Shownotes
The Power of Listening to Your Gut: "I've always kept asking, like, what brings me joy? What do I like? And I've been willing to have the courage to pivot and do that."
Welcome to another inspiring episode of *Empowering Entrepreneurs*! Today, your Glenn Harper and Julie Smith sit down with Amber De La Garza, a remarkable productivity specialist, coach, and host of the *Small Business Straight Talk* podcast.
Amber shares her incredible journey—from quitting her job after starting a family and buying a new home, to building a thriving business by leveraging a loan off her whole life insurance.
Amber spotlights the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, the importance of setting goals, and the art of making tough decisions by trusting her gut.
We explore her unique coaching approach, tailored to understanding individual personalities and motivations, and hear about her insights gained from personality tests like the Enneagram.
Empowering Moments
00:00 Amber De La Garza: Productivity Specialist and Coach
05:38 Early work experience influences parenting of son.
07:59 Selling real estate was challenging due to age.
09:25 Coaching sales executives, then resigned after son's birth.
14:46 Unexpectedly offered consultant role after quitting career.
17:08 Entrepreneur's knowledge and courage in real estate.
19:24 Entrepreneurs thrive in chaos, dig deep.
24:17 Acknowledging faith, growth, and vision in business.
29:14 Focused on coaching real estate agents, balanced motherhood.
33:34 Mentors and peers provide vital business support.
37:30 Emphasize simple business model to maximize value.
42:21 Understanding clients and adaptability are key.
44:46 Encouragement for entrepreneurs to embrace discomfort for confidence.
Empowering Takeaways
From quitting her job to buying a home and taking a loan against her life insurance, Amber embraced high risks to pursue her dreams.
Amber's story emphasizes the importance of supportive relationships, particularly with her husband, who made significant sacrifices by working on the road to enable her business growth and later quit his job to be there for her when she needed it most.
Amber underscores that it's essential to have a roadmap to keep you focused and driven.
Prioritizing their marriage and leaning on faith was critical to Amber and her husband's resilience and ultimate success, showing that personal support networks can be as vital as professional ones.
Amber leverages personality tests like the Enneagram to tailor her coaching approach, emphasizing the importance of understanding individual client motivations and personalities to produce effective results.
Viewing challenges as opportunities for growth can enhance resilience and lead to personal and professional development.
Amber’s business strategy involves managing a lean team that takes care of most aspects of her business except for the direct interactions she values most.
Aligned Business and Values. It is crucial for entrepreneurs to align their business models with what they truly value and enjoy.
Running a business doesn’t have to run your life.
Without a business partner who holds you accountable, it’s easy to be so busy ‘doing’ business that you don’t have the right strategy to grow your business.
Stop letting your business run you. At Harper & Co CPA Plus, we know that you want to be empowered to build the lifestyle you envision. In order to do that you need a clear path to follow for success
Our clients enjoy a proactive partnership with us. Schedule a consultation with us today.
Download our free guide - Entrepreneurial Success Formula: How to Avoid Managing Your Business From Your Bank Account.
Copyright 2024 Glenn Harper
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Transcripts
Hello, everyone. Welcome to another edition of the Empowering Entrepreneurs podcast. I'm Glenn Harper.
Julie Smith [:Julie Smith.
Glenn Harper [:What's going on, Julie? I got cold coffee today. What's what's that all about?
Julie Smith [:Well, I got my times mixed up. I've been in the studio for quite some time. But, you know, nothing's I mean, you could have no coffee.
Glenn Harper [:This is true. I'm very grateful. I'm just saying that you're doing lots of prep this morning, apparently.
Julie Smith [:Lots of prep. Yes. Alright. Lots of conversation.
Glenn Harper [:Okay. Well, we've got a great guest today. I'd like to do an introduction. I'd like to introduce you Amber De La Garza, owner of and is the Productivity Specialist, where Amber specializes being a coach, a speaker, a writer, and a host of the Small Business Straight Talk podcast. Her skill set helps her analyze the issues, implement solutions, and coach the small business owners to get the results that they've been looking for. It is safe to say that Amber's safe space is in front of a group of people speaking. From starting her career in the real estate space, she morphed into finding and applying her skill set of training and coaching others to become the best that they wanted the best that they wanted but were didn't know how to do it. Amber's knack for helping others with time management and productive and productivity propelled her to starting the productivity specialist.
Glenn Harper [:I think that one of the reasons she has had success with her company is based on her love for AC/DC and guacamole. When one starts the day with metal and guac, one becomes invincible. Her satisfaction comes from with helping her clients become the versions of themselves that they were always wanted but never knew how to get there. Thanks, Amber, for being on our show.
Amber De La Garza [:Absolutely. Thank you for having me.
Julie Smith [:Can you believe he does all of that research and all of that writing all on his own?
Amber De La Garza [:Does he? I was impressed. I was like, did my team write that? I mean, it's all true, but I haven't heard it that way before.
Glenn Harper [:No. This is copyrighted for all those who are listening. No. It just comes to me when I when I look at stuff. But, no, it's it's fun. I think it's, it's just just a little sign of respect to get to know you a little bit. I think I've stalk you a little bit and find some obscure facts. And, you know, you got some crazy stuff out there, but I think the the main thing is as an ACDC fan, are you a Bon Scott or Brian Johnson fan? Or you don't you're indifferent?
Amber De La Garza [:I'm indifferent. Just like the in general. Yeah.
Glenn Harper [:Alright. Well, that's good. Well, it it are you you're in Vegas now. Is that where you grew up?
Amber De La Garza [:It is. Born and raised.
Glenn Harper [:Oh my gosh. What part of Vegas re what what near?
Amber De La Garza [:We are in the southwest part of Vegas. We just hit 120 couple days ago.
Glenn Harper [:That's awesomest drive. Yeah. That's okay.
Amber De La Garza [:Yep. Yesterday's, interviews were with an ice pack on the lower part of my back because we pumped the AC, but it is so hot here.
Glenn Harper [:Meaning mean it's so hot the AC can't even keep up in the buildings?
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. That's crazy. It's cray yeah. It's crazy. It's just, you know, a few weeks of the year that get that hot. But, overall, it's a it's a great place to live.
Glenn Harper [:Now and so you grew up there. Is did your parents move there? Are they natives? How did that all start?
Amber De La Garza [:Actually, my son is 3rd generation, and that is really unheard of, in Vegas because people come and go out of Vegas all the time. So, yeah, 3rd gen my son's 3rd. I'm 2nd. My mom was born and raised here.
Glenn Harper [:Gotcha. What did your, what did your parents do for a living?
Amber De La Garza [:My mom actually works for the Wynn, and, she does the upholstery, like, and, like, window treatments and things like that. And
Glenn Harper [:Is that upholstery like on the chairs?
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah.
Glenn Harper [:They they have the most comfortable chairs on their slots of any casino I've been in. I will say that with a fender. That white leather is so soft and comfy.
Amber De La Garza [:I love that you know that.
Glenn Harper [:But she's doing a good job.
Amber De La Garza [:Dad owns a painting company in Georgia.
Glenn Harper [:In Georgia? Does he travel there to do it, or does he run it remotely?
Amber De La Garza [:Nope. That's where he lives.
Glenn Harper [:Okay. Cool. Cool.
Amber De La Garza [:He and my brother own the business in Georgia.
Glenn Harper [:So these entrepreneurial things, did that start, was your dad always been an entrepreneur or in No.
Julie Smith [:Any kind
Glenn Harper [:of film? No. He just that was recent. Okay.
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah.
Glenn Harper [:Well, how'd you
Amber De La Garza [:my entrepreneurial journey didn't start until I actually had my son, really about 14 years ago. And before that, I had no one in my family that had a business. I really didn't know anyone that was a business owner outside of being like a real estate agent. So not a whole deep background in small business ownership before my dream and actually now passion in small business.
Julie Smith [:So growing up, you never did, like, the bracelet making. You never sold lemonade and cookies. I mean, I feel like there's gotta be a spot for that in Vegas. A kid selling something, like, you you can really capitalize.
Amber De La Garza [:I did not. I sold a lot of girl scout cookies.
Julie Smith [:Mhmm.
Amber De La Garza [:I was always top of girl scout cookies, but not no businesses at a young age. But I was always a hard worker, and that was just what I saw and how I was raised is to be a really hard worker. And that's that's was kind of my identity until that shifted. And I was like, oh, no. Like, I really wanted to build something for myself and my family.
Glenn Harper [:Did you have a a problem? Like, when I had to sell stuff for fundraising, the candy and stuff, I would always, the biggest sale was to me because I was always eat it all. What what was your favorite ghost scout cookie? You dosing those or what do you like?
Julie Smith [:They've changed so much, though.
Amber De La Garza [:Peanut butter patties. Right? I think the peanut butter with the chocolate on them.
Julie Smith [:Oh, the tag alongs. Those are mine too.
Glenn Harper [:Yeah. But could I use some of those right now? And so but I think to your to the what you just said there that that who instilled you or put that value that always just work hard? Whatever you do, it doesn't matter if you're sweeping the floor, putting a roof on, selling Girl Scout cookies, cleaning your room. Do it to your best ability and work hard at it. Where did that come from?
Amber De La Garza [:I honestly don't know. I really feel like it was ingrained in me, and I wish I understood that because I'm raising a 14 year old son. And I and I want to instill that in him as well. But I I feel like it was just who I was, like, at a very young age. Like, I had my first job, like, literally days after I turned 15, and I worked ever since. I worked all through high school, all through college. I just always enjoyed working.
Glenn Harper [:Gotcha. When you you know, I it looks like you you went to UNLV, or you got a degree in business management and real estate. How come you didn't triple major?
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. You know? I'm just I'm just slowing down. I don't know what I was thinking. Well, the truth is, I was also working the whole time I was going to school as well. So
Glenn Harper [:You're probably doing athletics too, I'd imagine.
Amber De La Garza [:No. No. Okay. Athlete at all.
Glenn Harper [:Well, how come was there a reason you stayed in state or is you just didn't wanna travel anywhere or just was the favorable tuition, wanna stay close to home? We're always I'm always curious why people pick the college they pick. Some people have to get out of Dodge. Some people stay local. What was your thought process on that?
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. I actually put myself through college. So I moved out at 18, and between scholar ships, and some financial aid and working, the whole time, I was able to live on my own and go through college. So it just seemed more possible local.
Julie Smith [:Mhmm. When you were going through college, did some of the jobs or, you know, kind of what you speak of having jobs Yeah. Did you work closely with an entrepreneur, or was it were you working in mega corp where you never got to the, you know, know who was doing it?
Amber De La Garza [:Actually, I worked in real estate. So in high school, I did a 2 year internship my junior and senior year where I would intern one day a week and go to school, 4 days. So that gave me, I don't know, access to real estate offices and brokerages. So when I graduated, that's where I started working. I started as like an assistant to a a team. And then I started being, like a team manager over the, administrative side and then the sell side. And I got licensed at 18a half. And then I started selling real estate.
Glenn Harper [:That's so I mean, I don't think I've met anybody that was a real estate agent at age 18. That doesn't usually come to, you know, early late twenties. Yeah. Like, how did you think that's a pretty big thing to do?
Amber De La Garza [:It was absurd. Everybody was older than me, and it is kind of hard to sell real estate to someone that you, you know, can be your parents and have so much probably more experience in real estate than you do. And I was really lucky. I had, you know, quite a few people through my journey just see how hard I was willing to work and learn. And, you know, at that age, I felt like I had to learn more and do more because to compensate for my age. But it was difficult. And, ultimately, my degree was in real estate and business management. That's actually what I got my scholarships through was through real estate.
Amber De La Garza [:And I was selling. And at this time by the time I graduated and had intern, like, I was, like, 7 years into it, and I hated it. I hated selling. I just did not like it. So I actually looked at what I gravitated towards, which was the business side of it. I loved the operational side of it. So I asked for a meeting with the owner of the brokerage company and asked if there was a place for me in the company on the business operation side. And that's what started my corporate career.
