Wayfinding Growth (video)

Once Upon a Time...

For those who don't know, Remington Begg grew up on a boat. When he was 7, his parents decided to set sail from their home in Bermuda and live independently with their three young children and a dog. All on a boat about the size of two minivans.

For the next seven years or so, the family sailed through the Caribbean and beyond.

Remington says the lessons learned and life experiences he had in his childhood impacted his way of thinking and his business sense. You can see it today in several ways.

Today's Episode is Brought to You By:

This episode of Wayfinding Growth is brought to you by Sprocket Talk. If you’re ready to take your HubSpot experience to a whole new level, you need to join Sprocket Talk as a Free VIP member. Tutorials, courses, training, HubSpot updates and more. Head to SprocketTalk.com/WG to join the movement and get an exclusive Wayfinding Growth deal!

An Entrepreneurial Spirit

When you’re on a boat sailing from harbor to harbor through international waters, Remington says, you learn a lot about being an entrepreneur. You don’t have the usual “get up and go to work” life so many of us have in America.

Instead, you live in the moment, and when you have needs for your family you pull into a port and trade.

As a young boy, Remington discovered that he could watch the dingeys in port for sailors so they’d be secure. These people were willing to pay him, so he’d make money sitting and watching the small transport boats so no one would steal them.

As he earned the money, he figured out quickly that he could buy supplies like leather in one port, work on making crafts like belts with it, then sell them in the next port. This is where Remington learned how to invest in the next step.

In addition to the economics, he learned how to look at a problem and reverse-engineer the solution. It wasn’t always about following a well-written plan. It was about finding the best solution.

While this has served him well, Remington did admit to it hindering his initial math lessons in middle school when his family returned to the U.S.

Why Communication is Key (in Business and Sailing)

When you’re on a boat in open water and the only thing between you and the sea is a railing, listening is critical.

“Most parents tell their kids not to cross the street without looking and panic if the child walks toward the road. For my mom, it was falling overboard and drowning.”

So from safety to learning how to navigate with traditional tools—this was before we carried supercomputers with access to the world’s GPS—Remington learned the importance of communication.

He now carries that into business. Whether you’re working with clients or team members, it’s important to actively listen, ensure communication has happened and move forward with the task at hand.

Subscribe for New Episodes Every Week

Be sure to subscribe on your podcast player of choice (or the email notifications below) for new episodes every week, Tuesday mornings at 7:00am EST. Wayfinding Growth is the go-to podcast to inspire entrepreneurs, business owners and leadership. “For better or worse, in richness and in want” may be for weddings, but it’s also for businesses. We will be your navigator in this journey, no matter your level.

Love what we're doing? Leave a review wherever you listen!

Jaime Jay: An Entrepreneur Who Knows How to Pivot

Jaime Jay is the Founder and Managing Director of the virtual companyBottleneck Virtual Assistants. Bottleneck offers professional growth opportunities for ambitious business owners and executives through remote teams of assistants.

But before his success with Bottleneck, Jaime was an amateur hockey player and starter geek who founded Slapshot Studio in 2013. He wanted a business that combined his life of hockey with building websites. The Slapshot Studio brand was born. Then came a pivot.

At his core, Jaime is a connector of personalities and brands who constantly challenges himself to be a better human being.

Today's Episode is Brought to You By:

This episode of Wayfinding Growth is brought to you by Sprocket Talk. If you’re ready to take your HubSpot experience to a whole new level, you need to join Sprocket Talk as a Free VIP member. Tutorials, courses, training, HubSpot updates and more. Head toSprocketTalk.com/WGto join the movement and get an exclusive Wayfinding Growth deal!

A Long Journey to Overnight Success

In 2006 Jaime Jay started an advertising and marketing agency in the real estate niche in Stockton, California. The business was a partnership with a friend who owned a real estate agency and saw the need for ads and marketing for agents.As a marketer and website developer, Jaime was a great fit.

Jaime's partner Mariano had moved to the U.S. from the Philippines."He had the relationships and knew the work culture," Jaime says.

The business was built with remote workers long before international virtual assistants were popular.

For a couple years, the partners found great success together helping real estate agents with their branding, marketing and advertising.

Then when the 2008 recession hit and real estate took a turn, Jaime found himself shuttering the business."We lost 70 clients in the span of three months."

