Leading with Purpose: My Journey from Marketing to Empowering the Pump Industry

Posted on by Charli Matthews
Charli being expressive on a podcast

Hey there, Charli here… and I’m thrilled to share with you some reflections on my journey from marketing professional to founder in the pump industry. Recently, I had the opportunity to chat about it on a podcast, and I’m excited to dive deeper into some key takeaways.

Embracing Change and Entrepreneurship

Transitioning from marketing to founding my own business wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. It required a lot of guts, determination, and a willingness to embrace change. But you know what? It was also one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Sure, there were challenges along the way—securing funding, building a team, and gaining credibility in a male-dominated industry—but each obstacle taught me something valuable. As leaders, it’s essential to encourage ourselves and others to step out of our comfort zones and pursue our passions, no matter how daunting it may seem.

Navigating Gender Perception in the Workplace

Being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated industry comes with its fair share of stereotypes and challenges. I’ve faced my fair share of skepticism and underestimation, but I’ve never let it hold me back. Instead, I’ve learned to embrace my authenticity and leverage my unique perspective as a strength. As leaders, it’s crucial to create inclusive environments where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute. Let’s challenge stereotypes, champion diversity, and foster a culture of respect and equality.

Making a Global Impact

Beyond my professional endeavors, I’m deeply passionate about making a difference on a global scale. Volunteering in Uganda was a life-changing experience that opened my eyes to the power of community and the importance of giving back. It reminded me that leadership isn’t just about achieving success for ourselves—it’s about using our platform to uplift others and create positive change in the world. Whether through philanthropy, sustainability initiatives, or volunteer efforts, we all have the power to make a difference.

In conclusion, my journey from marketing to empowering the pump industry has taught me invaluable lessons about resilience, authenticity, and social responsibility in leadership. I hope my story inspires you to embrace change, challenge stereotypes, and make a positive impact in your own leadership journey. Together, let’s lead with purpose, passion, and a commitment to creating a better world for all.

Read more of my blogs to learn more 🙂

Leadership and Personal Branding

Posted on by Charli Matthews
Charli's Events and Workshops

I’ve recently shared Lessons Learned in Ten Years of Business and wanted to continue to build on that. We all know that being a good leader is important no matter if you are the head of a large corporation or temporarily in charge of a small team. They want to know who they are working with and what you stand for. Below, I will show you why personal branding is important to leadership.

  1. It allows you to be authentic.

In the past, we only had our name to rely on. Now we have our own personal branding. The bad news is if you aren’t creating your personal brand, others are. You show your commitment to your work by defining a clear leadership style as well as if and how you live it. You must go beyond having a developer design a logo, create a mission statement, etc. A leader is a mentor, role model, trusted colleague, expert in their area, and an overall authoritative voice in their chosen field. This goes whenever you make an appearance on social media, in person, in the office, on the field, or even in a podcast. Your personal branding is authentic when you live it every day and others pick up on it.

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Using Your Voice – Part 2

Posted on by Charli Matthews
Charli-Using-her-Voice

We’ve previously written about how to Use Your Voice, Build Your Brand and have so much more to say on the topic. Previously we discussed using your voice in marketing, learning from others, and the benefits of public speaking. However, there are other unique and effective ways to your voice. Read on for more tips.

  1. How to Stand Out, Find Your Voice, and Not Get Lost in the Shuffle

There is a sea of voices out there. It can be difficult to find yours, so we recommend beginning by starting with your why. What are you trying to accomplish and why? What gives you passion and joy? Be vulnerable about what you do and challenges. This will help get others wanting to hear what you have to say. Followers must believe and trust you in order for you to help solve their problems, so be accurate as you are being open. You may realize there a niche you fit into. For example, my own Empowering Women in Industry was created when I saw the need for women in the industries to have a platform of their own. In a male dominated space, we lose that organic conversation with women so we need to create it.

  1. Embrace Social Media

In short, social media is an extension of how you network with people. It offers resources to get to know people, their background, and even what they are looking for currently. Social media is a tool just like any content distributor from television to radio that allows you to share message to a broader audience. LinkedIn is great for professional connects. Be sure to fill out your profile with details relevant to your industry, and you will be rewarded with contacts. Zoom is great for meetings, video chats, and can even be beneficial to your business, your personal health, and it can help you follow the right people.

Not comfortable using social media or don’t have the time? Get a third party to manage your accounts.

  1. Give Interviews

As many of you may already know, I love hosting and appearing on podcasts of all kinds to share whatever expertise I can. Everyone involved often finds it a pleasant and satisfying experience, not to mention the knowledge you can bring to the audiences. You may have a friend with a podcast who needs guests. Everyone has a podcast now a days and is looking for guests. Go through your client list to see if anyone is doing so. Don’t be afraid to use a potential client list as well. Find the podcasts, make an offer to appear, and see if they bite. Include why they should use you and the value you can bring. You may even search for podcasts in your industry. The bigger the audience the better, but don’t turn down any relevant option. Worst case scenario, a rarely seen podcast can help you prepare for a bigger one.

If you’re ready, why not start your own podcast? We have done just that with the Empowering Industry Podcasts. We discuss all sorts of relevant topics in a combination of “Let’s Get Social,” “Industry news with EP&E, and “Industry Interview.”

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Let’s Invest in Tuscaloosa… Let’s Elevate Tuscaloosa

Posted on by Charli Matthews
Elevate Tuscaloosa

Yesterday, I met with members of Chamber Tuscaloosa for a meeting for Small Businesses.  We discussed opportunities and challenges we face as business owners. I absolutely love these types of meetings and I am always inspired to get more involved!  These meetings allow us to understand a better way to help and grow our local community.  The majority of my customers are outside the state.  However the more I talk with local businesses, the more I realized there are many opportunities right here!

In this meeting, I also learned that there is a pretty strong proposal pending approval that will help develop and grow business opportunities in Tuscaloosa.  Spend the time and watch the video on ElevateTuscaloosa.com

We discussed a couple topics of this proposal that peaked my interest!  These topics were the Conference Center and Airport Improvements!  I travel monthly to airports to visit conference centers around the world, and it would be great to bring some of these event to T-town.  I’d bring my own company event here if there was proper transportation options for my clients.

This proposal also discusses Workforce Development, Transportation, and Tourism.  I believe it is worth taking a closer look.  Our workforce needs skilled workers across the nation, and we have the ability to prepare & educate our community to provide these jobs!

Let’s invest in Tuscaloosa!