Amber De La Garza [:And, after all that experience in college, I said, start me anywhere. And he literally started me second over receptionist. I was breaking the receptionist for lunch And then, started all over again and worked my way up through that company until 2010.
Julie Smith [:So what was your ending title?
Amber De La Garza [:A brokerage manager.
Julie Smith [:Okay.
Amber De La Garza [:And, before that, we he the company had a, coaching department, and it coached the top 20% of sales executives. And I had a mentor that, took me in and put me through coaching training. And so I was helping, the team coach the top sales executives around business systems and leveraging through teams. And that training and that experience is what seeded, but then it was like 2,008, 2,009, the market crashed, the division got closed, and then I got transferred to another department. And in 2010, I had my son, and then I took my paternity and vacation. And about 3 weeks before I was supposed to go back, I went in and resigned.
Glenn Harper [:So, you know, it's, a funny thing. You said something that that, gave me a thought. So when you say you hated the selling, did you hate selling real estate and the environment? Because as an entrepreneur, you're selling every day whether you like it
Amber De La Garza [:or not.
Julie Smith [:Right? Right.
Glenn Harper [:So
Amber De La Garza [:Right.
Glenn Harper [:Was it what didn't you like about the sales piece? Was it selling houses? Or was it the clientele? Or the I mean, what what made you stop? Because now, obviously, you love to sell because this is what you do when you're stage.
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah.
Glenn Harper [:So what was the thing?
Amber De La Garza [:Think of it as selling now.
Glenn Harper [:I know.
Amber De La Garza [:See, and that's the difference. Like, being older and more mature. So I didn't like having to talk to everybody you knew about real estate. I felt inauthentic. I felt like there was always a motive. The the being the proactive, like, the door knocking and the cold calling, I was young, and I just did not like it. And, you know
Glenn Harper [:Were you selling life insurance too? Were you selling life insurance same time just because you're dirty talking to the people?
Amber De La Garza [:I should have. I should have. But it it was it was a difficult way to build a business at a young age for me, and also because I just gravitated towards feeling really comfortable. Like, if you ask me about the actual selling or the contracts or anything on the behind the scenes, I could do all of that. It was the forward facing, the proactive asking for the business. And, you know, flip the switch. You're right. In business, I'm in the marketing role all the time.
Amber De La Garza [:I speak in front of people all the time. This is it's comfortable for me. But I also feel like I'm sharing value. I'm sharing knowledge. I'm sharing something that could change their lives. And if they happen to work with me, they know where they can find me, and it feels like a a a more authentic way to sell or to be, visible to potential clients.
Julie Smith [:I'm just curious. Listening to you talking, literally, this just came to me. My guess is real estate wasn't your real passion. And that's why it felt so sales y. This, I think, is your probably true passion, ignites you from the inside out. Yep. And therefore, it's not sales to you. Right? It's it's just your passion, and you just wanna share that with others.
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. I feel like it is, like, my it's my duty. I don't I don't even know if that's the right word, but, like, I feel like it's my responsibility to, know, get in front of as many people that I could possibly help. I feel like I do have something that I can do to help people. And in real estate, I didn't feel that way. You're right. Because it wasn't my passion. But I fell into it so young.
Amber De La Garza [:It was my pathway out of high school through college, and it did serve me well, until it didn't. And that's the thing that I think I'm so appreciative of is I kept always and through also owning my business now for 14 years, checking in, like, what do I want? Have the goals changed? Where where am I at personally? And reshifting and pivoting where needed.
Glenn Harper [:It's it's funny, you know, the difference between sales and marketing. You know, advertising and marketing are just 2 different way different Yeah. Of you create your brand and market it. You're not really selling, you're just talking about things and people will seek you out. It's way easier to make a sale then versus going out and say, hey. I wanna sell some real estate. Would you like me to sell your house someday?
Julie Smith [:Exactly.
Glenn Harper [:That sounds terrible.
Amber De La Garza [:But know, I'm also a podcaster. And so, you know, I likewise for you guys, this is a great platform for people to get to know you, your expertise, know, like, and trust you. So by the time they reach out, it's a conversation about how could we possibly work together. It's not hard sales. It's not you you have to work with me, which just aligns with my personality much better.
Glenn Harper [:When you said, you know, we always you know, entrepreneurs, when they're when they start this thing, like, when they make the decision to be an entrepreneur, like, okay. I'm working for somebody doing the thing, and all of a sudden, is it something that was like a 2 by 4 to your forehead goes, oh my god, I need to be self employed, or is it something you had been thinking about and going, man, how do I navigate this? I'd like to start it. I feel like it would just kinda hit you. Right?
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. So I wish I could say, like, it was this whole run up, but it wasn't. My son, I I was on the corporate ladder. Like, I was all in. I literally had no intentions. I was I was thinking, should I even take vacation on top of maternity? Like, I'm going back. And my son literally changed my perspective and my life, and I was not expecting it. So to say I got hit by a tooth by 4, I'm like, I don't even recognize myself.
Amber De La Garza [:I'm like, what is this? And honestly, when I quit, I did not have an idea of owning a business. When I went in, I met with the COO and I was so nervous. I I was like, I, you know, you're making this huge decision. Like, there's no going back after you quit this career, you know, you'd have to start again. And, he said, good for you for choosing family over business. And then barely took a breath and said, do you wanna stay on as a consultant? And I was like, what? I'm like, I don't know. What does that mean? He's like, you can work when you need to. We have special projects that we need you to stay involved in.
Amber De La Garza [:They were doing acquisitions in other states. And I was like, I don't know. I need to talk to my husband. I came in to quit. And
Glenn Harper [:Suck back in.
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. So, I worked night times, weekends. I remote it in for 2 years. And you really I incorporated my business idea at the time my son was 2 months old. As soon as I got a piece of that and the confidence of like, oh my gosh. There's no more corporate Yes. Politics. I don't have to do anything I don't like or especially skilled at.
