00:00
Erica Mattison
Today, I am delighted to have with me a longtime friend, Diane Ivey. Say hi to everyone, Diane.
00:07
Diane Ivey
Hi everyone. Hi, Erica. It's great to be on your show.
00:12
Erica Mattison
Wonderful to have you here. So I'm sure we're going to have a wide ranging conversation as we typically do. Share a little bit with folks about what you're up to right now and then we'll get into what brought you to this point and what you see as coming up next for you.
00:29
Diane Ivey
Great. So again, I'm Diane. I am getting ready to start a new job at CNN. Prior to that, I had a business for 10 years in the luxury crafting industry, dyeing yarn and selling it worldwide. I also have had writing about politics and craftivism and all that amazing stuff. So I starting a new journey, a new chapter, which I'm really looking forward to and talking more to you about that. But also just being an entrepreneur and how that has shaped me in so many ways.
01:05
Erica Mattison
Wonderful. Diane, you mentioned a phrase that I want to make sure people know what it is you said, craftivism. Will you tell people a little bit about what that is?
01:13
Diane Ivey
There's over 130 million people in our country who craft, which is sewing. Knitting, it could be embroidery, any type of work that you're doing with your hands. And for centuries, crafting has been at the forefront of politics. So for me, I found a way within my company to talk about politics and crafting at the same time. Whether that was putting together crafting Kits, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, or putting together a panel discussion with different crafters talking about reproductive rights and people coming in on a zoom and crafting together. So it's taking crafting and activism and putting it together and creating action around social justice issues and policies that are affecting everyone today.
02:12
Erica Mattison
Wow. So interesting. I think a lot of people don't even know that this exists. This is maybe a really new concept for some people. Like, how do you combine these things? Could you share a little bit more about what that can look like?
02:25
Diane Ivey
When we think about the women's suffrage movement, when people were putting banners together, they were using cloth banners and they didn't have the machine or equipment to do it. So they had mostly, probably more than likely women sewing these banners together. And during the AIDS epidemic, people put AIDS quotes together. So the work has been around for a very long time. It just didn't have the right word to it. In the early 2000s, as we started becoming more digitally like a digital society and were reaching a broader audience, this type of Work needed to have a name so that people could connect. And so craftivism came about that way. In the last 25 years, we've been using that word. And as far as how I was able to put it into the work that I was doing, I don't have an art degree.
03:25
Diane Ivey
I have a political science and communications degree and a master's degree in public administration. And so I was on a path of wanting to be in politics and writing, but the crafting part kind of found me. I. I've always have been and continue to be very passionate about helping other people and focusing on causes and social justice issues. It was a really good opportunity for my company, particularly around the first term of Trump's presidency, to put craftivism into the business and focus on educating and teaching people about social justice issues.
04:11
Erica Mattison
So you were able to take your background in politics, policy, and combine it with your passion for crafting to be part of. And I know you, so I know you were a leader in this movement in craftivism. What's really fascinating to me about that is that so much of the time, people. People will have these disparate interests. They'll be passionate about policy, and they'll also love music or something else, but they don't necessarily take a step back and pause and reflect and say, maybe there's a way that I can combine these things so that I can have more impact and also really enjoy what I'm doing.
04:59
Diane Ivey
I think it's something that's very spontaneous. Something comes up that sparks that interest and call to action. And for me, the whole aspect of craftivism came about when I decided the crafting industry is extremely diverse, but you didn't see representation of black and brown people of other marginalized communities. It was a very white female industry, but the companies were owned by white men. And so the magazines were always homogeneous. Like it was white women, white women. I remember going to my first trade show. It was the National Needle Arts association trade show. I had a booth. I was excited to be there because I knew I wanted to expand the business on the national stage, and that was the ticket to go.
