Your Executive Symphony - Your Executive Symphony Blog

Your Executive Symphony

The Pivot

4/14/2020

by Kelly Kunst, Founder, YES and Fiscal Harmony

Most people know Sofia Vergara for her role on Modern Family and her marriage to Joe Manganiello. Many emulate her style and follow her acting career. What most people don’t know is that she’s one of the most influential women in entertainment today.

For those of you who follow YES, you know that I love the creative process of business. Entrepreneurs are fascinating to study, listen to, ask questions of, and learn best practices. In short, I love being a business owner, and I love hanging out with business owners. There is nothing more invigorating than the creative process.

Here’s the thing: unless there’s a problem, there isn’t a viable business.

Frustrated by the treatment of women in entertainment in the 90s, in particular Hispanic women, Vergara went to work.
And no one saw it coming. In 1994, she decided to take the problem head on and founded Latin World Entertainment (LWE).

Today, LWE is a multimillion-dollar media empire that includes licensing, marketing, production and representation. Vergara’s decision to start LWE has not only enriched her life, but empowered a whole lot of other people in entertainment who had previously been overlooked.

Her next pivot is helping women of the Amazon found businesses. Not bad for a dental school drop-out.

Sometimes it’s the pivot to something people didn’t even know could be possible that creates the biggest disruption. For example, Henry Ford once stated that if he’d asked what people wanted they’d have said a faster horse. Good thing he had a bigger vision.

It’s very easy today to fixate and focus on the obstacles. There’s a 24-hour news feed reminding us every day all the problems we face. Creativity can’t live there. Entrepreneurs in the U.S. have a long history of solving problems - it’s what we do best.

What problem can you solve?

Together is Better

3/25/2020

by Kelly Kunst, Founder, YES and Fiscal Harmony

First, I hope everyone is doing well in these tenuous times. I pray for health and safety for you and your families. I wanted to share an exciting opportunity for us to stay connected as we are all social distancing.

Have you seen Simon Sinek's latest idea of a virtual Start with Why Book Club? I have always loved Simon Sinek and had the amazing opportunity to see him live last fall. I think it's so perfect at this time. Who in the YES community is with me on this amazing opportunity? Send me an email and we'll work out the details of our virtual book club.

Together is better!

All In

2/7/2020

by Kelly Kunst, Founder, YES and Fiscal Harmony

Many of you know that I am crazy about football.

One of my favorite NFL coaches is Andy Reid. It was enormously satisfying to watch him win his LONG overdue Vince Lombardi trophy.

Andy’s legacy will lie not only with the player’s he’s influenced. He is the single most prolific coaching tree the NFL has ever seen.

Seven current NFL head coaches, in all, came from Andy’s innovation and his enormous gift of valuing people. Andy knows his success is directly related to surrounding himself with people that will make him better.

Have you read A Stake in the Outcome or Capitalism without Capital, The Rise of the Intangible Economy?

YES 2020 is all about building high performing teams.

Are you all in?

Infinite Thinking

1/14/2020

by Kelly Kunst, Founder, YES and Fiscal Harmony

What if having a multi-generational mindset was not only a conscious capitalist perspective, but also the most competitive strategy overall?

In Simon Sinek’s latest book, The Infinite Game, Simon challenges the notion that organizations with “finite” competition timeframes with winners and losers will thrive. I encourage you to listen to him discuss his theory in The Future of X: The Workplace podcast.

What if the assumption that the competition will end and we will emerge victorious sets up a losing environment. How will that affect the US economy?

What if we played the Great Game of Business (theory by Jack Stack) as an “Infinite game of business” as Simon suggests?

Sound intriguing? Your Executive Symphony may be the right collegial environment for you. Join us February 27 for our Spring CEO symposium to hear from two great business leaders who have successfully navigated transformation.

YES is a carefully curated, invitation-only organization dedicated to helping privately held business thrive. It may just your tribe!

What if...

12/5/2019

by Kelly Kunst, Founder, YES and Fiscal Harmony

Season’s greetings to a wonderful YES community! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are looking forward to the holidays ahead.

As we move toward the end of the year, my thoughts turn first to gratitude, and second to what’s next.

I believe that entrepreneurial endeavors are crucial to not only the U.S. economic engine but communities as well. After 10 years, YES continues to evaluate the programming and content to provide a vibrant environment to affect change. Vision 2020 for YES is well underway, and we can’t wait to tell you all about it.

I have a LOT to be grateful for, including the opportunity to attend various programs in Dallas.
I had the opportunity to hear the fabulous Tye and Courtney Caldwell present to Social Venture Partners a few weeks ago.

While their story is always inspiring, some of the statistics they shared about the challenges for women and especially women of color were startling. A December 2018 article by Entrepreneur painted a grim picture indeed; 2.2% of VC money went to women founded firms and only .0006% went to firms led by women of color in 2017.

In a time where #metoo drives the headlines, I find this startling. It leads me to ask a bigger question however: If more slices of the pie were granted to a wider footprint of founders, how much bigger would the pie be? It’s dizzying to consider, but I suspect the pie would not only be bigger but more than likely the stuff of Thanksgiving legend.

Are You Making the Tough Decisions

8/22/2019

by Kelly Kunst, Founder, YES and Fiscal Harmony

When does a line of revenue for your business become problematic?

How do you decide when to “fire” a client and increase your capacity for more profitable revenue?

In these times of disruption, these are questions business owners will have to consider often and make tough decisions.

It’s easy to be busy, yet unprofitable.

In June, FedEx ceased its contract with Amazon for U.S. air freight, followed by an announcement of an early termination of ground delivery.

In a Bloomberg article on August 7th 2019, author Brooke Sutherland raised the question of whether the relationship between Amazon and FedEx had ever been a two way street. As Amazon has grown and shortened delivery turnaround, especially for Prime members, it quickly became FedEx’s least profitable customer.

According to a Wall Street Journal article published November 26, 2018, between Thanksgiving and Christmas the volume was 31 million packages per day – nearly twice the daily average volume. FedEx made the bold decision to “fire” Amazon and focus on growing the e-commerce segment with other business partners.

Amazon is now growing its own fleet, but not without growing pains. In a September 2018 Forbes article, the estimated average of packages delivered by an Amazon driver is 200 in an 8 hour period, or approximately a package every 2.5 minutes. That’s before the change from 2 to 1 day for Prime members free delivery.

Hidden cameras have followed the delivery drivers in some cases and shared the challenges of meeting such a tight schedule. It’s not pretty.

Have you read “Capitalism without Capital” or “The Great Game of Business”?

In 2019, YES is hyper-focused on how these macroeconomic changes are affecting how we grow our businesses.

Join us at our next CEO Symposium on September 19, as we meet three CEOs with very different businesses, and learn how they are thriving in the ever-evolving business climate.

Experience Meets Purpose

7/9/2019

by Kelly Kunst, Founder, YES and Fiscal Harmony

We are often significantly impacted and/or formed by our experiences.

I have the fortunate blessing to meet lots of people in my line of work. Often, I meet very focused and purpose-driven people who strive to make the world a better place because of their experiences. I am continually inspired.

For those of you that know me, you may have heard me say that my Grandfather, Francis “Bud” Salm, led me to my life’s work. I grew up in a family business and had both the happiness and heartache that often come with that.

My Grandfather’s lessons weren’t spoken as much as they were an example. His predominant teaching was that people were important – all people. He used his business as a platform to make other’s lives better. There was always a twinkle in his eye…like he was up to something, which he often was! I loved him deeply, and only now in my adult years fully appreciate my childhood.

Unfortunately, our family business story ended, as many do, with insurmountable challenges and financial loss. I find that I grieve even today when a business fails; it’s a visceral reaction that can be hard to control.

Your Executive Symphony (YES) and Fiscal HarmonyTM were founded as platforms to create a community for business owners to thrive in honor of “Bud Salm.”

Three years ago, I had the immense honor of volunteering with PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS®, a program of The Institute for the Economic Empowerment of Women (IEEW), mentors women business owners from Afghanistan and Rwanda. My very first mentee was a milk producer in Rwanda. As we visited and shared our experiences, I could feel my grandfather with me, guiding me. It, too, was visceral.

My involvement with IEEW has enriched my life far beyond anything I have contributed, and I’d like to share that experience with you.

On the 18th of July, YES invites you to join us in supporting this endeavor to empower women business owners in this critical time.

Are you ready to move the world? Join us for dinner at the ATT campus in Las Colinas honoring these international women business owners.

Isn’t it funny how “giving” somehow has a “getting” multiplier? Join us and see how!

Meet Skincare Leader, Morgan Hare

1/29/2019

by Amanda Beasley, Marketing Consultant and YES Contributing Board Member

One of the most fascinating podcasts I’ve had the privilege to record was our most recent one with Morgan Hare. She has had an enviable career with some of the world’s top organizations, started her own skincare line and cofounded a non-profit. Rather than resting on her laurels, she continually looks for ways to make a difference, grow and innovate. I encourage you to learn more about the force of nature that is Morgan Hare by listening to her podcast, reading the bio below and attending the CEO Symposium on March 7.

