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Mastering Social Media: Insights from Norel Mancuso on Digital Marketing Success

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Women in Motion
Mastering Social Media: Insights from Norel Mancuso on Digital Marketing Success
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In this episode of Women in Motion, host Lee Kantor interviews Norel Mancuso, founder of Social House, Inc., a digital growth agency. Norel shares her journey from the beauty industry to establishing her agency, focusing on the evolution of digital marketing and social media strategies. She discusses the importance of a solid social media strategy, the role of AI in marketing, and metrics for success. Norel also highlights a success story of significantly growing a beauty brand’s social media presence and offers practical advice for smaller brands.

Norel-MancusoNorel Mancuso is the CEO of Social House, Inc., a globally recognized digital growth agency with an impressive reach spanning over 182 countries.

Under her leadership, Social House, Inc. has become synonymous with innovation and excellence, crafting cutting-edge distribution strategies, compelling creative content, and highly effective paid media campaigns for an array of high-profile clients, including Pepsi, Revlon, Harry Winston, LORAC Cosmetics, SONOS, Playboy, and J Brand.

With a wealth of experience in global marketing and a deep passion for the digital landscape, Norel has established herself as a prominent voice in the industry. Social-House-logo

Her insights and expertise are regularly featured in leading publications such as AdWeek, Forbes, and Social Media Week, where she is celebrated as a thought leader driving the conversation around the future of digital marketing.

Connect with Norel on LinkedIn.

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, Scott Brown.

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, WEBC West. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Women in Motion, we have Norel Mancuso with Social House, Inc. Welcome.

Norel Mancuso: [00:00:47] Hi. Great to be here. Thank you.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:48] Well, I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about Social House. How are you serving folks?

Norel Mancuso: [00:00:53] Yeah. You know, Social House is a digital growth agency. And really, our whole M.O. is to transform brands via strategy, creative content and media campaigns that really push the needle for the brands that we work with.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:07] So what’s your backstory? How’d you get involved in this line of work?

Norel Mancuso: [00:01:11] Yeah. You know, I, um, I came from L’Oreal in my past life and from the beauty industry. And at the time, which was in 2010, I saw this incredible opportunity to bridge the gap of communication between brands and their audiences via the medium of social media. At the time, Instagram didn’t exist. I mean, there was YouTube. There was Facebook was in its fledgling stages, there was even Myspace. But I do know that I saw the medium as a place to connect with audiences and have that two way dialog, which we hadn’t before as marketers in the corporate space. So that’s kind of how I got started. I left, you know, my my life in New York City and started social House and were based in LA now.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:54] Now, how have you seen kind of marketing and especially digital marketing evolved since that time where when you’re at the beginning of a media like social media and then you see it kind of evolve. How have you seen the marketing aspect of it and the brands embrace of this evolved?

Norel Mancuso: [00:02:13] Yeah, I mean, it’s changed so much. And remember when I started there was no advertising, there was no Instagram. There was certainly not a TikTok. So the way that it’s changed is really just through, you know, hyper personalization through AI and through other like, you know, ad and paid media avenues where it’s become so tailored and specific and so personalized. Whereas before you were reaching a broad audience and if they engaged, it was great. You got a lot more engagement. It was much more open for that kind of opportunity for brands. But it’s gotten much, much, much more competitive. You know, there’s over I believe it’s over like 150. Um, I think it’s like 150 million brands or businesses that are currently. And don’t quote me on that, guys. I’m just kind of throwing it out. But I do know that there are so many different brands across multiple multitude of platforms. So what my point is, is that as a brand, you’re not just competing against other brands, you’re also competing against friends, family, colleagues, everybody that’s vying for share of feed across social. So you have to get creative. So the world has changed, engagement rates have diminished. It’s become an interesting territory for sure.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:19] Now, how do brands kind of lean into this? Like on one side, I’m sure they see it as an opportunity is, oh, I can get, you know, personal and I can talk to my the people that matter most to me in this kind of direct way. But then it becomes in some ways inefficient. Whereas back in the day you used to run one ad somewhere and then you kind of check that box that I’m done there, and now you’ve got to kind of work harder for that same bang for your buck.

Norel Mancuso: [00:03:45] Well, it comes down to segmentation strategy. So there’s different aspects of social and at social house, our belief is that you can’t just think of social as content. It’s always strategy first, content second, and paid media third. So we operate with a methodology called the tri vision approach. And it’s basically our kind of IP and how we work. But essentially what it means is that we look at social through the lens of strategy first, and then we create the content, and then from there we’re creating the content and, you know, putting it out via paid media. But paid media also is involved in strategy. So you can’t have these three thought processes work in a mutually exclusive manner. They must work together to make social media work for you in today’s day and age. For example, as I mentioned, engagement rates, let’s say on Instagram, are at 0.47% versus on TikTok they’re at 0.57 or excuse me, they’re at 5.7%. So there’s still a significant amount of opportunity in TikTok. And versus, you know, I guess you could say Instagram and meta platforms. So there’s a lot of opportunity to still get out there. But what has changed is the platform’s ability to create hyper personalized feeds and also for, you know, consumers to kind of be a part of an algorithm versus having that organic reach that we once did. So that has changed. I think that’s the biggest kind of thing that makes brands scratch their heads is how do I break through? And so I hope that answers the question there.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:12] Well, how you put a strategy kind of at the forefront of this. So what are some kind of do’s and don’ts when it comes to strategy for brands out there?

Norel Mancuso: [00:05:21] I think, you know, there’s so many interesting case studies right now with brands that are succeeding on social. You look at Duolingo, an app that is a it’s a basically a language learning app that just broke the internet on TikTok, specifically by doing things out of the box. Nutter butter is the most recent case study with a very interesting approach to the way that they’re approaching their their content on Instagram. Um, you know, you have to do what feels right for your brand and to break through in today’s clutter, you can’t just worry about bottom line. Social media is not going to carry all of your marketing efforts. Okay. It’s there to really support your marketing efforts. And I think that’s a misconception, is that social media will bring all this revenue and all of that. That’s not always the case. But what it does do is it brings awareness to your brand, it brings recall, and you’re able to kind of address attribution issues that might make you have more data than you would with other traditional media outlets, you know. So I think the bottom line is that you have to look at social as an opportunity to create brand awareness. And to do that strategically, you need to have a clear vision of what you’re trying to create. Now, what that means is things like creating content buckets and understanding what it is that you’re trying to say. What are your core messages that you want audiences to know, and then how do you rinse and repeat that to hit content outputs 24 over seven 365. It doesn’t stop in social. It’s like a the ocean. You don’t want to turn your back on it. You want to keep the funnel fed. So a lot of people find that exhausting. And I understand why, but there’s ways to kind of gamify that and make it not so cumbersome to your business, which I’m happy to talk through as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:02] Now, you mentioned kind of measurable. What how do you help your clients, uh, kind of identify the metrics that matter? Because in digital, a lot of things can be measured, but some things are more important than others.

Norel Mancuso: [00:07:18] Yeah. And see, that’s the thing. There’s not a one size fits all for KPIs. I think when you look at a KPI, let’s say, you know, your KPI is awareness. Okay. Well how do you measure awareness? Um, you drill it down to things like engagement, likes, comments, shares, saves. Um, those are kind of like the golden ticket metrics for engagement, which if people are engaging, they’re becoming aware and they’re sharing it with other people, which is spreading reach and awareness. So I think the main thing is, is to think about what it is that you’re trying to create. Are you trying to create an awareness play for your brands on social? Are you trying to create more of a, you know, bottom of funnel approach to drive people to shop, like through Tick Tock Shop or whatever it may be. You just need to establish what those KPIs are ahead of time. But don’t forget the metrics. How are you measuring it and what are your benchmarks? Set benchmarks before you begin any any social endeavors across the space and revisit them monthly.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:14] Now, earlier you mentioned I, um, what’s your take on AI and how it’s impacting the industry?

Norel Mancuso: [00:08:23] Yeah, I don’t see AI as a threat to our industry. I see AI more of a as a companion tool rather than a threat to businesses in general. And AI has so much potential to really advance the way we work. It helps us streamline the mundane tasks that slow down true innovation. And I think that in some ways, also, it’s important to remember that there’s only so much value we as humans can get from automation. So if we look at it as a tool to streamline the mundane, there’s a couple of things that it does. Number one is like efficiency and productivity. It can streamline operations. It can reduce errors. It can free up employees time to focus on more strategic or creative tasks. You know, it also offers an opportunity as a second kind of benefit in the realm of like personalization, for example. I learned your behavior, and it can enhance customer experiences by analyzing data patterns that really tailor those true recommendations and predict trends for your brand and for your kind of purchasing cycle. Um, and lastly, I think to answer your question about AI is that it truly drives innovation. Um, you know, in some ways it’s created new business models for certain companies, new services, products that people haven’t thought of before. It’s helping companies remain competitive in an evolving market. But as I mentioned, there is only so much value we can get from automation. We need to keep evolving as human Beings. And as we evolve, of course, the software, the AI, you know, kind of capabilities out there will also evolve. But it’s it’s a symbiotic process between us and the machine, so to speak.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:03] Now, who is the ideal client for your firm? Is it B2C, B2B, um, industry agnostic?

