passion

100: 100th Episode Celebration Part 1 — Making The Leap

October 24, 2018 by Launch Youniversity Leave a Comment

The Launch Youniversity Podcast

100: 100th Episode Celebration Part 1 — Making The Leap

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Summary:

Today, we celebrate the 100th episode of the Launch Youniversity podcast. When we launched this podcast two years ago, we had this simple goal in mind: To turn go-getters into difference makers by pooling our resources, sharing our collective experiences, and introducing listeners to some of the best leaders we know. We understand just how uncertain the next step of any launch can be, so we’re happy to mentor our listeners (and learn some things ourselves) week after week.

To celebrate, we will feature some of our favorite interviews in a three-part series. In today’s episode, you’ll learn what it takes to go all in on your dream, the importance of community to your goals, and what happens when passion propels your vision, among other topics.

Welcome to episode 100 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast. Thank you for sticking with us!

Links + Resources:

069: When Passion and Heart Lead the Way: Dana Spinola of fab’rik

016: Sid Mashburn on Launching the Number One Men’s Independent Clothing Store in the US Pt. 1

048: What Does It Take to Go All-In on Your Dream? Bryan and Shannon Miles of Belay Solutions

013: Vision and Generosity with Plywood People’s Jeff Shinabarger Pt. 1

031: World-Renowned Vocal Coach Jan Smith on Dreaming Big, Being Honest and Staying Humble

026: How to Launch When You Have a Full Time Job: Justin Dean and Van Baird Part 2

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!

098: Delight Ministries’ Cofounder MacKenzie Wilson on Starting Small, Staying Passionate

October 10, 2018 by Launch Youniversity Leave a Comment

The Launch Youniversity Podcast

098: Delight Ministries’ Cofounder MacKenzie Wilson on Starting Small, Staying Passionate

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Summary:

Most of us visioneers have the same problem — we have this idea we’d like to see get off the ground, but we’re overwhelmed by the starting point (where is that thing anyway?). Others of us jump clear over the start line and land somewhere in the middle, bypassing all of the important stuff that keeps the idea afloat.

On today’s episode, we’re joined by MacKenzie Wilson, cofounder of Delight Ministries, a nationwide Christian ministry that invites college women into a community centered around shared college experiences and stories. What started as an idea among college sophomore friends in 2012 with just a few interested women transformed into an organization present in more than 130 universities nationwide and in the United Kingdom and Uganda. Together with host, Shane Benson, Wilson shares how the vision for Delight Ministries was propelled by community, and trial and error.

Welcome to episode 98 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast.

Links + Resources:

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

The 5 Elements of the Launch Loop

Delight Ministries

Three Takeaways:

Decide where your strengths lie.
Whether or not you’re working in a partnership, it’s important to determine your stronger areas and the areas where you need more support. Take some time to reflect — in what areas do you naturally thrive? What areas feel like more of a task instead of a natural flow? These questions will help you decide where your strengths are.

Don’t leave friction among leadership unchecked.
Tension within leadership can be felt throughout the entire organization. Unresolved conflict should be met with regular check ins and clearly defined expectations.

Celebrate wins big and small.
When you’re neck deep in operations, or when your organization is growing faster than anticipated, sometimes it’s all too easy to bypass celebrating your achievements, especially those on a smaller scale. Remind yourself of where you came from and where you’re headed and celebrate all of the milestones in between.

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!

082: Leading People with Passion and Purpose

June 21, 2018 by Launch Youniversity Leave a Comment

The Launch Youniversity Podcast

082: Leading People with Passion and Purpose

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Summary:

If you had been chosen to run an organization at 19-years-old, how would you have managed? Scary for most of us to think about, right? But that’s what happened to Laura Whitaker when she became the Executive Director of Extra Special People, Inc.

13 years later, Laura is still ESP’s Executive Director. Today on the podcast, she’s sitting down with Kevin and sharing her greatest lessons and advice from her years in the trenches.

Welcome to episode 82 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast.

Links + Resources:

The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor

ExtraSpecialPeople.com

Laura’s Blog HopeSweetHome.com

Ask us a question!

Three Takeaways:

1. Hope Dealers + Priority Givers

As the leader of a team, company or organization… your job is to be a hope dealer and priority giver. Being a hope dealer means constantly reminding people of the vision, the why, and how it’s possible. People rally around passion. Being a priority giver means guiding your team on what they should be working on, when. If you come to work each day with a plan to provide hope and clarify priorities, you might be the best leader they’ll ever have.

2. View your organization as its own person

Leading people is hard, hard work. And finding the balance between serving your team well and serving the company well can feel like a perpetual tightrope walk. One piece of advice Laura shared was: View your organization like it’s a person. It’s a person who has the highest value of anyone on your team. So when you make decisions about the team, think: Does this positively or negatively impact our highest value person?

3. You are not your organization

You have unique value outside of who you are at work. You are more than a people leader, entrepreneur, intrapreneur, director, etc. To be the best leader you can be, you need to know that you are much more than just a leader.

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!

044: Launching Customer Experiences and Dreaming Big with Billy Boughey of Elevate Live Events

September 14, 2017 by Launch Youniversity Leave a Comment

SUMMARY:

To elevate means “to lift.” And that’s what Billy Boughey is an expert at. Sometimes it’s lifting the brand of a client. Other times, it’s lifting up his team by fostering a healthy culture. And often, it’s looking at what’s trending in the world right now (spoiler alert: it’s robots) and finding innovative ways to incorporate it into an experience.

Billy is the founder of Elevate Live Events, a creative event agency based in greater Atlanta. The vision of Elevate is to help people and organizations live and lead at a higher level. They do this by creating exceptional customer experiences.

Beyond his work at Elevate, Billy is a dreamer and a doer. We believe that his encouragement and practical advice for entrepreneurs and launchers might be just the thing you need to hear today.

We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did. Welcome to Episode 44.

LINKS + RESOURCES:

Elevate Live Events

Take a tour of the elevate office (No, really! You’re invited!) by sending an email to: hello@elevateliveevents.com

Billy’s Twitter, LinkedIn and Email

Elevate Live Event’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. Good business is built on relationships.

Billy shared about a recent events his team put on for Auburn and Chick-fil-A. For the aspiring launcher thinking: “how do you even pitch organizations of that size?” Billy answers it for you. Build relationships and add value to them. Somebody you know knows somebody who could be your first client. When you genuinely invest in people and look for ways to bring them value, you’ll be surprised at what doors open up.

2. Don’t think about what it costs, think about what it’s valued at.

One of the most common question launchers ask is: How do I price my product or service? Billy challenged that way of thinking. Instead of figuring out the math of how much it’ll cost, figure out how much value it’ll bring. When you’re pricing based on value, not cost, you’ll know when to selectively say no to opportunities and when to give discounts for the sake of relationships.

3. Believe in talent, believe in people and go for it.

One thing that’s pretty obvious when you talk to Billy is his belief in his team. There’s an intentionality with their work-place culture that weaves into everything they do. Billy also shared about his perspective on keeping the interests of your team above the interests of the client. When you believe in your team and equip and empower them to do their jobs well, they’ll care for the client and the business as much as you do. Hire people you believe in and then get out of their way as they go and do what they’re best at.