1 00:00:00.660 --> 00:00:02.790 Johny Fernandez: Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too. So 2 00:00:02.790 --> 00:00:05.880 Amanda, let's go ahead and walk me through where what business 3 00:00:05.880 --> 00:00:07.380 are you with and where's home for you guys? 4 00:00:07.620 --> 00:00:09.420 Amanda Kingsley: My company is called The Competent Broker. 5 00:00:09.450 --> 00:00:12.870 We're in Central Florida. And we help other brokers connect and 6 00:00:12.870 --> 00:00:14.820 validate different funding companies so they can be 7 00:00:14.820 --> 00:00:16.680 confident when they're working with small businesses. 8 00:00:16.710 --> 00:00:18.180 Johny Fernandez: Awesome. So Amanda, what's been your 9 00:00:18.180 --> 00:00:20.340 experience so far here at the event? 10 00:00:20.370 --> 00:00:24.270 Amanda Kingsley: I love it, it I would described as the first day 11 00:00:24.270 --> 00:00:27.600 school, after being in summer vacation for so long, everybody 12 00:00:27.600 --> 00:00:31.350 seeing each other, connecting all over again. And it's just a 13 00:00:31.350 --> 00:00:34.290 good experience for everybody to see each other other than just 14 00:00:34.290 --> 00:00:35.790 being online all the time. So. 15 00:00:35.820 --> 00:00:37.470 Johny Fernandez: So your experience has been different, 16 00:00:37.470 --> 00:00:41.460 Florida has been open, things have been relatively normal 17 00:00:41.460 --> 00:00:44.490 compared to up north. So kind of walk me through the last year, 18 00:00:44.490 --> 00:00:46.830 what have you see in the Central Florida market? 19 00:00:47.070 --> 00:00:51.510 Amanda Kingsley: Um, it's it's different than Miami, right? 20 00:00:51.540 --> 00:00:54.360 Because everybody's very used to that we're in one of the top 21 00:00:54.360 --> 00:00:57.090 growing places in Florida. So small businesses actually 22 00:00:57.090 --> 00:01:00.570 thriving over there, everybody is more helping each other out. 23 00:01:00.630 --> 00:01:05.220 We have bigger corporations coming in. But it's more of your 24 00:01:05.220 --> 00:01:09.630 State Farm type of service companies that are growing. So I 25 00:01:09.630 --> 00:01:13.260 see that more where I am versus like the bigger cities. Yeah. 26 00:01:13.290 --> 00:01:15.720 Johny Fernandez: So go ahead and walk me through. I mean, here 27 00:01:15.720 --> 00:01:18.660 this event, people are in person, I mean your networking, 28 00:01:18.690 --> 00:01:22.290 everyone's here, kind of walk me through what what the vibe is so 29 00:01:22.290 --> 00:01:23.970 far, for people that are watching at home. 30 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:26.040 Amanda Kingsley: I think it's great. I think everybody's 31 00:01:26.040 --> 00:01:29.280 really excited to see each other. Um, everybody's looking 32 00:01:29.280 --> 00:01:32.820 to connect with more people. You know, during the past year, 33 00:01:32.820 --> 00:01:36.900 everybody's getting phone calls, emails, nobody knows who they 34 00:01:36.900 --> 00:01:39.900 are, other than their logo, it's good to put a face to the logo. 35 00:01:40.110 --> 00:01:41.070 Let's just put it that way. 36 00:01:41.100 --> 00:01:43.110 Johny Fernandez: So we have a lot of different panels, and we 37 00:01:43.110 --> 00:01:45.180 have a lot of different conversations that are going to 38 00:01:45.180 --> 00:01:47.250 be going on, what are you looking forward to the most? 39 00:01:47.550 --> 00:01:49.860 Amanda Kingsley: Broker Cultrure that was definitely one, 40 00:01:49.860 --> 00:01:51.090 Johny Fernandez: What was your take away from that? 41 00:01:51.240 --> 00:01:56.370 Amanda Kingsley: Um, what is there to take away from it? Just 42 00:01:56.370 --> 00:01:59.490 the culture part, I think building individually within 43 00:01:59.490 --> 00:02:02.730 your team and building up that culture and just spreading that 44 00:02:02.730 --> 00:02:06.570 out showing people what you're really supposed to be as a 45 00:02:06.570 --> 00:02:09.990 business owner, as a leader and leading