Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable
Connections, the place where real people, real
stories, and real relationships create real opportunity.
I'm your host, Michael Foreman, and today's episode
is special. I'm joined by two sisters who bring
personal growth, resilience, and practical wisdom
straight to the entrepreneurial journey. They've
built together, grown together, and faced challenges
head -on using connection, trust, and honest
conversation as fuel. We're digging into how
relationships shape resilience, how growth happens
faster when you don't go it alone, and how entrepreneurs
can build circles that support when things get
tough, not just when things look good. If you've
ever felt stuck, isolated, or unsure who should
be in your corner as you grow, this conversation
is for you. I'd like to welcome to the podcast
Andy and Danielle. Each of them will introduce
themselves, but I want you guys to give me a
little bit of a backstory, a little bit of how
you got here, what you told me, what you went
through, but give me a general overview, and
then we can start. Sure. Thank you for having
us. As you mentioned, Andy and I are sisters.
And so our dad owned a delivery same day delivery
company. And we took over in 2012, about a year
after he was diagnosed with cancer. So at the
time, I was home raising three young children.
And Andy was at her dream job in New York at
the NHL. And it's just us. There's no other siblings.
And so we made the decision, OK, we're going
to come back to the or really go into the family
business with little to zero experience. About
a week, about a couple of weeks after we buried
our dad, we had a longtime employee take the
top three customers. And so at that point, it
was really. Is there even a business anymore?
And so the decision, we kept going with the decision
to come back, but really we were in for the fight
of our lives. I'm sure. Andy, you want to add
anything to that? No, that really sets the stage.
I think the biggest thing was we had little jobs
here and there throughout our early years, college
years, stuff like that, but nothing to do with
running the business at all. So we were coming
in very green. Bold. Yes. OK, I'm sure. OK, so
your sisters and business partners, how has growing
up together shaped the way you build trust and
connection with others in business? Oh, that's
a good question. I think it's all about trust.
And really, it's just I think we had to trust
each other first and foremost that it was going
to be OK. And then we trickle that to our clients
and our customers. We learned early on that they
needed to trust us and that we needed to say
that we could do things that we knew we really
could and that we were honest with them. And
whether that meant, no, we can't take on that
work right now because we just don't think we
could do a really good job at that. Just really
about being honest, whether we're going to be
late on a delivery, all the things. But I just
think trust was a big thing. I don't think. we
really didn't trust there wasn't a moment we
never trusted each other yeah and I think as
sisters growing up in a house that was encouraged
just honesty but we it was just the four of us
it was our mom our dad and Danielle and I and
so communication was everything we weren't afraid
to say how we felt it was welcomed and it was
expected and so I think That's just who we are.
So when we came to the business, it was like,
we're not going to pretend to be something we're
not. And we're not going to say things that we
don't mean because that is not, it was, it's
just not in our DNA. And I think that carried
a lot of weight. It was very helpful too. Yeah,
I'm sure, you know, in the networking and communication
world, trust is such a major factor. And there's
a mantra. If they know you, if they like you
and they trust you, they'll do business with
you. So now. Everybody knows you. You're the
daughters so that everybody knew you. Everybody
likes you. But let's narrow down the scope a
little bit because everybody won't like you.
But trust is such a major factor. And the fact
that you two can trust one another puts you a
step ahead of just another two people going into
business. Owned many businesses, brick and mortar.
From pizzerias to restaurants to ice cream stores.
It's great. I was in it with my two brothers.
So we had that immediate trust factor. And that
helped us along. Okay. Entrepreneurship tests
resilience fast. When setbacks hit, how did your
relationships help you recover faster or see
options you couldn't see alone? I mean, I think
our relationship was everything. And I think
we, that's how I think we got through all the
obstacles was together. I don't think one of
us could have done this alone. I'll speak for
myself. There's no shot in the world. I would
have or could have done this by myself or with
even anybody else in business, anyone that even
stayed. I think it had to be Andy. It had to
be the two of us. We had to figure this out from
the beginning alone with each other. I just think
that's how we grew and that's how the business
grew. Yeah, and we often say to each other, my
weaknesses are Danielle's strengths and vice
versa. And so that's huge. And we knew what they
are. We know what they are. We're sisters. But
in business, you learn it too. And you can see
it pretty clearly. It's a beautiful thing to
have as well. That's a major step. If you know
your weaknesses, your strengths are very valuable.
