Treat yourself like a million dollar client

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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Canada's podcast.
[00:05] SPEAKER_00: Hello, this is Robert Smigel,
[00:07] SPEAKER_00: coming to today with Canada's podcast
[00:09] SPEAKER_00: where we talk to the entrepreneurs
[00:10] SPEAKER_00: who are making it happen here in British Columbia.
[00:13] SPEAKER_00: Today, our guest is Cynthia Lockery.
[00:16] SPEAKER_00: Cynthia is a changemaker, communications expert,
[00:19] SPEAKER_00: having worked on public relations for over 25 years.
[00:23] SPEAKER_00: Cynthia has scaled that breaking-down communications
[00:25] SPEAKER_00: fundamentals into bite-size and easy
[00:28] SPEAKER_00: to implement pieces.
[00:30] SPEAKER_00: She does this in her writing,
[00:31] SPEAKER_00: communications consulting,
[00:33] SPEAKER_00: speaking, training, and coaching
[00:34] SPEAKER_00: while based on Vancouver Island,
[00:37] SPEAKER_00: Cynthia works with individuals,
[00:38] SPEAKER_00: nonprofits, businesses,
[00:40] SPEAKER_00: and organizations from across North America.
[00:44] SPEAKER_00: Cynthia, welcome to the show.
[00:45] SPEAKER_00: It's nice to have you.
[00:46] SPEAKER_01: Thank you for having me today.
[00:48] SPEAKER_00: Great. I'll keep telling us a little bit more about yourself.
[00:51] SPEAKER_00: I know you're on the island
[00:52] SPEAKER_00: and then give us some details on your business
[00:55] SPEAKER_00: that I've left out.
[00:56] Speaker UNKNOWN: I'm very happy to have you.
[00:57] Speaker UNKNOWN: 
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[00:57] SPEAKER_01: So I'm located on Vancouver Island
[00:59] SPEAKER_01: because really, if you're going to
[01:00] SPEAKER_01: be self-employed and worked from home,
[01:02] SPEAKER_01: you might as well choose the most beautiful location
[01:05] SPEAKER_01: that you can.
[01:07] SPEAKER_01: And so my business is taking 25 years
[01:10] SPEAKER_01: of experience as a journalist,
[01:13] SPEAKER_01: newspaper editor, public relations,
[01:17] SPEAKER_01: and helping clients really,
[01:19] SPEAKER_01: it's about, for me, it's about storytelling.
[01:23] SPEAKER_01: How do we share our stories?
[01:25] SPEAKER_01: You can put an ad,
[01:27] SPEAKER_01: you can throw something on social media,
[01:30] SPEAKER_01: post, you can get a logo,
[01:33] SPEAKER_01: but what's the story?
[01:35] SPEAKER_01: What is the story you're trying to communicate?
[01:37] SPEAKER_01: So this is where I come in,
[01:40] SPEAKER_01: I work with graphic designers,
[01:42] SPEAKER_01: website developers, videographers,
[01:45] SPEAKER_01: and if it's a rebrand,
[01:47] SPEAKER_01: it's not like,
[01:49] SPEAKER_01: it's a pretty logo,
[01:50] SPEAKER_01: we all know that that's not what branding is.
[01:53] SPEAKER_01: It's what is the story of your organization.
[01:56] SPEAKER_01: So that could be helping people
[01:58] SPEAKER_01: with presentation skills,
[02:00] SPEAKER_01: helping with a rebrand or a new website,
[02:04] SPEAKER_01: strategic communications,
[02:06] SPEAKER_01: prices, and coaching,
[02:09] SPEAKER_01: as well as corporate training.
[02:10] SPEAKER_01: So it's really looking at the needs of that organization.
[02:15] SPEAKER_00: Okay, to start a business takes money,
[02:17] SPEAKER_00: especially in British Columbia.
[02:18] SPEAKER_00: Did you need finance and to start your company?
[02:20] SPEAKER_00: And how do you currently make money in your business now?
[02:24] SPEAKER_01: So I really know the power of digital.
[02:27] SPEAKER_01: I was very big on digital before COVID,
[02:31] SPEAKER_01: before everybody realized the importance of a strong website.
