In the Suite

18. Rising Up with Mindset, Marketing, Money and Media with Marsha Guerrier, Founder and CEO of HerSuiteSpot

August 28, 2020 Tina Powell | Marsha Guerrier Season 1 Episode 18
In the Suite
18. Rising Up with Mindset, Marketing, Money and Media with Marsha Guerrier, Founder and CEO of HerSuiteSpot
Show Notes Transcript

Today we’re excited to welcome Marsha Guerrier into In the Suite. Marsha is a multi-hyphenate businesswoman who, while having a full-time career in Financial Technology, also manages to be a bestselling author, speaker, business coach, and CEO of HerSuiteSpot.

For the past seven years, Marsha has produced the HerRise Conference, formerly called The Women on the Rise Forum & Expo. She created the conference after observing friends and women she mentored who wanted to progress in their careers but became stuck as they figured out how. The conference – this year taking place virtually on October 9th and 10th – is thus geared towards advancing women of color leaders, entrepreneurs, executives and their allies in their careers and businesses.

Marsha organizes her life around four main pillars: mindset, marketing, money and media. In our discussion, Marsha speaks to how she continues to do this through all of the many things and people she touches, including the non-profit she runs, the Yva Jourdan Foundation. 

Join the conversation to hear about:

  • Marsha's tip of the day for In The Suite listeners (4:45)
  • How you can experiment with new media forms for your business (6:57)
  • The impetus of Marsha starting HerSuiteSpot (8:52)
  • Why giving away micro grants to budding entrepreneurs can be life-changing (17:50)
  • The answer to whether you should start your own foundation (25:15)
  • The secret to how Marsha is also a three-times bestselling author (29:42)
  • How Marsha went from a corporate job in high school to working in fast food to being a multihyphenate businesswoman (34:55)
  • A day in the life of Marsha Guerrier (38:34)
  • How Marsha champions her superpower and gets it all done (42:47)


Referenced Materials

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Tina Powell  00:08

Hi, this is Tina Powell host of In the Suite where I sit down with top women leaders and some of the biggest names in the financial services and the wealth management industry. Together we'll discover some of their best secrets and top strategies to grow great business build a strong brand and lead teams in the 21st century. I hope you'll enjoy hearing their amazing personal stories of triumph, trepidation and transformation in hopes of becoming better leaders ourselves. The time for you to lead is now and you're In the Suite. Marsha Guerrier, best-selling author, speaker trainer, business analyst, coach and CEO of women on the rise in New York, HerSuiteSpot a minority women business owners certified coaching and small business consulting agency. As a woman in tech Marsha has everything it takes to produce a world class phenomenal event and then some. Marsha is the founder of HerRise conference, formerly known as Women on the Rise Forum and Expo, the premier event for women of color leaders, entrepreneurs, executives and their allies taking place virtually on Friday, October 9, to Saturday, October 10. Now in its seventh year for this year's HerRise conference and because of COVID-19, Marsha said the event must go on. Well leave it to her, a senior test engineer who also happens to be a serial entrepreneur, a mom, business coach and a three time best-selling author to find a way to engineer a new virtual experience that includes a pitch competition and $20,000 worth of micro grants for Women of Color. Marsha also has a full time career in financial technology spanning over 20 years working for Fortune 500 companies and startups in the area of quality assurance, business analysis and product management. She's worked at checkfree City group, and now at a Prio as a senior test engineer in debt domain syndicated loans. Marsha also holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and economics. And one of the many gifts that you'll discover about Marsha is her support of other women. Whether it's through her books, coaching, HerRise conference, and the nonprofit, the EVA Jordan foundation Marsha’s life is focused on advancing women of color in their careers and their businesses. She organizes HerSuiteSpot, her podcast, and her life around four main pillars mindset market. Money and media. So get ready to rise up with Marsha Guerrier In the Suite. Welcome, Marsha. Guerrier I'm so excited to have you In the Suite today. Finally, it's been a while You and I have been going back for a couple weeks. And that's how life works, right?

