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Yes, welcome to the Business Communication Show. I’m your host Bill Lampton the business communication guy, once again bringing you tips and strategies that will boost your business. Today, delighted to welcome to the best communication show Edie Galley from Tampa, Florida. Edie Galley is an award winning entrepreneur who hosts the Courage Cafe podcast, where she discusses money, business and health. She has been coaching men and women and finding their true purpose and fulfilling it for over 12 years. She was the founder of BFA women online radio network, producing five shows for women plus her own, reaching an audience and included over 43 countries. That’s impressive. Edie has co hosted and managed marketing for a business radio show on am 1230 in West Palm Beach, she also served on the advisory board for Kaiser University, and has spoken before groups of all sizes, she began her career with over 11 years of experience in the corporate world for a fortune 500 company. So we are delighted to welcome Ed Gally to the biz communication show. Hello, Edie.
Hi, Dr. Bill. I’m it’s my pleasure to be here. Thank you for inviting me. Well, you and I’ve had an a professional affiliation for quite a few years and even did some podcast thing a few years back. And here we are again. And it’s it’s delighted to team with you once more at where I would like to start is I mentioned that you had been with a fortune 500 company for 11 years, and that you then became an entrepreneur, I know that you work with entrepreneurs. Now. I know that many people who are still somehow in the corporate arena and not their own boss.
Wonder what prompts a person to make that move? How do you do it? And just just give us your What was your stimulus for that?
Well, really, I had a it is one of the biggest leaps that I’ve taken in my life. And I don’t you know, I don’t always recommend that people jump into something like that. But at the time I did. And really the biggest thing was I always knew in my heart, that there was something else for me, I loved my job. I love the people I work for it was a great company. But I just looked around and I said do I want to be here 20 years from now, what do I want to have accomplished in my life? And what kind of impact do I want to make? And that’s what inspired me to take the leap. So it was really just that inner knowing that I want something else. This isn’t all that’s going to fulfill me.
And being one who has taken the leap, it’s it’s very natural that you’re qualified to talk with other people about that. There are some people of course in the last few years who have struck out on their own because of corporate downsizing loss of jobs. And I would imagine that you’re a client base of people who have become entrepreneurs and want coaching on how to succeed. And I would imagine that your client base has increased dramatically. It absolutely has. And it’s interesting to me, because it’s the the dynamics of it have changed over the years based on what was going on in our, in our environment, whether it was the pandemic or recession or whatever it was, it’s changed but it’s still working with people that really know that they want to achieve something else and they don’t want to let that go. They want to really fulfill it.
Well, one thing about it, if you do take that leap, it takes courage and if we want to be really a little bit more candid about it just takes guts. And when you work with entrepreneurs, you as I said in the introduction have the courage cafe. One of your trademarks, which is wonderful is that you help entrepreneurs elevate their confidence level. You help them get the car
Our age that’s needed. And the regular workforce when you’ve got employers and security and teammates and a seeming steady position that takes courage, but nothing like being an entrepreneur. So please tell us, let’s say I’m, I’m your client, I come to you and I say, Ed, I’ve just become an entrepreneur. I’m excited about it. But at the same time, I’m very nervous about it. I don’t know how I’m going to get clients, I don’t know how I’m going to get an income going. I’m I just don’t know. So what do you what would you say to me? How would you begin to counsel me as somebody who needs courage and encouragement and moral and emotional support? Well, first of all, I one of the things that’s very important to me as a coach is there isn’t a one size fits all. It’s not like there’s just a system and I can tell you, Okay, go here, go here, go here and go here. What I can say is, there are certain things that are specific, and I call them hard skills, like your hard drive, your hard drives always going to be what it is. And the hard skills are really like, you know, how do I how much do I need to sell? What do I need to do? How many clients do I need? How many, how much product do I need, the really black and white things? What’s not black and white is really what I work with clients on are what I call this soft skills, or the, you know, your software, so to speak. And that’s different for everybody. So what I would say to you, first of all, is, it’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it. Some days are going to be great, just like anything you do, even when you work for an employer, some days are going to be great, some days are not going to be great. Don’t give up on the days that aren’t great. Don’t Don’t let those grow. First of all, saying well, it’s very important to remember your why what made you want to do this because on those hard days, you’re going to need that. And then the next thing is really to do a gut check. Because be as you and I we’ve talked about this before, when you’ve worked in the corporate world, so many things are taken care of for you. If the computer goes down, if the you know trashes it out if the everything, your copy machine, everything is taken care of for you. And when you’re an entrepreneur, nothing is taken care of for you, you so you have to set up those systems, it’s very, very important to set up the systems that will allow you to do what you do best, whether it’s sell your product or talk to people or whatever piece of the that you do best is where you should be spending most of your time. So setting up systems to take care of the other things is is incredibly important from the get go. And the other thing I would say is get help. And the reason I say that is because you’re going to be working alone as an entrepreneur. So it’s very important to to create a support system, it doesn’t have to be a coach, a coach is phenomenal if you’re in a position to do that. But there’s so many other resources, even if you start your own, want to be a six figure, entrepreneur group or whatever it is, but Surround yourself with positive people that are supporting you, and really helping you grow your business.
