Amelia Zephyr: You know, I I definitely understand, as a parent with a child of special needs, you always want to see what the community can offer them, 'cause sometimes it can be difficult, just bringing them to maybe large gatherings because, it's a lot and, sometimes you don't know how your child will react and whether it be a pleasurable event or not.
Kimberly Griggs: Well guys, welcome back to Unfinished Business. today I'm talking with Amelia Zephyr who is the CEO and founder of Creative Foundations, an early intervention agency serving young children and families throughout the New York City area. But before she was a CEO, she was an educator. And what Amelia saw behind the scenes was what problems in the educational system and saw an opportunity to truly make a difference in the lives of the children that she was working with. So Amelia, this is where I would love to start because there's often a huge difference between being really good at the work that you do and actually building a business around it. So I have a hunch, this is what your story's about. So welcome to Unfinished Business.
Amelia Zephyr: Well thank you, Kimberly, for having me on your show. I did work as an educator for many years and you know, I enjoy especially, working one on one with the little ones, trying to, enlighten their worlds
Kimberly Griggs: what specifically were you helping them with?
Amelia Zephyr: their academic skills as well as socialemotional skills and communication skills.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: being able to play with others appropriately, being able to, you know, understand different goals such as, you know, patterns, counting, right? Those little beginning concepts of what we call a formal school foundation. I was there
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: supporting the children. So it was it was a lot of fun.
Kimberly Griggs: And so these children what what types of problems were they experiencing where intervention or or your support was needed?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, many of the children that I was servicing, they had slight delays, mild developmental delays with maybe how they were processing information. some children were high functioning on the autism spectrum. some may have had, different disabilities such as, dyslexia maybe, dysgraphia, you know, having little issues with understanding information being taught to them. So they needed a different way to consume the information where they are able to learn. So that's when I came in, you know, as a special ed teacher, you're always thinking of different ways creatively to increase the focusing skills of the students that you service. So,
Kimberly Griggs: Sure.
Amelia Zephyr: you know, me of course as you know, I love music, I love arts and stuff like that. So I always made sure to integrate that within the different curriculum or whatever activities they were learning so that they're able to process the skills that they needed to succeed.
Kimberly Griggs: And so what what was happening in the school systems at the time that made you think at some point, you know, I really need to do this on my own?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, you know, there can be a lot of external factors that may go into, a child's learning there could be external influences, what they call bureaucratic delays, with helping families get the services that they need. And I wanted to start my own company where you can communicate freely with the parents as well as with your staff without external entities or influences coming in to disrupt that in a nutshell.
Kimberly Griggs: when you say disrupt, what disruption? Tell me more about that.
Amelia Zephyr: you know, it could just be disrupting, your ability to work with the child in a productive manner or wanting all of the children to learn in one box instead of understanding that, you know, we're all different. You
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: know, information should be modified to assist the children with how they are able to learn so that They're able to, you know, increase their potential also just being able to connect families with viable resources, you know, letting them know about things because many families don't understand the complexity of the education system.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: And if they had the resources and they understood, you know, just different concepts, such as inclusion. or, their rights as families, when it comes to the way services are delivered for their children, sending children to different daycares or childcare centers, and not being able to think, Okay, well my child is different, they may not accept my child, you know. So just
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: connecting them with viable resources that assist the family in navigating the complex, education system.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. And so I just want to make sure that I'm understanding the problems that you were uncovering. because of the complexities or bureaucracies or whatever
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah. Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: in the educational system, you weren't able to be as creative. It had to sort of fit
Amelia Zephyr: Yes. Yes, we do.
Kimberly Griggs: in the box. Is that right? And so you were looking for a way to treat each child individually based off what would really help and support them. Is that right?
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah. Yes, that is correct. I wanted to make sure that, the children knew that there was support there, that I was there to support them to ensure that they're able to express themselves freely and be comfortable with adults in the educational system, because once they're comfortable they're able to be excited about learning. You know, we want to help these children become lifelong learners. So we do that by creating a supportive environment for them,
Kimberly Griggs: Amelia, when did all this frustration for you actually turn into fuel? Like can you describe or tell me the moment where you just thought, this is it? Like there's got to be a better way to do this.
Amelia Zephyr: Well, I would have to say it's with my daughter. You know, when my daughter was, you know, going through getting her services in her early years. There was some frustration that was, you know, annoying my husband and I, just not getting the proper supports that she needed. And I, you know, didn't want that to happen to other families, I would say. So that's why I decided that, I wanted to provide an agency where communication was key and resources were readily available to everybody that we service. Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: often oftentimes it is that's the most motivating why in the world when it affects us, right? When we can see ourselves in another person's shoes.
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah. It is. Yeah. I mean my daughter, she was diagnosed with autism at like eighteen months. So, she went through her early intervention and, my husband and I we both had background working with, kids with special needs. So we were
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: able to assist her better, but you know, some families they may not the parents may not have a background in that. So like they need
Kimberly Griggs: Absolutely.
Amelia Zephyr: to be connected with the viable resources, to assist their their child in their growth and development.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah, yeah. So when you decided to start creative foundations in the very, you know, early early stages of it, I mean, did you think that you were building this this age this large agency or did you think this was, you know, just gonna be a service or something that you did on the side? Like where where was your head at before you actually went all in?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, I was a little nervous when I first started this agency. because I wasn't sure what it would, you know, become. You know, I just looked at it as this I'm providing a service, I love to teach children. So I I was looking at at it in that aspect.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: but you know, when we first delved right into it and then we saw how different processes worked, it was like, okay, you know, this is interesting. And to see it grow how it is today, you know, I am very happy with, being able to provide such a great service to, some of our families. don't get me wrong, there's a lot of ups and downs with this. A lot of setback.
Kimberly Griggs: To that in a minute.
Amelia Zephyr: You just have to be very resilient, I guess. Like, you know, you're not gonna make every family or employee happy, we just try to communicate the best we can within our agency. You know, that's key with our agency just being able to communicate and, alleviate any issues that may come into present, with families. You know, just making the process a little easier for them. Of course, there's some issues that we have come across when it came to, making sure we were able to meet deadlines which was not always, happening due to just different factors. But, as long as there's communication and we're able to, relay the information to families, relay that information to external entities, it doesn't seem to be that much of a adverse negative effect, as you would say.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. In hindsight, I'm I'm just curious, how how long has it been since you've had the agency going?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, I would say we started around January two thousand twenty four. So it'll be three years almost. Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: Okay. Yeah. What did you completely underestimate about starting this business?
Amelia Zephyr: You know what? I come from an educator background so I don't have that much business experience. But, just being able to apply different concepts that you may know, such as growing up, when you're dealing with with families, dealing with employees, being able to understand people and being able to connect with people, that's key when you want to grow you know successful organization. what I underestimated was, that many of the families seem to go through the similar experience that my husband and I did with, my daughter. underestimating the need that, many families need to be connected to different viable resources that can help their child, was something that, you know, I thought would be for, you know, a smaller community. But being able to see that many people go through, you know, what my husband and I went through is
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: very interesting. So
Kimberly Griggs: Well, you know, it's just so funny, 'cause it's like none of these kids come with an owner's manual. We wish e even under the best
Amelia Zephyr: No, they don't. They don't. They don't.
