The Business of You with Rachel Gogos

Rachael Evans has an expression she uses frequently as an entrepreneur: “Fear means go.” As a speaker, coach, author and founder, Rachael is on a mission to propel each of us towards a courageous life.

Rachael has led a career of disruption in male-dominated global industries, carving out pathways and opening doors for scores of women to walk through and stand beside her. A visionary strategist and futurist, Rachael has grown her own multi-million-dollar companies from scratch while navigating the challenges of a young family.

After successfully coaching leaders in the automotive repair industry, Rachael began creating spaces for women to tell their stories and step fully into their power and potential. 

A dynamic speaker, Rachael inspires audiences to embrace and celebrate the bravest, boldest versions of themselves.

You can fearlessly start over.

Rachael stepped into her previous partner’s auto repair business in order to keep her family afloat financially. After turning it into an empire, she became a coach for other struggling auto repair companies, ultimately becoming a leader in the industry. 

Struggling in her traditional marriage, Rachael decided that it was time to stop playing small and living in the shadows. She stepped away from her marriage and into her own truth as a mother, a leader and a female entrepreneur. 

You can step into your power.

Rachael realized that womens’ stories of bravery were not being told. She began creating space for other women to explore their ambitions!

As a speaker, podcaster and author, Rachael empowers women to live courageously by inviting them to examine their own strengths, hopes and dreams. 

Quotes

“Well-resourced women can change the world.”

“I felt like women’s stories of bravery weren’t being told.”

“Some of the things we as women do every single day are indeed brave….despite what society wants us to think. I know how brave you need to be to start again, and to pursue your business.”

“There is no courage without fear. Courage does not arrive if we are not scared. If there’s no fear, none of the things happen to alert us to the fact that we might need to have courage and summon a decision.”

“I made a decision. I call this my ‘empire state moment’. I was standing on the empire state building in awe of the view, and it was actually my 40th birthday. I decided that my kids would be okay to see me succeed in business.”

“The best thing especially for my daughters to see was me making my way in the world.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Check out Rachael’s personal brand, The Real Rachael, at https://www.therealrachael.com/ 

Prepare for the launch of The Brave Media Network by subscribing to updates and important announcements at https://www.therealrachael.com/#media 

Connect with Rachael on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/therealrachaelevans/?originalSubdomain=au  

Follow Rachael’s Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/therealrachaelevans/

Juliet Starrett is an accidental entrepreneur and viral Youtuber. She has some golden advice for you: You can gain a MASSIVE follower base just by solving your customers’ problems.

What began as a mission to help people avoid movement injuries resulted in an 18-year track record of building successful brick-and-mortar, digital media, SaaS, and e-commerce organizations from the ground up. She currently serves as CEO of The Ready State, a media-based health and wellness company she founded with her husband Kelly. The Ready State disrupted the fitness industry with the creation of a completely new market category of movement and mobility media content. 

Want to grow your online following? Start with this... We all want to have a bigger subscriber base. It’s tempting to get obsessed with the latest platform and ad strategy, but Juliet and Kelly Starrett have a simpler suggestion for us: Start by showing up. 

A Doctor of Physical Therapy, Kelly Starrett noticed a lot of movement injuries that could have been prevented with better mobility. He realized that there was an immense need for movement education. Juliet and Kelly began shooting quick videos about mobility and self-care and uploading them to Youtube. Because their information was so valuable, they began getting hundreds of thousands of subscribers…who didn’t bat an eye when the Starretts decided to begin charging for their content.

Success begins with readiness.  Juliet’s favorite people show up to life-and work-with their sleeves rolled up, ready to get curious and do what needs to be done. Whether she’s praising her employees for their willingness to get their hands dirty or strategizing high-level offerings for her business, Juliet puts a high price on readiness. 

Juliet and Kelly were ready to help people get the movement education they desperately needed. Without getting overly caught up in video editing, process and production, the Starretts began uploading content where and where people needed it: On Youtube, where they were searching for solutions to their mobility problems. 

