Real Business Lessons From Women Entrepreneurs In Conway

You can feel the energy of a real networking floor in Conway, Arkansas as we bounce from booth to booth at a Women in Business Showcase, asking one simple question at a time and letting the answers stack into a blueprint for modern entrepreneurship. Founders and leaders share what helps them recover from burnout, how they set boundaries when business feels all-consuming, and why “work-life balance” is less about perfect schedules and more about being present where you are needed.

We dig into small business marketing that actually works, especially authentic content. You will hear how teams build trust with real photos of real staff, local context that matches their community, and transparency when a review or job does not go as planned. The lesson is clear: consistency and showing up beat polished perfection, and credibility is built in public through ownership, communication, and care.

Along the way, we cover practical business fundamentals that protect growth: networking habits, asking for help, staying persistent in sales, tracking business performance with real accounting clarity, and getting legal documents in place before a crisis hits. You will also hear honest leadership insights about time, family responsibilities, and how women can celebrate themselves as much as they champion everyone else.

If you got something from these stories, subscribe, share this episode with a friend building a business, and leave a review so more women entrepreneurs can find it. What idea are you going to use this week?

Purchase "Market Like A Boss" at shelbysmarketingbook.com

Transcript

Welcome And Burnout Recovery

SPEAKER_08 0:00

Alright, guys, the marketing broker team is here in Conway, Arkansas, and we're gonna meet some pretty cool people today. It's gonna be exciting. Yes. We're here with Adrienne Meachum with Wit Cross Interiors. Her question today is what helps you recover from burnout?

SPEAKER_29 0:15

So I already have plans for tomorrow because I am an introvert, and today spending this time with all these wonderful women and wonderful businesses is going to do a number on me. So I'm gonna spend some time tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully the weather's lovely. I can spend some time in the outdoors, uh, hopefully in a lounge chair in my backyard with my book and my dog.

SPEAKER_08 0:38

That's so great. So tell us why you're here and what you're showcasing.

SPEAKER_29 0:41

Uh I am here to showcase my business, Whit Cross Interiors. I'm an interior designer who helps people to live better and work better every day through thoughtful interior design. Introduce yourselves one at a time.

SPEAKER_14 0:54

I'm Marie and I'm one of the volunteers here. Hi, I'm Danielle. I'm one of the volunteers here.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

And I'm Lily Credit, I'm one of the volunteers, but I also won the Women's Leadership International Leadership Award last year.

SPEAKER_08 1:07

Didn't know we were in the presence of an amazing person. What's one thing that helped your business grow when you and your husband owned hotest?

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Um really communicating with people

Networking Wins For Local Businesses

SPEAKER_00 1:19

and understanding and being available that really helped it grow, but you had to be able to be available and explain things to people and uh be positive about everything that you did with them.

SPEAKER_14 1:35

I love that. So tell us about this event business, okay? Yes, um, as I said, my name is Danielle. I'm actually starting an event planning business. It's called Sultry Avenue Events. Um, right now, what's working for me is just networking with a lot of the other uh people here, um, just kind of getting some ideas on how to run my business successfully and just you know meeting new people.

SPEAKER_08 1:58

We have Sarah here with ego-free yoga. Tell us about yourself.

SPEAKER_23 2:03

Um I'm also a therapist, but I do yoga on the side, and I bring yoga to where you are. So I don't have a brick and mortar, but how fun. So I work with First Community Bank, and we do Wednesday nights at 5 30, and then I also work in Recibil Monday nights at 5 30. So I'm just kind of in between places, but also I can do yoga where you are.

SPEAKER_08 2:25

I was about to say, so like any kind of event or something like that, we could just hire you to come do a yoga class. Oh, how fun is that? Retreats. Retreats. Yes, that's really cool. So your question today is what kind of content gets your attention?

SPEAKER_23 2:38

I love music, like really soft sering kind of music with the nature in the background, with the I don't know how to describe it. I mean like the techie, but then you have the words. Yes going through.

