Understanding the Mission in my 9th year of Business

Posted on by Charli Matthews
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This week, I took some time to reflect on my last nine years of being a business owner. I found it hard to pinpoint one lesson or theme to the journey.  I believe it is because I constantly grow and change each year. So, I’ll focus on this last year and three things that became very clear to me.

Understanding Mission

I have always felt that I didn’t quite fit in this industry.  Not because I am a woman, WOMEN fit here. ( my staff edited Girl to Woman here… I love thinking of myself as a girl… Just a girl underestimated but determined to shine – I think that is why I love Gwen’s song, “Just a Girl”).  I had felt at odds because I didn’t make or design anything. I often join organizations where I am listed as a media partner without “real” membership, a right to vote, or permission to be present in certain settings.  This created doubt in my mind if I truly belonged. I questioned if I could truly make a difference in the industry. This had been my limiting belief. After much reflection, I know I create and design things all the time. Having said that, I think my asset to the industry is my voice.  Communication, our voice, is one of the most valuable tools we have in the toolbox! I understand now the value of communications and how much our community needs media to share stories where the world can understand them.  It is also our job to use our voice to share the hard stories and to let leadership know when something is important to our industry.  As I worked with my team to create the #EmpoweringIndustryPodcast, I felt myself come alive. The voice of industry… a mission that I could proudly champion.  I am truly interested in the lives of the people who help our world run. I have met so many people over the last 17 years in the pump & equipment industry, and I am happiest when I am giving back to this community.  Connecting engineers and operators, sales and marketing, CEOs to interns, and welders to fashionistas!  This really inspires me, and I can see the difference it makes in the lives of others.  So my purpose hasn’t changed – I am still very much a part of this industry, and I love connecting and sharing stories of the amazing workforce that makes up… Industry!

Taking Care of myself

Ok. I am not expert in self-care, but I have made time to study it and improve. To be able to improve, we must be able to focus.  If you want focus, your brain must get the H2O it needs to work!  Otherwise, there will be no real focus happening… So, drink more water! It’s a habit worth forming! That wasn’t the hard part for me. My biggest challenge was giving myself permission to rest. I like to work. I like to travel. I like to meet with the best in our industry, but I found that I didn’t make time each day to reflect or reset.  Looking back, I think breathing was just too much of a pause sometimes 🙂 I have been learning how to stop and take time to just breathe. As a woman of faith, I start my day with a moment with God.  It is wonderful to know there is a purpose for your life each day and that you are loved without having to earn that love through works. If you start your day looking at how you can add value to other people’s life, it really makes a difference in your conversations and your work. Then, I plan my breaks throughout the day.  As a person who doesn’t like routine or stopping when a project isn’t finished, it was hard. But, I realize I am a better thinker when I shift gears for a bit when I feel my body tiring.  This doesn’t even have to be just sitting and doing nothing (this is stressful for me).  I can just do something different for a while. Usually I walk outside and check on my roses or go play a quick tennis match with my daughter (this is me just running after balls really). Sometimes I take a moment to paint or color, or take a good nap with my NapBar box! Then, I can come back to the project refreshed and with a renewed mind.

Encouragement from a network

I think the number one reason for our company’s success is the power of our network.  This Community has embraced my #charlimagic and continues to support me every day.  They have also supported our team, and for that I am truly thankful! I have an amazing team who loves our community as much as I do and enjoys serving the needs of our customers each day.  I am truly thankful for everyone who has helped me grow the Empowering Pumps & Equipment platform where we connect, inform, and educate the industry with purposeful content. We will continue to be your information and connection hub for the pump & equipment industry!  I would also like to recognize the women and men who have joined the Empowering Women in Industry Community! You have encouraged and inspired me this year to chase those big dreams and know that I absolutely belong in this industry with all you amazing leaders. I am truly thankful for you and look forward to another amazing year together!

Connecting Business, Industry, and Life via Podcast

Posted on by Charli Matthews
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In the Summer of 2016, I wrote a blog under the same title, Connecting Business and Life. I actually wrote about this in 2013 as well.. I guess it is my thing!  I’d like to begin this blog the same way I began the one in 2016…

“One of my favorite sayings is “There is no work-life balance, there is just life!” I say this because I live it everyday. I enjoy my work, but it is more than that. I am blessed to get to work in an industry that shows me daily how my business, the pump industry, is vital to life. From drinking water to manufacturing, none of it would be viable without pumps.”

This year I felt called to connect my business and life more closely. I have been debating a podcast for a few years now, but I didn’t want to “start something new.” But after Bethany visited Alabama in February, I told her my idea and she was excited for it. She encouraged me and help me take the next step toward this vision. I wrote down all my thoughts in my journal about who I could interview and what topics I would want to cover. Then, I sat on it. Late Feb, I attended the Hydraulic Institute’s conference and I felt something nudging me to use my voice. I heard it several times while I was there. Seems like this event is a right of passage every year. I evaluate my growth by the conversations and events that occur. I think this event means so much to me because I truly care about the pump industry. This time was not different, I felt I had information to contribute and if we work together we can solve them. But there seemed to be an extra “voice” in my head telling me to speak up.

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A Time for Renewal

Posted on by Charli Matthews
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It’s Spring! A time for renewal. Each year, I start Spring with my family on a Spring Break trip of some kind. It gives me time to focus on them and turn off the #ladyboss for a bit. This year, even in the craziness of social distancing, we made a trip to Gulf Shores.  What a treasured time and a great way to begin separating from others with beautiful scenery and magnificent waves to play in. Can I just say, reminding my daughter not to get close to people made me cringed!  It is the opposite of everything I am… So, I think it is best if we just don’t see people at all!

So, I am hunkered down at home and getting back to work this week.

For true renewal, I think we have to also reflect on what we have accomplished. I just reread “My Story” on the CharliKMatthews.com site. If you have some extra time, please take a moment to get to know me better… It was a great reminder to me of how I started my career, and I was happy to see the story is still the same. I love family, faith, friends, and industry.  These are vital to a happy and healthy life, and I am thankful I have the opportunity to share the amazing people I meet and the grand adventures I have with you! So, thank you for continuing this journey with me and my crew!

I have been working on some great ideas for empowering others through storytelling during these “non-event” times, and I can’t wait to share them with you! Please join us March 31st, to learn more: https://empowering-brands.com/2020/03/19/join-us-on-march-31st-for-an-interactive-online-session/

How are you going to experience renewal this Spring?

Remembering Jack Creamer…”It’s All About the Pump Baby!”

Posted on by Charli Matthews

This is not the blog I had planned for this week… while I had an incredible time engaging with Industry Leaders at the Hydraulic Institute Annual Conference last week, the missing presence of one very important person was very much felt – and today that sadness is deepened. My very dear friend, Jack Creamer, did not wake to see today’s sunshine. I’m crying as I type this, so please bear with me…

Jack was my mentor. He was my friend. He pulled me along, showed me what was important, and introduced me to leaders in the industry.  I am forever grateful, and I love him. I could always count on him to be present and ready to network at trade shows. Whether it was at HI, SWPA, EASA…this wonderful man was everywhere. He understood the importance of outreach, of building relationships, and of seeing ‘the bigger picture’ of how building bridges is the key to driving change within the industry. He did so much over the course of his career, but more important than talking about professional accomplishments is the real impact he had on people…even in his last few days with us, he reached out and liked a social post of me and Ming at the HI awards gala. Jack was always there cheering us on – even when he could not be physically present, he was our team’s biggest fan… always willing to help or just hang out.

https://empoweringpumps.com/remembering-jack-creamer-its-all-about-the-pump-baby/

ONE… the number denoting unity, the first in a set or series

Posted on by Charli Matthews
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Some would argue that a word has one meaning. I believe words change depending on who uses them and how they are used. This year we will look into the power of one. What impact can ONE have on our world? I think we forget how much power we have as individuals. We have the power to affect change, to innovate, and to accelerate. We must look inward for the passions and purpose we are called to do. Then, we must share it. Your idea, thought, vision, technology is “the first in a series” and when you find others with this common mission, then we have unity. (the song U N I T Y, that’s a unity is now playing in my mind). I have seen this firsthand with Empowering Women in Industry. My search to find role models turned into a circle of women supporting women everyday.

We just completed our first conference series on #BetheChange! It included power women such as Barbara Trautlein and Shannon Bumgarner who discussed Change Intelligence and the Imposter Syndrome! After two events, we have trained and encouraged 320 women to be a better version of themselves as leaders in their communities! Our next conference theme will be #MakeanImpact. I hope you will plan to join us in New Orleans for #EmpoweringWomen2020 and support women in unity everyday! You can learn more at EmpoweringWomeninIndustry.com

As I continue to focus on how to make an impact, I look for ways I can draw attention to others creating positive change. What mission are you on? Drop me a note in the comments below!