From $0 to 6 Homes: James Marshall & Ron Rockwell on Building Inspire Greatness Within

[0:16]  Welcome back to another episode here on the Heart and Hustle with James and Ron. If you guys want to talk about the organization that you guys are both uh a part of and and and maybe your titles as well.

[0:25]  Yeah, definitely. Um, so I'll go first. My name is James. um director of business business administration. Uh myself and Ron run two companies the provider support group and then also aspire greatness within. Um I'll touch on the provider support group and let Ron touch on inspire greatness within. Um but the provider support group was started in 2015. Um we saw companies that were struggling trying to support adults with developmental and intellectual developmental disabilities. Um and at that point I started creating templates and different things to kind of help the providers on the administrative side. I was working at a company where I was actually um providing oversight. It was called ISC individual service coordinator. Um and those positions are in the state to provide some oversight to the agencies and the providers that's supporting adults with developmental disabilities. Um and I saw that people had the heart and the passion to do this work but the administrative side was not executed properly and that's what part of you know what the state is coming to survey and the federal government has different things in place to make sure that that admin stuff is also on point just as important as the service that you provide to the individuals. Um so they had the service and they had the hardware but they didn't have the admin side. So long story short, started working out some um templates and different things to make their even assessment tools look more professional. Um and from there started um contracting ourselves out as QIDPs and doing policy work um working with startups. So um from 2015 to this year which is actually our 10 10 year anniversary. We celebrated that this year that we've been working with the first company for 10 years. Um, and from us coming from one employee to having five or six different team members that are degree professionals, contracting our RN nurses and stuff like that. Um, but overall we are supporting and helping companies that want to provide services to adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. We start and run those companies and do everything that they need to be in full operation and compliance with whatever state they're in.

[2:39]  That's cool, man. I appreciate you telling me that. Uh Ron, he ain't tell us that we had to get fresh and lined up. Like, you know what I'm saying? The boy got lined up, put the chains on. Like, what happened to Ron? What's happening?

[2:49]  Hey, James is going to always stay fresh. That's just his mentality. I've known this man since grammar school and in high school. We we was always trying to stay fresh, you know, coming from Chicago and the inner city. That's that's just been him since day one, man. And you know, I just be in the background just

[3:06]  just being me. You know what I'm saying? So, uh,

[3:09]  I should got a haircut, little fresh, but no, uh, Ron, I appreciate you, man. Um, telling us a little bit about James in the background, but also, man, if you tell us about the second part of your business.

[3:18]  So, yeah. So, from the first, um, the provider support group again, we've been we were hustling with that and, um, we were just blessed uh, to be in a position to now not only uh, continue to assist providers, but become a provider ourselves now. um and actually put our our foot into the AILA which is community integrated living arrangement um atmosphere for uh adults with intellectual developmental disabilities. So, in 2019, we um we stepped out there, you know, we took a leap leap of faith. Um didn't have had a couple pennies, but we we put it together and um we were able to get established with inspire greatness within and um our our mission with that was to again become a provider of service and to serve well. So, that's that's our mantra. we always trying to serve well and make sure that the individuals that we're providing these services live their greatest and most fulfilled life. Um and so since that time we've been stri striving toward that effort. Um like James said, we um we started with just one home and you know within the course of the last six years, we've now got to six homes and you know uh we're providing uh services for people that really need uh a provider that's going to actually um make sure that the care is there, not just the the foundational services, but actually the soul of the service. Um, and I think that's reflective of how our individuals um, just have fun and enjoy life.

[4:51]  And when y'all talking about the business sense of this all, man, um, in reality for James, it started so many years ago, right? I think you were talking about you were looking for um, a part-time job, not realizing this part-time job would lead to what it is today. But that young man with autism changed the entire course of your life, bro, and you still have relationship 20 years later. What does that mean to you, man? It was just a moment, a seed planted and now here you are with your partner actually building something that would last a lifetime.

[5:18]  Yeah, it you know um it's a matter of just having your you know trust and faith in God that you know he said he wrote the end before the beginning and and understanding that because sometimes we think that certain things happen to us and not for us. Um and with that concept when I was in school I'm again my mother had a degree in computer engineering so I followed the same trajectory and then when the school dropped the program it was almost like man what am I supposed to be doing now? Um so then once I started getting into social services and then um looking for a part-time position and found that position again it was nothing that happened to me it happened for me. So, you know, I I forever still, like I said, I'm still connected with the family and everything and stuff like that. Um, but at that moment in that time, I'm I was thinking like, man, I really wanted to do computer science. I wanted to do computer engineering. Um,

[6:15]  and didn't think anything about social services. So to know that from that moment that that's where we are now and you know it's still so much more that we are going to accomplish um it passed on generationally um just out of that shift in my life that I thought again was something that was happening to me and not for me in that moment.

[6:36]  And Ron you've always been an entrepreneur bro? Uh no. Um I started out working with uh atrisisk youth um at Lawrence Hall Youth Services. I really appreciate that time. It got me um to learn how to serve and connect. Um and from there I transitioned to adults with uh mental illnesses. So I was in u nurse homes. um served there as assistant director of social services and um provided ski uh skills and um um services to those adults. And then from there um again me and James like I said in in college we kind of um found our way into social services. Um he had his road and then I had my road to service and um from there we was like you know we're going to always do a business or something man. It's going to be awesome, you know. And so, you know, it's just surreal to see how, you know, once we, you know, graduated and then we went into our own professional lanes and came back and he was like, "Man, Ron, it's time, you know, it's time to leave your job." You know, and I I was at the time, like I said, assistant director of social services, uh, possibly in promotion to be the the director of social services. And I was like, man, bro, I'mma follow you. I'm going take that leap of faith, man. Let's do this. And I jumped out there with him. And, um, you know, we haven't looked back since. Love it, man. Pitching pennies, turning them into dollars is what you guys have done. Perfect. Uh James, man, when you're making that call to Ron, what is going through your mind? Like, are are you just you have the plan or you just like we're going to figure this out?

[8:08]  No, I saw it. It was happening. So, that first year I had um pretty much stepped I took a step first. That's why I was able to tell him, "Come on, let's go ahead and take it." But that first year I was able to um get the business off the ground and gain enough momentum where I needed the help. Um so I I mean all I only had a year history of it being sustained. So to tell somebody to walk away from they you know their job and to walk out on that faith as well uh it's a big it was a big leap. But I was so convinced that it was working for me that he ain't got nothing to worry about. We going to get this done.

[8:45]  Ron where where did the belief come in man? like someone called you like James only a year in and saying quit your job as you mentioned there's a promotion coming up man what was what was your what was your mindset going through all of this

[8:55]  I said James you sure um

[8:58]  you got to be for real now you got it got to be legit um but again like I said we used we went from selling clothes and CDs and things in high school uh we've always hustled again I known him my whole life so I know that he's always been a hustler and always wanted to uh move forward and things and so once he put his mind through onto something man it just takes off. So um I just had the confidence to just you know jump out there and um it was a a great choice at the end of the day.

[9:32]  Have you guys seen this um before within your families? A lot of times I feel like out of our generation we are the first to do a lot of these things. Are you guys the first to go out and start to build businesses? Uh from my end, for the most part, yeah, my father actually was a tuck pointter. He was uh he worked contractually with like the larger companies, but he did his thing on the side as well. Um but he had us we used to go help him as his laborers when he was out there doing his touch pointing and everything and then walking through neighborhoods passing out business cards. And I just actually few months ago reflected with my mother about that like you know a lot of things when you talk about coming from broken um households and stuff like that. I I had a lot of um you know frustration and animosity towards a relationship that I had with my father. Um but and have gain a perspective. It was like some things you got to look at it with. there was some positive and one of those was I'm like those little details of us walking through neighborhoods passing out his business cards um going out there working with him could have built some type of um you know interest and then also just like foundation because it for me it was like I know that that came from that side like that's because he may not have grown to where we are now whatever the case may be but that draft that uh you know fight to go try to get it on your own as well. I know it came from him. So, um, you know, I respect him for that.