05:55
Diane Ivey
And the people that came with me, one of the person came to me and she said, she goes, diane, I've walked this whole convention floor, and you're the only black business here. And I was like, stop it. You got to be kidding me. There's over 300 businesses here. I cannot be the only black business. Lo and behold, I was, this isn't right. This needs to change. I remember because 2015, I wrote a blog post about the lack of diversity in the crafting community. And this was not okay. A lot of people at the time thought it was very risky of me, if you believe it or not, because they were like, diane, it's just an unspoken situation. No one really talks about this. And I said, well, I'm going to talk about it.
06:43
Diane Ivey
And so I made sure when I had opportunity to talk about it, I did. A friend gifted me a. I think it was like a blue apron box. And I had an idea that I would create crafting boxes that were. Had other businesses in them. But these businesses were a diverse representation of the crafting community. So 90% of the companies that were in that box, whether it was my yarn, a pattern, an accessory, all these other things that crafters love. Gadgets, I call it. And I made sure that 9% of those businesses were black and brown businesses.
07:23
Erica Mattison
Or bipoc businesses to make sure that people heard that. You said 90%, right.
07:28
Diane Ivey
Sometimes it was 100. Like for black History Month, all the businesses that were represented were black. When we had Women's History Month, I made sure that it was extremely diverse. One of the biggest things that really got my name out was that I was intentional in the work that I was doing with my business and who I was representing. Then you fast forward to the murder of George Floyd. That expanded the business as well, because people were wanting to support black and brown businesses. And I had an opportunity as a platform as I continued to grow to really talk about these, the social justice issues, not just the beautiful yarn and what you can make. But I was able to find a way to continue the passion of politics and writing and talking and infuse it in the company.
08:24
Diane Ivey
I really was blown away by the support I received and it really grounded me as well. Then the pandemic happened and then everything seemed to have changed again during that time because we had supply chain issues. And then there were other challenges within the business like many businesses had. Then I had to really learn to pivot. And then I had to make some life changing decisions about the company and decided that, you know, I still wanted to continue the passion about politics and activism, but maybe not selling crafting boxes anymore. So I closed the business and I spent the last two years on a journey trying to reclaim what my next steps are.
09:15
Erica Mattison
So you were leading this values led business, the inclusion piece, and maybe also some things around opportunity and elevating these voices and these businesses, these creators, was something that was front and center for you.
09:30
Diane Ivey
It was. And the business grew because of that, but who I am as a person, what I value never changed. And because of that growth, you were instrumental in advising me when I was like, I need a higher role. We're growing and expanding. And I said, I also want to make sure that I am representing my values. I really appreciated that we worked together on that in creating and implementing job descriptions as the company continued to expand. When you have an opportunity to have a career that you're passionate about and what you went to school for, it's a very unique opportunity. There's also responsibility. I felt like I had a responsibility to myself to make sure that I didn't lose sight of my passion.
10:32
Diane Ivey
I wanted to make sure that I was not only representing causes that were important to me, but I was also pushing the envelope to create change in society while being an entrepreneur. A lot of people think when you're an entrepreneur, it's just money, money. But you have to take a step back and make sure that you're being responsible to your own integrity so much.
10:57
Erica Mattison
There I'm hearing that it was really important to you to be intentional as a business owner, to lead your business in a way that was authentic to what's important to you and to share based on your identity and your lived experience, Viewpoints that were not getting much play, and helping to raise awareness about issues having to do with race and many other issues as well.
11:24
Diane Ivey
Race and identity is very important, but I consider myself to be a feminist. And women's rights, we've been fighting that since the founding of this country. When you're able to find a way, as a black woman, to have this platform and the opportunity to be an entrepreneur, it's a level of responsibility that I felt I needed to make sure that I was representing women and people who identify as women and other marginalized communities in a way that really empowered us. What I was able to accomplish has helped me into the next phase of my career.
12:12
Erica Mattison
So this intersectionality of your identity and connecting with other folks who they're looking to be in the industry, they're looking to make an impact, they're looking to sell their products, and then also reaching this broader audience who maybe had been doing crafting, maybe had been doing craftivism for many years, but maybe weren't so aware of the array of businesses that exist that they could be supporting and engaging with.
