Impact & influence have nothing to do with numbers feat Makeda Andrews

Kat Elizabeth: 0:00

I have got a special episode in store for you today, one that I have been excited about since oh, let's say July 2021, which is when we first recorded it as if you've been listening for a while you know that my 2021 was not ideal, all sorts of strange things happened. Lots of things did not going go according to plan. And this episode was meant to be a part of a big launch that I was doing, and it just did not work out. It just was not right at the time. And I put the episode on ice. And I realized today when I was about to record a fresh episode, I was like, What are you doing? Release this episode? It's amazing. And no, it's not because of me. It's because this episode features a really good friend of mine and longtime client Makeda Andrews, aka Mak, who has an amazing YouTube channel called Mak TV that you should definitely check out. But Mak is a leadership coach really specializing in helping new managers to become impactful leaders. And she has just achieved so much over the last couple of years, I've just been so inspired by her journey. But most importantly, she's very real should this episode is just full of her really wise inside and some practical advice. All around, not just good luck. This is really not just about we're not even at all really about growing a team. It's really about what leadership is all about creating an impact and what that really means and how we are leaders today, whether we have an audience of one or 1000 or 100,000, and whether you have a team of zero, or a huge growing team. So I'm just really excited to introduce you to her. And I'm even going to just skip the intro today as in my you know, pre recorded intro and just get straight into it because this is gold. And I've I really think it's going to be inspiring for many of you. So enjoy the episode. Well hello, and welcome Makeda. For context, we are currently recording this during our normal co working session. So the only difference to us chatting every single Wednesday or Tuesday for Mak is that I've hit record on a zoom session. So it's this really weird thing to start and like make formal. But anyways, we've officially started, we're recording. Thank you for being here. Mak, do you want to tell everybody a little bit about yourself what you do and what led you here today? I mean, and not to this room? Not to this co working session, but what you do is a whole?

Makeda Andrews: 2:35

Yeah. Okay, gotcha. Because I was I was gonna go with the co working thing.

Kat Elizabeth: 2:39

That's what I thought. You're welcome.

Makeda Andrews: 2:42

Clarification is key.

Kat Elizabeth: 2:44

Communication. We're going to talk about that today.

Makeda Andrews: 2:47

We definitely are. Yes, so I'm a leadership and team building expert or coach, consultant for first time team managers basically help. First time team managers really get super clear in their role in terms of what their responsibilities are. And then of course, make sure that they're distilling that clarity down to their team members so that team members can excel in their roles.

Kat Elizabeth: 3:10

We love that. So I happen to know that you have a very good reason for like that you're working with managers today and helping them so can you tell us a little bit about your background? And what led you to entrepreneurship in the first place?

Makeda Andrews: 3:25

Yeah, so for me, I just have like a huge super soft spot for first time team managers, because I once upon a time was one, I was super slick. Okay, so what happened was, I had gotten this, like, frontline job at this big company. And I was like, super excited about it, doing my thing in the corner. And for like, five months, I was kicking butt, I'm allowed to say that on the podcast, right? I was kicking butt,

Kat Elizabeth: 3:51

We'll allow it.

Makeda Andrews: 3:53

And all of a sudden, the president of the company actually, like pulled me into his office, and he was like Mak, you're killing it here. We love everything you're doing. We would love it if you can be the manager of this growing department. And I was like, of course, I was excited. But I was also shocked because it didn't come with any training. It didn't come with any clarification of like, what is expected of me. All he said was, listen, this department is going to be a huge part of the strategic plan of this company moving forward. And by the way, you're the manager of it. It was kind of a disaster for the first couple of months until I actually had a mentor come into the company who became my direct manager and he really, really helped me to turn turn things around. And so it was that kind of evolution of having gone from being like this complete screw up in my role to being somebody that was able to grow like a small tiny department into like, a huge department of 25 and be recognized by the company and have further you know, more and more opportunities. That's when I was like, hey, leadership really does matter. It really can catapult your career, as well as the careers of everybody else on your team. And so that's pretty much kind of what that was kind of the evolution of that role for me. And then, in terms of entrepreneurship, once I decided that I had kind of like, learned as much as I could in that role, it was kind of like, what's next? And it was actually my team at the time that said to me, Hey, you did really well at this. Can you imagine if you replicated this outside of just us? And I was like, Okay, give it a try. I'll give it a try. And that's essentially how I got started my business. It was literally my team that gave me this idea. Wow, that's pretty cool.

Kat Elizabeth: 5:45

I mean, that's pretty like good confirmation that like at least validation that people see something in you something special in your leadership that they believe in you enough to send you out into the wild world. But I mean, it's so funny, because you were talking about how that No, man, no training came with this promotion that you were given, like, there's no like instruction manual. It's like, off you go. And I was like, huh, funny. Sounds a lot like entrepreneurship.

