BroadBand: Shelli Romero

I launched a special blog series to honor and champion other women in business. This is a companion service to a podcast that launched in 2020.

My intention is to share insights of lessons learned by businesswomen and also elevate their services to the greater community. The goal is to inform and inspire other women with ideas in order to empower them to grow their own business ventures.

Shelli Romero is owner of Rose City Chica, a coaching agency based in Portland, Oregon.

1. What is your business?
   
   Rose City Chica, LLC – this is a career coaching , development and exploration firm.
   
2. How many years have you been in business?
   
   8.5 years
   
3. Why did you pick this trade in particular?
   
   Fourteen years ago I was unemployed for 5.5 months. I did a lot of exploration and critical thinking during that time and worked to truly determine what I wanted to do next in my career. I landed the job I wanted at the place I wanted and am committed to helping others do the same.
   
4. What are the top three reasons why a business owner should invest in your service/product?
   
   An investment in my services is an investment in yourself. I am highly resourceful and can help you build strength, confidence and call out the skills and experiences you may have overlooked or undersold.
   
5. If you could go back to your younger self, what kind of advice would you give yourself about your pursuit to create your own business?
   
   It’s not as hard as you think. Just do it!
   
6. If you could go 5 years in the future, what do you think your future self would share with you?
   
   A reflection on how many women, people of color and GLBTQ people I have had the privilege of working with and to share in their journey which is creating a legacy of new leaders or existing leaders in new and more significant capacities!
   
7. Who influenced you – professionally?
   
   My family. My parents, my grandparents, Aunts, Uncles – we come from a family or hard workers. I also had mentors and supervisors who took me under their wing.
   
8. When was your moment of realizing, “you know what, I got this!”?
   
   In my 30’s when I was unemployed, I went to an informal interview and found myself responding to questions among three men at a pancake house with wit, sarcasm and confidence….it was like an out of body experience. And I knew I was on my way.
   
9. How do you keep your momentum going to keep a healthy pace as a business owner?
   
   I am good at time management. I make sure I get enough sleep and balance my workload with my capacity. I don’t take on more than I can handle.
   
10. How do you celebrate your wins?
    
    I like highlighting achievements of clients on social media. I like to take people out to share a meal as a congratulations. During the pandemic, I have been making homemade jars of salsa and delivering the salsa and a bag of chips to some of my clients.
    
11. What advice would you share with someone who is thinking about, or just beginning, managing their own business?
    
    Do your research. Contemplate what makes you unique. How will you market your business? Who will be your niche market(s)? Do some critical thinking around fee for service. And if nothing else, make sure you have an accountant, a business checking account at a separate banking institution from where you do your personal banking. Hire a lawyer to help you develop your materials (menu of services, associated fees) and figure out how to brand yourself. What is your elevator speech? Develop a logo, etc.
    
12. What surprised you the most as a business owner?
    
    The gratification that comes with owning my own business and being able to make my own rules for the most part and be flexible.
    
13. How do you describe your entrepreneurial spirit?
    
    Go-getter! Willing to try new techniques and expand my services in the future.
    
14. How do you feel about the word ambition?
    
    I feel good about it. Ambition for me is synonymous with drive. There is no shame in being ambitious so long as you are honest and don’t step on other people to get to where you want to be. Conversely, having ambition and getting to where you want to be and bringing others around is very gratifying.
    
15. Are you more of a every little bit counts kind of person or an all-or-nothing kind of person?
    
    Every little bit counts.
    
16. Can you share a ‘messy middle’ story of us? A time when things were not looking or feeling good and how did you move through it?
    
    Yes. I was coaching a client for a big leadership position when a friend approached me that she had decided to pursue the same job and asked for my help. I had to be up front and tell her that I could coach her to the best of my ability, but I had also coached someone else for the same position. The way I see it, it’s my job to help that person do their best and the more good candidates competing for a job, the better. I had to be honest and up front so that my friend could make the decision to work with me or not. Regardless of the outcome, I have learned not to take things personally.
    
17. Using a scale of 1 (scardy cat) and 10 (*) as far as taking risks, where would you put yourself?
    
    Eight.