Ep. 108 Learn from the Best: The Art of Building Business Relationships with Sandra Yancey
Melissa: [00:00:00] Welcome. I am marketing expert and business coach. Melissa Kellogg-Lueck. And this is the Doing Business like a woman podcast, where we are exploring and teaching you how women are reinventing the way business is done and money is made to help you create greater impact and financial freedom, one business at a time.
Okay. Welcome. Thank you for being here at our show today. I'm so excited to have a really special guest with me today Sandra Yancey is here and I'm going to tell you a little bit about, about her in a moment. And, um, I'm having a little, you know, I always have a girl crush on my fabulous guests, but Sandra has been a. Huge mentor for me. And, uh, we're going to talk more about that in a little bit, but before we get to all of that, I want to just let you know that this podcast today, this episode is being brought to you by our 2024 women's success summit. With Sandra Yancey, she's going to be our keynote speaker, but we're hosting that right here in Northern Colorado on April 12th.
And we'll tell you a lot more about that,we would love to have you join us. We are selling tickets right now. So we'll tell you more about how to get those a little bit later. So let's dive right in to talking to Sandra.
And so welcome Sandra. I'm so glad you're here today. And it's so great to have you.
Sandra: It's an honor to be with you, Melissa. Thank you for inviting me. Yes. Yes.
Melissa: So I'm going to introduce Sandra a little bit and then we're going to have her, um, fill in some of the gaps of the story that I find super interesting.
So Sandra is an internationally acclaimed award winning entrepreneur, founder and CEO of e women network. A five time number one best selling author, a life and business transformation expert for the Emmy [00:02:00] award winning TV show The Doctors, producer of the critically acclaimed movie titled The Glow Project, and a philanthropist, Sandra left her successful Fortune 500 corporate career to launch eWomen Network.
Which has become today, one of the most successful multi million dollar women's business networks in North America, with over 500, 000 women business owners connected through 118 chapters, e women network producers, produces nearly 1500 events annually. Like the one we just told you about, as well as the premier international women's entrepreneur conference in North America.
She's been recognized by CNN as an American hero. The e women network foundation has awarded cash grants to 115 nonprofits and 183 scholarships to emerging leaders of tomorrow. So Welcome, Sandra. Thank you.
Sandra: Thank you.
Melissa: I know a lot. That's a mouthful. And, you know, I love it. And I, this is the Sandra that we all admire and look up to.
Right. But, You started somewhere just like we
Sandra: all start. Yeah. Yeah. I'm kind of like a, you know, almost a quarter of a century, 25 year overnight success, right? Exactly. Been doing it for a while. I mean, we're in our, we're approaching 24 years in business with e women network. I had a consulting practice, um, for about seven, almost eight years, uh, prior to that as a solopreneur.
Um, I, I started out with, um, I lived in a very small kind of farm town, uh, Midwest, uh, farm town. We moved to Dallas. Um, my clients at the time, um, after I left corporate America, I had built a lot of relationships over the years. And so, Um, my [00:04:00] clients, it was pretty easy for me to launch my consulting practice in a big way.
And my clients were actually the CEO of Coca Cola. Um, and, uh, John Deere and Levi Strauss and NCR and AT& T and the wall street journal, and the list goes on. Um, but when you live in a small town, a Midwest small town to get to, uh, most of these headquarters, I was on a plane and, um, I had started my family, uh, specifically my daughter, I hadn't had my son yet, and I just wanted a, a different way of, you know, Doing business, I felt like as a solopreneur, I was basically wedded to my business.
This was before, you know, virtual assistants and all of that kind of business coaches and all of that kind of thing. So it was really out there. It felt in some ways while I had a bevy of really sexy clients and Quite honestly was making a whole lot of money. I wasn't happy, Melissa. I wasn't happy because I felt like I had kind of jumped from the frying pan of corporate America and right into the fire because now, you know, I didn't have the help desk when there were technology issues.
