Miranda Kratzer

I attribute my success to my team. Nobody in this world succeeds alone, and I feel that I have been able to develop a really good team that supports each other and desires to win together. We do it authentically and with integrity, and we do what we say, and clients seem to really find that they can trust us. So yeah, I would say my team.

The best career advice I've ever received is that anything worth doing, you do it with your full heart and your best foot forward. Being honest and transparent and walking in integrity has always been something that I've heard from people that I look up to. Doing it right the first time is what's worth doing, and not taking shortcuts. Even if it takes you longer, it's better to do it right than to have it be done wrong. And being transparent about it - if you do a job and something went wrong, calling your client, saying 'hey, this is what happened, this is our solution to correcting it,' and 99.9% of the time, if you're able to communicate and be honest, people are much more easy going about it than if you're hiding things. It all goes back to being authentic and integrous in everything that you do. The right people and the right situations will come as long as you're being your true self. You'll be put in those right situations and with those right people, and that's really what's important to build anything of lasting value, because nobody does this, nobody succeeds in this world alone. We need people to support us, and we need a team, and you need to find those right people, that core group that you can run this race with. Being your true self is really the important factor there, and that's what my mentors have always told me - be your true self, and the right things will come.

I would remind them to continue to take care of yourself. Remember who you are, love yourself - you can't take care of anybody else without taking care of yourself first. Be open and receptive to learn from other people, and remember that there are people that are going to be on your side and that want to see you succeed, and want to see you learn and grow and be successful. But it's finding those right people, which is so important. Be teachable and willing to make mistakes. Be willing to give yourself grace. This is a hard industry, it's a male-dominated industry, and we have to work twice as hard, we have to know twice as much just to get seen. And that's just the reality of the situation. So, giving yourself grace, but being hungry, wanting to learn, wanting to drive, wanting to grow - these are all important characteristics that are required to be successful in this industry.

The biggest challenges right now is me learning the new business and ensuring that I can bring in the clientele and the business that is required to support a team. The low voltage industry in Seattle is not growing as much as it used to - we don't have a lot of those new high-rises, a lot of the business is tenant improvement work. So being really creative in how we go to market and finding the clientele and continuing to build that long-term business and those relationships can be very difficult, especially when they already have security vendors. My goal would be, if a security vendor isn't able to help you, let us help you now, and we're able to be there, save the day, get our foot in the door, and then they can see who we are as a team and as a company, and typically that provides longevity. But it's just getting those opportunities. Because I'm in this new company, I have to restart and rebuild my clientele and my business and my team, and that's always a challenge - to get the right people, to make sure you're going the right direction, and at the end of the day, getting your clients to be satisfied and happy with your end result.

Authenticity, integrity, and walking in love and kindness are really important to me. I also value balance in your mental, physical, and emotional health. Being grounded and balanced in and of yourself, and taking care of yourself first is the first step in being able to take care of others. I find it really important to go to the gym, or go for walks, or be in nature, or meditate - things that will fuel me so that I can be there for other people.