Management Archives - Plaid Swan

May 7, 2018

Six things you should know about Generation Z

Millennials have been a central focus of marketers for some time. It’s no surprise given the size of the generation and the fact that roughly $30 trillion in assets will be transferred to Millennials and Gen Xers from their Baby Boomer parents over the next few decades. That’s some serious spending power. But slowly creeping up behind Millennials is Generation Z, an even larger, more diverse group who bears some similarities to their predecessors but for the most part is quite different.

There is much debate (much like any generational group) about what years it starts and stops. Most people agree the generation starts somewhere around the 1995 timeframe. Here is a quick by-the-numbers snapshot:

With the oldest of this generation just starting to graduate college and enter the workforce, businesses are starting to turn their attention to this group in order to understand how to shift their leadership style, recruitment efforts, and marketing tactics to stay relevant.

After doing some research on this group, we’ve compiled six traits you should consider when you are working on your next campaign or preparing your office culture for the new generation.

Short attention span

This generation has grown up in a time when they have any piece of information you can imagine at their fingertips. They have never known a world without access to high-speed internet and social media, and with apps like Snapchat, they are accustomed to processing information faster. They tend to communicate with images, emojis and limited words.

Fiscally cautious

Members of Gen Z are more fiscally conscious than their Millennial counterparts. They have grown up during a time of global recession, war and terrorism, which makes them more cautious in their spending decisions. Things like dwindling social security have also made this generation more proactive in planning for their futures. One study by Lincoln Financial Group of a group of 15- to 19-year old people found that they are saving earlier than generations that came before: 60 percent already had a savings account and 71 percent stated they were focused on saving for the future.

Early career starters

Their fiscally cautious trait brings us to this next point. More Gen Z-ers are opting to go straight to the workforce out of high school and either pursue an education online or none at all. They have grown up in a time when they have seen their parents and their predecessor generation (Millennials) struggle to manage massive student loan debt while coming out of college in a post-recession era. They are more likely to be realistic and with so many affordable options available now, they are not taking traditional routes. For example, 64 percent of Gen Z-ers are considering advanced degrees, compared to 71 percent of Millennials.

Entrepreneurial

This generation is extremely entrepreneurial. Gen Z grew up in a highly connected world and watched people like Mark Zuckerberg made his first million dollars in his early twenties. They have access to the tools and resources they need to be able to create, fundraise and launch a business at their fingertips. They desire more independent work environments and according to one study, 72 percent of teens have a desire to start their own business.

Value authenticity and transparency

This is a generation who doesn’t take your word for it. They have seen big name companies succumb to scandals around privacy, lying and deceitful tactics. This generation will do their due diligence and research to make sure your actions match your message. They value a company who is authentic, transparent and unique. Brand loyalty comes second to a quality product, and this group is not afraid to switch brands if they find a higher-quality product somewhere else.

In addition, this brand places a high value on social impact. According to one survey, 60 percent want to have an impact on the world, and one our of four volunteer their time for a cause they are passionate about.

More global

This is a group that has never known an existence without social media and their ability to connect with people across the globe is limitless. It’s also one of the most diverse generations. Diversity is not seen as an important initiative, but rather as an expectation of this generation.

To wrap up…

This generation is going to be a force to be reckoned with. As they take their ideas and experiences into the workplace in the coming years, Gen Z is sure to make a difference in all aspects of business, from the way they market to the way they hire.

March 12, 2018

Great Teachers Create Successful Leaders

It’s a worthwhile endeavor to reach back in time and remember teachers who made a difference in our lives. What was it about them that made them so memorable? What did they do that applies to the success of our own professional lives? Skilled educators use techniques that savvy professionals can emulate to train and to lead.

