Mentors magazine issue 1

MENTORS MAGAZINE | EDITION 1 | 1
Issue 1
DR. JOE VITALE
OVERCOMING FEAR
Steps To
Leadership
Nirvana
DR. Steven Hymovitch
Why Your Brand
Must Transform to
Stay Relevant—And
How To Do It
Whitney Vosburgh
Boost Resilience, Beat
Burnout!
Beth Kennedy
How Millennials Can
Achieve Financial
Freedom Through Real
Estate. Ryan Boykin
The Role of a Mentor
Neil Ball
Boss Mom Interview
with Dana Malstaff
Magazine
MENTORS

2 | MENTORS MAGAZINE | EDITION 1

Publisher
Neil Ball
Editor
Sally Jones
Graphic Designer
Tim Swan
Ad Designer
Joseph Dawson
Writers and Contributors
Steven Uster
Ryan Boykin
Christine Erickson
David Neagle
Dr Joe Vitale
Mark C. Perna
Whitney Vosburgh
Dana Malstaff
Christopher and Darcy Alkus-
Barrow
Ximena Hartsock
Beth Kennedy
Neil Ball
MENTORS Magazine
Edition 1
Cover Photograph: Courtesy of Dr Joe Vitale
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16
By Neil Ball
20
Working Capital Management
What It Is & Why It's
Important
By Steven Uster
24
Why Your Brand Must
Transform to Stay Relevant—
And How To Do It
By Whitney Vosburgh
32
4 Steps To Leadership Nirvana
By DR. Steven Hymovitch
38
Resonating with Every
Generation on Your Team
By Christine Erickson
44
How Millennials Can Achieve
Financial Freedom Through
Real Estate
By Ryan Boykin
48
15 Signs You Are a People
Pleaser – and What to Do
About It
By David Neagle
54
Why Our Old Approach to
College Is Putting a New
Generation at Risk
By Mark C. Perna
58
Boost resilience, beat
burnout!
By Beth Kennedy
62
How to Break into Tech as
a Woman of Color
By Ximena Hartsock
66
Starting and Managing a
Successful Business as a
Married Couple
By Christopher and
Darcy Alkus-Barrow
72
Interview with Dana Malstaff
IN THIS ISSUE
Cover Story
6
Overcoming Fear
By Dr Joe Vitale

Steven Uster
Ryan Boykin
Christine Erickson
David Neagle
Mark C. Perna
Whitney Vosburgh
Dana Malstaff
Christopher and Darcy Alkus-
Barrow
Ximena Hartsock
Beth Kennedy
Neil Ball
Contributing Writers
Cover Story
Dr Joe Vitale

Almost
everyone is
interested in
overcoming
fear – or
should be.
Whether you want to speak in public, open a
new business, talk to potential dates, do
stand-up comedy, climb a mountain —
or anything you haven’t done before —
you’re bound to feel fear and want help in
overcoming fear.
OVERCOMING FEAR
Cover Story

Well, how do you do it?
After recording six albums of songs, my Band
of Legends politely nudged me to perform
live.
While I’ve spoken on stage numerous times
over the decades, I never sang on stage.
Thinking about it brought up serious fears.
Even terror.
A friend remembers me saying I would
NEVER sing in public.
I had to overcome panic attacks, anxiety
ambushes, and near nervous breakdowns to
overcome the fear of public speaking.
But public singing?
I didn’t even sing in the shower.
Childhood memories of being humiliated
when I tried to speak or sing stayed with me.
I overcame the speaking one.
But I refused to even touch singing.
It felt too vulnerable.
I managed to do it in the studio for my six
albums, by basically managing my
adrenaline, but I couldn’t accept ever singing
on stage live.
No way.
But I did it.
I did it!
And it was a huge success.
I was strong and confident, owned the stage,
and led my Band of Legends into a
triumphant performance.
It was an historic moment.
It was a personal breakthrough.
And it will live forever in my mind as a
moment of greatness for me.
Forget it.

So, how did I go from terrified to
terrific?
I’ll share my own process, as it will illustrate
the art of overcoming fear. I’m sure you can
be inspired by this adventure.
I of course did all the standard things that I
teach, from practicing ho’oponopono (as I
wrote about in my books, Zero Limits and AT
Zero) to rehearsing in the studio and in my
mind.
But two months before the show, I also —
1. I Got coaching.
A basic rule of self-improvement is this
:
I first saw that insight in the home of Jerry
and Esther Hicks, of Abraham fame, decades
ago. Jerry (who has passed on and I greatly
miss) told me he first heard it in an early
television western. I don’t recall the name of
the show, but I do remember the impact the
principle had on me.
I started Miracles Coaching more than a
decade ago for that reason – to give people
someone who could believe in them.
To help them overcome fear.
To help them attract miracles.
I’ve had a lot of people support me and
coach me in performing:
Jen Sincero is a badass author of two NY
Times bestselling books, You Are A
Badass and the recent You Are A Badass at
Making Money. I discovered her first book
years ago, knew it would be a hit, and
interviewed her. We stayed in touch.
I had lunch with Jen when she came to
Austin for a book signing. I knew she had
been in a band at one point, so I told her my
dilemma. She told me that I had already
done the hard part of singing.
“You sang for Melissa Etheridge,” she
explained, referring to when I had a private
songwriting lesson with the rock icon last
November. “Singing one on one is harder
than singing on stage, and you sang for an
icon you idolize and adore.”
You can accomplish more if you have
someone who believes in you more
than you believe in yourself.

The last time I saw Melissa Etheridge, just
for a moment after her show in San Antonio
in June, she told me she loves my latest
album, The Great Something.
She said to “Keep at it.”
I dedicated that album to her. There’s a song
on it I wrote for her.
Her encouragement helped me stay
motivated.
She once told me, “Feel the fear and do it
anyway.”
Sarah McSweeney is a singer-songwriter
who is on my first album, Blue Healer. She
was the first person I sang for.
We met and she told me she always feels
nervous before getting on stage. But she
thinks of herself as a messenger, not a
singer.
“I am a messenger,” she said. “I focus on the
song’s message.”
That insight helped me drop the idea of
being a singer and adopt the idea of being a
messenger. It helped me relax a little.
Meghan Sandau is a new friend. She has
promoted big music events. She wanted to
see me do a concert. She said she likes my
music.
Her belief in me helped make me more
secure.
That reframe made the idea of sing-
ing easier.
In fact, none of this would happen
without her.

She set up the event for my Band of Legends
to perform.
She held my hand and encouraged me.
Meghan also suggested I do an energy
clearing session with Nicole Pigeault of Los
Angeles. I love energy work and do clearings
for others, so I leaped at the chance to hire
Nicole.
Turned out to be one of the most powerful
esoteric washes ever.
The hour session helped me release fears
and settle into confidence.
But she wasn’t the only person to support
me.
Guitar Monk Mathew Dixon has been
coaching me for years now. We’ve made
numerous instrumental albums together,
such as Invoking Divinity.
He stayed in my corner, listening to me
rehearse, listening to me confide my fears,
and urging me to hang in there.
Then there’s Patrick Stark in Canada. He’s a
filmmaker making a movie about
overcoming fear..
He interviewed me for it. He plans to sing on
stage with the band U2. But it will be the
first time he’ll sing on stage EVER.
Imagine it.
The first time you sing in public anywhere is
on stage with U2 and thousands watching.
Well, if Patrick can drum up that kind of
courage, then so can I.
Right?
But Mendhi Audlin came to visit. She
teaches what if up thinking.
She wrote the book What If it All Goes
Right?
It’s called “One Life: No Regrets.”
I found preparing for the event
mainly a battle with my mind.
Most of my thinking was
negative. It was all, What if it
goes bad?

She coached me in other ways to think: what
if it is a breeze? What if I love it?
James Altucher tried stand-up-comedy. He’s
a writer. He’s doing something out of his
comfort zone.
But he’s willing to do it for the experience,
and he’s sharing his learning curve to inspire
others.
Though I haven’t met him, knowing he was
stepping out beyond his fear fortified me to
do it, too.
2. I got educated.
To prepare for my show, I attended an online
Masterclass with David Mamet, and another
with Usher.
Both were astoundingly good.
My band of legends: me, Daniel Barrett, Glenn Fugunaga, Joe
Vitale
Mamet is a Pulitzer prize-winning playwright
and screenwriter. I think he is a genius.
He said most people are too afraid to be bad
to be good.
You have to start someplace.
I reminded myself of this as I prepared for
the live event.
While I wanted to step out on stage and be
“perfect,” Mamet reminded me that I will
probably step out and be bad.
But bad is where you start. You can’t get to
It also helps to see people successful
in one field try their hand in a
completely different field.
You have to be bad first to start
being good.

great without starting at bad.
Usher said to prepare, to be confident, but
to expect something to go wrong.
He told a story of a performance where he
injured himself at the beginning of a two-
hour show and had to keep dancing and
singing despite the pain.
His insights and pointers were priceless in
helping me create a mindset for success.
And I bought a set
of audios
called The Relaxed
Musician. It’s a 14-
day course in
exploring limiting
beliefs.
It helped me
realize I had a big
belief that if I
looked bad as a
performer, it would hurt my reputation in
other areas, such as an author or speaker.
I could forget all my lyrics and totally wash
out on stage and it wouldn’t even dent my
image anywhere else. Most people forgive
and forget.
In fact, a miss on stage could give me a
terrific story about how I bombed and lived.
But I didn’t stop there.
I read a terrific
book on how to
deliver an
unforgettable live
performance. I
liked the book so
much, I read it
twice.
It was called, The
Musician’s Guide
to a Great Live
Performance.
It became my bible. I read it on planes, took
it with me on my iPad, and shared it with
singer-songwriter friends.
Author Jodi Aman helped take the mask off
of fear so I could see what it really was: an
illusion. I soaked up the wisdom in this book.
It really helped me.
I also read a 1950 book by Vernon Howard
called Word Power.
It was about how you talk to yourself, as well
as to others, effects your behavior and your
results. It’s not so much affirmations but self
-talk.
Pretending you are fearless by saying “I am a
fearless performer” is a way to begin being a
fearless performer.
Don’t expect perfection.
But like most beliefs, it didn’t hold up.
And I read a wonderful book on
overcoming fear and panic, ti-
tled You 1, Anxiety 0.

