Category: leadership

Lindsay Karas Stencel – Startup and Venture Capital Attorney

July 11, 2022 inspiring-women

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My guest, Lindsay Karas Stencel, is a law firm partner, venture capitalist, podcaster, wellness advocate, fitnesser, adjunct law professor, and self-proclaimed dog mom.

One of the reasons that I have such a respect for her is that she thrives in a male-dominated venture capitalist environment. Women represent just 2% of the workforce in venture capitalism. So how does she navigate in that world?

You always want to be in a position where you can make the decisions that are best for you and whether that’s for your career, for your family, for your mental health, whatever.

And when venture capital work is dominated by men, how does she work in that atmosphere?

I never even noticed it because I was just doing my job. Like, shame on me. I should have been better about that. In retrospect, I, I should have. But I was just doing my job. And then I realized like, holy smokes, I have a responsibility. Because if I’m one of the few people who was able to get a role that’s like this and start to pave a pathway for other females and diverse individuals to come, I better like do it right so that their path is a little bit easier. Because mine wasn’t easy.

Lindsey talks about what she would tell women today who are moving up in the corporate ranks.

You can never let that (intimidation) show, that it’s shaking you. If it’s shaking you, don’t let them see it. Because the second that they do, I think a lot of people smell blood in the water and they say like, oh, I can dig in here. The fight isn’t over. We’ve got a long way to go. And so people need to continue to push on.

And how do women do this?

You have to be prepared for that. And you have to be prepared to be better than everybody else that’s around you. And you’ve got to put in the time to do it.

Women can be really tough on women.

I think when people behave in that way, male or female, but females have a tendency to do it to other females for whatever reason. It’s usually a reflection of them. It’s not a reflection of us, right? It’s a reflection because they don’t feel good about themselves. They don’t feel enough. All of those things. Unfortunately, that’s not my problem. Right? That is a them problem and not a me problem.

Find out more about her here.

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 Insights 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.

Categories: C-suite, confidence, influence, leadership

Aree Bly from Alignment Ally

May 9, 2022 inspiring-women

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My guest, Aree Bly, is all about alignment. What do I mean by “alignment?” As she puts it on her LinkedIn profile, “Alignment is about recognizing where you lead at your best, identifying your next learning and growth opportunities, and exploring how to support those around you. It allows you to find success, be an effective leader, and show up authentically as you evolve through your career.” Here’s what her take is on how the pandemic reawakened our alignment…

Maybe this comes back to like a Leonard Cohen quote of “the cracks are where the light comes in.” The pandemic forcing people to break those routines. Raise the awareness of, “oh my gosh, I did not realize that my 50 hour, 60 hour workweeks were violating my desire to connect with people.” Or “I didn’t realize how much conflict I was feeling until I stepped away and went, OK, this is not working and this is why.” And we can start to see and become more aware of what is and isn’t working.

So how often does she think someone can reinvent themselves?

I think you could do it daily, honestly, depending on how big a change. The reinvention can and should be coming regularly, and it should be something that we’re looking at deliberately as we’re kind of saying, “Okay, where do I want to be going and what steps do I take to move in that direction?” And then it also means looking up occasionally and going, “Okay, I was headed on this path. Is it still right?”

Not only is alignment for you personally, but it can be an alignment change for your team. How does she approach this?

Let’s rearrange things to make sure that we’re setting ourselves up for success by recognizing how people operate. And that helped to clarify some of the decisions because some people were saying, “Well, You just like them better. So you’re moving them to this role” and you’re like, “Well, no, there’s a reason to it.” And once you put it all on paper and let everyone see, you know, and talk about it, it’s like, “Oh, you know, I’m really good at this, but I’m really tired of doing that because I’ve been doing it for years. I’d like to learn something new.”

What is the first step that people can do to make a change?

The first step is awareness, and it’s so hard to see the truth. And then from there it’s activating it.

Here she is from a recent Tedx Talk. Her website to find out more. This is THE podcast that advances women toward economic, social, and political achievement.

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.

