Building a Diverse, Inclusive and Successful Business with Trudi Lebron: An EOFire Classic from 2021

0:01Boom! Shake the roof, Fire Nation! JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire! Brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals with great shows like online marketing made easy. Today, we're pulling a timeless EO Fire episode from the archives, so the giveaway may not be active. And we'll be breaking down building a diverse, inclusive, and successful business. To drop these value bombs, I have brought Trudy LeBron into EO Fire Studios. Trudy is a diversity, equity, and inclusion coach who teaches individuals and institutions how to build successful anti-racist businesses.

0:34And today, we'll be talking about the In fact, if you are feeling called to make a bigger difference and be a vehicle for change, you don't have to choose between making a lot of money and doing good in the world. You can do both together. And equity is about giving people what they need in order to achieve their goals, thrive, and live amazing lives and do what they want. And so much more, Fire Nation. And a big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Trudy and our sponsors. Business Made Simple, hosted by Donald Miller, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals, Business Made Simple takes the mystery out of growing your business.

1:09Join my friend, Donna Miller, each week as he shares value bombs on topics like the secret to making better marketing decisions. Listen to Business Made Simple wherever you get your podcasts. Belay has spent over a decade helping thousands of leaders increase efficiency and productivity by leveraging flexible staffing solutions. Download Belay's delegation guide and learn six specific things that busy leaders must start delegating today. Text FIRE, that's F-I-R-E, to 55123 to download the guide and get started. Trudy, say what's up to FIRE Nation and what's something you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with?

1:53Hey, y 'all, what is up? Thank you for having me. So something I believe, I believe that you have to take care of others first. I have spent a long time in the entrepreneurship world, especially early on, hearing from coaches that I need to focus on myself first, that I needed to stop focusing on other people, that I needed to make sure I had, you know, whether it was six figures or whatever the goal is, then I needed to focus on that first, and then I can worry about taking care of others. And I just disagree. I go about life a little different. I think it's really important that we're prioritizing the impact that we want to make in the world up front.

2:40I love that message. And Fire Nation, as you know from the introduction, we're talking about building a diverse, inclusive, and successful business. So let's first just start off by chatting about equity-centered business. What exactly is an equity-centered business? And why should people even think about creating one or including one in the first place? Yeah, so equity-centered coaching and equity-centered business is a framework that we teach that really is about putting equity at the center of all of the things that we do. And so just for context, equity means that we are doing the things that people need in order to help them thrive.

3:21There is a big difference between equality, which is something that I think many people grow up with, this idea that we need to treat everyone the same and that that is what is most fair and it's all about being equal. Equal is about giving people the same thing and equity is about giving people what they need in order to achieve their goals, in order to thrive and live amazing lives and do whatever it is that they want. And so when we put equity at the center of our business, we're not thinking about giving everyone the same thing and like standardizing a particular practice or framework or just executing the exact same way every time.

3:57We're thinking about what do people actually need? How do we have to differentiate the way that we do things? How do we create containers where people feel safe? And we recognize that that sometimes means that we have to do things a little differently. And so the components of equity centered practice for us are that we're values driven. So we put values right up front. We think about how our values are connected to every single decision, business decision, personal decision that we make. We think about a liberatory leadership practice, which means that we're thinking about how to create more space for people to be who they are.

4:36And that means in, you know, whether we're talking about our clients or our team members or whoever we happen to be in community or relationship with, that we're practicing a leadership style that is about creating more space and more opportunity and not replicating systems of oppression or things that kind of constrict people. We also prioritize culturally responsiveness, which means that we're thinking about how people are different. We're thinking about what people are bringing to the tables, how their cultures, how their ethnicities, how their racial identities, genders, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, inform who they are.

5:18And we take that into consideration in our practice and in our business. And that we have a social impact business model, which means, like I said, right up front, is that we're thinking about how we create impact at the same time as we're thinking about how we make lots of money and live the lives that we want. We're looking at all of those things at the same time. So that is what it means to be an equity-centered coach or equity-centered entrepreneur. Fire Nation, a lot happened in 2020. I mean, we had obviously a worldwide pandemic. We had the BLM movement. We had a lot of things happen in this world.

5:55And so you need to be thinking like, how am I adjusting to the times? How am I transitioning? How am I staying cutting edge? How am I staying relevant? How am I doing the right things in the world that we live in today? And one thing that I really am excited to talk to you about on a business side of things is, you know, a lot of entrepreneurs, Trudy, they just have one offer at one price point. So let's take a step back right now and talk about crafting a business that serves multiple people at multiple price points. What does that even look like? When I started in the coaching industry years ago now, you know, I came from a nonprofit background.