And I read a recent
book,
called Succeed.
It explained that
just visualizing
success is a plan for
failure unless you
also visualize
planning for
setbacks.
In other words, thinking the show will go
without a flaw is not realistic, as Usher
pointed out. There is no such thing as
perfection.
That was a mind-spinning insight.
I did more, too.
3. I got Nevillized.
With Meghan’s urging, I wrote out a script of
how I wanted the show to go.
I focused on my feelings, not anyone else’s,
so I could focus on what I could control.
The script was a type of Nevillizing (which I
write about in my book, The Attractor
Factor): feeling as if the
event already happened the way I
envisioned it.
I didn’t visualize the show happening, I
visualized that the
show already happened.
Big difference.
I wrote the script from the point of view of
the next day, after I performed on stage.
I read and re-read it every day for a week
before the show.
And —
4. I got relaxed.
I got massages, I got plenty of rest, I drank
lots of water, and I went into a flotation tank
at The Zero Gravity Institute for 90 minutes
the day before the show.
I was doing whatever I could to be at peak
But visualizing success and under-
standing there is work to do to get
there, can almost guarantee the re-
sult you want.

form when I stepped on stage.
I was taking care of my body and mind.
I was getting ready for my moment.
5. I got faith.
Faith doesn’t always mean something
religious.
Faith in yourself, faith in other people, faith
in my practice and prep, faith in my Band of
Legends – all of it gives a level of confidence
that allows the best to surface.
I accepted that the moment would be
perfect, even in any imperfections.
It would be “perfectly imperfect.”
I let go.
I trusted.
My Band of Legends and myself performed
on July 21st at The Townsend in Austin.
I’m the luckiest musician alive to have a
band of this caliber: Drummer Joe Vitale
(yes, same name as mine), bass man Glenn
Fukunaga and lead guitarist Daniel Barrett.
These incredible musicians encouraged me,
supported me, and brought my songs to life.
We raised the roof and tore down the walls.
We shook the earth and wowed the crowd.
Talk about overcoming fear!!!
I gave everything I had in me, delivering my
messages with energy, enthusiasm,
electricity, and a sense of fearlessness and
fun.
At the end of our set, we got a standing
ovation.
A standing ovation!
I did it.
And I loved it!
Now, what do you fear that is time for you to
do?
Isn’t today a good day to begin overcoming
fear?
Expect Miracles.
Ao Akua
Joe
And, after two months of preparing,
what happened?
As a slogan I coined says, “It is
what you accept.”

Dr. Joe Vitale is a globally famous author, musician, marketing expert, movie, tv, and radio per-
sonality, and one of the top 50 inspirational speakers in the world. His many bestselling books
include The Attractor Factor, Attract Money Now, and Zero Limits, and his latest releases are
The Miracle: Six Steps to Enlightenment, and Anything is Possible, Seven Steps For Doing The
Impossible. A popular expert on the law of attraction in many movies, including The Secret,
Joe has appeared on all the top tv networks and in The New York Times and Newsweek!
Also well-known as a healer, helping people clear their subconscious minds of limiting beliefs
that prevent them from manifesting their desires, Dr. Joe Vitale is an authentic practitioner of
modern Ho'oponopono, a certified Reiki healer, certified Chi Kung practitioner, certified clini-
cal hypnotherapist, certified NLP practitioner, ordained minister, and holds a doctorate in met-
aphysical science. Creator of the Miracles Coaching® program that helps people achieve their
dreams, this man, once homeless is today a bestselling author who believes in magic and mir-
acles and has spent the last four decades learning how to master the powers that allow us to
channel the pure creative energy of life without resistance.
www.mrfire.com

Launching or running a business is exciting.
You get to claim your independence. You can
finally make the rules. But the details can
bog you down.
When you don’t have experience, you can
get overwhelmed by questions about what
to do to ensure success or how to make
business decisions that are specific to your
industry. Mentors have been through it and
can give you their support and share their
wisdom with you.
Approximately 50 percent of small business-
es don’t last five years. However, 70 percent
of small business owners make it past that
hump when they work with advisors to build
their leadership skills as they learn and grow.
Those who want to be on the successful side
of those statistics need to make sure that
they create a solid relationship with some
type of guide or teacher who helps them
reach their full potential. Mentors need to
understand their roles so that they provide
valuable insight and create confident trail-
blazers that have the determination to run a
thriving business.
By Neil Ball

Serve as a Guide
According to the Merriam-Webster Online
Dictionary, a mentor is a “trusted counsellor
or guide.” The secondary definition is “tutor,
coach.”
Most experts agree that someone in a men-
toring position plays a different role than a
coach would. Coaches typically help busi-
nesses set and meet goals. They focus on
helping entrepreneurs, business owners and
managers come up with the most efficient
ways to achieve their objectives.
A good coach doesn’t tell someone what to
do. Instead, coaches help draw out
someone’s inherent wis-
dom through structured
tasks, exercises and ques-
tions. For this reason, a
business coach doesn’t
need experience in an
individual’s industry to help them develop
the skills that are necessary for a productive,
efficient business.
A mentor, on the other hand, usually has di-
rect experience in the same field as the
mentee. Those in mentorship positions help
entrepreneurs and business owners learn
how to work industriously, make assess-
ments and set priorities.
But their guidance doesn’t stop there. They
have been through the same challenges that
their mentees are undergoing. They can ex-
plain how they navigated certain obstacles
so that their protégés can identify their op-
tions and understand what works without
having to experiment themselves.
They are advisers. They are teachers. They
are leaders, examples and guides.
A mentor can help an individual create a
map to steer through the stumbling blocks
that come with starting, managing or run-
ning a business.
Create Structure
When someone is launching a business,
mentoring can help them create a business
plan and structure the business. A colleague
in this position can offer advice for setting up
the foundation of the company.
The relationship usually goes on for a long-
term period. Mentoring advisers continue to
work with individuals
when they have ques-
tions about the intri-
cacies of the business,
including understand-
ing the cost structure, setting up marketing
strategies, making hiring decisions and allo-
cating resources.
When difficult decisions have to be made,
people in mentorship positions can help
their mentees look at the pros and cons of
the available options. In many cases, the
mentor has been through a similar situation.
Mentoring can offer specific advice from a
personal perspective when the business
owner otherwise has access to only general
recommendations.
Give Advice and Feedback
A relationship of this kind gives individuals a
chance to get advice and feedback when
they need it. Mentees can look to their ad-
visers to provide an objective outlook.
They are advisers. They are
teachers. They are leaders,
examples and guides.

The counsellors don’t have a stake in the de-
cisions that are made. Therefore, they can
provide a devil’s advocate perspective and
debate problems without worrying about
offending anyone.
Be Accessible
A mentor doesn’t have to be instantly acces-
sible. However, advisers do need to be ap-
proachable enough that the mentee feels
comfortable looking to them for support.
During mentoring, the mentee must be
trained on the best way to contact their ad-
viser when they need assistance. They
should set up a protocol that involves under-
standing when to share important infor-
mation, how to contact the mentor and
what to expect in return.
Mentees should be instructed to reach out
to their guides before circumstances become
actual problems. When business owners and
managers turn to mentoring to evaluate po-
tential issues before they happen, they learn
how to manage their situations to ensure
success instead of simply putting out fires.
Provide Accountability
Mentoring can help someone reach their
business goals. People in this leadership po-
sition provide accountability and keep their
mentees on track.
Mentoring helps people take responsibility
for their actions. People in the leadership
role can often serve as a direct example of
what can be achieved when mentees accept
ownership for their decisions.
To create accountability, mentors must set
specific, realistic expectations. This establish-
es clear boundaries and provides direction
for the relationship, enhancing the potential
for positive results.
Help With Networking
Having an adviser gives mentees a chance to
build their networking opportunities. A col-
league on the giving end of this relationship
has been through it all before.
They’ve usually created a network for them-
selves. They can help mentees access this
network to boost their own potential. An ad-
viser is an insider who is on the outside of
the mentee’s social and professional circle.
This relationship can help someone make
contacts that they wouldn’t otherwise be ex-
posed to.
Offer Motivation and Support
Part of the mentorship role is to provide sup-
port and encouragement. These advisers
should demonstrate that they are counting
on the mentee to act a certain way.
As a role model, a counsellor is inherently
motivating. These individuals have usually
been successful doing what the mentee
strives to accomplish.
They can enhance the motivation factor by
working with the mentee to access intrinsic
motivation. When mentees consistently ac-
cess the fundamental rewards that come
from certain behaviours or a particular level
of performance, they maintain their desire
to reach their goals.
All mentoring relationships are unique. To
make the most out of this ongoing associa-

tion, the adviser must be respectful, honest
and non-judgmental. The best connections
are built on trust. Both of you should know
what you want out of the relationship and
give as much as you receive.
Neil Ball has been a serial entrepre-
neur for over 25 years with busi-
nesses in sectors such as Printing,
Consumer Electronics, Distribution,
Removals, Storage, Mail Order,
Property Investing, Publishing and
more. He has had his share of fail-
ures and successes on his entrepre-
neurial journey. The most success-
ful of his businesses sold approxi-
mately £300 million or $500 million
of products via retail, mail order
and ecommerce and was one of the
largest independent consumer elec-
tronics companies in the UK.
In recent years Neil’s passion for entrepreneurship and helping other entrepreneurs has led
him to becoming a podcaster on his daily podcast The Entrepreneur Way where he interviews
entrepreneurs and business owners on their entrepreneurial journey and their secrets of suc-
cess. He is also a business coach and helps a small number of one on one clients in his coach-
ing business..
When he isn’t working on his business or helping others your will find him spending time with
beautiful wife Lorna and his 4 adult kids.
To connect or learn more go to:
www.neilball.com Twitter: @NeilDBall Linkedin: @NeilDBall