your team together. I 46 00:02:09.990 --> 00:02:12.360 think that should be something everybody should take from. 47 00:02:12.480 --> 00:02:15.780 You're not just, you know, a one off broker sales agent on the 48 00:02:15.780 --> 00:02:17.100 phone. It's more than that. 49 00:02:18.090 --> 00:02:19.710 Johny Fernandez: And then what are you looking forward to what 50 00:02:19.710 --> 00:02:21.840 other one cause that one just happened? Which other ones are 51 00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:22.470 you looking forward to? 52 00:02:22.500 --> 00:02:25.560 Amanda Kingsley: Um, I don't know, a little bit of 53 00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:28.440 everything. I think everybody's kind of swarming around here. 54 00:02:28.470 --> 00:02:31.620 I'm more looking forward to just seeing people's faces and seeing 55 00:02:31.620 --> 00:02:35.190 what they're looking forward to. So if I could, you know, slip 56 00:02:35.190 --> 00:02:37.560 myself in I would be everywhere I want. So, yeah. 57 00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:39.360 Johny Fernandez: So kind of walk me through what some of the 58 00:02:39.360 --> 00:02:42.210 changes that you've seen since you started in the industry till 59 00:02:42.210 --> 00:02:42.600 now? 60 00:02:42.870 --> 00:02:45.480 Amanda Kingsley: It's been eight years, okay. Okay. And back 61 00:02:45.510 --> 00:02:49.770 eight years ago, it was more of the credit card splits, ACH just 62 00:02:49.770 --> 00:02:54.510 started happening. So you're seeing a lot of, I want to say 63 00:02:54.510 --> 00:02:58.530 more risk underwriting. I believe that there should be a 64 00:02:58.530 --> 00:03:02.280 more look at that. The risk in the underwriting portion. So I 65 00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:05.790 think that's the biggest change. I think paying somebody 15% 66 00:03:05.790 --> 00:03:09.000 Commission's isn't really the way to go. It's more about by a 67 00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:13.320 rates, and how you look at the deal. So yeah, yeah, I think 68 00:03:13.320 --> 00:03:14.580 that's the big difference now. 69 00:03:14.610 --> 00:03:17.070 Johny Fernandez: Yeah. Awesome. Well, Amanda, thank you so much 70 00:03:17.070 --> 00:03:20.490 for your time. Appreciate it. So no problem and what part of 71 00:03:20.490 --> 00:03:22.170 Central Florida where in Central Florida? 72 00:03:22.170 --> 00:03:24.090 Amanda Kingsley: Melbourne. Okay. Melbourne, Florida, 73 00:03:24.930 --> 00:03:27.300 Johny Fernandez: Florida. Melbourne. Do you want to give a 74 00:03:27.300 --> 00:03:29.070 shout out to the people from Florida? 75 00:03:29.100 --> 00:03:32.850 Amanda Kingsley: Yeah, sure. Hi, Florida. I love it here. I'm 76 00:03:32.850 --> 00:03:34.110 sorry. You should have came here. 77 00:03:34.290 --> 00:03:36.300 Johny Fernandez: So one quick question, what would you tell 78 00:03:36.300 --> 00:03:39.300 people that are not here in person about this event? 79 00:03:40.230 --> 00:03:42.600 Amanda Kingsley: I love this event. I like the one in Miami 80 00:03:42.600 --> 00:03:45.270 too, especially if you just want to travel back and forth. New 81 00:03:45.270 --> 00:03:48.960 York is always going to be home. You have everybody here. I think 82 00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:51.600 everybody should, you know, definitely look into it next 83 00:03:51.600 --> 00:03:54.510 year. You have more than just MCA. I think if you're building 84 00:03:54.510 --> 00:03:57.630 your company, merchant cash advance as the incubator until 85 00:03:57.630 --> 00:04:02.100 you get to you know loans, SBA gradually move your merchants to 86 00:04:02.100 --> 00:04:04.830 better places. You have everybody that you could meet 87 00:04:04.830 --> 00:04:07.320 and kind of grow how you can so yeah. 88 00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:09.270 Johny Fernandez: All right. Well, thank you so much, Amanda. 89 00:04:09.270 --> 00:04:10.170 Appreciate your time.