Kimberly Griggs: circumstances we wish we had a little guidance. So
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: yeah, I can imagine that it felt like re relief when you would hear those stories of I mean, and to me, I mean if if I was sitting in your shoes, it just it sounds like it's
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: like additional fuel to keep going, even though building a business can It'd be very challenging.
Amelia Zephyr: It can be very challenging. You know, you have to make sure you have the right people in place. That's another underestimation. You know, sometimes you feel you could check references for employees and, you know, sometimes stuff doesn't pan out. That was another,
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: you know, underestimation. Like, you know, sometimes people have their own way of doing things and it may not match with what you're trying to do and that's fine, you know.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: but just being able to to build a organization and grow it, it's important to make sure you have people who are reliable, who are able to, you know, assist you. And just having a positive attitude goes a long way when you're dealing with families, dealing with different vendors. It's important to have that. So
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. What
Amelia Zephyr: was a lot of things that I learned. I didn't learn about the positive attitude part, but, you know, just being able to ensure, you know, that we have reliable people who are aligned with our mission. They're not
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah, good point.
Amelia Zephyr: aligned with our mission, you know, it's fine. You know, you don't have to work with us, but you know
Kimberly Griggs: Well
Amelia Zephyr: just want people who would be dependable and who want to help.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. I know you're only a few years into the venture, but what I keep hearing you say on repeat is the value of being able to communicate with the families. so like multiple communication layers, the families, internal resources, providers. That's a lot to manage, but
Amelia Zephyr: It is a lot yeah, it's a lot to manage, you know.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. so for you, what has personally been the hardest part of turning that vision into this functional agency that's operating?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, I always communicate, you know, I always try to be positive and point out the good things that I see in people. you know, in in our employees so that, you know, they're motivated to keep going. 'Cause sometimes unfortunately in early childhood education. It can be very negative. you know, cutthroat I would say. You know, and it's important to build a team that we all support each other so that way we're able to combat any negativity that may arise, you know, helping families, helping children, it's important that there's a support there and that you support your team through always communicating with them, keeping them updated on different changes within, departments.
Kimberly Griggs: Well what what do you mean by cutthroat? Is that just part of the nature of the business or how do you
Amelia Zephyr: I would say well, I would say sometimes in New York City well not even New York City, that's anywhere. But sometimes, you know, it can be a nature of the business, you know. People compete, whatever they do. you know, you're dealing with just external factors, high stressors, external stressors that may contribute to dealing with different attitudes, So when they go out and they're doing things for their families, You know, and they have to deal with different external issues that may not even be aimed at them. They can always come to talk and we'll support them, you know. we don't want nobody to feel isolated
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. with the first few families. So we get this question a lot. We have a lot of people that are looking to start a business or a side hustle that grows, or you know, they're still in the early stages and they're trying to figure out, you know, how to take their skills and how to turn them into ultimately being able to present yourself in a way that gains trust quickly so that they come aboard, right? How did you get those first few families to trust you, a brand new organization, and to your point, in a sea of a lot of competition in the city, with something as important as their child's development? how were you able to overcome that obstacle and really earn their trust quickly?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, you can earn trust quickly by making yourself reliable to them, you know, showing consistency. You know, I know when I was a educator, even I service children through my organization, you know, just being consistent. with you know, teaching their children. Consistent with communication. That that all helps to build a trust and a rapport with the families that you service. You know, like we're always gonna constantly communicate with you if there's changes in your child's, you know, coordinator or something like that. We always communicate.
Kimberly Griggs: Can you give us some examples? I mean, to to somebody who may be listening, communication sounds like an overused word, but in your mind, what did that look like on a day to day basis? What does excellent communication look like to you?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, just, you know, being able we know that there's a change in policy, or change in coordination, or change in teaching. We let our staff know, we let our families know. You know, we communicate with our families at least once a week to maintain consistent communication. providing them with viable resources that affects the child as well as their family, like, different activities that may be happening in their neighborhood that are aimed at, helping the child to increase language skills, increase their attention skills, their story times.
Kimberly Griggs: that's that's a real service. I'm trying to imagine myself as a parent. I'm already navigating a complex situation that I don't understand. And if I got a text from someone like you that was, you know, on my side as a part of my team saying, you know, hey, there's this event in your neighborhood down the street. I think it would be great if you took little Katie to that, you know, like that would make I mean you're you're absolutely right. Like those that's such a small thing when you think about it, but a huge thing in the mind of somebody who's going through it. I love that. I love that.
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. You know, I I definitely understand, as a parent with a child of special needs, you always want to see what the community can offer them, 'cause sometimes it can be difficult, just bringing them to maybe large gatherings because, it's a lot and, sometimes you don't know how your child will react and whether it be a pleasurable event or not. So making sure that our parents are aware of different activities that are free in their neighborhood that are aimed towards children with special needs is quite a viable resource, And, you know, it's important in helping your child, navigate routines in their natural environment and just being able to, socialize with other peers or other people that are going through similar situations, you know?
Kimberly Griggs: Right.
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: Can you think of a time where something like that made a huge difference with one of your clients? Like is there a story that stands out in the last few years that that example is really relevant to?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, we provided a client with a resource because they just moved into the neighborhood and they wanted to be more involved in their neighborhood and meet, you know, other families with similar situations. So we provided that parent with that resource of, you know, the mommy and me or toddler and me time at their local libraries and, the parent was very appreciative and was able to take pictures and share with the coordinator and the coordinator ultimately shared it with me. they were able to meet other parents that had children with special needs and able to communicate and, because the child was the only child, develop relationships with peers his age. So That's one story that I can attest to
Kimberly Griggs: And where has that, you know, where has that relationship evolved since?
Amelia Zephyr: well that parent when they were getting ready to exit the program, they were able to, thank us for all the resources that we provided them with and provide us the update with how the child's doing, getting ready to go to pre-k So Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: doing well? I mean yeah love that. Really yes so just
Amelia Zephyr: And doing well, yeah. He was very shy before.
Kimberly Griggs: those little things like improved social skills or like what what
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: did you say?
Amelia Zephyr: I I believe that child was able to improve their social skills, you know, and be comfortable around other people.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. what's something about building a business in in this industry that someone like me who has no perspective on it, someone from the outside, would completely misunderstand?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, in this industry sometimes, you know, there's different perspectives that may come from, different individuals that may not have a education background and they may miss things, you know, such as just connecting on the emotional, social emotional level with families, understanding the different issues that, may arise such as maybe toilet training, you know, like sometimes it may take, children till they're like ten years old to get it, different things such as being able to, make sure that their child can stay at a daycare and not worry about the daycare maybe telling the parent that their child may be better off here. You know, just knowing about inclusionary settings and you know their rights as as parents is important.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah, I've never even thought about that.
