Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for ABC Radio’s Open for business. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] Lee Kantor here. Broadcasting live from the Georgia Aquarium Oceans Ballroom. It’s the 2023 GWBC Lace Awards Gala, Ladies Achieving Continuous Excellent. And our guest right now is Lashunda Brown with Odyssey Training Solutions. Welcome.

Lashunda Brown: [00:00:36] Thank you. I’m happy to be here.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:38] Well, what are you most excited about seeing at this great event?

Lashunda Brown: [00:00:42] Oh my. So excited to just join in the women who will be receiving their great awards for all their achievements, and to just join in and just accelerate them and edify them and just enjoy this fabulous evening.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:00] I know everybody’s all dressed up. The aquarium is looking great. Beautiful venue.

Lashunda Brown: [00:01:05] Absolutely. Thank you.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:06] Are you looking to connect with some folks? Maybe you’ve met virtually, but you haven’t seen in person?

Lashunda Brown: [00:01:11] I have, as a matter of fact, some of the folks that we were in sessions with this week for productions and things of that nature, being able to connect those faces with voices, it’s been exciting.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:21] Well, tell us a little bit about your business Odyssey Training Solutions. How are you serving folks?

Lashunda Brown: [00:01:26] Yeah. So Odyssey Training Solutions is a full cycle really one-stop-shop for all your training needs. We provide professional management workforce development solutions. We have an array of training. And we provide not only virtual but we also are doing a lot of in-person training again, which has been super exciting. And we can pretty much customize and provide the solution that you need.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:52] Is there a kind of a sweet spot for an ideal client? Is there a size or the industry that you work in, or are you pretty industry-agnostic?

Lashunda Brown: [00:02:00] We are across all verticals, all industries, and we have multiple subject matter experts.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:05] So now how did you get involved with GW, BC, and get certified?

Lashunda Brown: [00:02:09] Oh well, I’ve been certified for over a year now, and as a woman-owned business, it was the obvious most progressive next step to make that connection. And one of my mentors was kind of like, you’ve got to be part of this now that you’re in Georgia. And here we are.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:29] Here we are. Have you met some interesting folks?

Lashunda Brown: [00:02:32] Always. I just love the wonderful array of intelligence and the different fields and the line of businesses and industries that everyone brings to the table is simply a joy.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:44] Now, any advice for somebody, maybe who isn’t certified yet about getting certified? Is it something that you found beneficial for your company?

Lashunda Brown: [00:02:52] I believe that you certainly make sure that you have your due diligence on paperwork and making sure that because, you know, it is a pretty lengthy process. So you want to make sure that you have your paperwork together. And I would recommend that if you’re doing it alone, perhaps connect with someone, maybe a mentor or mentee or even another WB that’s already certified so that they can provide you guidance to ensure that you get everything in properly.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:22] Now when it comes to getting involved in the business association like GW, BC, how do you kind of wring out the most value? Like what do you do to kind of get the most out of your membership? Because it’s not you don’t want to just pay money to join something and then just sit back and wait for the phone to ring. That doesn’t usually work.

Lashunda Brown: [00:03:40] Oh, absolutely. I believe that if you’re going to put forth the effort, you need to be prepared to do the work, right. There are a lot of opportunities. There are a lot of events, the wealth of information and the knowledge and the networking and the events that are available. You certainly have to take advantage of it. But again, once you get certified, you do have to do the work. You want to make the best of it. So it does become an individual decision to make that decision to go further.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:11] And then part of your decision was to come here and help out for this event.

Lashunda Brown: [00:04:15] Absolutely. I’ve been providing, you know, I’ve been attending some events in the past and it was a need for volunteers. And I’m thinking, yeah, absolutely, I’ll help out. I love helping out in the community. I’m in other community service events and do other community service volunteer. So of course, I wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to do so.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:39] And then if somebody wants to connect with you and learn more about Odyssey, what is the website?

Lashunda Brown: [00:04:45] Oh, absolutely. So you can find us at www.OdysseyTrainingSolutions.net. And that’s with an S, plural. Or you can reach me personally at lashonda@OdysseyTrainingSolutions.net.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:59] Good stuff. Well. Thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Lashunda Brown: [00:05:04] Thank you. Thank you for your time.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:05] All right. This is Lee Kantor back in a few at the 2023 GW BC Lace Awards Gala.