The Starrets challenge YOU to take the same approach to your content strategy-what is a problem your consumers have, and where might they be looking for the solutions you have? The answer will turn into the ultimate business plan.

Quotes

“95% of {customers’} injuries were because they didn’t understand how to move. They had no tools to figure it out on their own. Most people could avoid getting involved with the medical system at all! They just have nagging pains from hunching over from looking at our phones. So, we started making youtube videos.”

“We weren’t trying to start a business…we were trying to solve a problem. If you want to start a business, find a problem and solve it. That’s your business plan!”

“We made bad videos and we were doing zero marketing…and people found them!”

“Without even trying, we had hundreds of thousands of Youtube subscribers. There was a need for what we were talking about. So we decided to figure out how to monetize the business.”

“We were the first people in the health and fitness space doing a subscription. We put all our content behind a paywall and we learned that people are happy to pay for good content.”

“We were accidental entrepreneurs. We kept running into this problem and we discovered that no one was doing anything about it. So we decided to do something about it!”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Check out Juliet and Kelly’s thriving company The Ready State on their website. 

Get your FREE trial of The Ready State’s services.

Listen to episodes of The Ready State podcast here.

Follow The Ready State on Instagram and be sure to watch their daily stories for snippets of mobility education!

Connect with Juliet Starrett on LinkedIn here.

 

By getting back to the basics, your business will experience explosive growth.

It’s easy to get “shiny object syndrome” when it comes to growing our businesses - that is, the belief that we have to be chasing new and expensive marketing tactics all the time. 

But Mike Doehla has proven that sometimes, the simplest things will create major opportunities!

Mike founded Stronger U Nutrition to create an innovative online nutrition coaching company. In 2020 Stronger U was named one of America's fastest-growing private companies by Inc 5000, landing at #567. Before they were acquired by Anytime Fitness, the company helped tens of thousands of individuals in more than 50 countries through personalized nutrition support. Now, Anytime Fitness is expanding on Mike’s vision.

Stronger U is a story of brand loyalty through consistency: And how Mike stuck to the basics to create massive business success.

Decide that your vision is worth fighting for.

By his own admission, Mike Doehla used to be an “underachiever”. A graduate of his local Community College, Mike realized that he wanted to help people feel better-so committed himself to seeing it through, despite the many discouraging comments he received. 

Casting aside the unsolicited advice and criticism of others, Mike tuned into his own capability as an entrepreneur and decided to show up for his clients. This decision would ultimately change the course of his life.

Be a problem-solver.

Mike’s secret is super simple: Meet the clients where they are! Abandoning fancy ad strategies and expensive branding assets, Mike knew that the key to connecting with people was to show up for them…so that’s what he did!

By making his nutrition program personalized and attentive, his customers began trusting him wholeheartedly and spreading the word. He soon began the process of scaling his business to meet the demands of his growing fanbase and support more clients.

Connect first, market later.

Mike Doehla recognized something important in marketing: Before you invest in branding and advertising, you have to understand your clients’ problems. 

By investing in personal relationships and being generous, Mike grew his business through the type of genuine brand loyalty advertising money cannot buy.

Quotes

“People are turned off by traditional marketing. People always have their guard up. I want to buy a product because it solves a problem, and because someone I like told me about it.”

“We just had to multiply what I did. When I could serve our customers very well, I needed people on the staff that could serve them as well or better. We looked for people who aligned with our nutritional philosophies, people with high emotional intelligence who are available to be customer-centric.”

“I mostly thought of the challenges people were facing around food. Then, we crafted posts and content for those people.”

“I would solve problems people didn’t even know they had. Then, they would start following me and eventually become customers. I would just give, give, give.”

“I would go where the people were. People have questions. I would go and give advice, not really to sell stuff. Think about where the customer is! They’re not excited to follow a business that talks about the business.”

