Today I find myself in a new type of program, where flexibility is vital, but not measured.  The gymnasium has been replaced with an office.  My classmates are now my co-workers.  This is not an individual contest, but a team effort.   When school is cancelled for a snow day, it’s okay to work from home.  Or even the next day, when the kids have a 2 hour late start, it’s ok to come in 2 hours later.

The support, and flexibility, within our team is reflected in our clients and our work.  Our clients embrace the culture we have created.  We meet them where they are- because we are flexible.  Our flexibility becomes their best asset.  And now, thanks to my 2balance family, flexibility has become my best asset, too.

-Tiffany

What are the problems with this type of approach? First your competitor can fire their marketing agency because they don’t need it. They have you to advertise their name and brand. I recently passed a business with a huge banner on it. The first thing that stood out was the competition’s name. I had to look twice to see why that business was advertising for their competition. Next I wondered why they had to take this approach. Can’t they stand on their own merits? Are they not quite as good as their competition but scrambling to catch up?
In these economic times, many people are brand hopping to find the best value but there are still those that are looking for the overall experience. If the same price is being offered, but your competition has far better customer service, more knowledgeable staff, well-displayed aisles, and a great marketing plan; it’s safe to say that the big banner splashing their name is only going to add to their marketing efforts and not yours.  I want my brand as well as my clients to not be conceived as good as but much better than my competition.

-Sheri

I don’t know who originally said this, but I have come to lean upon this simple statement.  I emerged from college with a vision of my career as a market researcher and after twenty-two years working in the field I have to say it met my expectations.  I love the whole research process from developing the hypothesis to digging through the results and proving or disproving what we felt was the truth.  Finding out something you believed to be true was actually false delighted me because it confirmed that research was a powerful tool and that people are so very hard to figure out.  “Perceptions are reality” was the mantra I lived by and how I would explain contrary results to a client who just knew their product was the best thing ever to hit the market.  A person’s perceptions are a hard shell to crack.

Then I found myself at a crossroads in my career.  My freelance work was slowly disappearing along with our stable economy and for the first time in my life I was contemplating a career change.  It was both scary and exciting to think of the possibilities.  Did I leave behind a career that I had enjoyed (most days) for the whole of my adult life or did I find a way to marry the skills I had with new skills.  I had to shift my perceptions and open up my mind.

As often happens in life, the opportunity was right in front of me even if I didn’t immediately recognize it.  I began working at 2balance with the intention of providing research services to our current clients.   The economy, however, was causing many companies to turn to public relations in order to squeeze the most from their diminishing marketing budgets.  And, so I began my second career in public relations almost without realizing it.

As I began working in the public relations field I quickly learned that my skills as a market researcher fit nicely into the skill set required for PR.  And while I used my research skills daily identifying journalists and publications to approach and finding that newsworthy tidbit that will turn a release into a cover story, I was now able to exercise the creative side of my brain.  Marrying together my research skills with the new skills I was learning in public relations gave me a different perspective on marketing.  Knowledge is vital but so is the ability to disseminate that information and communicate it to the right audience.

Over the past three years, I have learned that perceptions can change.  That life is change and we either go with it or we get run over by it.   That growth, new directions and an open mind are the ingredients to a happy, balanced life and that using our skills in new ways often leads to a better product in the end.

-Jackie

How often have we heard that women cannot have it all?  That we have to choose career or family?  I found this discouraging before I even had children but was hopeful there was a more balanced choice to be found.  As I watched friends around me starting their families, it seemed to be true.  You either were a stay at home mom or a working mom (and that meant you had chosen the career option).  After I had my first child, I made the decision to be at home with her full-time.  I have to admit that I really struggled, was not completely full-filled and ultimately, went through a small depression.  A few years later, my second child was born and I still found myself longing for something more.  Of course, I am crazy about my two precious girls but knew that I needed another outlet where I could utilize my education, experience, and energy.

A few years later, several “meant to be” pieces fell into place and I found myself working part-time at 2balance.  After my first project, I was glowing!  I forgot how much I loved collaborating with co-workers, pleasing a client and completing a challenging assignment.  I found myself happier, fulfilled and enjoying my life more (especially my children) and I was hooked.  However, what is so unique is that I had actually found a place where I could balance my profession with my busy personal life.  2balance offers me the ability to bring my children to work, to work from home, and to work the hours that are best for me and my children’s schedules.  The culture at 2balance is to support each other so we can achieve in all areas of our lives.  I have worked here for a little less than two years, but I still pinch myself in disbelief that I have a challenging career that I love and am also an active, involved mom.   I was able to find that balance and am ever so grateful!

I would encourage you to find your balance – whatever it might be that allows you to have a full life.  Even if you have to create your own.  It will be worth it!

-Andrea

Last summer my family packed up and moved 250 miles across the state when my husband was offered a position at Southeast Missouri State University. The decision to relocate was difficult for many reasons; one being that I didn’t want to look for another job at this point in my life. I had been so very blessed to be part of a team that created such a unique culture at 2balance and I didn’t want to give that up.  Fortunately, I didn’t have to because our culture inherently made the option to telecommute and work from home an obvious solution. I’ll admit I was a little skeptical at first. Could I stay focused on work while staring at a basket of dirty laundry?  Would I lose the benefit of collaborating with my co-workers? Would my clients be happy?

This month marks the one-year anniversary of that decision and as I take a look back to evaluate this “experiment” I am pleased that it has been so successful.  A monthly trip to spend several days in the office keeps me connected to my co-workers and we use that time for brainstorming, team building and meetings that are best in person.  My clients are very supportive of the arrangement. I even received a lovely package from a client my first week in my home office containing a “new pair of work shoes” shown here in the photo.  As for the dirty laundry, I’ve found that it can easily be ignored.

It’s interesting that I have discovered many others that telecommute every day and we enjoy comparing notes. I recently reconnected with a friend who works for a company in Kansas City. The company was purchased by an international concern so they closed their local offices and made offers to key employees to allow them to work from home.  She hates it.  And I love it.  So, telecommuting is not for everybody but it will likely become more and more common.

While it’s difficult to determine an accurate number of people who actually work from home full-time, it is estimated that about 42 million people, roughly a third of the workforce in the U.S., now work from home at least 1-2 days per week. In the most recent Fortune magazine list of “Top 100 Companies to Work For,” 84 of the 100 companies on the list allow telecommuting.

In the coming weeks there will be more posts about telecommuting and we would like to hear from you.  We welcome an exchange of ideas and resources to help those of us who have the option of wearing bunny slippers to work everyday.

-Kate