Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening. When you're tuned in,
you're with Lady Business and give it to the People
Radio where you're going to get enlightened, enhanced, empowered, and enriched.
Make sure that you always tune in to give it
to the People Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
All right, hello everybody.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
I hope you guys are having a marvelous day because
we are going to have some great stuff going on
for you.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
So I want to welcome you out to give it
to the people.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
And my glasses are doing whatever they're doing, so I'm
gonna take them off for a second. But today is
another great day in order to be able to let
you know about a great business that is local in
our community in North Carolina. This company is something that
I've seen grow over the years, and I just can't
wait for you guys to meet them. Because we're talking
about some money. We're talking about your kids. We're talking
(00:53):
about them being smart and prosperous and productive. And I'm
also hopefully talking about you not having to spend as
much money on these wonderful kids that you have out here,
because hopefully you'll get some help for your children because
they are probably really smart and you can help them,
and they can help you so that this way you
don't have to pay for college.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
So this is going to.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Be something that I think is a really interesting topic
and something that I've been interested in for a long
time because I am personally one.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Of those people that's a big believer that everybody.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Should not go to college, that children have different paths,
and so I just can't wait to see what these
two wonderful educators have to tell us about their business today.
So I'm going to bring them on right now in
a second. Let's see tada, hello everybody who so listen,
this is the other set of the Browns, and we
(01:45):
got another set of Browns over there.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
So hey cousins, Hey family.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah, I know right.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
It's like it's one of those things where sometimes you
just don't realize it and then it's like that connection
just keeps.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
On growing and growing and growing, and then it's like,
well where are you from?
Speaker 5 (02:01):
Well?
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Where are you from?
Speaker 3 (02:01):
And you got to kind of figure it out, and
you know, you know where we're really from.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
So we know the origins of things.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
But this is a plus test prep, and so I
want them to be able to introduce themselves to you
Sheba and Vents. So tell them about your company. And
I really want you to tell them how it started,
because when I first met you, I met Sheba first,
and then it changed the name of the company. So
I just want to kind of, you know, just tell
me about what even made you start the company. And
(02:30):
I'm really interested in, like whatever the story is of
YouTube working together as a couple, because I feel like
that's got to be some type of awesome story too.
So whoever wants to go to first, go ahead.
Speaker 6 (02:40):
Okay, Well, back in twenty eleven, Sheba was a high
school teacher in Raleigh, North Carolina. She was an English teacher,
and I was working as a finance director for North
Kinda Central University's athletic department. And we first met and
started dating. And when I would go over there to
visit her, she always had a house full of kids. First,
(03:02):
they were having so much fun and they were so engaged.
At first, I thought they just was hanging out, and
but really I realized that she was teaching these young
people how to be successful on the SAT and the
act the time, and I'm like, Okay, it's time for
you kids to go. Because I came over here to
look into her eyes, not you guys. So after a
(03:23):
while it kind of clicked to me. It's like, wow, no,
this right here. I saw opportunity and she could do
something like this to start a business.
Speaker 5 (03:31):
And when I said that to her, she said to.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
Me, I just want to teach. I do not want
to run a business. I want to teach no business, okay.
Speaker 6 (03:40):
And I said, I said, awesome, baby, just how to go?
Just how to go. You will be the show and
I will be the business. And that's really how A
plus test prep was really born.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
I love it.
Speaker 6 (03:54):
The craziest thing I kind of make it crazy, is
that the first thing we come to that we got
our business cards, we got a sim thing as a
yard sign, a yard sign in her front yard of
her house, and you couldn't tell us nothing.
Speaker 5 (04:08):
We have a legit flass business.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Oh wow, Yeah, okay.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
I love that because you know, you always want to
just I like to know the origin story of how
things happened. And when I look at that origin story
and I say, okay, well what was going on first?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Both of you were already educators in a way.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Right, and then you transformed this What made you say, okay,
I'm gonna trust you enough to just take this knowledge
that I have and turn it into a business as opposed.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
To I'm just teaching.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
Well, I wasn't really that trustworthy of the process at first,
but I knew that Vincent was had a finance background
and was had already owned a couple of businesses, so
I know that he had that business success background. I
mean I had already looked like we're having a connectivity issue.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Uh oh, hold on, can't you see me? Because I
mean you went out.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
For a second. Yes, okay, all right, So you said
you knew you trusted Vincent, Yeah, because.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
He was I had a background in finance, had already
owned a couple of businesses, and I knew that I
knew my craft, and I had already tutor kids so
some some perfect scores and reading some scores that allowed
them to earn scholarships to college. So I once he
talked about how we could make this partnership work, I
knew we could work.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Uh huh, yes, And I mean I think that that's
a good thing because each person had their strengths and
then you built off of those strengths in order to
make it something that was successful and.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
I would say, I would just posit.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
If there are teachers out there who are nervous about
going from teaching to turning something into a business, what
would you tell them?