[10:59]  That's good you say that, man. I think as adults when we start to age a little bit, we start to realize that a little bit more like the animosity, the way that we felt towards our parents, when we realize what they really did and the sacrifices they had to do, right? Like it it like, man, I appreciate that it is those seeds that they planted, right? We we are these uh I would say my mother my mother she was very as I was growing up always felt like she would just you never knew when she was on the good side or the bad side but this is a woman that was raising seven kids on her own and I think to myself I only got two like there's no way that I'm raising seven kids by myself like you know that's kind of crazy. So I kind of get where her mindset was at right she just she was just trying to provide as best she could with what she had. That's one of the things she mentioned to me as I became 30 and I finally had that conversation. and she says, "Hey, I'm sorry that I I I tried to do the best I could with what I had." And and I had to respect that, right? And and now James and Ron, you guys are in spaces where you guys can really educate people cuz I think that's another thing is that when we talk about autistic kids, right, in in this space that we also don't have a lot of representation of people that can actually tell us what's kind of going on to the space and here goes two men that can really talk about what's going on in the space. H how also is that uh making you guys feel, Ron? I mean, so p perspective is everything. And I I I thank God for being able to be put into this social work space because not only in my work life, but just personally, it it allows me to just like you said, see things from a different point of view. Kind of take a step back and and try to understand the why, you know, why do I grow up this way? what like you said, my mom, she had five kids and uh she was single and you know, even though my dad was definitely there, he was a provider uh for me, she still had to hustle and um um when we think about what we didn't have or how things that we did growing up, but what did she have to do and deal with growing up with her background and family? know, um, being able to then apply those things on both sides is, um, as a black man, um, everybody has a why, everybody has a reason, everybody has purpose. And so these adults that we, uh, work with with autism and intellectual disabilities, um, they all have purpose and they all have wise and they all have, you know, desires and and and abilities and, uh, just like we do. and our job is to try to just assist them into um flourishing in their life and whatever their purpose is. And so that's the more the more rewarding part of it. Um and just to see me and James and and our foundation and crew being young um do that is, you know, means the most cuz most of the time you see um people that are a little bit older in this field and um have more of that desire of service. But, you know, we've had that instilled in us from our our upbringing to serve. Um, and it's just it's been like that from, you know, since we were young.

[13:53]  I love that, man. No, it it is it definitely matters, man, when we kind of go back and just representation matters, especially in this space as we kind of mentioned. Um, and I also think that when we as we continue to grow, it's really having to change that mindset, right? There's there's a mindset shift when you start to grow from and becoming that helper to that CEO. like what were those biggest mindset shifts? Um James, I can only imagine when you sat here and you first took that leap of faith. There had to be a lot of really tweaking in the mind because there probably a lot of noise and people thinking you're crazy. What did that look like for you, bro?

[14:27]  Man, and I being honest, it's a ongoing process still for me. um

[14:33]  because I'm so used to not being in these type of positions that I'm still trying to understand the position that I'm in and that we're in. So, we just had So, we got nominated for the best and brightest when our company just got nominated for the best and brightest um to work for. Um, so I went to the event that they had for the companies and it was just a room for the CEOs and I'm in the room like, man, I'm a CEO, too. So, so it's it's ever evolving and I think that's more more of my challenge is learning how to live with the positions that we have versus who I've always been.

[15:18]  Do you feel a little different? Do you feel like there was a your expectation and what God presented? Is that why?

[15:25]  Yeah, for sure. Because I like the the back. Stay in the back. I don't like the forefront. Um,

[15:30]  got it.

[15:32]  I'm going to be prepar prepared with presentation for the forefront, but I don't like

[15:38]  but uh I definitely feel that way that u like you're saying that he he already had his plan. Um, and I just been I I come from struggle. I know struggle.

[15:48]  So, I relate to struggle. Um, so again, it is it's it's a process for me to walk out the door to my house like, "No, I'm a CEO. I don't I don't even think like that."

[16:00]  And I think you feel Go ahead, Ron.

[16:03]  And I I think that that's due to, you know, this background social services. We're we're frontline people. We're we're we're serving. We're reaching out to people uh creating connections, creating plans of cares. And so it was a big mind shift of now okay we can't focus on the the uh direct care side we now have to focus on the structure and the uh policy and procedural side and the structural side that that drives the the front side of service and care. So it was a big shift of now, you know, wanting to just always be around individuals and and talking with them, having fun and uh creating skills and and and things like that to now how do I empower other people to do those same things. So that was the biggest shift that I had to work on.

