RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello

Maureen Borzacchiello
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Entrepreneurship

In this show, serial entrepreneur Maureen Borzacchiello and her experts and guests, are helping growth-minded women entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses by providing insights and actionable strategies to tackle some of the biggest challenges business owners face and create more ease, success, confidence and joy in business and in life. You will hear from women sharing their biggest challenges and how they overcame them, for a little extra inspiration and insight. RealTalk is our speak – we are keeping it 100% - no sugar coating here. We acknowledge the trials and celebrate the triumphs to facilitate progress in each woman's success path. We're not just focused on the highlight reel. We will be shining a light on the messiness while getting strategic about success.

  1. 02/24/2022

    Leadership, Emotional Intelligence and Resilience

    RealTalk Podcast:  Episode 17 Guest: Alicia Marie Personal growth and development is critical to effective leadership. There is a huge misconception…Leaders are NOT born, they are trained, coached and developed to become great leaders.  Leadership is relational, not transactional and has nothing to do with big personalities, charm or being persuasive. Those attributes are useful in interpersonal relationships, in sales but have nothing to do with what determines a great leader. Maureen's guest is Alicia Marie, an expert in the field of leadership development. She has expertise and education and psycholinguistics, humanities, marketing leadership and management. Listen and Subscribe on:                    Introduction:  Alicia Marie is a national leader in the field of leadership development. She founded People Biz, Inc. in 2000 with the intention of providing TOTAL personal and professional development solutions for individuals, teams, and organizations. She specializes in creating customized Leadership and Management programs based on desired outcomes. She has been a professional trainer for more than twenty years AND a professional coach with more than 20,000 paid coaching hours over the last 21 years. She possesses a UNIQUE education in Psycho-Linguistics, Humanities, Business, and Marketing.  Key Takeaways: In this episode, you're going to gain valuable insights and learn about: Emotional intelligence and its correlation to leadership. Transactional management vs developmental leadership. The power in developing language around emotion and how we live life from experience to experience. Executive Function and engagement. Stages of creation. The power of words (neurolinguistics). Energy for engagement and courageous action. Resilience and how it is a function of ego!!  (ego drive and ego resilience…this was fascinating!) Imposter Syndrome and perfectionism.   Best advice Alicia Marie ever received:  Be yourself.  Always. REALTALK: The best leaders are the ones who work on themselves all the time - they are the people who invest in learning, growing and self-discovery.     Resources: Leading Change Program  Coaching Skills for Leaders Coaching Services   Guest: Alicia Marie   Company: People Biz, Inc.  https://peoplebizinc.com   Social:  @peoplebizinc - Facebook @aliciamariepeoplebiz - Instagram @PeopleBiz  - Twitter Alicia Marie - People Biz, Inc. - Youtube People Biz, Inc - LinkedIn   Listen and Subscribe on: iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  Google Play  |  Spotify    We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/  Want to learn more and connect with like-minded women? Click here to join our RealTalk Community   SEE TRANSCRIPTION BELOW Maureen Borzacchiello: (00:00) Alicia Marie is a national leader in the field of leadership development. She founded people biz Inc in 2000 with the intention of providing total personal and professional development solutions for individuals, teams, and organizations, she specializes in creating customized leadership and management programs based on desired outcomes. She has been a professional trainer for more than 20 years and a professional coach with more than 20,000 paid coaching hours. Over the last 21 years, she possesses a unique education in psycholinguistics, humanities business, and marketing. Alicia is a mother of three adult children and a grandmother of two. She is a yoga enthusiast and runner and the newlyweds, her sweet and adoring soulmate. Having spent most of her life in Texas. She currently resides in the Austin Metro area and works with clients globally. I am not only blessed to have worked with Alicia Marie in a variety of capacities over the last 15 years but most importantly to call her a dear friend. So welcome. Alicia Marie this will be epic for sure there is no doubt. Welcome. Welcome.   Alicia Marie: (01:21) Thank you. I'm so present to how much I love you when you were talking   Maureen Borzacchiello: (01:27) Ditto. I got a little verklempt when I wrote that intro. Well, Alicia, why don't you give people just a little bit of your background so that we can level set up a conversation.   