Women managers Q&A series

MINNESOTA

JOANI NIELSON — Founding partner and chief operating officer, Tastefully Simple Inc. (Alexandria, MN, 360 employees, 75 additional seasonal employees during peak season), 14 years with organization / 10 years in current position.

HOW DOES THE TASTEFULLY SIMPLE DIRECT SALES BUSINESS MODEL WORK?

Our easy to prepare food products are sold by more than 28,000 independent Tastefully Simple consultants. They are selling primarily through home taste-testing parties nationwide. A client will invite friends and family into their home and the consultant will host the taste-testing party. These consultants may also hold fundraisers, participate in expos and have the opportunity to recruit others to begin their own Tastefully Simple business. Some of our top consultants have grown into leadership and have as many as 400 people on their team.

YOU'VE BEEN THERE FROM THE START WITH CO-FOUNDER AND CEO JILL BLASHACK STRAHAN. CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE COMPANY'S GROWTH?

With our rapid growth it has been exhilarating, rewarding and a lot of hard work. We have gone from 410 consultants in 1990 to over 28,000 today and from $4 million in sales to $114 million in sales. Our company grew incredibly fast, but we stayed true to the commitment of our core business model and have built a very solid team. We truly have an incredible group of talented people supporting us.

ARE SOME PEOPLE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT A NATIONAL COMPANY WITH A HOUSEHOLD NAME LIKE TASTEFULLY SIMPLE IS BASED IN ALEXANDRIA, MN?

Why not Alexandria? Alexandria is a wonderful place to live. It has all the infrastructure we need. As a Jefferson High School alum, I think more people are surprised that I haven’t left Alexandria. Jill and I are both from the area and we both have a very strong commitment to support this community.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM HELPING TO START TASTEFULLY SIMPLE THAT COULD BENEFIT OTHER ASPIRING ENTREPRENEURS?

The philosophies for being successful in business are also the philosophies for being successful and having a fulfilling life. Follow your heart, identify and follow your purpose in life. Stay true to your values and surround yourself with forward-focused individuals.

DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER ADVICE ABOUT HOW TO BECOME SUCESSFUL IN BUSINESS?

Success begins with dreaming. The difference between a dream and a business is a business is a dream that has been executed. Take those dreams and turn them into reality. Trust your intuition and go for it.

SOUTH DAKOTA

SUZIE TOLZIN — Account Manager, SilverStone Group (Sioux Falls, about 200 employees companywide, 9 employees in Sioux Falls office), 2 1/2 years with organization / all in same position.

WHAT DOES THE SILVERSTONE GROUP DO?

SilverStone Group is a full-service resource management company. We offer customized services for business and private clients.

WHAT ARE YOUR PRIMARY JOB DUTIES?

I am the lead consulting account manager in the employee benefits department of our Sioux Falls branch. I work with our larger clients in overall management of the employee benefits they provide for their employees. I position my clients within the insurance marketplace and also negotiate with the carriers or third party administrators for each of my clients.

HOW HAS THE ECONOMY AFFECTED INSURANCE CONSULTING?

It is really tough right now with health care insurance reform at the forefront of every media outlet. With cutbacks and layoffs, our clients need us more than ever. They are short staffed and many times administrative positions or middle management is the first to go. If that is the case, our services and resources can help fill the void.

HOW CAN COMPANIES KEEP INSURANCE COSTS DOWN?

The key in my mind is to really educate your employees. Give plenty of lead time and really communicate changes in advance. Many companies have to raise their deductibles or change benefits to keep up with medical trends and inflation. The biggest financial losses come from employees not knowing how to use their benefits. They go to XYZ hospital and they should have gone to ABC instead and now they have a huge bill from the hospital and the employers cost is also higher because the claims were paid at billed charge versus a discounted amount.

HOW IMPORTANT ARE DISEASE MANAGEMENT AND WELLNESS PROGRAMS?

They are very important. Individuals with chronic conditions need help in managing their illnesses. They are juggling their job, family and the added stress of a health condition. They need resources and someone who can be their advocate. Wellness in the workplace is essential as well. We need goals to help us live healthy. Some of the best programs are those that have financial rewards if you do all the things you need to do to live and be healthy. For instance, at SilverStone Group we have a wellness program and if we meet our goals or points we get our health insurance contributions reduced each paycheck.

NORTH DAKOTA

JILL BERG — Owner and president, Spherion Staffing franchise in North Dakota and west central Minnesota (Fargo and Bismarck offices, 14 employees), 15 years as local franchisee, B.A. degree in General Studies with an emphasis in Psychology from Ambassador University (Pasadena, CA).

WHAT DOES SPHERION STAFFING DO?

We match great employees with great companies. We are in the staffing and recruiting business, specializing in temporary staffing and direct hire placement in clerical, accounting, sales, light industrial, IT, engineering and executive search. If you are looking for a sales representative in Fargo and give us the specific technical skills you require, we will conduct a search to identify candidates, screen them, present the most qualified candidates and charge a fee for the process.

IN THIS ECONOMY IS THERE A LOT OF DEMAND FOR STAFFING FIRMS?

There is. Companies are looking for top talent to add strength to their organization. As the economy gets tighter, individual contribution gets more important. They have to make sure everyone is a top performer and is bringing critical skills to the table. As an applicant, people come to our agency and get a plethora of opportunities instead of beating the pavement to find companies who are actually hiring.

WHAT ARE EMPLOYERS LOOKING FOR IN A WORKER?

They are looking for problem solving, communication, critical thinking and technical skills and a can-do attitude.

HOW CAN EMPLOYEES WORK THEIR WAY UP TO THE TOP?

The most important thing you need to do if you want to get to the top of the organization is to be constantly reinventing yourself. You need to stay on top of technology, listen to your customers, constantly evaluate how you do things and strive for professional and personal improvement. It is not the same business environment now that it was 90 days ago and we need to be constantly reassessing how we conduct business because that’s how quickly things are changing.

HAVE YOU NOTICED CHANGES IN YOUR CLIENTS' NEEDS AS A RESULT OF THE ECONOMY?

I think their expectations are different. The perception is there are more people out there to interview. That is true, but the right talents and cultural fit is still difficult to find. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack, but now the haystack is four times as big. We are getting flooded with candidates. However, about one or two out of every 10 people who knock on our door get hired for a position as the others don’t meet our client’s criteria. The time and resources we spend screening and interviewing all the potential applicants frees up our clients to focus on their core business and profitability.