Amy Pierce: From Banking Executive to Building a Business on Her Own Terms

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Houston, Texas. It’s time for Houston Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Trisha Stetzel: Hello, Houston. Trisha Stetzel here bringing you another episode of Houston Business Radio. It is my pleasure to introduce you to my guest today, Amy Pierce, president of GNA Advisors Consulting Group. Amy brings more than 30 years of banking experience to her work helping financial institutions solve complex problems around strategy, operations, people risk, and organizational effectiveness. Before joining GNA advisors, she founded Bank Strategy Strategic Solutions and has held executive roles, including chief lending officer and managing director of Risk services. What I especially appreciate about Amy’s perspective is that she’s built her career around making things better, while also becoming very intentional about what success looks like in her own life. Amy, welcome to the show.

Amy Pierce: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Trisha Stetzel: All right. So shout out to Elise Johnston. I’m just saying.

Amy Pierce: Absolutely.

Trisha Stetzel: I introduced the two of us and I’m so excited about having this conversation today. So Amy, tell us what else we need to know about you before we get started.

Amy Pierce: Well, you covered the business life really well when not working. We’ve got a family with four kids. Most of ours are adults and one one teenager. And when I’m not working, I try to fit in, travel or do something fun. I was just actually just got a chance to go out and see the President Roosevelt Library on the north side of North Dakota, of all things, two weeks ago. And I’m still loving the fact that we got to go do that. So that’s what I do when I’m not working.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that. Okay, so since you said when you’re not working, you have to tell us a little bit more about the services that you provide to your clients.

Amy Pierce: Yeah, we are a consulting firm that’s kind of unique. We’re all former bankers. Um, and we’ve all stepped out of the banks for different reasons over the years. As you said, I spent a long time inside the bank, um, stepped out and actually it’s kind of funny. When I stepped out, I thought I was going to ride my bike half the time and do some loan review. Um, I’m really not made to sit in, sit very long. So the company just grew over time. And we really focus on helping banks through the mergers and acquisitions that they do. We are not the investment banker piece. We actually help them get the culture aligned, the systems aligned, or we do a lot of process improvement for banks. You know, they as banks grow, they tend to have the same practices with other check the checker, as we like to call it, added around the system. So we try to streamline those processes back out and make them more efficient, have them better use the tools that they have in front of them. So those two things are a lot of what we do because of M&A. We started doing a lot of software conversions. So banks are all run by these same mainframe systems in a lot of ways that were around 50, 60 years ago with a little bit prettier face on them. And we help them all use that system to the best advantage that they can. So we do a lot of software integrations.

Trisha Stetzel: Okay. I love that. All right. I want to roll back to something that you said about leaving, working for someone else, moving to working for yourself. What made you or when did you realize that you were ready for a change and ready to build something of your own?

Amy Pierce: You know, I really I’ve spent a lot of my career in lending and I really love it. I love seeing stuff come out of the ground. I did a lot of real estate lending for large commercial projects, but I felt like I wasn’t challenged anymore, and I was systematically changing things in the bank and trying to improve things in the bank on my own. It’s much easier to do that from the outside, which is kind of funny. Um, so I just felt like I needed to continue to grow and learn, and I’d kind of reached a spot where I wasn’t really growing anymore and wanted to do something different. And running a business for yourself is definitely a good way to grow and stretch and keep learning.

Trisha Stetzel: Okay, so we’re gonna, I want to go there if it’s okay with you. Tell me more about your experience. Like what did you think it was going to be like? And what is like reality for you as you moved into being your own boss?

Amy Pierce: I think I always loved closing deals, so that was part of the fun part of lending. And I was like, oh, I can go do some of this stuff still and close deals. I love that, and I love doing the work, but you end up in this cycle and a lot of solo entrepreneurs especially end up in this cycle. They’re out working. Going and getting a job. And then they’re working really hard to do the job. And then they look up and they’re like, oh, we have to have another job. Um, and that can get into a vicious circle. A lot of times. So I had to shift gears a little bit. And I really worked with some friends and some mentors and was like, okay, this doesn’t work for me. How do I do this? So I had to learn from other entrepreneurs how you change that and how you really think about it more of a long term business model.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Because the last thing you wanted was another j.o.b. when you started this, right? Okay. Since we’re on this topic, tell me more about work life integration. As you become your own boss or have your own business.

Amy Pierce: I love that you said integration because, um, I don’t know that the balance is as good as it should be. Um, and my poor kids grew up underneath my desk at the office. Um, So it’s kind of funny. There was always Matchbox cars, you can tell have sons. There was always Matchbox cars under my car, under my desk growing up, and books and all sorts of things. For any snow day, they were probably under my desk. Um, to the extent that my younger son finally made a sign with the bank logo one day and said, Nick’s bank, we don’t do loans because I’d say I have to work on this loan. Um, he’s now a policeman. He wants nothing to do with being in an office. So, um, work life balance though, is always, it’s always a challenge. And I’ve had to really kind of frame out some time for myself to along the way. A couple of years ago, my team made fun of me because I, I, I need an hour in the morning just to get caught up on what we’re doing before we get into everything. And one of my favorite coworkers really said, Amy, I’m going to take this call at 8 a.m. you’re going to be on.

Amy Pierce: Right? And I was like, no, I had told everybody, I won’t take calls before 9 a.m. anymore because I didn’t get a minute to work on things, and that seemed like a very small boundary and I almost stopped it several times. But that boundary of that hour makes a big difference for me in the morning just to get a line. And I think that’s part of that work life integration. It’s nice. I can go, uh, we have a young grandson, our first grandchild, and I can go and take off and help them for a minute and work around my schedule. But my husband and I were on vacation not that long ago. We were both laughing. We both own our own businesses. Both of us that Monday morning are on our laptops for about an hour and a half, and we’re working on things we need to get done, and then we’re like, all right, shut the laptop. We’re going to go on vacation now. So that’s part of, I think, owning your own business. You do have some freedom and flexibility, but you also have commitments to other people. And how do you balance that? And it’s a it’s an ongoing challenge.

Trisha Stetzel: It’s a battle. Some days, I suspect I am with you. My husband and I have had the same kind of computer coffee in the morning on vacation and yes, and then you can close it and move on.

Amy Pierce: Now you go on vacation for the day. Yes.

Trisha Stetzel: I love that. Um, okay. So how do you you’ve set some boundaries. And I think that that’s really important. And I think that that that message is loud and clear. You set your boundaries and you hold you. You need to hold to them when other people challenge those boundaries. How do you how do you get it all done? You’re a grandmother and you’re a mom and a wife and a business owner and a and a wife of a business owner and, and so many other things. How do you keep it all together, Amy?

Amy Pierce: How well do you juggle now? Um, you know, one of the. So when we took Bank strategic and folded it and made a. Advisors. Greg, who is my other counterpart on that. We joke about this because I we just had a client call when I was going to be coming back from vacation. He goes, do not don’t short your vacation because he knows me. My first instinct is, oh, they need help and to go help. Um, so it is definitely, you have to kind of try to keep your boundaries. And remember, other people are counting on you for the time that you’re in right now. So trying to be present, I think in the time you’re in is one of the most important things for me. Um, I have recently started, it’s funny because my, my Gen Z child will do this. They put their phone in grays grayscale, so it’s not as attractive to use. And I started doing it last week and I’m like, yeah, the phone’s no fun when it’s like black and white. So I put the phone down a lot better.

Trisha Stetzel: What? I don’t even know about this. Amy. Okay. So if I don’t know about it, there are listeners out there that don’t know about it. So you can put your phone on grayscale and it becomes way less attractive. So you’re not getting the same amount of endorphins when you’re scrolling.

Amy Pierce: It kills your dopamine completely. So just go under accessibility and change to grayscale out of the colors. And you can even set what I’m going to do. We’re playing with automation and how you do the shortcuts on iPhones. Yeah. And I’m totally going to set up an automation on mine where Monday through Friday, eight from five. It’s on grayscale because I think I need that.

Trisha Stetzel: Oh my goodness. This was all worth it. We’re done here. No I’m kidding, I’m kidding.

Amy Pierce: I learned that from somebody else. And I was like, oh, I kind of like that. And then this weekend I was looking at my daughter and I’m like, you do that? She goes, oh yeah, it’s way better.

Trisha Stetzel: So I’m so doing that. Okay, you guys heard it right from here. Amy Pearce gave us the best advice ever. Go put your phone on grayscale Monday through Friday for sure.

Amy Pierce: When you’re at work, it’s definitely oh gosh.

Trisha Stetzel: Yes, I love this idea. Um, I want to talk about something that we were talking about before we started this conversation and even when we had our first conversation, which is about, um, which is about value and the value that we bring to the table and all of the experience and expertise. So why do you think accomplished leaders sometimes underestimate the value of what they bring to the table?

Amy Pierce: You know, I think we all look up to somebody and you feel like you’re not quite at their level, their pedestal. And so we tend to kind of go, oh, they’re really great, but I’m not quite there. Um, and you did the shout out to Elise. I actually called the lease. I, I am not a fan of being on a huge stage in front of a big audience. I like smaller settings. Um, so I had to go and I saw the preview for the stage before I got there and I was like, oh my goodness. And so I sent my girlfriend a message and said, um, this is going to be a huge stage. She’s like, put on your big girl pants and get over yourself. Go be a badass. And I was like, okay, sometimes you need the encouragement. Um, but it is important to know your value and it is important to not get that value diminish. I’m not talking ego, I’m just saying for me personally, I do have 30 years in the industry, which is ridiculously crazy long. Um, and I do know really well what works in a credit side and what works in some things in the bank. There are areas of the bank that I don’t know as well. Don’t ask me it. Um, but I’m going to defer to those that do have that knowledge. And I think just appreciating people’s experience and their knowledge and really realizing you also have value in what you’ve experienced in your knowledge is important.

Speaker 4: I think the whole mindset.

Trisha Stetzel: Around thinking that you’re bragging, if you talk about all of your accomplishments, we’ve got to get past that like it’s crazy. And by the way, if you guys are only listening, I’m going to encourage you to go to YouTube to watch the video because Amy must have started her 30 year career in banking when she was ten. I’m just saying.

Amy Pierce: Or 20 something.

Trisha Stetzel: Uh, okay. So we’re about halfway through our conversation. I know that there are folks listening today that already want to connect with you. So how do they find out more about G and A and advisors and how do they connect with you? Amy.

Amy Pierce: Um, you can definitely find me on LinkedIn. Um, I know there’s probably a ton of Amy Pearson, so you might need to tag in G and a advisors or go to our website, it’s www.advisors.com. Um, and you can learn more about what we do and more about our team. And, um, I’m kind of proud of what our team does, but I’m really proud of the fact that there are people that have sat in the chair of the same people we’re trying to help every day. And so they know firsthand what it’s like to try to make transformative change inside an organization while doing your day job. It’s not always easy.

Trisha Stetzel: It’s not. It is never easy. You said not always. It’s never easy. I don’t think so. All right. So some work questions. I want to pepper those in here. When an organization tells you, uh, what their problem is. So they come to you and they’re like, we have this problem. How often is that actually the real problem?

Amy Pierce: That’s a great question. It’s not usually the real problem. It’s it’s usually a symptom of the problem. Um, and we spend a lot of time really focusing in with the team on, okay, let’s get to the root cause of what’s happening. Um, I’ve been called in. I was just called in not that long ago because it’s an operations team. Was having a hard time with just fixing the suspense items that go through some of their GLS. And it was like, that’s really not the problem. The problem is the process that’s getting them there. So we sat down and kind of went back to the real problem. But that’s a big part of what we do with the team is kind of the best job that we could do is not just help them get through that one obstacle, but teach them how to break those things down so that they can do it going forward. Yeah. And that’s, I take a lot of pride in when we kind of go, okay, they’ve got this.

Trisha Stetzel: Love that isn’t it fun when you’re like, okay, you don’t need me anymore. You guys, you guys know how to execute?

Amy Pierce: Yes.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah.

