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Looking for inspiration, insightful advice, and a supportive community to help you navigate your business journey?
The Carolina Women's Collective is your one-stop shop. This biweekly podcast, hosted by Booth Parker, features interviews with a powerful network of female entrepreneurs and business leaders, sharing their inspiring stories, actionable advice, and industry expertise.
Whether you're a entreprenuer just starting out or a seasoned company executive, this show has something for you.
Expect inspiring stories, actionable advice, expertise from many industries, and a supportive community. To hear more from us, subscribe to the podcast, follow us on Instagram, and sign up for our events through our website.
[00:00:00]
Booth: Today on the Carolina Women's Collective Podcast, I am joined by Karen Albritton.
Karen has built quite the resume throughout her career. Some highlights include executive leadership roles with professional services firms, including Ketchum, Capstrat, and McKinney. Karen has been a part of several acquisitions of privately held businesses, both as an acquirer and seller.
Karen also serves on numerous boards, including UNC Health Foundation, International Women's Forum of the Carolinas, the American Marketing Association, National Association of Corporate Directors, [00:01:00] and William Peace University. She is a sought after speaker and has spoken at events for such companies as Credit Suisse.
Siemens and Cotton Incorporated. Karen is now an advisor for ThinkStrategy, a highly successful business consulting firm that focuses on insightful strategies that deliver measurable results. Whew! So many amazing things. Welcome to the podcast today, Karen.
Karen: Thank you. I'm, I'm excited to be here.
Booth: So, you recently spoke at our inaugural summit, and you did a session called Crucial Conversations.
And we received such great feedback from our attendees, and I'm so excited to dive into this topic with you here today, because you are an expert at it. One thing that I learned very quickly from you is that you value communication and networks as keys for growth and success. Could you share about how communication and [00:02:00] networks have guided your professional journey?
Karen: Sure. I grew up in the communications industry from ad agencies, PR firms, digital marketing. So, in a way, all I've done for my entire career is, um, is talk for a living or communicate for a living. and so often I find that communications can be the key To engagement, whether that is, um, with a network or with a stakeholder group, like a board of directors or a community group.
and so, for me, that's been a consistent theme is is how can what's the story here? That we're trying to tell, and how can we do that? it's always been a theme in terms of my career. Like, what is this next step? Say, what is the story there that I'm telling?
So that's 1 thing. And then there's the 2nd thing when you, when you talk about building a network, I would say that my progress in building a network, um, Um, Really came relatively late in my career and quite by [00:03:00] necessity. So we had a situation and the agency I was with where, um, one of the people who was primarily responsible for new business and for for networking for the agency went to do something else.
I had been behind the scenes, I didn't have to have a network and I liked that, you know, and then all of a sudden I had to, I had to build that network and, and so, you know, I went to school on it. I learned from people who, um, who I respected, who had built great communities and were, were very active in their, in their networks.
Booth: That is fantastic. So. What networking strategies would you recommend for women who are either, like, just starting their careers? Maybe they've relocated. Maybe they just got thrown into a new job where they need to grow a network like that. So what are some, some strategies you have used?
Karen: Well, I think 1st of all, what you just said is start with a plan.
Like, why are you networking? And that seems a blinding glimpse of the [00:04:00] obvious, but but really, what are you? What are you trying to accomplish? Is it sales leads? Maybe? Maybe not. It may be your, you're looking for that next spot in your career journey. It could be. You need to find, um, strategic partners for your business, or maybe you need to recruit and hire.
So start with that, that game plan. And then it helps if you know what your brand is going to be in the community. You know, how are you going to position yourself in your network? What are you going to bring to it? And then, you know, how are you going to fill your network? How are you going to meet people?
One of the main. Tools that I've used, um, throughout it's been helpful, both in, um, building my brand and also in building my network is just getting involved. I've been very active in my industry associations, like the American Marketing Association and, um, uh, PRSA and council. Academy and other other groups like that, and more than joining, if you're going to be in an organization [00:05:00] volunteer, that's been the best tool for me, not only in terms of building my network, but also in terms of having something to bring to it.
So, you know, if you're if you're on the committee to get speakers, it's a, it's a great thing to call up somebody and say, hey, would you speak or hey, would you come to this event? So, um, that's, that's, you know, that's 1 of the main strategies that I've used to, to build my relationships.
Booth: That is fantastic.
Fantastic advice. What are some common challenges women face in building professional networks and what are some ways they can overcome them?
Karen: That's a great question. 1 is having a seat at the table. So I happen to be at a great visioning session yesterday. business organization, and, um, I may have been 1 of 1, 2, [00:06:00] 3, 4, maybe 4.
Women in the room and, um, and, and it's a, it's a very progressive group. that's not, that's not to say anything about that group, but sometimes having that exposure and having, having that seat at the table can be a barrier. You know, when you look at chambers of commerce, they almost always want the chief executive or the business owner, and we're still in a, in a situation where women are not equal in terms of the number of.
Of CEO roles. So 1 challenge that women face is just having that seat at the table and some of those important meetings or events where you could build a network and you could, um, elevate your brand. 1 way, you know, that I've found to get around that, um, I guess a couple of things. 1st of all, is I've had great allies, great advocates for me who were men.
Um, my former business partner, and [00:07:00] he was CEO of our firm before I became CEO. You know, he went to our local chamber and he said, listen, you know, I'm not going to be on the executive committee anymore. You need more diversity. You. You this this, you know, and and you need to have maybe the number 2 person in an organization on that committee.
So 1 way women can can achieve is to have great allies. And another again, um, is is is simply to get is that involvement is to find a way to, um, to bring something of value to do that.
Booth: That is great. Yeah, I came from a very male dominated industry in that that seat at the table, or and when you get it, you're usually the only 1 or 1 of a few is is definitely is definitely a challenge and can be a little intimidating to overcome.
So that was fantastic. And as I mentioned in the intro, and you also kind of touched on it as well, you've served on a lot of boards. You continue to serve on a lot of boards. [00:08:00] How have these roles influenced your networking opportunities?
Karen: 1st of all, I will say all of those boards and all those volunteer opportunities, um, have just been great professional development opportunities.
So I have learned and gotten smarter because of the exposure that I've gotten, um, to, to, to different organizations, you know. When you're in a business, and I've worked for, I didn't jump around a lot in my career. So, you know, I had exposure to different business situations from our company standpoint, but being in those in those board roles helped me learn about different types of a business challenges.
And I would say that board roles definitely. Um, you know, my peers on those boards, um, created opportunities for me to, to learn and expand my network. Um, um, you know, I would also say that when I've consulted to board, so part of what I've done in a couple of situations is I've [00:09:00] been a, um, we, we facilitate strategic planning for boards of directors and, you know, that has been another way that I have have, uh, Created and been able to nurture some great relationships.
So, um, then then a lot of those board opportunities have created the chance for me to be a speaker at events at work or meet speakers, you know, intro somebody. And so I've gotten to meet some incredible people and through through those.
Booth: Yeah, I've, I've really enjoyed serving on boards and I agree you can meet so many just dynamic people doing that.
But that being said, when I was younger and 1st, starting out, I had this mentality that I think a lot of young people do that only older people sit on boards and I'm 47 and I put myself in the older people category by saying that. But. How can professionals, especially the younger professionals, [00:10:00] seek out opportunities to serve on boards?
Karen: I agree with you. I think that in many cases, boards are looking for a certain type of and level of experience. Now, having said that, I do find that when you get into, maybe not national boards, but regional boards. They're looking. There, there are boards that are gonna be, actually doing some of the, the heavy lifting, some of the work.
