I’m Home and Learning How to Build Differently
If you know me, you know I’m usually somewhere. London, Paris, New York, Mexico, a hotel, an airport, a conference, a press trip-you name it. Traveling has become such a big part of my life and my business that sometimes I joke that my suitcase knows my schedule better than I do. So being back home, spending more time in Cincinnati and looking at my calendar with fewer flights and more local events has made me pause and really think about what this season of entrepreneurship is asking of me.
I’m learning how to build differently. The business landscape has changed. The rollback and reworking of DEI initiatives across corporate America has affected the way many brands approach partnerships, sponsorships and community investments. Research from Catalyst and NYU’s Meltzer Center found that 77% of organizations surveyed had adapted their inclusion efforts over the previous three years, while 51% of federal contractors reported scaling back those efforts. For entrepreneurs like me, who have built businesses through partnerships, brand relationships and creating experiences for underserved audiences, you feel those shifts.
I could sit around and complain about it, but that’s not really how I’m wired. So I’ve pivoted. Instead of relying as heavily on travel opportunities, brand campaigns and corporate partnerships, I’m putting more energy into what I can build myself. That means more events. More rooms. More experiences. More opportunities for women to connect, learn, network and pour back into themselves and their businesses. It means bringing people together instead of waiting for someone else to create the room I want to see.
That has required me to stretch. I’m hosting more events than I normally would, and while there is excitement that comes with that, there is also a lot of work behind the scenes. There are venues, sponsors, tickets, marketing, speakers, partnerships, emails, logistics and all the little details nobody sees when they walk into a beautiful room and everything looks effortless. But I’m realizing that this is also what entrepreneurship is: recognizing when the old way isn’t working the same way and having the courage to build another way.
That brings me back to something I wrote recently about learning to build with intention, not just momentum. I’ve been thinking a lot about whether I’m simply doing more or actually building something sustainable. Tasha Randle has been a great resource for me in thinking through that question.
As a former Fortune 50 marketer and now strategic advisor to entrepreneurs, Tasha helps founders think through questions around how they position their business, communicate their value and make smarter decisions about where to focus as they grow.
And if there’s a business question you’ve been wrestling with, she’s opening up an opportunity to ask her directly. You can submit your business question here, and she may answer it in an upcoming YouTube video. Your name and business information won’t be shared publicly, and if your question is selected, the video response will be sent directly to you.
If you’d rather start by exploring some of her thinking first, you can also listen to her free audio guide, “5 Signs Your Value May Be Getting Lost in Translation.” It’s a great place to start if you’ve been working hard but wondering whether people truly understand the value of what you offer.
Maybe this season isn’t about traveling more. Maybe it’s about building deeper. Maybe it isn’t about waiting for the next opportunity to knock. Maybe it’s about creating the opportunity yourself.
So yes, I’m home. While I may be home more than usual, I’m not standing still. I’m building. I’m pivoting. I’m creating new rooms, new experiences and new opportunities. And most importantly, I’m learning that sometimes the biggest growth happens when you stop trying to recreate what worked before and start paying attention to what your business needs now.
This season may look different, but different doesn’t mean diminished. It just means I’m building something new.