But your weaknesses, that's where the business
can fall apart. If you two can pick up one another,
then again, you're a step ahead. Now put your
two steps ahead. So you went into it with that,
I don't know about the financial aspect or anything
else like that, but as personnel goes, you already
have a symbiont, a togetherness that no other
two people can have other than sisters. Okay,
so many entrepreneurs focus on skills before
people. At what point did you realize relationships
were the real accelerant for growth? Day one.
There was no skills. We did not have the skills
to do what we did, but we knew how to treat people.
And we knew how to be vulnerable and ask for
help with the team that was there. And we knew
we couldn't come in and say, this is what we
want to do. Not that we really had an idea, but
we knew that we had to earn the trust of the
team and learn. From day one, we knew that people
and how we treated people was the foundation
of that company. So I realized that, and that's
true in any business, that is the way you treat
your customers or other personnel is how you
start your business. What was your learning curve
for your business? It was, it couldn't be more
steep. It was everything. Like we joke, we didn't
know what a PNL was. I didn't even know what
it stood for. Everything. The only thing that
we knew how to do, we had people skills. That's
it. And so two people had stayed on when our
dad passed. And I didn't feel like we're still
learning their trust. It's been 13 years, but
it was just relying on them and learning as you
go and making mistakes. And it's okay to make
mistakes. And it's, okay to not know anything
we didn't know anything just getting comfortable
with that and knowing you can learn as you go
suppose those two employees had to be that trustworthy
in order for them for you to because it would
have been very easy for them to lead you astray
oh yes or leave Or secure their own future and
say, this is unstable and I need to, and we wouldn't
have faulted them for that. It was such rocky
times that I would have understood that decision
too. But for some reason, they really, I think
because of our dad and the history of the company,
they stayed and they learned to trust us. It
took a while, but our faith was in them really
from day one. A hundred percent. And I think
they might've just, they trusted the company,
but what we were doing and. It had been, it's
been around since 81 and they had been there
for a long time. So I, maybe they, yeah. Thank
God they stayed because we wouldn't be there.
They felt a little, they felt loyalty to you
because of your dad? I think to the company.
Yeah. Yeah. To the company and our dad. Yeah.
Okay. Okay. What's one hard moment in your journey
where a single conversation or connection changed
the direction of your business? I don't know
if it was a hard and we might have different
answers, a hard conversation, but we needed a
line of credit desperately. And we had many banks
turn us down. And that wasn't easy hearing no
and no. We actually can't extend you a line of
credit right now for X, Y, Z. But the turning
point in the company was when a bank said yes,
Boston Private at the time. And we're still with
them. They're now first citizens. But that moment.
changed the course of the company. That allowed
us some breathing room and that allowed us to
scale. And without that line of credit, we wouldn't
have grown the way that we are. We still continue
to do. So that was a pivotal moment for Express
It. Yeah, I agree with that. Yeah. That's exactly
what I was looking for. As sisters, you bring
different strengths to the table. How do those
differences show up in a way that you network
and build opportunity? I don't know. I think,
I don't know how to answer that. To build networking
opportunity. I think we're a good, I think we're
a good duo in networking. Yes. In networking
environments. Yes. So if we could be, that's
where our strengths and weaknesses come out.
So we could talk about business or maybe I'm
a little shy, Danielle gets her going. So I think
it's more of the personalities come out and we're
very different. So I think that helps. Is that?
How are you networking right now? we could be
better at it yeah we talk about this all the
time we we could be a lot better i would rate
us a c like maybe a b minus a c we go in with
really high hopes and then we go in we get in
there and sometimes we freeze sometimes we're
not assertive to go over to a group of people
and say oh i'm danielle this is andy we don't
express it like we'll never do we just can't
do that that's just not in our DNA, but we try,
we try. We go to the events. We're invited to
say yes. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I asked you that it
wasn't even on my list of questions just because
that's what I do coach people such as yourselves
on how to do that. So I'm always interested to
find out how somebody who has been in business
for such a long time, how they're networking
right now to secure their future. So I'm just
trying to gauge that just a little bit. Is there
a chamber of commerce where you are? Yeah. Yeah.