[16:55]  We're in a unique space right now. There's a lot of AI going on. You can have a business that runs with 10 people feel like it's running with 20. Are you guys in that space as well? Already early adopters? cuz I feel that's another thing that's happening is that people are really early adapters into this AI world when we talk about systems and back of the house resources and all that. Are you guys in that space?

[17:12]  Yeah, for streamlining streamlining some of these processes for sure. Um I and I don't think we've even tapped into it as much as we can. Um but we definitely will um because it is it's the the way that you can draft the policy. When we first started out, we was writing these policies by hand, looking at this code, right there by hand, and you taking all day writing four or five pages for one policy. You type in that request in AI and there go right there. And I mean, they hitting all corners. So,

[17:45]  it's definitely beneficial for you to be able to u kind of expedite and use your time better. Um, but at the end of the day, our industry is still hands-on. It's still dealing with people, human beings. So, it's always going to be something that AI can't do. then that's you know what I'm saying interact with the people in regards to touching them and actually having relationship and stuff like that. Um I know they got crazy movies out with AI

[18:08]  having real people and stuff but I just don't think it ever be that relational piece. Now, when it comes to emotion, man, like you you just can't take that away, right? Like that human human talking, even this conversation, while it's great like this virtual, what does it really feel like in person? That always in-person connection um and energy is so contagious from someone. Um Ron, I was talking to James the first time and he mentioned that you guys are a for-profit with a nonprofit heart. How do you actually walk that line in real life? Um I would say we walk that line by just maintaining our core values. Again um our desire to make sure that what we are providing services is exceptional that the person has a life of quality. Um so that forprofit versus nonprofit really doesn't interfere with the service that we provides. It just really what it does is allows us allow us to not have so much um red tape. I mean when you when you're nonprofit and it's a it's a blessing to be a nonprofit but you got to you know maintain records of everything and you know this little mic has to have a have to have a sticker and a and a um a label and this pin has to be identified and stuff like that and that's great. Um, but you know, we were able to, you know, still provide this service in social service without having that nonprofit design designation.

[19:35]  I love that. Do do you feel, James, that it's helped you guys um get into more rooms or maybe stay out of certain rooms just for that for-profit nonprofit title? Um, I don't think it's I don't think it has it it's more restrictive actually in our industry when you're talking about grants, donations and stuff like that and people know a lot of these companies have

[19:58]  full campaigns on fundraising and um, you know, with us being for-profit, we're not able to do that. So, that's one of the considerations that we have made. Um, and we are creating a foundation. We already got it set up. Um, it's called the Serve Well Foundation. um because we got to have that arm where we can get different contributions, different ways to be able to sustain

[20:21]  because it's still a government business. So there's always opportunities where the government shutdowns may impact us as well. Um so you got to create other arms where you can support that. Um, so we, you know, that foundation, the nonforprofit will actually open more doors and opportunities for resources for the for-profit

[20:42]  smart men to start the nonprofit. Like I started to realize as I got into the space, that's why you see a lot of these like celebrities usually with a nonprofit because they understand the ways and how money kind of go through. We learning. No one taught us these things. We having to learn the game in a sense. U which is cool. I'm definitely down to learn. I think we we the more educated we become, the more we are able to help others. And I think that you know what I actually just heard today man I thought this was pretty good. She entrepreneurship is a test and she says

[21:08]  without a test there's no testimony. So we got to go through the test. I'm like oh come on now. Mike and it's it right like this is what we're going through right now. It is a test. It's a testimony that we also get to tell man as you guys continue to scale

[21:20]  and you guys been talking about scaling man. What's one thing founders you guys being in the space now for some time. What is one thing founders in social work need to really unlearn if they want to scale impact? I think a lot of times people are so stuck in their ways.

[21:34]  Yeah. I think it goes back to uh what Ron just actually mentioned that you can have your core values and your integrity behind what you do, why you do, and still make money from it.

[21:45]  Simple as that.

[21:47]  What What other values? What are the values you guys live by?