Norel Mancuso: [00:10:12] Yeah. You know, we’re really focused on lifestyle brands. We love partnering with clients in the mid to enterprise level that are in love with their brands. We want people who are passionate about their brands and want to achieve greatness. Um, and that is because we put so much of our energy and our heart into becoming an extension of those brands. Um, we work with everybody from, you know, the realm of fashion, beauty all the way to healthcare to even, you know, climate change technology. So we really do kind of span the gamut, but it really is focused more on the lifestyle build of it. We are focused on B2C consumers, primarily In terms of creating audience work. We have done B2B, but I would say it’s probably a 90% split with B2C and a 10% knowledge base of B2B.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:02] Um, is there a story you can share of how you helped a client get to a new level? Obviously don’t name the name of the organization, but maybe share the problem they came to you with and how you helped them get to this new level.

Norel Mancuso: [00:11:15] Yeah, I can, and also I recommend checking out our website as well. There’s many case studies on there that you can peruse, but I think the main thing is that we we did have a beauty company come to us once. This was like one of my most favorite stories, and it always makes me smile every time I think of it. Because we had a 20 year old beauty brand come our way with in an independent owners, and they were the most lovely human beings I’ve ever met. And essentially they wanted to get to acquisition and social House helped them do that. We took their social media from 25,000 cumulatively, cumulatively across meta platforms, which includes Facebook and Instagram to just over 2.6 million in the span of three and a half years. And so for me, that’s an amazing case study, because it wasn’t just about us creating great content and using our tri vision approach, it was about the fact that we were able to collaborate with a team that trusted us and trusted in the experience of social and what we could potentially bring to, you know, their organization. So it was very meaningful. It was very amazing kind of client experience and one that I’ll remember for my, my lifetime.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:21] Now, why was it important for you and your firm to get involved with WebEx West?

Norel Mancuso: [00:12:27] Webex West was an opportunity. First of all, I want to just express this is that it has changed our business in so many ways. You know, social House is a women, minority and LGBTQ owned agency. We are triple certified, but WebEx specifically has put us in front of businesses, corporate businesses who are our target clients that we probably would never have had a chance to be in front of before. And the reason is, is that I don’t know if it’s if it’s, um, you know, I don’t want to just blame it on the fact that, you know, I’m triple diversely certified or whatever you want to call it, you know? But it’s like, I just haven’t had those opportunities to get in the room and shake hands with those people. But Quebec has put us in front of so many amazing clients, so many amazing businesses through our matchmakers, through the conferences, etc., that it’s just been a really tremendous experience and I find the most value from that. In addition to, I’ve met so many amazing small businesses, just like social House who are really smart, amazing women who are. We’re working together. We’re working together to support one another and to give each other advice and to listen because we understand the challenges of being a business owner. Um, not only that is that, you know, we’re also women. So there’s also, you know, that layer to it. There’s a lot of different aspects to it. So I’m very, very honored to be a part of we back. We’ve been a member, I believe our company has been a member for, I believe, ten years certified, and we’re really proud of that. And yeah.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:55] Now, before we wrap, is there any advice you can give brands out there? Maybe they’re smaller than your target that you’re going after, but any kind of low hanging fruit for brands to really get the most out of social. Is there some easy things that people can be doing or or mistakes you see that they’re making that they shouldn’t be?

Norel Mancuso: [00:14:17] I think that smaller brands need to understand the power of content and paid media, and strategically thinking about how they make them work for their business. I call it mailbox money. If you want to make mailbox money, which means you walk outside and your slippers and your robe in the morning, and you open up your mailbox and there’s money, so to speak. Now, we know that all comes through like Squarespace or other things like that, but, um, Shopify, things like that. But, you know, if you want to do that, really think about investing dollars and solidifying your marketing budget to, uh, allocate dollars towards paid media across different platforms. Um, understand what native features are. Understand TikTok shop. Go. They have they have many online resources for TikTok and for agencies, for individual businesses. There’s so many resources out there. You have to invest in your business. You have to learn how to understand the language of social media. If it’s not for you, hire someone that can, um, you know, social house. We do have a small business service which basically places media for, for our clients. It’s called QT society. Um, so we place that media spend for our clients, but I just really recommend just educating yourself, knowing what things are and don’t being averse to it. It’s not going away. You have to throw yourself into it. And if you have already and you’re still not finding results, relook at the way that you are formulating your narrative. Is your narrative story of the content that you have going out? Does it make sense? Is it clarifying who you are? Your brand values, your mission, your personality, your brands products, the efficacy of your products? Make your content problem and solution driven and you’ll win. But it takes time and it takes consistency.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:00] And one more time before we wrap the website and the best way to connect.

Norel Mancuso: [00:16:05] Of course our website is social House inc.com, and that’s Inc.com. You can reach out to us on there through our contact page and we would love to connect with you.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:19] Well, thank you so much for sharing your story. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Norel Mancuso: [00:16:24] It’s my pleasure. Thank you so much for the interview. Have a great.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:27] Day. All right. This is Lee Kantor. We will see you all next time on Women in Motion.

[00:16:32] God help us. Don’t kick me when I’m down. Oh, me. Up!

 

BRX Stories – How an Introvert Built a Successful Media Company

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BRX Pro Tips
BRX Stories - How an Introvert Built a Successful Media Company
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BRX Stories – How an Introvert Built a Successful Media Company

Stone Payton: And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, how and why did this whole Business RadioX thing get started?

Lee Kantor: Well, Business RadioX really is not my first foray into doing this kind of work. My first foray into doing internet radio and podcasting came through the show Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy. That was a show that me and my business partner at the time, we had a gym and we had the opportunity to do a show to promote the gym, and that’s why we were doing it. And we thought we would interview referral partners that would help us get the word out about the gym.

Lee Kantor: What we quickly learned, especially at that time, there was no big audience for this type of content, and it didn’t really help in that regard for us with the gym. But what it did do is it created kind of the framework for the Business RadioX network and figuring out a way to really serve people, and help other people get the word out, and position themselves as experts and things like that.

Lee Kantor: So, being an introvert was really at the heart of this. I did not want to do the traditional networking that a person would have to do when it came to marketing the business. And what I realized quickly was to get guests on the Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy show, I can just reach out to strangers and say, “Hey, I have this show, would you like to be a guest?”

Lee Kantor: And the reason I found that was I was reading the Washington Post and the Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy show was a national show, we were, obviously, was on the internet so anybody could listen to it. So, we told this person, he had a Trivial Pursuit like game that he and his sister had invented. And I sent a note – a note that we use a version of it today – “Would you like to be a guest on my radio show?” And then, I said, “Hey, I’m the host of Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy, I would love to have you come on to talk about your Trivial Pursuit game.” And within less than an hour he said, “Yes. Sure. What do I have to do?”

Lee Kantor: And my background is in advertising, and in advertising, the goal of any advertisement or any marketing material is to get a response. And this person said yes through to a blind email within a matter of minutes. And I knew that that was something to take note of, because it is very difficult to get a stranger to take an action that quickly.

Lee Kantor: So, that moment was kind of the epiphany for me of we have something here that other people want to be part of, and that all I have to do is let them know that they can become part of it, and they say yes. And then, from that point, if I choose, I can build a relationship with them and they’re open to talking with me more.

Lee Kantor: So, after this first guest happened on Dr. Fitness, my business partner, he started contacting people. And lo and behold, within a matter of weeks we were interviewing people from all over the country, experts in fitness, people that were on the Today show one day were on our show the next day. It was the who’s who of people in fitness and wellness and health were coming on our show in a short period of time. Our show became part of their media tour whenever they had something to promote, whether it’s an exercise DVD, a book, any type of content, or they were selling something, we were part of where they would go to promote whatever that piece of content was.

Lee Kantor: So, that was kind of the aha moment for me, and I said I wonder if we can take that same activity and help a local person serve their market locally by doing that same activity. And that’s where I created the Atlanta Business Radio Show. And then, I got – as I mentioned before – a person that was Amy Otto who was serving the Atlanta market in Aflac as my co-host, and she was going out and inviting guests. And sure, that, to me, demonstrated I could help her grow her business. And I knew that if I could help her, then I can help anybody else, and that’s where the whole business started.

