Operations Unfiltered

Zuryna: Welcome to operations
unfiltered the podcast that

takes you behind the scenes of
influencer and talent management.

This week, we're having a Mustang
meetup with a friend and fellow alumni

from Stevenson university Alaina.

We'll share some fun memories from our
times, working in the admissions office.

Talk operations in her current career.

And she'll share some advice
for some incoming Mustangs.

Don't worry.

The advice is still relevant.

If you aren't going to Stevenson.

So without further ado.

Let's get into this week's
episode of operations unfiltered.

Today I am joined by one of my
good friends, the lovely Elena.

Welcome hey girl.

Alaina: So happy to be here with you.

Zuryna: Yes.

Thank you so much for joining me.

So what was your major and
what year did you graduate?

And then share a favorite
memory from Stevenson.

Alaina: I started at Stevenson and I
was like, I want to be a therapist.

And so I started as a, social
services major, and quickly found

out that I got too many of my own
emotions to be anybody's therapist.

So,

Zuryna: uh,

Alaina: yeah.

I was like, oh, excuse me.

I was so confused.

so wrong about this.

And I switched, my major
to business communication.

And I graduated in 2016, but we're saying

Zuryna: this like we
weren't in the same classes.

We were the same major.

We went through the trenches together.

So yes, that is how we know each other.

Yes.

Alaina: And actually, I was gonna
say, , my favorite memory, , with you

at SU for me was, and I don't know
if you remember this, but we had to

take this class for our internship.

And, one of our professors was like,
yeah, you'll be lucky if you make 40,

000 35, 000 right out of the gate.

No, she

Zuryna: said 35, 000.

She definitely said 35, 000, ma'am.

Alaina: Yes, and Zarina and
I both looked at each other

and we were like, who is this?

Literally

Zuryna: the same thing.

We both said who I remember that day.

Yes.

After both of us had just come
from our jobs from internship

and coming here slaving, yes,
I will never forget that day.

Yeah, absolutely not.

No ma'am.

Alaina: Absolutely not.

And , I absolutely never did.

Because that was just not.

An option, because, you know,
as we all know right now,

everything, life's expensive.

Going outside is expensive, and even
more so now than it was in 2016.

So, it just, it was just an
absolutely not, , at that time.

But, so, that's kind of one of the, I
was just thinking about that today, when

I was thinking about coming on the show.

on with you today.

I was like, Oh my God, that was so funny.

And I think , the two of us have really
come up together, in our four years.

Oh my

Zuryna: goodness.

Yeah, we literally were in the trenches.

I'm talking PT cruiser days.

The purple PT Cruiser.

I'm talking you were a server.

It was

Alaina: brown, girl.

It was brown.

Oh, it was

Zuryna: brown.

Alaina: It was brown.

Are you purple?

I swear it was

Zuryna: purple.

I might be, honestly.

I might be.

But speaking of making 35, 000 a year,
which we both never did, absolutely not.

What is your current role?

What are you doing now?

Alaina: So,, I have been venturing
into the health tech space,,

in the last couple of years.

So my current role, I work
for a company called Grail.

, we actually, , just went
public, , a week or two ago.

Yeah.

We are a biotech company, a health tech
company that, , we have, multi cancer

early detection, phlebotomy test, and
it tests for signals of 50 different

kinds of cancer just from a blood test..

Zuryna: Wow.

Alaina: So, yeah, it's, it's amazing
technology and I can't wait for

it to be, more readily available,
to the broader masses for sure.

So what I do there is I actually.

Work, on the sales operations side.

I work our sales incentives.

So our sales team that comes together,
obviously sales people make a commission.

So I work on their structures.

I work on their policy to make sure that,
you know, everything is fair and equitable

to, the team, but also the company.

I think it's a really great position for
me, even though this wasn't what my sort

of background and what my passions lie in.

Because I think that sales incentives
is such a delicate conversation to

be had because money is emotion.

And for sure.

People.

And people are very
emotional about their money.

So if they feel that they're being
compensated in a way from the,

from the perspective of incentives,
they're, they're going to be upset.

So how do I handle that for
them in a way that's empathetic?

