Launch Youniversity

Turning Good Intentions into Reality in Your Career, Business and Life

culture

091: Creating the Culture You Want

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The Launch Youniversity Podcast
The Launch Youniversity Podcast
091: Creating the Culture You Want
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Summary:

Sixteen years ago, Chris Carneal saw a need — elementary schools were spending valuable time fundraising to support their schools when they should’ve been spending that time focusing on their students. What started as an idea during his junior year of college blossomed into a business, called Booster, that’s now on track to provide $60 million in fundraising for schools nationwide.

But he didn’t get there alone. He credits a healthy mix of innovation, flexibility, and the right culture to his company’s success. He joins Booster’s Executive Vice President of Business Development, Matthew Keller, and podcast host, Shane Benson, on today’s episode.

Welcome to episode 91 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast.

Links + Resources:

The Launch Loop ebook

Boosterthon | Booster Spirit Wear | Giving Market

Three Takeaways:

1. Culture matters
Create a culture you enjoy working in. If you don’t take care in cultivating the right team, you’ll have a bunch of people around you who aren’t too sold on the mission, which will eventually get noticed by your consumers. You can start creating a culture you love by genuinely caring about the people you work with and celebrating them often.

2. Know when it’s time to delegate
Delegation requires the right timing — there’s such a thing as delegating too early and delegating too late. When someone on your team is 75 percent competent in the task that needs delegating, Chris says, send it their way. Your business won’t grow if you don’t have a team that’s capable to do the work, so make sure you’re surrounded by the right people. 

3. Ask yourself, “Will they buy it?”
Sometimes, startups have the bad habit of latching onto an idea before researching whether or not there’s a need for it in the marketplace. Before launching, ask yourself if there’s a need for this product or service, and if there is, move forward.

Thank you for listening to the Launch Youniversity Podcast! If you have a question that you want to be answered on the podcast… ask us here!

089: Wes Jones of Honeysuckle Gelato on Starting Small, Building Team Culture, and Taking Calculated Risks

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The Launch Youniversity Podcast
The Launch Youniversity Podcast
089: Wes Jones of Honeysuckle Gelato on Starting Small, Building Team Culture, and Taking Calculated Risks
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Summary:

Whether you’re starting your own business with limited resources, or leading a team at an established organization, a realistic vision and the right team members to buy into that vision will ensure an easier road ahead. Today, hosts Kevin Jennings and Shane Benson are joined by Wes Jones, co-owner of Atlanta-based Honeysuckle Gelato, who talk about Wes’s journey from food truck to a permanent location and the steps he and his partners took to grow their business.

Welcome to episode 89 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast.

Links + Resources:

Plywood Presents

The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center

Honeysuckle Gelato

Three Takeaways:

  • Define your core values. You have to understand the heart of your business and team before you can communicate that to those you lead and your consumers. Define what is important, and communicate clearly those values to everyone. Ask yourself, “What problem am I solving? How is the culture here a part of solving that problem?”
  • Create margin. As a business owner or leader, there will always be more work to be done. That doesn’t mean all of that work has to be done right away. Create boundaries in your workday and understand that everything cannot be done right now. Take a break to recharge — creating mental space will give you the capacity to think about your business in a new way.
  • Hire people who fit your culture. You want to work with people who not only understand your mission, but who are advocates for it. Take your time in hiring the right people — sometimes being thorough with whom you hire makes all the difference in how people view your brand.

Thank you for listening to the Launch Youniversity Podcast! If you have a question that you want to be answered on the podcast… ask us here!

066: Celebrate Well: The Secret Fuel for Launch

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Celebrate Well on The Launch Youniversity Podcast
The Launch Youniversity Podcast
066: Celebrate Well: The Secret Fuel for Launch
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Summary:

You and your team are accomplishing big things. Big, difficult things. And with all the testing, tweaking and launching, it’s easy to lose sight of something just as important: celebrating. As Shane and David share in today’s episode, a pause to celebrate creates energy and momentum. It can even be the fuel to rocket power through the next launch.

Welcome to Episode 66 of The Launch Youniversity Podcast.

Links + Resources:

Get Your Ideas Off The Ground: The Launch Loop ebook

Three Takeaways:

1. Celebrating reminds us of the why.

Moving straight from one big project or launch to the next one can be draining for your team. Taking the time to stop, thank and acknowledge your team will help remind everyone of the vision and their place in the vision.

2. Big and planned, or small and spontaneous.

Celebrating well doesn’t mean you have to throw a Christmas-party type of evening everytime you complete a project. Small and spontaneous works well too, like bringing in donuts or ice cream for the team. It really isn’t about what you do—it’s about making your team feel seen, appreciated and celebrated.

3. Delegate it.

If you’re not inherently inclined to plan celebrations, choose someone on your team who loves to help people celebrate. Give them full permission to give you a nudge when they think a celebration might be in order, and let them put it on the calendar and organize the details.

064: CEO of Roam, Peyton Day, on People, Culture and Setting Yourself Apart

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Peyton Day of Roam Innovative Workplace in Atlanta, GA on the Launch Youniversity Podcast
The Launch Youniversity Podcast
064: CEO of Roam, Peyton Day, on People, Culture and Setting Yourself Apart
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SUMMARY:

Roam started the way that all the best businesses do… with a problem that needed to be solved.

When the recession hit in 2008, corporate businesses were cutting costs by shutting their office doors and sending employees home to work remotely. This happened to five friends in Alpharetta, GA. They could work from home, where their day would be filled with distractions. They could work from a coffee shop, where they’d have to fight for a good seat and a wifi connection. Or, they could open their own place to have coffee, share ideas and work alongside others.

