Sheryl Marrero Archives - Business RadioX ®

Mentor and Mentee Pt. 2

April 19, 2022 by John Ray

Inspiring Women PodCast with Betty Collins

Mentor and Mentee Pt. 2

00:00 /

Mentor and Mentee Pt. 2 (Inspiring Women, Episode 45)

In this episode of Inspiring Women, Merry Korn and Sheryl Marrero continue the story of their mentor-mentee relationship, which began through the Women’s Small Business Accelerator.

The host of Inspiring Women is Betty Collins and the show is presented by Brady Ware & Company.

Betty’s Show Notes

In our previous episode, Merry Korn and Sheryl Marrero talked about their journey as a mentor and a mentee.

Merry is the owner of Pearl Interactive Network, Inc., and Sheryl is the President of SavKon Construction.

Sheryl, as the mentee, was in really, really bad shape as a business owner and reached out and said, I need a mentor. And she met Merry Korn, who’s a very successful businesswoman. She has used common sense practices, good advisors, all that kind of stuff. But Merry was not in Sheryl’s industry. Merry was a little intimidated by it, but she became a great mentor because business is business.

The key thing about their relationship that made it successful from the beginning, there was a connection. They had a great connection to the point that Sheryl, who didn’t know Merry, could be transparent, be open, and then she could actually listen and as she says, “be obedient” to and accountable to what Merry was telling her. Those were key elements of a good mentor relationship.

They also didn’t put a timetable on the relationship. They are still going strong. It’s not just about getting together. It’s not just getting coffee together. It’s just not talking. It’s about developing success. And in the case of Sheryl and Merry, Sheryl really became a completely different person as a business owner and a person. And Merry really loved the mentor role and was energized by being there with her. And there will probably be, I would say, business friends and lifetime friends.

This is why Sheryl thinks the mentoring was so impactful.

It was impactful because it actually pushed me to believe in myself. It was like it unleashed my potential that I didn’t even recognize.

We find out what Sheryl was hoping in the beginning that the mentoring would accomplish.

In the beginning, I was just hoping to break even because I was in a different mindset at the time. So initially I was thinking, if I can just break even, I’ll walk away and be done with business. But after being in the program, that changed it. I mean, it just changed everything and it just ended up being so much more.

And what did Merry want the mentoring relationship to accomplish?

One of the things I always said to Sheryl is, Sheryl, whatever happens between us, I know you’re going to be successful. And my big ask is to pay it forward. Her success as a minority woman business owner is she’s literally one in a million. It’s that rare. So my big ask of Sheryl is to pass it forward.

This is THE podcast that advances women toward economic, social, and political achievement. Hosted by Betty Collins, CPA, and Director at Brady Ware and Company. Betty also serves as the Committee Chair for Empowering Women, and Director of the Brady Ware Women Initiative. Each episode is presented by Brady Ware and Company, committed to empowering women to go their distance in the workplace and at home.

For more information, go to the Resources page at Brady Ware and Company.

Remember to follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. And forward our podcast along to other Inspiring Women in your life.

TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] Betty
Has anyone ever inspired you to change your life that made you more fulfilled? Well, as a leader in your business and in your community, what are those questions that you ask yourself on a daily basis? It’s these questions that we explore on inspiring women. I am your host, Betty Collins, and I’m a certified public accountant, a business owner and a community leader who partners with others who want to achieve remarkable results for themselves and their organizations. I am here to help inspire you to a positive step forward for a better life. So today we’re in part two of a podcast on mentoring, whether you’re the mentor or the mentee. And in our previous episode, which you should listen to, by the way, Merry Korn and Sheryl Marrero talked about their journey as mentor and mentee. And Sheryl was the mentee and she was in really, really bad shape as a business owner and reached out and said, I need a mentor. And she met Merry Korn, who’s a very successful businesswoman, who has used common sense practices, good advisors, all that kind of stuff. And she was not in her industry. She was a little intimidated by it, but she became a great mentor because business is business. The key things about their relationship that made it successful was this from the beginning, there was a connection. They had a great connection to the point that Sheryl, who didn’t know Merry, could be transparent, be open, and then she could actually listen and as she says, be obedient in and accountable to what Merry was telling her. Those were key elements of a good mentor relationship. They also didn’t put a timetable on the relationship. They are still going along as this has played out.
Other successful things about mentoring is that you see progress. In some manner.

