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WBE Feature – Women’s Health Awareness: Insight Therapy Solutions

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Women in Motion
WBE Feature – Women’s Health Awareness: Insight Therapy Solutions
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On this episode of Women in Motion, Lee Kantor interviews Franchesca Van Buren, founder of Insight Therapy Solutions. Franchesca shares her journey from being an attorney to establishing a telehealth-based therapy clinic. They discuss the significance of therapy in addressing various life challenges, especially in the wake of events like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Franchesca highlights the shift to remote therapy and the benefits it brings, including increased accessibility and better client retention rates. She emphasizes the importance of building a strong client-therapist relationship, which is facilitated through Insight Therapy Solutions’ unique therapist matchmaking service. Additionally, Franchesca reflects on the challenges and successes of leading a fully remote business and the importance of supporting women in the professional world.

Franchesca-Van-BurenFranchesca Van Buren founded Insight Therapy Solutions in 2012 to help at-risk youth in rural Nevada. Today Insight is a national behavioral health telehealth company that has helped thousands use their insurance benefits to see some of the best therapists in the country.

She is an attorney and entrepreneur who uses her combined expertise in business and in the law to build companies that are ethical and sustainable, and provide value to their communities and to the world. Not only that, but to be truly sustainable must also create corporate cultures that value every single individual team member for their unique contributions.

Franchesca is half Chilean and fluent in Spanish. She spends her time outside of the office with her husband and young daughters.

Follow Insight Therapy Solutions on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.

Music Provided by M PATH MUSIC

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:07] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios. It’s time for Women in Motion. Brought to you by WBEC West. Join forces. Succeed together. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:27] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Women in Motion and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, WBEC West. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Women in Motion, we have Franchesca Van Buren with Insight Therapy Solutions. Welcome.

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:00:48] Thank you so much. I really appreciate the invite. It’s nice to be here today.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:52] Well, I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. For folks who aren’t familiar, can you share a little bit about Insight Therapy solutions? How you serving folks?

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:01:01] Yeah, definitely. So Insight Therapy Solutions is a national talk therapy clinic. We are all telehealth and and we accept insurance. So basically counseling.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:13] Now what is talk therapy for folks who aren’t familiar.

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:01:17] So. Yeah. So it’s it’s counseling. So basically like if you have, you know, depression anxiety, anger management family issues it’s counseling for that. So I say talk therapy because there’s lots of different types of counseling. You know there’s religious counseling. There is you know, school counseling things like that. So that’s why I say talk therapy because it’s basically therapy that, you know, that you talk about, like you talk about and get therapy, you know.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:47] So can you explain it between like a life coach and a therapist? How kind of would the work be different from a patient perspective?

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:01:57] Oh, it’s very different. So therapist therapy is a medical model. So therapists have to go to school. They generally have a master’s or a PhD. And then they are licensed through their state as therapists a life coach. There’s there’s a lot of programs out there that can be a week long. You know, it’s it’s not there’s no real degree for life coaching. So life coaching is really more, I would say like a motivational kind of thing. You know, you might get life coaching to help you figure out maybe you want to change your career, or maybe you want help figuring out how how do you reach reach your weight loss goals, you know, things like that. Whereas therapy is really much more, you know, generally there’s a diagnosis and you have an actual treatment plan and it might last five weeks, it might last six months, it might last years. But really therapy is very, very different from life coaching. It’s not the same thing at all.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:57] Now, what would be some of the things that a person’s going through, where therapy is the right path to go to solve their problem?

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:03:05] Well, therapy is is such a good thing for so many different things. You know, you think about, um, some people have things like chronic issues, like they may have chronic depression or they may have chronic anxiety, where, you know, their entire life they’ve struggled with with a mental health issue. And of course, therapy is very important for that. But you may also have a certain life issue that’s happening, such as maybe you’re going through a divorce or maybe you just lost your job, or maybe maybe you lost a parent, or even a child, or maybe you got a life altering diagnosis. Like maybe you’ve been told that you have cancer and, um, and that plunges you into depression and anxiety and that kind of thing. And so even if you never experienced a mental health issue before, uh, all of a sudden, you know, you may need a professional to come in and help you, help guide you through that. And, you know, one of the things that I think, um, brought the whole world to a better understanding of mental health issues is Covid. You know, Covid happened recently and that was such a that was such a terrible life event for all of us. Um, I’ve talked to many people about, you know, how Covid made them feel. And all of a sudden, all over the world, people, people now understood depression.

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:04:30] They now understood anxiety because people who had never felt that before, because Covid was such a huge, life altering thing, all of a sudden they got it, you know, they couldn’t leave their homes. They were worried about their health. They were worried about their families. I mean, it was that was such an incredible event that we all went through where where we understood, you know, I think most people understood what mental health, um, what mental health issues were at that point. So, you know, I would say those are the types of things that, um, you might you might want to reach out to a therapist for basically, you know, anything that, uh, you’re feeling lost, you’re feeling confused. You know, you you feel like, um, maybe your daily life functions are, are are no longer, um, the way that they were. You know, maybe you don’t have motivation to get out of bed anymore. Maybe you hate your job and you hate your life, and you’re constantly, you know, yelling at your kids or, you know, yelling at your partner. Um, it’s it’s these kinds of personal crises that that we experience. Um, when you’re having a personal crisis, it’s a good it’s a good opportunity to reach out for help. Even if you never experienced what you consider mental health issues before.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:52] Now, do you think that prior to Covid, that people just thought that this type of anxiety and stress was just kind of part of normal day to day life and that you were just supposed to accept it and just kind of tough it out and that now there is, uh, more conversation and talk about that. This isn’t you know, you don’t have to tolerate this as normal. There are ways out of this. And we start labeling it and then actually talking about it and then trying to get help and trying to improve the situation.

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:06:23] Oh, 100%. You are absolutely correct about that. You know, before it was, you know, buck up, buttercup. You know, you don’t. You’re sad. You’re upset. Well, you know, that’s life. Well, yeah, that’s life. But it doesn’t mean that that we can’t reach out for help. You know, it’s it’s like we have doctors to help our physical wounds. Why is it so terrible to reach out to a doctor to help you with your emotional wounds as well? You know, it’s just part of being healthy. It’s part of, uh, wellness is taking care of those things before they get worse. You know, you notice a problem, you notice, let’s say you notice a cut on your arm. Well, you’re going to you should treat it with antibiotic or not antibiotic, but, you know, like, uh, antibiotic cream, maybe, and put a Band-Aid on it. Make sure it doesn’t get worse. It’s the same thing with, with, uh, mental health issues that we come up with. You know, you start to see yourself decline. There are resources out there to help you with that. And there is there should be no shame in that. And you’re right. Before Covid, there was so much shame wrapped up around reaching out for help. There was so much shame. Well, you know, if I’m depressed or if I’m anxious or if I have postpartum, well, there’s something wrong with me, you know, especially like postpartum.

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:07:38] You think about new moms. It is postpartum is something that affects, uh, such a great number of new moms. But guess what? You’re not supposed to talk about it. Because if you’re depressed after you have your baby, well, there must be something wrong with you. Despite the fact that it is so common. It is so common that, you know, doctors have a checklist of postpartum depression issues that they ask new moms, you know. Right. For the baby is born. Well, are you feeling depressed? Do you want to kill yourself? I mean, these, these keys, but it’s it’s ridiculous because there’s still a stigma that, you know, you can’t say that, uh, that something hurts inside, you know, you. But I will say it is so much better today than it was before Covid. Because as I mentioned, when Covid happened, we could not cope. You know, the world as a whole could not cope with the overwhelming, um. Black hole of despair. That was Covid, you know. And so today there is much less stigma around reaching out for help. And that is, you know, what a silver lining around Covid that it really has allowed people the the ability to, to reach out for help before things get really, really bad.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:59] Now, can we switch gears a little and talk about your journey? Have you always kind of been involved in this kind of work?

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:09:06] No, um, I am actually an attorney. I’m not even a therapist. Um, but, uh, I started this. I actually was a business attorney for a long time, and I started this company as, uh, basically as a hobby, as an after school program for, uh, troubled kids in a little tiny community that I grew up in. And, um, working with those kids, I realized that therapy was the linchpin in trying to improve their lives for the better moving forward. So these were kids who, uh, they were, you know, they were on free lunch. They lived with an aunt or maybe grandma. Their parents were on the streets on drugs. Um, I had just seen there was this cycle of, um, the cycle of of issues that these kids were dealing with, their families were dealing with. And, uh, they were they were under a lot of it was untreated mental health issues. And so we came in, we started the after school program. We brought therapists in, and all of a sudden we were really able to to change their lives in in a way that was just unbelievable and spectacular to me. And that’s when I realized, wow, like mental health is just so important in changing the world. So that’s that’s kind of how insight started. Um, like I say, it was an after school program. And then we realized the importance of therapy and decided to focus on therapy so that we could make real change.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:44] Now, when you started, it was in person. And now your business is primarily remote and virtual.

