Woman to Woman Magazine | February 2025

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Setting and achieving a significant revenue goal is a bold move that requires clarity, structure, and the right mindset. For 2025, I’m setting my sights on a big monetary target, and I’m inviting you to do the same. This process isn’t just for women in business but for anyone who wants to grow and challenge themselves. Achieving these goals demands a balance of intentional mindset shifts, strategic planning, and expanding your capacity mentally, physically, and emotionally. Let’s dive in.

Mindset: The Foundation of Success

The first step to hitting any ambitious goal is believing it’s within your reach. Often, we hold ourselves back with limiting beliefs—doubts about whether we’re capable, deserving, or ready. Instead of falling into those traps, start asking yourself, “What’s possible?” Visualize hitting your revenue target and the ripple effect it will create—not just for you but for your family, clients, and community. Keep this vision clear and use it to fuel your determination.

Resilience is another cornerstone of success. Big goals don’t happen without a few bumps along the way. Commit to showing up consistently, even when things get tough. Celebrate every milestone—no matter how small—to stay motivated and maintain momentum.

Strategy: Reverse Engineer Your Goal

Ambition without a plan is just wishful thinking. Once you’ve set your revenue goal, break it down into actionable steps. Here’s how to keep it intentional and efficient:

Start with the Numbers: How many clients, products, or services will it take to hit your target? Get specific.
Leverage Your Best Performers: Analyze your current offerings. Which products or services have performed the best? Can you expand, refine, or market them more effectively?
Double Down on What Works: Look at the data. What strategies have brought you success before? Optimize those while testing new ideas that align with your brand.
Create a Marketing Plan: Build a plan that’s direct and intentional, with measurable milestones. Focus on platforms and campaigns that align with your audience and your strengths.

By reverse-engineering your goal, you’re creating a roadmap to success that feels achievable and actionable.

Expanding Your Capacity

Big goals require more than a solid strategy—they demand personal growth. To accomplish something you’ve never done before, you have to stretch yourself in new ways. This is where building mental, physical, and emotional capacity comes into play.

Mentally: Stay sharp by investing in your development. Whether it’s through courses, books, or mentorship, always seek opportunities to grow. Surround yourself with people who challenge and inspire you.
Physically: A thriving business requires energy. Prioritize your health with regular exercise, balanced nutrition, and enough rest. Showing up at your best starts with taking care of your body.
Emotionally: Running a business is an emotional journey. Strengthen your resilience with self-care routines and support systems. Whether it’s journaling, meditation, or working with a coach or therapist, prioritize practices that help you process challenges and stay focused.

Systems and Structure: Keep It Simple

No matter how great your mindset or strategy is, disorganization can derail you. Simplify your processes with systems that work for you. Automate repetitive tasks, delegate where possible, and invest in tools that streamline your workflow. This frees up your energy to focus on what truly matters—building relationships, refining your offerings, and growing your business.

Track your progress regularly and adapt as needed. Staying organized and intentional keeps your efforts aligned with your goals and ensures you’re moving forward efficiently.

Beyond Business: Why It Matters

While this article focuses on revenue goals, these principles extend far beyond business. Whether you’re saving for a personal milestone, working toward a fitness goal, or seeking more balance in life, the combination of mindset, strategy, and capacity-building applies. It’s about aligning your actions with your aspirations and showing up as your best self.

Closing Thoughts

2025 is the year to go big. Set a goal that excites and challenges you, and commit to the process of making it happen. With the right mindset, a clear strategy, and the capacity to grow, you’ll not only achieve your goal but also transform along the way. Let’s make this a year of impact, growth, and success. I’m rooting for you every step of the way!

Learn more about Lauren here.

Read more about Gina here.

You’ve probably heard stories about fortunate investors who “get in the ground floor” of a new, hot company and quickly make a fortune. But while these things may happen, they are exceedingly rare and often depend on hard-to-duplicate circumstances — and they really don’t represent a viable way of investing for one’s goals. A far more tried-and-true approach is the “slow-and-steady” method.

To follow this strategy, consider these suggestions:

• Start small — and add more when you can.

When you’re first starting out in the working world, you may not have a lot of extra money with which to invest, especially if you’re carrying student loan debt. But one of the key advantages of the slow-and-steady method is that it does not require large investment sums to get going. If you can afford to put away even $50 or $100 a month into individual stocks or mutual funds, month after month, you may be surprised and pleased at how your account can grow. And when your salary goes up, you can put away more money each month.

• Take advantage of an employer’s retirement plan.

If your employer offers a 401(k) or similar tax-advantaged retirement plan, try to take full advantage of it. Again, if you’re just beginning your career, you may not be able to put away much in this type of plan, but even a small amount is better than nothing. And as soon as you can possibly afford it, try to put in enough to earn your employer’s matching contribution, if one is offered. These types of plans can offer some key benefits — and perhaps the biggest one is that investing is automatic, in that the money is moved directly from your paycheck into the investments you’ve chosen within your 401(k) or other plan.

• Be prepared for downturns.

The financial markets will always experience ups and downs. So, you need to be prepared for those times when your investment statements may show negative results. By understanding that these downturns are a normal part of the investment environment, you can avoid overreactions, such as selling quality investments with good fundamentals just because their price has temporarily dropped.

• Chart your progress regularly.

A key element of a slow-and-steady investment approach is knowing how well it’s working. But it’s important to measure your progress in a way that makes sense for you. So, for example, instead of measuring your portfolio’s performance against that of an external stock market index, such as the S&P 500, you may want to assess where you are today versus one year ago, or whether the overall progress you’re making is sufficient to help you meet the financial goals you’ve set for yourself well into the future. Another reason not to use a market index as a measuring tool is that the index only looks at a certain pool of investments, which, in the case of the S&P 500, is simply the largest companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges. But long-term investors try to own a range of assets — U.S. and foreign stocks, bonds, government securities, certificates of deposit, and so on.

