You're listening to Cubicle to CEO, Episode 248. Hey everyone, welcome back to the show. Today's episode is going to look a little bit different than our normal programming, but it's something I'm really excited to share with you all. If you're watching this on YouTube, you probably already know I'm literally wearing a crown on my head right now. But I have recently won Mrs. Oregon America, I competed in the state pageant May 4th. So a little over a week ago now.
And I have been so overwhelmed with gratitude by the outpouring of love and support and encouragement that has been shared through social media. Many of you have sent me DMS and reshard articles about my historic win as the first Asian American woman to win Mrs. Oregon America. So many of you have sent me emails, just every every possible channel, I've received so much love from you all. And first and foremost, I just want to say a huge thank you for that. I know pageantry is probably not what a lot of you expected, I would try my hand at and that's part of the reason why I'm recording today's episode, I wanted to give you a behind the scenes look at my experience as a first time pageant contestant competing in the Mrs. America system.
And I'll explain a little bit more about that too. Because I know for those of you who have very limited exposure to pageants, that alone all the different systems what these titles mean, it can be confusing, so I will share some context there. But I also felt like I have been with you all on this journey. As an entrepreneur for six plus years, you've been listening to the podcast and have heard so many of the evolutions that our business has gone through. And I felt like because you've seen so much of my growth, both my personal growth and my company growth.
And because I believe in building and public and sharing experiences and lessons in real time, it would be a disservice not to talk about this really important endeavor that I'm taking on over the next year during my year of reign as they would call it here in the pageant world, and to share about why I believe the work that I'm doing in my role as Mrs. Oregon is actually directly tied to the same mission that we have here on the podcast and through all of our other content channels, and programs that we create, which is to support you to champion you, small business owners, women entrepreneurs and help you scale and grow your businesses so that you can give back to your community so that you can champion the causes that you care about.
All of this is related to pageantry, and I'm excited to share with you what that looks like today.
Welcome to Cubicle to CEO, the podcasts where we ask successful founders and CEOs the business questions you can't google. I'm your host, Ellen Yin. Every Monday go behind the business and a case study style interview with a leading entrepreneur who shares one specific growth strategy they've tested in their own business, exactly how they implemented it, and what the results and revenue were. You'll also hear financially transparent insights from my own journey bootstrapping our media company from a $300 freelance project into millions in revenue.
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First question, why did I choose to compete in a pageant? I know many of you were curious about this. So I wanted to kind of give you a little backstory. So growing up, my sisters and I always watched the televised pageants, we did not really have cable as kids at least, like advanced or whatever that's called the expanded cable package where, you know, you have like Nickelodeon and Disney and all those things, we didn't really have that growing up.
And so we only have a basic cable, and just a handful of channels. And so anytime there was anything remotely exciting on basic cable, we were excited to watch and pageantry just happened to be one of those things that we kind of caught on to early on and then made into a tradition. So we would watch you know, like Miss USA, every single year all the Miss universes, Miss America, when we would be able to watch it, we would also watch that. So I've always loved pageants from the sidelines as a passive viewer, but never thought about competing. Now, this all changed about a couple of years back 2022.
So what am I really good friends locally, Kara. She is someone who has been involved in pageants for much of her life. And I met Kara, through the local business community that I'm plugged into back in, I think 2021. And at the time that I met her I didn't really know this about her background, but as I got to know her over the years, you know, she currently serves on a nonprofit board for a pageant system that provides scholarships to teens. And also, you know, really encourages volunteerism and teens, which I think is incredible.
Also, she has herself competed in pageants and won state titles before. And I've seen the incredible advocacy work that she does for the platform that she cares most about, which is helping to find a cure for diabetes, and specifically juvenile diabetes because her son was diagnosed at the age of five. And so seeing the incredible work that she has done through this vehicle, and then being introduced to other people in the pageant community through her really opened my eyes to what modern day pageants really look like in real life, not just the glamorous stuff that you see on TV or read about in headlines.
But what do real women competing in pageants actually do actually care about and that's what really first kind of got me interested in potentially competing. Then I had the amazing opportunity in the fall of 2022 to actually be a judge for a local Oregon pageant. This was for a different system than the one that I chose to compete in it was the USDA system. And again, you know, I came in really with no no background, lived experience right in pageantry other than what I had seen on television, which again, is completely different, I think than what most of pageantry really looks like feels like.
And through that experience, I met even more incredible women, everyone from teens through, you know, women in their 50s and 60s who are just doing incredible work in their communities and using pageantry as a way to amplify their work and their mission and their message. And so, getting to do that experience, further encouraged me to want to compete. And then last year on my birthday on my 29th birthday, it just so happened at the Mises org in America Pageant landed on my birthday.
And if you know me in real life, you know, I love live shows, I love live comedy shows, live concerts, live musical theater, dance, recitals, everything in the performing arts department that can be live like I am there. I love all of that. And so I thought, why not go attend this show? It was right in my town where I lived. And so I thought it'd be a fun experience to just check it out. So I dragged my best friend and my husband to the show with me. And I remember just sitting in the audience and feeling like, oh, my gosh, this looks like so much fun. All of these women are putting themselves out there. And this would be such an incredible item to check off my bucket list someday, I think I want to compete in a pageant someday.
So I kind of had that mental note in my head, I did not realize I would actually act on it so soon, right? That was in 2023. I kind of just had it as an idea in my head. But as the months went on, after that pageant, I kept thinking about it, like it kept coming back to mind for me. And I'm someone who always deeply trust my gut and my intuition. So when I kept getting that kick in the urge, I knew I had to listen. And I was like, You know what, why push off to tomorrow? What is an opportunity today? Right? There is no guarantee of tomorrow.
So what do I have to lose by putting myself in this new experience where I get to meet women from all across the state people that I probably wouldn't normally cross paths with. And if I can come out of this with new friendships and having learned new skills or you know, grown in some sort of way through the personal development that I knew I would experience by I putting myself in something that was outside of my comfort zone. I felt like that was enough for me, like the process itself was the end, it wasn't a means to an end, you know. And so with that in mind, having no expectations for what that would look like I decided to apply. So as I alluded to at the beginning, I know some of you have very limited knowledge of pageants and pageantry, and trust me, I'm right there with you. I learned so much from my experience.
So let me just first kind of set the stage for what a pageant system is a pageant system, you can substitute the word system for organization, there are different pageant organizations out there that host their own competitions have their own queens and title holders that are completely separate from one another.
So this is a common misconception, it's actually a little bit endearing, because I totally again, I get it because I am also new to this world. But I remember on crowning night, so the pageant that I competed in the state pageant was on May 4. And I remember over that weekend, I got so many awesome tags from people that were like shouting me out for my win. And, you know, I was called everything from like, Miss Oregon to Miss Oregon United States to Mrs. Oregon, something something. And, again, all good intention, right. But what's interesting is, you actually have to kind of be very clear, with the title and the system you represent, because there are many different pageant systems.
So for example, the pageant system I competed in is Mrs. America, it's the longest standing national competition for married women, there is also a miss division for unmarried women, no age limit, it's really incredible, because I think it's a much more inclusive system. And the focus is not so much on the surface level things that you know, people associate with pageants, like how fit you are, or who's the most physically beautiful, you know, whatever, by society's metrics, I really feel like the system that I'm part of really promotes and prioritizes, who a woman is holistically how they show up as a leader in their community, how they advocate for the platform that they care about.
And that was really important to me being part of a system that really looked at the depth of a woman and not just what's on the outside. And so, anyways, I'll get into that a little bit more in the whole experience for myself personally, but to go back to explaining, you know, all these different organizations, I don't know everything about every organization, so I will just stick to explaining ours. So with Mrs. America, like I mentioned, we have a married division and an unmarried division. The Mrs. piece is how it started. So I think this system started somewhere in the 30s. And then there was like a gap in the mid 1900s.
