Unpolished MBA

In this episode, Monique speaks with Alastair McDermott about his journey from an “unemployable” software engineer to SEO specialist and founder of WebsiteDoctor. Alastair shares the power of drilling down on specialization and authoritative expertise in a given field and how that specialization can give innovators a focus and niche audience that general services do not offer. 

Monique and Alastair also explore the journey of choosing your focus if you elect to specialize in a given field. They discuss the benefits of this process and how pattern matching clients and the ability to charge a premium for your services can have lasting benefits for innovators and thought leaders who elect to specialize. Alastair also addresses the importance of writing and speaking in the journey to becoming a recognized authority in your field.

Topics Include:

• Vocational Specialization vs Generalists
• How Specialization Establishes Authority
• The Pros and Cons of Specialization
• Marketing Strategies for Specialization
• Establishing Visibility in Your Field

Follow Alastair:

LinkedIn: https://ie.linkedin.com/in/alastairmcdermott

Website: https://therecognizedauthority.com/

Podcast: The Recognized Authority Podcast

Rob Fitzpatrick Interview: How to Write Useful Books - interview with Rob Fitzpatrick

Follow Monique:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquemills/

Website: https://unpolishedmba.com/

In this episode of Thursday Thoughts Monique gets real with listeners by delivering the news that so many innovators and entrepreneurs don't want to hear…“Don’t build it, they won't come.” The pre-occupation of countless founders is the insistence on rushing their product or service to market before they truly understand the product, potential market, or customer. 

This is why it's vital that the foundation of customer discovery be laid before beginning to build any aspect of your new business. So many zealous founders sink thousands of dollars into building before these essential foundations are reinforced first causing so much unnecessary heartache and setbacks. So much of this heartache can be avoided by taking your first steps towards truly understanding customer discovery before you build!

Topics Include:

• Defining the Term Customer Discovery
• Other Common Terms for Customer Discovery
• Discovering Qualitative and Quantitative Data
• Taking Advantage of Networks for Help
• The Difference Between User and Market Research

Website: 

https://unpolishedmba.com/

In this episode, Monique speaks with Kristin Slink the founder and CEO of Tech AF, a group of professional trainers and coaches empowering women and enabling them to bring their innovations and ideas to market quickly regardless of their level of computer engineering, coding, or high-level technical skills. 

In this conversation, Kristin shares how her journey from psychology student to a burgeoning FinTech innovator was achieved without prodigious technical understanding or coding skills. Kristin shows how innovative, business-savvy thinking paired with the ability to show your product's market fit, and the skills to quickly generate revenue for your venture, can be more valuable than a team of experienced engineers and coders.

Topics Include:

• Finding Your Entrepreneurial Spirit
• The Value of Non-technical Perspectives
• Developing Workflow for Non-technical Entrepreneurs 
• The Power of Ideas Over Innovations 

Follow Kristin:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinslink

Website: https://propertyguys.com/

Follow Monique:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquemills/

Website: https://unpolishedmba.com/

In this episode of Thursday Thoughts, Monique reflects on her Linkedin post celebrating the recent accomplishments of her daughter. After posting the update, Monique was not only moved by the words of encouragement and praise that people left on the post but was reminded about how running a business or startup is in many ways like being a parent. 

This reminder encouraged Monique to remind listeners that despite how hard they work on their startup or innovation, so much of your business’s life cycle is out of your direct control. This reality makes it vital that business leaders remain flexible and agile while remaining open to trying new things and accepting new experiences.

Topics Include:

• Parenting and Leadership Lessons
• How Parenting Can Teach Us About Flexibility
• The Importance of Trying New Things 
• Remembering that Your Business is Always Growing Up

Website: https://unpolishedmba.com/

Monique’s LinkedIn Post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/moniquemills_i-hardly-ever-mention-my-kids-on-linkedin-activity-6892197612641226752-mfW5

Previous Thursday Thought: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/cb291d9b-18c2-4658-a422-79b4389d001d

Today's episode is a little different than our usual format…this week Monique is on the other side of the interview! She shares her interview on Breaking Barriers, a podcast produced by tech startup Hire Ground.

