Join Kosta and his guest: Kim Johnson, Owner of The Painted House, and Founder of 100 Women Who Care Cookeville, an impact-driven nonprofit dedicated to providing resources and financial support to outreach organizations in the Upper Cumberland.
Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is recorded in Cookeville, TN.
Find out more about Kim Johnson and The Painted House:
https://thepaintedhousetn.com/
Find out more about 100 Women Who Care Cookeville:
https://www.grapevine.org/giving-circle/XkWhG0G/100-Women-Who-Care-Cookeville
Find our more about Kosta:
https://kostayepifantsev.com/
Join Kosta and his guest: Kim Johnson, Owner of The Painted House, and Founder of 100 Women Who Care Cookeville, an impact-driven nonprofit dedicated to providing resources and financial support to outreach organizations in the Upper Cumberland.
Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is recorded in Cookeville, TN.
Find out more about Kim Johnson and The Painted House:
https://thepaintedhousetn.com/
Find out more about 100 Women Who Care Cookeville:
https://www.grapevine.org/giving-circle/XkWhG0G/100-Women-Who-Care-Cookeville
Find our more about Kosta:
https://kostayepifantsev.com/
If we didn't have all the coffee shops, we didn't have all the little home and gift stores. We didn't have even your little specialty tea shops and things like that. So I think if you invest in your community, and people know you and they know how you love what you do, they start spending their money here instead of taking in other places. And once people see that, and I think it helps other people want to open their own business.
Morgan Franklin:Welcome to Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev, a podcast on parenting business and living life intentionally. We're here every week to bring you thoughtful conversation, making your own path to success,challenging the status quo, and finding all the ways we're better together. Here's your host, Kosta Yepifantsev.
Kosta Yepifantsev:Hey, y'all, it's Kosta. Today, I'm here with my guest, Kim Johnson, Owner of the painted house and founder of 100 Women Who Care Cookeville, an impact driven nonprofit dedicated to providing resources and financial support to outreach organizations in the Upper Cumberland. Kim, there's something so timely about your story and how the painted house started, that I think will resonate with our listeners. Now more than ever, you decided to start this business after being laid off during the recession. Tell us about that experience. And what happened.
Kim Johnson:We were living in Nashville, okay, in Nashville. And then we were in Franklin a little bit. And we decided after I had my second son to move back, because our family was from here, we were from tech, or we had went to tech, you know, we were both working at home. And it was so silly to be in a city and not have any of your family there. So we were like, you know, let's just let's move back. Let's be close to family members. So we did. And after we did about two to three years after we move back the recession hit. And the company that I worked for at the time, it was a big corporation and merged with another company. That was another bank. Okay. And so they decided to let my whole division go, which, yeah, so I've been there 14 years. That's a long, long time. So when we did that, I had about a year to think about what I really wanted to do. And I realized, you know, when I traveled with heart before I was hitting all the antique stores and thrift stores and, you know, used to yard sale of my mom growing up. And even in my early 20s, the National flea market was like a big thing for me to do every weekend. So, you know, maybe I'll just dabble in that a little bit, had a friend and we decided we were going to start selling things out of her basement. So we would buy things, repurpose them, paint them, you know, sell them to friends and family. And we were at the Nashville flea market one weekend, and Melrose had seen us and she's like, What are you gonna do with that? And we're like, well, we're gonna make this big, like toolbox into a planter. So she's like, okay, all right. She goes, What do you want to be on the show and talk about it? And I'm like, sure, you know, so we get in the car, we're driving home, oh, gosh, she's never gonna call us. There's no way. Well, Monday morning, she called and she's like, we want you to be on the show. And we're like, we don't have a license, we don't have a place to sell things on it that can't be come into your basement to buy things, you know, we decided to get a place to rent a fountain place, got our business license. And it started out as a partnership with a good friend of mine. And it just went from there. After that, we decided to be open like once a month. So we chose three days out of the month, bought things over the whole month of repurposed and painted and then would sell it in three days. So we're like, oh, this is kind of fun. You know, I had a year to really think about what I wanted to do. So maybe this will work. So after doing it about four months, she was like, I don't know if I really want to do this anymore. And I'm like, well, maybe I should turn this into something that I really love. Yeah, you know, you think about if you can do something you love, you work harder at it. It doesn't bother you. It's doesn't seem like a job to you. So I think that's kind of where we got started.
