Interview with Andie Monet - CEO - Strategic Solutions & Development

Andie Monet was abandoned by her single mother when she was 16 and ended up homeless. She worked hard, learn how to sell and went in to earn five college degrees. Today she is a business consultant with a wealth of knowledge and a heart of gold. Listen to her inspirational story.

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Guest - Andie Monet
Host - Carl Grant
Producer - Seth Grant

Transcript

Carl Grant: 0:02

Welcome to Rainmakers. I am here with Andy Monet. She is CEO of her own company called strategic solutions and development international Incorporated. Welcome, Andy. Thank you so much. I'm super excited. I'm excited to have you as well. And as, as I've gotten to know you a little bit, you didn't have the easiest beginning in life. And I want to start out the conversation by you going back and talking about you know, the the cards you were dealt early on and how you dealt with them and and how they kind of led to your success today?

Andie Monet: 0:42

Oh, absolutely. Yes. So I have a particularly unusual start, most people, you know, decide that they want to own a business, in their 20s maybe, you know, if you're lucky, you're 18. But I actually started mine at 16. Because my single mother had abandoned me and I was left homeless. And so what do you do? You know, and the first thing you have to figure out is how to make money, right? How are you going to? How are you going to eat? How are you going to, you know, find a place to live and pay for that. And so, at that particular time, I didn't even think I'm gonna own a business, it was more out of survival. So, you know, I went door to door I went to businesses asking if I could, if there was anything I could do office copying, collating, picking out trash, it didn't even matter. And that was really the beginning of not that I knew it then but the beginning of of sales and presentation and, and marketing myself, which I didn't even know those words yet, really. So you know, it's like jump out of the out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Carl Grant: 1:47

And how does somebody with no backing or support managed to get a PhD, you have a college degree and a PhD?

Andie Monet: 1:55

I do I have five degrees, which I don't normally share, because it sounds bizarre. But I my original degree was in engineering and physics, because I'm good at math. And I'm good at problem solving. And I mentioned that because that has been oddly one of my many keys to really building my business, not specifically engineering, but the problem solving. Right? That's what business is about. But eventually, accounting degree MBA Master's in statistics and PhD in finance and economics,

Carl Grant: 2:30

it's unbelievable. So tuck, talk to us a little bit about your business what you do.

Andie Monet: 2:35

So I really kind of call myself an optimization expert, because you have so many people who just, okay, we do marketing, or we do streamlining operations, or we do business development, right. And all those are super important. But there's I don't think that there's very many businesses as even for just for small businesses, that really can be really strategic at all of that. And so not necessarily an expert, even though after 30 plus years, I'm really, really good at it. But I mean, in the sense of how can I take this picture, because the business is a living, breathing entity for me. And you can't just pick out one piece and optimize the company, and you don't have to optimize, but you know, you can do, Hey, I just want to do business development and grow my revenue. And that's great. That's one one of many strategies. But if you really, really want to hone in on scaling the business, it's best to look at all of those and how they all interact together, and how people interact with systems and how your marketing and your sales strategies interact with your business development, instead of making it you know, the silos, they're actually just a comprehensive, complex system.

Carl Grant: 3:48

So to get new clients, you obviously have to do some business development, you have to do some level of sales, you're not, you know, obviously shy, he went door to door as a young person, so, but I bet it's different selling these higher end services, you know, by a woman with five degrees. And, you know, this is not the same as when you were 16 years old. How do you go about doing this more in a more sophisticated manner today?

Andie Monet: 4:15

You know, one of the odd I say odd but I don't really mean odd, but more that people don't really think of conscientiously or try to avoid is, you know, all business development is partly marketing, right, all presentation. If you come in and you're, you know, wearing coveralls and you want to talk to a farmer, that would make sense. But if you can't wear coveralls to a fortune 500 company, right? So presentation is really one of the very, very, very first things you have to consider before you even try to attempt to have a conversation with people. I mean, my biggest client is monster beverage at $4 billion, and how I talk to them and what I say to them And how I present myself is not necessarily the same way as how I talk to, you know, Jane or john doe at the local hardware store. And so and then I say that not because you have to change who you are or, you know, for women, you don't have your nails done. Like, I'm not saying the money piece of it, I'm just saying in the sense of, you want to be honest, and you want to be really respectful, and you want to listen, I mean, that's the all those things. They don't really, I don't think they will teach you in sales school. They just teach you how to sell but or, you know, marketing piece, but there's a piece before that, right? And so, you know, respect for the customers, let them know that you're listening, ask them questions, not just it's not just about it's hardly ever about you, it doesn't matter how wonderful I think I am or how many degrees I have, or how many businesses I worked with, or how many, literally billions of dollars, I've saved people over 30 years, it's about them. And they don't care about anything else, but how I'm going to help them and their questions and their issues and their challenges and who they are as a person. Right. And so that that building a relationship is really important than way more important than the money that will eventually come out of a good relationship.

Carl Grant: 6:18

It's funny that you mentioned how you present yourself. So I was going to I get a little funny story for you. I was going to a reception. Several weeks back for a team from Raytheon, government contracting type business. I know them very well. Yeah. So they recovered. There's a small group of them moving to Austin, and they were having reception to welcome them to to Austin. So I'm originally from Northern Virginia where they are and I know the the kind of uniforms for for these types of meetings. So I put on the khaki pants and the blue blazer and the down shirt. And you're somewhere near Austin, if you if you know, Austin, it's very casual here. I mean, you know, jeans and polo shirt will suffice just about anywhere. And and so I wear my Raytheon outfit, and I show up. And the first thing I encounter are like a four star general from the futures command who's wearing the Austin uniform, right? Then the Raytheon guys show up and they're dressed appropriately for Austin. I look like the doofus from DC with my blazer on. So anyways, it's funny, I dressed for them, and they dress for us. And, and I got it wrong. So it all worked out. But it was just kind of funny. Yeah. So the other funny thing we were talking about was in I know, you're comfortable talking about this, I'm looking at your picture on zoom right now, Mike, and you told me, you've been doing this for 30 years, and you're 50 years old. I said now I said that must be a really old picture. Because you look about 20 years younger than then what you're claiming to be. And so we were talking a little bit about, and I tried to keep a youthful appearance, I don't do it as well as you but how that works in the marketplace, you know, throughout your career, because because you've always gone to market, you know, looking a lot younger than you You are so how's that worked for you?