And I certainly didn't have an assistant to help, you know, keep me in order and keep me straight and keep me organized. And. All of that kind of thing. And I was, I was really on my own. Um, when we had the opportunity to move where I am now in Dallas. About 28 years ago, I, um, I thought to myself, Oh, my life will change because here I am moving into this really big city and it's world headquarters for Frito Lay and Texas Instruments and Ross Perot had this huge campus of, I don't know, it looks like there was, you know, You know, five, six, maybe even seven buildings, you know, just all this, you know, opportunity that, uh, surrounded the area.
And I thought, oh gosh, I can start working in these major corporations and be home at night with my, [00:06:00] by this time, um, I had just had my son Ryland. And, um, so I thought I could be home at night with my kids. And so I started networking and, uh, in Dallas. And what I found is that. So much hospitality here. I mean, people generally speaking are really nice here in Dallas.
It's one of the things that I love about it has that Midwestern kind of kindness, but all the extra perks of being a major, you know, metropolitan city. And so everybody was really nice to me, but I wasn't really invited to Um, play in the game. I almost felt like I was relegated to being a cheerleader.
Like I was on the sides watching, you know, all of these guys, you know, cutting all these deals and bringing each other in and sharing, you know, their book of business and that kind of thing. And I was just kind of over here and I thought to myself, well, you know, maybe I could find a women's group. Where are the women that if they're going to be away from their kids, you know, they want to have something.
Fantastic to show for it. You know, they, they really are want to strive to make a million dollars. And, um, so I started networking and I just in 1999, Melissa, I just couldn't find it and I was my husband to be totally honest with you is really Kym's idea that said, you ought to just start your own. And that's really how eWomen Network started.
And so I was like, okay, so I'm going to start this. I didn't have in my mind, um, I didn't have the ability to think, as big as eWomen Network is today. I mean, it was such in my blind spot about the scalability of it, you know, and um, but as I started, you know, and you take one step after the other and one step after the other and you start getting, getting feedback about how great this is and how much they like it and we should do that.
And Hey, I've got a friend who is visiting me from my, from Atlanta. Can she come to your meeting? I mean, I was the [00:08:00] first managing director, you know, running these events. And I was like, sure. And she was like, Oh my gosh, we need this in Atlanta. You know, could you help me, you know, create this in Atlanta?
And then she says, and I've got a really good friend that's in San Francisco, Robin, and I think she would be interested in this and she's going to be visiting me. So if she is visiting me, maybe I could do it while she's here and she could see this and maybe we could do C and suddenly I was like, Oh my goodness, this is, this has legs, you know, This is potentially really scalable.
When I thought it was going to be all online, it was E women network for electronic, like email, right? But what I found is that it was originally kind of like the original Facebook for business women, but I learned a really valuable and somewhat painful. Lesson around, timing. It was just the wrong time in 2000, you know what I mean?
This whole online connecting, I mean, what year did Facebook come out? I mean, you know, it was years later and, um, right. Everybody was still on dial up. Think about it. Everybody was still on dial up. It was all plain text. So when I was talking about doing profiles with pictures, people were mailing me.
Photographs. I was running up to Kinko's scanning them. I was then coming back and building their profile page for them. You know what I mean? It was crazy. And then women were like, no, no, no, no. I have a friend and I want to have a meeting and I want to invite them over and let's talk about it and all of that kind of thing.
And that's when I started going, snap, snap, snap, snap. Okay. These are ideas. If I'm watching the customer. Which is lesson number one in being successful. You have to, you have to sell the way your customer buys, not necessarily what you think is most convenient for you. I mean, convenience and success often don't live on the same block.
You know what I [00:10:00] mean? Sometimes you have to be inconvenienced to be open enough to find out where they're going. And then come back and say, okay, do I really want to create something that is going to meet the need for thousands and thousands of people? Right. And um, so that's how the, it's kind of how it all started in the very beginning.
Melissa: Okay. So something I noticed in the bio that I have here is that two years into her business, she was on the verge of bankruptcy and ready to close her doors. Yeah. One to give up. She found her grit. Right. Yeah. It's about that period because I know a lot, you know, over these past few years have been through these kinds of experiences.
Sandra: Yeah. So I, um, what I discovered is that women weren't ready to connect online. It was too new of a concept and they didn't have the technological know how and, it was, I mean, even email. Believe it or not for entrepreneur was, was still kind of on the new side, you know what I mean? And so really getting people comfortable electronically to make connections wasn't working.