With more than 30 years of experience in the cosmetics and skin care industries, Morgan Hare has held executive marketing and product development positions at numerous national, blue-chip consumer product and retail companies.

At Avon, Morgan was General Manager of Skin Care and Marketing Manager of Color Cosmetics, where she championed and launched Anew Skin Care – a product line that still remains an important financial asset to Avon some 20 years later.

Her career has allowed her the opportunity to provide leadership and innovative brand support to a breadth of CPG and cosmetic corporations including; QVC, where she served as Vice President of Health and Beauty; Home Shopping Network (U.S. and Europe), where she was as Senior Vice President of Health and Beauty; Tupperware, where she was Executive Vice President of Global Marketing and Product Development; and BeautiControl, where she was Senior Vice President of Marketing and Global Beauty.

Currently, Morgan is the president and cofounder of HYLACO, LLC, an ingredient and product development company specializing in marketing a breakthrough in cosmetic technology called the HylaSponge®System. Under HYLACO, she cofounded eraclea, a line of skincare products that uses the HylaSponge®System.

In addition, she cofounded and serves on the board of the AiRS Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness for women who have had mastectomies due to breast cancer and want reconstructive surgery. Restorative breast surgery is a vital part of total physical and emotional healing for many breast cancer survivors, yet many who desire it don’t have sufficient financial resources and may not understand what options are available to them.

Prior to her marketing career, Morgan conducted research at Harvard Medical School and held senior marketing positions in the biomedical industry for several companies, including Technicon Instruments Corporation and American Optical Corporation.

If you have not received an invitation via email to the CEO Symposium, please complete the YES Questionnaire.

Being Reimagined – Like it or Not!

1/22/2019

by Carl Thomas, CEO of Courage Catalyst, Inc. and YES Contributing Board Member

“Reimagine” – Webster says this means “to form a new conception of; to recreate”.

This idea of reimagining is happening all around us. You’ve seen the examples. So what is the difference between companies that are succeeding in today’s competitive climate and those that are “treading water” or even struggling? It may even feel a little daunting to think about how or where to start.

Of course it is helpful to ensure you have differentiated your products or offerings, collected customer feedback and emphasized customer service. But these are no longer enough.

Your current and future customers are reimagining what they want from you in ways you probably haven’t even considered. And if you don’t join them in “forming that new conception” about your business, you may wake up one day and wonder where those customers all went.

Join us at the next Your Executive Symphony Symposium and learn from three companies who are blazing this trail. Or you can stay on your merry-go-round. Those are fun for a while.

Check your inbox for an invitation from Your Executive Symphony. If you don’t have an invitation and would like one, please fill out a questionnaire here:
http://www.yourexecutivesymphony.org/join.html

Taxes with Personality

8/23/2018

by Amanda Beasley, Marketing Consultant and YES Contributing Board Member

Get ready for Chanel Davis! Chanel is one of our dynamic leaders at the Fall Symposium. She is a founding partner of Davis Davis & Harmon LLC – Sales Tax Experts. Chanel will not only will share her wisdom as a taxpayer's advocate these past 17 years, she will engage you with her stories from her time at a top accounting firm to starting her own business in the wake of 9/11.

As a member of the National Association of Black Accountants, the Institute of Professionals in Taxation, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., and Sickle Cell Disease Association of Dallas, Chanel has served the youth and young adults of Dallas.

Many in our YES community will also recognize her from the annual business suit drive she founded, benefiting Dallas area community shelters/organizations.

Ms. Davis holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of New Orleans and is alumni of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program. The Women's Business Council-Southwest nominated Ms. Davis for the 2018 Rising Star Award.
Before starting Davis Davis & Harmon LLC, Ms. Davis was a Manager in Internal Audit at Verizon Communications and a Senior Auditor in PriceWaterhouseCoopers' Assurance practice.

If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to listen to Chanel's Podcast, I encourage you to do so. She and Kelly talk about everything from the new tax laws to what it was like to go into business for herself, alongside her husband in September 2001. I was fortunate enough to have recorded this fun and informative podcast. It was one that I wish I could have videoed. As engaging as the recorded conversation is, I can't wait for you all to see and here Chanel in person at the Symposium!

Subscribe to YES Insights on Leadership on Apple Podcasts.