3 Ways the NASDAQ Milestone Circle Elevated At First Glance Solutions

At First Glance Solutions (AFG) is on a mission to be the antidote to complexity for enterprises on the rise. We do that by strengthening how people and processes drive the professional services through workforce facilitation, business development, and strategic marketing. 

The NASDAQ Milestone Circles Program helped us position our marketing and business development services in B2B and B2G markets. With the support of this program we learned how to operate in this market, figure out what matters to our clients and build trust with them to solve their problems quickly. 

Here are the 3 ways the Milestone Circles Program elevated At First Glance Solutions: 

Lesson 1: Business Needs Besties, Too

Building a business takes a village to grow and scale. 

Transferring my expertise, efforts and intentions from a corporate career into the shape of a business has been a tough journey alone. When the mission is big the daily work never seems to be enough. That’s where business besties come in. 

Every Friday morning I meet with my cohort to discuss the highs, lows, and everything in between building a marketing agency. My mentor encouraged us to know that our work is enough and provided ways for us all to stay consistent.

Community is a growth strategy, not a bonus

 My Circle Sisters remind me that I’m building in a high performance lane and I don’t have to scale in isolation. The value of their peer support holds me accountable and the extra eyes help me see the big picture when I get bogged down in the details.

We’ve come to build a partnership where we swap strategy, have brain storming sessions and fill each other up when our own emotional resilience isn’t strong enough for the week of business ahead. 

Vulnerability is required 

This is the first year AFG is a full time operation. Running a full operation is very different from running it as a side hustle. The administration changes impacted our pipeline of clients. Having the safe space to be vulnerable about the impact and behind the scenes of pivoting my full business model was priceless. 

That support alone in this cohort has helped strengthen AFG’s thinking around systems, partnership development, and reshaped what sustainable growth looks like in the digital age.

One day I showed my cohort sisters a Moderator's Playbook for moderators and events organizations to maximize the stage time at conferences. They went into brainstorm mode and helped me shape the promotion and pitch on it. That space to brainstorm and market test with them because they both put on and attend events, gave me the confidence to pitch it to organizers and add it to my speaking credentials. 

Make sure you check the business besties out here - Naye Liggines of iDREAM Productionz and Jacqlene Monét of JM Legacy Group. 

Speaking of planning, in the Milestone Circles program it is on you to have a plan to get the most out of it.

Lesson 2: Have a Plan to Graduate

You get to decide your direction, the Milestones Circle activates based on your needs. 

Programs don’t build your company, you do

Think of this program being Planet Fitness for your business. There’s no judgement on what you decide to do and at the same time all of your progress moves forward based on the quality of your decisions and resources you decided to take advantage of. 

Clarity on what you are building is what creates return on investment (ROI) because you know where your efforts are going.

Have a plan to leave stronger than you entered

Do not enter a program without knowing how you want to exit it. Exit strategies are required in this program because the program is only 12 weeks. 

It sounds like a long time but it goes fast when you’re building a business. To make the most of the program, make sure you have a plan to exit stronger than you come in. 

The milestone community support activates AFTER you decide the direction you are going. Being uncertain is the worst thing you can be in this program because it’s not a program that is going to force you to be accountable or make decisions for you. It’s a place to check in on your self motivation and to ask for what you need clearly. 

AFG’s Graduation Plan 

AFG’s milestone is to work on market positioning.  When we operated as a side hustle most of our clientele was B2C and now we are a full time operation, we serve more B2B and B2G clients. Our marketing had to shift from individuals who make payment decisions to decision makers in corporations and government who have to convince a team to release a check to us.

Here are 3 things that moved our milestone forward. 

• Having a marketing positioning strategy to guide networking and sales calls 

• Staying curious about researching AFG clients marketing including changes, feelings and current solutions they seek 

• Build partnerships intentionally 

Knowing these things helps guide the group check ins on Friday and allows me to be open enough to receive the help I need to grow my enterprise.

To maximize AFG’s experience in the program, I’ve been using this 12 Week Year sheet. It’s based off of a framework from Brian P. Moran here’s the book (affiliate link). I’ve been using this format for 5 years now to manage all of the moving parts of my life. 

This framework helps me break down the actions I need to take and track my progress in the same template. By week 3, I learned I had to introduce myself as a Marketing Agency Owner versus I’m Christina from At First Glance Solutions to connect with buyers.  

Lesson 3: Expand Your Network With Intention 

People like to do business with people they know. In entrepreneurship your visibility is a form of currency and leads to repeat business.

When I was in corporate, the priority was to stay locked in on the progress of the projects and relationship building fell to a lesser priority. This program showed me that business development includes having conversations with people consistently even if they don’t buy on the first connection. Investing in relationships has brought the right customers to me directly or referrals.  

Here’s the play that I ran to make the most of the community that comes along with the NASDAQ Milestone Circles Program. 

• Scheduled 10+ coffee chats with cohort members because they’re already vetted.

• Attend the networking sessions on Wednesday to meet people outside of Group 12. 

• Connect with the people I meet on LinkedIn. 

The relationships I’ve built throughout the last 12 weeks have opened AFG to new markets. My conversations have led me to learn that the doors open when I start speaking to people about what’s being built. 

Now what?

Building out loud is not easy. Doing it with the community earned from the NASDAQ Milestone Circles Program makes it easier. 

AFG is committed to documenting this journey through monthly learnings shared on our  LinkedIn page and sharing the journey from our founder’s perspective on instagram here. 

Join our newsletter The Performance Advantage for behind-the-scenes insights on sustainable scaling, marketing psychology, and business systems that prevent burnout.

Sign up for the NASDAQ Milestone Circles.

Milestone Circles is a free immersive program experience at the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, made possible by the Wells Fargo Foundation. 

This program has provided At First Glance Solutions with the tools, clarity, and accountability to transform the way we look at our businesses and invite our clients to do the same. 

The next cohort is opening soon. 

Apply here 🔗  https://nasdaqcenter.org/milestone-circles

P.S. When you apply, list my name (Christina L Glancy) they know I sent you.