[02:36] SPEAKER_01: So my website,
[02:38] SPEAKER_01: howtocommunications.com
[02:39] SPEAKER_01: is an e-commerce platform
[02:42] SPEAKER_01: where I take all the training tools I have,
[02:46] SPEAKER_01: the templates I use with clients,
[02:48] SPEAKER_01: and have it up there.
[02:50] SPEAKER_01: And what I find is people on my e-commerce site,
[02:54] SPEAKER_01: maybe they just want to know how to write a press release,
[02:57] SPEAKER_01: and so they can download a training video and a template.
[03:02] SPEAKER_01: Maybe they want to get some tips.
[03:04] SPEAKER_01: They can read my blog.
[03:06] SPEAKER_01: So that's where I put a lot of financial resources
[03:10] SPEAKER_01: is developing a strong website,
[03:12] SPEAKER_01: a website that's easy to navigate,
[03:16] SPEAKER_01: and has strong SEO,
[03:19] SPEAKER_01: search engine optimization.
[03:21] SPEAKER_01: So I cringe when I hear somebody says,
[03:24] SPEAKER_01: oh, my friend can put a website up for me,
[03:27] SPEAKER_01: or I'll just do that over the weekend.
[03:30] SPEAKER_01: Those days are gone.
[03:31] SPEAKER_01: Now you need a truly professional website
[03:34] SPEAKER_01: with a strong backend.
[03:36] SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
[03:37] SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's talk about your industry,
[03:40] SPEAKER_00: pre-propercalations, communications.
[03:41] SPEAKER_00: I want you to give me a key piece of knowledge
[03:44] SPEAKER_00: or information about your industry
[03:46] SPEAKER_00: that our listeners can learn from.
[03:48] SPEAKER_00: So the average person,
[03:50] SPEAKER_00: could you give them a key piece of knowledge
[03:52] SPEAKER_00: that they may not know about?
[03:54] SPEAKER_01: I would say that it all starts with your audience
[03:57] SPEAKER_01: when you're looking to communicate.
[03:59] SPEAKER_01: A lot of times people say,
[04:01] SPEAKER_01: I want people to know.
[04:03] SPEAKER_01: I think this is important.
[04:05] SPEAKER_01: I, I, you're not talking to the mirror.
[04:09] SPEAKER_01: You're talking to human beings
[04:11] SPEAKER_01: with their own interest,
[04:13] SPEAKER_01: with their own knowledge base,
[04:15] SPEAKER_01: with their own, you know,
[04:17] SPEAKER_01: pain points and passion.
[04:19] SPEAKER_01: So it's really about trying to understand your audience,
[04:23] SPEAKER_01: their needs.
[04:25] SPEAKER_01: Where do they live in terms of on social media,
[04:29] SPEAKER_01: in terms of their habits?
[04:31] SPEAKER_01: And so it's less about you
[04:33] SPEAKER_01: and more about how do you connect
[04:35] SPEAKER_01: with your audience as a person?
[04:38] SPEAKER_01: And when you say your audience,
[04:40] SPEAKER_01: drives me crazy,
[04:41] SPEAKER_01: is all British Columbians,
[04:44] SPEAKER_01: for all taxpayers,
[04:47] SPEAKER_01: that's nobody.
[04:49] SPEAKER_01: So you, you want to get into these
[04:51] SPEAKER_01: really specific audiences
[04:53] SPEAKER_01: and know that you might not be talking to everybody.
[04:57] SPEAKER_01: So if you've ever watched a commercial
[04:59] SPEAKER_01: with your kid or with your partner
[05:02] SPEAKER_01: and one of them's laughing,
[05:04] SPEAKER_01: and you're going,
[05:06] SPEAKER_01: what?
[05:07] SPEAKER_01: There's, that was a stupid commercial.
[05:09] SPEAKER_01: Well, you weren't the audience.
[05:10] SPEAKER_01: They were.
[05:11] SPEAKER_01: And so you'd rather your audience connect
[05:15] SPEAKER_01: than everybody tuning out.
[05:19] SPEAKER_00: Okay.