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:10:50] Yes, it was in person. And when Covid hit, um, you know, we had this little office, it was a little old office, and the therapy was done in these little tiny, airless offices. And many of my therapists were older. Some of them were medically fragile. I didn’t feel like I could keep them safe. I didn’t feel like I could keep my clients safe if we were doing therapy in person. So I said, okay, well, you know what? Let’s, uh, let’s go online. And I was I was so scared. I was convinced that that was going to be the end of insight. But lo and behold, within three months, our retention rates had gone up 10%. And my therapists were telling me that they never wanted to go back to the office because they loved it so much working from home. So, uh, that was the beginning of really a huge expansion for us. Um, because without the burden of having physical locations, uh, we were able to get therapists licensed in many different states and, and start seeing clients in lots of different locations. So it was a pretty incredible thing for us.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:04] And when that occurred, I’m hearing that the, um, therapists were happy about the change, but were you noticing, uh, the clients were getting the same, if not better, results?

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:12:17] Better results. Better results. So, um, I pretty, pretty immediately we started seeing our retention rates go up. And what I mean by that is clients were sticking around for a longer period of time. And, um, that’s really important because therapy is like going to the gym. If you go one time, you’re not going to go anywhere. Um, it’s it’s the kind of thing where you’ve got to, you know, we usually have a treatment plan and treatment, depending on, uh, the client’s diagnosis will last. It’s supposed to. It should last anywhere from, you know, let’s say, uh, 2 or 3 months to six months. Um, but, uh, in the office, we had a lot of people drop off after the first time or after, you know, the second or third time. And we know that those people who drop off after the first, second or third time are not getting anywhere. They didn’t get effective treatment. And, um, you know, they’ve got to stick around for a little bit longer in order to actually get real relief of their symptoms, whatever their symptoms are. So, um, like I said, we started seeing our retention rates go up and, um, and client satisfaction went up. Um, so when we were in the office, it was, it was it was challenging for a lot of clients. We we had a lot of, uh, Medicaid clients who had transportation issues. And, you know, when the weather was hot, if they were taking the bus, they couldn’t they couldn’t make it, especially if they had if they had, um, medical issues. Um, if you, you know, if they had to if they didn’t have money for gas, you know, it was it was really hard for them to come to their weekly appointments because they just didn’t have the money for it.

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:14:07] Um, let’s say they had any if they had a car accident or if they had a, a flat tire, you know, that that session couldn’t occur today. Those barriers don’t exist with telehealth. And it’s really it’s really an incredible thing. And I and I, I just have to emphasize the changes that Covid brought about with the insurance companies. Um. Previously, insurance companies would not reimburse for telehealth. You know, they or if they did, they they they paid a lot less. They really they didn’t like telehealth. Um, and then Covid happened and we realized we’ve got to get people help, you know, even if we think maybe it’s not as good, we’ve got to get them help. And so the insurance companies relented and they, um, took away a lot of these barriers. And so, you know, today, uh, Medicaid will will reimburse for a phone call, they’ll reimburse for, um, a video call. And while the majority of our sessions are video sessions, the ability to have just a telephone therapy session with somebody who is, um, who, who, who has, uh, issues paying for internet, you know, everybody’s got everybody. Almost everybody has access to the phone. So it just opens the doors so wide to allow people to access, uh, mental health benefits. It’s really it’s really an amazing thing that happened. So we saw tremendous benefit. We we still see tremendous benefit to people being able to utilize, um, uh, telehealth. It’s really an incredible thing.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:51] It sounds like you also expanded your potential clients beyond the the students in school. Now it’s adults and it’s, uh, businesses. You have more variety of clients nowadays.

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:16:05] We do. We, uh, we do. We see. We see clients of all ages. We see all insurances. Um, and the wonderful thing is that we’re able to access people who were not able to access services previously. So, um, when we started, we started in rural Nevada, and it was very challenging for me to get quality clinicians to go out to rural Nevada. So I had, you know, my clinicians would drive an hour and a half, two hours a day to get to our physical location in order to see people in rural Nevada. We had an office, um, in, in a we had an office in one tiny town. And, uh, in that town, while I did have licensed clinicians, I, I was not able to get on all of the insurance panels. So I was so upset because we had this one lady call in and she was desperate to come in and see us because the only other therapist, the only therapist in town who accepted her insurance, was her next door neighbor. And of course, she didn’t want to be seen by her next door neighbor. So we tried desperately to to get on that panel or to get, um, like an exemption just for her. But the insurance, they wouldn’t allow it. So that and I and I still think about that today that that that poor woman was never able to access therapy um, because of, because of the, uh, strictures of time and place and the insurance company. But today, you know, we would be able we would be able to see her because, you know, now I have 50 clinicians that are credentialed with almost every insurance company. And, uh, we are no longer bound by geographical limitations. It’s just such an amazing thing.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:50] Now, uh, can you share any insight from a business leadership standpoint when it comes to running a I guess now it’s a fully remote company.

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:18:01] It is. It is almost fully remote. We actually had to, uh, reopen a physical location in Las Vegas, uh, basically to, um, comply with the Nevada Board of Social Work. Um, because we, we have interns and they have certain rules for their interns. They want their interns to have some face to face time that they call it face to face time. So we do have a small physical location, but none of our administrative functions, um, come out of there. And, uh, it’s really a very small part of our operation, but almost everything we do is remote. Um, so. Yeah. So then you were saying what?

Lee Kantor: [00:18:43] What were like what from a from a business leadership standpoint, what are some of the challenges and maybe, um, learnings you’ve had in running a pretty much remote business? Because I would imagine just from a keeping the team on the same page, you have communication challenges. There’s, you know, how do you develop that corporate culture without, you know, being in the same building with people? Like some of those things could be challenges for a remote organization.

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:19:11] Absolutely. And, you know, it’s interesting because I’ve had both experiences, you know, for the longest time we we had our physical location, but we were a lot smaller when we had our physical location. And we’ve grown exponentially since then. I mean, we when we, uh, shut down our physical office, I think we had, oh, fewer than ten team members, and today we have almost 90. So it’s a it’s a real big change for us. And, um, I. I think for us, the biggest challenge has been changing the way that we think about training people. So in the office we would train people, you know, we’d sit side by side and we would show them things on the computer or whatever. And, um, it was. It. We didn’t have the same need for processes and procedures that we have today, that we are much larger and we are all remote. Um, but and, and there’s a lot of, there’s a lot of pushback. I mean, you see it in the news, you know, these companies that are asking their remote workers to come back to the office and you have a lot of leaders who say, well, you know, I can’t monitor productivity. I you know, there’s a lot that’s lost when you’re not in person. Um. But for my perspective, that that’s not my that’s not my reality and that’s not my perspective. What I have seen is that, um.

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:20:45] If you have the right policies and procedures in place, you can effectively run a remote company. Um. One of the amazing things for us has been that we are no longer because we’re remote, because we can hire talent anywhere in the world. And we do. And we have we have team members in at least ten different countries. We are we are able to access the best talent in all of the world. And, you know, when I was when I had my physical location, I was really limited to people who lived within like a 30 mile radius. And that was, uh, very, very limiting. Um, but having the right policies and procedures in place, having, you know, good onboarding that includes, um, the right kind of training. It’s just it’s it’s really all about training and it’s about having the right productivity tools. So we we actually do use employee monitoring software to, you know, to make sure that people are, um, working when they should be working and, uh, being as productive as they can be. You know, when when you’re in the office, you’re able to see, okay, is this person coming in on time? And are they are they leaving at the right time? Um, but one of the things that I always think about is I used to work at big law firms, and I remember walking up and down the halls and a lot of the people who were sitting there, you know, they had they were sitting in their seats.

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:22:17] They were in front of their computers. They were sitting there doing online shopping. They were playing solitaire. They were on Facebook. They were not working. Um, so for us, we don’t have those problems generally. And if we do, uh, those people don’t stick around very long. So I actually think that we’re able to monitor what people do in a way that’s much more efficient than what I used to see in the office. Um, and then in terms of, you know, you think about, well, okay, well, what about FaceTime? You know, how do you establish relationships? Um, I, we use Google Workspace, um, for, for one of my companies. Another one, we use slack. But all day long the people on the team are communicating with each other. I so all day long we have we have voices in our heads of our teammates. Like we know what everybody is working on. We know what they’re doing. We’re constantly communicating. Um, we also use asana to keep track of, uh, the projects that everybody’s working on. And so we get constant updates on, okay, well, where are we on this project? Where are we on that project? Um, I, I, I think that remote work is just it’s so much more efficient, uh, than in person.

