angishields, Author at Business RadioX ® Page

BRX Pro Tip: Must Haves for Your B2B Marketing Deck

December 12, 2024 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: Must Haves for Your B2B Marketing Deck

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BRX Pro Tip: Must Haves for Your B2B Marketing Deck

Stone Payton : Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, this pro tip is for me, but maybe some other folks would benefit as well because I’m putting together a B2B marketing deck to try to attract and stir up some conversations with potential candidates to run Business RadioX studios around the country. But what are the keys, man? What are the must-haves in a B2B marketing day?

Lee Kantor: Well, as you know, I’m a Godin superfan. He has a new book out called This Is Strategy, which I highly recommend, and this is directly from that book. He says, number one, when you’re putting together a deck, you have to demonstrate you understand the space that the person reading the deck has to know that you’re not going to waste their time. Because you got to remember, decks aren’t really read. They’re scanned for reasons to say no. So you have to show at the jump that you really understand the space.

Lee Kantor: Another thing that Seth talks about that’s important in selling and in growing your business is there has to be tension. You have to create some tension, some fear of missing out. So when you have a deck, the tension of what might be that I don’t want to miss out on. Because remember, the goal of any deck or any piece of marketing content isn’t to close the sale. It’s to deepen the relationship and get someone ready and excited to buy.

Lee Kantor: So when you understand that, you realize that, number one, you got to demonstrate I know what I’m talking about. And number two, you have to create the tension that says, “Look, if you don’t do this, someone else is going to do this.”

Lee Kantor: So if you can do both of those things, that to me is a successful B2B marketing deck.

Building Tomorrow’s Leaders: Tammy Cooper’s Approach to Mentorship and Community Impact

December 11, 2024 by angishields

Women in Motion

Building Tomorrow's Leaders: Tammy Cooper's Approach to Mentorship and Community Impact

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In this episode of Women in Motion, Lee Kantor interviews Tammy Cooper, the CEO and CFO of Technologent, a woman-owned IT solutions company. Tammy shares her journey from employee to CEO, emphasizing the importance of delegation, building a strong team, and fostering a culture of growth. She discusses her commitment to mentoring future leaders through a structured mentorship program and highlights the significance of ethical leadership and community involvement. Tammy’s insights underscore the challenges and rewards of leadership, succession planning, and the impact of giving back to the community.

Tammy Cooper is a current senior management leader (CEO/CFO) responsible for the oversight of the Technologent including the strategic planning, finance, audit, and HR functions (including compensation reviews) of her Technology Company.

She has presided over an unprecedented growth period for the corporation leading it through an expensive 19-year period from a 20 employee $25M startup to its current 300 employee operations pushing the$1 Billion Mark with an established tier 1 client base of multibillion- dollar clients and running 10 offices nationwide.

Connect with Tammy on LinkedIn.

Music Provided by M PATH MUSIC

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios, it’s time for Women In Motion. Brought to you by WBEC-West. Join forces. Succeed together. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, another episode of Women In Motion and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, WBEC-West. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Women In Motion, we have Tammy Cooper, and she’s with Technologent. Welcome.

Tammy Cooper: Thank you.

Lee Kantor: I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about Technologent. How are you serving folks?

Tammy Cooper: So, Technologent is a woman-owned, WBENC certified global provider of IT solutions and services, and we service the Fortune 1000 companies, the large companies.

Lee Kantor: Now, I know you weren’t the founder, but you are the CEO, but can you talk about the genesis of the idea? This big company, tell us when it was small and it was a germ of an idea.

Tammy Cooper: Okay. So, Technologent started in 2002, a husband and wife owned it, and it was a startup at that time. I joined the company in 2004 and helped grow it. And as I helped grow it, in the late 2019, 2018, the husband and wife got divorced. And the man founder, he really wanted to take a back seat and go out of it. He approached me to see if I’d like to buy into it with him and run it. So, at that point in January of 2020, I bought into the company, and now I am the CEO and CFO of Technologent, and we couldn’t be more blessed to flourish the company.

Lee Kantor: Now, was that a difficult decision for you to take the reins like that in an ownership position.

Tammy Cooper: Well, I was very blessed to be offered this position. We have someone here who we made our president. As a CEO and CFO, I handle the back office. I do the HR, I do the accounting, and I do the the legal. And our president does the sales and the engineering. So, we work together in tandem and we provide a good basis for the company to grow.

Lee Kantor: Now, earlier in your career, had you been an owner of a company or were you always working for somebody else?

Tammy Cooper: So, I’ve always worked for someone else. I had my accounting degree. I’ve gone up through the ranks comptroller. However, I’m a people person, so additionally I’ve always taken on the HR roles at the companies I worked for. And by taking on the HR roles, dealing with people as well as dealing with accounting, I was a natural fit. As the banks came out over the years to speak with us, we didn’t have a CFO, we didn’t have anyone higher than myself, so I was the person they had to deal with. So, I finally got the title and the confidence in me to lead the company go forward.

Lee Kantor: Now, can you talk about that journey of kind of being a worker bee to now I’m a leader. Did anything change? Did you have to gather new skills? Did you have to have any changes internally in order to make that transition?

Tammy Cooper: So, as I made the transition, I have a woman who’s been here almost as long as I have, and she became my controller because I was the controller, and so she has a workforce behind her. And then, I hired a VP of HR to take the HR role, and he has the HR people, the benefits, the payroll people under him. So, they both report to me. So, I have my signature on everything, but I have people who are doing the work below me who are very, very talented and skilled in the arena.