Alicia Marie: (01:40) A little bit in my background? Well, I've always been interested in personal growth and development before I knew that's what it was called well in my early teens. And even when I was nine years old, they were calling me a philosopher. And so I've always been really interested in why I'm here. What makes me tick is what's really possible for me to create or have, and I was a big reader as a child. I really have been a big reader. Most of my life, not as much as I did even 10 years ago. I think that that was really the linchpin of my imagination. And you know, almost like magical thinking, like what can I create or what can you know? And that really led me into training and coaching for myself. And eventually, I started doing it for others. Well, before, I started my company.   Alicia Marie: (02:30) Sometimes people talk about like, they don't understand what do you mean you do leadership development. And I think that that's really sad. Okay. There's still that old idea that leaders are born and that it's not something you have to train and coach for and develop yourself around. There are at least 70 leadership competencies that I could knit and we have to train for that. We have to develop that and we have to create awareness around that and we have to make mistakes around that and we have to practice that. And I think that part of it is that people think that it has something to do with personality. And it has nothing to do with personality. Leadership is relational, not transactional. And as long as people think it's about them and their big personality or being charming enough or being persuasive enough or like that's all just control ground. They don't know what I'm talking about. When I say they should develop. Interesting.   Maureen Borzacchiello: (03:24) Tell us more, because really a lot of what I've learned from you is like the basis of a lot of this is emotional intelligence. So why don't you talk to us a little bit about that because you have such expertise in that space as well.   Alicia Marie: (03:38) Okay. So you wanted me to make the connection between leadership and emotional intelligence? Emotional intelligence is the willingness to have the emotion, experience the emotion, and yet still act from what you're committed to, who you want to be, what your goals are, it's being able to feel the anger at your husband and still be loving. And most of us don't give ourselves that much space. There really is a difference between a manager and a leader. And I know sometimes we have to fill both positions, but I'm not really talking about positions, talking about manager, controlling everything, really focused on transaction and do me and leaders give that up and step back and recognize that their attention needs to be on the people, developing, growing them and leveraging them to get the results that they want. Instead of controlling. When we don't give ourselves the specs, we inadvertently start to relate to ourselves as an object and others as an object.   Alicia Marie: (04:36) In other words, we objectify people. I pushing them around the chessboard. So if you think about the way most people relate to emotion, they either disassociate or they suppress intense around emotion, right? So if you're disassociating from emotion, you're not even feeling it. If you're not feeling it and emotion is low I'm talking about is it's just information that the body is giving you. If you're not feeling it, how do you think you're doing with others? What about all that information that's happening with others emotionally that you could receive? If you were connected to your own emotional guidance, if you're suppressing and you can't be with something and you tense around you, can't be with anger. You can't be with dissent. You can't be with frustration. You can't be with overwhelm. You can't be with fear, all that uncomfortable stuff. If you can't be with it here and you are tensing around it, I promise you're almost blind and deaf to what's happening when someone is experiencing that. And you're missing a whole lot. That's going on in your business.   Maureen Borzacchiello: (05:41) As I listened to you say that, of course my mind is thinking in the context of our personal life outside of business and work, but then I'm thinking in the sense of the business world, right? And I would guess that a lot of people think or some have along the way, we're taught to believe that we can't be emotional. We can't have emotional intelligence or feelings, unless it's just good old gut instinct in the business place. I feel like it's such a misnomer. And I'll also say like, I've taken your courses leading change as well as leading change mastery over the years. And I always tell the story. When I talk about the program to people, how I thought, oh, I'm going to take this leadership course. And it's going to help me be a better leader, which is true. But what I thought was it was just going to be another curriculum, like driven team chat me as opposed to the Pandora's box of emotions and ideas that you present. So I'd love for you to talk a little bit about that. A how we compartmentalize in the scope of real life. And I'm using air quotes for those of you listening versus professional life, but also how it all plays together. It feels like there's five questions there. That's probably our   Alicia Marie: (07:10) Compartmentalization was a really bad idea. Kind of lik

