Stoy Hall, CFP®:
0:00

business owner, this is our second business owner in. And this is the lovely Jodi Peterman. Thank you. Thank you. Got host Oy Hall and co-host Lisa Gr. What's up? Who is our head soccer aficionado over here? But welcome back everyone. This one's very special to me. Aw. Because Jodi is the longest tenured client I have. We've been. A few things over the course

Intro:
0:24

of, are we gonna get into today or no. Probably that's

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
0:27

a's, I think that's off record. That's a whole different conversation and a whole different beverage card in,

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
0:32

around that

0:32

beverage

Intro:
0:33

card outside. It's Friday. It's a Friday podcast

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
0:35

Friday

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
0:36

afternoon. But very excited to have you. You're gon, your business is definitely different than anything that we've really talked about much on our podcast throughout last year or this

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
0:44

season. Who was the last speaker? That you had on your podcast. The last

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
0:49

business owner was helps homestead. And she does honey and

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
0:53

flowers. She's got a thought. Okay. Daisy, I would think, thought it was gonna be really cool because one time I was doing a presentation in New Jersey and they, for realtors, and it was supposed to be like 30 people and I show up. 400, they decided to have a whole group, which was cool to get in front of it. But I just started my, I'm green, very green, right? And the only saving grace, my only saving grace was I got to speak right after a lawyer talked. Oh.

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
1:21

So no matter what you did,

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
1:23

I walked in and I said, boy, am I relieved? I thought there were 30 of you, there's 300, but I am gonna be, this is gonna be amazing cuz I can follow them.

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
1:33

So no matter what you said, all you had to do was

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
1:35

smiling the honey and the flower. I can't compete with that, but it might not be totally different. It'll be totally d It'll be good. It'll be a

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
1:41

good tie-in. But speaking about you being green, your business is 20

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
1:46

years old this year. Congratulations of our teens. Now we need a real clap. Yeah. Clap. Clap button. Yeah, clap. Where is

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
1:53

it? I don't,

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
1:59

something really? Yeah. I came and let go. Woo. And now we're here. So talk us through that journey. It's been quite exciting. Started in New Jersey with hope and a prayer and twin baby girls and a business partner. That was it. Business partners can be great and lovely. This one made me wanna vomit and had, was sick to my stomach all the time. It just wasn't going well. So we ended that partnership and I found another business partner and then I had the opportunity to purchase that company out from under her because she was moving away to be her husband. So it was great. And then my husband said, surprise and wanna move back to Iowa. I'm like, okay, this is gonna be something totally new. Welcome to Iowa. Yeah, I know this was like in 2008 and you know what the market was like in 2008. And then also everything I knew about Iowa, like I was outside of Iowa. Longer than I had been inside of Iowa. Being outside of Iowa, I'm like, my gosh, women are so strong in Iowa. Like they do everything themselves. They can, they bake, they cook, they have babies by trees. They don't need a designer in Iowa. I'm like, how is this gonna translate? And I'm like, Thank God we were building a house right up the street. They were building a new Walmart. I'm like, if this doesn't work out the whole design thing, I can go be a Walmart greeter. That was my backup plan. That was really exciting. Taking what I knew from New Jersey, moving it cross country in 2008, so that was 2003, bought it, I started it, and then in 2000. Brought it here. And I thought, let's just go back to basics. So I just started with staging and by getting in with staging and talking with people, they're like, wow, you did this for my house. And just staging, what can you do to my, for my new home? And so started with their layered in the whole furniture thing, the procurement installment, and everything that goes along with that, and. Slowly by, slowly just partnered with Iowa State University to have interns and then those grew into, I can't wear 90 hats myself. Where you do, you give up your control. Been through it all. I, it was out of my home. In Grimes, Iowa and grew and added people and went through a lot of, all the fun business things. Employee theft, employee this, employee that, like all the great stuff happen, all the great business owner stuff, all the great business owner things that They don't teach those in books. Oh, they sure don't. That's called the, an additional college learning on your own. Yeah. There should be a chapter in the books. Yes, it definitely should be. People don't have. Idea anyways. So went through all of that and grew so much that we just basically our neighbors kicked us out of the neighborhood and we had to get a storefront, which has been awesome. And now we're transitioning again into something different from this wonderful thing called, I call it the years that she'll not be named that everybody learned and pivoted from. So learned some things from that. And so now we're going in a whole new direction this week on this trip I found out. So exciting. And a new market. Is dropping like today or, oh, I can just, it's

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
5:03

yours. I can this will probably go out.

Intro:
5:04

Yeah, it'll go out in a couple weeks. Maybe,

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
5:06

probably like three weeks. Alright so so spinning on that. I have to caveat and take a little pivot backwards because in June of last year we found out my daughter was gonna be having our first grandchild. My husband and I decided to just get a little vacation rental home in Florida where we could hang out if, whenever we wanted to, and then come back to Iowa after we moved down there. I think we're there for maybe three weeks. He's I'm never leaving. I guess if I wanna be married and we're living in Florida now. Yeah. Which is great because the economy there is doing completely new and exciting things than what it's doing here. It's a little more protected. In some aspects. So that being said, and going through the pivoting of covid and everything that happened, employees really like working from home. They love it actually. And doing what we do, you can mostly do that. So we're gonna be pivoting in that direction. But I also have a show space to show people furniture and everything like that. So that's all because people still wanna see it. They see it, look at it, and it'll be in a nicer setting because it actually has fully us, I fully designed this space. It's got the cabinet lines, we carry the cabinet hardware all installed. Not like little cabinets. Like you can actually see, visualize it and visualize it. Yes. And vision it. So that's all exciting. So it's funny because when I'm in Florida, Going crazy, trying to get my business out there, networking and everything, making great connections. And then when I come to Iowa, I come once a month for a week. I'm putting a month's worth of business into one week. Yeah. So every second of the weekend, every I'm out and about doing everything and let's be real.

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
6:41

You, you have clients all over the United States. You travel

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
6:44

Oh, me too. I totally forgot to, oh my gosh. I hope Vitel doesn't strangle me. Yes. So during that whole transitioning period, Between 2020 and now we ended up partnering with a company out of Brooklyn and they buy multi-family projects across the United States. That's how I knew I had the confidence that I could go to Florida. And everything would be fine. Working from Iowa and figuring that whole thing out. I do a lot of Hubble's multi-family properties. And they sold one of their properties to this company and that company said, who's the designer you work with? Gave'em our name. And that's how I got introduced to them. And after speaking with them a little bit, I was like, cuz you're always pivoting my mind's always thinking as a business owner, you have to think all the time on your feet. And I was like okay. I've looked at some of your other properties in your portfolio. I see everything. Boy, it really lacks consistency. Are you guys the only investors or do you have other investors? It's no, we have the investors from Dubai, we have the investors. I'm like, all over the place. And I'm like, how do you get that across, that confidence across it? Like when they go with you, like it's gonna be done, right? And he's that's a good point. And I was like, he goes, have you ever done projects nationwide before? I said, no, but if you wanna. Check it out with me. I'd be more than willing to. Let's do it, see if we can do it. And we pivoted a couple times in there and now we have it done to a science. It's great. It's fun. So I'll like literally go like I'm going to Indiana to go measure a project out right outside Chicago. I'll measure it, get all the information and. We'll start designing and make all the selections and then do all the furniture and procure it all and then go back and install it. And I love it. I know it's fun. And I'm going to Orlando, we got another project there, so I'm really excited And Naples. So look at you. Yep. Getting there.

Intro:
8:27

So when did you decide to be a business owner? Have you always wanted to be a business owner or was it, is there a story around that too?

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
8:35

I don't think I can work for somebody else. Like I'm a little do in a nice space. I like things done my way and efficiently. Yes. Asto is respectfully

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
8:48

though. Respectfully though, right? You want it. Correctly your way, respectfully. It's not always your high the highway.

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
8:54

I always take my professionals that I hire. Yes. And listen. Yes. I can take it back. I expect that, I tell my husband too, I'm like, you go, put me in my place. I just sit in a loving way. In loving way. Of course. Yeah. Call me out basically. If I'm thinking something wacky, that's your job to call me out, but I. Like to have my opinions heard. Yes. I did work for Bath and Body Works doing their marketing and their like their display set designs and stuff like that. When they were the cute little Bath and Body Works store before they became all commercialized, all big and stuff, all big.

