RAW Podcast Janet

Rural Futures Institute Author

03/18/2019 Added

4 Plays

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RAW Podcast Janet

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[00:00:02.640]Alright, Janet, can you hear me now?
[00:00:05.086]Yes.
[00:00:06.170]Awesome!
[00:00:07.003]We are recording, so I've done it.
[00:00:09.120]We're good.
[00:00:10.070]Good deal.
[00:00:10.930]Alright.
[00:00:12.260]So, again, I'll just introduce the podcast.
[00:00:14.520]I'll turn it over to you to add a little more detail.
[00:00:17.380]And we'll just take it from there and have some fun.
[00:00:20.240]Okay.
[00:00:21.073]Cool.
[00:00:22.250]Welcome back to the Rural Futures Podcast.
[00:00:24.590]I'm your host, Dr. Connie.
[00:00:26.000]And joining me today is one of our most prolific,
[00:00:29.010]innovative mavericks in Nebraska so,
[00:00:30.850]I'm really excited about this.
[00:00:32.640]Janet Palmtag is on the show.
[00:00:35.170]Janet is the founder of JJ Palmtag, Inc.,
[00:00:37.930]a real estate company, which I knew,
[00:00:40.540]but then there's a little bit of a surprise here.
[00:00:43.160]She is also the founder of TubTool LLC,
[00:00:45.920]a Nebraska start up.
[00:00:47.180]Welcome to the show, Janet.
[00:00:48.940]Well, thank you for inviting me, Dr. Connie.
[00:00:51.380]Thrilled to be here.
[00:00:52.540]Oh, we're so excited to have you on,
[00:00:54.470]not only because you're a maverick,
[00:00:56.330]you know, serial entrepreneur,
[00:00:57.850]but also because you're a very prolific leader
[00:01:00.980]in our state and across the nation,
[00:01:02.670]in real estate, but also in so many other ways.
[00:01:05.580]And I'm so excited to dive into
[00:01:07.310]this conversation with you today.
[00:01:10.220]Great.
[00:01:11.350]So, Janet, tell us a little bit
[00:01:12.930]more about yourself.
[00:01:14.850]Give us some background.
[00:01:17.510]Okay, well first of all,
[00:01:19.840]I have three grown sons
[00:01:22.940]and an absolutely brilliant daughter-in-law.
[00:01:26.920]I have two grandkids, age one and two.
[00:01:30.780]That's super fun.
[00:01:32.640]I'm a native, actually, of Nebraska city,
[00:01:34.560]so I was born and raised here.
[00:01:37.070]Attended the Catholic school.
[00:01:40.280]After that I went to the university
[00:01:42.060]and got a business degree.
[00:01:45.110]The year I graduated I married my husband,
[00:01:49.050]who happened to be from Nebraska city, as well,
[00:01:51.270]so landed back into my home town.
[00:01:56.330]From there, I actually started working
[00:01:59.160]for an insurance agency.
[00:02:02.530]And a couple of years into that job
[00:02:06.110]I started the real estate company.
[00:02:09.080]Felt really, lucky my employer was willing
[00:02:12.610]to allow me to do a startup real estate company
[00:02:15.493]in conjunction with the insurance agency.
[00:02:19.470]So, that was fortunate and great for me.
[00:02:25.340]Anyway, I ended up buying the insurance agency in 1995,
[00:02:33.224]grew it, developed it, sold it in 2010.
[00:02:39.180]So, I did have that company for a while.
[00:02:42.400]It was a great experience, loved it.
[00:02:45.320]I still own the real estate company,
[00:02:47.160]and it's being run right now by my son.
[00:02:50.210]So, he's our broker.
[00:02:51.270]And I'm still I'm very active in it.
[00:02:54.100]A couple of years ago I started
[00:02:56.150]a little company called TubTool,
[00:02:57.750]and it is still in its infancy.
[00:02:59.620]So, that's kind of an interesting undertaking,
[00:03:03.420]and super fun.
[00:03:04.440]Learned quite a bit from that.
[00:03:07.450]Let's dive into that, just a little bit.
[00:03:09.370]So, what made you want to get into real estate
[00:03:12.500]and start a real estate company.
[00:03:14.690]Well, you know when I graduated
[00:03:17.330]from the university,
[00:03:18.490]I just assumed I'd be in a finance job.
[00:03:22.950]I suppose insurance is a little bit that way.
[00:03:26.320]So, I wanted to invest in real estate,
[00:03:28.360]just right off the bat.
[00:03:29.590]I wasn't looking for a home to live in,
[00:03:31.190]but I knew that I wanted investment properties.
[00:03:35.010]You know, I struggled quite a bit getting people
[00:03:39.780]to respond to my request for real estate.
[00:03:43.960]I was an active buyer,
[00:03:45.030]and I just couldn't quite get the level of service
[00:03:49.340]I think that I needed,
[00:03:50.240]so I identified a huge gap in the market
[00:03:53.220]and thought, hey, you know,
[00:03:54.870]somebody that can really provide customer service
[00:03:58.730]can do something here,
[00:03:59.840]so just decided at that point, let's do this.
[00:04:04.820]And did.
[00:04:05.807]And it turned out to be a really great company for us.
[00:04:10.203]And then, I'd love to know more
[00:04:13.970]about the evolution of TubTool, as well.
[00:04:16.220]Sounds to me like you're great
[00:04:17.730]at identifying an opportunity in that marketplace,
[00:04:20.900]and then just diving in and pursuing it as a business,
[00:04:24.250]or at least exploring that possibility.
[00:04:26.080]So, tell us a little bit about how TubTool came about.
[00:04:30.700]Well, TubTool's kind of an interesting thing.
[00:04:35.040]I never dreamed that I would be doing product,
[00:04:38.140]or product development or product startup.
[00:04:42.456]A few years ago I had an accident
[00:04:45.480]where I had a pretty serious concussion,
[00:04:48.110]so it kind of landed me at home
[00:04:53.180]for a couple of months.
[00:04:54.720]And, it was pretty frustrating for a person
[00:04:56.820]like me to have to work from home.
[00:04:59.296]I wasn't able to to drive.
[00:05:01.440]So, I thought to myself well,
[00:05:03.690]at least I'm going to keep this house clean
[00:05:05.550]as long as I'm restricted to this environment.
[00:05:09.530]So, with that concussion came difficulty
[00:05:14.140]bending over and any abrupt turns,
[00:05:18.069]one direction or the other.
[00:05:19.470]But I was able to do my housekeeping,
[00:05:21.930]and thank goodness for the Internet,
[00:05:23.910]I was able to keep up somewhat with my other work.
[00:05:27.170]But, I was not able to clean the bathroom.
[00:05:31.170]I could not get that simple job accomplished
[00:05:37.260]because of my instability.
[00:05:40.650]I just could not bend over any further
[00:05:44.580]than a certain number of degrees
[00:05:46.020]before I would lose my balance.
[00:05:48.580]And I thought, I wonder how older people do this.
[00:05:52.470]How on earth do other people
[00:05:55.210]that are not quite strong, and have a little bit,
[00:05:58.250]how do they clean these bathrooms?