    Leadership, Emotional Intelligence and Resilience

  2. 06/09/2021

    From Corporate to Entrepreneur - How a movie influenced a career pivot to creating a Top Agency for Speakers.

    RealTalk Podcast:  Episode 16 Guest: Gail Davis It's so fascinating how one experience can be a turning point that shapes one's career, life, decisions!  Hear how the movie Alive became a catalyst for Gail Davis, corporate professional in the meetings and events space, to start her own company GDA Speakers.   Listen and Subscribe on:                 Gail Davis is the founder of Gail Davis and Associates, a leading Speaker Bureau Agency.  She is the past President of the International Association of Speakers Bureaus and has served as IASB's governor, where she developed new education programs for members worldwide and through increased investment in the industry.  Gail has won numerous awards, including Dallas's top 25 Women in Business. She is an accomplished corporate marketing and events professional turned entrepreneur who has dedicated decades to her craft before becoming an entrepreneur and creating Gail Davis and Associates.  Key Takeaways: Considerations for becoming a Public Speaker: Understanding the realities of being a speaker Are you willing to invest the time to pay your dues to build a name for yourself? Invest in doing it well to be an amazing speaker - Hire a speaking coach Hiring and Managing People: Frustration is nothing more than unmet expectations Don't be afraid to pay for talent Be very clear about expectations Building a team is an opportunity to grow as a leader... to understand the nuances of how people learn and how you can communicate Personal Growth: Moments of self-doubt can be overcome by time and personal growth - which leads to confidence.   Recognize opportunities for growth and give yourself grace to learn and evolve. Key to Gail's success:  Gail is super passionate about being a connector and helping people learn. Resiliency is the second biggest key to her success. REALTALK:  It can be EXHAUSTING surrounding yourself with people just like YOU!!!  Surround yourself with people with different strengths and acknowledge them...often!   Resources: The Wealthy Speaker 2.0: The Proven Formula for Building Your Successful Speaking Business  by Jane E. Atkinson (Author) The Three Ring Circus Bootcamp:  https://3ringcircus.com/bootcamp/ Guest: Gail Davis Company: GDA Speakers https://www.gdaspeakers.com/   Social:  @GDAspeakers - Facebook @gdaspeakers - Instagram @GDASpeakers - Twitter GDA Speakers - Youtube GDA Speakers - LinkedIn Listen and Subscribe on: iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  Google Play  |  Spotify    We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/  Want to learn more and connect with like-minded women? Click here to join our RealTalk Community   SEE TRANSCRIPTION BELOW Maureen Borzacchiello: (00:00) Gail Davis is an accomplished corporate marketing and events professional turned entrepreneur. She dedicated decades to her craft before becoming an entrepreneur and creating Gail Davis and Associates, a leading speakers Bureau and agency. Gail set out to do things a little bit differently than the norm. And her company is not only a service provider, but a true trusted partner with their clients. Almost two decades later, GDA has built a database of world-renowned thought leaders and expert in her field. Gail is a past president of the international association of speakers bureaus. Prior to that, she served as IASB's governor, where she developed new education programs for members worldwide and through increased investment in the industry. Overall, Gail has won numerous awards, including Dallas's top 25 women in business. Gail. We are so excited to have you here today. Welcome. Gail Davis: (01:00) Thank you, Maureen. I've been looking forward to this all morning. Maureen Borzacchiello: (01:04) All right. Well, we're going to dive in because there are women out there that are going to want to hear what you have to say. Gail Davis: (01:12) I hope that's true. Maureen Borzacchiello: (01:14) Absolutely true. So Gail, why don't you give us a little bit of background? It was crazy when I've known you for a while, but as I was reading your background and how you ended up becoming an entrepreneur, I feel like my lead in should be how a dramatic movie led to a real life change in your life. So why don't you tell everybody how we got to this point? Gail Davis: (01:40) Okay. Well, Maureen, when I graduated from college, I went to work for EDS electronic data systems, which was the company that Ross Perot founded and based in Dallas. But I actually started working for EDS, Missouri, and then I moved to Oregon and eventually I ended up in Dallas and I had an amazing career working at EDS for 20 years. I did a variety of things and, sound like the most stable person, because I say I had the same job for 20 years, but in reality, I had so many different positions within the same company. And the last 10 years, I managed the corporate incentive events department. Really, that was just one big event held each year. It was called inner circle and it was the sales recognition event for the top performers. And I was responsible for all components of that event. And so that was the site selection, the speakers, the entertainers, the gifts, the theme, just so much fun. Gail Davis: (02:48) I loved it one year. I believe it was 1994. We were on the last night of an event and the chairman came up to me at the staff and asked me, who are we going to have as our keynote speaker next year? Part of me was like, really? can we not just celebrate that this one's over, but as you know, that's what he wants to talk about, but that's okay. We talked about it, and I said, well, you know, I haven't really started working on that yet, but why do you bring it up? What are you thinking? And he said, I'm thinking that I'm tired of the same old speakers that I hear everywhere I go. And he said, I would like someone that's new and different, someone everyone would like to hear, but no one's heard. And someone that is global in their appeal. Gail Davis: (03:38) I was like, Okay. So, that challenge was planted and completely unrelated. It was a Friday night, you know, you go get the pizza, you go to the video store, remember that, look at all the movies on the wall. Paul and I saw the movie "Alive" and I had wanted to see it, but it was only in the theater for like a week, I think. And so I grabbed it and I went home, plugged it into the old VCR and the person that I was with said, what about that guy for inner circles? And I was like, Ethan Hawke? And he was like, no, not even Hawk, but the real guy. And at first I thought, you know, maybe you should stick to mergers and acquisitions and I'll be the one that plans events. But as I watched the movie, I thought what an outstanding idea. Gail Davis: (04:29) It was just the most unbelievable story. And the funny part of the story is it was 1994. So there was no Google. So you had to go to a speakers Bureau because the speaker's Bureau held the Rolodex of all the names and all of that contacts. And so I went through several speakers bureaus and said, you know, I'd like to find this guy to speak. And I was given a lot of advice that it might not necessarily be a good idea because sometimes just because they write a book, doesn't make them a good speaker or just because someone's been portrayed in a movie when you meet the real person, they're not as polished as the actor. And it was a lot of things that I needed to take into consideration, obviously, but I saw Nando interviewed in a documentary and I knew that he had the charisma and the charm and then his English was great. Gail Davis: (05:19) So fast forward, I tracked him down on my own, going through the Uruguayan embassy in Washington, DC. He said, no, I stuck with it. He finally said, yes, he came to Hawaii. He gave the speech, it was off the charts and the chairman of the company, jokingly. He put his arm around me and said, you know what, kid, you should retire. And I'm like retire? And he said, yeah, you'll never outdo that one. So I don't know if he planted an idea when he made that comment at the same time, my parents, my dad had always had, you know, a long-term career with the postal service and he and mom started a business on the side. So I had watched my parents build something. So I had that frame of reference. And then a lot of things happen at EDS. My long-term manager and mentor died of leukemia. Gail Davis: (06:14) And for me that it forever changed place because she's no longer there. So that had an impact on me. And then the chairman of the company who I was very close to left EDS, and that had an impact on me. And so one day just everything lined up and I thought, you know if I'm ever going to do this now is the time. So I worked at EDS for 20 years and I made that decision and I don't think I could have had better training because it's today I work with very large corporations and I understand corporate structure, I understand levels, and departments. And, I understand that there's a procurement department and you'd have to get your terms approved. I just woke up one day and decided to have a speakers Bureau. I don't know that I would have had the skillset to navigate corporate America. So I guess I like to do things in 20-year segments because I worked at EDS for exactly 20 years and I've had this company for 22, I think. Maureen Borzacchiello: (07:12) Wow, that's amazing. Congratulations. And for the gen Zs and millennials who may not be familiar with the movie "Alive" and Nando's story, they were part of the rugby team or tell it horrific, plane crash. Gail Davis: (07:31) Yes, it was in 1972 and they were a Uruguaya

    From Corporate to Entrepreneur - How a movie influenced a career pivot to creating a Top Agency for Speakers.

  3. 05/12/2021

    From Mergers and Acquisitions to Innovator and Entrepreneur - Hear some RealTalk about Patents, Products, and Getting into Big Box Retail.

    RealTalk Podcast:  Episode 15 Guest: Francine Glick Francine Glick, founder of Echo Strategic Consultants and Water Journey, a personal care product company. Francine has an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a BA in computer science from Barnard College at Columbia University.  She is a perfect example of the crossroads where super-intelligent meets the super creative problem solver. Her background as an expert in Mergers and Acquisitions, specializing in the technology space enabled her to leverage her skills as she transitioned to entrepreneur and innovator when she created the category of alcohol-free hand sanitizers, and she received two patents. Key Takeaways, Tips and RealTalk: Just because you think you have something that's patentable doesn't mean that it is. A patent is expensive. Use caution about jumping into soon and really think about whether it's important to patent your product. Patent pros:  Gives you a marketing advantage If you want to sell your company to a larger company, the larger companies are very interested in patents. When dealing with the retail marketplace, they want more SKUs. They don't want one product. They want more!  Once you have the traction and the numbers are kicking in - roll out your next product.  Don't bring too many products to market too soon but at the same time, get prepared for "what's next" once the primary product is thriving. When working with Big Box Retailers:  You need to be the expert in your space to explain to them how this is going to increase their sales and who's going to buy it.  You have to be able to articulate who that ideal client is that buys your product so that collectively you can collaborate and market to them Big Box Retail is not always the best route. Really analyze whether your product is a good fit for that particular Big Box: Is there alignment with core values or does it just happens to be a product that everyone wants or needs in some capacity?  Relationships are important. Cultivate great relationships with your buyers and suppliers and MOST importantly, your banker (especially before you need your bank and more money).   Growth and Scaling: When you think about growth, don't forget about the cash flow. When you're in a product business, you need to plan ahead and think through what growth will look like. It's not just about increased sales revenue, it's about funding more product as you grow and scale and expanding logistics and operational efficiencies.       Guest: Francine Glick    Companies:   Water Journey https://www.waterjourney.com/   Echo Strategic Consultants www.echo-strategic.com   Social:  Hands2GO Alcohol-free Hand Sanitizer - Facebook @save_our_hands - Twitter @hands2go - Instagram Hands2GO - Amazon We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/

    From Mergers and Acquisitions to Innovator and Entrepreneur - Hear some RealTalk about Patents, Products, and Getting into Big Box Retail.

  4. 03/25/2021

    Lawyer turned Entrepreneur, turned Beauty Queen, turned multiple 7 figure SERIAL Entrepreneur - hear about some best practices and mindsets that you can implement in YOUR business!