[00:02:08] Betty
It’s not just getting together. It’s not just coffee. It’s just not talking. You’re seeing success. And in the case of Sheryl and Merry, Sheryl really became a completely different person as a business owner and a person. And Merry really loved and was energized by being there with her. And there will probably be, I would say, business friends and lifetime, lifetime friends the way the way they are. What generally doesn’t work well, though, in mentoring is if there is no connection from the beginning, if there is even a bit of tension or. You just can’t really let your guard down. You know, that’s not the mentor for your life. You know, that’s not going to get you through it if you start off anyways with that relationship and nothing progresses and everything they try to mentor you on is going against the entire grain of what you wanted to get out of this. You’ve got the wrong mentor, so knowing how to be a mentor and identifying things in your mentee are really important from the beginning. The connection is really important. In the case of Merry and Sheryl, there was Sheryl who had a lot of hard work to do, was willing to be the student. That’s the key. And and then in the whole mentoring episode that we have, everyone needs to play the role. Whether you’re the mentee or the mentor throughout your entire business career, people around you need you and you need them. So we’re going to talk a little bit more today about Sheryl, the mentee, and Merry, the mentor. Let’s take a shift and go and talk about the mentoring piece. I’m going to talk to Sheryl a little bit first and then we’ll talk with Merry. But why do you think the mentoring was so impactful, this program?

[00:04:11] Cheryl
I think it was impactful because it actually pushed me to believe in myself. I had different abilities. I didn’t know that I had because I almost gave up. But the mentoring program, it was impactful because. It was like it unleashed. Like. I guess my some of my potential that I didn’t even recognize. And and just seeing small wins at the time, I think that was the the key that I needed to keep going.

[00:04:55] Betty
Those milestones are awesome. When you can and you see it, then you’re like, okay, what’s the next milestone? Instead of I’ve got this big cloud, it’s like, I’m on my next milestone, right? What were you hoping in the beginning that that the mentoring would accomplish?

[00:05:11] Cheryl
In the beginning, I was just hoping to break even because I was in a different mindset at the time. So initially I was thinking, if I can just break even, I’ll walk away and be done with business. But after being in the program, that changed it. I mean, it just changed everything and it just ended up being so much more. I just got more involved with Get Well Planned. I was able to push myself, become more confident, like Merry said, and then it all just came together for me as we continued on the program.

[00:05:55] Betty
Well, how long did it take you to see impact? I mean I mean, how long were you in in the journey? I mean, it’s been a couple of years now, but when was that first impact that you saw?

[00:06:06] Cheryl
I believe the first impact, I would say, was the first six months I recognized that I was headed in the right direction, even though, you know, six months just wasn’t enough to help me get to where I am today. Because at that point, that’s when I went back to the SBA and I had asked them if they would be willing for me to continue like six month program and extend it six months within six month increments. So I recognized a difference within the first six months, but it just ended up being two years.

[00:06:47] Betty
And probably now you just want to be together. That’s all good. But you know, you had results. Obviously a paying down a lot of debt, but what other results did you see that that we haven’t kind of talked about?

[00:06:59] Cheryl
Okay. So some of the other things I think that was very helpful for me, paying down the debt was one of them. That was the biggest issue that I had, but also just starting from scratch. I didn’t have what I would consider a good foundation for my business. I mean, although I had QuickBooks, but we were doing it internally. And I learned, just like you mentioned earlier, Betty, like having the right professionals in your corner. So we had QuickBooks, but we were doing it internally. And so there was no one internally who. Who would be considered an expert. So that’s when I met Kathy, who’s a professional in QuickBooks. So I ended up surrounding myself with professional people who could help me with the foundation of my business. And by doing that, it seemed like it had a ripple effect. So now I have bigger lines with better interest rates. Now my banker, if they ask for anything, I can provide it with a click of a button for certain reports. And now I’m getting notified by my banker saying, Hey, we got this good promotion for business owners. Here you go. So it was just one thing after another. So I’m in a very good place, credit wise, for the business. I’m also what most people say bankable. I’m bankable, but I’m just very careful. Yes. Linda Boyle. So I’m Linda Boyle. And. It’s just been good. I mean, those are some of the things I can think of off the top, you know, having a CPA, you know, as a resource. He works well with Cathy and, you know, just the team together know, they just help me with certain expenses and and a smarter way of spending for the business and things like that. So it’s help all the way around and it’s like it came back full circle, you know, from the financial piece of it.

