Janine Kurnoff and Lee Lazarus are sister-preneurs and co-founders of The Presentation Company. TPC trains the world’s top brands—including Facebook, Nestle, and Marriott—on innovative visual storytelling techniques. They’ve bottled up their award-winning training into a new book called Everyday Business Storytelling, which was an Amazon #1 New Release.
Entrepreneurial Role Models:
Janine and Lee’s Mum and Dad
When business started difficulties overcame:
“I too things come to mind. Probably the self-funding of our growth as we were not trust fund kids. And being okay with not having fancy offices like most of our friends did in Silicon Valley. Although that’s now wildly accepted to have a virtual office 20 years ago you looked like the mom-and-pop shop if you didn’t have a sprawling office in downtown San Francisco or Palo Alto. So, I would say that really stands out but we definitely took a more conservative approach again from our immigrant upbringing that you spend what you have and I think this has served us really well”…[Listen for More]
Favourite Books:
- The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever Book by Michael Bungay Stanier
- Click the following link to listen to the Michael Bungay Stanier Podcast on The Entrepreneur Way
Favourite Quote:
“done is better than perfect”
Recommended Online Resources:
- LinkedIn – LinkedIn is a business and employment-oriented service that operates via websites and mobile apps. Founded on December 28, 2002, and launched on May 5, 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking, including employers posting jobs and job seekers posting their CVs.
- Wrike is an online project management software that gives you full visibility and control over your tasks. With the help of Wrike, managing projects becomes easier. Their project management tools include time tracking, project planning and organization, an interactive timeline, communication and online collaboration features for teams of any size.
- Asana – Easily organize and plan workflows, projects, and more, so you can keep your team s work on schedule
Best Advice to Other Entrepreneurs:
“I think being an entrepreneur is a balancing act that changes over time. In the beginning is about saying yes to everything because your wheelhouse is just forming, you are trying to figure it out, you are seeing what sticks. And that is going to push you and keep you up at night… Like literally there were many late nights because we said yes. But I think keeping that early door open to anything helps you figure out what works and what doesn’t. And then there is a shift and we have to learn the power of no and stay in your lane which Lee spoke about and realising that you can’t be all things to all people and that being busy only works if you are trying to get to where you want to go but it’s not going to work if you are burnt out in the process. And so, it’s finding that balance of when to say no yes and when to say no. And then as you get more established and as you move on into the maturity of your business don’t be afraid to challenge your own status quo. When something comes along and it’s uncomfortable and scary but it fits within your wheelhouse sometimes saying yes can transform what you are doing “ [Listen for More]
More About Janine Kurnoff and Lee Lazarus:
Neil’s Quote at the Beginning:
“Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.” Marianne Williamson
Other Quotes From the Chat with Janine Kurnoff and Lee Lazarus:
- “I would have to say operations. I think having systems in place to reduce the human hours would have been ideal to know. When you stop to think about the value and how much time you waste with admin related tasks you do really realise your energy could have been better spent elsewhere. And I took as a while to figure this out. We really had to answer one critical question over the years. Are we building a lifestyle business or are we building one the scale? And once we were able to truly answer that the path became very clear that we needed more sound operational efficiencies and make that a top priority in the business”
- “Authenticity… Being human… I will just share what a lot of our clients say is that they want to work with people that they feel they can connect with that are really in it to provide a partnership that that really want to hear them out and honestly make them look like the heroes at the end of the day. So, I think that the more that you are present for your customers and your prospects the more they are going to want to believe and partner with you”
- “Be bold, run fast and take risks”
- “We as the leaders set the tone”
- “It was about letting go and making space for possibility”
- “it’s better to launch something into the world and just let it live and breathe than hold it close to our chest”
- “if you are here and you are listening you are already on the field. As an entrepreneur now is the time to start playing. And the biggest risk is not taking that risk at all. And everyday people all over the world with probably a whole lot less resources than you are starting out with our doing just that. They are starting businesses with just an idea and a whole lot of dreamings. So, I say what are you waiting for? If not you then who? ”
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