Neilia Brown

I would attribute my success to my resilience and tenacity. I get knocked down, I have plenty of failures, but rather than saying that's the end of the story, I use these experiences as tools. After completing a project, I do an after-action review to analyze what went well and what didn't. I don't ask my inner critic for advice because she's not objective. Instead, I focus on the facts. Were there avoidable challenges? Did my feedback trend positive or negative? What was the easiest part of the project? I know that failure isn't a character flaw. In fact, if you're not losing from time to time, you're probably not winning either.

The best advice came from my dad. When I started my business I was stressing out about not knowing all the answers to all the things. My dad said, "You don't have to know how to do everything. You just need to know people who do." That permission to ask others for help in the areas of their expertise was freeing. I didn't have to have all the answers! I could establish strategic relationships with people whose knowledge could benefit my clients. The other piece of great advice came from my husband, who had been in business for himself for years when we met. When I was just starting out, I thought business ownership meant renting an office, buying furniture and a new computer, and having business cards printed up all before even starting the work itself. I was talking about this when my husband said, "Do you have a pencil? Yes. Do you have a computer? Yes. Do you have a phone? Yes. Congratulations! You're in business!" He cut through all the imagined challenges in my head, the overcomplication of things, and reminded me that I already was in business! That was a great piece of advice.

What I would tell a young woman is don't be afraid to use your voice. Don't undersell yourself. Don't allow Imposter Syndrome to take over. Trust in your skills. And even if you don't feel totally confident, you can fake that confidence (as long as it's backed by competence). In my role as WIN Co-Chair, I have interviewed really powerful women like Amber Cox, General Manager for The Fever, and journalist and news anchor Debbie Knox, and even they have Imposter Syndrome! I believe women are more prone to this syndrome than men, who not only trust their skill set but also realize they can learn things on the job if they don't already know to do something. You don't want to misrepresent yourself obviously, but be confident in your hard-earned skills and knowledge. Don't be afraid to promote yourself.

I would say social media marketing is the biggest challenge. I wish that I were more savvy in that area. I'm trying to develop my skills - I'm posting on LinkedIn, but I haven't looked into more sophisticated tools like Hootsuite that can set a post schedule across all your social media platforms. This is where I need to seek the advice and engage the services of our digital natives!

I think accountability is for sure one of my most important values. For example, I had a client who was having some cash flow issues. She cut a check for my fees but asked me not to deposit it right away. Well, I waited, but not long enough, so it bounced, and her bank dinged her account for NSF fees. When I realized my mistake, I called her right away to apologize and to tell her I wanted to cover any bank fees she incurred. She was very appreciative, and I think that kind of honesty between business people is necessary to build strong relationships. I also value empathy. I think we need more of it in the world. Stepping into someone else's shoes forces you to see life through another lens and I find it to be a great teacher. Empathizing with somebody is, I think, one of the greatest tools you can have.