Höre Stairway to CEO

Description: Sometimes not getting what you want paves the way to a better story. Niki Leondakis is the CEO of the largest yoga studio brand in the US, and her journey has been characterized by learning from challenges time and time again. She joins us to share how she has found opportunity in adversity, honed her listening skills as a leader, and leveraged the incredible power of yoga to overcome grief before finding a new purpose in sharing its power with the world. Tune in to hear more.  Exclusive Deals from Our Sponsors: AWESOME CX by Transcom [https://www.awesomeos.com/] provides high-touch, personalized customer experience services to consumer brands of any size! Email Lee at lee@stairwaytoceo.com to learn more about their award-winning services and Awesome Coffee Chats In This Episode You’ll Hear About: * [02:19] Niki’s ethnocentric childhood as the artistic child of one of five children of Greek immigrants.  * [05:04] What Niki learned by not getting what she wanted in jobs and leadership roles in high school and hospitality. * [15:43] Working in leadership at Kempton during an innovative time in their hospitality. * [19:20] Overseeing hotels and the listening tour that facilitated her goal to put people first. * [28:01] Being recruited for a San Francisco boutique hotel company and continuing Bill’s legacy. * [32:47] How her passion for fitness and wellness led to being recruited by Equinox. * [37:56] Landing her dream job as CEO of CorePower Yoga and leading with purpose. * [42:20] Starting a role in yoga at the start of the pandemic and where she found the courage to power through. * [48:36] Future projections for Core Power Yoga, including geographic growth and beyond. To Find Out More: Niki Leondakis on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikileondakis/] Niki Leondakis on X [https://twitter.com/niki_leondakis] CorePower Yoga [https://www.corepoweryoga.com/] Corporate Athlete [http://corporateathlete.org/] Equinox [https://www.equinox.com/] Just Keep Livin Foundation [https://jklivinfoundation.org/] Awesome CX [https://www.awesomecx.com/] Lee Greene on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leegreene/] Stairway to CEO [https://www.stairwaytoceo.com/] Stairway to CEO on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stairwaytoceo/] Quotes: “No matter how good you are, you have to prepare.” [0:06:12] “I learned to see opportunities and how I could impact them and make a difference, and I got rewarded for that.” [0:07:49] “If you don’t get what you want, keep trying.” [0:13:05] “I learned [so much] along the way about the importance of how you treat people, how you care for people, how you inspire, motivate, and lead them. And that was my way of getting the business results that I was tasked with.” [0:17:19] “If you’re going to alienate people along the way you’re going to look behind you and you won’t have any followers.” s [https://twitter.com/niki_leondakis] [0:25:56] “To be our best self, we have to be healthy.” [0:33:25] “When I found myself without my career, my husband, or my home, what got me through that transition was getting on my yoga mat every day.” [0:39:36] “You can’t shortstep or expedite your way through grief. You have to feel it. You have to go through it. You can’t move around it.” [0:40:10] “Part of the way that I have always remained highly motivated and energized and passionate about my work is finding the purpose in the work.”  [0:41:08] “For me, listening has been one of the incredible keys to my success.” [0:49:48] “We were ahead of the curve. It simply came from being there to listen.” [0:51:28] “Our higher purpose is to power love from the inside out, putting more love in the world and helping people access that love.” [0:52:47] “When you face adversity, don’t let it get you down and don’t wallow in it. Within that adversity lies opportunity” [0:54:51]

Description: In this episode of Stairway to CEO, you’ll learn all about Puneet Mehta's captivating entrepreneurial journey, from his upbringing in India and fulfilling his childhood dream of living in Silicon Valley to spearheading AI advancements at Netomi. He tells us how his parents inspired him to embrace daunting challenges, what he learned from his years developing trading engines on Wall Street, the transformative encounter he had with Mike Bloomberg, and how these experiences have fueled his entrepreneurial drive. Join us as we uncover Puneet's perspective on the AI landscape, his pivotal role in founding Netomi, and the profound benefits of integrating AI to elevate customer experiences. Exclusive Deals from Our Sponsors: AWESOME CX by Transcom [https://www.awesomeos.com/] provides high-touch, personalized customer experience services to consumer brands of any size! Email Lee at lee@stairwaytoceo.com to learn more about their award-winning services and Awesome Coffee Chats In This Episode You’ll Hear About: * [01:51] What it was like for Puneet growing up in Chandigarh, India, and how his mother and father inspired him to pursue difficult goals. * [06:17] Why he feels so lucky to have studied engineering and computer science at one of the top schools in India, and how he realized his childhood dream of moving to Silicon Valley. * [07:15] The value of his experiences on Wall Street developing trading engines and how his fortuitous meeting with Mike Bloomberg empowered him to build his own company. * [11:38] How he built his first company leveraging prediction algorithms, their strategic partnership with BMW, and key takeaways that helped him build Netomi. * [15:47] What inspired him to found Netomi, how he got the company off the ground, and what it was like building a chatbot for Sony Pictures. * [23:37] Recognizing the high demand for improved customer experience, how they are solving key pain points for customers using AI, and the many uses of Netomi’s co-pilot. * [33:43] Partnerships in the AI space and what it means for a company to be powered by another company or tool. * [35:52] How Netomi addresses fears around outsourcing customer service needs, and why AI won’t replace humans working in customer service. * [41:25] Netomi’s partnership with Awesome CX, where Puneet sees it going in the coming years, and how he expects other aspects of his business to be impacted by AI. * [47:49] His advice for aspiring entrepreneurs on how empathy is misunderstood and why you shouldn’t do it for the money; what is next for Netomi, and what Puneet is most excited about! To Find Out More: Netomi [https://www.netomi.com/] Puneet Mehta on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pumehta/] Gong [https://www.gong.io/] Lee Greene on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leegreene/] Stairway to CEO [https://www.stairwaytoceo.com/] Stairway to CEO on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stairwaytoceo/] Quotes: “Being aligned on the core mindset is so incredibly important. It's more important than your business strategy. It's more important than any other part of the business.” [0:13:09] “As you start bringing new technology to life, and as you introduce it to the world, you have to make the adoption completely frictionless. You have to do it in a way that engages or [accompanies] a habit that somebody's already used to.” [0:13:42] “[When you] think about business outcomes, to stay excited about what you're doing, you have to focus on the journey. You cannot just focus on the end goal.” [0:14:39] “That's what the AI co-pilot from Netomi does. It gives them a superpower where AI can now gather information from these different systems, it can prepare a response for you, it can also help an agent get trained quicker.” [0:30:28] “[The Netomi co-pilot] also gives you insights based on what your customers are telling you. Because it's humanly impossible to go back and listen to every single phone call.” [0:31:43] “The founders that are growing these companies are looking for insight [from Netomi’s co-pilot] because conversations with their customers are the biggest asset.”  [0:37:17] “The demand is there to feel like we are treated well as customers [and] to have that customer love. We want those questions answered. There just isn't enough resources available with these brands to answer all of these questions promptly.”  [0:40:47] “The top use case for AI for large companies is customer experience.” [0:44:22] “That's how fast this change is coming. We should see every company in the world in the next 12 to 18 months adopt AI in some shape or form for customer experience.” [0:46:01] “There are much easier ways of making money [than starting a company]. This is a really hard way to do it – but if you're connected to what you do, [then] the journey itself would be quite enriching.” [0:49:23] “[Starting a company] will give you experiences and it'll help you come across people that you want to have shared experiences with.” [0:49:35]

