Category: Featured

Susan G Komen Founder Nancy Brinker: Nothing feels more satisfying than accomplishing the “impossib

Susan G. Komen Founder Nancy Brinker: Nothing feels more satisfying than accomplishing the “impossible!”

In order to be successful as an executive, there are a number of core qualities one typically has, they are typically very driven by either passion or the need to seek accomplishment. CEOs also have the ability to recognize the strengths of others and leverage that for the good of the individual and the company. Nonprofit CEOs often live a life of passion, and measure their success not by what they have, but how they feel in their soul. And finally, they tend to be a little rebellious with an inability to quit. When I started Komen, I was told what I wanted to accomplish was not possible. When someone tells me it can’t be done — it becomes my rallying cry. Nothing feels more satisfying than accomplishing the “impossible!”

As a part of our series about strong women leaders, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nancy Brinker.

Nancy G. Brinker is a three-time Ambassador and New York Times best-selling author, founder of Susan G. Komen, who is regarded as the leader of the global breast cancer movement. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, and was named Goodwill Ambassador for Cancer Control for the United Nations’ World Health Organization. Brinker also spearheaded creation of The Promise Fund, a revolutionary initiative aimed at connecting cancer care providers with vulnerable populations in South Florida to reduce late-stage diagnosis and death from breast and cervical cancer.

Thank you so much for doing this with us Nancy! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

What led me to my long road in cancer, which is now reaching 40 years, was when President Nixon passed the National Cancer Act in 1971. He assembled a powerful committee of leaders and declared war on cancer, and I was inspired. Six years later my older sister Suzy was diagnosed with breast cancer and she died in 1980, at the young age of 36. I was by her side through three brutal years of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. I promised my sister I’d do everything I could to stop the heartless progression and social stigma of this disease, even if it took the rest of my life. And it has.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

I have so many stories — but one of the most interesting and impactful to me was when we were celebrating the 20th anniversary of Susan G. Komen in Rome, Italy. When I stood on the platform to welcome the crowd, it was a sea of more than 80,000 people gathered from all over the world. It was breathtaking. It reminded me of a quote from Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Not only did this celebration bring people together to fight the disease, it was a gathering place where thousands of women could receive screenings and desperately needed resources. I said to myself, “Sister, I hope you’re proud. We made this a global event.”

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

My husband asked me not to call his friends for money when I was first starting Susan G. Komen as he was starting out and trying to find investors. The next day, I called all his friends! And they were so generous and they never stopped giving. I learned that if you’re truly passionate about a cause, those who love, and believe in you will absolutely support you.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

So many people have inspired me through their own perseverance, strength and commitment, but none more so than my parents and my husband.

My mother, Ellie Goodman, was a Girl Scout leader and community activist, who lit up rooms with her vibrant smile and lived her faith with daily acts of loving kindness. Mom was a fundraising marvel, part of the army of everyday people who supported scientists in their search for a polio vaccine in the 1950s. Trooping along with her, Suzy and I witnessed the powerful chemistry of caring and action, and it shaped our lives. My father taught me persistence — he encouraged me, and showed me that despite my learning disability, I was not dumb and shouldn’t quit what I’m passionate about.

My husband, Norman Brinker, believed in me, in my mission and supported me throughout. I would not have been able to find my success without him. As we both strived for success, it became apparent that it also shaped my son, Eric’s, life. He witnessed our drive and determination and that has made him the person he is today.

In my work, I often talk about how to release and relieve stress. As a busy leader, what do you do to prepare your mind and body before a stressful or high stakes meeting, talk, or decision? Can you share a story or some examples?

Mental and physical preparation are important to prepare yourself for any challenge.

Every day, I try to wake up and tell myself that I’m going to accomplish something — and then do whatever it takes to achieve that daily goal. It’s a lot of self-encouragement, and sometimes that’s hard, and remind myself I’m lucky to be an American and live in a country where I can achieve my dreams by helping others.

I’ve also always prioritized exercise as a way to clear my head and give me the energy I need for the day. These days, I walk every morning for an hour before I begin my day. I also love boxing!

As you know, the United States is currently facing a very important self-reckoning about race, diversity, equality and inclusion. This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have a diverse executive team?

Through my work at the Promise Fund of Florida, we are primarily helping women with health and economic disparities who don’t have access to healthcare benefits that their white counterparts do. It is extraordinarily important that these women are represented through our executive leadership and staff. We cannot be an effective organization, if we’re not inclusive of the perspectives of the people we are trying to serve. This remains a top priority for our organization and we’re hoping to continually expand our diversity through our leadership presence.

As a business leader, can you please share a few steps we must take to truly create an inclusive, representative, and equitable society? Kindly share a story or example for each.

One important step toward creating a more inclusive society is taking the time to understand different cultures and religions. Until you understand how somebody else feels, you can’t expect them to understand how you feel. When we are able to come together to work to solve problems, you begin to really understand what everyone is feeling. As Stephen Covey, famous inspirational author, says seek first to understand, then to be understood.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a CEO or executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what an executive does that is different from the responsibilities of the other leaders?

A CEO of a nonprofit organization helps honor the mission and vision of an organization. To be successful, they must be extraordinarily passionate about the cause and infuse that enthusiasm into every member of the organization.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive. Can you explain what you mean?

Myth: I am the Commander in Chief

Fact: Effective CEOs are servant leaders; they do not perceive themselves to be better than others.

Myth: Because I am a CEO, I am creating an impact.

Fact: Everyone should be judged by the outcome of their work. Have you made a difference in the lives of the people you are serving? Did you do what you promised to do?

Myth: As CEO, I will only execute on decisions that I agree with.

Fact: Many CEOs must express the will of their board, and sometimes that means executing decisions that you don’t entirely agree with, but that is part of being a team player.

Myth: As CEO, you are often lauded for the work of your company or organization.

Fact: As CEO, you are responsible for every mistake and need to stand up and take the fall when things don’t go as planned.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women executives that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

More is demanded of female executives, we are held to a higher standard than our male counterparts in every facet — from our looks to our demeanor. If we’re not well-dressed at all times, we are criticized; if we take a strong position on a matter, we’re perceived as tough or mean. And while all this is happening in the workplace, women are still the principle caregivers at home. It’s a tough balancing act, even on a good day.

What is the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?

Because of my family’s background in philanthropy, I knew what I was getting into. I want to be the person who inspires others to keep them going every day, whether that’s my team or the women we serve. A big part of my job is asking others for help and in order to do that, you have to give a lot back and support those who are supporting you. You can’t expect people to do things for you and not be there for them, too. That means serving on the boards of other organizations and contributing to the community as a whole.

Certainly, not everyone is cut out to be an executive. In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful executive and what type of person should avoid aspiring to be an executive? Can you explain what you mean?

In order to be successful as an executive, there are a number of core qualities one typically has, they are typically very driven by either passion or the need to seek accomplishment. CEOs also have the ability to recognize the strengths of others and leverage that for the good of the individual and the company. Nonprofit CEOs often live a life of passion, and measure their success not by what they have, but how they feel in their soul. And finally, they tend to be a little rebellious with an inability to quit. When I started Komen, I was told what I wanted to accomplish was not possible. When someone tells me it can’t be done — it becomes my rallying cry. Nothing feels more satisfying than accomplishing the “impossible!”

What advice would you give to other women leaders to help their team to thrive?

Never ask someone to do something you won’t do. Showing you’re just as committed to the cause as your team is critically important. People want to be inspired by their leaders.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

Never quit. There will be many challenges along the road, but that is no reason to quit on your dream.
Focus, focus, focus. Without focus, it can be difficult to accomplish the goals you’ve set out to achieve.
Jointly settle on clear cut goals and praise everyone often. This is important to ensure your team is on the same page, and feel acknowledged and rewarded for their contributions
If something isn’t working out, don’t be afraid to change direction. Sometimes we are too worried to accept a failure, but once we do, we can find the success we’re looking for.
Do not be afraid to ask a question or be curious. It is curiosity at the end of the day that solves the problem. Things will take longer, be harder, and be full of times when you think you have solved a problem when in fact you have to start over.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done,” Marie Curie.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

Marie Curie is unquestionably my hero for her discovery of radium and polonium. During the first World War she developed small x-ray units that could be used to diagnose injuries near the battlefront. She was the only woman to win the Nobel prize two times.

Susan G Komen Founder Nancy Brinker: Nothing feels more satisfying than accomplishing the “impossib was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Alisa Williams of VMG Partners: Why you should not avoid those hard conversations

You can’t avoid hard conversations. It is my natural inclination to be appeasing, but even when you try to create a win-win, it’s not always possible; sometimes you have to confront things head on. I have found that in moments where I have to have a hard conversation, writing my notes ahead of time helps me get through the discussion.

As a part of our series about strong women leaders, I had the pleasure of interviewing Alisa Williams.