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: So Amelia, this has been been a great part of like just learning how you've built that. aside from you know, referrals, what strategies or techniques have you found successful in getting more exposure or more visibility to creative foundations, to the brand?
Amelia Zephyr: Well people they really enjoy our social media, you know, being able to provide families with just different tips when they're navigating the complex system of getting their child services is key, you know, having resources there for the families to utilize. being able to provide families with Like I said before, different events that are happening in their community So just making sure that information is shared because sometimes information is not shared so then everybody is, running through hoops trying to figure out what would be beneficial to their child, But when information is there and they're understanding about, different rights they have as families, different rights their child has, it gives them the confidence to move forward with whatever situation may arise in their child's educational development.
Kimberly Griggs: have you found partnership relationships that help you to spread the word? talk to me a little bit about, the network of people that are attached to the business.
Amelia Zephyr: Well, we do get a lot of referrals from some families that their child has gone through this organization. They may have
Kimberly Griggs: Sure.
Amelia Zephyr: younger siblings so they refer their siblings. We get a lot of parents who may just inquire and call the agency and you know, different partnerships of course can come in play to assist increasing our referrals, but we always have referrals, you know, just based off of word and mouth I would say.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. So let's shift a little bit about because this is kind of gets into the conversation of of leading it, At some point, you know, you being the the person that knows how to do the work isn't just enough, you realize you know, you now have to become the leader. You have to delegate, right? So you know you mentioned like so so much of this work in particular is around finding the right people and you and you said reliability is huge.
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: How do you hire people who understand that they're not simply providing a service that this is almost like heart work? You know what I mean? They're becoming a part of a of a family's life during a s a situation that's incredibly challenging. How how do you find that right fit. Like what what has your experience taught you there?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, you know, I always like to give people a chance when I am conducting interviews and stuff like that, I will ask questions that are of course pertaining to their the position that they're applying for. But I also ask questions about resilience. do you just give up when things get hard? Because then that can give you, an insight into a potential person's perspective or character when it comes to just different issues that may arise. also I always encourage people to be their authentic self. You know, we always ask, you know, what song describes your personality? You know, to
Kimberly Griggs: Ooh.
Amelia Zephyr: see. Yeah. What song describes your personality just to see. You know, it's always good to have authenticity. inside your organization because you know what to expect.
Kimberly Griggs: What's the wildest answer to that question you've ever had? Like what something
Amelia Zephyr: the wildest answer?
Kimberly Griggs: that you just went, Whoa.
Amelia Zephyr: let me see. One of our One of our applicants had said the song that describes their personality I wanna say A Marilyn Manson song or something like that. I was like, okay.
Kimberly Griggs: But that but you're right, that is a really interesting question. Like, all right,
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: What are we what are we inputting in here?
Amelia Zephyr: yeah. It's it's you know, I like to be very personable with people and stuff so that they don't feel like they're walking on eggshells around me, you know. I don't
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: want anybody to feel like that 'cause it's uncomfortable. So,
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: you know, we try to make sure people are able to be their authentic selves, you know, when they work here and that, you know We feel that that contributes to why we've been pretty good per se with retention, you know, in some departments. Some departments, you know, we are working on that, but and then other departments we've been pretty good with that.
Kimberly Griggs: Let's talk about that because that comes up in almost every business, you know, that I've
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: dealt with for the for the last several years. But what
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: happens when somebody might be technically a really good fit at at this job, but doesn't fit the culture that you're trying to create? What do you what do you do in that?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, I think it's the background of where I went to high school with. I always you know, I went to high school with people with diverse backgrounds, diverse ideologies. That's fine. sometimes you may not understand the person you know, if they're able to get their work done, we can't really say anything. We want people who are gonna do quality work. We don't care about, you know, if they're able to you know, they don't like what we like, that's fine. You know, we're all different people but if if they're doing their work, what can you say? Right? it's not about
Kimberly Griggs: So
Amelia Zephyr: it's not about us at the end of the day. It's about the families.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. let's flip that question and say,
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: all right, so someone is not performing at the level of expectation
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: and you've got to have a difficult conversation with that person. Whether, you know, whether it's the right time to to let them go or not is debatable. But what do you find is the best approach to, you know, opening the door of an uncomfortable conversation?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, we always give people warnings, you know, like if we feel like something is not enough, you get a verbal warning. Then after that we do what they call a write up, right? A corrective action plan. Then after
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: we put you on a performance improvement plan and then if you're not performing then, you know, we would have to definitely have that conversation. Like maybe you need to pursue other endeavors, right? because It's not fair to us, it's not fair to the families, It's not fair to the child. The child deserves to have a good experience with their education. So we wanna make sure, that everything is aligned for them to have that.
Kimberly Griggs: Have you had that time where you know someone wasn't performing and and kept them around too long because it it's difficult to have those conversations? Or when you're the only one, you know, managing that action plan, like really are they are they making improvements quickly enough? And then having to make that call. Have you ever gone through that experience?
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah. I mean we ha we've gone through that experience, you know, our team has, you know, where, you know, we felt okay, somebody you know, may not be performing well and you know, they're not doing just simple tasks So yeah, we but we did have to have a talk and, figure things out because, you know, we didn't want it to negative negatively affect the children or the families that we were servicing. So
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. It sounds like you're really good at keeping that family in the foremost of your mind. Like I I can hear in everything that you're saying, like that is the center focus for for
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: you. how are you able, you know, still kind of on this leading conversation, How have you been able to translate that same enthusiasm to your team? Like what are ways that you personally know. All right, I'm I'm creating this the culture of what I envisioned way back when.
Amelia Zephyr: I would say that as ways that I can personally know that we are incorporating the culture that we envision through the support that we may receive from parents upon their child leaving the program. the you know, the gratitude that's expressed, being able to see a difference in how the child was. versus, you know, how they were when they were leaving the program. I I definitely, can attest to that. When you see improvement and stuff like that, it's like, this is definitely what we wanted. What we want.
Kimberly Griggs: Okay, Amelia, you've you've been an educator, now you're an entrepreneur, you're a wife and a mom who've you know, you've been the family that you are now serving. How I'm curious, how have you had to personally redefine yourself as all of these responsibilities, you know, in your life have changed or shifted over the years?
Amelia Zephyr: good question. I never thought about that. basically, you know, I have a lot of support, like I said, from my husband, you know, from my family, his family as well, how we had to redefine that, my husband helps out with the business a lot. I always value any input he may say. about, you know, just the different directions that me we may take with people or with whatever we're considering, you know. I would have to say like I still have the time to, you know, hang out with my family every day. you know, the flexibility is great. being able to be involved in our daughter's school and seeing her meet the potential and stuff like that and, Just finding the same for the families that we service, I would say is key.