[21:50]  Mine at the end of the day, um of course starting off with that integrity. um

[21:56]  they they they you know have the slogan of treating people how they how you want to be treated but in our industry is treating people how they want to be treated. Um and keeping that standard maintaining the standard as long as that you know it's a quality of life that's a standard um we both have connections with um people with disabilities. I have a cousin Ron had a brother that he lost um that also had a disability. So that integrity behind the service like I we're not doing this because um you know you want the money or whatever the case may be. I feel like we are called to this this this certain group of people and the standards have to be quality. It has to be integrity. I I I want people to walk away knowing that they loved ones are protected and safe and in good hands when they, you know, leave them in our care. Um and if you don't have that mentality and you are part of our team, then you have to be gone. Um so th those you know th those core values are there that we are taking care of and protecting first off God's children and then other people loved ones.

[23:04]  Love it. You want to add on any values Ron?

[23:07]  Um so things that I live by quality. Anything that you're going to do have quality to it. Um we're in this space of serving um like James said souls not just you know any other industry. These are people. he's somebody's mama's child, you know, and so what quality are you going to bring to this environment? And what does quality look like? And so for somebody getting into entrepreneurialship, have quality in um what you do, have perseverance in what you do. There's going to be times like I said I took that leap of faith and although James said he had it going for a year when I came trust and believe I wasn't making the money I was making uh as a assistant director of social services I was not I start I had to struggle a little bit but we persevered we knew that if we kept on working and kept on um putting foot to the pavement that we would get to where we wanted to be eventually. And so we persevere through ups and downs and even now there's always things trials that's going to try to stop you. But how do you persevere through those things? How you push forward through those things? You know, that's what I would tell people to do.

[24:16]  Hey, real quick. If you're enjoying the podcast, we first want to say thank you. And we also just want to give you a little insight of what we're up to at Francis. Some don't even realize that we're working with organizations to help them use AI to create that real human communication experiences where that's actually supporting your your families, those patients or the entire community. We're actually creating tech that connects. Check it out. Francis.ai. You know, James, kudos to you, bro, to reaching out to somebody because so many people want to do it alone,

[24:47]  right? reached out and yeah, he said, "Let me call Ron cuz I understand the value and it's it's hard when you work with friends. I mean, it's hard when you work with family."

[24:56]  What made Ron the special guy, man, that you said, "You know what? I can count on this guy." I know you guys talking about you you grew up together and all this other stuff, but I've been on the other side that I worked with friends or or family. Didn't work out.

[25:11]  Can we get your thoughts on that, James? Yeah, it was just I guess the deal of the cars because uh we've had both experiences as well where some of them didn't work out, some of them did. But initially we I you know we say you grew up together and stuff like that. Now Ron and I did life together. Um you know we were college roommates when we left um our first university um out of um Joliet out here in Illinois. We went to Western again roommates out there. We both transferred together. Uh we even had a season where we wasn't even interacting just because we just was on different courses. Well, we always knew uh what it was. Um and we saw the professional interactions as well. So we played together. We're in the same fraternity on the same line and we've we've seen how we had to interact as maybe the president of the chapter, the vice president of the chapter like that. That context, the professional context was there as well. And then the education was there. Um, so I knew he was in the field. I knew he was in the industry. So I and and I knew our relationship, our foundation. Um, again, we we did life together. We were doing life together.

[26:18]  I love it.

[26:19]  I love it. You got brothers at the end of the day.

[26:20]  Yeah. Brothers from different mothers is what you guys are,

[26:24]  man. I'm trying to tell you. But it, like you said, it does not always work that way, unfortunately. But um just like you said, James background and my background and the humble beginnings, I guess, you know, allowed us to not be egotistical. Um and so that allowed us to always just be supportive of of one another, you know what I'm saying, through life and anything that's going on. Um so it's never been a a big eye, even though Jame James brought me in, he's never had a big eye mentality. has just been us, you know, just building and u trying to provide for our families and and other families. And so, um, if anybody wants to try to, you know, work, you know, it takes two sometimes to make a thing go right. So, if you have somebody in and you got you guys align and have those kinder spirits, um, that that makes things first. And you when you enter somebody who does not have that same kinder spirit, that's it. they kind of we wean themselves off cuz they're not on the same wavelength and and um that you're going on. So don't let you know things that happen to you stop you from giving people opportunities because you never know who makes that connection and then things will just you know take off and have more prosperity

[27:41]  and in all of it just never burn bridges cuz you never know when you're going to cross that bridge again.