[00:06:00.760]So, I started asking around,
[00:06:03.790]my mother, I have a friend,
[00:06:06.950]a retired physicist that I hang out with commonly,
[00:06:10.930]and I called him and my mom,
[00:06:13.150]and said how on earth do you guys
[00:06:15.105]keep your bathtubs and showers clean?
[00:06:17.780]What do you do?
[00:06:20.970]And, of course, my mother is like,
[00:06:22.600]oh, I never, never clean those ever.
[00:06:25.460]Someone else has to do it.
[00:06:26.730]It's too hard.
[00:06:28.040]And my physicist friend is like,
[00:06:30.470]oh, well, I don't want to tell you what I do, Janet.
[00:06:33.130]I put a towel on the end of the toilet brush,
[00:06:36.130]and that is the only way that I can do it,
[00:06:39.330]because I cannot bend over, or whatever.
[00:06:42.280]So then, we started talking
[00:06:45.800]to hotel maids and other housekeeping staff
[00:06:51.090]at institutional facilities.
[00:06:53.840]And they were like yeah,
[00:06:54.673]there's really just no good way to do it.
[00:06:56.710]You know, you have to bend, reach, squat,
[00:07:01.760]and I'm like, oh heavens.
[00:07:03.260]So then, I thought, well, this just can't be,
[00:07:08.430]so I got on the Internet and ordered,
[00:07:14.210]gosh, twenty different cleaning tools
[00:07:17.330]that professed to be able to make this job simpler,
[00:07:22.040]and none of them worked well.
[00:07:27.020]Theoretically, when I ordered them I thought
[00:07:29.050]that it might be something that would work,
[00:07:31.810]but when it arrived and I tested it,
[00:07:33.660]no, indeed it didn't.
[00:07:35.060]So, again, I had some time on my hands.
[00:07:38.240]I was pretty much incapacitated.
[00:07:41.220]My brain was working, I just couldn't do
[00:07:44.140]a lot of physical things.
[00:07:46.460]So, anyway, I started kind of
[00:07:49.750]putting together a prototype.
[00:07:51.530]And I thought, well, I don't know
[00:07:52.830]if this is going to go anywhere but,
[00:07:55.890]what the heck, I've got the time so.
[00:07:59.240]From the prototype I did come up with something
[00:08:04.240]that I felt really would work
[00:08:07.580]from just putting it together
[00:08:10.194]at my home.
[00:08:11.410]So, I contacted an engineer next
[00:08:15.000]and had him help me put into an autoCAD file,
[00:08:21.000]the measurements and design and the tool.
[00:08:29.040]From that I had him 3D print for me,
[00:08:33.450]gosh, hundreds of different samples
[00:08:38.830]and different adjustments in the tool
[00:08:42.060]until we got it to a point where I thought
[00:08:44.810]that it was going to be the TubTool.
[00:08:49.930]Okay, hold on hold on.
[00:08:51.313]I gotta back up. (laughs loudly)
[00:08:52.810]So, your incapacitated at the time.
[00:08:56.441]I'm worried about even putting that in there.
[00:08:58.940]You're gonna have to chop this up, and cut it up.
[00:09:01.840]Oh, it'll be funny.
[00:09:02.673]I mean, this is just a great story, Janet.
[00:09:04.473]Here you are, you can't, you know.
[00:09:08.733](speakers talk over each other)
[00:09:09.566]doesn't it?
[00:09:10.570]Yeah, I mean you can't,
[00:09:12.560]you're typically this high-energy,
[00:09:14.890]out there showing houses, networking with people,
[00:09:18.130]high level business leader, but you have this injury,
[00:09:20.900]you can't get out and do what you normally do,
[00:09:22.900]so what you do is decide to start another business,
[00:09:26.420]basically from your house.
[00:09:29.120]In terms of, how do we do the market research?
[00:09:32.180]How do we interview people?
[00:09:33.510]And not only are you interviewing just friends and family,
[00:09:36.750]you start actually going to the marketplace,
[00:09:38.730]the people that do the most cleaning
[00:09:40.520]in different industries,
[00:09:42.220]have prototypes made and then use 3D printing
[00:09:46.000]to see if this is gonna work.
[00:09:47.540]Am I hearing this all correctly?
[00:09:49.500]Yeah, yeah.
[00:09:51.222]It's the deal.
[00:09:53.090]I think this is tremendous.
[00:09:54.340]As we know, the future's really evolving
[00:09:57.600]at a rapid clip right now,
[00:09:59.110]but you've integrated a lot of technology
[00:10:01.630]into the evolution of TubTool.
[00:10:03.530]But you've also integrated this human element.
[00:10:07.210]By the year 2035, the US census bureau estimates
[00:10:10.780]that the older adults will outnumber children
[00:10:13.850]in the United States, so this is happening.
[00:10:16.680]And the longevity, economy itself,
[00:10:19.730]you know we have 11 million Americans
[00:10:21.470]over the age of 50
[00:10:22.730]and they generate 7.6 trillion in economic activity,
[00:10:26.420]according to a recent study by AARP.
[00:10:29.160]So, this is a great niche to be in right now.
[00:10:33.590]Well, thank you,
[00:10:34.830]I would have loved it to have been some high tech
[00:10:41.480]computer product or application or something,
[00:10:44.430]but it's something that I really think
[00:10:48.470]got missed along the way.
[00:10:50.660]Absolutely.
[00:10:51.530]I mean, when you hear people telling you
[00:10:53.810]there's no good way to do it, I can't do it.
[00:10:57.020]I'm using a toilet brush, just to try
[00:10:59.810]to put a towel on the end to do it.
[00:11:01.360]Because I would have never thought about it.
[00:11:03.890]There's so many people that can't bend over to clean,
[00:11:06.990]and cleaning a tub and other services requires that.
[00:11:10.720]Not everybody can afford to hire somebody to do it.
[00:11:12.920]So, how are people doing this out there?
[00:11:15.260]What a great question to have asked and found a solution to.
[00:11:20.760]Well, I hope that other people
[00:11:23.710]need the tool and buy the tool.
[00:11:26.070]And I hope that company works out.
[00:11:28.440]Again, it's brand new.
[00:11:29.860]So, we're just getting involved
[00:11:32.930]in the the marketing part of it.
[00:11:35.380]Is it available in the market place then?
[00:11:38.050]You know, it is.
[00:11:39.670]We are on Amazon.com.
[00:11:42.880]We're in a few retail locations.
[00:11:46.830]We're in one janitorial supply store right now.
[00:11:49.930]And next week we meet with a larger retail company,
[00:11:53.950]and we'll see how that goes.
[00:11:55.510]Well, congratulations.
[00:11:56.707]So, tubtool.com for people looking
[00:11:58.890]for an easy solution,
[00:12:00.840]something that can help them clean their tubs,
[00:12:03.240]and just add value to their lives pretty easily.
[00:12:06.470]But I also want to dive into a little bit
[00:12:08.820]about what I see as sort of the theme.
[00:12:11.500]You know, you continue to find these challenges.
[00:12:13.910]You're turning them into opportunities.
[00:12:16.090]So, describe yourself as a leader.
[00:12:20.340]Well, for me, basically a leader is
[00:12:26.700]somebody who can assemble a good team.