12:46
Diane Ivey
I feel that, like with anyone who has a company, take a moment to really look at your mission statement and your values. What is it that you stand for, not just your product, but what type of community you want to build that goes a long way with your customer base and your constituents. And it could really benefit you as a company.
13:10
Erica Mattison
You're better able to connect with your target audience, your ideal clients, when you are being true to your values and your mission. This is true whether you're a for profit nonprofit or a government agency. It's about having that alignment and connecting with the people who you're seeking to serve this generation.
13:31
Diane Ivey
They want to know who you are as a person before they give you their money. They want to know if your values align with their values because they don't want to spend money on a company that doesn't believe in diversity or women's rights. You're seeing a huge shift in consumerism and how people tend to spend their money. And a lot of it has to deal with the added value of who that company is and who represents that company.
14:10
Erica Mattison
So thinking about ethical business practices, there's a whole movement around conscious capitalism and an organization by that name. There are a lot of businesses that are working to create healthier communities and healthier buildings and using sustainable building materials and creating high performance buildings. There are some important conversations that are taking place around what is the role of business when it comes to speaking up for what we believe in. You talked about how in your business you challenged the status quo. You called out what you were seeing, even though that was risk and it was something that some people probably criticized and maybe give you, gave you a hard time for or warned you about doing the things that you did.
15:05
Erica Mattison
Really being a values led business enabled you to connect with the kinds of people who you wanted to serve and you wanted to be in contact with.
15:15
Diane Ivey
No, it's very true, Erica. I have always felt that I was a very strategic risk taker. Before I take a risk, I evaluate all the situations or options and what could happen. And then I would say, okay, I'm going to take this risk. But in this situation, it was not a calculated risk. I wouldn't say it was spontaneous, but it was doing what was right as a black woman in a marginalized community. And a lot of times people need to just take a stand and forget what that risk is going to be. When I wrote that blog post, I didn't even think about the risk. It wasn't until afterwards where people are like, I can't believe you wrote this. That's so risky to your business. I didn't even think about that. Success depends on how you look at it.
16:13
Diane Ivey
People who make a name for themselves or their business leaves A huge imprint in the communities that they're in are those who take risk without being calculated. They just do it because it's what's right. That is something that goes to intuition, which I think is very important. People don't use their intuition as much as they should. But also people are also very scared, and they don't want to ruffle any feathers. They don't want to push that boundary. And I feel that the strongest businesses are the ones that go for it. And then amazing things come from it.
16:53
Erica Mattison
It sounds like it's really important to be clear on what your values are and to have that strong moral compass that can guide you so that you can listen in and make those gut decisions.
17:05
Diane Ivey
Absolutely. Values are not something that you develop in your education. They start at home. Even as a kid, the values that your parents instill in your teachers, the people that you see, your mentors in, the work that you do, you have guided a lot of people in the value of career development and seeking out what's next. So this whole level of value, it's critical. When I decided to close the business and I said, I want to take what I've learned and help people, and when you were advising me about value, what type of work do you want to do that brings value? I really had to rethink that.
17:52
Erica Mattison
We go through these different periods in our lives, and I work with so many people who have this interest in meeting a need, in developing solutions and being creative in starting a business or expanding on a business. But there's a lot of feedback, fear, and things that hold them back, concern that they won't be able to make a living. How am I going to pay for health insurance? I know you've held a lot of different roles in different spaces, and so you have all of these skill sets that you can draw upon and combine interesting ways. For folks who are thinking about going all in with a business venture or dipping their toe in and seeing what it could be like to do some freelancing or consulting or start their own business as a side gig. Could you share some insights from your journey?
18:47
Diane Ivey
I don't think I've ever mentioned this to you, but I wanted to be a lawyer that worked with journalists who were defending freedom of speech. And then the day that I graduated college, I was like, this is not what I want to do. So I took this job in Montana. I took a risk. I'm working for this organization called Project Vote Smart. And I stayed there for about six months. When I was there, I ended up meeting someone who did AmeriCorps. And had I not taken that risk, I would be on a different trajectory in my life. I ended up doing AmeriCorps in city year, where I became this idealist. I worked with youth in Rhode island and in Boston. I did two years as a corps member and then I was two years on staff.