At 38 years old, Jaime had to move back in with his parents. While owning that first business, he says he spent instead of saved, lived paycheck to paycheck and just enjoyed himself.

Fast forward nearly ten years and Jaime now has his own virtual, remote-work based business with clients around the world.

The Podcast Pivot

Stop Riding the Pine (SRTP) Podcast is Jaime's podcast designed for business leaders who want to overcome workplace barriers, transcend changes, and perform at their best.

The name of the podcast is based on a sports analogy for 'get off the bench.' As an amateur hockey player who has created several successful businesses with his DIY attitude and a drive to accomplish an education-based dialog, the term fit.

In the beginning, Stop Riding the Pine (SRTP), was created to interview leaders in the industry to share their marketing tips and strategies.

When Jaime started Bottleneck, his world was less about marketing and changed to focus more on culture. So after about four years, he decided to pivot and start a new show, Culture Eats Strategy.

"I was seeing what an influence it was on our company to make culture present... front and center." - Jaime Jay on Culture Eats Strategy

The journey of encouraging a purposeful culture at a virtual company helped Jaime create the conversations that would become his new podcast. It's a great reason to make a pivot.

Get to Know Jaime Jay

Bottleneck Virtual Assistants

Culture Eats Strategy Podcast

Jaime Jay on LinkedIn

Jaime Jay on Facebook

Jaime Jay on Twitter

Subscribe for New Episodes Every Week

Be sure to subscribe on your podcast player of choice (or the email notifications below) for new episodes every week, Tuesday mornings at 7:00am EST. Wayfinding Growth is the go-to podcast to inspire entrepreneurs, business owners and leadership. “For better or worse, in richness and in want” may be for weddings, but it’s also for businesses. We will be your navigator in this journey, no matter your level.

Love what we're doing? Leave a review wherever you listen!

The Captain is Back

Remington, the CEO and daily leader the team interacts with, took parental leave when Rachel, COO and co-founder of Impulse Creative gave birth to their second child. This was the longest time away Remington was able to take.

Upon his return, almost the entire team also descended upon headquarters for Southbound, our yearly gathering.

It's been a busy few weeks. In this episode, Remington and Dan unpack what it meant to the owners of the agency to be able to take the needed family time, look at what it's like to grow as a company and as a family and also take a behind the scenes look at where Remington's mindset is as 2019 comes to a close.

Today's Episode is Brought to You By:

This episode of Wayfinding Growth is brought to you by Sprocket Talk. If you’re ready to take your HubSpot experience to a whole new level, you need to join Sprocket Talk as a Free VIP member. Tutorials, courses, training, HubSpot updates and more. Head toSprocketTalk.com/WGto join the movement and get an exclusive Wayfinding Growth deal!

What Happens When Your Team Doesn't "Need You"

On one hand, being able to take a few weeks off for his family was great. Remington says it was terrific knowing that the clients wouldn't feel his absence and the agency would move forward.

On the other hand, there's an internal struggle this CEO and co-founder faced of feeling like, "The team doesn't need me... oh shit!"

Remington's choice to focus on the positive side of not being needed.

"I'm really blessed that I cam back and asked what everyone needed, and the team was good."

Let's Blow It All Up

One downside to Remington's time away, in his own words, is that it gave him time to think.

When our captain has time to think, we blow up processes and change things. For the better.

So now that he's back in the office and we're all together, it's time to look at what we do well, where we can improve, and make decisions.

"We're doing 80% so amazing. But then looking at that 20% and what we can improve and realizing that could be difference between crazy success and mediocrity... that's where we're at right now."

Taking care of your team, even in the midst of change, is critical. Remington's advice is to take care of your people and you'll see the rewards in business.

Subscribe for New Episodes Every Week

Be sure to subscribe on your podcast player of choice (or the email notifications below) for new episodes every week, Tuesday mornings at 7:00am EST. Wayfinding Growth is the go-to podcast to inspire entrepreneurs, business owners and leadership. “For better or worse, in richness and in want” may be for weddings, but it’s also for businesses. We will be your navigator in this journey, no matter your level.

Love what we're doing? Leave a review wherever you listen!

https://www.wayfindinggrowth.com Are you ready to navigate your growth journey with the best? Season 3 of Wayfinding Growth is coming… and we’re bringing you the best in the industry on “experience.”

You’ll hear from David Meerman Scott:"As human beings, we're hard-wired to appreciate somebody who gives us a gift with no expectation of anything in return."Michael Stelzner:"I hear from people that say 'I came last year and now I brought 10 people from Germany! So no matter how big the room is, and some people listening right now may have something local in their city with like 10 or 15 people over breakfast, you can still accomplish the exact same effect. There's something very powerful about caring for people no matter how big the crowd is."...and others on what they’re seeing in the world.

Plus go inside Impulse with us to explore what we’re seeing on the ground floor with our clients, our own experiences and more. Set your reminders… Season 3 kicks off January 7th!https://www.wayfindinggrowth.com

Jessica Rhodes, Founder, Owner, Podcaster

Jessica Rhodes is an author, podcaster, and the founder of Interview Connections.

She scaled her business to six figures quickly and with very little direct marketing. She and her team work with brands and personalities around the world, and helps them grow.

As a business owner and founder, who happens to be a woman, Jessica faces challenges men don't. And in the world of podcasting, which has been typically male-dominated, Jessica has had to blaze her own path.

Her unique perspective helps brands differentiate themselves in a noisy world of content.

Today's Episode is Brought to You By:

This episode of Wayfinding Growth is brought to you by Sprocket Talk. If you’re ready to take your HubSpot experience to a whole new level, you need to join Sprocket Talk as a Free VIP member. Tutorials, courses, training, HubSpot updates and more. Head toSprocketTalk.com/WGto join the movement and get an exclusive Wayfinding Growth deal!

Lifestyle Business Versus Growing a Company

Jessica has worked to make Interview Connections a real, growing company and not "just" a lifestyle business. She says it's simply a choice with no judgement, and both have pros and cons.

A lifestyle business, Jessica says, is a business you start that supports your personal lifestyle. For instance, you might have a 6-figure revenue stream and you're taking home $80,000 a year for a salary and you're good with that. No problem. That's a lifestyle business.

On the flipside, a company supports your life and the life of employees. A "real company" means building something bigger than the founders and their life.

For Jessica, building a business that will support others was a critical decision.

Growing a Business: Contractors Versus Employees

Early on, Jessica built Interview Connections through contract employees. These are the 1099 contractors who freelance with your business, but aren't technically your employees. It's a common practice in small businesses, especially completely virtual companies, or online businesses.

By building a team quickly with contractors, you can deal with just invoices and avoid all of the tax, benefits and other paperwork regular employees come with. It's a great way to build quickly.

In 2017, Jessica realized that growing Interview Connections in a sustainable, responsible way meant transitioning to a more traditional workforce. She and her partner decided to go against what most of their contemporaries were doing and hire in-house, on-site employees.

"We had to kiss a lot of frogs that year and really figure out what an ideal employee looked like for us." - Jessica Rhodes on hiring employees

The shipwreck of the transition taught Jessica a valuable lesson. With a team, you have to set clear expectations and goals (or KPIs) and communicate clearly. Then you have to hold them accountable to it all. Most people will thrive and exceed your expectations. When someone isn't performing well, it's often that their leader hasn't shared the expected KPIs, Jessica learned.

Why Personal Growth Work is Vital

When asked what her first piece of advice would be to others as a Wayfinder, Jessica talked about personal growth work.

"If you are not complete in your personal life, then it's really difficult to show up and play full-out in your business." - Jessica Rhodes on personal growth work

Jessica and many on her team have gone through Landmark, what she calls a "transformational personal growth program."

She says that the program, or any good personal growth work, will help you clear the way to be an unstoppable leader in your business.

The Best Navigational Tool: Relationships

Relationships. they're the glue that holds a business together and the fuel that helps it grow.

For Jessica, she saw this early on when she connected with podcasting legends John Lee Dumas and Kate Erickson of the show Entrepreneur On Fire. With their early support and taking the guests Jessica worked with, she had immediate reputation points in the booking and podcasting worlds.

"Really putting the effort and energy into seeing how we could provide value to them and putting the request out there about how they could us was huge." - Jessica Rhodes on the value of relationships

Putting the professional relationship to work beyond offering a service and asking for referrals helped Jessica connect with a bigger network and build the business. Her advice? "Connect with an influencer in your industry, provide value and nurture that relationship."