My first & life-long educator

I had four teachers whom I remember fondly who created a love of language and writing for me. My first teacher and the best teacher I ever had was my mother. She was so smart; she was the salutatorian of her high school class and was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend one year of college to obtain a teaching certificate. She was always available if I needed help with my studies, but teaching the English language was her forte and love. I remember when the topic of word syllables came up in my early education; it just wasn’t sinking in. She sat down with me, and in a short time, I understood the subject well. She knew grammar and was always my best resource when I had questions. She had infinite patience and the ability to break down a topic into easily understood modules.

Grade school memories

My favorite grade school teacher was Miss Natzke. I was fortunate to have had her as a teacher for first and third grades. In the small parochial school that I attended, teachers would often teach two grades at once. Half of the second grade class was in my first grade classroom. After that year, Miss Natzke moved up a rung and taught the other half of second grade and all of third grade. She had her hands full, but the trait that I remember most about her was her compassion. She cared deeply about each student and found time to address the needs of everyone. She gave me a strong educational foundation, and I discovered a love for learning in those two years with Miss Natzke.

High school inspiration

In high school, I met Mrs. Brown in tenth grade English. Her focus was writing, and I learned so much from her. She challenged me at the same time that she inspired me. I loved writing for her even though I was not at the top of the class and recognized that I had much to learn. My essays were not covered with red ink because she knew that the best way to effect change was to zero in on the most critical items that could be improved. She also was collaborative. One time she asked if anyone in the class would like to create bulletin boards about English topics. I loved the creative aspect of that idea and volunteered. I had to study a topic and condense it into small, meaningful messages that could be displayed. It meant staying after school in her classroom to put up the bulletin boards, and I enjoyed getting to know her as a genuinely good person as well as an effective teacher.

College challenges

Finally, in college, I was lucky to have had several very influential teachers, but the top was Miss Moehl. As an English major, I took quite a few classes from her. I had the utmost respect for her even though she was a tough teacher and demanded the best from her students. I didn’t always get A’s from her, but I learned so much. One particularly challenging class was Transformational-Generative Grammar, which she creatively taught making a difficult (and, yes, slightly dry) topic interesting. She demanded interaction in her classes, but with her leadership, staying on task was rewarding. I was well-prepared for some of the difficult linguistics classes I took in graduate school. I had the good fortune to be selected to be her assistant my senior year. I read all of her freshman class essays, adding comments in pencil in the margins. She also read all of these essays and was helpful in critiquing my evaluations, an excellent preparation for my years as a teacher. She had practical suggestions such as writing comments in pencil so that the red marks would not overwhelm students. She recommended I limit suggestions to the most pertinent and most glaring flaws. I learned much about what made a great teacher from Miss Moehl, and we corresponded for several decades after my graduation.

Beyond the classroom

So, how does all this apply to a person’s professional life? “The Best Leaders Are Great Teachers,” is the title of an article by Sydney Finkelstein writing for the Harvard Business Review in the January-February 2018 issue. The qualities and skills that you might have recognized and admired in your teachers are the same qualities and skills that a successful business leader needs. Being able to break down a topic into manageable segments is as valid for the classroom teacher as it is for a supervisor or leader. While being empathetic is a good trait, showing compassion is even more critical when working with students as well as employees. Creating a passion for growing and learning works with people at all levels. And, finally, working together, or being collaborative, serves to inspire and to create respect and efficiency.

Writing this has been a wonderful exercise for me to revisit the memories of some of the people who made the most difference in my life and whose traits I tried to emulate in my professional life.

Diane Repass is a retired tenured assistant professor
from The University of Dubuque and now a beloved
writer for Plaid Swan Inc. She received her M.A. from
The University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

March 8, 2018

Celebrating International Women’s Day

Today is International Women’s Day and this year there is a strong call to #PressforProgress. Founded more than a century ago after 15,000 women marched in New York City to demand better working conditions and voting rights, today it is intended to celebrate women’s social, economic, and political achievements and to call for gender equality. From participating in marches to donning their purple attire, women (and men) across the globe will be participating in a variety of activities to celebrate the day. Here at Plaid Swan, we are proud to be led by two strong female leaders. In honor of International Women’s Day, we sat down with Plaid Swan Partner Betsy McCloskey to hear about her experiences as a female entrepreneur.

