On this episode of the podcast, Amy shares an unexpected story about lettuce—and how it is connected to something exciting she’s working on for museum professionals. Through a personal journey of learning, mentorship, and growth, Amy reflects on how practical guidance and community support can make a real difference for museum staff, especially those juggling multiple roles in small and mid-sized museums. Be sure to listen through to the end for a special announcement about a chance to win a Museum Digital Assessment!

Links from the Episode:

• Fill out the questionnaire: https://forms.gle/1GLbRo1t4NFjAzoj6
• Gardenary by Nicole Burke: https://www.gardenary.com/
• Download the Museum Planning Calendar: https://lovemymuseum.com/calendar
• Get your Museum Metrics Tracker: https://lovemymuseum.com/metrics

About the host: 

Amy Kehs is a brand strategist and communications expert for museums. She has owned Kehs Communications since 2000 and has worked for the most renowned and well-loved museums in Washington, D.C. Her goal is to ensure that museums thrive into the next century and she hopes people will come to love museums as much as she does. Her proven process sets up proactive communication habits for museums, cultivating relationships with visitors who will want to return and bring a friend. Want to talk more? Click this link to book a call.

Today's episode is a little different.

2

I want to tell you a story about lettuce.

3

Yes, lettuce, but hang in there with

me because it connects directly to

4

something exciting that I'm working on.

5

Let's get started.

6

Hello, and welcome to the

Love My Museum podcast.

7

I'm your host, Amy Kehs,

and I love museums.

8

I'm also passionate about helping

the people who work in museums.

9

And if that's you I'm so glad you

found me here On this podcast, we

10

talk about helping you get visitors

through your museum's doors.

11

We talk about planning, productivity,

practical strategies to help you set up

12

systems so that you can get those visitors

while working smarter and not harder.

13

And today I have something

that's a little different.

14

I want to tell you a story about lettuce.

15

So, around this same time last

year, my son, who's now six

16

feet tall and always hungry,

17

started packing salads

in his school lunches.

18

We were going through bags of

store bought lettuce faster than I

19

thought possible, but no matter how

quickly we ate it, there were always

20

slimy lettuce leaves in the bag.

21

I got so tired of wasting food and I

thought What if I just grew my own?

22

Now, I had tried to grow food in our

backyard before, but none of my attempts

23

had been very successful, honestly.

24

Our yard is shaded by a lot of big trees.

25

We also back up to an easement, so

we have a lot of wildlife, and so

26

bunnies and squirrels were treating

my garden beds like a buffet.

27

And well, also add to that

that I'm just not the best at

28

being consistent with watering.

29

But those slimy lettuce leaves

had me determined to try again.

30

This time I did something different.

31

I found a guide.

32

I found a teacher.

33

I signed up for an online course

from someone that I had been

34

following for a while on Instagram.

35

Someone who had a very practical,

proven system for growing food,

36

even in tricky spaces like mine.

37

And that changed everything.

38

I followed exactly what she said to

do, and we had a garden last year

39

for The first time ever, we had

lettuce, we had chives, we had all

40

different kinds of herbs, we had

green peppers, we had tomatoes, and

41

it was really, really fun and exciting to.

42

Learn a new skill that was useful.

43

Now, five years ago, Amy would not have

done this or even thought to do something

44

like this, but one thing that I've

really learned since the pandemic after

45

taking lots of online courses and finding

some truly helpful mentors is this.

46

Going back to school to get your

master's or your PhD or having

47

your employer send you to expensive

professional development training

48

isn't the only way to learn and grow.

49

Right now, you might just need

real world strategies that fit

50

your budget, your time capacity,

51

and the stage of life that you're in.

52

Especially If you work at a mid sized

to small museum and you are one of

53

just a handful of employees at that

museum and you are wearing all the

54

hats, you may need to get visitors

through your museum's doors, but

55

you don't have a marketing degree.

56

You need a teacher.

57

You need a guide.

58

You need real world strategies

that fit your budget and your

59

capacity and your community.

60

My friend, Lindsey Williams, introduced

me to this online learning concept in

61

2020, in the middle of the pandemic.

62

And in 2021, I enrolled in my

first virtual group program.

63

The course was with my first business

coach, and it was a group of about maybe

64

15 women who all had small businesses.

65

And our coach, Melissa, walked us through

the process of creating an organized and

66

sustainable business from the bottom up.

67

We took things down to the foundation

of our business and built it or rebuilt

68

it to be organized and sustainable.

69

I took another course with Melissa

that year and one of our guest

70

speakers was Rachel Aitken.

71

Rachel's lesson.

72

taught us about 90 day planning.

73

And that lesson changed not

just my business, but my life.

74

And I enrolled in Rachel's group

program around this 90 day planning.

75

And again, totally life changing.

76

And since then, Rachel has

been my business coach.

77

She and I have been meeting.

78

bi weekly for about three years now.

79

Now before all of this, I thought that

to learn more and become more of an

80

expert in my field and in my career

that I needed to get another degree.

81

I needed a master's or a Ph.

82

D.

83

or

84

I needed to have my employer send me

to professional development training

85

or a course, which If you're a museum

professional, you know that there's

86

just not a huge budget for those things.

87

But what I learned from Melissa and Rachel

was practical, it was immediately useful,

88

and it was tailored to my business.

89

Plus, during the group programs, the

bonds and support that I got from the

90

other women in the group was amazing,

and I still keep in touch with them

91

and we cheer each other on even though

they are located all over the world.

92

If you're new here, the rest of that

story is that a lot of the things that

93

I learned in these programs and while

I was working with online businesses,

94

a lot of the things that I learned,

I kept thinking, wow, I wish I had

95

known that when I worked at a museum.

96

Or I wish that I knew that when I was

working on this project with a client.

97

And so a lot of those concepts

I took and I applied them.

98

and taught them to my museum clients,

and they saw immediate results.

99

Okay, so back to the slimy lettuce.

100

I love that after all of these

experiences, when I wanted to grow

101

lettuce instead of suffering in silence,

my immediate thought was My immediate

102

go to was to find a teacher or a mentor.

103

So, huge shout out to Nicole Burke and

her Kitchen Gardenary program, by the way.

104

I have now had a kitchen garden for

just about a year, and it's so much fun.

105

Now when I was dreaming up the Love

My Museum suite of services a couple

106

of years ago, I had a wish list.

107

My list came from listening to

the museum professionals That I

108

met at conferences and also to my

client's past and present and my wish

109

list had on it Actually, hold on.

110

I'm going to grab it.

111

It's right here

112

I'm gonna read it to you.

113

Okay, so on my list were some

free resources These were the

114

first things that I tackled.

115

So the museum planning calendar and

The museum metrics tracker which you

116

can get now on my website I'll they

they are always in the show notes.

117

So grab those at any time.

118

I'm actually I'm testing a couple

of more ideas out with clients right

119

now, and I hope I have those ready

to share as more free resources soon.

120

Okay, back to the list.

121

Also on the list is podcasts, and

I launched this podcast last April.

122

the next episode after this one

will be an anniversary episode,

123

and I'm really excited about that.

124

Also on my list is a

new consulting package.

125

I wanted to take everything that I had

learned from working at museums for 30

126

years, I wanted to take everything and

bundle it into a helpful, customizable

127

package, six month package that was.

128

Really, really valuable.

129

Actually on this piece of paper, I

have some notes under that that say

130

they'll be customized, but also have

structure to teach museums everything

131

that I've learned in the last 30 years,

132

especially since the pandemic.

133

And that is up and running now

and it's going really well.

134

Also on this list was an invite

only mastermind group, and I have

135

had that up and running for a

little over a year now as well.

136

And then next on this list, and

what I'm currently developing, is

137

a small group consulting program.

138

Similar to the group programs that

I did with my business coaches, I

139

know that sometimes having a One

to one consultant can be a little

140

too much and not in the budget.

141

And so that is exactly why a group

program is on this wish list.

142

And that's exactly why I'm developing.

143

it now.

144

It will be a space where museum

professionals like you can get support,

145

can learn frameworks that actually

work, you can grow your audience

146

without burning out in the process.

147

It will be affordable.

148

Practical, helpful, and if you've

ever felt like you were expected to do

149

everything at your museum without the

training or support or the time that

150

you really need, you are not alone.

151

And that's exactly what this group

program is being designed to fix.

152

But before I build it, I want to make sure

it's shaped by the people who will use it.

153

And that is where you come in.

154

I've created a short questionnaire,

it's just a few questions, I think

155

it's maybe nine questions, to better

understand what you need most, what

156

your biggest pain points are, and what

kind of support would truly make a

157

difference in your day to day work.

158

If you would please take a few minutes

to fill it out, it would mean so much.

159

Much to be your input will

directly shape what this.

160

group program looks like and I would be

so grateful to have your voice in the

161

mix and As a little thank you if you

fill it out by the end of the month So

162

if you fill it out by the end of March

163

to win a free museum digital assessment.

164

I'll be doing the drawing on April 2nd.

165

You can find the link to the

form right in the show notes.

166

It really would be Such a huge help if

you could do that for me now There are

167

a few more fun things that are on this

wish list, which I'm really excited about

168

but I'm not going to Spoil any surprises

and tell them to you yet, but they're

169

just as exciting and I guess that's all

for today Thanks as always for listening

170

until next time keep loving your museum.

171

Bye