The Confident Entrepreneur With Jennifer Ann Johnson

Entrepreneurial Edge: 8 Principles for Lasting Success with Michelle Borders

• Jennifer Ann Johnson • Season 3 • Episode 10

Share episode

Michelle Borders, co-founder of Naples Network Services, shares the eight key principles behind her entrepreneurial success since 2004. With warmth and candor, she reflects on triumphs, challenges, and pivotal lessons that shaped her award-winning IT company.

She stresses the power of starting with what you know, building authentic connections beyond traditional networking, and recognizing when to pivot—like her experience with MyEnvirocom, a precursor to Nest. Her approach to client relationships balances personal connection with smart boundaries, while her community involvement focuses on sustainability over burnout.

For entrepreneurs at any stage, Michelle’s insights provide clarity and reassurance. Her advice? Celebrate every win and embrace the journey. What could change if you applied just one of these principles today?

Visit us at jenniferannjohnson.com and learn how Jennifer can help you build the life you dream of with her online academy, blog, one-on-one coaching, and a variety of other resources!

Jennifer Johnson:

We all know that entrepreneurship is a journey filled with challenges, triumphs and countless lessons learned along the way. But what if you could tap into the wisdom of someone who's already navigated these waters successfully? Well, that's exactly what we're going to do in today's episode. I have the incredible opportunity to sit down with Michelle Borders of Naples Network Services. She's a true connector in the world of business. Michelle co-founded Naples Network Services in 2004. She's been recognized as the best in business by Gulf Shore Business readers for several years, and her company also received the Business of the Month accolade from the Collier County Commissioners in September of 2021. Michelle is an active participant in the Naples Chamber and was recognized as Ambassador of the Year in 2019. She's also the Chair of the Small Business Council and on the Chamber Board of Directors, and in 2023, she chaired the Membership Committee for their strategic planning and contributed to the Executive Search Team for their President.

Jennifer Johnson:

In our conversation today, Michelle will share with us eight key tips that have been instrumental in her success. They're not just theoretical concepts, they're battle-tested and they have been the thing that's really made the difference in her entrepreneurial journey. So, whether you're just starting out, you're looking to scale your business, or you simply are just curious about what it takes to thrive in today's competitive landscape. You're in the right place. Get ready to take those notes, because these insights could be the game changer for you that you've been looking for. So let's dive into eight tips that could transform your entrepreneurial journey. Welcome, Michelle. Thanks for having me today, Absolutely. I am so excited about this, because so many of us work off of tips or checklists or you know what does this person say Because I know that they've had a successful business or a successful career, whatever it is, I want to learn from them. You know, we've all picked up a magazine and seen those right and we're like, oh, that's cool, I want to know what's the inside scoop.

Michelle Borders:

Or all the books we buy, or all the books the business books.

Jennifer Johnson:

We don't go to the library. We buy them because you know they could be the one that we hang on to forever, or we gift them to someone else, right? So, starting with number one, the number one thing, and we kind of sat down and chatted about this a little bit before we had this podcast, but start with what you know.

Michelle Borders:

And what I mean by that is we didn't come here and start an ice cream shop because we don't know anything about an ice cream shop. We used Kevin's years of background in IT and bigger, more enterprise industries to help small businesses that, with my communications background, were key to working with what we knew, with our education, with our own experience, to be successful.

Jennifer Johnson:

So really not like reinventing the wheel.

Michelle Borders:

Right, right, we didn't like I said. Try to open up a retail shop. We've never done retail Right.

Jennifer Johnson:

I mean that makes sense. It already sets you up for the potential to be successful.

Michelle Borders:

Right. If you know you're good at what you do, then you're going to have confidence, and that's half the battle.

Jennifer Johnson:

Right, because a lot of us do lack that right Confidence. The next one you are. I mean, when I think of this one word, I think of Michelle Borders, networking, and you say network like your business depends on it.

Michelle Borders:

And what I mean by that is not only just joining groups and things like that, but sharing your story with, like we shared it with the title company we closed on our house with. We just said, hey, we're starting this business. He said, hey, I'm not really that happy with my IT company and then asked for some help. He's still our client to this day, 20 years later. So just sharing your story is so impactful. Then we shared it with the hockey parents, with the travel hockey team, and then they introduced us to people.

