Fri, 4 August 2017
With the rise of trends like the “gig economy,” more and more professionals are finding room to build side hustles and passion projects to go along with their more traditional 9-to-5 jobs. But when is the right time to transition that side gig into a full-time career? Today’s guest has some stellar advice about how to know if and when your passion project should become your job.
Meet Jessica Lawlor, CEO of Jessica Lawlor and Company. Jessica was working in the corporate PR world when she decided to trust her instincts and leave her job. She launched J.Lo and Co., her own communications agency that focuses on content management, development, public relations, social media strategy, and branding.
In this episode, Jessica shares her own journey to building her dream career and the day-to-day challenges of running a business, plus tips on how a focus on mindfulness made it all possible.
In This Episode
Quotes in This Episode “I think that having multiple passions makes you a better person, a better employee. I personally think it just makes you more well-rounded.” —Jessica Lawlor
“I truly have turned all of my passions into my career… Which sounds like a dream, right? It really does. But, it's something that I've struggled with because, now, I feel like I have no hobbies, and I have no passions. It's great to do all these things that I love on a day-to-day basis, but they still are work. And they're things that then you need to take a break from, from time to time.” —Jessica Lawlor
“It's okay to change and to pivot at any time… That's the beauty of doing this on your own. You don't have to ask permission to make a change.” —Jessica Lawlor
“What I want people to know about being a millennial business owner, and my fellow millennials, is that I think more than ever, we just know what we want, and we aren't afraid to go after it.” —Jessica Lawlor
“Start now. Start where you are. And if you have a passion or something you're excited about, do it now, and do it on the side of your job.” —Jessica Lawlor
Resources Calm: Meditation to Relax, Focus, & Sleep Better Connect with Jessica on Twitter |
Thu, 27 July 2017
Just when you think you’re on top of the latest tech buzzwords — augmented reality, virtual reality, the Internet of Things — you find there’s more to learn. That’s why we invited today’s guest, Tiana Laurence, to the show to discuss her new book Blockchain for Dummies.
In addition to authoring the book, Tiana Laurence serves as the CMO and co-founder of Factom, a blockchain-as-a-service company. But what is blockchain technology? It’s a ledger or permanent, secure digital record that helps safeguard data used by government, commercial, and non-profit systems. Still confused? Don’t feel like a dummy. Tiana will explain.
Tune in as Tiana discusses all kinds of emerging technologies, the importance of secure data in the age of the internet, plus how women can be kinder to ourselves professionally.
In This Episode
Quotes in This Episode “Blockchain technology is so wide. It's sort of like saying "internet," in that there's 100 different applications for it, and over time, these applications just keep on proliferating.” —Tiana Laurence
“I just love emerging technology. I've always been fascinated by all types of technology... that I think will change the world.” —Tiana Laurence
“I knew that if we could create a way of permanent data, that everyone could trust and go back and reference, that it would solve a lot of problems that the internet has.” —Tiana Laurence
“A friend once told me, ‘You can have everything, but you can't have everything at once.’” —Tiana Laurence
“As women, we often put ourselves last, and we put our goals last… If we want to do big things in our life, then we have to put those goals first, and let the unimportant things fall away.” —Tiana Laurence Resources |
Thu, 20 July 2017
As entrepreneurs, we go into business for a variety of reasons. Maybe we’ve always wanted to be our own boss, or we wake up in the middle of the night with an idea we can’t put down. But some entrepreneurs, like Jamie Morea, go into business because they have a truly transformative life experience they simply have to share with the world. When Jamie Morea was on a plane midway between Guatemala and Thailand, she got very, very sick. Nausea, extreme fatigue, and a distended belly came over her like a wave—and it didn’t let up for six months. Doctors narrowed down that her problem was somehow digestive. Jamie started to do her own research and what she uncovered about how environmental factors, medical history, and diet impact gut health—and in turn how gut health affects our overall well-being—changed her life. Finally, a specialist in New York discovered the culprit of her illness: a rare parasite. But even so, what she learned about the bacteria in her digestive system set her on a path to change her life and the lives of those around her through her company and probiotic product Hyperbiotics. This is one entrepreneurial journey you won’t want to miss. Come for the incredible story, and stay for Jamie’s advice about how to better care for your body and your business. In This Episode
Quotes in This Episode “It’s very important to be a savvy consumer and know the company you’re dealing with.” —Jamie Morea “What are you eating? What is your home environment like? What are your stress levels like? [Progressive doctors] are taking the whole picture into account because all of it affects your gut bacteria. And now we know that your gut bacteria is the root of all health.” —Jamie Morea “The secret to our success has been finding the right people.” —Jamie Morea “I have learned to focus on my strengths and to not try to do the things that don’t feel fun — to really kind of follow my zone of genius and find the other pieces of the puzzle that are other people’s genius.” —Jamie Morea “We don’t have a lot of idleness today in our world… but sometimes the most beautiful things spring out of nothing.” —Jamie Morea Resources Jamie Morea on Twitter Hyperbiotics on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram
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Wed, 12 July 2017
In our ever-changing business landscape, professional development is going through its own kind of transformation. To keep up with rapid-fire changes brought on largely by digital evolution, companies across industries are coming up with new, innovative ways to help their employees develop fresh skills and competencies.
