About
Psychology of Business
I use a psychology of business approach to assist business owners to understand the foundations of psychology that permeate all business endeavors. There isn’t an area of a business's success that isn’t rooted in psychology. The psychology of business approach should create the foundation for guiding the operational structure of the business, as well as the creative e.g. media assets. It is all psychology. The importance of this can't be understated. Do you want your ad to be seen? Do you want to keep your employees long-term? Understanding what drives people helps business owners in all areas- from keeping employees optimally productive, to getting clients in the door, to strong sales numbers. Using calculable human nature, we create smart business practices.
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Full-Circle Marketing
The most successful marketing understands just how large the marketing umbrella actually is and incorporates a mixture of a tried and true psychological principles. Marketing extends to every part of your business that interacts with the customer. So, is customer service part of marketing? If all of your marketing efforts lead customers through your door to then be turned off by your crabby receptionist- did your marketing plan fall short? Full-circle marketing is more effective. It follows the customers experience to maximize satisfaction at every point maximizing your investment.
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"Business-Based Creative"
Approaching creative assets for your brand with an adept understanding of the basic principals of business is the first crucial component to effective creative assets. Incorporating necessary psychological principles to achieve your desired outcome, is the second. Surprisingly, the majority of creatives are not taught about business and thus there is often a disjoint in marketing materials- one of the most crucial parts of a business's success.
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Sustainable Business Practices
I am a proponent of sustainable business practices. Happy work environments equal low turnover. Burnout is costly for the human experiencing it, and also to the company that suffers from low productivity and/or high attrition. Creating a work environment that allows its employees to feel valued is what is best for ROI. What do your employees need?
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Start-Ups
Almost anyone with intelligence and grit can start a business by following a road map. Excelling and remaining in business requires knowing the A, B, C's, and also- knowing when to break the rules. It involves a little bit of luck, a whole lot of dedication and a little bit of 'art'. I enjoy helping others tune into their inner business voice and their business creativity. Flexibility is a strength in business. Rigidity eventually breaks.
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I'm serious AF.
That's right.
Bio
"Satisfaction in what I do day-to-day is paramount."
"Myra would skip school, steal a newspaper, and circle job ads." says Mom. At 14 you could find Myra sitting at a park making fake budgets and deducting fake taxes from a fake income. Though she was a straight-A student school, it wasn't for her. So she got into the workforce full-time at 15 and within a year she was managing people into their early 30's in a fast-paced food service in an upscale part of town- a bagel bakery. She would rollerblade to work in the dark, unarm the store before 5am for the bakers to begin baking for the day, and serve 500 customers per day. Bagels were a craze at the time. The line went out the door and around the block. Though so young she was entrusted with running shifts- making decisions on staffing, placing orders, and doing deposit drops. "It required being constantly reactive to the micro market- be prepared, but not wasteful." Now in her mid-forties, through her coaching work she shares with parents how crucial on-the-job learning is. "Academia can only do so much. Being entrusted in the real world creates a solid sense of confidence. Young people need more of this right now."
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As young curious-minded people do, Myra tried out many different job positions. She worked for a property owner and helped manage rentals learning firsthand about maintenance, and then how to run a maintenance crew. She was fortunate to have a boss who taught her a little bit about every aspect of the business. She was given a toolbox- a literal one, and she also began building her business toolbox though she didn't know that at the time. He entrusted her with a commercial acquisition project, taught her about lending, and had her oversee an eviction. "I am ever grateful to him." Only later in life did she realize how formative the experience was.
Wanting to learn more, she said yes to an opportunity to work for a larger business. She was the assistant to a top nationwide saleswoman at BMW, selling to the Hollywood Studio VIP crowd. At BMW she learned how to interact with an upscale clientele, and began studying how to sell. By 19 she was accidentally self-employed.