Q: How did you make the decision to start your own business?

BMC: I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur. The benefits and security that came with a corporate job delayed that dream a bit, but I always knew I wanted to oversee my own destiny. I wanted to create a business whose culture supported working women and working moms who needed to have flexibility in their career to enjoy two sides of their life. Women shouldn’t have to choose between parenthood and a career.

Q: Two women lead Plaid Swan. When you started your business, do you feel like that was a benefit or a detriment?

BMC: It was a benefit for us. As we are primarily a B to C firm, it gave us an advantage as women consumers make the majority of purchasing decisions in the U.S. In addition, being a female-owned marketing communications firm set us apart from traditional firms which historically have been male lead. It created a niche for us. We understand the buying decisions of women and we know how to reach them.

One stereotype we did have to overcome is that women are not good negotiators. We have a strong female leadership team at our company and that is an area we excel in. As media planners and buyers, you must be a good negotiator. I think that catches some people by surprise.

Q: How do you feel things have changed over the past seven years since Plaid Swan started, regarding gender equality in the business world?

BMC: There are a lot of women’s movements going on in the world, whether its pay equality or the #MeToo message, that have shed light on important issues. It has forced a different conversation to emerge in the business landscape. I think men and women, and women and women, are still figuring out the best way to work together, especially in boardrooms. I think in the next few years we will continue to see this conversation play out. Women are learning to support each other and to a lesser degree we are not competing, which in itself is noteworthy.

Q: The Plaid Swan team is comprised of mainly women (minus a couple awesome gentleman!), how do you feel that has benefitted Plaid Swan over the years?

BMC: That really happened naturally, it was not a conscious strategy by any means. I think when talented women learned about our culture, they gravitated toward us more so than men. I think we’ve also been able to break the stereotype that women can’t work together without conflict. We’ve been lucky in that area. I think women really excel under pressure and that has been a benefit for our company.

Q: Why do you think it’s important for students and the younger generation to see successful female business leaders?

BMC: I think they need to see that change is occurring. More women are in C-suites than ever before, more women are entering STEM professions. I personally am thrilled to see more young women taking engineering courses and earning science degrees. We all stand on the shoulders of the women that came before us and I think young women today are following suit. Every generation is one step higher.

Q: Short and sweet, what is your hope for the future of women in leadership?

BMC: My hope is for female leadership to be considered mainstream. I hope the term “leadership,” does not need to say “female” as a prefix to show gender diversity at the table. I want women to have an equal opportunity for C-suite positions and access to fortune 500 boardrooms because they are qualified for the seat, not because a quota needs to be filled or for some staged nod toward equality.

April 24, 2017

Edgy Emails

How many personal letters do you get in snail-mail (also known as USPS)? Few letters arrive in the mail anymore except for a few solicitations. Using email is just too fast, easy, and postage-free. Many in the workplace get hundreds of emails a day, so even though texts may be supplanting them for short, personal messages, email is still alive and well. We’ve been using email for a long time, and over time the care and detail of emails compared to the care once given to formal postal letters has slid into an abyss. Writing emails requires the same consideration and precision that a writer would give any business correspondence. For more effective emails, these five suggestions for improving your communication can help.

Image result for email gifs

Know your audience

First and foremost, knowing your audience will determine the level of formality. You will write differently to the coworker who sits near you than you will to the CEO and co-founder of the company. If you and your colleague have been working on a project together, you will not need as much background and explanation as you might for someone who is not as intimately familiar with a topic as you are.

Don’t put the recipients in the address line until last

You can’t send your message until the address is inserted, so adding it as a last step should serve to remind you to reread –

For typing and grammar errors.
For tone. Is the level of formality suitable for the recipient?
For fact checking. Do you need to verify any information?
For inclusiveness. Did you attach the necessary or referenced attachments; did you include all the details needed; did you use any language that needs to be explained?

