When first starting down the path to creating what would become Bella Scena, my sole focus was on software. As an entrepreneur, it's easy to stay completely focused on the software as the solution. We only have so many hours in the day. Getting the software built takes a significant amount of management and effort. Most of my focus over the last 2+ years has been getting the product built and out in the market. As I continue working on product market fit, a new theme emerged.
It started off quietly. A question here and there, enquiring about whether software was all I had to offer. “Is there more you can do Amber?” was a question I started getting. “What can you do that is ongoing. What about applying your consulting skills here?” I had nothing but a blank stare back, as I had no idea how to answer that question.
Similar questions continued to emerge. I’ve always known the meetings problem was like a GIANT onion. I would be peeling this thing for several years. We keep improving on the technology. Every few weeks releasing new or streamlined features. Feedback is getting better and better from our demoes. Customers are sharing new and interesting use cases with us to help us improve. But I knew there was more we could do.
I went back to my original branding work from over 3 years ago when I worked with Capsule. At that time, I had thought about having a company that not only built software but helped build skills in the workforce. At that time, I had no idea how this could be accomplished. Only now I realized the missing piece- I wasn’t addressing the skills. This isn’t about how to use MY technology. It’s about the skills no one teaches us to help us get better at meetings. Who talks about these skills on specific details? This led to the creation of our first course.
Our first online training course is now available: How to plan an effective business meeting
This course was built over the last 3 months. I took my 20+ years industry experience working on 6 continents and baked it into a course. I interviewed people and showed our course before it was ready for prime time. 10 women reviewed the course and provided feedback to make sure it was the best possible value. I re-calibrated after all the helpful feedback I received, and now it is ready! The course itself focuses on core topics that you were somehow supposed to learn on the job.
The more people I talked with about the course, the more I learned. I heard about challenges many first generation college graduates face in entering the workforce. With no network and people to ask, where are you supposed to learn these types of skills? I heard about how hard it is to change careers from one type of industry to another. Walking into a business setting as a career changer presents its own invisible barriers.
In what has been a difficult and challenging year, I managed to create my own little force for change. For good. To help demystify what it takes to plan a good meeting, so that it is no longer a guessing game. To provide templates, tools, and new considerations. With so many of us stuck on painful digital meetings, better planning needs to be imperative.
If you know someone that would benefit from this course, would you please share this? We’re offering the course at $69 to start, to try to keep it affordable. If you know someone that absolutely can’t afford it but this would really help them, please reach out to me. Or maybe its time for you to dust off your meeting skills and give them a refresh. It takes 1 hour to complete the course.
This is the beginning of our expanded mission to be the leaders in the meeting performance category. In the coming months, I will have several new offerings. We will continue to address the meetings challenge from a holistic perspective.
Thank you to our early adopters and all those that get how endemic and challenging this problem is. We appreciate your willingness to support us and continue to help us improve. Drop us a line if you would like to see the latest we have been building in Bella.
Amber Christian
Amber is the founder of Wonderly Software Solutions and creator of Bella Scena.
