Creating a Business Outside the Lines - #017

Show Notes

When the dream job you want doesn’t currently exist and there’s no job postings on the horizon, you need a new plan. How do you create a company based on your idea of the perfect job? And if your perfect job isn’t a concept familiar to your target customers, how do you convince them to become your clients? These questions and many others are what Lori Vajda and Nola Boea explore with their guest, the successful CEO and Founder of Strategic Philanthropy, Kelly Alvarez-Vitale.   ​

Thanks for Listening!

You can subscribe to Lori and Nola's show, (we love you and want to make it easy) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

We love hearing from you! Leave or speak your message here

If you haven’t already, please connect with us on Facebook! 

Would you like to be a featured guest or have your question, comment or review mentioned? Ask Muse!

Sticky Brand Lab

Networking and business growth strategies are in the works. Come have a listen!

In This Episode You’ll Learn

• When a job doesn’t exist for your marketable skills, creating one might be easier than you think. 
• Why creating a ‘Center of Influence list can help you identify potential clients as well as potential referrals.
• You don’t need an MBA to start a business, but you do need to know this information.
• Why you are doing your elevator pitch incorrectly and how to change it to grab more attention and get people interested in hearing about you and your company.

The successful path to job security and financial freedom is no longer with the company you join after graduation. As the landscape of family and homelife changes, so do the opportunities for creating the career path of your dreams on your terms. As Lori and Nola discovered when talking to guest Kelly Alvarez-Vitale, you can use your skill-sets, experience and knowledge to successfully make a living as an entrepreneur. Especially as more companies are hiring consultants and contractors for specific projects, specialized skills and services.

(7:38.64) The best ‘Center of Influence’ hack for using your network to get business.

(10:59.12) You do not need to be an expert to start a business, you just need this. 

(12:14.53) Forget the ‘elevator pitch’. This technique will help you grab attention and get more people to ‘lean in’ with interest.

(15:15.51) The creative ways more companies are providing their employees with opportunities to seek purpose and meaning in their careers, which are especially important to the millennial generation and Gen Z.

(18:27.92) This simple act can improve your customer service and help you get noticed by your ideal customer.
​
(22:15:80) Lessons learned from a successful woman entrepreneur.

