Who’s Telling Our Future’s Story?

SEPTEMBER 2022

SANTA CLARITA VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL · 25

Who’s Telling Our Future’s Story?

BY TERESA TODD

Special to the Business Journal

Parents and teachers have shared responsibility for educating and imparting knowledge to young minds by demonstrating new concepts and guided study, often through the art of storytelling. Public Relations is much the same though the audience may differ.

Few institutions have more power in determining what this country will become than our schools. In the Santa Clarita Valley, schools have consistently ranked as top scoring in the state and nation. Public schools remain the foundation for education in the community.

Without question, the past two years were difficult for students, families, teachers and support staff. No one wants a repeat of those early days.

But there was a silver lining that developed for many parents of school-aged children. Sharing physical space during stay-at-home orders, many parents were afforded the rare opportunity to have access into the classroom. A first-hand look; a front row seat. And now in the wake of the pandemic, parents want to remain involved, have a voice, be heard, and stay in the know.

Community involvement, parental inclusion, committed teachers, staff and administrators, along with resources dedicated to the success of all students has always made Santa Clarita a great place to live.

Now there’s a need to return to normalcy.

The high school district and several elementary school districts have important elections on the Nov. 8th ballot with both incumbents and challengers vying for the vote of their respective constituencies. Before you cast your ballot, learn who the candidates are and what they represent. Elect trustees who are committed to the job of governance and who reflect the values of the community. Do a bit of research. As your mailboxes flood with campaign mailers and yard signs remind you who is running, take the time to study the candidates.

Inclusion at every touchpoint in a student’s life matters. That is why it’s important to elect community representatives that have the singular focus that every child matters. And while success may be defined differently, there should be no distinction between who can achieve, accomplish, and thrive in our educational system. “Every student; opportunity ready” as the Hart District’s strategic plan motto states.

Teresa Todd is a candidate for the William S. Hart Union High School District, Trustee Area 3, and a former school board member and adjunct professor. She holds dual Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Strategic Public Relations, and a Masters in Governance by the California School Boards Association. Todd is founder of Point of View Communications, a Santa Clarita public relations, advertising, and strategic communications agency, and first public information officer of the Hart District. 

MOMPRENEURS

Continued from page 11 there are some perks to being an entrepreneur), mom entrepreneurs are notorious for saving money in other ways.

There’s nothing like parenthood to show us what things are truly important and it’s not necessarily designer clothing or big fancy houses. Saying no to a more expensive brand name to find something that fits better into the budget is a daily occurrence for moms, and they can apply those skills to their work. 4. Mompreneurs are great at prioritizing.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur at heart or are looking to make a career transition, prioritizing is one skill that all successful moms possess.

When juggling countless responsibilities and tasks, prioritizing becomes an essential part of your daily life. You need to know what is most important, what can wait until later and where you can cut corners. And once you become a mom, this can be applied to almost every aspect of your day — even something as simple as getting dinner on the table in a timely manner.

Of course, it takes time to master prioritizing tasks and setting deadlines when juggling work and family commitments. But with practice and dedication, moms can use this skill in an entrepreneurial setting just as easily as they do at home. 5. They still know when to take breaks.

Many of today’s moms have learned to balance time with their kids and their screens. And that approach has helped them become more productive and innovative at work.

A healthy work-life balance is one where you don’t constantly feel like you have to be working, but you know what your priorities are and how to take care of yourself.

So, if it means leaving your kid with a family member for an hour so you can get some uninterrupted focus time — and then once an hour reconnecting with your child — that can actually help keep both things (work and life) going well.

Basically, moms are learning everything they need to run a successful business by raising a family. From learning how to maintain a budget to prioritizing their tasks, stay-athome moms are taking over the business world. Plus, in a time where most people work remotely, moms are gaining an advantage as they stay at home with their families. 

is an important component of success in any business, and being able to do so while wearing more than one hat at once is pretty rare.

If you’re searching for candidates with entrepreneurial experience who are willing to take on a larger role in management, consider giving serious consideration to mompreneurs.

They’ll not only contribute talent, but “know-how,” too. 3. Moms can stick to a budget.

If you’re running a business out of your home, you know how hard it can be to stick to a budget — especially if there are kids and other family members who live with you. But even if you’re not paying rent or a mortgage (and yes,

SPOTLIGHT

Continued from page 9

“I got a lot of management experience,” she said. “Then I had my second child. After that, I’m like, ‘I’m done. But you know what? I’m helping you guys, but I need to open up my own practice.’”

Grewal, who is never one to do just one thing, had the idea of also opening a medical spa, which she feels goes hand in hand with dentistry.

“It’s more like a wellness center. You come in, you get your teeth cleaned, you go get some Botox filler, you need an IV infusion.”

Mind Body Infusion Med Spa’s goal is to provide a combination of holistic and medical treatment options for wholebody health and wellness without the need for a doctor’s appointment, medical insurance or a referral.

Grewal said opened both businesses right in the middle of the pandemic. She’d been planning them before COVID-19 hit, but she eventually got both places up and running in May 2021 — sort of. With the pandemic, she was limited in what she could do. And that’s when she started doing COVID testing.

“I was sending people to people’s homes so they wouldn’t feel inconvenienced,” Grewal said. “Because these places weren’t giving you the test results until the next day or after a couple of days, and it was very inconvenient. Like, kids couldn’t go to school because they needed COVID tests.”

