🎙️Episode 12: You can’t do everything — and you don’t have to"

Welcome to Jewish Grit. This week you get to meet Cippy Rosenberg, who has overcome personal challenges, family challenges, and has grown a business of her dreams. She's learned to say no. She's learned to delegate, and she's now become a global design company. Listen this week on Jewish Grit. [Music] It is so great to have you here, Sippy. Could you please tell everybody what you do and and then that new project that you're working on because that is unbelievable. Go ahead. >> I do interior design. I started out about 15 years ago and I built up a big company with about 25 employees now working under me. We do design for commercial spaces, residential spaces, healthcare, you name it, we design it. And um I love it. I love it. I really, really do. The new project that you're talking about is we actually opened up an office in Israel in Jerusalem. So it's super exciting because I am my heart is there and I wish I could be there. Um so this is my baby steps to getting there. So, I'm going to ask you a question cuz with that that positive aspect of wanting to achieve and keep on going and keep on going, there could be a negative side to that as well where >> sure >> you need to take a break. Have you ever dealt with something like that? >> Um, yeah. So, I push myself probably sometimes too hard and I'll be the first to tell you that finding the balance is not always easy and that that is accomplishing in and of itself. being able to figure out, you know, the the perfect the perfect um place to be in. Um I actually once heard a speech by somebody phenomenal in my industry. Um her name is Stacy Garcia and she said that you know having a balance is not it's not a scale. Like we always manage a scale and it's like you know you're always like that perfect balance but if that's the way you view it your hands get tired if you're always if you're always trying to be perfectly balanced it's tiring. It's about finding a balance of when you're focusing on one thing and when you're focusing on the other. So sometimes you're focusing on your family, sometimes you're focusing on your career. And it doesn't mean like chunks of your time. It could be a day, a week, a year that you're like, now is now it's time to focus on this. To me, that that was very inspiring to hear because that constant thought that like at every moment you have to be perfectly balanced. it it's it's hard to achieve, but like at any moment I'm choosing what I'm focusing on and that's what I'm gonna, you know, achieve and I'm gonna hone in on. I think that was like a little bit easier for me to wrap my brain around. Um, but it's something I'm constantly struggling with, you know, like how to find that that um perfect um chord of of ambition and also like take the time, breathe, enjoy the minute, enjoy the day, enjoy, you know, enjoy the the moment you're living in and not always look to what's next, what's next, what's next. >> Right. Well, talking about balance and not being able to hold it both. I mean, you're a mother and you started this business 15 years ago. Your kids were little. >> Yeah. That that must have been hard. And your husband, it's not like, okay, your husband just sits at home, twodles his thumbs, you know? I mean, we had your husband on the podcast as well, and by now people would have seen his episode. He's he's the president of so many companies. So, like you guys are the power couple. Sometimes I think like I micro dose a little bit. It's like you get it's it's it's really about like the quality, not the quantity, because I don't have a lot of time in each space. Um, so you really it's just about really focusing on what's the most important thing in each area of your life and delegating the things that are not like that don't have to be done by you. I would say at this point like I'm a master delegator. Um, and I think that that's helped me um letting go of control over the things that don't really need me in it. So like even in the house and the kids, you know, like I have help and knowing how to take the help, how to give the help, but then knowing the things that like this is mom, like mom is there and I'm going to be there with the kids and I'm doing this and this is not something you delegate. So you said something that I'm going to go right to the gut of it and I think it was very telling. You said you've learned to let people come in and help. You've learned to delegate. So obviously that's something that you worked on because of that sense of control. >> Yeah. >> How did you do that? >> Time really time. Um patience accepting in myself that it was hard, you know, like and it doesn't just because it's hard, it doesn't mean that you stop. So just because the first time something was delegated and it wasn't done right and it bothered me and I was like that's it. I'm just going to do it myself, you know, forget it. Like just realizing like no, this is normal and we're going to try again and we're going to try again. And even if I got frustrated and even if like it it felt sometimes like it was taking more time to to learn to let go and to to to let people in and show people and teach people. Sometimes you're like I could do it three times as fast myself and do it better. So like why why? And I think that that's >> that's what gets a lot of people in the way of growing their businesses especially because you you probably can do it better. Maybe not always, but like sometimes people do come in and they're like, you know, they bring a new a new aspect to the table. But um even if you can do it better, you're only one person. Growing a company, you