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
9:25

So interior design let's, can you lay out some of the misnomers about your industry, because we hear it a lot of one, I can do it myself. It's too expensive. Too expensive. What's the point? Those

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
9:36

types of things. Okay. So I have gone through my own, which I can't speak about process of how I've developed a more efficient way of getting things done with contractors. Okay. It's called the e d process. That's my term for it. But basically what it is construction is not regulated by the state of Iowa. That's not a secret. Most disputes between homeowners and contractors is, it's 40% lawyers get paid. So they are not gonna help figure out a problem to solve the solution between the contractors. And the clients. So I feel like I, it's my job as the middle person to see what the problem is. And I always wanna come up with a solution. And I tell my girls that all the time. I even have a sign hanging in my store. If you see a problem, find the solution. So the problem is that since it's not regulated, it means that anybody can be a general contractor. There's no tests or codes or anything like that. You mean like I could be a general contractor, you could, my grandma could be a general contractor. That's terrifying. Your aunt could be a general contractor. Ooh, my dog would be a good one. And the problem that equates when the economy goes really good and there's not enough out there, what happens is people who. See their general contractors making money. Doing what they do and think they can go out on their own and do it, but they don't really have all those little nuggets in the back of their pocket to know and clients get hurt. That's when clients say, I'm never gonna do any remodel into my home. I don't wanna do anything. I'm just gonna sell it as is in, just find something new. And it becomes so fresh and it doesn't have to be that way. And I tell people now that the e d process, which I'll get into in a second, is basically like I. You buy insurance to make things. If something goes wrong, it goes smoothly. Yes. And that's what it is. So basically hiring a designer. Myself, my company, or somebody else. It's basically most designers in the era that I've talked to, they do have the same documents and everything. We just take it a step further and make sure they have everything they need for the contractor. One, it's gonna protect their, it's gonna give them insurance, but it's also gonna protect their bottom line, which is their dollar and their budget. Because instead of working off allowances, so instead of saying, I want my bathroom remodeled. Contractor A comes in and says it's gonna be 35. Contractor B comes in and says it's 50, because you don't know where they're getting their product from because you don't think to ask those questions. It could. From the Restore, or it could be from Plumb Supply. Like you have no idea where they're getting the stuff to come up with those numbers. So because you don't know and you don't have the documents, that creates the problem. So that's where the insurance comes in. So you get the designs done, you see the renderings. You see the visuals. You can get on board with the design and you're like, yes, this is good. We get all the things selected and everything ready to go in these documents. Then you can give those to your contractor. Contract doors and you should get Apple to apple bids. The only difference should be because you have all the design being done, you have all the products selected, and our documents are very detailed out. There should be no difference in price unless one contractor gets, a less price on a flooring than another because of volume. That would be the only other caveat but it should be apples to apples and you should be able to get a bit out that. The other thing that does is because you are not working off of allowances, and let's say you're redoing your kitchen, the first thing they have you do is appliances. Appliances, you might have a$3,700 budget, but the appliances you want are like, decor appliances, and that's gonna be 19,000. You're already over budget there, but you're like, I'll make it up as they go along. There's no making it up as you go along. That is Falsity. Because you're gonna have to skimp on so much, and when it comes down to like your plumbing fixtures and your light fixtures, that's the two most common mis not mistakes, but things that people have to compromise on. As they go through the process of making their selections because they're like, oh my gosh, we're so far over budget, there's nothing to do. I'm gonna have to go with a four inch center faucet. Which means you can't take it out down the road and replace it with a nice eight inch center faucet, cuz your holes are drilled in your countertop. Specifically for that. Yes. So then now you're talking like more money down the road and you're not getting what you want. It creates problems. So having all the documents will alleviate a lot of that right off the bat. And then you submit the documents when you're like, Hey Jodi team. This is great. They're gonna submit it to the contractors. Contractors come back with. Yeah, just like we had a client come back, she's our budget's one 20. And I'm like we don't know what other people are gonna charge, so we're just gonna design it how you want it, and then we can edit from there. And the budget, and it came back at, I think 1 77. So now we're all getting creative together. Making okay, do you absolutely have to have those dining room cabinets? Do you have to have. That flooring, can we do it in a different way? Can we change cabinet styles of the doors profile to bring the cost down? What's important to you? And those are the decisions they can make and say, you know what? We're gonna keep everything the way it is. We're gonna wait a year, save up money and do it the way we want to, or, we're gonna make some changes and then we're just gonna go for it. But that way they know going. I had a client who called me and she was in a panic because she had to pick out light fixtures. And so I got a hold of everything and I was talking to her contractor and I'm like, what's the budget? And he's she's over budget on everything. I'm like, I know, but she says she has to stay in a certain budget. And he goes what I bid was, I think it was a 2.2 million house, and I think they had$5,200 for light fixtures. And I had to pick out 50 for the whole house. 50 52 light fixtures. It ended up coming. It ended up coming up like less than a hundred dollars a light fixture, and I wanted to cry. I'm like, what's the stupidest, where? Where do you want light at? Yeah. Do you want light? Which, which rooms? Which are the most important light answers for you? Cuz I'm like, I don't, yeah. That was said. But that's what happens when you just go along with things and you don't know. So the I have so many people tell me so many stories. One client said, I have four little girls under the edge of four. They were gonna hire us to do all the selection. She's no. I'm just gonna hire you to do the furniture part. Fine, no worries. Cause I love picking stuff out. I'm like, great. So she did everything and then she called me crying because her walls had little black marks. She had picked white for the paint for the walls, little black marks all over. And this was a$700,000 home, like three or four years ago. So we're not talking an inexpensive home. She didn't have a paint chart done. She just told'em what color she wanted. In the contract, they used flat paint on the walls. Great shows everything. I'd be crying too, right? So she paid eight or$10,000 to have the whole main floor repainted when she already paid for it. I'm like, do you realize I could have pretty much designed your whole entire house? That's what I call insurance, right? Or somebody called and they said, You know they were the same thing. No, we'll just use you for furniture. Fine, no worries. We can do that. Called so upset. She's I could just kick myself because the ed carpet we ended up with is such junk carpet. We have to rip it out and put all brand new carpet in. I could have sa, I could have put it that towards you designing the whole house and doing all the shop, all of it, all the mistakes at the end. So much time. It's a full-time job doing a remodel or new construction. It's crazy. I feel like your process

