Generating Actionable Steps To Facilitate Business Growth

Jan 12

featuring Dan Clifford, management advisor for growing businesses

Dan Clifford is a management advisor, meeting facilitator, and entrepreneur who helps other entrepreneurs build scalable, lasting companies. He specializes in strategic growth in areas such as business, revenue, and hiring. Prior to his advisory work, Dan founded and built AnswerLab, an Inc. 500 national professional services firm. The firm’s culture has been recognized in Fortune magazine three years in a row as one of the 25 Best Small Company Workplaces in the nation.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

How Dan Clifford founded AnswerLab and why he focused on user experience design
Dan shares his facilitation process and how he began consulting
Common mistakes companies make when scaling
Identifying pain points to solve business problems
The importance of establishing core values
Who are Dan’s most influential mentors?

In this episode…

Do you want to set your business up for long-term success? Many entrepreneurs struggle to scale in the long run because they often overlook the complete picture. So how can you identify a vision and develop a plan for the future?

Business advisor and facilitator Dan Clifford says to establish a BHAG (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal) for your company. This incentive helps you focus on your motivations and develop small, actionable steps to accelerate business growth. Dan also emphasizes the importance of identifying core values to structure your organization. The need to analyze your processes, operations, and infrastructure to cultivate a unified culture that encourages accountability and transparency.

In this episode of “Solution Seekers,” Paige Buck connects with Dan Clifford to talk about facilitating business growth. Dan shares his facilitation process, the common mistakes companies make when scaling, and the importance of establishing core values.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Kennedy Events.

Kennedy Events creates stress-free conferences and events, providing expert management and design for all your corporate event needs — from in-person to hybrid and virtual events.

To learn more about our services, visit our website at www.kennedyevents.com and schedule a consultation today to find out how we can guide you in making your event successful.

Transcript

Below is an AI-generated transcript, full of all sorts of amusing foibles and mistranslations. Take it with a grain of salt!

Intro 0:04

Welcome to The Kennedy Events Podcast where we feature top marketing, communications and future of work leaders and share their biggest takeaways and insights. We love these conversations and hope you will too. Let's get started.

Paige Buck 0:23

Welcome to The Kennedy Events Podcast where we uncover the future of bringing people together through the eyes of industry leaders. Whether that's retaining top talent for your business, attracting your ideal partners, or retaining your best customers, learn from professionals who have been there and done it so you can two past guests have included Russell Benaroya of Stride Kim Alpert of Udemy Elyse Napolitano of the spreads a tour entrepreneur and Megan flat of let's collective. And today I am super excited to welcome Dan Clifford, an advisor to entrepreneurs who helps them build scalable, lasting companies. Prior to his advisory work, Dan co founded and built answer lab, an inc 500 national professional services firm that serves the world's leading brands. The fast growth company was driven by a company culture that has been recognized in Fortune magazine three years in a row as one of the 25 best small company workplaces in the nation. Dan himself often works with services firms that are setting themselves up to scale. Today's event is brought to you by my company Kennedy Events, we create stress free conferences and events, providing expert management and design for all your corporate event needs, from in person to hybrid and virtual. And you can learn more about us at Kennedyevents.com. Dan, thanks for hanging out through that whole spiel. Thanks for being here.

Dan Clifford 1:54

So like learning more about Kennedy Events?

Paige Buck 1:57

Well, and one of the joys of doing this podcast is I love learning about everybody else's businesses. And you were telling me before we started recording that AnswerLab, Willie focused on user experience research and what drives individuals decisions. Tell me a little bit about how, how you even got started in that work? What made you want to do that?