Create a compelling and informative subject line

Image result for compelling subject lines

The most effective subject line gives the receiver a clear idea of the content of your message, or it highlights the most important takeaway. For example, if you are scheduling a meeting, you might use “Meeting: Friday, April 7” as your subject line. Unless you know the receiver well, avoid cute or humorous lines such as “I’m focused now, really focused” for an opener after you have failed to include a referenced attachment on a previous message. Your goal is to be informative and precise.

Develop content with care

Get to the point quickly.
Don’t be verbose, a pitfall of a more formal message.
Highlight main points with bullets and numbered lists
Keep the messages short; if the message is too long, you might want to schedule a meeting to discuss the more complex topic.
Don’t use texting shorthand (e.g. “u” for “you” or gr8” for “great”).
Be careful of acronyms and abbreviations even though the goal is to be brief. They suggest a higher level of familiarity with the readers and what they already know or don’t know.
Lastly, remember that emails are never entirely private. You can just look to the news to get examples of persons getting into trouble with the content of their emails and postings. Write as though your messages are going to be widely publicized.

Use a conventional letter format for your more formal composition

Begin with a polite salutation or greeting. “Hi, Betsy” works for a more informal email, while “Dear Mr. Webster” works for a more formal beginning.
Start the message with a brief statement of purpose.
Be thorough in the body of the message. Include all, but only, the most pertinent details.
End with a summary statement.
Add a complimentary closing such as “Regards” or “Respectfully” for a formal email, or for something less formal, use something like “Thanks” or “See you soon.”
Finish with the signature line that not only includes your name, but also may include your company name and contact information for more formal contacts. It is nice to use your company logo if that is available.

Business emails are most useful when the writer takes the time to craft a well-thought-out communique that considers the audience, content, and format like any other writing. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, has said that telepathy may be the future of communication. Interesting idea – but for now email is one of the many ways we connect, so to be most productive with its use means that it’s worth the time to develop the know-how.

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-Diane Repass

April 12, 2017

The Ultimate Face-Off: Wall Street’s ‘Fearless Girl’ vs. ‘Charging Bull’

His hooves hit the pavement. The steam roles off his nose like the engine to a train, getting ready to derail anything that crosses its path. His eyes as dark as the wooden chess piece he just moved, locked in on his target – the matador.

She stares. She waits. Her patience is legendary. It has come with a price, a league of women before her. She comes without the blood-stained cloth, no need for parlor tricks or fancy waves of the hand. No, hers are placed firmly on her hips, spine slightly arched. She looks upon him without fear, whispering underneath her breath, “I’m Ready! Are you?” Her opponent not the bull, but history.

We all know the saying “take the bull by the horns.” Sometimes you need to confront a very difficult situation, deal bravely, decisively, and take it ‘head on.’ It seems one little girl took those words quite literally and now she is one of the most high-profiled young women on Wall Street. They call her simply the ‘Fearless Girl.’

The ‘Fearless Girl’ is a 50-inch bronze statue located on Wall Street in New York City. She was installed to honor International Women’s Day on March 8, 2017 to help draw attention to the pay gap between men and women and gender inequality. The statue was originally scheduled to only be standing until April 2^nd but New York’s Mayor, Bill de Blasio, announced she would be standing tall, hands on hips, until next year’s International Women’s Day –March 8, 2018.

Kristen Visbal, an American sculptor who specializes in bronze compositions, created the sculpture which was later installed by State Street Global Advisors, an investment service company. SSGA has seen gender equality pay off in other ways. Its SPDR SSGA Gender Diversity Index ETF launched in March last year and was the top-selling exchange traded fund of 2016. It invests in U.S. companies that advance women to boards and director positions. Since it’s launch last year, it has raised more than $200 million. SSGA are encouraging companies, especially those on Wall Street, to increase gender diversity, asserting research shows that businesses with more diversity have a stronger financial performance.