Resources
This episode was supported by: Be-YOU-nique

Transcript

Nola: [00:00:00] Innovation. It's a popular theme among aspiring entrepreneurs and side hustlers. Many think coming up with a revolutionary idea is easier than entering the marketplace with a business model most customers are familiar with. But is it really easier to start a business few, if any of your prospective customers have heard of, or is starting a new business, most people understand and know about a faster way to profit? Stay tuned listeners. As we explore the topic of changing the traditional business mindset in today's podcast episode.
Announcer: [00:00:31] You're listening to the Sticky Brand Lab podcast, where time strapped professionals, like you learn how to create a business. You love in as little as three hours a week.
Lori: [00:00:44] Every new business starts with that aspiring entrepreneur or side hustler, trying to solve a problem. For mom, boss, Kelly Alvarez-Vitale President, and Founder of Strategic Philanthropy. That was exactly what she wanted to do. Not only that she believed her business idea could be profitable and make a difference in her community. There was just one obstacle. Many of the business leaders should target and his prospective clients weren't familiar with her innovative concept. How do you go about turning your idea into a real business? More importantly, how do you go about convincing profitable businesses that they can do well by doing good. From innovative business ideas to changing the way businesses done to making an impact at home. These are just a few of the many topics we'll be exploring with today's mom boss, guest.  Hello, and welcome aspiring side hustlers. Lori and Nola here with a socially enterprising episode of Sticky Brand Lab. But before we explore the profitable side of social entrepreneurship, be sure to subscribe to our podcast at Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts that way you'll never miss out on our weekly helpful, informative, and always interesting podcasts. Now let's get this socially good show started.
Nola: [00:02:05] Forerunner companies like Apple, Uber, Airbnb, Zappos, and Strategic Philanthropy, Inc. All share something in common. They are for profit companies changing the way people think about business. And in the case of the ladder, that meant getting CEOs to think differently about their companies giving practices. With the tagline, Do good. Do well. Our guest, Kelly Alvarez-Vitale President, and Founder of Srategic Philanthropy created a business to change the way business does business. Strategic Philanthropy has helped clients serve 205 nonprofits, and awarded more than $2 million in sponsorships. Kelly's shown companies that making a profit and making an impact in their communities are a winning combination. Her clients have contributed more than $800,000 of in-kind donations and logged over 10,000 volunteer hours, all of which have had a direct impact on their communities. Through her work with the Broward Performing Arts Foundation, Kelly was recognized as an honoree for National Philanthropy day by the Association of Fundraising Professionals and South Florida Gold Coast Magazine named her a 40 under 40 to watch. We first introduced you to Kelly on episode 10, Mom Boss: Making the Leap into Entrepreneurship, where she shared the point in her career when she knew she was ready to take the leap herself and start her own business. Welcome Kelly.
Kelly: [00:03:32] Hi guys. Thank you for having me.
Lori: [00:03:33] Thanks for being here.
Nola: [00:03:35] We're so excited that you're back with us.
Well, we opened this show with the idea that every new business starts with an aspiring entrepreneur, a side hustler, trying to solve a problem. So, Kelly, what problem were you trying to solve with starting Strategic Philanthropy?
Kelly: [00:03:52] So I'm from the Fort Lauderdale area of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and major markets. And, you know, you're New York or Atlanta, you're Dallas, you're Chicago's. You have major headquarters that have very philanthropic companies, and these are all household names. These are all fortune 500 or fortune 100 companies. And these companies have millions of dollars to get out to the community. In that role, you know, whether it's a department or maybe it might be a small department of one to two people, it is the job that nobody retires from because it's a pretty great gig. It's pretty sweet to represent the company in the community, get out money to nonprofits. It's really a wonderful opportunity. And in South Florida, while it is a very successful market, we might not have as many headquarters as a major metropolitan area like Atlanta or Dallas does. But we have very philanthropic what I call medium sized, small and medium sized companies. And you know, when people say, Oh, a small company, this isn't necessarily a mom-and-pop shop, but these are companies that have $20 $50 million in revenue. But so they're not as big as, you know, a Coca Cola or an Apple or an Uber as you kind of mentioned earlier, but they're very philanthropic and they want to give to their community just can't sometimes justify having a full-time person. The thought process was, was there an opportunity or a market for these mid-sized companies who give out money, anyways? Was there an opportunity for them to hire somebody to kind of outsource this and allow somebody to kind of organize their giving practices a little bit better? So they weren't necessarily hemorrhaging money, um, to really align their giving with their business goals and objectives so that it could be a win-win. They were ultimately, as you said, in the tagline, they could do good and do well. And that ultimately was the premise of the idea. Really the only way I was going to get a job in this market because nobody was going to retire from the great job they currently had. Again. And if you referenced the podcast earlier, where my husband was really, he was working for a good mid-sized bank at that point. And he was really the contact because he was just really involved in the community. A lot of nonprofits would pitch him on sponsorship and he would kind of have to run it through the chain of command because they didn't really have a team or a department. And he's the one that said, like, it'd be really great if somebody could just handle this for me in a, for 20 hours a month or 30 hours a month and just handle the nuts soup to nuts of the, the entire process. Why don't you do that? He said. So it was really him who planted the seed and then I was able to kind of take off with it.
Nola: [00:06:20] So how were you able to convince other businesses that this was an idea for them as well?
Kelly: [00:06:26] What's interesting is prior to jumping into this, I was in the nonprofit community. I was a development director for a large nonprofit. And so I had spent five to seven years in that sector, building relationships in our community. In addition to building that I was also really involved and my reputation was really important to me. It's always been important to me. You know, the daughter Cuban immigrants. My dad owns a small business. And you know, my mom and my dad constantly preached reputation. Like even if you don't have a dime to your name, as long as you have a good reputation, like you will be fine. What I have to do is in addition to just being a good worker, when I was at that nonprofit, I was also really involved in the community. And so I sat on various boards and committees and so forth. And what's shocking is that when you are a good volunteer, meaning that you actually like do what you say you're going to do, people are like so impressed by you. Oh my God. She does what she says she's going to do. And so I had just, just built up, you know, five to seven years of Goodwill of just being, doing what I said I was going to do. And so, when it was time to start the company and we say I'm very impressed. By 2012, Kelly. Like 2012 Kelly, it was like a true go getter. She, me, she, I made a list of potential companies or individuals that I thought could hire me. Or, potential people that could refer me business. And so I made a list of what I call a center of influence less, because again, I'm in the service industry. I'm not, I'm not necessarily selling a physical product. And so I made a list of 50 people. And who could either potentially hire me or refer me business. And I had those relationships because again, they were either past donors of the nonprofits that I worked with, or they were on boards or committees with me. And I reached out to them to say, Hey, can I meet with you for 10 minutes just to tell you what I'm doing and can I meet with you for coffee? I would come to their offices. They couldn't, if they said, I don't have time for coffee. I will come to you. And I just went through that list, pitching this new concept that people weren't necessarily familiar with, but I knew that those individuals, these conversations would come up later on. And it'd be like, Oh, you know what? You should talk to Kelly Alvarez-Vitale, she's doing this. And she might be able to help you. That's really how I got business. Initially, just working my center of influence list.
Lori: [00:08:45] I am blown away. First. I had a question lined up that I was going to ask you, but then you talked about developing the center of influence list, and I think that is such a great hack. So for just one minute or less, could you speak a little bit more just as a business owner developing that list of influence. Could you tell us a little bit more about that?
Kelly: [00:09:08] Sure. So the center of influence list is again, um, you'd have to know who your target market is. So me meeting with a fortune 500 company that was probably never going to hire me, that was not a good use of my time. So I really said, who are the companies in my market? Who are these potential companies that could hire me? You know, what relationships do I have within those businesses that I could tap or connect the dots to? Or, who were individuals personally, that I knew that might not be at the company, but again, could connect me or make an intro. That's the list that I ended up working in. I kind of ranked them in an, A list. B list. And a C list to be okay, I'm going to try to meet with my A list first. And then once I meet with those might B list than my C list because you can't obviously meet everybody at once. And so I kind of just did that from, let's say January to July, in addition to building the company and doing all the backend work. Really trying to set up those meetings and those talking points and, and those opportunities so that when I was ready to launch, you know, I could call on some of those people.