[05:20] SPEAKER_00: Now you, your business is across North America.
[05:23] SPEAKER_00: So let's talk a little bit about that.
[05:25] SPEAKER_00: What is the long-term vision
[05:26] SPEAKER_00: and what we're a company
[05:27] SPEAKER_00: that looks like in the future?
[05:28] SPEAKER_00: Do you see the company expanding
[05:30] SPEAKER_00: into other areas of communications,
[05:33] SPEAKER_00: or even beyond Vancouver Island,
[05:35] SPEAKER_00: or Canada, or even North America?
[05:37] SPEAKER_01: I'm love speaking.
[05:39] SPEAKER_01: I'm a, I love speaking at conferences
[05:41] SPEAKER_01: and doing corporate training.
[05:43] SPEAKER_01: So that is the area of my business I'm expanding.
[05:47] SPEAKER_01: Just before COVID,
[05:49] SPEAKER_01: I was able to work in New York City
[05:51] SPEAKER_01: with a healthcare pharmaceutical company brought me out.
[05:55] SPEAKER_01: And it's really about,
[05:57] SPEAKER_01: I would love to be out more on a global space stage
[06:02] SPEAKER_01: in my public relations hat,
[06:05] SPEAKER_01: where I do a lot of workshops on storytelling
[06:08] SPEAKER_01: and helping make a connection.
[06:11] SPEAKER_01: And also in the advocacy work I do,
[06:13] SPEAKER_01: I'm a mom of an autistic child.
[06:16] SPEAKER_01: So I also do a lot of work advocating
[06:19] SPEAKER_01: for kids with disabilities.
[06:21] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[06:22] SPEAKER_00: Okay. Let's talk a little about doing business in British Columbia.
[06:24] SPEAKER_00: What are the biggest benefits for you
[06:26] SPEAKER_00: and being an entrepreneur in BC?
[06:28] SPEAKER_00: I want you to give us some of the good points
[06:29] SPEAKER_00: about starting a company here.
[06:31] SPEAKER_00: But I also want you to give us some of the tough things
[06:33] SPEAKER_00: or challenges that you've had to come.
[06:35] SPEAKER_00: So our listeners can keep now for them.
[06:39] SPEAKER_01: I would say the benefit of BC is,
[06:43] SPEAKER_01: it's less corporate.
[06:45] SPEAKER_01: I see a lot of entrepreneurs out in BC
[06:49] SPEAKER_01: and less competitive that I've got to push you out of the way.
[06:53] SPEAKER_01: I'm from Ontario.
[06:53] SPEAKER_01: So, you know, less about,
[06:57] SPEAKER_01: I got to get out of the way.
[06:59] SPEAKER_01: And more of, how can we work together?
[07:01] SPEAKER_01: How can we partner?
[07:03] SPEAKER_01: How can I help you,
[07:05] SPEAKER_01: even if it's not going to help me?
[07:07] SPEAKER_01: And so I've been able to create a virtual team
[07:10] SPEAKER_01: of senior graphic designers and web developers
[07:14] SPEAKER_01: and videographers because of this desire to support each other.
[07:19] SPEAKER_01: The drawbacks I would say is,
[07:24] SPEAKER_01: I'm on Vancouver Island.
[07:26] SPEAKER_01: And well, the benefit is, it's beautiful.
[07:29] SPEAKER_01: It limits my client base locally.
[07:33] SPEAKER_01: So I do have to go to Vancouver more for work.
[07:36] SPEAKER_01: Or I do about half my clients or in Ontario.
[07:40] SPEAKER_01: Or into the US because they're just not as much business for me
[07:45] SPEAKER_01: on Vancouver Island.
[07:47] SPEAKER_00: Right.
[07:47] SPEAKER_00: Okay.
[07:49] SPEAKER_00: Now, I want you to read a lot of immigration that comes into Canada.
[07:52] SPEAKER_00: So I want you to answer to the people that come to our country
[07:57] SPEAKER_00: and want to start a business.
[07:58] SPEAKER_00: If you were to start all over again,
[07:59] SPEAKER_00: you would just move to your Vancouver, BC,
[08:01] SPEAKER_00: but this time you don't know anyone.