Andie Monet: 8:12

You know, it's it's been challenging, I'll tell you that. And you know, the younger I was, the harder it was. But I think my opinion is that you never want to be defensive. Any editing time, right? It just, it's a life skill not to be, you know, feeling attacked by by things. But you also want to be very strategic about how you communicate with people. And so talk their language, again, it's a relationship building, if if somebody has a problem, then speak to them at their level, and they'll, you know, they'll pick up a lot better than you might think. And, you know, I've had five businesses before the, by the time I was 20. And these are things that I had to learn the hard way. And there were times where I was defensive, which re proved that I was not ready to do business with them. But it was a it was a learning curve for me. And I think that once if you're honest with yourself, and if you're honest with them, and you really are genuine that that will come out. And that is one of the ways that I've just out of, you know, blessings, I was able to, to be able to be as successful as I am is to know that, hey, it's not about me again. And, you know, if I were in their shoes, what would I think? Right? And to really be honest about that, would I want like even now in my 50s would I want to work with a 20 year old and you know, maybe but I would have to be convinced, right? Because I'm pretty smart. And I don't just say that, you know, because I'm older. I just like I'm smarter than the average person, right? But everybody can bring value to me and it's just a matter of being able to see And hear it? And maybe if I think that there's a possibility there to ask them some questions, you know, but I always take it from if I were on their side, looking at me and what I have to offer, how would I react to that, and then try to be proactive about it, you know, frame it, where I just say, look, I look young, or I even told, you know, this is how old I am. This is why I think I'm experienced, or these are the, you know, situations that I've been in. You know, I'm early, early, early on, I'm a hard worker, I'm diligent, there's really honestly, nothing that I can't do. Because if I don't know what now I'll figure it out. And that's what really was the successful part. You know, I couldn't figure it out.

Carl Grant: 10:41

Yeah, so So, in the business, I'm in where I, I help emerging startup companies, I have to, I meet with college students, you know, I have to because the, the ideas and the risk comes a lot of times at a very young age. And so I have to take people who are younger than my kids very seriously. And I do. And so I can relate to a lot of what you're saying. So one of the things I noticed about you, Andy, the moment we started talking is that you are very relatable. And I don't know if that is a chemistry that I have with you. Or if you are able to pull that off with everyone you meet with but but you seem like you click instantly with people, do you find that's just a gift that you have? Or is that something unique that I'm experiencing?

Andie Monet: 11:26

You know, it's always so embarrassing to talk about myself sometimes, but but that I've heard many, many, many times. And I am blessed to be able to do that. Because I didn't really know that that was, that was one of the things I figured out over the years that it only, you know, 20 years later, 20 years into it. I was like, Oh, I guess if people keep saying it, I must be good at it. But I think that it really comes from the fact that, you know, my mother had some mental challenges. You know, she told me at five years old that I had to grow up. And at 16, she abandoned me. And so there's a part of me that, that took years to struggle through feeling, wanted, or loved, or accepted. And because I had to deal with that, personally, it's really important for me to have other people feel comfortable spending time with me, not because I needed but because I know what it's like to not feel connected, right. And that's really, really, really important, important part of me as a person, but of course, me and my business as well.

Carl Grant: 12:36

So you've mentioned blessed several times now, and I can't ignore that, because not everybody talks with that lingo. So tell me about the blessings in your life and where they come from?

Andie Monet: 12:48

Well, in only a very short period of time, I honestly feel like you know, the challenges that we have in our lives, no matter how tragic or difficult they are that that were protected by the Lord and that they're there to help build us as people. And one of the books that I'm writing right now, which hopefully will be out by the end of the year, is how our trials and our struggles help us become the superhero that we are. And because I was abandoned at 16. And there were so many things that my mom actually did prepare me for. And I do think that my mother is a blessing that she made me the successful person that I am today. But you have to be able to look at that. Look at yourself in the mirror and be honest and be open to the possibility of even acknowledging that the craziness that happened in some people's lives, whether your parents or your school, or whatever happens in your life can actually be a wonderful, wonderful gift. And once you change your your perspective to even consider that option. life becomes an amazing and amazing miracle and blessing and adventure.

Carl Grant: 14:04

And if somebody wants to do business with you, and to reach you, how can they find you?

Andie Monet: 14:10

Well, the best way I think is to email me which is Andy s s d hyphen, i n t l COMM But you can also go to my website, I have a personal website and the business website but I like people going to my personal website because it kind of tells you a little bit about me as a person. And that's just my name. So it's www dot Andy monet.com which is a n di e mo n e t calm.

Carl Grant: 14:39

Well, Andy, I really appreciate you doing the show today. I can tell you a little bit of time we've gotten to know each other. I think your life experiences and your approach to what you do have made you a beautiful human being inside and out. And I appreciate you taking the time to talk with us today. And I would like to encourage our listeners if you like what you heard today and please subscribe, please rate the podcast and share it with your friends. Thank you so much, Andy.

Andie Monet: 15:09

Thanks What a pleasure to speak with you.