[00:12:30.620]There is no question.
[00:12:32.470]And I think a lot of people have grown
[00:12:35.120]to understand that it does take a team
[00:12:38.800]of people with different strengths,
[00:12:44.140]a team that trusts each other
[00:12:46.670]and don't judge each other.
[00:12:49.030]They are passionate, hopefully,
[00:12:51.270]about your product or your company or your goal.
[00:12:54.370]And hopefully they're people that take ownership in it,
[00:12:58.110]and will really help the team move
[00:13:02.910]to where they need to be to accomplish the goal.
[00:13:07.960]I also get the sense
[00:13:08.890]that you don't really worry about risk,
[00:13:12.010]like you're not in your mind,
[00:13:13.910]like holding yourself back,
[00:13:15.690]because you think that failure is a bad thing.
[00:13:18.930]So, when you think about yourself as a leader,
[00:13:23.160]how would you describe risk to others,
[00:13:26.050]or how would you describe the need
[00:13:27.980]to be entrepreneurial for others?
[00:13:29.330]What advice would you give people around that?
[00:13:31.870]You know, I have made so many mistakes,
[00:13:36.380]and they are absolutely visible for all to see.
[00:13:40.570]And especially, like on my team,
[00:13:43.680]in our insurance agency, we got together
[00:13:48.260]and we interviewed as a team, a group.
[00:13:51.110]And it's kind of amazing to me
[00:13:53.680]how the different perceptions shifted our decision
[00:13:58.380]for the right direction.
[00:14:01.310]There were a couple of times where I made a decision
[00:14:04.950]to do this or that and it was a mistake.
[00:14:10.010]And I just own it.
[00:14:12.210]And it is there.
[00:14:13.240]And, I think we do take calculated risks.
[00:14:17.290]There are risks I cannot take and will not take.
[00:14:20.200]But certainly I think that we all are not perfect,
[00:14:25.180]and we all must be allowed to make mistakes.
[00:14:27.240]And, you know what, we're learning from them.
[00:14:28.800]So, don't look at it negatively,
[00:14:31.860]or let it bring you down, it's okay.
[00:14:34.870]We won't do that, or at least we won't do that this year.
[00:14:37.370]The timing may have been incorrect
[00:14:39.010]for that particular decision that didn't work out.
[00:14:42.080]So, anyway, it's a lesson, for sure.
[00:14:46.930]So, how do you see leadership evolving
[00:14:49.830]into the future?
[00:14:50.810]You know, you've worked with teams,
[00:14:51.920]you've built businesses, you've sold businesses.
[00:14:54.430]How do you see this evolution of leadership
[00:14:56.530]and even entrepreneurship as it evolves
[00:14:58.470]into your future?
[00:15:01.450]Well, first of all,
[00:15:03.300]you know what, it has changed.
[00:15:06.420]The synonyms that still you find
[00:15:11.470]for leadership is power, rule, control, command,
[00:15:16.390]you know, horribly oppressive words, such as that.
[00:15:20.020]I think that we have changed from that already,
[00:15:22.090]and I'm confident that the leadership role
[00:15:25.750]will change in the future, as well.
[00:15:27.740]Because, it really is about people
[00:15:31.530]being engaged and empowered.
[00:15:33.100]And one person cannot possibly be
[00:15:36.840]an expert in all fields.
[00:15:38.900]And it takes a team,
[00:15:40.870]So, I'm anxious to see
[00:15:42.570]what the future brings for leadership.
[00:15:46.280]So, I'd love for you
[00:15:47.113]to put your futurist hat on,
[00:15:48.990]and really think
[00:15:49.840]about the future of real estate,
[00:15:52.410]and even the future of entrepreneurship.
[00:15:53.990]But let's think about real estate first.
[00:15:55.610]I think this is a really interesting area.
[00:15:58.450]How do you see the future real estate?
[00:16:01.570]What major changes do you see in your area of expertise?
[00:16:07.610]Expertise is kind of a dynamic term, as well.
[00:16:10.940]We may be an expert today in real estate,
[00:16:13.380]but tomorrow, watch out.
[00:16:14.640]Because it has been evolving and changing so rapidly.
[00:16:21.020]I do think technology,
[00:16:22.940]although it has totally shifted my industry,
[00:16:26.904]in real estate, I believe that that is going
[00:16:30.560]to be continuously shifted.
[00:16:34.155]So, I don't think we've even seen
[00:16:36.780]the tip of the iceberg on what's possible in real estate,
[00:16:41.280]commercial, residential, agricultural.
[00:16:45.110]So, that is definitely going to be a major change.
[00:16:50.990]I do think though, with all of those changes,
[00:16:55.160]I do think that we're gonna default back
[00:16:58.210]to a requirement for strong relationship with clients,
[00:17:03.750]customer service, being counselors,
[00:17:06.220]and I do believe that will be important
[00:17:10.910]going forth in the future, as well.
[00:17:13.790]Why do you think that it's going
[00:17:15.530]to become more and more important
[00:17:17.100]as the future unfolds?
[00:17:20.450]Well, our world is getting smaller
[00:17:23.370]and super smart.
[00:17:31.045]Gosh, this is a hard question for me.
[00:17:37.983]Okay, you're gonna have to take that part out.
[00:17:39.951]That's okay.
[00:17:40.850]Just, you know, take a pause.
[00:17:43.820]You know, it goes back to technology.
[00:17:46.240]That is why our future will be impacted,
[00:17:51.040]is the aggressive changes
[00:17:53.820]in the information that's available,
[00:17:55.570]and the virtual reality of looking at properties
[00:18:01.063]both out in an agricultural field
[00:18:03.760]or a commercial building.
[00:18:06.393]You know, the drones that we're using right now,
[00:18:08.300]you can see everything almost as if you're there.
[00:18:11.070]And virtual reality interior of properties
[00:18:17.420]is really changing the dynamics.
[00:18:19.680]It's saving money, and it's a very efficient way
[00:18:26.020]for people to research and buy property.
[00:18:32.630]I think you've always been
[00:18:33.463]on the cutting edge of the technology
[00:18:35.130]in terms of the real estate market
[00:18:37.790]and what's happening there.
[00:18:39.040]But I also think you're right
[00:18:40.400]in terms of that human touch.
[00:18:42.790]I think sometimes people are so overwhelmed
[00:18:44.540]by the technology, they're really looking
[00:18:46.290]for a trusted partner,
[00:18:47.890]especially when making big decisions.
[00:18:49.670]You know, like, should I invest in this home,
[00:18:51.670]should I invest in this property?
[00:18:54.650]How should I grow my real estate portfolio on that?
[00:18:57.900]I think depending on people like yourself
[00:18:59.960]to do that is going to be an important part
[00:19:01.360]of the process as we move forward.
[00:19:04.150]I agree.
[00:19:04.983]You have to have someone you can trust on the ground.
[00:19:08.970]And, as you know, so much information,
[00:19:12.570]even photos today and virtual tours,
[00:19:15.160]can be doctored up.
[00:19:17.060]Yes.
[00:19:17.893]A lot of controversy right now
[00:19:19.600]over what's available on the internet,
[00:19:22.920]and is it really what is there,
[00:19:26.210]or have we removed some information
[00:19:30.214]from that photo to make it
[00:19:32.480]more appealing or more sellable.
