SDH 114: Scrappy to Savvy & Everything In Between, Live Episode With Michael Donnelly
Check out the Facebook LIVE via Women's Entrepreneur right here!
You are an entrepreneur, or either want to be one, need to be one. Maybe you have or someday will experience the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, because face it behind the glamorous Instagram pictures and bad ass client that you've acquired and shared about on Facebook, entrepreneurship is not easy.
There are going to be times when the simplest achievement, like making your first profit off of your product or services, feels like you've won the lotto. Because entrepreneurship isn't always about obtaining that awesome client or getting featured on Forbe's 30 under 30. Sometimes you have to get a little scrappy before you reach savvy.
Today's guest, Michael Donnelly, lives by her scrappy to savvy mantra. She is the CEO of Brandless and shares some boss insight in front of She Did It Her Way's first ever live audience!
In this episode you will..
Establish the benefits of collaborating
Identify the hardships of being part of a startup with multiple partners
Understand the difficulties of prioritizing work over relationships
Hear Michael's process of what to say "yes" to & what to say "no" to
Listen to Michael's toughest conversation she's had as CEO
Discover where Michael's experienced the most growth as an entrepreneur
RESOURCES:
VentureFWD (For Women & Diversity)
"Everyone Poops" by Taro Gomi
"Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki & Sharon Lechter
"Girl Boss" by Sophia Amoruso
INSIGHTS:
“At Brandless, it’s not about our brand it’s about the brands we represent. We are your brand’s blank canvas.”- Michael Donnelly
“A lot of people want to do events, and don’t know how to, and shouldn’t. It’s one of those weird marketplaces where everybody can but it’s complicated.”- Michael Donnelly
“The highs are so high and the lows are so low, and everything that a normal person understands as reality is completely different than what an entrepreneur’s reality is.” -Michael Donnelly
“When you make $1,000 it’s like you made $100,000 some days because that little win can change your entire life.”-Michael Donnelly
“Other people’s livelihoods are in your hands and you’re trying to keep in mind your own professional goals but then understand that their professional goals are tied to your vision and there’s a level of responsibility.”-Michael Donnelly
“The tricky part for early stage entrepreneurship for startups is having the guts to say 'no' to certain clients and certain dollars when you know that you need them and then really putting your head down and striving to partner and engage with the clients that make you feel good, the clients that take you to the next level as an individual, as a company, as a group.”- Michael Donnelly
“You really have to feel it, because if you don’t the client can tell, you can tell, you do mediocre work and that doesn’t turn into the referral and client partnerships that you want long term.”-Michael Donnelly
“Anytime there’s a hard conversation talk about the facts, talk about the logical pieces of it and then see how we could connect it.”-Michael Donnelly
“As an entrepreneur there’s not a lot of checks and balances. It’s kind of the wild, wild West. You’re trying to grow something, you’re trying to build something and it’s a matter of he said she said.”-Michael Donnelly
“The main point is remembering to be true to your values, remembering to do the work that you promised to do, under-promise and over-deliver because at the end of the day you’ll win, you’ll get there, you’ll make it.”-Michael Donnelly
“I used to be very reactive and very defensive.. But I’ve learned to take a few steps back when people say things to me, especially in the position that I’m in because I need to understand where they’re coming from with those questions.”-Michael Donnelly
“During the hard times, there has to be that force that’s driving you.”-Michael Donnelly
“Save money. Save as much as you can before you make the jump, because it goes very quickly and is something that makes it all a lot harder, when you don’t have it available and you don’t have it readily working.”-Michael Donnelly
“Be scrappy until you can be savvy and figure out how to connect all the dots in between and make that a picture that everybody is excited about.”-Michael Donnelly