Alisa Williams is a Partner at VMG Partners, a private equity firm that specializes in helping build iconic consumer brands. She has worked with a number of brands in the VMG portfolio, including Drunk Elephant, Nature’s Bakery and Briogeo. Prior to joining VMG, Alisa worked in investment banking at Wells Fargo. Alisa graduated from Yale University.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

I would have never guessed I would end up where I am today. As a child, my parents always told me to “get things that can’t be taken away from me.” This philosophy pushed me to get my college degree, but also pushed me to enter investment banking after college, in an effort to develop a financial modeling skillset. After a brutal few years, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew I loved business and people. Working in private equity at VMG Partners offered the perfect balance of finance, business and teaming up with entrepreneurs who are trying to achieve their dreams.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When I first started my career, I was self-conscious and fearful of making a mistake or saying the wrong thing. I would practice what I was going to say five times in my head before saying it, and by the time I got the courage to speak up, someone else would say the point, or the moment would pass. It’s funny to look back on now, because most people recognize me as someone who isn’t afraid to speak their mind! Over time I learned that no one has all the answers, and we all will have times where we say the wrong thing. I found that my perspective wasn’t as silly as I perceived it to be, and others on our team found what I had to say valuable. It taught me not to get in my head too much, as speaking up is more important than holding things in.

I am grateful for my mentor and one of the Founders of VMG Partners, Kara Cissell-Roell. Kara has absolutely paved the way for women in private equity, and she’s done so with grace, confidence and an approachability that is rarely seen in leaders. Kara has always been someone I can be completely vulnerable with, and I go to her regularly when I feel uncertain or those feelings of self-doubt creep in. She believed in me in moments when I was unsure of

I love a good pep talk! I have a core group of friends and family who I rely on to keep me grounded. Right before a big meeting, you can be sure that I am calling one of them to give me that bit of encouragement that I need. For me it offers a simple reminder that despite how the meeting goes, I have people who are in my corner and people who believe in me. For me, this creates a sense of calm. Sure, I exercise and try and get rest, which are so important for my mental and physical strength. But in those moments right before a big talk or decision, where I feel amped up with energy and nerves, I rely on my family and friends to help me remain centered.

A business’ customers or clients do not all come from the same background, so to be able to connect to all members of our society and understand them more deeply, we too, need to have a diverse team that can speak on behalf of those who have buying power in today’s economy. Women and POC are utilizing their buying power more today than ever. It is hard to understand what a specific consumer needs if you’ve never even had a conversation with that consumer! Diversity is so critical, because it expands our conversations. It brings additional layers and perspective to the table and helps us as leaders make decisions that ultimately impact a broad community.

As a business leader, can you please share a few steps we must take to truly create an inclusive, representative, and equitable society? Kindly share a story or example for each.

I believe it starts with building understanding. In order to value inclusivity, representation and an equitable society, you must start with educating yourself on the disparities that exist today. I feel that through education, you can understand the historical context that has impacted our communities and ultimately why this has been a long-standing issue. As a business leader, you must truly be the leader on this matter. Without conviction from leadership that these matters are important, they often get pushed to the back burner.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive. Can you explain what you mean?

Early on in my career, I held the misconception that the leaders of organizations are “all-knowing.” I felt that the partners or executives always knew the answer and always had the right approach. As I have grown in my career, I have realized that this could not be further from the truth. I would like to dispel the belief that you will reach a point in your career where you will “know it all.” In fact, I often find that it is some of the most junior team members who have the perspectives that are most impactful. I always attempt to get the perspectives of many people, because the truth is we often are all just “trying to figure it out.”

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women executives that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

Being in a male-dominated space can be really tough. At times you feel misunderstood, or you are dealing with challenges that men don’t have to face. In the past, I have felt like my perspectives were not respected, and I was not viewed as being on par with my male counterparts. I often felt that this was not based on my performance, but based on me being a woman. I think this is a very common challenge that women are forced to face. On top of this, women are forced to constantly consider when they are being “forceful” and when they are being “passive.” I find that as a woman, this is a delicate dance that I think about all the time! I think this challenge is often unique to women.

What is the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?

The “mental gymnastics” that I am forced to face every day is absolutely more than I expected. At VMG, we may jump from helping develop our internal team, to building a forecasting model, to discussing a brand’s retail distribution strategy — all in a few hours. It requires a level of patience and “self-talk” that I never anticipated. There are many times where I have to sit quietly in my office and say to myself, “You can handle this. You are capable. You’ve got this.”

I believe empathy is absolutely critical to being a strong leader. People within an organization often want to feel heard. I believe you can only hear someone when you attempt to understand where they are coming from. I do not believe anyone should avoid aspiring to be an executive. Even if empathy is not your strong suit, we as humans have an incredible ability to grow, practice, and learn new characteristics.

What advice would you give to other women leaders to help their team to thrive?

Be confident. I believe people want to follow leaders who have a level of self-assuredness.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

In my opinion, success does not dictate your ability to make the world a better place. It is important that we all find ways to make our world better, whether that is through our work or a personal passion. My true passion is working with children. So many children are brought into environments where they will face challenges they did not create. I want to use every resource I have to help underprivileged children succeed. I work with the foster care system in San Francisco, and it has contributed to some of my most rewarding moments in the past few years.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

If you find something you’re passionate about, it may not feel like work. I love working with founders. I can find myself talking to some of my favorite brand founders, and I look up and realize it’s been over an hour without me noticing. I often leave those conversations feeling invigorated and my “job” feels less like a job.
Achieving balance can be hard, but it is critical. I have had moments where I have felt burnt out, and its largely when I haven’t taken time for myself. My family and friends say I am a workaholic, because I have struggled with prioritizing work in the past. I try my best to be present in the moments that matter, and sometimes that requires me turning off my phone in moments that aren’t the most convenient from a work perspective.
You can’t avoid hard conversations. It is my natural inclination to be appeasing, but even when you try to create a win-win, it’s not always possible; sometimes you have to confront things head on. I have found that in moments where I have to have a hard conversation, writing my notes ahead of time helps me get through the discussion.
Admit your mistakes. From a work perspective, I have often felt the most connected to others when we share moments when have done something wrong. It creates a level of vulnerability that reminds us that we are all human and competing against one another is not always key to driving success.
Don’t’ conform. I struggled with this often in the past. I felt that as a black woman I had to fit in to societies view of a “finance woman.” However, over time I have realized that I am better at my job when I can be myself. As an example, a few years ago, I shaved off my very long and very curly hair that was a defining piece of image. Today you may see me with a platinum blonde buzz cut one month and braids the next. I love wearing colorful jewelry and a bright lip. I feel more confident walking into the room as “me” rather than someone I am not. I ultimately feel that this makes me better at my job because I feel confident even in spaces where I don’t necessarily “fit in.”

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I would inspire a movement centered around understanding. I believe we live in a world of conflict because people have an inability to see where someone else is coming from and cannot understand the perspective or actions of others. If we could inspire people to attempt to see someone else’s side, I think we would reach resolution much quicker as a society.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Success is a journey, not a destination.” My best friend and I were having a conversation a few years ago around the concept of “success.” She was trying to convince me that I was successful, and I had a hard time accepting her view. My response continued to be, “I am human, trying to navigate life just like the rest of us.” For me, it was a reminder that I don’t view success as a destination, because what happens when you get there? I view success as a constant journey and something that can never truly be reached. There is always more to be done and a new challenge to tackle. You can be successful in one part of your life, and absolutely fail in all others. Therefore, I view the journey to success as ever evolving and a road that I will forever be on. This helps me maintain a level of intellectual curiosity, and forces me to challenge myself in all aspects of life.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them

I would love to have a private breakfast with Michelle Obama. She is such a dynamic leader and understands when to whisper and when to roar. She leads with empathy and does not shy away from intellect. I find her to be such a balanced force and ultimately strive to have similar characteristics in my role.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

Alisa Williams of VMG Partners: Why you should not avoid those hard conversations was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Miriam Tuerk of Clear Blue Technologies: “You have to be an optimist and believe that things will…

Miriam Tuerk of Clear Blue Technologies: “You have to be an optimist and believe that things will work out — but you can’t just believe it, you have to work hard”

You have to be an optimist and believe that things will work out — but you can’t just believe it, you have to work hard, every single day in order to make your vision a reality. You also have to abide by the mantra: “Never give up, never surrender!”

As a part of our series about strong women leaders, I had the pleasure of interviewing Miriam Tuerk.

Miriam Tuerk is the CEO and cofounder of Clear Blue Technologies Inc. (TSXV:CBLU). After 20 years of experience as tech entrepreneurs and leaders in the telecoms, software, and energy sectors, she co-founded Clear Blue in 2011 on the vision of delivering managed, “wireless power” to meet the global need for reliably powering infrastructure, including telecom systems. During Miriam’s career, she has served on the advisory boards for a leading private equity firm, an incubator, and numerous early-stage companies.

