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STRATEGY | Unlocking Business Potential Through Great Questions w/ Cynthia Kay.
Ever wondered how to transform your small business into a thriving powerhouse? Cynthia Kay, author of "Small Business, Big Success," joins us to share her incredible journey and invaluable insights. With over 35 years of experience running her own media production company, Cynthia reveals the secrets to building strong relationships, customizing solutions, and consistently exceeding client expectations. Her stories and practical advice will inspire you to elevate your business to new heights.
In this episode, we also explore the art of asking great questions, a skill Cynthia honed through years in investigative journalism and broadcasting. Learn how curiosity and active listening can foster meaningful business relationships and lead to impactful solutions. Dive into Cynthia's personal journey from an aspiring musician to a successful entrepreneur, and discover how she balances leadership with business growth. This is a conversation packed with actionable tips and heartfelt stories that any small business owner will find both enlightening and motivating. Don't miss it!
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About Business Owners Radio:
Business Owners Radio is a podcast that brings you insights, inspiration, and actionable advice from successful entrepreneurs and business experts. Hosted by Shye Gilad and Craig Moen, our show aims to help you grow your business and achieve your goals. Join us every week for new episodes packed with valuable tips and resources.
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And now Taking Care of Business, your hosts Craig Moen and Shai Gillod.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Business Owners Radio, episode 244. Joining Shai and I in the studio today is Cynthia Kay, author of the new book Small Business, big Success how to Beat the Odds and Grow a Great Business. Cynthia founded Cynthia Kay and Company Media Production, which produces high-quality communications for organizations from Fortune Global 100 to small business. She is a passionate spokesperson for small business. For more than 35 years she has spent significant time speaking to, teaching and coaching small business owners while running her own award-winning company. Good morning, cynthia. Welcome to Business Owners Radio.
Speaker 3:Well, good morning to you too.
Speaker 2:It's great to have you on our show today and thank you for your time with us. You're the author of a number of business books and I have to ask what caused you to repeat this huge undertaking.
Speaker 3:You know, writing a book is definitely a lot of time spent with yourself. But I think the reason that I have written the books that I have written is because I love stories and I love sharing stories. And because I love stories and I love small business people, I put myself in places where I get the chance to connect with other business owners and they're always asking well, how did you do that? Or why did you take that turn to the business? Or tell me about what you learned when you did X and so over the years I've kind of kept a diary of stories just to kind of remind myself of things, and this latest book, small Business, big Success, is a lot of my stories, but also stories from other people that I've listened to and thought they were worth sharing.
Speaker 2:Cynthia, I know that you've worked with a number of organizations around the world, both large and small, and for a number of years. I understand you're going on 35 years into this area. So you've had a lot of contacts, a lot of experiences. And I was curious in working with large businesses and small businesses, from your perspective, how would you characterize these differences and how does that really meld into what's important for each?
Speaker 3:You know, I think the thing that's important about business is that if you look at each relationship like you would a relationship with a good friend or someone that you are collaborating with there is not a single business that I could say is like any other business that we work with.
Speaker 3:Now there are characteristics of those businesses. Smaller businesses have a personality and a style and large businesses have advantages and challenges when you work with them. But I think what I love most is that I love getting in and figuring out what it is that I can do that can help another business get to where they want to be, and I think it is that attitude of helping others serve that has really served my company really well. We tend not to be out front when we're working with companies. We tend not to promote ourselves. What I really love to do is say you know how am I going to help that business really do what they need to do, and that's really the fun of it. You know, people are in business because they serve a need, and if you don't, then why are you in business? So for me, the fun of it is figuring out what is it that a company needs, and sometimes those are very complex needs, especially with larger companies, and then taking that need and figuring out how can I solve that problem, that challenge that they're facing, and really move them ahead. And frankly, over the years I have found that when you do that, your customers recommend you to other people. I mean, in 35 years, honestly, we have not done a ton of marketing. That's not to say that we don't go out and talk to people and do things and quote, sell, but our best customers have come from other customers, people who have recommended us, and to me that's a testament to what the team here, what I do, what my team does to help other people, that they want to go out and recommend us. But there's real differences when you're working with a smaller company. Their needs are very different. Some of my large companies that I work with you know we have decades of experience in working now with large global companies and I find that small businesses sometimes are afraid to go after that big fish. They're afraid that they've heard the stories about, you know, the big bad company that's going to force you to do X and try and, you know, get the best price out of you. I have not found that to be the case. I have found relationships with big companies to just be really thoughtful. I find big customers to be appreciative. I can tell you a story about how I got my first big customer, and I love this story because it kind of shows you how things happen in the world.