realize that there's power in numbers and scalability and in order to to get to a place where I want to get to, it can't all be me because I am only one person and I'm a mom and I'm a wife and you know, I have friends and family that I want to be be there for. So you you can't do everything and I think that's something that we all have to accept. >> Can you share like a moment like that everything was like ah you know like it just blew up in your face and you're like oh no like and like you thought you had it all planned out and then all of a sudden so many moments so many moments things don't go as planned and you know I've lost projects that I've that I've been on because things got out of control. I have a very like yes attitude. So like a project comes my way and that's really how I built my whole business. It was like yes of course I could do that. I have no idea what I'm doing but I'm going to figure it out. And I think that you know sometimes most of the time that worked to my benefit and I was able to to to rise to the occasion. Um but sometimes I wasn't because you know that's the learning curve. Um and even when I wasn't though I always say like my my biggest growths happened after my biggest falls. Um, and it's really true because you learn so much from your failures if you allow yourself to. If you like bunker down under your covers and just take that attitude of like, I can't believe I messed up, then then it's just a mess up. But, um, when you when you analyze and you think, okay, okay, I messed up. I lost the project. I wasn't able to accomplish what I wanted to here, but what could I do better for next time? Who do I need in place in order to be able to do that next time? What systems do I need in place? Um, and I think that, um, that's really, you know, we're all human. I am so human and I mess up so many times and I mess up at work. I mess up at home. You know, sometimes you're like, "Oh my gosh, I forgot to put my, you know, kids school event in my calendar." And, you know, you have something important scheduled. Then you mess up. We're human. It's about forgiving ourselves and figuring out how I make sure it doesn't happen again and how to make sure to do it better, you know? >> Can you give us like one example of like a project or something? Or maybe when you first started out the business, you were like, >> "Okay, I'll give you an example." So, the first time I I I did residential only. Okay. >> Um and the first time one of my residential clients um called me and said, "You know, I'm doing an office building now. Um and you did my house, you know, you did such a great job on my house. Like, would you like to do the office building?" And I'm like, "Yes, of course, of course." And and he was like, "Okay, like you you you know what you're doing, right?" And I'm like, "Of course." Um I did not know what I was doing. Um and I ended up losing that project. Um >> I remained friends with the, you know, with the homeowners and they were great clients of mine. Um but I I got in over my head and I think that, you know, now I I have a huge commercial department, but like that just lit a fire under me. I'm like, "Okay, this is like a huge untapped resource and I haven't even I haven't even gone there yet. So, let me go there." Um, and I realized that it's a huge feeder for me because so many people that I've done their houses, they have businesses, they have they're in healthcare, they're, you know, it's a it's a direct avenue to additional business. So, like, why why wouldn't I learn it? Why wouldn't I go there? Why wouldn't I understand what I know about residential that could translate into into commercial and what else I need to, you know, get get my grips on, you know? >> So, so how do you go about that? Like, so, so there you were, you were in over your head, you lost that. So, what are the steps that you took in order to make sure that didn't happen again? Like, did you speak to somebody? Did you take a course? Did you was it just selftaught? >> At that time, I actually hired a business coach. >> Ah, yeah. Okay. Um, and I said like, I'm ready to grow my business. I I I want to have more departments. I want to be able to do more than just residential. Um, and I I need I need help with that. Like, I need to understand. Um, so I hired a business coach and she was phenomenal. Um, and I actually mapped out she the first exercise I did with her was she said, "Okay, at that point I had three employees. Um, and they were all designers helping me with residential design. one was like a more admin type of um position where she was doing um purchasing and things like that. Um and she said, "Okay, map out like your dream org chart." Like map out like if money wasn't an object and finding the right people wasn't an object and like I told you like I can make it happen for you tomorrow. Just like map out for me what you want your company to look like, where you want to be and all the people you want under you and how it looks like to you. Um, and I did it and she said, "Okay, now we're gonna start filling it in." And at the time, I remember laughing. I'm like, I had like three employees and I mapped out like this big company with about 20 employees and I was like, "Okay, that's not happening anytime soon." And having a visual of what I wanted was so like instrumental in me getting there. Um, and I think it was probably about like 12 to 18 months later that I had those positions mostly filled. Once I got to that point of really understanding like and I'm not saying that there weren't some changes along the way and everything exactly was the way I mapped it out because as you're