Quick Lift: Build Your Circle, Own Your Growth

0:00 Welcome to Loud and Lifted Quick Lifts, the bite -size boost you didn't know you needed. I'm your host, Betsy Hamm, and today we're throwing it back to my conversation with the amazing Margaret Miller. And we're zeroing in on a few key takeaways from the episode with action items that you can implement this week, and we're going to talk about it all in less than 10 minutes. The first key takeaway from the conversation with Margaret is you need a support system and it starts at home. Margaret talked about how her husband had her back from day one. He gave her the confidence to move forward and want to open her own business. We all need cheerleaders. Now, maybe you don't want to open your own business, but maybe you are having a rough day or maybe you're not sure if you should apply for a new opportunity or new promotion. We need those cheerleaders in our lives. It can be husbands, it can be friends, it can be your mom, but make sure you have somebody who is rooting for you, especially when you're not rooting for yourself. The other part of a support system besides the cheerleader is just the general support. Now, this looks different for all of us, and especially at different stages in our lives. When you have young kids, your support system needs to be somebody who is watching your kids so you can go to work, whether it's reliable daycare or babysitter, or maybe you're lucky enough to have a parent who watches your kids. But we need support. And it goes beyond just the kids and running them to sporting events and activities or making sure they get to their

1:31 volleyball practice. This just continues to evolve. But you also need to take a look at your life and figure out what can you outsource. Now, outsourcing can mean buying all of your groceries online and having them delivered. Big fan of that. It can mean ordering. everything and anything on Amazon or it can just mean even something as amazing as having the ability to hire a cleaning lady. We all need support and it again looks different depending on our situation in our life but take a look and figure out how you can have better support and especially when it comes to your spouse. You know oftentimes I feel like we're just afraid or we don't want to show weakness so we don't ask our spouse for support when it could be something as simple as unload the flipping dishwasher. Please pick up the clothes, put the clothes in the dryer, whatever it is, am I talking from personal experience maybe, but ask for help.

2:22 Sometimes we get so overwhelmed, we need to ask for help, whether it's from our partners, heck, our kids, as your kids get older, your family members or your friends. So action item here, if you already have the cheerleader and you have the support in your life, thank them. That's so amazing, you're so lucky. But if you don't have the support or the cheerleader in your life, is it because you're not asking them? Are you not leaning into them? So take an inventory of those who you're surrounding yourself with and figure out is there opportunity to lean in more to them? Or do we need to expand that support around you? Maybe it's your neighbors. Neighbors also can be a really amazing support system. But take a look, determine if you have the right people around you. And sometimes you just have to ask. The next key takeaway is building your circle intentionally. Circles don't just happen, you have to build them and they take time and effort. Margaret said she's working on her circle when it comes to small business owners in her community and it takes time and it takes sometimes something really small as just sending a text or reaching out on social media. Maybe it's cheering for them, maybe it's asking them for coffee, but it takes effort on your part to create circles.

3:35 And if you do have circles, that's awesome, or a circle, make sure you're in the right circle. I cringe when I hear women talk about their friends not cheering for them or not rooting for them or not supporting them. You have to surround yourself with people who have your back and are willing to support you. Kind of goes back to the first part of needing that support system. So take a look at your circle around you, whether you're in a corporate environment, you're a small business owner. See, take inventory, see who you have. And if you have amazing circles, that's awesome. But even when those circles are created, they take work. It again, takes effort of sending the text to the group and saying, hey, who wants to grab drinks after work tonight? Or when you see that maybe somebody in your circle has something amazing happening, maybe they received an award, sending a text to not just them, but also to the group so everybody can cheer and congratulate that. So action item for this week, send a text, schedule coffee, comment with a heart, but just start the conversation and start building or strengthening your circle today. Next key takeaway, growth takes grit. Overnight success doesn't exist. It's a myth that sometimes now is sold more by media social media highlight reel Margaret talked about building a brand from scratch and she got the confidence by starting slowly and small by just selling for another clothing company But then it took time and patience and effort and things didn't always go her own way But she continued to persevere and move forward even

5:05 when she wasn't really sure And even when you start to accomplish your goals, you don't get to stop there. You continue to grow and have new challenges that you're going to have to persevere. Also, when you're looking to start something new or maybe apply for a new job or promotion, we have this idea at times that everything has to be figured out and everything has to be perfect. So we get paralyzed and we don't want to take the first step. Well, having it all figured out is just not. realistic and I use the podcast as an example since that was recent for me something I talked about for a really long time had some ideas but I thought everything had to be perfectly aligned and everything had to be completely fleshed out before I can move forward and that's crazy So I just had to start taking small steps and eventually just put an episode out there and I'll continue to grow and evolve and get better as I move forward. Oh, and by the way, I also could not have done this without the support.

6:00 So I have the right people supporting me to be able to pull this off on a bi -weekly basis. Action item today for growth takes grit. Set one tiny goal toward whatever you're building. Take action, take the first step. It doesn't have to be perfect, but just start moving. And our last key takeaway is lead with authenticity and vulnerability. Real always wins. Margaret doesn't hide the hard parts even today and that's why people trust her. That's why her community and her clients trust her and that's why her team loves her. She's very open and honest about the challenges and continues to move forward. She also talked about that words matter more than you think So whether it's what you're saying to your co -workers or to your friends and also what you're saying about yourself Think about what you're saying and think about if you're building somebody or something up or you're breaking it down Action item here is very easy. Tell someone you appreciate them. You need them and you're thankful for them Margaret talked about reaching out to her team when she was thinking of them and just said thanks. Thanks for being amazing Thanks for being awesome. So this is a super easy action item There are our key takeaways.

7:10 I have to be honest, this week maybe are the easiest. Sometimes I think we're going to talk about these action items and you might not have the opportunity to act on it. It might take a few weeks or maybe months, but these action items, you're in control of every single one of these and you can do them today. Okay, fine. I'll give you like the week, but you can easily make progress and check these off your list very quickly. They're so easy. You're in control. So please don't. waste time and at least get one checked off your list today. Ask for help. Make sure you have the right support. Work on building your circle or strengthening one that you already have. Take action and tell someone that you're thankful for them. Margaret reminded us circles aren't found, they're built. Brands that matter aren't manufactured, they're felt. So today, start building.

7:59 One conversation, one action, one real moment at a time. Thanks for turning into quick lifts. If you haven't listened to Margaret's episode, go check out episode three now. If this sparks something in you, please don't keep it to yourself. Share it with the women in your circle. Subscribe, leave a review, and keep coming back for more lifts and more bold moves. Until next time, keep rising and keep lifting.