Amy Pierce: That’s, it’s a, it’s an interesting industry when you know you’re doing the best when they don’t need you anymore because you’ve helped them through it. You work your way out of a job all the time. Um, but I feel real proud of the fact that we made it better and that take that’s just for me. Part of the win is did we leave it better than we found it?

Trisha Stetzel: Mhm. Oh, I love that. I learned that in the military. And that’s one of my favorites. Uh, leave it better than you found it. Okay, so you don’t just work on those process problems, though. You work across strategy, operations, culture risk people. So what are some of the signs that tell you that the challenge with the organization is not a process problem, but rather a people problem?

Amy Pierce: Um, sometimes it is people And usually it’s funny because a big part of the first thing we do is do surveys, kind of blind surveys out there, and it invariably comes up, oh, there’s an issue in this one department. Oh, it seems to keep being the same issue. Mm. And when I get on the ground and interview people it’s pretty quick. You’re pretty quick to kind of go, okay, we need to reevaluate how this is getting done. Um, I’m so proud of a bank. I was just in a couple weeks ago, we had a plan. We were going to recommend that they changed out who was leading one department, which is not something we do very often, but it was clear this person was not in the right chair. And before we got back, they actually put the right person in the chair and put the gentleman that was there who wasn’t doing well in the chair, where he could be successful all on their own. And so I got there and I was like, oh, I’m so proud of you guys. You did it all perfectly. Um, so they, that does happen. And sometimes you can coach them up. Um, which we definitely try to do. We’ve had we have a lady that I just adore that runs an operations team in southern Mississippi. And her boss asked us, he said, I think you guys can coach her there. And I was like, oh, I’m not sure at first. And she just stepped up. She embraced the challenge and she’s become such a good executive. And that’s that’s a real hard part for a lot of people. If you’re very good at your job and you get promoted up into management, then you may not have the management skills. So sometimes they need the leadership skills and the management training. And not all organizations do that as well as they used to. So you go from being a solo producer and doing everything well, and then you’ve got to manage a team of people that are like that. It can be really hard. So giving them some tools to work with is really key.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. Well, and sometimes you’re moving from a position, working peer to peer. And then you become the manager of your peers. And that’s a really difficult position to be in, for sure.

Amy Pierce: And I’m a avid friends fan from a long time ago, so we always joke about, oh no, now you’re the boss, boss. You know, we’ll quote lines from from friends. Yeah. So. I can talk in friends speak.

Trisha Stetzel: Okay. All you friends fans out there need to reach out to Amy and connect with her and especially around her business. So you mentioned this a little bit earlier, and I want to draw a little bit more out of it. Um, what can you see from the outside now of these organizations that the people living inside it every day may no longer be able to see because you are now on the outside looking in versus being in it. So how has that changed the way you see these organizations and the way you’re able to help them?

Amy Pierce: Well, fresh eyes always helps. Um, and sometimes we’re just used to, uh, I’ve worked in banks and we joke that we were a family. We might be a dysfunctional family, but we’re a family. Um, and that does come into play. You know, we’re used to Joe always acts this way, and we just know how we have to work around Joe. But if somebody from the outside comes in and goes, um, Joe, Joe doing this is causing a whole lot of unintended consequences down the line. And we might need to change this. One thing that Joe does to make it better for everybody. That’s usually easier. Or if you look at them and go, go. So how often does this, this role turn? It turns over all the time, doesn’t it? They’re like, yeah, well, then we probably need to address why it keeps turning over. And so it’s a lot easier for us because we are a little bit more agnostic to it. Um, it’s always harder. It’s people, you know, you make genuine friendships with these people even when they’ve got, they’ve got their own challenges. Um, we’re still doing it in our own group. I’m a big fan of predictive index. I’m still a big fan of personality profiles. And how you react under stress is different than how you react in your day to day. Um, and even I have to catch myself because I’m a perfectionist. Oh, hold on. I’m, I’m kind of jumping in on somebody else’s stuff. So we have to be careful about that. Um, people are just trying to do the best they can, but they don’t always have the tools. So teaching them some of those tools to be better successful is important.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. And I heard you say that, you know, leadership development is not as forefront as, as it was, uh, even just a few years ago. But I do see a lot more conversations around development. So we’ll see, right? That action is really where it comes into play. All right. I’m going to circle all the way back around to something that we started talking about earlier when we did our shout out to Elise and the little story about you reaching out to her, and I want to talk about community. I, I believe that the people we surround ourselves with are that piece of who we are and who we become is so important. So talk to me about the community that you have built, the group you’re a part of, and why it’s so important to you.

