Marcela Shine

Lessons I’m learning as a founder: #02 💡 "I am allowed to take up space." As a founder, I've learned that stepping into a leadership role means embracing the power and responsibility that comes with it. It's about confidently taking up space, sharing your vision, and leading with purpose. In the early stages of my career, I often found myself holding back, hesitant to fully embrace my potential. Transitioning from roles in marketing and tech to founding my own agency has taught me the importance of shedding those reservations. Now, I see the value in owning my role and being unapologetically present in every aspect of my work. Taking up space isn't just about being seen or heard; it's about making meaningful contributions, advocating for your ideas, and driving your vision forward. It's about recognizing your worth and the unique value you bring to the table. Here are three key aspects of embracing your new role: 1️⃣ Confidence: Believe in your abilities and the value of your contributions. Confidence is contagious and inspires those around you. 2️⃣ Visibility: Make sure your voice is heard and your presence felt in meetings, discussions, and decision-making processes. 3️⃣ Purpose: Align your actions with your mission and vision, ensuring that every step you take is purposeful and impactful. Embracing my role as a founder has been transformative, allowing me to grow personally and professionally. It's a journey of continuous learning and adaptation, but the rewards of fully stepping into my role are immeasurable.🏆 Do you guys use affirmations to build your confidence? #takingupspace #leadership #entrepreneurship #growthmindset

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I’m honored to introduce my passion project, now realized as my latest company that was announced on VentureBeat today: Empower Change. It's a nonprofit that navigates families through grief so they can start living a more fulfilling life. Acting as a guide, we inspire change and personal growth while cultivating essential life skills. Furthermore, we foster connections between those we assist and supportive communities who share similar experiences. Leveraging my 30 year career growing early stage companies and working at large companies, we’ll operate Empower Change with the disciplines and best practices of technology startups coupled with the passions found with causes. While our vision is to broadly address grief and trauma, our launch focus is on grief and bereaved caregivers (usually the surviving parent) whom we consider our go-to-market "customers." Our mission is to enable these caregivers to move their family’s life forward by constructively living with their grief.  To be clear, children are a major priority–they are beneficiaries from Empower Change; but, the most effective way to reach them is through the caregiver. Since we are operating the nonprofit like a startup, finding product market fit is a focus and metrics quantify our success. We are not about having a few “feel good” stories. Instead, our goal is to have wins at scale. Our primary KPIs are customer acquisition and retention: we’re focused on maximizing the number of caregivers and children we positively impact and we want to keep them engaged over the long term since the healing process usually takes years. Finally, we believe we can build and partner with programs, other nonprofits, services and brands that can aid us in generating revenue to scale Empower Change. At the end of the day, our vision is to become a self-sustaining nonprofit that broadly addresses grief and trauma. If you are interested in donating, we'd appreciate it. If you have ideas on how we might collaborate with your company as a way to mutually grow both of our businesses, I’d be thrilled to speak with you. This passion project—now my life’s work—is my tribute to mom and dad: they sacrificed and sent my four older brothers and me to private schools then college so we could have a better life; regrettably, they passed away before they could witness the full realization of their efforts. I want to thank my family—especially my wife Carin Bradley Alemania—for supporting and allowing me to take an extended break last year to explore my passions while recharging my batteries. I'd also like to thank (in no particular order) Jeff Kimball, Jennifer C., Mannie Rabara, Kathryn Shirley, Carter Lipscomb, Ann Marie Giusto, Shlomi Ronen, Mark Jung, Jennifer McLean, Hilary Wolfe and Karl Wagner for helping us get to this day. I’m excited to Empower Change and hope you will join us on this journey. #grief #empowerchange #nonprofit #startup