Kimberly Griggs: What is, you know, this is something that I don't think we all of us have enough dialogue about, but what has building this business cost you that doesn't necessarily show up in black and white?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, sometimes it it costs you time. of course you're gonna have to devote time. So sometimes you may not have time to go on trips with your family or hang out or attend a family function. ultimately it's important to just work together, work with people who want you to succeed. And you know, we want that for others too.
Kimberly Griggs: What part of the journey has been harder on you than, other people might realize?
Amelia Zephyr: I would say it's a lot of work that goes into it, behind the scenes, just making sure everything flows together. profit and loss statements and doing corrective action plans or making things better for the company. it's a lot of work that goes into it. Typing papers and all that. It's a lot. But you know, it's it's worth it in the end, I would say.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. Well it sure sounds like you have a a heart behind it, which I think is always the biggest deal.
Amelia Zephyr: Yes, I I I definitely do. I I definitely do. I'm very empathetic to just different things. You know.
Kimberly Griggs: So where do you want to take creative foundations? You know, in the if if I was having this conversation with you five years from now, what do you hope to tell me there? Like as far as what you've built?
Amelia Zephyr: I would love to expand it, you know, to just different counties. You know, I know we're in my hometown upstate, so I was happy about that. I would love to take it to different counties where, you know, families need the service and they're looking for a place that would support them and provide them with valuable resources. I would love that to take creative foundations even nationwide.
Kimberly Griggs: What do you think it's gonna take to get there?
Amelia Zephyr: It's gonna take a lot of work. it'll take a lot of reliable employees to get there I believe, but we will get there. I think.
Kimberly Griggs: And this I always want to ask this just because where we're all at with this conversation, but I believe in investing in people. It sounds like we're on the same page with that, but where are you with AI in in helping support the growth of your business? how is Creative Foundations using AI to move forward?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, we utilize AI a lot. If you go onto our website when we are you know, utilizing our podcast to present our spectators with different topics such as like I said before, toilet training, helping your child meet communication skills. We have a AI generated podcast that is integrated into the website so that parents are able to listen while they're on the go, and understand how they can help their child with toilet training, how they can help their child with, eating their foods, eating their fruits and vegetables. I mean, that was the issue that we have with our daughter, you know.
Kimberly Griggs: So, so curious, like when did you come up with that idea and how when you started testing it, how has that gone so far? the AI generated podcast on all these topics or these informations, how has that changed the business or added value to the end user, to the family?
Amelia Zephyr: It it has added value, you know, I have some friends who will let me know, like, I was listening to this on your website that's like, that's cool, you know, So it has
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: added value through engagement. You know, being engaged with what we offer, what services we offer
Kimberly Griggs: How did you stumble upon that idea? Tell me the story there.
Amelia Zephyr: Well, it was the partner that created our website thought it would be a good idea to, boost visibility. And so
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: we went with it and we we tried it and it was like, this is really good tips that it's offering. You're just listening to it, it's generated and it's just offering, you know, different tips that many families may face.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. so you know you ultimately as a business you're faced with a lot of decisions, right? I mean, that was an investment. I'm sure, you know, it costs time, resources and and effort to put all of that together. What would you say to someone who is a little hesitant about, you know, utilizing some of the tools or maybe just not even they don't even know what's available? What would you just say to that business owner or side hustler who's trying to to integrate that? What would you say to them?
Amelia Zephyr: just tell them like, you know, go with your gut on things. Go with your intuition. You know you have to know who you're servicing, you know, how it could benefit them. And if you feel like it could benefit them, then just go with it. it's always good to, Try things out.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. Give me one thing that you're doing in your business right now that if another business owner's listening could steal from you and implement in their own business tomorrow. What's one idea?
Amelia Zephyr: One thing that I always think is important to productivity when you're you're creating a company is just being able to reward your employees that are doing a good job creating different incentives just recognition, like this person's employee of the month. that's one thing I would encourage a business owner is to appreciate your employees that are working with you to accomplish the goal of the business.
Kimberly Griggs: I think I yeah, I don't think that anybody has ever said that. That incentives it is so huge, you know. It and it's funny because I think, you know, if you've ever been in a situation where you've managed people, it's it's not always money. I think sometimes we think it is, but it's
Amelia Zephyr: No, it's not. We think it that it is, but it's not. It's just giving them praise and making them feel appreciated. I think
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: that's a plus,
Kimberly Griggs: What's what's something right now that you're still figuring out that other people might assume you've already got it?
Amelia Zephyr: I'm still figuring out how to make sure that we are able to incorporate the different viewpoints that are viable to assisting the populations of the families that we service, you know, and creating a resolution where it encompasses everybody's viewpoints to benefit the families that we are servicing.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. So a couple of final questions as we wrap up and I wanna thank you and acknowledge you for the work that you're doing. Again.
Amelia Zephyr: Thank you, Kimberly. Thank you for having me on your show.
Kimberly Griggs: Thank you. Well, I I feel the heart behind your mission. I I think it's important to share. So I'm I'm happy that we could have the conversation. as we wrap up, so I wanna I want you to think back to the woman who was just about to start, the version of you that was just about to start, Creative Foundations. Right now, sitting, you know, exactly where you are in your business building journey, what would you tell her?
Amelia Zephyr: I think I would tell her not to be nervous. I was very nervous when I started this. mistakes are is part of the process, you know. Failure is part of the process, to be better at what you're building. And not to worry, it will be fine. I always am very positive in that aspect. Like I know things will be better. So
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. So true. Failure's a part of the process. Love that. Final question. And of course we ask everyone this on the show. Amelia, what is your unfinished business?
Amelia Zephyr: My unfinished business is, It's good question again. I I would say my unfinished business is just making sure that, I'm content with everything that I have done so far in life. That would be, you know, key for me.
Kimberly Griggs: And why does contentment matter to you?
Amelia Zephyr: I think that's important. You know, content for me I I feel is important. because, you wanna believe that you made great decisions along the way, which I believe I did and I'm still doing. But my unfinished business would be that. Just making sure that, you know, I'm content with every aspect of everything I've done in the past, up until now.
Kimberly Griggs: Again, it's been such a delight to have you on and learn more about creative foundations. And we're gonna be sure to link the website and Amelia, you you chime in here and tell us, you know, how where do you hang out online so that we can follow you and we'll make sure
Amelia Zephyr: Sure.
Kimberly Griggs: I link that in the show notes as well.
Amelia Zephyr: Sure. yes, you could definitely follow our website on www. dot creative foundations dot net. And you know, I'm on all the social media that you can think of, right?
Kimberly Griggs: any parting words for us?
Amelia Zephyr: thank you for having me and listening to, you know, my perspective on things and It's been great.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah, likewise. All right. Well, thanks everybody. Thanks for tuning in to this episode. And like I said, we'll we'll link all of those things in the show notes so that you can connect with Creative Foundations. If you are a family in need of some support, I'm I'm sure Amelia would be glad to reach out to you. So thank you guys.
