Shannon Litton thought she’d spend her whole career working as an English teacher, but when she fell in love with marketing and kept moving forward with the opportunities presented to her, she eventually decided to start her own agency. Today, Shannon is president and CEO of 5by5, a marketing and digital agency which serves change makers and delivers messages with undeniable clarity, reach and results. 5by5 was named to the Inc 5000 list for 2018, 2019 and 2020, and it was named a Nashville Business Journal Best Place to Work in 2017 and 2018. 

Shannon has worked on technology, social media, branding and communications for hundreds of organizations including the Christian Leadership Alliance, Amazima, LifeWay, the United Methodist Church and more. She’s also a speaker on leadership, marketing, branding and business strategy.

In This Episode: Shannon describes the unexpected career journey that led her to create 5by5. She also shares practical examples of what it looks like to put people first, give back as a business leader, and manage your schedule as a busy working mom.

Episode Highlights:

• Taking the next best step (2:47)
• Managing your schedule as a working mom (11:28)
• Drawing inspiration from other women (22:22)
• The importance of off-boarding employees (27:04)
• Giving back as a business owner (32:26)

Sponsor: This podcast is sponsored in part by Piccolo Marketing, providing outsourced marketing professionals for business owners.  Piccolo Marketing is our  go-to resource when it comes to comprehensive marketing strategies and execution. Learn more here.

Bailey Spaulding first fell in love with homebrewing while attending Vanderbilt Law School, and she decided to start working toward opening her own brewery after graduation. Along with co-founder Robyn Virball, who Bailey met while studying abroad in Scotland, she started Jackalope Brewing Company in 2011. Since then, the company has grown tremendously, opening a second taproom and brewery in Nashville, becoming the first Nashville craft brewery to can its own beer, and distributing to New York, Vermont and Arkansas. Jackalope is also committed to sustainability, with innovative practices like the CO2 recapture system they use to make their beer while minimizing waste. 

In This Episode: Bailey shares her story of deciding to pursue her passion and building a successful, woman-owned brewing company. She also opens up about the behind-the-scenes realities of running a business, from finding the right partner to becoming a working mom to pivoting during COVID-19.

Episode Highlights:

• Finding the right business partner (4:36)
• Embracing new opportunities during COVID-19 (8:54)
• Starting a family while running a business (22:08)
• How to deal with guilt as a working mom (25:35)
• The importance of strong peer mentors when starting a business (27:36)

Sponsor: This podcast is sponsored in part by Piccolo Marketing, providing outsourced marketing professionals for business owners.  Piccolo Marketing is our  go-to resource when it comes to comprehensive marketing strategies and execution. Learn more here.

When Laura Hutfless was struggling to find her purpose as an employee, she decided to create new purpose for herself by starting a company dedicated to giving back. Laura co-founded FlyteVu, a Nashville-based, full-service entertainment marketing agency that uses the power of pop culture to connect brands with customers. Since starting the company in 2015, Laura has helped grow FlyteVu’s client roster to include companies like American Red Cross, Barefoot Wine, Cracker Barrel, Drybar and Spotify. They also created the first ever Super Bowl Ad with an all-woman team for Bumble with Serena Williams. FlyteVu was named to the Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America list, and their campaigns have even won a GRAMMY and an Emmy. 

In spite of all of these accomplishments, Laura is most proud of the way FlyteVu has been able to help others. The company has donated more than $750,000 to a wide range of nonprofit organizations in the past five years. Laura is especially passionate about mental health, substance abuse disorder, addiction and trauma, and she serves on the board of The Onsite Foundation, where she helped develop a trauma-informed therapeutic program called “Triumph Over Tragedy,” which provides tools, support and community for survivors of mass shootings. 

In This Episode: Laura discusses some of the most important lessons she’s learned about leadership in the past five years of building her company, from managing different communication styles to dealing with self-doubt. She also shares about her passion for giving back to the community and investing in others, and she explains how a painful loss has inspired her to develop a new resource for mass shooting survivors. 

Episode Highlights:

• How to do more of what you love as an entrepreneur (2:27)
• Laura’s journey of deciding to hire a leadership coach (10:19)
• Finding new ways to innovate (12:58)
• The importance of maintaining a sense of purpose (15:30)
• Dealing with failure and self-doubt (24:55)
• Working with others who have different communication styles (33:53)
• Finding the gift after loss (46:11)

Sponsor: This podcast is sponsored in part by Piccolo Marketing, providing outsourced marketing professionals for business owners.  Piccolo Marketing is our  go-to resource when it comes to comprehensive marketing strategies and execution. Learn more here.