And I had been feeding that and feeding it and feeding it and putting good money after bad money and bad money after good money. And just like thinking if I just worked harder, if I just worked longer hours, if I just, kept rewriting my script. If I just kept making more phone calls, if I kept and you know,
I, um, was chasing something that wasn't working too long. And so finally, once I started opening myself up to the possibilities of what could be, and I couldn't figure it out on my own, and that's when I started really leaning into the questions that people were asking me, the, you know, what they wanted to do.
And I thought, gosh, you know, I need to follow the customer instead of begging the customer to follow me. And that. [00:12:00] changed everything. But in the meantime, I mean, I got my water cut off, you know, and then I didn't realize when the water cut got cut off that that was going to thaw the ice that was in the ice maker of my refrigerator and it thawed overnight and dripped on the floor.
I had wood floors. It warped my floors. I thought, Oh my gosh, let me fix this. And I got a hairdryer. I tried to dry the Um, you know, the planks and then that caused the planks to curl on the edge and made the problem worse. And, uh, then I called to see if I could get it fixed. And they were like, Oh, well, this is like a, a special stain and you'll have to do everything.
Not just this spot is your kitchen leads into your family room. Let's see. Right. I mean, it just goes on and on. I'm like, I can't do that right now. And I, I went up to a store and found that they were thickest mat that I could and ended up putting it in front of my refrigerator and it was there for, to be honest with you, Melissa, a few years before I ever got to, uh, Fixing it, replacing it and being in a position to restain basically what it felt like my whole house, you know, expensive undertaking.
but I just kept, you know, once I figured out, follow the customer, the customer will always tell you and they'll either tell you verbally or they'll tell you by their actions, but they're always out there informing you of what's important to them. And it's why I continue to do a tour. It's why I'm coming to Northern Colorado.
I have just learned that, you know, you have to be next to the customer. I get so much information. I mean, yes, I do a keynote and I work really hard at preparing something that I think will be added value. And if you never see me again, you'll learn things that you can absolutely apply in your business immediately.
But I also receive. In all that giving, I received so much because, as you know, I come for the whole thing. I just don't waltz in when it's time for my type to talk and leave like [00:14:00] a lot of speakers do, to be honest with you. I come from the very beginning. I mean, that networking time, that um, That opportunity to tell me what are you working on and what's going well and what have you found to be some of your best breakthrough ideas and what's really a struggle right now if you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about your business that could change everything about your business.
What could that be and what's got you worried about, you know what you're noticing and just. All these questions, right? Just feeds me information. And when I ask them over, like, I never get tired of asking the same questions over and over to different people, because now I start to identify themes. Right.
And that gives me. My content of everything that I put out, everything that I, I teach on, on my big stages at the conference, everything that I coach on to my private clients, everything that I talk about on a, on a podcast. I mean, it gives me everything, right? I don't ever, I'm never going, Hmm, what do I do next?
Because I'm always in communication with my prospects and potential right fit clients. Thanks. I
Melissa: love that. That's so good. And so, as we think about networking, and I know that that's obviously something that you, you are now an expert at having come from not feeling like an expert at it at the beginning.
For sure. And I know a lot of the women that come into our meetings maybe don't feel great at networking or they feel intimidated when they walk into a room full of a hundred women like we're going to have next week, right? Like the end. I know. So what would you, what kind of advice would you give? For us as women to be better networks, to be better at creating business relationships, because I think that's one thing that having gotten to know you, that I really admire and have learned so much from you about creating [00:16:00] business relationships.
It's not just. Walking in and shoving business cards in people's faces. So talk to us about how you think about networking.
Sandra: Well, if it's one thing that I, I know for sure with certainty, and that is that all business is about relationships. And, um, it's part of the Reason why I created a relationship business, right, is really giving women access.
I mean, we've seen this happen with men touring mentoring has all been about men, you know, building relationships with that next person coming up their protege, their succession plan, because in corporate America, it's hard to be promoted if you can't be replaced. And so the really good companies have done a really good job saying, you've got to identify and bring along your replacement so that when we promote you, you know, nothing skips a beat, so to speak.