Amelia Zephyr: Thank you.
Kimberly Griggs: Well guys, welcome back to Unfinished Business. today I'm talking with Amelia Zephyr who is the CEO and founder of Creative Foundations, an early intervention agency serving young children and families throughout the New York City area. But before she was a CEO, she was an educator. And what Amelia saw behind the scenes was what problems in the educational system and saw an opportunity to truly make a difference in the lives of the children that she was working with. So Amelia, this is where I would love to start because there's often a huge difference between being really good at the work that you do and actually building a business around it. So I have a hunch, this is what your story's about. So welcome to Unfinished Business.
Amelia Zephyr: Well thank you, Kimberly, for having me on your show. I did work as an educator for many years and you know, I enjoy especially, working one on one with the little ones, trying to, enlighten their worlds
Kimberly Griggs: what specifically were you helping them with?
Amelia Zephyr: their academic skills as well as socialemotional skills and communication skills.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: being able to play with others appropriately, being able to, you know, understand different goals such as, you know, patterns, counting, right? Those little beginning concepts of what we call a formal school foundation. I was there
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: supporting the children. So it was it was a lot of fun.
Kimberly Griggs: And so these children what what types of problems were they experiencing where intervention or or your support was needed?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, many of the children that I was servicing, they had slight delays, mild developmental delays with maybe how they were processing information. some children were high functioning on the autism spectrum. some may have had, different disabilities such as, dyslexia maybe, dysgraphia, you know, having little issues with understanding information being taught to them. So they needed a different way to consume the information where they are able to learn. So that's when I came in, you know, as a special ed teacher, you're always thinking of different ways creatively to increase the focusing skills of the students that you service. So,
Kimberly Griggs: Sure.
Amelia Zephyr: you know, me of course as you know, I love music, I love arts and stuff like that. So I always made sure to integrate that within the different curriculum or whatever activities they were learning so that they're able to process the skills that they needed to succeed.
Kimberly Griggs: And so what what was happening in the school systems at the time that made you think at some point, you know, I really need to do this on my own?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, you know, there can be a lot of external factors that may go into, a child's learning there could be external influences, what they call bureaucratic delays, with helping families get the services that they need. And I wanted to start my own company where you can communicate freely with the parents as well as with your staff without external entities or influences coming in to disrupt that in a nutshell.
Kimberly Griggs: when you say disrupt, what disruption? Tell me more about that.
Amelia Zephyr: you know, it could just be disrupting, your ability to work with the child in a productive manner or wanting all of the children to learn in one box instead of understanding that, you know, we're all different. You
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: know, information should be modified to assist the children with how they are able to learn so that They're able to, you know, increase their potential also just being able to connect families with viable resources, you know, letting them know about things because many families don't understand the complexity of the education system.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: And if they had the resources and they understood, you know, just different concepts, such as inclusion. or, their rights as families, when it comes to the way services are delivered for their children, sending children to different daycares or childcare centers, and not being able to think, Okay, well my child is different, they may not accept my child, you know. So just
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: connecting them with viable resources that assist the family in navigating the complex, education system.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. And so I just want to make sure that I'm understanding the problems that you were uncovering. because of the complexities or bureaucracies or whatever
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah. Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: in the educational system, you weren't able to be as creative. It had to sort of fit
Amelia Zephyr: Yes. Yes, we do.
Kimberly Griggs: in the box. Is that right? And so you were looking for a way to treat each child individually based off what would really help and support them. Is that right?
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah. Yes, that is correct. I wanted to make sure that, the children knew that there was support there, that I was there to support them to ensure that they're able to express themselves freely and be comfortable with adults in the educational system, because once they're comfortable they're able to be excited about learning. You know, we want to help these children become lifelong learners. So we do that by creating a supportive environment for them,
Kimberly Griggs: Amelia, when did all this frustration for you actually turn into fuel? Like can you describe or tell me the moment where you just thought, this is it? Like there's got to be a better way to do this.
Amelia Zephyr: Well, I would have to say it's with my daughter. You know, when my daughter was, you know, going through getting her services in her early years. There was some frustration that was, you know, annoying my husband and I, just not getting the proper supports that she needed. And I, you know, didn't want that to happen to other families, I would say. So that's why I decided that, I wanted to provide an agency where communication was key and resources were readily available to everybody that we service. Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: often oftentimes it is that's the most motivating why in the world when it affects us, right? When we can see ourselves in another person's shoes.
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah. It is. Yeah. I mean my daughter, she was diagnosed with autism at like eighteen months. So, she went through her early intervention and, my husband and I we both had background working with, kids with special needs. So we were
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: able to assist her better, but you know, some families they may not the parents may not have a background in that. So like they need
Kimberly Griggs: Absolutely.
Amelia Zephyr: to be connected with the viable resources, to assist their their child in their growth and development.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah, yeah. So when you decided to start creative foundations in the very, you know, early early stages of it, I mean, did you think that you were building this this age this large agency or did you think this was, you know, just gonna be a service or something that you did on the side? Like where where was your head at before you actually went all in?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, I was a little nervous when I first started this agency. because I wasn't sure what it would, you know, become. You know, I just looked at it as this I'm providing a service, I love to teach children. So I I was looking at at it in that aspect.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: but you know, when we first delved right into it and then we saw how different processes worked, it was like, okay, you know, this is interesting. And to see it grow how it is today, you know, I am very happy with, being able to provide such a great service to, some of our families. don't get me wrong, there's a lot of ups and downs with this. A lot of setback.
Kimberly Griggs: To that in a minute.
Amelia Zephyr: You just have to be very resilient, I guess. Like, you know, you're not gonna make every family or employee happy, we just try to communicate the best we can within our agency. You know, that's key with our agency just being able to communicate and, alleviate any issues that may come into present, with families. You know, just making the process a little easier for them. Of course, there's some issues that we have come across when it came to, making sure we were able to meet deadlines which was not always, happening due to just different factors. But, as long as there's communication and we're able to, relay the information to families, relay that information to external entities, it doesn't seem to be that much of a adverse negative effect, as you would say.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. In hindsight, I'm I'm just curious, how how long has it been since you've had the agency going?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, I would say we started around January two thousand twenty four. So it'll be three years almost. Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: Okay. Yeah. What did you completely underestimate about starting this business?
Amelia Zephyr: You know what? I come from an educator background so I don't have that much business experience. But, just being able to apply different concepts that you may know, such as growing up, when you're dealing with with families, dealing with employees, being able to understand people and being able to connect with people, that's key when you want to grow you know successful organization. what I underestimated was, that many of the families seem to go through the similar experience that my husband and I did with, my daughter. underestimating the need that, many families need to be connected to different viable resources that can help their child, was something that, you know, I thought would be for, you know, a smaller community. But being able to see that many people go through, you know, what my husband and I went through is
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: very interesting. So
Kimberly Griggs: Well, you know, it's just so funny, 'cause it's like none of these kids come with an owner's manual. We wish e even under the best
Amelia Zephyr: No, they don't. They don't. They don't.