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:23:37] I mean, my so for me personally, I don’t lose any time in the commute. You know, I, I, I’m here in my home office. I am productive all day long. I don’t have anybody coming in to my office. And, you know, just hey, how’s your day going? And, you know, hey, what did you do this weekend and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, which I understand there’s some value there, but when I was in the office, I would say 40% of my day, at least 40, 50, maybe even 60% of my day occasionally was taken up with those types of water cooler chats. I mean, I would close the door to my office and people would still come in and just hang out. And I am just so much more productive in my home office where I can control who is coming in and who is coming out. You know, like, I can pick up the phone to talk to somebody, I can do a zoom call, I can do a a Google Meet video call. Um, or I can just chat with them on the chat. I just think I just think that it’s I think remote work is, is so efficient. And when it’s done, I think that when it’s done well, it is so much better and so much more efficient than in-office work.

Lee Kantor: [00:24:45] Now, how do you protect the Insight Therapy Solutions brand when, um, and I’m sure this was an issue in the law firms. Right. Like the relationship between the client and the lawyer is one thing. And then how does how do you kind of protect the relationship between the client and the brand? You know, because that’s slightly different because the firm wants to keep the clients, obviously. And then you’re dependent on that individual who is dealing with them intimately, you know, for the vast majority of the time together.

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:25:20] Yeah, that’s a great question. Well, uh, we have, we have. So. The way that we do business. It’s not just the therapist that has the touchpoint with the client because we are insurance based. Um, and more than that, you know, we have a we have an excellent front desk that is constantly in contact with clients to make sure that they’re that they’re happy with our services. You know, just to check in and see how things are going. Our billing department is constantly in contact with clients to make sure that they understand their insurance benefits. Um, so we we have a lot of touch points with clients. But to be honest with you, I encourage the therapists to have that close personal relationship with clients because that is where that is how good therapy happens. 70% of the efficacy of therapy is related to the relationship between the client and the therapist. And number one most important for me is that clients get good therapy and they have a good experience. So, um, I understand what you’re saying about protecting the brand, but I guess from my perspective, what’s what’s more important is that people get good quality service, and I expect that they’re going to establish that close personal relationship with their therapist. And, you know, at the end of the day, um, clients are free and they they should be free to choose the provider of their choice. Um, so, you know, if if a clinician leaves, um, sometimes the clients will go with them, uh, but sometimes they’ll stay with us because we provide good value and good service at every single touch point. So I guess what I’m saying is it’s more important to me that the clients, um, actually get something of, of value, and that is necessarily going to include that close personal relationship with their therapist. And I wouldn’t want to interfere with that.

Lee Kantor: [00:27:28] And one of the things that you do that I believe is kind of unique and special and is is more value to your client, is this complimentary therapist matchmaking service? Can you talk a little about that?

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:27:41] Yes. So that’s something I think very different from what other clinics do. Basically other clinics, if you call into a clinic and you say, hey, I’d like to see a therapist, they’re probably just going to put you with anybody that has an opening and that is not the right way to do it. Uh, our therapist matchmaking services, what it is, is when you call in and you say, hey, I’d really like to see a therapist. Our matchmakers get to know you. They get to know the issues that you’re dealing with and a little bit about your personality, because as I mentioned, 70% of the efficacy of therapy is related to the relationship between the client and the therapist. So every single client needs to be placed with the right match for them. And what that means is from a personality perspective. So, you know, of course the clinician needs to specialize in whatever the issues are, right? Like if it’s depression or anxiety or couples or whatever, and they need to accept the insurance, that’s important too. But also what is very important is the therapist’s personality and their style. So some clients might need a softer touch.

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:28:49] You know, they might need somebody who’s warm and fuzzy, somebody who’s going to be, you know, like a warm blanket. Other clients may need somebody who’s going to be very firm with them, who’s going to call them out on stuff. And, um, those are the types of things that make for an effective therapeutic relationship down the road. And those are the things that we train our matchmakers to listen for when they are speaking to a new client. You know, is the new client soft spoken? Do they seem a little hesitant? Do they seem angry? Do they seem, um, like they would walk all over a softer spoken therapist? Um, and so that’s something very special that I haven’t seen any other, uh, clinic out there do. And I’m very proud of that. And and I think that that speaks to that also speaks to our retention rates. So 85% of our clients come back after the first time. And that’s a big deal. Um, with other clinics, you see, uh, 25 to 50% of clients don’t come back after the first time. So I think it really speaks to the effectiveness of our matchmaking program.

Lee Kantor: [00:30:02] Can you, um, share why it was important for you to become part of Webrequest?

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:30:09] Yes. So it’s.

Speaker4: [00:30:15] Um.

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:30:16] How do I want to put this? As a professional woman, I have. I’ve had a hard time, just like most professional women do. And, um, you know, as a woman, when you walk in a room, you don’t have the same. Effect that men do even as a professional woman, as a lawyer. You know, I found this all the time. I was a litigator and I was a very aggressive litigator. And it always it always surprised me when I would walk into a room. Uh, I would sometimes have to be more aggressive than men because, you know, because I look like a cute little woman, you know? And so, um, it’s just it’s very it’s very difficult for women in the workplace. It’s very difficult for women in the professional world. And, um, I’ve, I’ve always tried to do business with other female professionals, and I’ve tried to do business with women owned businesses. And, um, it was when this opportunity was presented to me, I thought, wow, that seems like exactly the kind of place, uh, that I should be a part of because I want to meet other women business owners. I want to meet other people who have had the same struggles that I have had, and that understand where I’m coming from.

Lee Kantor: [00:31:44] So what do you need more of? How can we help you?

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:31:47] Well, um. That is such a great question. Uh, you know, I would I would just love to have more, um, connections, uh, with. I’ll be honest, we really have not utilized this resource the way that we should have. And part of it is, you know, we’ve been pulled in lots of different directions. Um, I’ve, I’ve, uh, I’ve learned some things, but, uh, I still find it to be a very complicated world. And so really, I think I’d like I’d like some additional support in figuring out the, the resources that are that are available through this organization.

Lee Kantor: [00:32:35] And if somebody wants to learn more about insight, what is the website? What’s the best way to connect with you?

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:32:42] Um, Francesca at Insight Therapy us. Uh, our website is Insight therapy Solutions.com. And, uh, we’re always, you know, we’re always looking for people to partner with, for people to collaborate with and, uh, put more good out into the world.

Lee Kantor: [00:33:03] Well, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work, and we appreciate you.

Franchesca Van Buren: [00:33:08] Thank you so much. I appreciate that you had me today. Thank you.

Lee Kantor: [00:33:11] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Women in Motion.

 

BRX Pro Tip: 3 Tips for Getting the Why Right

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BRX Pro Tip: 3 Tips for Getting the Why Right

Stone Payton: And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, let’s talk a little bit about getting the why right when you’re starting a B2B podcast.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. We deal with so many B2B podcasters that are frustrated with the lack of results they’re getting with their podcast, and I think a lot of it stems from the fact that they’re not getting the why right when they begin. And they have just kind of the wrong outcome they desire at the time and then they’re they get frustrated because they’re not getting the result that they dreamed of getting.

Lee Kantor: So, I think when you’re starting a podcast or really anything when it comes to B2B, you got to make sure you’re choosing a niche that aligns with your business superpower. If you’re not kind of in the realm of what your business does well, you’re not going to get a result that you’re happy with.

Lee Kantor: So, I think, first of all, you got to choose that niche very carefully and methodically. Secondly, I would define a clear purpose for your podcast and what value the people you care about most will benefit from it. So, you have to be clear on that going in or else, you know, if you’re not aiming at the right target, even if you hit it, you’re in the wrong spot. So, I would definitely get that right. And third, have a clear understanding of your target audience and the goals they have and the pain points they’re struggling with and make sure that you’re addressing those things.

Lee Kantor: So, you’ve got to be clear on what the purpose of the podcast is. You have to be clear and make sure it connects to your superpower. And you’ve got to really understand who your prospect is and the pain that they’re having so you can be addressing those things so that this content is valuable for the people you care about most.

Lee Kantor: So, if you do those three foundational things right, you’ll have a better chance of producing a successful podcast that’s going to achieve your ROI goals. And at Business RadioX, we spend so many years, now approaching two decades, in this space and we fixed a lot of broken B2B podcasts over those years.

BRX Pro Tip: 4 LinkedIn Sales Navigator Tips

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BRX Pro Tip: 4 LinkedIn Sales Navigator Tips
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BRX Pro Tip: 4 LinkedIn Sales Navigator Tips

Stone Payton: And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, you and I both have LinkedIn Sales Navigator. What are some tips to get the most out of that service?