And then I think it got revitalized, either in the late 50s or in the 70s. Don't quote me on that. But it's regardless the longest standing national contest for married women, hence the Mrs. So each state has their own pageant right to crown a state winner, the missus, fill in the blank with your state America title. So I'm Mrs. Oregon America. And because I won the state pageant, it means that I will advance to Nationals. So in August in Las Vegas, myself and all the other state title holders from, you know, all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, I believe, are all going to come together and compete at Nationals for the role in the title of Mrs. America.
So how it works with our local pageant is when I decided to sign up for the pageant. I applied for a local delegate title. So my local delegate title was Mrs. Marion County. And this stage of competition in our system is application only, or at least it is for the state of Oregon. So you are not competing at that local level. To win the local title, you simply apply. And if you are accepted, then you are awarded that title. So I became Mrs. Marion County in October.
And then I had from October until May 4, the day of our state pageant to serve in that role in that capacity. And this is one of the things that I loved most about my pageant experience I really want to be able to share and reflect on is all of the amazing service opportunities that come with being part of this community and the sisterhood. I have never in my life been part of a community that is as driven and as dedicated to wanting to serve others as what I experienced this year. Being in our group chat with the other local delegates. I kid you not every single week there There were multiple, I mean, sometimes upwards of 10 opportunities to get involved in events that were going on around the state, in different volunteer roles in supporting organizations that I had never even heard of that were doing incredible work in our state, I learned so much about different nonprofits and events and organizations that I don't think I ever would have been exposed to had I not been part of this.
So that is absolutely one of my favorite highlights of competing, and if nothing else, I think that component alone really makes it worth it to consider. So anyways, that is one of the highlights for me. And I remember, for example, like one of the things that I got to do that I really loved is actually utilizing my skills that I have honed in practice over the years in my business, and usually offer in a paid capacity like emceeing.
So hosting an event or emceeing an event is usually something I get paid for speaking at events, right. I'm a keynote speaker, I travel all over the country to speak. But for volunteer capacity as a, you know, a pageant contestant, and now as Mrs. Oregon America, I get to utilize my skills for good and give back by offering my services pro bono to the causes and organizations that I believe in and want to support. So for example, in February, I got to co emcee the Polar Plunge for Oregon Special Olympics, which is like their biggest annual fundraiser for Special Olympics Oregon.
And that was such a special event, it was so cool to be able to participate in that way. And that is a great example of the type of work that I want to do in my role this year as Mrs. Oregon America is prioritizing, of course, events that are in state and that support women entrepreneurs, because that is my personal platform that I believe so deeply in, but also expanding, you know, my services to other events and organizations outside of my platform, and even outside of the state, if my availability allows.
So I want to be of service to as many organizations and individuals as possible during my year. So if you're hearing this, and you especially if you live in Oregon, especially if you have something that supports women entrepreneurs, please reach out if there's an in person appearance that I've can be of service to and tell me more about your event. Tell me about how you see me supporting it.
And I would love to chat so you can email me mrsoregon@ellenyin.com. I'll also make sure that's below in the show notes. Or if you're watching this on YouTube, it'll be in the video description.
That's the best email to send any pageant bookings or appearance requests to where were we okay, we were talking about how you become a local delegate. And then what happens in the months leading up to the state pageant, then the actual weekend of the state pageant. So we had two competition components Friday and Saturday. This is another huge misconception about pageantry. One of the first questions I get asked, inevitably, every time someone finds out that I've won a pageant is Oh, what was your talent? I love that people ask this because personally, I actually would not have minded at all if there was a talent section.
I love. Like I said, I love the performing arts. So, you know, I grew up playing piano and singing and dancing and all these things. So it would have actually been a really fun opportunity for me. But our specific state pageant and pageant system as a whole does not have a required talent division. Some well known organizations like Miss America do. And again, Miss America and Mrs. America are two totally different organizations with totally different rules, different titleholders all of the things, so no talent division, but what most people don't realize is that interview is actually 50% of your final score.
And I think this would be surprising to a lot of people because again, I think when people have preconceived notions about pageantry, they often believe that pageants are judged by subjective standards of beauty. And don't get me wrong. Any sort of pageant judging is at the end of the day, completely subjective, right, because it's based on a person's opinion of you and how well they connect with you and how they deem you performed in a given area of competition. So, of course, it is subjective, but I think that people don't realize that the emphasis at least in the pageant system I competed in is really actually on your ability to communicate a clear message and to be able to lead.