SPEAKER_08 2:50

Oh, like with quotes and things like that. Okay, I like that. Cool. Well, that's really interesting. I love that content too because I like to read. I don't necessarily like to hear people talk. Yeah, I totally get that. Well, if you're in Conway, Arkansas, check out Sarah. She can help you out with all your yoga.

SPEAKER_26 3:05

Hi, I'm Sarah Long. I am majority owner of Top Notch Heating and Air. We're a woman-owned uh community-focused heating and air company, uh, based out of Conway, but we service all of Central Arkansas.

SPEAKER_02 3:16

And I have Hi, I'm Vanessa Sewell, and I am the operations and people manager at Top Notch Heating and Air.

SPEAKER_10 3:22

What makes content feel authentic?

SPEAKER_26 3:26

I think authentic content comes down to real posts, and when I mean like real pictures of our staff,

What Authentic Content Really Looks Like

SPEAKER_26 3:32

real things we're doing, um, it's important that we post like a real Arkansas house so you don't see like palm trees and beaches in the background. Um, and then also being about transparent. So if we get a lower review, we share it and we say, Hey, this is what happened. We take ownership for this, um, and we are working to do better. And so I think that's what makes our side of things a little bit more authentic.

SPEAKER_02 3:56

Yeah. I think I would just add on the um, we like she said, we use real photos. We don't ever really use stock photos. We like to show our employees, show you guys who's coming to your door um so that you know what to expect and to feel safe. Um, the only times we really pull stock photos is whenever we do like like an equipment piece or something, but even then we normally try to get it in-house first. Yes.

SPEAKER_08 4:17

I am here with the Aaliyah Pope.

SPEAKER_16 4:19

Tell us about yourself, girl. What's up, girl? I am a fourth grade math and science teacher. I'm a content creator, I work with PBS kids on a digital web series. It's called Chip Kids. You guys can find me on YouTube. Okay. I was recently nominated for an Emmy. I traveled to New York. No big deal. Hello, no big deal, but I'm here at the Women's in Business Showcase today in Conway, Arkansas, and I am here promoting my event. It is called the Arkansas Creator Social. So if you are an entrepreneur, a creator, an inspired creative, um, photographer, videographer, all of the things, this is the place for you to come out, connect, create, and innovate. It is a networking event, and we are trying to create a space for everyone, all of our people in Arkansas because we are slept on. Yes, the best queen we are.

SPEAKER_08 5:08

Obviously, that's what we do. We create content for people. So I love that, and our team will for sure be there. You gotta be there. All right, let's ask you our question. Are you ready? Let's go. What's one thing women should celebrate more?

SPEAKER_16 5:22

Themselves, obviously. I feel like as as women, we are always rooting for the next one. We're rooting for either our kids, our friends, our family, and then we yet forget to sit back and understand that we have to root for ourselves. Like we need to we need to do that more for ourselves. Um, Madison.

SPEAKER_31 5:42

Hello, so tell us about yourself. I'm Madison. I work with J. Cole Construction. I am a project manager, so I am there from the beginning stages all the way up to uh building the project. I project manage, oversee everything to make sure that everything is going the way that it's supposed to, and the customer is happy with the completed

Sales Grit Fear And Work-Life Balance

SPEAKER_31 6:07

job. Um we offer pretty much everything. We're a fully licensed contractor. My specialty is exterior, so windows, doors, patio enclosures, a siding, um, and roofs, uh gates, and fences.

SPEAKER_11 6:23

That's awesome. So you do a lot. I do. All right, I got a question for you. So, what's one thing you tell younger women entering in sales?

SPEAKER_31 6:32

So, my biggest piece of advice and something that I had to learn was do not give up. I had to hear a lot of no's before I heard a yes. And if you just continue on, you will hear that yes. Sales is hard, but it can be very rewarding.

SPEAKER_11 6:51

We're here with Charlie. Hi. And just tell us a little bit about what you do for your business.

SPEAKER_13 6:58

Okay, so I am the VP over at J. Cole Construction. Um, basically, I just try to keep everybody in line most of the day. So it's uh it can be hectic. Yep. Okay, you're doing it though. I'm trying, I'm trying.