Get to Know Jessica Rhodes

Interview Connections

Rock the Podcast

Jessica on Twitter

Jessica on LinkedIn

Jessica's YouTube Channel

Subscribe for New Episodes Every Week

Be sure to subscribe on your podcast player of choice (or the email notifications below) for new episodes every week, Tuesday mornings at 7:00am EST. Wayfinding Growth is the go-to podcast to inspire entrepreneurs, business owners and leadership. “For better or worse, in richness and in want” may be for weddings, but it’s also for businesses. We will be your navigator in this journey, no matter your level.

Love what we're doing? Leave a review wherever you listen!

What is a Personal Brand?

It's always helpful to start at the beginning. Dan and George break down what a personal brand is and what it means to businesses and employees both.

According to Wikipedia, personal branding is the practice of marketing people and their careers as brands. It is an ongoing process of developing and maintaining a reputation and impression of an individual, group, or organization.

Dan and George talk about how a personal brand is the packaged reputation you put forth through your actions.

"Personal branding is packaging up who you want to be in the world." - George B. Thomas

It's a managed reputation. It's what people say about you when you're not in the room.

George also says that personal branding has zero to do with what you do or where you do it. For instance, it's not necessarily your job and the company you work for. Those things matter, but it matters more who you are.

Today's Episode is Brought to You By:

This episode of Wayfinding Growth is brought to you by Sprocket Talk. If you’re ready to take your HubSpot experience to a whole new level, you need to join Sprocket Talk as a Free VIP member. Tutorials, courses, training, HubSpot updates and more. Head toSprocketTalk.com/WGto join the movement and get an exclusive Wayfinding Growth deal!

Why Personal Branding Matters for Businesses

In this digital age, relationships matter more than ever. People do business with people they get to know, like and trust. Now more than ever, they have the opportunity to find their tribe wherever they want and trust whom they want to trust. "Birds of a feather flock together," George says. If a business promotes personal brands within the company, it's more likely to find its tribe.

A rising tide lifts all vessels. As the personal brands within a business gain momentum, that business reaps the rewards through better relationships.

Conversely, as the business builds and grows, personal brands improve.

Personal branding within businesses matter because people matter.

Are Personal Brands Risky for Businesses?

Sure, a powerful personal brand could put your business at risk for losing great employees. The more attention a person gets, the more people know them and the more offers they may receive.

But here's the question to ask yourself: Would you rather help your employees improve at the risk of losing them? Or would you rather keep your people mediocre so they stay?

The reward outweighs the risk. Create a culture where your people don't want to leave, and let them build the personal brand to help your brand grow.

Let the stallions run free. With fencing.

George talks about letting your people grow and get creative, and more than just loosening the reins. Let them run free and when they hit that fence, let them know.

For those of you building your personal brand, know that when you hit that fence and you're kept in check, it's not personal. Just find new ways to keep building your brand.

Your Personal Brand Compass

Speaking of building your personal brand, George offers up the idea of a Personal Brand Compass.

Happy, Humble, Helpful, Human. That is George's compass.

Everyday he strives to live in happiness and humility. He works hard to be helpful. And he tries to be more human (compassionate and empathetic and real).

They act like core values against which George measures each day. When you start your day with your compass, you set the stage. Then as you end your day and see if your choices and actions align with your compass, you can rest knowing you tried and you can get better every day.

Get to Know George B. Thomas

George at Impulse Creative

George B. Thomas Speaker

George on Twitter

George on Facebook

George on LinkedIn

Listen to the 15-Minute Strategy Podcast George referenced on personal branding:

Subscribe for New Episodes Every Week

Be sure to subscribe on your podcast player of choice (or the email notifications below) for new episodes every week, Tuesday mornings at 7:00am EST. Wayfinding Growth is the go-to podcast to inspire entrepreneurs, business owners and leadership. “For better or worse, in richness and in want” may be for weddings, but it’s also for businesses. We will be your navigator in this journey, no matter your level.

Love what we're doing? Leave a review wherever you listen!

Reputation's Effect on Growth

When relationships are critical to your business, your reputation is probably one of the most important assets you manage.