Intro:
16:23

puts the. Even in more control. Yes. In decision making, but it's,

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
16:29

its together. Who, that's what I'm saying. People think that I had a client I met with today and she's we've been waiting a year to try and get this project started cuz we keep waiting for this or this person changes this. And I'm like, I just don't, I just don't get it. Like having all this stuff done ahead of time. So she goes, that's why we're using you on these other new projects because I can't go through this again with this project. It's frustrating.

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
16:53

What can you say for those that maybe aren't buying a new home or able to do a full house remodel? Within our market, obviously we have inflation that's going crazy. Just rates are crazy. Oh, sorry. But people need a little freshen up, whether it's to sell their home or just to make themselves feel better. Where should they start? Obviously hiring someone, but like in their house, what do you believe is like the EAs easiest and cheapest way to start to freshen things up as they start to redo their home? Yeah.

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
17:21

I would say you, it's like going in and somebody's in a car accident, you don't know where to start, so it depends on where you're at. If you have decent furniture, then I would start looking and decent, but. But what I mean like good, like quality furniture or color furniture with colors that are basic that you could just throw in some accent pillows and tie it in together. We wanna do things as inexpensively as possible and put the money where it's more important for the client on those items. So if your house is dark, I would say start there because light sells if it's dark or, and or paint. Pick a paint color. So the great place to start is we actually offer a 30 minute complimentary consultation with myself so that I can understand the scope of the project and bid out only what our clients need and want. Versus. Just throwing out a random number and giving them things. I'm like, if you don't need renderings, why are you gonna pay for us to do renderings? We can cuss them. Let's take that out. If you don't need an electrical plan, if you're just. One new light bar above your mirror. You don't need us to do a plan for that. Let's take that out of the equation. And only get you what you need. So I would say start with a 30 minute complimentary consultation. Find, let's figure out what you need, because I can show you examples of things and you can say, take that in, leave that out. And then, or if you're like, I don't want a complimentary consultation, I just want somebody to come out for an hour and do a walkthrough or a two hour walkthrough, we can just give you a quote. Just to have a designer come through and walk through their home and say, this is where I would start. When we understand what you feel the issues are, I,

