CY6 - Check Your Six

Episode 132 of the Check Your Six podcast brought some Jamaican flair into the GRP Studios when Shannalee Millsap, aka Chef Shanna dropped in for the podcast. Jamaican born and raised, she is now living in Central Florida and giving us all a "taste" of what Jamaica is like. She starting her love for cooking with her grandmother, Mama Shirley, and took that love and turned it into the business she has today, JamRockEatz. She talked about learning to cook without a recipe, washing meat before you season it, tasting the food before it is cooked so you will know what it tastes like when it is cooked. She also talked about her lessons learned from YouTube about starting her business, learning about servant leadership from mentors, what integrity means and using a brand consultant to help identify her brand. Great conversation and you can find out more about her here...https://jamrockeatz.com/

Kenneth "PK" Clark spent some time in the GPR Studios talking about Vibrant Families, Inc on the Check Your Six podcast. PK is the Founder and Executive Director of Vibrant Families and is looking to make a change and impact the lives of young men in Central Florida that are part of a single parent family. PK shared his background of growing up without a father, living life as a young African-American male where the only role models are the drug dealers and gang bangers. He shared about his transition to a family that adopted him, even though his mother still stayed close by, that experience opened up a whole new world to him. What Vibrant Families is starting to do through the Seminole County Public School system is amazing and I look forward to seeing more of what they can do in helping to build brighter futures for underserved communities, at-risk youth and fatherless boys. You can find out more about them here at: https://www.vibrantfamilies.org/

Episode 130 of the Check Your Six podcast brought Ed Zausch into the GRP Studios to talk about his two business ventures, Daddy's Chicken Shack and The Vitamin Shoppe. Ed already had a successful business in Indiana that he expanded in Florida but like many businesses, the events in 2020 had a serious impact on his business. He closed the Florida expansion but decided against going back and forth to Indiana every week and looked into opening a new business venture in Florida. Today focused mostly on the Daddy's Chicken Shack franchise that he has opened but did also cover The Vitamin Shoppe, his son's fight back from an auto accident, the different styles of the franchise business models for Daddy's Chicken Shack and the The Vitamin Shoppe as well as a look at hiring staff and other challenges of owning a franchise business. You can check out Daddy's Chicken Shack here, https://daddyschickenshack.com/locations/7025-county-road-46a-lake-mary-florida/ to see what they have to offer!!

Chip Colandreo from Lake Mary Life Publishing stopped by the GRP Studios for his recording of the 129th episode of the Check Your Six Podcast. A Florida boy from Niceville that grew up in Lake Mary, graduated from Lake Mary High, became a UCF Knight and now is helping to run and publish the currently 4 publications for Lake Mary Life Publishing. We talked a lot about the print media industry, the challenges of a media heavy society that may not read like it used to, engaging people where they are at in their information consumption stage and creating fantastic stories. Chip shared a a couple of up coming articles for the March publications that showcase what the magazines are all about. He talked about the way that they give back with a strong presence in the way they promote local non-profits and why it is so important to do that. He also talked about our joint participation in the newly formed Longwood Rotary and the Be The Change Today Foundation, both giving into the strong arm twisting from our(I could not say honorable because there is supposed to be truth in advertising) current Mayor Tony Boni!! All in all, it was great hearing what Lake Mary Life Publishing is doing for the Central Florida Community. You can find them at https://www.lakemarylife.com/ and discover who they are!

Episode 128 of the Check Your Six podcast brought Doug and Katie Nutaitis into the GRP Studios to talk about both of their businesses, Crown Trophy in Orlando and Mighty Dog Roofing in Altamonte Springs. Both are born and raised in the desert of Arizona, ASU grads, that decided to move to Florida after a very abrupt end to careers that they had planned on having in Arizona. They both talk about the challenges of opening a business, what they were looking for in a new business adventure and why they did it as well as the decision to add another business to the mix. Like most of first time small business owners, and we have mentioned it a lot on the show, you don't know what you don't know until you realize you don't know it!! Great having them in the studio and telling me all about what they are doing. You can find them here for Might Dog https://www.mightydogroofing.com/north-orlando-florida and here for Crown Trophy https://www.crowntrophy.com/?fbclid=IwAR0Zo3zJZ_rJ9Q4Bdv05fEgFYUoRN75iwtWnys4k09qIn53N61SHezvwuHY

Retired Air Force CMSgt Greg Bicknell stopped by the GRP Studios for his session of the Check Your Six podcast. Greg is now part of the Center For Independent Living(CIL) here in the 7 county Central Florida area and we has able to correct a lot of the thinking that I had, as well as many others, about exactly what it is that the CIL does for people. I always thought it was a place that people could go to live that needed assisted living and it really isn't that at all. He talked about the programs like the Family Disability Navigator, Workforce Transition, Aspire to Hire, Foundations to Freedom and several other programs that CIL provides to anyone that has a need. He talked about what it is like to see those that are recipients of these programs and how it impacts them, and those that provide the service. Great talking with another Air Force brother that loves what he does. You can check them out at https://cilorlando.org/ and find out more about all of the programs and services they provide!!

