IAM1279 – CEO Helps the Underprivileged yet Aspiring Individuals

Becky is the owner and CEO of three companies, all of which focus on helping people be their best. She is an avid learner and is in constant pursuit of ways to identify limiting behaviors and blind spots. Becky serves on several for and not-for-profit boards and is the President of the Nashville Chapter of The Private Directors Association. In her spare time, Becky loves to listen to Podcasts and Audible books while hiking, walking, or riding her bike. She has been married for 33 years and has three adult children.

• CEO Story: Bought a company in 2002, thankful for her business partner who gave her the shot to lead. And Becky was so grateful to the people who have been part of her journey.
• Business Service: Int’l. Scholarship Intuition Services – full-service management that creates an online application process for the applicants.
• Secret Sauce: Prioritising physical health. Enough rest, good diet, exercise.
• CEO Hack: Listen to audible books in double time. Learning twice faster.
• CEO Nugget: Pay enough attention to your intuition. Hang out to people (entourage) who you can be who you are.
  • Diversity Equity Inclusion – the participation of a different group of individuals regardless of race, color, etc.

• CEO Defined: Being truly focused on making your team that they are important. Inspire and motivate them and let them know that we are equal.

Website: www.applyists.com

LinkedIn: bsharpe1

Check out one of our favorite CEO Hack’s Audible. Get your free audiobook and check out more of our favorite CEO Hacks HERE

Transcription

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Please Note: Our team is using the AI CEO Hacks: Exemplary AI and Otter.ai to support our podcast transcription. While we know it's improving there may be some inaccuracies, we are updating and improving them. Please contact us if you notice any issues, you can also test out Exemplary AI here.

00:22 – Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkness values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO podcast.

00:49 – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. I have a very special guest on the show today at Becky Sharpe of International Scholarship in Tuition Services, ISTS. Becky, it's great to have you on the show.

01:00 – Becky Sharpe

Hey, Gresh, happy holidays. So glad to be here. Thanks for taking the time this morning.

01:04 – Gresham Harkless

Yes, I appreciate you for taking some time out. You're doing so many awesome things. So truly appreciate you for spending a little bit of time with us so we can hear about all the awesome things that you're working on. And before we did that, I wanted to read a little bit more about Becky. So you can hear about some of those awesome things. Becky is the owner and CEO of 3 companies, all of which focus on helping people be their best. She is an avid learner and is constantly pursuing ways to identify limiting behaviors and blind spots.

Becky serves on several for and not-for-profit boards and is the president of the Nashville chapter of the Private Directors Association. In her spare time, Becky loves to listen to podcasts and audible books, while hiking, walking, or riding her bike. She has been married for 33 years and has 3 adult children. Becky, you are a busy person. You have so many things that you're doing, so truly appreciate you so we can learn a little bit more about you. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

[restrict paid=”true”]

01:56 – Becky Sharpe

I am ready. Let's bring it on, Gresh.

01:58 – Gresham Harkless

Let's make it happen then. So to kind of kick everything off, I wanted to rewind the clock a little bit. Here is a little bit more on how you got started, what I like to call your CEO story.

02:06 – Becky Sharpe

Sure. So it's interesting when I was reading the notes, it was like, how did you start your business? And I didn't actually start my business, but I bought it in 2002. So I was lucky enough to be introduced to a business person. And this guy was born like 100 years too early. He in his mid 60s was just determined to have a business partner who was a woman. And this is like I said in 2002. So he gave me a shot. I didn't have any money in the bank. I had a husband in law school and 3 young children, I think all of whom were in diapers. And so it was thanks to his just complete generosity and support of me that let me step into this role of being a business owner.

02:47 – Gresham Harkless:

Nice. I love that. And that's one of the things that I really try to bring out during the podcast is that so many times we forget that there are different ways to enter entrepreneurship, business ownership, being a CEO, whatever that is. So I love to kind of hear that it sounds like you took the reins and the opportunity that you had that was in front of you. And so many times we forget that there are opportunities around us, whether it be starting, whether it be buying. And there are so many ways that we can kind of get into entrepreneurship.

03:11 – Becky Sharpe

So many ways. And I think also, not I think, but what I'm very aware of and try to remember regularly is that it was not just me at all. I had people helping me all along the way, pointing out my multitude of face plans and mistakes and areas where I needed to learn more. And if it weren't for all these people, I refer to them as my co-pilots. I would just be doing something different.

03:33 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. I love that phrase. So I'm definitely gonna borrow that from your co-pilots. And I think so many times when we look back at our life and see the accomplishments, we see so many people that were the co-pilots that did help us out, that maybe even gave us encouragement or picked us up when we did those face plans that really help us to get to where we are now.

03:49 – Becky Sharpe

Yeah, it's so true. In fact, I'm writing my first book right now. And I make some analogies about helicopter flying and running a business because there's just no part of the business that isn't necessary or to say positively, every person and every part of the business is just as important as the CEO because, without it, the business will fail. And so I think sometimes CEOs, not everybody, but they can sort of let their ego get the best of them and think they're the most important. And it is, whether it's someone in a call center or someone who helps keep the office clean, every single component is just as worthy and valuable.