Lee Kantor: So, the whole key was creating a media platform that helps tell the story of other people in the market, and then do that in a way of service first, help them truly try to get their story out there and articulate it properly. And if I do that relentlessly, then I will be able to build relationships with the people who matter most to me and position myself as someone useful to the ecosystem, someone who is a person that they would consider doing business with, and I’d be able to sell them something else down the road. So, that’s how the whole business started, it was through me looking for a guest for Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy.

GWBC POP 2024: Tammy Cohen with InfoMart

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GWBC POP 2024: Tammy Cohen with InfoMart
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The Power of Partnering (POP) is a half-day event where women entrepreneurs, business leaders, corporations and procurement professionals come together to train, network and create matchmaker opportunities to help create and reach procurement and business goals.

Each agenda includes educational resources from thought leadership and subject matter experts and the opportunity to showcase your capabilities statements in a meet the buyer setting or matchmaker sessions.

Tammy-CohenTammy Cohen, an industry pioneer and expert in identity and employment screening, founded InfoMart over 30 years ago. Deemed the “Queen of Screen,” she’s been a force behind industry-leading innovations. She was most recently the first-to-market with a fully compliant sanctions search, as well as a suite of identity services that modernizes talent onboarding.

Tammy revolutionized the screening industry when she stepped into the field, developing the first client-facing application and a due diligence criminal search that has since become standard for all background screening companies.

Cohen has received national awards and honors for her business and civic involvement, including Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Top 25 Women-Owned Firms in Atlanta, Enterprising Women Magazine’s Enterprising Women of the Year award, the YWCA of Northwest Georgia’s Kathryn Woods Racial Justice Award, and a commendation in the 152nd Congressional Record.

Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

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

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here broadcasting live from the GWBC Power of Partnering event at Georgia Power Headquarters. I’m so excited to be talking to my guest right now, Tammy Cohen with InfoMart.

Tammy Cohen: Hi.

Lee Kantor: Hey, it’s been a hot minute, but I hear you got some big news.

Tammy Cohen: It has. It has. Besides this has been an exciting event for all of us, learning a lot, getting Georgia Power to present and give us tips on how to get into business with them, but InfoMart is 35 years old this month.

Lee Kantor: Congratulations. Thirty-five years is an amazing achievement. Any tips for our other entrepreneurs out there on how to have a business make it for 35 years?

Tammy Cohen: You have to hire a good team. You have to have good people support. You can go as long as you want to go, as long as you have that team behind you.

Lee Kantor: So, for the few people out there who aren’t aware, can you share a little bit about InfoMart? How are you serving folks?

Tammy Cohen: Yeah. So, InfoMart is a global background screening company, and we do the background checks on candidates, and that’s the criminal and driving type of records. But we also screen suppliers and volunteers, all types of different people. Anybody that you’re going to have in your business or in your systems, you want to mitigate that risk with a background check.

Lee Kantor: So, how has the business evolved? Because 35 years ago, there wasn’t an internet, there wasn’t a lot of things that we take for granted today.

Tammy Cohen: So, Lee, you’re showing your age in that fact that you knew that to ask that question. So, yes, when we started, it was all fax machines.

Lee Kantor: Fax machines.

Tammy Cohen: Yeah. We had one computer. Our database was index cards. In the early days, they came out with voice mail where you could just leave a message, you could push a button yes or no. You know, we were very innovative with the technology, but, yes, a long way.

Lee Kantor: So, what is it like today for your clients? Like, how are you doing a background check today that kind of can be as fast as it has to be, but as effective as it has to be as well?

Tammy Cohen: It has changed a great deal in the speed of time and how fast it is to get a background check. As you can imagine, it used to be anywhere from three to five days. Now, you’re looking at under one day to get a good background check done. And what’s really interesting about our industry, it hasn’t had a lot of changes in that you submit the information, we go out and procure that data, and then we distribute it back to the customer.

Tammy Cohen: Now, compliance has really changed, so that’s put a lot of layers in that InfoMart takes care of for customers. But one of the things that InfoMart is innovating, which is really exciting, is the Career Wallet, and that’s where you, as the candidate or the supplier, will basically now have your data in a wallet that you can share with me. And when you share that data, some of it I don’t have to go do a background check and the employer doesn’t have to pay for because you already shared it with me.

Lee Kantor: Because that is vetted information that’s kind of blessed so that this is real and that’s good enough for everybody involved?

Tammy Cohen: Yes, yes.

Lee Kantor: And that’s a new development?

Tammy Cohen: Yes. Believe it or not, it is. No one in our industry has done this, and I’ve been actually working on this a long time. But I’ve have now some of my competitors that are going to work with me, because we look at this as a whole industry-wide change that needs to happen.

Lee Kantor: But it was proprietary to InfoMart?

Tammy Cohen: Yes. Career Wallet, trademarked and everything.

Lee Kantor: Trademarked and everything. So, when you develop this idea, then you had to create kind of a marketplace for it, right? You needed the corporates to say, “Okay. I’ll accept that because if InfoMart said they vetted it, then that’s good enough for me.” So, that 35 years helped that go along, right?

Tammy Cohen: Oh, definitely. And, you know, when I first came up with the idea, the technology wasn’t out there. You couldn’t do a mobile wallet. You couldn’t even do a web wallet. Basically, it’s been going on for years because it came out about with your credit report. So, we’re doing credit reports for employers. and it was like, “Gosh. I really wish the candidate could own their own information and share it with me. That way, we don’t make a mistake and the employer doesn’t get a mistake.” And so, the technology first had to come along, and keep figuring that out and figuring that out.

Lee Kantor: Because it can’t be alterable, right? It has to be kind of locked down and saying this is the facts as it is at this moment in time.

Tammy Cohen: Right. And there’s only certain data you can do that, like in education. So, criminal history, you can’t. It’s not static. But an employment verification, you can certainly do that. But now what’s so great is that employers are looking at skills, so as much as your verification is important, how long you worked at a certain place, what you learned and what you know is far more valuable to the employer.

Lee Kantor: Are employers being more flexible in their thinking when it comes to they have to have a degree, or are they looking at some of these certifications that maybe I can get through some of these organizations when it comes to cybersecurity or for digital learning, or those kind of things where it shows that I have competency in these areas and they’re saying it but it’s not an official kind of college degree. Are those becoming acceptable?

Tammy Cohen: Absolutely. And you used the exact word, competency. A lot of people don’t realize that, but that’s what employers are looking for, what is your competencies, and that could be a skill, that could be where you worked. But all these different levels of education and certifications and experience, even volunteer work, means a lot to the employers when they’re making these selections.

Lee Kantor: So, if you’re working with somebody and you are verifying their employment, are you going to that individual that you’re verifying and saying I can put all your stuff in this wallet that you can take with you and you don’t have to do this step anymore?

Tammy Cohen: Exactly. And after we do the background check, we basically ask the candidate if they want to open a wallet and have all that data in their wallet, and most of them say yes. And if they don’t, the employer then can ask them after they get the background check, would you like to have this data. Because on the other end, what makes this really great is that the employers have a module where they can add other competencies into it, and it’s also in that wallet. So, when the candidate leaves, there’s certain information that the employer can let them have because they paid for, say, the education. But then there’s other things they might have got at another part-time job or Uber or volunteer that stays in the wallet.

Lee Kantor: And that way, the candidate is ready for the next one, and then it’s more value for the next person to verify because the bulk of it is already been verified?

Tammy Cohen: Yes. And it leaves money in the budget for employers to do more of the criminal history more in depth, because cybersecurity is huge. And then, just sanction searches on people so you can see who is not allowed to work in the medical industry. I mean, there’s all kinds of searches like that that employers don’t do because they’re looking at budget, so it sort of helps in that regard.

Lee Kantor: And so, you’re helping them kind of prioritize, really, what is most important, and they don’t have to pay as much for the things that are more static and they’re not really changing, but the things that could be changing minute by minute are getting checked.

Tammy Cohen: Yes. It makes it very robust. The background check is going to become more and more robust as the years go on and adoption happens. And it’s exciting because I think there’s a lot of other things that can happen inside this wallet as far as education and QR codes and seminars.

Lee Kantor: And this is why it’s so important, I think, to partner with experts like you. You’re thinking about this 24/7 and you’re really trying to kind of get in the weeds of any opportunity and anything that has to do with it where your clients aren’t. This is one thing that’s on the checklist of a lot of things that they got to pay attention to, and they’re not spending as much time and energy on this specific challenge that you are, and that’s why InfoMart is so important to the marketplace.

Tammy Cohen: It really is. And my title is Chief Visionary Officer. You know, I’d always had a CEO because we’re in security. And I got where I was like, “I want a title with a C in it too.” So, I went to my team and I’m like, “Ken, will you give me a title?” And so, they came back and they’re like, chief visionary officer, because that is what I’ve done, is really looked at the future.

