Crafting Empathy in Business Through Discipline w/ Larissa Young

From the disciplined ranks of the U.S. Army to the compassionate corridors of Young Home Care, Larissa Young, our esteemed COO guest, has navigated a remarkable voyage. As your host Veronica Edwards, I had the honor to unfold Larissa's transformative journey—a tale of grit, intelligence, and the heartwarming transition into a family legacy that resonates with care in the African American community. Seated across from me, Larissa peeled back layers of her Detroit upbringing and military prowess, revealing how these experiences have fortified her entrepreneurial acumen. The tapestry of Young Home Care's history and the significance of its service within the community come alive through her compelling narrative, offering a rich blend of tradition and innovation in the realm of family business.

Navigating the intimate world of home care is no small feat, and this episode delves into the unique challenges that come with it. Larissa and I dissect the relentless task of recruiting empathetic caregivers—those unsung heroes who are the backbone of Young Home Care. With Brenda Young's personalized touch setting the tone, we explore the potency of word-of-mouth in nurturing client relationships, reflecting the show's enthusiasm for supporting local enterprises with deep community roots. As we muse over the delicate balance of family dynamics and business strategies, we share invaluable hiring tips and the indispensable role of research and networking in fostering growth. Join us for an exploration of how the steadfastness of military intelligence marries the warmth of a family endeavor, painting a vibrant picture of leadership and love.

Email Larissa at: younglarissa1999@gmail.com
Facebook: Young Home Care & Larissa Young

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Transcript

Veronica: 0:38

Welcome to the Veronica Edwards show where we have fun financial conversations that everyone listening can apply to their personal and professional life. I'm your host, veronica Edwards, and I'm so excited to be back here in the new year in season three on biz radio dot US. I always want to thank the V team for continuing to listen. We are creeping up or just a couple hundred downloads away from 4000 downloads, so I know today's show will help us get over that hump. So let's jump right into today's show. So today's guest is the chief operating officer for her family owned business, young home care, which young home care is a friend of the show and a client of balance, virtually have to shop out. It's Brenda young also, and today's guest also served our country proudly in the United States Army and military intelligence and we're so thankful for her service and that she returned back home safely to Western North Carolina a few years ago. So without further ado, I would like to introduce today's guest, miss Larissa young. How are you, larissa?

Larissa : 1:49

I am good as gold and three times as precious. I'm feeling good, you're feeling good.

Veronica: 1:59

Absolutely Well. We always start off the show asking the guest to tell us about yourself, where you're from and what led you to becoming an integral part in the family owned business that you're a part of. Young home care here in Western North Carolina.

Larissa : 2:14

Well, my background. I was born in Detroit and raised right here in the shallow area shallow- yes. And my family has a long history of care taking, with my great grandfather starting young's rest home in the shallow community, and it lasted all the way up until the 2000s. I think he started in like 1950s, so you're looking at 4050 years here. Wow, so well, just after I left the army, I jumped into it. But, okay, so now you know we got to go all the way back, you like?

Veronica: 2:47

yeah, I'm just for Detroit military. So tell us well, immediately you, being African American woman, I'm like oh I have so many questions about like military and how you were treated and that whole experience and because of you know us working together on that counting side, I know that you've shared with me that you didn't go into the military typically like some people when they're 181920, you want a little career in life.

Veronica: 3:15

So if you could tell us about just that whole experience, the positives from that, because I know a lot of times people want to down the military but I do appreciate your service, everybody service that is in the arm forces. But yeah, if you can just tell us a little bit about that and what kind of what experiences you have from that, that helped you now being an entrepreneurship.

Larissa : 3:37

So so, yeah, well, I started, I went in later. I went in like at 30 years old. So, after working a couple of odds and ends jobs, I was in behavior health for around 10 years and I got burnt out and decided to do something completely different, then going into the army. I spent almost 10 years there and the military, let's see, I liked it but I didn't love it.

Larissa : 4:05

I tell you the army was probably the most sexist, racist, xenophobic, homophobic disrespect. You know just disrespectful place I've ever known? Wow, I've never been in a fight. You know, I have a bond for life with those same people. It's just the military culture is something completely different and it was the best decision I've ever made. Honestly, I would have probably made it at 18. And so thank you once again, and my old friend, and as far as people of color, it really is the cheat code. More people would go into it, especially young people. If you don't know what you want to do, if you don't have that perfect path to college, then the military is definitely the best option.

Veronica: 4:52

That's all interesting that you said that because, like you said, there's all these where you listen. They can be racist, they can be this, they can be that, but it was the best experience that you had. What, would you say, is the biggest thing that you took away from it that you're now applying with young home care?

