Interview with Mona Andrews

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Transcript of our conversation with Mona Andrews

Beth Chesterton: Hi, I'm Beth Chesterton and this is the Preparing for the Possibility Podcast. I'm here today with Mona Andrews, who's a serial entrepreneur. She's the CEO of a company called Stay In the Game. She leads two different companies and she's had an incredible career. Mona, thank you for joining us today.

Mona Andrews: Oh, you're so welcome. I'm so happy to be here.

Beth Chesterton: As we get started, I want to talk to you about Stay In The Game. Can you tell us what is Stay In The Game?

Mona Andrews: Stay In The Game is my passion project that I started when I really realized that women were having a very hard time balancing being a new mom, the caregiving responsibilities with their career. And so, I set up a platform where a woman can work for us remotely flexible hours during the week, and they can choose their hours. Is it 10 hours, 15 hours, so that they can keep their career in place while they're raising their children? We don't want anyone to ever have to choose between career and caregiving.

Beth Chesterton: Okay. It's so true, because you hear women all the time say, “Can you have it all?” And with you and your organization in place, you're saying, “You can have it all.”

Mona Andrews: Right. Yes, you can at least, at minimum keep your resume up to date, keep your skills sharp, keep yourself in the game, so that when you are ready to go back into maybe a more 40-hour a week or more career, you're ready to do it. Because statistically, if a woman takes off two years from her career to have babies, it is much harder for her to even get an interview to get back in. It's very difficult to get back in. You have a better shot of getting an interview if you've been fired than if you've taken off time to be a mom.

Beth Chesterton: Wait, can you repeat that point, please?

Mona Andrews: So, statistically, if you take time out of your career to raise your babies, and even a two-year gap on your resume creates a lifelong cascade of events, which include having a very, very hard time getting back into the workforce, into the level that you were at, and also even getting the interview. Because statistically, the interview will not happen. It's very, very hard. And your lifetime earning capability is reduced significantly just from taking those two years off.

Beth Chesterton: Okay. So there's a great warning to women. You have to stay in the game. Tell us a little bit about the response to the organization you created. When did you start it and how's it been going?

Mona Andrews: It's been really amazing. So, I started it in 2018, I already had my other company going, and I was looking at the way the country was going, I was seeing how many women I saw were really struggling. Smart, really educated, master's degrees, business degrees, all of it and still having such a hard time getting back into the workforce or staying in the workforce. And so I just said, “I've got to do something.” So that's why I used my expertise. I'm an expert in dispersed workforces. So, I have employees all over the world and we've always been very comfortable with a dispersed remote workforce. And so, we started this in 2018, and then when COVID happened, the objection, which is about remote work, really went away. So, we were really thrilled that we could show that we could be very, very productive in remote work environment.

Beth Chesterton: So, you were handling a remote workforce before 2020.

Mona Andrews: Yes.

Beth Chesterton: So, you were already in place. Fantastic. So tell us about some of the response you've had to this business. Who's participating and what's going on?

Mona Andrews: It's been really extraordinary. I'll tell you, one of the constituents that I didn't expect that is really a large, large constituency, and they apply for our jobs by the dozens are women that did leave the workforce. So, we have women that have been out of the workforce maybe for 5, 10, 15 years, really smart women that need to get back in. And so, we're really this place where they can come, when they do reenter after they've had their children, it's really hard confidence wise. And so, for them to come back into the environment where we provide community, we provide upskilling, we provide training, it's a really great environment, and it really gives them the confidence. That's the number one thing that I find is when women step out of the workforce, it really does do something to one's confidence and their identity. And so, we really want to get that shored up and let them know they're part of something bigger than themselves, that they can invest in themselves within our environment and that they can grow.

Beth Chesterton: Let's talk about confidence. So, ABC to CEO is in place to prepare young women for the possibility of CEO. So, it's not just about being a leader, it's about being the leader. Confidence is a huge opportunity, sometimes a gap. Talk about how do you build confidence? You stay in the game is one thing, it sounds like, but what are some things you do to shore up confidence?

Mona Andrews: That's an excellent question. I would say one of the things that really helps with confidence is, first of all, let's say you're back in the workforce. Like, my employees will come back into the workforce. One thing that we do find is that they'll engage on some of the training that we do and some of the upskilling. And we have book clubs, and we do all kinds of different things that are value added so that they can learn and grow. And I think that when you do take on something that is outside their comfort zone, that's the most important thing, is to be very comfortable with being uncomfortable. So, we tell all of our folks, all of our employees, “If we're not uncomfortable, we're not growing.” So, we need to be very comfortable having uncomfortable conversations, doing things that we don't feel comfortable doing in terms of our skill set, always pushing that to grow.

So, we're really talking about being comfortable with being uncomfortable. We also do a lot of training around communication styles and skills. So, like, right now, our entire leadership team is reading a book called Crucial Conversations, which is a really cool book, to learn how to have those, because as women, we know that it's very hard for us to have certain types of conversations. Because of our innate ability, we really like to make people feel good. We're very personable. We really think about how what we're going to say is going to affect the other person. Whereas a man, a male gender would not have that same kind of feeling that we have. So, it's just a different orientation as a woman. The other thing that women don't do is we don't ask. So, women have a really hard time asking for help and we feel like we need to do it all on our own. And I think the most courageous thing that a person can do that can build confidence, is to learn how to ask for help and understand that that's okay.

Beth Chesterton: Okay. I love it. And I think what you're really speaking to is how a strength, which is caring about how people feel, having compassion, being able to connect with too much of it can be a weakness as well, because we're uncomfortable. But when you talk about being comfortable, being uncomfortable, it's really exciting. It makes it a little bit more fun. And when I was speaking with your really good friend, Pooneh Mohajer, who was also on our podcast, she talked about this year trying to do everything that made her uncomfortable.

Mona Andrews: Yeah.

Beth Chesterton: So she was a very successful entrepreneur, as we know, and CEO, who's taking intentional approach to spending her time in the discomfort zone. And that sounds like you are in the same position.

Mona Andrews: I tell my teams, I say, “We're going to grow. I don't think we ever are done learning.” And so, I mean, even when I'm 90, I'm going to still be learning how to do things better and be a better leader and a better team player and all of that. It's always a learning process, constant learning process. The other thing you had asked was, how have we been received? Well, one thing that's been extraordinary is that we've really won a ton of awards. I was just awarded based on the company visionary CEO by the Los Angeles Times and also with the Stevie Awards and the Small Business Awards. So, we've really achieved a lot of really great accolades for what we're doing. We're also really working hard on content. So, we publish in Forbes, we write-- every six weeks, we have an article that's being published in Forbes and really heavy on blogging and doing all kinds of stuff to get information out there with the most recent data that's being presented in this area in gender equality, workforce, remote work trends, all of that.

Beth Chesterton: So speaking to other people who are entrepreneurs perhaps or launching their own business or leading their own efforts, tell us about what being published in those sorts of publications, what these awards are doing for your business besides validating your great efforts.

Mona Andrews: That's such a good question. Excellent question. I think that one thing that we've done with that, and we're working with our marketing team to make sure that that gets out. But I think what it does, it really does give you access to additional people that might be clients. Because, for example, LA Times sent out, I think it was 68,000 magazines that talked about the award. And so there are different constituents that will read about this award and then they'll be alerted to what the business is. And then, of course, I've always made a really good effort at connecting with all the other nominees, really getting involved in what they're doing and then talking about it and getting it out there, really getting it out there. On social media we send emails, we send press releases, etc.

Beth Chesterton: And really building that network. As a serial entrepreneur, I think that's one of your great strengths, is being connected and connecting with others. And it sounds like internationally. You're also an expert in leadership, which is a big deal for preparing women for the possibility of CEO. What do you think are the most important skills a woman should develop if they want to be leaders and significant leaders?