04:25 – Gresham Harkless

Nice, yeah, I love that. And especially that analogy, with being in the helicopter and being able to kind of see the forest for the trees. And I think that true leaders and I'm very much of the same, are able to have that ego sometimes where you're able to say, I feel like we can do better, we can create something better, we can make an improvement. But at the same time, you have to be on that balance beam and not let that ego take over to say, it's I, me, my, mine, it's all about me and what I do, you have to be able to kind of lead, empower people, put people in a great position to succeed.

04:53 – Becky Sharpe

Yeah, it's so true. And I think that I remember one time, Gresh, a person I had hired actually was talking about wanting a special parking spot. And it just, I don't know why it just bothered me. And I kept thinking about like, why is this bothering me? And then I realized, I'm like, so are you telling me that you can't do your job unless you have a special parking spot? Well, if you can't do your job without a special parking lot, Doesn't everybody need a special parking spot?

And I think sometimes their excuses made maybe are out tenure or ability that people use to get entitlement and preferential treatment when we all need that proverbial special parking lot. For some people, it might be flexibility about where they are, and being able to pick their kids up on time. Somebody else may need a special desk because of a physical limitation and all those things, I think as leaders, we need to take seriously.

05:43 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. And again, I love that, you know, that metaphor, that analogy as well, too, because, you know, people see success, they see, you know, maybe even fulfillment might be a better word in different ways than defining in that way. So if you're able to meet people where they are, actually have those conversations, speak and understand exactly what success is, what helps somebody get up and feel purposeful and excited about what they do, then you really go to another level when we talk about it in terms of leadership.

06:11 – Becky Sharpe

You do go to another level. And I think also that, I don't know about you, Gresh, but sometime along the way, I maybe heard somewhere, maybe it was just sort of in the ether that I was supposed to do it all by myself. And as I've gotten older, I'm like, that just doesn't make sense. I have a stack of books over here. I listen to all these podcasts and I just wanna be better. But if someone can provide me with the material, if I can learn from them, I don't need to do it solo. But I think many people think that they're not supposed to ask for help or they're somehow supposed to solve all the problems without other people's input. And that's just not realistic.

06:43 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, that makes so much sense. And I definitely would agree with that. And the saying is, you know, teamwork makes the dream work. So you have to have that team in place and those people that you can lean on to make sure that you're succeeding. And so I want to say to draw down a little bit more, hear a little bit more on what you're doing. You talked a little bit about your book. I want to hear a little bit more about your companies, how you're making an impact, and how you're serving the clients that you work with.

07:03 – Becky Sharpe

Sure, so the company I'll talk about is International Scholarship and Tuition Services, and that's the business I bought in 2002. And what we do is we manage scholarship and tuition reimbursement programs for organizations that offer them. So think of any Fortune 500 company or any large membership group. They may have a scholarship program or a tuition reimbursement program for their employees, their employees' children, or it could be the general public. And so they hire us to provide a full-service management.

So we create an online application process for the applicants, process the applicants. We do that in, I believe, 13 different languages right now, pick the winners or approve the reimbursements, and then distribute the funds. And at the end of the day, the privilege that we have is we get to play a role in people who are trying to improve themselves through education. They may be learning a new skill or talent, or they may be going to college for the first time or 2 year school or trade school. And we play a role in helping them find money so they can do that without debt.

08:02 – Gresham Harkless

Nice, I love that. And I think so many times, and I imagine you probably hear this more than a few times, sometimes we don't know that something is possible. We're not gonna be able to advance ourselves as far as education and be able to kind of do all the things that we hope to do, but I love how you're bridging that gap and making that impact to help people, you know, I guess open the doors up to their possibility and then, and then, of course, advancement of themselves as well too.

08:25 – Becky Sharpe

Oh yeah, it's phenomenal. And if I'm ever having a bad day, I'll just pull an application and read someone's essay. And I remember one that still chokes me up. A young woman who was graduating from high school was just writing an essay about her college, her expected college experience. And then at the end, she said, but the thing I'm most excited about is my dad and I are starting college at the same time. And I was like, oh my. And so, I mean, can you just imagine what that experience is gonna be?

That I got to read that, I'm still gonna chill. And so I'm like, oh my gosh, like I got to play a role in that, that we are distributing the money to help these people. It's just phenomenal. It's easy to have imposter syndrome. I surely have it at some times where I get that head trash again about like, I'm supposed to do this without help. And then I just have to like, you know, take a walk and go, no, like I can call Gresh and ask him something, 'cause he has experience in this area. And you can call me and ask me, you know, where I've made a faceplant and help avoid a problem. And so I think just realizing that people really want to help each other and asking actually is a respectful thing to do.

09:27 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. And I think as excited as we are to give, I think sometimes we forget that by asking, you're giving people the opportunity to give as well. So you're giving people that exciting, that exciting feeling that they have been able to help out somebody. So I absolutely love and appreciate that. So I wanted to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce. This could be for yourself personally, the business, or a combination of both, but what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?

09:52 – Becky Sharpe

This is gonna sound crazy, but I think prioritizing physical health. So I'm a big sleeper. So I'm like an 8 to 10-hour sleeper. And I remember I was in a meeting one time, and I'm regularly the only woman in a meeting, and that's fine. But I remember these gentlemen were introducing themselves and everybody was focused on an 80-hour work week and how exhausted they were. And it got to me, I'm like, no, no, no, no. Like I'm trying to do under 40 and get a good 8 to 10 hours every day and have time to exercise and meditate and do anything else.

And it was, there was a little bit of peer pressure to be exhausted. And so I really view my body as a temple and I try to eat well, nutritiously, hydrate cleanly, and get a lot of good sleep and movement. And I do think, although it's simple, it can be really hard because sometimes it's tempting not to do those things and to somehow feel like that is, I don't know, not hard-working, like you have some sort of core value problem, but this is the only body I've got. So why not keep it strong and healthy?

10:57 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. And we have these opportunities to kind of do that, especially, you know, being on Zoom and so many different teams and all these different platforms that we have that we can still move around and be active. And I think it's so important to do that. So we're definitely Kendra Sells in that way. So I appreciate it. And I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. You might've already touched on this, but this could be like an Apple book or a habit that you have, what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

11:24 – Becky Sharpe

So when I found out I could listen to audible books on double time, I felt like I had like discovered a new species of animal. I'm like, what? Because I really wanna learn. And the good side of it is you can consume an 8-hour book in 4 hours, which is awesome. The negative side is I found myself a little frustrated for a little bit in normal conversations because my ears were used to double time.

But man, I love doing that. And your ear adjusts and you're at least the way mine is, maybe I'm an audible learner. You can do it on 1.25, 1.52, whatever it is, but finding out just imagine that you could just shift a button and increase your bottom line by 10%. All of us would do this. And so that hack is being able to consume audible books a little bit more quickly.

12:12 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So I want to ask you now for what I call a CEO nugget. So this is a little bit more of a word of wisdom or piece of advice. I like to say it might be something if you were to hop into a time machine, you might tell your younger business self.

12:24 – Becky Sharpe

So it's interesting, I do keep a journal and I would say that when I look back at, at my notes I made when I was younger, one of the things I didn't do was pay enough attention to my intuition. And I think our intuition is something that's super important for us to prioritize. And so I wrote down things like, I mean, 5, 10 years ago, why do we have to have office space? Or is there a way to communicate like through Zoom? Things like that. And so I would say, listen to your intuition. It may be telling you what not to do. So it may be saying, someone else has this, Is there genius to do this thing that you need to get done?

And it may be telling you what you need to do more of, to really listen to that intuition and give it space to exist. Also around that is hanging out with people, I like to refer to them as your entourage, who get you as you are like people who get me know that I'm silly I got my silly bird back here. I don't need to be hanging out with people who do that this day you want to you want to be there with your your crew, your people who get you with all of your quirks and your genius and your brilliance and your mistakes, and not those who just want you to be somebody who you are or not.

13:40 – Gresham Harkless

Yeah, absolutely. What they say, be yourself because everybody else is always already taken.

13:45 – Becky Sharpe

Imagine that like in these days around diversity, equity, and inclusion, I regularly will try to experience someone with my eyes shut. So, because it's so easy to stereotype and simplify. And if I could go back to my younger self, I would be like, okay, so really get to know the person and assume the absolute best of them and make them prove you wrong. Otherwise, they're awesome. And you know, I think that sometimes that's just hard to do because we have these biases. And if you can identify the blind spots, at least you can be more aware of when those biases are creeping in.

14:21 – Gresham Harkless

Truly appreciate that. So, wanted to ask you now my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. We're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So, Becky, what does being a CEO mean to you?

14:33 – Becky Sharpe

Being a CEO to me means being truly sincerely focused on making everybody who works with me feel and know they are important. So I feel like My job is to inspire and motivate people and prove through my actions that I truly value them and that we are all equal.

14:54 – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, Becky truly appreciates that definition. Obviously, I appreciate your time even more. What I want to do now is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know. And of course, how best people can get ahold of you, and find out about all the awesome things you and your team are working on.

15:10 – Becky Sharpe

Sure thing. I'm on LinkedIn, becky-sharp, and besharp at applyists.com. I would say that one of the things, just in terms of having the mic for a minute, is I would love people to take some time over the holidays or whenever they watch this in 2022, and think about what 3 words really describe them as their absolute best. Like for me, I like alliteration, so it's fit, fun, and focused.

And so I know that if I show up fit, well-slept, well hydrated, I can make light of things. I like to have fun and then focus on what I'm really with you, that's going to be me at my best. And so I encourage people to think about what those 3 words are. And then I actually have them written down on a task that jumps out and reminds me every day. What are you doing to feed and nourish your 3 words?

16:00 – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, we will definitely have the links and information in the show notes. I truly appreciate that reminder, Becky, and that homework, of course, as well, to, your time. And I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

16:10 – Becky Sharpe

Thanks so much. Great talking to you.

16:12 – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

[/restrict]