Categories: confidence, destination, journey, leadership

First Generation Entrepreneurs with Randy Gerber from Gerber Clarity

February 14, 2022 inspiring-women

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This episode is going to be about a topic that I love.

The importance of the marketplace in our country and small businesses. Small business is so important. It’s so important to our economy that it needs to work and work well. Owning and running a successful small business is knowing what you do, finding your purpose, living out your “why.”

I can’t think of a better person to talk to than Randy Gerber, and his company, Gerber Clarity, catch his optimism about the marketplace and what he sees about this coming year.

Randy and his team work primarily with first-generation entrepreneurs. Part of the reason why is first-generation entrepreneurs are optimistic, cup half full, people to begin with. They help them understand how to grow their business with purpose. We talk a bit about his book, The Integrated Entrepreneur: Achieving Happiness in Relationships, Business & Life.

The book came about from his realization of how difficult it is to be “the new guy” in any given market. He recognized that if he was going to really work with these first-generation entrepreneurs, he had to help them with things other than traditional financial planning because they have unique needs and unique perspectives. This realization and experience helped him write the book.

I ask Randy what’s the biggest misconception that business owners have about growing their business?

In my experience, it’s they think they need to grow too quickly, and particularly if the question is rephrased, is what are the biggest misconceptions for small businesses or emerging businesses? I am just convinced that businesses grow too quickly.

How should business owners grow with purpose?

If you could sit down and really understand how you want to live your life. What do you want to do? How do you want to do it? What do you want to do? Who do you want to do it with? Want-based questions versus need-based questions. That will give you a clear map.

What are the top three things that women should be considering or putting in place with their business today? Realignment (not resignation), double-down, and become outcome-oriented. Randy talks about what he has learned about being a leader during times of uncertainty with his business, and what he wants business leaders to know?

I think that you really have to be super as a leader, be super cognizant of your culture during times of duress. And one of the things that I’ve preached to our clients all the time, whether you are male, female, doesn’t matter, if you’re a first generation entrepreneur, you’re a unique breed, to begin with. You’re willing to accept variability risk volatility.

Entrepreneurs’ Organization is the world’s only peer-to-peer network exclusively for entrepreneurs. EO helps transform the lives of those who transform the world. Randy talks about his work and time with EO.

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 Insights 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.

Categories: C-suite, confidence, family-owned business, leadership Tags: Tags: EO Columbus, Gerber Clarity, Randy Gerber

Plain and Simple. It’s Hard To Be In Business or A Business Owner

January 10, 2022 inspiring-women

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We’re in a new year again, and we just need it to be easier, right?

Many business owners have felt that they can’t move forward because they’re paralyzed. When you’re paralyzed, it means you can’t move. But if you’re a business owner or in business, you aren’t meant to be still, you aren’t meant to be not able to move. So you live in that fear.

But we can’t do that. We have to get to what’s driving the fear.

I’ve put it into a few categories in this episode. I’m sure that there are other things that you could add to it, but you really need to address these things.

For more information, go to the Insights 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.

Categories: episode, leadership, marketing, networking

What Does It Take To Be An Inspiring Woman Leader?

September 13, 2021 inspiring-women

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For me, an inspiring woman is simply a woman who can fill somebody with the desire or urge to do something worthwhile. It’s someone who lives their life every day, based on the core of what she believes. And it influences me to be open, and maybe even change. So, it’s someone who creates a better world. They have to live their lives on their terms. There’s something very motivating about that. We’re all inspired differently, so take some time to think about it. How can you inspire? I need to have others around me, who are better, and have different insights, so I can be better. I challenge you to dig deep and realize that you have a role to play in that. You need to figure it out, and then do it. Become that inspiring woman leader. I assure you that someone needs to see it and be influenced by you. And by the way, you might already be influencing other women and you don’t even know it. With me on this episode is Lori Kaiser. She is a chief executive, corporate leader, visionary, and business strategist with a proven track record in assessing risk and creating solutions for Fortune 500 Company C-Level Executives and Boards. As CEO of Kaiser Consulting, Lori provides clients’ value-based services that allow organizations to navigate transitions and successfully execute critical projects. Women need to take more risk and be braver in career decisions. Lori gives us insight on that. Her passion about this subject shines throughout the episode. Her advice to women on how to become an inspired leader. Ask yourself what is YOUR version of success. Be bold, take risks. Be a lifelong learner. And last, but not least, connect with interesting people. Mentioned in the podcast was Shonda Rhymes and her book Year of Yes. How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith. And the podcast How I Built This.