Amber De La Garza [:I'm getting paid to do only the things I love. Oh, this sounds like this could be a cool business. So if they're gonna hire me, I bet other people would too. And that was it. And then it just snowballed from there.
Julie Smith [:So how did you get your second client?
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. My second client, so I started marketing myself. So it was an evolution. When I first opened my business, I was an organizational consultant, and I thought everybody needed business systems and organization, and then that would like change their lives. And I wasn't wrong about that, but businesses see organization as a luxury, not an not not essential. So after struggling for a little bit, I switched it to efficiency consultant, but provided the same exact services. And then that was it. LinkedIn profiles, people that followed me on social from my career reached out, and real estate agents were my first clients.
Amber De La Garza [:And I'd already had a, you know, a professional relationship with them. And then I did that for a while and realized that, yes, every business needs systems and processes. But, really, it's the business owner. It needs to start with the the top down, and it needs to start with behavior and skill set. And then that's when I switched to the productivity specialist exclusively working with the business owner.
Glenn Harper [:You know, it's funny. As an entrepreneur, you you sometimes, you're just born with a skill set, and other times, you you have to become very knowledgeable in an area, you know, top down. And you did that in real estate from the bottom to the top. You knew everything about it. And Yeah. You must have been very, very good at it because when you walked in to resign and they're like, but wait, can you still help us? That's a tribute that you had that breadth of knowledge. And again, having the knowing you're gonna quit and not get any money from anybody, that takes a little bit of gumption to do that. And, you know, entrepreneurs listening to this, like, you know, it's the question, when do I make the move? When do I jump? When do I go and do it? And for you, like, what's the worst thing that could've happened? You'd had to go with no revenue, but what about what the could could've happened? And what could've happened is Yeah.
Glenn Harper [:That you've gotta you're making more, doing less, and have the freedom to do everything that's all set you wanted to do and start the business. It could also turn out very well. And I think that's the case. Right? Right? I mean, that's that's really what ended up happening.
Amber De La Garza [:And, no, it's incredible. I mean, if you were to have planned it out, nobody would have planned, quit your job when you just had your first baby, a new home. You know, we just had bought our home in 2009. Like, it was it was a crazy time with a lot of changes, but I I don't regret any of it at all. You know, when I first started, I actually just I took a loan off of my, whole life insurance to compensate some of the home expenses. I didn't take a draw. My business wasn't really expensive to get off the ground other than business licenses. So I kept my investment really low and the risk high, and it just made me hustle.
Amber De La Garza [:It made me just, like, figure it out and and, you know, work with clients to see what the market needed, what the services are, how to package it. I mean, there was a lot of pivoting in the first few years, until I landed on something that works, and then it just became, so much easier after I did all that experimenting and finding what works, and then sticking and doubling down with what worked once I landed on that.
Glenn Harper [:That's a gambling term for you blackjack players doubling down.
Julie Smith [:Did you learn that at the win on the comfy comfy white leather chairs?
Glenn Harper [:Sitting back watching people spend their money wisely. Yeah. No. When you're when you're in the in the zone like that, where you you know, the the motivation or the have to or who's gonna get it done, When you make the decision, when you look over your shoulder and you got a newborn, new house, husband, no savings alone, and you're like, I really don't have a choice here. So Yeah. That's when you get hyper focused, you're back against the wall. And as entrepreneurs, believe it or not, they thrive the best in the anarchy because when they have to fight, they usually dig deep and they become success whatever what they're doing. If they get fat and complacent as a, you know, as a term, they kinda lose their edge.
Glenn Harper [:So you have to be hungry and and wanna fight to make it work. And I guess you were able to turn that switch on and be able to do that.
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. And I have to also give credit to my husband. Shortly after I started my business, the market had fell out here in, Las Vegas with what his industry is. And he went on the road, and he worked on the word road for 4 years in different cities. And he did that exclusively so that I did not need to go back to a career, that I could build this business because we both had a dream that it was possible to change our lives. So there was a lot of sacrifice on the personal front, in the early years. But, like, right now, my husband works 4 days a week. He it's supposed to be a 5 day week, and he's like, I don't wanna come in on Mondays.
Amber De La Garza [:And the the difference between the grind that he was working 12, 14 hours a day on the road, and I was working at 3:30 in the morning and then getting my son up at 7 into preschool and then working the day and then picking him up and, you know, being a single mom at night. Like, that happened for years while building a business. And so now we're on the ROI of that. We're on the other side of, okay, this is why we worked so hard.
Julie Smith [:I'm really glad that you bring that up because I feel like in today's society, you know, entrepreneurship is definitely, you know, quote, unquote popular, I think.
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah.
Julie Smith [:But I think people hear your story now. Right? But they don't get to get a vision or get into what what was that grit that led you there. Right? Like, it wasn't always 3 days a week and rainbows and butterfly, like, whatever. It was hard. Right? And I think that in today's society, for whatever reason, sometimes that gets, you know, skipped, you know. And so And Thank you
Amber De La Garza [:for That's why I always wanna make sure I tell both sides of the story. When people say, okay. What's a normal work week? And how what does your team look like? And, man, like, I hurt for the business owners that are seeking guidance and empowerment, encouragement, and they're only hearing one side of the story because that leaves them feeling like they're doing something wrong. And that's just not true. I, in fact, just wanna say, like, sometimes it's really hard. You have to have your head down, but don't build those habits so much that you work 247, that even when your business is doing well, that that's continues to be what you do. Like, really enjoy it once you get on the other side of it.
Glenn Harper [:Yeah. The, the instant gratification of, oh, I just started business to make $1,000,000 a year and work 3 days a week. I mean, 4 years of on the road and being a part and still believing in that.
Julie Smith [:But wait. With a newborn toddler, like,
Glenn Harper [:in that That's easy.
Julie Smith [:Those are the hard years.