A plaque below the statue simply reads, “Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference.” Quickly she became a popular tourist attraction, being welcomed across the world as a representation of women’s rights.

The ‘Fearless Girl’ stands to face the “Charging Bull” statue. The Charging Bull was originally a temporary installation created by Italian artist Arturo Di Modica in 1989 to represent the strength and backbone of America. It soon became an iconic feature for Wall Street and supporters of the ‘Fearless Girl’ are hoping to see the same outcome. Since her installment, more than 28,000 people have signed a petition to keep her there.

And there she will stay, at least for the next year. She knows adversity, it was taught to her as it was taught to her mother and her grandmother – her sisters. Her wisdom has been gained thru years of patience but her determination is what will win the battle.

Waiting, daring, hoping. The bull is not her opponent, it never was. Perhaps better to see the bull for what he represents. Male dominance, aggressiveness, power. These three words represent the US workforce. A workforce which encompasses both men and women. So how can it be that women only earn 78 cents for every dollar a man earns? The percentage of female CEO’s in Fortune 500 companies is as low as 4%. On Wall Street, a mere 10% of female professionals are on the trading floor. These numbers are brutal to the core, yet honest. They are the horns of the bull bucking and bruising.

The ‘Fearless Girl’ stature clearly stating we will no longer be the bull, chasing the same piece of red cloth. We choose to be the matador, we choose to be the ‘Fearless Girl’. She is the one that stands defiant, determined, and destined. She is the one staring history in the face and speaking volumes for the millions of women behind her, beside her and ahead of her.

-Haley Corkery │ Public Relations Specialist

Sources: http://fortune.com/2016/06/06/women-ceos-fortune-500-2016/

April 3, 2017

Please, Please Complain!

Ever since high school marketing courses, right up through college, you hear the stories of the “silent customer.” Those individuals that purchase from businesses and when dissatisfied just quietly leave, never complain, simply just slip away. I always promised myself that I would never do that. As a business owner, I felt obligated to politely, but openly ask for a manager and share why I was unhappy and give them a chance to correct the situation. After all, if we as managers and owners don’t know there is a problem, how do we make it right and keep our customers and clients coming back?

Well, I was horrified this weekend to realize, that I have in fact, become a statistic. That percentage of the population that just quietly moves on.

It all started at a local retail store in our mall. I picked up some active wear as the sign said 70% off. I thought, “It is getting warmer out. These will be great for walking the dog.” I also grabbed a pair of earrings, marked 25% off. When I stepped forward to the counter to make my purchase I was informed that neither of the items was on sale and that someone must have put the wrong signs out. I just smiled, said that I understood and explained that I would not be purchasing anything after all. The employee just said, “Ok.” Never offered to call a manager or walk over to check out the sign. As I was leaving, I thought, “This is my last time in this store. There is always something a little shifty about their sales.” And with that, I realized I was done. I won’t go back.

Over the last few months, I have walked away from several companies both with brick and mortar locations and online. Not once reaching out to “Chat” if I am on their website or ask for a supervisor if I am in a store.

Why? Several reasons:

I am in a rush. I don’t want to wait for someone to come from across the store and more likely than not, tell me what the employee has already shared.
I am frustrated that I really don’t see management on the floors anymore. Employees are stuck in the registers, or the lines are backed through the store and no management is in sight.
For that particular product or service, I am simply not brand loyal. I can easily go elsewhere for it. For brands I love, like Subaru, I may change dealers, but not brands.

So, how can we ensure our customers and clients feel comfortable telling us the negative stuff?

By making complaining easy. SHORT follow up surveys are fine. Don’t ask 15 questions that create more agitation. YELP has this mastered. Rate with stars and comment if you wish. AND, if you send out a survey, get back to your customers. Tell them that you read it, understood their point of view and what you plan to do to make things better. Then follow through.
Encourage clients to complain. Meet with each client during the year over coffee or lunch and ask, “What can we do better? How can we make your life easier? NEVER make excuses. Certainly, there are times when you cannot accommodate a customer’s request. Be honest and explain why you can’t meet that particular request, but offer an alternative. “I am sorry, I cannot meet with you in person every week as your company is across the country, but I will locate a very user friendly video program we can use, so we can talk face to face.”