“Stop worrying about the numbers. Just do the things that will influence the direction of those numbers.”

“I had a lot of feelings of being an imposter. I didn’t go to school for this stuff…I had to prove myself. But once the customers were getting great results, I worked to put that out there. I always knew, all I need to do was help people and they’ll put that out into the world.”

“I almost didn’t do this because of what people on the internet said…people I don’t even know.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Explore Stronger U Nutrition on their website https://strongeru.com/who-we-are/ 

Follow Stronger U on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/strongeru/ 

Follow Mike’s personal and entrepreneurial journey on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mikedoehla/

 

Syed Balkhi is incredibly humble, but he has been recognized as the top 100 entrepreneur under the age of 30 by the United Nations. In this interview, we get to learn from his decades of experience building and acquiring tech companies.

Syed is on a mission to level the playing field for small businesses. 20+ million websites use his software to grow and compete with the big guys. 100+ million people read his blog posts every year to grow their website traffic, sales, and conversions! As an entrepreneur turned investor, Syed has created and acquired dozens of software companies that have made the Wordpress platform more accessible for millions of users.

Your customers are talking-are you listening? Syed is passionate about making technology easier, more accessible and more fun. In order to fulfill his mission and make creative products, he devotes time to reading and considering Facebook posts from users who have struggles and concerns. When he notices a trend in user concerns, he works with his teams to create solutions, ultimately releasing products and updates that his audience loves. 

Want to make great things? Go talk to your friends! Despite decades in the software industry, Syed approaches his work with curiosity and open mindedness. Before he launches something, he often asks his friends whether they see any blind spots or areas for improvement. By relying on feedback and support from the people closest to him, Syed knows that he will release programs and plugins that meet the needs of his consumers.

How can you be more consistent? One of Syed’s favorite ingredients for growth: Consistency! Despite his accomplishments, Syed insists that it is consistent hard work and small daily actions that have actually created the biggest impact in his journey. 

By consistently showing up to meet the needs of his user base, Syed Balkhi has set an inspiring example for us as entrepreneurs to follow. 

Quotes

“Every single investment and acquisition has been user-driven.”

“The Wordpress community is awesome. We’re all committed to empowering businesses to succeed.”

“I read a LOT about the struggles that users are having with Wordpress. I am actively reading the struggles people are having there. You cannot build a product to solve a problem that you do not understand.”

“When you know who you are and who you are not, it makes it very easy to say no to things that don’t align with your values…and yes to things that do!”

“Being proactive and market-leading…that is the secret sauce. And consistency!”

“We talk to our customers more than most companies would, in terms of gathering feedback. Then we build better solutions!”

“Persistence is a great substitute for talent. I am average at just about everything, but I work harder. And I’m okay with delayed gratification. If you’re persistent for a long time, people might eventually say that you’re doing great things!”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Sayed Balkhi is active daily on Twitter with inspiring ideas and quotes. 

Follow Syed’s personal Instagram for daily inspiration and encouragement.

Learn more about Syed and his portfolio on his website. 

Check out his company, Awesome Motive, on their website. PLUS: Awesome Motive is Hiring! Apply for a 100% remote position on their hiring page. 

Check out The Balkhi Foundation and the work they’re doing to fund education on their website!

Karima El-Hakkaoui doesn’t back down from a challenge and she doesn’t think you should, either. 

Karima is the CEO and Co-founder of SixGldn, a botanical Doctor-formulated skincare brand that is currently making waves in the beauty industry. 

After having spent many years working with large beauty brands, she and her Co-founders were disheartened by the questionable marketing messages and unethical practices in the skincare industry. They decided to launch something new. The result was SixGldn, a line of beauty products using gorgeous Korean skincare ingredients that have been clinically proven to nourish the skin. 

