Building Powerful Women’s Networks: Makayla Adams’ Journey

Summary

In this episode, Makayla Adams shares her journey of building engaging women’s networking groups, emphasizing the importance of community, personal growth, and purposeful connections. Discover how her initiatives foster deep relationships and empower women entrepreneurs to thrive both personally and professionally.

Keywords

Networking, Women in Business, Community Building, Personal Growth, Entrepreneurship

Key  topics

The origin of Engage and Empower networking groups
The importance of community and relationship-building
Balancing personal growth with business success
Strategies for expanding networking groups across regions
The role of purpose and intention in community building
Lessons learned about finances and business structure
Future plans for regional and national expansion

Guest  name

Makayla Adams

Key  frameworks

Purposeful Networking
Relationship Building
Personal Growth in Business


Titles

Building Powerful Women’s Networks: Michaela Adams’ Journey
How Community and Purpose Drive Business Growth

Sound bites

"Our community is about human connection."
"Supportive community helps your business grow."
"Empower others to exceed you."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Michaela Adams and Her Journey
02:59 Building a Community: Engaging in Power
06:02 The Unique Approach of Engaging in Power
08:49 Personal Growth and Business Success
11:56 Lessons Learned in Business
14:59 Future Aspirations and Growth Plans
17:56 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
20:56 Resources and Recommendations
23:57 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Resources

Five Levels of Leadership - John Maxwell
Engage and Empower Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/empowerhousebymakayla/


 guest links

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/empowerhousebymakayla/
Email - hello@engageandempowerslc.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome everybody back to the grind design.

SPEAKER_02 0:02

I'm here with Oh, I'm Michael Walters. Yeah. I forgot who I was here for a second.

SPEAKER_00 0:09

I'm here with my favorite partner in crime, Michael Walters, back here talking to business owners, people who are growing things. And really excited to have Michaela on because I have watched Michaela for the last, I don't know, it's been what, eight, nine months? Um, and it she is such a network powerhouse. I've never seen anything like her. She's a rock star in the way that she shows up in our community, the way that she connects people. And I thought, what a beautiful person to have on this show and talk about all the things that she does because that's the funny thing. She does a lot of things. But also, I really want her to focus on the community that she's been building behind the scenes because I've met a bazillion amazing humans through that community. So without further ado, Michaela Adams, welcome to the Grind Design.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here today.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

We're excited to have you. Will you go ahead and kind of introduce yourself, give a rundown of your history and kind of the spider web of the businesses, the things that you represent?

SPEAKER_01 1:18

Yeah. Yeah, that is a good thank you so much for the intro. I a spider web is a really good way to say exactly what I do because it's many different pieces that all come together. So I first started out as a real estate agent. I've been licensed for about five years now. So yes, I did get licensed during COVID times. And yes, that was a little hectic and crazy. I learned a lot with being a licensed agent. I'm also a licensed insurance agent. They kind of go hand in hand. And you hear a lot of the time like network, network, your network is your net worth. You know, the way you get leads is to network. And so I also created a women in business networking group called Engage and Empower. And it's just an amazing group of women who get together through weekly meetings, monthly discussions geared towards growing your business and growing personally. We do happy hours, which are definitely my favorite. That's my favorite part. And then we also do expos or markets, and those are also very fun.

SPEAKER_00 2:29

Yeah, and you're starting up a walk.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

And we did just have our first conversation. Yeah, we had our first walk today, and it was awesome. We had, I want to say, eight ladies show up, nine ladies show up. So awesome. It's conversation.

SPEAKER_00 2:47

For anyone who's listening, look through your community for these things because I think they're starting to pop up where people are networking while in motion.

SPEAKER_01 2:56

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 2:57

So, you know, there's so much science behind how we learn while doing. It is really interesting when you put entrepreneurs together and they're walking together, the conversations just kind of bubble into these really organic lessons. So if in your community, you know, that isn't a thing, maybe you should start it. But it's a great way to meet people and to get to know people. So, Michaela, why did because I know you from Engaging in Power originally, what led you to that?

SPEAKER_01 3:32

What was the That's a really good question? But I you hear a lot of network to grow your business, network, network. And I would go to networking groups pretty consistently, just in the start of growing my businesses. And I felt like I was running into the same people, the vibes were always the same, and I wanted to do something different. I had a lady who she was running another women in business group, but they would do monthly lunges and she would do seminars, really meant to grow your business. And so I partnered with her in the beginning and we piggybacked. I did the weekly networking meeting, and she would do the monthly lunches. The um markets were a bit a part of her dream, and so I partnered with her and we rocked and rolled for about eight months, maybe a year. She had a baby. Now she's a mama, and I wish her the best. I know that she's doing amazing. I've messaged her throughout the last little bit and just been like, hey, Dory, thank you so much for starting this. So it wasn't definitely it's definitely not just me. There was uh a lady that I was able to partner with, and she really had a big part of the vision. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 4:54

Yeah. That's awesome. Because the thing that I've noticed is different about engaging in power is it is relationship. It's like B and I, everybody comes and they talk about their business and it's a referral and everybody's tracking, you know, who what's being referred.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:09

The thing that you have created that is really interesting to me is there's still those same referrals going on, but there's such deep relationships tied to it. So when you are making that referral, you actually know and truly like know the person you're referring to, feel confident in that referral, right? Many of us have used each other's businesses. We've tested those waters, we've done those things. What is where are you headed with sales? Because how how many people are there right now? How many chapters are there?

SPEAKER_01 5:38

So we have two groups. We have the central group, which is our Murray location, and we have our South Group, which is in Bluffdale. So it's currently in Salt Lake County. And I'll but I really do want to empower women to grow their business and to be leaders in their industry and to also be leaders within Engage and Empower. So I'm opening that up. I've been working a lot on the SOPs and how to grow a group and the culture behind the group. And I'm really looking to grow engage and empower. And I would love to have a Utah County one and a Davis County one in Park City. I would love to make an impact that way. So that's, and if we go like national, that would be amazing. Are we there yet? Not quite, but could we be? I mean, the the connections are there.

SPEAKER_00 6:34

So I was gonna say the Murray one was kind of a tester of that, right? Of whether or not you could maintain your culture and the vision outside of you. So Murray, and they've done it well, yes.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

Oh my gosh. I have partnered with an amazing individual to run that group. Her name's Brandy. If anyone knows Brandy, she's amazing, and she really did take that and she ran with it. And she's uh, she's just an incredible human. And I'm so glad that she she planted that seed. She was like, is that something that I could do? And I said, why not give it a try?

SPEAKER_00 7:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

Let's try it out. And it's been amazing.

SPEAKER_02 7:12

Yeah, so I mean, I I hear the energy and the passion behind this. I'm super curious with different networking groups out there. Like, what is the power behind your group and like what is your mission? And or like, what are you striving to connect or to do that makes you guys unique? Because I can I can feel it, I can sense it. I just can't put it into words.

SPEAKER_01 7:35

Yeah, I love that question because I think it really does come from within us as individuals. And that's one of the not a core value per se, but there's something that we focus on is with personal growth too. We've had conversations and part of our monthly discussion, like, what is your mental load? Like, what are you holding on to right now? We've had conversations about your routines. What does that look like? Your day-to-day routines, your morning routines, your nighttime routines. Because I really do believe that if you personally believe in yourself, then your business will grow. And that's a really big part of the foundation of engagement power is personal, your business. How can we get both of them to grow? So you can make money and put money in your pocket and grow your business, be a part of the local community with just even from like an economic standpoint, right? Like we have our own businesses here. If it's a product-based business or if it's a service-based business, you're part of the economy here in Utah. And I want to strengthen that.

SPEAKER_02 8:46

Love it.