Eventually, after the ups and downs of the pandemic had somewhat leveled off, Grewal focused on doing what she set out to do with Skyline Smiles. The goal, she said, was to provide a dentist’s office for young adults.

“I designed it in such a way because I didn’t want it to look like Disneyland — like most pediatric dental offices,” Grewal said. “I kind of wanted to cater to the teenage and younger adult population because, it’s like, you either have dental offices that only cater to adults, or you have these pediatric dental offices that are like Disneyland.”

She said she set out to create a space that’s high-tech-looking, but with calming colors and a soothing flow.

“We’ve got a lot of greenery on the ceiling. So, when people are laying down and they’re looking at the ceiling, you want something nice up there.

“There are TVs that are above each chair. Everybody gets a blanket. Everybody gets headphones. They’re noisecancelling headphones, so you really don’t hear the sound of the machines. There’s always aromatherapy on, so it doesn’t feel like you’re in a dental office and people aren’t as anxious when they come in,” Grewal said.

Gradually, people would come into the office and ask if she took adult patients, too. Of course, she turned no one away, and the practice has slowly transitioned to about 80% adults.

And while Mind Body Infusion Med Spa is designed a little differently than the dental office — aside from the same flooring — it still offers a similar calming environment, she said.

Like Skyline Smiles, the Med Spa is a creation she’s extremely proud of. She said she’s living the dream, as the saying goes.

What’s most rewarding, she added, is when she receives positive feedback from patients or when she gets people who say her office came highly recommended. She especially loves it when, after finishing a procedure, people say, “You’re done already?”

“It’s just really nice when you have people enjoying the experience,” she said, “and actually liking what I built and the services that we provide.”

It’s that satisfaction of helping people with their medical needs and receiving the rave reviews that an artist loves that makes Grewal believe she’s discovered the American dream, the one she imagined as a kid. Grewal became, in her own words, a doctor and an artist, creating art in her patients’ smiles, helping people and making money at the same time.

Skyline Smiles, go to SkylineSmile.com. For more about Mind Body Infusion Med Spa, go to MindBodyInfusion.com. 

Dr. Harleen Grewal of Skyline Smiles said she set out to create a space that’s high-tech-looking, but with calming colors and a soothing flow. “There’s always aromatherapy on, so it doesn’t feel like you’re in a dental office and people aren’t as anxious when they come in.” PHOTO BY CHRIS TORRES / THE SIGNAL

COC

Continued from page 19 and 2024, 139,000 of those will be in middle skill occupations, which provide a pathway to living-wage jobs in these fast-growing industries.

The surge in demand for employees with high-tech manufacturing expertise will only continue to grow. By providing the space, equipment, education, and staff to train the next generation of workers, the ATC is positioned to provide Northern LA County with a skilled labor force for generations. The ATC will prepare the future workforce for advanced manufacturing/technology careers and support the growth of key manufacturing sectors through research, development, and training the future workforce via dynamic workbased learning modalities.

Join us at Manufacturing Day on October 6 to learn more about exciting career opportunities! 

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PAGA

Continued from page 20

survive in court even when an individual claim has been sent to arbitration.

Until then, California employers are encouraged to utilize the Viking ruling while it is still enforceable. California employers that use arbitration agreements should make every effort to compel individual arbitration in any active PAGA representative action lawsuit. If successful, employers should then seek dismissal of any representative PAGA claims in that lawsuit. For more information, please contact PooleShaffery at (661) 290-2991. 

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STEPS FOR WOMEN

Continued from page 18 DID YOU KNOW?

Women in Leadership Statistics

Despite small gains in recent years, statistics on women in leadership roles show that the gender gap remains. As of 2022, only 8.2% of Fortune 500 CEOs (41) were women, although that’s a significant improvement from the zero female Fortune 500 CEOs in 1995, according to Zappia. As of December 2021, women accounted for 35% of U.S. senior management positions in the United States — a 4% increase from 2016 but still far from 50%.

Educational statistics also point to a considerable gap. Between 2020 and 2021, 505,000 women earned master’s degrees compared with 327,000 men. On the other hand, women with master’s degrees earned, on average, 38% less than men with the same qualifications — $72,568 for women compared with $117,617 for men.

Barriers to Women in Leadership

Despite progress toward gender equal-

2020 was the 12th year in a row in which women earned more doctorates than men. Women accounted for 53.1% of doctorates awarded that year.

ity within the workplace, women still face pushback. Many barriers to women in leadership remain, including the following obstacles: Stereotypes Most industries have been dominated by male leadership for so long that the traits of a good leader are often seen as masculine.

Women are often perceived negatively when they exhibit these traits. To add insult to injury, women may be seen as unfit for the role when they do not demonstrate these typical leadership qualities.

Furthermore, some people may think of specific roles and industries as traditionally female and others as traditionally male.

Retail u Office u Industrial u Land

Discrimination Work environments dominated by biases favoring men can be hostile toward women. Women may be passed over for promotions and experience sexual harassment, workplace harassment and other unprofessional behavior.

Lack of networking opportunities

While bias is becoming less prevalent in the working world, its impact can still pose challenges for women looking to network. As a result, there may be fewer opportunities for mentorship or arrangements to help women move into leadership positions. No work-life balance Old ideas about the domestic roles of men and women can limit the support women may need to balance work and everything else properly. As a result, some people may unfairly believe women can’t put in the time and effort required to lead. But every day, women continue to defy that myth — and plenty of others. 

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