So one of the, one of the early boards that I was on was the local chapter board for the American Marketing Association in the Triangle. they were always hungry for volunteers and hungry for board directors but it was a working board. And I think that's an important thing for you to, suss out when you are looking at these opportunities.
What what is it going to require of you? And are you passionate about it? Are you going to commit to it? So, um, I think if you find a working board where you can use your talents,that's a great way to start and build your [00:11:00] board resume in that way.
Booth: That is fantastic advice. Yeah, I think I think there's a, a mixed signal from a lot of boards, whether or not you'll have to be boots on the ground and work a lot or if it's just an hour, once a quarter.
And so finding out the involvement level, and if it's the right fit, that's a great advice or which ones you seek out. Now, there is a big difference between casual acquaintance type relationships and true authentic relationships. So how can professionals cultivate genuine and lasting relationships for their network rather than just a brief intro and yes, I've met that person type relationship?
Karen: Exactly. I think that's a great point. And, and, um, you know. You want your, your networking to produce relationships. You're not looking for transactions. And there's a really fundamental difference in that. Um, so [00:12:00] part of that goes to nurturing that relationship from the outset. And it always starts with me before I ask somebody to do something for me is what can I do for you?
And that's really how you build influence. How you build influence is not it. Your, your job title, or your, your role, or your Rolodex, or any of those things, it is really, um, What, what are you doing? What are you contributing to your network? So I always start with, what can I do for you? And, and, and that's a way that, um, that you make it more about relationships.
I, I think there's a big question. in building a network about how deep you go, do you have a few very valuable relationships or do you have a lot? Um, I've been blessed. I mean, um, you know, with, I think, with social media and with just the length of my career, I have. A lot of relationships and, and, um, and they don't always stay active all the time, but, you know, I [00:13:00] spend some time saying, hey, I haven't reached out to this person in a while.
So, um, there are tools for that of somebody in my network, Jess Lipson, he, um, he created a tool called Levitate, which is a personal relationship management software. It's not a CRM, it's a PRM and it helps, um. It helps people who and professionals who need to maintain a lot of relationships continuously touch base with that network there.
I mean, we've got so many tools now with social media and that you can do that a lot better
Booth: for sure. Absolutely. I know their social media does have it's it's pros. So we have to. Use them how we can, right? So many professionals, especially starting out or younger, are looking for mentors. Can you discuss the importance of mentorship and professional development and how 1 can effectively?
Seek out and establish that [00:14:00] mentor mentee relationship with someone.
Karen: Yes. Um, I genuinely, I generally found my mentors in my, in my career. I mean, with the companies that I worked with, I realized not everybody can do that. I also think I, I did it informally and some other of these in these organizations that I was a part of.
So those were a couple of good places and good sources for mentors for me. believe you have to be realistic with someone who's going to mentor you about again, what are you expecting out of the relationship? And I also think you have to make it easy for that person. So. What are you expecting? How are you going to interact?
You know, if you, if you're, if I'm going to mentor you, I don't want to chase you. I want you to come to me with a set up. This is what my challenges are. how can you help me here? how can you advise me and also make it clear what, what you're asking for from the mentor?
Is it simply advice? You know, are you looking for [00:15:00] them to review, you know, Content or your resume or things like that? Or are you looking for introductions? Um, and make sure there's agreement on what that relationship will look like
Booth: that. It's great. Some parameters for the relationship that will definitely help keep it on track.
For sure. So, coven. And the rise of work from home, the rise of digital platforms have really limited a lot of in person communication. And so how can individuals effectively network online and still maintain that authenticity we were talking about? And also along the digital lines, how do you see AI changing the way we network and communicate?
Karen: Two questions. I'm going to tackle the first one. think you need to make a strategy for for digital networking just in the same way. You would have made a strategy when you had the opportunity to be in person. How are you going to make those [00:16:00] introductions in a way?