Episode 126 of the Check Your Six podcast had a very unique aroma when Raul Pabon, with Smart Scoops, stopped by the GRP Studios for his recording. Raul is truly the example of a new business owner, he and his partners opened this in December of 2023 so his is still getting his feet wet(pun totally intended). We have seen some of the marketing they have been doing locally with road sights that tell exactly what the business does, "We Scoop Poop", so as you can imagine, this was fun. Raul is a fantastic young man and it was a pleasure having him in the studio having him walk me through, well not actually, more like guide me through the poop scooping business. They are doing their best to clean up this town, one yard at a time!! You can see more of what they do at their website, https://smartscoops.com/ and get the details about the process and services.

Episode 125 of the Check Your Six Podcast had Rebecca Waldron stop by the GRP Studios to talk about running multiple business locations and really two totally different business models. Jack The Dipper Ice Cream "Parlor" and the Revive Hair Collective are the two businesses that Rebecca runs out of locations in Longwood Florida and she talked about some of the challenges she has for both of these businesses. Finding stylists that are a compliment to the studio and have the same work patterns and trust levels, balancing the required details for each business of inventory levels for products, her community involvement and how they give back with the Jack The Dipper location to local non-profits and a lot more!! You can find out more at https://www.jackthedipper.com/locations-hours and at https://www.revivehairorlando.com/. #icecream #hairstylist #smallbusiness #grpstudios #checkyoursixpodcast #podcast

Jennifer Englert with The Orlando Law Group made another visit to the GRP Studios for Episode 124 of the Check Your Six Podcast to deliver a Christmas present from the US Government! Jennifer had sent out one of their weekly emails about the new Corporate Transparency Act from 2021 that is supposed to take effect on Jan 1st 2024 and will require BOI or Beneficial Ownership Reporting for almost all small business entities. We had a lot of fun talking about this, like we usually do when Jennifer is in the studio but also talked about what this might mean to a lot of us small business owners. Of course, we all probably agree that most Government programs are a complete successes, so we can imagine that a program that is supposed to be up and running on 1-1-24 that does even have anywhere to report this information will be a tremendous success. You an check out more about The Orlando Law Group here, http://www.theorlandolawgroup.com/ so when you have questions, you can call them and then can help you out!!

Episode 123 of the Check Your Six Podcast brought 3 lovely ladies into the GRP Studios to talk about Exit Global Realty. Wendy Wagner, Kristina Peacock and Alena Rivera all joined me today and explained how a meeting that may or may not have included wine and napkins resulted in them joining forces and becoming a part of what is Exit Global Realty. These ladies obviously love what they do, they love the clients/customers that they deal with on a regular basis and they love giving back to the community in both personal and professional ways. We talked about competition, (or is it really competition), how they are different from some of the other realtors in the industry, how they approach business, the ability to work 24/7 and how a rising tide lifts all of the boats!!! Great time with these ladies, love their passion for what they do. You can check them out at https://www.exitglobalrealty.com/

Andrew Brainard with Trans-Med Care Long Distance Medical Transportation paid a visit to GRP Studios to record Episode 122 of the Check Your Six podcast. Andrew and I have talked on a couple of occasions and were finally able to connect and get him in to talk about what he does. First he helped me understand the operation of non-emergency medical transport, how he serves the public, the safety measures he takes, the care they give to those that are being transported and a variety of other parts of his business. We talked about finding workers for the transport vans, the concerns that some family members might have about using Trans-Med Care, which I was surprised to discover the top concern as well as the way that Trans-Med Care gives back to the community with organizations like the Alzheimer's Association. He talked about non-emergency transport being somewhat like the Wild West with little to no regulation or oversight and how he is helping in creating those guidelines. Love what they do and their passion for people. You can find out more about them here..https://trans-medcare.com so check them out if you need to transport anyone in a non-emergency condition just about any distance.

Episode 121 of the Check Your Six podcast brought John Blum into the GRP Studios representing Five Star Claims Adjusting. Being a homeowner is a great position to be in but sometimes as we have said on the program before, "you don't know what you don't know until you realize you don't know it". John talked a lot about so many things that Joe Average homeowner or business owner(who leases) may not realize about their homeowners insurance policy. Things that may be covered or may not be covered, changes in the law and regulations that can impact what you can claim. The need for a Law & Ordinance Provision in your insurance policy that covers things somewhat like replacement value for a car insurance policy does. Asking for the license when an adjuster shows up to provide that assessment of you home, why you need a claims adjuster and so much more!! Still have a lot to learn about why claims adjusters are so valuable. You can check them out at https://www.fivestarclaimsadjusting.com

I had the pleasure of having Eric Hale stop by the GRP Studios today to record his session about DreamQuest Tiny Neighborhoods Inc. Coming from a small town in Southern Idaho(they didn't have a traffic light) and working his way through the construction industry, facilities management and seeing all of the things that are done wrong from a construction standpoint, he decided to do something to address the affordable housing issue starting in Florida. This was not at all what I expected whenI invited him on the podcast a month or so ago, I did not expect someone that was passionate about solving a real problem with some outside the box, or house, thinking. I am excited to see where he ends up taking this and what kind of an impact he can make!! You can check out more of what they do on the website...https://dqtn.org

Our good friend Dr. Jim Rybacki stopped by GRP Studios today for some filming and some podcast time. We have been working with Dr. Rybacki for several years with his EGMN/Essential Guide to Medical News and the EGPD/Essential Guide to Prescription drugs content that covers a wide range of medical news and information. We talked today about how he ended up where he is today(he was almost a Dentist), his passion for what he does and the walk that he and his wife took after her diagnosis of breast cancer. His website, www.doctorjimrybacki.com is a fantastic resource for just about anything you need to know with 15 separate health channels that are available for you to view or subscribe too.

Amy Kirkland with Seminole State College stopped by GRP Studios today to talk about Seminole State College and how you can "Go State and Go Far". Seminole State presented at a Seminole Chamber meeting a few months back and really did a fantastic job letting the attendees know about all off the programs that they offer for students, business owners and the community as a whole. Amy is very passionate about what she does and is was evident during the podcast in all of the things she talked about. Advice for business owners, the partnership with UCF, the SBDC and all of the resources that are available through the programs at Seminole State College. Some of the things like the nursing programs that are tops in the nation is just one example of the quality of education and information that is available!!

Episode 117 of the Check Your Six podcast brought Andy Lawniczak into the GRP Studios to talk about printing, wrapping, not "rapping" and other challenges Andy has with creating excellent product for his clients. Andy is a faith based company and is committed to doing things in a manner that reflect that faith in the way he treats and service those that use Creative Wraps. He talked about how he arrived in Central Florida and I thanked him for spending lots of money when he would come to Disney, helps with my wife's retirement? Like many of us, Andy does get requests to do things for free or really cheap and while that might be a good thing to do, sometimes we get the feeling that those asking the questions don't understand that if everything is done for free, sooner or later nothing gets done!! It was great to listen to him talk about how he continues to grow and develop this business!!

Episode 116 of the Check Your Six podcast brought Brian Nagle with Real Time Services into the GRP Studios to talk about all kinds of stuff. We covered his move from the East Coast to Florida, his transition from mostly providing payroll funding for staffing companies to the PEO services that they are currently focusing on. The growth of some businesses during the craziness that affected all of us in 2020 to the downturn in those same industries, specifically the medical staffing businesses, with the changes that have happened in the medical industry. Brian loves what he does and is always looking out for businesses and how he can help them grow, even to some of us(me) that don't listen very well!! #peo #grpstudios #podcast #realtimeservices #payroll #small-business #checkyoursix #CY6

Alexis Daniel from the Urban Air Adventure Park in Altamonte Springs stopped by GRP Studios for Episode 114 of the Check Your Six Podcast. Based out of Texas, this location of Urban Air Adventure is a new addition to the Altamonte Springs business landscape. https://www.urbanair.com/florida-altamonte-springs/ It is a lot more than just a trampoline park, there are a lot of activities that kids(and adults) of all ages can participate in. Besides the activity areas, they have a great area for parties and can handle more than a lot of "event spaces" for things like birthday parties, company team building events and just about any other meeting type. Nothing better in a team building event than battling a co-worker, or boss, on the battle beam!! You can reach Alexis at alexis@urbanairaltamontesprings.com to hear more about the facility! #urbanairadventurepark #grpstudios #CY6 #checkyoursix #podcast #small-business

Beth Robertson with Cookies for Kids' Cancer was "Being A Good Cookie " when she dropped into the GRP Studios for Episode 114 of the Check Your Six Podcast. I have listened to her presentation at some of the Seminole Chamber meetings but it was great to get more than 1 minute of what it is that she does. We had so much a great conversation before the session even started, some that covered her background about her parents, specifically her mother, her journey through the diagnosis of cancer in her son, the lack of treatment for cancer in kids, the reason she is so passionate about what she is doing and even more. Cookies for Kids Cancer, https://cookiesforkidscancer.org/ is doing some fantastic work in making a difference in the lives of kids and their families that have pediatric cancer. Both through research and treatment programs that were not even available when Beth's son went through her treatment. It was great hearing her story. #pediatriccancer #kids #hope #GRPStudios #CheckYourSixPodcast #research #treatments

David Rubin stopped by GRP Studios for Episode 113 of the Check Your Six podcast. We had so much to cover with David starting with W1nners F1tness and yes, that is spelled correctly and Heroes Strong and how that all started. I think if you look up "Passion" in the dictionary, you will find a picture of David along with a description of those things that he is passionate about. His work with kids in developing the athletic skill set both on and off the field, as well as his appreciation to all those he calls "Heroes", the military, law enforcement, firefighters, educators and healthcare workers. It is a longer than normal episode but there was so much to cover we just let it roll. You can see all that he is involved with Heroes Strong at their website, https://www.heroesstrong.org including a very special event with NASCAR in August at the Daytona. If you would like to attend this race, you can go to the link and click on the Events tab for more information. #heroesstrong #educators #firefighters #healthcare #lawenforcement #checkyoursix #podcast