    RealTalk Podcast:  Episode 14 Guest:  Lisa Song Sutton About Lisa: Successful serial entrepreneur Real estate investor Former Miss Nevada - United States Former Congressional Candidate for Nevada's 4th District. Former attorney who started her business career working in a top Las Vegas law firm, specializing in business litigation.  Started her first business, Sin City Cupcakes in 2012.   Companies: Sin City Cupcakes Ship Las Vegas Elite Homes - Christie's International Real Estate  Liquid and Lace Swimwear Lisa often publishes articles for periodicals like Forbes, Inc Magazine, and Business Insider on all things, business, and entrepreneurship. She's passionate about sharing her message of leadership and empowerment as well as action...encouraging people, especially women to take a seat at the table and make their voices heard.  Key Takeaways and show notes from Lisa Song Sutton: Partnerships and Business Models:   No company stays the same forever so, your paperwork then also has to change along with the company Have a discussion with your partner and make sure you guys are on the same page because if one of you wants to have a legacy business and the other wants to eventually sell it, in 60 months, that's the misalignment.  A business is going to go through life cycles. If it's a legacy business or lifestyle business, that's one thing….But when you're ramping up and getting strategic and positioning it to sell, it's a very different animal, and you really need to take a different approach as to how you run it. (i.e. how lean, how systemized, a little more frugal, etc). Work-life Balance has to be your own definition of it. It's not going to be 50/50. There are going to be some days where it's less than more. When you're in the beginning stages of your company expect to be in the trenches, don't expect to take your weekends off. Don't expect to take days off.   If you do,  you're setting yourself up for failure. You need to go in with blinders on and just say, okay, am I willing to not take a vacation for the next two years? You have to be intense if you're serious about getting your business to a place of stability. Systems and Operations: Document everything - all processes and procedures.   It's so helpful for training new employees because the documents already exist. It's easier than as you make tweaks to your processes and systems just to update them. It's also great insurance. If a key person leaves your company and they were the one that responsible for a lot of tactical day-to-day things because someone else can pick up where they left off Support and Mindset: When you go through a rough time, you can't let it discourage you to the point where you're like, I'm just not going to do this at all. I think it's really important just to not let yourself get to that point. Cause you've worked so hard to build this. Surround yourself with good supportive people. You're going to them for support and confidence because your confidence has now been shocked and hit because of the situation. So you have to surround yourself with people who believe in you. Most  women who are overachievers tend to suffer from occasional bouts of imposter syndrome I think imposter syndrome, is such a human thing. It can be a blessing in the sense that it keeps you humble, at least for me. I never get too big for my britches regardless of what the facade is or what the social media facade is. I never get too big for my britches. I remember where I come from. And I think somewhere that little bit of self-doubt that I'll carry or that will pop up from time to time. That's my reality check to keep grinding.  You never know everything. So I think they can be a blessing. So instead of looking at imposter syndrome as we have to eliminate those, that, every day is superwoman. That's not true. The cape has to go in the wash sometimes.  When I feel discouraged or in control, I'll grab a notepad and I'll start making a list of the things I can do right now. What can I tighten up right now? There's always something helpful to me. Write it down. So that way at the end of the day, I'm crossing it off.  If you're so drawn to adventure and you're so drawn to an idea and you know, in your gut that it could work, then why not take the risk in your twenties? Why not take the risk in your thirties?  I just feel I meet a lot of young people and think, you have so much time. You could mess up for the next nine years. And you'll still be okay. And I think as we get older, we become a little more risk-averse. Entrepreneurs, in general, are very willing to take a risk. And I think that 80% of the world is risk-averse and can understand that we're willing to roll the dice and do things that aren't as secure, but in exchange, it's also because we're so passionate and we want to make a difference in the world and we want to do things and beat to a slightly different drum that we're willing to take that shot.       The main keys to your success? I have great people around me. I'm so thankful for my partners, for our teams and our staff, and the great people who work with us and for us, without them, none of this would be possible. None of this would even exist without them. I'm incredibly grateful for that and just grateful for my inner circle too, my family, my great friends who have supported me along the journey the entire way. I've got a girlfriend of mine who knew she was in my kitchen when we were starting the recipe right and creating recipes for Sin City Cupcakes in 2011. I'm blessed to have just great people around me.  So I just want to make sure that I remind myself of that and stay grateful for that.  What's the best advice you've ever received?  So my parents told me this quote when I was little and it's just something that has stuck with me ever since, hard work, beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. And I found that to be true time and time again in my life. There's always going to be someone faster than you, smarter than you, and better looking than you, whatever the case is and in the context. And so the question is, what do you bring to the table?  I think, having a solid work ethic and being willing to grind when most won't, so that's a quality that a lot of people don't have. I think it's easy to talk about and it's easy to share memes on social media, but when it comes down to, who's going to do the work, no one wants to do the work. And so if you're the one who's willing to do the work, you should reap the reward for that. Show that your work ethic is what will set you apart from other competitors.  What is something about you that most people don't know?  I'm very musical and I grew up with dance classes as well. So I grew up with private piano lessons, private flute lessons, taught dance lessons. I had a fine arts upbringing. and I think people are just always really surprised by that.  What woman has inspired you and why?  There are so many, Of course, what immediately comes to mind are family and female mentors I have in my life. But you know, I love the way that Sara Blakely approaches things. The founder of Spanx Her innovation came out of fixing a problem or spotting something that she was like, I should do something about this. And then she did. Then she put in the groundwork. She grinded where she was doing it out of her house and having boxes show up at her house, holding inventory at her home. And I love the journey and the progression that she's taken. And I just think that it's great to watch. It's something to aspire to.   Personal Website:  https://www.lisasongsutton.com/  Social:  @lisasongsutton - Instagram @lisasongsutton - Facebook   Social: @sincitycupcakes - Instagram @Sincitycupcakes -Facebook @elitehomes.us - Instagram @elitehomesUS - Facebook Lisa's LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisasongsutton/ We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/

    Lawyer turned Entrepreneur, turned Beauty Queen, turned multiple 7 figure SERIAL Entrepreneur - hear about some best practices and mindsets that you can implement in YOUR business!

  5. 03/19/2021

    Hear how this entrepreneur who created a $100 million + business, partnered up with her daughter to create a new company that tackles issues facing 20 somethings as they navigate their journey of adulthood.