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 Insights 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.

Categories: authenticity, confidence, influence, leadership, networking, values Tags: Tags: Kaiser Consulting, Lori Kaiser

Powerful Partnerships And Networks For Women Leaders

August 9, 2021 inspiring-women

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The underlying issue of this topic is that partnering means that you are not alone while trying to build your career, your business. My greatest times, professionally and personally, have been when I started these powerful partnerships and networks for women. It continues to play a major role in my life as a leader. I wish I knew this when I was 20 something, even in my 30s. But I didn’t really get it until I was in my late 40s. No matter what age you are, or at any point you are in your professional career, it’s really key to have powerful partnerships and networks. And by the way, it’s not just a professional thing. This continues to be so huge for me personally.

Be open to making sure you’re establishing these types of relationships.

Less is better with relationships, because they’ve got to be correct for you. They need to be strategic, lining up with your why. I’m not talking about connecting with big names people. I’m talking about people who have similar goals and ethics as you. And they get out there, and they influence. Never underestimate the power of those partnerships. It takes work and commitment. You’ll need to be consistent and persistent to build these relationships. But the dividends are huge in your personal and professional development and impact.

With me on the episode is Mary McCarthy, Co-founder and President of the Women’s Small Business Accelerator. The Women’s Small Business Accelerator (WSBA) is a non-profit accelerator founded by successful women business owners for women business owners. They provide education, peer support, mentoring, and accountability to help women on their entrepreneurial journey – to start and grow their own businesses.

I am also joined by Michelle Casper, President of NAWBO Columbus. Established in 1996, NAWBO Columbus has a longstanding history in the greater Columbus area. They are currently the largest chapter in the nation and pride ourselves in elevating women business owners through connections, advocacy, and mentorship.

And last, but not least, I am honored to have Rachel Winder from the Ohio Women’s Coalition on this episode. The Ohio Women’s Coalition is a diverse, non-partisan alliance of women in business, women leaders, women business owners, and men that support the mission across Ohio who are coming together to improve the economic position for all women in our state. The OWC was created to amplify the voice of women in Ohio and to help draw attention to the unique challenges that women encounter, especially underserved women of color and women who live in underserved areas of the state, to gain access to economic opportunities in order to achieve financial stability and prosperity.

These three women are willing to give, with a blind eye to how it helps them.

For more information, go to the Insights 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.

Categories: connecting, influence, leadership Tags: Tags: Mary McCarthy, Michelle Casper, NAWBO, Ohio Women's Coalition, Rachel Winder, Women's Small Business Accelerator

How To Lead In Uncertain Times

June 14, 2021 inspiring-women

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I speak with Janet Meeks. Janet is the author of Gracious Leadership, Lead Like You’ve Never Led Before. You will love getting the perspective from her because she has lived it, she’s experienced it, and her amazing journey as a leader.

She’s going to talk from her book, which is such a simple read. Yet there are some very important basics in there. What should we expect from our leaders? There’s an expectation we should have.

As Janet mentions…

I also believe that leaders need to be secure enough to understand they don’t have all the answers and that leaders who try to hoard getting the results accomplished are really holding back the organization they need to trust their employees who are subject matter experts and free them, let them lie in the war, if you will, and be all they were created today so they can play at the top of their game. And then that leaves time and room for the person with the big title to be able to take on those difficult tasks that perhaps someone and other levels of the organization cannot.

