The Life Changing Importance of Decision Making with Matt Kursh, Dr. Ralph L. Keeney

02/09/22 • 54 min

Inside Great Minds

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Hard Truths Learned From Building a Business with Heather Adams, Choice Media and Communications

In this episode of Inside Great Minds with Adam Outland, Adam interviews Heather Adams, the founder and CEO of Choice Media & Communications. The central theme of this episode is about evolving who you are as a leader and entrepreneur to scale a business in order to design the life you want.

As a leader and innovator in the PR landscape, Heather discusses the essential components for a business to have clarity in its messaging. She shares her storyteller roots and how important it is for any business to aspire to be storytellers, as well. She also discusses how she generates exposure for her clients and overcomes the challenges of an ever-evolving public relations industry.

Key Takeaways ◾️ The importance of relationship building in almost all aspects of your business, from sales to providing services, and building a team. ◾️ The two hard truths she learned while building Choice: finding partners she could trust and pricing to grow. ◾️ After being laid off, Heather stood up for herself and the future she wanted to create. She advocated for herself and teaches the mindset others can follow to build the life they want. ◾️ Listening to your ideal client can lead to opportunities, both as a leader and in expanding a business. ◾️ The opportunities found during the COVID lockdowns when all of her clients were in crisis mode simultaneously, and how business owners should look at challenges as a way to grow.

Quotes After being laid off: "My husband looked at me and he said, 'I don't want you to take your next step out of fear.' You know, 'You have worked so hard to build this career and professional success that you've achieved. Go and carve out and design the life that you are wanting.'"

When it comes to scaling her business: "I used to believe that I was a really good manager and that I also could get in the trenches. And I think as I've matured and grown and also gotten feedback, I've learned that those are areas where I have some gifting, but it's not like my superpower. And so it's best to, as my mentor taught me, hire better and smarter than you and get people in those roles that can really help you in that in that regard."

How to stay competitive in any industry: "Well, if we weren't constantly evolving and staying on top of the latest trends, the technology, the way people are receiving their information, different formats -- podcasts didn't exist back then, right -- then we would be non existent. So, I think you constantly have to be evolving, developing, and staying educated."

Advice she would give to her 20-something self: "Number one, I would say calm down. Like, just relax, and rest more, you know. The second thing I would say is the size of your office, the title that you have, and the salary that you make does not define how successful you are, how happy you are, or what kind of leader you are."

About Heather Adams Heather is the communications whiz who leads Choice’s impressive team of women, and one man, as they serve preeminent voices in publishing, government, lifestyle, entertainment, business, and faith-based arenas. A sincere focus on connecting with people has resulted in a diverse list of past and present clientele that reads like a who’s who of contemporary thought leadership and compelling characters: Rev. Billy Graham, President Jimmy Carter, Dave Ramsey, Jen Hatmaker, The Bachelor’s Sean Lowe, Ernie Johnson, Robin McGraw, the Johnny Cash family, Rick Warren, Marcus Buckingham, WWE Hall of Fame Shawn Michaels, John Maxwell, and Max Lucado, among others, have all called on her. Heather has played an instrumental role in helping more than 100 authors land spots on The New York Times best-sellers and secured clients coverage in elite national media.

Prior to founding Choice, Heather was head of Heather Adams Consulting, a branding, communication, and public relations firm she launched after serving as Director of Publicity at Thomas Nelson Publishers, a division of HarperCollins.

Heather is a proud alumna of the University of Georgia. She lives in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, with her husband Matthew Adams, and their two young sons, Dixon and Thackston.