filling seats and as you're growing you realize your needs change a little bit but the the key positions were filled so quickly because I had such a you know clear direction of what I need what I want. Um, you know, I'm also a big reader of business books and inspirational books and things like that. And a lot of what they tell you is just about visualizing and, you know, under like really mapping out like a 10ear goal, a fiveyear plan, a one-year plan, like really having like down have it down like on paper concrete >> for you. You h your weakness is saying no. >> Correct. >> So, how h how what's that all about? And and >> okay, I'll tell you which book I read to help me with that one >> since I met you. >> Oh, okay. Wonderful. >> The the um The Let Them Theory. >> Ah, yes. Okay. >> I'm I'm sure you've heard of it. Many people have heard of it. So, Mel Robbins. Exactly. >> I I love that book. It speaks to me because >> um yeah, I did struggle for a long time on saying no. And like I said, part of it is because like bring it on, like I've got this. Um, and part of it is just like not wanting to let people down. >> Um, and feeling like, okay, like I'll figure it out, but like how could I say no? Um, >> and the let them theory really just opened my eyes to the idea that like first of all, when you're saying yes to something, you're saying no to something else. >> So you might be saying yes to this person, but you're saying no to that person like or to yourself or to your kids or to your husband. There's always there's there's there's limited time, there's limited resources. So saying yes or giving your time, your head space, your emotional energy to something, it's questing you on another front. So you always have to say to yourself like, is this is this the is this the front I'm I'm I'm willing to put my energy into. And if the answer is no, then you have to be ready to say like, okay, I'm going to do what works for me. And if they're going to be upset at me, if they're going to be frustrated, let them let them. Like, it's okay. It's okay. And people will be disappointed. And like going through that sequence in my head of like, okay, worst case scenario, this person gets upset at me and disappointed at me. Okay. And then what? >> W. So, what would you tell your younger self now? Now, looking back, what would you tell? >> Don't be so scared. I guess like I think like I you know, it's like scary to fail. Um, and I think that like it holds you back. um from growing and um experiencing everything. I think like don't take everything so seriously like you know so many times we think that like in this moment this thing is like going to be the be all and end all of everything and then it the moment's over and you realize it's like just a so such a small part of the bigger picture. Um, and I think that that's something that when you're young and you've only lived a few, you know, few short span of years where, you know, everything seems so significant. It's like your birthday is a huge deal, right? Like everything is a huge deal. Um, and I think that like we we get caught up in perfecting the moment and we lose sight of the big picture. Um, and I think that that's something you learn with age. >> So, I don't know that it if I would be able to tell my younger self, I don't know if my younger self would believe it. That's I love that. >> Yeah. I don't know that my younger self my younger self will be like, "Okay, whatever." >> Yeah. Whatever you say. Yeah. You don't know what you're talking about. >> We talk about Jewish grit, right? Resilience. >> Where where do you get your Jewish grit from? Is it from a family member? Is it something you learned when you were younger? >> Definitely. Definitely my parents. They're they're unstoppable. Like they're And they they haven't always had it easy. They they both they both lost um parents at young ages. And my mom was actually sick. She had a kidney transplant when I was in high school. >> Um, and a lot of my high school like she she was in and out of the hospital. And >> like I've never seen that defeist attitude from her. She had she has such grit. Like she just always pushed through and like her her spirituality just grew from every anytime anything in her life was challenging. Like I just saw her turn more more and more towards God. Um, and the same with my dad. Like it's just their spirituality is is is inspiring. Um, and I think also like knowing that I'm making them proud every time they see me grow in my spirituality and and and have the right Jewish values. I think it helps keep that like um north star there, you know. So like it's it sometimes it's like a little it's a little hard to like think at such a lofty level like I'm going to do this and it's going to make God proud and like that's enough. You know we we are people of the here and now and and God is very high. He's very lofty. So to like always frame your actions around like okay well this is going to make God proud and and yeah that's the ultimate to be able to live with such a presence of of him in your life that that's enough. But like for me, knowing that it's gonna make my parents proud and like this is what they want from me, like that really is my northstar. >> Thank you, Sabi. You're definitely an amazing sponge. >> Oh, >> thank you for joining us today. >> Thank you so much. Good to see you. >> Thank you for listening to Jewish Brits at Olam Mentorship Podcast. At Olam Mentorship, we believe that everyone needs a mentor. What better way is there to tap into your personal and professional potential than with a Jewish mentor at your side? Learn more at olam.org/mementorship. [Music]