So we're based, Danielle and I are based out
of Boston, just south of it. And so that is something
we've been members of different things such as
that before. We haven't really taken advantage
of it. I think now being 13 years in, I think
we'd probably be more confident. joining a group
like that. We'd be able to speak to it. I think
in the early days, we didn't know what to say.
We didn't even know what we were selling. So
it was like, we're going to go to these events.
It was scary. I've done BNI groups that was networking,
but that was more like professional kind of growth,
just being able to talk in front of people. So
I think at this point, we're just leveraging
our network, right? Our bank introduces us to
people they think, so we'll go to lunch and just
like the basics of the basics. That's where we're
at. Okay. Okay. For entrepreneurs feeling isolated,
what's the first step to reconnecting without
feeling awkward, needy, or out of sync? I think
find someone else you can help. Or find someone
that you want to learn from. Because I think
either way, if you can help someone, you feel
good, and I think you feel less isolated. People
love to share their knowledge and find a mentor
or become a mentor. That would be, I don't know.
That's just fine. Yeah. I was going to say, find
people in your industry too. Some of the best
conversations we have are people like us, founders
of same day delivery that we get to have conversations
with them. What's your pain point? What's insurance?
What's yours? Things like that. So maybe find
people. that are doing the same sort of job.
People want to help each other. It's not like
cutthroat competitive. Most people are good and
want to help each other. That's very true. When
you go into a networking event, you go in with
what's called a servant's heart. You go in looking
to give instead of receive. So if you go in to
a networking event, with a servant's heart. You
can really, you get the best out of people because
you're looking to help them. The same way as
I connect people on LinkedIn. If you want, you
reach out to, you're looking for somebody within
your industry, somebody that you really want
to connect with. You connect with them and ask
them, say, do you have 15 minutes? Can I bounce
some things off of you? They'll be more than
happy to say, sure. how busy they are, because
they love to talk about a they love to talk about
themselves and what they've accomplished. But
they love to pass on the information to somebody
else. And you get the information, but it makes
them feel so good. Yeah. Okay, so resilience
isn't just a mindset. It's community. How do
you intentionally build relationships that support
you during pressure? not just wins. For us, it's
family. I think that our number one supporters
during the most difficult times, and we've had
many, has been the family. Our mother, our significant
others, just our extended family. But the people
that are there for you in the tough times, even
more than the wins. So that's it for us. Me,
anyways, I would say our family has been. You
just need one person who believes in you, but
can also be there for you. And I think our partnerships
like with the bank and with our accounting team,
things that we outsource that we've been, we're
pretty loyal. So like these partnerships are
really, I've been around for since we took over.
So I think that's important to someone that understands
your business, understands how you work. And
they're, they're the ones that you're calling
when you do need support in the business and
things are going sideways. If you can, even when
you go to these networking events, you look for
that support. So if you have somebody that is
a little bit more of an extrovert than an introvert,
who's a little bit more gregarious. Now, the
two of you are great to speak with because it's
just the three of us right now. But put you into
a large room. With a lot of people, it's, ooh,
no. So you have that one person who is very supportive,
who knows you inside and out, knows your business
inside and out, and take them with you. Yeah.
When you walk up to that table of people that's
talking, the first thing you do is you're listening.
You listen for the conversation. Is this a conversation
that you want to be a part of? If it is, that's
great. But you're still not going to blurt out
what you want to say. But that person that you
brought with you can say, oh, wait a second.
You know what? Danielle knows a lot about that.
Danielle, why don't you tell us a bit about that?
And that kind of gives you an in for that. So
that's just a little tidbit as we're going along.
Okay. What practical habit helped you turn inspiration
into action when it came to staying visible and
connected? Do you have one? No. I don't know.
That's a tricky one. Yeah. You don't have one?
Can you repeat it again? What practical habit
helped you turn inspiration into action when
it came to staying visible and connected? You're
going to have something that you do every day.
You mean personally or in the business? Generally
say business because that's what this is all
about. But it could be personal. But because
if it helped you personally, it's going to help
you in business. Yeah, I'm not sure. Other than
gratitude, I'm not sure. Yeah. Okay. All right.
We'll move on to the next question. How do you
spot relationships that help you grow versus
ones that quietly drain energy and momentum?
Oh, it's instantaneous. It's almost like, for
me, we're very good at reading that, whether
someone is our energy, the energy that we live
in. And I think that's probably easier for us,
I think, anyways. to spot now. We've had a couple
hard lessons learned, but yeah. Yeah. And I think
even the challenging ones help you grow because
then, so I think that those are just as important.
Actually, those are much more important than
the easier people to work with. Just like your
failures, you learn more about your failures
than your successes. So I've been in business
for 40 years. And I can tell when somebody is
just trying to yes me to death or they're actually
giving me input. And the people that yes me to
death, listen, I'll yes them back and I'll move
on. I won't be bad to them or anything else.
I'll be nice, but I'll move on. And the people
that I feel that would really give me that information
that I'm looking for, that I'll stay and speak
with. Okay, so let's bring this full circle.
If an entrepreneur listening today wants stronger
confidence, better connections, and more opportunity
in the next 90 days, what's one move they can
make this week? More confidence, stronger connections,
and what was the third? Visibility. Stronger
confidence, better... connections, and more opportunity
in the next 90 days. This is your words of wisdom.
Yeah. Like I said before, we need work in this
area. So I think what my goal for the next 90
days, maybe I'll commit to it as I give this
advice, reach out to one person a week on LinkedIn.
And this is what I want to do. Feel that I want
to connect with, ask for a meeting, like a 20
minute, whatever. Because I think that's scary
for some people. And I think it used to be very
scary for me and still is. But I think the more
I do it, the more confidence I'm going to get
from doing that. And the more connections, people
are always looking to connect. People ask to
connect with us all the time. And so it's like,
I'm just going to connect with them and then
have a conversation. And so I think that would
build momentum. And that's just for me personally,
looking at how I can be better at it. That would
be my one piece. When you connect with somebody,
with anybody over LinkedIn, you connect with
them. If they try to sell you almost immediately,
then it's a bad connection. And you don't try
to sell them. But what you can do is bring value
to the connection. My last, when I did a workshop
for somebody in Ohio, I was a roofing company.
And the way I started to speak with him, I didn't
just come out and say, oh, look, I want to come
and do a workshop. But I said, okay, look, here's
an article, metal roofs against asphalt roofs.
I linked it to him. And I said, you know what?
I think you may find this information useful.
And I did that two or three times. And I let
him see the value of our connection. And then
I started to ask him. So we break into it slowly.
Yeah. That's what you do. Okay. This is what
meaningful networking really looks like. Growth
through connection, strength through community,
and progress built one honest conversation at
a time. If today's episode sparked something
for you, don't let it stop here. Think about
who's in your circle, who supports your growth,
and who you need to reach out to next. Share
this episode with an entrepreneur who could use
encouragement and direction right now. Subscribe
to Networking Unleashed, building profitable
connections so you don't miss conversations that
make you smarter. Now, before we go, Andy, Danielle,
how can somebody, if they're interested in your
service or interested in talking to you or coaching
you or be coached by you, What's the best way
for them to get hold of you? Yeah, I think LinkedIn
for sure. Both of us individually on there and
then Express It's on there too, but reach out
to us directly and then expressitdelivery .com.
That's our business name. Our contact info is
there too. LinkedIn's your best bet. And like
I said, I'm going to be a connecting goal for
the next 90 days. Okay, great. Danielle, Andy,
this was great. I thank you very much for coming
on my podcast. I'm sure that all of my listeners
will get a whole lot out of this. And if they
call you, even better. Thank you. Have a great
day. Well, hold on, folks. Don't go anywhere.
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A huge thank you to our guests for sharing such
insights today. And of course, a big shout out
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