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Huge News...today, Contractor Commerce launched AI within the platform. That's right. We've been working behind the scenes for months to harness the power of AI to help contractors get EVEN MORE value from their online stores. Today we rolled out the first of several major AI enhancements with 5 awesome customers who wanted to pioneer this new layer of technology alongside us. Ecommerce for contractors is already working - turning website visitors into $$. But we're never satisfied. We wake up every day, listen to our customers, and invest in our platform to help contractors make more money and build thriving companies. We won't stop until every contractor has an online store....now powered by AI. If you want to learn more or supercharge your company website with AI-powered ecommerce, message me. https://lnkd.in/g2YzpAuc #AI #HVAC #ecommerce #contractors

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Thrilled to share Nuclavis latest P2P Fundraising Study by Noel Beebe. Learn what key insights we gathered from Spring event programs that can help inform your Fall event season. #nonprofitfundraising #nonprofitstrategy

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I’m diving deeper into the thought-leadership space and discovering the benefits of podcasting for sharing real, valuable insights and fostering in-depth, engaging conversations in a long-form format. Also my comments are open to recommendations for any good podcasts centered around entrepreneurship, tech or leadership! 👇🏾 #thoughtleadership #podcasting #entrepreneurship #tech

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One of the greatest satisfactions from my work is building meaningful partnerships that impact lives, including my own. Yesterday, I had an incredible conversation with one of my partner PMs over lunch and it made me reflect more on these partnerships. At Sembrar, I’ve had the privilege of forming 10 partnerships. Whether you're an employer, employee, or in another role, the most beneficial relationships are those where both sides equally give and take, creating a balanced exchange of value and control. From my experience, when this balance is achieved, the most progress can be made. I know this might sound easy, but it is much harder to achieve. It can be easy to feel undervalued or feel you're not getting enough. It could also be that you're not actually giving enough. Both can be true. Achieving this balance is hard, and there is no silver bullet. All my partners are contractors. I call them partners because we work jointly for mutual benefit. This symbiotic relationship ensures we both add value to each other. And when we can achieve that balance we have been able to create long last engagements with our customers.

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Super honored to have been interviewed for "Scaling Through Chaos" by Index Ventures, where I discuss some of my hardest lessons learned in leading and building teams through my high growth seasons at companies like Porch Group, ClassPass, and Skyscanner, and others. Scaling Through Chaos covers how to build, structure and run a high-performing team. In it they distilled over 200,000 career profiles from more than 200 startups. It's packed with frameworks and case studies from 60 top founders and operators, and offer stage-by-stage guidance on how to make the right decisions across every part of your business. Sometimes I look back on the last two decades and I often wish I could have journaled every day to distill the nuggets of hard lessons learned (I mean whoa, it's been wild, am I right?), luckily this book basically did that - across dozens of operators. Massive thanks to the Index team for their amazing work on this. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/eS5ungfX #entrepreneurship #growth #author

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Hey everbody, I am really excited to announce the launch of my weekly newsletter, Leading Matters to help leaders build more innovative, engaging, and agile organiztions. Follow the link to sign up... For the rest of you asking, "Why yet another newsletter?" Thanks for asking... In the last few years I've gravitated more and more to helping leaders understand the intersection between leadership, culture, and innovation. I've had lots of really positive feedback on my workshops and somewhat regular posts on LinkedIn. But it's left me feeling like I could do more to help leaders understand how to build better, more innovative organizations. I concluded that having a regular cadence of information could allow me to cover more topics deeply. So, I decided to launch Leading Matters on Substack. So, here's my mission below. I hope you'll join me by signing up and sharing it with others. Thanks. Leading Matters is dedicated to enabling a narrative around using intentional leadership and organizational culture to help leaders develop more innovative, engaging, and agile organizations. Our mission is to inspire and empower individuals at all levels to become transformative leaders, driving positive change within their organizations and beyond. #leadership #leadingmatters #leaders #innovation #culture #williamkilmer #transformative #transformation #newsletter #Substack https://lnkd.in/etSQgUdZ