Dan Clifford 2:23

Yep. Well, I started out my career started out in in a mix of marketing and sales. So it kind of gravitated towards sales. And I was interested in technology. To me, it was the most exciting part of the world. Just selling software was fun and exciting. software's changing the world. And I learned some sales skills and eventually ended up at a company called dividends, which had a software tool that helps companies understand users on the on their website, so it could do surveys and see where people clicked and understand more about what people were doing on the website. I met my business partner that we work together, I was more on the sales side, she was on the consulting side. Lately, after a few years there, we both decided to leave the company and start our own company. And we had kind of a mix of skills that would that would we felt would work. And to me, I felt like what a great experience to just be paid to learn how to run a business. When you start off it in a professional service firm, you can just go out and find a few clients to get started. So we just had our our laptops in ourselves and talk to folks that we knew and they hired us. So we we did user experience research projects. So basically understanding how people interact with websites, mobile apps, tablet apps, to help them big build better website. So it started with us. And over time, we hired people and grew and got office space and, and you know, opened up their offices. So

Paige Buck 3:47

now offices entirely, are moving to a thing of the past is to be like a sign of success, then now it's like who needs that

Dan Clifford 3:55

exact in fact, movie we saw we had a San Francisco, we have one and then opened a New York office. And it was much harder than we ever expected to get a new office up and running. It took years to I feel like to get it really nailed down and feel like it was efficient. And it made economic sense. Yeah. And what I've heard from other folks after I after I did that I heard from some folks that a rule of thumb is it takes five years to get another US office really up and running and 10 years to get an international office up and running. So and that's kind of more of a realistic view, like to feel fully comfortable that they're fully integrated. And you've got the same culture and everyone's on the same team. And it's not just like a remote office from corporate like you're really part of the team. So it Yeah, it's hard. It's hard opening and running an office. So this new virtual world I can see has lots of benefits.

Paige Buck 4:47

That is fascinating. I wonder if people are able to iterate that much faster. Now if it's like we are we're everywhere and nowhere. Because we're coming we're able to come together right now. Over zoom like this,

Dan Clifford 5:01

yep. One thing, even with large company, fortune 500 companies, a lot of companies are essentially saying there's no headquarters, like there's not even a head office, they're trying to distribute as much as possible, and spread executives around and really just have this, you know, single culture where you don't have to be close to the home office, it used to be, you needed to be at the home office, because you'd run into people in the hallways, and like, that's where the power was. And you wouldn't get promoted if you were in this little remote office. And companies are realizing the downside of that. And they're doing what they can to try to, you know, spread the, the, you know, the power and the decision making and the ability to get ahead to folks that are all over the

Paige Buck 5:40

world. Yeah. And the opportunity to have to build those relationships. Yeah, it the pit. Being a small company, there are whole layers in there that I don't think about, but that somebody has to within my clients, companies. Yeah, it is a fascinating problem. People are interesting to see the different approaches people are taking with it with AnswerLab, you were ultimately, you know, 50 employees, and then you, I think you said you loved working your way out of a job, because that's what success looks like, it doesn't need me any longer.

Dan Clifford 5:59

The challenge for me, like I suppose every entrepreneur has the thing that drives them, and what's the challenge that they love. And so someone might start an accounting firm, because they love accounting, they want to do accounting for the rest of their life. For me, I saw the opportunity and user experience research was something that I, I saw this great benefit to, to companies and even society making making the digital world better. But I didn't necessarily want to spend, you know, all my days doing that. But I love the idea of building a company that could do it in a culture and a set of systems and something that could live on without me like to me that was the challenge Can I can I build something that doesn't require me to have to be tinkering with it all the time, and, or me controlling everything that happens at the company, and so did a lot of learning, I joined EO the entrepreneur organization now, which is how I know you. And I just, you know, learn more and more about how to set up systems for growth. Starting with core values, and getting into you know, number a number of other best practices that just help you be able to grow a business worth not dependent on any one person,

Paige Buck 7:26

did it come to the point where you're running an AnswerLab, but you're, you've learned all of these business growth techniques, and you're like, I want more opportunities to do those things

Dan Clifford 7:37

I did that I that was the most motivating to me, it was it was the fun was the first time doing, like building a new system and doing a new analysis and figuring out the next step. And like really coming up with those core values of this, all these great tools and processes that we go through. And it really was motivated. And people would come to me and ask for advice, kind of informally. And I'd help them out and you know, help people where I can. And I enjoyed it. So it really, it really was something that I look forward to doing doing more.