Speaker 4 (05:50):
If you know your craft, you can make it pay
off in terms of a business. You absolutely, you absolutely.
Speaker 6 (05:59):
One of the things that teachers have, they have the
stuff called intellectual property, so they can.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Start a basic thing messing up today?
Speaker 5 (06:08):
Can you still see us? A hear us?
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Okay, I'm here, I see because it's like you guys
keep going out. This has never happened before. I don't
know what's going on.
Speaker 6 (06:17):
Okay, Yeah, teachers have intellectual property, so they can start
a business at super duper low cross because they already
have it in their brain. Just get some business cards
and you can become a tutor. You can advise parents
how to work with teachers. There's so many things that
they naturally do every single day. Anyway, they can just
(06:40):
transition it and people will pay you for it. People
pay for things for their kids to be best, and.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
They need to. They definitely need to.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
So what is your biggest challenge as owners of this
education company? Because I would imagine people know that their
kids are smart and then some people know that their
kids are not as smart and they need some op
and you know, they want to be able to reach
out to somebody and they want to be able to say,
you know, I know that you can help me, or
(07:08):
I think that you can at least what is that,
you know, that challenge when it comes to running this
education company, because I think sometimes you got to talk
people into things even though they know they need to help.
Speaker 6 (07:21):
Well, I would say we have two major challenges. One,
there's a parents have completely changed they were parented, is
not the way they are parenting, and it makes so
much a challenge. You know, parents no longer believe in
(07:42):
productive struggle for the beautiful child, believe in that. So
parents want to make everything easy and fun and nice
and those are not recipes for success.
Speaker 5 (07:57):
It is not.
Speaker 6 (07:59):
And then our probably say our second biggest challenge, it's
just being an African American owned company and maybe having
different communities kind of challenging what our knowledge is not
how do you folks have an education company have something
like that, So kind of dealing with things to that nature,
(08:22):
probably like every other black owned minority firm have to
deal with when they're dealing with the majority Wow.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
And you know what, I just read this quote today
and this person was, you know, talking about something on
Instagram and she was saying, no, you actually don't need
my resume, like that was the big thing. And then
as you read into the information, she was just saying, so,
you've already gone to my website, you already see my certifications,
you've already checked me out on social media, but yet
you feel like you need extra in order for me
(08:51):
to be good or qualified for you. And the thing
is when people go ahead and they do that research,
they and I've seen your website, when they go on there,
they should be able to make a immediate decision of
this is definitely something that's going to help my kids.
But there's still, I guess, that stereotype that we may
have to get over in order for people to make
(09:12):
the right decision.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Wow, you know what, And it's a terrible thing. But
I don't know if that's going to be something that's
going to change. There'll always be somebody that has a bias.
And this is the thing that I always believe in
the people that are supposed to be there for you
will be there for you because those are becoming your clients,
right right, So, but as far as the clients that
you have very diverse though, you know, as far as
(09:36):
the backgrounds of the people that have come to you,
what would you say has been like the biggest success
story so far our business.
Speaker 4 (09:44):
Biggest success story so far finance Monetarily, We had a
young lady out of Apex Friendship High School. She earned
admission to forty five colleges and her four year scholarship
total was over four million dollars.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Stop flaying people, come on and get kids from education.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
So you know when it's when we say scores open
doors the opportunity. We're talking about scholarships to college, internships,
opportunities for advancement in your job. Our goal is for
students to say, hey, at the end of my senior year,
I have options. I can do this, this, this, this,
and this here is going to be the best fit
(10:25):
for me, as opposed to a family trying to struggle
to figure out financially, how are we going to make
some options come true for our sun Ador. We want
this to be about options. But that's probably one of
our biggest success stories. And then we see, you know,
what we do manifests in all of our children. All
four of our children have done something very different. We
(10:47):
have a student. One of our kids has done a
two year associate's degree and then it's going to transfer.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
We have hold up at blanked out for a second.
Oh no Internet, Okay, okay, you came back. Okay, said
children have done something different.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
All four of our kids have done something different. We've
had some our students have gone to HBCUs large private institutions,
out of state institutions. Our oldest has an associates degree
and it's planning to transfer. So our key, our own
children have done have gone down a lot of different paths.
(11:23):
And what we do is our business has enabled them
to find a path that works for them.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
And now I know we went well, you had some
gumma pigs, right, So basically you've got to practice on
your own kids first.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
You knew it was gonna work.
Speaker 4 (11:37):
Right, Yeah, Which is white family? That is the first
That is really the first hat that Vincent and I wear.
The first hat we wear is the parent hat.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Parents.
Speaker 4 (11:46):
So every family, Vincent and I are not going to
advise your family to do something that we haven't already.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
We advise our.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
Own children to do because we're parents first, and parents
want their children to be successful.
Speaker 5 (11:59):
Well, like another success story.
Speaker 6 (12:01):
Just ran into a parent this weekend at North kind
of Central University's homecoming and I was asking her about
her son, and he started out at a local university
here and it just didn't work out for him, and
now he's a fireman. And one of the things that
she shared with us, the skills that he learned in
our class helped him ask his fireman's exam and that
(12:25):
was excellent because one of the things we want parents
to understand is that when they work with us, we're
teaching kids how to be successful on standardized tests, just
not passing the ACT or the SAT, because what regardless
of whatever professional career their child's going to go into,
there's going to be a test. Even if you want
(12:47):
to be a beautician, there's a written test, barber. For
every good paying job out there, your career end is
going to have to pass a test. And that's what
we help students learn. And when they get that confidence
about standardized testing as a high school student, oh my god,
oh my god.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Yeah, but that's a big thing.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
And like I have a friend who is I don't
even know, she's fifty something, and she's not good at
taking tests, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Smart knows all kinds.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
Of different things, but just gets this anxiety, this nervousness,
this apprehension, all of that when taking tests. And I
would imagine that going through your program, the kids get
the opportunity to kind of not necessarily get rid of it,
but to reduce that anxiety and that confidence of knowing,
(13:39):
I know my stuff is a whole lot different than
I'm just trying to read the night before and cram
some stuff in and hope that I remember things from
the whole beginning of the year all the way to
the end of the year.
Speaker 6 (13:51):
What are the things we also like families, she but
now we feel like we are family advisors because like
one of the things we try to get parents to
see is that one once you have that confidence with
those tests and you can get those good scores, that
these scores are going to open up doors for their children.
(14:11):
And that's the whole big point.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
Yeah, I mean, and I think it truly makes a
difference now. I know, you know when people are like, well,
what did you get on the SAT? What do you
get on such and such? A lot of times I
would say that, you know, and I'm not saying that
the scores don't matter because they help you get that entry,
is what you're saying. But sometimes students go in a
totally different direction once they get to college too. But
(14:34):
it's about being able to get into the place first
and foremost, and then you may be led in a
different direction. Now what do you say to this, because
I definitely want you to touch on this when we
talk about you know, and I wanted to type, look
that your your kid's mind could get you the millions
that you're looking for where you don't have to pay
for school.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
But there are some parents who are so hell.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Bent on their kids going and doing a specific thing
that they're not allowing them to express, or sometimes they
just don't want to even think that their kid could
go a different direction. So when you're advising them and
they're coming through the program, it's not just I'm taking tests.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
I'm not just learning that.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Portion, but you're also helping the parents to kind of
understand their child too.
Speaker 6 (15:14):
Right.
Speaker 4 (15:15):
Absolutely, it has to be a conversation. We encourage parents
when we have conversations. Let's talk together, let's have we're
in the room, the parents are in the room and
the students are in the room, you know, but it
is frustrating. Sometimes students may come to us on the
back end and say, hey, missus Brown, mister Brown, you
know what mom and dad said that I wanted to
(15:38):
do is not really what I really want to do.
And we've had kids to even ask us, can you
broke or a conversation essentially with my mom or my
dad about some other choices that I feel like might
be better for me. And that's far parents have to remove
their own egos. Lots of times it's about, well, my
child is going to apply here and go there and
(16:00):
do this because they want to be able to go
to the job or go to the church house and say,
you know, this is what my son or daughter is doing,
and you know your ship has sailed. You need to
allow your children to put up their own sale and
navigate this for themselves and just be willing to help.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Right Yeah, I mean, and it makes a huge difference
when you have a support system. And I think that
you know, that's something that to me just naturally comes
with what you're talking about. Because there are a lot
of parents who did not go to college. There are
a lot of parents who went to college and maybe
didn't do well, and so you know, they have to
kind of take into consideration. I loved when you said,
(16:39):
you know, sometimes people just want things to be easy,
but in life there is a natural uneasiness that happens
with everything, with those ups and downs. So really kind
of teaching them now that this is how life really
is can make a huge difference and make a bigger
impact into I.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Think the children's lives absolutely.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
Now, what would you say say when we're looking at
you know, because we talked about like what was the
most difficult thing? What is the part where you're like,
oh my god, I'm just really proud of this business.
It's doing great in this particular area.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
You know, I'm loving it. It makes me want to
get up every day and teach these kids. What is that?
Speaker 3 (17:17):
What is that success portion that you just you know,
you feel like it energizes you when you think about
your business.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
It's a whole bunch.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
I'm going throughout. One thing that happened just yesterday, so
Vin thought about, you know, we ran into a student
at you know, at homecoming. We went to a volleyball
game yesterday. One of our good friends her daughter is
now in college on an athletic scholarship. We went to
the game to see her play yesterday, you know, but
we've seen this young lady blossom, i mean, grow up
(17:47):
right before our very eyes. She came through our program.
She is a living testimony of how scores and hard
work open doors to opportunity.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
You know.
Speaker 4 (17:57):
Now she's she's traveling the country and getting that college
education and her parents aren't stressed about paying browing that right,
there is everyone that is amazing. That's our work manifest
made manifest absolutely yes.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
And then you can really see that, and that I
would say would be a rewarding aspect of what you
guys do is being able to see the different paths
that these students go down. Now, one of the things
that you do that I think is unique because a
lot of people don't know about it and it's new,
is when you were doing the talking about NIL, right,
and you know the name Image likeness and everybody that's
(18:33):
playing sports, and you just touch on that a little
bit for people who don't know what NIL is, and
then just a little bit about what your program is
helping students to be able to do in regards to
that excellent.
Speaker 6 (18:46):
This is brand new name image and likeness that student
athletes now can benefit financially on their name, image and
likeness by receiving NIL endorsement deals.
Speaker 5 (18:59):
Say funny example a plus.
Speaker 6 (19:00):
We're looking for students todo nils, and we're looking for
a particular type of student. If you are a student
that you're either academic all Conference or academic all American, Hey,
we want to pay you to do some advertising or
marketing or promoting for us. And so students have tremendous opportunities.
So our program we kind of work with students while
(19:22):
they're in high school to kind of set themselves up
to be a super attractive student for NIL now number
one for a lot of them.
Speaker 5 (19:31):
If you're a top top star athlete, hey, your job
is done. But even you can be a just a
regular person.
Speaker 6 (19:38):
You don't even have to get a whole lot of
playing time, and there still could be opportunities for people
to do from your name, likeness or your image, especially
if that student has a lot of are personally already
followers on right. So we kind of navigate and give
families a kind of a game plan kind of develop
(19:59):
themselves to be even more attractive because one of my
last job I had before doing this full time, I
was finance director at North Kinda Central University's athletic department.
And if I didn't put my signature on that piece
of paper that said scholarship, that meant no money, no
money going with it, and you'd how many very serious
(20:20):
conversations I've had with coaches. But I don't put my
name on that piece of paper right there, they can't
get you a lot of what you need. I don't
think he's going to get what his university needs, which
is this degree. At Central's level, they're going to go
pro in something probably besides their sport. Student athletes, just
(20:42):
not athletic students. Trying to help him prepare students before
they get to high school how to navigate your time
management books, I mean the classroom and alterary demands on
your time. And students have to realize that when someone
one is paying with scholarship, they look at it as
(21:02):
an investment.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
And that's your dot.
Speaker 6 (21:06):
It's this it's no longer gone with this business, and
so this students navigating understand that it's part of that program.