[27:45]  Never know man,

[27:46]  right? Like come on man, you guys been doing life together. At one point somebody could done somebody dirty and all this doesn't even exist, right? But it was being authentically yourself and I think you you mentioned James when I spoke to you is um being authentically you beats credentials all the time.

[28:02]  True.

[28:03]  So I love that. I think Chicago could also be the kind of one of those uh factors of what allows you guys to really show up even the way that you guys show up, right? Do you guys feel like there's a lot of um lessons growing up in Chicago that taught you about leadership as well? Yeah, definitely. I mean, number one, survival. Um, and I I think as well that that loyalty when you come from the struggle that it's almost like a different class. It's a it's a protected class uh in your your your perception because um like literally like when we used to get food stamps and stuff, we were excited like we thought we were rich when you got all them coupon books in the mail and stuff like that. And I say that because like that's that's a shared experience when you talk about struggle. So I'm from Chicago in the city. He's from Chicago, same neighborhood in the city. So it's just like

[29:01]  he's he understands. We understand each other. So that support is definitely there. I mean, there's a great philosopher by the name of Kanye West that said to Kanye West,

[29:14]  I'm a Chicago in until Chicago ends and we want Chicago to win. And so, you know, that spirit is embodied in every Chicago in. We come from a bluecollar town. Um, we come from the hustle, from, you know, getting what, you know, getting it out the mud as they would say, and just, you know, strapping the boots on and going to work. You know, that's what we we we saw. You know, my father was a plumber with the city of Chicago. He would get up every day 4:30 in the morning, wake me up, you know, I don't even got to be at school till 8. Why you waking me up? You know, but he was instilling that value, man. Get up. You got to get your day going. um and get your hustle on. And so he would do that and then um you know on the weekends he would be doing other work outside. So it was like man I didn't even get a chance to sleep in on Saturdays and Sundays you know and we going to church on Sundays. So it just instilled that that hustle that keep going keep going um spirit and and that's Chicago man. We going to keep going

[30:17]  and I think that work ethic and you don't see it you don't see it often. I was just going to say I think it's a certain pride too to say that you successful like I I'm proud I'm proudful in that to be able to say I'm successful from Chicago.

[30:32]  You said Kanye man like one of my top five is Kanye man and I know we could have a whole conversation what's going on with Kanye right now but uh I'm excited about this movie about drop. Have you guys seen it?

[30:41]  No, not yet. Not yet. I'm excited about it.

[30:44]  Not physically seen it but yeah the actual documentary coming up.

[30:46]  Yeah.

[30:47]  Um yeah man I I love it. Um, I love that you guys are in this space and I think that when it comes to black entrepreneurs, you guys have a lot of information to really pass along. And for those young black entrepreneurs who feel maybe called, but maybe they're just underresourced. What's your realest advice, man, for them to to get going?

[31:06]  Um, off the bat, start with what you have. Start with what you have. Like the they always talk about how like if the vision is doesn't scare you, it's not big enough. And sometimes that's that that's the point. um that people get in that space where they have this dream and a dream just seemed too big. Especially for a inner city kid from Chicago, it just seems like it's unreachable. Um but in your environment, in your space, there is something that you have and you're possessing right now to get you started. This business was started off of a laptop that I had and some free software that I found on the internet. That's how the business started. So, it's something in your possession now that you can use to get going and God will orchestrate everything else. It'll it'll it's when you walk with divinity, divinity walks through.

[31:57]  So,

[31:58]  yeah, I love that, man. It it is so true. You You just got to ask. You got to go do your work because it's not just going to fall in your lap,

[32:06]  right? If you just sitting there and think it's going to fall out the sky, you're dead wrong, man. You really got to put in the work. And sometimes doing the work that you're doing, that's when the door really start to open into lanes that you never even knew existed. Exactly.

[32:16]  Yeah. Right. Ron, you wanted to add on to that?

[32:20]  Just live a life of no excuses. Um,

[32:23]  there's a thousand reasons to say no or why I can't, but you take that chance on yourself and that one yes and it can change your life. Don't don't live with the excuses of what I don't have, what I can't start a company. I I'm, you know, uh, robbing Peter to pay Paul. You know, so what? You can still work. You can still develop while you're working. You can still find resources. It's the mindset of excuses that kind of create barriers to success. Don't live with excuses.