[00:09:19] Betty
Well, when I hear you talk about being the mentee, I really I really kind of summarize it in this way. It sounds like being in in this I’m going to call it not a program, but a journey of these last couple of years. It’s redefined you as a businesswoman. And I think that’s just key for other people to hear, because now you can be a different business woman going forward as you get to keep seizing the opportunities and the dream of that because you have a lot of passion about it. So I’m going to switch over to the mentor, which of course, is is Merry. And, you know, first of all, how were you guys matched? You did talk a little bit about that and you talk a little bit about I didn’t know anything about construction, but talk a little bit more about so other people who think they can’t be a mentor because they don’t know construction, how can that work? How can you be matched with someone?

[00:10:19] Merry
Sheryl, could you take a stab at that first? Because I don’t know quite how they decided we should be together, but what is your perception?

[00:10:32] Cheryl
I think my perception of it, I know initially it was probably thought I would end up being matched with the other construction person there, but I believe they took the time to review my story, you know, where I was. And I believe and no one said this, but this is just my belief. I believe they knew that I needed support. You know how to start a business from scratch pretty much, and to get on a financially healthy plan. And I believe they probably looked at Merry’s background or what she had done with her business. She I’m pretty confident that she had to grow it to get to where she is today. And so I think she had the proper skills and characteristics to know the basics of a business, just maybe not the specialty. Right. And I think I had the specialty when it came to the construction, but I was missing everything she had, although it wasn’t with construction, but I was missing everything that she had from a business standpoint on how to make it successful. And like she said, I had the number like the revenue coming in the top line, but the bottom line just wasn’t there. And I think she probably has a special skill on how to make it work for your bottom line to be profitable.
Probably more than she knows. And I think that’s probably why they agreed to allow us to. Well.

[00:12:19] Betty
I think when we’re word we’re talking to the audience about becoming a mentor, don’t get wrapped up in. I can only mentor this industry. Right. Because what techniques really did you kind of use, Merry, in helping her? It was just business, common sense. But I mean, what did you you know, what were some of those things that you saw and maybe advised the audience on? Don’t be intimidated by industry. Help help your peer, help your other woman.

[00:12:48] Merry
So I feel like the collaboration we had, I had the success of it. I attribute to Sheryl’s. And I said this at that dinner you were at Betty, she has resilience because there are so many people who dream of having businesses and then they stumble and they fall and they don’t pick themselves up again. So a big part of it was Sheryl’s dream was so visual and so visceral, so it was starting with her passion. And I knew she wanted it so much. So the student was so open. So the first place we started was numbers, numbers, numbers. What are we going to do to pay back your debt? What are we going to do to build this business? And how are we going to more intelligently pick business that has both bottom and top line viable revenues? And by the way, to Sheryl’s credit, she did all this fixing and wellness plan. Well, she was working full time, and I thought that was just remarkable.

[00:14:07] Betty
So really, the technique you saw, the resilience you saw the characteristics and you took your common sense and applied it right. And so the mentor mentee relationship works when those things are there, right? Because if she didn’t have the resilience and it would have been the same conversation over and over then, right? It would have been. I’m kind of done mentoring because you’re but I like your whole thing that the student the teacher will come when the student is ready. Is that how you what do you feel, though, as the mentor that you learned from Sheryl? Because you’re very successful. You’ve been there, you’ve done that, you’ve had your rollercoaster ride. You’re probably still going to have some. What did you learn from her?

[00:14:51] Merry
So Bernie Brown has written all these books on being vulnerable.

[00:14:55] Betty
Yeah.

[00:14:55] Merry
And a lot of people have a very hard time being vulnerable, but it’s actually a gift because if you’re honest with someone else about, I need help, can you support me? And Sheryl was so is that honesty? I don’t know about you. Sure, but I just liked you. And I felt myself caring about you. And that I think that in any relationship, whether it be therapist and patient or doctor and patient, mentor and mentee, you have to have that rapport and you have to have that trust and relationship. And if you have that, anything can happen.

[00:15:34] Betty
Yeah. So as the mentor, I think you’ve gotten out of this just as much in some ways as Sheryl, because you talk about her so passionately. What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in Sheryl since you guys started the journey together?