    RealTalk Podcast:  Episode 13 Tori Ganahl and Heidi Ganahl The mother-daughter, founders of Shefactor, an online platform for young women looking to create a life they love.  Heidi Ganahl is a serial entrepreneur. She gave up a successful, but slightly unfulfilling career in pharmaceutical sales while turning a personal tragedy of being widowed, super young in life into an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people and their pets. As the founder of camp bow wow, the largest pet care franchise in the US which grossed over $100 million. She sold that company and is living the dream.   Tori Ganahl. Her daughter was raised by this amazing human being and benefited from having such a bad-ass mom. Tori while in college demonstrated her leadership and people skills by becoming a sophomore president of the largest sorority on campus at the University of Oregon. When she graduated, she realized she was stuck in a corporate job that just wasn't fulfilling in the real world.  Tori and her mom tackled this issue head-on and ended up creating the Shefactor platform to help other young women navigate the journey of becoming confident, successful leaders of their lives and creating the life that they loved. They've reached over 1 million women in one year, and boy, they are just getting started. Key Takeaways: Business is like a baby. You got to get it there. If you can really align what you're doing with your career, with your life, with what you're passionate about, what you care about, it just makes all the difference in your success, in how your attitude and the people that you're around with. It's just so much more fun. When you have partners, there's that extra dynamic because you both have different points of view. start with figuring out what you're good at and your strengths, and then relying on other people to do the things that you might not be as good at, but they are. And that's also a leadership moment. Cause if you're not giving them that freedom to do what they are great at, then you're depriving them of that too. You have to build relationships with your customers, and our customers need fun, lighthearted, little bits of inspiration every day. We're slowly building this community of growth-oriented young women who really get how important it is to take a second out of the day to read a little bit of inspiration, laugh, smile, or just take a tidbit of advice and move on with your day. when it comes to content, it's about just speaking directly to the customer and in me creating this content. And more recently we've completely boiled it down to just me doing it all because the thing is, people, connect with a person and that's how they connect with the brand.  You have to create memorable moments and things happening in your company and your brand that they want to hear about and they want to report about. Always look for opportunities to do things a little bit different or edgy to grab their attention so that they would want to have a relationship with us and report about what we were doing. one of the core things we built Shefactor on was this statistic that young women only stay at their jobs right now for an average of 18 months. Now, how do you build women into the C-suite and women onto the board of directors if they won't stay at the company, when they're 25 years old for longer than 18 months, it just doesn't work? You can't just walk in with the same old, same old, you need to know your audience, you need to know your data and you need to give them something that's really intriguing and interesting. I feel like we ask for this because we need affirmation that what we're doing is good and what we're doing was great. And you know, we're in the right spot, but you have to be your own cheerleader. Like you have to tell yourself that those things were great. So it starts with how you talk to yourself and then the more you've got, you're like, yeah, I can own that. You have to be selfish to resonate with what that vision is for you. you have to be in alignment with who you bring into your business, your employees, your partners, your speakers, whatever that is. And if you're not in alignment, it's a huge red flag. What kind of challenges did you encounter, how did you navigate through them and what steps did you take to overcome them? Tori: I think our biggest challenge initially, especially within 2020 was this pivot that we had to make our whole plan for 2020 was to do live in-person events. And then on top of that, you know, figuring out how to monetize this space is definitely a huge challenge. Tori: we also had some family stuff going on, where my mom had to get brain surgery in August. And I had to completely transition over into running the company and taking care of her and doing those things.  Tori:  All of 2020 was pivot, pivot, pivot, and see what works, see what there's something in the wall, see what sticks. Heidi: We have such a small, nimble team. We had a great coach to step in. She was one of our speakers, Stephanie Pong. She does manifestation and hypnosis and teaching positive thinking. Tori: I think the biggest thing that I learned as well from that experience is taking every challenge as an opportunity. Like you can turn every challenge that you face into an opportunity to grow and to change and to be more passionate and fill your life with more purpose.  If you each had to pick one thing that you still struggle with, what is it and how do you work on pulling yourself forward or through that struggle?  Heidi: My word for this year is grace and giving myself grace, giving the people around me, grace, and it's a struggle like you have to be kind to yourself and I can say that but who's your harshest critic. Usually, that's what we do as women. And that's kind of how society rolls, but at the end of the day, especially with everything going on with COVID and mom's trying to juggle so much, it's almost an impossible task. Heidi: We have to give each other grace, we have to just find ways to connect in small ways and support each other as much as we can and recognize this is not normal. It's not a normal time. Anything that is, I think, really important. Tori: I still struggle so much with perfectionism and I think that's something that a lot of women struggle with as well as this theory that we have to be perfect. Tori: Taking care of people, that's my strength, but it can also be my weakness, I can focus way too much on helping other people and not enough on myself and what I need. Tori: So it's about finding that balance. It has to make one little impact and let go of the need to be perfect and be everything for everyone. Especially as an entrepreneur and leading a team and leading a community like you want to be perfect.  When you've had those moments of imposter syndrome, what have you done to pull yourself out of that?  Heidi: It's really hard for women to brag about ourselves and to own our successes. And at the end, I found myself being self-deprecating and kind of making some funny remarks and I'm like, knock it off Heidi. Like, don't do that. Just stop before it comes out of your mouth. And I think that we do that often, it's a practice we've got to practice not doing that or catch ourselves when we do it. And with grace say doing better next time. And then really standing up for ourselves and speaking out and owning our successes is really important as well. Tori: I have a lot of thoughts on imposter syndrome and mostly because I think it's the number one thing that our community has voiced that they struggle with and it's happening so much across young women right now. Tori: I think a big part of that is social media. I think you constantly are comparing yourself to other people and what they're doing and how big they are and how many followers they have, how many people like this. Tori: Something that I've been trying to implement is a routine of the mirror, really talking to myself in the mirror every morning saying, I am creative, I am worthy. I am successful. Saying those things to yourself is important. Keys to your success:  Tori: Following your gut and following your vision and being so strong in that and not letting that go and not letting anyone get you. So I think that's one of the keys to success for me is just being so aware and willing to do the work that it takes to make that intuition louder and more clear and more visible and staying so strong to your vision and what you think is right for you.  Heidi: Surrounding myself with great people. I just learned that early on that I couldn't do it all. And instead of being arrogant or thinking that I had the answer to everything or having to pretend that I did, I realized that the keys to the kingdom were in getting people around me that were smarter than me, or as smart as me that could figure out problems that I couldn't, and then they multiply your effect. What is something most people don't know about you?  Tori: I think that innately I'm a very self-conscious person and I always have been, and that leads back to that perfectionism, but I also love performing. I love theater. My dream was to be the host of eNews and here I am with a podcast and leading all these events and I'm doing it. Heidi: The first thing that came to mind is that I'm a huge college football fan.  One of my hobbies is traveling around and going to different stadiums and experiencing the different games. I'm not just a huge dog lover... I actually have two kitty cats right now and very passionate about cats too. What is the best piece of advice you've ever received?  Tori: The biggest, best piece of advice that I've ever received is to be more selfish. You have to be selfish with your time and your energy and not give that to people that don't deserve it. Heidi: "Be impeccable with your word." It's really important to be thoughtful and careful about what you say, but also be authentic and sp

