ATHENAPowerlink's Impact Immediate For Recent Graduate
5/26/2009
by Bob Fetter, E-Magnify Staff

ATHENAPowerLink®’s impact on expanding profitability for women through the use of professional advisory panels has been significant for several years.

Deanna Tucci Schmitt, a recent ATHENAPowerLink® graduate can attest to the value of her year-long mentoring.

“Getting outsiders to look in at your business with an objective perspective is not easy to come by,” said Tucci Schmitt. “That completely unbiased, expert advice has been invaluable to me as I went through this process.

“The key to using the panel to the best of your advantage is trust. If you just try what they’re telling you – even if you don’t necessarily agree with it – you’ll see why they were chosen as experts in their fields.”

Tucci Schmitt, Executive Director for BNI Western Pennsylvania, was one of three recent graduates from E-Magnify's Southwestern PA ATHENAPowerLink® program. After a decade of doing business, she decided that ATHENAPowerLink® could help her plan better for the future. The other winners who were recognized at the recent Winners' CIrcle Awards Program Luncheon were Peggy Carpenter, of CP Environmental Group, Inc. and Janet Winters, of Winters Advertising.

“Deanna is really the ideal PowerLink® recipient,” said Shauna Soom, ATHENAPowerLink® Program  Manager. “She really took the process to heart. It was apparent that she was 100 percent involved and excited to be a part of the program.

“One of the great things about Deanna is that she worked to get the most out of her advisors. She expended a lot of time and a lot of energy,” Soom continued. “She came in with very specific goals in it was reflected in the amount of time that went into selecting her panel. But that was also a reflection of her commitment to getting the most out of her experience.”

In 2006, Tucci Schmitt’s husband, Bob, stepped away from his career in commercial insurance to join her at BNI. Part of the mentoring process was to help Deanna and Bob to get on the same business page.

“One of the things we were advised to do was to spend an entire day thinking about what we wanted the future to look like. That was our first goal,” said Tucci Schmitt. “To think about your business in those terms really helps you to fully grasp what it is you are trying to achieve. It just creates a whole new and different perspective.”

Another key to Tucci Schmitt’s experience with PowerLink® was having the help to build a plan for the future.

“Many times when you have your own business, the future happens 24 hours at a time,” Soom said. “The panel was able to help Deanna look beyond a day, a week, a year. They helped her better prepare for the distant future.”

Tucci Schmitt quotes Stephen Covey in saying, “Begin with the end in mind.” For her, it took a little bit of assistance from her panel to adjust her thinking to five, 10 or 15 years into the future.

“Creating a future plan is tricky when there’s so much going on right now,” said Tucci Schmitt. “That’s the reason that the makeup of my panel was so crucial. We had a CPA, an HR professional and an attorney on the panel who all helped in very different ways.

“The CPA obviously helped with the numbers end of things, while the HR professional helped with best hiring practices and our attorney helped with succession planning. It really was a perfect group of mentors.”

When asked about what she took away from her experience with PowerLink®, Tucci Schmitt did not hesitate.

“I recommend that any business in which there are partners should have a day set aside for the parties to get to know one another,” said Tucci Schmitt. “It’s a great way to better understand their respective personal and professional goals.

“I also can’t stress enough what an absolutely untapped resource PowerLink® is. Anyone who is in the position should absolutely take advantage of this amazing resource. It really is way too good to pass up.”

If you are interested in applying for ATHENAPowerLink® or finding out more about the program, log on to http://www.e-magnify.com/aboutus_athena.asp.

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