 

Marsha Guerrier  03:19

Yes. That's how it works. I'm so grateful to finally have this time to chat with you In the Suite.

 

Tina Powell  03:26

Oh man. We are going to have such a great time today. You are involved in a lot of interesting projects. So I cannot wait to speak to you. You are a three time best selling author. Marsha has a business coach. She is a philanthropist. And oh, by the way, she is a senior test engineer at debt domain syndicated loans. I mean, how cool is that and your mom on top of it?

 

Marsha Guerrier  03:54

Yes. My son who is now my assistant at home

 

Tina Powell  04:00

I love it. I love it. And you know you've done a really, you have such an really incredible background and vitae and I also I've been following you now on Twitter for quite a while @HerSuiteSpot that is spelled hersuitespot. And so the other thing is like, how cool is that to have HerSuiteSpot In the Suite today? That's really great. And you also to have a have a podcast of your own. I caught a couple of episodes. And I love love how you start out your podcast each day with with a tip. And so I thought it would be really cool to ask, Hey, can you give us a really a great tip to start off our Friday? Yay.

 

Marsha Guerrier  04:47

Yes, Happy Friday. Yay everyone. So one of the tips I love to share with people is around so you know my my four pillars of the HerSuiteSpot are mindset money market. And media, and one of my best tips for people is around media. And what a perfect place to be talking about it right on your podcast talking about you just mentioned my podcast. And so I want to encourage people to not overthink, the type of media exposure that they should get for their business is you know, having someone talk about you on any platform is good news, right? That's Free Press. So it's really important, especially if you're new in business in order to really get a leg up in your career. To find podcasts just like this, just like HerSuiteSpot experience podcast, and put yourself out there, begin to create a buzz in more what I call the internet streets before you're looking to get straight to the mainstream media. So when you're looking for me For your your career and your business elevation, definitely look towards bloggers and podcasters to get yourself out there.

 

Tina Powell  06:11

That is such great advice. And when I listened to your podcast that is again at HerSuiteSpotExperience.com, that is with the suite as in suite like we're in right now. I was really impressed. You interview a lot of great women on that. Also you cover a lot of different ground. And it is about making sure that women get their voices out and experiment with new mediums. Why do you think the trepidation exists, right? I know for my own self, yeah. So Marsha, you had your podcast way before I had In the Suite. And it I have to admit I had some early trepidation. I had to master a learning curve. You know what is your advice to women besides If they are ready to experiment with new mediums, and new media forms, such as blogging and such as podcasting, what's a great way for those women to get started? Because it is a little daunting in the beginning, right?

 

Marsha Guerrier  07:12

It's absolutely daunting. And I would say, one, just get started. Find a platform that you're comfortable with. A lot of them may seem super technical, maybe. So there are so simple platforms that you could get started with. And don't put too much pressure on yourself to be a everyday blogger or everyday podcasters start off with once a month, then go to to twice a month, then go to weekly. If you ever make it I haven't made it to a daily show, because we've got so much going on. But if you can make it to that then great, but I feel like getting yourself into the media world is really great fun and Don't take it too seriously.

 

Tina Powell  08:01

Hmm. And that is great advice from a three time best selling author and from the CEO of HerSuiteSpot, a business coaching agency for women of color entrepreneurs. You're involved in so many so many great things. And here's one of the I love this. I found this. Someone said this about you, and it's public. So I guess that I can mention her by name. Then that was Natasha and then passion nurse said, Marsha is a visionary dedicated to empowering women in their personal life and business through her unforgettable events, best selling books, and digital content. And I think that that's really in line with what you were just talking about mindset, money and marketing. And what gave you the idea to start HerSuiteSpot a business coaching agency because you have other things going on. And we're going to be talking about your philanthropy. And you are also, again, you're an engineer on the on the side as a senior test engineer, so that is to have both of those going at the same time. You know, what was the catalyst for you starting that coaching agency in the first place?

