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BRX Pro Tip: Share Your Values More Frequently

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BRX Pro Tips
BRX Pro Tip: Share Your Values More Frequently
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BRX Pro Tip: Share Your Values More Frequently

Stone Payton: [00:00:00] And we are back with Business RadioX Pro Tips, Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you this morning. Lee, let’s talk about values and, particularly, the discipline of sharing your values more frequently.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:14] Yeah. I think it’s critically important for the leaders of an organization to kind of keep reiterating what the values are, what they stand for, what they don’t stand for. Because people hear things at different times and people resonate with mission a lot more if they hear it from a lot of different people, in a lot of different ways, but all along the same lines of getting that overall messaging. So, if your team and/or your clients don’t know what you stand for, then you are not demonstrating and communicating your values enough.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:46] And people in the organization might think that everybody knows what we stand for, but they may not. And so, you got to just keep telling them that message and showing them that message. It’s great for it to appear. Like, if you’re in an office setting, you know, put them out loud and proud somewhere in the office. Mention them regularly when you have team meetings. Mention them regularly on the website.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:11] A simple test is to ask people what your company stands for. Just do a survey, do a poll, you might be surprised by the answers because a lot of people may not really understand what it is that you do or what you’re trying to accomplish. And if there is that kind of lack of clarity and a miscommunication at this level, then you’ve got a real problem.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:32] So, I am a big believer in just keep reiterating your values, explain why that’s important, and why you guys are getting up in the morning to do what you do. You’re doing a lot of hard work and it’s important for people to know what that is and the why behind it. So, you have to be able to connect your value and values with your organization. And delivering that promise that you’re making to your customers and your people is critically important. And if they don’t all know what you’re trying to accomplish, you have a problem. So, pull your folks and the answer might surprise you.

Tim Gerrits with GMB

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Learning Insights
Tim Gerrits with GMB
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Tim-Gerrits-GMBTim Gerrits leads the Sports practice at GMB, with an emphasis on turf fields and tennis facility design. He has combined his background in landscape architecture and planning with a passion for sports and competition.

With over 25 years of experience, he’s helped design over 45 tennis facilities, including over 175 post-tensioned courts.

He loves building teams at GMB through overseeing the people development team. And he loves seeing athletics teams grow through great competition spaces.

Follow GMB on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for Learning Insights. Brought to you by TrainingPros. When you have more projects than people, TrainingPros can provide you with the right L&D consultant to start your project with confidence. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:27] Lee Kantor here. Another episode of Learning Insights, and this is going to be a good one. But it’s important to recognize our sponsor at TrainingPros. Without them, we could not be sharing these stories, so please support them. Today on Learning Insights, we have Tim Gerrits, and he is with GMB Architecture and Engineering. Welcome, Tim.

Tim Gerrits: [00:00:46] Hey. Thanks, Lee.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:47] I’m excited to learn about what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about GMB Architecture and Engineering, how are you serving folks?

Tim Gerrits: [00:00:53] Yeah. So, we’ve been serving folks for about 50 years. And I think over the last, you know, five to ten years, we’ve made a lot of changes that we’re really excited about and we’re going to talk about today. And client-wise, we are in the education sector. We’re architects and engineers, of course, and we look for ways to help them make their students successful.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:16] Now, let’s talk about the culture at GMB. I know that’s very important to you. And being an employee-owned company kind of makes it a special place, I would imagine.

Tim Gerrits: [00:01:25] Yeah, it is. You know, you talked about culture, and culture is kind of a hot topic right now. Explaining it, explaining culture specifically, is not always easy. So, often, you hear things like it’s a family or it’s people first. But I think for us it kind of comes down to two really important things. One is our teams and the other is the strong personal relationships they have with each other. And all of that is kind of built on the idea of trust.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:57] Now, how did this kind of – I think you called it the team of team structure, how did that kind of come about? Was that always the intention when it was started? We’re going to do this. This is going to be kind of employee-owned. Was all of this at the start or is this something that evolved over time?

Tim Gerrits: [00:02:14] I think it sort of evolved in some ways. And then, we had kind of an aha moment. What we found is that, when we were a smaller organization, we saw how our teams were working. And as we grew a little bit larger, our organizational structure was kind of not working anymore. And in a sense, leadership basically found that decisions weren’t being made as quickly as we needed to.

Tim Gerrits: [00:02:39] And we ran into this book, Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal, and it talked about the Army and how the hierarchy that the Army had was limiting how decisions were being made. And so, we started to say — we break up into teams. We have teams, everybody’s on a certain teams. And it’s those links that become really important between all those teams and decisions that don’t need to go up to a hierarchy model in our minds. And we don’t really, as leaders, always know the answers to those questions either. And so, let’s leave that in a system with the right people making those decisions. So, it’s an interesting book. It’s good read. And we’ve just found that we needed to change our framework and write it down so people understood it internally.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:36] Now, when you were making this kind of a shift, it sounds like a lot of it is a mental shift for the leadership to say, “Okay. It’s going to require trust and really good communication in order to pull this off.” Right?

Tim Gerrits: [00:03:48] Yeah. That’s exactly right. I think trust is a big one where, without that, you do go back to the hierarchy model where we need to make all the decisions. So, it’s really empowering our people who know the right answers to it. We, as leadership, sometimes we’re getting asked questions we didn’t know. And so, we really revert to those teams and they’re really responsible as a group, not as individuals, but as a group making those decisions. So, that’s something where we really have noticed in the teams, though, we need strong personal relationships. And so, I think something unique to us is we make time for our employees to build personal relationships.

Tim Gerrits: [00:04:34] And so, I will give an example a little bit of how a team might work or might not work. And I’d use kind of your neighbor. If you had to have a new neighbor move in and your spouse said, “Hey, we should go meet them.” And you don’t go do that and you don’t do it for a year. After a while, you might find that going over to borrow a cup of sugar isn’t going to happen. What we do right away is make sure our employees get connected with another person and many people. And, therefore, we think that communication amongst our team has improved. So, in that same analogy with the neighbor, if you know them, you’re willing to go ask them difficult questions or ask them for their help.

Tim Gerrits: [00:05:16] And it’s that same kind of idea with us as we carve out time. And that time in our world is called pods. Every day for 15 minutes, our employees meet, mostly for social interaction and to help understand each other. And with that, it creates, I think, a care component for each other. It also creates some empathy of what they’re going through and how another individual might be able to help them.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:42] Now, when you’re doing this kind of work and you’re kind of leveling up the trust and the communication, the collaboration, by putting in place kind of these core values that say if you want to be part of GMB, this is how we behave, right? And you’re kind of setting a standard of expectations. And so, there’s no surprises here. How did you handle that transitionary period when, you know, you were going to go from the old way to the new way? Because I think that this requires a level of – it’s almost like less ego, right? Because you have to kind of be for the team. I think this could eliminate some politics and some, you know, kind of jockeying for position. And this is about me.

Tim Gerrits: [00:06:30] It’s a great point, Lee. I think what you find is, you have to find people who want to win as teams or win as a teammate and not as an individual. And what you find after a while, they start to find that it’s more enjoyable to win as a group. And I think the part where you let your guard down is you don’t need to know everything. But you need to surround yourself in a team that will help you build that ability to know everything or most things, you might say. And that is something that mostly people have a hard time with. We’re expected to know everything. No, you’re not really expected to know everything. And for that matter, you might have somebody on your team who is much better at the thing that you’re struggling with. And so, there is a little bit of letting go and doing what you’re good at and finding those and having those people surround you that can support you.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:26] Now, how do you kind of amine everybody’s incentives so that everybody feels like they do win when the team wins and they don’t have to be kind of the Lone Ranger that’s, you know, running with the ball to the finish line?

Tim Gerrits: [00:07:40] Yeah. I think you’ll find in teams when they’re functioning well, they take cues from each other. We have certain things that are highly encouraged of, you know, what we call, Friday shout outs for, “Hey, this person is on my team and they really did this well.” Or, “They helped me with this in banking.” And it’s sort of what you encourage that starts to get that idea of it is really different. We have had it in interviews where people maybe just don’t quite understand it as well. Like, “Well, do I have a boss?” And it’s like, “Well, your teammates really are your boss,” which is a big shift for people to understand. Some people don’t, maybe, embrace it as quickly. And some people say, “Hey, that’s just not for me. I really like the hierarchy of our world.” But we think things are changing and we think we really benefit from efficiency, but also enjoyment of our staff in how they work.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:47] So, I would imagine you’re discussing, “Hey, everybody. We’re going to kind of pivot to this team of team structure and it’s going to look a little like this and then less of like how it used to be,” how did you know you were getting traction where, “Hey, this thing could work. I think this is the right way to go.” Were there kind of some clues when you were doing this that, “Hey, let’s really lean into this. This is something that’s going to be powerful and really change our company.”

Tim Gerrits: [00:09:16] I think people genuinely want to feel empowered in the work they do, but they also really want to understand what is my role in the day-to-day operations and how is that clear. And what we try to do is, really put names on all these teams and what their responsibilities are. So, we have different teams for design that really can help influence that. We have others that are more technical in nature and they can influence that. And others that really look at our process, for example. And when people are in the right seats – you’ve heard that from other individuals say that – they really excel and they feel empowered to make those decisions instead of having to go ask somebody else. We’ve really said, “No. That’s your call. You know more about that subject than we ever will.”

Lee Kantor: [00:10:11] Now, how does kind of the sharing of knowledge work? So, I’m on a team and then maybe I’m doing some cool and innovative, how do I share that best practice with other teams that, maybe, I don’t interact with a lot?

Tim Gerrits: [00:10:26] Yeah. So, you’ll find that people are on multiple teams. So, there are cross links where, “Hey, I’m on these three teams, so I know what’s going on in the other teams so I can speak up and say, ‘Hey, this team is doing that.'” So, there is that, what I can say, if you think of a bunch of teams and they’re all in their own little bubble, we can have links across from one team to another because Bill might work on three teams and one of those teams that is in question of what’s going on, on that team, he can address that.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:06] And then, is there somebody who’s kind of has the bird’s eye view of all the teams and seeing, “Hey, we don’t have a link here between these teams.” And is there somebody kind of –

Tim Gerrits: [00:11:18] Yeah. So, we’ve kind of created a map. We’re using a program called Peerdom right now. And that’s kind of a mapping program to help us understand how these links happen, and specifically what everybody’s responsibility is on that team. So, this is a new exercise. We’re just starting. We’re really excited about it. But it’s meant to add some clarity to our whole organization. We have 135 people, and as you grow, it’s harder to share knowledge, it’s harder to share information, and it’s harder to keep everybody on the same page. And, frankly, people weren’t sure as we grew who to ask those questions to.

Tim Gerrits: [00:11:56] So, this system, although kind of complicated, it’s kind of free flowing. If a team no longer needs to exist, we also have to say it either solved its mission and it doesn’t need to happen or they’re done with their assignment and we move on. So, it is kind of a once always there, doesn’t mean it’s going to stay that way. It is evolving and we’re trying to figure it out. So, in a few years, it might look a little bit different again, Lee.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:27] Now, how has the pandemic impacted your work? Were you always remote workers or at one point were you all in one location? And so, were those kind of serendipitous moments and those kind of accidental collisions happen is easier. And when you’re remote, that takes a little more intentionality.

Tim Gerrits: [00:12:46] Yeah. So, when the pandemic hit, we have four offices. We were all in offices. Now, of course, we have clients that are, you know, at different sites so we move around. But for the most part, people had a seat at a location. When the pandemic hit, we went 100 percent remote with the exception of one individual still at this point. And I think a lot of the things we put in place over the last three years, specifically, have made this transition actually go very well. We feel confident in what we’re doing. We’re excited how it’s going. I think it’s both the team of teams and it’s really about the pods that we created, those social groups that meet every day for 15 minutes. It’s kind of a lifeline to make sure people are truly cared for and don’t fall through the cracks. And it really became more and more important.

Tim Gerrits: [00:13:47] We have other committees, like Connections Committee and things like that, that make sure that we’re interacting and whatnot. But the pods really are kind of the glue that said, “Hey, I think someone is still struggling. We can do something.” Or, “Let’s have a happy hour with a smaller group.” It’s basically taking a larger group and creating smaller groups within the hole and making sure nobody falls through the cracks and everybody is really cared for. I always say, if you have at least one friend at work, you’re more likely to stick around. And, really, the pods itself has been a way for an individual to build friendships and, maybe, specifically a closer friend.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:32] Now, if you were giving advice to other folks that maybe are struggling in this area and maybe don’t have it together as well as you do, is this something that you can kind of do at a small level, a test level, a beta level? Or is it something you kind of got to go all in and say, “Okay. You can’t do this a little bit. You got to either do this or don’t even bother.”

Tim Gerrits: [00:14:56] Yeah. It’s interesting. It’s like how does this resonate with other companies and organizations? I think there is a lot of letting go of saying, “Okay. There are other people that can answer this question better. I’m empowering you to do that.” But first, I think, you have to have employees you really trust that can carry out kind of the same vision. And without that trust, it’s really hard to probably pull it off.

Tim Gerrits: [00:15:26] Some critics would say, “Well, why do you meet 15 minutes every day just to talk socially?” Our understanding would be, that probably still happens in some way. But we, as an organization, say, “No. It’s really meaningful. It’s important. And it impacts our work.” It makes our work better because our employees actually care for each other and know each other. And by knowing each other, they’re more likely to go ask some difficult questions or things that they’re working out or to admit they don’t know something. And so, it’s good — all in. I think it is always baby steps, but it probably starts with letting go a little bit and trusting your employees. And then, maybe creating kind of like, “Hey, this is our organization, let’s try to map it out and draw what it really looks like so people understand it.”

Lee Kantor: [00:16:18] Now, talk a little bit about GMB University, how did that come about? Was that something that you put in place early on or was that something that you were like, “Hey, we’re going to have to formalize some of this stuff, and write stuff down, and map this out a little bit tighter.” I would imagine at first it was a little chaotic because there was a lot of trust and collaboration happening. You were just saying, let’s see what happens. But then, you got to kind of rein it in a little to make sure it’s efficient.

Tim Gerrits: [00:16:42] Yeah. So, I think GMBU or University started really with the idea of we have people who know things in our office. But as we grew over one hundred individuals, people weren’t sharing that as well as we thought we could. And so, we took time out of, basically a-day-and-a-half, every quarter with the entire staff and said, “We’re all going to get together.” And there are certain topics that our whole office needs to hear and understand. They may not always be engaged in that activity or that information for our client that they need to produce. But it’s good for everybody to know it.

Tim Gerrits: [00:17:26] And so, we had our internal people making presentations, which we thought was also good for increasing their ability to give that in practice. But then, we also brought in outside speakers. And then, it also gave us a chance to kind of cast the vision that you just mentioned where we’re saying, “Hey, this is where we’re headed. Does that all sound good?” And so, that is important that everybody kind of says, “Hey, this is at least where we’re headed that’s why we’re doing it.” And we didn’t do that in isolation. A lot of it was workshops within that, where we’d all get together and say, “Hey, what’s important to our organization? What do we want to keep?” And being able to allow our employees to say, “This part is garbage, let’s get rid of it.” And sometimes you just need to accept that.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:13] Now, doing this kind of work internally throughout the organization, has this trickled out to the community as well? Is this something that it kind of encourages and enables your people to really help their community? And maybe some of this learning and culture can kind of permeate outside of the walls of GMB, but also into Michigan and the other areas you work in.

Tim Gerrits: [00:18:37] Yeah. So, we have a just cause, you know, back to the idea we’re all working for the same thing. And the just cause for us is, basically, to make this world a place where our clients are equipping students for lifelong learning, and that’s our goal. And with everybody kind of headed in that same direction and excited about it, we feel like, “Hey. Nothing can stop you,” you might say. And there’s passion towards that. So, I would say, we are looking for clients that somewhat feel the same way, that education is critical to creating a better world. And so, finding those employees in the future that want to work for us, that have that goal, but then mostly just those clients as well that kind of have that same passion.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:32] And then, has it played out that way? Are you finding that people that are attracted to GMB are those folks that they want to be part of the team, they see the value of that? And it’s a point of differentiation amongst your competitors.

Tim Gerrits: [00:19:46] Yeah. I think, on the just cause, we’re trying to be more and more clear with our interviews that this is important to us and we want it to be important to our employees. And asking questions in those interviews to say, “Hey, does this resonate with you?” It’s a little bit harder in an interview. But, you know, you can start to understand a client, what their mission is, what they’re excited about. And so, it plays into that as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:18] This would be interesting. Do you have a piece of advice regarding that? Like, are there clues that a prospective client or prospective employee kind of share or give out that is like, “Hey, this is going to be something that’s going to fit in here.” Is there a question you ask that maybe shines a light on that? Or is there a behavior you look for or a past activity they participated in that is a clue that, “Hey, they’re going to fit in there.” Like, is this something that maybe somebody with a military background is better in this or somebody in a sports, played sports. Is there a certain things that kind of align?

Tim Gerrits: [00:20:59] That’s interesting. Our interview process, I think a lot of it is – and I hear it when I’m in interviews and when others are – “I think he’s a really good teammate.” Or, “Is she a really good teammate? Would I enjoy this as a conversation we have some time, which is sort of unique. Would I enjoy a long ride in a car for three hours with this person? And what would that feel like and look like?” And so, I think the teammate thing is critical. It doesn’t need to be an individual sport in terms of architecture. How we do good work is when we are all collaborating and communicating really well. And those communication skills, the ability to not feel like you actually have to know everything, so a little bit of humbleness that maybe we look for. Architects are not always known to be humble. And so, maybe that is something that maybe we should look for. I haven’t really thought about that.

Tim Gerrits: [00:22:04] But what we do, it needs to be much more important to the individual that we interview, the goal of the team and the goal of the client is way more important than any award or individual achievement that they maybe have had in the past and hope to have in the future.

Lee Kantor: [00:22:25] Well, it seems to be working. You’re recognized as one of the best and brightest companies to work for. And some must be working there. You figured something out.

