“Know that you have importance and be able to tell yourself that every day”
Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Sandy for finding the time to meet with us.
We are excited to feature Sandy Voigt through our Spotlight Profiles.
Meet Sandy Voigt, the director of the Women’s Business Alliance. The Women’s Business Alliance is a collaborative program that is offered through the entrepreneur fund and is sponsored by the Small Business Administration. They’re part of a network of women business centers that are located throughout the United States. She has been doing this since November of 2018 with an office located in Little Falls, Minnesota. Their intent is to assist women entrepreneurs that either trying to start their business or have a business and are wanting to grow.
Question: Can you tell us about your connection to Rural America?
Answer: I was born and raised in northern MN. My professional employment really started in the world of economic development because the community that I moved back to was experiencing some very significant job losses. It was really the mentality that you have to leave and move to the cities to have any job. My long-term value is that you should be able to have the opportunity to live and work where you choose to. A lot of people want to live in rural Minnesota or rural
America, and they need to be able to have the tools to do that. And that is quality employment. That’s really always been my driving force in connection and any of the positions that I’ve held I have been trying to work with businesses to help create and support quality employment for individuals. So, you can raise your family and play and have a good time and enjoy all the beauty that we have.
Question: Tells us about a moment you felt discouraged and how you overcame it.
Answer: Well, my personal discouragement probably has to come from a divorce, something that can always be extremely devastating. You really do need to have a supportive network of friends and be able to laugh, to cry, to share some of your stories and examples, and have that network. I was very fortunate that I did have a strong friend and family network.
I had an elderly friend who actually wrote a poem about me and my experiences. It was so heartfelt and touching that I actually have it framed. It hangs on my dining room wall. If I’m ever starting to feel discouraged or put out, I can just read that poem and kind of get the same sense of feelings of support.
I had another friend at one point, long before it became a song, her statement that “what doesn’t kill you makes you makes you stronger” and that really has been true. There is a lot of fire and jumping on the deep end and the things that sometimes you just have to do and work through it. This project of trying to connect 100 rural women is actually very near and dear to my heart. That’s kind of the basis. I like relationships. And I think we can always get things done better if we are working together and collaboratively and supporting each other through the process.
Question: How do you lead and create change in your community and how can your community better support rural women?
Answer: Well, I firmly believe that you need to be active and you need to be supportive and listen and encourage others that are trying to take action. It can be very scary to be able to, as we talked about before, to be able to walk into a room of people that you don’t know and start. So if someone takes that step you really need to be supportive of them. Women need to really form that supportive network and encourage them to take action and take steps. Be willing to listen to be able to offer some ideas. Perhaps recommendations and suggestions. For me, I believe I have to think out loud, but I need to be able to process it. We need to have a network of supportive people to listen.
Question: If you could give one piece of advice to your former self, what would that be and why?
Answer: My advice to me would be not to let the negative voice in my mind take over. Also not to become a victim of what’s called the imposter syndrome. You know, not believing in yourself or not believing that you have something to offer. I need to every day believe and look in the mirror and say that I have value. You have value. And especially you matter even if you are the only woman in the room. You need to be able to know that you have importance and be able to tell yourself that every day.
Question: Who or what has been your biggest inspiration?
Answer: Well, for me, it goes back quite a few years. My younger self had the opportunity to attend the Blandin Foundation Leadership Program. I don’t know if Blandin even offers that anymore. But as far as I was concerned, and am concerned, that was one of my life changing moments. I was able to spend a week going through the leadership program. It was the very first time that I’d ever even heard of anything like that. I took my very first Myers Briggs personality profile test. I’m an ENFP. That week, as I say, truly changed me and gave me that internal voice that said you do have value and you do matter. You can make a difference. I don’t know that Blandin is the key for everyone, but I do think that investing time in yourself is worthwhile. That was a real turning point in my life.