"[My] biggest lesson learned… when you put a team together, it’s like training for the Olympics… if you want to run fast, if you want to grow big, you have to hire the A-team NOW. Other companies have the luxury to train up and use those years to get the right person in the right role, but that prohibited growth for us."

On today’s episode of Build Your A-Team, Freddie talks with Marlie Andersch, CEO & Founder at rockITdata – an IT firm that provides AWS and Salesforce development to both their commercial and government clients. Marlie is an Air Force Veteran with a sharp eye for company culture and team morale; in this session, we break down her guiding principles of leadership and hiring, explore what it looks like to build trust in your team, and discuss actionable tips on how to start energizing your team today. 

Prior to her start-up, Marlie worked in the IT world with numerous companies to learn and understand how to serve customers. She, however, saw that she could do it better and faster her own way and started rockITdata five years ago and developed a $100M backlog in sales!

Some topics we discuss: 

• COVID forced them to go remote, which changed everything they did in the business. They had to elevate as a team who understands different approaches to remote work. It was a huge challenge for “rockITdata” but they passed their first big test and elevated their company to better performance. 
• “Be Good by Doing Good '' is just one of their 10 Guiding Principles they settled at the beginning that guided them. Those values helped them to achieve company goals, and also to better understand her team’s and individual goals.
• Having a very specific 5/50/55 goal shifted rockITdata to achieve amazing results in just five years. It also shifted their orientation toward people, company culture, customers and service.
• Importance of hiring A-Team, enabled them to scale. Quickly. Marlie and her team hires people who will fit their values and culture. This includes finding the right people to partner with and mentor you along the way!

Connect with Marlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandersch/

Find rockITdata at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rockitdata/

Subscribe to Build Your A Team at: www.milspectalent.com

Connect with Freddie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/freddie-kim/

Quote: "I've been pounding this drum lately... when you're starting your business, your first few hires are the most critical hires that you're going to make, ever! These are the nucleus, they are the core of the company. They are going to establish the culture. They're going to help you establish the brand in your area. So be picky. And if you have to overpay, overpay. Whatever you've got to do. Get the very best people to help you right away and build your team around those people."

Description: On today's episode of Build your A-Team, Freddie talks to Zach Peyton, Co-Founder of Superior Fence & Rail Franchising. Zach is the CEO of the first national fencing franchise and has recently gone through the successful sale of his brand to Private Equity. Zach is a West Point grad, former Army officer, and after his years of military service, joined a Superior Fence & Rail location as an employee over 13 years ago, but quickly became a member of the ownership of that business and eventually the co-founder of the franchise. 

Zach recalls that the keys to scaling rapidly was due to the technology implementation into relatively ordinary business coupled with a clear vision and team. Though just starting the franchise in 2016, he led their efforts into growing to over 66+ franchise locations across the USA.

Some topics we discuss: 

- Rebranding a business and starting a franchise business; the successful sale of the franchise to a Private Equity firm that’s committed to scaling the platform!
- The journey from six to 66 franchise locations in just five years – and counting
- Visionary leadership, particularly from Veterans, is absolutely CRITICAL to success 
- Importance of quality materials for delivering high-quality products and providing superb customer service
- Professional team is core – build your nucleus first and build your A-Team with your first key hires, no matter the cost

Connect with Zach and Superior Fence & Rail:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-peyton-67788513/ 
[email protected] / 
Text: 904.502.4013

Connect with Freddie and MilSpec Talent: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/freddie-kim/
www.milspectalent.com

Welcome to Build Your A-Team, a podcast powered by MilSpec Talent where we educate small business owners how to attract, recruit, and retain high impact, low-ego, talent. On today’s episode, host Freddie Kim, Founder of MilSpec Talent and Special Forces Veteran, introduces himself, why Build Your A-Team exists, and details some of the upcoming episodes to keep an eye out for!

I’m your host Freddie Kim, founder of Milspec Talent, I’m am a West Point grad, former Green Beret, Kellogg MBA, and more importantly, I’m passionate about championing the value and leadership of Veteran 2.0s in our workforce

Subscribe and like the show today!
Connect with Freddie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/freddie-kim/