[08:03] SPEAKER_00: Knowing what you know now,
[08:04] SPEAKER_00: what would you do differently if you were to start all over again
[08:08] SPEAKER_00: as an entrepreneur?
[08:10] SPEAKER_01: I know that everybody says networking,
[08:12] SPEAKER_01: but I have to say networking because it's about getting out
[08:16] SPEAKER_01: and meeting people and not having an agenda,
[08:21] SPEAKER_01: just authentically wanting to meet people
[08:24] SPEAKER_01: and going to places where people that may inspire you.
[08:30] SPEAKER_01: And that's in person and it's online now.
[08:34] SPEAKER_01: Right.
[08:34] SPEAKER_01: There's so many event bright.
[08:36] SPEAKER_01: There's so many virtual conferences.
[08:39] SPEAKER_01: It's about getting your name out there
[08:41] SPEAKER_01: and being a big fish in a small pond.
[08:45] SPEAKER_01: So not trying to jump into this huge pond and make a name
[08:50] SPEAKER_01: but make it and then slowly grow the size of your pond.
[08:55] SPEAKER_00: Okay.
[08:56] SPEAKER_00: Let's talk about your morning routine.
[08:58] SPEAKER_00: I know you have a child and so far two kids.
[09:00] SPEAKER_00: So I know that's a factor.
[09:02] SPEAKER_00: But is there anything you do in combination with that
[09:05] SPEAKER_00: that Avis Pacific routine or a ritual that helps you get motivated
[09:09] SPEAKER_00: to start your day?
[09:11] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[09:11] SPEAKER_01: Once I get to my office, I really prioritize what I need to do.
[09:16] SPEAKER_01: A lot of times this not your pranurus,
[09:18] SPEAKER_01: everybody else is prioritizing your day for you
[09:21] SPEAKER_01: and the day just gets away.
[09:24] SPEAKER_01: So I prioritize my day and I also look at my schedule
[09:28] SPEAKER_01: and think, where do I have time to work on my business?
[09:32] SPEAKER_01: Not just in my business.
[09:34] SPEAKER_01: Because we spend a lot of time working in our business
[09:37] SPEAKER_01: as client calls.
[09:38] SPEAKER_01: I've got this meeting.
[09:40] SPEAKER_01: But how am I working on my business to strategically grow it
[09:44] SPEAKER_01: and to do the new client recruitment?
[09:49] SPEAKER_01: So that's what I look at is what have I, so today,
[09:53] SPEAKER_01: it's March and I haven't written a blog post this month.
[09:57] SPEAKER_01: So I looked at what's my priority.
[10:00] SPEAKER_01: It's promoting my business and sharing my ideas.
[10:06] SPEAKER_00: Okay.
[10:07] SPEAKER_00: So you're reading now and why or even audiobooks,
[10:10] SPEAKER_00: and can you recommend any books for our listeners?
[10:11] SPEAKER_00: We're also entrepreneurs.
[10:14] SPEAKER_01: I love Brune Brown.
[10:15] SPEAKER_01: Brune Brown is one of my favorite.
[10:18] SPEAKER_01: I'm reading Atlas of the Heart,
[10:20] SPEAKER_01: and I've just watched her for series Atlas of the Heart as well.
[10:25] SPEAKER_01: And what I love about Brune Brown is it really is about authenticity
[10:30] SPEAKER_01: and being vulnerable.
[10:31] SPEAKER_01: When I work with clients, I'm choosy about who I work with.
[10:37] SPEAKER_01: I'm not there to do the corporate with Rinssen repeat
[10:41] SPEAKER_01: that we've done every year.
[10:43] SPEAKER_01: I'm looking at how I can make true changes
[10:45] SPEAKER_01: and work with authentic people.
[10:48] SPEAKER_01: So that's where with Brune Brown, it helps me show up
[10:52] SPEAKER_01: and be fully present and also question the opportunities
[10:58] SPEAKER_01: coming my way to see if that's a good fit.
[11:01] SPEAKER_00: Okay.
[11:02] SPEAKER_00: Any online or offline tools that you use on a daily basis?