Lori: [00:10:06] It's such a great tip to give to aspiring entrepreneurs. So thanks for doing that segue. Now, I'm going to bring us back to some of the early challenges that you might've faced when you started. So, cause giving is not a one size fits all idea. And for many not a commonly understood business practice. So what were some of the early challenges you encountered specifically as it relates to your business?
Kelly: [00:10:34] It's a broad question because there were obviously initial challenges upfront, and then there were initial challenges when you start the company. You know, when you're really in the throes of it. So in the beginning, you know, people will often tell you, you have to have a business plan and you do. You have to have some sort of framework to kind of guide you and make sure that you're set up. And I was not a business major. I could barely count to 10. I literally bought a book of how to start a business. Did all the little exercises. And when it came to the part where it was like, okay, you've done all these exercises and you have to start a business. I was like, or you have to write a plan. Okay. Well, like what does that mean? Here's the thing we live in this world where access to free information is available at our fingertips. So I think, you know, in the beginning is the information is out there. It is free. If you are willing to search for it, if you're willing to talk to people. If you can invest that time and energy read, learn, grow. It's all out there. And I think the biggest thing is you do not have to be an expert to start a business. These are all things that you can teach yourself that I did not know. You just assume like, Oh, I have to go to business school and I have to have an MBA. You don't, you can literally teach yourself.
Nola: [00:11:47] Preach it!
Lori: [00:11:51] I love it specific to your business because it was such an innovative idea when you were trying to explain it to prospective clients and you would sit down. So you're A list and they didn't quite get it. One. How could you tell? And two, what did you do to work through that?
Kelly: [00:12:09] So I think as we were building this, and I can say, Lori, you were in Fort Lauderdale at the time. And then you said, I'll help you with your elevator pitch and I'll help you kind of elevate what you're trying to say. And so after months of meeting with you and fine tuning and so forth, we ultimately came up when somebody said, what is it that you do? Instead of trying to explain corporate philanthropy and employee volunteerism and anything along those lines, we said, well, we get hired by companies to help them give away their money to nonprofits. And then we would pause and let that sink in. And so then that would ask a natural follow-up question. Like, wait, are you a nonprofit? Nope. I'm actually a for-profit company that helps again, companies give away their money to nonprofits. And that's when I could transition into it's community relations. It's community outreach, it's employee volunteerism. That's where that probing and allowing them to kind of them ask the question and have them have an understanding of it so that they could put it in their own words. So that was really instrumental to find what is your, less than ten second pitch that somebody could easily grasp and, or have follow-up questions to kind of really understand what it is that you do. So again, you have to find things that people identify with. Things that they get and understand. Um, you know, they know what an advertising department does. They know what the marketing department does and then kind of use that as a seed and then just change the language a little bit, to get them to fully understand what you're trying to do.
Lori: [00:13:39] Very, very helpful. When we come back, Kelly will share her recommendations for anyone thinking of starting an innovative business. Yes.
Nola: [00:13:50] Are you an aspiring entrepreneur? Who's ready to share your vision with the world, but you're not sure exactly what that would look like? Or do you just want to save soundboard to help you evaluate your top business ideas? Then a Be-You-unique session is just what you're looking for. This two-part clarity session is customized and based on your individual goals and experience. Together, we will help you determine your ideal business niche, target audience, and strategy. You'll leave the session with a realistic timeline and a set of small step, big win goals that make sense for you and your lifestyle. Sign up today for a free 20-minute consultation at stickybrandlab.com/shop.
Welcome back to Sticky Brand Lab, where we show you how to turn your knowledge, passion, and great idea into an income stream. So you can create a side business and lifestyle your excited about. Before we go any further, why don't you explain, uh, Kelly more about how companies of all sizes can do well and do good.
