BizTimes Media’s annual Women in Business Symposium was held Wednesday at the Brookfield Conference Center. The event was planned with one goal in mind: providing professional women with the tools and advice needed to seize their moment, whether that moment be a major career change or a shift in their personal lives.
A panel featuring Candace Spears, founder and CEO of Floor23 Digital; Lyssa Olker, design principal at HGA; Gaurie Rodman, vice president of real estate strategy and development at Direct Supply; and Melissa Allen; president of Maures Development Group, capped off the main programming for the event.
Portia Young, director of public relations at Sargento, served as moderator for the panel.
Each woman shared how they’ve had to pivot in both their professional and personal lives and the tools they’ve implemented to achieve success. Below are some key insights from the panel.
Take a different approach
As a young architect, Olker noticed a big problem in the design process. Observing her profession, she noticed architects were coming into communities and imposing their own ideas instead of asking those communities what would serve them best.
Olker saw a different path forward, but feared she would be told ‘no’ by her superiors – something that would be devastating to her because of her passion for helping underserved communities. Despite her fear, she began creating different internal initiatives centered on stakeholder engagement.
“I realized that I’m not going to follow the standard path,” said Olker. “As it turns out, that’s allowed. It’s actually how I’ve built my success, by stepping outside the boundary a bit.”
Aim to learn continuously
Spears describes herself as a serial entrepreneur who is not afraid to jump into a new opportunity when it’s presented. A woman of faith, Spears said she’ll often feel a calling to delve into new business opportunities.
Before deciding whether she will get involved with a new endeavor, she spends time “self-isolating” and going through her own learning process. Being informed enough to make her own decisions without outside help has been key to how Spears leads her companies and her family.
“You have to learn and immerse yourself,” said Spears. “You can make the decision on what you want to do, but first you need to learn. Learning is power and that’s so amazing.”
Don’t be afraid to start from scratch
Rodman arrived in Wisconsin in 1990 with two suitcases, $20 in cash and a rafting board. She came to the United States from Sri Lanka and eventually went on to earn her master’s degree, later getting married and starting a family. She said she had no fear as she and her husband branched out into real estate investing because of how much she trusts herself.
The couple was successful until the global financial crisis of 1998 wreaked havoc on their business. Through personal and professional challenges, Rodman learned she needed to rely on herself.
“I had the courage to completely blow up my business and walk away and start from scratch,” said Rodman. “I completely blew up my marriage and my business because I had to for my dignity. I could do it because I trusted myself and knew I was going to be successful.”
She eventually found a corporate job that allowed her to keep her entrepreneurial mindset and personality.
Create your own path
Allen has no shortage of professional endeavors to keep her busy. Throughout her career, she has completed four different degrees, each with their own backstory. In addition to her real estate development career, which began in 2006, she took the time to pursue another passion: psychology.
In 2017, she began the process of becoming a licensed counselor. Allen believes women need to push back against any job or societal framework that tells them what they should be doing. Instead, they should strive to determine what their own futures look like and realize they have no real limitations – only perceived ones.
“Who we are is ever evolving,” said Allen. “Sometimes we do things opportunistically, because we think it’s what we should be doing, and sometimes we take a pause and think about what truly resonates with us.”
Take back your time
Young, who began her professional career as a broadcast journalist, said one of the most important business decisions she’s made was leaving the news industry to take back control of her own time. Despite her love for journalism, she realized having control over your own time gives you true power.
“My time is my own now,” said Young. “I don’t have to live by a clock now. That gives you control and your own power. What I’m hearing from all you (panelists) is that you chose to use your time in meaningful ways and allocate your time to things that give you passion.”
The event’s main program also featured a recorded interview with BizTimes’ Woman Executive of the Year Peggy Troy, who will retire at year’s end as CEO of Children’s Wisconsin. There was also a keynote conversation with Jenny Just, a Brookfield native who went on to launch a multibillion-dollar financial services firm, called PEAK6, and later claim the title of self-made billionaire. Just co-founded Power Poker with her daughter in 2020. Power Poker is an app designed to teach women the game of poker and empower their decision-making skills.