[00:19:37.220]Yeah, you know, my husband and I have gone
[00:19:38.420]through that a little bit ourselves.
[00:19:39.570]We really debated about moving into a different house.
[00:19:43.170]And what we've noticed is,
[00:19:44.740]some of the pictures, even the angles,
[00:19:47.696]and all the staging that happens now.
[00:19:51.920]While the technology's great,
[00:19:53.270]I think there's a lot more that can be done there,
[00:19:56.140]so it'll be interesting to watch the evolution.
[00:19:58.840]But, to get the actual reality of the situation,
[00:20:03.770]I think, is is really important for a buyer.
[00:20:06.760]So, it'll be good to see that get better over time.
[00:20:11.310]But, yeah, you can really be surprised
[00:20:12.780]when you see something online
[00:20:14.160]and then go look at it physically.
[00:20:16.300]Yeah, and that can be quite frustrating.
[00:20:18.290]And it kind of violates trust.
[00:20:21.140]And so I do think you need a trusted,
[00:20:24.770]real-life person to help you with that.
[00:20:30.530]Okay.
[00:20:31.363]I do want to ask you a little bit
[00:20:33.220]about women in leadership,
[00:20:34.890]because you've been on the forefront
[00:20:37.690]of leadership for a long time.
[00:20:40.590]And I think the great thing for you,
[00:20:42.740]or at least watching you,
[00:20:43.860]has been you have this presence about you
[00:20:47.760]that's just so strong, and people respect you
[00:20:51.010]and they trust you.
[00:20:52.680]But we also know that housing in rural areas
[00:20:55.090]is a challenge for Nebraska, but even beyond Nebraska.
[00:20:58.520]And I think being an advocate for real estate,
[00:21:01.670]and a leader in that space, but also for women,
[00:21:04.550]has been part of how we've connected.
[00:21:06.850]And I would love to get some thoughts on that.
[00:21:08.610]So, let's dissect housing a little bit,
[00:21:11.520]in terms of rural and what that looks like.
[00:21:15.325]What kind of creative solutions
[00:21:17.160]do you see needed in this space
[00:21:20.210]for many of our rural communities right now?
[00:21:23.570]Well, the housing issue is a problem,
[00:21:27.900]across the state specifically for rural Nebraska.
[00:21:33.840]Well, I think actually in every state,
[00:21:36.260]across the nation, the rural communities
[00:21:38.860]are having housing issues, as well.
[00:21:40.960]But there are a lot of creative tools
[00:21:44.690]that have come out to to help rural communities,
[00:21:49.620]as well as the metropolitan areas.
[00:21:51.960]But I really think it takes the community
[00:21:56.930]to get together and say, hey, this is what we need.
[00:21:59.880]How can we accomplish this?
[00:22:02.620]Find some solutions and get everyone involved,
[00:22:06.480]the builders the realtors, investors,
[00:22:11.900]the city council, the county commissioners,
[00:22:15.350]economic development, get everyone together
[00:22:17.877]to find solutions.
[00:22:20.624]Just find a way.
[00:22:22.290]Maybe we need the utility company
[00:22:24.160]to help in this way, maybe we need the city
[00:22:27.570]to help with some paving,
[00:22:31.910]maybe we need some land given to a project
[00:22:37.970]so that it can cash flow
[00:22:40.050]and at least make a little bit of money.
[00:22:43.200]Construction costs are quite high right now,
[00:22:45.980]and infrastructure is difficult, as well,
[00:22:48.920]so it takes a collaboration.
[00:22:51.170]And I think it takes the city, the town,
[00:22:56.180]to get together and pave their own path,
[00:22:59.070]and then use the tools that are available
[00:23:01.810]by the State as well.
[00:23:03.930]Absolutely.
[00:23:04.763]And I know you're a huge advocate,
[00:23:06.440]but also a leader in terms of community engagement.
[00:23:09.780]And not only representing your business,
[00:23:13.570]but really engaging leaders around this topic
[00:23:16.280]to create some innovative solutions.
[00:23:20.730]Well, we are definitely
[00:23:21.970]working on it, certainly.
[00:23:25.300]Yeah, we appreciate that
[00:23:26.560]because we need new models in rural,
[00:23:30.070]in terms of housing, different structures,
[00:23:33.050]what does that look like moving into the future.
[00:23:35.220]We so appreciate the leadership of people
[00:23:37.400]like yourself who are doing great things in business,
[00:23:40.700]but also great things in our communities.
[00:23:42.690]Thank you for that.
[00:23:44.180]My pleasure.
[00:23:45.200]I love rural Nebraska, and it's exciting
[00:23:48.780]to work with the people in Nebraska City
[00:23:51.777]and Southeast Nebraska.
[00:23:54.000]Now, I want to jump
[00:23:54.833]to a little bit about you, and being a female,
[00:23:57.690]and being a leader, and an entrepreneur.
[00:24:00.340]So characterize your experience as an entrepreneur,
[00:24:04.320]as an inventor, and as somebody
[00:24:07.050]who really makes things happen
[00:24:08.460]in the world of business.
[00:24:09.700]But also, you know, being a female,
[00:24:12.270]and Nebraska typically has not been ranked
[00:24:14.380]very high in terms of female entrepreneurship.
[00:24:17.620]So, how do you think we can nurture this
[00:24:20.370]in more women throughout, not just Nebraska,
[00:24:23.030]but the nation and the world as well.
[00:24:27.490]You know, Connie, I think that it begins at home.
[00:24:31.400]I think that families need to nurture
[00:24:35.610]their sons and daughters, both equally.
[00:24:39.770]And in my world, again, I'm in my fifties now
[00:24:45.350]and it wasn't always that way.
[00:24:48.610]You know, our parents loved us completely,
[00:24:51.320]but there was a difference
[00:24:53.070]in the expectation of the son versus the daughter,
[00:24:56.470]in my view.
[00:24:58.350]I know that my grandfather,
[00:25:00.730]when we were getting ready to go to college,
[00:25:03.010]my grandpa said that's ridiculous,
[00:25:05.600]what do you think you're doing?
[00:25:07.185]You do not go to college, or whatever.
[00:25:10.420]And it's like, Grandpa, I love you man
[00:25:12.240]but I'm going to college.
[00:25:15.200]So even that, in my lifetime,
[00:25:18.450]I think my children or my daughter-in-law,
[00:25:22.550]wouldn't quite hardly believe that.
[00:25:24.770]And then in college,
[00:25:27.908]and I love the University of Nebraska,
[00:25:30.640]but when I was in college,
[00:25:32.750]I did have a very, very bad gender experience
[00:25:36.430]in one of my finance courses.
[00:25:39.010]Do you want to hear about that, really?
[00:25:40.760]I do.
[00:25:41.593]I mean, I think these are important conversations,
[00:25:43.660]because I really feel that we still need
[00:25:47.140]to do a lot to empower women around the world,
[00:25:49.740]but especially in our rural areas.
[00:25:52.150]That includes our classrooms in universities.
[00:25:54.621]I've been working at the university for a long time,
[00:25:57.410]of course, but it's been interesting.