19:35
Diane Ivey
After I did City Year, I went off to grad school where we met, and I went and got my master's in public administration. From there I started working in Boston in different organizations, some very prestigious organizations and foundations. And I felt like when I look at my resume, I've been like, I'm lucky. I worked at the Boston Foundation, I worked at Harvard for the Big Sisters association, all these really well known organizations. And through those experiences, I gained a lot of knowledge.
20:03
Erica Mattison
Can I pause you for one second and say that you were not just lucky? And I think it's important to recognize that you were maybe fortunate in some ways, but you were putting yourself out there. You were going for what you wanted. I know you. And so I'm guessing that's what was happening. You were inviting what we call in my work intentional serendipity. Where you were putting yourself in situations and seeking out opportunities and being open to what might come your way and being curious. It wasn't entirely luck. You had something to do with it.
20:40
Diane Ivey
I'm a go getter. When I want to put my mind to something, I'm going to do it. When I see an opportunity, I'm going to do it. When I say I'm going to take a chance and call so and so I'm going to do it. I have this thing of it. What do I got to lose?
20:56
Erica Mattison
So you are comfortable putting yourself out there and taking some risks, even though you don't know exactly what's going to happen, how it's going to go, where it may lead and so forth. And so you were doing that. Right? So then where did that bring you?
21:10
Diane Ivey
When I started working for the Boston Foundation, I worked on this amazing initiative. When I got hired after grad school, it was to reduce youth violence. In Boston, we're working with proven risk youth. During that whole time of working and going to school, I was knitting. I was doing crafting on the side as a hobby. And I learned to dye yarn when I was at the Boston foundation. And I just fell in love with it. I found myself not wanting to be tied to a desk. I saw people who were working. I think about my maternal grandparents who raised me. They retired from Sara Lee. And they worked there for 30 years. And I was like, I cannot see myself at this organization for 30 years.
21:55
Erica Mattison
So many people will, as were talking about earlier, they'll have an activity, a hobby, a passion project that they just absolutely love. And so much of the time they never. Or it takes them a very long time to explore what form that could take, what that could look like if they combined that with some other interests or some societal needs or opportunities. So how did you make that leap?
22:22
Diane Ivey
I know that it takes people a while, but I was like 27, 28. I was like, eff it. It was actually something really sad and tragic. In 2009, my uncle passed away of pancreatic cancer. He was 50 years old. And I remember they said that he only had six or seven months to live when we found out, like in August of that year. But he ended up passing away two weeks before Thanksgiving. And I was in complete shock because I couldn't believe that this just happened. It was the first death in our family since my. I had a baby brother who died when he was like 8 months old. My family, we've always been close. We've been blessed to have people live a very long time.
23:02
Diane Ivey
I went to New York and then I got a phone call saying that my great grandmother had passed away on Thanksgiving Day. She was like 94 before my uncle passed. He said he had no regrets at 50. And I'm like, how can you not have any regrets at 50 when there was so much more? And my great grandmother, when she passed at 94, she had no regrets. She lived a fulfilled life. I made a decision that whatever I was going to do, I was going to make sure that my life would be fulfilled. And in 2010, I continued to work. I was struggling inside, working for a very prestigious organization like I did. The initiative that I was working on, the things that I was doing, I wasn't as passionate about.
23:46
Diane Ivey
And it was In January of 2011, I walked into the new Ed's office and said, I'm overqualified for this position. I said my Last day is April 15th. I gave him like a six month notice.
24:00
Erica Mattison
So this is the executive director and you're going in. And I think this was a couple years after you had finished your master's in public administration, is that right?