I was born in Kitchener-Waterloo, Canada to immigrant parents while my dad was studying at Electrical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. I was an only child until I turned ten, so I helped my father build a cottage and as such, learned to use and utilize tools and technology. I grew up loving math and science, and from an early age I wanted to go into a field that allowed me to grow my passion into a career. I followed in my father’s footsteps and studied Electrical Engineering at University of Waterloo. Once I started working, I very quickly migrated to solutions and sales, eventually moving up the org chart from project, team, and business unit lead to CEO. As a female engineer, I constantly faced “glass ceilings”, so the entrepreneurial world was a natural migration — it was the only area that would give me the chance to truly lead.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

It’s all about having the guts to take a risk and make a call. I find the biggest challenge is that many people don’t have the confidence to take that first bold step. When you are a startup, you have to ‘bet the business’ many times in the early days, in order for it to actually become a business. We have had one or two of those inflection point moments where we had to take a big risk in order to reach a critical milestone. It’s the most exciting time because that goal becomes a ‘common enemy’ and all of a sudden everyone is working together in ways no one thought possible. One case in particular was for our first large order to ship to Africa. We needed software that wasn’t ready and we had to decide to ship it anyway. The team pulled together and bet everything, and we did it!

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I am actually famous for ‘foot-in-mouth’ moments, so I have quite a few stories to share. For example, I once drank from my customer’s wine glass at a formal dinner!

I think my funniest mistake, however, was the day I once asked Bill Gates a question at this big meeting. It definitely wasn’t funny at the time — however I was just so excited at the chance to ask him a question, I blurted out some gibberish that didn’t even make sense. He handled it with class, he but was definitely impatient with me (and rightly so!). I can laugh about it now.

In that moment I learned a major lesson — I’m known to be a very open and honest person — someone that will always speak up. In fact, if there is an elephant in the room, I am usually eager to grab it and put it on the middle of the boardroom table. In that moment I learned that it’s OK to ask the “stupid” questions, but it’s also OK to be silent sometimes — the loudest person in the room isn’t always the most powerful. Leading and being a CEO means combining both speaking up and listening.

My first CEO position was for an early-stage VC funded company. There were two CEO board members who gave me a great deal of guidance through that period. Even after I left my role at the company, those two board members have always been people who have been available to help me and their insight and guidance has been invaluable.

Being an executive is not for the faint of heart — the buck stops with you. That means oftentimes it comes down to you to make the tough decisions and the hard calls. And if things don’t go to plan, that’s on you as well. That certainly leads to a lot of stress, so it’s important to take time for yourself.

In order to be the best possible CEO, you first must be your best possible self. Of course, that doesn’t always mean turning your computer off at 5PM sharp, but by taking vacations, weekends, and some weeknights off, it gives you a change to recharge and refresh yourself! Oftentimes coming back to work with a clear mind will lead to many new innovations and projects for the team, too.

Diversity, equality and inclusion are indeed critical to the success of a business, at all levels of the team. It takes a diverse group of people in order to be successful. The best leaders surround themselves with people who complete them — where you may be weak in some areas, they are strong, and vice versa.

In today’s highly competitive and tough business environment, the diversity of skills, backgrounds and viewpoints is an absolute necessity if you want to have a chance to succeed. Today, you need people from all cultures, all religions (including non-religious spirituality), all races and all sexes, etc, to get access to the diverse skillsets needed to prosper as a company. So, the competitive environment means that we need to up our game.

Additionally, in order to succeed globally you need to understand your customer. That means you need to begin with having that diversity in-house.

As a business leader, can you please share a few steps we must take to truly create an inclusive, representative, and equitable society? Kindly share a story or example for each.

Change comes from within. It’s easy to say “companies must be diverse” but it’s another thing to actually implement diversity in all aspects of life. The first step comes from education. It’s crucial to educate oneself, and the company, on diversity and inclusion. Hiring an outside consultant is one way of doing this — another way is by having all-team calls and anonymous surveys where it’s easy to report harassment, issues, etc, of any kind.

It’s also necessary to lead by example. As a female in a male-dominated industry, I had to work 10x harder than my male counterparts in order to be taken seriously. As such, I made sure that over half of my company’s engineering team is female. It’s one thing to talk the talk, but by actually walking the walk, I set an example for my colleagues, employees, but also my family members.

We, no doubt, as a society, are a long way off from having a truly inclusive, representative, and equitable society — however by continuing these conversations, it’s a start!

The thing I love most about being CEO is that the buck stops with you — there is no excuse that you can make to anyone else — if you succeed, it’s because of your team, customers, investors and stakeholders. However, if you fail — well you have to look in the mirror and see that you’re the only one to blame. Why the double standard? Because it’s the CEO’s job to build the team, customers, investors and stakeholders. So, if they don’t bring it over the line, that’s on you. I also love working with a team — building people, helping them to grow — seeing someone you hired advance and take leadership positions is extremely rewarding.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive. Can you explain what you mean?

Being a CEO (or executive) doesn’t always give you total power and control. Being a leader of a company is a bit like being a parent — it’s your job to ensure your child doesn’t get hit by a car, which is easy when they are small. However, once they are big and grown up, you can guide them in the right direction, but you’re not always there to hold their hand. CEOs and executives are thought to be in positions of power — and we are — however that doesn’t mean I’ve never been powerless before. We experienced that most recently with Covid-19.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women executives that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

Though the role of women has certainly changed in the past decade, the world is still less comfortable with women taking charge in a leadership setting.

In June of 2019, 33 of the companies on the ranking of the 500 highest-grossing firms were led by a female CEO. Though that’s an increase of 2% since 2018, that still means that only 6.6% of the highest grossing firms were run by women.

As a woman, one of the biggest challenges I had to face was raising my family, while also growing my business. Women are often expected to be the care giver in the home, and as such, are expected to put their work life on hold for their families. If a female gives up time with her kids to work, she is criticized, and if a woman decides to stay at home to take care of their kids, they are also looked down upon.

I remember speaking to a wonderful hardworking contractor electrician in the U.S in the run-up to the 2016 Presidential election. I asked him who he was going to vote for and he said Donald Trump. When I asked why he wasn’t going to vote for Hillary, he replied, “Because she is a liar.” I started to say that Trump was known to lie also, and he said: “I know what you are going to say — that Donald Trump lies too. But I am okay with a man lying, just not okay with a woman lying.” That, in a nutshell, is the biggest challenge for ambitious women trying to stretch to reach a goal.

What is the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?

It’s a lot harder than anyone can possibly imagine. When you’re just starting, you think that you’re doing all the grunt work to “pay your dues” however once you hit the “C-suite” level, work, and work-life balance would be easier. That couldn’t be further from the truth. To succeed as the CEO of a startup company, every day is a new challenge. The job has forced me to take a cold hard look at my personal shortcomings, and face the reality that in order to be successful, I’ll have to work on my own flaws every day — being a CEO means you both have to be a leader, educator and a forever student.

You have to be an optimist and believe that things will work out — but you can’t just believe it, you have to work hard, every single day in order to make your vision a reality. You also have to abide by the mantra: “Never give up, never surrender!”

What advice would you give to other women leaders to help their team to thrive?

Be yourself — let people see the real you. Don’t filter yourself to make you appear “nicer” or more “approachable”, something that’s often expected of a female leader. Be blunt, honest, and open.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

The mission of my company, Clear Blue Technologies, is about bringing solar power to the world and half of our business takes place in underdeveloped areas around the globe. In the emerging market we are helping to bring internet and communications to Rural Africa, among other projects. It’s the first company I have been a part of, where I can confidently say that we are making a real difference and impact on the way the world communicates. On a personal note, I’m a big believer in always paying it forward. It’s important to take my position of power and use it to help others in their careers to move forward, whether it’s giving them a recommendation, chatting about my experiences, or giving advice!

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

It will take 3 times longer than you think. Things that may seem simple and easy, frequently are not! I remember thinking that a project would only take a few months and wow, I was far off from that mark! It’s important not to lose focus and passion when projects run over the time allotted! But that’s life!
You are the 1% of the 1%.
You always have options and choices.
Take vacations, weekends, and weeknights off. You’ll be better for it. I sacrificed a lot to make it as a CEO, and that includes time spent with my family. Taking a moment to recharge, take time off, and spend time with my family (and time for myself) is crucial in order to keep being the best possible CEO I can be.
Being a teacher and a student is the true description of the job.

Energy for all. I think the world will be a much better place once we, as a society, have achieved that. I’m proud that Clear Blue Technologies is a part of trying to make that a reality.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Gene Kranz during Apollo 13 said “Failure is not an option.” That’s really something that has guided me both professionally and personally as a wife and mother.

Bill Gates because he has achieved success more than once and on a grander scale than I can ever imagine.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

Miriam Tuerk of Clear Blue Technologies: “You have to be an optimist and believe that things will… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Brandon Brown of GRIN: 6 Ways To Leverage Instagram To Dramatically Improve Your Business

Instagram isn’t just about posting for your own business, but also engaging with other users, connecting with those in your community and remaining true to your brand. By engaging with your audience, consumers, and other businesses, you’re expanding your reach and boosting exposure on the platform. This leads to more followers and potential partnerships, influencer opportunities, and brand fans.

As a part of our series about How To Leverage Instagram To Grow Your Business, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brandon Brown, founder and CEO of GRIN.

