Intro (00:00):

You are listening to her time to retire a podcast dedicated to helping women gain the knowledge, confidence, and support. They need to achieve financial success and emotional fulfillment. When planning for retirement, if you are ready to finally take charge of your financial life, then keep listening. Your hosts are Glen price and Jonathan's Scott founders of Keystone financial resources in Brentwood, Tennessee, both men specialize in crafting individualized retirement plans for women and have a passion for helping women discover and achieve their retirement goals. Glen, as a husband and father of four, who was taught early in life through his relationship with his grandmother, how a woman can not only take charge of her own destiny, but also positively influence the lives of her family and friends that surround her Jonathan husband and father of three attributes, his own success to the strong women in his life, including his wife, Brooke and his mother, Suzanne, both men together want to help more women live out their dreams in retirement. As always, if you have retirement questions, their phone lines are open at (615) 661-9554. Or you can visit their website to browse information view upcoming events or subscribe to the per time to retire weekly newsletter, just visit www.keystonefinancialresources.com. Now relax and enjoy the conversation.

Jonathan Scott (01:24):

Welcome to her time to retire. This is our podcast for women navigating through their financial journey. I'm Jonathan Scott, a co-owner of Keystone financial resources. And it's my goal to speak with women at the top of their industry and help create a place where they can share their ideas and advice with you. Our listeners. Now, today, we're gonna be speaking with Lucy Miller and Lucy is a wife to Knight Miller and together they've got two children in elementary and preschool. She's immersed in family life, enjoying all that Franklin and Nashville have to offer from parks and Titans games to concerts with her friends. Lucy's involved in a whole lot of things, right. And Lucy

Lucy Miller (02:03):

And busy for sure.

Jonathan Scott (02:05):

She stays involved in her church as well as serves as a co-chair of missions board which helps the church serve locally, nationally, and internationally. And I know that that's a big service right now, right? Yes,

Lucy Miller (02:17):

Absolutely.

Jonathan Scott (02:18):

And so anyway, Lucy, you're the owner and founder of a company, Tennessee women connect. And we wanted to talk about you and talk about that company today. So tell us about Tennessee women connect. What do you do there?

Lucy Miller (02:32):

Wonderful. Well, we are on a mission to give women in business, an opportunity to come together for connection purposes. So it's networking, it's collaboration, it's time to get to know one and other personally, but also then take those connections and relationships forward to do business together. We definitely have a lot of fun, but really at the, the root of the, the root cause as we're getting together to, to network and collaborate. So we host events all around the greater Nashville area really just designed to bring women together for that purpose.

Jonathan Scott (03:05):

That's awesome. So where did this idea come from?

Lucy Miller (03:09):

Well, it's kind of a funny story. I had been, I guess it was end of 2019 and I had checked most of my goal for the year off. I'm really goal oriented. I like to have a list and my planner that I look at all the time and one of them was finding a networking group. So I had been visiting and there's lots of great ones out there, but I had been making the rounds and just quite, just hadn't quite found the right fit for me. But it was Christmas to time at, in 2019. And I was in the car with my family, driving to Georgia. My husband was driving and I was just, you know, scrolling social media, just killing time. We had a long, long drive. Right. And I came across a post in a mom's of Franklin group on Facebook. And she's actually a friend of mine now, but I did not know her at the time. A woman named Ashley depu posted and said, Hey, I'm new around here. Where do the local women in business network? Like what are some great networking groups, right. And

Jonathan Scott (04:10):

There's a lot of them,

Lucy Miller (04:10):

There are. Yeah. But specifically for women is what she was asking. And so there was all of these comments below following, following, following tons of women wanted to know, know the answer. And so did I. And so I literally looked at my husband and I said, I think I need to start a networking group, which is just weird, you know, like I, I just came out of my mouth and so he was, he said, okay. So I, I was like, right, give me just a second. Like, don't talk to me for a minute. And so I really quickly, I create a Facebook group. I found an image on Pinterest and I just called it Franklin women connect. And I went back to that post and I popped it up on that post. And I said, ladies, I just started a women's networking group. Wow. Come check it out. I'm gonna figure it out. But this is, this is what we're doing.

Jonathan Scott (04:56):

Just organic as a gift, right?

Lucy Miller (04:57):

Yes. Yes. And so I think within five minutes I had like, so already of those women in the group, just, you know, wanting to find out, you know, next steps. And so this is when like the learning started. So I figured out how to use survey monkey. I've never used that before. Right. I pulled the group. I found out women wanted coffees and lunches and happy hours to get together for networking. They wanted to meet person. No, this is January or this is December of 2019. Remember. Right. Right. So everyone wanted to get together in person. And so I started planning our first happy hour. So January 15th, 2020, we had our very first networking happy hour at the Marriot here in cool Springs. I didn't really know, you know, what, what to do. Cause I didn't know how many people were coming and they agreed to let me come with a group. I took two best friends cuz I didn't know if anybody else would show up and we had about eight or 10 women there and it was amazing. So that's

Jonathan Scott (05:54):

And nobody knew what was looming in the

Lucy Miller (05:55):

Background. That's right. Yeah. Nobody knew what was coming. So it was, we had a few really great months of meeting. Right. And then we had a little bit of a COVID break and then COVID and then COVID yeah. Yeah.

Jonathan Scott (06:06):

Well, you know, what's so neat about that is, you know, it parallels really to how her time to retire started. So, you know, we were sitting around a table it's, it's fun to remember how it began. I know, because it, it was born just like a lot of things out of a need. And I was sitting with one of our lady business owner clients, and we were helping do her planning and we were talking through her investments and things, but she kept telling me multiple things that she needed in her business. She said, you know, I'm really trying to get this new startup going, well, I need this, I need that. And the crazy thing was I knew right in our client base from all these professional business ladies that we had as clients, that we had the tools to help her move forward in her business, you had the

Lucy Miller (06:50):

Connection,

Jonathan Scott (06:51):

You had the connections that's right. The problem was, you know, with you know, the confidentiality oath and things that we take, you know, we can't disclose other clients or what they do, not without their permission. Right. So I thought, you know, Hey, we're gonna, I'm gonna definitely go to those ladies and get their permission to introduce them, but what could we do on a larger scale? And so we said, Hey, let's put together an event and let's bring in all of our lady business us on our clients. And let's position these ladies at the event where they're actually sitting right next to somebody. Wow, that's awesome. That will help them in their business. And let's put together a registry for them and let's actually give them the gift of each other. And so it was really cool. We put our first event together and Glen and I basically said nothing at it, came in.

Jonathan Scott (07:39):

And we said, ladies, this was an idea that we think not only are we helping you with your planning and, and your investments and things along those lines, but we want to commit to help you in profitability and building your business. It helps everybody. We help you. It helps the whole game. And so you, we gave them the gift of one another. Well, our COO was at that event and, and Holly of course is a female. And she stayed at that event. Glen and I went ahead and left the ladies. And they said that, that it was magical. They said that it was, it was so wonderful. Yes. That ladies went around, they shared their stories about how they got started. They shared some of, of the things that they were running into together and they ended up forming relationships. Yes. Well, lo and behold, you ladies are fantastic at keeping those relationships. And so they said, you know what? We wanna make this into a networking group where we can bring our friends in as well. And you guys do a few events per year. So we're committed to continue fueling well out of a need. And that's where we met you.

Lucy Miller (08:42):

Yes, it is.

Jonathan Scott (08:44):

It's so neat because that works right into your group. And it's, it's just a fantastic thing. So we're glad that you put that together.

Lucy Miller (08:52):

Yes. Well I'm so I'm so glad I was invited to that first event I was able to attend and it was, it was a great group and you're right. Putting the women the, I guess not say the right women, but women that are there for that purpose to, to business network, getting them in the right situation. They'll do what they're supposed to do. And that's what I always say at our events. I don't force anything. I create the opportunity and I'm there to help greet everybody. And then they just, they just do what they're supposed to do. That's where the magic happens.

Jonathan Scott (09:19):

Well, tell me this, cuz I know that it's a big goal of yours. What is it that makes your events different than someone else's events? They had a lot of choices to choose from.

Lucy Miller (09:30):

Well, I feel, I I've been asked that question a lot because I do feel like we are, were different than some of your average events where maybe there's men and women nothing wrong with having men in the group for networking. There's a lot of power with that. But giving the women that come to our events, the space to come and be them and not have their guard up, that they have to necessarily look a special way unless they really want to you, they can come as they are. And I stress that a lot. You know, if you need to come right from the gym, come right from the gym, we want you, we want your brain. We want your heart. We want you the relationship with you. We have trainers, so you know, personal trainers or we have doctors and they're in scrubs.

Lucy Miller (10:11):

So we have, you know, the whole gamut. And then we have someone that'll come in a full suit, cuz they're a very, you know, high level professional woman. So we really do want people to come as they are, but we keep it kind of light and fun too. So when we have a lunch networking event, that's gonna be a little bit more formal. So everyone is seated and they are able to stand and we give them time to share about their business. So that's a little bit more of a formal take on it. But then our happy hours that we have for networking are just a little bit more casual. There's they're not gonna get to do that. So they really have to come in and they've gotta make sure they're talking, talking to lots of people, not just hanging out with, with one of their besties. Yeah.

Jonathan Scott (10:50):

So, and that's so important is getting everybody to, you know, not only connect, but to interact with one another. Definitely.

Lucy Miller (10:56):

And that's, and the other thing I was gonna say is we, I, from the very beginning, I did not wanna have a restriction on multiple people from the same industry are doing the same thing. I, we just truly have the abundance mindset. There's plenty of business to go around. And even if there are five real estate agents or five insurance, guess what they can learn from each other, they can work together on things. Sure. And that's so important. So we don't restrict industries and someone can come to any and all events or they can pop in when they're able. But from the also the very beginning I like to think I'm a friendly person, but greeting people with the excitement of we're so glad you're here. That's very important to me. Like I want people to walk up and feel comfortable to walk in the room.

Jonathan Scott (11:46):

I know that when people hear this they're gonna be thinking about, Hey, I want to know more about Lucy. Yeah. And you know, Lucy as a person Lucy, I know that you you've spent a lot of plates. Yeah. So you're do, you're a full-time mom and you're a wife and then you've got some real estate endeavors and then you have this networking group and then you're serving on a board for the church and is very obvious that you're driven person. And, but what challenges do you struggle with or, or juggle with back on the family side?

Lucy Miller (12:18):

Yeah. Well now that we've entered my, my youngest into sports, we have created a little bit more logistic issues. So, you know, just probably like most moms out there, it's just finding, making it all happen. And I am far from perfect at making it all happen. You know, communication on scheduling is something we're constantly working on. I'm also very blessed to have both of my parents and my in-laws here locally, so they help me so much. I know my mom and dad like if I needed them in 30 minutes to do something for me, I could probably get them to do that. So they're that fantastic. So the support, the support is incredible and that's one reason why we love calling Franklin, our home, cuz we've got that here, but really just you know, I am in process of working on some new systems, just for my self so that I have the sanity during the week, whether it, because we have 16 events every month for, I'm not going to all of them,

Jonathan Scott (13:22):

16 events in Franklin or

Lucy Miller (13:24):

Around all of our cities.

Jonathan Scott (13:26):

Okay. So you're spread out all over Tennessee. Yeah,

Lucy Miller (13:28):

Well around the Nashville area. Okay. So we did start in Franklin with that very first event. Okay. Took a COVID break. And then when we got back together, it just, we were going really fast. And so we had so many people coming to our Franklin events and people asking me in Nashville, well, Hey, can I still come? I live in Nashville or do you have anything here? Same for Brentwood. So in March of 2021, gotta keep all my years straight, we launched a Brentwood in Nashville. Okay. So for the rest of 2021, we would have two events in each of those three cities. And then I really just felt it on my heart that there was just so much more opportunity for women in cities, outside of Franklin Brentwood in Nashville. So we kind of had a big, you know, launch effort.

Lucy Miller (14:14):

And then in January of this year, we launched into five new cities. Wow. So we, we added a few to our place. We added Murphysborough Mount Juliet, spring hill Thompson station Clarksville and Nolansville oh, that's fantastic. Each of those cities do have a special city ambassador that is leading the charge. So planning the event. So you got help. I've got help. Yes. But I still like to be at everything. And so I'm working on, you know per personally I'm working on not trying to be everywhere, but they're all doing an amazing job, but just fitting that in and trying to plug in where I can, those events. And then while still you know, the real estate market is crazy. So sometimes you just gotta be ready to go. I bet, like now and then, you know, parenthood is,

Jonathan Scott (15:04):

You know, you're obviously passionate about everything that you're doing, but in Tennessee women connects what really keeps you going? What keeps you driven? What fuels you there?

Lucy Miller (15:16):

You know, I love, I feel like I'm a connector at heart. I know we've talked about that. I think you are too. I love the connections that I see happening from the very beginning being there, we, that very first event, we all left just with a really full heart that we had met amazing women. And we had done a really good job with the time we had spent together on learning about each other and finding ways to, to help each other and help ourselves. And so I feel like that is what fuels me is when I see, when I see women come into events, now that I can remember the event that they met and that was a year ago. And I can tell that they're very good friends and they're doing stuff together outside of the gatherings that we have. And just really continuing to create opportunities for, for those women and all of the new women yet we haven't even touched their, their business lives yet. So that's what fuels me to keep creating, keep going. And

Jonathan Scott (16:13):

I understand it. Yeah, I understand it. So my family, I come from a family that, that was entrenched in the service industry. Okay. And so in the eighties and nineties, my mother was in catering, you know, mom and dad work here today. So it's a very family oriented company. Yeah. But I grew up in the knowledge of, you know, how to serve people and there's an art to it. You know, if you, if you go to reading books, like the Ritz Carlton book and things like that you'll know that they, they tried to really serve at a high level. I see you doing that. Yeah. And so did you have service background inside your family?

Lucy Miller (16:51):

Yeah, so my well, so I guess as far as that background, my, my father was always in management and leadership positions and companies. And so I think that that's where I get a lot of my entrepreneurial spirit and just the achievement there. And my mother worked at a Williamson medical center and so she worked there for a really long time a

Jonathan Scott (17:13):

As a nurse,

Lucy Miller (17:14):

Not as a nurse in the lab, so in the lab. Okay. All the things I'm not good at. It's interesting. She, you know, all the phlebotomy and lab tests and things like that. So she, she worked there for, I think, close to 30 years, so terrific. Just watching them always work hard. And you know, my dad, I just feel like he is somebody I always go to and we a lot about business plans. And if I give him an inch, he's gonna go a mile and we're going talk for two hours about expansion efforts and all the things that we could do. So

Jonathan Scott (17:44):

He's, he's passionate about.

Lucy Miller (17:46):

Yeah, he is. That's

Jonathan Scott (17:47):

So fun. So fun. So my daughter, Shelby, she is starting college this next year and she's wanting to be a business owner one day. Oh, wonderful. And she just comes up with so many questions and things along those lines,

Lucy Miller (18:00):

What does she wanna do?

Jonathan Scott (18:01):

Well, you know what, she, right now, she wants to go into the fashion industry. Okay. And she wants to have a, a, an online bit business. Wonderful. But she works for a boutique. Okay. Here in, in Nashville and Franklin and she just absolutely loves it. Awesome. And but she's constantly asking me questions about how to form the business and, and what she should do first and which part comes in front of the other. So,

Lucy Miller (18:26):

Well, I'll tell you, I just to think of two names off the top of my head of women that I'm very close with, but through Tennessee women connect that own their own, you know, boutique and whether it be online or in person. So they might be some good connections from

Jonathan Scott (18:38):

Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. Well, Lucy, tell me about, if you have one piece of advice for our ladies that are listening today, what would you give inside business inside of your personal life? What would you give as a piece of advice?

Lucy Miller (18:57):

I'm gonna give two.

Jonathan Scott (18:59):

Okay,

Lucy Miller (18:59):

Good to pick one. Wonderful. But first one I was gonna say is, and just for me personally, I'm like I mentioned earlier, I'm very goal oriented. And so I think it's very important to, to set a goal, but then don't stop till you get there. Don't stop till you at least get close. And so I think that that's something for me personally, whether it's, you know, working out and my efforts there, or goals for Tennessee women connector real estate, just but having a goal and then even having it down on paper and then the apps that you need to take to get there. But then for business, you may have a very big goal and not know how to get there. So I guess that's my next, the next step of that is find trusted advisors or find people that are already done, what you have done, or you want to do, or find people that are experts in that field. So whether it's a social media of an avenue where you don't know how to achieve those things, to reach your goals, find the ones that you need and reach out and ask for help, or find ways that you guys can collaborate to learn more, you know, because you're not gonna know it all.

Jonathan Scott (20:02):

No, absolutely not. And when you, when you speak about setting that goal and not stopping to you, get there, do you ever feel like there's some fight in the middle that you have to, to get to that goal?

Lucy Miller (20:12):

Oh yeah. Oh yeah, definitely. And then it's always evolving too, because I think, you know, a year and a half ago, I probably would've said, oh my goodness, it'll be great to be in three cities and that will be it. Well now we've surpassed that. So now I'm setting new goals and thinking about new things. And so, yeah, there's a lot, it's a lot of ups and downs for sure.

Jonathan Scott (20:31):

Yeah. It's so funny, you know, on the interior, we've adopted a mantra inside of Keystone financial and we say, you know, we'll, we'll fight to get to what is most important for our clients. We'll fight for that. Absolutely. And you don't think typically about any fight taking place in the financial services industry. Right. But the reality is, you know, the clients will come in with a dream or a goal and we're not gonna sit there and become coupon cutters. Right. We're gonna put what their dream and goal is. And then we're gonna begin the fight and the challenge of making sure that they reach that goal. And so it's it's really neat that you have that in, because I find oftentimes, you know, whenever you set that goal, there is so many challenges that arise and constantly evolving. I tell my kids all the time, the only thing that stays the same is that everything's always changing. Absolutely

Lucy Miller (21:19):

Well. And just the everyday tenacity of like, you know, not getting complacent with where you are and, and thinking about different ways. You can do things, even if you don't necessarily consider yourself a creative person, which I've never thought I was very creative. And like artistically, I'm definitely not, but creative in thinking about avenues and every day, trying to think of something, you know, to, to get past the obstacle you're currently on. Right.

Jonathan Scott (21:44):

So, well, Lucy, thank you for being with us today. I really appreciate it. We're gonna get this out to the world. I hope everybody that listens to it will, will comment in you know, if if I had to say, you know, before we sign off, if if you're putting any events out there in the next few weeks, where would bell one that ladies could plug into in the near future?

Lucy Miller (22:10):

Definitely. Well, there's 16 in April. Oh,

Jonathan Scott (22:13):

Wow. Okay.

Lucy Miller (22:14):

Yeah. So our April events were just posted this week on our website. What is that? So it's www.tnwomenconnect.com. That's our website where all of the information about our organization is from cell and my leadership team. Jenna and Ashley, and the rest of our team in all the cities plus all the events we have and also a little bit about our membership program. So all of that is on our website and there's 16 events around all of the eight cities. But looking ahead really haven't announced it, this is kind of some sneak peek information, but last fall we had a full day learning conference and it was amazing. We are doing that again. So we're gonna be going back to the Loveless cafe barn. Okay. We're gonna fill the barn. Wow. And that's gonna be on October 20th. Okay.

Jonathan Scott (23:06):

So

Lucy Miller (23:06):

Officially,

Jonathan Scott (23:07):

So the ladies can catch some things in, but between now and then

Lucy Miller (23:10):

Absolutely every single month's

Jonathan Scott (23:12):

Push for a bigger event.

Lucy Miller (23:13):

Absolutely.

Jonathan Scott (23:14):

That's wonderful. Well, before we sign off, don't forget to visit us@keystonequiz.com to identify your number one retirement mistake. And if you have any direct questions, you can find us at Keystone financial resources or call us direct at (615) 661-9554. And Lucy, thank you so much for being with us today.

Lucy Miller (23:35):

Thank you so much. This was a pleasure. So it fun. It was so fun. All right. Bye-Bye thanks.

Outro (23:40):

You have been listening to her time to retire with Glen price and Jonathan Scott, Glen and Jonathan would love to talk to you and answer any of your retirement questions. All listeners can take advantage of a free 15 minute consultation with Glen and Jonathan, whether via phone call, zoom meeting, or in person, you can schedule your consultation by calling 6 1 5 6 6 1 9 5 5 4. Or by visiting our website@wuwwdotkeystonefinancialresources.com. Thanks for listening. The opinions expressed by Keystone financial resources and guests on this podcast are their own and do not reflect the opinions of this station. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable. Although it should not be relied upon as such any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice investments involve risk and unless otherwise state it are not guaranteed. Past performance cannot be used as an indicator to determine future results. Strategies mentioned may not be suitable for everyone. Information expressed is not taken into account your specific situation or objectives, and is not intended as recommendations appropriate for you before acting on any information mentioned, please consult with a qualified tax or investment advisor to determine if it is suitable for your specific situation. This program is designed to provide curate and authoritative information with regard to subject covered. Investment advisory services offered through Brookstone capital management, LLC, or BCM, a registered investment advisor, BCM and Keystone financial resources are independent of each other. Insurance products and services are not offered through BCM, but are offered and sold through individually licensed and appointed agents.