[00:26:01.101]Here I am in my late forties,
[00:26:02.560]and to see the evolution of what happens
[00:26:07.100]in terms of the workplace
[00:26:08.670]is really quite fascinating.
[00:26:09.960]I've worked mostly in a male dominated university.
[00:26:14.870]And so, in classrooms, in meetings,
[00:26:18.140]in these types of things,
[00:26:19.220]does it get better
[00:26:20.160]and are we making progress, absolutely.
[00:26:22.190]But, I also think in this day and age,
[00:26:25.670]I'm so glad to see that it's talked about more,
[00:26:27.940]but it's also the sort of hidden things
[00:26:30.400]that continue to happen.
[00:26:32.770]And really, this big question
[00:26:34.030]about how do we just make it better
[00:26:36.520]so that, like you're saying,
[00:26:38.090]it's not just male against female.
[00:26:39.750]It has to be everybody who's really empowered
[00:26:42.450]to do their best.
[00:26:43.440]So, yeah, any stories you have
[00:26:45.060]to share would be welcome.
[00:26:47.070]Well yeah, and you're gonna cut
[00:26:49.150]that part out about the university.
[00:26:50.580]I'm actually not going to tell that story.
[00:26:52.260]But why?
[00:26:54.236]But I will tell you at another time.
[00:26:56.155](Connie laughs loudly)
[00:26:58.170]But, I will share an experience.
[00:27:01.100]When I was running the insurance company,
[00:27:03.290]this was maybe a year or two
[00:27:05.720]before I purchased the insurance company,
[00:27:09.960]I had been seeking an insurance carrier contract.
[00:27:15.420]There was a specific company
[00:27:16.770]that had some great products
[00:27:18.960]I knew I would be able
[00:27:20.030]to sell in my market place.
[00:27:23.900]I had contacted the company
[00:27:25.410]and asked for a contract
[00:27:27.080]and I couldn't get them to to respond.
[00:27:30.600]I was kind of bugging them,
[00:27:31.880]saying I know I can sell this product,
[00:27:34.700]please give me a contract.
[00:27:36.680]We will give you this much volume
[00:27:38.050]within this certain time frame, blah blah blah.
[00:27:42.590]Well, the owner of the company
[00:27:46.130]had received a letter shortly thereafter
[00:27:48.900]my hounding them for a contract,
[00:27:51.520]and it basically said,
[00:27:53.450]we are sorry to inform you
[00:27:55.840]that we will not give a contract
[00:27:59.700]to an agency managed by a woman.
[00:28:02.690]Should you decide to put a male
[00:28:05.920]in that position we will
[00:28:07.632]discuss a contract further.
[00:28:10.730]And, of course, the owner called me into his office,
[00:28:15.840]and said Janet, you're not gonna believe
[00:28:18.130]this letter I just received.
[00:28:20.220]And we're talking about a national company.
[00:28:23.540]Wow.
[00:28:24.373]He read it to me,
[00:28:25.420]and I said, "And they put that in writing?"
[00:28:28.878]He said, yes, they did.
[00:28:34.300]They did not realize at the time
[00:28:36.520]that the owner of the company was also a lawyer.
[00:28:44.930]And he said, what are we gonna do,
[00:28:47.440]and I said well, you are going to threaten to sue them,
[00:28:52.270]because this is wrong,
[00:28:55.190]and it should not be the reason
[00:28:58.010]they don't give us the contract.
[00:28:59.800]So he did, in fact, make some threats.
[00:29:05.840]We were immediately given a contract
[00:29:08.770]after his contact with them.
[00:29:10.230]And I'm very happy to say,
[00:29:12.600]that after a year of a contract with that company,
[00:29:15.910]we received a regional highest sales
[00:29:20.340]in the region contest.
[00:29:22.440]And so, anyway, I ended up going
[00:29:24.810]to receives awards from this company
[00:29:28.700]from being the highest sales person
[00:29:30.600]in the region.
[00:29:31.530]So, anyway, we proved them wrong
[00:29:33.400]in a very short time.
[00:29:35.920]So, that, you know, that makes you just very angry.
[00:29:40.060]And I think that from a child
[00:29:48.330]when you were told that you are not equivalent,
[00:29:55.828]you don't meet up to the expectation
[00:29:58.050]of your brother counterpart.
[00:30:02.520]And I think it happens in church, too.
[00:30:05.260]I always wanted to be an altar server,
[00:30:07.550]and, you know what, girls just can't do that.
[00:30:11.760]And I remember thinking, gosh,
[00:30:14.550]if only I could be holier,
[00:30:16.410]maybe I could be an altar server.
[00:30:19.720]And it's like, no,
[00:30:21.280]it's because you're a girl
[00:30:22.940]that you can't be an altar server.
[00:30:25.980]No amount of holiness is going
[00:30:27.510]to get you up there.
[00:30:30.230]So, I think that we have these deep seated ideas.
[00:30:36.750]And I think women feel that they truly
[00:30:41.000]aren't up to the task.
[00:30:43.830]And, again I think that I would love
[00:30:47.080]to see children not have those obstacles
[00:30:52.560]right off the get-go in life.
[00:30:55.430]And hopefully, hopefully, girls today, women today,
[00:30:59.750]coming out of the university,
[00:31:00.920]will never have the experience
[00:31:03.120]that I had trying to get a contract
[00:31:05.360]just because I wanted to sell their product.
[00:31:07.700]So anyway, there you go.
[00:31:10.010]Yeah.
[00:31:10.843]You know, I love, though,
[00:31:11.676]how you took that challenging situation
[00:31:14.955]and you had this knowing of, you know what,
[00:31:17.260]I know I can do this.
[00:31:18.530]So, we're gonna not just drop it.
[00:31:21.440]We're gonna take a very professional approach here.
[00:31:24.380]But then, I'm showing up a year later
[00:31:27.370]getting an award, because I know
[00:31:30.150]this is what needs to happen.
[00:31:38.190]Do you use your intuition a lot
[00:31:40.140]in business and in leadership?
[00:31:41.720]I'm just curious.
[00:31:44.530]You know, I do.
[00:31:47.770]But you have to be careful.
[00:31:51.290]There's emotional and then there is rational.
[00:31:56.410]And I do try to be very careful
[00:31:59.500]about that because rationality matters.
[00:32:05.540]But sometimes you have to go with your gut.
[00:32:08.090]And you may be right.
[00:32:13.600]I also feel like you have
[00:32:14.840]just such a positive mindset.
[00:32:16.660]And at the Rural Futures Institute
[00:32:18.640]we really talk a lot about the importance
[00:32:20.750]of having that abundance, positive mindset.
[00:32:25.210]Because it does give you an ability
[00:32:26.900]to pursue your desired future in a different way,
[00:32:30.510]from a way of not negativity but positivity.
[00:32:35.200]How do you continue to develop your mindset
[00:32:38.050]and stay positive through those challenges?
[00:32:44.060]Because we have to be the change
[00:32:48.110]that we want to see truly.
[00:32:50.280]You know, we can't sit around and bawl
[00:32:52.770]because somebody doesn't like us
[00:32:57.310]or has a preconceived notion of our ability.