Tammy Cohen: And it’s not just what the employers need, but what candidates need, and what us, as consumers, think of how much aggravation we’ve eliminated with like LifeLock. That’s what you’re sort of doing with your background check, because courts make mistakes all the time. They’ll send you a record on somebody and it’s not them, and it gets sent to the employer.

Lee Kantor: Right. It could be a typo. There’s like a million places it could go wrong.

Tammy Cohen: Absolutely. Especially in the courts, courts only use your name and a date of birth, and many times it’s what you told them. And I’m going to tell you why, criminals usually don’t use the correct information.

Lee Kantor: You know, believe it or not, they might not be telling the truth.

Tammy Cohen: Exactly.

Lee Kantor: Shockingly. So, if somebody wants to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on the team, what’s the website? Where should they go?

Tammy Cohen: backgroundscreening.com.

Lee Kantor: And then, before we wrap, why is it important for your firm to be part of GWBC?

Tammy Cohen: Wow. You know, I have about five of my team members here just to meet other women business owners, because people don’t realize, you know, we’re women business owners and, yes, we’re involved because we want to do business with the supplier diversity people here, the Georgia Power, the Emory University. But there is just as much value in doing business with other women. So, that’s been my focus today, is, getting my team spread out through all these women business enterprises.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, that’s great advice. Don’t neglect the network because your network is where the power is, really, ultimately, because relationships matter.

Tammy Cohen: Well said.

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

Tammy Cohen: Thank you.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor, we’ll be back at GWBC Power or Partnering event.

GWBC POP 2024: Dr. Tiffany Parr with Navana Health Agency

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GWBC Radio
GWBC POP 2024: Dr. Tiffany Parr with Navana Health Agency
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The Power of Partnering (POP) is a half-day event where women entrepreneurs, business leaders, corporations and procurement professionals come together to train, network and create matchmaker opportunities to help create and reach procurement and business goals.

Each agenda includes educational resources from thought leadership and subject matter experts and the opportunity to showcase your capabilities statements in a meet the buyer setting or matchmaker sessions.

Dr-Tiffany-ParrDr. Tiffany Parr, President & CEO at Navana Health Agency, is a Public Health Practitioner at the core, Epidemiologist, Healthcare and Business Executive.

She has almost two decades of experience in medical epidemiology, quality improvement, population health, teaching, and developing responses to grants, cooperative agreements, and RFPs for local agencies and health management organizations such as The Georgia Department of Public Health, The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, SciMetrika, CareSource, Kent State University, and The University of Georgia.

Dr. Parr is a nationally recognized Epidemiologist who focuses on improving health outcomes through geospatial intelligence and mixed-methods research, which has improved maternal and child health outcomes for at-risk minorities. Previously, Dr. Parr was the Associate Vice President of Quality Improvement at CareSource, a Managed Care Organization, and Section Chief of the Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Unit at the Georgia Department of Public Health. In her spare time, she serves as an Adjunct Professor at Kent State University, teaching Epidemiology and Health Promotion.

She earned an undergraduate degree in Biology and Chemistry from Xavier University in Louisiana, a Master of Science in Public Health and Tropical Medicine from Tulane University, and a Doctor of Public Health in Epidemiology from The University of Georgia.

Connect with Dr. Parr on LinkedIn.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

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

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here broadcasting live from the GWBC Power of Partnering event at Georgia Power Headquarters. I am so excited to be talking to Dr Tiffany Parr with Navana Health Agency. Welcome.

Tiffany Parr: Thank you. Thank you very much.

Lee Kantor: Tell us about Navana. How are you serving folks?

Tiffany Parr: So Navana was launched March 2023. And so far we basically have two pillars. Our one pillar is that we serve the federal and contracting services much more with the staffing services. Right now we have four contracts, one, some with the Department of Defense with the Army as well as the Air Force. We provide religious education coordinators positions.

Tiffany Parr: And at Navana, we are very, very much in support of making sure that we are wrapping mental health support and spiritual health support around individuals, especially with our military families.

Tiffany Parr: We also have another pillar which is around consulting. We do population health consulting, quality improvement, a lot of strategic planning. We also hire epidemiologists, statisticians, evaluators. So we really have a very narrowed focus. Our goal at Navana Health Agency is to really make sure we have a seamless process with onboarding. We actually onboarded an individual within two days of receiving the award. We are very much of making sure that that is the right person and the right fit for the position.

Tiffany Parr: We don’t just hire and then we’re gone. We make sure that we are taking that individual from onboarding through the process of being successful in that position. So the way that we do that is really making sure that the team’s on best boots on the ground have an opportunity to interview that individual as well.

Lee Kantor: Now, what’s your backstory? How’d you get involved with this line of work?

Tiffany Parr: So I am a medical epidemiologist by training, really – I really focus on the business development side as well. I did a lot of proposals with business development teams, and I found just a passion for making sure that organizations have the right person and the right people in the industry.

Tiffany Parr: I also serve as a consultant for strategic planning and quality improvement and most importantly, population health. So population health kind of includes the physical health, the behavioral health, the oral health and really bringing into that spiritual health as well. So I wanted to take a leap of faith.

Tiffany Parr: One thing I knew I had was grit. And I was very, very motivated as a corporate individual. First, I served at the Georgia Department of Public Health and then with care management organizations that executive leadership level. And then I said, you know what? Let me take a chance on myself. Let me go ahead and put this work in and see when I wake up at 3 a.m., can I do it for my own business?

Tiffany Parr: Now, what’s kind of my daughter, who’s eight years old, actually saw me doing that, and now she’s a published author at eight years old for two books, and then started her own company where she said, “Mom, I think I want to design some merch.” And I said, “Oh, okay.” So, you know, I tried to not just – I tried to be an example for others. And that’s where I’ve gotten into this.

Lee Kantor: Now, any advice for corporations when it comes to finding that right fit candidate? Like, what are some do’s and don’ts that you’ve kind of learned over the years?

Tiffany Parr: First, the do’s is to find the right coach. I have a coach for everything. Did that person – does that person have the outcome that I want to to to achieve? First and foremost. And do they have the strategy for it and do they – do we have a personality match?

Tiffany Parr: I find that – that’s been my key of making sure that I have the proper coach, as well as making sure that first year your business has the foundation that’s needed. The accountant that’s needed. The business transactions. Do you have a capability statement? What is your passion? And what I always truly love to do is how am I providing service to the community, because that’s what’s going to get you up. Yes, the money may be there, but if it’s not led by service, it’s going to be very hard.

Lee Kantor: Right. If there’s not a good why behind it, it’s hard to get fired up every day, right?

Tiffany Parr: Exactly, exactly. So that’s what I would also say if you – what I also like doing was going for. If you’re interested in federal government contracts, don’t go necessarily after the the big contracts such as the 15 million, 20 million unless you’re getting in there. I know that money sounds great, but you want to make sure that you can also fund that contract if you get it, because the government may not pay you as soon as you get that award. Therefore, you need to pay yourself.

Tiffany Parr: Navana Health Agency is 100% owned by a woman, myself, by minority owned, and we do not have investors or anything. This is fully funded through myself. And so making sure that any profit that you do have, you’re able to put it back into your company. Don’t go into there thinking that you’re just going to supplement your salary.

Lee Kantor: It’s not an ATM machine.

Tiffany Parr: Exactly. And I think we’re in that generation right now with that quick money. I just want to get that quick money real quick. And you see a lot of individuals on YouTube really thinking that federal governments and staffing and doing product and service will get you that fast money, when really you need to build your foundation first in your business and having the core individuals of that’s already done it in your circle is extremely important.

Tiffany Parr: What I’ve learned, even more importantly, is to ask the questions. Ask the questions. No question is basically unheard of unless you don’t ask it. A closed mouth doesn’t get fed.

Lee Kantor: Right. Now, why was it important for you to become part of the GW BBQ community?

Tiffany Parr: Well, I definitely wanted to make sure that I was certified as a woman-owned business, and I knew that this was a community that is a where basically empowered-women empower women. And I wanted to make sure that I was part of that movement.

Lee Kantor: And for your prospective clients, what is the pain they’re having where Navana is the right fit?

Tiffany Parr: So if you are having pain on finding that right individual that is right for your organization, the cultural fit that you’re looking for someone that is going to stay there for years and not leave, we are the company for you. If you are looking to better understand your community and you need a community survey, we are the company for you.

Tiffany Parr: What about population health? Do you have the effective interventions in place to truly move the needle with health outcomes such as maternal mortality, infant mortality, behavioral health issues? If you need a strategy and a strategic plan that is developed and that can work with your organization to develop this strategic plan and execute it. We are the company for you, and we want to be able to serve you because we first start with transparency, honesty, and most of all, we will be that organization that’s worth waking up at 2 or 3 a.m. for you if you’re a morning person.

