Ep 24 – Ana Battung – Celebrating Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month with MCSQ Consulting, LLC

MOMentum

Ariella Vaccarino and Theresa Ofstad interview Ana Battung, the founder of MCSQ Consulting. MCSQ focuses on developing Corporate Sales strategies; increasing Revenue and Sales performance; Task Force assistance; Meeting, Event and Conference Management and enhancing company culture through a lens of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion across all industries for Regional, National and Global organizations. Ana believes in building relationships through authenticity while Leading with Compassion, Living with Purpose. Listen to her tips for Mom business owners.

Ep 24 – Ana Battung – Celebrating Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month with MCSQ Consulting, LLC

:40 – Ana reached out to Theresa to offer being interviewed as a kickoff to Asian Pacific Heritage Month.

1:35 – Ana and Theresa know each other when they each worked for Hilton Brand hotels.
3:00 – MCSQ works on sales and business development, focus on diversity and inclusion while helping them to integrate it in their company’s culture.

3:35 – Ana and her family moved to Chicago from California in 2019, the weather is much different.

4:30 – Ana has two teenage boys who are active in sports.

5:15 – When the hospitality industry shut down, she was laid off in June 2020 and started her company in July 2020.

7:15 - So many people went through change through the pandemic. As mom’s we teach our kids you don’t make the basket, suck it up and try harder. What kind of lesson would I teach them if I didn’t do the same.

8:00 – Her two boys; Mathew Christian and Michael Conrad are the name of the company = MCSQ

9:20 – Theresa was also laid off in April 2020, many people had to pivot during the pandemic. She shifted fields as a way to teach our kids that there is a way to pivot and a way to figure out the new plan.

10:45 – MOMentum, this podcast is a way to create something new. Highlighting other mom entrepreneurs.

11:30 - Ana is an entrepreneur by circumstance.

12:00 - Ana is helping businesses how to improve their KPI’s (Key performance indicators) and do more with their businesses. Elevating companies with their Diversity, helping companies understand what that looks like.

13:45 - Help them understand how they can elevate their business from an internal and external standpoint when everyone around the room looks the same, speaks the same, and comes from the same background.

15:00 – Ana helped her job develop and elevate their DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) initiative. The customers she worked with then wanted to bring her aboard to help them with their DEI initiatives.

15:30 – Ana was nominated for SMART meetings 2023, the focus on visionaries and industry leaders, to entrepreneurs, stellar performers, innovators and rising stars.

16:15 – Theresa knows past winners like Mariles Krok who was Theresa’s colleague at LA Tourism. Seeing all the additional personal development that Mariles did inspired Theresa to do more herself.

17:17 – Ana is a co-Vice President of Corporate Relations on the Board for Ascend Pan-Asian Leaders, a national organization that is geared towards Pan Asian American Professionals and provide resources to advance their careers. They are 8,000 members strong as well as student professionals.

20:00 - Taking on a Voluntary leadership role is a great way to gain experience.

23:25 - Life balance giving of your time freely, working your business, and taking care of family. As mom’s we want to be everything to everyone. It is about time management and being honest about things that we can and cannot handle.

24:50 – It’s ok to say I am going on vacation with my friends, a “Mamacation.” MOMentum will be planning one of those one day…

26:30 – Self-care is so important! Even if you are doing laundry and listening to a meditation, or music, or whatever makes us relax.

27:00 - The journey of her company so far…Personal wins, professional wins.

28:20 – Started a non-profit, MCSQ Scholars, because it is important to her to give back with a mantra to Lead with Compassion and Live with Purpose. Her parents were the inspiration for her first two scholarships: Dad – Music Scholarship, Mom - Culinary Scholarship.

30:15 – Her interns helped her launch that program but reaching out to schools and university to find the recipients of the scholarship awards.

31:00 – How do you get an intern? Do you know someone who is interested in helping with social media? Credit for School in conjunction with a class they are taking. Others have been voluntary.

33:20 – There are places like PCMA that have Student and Emerging Leaders programs to tap into their resources for job listings and internships.

36:30 – Through the pandemic it was so hard to navigate from in person to on line to hybrid meetings. MCSQ helps people through that for their Conferences.

37:36 - Task force work for hotels with lack of staffing. Helps connect people who are looking for jobs to find the jobs available.

40:00 – Being resourceful and finding the right tools is important so you don’t have to take on everything by yourself. How do I make that a better process? Marketing Calendars.

41:30 – Most of her posts are through Linkedin.

42:20 – Ariella didn’t change her trajectory, she brought it back to life and brought some new things to it, like this podcast, MOMentum.

43:40 – Having honest conversations with your kids. If this is going to happen and I will be able to be at your basketball games, etc then I also need to spend time responding to emails, etc. Incorporating your kids whenever you can get them excited.

Find Ana and MCSQ Consulting at the following links:

www.mcsqconsulting.com

https://linktr.ee/mcsqconsulting

Article: Power Women: Ana Battung of MCSQ Consulting

On How To Successfully Navigate Work, Love and Life As A Powerful Woman

https://medium.com/authority-magazine/power-women-ana-battung-of-mcsq-consulting-on-how-to-successfully-navigate-work-love-and-life-as-4e01efcc5e56

Some Background on the hosts!

Ariella Vaccarino-

Once an opera singer, mother to 5 children, voice and piano teacher, creator of

Voice Lessons To Go, a line of voice lesson CDs/downloads that sell nationwide.

She is also the host of the podcasts:

The Talented Magical Mommies Club

Ariella's Vocal Notes

and she has her own YouTube channel about singing:

www.youtube.com/VoiceLessonsToGo

Theresa Ofstad-

Is currently working a fulltime job while running a Basketball Club with her husband and teenage son. She is developing a business called Fuller Life, a resource for patients, seniors and their families. She is an area director with Toastmasters, a lifetime learner, leadership fanatic, and community connector.

Sign up for her monthly newsletter to volunteer and support:

Fuller Life

Join MOMentum's private Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/849622462704055/

Become a Patron by clicking the link at the top of the page or clicking here:

https://patron.podbean.com/momentum