Enterprenuer
Megan Preston Meyer, a speaker, and author, is a communications expert.
She is the founder of Supply Jane & Fifo Adventures and ‘Twas The Month Before Christmas: A Supply Chain Carol. Megan worked in supply chain and process improvement roles for ten years.
After analyzing data for over a decade, Megan realized that statistics could not tell the entire story.
She now focuses her attention on the stories that data don’t know.
Megan writes children’s books on supply chain management and operations management.
She also collects corporate jargon to help companies be more authentic and engage in communication.
What is the story of you get the idea for your books?
Although I would love to say that Supply Jane & Fifo Adventures was born from a deep conviction about inspiring children and leading them to rewarding careers in supply chain management, it began with a pun.
One day, my husband and I were hiking, and we started trading supply chain puns.
After deciding that “FIFO” (First In, First Out) sounded like the generic dog name “Fido,” we created “Supply Jane.”
After we made these characters, it was time to create adventures.
However, in all seriousness, I believe it is essential to teach kids about supply chain, operations, and logistics.
This includes the concepts as well as the career paths.
Many books encourage kids to become doctors, firefighters, or astronauts.
But there are not many books about becoming a digital supply chain analyst and procurement manager.
While astronaut books are fantastic – go for the moon! – it’s nice to give kids something more practical.
How do you stay productive?
I’m an author. I get up in the morning, put on a cashmere cardigan, and brew single-bean brunette coffee in my Italian stove-top espresso maker.
Then, I walk over to my vintage typewriter.
I spend the morning creating sparkling stories that reflect the human condition, stringing words together, and then taking a break for lunch.
I was kidding. Self-publishing author means that you only write 10% and run a 90% business.
It’s not a routine job, which is something I love. On some days, I may spend most of my time marketing.
This includes coming up with social media posts and interview ideas, approaching booksellers, children’s book influencers, and other things. Sometimes it’s all operations.
I must ensure that the next book is listed and optimized for keywords on various platforms.
Communications consulting is also my specialty, so I sometimes work on workshop plans and client presentations.
An Asana board is one of the things that keeps me productive in the face of so many challenges.
It helps me keep track of strategic and tactical projects, and I use it every morning to plan what I will do for the day. It helps me balance urgent and vital work.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Stories. Communication is simple. No matter how complicated a topic may be, it can be communicated.
And no matter how dry the case, it can be made fun of.
Storytelling is a great way to make complex messages more understandable and exciting. Stories are a part of all communication.
I encourage and use them. We tend to take ourselves too seriously, especially in professional settings.
I enjoy a lighthearted approach to the grave, businessy, tense subject matter.
Fifo and Supply Jane are two examples of this.
The books are educational, but the concepts are wrapped up in stories and photos.
Fifo Saves the Day is an example of this.
The store filled with baby dragons is a great illustration that engages and entertains children.
The owner doesn’t adhere to FIFO while stocking the shelves, so the dragon eggs hatch.
They continue to turn pages trying to figure out what will happen to the baby dragons.
Along the way, they also learn about rotating perishable inventory.
A chapter in a textbook won’t do the job, but a story will.
What’s your favorite trend?
I am not an early adopter of anything, so it is hard to say.
However, by the time I hear about something, it is probably quite mainstream.
One of my favorite things is the growing respect and recognition for old things and have stood the test of time.
This includes architecture and analog items.
What habits make you productive?
There are a few things I know that I need to do.
These aren’t productivity habits, but more habits that can improve your whole self. First, affirmations are something I believe in.
I’m one of those people who say their daily affirmations each morning while taking a cold shower, not in an Instagram, Look-At-Me-10Xing-My-Life-type way, but because I’ve found that they work.
Second, Principles: My husband and I created a list of principles a few years back.
It included things like “Be truthful,” “Be open-minded,” or “Become antifragile.”
Each week we review the list, examining how we have lived up to each principle and revisiting it.
Some of the guides have been revised, some added, and others changed over time.
Our principles grow with us and keep us focused on the things that matter – even more so now that we’ve added “Get the Right Things Done,” which involves revisiting our professional strategic priorities each week to make sure we’re making progress toward those Important-But-Not-Urgent projects.
What’s your advice for the Noob?
This is a difficult question… I honestly don’t know.
I didn’t know everything when I was younger. No one does.
I see a lot more now than I did when I was younger, but it’s all because I learned along the journey.
If I could go back in time to give Past Megan advice, she wouldn’t have to figure that out independently.
And then, I wouldn’t be who it is today. If I weren’t who I am today, I wouldn’t be able to give Past Megan advice on becoming Current Megan. The whole thing becomes a time-warp loop.
Past Megan should not make bold or sweeping statements.
I had a horrible experience in France on a language exchange trip when I was 16.
I returned home and declared that I would never leave the United States of America.
Fast forward a decade, and I have lived in Switzerland for almost ten years. You can laugh at your absolutes in life.
What is one thing we can all agree on?
Data shouldn’t be driving. Data is our passion these days: the more data, the better.
Every decision we make is data-driven. Too much data can lead to danger.
One, we mistakenly assume that data-driven equals objective.
It doesn’t necessarily mean a “right” answer because numbers are involved.
Data can also be dangerous because it is tempting to follow numbers without thinking blindly.
Regardless of whether you are B2C, D2C, B2B, or another acronym, people do business with each other.
Organizations that deal with humans require humans to drive.
Data is still an important tool and should be present in the front seat.
However, data can be used to navigate, and you should do the driving.
What do you recommend as an entrepreneur?
Hire freelancers. This isn’t a new concept. I was told a million times before I finally took the time to listen.
Upwork is the best friend of a solopreneur.
I am a writer, not a graphic artist. I am not an EPUB maker.
I am not an EPUB maker, a PR specialist, or a web design expert.
However, many people are – even though it takes some upfront work to find the best ones on Upwork, the ROI will be worthwhile.
What’s your rich strategy?
I was establishing and nurturing connections. This is not a new concept – networking is Business 101.
When working in corporate America, I was not too fond of networking because it felt so forced and fake.
After realizing that I didn’t have any friends to talk to when I was out on my own, I looked through my LinkedIn network to find people I hadn’t seen in a while and set up coffees.
I reached out to random people via Twitter, asking if they would like to host Zoom calls.
I talked – and it wasn’t until a while later that I realized that this is all networking is.
It pays off. It has paid off. I have received tons of support word-of-mouth exposure, which has helped me sell books and also allowed me to get consulting gigs.
Humans do business with each other, so connections are essential.
How do you overcome Failure?
My first book for kids was my first. I hadn’t ever marketed anything, so it was a new experience.
My only marketing strategy was to post a few posts on Instagram and Twitter… but it wasn’t that simple.
Combine that with my extreme optimism. It’s challenging to keep it accurate.
But, where others see a half-empty glass, I see one full, and I start looking for another.
It was a huge success, and I didn’t want the hassle of reprinting after I sold my first edition.
I ordered 2000 copies, which I considered a bit too optimistic but still very reasonable.
One year later, I still had about 1200 copies in my basement when I published my second book.
It’s not a failure to launch a book, but it’s more of a hiccup than a failure. However, I learned some valuable lessons that I could apply the second time.
It was much easier to be intentional about the process.
I also sought outside help rather than assuming that I could figure it all independently.
Because marketing and PR seem so easy, they can be dangerous.
But for most people, it’s better to leave the work to professionals.
My books aren’t going wrong, and since the second book’s release brought attention to the first, it’s comforting knowing that I still have a basement full to sell them!
Can you share a business idea?
Uber Eats is available for trains. We had a Strategic Train Day with our husband.
We bought a 24-hour unlimited travel pass.
We rode to the other side of Switzerland and back.
It was a small country, so we enjoyed the scenery while planning for the following year.
Due to COVID, the train’s restaurant car wasn’t open, so we couldn’t have coffee onboard.
Also, none of our stops were long enough for us to stop and grab a cup.
We needed an app that would allow passengers to order coffee or sandwiches and pick it up at a nearby station (maybe just a few stops).
The passengers could then hand the item to an onboard colleague who would distribute it to the appropriate seat number.
This would eliminate the pressure and provide much-needed refreshment while traversing the Alps.
What’s your recent best buy?
I just spent $108 for Smallpdf Pro. I love Smallpdf, and I am ashamed to admit that I have, in the past, used Incognito browsers to skirt the 2-free-actions-per-day rule.
I needed a premium feature for something I was doing recently, so I signed up for a seven-day free trial.
My credit card was charged because I didn’t set up a reminder to cancel on day 6.
Eight minutes after receiving the charge notification, I canceled my subscription and emailed Smallpdf asking to reimburse me.
Seven minutes later, I received an email from Smallpdf confirming that they had issued a refund.
Their super-fast and friendly customer service impressed me so much that I canceled my subscription.
If anyone is interested in merging PDFs, please let me know.
What are your favorite Softwares or Apps?
Canva. Although I’m primarily a word girl, I also like things to look good (I’m not very good at designing).
Canva makes it easy to create professional-looking presentations and social media posts.
You don’t even need to know any graphic design.
Which book would you recommend?
Alchemy Rory Sutherland This is the most essential critical/behavioral sciences book of the past half-century. Everyone should read it.
It doesn’t matter what your background is. It will give you something.
One of my favorite favorites about Betty Crocker’s first instant cake mixes.
They thought they would be a hit with the market.
Baking cakes can be complex, tricky homemakers, the opportunity to mix a bag of instant cake powder in a bowl and then add water seemed like a great idea.
It wasn’t. You couldn’t claim credit if you didn’t work. It was just too simple.
They changed the recipe so that the “baker” had to add an egg.
This small effort was enough to make you feel as though you were getting the full compliments of the Super Moist Triple Chocolate Fudge.
Sales skyrocketed. Consumers wanted convenience, but not too many.
This principle is what I use in my writing.
I deliberately don’t explain everything. To make the reader feel more engaged and accomplished, I allow them to connect independently so much information out there that can be just spoon-fed.
After reading it, I find the content that makes me feel smarter more competent.
As I enjoy reading, I also like to put in some work.
What’s your favorite quote?
Deo believes sbelievesopis amiga
TL;DR by Megan Preston Meyer
- It doesn’t have be boring to do business
- Your pitches, presentations, and marketing copy do not have to be the same as everyone else’s. In fact, differentiation is Strategy 101. To give your messages personality and appeal to all audiences, use metaphors and stories to add character.
- Bring in experts
- Give up on the things you aren’t good at or don’t like doing. Write if you are a writer. If you are a speaker, give a speech. Found… if you are a founder, don’t try and do everything yourself.
- Be aware of your priorities
- If you are a solopreneur, it is easy to get distracted by the many tactical tasks that must be completed. You must keep your eyes on your strategic priorities in order to effectively manage your time, energy and business. You should regularly review the progress you are making towards them and make sure they still make sense.