Kelly: [00:14:51] Well, there's a variety of ways that companies can give. And I think this mindset sometimes is, Oh, I have to be this big company and I have to give away hundreds of thousands of dollars or millions of dollars to get. And that's really not the case. You know, there are, yes, you can get sponsorship dollars and just try to make sure that it aligns with your core business or your values as a company to make sure that again, what you're giving really aligns with what you're doing as a company. Um, but a really big piece of what companies can do and is really a hot button right now is employee volunteerism. You know, I've read a study many, many years ago that said, you know, we have been brainwashed over the last forever that you should be one of two people. You should either go into the corporate world and go make lots of money. And your job not necessarily have any meaning. Or you could go into the nonprofit world, not make as much money, but your, your life has meaning and purpose. And all of a sudden, this expert teacher said, you know, you can be both. Companies can offer an opportunity where a individual goes into the corporate world and makes money. But that they have an outlet that if they choose to want more and have more meaning in their job or in the community, that their company can offer that to them. And so employee volunteerism, especially with the millennial generation, and now we're seeing it with gen Z. Is, you know, these students, these young professionals, that's what they're really looking for is to have purpose in their job. But to say, you know, how does the company give back and how can I be involved, should I choose? And so seeing employee volunteer programs is essential. And again, employee volunteer program can be, you guys are gonna go out and do it what we call a done in a day type of project. There's also something that's really cool. It's called dollars for doers. And so let's say you are in the midsize business approach and you've got a few hundred thousand dollars to give a dollar for doers is saying like, listen, while our company might focus on these three to five priorities and initiatives. If you come out and you volunteer with us and you do this with the company, we'll give you a dollar amount. That could be a hundred dollars, $500 or a thousand dollars to say, look, you did this for us. Now we're going to give you this type of amount of money so that you can give it to the charity of your choice.
Lori: [00:16:59] Oh, wow.
Kelly: [00:17:00] So it's called dollars for doing so you were literally, you're doing something to get dollars. And I have a big company right now that a big focus of what they do is in kind product. You also have pro bono services. So again, offering, you know, it could be free legal or HR or coaching or strategic planning or accounting work. That is your skill set. If you're in the service industry, you can partner with a nonprofit because I assure you, they, they need the help and they want the help and they would welcome it.  There's always the opportunity to do a walk-a-thons and raise money. As a company to be like, okay, you know, we're going to walk for the American cancer society or they're making strides walking. That could be just a fun team building activity that not only are you fundraising for, but then you have a planned activity. You don't even have to do anything. You just told her to have to show up day up and walk with your team. So again, you can, there's a wide variety of different ways that you can give that, doesn't just have to be about dollars.
Nola: [00:17:50] And these ideas sound like they can apply to any size company practically. And some of those ideas could even be for a company of one that just wants to be able to be involved in their community. So how did your experience working in the nonprofit world prepare you for working in the for-profit industry?
Kelly: [00:18:08] That's a great question. So in the nonprofit world, I came in as a development director to sell cause marketing. So the nonprofit was the cause. And we were trying to work with companies to say, Hey, we really want to partner with this nonprofit because it has a brand. And it means something, it resonates with people. And so that's really my entry into the nonprofit world. What I really wanted to make sure that the companies knew at least working with our nonprofit was I wanted to make their life easy. Instead of relying on the company to get back to me like, hey, you know, can we do this? I was really proactive to offer really good customer service to our donors to make sure that they maximize. And so I was almost like a project manager.  We are holding their hand through the entire process, not only the corporation, but the nonprofit. Because we want to ensure that whatever we agreed to as part of our partnership, as part of our agreement, that that company gets every dollars’ worth out of it. You know, if they get logo placement, speaking opportunities, we want to make sure that those companies are taking advantage of all of the offerings and all of the opportunities that the nonprofit is offering.
