If These Heels Could Talk

Why can’t we type when someone is watching? Why do errands that we hate always fall to the bottom of the to do list? Why is it that simple tasks turn into impossible ones? Because our emotions get in the way of our executive functions.

Working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control (even coordination) are our executive functions. In children, this translates into the ability to sit quietly and focus on multi-step instructions. In adults, it looks a little different, but is impacted by the same stressors. 

Strong emotions - like, say, anxiety over your business finances in a pandemic - make executive function more challenging. This makes tasks that require executive function - like, say, filling out an SBA PPP application - more difficult and daunting. 

So what can you do when you feel overwhelmed by something that should be simple? Listen in as JoyGenea and Michelle discuss accessing executive function when you need it the most. 

What’s stopping you from trying? Maybe it’s fear of failure. Stops a lot of people from trying a lot of things, especially those who are used to being successful. But what if the opposite of success wasn’t failure. What if the opposite of success was learning?

Reframing failure isn’t just some pie in the sky idea. There’s actual science behind it. Here’s some: The Super Mario Effect. And in leadership, it’s important to reframe failure as learning so your team can stretch and grow. 

Listen in as Michelle and JoyGenea discuss reframing failure so your business can grow.

Women own 40% of the small businesses in the United States (according to the Small Business Association). But 90% of them don’t grow past the owner. They never hire an employee. 

In 2021, as more and more women start businesses after being disproportionately cut out of the job market during 2020’s layoffs and furloughs, many will have all kinds of barriers in their way. Luckily, the Women’s Business Alliance and Entrepreneur Fund are expanding their locations in Minnesota. All over the country, lending sources are gearing up for a BIG 2021 and there’s a real emphasis on access for historically underserved populations like women and people of color.

With more of these traditional barriers to funding sources breaking down and a large population or professional women displaced from work, Michelle and JoyGenea are anticipating a tipping point in the business community. 2021 will be the year of the women. 

Listen in to hear how Michelle let go of the fear and excuses when she hired her first employee and how JoyGenea overcame her anxieties and literally fell backwards down a wall. Learn how to shift your mind from thinking about cash to thinking about capital. Gain the confidence to take the leap!

Ever see someone calmly reading a novel in a bar? What about on a Friday night when the music is loud and the place is crowded? Trying to work during times of shared cultural or political upheaval is similar - it takes a lot of focus.

When you’re self-employed, this kind of focus can be very, very difficult to achieve. Motivating yourself throughout personal or professional chaos is a real challenge. The secret is time management.  Listen in as JoyGenea and Michelle give away their techniques for motivating themselves and focusing during chaos. And the next time domestic terrorists invade the US Capitol building, you’ll still be able to meet your deadlines. 

As entrepreneurs, both Michelle and JoyGenea have no shortage of ideas. It’s more a lack of time to see them all through. 

It may seem like the only people in your life who have ideas are creative people. Turns out, that’s not the case. But there are so many different ideas. The ideas we have come to see as Big Ideas are disruptive or energizing. We don’t always recognize our ideas about making something better (like putting the dishes away next to the dishwasher) as ideas at all. And we also don’t always recognize that the Big Idea we admire from someone else is rarely fully formed when it arrives in someone’s brain. It takes work - and more ideas - to make it reality. 

So the secret to having more ideas is to actually see all the ideas you have through the day and make sure you’re not judging them harshly and dismissing them as they come.

Have you ever driven for hours on a really boring highway? There’s nothing like a smooth stretch of clear road on a sunny day with no traffic, right? The temptation can be to zone out and enjoy the ride, letting your eyes rest on the hood of the car. 

This can happen in small businesses. We’re so used to so many issues, that when we finally get a chance to ‘zone out,’ we take it gratefully. But it’s important to rip your eyes off the hood of the car and look ahead to see any obstacles  coming your way. 

There is no one else in your business who can do this work. A 1-3 year plan (short-term) is essential to continue growing and developing your business. And long-term planning (5+ years) is about creating a vision for your team. Both are essential in communications, marketing, budgeting, and decision-making. 

Listen in as Michelle and JoyGenea discuss planning, risk, and team buy-in. As well as the hope planning provides after a year like 2020!

There are four simple things you can do today to watch your cybersecurity back. Attacks on small businesses are very common, as systems tend to be less secure due to lack of resources. Small businesses also lack the capital to overcome a serious breach - most actually close after a breach. 

But there are four things you can do today - have a person, back-up data, have business insurance, and use a password manager. Listen in as JoyGenea and Michelle discuss the details of each of these 4 things and how you can add them to your business plans. Today.

Ah, winter holidays. Snow (for us in the Midwest), vacations, finals, gifting, family togetherness, food - all a recipe for stress. Add in the end of the fiscal year, and it’s enough to take down the best small business owner. 

But 2020 has brought its own gifts to the season and jumps in COVID infection rates in many areas are seriously hampering holiday cheer. What could possibly take some of the pressure off this holiday season?

Listen in as JoyGenea and Michelle talk about 2020’s special brand of anxiety glitter, sprinkled all over the end of the fiscal year.

Automations are an excellent way to accomplish marketing tasks and maintain communication with customers and clients. From drip campaigns through email to SMS text messaging to Zapier connections from one system to another, automations remove the need for all kinds of resources spent on redundant tasks.

But they’re not perfect. Especially if they’re broken. The question to ask yourself is, “Are my automations set up in a way that multiple people and troubleshoot them, know what to do, and help a customer regardless?” When people don’t have an overall picture of how automations, especially automated communications, work or say, they need to repeat information or request repeats of information from customers. Not ideal.

Listen in as JoyGenea and Michelle discuss how to avoid customer service issues caused by inattention to automations. And think about the right role for automations in your organization.

To tell or not to tell, that is the question. But it’s only the first one. It has a bunch of follow-up questions. Who to tell? When? How? Who does the telling? Where?

Sharing something happening at your business that could potentially disrupt business (like, say, a pandemic is running through your office and several employees are out sick) is a huge decision. And one you don’t want to make on the fly. Being proactive with your decisions allows you to weigh the pros and cons, even when it seems it’s all con. 

Listen in as Michelle and JoyGenea discuss the merits of telling. Or not. And how that decision speaks about your business’s values in a very real way.