Paige Buck 8:10

And that's and that's when you stepped away? Did you know when you stepped away from AnswerLab and your partner that it over in fall? Did you know that that's where you were gonna go, like you were going to be consulting?

Dan Clifford 8:22

You know, I didn't know exactly, I knew I'd be doing something entrepreneurial. And I took some time to think about it and, and just, you know, just play with whatever basically came my way. But over time, I've just really basically just thought about when I've had my best days, what are they and usually, it's when I'm on the phone talking to folks or meeting with people. You know, a big part of what I do is, is hosting meetings, like off sites for companies that are making decisions or execs that they get on the same page or a founder and his team, building, you know, deciding on and establishing core values for the company or training sessions of business owners. So I really love it. It's just fun. Just being you know, facilitating a group where I my styles, I'll try you know, I'll share knowledge and train here and there. But but really, there's so much knowledge in the room that I try to tap into people that might be quieter or that just don't always speak up in a with a facilitated meeting, you can really, you know, pull together ideas that often just don't come out from a regular office business meeting.

Paige Buck 9:27

Where did those where'd you get those facilitation skills? Where do you learn that technique?

Dan Clifford 9:34

Boy, I don't know, you know, over time, I mean, I've always enjoyed being with people like if I take a disc you know if you've heard of the the disc or there's different personality assessments and most of them say that I like being around people and probably why I was attracted to sales in the first place. So that's one I my undergrad majors in college I did double major in Psychology and Organizational Behavior and management and so I was attracted to those but also learn on those topics and continue to read all the time, you know, new research and books that come out in those areas, I went to business school a few years after college and just love that today, it's got some more business knowledge went to Kellogg, which is known for marketing and teamwork, like their cultures all around. So I guess I've surrounded myself with just this kind of knowledge and ideas. But really, it comes from experience, like, you know, getting in front of a room and, and just having that right mix of facilitation and direction and being loose where you need to and tighter when you need to, you know, I feel like I get more comfortable and better with it, the more I do it, yeah, you can't, there's always so much to learn from a book and get it get out there and do it.

Paige Buck 10:44

You have this reminding me that you have a phrase, I love that you take clients from like the 50,000 foot planning all the way down to the on the ground execution. What we have one of our core values is macro to micro so that really relates a weird look for people on our team who can pull up, see the big picture, understand how it all fits. And then also do that mean event planning? So much of what we do is the granular right now. But what are some of the things you do notice, either at the 50,000, or the five foot view? What do you see that your consulting clients maybe miss?

Dan Clifford 11:27

Yeah, they might be missing things that sort of the high in the low end so that on the high end, they might just have this general idea, I just want to grow. And that that's it, you know, they started that way. And they're not quite directed. And I think it's really valuable to have a V hack, a big hairy, audacious goal, or something like that. If big and hairy and audacious, there's too much even just a five year plan, like just picture in your mind. What's the vision of where you'd want to be? Like, what what would it feel like to go to work roughly how many people would you have on your team? Where, you know, would you be local? What kind of clients do you like working with? So it doesn't have to be exact, but does he vision? And then you know, really nail down? Are you motivated by that? You like that? Is that exciting for you? And if so, well, let's make some steps to get there. And so let's say you're looking 510 years out, well, how do you know what, that's a long time away? But let's what can we do this year? Like what's something we could do this year to move a little bit closer to that to that end goal? Alright, so let's establish that we'll come up with some brainstorms were narrowed down and come up with one thing. And you know, maybe it's, you know, hire a couple people that have a certain talent that you just don't have, like, this is one specific could, it could be anything, but that's like a specific thing. Alright, so this corner, what would it take? You know, if you don't have any of those people, maybe not even any of that knowledge right now? What can you do this quarter to move forward on that? And so we think, Alright, well, maybe I need to talk to five people who know that industry, and I need to start information interviewing. Okay, well, then, let's start. You know, let's break that into a the next few weeks, what will you do next week. So I won't get into all that. But you can basically take something that's really motivating in the future, and then narrow it down. Like I mentioned, we opened a New York office that never would have happened if we didn't have a B hag to be the most trusted brand in user experience research in the world. But that was B hag. We believed in it. We loved it. We thought it was possible. We were heading that way. And a couple of years into the company, we kind of looked at the B hag and said, if we want to be the best in the world, does it? Can we really just have one office? Like what like, Should we be in one place? And we all agreed? No, it needs to be more than you know, let's go at least national and then maybe international from there. And so that led us to a project to figure out where should the next office be? And then, you know, we broke it down into pieces and eventually ended up with a New York office. But that literally would not have happened. Like if we're just putting one step in front of the other, we would have just kept growing, you know, hiring people in San Francisco, it just wouldn't have occurred to us make the jump, but it was the be hag in the plan of how to how do you get there that that led us down that

