On this episode of the Gross sales Hacker Podcast, now we have Alexandra Schrecengost, founding father of Tradition With Us, which brings DEI-based immersive experiences to hybrid workplaces. Be a part of us for an eye-opening dialog about delivering high-quality worker experiences.
In the event you missed episode 219, test it out right here: A Holistic Method to Compensation Structuring with Scott Barton
What You’ll Be taught
- You don’t have to be completely certified for each alternative
- The significance of getting began and having a plan
- Giving your self permission to achieve success
Present Agenda and Timestamps
- About Alexandra and Tradition With Us [02:48]
- Key insights from beginning and constructing an organization [12:58]
- Coping with Imposter Syndrome [15:10]
- How Digital With Us secured giant enterprise shoppers early and rapidly [16:46]
- Why enterprise leaders must do greater than “strive exhausting sufficient” [19:15]
- Hybrid vs. totally distant workplaces [25:05]
- Paying it ahead [28:33]
- Sam’s Nook [31:02]
Present Introduction [0:00]
Sam Jacobs: Welcome to the Gross sales Hacker podcast. At this time we’ve obtained an inspiring entrepreneur and CEO, Alexandra Schrecengost, from Tradition With Us, bringing DEI-based immersive experiences to hybrid workforces and activating worker engagement.
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About Alexandra and Tradition With Us [02:48]
Sam Jacobs: Alexandra Schrecengost based Digital With Us in 2020, and Tradition With Us in 2021, supporting firms by way of cultural programming, DEI initiatives, and meals and beverage leisure to enhance human connections. With greater than 18 years of expertise in wine, spirits, hospitality, and luxurious public relations, Alex focuses on group constructing through occasion advertising and marketing. She’s been featured in Wine Spectator, The At this time Present, On-line Vogue, Ebony, and extra.
She lives in New Jersey along with her husband and their similar twin boys and enjoys touring, studying, and dancing.
We’ll begin along with your baseball card. In your phrases, what do these firms do?
Alex Schrecengost:
We’re a high-end inclusive hospitality service program, specializing in digital and hybrid occasion experiences, curated company items for international organizations, group constructing, and worker retention.
I began in July of 2020 as all the hospitality people had been furloughed throughout the lockdown. My husband was struggling to take care of his contacts. I used to be making an attempt to determine an answer. How can hospitality people do business from home?
We additionally noticed the cultural part. There’s a wrestle round range, fairness, inclusion, understanding what that’s, and being respectful of various cultures. We offer revolutionary programming round that. The enterprise began round that mannequin.
We worth foundational power, an attractive meal, scrumptious wine, spirits, or espresso, and constructing these essential relationships to drive enterprise and income.
Johnson and Johnson got here to us in 2020 and mentioned, “we love your mission and we’d like your assist.” That they had an initiative for girls in management to have visitor audio system like Oprah and Serena Williams speak about their strengths and triumphs, points with regard to civil rights, re-imagining tradition, and being a lady in enterprise.
I didn’t understand how we had been going to transcend the US. We constructed our preliminary infrastructure round this Johnson and Johnson initiative. We had been capable of join over 2,200 girls in over 60 international locations and produce them collectively as thought leaders to debate breaking that cup ceiling and understanding tradition authentically.
Bringing in a brand new era of execs and overtly talking about stresses at work, psychological well being, your loved ones, and progress inside your group was real and impactful.
I really like food and drinks, and the thought of bringing individuals collectively and attending to know one another. I went into hospitality, working with the French Culinary Institute, manufacturers like Stoli, Hendrix, and St. Michelle Wine Estates, and realized the again finish of entertaining shoppers in a restaurant. What goes into constructing out the mixology and cocktails? What’s the chef saying to their workers? How do you communicate to individuals with regard to meals and initiatives for spirits and wine? How do you reimagine it?
I wished to drive hospitality in a brand new approach. I wished to work with firms as an alternative of going DTC. I noticed individuals in hospitality not having work, shut mates of mine who I’ve labored with for a few years, and issues taking place throughout the {industry} relating to the civil rights motion.
It drove me to go away company America and launch this enterprise to construct a brand new sort of labor tradition to assist globally distributed and numerous workforces, and reimagine it to make sure that everybody has a seat on the desk.
Key insights from Beginning and Constructing a Firm [12:58]
Sam Jacobs: What are a number of the key insights that you simply’ve gleaned as you’ve constructed an organization from zero to the place it’s at present?
Alex Schrecengost: It’s important to have your imaginative and prescient, and it must be very clear. Be taught to adapt to any working atmosphere. I launched throughout the pandemic, throughout international provide chain stress. There’s a battle abroad, there’s a civil rights motion occurring. It’s important to be fluid and nimble.
Totally different dangers result in a wide range of paths and it’s a troublesome market proper now. The situations are madness. I’ve wanted to assume rapidly on my toes.
As a lady, there’s additional strain inside a startup {industry}. It’s important to be extremely buttoned up. I’m a first-time CEO, a lady, and a mother; are they going to consider that I can do it? It’s important to take these dangers regardless.
Coping with Imposter Syndrome [15:10]
Alex Schrecengost: I’ve fixed stress and all the time do the “simply breathe” second. My motto is ‘do all the pieces with a goal, construct on that, and assume strategically.’