Jennifer Johnson:

So just being a friend being friendly, you know, I think of standing in the grocery line and you hear someone say something, or it's being tactful and bringing that up in everyday conversations too.

Michelle Borders:

right, yeah, just being open to sharing a little bit. It's personal Right Sharing something real about yourself, because it's only going to help you.

Jennifer Johnson:

Do you think it's because of that personal connection? Like I'm standing next to you and I'm bringing it up and then all of a sudden they're like, oh well, I'm standing next to you and I'm bringing it up and then all of a sudden they're like, oh well, she, you know, I have a connection to you.

Michelle Borders:

Well, I always say you're not going to be a friend unless you are a friend. So it's not like we knew the title company that we closed with, but just hey, yeah, we're excited we're here, we're starting this business.

Jennifer Johnson:

He must have felt our enthusiasm and our sincerity Right so he gave us a chance and that I mean that makes sense. You know you feel someone else's energy. We've talked about energy on the show before and have had people on talking about that and you can feel somebody's aura when you walk into a room. We were just talking about this. You know, you can feel how someone is sort of feeling, what their mood is by just hanging out with them for a few minutes.

Michelle Borders:

And some more than others, and I think the more genuine you are, the more it's to your benefit.

Jennifer Johnson:

Right, absolutely. So that was your second one. What's your?

Michelle Borders:

third one Adapt and innovate, and by that I mean if you have an idea for something, if you think there's a problem that you could solve and it might be a little outside your box, well, go for it. What could?

Jennifer Johnson:

happen.

Michelle Borders:

What's the worst that can happen. And with us, we invented a product.

Jennifer Johnson:

I love this story. By the way, you have to tell it.

Michelle Borders:

MyEnvirocom monitored the temperature and humidity in your home through the internet, based on his parents having a flood in their home up north while they were here, and Kevin thought the high-rises could use a notification if something on the seventh floor or something leaked into the floor below it. And so he created this product all on his own and then Conditioned Air, found out about our story and they rebranded to MyComfortMonitor. We met all kinds of people along the way. It didn't work out for any of us because Nest technology kind of caught up with us, but we met great people. We got an award from the EDC, so even though it didn't turn out the way we expected, it was still worth what we learned Right.

Jennifer Johnson:

I mean, you learn stuff along the way and I, whenever I do anything, I always tell people you know I'm Hiccup, it's a hiccup, it wasn't a fatal failure. Failure is never final. You learned something.

Michelle Borders:

I think the best part is the people you met, because those connections wouldn't have been made otherwise and I was just at that. Lead with Love event and sat across from. I think his name is Tim Dupree, with PBS and he was with Conditioned Air at that time. He remembered me. I remembered him like that was in 2012. So those connections.

Jennifer Johnson:

Right, it's not. It's being around the people, around the right people at the right time, and all of that. But you know, adapting and innovating your story proves that, you know. Okay, well, no, in the end it didn't work out, but and I actually talk about this with women Women are some of the most innovative people out there, right, Because we have families that we're raising, we're doing 10 different things and we bring a fresh perspective. You know, guys do too, but women really, a lot of times, bring a different element to the table.

Michelle Borders:

Right and we learned about angel funds. I didn't even know what that was and Tim Cartwright who we mentioned earlier in our conversation. So just those connections.

Jennifer Johnson:

And that goes back to your networking, your connections. Maybe it's more like you're a connector, because that's really really what I see. Thanks, thanks. She's looking at me like, okay, all right, number four on your list.

Michelle Borders:

Family first, business second Treat your clients like family. Oh so we're a family company and it's a little more like personal. It's not going to be like calling the geek squad. So if that's something you want, you're going to know like and trust us and your technology nowadays with all this crazy thing, is happening, it's kind of nice to know the person you're working with, Not some random person's going to show up or answer the phone. Put you on hold for 10 hours.

Michelle Borders:

The proverbial hold, hold please or like the checks in the mail kind of situation.

Jennifer Johnson:

So how do you as a business, how does that look? How do we make them feel like family, our customers?

Michelle Borders:

Well, following the golden rule and just treating them the way you want to be treated and even if it's just a small problem, letting them know that you care and trying to stay, get back with them ASAP and because people need their technology to work like yesterday, they don't want problems, they don't need problems and that's what you know.