    Hear how this entrepreneur who created a $100 million + business, partnered up with her daughter to create a new company that tackles issues facing 20 somethings as they navigate their journey of adulthood.

  6. 01/13/2021

    What you MUST know when Marketing Your Business Globally

    RealTalk Podcast:  Episode 12 Guest: Wendy Pease  Wendy Pease is on a mission: to unite people across languages and cultures.  In this episode of the RealTalk podcast, Wendy shares insights, tips and strategies to help entrepreneurs evaluate and consider marketing globally, as well as the benefits of investing in proper, high quality translation to market in different languages. Key Takeaways: Exporting Advise:  Consider leveraging grants from the Federal Government to grow and scale through exporting Marketing Globally:   90% of people would rather spend time on a site that is in their native language and more than 50% said they would pay more English is NOT the global language - people want to converse in their native language, so although they may be capable of speaking English, they prefer to interact in their naitive tongue. The United States does not have an official language! ROI: sales, brand recognition, engagement Many companies start by marketing to other English speaking countries - but you could be going into an extremely competitive market instead of spending a small amount on translation RealTalk Tip:  When considering exporting to another country:  Figure out what the biggest markets for your products or service (look at your google analytics + market research) Advice:  Pick one country and master that and then move on to pursuing other countries/languages Be careful about free translations like Google Translate for things like quality/in-depth translations. AI (Artificial Intelligence) translation is good for words, more than phrases… particularly generational or dual meanings, geographic use of words, dialect… so to ensure that you are paying for quality Determine if you need to globalize your marketing  or localize (b to b will tend to lean globalized and b to c will tend to lean localized) Localization:  is marketing to a local region - especially if you are a consumer product Cultural:  think about the cultural traditions, positions, standards for doing business so that you understand expectations when traveling abroad The second largest Spanish Speaking country in the world is the US!  So think about the benefits of converting your marketing even if you are not planning to export. When thinking about going global, some things to consider are: What is your buyer or consumer's journey? What's their and what can solve my problem What solutions are out there Easy way to buy So if you look at your website, what does your site offer to walk prospects through that journey, is your site clear? Which pages would you then want/need to convert/translate to a micro site, in the additional language Consider converting your FAQ or Chat Bot into the additional language? Recommendations: STEP funding for Federal Grants:  https://www.rapporttranslations.com/blog/us-small-business-association-step-grant-initiative Understanding and Managing Cash Flow: Learn what your breakeven numbers look like Put systems in place to ensure that you understand your numbers Have a line of credit in place - an emergency fund Develop a relationship with your banker - BEFORE you need it Understand the difference between good debt and bad debt Networking Tips: You never know where your business is going to come from Going into networking from the perspective of getting to know people and find ways to give/help/connect.  "Givers Gain" Build relationships Book:  You, You, Me, You by Jayne Mattson LinkedIn is the same as physical networking:  Find common ground Chime in to discussions Set a goal to connect and get followers based on Giving/Sharing content that helps people (and relates to your product/service/industry in some capacity) Create a content calendar regarding what you want to post to bring value Engage:  answer questions, comment on other people's content Build time to do the engagement part so that you are not a phantom Mentions:  Leading Change Course from People Biz Inc. Book:  Traction by Gino Wickman RealTalk - best piece of advice Wendy ever received:  Hire Slow, Fire Fast! Perspective:  In taking a looking back, Wendy would: Have recognized that she's not alone Believe in herself more Trust herself in decision making Ask for help or advice when she needed it Guest:  Wendy Pease Company:  Rapport International Website:  https://www.rapporttranslations.com/  Podcast - Global Marketing Show - https://globalmarketingshow.podbean.com/   Blog - https://www.rapporttranslations.com/blog   Translation Resource Center - https://www.rapporttranslations.com/learning-center LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendypease/  FB:  @RapportInternational Twitter: @RapportIntl Company LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/rapport-international-sudbury-ma/  Youtube: Rapport International We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/  Subscribe on: iTunes  |  Stitcher  |  Google Play  |  Spotify   Want to learn more and connect with like-minded women? Click here to join our RealTalk Community