And also making sure that, you
know, we're following the, the.

The sort of rules that we set as well.

Zuryna: That is amazing.

And I always say, Oh, the places of
biz comm degree will take you because

I know for a fact that is not what
you were doing when we were at school.

That's not what you interned in.

That's not what you said you wanted to do.

So again, I say, Oh, the places
of biz comm degree will take you.

Now you are doing a passion project.

You're a side hustle, if you will.

Let's dig into a little
bit about that side hustle.

What are you doing there?

Alaina: Yeah, so I am doing
a lot of brand strategy for,

mostly beauty wellness, brands.

In Baltimore.

So it's been really amazing.

So far I'm, I'm really working on,
elevating socials, you know, getting

these businesses more involved in
the community, raising awareness.

For their brand and things like that.

Zuryna: Okay.

I love that for you because I
feel like knowing you personally,

that really fits your personality.

So I'm so proud of you for that.

And in operations unfiltered is all
about the logistic side of things.

So we love understanding the people,
the processes and the tools or

technology that you use to keep
whatever it is that you do moving.

So with that, What are the tools
or technology that you use, whether

it be at your corporate job, your
side hustle, or passion project?

I really like the way that sounds, passion
project, or even in your personal life.

What are some of those tools?

Is it Google calendars?

Asana?

Let us know.

Give us the tea.

Alaina: So I'm going to talk a little bit.

of crap because I use this
sauna at work my full time job

because, only because I have to.

But.

Zuryna: Okay.

Alaina: I, I am a click up stan and I
don't know if you Let's get into it!

ClickUp before, but, it was brought on,
at my previous role which was a startup.

So things were newer there, you know,
we didn't have anything really set,

in place in, one of our, marketing
operations managers brought on.

Click up and sort of use me in my, in
my events and conferences role as a

sort of guinea pig for the platform.

And I just took off with it.

And I just think that it's so intuitive.

It's so easy.

And I think there's just so many
more things that you can do that

you can absolutely not do in Asana.

And, so that's been a struggle
for me having to use Asana.

In my corporate job, but I use the free
version of ClickUp for my own stuff.

Listen, we love a

Zuryna: free version of anything,
especially as an entrepreneur and I

don't even think of it as, you know, a
bad thing that you have to use one, tool

at work and one tool in your side hustle.

I feel like it is.

Actually great.

It's helping you to build
the tools in your toolbox.

So shout out to you for
learning how to use both.

And hopefully one day you can
get the paid version of ClickUp.

Cause I hear it's wonderful.

I myself am a smart sheet
girly, please don't kill me,

but I'm a smart sheet girly.

Alaina: I'm so offended by

Zuryna: this.

I love Smartsheet and it's be, it's
probably because my background,

I've worked in health insurance and
then I worked in higher education.

So I just love a good Excel
sheet, but I hate that there's

no automation and triggers.

And an Excel sheet.

Like I just, what am I going to do
with this random row and random cells?

So smart sheet comes along
and baby girl has automation.

Baby girl has forms.

I can speak directly to the document.

So I'm a smart, she girly
through and through,

Alaina: and I, and I will say as
a person who went from, and I've

had a lot of different roles, like
I had five internships in college

I am just not a person who's ever
been really good or into school.

It's just something that
we've all had to do.

And so any opportunity I had to work
instead of doing, sitting in a class,

I'm like, yeah, i'm doing i'm doing
that and I hear you And I do think that

that has really helped me In in getting
the roles and and being further in my

career Just because I technically do have
more Real world experience outside of

Zuryna: yeah, and the other key thing
that I remember about our time at

Stevenson and how it just transferred over
Into the work that we do now Everybody

who is doing something Spectacular now
worked in the admissions office Okay.

Either you were a tour guide or you
were working behind that front desk.

So shout out to everybody who
worked in the admissions office.

Shout out to Molly.

Girl, I love you.

Shout out to Zakiya.

She worked with Mark Herrigan.

I love her down.

So I don't know if you work in the
admissions office, if you are currently

working in the admissions office,
something good is coming for you.

Just mark my words.

Alaina: It's a really
great experience too.

, I, I remember, so I was an owl,
an orientation weapon leader.