Larissa : 5:08

Well, dealing with my job in the military, with military intelligence. I did a lot of analytical and data work and it actually fit my personality perfectly. So, being the chief operating officer of my family's business, it allows me to run these projects and really get down to the details that matter, the nitty gritty, the background work. While my mom she's great working with the elderly, I have her in great with the data, with the numbers and with analyzing the, the, the, the P's and Q's of the company.

Veronica: 5:39

No, and you need that. In a family business, everybody should have the same traits. And again we're going to shout out your mom is beautiful, brenda Young, how long. And we're going to jump into that. But I know you mentioned that your grandfather he had home young, rest home since the 50s and I believe from when your mom's been on she's been involved in, I guess, home care since she was a little girl. Was that the same experience for you, or was it really came back from the military?

Larissa : 6:10

Okay, I was wondering that, like this was your first time I wrote, you know she she wrote around those those same halls and tricycle and I played hide and seek and the same patients room when I was little. So we, we we've all spent that time around care given about, around caring for the elderly.

Veronica: 6:28

Well, so that's amazing. So let's talk about young home care and just you know, what do you guys do? How long have you been in business If you're taking new clients, all that fun stuff? Because we definitely want to support this African American owned business, rich of history, right here in Western North Carolina. This, you guys, are the type of clients and people that I want. But this radio is all about. We want to be able to showcase the great things you're doing, because we don't see this on the news and we don't hear about it as much, but you guys have been in the community for decades either in the form of your grandfather's business, or now with the family owned business that your mom has started.

Veronica: 7:05

So tell us a little bit more about it Okay.

Larissa : 7:08

So young home care, like you said, we've come from that background of taking care of people, so it's natural for us to get into this. So aging in place has become so common and home care is such a growing field. As people of color, we oftentimes don't have the resources or our culture dictates that we don't, you know, put mom and dad in a nursing home, so we come in to help, to help with that, because a lot of times we are we as family are the caregivers, so we come in to kind of give some relief in that.

Veronica: 7:42

I totally understand that. My mom actually is currently in Maryland because she's helping with some family caregiving. I have an older uncle and he's needing some and the family needs assistance. The family is there for him but, like you said, the family needs a break too, and that's the part that I want us to make sure that the listeners hear is that it doesn't have to be all or nothing, like you have to put your family member or loved one in a home or you have to have 24 hour assistance. It can be somebody that's just giving you a break for a couple of hours or on the weekend. I love how you mentioned companionship. That's the biggest thing I tell people. You don't have to be married, you don't have to have children, but it's something about companionship and I think we found that during the pandemic and I wanted to ask you about that. Did you guys see a surge in business with the pandemic or were people a little bit afraid to have you in the house?

Larissa : 8:37

It was definitely some concern, but it wasn't. It wasn't necessarily a surge or did we drop off, so it just kind of continued. People were a little more cautious, of course, with with our workers coming in to make sure that they're vaccinated or they have their mask on, but I know for most people they hadn't experienced that before. So you got to think that a lot of our elderly who have been aging in place for a while, they're used to that, that loneliness, and so we've just kind of we've just kind of kept that rolling. Now we did have some surges in short term where where family, you know Mike couldn't get to them, but I think we're all pretty much under the same lockdown protocols. So I think we, as during the pandemic we, found out how, how lonely that that lack of companionship can be.

Veronica: 9:29

Absolutely. And I know one of the things talking with your mom it is hard to keep people employed. You know like people showing up because you know when you're, are you guys, not I? Know this home care there is no break. It could be inclement weather, somebody could be sick, but those folks still paid for those services. So is young home care currently hiring?

Larissa : 9:52

We are currently hiring, we are always hiring, and the good news is is that you know we've been in business for five years, so we're actually we're picky about our caregivers because we want to send out the best and our name depends on it. So a lot of our business has grown off a word of mouth, and that's just been from good caregivers. So we are currently hiring. We're always hiring. If not, we could train you up. Yeah, I know that's right.

Veronica: 10:19

And when we get to the end of the show we definitely want you to plug the website how people can get in contact. One thing I want to add before we get to talking about a little bit of tips is that you said that you know the business is five years old. It's grown a lot. Word of mouth and we definitely talk about this a lot on this radio is that that is still the oldest form of marketing but the most successful form is that word? Of mouth.

Veronica: 10:43

And especially in your field is like you're working where it's just like how we're so selective of who's going to watch our newborn child. It's the same thing when it comes to elderly care, and I so respect your mom, the owner, brenda, stating that she meets with every single client.

Larissa : 10:59

She does.

Veronica: 11:00

She does before she brings them on board and, for those that are listening, that's the type of customer service that you should be providing. If you're providing care services because you want to know that the people that are caring for your loved ones, just like you said, you're picky, you're selective, you're paying your people well, you're providing good benefits, but that the owner is showing that and they see it from the top.