Description: What does it look like to bring innovation to a static industry? A lifelong love for entrepreneurship and the food and beverage industry led Ben Lewis to take a massive risk to disrupt the baby food industry, and with $90 million raised to date, it certainly paid off! In this episode of Stairway to CEO, Ben shares the story of continuing his dad’s legacy in business, finding out-of-the-box solutions to the complex problem of manufacturing his product, and much more! Exclusive Deals from Our Sponsors: AWESOME CX by Transcom [https://www.awesomeos.com/] provides high-touch, personalized customer experience services to consumer brands of any size! Email Lee at lee@stairwaytoceo.com to learn more about their award-winning services and Awesome Coffee Chats In This Episode You’ll Hear About: •   [01:05] Ben Lewis’s first taste of entrepreneurship as a child and how he continued his father’s legacy, starting with a bottled water start-up. •   [12:00] His exposure to the food and beverage industry by developing a Greek yogurt brand. •   [15:50] Learning essential lessons through bootstrapping a food distribution company. •   [20:45] Ben's involvement in angel investment in the food and beverage space. •   [21:48] Founding Little Spoon with the motivation to disrupt a static industry, naming the product, and developing the product and packaging. •   [28:46] Product expansion and the philosophy of growing with the customer that underpins Little Spoon’s growth. •   [34:30] Surprises on the road to building a D2C business, including an unlikely partnership with a tamale company. •   [40:25] How Ben’s role has evolved with the company and Little Spoon’s approach to talent. •   [42:29] Fundraising in the baby food industry, finding a new approach to return on investment, and what’s next for Little Spoon. To Find Out More: Little Spoon [https://www.littlespoon.com/] Ben Lewis on X [https://twitter.com/iambenlewis] Ben Lewis on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/blewis/] The Equity Studio [https://theequity.studio/] Kairos HQ [https://www.kairoshq.com/] Lee Greene on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leegreene/] Stairway to CEO [https://www.stairwaytoceo.com/] Stairway to CEO on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stairwaytoceo/] Awesome CX [https://www.awesomecx.com/] Quotes: “You could have the best product in the world, the best brand in the world, and even the right team and the right capital – but ultimately so much of it, especially in the traditional retail space, depends on the distribution and what happens at the point of sale.” [0:15:14] “For the right brand and the right product, having a direct relationship with your customer is so critically important.” [0:19:17] “Being detached from your ultimate customer is a real hindrance to building a brand.” [0:20:01] “There’s a big opportunity for us, not just within that baby stage with the baby blends, but for Little Spoon as a brand to be the go-to as that kid is growing up and as the family is growing.” [0:31:32] “[We’ve grown our business] largely through growing with our customers.” [0:31:48] “That was how we started. We turned this manufacturing roadblock into a very unlikely partnership.” [0:39:29] “One of the things I’m most proud of at Little Spoon is that we’ve had extremely low attrition, so our retention is literally best in class.” [0:40:58] “Optics matter, but at the end of the day, you need to do what’s right.” [0:44:35] “For us, it’s about listening to our customers and finding where those pockets of opportunity are.” [0:46:59] “We’re building a brand for a new generation of parents.” [0:47:42] “As an entrepreneur, you’re often having to choose between speed, quality, and cost.” [0:47:54] “Don’t aim for perfection.” [0:48:46]

Description: Today, Hudson Davis-Ross joins the show to share about Co-Founding a mission-driven company that truly helps people with their health needs. From being diagnosed with ADHD in middle school to undergoing spinal surgery, Hudson has faced his fair share of health challenges. Tune in to learn all about his captivating entrepreneurial journey, from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, to founding his first company, RISE, to ultimately becoming the co-founder of Plant People – whose plant-based products offer natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals. Along the way, we explore how he navigated major setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and gain insights into his refreshing perspective on building purpose-driven businesses! Exclusive Deals from Our Sponsors: AWESOME CX by Transcom [https://www.awesomeos.com/] provides high-touch, personalized customer experience services to consumer brands of any size! Email Lee at lee@stairwaytoceo.com