Transcription of Marci Booth for the show Inspiration, #71
Dr. Lisa: It is of course the New Year. It’s 2013 and in January, a lot of people think about what they want to do to change their lives. They feel inspired, they want to maybe create a new business, maybe fulfill a life-long dream or move towards a passion that they’ve had again, many, many years.
The person that I have sitting in front of me actually is someone that has helped me lived my lifelong dream so I know that she knows exactly what she’s doing, and is very helpful at getting other people very, let’s say grounded and able to move forward with their dreams.
I have in front of me Marci Booth from Booth Maine. I’m very thrilled to have this friend and collaborator and colleague with me today.
Marci: I’m very happy to be here. Thank you.
Dr. Lisa: Marci, Booth Maine, I knew you were kind of … because I know you so well. I know that when they initially said, “Marci, you have to call it Booth because your last name is Booth,” you weren’t really quite sure about that.
Marci: No, I was a little hesitant. I never thought of it as my, my last name. I also didn’t know if I was comfortable putting myself out there in that way. Through my branding, I was convinced that that was the right move. It actually has turned out to be a perfect move. It’s not turned into a brand and not just me. It’s everyone that’s around on the team that is Booth. It’s been a great move forward.
Dr. Lisa: We’re going to talk about what Booth does for other businesses but I first like to talk about why you decided to create this small business for yourself, and some of the things that you went through as a small business creator and owner because it’s not always easy.
Marci: No, it’s not. There’s several challenges that come along. People really need to think about what the purpose is, why they’re going into business. Is it … If it’s just solely for the money, that’s not going to get you very far. People can really read into that. Money needs to be the outcome or something that helps us down the road, but you have to be in there for a higher purpose whether you find there’s a need out there and you want to fulfill it.
There’s so many people that, maybe our stay home moms and they are taking care of their children, and they find … there’s a need there for a new toy or a new clothing line or something. That is where they find the need.
Others, they want to be in service to help, and that’s why I went into business. I really found both things, there was a need and I also wanted to help people succeed in their own businesses. It’s exciting to watch how businesses succeed.
Dr. Lisa: You’re good at something that a lot of us, and I speak as a physician who never received any business training whatsoever, a lot of us aren’t maybe as good at. You’re good at looking at numbers and spreadsheets, and profit and loss. You’re good at some of these things that I think those people who are out there who are creative sorts who want to have their own business that maybe not be in their skillset.
Marci: Absolutely. They’ve created a product or a service, and they’re good at that but not necessarily the back office things that they are great at. That’s where we come in. We try and help them with all of those back office issues. They may not be large enough to hire a large staff to handle all of that. We come in, take care of accounting, bookkeeping, tax, H.R., all the back office issues that someone might face when they’re opening a business.
There’s so many things to think about with regards to compliant and employees, how to handle them, how to terminate them, and a very holistic approach to business. It’s really about the entire business, not just one little facet. Hopefully, we’re able to make their lives easier so they can go out and market their product or create their product.
Dr. Lisa: That is one of the things that struck me about working with you. I have been working with you for a while, not only in my medical practice but also here on the radio show. You’re so very good at taking a bigger picture view. You’re not just an accounting firm. Not that there’s anything wrong with accounting firms. You’re not just the person who’s going to come in and talk to us about H.R. regulations, human resource regulations.
You really are looking at the people that need to work within a small business. You’re looking at the means of the individual, the needs of the company, and how to best move that organization forward.
Marci: It’s about solutions for me. There’s no one way to do things. You’ll find so many accounts or business people that think … can do several things very differently but you’ll come up to this and more result. I look at the entire company and the individual that I’m working with and I just really want to see them succeed and come up with solutions to move them forward.
There’s so many times where a client might be … I have to talk them off the ledge. They come to a crossroads where they want to pack it up and go home or some that actually want to move forward. Usually, it’s at that crossroads that if they just stick it out, they may really make it happen. They’ll see success. It’s usually the ones that pack it up and go home, they just come to that point where if they would just step across, they would make it instead of turning around and going home.
Dr. Lisa: You actually have to be empathic and you have to have good communication skills. You actually have to have a little bit of a therapist kind of inclination even though you’re not one specifically.
Marci: I have a couch in my office.
Dr. Lisa: It’s true. You have a beautiful office. That’s another thing, is to have this … It really is, this whole strength of wanting other people to do well in their world.
Marci: It’s very important to see people succeed and really care. When someone leaves my office, I don’t stop thinking about them. I try to come up with a solution to whatever it is that they’re dealing with whether it’s cash flow issues or it’s employee issues. I really think it’s important to have someone there that cares.
Dr. Lisa: You mentioned the stay home mother who comes up with the idea of a new toy and wants to go into business. Of course I know that there’s … One of the things that you know a lot about is being a mother and how that actually does impact your ability to problem solve and multitask and go into business. Do you mind me asking, you’re a mother of four.
Marci: Four, four girls.