Uh, these are conversations that women just haven't had access to because we haven't had a seat at the table. Right. And so, but as a internal consultant for. A fortune 500 company and being responsible for, uh, one of my responsibilities was the succession planning system. I got to see, um, how it worked, but I always felt as, as a point of clarification that I was looking through a window, right?
I wasn't looking at a mirror. I never really saw people like me at the table, but I, you know, I got a window seat into, how it really works. And I saw how powerful it was. And I was never bitter over, you know, men running the business because I got to say, well, now I know why. Now I know why they're doing all these things that we as women would do if we just knew, right?
I mean we will we will find the path if we notice the patterns of success. We'll adapt to it We just haven't had access to it. And so [00:18:00] Relationships have been really important and networking is a skill. Some people are born great networkers You know what I mean? But there's a lot more people, I think, like me who are less comfortable.
I mean, I married an extroverted guy, you know what I mean? That carried the conversation, has never met a stranger, wants to sit in the aisle seat, not because it's more leg room, but because he's got more people to talk to, you know, I'm the window seat girl, like, Let me take a nap. I'm exhausted. You know, like I could be out there with the best of them, but my energy drains over time is much more introverted at heart.
Right. But I can be, you know, powered up full battery and go with it. But then I need time to recharge. Right. And I can. Get intimidated in big, rooms of people. And that, and so I built a business around something that I wasn't good at because I thought if I could find the solution for me, then I knew I could find the solution, teach the solution to all the others that were like me.
And the ones that weren't like me, they're the social butterflies that Are comfortable meeting everyone, but being a social butterfly, being an extrovert, it also doesn't mean that you're effective because what you're really asking me is, you know, not just being comfortable in a room, but how do you really build relationships?
And the truth of the matter is most people network to get. But relationship building is about networking to give. It's about building the relationship by supporting someone else. And it feels counterintuitive, particularly when you're hungry in business. Like, you know, you gotta make some sales. You got to make the cash register ring.
But I, I have just learned and I've built, I mean, from Beyonce's dad to, you know, Matthew Knowles to Ken Cragen, who, you know, became kind of the father that I never had. Mine died before I ever got a chance to know him. And in a car accident to, you know, um, Dina Dwyer Owens, that runs a 7 [00:20:00] billion business.
I mean, I could go on and on and on with the relationships that I built. And it's always been about, tell me about you. Tell me about you. What's going on with you? What are you excited about most? You know, what are the things that God that have you on edge? Is there anything that's keeping you up at night?
You know, um, what is the thing that you're most focused on this year? Right. What are you trying to accomplish this month or next month or this quarter? And how might I be able to help you? Um, who do you not know that you need to know? If it's not me, maybe I could make that connection. I That's how I, I developed a very close relationship with Matthew Knowles.
I was actually volunteering and giving my time to a group of business people in Houston. Come to find out the meeting was a building that he owned. I didn't even know that when I showed up, we were supposed to be done at noon, but we were just talking. He. Knocked on the door and said, Hey, are you guys finished?
And I started a conversation. Is this your book? Thank you. Thank you for donating. And I'm Sandra. And, uh, you know, and the next thing, you know, I'm telling him about someone I know and ask him if he knows him and he's like, no, but I'd love to know that person. Can I make that connection? I mean, you know, like it's really about just giving.
Without the trick is not the trick. The secret is it's not a trick. It's a secret without having any expectations of anything to come back to. Like you scratch my back. I scratch yours. No, but pro quo. No, it's like you just help people because you can and they know it. They feel it. And before you know it, it just triggers this reciprocity energy.
Well, my gosh, how can I help you? What can I do for you? You know, so I always talk about the three X words, you know, so explain to me, you know, what you do, explain to me what you're working on. Explain to me who your right fit client is. Explain expand for me. What's [00:22:00] now given that what is it that you're trying to accomplish and where are you wanting to accelerate?
Who are you needing to know next? What is the problem you need to overcome, you know kind of thing, right? And then, you know, give me, you know an example, you know, give me an example of what's the final situation looks like when you've, when you've reached the finish line, what does that actually look like?