Industry disruptors have a powerful mission. When people find out she founded a skincare brand, people ask Karima: “What lab do you use?” They are stunned to learn that rather than being formulated by a chemist, SixGldn products are formulated by a Physician, vegan, plant-based, 100% refillable and made with a mission: “Spread love and protect the planet.” The powerful mission of SixGldn is the driving force behind their industry success.

Industry disruptors overcome obstacles. Karima had barely launched SixGldn as her side hustle when she lost her primary job. Less than 24 hours later, she found out that her husband had cancer! 

Having already spent their savings to launch SixGldn, Karima and her family were all-in on her mission to launch the cleanest skincare brand in the world. Since then, SixGldn has been featured by FabFitFun, Well + Good, Byrdie and NewBeauty. They have forged brand partnerships with major companies like Walmart while simultaneously doing direct-to-consumer sales. The success of SixGldn is a testament to Karima’s strength in the face of obstacles.

Industry disruptors consider their consumers.  SixGldn packaging is thoughtfully-designed with the customer’s experience in mind. Everything is color-coded, organized and numbered so that their consumers-who are busy travelers with a zest for life-don’t have to spend hours on a complicated skincare routine. Their packaging features images of golden hour in order, guiding customers through the steps while paying homage to their company name. Everything about their branding is supposed to glow-just like the very real people who use it!

Quotes

“Inclusivity is a huge thing for us. I grew up seeing zero representation of me. I felt so uncomfortable in my own skin! I didn’t see anyone who looked like me. Finally it clicked that diversity is beautiful. Everyone’s uniqueness is beautiful. And travel and being inclusive is at the heart of everything we do.”

“Our vibe is about more love, more adventures and experiencing more joy.”

“You know when you’re really, really happy? You literally glow. Our packaging all has photos of golden hour at different stages.”

“Our power comes from earth-grown products. Artificial fragrance is linked to so many endocrine disruptors.”

“Korean herbal medicine has roots that go back 5000 years. Everything in the United States is so new! Korean skincare has been tried and tested. The ingredients have been utilized in clinical studies.”

“When people find out we started a skincare company, they ask, ‘what lab are you using’? Because a lot of people buy a formula and repackage it with their own brand and sell it. There is nothing special about that! The person who formulated that is probably a normal American chemist. They don’t have deeply-rooted knowledge about how to formulate ingredients.”

“Anything that comes from the earth and that is grown well and grown sustainably is going to provide greater value than something that is processed.”

“We believe you can have purpose and profit.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Check out the SixGldn website at https://www.sixgldn.com/

Follow SixGldn on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sixgldn/  

Become a following of SixGldn’s Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/sixgldn/ 

Read about SixGldn’s mission to protect the Earth at https://www.sixgldn.com/pages/mission 

Connect with Karima on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/karima-el-hakkaoui-48048aa

Senofer Mendoza is on a mission to fund diverse and historically-excluded business owners by using an improved model of venture capital.  Based in Boston, Mendoza Ventures is women-owned and the first LatinX-owned venture fund on the East Coast. The firm is run by Senofer and her husband Adrian Mendoza, entrepreneurs and veterans of the Boston startup ecosystem. They focus on diversity as playing an important role in their investment decisions, as roughly 75% of Mendoza's portfolio consists of start-ups led by immigrants, people of color, and women.

Mendoza Ventures seeks to create positive changes in the fields of cybersecurity, technology and artificial intelligence. 

Representation matters when it comes to funding businesses.  Senofer Mendoza noticed that businesses founded by women, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals were not being funded. She sought to affect change by choosing projects started by historically-excluded founders in security and technology, ultimately providing a blueprint for the future.

Mendoza Ventures shows us the value of diversity in the workplace. Studies show that diverse workplaces outperform homogenous ones, and Senofer Mendoza thinks she knows why. In her experience, diverse teams outperform because they are able to use their rich backgrounds, knowledge and experience to collaborate. Fueled by passion and a common goal, inclusive teams can have difficult conversations and overcome greater obstacles.

