Stephanie’s journey began as a graphics engineer at large companies, where she specialized in image optimization. After feeling burnt out and ready to leave the tech world altogether, she decided a good compromise would be to start a consulting business. Eventually, she came to the realization that a product might bring more happiness than consulting, and Binomial, an image optimization company, was born.
Over the course of her career, Twitter has been a powerful tool in her toolbox. Initially, she started her account to advance her career, then it became a platform for solving problems she saw in her industry, and now she utilized it as a way to help her younger self. She said that starting out, the engineering industry seemed exclusive.
Through both Twitter and in her own daily work, she works to combat that exclusivity and act as a mentor and resource. She believes in the value of helping others and building trust. From there, clients and connections naturally fall into place.
Being Choosy & Saying No
It has been nearly two years since founding Binomial and Stephanie says she is constantly learning and growing.
“I’m becoming more conscious of things like saying no a lot to clients and being choosy and standing up for what we want and speaking our minds and not censoring ourselves too much. All of these things are actually good for business.”
By saying no to clients or demands that are not good for her business, Binomial creates space for the clients who actually want to work with them. Many of these clients have been attracted to her through her generosity with knowledge and mentoring on Twitter because she says that people want to work with good people.
Boundaries & Balance
To keep her giving and outreach from draining her, she sets boundaries. By using her mission of helping underprivileged communities in the US get out of poverty as a checkpoint, she makes sure that the outreach she is doing is furthering that mission. If it is not, she knows it is time to refocus and get back on track.
She also views her mentoring as part of her work week, rather than additional time spent outside of work. This allows her to have a healthier work-life balance.
“Especially if you want to help other people, if you aren’t healthy yourself, you’re not going to do that. And that is a really painful reality to swallow. But it’s so true… You’re setting an example.”
Confidence & Transparency
Maintaining the equilibrium between confidence and transparency in business is another crucial balance Stephanie is focused on.
“My goal really is to just do things that align with happiness.”
She shares that over the past year, she has had the opportunity to connect with really successful people in her industry. The sad truth that she discovered was that many of them were very unhappy. This was disappointing to her as someone who is aspiring to be in their shoes.
To combat this, she is trying to be more open about the challenges and real struggles of start-up businesses while still staying confident and positive.
Some of those challenges have been less about business and more on the personal side. Stephanie has learned to value self-care, relationships, and her health after losing touch with those priorities.
She hopes to counter the mythology in businesses and encourage others to think critically about the path to success rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. She also wants to encourage business owners to take care of themselves while also giving back to their community when possible.
Her challenges to you?
- Make time to rest and relax.
- Make it a priority to mentor someone.
Contact:
Company Website | Binomial
Personal Website | StephanieHurlburt.com
Twitter | @sehurlburt
Credits:
Hosted by Jeff Large | JeffLarge.com
Produced and Powered by Come Alive Creative | ComeAliveCreative.com
Music provided by Birocratic | SoundCloud.com/Birocratic
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