Cause I might have some ideas that could be in their blind spot that they haven't even thought about. And so I've just learned to use those X words over and over and over again, explain, expand example. And then over time. I don't have to use those exact words, but it's still the same thing. And it just really, I'm telling you, Melissa, it's actually quite magical.
And, you know, I think we're all, you know, it's kind of like I've gone to the gym and, uh, let me get on the scale and see if anything's changed. And it doesn't work that way. We all know, uh, the first day, the first week, sometimes the first three weeks or whatever. But if you stick with it over time, it does really start like a snowflake that then grabs more snowflakes.
And before you know it, you have a, a small snowball. And before you know it, right. And it just kind of grows and grows and grows and it creates this incredible momentum. And when you're doing that, when you need nothing. Um, I mean that's, that's what most people don't get. They want to network when they need something.
And the truth is the magic of having a network is the consistency in which you show up over and over and over again. And people know when you're not desperate for help, you're just showing up to be present for them. And I'm telling you, it's what people see when you don't know they're looking.
Melissa: Yeah. It's so beautiful.
Beautiful. Because. As I have really adopted this and be, and, and really changed my way of thinking that when we're out meeting people, it's to create relationships and [00:24:00] to listen. And for me, and I think for many women, that's. It's so much more intuitive for us. Yeah. We are intuitive nurturers and givers.
And so if we allow our networking to be that, then we really should be the greatest networkers on the planet. Right?
Sandra: Should be. But no question. No question. It's really not about she who passes out the most cards wins. You know, it's not about grabbing as many cards as you can and then jamming them into your database and then now, you know, hawking all your wares and services, you know, in an email before you've had a chance to, I've always said I could walk into, and I was at an event not too long ago with 5, 000 people and I was there for four days.
And my intention over four days was to find the 10. The 10 out of 40 people accumulatively out of 5, 000 and I have built, I'm telling you a multimillion dollar global business with that kind of thinking. It, I mean sometimes your, your network can actually shrink in size, but expand in value if you've got real relationships and people, people shove cards or I ask car, you know, I'll ask for cards.
And what I've learned is that. The people that I really feel like I've made a connection with, I just very secretly kind of take a card, you know, you're going to see this right now and bend the right, the right hand corner. And I just do it kind of as they give me the card. I just do it very indiscriminately.
They don't really notice. And I tuck it in my purse. And that at the end of the day, when I look at the hundreds of cars, sometimes I could have, you know, I pull the ones that have the, and these are the ones that I follow up with. And I think that slower, intentional relationship, I, a lot of times right on the back of something that they want or something that I know there could be, I might come back when I see what their business need is, it's worth it to me to spend, I mean, come on, five minutes in a Google search can give them a link or two.
That I can [00:26:00] attach to an email to say, it was so great meeting you at this conference. And I can't believe of 5, 000 people, how powerful our conversation was. I can't stop thinking about you saying that there was one thing that you wanted to fix. And I came across this article and it's linked below. Can't help, but think that this could maybe give you some ideas or further support you in your quest to conquer this problem.
And you'd be surprised like, Oh my gosh, I can't believe you did that. I mean, it's just. People just don't want to take the time, but the truth of the matter is they're going to spend way more time with a lot less results, doing it this old fashioned way that just doesn't work.
Melissa: I love that point of, of.
Focusing on creating quality relationships because I'm an introvert as well. So to walk into a large room, I am not one of the people to quote unquote, I'm holding up my air quotes, work the room. I don't want everybody for me to talk myself into that in the early days of networking, I'd be like, all right, I just need to talk to one person and have a great conversation.
Right. That was my goal. And so I love that you're validating that, that it really is about those few. Deep conversations rather than trying to. Meet everybody in the room and have no depth.
Sandra: Yeah. Reminds me of Zig Ziglar. He said he was a ne a neighbor of mine before he passed away. We actually had the same trainer and um, we, uh, we both worked out, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
And, um, he worked out very early in the morning at six o'clock. I worked out at seven on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Nine o'clock on Saturday. So I never saw him on Saturdays, but, um, he was always on a cool down when I showed up on the bike and I got on the bike and I would, I would be doing my warmup. Right.
And so I had about 10 minutes to talk to him for, uh, well over a year, every Tuesday and Thursday, I look back on those [00:28:00] days and just kind of pinched myself, but he was the one that, you know, said to me, interestingly enough, you know, that. People will never care about you until, you have shown them how much you care about them.
And I have helped people that I knew were not a profile of anyone that would become a client of mine in any form or fashion. and helped them because I could, my mother used to say, giving is never giving until you can help someone who truly can never pay you back. And yet I'm always surprised how that person will know someone.
And say, you know, I know somebody I really feel like I should introduce you to. And then that person becomes, you know, a really huge figure in my life for a whole host of various different reasons. Yeah. You know, I love
Melissa: that. But you went into the, you go into those interactions, not expecting some magical right.
Introduction, but just
Sandra: giving. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I met someone who's got a corporate job. He, he and I would talk off and on, and then I, I love to cook and, I, uh, and he said, you know, I. He was talking about, baklava, I'll never forget it. And, um, his wife made incredible baklava. And I said, I'd love to have a really good homemade recipe for baklava.
Cause I like to make my, when I bake, I like to make it from scratch. And, and, um, he said, I'm going to, I'm going to connect you with my wife. So now I'm connected with his wife. We're having this conversation over baklava. She and I become kind of fast friends. And she said, I have a girlfriend that you need to know.
And before you knew it, that girlfriend became really big in my life. In fact, she introduced me to a mastermind group that I ultimately joined, which changed everything for me. You know, I mean, you just like never know. And I think it's just, you know, withholding judgment sometimes and just trusting that the universe there's something [00:30:00] about just.
Understand that the universe is conspiring to give you what you want if you will allow it and we just do so much, you know, Mel Robbins does a great job just talking about how we just turn things away, you know, it's so, so crazy how particularly women get all into their hesitation and after five seconds of that, yes, this is right for me, we start rationalizing all the reasons why we can't, you know, um, It's really changed me when I see an opportunity and I notice even I will very quickly pick up my phone and say, well, let me see if I'm available.
You know what I mean? And if there's something on my calendar, I'm like, Oh, I can't do that. And what I've learned is let me check and see if I've got brain surgery scheduled that day and I'll go and I'll go, Oh, I have something, but it's not brain surgery. That's movable because this is the universe bringing exactly what I need.
That's and it's testing me. On whether I really want it or not, because I can use this as an excuse. And when you lose your excuses, you really do start to find your results. I
Melissa: love that. So one of the things that, so just for the audience, I am part of e women network as a managing director. I serve on Sandra's team.
As the managing director for Northern Colorado. Yes, I love it. And one of the things when I took over this position last year, almost a year ago in June, one of the things that I didn't expect is how much I was going to learn about building a community. And the importance of building a community. So there's a difference between a networking group and a community and what we have any women network is definitely a community.
And I think this is such important, an important skill, not just for those of us that are building community networks or memberships, but it's important for each 1 of us as women building a business because. If we're building a [00:32:00] business, we're building a community, right? We're building a community of people that are working with us now, people that have worked with us in the past, people that will work with us in the future.
So I would love to hear, love for you to share with my audience, like what you see is like how to build a great community because You have definitely done that.
Sandra: Yeah. And it's so interesting that you bring this up because that's probably the number one thing I'm being asked to speak about outside of the e women network environment.
Like I literally have you done. I mean, I have clients, I have members that have been members. We're 23 years old who have been members for 21 years, you know, paying monthly members 21 years. I mean, it's like unheard of and everybody that's trying to build a membership based. Community is asking me about it.
Um, and the truth of the matter is it, there is a layering, there is a very distinct difference between followers. There's a difference between an audience, right, of people that are just engaging with you. Um, there is a difference between a group when they really opt in, and then there is that highest level, um, which is of gathering, which is community.
And that is when people, when it's bigger, a community is actually exists when, uh, Uh, the people are there for more reasons than the original intent. It has this much greater, uh, level of connection. And, um, and I find that people throw around community, the word community without really fully understanding exactly what it is, how do you create community?
Well, first of all, it starts out with getting crystal clear, like everything else on what. Is the real intention because you have to, I think it's Stephen Covey. You have to begin with the end in mind. I mean, it, it will happen faster for you. And I think speed, [00:34:00] particularly in today's day and technological age with AI speed is more important than ever before.