to learn more about their award-winning services and Awesome Coffee Chats In This Episode You’ll Hear About: • [01:54] What it was like growing up in New York, at the epicenter of so many industries, within a household dominated by women. • [06:43] Hudson’s ADHD diagnosis in middle school, the many different interests he pursued, and the benefits and drawbacks of having ADHD when you’re an entrepreneur. • [10:23] His experience working at Gilt Groupe from its early stages as a small startup to having over two thousand employees. • [14:13] Why he decided to leave Gilt Groupe and take on a role at Aloha as part of the founding team, and his top takeaways from the experience. • [18:25] What made Hudson shift to co-founding his first company, RISE Brewing Company, key lessons he learned, and how he met his partners. • [25:32] Fundraising for RISE, and how it led to him starting his branding and business strategy firm, CROSBY. • [27:29] The drastic spinal surgery that Hudson had to get, how it led to the founding of Plant People, and what it was like entering into the CBD and cannabis space. • [30:22] How they stepped up their business, educated consumers, and the innovations they were doing with regards to ingredients and formulations. • [32:42] Their decision to scale up, why they decided not to take on more funding, the dramatic impact that COVID-19 had on their revenue, and how they recovered. • [35:27] Hudson’s insights on partnering with retailers and distributors, advice for aspiring and up-and-coming entrepreneurs, and what’s next for Plant People. To Find Out More: Hudson Davis-Ross on Linkedin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hudsongr/] Plant People [https://www.plantpeople.co/] RISE Brewing Company [https://risebrewingco.com/] CROSBY [https://www.linkedin.com/company/crosby-advisory/] Gilt [https://www.gilt.com/boutique/] Expo West [https://www.expowest.com/en/home.html] Lee Greene on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leegreene/] Stairway to CEO [https://www.stairwaytoceo.com/] Stairway to CEO on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stairwaytoceo/] Quotes: “I always hope to, at some point in my life, write a book on having ADHD and being an entrepreneur, because I think there's a lot of pluses and minuses – mostly pluses.” [0:07:19] “If you have [a] really big vision, and momentum with other investors, people will invest. It really is a hype game. And so I learned a lot around fundraising [at Aloha].” [0:17:12] “[To be] the Apple of anything – takes decades. You can't just do that [in a] matter of a year or two. But that's what we pitched [to] a lot of the investors. And so I think there was a bit of a disconnect there.” [0:18:43] “The main reason I started this business, [Plant People] is I had spinal surgery, [I had to] learn how to walk again.” [0:27:31] “My now co-founder also had a spinal surgery and was exploring plant-based modalities himself. And so we started together.” [0:28:01] “I had more passion for making an impact in people's lives.” [0:28:12] “We had so much pushback in the beginning because people didn't understand CBD. They thought it was weed. They thought it was THC, they were like, ‘Will I get high from this?’ That was the biggest education point.” [0:30:59] “Tap into what customers want [and] are already [buying], [but do] it better.” [0:36:09] “In general, you just got to hustle. You have to go with momentum, you have to have a lot of boutiques [and] a lot of independents. And when you have that momentum, then you can get the attention of distributors.” [0:36:27] “The secret sauce is to be an entrepreneur – is to use the resources you don't have, to achieve what you believe in.” [0:37:56] “You can hire sales managers who have been in sales, and they have rolodexes. And that does help. But I think no one sells better than the founder or the CEO.” [0:39:39] “One of the things that is key to success is showing your team, or showing your initial hires, that you're all in.” [0:41:06] “If you're doing it, the team can do it. And if you're passionate about it, the team gets passionate about it, they see the value.” [0:43:09]