Makeda Andrews: 6:15

Figure it out on your own? Yeah.

Kat Elizabeth: 6:18

Worse, because you're completely alone. When you're starting out. Can you talk a little bit about the, I guess, the, the journey that it has been so far, knowing that, I mean, I think for most of us, we're playing the long game here. And we know that like, once you're an entrepreneur, there's no real going back, it's like, it's never going to be the same. So it's gonna keep evolving, and we're all works in progress. And there's always going to be more that we want to achieve. So I'm sure that you've got very big lofty goals, and you're like, oh, my gosh, I can't talk about what I've achieved, because it's nothing compared to what I want to have achieved. But knowing you, I know, there's a lot that you have already done so far. And a lot, a lot of obstacles you've overcome and mindset crap, let's say. So can you talk about I guess,

Makeda Andrews: 7:02

yeah, yeah.

Kat Elizabeth: 7:05

a baptism of fire? Like, can you talk us just through a little bit of that? I guess that first entry into entrepreneurship and some of the challenges maybe that came up that you weren't expecting?

Makeda Andrews: 7:16

Yeah, I think for me, because of the fact that like I said, it was my team that gave me the idea. I obviously have, like this huge passion for leadership, and for first time team managers. But it was my team that gave me the idea. And I kind of how do I say this, I went into it with more passion than really like an understanding of what entrepreneurship is, like, I was kind of like, great, so I'm going to be able to help all these people and have so much impact and things are gonna be great. And then I got into it, and I was like, Oh, wait, no, things aren't great. I mean, yeah, I do want to help all these people, and it's happening. But it's not like what I thought it was gonna be. And that played with my mind quite a bit. You know, you know what it's like in entrepreneurship, when you don't instantly get that like validation of whether or not you're doing a good job or not, then you start to think, Well, is there something wrong with me? Is it my messaging? Is it Do people just not like me, like, I couldn't figure it out. And so it just constantly would be, you know, this running tape in my head of whether or not I was good enough to be doing what I was doing?

Kat Elizabeth: 8:22

I'd be interested to know being that I mean, you're used to leading a team. And it's kind of like, it's such like it's formal leadership, where you're like, here's your title, like, this is what you're supposed to do. How has your view on leadership changed, since you've stepped out of having that team behind you? And then like, people above you, and just kind of having this like, blank canvas of a business?

Makeda Andrews: 8:46

How has it changed? You know, it's interesting, because in my role in corporate, even though I did have a direct manager, the department was viewed as its own business. So I already had a whole lot of autonomy within that role. The difference was, that we were right, I already knew that the product of my department was one that people wanted. And so the sky was the limit in terms of what I wanted to do, how I wanted to how I wanted to sell things within our department how I wanted to grow it. Because yeah, it was already a proven product. Whereas when I jumped into entrepreneurship, there was a lot of, I was just unsure whether or not people wanted what I was offering, and that's what caused the issue for me more than anything else.

Kat Elizabeth: 9:34

Mm hmm. Yeah, that makes sense. What are some ways that you have worked through not having that validation? Like you're obviously here talking to me today, which means you're still doing it. What has helped you kind of stay in the role and and stay committed to the vision that you created for yourself?

Makeda Andrews: 9:54

Well, it's a couple of things. I think it's definitely definitely like, for example, having you in my corner or just people that I can talk too, who are honest enough to admit that entrepreneurship isn't all rainbows and roses all the time. Because a lot of the things that we see on Instagram, people make it seem as though it's a lot, it's easy, or they make it seem like, if you're having problems, like what's wrong with you type thing. And so it's really great to connect with other people that are still doing, wow, they're successful, but they can admit that it's not always easy, and that you are going to have these days where you just feel like what is the point you want to give up, and then the next day, you're like, This is great. And then the next day, or like I want to give, you're gonna have those days. So that's like, one thing that has definitely helped me is just having people to talk to. And then number two, what it's so funny, I think I was telling you this the other day, but every time I have like a really, really bad day, or like where I feel like I'm just at the edge, I'm going to give this thing up, somebody emails me and says this has changed my life because of this. And receiving that is all. Everything I need all in one, because that's why I got into this in the first place. And so if I can have an impact on somebody like that, then I'm just going to keep going. I'm yeah, I'm committed to, to do this thing for the long haul. Because that's what matters when someone you know, responds and says, This truly changed my life. Isn't that what we got into business for to change people's lives? And if I see that, if they're telling me that, then that means I'm successful.