24:08
Diane Ivey
Yeah, this was in 2011. So my uncle had passed. I was struggling. I was struggling for all of 2010. It was a whole year struggling. And it wasn't until January 3rd or 4th when I walked into that office and Sat down with him on his first day at the office. I didn't have a job lined up. I was like, I'm going to do something with my yarn and that's what I want to do. I'm going to dye yarn and I'm going to sell it. I'm going to see what happens. I'm going to get into the art world. I'm going to do what I want to do. I started networking with people in the art world. I was teaching knitting in 2010 at the Elliott School in Jamaica Plain, and I was like, I'm going to get involved in the art world.
24:49
Diane Ivey
I'm going to transfer what I know and help other non profits in the art world. I feel like there's always a moment in life where you go through growth and sometimes in tragedy, like death, you age and mature in a way that had a profound impact on me. Two people that I love dearly, dying a couple weeks apart. One blessed to live into their 90s, the other one in their 50s. And neither one had regret. Life can be long, God willing, the spirit's willingness. But what you make of it is really important. My favorite quote is from SC Hoppy. It's hppe and it says, I hope that my achievements in life shall be these that I would have risked for that which mattered.
25:41
Diane Ivey
I would have given help to those who are in need, that I will have left this earth a better place for what I've done and who I've been. When I pass away, that's on my tombstone. The path that I have been on that has led me to where I'm at today is about my legacy and what I want to make sure that I leave behind and the type of person that I want to be. So when I walked into the office and told that executive director I'm leaving without having a job, I knew I wanted to do something with yarn art. I just didn't know what it would be. I didn't know how everything was going to work out. But taking that risk and just doing it, just turning 30, I was like, I'm still young.
26:23
Diane Ivey
If you fast forward, you're in your 40s, you feel like, oh my God, I'm halfway through life. But I look at is I'm in my second quarter of my life. I love sports and I played basketball. So I'm in my second quarter of my life and I'm gonna continue to make changes. You're constantly making changes in life, and that's just life. You could be 60 or 90 and go to college. You could be 100 to start a business. Whatever you want to do, you can do. It's just that you have to be able to have the mindset of taking that risk, putting in that work, and just making it happen.
26:57
Erica Mattison
You were beginning with the end in mind. It sounds like you had clarity that it was important to you to live with no regrets, having experienced a lot of loss within a short period of time.
27:12
Diane Ivey
Yeah.
27:13
Erica Mattison
And it sounds like it was somewhat of a wake up call for you where you said, hey, I don't want to wait to live my best life. I don't want to wait to go for it with this business idea. Even though you didn't know exactly how you would do things, I see so much of the time people stopping themselves, whether it's a career pivot or starting a business or something else, they're stopping themselves because they haven't figured out what I call the how. How is it going to work? How am I going to do it? How will I pay for this? How, how. I think part of why you were able to move forward and give notice at your job and build yourself that Runway and start your business was because you did not get caught up in the how.
28:04
Diane Ivey
Yep. The only thing that I was concerned about when I left was health insurance. It was at the time when the Affordable Care act was passed and they penalized you if you didn't have health insurance after a couple of months, Massachusetts has a really good health system. I was like, I'm going to be okay. I can take that risk. I can leave. I just knew.
28:27
Erica Mattison
So there's that gut again, that intuition, your ability to listen in and I think, to trust yourself. And that's a huge thing for so many people. It can be really hard to make decisions, and they can seek out input from lots of different people and ask, what should I do and should I do this? I'm getting the sense that you trust yourself and your ability to figure it out, which I think is so important as a small business owner. Because. Because you're constantly faced with challenges and opportunities. You need to constantly be making decisions about how to allocate your time, your energy, your financial resources. You need to cultivate a trust in your ability to figure things out.
29:14
Diane Ivey
It is, Erica, and it's something that's instilled and it's also with life experiences. But people really need to stop saying that they can't do something or something is a roadblock. I don't have kids. I'm not married. Maybe my risks are a lot greater than Other people. But at the same time, I know who I am as a person. If I were married and had kids, I would never stay in a job for 30 years that would not make me happy and not figure out how I could better myself and my family. I would take that risk and work with my husband to kids and make it happen. I feel that people in our society, and I think the way that society has us today is this mindset of dependency.
30:01
Diane Ivey
Instead of being independent risk takers, people advise me and instill in me certain values and knowledge. I sit with it, I act on it, or I keep it back in my head. And when I need to act on it, I'll go and I'll do it. And it comes back to the forefront when I make decisions. And that is why I spent the last couple of years working, doing temp work and trying to figure out what's the next step. And there were jobs, as you know, that I was applying for, with my background in project management, events, and I love marketing and branding. But going back to my passion of politics and writing, I reached out to a dear friend of mine and I was like, look, I need you to connect me. I need you to hook me up with your contact at cnn.
30:51
Diane Ivey
I put together a cover letter, sent my resume over there, and talking with you advising me the way that you did and coaching me and how to have that conversation with an executive producer was the game changer. I was like, diane, if you want to write and if you want to be in politics, you need to call your friend and say, I need you to connect me with this person. I could have said that a year ago, I could have done that two years ago, but I wasn't mentally ready for that. I was at a point where I was like, not only do I need a job, but I was like, eff it, Diane, you need to take this risk right now. Call your friend, make it happen.
31:41
Diane Ivey
And had I not had those sequence of events, I would not have the job that I'm about to start.
31:47
Erica Mattison
This new job that you're going to be in is a way of tapping into so many different skills and experiences that you've been building up over the years.
31:57
Diane Ivey
It is like it's writing, obviously for cnn, but it's broadcast writing. So it's different, like print journalism, but not really. It also opens up doors to other opportunities for me. I'm taking the skill sets that I've learned in my career thus far. And there's also Erica in the back of my head, the part of me That I need to show myself that I still got it. It's been a while since I've been in a job that was a new setting. This is an international global news organization that's very prestigious no matter what people's viewpoints are. And I have this very unique opportunity. I'm qualified, I'm smart. And this is something that we talked about too. There's so many people who apply for jobs on LinkedIn and all these other places now.
32:52
Diane Ivey
I feel like these job descriptions are just bots and they're just absorbing resumes and you're not getting any traction. So a lot of jobs people find are people who you know and your network. You reach out to people and say, I'm looking for work. Do you know who's hiring? Reaching out to my friend, being like, I know that CNN's hiring writers. Can you connect me with your friend who works there, who actually happens to be in charge of who gets hired? I did not just and get the job because it was my friend. I started to take a writing test. I still had to interview for the job and I had to go in there confidently. And when you were advising me, you were like, this is not about the past, it's about the future and what you want to do.
33:42
Diane Ivey
It turned out my 30 minute interview was only going to be 15 minutes, so I really had to be clear up front and that was incredible work that we did together.
33:56
Erica Mattison
So you had 15 minutes, a quarter of an hour to convey what you needed to convey. Kudos to you for reaching out to your contact and making that inquiry. So many people don't do that and then they end up endlessly applying to jobs online, never getting interviews, getting really frustrated and depleted and wondering why nothing's going anywhere. You utilized best practices because you came at it from a more relational standpoint. You were able to tap into your credibility through the relationships that you've built over the years throughout your career. And you did the prep work right. You didn't just walk in and say, oh, I'll wing it. You really did your homework. You conducted the research you needed to conduct so that you could go in there feeling confident and prepared.
34:52
Diane Ivey
I did. Everyone should be doing that. When you get an opportunity and it's something that you're passionate about and what you want to do, you're going to put the effort into making sure that you're prepared the best way possible. I truly believe that all those other positions that I had interviews for, I prepared for it, but I wasn't passionate about it and I think that there's.
35:12
Erica Mattison
A difference that makes such an impact in terms of how you show up to an interview. This was such a good match in terms of what you shared with me. You were looking for that intersection of journalism and politics, media. This was such a good match for that. I can see why you were really willing to put in the work once.