Lee Kantor: I think it’s important if you’re going to pay for it, then use it. One of the things that I like to do on Sales Navigator is identify ideal prospects. Having Sales Navigator opens up more search filters and you can really get kind of granular. I mean, not super granular, but granularly enough that you can identify the right folks on LinkedIn to engage with. So, identify your ideal prospects. LinkedIn has billion plus people on the network, so you’re going to find the people you’re looking for there.

Lee Kantor: Secondly, you want to engage with those prospects on a personal level. You don’t want to automate this stuff there. Linkedin is going out of their way to prevent you from automating. They’re limiting the amount of contacts you can make. They’re doing all kinds of work to encourage you to only engage with people in a personal manner, rather than in an automated kind of blunt instrument manner. So, use the wealth of information that’s available to you to interact by finding kind of common threads and interests so you can have this kind of personal relationship with people as much as possible.

Lee Kantor: Number three, when you focus in on building relationships first before trying to sell anybody anything, you’re going to get a better result. So, try to create a human to human relationship if possible. Again, this isn’t scalable. Again, this is important especially in professional services where you don’t need thousands of clients, you just need a handful of clients. So, do the work. Focus on building human to human relationships first before trying to sell anybody something.

Lee Kantor: And lastly, use Navigator to set up alerts for specific types of activities, such as job changes or new openings, so that you can be ready when an opportunity strikes. A lot of times people, if they were using your service before and they switched jobs, they might be open to using your service again. So, it’s a great opportunity to congratulate them on the new job and then let them know or remind them about the service that they had used with you in the past.

Lee Kantor: So, those are some LinkedIn Sales Navigator tips that should help you get more for your money.

BRX Pro Tip: 4 Tips to Ensure Effective B2B Partnerships

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How the American Advertising Federation is Shaping the Future of Advertising

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How the American Advertising Federation is Shaping the Future of Advertising
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In this episode of Association Leadership Radio, Lee Kantor is joined by Steve Pacheco from the American Advertising Federation (AAF). Steve discusses the AAF’s longstanding history, its network of ad clubs, and its mission to protect and promote the advertising profession. He speaks about the evolution of advertising, its significance as an economic driver, and the AAF’s commitment to storytelling and performance marketing. The AAF supports local chapters, fosters community, and encourages diversity. Steve highlights student engagement through competitions and educational programs, emphasizing the growth and dynamic career opportunities in advertising.

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Steve-PachecoSteve Pacheco is the President/CEO of the American Advertising Federation. Pacheco is tasked with designing a future-forward organization consistent with the changes impacting the advertising landscape.

His role will span evolution of the AAF’s programs, services and membership; volunteer engagement; and serving as the voice of the advertising industry through advocacy and lobbying on key issues from free commercial speech to the advancement of diversity and inclusion.

Pacheco joins the AAF from Ducks Unlimited, where he was Chief Marketing Officer. He has 30 years of industry experience, more than 20 of which were spent at FedEx as Director of Advertising & Sponsorship Marketing.

There, he produced award-winning work, including 12 Super Bowl commercials, FedExCup, NFL and NASCAR ad campaigns. He worked for International Paper as Director of Advertising & Marketing Communications, where he directed their 1996 Summer Olympics sponsorship. He was also a partner in a Memphis-based advertising and design agency, Humphreys Ink.

Pacheco is the first AAF President & CEO to have held leadership roles at every level of the organization, beginning at the collegiate level, President of Memphis Advertising Federation and Chairman of the AAF National Board of Directors in 2011.

In 2013, he received the AAF Barton A. Cummings Gold Medal Award and was named The ADVERTISING Club of New York’s “Advertising Person of the Year.

Follow AAF on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for Association Leadership Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here another episode of Association Leadership Radio and this is going to be a good one. Today on the show we have Steve Pacheco with American Advertising Federation. Welcome.

Steve Pacheco: Hey Lee, thanks for having us. Really happy to be spending some time with you today.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m excited to learn about your association and tell us about AAF. How are you serving folks?

Steve Pacheco: Yeah, it’s it’s the American Advertising Federation. We shorthand that often to AAF and it’s the it’s the world’s longest standing advertising trade organization in existence. We’ve been around since 1915, and it’s a grassroots network of about 150 AD clubs, spread evenly across the United States coast to coast. About 35,000 members, probably 5 or 6000 student members in college at either the junior or senior level. And then we’ve got about 60 corporate members that help us run the show as well. So a full perspective of the American advertising industry is represented through our, uh, connections. And and we’re out to protect and promote the profession of advertising.

Lee Kantor: So how have you seen advertising evolve over the years? It seems like nowadays I have a degree in advertising. Just full disclosure. So I’ve been involved with advertising for my entire career and it seems like the industry, the activities are similar, but there’s just a blurring of the lines of where media begins and where advertising and marketing ends and and how they all play together. So how have you, as an association that serves that? How have you kind of evolved along with it?

Steve Pacheco: Well, that’s great insight, Lee, and congratulations on your degree in advertising. It’s it’s a great career decision for a lot of people. It’s not for everybody, but for those people that want to pursue it, a dynamic career is in store for you. We’re out, honestly to tell the good news stories about advertising. It bothers me greatly that some people’s only reference point for professional advertising is Mad Men or something of that ilk. It’s also not an appreciated profession in a lot of cases. So we’re out to change those perceptions as well. And to answer your question specifically, you know, advertising has become an incredibly sophisticated, disciplined business. Uh, always has been. And I’ve always been drawn to intellectually curious people. But nowadays you’ve got to be incredibly smart to have a great career in advertising, because you have to know about everything, not only technology and innovation, but you have to know about the persuasive arts, about psychology, about how to convince people. Uh, I think the biggest thing is that there’s so many tech tools available to us and so much opportunity, uh, to make that work for you.

Lee Kantor: Now, over my time in the industry, it’s been this kind of a balance of art and science. So there’s an element of advertising that believes it’s not creative unless it sells. And then there’s another side that wants it to be very creative and wants things to go viral. Um, where a lot of things go viral and you don’t even know what the brand is associated with what the ad was, how do you, um. Kind of evangelized for threading that kind of a needle.

Steve Pacheco: Yeah. Great question, Lee. And I think, you know, each case is an individualized case, and different people are trying to accomplish different things through their advertising, media and marketing programs. And no two campaigns have the same ultimate end result. So that’s where the strategy of advertising comes in. And that’s where a smart practitioner can really help you get down to exactly what you need to accomplish and what your goals and objectives are. Um, you watch something like the Super Bowl, which is the Super Bowl of advertising as well, and you scratch your head after some of those commercials because, you know, they’re either not intended for you, you’re not the target audience, or they went above your head or sailed beneath your your range of being able to understand it and convert them. So something different for everyone. I agree that it is art and science combined, but more and more increasingly there’s performance marketing and things that are trying to drive commerce. And so don’t ever look past the fact that advertising can be one of the greatest economic drivers of businesses of all sizes. By putting things out there and helping persuade people to try and buy the product or service.

Lee Kantor: Now, as an organization, how do you help you call them clubs and in all in all these different markets or as some people call it, chapters like why? How do you, um, as an organization kind of, um, help the people in the local market kind of foster that community within the, uh, their area that they live in?

Steve Pacheco: Sure. Uh, and we’re a national grassroots network. We’re headquartered in Washington, DC because of a lot of the lobbying and advocacy work that we do for the entire advertising industry across the nation. But but the infrastructure that we provide for the club and chapter network is is vital because it helps them understand programing, bringing in the best speakers, bringing in, uh, awards programs, recognition programs, diversity, equity and inclusion programs. So we give we give the framework of which there is a great deal of flexibility for each market area to personalize and make those programs specific to that market area. So we drive the infrastructure for all the club network. We helped them with counsel and content and curation, and then we leave it up to the local leaders to personalize and customize that any way that they need to.

Lee Kantor: And how do you play with the universities, or does it start at the university level, or does some of the work trickle down even into the high school or even earlier?

Steve Pacheco: Yeah. Um, you know, my first connection with the AAF was way back when I was in college, uh, at the University of Memphis. And, and I got introduced to the AAF because they have a thing called the National Student AD Competition. We shorthand that to nSac. It’s in progress right now. Uh, the client this year is tied from Procter and Gamble. And so we’ve had about 105 colleges and universities competing for the national championship. I’m doing a campaign for tide, and the Procter and Gamble marketing team will judge that work here in about two weeks. So very exciting opportunity. I got to compete in that when I was in college, and it helped me understand that the advertising business was something that I wanted to pursue. We do dip down into high school level, and for high school juniors and seniors, we offer a program called At Camp, and it’s an immersive experience that takes place in the summer that helps young people understand more about the business of advertising and the different disciplines within that business that they may want to pursue as a career goal.