Kat Elizabeth: 11:44

Yeah, for sure. Okay, I'm going to circle back because you touched on something really important. So you were talking about how when you do show up on social media, and you're bombarded with what people are saying, about, you know, how they're doing how you should be doing, like, there's this constant feeling of like, oh, my gosh, I have to look a certain way, I have to be achieving certain things, running my business a certain way, based on what I'm seeing on social media, like, I mean, these people that you're looking up to like, that is a form of leadership, like they're, they're really all setting themselves up to be thought leaders, which kind of then comes with the responsibility of knowing that every single thing that you share, is going to have an impact on the people who are following you. Even people who like consider themselves to also be thought leaders, we can't not be impacted by what we're seeing on social media. Where do we where do we draw that line? Knowing like, it is such a sensitive thing? Like I think it's very scary to know how much to share and what to hold back? Like, how have you navigated that form of leadership? I guess, well, things are like, there's ups and downs, and whatever, you know, going behind the scenes, like, do you have like a compass for yourself that helps you know what to be sharing versus where what you're going to keep to yourself?

Makeda Andrews: 12:56

Yeah, absolutely. So again, when I was leading my team, I was introduced to the framework know feel do when it comes to communication. And, you know, whenever I was delivering any sort of like speech to them, or just having a one on one meeting with them, I was always ahead of time thinking to myself, what is it that that you know, that this person already knows about what I'm about to say? What is it that I? How do I want them to feel when they walk away from this conversation? And what is it exactly I want them to do? And I kind of follow that same framework in my head when I share things always really like indexing on the feel aspect of things like what is it? If I share this piece of content? How do I want someone to feel because so much of the content that is out there on Instagram almost is like a little bit triggering to people? I don't know why, I guess it's because they're trying to get a sale. Sorry, excuse me, or help people see, like, what the problem is. And I understand that, like, I understand, that's the whole thing of messaging and you know, getting your getting your message at that message across, but at the same time, these are people that are consuming our content. They're not just buyers. And so we need to really think about how we want them to feel when we share content, because it matters. We don't know if we could be the trigger point for somebody when we share something that we think is just to get them to buy our product, but then they go home and they're depressed about what we've said or shared. So that's the piece that I think that needs to be considered all the time. And that's at least what I always think of before I share anything.

Kat Elizabeth: 14:39

Yeah, I really like that. I mean, I think even showing up can be really triggering as well, because of this pressure to perform and be seen and be heard and you know, try and step into this leadership. How do you create safe space for you, so that you can like either retreat or Know that you know, you're not putting yourself in a position where you're feeling super vulnerable or just exhausted or overwhelmed? Like, is there? Do you have any sort of way of navigating that? And has it changed since you first started in, you know, in entrepreneurship?

Makeda Andrews: 15:15

Yeah, I think what's really helped me, I don't know for you, but it's like throwing myself into what I actually enjoy, which is my client work. Like when I'm with my students, when I'm with clients, that's when I feel the happiest. And so, so yeah, when I get like really involved in helping them, navigate the workplace, navigate their issues, navigate whatever, then I'm not really thinking about social media and what's being put out there. Because again, to me, the whole reason I got into this business was to have an impact on people's lives. That's more important to me than what is going on, on social media. So when I throw myself into that, that's when I'm, like I said, the happiest. But if I'm not as involved with my students, as I should be, I'll really like I'll know, because that's when social media stuff is bothering me.

Kat Elizabeth: 16:06

Mm hmm.

Makeda Andrews: 16:08

Isn't that so interesting how that happens, I'll be like, Oh, that means I'm not really paying attention to the people I need to be paying attention to enough. So I need to go like Slack this person right now and say, Hey, how's it going? How can I be of assistance to you?

Kat Elizabeth: 16:21

I love that so much. I feel like that's so grounding, and just a way of instantly checking yourself because it can you can spiral so quickly. It's completely the same for me, it's like when I'm in flow, when I know I'm in my purpose. Social media just feels like this thing. There's like, oh, yeah, it's there. I'm just gonna show up and be me. And

Makeda Andrews: 16:37

Yeah. then I'm going to get back to my business knowing that I'm bigger than social media. But it's like when you disconnect from your purpose and your mission, and the thing that you really want to be doing social media suddenly feels way bigger than you and you just feel like this one little voice who's very insignificant, and you need to like shout to be heard. And it just changes the dynamic completely. So I think that's a really good tip. Thank you for sharing.