Paige Buck 14:04

like working working back from that big goal? Yeah. Yeah. I recognize that. I feel like we I feel like you, Dan have inspired us to do exercises like that periodically, and some of the training related. Yep. So you there are so many different ways that you can engage and consult with different businesses and with business and with entrepreneurs in in different cohorts. How when, when an individual business owner comes to you, with like a, either a vague or specific problem, how do you as the outsider help them put their finger on like where they need to be putting their energy? Let them unpack what the real problems are? Right?

Dan Clifford 14:53

Yeah, it's you know, we just have a good current, you know, open conversation with you. No, no, no expectation. Sometimes on either side, like I try if I can just add some value in a call and, and hopefully, you know, uncover some things. And if they like what we talked about, we can start working together and more long term. But often people will start with the tactical, you know, the things that are keeping them up at night that are just most salient. And it might be, I have had a few key people quit, or my businesses slowed down, my sales have slowed down, or I'm meeting with customers, but they're not signing up. They're kind of just, you know, tactical things. And so I'll often dig into that a little bit like what's under underlying that. So people leaving, you know, why, you know, how do you run the company, what management structures do you have in place, and often, what I see is, is, there's just not much of an infrastructure. So and it's very common and not, you know, I started my business this way, most people start with just you kind of wing it, you make decisions, you make every decision yourself, usually, you're the most talented in the company, because you know that you know what the best like, you know, this, this industry or what you're doing, and you start to hire folks that are maybe more junior than you. And so you get used to just directing everybody in a one off way as to what they should do next. But then quickly realize you're overwhelmed, you're wrote your, you know, roadblock basically, or bottleneck. And what's needed is some infrastructure of, of systems goals that people have. Sort of, you know, a key performance indicator, so everybody in the company knows exactly what they're supposed to do. And then a set of core values that are that are agreed upon, and really reinforced that keep people together. So in some ways, you want anyone really independent, so they know what they're doing. And they do it really well. And they're accountable to their own work. But then you need this cohesive culture that really pulls people together, and has everyone going in the right direction.

Paige Buck 16:55

Well, and I feel like that word, that culture word is one of those like, everybody thinks they need it. What is it? How do you know you've got it? Is it just the it the culture is synonymous with this style of the founder? Like, what is his vibe or her vibe? How do you I mean, I feel like I know some of these answers, because you've taken me through this exercise. We have values we're really proud of here. But it's probably a surprise to a lot of people. How much that can nailing those down can move the needle. What are some views? I know, you've got some good examples of like, what the change looks like what it does for an organization to be able to name those.

Dan Clifford 17:43

Yeah, you Yeah, it can sound like this, you know, the idea of core values that can sound a little bit I don't know, esoteric, and really is that I mean, that's really important. Isn't that just something you, you come up with these great words like honesty and integrity, and you stick them on the wall? And like, isn't that just an exercise? You go through this to look like your?

Paige Buck 18:03

Yeah, I think we would have confused it with like a customer brand promise.

Dan Clifford 18:08

Right? Right. Right. Yeah, that's true.