Tiffany Parr: If you’re an evening person, I might have to send another staff. I’m more of a morning person, not an 11 p.m. person. But we are that organization that will put your needs first. And most importantly, listen and not speak all the time and just listen.

Lee Kantor: So if somebody wants to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on the team, what’s the website? What’s the best way to connect?

Tiffany Parr: Right. Please connect with me at www.navanahealthagency.com. Or you can also look for me at LinkedIn as Dr. Tiffany Parr. And we will definitely be able to get in contact with you. Please go to the website. Thank you so much.

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

Tiffany Parr: Well, thank you so much. Now this is my certification and media relations.

Lee Kantor: All right. Well, this is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you back at the GWBC Power of Partnering event.

 

Jamilah Robinson with Missing Pieces

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Houston Business Radio
Jamilah Robinson with Missing Pieces
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jamilah-robinsonJamilah Robinson, a Dallas native, moved to Houston after marrying her college sweetheart. Initially struggling to find her career path, she invested in herself and became an entrepreneur.

Passionate about her faith and helping others, she assists business clients with their online presence, supports ministries at her church, and adds value to others’ lives while sharing God’s message. After experiencing two miscarriages in 2018, Jamilah founded Missing Pieces to support women who’ve faced similar losses.

In 2020, she and her husband welcomed their rainbow baby, Lacy Olivia. Jamilah also owns J Robinson Digital Media Services, providing content creation for small businesses and non-profits.

With an undergraduate degree from Texas Tech and an MBA from the University of Dallas, she values life experiences and meaningful conversations. Despite her busy schedule, she enjoys reading, running, watching sports, and spending time with her family.

Jamilah’s organization provides support for those experiencing pregnancy loss and has expanded to include men’s support groups. The conversation also covered upcoming events to raise awareness for pregnancy and infant loss.

Life After Loss 5K Event Page

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Houston, Texas. It’s time for Houston Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Trisha Stetzel: Hello, Houston. Trisha Stetzel here bringing you another episode of Houston Business Radio Serving the Community. Series. I am very excited to have a guest back on the show. We spoke just about a year ago, and she’s got a lot going on with her organization. I’d love to introduce you to Jamilahh Robinson, who is the founder, one of the founders of Missing Pieces Support Group. Jamilahj, welcome to the show.

Jamilah Robinson: Thank you, Tricia, for having me back. And I can’t believe it’s already been a year. But you know, time flies. That’s right. Having fun?

Trisha Stetzel: Absolutely. Well, in October is a very special month for your organization. So first I would love for you to introduce yourself. Tell us a little bit about you and then how you got involved in the organization and where this organization is going this year, because you’ve got some really exciting events coming up.

Jamilah Robinson: Sure. Thanks. Um, so about me, I have a family. Uh, I married my college sweetheart, uh, almost 14 years ago. As of two days from now. And, um, we have a ten year old son and a four year old daughter. In between those two wonderful, adorable kids, I experienced a recurrent miscarriage back in 2018. Um, at that time, I was an entrepreneur. Still am an entrepreneur, uh, that owns a marketing firm that now specializes in helping nonprofits after becoming a nonprofit leader. And, um, When it happened the first time, it was very traumatic. Like I’d heard of miscarriage, but nobody really knows what it is. And until you go through it. Um, so my experience was traumatic because, you know, not only after you hear your baby no longer has a heartbeat, you have to figure out what to do next. But, um, I had to be rushed to the emergency room because of so much fluid loss. And so, um, you know, I tried to process those emotions, but then I put my head back down and went to work. Uh, several months later, though, we found ourselves pregnant again, and, uh, at seven weeks, lost that pregnancy. Uh, that second pregnancy spiraled me into depression.

Jamilah Robinson: Tricia. And, um, you know, there was nothing really, uh, tangible that was able to to help me, uh, from a mindset Set experience. Um, I was just down and disappointed and, uh, felt helpless. Um, fortunately, I was able to connect with the pregnancy loss support group resource through Bo’s Place. They are local here in Houston, Texas near NRG, and they support all types of grief. Um, but I’m so thankful that they had one specifically for pregnancy loss because in that support group, I was able to find a safe space with other women who had gone through something similar to to my pregnancy loss experience. And we found so much commonality in our stories that it created this unique and quick bond where we were able to just be transparent and share without people stepping on our feelings or feeling triggered because, um, you know, people that go through this or don’t encounter pregnancy loss. Um, often, sometimes say things that could could cause someone who is going through it to spiral. So, um, fast forward a year from that seven week experience, it’s still meeting with those several of those ladies in the support group that I had met because we were friends now.

Jamilah Robinson: And, you know, we watched each other get pregnant again and watched each other’s kids grow all of the things. And I reached back out and said, hey, I want to, um, do something to support this, um, community we found ourselves in because of pregnancy loss. Um, we were all very aware of how little and scarce resources there were, uh, to help with, uh, with grief and, um, life after suffering a loss like this. And, um, so that that resonated with several of the ladies, um, and two of them said yes to the opportunity. And then I connected with the third, um, of our founding members, um, through, um, my church, who I knew had had a stillbirth. And she was in the very late stages of her pregnancy, about to have a baby shower. And, um, they lost the baby. Um, and she said yes to the call as well. So back in 2021, we were able to connect with a nonprofit attorney who helped us, filed the right paperwork to become a nonprofit. Uh, and we work with the name Missing Pieces Support Group, uh, because there is a small missing piece when when you go through a loss like this.

Trisha Stetzel: That’s beautiful.

Jamilah Robinson: And I could I could go on forever. But what what was the other question that you asked or tied to that?

Trisha Stetzel: It’s okay. I appreciate you sharing that story. And it’s so meaningful. And I remember when we had had you on last year, there were so many people that reached out to me that said, thank you for having this show on, and I know that it will touch others, and I appreciate that you built this community or this family of women, and you were able to found Missing Pieces support group, which is out there. And so, by the way, if anyone’s listening and you haven’t, um, and you don’t know Jamilah and you don’t know anything about this particular organization, you can find it online at Missing Pieces Support group.org and look for more information out there. So Jamilah I would like to talk about the events that you have coming up because those are going to be happening in October. And October happens to be a very special month as well. So tell us about that.

Jamilah Robinson: Yes, October is our month for pregnancy loss. Uh, it happens to be pregnancy loss and infant uh, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month. And so we have, um, some community related events to, um, you know, not only bring in those who have encountered pregnancy loss so that they do see visible visual support of those who have gone through it and have navigated that grief journey, but also an event that will bring in, um, supporters of a community that have not gone through it but can empathize and want to show their support. So the first event that we have in October is Sunday, October 13th, uh, at at 6:30 p.m. at Bell Park. We will be hosting a wave of light event. Wave of light is a national holiday that is essentially a candlelight vigil. Uh, it gives those who have encountered pregnancy loss to collectively light a candle in memoriam of that pregnancy loss. And so last year we collaborated with two or partnered with two other charities and the the Baby Loss community, little Angel network and the Harmony Grace Foundation. Um, little Angel network has similar offerings to a support group where they support those encountered pregnancy loss, and then Harmony. Grace Foundation specifically deals with NICU. Um, baby loss experiences. Anyhow, we have decided and committed to doing hosting something like this annually to encourage those who have gone through this loss to come out, connect with our resources.

Jamilah Robinson: Um, learn more about who it is that we are and how we can help them, as well as to honor the the loss that they are grieving. Um, it’s a physical way of expressing, um, you know, the loss and the heartache that you bear. Um, and you’ll be surrounded by those who can, can be there for you, to support you. So, um, we also had an amazing opportunity to partner with the women’s hospital this year who hosted something similar, uh, last year on their site and noticed that one of our apartment charities was doing this, and they said, hey, we don’t want to compete here. We want to join forces so that we can, you know, grow as much community around this opportunity to support those who have gone through this type of loss. So they are a sponsoring partner as well as, um, participating, uh, as a resource to help those who have gone through this loss. So we are excited, um, not only for that partnership, but just the opportunity to make this kind of connection with those that we seek to serve. And that’s going to happen again October 13th at Bell Park, which is in the Montrose area. Uh, starting at 630 that day.

Trisha Stetzel: Perfect. Do, um, do folks who want to participate need to register?

Jamilah Robinson: Yes. They can go to any of our partnering organizations websites. Uh, click on the event and sign up. We would love some free registration around this so that we know how many. Um, we’re this year, we’re doing lanterns that we’re going to release across the waterfront at this park. Uh, so we can know how many of those to to plan for and prepare. It’s just going to be a really unique, elevated experience this year. And we want to draw as much of a crowd as we can for that.