SPEAKER_00 8:47

I think the interesting thing, and I think the reason Spider Web comes to mind is we're talking about like women not just showing up once a week to have a quick thing. We're talking about there's those of us going to the gym together. There are women, right? Like our lives are starting to intertwine together in a way that I've never seen in a networking market. And I think that is the power. I think, Michael, I think that's why you see us like light up. Because literally Wednesday morning before I left town, I was lifting weights with a member, right? And at a business that I found via this group. Right. It's it is that whole, how do we be the whole person? And Michael, you and I have talked a bazillion times about the fact that a business will never rise above the individual running it, right? That the personal growth has to happen in order to level up each time. And I feel like this group kind of manages all of those pieces. So um so maybe some new chapters coming. Maybe maybe how many members are there right now?

SPEAKER_01 9:55

We have about 20.

SPEAKER_00 9:57

Okay. And how many each chapter? It's not 10 and 10.

SPEAKER_01 10:01

It's no, it's eight in the Murray group and twelve in the Blooddale group.

SPEAKER_00 10:07

Cool.

SPEAKER_01 10:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:10

And I guess I'm sorry, is like I know B and I, I've never been a part of it, but I understand the concept. So do you guys roll with the same idea of having, okay, you have a spot for one, you know, uh realtor or one life insurance or one ex. Is that the same way?

SPEAKER_01 10:30

Very similar in the aspect of one per industry, but where we differ the most is we do bring a sense of community with it's not just the members showing up to every single thing that we do for the social hours. We encourage all women to come to the social hours with the monthly discussion. That's our biggest, that's our way of bringing people in. So it's similar structure, but the intention is definitely not the same.

SPEAKER_02 11:03

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 11:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

It feels a lot different. Having been to a BNI, it feels very different.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

Also, this was never meant to like be a revenue generating source for me. It was meant to bring in business to my other businesses, but I really do take what I get from the memberships and I put that right back into growing the different groups, doing the markets, finding locations for the social hours and having those costs paid for. So everything that is provided in that membership is given right back to my my members, I guess, or my yeah, my members of the group.

SPEAKER_00 11:50

What is go ahead, Michael?

SPEAKER_02 11:53

I I was just gonna say if I had to just you know other networking groups and what I'm feeling in the moment with yours, it's words such as like purposeful, intentional. Um I I want to use the word supportive, but I mean that in a way of all the reasons that word is powerful. Whereas it probably has less red tape to have to go through. I don't know, like am I getting there in terms of like trying to understand like your guys' model because that in itself is refreshing to hear.

SPEAKER_01 12:31

Yeah. Yeah, I think you definitely you got it. And I think other words to use too in the name, it's engage and empower. So we really do want to connect with the community, the members, everyone, and empower them to grow their business and to grow personally. So I love that you said supportive because as a business owner, it can feel like a lot. I mean, we're talking taxes and payroll and bookkeeping and my gosh, I'm getting ready to hire a new person. And if I didn't have the community that I've built to like bounce ideas off of, just from a business standpoint, I really don't think that we would be in the same place across all the industries I've been working in.

SPEAKER_00 13:21

I think, you know, we've talked about this in other shows where that that being that building a business can be very lonely.

SPEAKER_01 13:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:28

Right? That that position can feel really lonely. And I think this group undoes some of that because everybody's running a different business, but it is it's in alignment with why we put grind design together in the first place. Is our theory was everybody's having the same challenges, the same struggles, they all need relatively similar tools, right? That we had we just have so much to learn from each other. So um in that, in this journey of getting this up and running, what is the best lesson that you've learned? If you could go back and tell your initial self something, what would you tell you?

SPEAKER_01 14:08

My biggest lesson I've learned. Are we talking like engage and empower or across all of your businesses?

SPEAKER_00 14:18

Because I know and one that Michaela hasn't even mentioned is she also often is out kind of being the cheerleader for another business that she doesn't own.

SPEAKER_01 14:29

But yeah, no, my boyfriend owns an appliance repair company too, and I am his biggest cheerleader for sure in that industry in his in his business. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 14:40

Yeah, so you often see her out as if she is, you know, building some other business. So in all of that, what's the biggest lesson that you've learned as you're bringing those things to fruition?