Lee Kantor: Now looking back, was that kind of ability to delegate and to really find that A team to put around you, looking back, is that something that you would recommend other people in leadership try to do?

Tammy Cooper: I would recommend that you’re only as strong as the leaders around you, I believe, so I believe you have to put around a very A team next to you. The guy for VP of HR – we didn’t have anyone. It was me running the HR – he’s from Toyota so he had the skills, he is certified, and he has the bandwidth to be able to run the HR portion. So, I’m just fortunate to have both of the people, but you have to give them the tools, the power to be able to do their job.

Lee Kantor: And how did you learn how to do that?

Tammy Cooper: So, I’m a very engaging person. I am out there. I network. I’m gone four nights a week, networking, meeting people, all different types of industries. We’re a large company. We’re not a small, small company. We are a large company. We’re pushing $1 billion in revenue. So, I network. I talk to other people in my industry. I talk to other people in other industries. And I knew to have an effective leadership position such as myself, I have to have other people behind me that I can bring up along the ranks and train. We have leadership training classes that we put them in, so they’re on the vision to take over from all of us.

Lee Kantor: Now in your journey, are you doing the things that you had done before in previous jobs? Or is this something that you’re like, “Okay. I’m in charge now. Now, these things are important to me. I have to figure out a way to put these people and this type of system in place in order to empower other leaders.”

Tammy Cooper: So, I had not been the top dog at the other jobs. I had been, like you’re saying, a worker bee and did all the things required of me. So, I had to take the leadership necessary to be able to put these people behind me. I have moved more into a strategic role, finding the shape for the company where I didn’t have to do that before. I was just doing the accounting and the HR. So, now, you’re working on strategy. How are you going forward? What are you doing with AI? You can’t stay still. Your company has to always evolve and grow and you grow with that so that you can keep it going forward for the next generation.

Lee Kantor: Now, did you have mentors to teach you how to do this or is this something you’ve just said I have to learn this so I’m going to have to figure this out on my own?

Tammy Cooper: So, the only mentor that I would say in my whole life that I have was the owner of this company. As my mentor, he had the faith and ability in me to see what he saw to push me forward. However, what I have done is I have started a mentorship program here at Technologent. There are about 70 mentors and 70 mentees belonging to the program. I match them up. I give them a workbook of what they have to do. And usually it provides for three lessons. But now, they still meet later on in life, because I feel that once they’re connected, they’re really always connected. So, I’ve started the mentorship program because I never want to hear my employees saying I work a 9:00 to 5:00 job and it’s just boring. I give them the tools necessary for growth so they can help their career path forward.

Lee Kantor: These mentor-mentee relationships, are they within one division or department or is it cross-functional?

Tammy Cooper: This is totally cross-functional. I believe that if you’re in accounting, you don’t need another person in accounting to be your mentor because that person has access to you every day. Our company, we’re headquartered in Irvine, California, but we have offices all over the United States. So, usually your mentor is someone who’s not physically near you. We do get together once a year as a whole company. You can get together with that person, Zoom, other methods. But we put you with someone that would provide strategic growth for you.

Lee Kantor: Now, are there any kind of do’s and don’ts you can share for other leaders who are thinking about putting together a mentorship program?

Tammy Cooper: Have a playbook. I had a playbook. I developed a playbook. I worked with somebody called The Channel Company. They’re a part of our professional network, and I worked with them, and we developed a playbook. It has homework for them. It tells what a good one hour mentor session is, what the mentor gets out of it, what the mentee gets out of it. None of my mentors have more than two people, because I don’t want to burn them out. I want them to be able to provide for their mentees their full capabilities. And a lot of times the mentees have a question like, “Hey, I’m given this career opportunity to pivot. Should I do it? Should I not do it?” And if they can’t get the skill they need from their mentor, the mentor knows to reach outside of our network and get someone else.

Lee Kantor: Is there any stories you can share of mentees getting to new levels? You don’t have to name their name, but maybe name where they needed help and how their mentor was able to help them.

Tammy Cooper: So, I have a mentee. He’s a business analyst. He works for my chain of command. And he wanted to see the vision of operational leadership of the company. So, we have an ops guy that’s in our Denver office, and I put him in contact with the ops guy, and they’ve been together maybe four years already. And the ops guy provides leadership for him. And he went back to school to go get his master’s. He thinks that he needed a little more schooling for himself to be able to achieve where he went, but he wouldn’t have got that without the ops guy telling him this is what I did. He’s our CBO for our company, and it allows him to seek how to. And he’s only the business operation guy. He’s 25. He’s young. The ops guy, he’s in his 40s, and he’s done the full chain of command and he showed him how he did it.

Lee Kantor: So, is that unusual to have a relationship last that long or is that just how you guys do it?

Tammy Cooper: I don’t know of any that have gotten cut off. I still see people come in from other offices to us and take out their person to lunch, let’s get together for lunch. So, I’m hoping I’ve always been there as a resource. So, if something didn’t work out and we made a bad match, that I would fix that. But so far, knock on wood, I have not got a bad match. They’re still together.

Lee Kantor: And what is kind of the rhythm of their communication?

