202 MINISODE – Alycia Darby Zimnoch on Women Lifting Women

Entrepreneur Alycia Darby Zimnoch shares her advice for women in business and why women must lift as they climb, and find our voices and feminine power together. Alycia is the creator or StartYourShow.com, helping business owners become instant celebrities via online video shows that attract exactly the right new clients and customers.

Melinda Wittstock:         00:02                     Alicia, welcome to wings.

Alycia Darby Zimnoch:  00:10                     Thank you. I’m glad to be here.

Melinda Wittstock:         00:12                     I am glad you’re here too. I’m eager to know what’s inspiring you right now.

Alycia Darby Zimnoch:  00:17                     You know, what I am inspired by is what I describe it as the selfie generation. You know, you see a lot of young people, college students, and even younger than that, that are not afraid to put themselves on camera and not afraid to show off their best angle. And you know, I remember growing up in the eighties and nineties were women pick themselves apart and you know, we’d stand in front of the mirror and even still today, many people do this and look at all the negative things, but what I love is that this new selfie generation is helping us to see, hey, let’s showcase our greatest assets. Let’s show the positive side of who we are. And that’s really inspirational to me.

Melinda Wittstock:         01:01                     Oh, absolutely. Beautifully said because in this day and age when so many men and women have to be entrepreneurial, like their gig workers, for the most part I’m going to from Gig to Gig to Gig to Gig, you have to have a personal brand so you’ve got to be able to sing your own praises in a way that you’re comfortable with in your own skin. And so what’s a big challenge right now for you and your life or your business or with your clients?

Alycia Darby Zimnoch:  01:31                     One of the things that I am facing is an I and I think that this is probably in most industries as women as we kind of work our way higher, higher and higher up the ladder the industry becomes, in my experience more and more masculine. And it’s been interesting. You know, I’ve only really been an entrepreneur for, you know, less than five years at this point. And as I’ve climbed my way higher and higher, I noticed more and more men out there and I’m noticing I call it the cigar club and it’s like this idea that men gather in places that men enjoy gathering. And of course women gathering places, women enjoy gathering and that gap then can become wider and wider if we are not willing to include one another. And so as I’ve been paying attention, this is sort of noticing the lack of opportunity or differing opportunities, I’m hyper aware of my gratitude to the men and women that bridge that gap.

Alycia Darby Zimnoch:  02:36                     So my husband of course being one of them, he also is an entrepreneur and has that quote unquote access, uh, to the cigar club as I call it, a that I may not have as a woman. So I’m grateful to him and to the other men in my life. And then recognizing the women, like your awesome show and your interest in bringing women together. This is such a beautiful thing because we really need that, you know, it’s us gals helping gals is a way to grow that much stronger. So I’m really enjoying this sort of new wave of women in power, women’s empowerment that a lot of people are backing. And it’s something that I really think is going to be the key to us all breaking through that gap. And really closing the gap and bridging it. Oh, beautifully said. You know, I think as we find our own voices and our confidence and show up to really reinvent in a lot of different ways.

Alycia Darby Zimnoch:  03:33                     I mean just sort of different ways of approaching say company cultures or business models or whatever, or solving problems that a lot of male entrepreneurs didn’t think to solve because they weren’t their problems. Right? I think there’s so much going on here right now that’s so encouraging. And so what are your go to pieces of advice. If you could pick three, let’s say you wish you’d learn the known like say five years ago when you were starting out as an entrepreneur. So first and foremost, everybody means to have a show and I recommend that you start your show before you think you’ve got something to say and you’ll discover your voice as you use it. So I find a lot of new entrepreneurs have a desire for influence. They think that influencing people come sort of outside of themselves. And what it found is that when you start your show, you learn.

Alycia Darby Zimnoch:  04:28                     You really do have something to say and of course this show will evolve and change and grow and develop into something that is truly your legacy, so whether it be a youtube channel or a podcast or even just a facebook live series, something that’s going to allow you to use your position and your knowledge to influence others for good. So that’s the first one. My second piece of advice is to infuse your into all of your communication in your actions, infuse your personal values. Oftentimes we look around at other entrepreneurs and we’re like, oh, they’re doing that and and that looks cool for them and sometimes it’s really easy, particularly when you’re just getting started or when you’re starting a new branch of business or a new opportunity, a new leg of business, and we kind of look around and see what others are doing and it’s so easy to just match what they’re doing.

Alycia Darby Zimnoch:  05:23                     Rather than looking inside at our own values. What’s really important to me? What do I value as a human? And then my recommendation is infused that into everything, into your communication, into your actions. Because that’s going to be the be the thing that allows you to attract the right clients, the right partners, the right team members that you adore, adore you because your values are aligned, and then the third piece of advice is find a gal to your right or your left that you can help, that you can lift up and never refused a generous hand from someone above you. I have found so many times that ego gets in the way of just saying yes, thank you. I received that when we are able to say yes, thank you, I receive that and we have that, uh, I guess vision or view of kind of looking around to the others around us. Like, okay, who needs my help? Who can I serve that is going to create a really cool ecosystem that allows us all to benefit. And that’s what true influence really is. It’s about looking for others that you can serve and lifting them up.

Melinda Wittstock:         06:34                     Oh Gosh. Yes. Thank you. I mean, the, the critical thing about being an entrepreneur is creating value for others. Value Ourselves enough to really trust ourselves and trust our own voices and trust our own unique, our unique differentiation. That’s when the magic happens. So Alicia, how can people find you and work with you?

Alycia Darby Zimnoch:  07:01                     My hub is on my website, Alicia Darby.com. My signature program is called start your show and start. Your show is going to help entrepreneurs and people who are creating personal brands when they see the value of influence and really want to step out to develop their own personal brand. That is the best place to get started@AliciaDarby.com. That’s where my show is located. That’s where you can get more details about my programs and how I can serve you.

Melinda Wittstock:         07:31     That’s wonderful. Well thank you so much for putting your wings on and flying with us.

Alycia Darby Zimnoch:                     Thanks Melinda.