Senofer Mendoza is flipping traditional venture capital on its head. The goal of Mendoza Ventures is to produce a more thoughtful and holistic approach to venture capital: Doing more work to qualify applicants up front, keeping a smaller niched portfolio and providing hands-on business coaching and support to the founders they’re funding. Rather than just writing a large amount of checks with the assumption that the majority will fail, Mendoza Ventures hand-picks passion projects and goes all-in to ensure their success. 

Quotes

“If you built an entire VC firm around supporting a healthy company instead of the traditional model of writing a hundred checks assuming that 80% of them are going to go out of business…how can you change outcomes for founders?”

“We do a lot of diligence up front. We get on the phone with them and ask, how can we help you this week? We pull from our investor base to help them.”

“We coach clients to get to profitability faster or towards getting acquired earlier.”

“Only 1% of general partners in VC companies are women…and that doesn’t mean founding partners! The tricky thing about inclusion is that even as you go up the capital stack, it’s still bad. It gets worse. We need to be pulling ourselves up…and we also need to be pulling someone up with us.”

“We’re not just talking about inclusion, we’re not just highlighting or amplifying inclusion. We’re proactively making sure that people who are very different from ourselves are in every single layer of our company.”

“I love giving women millions of dollars to grow their businesses. And people of color, and LGBTQ people! I am deeply passionate about making sure generational wealth in the United States looks like the population of the United States.”

“Inclusion is awkward. It looks good on the posters, but when you’re practicing inclusion, someone always says something offensive or makes a bad joke. You have to sit in that uncomfortable moment and talk through what just happened. When you have a diverse team, they’re capable of doing that together. And if you can do this together, you can do anything! You can talk about sales numbers, you can adjust your strategy, and you share a common goal. I think that’s at the core of what’s making them outperform.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Check out the Mendoza Ventures website to see their portfolio and learn more about their work: https://mendoza-ventures.com/  

To inquire about a startup or if you have a media request, please reach out to Senofer and her team at [email protected]  

Find Senofer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/senofermendoza/

 

In Part 2 of this important conversation, Rodrigo Garcia Platas encourages us to know ourselves so that we can know business success. During this episode, Rodrigo Garcia Platas provides a more in-depth breakdown of how the 4 Unani BioTypes work and how to know where you fit.  Unani BioTypes are an ancient method of identification and categorization of the different types of Humans. They have been used to treat both physical and mental imbalances by doctors and healers throughout history.

Rodrigo was looking for a way to explain his observations about humanity when he discovered the ancient science of Human Design. He quickly realized that BioTypes-which were originally conceived by the Greeks- explained the connections between the personality and biology of people.

Rodrigo first ventured into the field of human development at the age of 19. He has worked with television and national radio programs as a human development and Unani BioType expert. He founded his company, RGP Development, to empower others through the art and science of Biotyping.

Today, he teaches virtual and face-to-face workshops in English and Spanish on Emotional Intelligence, Human Development, BioTypes, Healthy Masculinity, Infatuation, Leadership, Business Well-being, Sales and Conflict Resolution. 

Are you  Choleric, Sanguine, Melancholic or Phlegmatic?

Listen to draw your own conclusions! Understanding your BioType can help explain what motivates you, what repels you, how you can improve your communication and where you’ll be happiest within a work organization. 

It can also explain tension in your relationships, personality clashes at work and a lack of fulfillment in professional endeavors. Are you ready to see your life in entirely new ways? Find your BioType!

Explore a deeper understanding of the people around you:

Rodrigo Garcia Platas can help provide a more nuanced view of the people you find frustrating (or even insufferable). What are their motivations and how can we value their contributions to the world? How can we celebrate their strengths and reconnect them to their community? These are questions Rodrigo’s company investigates through their study of Unani BioTypes.

Through BioTypes we can develop a more compassionate lens through which to view human beings, business, institutions, relationships and ourselves.

Quotes

“We’re certifying coaches who will be in different industries. We’re choosing people who are showing that they understand these principles.”

