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Northern Credit Union speaks with Wendy Kaufman of Wendlin Reputation Management
Few organizations can boast of being 80% female, and 70% of them female.
But that’s also true for Northern Credit Union. This goes hand-in-hand with Northern’s support for entrepreneurs, the economic engine behind Canada’s economy.
In this Spotlight article, Leesa Woolley, Senior Vice President of Member Experience at Northern Credit Union, speaks with Canadian business owner Wendy Kaufman, founder of Wendlin Reputation Management, which provides advice to fellow female entrepreneurs. We had a conversation.
Wendy, how long have you been an entrepreneur? What are you most passionate about?
I started my career as a journalist. My training he received from CNN. He then wrote wire copy for United Press International before moving to CTV News as a field producer for the Middle East bureau. I moved back to Canada and moved into public relations. I worked at his PR agency for 20 years, supporting organizations from start-ups to international brands.
The COVID-19 lockdown forced me to slow down. This provided an opportunity to think about the most important communications services and new delivery models for the next decade. The answer became so clear that I decided to quit my job at his PR firm and start a communications consulting practice focused on this vision.
As for passion, I mention it directly on my home page and make sure it is closely tied to everything my business offers. “Everyone has the right to feel that their story matters, their voice matters and their truth is heard. We prioritize corporate citizenship for the simple reason that: .Use words intentionally, carefully, and in a fun way.”
Achieving work/life balance can be a sensitive topic. For many of my friends, it feels like an impossible task. What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs who are juggling business and family life?
Early in my career, a mentor gave me a life-changing insight. That doesn’t mean balance is 50% home and 50% work.
At different points in life, one person takes the lead and the other takes second place. A balanced life looks like 70% home, 30% work, 60% work, 40% home, etc. I gave myself permission to follow this advice years ago. It was just as precious when I had a baby at home and when my baby went off to college.
How important is it for women to overcome impostor syndrome? Do you have any helpful suggestions?
A KPMG study found that 75% of female executives across all industries have experienced impostor syndrome during their careers. It’s okay to feel unsure or hesitant about whether you’re the right person for the job. But when these emotions keep you from asking clear questions, preventing you from raising your hand to say “choose me,” or making mistakes because you’re too nervous, it goes beyond simple advice. It’s a problem that needs a solution. .
When I’m unsure, I ask myself the following questions that may help other women entrepreneurs:
Do men in this role feel similarly uncertain about how to proceed? The answer is always yes. So shake it off.
Have I ever fallen short of expectations when a task involved my general skill set? The answer is no. So shake it off.
If you need help solving a task, do you have the skills and resources to find it? The answer is yes. Take a deep breath. Reframe this problem as a learning opportunity. Please rush forward.
Determining your own worth seems to be an obstacle that most women I know face. What steps can women take to ensure they pay themselves fairly?
Most entrepreneurs have a rough idea of what their competitors charge for similar services and products. So she has to ask herself, “Do I want to charge on high, medium, or low range of the range?” If she chooses the lower end of the range, she will always be competing on price and must accept that her service/product is a commodity aimed at the lowest bidder. Or do you want to judge the value of a service/product based on the value the client/customer gets and charge a higher fee? Value is always a stronger positioning to start a negotiation.
Returning to my previous question, if a female business owner has doubts about her ability to do so, she will not charge the highest rate. But when she feels like she has a right to be in the game, she has the confidence to charge what her services and products are worth, and ultimately feels like she’s being paid fairly. It will look like this.
I would like to end this article with a section on leveraging experience from a female perspective. I believe that women have unique experiences that are valuable in all aspects of life. What does leveraging experience through a female perspective mean to you?
Some traits are usually assigned to men, such as risk-taking, aggression, and self-confidence. Also, other traits are commonly assigned to women, such as cooperation, empathy, compassion, and intuition. The truth is that people of all genders have all the characteristics, but our personalities, environments, and socialization make certain people more dependent on some than others.
With this in mind, women can spend more time leveraging the value of their lived experiences, or what we call the “female lens.” They can consciously observe the situation and ask themselves, “What can I see that someone with a different life experience can’t see?” This may help us understand how the same message sounds differently, identify voices lost in research and development, and lead with more empathetic responses in a crisis. yeah. I use a female perspective to bring more value to my company’s products and services by identifying risks and opportunities that half the population may not be aware of.
To find out more about how Northern supports women entrepreneurs, visit us online here.
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