The Power of Personal Touch in Business Relationships - Amberly Shreve - S4E8

Have you ever found yourself at a career crossroads, seeking something more from your 9-to-5 life? Amberly Shreve's transformative leap from corporate America to becoming an entrepreneur is a journey that may resonate deeply with you. Galvanized by her desire to align her work with her personal values, Amberly shift towards promoting kindness and authenticity in professional settings is not just refreshing – it's revolutionary. Our conversation traverses her compelling narrative, providing insights on how small acts can cultivate a powerful sense of community and appreciation within the business world. Amberly's experiences prove that these gestures are more than niceties; they are strategic relationship builders that can amplify referrals and loyalty.

Navigating the complexities of balancing a thriving business and a bustling home life is no small feat, Amberly tackles it with grace and practicality. Our discussion ventures into the art of juggling these demanding roles, with Amberly offering sage advice on time management and self-care practices that are critical for anyone riding the seesaw of work and family obligations.

Wrapping up the episode, we reflect on the unmistakable warmth that comes from a simple yet increasingly rare act – receiving a heartfelt card. In an era ruled by digital communication, Amberly reminds us of the profound joy and connection that can be sparked by such a personal touch. Her stories illustrate the undeniable impact these gestures can have, not just in nurturing business relationships, but in enriching our personal lives as well. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or someone contemplating a brave new path, Amberly Shreve's inspiring story and the lessons she shares are sure to embolden you to infuse your work and life with heartfelt purpose.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:14

Hey, I'm Coach Mickey and I'm so glad that you've joined us, and if this is your first time joining us, come on in and make yourself comfortable. For those of you that join us on a regular basis, I am so glad that you do. Thank you so much for always reaching out to all of our guests and please connect with them. They love hearing from you and I appreciate all your comments, your questions and your suggestions for people that we have on here, and it has been so much fun to actually hear from you, as my circle of friends and they love hearing from you also. So today is gonna be really fun and it's one of my favorite subjects and I happen to meet this lovely, lovely person. She is amazing. She I'm just gonna wrap it up really quick she is a mother, a sister, a friend, she's a believer and she has got this incredible company that just changing hearts and businesses with connections, and I'm gonna just introduce her and let her jump right in. How are you today? Ann-rili Shreve.

Speaker 2: 1:12

I'm well, mickey. Thank you so much. It is such an honor and a pleasure to be here with you today.

Speaker 1: 1:17

It's gonna be fun. So I'm excited because when you told me what you do for work I mean, will you switch gears for your career and what you were doing compared to what you're doing now is just seems so much more your passion and like getting to know people and doing what you do. So I'm gonna let you go ahead and share that.

Speaker 2: 1:38

Yeah, so back. You know, sometimes I forget about that life, but I spent over 22 and a half years in corporate America and unfortunately, treated very poorly during that time. So I decided that it was a mission of mine to go ahead and leave that space, after years of harassment and degrading and devaluing, so that I could really find myself and my purpose and my passion. I started making cards when I was about 12 years old and then, once I came into the corporate world, I mostly human resources and office management. After I left there, I really felt as though my world needed attention, it needed to be rebuilt. My husband didn't really understand what was going on because you have to remember, you know, we're in a generation that you just kind of suck it up right and you just deal with things and that is not what I wanna teach our girls and what we want to teach our girls. And I really felt as though I had the weight of the world, wanting to be an example to them and, honestly, I just really got on my hands and knees and I just started to pray through it all because I felt like my entire life was in wildfire and I knew that if I did not take the steps now, then I was probably going to go even in a deeper depression that I was already in. So I took myself through the steps and learned more about myself, getting curious about who I was, what I wanted, and it was a really difficult time for a while trying to figure out all of those things. My husband and I we worked hard. We had some things that we needed to repair within our marriage and within our relationships and the relationship with my girls, and when I finally started the career piece, I knew that I wanted something at home, because the girls loved me being here.

Speaker 2: 3:50

So I dabbled in finance and a little bit of insurance. At the time it was very, very heavily male dominated and a space where it was more about things and not about people, and I knew that that was not the space for me. So once I started networking and really figuring that out, I had gone to a networking event and met my business associate and he told me about promptings and I knew that it sounded very interesting. It scared me so much that I had to pray about it and I didn't even call him for like two and a half weeks because I was so nervous about it, and so I finally called him. I talked to my husband and he was so funny because he's like oh you know, there's you might do better in insurance. And I said you know, I don't think that insurance is for me.

Speaker 2: 4:40

So I decided to go with my gut and I really just delve in and I just learned how to build relationships and I learned how to teach people acts of kindness and I used how I felt back in corporate America. You know, we all deal with things throughout our life, whether we have toxic relationships or places in our lives where we are struggling or we have traumas. We all have these things. So use them in a way to benefit the person that you are and use them to help heal yourself, because that's literally what I did. So, going through learning about how to speak with others, about teaching acts of kindness, really learning how to connect with people on a more meaningful level, and that has now taken me to where I am today and I really have the opportunity to connect, establish and help others maintain and build their beautiful connections and give their clients the ultimate experience.

Speaker 1: 5:51

I love it. I love the fact that you took a chance, that you went with what you knew in your heart you needed to change and then to take that and I don't say risk, but I can't think of another word because I know, would say that, oh, you're taking a risk, you know.

Speaker 1: 6:06

But you know what? That's what keeps life exciting. If we I called corporate car with. I had shared that with you off Off air and I said I've been in the corporate world too. I actually worked in marketing. I was in with head of marketing at that time.

Speaker 1: 6:18

It was called gtm, all on that before Verizon bought it and I kept working and working and working and bringing all these things, and I kept thinking, oh my gosh, it's like there's a big spider up on top and everybody's stuck in the court.

Speaker 1: 6:29

You know, corporate cobweb, you're just stuck and it takes very, very few people, but it also takes a lot of courage to say this isn't for me and I want to do something different that is going to serve and be beneficial and sit well with you. When you lay your head on your pillow at night, it's like do I feel like I really accomplished something? That really made my heart sing and I love the fact that you said this is not for me, this is what I need to do, and then to go out and do that. I want to Elaborate a little bit more. I want you to explain when you said go out and teach people about kindness. You know, can you share with us a little bit about what you, what you mean by that, and how you, how you incorporate that to what you do?

Speaker 2: 7:08

Sure. So most Business relationships they're, they're they're mostly transactional. There's someone's looking for a service and you provide the service and you're done. Well, I believe it's more than that. I believe that when you build a relationship that you, you build a friendship there, they become a part of your family and you build that relationship for years to come.

Speaker 2: 7:36

We don't just want the one and done's, we want people who we are going to do life with. We want to build Community where we have one another to support each other. We're not meant to do things on our own. So I really believe in the community aspect. I really believe in us working as a team, and these, this service and our relationship marketing tool gives you the opportunity to to build very strong relationships within business, and it provides such a space of authenticity and it, I believe it actually provides a place where it shows vulnerability and when you appreciate someone, you, you stay memorable to them because they they are going to remember who you are. They're going to remember Most of all, how you made them feel, and that's the key. We all want to feel seen, heard, valued, understood and appreciated, and that's truly what we all want.

Speaker 1: 8:43

I agree, I agree and and what was the quote was like? People remember. They'll remember 20% of what you said. They'll remember 80% of how you made them feel, of course, and yeah, and I think a lot of businesses Don't get that, you know again, they get. They see you as a number, they see you as data, they don't see you as an individual. And when you Tell me what you did in regards to these, these send out cards, and let's talk about that, because this puts a whole new Element and level to businesses to be able to reach out and make that one-on-one connection.

Speaker 2: 9:22

Yeah, it does, and it's such great questions. So we have a web-based platform that you can go on, and it doesn't matter if you are looking for touch points throughout the year birthdays, maybe you're a financial advisor and you're looking to celebrate the anniversary of that policy. Maybe you're a realtor and you truly want to give your clients the ultimate experience. You want to take that photo in front of that new home and you want to thank them. Thank them for choosing you. I mean you're, you're making such an impact and Helping them with one of the most important decisions of their lives. It should be more than just an email or a text message. You should want to be able to provide something for them that they are going to have For years to come. Build those relationships strong and then they can go back and say gosh, it was so wonderful working with such and such.

Speaker 2: 10:16

These cards allow you to be able to keep in constant contact. I always recommend at least one touch point a quarter, because you are going to stay top of mind. It increases your referrals, it increases your customer base. I mean, you know as well as I do if, if you go out and you just do something one time, oh, and then you forget about it, you don't really realize or think about the experience that you have, but when someone is constantly reminding you of who they are and how they've shown up for you.

Speaker 2: 10:48

Well, when they go to meet someone and say you know what I? I just met with someone and I Told them a little bit about you because I really believe that you could help them, and that says so much about who we are and the difference that we're looking to make, because it's a domino effect when you share and spread kindness to one person, they are going to do it to someone else, and then the next person and the next person and, before you know it, look how many hearts and lives that you have touched and changed in this world by Sending out appreciation because you cared. And If you need help and you're so busy that you want so badly to take advantage of the service, but you're not quite sure how to do it, we have virtual assistants to help you, so there should be no excuse to be able to send out kindness and appreciation. We are here to help you. We are a community of like-minded people who are here to service and help you bless others, so that way you can be the best expansion of yourself.

Speaker 1: 11:53

I love it and, as you know, my circle of friends. All of the information to be able to reach out to Amberley and see her her wonderful business and what she does will all be embedded in the YouTube channel, but it'll also be in the podcast too. So please, please, please, feel free to click on that and then reach out to her. But I want to share a story with you, amberley, that came to my mind when you were talking about making that difference. Something that can make one little thing can make such a big difference, and I'll keep it real brief. So I was, I was coaching and one of my dads ran a very large corporation and we were talking on the sideline and I knew he was. He said to me he goes do you know anybody's looking for a job? And I said, well, I said I know of anybody, I'll let you know. And he said, yeah, I just he go. Well, have you done, indeed, and all that? And he said, yeah, I'm doing all that stuff. So he's came back to me a couple of days later and he said I said he, how's it going? And he goes well, I had an abundance of people that sent me in their applications and the resume and I said how do you get through all of those? He goes? I know he goes. I had so many of my, didn't even know what to do he goes.

Speaker 1: 12:56

So my assistant and my HR and all that was going through it and and I said but I found someone. I said that's great. And he said you know, it was interesting is that this person is not really. They were over qualified, matter of fact, they didn't have some of the qualifications I was looking for. And I said well then, what was the difference? And he said, when we get done with the interview, and because I went through all these people and he goes, I narrowed it down and he goes, and this one really wasn't on my radar. However, he said, but the next he goes, like within two days.

Speaker 1: 13:25

He said I ended up getting a thank you card. He they sent me an actual thank you card for taking the time to interview them. And he said and that's the person I hired. He goes because I thought someone who would go out of their way and go above and beyond, even though they didn't have the job to send me a thank you card for my time, is the type of person that I want part of my staff within my corporation. He goes that fits my culture. So you're absolutely right, one small thing, active kindness, can make a huge difference. But also it told me that that company that's their culture, because they're looking for someone who is willing to do that and go above and beyond. So what? So what you do and what you offer, you know can take that one person you never know to the next level, to the next thing, because it's one little act of kindness that went one step further than somebody ever expected.

Speaker 2: 14:19

Absolutely, and we have over 30,000 templates that you can choose from. We have mantras, I think. Thank you for the business. I think encouragement is a huge piece. There are a lot of people doing a lot of life right now and it's not always easy. And I think, being a entrepreneur and a business owner and forward thinking, imagine what it would look like if your client, you saw something on Facebook or you actually took a moment I mean it takes less than three minutes to send out a card. I mean it might not even take that long and you sent them something just to encourage them. Imagine what would happen within that relationship. And I really feel as though it matters. You matter and they matter, and I think when we treat others as though they matter, it really does make a difference in the world.

Speaker 1: 15:19

So now your cards, are they virtual or they physical? I mean, are they both? So what are your cards entailed?

Speaker 2: 15:25

So these are all physical cards and I can give you just a few examples I can put up on the screen. So here's just a few of some of the ones that we have. Those are lovely. We have gratitude, appreciation, and then you can customize on the back of the card your branding so that people know exactly how to get in touch with you.

Speaker 2: 15:51

They're never going to forget who you are and most people they will put the cards up on the fridge and then you know when they have friends or family over and they'll say, oh, you know what is this, this is so beautiful. And when they look inside and say you've received cards from your financial advisor, you've received cards from your realtor, you've received cards from your bookkeeper or your CPA or whomever your virtual assistant and we say, well gosh, I don't receive any cards from my people, and it makes a difference. It makes a difference. So I just believe in. I think sharing our acts of kindness with one another really does make a difference in other people's lives and it truly shows the type of person that you are, how you're showing up and really the impact that you're having on others.

Speaker 1: 16:49

It's that is so profound, and you're absolutely right. And I wanted to add also to you know, some may look at the refrigerator and say, well, my financial advisor doesn't send me cars, but then there could be somebody who's there that is a financial advisor and go. That's a brilliant idea.

Speaker 2: 17:03

I need to start sending out cars to my clients. Absolutely, absolutely yes.

Speaker 1: 17:11

So tell me about you. I know you've got you wear a lot of different hats and I know you. You know you do a lot with your family and, besides doing, I knew you are definitely a go-getter and you're out there making a difference in the world, and so what's some of the favorite things that you really enjoy doing?

Speaker 2: 17:31

Well, we have two little girls and I guess they're not so little anymore Teenagers, almost. One's almost a teenager and we are huge in softball. Our Otis Daughter Place travel. Both girls play rec softball and we absolutely love the sport and being able to make memories with the girls. We love the beach, we love family walks and playing outside together. We do have a rescue puppy, so we enjoy playing with her as well.

Speaker 2: 18:06

We're, I would like to say we're pretty simple people. You know church on Sunday, throughout the week, you know the private lessons, the practices, all the things, the meal planning, life. You know I, the mom, had we have so many right. So us mommas out there we are making it happen, but that's pretty much me. I'm looking to really grow a beautiful community of like-minded people that we can support one another, because whether you're dealing with the mama side or the business side, we should all be supporting one another and I truly believe in lifting up other women and other people and providing a safe space where they can share and be curious about what's going on in their lives and we can come together in community, because I think there you make the most difference.

Speaker 1: 19:08

Yeah, and we wear a lot of different hats, especially as a woman entrepreneur, as a mom, like you said, and we wear all these different hats all the time. And I'm gonna ask I just wanna see, because I know a lot of people are probably thinking the same thing. I get this question quite often from my circle of friends is how do you find the work-life balance? Because you've got families and, just like you and I, we're taking kids to practice or making meals and we're doing this, and we've got this long list of things that we're doing outside of trying to run a business. But what do you do? What is your secret? What do you do for your time? Work balance.

Speaker 2: 19:44

Sure, so well, my husband and I we work very hard to be a close net team. There are times where he will take our oldest daughter to practice, where I'm kind of at home, maybe meal prepping, maybe doing a couple of things around the house, and then we flip flop the things that he's really good at. He sort of takes he takes that and I take the things that I'm really good at, and then we come together and we just make it work. As far as the business and all of those other things, I time block. I learned this from a very important colleague in my life.

Speaker 2: 20:26

She advised me to time block and if I don't, then I overstep my boundaries with myself and I wanna make sure that I honor myself and my needs, because we all need time for self-care, we all need time to be able to sit and go over things that we need to sort of process and deal with, and sometimes we also need a moment just to step away and really breathe and have time with loved ones and to be able to make memories, all of those things. So I think time blocking figuring out what you want, figuring out what you're good at within your home, within your family we have a pretty tight schedule. It's a little more flexible over the weekend, but sleep is a huge thing in our home. I believe good sleep and eating well lots of water contributes to a healthier lifestyle for us. So that's a big part of what we do as we come together as a family.

Speaker 1: 21:32

That's nice, because when you've got a partner that can help you with that load especially with the family, that makes a big difference. But I do want to touch on something that you brought up which I think is very important is self-care. I think a lot of times we forget to block that time out. I just started with that calendar where people can log on and schedule the times with me. However, what I realized is like wait a minute, I need to schedule some time for me. It's like I've got to have time to be able to eat. Honestly, sometimes I just take an hour and a half and go to the gym, or maybe just take a walk down to the beach or just go outside and get some air I go. I'm just as important as my clients. I'm just as important as the other people that I'm trying to help thrive with their business. I need to be able to take care of me, because if you're not taking care of yourself, everything else is just not going to work out either. You've got to be there for your kids and your family, because if you're not taking care of yourself, how are you going to take care of them?

Speaker 1: 22:29

I had a friend of mine who came on one of my earlier podcasts oh my gosh. Well, and it's been a while, but she made an analogy that I thought was really brilliant. She said I always take care of myself, because it's like the airplane. What's the first thing they say to do? Put the oxygen mask on you first, then put the oxygen mask on your child. It's the same thing. It's like how many times are we going to put on oxygen mask Because we're trying to save everybody else? We're the one gasping for air.

Speaker 2: 23:02

Yeah, it's so true. The South Pier piece is so true. It's so important for us to really love ourselves. That is all part of loving ourselves. Honestly, it took me a really long time to learn how to do that. It was something that I had to work on myself because I would always put myself last. A lot of things come up when you put yourself last. A lot of things that I had to work through.

Speaker 2: 23:33

It has been constant work on myself and now that I can love myself more, those things I'm still working on. Still working on loving myself more, still working on the self-care piece, still working on daily how to honor my needs and making sure that my boundaries are set for myself and for my family, because a lot of times, as we have kids, they can overstep boundaries and our spouses can overstep boundaries. We want to make sure that everyone is living in a space where they feel safe and heard. Those things are truly important. Am I perfect at everything? No, I'm not. I'm not a perfect person, but I will tell you, implementing these things and learning how to incorporate these into our lives has made our home a happier place.

Speaker 1: 24:30

I love it. There's something that I've always realized Even a perfect rose still has thorns. There is no perfection. I love it. That's what we need to understand as women, as individuals, as people that don't thrive for perfection. It doesn't exist. It really doesn't. It's like to even think that we can even accomplish that. We're imperfect. That's just the way we are. That's the way we're made, and embrace it, love it and be run with it. We've got about two or three more minutes. Is there anything that we didn't cover, that you'd like to share, that you'd like to say that we can give to our circle of friends?

Speaker 2: 25:12

Well, I guess I encourage all of the people, the listeners, all of you out there that are searching for an opportunity. You're not quite sure where to start, you're not quite sure what you're meant to do. Just ask yourself what do you want, what do you truly want in this world and what would make you happy? I don't think people really ask themselves that. I don't think couples really have those types of conversations. I think that it's important because when you're caught in the everyday, that's a tough place because we're so used to all the things all the time. I think once we slow down and we figure out the things that we want and we are able to show up in a way of respect and value and really considering the other person's feelings, I think then we can take a step back and really be able to honor each other's needs. I would love the opportunity to speak with anyone who's looking for an opportunity. They're not quite sure where they are in their lives. They have questions, they feel stuck. I'd love to be able to speak with them.

Speaker 2: 26:34

Look, there absolutely is no perfection. Life is messy I mean seriously like any given day. There's laundry, there's dishes, there's stuff, people are running around the house, there's all kinds of stuff, but we still are living large. We are doing what we need to do. We are making a difference. I just want to be able to share that with the world. Change. Hearts touch lives and do this all one card at a time, so I'm truly grateful.

Speaker 1: 27:05

Thank you. Thank you so much for being with us today and then just give a shout out for your website. How can they reach you through your website?

Speaker 2: 27:11

Yes, of course. So you can reach me at sendoutcardscom. Forward slash Amberley Shreve, and that's a m B e r l y s h r e v? E, and I am on all social media platforms under my name and on tiktok and Instagram under at Beachgirl Shreve. I.

Speaker 1: 27:36

Love it. So, and again, your link will be embedded into this podcast and also into the YouTube channel so you guys can click on that. Thank you so much for being with us today. I love your insight, your story, I love what you're doing. I love the fact that you took something that you really believed in and and you ran with it and that is so, like I said, that it just gives me so much inspiration and, again, it takes a lot of courage and and I love hearing stories, and so do my circle of friends. So thank you so much for sharing that with us today.

Speaker 2: 28:05

Thank you, mickey. It's been an absolute honor and a pleasure.

Speaker 1: 28:09

All right, you guys. Thank you so much for being with us and, again, please connect with Amberley I think you would absolutely love her cards and for every occasion, whether it's for your business or personal. It is something I think that we've kind of lost track of and, and I know for me personally, there's is something fun and touching when you do receive a card in the mail, and you know, and we usually don't get a lot of mail, so when you do go out to your mailbox, you'll have something fun to at least Open up when you, when you arrive there, again think I want to thank keep on sharing for being our sponsor. If you have not had a chance to visit, keep on sharing. Please do keep on sharing.

Speaker 1: 28:45

Comm is a place where you can List your businesses, your services and your events for free. They are a company that treats you as a partner, not as a product with other social media. So thank you so much for keep on sharing and until then, please remember, the most courageous thing you can do is be yourself, and until I see you again in next week, see ya.