That's authentic. 1 of the things that I think may be underutilized is starting with your existing network is reaching out and saying. You know, hey, I see, you know, X, would you make an introduction? I mean, it's a big ask and sometimes people won't do it, but, but those can be, I think, much more substantive and, um, much more thoughtful relationships when it's built from a warm introduction, as opposed to just somebody that you meet, I do think that we are beyond covid, we are beyond digital networking.
And there are events you have to make the effort to do that. You know, we see that with CWC, you know, you have to go be in person. Think about how much better it is when we're in person versus when we have a networking call, right? So. Make the investment and make the time to do it. And, um, and when you get when you get those event opportunities, do your homework research, [00:17:00] who's going to be there, make a plan for who you want to meet and have your, your, um.
Your materials ready and for me, that includes is it a business card? I still carry business cards. I have a QR code that says this is how you link in with me. And, um, and, and, you know, I also follow up, you know, so what is it that I'm going to do afterwards? I'm going to go everybody that I saw and met.
I'm going to connect with them on LinkedIn. I'm going to send follow up emails if I, if I committed to do that. So, yeah. Even in this digital age, I would say, um, in person isn't done. You just got to invest in doing it. Oh, now, AI. Well, I think, first of all, I think AI has, in some ways, always been already been affecting how we network.
Um, you know, we are constantly served up online. Who should we be meeting? You know, who else is in your type of role or, um, [00:18:00] who else is is like a person that you just connected with? Um, I think I will, um, will help us a lot with follow up. Um, it, you know, there will be digital virtual assistance that will automatically come to me every day and say, Karen, who do you need to follow up with today?
It'll, it'll help me with my network. It'll help me add more value to my network in that way. Um, and I think it'll continue to build those, um, those pathways to people that we could be in conversation with either, um, to help our business or to help theirs.
Booth: That's great. That's a very, that's a great way to look at the pros of AI.
We keep hearing how, you know, all the negatives. It seems like that's all the news talks about, but that is definitely a really good pro to consider. Yeah. Um, many women juggle multiple roles work. Family, kids, all those things. How can [00:19:00] they effectively manage time to prioritize networking without that overwhelm?
A lot of this, the, you know, the in person events sometimes are in the evenings and stuff, and it makes it hard. So how do you prioritize which ones make it on your calendar?
Karen: Well, so I would, I would say two, two strategies for that. First of all, your personal life makes you a richer person. It makes you more interesting.
And, and, and, and a lot of networking happens in those personal situations. And, and that's. Men and women, um, I have a client that I've worked with for the last couple of years who has rebuilt. He moved to a new market and he had to establish a completely new network there. And a big part of his network has been people that he met, um, on the sidelines of a baseball field while he was watching his kids play, play sports.
And I think women can do that very [00:20:00] naturally too. So, 1st of all, I wouldn't set a fine line between your personal networking and your professional networking. I think personal networking is valuable to, um, the second thing is just be smart about how you use that time. Um, one of the, I mentioned that I sort of went to school on networking and one of the people that I admired who did a great job of it, he would for events, he would go early and he would leave early.
He would go in, he would walk through, see everybody he wanted to see, and he would leave. He wouldn't even stay for the speaker or the, or the dinner. he had young kids. He had to get home. Um, and, and, and I think we, as women think, boy, we got to be there and we got to be there till the end.
Maybe you don't, um, just, you know, do what you need to do and then move to the next thing.
Booth: That is great. We, we tend to feel guilty real easily, and that's great advice right there.
Karen: Yeah.
Booth: So you were just talking about personal relationships and networking also being important. So, [00:21:00] how valuable is it to continue to build networks outside of 1's primary industry? How can that kind of help you if you're reaching out to these other industries that are kind of outside of what you do every day?
How does that kind of come back full circle? I
Karen: think it comes back full circle in, in multiple ways. One way is, um, is you stand out, you are special or different in that, in that environment. I mentioned, you know, I've been a part of the, the board for the UNC Health Foundation. Prior to that, I was on the Children's Hospital Board of Advisors and, in that world, I, I was the only marketing person.
