5 minute read
Nancy E. Klensch
NANCY E. KLENSCH
Creator and Innovator, Summit Kids
Women of Inspiration™ – Women Driving Change Book Contributor
What one piece of wisdom would you share with young women today? You are capable just as you are. Let me repeat that. Just. As. You. Are. You don’t need to be taller or shorter. You don’t need to be skinnier or prettier. You don’t need to wait until you are everything you think you’re not. At some point someone said something to you—something critical or mean—and you bought into it. You’re now paralyzed waiting for the feature they criticized to be magically fixed. Don’t wait. You’re amazing and capable just as you are. Someone once told me that my eyes were too big. Instantly, I hated my eyes. How irrational is that? First, I can’t change the size of my eyes. Second, what does the size of my eyes have to do with my abilities or talents? And third, my eyes might just be my best feature!
What is the biggest lesson you learned running your business? You’re going to hear NO a lot. Like, a lot. Get used to it and don’t let it deter you from where you’re going. I’ve learned that NO isn’t actually no, it’s just go another route—go to another source or most often it means do it yourself and screw the naysayers. You know what you want to do so just get creative and find a way to make it happen. If I had stopped when I heard NO, I never would have gotten started.
What are you most proud of with respect to your business success? The day I realized we hit $1M in payroll was my biggest aha moment. I was so busy growing the business and building my team that I didn’t realize we had hit $1M in revenue let alone that we were putting money back into the community by way of people’s incomes. COVID-19 is filled with lessons. What was one of the biggest lessons for you? We’re meant to do hard things. COVID-19 forced me to take a pause and evaluate where I was going. And when I say take pause, I don’t mean stop. I think that was the biggest lesson, DO NOT STOP. Do not let the unknown paralyze your momentum. I was able to keep moving forward despite all of the unknowns and positioned myself for what was next. In the three months that we were closed, I launched a new company and created two new brands as well as grew my existing businesses. I believe stopping and waiting—being paralyzed—is the death knell of a business.
What are the top three things someone should consider before starting a business? I think you need to stop considering it and just do it. Had I stopped to think about the what-ifs of starting a business in 2009 (on the heels of the global financial crisis of 2008 no less!), I never would have done it. Solid, well-thought-out businesses that serve a need or solve a problem can still thrive in a severe worldwide crisis. Mine did!
What was the turning point that led you on your current path? When I realized that if I didn’t like something—in this case, the childcare options for my son—I knew that I needed to fix it myself. I wasn’t going to be happy until I could get my hands around it and make the change I was seeking. I stepped up, leaned in and embraced a new idea. That idea became a new reality for me and for an entire industry.
Tell us about your SupportHERs™ and how male champions have supported you. My biggest SupportHER is my husband, Tyler. He joined my company a few years after I got started and has been our biggest asset. He’s helped me grow the business and make my vision a reality. He supports my crazy ideas. He puts up with my need for perfection. He sees me for who I am, not who I’m supposed to be. When I stumble, get frustrated and give up, he’s there. He picks me up and dusts me off and pushes me back into the arena.
A word can be a powerful guiding light. What is your word for 2021? Grace as in simple elegance, courteous goodwill. Grace is my word because I am working to have grace under pressure, I want to be known as a kind, supportive, competent leader, partner and mother. I want to be known for my grace under pressure.
Women of Inspiration - Women Driving Change Book Contributor
Jordan Stothers
WOI2021 - Category Award Partner - AMJ Campbell