Jennifer Johnson:

Right, oh, you get plenty of calls from my business. Help, help.

Michelle Borders:

Like now, right? So even if it's small, you can't, you need to make them feel like it's even just like a family problem Right, and as you scale your business, that gets harder and harder to do. And you see it, when some companies get super big, you're like, oh, they're too big now that I can't even get through.

Jennifer Johnson:

Right, such a hard spot to be in, because how do you grow and still keep that family-owned company? And I know the family-owned company feel and I know a lot of people have those growing pains.

Michelle Borders:

And it kind of leads into the next tip, because the next tip was know when to scale back.

Jennifer Johnson:

And we you know our last podcast, if I'm not correct, was all about scaling down essentially and incidentally, we were just talking about that too, how it was one of the number one listened to and viewed, because we do stream on YouTube as well. It was the number one episode streamed on YouTube. Number one Because I think people are all afraid to talk about it. Well, what are people going to think if I scale down?

Michelle Borders:

Especially when people will call and we're used to getting my son or my sister-in-law and that was a little scary to be like no, they're not here anymore.

Jennifer Johnson:

It didn't all happen at once.

Michelle Borders:

And even the college kids that were working for us. It just got so big and unmanageable that we slowly just eliminated.

Jennifer Johnson:

Was there one thing that made you realize that you needed to do that, or was it several things altogether?

Michelle Borders:

I think several things altogether as one left or as people seemed unhappy as in internally yeah. Although it scaled up, it scaled down and I feel like for years we've been scaled down and we're not unhappy about it. But I will say you have to have partners, which leads to the next one because you can't do it all. We are two people.

Michelle Borders:

So, I have partners that I can call at any time. Or let's say, we want to go on vacation, I can't just leave, and a lot of times you do need someone in person. It's not all remote. So we were doing websites and now Vectra does websites. Stickboy is our backup and they have a little bit bigger team. They do software. We're sticking in our lane. We don't do household, we only do business. But I have someone I refer to for that. We don't do the big cabling jobs I have someone.

Jennifer Johnson:

So how do you because you basically find those partners how do you find them and how do you vet them? How do you make sure that the people that you are putting in front of other people because you know you don't do that, that portion of the job how do you vet them to make sure that they're the right ones?

Michelle Borders:

it was honestly all through networking and developing relationships. Uh, the cabling guy, I will say kevin went somewhere and saw his work and said, whoa, that guy knows what he's doing. But before that I was working with someone that I knew, liked and trust. He got a little bit busy, but this guy, that's all he does. And then the residential one, just someone that I got to know. I want to know a lot of different IT companies.

Michelle Borders:

Right, I actually have a happy hour with one tonight. His wife I've been friends with for years, so there's the trust already there I don't know him well, but Right, she knows you.

Jennifer Johnson:

Yeah, so what do you do? Just playing the other side of the coin, something happens with one of the trusted partners, I with one of the trusted partners. I remember back in the day when I owned a wedding and event planning company, I would say you know, I only work with vendors who are tried, true and tested. Yes, I had to give them a start somewhere, but I took it off of a referral from someone else. Okay, and I use them. And if they did something that was like really outside the realm of bad, like it was not, because they're representing you too, right, if you refer somebody and they come out and do a really bad job or they do something terrible, it's a representation of your company, even though it wasn't you. So where I'm going with that is is what happens if somebody does something that would undermine you or not put you in the best of light because you referred them. What would you do?

Michelle Borders:

Well, I will say it hasn't been a bed of roses, which is the way life works. We've had things come up. Come up I would say I trust people so much and will give them everything and I'll have honest conversations and try to work it out. And let's say I go away and in my heart, I'm not feeling good, I just, I still want things to work out.

Michelle Borders:

You know, you know, but I will say that things have come up and we're still we're still partners. I think they ended up letting someone go that I was just giving everything to, but they were taking a little for themselves and not really being honest with their employer.

Jennifer Johnson:

And.

Michelle Borders:

I was kind of stuck in a hard, you know in a rough spot, because this was a salesperson I was trusting Right, and they were like taking oh well, they don't want this, I'll just take this job for myself. But they were doing way more, I see.

