Change is hard, but changes in leadership are another beast altogether. In this episode, we’re diving into how to navigate leadership changes in your organization in a way that keeps everyone aligned on the big picture vision. Plus, we share some behind the scenes intel on our Leadership Challenge workshop and how it facilitates a smooth and exciting leadership transition.

Links mentioned:

• Vision Map by Joel Malm

• How to Work With Silverback Ventures

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• The challenges that arise from changes in leadership

• The step-by-step of joining a new leadership role in your organization

• What NOT to do during a leadership transition

• Behind the scenes of a Leadership Challenge with Silverback Ventures

• Why starting with a strong vision statement saves you a ton of headaches during leadership transitions

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube
  

It’s no secret that many kids are slipping through the cracks of the education system, but with the right engagement, we can turn this ship around. In this episode, David Spellmon Jr. shares how his organization, Positive Archer Solutions, solves this problem through hip-hop music. Yes, you read that right: David connects with students through music to build social and emotional learning skills to set them up for success in school and in life. This episode is an incredible case study on turning your passion into purpose and using it to solve a problem and maximize impact.

David Spellmon Jr. is an education advocate and Founder of Positive Archer Solutions, which creates student success by focusing on the whole child by incorporating Hip Hop Pedagogy, social and emotional learning, service learning, and building social capital. Through speaking, program facilitation, and workshops, David brings an innovative approach to improving academic and behavioral outcomes for students and improving school climate. ​​

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• How David’s upbringing in a military family taught him the power of connection across cultures

• The lightbulb moment that cued him into using hip-hop as educational curriculum

• David’s mission to create more connection to our students in the educational system to boost literacy rates

• Behind the scenes of creating and monetizing your own educational framework

• Why it’s our job as entrepreneurs to challenge the status quo

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube
  

Can a cup of coffee change the world? A product-based business can absolutely be impact-driven, and Bryan Boan’s coffee company, Rock Hill Coffee, is living proof of that. In this episode, Bryan shares the wild stories behind starting and scaling his company, how keeping collaboration and connection at the forefront has supported his growth, and his vision to make a global impact with Rock Hill Coffee.

Connect with Bryan:

• Rock Hill Coffee Website

• Rock Hill Coffee IG

• Bryan’s Instagram

Links mentioned:

• Vision Map by Joel Malm

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Building a company that’s truly community focused and impact driven

• How Bryan got buy-in from his advisors and stakeholders for his vision even when they were unsure of the “how”

• Behind the scenes of scaling a business from $800 revenue months to almost seven figures in annual revenue

• Leveraging collaborations to scale your business

• That one time Bryan got a call from the secret service 👀

• Why treating your staff exceptionally well is more important than calling them “family”

• Bryan’s vision to open a coffee farm in Uganda and to empower the community around it

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube
  

Having an advisory board or a board of directors for your organization can multiply the impact of your organization’s mission… but only if you have the right people in the right seats. In this episode, we discuss the legal requirements for a board, our hot take on pay-to-play boards, and how to serve on a board if you want to make an impact for a cause you care about.

Links mentioned:

• Oakworth Capital Bank | Central Carolinas

• TowneBank

• No Fail Meetings by Michael Hyatt

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Non-profit board requirements vs. for-profit board requirements

• The difference between advisory boards vs. boards of directors

• How to choose who should be on your board

• Steps you should take to find and join a board

• Why we believe boards shouldn’t be pay-to-play

• How long you should serve on a board

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube
  

Have you ever showed up to an event as a volunteer, ready to put some time and energy into a cause you’re excited about, only to arrive and be unsure of what to do? We’ve all been there, and it’s not only a bad look for the organization, it’s also a lost opportunity to make an impact. In this episode, we discuss how to lead your volunteers to success, protecting yourself and your volunteers legally, and the limits of what volunteers can and can’t do.