Tammy Cooper: They talk to each other about once a week or maybe once every other week. They contact via either Webex, Teams, Zoom, any kind of method. So, my playbook went for three sessions. It only went for three sessions. And so, anything after three sessions, it’s on their own. So, it’s free for all, free talking. Just using someone as a mentor to help you navigate life’s challenges.

Lee Kantor: So, you got them started and gave them some escape velocity, and then they were kind of on their own to figure out the relationship from that point forward?

Tammy Cooper: Yes, that is correct.

Lee Kantor: So, now are you seeing some traits of good leadership now that you’re in this leadership role? Can you share maybe some of the qualities you believe make a great leader?

Tammy Cooper: So, a lot of our head leaders that we have right now are 50s and 60s in age. So, we just started looking at succession planning. So, what we did with succession planning is we hired a leadership coach. And a leadership coach, we picked nine of our best and brightest within the company who we see as our next level. And we sent them to Leadership Training School within our company. So, this coach met with them a couple of weeks ago and outlined a course where she’s going to be meeting with them one-on-one every month they’re going through this course. So, we’re giving them the bandwidth and they have the structure to eventually take over from us as a next generation.

Lee Kantor: Now, are there some traits, common traits in the group, the cohort you put together?

Tammy Cooper: The cohort, all the people had been with us, one girl 18 years, majority over ten years. And they are the next up and coming. We wanted to give it to a skilled leadership group that had showed potential that have done almost what we do but at a lower level, and we wanted to give them the reins to be able to move to the next level.

Lee Kantor: Now, any advice for the young person, the aspiring leader? What are some of the things they could be doing to get noticed by senior leadership so they can be part of a future cohort?

Tammy Cooper: So, this became very noticeable within our company because these people were called out. We have a weekly newsletter from marketing that goes out. So, these people were called out that they were selected for this. So, younger people, I would advise them to get noticed. We have people that are younger that work hybrid and don’t come into the office. But your manager will see someone who is very willing to take on additional tasks when needed, when necessary. Get noticed. Get yourself involved. Ask for help if you don’t understand something. And you will get noticed and moved up in the ranks.

Lee Kantor: Now, why was it important for you and your firm to become part of the WBEC-West community?

Tammy Cooper: So, I am fully supportive of empowering and giving back. I am fully supportive of that. I am a forum first chair right now for Orange County for WBEC-West. I don’t take my matter lightly. I fully believe in encouraging and supporting. I have three people that I currently work with that are up and coming in the WBEC chain. I work with Neetu, a recruiter who recruits for our company; Lisa Riggs, we give out socks. She’s a sock queen; and Andrea Pereira, she does branding of our merchandise.

Tammy Cooper: So, I fully believe in giving back. I feel very honored and blessed with the position that I have. And if I’m able to help and to be able to provide resources and collaborate with them and share skillsets, I can help build their confidence and skills to move forward for them.

Lee Kantor: Now, you’ve been sharing how it’s important to have this succession plan, it sounds like legacy is important to you, and the work that you’re doing seems to be towards that end where you’re trying to give an opportunity to the next generation behind, is there anything else that you’d like your legacy to do? Like what do you want to leave behind?

Tammy Cooper: So, legacy has a clear vision. And my legacy, of course, is more than just profits of the company. I want to be remembered for ethical standards, commitment to values, accountability, respect. That’s part of our company’s DNA. I focus, as I said, on developing the next generation of leaders. I invest in their growth. I encourage their innovation. And I want them to take ownership of their work. And I help them succeed and encourage people. Our company, as well as myself, we need to be adaptable. Market conditions change, technological advances change, social society shifts, and we have to build resistance in our company that leaves a legacy of durability and allows us to thrive in uncertain and unknown positions.

Tammy Cooper: But my biggest thing right now is community impact. I am on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters, American Red Cross, and Girl Scouts. I believe a leader who gives back and provides a society impact leaves a positive mark on the world, and I believe in contributing to my community and being out there.

Lee Kantor: So, what do you need more of? How can we help you?

Tammy Cooper: You know, I always look for ideas. I go to WBENC, they have a national event, they have a local event, I go to that and I go around. A lot of the women have different tables that they shine with what they do. And I grab the cards and I tried to see how they can fit in my company. Like I said, I have a big company. I have my own marketing team, my own recruiting team, but I can’t partner with a lot of them. But I could give back into various methods that I do and be able to use them to provide merchandise to give out to customers, hard to get recruiting that my recruiters can’t get internally. So, I fully believe in giving back.

Tammy Cooper: I was recognized by WBENC this last go around as someone who really believes in the WBEs. I belong to a company called Octane. Octane is an incubator. It’s for startup. And I try to encourage many of the women to go there. You can get funding and growth for your company, to grow within the company. They’ll give you tools to succeed if you go through their pathway. It’s funded by the government, so it’s not that you have to pay, but it’s additional resources to help. So, I’m a champion for them. I just feel very honored and blessed to my life what I have been, so I fully believe in giving back and sharing.

Lee Kantor: Well, if somebody wants to learn more about Technologent or connect with you or somebody on your team, what’s the website and what’s the best way to connect?

Tammy Cooper: So, our website is www.technologent.com, that’s G-E-N-T-.com. And you can reach me at Tammy, T-A-M-M-Y, .cooper, C-O-O-P-E-R, @technologent.com.

Lee Kantor: Well, Tammy, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Tammy Cooper: Well, I appreciate the opportunity and the chance to get our story out there.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor, we’ll see you all next time on Women In Motion.

BRX Pro Tip: Where to Spend Your Podcast Marketing Dollars

December 11, 2024 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: Where to Spend Your Podcast Marketing Dollars

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BRX Pro Tip: Where to Spend Your Podcast Marketing Dollars

Stone Payton : And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor, Stone Payton here with you. Lee, on the one hand, I have a very consistent discipline of setting aside, I choose 10% of my gross revenue out of the studio that I run for marketing. But I got to confess, man, I don’t always know where to spend it.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, a lot of folks who invest money in their podcast or their show, I think they spend it incorrectly. I think they spend it a lot of time trying to get those strangers to be listeners. And I think it’s important you should spend some money to, you know, get new listeners for your show. Sure, that can’t hurt anything. But I would recommend that you spend way more money, resources, and time on getting better guests. And a better guest isn’t a more famous guest. It’s a guest who can move the needle in your business.

Lee Kantor: At Business RadioX, we recommend that 80% of your guests are your prospects who can possibly buy what you’re selling, or they are people or organizations who can refer you to people who can buy what you’re selling.

Lee Kantor: At Business RadioX, we believe and recommend that you will get more business from the relationships you build and nurture from your guests than you will get from anonymous listeners.

Lee Kantor: So when it comes time to invest resources on your show, spend the money on getting and following up with your guests. You can spend some money on building an audience. But we recommend wholeheartedly that invest the majority of any marketing spend on your guests, either getting new ones or being nice to the ones you already know.

Staffing Success: The Art of Finding the Perfect Fit

December 10, 2024 by angishields

Women in Motion

Staffing Success: The Art of Finding the Perfect Fit

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On today’s Women in Motion, Lee Kantor is joined by Laura Nowlan, owner of See Us Now Staffing in Las Vegas. Laura shares her 18-year journey in the staffing industry, emphasizing the importance of building long-term client relationships and quality placements. She discusses her agency’s operations, which range from filling janitorial to executive positions, and highlights the adaptability required during the COVID-19 pandemic. Laura offers advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, stressing the value of community resources and cautioning against non-family business partners.

Laura Nowlan is President of See Us Now Staffing, Inc. Laura’s experience ranges from project management to staffing for many properties along the Las Vegas Strip.

Laura’s background in sales, operations and customer service positions her to provide platinum standard service to clients and associates at all levels.

Laura created See Us Now Staffing, Inc. with a unique approach in creating business partnerships to attribute developing personalized relationships with clients.

The organization is in tune with their client’s needs and will work with them in a forward thinking and consultative manner, becoming an extension and a support system to their local Human Resource Department in all aspects.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from California State University in San Bernardino and an Associates Degree in Business from San Bernardino Valley College.

Follow See Us Now Staffing on LinkedIn, X and Facebook.

Music Provided by M PATH MUSIC

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios, it’s time for Women In Motion. Brought to you by WBEC-West. Join forces. Succeed together. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, another episode of Women In Motion and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, WBEC-West. Without them, we wouldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Women In Motion, we have Laura Nowlan who’s with See Us Now Staffing. Welcome.

Laura Nowlan: Yes. Thank you so much for having me on the show. Appreciate it.

Lee Kantor: Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about See Us Now Staffing.

Laura Nowlan: Yeah. So, we’re a staffing agency. We basically staff seasonal, temp to hire, direct hire positions anywhere from janitorial to high executive positions.

Lee Kantor: So, tell us a little bit about your backstory. How long have you been in the staffing industry?

Laura Nowlan: Oh, yes. Thank you. Great question. So, I’ve been in the staffing industry here in Las Vegas, Nevada for the last 18 years. And for the last ten years, I’ve owned my own staffing company. We started October 24th of 2014, so we just earned our ten year stripes.

Lee Kantor: Now, when you own a staffing agency, it’s kind of like a double-sided marketplace. Like on one hand, you need the people to place and you also need the clients that need people to place, so how do you go about building an enterprise like that?

Laura Nowlan: Yeah. So, I’m going to say that we’re always more in the need of looking for the companies, that’s basically our client base. Us finding the right people, we don’t struggle doing that. Where we want to continue growing is in finding the companies that need us to be an extension of their HR manager team, their HR department team, or working with general managers or departments that are struggling to find the right people that they need.

Lee Kantor: So, that’s a symptom that if a company is struggling to attract and retain talent, then you’re a good person to partner with?

Laura Nowlan: Exactly. Those are the partnerships that we look for. I always say I’m not a one night stand. We’re looking for a long term business relationship that we basically create a win-win for everyone involved, including the person that we’re placing along with the company that we’re representing.

Lee Kantor: So, when you start working with a client, do they start off maybe asking for somebody in one department, like say it’s a manufacturer and they need some line workers, and then it might evolve, “Well, we also need a secretary. And, oh, by the way, my marketing guy just left, so I need help.” Is that how kind of you work within an organization, it starts small and then it expands?

Laura Nowlan: Yes, or not necessarily start small. It could be like you said, they need warehouse workers, but they need a hundred of them. And then, after that, maybe they only need one marketing person. So, yes, that’s the way the partnership starts. It could be a few positions that they need us to fill or one or it could be 100.

Lee Kantor: So, sometimes people come to you and they need 100 people?

Laura Nowlan: Yes. So, during COVID, Nevada was very closed. So, I took a risk and I went out to Irving, Texas and opened up a branch there because I wasn’t the type of person that was just going to roll over and play dead. After 30 days being there, I actually landed a logistics national account. Once I placed all their 60 people that they needed in Texas, then they asked me if I could go to Plainfield, Indiana and do the same, so I did that. And then after that, they asked me if I can help them open a brand new facility in Phoenix, Arizona, so I helped them do that as well.

Laura Nowlan: When I was in Plainfield, Indiana helping this logistic company, then there was another logistic company that wanted us to place 100 people there. They actually needed 300, but they brought in three agencies, and each of us had 100 positions that we needed to fill. So, that’s very common in our industry.

Lee Kantor: And then, when you’re filling these positions, is it like for 90 days or is this like kind of fulltime employment for these people?

Laura Nowlan: Yeah. Great question. So, typically they are for tempt to hire. And we’re at about a 95 percent conversion, so 95 percent of them get hired on after about three to four months, sometimes six months on.

Lee Kantor: And you’re perfectly okay with that, that’s just how it works?

Laura Nowlan: Yeah. I’m there to help them. So, I kind of fire myself, but at the same time that’s literally the way a staffing agency should work. We should try to send the best quality worker out, and so it could be a win-win for everyone.

Lee Kantor: Now, when they say I need 100 of these people, how do you kind of get the person ready for that specific organization? Because I would imagine you have a skills fit, but there’s also a soft skills fit or a culture fit that also has to come into play.

Laura Nowlan: Correct. So, when we’re doing all our prescreening, we’re looking for do they fit the culture, do they have the right skillsets, is it a trainable type of position because they do meet the culture based on their personality. So, it’s basically a good conversation that you need to have in a partnership with the company that you’re working with.

Lee Kantor: Now, how do you kind of differentiate yourself from other staffing agencies?

Laura Nowlan: We truly create business partnerships. Business partnerships where we’re there to make sure that we place the right person for the position. We are not body shufflers. A lot of agencies out there are body shufflers. They’re sending a warm body for a position. We don’t. We have to send the right person, because we want it to be a win-win for everyone involved, and we want that person to get hired on. Those are success stories that we have.

Laura Nowlan: You know, I have someone that I placed, he was on a student visa from India in California. I placed him as a project manager in a training position in California, and then we were able to relocate him to Phoenix – I mean, to Las Vegas, Nevada. He’s been there for five years. I mean, those are success stories that I like. I place someone at World Market Center, International Market Center over 14 years ago. That person is still there. Those are successful hires. That’s what I look for.

Lee Kantor: And the reason that they’re successful is because you did the work on the frontend to make sure that it was a right fit going in, rather than just hoping it was going to work out.

Laura Nowlan: Correct. Correct.

Lee Kantor: Now, where did you get kind of this philosophy, because it sounds like a lot different than most other staffing agencies? How did this come to you and how were you able to bottle it so that you can deliver those results to your clients?

Laura Nowlan: Well, being in the staffing industry for the last 18 years, when I worked for other staffing companies, what I did is I took everything that I liked from those staffing companies, and everything that I didn’t like, I changed. Like, I didn’t believe that I should have to work 24/7, which I did for these other staffing companies. So, our company doesn’t operate 24/7. We operate Monday through Friday, 8:00 in the morning until 5:00 p.m.. I don’t want to burn out my team. I force them to take a lunch. We close for lunch from 12:00 to 1:00.

Laura Nowlan: We ask our clients, the companies that we staff with, it’s okay to have an emergency here and there, and you have access to me 24/7. But at the same time, let’s plan, because I don’t want to just send you a warm body, and I don’t want my team to do that. We want to make sure that we’re sending you the right person. We drug test, we background check, we E-Verify before we even place them out to any properties. Right now we have over 50 people working at the airport. We had to get them all past a 20 year FBI background check. We’re good at what we do.

Lee Kantor: Right. And it seems like you’re giving them this white glove service that is going to ensure that it’s a better chance for the right fit. And I’m sure when things happen, as they always do, you’re right there to make sure that you can fix it.

Laura Nowlan: Correct. I mean, because we are dealing with people, we will never be 100 percent on because we can never predict what a person’s going to do. But you have to have that partnership, that relationship that’s strong enough that you’re going to overcome if somebody does something that they’re not supposed to do. We are dealing with people.

Lee Kantor: So, now, what has it been like for you building this company from scratch, were you able to enlist help maybe from your family or trusted partners?

Laura Nowlan: Yeah. So, I have three kids and all three of them had involvement when I first started the staffing company. One of them, the oldest one, he’s been a silent investor since day one. He’s like, “Mom, I don’t really want to work in the staffing industry. I worked for you in the past – ” which he had. I sent him out to his first jobs “- so I don’t really want to work for you, but I want to invest in you. I believe in you and I know that you have what it takes to make this company successful.”

Laura Nowlan: My middle son, he was actually in Afghanistan in the army, and we were writing to each other. And he’s like, “I want in mom. I want something that I can come home to once I come back home.” And it kept him going. In a battlefield, that’s what was feeding him is the email – I’m sorry – the letters that we were writing to each other. You know the logo that I would send him, like, “I’m going to use this logo.” And he’s like, “I don’t like it. But when I get back, I’m changing it.” And he has, our logo has changed. But my son has been involved since day one and he started in a combat field.

Laura Nowlan: My daughter, she’s been in the business in and out since she was younger. For the last 18 years, I was training her throughout the time. She ended up getting married. She had three kids. I have allowed her to tap in and tap out. She has a nine year old, a two year old, and a three year old, and she’s my VP of operations and so right now she works hybrid. So, my kids have been involved with the business ever since I started. I did not start alone.

Lee Kantor: And that’s great that you have this legacy now.

Laura Nowlan: Yes. Yes. As a matter of fact, I just interviewed my grandson yesterday, a nine year old who started his own little business, a little entrepreneur he is.

Lee Kantor: So, any advice for budding entrepreneurs out there? Anyone looking to start a business, are there some to-do’s and some to-don’ts that you can recommend?

Laura Nowlan: Yes, yes. There are so many resources in our community, WBEC-West being one of them. There’s the SBA. There’s SBDC. There’s a Women’s Business Center. There are so many chambers. Don’t start alone. Go out and look for these resources. SCORE, I started with SCORE. I mean, I really needed someone to push me off the fence and say you can do it, you’ve got everything you need. You know, sometimes you just need that, but you need to bounce your ideas off with someone else.

Laura Nowlan: I will tell you that I brought in someone with me when I first started because I was scared. And so, I brought her in as a partner, which I shouldn’t have. I should have brought her in as an employee. But let me tell you, bringing in a partner, think about it twice. If it’s not a family member, maybe one of your kids that you’re really wanting to start this legacy with them, I would think twice about bringing in a business partner. Try to start alone, even if it takes you a little bit longer. It’s very difficult to buy out partners. I will tell you that it’s taken me a lot of years to buy everybody out, but I’m 100 percent owner now of the company.

Laura Nowlan: That would be my advice, is, go get all the free services you can get out there in the community. And if you can, do not bring on a business partner, bring them on as employees instead.

Lee Kantor: Right. Yeah, that’s a good life lesson in a lot of areas. You want to choose your partners wisely.

Laura Nowlan: Yes, absolutely.

Lee Kantor: Now, you mentioned communities and you mentioned WBEC-West, can you share a story about WBEC-West, maybe how it’s impacted your business.

Laura Nowlan: So, I’ve had the opportunity, actually. I just finished a course with Cox Communication and Southwest Gas. I got a sponsorship through WBEC-West, a grant to be able to take a leadership course. And they’re great resource partners. And so, there’s a lot of different benefits that large corporations are looking to work with WBEC-West members who are either DBE certified, women-owned certified. And so, to me, that was one of the biggest things that happened for me is that I was able to receive a scholarship to be able to complete the Cox Communication course of advanced leadership.

Lee Kantor: Well, congratulations. That’s a big deal.

Laura Nowlan: Thank you. Thank you. I think we graduate the first week of November, so we’re looking forward to the date and the graduation.

Lee Kantor: Did you learn a lot?

Laura Nowlan: I did. Actually, I’m going to say that the accounting course was huge, and then the other one on AI. Those were my biggest takeaways that I took from the course. And I also have a show of my own called Business Matters, and I have the person that does AI who I’m going to get to interview on my show as well. So, I just think I met a lot of great people through WBEC-West. I also got to interview the leader that’s here for Las Vegas.

Lee Kantor: So, what do you need more of? How can we help you in your business?

Laura Nowlan: We’re always looking for business partners, so if there is someone out there that maybe is struggling to fill certain positions and just wants to go out and have coffee or have lunch and just build a good relationship with us, I would say that that would be a great referral for me. So, that’s how you can help me.

Lee Kantor: And then, it’s industry agnostic, right? It doesn’t matter what type of business it is.

Laura Nowlan: Correct.

Lee Kantor: And do you have kind of a specialty or an area that you do more business in than others or is it pretty much you’ll place anybody in any position?

Laura Nowlan: Place anybody in any position. But I will tell you that there are peaks and seasons. And so, if you would have asked me where were you at in 2023, I would say in logistics I was very huge, and that’s what we were specializing then. And right now, my biggest bulk is in janitorial. So, it just changes. Also, in customer service reps doing hospitality. So, it just changes. It all depends on what’s happening in our community, what type of business partners we’re creating, that we’re building.

Lee Kantor: Now, from the candidate side, what is the best way for a candidate to get on your radar so that they can be one of the people that you place?

Laura Nowlan: Yes. Go to our website and apply basically to work for our company, and then call our office at 702-902-2448 and schedule to meet with a recruiter.

Lee Kantor: And then, you’re taking people of all skills, so if they’re looking for work, they should definitely contact you because you never know, you might be able to place them.

Laura Nowlan: Exactly. And every day changes, so I may have a position today and by tomorrow I’ve already filled it. So, it just goes up and down. And so, I just want to encourage not just to apply with us as a staffing agency, but multiple staffing agencies, because we all seem to have sometimes a different type of positions available.

Lee Kantor: Now, if somebody wants to learn more and have a substantive conversation with you or somebody on the team, can you share the website and maybe the best way to connect with you all?

Laura Nowlan: Yes. It’s the name of our company, see, S-E-E, us, U-S, now, N-O-W, staffing, S-T-A-F-F-I-N-G.com. You can also follow us on Facebook. We’re on Instagram, we’re on X, and we’re on LinkedIn. And then, our office number is 702-902-2448. We do drug testing, we do background checks, and we do E-Verify before we place anyone out to work.