Amy Pierce: Well, I think that’s probably the hardest part about going out and becoming an entrepreneur because who, who can you talk to about the challenges that you’re having inside your business? Right. Um, I joined a Vistage group years ago and we are all still a very tight knit group, even though we’ve kind of all kind of disbanded in some ways. We just got to have a reunion last week, and I know I can always call any of them and pick up the phone and say, hey, I have this problem. What would you do? Um, I’m part of a different group today that is part of a group called crew and they have been fabulous. Um, and just again, expanding your horizon, being able to pick up the phone and relate to somebody else and say, this is the problem I’m having in my organization is critical for you to really grow your business. Um, I’m a big fan of a lot of, of my library of books over here. It’s kind of a joke in my bookcase. Everybody knows they can come and borrow my books as long as they bring them back. Um, but I started reading profit first because my accountant recommended it. And I would recommend that for any business owner, because it really tells you how to put some money aside as you’re growing. So you end up kind of being your own bank as time goes on, as opposed to having a line of business line of credit for stuff. Um, but he writes, the owner, the author of profits profit first is Mike. I’m going to butcher his last name, Malachowsky.

Trisha Stetzel: It’s Michalowicz.

Amy Pierce: I always butcher his last name. Sorry. Apologize for him for doing that to him.

Speaker 5: We like you, Mike. Yeah, but his books are.

Amy Pierce: Fabulous and I would highly recommend those to every entrepreneur as well. I mean, I think you need community. And part of my community was like, Amy, go read um, Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss. And he was adamant I had to read it. I love that book. I love that approach. I highly recommend it on audio because listening to him say it in the tone he says things is amazing. Um, so I think continuing learning from your community is also really important.

Speaker 4: Mhm.

Trisha Stetzel: Tell me about surrounding yourself with, um, powerful women.

Amy Pierce: Thank God. Uh, although we also cause trouble. So, um, good trouble. Um, it’s like, so I tease my friends about know your value. It’s been kind of a thing we’ve joked about with imposter syndrome. And so you’ll see each of us, if we see something about knowing your value, you’ll send, send a little blurb out to the team and say, don’t forget. Um, and if somebody is really struggling with something or in having an imposter syndrome day, it’s like, Now, wait a minute. How many years have you been doing what you’re doing? What’s your expertise in this? And kind of bringing everybody back to their reality. Wait a minute. You do know these things. Um, what is intimidating you about this person? And sometimes you have to ask those questions. Why are you intimidated about this? What’s going on? We all have our own baggage.

Trisha Stetzel: We do. And sometimes we need a reminder to let it go for sure. So I’m going to call your your gal team, the badassery because I love it. I think it’s fantastic.

Amy Pierce: Well, yeah, this probably is not appropriate, but if you’re on camera, this is one.

Trisha Stetzel: Yes.

Amy Pierce: Badass bitches get things done. Um, that’s from a girlfriend.

Trisha Stetzel: I love it. I think that’s fantastic. So on the other side of that, Amy, talk to me about mentorship and bringing women particularly up behind you and beside you.

Amy Pierce: I think it’s I think mentoring is really critical, but I think sponsorship is even more important.

Trisha Stetzel: Okay.