Jennifer Johnson:

So trust your gut, trust your gut.

Michelle Borders:

But still don't like fly off the handle because someone could just be like, oh, I'm going to sue you. And that doesn't help. I mean just work with people kind of like your family you know, like families have things and you just got to like.

Jennifer Johnson:

Right Second chances.

Michelle Borders:

Yeah, work together, second chances, it's worth it. It's worth it. I don't like to throw in the towel or.

Jennifer Johnson:

Right, unless you have to Right, because you, you know, there's also a point where you can't be a doormat, and yeah, and we've talked about this too, With some.

Michelle Borders:

I'll be honest, I am there with some team members, but when it's a little bit bigger team the ones you love hopefully overpower the ones that.

Jennifer Johnson:

Right, and that's all we can hope for in life and in business is that the good times outweigh the bad times right 100%, as in life, you know life lessons, business lessons. Sometimes they definitely overlap. So what is your number six?

Michelle Borders:

Let's see. Well, we just did that. We're on number seven. Oh yes, community involvement, and it doesn't necessarily have to be joining every single group out there. I think it can be volunteering for an organization that speaks to you or has something to do with what's going on in your life, and it shouldn't be every organization, which I've done, that signed up for too many things said yes, yes, yes, and then I scaled back to what affected my life or what resonated most with me. At one point I was mentoring 14 kids and I thought how can I like keep in touch with them?

Michelle Borders:

Even keep in touch, so always reevaluate, but I feel like what you get, what you give and you make again great relationships volunteering and it scales your business.

Jennifer Johnson:

So how okay I've been in the position as I know a lot of our listeners I'm sure have been as well of always being the yes person. Okay, how did you bring yourself to a spot of saying the two, the letter, the dreaded two letter word of no? How did you get to that spot? What brought you to the art of saying no to things?

Michelle Borders:

Not only, no, even walking away. I was on a board for eight years and I was a member of this group for 13 or 14 years. But once you're investing so much of your time in so many things, then if you want to try something new, it's never happening because you just don't have the time. So I know, just this past year I did step away from a group. That it was. It wasn't easy for me to do, but now I do have the time to try to start working on some different things like public speaking and writing a book.

Michelle Borders:

But this other group and it's a group and I still send people- there but I'm kind of relieved.

Jennifer Johnson:

You feel?

Michelle Borders:

like it's off your shoulders. Yeah, I don't have to drive up to Fort Myers for those two meetings a month yeah.

Jennifer Johnson:

It has to be very freeing. I know it's hard for me to say no. I did say no to a big thing this year which I was like I can't believe I said no to that. But there's kind of a sense of yes relief, but also a sense of empowerment to say, oh, I can actually say that word.

Michelle Borders:

Right. Or inviting you to go to an event that's for a great cause and you want to go and you're free, but no, because you have these other great causes, you're focused on you cannot be there for every cause.

Jennifer Johnson:

Well, I remember recently having this conversation with you, asking you hey, are you going to something? And you said no, my family's in town.

Michelle Borders:

And I was like.

Jennifer Johnson:

I'm proud of you, michelle.

Michelle Borders:

I just missed something last week that I really wanted to go to, and I saw your pictures and Brad's pictures and I was like, oh, I wish I could have gone, but no way, and maybe the old me would have still went and missed time with you know, your family.

Jennifer Johnson:

Yeah, because ultimately, you know that is what it's about. Yes, community involvement is really important and, yes, it does grow your business because you're out in the community being seen doing all the things and not just doing them to be seen, but doing them because you actually care. And as a result of that, the proverbial cherry on the top is that it does grow your business. But you can't help your community unless you're helping yourself.

Michelle Borders:

Right and family should be number one. Yesterday I booked a flight to see my family up north and I'm going to miss the first board meeting of the year for the Naples Chamber. I know, and it killed me to do it, but it just. You know, I don't like missing things, you don't either.

Jennifer Johnson:

No, I agree, but we, you know, because both of us are, yes, people I think that again, you find where you have to draw the line, because your family is more important than at the end of the day. You know? Are they what's going to be on your tombstone? Right? Right, you were the greatest volunteer ever. No, wife, mother, daughter, right, that's what's going to be on our tombstone.

Michelle Borders:

And that's what I told myself yesterday, even though it hurt.

Jennifer Johnson:

I know it does hurt it's like ripping a Band-Aid off but this too shall pass. It'll come and go and you'll be like okay.

Michelle Borders:

I'm it's just a meeting, it doesn't you know, but yeah.

Jennifer Johnson:

You know, and I can personally relate to this, because last year I lost my father this is airing in 2025. I lost my father and I remember I had this crazy week scheduled. My entire week was packed and I literally it was like I took my hand and wiped it across the desk and got rid of everything on my plate that entire week. And guess what? I would never have wanted to spend it any other way, and I was there when he was alive, I was there when he passed away and I would never have wanted it any other way.

Michelle Borders:

And there's nothing on that list that really mattered, right?

Jennifer Johnson:

None of it mattered. The only thing that mattered was being there that entire week, and I wouldn't give it up for anything. I wouldn't. You know, it was amazing. So, at the end of the day, that's what it's about.

Michelle Borders:

Super important message.

Jennifer Johnson:

It is so number eight.

Michelle Borders:

Number eight celebrate your wins. Even if they seem small, you should still share them, because business we're a small business.

Jennifer Johnson:

And.

Michelle Borders:

I think, to be able to be recognized by Gulf Shore business readers first, like 2019, 2021, 2022, 2022, 2024. Yeah, that's a big deal it is. The bigger ones, like the top one is 30 employees or more I mean that's pretty awesome it's.

Jennifer Johnson:

You know, small wins what may be small to you may be big to someone else.

Michelle Borders:

Right, Right or maybe someone will think, well, if they can do it, and that's you know, it's an example, yeah.

Jennifer Johnson:

Right, like wow, I want to aspire, to be.

Michelle Borders:

I want to be like them Right, and I'm just asking people one at a time. I'm not sending a blanket email. All I'm doing is reaching out to people I feel that are my friends or my clients Right.

Michelle Borders:

Asking them or I say hey, I voted for you, will you vote for me? And just I know, the second time I won it. I was flabbergasted because I never expected the first time I won, I think someone asked her whole work to vote for me. And then the next year I didn't. And I was like all right, I'm just going to send out as many emails to as many people as I can think of and call it a day. And then I was like well, it worked.

Jennifer Johnson:

So yeah, but do you know why it works? It works because of your number seven, which was the community involvement. You're involved in the community, people know you. People want to be in the room with Michelle Borders.

Michelle Borders:

Well, I just say don't send a blanket email. It doesn't mean that you know you have to be personal.

Jennifer Johnson:

You have to be, but it's about you too. Right, Like if your community knows you, they love you, they embrace you for who you are and they want to be in the room with you. They're going to vote for you, you know.

Michelle Borders:

I know one person said to me all you do for me, of course. I was like, okay, like I don't know why. It still surprises me.

Jennifer Johnson:

But I don't know why it does either, michelle, because I don't know. You do so much for so many others. You pour into so many other people that they go yeah, heck, yeah, this is my time to pour back into you. I'm going to do that. Yes, you don't even need to ask me, but thank you for telling me about it. I'm going to vote for you. That's what it's about.

Michelle Borders:

Yeah, so celebrate your wins, share them, and who knows what will happen next?

Jennifer Johnson:

Exactly, take on the world Right. Is there anything else that we didn't touch on that you want to share with our listeners?

Michelle Borders:

Well, one thing just came to my mind, and it was just the community giving back. I was at workout and my car battery died. You know how that happens.

Michelle Borders:

There's no avoiding it, or your tire and there was an event that I was signed up to go to at lunch and someone Amanda from the chamber chamber came and picked me up. She says all you do for me, I'll give you a ride. I was like, oh my gosh, she's giving me a ride and that just that's. You never know what could happen if you just try to give everything you can to the things you're involved in, right?

Jennifer Johnson:

you pour yourself out to others and they'll pour into you. So that's the ticket. Absolutely that is the ticket. Well, I have thoroughly enjoyed our conversation today. Michelle, if anyone would like to get a hold of you or your company, how can they do so?

Michelle Borders:

They can email me on borders at naplesnetworkservicescom. I'm on Facebook and those are the best ways to reach me.

Jennifer Johnson:

And she's a fabulous.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Jennifer Johnson

Host