Kosta Yepifantsev:Was it called the painted house before? It was? Okay, nice. So right off from day one day one, you know, and I am curious, like in that environment of 2008 when all that stuff was happening, and when you said you were in banking, were you like a loan officer or what was your job title?
Kim Johnson:Well, at that time, I was actually servicing employees, okay, I was a technical service person. So they would call in and say, I'm having a, you know, an issue booking this loan. I'm getting this error code. And so I'd have a dual monitor on beat, like seeing what was going on with it, we would fix the issue. But you know, I'd had several other roles. I used to travel with them and try new employees and be in the branch and just a lot of different things. But at the time, that's what I was doing was like a technical person. Did you grow up in Cookeville? I'm actually from Crossville. Okay, husband's from here. We both went to tech.
Kosta Yepifantsev:Okay, great. So it's 2008 and you have obviously no source of income, and you decide to get into antiques which you is a huge divergence from kind of the technical background that you were working in, right? I mean, you're, you know, essentially working behind a computer screen. Was it difficult to make the transition into working for somebody versus owning your own business and doing something that is much much different than anything you've done in the past?
Kim Johnson:Well, you know, the company I worked for was say micromanaged, okay? You mean, your calls would come in, you would answer the call, you would fix the problem, you do a ticket, and I'm sure that's probably maybe similar to what they do now. And, you know, I used to deal with a lot of mortgages and things like that, too. So you could see people that would invest in things, and then it fail. And then when you did that, it kind of you had to be very cautious about how you spent your money. Was it worth it? Is it something people want? So that I think helped me, you know, financially, especially start the way I did, because we started with, I'll be honest, we started with $1,500, we split it. And we just started reinvesting that money back into the business. And so I probably didn't pay myself really, the first couple years, I had a great support system at home had my your severance. So you know, that's what was the great thing is that, you know, my husband was very supportive.
Kosta Yepifantsev:You know, I watched an interview you had with Michael Aikens in 2021. And you said something that really stuck out to me, you started the painted house, in part because there weren't many small businesses in Cookeville. How was the landscape of small business in the upper Cumberland changed over the past 15 years?
Kim Johnson:You know, that is a great question. Because when I first started, you know, it's been 12 years ago, roughly, we didn't have all the coffee shops, we didn't have all the little home and gift stores, we didn't have even your little specialty tea shops and things like that. So I think if you invest in your community, which I had so much support, you know, I was word of mouth, I didn't do hardly any advert advertising, because I knew I could save a little bit of money that way. So once you do that, and people know you, and they know how you love what you do, they start spending their money here instead of taking in other places. And once people see that, then I think it helps other people want to open their own business. So
Kosta Yepifantsev:the things that you sell, you know, we were talking about it earlier, it's very relevant in the period of time, you know, it's not like you're picking things from, you know, 10 years ago, and bringing it here, you very much have the thumbprint kind of on the on the heart of what will sell in Cookeville. And what people want. And I think honestly, it's kind of like when I talked to Tatum Hill, and she was talking about how she, you know, makes decisions and gets inspired by interior design, the products that you sell, you're bringing a very classic, higher end product to Cookeville. And people are like, Yes, I love that I thought I could only get this in Nashville. Was that the original mission? Or did it evolve over time, when you realize like, I can take in a one of those little houses with the glass all around it, and the little green lawn balls or whatever you call it and put some you know, lights in it. And it turned into a centerpiece on a dining room table?
Kim Johnson:Well, I think, you know, my taste has changed. I think your taste changes and evolves, it evolves over time. So I think, you know, just having that and wanting to bring things here that maybe you had to go to Nashville to get. And you want to have a lot of Nashville customers that come in, and they're like, I can get this here. And it's much less expensive. Yeah. So, you know, and I think that's attributes to that is the rent here is less expensive. Yeah. And you know, I don't know, it's just, I just have a lot of, you know, a lot of Nashville people that come
Kosta Yepifantsev:Interesting. Yeah, one of your biggest pieces of advice to entrepreneurs is to start where you are and build with your business. What does this look like for you as a business owner? And how did you know it was time to grow a team or invest in a larger space?
