FEATURED POST OF THE WEEK

Our long-form article of the week. You can always view the current and past featured posts on Empower’s blog.

Reflections: SXSW 2025

As a business owner or founder, one of our most valuable assets is…time. How we spend our time is critical, and there’s a constant push and pull. We all wish there were more hours in the day or fewer responsibilities outside of just, well, our business. That’s why, especially this year, when it comes to how I spend my time on business development and networking, I’m trying to be even more discerning. There has to be real business rationale, a hypothesis on the ROI and alignment to priorities for me to say “yes” to an event, travel opportunity, etc.

One business development commitment I’m happy I made this quarter was attending SXSW earlier this month. For those less aware, SXSW is an annual conference and festival in Austin, TX that sits at the intersection of tech, music, film, education and culture. It’s a gathering of global minds across industries and a great way to connect with new people, get immersed in what brands are focused on and learn.

Why SXSW?

Speaking of spending time wisely, let’s start with that hypothesis: Why SXSW?

I entered 2025 knowing I needed to expand Empower’s reach. In Q4 2024, I began targeting certain events in cities with a high concentration of my target partners, and SXSW made that list.

Hypothesis: If I could more consistently get in front of my ideal partners in different markets, I would expand awareness and build a pipeline faster than if I were trying to extend into markets remotely from Nashville. I also believed that developing strong relationships would be even more important this year given the business climate.

On top of that hypothesis, one of my 2025 goals is to 4x topline revenue. This meant I needed to find high-value events in Q1 since sales cycles are long with what I do. Not only is Austin a city known for its startup ecosystem and innovation, but this event, in particular, brings together thousands of innovators, entrepreneurs, ecosystem builders and investors. Sounds perfect, right? Yes and no.

With an event this large, you must go in with a purpose and strategy, otherwise you’ll walk through it aimlessly. A good networking buddy is also a plus if you can find one. Luckily, I had that with Melissa Jones, founder of 3816 Creative. We aligned objectives, developed an event strategy and set targets to hold us accountable.

The result

SXSW delivered and I knocked most of my goals out of the park. The days were long and we were on our feet from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. for most of the five days, but we packed in a lot.

I made meaningful connections with investors, ecosystem partners and other service providers, scheduled more than a handful of follow-up meetings and fell just shy of the number of new ideal partner prospects I hoped to meet. Even falling short on that last one, I came out with more net new potential pipeline than I had anticipated, indicating that the quality of the conversations mattered more than the quantity.

The business goals were important, but so were the takeaways and themes accumulated from days of conversations, visiting activations and attending sessions. Also, the serendipity of the event was something I didn’t expect, and there were several fun small-world run-ins!

What stood out: Themes from the week

Another benefit of SXSW is the breadth of perspective and industry coverage. You get to hear perspectives from industry experts, investors, owners, founders and other stakeholders. Here are four things I took away.

Theme 1: Uncertainty impacting everyone

Whether I was talking to a founder, service provider or investor, economic and political uncertainty is top of mind. It’s impacting people’s ability to make decisions about business investments, allocations of capital, supply chain and more.

Theme 2: AI, AI, AI

AI conversations permeate every industry and nearly every conversation. I met founders leveraging the technology for manufacturing, travel, entertainment, animal communication, customer support, sports, building presentations, retail, building agents and…the list could go on.

Most agree the technology is evolving at a rapid pace, it can be overwhelming to keep up, we need real use cases solving meaningful problems and it’s crucial to continue ensuring we’re harnessing it responsibly.

Theme 3: Sustainability and circular economy

With Rivian as a primary sponsor, it was hard to avoid this conversation. Though, I’m not sure why you would want to distance yourself from it. There’s innovation emerging in areas of sustainability that are fascinating to learn more about, and plenty was discussed in Austin. I did enjoy Rivian’s experiences and the opportunity to learn more about the work creative and R&D agency Are You Mad has been producing.

I also got to learn more about:

• Lightship

• Mozee

• Phigitals

• Hauvant

• Electro.Aero

• Helix Earth

Theme 4: Differentiated customer experiences matter

Not only was this a SXSW theme, but it’s also surfaced in many other Q1 conversations. In an uncertain and evermore competitive market, differentiated customer experiences are at the forefront of people’s minds. Companies are thinking creatively about how to better serve their customers and how those approaches may be changing versus prior years.