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
18:49

I think it's important for everyone to know, like it, things can happen over time. This isn't hey, do your whole home at once. No. Figure out where to start and build out a plan because then obviously you're a financial planner, ah, can start to plan for those things over time. And if, but if we don't know, we don't. Even it makes our jobs harder. When clients wanna come in, it's okay, I have a HeLOCK. I want to do this. Now they're gonna be over budget already immediately. And now what do we do? Now we have to make decisions and change in that. I wanna

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
19:19

put in a pool in my house in Florida.

Intro:
19:22

Yays a great idea.

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
19:23

It's a great idea. I'm in Florida and I'm doing it. I know if s story really got that, what should we do? It's like story. This is what's already done. We're putting in a pool. It

Intro:
19:30

was like, so let's

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
19:31

figure it out. They're moving to Florida, thinking about a pool stoy, the pool's. We already signed a contract.

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
19:36

It's a whole, there's a whole, yeah, no, but it is important to do that planning. Planning upfront, so we know what's going on because we also have connections we. With a lot of subcontractors who've been in the area for be in business 20 years. I was 2008, four years in New Jersey. So like 15 least, at least 15. 15. I'm bad at math. That's why I have you, that's why I have you. I don't do numbers. I have toy. So yeah, so we, you figure all of that out and it's. Here 15

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
20:11

years. Yeah. In Iowa,

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
20:13

now Florida. I know now

Intro:
20:15

Florida. Now Florida. Florida sounded pretty good after Florida's the last couple weeks here was snow and rain, and

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
20:20

it's been nice. And then I'll probably alternate and come back to Iowa more than the humidity. Yeah.

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
20:25

When it gets all not fun. No. So we've learned a lot about your business now. We love talking about this and obviously we've done this multiple times of. The difficulties of the mindset for a business owner when it comes to one running the business. Two, taking care of staff, and then ultimately a third, your own family. Can you talk us through for everyone as a bus business owner of having life and doing all of those things and the stress and the, and having the right mindset to come. Of whatever situation

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
20:56

you're in. Yes. At the beginning it was wine. In the beginning it was what kind? A lot of wine it, I can't even remember. It's in a brown bottle and I got it at Target. It is it tastes like apple juice and I call it mommy's apple juice is what I did when the girls were little. Yeah. And it used to be$8 a bottle, but then I think I told all of my friends about it and now it's 20 some dollars a bottle. So it's a find a man whenever. Yeah. Yeah. Or now it's Moscato There you goca too. Sweet wine. It helps me stay sweet. But yeah, it has its challenges and I've made a ton of mistakes, which I've had to apologize for because you're running your business and you're trying to get it off the ground. And when you're a type A person and failure's not an option, you're always thinking on how to make it better. Sometimes that's, The detriment of your family sometimes. And I have had to apologize to my daughters many times for that cuz not I was there, but also our business was there. I had several employees working out and I never really thought about it until, I think it was Hannah one day. She goes, but you don't realize, mom, we have nowhere to go. We have a day off of school. You guys are still here. Like the business was part of your home business, like integrated in your home. Yeah. Yeah. And so it's just yeah. So you have to apologize, but it does allow you the freedom to do what you wanna do and set your own schedule and work remotely. Work here. I went to Charleston, South Carolina cuz we thought we were gonna buy there, right? Yes, sure did. We're gonna buy everywhere. But worked there and did a great job and had so much fun and. Couldn't have done it if I was working for somebody else. And the freedom, I think, I don't like being held down, tied down and told what to do. I like to be in control. I wanna, I don't wanna be held down. You have to stay in Iowa. Like I wanna be able to have that freedom. Yeah.

Intro:
22:42

Yeah. I think freedom is an exciting part. Business ownership. And it can also be scary for people too. It sounds like you found a good mix. Yeah.