“We’ve worked with Walmart, airlines, department stores, universities and governments. What we can do in the corporate world is fascinating. Institutional culture is important. If we get BioTypes into big structures of human beings that work in a specific way, it’s going to impact thousands of people. That’s how you make something embedded in a society.”

“[Imagine] if becoming an entrepreneur meant getting to know yourself, and getting to know human beings in order to hire people. Imagine if you couldn’t open a company without knowing how to treat people, because you’ll just hurt the people you hire. Let’s give them this as a tool.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Explore the RGP website at https://www.rgpdevelopment.com/ 

Get your FREE BioTypes PDF Worksheet at https://mailchi.mp/7ba8fdc326aa/unani-biotypes 

Listen to Rodrigo’s Podcast BioTypical here:  https://biotypical.buzzsprout.com/ 

Follow along with Rodrigo on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rgpdevelopment/ 

Join the BioTypes mailing list by entering your email at https://rgpdevelopment.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=fb136636d803822bdc695c982&id=bf90e74b09 

Self-understanding is the key to breaking through barriers. Just ask Rodrigo Garcia Platas. Frequently called “The Mexican Human Scanner,” Rodrigo uses a system of the four biological temperaments (Unani BioTypes) to explore potential for human growth and happiness.  Unani BioTypes are an ancient method of identification and categorization of the different types of Humans. They have been used to treat both physical and mental imbalances by doctors and healers throughout history.

Rodrigo first ventured into the field of human development at the age of 19 and began his career as a facilitator at the age of 22. Since then he has deepened his knowledge in different elements of psychological, ontological and personal growth. He has worked with television and national radio programs as a human development and Unani BioType expert. He founded his company, RGP Development, to empower others through the art and science of Biotyping.

Today, he teaches virtual and face-to-face workshops in English and Spanish on Emotional Intelligence, Human Development, BioTypes, Healthy Masculinity, Infatuation, Leadership, Business Well-being, Sales and Conflict Resolution. 

Rodrigo’s family was disconnected and his spirit felt broken when his stress, hyperindividualism and anxiety caused his spine to literally explode.

His psychosomatic injury led to the discovery of his BioType and reliance on his personal relationships during his powerful recovery. Finally understanding that his independence was a coping mechanism, Rodrigo realized that his newfound self-compassion was the key to reconnecting with his family, empowering others and ultimately changing the world.

PLUS: Be sure to listen to Part 2 of this interview to find YOUR BioType and what it means for your business…

How can BioTypes help you recruit talent?

Rodrigo Garcia Platas hosts corporate workshops teaching high-level clients how to understand personality types…and how to use those discoveries to improve their hiring practices. BioTypes can lead us to a deeper understanding of what type of person may be suited to a certain type of role, leading to greater chances of happiness and fulfillment in a position.

What does a personality test have to do with income potential?

A greater understanding of personality and biology can lead you to greater understanding of yourself and your clients. BioTypes can help you explore your compatibility with certain industries, companies or clients, resulting in higher-impact projects!

Quotes

“When people have certainty about how their body and psychology works, they can do amazing things.”

“We’re seeing people tripling their salary, getting their health back, getting their family back together again, and choosing a path that makes them feel joyful with a deep understanding of themselves and others.”

“We can transform the world with a lot of compassion…because people are very confused about why they are the way they are.”

“We’re trying to give people the right tools to understand themselves, to heal themselves, to treat themselves with compassion, and to understand other people.”

“We worked with Walmart. We taught their purchasing department to teach them how to negotiate with every BioType. They’re saving a lot of money…and we became the highest rated workshop in Walmart’s history!”