Kat Elizabeth: 17:01

Okay, so I brought you here, because you're part of a, like a bigger series that I'm sharing on creating an impact. Because I think most people that are listening to this podcast right now were drawn to entrepreneurship, or even like having a side hustle or doing something really meaningful with their career. With that's, that's kind of bigger than they are, but like, feels like it's going to leave a legacy. And they can actually feel fulfilled, doing the work that they get paid to do. And I really like one of the things I think that gets very overlooked, especially in entrepreneurship, because you're solo for so long, like us kind of start from the ground up. And you just feel like I'm just this one little person, like who am I to consider myself to be a leader or any of these things, we just a lot of this stuff that comes up that you end up helping your clients with, because I know you work with owners of businesses now who are building their own team of managers, like, they don't think about leadership until way down the track, almost like till it's too late. Like there's no like proactivity they're just like, until you've hired people and you're like, Oh, crap, am I like leading a team now, that's when action happens. But I'd love to kind of talk about, I guess, the evolution of leadership and how it can happen throughout all these different phases of building your business.

Makeda Andrews: 18:15

Yeah, I think first of all, we probably overcomplicate a little bit the the definition of leadership, because at the end of the day, leadership is simply just influence. And so influence, like we know is built on relationships, like you can't, there's no influence. Without that, well, obviously, you need to have like some sort of vision, but you need people also to, to influencers. And that requires you having relationships. And so I think like as a solopreneur, if you don't have a team or whatnot, your audience is basically the people that you want to try and build relationships with, so that you can influence them to whichever vision that you see in front of you. That's really the goal. And you do that obviously, through your content, right. But you have to first know, what is your vision? What is the impact that you would like to have? Where do you want to take these group of people, you have 200 followers? Great. Where do you want to take those 200 followers? And then you see that through your content by trying to build relationships with them, because that's all really leadership is.

Kat Elizabeth: 19:23

Yeah, I like that. That is so nice and simple. Because the fact is, like, if again, if you're an entrepreneur, you believe that you have something that is going to help make someone else's life better in some way, even in a really small way. So your job now is to guide them towards that better version of their life. And therefore that is leadership. Oh, that's so good. Okay, cool. So basically anyone listening, you have no excuse like you will already a leader it's just up to you. Now, if you're going to acknowledge the fact that you're a leader and really lean into it and do something with it, or you're just gonna like put your head in the sand and like wait until when you feel more worthy of being a leader, which unfortunately, like you probably like, it rarely happens. I don't know about you Mak, but like, most days, I'm like, Who am I to do this? Like, what am I doing? Am I worthy of like these people following me and listening to me like it, the imposter syndrome is so real,

Makeda Andrews: 20:17

but then what helps is like grounding yourself back into that vision that you have, right? Don't you find that helps quite a bit. When you think about that, then it's like, okay, yeah, this is where I'm heading. And I just need these people to come along with me, that's all it is. I just need to clear this path so that you can see why this is such a compelling vision, I need to help them, you know, make it across with me make it you know, across this path with me. But yeah, once you ground into that, then it becomes so much easier, right?

Kat Elizabeth: 20:45

For sure. And remembering it's like we're doing we can do this one person at a time. Like it actually it should start with one person knowing, knowing them so well that you can really create the best way to possibly serve them. And knowing if there's one, there's probably 10, there's 10, there's 100, like, eventually it will start to flow. But I think we do actually kind of trip ourselves up by getting carried away about the 1000 10,000 million people out there. We feel like we could help, but then we just get really like, oh my gosh, but how am I gonna do that? Like that's there's such a big gap between where I am now and where I want to be. But you you can you're a leader right now. And all it takes is to change one person's life, if you already start making that impact, and then it gets to start flowing, and it does get easier, you're going to build momentum. Trust me.

Makeda Andrews: 21:30

Absolutely. You know, I was thinking about something you just said, I would say, because you were talking about how sometimes people feel like, you know, you have to have like 10,000 followers or whatever to really make that like impact. But I'm thinking like you would actually be less effective at actually being a leader to that 10,000 people, if you didn't learn to be a leader to the one or two that you had at the beginning, you're going to right like, you're going to be a lot less effective, because you wouldn't have really built a relationship to begin with. So you're not going to know how to do that with 10,000. So it's better to start with your one or two, really learn, really learn those other people, those two people that you're you know, that are following you get to know them, get to understand them get to see what motivates them get to see what gets them across, like we talked about that path to that vision that you're seeing. And then once you have that 10,000 Men, you're going to be rocking it.

Kat Elizabeth: 22:26

So good. And like this is exactly why I say to people like don't make the first thing you do like be creating a course for like for those 1000 people, 10,000 people you want to help, if you haven't yet been able to figure out the best way to help that one person as a service provider, like you want to create some sort of mastery of what you do, then package it up and create that course because the impact is going to be so much bigger than if you skip ahead. And you just hurry up and create that course. And you know, if you're worried you're like, Well, I don't even have clients, like how do I get to know these people, talk to them, like to have conversations and just get inside their head, ask them questions and genuinely want to understand where they're at, and how you can best serve them. That will eventually then lead to clients. Yeah, absolutely. Love that. Okay, let's, let's jump ahead now, let's say you are you're on ready to grow a team. And I know that you have worked with like, you know, a fair few people now who really like the business is growing so fast, and they're having to really like they're bringing on all the people that they need to. Because there's this assumption, it's like, okay, cool, like, fast growth, lots of money need to bring on team members, and then we're just gonna keep growing. Where do you see things fall apart? When we bring on team members having no experience of of leading a team, and yeah, especially if you haven't, like been like, you've got a background of being a manager. So I can only imagine like, when you grow your team, it's like, they're going to be very lucky team. From an embarrassing experience that like I've already like, had some failed attempts at bringing people on not really knowing what I what state I needed to be in, like, who I needed to be what processes I needed to have in place in order to even bring someone out that could truly help me and not just have them sitting there waiting for instructions. So what should we be doing to prepare in anticipation of bringing those people on or if you've already, let's, let's do that. We'll do this in two part. Okay. Proactive work. That's a lot of fun, proactive things that we can do before we hire a team. You know, me I get very passionate and carried away.

Makeda Andrews: 24:38

Yeah, you were like into it. Guys, if you could actually see her, you would know exactly what I mean. She's like getting really carried away right now. Arms are going like

Kat Elizabeth: 24:50

just yeah, just like a clip of me just getting really overexcited. Okay, bring it back over to you.

Makeda Andrews: 24:57

Okay, sorry. Sorry. What was the first question on this? So sorry,

Kat Elizabeth: 25:00

what could we be doing? Now if we know that we are going to want to hire a team? Like, is there some things that we can be doing to to prepare so that when we bring them on, it's not a disaster and not like a waste of money? Or they don't like hate us for for being inept? As managers?

Makeda Andrews: 25:18

No, that's a great question. Um, so I like, like, you already know, I work with the first time manager, like after they've jumped in the role, but I actually think it's more effective to work with people beforehand than it is afterwards because, well, for obvious reasons. So anyways,

Kat Elizabeth: 25:35

prevention versus cure.

Makeda Andrews: 25:36

Prevention Exactly. So if you know that you're preparing for a team, actually, it's really good to start developing your leadership skills ahead of time. So if you know you're going to be hiring people, figure out like, how you're going to clearly communicate with them, what the expectations are of their role, how you're going to be transparent with them at all times. And also watch out for, for some reason, I'm seeing this happen, like quite a bit. So I'm just gonna call it out. But for some reason, because we have this like marketing hat on all the time, where there's like, partially BSing people, when it comes to messaging, we bring on team members and then do the same thing with them. And they are not clients. They're your team members who you're expecting to help you live, you know, really build out your vision for you. So you can't be asked them like you.

Kat Elizabeth: 26:44

Can you give me an example of what that potentially looks like, not throwing anyone under the bus? Okay. Like, okay, so would you say that it's like bringing people on like, almost like over glorifying what the role is going to look like and what state the business is in? So you can it's almost like false advertising when someone gets the role, okay.

Makeda Andrews: 27:06

Yes, yes. And they need to know the full truth to be able to help you.

Kat Elizabeth: 27:11

Yeah. And to be able to find the right person for the job as well.

Makeda Andrews: 27:15

Exactly. Exactly. So that's like, the first thing, I think is really important is just taking off that marketing hat a little bit. I know that obviously, that's really important for attracting clients. But not when it comes to team members, they need full transparency in order to do their jobs. Well, yeah. It also shows up when people on the team are not maybe meeting expectations, that same sort of like marketing hat is on where the full truth is not being presented to that person. And that doesn't help them at all, either. Yeah. So like I said, I think like, most definitely ahead of time working on specific leadership skills would really help particularly as it relates to communication. And yeah, communication with team members has probably the first thing Yeah. Just because I see that happening a lot. Yeah. And it's not good.

Kat Elizabeth: 28:15

Yeah. I'm more I guess, on like, a technical side of things that got a couple of things are seeing going around. And I'd love to know your thoughts on this. Like, don't hire someone until you've learned how to do the thing yourself. Like don't hire, don't outsource something that you haven't least tried to learn or do yourself. And also make sure that you already have systems in place for everything before you bring someone on. I'd love to know your take on both of those ideas, because I'm sure there's more than one angle to this.

Makeda Andrews: 28:44

Yeah I definitely I understand the sentiment, you know, behind both of those things. Definitely systems are important so that you have some way of training someone to do what it is that you're asking them to do, right, because we can't ask people to do something or have expectations of somebody, and then we're not doing our part to make sure that they're set up for success. So definitely the systems part, when it comes to knowing exactly how to do something that you're hiring someone for. I think that depends. Because really, and truly, like you're stepping out of the expert role when you're hiring somebody, and you are trusting them to be the expert in what you've hired them for. So yes, I think you do need to have an understanding maybe of what you're asking someone to do. But you don't want to have like total mastery of it. Otherwise, it's you're gonna fall into this trap of micromanaging this person when they come in. So yeah, it's just think like a general understanding is probably more than enough, then, you know, mastering it. Yeah. Okay, cool. So that makes sense. Absolutely.

Kat Elizabeth: 29:49

Yeah. Let's now go to part B of my question from when I was getting carried away. And let's say that you have already brought on some people and you're done. noticing that oh my gosh, like, I don't really know what I'm doing things are not going as smoothly as I thought like I thought if I just hired people, everything would get easier. And maybe it's actually getting worse before it gets better. What can you do to course correct in that stage? And this is, and this is I guess it's more from the business owners perspective, like, if you also want to give some advice to managers that may be feeling like that's going on, like, then that's again, like a two parter. So first, from the entrepreneurs standpoint, what do you do when you roll? And you're like, Oh, crap

Makeda Andrews: 30:34

When you've created scalable problems?

Kat Elizabeth: 30:35

Yes. Scalable problem.

Makeda Andrews: 30:41

I'm calling it now. Because there's so much advice out there about scale, scale, this scale that scale this, scale your team, but there's like, I don't know, there's just like, not proper infrastructure for it. There's not proper, like training provided for it. And so obviously, because of that, you're now creating scalable problems. So it's like my term now that I'm using.

Kat Elizabeth: 31:01

I'm gonna definitely use that as well I'll credit you. It's very good.

Makeda Andrews: 31:08

You don't have to credit me, just use it. Okay, so what do you do? So I think one of my favorite actually exercises that I like, running or like, talking to students about is like the impediment exercise where you, like, bring everybody into the room, virtually whatever you want to do. And you ask them, What are the main obstacles to their success? Because what that does is it helps you get to the root cause of what's actually going on, and then you can determine what the actual solution is to whatever's going on, like, because I wouldn't want people to assume that it's one thing and then solve for the wrong issue. So finding out essentially, what the number one obstacle is to success or what the number one impediment is, is probably the first step in diagnosing what the root cause of the problems that you're seeing. And then, of course, solutioning for it.

Kat Elizabeth: 32:08

Yeah, I love them. Okay, cool. Very practical. Thank you. I mean, we're kind of I feel like I literally, I'm not even watching the time, but I feel like we've we're getting to a point where we can start wrapping up. But what I would love to do is kind of circle back to the whole point of this series and kind of ask you, what does impact really mean to you as like, as a business owner as a personal brand? Like, what is the impact that you're looking to make on the world? And why is it important to you,

Makeda Andrews: 32:40

for me, like I was talking about right is being able to change somebody's life is really, really important to me. But more than that, like, for my business, the whole reason this business exists is so that we can create a much better workplace for people. Because the workplace, as we all know, is really muddled with problems. I mean, that's why we just had the great resignation happened in April. And that's why honestly, there's so many people in the entrepreneurs space, right, like a lot of people are leaving corporate because they're like, Man, this is, this is not working. And so for me, the the biggest impact is definitely making the workplace for people much better through better leadership practices, with managers that are equipped to, to lead them effectively. That's the impact that I'm trying to make anyways. That's why I wake up every day and do what I do

Kat Elizabeth: 33:32

on it. And if you could go back to when you were first starting this business and tell yourself one thing, whether it's a piece of advice, some encouragement, something that just would have made it a little bit easier, or would have changed your course slightly. What What would Mak have said to young Mak? Well, I mean, it can be three things if you've got three greedy now but okay.

Makeda Andrews: 34:00

I need to go back and give her all the advice I could give her.

Kat Elizabeth: 34:04

What wouldn't I tell her?

Makeda Andrews: 34:06

Exactly?

Kat Elizabeth: 34:07

What would have made the most impact on what you're doing today?

Makeda Andrews: 34:12

Um, I guess focus on the things that are actually important. clarify what's actually important to you, and stay focused on it.

Kat Elizabeth: 34:23

And how, what is your process for understanding what is important versus what's not like? Is it has it been trial and error? Like, is there like, yeah, how do you kind of narrow that down? When you when you look at like a giant to do list and all the things you could be doing? What's your guiding kind of light? For choosing a focus?