Now, 10 years later, the space they dreamed of is called Roam. Roam is an innovative coworking space with multiple locations throughout greater Atlanta. Today on the podcast, we’re joined by Roam CEO Peyton Day as he shares the journey to get Roam launched and what all launchers can do to set themselves apart from competition.

Welcome to episode 64 of the podcast.

LINKS + RESOURCES:

Roam Innovative Workplace

Roam Locations in Greater Atlanta

Roam on Instagram

Roam on Facebook

Roam on Twitter

THREE TAKEAWAYS:

1. People and culture set you apart.

Every business has competitors who offer similar services. But a way to set your business apart is through your people and culture. Roam is very intentional about who they hire. When you walk into Roam, you’re greeted with a smile and immediate assistance for anything you need. Culturally, the goal at Roam is to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit. They aim to be the place where ideas can grow. And prospective members, looking for a remote workspace, get hit with that culture as soon as they walk through the door.

2. Choose the right business partners.

Choose and know your partner(s) well. If you don’t line up with your business partner on values, philosophy and culture… you’re in for a lot of sleepless nights. You might have completely different personalities, but you need to have the same goals.

3. Focus on the value you bring.

So many launchers focus on the pricing of their services, and for good reason. But it’s not just about the cost to the consumer… it’s the value that you’ll add to their life. Focus on what value you’ll bring to your customer, how you’ll make their life better, and keep striving to think of new ways to serve them. When you add a whole lot of value, the price begins to matter less and less.

062: Dealing with Conflict, Different Opinions and Challenging People

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Dealing with Conflict, Difficult Opinions and Challenging People in the workplace via the Launch Youniversity Podcast
The Launch Youniversity Podcast
062: Dealing with Conflict, Different Opinions and Challenging People
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SUMMARY:

No matter how much you may love your job and your coworkers… you will 100% encounter conflict, different opinions and challenging people in the workplace. It’s normal! And it’s not always bad. When you come across these less-than-comfortable moments, Kevin and David are sharing what the best course of action is.

Welcome to episode 62 of the podcast.

LINKS + RESOURCES:

Brian Preston of Lamon Luther on LYP 049

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

The Johari Window Model

5 Dysfunctions Of A Team by Patrick Lencioni

THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. Not all tension is bad
Believe it or not, there’s such thing as good tension. In fact, it’s inherently healthy. Healthy tension means that there’s diverse opinions, thoughts and perspectives. Healthy tension means that you’re looking at things from many angles. This is a good thing. It means that your team isn’t a bunch of robots who think the same thing all the time, if there’s no tension then there probably isn’t much learning or growing either.

2. Seek first to understand
When you find yourself in conflict with a person, the best thing you can do is ask questions (genuinely—not condescending or passive aggressively) about why they feel the way they do. Let the other person know that you are genuinely interested in listening to their side of the conflict. Repeat back to them what you’re hearing, so that there’s no miscommunication. After doing this, you may still feel like you’re right and they’re wrong. But you gave them and yourself the opportunity to see things from the other side. Our first reaction is to defend, but it needs to be to listen.

3. Go to the person first
If you’re experiencing conflict with somebody, discuss it with them directly first. Don’t gossip with others about it or immediately tell your leader (who then may blindsight the person by speaking with them about your issue that you’ve never shared with them). Go to them, try and work towards an understanding together, and if you still can’t solve the problem then approach a leader or two together.

045: Courage, Vision and Listening to Your Inner Voice with Garrett Gravesen and Kevin Scott of ADDO

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SUMMARY:

If you’re waiting for permission to make or do something (like launching that passion project, pushing back on the status quo at work or even chasing that dream you can’t shake from your mind) then this episode is for you. And we don’t say that lightly.

Kevin Scott and Garrett Gravesen of ADDO join Shane for a candid and inspiring conversation about listening to your inner voice, staying clear on vision and what ten seconds of insane courage could look like. It’s an episode you absolutely do not want to miss.

Welcome to The Launch Youniversity Podcast.

LINKS + RESOURCES:

ADDO.is

Read More About Kevin and Garrett

Chick-fil-A Leader Academy

8 Essential Exchanges: What You Have to Give Up to Go Up by Kevin Scott

The Lepers’ Lessons: Five Questions, Two Perspectives, and the Pursuit of Purpose by Kevin Scott

Dooley: My 40 Years at Georgia by Coach Vince Dooley

THREE TAKEAWAYS:

1. 10 seconds of insane courage can change everything

Garrett and Kevin challenged us in the best way when they said that all it takes to get closer to where you want to be is ten seconds of insane courage. Ten seconds to quiet fear and speak up when you have something to say. Ten seconds to decide which road you’re going to go down. Ten seconds to get past all the mental barriers you’ve made for yourself. If you gave yourself ten seconds to speak a dream or idea into the world without fear, what would you say?

2. The voice inside of you will eventually get quieter (or, louder)

If there’s a voice inside of you telling you to take that chance, try that project, research a career change… don’t push it away. The more you push that voice away and don’t answer its call, the quieter it will get. Don’t wait for permission to do something about the dream or idea you have. And here’s some good news: When you answer the voice, it’ll get louder.

3. Life is too short to do business with people you wouldn’t want to do life with

When you listen to Kevin and Garrett talk about ADDO and the business partners ADDO works with, it’s clear that they not only love what they do, but they love who they get to work with. Life can be challenging and unexpected and surrounding yourself with good people, that you care for even outside of work, is essential for long-term happiness.