35:36
Diane Ivey
You recognize what you're passionate about. I have to go and be like, this is my job. No one else is going to take it. This is my job. The only person that's going to take this job is somebody else who's more passionate and prepared. It feels really good. I'm really thrilled about it. And everything comes full circle and this is the next chapter and I am looking forward to what it's going to be and the endless possibilities. I still consider myself an entrepreneur and despite being going to cnn, I plan to continue to write on my own, talk about my experiences and things like that. I think about my career path and my own personal and professional life experiences. People really have to look at them.
36:28
Diane Ivey
Deep down, there's an internal reflection that people need to have within themselves to figure out what their next move is or what they are trying to get out of life again. Life can be long, it can be short, but you got to figure out how you want to make it. And going back to your value, what value do you have or want to have to achieve the things that you want in life?
36:56
Erica Mattison
Absolutely. Having that clarity is so key. And if you it's something that needs to be cultivated over time, you don't just have the clarity. There are tools, there are approaches, there are frameworks that I've learned about, that I've shared with clients, that I use in my work every day with people to help them increase their level of clarity.
37:20
Diane Ivey
Something that has helped me in the last couple of years too, to make me realize that as far as clarity is trying to log off of social media as much as you can, when you can. Like you.
37:35
Erica Mattison
Well, it's so important to limit that noise, right? That distraction. It's so easy to constantly be scrolling and looking at what other people are saying and what they're sharing about. But it can really distract from centering and being rooted in who you are, what's important to you and what kind of a life you want to.
37:56
Diane Ivey
Curate and if it's true. And as an entrepreneur, when you're working and you start, whether you're building your business or you are the only person in your business, it's really hard to separate Those two, I learned that it can cloud your judgment. You have to find a separation. If you are the sole person in your business, you have to be able to turn off your social media at a certain time when you can, so that when you go back to social media for your work, you're really fresh.
38:29
Erica Mattison
You've mentioned several times being an entrepreneur and I know that you're somebody who was constantly looking for where's the need? Where can I meet the need? How can I always be learning and growing, improving, serving, collaborating and creating? So as you think about what it means to you to be an entrepreneur, could you share a little bit about that before we wrap up?
38:54
Diane Ivey
I built a business, I created a product, I found an area that was needed and I found a value in building it. And I know that even though I'm going to be working at a global news organization, I will still be an entrepreneur doing work and building a product. And so for me, an entrepreneur, it's being an idealist or having a product that will be able to have an impact on how we live.
39:27
Erica Mattison
So using business as a tool for creating change and meeting needs, is that part of it?
39:36
Diane Ivey
That is very much part of it. When you have a business, you're selling a product. Not all products are consumer products. It could be something that you communicate. My next step is to create something that is about communication and that is still in the works.
39:52
Erica Mattison
So it sounds like it's this creative part of your life, this being an entrepreneur, it's part of your identity. It's not so much a job title would involve someone self expression and problem solving and almost like solving a puzzle, like figuring it out, right. How can I serve? How can I show up in a way that's authentically me? How can I enjoy what I'm working on? How can I make positive contributions to society?
40:22
Diane Ivey
It's very true. I built something that had a physical product and just because it's not there anymore as far as selling, doesn't mean that you're not an entrepreneur. I think in entrepreneurs, anyone that has ever created a business or continues a business and what you do next with that, what you've learned from that experience, whether you're a mentor for other businesses, you're still an entrepreneur because you built something. What I'm going to do in this next space, I'm really looking forward to that and taking it to the next level.
40:53
Erica Mattison
Awesome. I will mention that there are also intrapreneurs, which might be a phrase that you resonate with, which are people who are innovating creating problem solving, challenging the status quo, and looking for better ways of doing things within organizations where they're not necessarily an owner or don't necessarily have a certain title. But again, it's how we identify.
41:20
Diane Ivey
I'm gonna look that up, definitely share more.
41:24
Erica Mattison
As always, I enjoyed our conversation so much to think about and continue exploring. Thank you for all you do and congrats on this new chapter you're embarking on.
41:34
Diane Ivey
Thank you, Erica. You're the best. I'm so glad we've known each other for so long. You're amazing.
41:40
Erica Mattison
Thank you. Talk to you soon. Bye everyone.
