Girlfriends with Benefits by Jenny Galluzzo

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A recent article in Fortune sparked interesting conversation among women I know about whether or not female friends are helpful to each other when it comes to professional favors, hookups and connections. The premise is that women are fantastic when it comes to creating deep personal relationships and go out of their way to help each other but this support network falls apart when it comes to asking, and being asked, for anything in the professional realm. 

“…despite the cultural moment female friendship is currently enjoying, the same strength, intensity, and deep connections being celebrated was also setting up a false dichotomy between personal relationships and the transactionality of business. Women told me that when they asked a friend for business, they feared it would damage their personal relationships, took rejection personally, and became gun-shy about making another pitch. Even well-qualified women who had no qualms about asking (and were quite adept at it) were often met with avoidance, a brush-off, or no reply at all. Women who received an ask from a friend said they didn’t expect their friends to hit them up for business and when they did, it sometimes caused an unspoken tension that dampened their enthusiasm for the relationship. Some even began to doubt the true motives behind the friendship in the first place. Others went so far as avoiding those who might ask for business later.“

In my own experience, I’ve been disappointed by friends who I felt were in positions to help me out with an intro or a freelance opportunity and did not deliver. However, with hindsight, I see that I was asking wrong—I put out a “soft ask” and waited for them to offer their help; When it didn’t appear I was hurt. I realize now that people are not mind-readers nor are they thinking about ways they can help you. The “hard ask” comes from a place of confidence and politeness but with ambition and determination. People respect and respond to that and are willing to focus and deliver.

While I hate to put a generalized gendered lens on things, it is a fact that men are comfortable asking unequivocally for a favor, a connection, a raise, a promotion— they don’t float a “soft ask”, they ask for what they want and get it. This behavior is simply understood as a type of currency and respected as such. 

“ Doing deals with your buddies is a time-honored way to build your book of business. But women tend to struggle when it comes to mixing money and friendship, cutting themselves off from one of the most effective tactics in the constant struggle to get ahead. So why is it that we’re so hesitant to do deals with our friends—the very people we know have our backs?”

The good news is that I see women breaking this habit more and more in my interactions with professional women, and I love it! Women are good at building community and with record numbers of women founding and funding businesses there is a vibrant ecosystem of amazing women supporting each other.  We all know the deck is stacked against us– we know that it’s harder for us to get our businesses funded, to get paid equally, to take on the lion’s share of family responsibilities while working, so we are creating a support structure outside of the male-dominated business world. We are creating businesses like The Second Shift whose mission is to help women remain engaged in the workforce by providing a tool for businesses to retain and attract critical female talent. No longer do I hesitate to ask anyone, male or female, for a “hard ask” because I know the stakes are too high and being soft is not an option. It’s time to #makeworkworkforyou!

Jenny Galluzzo

Co-Founder/ The Second Shift

July Featured Member– Jamie Crystal

With 25 years of experience working as a marketer, Jamie Crystal has partnered with sales, client and product teams across digital media (Yahoo! and Federated Media), television (FX Networks and Hallmark Channel, and print media (LA Times) to drive revenue opportunities and partnership, meet market trends and develop competitive marketing solutions for large successful brands.  
Jamie took a leap 8 years ago into the world of consulting and it has paid off personally and professionally.   Thus far, Jamie has had over 12 clients and frequently wins projects through The Second Shift. Here she tells us about why she left the corporate world and her #pitchtowin tips.

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You worked in traditional media companies until going off on your own in 2010. what was the turning point when you decided to leave the corporate world and start your own consultancy.

There were turning points personally and professionally that motivated me to start my own consultancy.  I returned from maternity leave from my 1st daughter to my 8th boss – I had to prove myself all over again.  Typical office hours were 9-10 hours per day and I was missing out on so many things professionally waiting for a promotion that might never happen and personally at home missing my daughter’s milestones, etc.  As a consultant, I just focus on work that is meaningful and stretches my skills without the corporate bureaucracy of promotions, etc.  If I do good work, clients are happy, I expand my network and get more work.  I also pick the type of work I want to do, rather than taking on many projects I didn’t really have a passion for just for a promotion.

How did you find out about The Second Shift and what would you tell other women thinking about joining?

A peer of mine,  who was also a contractor/freelancer recommended The Second Shift to me, so I checked it out.  It was that simple. She mentioned that she heard a lot of companies were starting to use Second Shift more.
When I first applied,  I didn’t realize Second Shift was a female-focused model, but when I realized that, I was even more excited!  I am open to whatever organization can help me get good clients and expand my experience.  When you are a Freelancer/consultant it is challenging to find work, and it’s always nice to have reliable resources to help.  I am very thankful for Second Shift!

Since going off on your own what has been the biggest benefit to you personally and professionally?