 

Marsha Guerrier  09:22

Well, you know, in FinTech and FinServ, I was fortunate enough to be put in leadership roles at times. And so I found myself mentoring people all the time, talking to younger women, especially particularly women of color in the industry, on how to navigate being in the street. And then I got to a point where my friends and even myself with, you know, side businesses that I would run throughout my life, I've tried different businesses. I'm a serial entrepreneur, as they say, and I got to a point where I realized a lot of my friends were kind of caught up in a hammer. We'll, where we're just kind of doing anything to see what would stick and I wanted to create from even myself a place in a space where I could learn. I could support I could get support and I could support other women on a similar journey. And that's what I did. And I did it with the first Woman on the Rise Forum & Expo, which is a conference that I produce now. going on. We're going on our seventh year. Yeah,

 

Tina Powell  10:30

all that I was like, wow, seven years.

 

Marsha Guerrier  10:35

Yes, I get so amazed by people's reaction to the longevity of it. Although I know it is not easy. But I used to be an event planner I I produced events in the past. And so to me, it comes natural and I love it. So I've merged the two things that I love the most of that planning and help educate and train people. And so I came up with the event seven years ago, we had a room of 20 people. We were in a community center, we had maybe seven or eight vendors. And it was a success. People wanted more. And we've grown from that to serving 150 people last year, we went from a four hour half day conference. It's 20 women, eight vendors to two day conference. And 150 women around the two days and 15 plus vendors every year. So it's been it's been an amazing journey.

 

Tina Powell  11:39

I loved it. I loved actually researching your background and finding the description for the rise forum, an event happening now it's happening in October of 2020. Is this now because of COVID. A lot of events have gone virtual, how are you organizing it this year.

 

Marsha Guerrier  11:59

So in the very beginning of the year, going through my own personal experiences with the COVID the pandemic mental health becoming a homeschool teacher. I decided to actually cancel the event. So I said I couldn't I can't do this. It's too much. And so many things has progressed during this time that I said, What were you thinking? It must go on. I'm a woman in tech. Hello, I have everything it takes to produce a phenomenal virtual event. And that's exactly what we're doing. We found a platform online hop in which is super amazing and can actually help me bring my live experience to the virtual world. So we'll still have vendors will still have networking breakouts. So I'm super excited for this year and with the change of 2020 So had me rethink the name of the conference so a woman on the Ryan's farm and Expo will now be known as the HerRise conference. Wow. Oh, mg. HerRise calm phrase. That is that is beautiful. That is so strong and powerful. When are the dates for the HerRise conference? It will be October 9 and 10th. We have a phenomenal lineup. I amaze myself and literally I just started planning in June. This is a conference that I've been running for, like I said seven years. When we end in October by December. I have a draft of the conference by November. I mean by February I would have speakers and the agenda roughly completed and everyone pretty much booked this year. I literally started in June and We already have an amazing lineup. We have a pitch competition that will be taking place, and some amazing judges that I hope people will get excited about.

 

Tina Powell  14:14

I'm excited, I'm going to be there. I'm excited even in researching before you change the name. So I loved it. I love how you explain it. And for those of you listening right now, if you're on a treadmill, or if you're driving right now, let me tell you why you need to be there too. We are and you're going to join me there because I'm going to be there we are going to get ready for two days of elevation education and transformative experience from our luminary speakers and educators in the areas of mindset, money, marketing and media, the four pillars that you started out with Marsha that these things that you stand for, who doesn't need information about mindset, marketing, money and media, we all need something but it sounds like that you have events, you've got entrepreneurs, you've got coaches, career professionals, product makers. I love it. Now with these, I guess these new pitches, this is really a fantastic experience that you are cultivating. I know that if Marsha Gary is behind it, that this will be a rock star event that I that I know about you.

 

Marsha Guerrier  15:22

Thank you so much, Tina, you're so sweet.