SPEAKER_11 7:12

That's all I can do, is try. Alrighty, I got one question for you. So, what's something you wish you knew before starting your career?

SPEAKER_13 7:19

That um you never get anywhere if you act on fear all the time. So true. That is amazing.

SPEAKER_08 7:25

Well, I've got Raya here. She's brand new to her own insurance company. Tell us all about it.

SPEAKER_09 7:31

I co-own Darling Bell Insurance Solutions with my twin sister Michaela Bell, and we have over 18 years carrier side experience combined between the two of us. So we bring carrier level insight to employer-sponsored benefits.

SPEAKER_08 7:44

Nice. Okay, your question today. What's one thing you hope future women leaders experience?

SPEAKER_09 7:51

Oh, a a better work-life balance. I I think that the the myth is that work stays at work and then home stays at home, and that just is not true for modern women. It needs to mesh. Your your career, your job does not need you, you know, a hundred percent of the time. Your family doesn't even necessarily need you a hundred percent of the time. So the balance isn't nine to five staying at work, the rest of the time staying at home. It's about being where you are needed at the time you are needed.

SPEAKER_08 8:18

Oh, I love that so much. Well, thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_11 8:22

Hey, we're here with Candace.

SPEAKER_18 8:25

Hi, I'm Candace. I'm with Intentional Connections Counseling here in Conway. I am located downtown, 809 Parkway, suite 105.

SPEAKER_11 8:34

So I have a question for you. So, what's the best marketing advice you've heard?

SPEAKER_18 8:39

Um, I think the best marketing advice that I've heard is that people can fake caring, but people can't fake showing up. So what I do now is I just show up at places because I believe in other people's mission and I just as people believe in my mission. So just showing up, I think that's very important.

SPEAKER_08 8:57

That's awesome. I've got Tanaka with me. Tell us all about your cute little designs, girl.

SPEAKER_17 9:02

So I'm with Ashell Designs, where we do crafting group character. Um, I love to just be creative, uh, a little supportive towards women, having your own business. Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 9:14

What kind of products do you do?

SPEAKER_17 9:15

So I do t-shirts, tumblers, keychains, pretty much anything you can personalize.

SPEAKER_08 9:19

Love that. So our question is what's one thing you wish more people understood about running a business?

The Unseen Work Behind Small Business

SPEAKER_17 9:25

A lot of people think running a business is easy, but it takes a lot of work. As a matter of fact, no days on, no days off. You every day.

SPEAKER_08 9:32

It's all the time, right?

SPEAKER_17 9:34

Every day.

SPEAKER_08 9:34

People quit their nine to five to be like, oh, I don't want to actually work nine to five, like, bro. You work like nine to nine.

SPEAKER_17 9:39

Literally, literally.

SPEAKER_08 9:40

Or really like eight to nine, right? Yes.

SPEAKER_17 9:42

No vacations, no, I mean, it's it's all about your business.

SPEAKER_08 9:46

Yep. I'm here with Latasha, a fellow author. How freaking cool is that? I love it. So tell us what your book is and what it's about.

SPEAKER_19 9:55

My book is Diamond in the Rough by Latasha Davis, and it is about my life story. It's a memoir. And I grew up in drug addiction, alcoholic, domestic violence. My dad was a military, um, he was in the army. Yeah. So we traveled a lot. So my book is about my conversations with God and the answers that he gave me. So I journaled. Wow. So it's definitely a journaling. I love that. And the prayers, my um heartfelt prayers to God and the answers that he gave me. That is awesome. So, how can people buy your book? You can buy my book on Amazon, Walmart.com, Target, or anywhere the books are sold. Nice! Well, thank you so much for telling us about it.

SPEAKER_08 10:38

Well, thank you. You do.

SPEAKER_21 10:40

We're here with Tina and she is all things accounting. Tell us all about it. Well, my name is Tina Sumler. I'm the owner of SPA County, which is an accounting tax and advisory practice. Wow. So my philosophy is clarity first, confidence follows. And from that, I work with individuals that own small businesses and nonprofits to help them structure and intentionally grow their business with confidence.

SPEAKER_08 11:03

I love that. So your question is what's one thing you wish more people understood about running a business?

SPEAKER_21 11:09

One thing I wish more people understood is that monitoring the growth of your business through your bank account, it's not gonna give you the answer that you need.

SPEAKER_08 11:19

I learned that lesson. Thank you. Thank you. You guys, I've learned that lesson too. Yes. And that's why they need you, right? Yes. Absolutely helps. Awesome. Well, thank you. I'm here with the one and only LinkedIn expert you ever need in your life. This is Katie. Tell us about yourself, girl.

SPEAKER_07 11:36

Hi, I'm Katie Razor. I'm a public speaker and a LinkedIn specialist. Okay, your question. What's one thing that you've learned this year? Okay. So I've learned that people will come through for you if you ask them to. It's easier to ask for help than it is to just, you know, put something out there, actually talk to people. You never know who will say yes, and you never know who won't. And you learn who your biggest supporters are and who you thought you might have had your bigger supporters, and they are actually just by asking for help, you get a really good knowledge of like knowing who's never and who's not. And like asking for it rather than expecting it. Exactly. We don't mean to expect it because then we're disappointing ourselves, right? Yeah, exactly. And I will tell you, some of the people that you wouldn't expect will come through for you more than you know. It's crazy. I love that.

SPEAKER_11 12:24

You're here with Angela today, and then you can kind of just tell me about your business.

SPEAKER_25 12:30

Well, so I have been in business for about 16 years. That's awesome. But it's always been a side business. Yep. It's and the business just grew word of mouth. I've never really seriously advertised. Yeah. COVID came and I was doing 25 cakes a week. I got burnout really quick. Yeah. And this year, after um some changes, I decided to go go full full time in the cake business all over again. So next week, you guys heard like break break the news challenge. Uh it's uh it's going to be announced. So basically wedding cakes. Okay, that's a wedding case. Yeah, perfect. All right.

SPEAKER_11 13:20

Well, I got a question for you.

SPEAKER_25 13:22

So who inspires you the most in your life? So that has been my grandmother, and she had a cake decorating school in Peru, and that's how I started doing cakes. So at 16, of course, I thought I knew better. So I told her I'm never decorating another cake in my life. I'm gonna travel the world, going to go to culinary school. And when I became a mom and I moved to Conway and I didn't know anyone, that's when I started all over again with cakes. So that's amazing. She's the one that inspired me. She passed away earlier this year. She she's left me a legacy. She inspires so many women in Peru. She's from Peru, and because of her, I've done cake competitions, so I've been on the Food Network, and I have for next year another stage, another project for a community outreach for women here in Conway. So it's amazing.

SPEAKER_08 14:17

I'm here with Demi, the very important Demi, obviously.

SPEAKER_03 14:21

Obviously. Tell us what you do. Hey everybody, thank you for having me today. I'm Demi Mathis. I do business development for Northwestern Mutual and Gratis Fields Management. Part of my career is making, you know, making connections in the community. We either want people to be an advocate, a candidate, or a client of our firm. I love that.

SPEAKER_08 14:38

So, what's one thing that you would tell younger women entering business?

SPEAKER_03 14:42

I would say always be yourself because everyone else is taken. I know it's cheesy, but staying authentic is very important. And be consistent. Shake hands with as many people as you can. You never know what it could lead to.

SPEAKER_08 14:53

I feel like you need a job because those are the two things that I talk about all the time for sure. And if you ever quit, you can just holler at me. That's fantastic. Well, thank you so much for being here.

SPEAKER_03 15:03

Thank you. It's a pleasure, Shelby.

SPEAKER_08 15:05

I'm here with Alicia. We met at a networking event a few weeks ago, and here we are again. It is so nice to see you again. So tell us all about your business.

SPEAKER_15 15:13

So I have a mobile ultrasound business new to Arkansas. I contract with uh clinics, hospitals, mid-wives, and I offer services to do lists, and I offer also offer in-home mobile ultrasounds to moms just wanting to see their baby.

SPEAKER_08 15:27

I love that. Whenever I was pregnant, I would have loved to have someone like you because going to the appointment,

Goals Strategy And Strong Foundations

SPEAKER_08 15:32

sometimes it's not very convenient, you know, and you're having to wait and all that and you're in the comfort of your home. That's so cool. So, what would you say is your business biggest business goal right now?

SPEAKER_15 15:41

Um, my business biggest goal to um make this my primary and uh contract with as many clinics as possible. I just want to offer my services to everybody.

SPEAKER_08 15:52

I love that. Because I'm here with Cynthia. Tell us all about your business.

SPEAKER_20 15:57

Hi, I'm Cynthia. I'm with the Bene Virtual Life and Health Insurance Agency, and I help individuals and family navigate health insurance options in Arkansas.

SPEAKER_08 16:05

That's awesome. Okay, your question is Is success more about mindset or strategy?

SPEAKER_20 16:12

Is success more about mindset or strategy? I think it's but it's both because you you um you can have your mind um set to do something, but you need a strategy to execute to make it happen.

SPEAKER_08 16:22

Absolutely, I totally agree because we can always be like great intentions, but like how are we gonna get there? Right.

SPEAKER_20 16:28

So we need a plan, we need a strategy, and we we need to, you know, focus on it. So it's both though.

SPEAKER_08 16:33

I'm here with Johanna, a yogi. Tell us all about your business.

SPEAKER_04 16:38

Um I have a yoga studio, it's called Go Inside, uh, right here in Conway. We're close to Hendrix. Okay. We have um all the classes from like I have my senior ladies group all the way up to people that want to do handstands and stuff like that. So we're the only yoga studio in Conway, like downtown that only focuses on yoga. So um I try to offer like all the different things from like the laying around classes, like meditative classes, yeah, and then also like more active, also difficult classes.

SPEAKER_08 17:11

Well, your question is what's one thing you wish more people understood about running a business?

SPEAKER_04 17:18

I guess it's just how it's like all consuming. Um you I mean, I kind of think of this business as like as if as if it were a child. Oh, yes. Yeah, and um you're always thinking about it and you're always working on it, and it's you I think a normal job you get to go to and then you get to go home and then you get to put it down. Yeah, or I guess it depends on what it is. Yeah, but when you run your own business, like you never get to put it down. And I think that people think, I think sometimes people think I just pop up and teach like two hours of yoga, and then I just go like that's all you do, right? Count money and eat bonbons.

SPEAKER_08 17:54

But like count money part that must be nice, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 17:58

But no, it's like I'm out there like raking leaves and like weed eating and like planting flowers and like you know, going to Lowe's and like buying paint and like so people actually come to the studio, like you're teaching the class and then you're marketing, you're here at this event, I'm doing this, you're on Facebook.

SPEAKER_08 18:15

So I totally get it. I joke about my business being my firstborn because I have a five-year-old and I'm like, but honestly, she's my second child. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_04 18:22

Well, I opened my studio when my daughter was three. Oh, I love that. Yeah, and she's 16 now.

SPEAKER_08 18:28

Wow, so you've been doing it a while. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_04 18:31

Yeah, it's crazy.

SPEAKER_08 18:32

I'm here with Selena. We followed each other on social media for so long, and I was like, Oh my god, in real life. Real life, hey girl.

SPEAKER_06 18:40

So tell us all about your two businesses. I have impact coaching and consulting, which I've had since 2017. Yes, I actually built my business in a co-working space in downtown Conway, and then like six months ago, the owner of that place said, Hey, I would like to sell this and I would like you to take it over. And I said, sure. Why not? Whenever I saw that, I was like, This is so perfect for you. I love that so much. They do really go together great, and I am loving it. That's awesome. So, what's one thing you wish people understood about running a business? Okay, it is not easy to run a business, it looks easy and it looks fun and shiny on social media, but there's a whole bunch of stuff that happens behind the scenes that nobody tells you about. And if if the crap is hitting the fan, it's not you. No, it's just real life. Yeah, and uh get help. Don't be afraid to tell people that you're going through a struggled time, yeah, and you can make it to the other side and delegate.