[00:33:00.510]We must plow ahead of that,
[00:33:03.050]and kind of blaze the trail.
[00:33:05.390]So, I'm very positive about that.
[00:33:07.810]And I take responsibility in helping
[00:33:11.680]get to a better place.
[00:33:13.970]I do have a a good attitude about that I think.
[00:33:16.980]Yeah, definitely you do.
[00:33:18.350]And I'd love for you to share your parting words
[00:33:20.650]of wisdom with the audience.
[00:33:22.470]This has been a great interview, so many insights.
[00:33:24.710]But, what would you leave them with?
[00:33:28.500]Well, first of all, appreciate
[00:33:32.570]your community that you're in.
[00:33:35.040]I think a lot of the opportunities I had
[00:33:38.750]I might not have had if it weren't
[00:33:41.680]for my small community and my supportive group of people
[00:33:48.360]in my home town and in my business.
[00:33:53.290]I guess, secondly, I do think
[00:33:56.140]that technology is going to, at least,
[00:34:00.450]have the capacity to dissolve the rural urban issues.
[00:34:05.790]It already has started to erode and dissolve
[00:34:10.720]some of the issues that we have, in my opinion.
[00:34:14.700]I think all people want quality of life, period.
[00:34:19.130]And they want quality education for their kids.
[00:34:21.750]And to be honest, we are constantly learning.
[00:34:24.810]We need education for ourself, as well, that is quality.
[00:34:29.270]And I think technology is bringing
[00:34:30.910]that to the rural communities,
[00:34:35.090]and to everywhere.
[00:34:36.080]It's really equalizing things.
[00:34:38.820]And also, I guess, finally,
[00:34:41.850]being from a small community
[00:34:45.660]like Nebraska city in Southeast Nebraska,
[00:34:49.270]we do business in Auburn and in Rock Port, as well,
[00:34:51.990]but you know there are groups like the Rural Impact Hub,
[00:34:56.620]I don't know if you've heard of it,
[00:34:57.880]but it's in Auburn and BCom Solutions hosts it.
[00:35:02.010]They provide an area where they have speakers,
[00:35:08.420]they have collaboration
[00:35:10.170]between different groups of people.
[00:35:13.850]It's a place we can come learn, collaborate,
[00:35:17.409]listen to some great lectures or speakers.
[00:35:20.410]So, that is a positive thing
[00:35:22.700]happening in Southeast Nebraska.
[00:35:25.670]You know the Nebraska Rural Renaissance,
[00:35:27.260]I think you've heard of them.
[00:35:28.440]They are great.
[00:35:29.360]That's Mick Jensen from Great Plains
[00:35:31.520]and Dennis Wiederholt from DLR.
[00:35:34.520]They go out to areas of Nebraska,
[00:35:38.590]and actually have summits
[00:35:41.310]where they bring people together
[00:35:43.530]and say, hey, what's your problem?
[00:35:44.760]How can we help you guys solve this?
[00:35:46.680]Let's collaborate.
[00:35:48.090]That is the urban rural collaboration
[00:35:52.790]at its absolute best.
[00:35:54.070]and I think they're doing great things.
[00:35:56.060]I don't know if you've heard
[00:35:57.490]of Nebraska Rural Living or not.
[00:36:00.860]They're an online publication
[00:36:02.610]I stumbled across one day, and I love them
[00:36:06.320]because they highlight the personalities
[00:36:08.860]of these small communities in Nebraska.
[00:36:11.590]And they have great graphics and videos and drones
[00:36:15.560]and they talk about the entrepreneurs
[00:36:17.840]and the small communities, as well.
[00:36:20.780]It's really fascinating.
[00:36:21.800]That would be something that I would encourage
[00:36:24.830]everyone to take a peek at, too.
[00:36:26.960]So, basically, bloom where you're planted
[00:36:31.650]in these are rural communities,
[00:36:33.560]and appreciate what you've got
[00:36:35.225]'cause it's a high quality of life.
[00:36:38.230]Yeah, absolutely.
[00:36:39.320]And we'd love to partner with other entities,
[00:36:42.590]Rural Impact Hub is one of those.
[00:36:45.410]We haven't directly partnered
[00:36:46.670]with the Nebraska Rural Renaissance,
[00:36:48.400]but I think that would be a great one to explore.
[00:36:50.650]And I'm a huge fan, as well, of Nebraska Rural Living.
[00:36:54.900]Oh, good you know of it.
[00:36:55.910]Oh, yeah, yeah.
[00:36:57.350]And you know, there so many great things happening
[00:37:00.100]in the rural space in Nebraska.
[00:37:02.250]Of course, a lot of our listeners are in Nebraska
[00:37:05.120]and beyond nationally, and internationally, as well.
[00:37:07.457]And so for some perspective, Southeast Nebraska,
[00:37:12.157]we think about rural,
[00:37:15.920]there's tens of thousands of people in communities.
[00:37:18.550]But Nebraska City is one
[00:37:20.280]of the largest communities down there,
[00:37:21.710]right around 7000 people.
[00:37:23.450]And so, when you think about rural in different places,
[00:37:26.770]it's amazing to see all the innovation,
[00:37:29.690]creativity happening in these locations
[00:37:32.960]that are various sizes.
[00:37:34.270]But I love how you hit on the quality of life aspect.
[00:37:37.370]And we're gonna be launching
[00:37:38.500]a thriving index here soon to look at,
[00:37:41.240]not just population,
[00:37:42.500]because I think that's a metric we use a lot
[00:37:45.060]to think about the future of communities,
[00:37:48.260]but really, what are those quality of life indicators
[00:37:51.170]in Nebraska and beyond?
[00:37:52.960]How do we take a look at the world differently
[00:37:55.880]than what we have in the past,
[00:37:58.240]and really examine that in some detail.
[00:38:00.500]Because we do see young people living
[00:38:03.260]in our communities, wanting to come back
[00:38:05.010]to those communities.
[00:38:05.843]We see retirees coming to rural communities
[00:38:08.290]for those quality of life factors,
[00:38:10.090]So, it's an exciting time I think
[00:38:12.390]to be in this area of rural.
[00:38:14.690]But it's also very exciting to connect with our urban,
[00:38:18.000]no brothers and sisters in communities
[00:38:20.070]to think about how can we create and co-create
[00:38:22.910]a better future together in this globalized society.
[00:38:28.382]Agreed.
[00:38:30.300]Well, thank you so much, Janet.
[00:38:31.780]Thank you so much for the great work you're doing,
[00:38:34.530]the leadership, the entrepreneurship
[00:38:37.460]that you're providing.
[00:38:39.090]I'm excited to see where TubTool goes.
[00:38:41.180]But, as you know, I've been a huge fan for a long time,
[00:38:44.690]and we've worked together with the Gallup organization,
[00:38:47.610]and some of the entrepreneurship work they've been doing.
[00:38:49.940]So, it's been great to be a partner in your life.
[00:38:54.000]I love to see where we can go together,
[00:38:56.560]especially in the areas of housing,
[00:38:58.600]and, of course, in the area of supporting your business,
[00:39:01.350]which I'm totally excited about.
[00:39:02.920]That just an amazing thing.
[00:39:05.210]One of my new passions, I guess relatively new,
[00:39:08.250]I shouldn't say it's completely new,
[00:39:09.510]but I was really looking at,
[00:39:11.310]especially women in midlife, as we get older,
[00:39:13.960]how do we not just slow down,
[00:39:16.990]then maybe take on a second act,
[00:39:19.130]or keep our vitality personally, as well,
[00:39:23.300]in our communities and in our lives and in our families,
[00:39:25.770]but really embrace midlife differently,
[00:39:28.090]as people are aging in a different way,
[00:39:30.340]but also living so much longer.
[00:39:32.030]So, I'd love to connect with you more on that, as well.
[00:39:35.850]Well, thank you, for all you are doing
[00:39:37.820]for, well, Nebraska.
[00:39:39.950]You've been the topic of several conversations
[00:39:42.440]I've had around Southeast Nebraska.
[00:39:44.280]Everyone is quite thrilled with what you are doing.
[00:39:47.980]And thank you so much for that.
[00:39:50.480]Well, we appreciate that.
[00:39:51.553]I think this is where it's so important
[00:39:53.560]to have that continued engagement,
[00:39:55.120]to make sure that we are serving the people
[00:39:57.620]in our communities, and our communities well.
[00:39:59.860]We'll actually be in Southeast Nebraska in April.
[00:40:03.870]We're gonna start talking
[00:40:04.800]about coding as the potential future
[00:40:07.110]for workforce development in Nebraska.
[00:40:09.870]So, it's exciting to see
[00:40:11.190]how the technology comes together.
[00:40:12.930]But, with the people, as you said,
[00:40:15.250]it's all about that community engagement,
[00:40:17.000]because the communities have to want
[00:40:22.450]to develop their own future.
[00:40:23.650]We just want to help facilitate
[00:40:25.200]whatever we can to help them be successful
[00:40:27.520]in the way they want to achieve success.
[00:40:31.000]I agree with that.
[00:40:32.833]The different communities do have their own personalities.
[00:40:38.241]It's exciting to explore
[00:40:41.910]the different towns across Nebraska.
[00:40:45.020]Absolutely.
[00:40:45.910]And, Janet, just so our listeners know,
[00:40:47.560]where can they find you?
[00:40:51.270]Well, they can find me in Nebraska City
[00:40:53.860]at my office, or my Auburn office, or in Rock Port,
[00:40:57.550]or they can find us
[00:40:59.990]at www.palmtag.com or www.tubtool.com,
[00:41:07.010]if you want to simplify your bathroom cleaning life.
[00:41:11.890]Fantastic.
[00:41:13.205]Thank you, so much, Janet,
[00:41:14.980]Thank you for being a guest
[00:41:16.200]on the Rural Futures Podcast.
[00:41:17.650]And thank you all for listening.
[00:41:18.990]Until next time.
[00:41:21.410]Thanks, Connie.
[00:41:22.250]Now, what about the altar server thing,
[00:41:26.230]is that too controversial?
[00:41:28.340]No no, it's so funny, (laughs softly)
[00:41:30.130]I thought would interject my own story around that.
[00:41:33.950]We must be cut from the same cloth,
[00:41:36.270]Because when I was young I remember being in church,
[00:41:39.840]and we were Missouri Synod Lutheran,
[00:41:41.660]that's how I was raised,
[00:41:42.740]and I just remember standing in church,
[00:41:45.220]I asked the pastor why can't women
[00:41:48.163]be an usher or any sort of leader in the church.
[00:41:52.580]And my dad is standing back, like Jeez,
[00:41:54.910]here's my daughter, (laughs loudly) not surprised,
[00:41:59.960]but I think just trying to figure out
[00:42:01.240]how do we navigate this.
[00:42:04.494]I think it's a great question,
[00:42:06.010]because this was a church,
[00:42:08.360]I later found out men sat on one side
[00:42:11.440]and women sat on another.
[00:42:14.260]And so, there is an evolution of all things,
[00:42:16.960]church and religion included.
[00:42:19.560]I think it's great for people just
[00:42:21.816]to question those things, right?
[00:42:23.680]If I'm more holy, will that help?
[00:42:25.823](laughs loudly)
[00:42:26.656]What's the solution?
[00:42:27.780]I thought, oh, my God, I prayed and prayed,
[00:42:29.620]and thought, oh dear.
[00:42:33.030]But, you know, there are things
[00:42:35.500]that take too much time to change,
[00:42:37.377]and that may never change.
[00:42:39.100]So, I really think that our young children,
[00:42:42.720]our sons and daughters,
[00:42:44.040]we need to explain that in a way
[00:42:47.840]that they can manage it
[00:42:50.050]without it being a huge obstruction,
[00:42:53.360]or a self-destructive component
[00:42:56.912]in their future development,
[00:42:58.930]because I think it has the capacity to do that.
[00:43:01.610]It certainly did with me.
[00:43:03.360]Anyway, I don't want to be offensive to anyone,
[00:43:05.830]and boy, I come from a Catholic town
[00:43:08.920]and that'll probably piss them off.
[00:43:11.380]Well, we can always edit that out,
[00:43:13.040]so if you don't want to include it, it's okay.
[00:43:17.440]Have your people decide how they feel about it.
[00:43:22.200]But, you know what,
[00:43:23.490]we're not allowed to have the conversation,
[00:43:26.050]and I think we do need to have the conversation.
[00:43:29.281]I agree, because I think
[00:43:30.477]that's the only way it changes.
[00:43:32.117]I have felt the same way.
[00:43:33.990]I haven't been to a high school in years,
[00:43:35.360]and we're kind of late to parenthood,
[00:43:36.930]but I'm like, wow, this culture has not changed a lot.
[00:43:40.540]So, yeah, I still feel like it's a lot
[00:43:43.070]of cheerleading for the boys sports,
[00:43:45.450]not necessarily for the girls sports.
[00:43:47.360]And then, even Fridays are still the big deal,
[00:43:50.147]and it's still football.
[00:43:51.360]And I get it, but at the same time,
[00:43:54.810]what's the next iteration of some of this,
[00:43:57.590]so that we see more equity and inclusion
[00:44:00.430]within our schools, beyond football Fridays,
[00:44:03.630]and recognizing that some people
[00:44:05.664]aren't interested in that,
[00:44:06.974]and there's so many other talents and things
[00:44:09.390]that people are interested in
[00:44:11.710]and have to offer the world,
[00:44:13.010]and those should be lifted up and celebrated as well.
[00:44:15.950]I think it's getting better but it's slow.
[00:44:18.480]Yeah, it is.
[00:44:19.690]Well, have your people, when they listen to it,
[00:44:22.010]please don't make me look,
[00:44:23.718]yeah, cut those bad parts out.
[00:44:26.460]We'll make you brilliant, don't worry.
[00:44:28.389]Thank you.
[00:44:29.551]We'll just make you sound
[00:44:30.384]as brilliant as you naturally are.
[00:44:32.031](both speakers laugh)
[00:44:33.550]I need a lot of props.
[00:44:35.600]No, you did great.
[00:44:36.433]I love this whole TubTool story, though.
[00:44:38.140]That is hilarious.
[00:44:39.300]I still can't believe you had a concussion
[00:44:42.660]and you start a business.