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Always fun to publish a practice case and then see that EXACT story in the headlines. If you’re prepping for consulting interviews right now, try our new practice case on GM’s transition to EVs (PDF is attached). Once you’re done you can “check your work” by reading recent articles on how GM is actually navigating the headwinds (I linked to a recent one in the comments). #consulting #interviewprep

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Without guardrails, board management can become unmanageable. In many Venwise conversations lately, we’ve heard from our members that their boards’ expectations and asks have shifted over the past two years, typically toward requiring more detailed projections - for milestones that leaders can’t possibly have details about yet. For example, where once they were satisfied with a high-level product roadmap, now boards are requesting intimate breakdowns of the next 5 quarters’ worth of product roadmap. Of course, a projection that far into the future is not something that operators can realistically deliver, so it’s their job to push back… but that pushback can only work with a balance of thoughtful communication and expectation-setting. Operators need to benchmark what’s normal for a board to request and set boundaries, but they also need to keep their boards looped in. So, maybe they won’t get a 5-quarter product roadmap, but they’ll get reports on a monthly basis, which should quell any anxiety. Lots of boards are asking for the moon right now. Operators can successfully push back if they promise a few (reasonable) stars instead.

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“Your platform is medicinal media. It's therapeutic. It gives organized serendipity and a higher likemindedness.” Jon Cropper, Founder, Futurelogic In this video, I share a personal story about my parents, who dedicated their lives to healing others and community development. I reflect on how their work has influenced me to bring people together in both real life and the virtual world. I also discuss the concept of "medicinal media" from the Legendary Jon Cropper (Quincy Jones, Ashton Martin, Future Logic) and how it can provide the therapeutic experience of connecting humans online with organized serendipity. If you're part of a remote team or planning an event where you want to bring people closer, this video offers insights on how to incorporate medicinal media for a higher sense of connection. Discover what Jon Morris did today for free at https://lnkd.in/d7DyFhnz #liveevents #remotework #virtualevents #events #people #virtualworlds #nowhere

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Being coachable is important, but what if I told you that your ability to coach your manager is just as, if not more critical in your career success? To that end, I'm so excited about my latest episode of High Octane Leadership where I share my thoughts on the importance of managing up. Make sure you check the link in the comments to listen to this anywhere you listen to podcasts and YouTube.

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"I could either stay home and cry under the covers or I could come to work and be myself. I’m not going to let cancer take that away from me.” The Today Show news anchor Jill Martin announced on the air. Hard topic to discuss. Join me for my guest lecturer from a patient's perspective as part of SoMeDocs(Doctors on Social Media) Community Event May 13th to 18th https://lnkd.in/e8kBWb9p Virtual with information from top doctors to be shared transparently with the community as we are all here to fight together. Information, resources, and network are power when navigating. 🩷According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. And with the average age of the Chief Executive Officer being 51, over 50% of women who are diagnosed will receive the news during the peak time in their careers, when they’re most likely to rise to leadership. 🩷With the diagnosis coming during this critical period in a woman’s career, organizations are likely to experience an employee having cancer at some point. Workplaces will have standard leave procedures and accommodations for these employees, but often, a workplace culture doesn’t necessarily have the tools to handle the “people” side of this issue. Leaders are often unprepared for the daily realities of these women at work. American Cancer Society #techdayinpink #cancer #beatcancer #womenshealth #dei #inclusion #talent #career #womenleadership #futureofwork #speaker #breastcancer #breastcancersurvivor #workingmoms Piedmont Northside Hospital Wellstar Health System Dr. April Spencer, M. D. Women In Technology (WIT) Atlanta Cancer Care Amelia Zelnak TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation #healthequity #women Stand Up To Cancer The Breast Cancer Research Foundation Breast Cancer Network Australia Breast Cancer Resource Center (BCRC) Emily Pinto Katie Couric Exact Sciences