Unfortunately, many companies don't think about their reputation management until they're in crisis mode. At that point, it could seriously affect your growth.

This is why thinking about reputation management and growth is vital.

Bill Coletti, Founder and CEO of Kith, is a reputation management, crisis communications and professional development expert, keynote speaker, Wall Street Journal Risk Compliance panelist, and best-selling author of Critical Moments: The New Mindset of Reputation Management.

Bill has more than 25 years of global experience managing high-stakes crises, issues management, and media relations challenges for both Fortune 500 companies and winning global political campaigns.

Today's Episode is Brought to You By:

This episode of Wayfinding Growth is brought to you by Sprocket Talk. If you’re ready to take your HubSpot experience to a whole new level, you need to join Sprocket Talk as a Free VIP member. Tutorials, courses, training, HubSpot updates and more. Head toSprocketTalk.com/WGto join the movement and get an exclusive Wayfinding Growth deal!

Crisis Communication

Bill got his start in reputation management and crisis communication in politics. He learned that a lot of messaging in politics is really all about managing crisis communications.

"In politics it's one of two things. Either you're trying to create a crisis for your opponent, or you're dealing with a crisis your opponent created for you." - Bill Coletti on politics and reputation management

Don't Wait Until a Crisis

If you're managing your brand and your reputation, you may feel like they're the same. Bill positions the two as related but different.

A business can lay out a plan for its brand and can "control" that message. That then feeds the public's opinion of that business, along with their personal experience. That's the business's reputation.

"A company owns its brand. But it's the public that owns its reputation." - Bill Coletti on reputation vs. brand

The beauty of reputation management, especially in relation to your growth journey, is that if you're working on it all along—and not just in a crisis when the ship hits the fan. When you're proactive and build trust, you have "mistake equity."

When something goes wrong, and you've managed your reputation well, you'll have believers in your brand come to your defense.

In a crisis, you get the benefit of the doubt or a reservoir of goodwill. Your supporters will say something like, "Well, that's not the company I know."

Managing your reputation proactively helps you build brand affinity and a solid reputation.

Get to Know Bill

Bill's Website

Kith

Bill on LinkedIn

Kith on Twitter

Subscribe for New Episodes Every Week

Be sure to subscribe on your podcast player of choice (or the email notifications below) for new episodes every week, Tuesday mornings at 7:00am EST. Wayfinding Growth is the go-to podcast to inspire entrepreneurs, business owners and leadership. “For better or worse, in richness and in want” may be for weddings, but it’s also for businesses. We will be your navigator in this journey, no matter your level.

Love what we're doing? Leave a review wherever you listen!

An Origin Story

Does anyone care why you started your company?

At some point in the business relationship, your origin story matters to some of your audience. It could be early on when they're deciding whether your story fits into theirs. It could be further down the journey when they're deciding between you and a competitor.

Whenever it matters to them, they should be able to find it.

That's why it's time to dive into the origin story of Impulse Creative.

Today's Episode is Brought to You By:

This episode of Wayfinding Growth is brought to you by Sprocket Talk. If you’re ready to take your HubSpot experience to a whole new level, you need to join Sprocket Talk as a Free VIP member. Tutorials, courses, training, HubSpot updates and more. Head toSprocketTalk.com/WGto join the movement and get an exclusive Wayfinding Growth deal!

The Beginning

January 2020 marks 13 years for Impulse Creative.

In January 2007 Remington came home from a vacation and decided that it was time to own his career and "do this marketing thing."

At the time, Remington was pursuing a management career in hospitality and the restaurant business. He'd gone to school for graphic design but didn't graduate.

"I didn't like the business of college and the business it had become. So I decided to pave my own way." - Remington Begg on his college years.

Because he likes working with people and was already in the restaurant business, he was on the management track. However, Remington realized that he couldn't have the impact he wanted. So he decided to turn his side business Remington Graphics into a full-fledged small business.

The transition was slow to start, with Remington as a solopreneur. Add into the mix the fact that 2007 and 2008 was a terrible time to start a business in South Florida—remember The Recession?—and you have a recipe for an overnight success story!

Want to know another reason why Remington started his own agency rather than joining an existing company? Listen to the "you're overqualified = you're a threat" portion of the episode at 6:44.