Amy Pierce: Um, so mentoring to me is helping them and guiding them along the way. Sponsorship is when somebody says, I’m looking for this person for a role and you say, I know the right person, this is the person you need to go talk to. And introducing them and helping kind of warm up that intro for those people, you know, sponsoring those young people. I’m so honored I got to sponsor a girl that’s from, um, Dominican Republic. She went to school here. She’s brilliant as a data analyst, but she was trying to get residency. And I was like, I can’t, I cannot do that as a small business owner, but I know exactly what company needs to hire you. And it was just funny. I happened to know a couple people there and I was like, Rob, would you please talk to her? Well, she is actually, I just got a letter. I had to put a letter together the other day. She’s going for her nationalization status for that. And she’s brilliant, brilliant data scientist. So I feel like that’s an awesome one. And just being able to help a young. 20 something that’s going to have a brilliant career in here because of people just helping to open the door.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah, absolutely. And you knowing your value so that you can show them what the possibilities are.

Amy Pierce: Love that. That’s a good way to put it.

Trisha Stetzel: Thank you. Okay. So you have to share, uh, what you saw on the sidewalk that you took a picture of that you said to your girlfriends. Tell us what it is.

Amy Pierce: So because we do this thing about know your value back and forth. And my husband and I were up getting ice cream in a small part of little Rock, where we live today. Um, the other night and on the sidewalk it’s stamped in the concrete. Know your value because they’re hoping that you don’t. Um, and so I sent that back out to all my girlfriends, but I think that’s, that’s true. You know, um, I, I’m always amazed when people are willing to kind of take a little bit of advantage of somebody because they’re not stepping up and showing what they’re worth. So, and I think most people are good, and I don’t think that happens all the time, but I think it’s important to hold the line sometimes too, and say, I’m not going to be the lowest cost leader. Um, just because you’re trying to push me to do that, I know what’s fair for our group. Um, and every buyer does not necessarily need to be somebody you sell something to.

Trisha Stetzel: Yeah. That is absolutely true. Look, if they don’t want to pay your value, then you’re not their person. You’re not the one that they need to buy those product or services from. I love that this has been so much fun. I have one last question for you. So for the leader, our business owner listening, who’s successful on paper, but beginning to question whether the way they’re working still fits the life that they actually want.

Amy Pierce: Mhm.

Trisha Stetzel: What would you encourage them to think about or do?

Amy Pierce: Oh, um, I think first they need to talk to some of their mentors that they trust and, and get some guidance from that perspective. And that may include their accountant, that may just include good friends that are in the business or in some other industry that they feel like they can talk to. Um, but I think knowing that, and also I think you have to do some personal evaluation, you know, is this meeting what I want for my life? Um, there are some people that have worked for themselves and have gone back to work for a company and that’s okay. Um, you know, sometimes that works better for some and they are happier with that life after you’ve run a business and go to work for somebody else, you’re like, wow, this is way easier. Um, so I think just self evaluation to and really knowing what is your goal look like for your future and is this still aligned? I think we all have to ask ourselves that over time. Is this still aligned with how I want to live long term. Life is short. Um, I think it’s important to take advantage of the time we have and just make sure that it’s the best quality of life for us as we go forward.

Trisha Stetzel: Mhm. I love that. Work to live. Don’t live to work. Absolutely. So much more. Amy, this has been such an amazing conversation. I knew it was going to be fun when Elise said, go meet Amy. And I said, yes, I will. Uh, so thank you for spending your time with me today. Uh, you guys, Amy Pearce, president of G and a advisors consulting group. Amy, tell us one more time how folks can find out more information or connect directly with you.

Amy Pierce: Yeah, we are on LinkedIn. Um, my email, I hate to give it because it’s kind of too long. It’s my, my first initial last name, a PAG and a advisors. Or just go to the website w w w advisors.com.

Trisha Stetzel: Love it. And you guys always know if you’re sitting in front of your computer, the links to everywhere you can find Amy will be available so you can point and click. If you’re in your car, please do not do that. Save it for later. Uh, Amy, thanks again. It’s been my pleasure to host you today.

Amy Pierce: Thank you so much. Thank you for the time.

Trisha Stetzel: All right. You all right, you guys? That’s all the time we have for today. If you found value in this conversation that Amy and I had, please share it with a fellow entrepreneur, a veteran or Houston leader ready to grow. And be sure to follow, rate and review the show. It helps us reach more bold business minds just like yours and your business. Your leadership and your legacy are built one intentional step at a time. So stay inspired, stay focused, and keep building the business and the life you deserve.