As for me, I will try and do better. I likely won’t complain about all the missteps, not my style, but if I am at the point of no longer patronizing a business, I will stop, communicate and listen.

I really did want those earrings.

-Betsy McCloskey | Principal/Partner

January 30, 2017

The Road Less Traveled

I had a conversation with a young woman who had an interest in a job we had already filled, however not announced. During the meeting, she pounded really hard on the fact that she was a hard worker and got along with everyone. It hit me that I wouldn’t hire her even if the position was still open.

Why? She certainly said all the textbook answers. Except, I don’t hire people based on how many tasks they can get done. I hire people who can solve a problem. I hire thinkers more so than doers. And I don’t really want super agreeable people on the team. I want people that have an opinion and derail the direction once in awhile.

I think this younger generation has a tough road toward finding employment because they have been trained by Gen X parents and Boomer instructors who in our early years were taught to be robots. “Do your job and work longer hours than everyone else and you will get promoted. Then, on top of that, be agreeable all the time.” We, as the employer, then hire these young people because they are “like us” and then smack them for not bringing anything new to the table. They are caught in a vortex of having to say the traditional answers to win at an interview and then having to decide if they can fake being a robot for the next 5 years or let their true colors of being creative thinkers come out thus risk losing the job.

Just once, I personally would love to interview a Millennial that would say to me, “I am committed to doing good work, regardless of the job at hand. I am always professional but am comfortable disagreeing when I feel that the team should consider another direction or solution to secure a better end result. I will work the hours needed to do my best work, but I value my life balance.”

At the end of the day, the work has to get done. But BETTER work gets done when we take the factory mentality out of the team and insert a little entrepreneur DNA into the climate. That said, Millennials regardless of bright you are if you cannot complete the job at hand, you won’t survive. Very few companies can afford to have someone ponder new ideas 40 hours a week.

When people are allowed to create their own paths, new roads are built for the entire team to utilize. The goal is for everyone to show up at the same place in the end. But, when it comes to HOW everyone gets to end of the race….who cares? If I take a boat, and you drive a go cart and someone else rides a donkey, but we all cross the finish line on time, within budget and ensure we have a happy client, should the individual’s path to that end matter? I think not.

-Betsy McCloskey | Principal/Partner

October 3, 2016

Can You Have it All?

Work-Life Balance. Everyone wants it, but is it possible? Can you have the best of both worlds? That seems to be the million dollar question.

A Blur

I was engaged December 2015 and planning for an August 2016 wedding. No big deal. I knew what I wanted. Ask my now-husband. I knew my vendors, decorations, budget and I had a spreadsheet for everything. Literally everything. This preparation helped me coast January through June and enabled me to focus on my new career, months leading up to the wedding. I was riding the high of getting into the groove of my clients, loving what I was doing, all while knowing I was going to have an incredible wedding.

Boom. July came. Final decisions had to be made about the wedding, invitations had to go out, meetings with all of our vendors and payments were due, all at the same time new clients were coming on board demanding more of my attention. Plus, throw in there I still had to be a daughter, friend, and fiancée on top of it all. I’m young, healthy and knew I could power through it and be everything to everyone. Or so I thought.

While I believe there’s a work-life balance, it’s certainly not 50-50 and I don’t believe you can have it all. That’s right, I said it. I don’t believe you can have it all. During the month of July, I know my work slacked. I was turning in sub-par writings compared to my usual work. I was pushing deadlines and being stretched thin. I wasn’t focused nor was I giving my all to Plaid Swan. Plus, part of my personal life was slacking too. I was making excuses that I was “too-busy” to meet up with friends or go to dinner with my parents.