I was the only person, so I I stood out and, and I got to meet different people from different industries and, different walks of life. so that that's 1 way that that helps. And I think finding those interests that you're passionate about that are not necessarily your work, whether that's health care or, or the arts or, or education.
All of those things, I believe, can [00:22:00] can help you build a more well rounded network. And then the second thing, um, your experience there, your exposure there, I think it brings a lot back to your business and also back to your community because you're plugged in all of those different groups.
Booth: And then it just keeps helping you expand others works as well.
So for sure. So what do you have some top tips for sustaining and expanding your professional network long term? So you obviously don't want these relationships to be. Very short term. So how do you go about making sure it's long term and then continuing to nurture that long term relationship?
Karen: Well, I'm, I'm older than you are, so I have some relationships that I have had for, um, for decades and, um, I would say the 1st thing is,Don't shy away from that long term relationship. I had a conversation yesterday with a former coworker that I hadn't talked to in [00:23:00] years. We, we had, we knew of each other and what we were doing because of social media, but we worked together for 9 years. And we, and she picked up the phone and called me and it was a delight.
There was a reason that we needed to talk. She needed to talk to me, but it was, It was great catching up and and I think too often we think, oh, I haven't spoken to that person. You know, they're probably busy, you know, they may not remember me as well as I do or, you know, whatever I would say. The 1st thing is is.
Don't walk away from those relationships. If there's someone that you haven't talked to that you want to talk to that comes across, you know, your feed or your, your, your thought, um, reach out, send them a note. Hey, just thinking of you. And, and I do a lot of that. I'll do a lot of, Hey, you've been on my, you've been on my mind or you've been on my heart.
What's, you know, hope you're hope you're doing well. That's it. Um, you don't have to, it doesn't have to be any more substantial than that. I also tried to do some things that are pretty [00:24:00] efficient in my network and so that's where being in organizations like the International Women's Forum, which has been a great place for me to invite other women to be a part of that.
And so I can reach out to them. I can see them. I can, you know, I can do that. my American Marketing Association friends, same thing. If I go back to an event, I get to reconnect with a lot of people. So I use events. As ways to touch a lot of people who have been in my network for a long time,
Booth: I like that.
And it is nice just to send that short little note. I've been I've been thinking about you. It doesn't always have to be about. The next transaction or business long thing. So that's great. Great point. Do you have any favorite topics or general questions that are great conversation starters when networking?
Karen: What's new? Uh, you know, I always like to, I always like to give somebody an opportunity to say what's new and I always ask my clients or tell my clients when they're going to an event, [00:25:00] be ready to answer that question. What's new? Um, and and so that that gives that's an open platform. It can be personal.
It can be professional. You know, a lot of people say, how's business? Well, you know, I mean, you may not want to talk about that, but if you say what's new, you, you've got a pretty, pretty wide open canvas there.
Booth: You do, but you need to be prepared to listen so that you can engage back. That is that's a good open ended question for people to lead it the way they want to talk.
So that's fantastic. So women, especially, and I know I've been guilty of this. We oftentimes want to ignore the much needed hard conversations. So why is it important to have the hard conversations up front? And do you have some advice for going about initiating those hard conversations?
Karen: Yes, um, so, 1st of all, make it a conversation, not an email.[00:26:00]
Um, and, um, and no matter how hard that conversation, how hard you think it's going to be, it's not going to be as hard or as bad as it is in your head. So go into it with it's going to be better. And then, um. And then 1 of my best tips is to go ahead and start off and say, this may be a tough conversation or this.
This may be a little bit awkward or whatever. Just something a little caveat going in that that that sets it up. And then, um, you know, I think it's better to say it to get out exactly what you want to say, um, to to to say, here's here's what we need to talk about. Um,
Booth: And clear the air and do you like, you need to kind of set someone up and as time to make sure that it's a good time or do you just kind of start the conversation?