Lee Kantor: Right. So, that’s good to know upfront so you can not waste anyone’s time.

Laura Nowlan: Exactly.

Lee Kantor: Well, Laura, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Laura Nowlan: No, thank you for this opportunity.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor, we’ll see you all next time on Women In Motion.

BRX Pro Tip: Why Do it Alone

December 10, 2024 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: Why Do it Alone

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BRX Pro Tip: Why Do it Alone

Stone Payton : And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor, Stone Payton here with you. Lee, in your opinion, what is the downside or the opportunity cost of going it alone with a homemade podcast as opposed to joining a network?

Lee Kantor: Yeah, I think – look, going it alone works for some people. You know, a lot of this information, you can go on YouTube, you can get some information. None of this is a secret anymore. The cost of the equipment is minimal nowadays. The cost of signing up for one of these hosting sites is minimal for most people. But I think you’re really missing out if you don’t join a tribe of seasoned B2B podcasters who have figured something out. Because if you’re trying to do it alone, you’re not going to – you’re not going to know what you don’t know.

Stone Payton : So, I think figure – doing it by yourself gives you but in your mind, maybe some control and flexibility that you don’t have. But joining a community like Business RadioX can really accelerate your growth and provide valuable resources, and offer opportunities that might be difficult to access if you do it on your own.

Lee Kantor: At Business RadioX, we have a very collaborative environment. We’re very generous when it comes to sharing expertise, and that can help you navigate some of the challenges that you’re going to face more effectively. And potentially, you’re going to achieve success a lot faster than you would if you were doing this by yourself.

Lee Kantor: When you’re part of a Business RadioX network, you get access to an established platform and a brand that gives you access to collaboration and support from industry leaders, as well as access to so many resources and tools that’s going to give you an edge when it comes to, you know, making your mark and your community, as well as it’s going to accelerate your growth. This is going to give you access to more reach, more visibility, and some unique monetization opportunities that you wouldn’t get if you were doing this by yourself.

Lee Kantor: And then plus, it doesn’t even include all of the professional growth you’re going to get when you’re surrounded by people who have been involved in this work for almost 20 years. We’ve figured out a lot of stuff, and we have a lot of scar tissue, and we can save you from going down a lot of dead ends that you don’t have to do.

Lee Kantor: So I would definitely, if you’re thinking about doing this – sure, do some research. Try it on your own for a while. But I think you’re going to be more successful faster if you find a tribe of people that believe what you believe and you want to make a difference in your local community, a tribe like Business RadioX.

Stone Payton : Yeah. I mean, for all the reasons you just mentioned, the answer is the simple three words for me, speed to revenue, and avoiding putting your brand in jeopardy.

BRX Pro Tip: Why You Should Test an Interactive Quiz as a Lead Magnet

December 9, 2024 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: Why You Should Test an Interactive Quiz as a Lead Magnet

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BRX Pro Tip: Why You Should Test an Interactive Quiz as a Lead Magnet

Stone Payton: And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Stone Payton, Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, today’s topic, lead magnets.

Lee Kantor: Yeah, I think that as you’re building out your marketing tools and tactics, having a lead magnet is really useful when it comes to building an email list or getting people on your website and providing some service early on to begin the relationship. You know, this is all top-of-the-funnel kind of things.

Lee Kantor: And I think one lead magnet that people don’t really use enough that is definitely worth testing is some sort of an interactive quiz. Interactive quizzes based on research have high engagement rates. Interactive quizzes capitalize on the natural curiosity of users and their desire for personalized experiences.

Lee Kantor: The research that I read about this said that 91% of buyers prefer interactive content over static content. And that’s because this heightened engagement leads to improved information retention and a more positive experience with your brand.

Lee Kantor: So if you want to try this, you know, adding some sort of a lead form to a quiz can increase their opt-in rates. And it works better than other types of lead forms, like a pop-up. So I would think that it’s worth doing quizzes like this, according to the research, where 25 times more effective for lead generation when compared to traditional methods.

Lee Kantor: And by leveraging these kinds of interactive quizzes, B2B marketers can create the engaging experience that they want. But it also captures the leads that they want, and it’s providing actually valuable insights to the people who are going through the quiz that’s going to actually nurture those leads throughout the sales cycle.

Stone Payton: So it’s something to consider. Come up with some sort of interactive quiz that leverages your superpowers and your strengths, and begins to serve that group of people that you want to eventually become clients.

BRX Pro Tip: Using Events to Grow Your Business

December 6, 2024 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: Using Events to Grow Your Business

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BRX Pro Tip: Using Events to Grow Your Business

Stone Payton: And we are back with BRX Pro Tips. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, let’s talk a little bit about using events to grow your business.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. Most of our work, obviously, is done in studio in real life, in real time, and we use having a show as a great way to meet clients, meet prospective clients, help our clients meet prospective clients. But other ways to kind of leverage the platform and the fact that you’re in the media is to create events built upon your show, or having a show, or having a studio. Some ideas are meetups, meetups for sponsors only, meetups for guests only, mixers where it’s just casual, kind of hanging out and having a few drinks with past guests. Some other things you can do is co-brand, a talk. We’ve done that before. Got a thought leader on a topic, and then had them come and speak at an event. We’ve done fireside chats where we’ve interviewed maybe micro celebrities in the market.

