“If you shouldn't be the CEO, don't be the CEO. There's a lot of baggage that comes with being the CEO or the COO where you're like in charge of all the people or in charge of moving the business forward in a way - make sure you're really the person that should be at the helm of the company”
— Jenny Thompson
This week Sachit (@sachitgupta) chats with entrepreneur Jenny Thompson. Jenny is the founder and CEO of SafetyPIN. She is a mission-driven business leader and natural-born marketer who knows how to build and promote companies for the benefit of shareholders, employees, and customers. Her skills include strategic business development, customer acquisition and retention, win-win negotiations, marketing strategy, business "pruning," and idea-driven marketing and product development.
She spent 20 years at The Agora Companies, most as the CEO of NewMarket Health. During that time, she grew the company from $2 million to $70 million, oversaw the migration of the company’s marketing from 100% direct mail to 100% online, and was responsible for 14 brands. Jenny left NewMarket to start SafetyPIN Technologies, an innovative trust badge that incorporates criminal history and an exclusive behavioral assessment. Designed mainly for the gig and sharing economies, as well as dating apps, SafetyPIN lets you see – at a glance – if someone you met online is safe to meet offline.
She’s also the creator of the 3-Day Business Cleanse, a novel process that helps companies get “unstuck” using a review, eliminate, and rebuild philosophy. Find the show notes of the episode here - https://www.creators.show
Thank you to Cathryn Lavery (see her episode here) for her help with background and research on this episode.
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Resources mentioned:
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership - John Maxwell
Show Notes:
01:11 - Your toolbox as a creator to navigate conflicts
04:53 - How to navigate conflicts
08:45 - Questions to ask yourself to navigate business and your role as a leader and creator
12:49 - Lessons Jenny learned during her time at Agora
17:24 - Why customer support should be the biggest priority of a company
21:09 - Lessons to keep in mind while building a team
24:33 - How to decide whether you should be the CEO or not?
27:40 - Why you shouldn’t trust too soon
31:14 - Is paranoia a normal part of being a CEO?
33:40 - How Jenny managed her psychology during her career
37:34 - Decor vs culture: why most CEOs get culture wrong
40:59 - How to make business and life decisions using the grandmother test
43:10 - Building SafetyPIN and what’s next for Jenny
47:24 - How Jenny defines a conscious creator
Conscious Creators — Make A Life Through Your Art Without Selling Your Soul