Adventures in a Post-office Life

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Melina Cordero, founder of Melina Cordero LLC., located in Washington, DC, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I'm on a mission to change work for the better. I do that by helping organizations embed inclusivity, innovation, and equity within their systems and processes to create environments where their people thrive and business grows. I also write and regularly speak about how we can create better, happier healthier workplaces.

Too many people feel unhappy and undervalued at work, and too many organizations are held back by approaches that – often unknowingly – cause issues like burnout and bias. I believe better workplaces policies and practices can change that.

My clients are leaders who recognize that the future requires new ways of working. They don't just want to tick boxes when it comes to key objectives like equity and inclusion they want to blaze trails. I collaborate with them and their teams to craft strategies that generate real results, from increased diversity and higher retention to happier employees. I work with a range of sectors and companies, from real estate brokerage and finance to industry associations.

The pandemic has led us to a major inflection point in our approach to work, and the old rules no longer apply. As we look towards the future, I strongly believe organizations with diverse and equitable workplaces will have a distinct advantage across all sectors and can play a major role in creating progress for the world.

Tell us about yourself

From a young age, I was a classic overachiever, always focused on getting straight-As and being as productive as possible. I ticked all the boxes I thought I was supposed to, going to ivy league schools and accepting every job offer and promotion that I was offered. By age 33, I was one of the youngest female leaders in a big corporate firm. I was receiving loads of recognition for my "promising" career. On the surface, I was living the life of a high-powered executive with an impressive title and lots of airplane miles. On the inside, I was exhausted, overworked, and unfulfilled. I wasn't sure what I was grinding for, but I told myself that if I kept working hard and advancing, I would eventually feel accomplished.

Then, in 2020, quarantine and travel restrictions upended my work routine and prompted me to reflect. I started noticing that so many people around me were also feeling depleted, overwhelmed, and unhappy at work. As major social movements like Black Lives Matter grew, I also noticed that the challenges seemed to be worse among women and people of color. More importantly, I started to realize how much these struggles were being made worse by workplaces policies and cultures that reinforced inequities, unconscious bias, and burnout.

After studying everything from management science and organizational psychology to the history of office design, I concluded that the way we'd been working wasn't working. I knew that thriving in a post-pandemic world would require major changes. Convinced there could be a better way to work; I left my job in Spring 2021 to dedicate myself full-time to making it happen. I am motivated every day by the opportunity to make people happier in their work lives and organizations more supportive.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner happened before I even had a business; it was leaving my job. Walking away from a stable and lucrative career in order to pursue a cause that felt more purposeful was one of the hardest and most courageous steps I've ever taken in my life. Financially and professionally, it may have appeared risky, but it was also an important act of commitment to myself and my values.

Too often, we view quitting as an act of defeat. We're told things like "quitters never win" however, I've learned that leaving a job or a situation that no longer serves us to pursue something more meaningful can be a bold and powerful step with very positive results.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The biggest challenge to being a business owner is being your own compass. While being your own boss comes with a great amount of freedom, it also means setting your own boundaries, deciding what is right or wrong, when to close the laptop, when to say no. As someone who spent most of my life earning rewards for overworking, the hardest part has been trusting it's ok to take breaks, it's ok to take a morning (or a week) off, and recognizing that I don't need to overwork to succeed.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Share yourself and your mission widely. It's incredibly important as entrepreneurs to communicate our vision, our values, and our voice to the world because that is what will attract the right community of partners, clients, and cheerleaders. For some, that means posting on social media, but for others, it may mean reaching out to people one-on-one to share your story. Either way, make sure you are sharing yourself with the world!
Get comfortable changing course. Even if you have a crystal-clear vision of what you want to build, allow your ideas to evolve and adapt. My business went through many iterations before it landed where it is today, and if I had resisted change or held too closely to my first ideas, I would have missed out on some great opportunities.
Build a strong (and diverse) support network. Building a business can be very unfamiliar territory, especially if you've branched off on your own. Having a strong network of people, you can call upon for advice and encouragement when you need it will help you get through challenging moments. Mentors and coaches are incredibly useful and never underestimate the value of peers. Reach out to other people running businesses with similar or complementary missions – you never know what support and opportunities could come from those connections.

If I had one piece of wisdom that I could impart to the world, it's that we almost always have more choices than we think we do. Too often, we feel stuck in our jobs or in our careers, telling ourselves it's "too late" to change course or that we can't afford to do anything else. In truth, the energy we put into jobs and situations that drain us is much better placed pursuing the things that light us up. If you feel stuck in your job, sit down and make a list of all the things you'd rather spend your time doing and all the ways you could make money – from babysitting and selling crafts to transcribing and tutoring. You'll realize the list of possibilities is much longer (and more exciting) than you thought.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.melinacordero.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melinascordero/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/melinascordero
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melinacordero/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.