I could also be utterly mistaken, and have to alter issues in a day, per week, a month, a yr, however that is the route I’m going to go. It’s having confidence with the concern. That was one thing I needed to work on. It’s important to be okay along with your choices.
How Digital With Us secured giant enterprise shoppers early and rapidly [16:46]
Sam Jacobs: Your consumer checklist is spectacular, notably for a younger firm. How did you handle these relationships? How did you shut these offers?
Alex Schrecengost: Actually figuring out the individuals throughout the group, and having a imaginative and prescient for what they might do.
Many of those orgs had been within the means of including DEI to their programming. We positioned ourselves because the leaders of tradition and inclusivity. Constructing confidence and exhibiting them what we might do.
We had challenges. However it was persistence and zeal that continued to get us enterprise. We’ve strategically marketed and constructed our model by way of a lot of publications like Quick Firm, INC., and Fortune. That is how we’re charging ahead.
Why enterprise leaders must do greater than “strive exhausting sufficient” [19:15]
Alex Schrecengost: Folks really feel when you construct it, enterprise will simply occur. That’s not true. There’s loads of work, technique, gross sales, and operational construction that goes behind it.
It’s important to construct a technique for progress. There’s solely up to now you possibly can go along with not taking no for a solution.
It’s best to all the time trust however just be sure you have tactical breakdowns of the way you’re rising your corporation, and what it appears like in 2-5 years. These bigger firms, B2B, HR, range and inclusion leaders, chief income, gross sales, and area advertising and marketing, are our patrons. How is their enterprise impacted? You’ll be able to’t simply go and say, “I’m not going to take no for a solution. I’ve constructed this and I’m going to proceed making an attempt. So individuals are simply going to come back.”
Sam Jacobs: How have you ever adjusted your strategic plan as you push forward?
Alex Schrecengost: I wished to indicate sustainability and progress trajectory. The hybrid mannequin is right here to remain, because it permits organizations to succeed in extra individuals to drive their gross sales and income, it’s bringing that in-person and digital part collectively. I noticed that 30% of organizations worldwide are doing hybrid and it’s projected to develop. This can be a $14b market, and so they’re nonetheless using Zoom, what does that appear like for us?
We’re trying to increase our international footprint. We proceed to construct out this hybrid construction for organizations and groups. It’s about serving to them with their flexibility. How do make sure that tradition is vital when not everybody’s within the workplace? You construct it.
We’ll have a know-how platform to permit groups to attach everywhere in the world. We’re persevering with to have a look at the ecosystem, and we’re evolving. How can we turn out to be relatable and reliable on an ongoing foundation? How can we encourage engagement?
Hybrid vs. totally distant workplaces [25:05]
Alex Schrecengost: In the event you take a look at people who’re simply coming into the workforce, they want visibility in entrance of senior administration, they want skilled progress and improvement, steering, and mentorship. If you’re a latest school graduate, constructing that community the place you don’t have a community in any respect, you want to have the ability to set up that.
On the opposite facet, it permits for flexibility to have a work-life stability. There’s loads of confusion. Of us had been saying, are available any three days, however you then’re on Zoom or Groups anyway as a result of nobody truly coordinated. When you’ve gotten distinct scheduling, there’s a chance to offer that stability the place you possibly can work from wherever.
There’s nice flexibility within the hybrid mannequin. Even previous to the pandemic, we had been going to a hybrid mannequin finally. The pandemic pressured everybody to be digital, after which it pressured everybody to rethink how we will do that.
Paying it ahead [28:33]
Sam Jacobs: We prefer to pay it ahead: books, mentors, those who had a huge impact on you. What are the concepts and folks that you simply assume we must always learn about?
Alex Schrecengost: My mentor who’s been with me since I graduated school, Amy Wilkins, the senior VP after which chief income chief for Martha Stewart. She helped me with constructing my self-strategy and taught me the significance of collaboration and lifelong studying. I like her work ethic. She’s now the CRO on the Smithsonian.
She’s been such an exquisite mentor for me and helped me all through my skilled progress.
Sam Jacobs: What’s the easiest way to succeed in you?
Alex Schrecengost: Alex@VirtualWithUs.com. I’m open to collaborating, chatting by way of methods, and increasing my community. I’m blissful to introduce you to our gross sales group and showcase our capabilities.
Sam’s Nook [31:02]
Sam Jacobs: Cherished that dialog. I’ve interviewed a number of individuals from numerous backgrounds, and the factor that they wrestle with is just not imposter syndrome, which all of us wrestle with. It’s saying, ‘I will not be certified for this, however I’m simply going to do it and I’ll determine it out as I am going.’ That’s an excellent high quality to have.
Begin one thing and have a plan. You continue to want expertise and knowledge. Be on the lookout for the second if you lastly can say, I’m as certified as anyone else. I’ve each proper to success.
Wherever you might be, no matter you appear like, that doesn’t matter. What issues is believing in your self. Elevate your hand for that job that you simply assume you will not be certified for. Take an opportunity on your self and provides your self permission to be nice.
If you wish to attain me, you possibly can electronic mail me at sam@joinpavilion.com, and pre-order my e book, Sort Of us End First, The Thoughtful Path to Success in Enterprise in Life.
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