When you look at a healthy company, one of
the first things you’ll notice is its access to
working capital. The second thing you might
notice is how the company manages that
capital. Working capital is frequently defined
as the difference between your company’s
assets and your liabilities. That means you’re
talking about money that your business has
on-hand, unpaid invoices, and any inventory
compared to your accounts payable and
money your business owes. It looks simple.
But how do each of these different elements

come together to form the basis of working
capital management?
It’s important that you have a fundamental
understanding of what makes up working
capital. Working capital management usually
has three key features. Each of these fea-
tures is equally important in determining the
financial health of your business.
1. Accounts Receivable
First, look at your accounts receivable. This is
the money due to your company. Any ser-
vices or goods you’ve already provided for
which you’re expecting payment can be con-
sidered as accounts receivable. Your ac-
counts receivable also include any overdue
invoices you’ve sent to clients or customers
that they’ve agreed to pay, but haven’t
gotten around to yet.
Most importantly, your accounts receivable
represent your incoming cash flow. Goods or
services for which you’ve already invoiced
can be collateral you can borrow money
against. Knowing that you have incoming
cash flow on the books can be a big deal
when it comes to getting your money.
2. Accounts Payable
When you have determined your accounts
receivable, you can check out your accounts
payable. Your accounts payable are any bills
(or other money) that your company has to
pay in the short term. A lot of companies
often try to delay accounts payable as long
as they can to maximize how much positive
cash flow they have available.
One way companies do this is by applying
“net” payment terms — such as net-30, net-
60, and so on. These net terms can be bene-
ficial for large businesses, but they’ve also
made a ripple effect through all kinds of in-
dustries where small and medium-sized
businesses (SMBs) are put in tough spots.
3. Assets and Inventory
You also need to make sure you keep track
of every asset belonging to your company.
Any inventory of everything your company
currently has on hand is thought of as a posi-
tive asset. This is assuming that any invento-
ry you have on hand is going to be sold and
converted into capital.
How a business manages its inventory can
indicate the overall operational efficiency of
your business. It’s important that you have
enough inventory on hand to fulfill any po-
tential orders, but not so much that you
have an inordinate amount of working capi-
tal tied up in your inventory.
How your business handles these three com-
ponents is the cornerstone of working capi-
tal management. Now that you know what
working capital management is, it’s crucial
for you to understand why it’s so important.

Working capital management is vital to the
success of your business and how your busi-
ness is viewed by others.
The ability to properly manage working capi-
tal also relates to the growth of your busi-
ness. This is in addition to
its overall operational viabil-
ity. Managing your working
capital is about more than
keeping cash on hand and
having a financially solvent
company. It’s about how
you’re using that money
and if you have the business
acumen necessary to capitalize on your as-
sets.
Reliable working capital management means
ensuring that your business maintains a pos-
itive cash flow. This cash needs to satisfy any
short-term operating on top of any other
bills.
The amount of working capital you have
compared to your existing obligations de-
fines your working capital ratio. The formula
for your working capital ratio is that you take
existing assets and divide them by your lia-
bilities.
This ratio is key to determining the financial
health of your company. A ratio of less than
1.0 may indicate that your company cannot
to meet its short term debts and might be
dealing with liquidity issues. This is also a
sign of a business experiencing cash flow
gaps.
If your working capital ratio is too high, it
could mean you don’t know how to take ad-
vantage of an opportunity. If
your working capital ratio is
higher than 2.0, it may re-
flect that you don’t know
how to make the best use of
your assets to invest back
into the business and con-
tinue to grow your company
while increasing revenue.
The “goldilocks” zone of where you want
your working capital ratio to lie tends to fall
in between 1.5 and 2.0. This tells people that
your business is financially solvent with plen-
ty of cash on hand, but is still taking proac-
tive steps as it pursues future growth.
We’ve shown how you can define working
capital management. You also need to un-
derstand why properly managing your work-
ing capital is important. What can SMBs do
to create more working capital in a world
where it seems like everyone is trying to de-
lay payments for as they can?
We already discussed it, but existing invoices

are a key component of accounts receivable.
We also mentioned how you can rely on
these invoices as a form of collateral in se-
curing additional working capital. This is
where invoice financing and invoice factor-
ing can come in handy.
While net-terms can be convenient for large
businesses looking to manage their working
capital, they can quickly become unfair to
the small and medium-sized businesses rely-
ing on these payments to keep their busi-
nesses afloat.
Invoice financing provides a much-needed
lifeline for SMBs looking to get a firm grasp
on their working capital management and
allow for the cash flow they need to keep
debt obligations paid and everything else
running smoothly.
Alternative lending is gaining traction among
small businesses thanks to its more relaxed
qualifications, convenience, and fast access
to a capital. When SMBs can have up to
100% of their outstanding invoices advanced
to them in as little as 24 hours, it’s not hard
to see why. As long as a business has docu-
mented, outstanding invoices, it can reach
out through online invoice financing to se-
cure the working capital it needs to continue
to operate at a high standard.
It’s hard to talk about working capital man-
agement without having the cash flow to
manage in the first place. Thanks to alterna-
tive lending services like online invoice fi-
nancing, businesses are no longer held hos-
tage by one-side net payment terms that on-
ly serve to benefit large companies.
Through access to more working capital on a
faster timeline thanks to invoice financing
and invoice factoring, SMBs are able to pro-
actively manage this capital to further grow
their business. Rather than wait for months
on end to be paid for services rendered or
goods you’ve already produced, a business
can receive the money its owed on time and
focus on running their business, rather than
tracking down customers for payment.
Steven Uster is the Co-Founder & CEO of FundThrough, an invoice funding service that helps business owners
eliminate "the wait" associated with payment terms by giving them the power and flexibility to get their in-
voices paid when they want, with one click, and in as little as 24 hours.
Prior to FundThrough, Steven was an investment banker in New York at UBS and
Centerview Partners. Steven has an MBA from The Wharton School and a Bachelor
of Commerce with Honours from McGill University, where he was a Loran Scholar.
Instagram: @FundThrough_
Twitter: @FundThrough
Facebook: @fundthrough

For the past 20 years, we’ve worked with a
wide range of companies and organizations
all over the world, including a number of
Fortune 20 companies. We’ve noticed a
growing sense of dissatisfaction, and the de-
sire of both leaders and employees at all lev-
els to find greater meaning and impact in
their work. As we begin 2019, this wide-
spread hunger for a new sense of fulfillment
in our work and the need for transformation
to meet the challenges that constant change
bring is more prevalent than ever. With this
in mind, we offer a step-by-step path to fill-
ing this void with a new sense of shared pur-
pose and value.
The purpose of transformation
Old into new: In 2019, we need to transition
more than ever from the Old Story of Profit
First to the New Story of Purpose, which is
made possible by a three-part path, which
we call Working The Future! Today:
1. Purpose: Why?—your destiny.
2. Place: Who?—your destination.
3. Practice: How?—your journey.
To pull all this together with a clear view of
the path forward, we explore foundational
thoughts on perennially popular corporate
topics: collaboration, innovation, and trans-
formation—all of which are about creating a
better today and tomorrow.
The Old Story of Profit First is dying, and
there is nothing to replace it. What we des-
Why Your Brand Must Transform to Stay
Relevant—And How To Do It
————————————————————————————————— BY WHITNEY VOSBURGH ————————————————————————————————
Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from “WORK THE FUTURE! TODAY 2019 POCKET
PAL: A faster path to purpose, passion and profit,” available on Amazon.

perately need and yearn for is a New Story
of Purpose First. The old triple bottom line of
profit, people, planet—in that order—has
taken many of us far, but no longer. We need
a new triple bottom line of planet, people,
profit. Why? With no planet and no people,
there can be no profit. Companies must be-
come prophets of the new, so they can con-
tinue to earn new profits. In order for com-
panies to accumulate wealth, they must not
only share the wealth but also ultimately
recognize the role of all parties in the co-
creation of that wealth—commonwealth.
Transformation nation: Sadly, so many peo-
ple have neither meaningful work nor life,
which is made dramatically evident by the
rapid rise in our suicide rates, opioid addic-
tions, debilitating stress levels, and lack of
civic engagement across almost all de-
mographics—the United States of Aliena-
tion.
Collaboration into sharing: People do not
truly collaborate unless they know their best
interests have been fully embraced. That is
called shared purpose. Innovation does not
happen in a vacuum—it is part of an inter-
connected chain of simultaneous events,
factors, and influences such as shared pur-
pose, vision, and leadership, as well as inspi-
ration, imagination, and invention; all of that
leads to shared value creation.
What combines shared purpose and co-
creation of a future desired state is commu-
nity, and from both the corporate and stake-
holder points of view the ultimate fruit of
these unions is called commonwealth,
wealth for all, not just for the one percent.
Within the corporation, that commonwealth
is called culture—all that you do and don’t
do relative to others in the minds, hearts,
and wallets of your brand community of
stakeholders and the places you do business.
The purpose-profit connection: In the New
Story, which is the future of work, there is a
direct connection between purpose and
profit. All healthy businesses are founded
with a core purpose and values, as well as a
vision, mission, and value proposition. Pur-
pose has to come before profit, not only at
the inception of a business, but all through
the business lifecycle. Increasingly, the more
stakeholders have an ever-renewing brand, a
new sense of positive purpose and value,
the more profitable and sustainable a busi-
ness will be. Customer experience and con-
tent are made from these threads.
Transformation is not a standalone concept.
It is like a valued brand: an active, shared,

positive, and aligned purposeful culture,
which is built on a foundation of strong,
emotional, transformative experiences such
as a sustaining story of origin—why we exist
and whom we serve—to serve as a collective
and sustaining north star. A healthy, vibrant
sustainable culture has three legs:
Each leg is supported by its brand communi-
ty of stakeholders. The stronger the commu-
nity, the stronger and smoother support for
the three legs of the culture. Incremental in-
novation is possible without a purposeful
culture. However, continual transformation
is only possible in a purposeful culture, and
without continual transformation, business-
es and organizations will not be sustainable.
They will be tomorrow’s corporate road kill,
squashed by relentless competition, change,
and transformation.
The power of transformation
Work The Future, Today: Collaboration, in-
novation, transformation: There are two
basic processes that bring the future to you
and your organization: innovation and trans-
formation. Too much has been written about
innovation and too precious little on trans-
formation. And neither is truly possible with-
out collaboration, which is the social glue
holding and bonding them together.
Collaboration, at a conceptual level, in-
volves:
Awareness: We become part of a working
entity with a shared purpose.
Motivation: We drive to gain consensus in
problem-solving or development.
Self-synchronization: We decide as individu-
als when things need to happen.
Participation: We participate in collabora-
tion and we expect others to participate.
Mediation: We negotiate, collaborate, and
find a middle point.
Reciprocity: We share and we expect sharing
in return through reciprocity.
Reflection: We think and consider alterna-
tives.
Engagement: We proactively engage rather
than wait and see.
Innovation is the harnessing of creative
thought and action to a useful end for a
short-term goal, which is meant to—at
best—keep you where you are today, instead
of slipping back.
Transformation is:
Future value creation for a shared long-term
goal.
A shared act of imagination translated into a
treasured future.
The art of scientifically bringing creativity
continuously to life.
Applied creativity that makes a long-term
difference.

Irreversible, substantive, creates new identi-
ty, and contains a shift in
purpose.
A shared activity where peo-
ple come together to co-
create the future today and
create something of lasting
and sustaining value.
Creating your brand new
story: It might be said that
true and sustainable trans-
formation is about creating
an ever-renewing story encapsulated in a liv-
ing, breathing brand and culture that is kept
together by shared purpose and value. The
three ingredients of a sustainable culture—
sustained by shared purpose—in the new
world of work are:
1. Brand Purpose (WHY: promise, passion,
and perception)
2. Brand Participation (WHO + HOW: part-
nership, participation, and process)
3. Brand Performance (WHAT + WHEN +
WHERE: planet, people, and profits)
What’s your New Story? Purpose, leader-
ship, and place let you pull the future to-
ward you. You surround it, you dance with it,
and you make it real and share it with oth-
ers.
The outlines of the New Story narrative are
emerging from the fog of the past. It’s more
about harmony instead of control; it’s more
feminine than masculine; it’s
more about stewardship than
exploitation; it’s more about
co-creation than about
what’s already built. And it’s
more about living in the pre-
sent with an eye to the future
than not being present and
looking toward the past.
We conclude with a playbook
to get you started on your
pathway to purpose, possibility, and plenty.
The path to sustainable profits and overall
sustainability is through shared, aligned pos-
itive purpose.
The path of transformation
“The cave you fear to enter holds
the treasure that you seek.” — Jo-
seph Campbell
Finding your true north: The way to make
your way along the path of emotional trans-
formation toward purpose parallels the clas-
sic story of the hero’s journey. It is a path of
what Carl Jung called individualization or be-
coming oneself. Or, in an organizational
setting, finding your purpose—your true
north. The process by which this occurs is

called differentiation and has as a goal of the
development of the individual or organiza-
tional personality, the discovery, and ac-
ceptance of one’s true purpose. The path is
often summarized as having seven distinct,
but overlapping, stages.
The brand new path to purpose: Now, we
are at a point in our journey where we need
to look at just how we’re supposed to be
able to make this transition to purposeful
and sustainable transformation. Use this sev-
en-step path to guide you and your organiza-
tion through this transition.
Below you’ll find the steps in the order you’ll
take them. For each step, you’ll see the
name of the state associated with that step,
the quality you should be experiencing dur-
ing that particular stage of transition, and
the activity you’ll associate with that step.
7 Steps: The purpose path
Step 1. Initiation: Recognizing the Real
World
Socialization: Looking from outside to inside.
Brand focus: Your focus is on your brand.
Brand development (activity): Awareness
that something is missing and time is pass-
ing. You move to get something you need.
You begin seeking answers to nagging ques-

tions, such as “What is our core purpose?”
Step 2. Involvement: Call to Adventure
Brand action: Struggle: Looking from inside
to outside.
Brand focus: Your focus is your brand in the
marketplace.
Brand development (activity): Looking at
parts of ourselves we don’t want to look at.
Introspection: “Is it us or has the world
changed without us?”
Step 3. Inquiry: Meeting the Mentor
Brand action: Service: Moving from inside to
outside.
Brand focus: Your focus is on your brand
community.
Brand development (activity): Sharing what
we know in order to build future capability
with our stakeholders and the communities
where we do business. Sharing provides a
bridge from what was to the New Story.
Step 4. Improvement: Crossing the Thresh-
old
Brand action: Showtime: Going from old
playbook to new.
Brand focus: Your focus is on brand activa-
tion.
Brand development (activity): Creativity is
expressed through innovative culture. You
experience the “flow” state and begin to act
in brand new ways, building off the old into
long-term sustainability.
Step 5. Inspiration: Road of Trials
Brand action: Sensing: Opening up to co-
creation.
Brand focus: Your focus is on collaboration
with your brand community.
Brand development (activity): Actively co-
creating brand value and perception. Firmly
committed to a pathway of purposeful
change.
Step 6. Innovation: Seizing the Prize
Brand action: Stewardship: Walking your
talk.
Brand focus: Your focus is on brand leader-
ship.
Brand development (activity): Realizing and
acting upon new marketplace demands such
as authenticity, transparency, responsibility,
and engagement.
Step 7. Iteration: Return with the Treasure
Brand action: Simplification: Knowing shift
happens.
Brand focus: Your focus is on your brand fu-
ture.
Brand development (activity): Oh, shift! De-
veloping a firm grasp of the obvious: Pur-
pose = profits. Change, complexity, and com-
petition are relentless and ruthless.

Call to Action for a Brand New
World
Humans change at the speed of snails, but
everything around us changes quickly and all
the time, with ever greater velocity, impact,
and complexity. We all need a flexible new
framework. We call this contextual re-
imagination. If you want to grow or keep
growing your brand, you need to keep it new
and stay focused on your shared purpose
and value, while embracing change and pos-
sibility, and driven by continuous renewal
through collaboration, innovation, and trans-
formation.
WHITNEY VOSBURGH is co-author of the two WORK
THE FUTURE! TODAY books, and co-founder of the
company of the same name, which is a social venture
offering vision, leadership and solutions for maximiz-
ing personal, organizational, and societal potential. He
is also co-founder of Brand New Purpose LLC, a brand
transformation consultancy that creates purpose-
built, value-driven opportunities for leaders and or-
ganizations of all sizes. As an interim Fortune 20 Chief
Marketing Officer, Whitney has guided over $20 billion in value creation. His expertise has
been featured in four books on the Future of Work, including a bestseller by Dan Pink. Whit-
ney’s work is featured in numerous media outlets including ABC, BBC, Conscious Company,
Newsweek, Time, US News & World Report, Venture, and The Wall Street Journal. As an au-
thor, speaker and workshop leader, Whitney always asks, “Why?” — and then creates actiona-
ble clarity by turning complexity into simplicity. His purpose is to elevate people, organiza-
tions, and communities to a brand new sense of purpose, possibility, and plenty. Whitney fo-
cuses on inspiring and leading short-term innovations and long-term transformations, so we
can share our gifts and passions with the world to make a lasting difference. Whitney graduat-
ed with a M.A. in Religious Leadership for Social Change from the Graduate Theological Union
in Berkeley, and with a B.F.A. in Communication Design from Parsons School of Design in New
York. He has a world of experience — having lived, studied, and worked all over Europe, Asia,
and America — and brings this all together both in his work, writing, speaking and art.
www.workthefuture.today LinkedIn: @WhitneyVosburghTwitter: brandguru

I don’t believe leaders are born; I be-
lieve that they are self-made. Sure, there are
times when, by sheer seniority, somebody
gets bumped up into a position where they
might suddenly be running the shop, have a
bunch of employees under them; ‘leading’ in
a manner of speaking. But one must grow in-
to being a leader, and to do this, one must
climb the rungs of an imaginary ladder, learn-
ing, losing their footing even well before one
gets to leadership nirvana if they ever get
there at all.
Some people don’t ascend to the meta-
phorical leader penthouse, while others are
quite content on reaching and staying at a
specific rung. Only you know the kind leader
you will turn out to be. But to be a person
who influences others in the most positive of
ways, and uses the full force of his or her
awareness and abilities, you need to climb all
the way up these levels, not skipping
any steps along the way.
Boss
As I just mentioned, a man or wom-
an can, and often do, become boss,
only by being promoted. But if you have
even a smidgen of awareness, you will quick-
ly realize how little real power and influence
you have, even though you are the boss. At
this level, I dare say you’ll have to work to
gain the trust and respect of people, earn the
‘right to lead,’ whether you are a principal of
a school, or just promoted to head dentist.
Teetering on this first rung, one relies
on rules, regulations, politics, and organiza-
tional charts to control people; don’t get a big
head here, you are not much more than a glo-
rified manager. Sure, this is the first step, but
being a boss doesn’t mean you are a leader.
4 Steps To Leadership Nirvana
Step
1
BY DR. STEVEN HYMOVITCH

