On this episode of the Gross sales Hacker Podcast, we’ve got 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.
For those who missed episode 219, test it out right here: A Holistic Strategy 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 massive enterprise purchasers early and rapidly [16:46]
- Why enterprise leaders have to do greater than “attempt arduous sufficient” [19:15]
- Hybrid vs. absolutely 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 the moment we’ve acquired 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 companies by 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 neighborhood constructing by way of occasion advertising. She’s been featured in Wine Spectator, The At the moment Present, On-line Vogue, Ebony, and extra.
She lives in New Jersey together with her husband and their equivalent 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, workforce constructing, and worker retention.
I began in July of 2020 as the entire 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 work at home?
We additionally noticed the cultural part. There’s a battle round variety, fairness, inclusion, understanding what that’s, and being respectful of various cultures. We offer modern programming round that. The enterprise began round that mannequin.
We worth foundational energy, a gorgeous meal, scrumptious wine, spirits, or espresso, and constructing these vital relationships to drive enterprise and income.
Johnson and Johnson got here to us in 2020 and mentioned, “we love your mission and we want your assist.” That they had an initiative for ladies in management to have visitor audio system like Oprah and Serena Williams discuss their strengths and triumphs, points with regard to civil rights, re-imagining tradition, and being a lady in enterprise.
I didn’t know the way 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 nations and convey them collectively as thought leaders to debate breaking that cup ceiling and understanding tradition authentically.
Bringing in a brand new technology of pros and brazenly 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 folks 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 discovered the again finish of entertaining purchasers in a restaurant. What goes into constructing out the mixology and cocktails? What’s the chef saying to their employees? How do you converse to folks 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 companies as a substitute of going DTC. I noticed folks in hospitality not having work, shut buddies of mine who I’ve labored with for a few years, and issues occurring throughout the {industry} concerning the civil rights motion.
It drove me to depart company America and launch this enterprise to construct a brand new sort of labor tradition to help globally distributed and various 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 immediately?
Alex Schrecengost: You need to have your imaginative and prescient, and it needs to be very clear. Be taught to adapt to any working setting. I launched throughout the pandemic, throughout international provide chain stress. There’s a conflict abroad, there’s a civil rights motion occurring. You need to be fluid and nimble.
Totally different dangers result in quite a lot of paths and it’s a tough market proper now. The situations are madness. I’ve wanted to suppose rapidly on my toes.
As a lady, there’s further stress inside a startup {industry}. You need 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? You need to take these dangers regardless.
Coping with Imposter Syndrome [15:10]
Alex Schrecengost: I’ve fixed stress and at all times do the “simply breathe” second. My motto is ‘do all the pieces with a goal, construct on that, and suppose strategically.’
I could also be fully 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 fear. That was one thing I needed to work on. You need to be okay along with your selections.
How Digital With Us secured massive enterprise purchasers early and rapidly [16:46]
Sam Jacobs: Your shopper 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 folks throughout the group, and having a imaginative and prescient for what they may do.
Many of those orgs had been within the strategy of including DEI to their programming. We positioned ourselves because the leaders of tradition and inclusivity. Constructing confidence and exhibiting them what we may do.
We had challenges. But it surely was persistence and zeal that continued to get us enterprise. We’ve strategically marketed and constructed our model by numerous publications like Quick Firm, INC., and Fortune. That is how we’re charging ahead.
Why enterprise leaders have to do greater than “attempt arduous sufficient” [19:15]
Alex Schrecengost: Individuals really feel for those who construct it, enterprise will simply occur. That’s not true. There’s quite a lot of work, technique, gross sales, and operational construction that goes behind it.
You need to construct a method for progress. There’s solely to this point you may go along with not taking no for a solution.
You must at all times believe 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 companies, B2B, HR, variety and inclusion leaders, chief income, gross sales, and discipline advertising, are our consumers. How is their enterprise impacted? You may’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 persons 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 achieve extra folks 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, they usually’re nonetheless using Zoom, what does that seem like for us?
We’re seeking to develop 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 take a look at the ecosystem, and we’re evolving. How will we develop into relatable and reliable on an ongoing foundation? How will we encourage engagement?
Hybrid vs. absolutely distant workplaces [25:05]
Alex Schrecengost: For those who have a look at people who’re simply coming into the workforce, they want visibility in entrance of senior administration, they want skilled progress and growth, steerage, and mentorship. Whenever you’re a current 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 aspect, it permits for flexibility to have a work-life stability. There’s quite a lot of confusion. People had been saying, are available in any three days, however then you definitely’re on Zoom or Groups anyway as a result of nobody truly coordinated. When you’ve distinct scheduling, there’s a possibility to offer that stability the place you may work from wherever.
There’s nice flexibility within the hybrid mannequin. Even previous to the pandemic, we had been going to a hybrid mannequin ultimately. The pandemic compelled everybody to be digital, after which it compelled everybody to rethink how we will do that.
Paying it ahead [28:33]
Sam Jacobs: We prefer to pay it ahead: books, mentors, folks that had a big effect on you. What are the concepts and folks that you simply suppose 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 one of the simplest ways to achieve you?
Alex Schrecengost: Alex@VirtualWithUs.com. I’m open to collaborating, chatting by methods, and increasing my community. I’m joyful to introduce you to our gross sales workforce and showcase our capabilities.
Sam’s Nook [31:02]
Sam Jacobs: Liked that dialog. I’ve interviewed a lot of folks from various backgrounds, and the factor that they battle with will not be imposter syndrome, which all of us battle with. It’s saying, ‘I might 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 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 once you lastly can say, I’m as certified as anyone else. I’ve each proper to success.
Wherever you might be, no matter you seem like, that doesn’t matter. What issues is believing in your self. Elevate your hand for that job that you simply suppose you might 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 may e mail me at sam@joinpavilion.com, and pre-order my guide, Type People End First, The Thoughtful Path to Success in Enterprise in Life.
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