[32:58]  What What can we tell them about L's? And I'm not talking about the the losses. While they may feel like losses in the moment, they're really lessons. What can we talk about that? I think so many people they quit too early or they fail and they quit. What can we talk about those? I'm pretty sure you guys both experienced what faded looked like and how you got back up and kept it moving.

[33:17]  I mean, entrepreneurialship is people think it's just a story of just success. It's really a story of of L's. But like you said, the L's are lessons. So many lessons that we've went through and so many paths where, you know, we went we went left when we should have went right. Okay. So now we started to explore the map. And so as you explore the map of entrepreneurialship, you eventually get a true picture of the playing field and now you can navigate that playing field with more um you know precision. So when you have those L's, that's just you mapping out the the the the landscape and and that's how you should see that.

[33:59]  I love that. James, what you going to add to it? Yeah, I think um just in addition to that it's again going back to the concept it's not what's happening to me but it's what's happening for me that those um like you said those lessons a lot of times it was stuff that may have happened say for instance we didn't have the money to do something boom now I got a relationship with my brother my brother connect me with somebody he got that got um enough money to lend us and and it builds relationships and um relationships that you can go back to. So, you know, sometimes when they, you know, say that the closed door, it's not you can't get in your head to the extent where, man, this was the opportunity I wanted. This this I failed. No, it's it's other doors. Allow that closed door just to be directional for you. Um, so it's it's a process. It's ups and downs through this. I will never sit here and make it seem like it's easy. It's been times I wanted to quit. Um, I told Ron before that I wanted to just go back to working a 9 to5 because the the stuff is a grind. It's it take a lot. Like we we may laugh and joke um about it, but it's a lot. It's a it's a lot of work in being an entrepreneur. But your perspective, if you look at those those um like you said, those L's as not losses, but lessons, learn from it. It's not a failure if you can learn from it.

[35:23]  Yeah. 100%. It's funny that you say that. You don't know how many times I want I say his name thing like you know what I wish I could just go 9 to5 come home play video games like be that guy sit on the couch it's just not in me though you know what I mean tomorrow you got to wake up and even though today wasn't a good day you going to figure out tomorrow doing it until

[35:43]  the light on the end of the tunnel per se

[35:45]  and no knock to the 9 to5 cuz it's is a is vital it's needed and everybody um everybody can't be a leader and that's that doesn't mean you're not important and vital role to the success of a company. Everybody that works for us, we need them on that front line because without them, this agency does not move forward. Um, but yeah, I I we definitely had those conversations about, man, you know, we can just go back. I can go back be a director anywhere at any time, get a six figure job, and I'm, you know, I'm cool. And like you said, we used to be playing Call of Duty and stuff. Uh, those days are over. But to much is given, much is required. And so we're not it's not just about me and James and our family now. It's it's more than 50 other people's families that we are trying to assist and make sure that they're they're okay. And so, you know, that that's the pride that I take in. And so when things get rough, you know, it's like, man, what are we doing this for? So

[36:39]  yeah, I always figured, I mean, I had to realize this, but life is not even about us, man. It's about the next generation, about people that we pour into, right? God has given us all these uh blessings really to pour into others. some things that we didn't know we can continue to pass on. But we did learn as we talked about through some losses. So, we can now kind of pass that on. Um, life is like that, man. Life is like a roller coaster. And I heard someone says, "Man, life's been like a roller coaster." I'm like, "That means you living." Cuz if you a there's no ups and downs in your life, you not really living. All right? So, I appreciate that you guys have continued to never give up on yourselves, but give up on others either, right? Right? Cuz once you give up on yourself, you've given up on 50 plus other people that believed in you um that seen the vision and continue to show up because of what you kind of um mentioned to them as that leader. So it it is a very tough space, man. And I I appreciate both you guys for just doing and being who you guys are. Um as you guys mentioned, it's not it's not who you were at those moments, but who you were going to become. And look what you guys have been able to become, right? By just staying consistent, by just loving what you do and never chasing a paycheck, really chasing purpose. I mean, James, since 20 years ago, man, you just had this seed planted in you. You knew there was something there while you probably didn't see this part of the vision, but you knew there was something there. That moment that made you feel like, damn, I love this. How do I continue to tell that story? And it took you 20 years, man. And you just getting started, man. You just getting started. Ron, I wish I could tell more on you, bro. You just weren't there on the first conversation, so And James spoke you up, though. He spoke you up. No worries.

[38:08]  Don't chase a paycheck, chase purpose. That's a bar right there. I'm saying, man, that's my that's literally was my life been. And speaking to nonprofit leaders,

[38:17]  it's so true.

[38:19]  You know, I've had over 200 conversations this year.

[38:22]  And I've seen CEO I actually just recently spoken to he was the CEO of Michaels

[38:28]  and uh the president of Kirkland's at one point.

[38:32]  Okay.

[38:32]  And now he is Joy I think is Joy Bridge for Kids or something like that. is an autism or organization and he got called upon that because he had a child that was autistic and um he just was always kind of appreciated that work and then one time someone called him and says hey I'm starting a business and we know that you know how to run a business and it was one office that he now turned into 15 and he's trying to go to 30 but he's like I love this so taking that pay cut I've seen um I've seen judges that walked away from the podium because they realize why are we not helping the kids before they get to the courtrooms and he realized I needed to go backwards, right? Like when you see that, man, people are really making money and say, you know, we shouldn't be just chasing money. But sometimes when you grow up, how we grew up, that's all you see, right? You got to be the basketball player, you got to be the football player, go chase the money. And reality, when you really chase something that you love and never feels like work. I can imagine James and Ron, while they're stressful, man, those days that you see someone blessed, you know, those kids that are are living their lives the way that you guys, you know, envisioned like that makes it all worth it. Well,

[39:35]  man, let me tell you, you go into that home and you see those faces light up just to see you and um because of the relationships you you establish with them and you just see the the impact, man, it man, all the the worries and the stress of the day, all that stuff goes away. You don't even think about that stuff. You just think about, man, it's it's just a blessing. They they they're enjoying life. We're assisting them developing skills, becoming more independent, helping people who couldn't navigate the community. Now they're getting out in the community on their own and catching buses and and going to the malls and it's like, man, they got girlfriends and living their life and it's like, man, I love that, man. They thriving, they living. So that that man, that's what it's for me.

[40:21]  Hell yeah. Hell yeah. James, you going to add on to it?

[40:24]  No, you hit it right on the head. And I I think the only thing I'll add is that our even our families, you know, the the lives that they get to live because of our purpose, the lives that they get to live because of us chasing our, you know, pursuing our why. So you see the families that you impact on site at the, you know, the work space, but then when you come home and your family is thriving, they're in healthy environments, they're not experiencing struggle, it's it doubles down on the motivation.

[40:54]  100%. I do agree because when you feel it, they feel it, too.

[40:59]  Um, I'll leave y'all as the last question, man, before we wrap it up. What's one truth about your industry that most people aren't ready to hear?

[41:09]  Make y'all think on this one.

[41:10]  Yeah. Yeah. I I would say um that I do think it's still underfunded that social services that our our governments um states can still do more for these populations. Um no matter what they think they've passed, no matter how we've progressed, we can still do more. We can do better.

[41:34]  All right. And Ron, I ask you, man, where people can tap into you, whether it's to uh help them continue their own venture or to just uh partner up with what you guys are already doing, where can they be follow maybe on social media? What is the website,

[41:46]  man? So, if anybody want to tap in, you can reach us at www.theproviderupportgroup.org. You can also reach us at www.igwinc.org. That's for the um for the seller home. So again, if anybody who has a a desire to work with uh adults with intellectual developmental disabilities and want to start your own silo homes, your own group homes in any state in the nation, we are able to come in and uh review that state policy and get you set up to get your license and get you operational in that home. So again, go visit www.theproviderupportgroup.org tpsg.org. We'll help you out.

[42:31]  I love it. Well, appreciate both of you guys your times, man. What you guys are doing in the Chicago area

[42:36]  and um can't wait to see this continue to scale, man. Two two men that have become brothers over lifetime and look at what they doing and they just getting started. Ron James, it's been a pleasure. I'm Ephrain. We'll catch you guys on the next one.

[42:47]  Appreciate you. Thank you for