Today we’d like to introduce you to Judy Hoberman.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I began my career being the only female in commercial roofing. I seem to have had the same “spot” in most of the companies I’ve worked with/for. I entered the world of Insurance and Financial Services and found myself again…as the only woman. As a single mom, I had no option but to succeed as my only job was to protect my family.
When I realized that’s what I would be doing selling insurance, my mindset was different and I became very successful. I eventually had three agencies of my own. I was recruited to Dallas to build training for a large Insurance company. I stayed for two years and realized that I was more of an entrepreneur than a corporate employee and resigned. At that point, I asked myself what would I have wanted when I started out and it was someone that looked and thought more like me i.e., a female coach/mentor. My company Selling In A Skirt was born from that thought process and while it was initially directed at women, I also realized that we needed male champions to include women, introduce women and share opportunities with women in their process.
My company includes speaking, training and coaching and has evolved into sales, leadership, culture, and business. Since I’ve started my company, I have written four books, became a radio show host and was recently recognized by Thrive Global as one of the seven women to watch in 2019. While many things have changed, some things have not. My mission has always been to help one woman a day by using the philosophy that “Women Want To Be Treated Equally…Not Identically”™
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
If being in business was a smooth road, everyone would do it. I had many struggles. First, I was new to Dallas and had no network or relationships. That in it of itself was a huge challenge. I had to learn how to meet people and create relationships. Second, we were in the middle of a recession. Not the best time to start a business, but I didn’t listen to everyone complain about the economy. I worked twice as hard and never gave up. Third, I had no one to support me emotionally. I had no friends or relatives in Dallas. My children were grown and living elsewhere. I wasn’t married and had no friends to bounce ideas off. As I was building relationships, I also started building my personal board of directors. It took time but definitely worth it. Fourth, I’m a shiny object girl so any time anyone asked me to do something or be part of something, I naturally thought it looked good and said yes. I had to learn to focus and say no. Fifth, and most importantly, it’s expensive to start a business. When you resign from a company, you don’t have severance to fall back on. It was me and nobody else but me…
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Selling In A Skirt – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My company, Selling In A Skirt, is all about women and the men that champion them. We do Executive Coaching, Speaking, and Training. I’m known for empowering professional women, engaging male advocates and energizing the culture of a company. People trust me and they know I’ve been in the trenches. They know I listen and that I’m present. I’m proud of so many parts of my company. I started with no one and have grown to someone that I’m proud of. We have ten certified trainers who can share our message. We recently built and launched a training program that is self-reflected and creates self-awareness. The transformation is obvious to the attendees and to their leaders.
What sets us apart is that while we do talk about women, we do not make it a women’s issue. It is a business issue and we include evidence, data and case studies to support what we do. Many people are surprised that we bring men into the conversation but as I mentioned earlier, in many industries, there are no women in leadership roles. While we want to change that, we have to be realistic and understand that there are men in positions that can advocate and support women. We hope they will self-identify and if not, we can offer them ways to do that. Our goal is to certify companies as those that are have the qualities that are TRUSTED…Trust, Respect, Understanding, Sustainment, Transformative, Empowerment and Direction.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We would like to get the training into a national company and watch the transformation so that the needle moves. We also have a foundation that was created from my book “Walking on the Glass Floor”…
The Walking on the Glass Floor Foundation supports and empowers women by sourcing, publishing and distributing educational materials for women in leadership positions, aspiring to be in leadership positions, and organizations that support women in leadership.
The Walking on the Glass Floor Foundation brings the principles of the book directly to leaders, emerging leaders and those women leading themselves as entrepreneurs. Our pledge is to financially support our mission by donating a portion of every Walking on the Glass Floor book sold back to companies, associations, charities, social causes, and scholarships. Joining us means more and more women will walk successfully on the Glass Floor and stay there.
I always say recruiting is the easy part…retention is much more difficult.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sellinginaskirt.
com and https://www. walkingontheglassfloor.com - Phone: 203-605-3635
- Email: judy@sellinginaskirt.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sellinginaskirt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judyhoberman
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SellingInASkirt
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