Friend
This next-level up the leader-
ship food chain is the first step to
real leadership, although lots of people view
this as a step back and avoid it, much to their
detriment. Employees give their leader per-
mission, allowance, a welcome to lead them,
only if a leader has earned their respect, car-
ing, and nurtured friendships. Although plen-
ty of bosses, leaders think that cultivating
fear or creating an antagonist relationship
with their people is what pushes them to suc-
cess, you’ll attract more bees (and buzzing
happy bees) with honey; friendship being the
sweetest honey of all.
When a leader is a friend to his staff,
workers, students even, he finds people fol-
lowing him or her because of affection and
respect as opposed to them kowtowing for
fear of losing their jobs or favor. The leader
working at this level isn’t protecting their po-
sition; he or she is getting to know their peo-
ple and figuring out how to get along with
them. Showing someone mutual respect and
caring feeds the need we all have, boss and
employee both, for connection.
Delivery man or woman
What a leader makes happen, the
results from his or her actions, the
implementation of a plan or vision, are sure
to leave a profound impact on a team. This is
the shut-up or put-up level; a leader can’t
fake their results as a delivery man or wom-
an.
The staff I hired as I grew my practice
saw that I was on an upwardly- mobile tra-
jectory. Sure, I was often knuckled under by
enormous stress, but I like to think my drive
was infectious, that the people who worked
for me wanted to be part of the growth of
what came to be ten dental offices. My peo-
ple looked to me as the answer-man, the
leader, because they saw how serious I was
in making things brighter, better, and bigger.
Even if a leader shoots and misses at this
stage, the team will be much more forgiving
Step
2
Step
3

because, at least, they saw that the leader was
trying; putting an effort out there to make
things better for everyone.
Mentor
Quaker leader C.W. Perry said:
“Leadership is accepting people where they
are then taking them somewhere.”
I enjoy watching people grow, devel-
op their skills, cultivate their talents. I want
to see people excel, become the best worker
they can be, even become leaders themselves
(on a selfish level, the more folks you culti-
vate into leaders, the more pressure you can
take off your shoulders.) I won’t say getting
to this level is easy. I had to take myself from
working in my business and work more on it,
which included, tweaking and cultivating my
people. But when a leader gets to the last
step, mentoring, typically he or she is less
concerned with production output and deliv-
ery and more their people’s productivity.
Stepping up the ladder of these four
steps, from Boss, Friend, Delivery Man/
Woman and Mentor and retaining the best of
what you learn along the way brings one to
the penthouse suite of leadership. This is
what we saw with Steve Jobs, Martin Luther
King; Gandhi. These leaders stood heads and
shoulders above so many others and were
able to bring all that they learned through the
four steps transcending their workplace, their
class, even their political and cultural struc-
ture—what was expected from them for mere
productivity—making everyone they came in
contact with that much better. The leaders
who make it to this stage can change the cul-
ture, influence technology for the betterment
of us all, lead revolutions, become historical
figures as much as envied CEO’s.
I ran through levels one and four with
a few paragraphs for each, but it takes years
to exercise your muscles for this climb, to
not get knocked back a few rungs on occa-
sion, to maintain a level long enough to
make the necessary strides needed to jump to
the next.
Step
4

Dr. Steven Hymovitch, also known as “Dr. H”, is the proud co-founder of The
Scottsdale Leadership and Coaching Center. He is a Certified Executive Coach
from Royal Roads University and a Level 1 and Level 2 TalentSmart Emotional
Intelligence certified trainer and currently coaches’ executives, upper manage-
ment, and doctors within the healthcare industry as well as faculty groups
within dental colleges. In his words, “I coach as it really gives me the satisfac-
tion of knowing that I can unleash the inner potential of driven and motivated
professionals and entrepreneurs.” The focus of Dr. H’s coaching and speaking topics is leadership in the
healthcare world.
Additionally, as a professionally trained endodontist (Root Canal Specialist), Dr. H is the founder and CEO of
Valley Endodontics and Oral Surgery. He continues to run 10 successful endodontic and oral surgery prac-
tices throughout Arizona since 1996. Valley Endodontics and Oral Surgery is the largest Endodontic/Oral
Surgery practice in the Southwestern United States.
Dr. H was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. He received his DDS degree from McGill University, his En-
dodontic Certification from Tufts University in Boston, and an MBA from Arizona State University. Dr. H
served as an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces for 15 years and was meritoriously awarded the Canadi-
an Forces Decoration (CD) medal in 1993 after attaining the rank of Captain.
Dr. H sponsoring the 2019 Summer Health Institute at ASU’s College of Health Solutions. The summer be-
fore their senior year of high school, participants stay for a week on the ASU Downtown Phoenix Campus,
where they enjoy an immersive college experience while learning about various health career options.
Now approaching its sixth year, the Summer Health Institute has demonstrated its ability to inspire promis-
ing, college-bound high school seniors from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds to pursue careers in
health and health care. His sponsorship provides 24 students the opportunity to participate in this one-of-a
-kind learning opportunity, regardless of their financial situation.
Dr. H is married to Julie, and is the proud father of three girls and two boys. In his personal time, Dr. H is
very involved with his two sons travel hockey team. His oldest son David was the first American forward
drafted in the WHL Bantam Draft in 2018 by the Calgary Hitmen, and was drafted in the USHL 2019 draft by
the Sioux City Musketeers.
Business Website: Scottsdale Leadership and Coaching Center www.scottsdalecenterofleadership.com
Dr. Steven Hymovitch on Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/steve-hymovitch-dds-mba-cec-786399a

Take a look around your
office (or for the start-up/gig
economy, the coffee shop).
It’s a melting pot of genera-
tions -- from Baby Boomers,
age 54-72 to the first Gen
Z’ers who just graduated
college), and everyone in
between (Millennials and
Gen X).
Forget trying to figure out
the office thermostat -- we
need to figure out how to
get people in a 50-year age
span to connect.
First and foremost, stop
compartmentalizing each
audience. Believe it or not,
many of these generations’
needs and preferences do
overlap. Some Baby Boom-
ers love Twitter. Some Mil-
lennials will put their phones
down.
Regardless of what phase of
entrepreneurship you are in,
it's critical for all of us to
learn how to connect across
generations. It's what fuels
innovation and drives busi-
ness. Here is how we -- and
our clients -- successfully ap-
proach that multi-
generational intersection.
MINDFUL MEETINGS
Healthy team members are
happy team members no
matter what age they are.
Today, wellness is expected,
and it’s changing business
dynamics. One tip: Find new
ways to weave physical and
mental fitness into your em-
ployee’s day or at your busi-
ness events. One thing
these generations have in
BY CHRISTINE ERICKSON

common: most prefer to
stay active, eat well, and feel
rested.
FYI, fitness doesn’t mean a
long, grueling marathon or
cross-training session.
Touchpoints for mental and
physical wellness can be
everywhere -- inspirational
speakers to get the brain
moving differently or even
offering diet-
accommodating menus and
snacks.
Morning yoga not for you?
No problem. What about
providing mental motiva-
tion? Gamification challeng-
es that feed problem-solving
skills are multi-generation
friendly.
Don’t forget those “no-tech”
spaces and activities where
everyone puts away their
phones and instead inter-
acts face-to-face, or simply…
remains still.
We sometimes forget that
everyone processes infor-
mation differently. Some
need more time than oth-
ers. When you ‘gift’ decom-
pression time, people get
inspired and recharge and
you will see successful re-
sults.
BRIDGE THE COLLABORA-
TION GAP
Across all generations, we’re
still learning how to best uti-
lize face-to-face connections
and technology. In fact, I’m
not sure anyone has mas-
tered this yet. Finding that
perfect balance of technolo-
gy and personal interaction
is… well, hard.
Companies and entrepre-
neurs coming close to the
perfect digital/face-to-face
time balance incorporate
the existing, most-used tech
teams want and need. Peo-
ple are engaged when col-
laboration is simple – so use
intuitive options that are
easy to implement and are
user-friendly.
To take it one step further,
consider cloud-based solu-
tions that unify these tools
and applications. Then in-
corporate collaboration ses-
sions so all generations can
quickly and easily contribute
-- while transferring
knowledge in real-time.
Some examples here include
using collaborative white-
boards, employee engage-
ment apps, and social media
walls.
We sometimes forget that
the goal of technology is to
keep everyone engaged, not
distracted. So, in the end,
just keep it simple.
OPEN NETWORK(ING)
Professional networking and
accessibility to all team
members (company found-
“Engage your team
on a personal and
professional level
by opening up net-
working events.”

ers and below) is key to any
successful business. Your
team wants to grow their
network and enhance their
skills so they can keep
reaching towards their ulti-
mate career goals.
Engage your team on a per-
sonal and professional level
by opening up networking
events. We live in an age
when information and
knowledge are at everyone’s
fingertips. Because of that,
work hierarchies can disen-
gage and deter ‘lower level’
employees from engaging
with the ‘top brass’.
Networking IS a motivator.
People like hearing others’
career stories and meeting
and connecting with other
professionals. Some exam-
ples to open networking --
a) giving audiences the
opportunity to interact
with a keynote speaker
or leader following a
presentation.
b) Creation of small-
session presentations
and breakouts and...
c) Create ‘wow’ content
and experiences to get
people talking, con-
necting and get in-
spired.
MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT
From environmental sustain-
ability to human rights –
every generation wants to
contribute to the world
around them. They want to
share their resources
(knowledge, experience,
ideas, and passions) in mov-
ing their ideals forward. So-
cial responsibility is a key
component of this belief.
People want mind-share and
heart-share.
Start by clearly defining your
business’s goals for positive
impact – what are the val-
ues, principles, and ethics
you want to highlight? Then,
survey your team. Learn
what they want. Then curate
your community give-back
accordingly.
Next, look at your providers.
Are you working with suppli-
ers who prioritize fair wages
and safe environments? Are
you sourcing meeting prop-
erties that are working to
reduce their carbon foot-
print? What are your own
office’s alternatives to plas-
tics? Whatever your busi-
ness’ impact, own it. Ensure
your team is well aware of
the contributions and
strides they too are contrib-
uting to by simply partici-
pating in your program or
event.
PRIORITIZE SELF-
ACTUALIZATION
Members of all generations
have the desire and capacity
to grow as individuals.
Everyday business meetings
and events are uniquely po-
“Members of all
generations have
the desire and
capacity to grow as
individuals.”

sitioned to fulfill those
needs. These opportunities
provide people with learn-
ing and discovery, a change
of perspective, and building
a strong sense of team com-
munity.
The pièce de résistance
when it comes to self-
actualization opportunities
for your team is to provide
transformational experienc-
es -- authentic experiences
that incorporate resonating
content. FYI, this isn’t free
and does take some coordi-
nating -- but you get the
highest value from them.
Shift your resources to help
your team members focus
on new feelings of euphoria,
joy, and wonder surround-
ing their job. If your surprise
and delights tend to be
goods or ‘swag’, make them
more meaningful. Or, rather
than a physical takeaway,
consider creating an a-ha
moment that supports the
realization or fulfillment of
one's talents and potentiali-
ties.
The goal of self-actualization
moments in the workspace
should not be to entertain
but to make a lasting im-
pression.
INVOLVE EVERYONE
No matter how you look at
it, age is simply a number.
Everyone wants to be invit-
ed to the conversation. Eve-
ryone wants to be inspired
and make positive change.
Ultimately, employees want

to be part of an environ-
ment that genuinely con-
nects them to other people,
the community, and the
world.
Invite all generations to par-
ticipate in your research,
surveys and organization’s
board meetings and events.
Ask them to idea-share or
crowd-source, so their top-
ics get heard.
There is never a one-size-fits
-all approach to designing
the perfect team member
experience. But, we are
closer to finding impactful
solutions when aim for the
middle of the Venn (or in
this case, Gen[eration]) dia-
gram. Identifying the center
of your workforce genera-
tional diagram is key to un-
derstanding how everyone
can relate and succeed to-
gether.
In an industry dominated by forward-thinking women,
Christine Erickson stands out with her phenomenal lead-
ership skills and proven ability to pilot a creative brand.
As Senior Vice President, U.S. Event Solutions at BCD
Meetings & Events, she heads a team of 75 event special-
ists with expertise in planning, procurement, creative de-
sign, business development and operations – all serving
customers globally. Annually, her team produces 300+
events across the globe, stemming from the U.S. market,
with a portfolio of incentive programs, product launches,
national and global sales meetings as well as high profile
marquee events conducted by organizations.
Erickson’s passion to help clients improve their businesses through creative and innovative
events has been honed over 27 years in the hospitality, travel and performance improve-
ment industries. Her diverse background lends itself to progressing within the fast-evolving
meetings and events industry. She began her career in planning operations, traveling the
globe 260 days a year as a senior trip director executing programs. Moving into business
development and sales, she worked closely with Fortune 100 customers in multiple verti-
cals, understanding what is necessary for a business to be successful and how those needs
can be supported with various expertise and services.
In 2019, she was recognized by the Meeting Magazine in their "Top Influential Women in
the Meetings Industry".
BCD Meetings & Events: www.bcdme.com Facebook Page: @bcdmeetingsandevents
Twitter: @bcdme LinkedIn Page: @bcdme

Contrary to the narrative
promulgated by social that
millennials don’t save, stud-
ies show that they are cash-
savvy – and they’re saving
more and buying less than
previous generations. In
fact, this group represents
the bulk of adherents of the
FIRE (Financial Independ-
ence, Retire Early) move-
ment, wherein people try to
save at least half their in-
come to achieve financial
freedom, and in some cases,
early retirement.
According to Liz Thames, au-
thor of “Meet the Frugal-
woods: Achieving Financial
Independence Through Sim-
ple Living” and a prominent
advocate of the FIRE move-
ment, the concept hinges on
By Ryan Boykin

three main elements:
• Expenses
• Income
• Time
The piece that
might be miss-
ing from this pic-
ture is Investing.
To build a solid
financial founda-
tion for all of your financial
goals, such as retiring at a
relatively young age, living
comfortably, providing for
yourself or your family and
not being married to your
job, you should understand
that investing your savings is
just as important as the ac-
tion of saving.
One of the best ways to
build steady wealth is to in-
vest in real estate, and you
don’t have to be inherently
wealthy or hold an MBA to
get started. Through con-
servative spending, smart
investment and prudent sav-
ing, millennials can use real
estate as a pathway to finan-
cial independence. Below
are four ways to use real es-
tate to start growing your
future nest egg:
Be A Borrower
You don’t have to put a 20
percent down payment on a
home to get into the game.
Government loans exist for
the very purpose of helping
first-time buyers become
homeowners. In fact, you
can often buy a house with
just a three percent down
payment. So, if you’ve fallen
in love with a house, town-
home or condo and you
have reason to be confident
of the neighborhood’s fu-
ture, don’t let a smaller-
than-ideal cash savings keep
you away from buying.
Live For Free By Taking In
Tenants
To help ensure your monthly
income exceeds your total
monthly expenses, consider
doing what many early in-
vestors do after college
graduation: buy a home and
rent out a few of the bed-
rooms. Your rental income
could cover most, if not all,
of the cost of your monthly
mortgage, meaning you can
essentially live rent-free in
your own home.
Again, as long as you’ve
done your homework on lo-
cation and you’re reasona-
bly sure of your ability to
find renters, this is an excel-
lent option. Not
only will you
eliminate one of
your largest
monthly ex-
penses by
getting other
people to pay
for it, but you’ll also build
equity in the process.
Invest In A Rental Property
Perhaps you’re already a
homeowner. You’re not
looking to move and maybe
that savings nest egg of
yours is a little bigger. This is
an ideal time to begin in-
vesting in a rental property
in order to increase the sec-
ond of those three FIRE ele-
ments: income.
Millennials in this financial
situation should look into
purchasing a townhouse,
single family home, duplex
or fourplex (a building divid-
ed into four apartments). By
renting out each of the
units, you’ll again be cover-
ing your mortgage plus
building equity in the prop-
erty.
However, because you’re
now renting out entire units
rather than just rooms, your
“just by collecting more in rent than your
monthly mortgage payment. Rental properties
provide steady passive income each month.”

asking price can be a good deal higher. If the
location is right, you could be making money
each month – just by collecting more in rent
than your monthly mortgage payment. Rent-
al properties provide steady passive income
each month.
Partner Up
Maybe you’re focused on that third element
of the FIRE movement – time – because
even a three percent down payment for a
piece of property wouldn’t be fiscally re-
sponsible. To decrease the number of years
it will take to realize a consistently higher in-
come than expense, you could share a real
estate purchase with a financially like-
minded partner(s).
By partnering, you will reap all of the bene-
fits of your combined down payment sav-
ings. This can lead to fewer upfront fees and
no private mortgage insurance (PMI). It also
means you can divide landlord responsibili-
ties once you start renting, while still gaining
the benefits of a paid mortgage every
month, a property that’s in your name build-
ing equity and, of course, additional monthly
income.
Good Ethics Lead to Good Results
While these four methods can help you
achieve your financial goals through real es-
tate investment and ultimately give you the
freedom to retire early or pursue other in-
terests, I learned many years ago that the
way in which you do business is as important
as the results you achieve.
I reached a turning point in busi-
ness when a mentor, the found-
er and CEO of WhiteWave
Foods, shared his life and com-
pany core values with me: good
for me, good for you, good for
everything. I embraced those
values for myself and my com-
pany and quickly realized that if
I am not doing something that
fits those parameters, then I and
my team members should not
be doing it at all.
This ethos has become the guiding light I
have applied to all of my work, relationships
and activities in the world. It has been deep-
ly gratifying to see these values take hold in
my business and personal life and to know
that I am doing much more than transacting
a deal when helping Millennials with wealth-
enhancing real estate investments. I’ve been
mentored well and now it’s my turn to share
some wisdom: As you work toward achiev-
ing financial freedom, always seek positive
results for everyone and everything. Good
ethics lead to good results.

Ryan Boykin has over 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur.
His first endeavor in 2004 was Scout Cleaning & Maintenance, an
environmentally conscious cleaning service, and the next year, he
co-founded U.S. Capital, a private equity holding company that
sold to Northport Investments in 2008. This sale opened the door
for the co-founding of DP Assets, LLC, a real estate asset holding
company for institutional investment, which would eventually pur-
chase the investment firm, Atlas Real Estate Group, in 2013. Ryan
is also co-founder of a wellness-based social club, Archipelago, and
a marketplace technology, venUse.
Today, Atlas Real Estate Group has several divisions: investment,
which helps people achieve their personal path to financial inde-
pendence; property management, including residential and com-
mercial properties; a full-service buy/sell brokerage; and in the Denver area, Atlas represents Zillow Offers in
all its transactions.
Ryan is an expert in real estate investment, having purchased over 4,000 units of investment real estate in
the last 10 years. Ryan is also a regular contributor of articles and commentary about the real estate market
and has commented or been featured in Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, US News and World Report,
RealtyTimes.com, The Denver Post, Colorado Real Estate Journal, Investopedia, and other local and national
publications.
Ryan was a Denver Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree in 2017 and is a graduate of the University of Den-
ver. He’s generously contributed to the Denver community for many years, having served on non-profit
boards focused on education and the environment.
Atlas Real Estate Group was honored with the Top Company Award in Real Estate by ColoradoBiz Magazine in
2018, the Best of Colorado Business Choice Award for Best Property Management for three consecutive
years, 2017, 2018 and 2019, and Best Places to Work, 1st place, medium size company, by Denver Business
Journal in 2019.
The Group’s internal real estate holdings are over $50 million, having bought and sold more than 4,000 prop-
erties on behalf of individuals and institutional investors totaling over $750 million worth of transactions. The
group manages over 2,800 units of residential investment real estate for its clients.
Business Website: www.realatlas.com Twitter: @AtlasRealEstate
LinkedIn Page: @atlas-real-estate-group Instagram: @atlasrealestategroup

A “people pleaser” is one of
the nicest and most helpful
individuals you can meet.
They never say “no”, can al-
ways be counted on for a
quick favor and get the
job done.
Being a people pleaser
doesn’t sound half bad
right?
Yet, the truth is that it
can be an extremely un-
healthy pattern of be-
havior and one that
runs deep into our sub-
conscious. By constantly
looking for affirmation for
others, you aren’t always
doing what is best for you.
People pleasers come in all
shapes and sizes. They can
be highly impressionable,
have an intense need to not
be wrong, emotionally im-
mature with low self-esteem
and oftentimes addicted to
approval. It causes us to ac-
cept things in our lives that
are completely out of bal-
ance, including attracting
the wrong types of people
and staying in bad relation-
ships -- both personal or
professional – way too long.
While almost everyone ex-
hibits people-pleasing traits
to a degree, there are some
where these types of behav-
iors are taken to a toxic level
– and that is where things
can go awry.
Here are 15 signs you
are a toxic people pleas-
er – and what you can
do about it.
15. You are impressiona-
ble.
How impressionable are
you? Do you think for
yourself, or do you al-
ways ask the opinions of
others? Do you believe eve-
rything that is told to you, or
do you investigate the truth
for yourself, and then make
an educated decision?
People-pleasers have a ten-
Image from clipartimage.com

dency to be very impres-
sionable, because they real-
ly don't trust themselves.
And with so many people on
social media, we see this
even more. People compare
themselves to others, think
they are less than others
and then start questioning
themselves. There's some-
thing wrong with me, they
think.
14. You isolate yourself.
One of the things that peo-
ple-pleasers do is that they
have this intense need not
to be wrong. They will avoid
an argument at all costs. So,
they will isolate and move
away from confrontation.
Self-isolation is also a way of
self-protection, and saying,
“Don't see me. I really don't
want anybody to observe
my flaws.”
13. You are immature.
When we're talking about
people pleasers, these peo-
ple often get stuck in the
emotional intelligence of a
child, meaning they seek out
the appreciation, attention,
and the protection of other
people.
12. You are excessively al-
truistic or philanthropic.
You are constantly giving
away things in order to buy
a person's love or respect.
And no, I am not talking
about birthday gifts, Christ-
mas presents or a token of
appreciation to your em-
ployer. Rather, I am talking
about consistently giving in
order to get appreciation
and attention back.
11. You are addicted to ap-
proval.
This is when you will do any-
thing, including compromis-
ing your own beliefs, morals
or values, for the sake of ap-
proval. I think what makes
this toxic is when we're not
getting that approval from
other individuals, it's painful
-- it physically, emotionally
and mentally hurts. You go
into self-blame mode: What
did I do? Why was I wrong?
Does this person not like
me? And then it turns into a
kind of obsessive behavior:
How am I going to win back
the approval of this person?
10. You have low self-
esteem.
Low self-esteem, or low self-
worth, is when we have a
very stunted image of our-
selves. I understand that
there are situations in our
lives we can’t control -- ter-
rible upbringing, unhealthy
relationships, to name a few
-- that can impact our confi-
dence. But I believe the root
of this really comes from
fear. It comes from adopt-
ing, adapting and protect-
ing yourself within a dys-
functional unit where a per-
son will not let you express
your own individuality. For
instance, If you're a gregari-
ous person, but you're fami-
ly consistently shames you

for being "too much,” you
will shut down your true
personality to be who oth-
ers are telling you to be. You
shut down your ability to
communicate in a way that
you need to communicate.
Your ideas, feelings and
accomplishments are not
validated by other people,
and it causes a loss of self.
Therefore, you seek that
self in someone else and
piggyback on their accom-
plishments, emotions and
happiness.
9. You rationalize away
any wrong-doing.
You're constantly making ex-
cuses for poor behavior, ei-
ther your own or someone
close to you (i.e. family
members, spouse). You ra-
tionalize it away, focusing on
the one thing being done
right versus the 10 things
you are doing wrong.
8. You are emotionally de-
pendent or codependent.
Emotionally dependent is
when you are dependent on
another person, because
you are afraid to own your
own feelings. So, if you can't
be happy without somebody
else being happy, if you have
to walk around on eggshells
in your own home, then
you're a people-pleaser.
Codependent is when you're
with somebody that has an
issue, you tolerate that issue
and don’t set a boundary for
yourself.
Almost everybody has been
in situations like these in
their life, as we all have is-
sues. It's when you’re with
somebody who refuses to
take responsibility for the
issue and don't do anything
about it, because you're
afraid to leave.
7. You lack proper bounda-
ries.
While some may think not
having any boundaries in-
creases intimacy, I call BS
on that theory. By having
boundaries, you are saying,
“Here's who I am, here's
what I stand for, and I want
to be with somebody that
has the same kind of value
system I do.”
If you don't have bounda-
ries, you are a doormat for
the world – and anybody
can do anything and you’re
not going to stop them.
6. You are an over-doer.
Image from clipartimage.com

You are the person that has to have every-
thing right all the time. This comes from
more of an internal judgment, than an exter-
nal judgment. A lot of people have a dad or
a mom, a priest, a teacher, a coach or some-
body in their head that is constantly on them
about not being good enough., So every-
thing always has to be perfect. And, if it's not
in their head, it's somebody in their life; it's
like there's no room for mistakes there.
5. You have a loss of control.
If, unfortunately, you were raised thinking
you were not good enough, you may seek
out attention to get approval from others.
You may continually make drama in your life
-- something is always going wrong. You are
constantly looking for some kind of sympa-
thy from other people.
4. You are unable to say “no.”
“No” is a complete sentence, and it needs no
further explanation. However, the word no
can be one of the most difficult things for
people to say to other people. So, you will
lie, cheat, make excuses in order to not have
to look somebody else in the eye and just
say, “no.”
When you say no and then give a huge ex-
planation, if unwarranted, that's a sign of
low self-esteem. You just need to say no and
move on.
3. You have the desire to be loved.
The desire to be loved really comes from a
sense of not loving yourself. When we don't
love ourselves then we have a big issue, be-
cause we want that feeling of love. And if we
don't have the feeling of love, then we have
the threat of abandonment. So, if we can't
generate the love ourselves, we're going to
seek it in someone else; and when we're
seeking it in someone else, we have a ten-
dency to look over things that we probably
shouldn't be looking over.
2. You are naïve.
It's our responsibility to stay abreast of
what's going on in the world, and not walk
around uninformed. You can't be informed
about everything, but when you walk
around with somebody that is just totally na-
ïve about everything in their life, they're hid-
ing. There's a safety component to that: The
less I know, the less fear that I have to be in.
1. You trust.

David Neagle is the founder of the multimillion-dollar global coach-
ing company Life Is Now, Inc, helping thousands of entrepreneurs,
experts and self-employed professionals gain the confidence and
find the right mindset to increase their revenue, turning their en-
deavors into seven- and eight-figure ventures.
Being in the coaching and mentorship indus-
try for more than 20 years, his clients include many well-known people, including New
York Times #1 best-selling author Jen Sincero.
Because of the results his clients have achieved, along with his dedication, David’s
coaching has expanded to more than 30 countries, and his business expertise has been
featured in Inc., CNBC.com, Business Insider, Farnoosh Torabi's "So Money" Podcast,
HLN, and much more. He is also the bestselling author of The Millions Within, a book
focusing on intention, focus and awareness to build your dream business and life.
www.davidneagle.com Facebook: @DavidNeagle Facebook Page: @DavidNeagleCommunity
Twitter: @DavidNeagle Linkedin: @TheDavidNeagle Instagram: @David_P_Neagle
When you don't trust yourself, you have to
trust others to a point that it is not healthy.
So, when you don't trust yourself, you will
give power of things in their life that are very
important over to somebody else. That
could be finances, health, problems in your
personal life, business, issues with their chil-
dren or whatever. It's a stay-blissfully-
ignorant-type thing. So, we have to work on
trusting ourselves, and the way that we do
that is a very simple exercise that I teach
people.
As I said before, these traits, at extreme lev-
els, can be a sign that you are a people
pleaser.
So, what can you do? It starts by picking
things that you're going to commit to and
keep your word. Start with small things that
you know that you'll keep your word with,
and then add more, bigger things as you go.
This helps develop a trust muscle. You devel-
op that integrity with yourself about keeping
your word, and as you continue to do that,
not only do you trust yourself more, but you
build more self-confidence.
As that begins to happen, the other traits
begin to start correcting themselves, helping
you live a happier, healthier and more se-
cure self.

neously ignoring the im-
portance of also acquiring
valuable work skills. As a re-
sult, only 1 in 5 students feel
prepared for today’s job
market. We’re saddling
them with enormous college
debt for degrees that may
not pay off.
Today’s emphasis should no
Society has done a huge dis-
service to young people by
relying on outdated educa-
tional and workforce-training
models developed 50 years
ago. Our one-size-fits-all ap-
proach that promotes college
as the single path to a profita-
ble, high-skilled profession is
putting both the economy
and an entire generation at
risk.
We face a national crisis of
rising college costs, decreas-
ing degree-requiring jobs
and employer frustration
with the younger genera-
tions in the workplace.
Meanwhile, we’re pushing
young people to obtain col-
lege degrees while simulta-
Why Our Old Approach to College Is
Putting a New Generation at Risk
BY MARK C. PERNA

Prioritizing early career ex-
ploration also:
1. Gives young people a
sense of direction. Once
they’re made aware that
their interests can translate
into exciting career opportu-
nities, they can begin ex-
ploring the appropriate aca-
demic pre-requisites and
early training opportunities
that will catapult them into
a promising future.
2. Answers the “why” be-
hind their high school edu-
cations. “Because I said so”
is not enough of a reason for
Gen Y and Zers who want to
know the “why” behind all
what’s asked of them. Open-
ing their eyes to the path
needed for pursuing a cho-
sen career can spark enthu-
siasm to perform at a higher
level. They’ll understand the
relevance of their education
to the life and career they
want to achieve.
3. Invites more experiential
learning. When teachers,
coaches and counselors
know what careers their stu-
dents want to pursue, they
can connect the coursework
toward the attainment of
their students’ dreams. As-
signments, field trips, guest
longer be just about getting
young people ready for col-
lege. It should be about pre-
paring them for careers for
which college is one of many
available options. College is a
great postsecondary option --
if their career path requires it.
Too many young people today
go just to go, and too often,
because of lack of fore-
thought, they choose a field
of study where there either
are no jobs available or they
aren’t adequately trained for
a profession.
What young people don’t
often know -- because no one
tells them before they venture
into the workforce -- is there
are great, living-wage careers
to pursue that don’t require
them to go to college. Many
of today’s high-paying, high-
skilled careers require a spe-
cialized industry credential or
certification, not a college de-
gree.
The disconnect between
sending young people off to
study for degrees without re-
gard for whether it trains
them for a profession has re-
sulted in dramatic skills gap in
today’s workforce. Employers
are starving for people with
hands-on skills and experienc-
es that come from certifica-
tions, apprenticeships, licen-
sures and career training
programs. A recent study
showed that by 2025, the
United States will be short
11 million qualified workers
to support the economy.
Manufacturers around the
country, for example, are in
desperate need of precision
machinists. But attracting
the younger generation to
the work is remarkably
difficult because of the stig-
ma that only lower-
performing students
choose this kind of career.
Still, the field offers imme-
diate employment, high
wages and advanced op-
portunities. Far from the
old stereotype of a dead-
end factory job, work in
this field now ranges from a
robot operator to a ma-
chine builder to a computer
automated manufacturing
engineer.
Students in both middle
and high schools need to
be made aware of the
plethora of career avenues
available and their respec-
tive training and salary pro-
spects. Intentional career
planning early on will allow
them to choose advanced
education purposefully and
give them a better chance
of reaching their goal.

