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Kelly Scanlon

Kelly Scanlon is a business owner, publisher, radio host, past chair of the National Association of Women Business Owners and lifelong small business and entrepreneur advocate. She currently owns Interrobang Solutions, a company that provides writing, editing and other professional publishing services for companies. For more than 20 years, Kelly owned Thinking Bigger Business Media, Inc., a company that publishes and produces a variety of publications, products and events that connect growth-minded business owners with practical strategies, resources and information that will take them to the next level of success. She sold Thinking Bigger in March 2018. Kelly serves on a variety of local, regional and national boards designed to advocate and assist small businesses. She served as national chair of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) in 2010-2011 as part of a 5-year tenure on the national board of directors. Kelly was recognized in August 2011 on a list published by Forbes as one of the “Top 25 Women Tweeting About Entrepreneurship.” Some of the other awards she has won include the 2011 United Nations NGO Positive Peace Award on behalf of Kansas City area small business owners; U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2009 Region VII Women’s Business Advocate (for Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska); and numerous others.

Personal Development

2020: Your “Gift at the Moment of Opening It”

One of my favorite books is Annie Dillard’s memoir “An American Childhood.” In it, Dillard captures the exuberance and wonderment of a child on the brink of self-discovery in 1950’s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Over the years, I have returned often to one passage in which Dillard masterfully describes a child who for the first time becomes aware of the difference “between…

Leadership

Why So Many New Executives Fail

Are you setting your new executives up for success or for failure? Of course, you say, we do everything to support our new executives and ensure their success. After all, their success is the company’s success. Be honest. How many times have you promoted one of your “rock stars” to a senior position, only to see that person flounder in…

Leadership

Business Lessons From the Orchestra

As a business leader, do you ever feel like you’re conducting an orchestra? It’s hard to get all the people and parts moving harmoniously, isn’t it? On an episode of my podcast Talking Business Now, I talked with Maestro Roger Nierenberg, the founder of The Music Paradigm. Nierenberg believes organizations can learn many critical lessons from orchestras, including insights into…

Business Growth

Everything Has a Shelf Life

Sometimes just a few words can cut through the clutter and bring clarity. I was reminded of that recently while having lunch with a couple of business owner friends. One was still feeling angst over a staff situation that had ended more than a year ago. The relationship had started on a promising note, brought many benefits to the employee,…