Tim Gerrits: [00:22:35] Well, I will say, you don’t always have it all figured out, but you have to have the attitude that we’re going to try to figure it out. And, frankly, I think we have a lot of great people that we rely heavily on through the whole of the organization to help make this better. “Not just leadership,” you might call it. It’s about all of us and creating an environment that we all really want to work in and that we’re all really excited about servicing our clients.

Lee Kantor: [00:23:02] And when you have that bigger why, I think it’s easier to find folks that want to get behind it and be part of that journey.

Tim Gerrits: [00:23:09] Yeah. I think if it’s real and that’s part of your heart, our clients realize that. And when they realize we’re as excited about pushing their mission forward and that we’re a teammate to make success in every one of their buildings in a school district or at a college or university, they get excited as well. And it’s a team thing, you know.

Lee Kantor: [00:23:38] Now, what do you need more of? How can we help? Do you need more talent? Do you need more clients? What can we do to help you? What does GMB need?

Tim Gerrits: [00:23:46] Hey, you know, I think both of those things are what we’re looking for. We’re looking for people out there that have a passion for education, both clients and new employees. And really want to excel on a team environment where we all kind of win together. And that we can, in fact, influence the world by creating spaces where education is delivered to kids in the most exciting ways and in ways that they can flourish and influence the world in the future. So, yeah, it’s both end. And people who want to work with an architect who really wants to be a teammate. You know, not on the sidelines just creating a space. But really creating spaces that are impactful for generations to come.

Lee Kantor: [00:24:39] Now, if somebody wants to get a hold of you or somebody on your team or learn more about GMB, what’s the website?

Tim Gerrits: [00:24:45] Website, just search GMB Architects and Engineers and it’ll come up. And we’d love to hear from anybody. And if people have questions, don’t be afraid to reach out.

Lee Kantor: [00:24:58] Well, Tim, thank you so much for sharing your story. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Tim Gerrits: [00:25:03] Well, thank you, Lee.

Lee Kantor: [00:25:05] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Learning Insights. And remember, this work could not be done without the support of our sponsor, TrainingPros. Please support them so we can continue to share these important stories.

Outro: [00:25:19] Thank you for listening. For more information about TrainingPros, visit their website at training-pros.com.

 

 

About Training Pros

Since TrainingPros was founded in 1997, they have been dedicated to helping their clients find the right consultant for their projects.

23 years later, they are proud to have helped hundreds of clients complete their projects and thousands of consultants find great assignments. Training Pros continues to focus on helping their clients and consultants as well as their community.

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Carmen Williams with DayEDigital

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Denver Business Radio
Carmen Williams with DayEDigital
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Carmen-Williams-DayEDigitalCarmen Williams is the owner and chief strategist of DayEDigital, a boutique consulting firm focused on applying an evolutionary approach for market growth. By utilizing an adaptive mindset, we work with clients to develop conceptual marketing strategies using fundamentals-based artificial intelligence with an emphasis on product marketing, demand generation, and digital transformation.

Connect with Carmen on LinkedIn.

About the Show

The Franchise Bible Coach Radio Podcast with Rick and Rob features no-nonsense franchise industry best practices and proprietary strategies that franchisors and FranchiseBibleCoachRadioTilefranchise owners can implement to improve their profitability and operational efficiencies.

Our show guests are franchise superstars and everyday heroes that share their tips for growth and strategies to survive and thrive during the current challenges.

About Your Hosts

Rick-GrossmanRick Grossman has been involved in the franchise industry since 1994. He franchised his first company and grew it to 49 locations in 19 states during the mid to late 1990s. He served as the Chief Executive Officer and primary trainer focusing on franchise owner relations and creating tools and technologies to increase franchisee success.

Rick developed and launched his second franchise organization in 2003. He led this company as the CEO and CMO growing to over 150 locations in less than three years. He developed the high tech/high touch franchise recruiting and sales system.

Both companies achieved ranking on Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 List. During this period Rick served as a business and marketing consultant to small business and multimillion dollar enterprises. He also consulted with franchise owners and prospective franchisees, franchisors, and companies seeking to franchise.

Rick had the honor of working with his mentor, Erwin Keup as a contributing Author for the 7th edition of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise Bible published by Entrepreneur Press.

Mr. Grossmann has been chosen as the new Author of Franchise Bible and his 8th Edition was released worldwide in January of 2017. He currently serves as an executive coach and strategist for multiple franchise clients.

Follow Franchise Bible Coach on Facebook.

RobGandleyHeadShot250x250Rob Gandley has served as SeoSamba’s Vice President and Strategic Partner since 2015.

With 25 years of experience in entrepreneurship, digital marketing, sales, and technology, he continues to focus on leading the expansion of SeoSamba’s product and service capabilities and US market penetration. SeoSamba specializes in centralized marketing technology built for multi-location business models and continues to win industry awards and grow consistently year over year.

Concurrent with his work at SeoSamba, Gandley is a strategic growth consultant and CEO of FranchiseNow, a digital marketing and sales consulting firm.  Gandley consults digital businesses, entrepreneurs, coaches and multi-location businesses across diverse industries.  Prior to SeoSamba, he built an Internet Marketing business and platform responsible for generating over 100,000 qualified franchise development leads used by more than 400 US-based franchise brands for rapid business expansion.

Gandley also held various senior sales and management positions with IT and Internet pioneers like PSINet, AT&T, and SunGard Data Systems from (1993-2005) where he set sales records for sales and revenue growth at each company.  He graduated from Pennsylvania State University’s Smeal Business School in 92’ with a BS degree in Finance and emphasis on Marketing.

Connect with Rob on LinkedIn.

Elise Giannasi with Jabian Consulting

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Learning Insights
Elise Giannasi with Jabian Consulting
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Elise-Giannasi-Jabian-ConsultingAs Director of Human Resources, who is known for strategic insights and tactical focus on results, Elise Giannasi is dedicated to developing and leading Jabian Consulting’s people strategy and operations across all dimensions of an employee’s experience at the firm.

Prior to joining Jabian Consulting, Elise had extensive experience across all dimensions of HR including Strategy Development and Implementation, Performance Management, Compensation and Career Modeling, Staffing, Communications, Change Management, and Employee Engagement. She is most passionate about Diversity & Inclusion, Culture, Coaching, and Professional Development.

Outside of the office, Elise is active in multiple local women’s groups dedicated to advancing and developing female leaders. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Barnard College of Columbia University.

Follow Jabian Consulting on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for Learning Insights. Brought to you by TrainingPros. When you have more projects than people, TrainingPros can provide you with the right L&D consultant to start your project with confidence. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:27] Lee Kantor here. Another episode of Learning Insights, and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our friends at TrainingPros. Without their support, we could not be sharing these stories. Today on Learning Insights, we have Elise Giannasi with Jabian Consulting. Welcome, Elise.

Elise Giannasi : [00:00:46] Hey, Lee. Thanks for having me today.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:48] Now, before we get too far into things, tell us about Jabian Consulting. How are you serving folks?

Elise Giannasi : [00:00:53] Absolutely. So, Jabian is a management consulting firm with a local focus. So, that means that we serve clients within the markets where we live. And we have four offices, Atlanta, Dallas, and Charlotte, and Chicago. And full service offices in all four cities, which is a little tricky now that everything’s gone remote. But it’s certainly opened up opportunities for everyone as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:20] Now, what’s your role with the company?

Elise Giannasi : [00:01:23] I am the Director of Human Resources, so I oversee the H.R. function for Jabian and the full team that covers off on everything from day to day tactical things, all of our operations, and also our strategic initiatives.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:39] So, where are you based? Are you based in one of those four cities?

Elise Giannasi : [00:01:45] I am here in Atlanta. Atlanta is our largest office.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:49] But you’re still serving those other offices as well?

Elise Giannasi : [00:01:53] That’s right.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:54] So, now, what are some of the challenges from, you know, doing human resources in one location but serving kind of remote locations?

Elise Giannasi : [00:02:04] Most of my career has actually been spent doing H.R. in a remote capacity, meaning that I’ve served teams across several different cities either globally or nationally. So, I find it to be less of a challenge than if I hadn’t had that experience. That said, one of the biggest challenges, I think, is making sure that employees in other offices feel like they’re getting the same level of attention. As well as leaders in other offices feeling like they’re getting the same level of business partnership from their H.R. leader and other functional leaders, for that matter.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:44] So, now, how does the kind of culture work when you’re dealing with remote offices that are run kind of with some level of autonomy in each of those markets?

Elise Giannasi : [00:02:56] So, we have a leader in each of our markets. So, it’s our shared services like human resources, marketing operations that are based in Atlanta. So, each office does have local leadership. But in terms of making sure that our culture makes its way across all four offices, you know, Jabian has a very strong culture, and one of the ways that we work to preserve that and also spread that across all of our offices is through our recruiting process. And really making sure that our culture and our value proposition is extremely clear when we are doing the recruiting. And then, once an individual joins, making sure that we are connecting the dots to what that culture means for them once they arrive. And so, our hope and our intent so far have been pretty successful at that, is that we are attracting people who live that same culture in their own lives and are able to bring that into the company. And that way, we’re able to maintain that culture across four offices.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:03] Now, how do you kind of measure culture? How are you determining that, yes, these people are kind of walking the walk that we want them to?