Dr. Lisa: Four girls, all between the ages of 11, 12, and 4. Anybody who’s listening if you’re doing calculation, that’s a lot of little girls to be raising, and happily married to Steve. You know what it’s like to do the juggling and the multitasking and problem solving.
Marci: Yes.
Dr. Lisa: Are there skills that you have been to apply from your mothering side of your life to your business side of your life, do you think?
Marci: Good question. I’d say scheduling. You do need to stay on task and stay on schedule. As much as I fight it, because I think my whole entire life, my business world is always scheduled and regimented then, I go home and it has to be regimented. I actually find that it’s much more peaceful if I do that, from getting up in the morning to exercise to getting to the office, getting the kids off on the busses which are three different busses and a preschool. You also have to have support at home and act as a team, and that’s very important to get your life going in the right direction.
Dr. Lisa: Those are things that are important both in the home and in the business since you’ve been able to translate those skills across those areas. That’s something that actually women or men who stayed home with their kids will start thinking, “Oh, I’d like to start a small business.” They can build on skills like that.
Marci: Oh, absolutely. They can do it. There’s so many ways, especially with the technology now. There’s at home businesses, Internet businesses, marketing, there’s consulting. It can all revolve around your schedule.
Dr. Lisa: Another thing that I know about your business and you, and Steve is that you’re committed to your values. You’re committed not only to your family but you also have … You eat really well. You exercise. You do Qi Gong. I know you belong to The Body Architect. You have a very holistic view of your life. Do you think that that also impacts decisions that you make with Booth?
Marci: Yup, I think so. I think the culture at Booth is very different from any other. It is a very holistic approach with everyone there on the team as well as how we work with clients. I don’t push my values or anything on anyone. But I think they appreciate that I try to come in with a clear mind and express concern or care for everyone’s wellbeing whether it’s the employees or the clients.
Dr. Lisa: For people who are thinking about starting a small business or maybe they have a small business but they know it needs some tweaking, what are some suggestions that you might have for them?
Marci: Again, if you’re looking to start a business go in it for the right reasons. It needs to be for in service to others or because there’s a need. I wouldn’t go into a business to spite anyone. That rarely works well. While it’s good to have the competitive spirit, it’s just not something that’s going to drive you to sustain.
Dr. Lisa: Have you actually had people who’ve done that before?
Marci: Yes.
Dr. Lisa: I’m just wondering because I’m just new here. It’s hard to believe somebody … If I go to the effort of starting a business just to make somebody else unhappy or …
Marci: If they didn’t like their boss, and they can do it better. You really start to appreciate what a boss does when you go into business for yourself, all the decisions that come along with it, all the costs.
Dr. Lisa: But that’s not a good reason to start a business.
Marci: No, not a good reason.
Dr. Lisa: Find a good reason …
Marci: Find a good reason to go into business.
Dr. Lisa: … that’s going to sustain you, not to spite somebody else.
Marci: Exactly.
Dr. Lisa: It has to come from within, and what else?
Marci: You have to be a doer. You have to take action. Realize that nothing’s going to come to you just sitting on the couch and having a great idea. Lots of people have great ideas. It’s the ones that actually take action and make it happen. Find the right people to help you in that process. There’s also planning. A ton of planning goes into it, making sure that you understand what your goals are, your one-month goal, your six-month goal, your year or five-year plan. What does that plan look like?
If you need funding, what applications need to be done? Your budget, your performance; making sure you have all of that ready to proceed. There are so many things to starting up a business with. Legal documents, making sure that your operating agreements are in place. If you have a partnership, I highly recommend going to see a lawyer to get that all spelled out because partnerships can be very difficult.
Budge; there’s sales tax, resale certificates if you’re providing a service, a product. Know what you’re getting into or at least find the people to help you get off on the right track.
Dr. Lisa: It’s that second piece that appeals to me the most. Again, as a physician who didn’t really receive a lot of business advice, I needed to align myself with the right people and I happen to be fortunate enough to have a team of advisers that worked with me, and you’re on that team of advisers.
I know that I will probably never be as good at profit and loss sheets as I am at being at doctor. I know that I have …
Marci: But you’re not supposed to be.
Dr. Lisa: Exactly.
Marci: That’s what’s great about it. Also, that you realize that most people think they can do it. While I’m sure that they can and that they do understand many things, it’s their taking the focus off what they need to do which is sell their product or service. Sometimes, there are things that you forget along the way and to have those advisers is very important.
Dr. Lisa: Marci, how can people find out about Booth Maine and the service that are provided by you and the employees, the colleagues of yours that work with you?
Marci: They can go to our website which is boothmaine.com or they could call.
Dr. Lisa: The phone number?
Marci: 774-4030.
Dr. Lisa: Marci, I am really pleased that you took the time to come in here and share with our listeners what it is that you do for a company, aside from just my company. Every time I sit down with somebody who knows more about business than I do, it’s fair to say there’s… It just reminds that we all have different skills and talents, and really finding the right collaborators is key.
I appreciate your collaborating with me on my business, The Dr. Lisa Radio Hour and providing the valuable service that you do to the community.
Marci: I appreciate it. Thank you very much for having me.