Trisha Stetzel: Fantastic. I will put the links for that in the show notes. So if you’re listening to the show and would like to register, all you have to do is point and click. So you can go and register for that. So Jamilah, you have another big event coming up in October as well.

Jamilah Robinson: Yes. So at the end of the month that last Saturday, October 26th, Missing Pieces Support Group will be hosting our very first five K. And this is to bring um community uh around uh pregnancy loss awareness. So, you know, we’re inviting those who have encountered loss to come out to see and be seen so that, you know, of our resource. We’ll have vendors there that speak to mental health and wellness and other resources that can help you navigate your grief journey. But we are also, um, inviting the running, running community to join us. Um, I’ve been going and attending running clubs to talk about our mission and our cause, and I’ve found so much support around, uh, you know, those in the running community who have experienced this or know someone who is closely experienced it, and it’s just been a beautiful thing to watch. Um, our mission resonates, um, with this, this, this group, um, of, of the running community that we’re reaching out to. But don’t feel like you have to be a professional runner to join us. Like, we’re also encouraging families, moms with strollers. Everybody come, come join us. Come run. Come show your support. And, um, help us bring some spotlight to pregnancy loss awareness because it’s it’s truly a traumatizing suffering in silence type of situation that should not exist in 2024. There are too many people that encounter this for us to not have access to the resources that we need to move forward in a positive manner.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. So tell me when that five K is in October.

Jamilah Robinson: Yes. So the five K is Saturday, October 26th at 8:30 a.m. at McGregor Park. Uh, we have a specific race website set up for this, so I’ll give you that link as well. Tricia. Um, you can find us on runsignup. And there you can, you know, you can sign up to, to run a walk in the five K, you can sign up to volunteer. Um, if you’re a business owner and would like to have a vendor booth, you can register there as well on that site.

Trisha Stetzel: Wonderful. I will absolutely put that in the show notes so that folks can just point and click and get right to that registration site. And that’s for everyone. Everyone who wants to come out and support this, your organization and these women who have gone through pregnancy loss, I would love, I have.

Jamilah Robinson: I’ve got one other thing to mention. I’m so sorry. There is a virtual option to this five K as well. So if you’re not able to join us in person or if you’re in another state, um, beginning October 1st, first through the day of the five K, uh, you have the opportunity to participate with us virtually. You can gather a group of family members or your team from work and go out on a 3.1 mile run or walk of your choosing will send you a virtual five K packet so you can, you know, post your pictures and your experience, uh, along with the hashtags that we will look to find you and share your content online with our community. So, uh, don’t be discouraged if you can’t be in person. We’d love to have you as a virtual connection for our five.

Trisha Stetzel: Oh, what a great idea. I love that, so I will definitely put all of those links in the show notes so that folks can get directly there. Um. Thank you. Tell me how I and you have some amazing events that are going on, whether it’s supporting these women or the community supporting these women. But I know that there are other people in the community. Maybe they can’t make these events and they still want to support your organization. How can they get involved?

Jamilah Robinson: Thank you for asking that question. You know, money is always a need of, um, organizations like us as we’re a nonprofit. But if you want a volunteer opportunity, um, or a way to tie yourself to our organizations, we do now have things that you can, you know, incorporate in your own personal communities to help us. One of the biggest opportunities we have is a care package. Um, becoming a care package, um, Host for a drive where we collect materials for our care packages. So if you know you are a part of a group that wants to support us in that way, we can connect you to our events Coordinator who will help coordinate an on site. Um, care package drive where you can collect the items we need for the care packages, and then also assemble the boxes. Um, to help us in a very meaningful way, because, I mean, we are few in numbers, and I’m usually one of the people that is having to put those care packages together. So, you know, the more hands we have on stuff like that, the better. And it just, um, helps us in such a physical and tangible way. So that’s one of the ways that we’re seeking support from our community. Um, now with our within our mental health and wellness community, uh, there is an opportunity to sponsor the care package materials that we have. Um, and with that sponsorship comes, uh, you know, a label that we place on the materials that you’ve sponsored within the care package. Um, so that, um, those who go through the care package see you as a trusted resource, um, of someone they can reach out to if that’s the specific type of help that they need.

Jamilah Robinson: Um, we will, of course, in exchange for your generous donation of sponsoring materials, um, include in recognize you on our online platforms, website, email marketing. Um, and social media. Um, and wished you as a, as a trusted resource in that space. Um, and then for those um, organizations that encounter, um, pregnancy loss, we are partnering with them to distribute our care packages for a nominal fee of $10 a box. Um, where, you know, you can have these boxes on site when you have to deliver that awful news, and that person doesn’t leave that place empty handed without a next step resource. We, of course, are not expecting someone to go that’s going through this, to go through that box immediately. But you know, when they’re ready, it’s there for them. And they can be be connected to a website not only comforted by the items in the care package, but connected to our website for the additional resources, like our um, support group program, where they can be a part of that experience. Um, and, you know, look at our library directory of resources so you can navigate your own grief journey. You know, support group isn’t the best start for everyone, But we we can show you songs, books, podcasts, uh, therapists, uh, recommendations. Uh, that might be a better fit for where you are in your journey. So. And you shared those are the ways to.

Speaker4: Let’s go ahead.

Trisha Stetzel: Thank you for sharing that. And you shared with me before we started recording today that you you’re actually inviting men into the support groups now as well. So it’s not just specifically for women who have gone through pregnancy loss, but for men as well.

Jamilah Robinson: That’s correct. So, um, right now our current structure is to host virtual and in-person support groups, uh, specifically for women, uh, the, the licensed therapist that we connected with to create that curriculum for women, um, exist. And we have implemented and we are currently in an iteration of our support group that.

Speaker4: Started a.

Jamilah Robinson: Couple of.

Speaker4: Weeks.

Jamilah Robinson: Ago. Those ladies will actually get to be a part of our five K, but we’ve been looking for ways to support men. And as you know, a board of directors of women and, you know, founders who are women. We can’t speak to that name. Um, however, we have been able to connect with someone in the health and wellness space who is a male who’s experienced a stillbirth. Um, from the partner perspective. And, um, he is working with, um, our, our lead, our, our liaison for support group, uh, facilitation doctor Ken Cooper, uh, to create some curriculum for men. And, you know, it, we don’t expect it to look like something that would help a woman. Right? Men connect in different, totally different ways. And, you know, his insight, you know, is a professional in that space as well as being a lost dad is going to be huge for us. And figuring out how to to support men that are going through this, um, because they’re not totally sure about, you know, not only how they’re what they’re going through, but how to support their, their partner and what what best to do. So, you know, it’s it’s a two birds, one stone type of situation with supporting them and then showing them how to support, uh, the partner in their life. So we’re really excited about that.

Trisha Stetzel: Uh, your organization is blossoming, and it’s so amazing to hear how much you’ve grown just since the last time we spoke a year ago. So for anyone who’s interested in the events or learning more about Missing Pieces support group, you can go to Missing Missing pieces. Support group. Dot org. To learn more about the organization or even register for the events that we talked about today, or volunteer to be a part of these care packages that Jamilah was talking about. I really appreciate you being on the show, and I’d also like to highlight that this is not the only thing that you do, and you are such a giver and you support this community of women and men so wonderfully, but you are also an entrepreneur and business owner, so there’s something to be said about that. And running your own business as well as running this amazing organization. So thank you for all of the time and effort and heart that you put into everything that you do.

Speaker4: Oh, Patricia.

Jamilah Robinson: That truly means a lot. Woman to woman and entrepreneur to entrepreneur. Uh, but, you know, as I begin to walk this nonprofit space, I’ve seen God essentially marry my World because I’ve tailored my offering to help and support nonprofits. So whenever I can connect with a nonprofit leader to help elevate, um, our impacts in the community, I can also now help them with their marketing needs. And we’re creating community amongst nonprofits in my for profit business with the quarterly networking meetup, where we invite them to, you know, come out and meet each other, we provide a learning and educational opportunity. And, you know, we give back, uh, to a nonprofit through a social media contest that we run online. So it’s just come full circle for me. And I’m thankful to have made it to this point where I can watch the vision unfold.

Speaker4: Beautiful.

Trisha Stetzel: Thank you so much. Is there anything else that you’d like to share before we close for today?

Speaker4: Uh, no.

Jamilah Robinson: I just want to thank you for this opportunity. Um, looking forward to to meeting someone who resonates with this at, you know, either A5K or a candlelight vigil or is an opportunity to support us through a care package drive. And, um. Yeah. Thank you. Tricia. I really.

Speaker4: Appreciate I’m so glad that.