[00:15:52] Merry
The biggest was, I mean, I wish I could describe for you that luncheon we met at a luncheon some someplace downtown. It was some venue. And I just saw this very frail, scared, timid, very soft spoken, unsure woman. And you can see in front of you, Betty, I mean, I don’t know if you’re podcast, I don’t know if you could send this visual to podcasters, but she’s just like blossoming into this beautiful, confident woman who can’t be broken because she’s grown so much faith and strength.

[00:16:36] Betty
It’s huge. I mean, what I want, what I want women to take from this today is that this relationship can work in your own life. And if you’re at and it doesn’t matter what stage you are, because I mean, I’ve done this since I was since 1988, done this a long time. I’m 58 years old and I still look for the mentor. But I also know that I have a responsibility to be the mentor and not just be the mentee. Right. What I want to end today with Sheryl is tell the audience, be the mentee, you know, but tell them what what you’re. Let me I’m going to start that over. So I want to end today is Sheryl you’re the mentee and and Merry, you’re the mentor. Give that audience that last tidbit on being the mentee and being the mentor, and don’t be afraid of being both. So, Sheryl, that’s a I’ll put you up first. Sorry for the pressure.

[00:17:45] Cheryl
Okay. So I would say as the mentee. The key would be obedience. Just obedience and. There’s a reason you’re learning or there’s a reason you’re going through the journey, and you should apply that to help someone who or another entrepreneur or someone else who has not made it to the point where you are when it’s time for you to be the mentor. So there was a couple of things I would advise people at their mentee just be obedient and also take notes from your mentor. Because I know for me, just from watching Merry and my experience with Merry as my mentor, I cannot wait to be someone else’s mentor. I love that.

[00:18:43] Betty
Nice Merry Corn, the mentor. What would be the thoughts you would want to leave with the audience today?

[00:18:53] Merry
Well, one of the things I always said to Sheryl is, Sheryl, whatever happens between us, I know you’re going to be successful. And my big ask is pay it forward. Because what Sheryl hasn’t shared is that when we had that dinner at the Women’s Small Business, I did research to try to understand how many black women are in construction and the number is so small, I couldn’t find the number anywhere. But the granular statistics I did is even in male owned construction businesses very close to the average male construction company, was it 50% of the top line revenues of Sheryl’s numbers? So her success as a minority woman business owner is she’s literally one in a million. It’s that rare. So my big ask of Sheryl is pass it forward. And then on another SBA project, we hired a group of graduate students to share with us what do women need for success? And they need mentors. They need mentors because it’s lonely. And as far as women have come in business, yeah, they’ve come real far, but oh my God, they have a much further way to go for the listeners. Find a mentor. And if you don’t need a mentor, become a mentor, right? And as a mentor, always start with where your mentee is. Begin with where they are, not where you think they should be.

[00:20:45] Betty
Very, very good. Ladies, I always love to go through this and I improvise, as, you know, with my questions and my where we navigated today. But because you’re both so passionate and you’ve been on this, it was just a great information for the audience and to encourage other women. But I’m going to leave with this because I really think people who who are thinking about mentoring or being a mentee or both or whatever. Women in business. Women who lead. Be kind to yourself regardless. And we need to do that more. And that that’s just so part of this journey and time. I know for me, I have informal mentoring relationships, formal relationships. And we as women need to be giving back and doing. We’ve just experienced a really tough time period that has affected women greatly, whether it’s about day care issues, having to leave workforce, all of it industries you’re in. So get out there and help your peer, help that other woman. And there’s so many ways to do it. I can’t help but plug the SBA Women’s Small Business Accelerator out of Columbus, Ohio. Phenomenal organization to be a part of. And these these ladies have been totally effective by that. So thank you again for your time today. I know you’re very busy and but my audience, I know, appreciates that you were with us today. So thank you. Inspiring Women has been presented by Brady and Company. As your career advancements continue, your financial opportunities will continue to grow. Be prepared. Visit Brady Care.com to find out more about the accounting services that can assist you to that next level. All this, plus more about the podcast can be found in the show notes for this episode. Thank you so much for tuning in. Feel free to share this show or give us a review. Remember, inspiration is powerful. Whose life will you be changing?