Description: Joining the show today is Allegra Moet Brantley, the Founder and CEO of Factora. This women-led personal finances company is on a mission to lead one million women to $1 million in wealth. Today she shares her journey from building her first company to becoming a salary negotiation coach to leading partnerships and marketing at Financial Gym, where she ultimately came up with the idea to build Factora. Tuning in, you’ll gain insight into the importance of financial transparency, the challenges that can come with fundraising, building a sustainable business while growing a family, and much more. Allegra also has some valuable, go-getting advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, so if you have a business idea that has been nagging at you, you won’t want to miss this episode! Exclusive Deals from Our Sponsors: •   AWESOME CX by Transcom [https://www.awesomeos.com/] provides high-touch, personalized customer experience services to consumer brands of any size! Email Lee at lee@stairwaytoceo.com [lee@stairwaytoceo.com] to learn more about their award-winning services and Awesome Coffee Chats In This Episode You’ll Hear About: •   [02:53] Why transparency is the key to rid conversations about personal wealth of taboo. •   [05:43] Insight into Allegra’s upbringing across the country, her education, and her first jobs. •   [16:35] The importance of always negotiating for more and reading contracts thoroughly! •   [19:45] Lessons from Allegra’s time in the marketing department at Estee Lauder. •   [21:35] What her first steps into entrepreneurship in 2011 taught her about financial freedom. •   [30:13] Allegra’s valuable experiences at Financial Gym and the origin story of Factora. •   [38:29] How Factora has evolved and how The Wealth Circle community has grown. •   [40:45] Some of the challenges of fundraising, bootstrapping the business from the ground up, combating burnout while raising a family, and how Allegra overcame them. •   [49:37] Price ranges for Factora’s courses, what they entail, and how you can benefit for life! •   [53:50] What the future holds for Factora, how they take women from overwhelm to sustainable wealth-building, why this industry is ripe for disruption, and more. To Find Out More: Factora [https://www.factorawealth.com/] The Wealth Circle [https://www.factorawealth.com/wealth-circle] 6 Figure Savings [https://www.factorawealth.com/6-figure-savings] Coffee & Coin Podcast [https://www.factorawealth.com/coffee-and-coin] Allegra Moet Brantley on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ambrantly/] Allegra Moet Brantley on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ambrantly/] Lee Greene on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/leegreene/] Stairway to CEO [https://www.stairwaytoceo.com/] Stairway to CEO on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/stairwaytoceo/] Quotes: “It is so nerve-wracking and cathartic to share these numbers we never [talk about]. In the very first call, [Wealth Circle members] are sharing their salary.” [0:04:26] “When we share resources and investment strategies, it’s such a wealth of knowledge.” [0:05:33] “[Becoming] a salary negotiation coach – only reemphasized what I was experiencing personally. Now that I’m good at asking for more money [and] getting more money, it doesn’t mean I have more money. Making and keeping [money] are two very different things!” [0:29:02] “I was more passionate about helping women build wealth than anything else I had touched on in my career. It’s one thing to understand where your income goes. It’s a whole other thing to make a strategy for investing it [and] feel confident enough to do so.” [0:34:25] “It felt like a sentence would not stop tapping at the base of my neck – ‘Help women build wealth, help women build wealth, help women build wealth,’ all day long.” [0:35:51] “When you raise funding, and now you have investors involved, and they have a vision too, oftentimes you have to acquiesce and collaborate with that vision. I felt so strongly [about] my own [vision]. I didn’t want to bring in anything to muddy that.” [0:43:57] “90% of women come to Factora for the stick market portion. They say for the community and the access to additional creative investment ideas.” [0:52:32] “I don’t want people to hand over their entire financial autonomy because they don’t think they’re smart enough to do it themselves. That is why I think this industry is ripe for disruption.” [0:57:55] “For aspiring entrepreneurs; if you have an idea that’s banging at the base of your neck, it’s going to create value in this world both for potential customers but also for you and what you are going to learn [through your failures, strifes, and success]. Make like Nike and do it!” [0:58:20] “Investing is not hard. Investing is not complicated. You are meant to think – that it is. You’re already doing it if you’ve ever utilized a 401k or an IRA. You can do more of it, and I suggest that you do.” [0:59:49]