    What you MUST know when Marketing Your Business Globally

  7. 12/17/2020

    Leaving Corporate Events to Create Her Own 7 Figure Company

    RealTalk Podcast:  Episode 11 Marissa Sams Her family's international work gave Marissa a multi-dimensional view of the world and a wider viewpoint for strategy building   Marissa's mission: help people create spaces where all can feel comfortable and heard. Key Takeaways: Create a professional sphere of influence and make sure that it's a give/get relationship - give more that you are looking to get from the connection Be curious when networking, focus on meeting a few key people and have quality conversations as opposed to making contacts for the sake of contacts (it's about quality, not quantity) Stand up for yourself, your team and what you believe is right  Be willing to have uncomfortable conversations with clients or employees if there are issues of disrespect   Evaluate your staffing needs in relation to the scope of work that you are providing and consider a blend of outsourced support vs. staff employees to find the right blend that works for you.     What do you feel is one of your keys to success?   Marissa: I think what makes me me currently and keeps me satisfied with where I am right now is just serving and really feeling that I have a unique set of experiences and a unique set of gifts that I'm really committed to sharing with the right people.    Perspective:  In taking a looking back, Marissa would: Take time to have fun, work a little less Be more present  Appreciate the small things Make time to just relax Celebrate and own your victories Don't worry about what other people think - their opinion is none of your business! It's a marathon, not a sprint. So pace yourself and take care of yourself    Best Piece of advice Marissa ever received was from her grandmother:  meekly, wait and murmur not. Have patience.  Guest: Marissa Sams Company:  Marissa Sams Events Website:  http://marissasamsevents.com/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/marissa-sams-559642a/  We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/

    Leaving Corporate Events to Create Her Own 7 Figure Company

  8. 12/11/2020

    An Apparel Company with a Purpose - How a Mission for Confidence and Inclusivity Drives This Brand

    RealTalk Podcast:  Episode 10 Kiki Rozema In this episode of the RealTalk Podcast, my guest Kiki Rozema shares how a simple problem...led to the creation of her company and a movement.   Creating a brand around confidence takes courage - hear how she took her life's mission to help others, from being a middle school teacher...to a confidence business - that happens to sell apparel for women! Her philosophy is different from others Her products are Eco friendly Her POV is Inclusion - with sizing ranging from XXS to 3XL    In this episode you're hear insights about: Investing in learning from people who are a few steps further along than you are Hiring people who are better than you at specific roles/tasks - to free you up to do what you're best at Investing in yourself and your education - to grow and scale with more ease Knowing your numbers and understanding where you are financially at all times How making time for yourself is critical Kiki also shares why she believes that mindset is everything - we all experiences and choices that shape who we are, but our response is what creates our success. RealTalk Moment:  Hear how a traumatic and personal experience planted the seed that led to the formation of her company.   Kiki's story really is the hero's journey - you'll be inspired and you'll have some good laughs too!   Guest: Kiki Rozema   Company:   Smoothies Activewear Website:  https://www.smoothiestanktops.com/ IG:  smoothies_tank_tops FB:  @smoothiestanktops Confidence Connection FB Group for Women:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/790219721413765 We'd love to hear from you!  If there are topics or burning issues that you'd love to hear about, or if you would like to be considered as a guest on the RealTalk Podcast with Maureen Borzacchiello, just shoot us a note:  podcast@maureenborza.com or complete this short questionnaire:    https://programs.maureenborza.com/

    An Apparel Company with a Purpose - How a Mission for Confidence and Inclusivity Drives This Brand
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About

In this show, serial entrepreneur Maureen Borzacchiello and her experts and guests, are helping growth-minded women entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses by providing insights and actionable strategies to tackle some of the biggest challenges business owners face and create more ease, success, confidence and joy in business and in life. You will hear from women sharing their biggest challenges and how they overcame them, for a little extra inspiration and insight. RealTalk is our speak – we are keeping it 100% - no sugar coating here. We acknowledge the trials and celebrate the triumphs to facilitate progress in each woman's success path. We're not just focused on the highlight reel. We will be shining a light on the messiness while getting strategic about success.

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