You remind me Edie of the first seminars I taught probably about more than two decades ago, before I started specializing and communication strategies. My first seminars were on time management. I remember reading Ellen Leigh Keynes book, how to take control of your time and your life. And I I like what Benjamin Franklin said, do you value life, then take, take special care of your time because that’s what life is made up of. And all of a sudden, as you say, we’re overwhelmed with what we might think of as minutia that somebody else used to do for us. I mentioned, of course, I had nobody to delegate my technology to and just just the little things. So what what your day becomes is not just the major projects, but to do them you you have to do the little things and do them well. Right? Right. And I prefer to to spend time on what’s going to grow my business. So I think it’s very important as much as you can to find a way to delegate those things, whether it’s hiring outside resources or using a service.
Some of those things that will take those off your plate, you don’t have to be
I can do it all I have to learn websites and I have to I have to
To learn mail systems, and I have to learn all these things because that will use up so much of your time where you could truly be building your business rather than just working on the things with inside the business. I want to also echo what you said about getting outside help. I’m sure many of those who are joining us on video are on the podcast are familiar with Malcolm Gladwell and his books. And one of his books. There’s a point that is so remarkable. And he, I think most of what he says his remarkable, but this really hit home with me, where he said, Nobody, not even the top names, and the business and industry world, our entertainment, our sports are anything you could mention. Nobody made it on their own, right. And reminds me, Mark Twain, somebody who said to him one time, I’m a self made man. And Mark Twain said, well, that relieves a lot of a great responsibility.
So I underscored totally what you say about getting outside help, I’ll have to, I’ll have to admit here that the first six months I was an entrepreneur, I wasn’t aware of the need of that. And so I spent six months, really, on the phone, calling companies that I felt might use my services and telling them before I knew how to really approach companies telling them how fortunate they would be if they hired me.
And after that six months, all I had at that time was a bigger phone bill,
and an inferiority complex. And then I, then I realize
the team that you form,
and we all need a team, the team form is, is the key to your success. So I underscore that. And I’ve had the same mentors, two of them for 25 years now, I still rely on them to our technology and marketing.
And we should never, we should never apologize for having to turn for others, somebody can always do some things that we can, right? Absolutely. Either that we can’t, or it’s not the highest and best use of your time. That’s very important. What is the highest and best just just like when we look at properties, we asked what’s the highest and best use of this property? What’s the highest, you have more value than that? What’s the highest and best use of your time, so that you spend your time there because being an entrepreneur is so much different than working in the corporate world. And that takes an adjustment. So and that’s why
I always say get started, get started somewhere. But once you get started, look for resources, look for things that can help you so you don’t spend that first six months on the on the phone, and have have really no, no business to show for it.