Kimberly Griggs: circumstances we wish we had a little guidance. So
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: yeah, I can imagine that it felt like re relief when you would hear those stories of I mean, and to me, I mean if if I was sitting in your shoes, it just it sounds like it's
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: like additional fuel to keep going, even though building a business can It'd be very challenging.
Amelia Zephyr: It can be very challenging. You know, you have to make sure you have the right people in place. That's another underestimation. You know, sometimes you feel you could check references for employees and, you know, sometimes stuff doesn't pan out. That was another,
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: you know, underestimation. Like, you know, sometimes people have their own way of doing things and it may not match with what you're trying to do and that's fine, you know.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: but just being able to to build a organization and grow it, it's important to make sure you have people who are reliable, who are able to, you know, assist you. And just having a positive attitude goes a long way when you're dealing with families, dealing with different vendors. It's important to have that. So
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. What
Amelia Zephyr: was a lot of things that I learned. I didn't learn about the positive attitude part, but, you know, just being able to ensure, you know, that we have reliable people who are aligned with our mission. They're not
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah, good point.
Amelia Zephyr: aligned with our mission, you know, it's fine. You know, you don't have to work with us, but you know
Kimberly Griggs: Well
Amelia Zephyr: just want people who would be dependable and who want to help.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. I know you're only a few years into the venture, but what I keep hearing you say on repeat is the value of being able to communicate with the families. so like multiple communication layers, the families, internal resources, providers. That's a lot to manage, but
Amelia Zephyr: It is a lot yeah, it's a lot to manage, you know.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. so for you, what has personally been the hardest part of turning that vision into this functional agency that's operating?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, I always communicate, you know, I always try to be positive and point out the good things that I see in people. you know, in in our employees so that, you know, they're motivated to keep going. 'Cause sometimes unfortunately in early childhood education. It can be very negative. you know, cutthroat I would say. You know, and it's important to build a team that we all support each other so that way we're able to combat any negativity that may arise, you know, helping families, helping children, it's important that there's a support there and that you support your team through always communicating with them, keeping them updated on different changes within, departments.
Kimberly Griggs: Well what what do you mean by cutthroat? Is that just part of the nature of the business or how do you
Amelia Zephyr: I would say well, I would say sometimes in New York City well not even New York City, that's anywhere. But sometimes, you know, it can be a nature of the business, you know. People compete, whatever they do. you know, you're dealing with just external factors, high stressors, external stressors that may contribute to dealing with different attitudes, So when they go out and they're doing things for their families, You know, and they have to deal with different external issues that may not even be aimed at them. They can always come to talk and we'll support them, you know. we don't want nobody to feel isolated
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. with the first few families. So we get this question a lot. We have a lot of people that are looking to start a business or a side hustle that grows, or you know, they're still in the early stages and they're trying to figure out, you know, how to take their skills and how to turn them into ultimately being able to present yourself in a way that gains trust quickly so that they come aboard, right? How did you get those first few families to trust you, a brand new organization, and to your point, in a sea of a lot of competition in the city, with something as important as their child's development? how were you able to overcome that obstacle and really earn their trust quickly?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, you can earn trust quickly by making yourself reliable to them, you know, showing consistency. You know, I know when I was a educator, even I service children through my organization, you know, just being consistent. with you know, teaching their children. Consistent with communication. That that all helps to build a trust and a rapport with the families that you service. You know, like we're always gonna constantly communicate with you if there's changes in your child's, you know, coordinator or something like that. We always communicate.
Kimberly Griggs: Can you give us some examples? I mean, to to somebody who may be listening, communication sounds like an overused word, but in your mind, what did that look like on a day to day basis? What does excellent communication look like to you?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, just, you know, being able we know that there's a change in policy, or change in coordination, or change in teaching. We let our staff know, we let our families know. You know, we communicate with our families at least once a week to maintain consistent communication. providing them with viable resources that affects the child as well as their family, like, different activities that may be happening in their neighborhood that are aimed at, helping the child to increase language skills, increase their attention skills, their story times.
Kimberly Griggs: that's that's a real service. I'm trying to imagine myself as a parent. I'm already navigating a complex situation that I don't understand. And if I got a text from someone like you that was, you know, on my side as a part of my team saying, you know, hey, there's this event in your neighborhood down the street. I think it would be great if you took little Katie to that, you know, like that would make I mean you're you're absolutely right. Like those that's such a small thing when you think about it, but a huge thing in the mind of somebody who's going through it. I love that. I love that.
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. You know, I I definitely understand, as a parent with a child of special needs, you always want to see what the community can offer them, 'cause sometimes it can be difficult, just bringing them to maybe large gatherings because, it's a lot and, sometimes you don't know how your child will react and whether it be a pleasurable event or not. So making sure that our parents are aware of different activities that are free in their neighborhood that are aimed towards children with special needs is quite a viable resource, And, you know, it's important in helping your child, navigate routines in their natural environment and just being able to, socialize with other peers or other people that are going through similar situations, you know?
Kimberly Griggs: Right.
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: Can you think of a time where something like that made a huge difference with one of your clients? Like is there a story that stands out in the last few years that that example is really relevant to?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, we provided a client with a resource because they just moved into the neighborhood and they wanted to be more involved in their neighborhood and meet, you know, other families with similar situations. So we provided that parent with that resource of, you know, the mommy and me or toddler and me time at their local libraries and, the parent was very appreciative and was able to take pictures and share with the coordinator and the coordinator ultimately shared it with me. they were able to meet other parents that had children with special needs and able to communicate and, because the child was the only child, develop relationships with peers his age. So That's one story that I can attest to
Kimberly Griggs: And where has that, you know, where has that relationship evolved since?
Amelia Zephyr: well that parent when they were getting ready to exit the program, they were able to, thank us for all the resources that we provided them with and provide us the update with how the child's doing, getting ready to go to pre-k So Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: doing well? I mean yeah love that. Really yes so just
Amelia Zephyr: And doing well, yeah. He was very shy before.
Kimberly Griggs: those little things like improved social skills or like what what
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: did you say?
Amelia Zephyr: I I believe that child was able to improve their social skills, you know, and be comfortable around other people.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. what's something about building a business in in this industry that someone like me who has no perspective on it, someone from the outside, would completely misunderstand?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, in this industry sometimes, you know, there's different perspectives that may come from, different individuals that may not have a education background and they may miss things, you know, such as just connecting on the emotional, social emotional level with families, understanding the different issues that, may arise such as maybe toilet training, you know, like sometimes it may take, children till they're like ten years old to get it, different things such as being able to, make sure that their child can stay at a daycare and not worry about the daycare maybe telling the parent that their child may be better off here. You know, just knowing about inclusionary settings and you know their rights as as parents is important.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah, I've never even thought about that.
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: So Amelia, this has been been a great part of like just learning how you've built that. aside from you know, referrals, what strategies or techniques have you found successful in getting more exposure or more visibility to creative foundations, to the brand?
Amelia Zephyr: Well people they really enjoy our social media, you know, being able to provide families with just different tips when they're navigating the complex system of getting their child services is key, you know, having resources there for the families to utilize. being able to provide families with Like I said before, different events that are happening in their community So just making sure that information is shared because sometimes information is not shared so then everybody is, running through hoops trying to figure out what would be beneficial to their child, But when information is there and they're understanding about, different rights they have as families, different rights their child has, it gives them the confidence to move forward with whatever situation may arise in their child's educational development.
Kimberly Griggs: have you found partnership relationships that help you to spread the word? talk to me a little bit about, the network of people that are attached to the business.
Amelia Zephyr: Well, we do get a lot of referrals from some families that their child has gone through this organization. They may have
Kimberly Griggs: Sure.
Amelia Zephyr: younger siblings so they refer their siblings. We get a lot of parents who may just inquire and call the agency and you know, different partnerships of course can come in play to assist increasing our referrals, but we always have referrals, you know, just based off of word and mouth I would say.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. So let's shift a little bit about because this is kind of gets into the conversation of of leading it, At some point, you know, you being the the person that knows how to do the work isn't just enough, you realize you know, you now have to become the leader. You have to delegate, right? So you know you mentioned like so so much of this work in particular is around finding the right people and you and you said reliability is huge.
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: How do you hire people who understand that they're not simply providing a service that this is almost like heart work? You know what I mean? They're becoming a part of a of a family's life during a s a situation that's incredibly challenging. How how do you find that right fit. Like what what has your experience taught you there?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, you know, I always like to give people a chance when I am conducting interviews and stuff like that, I will ask questions that are of course pertaining to their the position that they're applying for. But I also ask questions about resilience. do you just give up when things get hard? Because then that can give you, an insight into a potential person's perspective or character when it comes to just different issues that may arise. also I always encourage people to be their authentic self. You know, we always ask, you know, what song describes your personality? You know, to
Kimberly Griggs: Ooh.
Amelia Zephyr: see. Yeah. What song describes your personality just to see. You know, it's always good to have authenticity. inside your organization because you know what to expect.
Kimberly Griggs: What's the wildest answer to that question you've ever had? Like what something
Amelia Zephyr: the wildest answer?
Kimberly Griggs: that you just went, Whoa.
Amelia Zephyr: let me see. One of our One of our applicants had said the song that describes their personality I wanna say A Marilyn Manson song or something like that. I was like, okay.
Kimberly Griggs: But that but you're right, that is a really interesting question. Like, all right,
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: What are we what are we inputting in here?
Amelia Zephyr: yeah. It's it's you know, I like to be very personable with people and stuff so that they don't feel like they're walking on eggshells around me, you know. I don't
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: want anybody to feel like that 'cause it's uncomfortable. So,
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: you know, we try to make sure people are able to be their authentic selves, you know, when they work here and that, you know We feel that that contributes to why we've been pretty good per se with retention, you know, in some departments. Some departments, you know, we are working on that, but and then other departments we've been pretty good with that.
Kimberly Griggs: Let's talk about that because that comes up in almost every business, you know, that I've
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: dealt with for the for the last several years. But what
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: happens when somebody might be technically a really good fit at at this job, but doesn't fit the culture that you're trying to create? What do you what do you do in that?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, I think it's the background of where I went to high school with. I always you know, I went to high school with people with diverse backgrounds, diverse ideologies. That's fine. sometimes you may not understand the person you know, if they're able to get their work done, we can't really say anything. We want people who are gonna do quality work. We don't care about, you know, if they're able to you know, they don't like what we like, that's fine. You know, we're all different people but if if they're doing their work, what can you say? Right? it's not about
Kimberly Griggs: So
Amelia Zephyr: it's not about us at the end of the day. It's about the families.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. let's flip that question and say,
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: all right, so someone is not performing at the level of expectation
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: and you've got to have a difficult conversation with that person. Whether, you know, whether it's the right time to to let them go or not is debatable. But what do you find is the best approach to, you know, opening the door of an uncomfortable conversation?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, we always give people warnings, you know, like if we feel like something is not enough, you get a verbal warning. Then after that we do what they call a write up, right? A corrective action plan. Then after
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: we put you on a performance improvement plan and then if you're not performing then, you know, we would have to definitely have that conversation. Like maybe you need to pursue other endeavors, right? because It's not fair to us, it's not fair to the families, It's not fair to the child. The child deserves to have a good experience with their education. So we wanna make sure, that everything is aligned for them to have that.
Kimberly Griggs: Have you had that time where you know someone wasn't performing and and kept them around too long because it it's difficult to have those conversations? Or when you're the only one, you know, managing that action plan, like really are they are they making improvements quickly enough? And then having to make that call. Have you ever gone through that experience?
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah. I mean we ha we've gone through that experience, you know, our team has, you know, where, you know, we felt okay, somebody you know, may not be performing well and you know, they're not doing just simple tasks So yeah, we but we did have to have a talk and, figure things out because, you know, we didn't want it to negative negatively affect the children or the families that we were servicing. So
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. It sounds like you're really good at keeping that family in the foremost of your mind. Like I I can hear in everything that you're saying, like that is the center focus for for
Amelia Zephyr: Yeah.
Kimberly Griggs: you. how are you able, you know, still kind of on this leading conversation, How have you been able to translate that same enthusiasm to your team? Like what are ways that you personally know. All right, I'm I'm creating this the culture of what I envisioned way back when.
Amelia Zephyr: I would say that as ways that I can personally know that we are incorporating the culture that we envision through the support that we may receive from parents upon their child leaving the program. the you know, the gratitude that's expressed, being able to see a difference in how the child was. versus, you know, how they were when they were leaving the program. I I definitely, can attest to that. When you see improvement and stuff like that, it's like, this is definitely what we wanted. What we want.
Kimberly Griggs: Okay, Amelia, you've you've been an educator, now you're an entrepreneur, you're a wife and a mom who've you know, you've been the family that you are now serving. How I'm curious, how have you had to personally redefine yourself as all of these responsibilities, you know, in your life have changed or shifted over the years?
Amelia Zephyr: good question. I never thought about that. basically, you know, I have a lot of support, like I said, from my husband, you know, from my family, his family as well, how we had to redefine that, my husband helps out with the business a lot. I always value any input he may say. about, you know, just the different directions that me we may take with people or with whatever we're considering, you know. I would have to say like I still have the time to, you know, hang out with my family every day. you know, the flexibility is great. being able to be involved in our daughter's school and seeing her meet the potential and stuff like that and, Just finding the same for the families that we service, I would say is key.