[00:44:45.313]That's great!
[00:44:46.888]You know what, and it's our type A,
[00:44:48.230]you would have done the same thing, Connie.
[00:44:49.660]I'm telling you.
[00:44:50.680]Because, I was just too Type A,
[00:44:53.340]and my body wouldn't allow me to do anything.
[00:44:55.700]It's like, what the hell?
[00:44:58.300]I'm so excited about TubTool.
[00:45:00.120]And we'll see what next week brings.
[00:45:01.910]I'm trying to get a large account, we'll see.
[00:45:04.150]Good luck!
[00:45:04.983]That's exciting.
[00:45:05.816]Are you gonna pitch it on Shark Tank?
[00:45:08.031]You sent me that, and someone else did too.
[00:45:12.530]I noticed you were already invited,
[00:45:13.970]but when I read your bio,
[00:45:15.300]I didn't know about TubTool.
[00:45:16.690]I'm like, ooh, that might be
[00:45:17.770]a Janet Palmtag situation there.
[00:45:20.907]Here's the deal.
[00:45:22.732]I'm not ready.
[00:45:24.330]If they would have come next year
[00:45:26.040]when I had established, gotten some traction.
[00:45:31.440]I did get a patent, I didn't mention that.
[00:45:33.710]Did you really?
[00:45:34.780]Yeah.
[00:45:35.613]We applied for a patent and got it in December.
[00:45:39.570]And I'll be honest, it was a crap shoot.
[00:45:42.850]And I can't believe it.
[00:45:44.400]I'm just so excited.
[00:45:45.650]So, I'm a patent holder, so like cheers.
[00:45:48.610]Congratulations!
[00:45:49.580]That is so exciting, Janet.
[00:45:51.380]That is just amazing.
[00:45:53.940]But, what I love listening to
[00:45:57.030]is just your approach to it all.
[00:45:58.560]Like, this is not the end of my world if it works.
[00:46:02.320]It's not the end of my world,
[00:46:03.960]or beginning of my world, if it goes big.
[00:46:05.810]But this is who I am.
[00:46:07.480]That's how I hear you talking about it all.
[00:46:10.500]And I just love that approach to entrepreneurship.
[00:46:13.470]I think especially for a lot of women, or even men,
[00:46:16.090]who are a little more hesitant around it,
[00:46:17.640]like, I'm gonna explore this,
[00:46:19.690]I'm taking baby steps towards it.
[00:46:21.940]But, I really can see a bright future here.
[00:46:25.820]Well, apparently the patent office agreed
[00:46:28.320]that it was a unique product
[00:46:29.960]that needed to be out there.
[00:46:30.940]I'm actually working on a second patent, so anyway.
[00:46:34.330]I forgot to mention that.
[00:46:36.540]Patent holder, well, I'm still recording,
[00:46:38.530]so they hear all that.
[00:46:39.440]Oh, crap!
[00:46:41.470]Well, they'll have these end nodes,
[00:46:43.500]so they'll look at them.
[00:46:44.512]Hey, girls, cut out the bad stuff,
[00:46:47.330]and use your own judgment.
[00:46:49.660]And they'll do that, Caitlin and Katie.
[00:46:51.550]Sometimes I'll insert little conversations like this,
[00:46:53.760]so they have fun as they go through.
[00:46:56.800]Thank you for, it's so kind of you to include me.
[00:46:59.440]I don't feel like I'm qualified to be on your program.
[00:47:01.740]But, what an honor.
[00:47:03.300]Thank you so much.
[00:47:04.520]Oh, you are one of the first names I thought of,
[00:47:06.780]because you just have, you do,
[00:47:09.010]you have this energy and presence about you
[00:47:11.130]that I've just always admired and I just love.
[00:47:14.291]I so appreciate too that you're just so willing
[00:47:17.400]to voice things, but you do it in a way
[00:47:20.020]that's totally Janet Palmtag.
[00:47:24.284]You have a strength that I think
[00:47:26.800]is gonna be so important for more leaders
[00:47:28.820]to take on in the future.
[00:47:29.940]So, the words that you used earlier were just perfect.
[00:47:32.670]You know, it's always been this, sort of,
[00:47:35.050]this bull in the china cabinet thing,
[00:47:36.860]and it really doesn't have to be that way.
[00:47:38.837]And it's great to see leaders
[00:47:40.030]like yourself having success,
[00:47:41.960]just being very authentic in who you are.
[00:47:44.580]But also, building teams around that,
[00:47:46.930]and nurturing those teams to be successful, as well.
[00:47:49.575]And it's just a cool life philosophy
[00:47:51.940]and leadership philosophy and way of living.
[00:47:54.740]It's awesome.
[00:47:55.730]Well, we girls are all in it together.
[00:47:57.840]And I'm glad that you're focusing, somewhat,
[00:48:00.980]on the females, because, as you know,
[00:48:05.500]we are half the sky,
[00:48:06.570]and we are going to be the people
[00:48:09.269]that change things for the better,
[00:48:12.010]I think in our rural communities, as well.
[00:48:14.950]Well, we hear that,
[00:48:15.890]we hear that gender equity is one of the things
[00:48:18.690]that a lot of our communities would like
[00:48:20.110]to see happen and so.
[00:48:26.160]Little by little, we'll find our way, I think.
[00:48:29.190]Absolutely.
[00:48:30.023]Well, thank you again, Janet.
[00:48:31.050]We'll get this recording to the team.
[00:48:34.010]And then as it gets ready to launch,
[00:48:35.920]they'll send you more information,
[00:48:37.320]so you can get it out on your social media channels,
[00:48:39.480]and as you would like it, as well.
[00:48:42.410]Okay, well thank you for that.
[00:48:43.630]And I just got a text from Marty Fattig.
[00:48:47.640]Oh, did you really?
[00:48:50.469]I know, you gotta go here,
[00:48:52.150]but I'm just going to tell you what he said.
[00:48:53.557]"Janet, I thought I would send you this
[00:48:56.480]from the Rural Futures Institute."
[00:48:58.670]It is Attributes of Successful Communities.
[00:49:02.838](connie laughs loudly)
[00:49:04.510]So, there you, see you're doing great things.
[00:49:07.169]Marty is awesome.
[00:49:08.657]You're all over the wavelength
[00:49:11.280]of the Internet, right now.
[00:49:12.470]So, anyway.
[00:49:13.490]Well, that's thanks to our Comm department,
[00:49:15.760]thank you ladies.
[00:49:17.900]They're killing it out there, so it's great.
[00:49:20.430]Okay, well listen, you have a good day.
[00:49:22.900]And hey, let's get together
[00:49:24.320]for a glass of wine or cup of coffee.
[00:49:26.576]I'm in.
[00:49:27.970]That sounds good.
[00:49:28.803]We'll celebrate your contract,
[00:49:30.720]how does that sound,
[00:49:31.553]after you get that signed.
[00:49:34.920]I'm sure going to try,
[00:49:36.579]I'm sure going to try.
[00:49:38.850]Well, keep me posted.
[00:49:39.830]That's exciting.
[00:49:40.900]Take care, Janet.
[00:49:41.760]Thank you.
[00:49:42.890]Bye.

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