SPEAKER_01 14:55

I would say be mindful of your finances is the biggest lesson. I think also having a good insurance agent, having a good um CPA, and having a good bookkeeper in your corner. Luckily, when I was first licensed as a real estate agent, my broker kind of set me up for success of what tools I should use and how I should track my miles and my closing gifts. And I had some support there. And when I plugged insurance, it was very similar like track your miles, track what you're spending. So that was helpful. But those are 1099 subcontractors, and it was a little different structure than the appliance repair company. And our first year in business was what such a whirlwind, really. I mean, we made more than my two businesses were making, and we didn't have a good bookkeeper, had no idea what to like write taxes off for an appliance repair company. It was very different. And so our first year was kind of a smack in the face when taxes came. Luckily, we were able to find someone who supported us through restructuring our business and Blake's business, restructuring his business and setting him up for success. But I think my biggest lesson has been to make sure that our finances were right and we're getting in contact with a CPA and a bookkeeper because those are two things that we just had no idea what we were doing with those.

SPEAKER_00 16:29

I think there's a lot of wisdom in that. Like knowing your numbers matters, right?

SPEAKER_01 16:33

Totally.

SPEAKER_00 16:33

Like I can say firsthand, that's been one of our hard lessons, too. That where we've had to go back and regroup. And knowing your numbers is powerful.

SPEAKER_01 16:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:42

You don't you don't know how much you need a good professional until you have the hard lesson.

unknown 16:49

True.

SPEAKER_01 16:50

They're worth every single penny. A good CPA and a good bookkeeper and a good insurance agent worth every penny that you're gonna spend on it.

SPEAKER_00 17:01

Yeah. Um looking forward, what's the 10-year look like?

SPEAKER_01 17:10

Okay, I love this thing because this is definitely where my brain, where I thrive. I would love to go. I think of planting the little seeds we have here in Salt Lake and just planting them where I want to visit. So I want to get a little home in St. George and I want to get a little home in Nashville and Hawaii and Oregon. And I would love to take our little hub that we've created and just shift and pivot and just create our own little impact in different places. That's my if I had my perfect world, I would just build a solid foundation, find my our leaders in both, well, all industries, really. The power clean and appliance repair, and I mean, I can shift my real estate license and insurance license and get licensed wherever, but I would love to shift those to places that I want to travel to. Yeah. So that's my that's my my 10-year goal. And I tell Blake all the time, like, St. George is next. So we gotta build our build up our team here and then move and keep plugging.

SPEAKER_02 18:20

Yeah, I think what I picked up there and what I thought is so cool to hear is you want to build your business in the places you want to visit.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:29

I mean, I'm not gonna, I mean, who would want to place something in Memphis? You know, I mean, said nobody, but go to Nashville, which is such a booming hub right now and it's awesome to go to. Yeah, yeah, put something there. Love it.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

Yeah, work where you play.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:45

I I like that the vision is uh that widespread. Just watching uh your growth so far. Because I feel like it's happened really fast. I don't know if you and maybe I I think a lot of times businesses are like icebergs, right? There was a lot of work that before we even saw it come to fruition. How long did it take you from when you kind of started to brew the idea, right? You met this counterpart that had planted the seeds.

SPEAKER_01 19:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:19

How long were you in that like ramp up stage before we all started seeing it out in the community?

SPEAKER_01 19:25

So I met her in February and we started having conversations in April, maybe something like that. And then we officially launched the Engage and Empower in August of 2024. That's not bad. That's actually a pretty fast ramp up.

SPEAKER_02 19:47

I was gonna say a short runway.

SPEAKER_01 19:49

Yeah, and then we kind of took off, and it's been amazing ever since.

SPEAKER_00 19:54

Yeah, yeah. Um if you could tell your younger self something, what would you tell her? If you could go back and give yourself a pep talk or good advice, what would it be?