[11:07] SPEAKER_01: I love Boxer.
[11:08] SPEAKER_01: If you haven't discovered Boxer, it's one of my favorites.
[11:11] SPEAKER_01: So it's an app where you might be working with someone
[11:15] SPEAKER_01: you don't always want to call them because you don't want to have
[11:18] SPEAKER_01: a whole conversation or it see snippets.
[11:21] SPEAKER_01: And not everybody wants to be buried in emails.
[11:24] SPEAKER_01: So Boxer, you can leave a voice message.
[11:27] SPEAKER_01: The person gets it.
[11:28] SPEAKER_01: They can respond.
[11:30] SPEAKER_01: It's like a walkie talkie.
[11:32] SPEAKER_01: But the best part is the message is save.
[11:35] SPEAKER_01: And you can go back and replay it and say,
[11:38] SPEAKER_01: what did they say again?
[11:39] SPEAKER_01: Instead of having to go back and forth and burying each other
[11:43] SPEAKER_01: with emails.
[11:44] SPEAKER_00: Okay.
[11:45] SPEAKER_00: Let's learn a little bit more about you and your personality.
[11:48] SPEAKER_00: If you are doing what you do now, what would you like to do
[11:51] SPEAKER_00: for a profession?
[11:52] SPEAKER_00: If you are an NPR, you could do anything else.
[11:55] SPEAKER_00: What would it be?
[11:56] SPEAKER_01: Oh, so many things.
[11:58] SPEAKER_01: I've used to be a university instructor and I absolutely
[12:02] SPEAKER_01: loved working with young minds and really having some good
[12:07] SPEAKER_01: conversations with the next generation that's coming up.
[12:11] SPEAKER_01: So going back to post-secondary instruction,
[12:15] SPEAKER_01: I loved my time as a journalist where I got to get out in the
[12:23] Speaker UNKNOWN: office and I was like, I'm just a student.
[12:24] Speaker UNKNOWN: I was just going to do a lot of things and I was just
[12:26] Speaker UNKNOWN: just going to do something else and I was just being in a
[12:26] Speaker UNKNOWN: 
[12:26] Speaker UNKNOWN: And I was just going to talk to people and talk to people
[12:27] SPEAKER_01: and talk to people and talk to people.
[12:29] SPEAKER_01: So I think it's really for me, I just love talking to people
[12:34] SPEAKER_01: and instead of having to do this project or this deadline to
[12:39] SPEAKER_01: really be able to do more teaching.
[12:43] SPEAKER_00: What kind of a job could you not do,
[12:45] SPEAKER_00: not do that job?
[12:47] SPEAKER_01: Anything with math.
[12:50] SPEAKER_01: I have a bookkeeper and I have an accountant and they keep me
[12:53] SPEAKER_01: on track and I have not been audited and if I ever get audited,
[12:59] SPEAKER_01: they can look after it.
[13:00] SPEAKER_01: I am not an analytical detail person in that brain set.
[13:07] SPEAKER_01: I am very detailed when it comes to the work that I'm doing,
[13:10] SPEAKER_01: but understanding math and
[13:15] SPEAKER_01: mathematical concepts is beyond my ability.
[13:19] SPEAKER_00: Could not be a bookkeeper.
[13:21] SPEAKER_01: No, when I get my taxes done, my bookkeeper always asks me if I
[13:27] SPEAKER_01: reconciled my accounts and I had to say this is why you're here.
[13:31] SPEAKER_01: I don't see anything about.
[13:34] SPEAKER_00: Keep doing what you're good at and delegate the rest.
[13:38] SPEAKER_00: In business, what is your favorite word or sentence that you like to use?
[13:43] SPEAKER_00: Is there anything that you use or say frequently whether it be
[13:47] SPEAKER_00: to clients or staff?
[13:50] SPEAKER_01: The thing that I started saying when I was a university instructor
[13:54] SPEAKER_01: that I still say is follow your passion and the money will come.
[13:59] SPEAKER_01: I always would say to my students and I say it to my coaching clients,
[14:05] SPEAKER_01: if you lead with money and that's your motivator,
[14:10] SPEAKER_01: it's a tough slog and you may not enjoy it.