It was the first time in a long time I can remember feeling the self-induced stress. I was going to bed at 11:30 p.m. and naturally waking up at 3:00 a.m. My mind was filled with a never ending list of “to-dos”. Looking back on it, my life was a blur during July. I was focused on last minute wedding details, dress fittings, and honeymoon planning, rather than my career. It was also the first time I realized I can’t be everything to everyone.

Teeter-Totter Effect

The wedding has since come and gone and now I’m career focused. The work-life teeter-totter is now leaning the opposite direction. I still don’t have it all and I’m okay with that. I’m focused on furthering my career, so my personal life is on the back burner. While I still make time for friends and family, I’m saying no to happy-hours, dinners and vendor parties. Again, I’m okay with it.

1,440

I have a friend who has a demanding career, goes to school full-time, and practices yoga regularly, in addition to being a single mom. To top it off, she’s an exceptional friend that almost always reaches out first. How does she seem to balance everything, when I can’t? Life consumes us, but why do some people seem to manage their 1,440 minutes a day better than the rest of us?

“Too Busy” Theory

How does she seem to balance everything when I couldn’t? Well, I asked her. According to her there are two main things she focuses on.

Stop saying “too busy”. Everyone claims they’re “too busy” and we need to stop saying that. Will some things be hindered if we don’t spend another hour on them? But why keep putting off seeing a friend just to spend one more hour at work? Will that extra hour fulfill you in the long run as much as the genuine conversation? People say life is too short, and it truly is. If you’ve been thinking about someone for a while, there’s a reason. Reach out to them and stop being “too busy”.
Prioritizing doesn’t mean what’s due at work for clients, but what’s important to you. This will be an ever evolving and changing list throughout life. Everyone will go through phases when their priorities will change, but ask yourself how what you’re doing and working on will not only impact you today, but also three years from now.

She admitted that nothing is ever balanced and she always gives more to one aspect of her life. The teeter-totter of work and life will never be balanced. You won’t be everything to everyone at the same time and that’s okay. Life is about balance, prioritizing and a lot of dry shampoo.

-Brittani Wilson │ Public Relations Specialist

September 27, 2016

Career Paths

Over the weekend, I went home for my Mother’s birthday. I walked into the kitchen as my mom was talking about her day. She was excited that the student in her 2^nd grade class who licks her feet, had worn tennis shoes so she couldn’t do any licking that day. Another student had two “accidents” during the 8-hour school day; Happy birthday Mrs. Swoboda!

As my mom laughed her day off, I started to think about how I ended up choosing my course of study, when I had gone my entire youth imagining a completely different future.

At the beginning of my college career, if you had asked me what I wanted to do someday I would not have been able to answer you. However, at the start of high school, I would have said, “I want to be a teacher, like my mom!” Then, throughout those four years, I spent time in my mom’s classroom doing tasks like grading papers and working with students. Shortly after, I realized that going to school every day to work with young kids was not something that I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Coming to that realization was scary. I had no idea where to go next. I always had a picture in my head that I would somehow just know what I wanted to do with my future when the time came. I would simply go off to college and live happily ever after.

At Loras College I started off as an undecided major. While the path of knowing exactly what you want to pursue as a major is in the cards for some people, others like myself have to learn through trial and error. Going to college while still undecided as to what to study for the next four years was really overwhelming. Being undecided about my future has forced me to say “yes” to more learning opportunities outside of the classroom.

Once at college, I had discovered an interest in business. I did some time as an intern working in finance. I learned a lot during that internship; the main one being that finance was not for me. Thankfully that experience was early on in my college career so I was able to choose a different direction with my classes. Without that hands-on opportunity, I may have made some false assumptions about careers in that field. The internship gave me the opportunity to test drive that career path before committing to it.