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
22:49

When I ripped the bandaid off when I moved from New Jersey here. Yeah. So I knew it was gonna work. And I love telling this story because we did I'm part of the H V A and the Professional Women in Construction and the Remodelers Council. And so we did a show home in 20 21, 20 22. Was it last? Yes, last year. Yes. Yes, it sure was. It was the first year. That was not odd cuz I did it in 13, 15, 17, 19 and now 22. So anyway, so we were doing one of those and I literally got the text message from my husband that the offer on the house went through and I was like, show home you're working 14 hours a day, like for a long period of time here, exhausted. And I was like, oh my gosh. We're moving to Florida. It just hit me and I said it out loud and these clients were so excited, these, this couple, and they came running up to me and we're in Florida. Did you buy a house? And I was like, oh. It was like, it's in like Fort Walton Beach. And they're like, that's by Destin. And I'm like, yeah, it is by Destin. And they're like, we're building a three story Airbnb in Sandestin. Can you help us that serenity? I know. That's why I said, so then I'm like, okay, I can calm down. This is where we're supposed to be. Florida's. Florida's happening. So it's definitely had its challenges and ups and downs as as with your family. You've got young babies too. But now this, now the transition is that we've moved to Florida. My daughter's had her baby. I can be there for my grand baby. And have that time, which is the most important thing. It is the most part. Yeah. I think I wrote a whole blog about how he I slowed down. Yeah. Except for this month. Yeah. And next month that he, there's ebbs and flow. There's ebbs and flow. Ebbs and flow. There's ebbs and flow. Sure. But I did get some good quality. I do get a lot of good quality time with him whenever I want him. My daughter's here, please take

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
24:29

him. Go to grandma. Go to grandma.

Intro:
24:30

Go to grandma. No. Gigi's. Go to

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
24:31

Gigi's. Go to. Really quick. Please get away please. I need

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
24:35

time. Yes. I need a break. And we've all been

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
24:37

through that and

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
24:37

now you're on the other side of that now and Yes. And it's so much better on the other side. You can do whatever you want. God, it is awesome.

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
24:43

Is it cuz you can give him back when you can spoil the hell at

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
24:45

alone Him. I can give him back and and then there's the part where, I am a little blessed. I don't feel. And I have the toll. I do not look like a grandma. So I'm pushing him in this stroller, like walking in the park, going, like making all the cute baby noises. And I've had a handful fulls of people. Oh my gosh, you're just glowing. Your baby. So cute. And I was like, oh, it's my grandbaby. So that's you. That's always, there's always that. That's always nice. That's always fun to say. Yeah. That's awesome. It is awesome. So it's awesome.

Intro:
25:17

Yeah, that is amazing. So do you have favorite projects or do you just love them

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
25:22

equally or, I just love it all cuz what motivates me is making people happy. That's why I think sometimes, for me, like one of the things is I take things personally. So every time I make a mistake, whether it's like I do something wrong or I make, and do something and an employee gets upset, which is inevitable, that's like daily when you work with all women. You do something that somebody's not happy about, but it's just, you just take things personally. So I love it when, we have happy clients or I can fix a problem solve and come up with a good solution. So trying to,

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
25:55

that one's trying to tip Now's

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
25:57

just gonna hold it just a whole how tippy it's cat. Just

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
26:00

hold, just hold it. Just hold it. Microphone's gonna hold it. So newer market in Florida. Yes. You hit a pot on a little bit how the difference of Florida and Iowa. Talk us through Florida, what you got going on what you're looking to do down there. Yeah. And if, and how is it different then?

