Lisa Fenton, a Certified Supply Chain Management Professional (CSCMP), is the founder of Propelled by Possibility. A mom who stayed at home with her three boys for 12 years before returning to work. She is the author of 12 Steps to Return to Work workbook: a resource for returners and a published author on creating effective return to work strategies and creating an effective plan in Canadian and UK trade magazines. A public speaker in Canada and the US, she champions moms back to work by sharing tools, tips, and strategies with a focus on negotiating beyond salary.
Tell us about your life before the venture/ leading up to your venture?
As the eldest of three girls, I started babysitting for other families at a very young age. I realized that these families not only needed care for their children but also needed their homes to be tidied up and kept organized.
During the summer I would include additional services such as light housekeeping along with babysitting.
Tell us something about your organization. What is it about and how is it helpful for people?
At the beginning of my return to work journey the challenges I had to overcome included: where and how to start in terms of mapping out my return-to-work strategies, how to present myself as a professional, how to get a current reference, how to find the hidden job market, how to find opportunities to network, how to fund my upskilling, how to determine and allocate limited funds for upskilling, how to keep a positive mindset in terms of my value, not backing down on my value once an opportunity arose, motivation to keep going until I found a suitable position.
What has been the response of the consumers towards your venture?
Two things that I had expectations on that turned out to be completely wrong included: that there would be some type of financial support or program that I would be able to take advantage of that would help me get back in the workforce. Unfortunately, since I had a husband who was working and since I had a college diploma and had worked previously before I left the workforce to care for our boys I did not qualify for any government assistance programs. The other expectation for which I made a huge mistake was in how I approached sending out my resume. I went too narrow in terms of my geographic area I was canvassing for positions and too wide in terms of the positions I applied for. I should have done the opposite gone narrow in which positions I applied to and larger in terms of the geographic search area
How has your life changed because of your venture?
My business is unique in that I don’t just focus on strategies that will get you back into the workforce. I give you a template that enables you to solve problems and a template that enables you to rank what you’re looking to accomplish. Combining these two strategies allows you to ensure you focus your time and energy in the most time and cost-effective manner.
Problem solving is ranked by employers as the most important skill for their employees in May of 2019.
As well I give you negotiation strategies to enable you to negotiate not just your salary but your annual review as well as use both personally and professionally.
These strategies can enable you to map out your career journey all along your lifelong career.
Give a motivational message for the audience/women who are reading this.
The pandemic has been the hardest of all times as in person events were canceled. I was not able to book or attend in person speaking events. I had to shift to online event opportunities, more focus was placed on podcasts and online speaking opportunities. This change highlighted the value of my personal network and having contacts and an online presence on social media platforms. Much like a job search as an entrepreneur your network is invaluable and hidden opportunities will present themselves when you least expect it. We open our world when we collaborate with others.