Trisha Stetzel: You’re on this show with me today. I appreciate it and look forward to getting more people involved and getting the word out about your events and about your organization that does such important work for the community.

Jamilah Robinson: Thank you so much.

Trisha Stetzel: And that’s all the time we have for today’s show. Join us next time for another exciting episode of Houston Business Radio. Until then, stay tuned, stay inspired, and keep thriving in the Houston business community.

 

GWBC POP 2024: Crystal Davis with The Lean Coach Inc.

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GWBC Radio
GWBC POP 2024: Crystal Davis with The Lean Coach Inc.
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The Power of Partnering (POP) is a half-day event where women entrepreneurs, business leaders, corporations and procurement professionals come together to train, network and create matchmaker opportunities to help create and reach procurement and business goals.

Each agenda includes educational resources from thought leadership and subject matter experts and the opportunity to showcase your capabilities statements in a meet the buyer setting or matchmaker sessions.

Crystal-DavisCrystal Davis is CEO of The Lean Coach, Inc. She is an experienced business management consultant with twenty years of experience in the design, development, and implementation of Lean Business System solutions.

She has accumulated extensive domestic and international expertise in the design and implementation of solutions for automotive and healthcare manufacturing, and consumer packaged industries.

Crystal has assisted clients in formulating comprehensive business and logistics strategies and in re-engineering distribution and manufacturing operations to reduce costs, improve customer service and drive revenue.

With Crystal’s vast knowledge and experience she has played integral roles on several enterprise-wide Supply Chain Management projects. Crystal has also trained and coached globally in Operational Excellence at various organizational levels.

As a teacher, coach and speaker, Crystal uses practical techniques, innovative methods, and Socratic teaching to engage, captivate, and add value to those she encounters.

Connect with Crystal on LinkedIn.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for GWBC Radio’s Open For Business. Now, here’s your host.Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here broadcasting live from the GWBC Power of Partnering event at the Georgia Power Headquarters. I’m so excited to be talking to my guest, Crystal Davis with The Lean Coach, Inc. Welcome.Crystal Davis: Thank you. I’m so excited to be here.

Lee Kantor: I am so excited to talk to you about your business. Tell us about The Lean Coach. How are you serving folks?

Crystal Davis: Oh, great question. So, we are serving corporate clients currently looking to expand to govcon in three verticals, project and program management, lean and operations consulting, and leadership development training and coaching.

Lee Kantor: So, what’s your backstory? How did you get involved in this line of work?

Crystal Davis: My backstory is I started doing this work in corporate America for over 20 years in the automotive space, food and beverage, and life sciences, and decided that I wanted to expand and be able to serve on a greater level the work that I was successful at, leading inside of corporations.

Lee Kantor: So, where do you think the opportunity is for you to help corporates maybe get to a new level?

Crystal Davis: Great question. So, there are a couple of key verticals that I think are important now. So, we do a lot of work in the supply chain and manufacturing space, and so there’s still a lot of churn in that space from COVID around just supply chain issues and navigating that. And then, I think the second space that’s most important is workforce development. Workforce development with the advent of all of the online opportunities and businesses, a lot of people looking to exit corporate has created a huge challenge in the skills that will need to be developed as well as the skills that people will need for things like AI, predictive analytics, and so forth and so on.

Lee Kantor: So, what kind of is the pain that these corporates are having where they’re going, “Oh, we got to call Crystal and her team”?

Crystal Davis: The pain is that we can’t seem to go fast enough. And without having the skillset in-house, they’re looking more external for some of the subject matter experts to be able to come in and accelerate the pace of change that’s needed nowadays.

Lee Kantor: Now, what brings you to GWBC? Why was it important for you to become part of this community?

Crystal Davis: Well, one, as a certified woman-owned business, Roz always talks about showing up and being in the room, so I had to be here. And then, the second thing is I think it’s important the topic of today, how do small businesses do business with government contracting. And there’s so many opportunities for us to learn how to navigate that space, which operates very differently than the corporate space, I would say has been my experience, so it’s a challenge and something I want to learn.

Crystal Davis: And then, secondly, I appreciated the panel of government experts that are here locally, from the state, from the surrounding counties and the City of Atlanta to provide insights about how we can do business with them.

Lee Kantor: Now, are you looking at it from a coaching standpoint to get into the government arena to be able to help them maybe become more efficient or take advantage of some opportunities, like you were saying, that maybe they’re not moving fast enough on?

Crystal Davis: Yes, absolutely. That’s, you know, primarily what I’m trying to understand is what are the pain points of our local government areas where I can pitch and offer supports, where we have past experience. And then, the second thing, which was mentioned by the keynote speaker is, where should I be expanding our services, whether that’s through partnering or even through reflecting on my own experience of where I have past experience in corporate, but just may not be aware that that’s a service needed now.

Lee Kantor: Right. And did you learn anything when it comes to navigating kind of the complex web of bureaucracy there is in dealing with the government of just finding that right path through the maze so you can even get in front of the people that you need to get in front of?

Crystal Davis: Absolutely. They shared insights about a lot of programs and events that they put on. And so, going back to the point that I made about Roz saying being in the room, one is I need to do a better job showing up at those spaces and building those relationships. And then, secondly, I think that I will personally say that I find it very daunting, and so they made it seem much more personable and approachable.

Lee Kantor: Well, that’s important. Well, I think you hit the nail on the head in terms of relationships matter, and having the right kind of champion or Sherpa to help you kind of get through the maze can save you a lot of time, energy, and money when it comes to pursuing this type of opportunity.

Crystal Davis: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. And I’ll tell you one other thing I learned today that I have heard, but I haven’t really thought much about. So, in WBENC and also in GWBC, they talk a lot about doing business together. And as the keynote speaker was talking, I thought, “You know what? There are a lot of services that we provide to large corporations that a lot of small business owners in the room could leverage to improve the operations of how they do their business, and I need to be building relationships with them as well.”

Lee Kantor: Well, that’s an important part of the community. I think a lot of WBEs don’t really leverage enough is to partner with other WBEs, and somebody is the primary or the secondary, but together you’re way more powerful and more marketable because now you’re solving more problems for the client. So, yeah, I think that’s a missed opportunity for a lot of WBEs that they’re not leveraging the other WBEs in the room.

Crystal Davis: Yeah. That was so keen.

Lee Kantor: That was an aha, right?

Crystal Davis: That was a real aha moment today, yeah.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. And it’s great that you’re around in the room today in events like this where you’re around a bunch of other people just like you that are like, “Hey. Why don’t we take this on together and be stronger together rather than individually?”

Crystal Davis: Yes, yes, yes. And as a small business owner, you get so busy, sometimes you think, “Oh, do I really need to go there? Is it going to be worth my time?” You know, I’m guilty of it. But I think that just those small little aha moments and the opportunity to be in the room and to network, it definitely could be game changing.

Lee Kantor: It could be game changing, right. And that’s the thing where a lot of the smaller folks that don’t have a team, really, they’re doing the marketing and they’re doing the work, and it’s just hard. You start doing the work and you forget about the marketing, or you’re doing the marketing and you’re not getting the work, and you get frustrated so it’s hard to kind of wear all the hats.

Crystal Davis: Oh, yeah. You just perfectly described our lives. We’re so busy working in the business that we forget to work on the business.

Lee Kantor: Right. And you’ve got to really be mindful about that if you want to get to a new level.

Crystal Davis: Yeah, yeah. So, partnering is key.

Lee Kantor: Good advice. And so, if somebody wants to learn more about The Lean Coach, where should they go?

Crystal Davis: They can go to www.theleancoachinc.com. And then, they can find me in my home on LinkedIn at Crystal Y. Davis.

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

Crystal Davis: Thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: All right. Back in a few at GWBC Power of Partnering event.

TRANSCRIPT

GWBC POP 2024: Lynn Cowart with Talent Dimensions

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GWBC Radio
GWBC POP 2024: Lynn Cowart with Talent Dimensions
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The Power of Partnering (POP) is a half-day event where women entrepreneurs, business leaders, corporations and procurement professionals come together to train, network and create matchmaker opportunities to help create and reach procurement and business goals.

Each agenda includes educational resources from thought leadership and subject matter experts and the opportunity to showcase your capabilities statements in a meet the buyer setting or matchmaker sessions.

Lynn-CowartLynn Cowart’s career spans multiple industries working with senior leaders in support of their long term strategic goals in talent management and learning and development.

Through the lens of retention, engagement and career development, her corporate experience with GE, Martin Marietta and Lockheed Martin has helped propel her clients to consistently achieve operational success through value creation.

In her role as Chief Operations Officer of Talent Dimensions, Lynn is responsible for global delivery and solutions development, along with ensuring organizational excellence for Talent Dimensions and its clients.