Glenn Harper [:Single mom, how hard can that be? No. And run the business and take care of the house. Like and then the house is out doing his thing. Like, that sounds, like, insane today when you think about it. Like, if you could go back and say, yeah, that's what we would had to do to get here, you you've been like, what? But Right. The reality is you didn't know any better. Right? You're like, well, this is what we're gonna do, so you just ground it out. Right? But today, to for somebody to say, hey, honey.
Glenn Harper [:This is how this is gonna go down. I need you to support me while we do this, and you're gonna go do that. That'd be a very hard conversation. But I think what you guys did is broke it down to, like, this is what we wanna be. We'll just keep doing this. Keep making progress. We'll keep supporting each other, and next thing you know, there you are.
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. After he was on the road for 4 years, there was a time where I visited him. He was in Southern California, and that was it. I said, I can't do this anymore. I need you home. Cannot do this.
Glenn Harper [:And then
Amber De La Garza [:He literally quit his job and drove home. And there wasn't work. But my business had been to a place where he did not have to work. He did not have to go right back to work. And, we find so much gratitude towards like, okay, so that gives us flexibility. But we've always put our marriage first, and it was incredibly hard. It was we are both working towards a goal, but we weren't even in the same state doing it. And that can get really, really hard.
Amber De La Garza [:But I just give him so much credit too because he always had so much faith in this even when I like, my normal day today of how I run my business, I couldn't have even imagined. And, like, you know, they say, have a vision of your success and set goals. And, like, the person I was 14, 12, 10 years ago couldn't even imagine what a normal day is for our family now. And I think that's incredible because I'm excited about what's the next 5 years. What does that look like for us? Because I don't and I say that stumbling over my words, but I wanna say that because as business owners, when you're said to to look at 3 years, 5 years, 10 years, you know, it's good to have an idea of it, but you also just need to know what's right in front of you because then it gets clearer a little bit further and a little bit further. And until you're, have quite a bit experience in business, you don't even know what's possible for yourself.
Glenn Harper [:I got 2.
Julie Smith [:Even with that experience, though, I think you don't you can't even fathom what that next 5 years like, look at you. You you have all this experience. You have all this success, and you're sitting here saying, I don't even know what the next 5 years looks like. I mean, you're gonna do the road. Right? Pave it and figure it out. Right? But you don't even know what that looks like. So I think, you know, to that point, it's okay not to know.
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. Yeah. I I agree with that. It's very vague. I know my son graduates high school in 4 years, so we'll be leaving Vegas. And, we're fat in fact, taking a road trip all the way through Texas visiting 5 cities, at the end of July to see if Texas is our new home for retirement and to, you know, find some land and have chickens. And I'll still work from, you know, I'll still work. I can work from there, but, you know, that's 5 years from now.
Amber De La Garza [:I don't know exactly, but all I know is let's go to Texas and see if we like it or if we can even handle the heat in the summer. That was really what the the goal is.
Glenn Harper [:If you can handle Vegas heat, you can handle Texas. You know, it's it's funny. Some you know, when you, said you met your husband and said that's it in Southern California, and I always often wonder sometimes, like, what would happen if he he just said, you know what? Let's just stay in Southern California. Let's just run everything here. Let's do a fresh start here and do this here. Would you have said absolutely as long as we're together doing this? Or did you feel like, you know, it's gotta happen in Vegas? Did you have that choice? My
Amber De La Garza [:gosh. I don't I couldn't even imagine him saying that. He hates California.
Glenn Harper [:Oh, can't blame. You know?
Amber De La Garza [:So anywhere. Like, let's say if he was anywhere else. Yes. You know what? At that time, I would have considered it. And about that time, 4 or 5 years into my business, I wasn't just local, which which, again, now I'm nearly not local at all. I'm, you know, all over the country. But that's the blessing of building a business that's not just local is that I can travel and go anywhere. So, yeah, I mean, I would've definitely been on the table.
Amber De La Garza [:I think that what wouldn't have made it on the table is all our families here. We don't have a large family and they're all here. And we have 2 nephews and a niece, and they're all within 1 year of all of each other, so they've grown up together. That would be the reason why we stay for sure.
Julie Smith [:So I have one question. Do you still have your first client?
Amber De La Garza [:I do not have my first client, but I do have a client that's worked with me for 7 years.
Julie Smith [:Okay.
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. So my clients work with me, contractually for 6 months and then renew each at 6 months. Obviously I'm coaching them and there's just a time and a place where they are gonna go on coaching in a different arena of their business or support in another area. So my clients generally stay with me for a couple years, but naturally, I want them to be able to take the skills they learned and go off into the world and use them.
Julie Smith [:I just was curious, you know, corporate America, you know, people come and go into those spots. So to me, I could see you having a almost permanent, you know, situation there because every couple years, you know, people are like moving into new roles and so you're taking these people under your you know what I mean? That's what I was
Amber De La Garza [:Oh, you meant the consulting role. Yeah. Oh, I I did misunderstood you. No. No. No. So I cut that off, about 2 years in, or mutually cut it off. Like, it wasn't in alignment with where my business was going.
Amber De La Garza [:And I really wanted to focus on my business side of it, not just the consulting. Got it. Yeah.
Glenn Harper [:So question for you. So, you know, you have become you know, we'll call you an expert because I think it's probably appropriate in your space, but somehow you had to learn how to do all the things. How did you over the last 14 years, how did you develop yourself to develop those skills to do those things? Was that pre career and then you already have those skill set when you went on your own? Or did you have to continue to modify those as you went and hung up your shingle?
Amber De La Garza [:Modified it the whole way. So when I first started, my clientele were specifically real estate agents. I knew, like you said, so much about real estate, the business side of real estate. So I felt really comfortable coaching them in that. And when I started my business the first two years, actually, before my son could actually go to preschool, I didn't take on many clients at all. I took that time to be present with my son, but also I studied everything I could on time management, productivity, business, small business, like marketing, all of those things. So I could hit the ground running, at the 2 year mark of my son being 2 years. And that was just an internal goal of, like, I really didn't wanna have 2 babies at one time.