Mona Andrews: Great question. I think that one thing I would say is that when I was a young entrepreneur, I was really hard on myself. I think that one thing that I would say is have a little bit of compassion for yourself as you're working through it. There's obviously just going to be ups and downs. One of the things that I've always told Pooneh, because we've been entrepreneurs now for 25, 30 years, is that one of the things I noticed about Pooneh and I is that we have a very high tolerance for pain. Meaning when the problems hit, that's when we go into action. We don't sort of recoil from problems. We sort of hit them head on. And I think as an entrepreneur, that's what you have to do. You have to hit those things head on and go right in and try to figure it out. For me, I think one of my most important qualities is persistence. I've had a lot of setbacks, a lot of setbacks, a lot of personal setbacks, a lot of family problems, deaths. I lost a sister and a brother. My husband had a catastrophic illness. And so there were a lot of setbacks in my personal life.

And I thought, “Okay, am I going to let these diminish me or I'm going to let them propel me into seeing what I am capable of.” And so, I used those disasters, really, catastrophes to turn myself into a stronger person and to keep moving forward. And I think it's given me a lot more empathy for what people go through and how hard life can be. And I want to help others when they go through those difficult times so that I can help them get through something like that.

Beth Chesterton: Well, I'm, first of all, so sorry, and thank you for sharing that with us. I think it's so important because I think when people really make it to the top, that there's a perception that it was easy for them or that their life was somehow gilded. And you're saying it was, in fact, all of these challenges that perhaps even inspired the organization that you're leading today, Stay In the Game. So, you're talking about persistence and not stalling. Like, not hitting a speed bump and stalling out, but continuing to persist and be tenacious and make it through. What other leadership qualities do you think that young women should be developing and that have helped you?

Mona Andrews: That's a great question. I think, first of all, one thing that I'm a really big proponent of is reading and going to classes and doing things online. So, I'm a constant learner. I read a lot. I go to a lot of different events that I think will help me build skills. And I also have a CEO coach. So, I'm really focused on making sure that I'm learning how to better communicate all the time. I think having a collaborative idea, instead of being a top-down leader, I like to be more collaborative and lead with kindness and empathy. Also to be very clear, that's one thing I've learned is to really be clear so people really understand what it is that you're expecting of them, because nobody can do what you need them to do unless they have a clear vision on what it is you actually want. And sometimes that's hard to articulate. So, it's really important to be thoughtful about that and to give a clear vision.

One of the things that we do a lot of is obviously one-on-ones every week, quarterly reviews, different kinds of ways of feedback. We also have a belief that feedback right away is better than feedback in two months or at the review. So, we're constantly giving feedback to others. If there was one thing I could have learned earlier on, it would have been a lot easier for me. It would have been learning how to ask. I think that sometimes fear of rejection held me back a little bit. And that's because of my family of origin and different things that might have gone in my own life. So sometimes we need to dig into who we are as individuals so that we can be better leaders. So, once we dig in and we really see who we are and how do we look at life and how do we think of things and how do we react to things, it helps us better figure out how we can better leaders once we clear that stuff out and get real clear about who we are as a person.

Beth Chesterton: Sounds like quite a journey. What you're talking about is getting feedback, asking for feedback. Persistence is a huge piece of it. Sticking with something, overcoming challenges, and then continuing to learn and grow. This has been part of your formula of success. Tell us a little bit about your journey to this place. Did you start out in law?

Mona Andrews: I did. Well, I went to law school-- With the very specific reason that I went to law school and it was this. I wanted to get a graduate degree. I figured that I would either get an MBA or a law degree. And I thought, you know, if my entrepreneurial venture doesn't make it, I can always practice law. So, I looked at the law degree as an insurance policy. I've always wanted to be a business owner. It's been my passion since I was really young. I started trying little businesses when I was 13, 15. I lived in Europe. I tried little businesses there. It was my thing. I just love business. So for me, I always knew I would be a business owner. I didn't know what kind of business. I really didn't, but I knew I wanted to be a business owner. And I knew I loved business, so that's why I went to get my law degree.