Coming up on July 30th is the 7th annual Brady Ware Women’s Leadership Conference. Each year, 100% of the proceeds go to support women initiatives through non profit organizations within Ohio. This year our supporting non profits are the Better Business Bureau and the Women’s Small Business Accelerator

Many months ago when we began planning for this year’s conference, we felt it best to err on the side of safety, so this year’s conference will be held virtually. While this may not be the most ideal situation, it does allow for us to offer participants speakers that are nationally recognized as well as locally recognized women leaders.

We’re excited to be able to present keynote speaker, Peggy Klaus, author of ‘Brag! How to toot your own horn without blowing it’. We’ll start the morning with a lively discussion with a panel of women business owners and leaders.

And to add to the excitement of the day, you’ll be able to network, visit exhibitor tables and win wonderful prizes throughout the day!

I would like to personally invite you to join us on July 30th. Early bird registration ends on June 15th, so I encourage you to sign up now! Just go to Columbus Women’s Leadership dot com and complete a simple form. We’ll do all the rest!

Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your knowledge! Register now! ColumbusWomen’s Leadership dot com

Hope to see you there!

For more information, go to the Insights 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.

Categories: Authentic Leadership, leadership, values, women's leadership conference Tags: Tags: gracious leadership, janet smith meeks, Women's Leadership Conference

Now What? Pt 2

December 14, 2020 inspiring-women

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2020. It’s not quite over. But Now What?

It’s a question I think we should be asking pretty constantly as we navigate through these times.

In this episode, we’re going to talk a little bit about reflection and embracing the last two actions from my Now What, Pt 1 episode, Assessing and Moving.

The basics of business haven’t changed through this time. And one of those basics is marketing.

I work with Betty Clark of CPMedia with my marketing. My interview with her covers a lot of ground. I know you there lots of marketing tips you will come away with from this interview. Don’t hesitate to contact her, and tell her you heard my interview with her. She can be found at CPMedia & Marketing.

As Betty Clark explains about CPM…

CPM has been in business for close to 30 years now. Throughout the years, we’ve discovered that a lot of businesses just simply lack the time and expertise in marketing their company in a way that’s going to get the results and the phones to ring. At CPM, we take a company’s budget and their goals and we use our marketing expertise to create a marketing plan. Then we implement them through that plan, through the use of traditional and digital advertising tactics, so a business can stand out from their competition and they can get more leads, which is going to turn into customers.

Ultimately, you’ve got to embrace the new day. It’s here, ready or not. It’s been here; it’s not gone. This has been hard for me. This has been one of the toughest things for me to grasp as a business owner, as a mom, as a wife, as a church member, any of it.

It’s been hard.

I don’t want this new day. I still don’t want this new day, but as we know, “life is like a box of chocolates.”

I’ve always been amazed at the resilience of the people in our country. I believe that if you keep asking Now What? and be ahead of it, no matter how the year closes and what the New Year brings, I think that you will have some success that you will really enjoy your life.

After you listen to this episode, go to www.BradyWare.com and look up Betty Collins, my podcast will be right there. There will be handouts that summarize all this.

I’d love to talk to you about it, because it’s something that I’m passionate about. Because when the marketplace works in this country, the country works. Right now, it needs businesses to work. It needs employers to have success.

For more information, go to the Insights 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.

Categories: confidence, leadership, marketing Tags: Tags: Betty Clark, CPMedia

Now What? Pt 1

November 9, 2020 inspiring-women

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We ended this decade on such a high note. I began 2020 with a lot of optimism. I didn’t think anything could get in our way; the marketplace was just roaring, and at this amazing speed. Not only Wall Street, but also Main Street, they were just hitting records.

But by the 1st of March and as March unfolded, I’m attending a board meeting at Brady Ware, where I’m on the board of directors to discuss corona; not the beer, but the coronavirus, and later renamed, of course, COVID-19. Our CEOs were saying, “How is this going to affect our business and should we be making plans?” I thought, “What for? What would we need to possibly do with this?”

But but we were ahead of the game, and on March 16 we were sending our employees home and restructuring how we did business. We were certainly not out of business, but we were certainly doing it differently.

Life absolutely stopped on a dime.

CPAs were considered essential, and so, I was in our office. There was no traffic. There was no one in the parking lot. I was here for mail and phones and different things while our people were home, safe. It was a lot of craziness; new wardrobes of masks and gloves; and “Wine with DeWine” became a big thing in Ohio.

We had endless days of phone calls. I felt like they would never end, especially in that first 30 days. Overwhelming legislation started taking place, and the word unprecedented – which I can hardly take – I have changed it to ‘for such a time as this’. It sounds better than unprecedented times.

I’m asking the question every day, now what?

As a business owner and leader, I was amazed, as usual, at the resilience of the marketplace, not just in Columbus, but in the country.

The resilience of business owners, and our leadership from the federal to the state, to local levels. We go from this roaring speed to an absolute, screeching halt.

And even so, we jump in, as opposed to jump off.

We learn, we read, we apply for dollars, we use the word “pivot” every day. But not just for business, our personal life too.

By mid-year, the roller coaster ride had slowed down for some businesses and owners. We were getting a little more comfortable, till those things called “spikes” came into play. Then June and July brought assessing the damage. It’s like, “The tornado went through. Now, what do I have?”

The impact was both negative and positive. I think many of my clients are amazed at how they’re doing.

I think others are devastated.

But whether you are devastated or the opportunity was just amazing, we’re tired. We’re all tired, I think.

So, now what?

Fortunately, the basics of business have not gone anywhere, it’s just the approach. In our personal lives, I think it’s been a more of an assessment of what is important.

We start by taking a deep breath and focusing, and we put our energy into actions. I’m going to talk about these actions you need take…

Know
Assess
Move
Reflect
Embrace

These are all actions, and it means you have to do something.

After you listen to this episode, go to www.BradyWare.com and look up Betty Collins, my podcast will be right there. There will be handouts that summarize all this.

For more information, go to the Insights 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.

Categories: confidence, finances, leadership

The Value of Forward Thinking

October 12, 2020 inspiring-women

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You’ve got to be a forward thinker.

You’ve got to be proactive if you want to move forward and get through the “what ifs” when they come. Forward thinking is not always easy. It might not be your personality. So you’ve got to at least have somebody on your team who’s a forward thinker, who can push you to do more, think bigger.

In this episode, I speak with Jill Frey, President / CEO at Cummins Facility Services. I consider her the definitive forward thinker.

Cummins Facility Services (CFS) is a national multi-faceted facility management company servicing Fortune 500 companies across the US. CFS is a 100% women owned enterprise.

Cummins provides services including janitorial, landscaping, snow removal, HVAC, security, floor care, and light maintenance to manufacturing plants, retail stores, medical facilities, schools, corporate offices as well as the hospitality industry. Jill took over leadership of the family business, which began in 1972, after graduating from the University of Toledo in 1994.

About being a female in a male-dominated business category…

So in my opinion, it’s all about respect. You’ve got to stand your guard and you’ve got to really stick up for who you are. I’ve been in this industry literally my whole life. And people can try to say that they can bully me around. But I started in this industry rolling up my sleeves and working with my employees. I know how to do it. I know how to strip and waxer. I know how to do all of that. And that’s gotten me so far ahead. I get so excited about my industry and my employees and my people and what’s going on. And I think if they don’t take me seriously, it’s going to come back on them.

Jill talks about how have she navigated through this COVID-19 time, and what she thinks that this industry will look like in the future…

It has changed our life. And the quote that I like to use for this is what 9/11 did to buildings, COVID-19 is doing to disinfection and facilities. And I truly believe that. Nobody’s had a guidebook. No one’s had a book of “this is what you do here.” It’s never existed before. And so we had to reinvent that.

And her clients are appreciating her outlook, her forward thinking and quick action…

Our clients were telling us that the information that we were sending out is the best information that they are getting from any of their sources. It was amazing. We’ve had so many clients sending us letters of thank you, presidents of companies. Thank you so much for cleaning our facility.

And she ends our interview with three great quotes, and here is one of them…

The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

For more information, go to the Insights 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.

Categories: confidence, destination, family-owned business, influence, leadership, woman-owned business Tags: Tags: Cummins Facility Services, Jill Frey