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The Art of Listening 

PRESS RELEASE UPDATED: MARCH 11, 2019

GAINESVILLE, FL., March 11, 2019 (swampstratcomm-sp19.tumblr.com) - Based on Entrepreneurship.com – Entrepreneurship is the ability to turn a vision into reality and the excitement to bare all the uncertainties from crossing unchartered territories. As a leader, this can pose extreme difficulties, but the theme of the trade publication topics this week is centered in how effective communication can move mountains in startups.  The main hiccup in communication is ambiguity caused by fear. Once it is established that clarity is king, then conversation with harness intention, which will lead to a much more effective means of communication. In a study done by the America Psychological Association, nearly 25% of employees do not trust their employers. Where is the sense of ownership to one’s work when they do not feel as though their best interest is in mind of those in charge of them? A simple piece of advice to this astonishingly large problem across all sectors of business – leadership being present, at all times. Author of Silent Messages, Dr. Albert Mehrabian states that “only 7% of any message is conveyed through words, 38% through certain vocal elements, and 55% through nonverbal elements.” Being that entrepreneurship and leadership are almost synonymous terms, learning how to effectively communicate can give your startup a larger chance at success.  

The article, “How to Become a Master Communicator by Following This One Rule,” provides an in-depth look at why listening is the most important part of being a good communicator and, in turn, a great leader. Even in the early stages of a venture, networking is vital in the development of a business. Listening takes connection and that is only possible when the 360 listening strategy is being implemented. The article breaks down the 6 ways to improve the art of listening to not only be able to talk the talk, but also walk the walk. The first aspect of listening to be mindful of is when in a conversation one shares their piece, and that greatest listeners are always last. “At the point of speaking last, you’ll be more likely to have heard your team’s true thoughts, which you can to use to inform the opinion you yourself deliver at the end of the conversation.” The next most important step is shutting out all possible distractions. Nobody wants to feel like a burden, so by providing someone your undivided attention you prove to the speaker that they are the most important thing in that moment, which will encourage them to express themselves in a genuine manner. When distraction is removed, the present moment is more attainable in which you can observe body language, read between the lines, and analyze not only what is being said, but what is not being said or spoken around. Listening is a complex art that truly provides an all-encompassing experience if done with intention. Listening to what the speaker has to say with an open mind leads to the creation of magic. The best leaders value listening and in turn, they are listened to and respected.  

This article served as a reminder to listen. The major insight was how much more effective listening and speaking at the end of the conversation can be to leading to the most effective conversation. As someone who prides herself on listening, I am an active listener but tend to butt in before allowing someone to fully state their piece. This takes being present throughout every single word spoken and absorbing the information being said for what it truly means instead of what it is surface-levelly perceived to mean. Mutual respect is a natural byproduct of genuine conversation, which not only the business world, but the whole world needs more of.

 Entrepreneur.com serves as a platform for everything and anything an aspiring entrepreneur would need to know in order to merge successful in this cutthroat industry.

 Lauren Gutierrez

The Art of Authenticity

PRESS RELEASE UPDATED: FEBURARY 21, 2O19

GAINESVILLE, FL., February 21, 2019 (swampstratcomm-sp19.tumblr.com) – Based on Entrepreneurship.com – Entrepreneurship is the ability to turn a vision into reality and the excitement to bare all the uncertainties from crossing unchartered territories. This can lead to the voice in our heads proving to be our biggest competitor in the entrepreneurial process. This week’s theme is gaining the control back over your mind. Fear is the main culprit of this mental resistance and it has been found that the number one way to overcome this fear is through acknowledging and preparing for rejection in the case that it potentially happens. The first step in regaining control of your mind is by feeling your emotions as they come and making the conscious decision to separate yourself from your thoughts. Curveballs may come in fast and as an entrepreneur they come in even faster. On the topic of leveraging the mind to leverage success, having a strong support system such as family and close friends will make the rough times not seem as intense. A very self-sabotaging subconscious way to wreck your confidence and ultimately ability to lead is by hiding doubt and fear. Great leaders don’t hide; they keep authenticity in the forefront of their actions. The theme of this week was focusing on developing oneself in order to develop the healthiest habits to create the most fulfilled and successful life, especially entrepreneurially.

