wanted

SPEAKER_01 6:46

Yeah. So that that's how, you know, that's how this went. When when it comes to you, you you know, you guys talking over potential maybe margaritas, and you said we should, you know, build a business, and she's but you were real serious.

What Azalea Health Services Does and Who They Serve

SPEAKER_00 7:01

I was I was a hundred percent serious. And really for me, uh I had zero interest in doing a startup. I've been around, you know, whether it was in the banking career or being around other entrepreneurs with startups and just seeing like how hard that is, you know, starting something from nothing. Um, so there really wasn't an interest, but my thought process was I'm gonna find a small business that we can kind of wrap our arms around, something that would be meaningful for our family, and something that we could build and grow together, but not start from scratch. Um, and really um I found a group out of Florida um in in that process that built a practice similar, and we'll get into you know what we do, but um built a practice similar to what we're doing. Um, they sold that practice to someone else and signed a management service agreement with them to essentially say all the things that you don't know, you know, we can help consult with all that and kind of give the model. Um and so ultimately they started signing these MSAs with groups around the country, which um ultimately we obviously ended up doing. But because we got into a field, so our company is Azalea Health Services, and what we do just kind of at a high level, because I think it'll it'll help explain why we decided to do what we what we didn't want to do. Um so we provide mental health counseling um primarily in um senior living settings. So nursing homes, assisted living communities, senior independent living communities. Um and the residents that our clinicians are helping or providing counseling to are typically dealing with very common situations. So, like transition adjustments, a big one. You are living in this senior living setting, maybe you made that decision, maybe someone else made that decision for you. You're not living in the home where you raise all your children, it's a difficult change. Um, grief, depression, anxiety, loneliness, behavioral issues, um, those are some of the common reasons why someone might be referred to as ALEA Health Services. And so while I didn't want to do a startup, when I start understanding kind of what this niche could look like and what felt like an underserved population, you know, in my banking background, you know, I had the pleasure and fortune of dealing with some of the best entrepreneurs in healthcare. And I had an appreciation for um mental health from a high level, is that it's a big problem and there's not enough people to fix it. So, with that mindset, I'm thinking, how meaningful would that be if we could make our little dent in that big problem? Like that would be very fulfilling. And ultimately was why we decided to go against my better judgment of not being interested in doing a startup, because it felt it went from like, let's find a company we can kind of wrap our arms around and would be meaningful for us, to wait a minute, this could be something bigger than what we were thinking in terms of like a mission-driven company. Um, which ultimately this is, you know, I've I've I've had a very rewarding career and rewarding roles and um that I've been able to um to fulfill throughout my career. Um, but this is the first thing that I can say that I've done that is mission-driven. Um, you know, with you know, obviously the patient being um the focus of our company.

SPEAKER_02 10:23

It's interesting though. You went into a professional services industry and had no background in that. I mean, I I'd assume every one of your competitors, the folks you're going up against, came from the psychoanalysis kind of world. What is that like? You know, what is it, you know, what are the benefits of being an outsider coming in, you know, versus actually being in the industry?

SPEAKER_00 10:46

You know, if so our licensed clinicians that are part of our team, they're typically a licensed professional counselor, licensed clinical social worker, clinical psychologist. Um those folks are generally great at what they do. They can sit, you know, across from you on the proverbial couch and kind of talk through whatever you might be struggling with. Maybe they're just a listening ear for some. Uh, maybe they are helping, you know, kind of step by step with goal setting to kind of get out of whatever that mental rut you might be in at the time. Um, not all of them are typically going to, you know, enjoy dealing with some of the administrative headaches or the marketing side of the business. Um, they want to focus on what they do best, and that's to go help people through counseling. Stacy and I are not clinicians, so we can't do that part of the business. Um and, you know, so what we do is essentially take as much of the headaches off of their plate. So, you know, if I'm a clinician thinking about coming work with us at Azalea Health Services, I would view this as like my own private practice, but I'm not dealing with as many of the headaches as possible that we can take off of their plate. Um, you know, so they enjoy the flexibility like they would have if they had a private practice, but they're not having to deal with, again, some of the administrative and marketing and and and that sort of stuff that they probably would not like to deal with.

