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b'The Nitty Gritty\\n\\n* Why Elena and Catherine approached their second pregnancies different from their first \\u2014 and how that impacts their work at StoryMine\\n* How the cofounders approached their dual pregnancies as an opportunity to implement systems and create a more efficient business model that worked for their ideal way of partnering with clients\\n* How they use content marketing to educate and inform potential clients about their work \\u2014 and why that\\u2019s so helpful for\\n\\nWhen Elena Rue was pregnant with her first child, she didn\\u2019t meet with leads in person once she started showing. \\u201cI didn\\u2019t want them to assume that\\u2019s going to change StoryMine,\\u201d she says. Which, of course, it didn\\u2019t. Instead, it altered her perspective on running a creative business as a parent \\u2014 for the better.\\nNow, as Elena and StoryMine\\u2019s cofounder Catherine Orr navigate their second pregnancies \\u2014 this time, together \\u2014 they\\u2019re approaching it as a \\u201cpositive disruption\\u201d to their business and using it as a catalyst for improvements from hiring to operations. Hear all about it in this week\\u2019s episode of What Works.\\nWe release new episodes of What Works every week. Subscribe on iTunes so you never miss an episode.\\nCreating a pregnancy announcement strategy that aligned with their brand (and personal) values\\n\\u201cUs feeling like we\\u2019re not being authentic goes completely against the work that we do: sharing true stories and the power of how having people talk about what\\u2019s actually real and actually true can move people much more than having scripted talking heads talking about why your organization does this great work.\\u201d \\u2014 Catherine Orr\\nBoth Catherine and Elena frame their dual pregnancies as a positive disruption to their business. They wanted to share the news with their clients in an authentic way while also ensuring they knew the work would still get done. Knowing there was a limited window before Catherine and Elena went on parental leave also provided an opportunity to plant seeds about their upcoming availability.\\nIn terms of their announcement strategy, Catherine and Elena wanted to approach it in a transparent way so that it aligned with how they roll in their business. This time, they started by telling their past and present clients first, then announcing it through their email newsletter. They even made an announcement video, obviously filmed and edited by them, in their StoryMine way.\\nUsing their pregnancies as an opportunity to implement necessary systems and hire team members\\n\\u201cThis time around we aren\\u2019t just closing our eyes and crossing our fingers. We\\u2019re taking way more control over it and we have the confidence to say that yes we can do this and knowing there\\u2019s another side. .\\u201d \\u2014 Elena Rue\\nDuring the first pregnancy, Elena says they were just \\u201ccrossing fingers and hoping it works.\\u201d In the second pregnancy, especially because Elena and Catherine were pregnant at the same time, they decided to use it as an opportunity to increase operational efficiency.\\nFor example, they wanted to work with clients earlier in the process \\u2014 six to eight months in advance \\u2014 so that they aren\\u2019t in a rush to get the work done. \\u201cWe really started systematizing the work that we do,\\u201d says Catherine. \\u201cWe have a process and we\\u2019ve developed a unique method of the type of story that we do.\\u201d\\nIn addition to operational improvements, the pair used the experience to hire consistent support rather than project-based contracts. While they still bring on people per project, depending on when and where it\\u2019s happening, they really needed someone to thread together everything and strengthen the business backbone. \\u201cWe\\u2019re seizing on this opportunity and this real sense o...'