The biggest benefit of consulting has been having flexibility in my schedule to be available for my family.  I have been able to show my daughters that you can stay in the workforce and still be available as a parent.  I am able to work during school hours but still pick my daughters up from school, hear about their day, help them with homework and take them to all their activities without having to completely give up having a career.  Consulting allows you to focus on the work at hand and doing a good job and getting it done when it works with your schedule, not just clocking hours in an office.  

The biggest benefit of consulting professionally is the ability to take on many different types of marketing projects and stretch my skill set beyond my initial networking circle. In the traditional corporate model you have a primary skill set and just move up the corporate ladder and take on a larger team but mainly keeping the same skills and field.  With consulting, I am able to grow and learn new skills, new industries, new clients and grow professionally in areas I would have never been exposed to.  It also allows me to work with companies I wouldn’t necessarily be interested in working with on a full-time basis but now I get to take on exiting projects and get exposure outside of full-time employment

You’ve landed some highly competitive jobs through the second shift–  How do you think about pitching and what are the secrets to your success?

I try to jump on the pitches as soon as I receive an email alert. I find the good ones go very fast, and I want to be in the mix.  I immediately reach out that I am interested and show them to my experience.  I am fortunate that I have some good larger brand names on my resume and I send my own company overview with client and project experience to help them see the level of companies I  work with.  After getting the initial conversation, I do think a lot is just chemistry with the clients and if it’s a good fit for them personally to work with a Second Shifter.

We love that consulting allows for women to show up for their families and become role models for their daughters–thank you Jamie and keep up the good work!

If you know of any amazing women, like Jamie, who should be part of our talent pool please email us at members@thesecondshift.com.

It’s A Wrap LA!

Just back from bringing The Second Shift to visit LA–three events over two days to spread the message of empowerment through work. We met old friends, favorite members, potential new members and killer businesswomen. Kicked it off with a panel discussion about pivotal career transition moments at the brand new Riveter workspace in West LA. Jenny was joined by Amy Nelson, Founder of The Riveter, Jamie Kantrowitz, Founder of healthy pantry staples start-up Countertop Foods, and Nyakio Grieco, Founder of organic beauty brand Nyakio

Headed next to Malibu to visit Second Shift member and client Michelle Reeves, Founder of The Accessory Junkie. Michelle and her partner Ursula set up shop at the Malibu Lumber Yard for the Summer and hosted an intimate talk about career transitions, challenges, and expectations. It was a real joy to be joined by social media expert and mentor Angela LoSasso. 

Finally, the main event was a dinner in our honor with a group of LA power Founders & Funders hosted by Jamie Kantrowitz (double billing for Jamie) and Jill Royster. We introduced guests to The Second Shift and spoke about the importance of creating an eco-system of women funding, hiring and supporting each other. Attendees included former, present and future clients like Olive & June, Simone Le Blanc, Claire Vivier, Novogratz Design, Weelicious and more. 

Long blog post short–more LA jobs are on the horizon, so If you know a great potential member please refer them to us at members@thesecondshift.com. Happy to send some swag as a thank you!

Pump and Dump NO MORE!

We met Kate Torgersen, the CEO and Founder of Milk Stork, at a dinner for women entrepreneurs that we hosted last May in San Francisco and were deeply inspired by her story and her company. Kate founded Milk Stork as a way for working mothers to transport their breast milk home when they travel for work. When she founded the company she was the mother of three young children and a busy executive at Cliff Bar, so it’s an issue that she personally understood, “Do I compromise my commitment to breastfeeding my babies? Or, do I compromise my job responsibilities?”

A few years later and Milk Stork is now an employee benefit at many major companies and Kate is sharing her 5 tips for working parents in a terrific interview in Women@Forbes– our favorite, #4: coach your kid’s team.  Congrats Kate! 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/meimeifox/2018/07/09/5-tips-on-balancing-a-career-and-parenting-from-the-ceo-of-milk-stork/#3e67e56b759b

All about YOU!

Recently some of you, our amazing Second Shift members, took part in a survey about YOU! What are you looking for? How do you currently work? How do you interact with our platform? The results are very interesting and give us insights and direction as we grow this community and business.

Here is what we learned:

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HOWEVER! This is where things get interesting…

96% have not yet attended a Second Shift event!  This year we have been to Seattle, NY, SF and LA. Look out DC, Chicago and Boston we are coming in late 2018. Please come to a member event– it’s such a great way to network, meet clients and learn new skills.

So how do you find out about events and other interesting opportunities?? Our blog and social media!!!

Yet….more than half of the survey respondents do not follow us on social media!!! This is seriously disappointing because we work really hard to provide interesting content and behind the scenes intel about jobs and community.

Follow us so that you don’t miss out on exciting opportunities, events, perks, promotions and JOBS!

Click the links below to follow us– it’s that easy! 

Instagram

Facebook 

Linked In

Twitter

Marietta Bryant– Meet our June Featured Member!