Makeda Andrews: 34:42

Yeah, it's, it's gonna seem like really simple, but you see these journals behind me. That's actually what helps me to figure out what's truly important. I just write, I just write and often times I can, you know, through writing, I'm like, oh, Yeah, this is this is the thing. And I have a bunch of like, sentences that are circled, obviously in the journal that helps me go back and go, oh yeah, this is the thing that I'm striving for. So all this other crap doesn't actually matter. So I always, you know, go back to it. But yeah, journaling has really helped me narrow down the most important things.

Kat Elizabeth: 35:20

I'm so glad you shared that I recently got back into journaling, after letting it go for a while and just realize that I'm my own worst enemy when I'm not journaling, because the thoughts just swirl. And the ideas are coming. And it's so difficult to focus and know what's a real fear? What's a real like, you know, key thing that you need to know versus what's just like fluff. And yeah, just just being overloaded with information every single day

Makeda Andrews: 35:45

We are overloaded, we are really overloaded with information right now. That's another thing too, that really helps, right is just like unplugging from all the information because oftentimes, we kind of know what's important and what we need to focus on. But it's so cluttered like you said, and so maybe like an unplug too really helps with that.

Kat Elizabeth: 36:04

It's so funny. Like, I definitely go through phases of this. And I think we all do where all you want to do is just absorb everything there's like so much to learn. So you listening to every podcast, I can every spare moment, its podcast, online course book, like something. But I've noticed that the issue there is that there is no space for us to actually develop our own thoughts and ideas, yes, to really find our voice and and really get clear on our vision and how we want to show up, because it's just like everyone else's ideas are being shoved down our throats and just oh, I have to do it like this. And this and I have to check this box and this box. And when you can just stop. And sometimes it's only for a day that you need to stop for and just sit with it. It's incredible what comes up, you suddenly realize, Oh, I really feel like doing this. Or maybe I should try this. But it comes from within instead of from the outside. So I'm really glad you said that.

Makeda Andrews: 36:59

Absolutely. It reminds me so years ago I was my mentor gave me this fantastic book. It's like one of my favorites. The Road Less stupid by Keith Cunningham is such a it's such a great book. Yeah. And he talks about the practice of thinking time. And so I adopted that, like years ago, where it was like, I would block off 30 minutes in my calendar every Friday just for thinking time. And it's basically what you're talking about, which is like quiet, so that you can just be alone with your thoughts. So you can process what's gone on for the week, did you work on the most important things? Were you in focus? Were you in alignment? Or did you get you know, distracted, these are the things that I like asked myself, literally every Friday for 30 minutes, I'm just sitting there with my thoughts, which sometimes is scary, I gotta tell you,

Kat Elizabeth: 37:47

I avoid my own thoughts quite often, I'm terrified.

Makeda Andrews: 37:50

But it helps it helps get you like, it helps to get you like recenter and focused. And so I tell people all the time, like I tell my students all the time, develop this practice right now because it's going to be one of the best things you do for yourself for your own development and for because, you know, as a leader, like you're talking about even as a entrepreneurial leader, you need to have that that space in if you want to, to lead other people lead your audience. So that's gonna have to be a practice of yours is to have just some alone thinking time. So good.

Kat Elizabeth: 38:24

Okay, now I'm going to segment a sick segment segue. I've been talking so much about email marketing, can you tell my brain? Anyways, um, since we're about to wrap up, I want people to know how to how to, I guess, follow you and work with you. Because I kind of I'm going to just like, I'm kind of hijacking the conversation here, right now. We've worked together for so long, yes, I'm just gonna make sure that you don't get out of this. I would say that for anyone. Like, even if you are not a new manager, or you're someone with a team right now, you should be following Mack because she is such a beautiful example of someone who has found their voice who is so clear on their mission, and is just like, creating content that is that obviously lights her up. And that is in alignment with with her message. And so I think you should just choose someone who's not going to trigger you. You know, like, no, no, make you feel like, oh my gosh, I should be doing all these things. Like she's just a great person to follow. So even if you just entrepreneur right now and you feel like I'm not a leader, please go

Makeda Andrews: 39:24

but you are, which we clarify a lot that we all are.

Kat Elizabeth: 39:29

Yeah. So hopefully you get that now. Also keeping in mind that if you want to, you could totally scale and grow a team one day, so at least you'll be following her and ready when you need that kind of help. But for anyone that is a manager or that has a team and is sort of like training up managers at the moment. What are the different ways that people can actually learn from you? Because I mean, the fact is, like, yes, sitting in the silence is great. But there's also like, we don't know what we don't know as well. And sometimes we just need to upskill and make sure that we are setting our businesses and teams up for success. So what are the ways that you help people in with those things?

