October 14, 2020

Shift Your Workday

By 8THIRTYFOUR

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Sick of PJs and a messy bun being your workday attire? Just because we aren’t heading to an office every day doesn’t mean you can’t shake up your workday by leaving your home. Gasp! It’s true. Slap on that mask and try these alternatives to your bed.

Coffee Shop

Is there anything better than being highly caffeinated for 8 straight hours? We don’t know about you, but there is something comforting about people clicking away on their laptops all working, sipping coffee and munching on bagels.

Library

The smell of books is hands down the best smell in the entire world. Fight us on it. If you’re looking for a change of pace and want to see other humans, head to your local public library and revel in the silence and free wifi. While you’re there, check out the awesome programs they host.

Hotel

Have you seen some of the sweet hotel lobbies in our community? Embassy Suites has a water fountain FFS. The Amway Grand Plaza has a hotel bar lobby, Starbucks and several restaurants to choose from. Did we mention the people watching? You never know who you might run into. Great networking opportunities…or day drinking? To each their own.

Park

Fall in Michigan is the absolute best. Bundle up and head to one of our amazing city or county parks. Grab a blanket, some snacks and post up under a tree. Fall also means fewer bugs, so it’s pretty much the perfect time to be outside.

Restaurant

We’ve been known to frequent restaurants and bars for team outings that last all day. We mean, you can eat and drink all day. What isn’t there to like? Even in times like these, you can socially distance at a bar or restaurant and support those local businesses who need us now, more than ever. Don’t be a putz and take up space. Make sure you tip your servers and bartenders.

Bookstore

Local bookstores or chains…there is so much to love. We’ve already mentioned the smell of books, so we won’t go there again. Being surrounded by words is empowering. Take a break from work and purchase a journal and get to writing yourself or just grab some coffee, smell a book and get to work.

Working remotely doesn’t have to be boring. Get up and get out. Our mental health demands we adapt. Where is your favorite place to work? Let us know!

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Something on Your Mind?

If you ever need proof that personal brand matters...Kim got to see the @nasaartemis II launch in person as a direct result of her Big Deal Energy™.

You need to work hard, show up authentically, and provide value. That was her message to a room full of students and young professionals at @western_michigan_pmi`s theProject Collegiate Competition.

The Big Deal Energy™ Workshop is on June 23. Register at the link in bio.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18045223601588457

Employers think Gen Z is lazy, entitled, and will quit the second things get hard. That perception is keeping you out of the room before you ever get a chance to prove otherwise.

The good news is, you can flip the script, but it will take some serious work and a personal brand, or as Kim Bode refers to it: Big Deal Energy™.

Kim is speaking at theProject™ Collegiate Event, hosted by the Project Management Institute Western Michigan Chapter on April 14. She`ll cover how to build a personal brand that actually sounds like you (not ChatGPT) and how you can show your value through social, content and networking.

Link in bio to learn more.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18012680507839574

We are so focused on unraveling the cause that we lost sight of the people in the center of it. Kim`s recent piece in the @smallbusinessassocofmichigan`s FOCUS Magazine on the Hard Cost of Soft Skills struck a nerve.

Everyone has an opinion on who`s to blame for where the skills gap is, but nobody is actually fixing it. It`s why we`re having this conversation.

Join us on April 28, link in bio.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18110696536811979

We are so focused on unraveling the cause that we lost sight of the people in the center of it. Kim's recent piece in the @smallbusinessassocofmichigan's FOCUS Magazine on the Hard Cost of Soft Skills struck a nerve. Everyone has an opinion on who's to blame for where the skills gap is, but nobody is actually fixing it. It's why we're having this conversation. Join us on April 28, link in bio.

Last week, we got to see history. The kind you remember where you were when it happened.

Kim was there on April 1 for the @nasa Artemis II launch - the first crewed flight around the moon in more than 50 years.

We don`t take moments or opportunities like this for granted.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18073557704220854

Last week, we got to see history. The kind you remember where you were when it happened. Kim was there on April 1 for the @nasa Artemis II launch - the first crewed flight around the moon in more than 50 years. We don't take moments or opportunities like this for granted.

No one talks about how lonely it is to own a business. The tough decisions land on you, the business doesn`t pause when you need a break, and nobody - not your employees or your spouse - really gets it.

If you know a business owner, tell them they`re doing a good job. It matters more than you know.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18115092436709128

No one talks about how lonely it is to own a business. The tough decisions land on you, the business doesn't pause when you need a break, and nobody - not your employees or your spouse - really gets it. If you know a business owner, tell them they're doing a good job. It matters more than you know.

The growth stage is the hardest part of building a business.

Kim was recently quoted in @corpmagazine on what she sees running the Women`s Entrepreneurial Fellowship: women who have built something, survived the hardest part, and are still doing everything themselves. The natural tendency to be humble and attached to their work creates unique business challenges for women; they put up walls because they can`t be vulnerable.

Meanwhile, when a woman CEO needs growth capital, she compiles three years of tax returns before a bank will schedule a meeting, while her male competitor closes the same deal over drinks.

When women have access to the right resources, they grow and invest back. Full article at the link in bio.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18078804740143427

The growth stage is the hardest part of building a business. Kim was recently quoted in @corpmagazine on what she sees running the Women's Entrepreneurial Fellowship: women who have built something, survived the hardest part, and are still doing everything themselves. The natural tendency to be humble and attached to their work creates unique business challenges for women; they put up walls because they can't be vulnerable. Meanwhile, when a woman CEO needs growth capital, she compiles three years of tax returns before a bank will schedule a meeting, while her male competitor closes the same deal over drinks.When women have access to the right resources, they grow and invest back. Full article at the link in bio.

Join Us for Uncomfortable Conversations: The Skills Crisis

April 28, 2026

We’re putting employers and Gen Z in the same room, across a table from each other. They’ll discuss what’s working, what’s missing, and what they wish the other side understood.