Speaker 3:I got a cold call from a very large company. Now they were part of actually an even bigger company, but they were looking to do a little tiny project. They wanted to take a PowerPoint and make it into a video. Now, if you know anything about media, that's like the simplest thing in the world to do. And you know, I went out and met the person and said you know, I'd really like to know more about your company.
Speaker 3:And they were like well, this is like a really tiny job. Why do you want to spend more time? And the first question I asked is do you have someone that works with you? And they said yes. And I said well, why aren't they doing this job? And what they told me was fascinating. They said this job was too small for them. They didn't want this job. And I'm like okay, I was thrilled. To me it was an opportunity. Well, long story short, I did this dumb little job for a very small amount of money, like less than $2,000. And they were so thrilled with the attention that we gave and we gave them more than what they asked for and did it in a new and different way that when the parent company had a huge, huge RFP coming out, they got us on the list and we won that. And that was our first large customer and if any of you know Herman Miller, they are a large furniture manufacturer. They were my first big customer and then they started recommending us to other people.
Speaker 2:That's a major, major catch there hey take us back to that, Cynthia.
Speaker 4:What was your first thing that you took on with Herman Miller?
Speaker 3:Well, they actually had a communication that they were trying to do. They have employees all over the country and they were very forward thinking at that time because they knew that they couldn't get all their employees in one room at a time, and so what they wanted to do was a monthly communication where they would help employees really expand their knowledge of the business we call it business literacy and talk about the new products and the new initiatives, and how were they going to manufacture things and what were the financials, and so they were looking to put together a monthly video, which, back then, was pretty innovative, and we actually did that for a very, very long time. Of course, the world has changed, so we don't do that anymore, but that was our first very big job. And you know, what was fascinating to me was when I went for the interview. They kept asking things like well, who will do the work? They kept asking things like well, who will do the work? And I was kind of like, well, I'm the person sitting here and I'll be doing the work, and well, who will come out and do the video shoots? Well, that would be me, and it was fascinating.
Speaker 3:What I discovered is something that I think a lot of business people don't take into account and it's the value of showing up. Business people don't take into account and it's the value of showing up. They had had previous experience and many companies do with. Somebody sells them the job there's a sales rep or an account manager and then they never see that person again. And when you're in business, and especially if you're a small business owner but even for large business people, showing up is a big piece of it. And so by saying that, you know, when I was there on every single shoot for many, many years, until, of course, I trained people up to do it and then I still went out but I think that that's something that we need to really consider, especially in this day and age of technology. I think people have maybe lost sight of the fact that there's a great impact when you show up somewhere.
Speaker 2:It's amazing how many businesses of all sizes utilize contractors or other departments of their business without really managing any of that. And you've mentioned something that really comes to mind from the standpoint of having somebody show up and they say we're doing the video for this other company and you're not there. The whole relationship just shifted. So, yeah, this is the advantage of smaller business. It can be an advantage for larger businesses, but small business has that sensitivity. They're not large and they can be there and stay with and develop those relationships. And it sounds like over the years you still maintain that one-to-one relationship continuously.
Speaker 3:You know, there's a chapter in the book that I called how to get FaceTime in a virtual world and when to show up, and I think understanding that in today's world is really important. And what you do when you show up. I have a great story. I, you know, as a small business, I think we're very conscious of the fact that we spend our clients money like it's our money and I really believe in educating clients. I think if you want to have a great relationship with your customer, you have to educate them, because they don't know what you know about the business.
Speaker 3:So I had a situation where I was working on a project for a very large company and I kept saying you know, please let me talk to your marketing people because they're wasting your money, they're making changes at a time when it's costing you. Let me help educate them about the production process. And they kept saying no, no, no. Well, finally they gave in and I actually flew from Michigan all the way to California and I offered to do a seminar and teach people about the media production process and what they needed to know. And if they were going to hire someone, what were the questions they should ask? And I wasn't selling my services. I was educating them about how they could be better buyers of what I do. I paid my own way and they gave me an hour and a half and it was fascinating because I even told them how they could do it themselves if they chose to, and in certain cases I think they could.
Speaker 3:By the time I flew back across the country, I had gotten three calls from marketing managers saying we've got a project we need you to work on. So I think this consultative approach really working to educate customers can be super beneficial for especially small businesses, because larger entities look at us to bring them new ideas. They look at us to bring them efficiency and flexibility, and so if you can offer that to a customer, if you can teach them something, boy, you've got a customer for life. I've been doing business with that customer now for well, and the customer is Siemens Industry and I've been doing business with them since about 2007. And we are now just thrilled to be partners with them and to work for many of their divisions, and they're a great company and the relationship has just been amazing.
Speaker 4:I love the philosophy, cynthia, you know, one of my favorite sayings is you know, show up and be useful, right? And I think, as you've pointed out, it starts with showing up and I think, as you've pointed out, it starts with showing up. Tell us a little bit more about, like. I love this concept of educating the customer, helping them learn something new. What is your approach in uncovering what those needs really look like? Right, because there's sort of the job sometimes that they think they want to get done, but often there's actually something deeper. How do you approach that?
Speaker 3:You know, I have to tell you, I think, my background as a broadcaster. I worked for 13 years in broadcasting and in fact one of my positions was I was an investigative reporter. I got sued for $22 million. My dad calls me the $22 million girl.
Speaker 4:I love it.
Speaker 3:Yes, but in that investigative role what I really learned is how to ask great questions, and I think that is something we don't teach people. And when I do seminars with business people, I talk about when you go in to meet with a new customer. You don't just talk about what you're doing because you have no reference there. You have to think like a good reporter. You have to be curious, you have to ask leading questions and then you have to really listen. I think sometimes people do ask good questions but they don't listen. They're just trying to sell what they have instead of really thinking about what can I do to make an impact for that customer? So I think the first thing is thinking about the questions. You know what are the challenges that are facing. If there was something that they could change in their culture, in their process, in their business that would get them down the road, what would that be? Asking people to vision, where they want their business to be.
Speaker 3:I will often ask customers if they come to me with a project, I say what would success look like? If I was successful in creating something for you? What would it look like? And they might say, oh gosh, we would have everyone talking about this new product, or the folks who are working on our factory floor would be so safe that we wouldn't have an accident for the next five years? Right, they're visioning something, I think, asking great questions, and we all kind of have it in us, but I think we haven't maybe practiced that skill enough. So if you can think like a reporter and be curious and really take a genuine interest in people, you can tell when someone's really not interested in you and at least I can, and so I'm a curious person.
Speaker 3:I love to learn. I love that I get every single day to learn about people and how they want to work smarter and what are their challenges in hiring people and how can I create something that they can recruit new people. I'm constantly learning. I mean that, honestly, is one of the reasons why I wrote the book and why I interviewed so many other people, because other people have different experiences, but talking with them about how did they figure something out and what can I learn from it. The smartest person in the room is not the person who speaks. Often, the smartest person in the room is the one who asks a great question.
Speaker 4:I can't say enough about this, your approach, and I'm so curious about how. Your background is just incredible to me, cynthia. You know thinking about how you grew up in this family business and then when you say, oh, I had this role in journalism, that's a big deal. And so many people talk about entrepreneurial mindset and you've done such a great job of really describing that it's to become really passionately curious about your customer and really try to understand how can I help them improve. And so many of us just lead with barfing out whatever elevator pitch we have about the thing that we do great. Right, we want to convince them that we have this great solution without really getting into that next layer. But this is something that's been sort of innate for you. Tell us how you got from that first family business to develop this interest in journalism. Was this just curiosity with you, as long as you can remember?