“This ancient knowledge can be scientifically proven today - not only in the psych department but also in the medical department.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Get your FREE BioTypes PDF Worksheet at https://mailchi.mp/7ba8fdc326aa/unani-biotypes 

Listen to Rodrigo’s Podcast BioTypical here:  https://biotypical.buzzsprout.com/ 

Follow along with Rodrigo on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/rgpdevelopment/ 

Join the BioTypes mailing list by entering your email at https://rgpdevelopment.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=fb136636d803822bdc695c982&id=bf90e74b09 

 

If you’re running an established, enduring and successful company, the past few years have presented some challenges…and some fresh, exciting opportunities for growth. 

Huntington Learning Center is a prime example of blending tradition and innovation to support a company’s mission.

Anne Huntington Sharma’s parents founded Huntington Learning Center in the 1970’s with the intention of providing excellent education to students across the nation. Since then, it has developed into a franchise company with 300 locations in 42+ states. 

Anne Huntington Sharma is the President and a Board Member of Huntington, which has become the nation's leading tutoring and test prep provider. Anne oversees business strategy and growth initiatives, including partnerships, marketing, digital transformation, and franchise expansion.

Anne is also involved in the arts as a collector, producer, philanthropist, curator, and founder of AMH Industries, a creative agency for contemporary art and culture. She is an associate producer on the Emmy nominated HBO documentary, ‘The Price of Everything’ and an associate producer on the documentary ‘The Art of Making It’. To date, Anne has curated more than 30 exhibits across the country and raised over $30 million dollars for various philanthropic causes.

How are we evolving to support our mission?

Anne has used the challenges of the global pandemic and societal change as a golden opportunity to ask, “How do we make this business as strong and focused as possible?”

When looking ahead to the future of our brands, we can use Anne’s example to consider what’s working, and what could be developed further. As a mission-based company, Huntington has found solutions to better support students including remote learning, tailored lessons if they need to  catch up academically, and methods of involving parents in their education so that they get an amazing schooling experience.

What does scaling your business look like for the future?

Huntington decided to pursue the franchise model and has found tremendous success. With the goal of supporting as many students as possible, franchise locations of Huntington Learning Center are overseen for quality control by an assigned Huntington consultant. 

When looking ahead, what type of expansion makes sense for your business? 

What quality standards do you have for your company? Over time, how could you delegate so that you can share the signature services or products you’re providing with more people? If your goal is to change as many lives as you can, how can you scale your business to fit your mission? These are all important questions for us as entrepreneurs!

Can you use remote work for maximum collaboration?

Once a primarily in-person company, Huntington Learning Center had to transform their entire business model literally overnight. Instead of focusing on the difficulties, Anne shares some lessons she learned from this experience! 

After surveying their educators and administrative employees and franchisees, Anne Huntington Sharma received the message loud and clear: Most workers loved remote work, and wanted to make it a permanent change. Anne also found that remote work enabled Huntington to attract talent across the nation and find the most qualified educators. A collaborative structure also provided ways to give feedback, connect and serve students more effectively. 

Quotes:

“We’re a 40+ year old startup, because we had to innovate and make these changes really fast.”

“We’re a very passionate mission-driven company. We’ve been doing this for a very long time.”

“We believe in franchising as a concept. We believe it helps students and franchisees.”

“At Huntington, our goal is to help as many students as possible. Our mission has been the same as day one, which is to give every student the best education possible.”

“My mark is to take what has been built and make positive change where appropriate. For example, for a cultural perspective, I get different folks who may not work together every day, in the virtual room together. How do we collaborate more, so we can help our students and franchisees? It’s built on communication.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Visit the Huntington Learning Center https://huntingtonhelps.com/ 

To explore Huntington Learning Center as a franchise, check out their website https://huntingtonfranchise.com/ 

Connect with Anne Huntington Sharma on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-huntington-sharma-8720606 

 

Ron Thurston is on a mission to celebrate the culture, people and legacy of the retail industry.

Born into a family of retailers, Ron always knew he wanted to be involved in the industry. Now, he is literally traveling America with the purpose of celebrating the real people of retail and the beautiful stories behind their often “accidental careers.”

