S3 Episode 17 - Lessons Learned: Turning Entrepreneur Mistakes into Success with Marianna Swallow & Kristine Givens

How can the mistakes we make as entrepreneurs become our most valuable lessons for growth and success?

In this special episode of The Savvy Session, Kirsten and Paula are joined by fellow entrepreneurs Marianna Swallow and Kristine Givens to reflect on the missteps that shaped their entrepreneurial journeys. From vendor mishaps to ignoring intuition, we dive deep into the lessons learned from our mistakes and how they’ve made us stronger, more resilient leaders. This candid conversation offers valuable insights for women entrepreneurs navigating the highs and lows of business ownership.

Key Takeaways:

1. Avoiding Vendor Pitfalls: Marianna shares a story about working with a vendor to implement a CRM system that didn’t deliver. The lesson? Take time to vet vendors thoroughly and test before committing.
2. Trusting Your Intuition: Kristine emphasizes the importance of listening to your gut, especially when red flags appear during big business decisions.
3. Delegating for Success: Paula discusses how trying to do everything herself in her early days led to burnout and how learning to automate & micro-outsource allowed her to thrive in managing the podcast.
4. The Importance of Due Diligence: Kirsten reflects on her costly experience with a PR consultant who failed to deliver.  She learned the importance of research, seeking references, and trusting her instincts before big investments. 

Join us as we share the lessons we’ve learned the hard way, empowering you to navigate your entrepreneurial journey with confidence, resilience, and wisdom!

Marianna Swallow is The Speak Easy Coach. Her mission is to make presentations easy and enjoyable for everyone – one speech at a time. Her expertise lies in helping clients share their story in a way that creates audience connection. She works with individuals, executives, and teams to help them develop and deliver clear and confident presentations, all while making the process fun.

Kristine Givens began her career as a tax consultant with Ernst & Whinney before founding and selling a boutique accounting firm.  Transitioning to franchise ownership, she gained hands-on expertise and a deep understanding of the industry's challenges and opportunities. Combining entrepreneurial experience, financial expertise, and a results-driven approach, she is passionate about empowering franchisors and franchisees to navigate the complexities of the franchise model and achieve sustainable success.

You can connect with Marianna here:
Website: https://www.mariannaswallow.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariannas/

You can connect with Kristine here:
Website: https://www.kristinegivens.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinemartzgivens