- Diane Luccy
- Friday, February 02
In preparation for her Residency, which runs from February 1, 2024 – May 31, 2024, we asked Michele a few questions in order for you to get to know her better!
What do you most look forward to doing as part of your residency with the library? I am looking forward to the conversations I will have with individuals where I get to hear their stories and offer specific advice to help them on their entrepreneurial journey. Admittedly, I am chatty but I love the magic that happens when folk can connect and ideas flow. I’m looking forward to that.
How did you begin your present career/profession? I have always been a “creative problem solver”. As a marketing professor and consultant, I was the sage, the one with the answers. I recently became inspired to pivot from being the “know it all”, to being the “guide on the side”.
I discovered a process called Design Thinking which mirrored how I naturally approached problem solving. Using Design Thinking gave me a way to guide others to be innovative, including my students. Design Thinking is now a course I teach at Benedict College.
My curiosity as an academic and life-long learner led me to research further into the neuroscience and psychology of creativity and collaboration. I am passionate about using the knowledge and techniques I gained to guide others. Thus, my present profession includes being the lead facilitator and founder of Blaze Training & Facilitation.
Was your career something you always wanted to do or did it develop over time? I always wanted to be a “creative problem solver”. As an “artsy nerd”, I expected to be in a position where I use my creative and analytic skills. In college, I pursued two majors, Business and Art. I then did art production for McGraw-Hill’s business books. After getting my MBA from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) I expected to do marketing or brand management for a large corporation. While I have continued to combine creativity with business analysis, it turned out that I have not done so as a corporate brand manager. Instead, I have done so in the worlds of entrepreneurship and academia.
If you could sum up your company's goal in one sentence, what would it be? Keep in mind that in addition to being a business professor at Benedict College, I have two entrepreneurial endeavors. Outside of making profits, here are their goals…
Blaze Training & Facilitation: Help leaders dramatically increase the collaboration, connection, clarity, and creativity within their teams in ways that are fun and fast.
My Zoom Box: Our subscription box of curated children’s books featuring brown characters on cool & fun adventures, leads Black children to think that it is ordinary, to be extraordinary.
What are the top three challenges currently facing new small business owners? Established small business owners?
New Small Business Owners:
1. Customer Niche Selection [It may be counterintuitive but the reality is that focusing on a narrowly defined, very specific customer segment makes marketing easier and more effective. A new business owner may resist doing so and instead try to be all things to all people, which is hard to do and usually not an effective strategy.]
2. Time Management
3. Mindset
Established Small Business Owners:
1. Shifting from working IN the business to working ON the business
2. Identifying ways and resources that will allow the owner to scale up the business efficiently
3. Finding and retaining the right talent/employees
As a small business owner, why is it important to have a mentor?
Mentors share their insight, connections, and wisdom which can save a small business owner time. We can learn from the mentors' experiences, triumphs and mistakes, which can accelerate the mentee’s development and success.
What's the best business advice you've ever received?
“Good enough is good enough” was the best business advice for me personally because at the time I was over thinking things and striving to be perfect so I was stuck in analysis paralysis. The advice given helped me to recognize the importance of momentum and that even imperfect action can be valuable. It gives a baseline to learn from and improve upon.
Any other comments for our small business customers?
I am here to help you rock. Let’s do this!
To schedule an appointment to meet with Michele virtually or in-person, or to register for an upcoming EiR program, Click Here.