 

Tina Powell  15:36

One of the other ideas that that that I saw, and I guess that it it culminates with be her raise conference now. Oh, I love just saying it is, unbeknownst to me that I found out that you were also to have a PR rise micro grant. So here we go. You are You are an engineer. You are a conference organizer, your business coach and you are a philanthropist. Wow. I love what you are doing right now for women of color. So if I understand it correctly, you are offering $20,000 grants micro,

 

Marsha Guerrier  16:22

we're giving away a little over 20,000. In total. We are giving 20 women we're going to select 20 women through our application process to get $500 each. And then from that we're going to select five women to pitch live at this year's conference and in front of our judges, and we're going to be giving a grand prize of $5,000 first place is 20 502nd place. I think it's 15 third places 1000 and then we're going to pick a fan favorite, so everyone at the conference gets to be in on that. And vote for their favorite pitch, product or service that will be pitching. So we're excited about that. That's another great thing about this virtual experience that we're creating that you actually get to be involved.

 

Tina Powell  17:14

That's really, really cool. And even before that, I mean, you've been known for your philanthropy. You have the iva Jordan foundation. So this isn't something new for martial everybody. It's not like she just decided to just Oh, yeah, I'm going to do a virtual end event and I'm going to tack on a foundation. No, this is a woman. This is an entrepreneur. This is a smart savvy businesswoman that has had philanthropy as a part of her life. I have to tell you as being a female entrepreneur, and I would say also to maybe not as serial entrepreneurs, you it was really inspiring to see that Where did the impetus of tell us a little bit about the iva ga or Eva Jorgen foundation as you know, Explain to us how you also to started these, these micro micro grants. And you know what's been some really cool success stories because a little money right

 

Marsha Guerrier  18:12

goes a long way a long way the micro grants not meant to pay your rent or our make a huge financial impact. But what it does is motivates and inspires women that are receiving these small grants to keep pushing that someone has conceived them someone has, it's further validation to the ideas that they come up with to start for a business. Because there's a process we don't just pick you up from anywhere you do have to go through a process of applying. This is not our first pitch competition. We had a pitch competition to you two or three years ago, three years ago, and you know, the women get to practice and hone in on their message. Women that would normally not see themselves pitching women that are really just running businesses just to make ends meet. Now get this experience and can see themselves pitching and you know, one day Why can I be on Shark Tank to exactly? beach right?

 

Tina Powell  19:24

Did you read my mind I watched Shark Tank all the time. It is one of my favorite favorite shows. And then I saw this week they had and I don't know if it was a repeat or not. They had like an inflatable life vest. So you know how sometimes you're wearing a life jacket you can be very like uncommon in in and especially if you're like doing things on the water. And then this one is very thin and then you pull it in order to inflate. And that exactly and it was Coast Guard approved and they've got the patent. They've got the whole thing. I love that right So interesting. I think

 

Marsha Guerrier  20:01

all of us, right, it validates a lot of people's ideas too. And there's not just one sneaker company, there's not just one shoe company. There's not just one clothing line. So it's okay if you're developing and just re engineering something that already exists. No one is trying to reinvent the wheel. We can't, it's been made. And it's okay to find a product and look at it from a different lens, develop it into something where you feel you can improve upon for a specific problem. And so years ago, I started the evil Jordan Foundation, truly, because I've been volunteering all my life until you cleaned up the block you did whatever, right? And so I had this overwhelmingly joyous feeling in my heart and I was I started handing out food to the homeless and just making sandwiches and I started telling people about it, and then people offered me money to help me And I wasn't expecting it at all. And when people started giving me money, I said, well, it's not a write off for you, but thank you. And then I said, You know what, I need a way to help people get write offs that want to support people who, and it was people who would normally not make donations anywhere they became purpose to, so they get to give to me into my cause, and insane now that they do philanthropy work. I was fortunate enough to be accepted by the Hofstra Law Clinic at Hofstra University in New York. That is so impressive. They accepted me into their program and helped me through the process, get my tax exempt status, and every year we've evolved in our mission to so our overall mission is always to support children and families, particularly women and children with special needs. And the special needs could be almost anything and so We started working with children with disabilities and special needs I volunteered at my church teaching young kids with special needs religion and just it just evolved into school supply giving. We have an annual backpack drive, which this year is kind of we're unsure what we should do about it with school being so

 