Her first business was an independent film production company in Los Angeles- "an invaluable, thrilling trial-by-fire" education that cemented how she has pursued business. When asked to produce a short 35mm film, she asked the director wanting to hire her, "What does a producer do?". the thought producers did something glamorous, the definition seemed to be "more of the same". Just "making things happen." She figured out what she needed to on the spot- informally interviewing people and making "practice phone calls" using an alias. That first production went off without a hitch. So she put out an ad and just like that- she got work, rented an office, and was in business. She was entrusted by strangers with many tens of thousands of dollars to be spent over a handful of high-pressure, long days. "It was an environment of making the nearly impossible come true, day after day." Though she liked producing, the industry didn't fit with her greater life wants. (And maybe she found the schedule to be "just awful".) So she stopped producing, got into a more flexible approach to earning money- real estate- and squeezed in some traveling.
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Then when she was 27, 12 years into her time in the workforce Hurricane Katrina hit. Between her free time and the government's inaction, she was propelled to help. She didn't mean to start another company. "It just happened." She co-founded an emergency disaster relief not-for-profit (NFP). It was "all day long, every day for over a year". It was more intense than producing. "I learned a lot. The world got smaller. My heart broke. I produced 2 documentaries. And I learned that I am not cut out for no work/life balance. I burnt out." Over a decade and a half later, the NFP is still helping and has grown to helping people internationally.
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With the NFP off and running Myra applied for a position in an international real estate development firm to "take it easy for a while". The firm was in Beverly Hills and hired her for an easy entry-level position. Within a month she was offered a huge promotion almost tripling her salary. She couldn't say no. Within this company, she seized opportunities to learn everything possible. She was involved in very large commercial acquisitions, relocations, permits, compliance, insurance, construction draws... She brought services in-house saving the company large numbers. She was given a personal assistant, and then another one. "It wasn't easy. It wasn't without some ethical compromise. So... I couldn't stay. But it was educational!"
At 30 and with the downturn in the economy caused by the housing crash (07), Myra seized an opportunity and moved to New Zealand where she would finally take it easy. She took up surfing and fell in love with the land. She wanted to stay, so she needed a visa. She looked for a market void and found one. She started an unfunded niche flooring business championing sustainability marketed to architects & interior designers. The company designed & created products, imported, and project managed each installation across upmarket residential and commercial projects- restaurants & bars, flagship banks and hotels. Myra recalls with a smile on her face how humble its beginning was. NTF was well-known almost overnight garnering some of the largest contracts in the country. The business grew over 300% YOY during a depressed economy though her schedule remained manageable. "I had learned how to do business that didn't have to take up all of me." Then, a handful of years in she was starting her family and it was time to return home to the US.
Back in the US, when it was time to return to work, now with a daughter in tow, Myra combined her real estate and subcontracting project management experience and her unshakable entrepreneurial mindset looking for that market void. She created a position for herself in a "quick start-up" (as she refers to it). This company combined construction project management with interior design. Clients loved having both trades under one roof eliminating the common problems of design fighting with function. This business allowed her the control over her schedule that she wanted as a mother. She was able to run away to the park mid-day and cuddle before naptime. Through this time Myra also consulted with larger companies doing occasional contract work in systems auditing and sales training.
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One thing this interviewer can't skip over is that Myra didn't choose to be an entrepreneur. She didn't have a choice in this part of her life's path. Perhaps it is inborn. She loves a challenge. She loves problem solving. She craves efficiency. She makes decisions autonomously. She trusts herself whether her opinion is formed by gut instinct or backed by voracious research. And she likes control. She doesn't mind having all the weight or a company's success or failure on her shoulders. She doesn't seem to care about others' opinions on the matter. "The market is the test. It's my report card." She seeks satisfaction in creating something from what started out as just an idea. "It's so rewarding." With her entrepreneurial spirit and can-do personality, it is not surprising that through the years many have sought her out to consult with her regarding their career and business endeavors.
During Covid Myra decided to leave the Northeast and move back to warm and sunny Ventura, CA. With that, she transitioned to consulting full-time. It is the start-up phase of small business that gets her fired up the most. "Small business makes sense. I have a product. My community needs it. It's simple. And it's a good feeling being able to create a business and a lifestyle for yourself that works. I can't imagine feeling satisfied working long hours in a large company." Myra is a teacher. She loves to share what she has learned and to challenge people to think differently. And she feels that her work makes a difference. "Small businesses are important. They provide us with an income that we can feel proud of and diversity in the products and services available in the marketplace. I don't want a world without mom-and-pop companies, a world dominated by the share-holder driven corporations."
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INTJ
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