6:29I had a really successful career there. and there was a lot of adjustment when I came into entrepreneurship and one of the things I just could not wrap my head around was this idea that is often taught that if you have like differentiated offers so if you have lower priced offers that it somehow takes away the value of your higher priced values and so you know I was being encouraged by various folks and a lot of the things that I was reading to go high end and have these high price offers and that that would like maintain the value of my work. And I could just never really get behind that. One of the things that I learned in the nonprofit space and kind of in the transition between the nonprofit world and the business world is this idea of social impact business.

7:20And so one of the ways that we can do this and think about having offers at multiple price points is that maybe some of our higher end offers can offset the cost of some of the other things that we offer that make it a little bit more financially accessible. So the way that works in my business, and I have been doing things like this for the last four years, is that I have a program. It's called Be a Boss. It is for women of color who live in my local community. I live in Central Connecticut. And that program attracts women who are younger in their careers and mostly in the nonprofit space and education.

8:04And there are just tons of barriers for that population, a population that I used to be a member of, right, to access coaching, especially when the coaching requires lots and lots of money. Um, so I started that program. Um, it became a way for me to mentor a group of women at one time, instead of just trying to have coffee dates with people here and there, you know, um, put everyone in a group, uh, put, you know, charged. I think that first year we charged about like 40 or$50 a month. Um, we had, we, we met in person back when we could do that. We met in person, we provided breakfast and the the program was like cost neutral so we generated some revenue because we charged some membership fee but it basically paid to cover the space and the food that we were providing and maybe some you know like materials that program didn't need to make money because I was making money you know in other parts of my business when I first started I was doing a lot of consulting in schools and corporations.

9:13And it just didn't need, it needed to pay for itself, but it didn't need to, you know, have all this excess, you know, this big profit margins. And I just couldn't not run that program. There was something inside of me that made it impossible for me to be charging tens of thousands of dollars to work with schools, to work with, you know, other for-profit business owners and to be looking at a population of people, again, a population that I was a part of and to have all of this information and to not share it. And so it just was like, it wasn't possible for me not to have that kind of option and not to figure it out.

9:58And so that is one way, you know, that you can do it. But you could also have things at price points that are just, you know, more accessible, things that people can consume, not necessarily with the idea that they buy something low end and then travel through a funnel to purchase your high end offer, but that it is a standalone thing for someone that, you know, they can get some value out of it and maybe that's all they need. And the spirit of it is really more of being, of offering a service. So that's kind of how, that's how I think about it. And these are very personal decisions. I really, you know, encourage people to think about what they value, what causes, what populations are important to them, who do they feel really called to help?

10:43Are you the right person to help them? And then thinking about how you can build a business so that a business and a program or project that is easily deliverable. So for that program, it was like a three hour commitment once a month. No big deal. Because if it's otherwise, if it's this big commitment, it gets a little harder to manage. And so you want to make sure that it's something that is, you know, easily doable, but also super high impact. And Fire Nation, one thing I want to add to this as well is when you're offering more than just one thing at one price point, when you craft a business that serves multiple people at multiple price points with multiple offers, like you're making your business much more future-proof.

11:26Like you're diversifying your offerings, you're diversifying your income streams, you're protecting yourself against an uncertain future. And it's not like it's a scary future, it's just an uncertain future. And that's okay that it's an uncertain future because we can't predict what's going to happen, but what we can do is protect ourselves with this diversification of offerings, of income streams, et cetera. Now, let's kind of switch a little bit back towards our focus on EC. When we create an equity-centered business, Trudy, what kind of outcomes can we expect? What kind of benefits can we expect?

12:01So there are a couple of different ways that we'll experience benefit. One of those is kind of like this personal, I call reflexive impact, like the impact that you experience as a result of your effort. I just know, and we hear from our clients all the time, that when they go through this process, they start to feel much more connected to their business. They feel like they just have such a deeper connection to the work. They are more tied to the outcomes and the impact that they're creating through their work. And yes, they, you know, they experience a increase in revenue because you're opening yourself up to more people.

12:41Also, the, this isn't like an immediate result. This is more of a long-term strategy, but over time, what you'll find is that you have less clients who, um, want to leave your programs or communities because you build a community that's around values and around culture. And so people stay with you longer. Um, you're less likely to have people like ask for refunds or, you know, like those kinds of, those kinds of costs. Um, And also, you hear from your clients that they feel better. I get messages all the time from our clients who are sharing stories of what's happening in their businesses. And they're getting messages from their communities saying, I'm so happy that you've made these changes.

13:29I feel so much more safe here. I feel like I can show up fully. just like real, real expressions of gratitude, because people feel like they are coming into a space that has been built for them. And this isn't necessarily just because you have, you know, created more diversity. And so now you have black and brown folks, for example, who are in your programs. This is for everyone. This is work that, you know, again, no matter what race you are, no matter what ethnicity, when you do this work, you, everybody benefits. I actually use this analogy of an elevator. I call it putting an elevator in your business.

14:08And so the idea is, is that if you build a commercial building, you put an elevator in it and you know, you have to, in order for it to be up to code. And the reason for that is so that people who cannot walk upstairs can access the higher floors, but everyone uses the elevator. Like everyone benefits from having an elevator in the building and we all use it and it makes the experience that much better. And so when you take on the work of becoming equity centered and being on a journey of anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion, you're doing things that may feel like they're extra, but they are not.

14:52They really increase and improve the experience that everybody from your clients to your staff to your even your family you are just creating a better experience for all people who are interacting with your business fire nation ask yourself the question what kind of business do i want to run like ask yourself that question and i love those words truly that you used you will have clients who feel better and like that to me just like it feels right and it is right and it will happen. And that's just awesome stuff. So Fire Nation, we have so much more value coming up about doing the actual work and building this kind of a business, core values and mistakes people make when they're building these type of businesses.

15:36When we get back from thanking our sponsors. Fire Nation, the holidays are near and I know you're rocking your year-end goals. It's crunch time. And if you're ready to hit your revenue targets, and finish the year strong, then I've got the perfect tool to help you fill your pipeline, nurture prospects, and close deals. Meet the new HubSpot Sales Hub. The HubSpot Sales Hub supercharges your sales process so you can find, track, and close deals all in one powerful, easy-to-use platform. What's great about HubSpot Sales Hub is that it gives you all your data, tools, and team in one place. You can even prospect smarter in the new prospecting workspace, which makes connecting with customers easier than ever.

16:15And while HubSpot's sales hub is great alone, it's even better when united by HubSpot's smart CRM. Leads don't slip through the cracks, data is connected across marketing sales and operations, and teams can better measure their impact on the bottom line. Stop sticking to the same old strategies and start closing more deals with HubSpot Sales Hub. Make the switch to HubSpot Sales Hub at hubspot.com slash sales. Are you still in the idea stage of starting your business? Maybe you're still feeling things out and you're not sure what step to take next. The beauty of the world that we live in today, you don't have to spend years and go into debt to find your path to success.

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17:27So don't wait. It's time to turn your business idea into a reality by listening to the Millionaire University podcast. Find the Millionaire University on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Two things I'm always looking to improve, efficiency and productivity. Luckily, there are many ways you can improve these things. Maybe you've automated with AI or hacked your morning routine to get more done in a day. While productivity tips and tricks can help, the best way to increase efficiency and productivity is to work on what you're best at and delegate the rest. Not sure how?

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18:30Text FIRE, that's F-I-R-E, to 55123 to download the guide and get started. Delegate to Belay so you can focus on what matters most. Trudy, we're back and Fire Nation, they are willing to do the work. But how? How can we start doing the work in building an equity-centered business? Well, the work really starts as a personal journey, much like any kind of mindset work that we all take on at various stages. It's really about starting with yourself, understanding what you have learned about your own identity, thinking about your own racial background, your own ethnicity. What have you learned about other people?

19:12How have you held on to stereotypes, whether intentionally or unintentionally, just really being in an open and honest, transparent conversation with yourself about your life, right? About your identity and who you are. Taking a look around and ask yourself, what authors do I read? What podcasts do I listen to? What content creators do I follow? Do those all look like me? You know, maybe I can start there and diversifying some of the teachers and the mentors that I'm accessing. So that really is part one is just like an internal look at who you are and asking yourself, have you done some of the unpacking that you need to do around your own identity?

19:58And also, like, how comfortable are you with these kinds of conversations around race, around culture? Like if those things make you anxious and a little bit sweaty, that means that you need to have more of them. You need to get into spaces where you can be talking about it more because this conversation has been around for a long time. It's not going away. I know it feels like it's newer. were. When I started doing this work in the coaching industry in like 2017, 2018, I was really surprised that it had taken so long, that these conversations had taken so long to reach this industry because I had been doing this work since at least 2008 in schools and corporations and, you know, all kinds of other places.

