EP. 57 Stop Wearing All The Hats

Joseph Sommer, President & Founder of Whitestone Branding, has successfully run a decade-old company that elevates workplaces everywhere.  His “swag” company is more than just fidget spinners and water bottles- He believes that it’s about the “return on experience” and not the product that ultimately helps a company add meaningful value to their employees and clients.  Joseph shares lessons learned from what it took to break through $1M revenue mark to eventually growing his company many multiples beyond that.  The two key things that stunt most companies and founders is their lack of a plan and investment in being a Leader.  Joseph says that even though it seems obvious, many companies don’t have a plan and are just going through the motions.  Once he was able to identify their north star and articulate it to his Team, momentum began to build- The goals they had established to achieve $10M in revenue, was knocked down much sooner.  Joseph says that his ability to become a “Leader” was paramount to growth.  Before that, he was just a founder who was a really good sales person and relied on his drive to get everything done.  Looking back, he realized that wearing all those hats was not a badge of honor, but silly.  He also realized that you can’t have folks doing too many different things, because it ultimately distracts them from being really good at their critical function.  If you don’t have a Team, get one quick, specify their responsibilities and delegate.  Where Whitestone is headed next will require technology and new muscles they have not had before, but Joseph shares that self-awareness is crucial to knowing what to get better at and excited for the road ahead.