Tina Powell  22:20

Oh yeah, so hard. I was just an article the other day I was in the grocery store and they had all types of school supplied packaging already kind of already co assembled. And then you can you can donate to the grocery store there and then they'll send one of those packages. But exactly, it is so confusing right now this whole area of schooling and what's doing like you yourself started out in broadcast martial saying like, oh, by the way, you now you're and now you're homeschooling your four, you're forced to homeschool

 

Marsha Guerrier  22:54

you right? And so, so yeah. So everything this year is just making you Kind of rethink the way things happen. So my volunteers, we're always so excited to put together the backpacks we deliver on to whatever recipient would be for the year. And this year, we can't do that. And we're looking into programs where we could just make donations and they will ship it directly to families into schools so that it's safe for them. And we are not exposing ourselves and other people during this time. So we're finding we're finding new ways to give our backpack season. And again, it evolved into education. Like I said, I was always teaching and so I turned it over to my personal passion, which is entrepreneurship. We teach young kids about entrepreneurship as well. In those four pillars, and we've had workshops in that area, volunteer my time to teach that and then we partner with great sponsors. Often where they sponsor us to have an event. And for for our annual women's conference, HerRise conference, we do partner with brands and companies that want that exposure as well through our conference.

 

Tina Powell  24:24

You know, you're such an extraordinary woman again, I a lot of these things have already been placed for, for you, Marsha. Even the foundation was established in 2007 and 2017. You know, these are now it's it's three years old. Your event is seven years old,

 

Marsha Guerrier  24:41

established in 2009 2009.

 

Tina Powell  24:43

Okay, so thank you very much for the correction. I'm even more impressed if I wasn't ready. How hard is it to for some of the women listening especially, I think a lot of us have, those have a lot of those similar tendencies to you that we want To give back, we feel like you feel very privileged and very blessed that we have the lives that we do. We work for great companies. We have great clients, we go to work every day. And we're just very, very happy about the work that we're putting out in the universe here. What would you say? What would be your advice? Should everyone set up a foundation? What would be the different boxes that you would need to check to say, if you were coaching me right now, if Tina wants to set up a foundation, what kind of questions would you ask whether or not that hey, I should do this?

 

Marsha Guerrier  25:34

Yes, I get this a lot. A lot of my service based, heart centered clients do think that they should try and go down the nonprofit, right? Because they believe that nonprofits magically get a lot of money that this grant world is open to anyone that exists as a nonprofit. And that is Not true. It is it doesn't happen that what easily, I would say unless you are ready have a network of philanthropy type people, people that understand giving and will give to you regularly. If not, you would need to ensure that you have resources that will do grant writing for you grant searching for you proposals is probably harder than if you started a business and charge people the fees for your services it so people believe that they want to do the service and the work that they do, but if they could get grants and money to do it to pay them, it will allow them to still get paid still earn income, but through some type of nonprofit And it really is difficult. It's harder to get started and to keep your nonprofit funded.

 

Tina Powell  27:07

Wow, that's so interesting. Thank you for that I would rather just make a contribution to you and the iva Jordan foundation. And that's a way that one can express philanthropy. Grants are like, grants are extreme. You have to really, really know what you're doing in terms of grants. There are people who just that's all they do there are there you can graduate with a degree in grant writing, and I feel that it's a part art and science and I was on a board for Southern Connecticut State University where I served there for seven years on their business advisory council. And I would remember when we had to do grants, I wasn't in the room. I was not selected in the room to do that. But this is what it was. It's like okay, we have to do the grants. The room the door did not open for like three days, four days you didn't come out Right. It is like a total shutdown, you make yourself inaccessible to the rest of the world because it is so extreme. I really, really am impressed and I'm hearing what you're saying. Even if you are successful right on the front end of Hey, the grant was accepted, you're getting those monies. This is not just a once and done event. This is something you have to continue to do. And which, which I think is a really good segue. As I as I look at your career more sure. You You have a lot of momentum, right, you're a person of momentum. You have done a lot of it's not like one podcast episode. It's a lot of podcast episodes. It's not just one book. It's three best selling books. And you know, I want to make sure that everybody knows that Marsha does have a page on Amazon, you can go to amazon.com and find books by Marsha Guerrier. And I want to she's written a book in 2017 written a book in 2018, another one in 2019. Let me just read off some of the tests some of the the, the titles, life balance, the one in 2017 life balance for the woman on the rise, A Woman's Guide to finding balance and then the second book in October 2018. Boy I can't wait to discuss often so with you Martian can find the secret sauce here. Is this success strategies for women on the rise? And then you mention in 2019 soaring beyond the nine to five for women on the rise. Wow. How, like, how are you getting all of this done when you're like, what I would, I would have thought like, hey, having being a mom, and I know because I'm a mom too. I probably after the first book, I would have been like exhausted Now

 

Marsha Guerrier  30:03

I can tell you each of these books are anthologies as well that I, I have not completed the entire book. I write chapters I write the introduction, I am also the publisher of the book. I make sure so, in women on the rise and HerSuiteSpot is all it's all about amplifying other women's voices, right. And so they're women with dreams of becoming an author. Just like you, you may want to become an author and get published. Yet the idea of producing an entire book is daunting, like you said, and so I work with women and train them to produce a chapters worth of content. Give us your story. In all those anthologies that we produced. We ask women in various fields to write their stories, give advice and tips or that women that are reading the book can relate to their story and can find that, you know, they're not one in a million, they're one in a few. And we can all help each other. We all have experiences that will motivate and inspire others. And so the books have been a way to not only get my voice out there, but also as a way to help amplify other women. And so I'm super proud of the women that have wrote for the book projects that I've produced. It really has helped them to come out of their shell. And a majority of my authors then become book authors have their own, they write their own books that they could publish and sell to the marketplace as well. So

 

Tina Powell  31:51

and one of the things that really impresses me about you Marsha, is that everything that you're involved in touches one of those four pillars and you started out with a great tip. on media experimenting with different forms of media putting ourselves out there. And one of the strategies that we don't hear a lot of is the Amazon strategy to make sure that your content is fundable searchable on Amazon, which you've done brilliantly here. And I love how you have how you've not only amplified your own voice, but you've amplified the voices of other authors, such as Stacy, Niccolo, Yvette Solomon, Alexandra Feyenoord, and what's really cool is on Amazon, it's not just that you're mentioning those articles, but it actually is a clickable and searchable link that brings you to that next author. So kudos to you for not only amplifying the voices but doing it in a way that's very like 2020 and, and tech. So I would expect nothing less from you, Marsha. Thank you. You have such true.

 

Marsha Guerrier  32:58

Yeah, you have to That's that's the whole point of my network and building a solid network for women to support one another. I mean, the movement for women right now, in showing support, and an ally ship for each other is important. And it's because they're, you know, we probably all of us have come up through heavily male dominated industries. And women were kind of always put against each other vying for that one position that would go to the one woman. And so now we're, we're really coming together in a way that I haven't seen. I haven't been in this industry for over 23 years. I don't like to share my age, Tina, but I

 

Tina Powell  33:44

know but you had some impressive experience Miss Marsha checkfree, Citi group embryo like these are big companies. You started out you were at Citi group as a senior business analyst for four, five Yours I want to celebrate that. So we don't have to say when the origin but I am probably older than you which might surprise you. But you know, really, I know you've been in the industry for for a while, you know, kind of tell us and share with us how that origin story started. I mean, it looks like you had your first position at checkfree

 

Marsha Guerrier  34:22

I actually didn't I probably stopped putting all my positions online or or even on my resume, because then I look really old.

 

Tina Powell  34:31

Me too. I look.

 

Marsha Guerrier  34:33

I get it, I get it.

 

Tina Powell  34:37

Apply anymore, right? Like, yeah, I don't need to have our last like, or last 20 things that we've done. But, you know, tell us about the foray into the financial services and what brought you here.