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
26:16

Sure. I think Florida is like, there's building going on here, but it has slowed down a ti. And we're doing a lot of smaller projects here and that's totally fine. The other day I went out and picked somebody's front door. Totally fine. Her front door is gonna be amazing. And then we're doing like smaller remodels and I think I was talking about this and maybe got sidetracked, but that's what the nice part about doing something smaller and maybe not if you don't wanna do that part right now, like waiting for it. If we have things picked out, we can go to our flooring partners and countertop people and say, We've got this project, let me know if you get a remnant piece of this countertop to get a better price on it. So then they can reach out and maybe do it at that time. It doesn't all have to be done at once. So I digress. Then going back to Florida it's a crazy market. They literally cannot find people to. Do the work. Like here it's restaurants, you can't. Like there, it's like everything. Because of the hurricane it went through, I think everybody went there and they're just so far behind. And the people that are there, you could, I personally contacted two different contractors when I was there to get a bit on cabinet. And and trimming doors. It was July of last year. I'm still waiting for those bits. I obviously have given up, but I'm moving on to big things, but I'm not, I have met some really great contractors that are on the ball now, but they're from the Midwest and they have moved down there. Okay. And they're importing people from the Midwest down there. They're literally hiring and paying people to mo, they're moving them down there and start, and they're so upset. The waiting for people to get back to you. Part in Florida, like it is on like slow ville time, like real southern time. So they're like, we don't work that way. We're from the Midwest, we're workers, we gotta go. So they'll bring people in and they're getting ethic, cer and Florida's you're certified, like everything is like on. Everything's certified. Wait, something

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
28:05

in Florida is like certified and better than something that I, that's crazy. Yes.

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
28:09

Like you're contractors, there's different things, but in con you have to ask, like you, there's people that do these things, but they're not certified. But then if you go to get a per, they won't pull the permit because they can't yeah. There's so you gotta be careful with all of that. But the people that I have found, they're getting certified and they're getting a big warehouse so they can make their own cabinets. They're gonna make their, they do have their own plumbers now. They're getting electricians. They've got Tylers, they brought in from Pennsylvania. They're a good solid core there that they're working on getting everything all in house so they can control it. See, he was a little controlled too. Yeah. Do you

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
28:42

realize so obviously the market's totally different because in order for someone to basically start a whole brand new enterprise, if you will, with all of those moving parts, getting people to move to Florida, there has to be business just absolutely everywhere for someone to take that on

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
28:58

as a business. I have another funny story. So I was speaking. Guy at a restaurant and we were just having a normal conversation. I get very passionate so I could be talking a little bit louder, but we were having a conversation about our process and why and how we work. There was two ladies sitting down at the booth, maybe maybe four booths down. I didn't even, cuz I was so into our conversation, didn't even notice. She came up and tapped me on the shoulder and she goes, I really wanna apologize for interrupting you. She. But we've been waiting six months for a bed to get a bathroom remodeled. And I have been so enjoying listening to your conversation. Can I please have a card? Cuz I'm gonna call you And she did. I just met with her this week actually. Nice. Yeah. Yeah. She goes, I don't know if you remember me, I met you at the restaurant. And I was like, oh my gosh. Yes. I remember you. I've had a. That I was working because you could be the president of the United States or the whatever, some rockstar I don't really care who you are, I just wanna do a good job, right? So there was a guy there and I was helping him and his wife, mostly working with the wife, doing, whole main floor remodel. There, and I found out that he, and this is I don't, I pay attention to paint colors and all the details, but I don't pay attention to emails. So in his email, Part owner or somehow involved in a large international like hotel chain. Somehow he's part of that. But I, and he's he, the reason I say that is because he looked at the documents I did for him and his wife, and he personally called me and told me how wonderful they were, that he was working on a 32 million renovation and these documents were as good as not better than those. He's everything's so detailed out. He goes, had I known. Yes, you were here. Yeah, I would've cuz he contracted them from outta state. So he's and the timing and your communication. He was just so impressed. So that made that's what makes my heart feel good. Yeah. That's what makes my heart feel good. Yeah. So that's what I work for. I work for those comments. I'm a words of affirmation girl. There you go.

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
30:59

So the move to Florida's

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
31:01

been good. It's been good so far. I just, I need to get back to Florida, start keeping everything going. We've partnered with a couple realtors down there doing flip homes, and that's been going amazing. And then, yeah, doing some small projects and the chamber down there is just like rockstar. I've never seen the chamber like that before. Like people are there at 6 45 in the morning, jacked up on coffee, like they're so ready to go, excited to go, and I'm talking. There's a, it's called First Friday. Every Friday there's a two hour meeting in the morning and everybody's there you do not miss this meeting. You do not miss it. They're like, yeah, come to the first Friday and then you can talk about your business. And I'm thinking, I'm like, how many people? We're gonna be like a few people, like nobody's 6 45 people show since it's Friday. Yeah, it's Friday. Nobody's gonna show up for that. And I'm like, and because Fort Walton, I think it's I don't think it's very big. No. But big surrounding here, hearts are big. Like they really are passionate about it. And I show up, there's three to 400 people there. I'm standing up like doing my little spiel in front of all the, it was fun. Everybody's just energized and they go over what's going on for the month and it's just really cool. You say the Pledge of Allegiance before we start, pastors says a prayer like it's. I love it. I dig it. So