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"I have to brag a bit— did you know that Jack Dorsey actually opened my Twitter account?" This was my journey through the digital landscape and brings back some incredible memories, especially those where technology intersects with global leadership and impactful connections. 📱 Encounters with Innovators: At a small yet pivotal summit, I met tech giants like Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg, where we discussed the potential of social media to bring about world change. It was there that Jack helped me set up my Twitter account! 🌎 Broadening Impact: My adventures from Mexico to Peru weren't just about business; they were about harnessing social media to enhance our company's outreach and support meaningful causes. 🤝 Tech Meets Philanthropy: With a deep commitment to non-profits, particularly those aiding children, I used these platforms to amplify our humanitarian efforts, showcasing how business and compassion can go hand in hand. 🌐 Digital Leadership: Leveraging our digital expertise, I personally even opened Twitter accounts for significant figures, including former presidents from Panama's Ricardo Martinelli and his beautiful wife and former first Lady. 💡 Driving Change with Digital Tools: My passion for merging technology with philanthropy continues to grow. These tools aren't just for connectivity; they're catalysts for real-world change. 👉 Have you leveraged digital platforms for a cause or project that you're passionate about? We can use technology to create a better world! #SocialMedia #Leadership #Nonprofits #TechnologyForGood #GlobalImpact

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🔥Join Jessica Z., COO of Talentful, and Matt Bradburn, CEO of People Collective, for a workshop on designing people experiences like a product leader at Pando Horizons. Register here 👉 https://bit.ly/3V8U6yd Learn how to treat the development of your organization's culture and employee interactions as a product, applying business-side strategies and metrics to retain and optimize your talent. What You'll Learn:  ✔️ How-to apply product development principles to the employee lifecycle ✔️Tactics for aligning teams and programs to business metrics and outcomes ✔️Strategies to continuously improve your people experience programs #peopleops #hrevents #hrtech #agile #eltv #peoplestrategy

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Check out the episode with John Graham and be inspired to stick your neck out for something greater than yourself!

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For #founders that get in their heads about putting themselves out there, consider this reframe: Self-doubt and self-criticism are not reliable market signals. Your business deserves honest feedback to improve, so take your imposter syndrome out of the equation and instead act like you are a pollster for favored political candidate. You need dozens, often hundreds, of data points before you can draw conclusions about changing positions (your MVP) or how you message them (your MVB). Your personal feelings only count when they are accurately reflecting the electorate; and the more you’re in your personal feelings about something on a given day, the less objectively you can judge or anticipate people’s reaction. That’s the beauty of the free market - people vote with their time and their wallets, and those signals are not dependent on the fluctuations of your brain chemistry. So get out their and poll your electorate early and often — with networking, founder-led sales, building your personal brand, bold thought leadership, and just plain showing up day after day. Your #startups will thank you for it.

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🚀 New launch for DonorDock: The Spreadsheet Freedom Fund. This could be a game-changer for many nonprofits out there. 🎉 We're launching the "Spreadsheet Freedom Fund" to help organizations move away from the chaos of spreadsheets by offering a tech grant to DonorDock. If you're tired of the endless scrolling and the risk of errors that come with spreadsheet management, this grant is for you. We’re offering 45 free subscriptions to DonorDock's CRM and fundraising tools to empower nonprofits with better tools for donor stewardship. 🙌 Starting TODAY, applications are open! Whether it’s your nonprofit or one you know that could use a transformation from spreadsheet struggles to CRM simplicity, I encourage you to apply or spread the word. Let’s help those doing good do even better. Check out more details and apply through the link in below! https://lnkd.in/gxVnYJNq #NonprofitTech #Fundraising #CRM #SpreadsheetFreedom #DonorDock #Nonprofits #grants #techgrants

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 🌈 Happy LGBTQ Pride Month!  📍 Check out this article on 32 Remarkable LGBTQ Companies to Watch. Celebrate diversity, innovation, and the incredible contributions of LGBTQ entrepreneurs making waves in various industries.  #PrideMonth #LGBTQBusiness #DiversityAndInclusion

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