Paige Buck 18:11

And diligence,

Dan Clifford 18:13

right, right. And then after a while, it's like, these are just words that everyone uses. And so and I've seen that. So some people just feel like they've either burned because they're on a company that's done that and then they kind of ignored them. And they're just words, and no one really follows up on them. Or they just feel like it's too esoteric. So what just one does a phrase that I use that maybe brings it home a little is that it's just core values are this is how we do things around here. And it's that simple. Like, it's that down to earth, like, this is how we do things around here. And so there's a lot of, you know, say event companies out there, and some do things in one way, and some do them in another. And no way is necessarily right or wrong. In most industries. There's different methods of running a company. Like Steve Jobs rules, you know, almost with an iron fist, right. He's famous for getting into dt and basically directing everything in the company. But he actually also he ran Pixar, he was the co owner and CEO of Pixar, and he had a very loose culture with them. So it doesn't even necessarily have to be the the, like, the culture isn't like the personality of the owner. It's really what bubbles up from the the team like, what motivates them, and what kinds of people do want, like you want them to be collaborative, like that's something that differentiates a company and it doesn't have to be there's lots of companies that are competitive, like, there's companies that you know, almost pit people against each other and it still works for them. Like I don't know if I'd personally want to work there, but lots of people do like more and, you know, competitive people who like that, like you attract those people. So, like, that's what's kind of powerful about the core values. You set up a way of how you work together, and it helps you attract the kind of people that work well in your company. And it's sort of subtly repels the people that aren't the right fit. Like they either get hired and they realize I don't quite fit in, and I think I'm gonna go find something else. Or in the interview process, they just kind of realize I'm not, you know, this isn't for me.

Paige Buck 20:12

Yeah, yeah. And I know how powerful that's been for us. And, and, and it can also attract or repel clients to, like, we are gonna be in this engagement for a while I want to, you know, like, and trust the folks I work with. And so if your values speak to me, we're gonna really make or break the make or break the client relationship,

Dan Clifford 20:35

too. Yep, exactly. Yeah.

Paige Buck 20:39

You talked a little about your business background and your education. And the I love that. It's striking the Kellogg marketing and business focus comes back to me too. But in this present moment, who are some of your mentors,

Dan Clifford 20:56

you know, someone who has been a great mentor over the years is actually, like coming from from business school. So in business school, but it's a very, there's a lot of, there's a strong pull to join a large company, because all these large companies recruit, they're like McKinsey Consulting, and all the big consumer packaged goods, companies, and sort of the biggest brands, they all come and you can just sign up for an interview. So it's so easy. It's like this track that you once you graduate, you just sign up for these interviews, and you can go get a job. You know, actually, I guess, be more of a, I'd say, a small fish in a big pond, but you know, learn some good things. And these are very, you know, high quality companies. But somehow that just didn't didn't appeal to me, like most of my friends were looking for that and nervous about the interviews. I really, like read this book of What Color is Your Parachute, which is this? Actually, it was written years ago, but it's been updated. It really, it was almost like the philosophy of it is at the time, like eye opening to me. And the whole like to summarize in a sentence or two, they basically just say, instead of just looking at what jobs are out there and applying for them, like just put a lot of work into what motivates you. What do you like to do? Who do you like to be around? Where do you want to live? Like, exactly where do you want to go? Like, just be really specific, and then go out and try to find that. And usually, if you find it by talking to people and information, interviewing and looking around and just kind of networking, it's like, it's more work, but it's kind of

Paige Buck 22:20

like McKinsey. Right. Right. Yeah. So

Dan Clifford 22:23

I came across a company called Career Central, which I thought was kind of interesting. It was an early version of just connecting a new, unique way of connecting job seekers with jobs. I thought that was really interesting and motivating. It's like the job you have makes up a lot of your happiness, and if you can do better connections and find jobs, and that's great. Um, I thought it was unique, interesting idea. Turns out it was started by a Kellogg grad who left a couple years before me, I didn't realize it. But I got in touch with them and started, you know, emailing and the end, I ended up working there. And I had offers from like, bigger companies with more money and all that, but he, I don't know, he's just motivating. I love the idea that he's entrepreneurial, you know, great person, smart, hire good people. And it was great. I'm glad I did. I moved to the Bay Area. And that was my first job out of business school. And then over the years, he, when I started my company, I was in touch with him, I ended up hiring him to consult with us to help us build our company, because he had built a few few companies named Jeff Hyman, or if I mentioned isn't, hey. And then yeah, over the years, we've just kind of just kept in touch and, and, you know, he's asked me for advice. I ask him for advice, a lot more. It goes more in that direction. But yeah, I think just having those people that you've built a relationship with, and you trust each other, and then keeping keeping in touch as you know, it's pretty important. I think, I think I shouldn't do that even more, there's times that I've been stuck in situations and boy, if only I call a few people that are, you know, that knew, you know, give me some guidance, I probably would have gotten through situations more quickly and easily and with less stress,

Paige Buck 24:01

Do you have a memorable piece of advices he's shared with you or a time does anything,

Dan Clifford 24:06

you know, he's just very direct. Like when we were when I was running my business, it was it was more around. Just I guess, not having it be a long slog, like, I think you notice that some of the things we were doing, were just that maybe as I'm mentioning, like, just, I don't know, just slightly putting one foot in front of the other not building systems. So he he was also good at going from that 50,000 foot view to the to the specific so he helped, he helped me set up our CRM, which just let us be really clear about how we track our business and how we want to track it and just what even like down to what fields we put in the CRM so that we can track our pipeline so that we know how many people that hire, and it was just that idea of being, you know, just being very directed about we'll just do this. And that'll just get you so far ahead. to where you are right now. So I guess Yeah, I took took some of that to heart and I try to do that with my clients too. So not just leave them hanging around, go find a system, but I'll you know, do my best to try to say Alright, well, here's a system that I think will work for you. And let's let's start with that and try it. See if it gets you get to where you want to

Paige Buck 25:20

start from somewhere that from from something specific. Yeah. I also love that kind of ongoing relationship. And you said that about like, Oh, if I just reached out to a few other people, we just had a team conversation yesterday where our big takeaway was, when you find yourself in this situation, the first step is to tell somebody else. Just name it, name it to yourself, and then go tell one other person on the team. So you at least have shared it. And then if you need to workshop it, they're there to workshop it with you. Yeah, just like have have folks are not afraid to check in with.

Dan Clifford 25:58

Yeah, that's right. Especially like if you've screwed up, right? Or if I've screwed up, sometimes I feel like oh, I don't want to talk like, what did I get myself in this mess? Or whatever it is? Yeah, it's great. Yes. Yeah. Tell one person and people, they're fine. All right, great. Well, let's work. Let's figure it out. Like most other people are a little more removed from it. And so you know, a trusted smart person will just put aside whatever happened in the past and say, Alright, great. Let's work. Let's figure this out. What's kind

Paige Buck 26:26

of that for, like, people that we do that I do that for? And then folks who do for me when you have to have a tough conversation, like, workshop this for me, and they can, like, give you a script with no, you know, no emotion, because of their problem. Yeah. And, and you're like, that's brilliant. Oh, my God, can you now say those words for me? But I can't come up with the words myself, because I'm in the emotion of it. I'm in this recipe.

Dan Clifford 26:56

That's true. I've done that for folks as well, where it's like, well, here's a less angry way to say what you're right. And they're like, Okay, yeah, that sounds better. Right?

Paige Buck 27:06

Those are the words I was looking. Yeah. Um, do you have like daily rituals that are important to you, or ways you like to structure your day? Yeah, I

Dan Clifford 27:17

found, um, I tried to exercise every morning. So it it really makes a difference. But like, I've noticed, if I don't do it, I'm just, I'm just less focused. If I like I like to swim, I found swimming is kind of the best exercise for me. So I'll swim with a with a Masters swim groups that forces me to show up and work hard and take less stressed. And I really, I can focus all day, I can sit at a computer and like, get a bunch of things done. And when I don't do that, I'm just I want to take a break. And I'm sort of distracted and I'm trying to do other things. And it also helps me sleep better. I find if I'm not exercising I just I'll sometimes it's not fall asleep as well, or wake up in the middle of the night. So how's that connection for me? For me, at least. I tried to do my sort of more brainless work later in the day. So you know, things that are more administrative and, and it's, you know, out of tactical things are required a little less thought I've learned to try to push those to the end of the day, we're getting a little tired anyway. So it's less efficient to do in the morning when I actually can be doing better thinking work.