The article, “Most Scholars Agree Emotional Intelligence Is the Key to Productivity” explains the successes brought to a company when the focus shifts from mindless conflict to team building through idea sharing and open lines of communication. Emotional Intelligence is arguably the most important lesson not thought in schools and is comprised of four key components – self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relational awareness. These four components all are linked through understanding one’s emotions to boost positivity and reduce stress through an ability to adapt. Meditation, if done properly, is one of the most efficient ways to develop and strengthen one’s emotional intelligence. Productivity runs rampant when like-minded people come together to make magic, free of judgment. The quote from this article, “positivity also sparks creativity and encourages open-mindedness,” speaks volumes to the unlimited greatness that can come from a supportive environment. Getting back to the core of greatness is love; emotional intelligence just understands one’s purpose in this world and how they can generate the most love. Nothing strong can develop on a wobbly foundation and emotional intelligence is at the core of our foundation of being human.

Although I love learning about emotional intelligence, a major take away from this article is that there are four components to EI. I never really considered self-awareness as important of a component as social awareness, but after reading this article I can clearly see why it is considered the most important. Self-motivated and self-confident people will be the most successful both professionally and personally. We are all multi-faceted creatures trying to make sense of our time here on Earth; EI is the quickest way to find our individual “why?”

Entrepreneur.com serves as a platform for everything and anything an aspiring entrepreneur would need to know in order to merge successful in this cutthroat industry.

 Lauren Gutierrez

Are you courageous enough to pioneer an exploration to the modern day Wild West? 

PRESS RELEASE UPDATED: January 25, 2019 Gainesville, Florida (entrepreneur.com)

Entrepreneurship is the ability to turn a vision into reality and the excitement to bare all the uncertainties from crossing unchartered territories. The legalization of recreational marijuana is a hot topic turning professionals from all walks of life toward tapping into the industry said to be worth $57 billion by 2017. Green Entrepreneur is a journal for the people willing to be cowboys in the Wild West of the cannabis legalization. Being that there is still so much uncertainty due to its classification as a Schedule 1 drug, the headlining article for this past week has been “11 Cannabis Predictions for 2019,” ultimately pointing to cannabis becoming significantly more mainstream. This article dove into everything from Big Pharma’s entrance into the CBD party, which states have recreational legalization on the horizon and how the passage of the Farm Bill will help fund research. But this Schedule 1 drug has a really interesting backstory, classified as a means of control rather than support. “By getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities,” revealed the true intentions of the Nixon Campaign of 1968, control. But in our current state, who truly is the “winner” when cannabis gets legalized? And simply, it is the “sin” companies and other organizations that chose to hop on the movement long before it was considered cool to support it, such as investors, farmers and big multistate cannabis operators. Entrepreneur’s trade journals this week dove into how the history impacts the current and future states on this journey to legalization and more importantly, normalization.  

The article I chose to focus on this week is titled “Women Are Influencing the Cannabis Industry Both as Entrepreneurs and Consumers” and relates to my current connection with the trade publication because I am a female trying to enter the cannabis industry. A huge indicator that the cannabis industry has unlimited potential for success, is that the customers are also the main enthusiasts driving research and development. According to a PEW Research Center poll, 56% of women support the legalization of marijuana and even prefer “vaping marijuana to sipping merlot.” Besides the consumer interest, women in cannabis are filling 27% of executive roles, which is higher than the number of executive positions held by women across all industries. There is now even a female dominated marijuana magazine, Miss Grass, for women interested in using cannabis to live a good life.

Emerging yourself in the written word is one of the easiest ways to soak up information, pulling insights and takeaways to add to broadening one’s horizon. The main takeaway from the Green section of the Entrepreneur trade journal is that the only thing holding marijuana back from freely changing the world for the better is the wrongfully believed stigma around it. The government is fueled by power, money and control – three things with a very unclear outcome once marijuana is removed off of the Schedule 1 classification. Another realization is that women hold the power to revolution gender inequalities in a completely new, billion dollar industry that is emerging. Like aforementioned, the cannabis industry is today’s Wild West and it takes a special type of person to willingly be a cowboy and explore the new terrain.

Entrepreneur.com serves as a platform for everything and anything an aspiring entrepreneur would need to know in order to merge successful in this cutthroat industry.

 -Lauren Gutierrez