Meet Shelly Lombard

We were lucky to catch up with Shelly Lombard recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shelly, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I had a demanding Wall Street job at a firm that allowed me to work from home which was perfect for raising a family.

But after 10 years of working long hours, from my house in the suburbs, while balancing child care, I realized that my network of business relationships had evaporated.

I wanted to do a career pivot; but headhunters will only call you about jobs in your industry, not for jobs that you’re dreaming of doing. That’s when you need your own network of relationships to call on.

I realized that I had never been very intentional about building and maintaining a network of business relationships. A strong network of business relationships can help close the gap between where women are in their careers and where they want to be, whether that’s a promotion, the C-suite, or a career pivot.

I launched Schmooze to help & encourage women to build those types of relationships. I don’t want other women to make the mistakes I made.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

During my career, my bank merged with another bank. They invited everyone who was a vice president or higher to a meeting with the top guy. There were about 300 of us. I was the only woman of color in the room.

But as a result, the top guy knew who I was. However, I never figured out how to develop a relationship with him.

I’m the first person in my family to work in corporate America. My parents were teachers. They stressed education and hard work. But nobody told me about networking or mentors, let alone how to do it or find one.

I believe that relationships can close the gap between where you are in your career and where you want to be. I just launched the Schmooze membership program. Schmooze members get access to mini master classes that teach them how to develop & maintain those business relationships; for example, how to create the network you need for the job you want; how to stay visible when you work from home; how to network internally.

The mini master classes are only for Schmooze members. However anyone can attend Schmooze events. We host IRL & virtual events that women can invite clients, potential clients, contacts, colleagues, mentors & mentees (women or men) to, in order to build business relationships.

Shared experiences are a proven way to do that. Think of Schmooze events as an alternative to the sports tickets & golf outings that men use to woo clients and that are paid for by their companies.

Schmooze events include virtual poker lessons, coffee and spirit tastings, and our signature event, Manicures, Massages & Margaritas.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Most recently, I’ve benefited by giving myself permission to operate in what Gay Hendricks calls my zone of genius.

I worked on Wall Street for over 30 years, investing in companies that needed to be restructured. I was competent at it – what Hendricks calls my zone of competence. Before I went to Wall Street, I was a writer = a really good one. My writing skills – my zone of excellence – got me quoted in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and on CNBC multiple times.

But now that I launched Schmooze, I feel like I’m operating in my zone of genius. I can’t even label what I’m doing; but it involves being vulnerable, transparent, and insightful in order to encourage others.

In terms of advice, I’d tell those who are early in their careers that people refer, promote, and do business with people they know, like, and trust. So use every opportunity to build those relationships.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

The ideal Schmooze client is a 30 to 40ish woman who has hit a wall at work. She kept her head down and worked hard. But she didn’t build a network of industry contacts. And she doesn’t have anyone inside her company who would champion her when she’s not in the room.

A strong network of business relationships can close the gap between where she is in her career and where she wants to be, whether that’s the C-suite, a career pivot, or even a board of directors role.

ELF Beauty just did a brilliant campaign called So Many Dicks. The point is that there are more men named Richard (or Rich or Dick) on corporate boards than there are whole groups of underrepresented people. One reason is that 80% of board roles get filled through personal relationships. That’s why your network is so critical.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Schmooze.biz
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shellylombard/

Image Credits

Willow & Bond, by Katy Andrascik