Right. It's really easy to get, Left in the dust today. And even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just kind of meander. I mean, you're just going to get bowled over. So speed, I think, is really important. So beginning with the end in mind, what is it that you're trying to create?
And then a being all in. So it really is about letting them know. That you are listening to them. See, people want to be served. No question about it. And they will pay for that, but they also want to know that you are listening to them, that you are pausing, that it's not all about you. It's about them that you pause for a minute and allow them.
To engage with you and to, and that you, you ask them questions. What could I be doing differently? What could I be doing better? And that they'll usually, um, give you more, suggestions than you have bandwidth to take on. It's not about everything. It's about if I could only do one or two of those things, which are the most important and then delivering on it.
And being. You know, I always say persistency is what gets you the top and then consistency is what keeps you there. You know, there's, I, my CFO, gave me a report that said only 5 percent of all small businesses ever make it to 20 years. Right. And then it drops off, it cuts at half 25. So when I think about the fact that we've made it.
23 years will be 24 years this year, you know, and all the ups and downs from the internet bust to the market crash to COVID to, I mean, there's always something coming with. If you stay in [00:36:00] business long enough, I, I do believe, and I've tracked it in my own business, every five to six years, there's going to be something major, you know, that happens, the economy, that whatever it is, right.
And your job is to lean into it, not lean back. Many people like, Ooh, let me lean back and see if I can ride this out. Those are the people that never find the momentum again, but I think community is really about being in it for the long haul and always sticking and always saying, you know, sometimes people will tell you their problems without asking you to fix it.
If that makes sense, like even the managing director community, we'll hear, we'll hear. We don't always have to even ask, what do you want us to fix? We'll hear what their frustration is about. And then we have a meeting every week to say, what can we do to solve this for them? What, what is it something we could do that could give them back, you know, minutes that accumulate into hours?
And hours over time, and then we take it on and sometimes don't say anything right away because we don't always know, particularly if it's a technological fix how complicated that is, you know, my, my technology team, when I asked him what I could do better for them, they're the comment they made to me is saying, Could you, Sandra, could you please stop saying, Can't you just, it's never a can't you just in technology.
It's always more complicated. I've learned, but you know, we'll go and we'll, we'll work on things for months that are managing directors may not know about. And then when we get on a call, I'll say, we just, We've got a new announcement for you. We've just fixed this for you, you know, and to see them go, okay, they're kind of like that came out of left field.
That was, and it wasn't like somebody asked for it. We just noticed what they were like, this is really frustrating. Well, if you start to hear a pattern of frustration, that's an opportunity to lean into it and fix it for them. And I think communities are built by people, [00:38:00] um, sensing that you're really Listening to them, you know, and leaning in it, not being all about you just dumping stuff on them.
They want some of that too, particularly if it moves their business forward, right. Or makes their, their cash register ring. But it's also about The process, the journey, you know, it's just on. I saved it. Actually, I just saw someone talk about it. Actually, it was Brad Pitt. He was accepting an award and he said, you know, I was asked, I asked someone one time.
you know, is it the journey or is it the destination? And the response he got was it's the people. Mm. Mm. And I was like, right. I mean, that's really, that really is what it's all about. None of us have enough time in 1, 440 minutes in a day or the bandwidth to figure out everything by ourselves.
Yeah. Just don't. Yeah.
Melissa: And I love that culture of Listening starts at the top, right? And then that trickles throughout the community. We become a culture of a community of listeners,
Sandra: right? I love that. That's what makes people feel like they belong. So belonging, I think, is the key word when you hear people say, I belong here.
I found, when they say I found my people or I found my tribe, it's what it's really saying is I feel a sense of belonging here. Yeah. Right. So how do you help people feel like they, you belong here because we value you. We see you. We listen to you. We celebrate you. We cry with you. Right. We hug you. Right.
We give you the Kleenex. We'll bring you the casserole. We'll also give you a kick in the tush to get [00:40:00] going. Like, you know? Right.
Melissa: Yeah. I love that. That's so good. So as we wrap up, We have our success summit coming Northern Colorado next week, April 12th, Friday, 11 to 3
Sandra: at Tarmac. And what a rock star, can I just say you are, Melissa, honestly.