Early on and then throughout the life of Impulse Creative, Remington found that being nimble and innovative (early on it was because he had no budget and had to compete with bigger competitors) has helped differentiate the agency.

Because he had to know a plethora of skills, he was able to help clients early on with more than one thing. This would lead to long term relationships that could grow and evolve.

We still do that today. Some companies call it upselling. We call it serving our clients better with more integrated services.

The Middle

In the first year, Rachel joined the company back when Remington would have to create vinyl signs by hand and print business cards, and website were just an add-on to services.

The evolution of brand went from Remington Graphics to Impulse Creative Studios to build the business beyond a one-person show. But it wasn't yet a marketing agency.

"I didn't want to be a quote-unquote 'agency' because of the box that put us in. We wanted to be though of as a creative studio." - Remington Begg on the evolution of Impulse

What's Our Why?

Remington says his why, which becomes the company's why, is that "There has to be a smarter way to help businesses grow."

Before starting the company, Remington would have regular conversations with one of his customers. Phil was in management for a company and would often complain that the launch for a trade show was coming up and he'd have to have the same conversation each week with different people on the marketing, the launch, the promotion and the branding.

This conversation Phil would have, feeling like it was Groundhog Day all over again, would happen with the trade show team, then the web designer, then the sales team and beyond.

Remington saw an opportunity to help Phil's company grow with one partner handling all of the branding, marketing and communications.

This all led to one of our original ideas in our mission being, "Helping companies create a consistent marketing message." That threads continues to this day, 13 years later.

"There's a difference between a company that can be remembered and one that can't." - Remington Begg on basic branding.

What's Next

Growth. Over the years Impulse Creative has evolved and grown with the needs of its clients. Sometimes that growth goes off the rails (see episode 2.17 The Chrysalis Effect below).

More than a decade into our existence and we continue to grow and serve clients around the world.

Subscribe for New Episodes Every Week

Be sure to subscribe on your podcast player of choice (or the email notifications below) for new episodes every week, Tuesday mornings at 7:00am EST. Wayfinding Growth is the go-to podcast to inspire entrepreneurs, business owners and leadership. “For better or worse, in richness and in want” may be for weddings, but it’s also for businesses. We will be your navigator in this journey, no matter your level.

Love what we're doing? Leave a review wherever you listen!

United States Marine Angie Morgan

On today’s episode we’re talking with Angie Morgan. Angie founded Lead Star, a leadership development consulting firm. She’s also the bestselling author of the business book, Leading from the Front: No Excuse Leadership Tactics for Women and her second book, Spark: How to Lead Yourself and Others to Greater Success.

To honor veterans this week, as Veterans Day was yesterday, we’re talking with Angie about leadership lessons from the military. Her leadership expertise formed after she graduated from the University of Michigan and served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

Angie founded Lead Star to help professionals understand how they can achieve greater success by implementing leadership practices into their work routines. Her remedy: designing leadership programs that are culturally relevant for her clients and focused on results. As a keynote speakerand workshop facilitator, Angie inspires individuals to take action to ensure their performance is high and their goals are achieved.

She has written numerous articles on leadership and organizational excellence appearing in a wide variety of publications includingForbes, Fast Company,andSUCCESS.She’s been a dynamic guest on CNBC, FOX News, and CNN.

Prior to creating Lead Star, Angie worked for Pfizer and Merck as a sales professional where she had firsthand experience working in business operations. This results-oriented mindset is brought to every project she is engaged in.

Angie’s leadership expertise formed after she graduated from the University of Michigan and served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. She also holds an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Today's Episode is Brought to You By:

This episode of Wayfinding Growth is brought to you by Sprocket Talk. If you’re ready to take your HubSpot experience to a whole new level, you need to join Sprocket Talk as a Free VIP member. Tutorials, courses, training, HubSpot updates and more. Head toSprocketTalk.com/WGto join the movement and get an exclusive Wayfinding Growth deal!

Anyone Can be a Leader

Even if you're not "in leadership," you can lead. That's a big premise of the book Spark. Sparks are people who make things happen, who help turn the tide. Leader shouldn't be tied to your title or position, but to you doing.

Angie sees leadership as a verb, not a noun. You don't "achieve leadership" at a certain level. She says you make leadership happen by being the leader and taking action, rather than waiting for someone to give you permission by calling you a leader.