Karen: No, I would I would typically like to, um, like, like to say, Hey, can we can we talk? Um, I need a [00:27:00] few minutes of your time. And it's just a good time, you know, I wouldn't hit him hit him blindside on that, you know, and and similarly, I sent a text to 1 of my girls today saying, hey, give me a call on the on your way home to tonight.
And I put no reason at the end. I just, we just hadn't talked this week and I was just going to catch up. I know she'd be driving and I, I don't want her to say, oh, what, what, what do we need to talk about? You know, um,
Booth: so.
Karen: Yeah, what's wrong? Yeah, there's no, there's no news. I just, hey, give me a call. You know,
Booth: yeah, I'm glad I couldn't get text messages in high school because I would always been like, what did I do?
So
Karen: exactly. Exactly. Exactly. But, but I think, um, you know, setting up that call, preparing what you want to say. You know, what is it that you want to say? Um, what is the outcome that you want from that? Um, and then, of course, the environment, you know, whether it's, it's zoom or whether it's a phone call, or whether it's an in person meeting, um, and, um, and then, you know, make your make your few [00:28:00] points of what you want to cover.
Booth: That is great advice. All right, I'm going to do that in my next hard conversation. I need to get it done.
Karen: Yep.
Booth: Okay. You have been in numerous high level roles, which means you have been surrounded by other bright, successful, driven men and women. How do you find your place amongst those coworkers, so to speak, to make the relationships the most successful for all?
Karen: I feel like a, this is where I feel like a fraud answering this question because I, um, am now at a point in my career where I, you know, I'm, I'm more of a consulting role, so I'm not, not managing people and, um, and I get to reflect back on all the mistakes I made. Um, so, and I, I did this yesterday with my former colleague.
I, I would, um. Just first of all, say that man, I've been blessed. I have worked with some really smart, talented people in the agency that I was a part of. We, it was, they were extraordinary. [00:29:00] Um, and, um, and, you know, I think it, it starts with, um, being willing to surround yourself and being willing to recruit people who are, are, you know, really, um, Who are really bright and who are going to challenge you and, um, and then you, you have to be willing to be challenged, you know, and, and, um, um, and, and so, um, I'm not sure I always was, was willing to be challenged, but, but, but in time, you know, and we, you know, we, I had coaches, my team had a lot of my team had coaches and, you know, I've had people who said, Karen, I need I need for you to.
To not do this, or for you to hear me when I say this, and I had to listen to that. So, being self aware as a leader of where are you, where are you putting up roadblocks to people being, um, the best that they can be for you, um, where are you putting up those roadblocks? Um, that I think that's where it starts is a really hard thing to [00:30:00] do for it was it was at least for me.
Booth: That's fantastic advice, though, because it is hard. You put up the roadblocks because you don't you don't want to hear the negativity because you think you might be failing at it, but they're persons really trying to lift you up and make you better. And so actually listening and the self awareness. That is fantastic advice.
Where were you when I was starting out? And I'm just I'm just kidding.
Karen: I could have used it. Yeah, I've I've I've had some great, great coaches and and I've, you know, And, and, and they, they helped me quite a, quite a lot, um, but, um, you know, sometimes the thing that makes us really good can be a barrier. You know, I'm really quick.
So I jumped to a solution really quick and a lot of times people would default to that. You know, um, I would say 1 other thing that I learned, um. About about leadership is, is titles do matter. And so when you have a title and you are the owner or the CEO [00:31:00] or the president or the boss or whatever, um, you know, you have to be more careful about what you say and how you say it because it carries more weight.
people take it more seriously than you do. You know, you, you think of yourself as I mean, I still think of myself as the, you know, the 22 year old who is running around the mail room at McKinney, you know, and I'm, I mean, nobody else thinks of me that way, you know.