[14:14] SPEAKER_01: If you lead with your passion and you approach everything with joy and passion,
[14:21] SPEAKER_01: then the money will come because people want to work with people who are passionate
[14:26] SPEAKER_01: about what they are doing.
[14:28] SPEAKER_01: They don't want to work with somebody who's trying to rack up the invoice
[14:32] SPEAKER_01: and see how much money they can get out of a client.
[14:35] SPEAKER_01: I really truly believe it's about finding what your passion about
[14:41] SPEAKER_01: and what you can do without even thinking and it's easy.
[14:47] SPEAKER_00: What's your least favorite word or sentence you do not like to hear?
[14:53] SPEAKER_01: I would say fake it till you make it.
[14:57] SPEAKER_01: I know that that's one that I learned in journalism school.
[15:00] SPEAKER_01: For years I thought that was a good sentence until I listened to Amy Cuddy's Ted Talk
[15:07] SPEAKER_01: and she said, don't fake it till you make it.
[15:10] SPEAKER_01: Fake it until you become it.
[15:13] SPEAKER_01: I thought I like that.
[15:15] SPEAKER_01: It's a nice shift, right?
[15:17] Speaker UNKNOWN: 
[15:18] SPEAKER_01: Making it, it's becoming who that is.
[15:23] SPEAKER_00: It's like they say for success, become the person that would be able to handle that success
[15:29] SPEAKER_00: or be able to get that success.
[15:32] SPEAKER_00: I guess that's personal development where people become that person that is the success story itself.
[15:38] SPEAKER_00: That's opposed to the money and the fame and whatever they're looking for.
[15:42] SPEAKER_00: If you had to pick one or two words to describe yourself, what would it be and why?
[15:48] SPEAKER_01: I would say empathetic.
[15:51] SPEAKER_01: I really tried to end authentic.
[15:56] SPEAKER_01: So in the work I do, I try to work with individuals and organizations that I believe in.
[16:04] SPEAKER_01: If I don't believe in what a company or an entrepreneur is doing, how can I create the stories
[16:12] SPEAKER_01: or do the public relations campaigns?
[16:15] SPEAKER_01: For me, it's important because I truly believe all we have is our reputation.
[16:22] SPEAKER_01: That is the best asset any of us have is our reputation and working in public relations.
[16:29] SPEAKER_01: It's about the reputation.
[16:31] SPEAKER_01: Almost all of my clients are word of mouth.
[16:34] SPEAKER_01: Somebody's worked with me, enjoyed the experience and told somebody else about me.
[16:41] SPEAKER_00: What keeps you up at night if anything?
[16:44] SPEAKER_00: Or do you just turn off work when you're done?
[16:47] SPEAKER_00: Or do you constantly think about it at night?
[16:51] SPEAKER_01: I wouldn't say it keeps me up at night, but I find living on Vancouver Island.
[16:57] SPEAKER_01: I go for hikes a lot and I go for hikes during the work day.
[17:01] SPEAKER_01: If I'm struggling with a strategic plan for a client or coming up with a fresh perspective,
[17:08] SPEAKER_01: I'll just walk away from the desk completely and get on my hiking shoots.
[17:14] SPEAKER_01: I happen to have a hiking trail literally in my backyard.
[17:18] SPEAKER_01: I'll go for a hike and I just let it go and I find by not dwelling on it and clearing my headspace.
[17:26] SPEAKER_01: Nine times out of ten I come up with a great solution.
[17:30] SPEAKER_00: I've done that before. I'm sure lots of.
[17:32] SPEAKER_00: Okay, give us a top three things on your inspired lifeless.
[17:36] SPEAKER_00: Is this stuff that you want to do beyond working on topreneurship?
[17:39] SPEAKER_00: Do you want to travel more?
[17:40] SPEAKER_00: If you want to answer P, do a biography, anything, charity work, anything like that?
[17:46] SPEAKER_01: I would say one of my top things is to do a TED talk.
[17:51] SPEAKER_01: I was a semi-finalist for a TED talk.
[17:54] SPEAKER_01: I did not make it to the final, but it was a lot of work to get to the semi-final.