Makeda Andrews: 40:04

So basically, right, right now, there are two ways that you can work with me. So if you are a business owner, and you are scaling quickly, and you have some managers on your team that you want to get trained, then I can do that through my onboard align and accelerate program where I actually onboard and train your managers for you in alignment with your expectations, vision and culture. So that's the first way that you can work with me. And if you are a manager yourself, then you can work with me in the new manager accelerator program, which is a group program with the core elements of what I teach an onboard align and accelerate, but more, you know, on a micro level for frontline, first time team manager,

Kat Elizabeth: 40:50

awesome. And I'll include all the links in the show notes, but yeah, where are the best places for people to find you?

Makeda Andrews: 40:55

Yeah, this one I could talk about. So easy to do. Okay, so I'm on YouTube. Makeda, Andrews, Mak TV, that's where you find me. I'm like, they're literally every week. So come hang out.

Kat Elizabeth: 41:10

It's way more consistent than me.

Makeda Andrews: 41:14

Which is funny, because that's how we met is through YouTube.

Kat Elizabeth: 41:16

I know. The irony is not lost on me

Makeda Andrews: 41:21

no, I love it. Oh, yeah. So primarily on YouTube, I'm now on Instagram. I just started on Instagram this year, which has been such a journey. And I'm also on LinkedIn. And it's all Makeda Andrews pretty easy to find me. I'm the most colorful one, like on the platform as well

Kat Elizabeth: 41:39

look for the yellow and pink profile photo and you know, you're on the right place.

Makeda Andrews: 41:44

There you go.

Kat Elizabeth: 41:44

She is the most colorful person I know, inside and out. I love her for it. Well, thank you so much for today. I really, I think there's so much gold in here. And I think it's going to be helpful for people at all different stages of the journey. So really appreciate you sharing all your wisdom with us.

Makeda Andrews: 42:04

Thank you for having me and for everything that you do Kat because, you know, like I mentioned at the beginning, I'm going to hijack your podcast from you for just a quick second. But like I mentioned, at the very beginning, what's really helped me is being able to have a friendship with you like just, you know, obviously, you're my coach. But I also appreciate having a friendship where I can be honest with you. And you are also honest with me about what things are really like, and maybe I'm like spreading your business here. I'm sorry about that. But you don't like oh, crap, maybe she doesn't want anyone to know.

Kat Elizabeth: 42:43

I am an open book,

Makeda Andrews: 42:45

you are

Kat Elizabeth: 42:46

And I know that some people are gonna be like, Whoa, like, no,

Makeda Andrews: 42:51

no, but that helps and not in like a toxic way. It's not like we're pulling each other down. But it's great to know that you're not alone is basically what I'm saying. And which helps you to continue, you know, moving forward. So thank you for always being transparent with all of us. I know that you do this in your podcast, like you've gotten some pretty transparent episodes, but it's really powerful. It's very powerful. And so I hope you continue to do that, because it's really impactful.

Kat Elizabeth: 43:21

Thank you, I really, I really do appreciate that. I do not go back and listen to those episodes because I cringe but I just know that they need to be out there.

Makeda Andrews: 43:29

they do.

Kat Elizabeth: 43:29

Yeah, but honestly, like, speaking about what you were just talking like having any sort of like you, even if you can't afford a coach right now, find someone like someone that gets it and someone you can share honestly, with because the burden that we're carrying, by not talking about things like imposter syndrome gets so much worse when you don't just like verbalize what you're actually feeling and questioning Am I failing at my own track? Like you need some way to let off some steam and to just just just dump it all out. Like it's not that you necessarily need someone to unpack it and give you advice. Sometimes just the act of sharing is enough. So I really hope that if you're listening to this and like, oh, I want that I want that kind of friendship, go find one. There were so many lonely entrepreneurs out there desperate to find someone like you. So just just strike up a friendship and start there. And eventually the money will come and you'll be able to hire you know, a team and coaches and do all the training. But like if you can start with just not being alone in this. I think that is a really important takeaway. So okay, well, I think we're done here.

Makeda Andrews: 44:33

Okay,

Kat Elizabeth: 44:33

but thanks to everyone listening. If you found this helpful, I'd love it. If you would drop me a line on Instagram @IamKatElizabeth, share a screenshot of the episode and tag me there may be a little gift in there for you. And if you haven't reviewed it yet. Do it only takes like 60 seconds. So just saying Yeah. All right. I'm gonna leave it at that. But thank you again and we'll catch you next week. Bye for now.