And that's something I want to talk about, which is, I view this role as really no different than, like, even while competing, right, the interview portion, it's really no different than interviewing for any leadership role. It's simply that pageantry happens to be the vehicle through which you are leading or making an impact or making a change in this particular scenario. But being a title holder or being a queen is really no different than any other leadership role at any other company, right? It's no different than being the CEO of your business. And so I think having that mindset really helped going into that portion of the competition.
And what most people don't realize is that portion of the competition that accounts for 50% of your score, and is the single largest indicator of how your overall performance in the pageant is going to be actually happens the day before the public show. So like I said, the public show happens on Saturday evening, and on Friday is when we do these one on one interviews with the judges. So the public actually never gets to see this component. In some ways.
I totally understand why this has to be the case and pageants it would be I think, a little overwhelming to watch round robin interviews, one on one with, you know, dozens of contestants. But on the other hand, I do wish that more people got to witness this portion of competition, because I think it really is where women get to shine and really share about the causes. They care about what they're doing in their communities, and how their personal story allows them to connect with others.
And so that was honestly my favorite part of competition. Unsurprisingly, probably as, as a podcaster was the interviews on Fridays. So we had interviews with five judges, we got four minutes with each of them. And it was a round robin style interview. Another thing that I wanted to share with you all that I found very challenging, which I did not expect going in. So this was something that surprised me. As I was practicing for this portion of competition, I thought this would be the portion of competition that would be easiest for me, because I practice the skill of asking and answering questions on almost a daily basis on our business. Right.
So it's something I'm very used to doing. What I didn't anticipate is that the type of question answering and asking that I normally do is all in a long form content channel. So like even what we're doing right now, me talking to you through this podcast, that is a long form content container, right? I'm not limited on time. I mean, granted, my solo episodes tend to be shorter. But usually when I'm being interviewed or interviewing someone, I'm typically in conversation for about an hour. And that is just not the case. In the context of pageant interviews, you have four minutes with each judge.
So ideally, your answers should be contained to 30 seconds. And sometimes the the questions being asked are complex or layered questions that, in my opinion, are difficult to answer without giving a lot of background or context or detail, which are things, all three things you know, that I love. And so that was a challenging practice for me is learning how to precisely answer a question in a complete way, in 30 seconds or less, while still leaving the person on the other end, the judge or whomever, wanting more, and leaving that room to be able to expand if time allowed.
So that was something that I just found really interesting in my experience, and I wanted to share that with you all kind of as encouragement really that no matter how skilled you become in something, there was always room to grow. This is a new skill set I did not have prior to competing in this pageant. I don't think I ever consciously thought about if I only had 30 seconds to convey my thoughts on something, how would I say it in the most clear and concise way. But now that I've had this experience, I feel I'm equipped to do so. And so even though I love long form content containers like podcasting and will always gravitate more towards interview styles like this, it does give me confidence in knowing that I am prepared for all different sorts of situations.
Okay, pausing this episode real quick to say a huge thank you to all of the amazing individuals in my life, who supported me in this state pageant through voting in the People's Choice Awards. So I just want to give a quick shout out to these wonderful, amazing people your votes and your encouragement I received your words of encouragement after the pageant they were all sent to me in a file so it was so much fun getting to read through them and I'm just so so grateful for each and every one of you.
So huge thank you to Amy Meyer siara Anderson, Linda Sadu Isabel Sourly, Lisa banks, Stacy Zollars, Rose Wilder Theron McKeever, Amy Yin, Diana Gleason, Dorothy Owens, Cara Campuzano, Claire Sims, Elizabeth Yin, Amanda Garcia, Aaron Hurley and my husband Dustin.
So that was a Friday portion of the competition again 50% Have your score and you do not receive your scores, by the way from the judges. So you really don't know going into Saturday where you kind of stand, I felt really good about how I did in interviews, I remember leaving the room and feeling like that went as well as it could have, there is nothing that I would have changed or answered differently if I had to do over. So to me, I was at peace with that, and then heading into Saturday.
