More Answers... (7/13/25 Newsletter): You Know More Than You Think RE: Business...

Hi Everyone,

Here's the blog version of the Sunday Evening "More Answers..." to get a friendly boost to setup your work week! 

Remember to sign up for the newsletter for bonus material!! (https://www.askchrista.com/newsletter/) 

Season 3 is here!!! 

(and it's about building business confidence)

I just wrapped Season 2 with Episode 24's drop last Thursday. Season 2 was intense: it addressed all the tough questions about the interpersonal dynamics and "ickier stuff" in the workplace: bad behavior, bad bosses, doing more with less... but it ended on two insightful points: effective management and two points to consider if you're thinking of leaving your job.

Coming up for Season 3: I've consolidated many of the questions into key areas, then selected the question that best reflects or represents the spirit of the dozens. 

The most prevalent questions I've received in the last month are related to business: how to best learn the basics, funding models, what executives and boards of directors do (yes, I typed that in lower case!), etc.

And I promise the episodes won't be boring and dry content about business!-- they'll be more about how you know more about business than you think...

Business Isn't Just for "Business People"

I talk about this a lot: You don’t have to go to business school to understand business.

And you really don’t.

Most people think “understanding business” means financial modeling, spreadsheets, meetings, and speaking jargon.

But at the end of the day, if we can synergize our core competencies, circle back on the low-hanging fruit, and leverage cross-functional alignment, we might just move the needle without boiling the ocean—unless, of course, someone pivots midstream. (hah hah, that was a joke about office jargon... and I'm so bad at office jargon that I had to ask my assistant Ted (ChatGPT) to give me that sentence-- full props and citation to "Ted." 

If you've ever:

• Helped organize a fundraiser

• Managed your household budget

• Organized a party

• Made a side hustle work

• Streamlined a messy process at work-- or at home

• Encouraged someone to take a risk and supported them through it

...you already know more about business than you think.

Business Isn't What Everyone Thinks It Is...

In the most simple terms, it's about generating interest from your paying customers, then doing the work to provide the product or service they are paying for, and processing all of it in such a way that you receive money and pay your bills. Whatever is left over is your profit. 

In not-for-profit businesses, your profit goes back into the organization to invest in improvements, growth, etc. 

In for-profit businesses, a portion of your profit goes back into the organization to invest in improvements, growth, etc, a portion stays in reserves as cash, and another portion is paid out to those investing in your company as their reward for their investment (otherwise called "a return on investment"). 

When teaching graduate scientists my biotech business class, I used to always say, "business is a process-- that's all it is." 

I continue to say that, because truly... when you take away the complexities of manufacturing certain products, various regulations, office politics, strange organizational structures, and different investing models (which shift around what you do with what's left over in for-profit business), business really is just a process. It has a bunch of little processes in it, but still...

The problem I see most people struggle with is a perception that business is hard.

The truth is: business isn't hard. People are hard. And business is, as much as people may like to say otherwise, about people.

Learning About Business Starts with Realizing You Already Know More Than You Think...

Business is not an elite club where you need special code words to be a part of it. OK, some places are like that and some still try to make it seem like only those born with business capabilities can do it well, but... no. That's bunk.

Business definitely has it's own language, and I don't mean the buzzwords Ted helped me with above. I mean the common language of business such as supply and demand, market analytics, corporate communications, compliance (across ALL functions), General and Administration, Profit & Loss Statements (or P&L-- there are some in charge of P&L)...

But those are easy. It's like baking, or knitting, or playing music, or reading... it can be learned, and the cool think about business is that it can also be immediately applied.

You Also Don't Have to Know ALL About EVERYTHING in Business to be Good at Business

You don't have to know ALL about a business to be good at it. MBAs know ALL about business... well, these days there are concentrations to reduce the learning time, so some may not know ALL about business either. They'll know a lot about a specific aspect of business plus a few general items... but MBAs with General Management degrees (yours truly)-- we learn about all aspects of a business, and I'm here to say: unless you intend to fix businesses and make them healthy, there simply isn't a need to know everything about how a business runs. 

Even investors don't know everything about a business. They know and have studied specific aspects related to RISK and VALUE, so they ask about and keep an eye on very specific financial indicators that report on RISK and VALUE... but they aren't looking at all indicators, even all FINANCIAL indicators. Only the few that will indicate to them what they need to know.

Check out Season 3 to learn more-- Episode 25 answers the listener question, "How can I feel less intimidated by business?" 

BOOSTER FOR YOUR WEEK!!!

You Already Know More Than You Think You Do...

Yes, some business conversations use jargon. Yes, some leaders like sounding exclusive, like they know everything about business because they ask interesting questions. I've known a lot of those types. 

But you don’t need permission to get smart about business. You just need curiosity, clarity, and a willingness to apply what you already know.

So this week, I encourage you to notice how much of your day-to-day life is built around business principles:

• How decisions get made

• How people align (or don’t)

• Where value gets created

• How goals are set and measured

• What effectiveness look like in communications, meetings, responses 

And if you're feeling bold? Start asking questions of your co-workers to learn more:

"How does our company make big decisions about the final budget?"

"Where can I learn the most about our current year's goals and our future bigger goals?" (if you do not already have a company newsletter or other ways to learn about organizational goals)

"What's the best way to learn more about other departments?"

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy Season 3's topics-- and remember, if you have a business challenge or workplace issue—Ask Christa!

See you next week!!!

With kindness,
Christa

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