IT'S FREE .. BUT YOU HAVE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND./// THE UNITED STATES IS SEEING A "BOSS BOOM" - WHERE PEOPLE ARE QUITTING THEIR JOBS - AND STARING THEIR OWN BUSINESS. I CAUGHT UP WITH "DAVE CHAREST (SHER-REST)" OF "CONSTANT CONTACT" TO FIND OUT WHAT'S DRIVING THIS ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIKE - AND WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE TAKING THE LEAP. GOOD AFTERNOON, DAVE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. ALL RIGHT. SO TODAY WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE BUS BOOM. TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT IS AND THE NUMBERS THAT YOU'RE SEEING. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO 2023 HAD SOME RECORD RECORD BREAKING NUMBERS JUST IN TERMS OF PEOPLE PUTTING IN BUSINESS APPLICATIONS. THE US CENSUS BUREAU PULLED IN 5.5 MILLION NEW BUSINESS APPLICATIONS, 277,000 OF THOSE WERE IN GEORGIA ALONE. AND IT'S REALLY AN INTERESTING THING THAT WE'RE STILL SEEING TO CONTINUE THIS YEAR AS WELL. IF YOU LOOK AT Q1 THIS YEAR VERSUS Q1 OF LAST YEAR, THERE'S ONLY BEEN LIKE A 1.5% DECREASE. SO WE'RE TRENDING IN THAT RIGHT DIRECTION. ALL RIGHT. AND TALK ABOUT THE REASONS WHY WE ARE SEEING THIS. YEAH, WELL, A FEW THINGS COME TO MIND. ONE, OF COURSE, THE NEW YEAR. PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS EAGER TO KIND OF DO THEIR NEW THING RIGHT, GET GOING WITH THE GOALS THAT THEY'VE SET FOR THEMSELVES. THE OTHER IS THAT REALLY, YOU KNOW, THE PANDEMIC REALLY KIND OF BROUGHT IT ABOUT THIS, RIGHT, THAT WHERE THERE'S THIS REALIZATION THAT NOTHING IS GUARANTEED AND PEOPLE WANT TO TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR FUTURES. MANY PEOPLE HAVE ALSO BEEN LAID OFF IN SOME INSTANCES. AND SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO REALLY TAKE THE MATTER INTO THEIR OWN HANDS. AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT COMES OUT OF SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS LIKE THIS, THERE ARE NEW PROBLEMS TO SOLVE. AND THAT'S WHAT ENTREPRENEURS DO. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE COME UP WITH INNOVATIVE WAYS TO KIND OF DO THESE THINGS MOVING FORWARD AND TAKE THAT CHANCE TO GO OUT ON THEIR OWN. AND FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE WATCHING THIS AND HAVE BEEN WANTING TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS, DO THEIR OWN THING. I KNOW IT CAN BE SCARY FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR THEM TO TAKE THAT LEAP? WELL, I THINK THE BIG THING IS TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE DOING YOUR HOMEWORK. THERE ARE LOTS OF LOCAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE THAT CAN HELP IN TERMS OF FUNDING PLANNING. WE'VE FOUND THAT MARKETING IS OFTEN THE NUMBER ONE CHALLENGE. AND ASIDE FROM THE TOOLS AND SUPPORT THAT WE OFFER, WE ALSO HAVE FREE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOU SO YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT THE DIFFERENT MARKETING THINGS THAT YOU WANT TO DO. AND SO IT'S REALLY ABOUT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THOSE THINGS AND USING THOSE TOOLS AVAILABLE TO YOU SO YOU CAN REALLY GET BACK TO DOING WHAT YOU DO BEST, WHICH IS RUNNING YOUR BUSINESS AND UNDERSTANDING THAT PART AND KEEPING YOUR BUSINES