WOMEN IN THE TRAILER INDUSTRY
Trailer Show Session Review: Women in the Trailer Industry Roundtable
Drawing its largest crowd ever at the NATDA Trailer Show, the Women in the Trailer Industry roundtable on Tuesday, August 26, Real Women. Real Talk., was one of the show’ s highest rated sessions.
The session was moderated by Sarah Clements-Hey of Bob Clements International, who facilitated an open discussion format, where attendees discussed topics such as work-life balance, owning your space, and networking.
Open discussion format, where attendees discussed... work-life balance, owning your space, and networking.
The discussion moved quickly from shared experiences to clear, actionable strategies.
This collaborative, conversation style discussion focused on what’ s working for business owners and leaders in the trailer industry today. The discussion moved quickly from shared experiences to clear, actionable strategies that anyone running a business can put to work right now. Here were the top five takeaways:
1. Boundaries are required. The biggest challenge to balance often isn’ t a demanding client or relentless schedule; it’ s ourselves. It’ s the late-night email reply, the“ just one more call” at dinner, or the habit of staying plugged in long after the workday should be over.
The takeaway? Draw hard boundaries and set real office hours, separate work and personal phones, and get comfortable saying no. Strong boundaries help your team become more self-sufficient and allow you to return to work with the focus and energy leadership requires.
2. Growth requires letting go. Many business owners admitted they only truly began to grow once they stopped trying to do it all themselves. Delegating felt risky at first, but it created stronger, more sustainable operations for their businesses. One attendee explained,
“ I was forced to hire a lot of people to run the company, and to be honest, it was the best decision I ever made. We ended up growing, the operation ran smoother, and I realized how much I’ d been holding back by trying to control everything.” continued on page 76
64 NATDA Magazine www. natda. org