Related Links Heather on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/heatherdixonadams

Heather on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/heatherdixonadams

Choice Website and Blog http://www.choicepublicity.com

Choice on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ChoicePublicity

Choice on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/choicepublicity

Inside Great Minds Instagram https://www.instagram.com/insidegreatmindsadam

Inside Great Minds Facebook https://www.facebook.com/insidegreatminds

Inside Great Minds Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/171523550878662

Inside Great Minds LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/insidegreatminds

Adam Outland LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-outland-54458912

Next Episode

A Lifetime of Skill Building, David Gow of Gow Media

This week on Inside Great Minds with Adam Outland, Adam talks with David Gow of Gow Media about his interesting work history, current holdings, and future investments. David shares his most valuable advice, including advice he’d give his younger self that any young aspiring business person should hear.

With a background working in the early dot-com bubble, David gained many skill sets and talents that prepared him for success as an entrepreneur later in life.

At 40, David had the rare opportunity to buy a radio license. From there, David expanded the business with the help of talented radio personalities who knew the inner workings of a media business better than he did. Ultimately, David further expanded beyond radio into digital print media with CultureMap, InnovationMap, and AutomotiveMap!

Adam goes in-depth with David on how he has shifted gears into building a SPAC (SportsMap Tech Acquisition Corp) which can’t go public just yet and raise money to acquire a company (ideally) within the sports and tech space.

In this episode, Adam and David explore:

David’s journey from consultant to CFO, COO, to founder.
Principles used to develop his skills and grow his business
Critical thinking in his decision making
Challenges he overcame through acquisitions
Defining SPAC and why he entered that space

Here are a few breakthrough quotes you’ll hear in this episode with David Gow:

“The other thing that I think has really been important to me over the course of my career, is listening to others. I worry listening is almost a lost art in today's world, and particularly [because of] mobile devices and distractions. ... And people want to just jump to conclusions. But I think it's really important to hear out and listen to all the underlying assumptions that lead to those conclusions.”

“I really do love the optionality of our business and optionality in life. We are in a place where we can do lots of different things.”

“I really do have a passion and an excitement for learning – learning new abilities, new skills, new information ... I would encourage everyone to continually grow in knowledge and skills. So much of learning is listening to people and listening intently.”

“Every 20-something person wants to do something significant in life, wants to do something important, wants to have real weight about their work and where they lay it, they want to be sure they become something, and to find a great outcome. And it's really hard in your 20s, to know what that's going to be. There's a sense of restlessness about that because you don't know where you're going to go and how you're going to get there ... I say take a deep breath and those in their 20s should invest in learning and growing functions and skillsets and capabilities. Work hard and don't feel so restless. It will work out.”

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ABOUT DAVID GOW David Gow is the CEO of Gow Media, a large multi-platform media company, based in Houston. Gow Media’s portfolio of digital content sites includes Culturemap, Sportsmap, Innovationmap, and Automotivemap.com. Gow also owns a popular sports radio station in Houston, ESPN 97.5FM and SportsMap Radio, one of the country’s largest national sports radio networks.

In addition to his work at Gow Media, Gow is Chairman and CEO of a SPAC, which completed its IPO in October, raising $115M. The SPAC, SportsMap Tech Acquisition Corp., has a focus on the sports-tech industry. The board of the SPAC includes leaders in the sports industry, including Reid Ryan, Oliver Luck, Steve Webster and David Graf.

Prior to entering the media business, Gow was the first CFO and ultimately the CEO of Ashford.com, a company that grew to over $50M in revenues. As CFO, Gow managed a successful IPO, raising over $75M with Goldman Sachs as the lead underwriter. As CEO, Gow grew a profitable corporate gifts business to complement the company's e-tailing business. Ashford.com was sold to GSI Commerce in 2002 and is still a leading online destination for watches. Prior to Ashford, Gow served as Director of Corporate Strategy at Compaq Computers. Among the projects he led, Gow managed the integration of two acquisitions, Digital and Tandem Computers, for all of Compaq North America. Prior to Compaq, Gow worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. While there, he consulted for companies in diverse industries, including technology, media, retail, and energy. Gow left the firm after attaining the position of Engagement Manager. Gow's educational background includes a MPP degree from Harvard University and a Bachelor's degree from Williams College. David ...