SPEAKER_08 19:42

I like that. I like that a lot. We're here with Brooklyn. Hi.

SPEAKER_11 19:47

So tell us a little bit about your business and what you do.

SPEAKER_12 19:50

Um, I'm Brooklyn Parker. I am the partner of Owens and Parker Law Firm. Uh, I mostly practice in real estate, estate planning, and business law. So I represent all those business owners, all the small business owners in Conway that need help to make sure that they have a good legal foundation for their business.

SPEAKER_11 20:10

Perfect. All right. So your question today is what's one thing you wish more people understood about running a business?

SPEAKER_12 20:18

I wish that they understood before they start running their business that they call an attorney. So the first step is always making sure you have that solid foundation to make sure that if anything comes at you later, you have something good to fall back on. As an attorney, I always get the horrible calls of something awful happening, whether it's a lawsuit or a claim or a non-payment by a client. And they always ask at that moment, I need help. And I love to help in those moments, but what I have to rely on are those foundational business documents. And a lot of my clients will look like a deer in a headlight and go, oh my gosh, I don't have those. Um, and so we don't have that to fall back on. So that is the first step that I wish so many business owners would do that, you know, reaching out to an attorney from the beginning, from the get-go, to make sure you have the solid foundation.

SPEAKER_08 21:13

I am joined today by the three beautiful Girl Scouts. Say what up, y'all. Well, tell us your first names only. What's your name? I'm Hallie. I'm Ellie. I'm Nora. And they are here talking to all the business owners, and we are so excited to show the young leaders here in the women's showcase. What have you guys learned today about business? Um selling stuff and like that's a good one. Um eating candy. Eating candy, but that's definitely a necessity. Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_01 21:46

Alexis had that along today.

SPEAKER_07 21:49

Um uh that when you sell stuff, that you have to have a few steps before you can go to big events like this, and that You need like business cards and stuff. Yeah. And selling stuff isn't boring. It's not boring. It's like a vest. You make money. And you get to talk to money.

SPEAKER_14 22:09

It sounds boring, but it's not now.

SPEAKER_07 22:13

Sometimes you can make friends by just like selling. We're friends now, right? Are we all friends? Cool.

SPEAKER_11 22:19

Okay. We're here with Lashonda and she's gonna tell us a little bit about her business today.

SPEAKER_22 22:25

Hi, thank you. My name is Lashonda Jenkins, and I am with Align Ambitious Consulting. I help people navigate through transitions and changes to help them get unstuck. Sometimes we know what we want to do, but how to get there, that's a different story. And I help people get to that point of happiness and to get a game plan to get to that next level.

SPEAKER_11 22:45

All right, we got one question for you. So, what does work-life balance look like for you?

SPEAKER_22 22:51

Well, I had to get to a point to where I could do work-life balance because I am a recovering workaholic. So now I have put in boundaries, and one of my best things is self-care. Yep.

SPEAKER_11 23:04

It's so important.

SPEAKER_22 23:05

It is. And one of my favorite things is a massage.

SPEAKER_11 23:07

Yep.

SPEAKER_22 23:08

I get

Boundaries Self-Care And ADHD Support

SPEAKER_22 23:09

a monthly massage. If I don't, I'm cranky and not happy.

SPEAKER_11 23:12

I'm the same way too. I have to get my monthly massage. So that is perfect to tell everybody.

SPEAKER_08 23:17

I'm here with Leah. We both have um ADD, ADHD, all the D's and H's and A's, don't we? So, Leah, tell me about your business.

SPEAKER_05 23:26

So I'm an adult ADHD coach or an executive function coach, which kind of catches people. I do both. They're a little different. So executive function deals with time management, planning, organization. There's several elements to it, but people with ADHD generally struggle with those things.

SPEAKER_08 23:44

So all right, your question: what's one thing you're excited about in your business right now?

SPEAKER_05 23:50

I am looking forward to, I might be working with a Spanish translator soon, working with her because we've got some workshops on um one of my favorite topics, which is uncertainty. And that's may not seem ADHD related, but because our we have a little less activity in the we have an overactive default loan network, which is where all the fear stuff happens. And so when we're faced with uncertainty, sometimes it can be a lot harder because of the lack of organization and planning and so um yeah, they have a lot more uncertainty and stuff in their own. That's so cool. So might be working with them. That's something cool. Um and just in general, coming up with some workshops. I just did one on transitioning into summer for ADHD adults with their ADHD kids. Yes. So doing more of that. A lot of stuff, just coming up with ideas and doing them.

SPEAKER_08 24:52

So everybody that looked away from the screen and then back at the screen and then like scrolled up, scrolled down, came back, they should hire you. Yeah. That's the person. Yeah.

unknown 25:02

Alright.

SPEAKER_11 25:03

So we're here with Jessica. And she's gonna tell us a little bit about her business.

SPEAKER_10 25:09

Um we do pest control services for Central Arkansas, no further than about 45 minutes from time. Okay. We do not do wild lab, we do not do bitbooks, and um we're small. Okay, we've got three people, we're from here, we have a lot of family here, a lot of friends here, we're rooted here, we makes a difference in community, and we we just leave it.

SPEAKER_11 25:36

So that makes a difference. That's awesome. All right, so I have a question for you today. So, what makes a business memorable? The people in it. So true.

SPEAKER_10 25:45

The people running it, the people working it, the people uh that care about it. Yep, that's so true. That's a perfect answer.

SPEAKER_30 25:56

Yeah, so this is Susie. Tell us a little bit about your business and what you do. Okay, I am a writer. I write romance novels and family drama set in Cersei, Arkansas, and Desark, Central Arkansas. Um, the first book is called The Carrington Affairs, and it's the story of Bennett Carrington, who is um being vetted for the vice presidency. He's the junior senator from Arkansas, and it comes out he has a love child he doesn't know about. So he has to resign in disgrace. But 12 years later, he can run for governor if he can get his wife and his ex-wife and his love child to tell the story. That's book one. Book two is called The Non-Negotiable. It's the story of his son and how he falls in love and brings his love of life back to Des Art and they live here. And I have a third book coming out in the summer called The Dirty Roads Book Club. That's awesome.

Leadership Time And Staying Focused

SPEAKER_30 26:41

I need to read these. This sounds like perfect.

SPEAKER_11 26:43

Well, I got one question for me.

SPEAKER_30 26:45

So, what's one thing women should celebrate more? They should celebrate each other and their own successes. Um, the world is always ready to tear us down, so we need to build each other up and we need to find something every day to celebrate and be happy about.

SPEAKER_08 26:58

That's so true. I'm here with Missy, and she's really unique, what she does.

SPEAKER_24 27:02

Tell us all about it. Hi, okay, so I'm with Advantaged Paralegal Plus. Uh, it is a new company I just started this year. Um, it's uh spawning from my past paralegal work with the personal injury field. One thing I noticed uh working in a law firm was uh how often overhead for a law firm is too expensive to bring on the proper staff all the time. You might need staff for a project or for an investigation, but then that's all you really need them for. And so it can be hard to bring somebody in, spend all the overhead on uh training them, um, getting them familiar with all the software and all the laws. Um, and so you could hire me or my team. Um, we can come in fully prepared to your law firm, uh, start work right away. We can sit at the desk and answer the phones, we can get it, you know, get into your files, we can help you with anything you need. On the side, I'm also a mobile notary. Uh, so I like to I like to bring care and compassion to that field. Um, it can also be it can often be very stressful when you need a notary. You're you're losing a loved one, you're changing guardianship, you're buying a new house. Um, the last thing you want to do is find time to go to a law firm or bank and find a notary. Um, so you give me a call, I will come to you. I will come hold your grandfather's hand in the nursing home while we sign the paperwork. You know, I want to add that personal touch um to this service that you know everybody needs, and you never know when you need it until you do.