Lee Kantor: Now, how is it trending as a career goal? Is it something that’s growing because it seems like there’s so many opportunities for folks to, um, you know, kind of go their own path and leverage advertising and marketing skills to do that.

Steve Pacheco: Yeah, I think, Lee, I like to say that there’s never been a more exciting time to join the advertising business. It’s it’s a really, really important inflection point for the business because as you mentioned earlier, it’s art and science combined. Right. And so whether you’ve got a highly creative skill set that allows you to be on the creative side or you’re a brainiac and really like to understand, uh, how things are built and why they’re why they’re constructed the way they are on on the left brain side of things. Um, there is a place for you in advertising. There’s a position now that’s in high demand for programmatic and a lot of other advertising, uh, practices, which is called a data scientist, that that title didn’t even exist three years ago, and now it’s one of the hottest titles for a young person looking to get into advertising. And it obviously requires science and math and that type of educational track. So it’s a and then social media, everybody you meet and see as a social media expert that can convert over to, uh, advertising skill set that will help you be highly marketable and, uh, and help you have a great career ahead.

Lee Kantor: So what do you need more of at the AAF? How can we help you?

Steve Pacheco: Yeah. Appreciate that Lee. You know we’re a 500 and 1C6. So most of the money that we raise goes back into a specific program. We’re a pretty lean organization. We don’t have a lot of full time employees. We rely on our volunteer leadership across the network. So those are local club presidents, uh, district chairs. And then also in the regions, uh, we have chairs and volunteer leaders that help us, uh, enact all the programs that we do. There’s three ways that your listeners can help. One is to join a local RAAF club. Uh, and those are all listed at RAAF. Org on the website, so you can find out if your local market has a club. And if not, you can start one. We’ll help you with that. So become an active and engaged member of a club in your area is the first step. And you’ll meet other like minded people. You’ll get exposed to some really great opportunities for career development and personal development as well. Uh, the second area is on programing and content. If you have, uh, information that’s important and vital to the advertising industry, we can help amplify that and get that out through our networks. And we’re always looking for thought leadership pieces, mostly from our corporate members, but also from our professional and student members. Uh, any type of new industry, uh, information or knowledge that might be important for people who are still learning their craft is very helpful for us. And then the third area is, you know, fundraising and bringing in money to help us support these programs. There’s a ton of ways you can do that at the local level, also at the regional and the national level. So again, all the websites, uh, info is there at RAAF org and a ton of useful information in there. Um, of particular importance is getting young people on the track to have a great career in advertising. And that’s a lot of our high school and college outreach work.

Lee Kantor: Now, from a membership standpoint, if you’re a college student and you’re thinking about getting like I did have a degree in advertising and getting a degree in advertising or in whatever major you want, but want to learn more about advertising? How like what what’s the student experience at the AAF in a local chapter?

Steve Pacheco: Yeah. You know, uh, I mentioned we have about 105 schools competing right now in national competition. There’s about 115 or 20 schools that are in our roster right now. So they don’t all compete. Most of them do. Um, and different colleges and chapters have different activations. They all bring in speakers not only at their career day, but also throughout the class year. They also, uh, give you an opportunity and exposure to the local ad club so that you can go and see the American Advertising Awards at those local clubs. You can go and hear the professional speakers at those local clubs. Most all of our local clubs hold seats available for students at either, uh, no fee or reduced fee to encourage their activation and involvement in the mainstream advertising business that the clubs are behind in each market. So different, different schools will, uh, organize themselves in different ways. The student leaders help develop those clubs and bring in new, uh, young people as well. You know, at age 18, I became the local president of AAF Memphis University of Memphis chapter. That was a really great leadership opportunity for me, uh, and a great opportunity to learn and meet people who were making it happen in the advertising business. And I think that was more valuable than the classroom credit that I got for the classes that I took, because it just really helped me understand the business dynamics of the business. And also just relationship building.

Lee Kantor: Now, are the are the corporate members of a local club? Are they all like ad agencies or marketing agencies, or are they anybody that uses advertising like, like who’s a good fit for being a corporate member.

Steve Pacheco: Yeah, it’s it’s really interestingly I know you’re calling from Atlanta. So the Atlanta AD Club has a ton of, uh, professional members. And they’re the entire gamut of people that make up the advertising profession. So unlike some organizations that are just ad agencies or just clients and brands, the American Advertising Federation, you can be a member if you’re just involved in the profession of advertising at any stage or level. So we’ve got a lot of vendors and suppliers to the industry. Uh, that could be printers, that could be people that develop advertising specialties, things like that. Content creators, search engine marketers, social media experts, you name it. We do have our fair share of ad agencies and of clients and brands. And for some reason, a lot of the local clubs really do a great job of bringing in people that are very involved in decision makers in the local market area, either for the Convention and Visitors Bureau or the trade tourism groups, because they’re constantly wanting to learn how to market their own cities better and their own events better. So experiential marketing to your opening point, a lot of the lines are blurring between advertising, sports marketing, experiential marketing. All the different disciplines of advertising, uh, can be represented through your AAF membership.

Lee Kantor: And including public relations.

Steve Pacheco: Yes, absolutely. We have a lot of there’s also a prssa organization that is a collaborator of ours, and they do a great job with public relations chapters and a lot of their cities. But increasingly those lines are blurring. And we’ve got PR pros that are members of the AAF. Um, and Richard Edelman, who started Edelman PR, as is in our Advertising Hall of Fame. So we open up the doors there and consider PR and allied, uh, discipline to what we do in the advertising field. Uh, and so we, we often cross paths with them and try to do some collaborative work.

Lee Kantor: Now, you mentioned being involved with the AAF at such a young age. 18 where has your career always been in associations or uh, did you get into the corporate world and then jump back into associations?

Steve Pacheco: Yeah. You know, I started, uh, I knew I wanted to be in advertising since I was a very small kid, and I can’t explain how I was drawn to it, but it just intrigued me from the standpoint of the meaning behind the actual work itself. And so I always knew I was going to wind up that way. I got a degree in journalism because they didn’t offer a degree in advertising when I was coming up, and so journalism was the closest thing, uh, and I thought I was a decent writer, but it turned out I was a really good relationship builder and communicator. And so I started working at the local daily newspaper was my first job. And from that I went on to work for a local ad agency in Memphis. And then corporate America came calling. And I spent 30 years of my career in corporate America for two fortune 500 companies and learned an awful lot about the corporate needs for advertising, media and marketing, uh, how to build a brand, how to maintain a brand, and how to, uh, work in all the other different, different disciplines. So had a great run in corporate America. And then five years ago this month, uh, I joined the American Advertising Federation as my second act because, uh, corporate America and I were done with each other. I wanted to find a. Way to give back to the industry that’s been so good to me, and also help young people who are looking for a way to get into the business, just like I was way back when. Uh, have an easier time and more connectivity to the business.

Lee Kantor: And then one more time if somebody wants to connect and learn more. Uh, the website.

Steve Pacheco: Yeah. Uh, search at RF. Org, which is our main website, and it has a list of the clubs there. And then also see if your own market typically it’s RF and then the market name. So check and see if there’s a local ad club in your area. If there’s not reach out and contact us and we’ll uh, we’ll help you get one started and set up. It’s a lot easier to do than you might think. And we’re always looking for new clubs and new markets where we’re not already entrenched. Uh, RF org is the best place to go for all that information and reach out, and somebody will get right back with you.

Lee Kantor: Well, Steve, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Steve Pacheco: Thank you, Lee, and I appreciate your audience. Uh, have a great day.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Association Leadership Radio.

 

Sheri Winesett with Business Accelerators, LLC

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High Velocity Radio
Sheri Winesett with Business Accelerators, LLC
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Sheri-WinesettRenowned for her engaging and thought-provoking speaking and coaching style, Sheri Winesett has left a lasting impact on leaders worldwide. From startups to multinational corporations, non-profits to government departments, companies seek Sheri’s expertise to uncover organizational challenges and chart a transformative course for business and leadership success.

Prior to founding Business Accelerators, LLC and serving as world top executive coach John Mattone’s Global COO, Sheri served as a franchise executive, international lobbyist, and trusted advisor to Fortune 100 companies. For nearly 20 years, Sheri has coached over 1000 entrepreneur’s CEO’s executives and their teams to become the best version of themselves and become leaders that others want to follow while building cultures that attract and retain team members.

Her friends and colleagues describe her as driven, fun, intelligent and loyal. Leading executives and their teams to their highest potential is her personal and professional mission. She empowers her clients to achieve personal growth, ongoing professional development, business and organizational success.