Links mentioned:

• Fact Sheet #14A: Non-Profit Organizations and the Fair Labor Standards Act

• Congress.gov: Volunteer Protection Act of 1997

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Where to find labor laws around volunteers for your state

• Protecting yourself if your paid staff wants to volunteer their time

• Giving back to your volunteers without violating labor laws

• Outlining clear tasks and expectations for volunteers

• Examples of volunteer events done well… and some not-so-stellar examples

• Why you should get to know your volunteers

• The limits of what volunteers can do for your organization

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube
  

If we had a dollar for every time we heard someone say “we’ll just hire an intern to do that,” we’d be living on the beaches of Tahiti right now. So many people see interns as unpaid (or cheap) laborers that will solve all the problems in their business. In this episode, we’re breaking down some of the myths about interns, what an intern can and can’t do in your organization, and how to build an internship program full of the impact and integrity we know you want to keep at the forefront of your business.

Links mentioned:

• Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Why unpaid interns are counterproductive

• The actual requirements to have an intern

• When it makes sense to have an intern vs. a part-time employee

• How to set clear (and reasonable!) expectations for your interns

• Ensuring your work needs meet your intern’s work requirements

• Creating an internship program with responsibility and integrity

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube
  

We wanted to end our financial literacy series by sharing the weekly practice that helped Steff and her husband pay off credit card debt, build savings, and maintain their financial gains. Having a weekly budget might not sound fun or glamorous, but it’s the key to making financial changes that will set you up for less stress, big future purchases, and a stronger relationship with your spouse. That sounds pretty fun to us!

Watch the rest of the series:

• Part 1: These Habits are Keeping You Broke

• Part 2: Taking Control of Your Financial Future in Uncertain Economic Times

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Why we need to get comfortable talking about money
• Steff’s wake up call that her family needed to get their finances together
• How she changed her approach to credit cards and budgeting immediately
• The link between weekly planning and saving money
• How to plan for big future expenses or purchases
• Reframing your budget as an opportunity to reduce stress

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube
  

There is a lot of uncertainty about the economy right now and how it will impact people personally and in their businesses. Some good news: you still have control over your financial future. In this episode, we discuss the ways you can take control of your financial future through intentional tax planning, building up savings accounts, and making smart (emphasis on smart) investments that will set you up for future purchases and retirement.

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Paying taxes as a W-2 employee vs. a self-employed individual

• The importance of financial recordkeeping (and having a finance team)

• Making strategic investments with the money you have left over

• How to discern if an investment is putting your financial future at risk

• Balancing living on a budget with enjoying some of the finer things in life

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube

Talking about money can be difficult, especially if you grew up in a family that never talked about it. That’s why we’re running a financial literacy series on the podcast to help you understand the basics, starting with our money stories, how (and why) we tend to rack up debt, and our own experiences of financial hardship and how we worked through it. This series was inspired by Scott’s young adult mentees and their questions, but you might be surprised by some of the insights we cover!

Links mentioned:

• Budget spreadsheet

In this episode, we cover:

• Calculating your assets and liabilities, and personal cash flow

• How our upbringings affected how we viewed finances as an adult

• Shifting your money mindset to planning for the future instead of living for right now

• Getting clear about your financial priorities

• Making a budget that feels empowering instead of dreadful

• The right way to use credit cards for rewards without racking up tons of debt

• How Steff and her husband paid off debt and changed their relationship with money

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube
  

Team inefficiencies can be incredibly frustrating for you, your customers, and your team members. In this episode, we’re sharing how to spot those team inefficiencies and remedy them through strategic operational shifts. If you’re ready to get your team aligned on their roles, responsibilities, and processes so you all have more time and less frustration, this episode is for you!

Links mentioned:

• Ready to stop being the bottle neck? Watch Episode 5: How to Be a Problem Solver, Not a Problem Identifier

• No-Fail Meetings by Michael Hyatt

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• The sneaky signs of inefficiencies in your operations

• Who’s at fault for inefficiencies in your organization

• The importance of getting systems out of someone’s head and into a document

• How to get started with documenting your processes

• Reducing time spent in meetings for more efficiency

• Planning for scalability instead of scrambling during growth seasons

You started your business to solve a problem and leave a lasting impact in the world, but now the inertia of your business has taken over and you’re too busy and burned out to serve your community. That’s where we come in! Hosted by Scott Woods and Steff Thomas, the team behind Silverback Ventures, the Changemakers Collective podcast is here to help impact-driven business owners like you accelerate growth and multiply impact through servant leadership.

Connect with Us: 

• Website

• Silverback Ventures LinkedIn

• Scott Woods LinkedIn

• Steff Thomas LinkedIn

• YouTube