SPEAKER_01 20:15

I would say it's okay for you to have your failures and to pivot and make those changes and to feel your emotions and lean into where those are coming from because ultimately that's where your pain point, like your personal pain points are. And if you can become one with those pain points, I think that it'll be it benefits moving forward. You know, the there's a lot of scary things that come up, and if you can lean into it and be like, okay, is that a legit fear? You know, is this a growth opportunity and lean into that and feel it out and then just downshift and take off, you'll be in a good place?

SPEAKER_00 21:06

I like that. It's good advice. I know you. I know that you're constantly reading. I also know you listen to a lot of podcasts and have your own podcast, which has been really fun. I actually spent a fair amount of time listening, catching up while I was driving a couple days ago. Where do you what are you listening to? What are you reading that is helping you navigate the next thing? Where are you getting your best information from right now?

SPEAKER_01 21:33

That's a really good question. I just finished the five letter or the five levels of leadership. I don't know who wrote it, but it's a blue cover and it was amazing. It talked a lot about like there are five levels, and you will personally attract the people that are on your level, and you can use the different levels and growth opportunities to continue. To evolve, but your main goal is to empower the people around you to eventually surpass you. And I just thought that was like mind blowing because everyone has different skill sets. I don't love numbers, and I don't know if I mean I can talk numbers, don't get me wrong, but it's not my favorite thing to plug into a PL sheet. I can read it, but I have no idea how to create it. But I also know that there are people who love numbers and they can absolutely lean into that. So it was really cool, and that's actually where a big part of the leader and building the leaders for the other group. So engaging a power really came into because I can't do it alone. And I would love to have a team support where we can all be supportive of each other. So that was like mind-blowing for me.

unknown 22:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:00

That was a big one. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:02

It actually feels like it aligns with who you are and how you show up really well, too.

SPEAKER_01 23:08

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 23:08

When you when you when you said the goal, you know, to have people exceed you, right? To have them take off and grow and to launch other people. That is very aligned with how you show up in your community. Thank you. I love that. Um where can people find you? Because people are gonna want to find you.

SPEAKER_01 23:28

Yeah. I hope they want to come and be a part of what we're building and what we're doing. And if they need insurance or want to purchase a home, please let me know. Um, I am on Instagram. I think that's where I get a lot of a lot of DMs. Um so Instagram, I'm Empowerhouse by Michaela, and that just encompasses all the things. Um, you can email me. My email is hello at engagementpower slc.com. I'm also on like Facebook and LinkedIn, but I'm not as I use my email and Instagram way more than anything else.

SPEAKER_00 24:10

So Okay, beautiful, beautiful. So if you are out there and you're trying to build a business or you're trying to find your community, right? If you are out there running a business feeling alone, pay attention, reach out to Michaela, she's a great resource. Um, I would be really interested to see if, you know, this is so far, this has been a group geared towards women. It'll be interesting to see if somebody mimics it with the men.

SPEAKER_01 24:37

Maybe. I hear all the time. Yeah, let we need to have a men's group, like Michael. Someone someone should go. I gotcha, I heard you. There you go. Are you gonna start a men's group now?

SPEAKER_00 24:53

Yeah, it'd be interesting to see if something came together, right? Because it is it is really an awesome endeavor.

SPEAKER_02 25:01

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 25:03

Thanks for being such a connector in the community, for gathering such great people. I I say all the time, like I've never been in a room with more women who lift up each other up than in your your your arena.

SPEAKER_01 25:18

I love that.

SPEAKER_00 25:19

Thanks for making the world a better place, Michaela.

SPEAKER_01 25:22

Thank you. I I'm really glad that you in the room you felt that because that's that's what it's about. Human connection.

SPEAKER_00 25:31

Yeah, it's good stuff. I'm sure we'll have you back on because I I expect we're gonna see you do lots of interesting things here in the coming year. It does not seem to take you very long to launch your next move. And I think your first uh the tester in Murray went really well.

SPEAKER_01 25:47

So Yeah, I think so too.

SPEAKER_00 25:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:50

I'm excited for it.

SPEAKER_00 25:51

Can't wait to see what you do with that.

SPEAKER_01 25:54

I can't wait.

SPEAKER_00 25:55

Thanks for coming on.