Sheri is passionate about scaling business through people. She has helped companies increase their revenue by 46% in profit by 61% by helping leaders level up and coaching high performers to find their moral compass, lead with a big heart, and develop a solid conviction to do the right thing.

Approachable, educational, and accessible, Sheri connects with entrepreneurs and seasoned leaders alike. In her upcoming book, “Transparent Leadership,” Sheri delves into the essential elements for fostering a truly transparent culture. Drawing from personal experiences, she shares real-life examples of businesses and leaders she has guided to transformation.

Connect with Sheri on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for High Velocity Radio.

Stone Payton: Welcome to the High Velocity Radio show, where we celebrate top performers producing better results in less time. Stone Payton here with you this morning. Please join me in welcoming to the broadcast with the Business Accelerators LLC, Miss Sheri Winesett. How are you?

Sheri Winesett: I’m doing great, Stone. Thank you so much for having me on the show this morning.

Stone Payton: Well, it is an absolute delight to have you on the show. I know we’ve got some exciting news. I’ve got a ton of questions. We we probably won’t get to them all, but I’d like to start, if we could, by having you share with me and our listeners kind of an overview, mission, purpose. What are you and your team really out there trying to do for folks?

Sheri Winesett: Yeah, thanks for the question. Um, you know, Stone, I am a business coach and leadership coach. I’ve been doing it for about 20 years, and what I found over the years is that there is a lack of transparency and leadership, and that’s really what makes companies fall apart or prevents them from gaining traction. And so I, you know, people really want transparency in leadership. And I wrote my book. I really want to help people, really, women break the chains of traditional role of women in leadership, really to give seasoned female leaders a new perspective on leadership and the confidence, right, and their ability to lead, the courage to be vulnerable and the fire to really unleash their leadership potential. So I’m really out to help the person I used to be.

Stone Payton: Well, it sounds like very rewarding work. Noble work, if you can get it. Now that you’ve been at this a while. What? What are you finding the most rewarding? What’s the most fun about it for you?

Sheri Winesett: Yeah, the most fun is just, you know, seeing those aha moments or, you know, seeing someone who is wearing so many hats getting discouraged, starting to question themselves and then say, wait a second, I really want to step back into my power and be the influential leader the world needs me to be, right, because the next generation and the future of work are really depending on us, right? How they are led is how they will lead into the future. And when people really take back that power and realize how important their work is and their leadership is in the world, that’s like a total win. So rewarding.

Stone Payton: How did you get in this line of work in the first place? What’s what’s the back story?

Sheri Winesett: Uh, well, um, I always like to say joke that, uh, I’m a recovering lobbyist. So I started as a lobbyist in DC and, and, you know, joined a law firm, started doing some international lobbying work for about ten years. And then I just came to a crossroads, um, in my career. And I said, you know, I really want to help people grow their businesses. I want to help them grow their leadership skills. So I transitioned into entrepreneurship to business ownership, and I started a coaching business, uh, built a coaching firm, um, that continued to evolve. And then I went to work for some franchises as a franchise executive to help them build some coaching businesses. And now, you know, I’m back and I’m doing leadership coaching and really focusing. I help anyone, right? Ceos, entrepreneurs, seasoned executives. But I really have a strong pull to focus on women right now. And so hence my book that just came out, which is why I wrote Transparent Leadership for Women Who Mean Business.

Stone Payton: I am really intrigued with this, this phrase, this term transparent leadership. Can we dive into that a little bit and maybe have you talk more about transparency and why it’s so important and the impact in the workplace, that kind of thing?

Sheri Winesett: Yeah, absolutely. So transparent leadership is really about openness authenticity. Right. Authenticity and communication, decision making. You know, transparent leaders don’t hide information or operate with hidden agendas, but instead they’re really focused on setting their team up for success. That’s the number one role as a leader is set your team up for success and foster trust, you know, accountability and collaboration by providing that visibility into your thought processes and actions.

Stone Payton: So when you were writing this book, did it come together pretty easily or did some parts of it come together easy and others were more difficult? What was the process of writing a book like for you?

Sheri Winesett: You know, it’s funny. Um, I actually had this outline for this book about nine years ago. Oh, my. Yeah. Nine, nine years. And it took me nine years to bring it to market. And so I had the outline. I had the seven keys that I thought were really important. And a lot of people ask, well, why didn’t you publish it then? And it’s just because I wasn’t ready, right? I had to experience more. And, um, I really had to determine who my target market was. You know, I, I could have put out this book and, and been like, this is for everyone, but what really my pivoting moment was when I realized and this was through coaching with a mentor of mine, um, that I wanted to share my story and really help the person I used to be. And so once I figured all that out, I actually, uh, got with a publishing coach, and she really helped guide me through the process, you know, on how to get this to market.

Stone Payton: So if you would say a little bit more about your your choice. While this certainly would benefit any leader, it sounds like y your choice specifically was to try to serve women with this, with this body of work.

Sheri Winesett: Well, um, you know, women wear a lot of hats, and it’s, um, it’s all too common for women to feel imposter syndrome and guilt, right? Causing them to give up on their dreams. No handbook is given to anyone to unlock your leadership potential when climbing the ladder or going after your dreams, seeking significance, wanting to create impact. And so, you know, as a woman, right? I wore a lot of hats, you know, and I was very fortunate to have a lot of mentors and a great career. Um, but at times I felt super overwhelmed. Right? And at times I questioned myself, you know, like, should I focus more on being a caretaker, a mother, a sister? Um, whatever it is in, in your life? And, um, you know, I just determined, right, that that we women have unique abilities and women can go after their dreams and they can leverage all these unique strengths by, you know, having all these different roles in their life to become a great leader.

Stone Payton: Well, and it speaks to, like you were talking about earlier, transparency, uh, authority, credibility. I mean, as my dad would say, you am one, right? You are.

Sheri Winesett: Love it. You know, it’s interesting to stone research shows that there’s certain traits that women possess, right, that contribute to the effectiveness of them leading in teams. And there are things like, you know, empathy, collaborative leadership style, resilience, adaptability. Um, but they’re so important because, again, you know, future generations are depending on leaders to lead them. Right. And how we lead them, like I said in the beginning, is how they’re going to lead others. And so it’s just really important that, um, we take on that responsibility. You know, we have a responsibility to lead.

Stone Payton: You mentioned seven keys. Say more about the structure of the book, and maybe even some tips on getting the most out of the out of the book.

Sheri Winesett: Yeah. So in the book, I actually, you know, at the end I give a lot of action steps. I give a lot of tools and different strategies. Um. But, you know, I actually have an action plan at the end of the book. And if you just did one thing in each of the areas of the action plan, you could change, like the whole trajectory of your career, your team, you know, whatever it is you’re trying to go after. And so the seven keys are actually, um. They start with a, you know, accountability right. And self-awareness, you know, ah, first you gotta look inward, right. And really understand the leader that you are. Um, but also determine the leader you want to be. Um, and then, you know, we move into things like, um, leading with integrity, embracing transparency, visionary leadership, visionary leadership. Stone is one of my favorite chapters because I’ve worked with a lot of clients who have made the statement, they’re just not buying into my vision like I have it out there. Um, well, the number one thing that you need to do for people to buy into your vision is get them to buy into you. Hmm. So, you know, how are you getting people to buy into you? Are you someone that they respect? You know, do you lead with wisdom and the heart and then, you know, some of the other keys are congruency, alignment, and measurement.

Stone Payton: So this strikes me as a marvelous resource for the individual leader. But I and I maybe this is coming from me having kind of a training and consulting background, but I could see this as a, as a, as a book that you might utilize with a team of leaders that report to you if, if, if you are responsible for a team of leaders to kind of I mean, do you think it would lend itself to that as well, like to have a group read it and then come back and talk about the different pieces of it?

Sheri Winesett: Oh, absolutely. I mean, that’s what this book is all about. You know, you don’t have to do everything. Um, it’s really about you empowering others to lead. And so it gives you some really awesome tools to teach others on your team how to do that.

Stone Payton: And as the author, I wonder if this has had an impact on you in a similar way I’ve spoken, as you might imagine, to to quite a few authors of business related titles, and I’ve been told that just the simple act of creating the book, committing all those ideas to paper, has often helped them solidify their own thinking, like crystallize their own thinking around their domain of expertise and make them make them that much more effective in their training, consulting, coaching, speaking work. Have you found that to be the case?