The next semester, I took Principles of Marketing. I was intrigued by the material, projects, discussions and assignments. At first, I was hesitant because of how I had taken a liking to finance only to learn I did not want to pursue it. I found an internship in social media and marketing to test the water. That internship opened my eyes to all the things I had yet to learn about marketing and I found I was excited to go to work every day. The marketing classes that I had enrolled in were project heavy and did not include many writing assignments. In my internship, I had to write for the monthly newsletters, create content for social media and learn to write on a deadline. These were excellent skill sets to learn!

Internships are an important opportunity for young college adults. They provide the setting for learning about personal strengths and weaknesses and how to apply yourself in a hands-on environment. Going into college undecided was scary, but ultimately something I look back on feeling grateful for. The internships I have experienced all guided me toward something I truly enjoy.

Choosing a major in college is what you study over four years. What you choose as a career is what you study for the rest of your life. It plays an enormous role in whether you end up working at a job or with a passion. I am committed to do what I am passionate about and love the process of figuring it out.

Share your experiences with interns in our comment section! And don’t for get to subscribe to the Plaid Swan blog here.

– Katie Swoboda │ Business Development Coordinator Intern

September 26, 2016

The Road to Expansion

Is your business ready to expand? How do you know for sure if the time is right? If business levels are up, will they stay up?

Expanding your business is a scary decision to make. With all the changes coming down the pike that will increase health insurance costs, workers comp, and now the new mandate concerning altering exempt and non-exempt statuses, many companies are simply choosing not to grow. Understandable. However, not growing may mean becoming obsolete or even the loss of business, due to being unable to serve your customers. There really isn’t a black and white answer.

For me, I sincerely, believe the company tells me when it is time. I notice that my team is becoming stretched a little too thin; people are coming in earlier and leaving later and they are eating lunch at their desk or not at all. This is all fine if it is due to a one and done project, but when I see it becoming the new norm, I begin to pay attention.

There are plenty of ways to expand a business. The simplest form of expansion is to purchase new equipment or develop new services to cast a larger net and reach a new client segment. At Plaid Swan, we chose to expand our business to new customers by introducing a new location.

There are many things to consider before expanding. In our case, we researched some of our competitors and other like companies, to determine if they had succeeded or failed in opening a new location and why. For most, they opened an alternative location, but never really got off the ground.

Our path to a new location included laying a lot of groundwork. Here are a few steps we took:

1) Develop a client base in the new market prior to expansion. This results in a lot of travel, time and expense, but the new location will be profitable on day one. For our company, this was a 2 year process.

2) Network in the new community to test the waters on how they treat “outsiders.” Again, a lot of time, travel and expense, but we were welcomed immediately by the business community and have a great support system in place.

3) Hire a very connected, networked business development person that knows the playing field. We needed someone that came with established credibility and moved in CEO circles in that market. We found her.

4) Layout a formal culture plan. We had to determine how the new location will function in line with our current operation and become part of the culture. They have to be incorporated in to the long term relationship ties of the current team. We plan to rotate team members, allowing for current staff to work at the new site at least 2 days a month. This will allow for coffees, lunches and conversation as well as mentoring and support.

5) We leaned on our client base in the new market to help with the transition. We have fantastic clients. Early on, we informed them of our intention to expand in to their community and they stepped up to suggest new leads, make introductions, help us find office space etc. They literally appointed themselves as our Welcome Wagon and we love them for it.

6) Leadership Impact: This was a big one for both myself and my business partner and was discussed more than any other hurdle to moving forward. While we are no longer working the 80 weeks we did as a startup, our hours are still pretty extreme. The question had to be asked. “Will this expansion bring unavoidable stress into our life that could potentially derail one or both of us due to burnout?” The answer was “no” if we continue to hire the same type of leaders we have been. It really came down to whether or not our current team would survive the madness. And we instantly knew that they would. They always seem to step up when we need them.

Change is always a little scary and change that involves expansion is just simply a lot of hard work, while also being exciting. But, as most things in business it is all about calculated risk. After you feel you have done your due diligence all you can really do is jump. See you on the other side!

betsybestheadshot -Betsy McCloskey | Principal/Partner

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