Verb versus noun.

"Leadership, in the Marines, is a verb or a behavior. It is available and accessible to everyone." - Angie Morgan on leadership

Angie says everyone needs to develop leadership skills at every level. We all have leadership roles, even if it's 'just leading ourselves.'

An Early Shipwreck for Lead Star

Angie shared the story of a shipwreck Lead Star survived - and learned from in the process.

In the early days, they wanted to play with idea of leadership. The emphasis on ship led them to set up an event, a leadership cruise.

the idea was a week on a cruise ship, immersed in leadership training and experiences.

Unfortunately, it bombed. "Many leaders in the world are working moms. They can't be away from their families on a cruise ship for a whole week," Angie remarked. So they learned, got to know their audience, and moved forward.

No more cruises.

What is Seeding Your Inspiration?

Angie's biggest piece of advice as a Wayfinder to leaders and entrepreneurs is to consider what's seeding your inspiration.

What are you listening to? What are you reading?

Whether you're an intrapreneur or an entrepreneur or somewhere in between, people are often stuck in the mindset of their role and their responsibilities. We don't often get to bring in outside influences to sharpen us.

This needs to be a priority if we want to spark creativity ideas for growth.

Find podcasts, music, interviews, books, videos and other inspiration seeds to develop your spark.

Want Success? Build a Diverse Crew

Angie talks about the navigational tools that helped her to grow to the level she enjoys currently. One of the biggest assets, she said, is a diverse crew around her.

From gender to socioeconomic backgrounds to race to just life experience, different perspectives help sharpen your skills, your knowledge and your leadership.

Get to Know Angie Morgan

Angie on LinkedIn

LeadStar

Book - Spark

Book - Leading from the Front

Subscribe for New Episodes Every Week

Be sure to subscribe on your podcast player of choice (or the email notifications below) for new episodes every week, Tuesday mornings at 7:00am EST. Wayfinding Growth is the go-to podcast to inspire entrepreneurs, business owners and leadership. “For better or worse, in richness and in want” may be for weddings, but it’s also for businesses. We will be your navigator in this journey, no matter your level.

Love what we're doing? Leave a review wherever you listen!

Don't Let GOALS Become a Buzzword

From personal goals to revenue goals to SMART goals, the term "goals" is quickly becoming a buzzword.

But don't let it lose its power. Goals can be critical to a brand's growth.

A fan of Gino Wickman's Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, Remington has taken the teachings and turned them into an Objective-Key-Results (OKR) system for Impulse Creative and out clients.

By using clear communication, Remington says it helps cast the vision for the entire team.

"Your company or department can have a goal, but the individual people need objectives that will help accomplish that [goal]." - Remington Begg

By slicing the goal into manageable pieces, growth can happen strategically and purposefully.

Today's Episode is Brought to You By:

This episode of Wayfinding Growth is brought to you by Sprocket Talk. If you’re ready to take your HubSpot experience to a whole new level, you need to join Sprocket Talk as a Free VIP member. Tutorials, courses, training, HubSpot updates and more. Head toSprocketTalk.com/WGto join the movement and get an exclusive Wayfinding Growth deal!

Goals Help with Clear Communication and Feedback

Feedback and clear communication are critical in a healthy business. Whether that's with a partner like a marketing agency or between employees and management, it vital that communication happens.

Setting goals— and setting them together— helps set up a business for successful communication.

Then it's on the humans to create the feedback loop that takes that communication to a new level.

And it's all centered on those goals. It's like a big happy cycle!

Avoid Paralysis: Make it Manageable

When the goals are too big to grasp, we're easily paralyzed by fear. It's also called paralysis by analysis.

Or just procrastination.

Setting clear goals, then breaking them down into manageable key objectives can help.

It's the difference between, "OMG I need to bring in $1,000,000 in new business this year!" and looking at that huge number as $250,000 per quarter. If your average product size is $10,000 then that's 25 customers per quarter, about 8 per month, or basically 2 per week.

Take a 3-year plan and break down yearly goals. Then look at quarterly rocks you have to hit to make that happen. Once there, look at monthly goals, then weekly and even daily tasks.

A marathon is finished one step at a time.

Resources:

Impulse Creative 2020 Strategic Roadmap

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman

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