“Slow and steady” may not sound like an exciting approach to investing. But it’s often the case that a little less excitement, and a lot more diligence, can prove to be quite effective.

As seen in Woman to Woman April 2024 issue. This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC.

It’s hard to be an Artist

I sat at the table, started to draw

when from out of nowhere, I saw a paw.

Little Miss Kitty grabbed hold of my brush,

and bounced off the table in a big rush.

I chased after her, she fled through the door.

I lost my balance, and slipped on the floor.

Returned to the table, sat with a sigh.

Suddenly, I felt a paw on my thigh.

Said, “I’m the artist”, and took back my brush.

She jumped in the paint tray, showed me her tush.

Then pranced across my canvas with each paw,

and the painting she made left me in awe.

Mary A. Couch, an Administrative Assistant for Taylored Systems LLC, a technology company in Noblesville, Ind. learned the art of poetry from her mother and two grandmothers who were storytellers and artists. She and her late mother, Alice Couch, published a chapbook of their poetry titled Two Views. Couch enjoys writing poems showing her Celtic heritage by revealing the spirits that live in nature and the oneness of the universe. Her poems have been published in a variety of venues including Poetic Nature in the Hoosierland, Twin Muses: Art & Poetry, An Evening with the Writing Muse, The Polk Street Review, Encore, Pegasus, and Poetry and Paint. She is published on Amazon with five books: Hoosier Haiku: Poetic Snippets from the Heartland, Hoosier WordArt: Communing with the Chippewa, A Garden of Thought Blossoms, Hoosier WordArt: Finicky Kitten’s Book of Rhymes, and Hoosier WordArt: Generations. Mary is a past Premier Poet for Poetry Society of Indiana.

Describe your family. Significant other? Children? My husband and I have been married for 18 years and he has been incredibly supportive of my career, and we have two amazing daughters who keep life exciting. Family is so important for me, and I try to balance the fast-paced world of the auto industry with being present for them.

Do you have a license or degree? If so, in what, from where? Yes, I have a bachelor’s degree in business finance with concentrations in a accounting and finance from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame. And I also have a master’s in the science of accountancy from Loyola University Chicago.

Describe your professional background / history? I grew up around cars and was at the dealership with my dad within a week of being born. As a young kid, I would go in to help pick up trash on the lot, open the mail and do whatever my dad asked me. In my teens, I started working more in the accounting office which led me to pursue an accounting degree. After college, I worked for a public accounting firm (where I met my husband) that had specialized in automotive that had a national presence with privately and publicly held dealerships. Eventually, I decided to come work at our Chevrolet dealership in Oak Lawn, Ill. and I am proud today to have grown to oversee five dealership locations with my family.

How did you discover your passion? I’ve always loved cars, but more than that, I love the business side - building relationships, creating opportunities, and watching people drive off the lot in their dream vehicles. I realized early on that this industry wasn't just about selling cars, it was about providing solutions, building trust, and leading with innovation.

What mark do you hope to leave on your industry? I want to redefine what leadership looks like in the automotive world. This industry has been male-dominated for decades, and I want to show that women can thrive, innovate and lead at the highest levels. Beyond that, I want to mentor and uplift other women who are interested in automotive careers, as there are so many career paths whether in sales, service and parts, finance, marketing, business development, human resources, accounting or management.

What are you most proud of in your life personally and/or professionally? Professionally, I am most proud of continuing to grow our business that not only serves customers, but also provides career opportunities for so many talented people. Personally, I am proud of becoming a mom to my two girls. Especially having to navigate a tough pregnancy and medical issues with my youngest who was born with complete heart block and received a pacemaker at eight-days-old.

You were just named the first chairwoman of the Chicago Auto Show. What does it mean to you to be the first in the auto show's more than 120-year history? It is an incredible honor. The Chicago Auto Show is one of the most iconic automotive events, and to be the first woman to hold this position is both humbling and exciting. It’s a testament to how far the industry has come and how much further we can go. I hope my role inspires other women to step into leadership positions and make their mark.

What advice would you give your younger self? Another woman on the path to finding her calling? I would tell my younger self to trust the process and not be afraid to take up space in rooms where you might be the only woman. For any woman finding her path - know that you don’t have to follow the traditional route. Take risks, speak up, and never let anyone make you feel like you don't belong.

Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing? I love to be home spending time with my husband, my 12-year-old and 15-year-old daughters and our two-year-old Bernedoodle. We enjoy traveling when we can, especially to Florida and Jamaica.

Anything else you'd like to include. I want to encourage more women to explore careers in the automotive industry. There is so much opportunity beyond what people traditionally think of sales, finance, service and management. If you have the drive and determination, there is a place for you here. For more details on Webb Auto Group, visit webbcars.com.

And if you’re looking for a fun and exciting outing with friends or family, the 2025 Chicago Auto Show is the perfect event. Whether you are a car enthusiast, looking for your next vehicle, or just want to get out of the house in the middle of February, there is something for everyone. The show is packed with interactive exhibits, indoor test tracks with Ford Bronco and Jeep as well as an EV track with 12 different manufacturers, plus outdoor test drives, and stunning vehicle displays. New this year is a Family Fun Zone and an Overlanding area targeted for outdoor enthusiasts.

Where: McCormick Place, Chicago | When: February 8-17, 2025

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