18 Acquisition International - Influential Businesswoman Awards 2023 May23152 Most Influential Caregiving CEO 2023 (Southeast USA): Traci Lamb Based in Florida, Smart Caregiving offers an extensive online directory of essential products and services, featuring sponsored companies who support caregivers across the world. The company was founded by Traci Lamb, who has been a fulltime caregiver herself and knows the hardships they face. She understands that people can’t access services that they don’t know about, so she aims to reach as many caregivers and promote as many companies as possible. Caregiving is a challenging job; it takes a lot to be there for someone else while putting your own needs aside. For those who take care of their loved ones at home, caregiving is a 24/7 responsibility. This can take both a mental and physical toll on a person in the long run. Just like the elderly who need assistance, caregivers need support too. There are plenty of resources that serve this purpose, but many individuals may not be aware of them. Having worked in hospice for over 13 years, Traci Lamb identified a significant gap in the healthcare industry. She noticed that there were millions of unpaid individuals providing care for their loved ones at home, and yet there was not a central hub that could be used to find products and resources to help them through the process. Having founded a nationwide recruiting firm with the support of her exhusband, Traci had previous experience in entrepreneurship and was confident in her ability to start up and run a business once again. In late 2019, she set out to create Smart Caregiving, an organisation that offers a global trademarked directory of companies that offer products and resources to help spouse/family caregivers across the world. The service is always free for individuals who provide care. They can call or email Smart Caregiving to ask questions and discuss their needs, and its team will connect them with products and services that can help. Caregivers can call as many times as they like; no matter their issue, the company will always do its best to help every time. In the last year, Smart Caregiving has been awarded the opportunity to create the only mass media TV show for caregivers currently available: Caregiving Worldwide. Traci explains, “I was asked to be on a local TV show with one of my clients late last year. When I went to the studio, the studio executives asked what I did. I told them and informed them there was nothing about caregiving anywhere on TV. That’s what started the conversation and it has blossomed from there!” Caregiving Worldwide is produced, edited, and distributed by CP Communications, a multi-million-dollar organisation. The show can be viewed on their streaming channel RHSTV (Red House Streaming TV) and on Roku, Hulu, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and Google TV. Since it was first aired in 8 short episodes earlier this year, its viewership has grown by over 895%. Because of this success, Caregiving Worldwide has been awarded its own network, which will serve as a huge platform for multiple shows in the caregiving space. The network will allow the companies on Smart Caregiving’s directory to reach millions within their specific target audience in a way that has not been available before. Furthermore, it will serve as an educational platform for caregivers, informing them about various topics in the healthcare sector that need to be addressed. Traci is incredibly proud of the fact that her business successfully helps caregivers around the world. She has leveraged this success to make a further positive impact by creating a unique TV show and network for caregivers. “I love what I do because I help companies grow and help caregivers on their journeys - it is a win-win all the way around for everyone,” she comments. However, Traci’s journey with starting Smart Caregiving has not always been smooth sailing. She founded the business in 2019 after getting divorced and, due to lack of funds, soon had to declare bankruptcy and live with friends. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Traci moved in with her parents, who both had CHF and COPD. In 2021, she had to put her business plans on hold to become a fulltime caregiver due to their rapidly declining health. In February 2022, Traci’s father sadly passed away. Following his death, her mother only received $5,000 and was told she would get $1,600 a month from his surviving spouse pension. Traci began working full time to make ends meet, but their rent soon became too much to afford, and they had to move in with a friend. In May of 2022, Traci’s mother encouraged her to take her father’s last $5,000 and “go all in” with Smart Caregiving. Reflecting on this time, she says, “I am a person of faith and prayed that night – ‘Lord, I really have no back up plan so I really hope you can help’. I figured I had about 90 days until I would be out of business.” Her prayers were heard because, within the next three months, Traci signed her first multi-million-dollar client and was asked to co-host a Saturday morning radio show which reaches 150,000 people. Later, in August, she was asked to be on the Sarina Fazan show with her first client, Tactical Rehab, where she spoke with CP Communications and was given the opportunity to create her caregiving show. Thanks to the sudden success of her business, Traci and her mother found somewhere to live. From March 2021 to March 2022, Traci ate,
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