ey. Most young people have
been taught to first pick a
college to attend, then pick
a major, and when they fi-
nally graduate, then decide
what job they want to do.
But reversing the order
would help direct them
along the way and save
them from having to figure
out life with that enormous
financial clock ticking.
speakers, service projects and
more can allow students to
explore their interests and
prepare for their various ca-
reer paths.
4. Allows them to acquire
skills and industry knowledge
that can empower young en-
trepreneurs. Internships, ap-
prenticeships and other hands
-on opportunities are just a
few of the ways young people
can begin to excel in their
fields of interest. Studies
show that students who
are exposed to career op-
tions early on in their edu-
cational journey graduate
high school in great num-
bers (93% over the national
average of 80%). Career
and technical education
programs give students a
distinct competitive edge.
5. Positions them to know
their objectives before in-
vesting time and mon-
Mark C. Perna is the author of the award-winning bestseller Answering Why: Unleashing Pas-
sion, Purpose, and Performance in Younger Generations that Publishers Weekly calls
“perceptive…reasonable and thought-provoking.” Mark is the founder and CEO of TFS and
has over 20 years of experience in coaching educational organizations and businesses on to-
day’s unique intergenerational workforce and the hiring, training and retention of the newest
generations. www.tfsresults.com/ Twitter @MarkPerna

Boost resilience
beat burnout!
By Beth Kennedy

Several years ago, the company for which I
was providing career consulting was pur-
chased by another company. The merger re-
sulted in an unusual circumstance for me—
coaching fifteen leaders in the same organi-
zation as they transitioned to a different cul-
ture and new systems. I observed over the
next twelve months that the resilient leaders
were able to acknowledge the uncertainty
and stress, then continue to develop their
careers in the direction they wanted. Other
individuals, lacking resilience, focused on the
doom and gloom of the merger, which be-
came a barrier to finding new roles, whether
inside or outside the company.
I identified five common strategies that
these resilient people possessed as part of
their career toolbox. I was amazed at how
these strategies eased my own business
transition. Within one
month of leaving the or-
ganization where I had
spent fifteen years, I had a
major new training client
and fifteen new leadership-
coaching clients.
I now have an opportunity
to coach leaders in diverse
companies, schools, nonprofits, and small
start-ups, as well as entrepreneurs and indi-
viduals all over the globe and I continue to
focus on the five strategies with my clients:
well-being, self-awareness, brand, connec-
tion and innovation.
Well-being is key to being productive and
focused, which is essential for entrepre-
neurs. Do you make your well-being a priori-
ty? Do you exercise regularly? Do you give
your body the fuel it needs to perform? Are
you getting the amount of sleep you need to
be at your best? Do you know your stressors
and have strategies for dealing with them?
Are you deeply connected to something out-
side yourself such as art, music, literature,
nature, or religion?
Try one of these Well-being boosters:
Start your day with a morning intention.
Think about what you would like your day
to look like and how you want to feel.
Some examples include: calm and confi-
dent; refreshed and focused; and relaxed
and happy.
Notice how you feel throughout the day and
whether your stress level increases or
stays the same. Being aware
of your stress triggers can pre-
vent you from reacting to
them in unproductive ways.
Take a break from career and
life pressures by going on a
retreat or getaway by yourself
or with friends. This can be a
great way to gain clarity and
restore your energy.
Self-awareness includes purpose, mindset,
and personality type. Articulate your pur-
pose—it’s the starting point for developing a
clear focus for your business. And, as an en-
trepreneur, knowing your purpose will fuel
you when circumstances are challenging. Be
aware of your mindset—it’s essential to re-

silience and you have the ability to change it.
A useful tool for recalibrating your mindset is
mindfulness, which makes you aware of
when you are focusing only on what’s wrong
in your situation or engaging in negative self-
talk. Knowing your personality style and how
it affects how you deal with people and situ-
ations gives you the tools to be flexible in
your interactions with people whose styles
are different from yours.
Some ways to boost your self-awareness:
What can you do this week to focus on a val-
ue you would like to integrate more into
your life?
Do you often feel that you “have” to do
something? Ask yourself, “What would
realistically happen if I didn’t do this?
What do I want to do? Is there room for
negotiation?” The point is not to ignore
commitments but to make sure you don’t
overwhelm yourself.
Be aware that when you become seriously
stressed, it can amplify the more negative
aspects of your personality type. When
that happens, remind yourself to pause
and employ your stress-management
strategies.
Brand isn’t just about the attributes that de-
scribe you—for example, strategic, detail-
oriented, collaborative—it’s about the im-
pact you make with your customers. Togeth-
er, attributes and impact will create the rep-
utation that gets you recommended to oth-
ers and makes individuals want to learn
more about your expertise. I have taken my
brand very seriously since I began my busi-
ness 25 years ago. I make sure I attend in-
dustry conferences, and always focus
on ways I can offer more value to my cli-
ents. When you do this, you will be seen as
an expert and become a thought leader in
your industry.
To boost your brand:
Every Friday, ask yourself, “What impact did I
make in my business this week?”
Make sure your brand is clearly reflected on
your LinkedIn profile with a professional
headshot and a summary statement that
reflects your attributes and your impact.
Connection is about cultivating relationships
and building a support system of people you
can trust. It is not about gathering as many
business cards and LinkedIn connections as
possible, but about creating and nourishing
trusting relationships. As an entrepreneur,
you cannot underestimate the importance of
connecting with others. Every month, meet
with someone who can inspire you or moti-
vate you. Alternatively, find an organization
you can develop a community with; you

don’t want to isolate yourself.
To foster connection:
Schedule time with friends and colleagues
who support and energize you, and limit
your time with toxic people. When
meeting with colleagues, notice whether
they drain your energy or give you ener-
gy. With friends, notice whether you feel
renewed and refreshed or dragged down
and negative after spending time with
them.
Think of connection as a business competen-
cy and make a monthly connection plan.
Be sure to include face-to-face opportuni-
ties; connecting online is sometimes the
only option, but by meeting with col-
leagues in person, you can develop trust.
Innovation isn’t just for companies; it ap-
plies to individuals too and I believe is key to
resilience. Innovation keeps us growing, flex-
ible and thinking creatively, all of which are
essential to surviving and thriving in today’s
environment. As an entrepreneur, don’t ne-
glect your personal innovation. Having an
absorbing hobby or volunteering for an or-
ganization in which you believe can recharge
you and provide energy for your business.
The key to successful innovation is to create
the vision, then figure out what goals you
need to accomplish to make the vision a re-
ality. It’s important to ask yourself if the
goals are personally meaningful to you, to
make sure they are worth your time and
effort.
To get started on innovation:
Professional and personal innovation can in-
clude reading books, listening to podcasts
and watching videos. What is a resource
you have wanted to explore, and when
will you make time for it?
Creativity and play are important for innova-
tion. What are you doing this week that is
creative or playful?
Focus on your resilience and enjoy the jour-
ney of entrepreneurship!
MEET BETH KENNEDY
Beth Kennedy, MS, LMFT, brings more than twen-
ty years of experience to her role as a leadership
and executive coach, resiliency-training expert
and speaker. She is the author of Career Re-
Charge: Five Strategies to Boost Resilience and
Beat Burnout. For more about Beth Kennedy,
please visit her website at:
www.bethkennedy.com

-By Dr. Ximena Hartsock, co-founder and
President of Phone2Action
The tech industry undeniably is tough envi-
ronment for women. Today, women are un-
derrepresented in both technical and leader-
ship roles at Silicon Valley’s best-known
companies. Women founders brought in just
2.2 percent of venture capital dollars in
2018, while mixed male-
female leadership teams
brought in 12 percent.
Women of color have it
even harder. Since 2009,
black women have
brought in just 0.0006% of
VC funding, and Latinx
women just 0.32% accord-
ing to ProjectDiane2018.
As a co-founder of
Phone2Action and a His-
panic woman with an accent, I know what
it’s like to face these odds. I wish my identity
weren’t a disadvantage, but it is, so I swal-
low my pride and focus on our mission. If
that means having my white male co-
founder do VC pitches without me, I’ll do
what it takes.
No set of tips that will guarantee success,
respect or whatever you’re after. In retro-
spect though, I believe that certain choices
can made a difference for me, and they
might help you too.
Work for strong women
My first boss managed a Department of Edu-
cation grant for the W ashington D.C. public
schools. She was unapolo-
getic, firm and honest. I
didn’t think of her as a
mentor, but I now realize
that observing her leader-
ship shaped my career.
My boss noticed who re-
sponded well to challeng-
es and gave those people
opportunities. I saw first-
hand how hard work led to
advancement.
While that sounds naïve, most work environ-
ments teach the opposite message — that
politics trump merit. I grew up in Chile
where family connections determined your
prospects and zip code is destiny. I watched
how the politics played out, so I left for the
land of opportunity, the United States. Even

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