I’ll tell you something that I’ve found helpful. And I don’t know if our viewers and listeners would find this helpful. But we all are familiar with making to do lists, I’m sure I hope we are. It’s like I’ve got a brother who’s a pilot. And all his career, of course, he had a checklist that he would go down before he he took off well, one of the the keys that I found that was very helpful some time ago,
I had a to do list. But I noticed that in that to do list, I had not only my professional to dues, but I had my personal to dues as well. Several years ago, I became much more productive when I put my personal two dues on one page, and my
personal on one page professional on another. And that kept me for example from getting sidetracked with things I shouldn’t be doing, as you say the the highest use of your time. So when do I do my personal list? I tried to I tried to do that all at once. And this again, was something that Ellen Leigh Kane talked in his book about getting control of your time and your life. If I have three errands to run, I’m not going to run them in three separate days. I’m going to run them that that same hour and a half in the morning. Right. It’s you know, to me, it’s easy to get caught up in the easy and a lot of times entrepreneurs and it’s so common now for people to be working from home. But also entrepreneurs typically start out at home and in a home office and it’s so easy to say okay, I’ll go in the office later because
You know, the dishes need done or do the easy things that add to avoid the things that are really hard that do take the courage. So I think you make a very good point there saying, you know, separate out the To Do lists. And remember, it doesn’t have to be eight to five, because one of the reasons we become entrepreneurs is because we don’t necessarily want to work eight to five. But if it’s eight to 10, and then it’s five to 10, that’s fine. But be very conscious and separate it out. So you know the difference, so you don’t get sucked into the easy because it’s so much easier to do the easy then than it is to do the highly valuable and important hard stuff. You’re
Yes, yes, you’re right. And, and you remind me of a saying that I’m sure some of our viewers and listeners have heard and it has to do with tackling the the tough things and making sure they get done and they advise you and I’ve heard on that years ago. on your list. Eat a frog first four by four. I think Brian Tracy says that, yes, absolutely. Eat the frog first. Yes, something that you just really don’t want to do you prefer to put off. Now for the home based office, which many entrepreneurs will will be, I find it it’s the way you can get those minor things done, we all need a break from the computer, we all need a break from the telephone. So when you’re walking around, I’ve got a dog I’d take out and walk we need those breaks. It’s good for us. It refreshes us physically and mentally and we come back. So that’s a good time to do whatever minor chores that you well, they can become major if they’re postponed. But that’s a good time to do those. Those
may be a household events that you should take care of. Absolutely. At we’re going to be back in a minute. And we’re going to talk about your media career and get advice from you on that be back shortly. Do you wish you felt confident about giving speeches? Do you want to deal with difficult people constructively? And what about becoming more persuasive and sales, then keep listening now to Dr. Bill Lampton, he spent 20 years in management, so he knows the communication skills you need for success. I urge you to call the biz communication guide today for a no cost. But very valuable 30 minute discussion about your communication challenges. Call now. 678-316-4300. Again, that’s 678-316-4300.
Here we are, again at and I mentioned just before the break that we’re going to talk about your media career you have you have excelled and radio, and podcasting. There are many of our viewers and listeners who know the power for example of podcasting. Maybe 12 years ago or so, you would have had to Google the word podcasts to see what was going on. But that’s a big part of what we do now. So please give us the background of how you got started in radio, and then moved ahead to podcasting and what tips you would have for those of us who want to do those things? Absolutely. That’s a great question. I I got into radio by almost by accident, it was kind of a meant to be thing I think. And I was doing marketing and heading up the marketing for the entrepreneur, our radio show, which was in West Palm Beach. And it just one thing led to another where I started to be a guest and then I started then then we had such a connection that I was a co host. And then she traveled a lot. The original host traveled a lot. So then I would just host the show. So I realized, unfortunately, one of the things that I did in my life is I kind of stumbled I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I didn’t know what my purpose or my passion was. And so even when I went to college, I changed my major like four times before I finally figured it out. And what I like to do is to speak and impact people help them and and the radio show was just one of the best avenues to do that. And then when when they started to decide about whether or not they were going to renew the contract, I said I don’t want to do it anymore because I knew I wanted to do a show for women. And I also knew that I wanted to have a bigger reach than just than than just the kind of West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County Broward Area. So I decided I was gonna go online having no idea how I was going to do it, and just took again took a leap
and it all worked out. And that’s how I ended up with the iPhone about women. I call it online radio at the time, that’s what it was called, it’s kind of before podcasting was a thing or a word. So as a little bit before that, but it’s, it’s, it was the exact same thing. So and what would I suggest to someone that wanted to do that, first of all, I’d say get started. You don’t have to get started live or out there. But it takes some first steps, whether it’s, it’s just like I tell people that want better fitness. You know, if today, you just get get new shoes, then congratulate yourself for that. If tomorrow you put those shoes on, and you walk around the house, great. And then the next day, you maybe you go outside and you walk to the mailbox, or you walk around the block, every little bit counts. It’s like taking a step. And taking a step and taking a step. And really being a podcaster is the same thing. But I will also tell you this, if you look back at some of my first videos, or first podcast, I did not have the skills that I have now. But I wouldn’t have attained those skills if I didn’t get started. So the biggest thing is get started, because that’s how you’re going to get better. And take the leap. It’s worth it.
I fully agree. I’ve had wonderful experiences over the years and radio and and podcasting. And what I would add on to what you were given, which is great advice. And you alluded to it. I also add, I suppose I started doing YouTube videos, I don’t know, dozen or 15 years.
I hope nobody looks at them.
And I look at them myself. And I say should I remove that. And then I’m thinking nobody’s going to look back that far anyway. But we all have to start somewhere. One of the tips that I give my speech coaching clients,
and I’ll tell you how to do it, I assure them that you do not have to be perfect in the way I do it. I give them a handout of tips about how to become a competent presenter. And on that handout, I say, don’t try to be perfect. And I purposely misspelled the word perfect. I mean, I read a jumbled up p URFFCT. Or something like that. And they’ll look at me and say that’s not the way the word is supposed to be. And I say guess what? You understood it, didn’t you?
And people want we’ve heard it many times people want authenticity, they want somebody who’s in the moment. And one of the one of the factors about radio and television. And podcasting is that the the formal style, which used to be extendable. For example, in your speaking ad, maybe at the outset, you wrote out speeches and you memorize them and everything had to be perfect. Well, I also tell my speech coaching clients, it’s okay to put the emphasis on the wrong syllable.
You striving for perfection for perfection, as you said, start somewhere. And one of the things I’ve done, and I know other people could try this. When I was learning stream yard, which we’re doing now, I would practice with my daughter, and I’m in Gainesville, Georgia. She’s in Savannah, Georgia, and I would my tech a guy took me through a training on it, but just to make sure I’ve had several practice sessions with her. And making mistakes is just a part of any communication effort.
I love going to YouTube and type in TV bloopers they’ve ever done that ad. Oh, absolutely.
There are sometimes better than the actual show. Oh, yes, yes. And it’s top professional people who do those I could I could name some and we all know them.
Now, one of the factors that I’ve known about you ever since we got acquainted probably a dozen to 15 years ago
is that if I were to say to one of my speech coaching students, I I’ve got a role model for you. I’ve got somebody I want you to watch. I’ve got somebody I want you to hear. And at I don’t engage in flattery, that’s dishonest and we catch up with anybody. But I say honestly that you are a wonderful role model for someone who wants to speak with Vitality, with excellent diction, with vocal variety and emphasis and
body language that supports that and again, I
I’m just saying this as a speech coach, I give you an A plus. So what kind of how did you develop that? Was that an a&r? Or did you go through some coaching or training or practice? Okay, first of all, thank you for saying that, I really appreciate it. And I know that you don’t just throw those things out there, everywhere. So it’s, it’s a high compliment coming from you. So thank you very much. And I would say, first of all, I stumbled, I’m going to tell you a little story about myself. I, when I was younger, I could not even look up. I didn’t say hello to anybody. I didn’t talk to anybody I was taught here to be seen and not heard. So one of the hardest things for me to do is to start being hurt to start talking to people to start looking people in the eye started having conversations. And if I’d been able to hire someone like you at that point, it would have been wonderful. I did take a Dale Carnegie how to effective public speaking or something like that years ago, which really, really helped. And so again, I say get help. But it’s it most of all, it’s practice. And one of the best ways to practice one is like you said, with someone else that you can trust. And also record yourself, just record yourself, and then go back and listen to it. Because one of the biggest mistakes I made was repeating myself again, and again. I didn’t know that until I listened to the recording. So I think it’s very important for you to do that. And also, don’t wait till you think you’re perfect, as you said, start where you’re at, and you’re going to get better and better. So many times, I get a new client, and they have so much to share, and people are waiting for it. But they’re waiting until they’re perfect. They’re like, well, I can’t do that until I do this. And it’s like no, do that little bit right now. And then you will get better and better and you will grow your audience and your grow your tribe you’ll go your connections and everything else. So just get started and be willing to be willing to stumble, it’s okay. When we learn how to walk, we stumbled, we got back up and we all can walk now. Just be willing to stumble and go on.
Oh, how I agree fully. And especially I would underscore the bit about record yourself, record yourself vocally and record yourself on video. I remember at probably 15 years ago, I had an opportunity to present for one hour programs. And I’m delighted to say they’re on a cruise ship. You know, that’s pretty good working environment. So when I when I got on the cruise ship,
they came to me and they said do you mind if we record video, record your programs. And this was back in the day? We were we were doing that with tape. And I said not at all under one condition. And that is that you give me those recordings at the end of the cruise. And they did so I took them home. And I’m I’m very privately watched for hours, not only within the same day, but I watched four hours of my presentations. Wow, did I pick up some mannerisms that that I was repeating a lot are would have been annoying on their own, you can become your own coach. Yes, somebody else is going to be certainly more objective. That’s why you and I coach people and their other speech and communication and presentation coaches. But you can watch and pick up on your own. And then congestion is one of my favorite statements I make to clients it is the camera does not lie.
But it’s the same reason that professional football players they go back and they look over the game that they played that week. And they look at what errors did they make and how can they improve golfers do the same thing. And our careers are just as important as professional in any industry. So it’s very important to go back and look and see what I could did and what I can improve. Absolutely. You bring up memories to me. They’re the first time I ever saw a video of my golf swing. I’ve played golf many, many years. And when we first started getting video golf swings, I could hardly wait to see mine. I mean, I just knew it was like the guys I was seeing on television. And when I saw it, oh my gosh. But it was it was the beginning of a learning experience. At one thing I want to tell you this has been fascinating, productive, interesting. And I know it’s been helpful to our viewers and our podcast listeners. So I’m quite confident that people will want to get
in touch with you. So please give us your contact information. Absolutely. First, I’d like to say thank you to you, and also to your listeners. And one of the things I do as a thank you gift is I have a an e book on seven ways to get unstuck. So if you’re ready to leave, and you’re not sure, or you’re stuck at home, being an entrepreneur, and it’s more than you believed, or you thought it was going to be and you just need help getting unstuck. I do have an e book that I give away free. And if you’ll go to my website, which is Edie galley.com. It’s just my name.com/get unstuck. I’ll be happy to send you that book. And again, if you want to get in contact with me, the best two ways are either Ed galley.com, or on Facebook again, just with my name, Ed galley and you’ll find me because that’s probably the social media that I’m most active on.
get unstuck. I like that there
are plenty of days when I’m stuck. I think I’ll give you a call.
I thank you again, so much for being with us today. I knew it would be fascinating and informative and lively. And I know all of you will agree that’s the case then sets ad has given her contact information. I’m delighted to give mine my YouTube channel is the Lampton PhD, go to the search bar on YouTube type in Bill Lampton PhD. And when you get there, you will have access to many interviews such as this one and also also some solo instruction that I’ve done. And while you’re there, hit that subscribe button so that you can see future ones as well. I invite you as well to go to my website since my tagline is the biz communication guy.
The website is biz communication guy.com Not surprisingly. And when you’re there, if you will scroll down, you’ll find a place that you can subscribe to my podcast and you have several different options for doing that. And then naturally, of course, I am open to your giving me a phone call. My number is 678-316-4300 I would love to talk to you with a non obligation introductory call to find out about your communication challenges and problems and how I can assist you with them.
Again, thanks to Edie Galley for a wonderful conversation which informed and helped all of us. Thanks to those of you who joined us on video and the podcast. And be sure to be with us again for future editions of the biz communication show where we will help you build your business through winning words and ways.
You
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