Lori: [00:19:15] It sounds like your experience from what you've been saying is you can put on the hat and the lens of looking at this through a nonprofit eyesight. And then you can take that off and you can put on the lens of seeing it through the for profit that is working together. So you kind of go back and forth between the two. Where you're helpful to your client because you understand marketing and business and giving and their challenges. And then you're able to inform them by seeing it through the nonprofits eyes as well.
Kelly: [00:19:55] That's a much shorter way of saying it, Lori,
Lori: [00:20:00] I think it's pretty powerful because we constantly talk about seeing your business through the eyes of your, your client, your customer.
Kelly: [00:20:10] Yeah. And, you know, and I kind of get to scratch both sides. You know, where it's like, I really enjoy being in the corporate sector and running my own business. Um, I love it, but I get to have this philanthropic approach where I have constant touch points with nonprofits on a daily, weekly basis. So I kind of get a feel to that I am helping a nonprofit.
Nola: [00:20:32] Also really big on being able to tap into your past experience and apply certain skills or knowledge to something new. And that's exactly what you did. 
Kelly: [00:20:45] Yeah. And I'll echo that and say, you know, during the pandemic, I mean, we just didn't know what we didn't know. Sometimes corporate philanthropy and community giving us the first thing to go, um, when budgets get really tight. So we thought like, is this. How bad is this potentially going to hurt us, you know? And what the skill set that we have now learned and use and utilize and done very well at Strategic Philanthropy, which is really not only just giving, but using data as a tool to really help decide what's the best way to give and, you know, the impact that the nonprofits are making. So data has become an integral part. And so when we were trying to figure out if our business is going to shut down as well. We had several government agencies reach out to us and say, Hey, while we have all of this CARES money. We have all of this cares money that we now have to give out to residents or businesses. We do not have the infrastructure to create anything. Like we can't implement this program. We have no clue how to give the money out to the community in a shorter amount of time, because we have to have it done by this deadline. Can you do it, man? We, you know, we talked about, it looked at my husband, like, you know, that, that self-doubt always creeps in like this isn't what we do. I don't know. I shouldn't take this on. He's like, it's what you do on a data daily basis. You can do this. And so we were able to not only keep all of our past clients because they, again, giving and volunteering is really ingrained into their corporate culture. But we were also able to expand and say, we also do this as well, and really took the company to new heights this year. So we were really, really lucky.
Lori: [00:22:13] Wow.
Nola: [00:22:14] That's amazing.
Lori: [00:22:15] That is really, yeah. Amazing. So I think given the excitement that I hear in your voice about your passion for what you do, I'm going to ask you just to kind of pick one or two things that being a successful entrepreneur has taught you.
Kelly: [00:22:30] Okay. I think one of the biggest things, and I alluded to this earlier is the fact that you can figure it out. So you've often you both have joked. Okay. I'm very type a and yes, I try to plan my life and, and things are a little maybe too rigid sometimes. And what I have learned with owning a company and being a parent is I can figure this out. So when a challenge comes, you know, maybe 10 years ago, the challenge would really throw me off my rocks and be like, okay, I have, you know, I have no clue how I'm going to do this because I can't, I can't see through the tunnel. Now I'm a little more fluid. And say, okay. I know it might not be perfect. Sometimes perfection is the antithesis of everything. It might not be perfect, but I can figure this out because good Lord. I have figured everything else out. I've been in business for almost 10 years. My child's still alive, which is a daily success. I now know that is what the company has taught me, that I can pretty much figure it out. And that a company is also a living growing being. And so I have just made peace to know that it company is a living, breathing, growing thing. That's always going to have challenges. If it's stagnant, that means it's not growing. So something's gotta be wrong. Being a little bit more accepting of that, I think has been some really good lessons for me.
Lori: [00:23:47] That's great insight.
Nola: [00:23:48] Good advice. As a boss, how do you instill or model empowerment to your employees?
Kelly: [00:23:57] So one of the things that I really wanted to do with my company is to say, you know, we invested in a really good project management system. You know, we have timelines and we have assignments and tasks and so forth. But the goal is like, I don't care if you do the job at three in the morning or six in the morning or 12 o'clock in the afternoon, get the job done. And if you can get it done in an hour, congratulations. Like you have the rest of the day off. So what we're really trying to instill is I don't need you in front of your computer for eight hours a day. I don't. I need you to do your job and I need you to do it well. And we're constantly preaching, if you can find a way to do it faster, more efficient, smarter, you let me know. We changed the process so that we can, we can take on more and we can continue to grow. I think that is empowering. And the other thing too is. I really constantly preach open to feedback. So I always joke that if you're going to get feedback as it, as a boss or as an employer of somebody, you have to always be open to feedback yourself. And so there are people in my, on my team who are my same age and there are a lot of people who are a lot younger than me, and I will constantly end the meeting or presentation, whether it's with a client or with themselves. And I will say, tell me, what could I have done better? Again, the goal is not for me to be right. The goal is for us to do it faster more efficient, smarter so that we can do more long-term. And if I'm wrong, I say that I'm wrong. And I give praise to whoever needs praise. I just think that's, you know, that's the right thing to do.
Lori: [00:25:26] That is really, really great advice for being a boss. So your feedback for your employees and how you're modeling, it sounds like it it's so intuitive to you. It's like your philosophy is and what you believe in. So shifting just a little bit closer to home, as a mom of a son, how are you instilling empowerment with your child?
Kelly: [00:25:49] You can pretty much find any research to support your thought process. I'm of the mindset that it was, you know, my mom worked, I think that I turned out to be a fully functioning member of the, you know, society and earth. For me. I wanted to work. I love being a mom, but I always say being a mom is a piece of me, it's not everything. I have a lot of pieces of me that make up me as a whole. And so it was one I enjoy working. Two, I wanted him to see me work and see me as an equal to his dad who really is an equal partner and is the Saint of all saints. And literally nothing could, you know, could be done without Randall. But I really wanted him to see me as an equal to his dad. And what's really funny is because I've worked from home for however many years. Hm. He has listened to conference calls. He has listened to meetings and what's interesting is that at four, what he has picked up and he will tell me like, Oh, I've got a conference call with Mimi, which is his grandmother. It's just a call. And I'm like, you know, sometimes you're proud and sometimes we're like, I'm fine to work on this. Vocabulary that's part of his daily conversations. He's a good mix of both my husband and myself. If he is able to get some of me and some of my husband's like, business brilliance as well, you know, at 18 I'm like, let's just skip to MBA school because we have given you a full college degree in the last 18 years that you've been in the house. So that's really how I empower him. I think too, we have constant open lines of communication. And I also want him to see too that, you know, he can't go work for corporate America. That's awesome. And that's, you know, that's to be a great career path, but you can also build something. And when you build it, You have the flexibility to live your life, how you want to live at at times. It's really important for me to say that, yes, I get to run a business, but I get to be as much a part of his life as I want to be. And I love that. And I want him to know that he has that option too.
Lori: [00:27:50] That's awesome. So what kind of impact do you hope to make on Grayson? Not only you spoke to as a, an entrepreneur, but as a woman owned business, I'm just curious as to what you hope your influences on your son.
Kelly: [00:28:06] You know, he's got a great role model in his dad. So as much as I'm going to influence him, you know, for us, it takes two to tango and, and his dad is really, you know, the best example that he can have, that his dad is supportive. You know, my biggest thing is that I always want him to see women as equals as partners. Nothing less, nothing more. It's just an equal partner to me. If you have a good relationship, if you have a good partner who believes in what you do, that's ultimately what you're looking for, you know, should he choose to marry or, um, you know, have a life partner down the road.
Lori: [00:28:40] So now we're totally going to switch gears here. And talk about something that's among our favorites. And I can say that it's a yummy topic. So I think I alluded to it a little bit earlier, uh, Nola and I, our thought for starting the podcast happened over dinners. We would try new restaurants in Fort Lauderdale. But. Um, we thought it would be interesting to see what your personal favorite recipe is and how it reflects your own experience and journey as a successful entrepreneur. And you gave us the recipe. Um, Syrah-braised short rib with creamy Parmesan polenta, which by the way, I'm a vegetarian. So, the braised short ribs sounded delicious in reading the recipe, but the creamy Parmesan polenta, that really sounded great. Uh, so what's your tip for our listeners? Should they consider making the successful dish?   The counterpart to that is tell us how it reflects your experience and journey as a successful entrepreneur.