Brandon Brown is the founder and CEO of GRIN. With over a decade of experience in marketing, Brandon is an expert in developing and curating authentic relationships for the brands, partners and teams he works with. Brandon resides in Sacramento, California and can often be found supporting local small businesses or listening to his favorite podcasts.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I’ve always been drawn to the marketing space and began my career in action sports and consumer marketing at Red Bull. During my eight years at the company, I built one of the most extensive opinion leader programs (before “influencer marketing” and Instagram were popular) in the world for Red Bull. Through that process, I grew to intimately understand how to drive outcomes through “opinion leaders” as Red Bull calls them.

In the world of action sports, youth culture and music, the key to success is being genuine and real. I learned that the core problem influencer marketing solves is brand trust, and knew I could make a difference in the industry by focusing on a relationship-based approach versus the hyper-transactional model that was pervasive at the time.

I knew I had something more significant to contribute to the industry as a whole and took the next step in my career by founding GRIN. GRIN was created to bring real connection back to brands and influencers.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?

So many to share. Not very interesting, but I think in general the difference between building companies and working in them is drastic. The air is much more turbulent when you’re in charge of building the plane while it takes off — lots of sleepless nights, lots of anxiety. I think earlier in this process I struggled a lot with thinking that my self-worth was tied to the business success, I’ve now come to understand there is a big difference between those things and it has enabled me to be a much better leader.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

There are too many to count with GRIN. I remember back on my time at Red Bull and thinking that you can buy trust. I found out quickly that no matter how much you pay someone, you’re either a part of the culture or you’re not. So leading with money, without giving back to the community or person you’re supporting in a meaningful way, is a quick way to look out of touch and be counterproductive to your goals.

Ok. Let’s now move to the main focus of our discussion. For the benefit of our readers, can you explain why you are an authority about Social Media Marketing?

I have over 15 years of marketing experience, with over six years spent building and leading my own company. GRIN helps brands manage athlete, tastemaker & influencer relations via social media. I led one of the largest opinion leader programs in the world in Los Angeles while I was working at Red Bull, all before influencer marketing even became mainstream. I then founded GRIN to help restore authenticity to the influencer marketing industry and bring real connections and relationships to brands and their influencers.

GRIN is the influencer marketing category leader, we’re growing revenue the fastest in the space, have the strongest team, the world’s best investors and we own eCommerce by a wide margin. I work day-in and day-out with brands, large and small, to help them understand this new world and how modern media consumption is changing. GRIN’s software helps them scale their brand-building efforts and business revenue — but most importantly, establish meaningful and real relationships with influencers who reach customers.

Which social media platform have you found to be most effective to use to increase business revenues? Can you share a story from your experience?

When any platform emerges there is a period of distribution arbitrage, where it’s cheaper to buy organic traffic than paid traffic. That said, it doesn’t last long. This is because the social platform business model is to make money through advertising — so if it stays that way it’s a threat to their core existence unless they can monetize it.

A better piece of advice would be to not think in terms of social platforms because they come and go, if all you’re after is reach on social platforms you can just spend your whole budget on paid advertising. Paid advertising performs really well and the whole business model is set up to facilitate that. The problem with only growing through running ads is you end up with a hollow brand.

If brands want a strategic advantage over their competitors they should consider how they can become a trusted part of the conversation where their consumers are spending time. Oftentimes that’s by finding relevant advocates, athletes, taste makers — people who believe in your product — and collaborating with them. It can be paid or unpaid, the main goal is to build trust with the audience on that platform. When you do that it makes your ad spend perform better — Customer Acquisition Costs (CACs) decrease and Lifetime Values (LTVs) go up. This is because of the halo effect it creates around your brand.

Let’s talk about Instagram specifically, now. Can you share 6 ways to leverage Instagram to dramatically improve your business? Please share a story or example for each.

Utilize influencers who align with your business goals and vision. Your business posts can only go so far, and it’s important to find and utilize influencers whose values align with your business’ mission and goals. In fact, 92% of consumers trust influencers more than advertisements, creating an extremely effective way to communicate with your audience and grow your business.
Authenticity is everything. Your business will find the most success on Instagram when you create more trust with your consumers. Remain authentic in your posts and partnerships to help you scale but also, more importantly, optimize towards honest endorsement and create brand fans.
Trusted content performs better in paid channels. Once you’ve found the right balance for your content, and see it resonating with your consumers organically, spend behind it. If you’re working with an influencer, consider whitelisting the ad account on the influencer who posted it.
Think long-term, it’s about a lot more than short-term traffic. Remember that using Instagram to grow your business is about the long-term, and it won’t happen immediately. Be sure to create engaging content at-scale that ties into the larger business goals and plan. One great post isn’t going to move mountains.
Increase engagement. Instagram isn’t just about posting for your own business, but also engaging with other users, connecting with those in your community and remaining true to your brand. By engaging with your audience, consumers, and other businesses, you’re expanding your reach and boosting exposure on the platform. This leads to more followers and potential partnerships, influencer opportunities, and brand fans.
Consider the Halo Effect. Instagram is a powerful tool but can be optimized even more when considered alongside other marketing mix spend. Don’t make the mistake of isolating your social channels, but instead, let them all work for you to create increased conversation rates and lifetime value across the board.

Because of the position that you are in, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I would work with creators, athletes, tastemakers, musicians — all people who have a captive audience — and help teach them to bring honesty back to their brand collaborations. The truth is that influencer marketing has made brand advocacy, athlete marketing and all of the original human-touch disciplines inside marketing feel fake. It’s a little sad. Creators who have an audience should only collaborate with a brand that they believe in, products they actually use and should never lie to their audience to make money. That’s part of our mission at GRIN, to improve the buying experience through trusted endorsement.

Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂

I would love to have breakfast with J Cole and just pick his brain. Not only is he a great artist, but I have a lot of respect for how he has built his career in hip hop, kept a level head through it all, and speaks on relevant topics in his music. His music reflects his passions, and he seems like a true, authentic figure in today’s culture.

Brandon Brown of GRIN: 6 Ways To Leverage Instagram To Dramatically Improve Your Business was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Future Of Beauty: “Skin microbiome technology” With Young Lin of Derm Institute

Animal testing is a grave concern for me. It is an inhumane process. I believe we should make ingredients more transparent and test each one of them like EU registration process.

I had the pleasure of interviewing a Renowned cosmetic researcher Young Lin. He founded Derm Institute in 2009 after successfully treating his father’s post-chemo skin issues. Young’s father was fortunate to overcome liver cancer, but the illness left his skin badly scarred and sensitive to most products. At the time, Young had a prestigious career in skincare and was working at various hospitals in Taiwan as an eastern therapeutic researcher specializing in Chinese herbs. When Young was invited to attend a plant stem cell seminar in Miami he jumped at the opportunity, eager to find more information that would allow him to rehabilitate his father’s skin.

At the Miami workshop, Young was able to test new ingredients and discovered herbal antioxidants which he used to create a topical ointment. By utilizing an Eastern therapeutic antioxidant complex, Young was able to reverse his father’s skin damage and restore it back to its original health. The results were astounding, which inspired Young to share his revolutionary skincare regime and include his unique Eastern therapeutic antioxidant complex and use the highest medical-grade ingredients to dramatically improve even the most challenging skin conditions in every product of the Derm Institute collection.

Through the use of microarray, a high-tech device from the pharmaceutical industry that allows scientists to test ingredients and examine gene activity, Derm Institute has discovered powerful new compounds that affect the aging process. This innovative approach to skincare allows the body to reactivate specific gene functions, trigger signals that reverse signs of aging, and increase an overall youthful appearance.

Derm Institute values an eco-friendly approach to sourcing and extracting all ingredients. All formulations are free from parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, synthetic dyes, animal products, and cruelty-free. All products are made in the United States with ingredients derived from the stems and seeds of plants, which are the most durable and least affected by pollution. Through a potent combination of antioxidants, groundbreaking peptides, and advanced delivery systems, Derm Institute products are able to achieve instant and cumulative results. Derm Institute is an innovator in the luxury skincare industry and continues to receive awards and accolades for its exceptional products.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

When my father went through chemotherapy for his cancer back in 2002, his body weakened and his skin had also become dry and irritated. It seemed like nothing on the market could reverse the effects chemotherapy had on his skin. On top of using lotion and body oil, I tried to use Eastern therapeutic herbal-based ointment to help alleviate inflammation, combat allergies, and strengthen skin barrier abilities. After a few weeks his skin’s dry itchiness and peeling got better. After just 2 months, his skin condition stabilized. That prompted my interest in researching further into Eastern therapeutic herbs. At the First International Stem Cell Workshop in 2008, I met a few stem cells and genetics scientists. They helped me understand DNA genetic testing technology. I found that we are able to properly discover which type of plant ingredients can have a positive influence on skin cell genes, thereby improving skin condition. That’s how Derm Institute products were born.

Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?