And I remember, like, my
owls, , at my, , during my

first, , week of college and stuff.

And I was like, I just,
like, want to be an owl.

And then I got to an
opportunity to be an owl.

And then you get to work and
do tours during the school

year, in the admissions office.

And I think to have these experiences
and also from a perspective of

how operational things happen,
from a university perspective

is really good, Real world

Zuryna: experience for sure.

I was at the front desk.

I was a guest experience assistant,
and then I was an admissions fellow.

So I was really in the office because I
was not walking around that campus all

day showing I'm not doing the tours.

I wasn't doing all that walking,
but working at the front desk, I

really learned my people skills.

I had to answer the phone
and let me tell you.

Directing those calls whenever I had
you guys come up to the front desk

and answer the phones for me Y'all
hated it, but I loved it I loved

being air traffic control and I've
taken that and done that now But that's

where I got my love of technology.

We used to use, recruiter to check
in tours and I loved all of that.

So it's just amazing again, going back
to the people we encountered and the

things that we did at school on the ground
opportunities that really helped shape us.

Like guys, I thank Stevenson now
for my ability to take a phone call.

Okay.

I, my problem solving skills truly
came from working at that front desk.

Alaina: You know, something you said
really triggered a memory for me.

And a really valuable skill that
I learned doing the tours, though,

is not every family is extroverted.

And not every, , family, , wants
to chit chat with you.

So it is really, it is really
a lesson in potentially having

an hour of talking to yourself.

For sure.

You just learn this sort of, okay, I've,
I've got a riff, you know, or there's

gonna be some weird awkward silence.

I also want to mention,
silence is definitely okay.

And, and in some situations
it can be a superpower.

But, and I think in these, you learn
that , it's, this special skill of

just filling space and making sure
you feel comfortable and other people

feel for sure even if they don't really
feel they don't really feel comfortable

Zuryna: having

Alaina: some sort of
conversation around absolutely

Zuryna: I call it Embrace the Awkward.

Embrace the Awkward and honestly I
could always tell and I would come

back and warn y'all like oh man this
is gonna be a quiet tour but you guys

always rocked it and they would come
back smiling from ear to ear excited

about it so you did your thing girl.

But speaking of roadblocks and obstacles,
what are some of the roadblocks and

obstacles you're encountering as you're
going on this brand strategy journey?

You're meeting with clients,
onboarding new clients.

What are some of the things that
you're noticing =right now?

Alaina: Things that we're trying
to do is build engagement.

How do we get new clients and patients?

for sure and so i'm working
with two brands right now.

Yeah, so Yeah, so one of them is
called house of aesthetics It's, two

of my girlfriends, one of which
who went to Stevenson as well.

Um, and Oh, come on Mustang Meetup.

Yes!

Yes!

, and then the, uh, another
one I met, post college.

They work together., they're both
nurse practitioners who, worked

in a hospital and then decided
to start An injector business.

So they do Botox, filler, , skinveave,
microneedling, , and services like that.

Okay.

Very

Zuryna: Medical aesthetics.

Love that.

So,

Alaina: yeah.

Medical aesthetics.

And, they, the two of
them, I love them so much.

They're very much about how can I give you
a result that looks like you, but better.

Zuryna: Yeah.

Alaina: And they, the two of
them, I really respect them.

They turn away clients.

Somebody will come in and
say, I want more lip filler.

And they'll be like, no.

Absolutely not.

You don't need any more and I'm not going
to give you any more because I want you

to have a good result and I don't think
anymore is going to do that for you.

Zuryna: We love an honest
medical professional.

Because some people will just
take your money and have you

looking like a puffer fish.

So we, Love it when people are honest.

We love that.

And I feel like that's, they're
being loyal to their own brand.

They're being loyal to their work.

I want people to look at you as a
reflection of me and my business.

So I'm going to be honest with you.

I love that for them.

Alaina: And the other brand I'm working
with, it's called, melted wax and skin.

Another one of my friends, Olivia,
she, she's an esthetician.

She's amazing guys.

If you're in Baltimore and
need a Brazilian, she is the

fastest Brazilians in the West.

I swear.

15 minute Brazilian.

And then she also does, facial
treatments, micro needling

as well., and she's amazing.

She has a location in,
in Canton right now.

She's opening up another
location in August.

But I think the challenge is number one
is keeping content fresh What are people?

Engaging with how can we give people?

content that's Applicable to them and
be a, a page that they want to follow

because there are so many, and I
think they, they have a lot of choice

Zuryna: overload.

Everybody is on tick tock.

Everybody is on Instagram.

It's content overload.

So you really have to, as a business
owner compete with that, be fresh.

I always say your content can go quickly
because there's so much choice out there.

So yeah, you are definitely
head on right there.

So yeah, talk a little bit more about
what you're planning to do or what

you have down the pipeline to address
some of these roadblocks that you're

seeing, whether it be with this specific
client, future clients, how do you.

foresee addressing this issue.

Alaina: For me, it's, it's thinking
outside the box of the content that

we're giving, our clients and patients.

And I think especially in this beauty
aesthetics, space, there is so much

choice as we were talking about
people travel for their beauty.

And we know, I know

Zuryna: it, people will travel for
their beauty, which is hair as well.

I've traveled, I'm afraid to admit
how far I've traveled for some

hair, three hours, but nevertheless,
people will travel for their beauty.

I get it.

I get it.

Alaina: So, and they have choice.

And I think setting these, these
brands apart from the ones that

are around all the time, so

for these House of Aesthetics, their
thing is they're two nurse practitioners.

They are medical professionals,
and they want to give you a natural

. And , listen, they will freeze
your face if that's what you want.

But they will not, not, not
put more filler than they think

is going to make you happy.

Zuryna: And there is a
clientele that respects that.

And I cater to that
market and lean into it.

I love that you guys are standing
on business about your filler.

Alaina: I

Zuryna: love it.

I love it.

Alaina: And I think with Melted, it's
something that really sets Olivia apart

is one is that her 15 minute Brazilians.

I, I have never gotten a Brazilian
from anyone else but Olivia,

Zuryna: but I will say.

Men who are listening to this, men,
if you don't understand, first of

all, the Brazilian is so beautiful.

It's such a sensitive experience.

It is a bonding experience.

So the fact that she can get in
there, in and out in 15 minutes

is, she's a magician at that point.

So yeah.

Alaina: And I think that, you know,
you just hit on something else that I

think is, olivia's sort of superpower
is the fact that she just really,

makes people feel comfortable because
it is a very intimate experience with

another human who, I mean, the first
time, and even the couple of times

after that, it can be a little weird.

You're like, I don't know.

It's

Zuryna: extremely weird.

Yeah.

Alaina: It's,

Zuryna: If you, if you don't
know, it's, it's very intimate.

Yeah.

Alaina: And I think you just have
to go to your clients and you say,

all right, let's figure out what your
superpower is and capitalize on those.

What's setting you apart
from all the other people.

Then, incorporating those things
into their socials, into their

newsletters, into, what events we're
having them attend,, in the area.

And we are telling clients, what we are
going to give them is different from

what you're going to get somewhere else.

And let me tell you why.

Zuryna: I love that approach.

And I feel like there's a sense
of authenticity that people want

nowadays that people are craving.

And the more that you deliver that,
the more successful you'll be.

And Leaning into what
makes you uniquely you.

. So we all have this mission, this
vision for where we see ourselves in

the future, what we want to accomplish.

These are our passion projects after all.

Who is your dream collab, your dream
partnership, your dream business?

Who would you love to work with?

Alaina: You know what , I'm
about to say something so lame.

It is, it is lame.

I just love working with
my friends and seeing

It's so like, I just seeing my
friends win and how I can hitch my

wagon to them But also be an asset.

So I think I will say I think
My biggest thing in my personal

life and in my business life is
I lead with relationships first.

So I, I think that it makes the business
part of it so special and it just,

if I can help you win, I'm here for
that and I want to see you win with

or without me, but why not with me?

Zuryna: Yes, I love a girl's girl.

Because who wouldn't want your team,
the people on your team to want what's

best for you and want you to succeed.

That's a good dream of
collaboration and partnership.