Kelly: [00:29:44] So, what I love about the Syrah-braised short, ribs, which by the way, Lori, um, there is a great, you can put ratatouille and do roasted vegetables on top of the creamy polenta, which is also fantastic. So I will send you that, that recipe separately. Um, but what I love about the short road is that once you kind of sear some vegetables and you sear the short ribs, you pop it into the oven. And it's done four hours later. So it's not something that you're constantly having to, to work at and tweak and watch over. It's kind of how I see my, my contractors and my employees. It's like, I don't want to be a micromanager being there. It's I'll tell you what it is in the beginning. I'll give you some guidance and then like, let that thing bake and take, like, let it work. Its own magic.  Um, and so, but the creamy, you know, Parmesan polenta is, um, it has a lot of, you know, I think it has, you can either put some cream cheese or mascarpone cheese in there, and it just keeps it creamy throughout versus sometimes polenta gets um, it just gets hard after a while. So that's, um, it's just, it's, it's comforting, but sophisticated. And so it's really, I mean, I have cooked that for myself on my birthday. That's how much I love this dish. Like, I haven't even like gone out to a restaurant be like, I'll just cook that myself. Cause it's so, it's so good. So, And so again, it looks fancy, but it's really, really comforting. And I think, you know, if you were to tie it into kind of, we see our company, you know, we really want our clients to feel that they have, you know, a sophisticated approach to their giving, but ultimately that, you know, that is comfortable and it's really part of their company and their culture. And we really want them to feel that our company is a part of their team and you know can adopt their culture so that we can be become ultimately an extension. Of them. And so with that dish, it’s what we call high low. You know, it seems fancy, but it's comfortable. We never want anybody to feel that we are pretentious. Um, we want people to say, you know, they see some philanthropy and giving it's like, Oh, you must be millionaires and billionaires and so forth. And it's like, no, like these companies are trying to do good. And we are just an extension of that company trying to represent them out in the community um, and we want it to feel wholesome and inviting.
Lori: [00:31:54] I think it ties in beautifully. Yeah, it was a great analogy. Plus you've described this recipe so well that, um, any listeners probably are like, I'm going to definitely get that recipe because it sounds so delicious.
Kelly: [00:32:08] Very yummy.
Nola: [00:32:10] So that we can all get to know you better. Um, we have a fun question to ask you. Okay. You ready? All right.  Who's your favorite superhero and why?
Kelly: [00:32:22] Hands down. No questions asked. it is Superman.  I will tell you the obsession is my dad was also a big Superman or is a big Superman fan. Um, my maiden name was Kelly Lane Alvarez. Lane, as in Lois Lane. Like that was me, we're talking full circle here. We just love Superman. Um, and you know, what I love about him is. Yes, he was very attractive. Um, and he could fly, which was very, very cool, but nonetheless, he stood for good. Like, it was truth, justice and the American way. And I think that is at the end of the day, like, not only do we want to do good by our clients, but we want our companies to do good in the communities they serve. So being good and doing good as really essential to who we are and part of our company culture. And, and doing right. Always, you know, sometimes you might. Get something wrong and it could be easy to, you know, sweep it under the rug. It's like, Nope, we own up to this. We do what's right, because right is always right. Doing right. Is always the right answer. So Superman by far hands down, I'm a big Christopher Reeve fan. I'm an originalist, so, but Henry Cavill is not bad either. So.
Nola: [00:33:32] That's that's awesome. So thank you Kelly, for being our guest and sharing your insights. Now, if someone wanted to learn more about you and your company, where can they find your website?
Kelly: [00:33:43] The website is www.strategicphilanthropyinc.com  That's Inc com or they can email me at [email protected]. That's probably the best way to get ahold of me. And that's Kelly with the Y the original, the 1980s version, [email protected].
Nola: [00:34:05] Perfect. Listeners. If you'd like to learn more about Kelly, her company and the services they offer, you can also visit our website stickybrandlab.com/resource page.
Lori: [00:34:17] Be sure to come back Tuesday and every Tuesday for another informative, inspiring and motivating episode. And remember action creates results. So tap into your desire to create a business and brand you love by taking 1% action every day, small steps, big effects.
Nola: [00:34:36] Do you, it's about creating a personal brand side hustle or small business sign up for one of our clarity sessions. For more information, contact us stickybrandlab.com/contact.
Out-take:
Kelly: [00:34:52] My mom was very impressed this morning when I told her that I was going to be part of a podcast to which she then said, shouldn't you get dressed a little bit better to which I have to remind her pod listening and not a zoom meeting.
Nola: [00:35:08] That's so cute.