[17:59] SPEAKER_01: Travel.
[18:00] SPEAKER_01: I love actually when my work is my travel.
[18:05] SPEAKER_01: So when I was able to go speak in New York City, I extended that into an entire week and made a vacation.
[18:12] SPEAKER_01: I'm hoping to take my daughter to Paris because she was in French immersion and it's my care to get her to keep her friendship is promising a trip in Paris where she has to do all the talking.
[18:24] SPEAKER_01: And I think my other thing is I want to continue advocating and trying to make a change for kids with disabilities, not just at a provincial level, but at a federal level.
[18:39] SPEAKER_01: I've been in the House of Commons. I've been in the BC legislature speaking on this and I want to keep pushing this forward.
[18:47] SPEAKER_00: Right. Do you have any advice that you may have received from a mentor or other entrepreneurs that you can pass on to entrepreneurs throughout Canada?
[18:57] SPEAKER_01: Invest in yourself. That would be early on.
[19:01] SPEAKER_01: I was told it's about how do you invest in yourself, whether it be getting a business coach or for not second guessing, going to that, taking that course or going to that business retreat retreat.
[19:16] SPEAKER_01: Because a lot of times we push that aside and we say I don't have the budget right now or I don't have this time or I should work on this.
[19:26] SPEAKER_01: But if you don't invest in you, there is no business. So and sometimes investing you is going for that hike during the day.
[19:36] SPEAKER_01: It looks different for all of us, but I think we really need to my business coach that I work with says you need to treat yourself like a million dollar client.
[19:49] SPEAKER_01: If a million dollar client needed a meeting, you would say yes. If a million dollar client needed, you would say yes.
[19:58] SPEAKER_01: So with yourself, why are you saying no to your own needs all the time? You need to treat yourself. So I'm not the consultant that will work 60 hour work weeks because then I can't show up fully for my client.
[20:14] SPEAKER_00: Yeah. What is it Jeff Bezos says he makes three decisions a day and they does not make a decision before 10 a.m.
[20:23] SPEAKER_00: Yeah. He's prioritizing other things.
[20:28] SPEAKER_01: Well, and this is that we need to own our genius, but we also need to protect our genius.
[20:34] SPEAKER_00: Yes.
[20:35] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[20:36] SPEAKER_01: And each of us how we protect it is different, right?
[20:41] SPEAKER_01: You and I are going to have a different way that we need to protect it. But if we don't, our business is going to grow or develop maybe in a way that's not long.
[20:51] SPEAKER_01: So you can be in the line with who we are or where we want to go.
[20:56] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[20:57] SPEAKER_00: Okay. We're going to wrap things up here Cynthia. How can our listeners get hold of you? Is there anything you'd like to add before you leave us today?
[21:04] SPEAKER_01: Yeah. You can check out my website howtukcommunications.com even if you just want to read some blogs about how to improve your communication skills.
[21:14] SPEAKER_01: And the thing that I would leave you with today is really look at who you want to connect with and how you can make that connection.
[21:25] SPEAKER_01: And communication skills is a soft skill.
[21:28] SPEAKER_01: And unfortunately, it's a skill that a lot of people don't have experience on or haven't developed.
[21:35] SPEAKER_01: So, really look at how can you develop your soft skills and where do you need help in that area?
[21:43] SPEAKER_00: Right, I think there's a sense of entrepreneurs want to do it all themselves.
[21:50] SPEAKER_00: And if they're good at software or they're good at building a widget or building an app or real estate, they may not be good at developing the right skill sets and the soft skills that will make them do even better, I think, in the long run.
[22:04] SPEAKER_01: And right now, it's all about digital media because people are making decisions without even leaving their home.
[22:12] SPEAKER_01: And so, you have to view your online presence like a storefront where people are going to decide if they enter or not.
[22:21] SPEAKER_00: There you go.
[22:22] SPEAKER_00: Okay, Cynthia, thanks for coming on the show.
[22:24] SPEAKER_00: I've learned a lot about you and I'm sure our listeners have as well and we'll see you next time.
[22:29] SPEAKER_00: Thank you.