People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” This famous quote has been attributed to many people including Teddy Roosevelt. Paige Arnof-Fenn finds it helpful because she considers that it is a simple reminder to listen more than talk even online, show empathy, and try to look at the situation from another perspective. She considers that the goal is not to wear others down or impress them with one’s smarts, the goal is to connect, communicate clearly, solve the problem, and move on.
Because of this genuine approach Paige Arnof-Fenn is one of the most admired women leaders in business. She loves books by and about strong women. She says that these books inspired her and fueled her interest in business when she was in college. She is the Founder and CEO of Mavens & Moguls. Mavens & Moguls works with venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and business executives who seek expert marketing advice and innovative ideas without the overhead of a full-time marketing staff.
Nurtured by Great People
Paige considers that she has been fortunate to have great mentors, champions and role models throughout her career including former bosses, her father, senior women in organizations where she worked, but the person who has always encouraged and supported her as an entrepreneur and has her back every day is her husband. He started a company too so understands the journey of an entrepreneur and has been her sanity check and thinking partner every step of the way. Paige trusts his judgment and advice because she knows he always has her best interests in mind. She considers herself to be very fortunate to have him in her corner.
Greatest Driving Force
Paige has tried to assemble the best marketing talent globally so that people think of Mavens & Moguls first and approach it to help solve all their marketing needs, being a one stop shop for all things related to marketing because Paige and Mavens & Moguls have access to the best people and ideas. Paige is like a conductor of a world class orchestra and Good Housekeeping seal of approval for all things marketing. She is the connector, cheerleader and engine that keeps the pipeline filled and things running smoothly. Since starting her business Paige has joined boards and volunteered at several organizations supporting women in business. She is a mentor to the next generation of women leaders and as a marketing consultant she can write articles, contribute to books, and speak at events to share her experience and lessons learned.
Choosing “A” team People
Paige has realized that people one starts with are not always the ones who you grow with. The hardest lesson she learned is getting rid of weaker and insecure people much earlier is very important. As soon as she let them go the culture got stronger and the bar higher. “A” team people like to be surrounded by other stars therefore she believes that it is important to hire slowly and fire insecure and weaker people quickly. She did not make the mistake of hiring and keeping weaker or insecure people again. She wishes she had known it even earlier though, but lesson learned for sure!
Utilizing Resources Wisely
Paige also recommends not spending money on things like fancy brochures, letterhead, business cards, etc. She suggests putting one’s budget into things that help fill your pipeline with customers. She considers getting one’s URL and a website up and running as key. She created online stationery for proposals and invoices, ordered her cards online and made downloadable materials as leave behinds for people looking for more information to help her find clients more quickly. She believes that one’s story will evolve gradually. She advises to find reference customers quickly and there is plenty of time later to dress things up!
Not Wasting a Crisis
Paige continued to plant seeds during lockdown, pivoted to online meetings, podcasts, webinars, etc. and just stayed connected to her network which she thinks always pays off in the long term. She is measuring productivity now by what she gets done, it is based on accomplishing goals not activity. Paige considers that getting through the crisis of the pandemic together intact will make everyone feel that they have been productive. She is of the opinion that being intact together through the crisis will help all to find a way to incorporate the lessons of gratitude, simplicity, friendship, and love into the new normal and she will be incredibly happy that they have not wasted the crisis. Paige considers that if we can hold on to the very best parts of this lockdown the world will be a better place for it.
Creating Uplifting Culture
Collaboration is key to the culture of Mavens & Moguls of engaging its team and ultimately its success. Paige tries to set the tone upfront with one rule, when in doubt over-communicate. She considers that it does not matter whether one is in B2B or B2C, every business is P2P and connecting on a personal level is what matters most. Paige says that successful businesses understand their product or service is about more than the transaction, they are in the relationship business. She highlights that people connect with brands they know, like and trust and employees may switch jobs but if they have a great experience and relationship with one’s brand one can keep them connected by staying in communication. She advises to show them they are respected, loved, and needed. She believes that it is a smart investment to get this right.
Balancing Self-care and Contribution
Paige likes to have allocated some time in day for herself to exercise or just relax. A mentor once told her and she has come to appreciate and realize that to stay sane and be successful, “me time” is not a luxury or pampering, it is maintenance! Therefore, she prioritizes self-care so that later she can take care of others very well too. Staying healthy for her is about finding ways to unwind and relax as part of her day. She considers that it is about balance. She is a big fan of Tai Chi, but she also does Qigong, massage, acupuncture, knitting, reading, hanging out with friends, and watching TV to de-stress.
Practicing Gratitude
Paige specifically encourages her team to give oneself permission to say no to distracting things or people. She advises to disconnect oneself from technology periodically to connect with humans more personally. She advises to give time for exercise, and she suggests practicing gratitude. She considers it is important to have impact on people’s lives and that has nothing to do with volume of activity. She believes that impact is about touching people in meaningful ways which may mean being less busy not more.
