We had the good fortune of connecting with Julie Weber Ugarte and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julie, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
Authenticity might be a value some people hear often, but it’s also one that others don’t hear enough. When asked what principle is most important for me and for our brand, of course adaptability and agility came to mind because both are necessary every day, but authenticity rises to the top for a number of reasons. In fact, EnticEdge comes from the words authENTIC and market edge! It was important to us co-founders that we built the company from the values rather than creating values after we built the company.

When we are working with people on their strategy, company team leaders are invested – they want to have impact, they need to make projections, and they want the team to “get it.” To jump into client teams (each with very unique opportunities and challenges), we have to bring our authentic selves every time. To put on a facade and pretend to understand something, or conversely, not be willing to challenge a comment in a conversation, or old ways of doing things inside a client company, won’t get us to those true value differentiators for a client – their product or their service. Additionally, we often work with companies that are pivoting in the market, or trying to update strategies that aren’t working, and those can be high stress moments for teams. Acknowledging that stress in an authentic way is crucial. Nothing is more frustrating than working with people just going through motions, so my business partner and I are always rolling up our sleeves to dive into the muck to pull out the hidden gems. We have a 13-week trademarked program, Cornerpiece®️, to provide the strongest, foundational piece for market success, which is to best define your mission in a repeatable way, pinpoint the value a company, product, or service offers, create value-focused strategies, differentiating messaging, and more. Every company has those hidden gems and when leadership is willing to be honest about it, often times, they’ve lost their northern star on the business, are unsure of what to say about their company that’s unique to the competition, don’t feel that their team is aligned, or just simply think there’s not time to stay focused around their strategic roadmap (often times we uncover that that’s because the roadmap isn’t aligned with the goals and differentiated value).

When you ask a leader about their business division or company and they are able to bring their mission to life in an authentic way when they tell you, and you see their eyes just light up – it doesn’t matter how mature the company is – or if it’s in a fast growth phase – they remember why they do what they do and they authentically believe in it – I love seeing that!

Honestly, bringing authenticity to each day also seems to bring authentic clients to us who are willing to do the (sometimes) harder work to pull out those gems and realign. It’s also more than a professional value – I value authenticity in my friends and in raising my (now adult!) children. I’ve had the opportunity to live internationally in a few countries while raising my family and even when there are cultural and language challenges in front of you, being able to laugh at yourself, understand others without much needing to be said, and just seeing that we are all in this fast-paced world together as global citizens, all have been part of that authenticity compass for me day in and day out.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are very proud of Cornerpiece®, which is a 13-week program (give or take) that helps our clients envision a strategic roadmap – which is often puzzling for companies, so the name comes from the concept that it’s the first and most important piece needed. We created it to 1) coach company leadership through knots in defining their value in the marketplace and creating effective strategies around that value; 2) ensuring they’re speaking to the right potential customer segments and other audiences and in a way that brings the value of their company, product or service to those audiences in a meaningful way; 3) creating compelling strategy-infused messaging for the marketplace; and 4) getting their teams and external agencies up to speed so that it’s not only the C-Suite who has all of those pieces of the puzzle at their fingertips. Whether we are working with mature or growth-stage companies, and the C-Suite or business unit leadership, it’s often that they need to rejuvenate their strategic roadmap and messaging, which usually starts with learning from the people they’re trying to reach. Whether that’s a new customer base or new potential partnerships, better understanding who they’re reaching and why, and then creating messaging that resonates are all critical. My co-founder and I truly enjoy supporting the growth of our client companies and are proud when a client tells us that we found a hidden gem, or challenged an assumption that needed challenging!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
So if a best friend was visiting Chicago, I think that first I’d recommend they come in the summer, spring, or fall. The beaches along Lake Michigan come to life and it’s just so much fun to walk along the beach in the day (always an option to add in a swim or paddle board) and then enjoy the Chicago nightlife in the evening. The diverse food communities in Chicago create some of the best dishes in the world – I just love our foodie scene here. I’m not exaggerating when I say each neighborhood in Chicago has it’s own unique vibe – from Andersonville to River North to West Loop and Fulton Market, it would be tough to pick our dinner restaurant given all of the options – and for a weekend, a reservation is coveted for brunch! I love live music and Chicago in the summer has an abundance, so that, or an indie theatre performance on the north side of Chicago would be on the list too. I’m a Cubs fan so baseball in the summer is part of my short list.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My Shoutout goes to Madeline Dunne! She’s my daughter (which not everyone knows in our broader business circles), my co-founder, my friend, and my go-to for an alternative perspective! When we founded our company together, we realized that our professional skillsets complemented one another in ways beyond what we even expected. We aren’t afraid to challenge one another – even when it’s tough – so we are constantly self-checking and growing. Honestly, EnticEdge wouldn’t be where it is today without her partnership.

Website: https://www.enticedge.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-weber-ugarte/

Image Credits
EnticEdge, Inc. and/or Julie Weber Ugarte owns all photography and graphics provided.

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