Amber De La Garza [:So I when I could, I would study and and prepare for that. When I was in corporate, though, I was trained to be a coach, and there's a lot of skills to being coached. And I have honed those skills. I have had other coaches throughout my entire career. I think a coach has a coach. You're always looking to grow, and investing in my own personal development as well as professional. And then the rest, I think there's a lot of credit to be said no matter who's listening to this, where you're at on your journey, no matter what your industry is. There is no better learning than doing.
Amber De La Garza [:Like, and understanding that when you're doing, you're learning, being because it's a different mindset to understand that every time you're working with a client, are you are you finishing that client and thinking, how could I do that better? Or what could have gone differently? Or, you know, what is a skill gap that needs to be filled so I can service the client better next time? And so I really got my most improvement of hours after hours after hours of working with clients.
Glenn Harper [:Do you, do you have lots of employees, or is it just you?
Amber De La Garza [:I do not have lots of employees, but I do. So I have a content manager who works about 25 hours a week, and she's been with me for 10 years. She handles, the podcasting, the pitching, all of the content related marketing. And then I have an executive assistant and she handles, all my calendaring and emails and client relations. And, she also is the support for my group coaching program. And then we have a tech VA that handles funnels, and then I have a, just contractor that does all my audio editing. But that's it. We have a small lean team.
Glenn Harper [:Well, well, see, that's the thing. You know, sometimes people on their entrepreneur journey, they're they're trying to decide, do I just wanna be me and be the the main principle and do the work of whatever that product or service you're offering?
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah.
Glenn Harper [:Or do I want to build a business where I have a 100 of me? I'm doing the thing. There's no right or wrong answer. And do you feel like you are being the person where you're gonna do the work and you're gonna do it well? Do you ever feel like you're gonna be in a position where you're gonna start bringing more people in to do what you do? Are you perfectly content where you're at?
Amber De La Garza [:I am actually perfectly content, and you're right. I have my own framework. I could train it. I could have other coaches do what I do. But when I look at what brings me the most joy in my business, it is FaceTime and coaching with my clients. So by building a lean team that handles everything other than coaching and face to FaceTime, my other high value activities are either I'm podcasting and interviewing or I'm guesting. And almost everything else outside of finances is handled by someone on the team.
Julie Smith [:So isn't it ironic I'm gonna close the loop here. As you started out and you wanted to do real estate, you hated the face to face. You hated the conversations. And now you full circled it to figure out that you do like it. It is your passion. You just have to be doing what you love.
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. I love that. Thank you for that full circle observation.
Glenn Harper [:We're closing loops over here all day long. Yeah. If
Julie Smith [:someone could if someone could close mine, that'd be great. No.
Glenn Harper [:Lots of open end ones. Do you
Julie Smith [:feel like, you know, you kinda jumped out onto your own and, you know, without a plan. Right? And some people have a plan, some people don't. But throughout your journey, have you had a mentor or someone who's really taken you under, you know, their wing to kind of give you, you know, help, assistance Yeah. Venting, all the things that entrepreneurs need?
Amber De La Garza [:So, in my career, I in real selling real estate, I had a mentor that took me under his wing. And then when I got to the corporate side, I had, her name was Jan, and she definitely took me under their wing, bringing me up on the corporate side. And then once I got into my own business, I haven't had a mentor, but I've had business coaches. I think it's really important to have a peer of business friends that you can, you know, call upon, vent upon that are similar in, where they're at in their businesses that just get it. My husband's incredibly supportive, but at the end of the day, sometimes you just need to vent with someone else that gets the business struggle. And also it's not his responsibility to hear all the venting on the business side. So I think having a strong support of peers is really helpful on the journey, if someone doesn't have a mentor, of course.
Glenn Harper [:You know, and back to your little circle you closed there, Jill. Like, it's it's funny to me when I say funny. It's it's peculiar, interesting that you were teaching all the teachers, which would be all the real estate agents, how to do what they need to do, and you now teach business owners what to do, but you don't really wanna teach a bunch of consultants what to do for you to go teach other people. Like, you have
Julie Smith [:reached guys, we're in the switch on the all these loops over here. So I'm
Glenn Harper [:just trying to keep up here of Yeah. But where that passion is, it's sorta like you've got this proprietary knowledge, and you probably feel like somebody could probably do what I do, but there's a lot of and you probably feel like somebody could probably do what I do, but they're never gonna do it that little extra flare. So for me to protect the brand, I'm gonna do it my way, and I'm happy and content. When I say content, satisfied of doing it with the way you're doing it, you don't need to be bigger to be better. You're good with being great by just doing what you do.
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. And lean. And the I love that you're pointing out that I definitely could have gone bigger and had a huge, like, a lot larger, top line, right, revenue. But then you're paying a lot of coaches and consultants, and it doesn't necessarily mean that what I take home would be that much more. And the difference is I could teach other coaches, but then I'm managing other coaches. And then I'm one level divided. I mean, one level up from the interaction of the wins of the clients and the challenges in the everyday. And I I don't think someone can't do what I do, but I do know that with the value that I bring is all the experience, the stories, the crossovers, the, you know I think, like, if someone were to ask me, like, what do I feel like I specialty have? And it's that I know when my clients need to be pushed.
Amber De La Garza [:I know when they need to be heard. I know when they need to be encouraged. I I really take into account who's in front of me, and I haven't learned that's not a framework. Like, I actually don't know how to teach that to somebody, but I do think it's a huge value to how I serve my clients. And so I don't wanna just multiply something that doesn't get the same value, if that makes sense.
Glenn Harper [:To totally makes sense. And what ends up happening, and and the reason why I was going down this path is that
Julie Smith [:Are you gonna close the 3rd loop?
Glenn Harper [:Is this might be like the 3rd dimension? Maybe the 4th. Of this
Amber De La Garza [:new guys.
Glenn Harper [:Is that when most entrepreneurs, they start doing their thing, that's what they wanna do, but then they have to build a business to support it, and they end up running a business not doing their thing. You've made the decision that you wanna keep doing your thing. The business, yeah, you're doing what you do, but you don't need to build a 500 person employee company and deal with all the things because you actually your passion is doing what you started out to doing. Like, if you're a dentist, you run a dental company. Right? You're you're gonna just run businesses. You're not gonna be drilling and filling. Well, you don't mind doing the drilling and filling. That's half the fun.