Lynn recently co-authored the book, ‘Up is Not the Only Way – Rethinking Career Mobility’ with Bev Kaye and Lindy Williams, challenging leaders and employees to re-imagine what it takes to achieve ultimate career success through a true mobility mindset.

Transcript-iconThis transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

 

TRANSCRIPT

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

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here broadcasting live at the GWBC Power of Partnering event at Georgia Power Headquarters. So excited to be talking to Lynn Cowart with Talent Dimensions. Welcome.

Lynn Cowart: Hey, thank you. Great to be here. Thanks for having me.

Lee Kantor: Well, I am excited to learn about Talent Dimensions. How are you serving folks?

Lynn Cowart: Well, we first serve in a number of different ways. Talent Dimensions is a talent management company and we serve the continuum of engagement, retention, belonging, career development, diversity, equity, and inclusion. So our goal or our vision is to be the company that serves and partners with organizations to help them bring their best and brightest people to work and have their people bring all of themselves to the workplace.

Lee Kantor: So what’s your backstory? Have you always been involved in this line of work?

Lynn Cowart: Pretty much. So, yeah. My corporate background was in GE, human resources, and came – did a number of consulting gigs in the Atlanta area after closing shop in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and have always been in the talent management field in some way, shape or form. And this is the epitome of being able to do our best and highest work.

Lee Kantor: Now, why was it important for you and your firm to get involved with GWBC?

Lynn Cowart: Gosh, this has been a goal of ours. We’ve been in existence for six and a half years as an organization, and this has been a goal of ours for the entire time. It was just a matter of getting to it. It’s a great partnering organization, great networking. We’ve received tremendous support from GWBC as well as with WBENC. And this is – we’re just thrilled to be here.

Lee Kantor: Now, how are you going to kind of attack this kind of an event? This Power Partnering event is so important for the community as well as the organization. So how does an attendee like yourself kind of take advantage of all that’s offered here?

Lynn Cowart: Gosh, that’s a great question. That’s a loaded question. I’m here just to be a sponge. This is actually the first formal event that we’ve attended since we were just certified earlier this year, and I’m just looking to understand more about others, how we can partner with others, but also how we can support each other in this, in this event.

Lee Kantor: Now, in your career, how have you been able to kind of take advantage of education like this here? Are you going for the speakers? Are you going to the networking opportunities with other kind of firms like yours, or looking at it as a business opportunity where, “hey, there’s some corporates here that I might be able to get onto their radar”?

Lynn Cowart: Yes, yes and yes all the way across. Now, we’re looking to just just like I say, partner in any way, shape or form, certainly provide any services that are needed or that would be helpful, ability to speak, hear speakers. You know, the business climate is changing so quickly. The way that we work, how we work, where we work, that it’s really, really important for individuals to keep on top of it and keep ahead of the curve.

Lee Kantor: Now, who is kind of the avatar, the ideal client profile for your firm?

Lynn Cowart: Anybody who’s got people working as their employees.

Lee Kantor: And so they could be in office, remote, it doesn’t matter?

Lynn Cowart: Yeah. Remote, in office. Global. Yeah. We have large clients. I mean, you know, Fortune 100 companies as well as smaller companies that are less than 500 people. But they’re just looking to strengthen their highest resource, which is their people, in ways that they hadn’t thought about before. So we offer creative ideas.

Lee Kantor: Now, any advice for the candidates out there? How do they kind of rise above the, you know, the masses? How do they kind of distinguish themselves when they’re looking?

Lynn Cowart: That’s a great – that’s a great question, too. I think it’s just being curious. I think the big word is being curious, understand more about who you’re talking to, what the need is and most specifically, how you can fill the need based on your experience. It’s not so much jobs or skill sets, but your experiences. It’s all about experiential base.

Lee Kantor: Now, is LinkedIn, is that a must have kind of resource or is it a nice to have resource?

Lynn Cowart: It’s a must have. Yeah. Just to keep on top of what’s going on in the industry to read the daily postings, understand who’s who in the community, and most importantly, show, you know, show the – or show the world what you have to offer to by virtue of thought leadership, content, solutions, things like that.

Lee Kantor: So that’s something that if you’re a candidate and you’re looking, you should be kind of investing some time on creating thought leadership things and posting things so that you can be found by people like you.

Lynn Cowart: Yes, exactly. And really show your interest in and, again, it goes back to curiosity. Right? Going back and understanding what’s – what the others are looking for and how you could really do your research to be more present in the organization, present in the conversation.

Lee Kantor: So if somebody wanted to connect with you and have more substantive conversation, what’s the website? What’s the best way to connect?

Lynn Cowart: Probably a couple of different ways. Talent – and talent-dimensions.com is our website. My personal email is lynn.cowart, C-O-W-A-R-T, @talent-dimensions.com. LinkedIn. You know, Lynn dot Cowart or Lynn Cowart would be a way or Talent Dimensions website. A LinkedIn post is a place to go as well. We’re constantly posting things. We’ve got a great webinar coming up tomorrow about choosing respect in the workplace. So if anybody would like to join that, you can find that on LinkedIn and our Talent Dimension space.

Lee Kantor: And then if there’s a potential client out there, that’s a way to kind of ease into a relationship with you. Maybe, have you host a lunch and learn or some sort of a webinar or something along those lines?

Lynn Cowart: Absolutely. We’d love to hear more about what’s going on in the community and use our marketing database to provide webinars that kind of shed some light on what’s going on in the community.

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

Lynn Cowart: Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll be back in a few at GWBC’s Power of Partnering event.

 

BRX Stories – Creating Serendipity

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BRX Pro Tips
BRX Stories - Creating Serendipity
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BRX Stories – Creating Serendipity

Stone Payton: Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, you’ve observed and I have seen it time and time again in the studio these serendipitous moments. Speak to that a little bit.

Lee Kantor: Part of our methodology, and especially pre-pandemic, this was really the only way we did business, was in a studio, we would invite two or three people to come on a show. Each person would have their own segment, and they would kind of tell the story. We would interview them and we would get them to just talk about their backstory, how they got into what they’re doing, what makes them special and unique, how do they serve people, all that good stuff. So, we were doing that in every episode we did, for every show we did over and over again.

Lee Kantor: And one of my favorite stories about serendipity, what we would find by doing this activity is you would find that, “Oh, this person used to work for this company,” and you’re like, “Oh, my wife used to work for that company. Do you know this person?” And then, you would have those kind of moments would happen more frequently than maybe a lay person or person in the industry would think. But kind of the world is small and these kind of weird connections would happen regularly.

Lee Kantor: But my favorite weird connection that happened involved two college mascots. We were doing the Atlanta Business Radio Show, and one of the guests was the inventor of this kind of party bus called the Fur Bus. And he comes on, he’s talking about the Fur Bus, and he’s like, it’s covered in fur and it’s a party bus you rent for proms and weddings, and things like bachelor parties, bachelorette parties.

Lee Kantor: And he was telling his backstory is that he was a zoology major at Auburn University and he was the Auburn Tiger mascot. And we’re like, “Oh, that’s hilarious. Wow. I’ve never met a college mascot.” So, we’re going around the room and he tells us that and we’re like, “Oh, that’s interesting.” So, the next person comes, they do their interview.

Lee Kantor: And then, finally, the final person comes, and this guy is a guy that’s an older guy and is probably at the time in his 60s. And he used to sell insurance, but now he is kind of a net-weaving guy. That’s his background. He does this program called Net-Weaving, which is all about networking and things like that and how to do it right and elegantly.

Lee Kantor: And I never knew this about him. I’ve known him for many years. And he goes, “You’re never going to believe this, but I went to University of Colorado and our mascot is the Colorado Buffalo, and I was the Colorado Buffalo.” So, there we have it in this one episode with three guests, two of them were college mascots.

Lee Kantor: Now, what are the odds? I mean, I had never met a mascot ever. And here, I was meeting two of them at the same time.

Lee Kantor: Now, I just talked to this guy a few weeks ago. He came on another show and he brought up, he was like, “Remember when I was on and the other college mascot was on?” Like, this is a memory for him that’s still around ten years later, and I’m sure it is for the Fur Bus guy, where two college mascots, they weren’t coming on as college mascots, they were coming on for some other reason, but they were both college mascots on the same episode at the same time.

Lee Kantor: That, to me, is just serendipitous. And this happens on a regular basis. These moments of serendipity happen when you bring a group of people together and ask them questions about themselves in a relaxed, safe environment where they can kind of let their hair down and talk about what’s important to them. You’re going to uncover kind of weird threads and connections amongst your guests in ways that you couldn’t imagine or script in a million years. And that is one of my favorite parts about doing the work that we do, and I think it’s one of the most valuable things we bring to the table when we’re helping our clients serve the people that are most important to them.

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