On Tuesday, the Northern Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce held its annual Women Who Make a Difference forum, where area entrepreneurs share lessons learned from running businesses.

Held at the Maritime Conference Center in Linthicum Heights, the panel, moderated by 4Bridges Enterprises co-owner Lacey Snyder, featured the University of Maryland Baltimore-Washington Medical Center Chief of Staff Diane Croghan, Casiano Law Office owner Waleska Casiano-Matos, and The Grill at Quarterfield Station partner Sarah Herrell.

Here are four takeaways:

Embrace social media

“I think the most important thing for us is to understand where our market is and use social media to get to know people,” Casiano-Matos said. “The good thing about social media is we have the opportunity to reach people at their homes. That’s something that we couldn’t do before.”

Later in the discussion, Snyder, whose 4Bridges Enterprises operates as a commercial lender, detailed the ways she uses social media.

“I love to come take pictures and make a video of your business,” she said. “But I’m going to be honest, because that’s what we’re about right here, I do it for my business. Because when I promote your business, you see me, and so do all of the people that follow you that have never seen me before.”

Use young people as a resource

Herrell said that young people were a good resource for a business owner attempting to navigate social media.

“I think it’s really important to engage with [younger] employees and find out what they’re looking for, and just really get their ideas. A lot of times, employees have good insight that they don’t really offer if you don’t ask,” she said. “The biggest mistake is just staying stagnant, thinking the same things are going to work today that worked 10 years ago.”

As a follow-up, the panel was asked about generational differences. Croghan said a big one was the amount of time a person spends at a company.

“We are past the times when people stay in a position for 20 or 30 years. Most new hires, they’re thinking a year. They’re thinking two years in a position,” Croghan said. “Instead of trying to fight that, how do you embrace it, and how do you work with them to stay within your organization? Maybe that position is short-term, but if they’re a good employee, how do you again meet them where they need to be met to say, ‘Let’s come up with a plan.'”

Don’t be afraid of responsibility

Casiano-Matos went from being an employee to owning her own business and said it can be an adjustment.

“We own businesses, and for us, it’s hard because we sometimes are afraid. And that’s something that I always felt in the beginning, when I started my business, I was afraid of being rejected by the community. ” Casiano-Matos said.

Take care of yourself

Asked how she maintains her mental health, Snyder’s solution was to keep everything separate. She has business and personal accounts for most social media platforms. She said she values the ability to take weekends to disconnect and disappear.

Casiano-Matos said she travels. Inside the office, she puts serious effort into teambuilding activities in an effort to lower stress levels.

“This is your home, you have to own it,” she said.

Herrell, in the restaurant business, finds relief in building relationships with her employees.

“Finding a balance engaging with my employees, so kind of hearing what they’re going through in their lives, and their experiences and their struggles,” she said. “Maybe there’s a way that I can, help them with that, or identify. I think it makes me feel good to share what I’ve been through. And I think, in turn, it kind of makes them not feel alone.”

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