Glenn Harper [:Right? I mean, that's all the fun. That's what you get the joy from.
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. I mean and the key is is that my team, while it's lean and I have a very simple business model. So, again, going back to not comparing yourself to other people, there are complicated business models. I coach on complicated business models. I I seen all the different types of businesses being ran. I have chosen to keep mine incredibly simple so that I can have that FaceTime. In other businesses, it may make sense that they're not doing the FaceTime because they are better served, you know, being higher up and having a team do it. So I I just want people to know that the way you set up your business model will be how your highest value activities align and where you're best suited.
Amber De La Garza [:So I've built a lean team, but I don't handle behind the scenes. Like, anything that the client does not see, the team is handling. And then that allows me to then do a lot of face time, or we could have flipped it, I guess, is what I'm saying. Like, they're all business models work. But I would just close that loop to say, don't do what you think you should do. Do what you enjoy, and then figure out the business model that fits that.
Glenn Harper [:So all these loops means the Texas is in your world, and you're gonna be doing the roping cattle. I just have a feeling this is how it's gonna be. So Well,
Julie Smith [:I'm I'm flying out I'm flying out to Texas after this, so I'll give you the rundown when I after I come back. So
Amber De La Garza [:You you you have to. I mean, I visited Texas in the summer a few times briefly. It's hot. Their humidity I mean, I can do dry heat. I don't know about the humidity, so we'll see.
Julie Smith [:It's all about the hair. If your hair can handle it, you're good. My hair can't
Glenn Harper [:handle it. You'll be you'll be southwest Texas. I don't think there's much humidity there. But, yeah, it it is it is oppressive. But, yeah, you know, when you go and and do the thing and decide that this is what I wanna be and who I wanna do it, it doesn't matter when anybody else thinks about that. Well, you should scale this and you should know it. You should do what you wanna do. And a lot of people feel that pressure to do that, but I've it's been a while since we've seen somebody so absolutely resolute and this is what they wanna do and how they wanna do it.
Glenn Harper [:I
Julie Smith [:really like it.
Glenn Harper [:Yeah. It's it's kinda refreshing.
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. Yeah. You know, I think that, again, full circle, oh my gosh, we're gonna have another one. Remember when I said that, you know, whether it was in college and then I got out and I asked to, you know, for a position to be created in the corporate, and then I left that. Like, I've always listened to my gut. Like, I it's not been easy and it's not like, oh, I just like stopped and listened and it was there. But I've always kept asking, like, what brings me joy? What do I like? And I've been willing to have the courage to pivot and do that. And this is, this is one of those things is that, I mean, I had a coach that I paid a lot of money to.
Amber De La Garza [:He was, like, top in the industry. This was back in 2017. And he was coming down on me like a hammer to do 2 things. 1, niche down to 1 industry, not serve all small business owners, and told me pretty much I was gonna absolutely fail if I didn't just go back to, like, real estate and serve them.
Julie Smith [:I hope you sent sign sent a signed postcard to him of, like, some trophy you've earned. You know? Sorry. I wanted to close that loop too. Okay?
Amber De La Garza [:I I I'm I'm almost certain that after our coaching experience, I called him to apologize for bumping heads with him so much. And, like, said, we just had different opinions because I didn't and that's a good point too. Just because someone's a coach, like, you have to listen to your gut, what's right for you. So he told me that. And then he also told me that I needed to scale with multiple coaches to create the framework, teach the framework, and to step back and let other coaches coach. And I didn't. And I'm just fine now, but, you know, in 2024.
Julie Smith [:So I have a question. Yeah. What is your superpower? And I think you've said it once or twice, but if you were to define it, what is it?
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. I I feel like with within the containers of business, I think my superpower is the actual coaching experience and understanding where someone's at, what they need, their personality, and what actually motivates them. I know that your podcast is all about empowering entrepreneurs. So you probably know that it doesn't look the same for everybody. Sometimes they need a whip. Like they need the whip cracked on them. They need someone to hold them hard and accountable. And others, that is not what works for them.
Amber De La Garza [:They need encouragement and understanding and a place to explore in a safe place what's next for them. And I can literally go
Julie Smith [:See, that's funny because I we're 2 very different personalities on the personality thing. So, like, if you ever had to work with us, you'd be like, you're doing great. This is great. And me, you'd be like, you better get on it. This isn't gonna work out.
Amber De La Garza [:Okay. So then I take the 2 of you, and it is both is still me and all sides of me, but I do have that spectrum from I mean, I've had clients that say, where's your whip in your office? Like, cracking the whip to, oh my gosh. I've never felt so much encouraged and supported. And so in any given time, it's not just the person, but it could even be the topic of the conversation where the client's at. You really need to read the situation and understand what did they need to get them from where they're at to where they wanna go. And, yes, there's strategy, and there's all those other things, but the delivery is incredibly important. And that's the part I feel like I can't teach other coaches.
Julie Smith [:Do you make everybody take a personality test?
Amber De La Garza [:Yes. We do.
Julie Smith [:So which one do you use? I'm sorry. This is a personal question.
Amber De La Garza [:We use the free one. This? Oh my gosh. No. No. No. No.
Julie Smith [:Enneagram? Not Myers Briggs?
Amber De La Garza [:No. No. Not Enneagram. I do like Enneagram, though.
Julie Smith [:Which one? What are you? I've have you pegged for 1. I'm a 1. So I was going between 13. So I felt like I
Amber De La Garza [:was a 3, and there's been times in my life where I'm like, I'm absolutely a 3. But if you read the one and then you look at my website on my on, like, how I built my business, it's literally a one. And I remember, like, having tears come out of my eyes. Like, I have been seen. Oh my gosh. This makes so much sense on the way that I see the world and operate. I am totally a one. And then I created a business out of a one and didn't even know ones existed.
Amber De La Garza [:So I just learned about this.