Speaker 5 (21:15):
That program is all about.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
I have so many things I just want to discuss
about NIL in general, because you know, me and my
husband we talk about stuff all the time and how
it's going to change the landscape of education, and I
just want just a little, just a little what you
think on this. I see that a lot of students
were trying to get out of college so they can
go pro right, But now if you get in IL,
(21:37):
you might actually stay four years, you might stay five
six years if you are still eligible to be able
to play.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
And get your education right.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
So this to me seems like more of an incentive
to stay in school because there are a lot of
people that you might be the man, you know, you
might be the woman or whatever like while you're in
college and you know, you know, you might not be
going to that, you know, whatever the popular league is,
whatever your sport is that you play, but you might
stay in college longer now as a result of NIL,
(22:08):
which also means more funding for the college and hopefully
that more people would complete their degree.
Speaker 6 (22:14):
Well, only thing I have to say about that, as
in this great African American amazing poet Christopher Biggie Wallace
mo money more problems and these seventeen to twenty two
year olds some of these kids are getting million dollar
(22:34):
contract and here's just one issue.
Speaker 5 (22:36):
We can talk about this all day.
Speaker 6 (22:38):
These kids are getting these endorsement deals with a lot
of money and they're getting paid as a ten ninety
nine person.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
Oh those taxes and they don't. Okay, hold up, we're
not going to get into this because I fall it.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
So we said taxes.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
Then you talk about not being able to qualify for
other aid because now you make too much money and.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
That's a whole nothing, okay, conversation problem. Yes, yes it is.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
And then trying to take care of everybody at seventeen
and eighteen years old.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Okay, you know what. Wow, Okay, let's get back in.
Speaker 6 (23:18):
Yeah it's crazy, but I could go on.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
I want to have a real longer conversation just about
that aspect of it because a lot of parents don't
think about it.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
And yeah, it's so much that goes on with that.
So let me just ask you this.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
So when you when you're looking at, you know, the
future of your company, what do you see as you know,
let's just say a five year, ten year future, because
right now you focus with the main thing is high school.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
But it's not just high school. Students.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
You could work with some middle school students, definitely work
with college students, and it also work with students that
are even you know, trying.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
To be in graduate school.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
Right, So it's it's it runs the gamut as far
as that student thing goes. What do you see like
if you're seeing the projection for the future, what do
you see.
Speaker 6 (24:04):
That being well, the immediate future is helping student student
excuse me, teachers get certified here in this great state
of North Carolina. It's a code read nine one one
read alert. There are a lot of districts out here
that do not have a lot of certified teachers.
Speaker 5 (24:22):
So in order for the you know.
Speaker 6 (24:23):
This whole ecosystem of these kids doing better in schools,
we got to have better in qualified teachers in the
school and so that's one of probably our fastest growing
piece of our business right there, is there any teachers
out there who are certified, we are looking for you, Yes,
please reach out to us.
Speaker 5 (24:41):
We're growing so fast.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
We need more certified teachers to help other teachers throughout
North Carolina to get certified. And then our ten year
or longer range goal is that we want to start
a education business incubator. You know how here in Durham
we have the American Underground, which is a.
Speaker 5 (25:04):
Start us.
Speaker 6 (25:05):
I want to have the same format for people who
are passionate about education. So maybe I'm a nonprofit and
I work with this type of person, whatever that is,
but I don't have the infrastructure.
Speaker 5 (25:17):
Set up yet. So it's people like to look.
Speaker 6 (25:19):
Coworking space, presentation space, classroom space, daycare space, all of
that for people to help them get in there and
grow it and go almost like a food hall, but
an education hall.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
I love it. I so love the idea.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
And I mean you brought up a point that I
don't think we pay as much attention to. Even though
your business does focus on the students, if we don't
have good teachers to teach the students in the first place,
People that are passionate about what they do, people that
understand the new technology, understand the language that the kids
are speaking, and.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
Understand also what motivates the kids.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
I think that that's a great thing, and that's why
I love Abbot Elementary. I don't know if y'all watch Elementary,
but I love that show because you know, little Quintin Brenson,
she just wants to teach the kids right and you know,
but it's a difference when you have a person that's
really interested in what the kids really need right and
that they're passionate about making sure that that happens. And
(26:17):
so if a teacher is already teaching, do they need
to get additional certifications in a different area, Like let's
say they're teaching you know, I don't know English right,
and then if they want to go into another direction,
I don't know what that process is, like, like what
do they have to do well?
Speaker 4 (26:33):
In the public schools of North Carolina. Let's say if
I'm an English teacher, I would need to pass something
called practice, which is the licensing exam, So I wouldn't
need to take the ELA exam for secondary Language Arts.
If I wanted to try to write and teach biology,
I would then have to take the practice exam for
biology for the secondary level. So there are specific certification
(26:58):
exams that public school teachers have passed in order to
be licensed in their areas. So if there any teachers
out there who are looking to they used to call
it lateral injury, but now it's a different term they
call it. But let's say if I work at a
company out in RTP, and I am and I work
in biology. And let's say that I decided one day
(27:20):
that the corporate thing is not for me. I want
to be involved with young people, and I wanted to
teach at the local high school. I at the you know,
become part of a teacher prep program, and part of
that program is going to be passing the biology licensing
exam for teacher certification. And that's what we helped teachers do,
so absolutely absolutely we helped all kinds of credentialing exams,
(27:43):
nursing exam, real estate, you name it. We ask val
a military enlistment if there's an exam. We help students
of all ages navigated.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
Wow, okay, And I really didn't know that it was
as extensive that they had to do a different tech
for each individual area. So just knowing that, you know,
because when I was reading some things and I was
looking at people at homeschool, you know, there were certain
certifications that they don't have to have to have home
to be homeschoolers.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
And that doesn't really make sense to me.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
But okay, you know, I mean I understand, but it's
just still like, well, if you don't know this, and
you're not certified in this. And I'm not trying to
say that you have to be certified to be able
to understand how something works and how to teach something,
but I'm also looking at well, then it's a different
standard for the teachers that are in regular schools, right
as opposed to if somebody is homeschooling.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
And so I think that that's an important thing. And
even if you are homeschooling, I would.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
Imagine I would still want to send my kids over
the A plus test prep because at the same time,
it's still going to be that standardized test that they
have to take.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
And it is.
Speaker 3 (28:50):
Different if I'm just at home with mom and dad
and you know, brothers and sisters or whoever else is
at the homeschool. You know, even socialization wise, for me
to be around on all of these.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
Other kids now could be an issue.
Speaker 3 (29:02):
So I just think it's so many different facets to
your business that people don't realize that can really be
able to help their children. And then now we're also
talking about the adults as far as them being able
to pass these exams as well.
Speaker 6 (29:16):
Yeah, but one thing we all like people to understand
with standardized test. Just like with the driver's license test,
which is a standardized test. It doesn't say if you
get a perfect score on the driver's license test, it
doesn't mean you're going to be a perfect driver.
Speaker 5 (29:31):
It just means you know the rules.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
It's the same thing.
Speaker 6 (29:34):
With any of these standardized tests. It doesn't mean you're
going to be a master whatever you're doing. It's just
letting the world know you know the rules, period. That's
all it is. No one complains about the driver's license test,
or the cp R exam, or the CPA exam or
the cosmetology exam.
Speaker 5 (29:54):
Nobody's complaining about those.
Speaker 4 (29:57):
It's like when a mother said to you to day,
she said, well, I just feel like, you know, sometimes
these standardized tests are just keeping kids out of opportunities.
And I said, ma'am, have you ever had the occasion
to hire an attorney? And she said yes. I said,
would you hire the attorney who comes to you and
says I got all a's in law school, but I
couldn't pass the bar And she said no. I said,
(30:19):
but so why are you asking You're asking someone to
trust just on straight word, that your student can do
X y Z out there being some kind of standard
for them to meet. M h Okay, that that puts
it in a different light, right, we're just asking that
we just meet a certain standard, yeah, on all of
(30:40):
these tests. At the end of the day, Well, all
of this requires is that a person be a good reader, reader,
a strong reader. And that's what and that's important no
matter what your job may be. So when people are asking,
you know, what can I do to help my kid
get ready to take advantage of the services that A
plus offer? Have your kids read? That's why we're sitting
(31:03):
here in front of this this this big library here.
Read it is reading. It is reading a lot of
say what now and comprehension, comprehension. But your comprehension will
get better unless you're reading.
Speaker 5 (31:19):
You know.
Speaker 4 (31:19):
It's it's like in anything, name something you can get
better around without actually doing that thing. Comprehension gets better
with the reading. What should they be reading?
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Read? Whatever?
Speaker 4 (31:32):
But I have an eighth grader in one of my
classes right now. That eighth grader is running circles around
the high schools because that eighth grader comes in. The
eighth grade might come in and open the phone and
look at it and pop it back in the bag.
But I look up and they are reading something, you know,
so what are you What are you reading? Oh, it's
a book in a series and about something something something something. Okay, cool, great,
(31:55):
And when it's time to demonstrate that the student can
read at a certain level, they're running circles around the
high schoolers. The high schoolers come in and sit down.
You know what they spend their extra time doing on
their phone on TikTok on Instagram. I'm not knocking those things.
They're great. But at the same time, we got to
be putting something up here.
Speaker 3 (32:14):
Yeah, yeah, I mean, and I think that's self motivation. Yeah,
that's self motivation. I could definitely see that. It's just
one of those things where it is also what the
student puts into it, you know. And so the parents
could want and want and want, but the student also
has to understand, Listen, this is what I really want
to do, and this is where I see myself going.
(32:35):
And I know that you know, this way we can.
I'm smart enough to be able to go ahead and
get this. I think it would be a great thing.
And I don't know if you do this to kind
of challenge kids to see, you know, and it may
not want to do this just depending but who could
get the most scholarships, like who could get the most
money or individual I mean, because maybe it's not most money,
but it could be how many scholarships you get?
Speaker 2 (32:55):
Right Like?
Speaker 3 (32:56):
I think that as a student, I would challenge myself
to do something along those lines, right like, to be like,
let me get the most Well okay, well say you
got more money.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
I got more than you, like I just I would find.
Speaker 3 (33:07):
Individual gratitude and doing something like that personally.
Speaker 4 (33:11):
But you know, getting scholarships is work. I mean, we've
had students to say, oh, does that scholarship application require
an essay? Or if it does, I don't want to
apply for that one. I'm thinking, but.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
It's for more money, you know.
Speaker 4 (33:25):
There scholarships require the biggest hoops to jump through, you know,
with scores or essays or interviews, you know, so you
have to be willing to put that work in in
order to earn the money.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
Again, the scholarship.
Speaker 4 (33:39):
An investment in user, you have to demonstrate that you
are definitely the candidate to make the investment in mm HM.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
And it doesn't get easier when you do your own business.
It's really the same thing. And I think it's the
same way as if you give a person an application,
it is going to keep certain people out.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
You know.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
And so when you when you have this where you
actually have to apply yourself, you know, you want to
give the best that you can possibly give so that
this way people can understand that they should invest in you.
So I love it. I really think it's a wonderful thing.
I'm very excited for you guys, and just for you know,
everybody that's working with you to be able to get
the knowledge that I know that you're able to give,
(34:14):
and then also to get that confidence that you're instill
in them.
Speaker 2 (34:17):
So tell everybody where they can find you.
Speaker 4 (34:19):
Online online at a plus higher scores you spell out
a plus ap l US higher scores or at a
plus test prep ap l US test prep. That's our
social media handled across the board and our number nine
one nine eight two four three nine one two. Give
(34:39):
us a cause, you know, lots of times people sometimes
you want to go on the internet or you know,
give us a call. We want to talk. We will
talk to you know, we're not a company that's so big.
If you've got a call and talk to a bot
or anything like that, and you may have to leave
a voicemail sometimes if we're working with other groups of students,
but we want to talk to parents and students and
(35:00):
help you realize your educational dreams. Scores open doors, and
we want to help you open more of them for
you and your family.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
All right, well, I love it.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
Well, I want to just thank you guys so much
for taking time out to be on here today. I
know we had a couple of little technical issues, but listen,
it didn't cut off, so that's good.
Speaker 2 (35:18):
And I just really I love what you guys are doing.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
And you know, I remember, you know, when I was
going I had a tutor for some things, but I
didn't have a school, a company like this, you know,
who was like an extra school, that extra little something.
And I mean I was smart, and you know, I
got some scholarships, but I probably would have gotten more,
you know what I'm saying, if I would have had
a company like yours to work with. And I just
think that the opportunities that what you are offering provides
(35:46):
is something that is valuable and that people need to
definitely know about.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
So thank you so much for being on watching on
a replay, make sure that you share it.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
Okay, you can comments, and we're going to make sure
that their contact information is also in all of the
details so that this way you can go ahead and
you can get in touch with a plus task prap.
All right, well, thank you guys so much. Thank you.
All right, show up and show out and continue to
give it to the people. Bye, everybody, am on, Thank
(36:16):
you so much for listening to give it to the
people radio. Make sure that you follow us online at
the Ladybusiness dot com l.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
A D Y b I Z n E s S.
We look forward to helping you grow, sustain, and maintain
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