So Saturday is the public show that people buy tickets to and get to watch live. And there's a couple different components of the evening show. Some are judged and some are not scored. So let me just quickly take you through the run of show. So when the show starts, we open with our opening number. This is a really fun group dance that we all do together, it is not scored. So it's really just meant to get your nerves out. And as a former dancer, I loved getting to prepare for this part of competition, because I miss dancing, I miss having choreographed routines. And even though this was just simple and fun, it was just so much fun to be able to re, like insert myself into that experience again, so absolutely loved it.
Then after opening number, we did introductions, so we all got in line. And we walked up to the mic and said our name and said our local title. So that went by really quickly. Again, not technically scored. But of course, every part of your stage presence throughout the entire night is going to impact the judges perception of you, right.
So it is still important to present your best self in all areas, regardless of whether it is formally scored or not. Then from there, we move straight into fitness or swimwear. And, again, I only speak from my personal experience competing in our state pageant. But for our state pageant, I loved that we were all issued similar swimsuits. So we all had one piece swimsuits, they were all same color, similar style, very, very small differences in swimsuits distributed, and I love that it kind of gave a more like even playing ground for lack of a better term. Because what I love about the women that I met through this experience is that this pageant did celebrate women from all walks of life, from different lived experiences from different age groups from different places.
And that was important, I think, to be able to celebrate what being a woman is, regardless of if you are in your early 20s, or you're in your early 60s, and we really had contestants that spanned that entire range, which is again, something that people don't expect, or they don't know is possible in pageantry, which I think is really important to bring into the conversation about why representation matters, right.
So anyways, the swimsuit portion was probably the most nerve wracking for me in terms of vulnerability of, you know, I am not accustomed to studying in a swimsuit on stage, I speak on stages all the time. But that is completely different than having to present yourself in a nonverbal way, right without speaking. So I'm really proud of myself for doing that for being confident in who I am. And the next portion of competition was evening gown after that. So we all got changed, do beautiful evening gowns and walked, you know, our stage walking pattern. And then at the end of the evening gown walk, you actually stand next to the emcee, and you get asked your onstage question.
So like I mentioned interview on Friday was 50%, swimwear or fitness was 25% of your score. evening gown was 20% of your score, and the final 5% of your score was allocated to your onstage question. So you were asked one of five possible questions. That was something that I was so grateful for. At our state level, we knew what the five potential questions could be. So we could kind of think on our answers ahead of time, but you didn't know which question you would get the night up.
So that piece, of course was still a little bit nerve wracking. But you know, I really felt confident in the answer that I gave on stage and I will say throughout the entire night, I just felt this overwhelming sense of calmness and peacefulness. And I think because I was so detached from the outcome like I wasn't going to be devastated or you know disappointed I mean sure maybe there would be naturally disappointment but not on a deep lasting level just like a momentary like Oh, dang it what could have been right?
But I knew go in that there was no expectation there was no entitlement of anything. So, for me, that gave me this immeasurable sense of peace, knowing that I could just enjoy this process and get to enjoy this once in a lifetime experience that I had put on my bucket list and that I was following through on no matter what. And that's, I think, what contributed to me feeling so at peace in doing this, and it was such a fun experience, you guys, if you haven't seen my crowning moment, yet, I, it just brings me so much joy to hear my friends and family, their voices cheering from the audience in that video captured.
So anyways, it's on Instagram, I'll post the link to the exact video in my show notes below, or in the video description if you haven't had a chance to take a look yet. But that pretty much sums up the actual competition like how it works. One thing that people have asked me is like, what was the winning moment? Like, like, did I know that I was going to win? And the honest answer is, I truly had no idea in the actual award ceremony. How it works is they give out the special awards. So you know awards like Miss Congeniality or service award or Ambassador award Career Achievement Award, all of these amazing awards that celebrate, you know, the women and their accomplishments outside of just the final scoring, then once all of those special category awards are given, then you move into actual placement.
And the top five are called the Queens court. So you know, as they were announcing fifth place, fourth place, third place. At that point, I had no idea where I stood because in some pageants, they will actually narrow the, you know, the people on stage into the top five. So you would know at that point that you're at least in the top five, you just don't know what you're placing in the top five, the way that our pageant worked, we were not selected into a top five it was they just started in, you know, announcing, oh, here's fifth place, here's fourth place, here's third place, so by the time they get to second place, right, you're standing there and it could be that you placed in the top two, or it could mean that you did not place at all it really is kind of a total gamble at that point because they don't narrow it down to the top five ahead of time.
So that was really an interesting experience. I do remember after they crowned the second place winner so in our system, the second place winner the first runner up receives a title as well Mrs. Oregon American or American with an EN right at the end. And the best way I can think to describe it is it's kind of like in sports having different brackets.
So both of us first and second place get to compete at Nationals we get to serve together as sister Queens throughout our gear, which is so awesome because I absolutely love the Mrs. Oregon American, Sara shout out we also love our miss so our Miss Oregon for America strong is Lindsey so the three of us get to do so many things together throughout our year and serve our state of Oregon which I'm so so excited about I could not have picked a better woman to get to serve my year with but how it works at Nationals is first and second place so you know me as Mrs. Oregon America I will compete against all of the other first place winners for the various states right so think of it as like one sports bracket and then all of the first runner ups all the state Americans will get to compete together also in their own individual bracket and then from there a Mrs. American will be crowned from that bracket and then Mrs. America will be crowned from our bracket so I don't know why I'm not even like that into I was never a you know, a star athlete or anything.
So I don't know why I use so many sports analogies, but for whatever reason when I explain it like that, it clicks for people so that's, that's the simplest way I can think to explain it. So that was how the crowning experience was like you just really didn't know and I remember when Sara was crowned Mrs. Oregon American at that point they only had the last title to give away right the first place title and I remember standing there and thinking exactly what I just said like either could have won this entire thing because I felt really good about my performance and all the areas in both the night before in interviews as well as the onstage portions like I feel like I gave it my all and so I again I felt really at peace with everything regardless of outcome.
So for me in that moment, I was like I feel like I did well enough to at least place so when it came down to just that one spot left. I was like either my gut was completely off and I didn't do well enough to place, or I just won this whole thing. And it wasn't until like the moment they opened the envelope and read my name that it just all came into realization for me. And it was such such a surreal moment, I'm so, so grateful for the opportunity. And especially, it was a very special moment because I am the first Asian American to win this title in my State to win Mrs. Oregon America.
And you know, this is a storied organization with decades of winners. And so to be the first Asian American is already very meaningful, but to also win it during Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, is just above and beyond. So it really was such a meaningful moment because of that historic milestone, that historic win. And I've had so much fun getting to celebrate that and share that story during my media tour this week.
And next at the time of recording this, I just came home from two interviews that I had today, I had a newspaper interview in the morning, and then I went up to Portland for my first live TV interview as Mrs. Oregon America. So if you haven't watched that yet, I will again link it in the show notes, also a link all the articles that have been released at the time of this podcast being published in the show notes as well, if you want to catch up. What else did I want to cover in this, I think my last thing that I'll wrap up with to share my experience here.
I hope that hearing, you know, my personal experience has maybe changed your perspective on what pageantry is and who can participate and who can succeed in, you know, taking on a role like this a leadership role like this. And again, the women that I met, were absolutely incredible, just some of the personal obstacles that people have overcome. It amazes me, I mean, truly some of the strongest people I've ever met.
And I feel very encouraged by the amazing work that they are doing with or without a crown with or without a sash, right. And for me, going into this year, as Mrs. Oregon America, I'm thinking through, what do I want to do to further amplify the work that I'm already doing to support women entrepreneurs, and to continue to increase access to education to mentorship to funding for women, because if you back women in the economy, the stats prove over and over again, how it completely lifts everyone else up to the communities that their businesses are a part of, are able to rise up as a result of women succeeding in business.