Speaker 3:You know that's interesting. You should ask that I often tell stories about my dad. My dad was a CPA by background but he went into business with his two brothers and they owned a dry cleaning store. And my dad had the most amazing curiosity about people and from the time that I was little I worked in the family business. I mean, on Saturdays my dad would take us to the store and we would sweep the floor and check in the dirty clothes and and then I got to be the counter girl and that's where I really saw my dad and how interested he was in his customers and he would know everything about them. He'd know about their families, about their business. There would be doctors and lawyers and brokers who would come in the morning to have coffee with my dad and would talk to him about their businesses and I would listen and I was always amazed at how my dad could listen and then when they would ask him something, he could generate thoughtful responses. So I watched him do that and I think that's where I first started to get that sense of how important the relationship is. So it started there.
Speaker 3:Truth be told, I thought I was going to be a musician. I am a singer, went to Michigan State University go green, and I actually went for music. But I am a singer, went to Michigan State University, go green, and I actually went for music. But I developed a curiosity in television while I was there. So I got a double major in television and radio and while I was waiting to figure out what I was going to do with my singing career, I literally knocked on the door of a TV station and was fortunate enough to get my first job. And the very first day that I was there, the person who was training me decided, since they had found a replacement for her, she would just leave. So I got thrown into the fire and I had to really draw on all those things that I learned from my dad. I mean, I was doing a live talk show five days a week and when you're live there is no editing, so you better think of something to say. It was a great training ground for me, I loved it and that's how I.
Speaker 3:You know, I employed a lot of the things that my dad did Ask a great question and then stop talking, let somebody else talk and then you listen so you can ask great follow-up questions. So you know, I think some of that came from my background. Of course, I am Greek and you know we Greeks are very outgoing, fun-loving people, so that probably helps as well. But you know, I think some of it is you just have to like people. And it doesn't mean you have to be extroverted either. I know some very quiet people who are excellent communicators. But it's really honing those communication skills. I think that's how I started it and, frankly, when I left broadcasting, I really wanted to be my own boss.
Speaker 3:I was in the broadcasting industry when there was a lot of the buying and selling of stations. The last station I worked at. I was there six and a half years and I worked for four different owners. I was tired. I really wanted more control over my life. I think that's why most business people choose to do their own thing is they really want to take on that responsibility. They want to take on that control of their life and be able to create something. And I have been very blessed because I have a really terrific organization. We're not huge, we are 10 strong, but we are mighty and we have a great business because everybody's invested in it. Everyone acts like an owner.
Speaker 4:You know, cynthia, so many of us come from a similar place where, before we went out on our own, we worked a job and maybe even got a lot of satisfaction from that job at some point and a lot of great experience. But then something changes. Or maybe it's just nagging at you that you really feel like you want to be more in charge of your own destiny, be your own boss. And then we take that leap and we jump, sometimes with the first contract that we just happen to be in the right place at the right time. And then sometimes what happens? And I wonder where this happened in your journey, because I know you've been at this for a long time and developed so many successes that you're sharing with the world now. Did you ever run into the challenge of realizing that well, I'm sort of my own boss, but really a lot of my boss is still the customers I'm answering to my team that I'm building. And how did you rein that in? Or was it always natural for you in terms of leading others?
Speaker 3:That is such a great question. It really is. I think that there is this myth among those people who have this idea of what it is to run a small business, and they believe it is that you get to do what you want all the time and you're the master of your own destiny. And to some degree that is definitely the case and to some degree that is definitely the case. But I say I went from having one or two bosses to having about 150. And I think people have to really really think about where is their passion? And if you really want to be your very own boss, you probably need to be a solopreneur or you need to run a micro business. But the larger you get, the reality is that you have many people who are in your sphere of influence. You have suppliers that you are responsible for that want you to do things. You have your employees that you know leading people. You have to really love people to be able to do that, and I think it's the reason many people actually finally retire is they're tired of managing people. And then you've got the customer, and what I love to say is I have opinions about what I am creating for people, but I also have to put up this kind of barrier that says remember, cynthia, it's not your project, it's the customer's project and in the end they really get to decide. You can guide, you can influence, you can help them see why this may be better than that, but in the end it really is their project.
Speaker 3:Having said that, I will tell you that chapter 12 of my book says clients and employees when to love them and when to leave them, and I think that there comes a time in a business owner's tenure where you have to say do I really want to serve that customer? I know that it happened early in my career. We started doing local projects, we started doing cheesy car commercials I know you've all seen them and some projects that I really didn't love become a larger entity and do more quality work. There came a time when I had to say these customers don't fit within the work that we want to do, because when I do it, I don't love putting my name on it and the reality is that the work you do, you get more of that. So you want to be very careful that the work you're doing is really the kind of work that you want to generate going forward. So I actually had to send customers away and that's a really hard thing to do when you're a business owner, but the reality is you have only so much time, so much energy and you really want to put your best work forward, to put your best work forward. So I think it's okay to tell some of your I'm going to go bosses customers that you really don't want to work for them anymore, and I think that that's a really hard thing, especially if you're first starting out, because that means you have to replace that income. But I tell people, don't just take what comes through the door. Really look for those partnerships and that ideal customer who's going to value what you do and who's going to push you to do even more, and you're going to push them to be more innovative and creative, because then everybody wins. So there's a delicate balance in the being the boss and being the leader and knowing what you can do and what you should do, because sometimes you can do something, but should you do it?
Speaker 3:I think there are times when people will ask you to do things that may be related to your business but not part of your core business. So, for example, I'll give you in my world we create many of the things that go to large trade shows and play on big plasma screens or go to sales meetings and, you know, large events. And we actually had a customer who said to us we want you to take over everything to sales meetings and large events. And we actually had a customer who said to us we want you to take over everything, we want you to stage it, we want you to be involved with the setup in the location.
Speaker 3:And I started to glaze over and it would have been tempting for me to say I can do that because we do have the technical expertise to do it. However, it's not something we regularly do and when I looked at the hours that it would take for us to get up to speed to do something like that and really the return on all of those hours, it just made sense for us to decline, and I think it's okay for people to decline business. I think it's okay to say I'm going to stay in my lane and I'm going to focus on what I do best. Don't confuse that with not trying something new, because you can do that, but I think you have to be very clear about if it's a new initiative that is going to grow a new piece of business for you. That's one thing If it's a one-off and you have to get up to speed to do that, but you're never going to do that again, I'd say decline the offer.
Speaker 4:Yeah, cynthia, I'm really hearing you in that story Talk about something that's just really so fundamental to leadership, even at the personal level right, which is really understanding what to say no to to enable what can be possible for yourself and your business.
Speaker 3:You know, I really believe that one of the things that I have been so fortunate in my life is to have great colleagues, great mentors.
Speaker 3:Obviously, my dad was my biggest mentor, but also other business people, and what I really want to do is I'm at that place in my career where I love sharing, I love telling stories, I love helping new business owners, veteran business owners, and so I'm hoping that what I've written is part of my legacy, but also the interactions that I have with people, and so if anything I've said has resonated with people, I'd love it if you'd go and check it out Small Business, big Success, proven Strategies to Beat the Odds and Grow a Great Business. It is on Amazon and available, but if you go to my Cynthia K Biz site, you can also download a sample of it and read some of it, and I always welcome questions and inquiries from small business owners who just would love to bounce something off of a veteran, and so I so appreciate the opportunity, craig and Chai, for being with you. I've listened to a number of your podcasts. I'm learning from them, and so keep up the great work.
Speaker 4:Well, that's just a huge compliment coming from you, cynthia, especially with your rich history in broadcasting, as well as entrepreneurship, and we want to thank you again for joining us.
Speaker 2:Our guest today has been Cynthia Kay, author of the new book Small Business, big Success how to Beat the Odds and Grow Great Business. You can learn more about Cynthia, as well as find links to her book and resources all on our website at businessownersradiocom.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining us on Business Owners Radio. We hope you enjoyed today's show. As always, you can read more about each episode, along with links and offers, in the show notes on our website, businessownersradiocom. We want to hear your feedback. Please leave comments on this show or suggestions for upcoming episodes. Tell your fellow business owners about the show and, of course, you would love the stars and comments on iTunes. Till next time, keep taking care of business.