Today’s guest, Stephen Waddington, is a partner and the Chief Engagement Officer at Ketchum. He works with clients, he helps with business development and marketing, and he is responsible for driving the integration and innovation of digital and social capabilities throughout the Ketchum network across 90 offices. Ketchum encourages professional development through their own online platform.
In this episode, Stephen shares how and why the Ketchum model works and explains the necessity for continuous learning among professionals through both formal and informal online training.
In This Episode
Quotes in This Episode “People are using platforms like Facebook day in and day out in their lives. They're using it across the web, but increasingly on mobile platform so, it isn't much of all lift then to introduce a technology like Workplace and say, ‘Okay, everything you can do on the public version of Facebook, you can now do privately in the work environment.’” —Stephen Waddington
“That’s the first thing you should do. Find [people you want to work with] on Twitter, and just listen to the conversations they’re having.” —Stephen Waddington
“[Teaching privacy and social media etiquette] has got to start the moment we give technology to children… Children need to be taught the basic good behaviors of communicating.” —Stephen Waddington
“If you want to be treated like a professional, you need to take continuous professional development seriously.” —Stephen Waddington
“You should find your own personal purpose and find work—do something that excites you—because you spend a lot of time at work. When you do that, you will do your absolute best.” —Stephen Waddington
Resources Connect with Stephen on Twitter |
Thu, 29 June 2017
Women make up almost half the workforce and receive more college and graduate degrees than men. Even so, on average women make less than men by at least 20 percent (more for minorities) in every single occupation where the data is available. No matter what industry you work in: It’s time to reinvent the company model.
Quotes in This Episode |
Thu, 22 June 2017
Are government contracts worth the effort they take to pursue? Or do the certification process and compliance requirements take too much work? Many small businesses, especially those owned by women, don’t know how to take advantage of the opportunity and lose out on the potential perks.
Quotes in This Episode Women’s Business Enterprise National Council Call Jean Kristensen Associates at 917-397-7242 for a free 30-minute consultation |
Thu, 15 June 2017
How focused are you on building your personal brand? Maybe it’s something that you strive to grow every day—maybe you think you don’t even have one. That’s where you’re wrong, says today’s guest. Leonard Kim, CEO of InfluenceTree, has built a business and career out of showing fellow professionals how to build their personal brand by boosting their influence online. And he’s certainly made it work for himself. He has 500,000 social media followers, he’s been read over 10 million times, and you can find profiles on him Fortune, Inc, Entrepreneur, Forbes, and a variety of other publications. But it wasn’t always this way. It was only a few short years ago that he found himself truly down on his luck. Follow along as Leonard shares his incredible journey, offers advice for building up your own brand, and shares the power of facing your fears to pursue your dreams. In This Episode
Quotes in This Episode“I had to recognize what my fear was. And after I recognized it, I realized that I needed to face it, and do something about it.” —Leonard Kim “Every single person out there has a personal brand, whether they know it or not.” —Leonard Kim “I don’t think I know a single person out there who has all the skills possible to go out there and create a business by themselves… It’s impossible to have a one-person team.” —Leonard Kim “[My work] is actually improving the lives of others. I think that’s the greatest impact of all.” —Leonard Kim “If you’re scared of doing something, use that fear as an indicator that you’re onto something great.” —Leonard Kim Resources |
Wed, 7 June 2017
Do you feel beautiful? Inside and out? Wouldn’t it be awesome if you felt incredible all the time and had a foolproof diet, fitness, and beauty routine? That’s the goal of today’s guest.