Lee Kantor: But these are great things to do to kind of just expand the breadth and reach of your show into other areas. And you are the media. We are the media. So, the media kind of can easily turn into an event, not just a show. And it’s a great thing to be doing that you can promote before and after your show. You can really get a lot of social media juice out of having an event and it brings people together. People like to be see, and meet, and kind of cross-pollinate with other people in your connections and your relationships. So, having an event is a great thing to do. Even if you do a once a year, it’s great. It’s worthwhile,. But it can be something that’s an additional revenue stream if you do it right. There’s lots of ways to leverage it. So, I’m a big fan of having events and just making it part of the way you serve your community.

Stone Payton: Well, we have a client in the Sandy Springs studio who really opened my mind to this and my eyes to this who does a breakfast. And I forget what the rhythm is, but it’s, at least, twice a year. But I think it might be quarterly where he invites past guests to come to a really nice breakfast at a place called the Georgian Club, which is a local club for us. It’s one of those dining clubs. It’s a first-class event. They absolutely love it. It allows them to meet each other. And he’s the one that got everyone together.

Stone Payton: And so, I’m learning from our clients, particularly this one, how powerful that can be. And as you know, Leon, I’ll share with people here in this tip, I’m going to bring back something I did years ago when I was more in the consulting profession. And I’m going to do twice a year, I’m going to do a beach house and a mountain house for a select group of people. And that actually is beyond client nurture. That’s actually going to be revenue-generating.

Stone Payton: But there’s so many opportunities that you can utilize events to do anything from just nurturing existing relationships all the way through to creating new ones and making new revenue. And, also, with that corona thing, I realized and I saw that same client, by the way, did a webinar. I think he had 56 of his past guests attend a webinar. So, there’s virtually no end to the kinds of events you can create that help people feel and stay connected and serve your mission.

BRX Pro Tip: Enterprise Sales

December 5, 2024 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: Enterprise Sales

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BRX Pro Tip: Enterprise Sales

Stone Payton: Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tip. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, we’ve been at this a while and we’ve had the opportunity to serve different levels of customers from a variety of industries. But one thing I’ve come to learn, enterprise sales is different.

Lee Kantor: Yeah. If you’re in professional services and you’re dealing with solopreneurs or entrepreneurs or small firms, usually the owner makes a decision. It’s simple, it’s fast. You’re able to get a yes or no pretty quickly. But if you’re dealing with any type of B2B enterprise-level sale, then there’s going to be a lot of people involved. Sometimes as many as 5 to 10 people are involved in a buying decision.

Lee Kantor: And if you don’t have a marketing and sales process that really understands that and really identifies who the players are, who is the linchpin that can make the decision, who is the champion who really understands your value and will fight for you? Who is the potential saboteur who can derail the deal? What are all the – what are we doing to keep all of those lines of communication open? What are we going to do when one of them goes to us? What are we going to – what’s our fallback? How are we going to kind of open that door back up? What do we have to do to reignite this deal and get all of the stakeholders that you need to get the deal done? If you don’t understand that level of complexity, it’s going to be very difficult for you to close enterprise-level sales.

Lee Kantor: So, you have to understand that this has way more complexity than dealing with just one person. There is not one point of contact. There’s going to be multiple and you have to manage them all and nurture them all over time. And you have to sell each one of them slightly differently in order to make the deal go through.

Lee Kantor: Now, for some businesses, this is not worth the hassle. It’s too much of a hassle. It’s too much of a time waste. But if you can pull this off, this can be very meaningful in terms of revenue. And number two, if you can go through the gantlet to get your thing sold in, that same bureaucracy that it takes to close the deal is the same bureaucracy it takes to get rid of the deal once you’ve sold it in. So, these deals tend to last a lot longer than maybe some of the faster closing deals that you have with solopreneurs. So, it’s definitely worth it for some folks to do it but understand what you’re getting into. You cannot treat an enterprise-level sale like you do of selling to a small firm or an entrepreneur.

BRX Pro Tip: Invest More in Creating Content than Advertising

December 4, 2024 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: Invest More in Creating Content than Advertising

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BRX Pro Tip: Invest More in Creating Content than Advertising

Stone Payton: Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, you know, when we’re in business, so many of our listeners, and of course we are, you have to be thoughtful about where you invest your resources, and your counsel, our counsel, in most situations is to invest more in creating content over advertising. Yeah?

Lee Kantor: Absolutely. This is a tip that I heard from one of my favorite authors, Ryan Holiday, and he says – his recommendation is to invest more of your marketing dollars in creating content rather than advertising. He says that even if advertising has a better ROI, which is debatable, he feels better creating more content that’s a value and that serves as a community rather than just pushing out ads that try to sell somebody something.

Lee Kantor: And, I couldn’t agree more with this. I mean, this is why we do these tips. I would feel a lot better sharing information and knowledge that I’m getting with my community rather than running an ad that says, “You know, hey, buy my stuff.” I think over the long run, you’re going to be much better served by having a portfolio of content that shows how smart you are and how passionate you are and how you serve your community rather than have a portfolio of ads that are saying, you know, you should buy this or you should buy that.

Lee Kantor: So, I think that it is a much better use of your marketing dollars to invest in your own content that you’re creating for your own personal brand and the brand of the business that you’re working on rather than just running ads and hoping that somebody interacts with them.