There was a famous celebrity that really liked our eye cream! She wanted to “look into” our formula in hopes of formulating her own skincare line. Eventually she gave up because she couldn’t obtain our exclusive formulation. She ended up wanting to become an investor in our company instead. It was in that moment I knew we reached more success than I’d previously realized.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I want to thank Dr. Brandt and his former CEO, Al Roman. Because of their trust in me, I became Dr. Brandt skincare’s exclusive distributor in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China from 2004–2009. This has allowed me to accumulate my experience in setting up and expanding a brand. In 2008, through Al Roman’s recommendation, I participated in the First Internation Stem Cell Workshop. This allowed me to understand developing skincare products with Eastern herbs and how to utilize DNA gene testing technology to achieve hi-tech and effective formulas.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. The beauty industry today has access to technology that was inconceivable only a short time ago. Can you tell us about the “cutting edge” (pardon the pun) technologies that you are working with or introducing? How do you think that will help people?

We’re going to introduce skin microbiome technology in our upgraded Cellular Brightening Essence. Like the gut, the skin has its own unique ecosystem consisting of millions of bacteria, fungi and viruses which make up the skin microbiota. The new ingredient helps to minimize Corynebacterium Kroppenstedtii which is a target for the control of skin redness to prevent facial redness and to revive dull-looking skin. This technology can identify key bacteria and able to regulate them to prevent inflammation and balance skin’s PH level. Other skin care products have never had similar technology to target bacteria imbalance and protect skin health.

Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?

I have not seen this show personally. But there is always some fear associated with technological advancements in our world. We eventually adapt. I am in support of our progression

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the “beauty-tech” industry?

Some brands have used artificial intelligence to personalize skincare analysis and user recommendations, such as personalized skincare regimens based on machine learning algorithms, which incorporate many unique skin types, lifestyle, and environmental factors.
Genomics is also playing a bigger role in personalizing beauty recommendations. Companies are offering beauty-focused DNA testing kits, which can curate product recommendations or branded and personalized products based on users’ specific genomic skincare traits.
Gene editing technology could play a bigger role in beauty ingredient production in the future. For example, it may help farmers grow pathogen-resistant crops or create new species of plants. It could eventually translate to cosmetics ingredient production.

Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?

Animal testing is a grave concern for me. It is an inhumane process. I believe we should make ingredients more transparent and test each one of them like EU registration process.
Globalized regulations for skincare is a another concern for me. Every country has different standards which confuses consumers when they’re determining which country’s standard is correct. Also, it is very time consuming and expensive to run multiple trials and tests. I’m hoping we come up with a global standardized registration in the future.
Eco-friendly packaging demand is a big one. We use eco-friendly ink and material for package. This is important to us, but sometimes consumers complain peel paint from bottles. We want to protect the environment better quality eco-friendly ink rather than non-ecofriendly ink while maintaining quality. We want to make it a point to educate consumers about eco-friendly packaging and let them know we are willing to spend more money to protect our environment. We share many of the same values they do.

You are an expert about beauty. Can you share 5 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share a story or example for each.)

For me, wellness is a huge part of feeling my best. I think when we are healthy and in the best frame of mind we emanate beauty. Here’s what I do to feel great.

Every morning when I wake up, I drink 8 oz water with a few slices of lemon to help my digestive system.
I walk briskly for 30 mins to make myself sweat 3 times a week
I take supplements like Curcumin daily to boost antioxidants, reduce inflammation and maintain heart health
I make sure I take at least 2 vacations a year to relax and stay creative.
I read a book once a week to make sure I’m constantly challenging my mind to keep learning new knowledge. It’s also a great way to stay away from blue light devices in order to maintain eye and skin health.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

Education and skills training are endlessly beneficial disadvantaged children. I donate 10% of my monthly income to related charity organizations for that reason. I wish more people who are able and with the means would donate some of their income to these organizations that provide education to these struggling and disadvantaged kids. They are our future.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

The quote that comes to mind is “Go your way and let people speak!” It comes from Dante Alighieri. When I hear this it reminds me of my beginnings. When I started Derm Institute, even when no one believes in this, I still decided to continue my dream. Because of my own determination and all the help I’ve received from many people along the way, I am where I am today.

How can our readers follow you online?

Derm Institute website: www.diskincare.com, Facebook and Instagram @derminstitute

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.

The Future Of Beauty: “Skin microbiome technology” With Young Lin of Derm Institute was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Marketing Strategies From The Top, With Jamie Glassman of MUBIC

Enjoy the wins- It’s important to recognize the wins even when they are small. Early in my career I was extremely hard on myself / my team and I had trouble acknowledging the milestones. This was very frustrating for my team members and ultimately self-defeating.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jamie Glassman the Chief Executive Officer of MUBIC, a makeup brand incubator dedicated to launching innovative, inspirational, high-quality brands to market. With an extensive marketing and business development background, Jamie’s robust expertise is cemented by her ability to adapt and execute strategy in a rapidly changing marketplace.

Shortly after graduating from University of Wisconsin-Madison, Jamie leveraged her passion for beauty to begin her marketing career at L’Oréal USA where she built global, sales-driving campaigns for powerhouse brands such as Maybelline, Essie and Garnier Skincare. Mostly recently, Jamie served as Senior Vice President of Marketing & E-Commerce at Rituals Cosmetics before joining MUBIC in her current role.

MUBIC accelerates beauty brands through non-traditional channels of distribution by providing a single access point for deep category knowledge and manufacturing relationships. Jamie led strategy for MUBIC’s debut brand launch with Amazon: ONE CLICK b.EAUTY, a digitally-driven line that celebrates positivity through color cosmetics.

Born and raised in New York, Jamie lives in Manhattan with her husband and two children, Charlie and Miles.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I grew up with a lot of exposure to beauty marketing, from my mother who was a beauty executive. She was really great at exposing my sister and me to both the glamorous sides (model and celebrity shoots, product and shade range development, advertising) and operational sides (merchandising, pricing, distribution) of the business. Every time we walked into a drug store beauty aisle she would say “what do you see?” and we would spend time talking about what was working, what wasn’t and why. I started my career in finance and media but ultimately I couldn’t get away from the passion I’d cultivated for consumer marketing and beauty.

Can you share a story about the funniest marketing mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

This was not funny at the time but I can certainly look back on it and laugh! When we acquired essie at L’Oreal there were a million things to do to bring the product to market in a short period of time, and one of those things was approving artwork for the nail color bottles. I am a terrible speller to begin with and some the essie names are very quirky. Well I released 200k pieces of a nail color with a completely misspelled name and no one realized until it was in market across 20k doors! The lesson was details mater, take the time to pay attention even when there is no time.

Some of the high points certainly included launching essie into the mass market and establishing it as the #1 nail color brand, and more recently driving exponential growth of Rituals digitally in the US. For me the key takeaway is maybe the view is better from the peaks but you always learn more in the valleys. If you want the view again you have no choice but to push through.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

MUBIC was started about a year ago as a Makeup Brand Incubator dedicated to launching high quality, innovative, accessible brands into alternative channels of distribution. We are unique in that we provide business management, manufacturing relationships and partnerships all under one umbrella, and we’re here to help influencers, celebrities, and other innovators redefine the space.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

ONE CLICK b.EAUTY is the first brand we’ve developed and we aim to bring ease, quality and accessibility to people for every moment of their lives. It’s exclusive on Amazon.com.

We have more exciting projects in the works. We aren’t ready to talk about them yet but watch this space!

What advice would you give to other marketers to thrive and avoid burnout?

Having a creative outlet outside of your day job helps taper them (at least for me). I have always had side projects, hobbies and activities to turn to when things start to get overwhelming. For me sewing, skiing, climbing and creating strategies for new business concepts or existing businesses that are suffering (that I have nothing to do with) are good ones. For example, I like to think about if I was CEO of X company that is about to go out of business what I would do to revive it.

There are so many people who have been advocates, advisors and friends along the way, I know how lucky I am in being able to say it is almost impossible to single one out. With that said Wendy Charland has played a particularly important role in my career. I reported to her for much of my career at L’Oreal and she taught me a lot of what I know about how to write a strategy and build a brand. She let me have a voice and a seat at the table when she could have easily left me out of the conversation. She is a fabulous mentor and now a close friend.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. There are hundreds of memorable marketing campaigns that have become part of the lexicon of our culture. What is your favorite marketing or branding campaign from history? Can you explain why you like that so much?

Some that still really resonate with me are the ‘Got Milk?’ campaign and the Absolute vodka ‘Cities’ campaign where they put the shape of the bottle in different world landmarks. Both of these are timeless in their own way, instantly recognizable, simple and very easily understood. I think the Chanel fashion show strategy has been absolutely brilliant for the brand — apart from creating a lot of buzz and driving a lot of traffic it really showcases the tremendous creative power behind the brand — really inspiring.

If you could break down a very successful campaign into a “blueprint”, what would that blueprint look like? Please share some stories or examples of your ideas.