Ron Thurston is a highly accomplished retail leadership Executive, Board Advisor, and Amazon Bestselling Author with extensive experience leading retail operations for America’s most prominent brands–including The Gap, West Elm, Tory Burch, Yves Saint Laurent and Intermix. 

One of Ron’s greatest strengths is turning around underperforming businesses, developing and implementing innovative growth strategies, improving training programs, building high-performing and dedicated teams, launching new brands, expanding brands into new markets, and ensuring customer growth and satisfaction. 

In 2021 and 2022, Ron was named one of the top 100 Retail Influencers globally, is a board member of GOODWILL NY/NJ, and currently sits on the advisory boards of several emerging retail technology brands, including Reflex Careers, Job Pixel, and IMMERSS. 

As of Spring 2022, Ron is traveling across America in an airstream trailer for a year-long tour called “Retail in America”. He is launching his audio and video platforms for a yearlong exploration of the stories behind retail businesses in America, from family-owned brick-and-mortars to large companies. Ron wants to share their inception stories and provide a platform for them to celebrate their incredible careers.

Is your retail career a happy accident?

Sitting across from retail workers, Ron hears it all the time: Many people did not intend to pursue a career in retail. 

This “happy accident” is exciting, compelling and wonderful. But it is not always understood or honored. As someone who understands what it’s like when friends and family questioned his decision to work in a field that requires long hours, nights and holidays, Ron wants to discover hidden opportunities for rich storytelling in retail.

Show up with pride.

Ron is not here to tell you how to run your retail business - his mission is to teach you and your team how to show up as your best selves, with pride.

His mantra is: “I choose to show up with pride today, in what I do.”

Ron sees retail as a great equalizer-providing opportunities for people of all gender identities, orientations and backgrounds to connect and inspire others. He is excited by the future of retail businesses, which he believes is rich for expansion and community. 

Tell your story.

As Ron travels across America, he is asking retail business owners and workers to share their stories. He wants to help share messages of hope, hilarity and creative inspiration from the industry that fuels America! 

By reframing attitudes towards retail, Ron helps us create a better work culture. What are we proud of? How do we show up every day to serve others and engage with them on a human level? And how can we spread more kindness by bettering the experience of shopping? By asking these simple questions, Ron is having a major impact on thousands of retail workers across the globe.

Quotes

“Retail is not just sales. It’s storytelling. It’s history. It’s community, it’s people. And it’s so much bigger than the average perception of this industry.”

“Every part of this business is so exciting and interesting to me. The careers that people have are under-celebrated! It’s an industry full of proud, hardworking people!”

“1 out of 4 people in this country work in retail. But it’s almost invisible in some ways.”

“The more kind that we can be to each other about the work we do, the more positive impact that has on why this is an important career choice.”

“I want to accomplish the momentum behind…new generations of people joining the retail industry. That this can be an industry where no matter how you present yourself, all are welcome here.”

Links mentioned in this episode:

Visit Ron Thurston’s website for his tour, “Retail Pride” https://www.retailpride.com/ 

Get Ron’s Amazon bestselling book, Retail Pride: The Guide to Celebrating your Accidental Career https://www.amazon.com/Retail-Pride-Celebrating-Accidental-Career/dp/1544515936/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=gOyvd&pf_rd_p=205b21f0-8557-4ea8-a863-e58f77379cf8&pf_rd_r=C8CY7CQEGDC4ZRK05B8Y&pd_rd_r=fdbf7c7d-92a5-48fe-bea9-4d7cbcda688f&pd_rd_wg=ggLtS&ref_=pd_gw_ 

Follow along with his journey across America on his Instagram, @RetailPride https://www.instagram.com/retailpride/  

Subscribe to receive email updates from Ron’s “Retail in America” tour  https://www.retailpride.com/contact 

For links to Ron’s Retail Pride sponsors, visit Ron’s Linktree https://linktr.ee/ronthurston