I attended one panel at Inc. Founders House with Lyft’s CMO and the founder of Baked by Melissa, specifically targeting this topic. A lot got covered, but highlights include:

• You must be obsessed with your customers beyond just getting them from Point A to Point B. There are a lot of factors at play in between.

• Get immersed in the customer mindset and obsess about the “why.”

• If you’re not listening, you’re missing.

• Brands need to evolve just as customers will change over time.

• Know thyself, and let your brand identity drive decisions.

• As a smaller player, identify ways to punch above your weight.

In the end…

We’ll continue to see the ripple effects of attending this year’s SXSW, and I’m looking forward to further quantifying the impact in subsequent quarters. However, the early metrics and my gut tell me my initial hypothesis continues to prove accurate.

WEEKLY DOSE OF EMPOWERMENT

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Turn down the inner critic dial

I’ll be honest. This is one I’m still working on myself. But it’s important, so let’s talk about it.

Quiet the inner critic.

High achievers: You may, like me, recognize that you can be your own worst critic. You know what it sounds like:

• “You should be further along by now.”

• “You’re not doing enough.”

• “I can’t believe I made that mistake.”

Sometimes, that can be to our advantage. We naturally hold ourselves to high standards and strive for more. However, it can also be destructive. Burnout, decision paralysis and missed opportunities can all be in our future if we don’t keep that inner critic in check.

What are approachable ways to turn down the volume? I’ll give you three.

Tip #1: Name it

Recognize when your inner critic surfaces and name it. It’s a voice in your head and a thought. Not always the reality. Creating space here allows you to take back control and assess situations more objectively.

Tip #2: Shift to curiosity

Instead of judging and blaming yourself, turn your attention to introspection. Ask questions like “What can I learn?” instead of “Why am I failing?”

Tip #3: Record the wins

When that inner critic voice is in overdrive, go back to the progress you’ve made and recognize the wins. Recording daily wins, even the small wins, will help expedite the process. This will help you re-center and remind you of your capabilities.

JESSICA’S READ, OR LISTEN, PICK OF THE WEEK

A little something that got my gears turning this week and might pique your interest as well!

From the AND/BOTH Podcast: Building a Business You Love Without Sacrificing Motherhood

TL;DR

This week’s listen gets personal. Ashley Blackington is a founder I met last year who is building Dovetail Design to streamline logistics for all caregivers. She also hosts the AND/BOTH podcast.

When she asked me to be on an episode, I was both excited and, honestly, a little nervous to share my experience at the intersection of motherhood and building a business.

It’s the most open I’ve been on this topic to date, but these conversations are important so I hope listening to the episode:

• Provides camaraderie for other ambitious women who feel the tension between wanting to BOTH do/build big things for their career AND be present for their family.

• Gives you a peek behind the curtain about me, the type of person and professional I am, what I value and what inspired the Empower journey.

JUST FOR FUN

Really, this section is just for fun. Who knows what will be in store each week?

In Edition 027, I shared my 2025 resolution. To keep me accountable, I’ll be sharing quarterly progress here.

As a reminder, here is the resolution:

I want to find at least one opportunity each quarter to volunteer my time. Whether through mentorship, getting involved in my community, or supporting a cause I believe in, I want this to be a year of giving back.

I’m happy to say, I’ve made progress in Q1. So far:

• I volunteered as a Champion Mentor for the Nashville Entrepreneur Center’s TakeOff program.

• I applied and was accepted for the volunteer Partnerships Manager position for 2025’s Nashville Design Week.

Both of these opportunities allow me to support growing Nashville ecosystems for which I have a genuine interest — empowering entrepreneurs and showcasing the creative community in my backyard.

Looking forward to sharing more updates at the end of Q2! How are your 2025 resolutions progressing?

LOOKING FOR MORE EMPOWERMENT?

You’ve worked hard to build your business. Let’s work together to make it last. We want to be your partner in the journey to develop the business that lives into your vision.

There are four primary ways Empower can partner with you to support getting your business to the next level. Click the image below to learn more about our core offerings.

If you’re ready to take the step, reach out to discuss how we can support your goals. 

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