Julie Smith [:He's a one too.
Glenn Harper [:I'm a one.
Amber De La Garza [:There you go. See? No.
Julie Smith [:Isn't that funny, though, throughout this whole thing? I was sizing you up.
Glenn Harper [:Julie's a 17.
Amber De La Garza [:I I gotta tell you, if you ask me who my friends are, almost all my friends are threes.
Julie Smith [:Okay. Okay.
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah.
Glenn Harper [:Well, you know, one of the things that we love about entrepreneurs is that they have to be comfortable being uncomfortable. And nothing says empowering entrepreneurs much, you know, looking at some of the things you do. Some of the things you do, again, would put you in a position where it's not, I mean, obviously, on stage is comfortable uncomfortable for 99% of people. But, you know, most people, once you start doing it, it's pretty easy. But, you know, you have, you like off roading, UTVs. You like shooting. You like rock concerts. You like all the good stuff.
Glenn Harper [:Right? So
Amber De La Garza [:You really did your homework. Yes.
Glenn Harper [:There's a lot there's a lot of stuff I can't talk about on this podcast. But but I found some good stuff. But those things that I just mentioned are very empowering activities that give you, like, I can do this and makes you feel a little bit better. So when you then go into being an entrepreneur and go to work, you're like, I this is easy compared to what I just did. It gives you that confidence. So I would encourage all the entrepreneurs out there to do the things that make you uncomfortable, and you're gonna get your confidence to do what needs to be done.
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. I I agree with that. I would also say too that, you know, putting in the time and realizing that you've made mistakes. Like, when you make mistakes, it's like, okay. It doesn't feel great. But after you've made so many and this the business is still surviving, at that point, I told myself, there's no mistake I can make that's gonna burn it down. Let's go. Like but I had to get years under my belt of actually making mistakes to then have a, like, a backwards perspective of
Julie Smith [:But do you know why those didn't why why you're able to do those? And it's a personality trait. It's because you just saw them as opportunities. You didn't see them as true mistakes. You just thought, okay, I'm going to learn from that, and I'm going to pivot, and I'm going to do this now. Yeah. So they weren't truly mistakes. They were opportunities for you to be able to pivot, and that's a personality trait of just like perseverance the way you envision it, you know.
Amber De La Garza [:I and I agree. I agree. And I just wanna just couple that with even though it's an opportunity, it didn't feel easy for me. Like, I really didn't feel easy. I could tell you there's been a lot of hard times, but it's like when you just get to the other side, you're like, of course, the dots are connected. It was always supposed to be like this. But, man, when you're in the middle, you don't feel that way.
Glenn Harper [:Well, I think the the big takeaway of this is that we
Julie Smith [:closed loops.
Glenn Harper [:Oh, we've we've got all those. And and this one is is apparent that if you've got a nest egg and you're gonna decide whether you put it in your business or double it down, the obvious choice to put it on red under that table, is our biggest choice. That's you believe in the odds versus in yourself. Is that what we came up with? Is that is that not No. No? We didn't get to that.
Julie Smith [:I didn't close that one. I was just checking
Glenn Harper [:to make sure I didn't misunderstood that.
Julie Smith [:But we do have So Oh, go ahead.
Amber De La Garza [:Well, I just wanna close a loop that surprisingly, I actually had a friend come in town 2 years ago to teach me how to play backjack. I don't gamble at all. My husband and I do not gamble. You wouldn't be able to, like, live a life and build a family here if you gambled and lived in Vegas.
Glenn Harper [:Impossible. You gotta wait safer for the tourists.
Julie Smith [:Yeah. I mean, you gotta eat at the good restaurants, though. Right? You gotta partake in some of the the goodness that it brings. But I think we have one last question for you, and it's the toughest one. What is your end game? Oh. Oh,
Amber De La Garza [:simply put, my end game is to retire my husband, work remotely on a large piece of land. My god. I don't even know if that's my endgame. It's the 5 year plan. My son's gonna go to college somewhere, hopefully in Texas, and I wanna garden. I wanna grow my own food. I want to have chickens. They're going from a city girl to, like, I wanna be off the grid and still run my business, and have lots of free time.
Amber De La Garza [:And I already have lots of free time. I just want it in a different state.
Julie Smith [:So I really love how you did that because it was, like, bullet points. Like, there's no end. You're gonna continue going and going and going. Like, that's just your personality. That's what you're, you know, set out for in igniting that passion. So wonderful answer.
Glenn Harper [:Great.
Amber De La Garza [:Thank you. Thank you for asking.
Glenn Harper [:Amber, if you'd be so kind to, give us a little plug of what you do and how people can get a hold of you, We'd love to put that in here.
Amber De La Garza [:Oh, yeah. Absolutely. So the productivity specialist, I work with small business owners on time management, leading themselves, leading teams. If you're looking for a coach that specializes in that, you can find out more over at amberdelagarzadot com, as well as I am also a podcaster. And so you can also tune in to small business straight talk.
Julie Smith [:So you help make these two people talk the same language even though we're drastically different is what you're saying.
Amber De La Garza [:No. I want you to be different.
Glenn Harper [:Yeah. Celebrate the diversity.
Amber De La Garza [:I do. I I actually gotta tell you, no no client's journey is exactly the same because and I'll just finish this. Like, you're 1, your color coded calendar, you and I are gonna be, like, on. Somebody else is maybe a 3. There's no color coded calendar. We're just looking for other ways to streamline, create efficiency,
Julie Smith [:and manage it. I'm an 8, so I'm, bulldozing through whatever you're trying to create. So good luck.
Amber De La Garza [:Got it. Yes.
Glenn Harper [:The struggle is real on both sides on both sides.
Amber De La Garza [:Yeah. Yeah.
Glenn Harper [:Well, Amber, really appreciate you being on the show today. Looking forward to our listeners here in this episode and then getting some good nuggets that they can apply to their life and become even more successful and happy in what they're doing. Appreciate you being here. I'm Glenn Harper.
Julie Smith [:Julie Smith.