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
32:10

how can people reach out to you? And obviously we'll have this in our description and blast it too, but No, they should just call you. Just

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
32:16

call me. There you go. Story. You is gonna set it all up for me. He has on my schedule.

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
32:21

I've got her schedule. Just call me. We'll, your her people talk to my people. Me. I am her people. So I'll connect you, but. What's the best route to figure out who you are and what your business

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
32:32

is about? Okay, we're the website is still a work in pro progress, but they can, the best place to do the thing to do is to go to the website. It's Elizabeth e l i z a b e t h, spelled the regular Elizabeth, and then Aaron, spelled e r i n. And then the word designs with an s.com. Elizabeth aaron designs.com. My two daughter's middle names. That's how I got it. I love it. Everybody thinks I'm a chain. I'm like, I'm not a chain. I'm original. Yeah.

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
32:56

But if you want to buy her out and create a chain, it's on the table. Then you call. So then you absolutely call me. Yeah.

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
33:02

So go to the website. Yeah, go to the website and on the top there's a little button that says complimentary consultation. They would click on that. They fill out a little information and then that's gonna tell us they're not a robot, and then they can get access to my schedule and pick a. That works for them. And if they can't find a time, then there might be some more flexibility in the schedule. But they should call the office, which is also on the website, the 5 1 5 9 8 6 18 95.

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
33:29

Yeah. And then obviously on Facebook and Instagram.

33:31

Oh

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
33:31

my gosh. Facebook, Instagram. I think they started like a TikTok thing. Oh, I don't know if that's going. I gotta

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
33:37

follow that

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
33:37

one. I'm not a hundred percent, I'm not on sure. Yeah. And linked. Of course. So LinkedIn has a lot, a little bit more of the commercial side. Yeah. Like we're helping, we did a little help with the gu new Guadalajara restaurant in Altoona. A little help with design there and things like that.

Stoy Hall, CFP®:
33:53

So reach out. Yeah. If you have any questions that is, and you get a free consultation. So feel free and we'll have that link also in all of the descriptions as well. So reach out and I want to thank you for your, Thank you for having me. Come on me. I think this is really sweet. We'll have a follow up. Obviously we want to introduce who you are, but I also believe we could get a little more granular, maybe pull up some clips and show them exactly what you do. I think that'll be really good as well. Again,

34:20

thank

Jodi Peterman, Owner of EED:
34:20

you for coming out. Thank you for having me. And thank you for protecting my money. Welcome.

Intro:
34:26

All right.

Outro:
34:39

The proceeding program was sponsored by Black Mammoth. Any awards, rankings, or recognition by unaffiliated third parties or publications are in no way indicative of the advisors future performance or any individual client's investment. No award ranking or recognition should be construed as a current or past endorsement of black mammoth. Information regarding specific awards, rankings, or recognitions is available on the Black Mammoth website, www.black mammoth.com. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or laws. Investment strategies such as asset allocation, diversification, or rebalancing do not assure or guarantee better performance and cannot eliminate the risk of investment losses. There are no guarantees that a portfolio employing these or any other strategy will outperform a portfolio that does not engage in such strateg. This broadcast should not be construed by any client or prospective client as a solicitation to affect or attempt to affect transactions and securities or the rendering of personalized investment advice due to various factors including changing market conditions. The information discussed in this broadcast may no longer be reflective of current positions or recommendations. While information presented is believed to be factual and up to date, black mammoth, do not guarantee its accuracy and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. The tax and the state planning information discussed is general in nature and is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal or tax advice. Listeners should consult an attorney or tax professional regarding their specific legal or tax situation. Past performance is not indicative of future results.