SPEAKER_01 12:11

Stacy, uh Stacy, when when Kenny was sharing with you about what the business idea was. What were your initial thoughts in terms of, okay, yeah, maybe maybe this isn't serious, or maybe he is, I'm just gonna hear him out, be supportive. But as it started to get more serious, what were your initial like yeah, thoughts about it, fears about it, insecurities about it, excitements about it?

SPEAKER_03 12:35

Um a lot of things. Uh just like I mean, I think we both tried to poke holes in it as much as we could. Like, is this a service that is actually needed? Would these people actually be receptive to counseling? Are we even gonna be able to find patients and therapists? Um do we know what we're doing? Um, I remember when we got our first like um entrance verifications back, it is literally Greek. And I'm like, I don't know what this means. Like it's been a really big learning curve for those particular things, but now I mean we get them daily and it's just it's just no big, it's no thing. Um yeah, I all of those concerns, not just of me, but of Kenny. And I think you know, that was part of our due diligence whenever we were talking to family members or um, you know, um not counselors, but people that we respect. Like, hey, tell us what you think, like poke some holes in this. Like, are we crazy? Like, is this a good idea? Is this gonna work? And really, it was just a a leap of faith. And it was like, I think we've done enough research. We've we've really kind of like mold this over long enough to like, let's just do it and see what happens.

SPEAKER_01 13:42

Did anybody actually say you're crazy? Because you're like, hey, am I crazy for doing this? Did anybody go and you don't have to name names, but like, hey guys, you should not do this.

SPEAKER_03 13:52

I don't think so. And also I've learned this along the way is like I don't be careful of who you ask advice for because are you really do you want advice from somebody who's not living a life or running a company like the way you want?

SPEAKER_01 14:06

That's a good point. So you started going around asking, you know, mentors, advisors, and and just people in your world, you know, like is this a good idea? As you started out from the initial idea concept to what it is today, how close is that, Kenny?