I love that.

Absolutely.

Oh

Alaina: my

Zuryna: gosh, Alayna.

Alaina: I just, one thing I was
going to say is, you know, I had a

meeting with the girls from Melted.

Melted is also a mother daughter duo.

So Olivia is Obviously, she does all the
services and things, but she works in

this collaboration with her mom, Ruth.

Ruthie is my girl.

And she really runs like, I know.

Hey girl, today's her birthday.

So happy birthday, Ruthie.

Oh, happy birthday, Ruth.

We're filming on

Zuryna: her birthday.

Go girl.

Yes.

Alaina: And I was talking with
the two of them, the other day.

And I was telling her, you know,
Nobody is going to care about

your business as much as you.

No one ever.

But I think something that's so important
is having people in your corner and on

your team who are second in line to that.

And if they're not,

Zuryna: you don't want
those people on your team.

100%.

That is the part that people miss.

And the part that I always stress
and why I say operations is truly

the right people, the processes
and the tools and technologies.

So you hit it spot on.

So tell us what's the
passion behind this project?

Alaina: I think that I am.

Since I moved into this role that
I'm in now, it's a lot less creative.

It's way more logistics and
math and things like that.

And I , you know, I love socials.

I love products.

I love beauty.

And I think just being, there was, it
came from this need to be involved.

And I was just , how can I do that?

And having this sort of epiphany
that , I, I need to get started today.

And what does that mean?

And what do I need to do?

And I think this is weirdly,
the stars aligned and

,
Zuryna: I

Alaina: started with House of
Aesthetics and I was just , Ladies,

I just , I need to be with you.

I don't know what that means.

But you took a deep

Zuryna: dive, a leap of faith.

For sure.

Alaina: I did.

I did.

And I was , you know, I it fully
being, fully being , I mean,

they're my friends, so they never,
never tell me to kick rocks.

But for them to be , well we, I mean some

Zuryna: friends will absolutely
tell you to kick rods, but that just

a, is a testament to you and the
friend group that you have curated.

So, because I know some, some
quote unquote friends that will

absolutely tell you to kick rocks.

Alaina: Yeah, and I'm just surrounded
by all of these, , powerhouse

women, and it just fills up my
cup so much, and I'm , I want to be

Zuryna: a part of this.

Alaina: And I, well, you created a way

Zuryna: you created a
lane love that so much.

Well, thank you so much for
taking time to chat with me

you truly got unfiltered
with all of your operations.

Because this is a Mustang meetup,
I want to close this out with what

piece of advice would you give a
freshman starting at Stevenson?

Alaina: Cool.

Yeah.

I think number one is get involved and I
know that everybody will tell you that

and you don't even really know what that
means because I didn't get as involved

until probably the end of my sophomore
year going into my junior year and I

wish I had more of that, I became an
owl the summer before my junior year.

I joined Phi Sig, the,
fall of my junior year.

You know, I think it's the sorority.

Zuryna: I know people are like,
what are y'all talking about?

Fisig is a sorority at Stevenson.

It's a very small school.

I hope after you guys listen
to the show, you will go do

your research about Stevenson.

Alaina: Yeah.

And I think My college
experience got that much better.

And I grew a lot as a person during
that summer into my junior year.

And you will no matter what, but I think
starting earlier and doing all of the

extra things without burning yourself out.

Zuryna: Yes.

Burnout is real.

Alaina: Burnout is real.

And just making sure that you're really
doing things that align to You know what

you're interested in and and even trying
new things if you're not sure because I

get it you're 18 and you go Oh my god,
i'm i'm out here and I don't even really

know what's going on it's really a whole

Zuryna: new world it is

Alaina: Yeah, and I think it's so
good to be able to find pockets of

community in places that maybe you
didn't Really know about before.

So it's really great.

Zuryna: You wrapped it up really
nice and pretty for me, because

essentially saying, make sure you
have the right people, processes, and

tools when you start your journey as
Stevenson, and honestly, it travels

even when into your professional life.

So

thank you so much, Elena, for joining and
thank you guys for listening to operations

unfiltered, the Mustang meetup edition.

See you next time.

Thanks.