 

Marsha Guerrier  34:48

So funny enough in high school many, many years ago, I was accepted. So I was always excelling and I knew corporate America was the place that I would throw And so in high school, I joined the co op program. It was back then. So there was a program that will allow you to go to school part time and and have a part time job. And my first I won't tell you my first job actually was in the ninth grade. And it was working in the New York City more in the call center department. Wow. So I have always been attracted to working in quote in corporate environments. And my first job in the industry after some time in college, was a note in high school. I got the first job at shearson Lehman.

 

35:41

Wow, that is unbelievable. It's like, right

 

Tina Powell  35:44

now. Really, really cool. Actually. I had a babysitting job in high school in corporate America Marja,

 

Marsha Guerrier  35:53

I'm so lucky I'd never had you know, when I got to one point in college, this is a fun story. I was so I felt like I missed that fast food job experience. So I went and worked at the campus burger joint.

 

Tina Powell  36:13

I went to Kentucky Fried Chicken. Yeah. So I was like, Wait, how did she get shearson Lehman and I got KMC What did I do wrong? Oh, funny when I when

 

Marsha Guerrier  36:23

I went to apply for a job, you know, student work at the college at the college that I was going to. They put me in a accounting office. Accounting was my first major before entrepreneurship and management. And, and I was like, Why no, I have to work here. I'm on. I'm in college. No. So I left the accounting department job. And I said, Put me with the cool kids in the cafe and I went to work there instead. And I had the time of my life. And then I work for Nathan Lewis. Most likely, if I knew The one of the very first outsourcing companies in the FinTech or fin serve industry, where they were a broker dealer that had the vision. That was outsourcing work for another financial company. And this is before the really huge boom of outsourcing. And and I was so happy to work there, I was able to work my way up into the more away from the back office and and into technology. And that's how I grew my career as a business analyst. And now a software test engineer working directly with developers. I personally don't code, but I work with the developers in ensuring that they build their practice and our software. So it's been a long road in the industry. And I've touched various You know, I'm that person that started from file clerk office, all the way up now to where I am in development.

 

Tina Powell  38:00

Wow, that's such an amazing success story again, looking at your BJ, are you happy about the transition to the senior test engineer from what I understand is that even if you're not writing code, that even just communicating with developers requires a certain core competency, a certain set of skills. So what do you find that's different about having to relate to, you know, those senior developers and and how are you like, how are you meeting I almost like, I want to know a day in the life of Marsha, right? What is like what does a day look like? Right and and, you know, how often are you meeting your meeting? Like obviously, you're meeting virtually now, kind of just tell us what, even just an abbreviated part of your day looks like. I'm really fascinated you one of the goals of In the Suite podcast here at which you bring is telling us another story, adding on to the stories that we've already heard.

 

Marsha Guerrier  39:01

Yeah, it's hard work, basically. But passion having a passion to learn more, having a passion to understand the work that you're doing and not just do a rotational job and moving away from you know, middle office type work and wanting to be more analytical wanting to be a part of the innovation of the products that we were offering to our marketplace. For me that is really what drives me to remain in the in the role and working directly with developers from me and the business. So as a test engineer, you're working to ensure that stakeholders and product managers visions are being executed with excellence, you know, through the development team, and so I am always the connector, and even in my business in HerSuiteSpot. I'm always referenced as the connector. Because I'm always connecting my clients and people that are not my clients to the resources and the tools that they need to thrive.

 

Tina Powell  40:11

That's so cool. We became connected because of Sheryl Hickerson and females and finance, that your that you and I both belong to the same New York chapter. And I'm not surprised that people would say that because again, your your career is evidence of the fact that you are connecting all of these people to great causes and to each other. That's what I think is really exciting. So let's talk I know you have to I know you've got a lot of things going on today and we so do appreciate your time. I want to just get back to the horizon conference, October 10. Can you give us some information on where to go? And then second question is how people can find

 

Marsha Guerrier  40:56

you. Well, you could find me via at hersuitespot.com that's hersuitespot on Instagram HerSuiteSpot, Twitter HerSuiteSpot and LinkedIn on HerSuiteSpot and you could find me as Marsha Guerrier anywhere you so choose as well. And to learn more about the conference, you can go to HerSuiteSpot.com and click on events and get to the HerRise conference page. We are really just getting underway, like I said, with the agenda with our speakers, and registration will be opening towards the end of August. And I just can't wait to have you guys really get introduced to some of the amazing people that will be presenting this year.

 

41:47

Well, I am too is there costs on the event?

 

Marsha Guerrier  41:50

Yes, we are finalizing the cost for the event and finalizing what our early bird special will be. So I would love you know Tina, we will touch base as we get closer, and I'll give your listeners a special coupon discount code just for your your your listeners.

 

Tina Powell  42:08

Oh, wow, that would be so great. And I also too, I wanted to sponsor my team of women I have a team of three two women on the team are women of color and what we've been doing is I've been sponsoring a lot of resources and to sponsor a virtual their participation in a virtual event would actually make them so so excited. I'm really enjoying we're really enjoying learning and expanding our minds and you know, new topics, new speakers, and I know that a thing, Marsha comes to gold so I do so appreciate that. I one more final question, which is a question that we asked of all women In the Suite. And that is that you know that a lot of times we need to champion that superpower and each woman does it a little differently. With some it's lipstick Some it's like me something in my back pocket. Sheryl Hickerson, actually it's her. Her her beeper, her pager right? You and I know what I guess that is the mystifying deeper equals pager. I just google it if you don't know what it means Marsha and I know what it means. But what is it for you, you know how you been? you've you've had to show up so many times throughout your career, and whether or not it's a negotiation for another opportunity, or to to pitch or to create to get sponsors to your events. You know, how do you call upon your Super Sport super power in HerSuiteSpot.

 

Marsha Guerrier  43:42

I can tell you there's only one way through God and I developed a well here's another thing we haven't talked about, but I I am the creator of the plant pray prosper planner is a weekly planner that I created at first for me myself in order to find that spiritual balance as I was working towards my goal, so it's a planner, it has monthly prayer focus, it has weekly scripture, and it really helps me channel my spirituality, through all the things that I do. I can't do it. I can't do a thing without that. Um, wow.

 

Tina Powell  44:25

Well, I would also do like to make sure that we have that available. Again, everybody in the show notes, you will receive all of these great resources, I'm going to put a link to everything more scarier. And is just you've given us a wealth of information here and really have inspired us with your giving and your outreach, and especially the way that you connect to other people. You certainly are that connection for us today, Marsha, so I can't thank you enough for being here.

 

Marsha Guerrier  44:57

Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. Thank you to everyone. That's listening. And I hope to see you guys again In the Suite and certainly at her suites back.

 

Tina Powell  45:07

Great. And we will see you at the HerRise conference, October 9 to 10th. Thank you everyone you're listening to In the Suite, a podcast that shares amazing stories of women in business in the financial services and the wealth management industry. Our producers for today's episode are Tina Powell and Kevin Hirshhorn. Our editor at large is Kevin Hirshhorn. Our content writers are Simone Brathwaite. Carmen Varner and Tina Powell. Our research and technical assistance are Anvitha Kosaraju, Rachel Powell and Nitika Uprety. In the Suite podcast is sponsored by C-Suite Social Media and Digital Marketing and Social Agency for C-Suite leaders in finance and technology. You can visit CSuiteSocialMedia.com to learn more, and for show notes from today's broadcast and thank you So much for listening and subscribing to In the Suite podcast. Please let us know how you enjoyed this episode with Marsha Guerrier. And share your thoughts on LinkedIn and Twitter with the hashtag #IntheSuite. I would love it and when we mean so much if you left us a five star review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen to this amazing episode with Marsha Guerrier. You can follow her on Twitter at HerSuiteSpot. And always if you would like to share the name of a successful women and financial services we should interview please send it to me at tina@csuitesocialmedia.com. we have received a lot of great names so far, and we've adjusted to a weekly distribution schedule to make it all possible just for you. It's been tough, but we're ready to rise to the challenge. Again, thank you so much for listening and subscribing to In the Suite