Lisa Taylor leads a team of a hundred people when she uncovers an insight that would change her course in life, and possibly the future of the Canadian economy. Many people were satisfied at work, but not fulfilled. Even successful people in their mid-career strides described their situation as "hanging in and hanging on".

Lisa left the security of a great job to launch Challenge Factory, a research-based, process-driven consultancy. Their mission is to help companies create productive cultures where people work with a higher purpose.

She moves from the uncertainty of a startup to the complexities of leading a growing business, only to have today's economic uncertainty, turn her business upside down.

Calling upon our experts to help her navigate through these times, they come back with insights on branding, positioning, and building a more robust social presence that she, and you can apply, to grow any brand or business.

Small Business Matters series, presented by RBC.

Lisa uncovers an intriguing insight (01:56) While managing a team over a hundred professionals at Hewlett Packard, Lisa uncovers an insight that would form the foundation of her business, Challenge Factory. Many in her team, although successful, weren't satisfied. They were stuck. They loved what they did, but they were no longer challenged.

Making the leap (04:42) A conversation with her father inspires Lisa to pursue her dream. Six years in the making and many conversations with her most respected and admired friends and colleagues, Lisa's new venture begins to take shape, eventually leaving the security of a corporate job to launch Challenge Factory.

A square peg in a round hole (08:06) Founded on the discipline of career development, Lisa establishes a unique positioning for her business. Landing some significant clients, the business grows as does her presence in the industry - publishing a book (The Talent Revolution) and establishing herself as a thought leader on the future of work. Then COVID-19 strikes.

The experts share their advice (15:35) Beverley Hammond (Broken Heart Love Affair), suggests Lisa narrows her focus and considers renaming her company; Kelly Peters (BEworks) encourages Lisa to convey to her clients the kind results they can expect. Finally, Caroline Paxton @RBC recommends focussing on only 2-3 social media channels for her marketing and Lori Darlington @RBC, advises Lisa to apply a scenario planning method to her business.

Tony's final thoughts (25:34) There is no doubt Lisa is guided by a compelling higher purpose - hanging on and hanging in. "The more the world looks to Lisa for leadership on the future work, the more they'll look to the services you offer." And finally, Lisa should consider the rebranding advice from Beverley to sharpen her positioning, making her services "…easy to buy."

Links and References

Lisa Taylor - https://www.linkedin.com/in/authorlisataylor/ Website - www.challengefactory.ca Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/581098 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Challengfactory

Beverley Hammond - https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverley-hammond-822a362/ Broken Heart Love Affair - http://www.brokenheartloveaffair.com

Kelly Peters - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ikellypeters/ BeWorks - https://beworks.com Dan Ariely - http://danariely.com https://twitter.com/danariely

Caroline Paxton - https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinedpaxton/ Lori Darlington - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-darlington/

Future Launch - https://www.rbc.com/dms/enterprise/futurelaunch/index.html RBC Business page – https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/index.html RBC COVID-19 Financial Relief page - https://www.rbc.com/covid-19/business.html

Follow Tony Chapman Website - https://tonychapmanreactions.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/TonyChapman Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonychapmanreactions/