The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Sounde's Mavis Tang - Wendy Dickinson

Wendy Dickinson - "Catalytic Conversation$"

Introduction
Have you forgotten what it felt like to start your business?  I’ve lost count of the number of business owners who have said, “If I had had any idea how hard it would be to get this business where it is today, I’m not sure I would’ve done it.”  

Business owners usually nod their heads at this.  Yes, it was hard.  But, you learned a lot.  Many of the lessons learned at that point in the business get lost or forgotten as the company grows.  

We’ve talked about innovation and disruption as well as pivots this year.  The pandemic emphasized the importance of scenario planning and contingency plans.  A number of businesses have gotten really creative and changed the way they do business.

How do mature businesses reconnect with that entrepreneurial spirit to reinvent the product, product delivery or the business model to compete in this marketplace?

My guest today is Mavis Tang of Sounde.  Mavis and her co-founders have brought a new product to an old market. I believe in their mission, vision and value proposition.  I invite you to listen to the path Sounde took, and let the possibilities for the future wash over you as you reimagine the business you lead.

Show Objectives - The Why of Innovative Practices

• What is Sounde?  Hearing enhancement using everyday tools.
• The Why of Sounde.  People should have access to hearing assistance regardless of income.
• How does Sounde work?  Uses airpods and a smartphone.
• The problem and the need you discovered and why you were the ones to fill it.  Mavis and her co-founders discovered that it can take 5 months to get an appointment for a hearing aid adjustment!
• The feedback Sounde receives from customers at this, the Beta stage.

Key Issues - The Problems That (O)X

• The obstacles Mavis & her co-founders faced in funding Sounde.
• We look at how those obstacles were different for you than for other owners.
• The tools Sounde used to overcome those obstacles.
• The daily challenges in ownership for Mavis.
• The motivations that you all activate to keep at this.

What the (O) needs to Know - Pay Attention to Alignment

• The key Need To Know for an Innovator.
• The things that surprised Mavis.
• The steps Mavis took to prepare for ownership.

What the (O) Needs To Do - Aspire, Align, Accomplish

• The people Mavis and her co-founders go to when they have questions.
• Mavis’s strategy for dealing with conflicting priorities.  It’s all about communication.
• The strategies Mavis and her co-founders have for dealing with conflicting opinions.  They respect and honor the vision first and foremost - agreement flows from there.
• The advice Mavis offers to others out there who have an idea for a business.

Resources:

1. Check out Sounde here.  Soundeapp is coming.  Sign up for the newsletter so that you and your family know when Sounde will be ready to beta test.  Can’t beat the price!
2. “5 Obvious Mistakes First-Time Founders Make That Sink Their Startups” by Megan Holstein, entrepreneurshandbook.com, Medium, Dec. 2020.
3. “Decoding Quantum Thinking: What It Feels Like To Think Free”, by Kashyap Vyas, July 20, 2019.
4. “Disaster Preparation and Recovery For Any Size Business”, by Wendy Dickinson, Ascend Coaching Solutions, 2020.
5. “Why Design Thinking Works”, by Jeanne Liedtka, HBR, October 2018.

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