After law school, I did work for an investment banking firm in-house while I was thinking about what I was going to do. But when I did start my business, I had not taken any business classes, really, to speak of, maybe a few marketing courses, but I just learned by jumping in and doing it. I mean, I would go door to door. The way I built my first business was literally I would go to office buildings and to trade shows and walk door to door, walk to people and say, “This is what I'm doing.” And so, then I would get my first client, and then once I got that client, then I would say, “Okay, who do you know that you could introduce me to?” So I built it that way. But now, thank God, with all of the knowledge that I have, the most important thing that I've learned too is the team. I mean, the team is everything. And getting the right team in place and getting people smarter than you are that have skill sets that you don't have, it's a really important piece. And then letting them fly and shine with that.

So I think that sometimes entrepreneurs and especially lawyers, we are very control driven. [chuckles] I'm sure you've heard that, there's a lot of control that goes into that. And so, the funny thing is that when you start to really trust your team and give them the room to grow and look at it as you're teaching them to replace you, because really what you want as an organization is you want to be replaceable. The only way an organization is ever going to be successful is if it can stand on its own without one person. So, we want to make sure that we're creating an organization that can thrive without me.

Beth Chesterton: Well, first of all, this has been exciting and we really appreciate you taking the time to talk to us today and to show us. What does it look like to be a serial entrepreneur and to know that you wanted to be in business your whole life. And I love this concept of going door to door and making your pitch. What's rejection for you? Somebody says, “No.” How do you see that? Because rejection can stop a lot of us. How do you handle it?

Mona Andrews: It still does. So, I'm still working on it. I'm a work in progress on that one. But I will say this, one of the things that I noticed is that, and some of the studies have actually borne this out. So I have a ton of friends, I have a ton of colleagues, a ton of different groups that I'm involved with. I love people, but once I have a person that I know in a social or business environment that's unrelated to my business, I do not want to ask them for business. And that is something a woman does. I'm going to just say, ”I'm guilty of it. many women are guilty of it.” Men, however, do not have that problem. They're very transactional in terms of understanding transactions. We're not. We're very sort of personal driven, relationship driven. And so for us, it gets really uncomfortable that we think we're going to ask them something that's going to make them feel uncomfortable, and it's not, its not. And so women-- that's what I'm working on right now, is asking some of the people that I know personally. I have no problem asking people I don't know. [laughs]

Beth Chesterton: Yeah. And strangers going door to door, but now personally. Okay, so, everybody, if you're listening, remember this is a time, and I would say that Mona's saying, “Just ask, go ask, [crosstalk] and ask more often.” So how does somebody get connected with you if they want to follow you and learn from you?

Mona Andrews: Oh, please do. And I'm always available to help. I love talking to anybody who wants to be an entrepreneur or leader, please feel free to call me anytime. You can find me on any of the platforms. On Instagram, we are @westayinthegame, but everywhere else, we're Stay In the game. And you can find me all over on any of those platforms.

Beth Chesterton: That sounds fantastic. And we'll be looking up your articles and maybe sharing some of them as well. And if somebody wants to join, Stay In The Game. How do they join?

Mona Andrews: Thank you. Yes. So we created our own database. We have a very wonderful community that we've put together. So even if a person is not ready to get back into the workforce, we actually have a community for those folks as well as folks that want to get back into the workforce. So just go to our website, join our community. We have webinars, we have newsletters, we have different things that are being sent out in all of this area and we're just building out that community. So please do join that community and you'll get a lot of value from the content and the other options that we're putting out. And we really do want to create, as we grow, more circles of people in different parts of the country that can get together and have community and grow with each other through this journey.

Beth Chesterton: Fantastic. Mona Andrews, thank you for taking the time today. Hopefully you'll come back and see us soon and we can continue the conversation.

Mona Andrews: Thank you, Beth. So nice to talk with you. Thank you.

Beth Chesterton: For those who want to check out her website, it is stayinthegame.net. I'm Beth Chesterton. This is ABC to CEO. Don't forget we're a not-for-profit organization. Join us in a mission to prepare young women for top leadership and for CEO. Our website is abctocceo.com. You can follow us online for daily inspiration, tips, and tools to make it to the very top.