Opportunities and Challenges of Change

As a lifelong entrepreneur, I appreciate the importance of learning. Whether it be through books, talks and seminars, networking, or your own research, as business owners we always need challenge ourselves and grow. It was with that sentiment in mind that we opened up our VARIDESK HQ to local entrepreneurs for a panel about the opportunities and challenges that come with a change.

Yasmeen Tadia is a hard-working single mom doing her part to “Make Your Life Sweeter” – literally. Her line of hand-crafted popcorn, cotton candy, and other treats are fan favorites for huge corporate clients like Tiffany’s, Facebook and Forbes, and it all started in her own mini ideation lab. Her story of letting your customer steer your path really resonated with me. Our most popular VARIDESK has undergone over 20 redesigns, which were all driven by customer feedback. Yasmeen says that getting out and interacting directly with your customers is the cheapest form of market research, and I could not agree more.

Cameron Gawley is CEO and Co-Founder of BuzzShift – a company that helps other groups build the perfect digital media strategy for today’s increasingly online-only audiences. Cameron spoke a lot about giving people the tools to do their best work, whether that means giving them a standing desk to encourage movement, or a quiet corner dedicated to focus work. He and I are definitely aligned on the fact that workspace matters, and your employees should have some autonomy when it comes to what works best for them.

Lastly, Alyce Alston. Alyce brought a different, unique perspective to the talk as the organization she heads up – the DEC Network – helps support the efforts of other entrepreneurs in the area. Every day, she works with brand-new companies to network, make new connections, and leverage existing ones to ultimately make it to the next level. Perhaps more than anyone, she understands the importance of surrounding yourself with experts. No matter what stage of your career you’re in – junior executive or CEO – someone out there knows more than you.

Thanks again to all these impressive panelists for joining us at VARIDESK HQ. We loved hearing and learning from each of you, and can’t wait to see what you do next! 

For a full recap of the panel, check out the video below.