Sheri Winesett: Yeah. Absolutely, absolutely. Um, you know, there’s a quote that I love and it’s, uh, one that a lot of people are probably familiar with, but, um, it really stays within, you know, my core focus and it’s by Jim Rohn, and it’s work harder on yourself than you do on your job, or then you do on your business. And so, you know, there there are so many ways that we can actually grow as a leader, but it takes a lot of self-awareness. And so, um, in this book, you know, I’m hoping that I can I can teach people that, you know, I can give them some tools, uh, for alignment and things like that, but really help them adapt to the leader that they need to be for others.

Stone Payton: So I got to ask about the. And I often ask people about what sales and marketing looks like for their practice. And I’m always interested to hear that. But, uh, what is the whole sales and marketing thing look like when you’re trying to get a book off the ground? Will you? You’ll start, I guess, making it available at at speaking engagements. Maybe you you go on tour. Yeah. How do you sell a book once you get once you write one.

Sheri Winesett: Yeah. You know, it’s, um, speaking engagements will be a real core focus for me. Um, you know, I may create I have in the works to create some modules, some training modules that follow the seven keys in this book. Um, really finding strategic partners who are aligned with your mission to, you know, change the leadership, um, and create transparency in leadership, you know, really aligning with those strategic partners and finding the win win to help each other get the word out and have more impact on the world. Um, obviously there’s, you know, tons of social media and things like that that you can do. But my goal, Stone, is to really get in front of big audiences so I can create more impact. Right? When I’m coaching, it’s like one person at a time or one team at a time. Um, and so I think the way you really get your message out in the world is through speaking.

Stone Payton: Well, I can tell you my personal experience as an attendee to watching great speakers. I get so much more value. I, you know, I enjoy the moment, of course, and I get inspired and pick up an idea or two during the talk. But to go home with their book and dive back into it immediately and then periodically over time. To me, it makes the it makes that speaking engagement so much richer and more valuable to me in my day to day attempts to live into what the speaker talked about.

Sheri Winesett: Yeah, absolutely. Well, you know, my that was my intention was with including an action plan in the book because, you know, after a speaking engagement. Right. We can all get like super motivated and hyped up. But what’s really important is the results that come out of that and continuing with those best practices, or just those few keys that you took away. And in the book, you know, there’ll be that action plan to kind of walk you through how to execute well.

Stone Payton: And I love the idea that it’s, uh, I think you said that this is foundation for some modules for other curricula, right? In your training consulting practice. Did I hear that right?

Sheri Winesett: Absolutely. This is in, uh, one and done.

Stone Payton: That is. Well, I don’t know where or when you would find the time, but outside the scope of this work, other hobbies, passions, interests that you pursue, anything you nerd out about that doesn’t have anything to do with this?

Sheri Winesett: Yeah. Um, I love hiking. I used to live in DC for 17 years. In about 12 years ago, I moved out of the area just to get in the mountains and around all the water and the rivers. So, um, I’m a I’m a big hiker. I love to be on the water. I’ll take the river, I’ll take the beach. I’ll take the lake, whatever you can give me.

Stone Payton: Well, you know what I’d love to do before we wrap, I’d love to leave our listeners with 1 or 2, you know, just actionable. I’ll call them pro tips. And look, gang, the best way to get your hands on some on some really strong, actionable tips is to is to reach out, have a conversation with Sherry or somebody on her team. Get your hands on this book. But let’s leave them with something they can be thinking about doing, not doing. You know, right now as they listen into this conversation.

Sheri Winesett: Yeah. Um, I think what is key for any leader is to start with really developing a relationship with your team and creating some self-awareness on how you do that. How can I be more authentic? Am I leading with integrity and then really putting a great communication plan in place? And what I mean by communication plan is scheduling those meetings right with your team. You’ve got to get them together quarterly for a day and let them build relationships. You you have to do, whether it’s weekly or bi weekly meetings. Now, now here’s the key on that though stone. They have to be effective meetings. Don’t get people together to meet just to meet. Right. It’s, uh, I remember the old term death by PowerPoint, right? There can be death by meetings. Make them a meeting that people want to show up to. And so, you know, stop doing things the way you’ve always done them and take time to reflect on how you build relationships and how you be a super effective communicator within your organization.

Stone Payton: It sounds like communication and a structured communication plan is so foundational to actually putting all of this in into practice. And I I’m kind of reflecting on my own behavior. You know, I have standing calls with some of the folks that I have the privilege of leading, and I suspect I don’t know, that I probably fall into some of the traps that you that you talk about in the, in the book or in your or in your work. Sometimes it’s, uh, it’s a little bit like, oh, the Wednesday afternoon standing call with so and so just going through the motions and I guess a regular communication rhythm that’s properly executed, that also, I guess it would help you not avoid, but make it through those times when maybe you weren’t that great last week at leading, or maybe the other person wasn’t that great living into what they said they would do that communication. That’s the bedrock, isn’t it?

Sheri Winesett: Yeah. And I think it’s important to structure it and let everybody be a part of it. And there’s so many different ways that you can weave others into the conversation. So they feel like they’re making an impact as well.

Stone Payton: Okay. What’s the best way to connect with you? Tap into your work and get their hands on this book.

Sheri Winesett: So you can get the book by going to Transparency in Leadership Comm. Really excited. It just launched today. And then you can connect with me on social media channels just uh, at Sherry Mindset. So it’s s h e r I w I n e s e t t.

Stone Payton: Sherry, this has been a marvelous way to invest a Tuesday morning. Thank you so much for sharing your insight, your perspective. Congratulations on the book launch. Keep up the good work, what you’re doing. It’s so important. And we we sure appreciate you.

Sheri Winesett: Oh, thank Stone, and if I could just leave one thing that you could do every day when you wake up. Can I do that?

Stone Payton: Absolutely. Please.

Sheri Winesett: Just ask yourself one question and this is going to change. You know how your team views you. How will I empower someone else on my team today?

Stone Payton: Oh, what a powerful way to wrap this conversation. Again, thank you so much Sherry. This has been marvelous.

Sheri Winesett: Thank you Stone, thanks for having me.

Stone Payton: My pleasure. All right. Until next time. This is Stone Payton for our guest today, Sherry Winsett with Business Accelerators, LLC, author of the book Seven Keys to Unlock Your Leadership Potential, saying we’ll see you in the fast lane.

 

BRX Pro Tip: Instead of Multitasking, Try This

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BRX Pro Tips
BRX Pro Tip: Instead of Multitasking, Try This
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BRX Pro Tip: Instead of Multitasking, Try This

Stone Payton: And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, you have spoken to the myth of the dangers of the challenges of multitasking. But what’s the solution? What’s the alternative?

Lee Kantor: I’ve kind of given up trying to get people to stop multitasking, so I’ve added kind of a corollary to it. So, instead of multitasking, try sequential tasking. And a lot of times when people multitask, they’re doing disparate tasks and that is inefficient. And it’s slow and it requires a reboot of your brain every time and you’re changing directions and it just doesn’t work.

Lee Kantor: But sequential tasking is kind of a middle ground. So, you’re doing multiple tasks, but at least those tasks are on one project. So, you can take on more than one task at a time, but at least you’re focusing in this one direction. So, this leads to better performance and greater efficiency than multitasking over time because multitasking, as we said, is less efficient because you’re rapidly switching attention to disparate tasks, which forces your brain to work harder and slower.

Lee Kantor: This way, you can focus on all the tasks necessary to complete one project rather than working on these multiple disparate projects at a time. So, try sequential tasking if you are going to be multitasking.

Franchise Marketing Radio Welcomes back Frank Samson CEO of Senior Care Authority

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Denver Business Radio
Franchise Marketing Radio Welcomes back Frank Samson CEO of Senior Care Authority
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Frank-SamsonFrank M. Samson, CSA, is the founder of Senior Care Authority, author and creator of The Boomers Today syndicated Radio/Podcast Show. Prior to founding Senior Care Authority, he worked in franchise consulting and the travel industry for over three decades. He had built an organization with over 200 franchises which he later sold and the company operates successfully today.

His expertise in senior care has given Frank the opportunity to write a regular blog and host a nationally syndicated radio show and podcast called Boomers Today. Frank also authored a best selling book in various categories called The Aging Boomers: Answers to Critical Questions for You, Your Parents and Loved Ones and is available on Amazon.com.

Frank is a Certified Senior Advisor, a member of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors, on the Board of the National Placement and Referral Alliance and an Honorary Faculty Member at Michigan State University.

Connect with Frank on LinkedIn.

WBE Feature – Women’s Health Awareness: Jessie Haute Beauty

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Women in Motion
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In this episode of Women in Motion, Lee Kantor interviews Jessie Nga Nguyen, founder and CEO of Jessie Haute Beauty. Jessie discusses her entrepreneurial journey, starting her skincare line in 2017 and launching it on Walmart’s e-commerce platform in April 2023. Specializing in anti-aging products, Jessie Haute Beauty focuses on quality and affordability. Jessie shares insights on e-commerce strategies, the importance of perseverance, and her solo management of the business. She emphasizes the value of community support and her plans to expand into retail stores.