Elise Giannasi : [00:04:16] So, I think part of that is done through interviewing, of course, in the recruiting process. But once people are here, you know, there are a number of ways that we’re able to measure and engage. And I think that’s the biggest thing that we look to, is, are our people happy and are they getting what they need? Are we delivering on that value proposition that we put forward to them when they are in the firm? And are they satisfied with what they’re still bringing to the firm?

Elise Giannasi : [00:04:46] One of the ways that we measure that, just from a quantitative perspective, is we have a yearly employee survey, which I think many organizations do. And we go pretty deep into the data to really assess how engaged our employees are across a number of different dimensions. And then, we are extremely transparent with those results. And we spend plenty of time with our leadership team as well as the entire firm reviewing the results and getting real about all of the things that are working and what are the things where we’ve got improvement opportunities. And we use those results to really inform what our people agendas will be in the year ahead.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:30] Now, how did Jabian navigate the pandemic as that was kind of coming into play? With their own team as being remote kind of helped already. But when they’re dealing with their local clients, how were you able to maybe share best practices and help everybody kind of when you’re not all in the same place?

Elise Giannasi : [00:05:50] It’s really hard because consulting is a business built on relationship building. And when you have a firm that is a local consulting firm, where we really focus on being able to serve people who we live in the same city with, when you become remote, it’s more challenging to build relationships. But we’ve always had a really heavy emphasis on networking and doing that internally within our peers at the firm. But then, also, making sure that we are staying in touch with our clients and building relationships through the project work. Or if the project work comes to a close, that we maintain those relationships on work. So, I think people had an opportunity to flex a new set of muscles that maybe weren’t as strong, which is that kind of remote connection. But we already had a strong foundation of networking skills to build on, given that relationship building is so critical to a consulting business.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:47] Now, when you’re onboarding a new employee, how were you able to kind of do that when some of consulting is this relationship and there is an opportunity to kind of be together, look over each other’s shoulder, and be a fly on the wall, and kind of absorb things by just participating? How are you able to do that kind of in this new world we’re living in?

Elise Giannasi : [00:07:12] New world. So, I heard of a really interesting thing that some employees started to do, and I thought it was great and actually tried it with a few of my team members, which was essentially going on to Zoom or the Microsoft Teams and all working together. Even if you’re not talking, it essentially recreates that feeling of being in the team room together. And then, anyone can speak up at any given time and kind of get help with their work. So, that’s an interesting solution I’ve seen people doing for just that kind of day to day working together and learning together situation.

Elise Giannasi : [00:07:52] But then, also, I think that our leaders who lead all of our accounts have been really diligent in making sure that everyone is able to stay connected either through weekly or daily account meetings and stand ups or other things like that. But all of it, of course, done via video on Teams. So, I think video has been a really huge piece of this is making sure that everyone’s got their cameras on. And that really helps people to be more engaged when they’re actually having conversations and hold each other accountable for staying in that moment and having the conversations that they need to have about project work.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:29] Now, have you figured out a way to kind of simulate maybe some of those accidental serendipitous moments, these kind of collisions that happened almost randomly when you are all together?

Elise Giannasi : [00:08:44] That’s a hard one. That’s one of the things – if you ask me what keeps me up at night, I would say that’s one of the things, is, how do you keep those moments going? The thing is, is that with everyone remote, they’re more inclined to pick up the phone or use Teams, which is what we use as an organization. So, we really upped our use of IM-ing through Teams. So, I think that’s what people are doing.

Elise Giannasi : [00:09:11] What I would be concerned about is, as we start to go back to the office, whenever that may be, there are some employees who choose to stay remote or who we determined will stay remote. How do you create those moments when half your employee base is in-person and the other half is remote? Because then, you’ve got to bring people along if they’ve missed those moments, but they’re still on your team. So, I would say it’s a challenge we’re still working on and what I foresee to keep going for a while.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:42] Like, how did you weigh kind of the pros and cons of going to that type of hybrid?

Elise Giannasi : [00:09:50] We have not gone to that yet. It’s just more something that I am thinking about way down the line. When the time does come, there may be – I think a lot of organizations are thinking about this, it’s caused us to say, “Well, what roles do need to be in the office and what roles can be remote?” And so, we haven’t had that conversation thoroughly yet. It’s just more something that we’re starting to think about. What will that mean? What are the implications on our business, our internal back office functions, et cetera? But for consulting, most of the work we do is offsite anyway. It’s with our clients at a client site. So, that’s really going to come down to whether our clients are ready to have us be on site with them or not.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:36] Now, what are you doing as an organization regarding your own learning and training? Has anything changed because of the pandemic or do you always use remote learning or e-learning?

Elise Giannasi : [00:10:48] So, we’ve definitely had an opportunity this year to come together quite a bit for learning, but I would say it’s learning in a different way. So, when the racial and civil unrest had really reached its peak this summer, we jumped on the opportunity to bring our teams together virtually, of course – we used Zoom for the most part – around a series of discussions and learning opportunities around different issues like racial inequality, talking to your kids about racism, how to be an ally, gender identity, and most recently, a conversation around the impacts of COVID on marginalized populations. And we were able to have this discussion series that ended up being, about, monthly where we brought everyone together. And so, I would call that more informal learning where the point is to have challenging conversations but also teach each other through those conversations.

Elise Giannasi : [00:11:57] So, this year, we’ve focused on learning in that way. And then, we also have been doing a number of weekly and, now, they’ll probably become monthly, town halls where we come together as a firm and really talk a lot about the business and the steps we’re taking to navigate the economic impacts of the pandemic. So, I would say, our learning focus really shifted more to how do we continue to grow as a business and as colleagues around the topic of inclusion. And, also, this year, like I said, really helped people hone their business development and relationship skills and remote capacity. So, it’s almost like on the job learning, if you will. In the past, though, we have definitely run more formal training programs. But I would say this year, the emphasis on the recovery of a business in the middle of an economic scare and pandemic, it’s turned more towards that kind of informal learning through conversations and town halls.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:04] And when you’re doing that kind of informal learning, is that something that is even possible to measure?

Elise Giannasi : [00:13:12] So, the best way that we could measure it is through this sense of whether our people are feeling more connected and whether they understand the decisions we’re making about the business. And that’s really hard to measure quantitatively. I would say, it’s really been more of a qualitative feel for how people are feeling connected to the culture. And, of course, we do receive, especially this last year, a lot of emails or texts or calls from people letting us know that they feel supported by the firm, but also our support of the firm and the decisions it’s making.

Elise Giannasi : [00:13:52] But our employee survey, again, it’s a big thing for me where I can dive in and really get a sense for how people are feeling about the way we communicate and a level of transparency and their satisfaction with some of this inclusion material that we’ve been able to do this year. And so far this year, we did really well in those areas. So, that’s where we stand.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:18] Now, I know Jabian, the communities are important and the inclusion, obviously, is important. When it comes down to kind of the behavior you’d like your people to demonstrate and really immerse themselves in the community, is that possible to measure? Can you tell that, “Hey, we are getting more engagement from folks that want to get involved in these social causes and social impact initiatives”?

Elise Giannasi : [00:14:49] That’s easier to measure because we can simply keep track of all of the things that our people are doing. And they are very engaged even remotely. It’s something that draws people to Jabian, but it’s also something that’s a requirement at every level. It’s part of the competencies that we expect of our people. So, 100 percent of the firm is engaged in the community in some way or another.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:17] And that’s just one of the core values of Jabian so that in order to be part of the team, then you have to kind of demonstrate that by actively doing some of those doing that work.

Elise Giannasi : [00:15:30] That’s right. That’s right. And it’s also one of the things that attracts people to us. It’s not just about serving clients in our local markets, but it’s also about serving communities in our local markets. Really putting down roots where you live, because a lot of consultants are always on planes, at least not in the last year, of course, but usually on planes going to other cities. And, for us, our advantage is that we are serving clients where we live and also getting engaged in that community where we live and making an impact.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:03] Now, pretty much annually, at least, as long as I’ve known about Jabian, your organization gets recognized as one of the best and brightest companies to work for. That obviously is something you’re proud of and obviously it’s important to you. How did that come about? And is that something that just organically happened and then you realized, “Hey, we are this and so let’s celebrate this.” Or was that kind of like a happy accident?

Elise Giannasi : [00:16:34] You know, I don’t actually know the origin of what brought us to that, just given that I haven’t been at the firm long enough. I think, we’ve been winning these awards since well before I joined Jabian. But in the last year, this year in particular, we won that for both Atlanta and Dallas as well as nationally. And I believe that’s been true for the last several years. And in the coming year, we’re going to be competing in that space for our other two offices, Charlotte and Chicago. It’s probably a chicken or the egg question, but I think that we do have a really unique and extraordinary culture. And it’s something that we want to celebrate internally, but we also want to make sure that those people who we want to attract to the firm are also aware of how great our culture is.

Elise Giannasi : [00:17:26] And one of the best ways to get that kind of recognition is through awards and recognition like Best and Brightest. So, we’re certainly proud of that, especially this year, because the recognition was really rooted in how companies were able to navigate through the challenges that we all faced this year with the pandemic and the social unrest. And so, we really felt like the recognition received this year reflected how we approached them.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:56] Now, do you have any advice for other leaders out there that would like their organization to be, you know, considered among the best and the brightest? Are there some low hanging fruit that organizations can focus in on that can help them get a leg up?

Elise Giannasi : [00:18:12] That’s a great question. If I think of the way that you want to think about the way that you’re asked the questions around what makes you best and brightest, and I think the things that are really important are your values. And do you truly live your values both in the near term and do you make decisions that are aligned to your values for the long term. So, I think that’s really important. And I think having an engaged employee base that are really proud of the culture and believe the culture to be strong is going to be really important, because your employees are the ones who are filling out the surveys for these awards. And so, it’s really you want to make sure that they are feeling valued and engaged in order to make sure that that gets reflected in that way.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:02] Well, Elise, if somebody wanted to learn more about Jabian and connect with you or somebody on your team, what is the coordinates? What’s the best way to get a hold of you?

Elise Giannasi : [00:19:11] If you head to jabian.com, you would be able to find us. Anything, any questions you have about Jabian would be on our website, of course. And then, you’d be able to contact us through the Atlanta page. You could get direct contact with us there. That’s where I’d be.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:26] And then, what do you need more of? How can we help you?

Elise Giannasi : [00:19:30] Oh, gosh. I would say, one of the things that we are looking for is, obviously, more community engagement. So, the more that we can learn about our community, the more that we can get involved in our community. And then, also, certainly, ideas for continuing to engage employees through remote work is top of mind for me right now.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:55] Well, Elise, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Elise Giannasi : [00:20:01] Thank you, Lee.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:02] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We will see you all next time on Learning Insights. And remember, please support our sponsor, TrainingPros. Without them, we could not be sharing these important stories.

Outro: [00:20:15] Thank you for listening. For more information about TrainingPros, visit their website at training-pros.com.

 

 

About Training Pros

Since TrainingPros was founded in 1997, they have been dedicated to helping their clients find the right consultant for their projects.

23 years later, they are proud to have helped hundreds of clients complete their projects and thousands of consultants find great assignments. Training Pros continues to focus on helping their clients and consultants as well as their community.

Follow Training Pros on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

TJ Woodward with Conscious Recovery

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Bay Area Business Radio
TJ Woodward with Conscious Recovery
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TJ-Woodward-Conscious-RecoveryTJ Woodward is a revolutionary recovery expert, bestselling author, inspirational speaker, and addiction treatment specialist who has helped countless people through his simple, yet powerful teachings. He is the creator of The Conscious Recovery Method, which is a groundbreaking and effective approach to viewing and treating addiction.

TJ is also a featured thought-leader on wholehearted.org along with Brene Brown, Dr. Gabor Matte, and Mark Lundholm. He was given the honor of being ordained as an Agape minister by Dr. Michael Beckwith, and is also the founding minister of Agape Bay Area in Oakland, which was the first satellite community of The Agape International Spiritual Center in LA.

TJ is the author of the bestselling books, Conscious Being: Awakening to your True Nature, and Conscious Recovery: A Fresh Perspective on Addiction. His third book, Conscious Creation: 5 Steps to Embracing the Life of Your Dreams, will be released in December of this year.

Connect with TJ on LinkedIn and Twitter and follow Conscious Recovery on Facebook.

Brooke Gabbert with Study.com

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Learning Insights
Brooke Gabbert with Study.com
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Study.com is a leading online education platform helping learners of all ages excel academically and close skills gaps. Study.com’s online courses, short, animated video lessons, and study tools make learning simple for over 30 million students, teachers, and working professionals. Study.com was founded in 2002 and is a privately held company located in Mountain View, CA.

Brook-GabbertBrooke Gabbert,  Sr. Communications Strategist at Study.com, is an accomplished communication professional with more than two decades of experience in marketing and communications under her belt.

She has held leadership positions across a spectrum of companies including HomeAdvisor, Six Flags and, most recently, Guild Education, to name a few.

Connect with Brooke on LinkedIn.

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for Learning Insights. Brought to you by TrainingPros. When you have more projects than people, TrainingPros can provide you with the right L&D consultant to start your project with confidence. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:27] Lee Kantor here. Another episode of Learning Insights, and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsors at TrainingPros. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these stories. Today on Learning Insights, we have Brooke Gabbert with Study.com. Welcome, Brooke.

Brooke Gabbert: [00:00:45] Thank you. Welcome.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:47] Well, before we get too far into things, tell us about Study.com. How are you serving folks?

Brooke Gabbert: [00:00:51] Sure. So, Study.com was founded with the mission to make education accessible. And that vision is expanded over the last two decades to make Study.com a leading online education platform helping 30 million learners and educators a month. In fact, every minute, a learner enrolls in a course on Study.com.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:12] So, now, how does the organization kind of imbue online learning throughout the organization, not just for the end user?

Brooke Gabbert: [00:01:23] So, everybody at Study.com embraces our goal of making learning accessible and breaking down barriers to education. So, you see that whether you’re working on a spreadsheet, or you’re designing a customer experience, or you’re developing the content for our site. Everybody really embraces that mission. Our team members, along with our study studio network of experts, we’ve created 1.5 million learning resources on our platform. And we’ve fueled 16 million hours of learning engagement this year. So, you really are seeing the results of your work and it’s very satisfying.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:02] Now, how do you kind of keep the culture in a thriving productive manner that allows maybe people to experiment, try new things, and also kind of double down and share what’s working?

Brooke Gabbert: [00:02:16] Sure. So, we have a startup mentality. We’re two decades old, but we still operate very startup and you can make a big impact. And so, we move quickly, we get things done. Team members wear different hats and they regularly interact with senior leadership. There’s a very clear vision that everybody, as I mentioned, buys into is making learning accessible. And so, you know, you feel that throughout the organization. The past year, obviously, going virtual has been – we’re a very in office culture, have happy hours and lunches and sports teams. And so, going virtual, we taken that virtual, and we’ve done bingo ,and we did a Thanksgiving party, and just trying to really create that culture outside the walls.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:08] Now, does any of that transfer to kind of the end user? Are you able to say, “Hey, this worked well in this environment.” Is this something that can also translate to the end user who are using the Study.com platform?

Brooke Gabbert: [00:03:21] Yeah. You know, Study.com is really unique in the online learning world for, I think, three reasons. And this comes from our years of doing this. And so, first, the platform is built to deliver content and engaging and easy to understand. And we do this through microlearning. And so, our lessons are five to seven minute video segments that really help, they move the lesson along, they keep the learner engaged, and they help retain information. And so, that’s a real big one that we really spend a lot of time thinking about.

Brooke Gabbert: [00:03:57] Secondly, our curriculum spans K through 12 to higher ed, STEM to social sciences, and everything in between. We have over 83,000 video in microlessons. And we’re really suited to help teachers and learners alike. And then, lastly, Study.com meets learners where they are on their education path. So, for example, whether you’re a high school student or you’re a working adult, you can access the largest online college course catalog on Study.com and earn college credit at a fraction of the cost. And all of these are available to our employees as well. And so, we had a graduation about a month ago, in December, and we had several employees graduate as part of our Working Scholars Program, taking advantage of all of what I just told you.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:49] Now, is the methodology different when you’re teaching maybe a child had to do something as opposed to a working professional? Or is kind of the fundamentals are the same in either case?

Brooke Gabbert: [00:05:03] I think we find the delivery can be very similar, and that’s in that microlearning environment. So, you know, we have lessons for fifth graders that are taught at a fifth grade level, but they’re delivered in that five to seven minute increment and that visual element to it. And we have the same thing for our college level courses. And so, we’ve helped people, we have a big special needs learning segment and they find that this modality really helps them learn. You have working adults who find, you know, “When am I finding time to sit down for two hours and study?” And they can use this quick lesson format to move through.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:46] Now, when you’re talking about the learning aspect of this, how is the measuring of results come into play?

Brooke Gabbert: [00:05:59] So, Study.com provides quizzes and assessments at the end of each lesson. And so, learners who don’t pass that lesson or that quiz are able to then go directly back to the point in the lesson or the video where they missed that concept. And so, you’re really seeing that real time feedback and being able to measure your understanding of a concept right then and there. And so, that’s one way that we’re able to do that. Also, through our teacher product, we have a whole backend where teachers manage hundreds of students and are able to see their progress throughout the lessons and see how they’re doing on their quizzes, and really help manage that progress and measure their success in that course.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:51] Is the learning taking place kind of individualized or is it something that there’s also an opportunity for group learning?

Brooke Gabbert: [00:07:00] So, teachers have used Study.com in their classroom for years prior to virtual learning. As you can probably expect, this has been a monster year for us and we’ve seen more adoption of our program with teachers going virtual. But in a classroom and also in a virtual way, you could actually use it asynchronously or synchronously. So, you could, for example, talk about a Greek mythology lesson, show the video or assign the video after the lesson, and then have them take the follow up worksheets on their own. So, you can mix and match, and that’s one of the great things about Study.com. It gives teachers and learners and parents at home right now, who are doing this online learning environment, it gives them a lot of different ways to do that.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:52] Now, it sounds like for the most of your history, it’s been focused academically on students learning through teachers. As part of the roadmap for the future, is there any kind of more emphasis on businesses using this in a professional setting in terms of training and development?

Brooke Gabbert: [00:08:14] So, we have a program Working Scholars. And Working Scholars is designed to work with cities and businesses to do that, to help provide affordable college credits, affordable pathways to getting degrees, and then some of that training. We have over 60 different types of test preps, so that’s for people, the working adult and the person who is getting a nursing certification or a real estate certification, or we have a lot of teacher certifications. And so, we see a lot of more working adults or professionals using our teacher or our cert product, our test prep product, to help them advance in their career or get to that next step.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:01] Now, what about like in terms of, say, my company wants to do some leadership training with my teams, do you have a curriculum that can help me facilitate some of these kind of business like curriculums?

Brooke Gabbert: [00:09:17] I would say we have lessons in leadership that companies could use. Like I said, we have 83,000 total lessons, so we cover over 4,500 subjects. But we’re really built for more of the academic side. Businesses, through our Working Scholars Program, have used us to get their upskill and educate their team members. But we’re really more built on the academic side.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:47] And then, for you, what’s the most rewarding part of the job?

Brooke Gabbert: [00:09:52] You know, I have to say that Study.com is a society, we were built that companies need to make a contribution to society. And working there, you really see that come to life. When COVID-19 hit and school started to close, our CEO gathered a group of us and said, “What can we do?” And we ended up donating millions to schools, mainly Title 1 schools across the United States, to help them transition to that virtual learning. And then, most recently, what’s been really empowering for me is our partnership with DonorsChoose. This is a fantastic organization, nonprofit, that we partnered with to help bring access to Study.com for teachers across the nation. And so, reading their stories about how they’ll use it in their classroom and how their students will benefit has just been personally, for me, very rewarding.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:49] Now, looking forward, do you see any kind of silver linings in terms of all the remote learning that’s occurred now nationwide that, maybe, will be able to kind of be taken advantage of post-pandemic?

Brooke Gabbert: [00:11:05] You know, we don’t think that virtual learning is going to go away post-pandemic. I think you’ll see an acceleration of technology in classrooms as online learning really created the opportunity to reimagine the classroom. You were forced to, right? And so, we think that this will continue to be a trend. For example, I talked about the visual learning aspect of our website. I think that will become a really important part of in-classroom learning. And so, our short microlearning video segments are a great example of how a teacher could continue to use technology and online learning in a classroom. We are so excited, we’ve seen an increase of 70 percent year over year in learning engagement on our site. And we’re just excited to head into 2021 eagerly hiring to meet this increased demand and continue to create the technology that is fueling the learning for millions.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:00] Now, what do you need more of? How can we help you?

Brooke Gabbert: [00:12:04] You know, we are hiring, like I said. We are a great resource for you if you’re a parent looking to supplement your child’s learning at home. We’re a great resource for you if you’re a teacher looking to help with the virtual learning and bringing some more resources to you. And we’re also a great resource if you’re looking to go back and get a college degree. Like I said, we’ve got a great catalog of college courses and a really great platform to help you achieve your goals.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:41] Well, congratulations on all the success. If somebody wants to learn more, maybe have more substantive conversation with you or somebody on your team, what’s the website?

Brooke Gabbert: [00:12:50] Study.com.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:52] Well, Brooke, thank you again for sharing your story. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Brooke Gabbert: [00:12:57] Thanks so much, Lee. I appreciate you having me on.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:00] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We will see you all next time on Learning Insights.

Outro: [00:13:07] Thank you for listening. For more information about TrainingPros, visit their website at training-pros.com.

 

 

About Training Pros

Since TrainingPros was founded in 1997, they have been dedicated to helping their clients find the right consultant for their projects.

23 years later, they are proud to have helped hundreds of clients complete their projects and thousands of consultants find great assignments. Training Pros continues to focus on helping their clients and consultants as well as their community.

Follow Training Pros on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin with 23 Consulting

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GWBC Radio
Bianca Thrasher-Starobin with 23 Consulting
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Bianca-Thrasher-Starobin-23-ConsultingBianca Thrasher-Starobin, President and CEO of 23 Consulting, is a consultant and lobbyist with experience in financial markets, investment management, electoral and legislative political activities, relationship management, and business turnarounds.

Her Background Includes:

  • Member, Georgia Professional Lobbyists Association
  • Former Virginia Beach’s Junior Miss
  • BA in Political Science, with a minor in German, from Spelman College
  • Formerly held Series 6,7,31 and 66 securities licenses
  • Forbes Women Forum Member, a global forum dedicated to connecting women leaders around the world committed to advancing and supporting women’s leadership
  • Member of National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council. NSBA is the nation’s oldest small business advocacy group working to promote the interests of small businesses to policymakers in Washington, D.C.
  • Member of Southern Economic Development Council, a professional economic development organization spanning the American South
  • Consultant and operations manager for an Atlanta business with stagnated revenues. In this role, she instituted goal-setting and measurement practices, managed inventory, recruited new hires, made and executed personnel decisions, implemented a business operating system (Retail Data Systems) and created initiatives to reach a new client demographic. As a result, their business revenues increased by 40% within 5 months
  • Chief of Staff for a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. She nurtured bi-partisan relationships and acted as the primary relationship manager between the legislator and constituents. Led an outreach effort to increase the legislator’s visibility among residents, small businesses and local leader within the district
  • Registered Investment Advisor at Morgan Stanley. One of only two women on a team of 40 and not only secured new clients but also managed multi-million dollar personal and corporate accounts. These accounts included German corporate 401Ks, professional athletes, Usher’s New Look (an Atlanta-based nonprofit), Jane Fonda’s
  • Georgia Campaign for Awareness and Pregnancy Prevention (GCAPP), and Atlanta –area law firms and medical offices. She also performed targeted hedging, financial modeling, financial analysis, and risk tolerance assessment to advise high net worth and corporate clients on best option investment strategies
  • Financial Advisor with New York Life Insurance, where she identified prospective and current clients requiring investment guidance and recommended investment solutions
  • Financial Marketing Representative with John Hancock Insurance
  • Member of the Small Business Advisory Committee of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce
  • Advisory Board of Directors for Women’s Entrepreneurial Opportunity Project
  • Former member of the Board of Directors of the United Nation’s Atlanta Association Chapter, Georgia Family Court Reform and of the Atlanta Urban League of Young Professionals
  • Selected to participate in the Georgia Women in Numbers List Leadership Academy
  • Served as Emory University’s Global Health & Humanitarian Summit Financial Chair
  • Community leader and advocate, supporting women and children. Volunteered with the YWCA Cobb County Temporary Protective Order Office, protecting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and represented child victims of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect as a Fulton County Court Appointed Special Advocate.
  • Member of RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) Speakers Bureau
TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for GWBC Radio’s Open for Business. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] Lee Kantor here. Another episode of GWBC Open for Business, and this is going to be a good one. Today, we have with us Bianca Thrasher-Starobin with 23 Consulting. Welcome, Bianca.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:00:30] Thank you so much for having me, Lee. I’m so excited to be here with you.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:35] Well, before we get too far into things, tell us about 23 Consulting. Tell us about that firm, who you serve, and what are you up to.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:00:43] Absolutely. So, 23 Consulting, we are a full service lobbying and business strategy business development and government relations firm. And we specialize in business turnarounds and relationship management. We’re also focused on environmental sustainability. And we are based out of Atlanta. We’ve operated throughout the southeastern region of the United States. But we’ve also got some international relations going on, in Monaco, we’ve done some work in Italy, and then also in France. And I speak German, so we’re looking forward to doing some fun stuff in Germany.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:22] So, how’d you get into this line of work? Is this how your career has always gone?

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:01:27] Oh, my goodness. Wow. I think that’s a great question. So, I was a pol sci major, winner winner chicken dinner. And I actually started interning at the Capitol before interning was a thing and people knew about it. That was right around when I was 19. I’m 41 years old now. And I think when you’re that young and kind of being thrown into that environment, which is an amazingly exciting environment with many different avenues, you’re either going to run terrified screaming away from it or you’re going to become really strong and amazing and learn to navigate that territory. So, first I ran and then I came back.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:02:10] But politics has always been amazing and fascinating to me. When I interned, I interned for a lobbyist. And so, I always kept those relationships and went into finance in Morgan Stanley, did some traveling and some partying and all of that good stuff. And then, lo and behold, came back to be chief of staff for a legislator. And so, as you continue to nurture those relationships, that’s what those environments are all about. Then, people slowly start to come to you for business advice and different opportunities. And then, finally, you work up the nerve to realize that you could actually make money doing these things. And one thing leads to another and then we have a 23 Consulting lobbying and business development firm.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:52] Now, for those who maybe they watch TV and they think they know what a lobbyist is, but why don’t you explain to folks what a lobbyist is and does in kind of more practical terms rather than these romanticized ways that, maybe, the media portrays it?

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:03:10] I would love to. So, when people ask me what I do, I keep it in layman’s terms because it is what it is, I go get stuff. So, I come by with a little bit of commonsense with relationships. Because you don’t just get to walk into the Capitol or into a political environment and say, “Yes. I’m going to be a lobbyist today.” It’s all about people getting to know who you are. And for myself, like, I am bipartisan. You got to work across both lines and not necessarily alienate yourself. I guess you see things turn, especially in Georgia today. And so, myself, personally, I vote based on the individual. I am not one party line. And that’s what a lobbyist does.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:03:56] Like, let’s say you’re a company, hypothetically. Often times, myself, on Uber, so when I’m explaining that to the Uber driver, I say, “Let’s say you are CEO of Uber. While you’re busy doing CEO stuff all day, you’ve got your business development, you’ve got to deal with your staffing stuff. You are the executive. You’ve got a lot going on. And so, it’s a great thing to be able to have someone who has eyes on the legislative components that might affect your business. And so, rather than trying to keep up with all of that stuff on your own, you hire someone to be able to do that for you.” Like, for example, what we saw going on in California with regard to whether or not they’re going to be employees or if they’re going to be classified as independent contractors.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:04:44] So, a lobbyist has not only familiarity with the folks that are going to be making those rules or going against those rules, but also they understand how things work behind the scenes. And so, they are able to report to things that are going on and basically have a better, more stronger impact than CEO person that’s just going to go and make some random phone call, but doesn’t necessarily know how things are moving behind the scenes. So, that is what a lobbyist does. They go and they get stuff. They protect the interests of their clients and they raise awareness for potential opportunities to raise revenue because, businesses, they do exist in order to raise revenue.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:30] Now, from a business standpoint, most businesses I would imagine from a numerical standpoint in sheer numbers, most people don’t engage a lobbyist, but they might benefit from some of the lobbyist’s work based on some of the associations maybe they’re part of. How would a business know they are the right type of business or right kind of business that would benefit from somebody having a lobbyist background?

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:05:56] You know, I say any business who would benefit from having – I mean, yeah, there are fees associated with it. Like you mentioned before, there are associations, but any business, any industry, would benefit from knowing how legislation is going to impact their business down the road or to be able to identify market trends. And so, joining associations is one way to navigate that territory. I apologize, some call is just coming in. But then, also, just going and having a conversation with a lobbyist. And you can Google them. I mean, myself, I’m 678-640-6819, you can give me a call on my cell phone. I work all hours of the day.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:06:43] But, also, just like when I was in finance and I was at Morgan Stanley, which is more of a boutique firm where they’re mainly focusing on high net worth, I always liked having the opportunity to be able to reach out to folks that might not necessarily have had those assets in other ways. So, for me, it’s a blessing to be able to open doors wherever I can and have conversations. Like, even if someone might not necessarily be able to financially obtain a lobbyist, just to be able to have some kind of awareness and have a conversation with them, that’s always going to be beneficial, especially a person like myself because I’m just going to give it to you straight.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:26] Now, in terms of your own consulting firm, I would imagine, because lobbying, I would imagine, touches every aspect of every business, whether they realize it or not. Your clients could come from anywhere. That being a lobbyist, you can help lots of different folks across a lot of different industries. But it sounds like you’ve kind of focused some of your energy in environmental sustainability. How did that come about?

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:07:52] That is correct. Well, it’s always important for us to give back. I don’t mean to be cliche, but to whom much is given, much is expected. And anyone that has a platform to be able to make a change, I mean, that comes with the territories and obligation. And so, I am actually part of a Forbes women’s group and I became a partner.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:08:17] I started working with a woman out of Monaco because she was very passionate about yachting and raising awareness to how plastic was impacting the ocean. And so, even though in this particular scenario, it was not a tax deductible opportunity for my business, I just love the passion that she had in raising awareness in Easter Island and the Galapagos Islands. And she actually got funding from the Prince Albert Foundation. And just being able to support that cause to make the world a better place. And so, I became passionate with that. I got to know her a little bit more and just even more about environmental sustainability, dating back to when I was in Earth Club in the eighth grade, like, making the world a better place for everyone and the generations behind us is just important to me and my small part.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:09:08] And so, that’s how I got involved in environmental sustainability. And there are so many components to that, not just raising awareness with regard to passion for the ocean and making a cleaner environment. But then, also just in the energy efficiency. All of these things are so connected because just energy efficiency, I mean, the vehicles and then being able to monitor how we’re impacting the earth with what we’re doing to it. That’s all one component. It’s one thing that’s all connected and that’s how I got involved with that.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:09:46] Also, one of my clients is a lighting company out of South Carolina, and they always had a vision for me to become a distributor for them, even though I was lobbying for them and I was doing business throughout the Southeast for them and representing them. And so, lo and behold, I became an LED lighting distributor.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:06] So, how does that impact your day? You’re calling on companies to put LED lighting in their businesses?

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:10:14] Yeah. So, I’m in a very unique situation because I’m with many businesses, it’s relationships, especially in the south. I mean, who do you know and do they know that they can trust you? Are you going to do what you say you’re going to do? Are they going to take a chance on somebody they don’t know? And so, fortunately for me, I was already representing this lighting company and getting business and raising awareness to what they were doing as their lobbyist. And so, when I became a distributor, well, I already had those different contacts that I’d already been reaching out to. Plus, I’m in government relations. And so, I kind of had – I don’t want to say access, but it is access to some of the different cities and some of the economic development folks and just elected officials in general.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:10:59] So, it’s kind of being able to let them know, “Hey, look. This is also something that I am doing.” And it’s not really a jack of all trades and master of none and that it’s all connected. And I’m still learning a little bit. I’m learning more and more about LED lighting every day. And engineering society, I’ve joined one of those and how all of these things work together. But I think it’s a pro. It’s a plus. I’m not just an LED lighting person or just have a background in LED lighting. I also have a relationship with private corporations. I have those relationships as well as with elected officials to be able to let them know what I’m doing. And them to know that if Bianca is going to do it, she’s going to put forth a thousand percent. So, I’m not going to not deliver.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:45] Right. It sounds like everything kind of organically leads to everything else.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:11:50] For sure.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:51] So, what is, like, your day? What’s a day in the life of Bianca look like?

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:11:57] Oh, my God. Lee, I will be honest with you. I don’t know any other way. I have not been to sleep. I actually came into my office right around 8:00-ish yesterday. And it just kind of depends because, like, we’re not dealing with the session, so I’m not at the Capitol now so I’m not doing that. But I’ve got my LED lighting and just kind of like building that business. And then, also, just as a lobbyist and business development, I’ve got my clients. And so, I’m still making sure that I’m watching out for their interests and helping them out with their business development, and dealing with transportation and lighting and then security.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:12:41] And so, I keep my calendar. I have actually been up all night. I’m dealing with the marketing. And I’m on different time zones. I’m dealing in Monaco. I’ve got some stuff going on in California. Just kind of making sure that I’m able to keep all of my meetings and prioritizing what needs to be done first. But it’s a labor of love and I will probably be done right around 6:00-ish. And I will head to the spa and the sauna. I’ll get a quick nap. And then, I’ll probably head back into work to get stuff done. It’s just a grind season.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:21] And then, the work that you’re doing, is it kind of thinking, reading, talking? Are you kind of reaching out to strangers and getting to know them? What’s the activities that you’re doing?

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:13:35] Well, actually, I’m dealing with the marketing of the environmental sustainability component. And I’ve also done some pitches to some of the cities. And so, I’m kind of following up with them and making sure that if they have any questions that I’m able to answer those questions. With the transportation company, we are looking into rolling out helping to assist in the vaccinations before we did the COVID testing. And so, now, we’re kind of transitioning as the market has changed. And so, we’re looking to partner with the larger insurance companies. We’ve worked with them in the past, the one in particular. And so, I’m really staying on top of all of that. In addition to that, with business development, one of my clients has retained me to start a school for them. And this is the transportation client, a truck driver training school.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:14:25] So, after this call, I will be jumping on that to kind keep them posted and let them know how things are going, so that they can focus on making sure they get their PPP fund. And that they are at ease in knowing that I’m doing my part to continue their revenue stream and for what they’ve retained me for. I’ll also talk to a few other lobbyists about what’s going on with our politics here in Georgia.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:51] Yeah. Especially today is an exciting day for that. Now, for you, personally, you’re doing so many things for so many different folks. The deliverable or the ROI that you’re delivering is business, though. That’s the bottom line at the end of the day, right? This is something that is a business driving firm that you’re helping companies make more money and have bigger impact.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:15:16] For sure. Absolutely. You said it best.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:24] Now, for you, not only are you doing this kind of work, you’re also a member of the Greater Women’s Business Council. Can you talk about why it was important for your firm to be part of that organization?

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:15:35] Absolutely. Actually, I love the organization. I think it’s important for me, just as a woman, I am really big. I’ve operated in male dominated environments professionally throughout my career. And so, I know the different areas where perhaps they might be overlooked or perhaps they have to step up to the plate and learn to have their own voice and not minimize who they are. And so, I’ve actually applied to be Audit Committee, so I’m looking forward to hearing back. I did hear from them, but I should be hearing they’re going to be route me to wherever it is that they feel like I am best suited to offer my assistance or bring any value. And, also, I’ve been accepted into their Thrive Program, which is helping small businesses to grow and to think about navigating environments like this and how to continue to sustain themselves and to thrive within these environments.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:16:32] And then, also, just my opportunity to be able to be on this call with you and to be on the radio that has come through that organization. So, I think that they do a tremendous job. And I mean, later on today, I’m working on the pitch, the Coca-Cola 2021 pitch. I think it’s a 90 second pitch and the winner gets the $5,000. So, GWBC is absolutely amazing and they are really on it. They actually introduced us to companies and it’s on us to be able to follow up with them and see what opportunities are available. And they do their part. I have absolutely no complaints. And I’m honored and thankful to be a part of that organization.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:20] Well, we appreciate you being part of it as well. And the group is only as good as its members. And when the members have the attitude that you do, being proactive and want to make things happen, they’re the ones who get the most out of it.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:17:36] For sure. Absolutely. I mean, too much is given, much is expected. And I think, honestly, we are so blessed to be citizens in this country. I’m half immigrant, my mom is from Trinidad. And when my grandmother came here, she didn’t have anything and she brought her kids over one by one. And this is a great country. And if you’re willing to work hard and to continue on and not give up and to dream as big as you can, there’s nothing you can’t do.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:06] Amen to that. Now, for you and your organization, what is kind of the pain that a potential client is having where 23 Consulting is the solution?

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:18:23] You know, I think a lot of business owners, just in general with CEOs, they get bogged down in the CEO aspect or just the C Suite executives. They’ve got to deal with their staff. They’ve got to deal with growing their business. And to be able to, like, even have a concept and then bring that to 23 Consulting and have that be the talent and the common sense to be able to push forward and say, “You know what? We can do this. You let me handle this, I’ve got this under control.” Or for them to say, “Look, this is my interest politically and this is where we would like to be aligned. This is what I would like to be made aware of.” And to be able to go out there and meet these elected officials and have conversations with them, get to know them personally, get their cell phone numbers, and build relationships that way. So that they can grow their revenue down the road and have these legislators keep them in mind, you know, when they’re going to be impacted is where 23 shines.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:25] And then, can you share a success story? Maybe don’t name names, but where you work with a client that maybe was skeptical, maybe was new to working with a lobbyist or a firm that has lobbying as part of their deliverable, and you made an impact in their organization.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:19:42] Oh, sure. Yeah. What comes to mind, again, is the transportation company. Like, they had this idea that maybe when all of these things were shutting down, the motorcoach industry in particular, because that’s their revenue stream. They’re out there, they’re bussing people. They’ve got the military contract. They’re dealing with the public schools. They’re dealing with the private schools. They’re dealing with the tours. When everything froze up, they were in a situation like, “What can we do?” And so, for them to say, “Hey, look. We’ve got this idea, Bianca. What do you think about this?” The idea was, we can disseminate our 60 transportation vehicles all across the State of Georgia or as far as is necessary all throughout the Southeast, because we have that experience to be able to help and to kind of move this along with regard to offering our assistance business-wise and then also just in solving the problem. And for me to take that on and just grace of God, humble beginnings, and say, “Okay. Yes. I think this is a great idea.”

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:20:43] And to start calling up these elected officials and say, “Look, this is what my client is interested in doing, how can we move this?” And then, calling up the doctors and calling up the nurses. And then, eventually, lo and behold, we’re working with an insurance company. They’re sponsoring my client. My client is getting revenue there. We’re working with the medical professionals. We are disseminating these vehicles across cities in getting this COVID testing done. And my client is able to maintain some degree of revenue in the environment as opposed to just having those vehicles sitting out there. That one really means a lot to me, I think, because we heard so many no’s. And it wasn’t even personally. Like, you know, even with the elected officials, nobody had been through this before so it’s like they didn’t necessarily know what to do. Everybody was doing the best they could.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:21:36] But to be able to just carry on and finally find that person, that first person who says, “Yes. I will help. We can do this.” And to just kind of, like, navigate it from there and watch it grow. And then, get media attention, actually, we got nationwide, we got statewide. And I’m really proud of them and I’m thankful that they trusted me.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:57] And then, that’s an example where not only is it impacting that individual organization, it’s also impacting the communities that they serve as well. This is, you know, kind of win, win, win all the way around.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:22:09] That’s what it’s all about in lobbying and everywhere in business. When everybody wins, like, that’s a good thing. If anybody is feeling slighted, there are going to be some hiccups. Absolutely, you hit the nail on the head.

Lee Kantor: [00:22:23] Well, if somebody wanted to learn more about what you’re up to and wants to connect with you or somebody on your team, what’s the website?

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:22:31] Absolutely. The website is the number 23consultingllc.com. Also, my cell phone, I’m 678-640-6819. And then, for lighting and to learn more about what we’re doing in the Galapagos Islands and Easter Island and with the plastics and lighting, energy efficiency, would be 23ledlighting.com.

Lee Kantor: [00:22:57] Well, Bianca, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Bianca Thrasher-Starobin: [00:23:03] Thank you, Lee. I really appreciate having the opportunity to chat with you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all that you’re doing to give us some shine and recognition.

Lee Kantor: [00:23:11] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on GWBC Open for Business.

About GWBC

The Greater Women’s Business Council (GWBC®) is at the forefront of redefining women business enterprises (WBEs). An increasing focus on supplier diversity means major corporations are viewing our WBEs as innovative, flexible and competitive solutions. The number of women-owned businesses is rising to reflect an increasingly diverse consumer base of women making a majority of buying decision for herself, her family and her business. GWBC-Logo

GWBC® has partnered with dozens of major companies who are committed to providing a sustainable foundation through our guiding principles to bring education, training and the standardization of national certification to women businesses in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Guido Vliegen with 3Bros Dutch Cookies

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Atlanta Business Radio
Guido Vliegen with 3Bros Dutch Cookies
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A family-owned, Georgia based company founded in 2020, 3Bros is taking the stroopwafel market by storm, offering a superior product that is guaranteed to be fresh; the way a stroopwafel is meant to be eaten.

3Bros bakes the original Dutch recipe, made with butter, sugar beet molasses, cinnamon and other natural spices while sourcing local ingredients when possible. They are also nut-free, and made in a nut-free facility. The stroopwafels are made with no artificial preservatives, flavors, colors or high fructose corn syrup. The 3Bros bakery in Fayetteville, Georgia employs local residents. For more information visit www.3broscookies.com

Guido-Vliegen-3Bros-Dutch-CookiesGuido Vliegen is an accomplished C-Level executive, consistently performing as a business development strategist and international operations pioneer. He has extensive experience in management, leadership and demonstrated success even in the most challenging business environments. He has a multi-discipline background and extensive international sales, marketing, new business development, branding, and strategic planning experience.

Originally from the Netherlands, Guido has lived and worked in Europe and the USA. His career began as an Industrial Engineer at Hunter Douglas Europe developing and executing productivity improvement projects. Guido then broadened his experience by moving into marketing and sales management for Hunter Douglas, Verosol and TenCate Protective Fabrics. In 2005, Guido moved to Georgia to drive the strategy and integration of a newly acquired American business unit of personal protective textiles for TenCate.

3Bros Dutch Cookies was started in 2017 when we became tired of having stale stroopwafels imported from overseas. So, we decided to make them at home and share them with the community. He and his wife baked them at home and sold them at local markets.

In 2019 he decided to make 3Bros Dutch Cookies a real business and built a dedicated bakery in Fayetteville, Georgia that opened in March of 2020. The bakery is a fully licensed commercial bakery where stroopwafels are made by hand. The Classic Caramel flavor is currently the only flavor they make, but they plan to add other flavors in the future.

Connect with Guido on LinkedIn and follow 3Bros Dutch Cookies on Facebook and Twitter.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

  • Why Guido started 3Bros Dutch Cookies
  • What is a Stroopwafel?
  • What sets 3Bros Dutch Cookies apart?
  • How Guido’s background helped him grow his business
  • Why a family business is important to Guido and the 3Bros Dutch Cookies name
  • Plans for expansion

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Jill Johnson with Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership

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High Velocity Radio
Jill Johnson with Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership
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Jill-Johnson-Institute-for-Entrereneurial-LeadershipJill Johnson is the Co-founder/CEO of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership (IFEL) and of Women of Color Connecting. She is a champion of small business inclusion within the economic development landscape.

She is working on innovative solutions to address the challenge of access to capital and other barriers faced by Women of Color entrepreneurs. She is committed to helping Women of Color entrepreneurs get connected and to helping influencers and decision makers connect with them.

Jill is inquisitive by nature, and not afraid to challenge the status quo. This attribute makes her a strong conversationalist and an expert moderator.

Connect with Jill on LinkedIn and follow Women of Color Connecting on Facebook.

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