Booth: Yeah, you don't always see yourself in the same place of authority as someone else does. So that is that's definitely something to be mindful of for sure. Once you take on those roles, that's fantastic. So, I'm going to change shift this down a little bit. So a little birdie. I think her name's Jillian told me that 1 of your 2025 goals was to make 365 new connections.
So what kind of spurred that idea and [00:32:00] tell us. About it. How it's going and all the good things with that.
Karen: Well, um, so I observed at at the dinner for the summit, the speaker center. There were a couple, there were 3 speakers that I had introduced you all to, um, great speakers and people that I have known professionally.
Some of them for quite a few years. And, um. And we were sitting at dinner and the 3 of them did not know each other. And I was like, how is this possible? They are so Kristen and Shelly and Lynn did not know each other before they came to, you know, Beaufort for for the summit. And I said,
Booth: yeah, that's correct.
Yeah. So I
Karen: said, I have this. I have these great relationships, and I need to do a better job of connecting more of them. So that's where it came from, literally from your, your event. And, um, so how's it going? It's going mixed. I am on Paysite, but, but part of that is because of a couple of events. Um, [00:33:00] what I, what I'm struggling with is, is the digital aspect of it is figuring out how to do that without running into somebody or without somebody saying, hey, I need you to introduce me to somebody, you know, um, and of course it's winter.
So that's a little bit, but, about 30 a month will do it. Right. And so you're at 1 event and I brought a client around to an event and. Yeah. Where that was, you know, 10 or 15 in 1 night. you can do a lot in a short period of time.
You don't have to literally write 30 emails every month. Right? Yeah,
Booth: it sounds like a big number until you really start to. Apply it to,
Karen: yeah,
Booth: to an event and the people you already know. So, um, it's, it's funny. I like, I almost like, oh, that's a big number, but I mean, you just made it sound so doable just like that.
So
Karen: it is. And so and so once again, just like the networking that you might be doing for your business or your professional life or your personal life in any way, if you just make a plan that you're going to do it, and then I created a little spreadsheet to [00:34:00] track it and I'm doing it both personally and professionally.
It's all it's not all for. It's not all business related. because I think both are valuable
Booth: for sure. Absolutely. Well, that's you've given me a new goal of something to go do, especially since I tend to be a little introverted. So, um,
Karen: you do it all the time. You all have done it exponentially with CWC.
I mean, you had an event. You had a call yesterday, right? Where you did tax advice. So you probably made, you know, I don't know how many introductions then.
Booth: Yeah, so it's good stuff. All right. I'm going to ask you one last question. What's the best business advice you've ever received?
Karen: Oh, I know what it is. It's Janice Hunter, my first, my first boss and mentor at McKinney my last day when I was leaving, she said, just remember, you're always selling.
Booth: I like that, whether it's yourself, your product, your company, just always be ready,
Karen: right? You're always selling. So it was, it was great advice.
I did not think [00:35:00] of myself as a salesperson then, um, but you're always selling.
Booth: Yeah, and I've always considered myself as not as the salesy type, but you're always selling something, whether it's yourself, your reputation, an
Karen: idea, a point of view, a recommendation, you know, it's, it's. It's a sale.
Booth: It is. It's a pitch.
Yeah, I like that perspective a lot. It really changes the way you kind of think. So, wow, Karen, this has been so fantastic. I have learned so much and I'm going to apply some of these takeaways immediately because I didn't have. A good coach for communication and networking when I was starting out. And so I'm learning so much from you, especially being, like I said, a natural introvert and networking truly is harder for some people than it is for others.
But it really is so crucial. So, um, thank you for the takeaways and given us [00:36:00] your time today. And I will share your links in the show notes. So people can go check out all of the things and just thank you so much for your wealth of insights and knowledge today.
Karen: Well, thank you for all that you and the Carolina Women's Collective do for our community and, and for, for women in the region.
I really appreciate it.
Booth: Thank you. Thank you. Take care.
Karen: Thanks. Bye bye.