Building a Career and Company with Passion and Purpose
Season 2, Episode 12, Oct 12, 2023, 04:06 PM
In this episode, Mike Sullivan, co-founder of a successful advertising agency, shares his entrepreneurial journey and highlights the importance of self-awareness in effective leadership. He discusses the valuable insights he has gained over the past 20 years, from making mistakes and learning lessons to creating a "best places to work" environment. The interview delves into the essential traits of an entrepreneur, the significance of mentors, and the value of vision and values in building a company. Mike also opens up about the challenges he faced, including losing significant revenue and dealing with an existential crisis, and shares personal practices that helped him overcome difficult times and build a stronger business.
Key Points
Key Points
- Mike's experience emphasizes the importance of having equity and a stake in the businesses you build.
- Learning from mistakes and applying lessons along the way.
- Establishing a great regional reputation and a best places to work environment.
- Navigating the advertising industry without academic credentials.
- The impact of mentors in shaping personal and professional growth.
- The importance of careful client selection based on shared values and respectful behavior.
- The balance between hard work and burnout in the early stages of building a business.
Best Quotes
- "Values are really important for helping you make decisions, you know, what you stand for. And really importantly, what you stand against."
- "If you're gonna partner with somebody, make sure that you understand what you're each bringing to the game."
- "Finding great partners is really important. And then really being clear on what you're bringing to the party and what the other's bringing to the party is critically important too."
- "I felt like I needed to run the business, but I also needed to be working on the business."