Michelle Reeves is a perfect example of the saying, ‘if you want to get something done give it to a busy person,“ she owns and runs two businesses and takes marketing projects through The Second Shift for clients such like Microsoft. Michelle is also part of our ecosystem– she hires our members to do work for her businesses because she personally knows the quality of our talent pool!
1. How many jobs do you have right now? I can’t keep track of the businesses, side hustles, cities….
I’ve always described myself as a business addict and historically I’d find myself working on 3 or 4 businesses or consulting projects simultaneously. I’m the owner of David Family Wines and a co-founder of The Accessory Junkie. For the past year, I’ve been wholeheartedly consumed by building The Accessory Junkie. Growing fast and innovating our model coupled with nonstop travel around the world I’ve transitioned away from working on several businesses and now focus just on that one. However, I love to connect with other founders and help them with their businesses from time to time. I see it as an important part of the business ecosystem.
We all end up helping each other. There’s plenty of room for us all to thrive, we’re better together.
2. Do you have more hours in the day than most people? Is that your superpower?
The Accessory Junkie is almost 18months old and over the past year, it’s expanded quickly demanding more energy and time. While I can’t make more hours in the day, I try to find ways to multi-task and cram more into each minute. I find the most productive hours for me are 4am – 6:30am. In the quiet of those dark hours, I can focus with great clarity and assurance knowing there won’t be any interruptions from the kids or other calls coming in. I use that time to work on company strategy, build creative campaigns and look at the financials of the business. By 6:30am when my family starts waking up, I feel like I’m ahead of the day. Then, I can take the time I need to help my 3yr old and 5 yr old get ready for school and not feel like every minute I’m with them is a minute I’m falling behind in work. As a mother, I’ve also noticed how waking up on my own schedule (even though it’s 4am) feels good. I try to go to bed early, around 9pm, and psychologically it helps to wake up at a time I decide, not when an alarm or little people come jumping into bed 🙂
3. You have successfully won two jobs through The Second Shift – what is your unfair advantage?
The first half of my career was spent in the agency world. Advertising and marketing agencies are an intense training ground where you’re constantly changing hats for each client. Creating new campaigns, new messages, adjusting your communication style for different client personalities, and looking into the different ways each brand operates. There’s a rapid pace of learning that never ends. I think that experience helps tremendously in understanding what’s most important for a client and being able to pitch it and deliver it quickly for them.
4. Why did you choose to hire using The Second Shift for your own business?
Having met other members of TSS I saw first hand the caliber of talent in the network. I like how efficient the process is to post a job and how fast it is to get the word out. I’ve tried other platforms for job postings before and it becomes quite time-consuming to go through every application. The majority are not qualified and as The Accessory Junkie is a fast growing business we don’t have the luxury of time to interview and vet candidates who aren’t a great fit. We love the vetting process of TSS where candidates can only apply for jobs they’re pre-qualified for.
4.I would love your thoughts on how you look at pitching for projects and selling/branding yourself
Be specific. While there are many things you can do well, identify the one thing you can do the best that the client is looking for and be specific about how well you can do it.
5. Here is one of your winning pitches– why do you think it stands out?
I try not to overthink it and keep it brief. Giving a toppling example of the direct impact your work has had is important. Adding in a few numbers that show the depth of your experience or specific results is crucial. Don’t be afraid to sound confident. Give enough info to excite and intrigue but leave them wanting more so the natural conclusion is they want a phone call with you.
michelle@davidfamily.com – Hi, I have 18 years of international marketing experience and the am owner/co-founder of several consumer brand businesses and also own the trademark for leather label packaging in wine. I understand the unique challenges during an early raise and have worked with companies across all stages to write their investor decks. These companies have all successfully raised $200K – $1.5M in early stage funding using the materials I produced. I would be happy to share examples of my work. I have specific experience in beauty, I helped craft the investor deck and refine their in-person presentation skills to raise $1.2M (with angels and VC). Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to the opportunity to work with you. Best Michelle
You can hire Michelle, or other expert women go-getters like her by posting a job on The Second Shift. Michelle is currently looking to hire a PR pro in the LA area for her company Accessories Junkie– log in to pitch or refer a candidate by emailing members@thesecondshift.com