The Barbecue Ministry Story That Changed Everything

SPEAKER_00 14:23

Uh very different. Um, I think you know, everybody in this room, you know, can can relate to the entrepreneur, entrepreneurial journey. And I would say like I think of it as like success looks like that kind of that straight line, that's that diagonal line that's gone up, right? Um the reality is is hopefully it looks like that when you zoom out. But the reality is is there's more, you know, lots of ups and downs. And I often say like the highs are high and the lows are low on this journey. Um some of the things that Stacy said, you know, or all the things I agree with, but you know, a lot of that is like how I relate to like what it was like in those early days versus like what it is today. Um the first time you have a certain challenge that you have to face, it can feel monumental. But if you kind of take a step back and say, okay, wait, like, you know, and I remember reading in a book, it was um, you know, like a challenge, it looks like an opportunity and work close. So like if you can say like there's a setback, and it's like, okay, well, like I can take this negatively, which you know, we're certainly not immune from, like, you know, you you still take the hit, but if you take a step back and say, like, okay, how do I roll up my sleeves and and work through this challenge or get a climb over this challenge or work around it? Um, there's certainly been uh plenty of those that have come along the way. Um I don't think that anybody that goes on an entrepreneurial journey, regardless of if, you know, how how how you start that journey, that there's always going to be doubts. There's always gonna be like, am I on the right path? Am I doing the thing that I'm supposed to be doing? Um and you know, early on, so when we started the business, it was like, okay, we're not clinicians, we have nothing to offer without a clinician. Um, and so it was like, okay, let's go find the right people to help represent our business and serve patients. And um I had lost my dad about at this point, it was it was about two and a half years, you know, whenever we started the company, I had lost my dad, unfortunately. And I've always said that was just a loss that I was never prepared for. Like, you know, dad could have lived to a hundred, and I think it still would have broken me like it did. Um, but I was driving to New Orleans to have a second interview with a clinician or a candidate. And my sister had been talking about how, like, you know, she had had like a dream, and like, you know, dad appeared, and it was, you know, just to hear his voice, how comforting that was. And I was just sitting there, I'm like, come on, dad, like, where where are you at? You know, like I I would love that. And there was a video that my dad had recorded about 18 months before he had passed, and it was something I remember him showing me, it was something he was proud of. And when he showed it to me, you know, life was busy, and I was just like, Oh, that's cool. Thanks, Dad. You know, I just didn't really think much of it. But at that moment, when I'm driving in New Orleans, I just needed to hear my dad's voice. And so I decided to listen to this three-minute video. And my dad was, you know, big old redneck, born and raised in Mississippi, oil field service his whole life. Um, you know, last 20 years of his life were in Houston. Um and when he retired, he and one of his best friends started a barbecue ministry. And the video is, you know, several years after the ministry started. I'm a junior, so my dad's you know, senior. And the video is, hey Kenny, how did you get involved in this barbecue ministry? And so the three minutes is my dad talking about it. And he says, Um, you know, my friend Steve Freeman um said he wanted to start a barbecue ministry when we retired. And he said, I like barbecue, I like ministry, but I don't know, I don't know how it goes together. But I like Steve, so you know, I went along with it. And so, you know, my dad was he didn't do things halfway. And so, you know, he next thing you know, he's got two barbecue pits he can trailer behind his truck. He um, you know, when Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, they fed 1,500 people, like smoking pork butts and briskets, and you know, just really meaningful work. And it was something my dad was really proud of. Um, but he said, you know, it wasn't until one night we were feeding some homeless families, and my dad's on the serving line, and this lady walks in late with a big smile on her face and says, Hey, sorry I'm late. Is there any, you know, is there any food left? And my dad's like, Oh, yeah, it's plenty. And she said, What's your name? And my dad said, Kenny, and he gets choked up in the video because she says, Oh, that was my son's name. And he said, That's whenever it all came together, how a barbecue pit and a ministry come together. He said, We put a smile on their face, we had some fellowship, and I think we brightened a day, and it hit me like a ton of bricks on that drive to New Orleans at the end of that video when dad said that, because I was like, wait a minute. Every time one of our clinicians is visiting with a patient, it's an opportunity to put a smile on their face, to have some fellowship they wouldn't have had otherwise, and brighten a day. And like I said, it just hit me like a ton of bricks, and it was the first aha moment along the you know, in the early part of this journey where I was like, you know what? You you can you can you can stay out of the dreams, dad? Like you're screaming at me right now that like you're literally moving in the right direction, like go harder. Um, and so that again early on, that was something that just hit me really hard. And you know, kind of whenever a doubt might have creeped in my mind, like just keep going, like you're doing the right thing.

SPEAKER_01 20:06

Do me a favor, will you grab uh the box of tissues and just yeah, just maybe pass some to her and then pass some to me. Yeah, you need any? I'm grabbing. You can put that back now. Um as yeah, thanks for that. Uh super inspirational story. Uh I think a lot of times we look at and this is something that I've learned working with Jude, Chase and Scott, is you know, uh business is a mission, business is a ministry, and what we do, you know, can have impact on people's lives and how we show up and and do that. And I think your father was a very wise man to connect the dots between you know, sling and barbecue and really like feeding people's souls, right? And he was there for that lady. Um so shout out to your dad, Kenny, man. That's that's super uh super special there. Um you know, Stacy, as you uh as you hear you know, about business as mission, and as you look at Azalea Health Services and what you are doing, how does that impact like the the mission side of it, the the ministry side of it, the the impact that it has on those people who are struggling with change, end-of-life decisions, those kind of how does that impact how you drive the business?

SPEAKER_03 21:30

I heard something the other day and it said um a big calling requires a large runway, and that has stuck with me so much.

SPEAKER_01 21:38

That's good.

SPEAKER_03 21:38

Um because I'm like we every day, you know, are focused on the mission and like having patient visits and having therapists meet people where they are literally and figuratively. Um and the fact that we are, you know, helping people, I don't want to say changing lives, that sounds like a big statement, but you know Affecting change and giving them something to look forward to and dealing with something whether it's like, you know, lifelong trauma or it could just be they they're lonely and they just want somebody there to visit with them. Um I think that is such such a blessing that it's you know, like we get to do this for our job, but we're also like helping people in the meantime.

First Revenue, First Patients, First Moments That Mattered

SPEAKER_01 22:22

Yeah, that's special. Talk to us about the first dollar you made in the business.

SPEAKER_00 22:27

I um you know, I I've always worked for a company or for other people um prior to this, and I'll never forget because the first actual revenue that came in was two checks that came in the mail, and I just remember what that felt like. It was not a large or significant amount of money, but it felt different, and it felt like you know, it's kind of one of those meaningful steps, you know, as you're kind of building something. Um, it felt awesome. But a lot of what I think about too is that um again, we're not sitting in the room providing counseling to one of our patients, right? It is very rare that we actually, Stacey or I, meet the patient. You know, we're we're um our clinicians have a hundred percent clinical autonomy. Um, they are calling all the clinical shots. Um, but I think about the interactions that I have when I'm in a lobby of when we first started the company and I'm meeting um, you know, a large group of people, you know, the CEO, the president, um, the director of nursing, you know, the head of social services, you know, for this group. And I'm like, we're we're pretty new. Um, but you know, I've I've had big meetings before. So I'm gonna go and I'm gonna tell them what we're gonna do and what we can do for them. But I'm waiting in the lobby for this meeting to start. And I'll never forget this one lady. Um, she's waiting to get picked up for a dentist appointment. Um, she's a resident of the assisted living on this property. And we just start talking, just two people. And in about 10 minutes, I learned that she, you know, her husband worked for international paper. They lived in four different states where IP was moving them around. Um, her kids, they all went to Louisiana Tech, but one went to LSU and she was asking me if I knew that person. You know, I was like, it's very sweet that she thinks I'm the same age as her children. Yeah. And also that, you know, that I might know someone at LSU because it's such a big campus. Um, but I remember that was so important because I was like, she may never be our patient, but she represents who we're here to help. Um in every interaction that we do get to have, whether it's speaking to a family member that may sign consents for you know for their loved one, um, speaking to staff and them kind of going into detail on why they're referring um this person. Um you know, I just think about those stories and how meaningful and impactful like the service can be for them.

SPEAKER_01 24:52

Yeah. Stacey, roles and responsibilities within the company. Who's who's who's the special like what's your you know, superpower? What's his superpower?

SPEAKER_03 25:02

Um, today I was the IT guy. Um we both wear a bunch of different hats. Kenny is more the um in the in the market, I guess. Um he's more on the road, he's visiting facilities. He does sorry, I'm speaking for you. Um he does the like recruiting and the hiring. I do the more back office stuff, the admin stuff, payroll, um really kind of whatever. Like we both kind of, you know, crossover, but we all we definitely have our own unique talents.

SPEAKER_00 25:32

Um yeah, if if I'm not available, Stacy pitches in. Um, you know, like for example, if we have an um a new clinician um going into one of the buildings that we may be working in, usually I'm the one that's introducing them. But you know, what was it last week or the week before I was gonna be out of town doing the same thing somewhere else? And so Stacy picked it up. Yeah, exactly. So um she can do what I do. Um I can do some of what she does, like on the marketing side and everything like that. So this is not my world.

SPEAKER_03 26:01

I can do some of what you do.

SPEAKER_00 26:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:04

Somehow it works.

SPEAKER_02 26:05

Tell me a little bit about the business model. So, you know, I'm assuming you are talking to facilities, trying to get them to buy into your model, but the client is actually the patient in that facility. How does that work? You know, who is who is your company responsible to? Who are you loyal to? How are you selling those services?

SPEAKER_00 26:24

So um, so I really view it as the facility, like nursing home, assisted living community, um, senior independent living. I view them as our client. Their residents are our patients. Um, there are obviously a number of different um constituents in this process, right? You have a patient, you have their family, you have um the staff in the building where they reside, you have the clinician, and then you have the company. Um and it's gotta work for everybody, right? Um so if if you are like let's say the administrator of one of these communities or the owner of one of these communities, or um like our day-to-day contact of one of these communities, um if I'm in your chair, I would view this as this is an amenity for our residents. Um, because like the reality is is everybody's different, clearly. Um, and I've certainly learned that in this business. We're all just a product of our life experiences. Um, but if I'm living in a nursing home, I would probably like the outing, right? Like, let me get in a car, let me get in a van, let me go, you know, get out and go somewhere. Um, the reality, particularly like on the nursing home side of the business, is not everybody is willing or able to be able to do that. And um, you know, while we may have some heavier psych cases with some of our patients, again, the most common situations that we're dealing with is stuff that whether we in this room have gone through it personally, we all know people that have gone through, you know, again, common situations, grief, depression, anxiety, loneliness, behavioral issues. Um, so to be able to have someone come to your community where that resident either maybe they can't get out, maybe they don't want to get out, but have that service, like Stacy said, like meeting the resident where they are literally, where they live, and figuratively wherever they might be, you know, in whatever journey that they're on. Um so that's, you know, um, I guess like the the elevator pitch of what the value is for the building. Um and sometimes, like, you know, I mean, just hearing the the anecdotal stories that we get from families. Stacy and I have both cried on the phone speaking to family members that you know, we're calling to explain what the service is, to get a consent form signed. And next thing you know, like, you know, we're we're hearing the story of this person. It's like, you know, you can't help but relating to what they're going through. Um, and um, so anyway, uh did that answer your question?

What It's Really Like to Work With Your Spouse

SPEAKER_02 29:07

I feel like I'm I'm just kind of talking about it. Absolutely. But now I'm gonna take a total left turn on you uh because we're talking all shop, all business. I gotta know what it's like working together as husband and wife. Tell me about juicy. Tell me about, you know, how does this carry over from work to home? How do you create boundaries? How do you like have a pleasant conversation at home where it doesn't turn into let's talk about what happened at work today?

SPEAKER_00 29:31

Stacy's gonna have a great answer, but I'll start off real quick by just saying that we have always been able to fight personally.

SPEAKER_03 29:37

Disagree.

SPEAKER_00 29:38

Excuse me. We've always been able to disagree personally. Now we disagree professionally as well. We fight hard. Yeah, yeah. That's the truth.

SPEAKER_03 29:46

Um, I mean, everything is so I mean, we don't have boundaries. Literally, we work in our in our home like Azalea is our fourth child. I feel like Kenny always wants to talk shop. So I don't have a perfect answer for that, not yet. But it somehow it works. Um we both have like office hours. We're in the office working. Um, it's taken some adjustment um because we share an office. I mean, we're always next to each other. Um, but I just feel like we just communicate really well. Um, we disagree well. Um trying to think.

SPEAKER_00 30:23

I'd say like I mean I've I've learned a lot about, I mean, Stacy and I have been together for 23 years total. Um, I have um you know married almost 18. I obviously feel like I know her really well, but I've learned a lot about her through this process. I've learned a lot about myself through this process that um, you know, I can't sit in an office all day, you know, five days a week. Like that's just it's not gonna go well for me. Um my mental health will struggle if if that's like the role that I have. Um I enjoy getting out, going on the road, visiting with you know clients, um, and that sort of thing. Um obviously, you know, there there's a good bit of time where I do stay in the office and we, you know, coexist and work well together, but I work really well in spurts. And if I'm in the middle of like I've got blinders on and I've like got these things that I am working on, I don't do well with like distractions because they distract me. And we've had to learn how to, I guess, work through.

SPEAKER_03 31:26

This morning I asked you, I'm like, is now a good time, and you're like, this is weird. And I'm like, I'm asking you if it's a good time to to like have a discussion. I was being respectful and asked you and you're like, this is weird.

SPEAKER_01 31:37

Well, I think that I think that's a uh a very good communication thing of of is now a good time to talk because I too like you, if I'm in the zone on something, I could get laser focused. And what happens, this is just me speaking, this is Josh talking, is you know, if I'm in the middle of a project on a call, writing up a proposal, working on a deal, and my kids who I love or my wife who I love will come in. I might try to like pay attention to them, but I'm I'm really thinking about that. But if I have to stop multiple times to get Cheerios or whatever the I I get short. So, like, and that and that's me. That's what so now I have to learn to like totally shut that thing off and push to the side, or just go, hey kids, I need a minute. So, like that's a really good, hey, is this a good time? I need to learn that for for me and maybe teach that to my kids because they have no boundaries, and you guys know how it is. But um, what other things have you learned about working with spouses together in the same office, in the same room, in the same business? Like, there's a you know, there's a lot to learn here from you guys.

SPEAKER_03 32:45

I think just hands down, Kenny is my favorite person in the entire world. So like the fact that we get to work together um really is like cool. And I don't everyone's like, I don't know, y'all work together. I'm like, I don't know, I really don't know how to respond to that because it just honestly feels natural to us. Maybe that's just our personalities or the fact that we've been together for so long. Um but yeah, like Kenny said, and you asked, like, what am I still learning about him? I learned that he likes puzzles, like he likes to um, you know, have a brain break into a puzzle. I never knew that up until a year ago. Um, so there's always these little like quirks that you think you know somebody and you're like, oh. Um he probably well, maybe he won't help me. I really like to take a nap sometimes, like a good 30-minute nap. I'm a I'm a good napper. Um so and him just being at home all the time where he wasn't previously. Now he gets to see that I take little naps during the day. So are gifts. Yeah. God.

SPEAKER_02 33:42

Yeah. Because you're like, I knew it. He said you were busy all the time. But you're eating bonbons too.

SPEAKER_01 33:50

So good. So good. So here, who's who's the sales? Who's in who's responsible for ultimate sales? What do you think? Him, right? Okay.

SPEAKER_02 34:00

Everyone's responsible for sales.

SPEAKER_01 34:02

Yeah. When when he's doing some sales, do you ever like hear him say the same thing over? And it makes you think of a movie or like something where you can almost like repeat what he says. A hundred percent. Give us one of the sales, like something that he would say, like on a call.

SPEAKER_03 34:18

Well, also, I will say Kenny can like turn it on. Like, he's just like totally grumpy, and then if he has a call, he's like, Hey, how are you? Um Kenny with the Zell U Health Services. Let me tell you a little about the company. My wife and I like he has a script.

SPEAKER_02 34:31

Thank you, Capital One, for that trade.

SPEAKER_01 34:34

That's special. So um give us some ideas. So it's we're three years in. Give us some of the accomplishments that you guys have have been able to do within three years.

SPEAKER_00 34:45

Yeah, so like we said earlier, the company is mission driven, and the mission is a patient visit because it's the opportunity to smile on a face, fellowship they wouldn't have had otherwise, and brighten their day, right? Um, and everything that we do is to make more of that happen. There's a lot of things that go into that, right? So you have to have a willing and able patient, you have to have a willing and able clinician to be able to do that. Um, so when you look at like the important activities that are happening in the company, it's how do we drive that? Um, you know, and I often say, like, if I'm interviewing like a potential or a clinician um candidate, it's that look, we are a mission-driven company and this is what we are here to do. I will never pretend like the financial side of this is not important, though, right? Like have the patient visits be the core of the mission and let the financial side of this follow that. Um, because the reality is if we can't pay a clinician enough, they're not gonna stay with us. Um, if we don't make enough money or lose money, we go out of business. Like, so clearly that is very important um to what we do. But everything's about the patient visits. So when I think of like success, um clearly the financial side is important. We mentioned we've got three beautiful children. You know, we we have a life to support, and all of that um is very important. We've got a great team of clinicians that are also supporting their families. Um, but to me, when I think of like success, it's how many new patients did we serve today, this week, this month. Um, you know, we were in, was it last week we were in Houston or the week before? Um, and I I often think of like a story of um, you know, think of the resident at the assisted living community. Her 50-something-year-old daughter is her primary caretaker, spends a lot of time there, leaves on a Friday afternoon, goes to the grocery store and has a massive heart attack and passes away. So you can imagine how traumatic that is for this resident who just tragically lost her daughter, her primary caretaker. And then you also have her son-in-law who's dealing with the traumatic loss of his wife, and is trying to pull up his bootstraps and also help fill that care gap with his mother-in-law. And so we're hearing from the staff who's like, you know, we think she'd be a good candidate for services. And I'm like, who is equipped to deal with that? I mean, if you can have an unbiased third party who is educated, experienced, and trained to listen, help come up with goal setting, that resident might just need somebody to walk in there and just scream at them, like the resident scream at the clinician with zero guilt. That might be what she needs at that moment because she's holding it all in right now because her son-in-law, who's trying to doing his best, is dealing with just an unbelievable loss. And I mean, I get goosebumps every time I hear it think about these stories. Um, you know, again, speaking of the family members and everything like that. So when you ask me, like, you know, what are what am I most proud of, I think might have been the way the question was phrased. I think of it is, you know, how many people are we serving today, this week, this month, and how can we do that better? And so what Stacy and I can do is improve our processes to where we can essentially scale more with less, because the reality is that we are, you know, our payer sources is Medicare, it's it, you know, uh Medicare Advantage plans, uh, very small um portion is self-pay for the most part. It's it's and for us to be able to accept what those payer sources pay and be able to make this a fruitful company for our clinicians and for us as a company, we've got to be efficient. I mean, there's just no other way around that. And so that's what Stacy and I work on the most is you know, we're driving to have patient visits, and how can we do more of that more efficiently?

Scaling the Business: Telehealth, New Markets, and Automation

SPEAKER_01 38:48

Give me an idea of how many maybe patient visits per day, per month, or per year or something like that, so I could kind of have an idea on um um the my internal process to ask a set set of questions.

SPEAKER_00 39:02

Yeah, I I'd rather speak kind of more like in generality when it comes to like specifics like that. But um, you know, the fact that in our short operating history we've helped thousands of people, and again, opportunity to put a smile on their face, give them some fellowship they wouldn't have had otherwise, and brighten their day. For that to have happened in what I would like to believe are most of those patient visits that we've had, yeah, that that's the way that I think about it.

SPEAKER_01 39:28

Okay, I copy you. With thousands of people touched, I have a reference, right? Thousands, thousands of uh people have been, you know, helped in this situation. Now I was a firefighter medic. I had to walk in and out of these places all day long, falls, dementia, schizophrenia, all everything under the sun, and and everybody dies, right? 100% mortality rate so far. Um the uh you can tell when walking in happy places, and then I've been in some places that it is absolutely depressing. And that's you know, like I would I would have talks with them, and sometimes I would be the only person they've ever not ever talked to, but haven't talked to in a long time. Their kids don't visit, their families don't know they're even there, right? So having this is is extremely valuable. And it's giving me a frame of reference on how to ask these questions. With the business that you're doing, can it scale? And what are some of the plans of future for scale? I know efficiency is is one. What are some of the other things on path as you guys build this out?

SPEAKER_00 40:32

Yeah, so obviously, you know, there's only so much that we can do. Um we're I know Stacey was really excited. We brought our first non-clinician um staff person on um late last year, um, which was a big deal. But um what I would like to focus on, or what we are focusing on to answer your question is okay, so telehealth is obviously like a great option that exists for various medical services where that would be appropriate. Counseling is one of those areas where you can um you can provide services via telehealth. The way that I think about it, obviously in the settings that we're working in, it's primarily gonna be a geriatric population. And stereotypically speaking, you know, um telehealth is gonna work for some, probably not most, um, just from a technology standpoint. I mean, I am not in the geriatric population. I would prefer if I'm having a counseling session to be able to do it like this and do it in person versus a screen. So it's not, you know, but um so some of the things that we have been focusing on already and are going to focus on more is what can we streamline and automate on the processes? Because if you think about for that patient visit to happen, first of all, you have to have a patient referred to you, you have to have a clinician that's able to serve them, you have, you know, insurance verifications, credentialing. Um, you know, there's just various steps in that process. And how much of that can happen whether you're, you know, taking a nap or or not sitting at a computer or on a phone and have those steps go through. So that's where our focus has been there. And so um, so that's what we're gonna continue to kind of work to streamline.

SPEAKER_03 42:12

We're always looking to add markets too, like markets that we don't currently serve, um, especially some of the rural rural ones um where it's more challenging to find a clinician. Um, but definitely have the the need for it.

SPEAKER_00 42:28

Yeah, it's like today we're in we're not everywhere in Louisiana, but we're in most of the um metro areas in Louisiana, including some of the rural ones. Um and we have a small presence in Houston, Texas. So if you think of um if you think of Louisiana and then kind of greater Houston, Southeast Texas, that's where um that's where our focus is.

SPEAKER_02 42:48

So you guys are in heavy growth mode very early along. So I mean, obviously many of the hats in the company are going to be worn by the two of you guys. And for entrepreneurs, you know, whether they're thinking about let me build this for five or ten years and then sell it, or let me build this for five, ten years, have a lifestyle business that I'm not that relevant to. You have to be thinking in terms of, okay, we are grinding, grinding, grinding as the most important pieces of this machine for now, but at some point we have to transition to where other people are taking those key roles and we're taking those responsibilities off of ourselves. So walk us through that five-year journey, 10-year journey. What does the company look like? What do those roles look like for people underneath you?

SPEAKER_00 43:36

Yeah, so you're right. We are wearing a lot of hats, like Stacey and I. Um from a marketing standpoint or a sales standpoint, it's um, you know, you can think of different things that you might call them, but essentially like a community liaison or like a sales rep, essentially somebody that is regularly in the market, you know, in person, um, you know, visiting, kind of learning what. The pain points because any given business, if you don't talk to somebody in a month, there's a lot of things that have happened in that month, right? Um, and I'm speaking to a lot of people regularly. I'm visiting with a lot of people regularly in person, um, but I'm one person, right? So um, so scaling would include that. Um, you know, from like a clinical oversight perspective, um, we're able to handle that kind of in-house with our existing clinicians as well as um the management service agreement with the group out of Florida that I mentioned earlier. Um, because look, we're not we're not operating on somebody like a surgeon might be. Um, but the work that we're doing is very meaningful because whether our patient has a short amount of time left, years left in their life, what our clinicians are doing is adding quality to their day, their week, their month. Um, you know, whatever, you know, um, whatever quality of life that they have, we're looking to enhance that. Um, and so um we're we're looking to continue to do that as much as we can.

SPEAKER_01 45:10

Yeah, that's special. One of the traditions we have on the Deal podcast is uh the questions from the previous guest. We only do this on the in studio. Uh so if you ever want to participate, uh fellow audience, you have to come to the studio and laugh yet. So Jude's gonna read this question.

SPEAKER_02 45:27

All right, question from Lauren Bercier. Hopefully, uh she left you a good one. Let's see. What do you know about yourself now that you didn't know before you started your business? That is a good one. Good job, Lauren Bercier.

unknown 45:43

A lot.

SPEAKER_03 45:44

You want to go first?

SPEAKER_00 45:46

Yeah, I'd say uh I um I've certainly learned a lot about I think any life experience you have, you should learn something from it. But um I have learned over like this journey, basically post-banking, is that I can take a hit and I can come back, you know, um stronger on the other side of it. I said earlier about, you know, um, whenever you have a challenge or an obstacle, it's an opportunity and work close. Like that's something that I believe that I live. And so, you know, as a small business that's run by, you know, my wife and I, um this is um, you know, it's something that we're very proud of what we've built. We don't always get it right. We know we're gonna make mistakes along the way. Um, but you know, the commitment that we have to, again, all the constituents in this process, which are patients, their families, the staff of those buildings, our clinicians, and to ourselves is that when we don't get it right, we are going to work hard to make it right. Um, and that's something that, you know, I feel like was always in me, but I've certainly um experienced it and learned a whole lot more about myself through um through this process. Yeah, it's nice.

SPEAKER_03 46:59

My um my take or my thoughts on money have completely changed. I think, um, especially being a woman, being humble and you know, appreciating what we have. But now I feel like, what if you know God gave me these wants and desires on my heart so that I can go serve more of his people? Um, that it's almost like a like a calling and a mission. Um, and that to me is like a total shift from where I was before I started the company.

SPEAKER_01 47:28

Yeah, special. Jude?

SPEAKER_02 47:32

Final thoughts. I love it that y'all can work together. That is really good. I love it that you gave him a pass on that little dig about the naps at home. But you know what? You just like let that roll right off your back. Like that was so good. I probably would have been hearing about that the rest of the day. So love you, honey.

SPEAKER_01 47:49

Yeah, love you, honey. All right, well, fellow deal makers, as always, thanks for listening into uh this episode of the deal podcast. As always, reach out to our guests, follow their work and what they're doing. Their contact information will be in the show notes uh below. And if you have a deal that you'd like to talk about, or maybe a story or a journey that you'd like to talk about here on the show, head over to thedealpodcast.com, fill out a quick form, and then maybe we'll see you all on the next episode. Cheers all.