Kimberly Griggs: What is, you know, this is something that I don't think we all of us have enough dialogue about, but what has building this business cost you that doesn't necessarily show up in black and white?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, sometimes it it costs you time. of course you're gonna have to devote time. So sometimes you may not have time to go on trips with your family or hang out or attend a family function. ultimately it's important to just work together, work with people who want you to succeed. And you know, we want that for others too.
Kimberly Griggs: What part of the journey has been harder on you than, other people might realize?
Amelia Zephyr: I would say it's a lot of work that goes into it, behind the scenes, just making sure everything flows together. profit and loss statements and doing corrective action plans or making things better for the company. it's a lot of work that goes into it. Typing papers and all that. It's a lot. But you know, it's it's worth it in the end, I would say.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. Well it sure sounds like you have a a heart behind it, which I think is always the biggest deal.
Amelia Zephyr: Yes, I I I definitely do. I I definitely do. I'm very empathetic to just different things. You know.
Kimberly Griggs: So where do you want to take creative foundations? You know, in the if if I was having this conversation with you five years from now, what do you hope to tell me there? Like as far as what you've built?
Amelia Zephyr: I would love to expand it, you know, to just different counties. You know, I know we're in my hometown upstate, so I was happy about that. I would love to take it to different counties where, you know, families need the service and they're looking for a place that would support them and provide them with valuable resources. I would love that to take creative foundations even nationwide.
Kimberly Griggs: What do you think it's gonna take to get there?
Amelia Zephyr: It's gonna take a lot of work. it'll take a lot of reliable employees to get there I believe, but we will get there. I think.
Kimberly Griggs: And this I always want to ask this just because where we're all at with this conversation, but I believe in investing in people. It sounds like we're on the same page with that, but where are you with AI in in helping support the growth of your business? how is Creative Foundations using AI to move forward?
Amelia Zephyr: Well, we utilize AI a lot. If you go onto our website when we are you know, utilizing our podcast to present our spectators with different topics such as like I said before, toilet training, helping your child meet communication skills. We have a AI generated podcast that is integrated into the website so that parents are able to listen while they're on the go, and understand how they can help their child with toilet training, how they can help their child with, eating their foods, eating their fruits and vegetables. I mean, that was the issue that we have with our daughter, you know.
Kimberly Griggs: So, so curious, like when did you come up with that idea and how when you started testing it, how has that gone so far? the AI generated podcast on all these topics or these informations, how has that changed the business or added value to the end user, to the family?
Amelia Zephyr: It it has added value, you know, I have some friends who will let me know, like, I was listening to this on your website that's like, that's cool, you know, So it has
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: added value through engagement. You know, being engaged with what we offer, what services we offer
Kimberly Griggs: How did you stumble upon that idea? Tell me the story there.
Amelia Zephyr: Well, it was the partner that created our website thought it would be a good idea to, boost visibility. And so
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: we went with it and we we tried it and it was like, this is really good tips that it's offering. You're just listening to it, it's generated and it's just offering, you know, different tips that many families may face.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. so you know you ultimately as a business you're faced with a lot of decisions, right? I mean, that was an investment. I'm sure, you know, it costs time, resources and and effort to put all of that together. What would you say to someone who is a little hesitant about, you know, utilizing some of the tools or maybe just not even they don't even know what's available? What would you just say to that business owner or side hustler who's trying to to integrate that? What would you say to them?
Amelia Zephyr: just tell them like, you know, go with your gut on things. Go with your intuition. You know you have to know who you're servicing, you know, how it could benefit them. And if you feel like it could benefit them, then just go with it. it's always good to, Try things out.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. Give me one thing that you're doing in your business right now that if another business owner's listening could steal from you and implement in their own business tomorrow. What's one idea?
Amelia Zephyr: One thing that I always think is important to productivity when you're you're creating a company is just being able to reward your employees that are doing a good job creating different incentives just recognition, like this person's employee of the month. that's one thing I would encourage a business owner is to appreciate your employees that are working with you to accomplish the goal of the business.
Kimberly Griggs: I think I yeah, I don't think that anybody has ever said that. That incentives it is so huge, you know. It and it's funny because I think, you know, if you've ever been in a situation where you've managed people, it's it's not always money. I think sometimes we think it is, but it's
Amelia Zephyr: No, it's not. We think it that it is, but it's not. It's just giving them praise and making them feel appreciated. I think
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah.
Amelia Zephyr: that's a plus,
Kimberly Griggs: What's what's something right now that you're still figuring out that other people might assume you've already got it?
Amelia Zephyr: I'm still figuring out how to make sure that we are able to incorporate the different viewpoints that are viable to assisting the populations of the families that we service, you know, and creating a resolution where it encompasses everybody's viewpoints to benefit the families that we are servicing.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. So a couple of final questions as we wrap up and I wanna thank you and acknowledge you for the work that you're doing. Again.
Amelia Zephyr: Thank you, Kimberly. Thank you for having me on your show.
Kimberly Griggs: Thank you. Well, I I feel the heart behind your mission. I I think it's important to share. So I'm I'm happy that we could have the conversation. as we wrap up, so I wanna I want you to think back to the woman who was just about to start, the version of you that was just about to start, Creative Foundations. Right now, sitting, you know, exactly where you are in your business building journey, what would you tell her?
Amelia Zephyr: I think I would tell her not to be nervous. I was very nervous when I started this. mistakes are is part of the process, you know. Failure is part of the process, to be better at what you're building. And not to worry, it will be fine. I always am very positive in that aspect. Like I know things will be better. So
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah. So true. Failure's a part of the process. Love that. Final question. And of course we ask everyone this on the show. Amelia, what is your unfinished business?
Amelia Zephyr: My unfinished business is, It's good question again. I I would say my unfinished business is just making sure that, I'm content with everything that I have done so far in life. That would be, you know, key for me.
Kimberly Griggs: And why does contentment matter to you?
Amelia Zephyr: I think that's important. You know, content for me I I feel is important. because, you wanna believe that you made great decisions along the way, which I believe I did and I'm still doing. But my unfinished business would be that. Just making sure that, you know, I'm content with every aspect of everything I've done in the past, up until now.
Kimberly Griggs: Again, it's been such a delight to have you on and learn more about creative foundations. And we're gonna be sure to link the website and Amelia, you you chime in here and tell us, you know, how where do you hang out online so that we can follow you and we'll make sure
Amelia Zephyr: Sure.
Kimberly Griggs: I link that in the show notes as well.
Amelia Zephyr: Sure. yes, you could definitely follow our website on www. dot creative foundations dot net. And you know, I'm on all the social media that you can think of, right?
Kimberly Griggs: any parting words for us?
Amelia Zephyr: thank you for having me and listening to, you know, my perspective on things and It's been great.
Kimberly Griggs: Yeah, likewise. All right. Well, thanks everybody. Thanks for tuning in to this episode. And like I said, we'll we'll link all of those things in the show notes so that you can connect with Creative Foundations. If you are a family in need of some support, I'm I'm sure Amelia would be glad to reach out to you. So thank you guys.
Amelia Zephyr: Thank you.