Quotes in This Episode
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Thu, 1 June 2017
There’s no denying we’re living in a digital era (and have been for a decade or so). Tech rules everything—and I mean everything. It’s not just the obvious industries like SaaS or mobile. Tech has advanced how we approach everything from healthcare to travel to retail. And now, you can add education to the list. Teachers are using burgeoning technologies to provide more enriching learning experiences for their students.
Meet Nanda Krish, who can shed quite a bit of light on how educators are embracing digital platforms. He’s the Executive Chairman and CEO of Wisewire, an online marketplace focused on creating high-quality digital learning materials and assessments for teachers. Their goal? Enable professionals while fulfilling the educational needs of students on a global level.
Follow along as Nanda shares how Wisewire is helping teachers gain some of their time back so they can better personalize their lesson plans, impact students’ lives, and change the education landscape.
In This Episode
Quotes in This Episode “The most valuable human resources are teachers.” —Nanda Krish
“The motivation of teachers and administrators and others to get equipped with the right amount of data has been eye-opening.” —Nanda Krish
“It goes without saying that teachers have a love of knowledge and are lifelong learners. It’s the same thing with an entrepreneur. You have to be in a constant mode of learning.” —Nanda Krish
“A lot of learning takes place outside of the classroom.” —Nanda Krish
“Having the right mentors over time is instrumental from a growth perspective… That ability to kind of validate the direction you’re taking, what you’re doing—I think that is something that pays huge dividends.” —Nanda Krish
Resources Wisewire on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn
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Thu, 25 May 2017
I’m sure you can relate: Between family ties, work obligations, and my passions and hobbies, I often find myself wishing there were more hours in the day to tackle everything I want and need to get done. Especially if you own your own business, the portion of your life devoted to work obligations sometimes rules the roost, taking away precious amounts of time you could spend with family and friends.
Enter Jess Ostroff and her team of virtual assistants at Don’t Panic Management. Jess started working as a virtual assistant in 2009 (and eventually incorporating her business in 2011) because she wanted to help other people become more efficient. With that goal in mind, she has spent the better part of a decade guiding fellow entrepreneurs on the path to outsourcing all the day-to-day tasks that prevent them from focusing on their passions.
If you’ve been feeling overworked and overwhelmed, you won’t want to miss this episode. Tune in as Jess shares how finding the perfect virtual assistant you trust can help you scale your business for growth, be more intentional about your business, and get you back to doing the things you love most.
In This Episode
Quotes in This Episode “When you find someone that you really trust and that you can train and get really ‘on’ your team, there’s nothing better. Because you get so much of your time back and you get so much of your brain space back.” —Jess Ostroff
“A lot of people start their own businesses because.... [they] have a passion for something… And when your business becomes successful, all of a sudden you don’t even have time to work on that thing that you started your business for because all of the tasks of running that business get in your way.” —Jess Ostroff
“The cool thing is that there are so many different kinds of assistants out there now and so many different people who want to work virtually and have this lifestyle. So you can really find an assistant for anything that you want.” —Jess Ostroff
“Sometimes taking a risk is great, and it can work out really well for your business. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned… it’s listening to my gut and learning when to say yes, and more importantly when to say no.” —Jess Ostroff
“When you can slow down a little bit and be more intentional about your decision-making process and say, ‘Is this right for me,’ you’ll end up making better decisions for the long run.” —Jess Ostroff
Resources Connect with Jess on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
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