A good campaign should evoke some kind of feeling that might be aspiration, relatability, envy or desire. It has to be memorable and simple to understand but most of all it should provoke in some way, that can be by asking a question, driving an interaction or surprising its audience. I am not sure there is a blueprint or formula — the fun is in evolving with the consumer and adapting to the changing conversation in our culture.

Companies like Google and Facebook have totally disrupted how companies market over the past 15 years. At the same time, consumers have become more jaded and resistant to anything “salesy”. In your industry, where do you see the future of marketing going?

I think in beauty marketing will be even more about hyper-micro influence and word of mouth referrals. In some ways its going backwards but I think the role of a trusted opinion is going to become even more important.

Can you please tell us the 3 things you wish someone told you before you started? Can you please share a story or example for each.

They all fall under the same theme:

1-All in due time- I was so eager to start my career after college. I was worried if I didn’t get off to a running start I would fall behind my friends and peers. I wish I had taken time to be a ski bum for a year or two but I was convinced I would fall behind and never achieve anything if I did. Not doing it is one of my few regrets.

2-Stay humble and do the work./ early in my career I was passed up for a promotion and told it would happen 6 months later. I was devastated! I huffed around, grumpy and miserable for the entire time….what a waste of time!

3- Enjoy the wins- It’s important to recognize the wins even when they are small. Early in my career I was extremely hard on myself / my team and I had trouble acknowledging the milestones. This was very frustrating for my team members and ultimately self-defeating.

What books, podcasts, documentaries or other resources do you use to sharpen your marketing skills?

I call my husband my research department he sends me tons of content from literally everywhere to help keep me sharp. I also only read non-fiction and while it is not always about modern business it’s almost always about innovation or leadership in some way. Some of my favorite authors are Erik Larson, David Grann, David McCullough and Adam Bryant. Fast Company and WWD are also on my reading list.

Who is your hero? Can you explain or share a story about why that person resonates with you?

I really admire Richard Branson. He had a vision and has built an empire around it. He has had to pivot many times as consumer needs have changed but has always risen to the challenge and found new ways to make Virgin successful. He has a people-first approach and an adventurous spirit both of which resonate really strongly with me.

How can our readers follow you online?

They can follow us @oneclickbeautykits on Instagram/ facebook or me @jmginthecity

Marketing Strategies From The Top, With Jamie Glassman of MUBIC was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

David Rapps of iFly: The Future Of Travel In The Post COVID World

Surround yourself with people who have more experience than you and listen to them. You don’t have to follow all of their advice on a given subject, but lean on these people because they will help you make decisions better and faster than you otherwise could.

I had the pleasure of interviewing David Rapps of iFly.

David is passionate about making best-in-class products we all can afford. With the amazing team at Calego, David helped build iFLY into America’s #1 rated and reviewed luggage brand in 2019.

After completing a Bachelors of Arts at McGill University, David joined Just for Laughs, serving as the assistant to the Head of Programming and contributed as a talent producer to live and televised comedy specials that aired on TBS and HBO. David later studied at McGill University’s Faculty of Law and after ranking in the top-10 percent of his class was awarded the Harry Batshaw Prize for academic excellence.

While in law school, David teamed up with his brother to form ZOJO Games and launched the first ever mobile gaming app with live daily fantasy snake drafts on iOS. David later joined Stikeman Elliott LLP where he practiced corporate law focusing on mergers and acquisitions.

In 2015, David joined Calego International Inc., a family-owned business that began in 1931, where he now serves as President. Calego owns and operates iFLY and iFLY Smart, which are leading travel and health & wellness brands.

Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I was working as a young associate at Stikeman Elliott LLP and my father approached me about joining the family business. I was very interested. I started a business with my younger brother while I was in law school and while that didn’t work out the way we had envisioned, it grew my love for business and entrepreneurship.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

We started developing health & wellness kits for travelers in 2017. In 2018 we completed product development and testing and finally pitched major retailers. Not a single retail we pitched was open to the idea that travelers would want face masks, antibacterial wipes, hand sanitizer, headrest covers and more in a kit for their travels. In 2019, finally one major retailer took a chance on the program and it performed below what we had hoped. Still, we continued to develop our health & wellness kits because we believed deeply in the product and its value. In February 2020, COVID-19 changed the world as we knew it and suddenly our kits became the hottest item on the market. Now we have built a large health & wellness business that includes our kits and many more products that help keep people healthy and safe.

Can you tell us one of the biggest lessons you learned in your career?

What some perceive as your weakness can often be your competitive advantage and ultimate strength. I am reminded of this pretty much daily in our business.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? Can you share a story about that?

Surround yourself with people who have more experience than you and listen to them. You don’t have to follow all of their advice on a given subject, but lean on these people because they will help you make decisions better and faster than you otherwise could.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

My father in particular stands out because ever since I was young he encouraged me to be comfortable being different, to not follow the crowd and to use good judgment. I have found that in business you need to get comfortable being different because there’s so much noise and group-think that leads people into making bad decisions simply because they feel safe doing so. A great example is the direct-to-consumer business model that so many brands have spent way too much money and energy adopting through an ad-based model instead of utilizing other elements of their business that would lead to quicker results at far less cost. We sell direct-to-consumer in addition to wholesale, but wholesale is far more important to our business and we have developed ways to build our brands, including iFLY and iFLYSmart, through our core business without having to burn through a ton of cash trying to be something that doesn’t make sense given what we’re good at. There is real value in selling products through retailers and yet the direct-to-consumer ad-based model that was glamorized by media has distracted many strong wholesalers that veered away from their core expertise simply because they thought that they needed to build their brands a certain way.

Thank you for that. Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?

We were the first company to introduce health & wellness travel kits, long before COVID-19 ever existed. Our kits include face masks, antiseptic wipes, antibacterial hand sanitizers, headrest covers, protective gloves and more, and all of our products are FDA and EPA compliant and have been since day one.

Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?

In this case, the pain point is physical pain. Planes, trains, buses and subways are notoriously unsanitary means of transportation. The Journal of Environmental Health Research found that people are 113 times more likely to catch a cold on a plane than on the ground. That is absolutely horrible. And yet for years, people have been complacent and blindly trusted airlines and their fellow passengers to keep planes germ-free. We are bringing sanitation and hygiene to people and showing them that they must be their own health advocate when they travel, commute and do normal errands like grocery shopping.

Our patent-pending face mask dispenser kits are truly revolutionary. They allow organizations to supply visitors, team members and customers with individually wrapped face masks in a socially distant manner. We have sold our products to organizations from the New York Mets to Walgreens, Walmart and Staples because these companies understand the value we’ve brought to the marketplace. Just like we have changed the way people will travel, we will change the way companies protect people inside and outside of their organizations.

How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?

People will get sick less often and this will reduce the burden on our health care industry. Australia recently revealed that the actions people have taken to protect against contracting COVID-19 has resulted in a sharp decline in the transmission of the flu. That’s a silver lining we need to talk about as a society. Ultimately, our iFLYSmart products are the pioneers in a movement that is leading to less people getting sick and dying.

As you know, COVID19 changed the world as we know it. Can you share 5 examples of how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers will prefer to travel?

Retailers selling travel goods will devote more space to health & wellness products.
Hospitality and transportation companies will devote more resources to sanitation, health and wellness.
Our iFLYSmart health and wellness kits will continue to expand across retail and online marketplaces.
Companies will reduce business travel and demand more virtual meetings.
The number of lifestyle brands that license their brands to luggage companies will decrease.

Can you share with our readers how have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

We have donated our kits, masks and other personal protective equipment to the Visiting Nurse Service of New York and other healthcare organizations. We have been meaningful supporters of organizations in our hometown for many years, including the Jewish General Hospital, Federation CJA, and causes dedicated to cancer research.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I would make entrepreneurship and music mandatory in grade school. Business and music have creative and technical components and learning both at a young age can help give young people much needed perspective when learning other important subjects like math.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

Follow me @DavidRapps on LinkedIn

www.iFLYSmartKit.com and www.iFLYluggage.com

Follow @iFLYSmart and @iFLYluggage on Instagram and Facebook.

David Rapps of iFly: The Future Of Travel In The Post COVID World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

How Arlana Brooks of Arlana’s Gourmet Cookies Tackles The Extreme Work Life Balance Of Being A…

How Arlana Brooks of Arlana’s Gourmet Cookies Tackles The Extreme Work Life Balance Of Being A Woman Business Leader During Covid-19

“Obstacles are stepping stones.” My life has been full obstacles that have helped me get to the next step. Each obstacle present an opportunity, or a pivot, which sometimes present themselves in disguise. Obstacles drive me to figure out a solution, and this solution always takes me to the next step.

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of our lives today. Many of us now have new challenges that come with working from home, homeschooling, and sheltering in place.

As a part of my series about how busy women leaders are addressing these new needs, I had the pleasure of interviewing Arlana Brooks

Arlana Brooks is a multifaceted woman — a devoted mother with a career in civil engineering and a lifelong love for baking. Inspired by her own mother, Arlana learned early the culinary techniques that would later serve her own company. She founded Arlana’s Gourmet Cookies in 1993 when a simple gift of cookies led to substantial orders for individuals and future events. Arlana’s elegant style is demonstrated in her high-end packaging that is made with beautiful accents and personalized accessories.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

I always enjoyed math. Math was not my best subject in High School, but I enjoyed how it made me problem solve.

Prior to starting college, I wanted to be a Mechanical Engineer but I knew that entailed working in an office all day which wasn’t doable for my active self. I decided to major in Civil Engineering because it gave me the flexibility to work inside and outside. Civil Engineering steered me toward working in Construction where I’ve worked for 27 years and love what I do!

I started my baking business in 1993, my last year of college. It all began when I made cookies for my mother’s job’s potluck, at her request. When she came home, to my surprise, she had paid orders. That’s where the road began for Arlana’s Gourmet Cookies.

Now I am lucky enough to have two career loves: Construction and Baking. ?

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started at your company?

From the start of Arlana’s Gourmet Cookies to today, the entire journey has been an interesting story. The journey is full of highs, lows, challenges and inspirations. This journey truly drives me.

When there were challenges, I burst through and doors opened because of my ambition.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

I am honing in on my give-back causes. I am finishing the Community Impact page on my website, which will allow customers to donate to local organizations close to my heart such as single mothers, STEM, and breast cancer awareness. Each charity we partner with will receive 25% of sales in their designated month and the customer will receive 10% off the next purchase of Arlana’s Gourmet Cookies.

During my recent phase of revamping the cookie business, a college friend offered to invest. It took me years to take her up on the offer. When I did revisit the offer, she said “I was just waiting on you.”

It was then I knew what I had to do to be successful and grow. I am so grateful for her patience and her belief in me. Accepting her offer meant that I was aware of where I wanted to be and how to get there.

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of our lives today. Can you articulate to our readers what are the biggest family related challenges you are facing as a woman business leader during this pandemic?

Being a single mommy, having full-time job as an essential worker, and running my Arlana’s Gourmet Cookies is a true balancing act. Now that my father was recently diagnosed with terminal Bladder Cancer and ongoing Dementia, my family is being faced with even more challenges.

Can you share what you’ve done to address those challenges?

Being a single mom: My mother watches my 5-year-old daughter and tends to my dad every day. With my daughter starting kindergarten soon as a distance learner, I know I must relieve some pressure from my mom. I’ve recruited a part of village to assist to reduce the time my daughter is at my parent’s when school starts.
Full-Time Job: I am organizing my schedule so that I can work from home a few hours a day to make sure my daughter is engaged during class time. When my workday ends, work stays at work. It is important for me to establish boundaries.
Arlana’s Gourmet Cookies: Having a great co-packer and baker relieves me from baking. I am able to email requests. Once baked, I can pick up the cookies or call my delivery service. The individually-packaged cookies are returned my office where we package them in gift boxes and send them out for shipment. I also recently hired a dynamic public relations firm, Anika PR, which was been tremendous help!

Can you share the biggest work-related challenges you are facing as a woman in business during this pandemic?

The biggest challenge we are facing, as I am sure many other companies can relate to, is driving clients to my website to place orders. We are working to tap into companies (both small and large) for great gifts for their employees and clients.

Can you share what you’ve done to address those challenges?

I have created boxes called “Gratitude Gourmet.” Each labeled box has a gratitude phrase which come in boxes of 6,12 or 24 cookies.

I have also started providing cookies to client’s employees prior to online meetings to get people hooked and spread the word about my business.

Can you share your advice about how to best work from home, while balancing the needs of homeschooling or the needs of a family?

Since I’m an essential worker, I continue to work at the office, but with temperature checks, a mask and safe distancing. My mom watches my 5-year-old daughter and tends to my dad every day, a huge help I am so grateful for.

With my daughter starting kindergarten soon as a distance learner, I know I must relieve some pressure from my mom. I’ve recruited help and I’ve created a daily schedule for my daughter and I which I’ve post on the wall. This will be a learning experience for the both of us!

Can you share your strategies about how to stay sane and serene while sheltering in place, or simply staying inside, for long periods with your family?

After work, I pick up my daughter from my parent’s house and we go home to relax, play games and bake. We watch a lot of Disney — it makes us both happy and helps us unwind. On Saturdays we drive to a different Target for weekly shopping, a silly event that gives us something to look forward to.

Many people have become anxious from the dramatic jolts of the news cycle. The fears related to the coronavirus pandemic have understandably heightened a sense of uncertainty, fear, and loneliness. From your perspective can you help our readers to see the “Light at the End of the Tunnel”? Can you share your “5 Reasons to Be Hopeful During this Corona Crisis”? If you can, please share a story or example for each.

We will get through this! The world has been through this before and we have a road map. We just must learn by past examples and experiences. Imagine what your wiser self would say to console your current self.
Remind yourself that though this pandemic feel endless, this too will someday be in the past.
This crisis has brought out the good in many people. It reminders us that a lot of people have great unselfish hearts. My daughter and I have at time’s fill a backpack with essentials, goodies and, of course, Arlana’s Gourmet Cookies to give to the homeless. Small practices of care go a long way. Try it for yourself.
This is an awaking for the world not of the inconsistencies of a global pandemic, but also racism. Those that never understood the challenges of being Black now do.
Take this time to make yourself a better person. Learn a skill. Read a book on racism. Take an online class.

From your experience, what are a few ideas that one can use to effectively offer support to their family and loved ones who are feeling anxious? Can you explain?

Write down what you love doing and follow your dreams. Learn who you are. Getting to know yourself is the most important component of success. Simply put, this is the best time to learn about you because you finally have the time. Excuses to continue putting it off are failing you left and right — get to it!

Try not to worry about what you do not have control over. Live your best life and be kind to others. What you give, you will receive.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Obstacles are stepping stones.” My life has been full obstacles that have helped me get to the next step. Each obstacle present an opportunity, or a pivot, which sometimes present themselves in disguise. Obstacles drive me to figure out a solution, and this solution always takes me to the next step.

How can our readers follow you online?

www.facebook.com/arlanasgourmetcookies

www.twitter.com/@agcookies

www.pinterest.com/agcookies15

www.instagram.com/agourmetcookies

www.linkedin.com/company/arlana’s-gourmet-cookies

Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!

How Arlana Brooks of Arlana’s Gourmet Cookies Tackles The Extreme Work Life Balance Of Being A… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Francesco Mancini of Lux Travel Official: The Future Of Travel In The Post COVID World

I believe starting a career as travel blogger or anyway within the social media influencing industry is not just a choice to take from one day to another, you need to be ready to fight to be recognized between million of users. So I did, I started to invest in my personal development, following social media courses online, investing in camera equipment and improving my skills to build up a strong relationship with each follower.

As part of my series about “developments in the travel industry over the next five years”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Francesco Mancini. Francesco is an Italian travel blogger & founder of travel company Lux Travel Official.

Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I was working 9–5 every week in London and even though I really liked my job i was not happy with my lifestyle. It was a very stressful day and I started to think that London was not my place, i missed to much the hot summer and the freedom of moving around without public transports. So I thought I will quit my job and start travel no stop making this passion my work. Thanks to my passion for photography and digital I’ve stepped in the influencer’s world and started to learn more about it.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

I’ve just started sharing my adventures on Instagram and discovered that people and brands really liked the content, so i thought to start reach out tourism boards and luxury resorts to collaborate. Sent over hundreds email in one day and the day after my inbox was full of responses. The extraordinary thing was that I’ve managed to stay for free for over 2 months and half in Southeast Asia in amazing 5* luxury resorts and hotel. I was so happy that day and i couldn’t believe that i would be able to travel for free.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Certainly the “funniest” mistake was to accept over hundreds collaboration with brands or resort in exchange of contents. I was overloaded of work and didn’t really have time for myself. I definitely learnt that I had to schedule better my work and especially try to sell my work more than give it for free.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

Whatever I do, I’m doing it with passion and I always work hard to get the best results and to provide to my clients the greatest service. These days you need to be kind of unique if you want to impress your clients and so i do. It happened few times that i started a work relationship with a hotel or resort and I’ve became part of a family.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”? Can you share a story about that?

The strongest advise is to consider how much time and passion they are going to dedicate to this work. It’s more than a full time job, building up a community requires a lot of energy, investment in personal growth and dedication. I believe starting a career as travel blogger or anyway within the social media influencing industry is not just a choice to take from one day to another, you need to be ready to fight to be recognized between million of users. So I did, I started to invest in my personal development, following social media courses online, investing in camera equipment and improving my skills to build up a strong relationship with each follower.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I need to be thankful toward my family, my parents always believed in me especially when things were not going right. In these moments I always felt that they were there ready to support me and to push me to win difficulties along the path.

Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?

Lux Travel Official is an innovative way to travel because we are not just providing exclusive accommodations and itinerary, we are taking care of our clients h24 from the time of inquire to when the return from their trip. We like to be there next to each of our clients and be available for any question the may have. Finally our VIP services which are an extra inclusion to each trip, how many of you wished to have a personal photographer which create beautiful memories about your vacation? We love to take picture and create beautiful albums for you. last not least we provide also the opportunity to follow master-classes about how to become a digital nomad and how to level up your lifestyle, everything in one unique trip.

Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?

Certainly, we’d like to take off worry from organizing every single detail of a complex journey for our clients. Now days with the multiple options available is becoming harder to pick the right one, that’s why we are helping our clients and letting them to feel relaxed and worry free from organizing their best vacations.

Can you share 5 examples of how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers like to travel?

1. They will review their refund and exchange policy, too many people have been loosing their money or didn’t get the opportunity to change their vacations. This brought a lot of bad feedback to many businesses. Tourism lives with reviews of clients and therefore this for sure will change.

2. The hygiene regulations will be more restrict, guests need to feel safe to travel.

3. Travel restrictions for certain countries will be adjusted accordingly with the virus report. At least until we will have a vaccine.

4. Travel will be a luxury thing. In fact the cost of traveling will be higher since less people will be traveling this year and the cost for health and safety is increased due the plenty of regulations to respect.

5. Guests will look for more privacy and therefore B&B or small/boutique hotel will probably have more requests to accommodate than large chain.

You are a “travel insider”. How would you describe your “perfect vacation experience”?

There is one thing that I always look in each trip and this is to be exclusive. I believe the perfect vacation experience is when you feel that the location, the service and anything else is an exclusive thing made for you.

Can you share with our readers how have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

Since i started my career as travel influencer, I’ve always tried to inspire people and to motivate my followers to believe in themselves and to take always the opportunity to do whatever they think is going to change their lives or improve it. I’m myself a dreamer but also a very ambitious person. Saying that I’ve got a lot of people messaging me everyday to get inspired to improve their present and future.

Certainly i would say: live moments not things… one of the things that really changed me was dedicating time to appreciate moments and not material things. Doesn’t matter if i was broken or i had the most expensive camera, the most beautiful things where like enjoying a sunset or meet locals in the rice fields. I think the world would be a better place if we stop thinking about money or appearances and care more about feelings and memories.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

Simply on Instagram (@francescomancinistyle) or Youtube (@francescomancinistyle)

Francesco Mancini of Lux Travel Official: The Future Of Travel In The Post COVID World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Darla DeMorrow of HeartWork Organizing: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More…

Darla DeMorrow of HeartWork Organizing: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy

Eliminate clutter. Clutter isn’t just excess stuff, it’s stuff that makes you feel stuck. You don’t have to be a minimalist to live in an organized home. When your home is organized, you can appreciate everything in it more clearly. Too many people feel cluttered, but get stuck on the very first step of really owning their space. The first step is just to start moving things in order to get and stay organized. The SORT and Succeed system is just five simple steps to get organized. You can use them in every space in your home. Step 1 is to get started on organizing. Step 2 is to organize things into groups of similar items. Step 3 is to reduce, release, and then rest your space. Step 4 is to keep tweaking, keep making small changes that really work for you specifically. Step 5 is to succeed and celebrate with a reward that you’ve chosen for your efforts. That reward, which can be almost anything, trains your brain for the next organizing project.

As part of my series on the “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Darla DeMorrow.

Darla DeMorrow is a certified professional organizer (CPO®), certified photo organizer, decorator, speaker, and founder of HeartWork Organizing, LLC, based in Wayne, PA. Her mission is to help people achieve a sense of peace and purpose. The author of several inspiring books on getting organized, her newest is “The Upbeat, Organized Home Office.” Darla is a certified photo organizer with The Photo Managers, and a certified Evernote consultant. She is constantly honing her skills to provide her clients the best in organizing and design. To learn more, visit www.HeartWorkOrg.com.

Thank you so much for joining us in this series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I’ll tell you a story about why I came to this so late in life. I was told from my school days onward that I wasn’t creative, meaning that I didn’t draw, sing or dance very well. What people didn’t know about me is that I solve problems really, really well. Guess what? You can train yourself to learn color mixing, spatial relationships, and fashion trends. But if you can’t solve a client’s problem? Well, that’s where creativity really matters. Don’t ever count yourself out of your passions, and don’t let anyone ever define for you what you are or aren’t.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?

You know those local charity auctions that every community holds? In my first year of business I donated my services to an organization that was important to me. At the luncheon event, some men bid on my donation as a joke. They thought it was the funniest auction package ever, and their words were unkind. Who would ever need such a thing? I took it really hard. I was embarrassed in front of my friends at the charity. But it all turned out for good when the wife of the highest bidder called me gushing about what her husband bought her. She was thrilled to get exactly what she wanted, even if he didn’t realize what he had won. I gained a great client and validation that I need to be very, very careful about whose voice I let inside my head.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

Every project I’m working on is exciting. Ask me who my favorite client is, and I always say that they’re all my favorites! But I do have a favorite type of project: the room that seems beyond hope. When a client feels like they are too cluttered, or they think the room is too small, too ugly, too whatever, I know that a new design can not only change their space, but can very often change their life!

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

There are quite a few mantras that I live by. Mean people suck. Live by the Golden Rule. This, too, shall pass. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. But in business, when I hear negative thoughts in my head, I always think, “Why not me?” I don’t care one bit about fame or popularity, but if there is a need, if someone else is offering a service, then why not me?

I think a lot about people who are quietly helping others all the time, like people who have helped me. They usually don’t even know they are doing it, and they aren’t always formal teachers or great experts. I don’t follow a lot of gurus. Sometimes I learn the most from people who are just three steps ahead of me on their own journey, not the experts who are 300 steps ahead of me. Sometimes it’s easier to learn from those people who are closer and seem more accessible than the rock stars in your orbit.

Thank you for that. Here is the main question of our discussion. What are your “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

Start with your focal point in each space in your home. A focal point can be part of the architecture like a beautiful bay window showcasing a great landscape, or it can be a design element that you introduce like a bold, blue velvet sofa. When there is something special about a room, something that just makes you smile, you know you’ve created a special place.

Go with your gut. If you do love something, love it to the point of feeling it in the pit of your stomach, then listen to that little voice inside you. People know what they love, even if they don’t know quite how to incorporate it into their homes yet. Imagine yourself leaving that one-of-a-kind find at the store, and if it feels like you are leaving one of your children behind, then seriously consider bringing it home, even if it’s a crazy color, size, or finish. Listen to your heart. If your heart really sings, then bring your treasure home. Work with your designer to turn an oddball find into the focal point of your design.

Know when to splurge and when to save. There can be great joy in knowing that one of your favorite things about your home is the great deal that you got on part of your design. It’s not particularly hard to spend money on design. Going over budget doesn’t take talent. But when you live in your home and see your project as a whole, the elements where you saved should balance out the must-have splurges. The best stories about your favorite trash-to-treasure pieces or that time you negotiated hard for that antique and then painted it screaming yellow — those are the stories that bring life to your room.

Eliminate clutter. Clutter isn’t just excess stuff, it’s stuff that makes you feel stuck. You don’t have to be a minimalist to live in an organized home. When your home is organized, you can appreciate everything in it more clearly. Too many people feel cluttered, but get stuck on the very first step of really owning their space. The first step is just to start moving things in order to get and stay organized. The SORT and Succeed system is just five simple steps to get organized. You can use them in every space in your home. Step 1 is to get started on organizing. Step 2 is to organize things into groups of similar items. Step 3 is to reduce, release, and then rest your space. Step 4 is to keep tweaking, keep making small changes that really work for you specifically. Step 5 is to succeed and celebrate with a reward that you’ve chosen for your efforts. That reward, which can be almost anything, trains your brain for the next organizing project.

Light fixtures are jewelry for the home. Freshen up the lighting in your home. Lighting is everything. Without it, colors are meaningless. Lighting affects our safety, our mood, our perception of size and space. Artificial lighting has undergone a quiet revolution in the last decade, becoming more energy efficient, portable, affordable, flexible, and beautiful. Switch out a light fixture. Add accent lighting under cabinets or uplights in dark corners. Replace overhead fixtures. Add landscape lighting. Play with lightbulb color profiles. Add dimmers in high-use rooms. There are so many subtle changes that lighting updates can do for your home. You’ll be overjoyed with the results of your “lightbulb moment.”

My movement would be simple: make sure every man woman and child has a safe, decent affordable home. Housing is one of our most basic needs. Houses aren’t just places where we live. If they are safe, decent, and affordable, they are everything to the children and families who inhabit them.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this, especially if we tag them 🙂

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become fascinated by the women in public service. It boggles the mind that these women would seek relatively poorly paid positions to do the most good for the most people not by just joining the game, but by literally redrawing the playing field. It may be cliché in an election year, but I’d love to ask Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Kamala Harris how they can see the ugly underbelly of some of the worst parts of our public systems and still work to improve life for an entire nation every single day. How do they never have a bad day?

How can our readers follow you on social media?

HeartWorkOrg.com is still the best way to get my attention, either by emailing directly to me, reading weekly articles, or jumping on social media platforms from there.

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational!

Darla DeMorrow of HeartWork Organizing: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.