So I believe that this mission is more important than ever. And one of the things I really want to do during my year, so you guys don't have to hold me to it, I have 12 months, right, I will come back and I will update you guys, one of the things I really want to do is host a live pitch competition. Here in Oregon. Oregon is historically a desert for women focused business events, we are always passed over for big business events and resources. Because on the West Coast, you know, the larger markets are Seattle and LA.
So anytime there's anything exciting going on, it's always in either Seattle or LA. And I feel like Oregon just gets completely missed or if anything happens. It's in Portland, right. So I am making an intentional effort that if I'm hosting an event, it's going to be in the cities in Oregon that people are not expecting to host something like this. And I want to host a live pitch competition, inviting women owned small businesses from all over the state to participate and to have a shot at winning money funding for their businesses for their ideas for their growth, whether it's grant money and or investor money, I want to have a judge panel of all female investors. So that is really important to being able to provide that representation in an area on both sides where women have historically been excluded.
And then I also want to like I want it to feel like Shark Tank in real life and to bring together the press and provide free visibility for these deserving small businesses that don't often have access to opportunities like this. And I think access really is the key unlocking more access. And so that's really the focus of any events that I host in this capacity in my role. I want to make sure that there's some element of increasing access, whether it's to funding to mentorship or to education or to resources at large. And then of course throughout the year. I also want to support as many like I said, as many organizations and individuals as I can. So you know as events or how happening in the state that I become aware of or get invited to or that my sash sisters are championing. I want to help support that. I also would love to collaborate with existing organizations that are doing incredible work for furthering women's personal growth, their careers.
So Dress for Success comes to mind, that's an organization, I've kind of had a moment radar for a while. And I really want to get more in tune with. So I am feeling very hopeful, very encouraged about what can be done together over this year. And I hope that you'll follow along on Instagram, all of my pageant updates, things I'm doing in this role are going to be shared there first. So if you're not already, let's be friends on Instagram @missellenyin, is my instagram handle.
Also, again, make sure it's in the show notes, if you want to get that a follow. Thank you so much for allowing me the space to share my personal experiences, what I'm going through as a founder to grow and to evolve. I think all of you know this. I mean, especially if you've listened to our podcast for any amount of time, our businesses can only grow as much as we grow as humans. And so I'm not saying that joining a pageant is the right thing for every person.
But what I hope this episode has encouraged you to do is to think about what is a bucket list item that I've been putting off, that I'm going to take action on this year in 2024, or what is something new and maybe a little bit scary that I've never tried that has always caught my attention. Or maybe I feel a little nudge for this that I am going to take a more serious look at right. I think when we challenge ourselves to new experiences, to new opportunities, it forces us to grow because it is new.
And anytime you're new at something, it's always going to be a little bit uncomfortable. But that doesn't mean you're not capable. So I really hope that's the message and the takeaway that you get from this today. Thank you again for listening in. By the way, if you are a C suite member spoiler alert, you're going to be getting a bonus part two to this episode, where I'm going to actually be walking you through how I landed all the interviews on my media tour.
So I sent out about a dozen pitches, and I've landed six interviews. So far. Three of those are television or going to be broadcast on radio. And then three are articles that are going to be published in print in newspaper as well as online through their online article medium. And I am very excited to share what strategy is working really well to get covered in local news. I know that's an angle that not a lot of businesses take advantage of, especially if you're an online business. I think we're always thinking okay, how how do we get you know, booked on things that are national reaching, but in reality, there's such a huge opportunity for you to get a lot of visibility in your local market.
Even if your customer base is nationwide or even global like ours is it can be really, really helpful for building your credibility. for opening up doors. There are just so many benefits to that. And not a lot of people know how to successfully pitch local media. So I am excited to share what's working. I'm going to share the actual pitches I sent, kind of dissect them walk you through them.
So anyways, if you are curious about this and you want to have access to our private podcast, make sure you check out the C-Suite. It is our quarterly membership for small business CEOs and one of the perks that you get as part of your C-Suite membership is access to our private podcast where I share additional content and insights and learnings and strategies just like this. So again, make sure you check out the C-Suite, the link will be below in the show notes.
Thank you guys I will catch you in the next episode.
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