I mean, I have seen you, even though we haven't always, uh, talked about it each time. I have watched, uh, your commitment to building community. In Northern Colorado. And I have seen how deliberate you have been about, you know, getting the right people in the room. I mean, nothing's worse than walking into a room of the wrong people.
We all know energetically what that is, but to see you and your leadership team put so much intention around, you know, creating a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, environment and experience and a community of women supporting women, um, in a way that also is anchored by this power energy of being, um, excited about building our respective businesses and empires.
You know, that we are, Um, empire making in action, um, that things can actually be bigger than what we thought. And that's not a bad thing. That's a good thing. And I'm really excited about what you've created. And I, I'm really looking forward to, um, coming to Northern Colorado next week. Yeah. It's,
Melissa: it's a beautiful community and I'm, I just love every single one of the ladies in the room.
And so, yeah, it's been an amazing, amazing journey for me. I'm very humbled by it. And I thank you for the confidence in me.
Sandra: Of course, of course. That was easy. That was the easy part.
Melissa: Yeah. Yeah. But I would love to hear from you just a couple words, a little teaser for our [00:42:00] audience of what you're going to be talking about next Friday.
Um, cause we're all, I'm really excited. I've been telling people and so yes.
Sandra: So if it's a tease, I can't say too much, but I need to say enough. That's what I'm hearing. So, um, let me just say that, you know, with all that we read, you know, in the news or watch on the news or wherever you're getting all the noise information around what's going on around us.
What I want you to know is that in 2023, e women network had By far, by leaps and bounds, not by a little bit our best year ever. Um, it moved us into a different million dollar category. And what we did, back in the, when we were doing our planning for 2024 back in October, November, is we really stepped back to say a little bit of like the taillights.
What were the things that we did that created these kind of results so that as we plan for headlights moving forward. What, what are some of the things we want to replicate and build on? And, um, so what I'm coming to Northern Colorado with is literally five of those things that we did in 2023 that created, you know, astronomical results.
and I picked the things that I feel like, um, if people never see me again, they will say, It was value added and I got things I could walk out the door and immediately begin to implement. Right? So five things that could change everything that are applicable to you. Any business, no matter if you are in startup mode or you're in seasoned mode, if you are struggling right now, or even if you're having success, how do you really build on that momentum?
I'm going to be, I'm just going to totally, you know, pull back the curtain and say, here are the five things that literally could change your year. We are one quarter in, we have three quarters to go. And, um, that's still [00:44:00] plenty of time to have your best year ever. I love
Melissa: that. I love that because yeah, we're just starting the second quarter, the rest of the year.
And I know that you've been to quite a few other cities around the country already. And what we're hearing about the talk that you're giving the teaching is that it's the best ever. So I'm really excited. I've been to a few summits myself and I'm so excited. I know this one's going to blow it out of the water.
And so we're really excited to have you here on the podcast and in northern Colorado. Um, and So we invite all of our listeners to join us here in Northern Colorado for the Women's Success Summit on April 12th at Ptarmigan Country Club. We will have
Sandra: It's Friday. We're going to end the week together. I know.
Talk about Fri yay. You know what I mean? Exactly. Yeah.
Melissa: So thank you so much for being here. And I really appreciate your time today. I know our listeners are going to really appreciate it as well. And so thank you
Sandra: very much. Thank you for your leadership. Thank you for your vision. and thank you for, partnering with me in this incredible journey that we're, we're embarking together.
Um, it's a great time to be a business owner and it is an extraordinary time, for women. And, uh, and I'm looking forward to kind of moving that agenda forward. Thanks, Melissa. Awesome. Thank you.
Melissa: Hey, if you like this podcast, I would love for you to become a part of my community. Sign up for my Friday, Sally, the link is in the show notes. And each Friday, I'm going to deliver to your inbox, my weekly celebration, as well as my thoughts on the latest in business and marketing. And I want to keep you in the know about my upcoming events, free trainings, Free gifts, book clubs, all the fun things.
And of course, I'm going to send you notification of my latest podcast episodes. So get signed up and I'll see you [00:46:00] there.