SPEAKER_08 28:38

Absolutely. I totally feel that. So, what's one challenge women face in leadership?

SPEAKER_24 28:44

It's such a great question. Um for me personally, I know it was time. Uh, you know, we all have families at home, we're we're running the house, we're running our families, we're doing vacations, we're doing the holidays, we're everybody is getting the benefit of our work by proxy. Yeah, and we're just on top of everything all the time. So the challenge is how, as a woman, how do you manage that household, that family, those obligations that do not go away?

unknown 29:14

Right.

SPEAKER_24 29:14

Um, and nobody's gonna take over for you. And also have a professional career, a professional pay, a professional title when you can't work eight to five every single work weekday. Um, I know that's the challenge that I ran into. And so um I'm glad I got that question because one of the things that I want to grow my business into is um a career path for women in Arkansas that that face the same challenges I did, where you want to be home with your kids during the day, you want to be at the part birthday parties, you want to be at sick days, and you want to be doing bedtime every night, but your career won't let you do that. In this field, it's amazing to me that that's not an option because it's paperwork, it's it's it's taking photographs. We can do that at home, yeah, we can do that at midnight, we can do that on Saturdays. So, why am I in your office 12 hours a day for this? Yeah, and um, and so the challenge in leadership for women is finding time to make everything work, and hopefully, my business can grow to offer some women a place where you can do both.

SPEAKER_08 30:21

I love that so much. You're incredible. Thank you. Thank you so much for sharing your business. I really appreciate the time.

SPEAKER_27 30:27

Yeah. I'm Sherry Price, co-founder of Level Up Accounting.

SPEAKER_04 30:30

And I'm Joe Price, co-founder of Level Up Accounting.

SPEAKER_27 30:34

We serve uh business owners, busy business owners with accounting and bookkeeping tax, sales tax, payroll. Okay, so our question is what is your favorite social media platform right now? My favorite social media platform is Instagram. Uh we're on Facebook and TikTok, but I love how Instagram seamlessly, you know, uh sends everything over to Facebook for me. And uh I love the stories aspect that where I'm able to connect with our followers.

SPEAKER_08 31:04

I'm here with Eve.

SPEAKER_28 31:06

Hi, girls.

SPEAKER_08 31:07

So tell us all about you and your business.

SPEAKER_28 31:10

Oh, I am so first of all, let me say I'm so excited to be standing right here beside the Shelby herself. Oh my gosh. Thank you. Well, I am Eve Geiger, you said, um, the owner and proud owner of Made to Manifest, which is an empowerment, leadership, coaching, and consulting. I focus and tailor all about women. However, I work with organizations as well. And it's all about leveling up, it's all about going to the next level, being encouraged, being empowered, being motivated to shift your thinking, shift how you proceed, shift how you do things. Yeah. Um, because there's so much greatness in you. And I think that's one of the things that people forget a lot of times that God has placed something intentionally in us that because we have put on all these multiple hats, that we forget about it. And so that's what I do. I push you. I'm like the pusher without the drugs. But I'm your pusher that wants to see you, succeed, that will walk with you every step of the way, helping you, coaxing you, coaching you along the path to say you can do this because how do I know it? Because I've been there. And so yeah.

SPEAKER_08 32:16

So you help other people stay focused. So how do you stay focused on your goals?

SPEAKER_28 32:20

You know, that's a great thing. God, I every morning I intentionally get up anywhere from 3 to 3:30, and I have my quiet time with God. I journal, I read, I go to the gym, um, and then I vision board. But my ultimate thing, how I stay focused, is keeping my mind like, God, I need you to help me with this, I need you to coach me with this, I need you to help me. Um, and then I go to therapy as well. Yes. I I go to therapy. Um, I have a mentor, I have a coach, um, people that want to see me succeed, people that want to see me thrive. And so that's what I do. I love it.

SPEAKER_08 32:59

So well, thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited.