Mission Driven Business

Brian chats with Elliot Greenberger, a new entrepreneur who recently pivoted from corporate leadership to business coaching. On the episode, Elliot opens up about how he felt stuck and drained before he started his business, even though he had a successful career and a fulfilling family life. He also shares the practical steps he took to launch his coaching firm and tips for creating an effective sales process that aligns with your business's mission. Episode Highlights Mission-driven businesses are born out of a sense of purpose. Every business has a purpose, whether the leaders of a company know it or not. But what defines a mission-driven business is that the company is born out of that sense of purpose, according to Elliot. "What sets a mission-driven business apart is that there's a specific kind of intentionality and specificity about the mission," Elliot said. "That mission literally drives the business." For Elliot's coaching business, the mission has evolved into teaching his clients how to be courageous. He writes a weekly newsletter called "On Courage" and is thinking about teaching courses or doing speaking on the subject. Align your sales process with your mission. A company's mission can't go very far without a sales process to support turning that mission into a reality. That's why creating a sales process that aligns with your business's mission and vision is one of the most important steps you can take, according to Elliot. "Having a process really allows me to keep my integrity as a coach," Elliot said. "It allows me to really focus on my mission and make sure I'm attracting clients and getting clients who support the work I want to do." Carve out time for self care. One of the benefits of being a business owner is being able to more easily carve out time in the day for self care. For Elliot, that sometimes looks like ending his day at 3 p.m. and going for a swim as a way to care for himself and do what's best for his business. "The way I pace my day not only helps me become a better person to those around me, it also helps my business," he said. "It helps me as a coach, and there's something that can be transmitted about that to the people that I work with." Resources + Links Elliot: Website, LinkedIn Elliot’s Substack and the “On Courage” Newsletter Brian Thompson Financial: Website, Newsletter, Podcast Follow Brian Online: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Forbes About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast Brian Thompson, JD/CFP, is a tax attorney and certified financial planner who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit. On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.

Brian chats with Spider Perry, founder of the inclusive clothing company NerdyKeppie. Spider initially created the company as a side business to provide LGBTQ Judaica for their daughter and now runs NerdyKeppie full-time with the help of several part-time employees. On the episode, Spider shares how the business has evolved throughout its growth. They also list their top tips for keeping a business afloat and emphasize the importance of delegation. Episode Highlights Mission-driven businesses create the world you want to live in. Spider defines a mission-driven business as a company that actively tries to create the kind of world you want to live in. This definition of a mission-driven business extends beyond just the products a company makes to the working environment it provides for employees. “It has to go both ways,” Spider said. “It would be hollow if it were only outward facing or only inward facing.” Get organized from the beginning. When Spider started NerdyKeppie, they were the only person who had to understand how files were named and organized. But as the company has grown, the system they created didn’t always make sense to the other people working at the company. They advise other business owners to strategically organize files from the start. “Keep track of things better than you think, and do it from the beginning,” Spider said. “I still have a file on our server now that I still have to finish sorting.” If you don’t trust a person, don’t work with them. Delegation is a crucial part of running a business, so it’s important to trust the people that you work with. If you don’t trust a person, you shouldn’t be working with them, Spider advises. “If you can’t hand off something to someone and trust that they’re going to get it done in the way that you need, maybe you need to reevaluate that relationship,” Spider said. Spider has had to end a few business relationships because they couldn’t trust the end result. However, the people he does continue to work with are empowered to make decisions and do the job right. “I have to pay our operations lead for the job that I want him to do,” he said. “I have to make sure that he has the tools that he needs. And then I need to stop, walk away, and let him do the job.” Resources + Links The Mission Driven Business Podcast Episode 59: Creating The Job You Want with Sarah Kendrick Spider: Tumblr, Patreon, Twitter NerdyKeppie: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram Brian Thompson Financial: Website, Newsletter, Podcast Follow Brian Online: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Forbes About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast Brian Thompson, JD/CFP, is a tax attorney and certified financial planner who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit. On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.

Brian chats with serial entrepreneur, social innovator, and author Miki Agrawal. As the founder of disruptive ventures Tushy, Thinx, and Wild, Miki is known for challenging the status quo and driving cultural change. She is also the author of best-selling books Do Cool Sh*t and Disrupt-Her. On the episode, Miki dives deep into her experience building multiple 100-million-dollar businesses. She also shares the questions she asks before starting a new business and opens up about how some of her hardest times have led to growth. Episode Highlights Mission-driven businesses do well and good. Miki defines a mission-driven business as a company that does good and well at the same time. As a member of a board on conscious capitalism, she’s witnessed how companies that create socially conscious business models perform better financially, too. “It’s a company that looks at the stakeholders versus just the shareholders,” Miki said. “Having not just a revenue-focused target but also an impact target is important.” Three questions to ask before starting a business. Before she starts a new business, Miki asks herself three questions: What sucks in my world? Does it suck for a lot of people? Can I be passionate about it for a really long time? “There’s a saying that it takes 10 years to be an overnight success,” Miki said. “When I think about starting Tushy or Thinx or Wild, they are all things I could be really passionate about for a really long time.” 90% of success is action. Miki likes the saying that 90% of working out is putting on your running shoes and walking out the door. She attributes a similar action-first mindset to success in business, too. If you’re inspired and take action, you may end up somewhere miraculous. “If you have an idea in your head, take the first step,” she said. “Talk is cheap. Action speaks louder than words.” Question everything. Miki attributes her success to her desire to creatively solve problems to the best of her ability. She also credits her culturally diverse upbringing in French Canada, where she grew up with a Japanese mother and Indian father in a Hindu-Buddhist household. “We got a chance to not conform,” she said. “When you don’t conform, you get to really question everything. And when you get to question everything, you invent new possibilities.” Resources + Links Miki Agrawal: Website, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest Books: Disrupt-Her: A Manifesto for the Modern Woman, Do Cool Sh*t Tushy: Website, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Threads, YouTube  Thinx: Website, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter Wild: Website, Instagram, Facebook  Brian Thompson Financial: Website, Newsletter, Podcast Follow Brian Online: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Forbes About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast Brian Thompson, JD/CFP, is a tax attorney and certified financial planner who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit. On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.

Brian Thompson Financial just celebrated its seventh birthday. In this inspirational special episode, Brian reflects on the lessons he’s learned as a mission-driven business owner over the past seven years. He also shares the moments that led him to starting his own company, critical turning points, and factors he attributes to his success. Episode Highlights: 7 Lessons 1. Celebrate your success. Starting a business is scary and involves a lot of risk. To stay grateful and humble, it’s important to celebrate what you’ve built. “I’ve found taking moments to appreciate and celebrate things about my business has helped keep me present. And it’s really fun to celebrate and recognize the achievements of having somebody give you money for your services.” 2. You don’t have to be perfect. Everyone will mess up when it comes to running to a business. The important thing is to recognize when you’ve made a mistake, learn from it, and then take a different action in the future. “I’ve taken on too much, not served clients in the best way, or let the business consume too much of me. I’ve learned to accept that this is a growth process and will continue as long as I’m in business.” 3. Everything is an experiment. Thinking of your business ideas as experiments can help you overcome paralysis from fear of change and seize new opportunities. Continuous experimentation that follows the principles of build, measure, and learn empowers you to create the business you want. “It takes the pressure off by thinking that everything I do in the business is an experiment. I’ve had so many opportunities to try different things or take the business in a different direction.” 4. Follow your curiosity. The good and bad thing about being a business owner? You can build whatever you want. To help you find focus and direction, follow your curiosity. “What things do you really enjoy? What do you find yourself working on or researching when you ‘should’ be doing other things? The answers to those questions have helped me develop many new aspects of my business that I never initially considered.” 5. Delegate (even when you don’t want to). It takes time to follow the things you’re curious about or take the business in a new direction, which means you’re going to have to give up doing some of the business tasks. If you’re a “control freak,” this can be difficult. “It’s been very hard for me to hand off things to someone else, but I realize that in order to be able to focus and still do the things that I want to do, someone else has to take over things that maybe I don’t do the best.” 6. Marketing is hard but necessary. You can have the best product or service in the world, but it’s useless if nobody knows about it. To grow your business, you have to put yourself out there, promote what you do, and show people why it’s important. “With things like my podcast, I’ve learned how to promote myself more in the service of the business and to my potential clients. It’s still hard seeing myself on video or hearing my voice, but that imperfection and vulnerability helps me connect with people in ways that I didn’t expect.” 7. You are enough. Chances are, there are many other business owners doing exactly what you do. If you're feeling insecure, it's important to remember that you are enough just as you are. Each business owner brings a unique and different perspective -- and that’s worth a lot. “Insecurity and imposter syndrome were huge stumbling blocks for me, but they became stepping stones when I stopped comparing myself to other business owners and began focusing on my value. Whatever it takes for you to really internalize and accept your value as a person and what you bring to the world, the easier it is for you to create the thing that you do.” Resources + Links The Mission Driven Business Podcast Episode 8: Why I Started My Mission-Driven Business Brian Thompson Financial: Website, Newsletter, Podcast Follow Brian Online: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Forbes About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast Brian Thompson, JD/CFP, is a tax attorney and certified financial planner who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit. On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.

Brian chats with professional basketball player-turned-entrepreneur Jori Davis. Jori started her professional career in the WNBA with the Indiana Fever. Her decade-long global basketball career spanned six countries and sparked her desire to help other elite athletes own their legacy. Jori’s new venture, Wevolv, builds on her passion for empowering global athletes by creating a decentralized platform for global athletes to manage their careers and lifestyles. On the episode, Jori chats about what keeps her motivated as an athlete and business owner. She also opens up about some of the barriers that modern athletes face and how her company is trying to overcome them. Episode Highlights Mission-driven businesses have soul. A mission-driven business goes beyond just having a purpose but drives straight into the heart and soul of the founder, Jori said. By starting with the soul and a struggle, a founder and company get the energy and grit to do something most others wouldn’t or couldn’t. “It’s impossible for you to just walk away from,” Jori said. “That’s when you find a mission-driven business.” For Jori, that mission is to build a community of athletes that have an opportunity of ownership and force the industry to shift with the needs of athletes. However, that also puts her on the opposing side of powerful forces. “Do I get a little nervous? Yes because I know what people are capable of when it comes to money, greed, and having power,” she said. “It scares me that I will lose touch or get blinded as I’m trying to navigate these waters.” Stay humble but confident. One of Jori’s greatest strengths is to find common ground with people from totally different backgrounds, while still staying true to herself. She attributes her ability to blend humility and confidence to her strong New Orleans roots. As she has traveled around the world, she has learned that not everyone knows the genuine, unconditional love of her hometown community, so she’s made a conscious effort to show that kindness to others even when it’s hard. “I felt it was my duty, no matter where I go, to allow someone to experience that love despite it being hard,” she said. “I might not get it returned, but that’s okay because I have enough.” Detach when you’re feeling overwhelmed. When Jori was younger, her stepfather would help her try and see a new perspective by encouraging her to imagine her mind detaching from her body and looking down at herself from above. Now that she’s a business owner, she finds taking a similar 360-degree view helpful for finding clarity. “Literally imagine the people involved,” she said. “Pay attention to what they’re paying attention to like the pieces on a chessboard. Really conceptualize the whole element, then come back to your vision and what you’re doing today.” Resources + Links Wevolv: Website, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube Jori’s Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube Unguarded with Jori Davis podcast Follow Brian Online: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Forbes About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast  Brian Thompson, JD/CFP, is a tax attorney and certified financial planner who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit. On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.

Brian chats with three-time tech founder and CEO Neha Sampat. Her latest venture, Contentstack, is a category-leading Composable Digital Experience Platform used by Mitsubishi Electric, Burberry, Icelandair, Leesa, and more. Neha has raised $169 million in capital for Contentstack over the past three years, including a recent $80 million Series C round. On the episode, Neha provides a wealth of strategies and tactics for building multiple successful businesses, including the importance of aligning a mission with company values. She also shares why she is a relentless advocate for achieving equity in the workforce and how getting comfortable with rejection helped her to become one of the top women in tech for fundraising dollars. Photos Credit: Courtesy of Austin Woman Magazine. Shot by Rudy Arocha. Episode Highlights Mission-driven businesses align with their values. Neha describes a mission-driven business as one whose mission aligns with its values. Ideally, the business’s mission is to change lives, create impact, and do something meaningful. The company's values then inform how the business achieves its mission. “It all boils down to what the company’s values are,” she said. “Values that are shared and understood and revisited often so that they're not just something on a board somewhere but something we’re actually living on a regular basis and rewarding people to live by.” Get comfortable with rejection. Raising millions of dollars takes a lot of rejection. When Neha was figuring out how to raise capital for her startups, she was routinely told no. To get to a yes, she learned to be resilient, ask for feedback, make changes, and try again. “You do that 100 times before you get to the point where someone wants to write you a term sheet,” she said. Find your champion. Neha’s breakthrough came when she found her champion and, later, her first investor. By following her champion’s playbook, she reached an inflection point where her work started to come together. Now, Neha is one of the top women in tech for fundraising dollars -- a fact that makes her smile. “There’s always somebody that becomes a champion for you, and when that happens, it’s so magical,” she says. “There aren’t a lot of female CEOs, and almost none in enterprise SAAS, that have raised this much capital. I want people to know that and see that it is possible if you stay on that course, build resilience, believe in yourself, and find champions.” Everybody has a superpower. As a woman of color tech founder without an engineering background, Neha didn’t have someone successful to look up to when she was a new tech entrepreneur. Her experience made her incredibly passionate about providing access and opportunities to more people in the tech industry.  For instance, when she created Contentstack, Neha partnered with community colleges to bring students into the organization. Now, some of those students have been with Contentstack for more than 15 years. “Everybody has their own superpower, and sometimes the right access, opportunities, or education lets you unlock it,” she said. “I go out of my way to look for those opportunities.” Resources + Links Contentstack: Website, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, GitHub Neha’s Social Media: Website, LinkedIn Brian’s Social Media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast Brian Thompson, JD/CFP, is a tax attorney and certified financial planner who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit. On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.

Brian chats with RHEA Services founder and “accidental business owner” Sarah Kendrick. Sarah started her career as a music therapist for children and adults with developmental disabilities but later realized the need for care and support in the bereavement process while helping her family after the death of her grandma. Bringing together the skills she developed during her years as a therapist, she founded RHEA Services to simplify the life transitions pre-planning and estate closure processes. On the episode, Sarah walks listeners through her journey of becoming an entrepreneur, including the struggles that turned into stepping stones. She also shares how she’s iterated and developed RHEA Services by listening to the needs of her customers and reads a blessing for business owners. Episode Highlights Mission-driven businesses make the world better. Sarah says mission-driven businesses do work that makes the world better than it is now. She started her mission-driven business, RHEA Services, in 2020 to help families and small business owners gather essential information in case something were to happen to them. “You’re the only person who knows what’s in your head, which is usually a good thing, but it gets troublesome when you are the one person who knows all of your most important pieces of information.” she said. “I help people basically make a map of that information so that if something happens, somebody knows where to go and look and get what they need.” She stumbled upon her line of work after reading an article about a woman in her 40s who struggled with the “business of death” after her husband died of cancer suddenly and unexpectedly. She immediately knew that helping families with the administrative pieces of losing a loved one was exactly what she wanted to be doing, but she couldn’t find another business doing that kind of work. “I am very much an accidental business owner, and I think that’s sometimes how mission-driven businesses start,” she said. “They see a problem and what they can do to help that problem. That was my situation.” Your customers will tell you what they need. Listen to them. The type of administrative work that Sarah set out to do in 2020 is just a small portion of what RHEA Services offers today. While Sarah didn’t intentionally set out to grow her business, it has naturally evolved as Sarah uncovers her own needs and listens intently to customers’ needs. “I am hearing what people need,” she said. “That doesn’t mean that I have to just do whatever people want me to do, but if it feels right to me, too, that’s a really lovely way to honor their faith in me.” Being a business owner is exciting and terrifying. Sarah describes herself as the type of person who prefers predictability and a schedule, which is not the life of a business owner. As she’s created and grown her business over the past three years, she’s learned to adjust her mindset about being an entrepreneur. She may never love the lack of predictability, but she’s grown to like the challenge of solving problems. “Being a business owner is exciting, exhilarating, and terrifying, and I am far more open to it than I ever was before,” Sarah said. “I’m more capable than I thought I was, and I’ve developed this newfound confidence in myself.” Resources + Links RHEA Services: Website, Instagram, Facebook Sarah’s Social Media: LinkedIn Brian’s Social Media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast Brian Thompson, JD/CFP, is a tax attorney and certified financial planner who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit. On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.

Brian chats with long-time friend and fellow lawyer-turned-entrepreneur Jesmond Riggins. Jesmond founded Legislative Logistics, a legislative consulting company for small and medium-sized businesses. On the episode, Jesmond tells his inspiring story from graduating high school near the bottom of his class to graduating from law school and now starting his own business. He also provides insight into the motivational mindset that helps him to continue to achieve success. Episode Highlights Who you were does not determine who you will be. By the time Jesmond reached high school, he was entirely disinterested in school except for playing football. In a pivotal conversation, his football coach convinced him to not quit the team, which he now attributes as a key factor for why he stayed in school and eventually graduated. However, he graduated with a GPA of 1.3 on a 4.0 scale and a rank of 443 out of 459 students. “Graduating from high school I felt lost,” Jesmond said. “I remember thinking to myself, ‘I’m going nowhere. I’m left behind.’” While his friends went off to college, Jesmond joined the military. After his time in the service, he worked full-time and attended community college while sleeping in the living room of his mother’s apartment. Because of his poor high school performance, he had a lot of catching up to do and took several remedial classes. Despite the difficulty, Jesmond kept pushing and landed a scholarship to continue his education at St. John’s University in Queens, NY, where he decided to study government and politics. His professors saw a brilliance in him that they cultivated, which led him to attend Rutgers University law school and land a job after graduation in the Department of Justice. “I was lucky enough to find myself in the Civil Rights Division,” he said. “I was the only Black male civil rights analyst who implemented and enforced section five of the Voting Rights Act.” Outwork your imposter syndrome. Even as Jesmond worked toward a future he wanted, he struggled with self-doubt and imposter syndrome. To overcome those feelings, he gave his studies his best effort and gained confidence as the effort he put in reflected in his grades. “I was deathly afraid that people would find out that I was stupid, that I’m not supposed to be there,” he said. “So I worked hard. I studied every single day. And when I got my first report card back, it was straight As.” Create a business that solves a problem. Desmond’s law career spanned a variety of government and politics-related roles, where he noticed that many people from organizations didn’t know how the political system worked and how to best influence it. “I had no idea that what I was observing would turn into a business idea," he said. "It was just something that I noticed and all of us complained about.” Once he realized he could create a business to help small and midsize businesses that can't afford lobbyists, he came up with the dollar amount he needed to save to cover the essentials for himself and his family while he got his business off the ground. Then, he saved as if his life depended on it. "If you wait for the right moment, you may never do something," he said. Resources + Links Jesmond’s Social Media: LinkedIn Brian’s Social Media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast  Brian Thompson, JD/CFP, is a tax attorney and certified financial planner who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit. On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.

Brian chats with Krish Himmatramka, the founder of Do Amore, which sells ethically sourced engagement rings to further its mission of providing clean water to people in developing countries. On the episode, Krish shares his journey from mechanical engineer to mission-driven entrepreneur, including his experience on the hit TV show Shark Tank. He also provides insights into building a for-profit brand that makes an impact and details how he scaled his business from an $18,000 investment to netting $40 million in sales. Episode Highlights Mission-driven businesses change lives. Krish defines a mission-driven business as one where you want to make money and use some of that money to improve a community -- whether that community is small and local or the entire world. His company, Do Amore, fulfills its mission by bringing clean water to a person in a developing country every time a customer buys an engagement or wedding ring. “Do Amore is basically the most ethical engagement ring and wedding ring company in the world,” Krish said. “This way a couple can use their life-changing moment to actually change another life forever.” Make an ethical case for a for-profit company. Before Krish started Do Amore, he saw many nonprofit businesses trying to bring people clean water, but few that made a significant impact at fulfilling that mission. Rather than starting yet another nonprofit, he thought he could positively change more lives by funding nonprofit work with the sales from a for-profit business that sold something expensive at a large volume -- like engagement rings. “I focused on making an ethical ring for my girlfriend that actually helped the world,” Krish said. “The best way to do this was to sell something expensive that was high volume and high profit margin, so that every time we sell something, we could make a massive difference.” Keep a startup mentality. Krish saved $18,000 to start his business, and it’s the only money he needed to invest. He largely credits the success to avoiding inventory costs by only making orders after receiving payment from a customer, but he also says putting his savings into the company forced him to make the business work. “It was a very slow and steady process,” Krish said. “You start with selling one ring a month, then the next month selling three, then five.” Advertise your mission -- especially on SharkTank. After years of slow but steady growth, Krish says two decisions were crucial to building Do Amore’s momentum: (1) Migrating to a “real website” that he didn’t build himself and (2) paying for advertising. Another great way to advertise? Being on the hit TV show Shark Tank, as Krish can attest since he was featured on Season 13 of the show. “Having people like Mark Cuban and Kevin O’Leary talking to you on the screen adds some trust,” Krish said. “I think it added a trust component for us.” Resources + Links Watch Krish’s Shark Tank episode Do Amore: Website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest Krish’s Social Media: Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn Brian’s Social Media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast Brian Thompson, JD/CFP, is a tax attorney and certified financial planner who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit. On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.

Brian chats with Paul Pastor, a media and tech entrepreneur who currently serves as Chief Business Officer and Co-Founder of Quickplay. In the episode, Paul shares his experience transitioning from media to the tech industry -- and how he immediately noticed and began to address a lack of diversity in the latter. He also discusses the business case for diversity and opens up about the lessons he learned from a previous failed business venture. Episode Highlights Mission-driven businesses follow personal motivations. Mission-driven businesses take a step back and follow the personal motivations of their founders, according to Paul. When he created Quickplay, he had three big drivers and motivators behind the vision for the company: Do you see a big idea and want to chase it? Can you continue to drive impact in the industry that you have? How do you make sure you keep a sense of responsibility that comes with being an entrepreneur? Paul and his co-founders stayed true to their answers as they created a company that builds out the technology behind streaming services. Paul's also guided Quickplay to a broader LGBTQ+ ally-driven initiative, which gives the company an even greater sense of mission and purpose. “I think about how do I, from a company perspective, not only make an impact on a specific technology or specific television show distribution, but also how do I step up as an individual and how do we step up as a company and say there’s other things that are important about the way we do business,” he said. Make a business case for diversity. When Paul moved into the tech industry, he immediately noticed the lack of diversity. Walking around a trade show, it was clear that the majority of attendees were white or Indian men. In response, he’s made it a focus for Quickplay to create space for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies in the tech industry -- and the result is a positive impact on the business. “At the National Association of Broadcasters conferences, we had a co-sponsorship with Google Cloud, and what I loved was not only did we have a huge number of attendees but it became an event that people wanted to go to and co-sponsor,” Paul said. “Anil Jain from Google stood up and said, ‘This is the company that shares the values of how we like to operate, and that’s the type of company we want to do business with.’” Culture always wins. Not only can diversity lead to business opportunities, but it can also create a work culture that allows employees to do their best work alone and together. As a result, the company creates a strong, safe, and respectful culture that allows it to thrive. But Paul emphasizes that culture has to stop at the top. “When a leader walks in the room, everybody else is looking at how that leader walks into the room,” Paul said. “Your presence, how you communicate, how you talk to others matters because it sets up how others mimic those behaviors and fundamentally take on the positive and negative aspects of the company.” Find product-market fit quickly and cheaply. The first gate for a business to cross on its way to success is product-market fit. Paul emphasized that it's important to find product-market fit as quickly and cheaply as possible because once you can show fit and market size, you can find capital to grow. “It takes a lot of discipline to make sure you follow through those proper phases,” Paul said. “We’ve clearly agreed and defined our goals, so we’re not spending a lot of time debating the next step because we’ve already defined where we’re headed.” Resources + Links Quickplay: Website, Twitter, LinkedIn Paul’s Social Media: LinkedIn Brian’s Social Media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast Brian Thompson, JD/CFP, is a tax attorney and certified financial planner who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit. On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.