Paige Buck 28:25

Right? When that's where, like, your top thing needs its most attention. Yeah. I envy you your good habit around daily work daily working out.

Dan Clifford 28:37

Started with the book. I mean, there's books, I think there's one called Tiny Habits, and there's others about habits in it. I didn't, I didn't always do it. And it really started with there was a time I was exercising at all. And in a book just had this idea of just do like two push ups. So there was a time that I was like, Ah, I don't feel like exercise, I'll do two push-ups. And sometimes if you do two, you're like, alright, I can do five and there's no commitment to do more than two. But like, while you're doing it, you're like, alright, I can do more. I'm already here on the ground, I could already hit right already right here. And so that's what I got, like, reenergize me gradually groups by what it was, like, you know, all at once, and then it was just noticing like it was noticing as I can easily not, you know, it's so in some ways easier to not exercise, but my mood isn't as good. I just don't, you know, I'm not enjoying the day as much. So maybe it's a little selfishly doing it so that I can be you know, feel good and try to be focused and, you know, I don't call her I don't you know, I can approach problems with less stress, things like that.

Paige Buck 29:45

Yeah, well, that's still super wise. All right, so we'll wrap up here with a final question. I'm curious, you know, you mentioned your, your mentor, somebody you check in with who in this broad Wide World Dan, are you great fourth floor.

Dan Clifford 30:01

Yeah. What you know, it's, I mean, it's there's so many people I, the the EO network has been amazing, like just, you know, meeting you and a bunch of other folks. I can't list them all. But there's so many people that I just get these great concepts from that I'll you know, meet and talk to and get a good takeaway or they know somebody that I should talk to. Just the idea of being part of a network where I can send a text and say, I've got this issue and you have five answers from from folks saying, Hey, here's a here's an idea for you.

Paige Buck 30:41

It's like the network in the community itself of other like minded entrepreneurs. Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's huge. Very cool. Well, I've been talking to Dan Clifford, the management advisor, and Guru of all amazing business practices. Dan, where can people learn more about you or find you in the wider world?

Dan Clifford 31:04

Yep. Emails, Dan@Danclifford.com. Website is Danclifford.com.

Paige Buck 31:11

Amazing. Thank you so much for your time today.

Dan Clifford 31:14

Sure. Great talking to you.

Outro 31:21

Thanks for listening to The Kennedy Events Podcast. Come back next time, and be sure to click Subscribe to get future episodes.

Ready to Learn More About What the Kennedy Events Team Can Bring to Your Event?

The KE team excels at incorporating opportunities to delight at every stage of the event planning process. With a clear roadmap to event success, we champion our knowledge, resources, and connections to ensure your event goes off without a hitch. Whether you’re planning a live, in-person event, something in the virtual realm, or a hybrid with virtual components, our event experts are here to guide you. Schedule a 30-minute consultation with us today.

PAIGE BUCK

Paige Buck is the co-owner of Kennedy Events, a large-scale event management company based in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City. Our team creates stress-free conferences and events with a positive impact, which allows our clients to resonate with their audience. Kennedy Events specializes in producing flawless product launches, award ceremonies, fundraisers, and multi-day conferences while keeping our eye on retention and engagement goals.

About Kennedy Events

Kennedy Events began with one goal in mind—to produce high-level corporate events with just as much strategy as style. Maggie founded the company in 2000, found her match in Paige, and in 2011 the two became official partners. Since then, these two resourceful and brilliant creatives have pooled their strengths to build one one of the most the most sought after corporate event companies in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles.