The Ex-Banker REVEALS The Secrets To Find & Apply For $100K Grants In 78 Minutes (Without ANY RISK!)

1. 0:00 – 2:31

   Intro

   1. CKCoach K0:00

      The largest grant I received is $146,000 at one time. A six-figure grant hit my account, and this particular grant, they didn't require any follow-up, they didn't require any documents after. They only requested that I reinvest it back into my business. I remember a moment of pulling in the parking lot at work and crying. I couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, but I just wasn't happy. I knew that this is not what I'm supposed to be doing. There's definitely more out there for me, and I'm sure it was just being overwhelmed with work and new mom and, you know, running a business. But I remember pulling in the parking lot and just bawling.

   2. CJCalum Johnson0:38

      Say that someone is listening to this, and maybe it's even before they've started their business. What would you say is like the step zero?

   3. CKCoach K0:45

      I have a three-step strategy, and the first step is-

   4. CJCalum Johnson0:52

      Okay, so before we get into this episode, literally right before I headed into the studio, my team handed me some research, and what it said is that less than 50% of the people that watch this channel are actually subscribed. When I heard it, I nearly fell off my chair. But no, in all seriousness, please subscribe to this channel, and if you do, I promise that we will take every part of this show to the next level. Scale the guests, scale the production, scale the marketing. So please subscribe to the channel and let's grow together. Coach K, let's say that someone, they stumbled on this video, they were browsing on YouTube, and they're curious about startup grants and funding. Maybe they- they're looking to start a business or they've already started a business. What would you say is the value to them of watching this video, of learning about funding and grants?

   5. CKCoach K1:51

      I love that question. So in this video, I'll-- we'll definitely detail how to get access to grant funding. Most people don't know that they qualify for grants as a for-profit or a non-profit company. They also don't know what's required to get access to this capital. So I'll be sure to just provide value on how they can get access to grants, what grants are, where they can locate the grants, and how they can get access to this funding that's debt-free, no credit check, and no requirement to repay it back.

   6. CJCalum Johnson2:22

      Hmm. Awesome. Okay. You know what? We- we- we're gonna get into it and how someone, uh, not only how can they identify grants, but then also apply and be successful in applying.

2. 2:31 – 4:05

   Sell the solution to your problems

   1. CJCalum Johnson2:32

      But before we do, I wanna get to your story. Um, and obviously at the moment that you're at, like you've successfully gotten hundreds of thousands of dollars of grants. You've helped other people get millions in grants, and I actually don't wanna start there. I wanna start before.

   2. CKCoach K2:49

      Mm-hmm.

   3. CJCalum Johnson2:49

      Because in your story, you were at Wells Fargo, you were working a nine-to-five, and so even when we talk about entrepreneurship or being an entrepreneur, where did that dream even start? Where did that even begin?

   4. CKCoach K3:06

      So I started my business or my journey into being an entrepreneur for a selfish reason. I needed childcare for my daughter. Um, so as I'm going around and I'm searching for childcare, I couldn't really find anything that would meet my standards. Um, and nothing offered-- Either it wasn't affordable or they didn't offer extended hours. So I created the solution to the problem. I created a childcare center for my daughter, but also for other parents who needed affordable childcare with extended hours. So I kinda just threw myself into entrepreneurship. No one around me was an entrepreneur. My parents are not entrepreneurs, no one in my family. So it was learning this strategy and learning how to grow my business on my own, and I made a lot of mistakes-

   5. CJCalum Johnson3:54

      Mm

   6. CKCoach K3:54

      ... um, on the journey just trying to figure it out. So at the time, I'm a working entrepreneur, starting a business, new mom, and just trying to figure it out.

   7. CJCalum Johnson4:03

      Hmm. You know what? Let, let's go a

3. 4:05 – 8:57

   Traditional banks kill entrepreneurs dreams!

   1. CJCalum Johnson4:05

      bit-- I wanna go a bit deeper, and give me the-- give me like the context of your life at that point.

   2. CKCoach K4:10

      Mm.

   3. CJCalum Johnson4:10

      Like you're working at Wells Fargo. What-- Like what are you even doing there? Like what is-

   4. CKCoach K4:15

      Yeah, so working at Wells Fargo, I have worked in every area of the bank. I worked in private lending where you had to have a million dollars, consumer lending, um, and business lending as well. But at the time, I was actually in business lending. Um, so I was helping entrepreneurs get access to capital. So I knew about LLCs, I knew about the funding opportunities that were out there. Um, so I thought I had it-- I thought I knew it all. I thought I had it all figured out. Working for Wells Fargo, I see all of these people coming inside the bank. They would come in with their new documents, their LLC information, and they would want startup capital for their business. Um, but most of the time we were declining them for funding. So going into a bank and getting access to traditional bank funding is a challenge. So I had to be the face and I had to decline them. I had to be the dream crusher.

   5. CJCalum Johnson5:05

      Hmm.

   6. CKCoach K5:06

      So I seen a gap in just education and what was required to get access to this traditional bank funding. Along with that, I'm starting my own journey in being an entrepreneur as well. So now I know what it's like to start a business and need the capital and not have a resource to kinda lean on.

   7. CJCalum Johnson5:24

      Yeah. You know, okay, that, that's so interesting, and it reminds me of-- We had a guest a few months ago. Her name is Ashley Fox.

   8. CKCoach K5:32

      Mm-hmm.

   9. CJCalum Johnson5:32

      Um, she owns a financial literacy company, and in her story, she was like-- she was working on Wall Street. She was working with these like really wealthy clients and there was like-- It was this huge education for her of how like the system works, of how rich people kind of operate and navigate their money. And it's interesting because I think one of the things it really confirmed in my mind, and I was already kind of aware of this, is that we have like this information gap-

   10. CKCoach K6:02

       Mm-hmm

   11. CJCalum Johnson6:02

       ... where I think within banks And within the system, there's certain people that understand and know how to navigate, and then for everyone else it's like, it's a complete mystery.

   12. CKCoach K6:15

       Yeah.

   13. CJCalum Johnson6:15

       And even to your example, like people will come in with applications for grants or funding or what- whatever the thing is, and they'll get rejected and you don't know why. And so I'm, I'm curious to understand when we talk about like an information gap, what was some of the information that you realized most people don't actually know this, they don't understand that this is how it works?

   14. CKCoach K6:39

       One of the biggest things that, that touched me and made me wanna start teaching others is I would notice that minorities would come into the bank and they wouldn't have their kids with them. They would come in, they would be by their themselves. They might take a couple of suckers. You, you know, you go in the bank, they have the little Dum Dums you take out.

   15. CJCalum Johnson6:59

       Mm.

   16. CKCoach K7:00

       Um, but other races would bring their kids in the bank with them, and they would allow them to watch them do transactions. They would sit them down in the office with the bankers and discuss finances in front of their kids. Minorities, we usually don't do that.

   17. CJCalum Johnson7:16

       Mm.

   18. CKCoach K7:16

       Um, we make the kids stay outside and, you know, stay out of grown folks' business.

   19. CJCalum Johnson7:20

       Stay in the car, yeah.

   20. CKCoach K7:20

       Yeah, stay in the car and I'm gonna bring you a sucker out, where other races, they are bringing their kids in the-- with them, sitting them down and allowing them to hear these conversations at a early age. So really it just starts with being in the room.

   21. CJCalum Johnson7:32

       Mm.

   22. CKCoach K7:32

       I think that's what the starting point, and there was a particular gentleman that he, uh, adopted a, a young lady from China. He came into the bank, he opened her up a teen checking account. He later came in, opened her up a, a college checking account and her first credit card. Couple years later, he came back in and she was ready to close on her first home. By the time she graduated college, she was ready to close on her first home because he put her in that space. He educated her about finances early on. I can't count on my hands how many times I seen a minority do that in the 15 years I worked for Wells Fargo.

   23. CJCalum Johnson8:08

       Mm.

   24. CKCoach K8:09

       So that's where I seen a real gap and wanted to kind of be the change and go out and start educating, not just entrepreneurs, but people in general about finances and, and how to get access to this capital and the opportunities that are out there for us that we are missing out on.

   25. CJCalum Johnson8:23

       Yeah. You know what, you know what comes to mind? I think when you're a kid, and, and you probably, you know this as a mother, um, and I see it even in my younger siblings, you're so open to information.

   26. CKCoach K8:33

       Mm-hmm.

   27. CJCalum Johnson8:34

       And I think a lot of the times we actually underestimate what children can understand.

   28. CKCoach K8:38

       Mm-hmm.

   29. CJCalum Johnson8:39

       And sometimes just by being in the room, just by observing, they pick up so much.

   30. CKCoach K8:44

       Yeah.
4. 8:57 – 10:43

   Your environment determines your potential

   1. CJCalum Johnson8:57

      know what? I'm curious to understand, 'cause you mentioned you're working at Wells Fargo. I'm assuming it's a pretty d- decent paying job.

   2. CKCoach K9:06

      It is.

   3. CJCalum Johnson9:07

      What even makes you want to start a business? Like what was that moment, the experience that's like, "Okay, I'm actually gonna take the risk and the additional work of starting something else"?

   4. CKCoach K9:19

      Yeah. I mean, seeing others come into the bank and helping them get access to this capital was kind of like, "Oh, I can do this too." And I, I always took it as a learning opportunity. When someone came into the bank and they had access to, or they had a couple million dollars sitting in their account, or they were closing on a two, $3 million loan, I always soaked up as much information I could as possible. I'm asking questions, you know, "What are you doing?" And most of the time, no matter what client I was helping, if they had a large value of assets in their account, they had some type of business outside of-- even if they did have a corporate job, they had a business. Um, so for me, that was a, uh, "This 9:00 to 5:00 is not gonna get me where I really wanna be."

   5. CJCalum Johnson10:03

      Mm.

   6. CKCoach K10:03

      Um, and so then I seen the opportunity to start the childcare center, which is where I kind of really took the leap. Um, and then just kind of soaked up all of the knowledge that I learned from the bank, and then just kind of went for it. Made a lot of mistakes, like I said, made a lot of mistakes, a ton of mistakes. I didn't have the support. I didn't have the accountability. I reached out to a couple people who were in the industry, and no one would really help, so no mentor. Just kind of tried to figure it out all on my own. But it really was just using the platform that I had with Wells Fargo and leveraging the resources, 'cause they have a ton of resources-

   7. CJCalum Johnson10:38

      Mm

   8. CKCoach K10:38

      ... that, um, allowed me just to get the information I needed to go for it.

5. 10:43 – 16:47

   How 9-5 steals your freedom.

   1. CJCalum Johnson10:43

      Yeah. You know what's interesting, I think, as, as entrepreneurs is that even at an early point, we tend to have like a vision long term of like where we see ourselves.

   2. CKCoach K10:52

      Mm-hmm.

   3. CJCalum Johnson10:53

      Um, and I think people have different motivations. Like for some people, they just want the, um, they want to be rich, they wanna be successful, or it's more so that they want the freedom and the control over their time. Maybe what's motivating them is like family or, or these sorts of things. I'm curious for you at that point when you decide to start the daycare center, I understand that you're trying to also kind of solve a pain point and a problem that you have. But what is like the deeper motivation of like, "I wanna make money. I wanna, uh, start a business"? Like is there someone that you're doing it for? Or is there something external that's like happening that's-

   4. CKCoach K11:32

      Absolutely

   5. CJCalum Johnson11:33

      ... fueling that?

   6. CKCoach K11:33

      So recently just retired my mom. My mom finally retired. Uh, initially going into corporate America, I thought I was gonna be the person who worked for a company forever. But there was a situation where I closed on a, I wanna say three or $4 million loan with Wells Fargo, and as a thank you, they gave me a certificate to go on the company's website and buy a T-shirt. So for me-

   7. CJCalum Johnson11:55

      Mm

   8. CKCoach K11:55

      ... that was the moment of, "Yeah, this isn't for me." But also the drive to just make sure that my family, um, is okay. I've watched my mother work forever. She's had the same-- She's worked for the same company Since I was born. Um, so recently retired her, and I think that was one of the key things that I wanted to do, watching her get up at 4:00 in the morning, drive an hour, work at a factory, and she's in her-- getting ready to be in her 60s. So for me, it was I gotta do-- I have to do something different to make sure that I'm not in that space at 60 where I'm getting up at 4:00 in the morning to work for a company. And then I have a daughter, so it's-- she's watching what I do the same way I watched what my mom did, thinking that I was going to be in that space forever. So now it's-- the drive is knowing that someone looks up to me. I'm someone's idol.

   9. CJCalum Johnson12:45

      Mm-hmm.

   10. CKCoach K12:45

       Somebody's watching me, and I, I have the opportunity to give her a different, a different platform to go out and just make the decisions that she wants to make.

   11. CJCalum Johnson12:54

       Mm. That's powerful. That's powerful. Are there-- I'm curious, are there certain moments even from growing up and seeing your mom wake up at 4:00 AM, are there like vivid memories that you have of just like it being like a struggle for her or it like that job just wearing on her?

   12. CKCoach K13:12

       Mm-hmm. I think the biggest thing, the biggest gap is her not being able to be as present as she would like to be for like after school activities. She would always come. I was, I was always in dance, I was always in cheer. I tried to do volleyball and track and things like that. Um, and she would always attend the events, but it would be at the end because she's had to work all day. And, you know-

   13. CJCalum Johnson13:33

       Mm-hmm

   14. CKCoach K13:33

       ... other parents would be there. They would be team moms. They would come in and be, you know, present for the entire thing, and my mom's just walking in, just getting off of work just in time to pick me up and take me home. So I think that was the biggest thing, um, or the biggest gap, um, where I can say that she probably struggled with just not being 100% present when she could have been because she's working and h- and has to make sacrifices to make sure the bills are paid.

   15. CJCalum Johnson13:59

       Mm. And so you have that desire just to like, I guess for your daughter, you wanna be present-

   16. CKCoach K14:04

       Present

   17. CJCalum Johnson14:04

       ... you wanna be available.

   18. CKCoach K14:06

       Absolutely, 100%. They had a, uh, which is why I came this morning, um, they had a school event yesterday and I'm like, "I'm not missing it."

   19. CJCalum Johnson14:14

       Mm.

   20. CKCoach K14:14

       "I, I have to be there." So that's, that's key for me, just making sure I'm there because I know what it's like to look up in the stands and your parents are not there-

   21. CJCalum Johnson14:23

       Mm

   22. CKCoach K14:23

       ... at the moment. They're coming, but they're not there right then, right then. Yeah.

   23. CJCalum Johnson14:27

       Yeah. No, that makes sense. You know what? It's, um, it's interesting with your story about you close like this three like three to $4 million deal and the thanks that you get from the bank is like this gift certificate.

   24. CKCoach K14:41

       Mm.

   25. CJCalum Johnson14:41

       And the reason I say it's interesting is 'cause I have this in my story as well, and I've spoken to a lot of people that work a nine to five and then they, they go and start a business. There's always a moment when they were working their job and it's this, it's kind of a strange moment where you almost get to look into the future-

   26. CKCoach K14:58

       Mm-hmm

   27. CJCalum Johnson14:58

       ... and you kinda see like, "I could reach the top of this field. Like I could reach the pinnacle accomplishment," whatever that is, "and this is the reward that I would get."

   28. CKCoach K15:11

       Mm-hmm.

   29. CJCalum Johnson15:12

       I remember for me, I was working in marketing and um, the CMO, so the chief marketing officer of the startup that I worked at, so he's the head of marketing. He's reached the top of like the track that I'm on, he's reached the top of it.

   30. CKCoach K15:27

       Mm.
6. 16:47 – 19:13

   Compulsory challenges of starting a business.

   1. CJCalum Johnson16:47

      get into the brand and I wanna get into, um, how someone can find and secure hundreds of thousands of dollars of grants.

   2. CKCoach K16:53

      Okay.

   3. CJCalum Johnson16:54

      But before, before we do, I wanna talk about the daycare center-

   4. CKCoach K16:58

      Okay

   5. CJCalum Johnson16:58

      ... quickly because you start doing this business, and you even alluded to it earlier, I think as entrepreneurs we go into these businesses and we have so much enthusiasm.

   6. CKCoach K17:09

      Mm-hmm.

   7. CJCalum Johnson17:10

      We have so much energy and excitement about what we're gonna be able to do with this, where we can take it, and then invariably you come across like the struggle and the obstacles.

   8. CKCoach K17:21

      Mm-hmm.

   9. CJCalum Johnson17:21

      And so take me back to those moments, like those experiences. Like what comes to the forefront of your mind even when I say these things?

   10. CKCoach K17:31

       Oh, there's so many, but just being excited to open up the childcare center was huge. Being the first entrepreneur in my family, I have tons of support and then I open up my daycare center and we have two kids, you know. So we have two kids for a couple weeks, but because I have two kids I still have to have at least four employees.

   11. CJCalum Johnson17:50

       Mm.

   12. CKCoach K17:50

       So now I'm only making a couple of dollars, but I still have this overhead and this payroll that I have to pay. So that was one situation. Shortly after that, um, the state decided that they were going to change the requirements. So now we're getting kids enrolled, you know, things are starting to pick up. I feel like we're going in the right direction, and then I get a letter in the mail that says, "Hey, we're changing our requirements. So now you-- where you could-- used to be able to have 50 kids, now you can only have 25." So it was this, I'm at this high level or this peak because I'm growing, I'm doing this, I'm making it happen, and then now it's kinda like, oh, you can only have... We're cutting the amount of kids you can have in half. So that was a, just a moment where I'm sitting there and I'm like, "What am I gonna do?" I've invested my entire savings account into my business. I've maxed out my credit cards. I think I got it all figured out. I've called parents and asked them for loans and favors. I've, I've, I've fig- I've done everything that I can do. Um, so those were kind of the key points or some of the key moments that just made me sit down and figure out what's going to be the strategy and what can I do, or how can I put things in place to continue to grow this business and go all in on my mission without closing my doors or feeling like I'm a failure.

   13. CJCalum Johnson19:11

       Yeah. I'm, I'm

7. 19:13 – 27:10

   Why grants are necessary

   1. CJCalum Johnson19:13

      curious for you because it's kind of, um, it's interesting to me, like, the pathway of an entrepreneur, where like I said, you start with kind of the enthusiasm and the energy. You then kind of come across these obstacles, and for you it's like, okay, how do we get more kids here-

   2. CKCoach K19:27

      Mm-hmm

   3. CJCalum Johnson19:27

      ... to start with? And then you kind of reach this point where things are actually, it feels like things are working, like things are clicking. You're like, "This is kind of why I did this." Like-

   4. CKCoach K19:36

      Mm-hmm

   5. CJCalum Johnson19:37

      ... you're just getting those signs of encouragement. What is that peak moment for you? Like, what was the, the moment where you kind of felt like this is actually working? Like, we've got something here. Like, I might actually make this work.

   6. CKCoach K19:52

      Yeah. I'm sitting down at the table one day and I'm like, "Ooh, I can pay all the daycare bills." And for me that was a huge, like, accomplishment. I'm looking at my overhead. I've made payroll, and there was a couple dollars left. It wasn't a lot, but I was able to pay all of the bills without going into or using my paycheck from-

   7. CJCalum Johnson20:14

      Mm

   8. CKCoach K20:14

      ... Wells Fargo, you know, at the time, using my paycheck or, you know, having to borrow funds or having to do anything, um, outside of the business to make it happen. So for me, that was the first moment of, "You got this, girl."

   9. CJCalum Johnson20:28

      Mm-hmm.

   10. CKCoach K20:29

       Um, and that's kinda w- that was a huge turning point for me.

   11. CJCalum Johnson20:32

       Yeah. What's that feeling? It's like relief I guess? Like-

   12. CKCoach K20:34

       Relief

   13. CJCalum Johnson20:35

       ... you can-

   14. CKCoach K20:35

       Yeah

   15. CJCalum Johnson20:35

       ... take a breath.

   16. CKCoach K20:35

       You can do this. Yeah. [laughs]

   17. CJCalum Johnson20:37

       Yeah. Yeah.

   18. CKCoach K20:38

       Yeah.

   19. CJCalum Johnson20:38

       Okay, you know what? Contrast that to me with you... What was kind of like the... What was the moment that it was like, it was really a struggle? Okay, back to the episode in 60 seconds, but first let me know if you've had this experience. You log into your online banking, you check your bank statement, and you see a bunch of charges from subscriptions you didn't even realize you're still paying for. I've had this happen numerous times, and so heading into the new year, I started using the sponsor of today's episode, Rocket Money, to help manage my finances. Rocket Money is an all-in-one personal finance app that helps you cancel subscriptions, lower bills, and manage your money better. And so here was my experience using it, and let me take you guys back a few weeks. So I installed the app on my phone, I signed up, I linked my bank account to it, and once I did that, Rocket Money automatically identified all of my subscriptions and put it into a single list. When I went into that list, I was shocked to see how many subscriptions I was paying for, many of which I don't even use. I even had some services I was paying for on multiple subscriptions. And so with a few taps, I was able to cancel some of these subscriptions directly from the Rocket Money app. You can also use Rocket Money to scan your bills and find savings there. They help with setting budgets and automating your savings. And so if you want to try Rocket Money today, use the link in the description and you will get their premium membership for free. That's RocketMoney.com/calumjohnson. Go to that link in the description. You can get the premium membership for free. Okay, back to the episode in 60 seconds, but first I wanted to share a quick story with you guys. Over the last few months, I've been taking my health much more seriously. I've always been someone that works out and goes to the gym, but I wasn't paying as much attention to what I was putting into my body. And so after a ton of research and Googling, one of the things that has become a core part of my routine is drinking AG1, and fortunately, they're also the sponsor of today's episode. So first off, I'll say that I am typically incredibly skeptical of these healthy green drinks and trends, and AG1 was no different. I remember the first time I had it. I'm mixing it with water in my kitchen, and it comes out this deep green color, and I'm looking at it, and I'm expecting it to taste terrible, but it was really smooth and very easy to drink. It wasn't your typical green drink by any means, and the health benefits have been great as well. It has all of the probiotics that you need for optimum gut health. It also has all of the adaptogens, vitamins, and minerals that make sure all of your foundational health needs are met. It's just a good, healthy start to my day. And so heading into this new year, I'm drinking AG1 every morning, and here's the best part. AG1 is offering new subscribers a free $76 gift when you sign up. So you'll get a welcome kit, you'll get a bottle of D3 K2, and five free travel packs in your first box. So make sure to check out drinkag1.com/calum to get the offer. That's drinkag1.com/calum. Thank me later. Let's get back to the show.

   20. CKCoach K24:10

       Yeah, there was a dark moment where, um, we are, again, I get the letter that they are cutting the amount of kids that I can have in half, but because of the size of the building, I still have to maintain the same amount of employees. So cutting the c- amount of kids I have, but I still have to have the same amount of team members. Um, and couple of weeks go by, maybe a month or so, and I have to make payroll Remember, I've maxed out my c- credit cards. I've emptied out my savings account, but I still have this paycheck that I'm getting from Wells Fargo. So I get a paycheck, it's time to make payroll. I had to decide if I was gonna make my mortgage payment with that paycheck or if I was gonna use it to pay my employees.

   21. CJCalum Johnson24:52

       Mm-hmm.

   22. CKCoach K24:52

       So for me, that was a, a, a huge dark moment because I'm risking the roof that I have or the, the roof that I have over my daughter's head and what I've built and what I've worked so hard for to kind of invest into this business. So I had to sit down and figure out, what do I truly want and how can I make a change because this cannot happen again. Um, of course, decided to, you know, use that paycheck and fund the bus- fund the business, which it worked out in my favor, but that's how I kinda got into grants. That was the moment where I'm like, "Something has to be different," and that's why I started writing grants.

   23. CJCalum Johnson25:30

       Yeah. You know what? I think so mu- so many times in conversations like this we don't talk enough about, like, the human being-

   24. CKCoach K25:36

       Mm

   25. CJCalum Johnson25:36

       ... that's involved. And so I think about, and where my mind went, is you even said it earlier, like you started this business, there was multiple reasons, but in part to, like, secure the future and, like, security for your daughter.

   26. CKCoach K25:52

       Mm-hmm.

   27. CJCalum Johnson25:53

       And then you arrive at this moment where the business itself is almost, like, directly threatening-

   28. CKCoach K26:01

       Mm

   29. CJCalum Johnson26:01

       ... the security of your daughter. And so I'm- I'm curious to understand for you as a human being in that moment of, like, you're faced with this decision, like, "Do I fund the business or do I pay the mortgage," like, where is your mind?

   30. CKCoach K26:17

       All over at this point. Um, trying to figure it out. You know, I'm still working, so I'm trying to balance work, being an entrepreneur. Um, there was a point where I was getting off of work and going to work at the daycare. So now I'm in this space where, you know, my daughter's there, you know. That, that's our bonding time. We're getting off at-- I'm leaving the daycare at 7:00, going home, cooking dinner, and that's our day, and I'm doing it all over again. So now I'm, I'm depressed. I'm exhausted. Um, it's showing up in other areas. I'm not performing as well at my job. It's just, it's ... It took a toll, a huge toll. Um, but I really just had to sit down and say, "Hey, snap out of it. What, what we gonna do to make this work?" And that's kind of how I've always been. Um, either we're gonna go all in or we're gonna let it go, and I just decided to go all in.
8. 27:10 – 29:35

   Maximum amount you can get from grants?

   1. CJCalum Johnson27:10

      Yeah. So, so you go all in, and you go all into, um ... And it was even, like, the grants, like, kinda helped you in that moment.

   2. CKCoach K27:18

      Yeah. Mm-hmm.

   3. CJCalum Johnson27:19

      Do you remember, like, the first grant that you successfully got? Like, what's the story there?

   4. CKCoach K27:23

      Yes. The first grant I received was a $500 grant. It was, uh, from a foundation, a local foundation in Huntsville, Alabama. They gave me a $500 grant. And first I got this $500 and I'm like, "What am I gonna do with $500?" And I got a overhead of, like, 10,000, right?

   5. CJCalum Johnson27:40

      Mm-hmm.

   6. CKCoach K27:40

      Um, but it was like this light bulb went off, like, wait a minute, all I had to do was answer, like, four questions to get this grant. And I answered these four questions and I just simply told them about my mission and what-

   7. CJCalum Johnson27:53

      Mm-hmm

   8. CKCoach K27:53

      ... I wanted to do, and they gave me funding in return. Probably took me less than 20 minutes to complete this application. $500 and 20 minutes? I think I can do that, right?

   9. CJCalum Johnson28:04

      [laughs] That's good math.

   10. CKCoach K28:04

       Yeah. [laughs]

   11. CJCalum Johnson28:05

       [laughs]

   12. CKCoach K28:06

       So, um, it- that was the drive. That was the turning point, like, wait a minute, all I have to do is answer a couple questions and these companies will give me money to fund my mission? So I started ... I really just locked in on that and just started writing grants over and over and over again. Got declined for a lot, got approved for a few, but that was the moment where that first grant created just something different in me.

   13. CJCalum Johnson28:32

       Mm. Okay, you know what? I wa- I wanna get deeper into it.

   14. CKCoach K28:34

       Okay.

   15. CJCalum Johnson28:35

       But I'm curious, how far have you seen-- 'Cause you mentioned your first one is $500.

   16. CKCoach K28:40

       Mm-hmm.

   17. CJCalum Johnson28:40

       I'm curious how far you've seen it go. Like, even with clients that you've worked with or even for yourself, like, what are some of the amounts that you've seen that you're like it would blow your mind-

   18. CKCoach K28:50

       Mm-hmm

   19. CJCalum Johnson28:51

       ... that you could get this amount of money debt-free, string- no strings atta- like, it would blow your mind. Like, what kinda comes to mind?

   20. CKCoach K28:58

       Yeah. We have a young lady who is at $1.7 million in funding that she's received. She's probably a little bit more now, um, but the last time we checked in she was at $1.7 million in grants-

   21. CJCalum Johnson29:09

       Jesus. Wow

   22. CKCoach K29:09

       ... that she's received. We have another lady, she's based in Memphis. She's received two separate grants for $500,000. Um, but she's also received grants for $2,000.

   23. CJCalum Johnson29:20

       Mm.

   24. CKCoach K29:20

       So it just depends on how aggressive that you can be, but there are tons of opportunities out there. You just gotta go for it.

   25. CJCalum Johnson29:28

       Mm. Okay, you know what? Let's get into it. And I, I, what I wanna do actually, before we get into the, the practical stuff, I also want to

9. 29:35 – 30:36

   Do you have to be a Non profit organization?

   1. CJCalum Johnson29:35

      ... 'Cause I think there's a lot of, like, misconceptions-

   2. CKCoach K29:37

      Mm-hmm

   3. CJCalum Johnson29:37

      ... about grants or, like, um, myths. And so I wanna read a few and I wanna get your reaction, and we can just go through it.

   4. CKCoach K29:45

      Love it.

   5. CJCalum Johnson29:46

      Okay, so he- here is, I was thinking about reasons, even for me as a business owner, like, 'cause you hear about grants but you're like, "Eh, I'm not really gonna put too much time into it."

   6. CKCoach K29:57

      Mm-hmm.

   7. CJCalum Johnson29:57

      And I was thinking about why are- why is that for me personally. So the first one is, um, the thought that really grants are for, like, nonprofits. Like, only nonprofits can qualify for that sort of funding.

   8. CKCoach K30:11

      That's the biggest misconception. Anybody who thinks about grants, they immediately think you have to be a nonprofit. You can get access to capital whether you're a for-profit or a nonprofit. Now, you wanna take it to another level, you have both opportunities. So you have a for-profit and a nonprofit. We'll dive into that later. But you can get access to grant funding whether you're a for-profit or a nonprofit.

   9. CJCalum Johnson30:35

      Okay. Okay, here's,

10. 30:36 – 32:22

    Duration of a grant application (Live example)

    1. CJCalum Johnson30:36

       here's my number two, um, and this is probably the biggest one for me, is- The thought process that in order to be successful in getting grants, it's just gonna take a lot of time, and it's also like, um, it's a complicated process. And so for me personally, it's like even when I was-- even before I started my company and I'm just planning it, it's like, oh, there's so much work that I already have to do just to build the business. This is like an external thing which is gonna take a lot of time, which is complicated. I need to get my mind around it. And the chances of me succeeding and landing something are quite small. So it's like the balance of like time with like, I can actually get it.

    2. CKCoach K31:23

       There are some grants that take time. Um, your larger 6-7 figure grants are going to require a little time, right?

    3. CJCalum Johnson31:30

       Mm.

    4. CKCoach K31:30

       We have to be able to explain how we're going to use the funding. However, there are some grants that take less than 60 seconds to complete.

    5. CJCalum Johnson31:37

       Yeah.

    6. CKCoach K31:37

       You wanna do one together?

    7. CJCalum Johnson31:38

       Yeah.

    8. CKCoach K31:39

       You wanna do one now?

    9. CJCalum Johnson31:39

       Yeah, we should do one.

    10. CKCoach K31:40

        Okay. Let's do one. Okay, go to thelegacygrant.com.

    11. CJCalum Johnson31:44

        Thelegacygrant.com. I love that we're doing this. Making it real actionable for people. Okay.

    12. CKCoach K31:51

        Yes. So it's a $2,500 grant.

    13. CJCalum Johnson31:54

        Okay.

    14. CKCoach K31:54

        We give it out every quarter, and this grant only requires that you answer one question.

    15. CJCalum Johnson31:59

        Okay.

    16. CKCoach K31:59

        What are you going to do with the funding?

    17. CJCalum Johnson32:01

        Mm.

    18. CKCoach K32:01

        Now, when we are answering this grant question, you just wanna be detailed how you're going to use the funding to grow your business.

    19. CJCalum Johnson32:07

        Mm-hmm.

    20. CKCoach K32:07

        There are so many grants out there just like the Legacy Grant.

    21. CJCalum Johnson32:10

        Mm.

    22. CKCoach K32:11

        One question, less than 60 seconds. You can do one every night before bed, and you always have something in your pipeline, so there's always going to be a grant opportunity that's going to roll in.

    23. CJCalum Johnson32:21

        Mm-hmm.

11. 32:22 – 34:24

    The right way to fill grant applications

    1. CJCalum Johnson32:22

       I'm assuming when you're, when you're applying for grants, that's a pretty common question, right?

    2. CKCoach K32:25

       Mm-hmm.

    3. CJCalum Johnson32:26

       Like, what are you gonna do with the funding?

    4. CKCoach K32:27

       Absolutely.

    5. CJCalum Johnson32:28

       How do you recommend people answer that question?

    6. CKCoach K32:30

       So I have a strategy that we use, um, and that h- we've h- helped people be, uh, successful with getting access to grant funding. We simply, we're REAL, right? Um, so R is making sure that you are relatable to the investor. So the person who has the money that we are requesting, make sure we're able to relate to them and tell them how we're going to use the capital. E, you have to educate them about your business and your brand. Don't assume that they know because you have a podcast or-

    7. CJCalum Johnson32:57

       Mm

    8. CKCoach K32:57

       ... because you're in the childcare industry that they know who you are. You have to be detailed about what makes your business and your brand unique.

    9. CJCalum Johnson33:03

       Mm-hmm.

    10. CKCoach K33:03

        A, you have to have an action plan. No matter the amount of funding that you are requesting, how are you going to use it to grow your business or make an impact? And then L, you have to make sure these- the, that the companies love you. They have to be able to look you up, they have to be able to locate you online, and they have to be willing to wanna invest into you and love your story that you're going to tell.

    11. CJCalum Johnson33:22

        Mm.

    12. CKCoach K33:22

        So simply be REAL.

    13. CJCalum Johnson33:23

        That is so good. Okay.

    14. CKCoach K33:24

        Yeah.

    15. CJCalum Johnson33:24

        I like that. And so I'm, I'm thinking even as you're writing that, are you almost splitting the sections of your answer to address that? Or is it like overall, I guess, your answers just hits on these certain points?

    16. CKCoach K33:39

        G- good question. So it depends on the grant. Um, so some grants only want a paragraph-

    17. CJCalum Johnson33:43

        Mm

    18. CKCoach K33:43

        ... so I simply create a paragraph that drafts around what I just said. This same paragraph, I can use it over and over and over again.

    19. CJCalum Johnson33:51

        Mm.

    20. CKCoach K33:51

        So we can take that paragraph, apply for the Legacy Grant, and then we can go take the o- that same paragraph and go apply for the Greatness Grant that's by Nehemiah Davis.

    21. CJCalum Johnson34:00

        Mm.

    22. CKCoach K34:00

        So these are grants, one time we create one paragraph, and we're applying for grants over and over and over again with that same, um, with that same paragraph using the same strategy. Sometimes there are grantors who want you to have a grant proposal. So with the grant proposal, we have to l- be a little bit more detailed, but still hitting on those points and different bullet points, um, within the full proposal.

    23. CJCalum Johnson34:21

        Okay. This is good. I need to start applying for some grants.

    24. CKCoach K34:23

        Yes. [laughs]

    25. CJCalum Johnson34:23

        Um,

12. 34:24 – 40:43

    How to win grants using AI

    1. CJCalum Johnson34:24

       okay, so h- here was my, my fourth point, or the fourth thing that was kinda like it was like an obstacle in my mind. It will cost too much money. So basically, the idea that like in order to be successful, I'm gonna need like a professional grant writer or someone to come in and do this for me.

    2. CKCoach K34:43

       Mm-hmm.

    3. CJCalum Johnson34:44

       And you know what it's like in the early stages of running a business. Any dollar that goes out needs to be like heavily considered.

    4. CKCoach K34:51

       Yeah.

    5. CJCalum Johnson34:52

       And so I think that's also another thing that holds people back, held me back.

    6. CKCoach K34:55

       Yeah, I agree. So a grant writer is not, uh, it's not always required to get access to grant funding. I tell people all the time, at some point in your business, you do wanna hire a grant writer to do the service for you. But when you hire-- a grant writer is a contractor or a worker within your business. So you wanna-- before you hire somebody in your business, you wanna make sure you understand the job, right? You wanna make sure you're able to give them a, a, a SOP and systems and how they should be able to do the job. So you need to learn the strategy first before hiring a grant writer.

    7. CJCalum Johnson35:27

       Mm.

    8. CKCoach K35:27

       You also wanna make sure that you are applying for some of these grants and getting some money coming in, and then you can take the grant funding that you're receiving and go out and invest into a grant writer. There's another opportunity where, uh, we have people who are hiring virtual assistants to go out and write grants for them.

    9. CJCalum Johnson35:46

       Mm.

    10. CKCoach K35:46

        So now you're able to put them in a Coach K class or, you know, give them access to a course or put them through a certification process, and now they are your certified grant writer that works within your business.

    11. CJCalum Johnson35:56

        Mm.

    12. CKCoach K35:57

        Or something that most people don't leverage enough, AI.

    13. CJCalum Johnson36:01

        Mm.

    14. CKCoach K36:01

        AI is an amazing platform when you train it and educate it the correct way. You can't go to AI and say, "Hey, write this grant for me." It's not gonna help you win the grant. But when you train it to work for you, you tr- you train it to know your business, know your brand, know your mission, and you detail exactly what you're going to do with the grant funding, it's, uh, it's going to help you locate, write, and apply for grants.

    15. CJCalum Johnson36:23

        Yeah. You know, that, that AI point is such a good one. It's, it's interesting because, um, [lips smack] we had a guest a few months ago, and he's like deep into the AI space-

    16. CKCoach K36:32

        Mm-hmm

    17. CJCalum Johnson36:32

        ... both professionally, but like in his own life. Like literally the, the-- when I-- 'cause I, um, I met him at an event first, and he opens his phone and he opens ChatGPT, and he was just showing me some of these models and that he's created for his life. Um- And the AI literally knows everything about him.

    18. CKCoach K36:51

        Mm-hmm.

    19. CJCalum Johnson36:52

        And it was one of those things, it was like a, a mind-opening moment for me because you can give ChatGPT so much context and so much data and information about yourself where like when you're asking it these questions or you're giving these prompts, the responses it's giving you are actually at like a really high standard.

    20. CKCoach K37:15

        Mm-hmm.

    21. CJCalum Johnson37:16

        You're like, this is basically like having another human, like a really smart human next to me-

    22. CKCoach K37:22

        Mm

    23. CJCalum Johnson37:22

        ... that understands exactly what I'm going through and like the context of my business, and then can just fire out these answers.

    24. CKCoach K37:30

        Absolutely. Absolutely. When you train it the correct way, you can acc- you can access and leverage grant funding using AI. Now, grantors do have a feature called ZeroChat GPT, so sometimes they can tell if you're using AI. So this is the key on using it and leveraging it the correct way, training AI to understand your tone, how you write, the things you need, getting to know your business a little bit better, and that's how we go out and leverage grant funding using AI.

    25. CJCalum Johnson37:58

        Hmm. That's good. And you know what? It actually reminds me of something, um, that he said to me, which he said the th- the kind of the mindset shift you need to make is think about 80%.

    26. CKCoach K38:09

        Mm-hmm.

    27. CJCalum Johnson38:10

        The AI will get you to 80%. So if you're trying to send out grants, it will-- If you've trained it correctly, if you've done the right things, the right prep, and given it the right prompts, it will get you to like 80% of where the answer is, and then it's helpful if a human or yourself can kinda come in and add a bit more of those personal elements.

    28. CKCoach K38:30

        Absolutely.

    29. CJCalum Johnson38:31

        Yeah.

    30. CKCoach K38:31

        Absolutely. That's, that's key, and that's how we do it. We have someone inside of our community, he just received a $150,000 grant, and he leveraged and used AI to write that grant. He has a medical transportation company.
13. 40:43 – 43:03

    First step to start winning grants

    1. CJCalum Johnson40:44

       you know, say that someone is listening to this, and maybe it's even before they've started their business, and they're just thinking about the planning, 'cause obviously money comes into it really from the beginning. You're like, "How am I gonna fund this?" And so they're listening to this, and they're starting to get that excitement of like, "Okay, I didn't even know this avenue really existed like that, and I wanna put some time against it, and I want that time to be successful, to be like, uh, productive." What would you say someone either have a f- fresh new business or haven't even started it yet, what would you say is like the step zero? Like it's the, it's the foundation-

    2. CKCoach K41:24

       Mm-hmm

    3. CJCalum Johnson41:24

       ... of like where you need to begin-

    4. CKCoach K41:26

       Yep

    5. CJCalum Johnson41:27

       ... to be successful at this?

    6. CKCoach K41:27

       So I, I have a three-step strategy, and the first step is the foundation. Um, so one, one of the biggest mistakes that entrepreneurs make is we have the vision of starting a business, and we just jump out there. We don't put our vision down on paper. We don't create a business plan. Um, most of the time people don't even register their business with the secretary of state. So if you're starting, if you're watching this and you're like, "Hey, where do I start, Coach K? I want access to grant funding. What do I do?" Make sure that you put your business, your vision down on paper, create a business plan, and then register your business with the secretary of state. Simply by having your business on the secretary of state's website could get you access to capital and funding. Um, companies are out there looking for people to invest in, so they can call you and say, "Hey, we have this funding opportunity available for you. Tell me more about your business and more about your brand." So having that LLC, that S corp, C corp, nonprofit, that's the s- that's the s- the starting point. Sorry, that's the starting point and the foundation and where I would encourage people to start.

    7. CJCalum Johnson42:30

       Yeah. Well, you know, even when it comes to like the business formation, I know this is such a nuanced conversation, and there's like different points for each type of business. I'm assuming the most people that you would work with or people that are even starting their business, I'm assuming they start an LLC?

    8. CKCoach K42:47

       Yeah. The common, most common, uh, um, when we're starting, entrepreneurs start with the LLC. Easiest way, and then as we grow, as we get revenue, then we consult with the CPA on what our tax filing status should be, but LLC is the easiest way.

    9. CJCalum Johnson43:01

       Okay.

    10. CKCoach K43:02

        Yeah.

    11. CJCalum Johnson43:02

        That makes sense.

14. 43:03 – 48:17

    Essential elements for grant winning business plan

    1. CJCalum Johnson43:03

       And you know what? I wanna, I wanna get into something that you mentioned, which is the- The business plan

    2. CKCoach K43:07

       Mm-hmm

    3. CJCalum Johnson43:08

       And so I have this thing with business plans 'cause I think I see the advantages of it. I also see that for a lot of people, I feel like... And it- this was for me, this is like a personal thing, 'cause even when I- before starting a podcast, I tried to start like apparel brands and clothing companies, and a lot of them, I remember the first one, I never even launched it 'cause I spent so much time on this business plan.

    4. CKCoach K43:35

       Mm-hmm.

    5. CJCalum Johnson43:35

       And it became like this form of like procrastination of like I'm kinda scared to launch this thing, but like I'll just keep doing the business plan. And so how does someone... Like tell me what are the core elements of what need to be in that business plan where like this is actually valuable-

    6. CKCoach K43:54

       Mm-hmm

    7. CJCalum Johnson43:54

       ... and it's gonna help me get grants and funding down the line, but I'm not just sitting here procrastinating and like it's now 30 pages long and I, you know-

    8. CKCoach K44:03

       Yeah

    9. CJCalum Johnson44:03

       ... I haven't done anything yet.

    10. CKCoach K44:05

        Good, good question. So one, I would tell them to leverage AI. A- I'm gonna go back to AI. AI will draft your business plan for you. Now, you have to give it and feed it information. You can't just go to it and say, "Hey, write me a business plan." It's not gonna give you what, what you want. But go in and put your thoughts, put, you know, all of your, your thoughts and your vision down in your little chat box and let it create the business plan for you. SBA also has an amazing platform where they have free business plans or they will, um, connect you with a mentor that will help you with your business plan as well. So most people don't use that. The Small Business Development Center is available in every, uh, every city, and they'll help you with your business plan for free. But one of the key things I think people miss out on with their business plan is the budget, um, because companies and funders wanna know how much money you need and where is it going to go, and your business plan is your roadmap to success. So now you're able to tell these companies when they ask you, "Well, why do you need the capital?" You hand them this document and it shows your roadmap. It tells the story of where you're trying to go.

    11. CJCalum Johnson45:11

        Hmm. Is there a certain... I'm kind of curious 'cause I guess in, I think about like business positioning, like the way that you frame and position your company. Are there certain types of companies, and even I guess this comes into even building out the business plan, where it makes it more likely that you're gonna win grants and funding?

    12. CKCoach K45:34

        It just depends. Um, there are certain companies who they only wanna fund nonprofits, right? And then there are certain companies who are looking for people in the education space. They're looking for people who are doing community service. But I have been able to get people access to grant funding. I ha- we have somebody who just received a $10,000 grant, and she has a Airbnb. So it's about how you position your business on this, on the paper and on this document that separates your business from everyone else that's applying for the grant. So this young lady has an Airbnb, however, when we applied for the grant opportunity, we talked about how she's using her Airbnb for emergency shelter or for domestic violence vi- domestic violence victims when they need a place to stay if her Airbnb is vacant.

    13. CJCalum Johnson46:22

        Mm-hmm.

    14. CKCoach K46:22

        So she's using it for a cause. She's a for-profit company using it for a cause, giving back to the community, and now she was able to get access to a $10,000 grant to reinvest back into her Airbnb or essentially go get another one if she wants.

    15. CJCalum Johnson46:34

        Hmm.

    16. CKCoach K46:35

        So it's all about how you position yourself on the paper. It doesn't matter what industry you're in, there's a opportunity out there for you.

    17. CJCalum Johnson46:41

        Y- you know what comes to mind, right when we, uh, when we started talking about this, you gave that framework, um, REAL.

    18. CKCoach K46:48

        Mm-hmm.

    19. CJCalum Johnson46:48

        And you said the thing that it has to be relatable to who's like providing the grant.

    20. CKCoach K46:54

        Absolutely.

    21. CJCalum Johnson46:54

        And that's what, even when you give that example, that's what came to mind for me.

    22. CKCoach K46:58

        Mm-hmm.

    23. CJCalum Johnson46:58

        Which is like there's actually this research process or like this research component of understanding like, well, who's giving the money? Like what do they care about? Can, can you kind of talk about that?

    24. CKCoach K47:11

        Yeah.

    25. CJCalum Johnson47:11

        'Cause that feels intentional to me.

    26. CKCoach K47:13

        Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So here's a great example. Chick-fil-A has, uh, they give out $5 million every year in grant funding. Uh, they have a grant that opens up in March of this year. It's called the True Inspiration Grant. They wanna know how you're being an inspiration. So if I'm applying for this Chick-fil-A grant, I'm not gonna go in there and talk about starting my business and needing access to capital. I'm gonna talk about how I'm being an inspiration. Now, starting my business can be a part of that paragraph, but I'm gonna really, really dive in on how I'm being an inspiration, whether that's in my industry or in my community. So that's h- what I mean by being relatable to your investor. MacKenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos' ex-wife, she gives out millions. She gave out a grant, I believe $640 million in grants in 2024. She, uh, th- that particular grant, she wanted to fund nonprofits, but she wanted people who just simply were making an impact. You just had to talk about the impact you were making.

    27. CJCalum Johnson48:11

        Hmm.

    28. CKCoach K48:12

        So ton of funding opportunity out there. It's just being relatable to that investor.

    29. CJCalum Johnson48:16

        That's good.

15. 48:17 – 53:36

    Where to find grant opportunities

    1. CJCalum Johnson48:17

       That's good.

    2. CKCoach K48:17

       Mm-hmm.

    3. CJCalum Johnson48:17

       Okay, so I'm, I'm curious, how are you getting that insight? Like for example, with the Chick-fil-A-

    4. CKCoach K48:22

       Mm-hmm

    5. CJCalum Johnson48:22

       ... um, the grant that they offer, is that there's just like a webpage where they like explaining it out or even the MacKenzie Scott, like where is that insight coming from?

    6. CKCoach K48:33

       Oh, you're giving your audience like the game plan.

    7. CJCalum Johnson48:35

       Yeah.

    8. CKCoach K48:35

       Okay. [laughs] Yeah, I love it. Um, so there is-

    9. CJCalum Johnson48:38

       Gotcha

    10. CKCoach K48:38

        ... one of my favorite websites is, uh, GrantWatch. GrantWatch is a very user-friendly website. They will have a lot of local funding, um, opportunities. They will have a lot of foundation grants, um, whether you're a for-profit, non-profit, small business, and most people list their grants on GrantWatch because of it, it's one of the best platforms.

    11. CJCalum Johnson49:00

        Hmm.

    12. CKCoach K49:00

        So that's the easiest to navigate and probably the best one to find, um, new opportunities that, that are out there.

    13. CJCalum Johnson49:06

        Okay. So that's, th- that's like you're finding them there, and then even when, as I guess people like click onto these pages, you can see, I'm assuming, you can see in the information Like what's gonna get you selected?

    14. CKCoach K49:20

        Mm-hmm. So when- on GrantWatch, uh, they actually provide a summary of what the funder wants.

    15. CJCalum Johnson49:26

        Mm.

    16. CKCoach K49:26

        So as you go to GrantWatch, they'll tell you how much the grant is worth, they'll tell you what states that they wanna fund, if, you know, if it's, uh, universal or global, um, or just United States, they'll tell you that. Um, but they give you a summary of what the funder wants and the amount that the funding is going to be for. And then they provide you the link where you can go directly to the funder's website. Sometimes on the funder's website at the bottom, at the very ... You know how you're, you're doing something it says terms and conditions at the bottom?

    17. CJCalum Johnson49:57

        Yeah.

    18. CKCoach K49:57

        Sometimes on the funder's website they have something very similar to that, and they'll tell you how your, uh, your grant application is going to be graded. So they might have a 25-point grading scale, four parts to get you to 100 points, and they're gonna tell you what each category is going to be worth. So this is how you make the connection and how you're relatable to your funder, because you're reading the fine print to find out what they want and how they, who they wanna fund.

    19. CJCalum Johnson50:22

        Hmm. You know what's interesting is actually as I'm listening to you, where my mind went, and we were speaking earlier about AI, it's like we ... I think the key thing that I had to realize about ChatGPT and AI, I remember actually the, the guy that I interviewed, um, creator, his name's Mr. Grateful, his, his handle on Instagram, and he says to me, he says, "The mistake that most people make with AI or ChatGPT, they treat it like Google."

    20. CKCoach K50:47

        Mm.

    21. CJCalum Johnson50:48

        So when you go, when you go into Google, right, like if I wanna know where the Atlanta Hawks play basketball, I will ask it a question and Google will spit out a response. He says that's how most people use ChatGPT. No, the right way to use ChatGPT is it's a conversation.

    22. CKCoach K51:07

        Mm.

    23. CJCalum Johnson51:08

        It's like this back and forth where you're actually, you're giving it prompts and you're giving it context so that it can then give you a response, and then you're almost like critiquing its response, and this conversation is getting you-

    24. CKCoach K51:21

        It's great

    25. CJCalum Johnson51:21

        ... closer and closer to a great answer.

    26. CKCoach K51:23

        I love that.

    27. CJCalum Johnson51:24

        And what came to mind when I was even listening to you is they're giving you so much context and information on these grant pages about how to successfully win the grant. You could just copy and paste that information and put it into your ChatGPT, uh, like the chat box.

    28. CKCoach K51:44

        Mm-hmm.

    29. CJCalum Johnson51:45

        And the response that it's able to give you is actually gonna be customized to securing that-

    30. CKCoach K51:51

        Absolutely
16. 53:36 – 55:40

    The consistency you need to get grants

    1. CJCalum Johnson53:36

       Here, here's where my mind goes, which is let's say that someone, they've applied to like Hello Skip, and they successfully got it. They're on the YouTube Live, they're brought up, they've successfully got their first grant. And you said that one, that one is $1,000.

    2. CKCoach K53:50

       $1,000.

    3. CJCalum Johnson53:51

       So $1,000, like I'm off to the races. Where my mind goes is now you almost need to make it like a system. You need to make it a routine-

    4. CKCoach K54:01

       Mm-hmm

    5. CJCalum Johnson54:01

       ... where you're regularly doing this thing. If you wanna see any, in any field, if you wanna see great results, it has to be part of something that you're doing consistently.

    6. CKCoach K54:11

       Mm-hmm.

    7. CJCalum Johnson54:12

       And so I heard you say this in an interview. You said, "If you apply to 21 to 30 grants per month, you have a 90% chance of getting a grant."

    8. CKCoach K54:22

       Yes.

    9. CJCalum Johnson54:23

       And so I'm curious, like when you're working with clients, I almost call it like the success routine. Like when you're building that routine of how you're getting those 21 to 30 applications out, what does that look like on like a weekly basis?

    10. CKCoach K54:43

        We apply for one grant every day. So I have a list of ... We start, so it's, we're in the middle of January. Um, I have a list of grants that I'm already gonna apply for in February. So starting February 1st, I have one grant that I check off every single day, and I just go through the list. Some of those grants are as simple as the Legacy Grants. Some of those take, take a little bit of time. I try to, uh, make sure the ones that take a little time are located on the weekends, because I have a little bit more flexibility to apply for those. But I just always have something in the pipeline that's always coming through. Some months I might get no grants, some months I might get two or three. So I always have something that's coming in, and I don't overlook opportunities. So if there's a grant that's $500 and I qualify for it, I'm applying for it.

    11. CJCalum Johnson55:29

        Hmm.

    12. CKCoach K55:30

        If there's a grant that's $100,000, I'm applying for it. If there's a grant that's $500,000, I'm applying for it.

    13. CJCalum Johnson55:36

        Hmm.

    14. CKCoach K55:36

        So, um, I make sure I apply for all opportunities as well.

    15. CJCalum Johnson55:39

        Yeah.

17. 55:40 – 57:28

    Strategy to win 6-7 figure grants

    1. CJCalum Johnson55:40

       Would you say even for the- I know you mentioned, uh, you had a client that got, like, $1.7 million in funding

    2. CKCoach K55:48

       Mm-hmm

    3. CJCalum Johnson55:48

       ... or someone that got 500,000 on two occasions. Because those, those are, like, outlier scenarios

    4. CKCoach K55:58

       Mm-hmm

    5. CJCalum Johnson55:59

       So what is separating them and their approach? Because there's a lot of people that will listen and maybe they'll apply for one and they don't get it. That's actually what I did. I think I applied to a grant like a few months ago.

    6. CKCoach K56:11

       Mm-hmm.

    7. CJCalum Johnson56:11

       And I didn't get it. I was like, "I ain't doing this." [laughs]

    8. CKCoach K56:13

       [laughs]

    9. CJCalum Johnson56:13

       So what separates, like, me from someone that gets that, like, 1.7 million?

    10. CKCoach K56:19

        Yeah

    11. CJCalum Johnson56:19

        Just in terms of their routine, like their inputs, what they're doing.

    12. CKCoach K56:22

        Yeah, I'll use Miss Emma as an example. She received t- the two grants for $500,000. Miss Emma is work- a working entrepreneur. She's in Memphis, Tennessee. She's building a, um, youth center in Memphis. So people- when people say they don't have time, I always use Miss Emma as an example of no excuses, 'cause she still makes it happen. But she uses the strategy of one grant every single day, and she's also really big on reaching out to the funders and the foundations who have the funding opportunities, introducing her business, introducing her brand, talking about her mission and the impact she's going to make when she does get access to the funding, um, for the youth foundation. So she is, she's, I think she's about $500,000 away from everything that she needs to make the whole vision happen.

    13. CJCalum Johnson57:12

        Mm-hmm.

    14. CKCoach K57:12

        But she's the one, no excuses, one grant every day. I always use her as, as an example of what you can do if you apply this strategy.

    15. CJCalum Johnson57:20

        Hmm. It's just that, it's that consistency.

    16. CKCoach K57:23

        Consistency.

    17. CJCalum Johnson57:24

        Okay. I need to-

    18. CKCoach K57:25

        Yep. No excuses and being consistent

    19. CJCalum Johnson57:26

        ... I need to get onto

18. 57:28 – 1:01:55

    How to automate your daily grant application.

    1. CJCalum Johnson57:28

       it.

    2. CKCoach K57:28

       Yep. [laughs]

    3. CJCalum Johnson57:29

       You know what even, um, 'cause you kind of, in that process, I always think about how do you make things easy? How do you make things simple for yourself?

    4. CKCoach K57:36

       Mm-hmm.

    5. CJCalum Johnson57:37

       Because I think when it comes to being consistent, if there is too much friction in a process or it's too difficult, after-- You might be able to do it for a week or two weeks. You might just be able to brute force and will yourself to do it. But after a certain point in time, there's gonna be a day where, you know, things got super busy or you didn't sleep well that night or, you know, your kid needed this, and then it drops off.

    6. CKCoach K58:04

       Mm-hmm.

    7. CJCalum Johnson58:05

       And so I always think to myself, how do you make things easy? And something that actually came to mind because it feels from listening to you that you always have this list of grants that are, like, in mind, and then in the morning you're just checking off the list of like, "Okay, I sent the application."

    8. CKCoach K58:21

       Mm-hmm.

    9. CJCalum Johnson58:22

       And we were talking about AI. I'm assuming that you could literally go into, and you probably know better than me, but you could literally go into ChatGPT and say, I don't know, "I have this business called The Calum Johnson Show, where we interview entrepreneurs and creators," or whatever, like what your company does, and then, "I'm looking for grant funding. Can you find-

    10. CKCoach K58:43

        Mm-hmm

    11. CJCalum Johnson58:43

        ... 10 grants that you think could be a fit?"

    12. CKCoach K58:47

        Yeah.

    13. CJCalum Johnson58:47

        I mean, you could literally build the list that way.

    14. CKCoach K58:49

        Absolutely. So you can build it that way. Um, so inside, I have a community, and inside of my community we give entrepreneurs access to an AI software that I've kind of plugged my information in and educated it on the grants. So we do leverage that to find grant opportunities. You can actually go in and plug the date. "Hey, it's January 15th, you know, I'm looking for 10 grants. I'm, I live in Alabama," and it will find 10 grants that are open and active and available for you. So yes, you can use and leverage AI to, to find the grants that are out there and available. Something else I always do to make sure I'm prepared, every time I'm a- I'm applying for these grants, I'm not typing out a full paragraph every single time.

    15. CJCalum Johnson59:30

        Mm-hmm.

    16. CKCoach K59:30

        I always have this information on hand and ready and available. So that real paragraph that I create, I create one at the beginning of every year and I use it all year long.

    17. CJCalum Johnson59:41

        Mm-hmm.

    18. CKCoach K59:41

        'Cause sometimes my mission change, my budget goal changes. So I just create that same paragraph and now I'm just copying and pasting. I also have a grant proposal always on hand, so when I'm applying for this grant, if it asks me for a document, I already have it ready and now it's just copy and paste and putting, putting the pieces to the puzzle together.

    19. CJCalum Johnson1:00:00

        Mm-hmm.

    20. CKCoach K1:00:00

        So that's what kind of, I think people kind of get discouraged when they're applying because they're not prepared. But when you're prepared, it just makes it easy. So now the one grant a day is not as challenging as we think because it's already at our fingertips.

    21. CJCalum Johnson1:00:12

        Yeah.

    22. CKCoach K1:00:12

        Mm-hmm.

    23. CJCalum Johnson1:00:13

        Okay. Now the grant proposal, what, what goes into that?

    24. CKCoach K1:00:17

        Yep. So your grant proposal, a good business plan is actually a grant proposal.

    25. CJCalum Johnson1:00:21

        Okay.

    26. CKCoach K1:00:21

        Yep. So if you have a solid business plan, you can use it and leverage it as your grant proposal. So in your grant proposal, you wanna make sure you have an executive summary that just summarizes the business, the vision of the business. You can include your mission statement, your vision statement. One of the key components that I love inside of a grant proposal is a problem statement, and this is what most people miss out on. Um, with getting access to grant funding, they want you to do two things. They want you to find a problem and be the solution. So if I have located a problem and I can figure out how I can be the solution to the problem, this opens up the door for more funding. For example, I located a problem in, with affordable childcare. Um, when we mention affordable childcare, it typically doesn't have quality education. So I became the solution to the problem, and I started incorporating STEM-based education into my childcare center. So now I've located a problem in my commun- in my industry, and now I'm the solution to the problem. That's what these funders wanna see. So in your grant proposal, you include that in, and now it opens up the door for more funding. Another key thing is an action plan or a project plan, which talks about your roadmap on how you're gonna use the funding. So yes, I need $100,000, but in six months I'm gonna do this. In 12 months I'm gonna make this happen. In 18 months I'm gonna have the t- entire funding spent and completed. And that, that also grabs the funder's attention as well.

    27. CJCalum Johnson1:01:43

        Yeah. Okay. You know what? That, that's, um, I'm glad that you brought that up of like- How am I gonna use the funding?

    28. CKCoach K1:01:48

        Mm-hmm.

    29. CJCalum Johnson1:01:49

        And so here's the thing as entrepreneurs, especially your- when you're in those early stages, 'cause I'm curious to kinda

19. 1:01:55 – 1:05:51

    How to use grants to grow without pressure

    1. CJCalum Johnson1:01:55

       get your mindset on how you even frame and deliver that answer.

    2. CKCoach K1:02:00

       Mm-hmm.

    3. CJCalum Johnson1:02:01

       Which is like, yeah, there's a lot of things that I have a plan of how I wanna do it.

    4. CKCoach K1:02:08

       Mm-hmm.

    5. CJCalum Johnson1:02:09

       But it's always unexpected. Like, what, what actually happens in reality versus the plan, those are, like, two completely different things. And so as you're kind of sharing, like, how you're gonna use the money and where it's gonna be used and what it's gonna achieve, how do you kind of get that balance right? Right? Because I guess you don't know if in three months you're gonna be able to do this, or six months later.

    6. CKCoach K1:02:34

       Mm-hmm.

    7. CJCalum Johnson1:02:34

       As an entrepreneur, things are changing day to day.

    8. CKCoach K1:02:37

       Absolutely.

    9. CJCalum Johnson1:02:38

       So talk to me about that.

    10. CKCoach K1:02:38

        Yep. So, um, I'll give you an example. Um, March, March 2025, I'm hosting a conference. I know that this conference is going to cost me $50,000. Throwing that out there, but $50,000, right? So in, I'm able-- Now I'm able to kinda window shop. I know that I'm gonna give out a $5,000 grant, so that's $5,000 of the $50,000 budget. I know that videographer and team to record is gonna cost me $10,000. I know that the venue is going to cost me another $10,000. I know that marketing and advertising is gonna cost another five. So now I have a breakdown of everything that's going, that I'm going to do. I might say, hey, we're gonna allow, um, uh, 50 entrepreneurs to come in for free so we can educate them, and the normal ticket cost is $100. So now I'm able to include that in my budget. So now I'm incorporating community service, community impact, and I'm giving something away as well. So now the funder sees my breakdown. Now, if something happens, right? Let's just say I decide to do a $2,500 grant instead of a $5,000 grant. The funders won't get upset, right?

    11. CJCalum Johnson1:03:49

        Mm-hmm.

    12. CKCoach K1:03:49

        We're still taking the money, reinvesting back into our business. Courtesy, you can always let them know, like, "Hey, this is..." Once I finish the project, "Hey, this is what we actually spent the money on. It all went back towards the business or reinvesting into the conference, but there were kinda some adjustments or some changes." So even though you have a budget, it doesn't have to be to the penny of what you spend it on.

    13. CJCalum Johnson1:04:10

        Mm-hmm.

    14. CKCoach K1:04:10

        You just can't go to Dubai with the money-

    15. CJCalum Johnson1:04:12

        Yeah

    16. CKCoach K1:04:12

        ... when you get it.

    17. CJCalum Johnson1:04:13

        [laughs]

    18. CKCoach K1:04:13

        But as long as you're reinvesting it back into the business, you're okay.

    19. CJCalum Johnson1:04:16

        Yeah.

    20. CKCoach K1:04:16

        Yeah.

    21. CJCalum Johnson1:04:17

        You know, where, where my mind went, even if we just put getting the money to one side, and obviously we want the money, but just getting, getting the actual grant to one side, it's actually just a really good exercise to do as an entrepreneur.

    22. CKCoach K1:04:30

        Mm-hmm.

    23. CJCalum Johnson1:04:30

        Because I think that question-- it's almost a good thought experiment to do, which is like, if I gave you, for example, $50,000 right now for your business, how would you use that money?

    24. CKCoach K1:04:43

        How would you use it?

    25. CJCalum Johnson1:04:44

        And I think for, I would say, I don't know, 90%, 95, 99% of entrepreneurs, if you asked them that, they probably wouldn't know the exact answer.

    26. CKCoach K1:04:54

        Mm-hmm.

    27. CJCalum Johnson1:04:55

        But you need to know the answer.

    28. CKCoach K1:04:56

        Absolutely.

    29. CJCalum Johnson1:04:57

        Right?

    30. CKCoach K1:04:57

        Yeah.
20. 1:05:51 – 1:09:46

    Companies that give grants to women

    1. CJCalum Johnson1:05:51

       You know what I'm, I'm curious to, to understand is, say that someone's watching this and they were very much in the situation that you were in, right? Where, uh, they're a woman starting a business or running a business. They have a child. Are there certain-- or I'm assuming there are certain grants which are, like, specifically targeted-

    2. CKCoach K1:06:14

       Mm-hmm

    3. CJCalum Johnson1:06:14

       ... for women or moms-

    4. CKCoach K1:06:17

       Absolutely

    5. CJCalum Johnson1:06:18

       ... to apply to. Like, what would be some of those?

    6. CKCoach K1:06:20

       Yeah, there are a ton of grants that cater to women entrepreneurs, minority entrepreneurs, mom entrepreneurs. Um, there is a company called Amber Grant. They have a grant that they give out every month. Now, typically I don't encourage paying application fees. Most grants don't have application fees. But Amber Grant, they do have a application fee, and they just reinvest it back into their grants.

    7. CJCalum Johnson1:06:44

       Mm-hmm.

    8. CKCoach K1:06:44

       Uh, but Amber Grant is a great grant that, uh, they give out two, I'm sorry, two a month. They give a- out a grant in a particular industry every month, and another grant just to women entrepreneurs. There's another grant called the Galaxy Grant. Um, they give out $4,250 every quarter, and this grant just requires that you answer one question. So these are simple grants that are out there and available. Um, Summer Walker did a grant a couple, couple months ago. I think she does it once a year, but this was just for moms.

    9. CJCalum Johnson1:07:17

       Mm-hmm.

    10. CKCoach K1:07:17

        You had to be a mompreneur, and she just wanted to know your story.

    11. CJCalum Johnson1:07:21

        Hmm.

    12. CKCoach K1:07:22

        So there are so many opportunities out there that are available for women entrepreneurs, mom entrepreneurs. Um, oh my, there's so many. I could go on and on and on and on and on.

    13. CJCalum Johnson1:07:32

        Yeah.

    14. CKCoach K1:07:32

        Yeah. [laughs]

    15. CJCalum Johnson1:07:33

        You know what? As, as you list these off I'm like, it's almost like hiding in, um-- It feels like it's hiding in plain sight because I'm like, these companies and these names, or even, like, celebrities or people that you're mentioning, these are, like, names that a lot of people know, that we're familiar with. Like, I had no idea that Chick-fil-A does a grant.

    16. CKCoach K1:07:50

        Every major company or every major corporation has a grant. Either they give it to a nonprofit or either they have a foundation that they have created and they pour the money into the foundation. It's a tax write-off for them.

    17. CJCalum Johnson1:08:02

        Mm.

    18. CKCoach K1:08:03

        So at the end of the year they can say, "Oh, we gave out all of this money in grants." It's just so they don't have, have to pay taxes.

    19. CJCalum Johnson1:08:08

        [laughs]

    20. CKCoach K1:08:09

        Walmart has a grant.

    21. CJCalum Johnson1:08:10

        Yeah.

    22. CKCoach K1:08:10

        Starbucks has a grant. Target has a grant. So I tell people all the time, anything that you are investing into, you should be figuring out how it can reinvest back into you. The cameras that you're using, Samsung, Sony, all those, all these companies have grants.

    23. CJCalum Johnson1:08:24

        Mm.

    24. CKCoach K1:08:24

        Yep.

    25. CJCalum Johnson1:08:25

        And then, you know what? I wanna go for, um, we gave some grants for, for women and for moms. For the guys, and, and I actually had, um, I went on your Instagram and I found some of the ones that you recommended for men. Uh, the Knight Foundation, the Black Founders Fund-

    26. CKCoach K1:08:42

        Mm-hmm

    27. CJCalum Johnson1:08:42

        ... the BMA Community, the Richard King Foundation. I guess any of those, or even other names that, like, come to mind specifically for men.

    28. CKCoach K1:08:51

        Y- yeah. So for transparency, the Knight Foundation grant is not just for men. There are very few grants out there for men entrepreneurs.

    29. CJCalum Johnson1:08:59

        Yeah.

    30. CKCoach K1:08:59

        I had to dig really, really hard to find those grants. So they're, um, the Knight Foundation is an amazing platform. They give over $200,000 and they give it out on a rolling basis, which means they have a pool of funding, and they always are reviewing grant applications. And as they see people that they wanna invest into, they give out the grants. Um, but there are very, very few grants that literally just say, "Just for men."
21. 1:09:46 – 1:13:57

    Her journey from banking to retiring her mum

    1. CJCalum Johnson1:09:46

       like you've helped a lot of people get grant funding. You've also seen the value of it in your life, and you mentioned this moment where you're able to retire your mom. And so I think about the person that, like, started this that was just trying to, like, secure, like, your future, your daughter's future, your family's future. And so almost, like, take me behind the curtain. Like, bring me into that moment of, like, you're able to retire your mom. Like, what's even happening and what's the feeling?

    2. CKCoach K1:10:17

       Yeah. So I think we'll have to take it back just a little. So working for Wells Fargo, um, I started teaching, right? Started holding free- hosting free courses, free seminars. Now I'm educating people because I know that there's a gap. I see that there's a gap. I'm in the space. Um, and so I start hosting these free seminars, and I get a phone call from my HR department that says, "Hey, based off of the competitive nature of your business, you have to make a decision. Either you can dissolve your business or dissolve your coaching space and no longer coach, or you can continue to work here." So I decided that I don't wanna work here anymore. Um, so, um, they actually d- went forward with terminating me. Um, and so I decided that coaching was going to be full time. I go full time coaching, and I try to give this everything that I have. I show up on social media. I'm making Reels. I'm making, you know, TikToks, and nothing's really clicking. And I had this moment where I did a Reel and, um, I'm highlighting banks, the best... It was Juneteenth, and I think I said, "Five, five banks to open up your bank account with today on Juneteenth," and I highlighted minority-owned banks, and that Reel went crazy.

    3. CJCalum Johnson1:11:33

       Mm.

    4. CKCoach K1:11:33

       So I was like, "Oh, wait a minute." So I started posting one Reel every single day. So from there, the coaching business just kinda grew. Um, but the key thing that I think I did was I invested into a mentor, and that mentor was able to come in and just help me put the missing pieces 'cause I was trying to do it all on my own. I was doing my funnels. I was doing my emails. I was doing my text messages. I was doing everything by myself, and it was a disaster. And that mentor came in and was like, "No, let me, let me help you. I got you." And that really just elevated my brand. So now I have somebody who can coach me and walk me through, um, just building out this platform. So, you know, didn't happen overnight, but probably about a year and a half or so after coaching, was just able to get to the point to tell my mom, like, "Hey, I really need you with me. I don't need you getting up at 3:00 in the morning." So, um, yeah, just decided to retire her. It was a struggle, um, because she, all she knows is, you know, working, um, for-- She works for, worked for, retired from Nissan. That's all she knows. She's been doing it since I was born. I'm 37.

    5. CJCalum Johnson1:12:41

       Mm.

    6. CKCoach K1:12:41

       So that was a struggle, but she did it.

    7. CJCalum Johnson1:12:43

       Yeah.

    8. CKCoach K1:12:43

       Yeah. [laughs]

    9. CJCalum Johnson1:12:44

       What, what was her reaction?

    10. CKCoach K1:12:45

        Um, initially scared. Very, very scared. Um, so she works, she still works. She works for me now. So, um, she was like, "Are you sure?"

    11. CJCalum Johnson1:12:54

        Mm.

    12. CKCoach K1:12:55

        Um, "Because, you know, I'm used to getting a paycheck every month-"

    13. CJCalum Johnson1:12:58

        [laughs]

    14. CKCoach K1:12:58

        "... like once a month." And yeah, I'm like, "I'll still give you a paycheck every month." But she was like, "You know, how much money do you make?"

    15. CJCalum Johnson1:13:04

        [laughs]

    16. CKCoach K1:13:04

        Like now she wants to be in my business. She's like, "Let me see."

    17. CJCalum Johnson1:13:08

        Yeah.

    18. CKCoach K1:13:08

        Um, so she's, she's, she's at a comfort level now. I caught her one day applying for jobs. Like, I was like, "Oh, so you're applying for jobs?"

    19. CJCalum Johnson1:13:15

        [laughs]

    20. CKCoach K1:13:16

        "You don't trust me?" But she's, she's comfortable now, but it was a struggle at first.

    21. CJCalum Johnson1:13:20

        Yeah?

    22. CKCoach K1:13:21

        Yeah.

    23. CJCalum Johnson1:13:21

        What was the feeling like for you personally, just being able to do, be able to do that?

    24. CKCoach K1:13:25

        Joy. Complete joy. It required me to, um... So coaching required me, I relocated back to Nashville, Tennessee, um, because it w- coaching requires me on, be on the road so much. So just knowing that she's there with my baby, my ba- she's not a baby. She's 13. But she's there with my daughter, you know, making sure she's back and forth to school and everything is smooth. It just allows me to be in this space with a clear mind-

    25. CJCalum Johnson1:13:51

        Yeah

    26. CKCoach K1:13:51

        ... and be able to really truly be the face of the brand, just knowing that everything at home is okay.

    27. CJCalum Johnson1:13:56

        Yeah.

22. 1:13:57 – 1:17:34

    Choose your peace over a paycheck.

    1. CJCalum Johnson1:13:57

       You know, that's, that's interesting, like just the- I think peace of mind is like a real luxury.

    2. CKCoach K1:14:02

       Mm-hmm.

    3. CJCalum Johnson1:14:02

       Um, and I even just think about what you were saying about like contrasting that moment of you're working at Wells Fargo or even like the stress that you had in working when you were doing the daycare centers to like that peace of mind.

    4. CKCoach K1:14:15

       Oh, yeah.

    5. CJCalum Johnson1:14:16

       You, you would say that that's been like the biggest thing?

    6. CKCoach K1:14:18

       Oh, yeah. So I used to get, um, really, really, really bad migraines. Like dark room, hours, don't touch me, don't talk to me, really bad. I haven't had a migraine since I left Wells Fargo.

    7. CJCalum Johnson1:14:32

       Mm.

    8. CKCoach K1:14:32

       So it was like a, whoa, I really thought something was wrong with me health wise, and it was just the environment.

    9. CJCalum Johnson1:14:39

       Mm-hmm.

    10. CKCoach K1:14:39

        It, it was just where I was working.

    11. CJCalum Johnson1:14:41

        Yeah.

    12. CKCoach K1:14:41

        Yeah. [laughs] So peace of mind, peace of mind is a true luxury.

    13. CJCalum Johnson1:14:45

        Yeah.

    14. CKCoach K1:14:46

        Yeah.

    15. CJCalum Johnson1:14:46

        You know, it's interesting 'cause we, we did, um... I was telling you earlier, we did an episode with Ashley Fox, and she left her job in Wall Street-

    16. CKCoach K1:14:54

        Mm-hmm

    17. CJCalum Johnson1:14:54

        ... uh, to go and do her company. And I remember we're doing the interview and she says something which I'll always remember, which she says, when she made that decision to leave, it was the first moment in her life that she wasn't being driven or, like, dragged by something-

    18. CKCoach K1:15:10

        Mm-hmm

    19. CJCalum Johnson1:15:11

        ... to do something. There was no external reason. It wasn't, "Oh, I just wanna get this money or do this." She said, "It was the first moment where I was being guided."

    20. CKCoach K1:15:18

        Mm. That's good.

    21. CJCalum Johnson1:15:20

        And, and it reminded me of this thing I heard. I heard someone say this on a podcast. He said, he said, "Your calling will call you, you just need to pick up."

    22. CKCoach K1:15:28

        Ooh, that's good.

    23. CJCalum Johnson1:15:30

        And it's just like this idea of like, when you're somewhere where you're not meant to be, it's like you can feel it.

    24. CKCoach K1:15:37

        Mm-hmm.

    25. CJCalum Johnson1:15:38

        And it actually has this, like, physical manifestation, like you're getting the migraines or you're, you're breaking out in acne. Or like, I remember one of the times for me when I was in a job, I've never been depressed in my life, but I remember I would wake up, as I was doing this job, I would wake up and I'd feel like a stone. Like, I would feel so heavy. And it's like your body can almost feel it when you're not in the right spot.

    26. CKCoach K1:16:06

        Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

    27. CJCalum Johnson1:16:07

        And so just to get to that moment where you have that peace of mind is like everything.

    28. CKCoach K1:16:12

        Everything. I agree. I remember a moment of pulling in the parking lot at work and crying. Nothing, I couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, but I just wasn't happy.

    29. CJCalum Johnson1:16:22

        Mm.

    30. CKCoach K1:16:23

        I knew that my time w- I knew that this is, this is not what, this is not what I'm supposed to be doing.
23. 1:17:34 – 1:18:49

    Don’t give up

    1. CJCalum Johnson1:17:34

       You know what, here's where I wanna end, 'cause I think about that scene of you even pulling into work and you're in the car and you're just like bawling and the emotion, and I think about the person, the human being who's like in that position right now.

    2. CKCoach K1:17:49

       Mm-hmm.

    3. CJCalum Johnson1:17:50

       Where they've had that moment where it just kind of feels like everything's like falling down, where it's just like d- this is almost like the rock bottom, like I'm feeling it. As someone that's been there, if you could give that human being just one piece of advice, just one thing, what would you tell them?

    4. CKCoach K1:18:09

       Don't give up. You gotta keep going. Keep going and strive for it. Make a game plan and go after whatever it is that you want. In that moment, I could have threw it all in. In that moment I could have said, "I'm tired of this job. I don't wanna be the, the, uh, entrepreneur anymore. I don't wanna have the business anymore," but I really took that, that, that pain and turned it into power. So I just say, I would just say, don't give up.

    5. CJCalum Johnson1:18:34

       Hmm. Take that pain and turn it into power. I love that. Love that. Coach K, thank you so much.

    6. CKCoach K1:18:39

       No problem. Thank you for having me. This was great.

    7. CJCalum Johnson1:18:41

       Okay. So if you enjoyed this episode, you're gonna absolutely love what we did with this one right here. Click here

Episode duration: 1:18:49