If These Heels Could Talk

It’s not that you think you’re wrong. You know you’re right. But you also know that women get negative feedback from others (women and men), when we insist on getting what we want - what we order in a restaurant, what we pay for at the auto mechanics, what we need from our doctors. A purist may say that holding our space is important in every situation. A realist may say that is exhausting so pick your battles. So how do you decide, in a professional situation, when to insist and when to back down?

Listen in as Michelle and JoyGenea discuss ways to hold your space and the allies we find along the way. Sometimes, when we think people are going to be upset with us for asking, we discover that they actually wanted to know all along. Sometimes asking someone to hold an employee, consultant, or subcontractor accountable allows them the opportunity to do so. If we don’t ask, we’re filling in the gaps in the story and assuming what another person will think or do. Not very flattering on us or them.

You might be overlooking talent and leadership in your organization and not even know it. Many times, introverts are uncomfortable speaking up in meetings, voicing ideas, or even just so overwhelmed by the social interactions that the meetings are uncomfortable. If this is your only interaction with some of your staff, it may be the only way you can assess their work and potential. Introverts do this in in-person meetings with their hands tied behind their backs.

Think back to spring of 2020 when all your meetings moved online. Most extroverted people struggled - struggled to connect, struggled with the technology, insisted that meeting in person was the only way. Most introverted people transitioned easily and enjoyed meetings more. In fact, as virtual meetings continued past spring, many introverts were able to shine in ways they couldn’t before.

As an introvert, JoyGenea has been questioning the efficacy of in-person meetings for many organizations. And then starting to wonder about why she and other introverts are pushing back so very hard. And why some members are just assuming that everyone wants to be in person again. As a social introvert, Michelle is also noticing the benefits of continuing virtual meetings - on time, productivity, and efficiency.

So why are we rushing back to in-person?

If you think buying or selling a home has you prepared for the commercial real estate rollercoaster, think again. There’s a reason the game Monopoly is all about becoming a tycoon by buying residential real estate - between zoning, the Small Business Association, permits, tax incentive programs, and the National Historic Registry, buying commercial office space is not for the faint of heart. 

Listen in as JoyGenea interviews Michelle about her recent commercial office purchase. And the 14 months of ups and downs that came with it!! From lessons learned to tips about choosing an agent, Michelle spills all.

It’s often described as a cup. Our cups are over-full or not full enough. With things that have physical limitations, like a building or a production line, we talk about capacity. The number of people a building can hold. The number of widgets a line can produce in an hour or a day. 

Capacity is all around us as entrepreneurs and small business owners. Often, we are working beyond our capacity in a variety of ways: beyond our time, beyond our skills, beyond our understanding. Resources in small business are limited and that means not only owners but employees are often working beyond or outside their own capacity.

Listen in as Michelle and JoyGenea discuss knowing when you’re outside capacity and understanding the warning signs in time to add capacity before it’s urgently required.

Between depression and flourishing, there is a state of being that most of us feel. We might call it the ‘blahs.’ We can still get our work done. We can still find joy in our kids and our lives. But it feels like everything is harder. Everything takes effort. Our motivation is duller. And so is our focus.

This is called languishing and it is a very common response to long-term anxiety and grief. We’re all exhausted - tired of the fight with COVID, tired of the fight with those who disagree or dehumanize, tired of trying to keep our businesses alive. And it shows.

While we might have no symptoms of mental illness, we’re not well either. According to a recent article in the New York Times, languishing ‘may be the dominant emotion of 2021.’ 

Naming it is the first step toward changing it. Listen in as Michelle and JoyGenea discuss how they are dealing with their own languishing.

How do you set a price for your time? So many factors go into this decision - market, services, client budget, selling propositions, and competition are the straight-forward, left-brained business decisions. But self-worth, confidence, and desire to ‘help out’ all factor into an entrepreneur’s decision-making around pricing. You need to be able to look someone in the eye, say your number,. and not apologize for it. This is much harder than it sounds.

As frequent failures (do we get miles for that?), JoyGenea and Michelle discuss how they price their services and how their pricing has changed over the years. In some cases, from charitable to profitable. Learn to avoid the common pitfalls of pricing in this episode of “If These Heels Could Talk.”

So often, people think creativity is about some sort of art or craft. But really, creativity is about problem-solving. Transforming something, or some circumstance, to what we want it to be. And creativity is not a magical, mystical concept that only some people can grasp. Maybe it is true that some people are more naturally creative, but creative problem-solving is a skill that can be learned, practiced, and developed over time. Those who creatively solve problems consistently can access that muscle more easily. 

When you think of what people create, think past the product and look at the hard work and dedication it took to get there. All the false starts and crumpled up drafts add up to a finished product. The problems that you face in your business can be addressed and the more practice you have in creative problem solving, the easier it will be to try draft solutions, identify the weaknesses, throw solutions away, and solve it better the next time.

Listen in as Michelle and JoyGenea discuss their creative problem-solving strategies and how they reduce noise in their lives so they can focus on being creative.

Not all agencies white label, but some specialties within marketing are difficult to have on staff. So how do these relationships work? And why not just tell the clients exactly what is going on?

Michelle and JoyGenea discuss the line between transparency and the ethics of working through other companies while working on their own business brands. Not to mention, transitioning between owning a business and working for someone else again.

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Getting SMART about goals is about making sure your goals are easier to define and manage. Breaking them into long-term and short-term helps as well. 

A long-term goal like, say, a million in revenue by year 5 in business, is a great aim. But until it’s broken into smaller, short-term goals with time frames and action steps, it’s easy to let time just pass. Technically, goals that aren’t SMART aren’t goals. They’re dreams.

Listen in as Michelle and JoyGenea discuss making sure your goals are SMART, working them into your business plans, and how to review and refresh your goals periodically. 

Why would anyone leave a healthy relationship? Professionally, we do it all the time. Sometimes we outgrow a group. Sometimes we find something that fits our professional goals better. Sometimes we’re recruited. Sometimes another relationship, like a partner or children, takes precedence. The trick is to alter the terms of the relationships in a way that continues building them. You’re not really leaving a job - you’re opening up an opportunity for someone else. You’re not really firing someone - you’re freeing them up to find someplace better.

Leaving a relationship better than when you arrived is a skill that not many people share. But even great relationships end. How can you cross the good-bye bridge without burning it behind you? 

Michelle and JoyGenea talk through the missteps they have seen, from over explaining to not listening, in their small community where no relationship ever really ends. It just changes.