We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heather Pennington a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

Something I have learned about serving the underserved is that yes you bless those people who really have needs that may be going unmet but the real blessing is what it does to your own self and soul. So many people in America battle depression and yes there are a lot of opportunities as far as medications and self help books, but one of the quickest ways to change your negative self thought patterns is to go serve others! There are a plethora of underserved people who need you. Find something that is near and dear to your heart. My heart tends to go towards the homeless population. When I take them food and supplies, many of them feel as they they are never seen and heard. They always welcome anything I give them but they also appreciate someone who talks with them and makes them feel like a human being that matters. There has been times where they too are walking with a heavy heart and just need word of encouragement or someone to pray with them.

Heather, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Life has a way of just unfolding. For so many people entering the college/young adolescence years, it can be overwhelming. I too was no different and had no idea what I was going to do. I was taking business classes in my undergrad and had to write a business plan for a mockup company in an Entrepreneur class. That business plan had me going out to complete against Yale, Duke and Harvard for my University, Kennesaw State. It was that opportunity that catapulted me to start my first business. Fast forward, and I sold that company after 16 years and started a new firm called I Speak Business. The first firm we focused on projects i.e. websites, videos, graphic design, etc. However, what I saw was a gap in the industry of handling the research and driving the strategy. That is how my consulting firm was birthed. As I tell my kids and any of the young people who have worked for me, we all make mistakes and we only know what we know. Whether it was a mistake or just part of learning, nothing is wasted if you truly learned something. Every experience from the moment I started working 2-3 jobs at just 16 years old, my college education (getting my MBA and starting a Doctorate program), and being a business owner led me to just recently taking a new role in January 2022. A head hunter out of NY reached out about an opportunity and that opportunity turned into something that I absolutely enjoy and am so grateful that it found me. I am now the Director of Marketing for an investment firm, Capital Investment Advisors. It is gratifying to be using 30 years of experience to help others achieve happiness in retirement. Our firm is all about helping families and it starts in the inside of our firm trickling out to our clients. One of our partners Wes Moss has one of the longest call in radio shows on WSB called “Money Matters” and a podcast “Retire Sooner.”

So don’t sweat the small stuff, learn along your journey, and don’t become complacent in your professional career. Look to always advance your knowledge and skills, seeking to become a better person personally and professionally. That will definitely set you up for fulfillment in life!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

While I was running I Speak Business and doing consulting, I had this grand idea to start the first high end pet boutique that you could bring your dogs to eat at the cafe while picking up your dog or cat food and treats. That was one of the hardest times in my life quickly discovering how hard retail is. It was the first idea in the state of Georgia and I jumped through hoops with zoning, food license, etc. I learned things about business I otherwise would have never learned. I will say with a strong branding and marketing background, it was a beautiful brand “Love Our Pooch.” It looked like a big company came in and set it up. After 9 months of working around the clock and running the numbers, I realized I was looking at another 1.5 years before I would be breaking even. After much thought, I realized it was best to take my losses and shut it down. The financial and emotional taxation it took to do that, was a painful process that took months if not a year to recuperate. Sometimes being a business owner requires you to pivot and make hard decisions. There is life after so be encouraged!

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I treat others the way I want to be treated. When you have the right people in the right position, I do not micromanage. I always strive to create a bottom up pyramid where I am on the bottom supporting the people above me. People quickly can tell if you genuinely care about them versus if you are using them as means to an end. The golden rule is a great one! Think about how you want to be treated and treat others with respect, kindness, and a genuine concern.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ispeakbusiness.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.pennington2
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherlynnpennington/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBVCyVsIf290HTwcIGwdgKg?view_as=subscriber

Image Credits
Marisa Harris-Phang