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Marietta Bryant was chosen as our Featured Member this month because we love the boldness of her pitch, her honesty with the client about her career path and overall optimistic attitude toward work and life. Marietta started to work with Ascent as a consultant on a part-time basis and that role recently became permanent– proving the model for temp-to-perm works for both our members and client companies. 

You have had a very interesting career that spanned different industries– what has surprised you most about your career path? When you started out did you think you would wind up where you are today?  

15 years ago, my first job after college was buying nuts and bolts- literally.  My only goals back then were to work hard, get out of purchasing and into marketing – and to see as much of the world as I could. 

Back then, I couldn’t predict the specifics. I didn’t know that I would be a wife and mother, a director in the oil and gas industry, or now a consultant-turned-marketing advisor to an exciting startup. But somewhere along the line, I figured out what I liked to do. I learned what I was good at – and more importantly, what I wasn’t – and after that I knew I could fall back on my old standby, hard work, to get me where I wanted to go. What surprises me the most, if I look back on my career to this point, is how strong the correlation is between my success and how honest I am with myself. 

What were the pivotal moments that caused you to change paths/ transition/ break with the trajectory of your career? 

Two key moments in my career shaped my journey; one early, one late.
Early on, after I moved into marketing, I was fortunate to represent my division in a corporate-wide rebrand. Witnessing the development of a new global brand from start to finish was eye-opening and lit the path to strategic marketing.
Later, around year 14, I chose to hang my career on a hook for a year. Everything I had worked toward was put on hold while I learned a new skill – becoming a mother. Because of my personal goal to spend as much time with my son as I can until he reaches school age- I was so thankful to find an organization like the Second Shift to help me get back into work while still having solid family time.  
 

You recently took a job through The Second Shift and it is a departure from what you have been doing in many ways– what made this seem like an opportunity you didn’t want to miss? 

After working with Ascent for a couple of months, they offered to work directly and I jumped on it. They’re an amazing group and they are so excited about their work that it’s hard not to want to be a part of the team. I felt it was a good fit for where I am in my career and personal life and what they need, and I can’t wait to watch the company grow.

Your pitch is below. Would love to know the thought process when crafting it and why you decided to address the time off you took off to raise your son. 

When I pitched for the job at Ascent I went all-in. After reading their job description I felt it was such a good fit (kind of like a dating profile!) that I wanted to make 100% sure it would work. So I was “me” as much as I could be. That’s also why I mentioned the recent gap year after my son’s birth. I figured; this is my life – this is my reality. If this is going to work for both of us (me, Ascent) then it has to be based on honesty and truth.

Good afternoon, My name is Marietta Bryant, and I have worked full-time in B2B marketing, most recently at the Director level, for nearly 15 years. My marketing career has been shaped by opportunities to build marketing departments from the ground-up. These opportunities have convinced me that this is all I want to do, which is why Ascent Leadership’s posting instantly appealed to me. I’ve pulled a few relevant highlights and grouped them into three categories below: CRM management, brand leadership, and project management, to showcase my abilities and excitement for working on this project. I have developed a public company’s Salesforce CRM platform and sales realization process from scratch, inclusive of lead generation, lead capture, opportunity management, account management, win/loss analysis, pricing, forecasting, and real-time reporting. Though I was responsible for development, I had to build strong relationships with the sales and customer service teams to ensure the system would be implemented and utilized effectively. This required multiple presentations, training sessions, and dedicated support to a 25-person team. In addition to CRM management, developing and maintaining a communications and brand strategy is a substantial piece of my work experience. Most recently, my company decided to change its name and brand upon having its IPO. This required my leadership to determine “who we are” and then to communicate this new identity to employees, customers, vendors, and investors. This change took place in phases and I led the team through each step of discovery and implementation. Once key messages and the new brand were agreed upon, the visual evolution could take place: signage and internal stationery, digital (web, social media, newsletters), trade shows and events, press releases, published content (articles, blogs), marketing collateral and brochures, and corporate brand standards. I wrote and/or proofread, all content, and designed some pieces as well. Finally, working on such large-scale projects required strong organizational and project management skills. Whether I am leading a team or working independently, every project has multiple objectives, inputs, outputs, and customers, and staying on track and on budget are always a top priority. For the two examples listed above – CRM management and brand/communications strategy – I was able to hand off work seamlessly to members of my team when needed, as well as give regular, succinct updates to management. I sincerely believe I could help Ascent Leadership to achieve its marketing goals. In addition, this role would be an excellent opportunity for me personally as I would love to learn more about the organization and its customer base. I do live in the midwest currently, but could make occasional trips to New York as needed.  Of course I hope I am the right fit – regardless, I wish you the best of luck in your search. Kind regards, Marietta Bryant

Thank you so much Marietta. We wish you the best of luck in your new venture and thank you for your willingness to share your thoughts and process with our community.