This is a truly unique opportunity to hear Monique open up about own story, which is rarely covered on Unpolished MBA!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• How Monique Helps B2B Companies Achieve Their Revenue Goals
• The Importance Of Aligning Your Marketing Efforts With Your Revenue Goals
• Defining Your Marketing Playbook
• How To Properly Segment Your Target Market
• Encouraging Your Technology, Engineering, Business, And Leadership Teams To Communicate And Collaborate
• How Collaborating And Co-Locating With Other Organizations Can Help Entrepreneurs Increase Their Revenue
• Common Issues Women Face In The Workplace Around Gender Equality And How Organizations Can Help Move The Conversation
• How The Face Of Technology Roles Has Shifted Over The Years And Monique’s Advice To Women In S.T.E.M.
• The Lessons Monique Has Learned Throughout Her Career And How They Impacted Her As An Entrepreneur

Hire Ground Podcast: https://hireground.io/hire-ground-podcast/

Follow Monique:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquemills/

Website: https://unpolishedmba.com/

In this episode of Thursday Thoughts, Monique reflects on her thoughts after listening to a podcast from fellow innovator and Focus 3 CEO Tim Kight. In his podcast, Tim zeroed in on the fact that in this day and age many people are confusing Entertainment with Education! In a world of 24/7 content whether on Netflix, streaming, social media, or just online, modern men and women can often spend hours consuming and commenting on this content all in the name of improving their education or awareness. 

Today, Monique is here to remind us that, yes, having access to high quality content can be an enriching part of our day, it is definitely not a substitute for actually educating yourself in a given discipline or field. Actually educating yourself often requires intense focus and can even be a bit of a slog at times. However, it's vital that entrepreneurs and thought leaders remember that things that are worth doing are often hard, but the payoff can be incredibly rewarding. 

Topics Include:

• Misconstruing Entertainment With Education
• Practicing Time Management Awareness 
• Developing Intentionality When Continuing Your Education
• Remembering That Things Worth Doing Are Hard

Website: https://unpolishedmba.com/

In this episode, Monique is joined by Walter Melanson, the Co-founder of PropertyGuys.com, a Canadian-based real estate and technology innovator that's transforming the market. Walter breaks down the history of the company that was formed over 20 years ago and how that wealth of experience has led him and his fellow founders towards building a company that truly understands the needs of an ever-evolving housing market, both in Canada and now in the US.

Monique and Walter also discuss how remaining partners with his co-founders for over 20 years has taught him the value of diversified skills within a team. Walter also informs listeners about the compounding power of franchising and how the real estate markets in the United States differ from and also share common traits with the housing market in Canada.

Topics Include:

• The Intersection of Tech and Real Estate
• Understanding Customers Needs When Innovating
• The Value of Diversified Skill Sets
• The Power and Effectiveness of Franchising
• 
  

Follow Walter:

LinkedIn: ​​https://ca.linkedin.com/in/walter-melanson-b24b3?trk=people-guest_people_search-card

Website: https://propertyguys.com/

Follow Monique:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquemills/

Website: https://unpolishedmba.com/

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Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unpolishedmba/message

In this episode of Thursday Thoughts, Monique reflects upon hearing the news of a friend who has decided to shut down their consulting business in the wake of ungrateful clientele and internet trolls. Perhaps counterintuitively then Monique explains why this move will likely be great for her friend!

So many times founders and entrepreneurs find themselves in a rut with the way they are running their business. For a combination of reasons including fear, pride, or even lack of motivation they continue to operate a business that is neither fulfilling nor impactful.

Monique encourages entrepreneurs who have found themselves burnt-out and unable to summon the courage to start again with a clean sheet. She reminds listeners that the lessons you have learned from starting your business won't go away if you elect to restructure or restrategize, and often a new beginning is just what your business needs to thrive!

Topics Include:

Website: https://unpolishedmba.com/

In this episode, I was so excited to speak with Jared Yellin, the founder of 10X Incubator who has set the audacious and revolutionary goal of starting 10,000 tech start-ups in 10 Years. After founding and building the hugely successful marketing platform Synduit, Jared decided to refocus his energies on helping small tech startups achieve launch by creating a unique network of profit-sharing partners who are committed to investing their resources into companies and individuals they truly believe in.

Today 10X Incubator is helping hundreds of tech companies ranging from small African start-ups, to major tech players to launch, capitalize, grow, and eventually sell. The 10X model is based upon shared ownership amongst partners and strives to build companies that take no venture capital infusions leaving them nimble and connected within a shared network of like-minded individuals, team members, and entrepreneurs.

Topics Include:

Follow Jared:

LinkedIn: ​​https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredyellin

10X Incubator Website: https://10xincubator.com/

Synduit Website: https://www.synduit.com/

Follow Monique:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquemills/

Website: https://unpolishedmba.com/

Does your innovation, software, code, or brave idea actually put money in your bank account? If you're like most entrepreneurs, start-ups, or small business owners…the answer is no.

In this week's Thursdays Thoughts, Monique shares her insights and experience on why the value of your product cannot be overlooked.

More often than not, innovators can be seduced into giving their intellectual property away for free with the promise of hype, promotion, and huge returns in the long term. In reality, this is often a case of false promises that will drain your business of time, money, and resources.

Topics Include:

Website: https://unpolishedmba.com/