Jessie-Haute-Beauty-logo

Jessie-Nga-NguyenAs a highly experienced esthetician, distributor, entrepreneur, and owner of Jessie Haute Beauty for over a decade, Jessie Nga Nguyen has consistently demonstrated her ability to establish and foster professional and loyal relationships with coworkers, staff, and clients.

Her experience managing administrative and sales employees independently as an owner/manager and collaboratively as a team member is unparalleled.

With sharp business acumen, decisive judgment, and an unwavering commitment to exceeding organizational goals, Jessie has achieved immense success in operations management, business strategy, and financial management.

Jessie’s outstanding abilities has allowed her to capitalize on new trends and cutting-edge technologies to drive business development initiatives and consistently exceed sales targets.

Follow Jessie Haute Beauty on Facebook.

Music Provided by M PATH MUSIC

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:07] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios, it’s time for Women In Motion. Brought to you by WBEC-West. Join forces. Succeed together. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:27] Lee Kantor here. Another episode of Women In Motion, and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, WBEC-West. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Women In Motion, we have Jessie Nguyen. She is the founder and CEO of Jessie Haute Beauty. Welcome, Jessie.

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:00:48] Hi, everyone. Good morning. I’m delighted to introduce myself. My name is Jessie Nga Nguyen. I am founder and business owner of Jessie Haute Beauty. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Women Business Enterprise Council-West and RadioX channel for the organization of this event, Women In Motion. Today, I have been invited to share my journey on the path to the founding our company.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:20] So, can you tell us a little bit about your company? What services do you provide?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:01:26] We do skincare products and we provide skincare anti-aging line to everyone.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:35] And then, how did you get started in the business?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:01:39] Okay. So, I have established my skincare product lines in 2017. My family and I relocated from Houston, Texas to Las Vegas, Nevada, where I conduct extensive research on the skincare market. And I decided to launch my skincare product lines in April 2023. That’s why Jessie Haute Beauty is really a premium skincare company specialized in anti-aging products.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:14] Now, do you primarily create and sell products or is it a place where a woman could go and get, you know, treatments done?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:02:23] I launched a skincare product in the Walmart e-commerce store.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:29] So, that’s the primary focus of the business is skincare products?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:02:33] Yes, sir.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:35] So, how do you come up with the ideas for the products?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:02:39] Okay. So, as you know, in the present day world, the woman faces some significant disadvantage compared to the man. And the gender gap in the professional and social arena is vast, and women, they work three times to stay equally. And when I was a child, I have seen a lot of women rely on the husband. And when they be a senior, they rely on the children and their husband as well. That’s why my mother just told me during my childhood, I got the discipline and have said that you must have your own finances and you don’t need to depend on anybody else in your life. You have just only one life to live, and no one can tear you down, and you will be shy at the end of the day with your finances. So, that all kind of thing is infused in my mind. And until now, I drive and I have the powerful woman to come up with my business now today.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:08] But how do you kind of come up with an idea of what product to sell? Like how do you research it or how do you develop it and produce it?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:04:19] Okay. So, that’s my passionate about the skincare. I’m always passionate to develop and become the owning of the skincare. That’s my dream. And I want to stretch my dream into reality. And I have over a decade of experience to do about the skincare, so that’s why I opened my own business.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:59] And then, when you first had the idea to open the business and then you did all the research and then you opened the business, was there a moment where you were like, “I think this is going to work out. I think that we have something here that the public wants and needs.”

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:05:18] Okay. So, I understand that our product line is comprised in the brands of the formula from the essential luxurious or affordable for the daily use. And the private skincare company, I have gone great gland of the research and sources where naturally ingredient that’s safe and effective to our customer. Our products undergo various clinical testing to meet the highest quality standard of the luxury and affordable.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:06] And then, is it primarily e-commerce or is there a retail store?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:06:12] This is the e-commerce first. And nowadays, e-commerce have been expand more than before. So, we went to launch e-commerce first and then in the store later.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:29] And then, do you think you’ll have your own retail store or are you going to sell the products into other retailers?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:06:35] Our in retail store and order all over in the United States.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:44] And do you target a certain type of woman or is it for any woman of any ethnicity?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:06:51] For every woman in the United States, not just specialized or the type of any woman. All women can use.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:05] And how did you learn how to do e-commerce? That seems very challenging.

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:07:12] We got the Walmart. They had the right team to guide me and I learned from them. And I have the meeting for every week from the back office team and they showed me how to launch successfully.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:35] And how’s it been going?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:07:38] We just launched like just last week, so hopefully it’s going to be raised in near future.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:49] Now, do you have any advice for other entrepreneurs out there thinking about doing an e-commerce company?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:07:58] Yes. I have a little tips to share with the young entrepreneurs who want to launch the e-commerce. Because nowadays e-commerce is really new platform to everybody. Just researching and continue to talking with the people who’s, you know, like experienced and specialized in the e-commerce. They’re going to guide you because if you go just only one wrong thing, it cannot accept it in the e-commerce. So, yeah, just research and they have economy in e-commerce so you can learn from them as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:58] And then, the platform you’re using is Shopify?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:09:02] Yes. The Shopify and the Walmart. They merged together.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:07] Oh, okay. So, what was the reason you didn’t choose to work with Amazon?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:09:15] Because I love Walmart. I feel that Walmart have more essential than Amazon.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:32] So, that was a better fit for you and you think your clients?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:09:38] Yes. Yes, sir.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:41] Now, do you have any advice when it comes to overcoming obstacles that you’d like to share with an aspiring entrepreneur?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:09:49] Actually, when I launched my own business, I got stressful. I got a lot of obstacles. But just only myself for this business, I have learned and have researching, and I have to talk, and I put an effort a lot in this business, and I don’t give up in the between. I continue whatever I want to be. I want to launch my business and with my passion so I can achieve the incredible thing. That’s what I believe.

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:10:41] And I have a message to the younger entrepreneur, please, if you want to persuade in your dream, you keep going and never give up. If you feel like drop or if you feel like hard, I believe that you can follow your passion. You can achieve your incredible thing. In fact, I have no doubt that you can accomplish even more than I have.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:19] Now, who developed your logo? It’s beautiful.

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:11:23] Oh, that’s my idea. I do everything from A to Z. That’s my passion.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:28] So, you drew it and you created it?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:11:32] Yes.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:33] Beautiful work.

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:11:34] Thank you so much.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:36] Now, how important is it to have kind of a team around you?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:11:42] I don’t have my team right now. I have just only myself.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:46] So, you’re doing everything?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:11:48] Yes, sir.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:49] Wow. That must be very hard to balance.

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:11:54] Yes, sir. I slept just only, like, five hours a day. And when I wake up, I jump into my desk to work from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m..

Lee Kantor: [00:12:09] So, are you spending time online in social media, like Facebook or Instagram, to get the word out?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:12:17] Yes, sir.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:19] So, what are some of the things that you’re doing to get the word out?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:12:24] Right now, I have the page for the Jessie Haute Beauty, and TikTok and Instagram I create already, and everybody can follow my Facebook and Instagram and TikTok.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:45] Now, why was it important for you to join WBEC-West?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:12:51] I need to have the advice. I need to have the team that I can join and powerful out there. I know that the woman needs help as well and I can help them as I can put effort in my business.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:21] So, what’s next for you? What are your kind of plans to keep continuing growing the business as you launch in the next few months?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:13:31] Right now, we have launched all the items that I have in my hand now with the Walmart, and I’m trying my best to expand in the store with Walmart. And later on, maybe every store that want me as their partner so I can partnership with them.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:05] And then, if somebody wants to connect and learn more about Jessie Haute Beauty, what is the website or the social media coordinates so they can find you?

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:14:18] Yes. You can research in the Google jessiehautebeauty1168.myshopify.com. jessiehautebeauty1168.myshopify.com, that’s my website. And the Facebook page with Jessie Haute Beauty, and TikTok with Jessie Haute Beauty, and Instagram with Jessie Haute Beauty 1168 as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:56] And that’s Jessie, J-E-S-S-I-E, Haute, H-A-U-T-E, Beauty, B-E-A-U-T-Y, if you Google that or put it in Facebook or TikTok or any of the socials, I’m sure you’ll find it.

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:15:11] Yes, sir.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:11] Well, Jessie, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:15:19] Thank you so much I have opportunity today to share my journey.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:28] Well, we appreciate you taking the time to share with us and best of luck going down the road.

Jessie Nga Nguyen: [00:15:35] Thank you so much.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:36] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Women In Motion.

 

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