Kim Johnson:Well, funny, you should ask that. Because I think I was pushed into it to be honest, because, you know, I had all these customers coming in, and they would say, are you going to be open more than, you know, three days a month? And so I would change it to three days a week, and then it was four days a week. And then I was like, how am I gonna build my business bigger? If this is really what I want to do and succeed, if I don't have a bigger space, and the building that I was in, my landlord actually said, you know, I think I'm going to sell this property. And I was like, Oh, well, maybe I should buy this property. So I had somebody come over and look at it, and they evaluated it. And they're like, well, we can't build out. That's the only problem. We can renovate it. And then it just got me thinking and I was talking to my husband about it. And he'd always want to own a commercial property. So maybe this is the time maybe this is what we need to do. And I said the only thing is, is I need you to be okay with me, you know, being open six days a week because this is a big commitment, right? He's never complained since. So I think having him in my corner and being able to do that he was excited for me. He knew I loved it and and that was it was time to do something about it. And we found the perfect property for that, you know, have three levels and a workspace and storage and you find
Kosta Yepifantsev:something so amazing like that. I mean, where are you guys are at and this the house itself, you know, obviously in your name is painted house I mean it looks beautiful. What's the story behind it?
Kim Johnson:Well, the painted house a lot of people think the John Grisham book, The Painted house. But back in the 1800s and early 1900s. If you had a painted house, it meant that you had made it that you actually were above poverty and that you actually met swept the whole preface of the store name is it's not a wood house. It's a painted house.
Kosta Yepifantsev:I love it. And where were you guys before?
Kim Johnson:We were on Spring Street, okay, and a little bitty house.
Kosta Yepifantsev:And you went from how much square feet?
Kim Johnson:I guess we were probably 900 square feet there. And we have probably 3800 of regular retail space.
Kosta Yepifantsev:That's incredible. Yeah. So and have you did you guys have to hire a lot more employees. As soon as you moved into your new,
Kim Johnson:full time employee, we had a full time and at one time, we had seven employees. And so and then they come and go, Yeah, because of everybody wants to tech? Sure. I hope that they've learned and been able to take what they've learned with them.
Kosta Yepifantsev:Are there any businesses to your knowledge in Cookeville, that do what you do that sell the type of products that you sell? Because I personally don't think that there is I think you guys are extremely unique,
Kim Johnson:we have a lot of everything, I guess so and, and my thing with having a lot of everything is I want somebody to come in and be able to buy at least one thing in their chair, whether it be a $5 card or a picture frame, or if they want new bedding, that's great. But I want anybody of any age to be able to come in and bought one thing. And if they can do that, and that's my goal.
Kosta Yepifantsev:Let's talk about people that can buy anything, because people can buy anything online. And most of the time they can buy it for less. So as a small business owner with a specific market and audience, what's your advice on attracting the right clientele and serving their needs?
Kim Johnson:You know, when you bought online, it's hard to feel it, it's hard to touch it. When you get it. You don't know what the quality is. And I think a lot of people now want to go in and look at things and hold them and touch them and feel them. That's the whole point in having a retail space. So it's the experience and creating a story in every room that you have.
Kosta Yepifantsev:I only have one question before we move on to your nonprofit. How embarrassing. Did I sound whenever I was trying to explain that prop the glass house with the little lawn balls and the string lights inside of it. Because the reason why I brought it up is because Jessica did go to the painted house and bought she she buys stuff from there all the time. But she bought all of the accessories to make it you know into what I described it as which I thought you know, it came like that. But anyway, long story short, if anybody's listening to it, and they're like, What is this guy talking about? Just go to the painted house and you can build your own table centerpiece?
Kim Johnson:Definitely. You got it. Good. Got it.
Kosta Yepifantsev:Let's talk about your nonprofit 100 Women Who Care Cookeville, which has already raised and donated$30,293. First of all, congratulations. And second, what inspired you to start this community?
Kim Johnson:Well, a friend of mine, actually one of my best friends out of Knoxville is a part of a similar group. And you know, we would talk we talk almost every day she owned a store in Knoxville. And when you have that partner, you really you know your bond with them. So she would say hey, I've gotta go, I'm going to this meeting, I really want to go have worked all day. And but then the next day, she would be like, it is so amazing. We were able to give this much money I learned about this nonprofit organization. And I was like, Oh, I really want to do that here. I think we have the community to help support it. That's how I got started. So we started 100 Women Who Care Cookeville we have right now 44 members, and I'm hoping to reach the 100. Okay, so if anybody's interested reach out to us.
Kosta Yepifantsev:So what happens when you reach 100? Members? Well,
Kim Johnson:after you reach 100, were able to give 10,000 a quarter. So that's 40,000 a year to any nonprofit around the community. That's amazing. That's a lot of money. Yeah. And you know, I'm not the decision maker on that it's the members so you can nominate all through the quarter, however many you want, we choose three out of a hat if there's more than three, and then we vote. And I don't ask that you come for hours and hours into a meeting. It's a 30 minute meeting once a quarter, we try to invite the nonprofits to come in and give a three minute speech on what they need the money, and then we just vote and that's it.
Kosta Yepifantsev:So when you get to 100 women, do you have to change the name to like 150 Women Who Care Cookeville or is you're gonna keep it at 100
Kim Johnson:Keep it at 100 But the more we have, the more we can get. Absolutely. How can women get involved? Well, you can visit great find.org. And our 100 women care is on on the website. And we actually have an Instagram page, you're welcome to visit us there and messages. If you message us or even call the shop, we can send you a link to sign up and give you more information about it.
Kosta Yepifantsev:And how is it different than the other organizations that have kind of a similar vibe, but I want to make sure I say this correctly. It's like, oh, woman based organization.
Kim Johnson:It's a woman's based organization, or women based organization, that if you don't have time to volunteer, we're all busy, a lot of us work still full time jobs, I want you to be able to give and not feel like you're obligated to come to the meetings even. So I just think because you are there, you learn about these nonprofits. And that's important to me, because there's so many I have no idea how many we had in the area. And if you learn about him, you can still give back to your community in a small way. And if you pull your money together, you can do even more work.
Kosta Yepifantsev:And I'd say a lot of the success that Cookeville has is because we have such a philanthropic nature, you know, I mean, you see it obviously, in some of the worst of times, like when the tornado happened, and literally the entire community, you know, came whether it was volunteering with their own labor or resources or financial, there is a an energy in this community. And we won't get into politics. But I'm just saying I think a lot of the problems that we face as a society if people were more philanthropic we could solve in Cookeville is a great example of that. Definitely. I agree. I think there's something so special about the entrepreneurs turn philanthropists in this area. And I think it speaks to the growth mentality and leadership you bring from business into service. What's your message to other entrepreneurs who are interested in starting their own nonprofit or service organization?
Kim Johnson:Do it. No matter what you can do for your community? Just do it. Whether it be your volunteer work, donating money, if you can, you know, have small events just to raise money, do whatever you can, it doesn't have to be a big thing. Or you can do small parts to make it big.
Kosta Yepifantsev:Are there any specific nonprofits that you think are really needed in this area right now?
Kim Johnson:Oh, gosh, there's so many, we hope we've gave a lot of the money that actually need them with our organization, but there's just too many I can't even tell you and it's that's what the hard thing is, is when you go into there and you're trying to decide who gets the money and and what they do for the community. It's, it's hard. It's really hard. I can tell you the one that sticks out more than any other because they're all important so
Kosta Yepifantsev:so we always like to end the show on a high note. Who is someone that makes you better when you're together?
Kim Johnson:I would have to say my husband, he's been the biggest support.
Morgan Franklin:Thank you for joining us on this episode of Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev. If you've enjoyed listening and you want to hear more, make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts. Leave us a review or better yet,share this episode with a friend. Better Together with Kosta Yepifantsev is a Kosta Yepifantsev Production.Today's episode was written and produced by Morgan Franklin post production mixing and editing by Mike Franklin.Want to know more about Kosta visit us at kostayepifantsev.com. We're better together. We'd like to remind our listeners that the views and opinions expressed during this episode are those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily represent or reflect the official policy or position of this show its producers or any related entities or advertisers. While our discussions may touch on various topics of interest, please note that the content is intended to inspire thought provoking dialogue and should not be used for a substitute for professional advice. Specifically, nothing heard on this podcast should be construed as financial, legal, medical or any other kind of professional advice. We encourage our listeners to consult with a professional in these areas for guidance tailored to their specific circumstances.