If you are a fan of FRIENDS, you may remember the above episode and hopefully are hearing Ross scream “PIV-OT!” in your head right now. But I’m not here to talk about Friends, or at least not the television show. Recently, La Magra staff attended the 7th annual Women Entrepreneurs Rock event hosted by Monmouth Ocean Small Business Development Center (MOSBDC). This is an event we look forward to every year and are so happy that the show did go on – virtually.
An underlying theme throughout the event was the need to constantly Pivot in business, especially in this time of COVID-19 where things are changing on a daily basis. Keynote Speaker Lauren Concar Sheehy, Executive Director of the Garden State Film Festival (GSFF) said that the key to success is to Prepare, Pivot, Provide. If you can adapt you can survive despite the obstacle. That’s why the GSFF was virtual this year and was able to reach a worldwide audience. Her fellow Keynote Speaker Ilsy J. Hoo, Miss New Jersey for America and CEO & Founder of Accomplished Women LLC and iHoo Media, mentioned the need to Pivot away from your desk. The benefit of this is for your wellness/well-being and to give your brain a break which in turn will foster new ideas and fresh perspective. Panelist Denise Kelleher spoke about numerous pivotal events in her success. Initially, she went from corporate America to a small business in her kitchen when she pivoted from grief to baking. She also had to pivot slightly when a similar store opened just a few doors down from her own, Cups & Cakes Bakery in Rumson, NJ.
Lisa Ascolese, Lisa Kanda, and Cynthia Sepulveda rounded out the remaining panelists and stressed the importance of pivoting in marketing strategy, product development, and audience retention. “The Inventress,” Lisa Ascolese, of Inventing A-to-Z shared that if people don’t fall in love with your product, you need to pivot and go in a different direction be it with a redesign or remarketing. Lisa Kanda, President of Elkay Associates, LLC, encouraged the WER audience to shift and pivot beyond anything you have experienced to succeed in business and to find your customers. Cynthia, Owner and Founder of Flaco Coquito advised the WER zoomers to not give up and to pivot and do something else if you need to in order to succeed. Even Jackie Mejias-Fuertes, Executive Director of MOSBDC told the crowd that the planning committee had to pivot in planning this year’s event.
So, the takeaway we gained from this year’s unique WER event was to Pivot, Pivot, Pivot if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur or small business. Thank you MOSBDC!
