This episode is a compilation full of the insights and inspiration for small business owners from Small Business Owners Community Conference and Awards held last October 16 & 17, 2024 at the Miller High Life Theatre in Downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Hosted by Grace Bruins, the episode features an incredible panel of guests sharing their wisdom.

Key Takeaways:

Build Your Tribe: Talmar Anderson highlighted the importance of having a supportive community of peers for business owners. Your team is not your emotional support system—seek out masterminds, accelerators, and coaching to build those valuable connections.

Trust Your Instincts: Sara Deacon drew an interesting analogy with butterfly feet, reminding us that trusting our gut feelings can guide us to make the right business decisions. It's crucial to tap into that 6th sense to find your path and opportunities.

Adapt and Move Forward: Nikki Lee discussed resilience by drawing inspiration from kangaroos and hippos. Instead of focusing on the past, small business owners should look forward and keep moving, just like kangaroos. And like hippos, even if things seem tough on the surface, keep pushing and running towards your goals.

Personal Healing for Business Success: Christine Welch, founder of Clarity Collab, talks about overcoming psychological blocks and transforming personal and professional trauma. Christine shares insights from her journey, including her new initiative, IGNITE-Women of Integrity, and offers advice on business ownership, delegating tasks, and focusing on strengths.

Creativity and Trust in Business: Kimberlee Grob talks about blending creativity with commerce in the floral industry. She shares her journey, crafting personalized arrangements that capture emotions and celebrations, while also offering valuable insights on customer trust, navigating challenges, and building loyalty through exceptional service.

Mastering Business Pitches: Precious Williams, founder of Perfect Pitch Group, talks about her journey from overcoming challenges as a plus-sized African-American woman in business to becoming an international speaker and corporate sales trainer. Precious shares her powerful insights on defining your narrative, authentic self-presentation, and creating unforgettable pitches. She offers actionable advice on positioning, packaging, and pitching to help entrepreneurs amplify their message and stand out in competitive markets.

Making Women's Voices Heard: Sharon Ringier, editor-in-chief of Possible Woman Magazine and host of a new podcast, discusses about the power of visibility and voice for women in business. Sharon shares how the magazine, originally a one-time project, became a global platform for women to share their stories without the pressure to “sell.” She also talk about her podcast’s mission to empower women entrepreneurs, focusing on storytelling, overcoming self-doubt, and prioritizing impact over sales.

Listen now to the unique perspectives from our amazing guests. Let's empower each other and grow stronger together!

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Grace chats with entrepreneurial maven Sharon Ringier about the transformative power of visibility and voice for women in business. Sharon shares insights from her journey as the editor-in-chief of the Possible Woman Magazine and her newly launched podcast, underscoring the importance of giving women a platform to thrive.

Originally launched as a one-time publication, the magazine quickly became a global project, helping women share their expertise and stories without feeling pressured to “sell.”

Sharon also talks about the joys and challenges of launching her podcast and her mission to empower women entrepreneurs worldwide. This conversation explores the power of storytelling, overcoming self-doubt, and focusing on impact over sales.

Episode Highlights:

01:10 - It is giving women a voice. I run a a mastermind as well, and the thing I kept hearing was they were trying to understand how to get visibility, how to even articulate themselves and get their voice out and let people know that they were there without it always being so salesy and pitchy because people are tired of being sold to.

06:40 - The women I meet are so dynamic. I've been so blessed to meet so many amazing women, and it doesn't matter their walk. Their stories are just phenomenal.

08:29 - If this is in people's hands, how many babies are you saving? So it's like we have to get out of our own way and start thinking, who can we save? It's not a sale. It's who can we save? When I started thinking that way and helping others think that way, it changes how we respond to our fears.

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Connect with Grace Bruins

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Join Grace Bruins as she sits down with Precious Williams, the unstoppable force behind the Perfect Pitch Group. In this episode, Precious shares her journey from facing challenges as a plus-sized African-American woman in the business world to becoming a renowned corporate sales trainer and international speaker.

Known for her vibrant personality and authentic approach, Precious explains the importance of defining your own narrative, showing up as your authentic self, and making an unforgettable impression. Her insights on packaging, positioning, and pitching offer small business owners the tools to amplify their message, connect with audiences, and stand out in competitive markets.

Tune in as Precious brings her vibrant energy and profound insights, peppered with personal anecdotes and actionable advice to inspire entrepreneurs to redefine their paths.

Episode Highlights:

02:57 - I'm great at pitching, but let me show you how I can train your sales team in innovative practices, client acquisition, business development, and being able to do that on such a massive scale for companies that I don't get hired because I'm black. I don't have a Brazilian butt lift nor 6 pack abs. I am black on both sides, and yet I'm winning because they're hiring someone who can change the game and transform how they think about sales and business development and still keep it funky and fresh.

04:46 - My typical client looks nothing like me because I'm working with companies and corporations. So when you hear Blackstone, Verizon, LinkedIn, Google, Microsoft, my clients are like world leaders in their zones of genius, yet they're trying to enter new industries, or they need to change the narrative on how they're seen. And so they bring in someone like me, who's not going to give them the same thing that they've been getting from other sales trainers.

08:01 - Here's one business lesson I wish I had learned earlier in the game is to teach people how to define who I am. So I define the narrative. So many people want to put me in a coach category. I'm not a coach. I'm a trainer and international professional speaker. I am a 5-time number one best-selling author. And so some people, they've been hearing coach so long, they think that everything that I do is coaching. No, it's not.

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Connect with Grace Bruins

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Connect with Precious Williams

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