Larissa : 11:22

Absolutely. It's a benefit for a client and also our caregivers, the clients you get in the owner to come to your house. You know when if you have an issue you're talking to the owner and even for our caregivers, with my mom still working out in the field, you know if, if you call in, she's going. If your relief is late, she's the one who's coming to relieve you, and that's not a lot of companies where the owner actually is the one that comes and relieves you.

Veronica: 11:47

Yes.

Larissa : 11:48

And not only that, but this field is so competitive. It's a lot of agencies out there, but that's the one thing that we do differently is we deliver that personal service that you're going to talk to. The person that you need to talk to is going to be available for you.

Veronica: 12:02

So, lourisa, this time of the show we ask for any tips or jewels that you would have for the listeners and because you're in a family owned business, I would love if you can just share what you wish you would have known early on. You know, for those that maybe either have a business or they want to start one, if there's any tips that you could think of, like dang. I wish I would have known this, because I would have saved me a lot of time and or money.

Larissa : 12:26

Absolutely. I told my mom that when she, you know, started getting started, halfway through getting started, I said this has become a breach, baby, like we did this completely backwards, like we ordered business card before we had, you know, caregivers. So we definitely learned as we go along and we each played up to our strengths. So, especially with a family owned business, my brother does, you know, media, a lot of our technical stuff. My mom is great with the elderly this is her gift, which is why this business works so well and myself I'm very detail oriented and analytical. So when you're doing a family business like that, it's good to play to each other's strengths and try not to cross those swords, because then that's where family, the family business part, gets a little hectic. You know you got to keep business and family separate Because I could come or go from my family's business, but my mom is always going to be my mom. So that's that's probably the best thing advice that I could give as far as family business, as far as business, research, research, research.

Larissa : 13:36

Yes professionals, investing yourself, investing your business by gaining knowledge up front. It will save you a lot of time, a lot of money in the end.

Veronica: 13:46

Yep, you know, I tell people all the time, if you can find and the good thing with social media, there's a lot of Facebook and these different groups if you can find Other people that's within your industry that you can network with so you could say, hey, I'm pricing stuff like this, or where do you usually get your employees? Or what account Are you using a lawyer? And all that fun stuff and that goes across the board and I love you, said Larissa about playing to people's strengths.

Larissa : 14:13

Yes, and we definitely play to each other. Strengths, definitely gain, gain knowledge every way you can. All the information that you need is available and it's out there. It's just got to know where to look for it. So I've kind of been, you know, on the job training with this. It was something else completely unfamiliar with that. I'm, and I'm learning each day, each payroll.

Veronica: 14:39

Yeah, no, and that's, and that's, the biggest thing of entrepreneurship. You're not always going to know everything, but it's just that willing, that willingness to learn and that willingness to be able to be nimble enough to say, okay, now it's time to pivot, you know we had a pandemic right, Maybe we're gonna do it this way.

Veronica: 14:55

Okay, we had a couple of big clients that we've lost. We need to adjust and I would just say it's just been a privilege working with you and your mom and your brother, because it doesn't feel like a family Own business, because you guys are very professional and yeah, we could cut up and have fun, but it's about the business.

Veronica: 15:11

When I see Absolutely I gotta do payroll every time I see Larissa, you on the hey, you know Got money for this, can we do that, and I love that because, like you said, it gives your mom time to focus on what her strength is. It gives time for your brother, ty, to do what he is successful in, and I feel like you're definitely the glue to home, to young home care. So again, larissa, thank you so much for coming on. No, we had some technical difficulties behind the scenes listeners, but thank you, thank you, thank you. I know this was your first time Doing an interview and I hope it won't be your last, because we definitely want to learn a little bit more about some of those travels in the military Without getting you in trouble.

Larissa : 15:53

Absolutely, absolutely. I definitely have a source of two.

Veronica: 15:57

You're beautiful family, but I just want to thank you again for doing what you're doing in our community and Providing care and and just providing this service, because it's so selfless and I know it takes a lot of time and a lot of sacrifice, but I know so many families, generations of families, are indebted to your family for all the great work that you've been doing. So thank you so much absolutely.

Larissa : 16:21

We're grateful to be able to do it and to provide, you know, jobs for our community and care for our community.

Veronica: 16:27

Oh, and before I forget, before we go, please let us know how we can Support young home care if people are looking for a job, how do we find out more about young home care?

Larissa : 16:38

So you can contact us on our website, the young home care calm. They have the application process on there. You can email us at young home care at gmailcom or you could call us at the office at 828 69153 50 or you can stop by. The office on Hendersonville Road is 2330 sweep B, hendersonville Road in the art.

Veronica: 17:03

Wonderful. Well, thank you again and I want to thank all the listeners for tuning into biz radio dot us. Please come back next week, same time, same place, 10 am On Wednesdays for the Veronica Edward show, and if you miss the live airing, you can listen to all prior shows at Veronica Edwards at bus sprout calm.