20:40So this is a new conversation to you, like start leaning in. So that's the first thing. The next thing is really start to connect with why this work is important with you or important to you. And here's what I'll say about that. I just want everybody to just think for a moment about the people that you serve. Think about the people that you serve. And then I want you to think about all of the benefits that those people get from working with you. And then that I call that primary impact. That is your direct intention, the outcome of your work on the people that are coming to you to work with you.

21:22Now I want you to think about all of those people and who they're connected to. So all of those people's clients or customers or family members or friends. And as a result of working with you, all of that, that bigger extended network of people experience some kind of benefit because of the work that you have done with your client. So think for a moment, if you are reaching more people of all backgrounds, of all ethnicities, what could be possible? That is what this work is about. Fire Nation, I hope you can hear the passion, just the enthusiasm and just the realness in Trudy's voice as she's talking about this, because this is important work.

22:09This is an important message. And a lot of times it comes down to the core values that we have within our company. So specifically, Trudy, how does a company's core values relate to this type of inclusion? Yeah, so I always tell people that, you know, there should be one set of values, your company values, like, should be your personal values. I don't believe in that much separation between who we are as people and as leaders and what our businesses stand for. And, you know, I think a lot of companies, I work with a lot of people and some people are seven and eight figure entrepreneurs and they come to me with this list of values sometimes and they'll have things like efficiency and responsibility, which are really important things.

22:54But when we kind of dig a little deeper, it turns out that those things are important, but they are actually not core values. And that core values, what they tend to find when they dig a little bit more is that their core values are connected a little bit more to the human experience. And so people usually land on things like love and relationships and community. And when we do that, then we can start saying, okay, how do these things show up in my business? If love is a core value, how does that show up? Not when things are fun and cool and everyone's hanging out at the retreat, right? Like that's easy.

23:30It's easy to have those values. But how does that value show up when there's a conflict? How does it show up when maybe you have to let someone go, a team member go? How does it come up when there's a customer in your inbox and they are unhappy with a product or a service? How do those values show up. So if we take our values and we kind of really institutionalize them and create like operations around them and not just like put them on our website as like these pretty kind of things that people can kind of like celebrate, but they are actually things that we live out every day. We make different decisions about our business.

24:10We just do. And so I really encourage people to To have your values, anytime that you're trying to make a decision, asking yourself, how does this connect to our values? So for us, for example, I'm always asking, how does this connect to community? How does this connect to self-direction? How does this connect even to adventure, right? So having that as a way to what that does for to create inclusivity is that it starts you start to build a strong culture in your business and in your community. And the culture of your community are the things that bind people together and attract people to you.

24:50And so it becomes way, way bigger than any, again, identity we have. They become, our culture becomes the things that we stand for and the things that we believe in and the things that we rally around. Fire Nation, these aren't easy questions, but they're important questions you need to be asking yourself and really taking both an aerial, like step back view, but then also an up close and impersonal view of like, hey, where is my company's core values and how do they relate to inclusion with what I'm going forward with? And we're going to still, as we do these type of things, make mistakes, Fire Nation, because we all make mistakes.

25:25We all make missteps. But let's get specific, Trudy, on the mistakes that you are seeing people make when it comes to building an equity center business. So one of the mistakes that I'm seeing is that people are skipping the internal work and they're just kind of going to the external stuff. So they're putting diversity statements on their website. They're calling themselves anti-racist. They're, you know, using stock photos of people who are, you know, mixed race identities. And they haven't done what I kind of think of as like the sole work. They haven't done the internal work to be able to hold the responsibility of those things.

26:08Because if you put a diversity statement on your website or if you say that you're anti-racist Or if you start using these photos and you start bringing people, you know, more diversity into your community, but you haven't done the work to create really clear community standards that kind of back up your inclusivity statement and you haven't created processes around it. And you don't know what to do if one of your clients says something that is racist or xenophobic or homophobic to another client. You don't know what to do. Like you haven't done the work to prepare yourself or your team for that.

26:45Or you roll out a statement and you get pushback from a portion of your clients and now you're rolling it back because you haven't done the work to actually prepare to like hold it. That is the biggest mistake. People are moving too fast. and I get the intention. I really do. And I think it's a great intention, but we have to be doing these things simultaneously. We have to do the personal work, the kind of process work, the policy work. When we're talking about doing this in our business, it is a 360 degree process that we have to take. But if you're willing to take it on, I promise you it will transform not just your business, but you in the process.