Automated transcription by Sonix www.sonix.ai

Mentor and Mentee Pt. 1

April 12, 2022 by John Ray

Inspiring Women PodCast with Betty Collins

Mentor and Mentee Pt. 1

00:00 /

Mentor and Mentee Pt. 1 (Inspiring Women, Episode 44)

In this episode of Inspiring Women, Merry Korn and Sheryl Marrero share the story of how they came together in a mentor-mentee relationship through the Women’s Small Business Accelerator. The host of Inspiring Women is Betty Collins and the show is presented by Brady Ware & Company.

Betty’s Show Notes

I have two women who completely inspired me at an event that I attended for the Women’s Small Business Accelerator. The WSBA has a gala every fall, and Brady Ware & Company is a big supporter of that organization.

Merry Korn and Sheryl Marrero told their story of how they came together. They started out together as mentor-mentee through a six-month program with the WSBA. As women business owners, we need to be inspired by other women business owners. So I really want them to tell a little bit about their journey together. And then we’re going to talk about mentoring, being a mentor or a mentee.

Merry is the owner of Pearl Interactive Network, Inc., and Sheryl is the President of SavKon Construction.

We cover a lot of ground in this episode, including how and why Sheryl needed the mentor relationship that Merry had to offer to help her with her business debt.

I was in a large deficit and so I was referred to the Mentor Match program through the WSBA. I ended up at the table with Merry. And although her business was totally different from mine, I instantly felt trust in her. And that was one of the things I had hoped for and prayed for, for a mentor who I could trust.

Find out what made the difference in turning her business around, and more detail about Merry’s Wellness Checkup Plan.

For more information, go to the Resources page at Brady Ware and Company.

Remember to follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. And forward our podcast along to other Inspiring Women in your life.

TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] Betty
So today on inspiring women. I have two women who completely inspired me at an event that I attended for the Women’s Small Business Accelerator. They have a gala every fall, and we’re a big supporter of that organization. I’ll refer to it as the SBA, and these two ladies told their story and how they came together. And it’s Merry Korn and Sheryl Marrero. And they just were so awesome that I said, I’ve got to have this out to women, business owners and women so they can, you know, take their journey if they’re in the same path that these two have been on and utilize the experience of it and come together. So, you know, they started out together as mentor mentee, which is like this six month program with the SBA. Well, that’s a couple of years ago, I think. So they’ve really had a great time with it and really have just done some amazing things. And as women business owners, we need to be inspired by other women business owners. And so I really want them to to tell a little bit about their journey together. And then we’re going to talk about mentoring, being a mentor or a mentee. So first, Merry, I’m going to just start with you. Just a real quick introduction of who you are. I look at you as the Merry Corn in Columbus, Ohio, but maybe just tell us two or 3 minutes at the most of who you are and your company. It can be 30 seconds as well, but go ahead.

[00:01:34] Merry
Yeah. So I am a clinical social worker by background and I love business and our company is a women owned federal contracting call center. We’re a social impact firm in that we always give hiring priority to disabled veterans, veterans, military spouses, people with disabilities, and people living in geographically challenged areas at the number of employees. We have changes by the day, but it’s anywhere from 700 to 1200 employees we have in 27 states.

[00:02:15] Betty
Wow. I would just wrap up that with she’s a mover and shaker. She gets it done and she really is just an inspiration to women in the Columbus, Ohio and beyond area. So thank you again for being here, Merry and Sheryl, if you could just give your 32nd to three minute commercial on who you are and what you do.

[00:02:39] Sheryl
Okay. So my name is Sheryl Marrero, and I am a business owner of a company known as Self Construction. The company has been around since 2010. And what we do, we do renovations for residential and commercial real estate, and it’s always been a passion of mine, although my background was in information technology. But real estate is just been a passion of mine. So that’s what we do, definitely.

[00:03:09] Betty
When when Sheryl told her background of growing up and it’s a great story. So if you’re inspired, maybe you should have a conversation with her and coffee over zoom but she she really loved real estate and construction when she was what six or seven years old wanting to fix her house. So it’s a great story, great background. I wish we had all the time for it, but but these two ladies got together and a lot of times we we go to mentors or find mentors. Sometimes we have them. We don’t even realize it. But because Sheryl really needed some help and she sought that out. And so I want Merry and Sheryl to kind of just share quickly that time that day you met and what you had to face, what you were facing. Sheryl, we’ll start with you. Kind of like I went, sought out a mentor, got connected to Merry. Where were you at that moment in time as a business owner and a person?

[00:04:06] Sheryl
So at that moment in time, I was actually at what I would consider one of my lowest points as an entrepreneur. I was actually thinking that I was going to have to close my doors, things. They just weren’t going as planned or as I had hoped for. I was in a large deficit and so I was referred to the Mentor Match program through the SBA. And initially, what was strange, I initially was at a table with another woman entrepreneur who was in construction, but after we traded tables, I ended up at the table with Merry Korn. And although her business was totally different from mine, I instantly felt trust with her. And that was one of the things I had hoped for and prayed for, for a mentor who I could trust. And just to help me turn my business around to a point where I wanted it to just break even and possibly walk away. But it ended up being so much more than that after we connected and she agreed to be my mentor.

[00:05:23] Betty
Merry, do you remember the day when you heard the story of Sheryl and how you just thought, oh, my gosh. Take us back to that start.

[00:05:33] Merry
I thought, I don’t know anything about construction. She’s not she doesn’t want me because I just I know government contracts, which, by the way, Sheryl knows government contracts. But I was intimidated because I felt incompetent. And I am I don’t know government. I don’t know construction. But I know business.

[00:06:00] Betty
Right? Right. And did you ever see you know, when you heard where she was, did you think, could we get through this challenge? Because you’re a business owner, right?

[00:06:12] Merry
Yeah. Business owners need so much support. It is so hard. And it’s lonely. And it is so lonely. But I was sitting with Melissa. Inger. Is it Ingersoll?

[00:06:27] Betty
Yeah.

[00:06:28] Merry
She was the president of KeyBank. And sure, both of us heard your story, and both of us came to the same conclusion of You just need to get well planned. Because, you know, Sheryl, very few people get beyond 90,000 a year in revenue and you were three, almost three quarters of a million. You came too far to turn away.

[00:07:02] Betty
Right. Right. Well, and so the starting point was a lot of debt lay offs. All of I mean, it was just one big bundle of mess, which, you know, every entrepreneur goes through it. I don’t care who you are. It’s not an easy path. But let’s do one thing. That’s that was the starting moment we met each other. Now, where are you right now, Sheryl? Where are you today?

[00:07:27] Sheryl
Today I am profitable. The deficit is very manageable and I’m in business. My doors are open. And, you know, the biggest thing is I’m out of debt and I’m very happy because I’m doing what I love to do as an entrepreneur, you know, just being passionate about real estate. I feel like I’m back at it. I’m taking it slower and it’s it feels really good. So I’m in a very good place today.

[00:08:01] Merry
By the way.

[00:08:02] Betty
Go ahead, Merry.

[00:08:03] Merry
I’ve just seen Cheryl go through this. She’s not the same person today. When I met Sheryl, she was broken and timid and uncertain. And all I knew is that she had this great heart for the work she did. And Sheryl, I look at you and no one would know you were the same person, because there’s this level of strength and confidence and joy as you’re working on screen with her.

[00:08:37] Betty
She’s she is all confident. She’s all smiles.

[00:08:40] Merry
And so different. Right. So different.

[00:08:43] Betty
Well, that was what I loved about the connection at that gala when you guys were talking about this journey. And I wanted to go back to that starting day of despair, overwhelmed. How am I ever going to do this to There is victory, it’s still work, it’s still a journey. You’re always on a journey as an entrepreneur, right till you sell and you have the check in your hand. But that success is due to a lot of hard work in between that starting day to now. Which which. Merry, what was the time frame of that? Is it about two, two and a half years?

[00:09:18] Merry
Yeah. Nobody told me it was only supposed to be six months.

[00:09:23] Betty
Well, in trying to get rid of that kind of debt, you could never have that. What? The debt that you were in, Cheryl, you could have never done that in six months. It was a process in time, right?

[00:09:33] Merry
It still is a process. Sure.

[00:09:35] Speaker1
Sure. So what I want to talk about and I and I loved this and I’ve done this a long time and I read every book. And I you know, I’m out there with hearing speakers and such, but I never heard the wellness checkup or plan. You always hear you need a business plan. Well, she already had a business. She already had a plan that went amuck. It was now we just need to fix, you know, we need to to to get wellness in business. And I thought that was a great I liked the way that flowed for sure when you guys talked about it. And the plan, of course, was attached to accountability and some mentoring, because obviously Mary took the time to go. I’m going to mentor, I’m going to tell you facts, I’m going to give you direction. And I kind of expect you to do it right. So what I’d love to hear from is just some highlight, Sheryl, from you of why why you have this success in the wellness program. What did you do? What were the things that made the difference for the turnaround? Because women need to hear that they’re listening right now that are where you are.
What were some key things that turned it around for you? And then, Mary, I want you to kind of add to what she’s saying.

[00:10:52] Speaker3
Okay. So for me, I’m the type of person I’ve always been like a hard worker and I’ve always held myself accountable and responsible for things maybe too much versus the average person, I would say. So for me, I was very hard on myself because I couldn’t figure out like, how did I get to that point so fast? And so the first thing I think was key for me was just to surrender. Like I surrendered everything and I put my trust into my mentors guidance. I had to trust her 100%. And although some of the advice that was given or even some of the tasks in the beginning, it seemed kind of foreign to me because it wasn’t the way I was used to operating, but I had to have that trust and I trusted her from day one, and that’s why I thought she would be the best mentor for me. I never had any doubt that if I, you know, open up any financial statements or just anything to her, that I could just really trust her. So giving complete trust to your mentor, although you may not understand the task, but you just go and do it and with trust.

[00:12:15] Speaker3
The second thing I would say for me, it was, you know, I learned this from Mary. Like, don’t be so hard on myself. I was really hard on myself. I had beaten myself up in addition to the deficit that I was facing. So she taught me during the journey, like just something personal, like be kind to yourself and I’ll never forget the words when she told me that. And so once I started looking at myself differently, as, you know, there’s no way you could have known. You know, I wasn’t ever exposed to certain types of resources and things like that. I started to just give myself a break because that’s what I would have done for someone else. So you just have to do it for yourself as well. So I would say trust a trusted mentor, you know, just surrender to it and hold yourself accountable to the task that they give you. You know, you may not understand it, but it’ll all work out.

[00:13:19] Speaker1
Well, it sounds like you had to be pretty transparent with Mary, and that’s a hard thing. Everyone’s like, Oh no, I’m smiling today and I have a perfect Facebook life. You had to be really open and say, Here’s where I’m at. How was that for me?

[00:13:38] Speaker3
I thought it was going to be hard because part of my story was part of my deficit had come. You know, it it turned out because I ended up having employees and people who are very close to me who I couldn’t trust. So I didn’t know how I was going to go about trusting a total stranger. But because I felt like Mary was just God sent, I surrendered and I trusted her. So it was very easy from day one.
Like I said, that was the first thing about her, is why I wanted her to be my mentor, because I felt like an instant trust with her. But it was easy. I was very transparent with her. It was easy for me to just open up everything from my business to my personal life, just everything. And so she was able to just give me the proper coaching and advising that was needed to get me in a better place.

[00:14:42] Speaker1
I hope my audience hears that because that’s so key. So key that you could be trusted. You can trust someone, you can be open and then go, okay, I’m going to surrender this and I’m going to listen. I mean, perfect. So, Mary, tell me about the things in the wellness thing. Like you probably challenged her with things that she wasn’t used to doing, but kind of go back to that time where you were helping her through things to get out of the position she was in.

[00:15:11] Speaker2
So there is an old adage when the student is ready, the teacher comes. And so step number one is Cheryl attained heights in business that she has the God given talent for. But there’s a big difference between top line and bottom line revenue. Yes. And so a big first step is we’ve got to get your finances into account. And we introduced her to a financial advisor who was I think the. Is it okay to mention names?

[00:15:50] Speaker3
Oh, absolutely.

[00:15:52] Speaker2
They weren’t like, Yeah, she was perfect because Cathy is very pro women in business. And I remember I saw Cathy and I said, I really think you could help her. And she did. And Cheryl, you could go into detail about what she did. But so many people get so enamored with the business. And they and Betty, you know this, when it comes to finances, it’s like, oh, it’s a deer in headlights. But the other thing that Sheryl and I worked on is a go, no go. So even though contracts sound really good and wonderful, they could put you under if you don’t have a very thoughtful process. And which contracts are you going to take on and which are you not? So step number one is pay down the debt. And Sheryl has the fortitude of having a really good full time job. So plan number one is pay down the debt. Plan number two was go, no go. Plan A, number three, a really good, solid financial advisors who got deep into the weeds but sure went through a whole lot of heartache with her family and health. And I felt like almost 50% of my being there is just the heartache, just being there and saying, this is a horrible thing that’s going on with the health of all these people you love and the losses you’ve had. But you can do this and you can go on. Don’t give up. Sheryl at least that’s my perception is, well, the financials were incredibly important. It was the belief, the support behind you saying this feels insurmountable, but you’re going to get through it. And sometimes in all of our lives, terrible things happen. But to let you know, sometimes you can’t be there for people who are dying and that you love. And sometimes your personal life has to take precedence because you can’t do it all right. All the time.

[00:18:09] Speaker1
Right. Well. And hopefully, you know, women that are listening to this podcast can take away that there’s there’s plans there steps, but there’s emotions. All of it needs to be dealt with. All of it need. It’s a whole package. And I love the fact that you said you can’t do it all. And women don’t get that. I mean, especially women. I always say you can have it all. You just can’t do it. All right. And those are two different things. So I just wanted to kind of get that background before we dive into being mentors and being the mentor and being the mentee so that they kind of would get an idea of the journey that you guys have gone on together. And I can’t emphasize enough, and probably it’s because I am a professional that I always go, You’re as good as your professionals, but it’s true. And there’s many professionals you have to have in your life when you when you run a business. I mean, some of them are different for other things. But the banker and not the bank, the banker, you know, the financial advisor that understands.

[00:19:17] Speaker2
The accounting, the bookkeeping.

[00:19:20] Speaker1
Right. And you have to understand that, you know, earning money like she had to go back to a job for a while because you’ve got to pay bills. And so it was this whole big balance, which I that’s why I just wanted you guys to encourage people today. There’s ways out. It might not be what you think it is at first, but man, where you are today, Cheryl, you have a lot more options because you chose to do those things that you maybe didn’t want to do. So let’s just take this one step further. Can you guys I mean, because. You were in a pretty, pretty bad place. And I’d love for you to give perspective of the debt you had and that that big, big, big cloud over you so people can understand that you can get out of anything if you put together the things we just talked about.

[00:20:06] Speaker3
So for me, I had well over $200,000 in debt. Like, I was upside down with the business and. Initially I didn’t know how I would be able to pay it off because at the time, you know, I was under with my business. I couldn’t see a way out. And I think. One of the most impactful things from having a mentor. I’m not going to say that it diminished my fear, but it when I was open with Mary about it, I was very I mean, she listened. She understood that I didn’t have a clue how to get rid of that amount of debt that was strictly just from the business. But. She always had words of encouragement as if it was nothing. That’s how I interpreted it. So she was like, Oh, that’s nothing. You can do this. And so. I would walk away or, you know, thinking maybe I’m thinking this is bigger than what it actually is. And so I could take a step back and take a breather and go through the world plan. And then I just started to tackle the debt we mean some of the tasks were to get refinanced and, you know, take out loans and different things of that nature, you know, lower interest rates and just start plugging away at paying it down, you know, as efficiently as possible.

[00:21:50] Speaker3
And just to hear someone else say that, you know, it can be done. When I didn’t have a clue how to get it done. It just, I guess more so confirms that you really have to trust them. You have to trust their advice and trust what they tell you. And it also. Boosted my confidence because as I started to pay things down, then it was like, I can do this. She’s right, I can’t do this. And then the tasks just seemed easier and easier. I mean, they were a lot of tasks, but I was able to accomplish them and, and just it was just one step at a time until I was able to pay it down. And just to give you a perspective like today, I think I’m like closer to $41,000 in debt at this point, but it’s very, very manageable.

[00:22:53] Speaker1
Well, I appreciate Mary and Sheryl sharing so beautifully and being very open and honest with the audience. But this is this is a great time to kind of recap, because we’re going to have part two where we really talk about what it is to be a mentor and what it is to be a mentee and what works and what doesn’t. So make sure you tune in for part two of this podcast. Inspiring Women has been presented by Brady and Company. As your career advancements continue, your financial opportunities will continue to grow. Be prepared. Visit Brady where to find out more about the accounting services that can assist you to that next level. All this, plus more about the podcast can be found in the show notes for this episode. Thank you so much for tuning in. Feel free to share this show or give us a review. Remember, inspiration is powerful. Whose life will you be changing?

Automated transcription by Sonix www.sonix.ai