Episode 80: Find Your Focus and Build a Business You Love with Yvonne and Anna from Monarch and Company
It's dangerous to think that anyone who wants to buy from you is the right client, but qualifying and refining the type of customer you want to work with is some of the most rewarding work you will ever do. The "right fit" means healthier client relationships, which ultimately leads to shaping a business that brings joy and focus to your work.
Yvonne Lyngaas Zeman is the founder, CEO, and Director of Brand Development at Monarch and Company, a creative merchandising agency based in Chicago and Denver, and Anna Nguyen is the COO and Account Director at Monarch.
Inspired to create Monarch and Company in 2009 at the age of 25, Yvonne has overseen their growth from a 1-person company to a multi-million dollar distributorship. Chicago Business Journal named Yvonne to its Women of Influence list in 2018.
Anna joined Monarch in 2016, helping the organization double overall revenue each year since she arrived. In 2017, Anna was recognized as a rising star by PPB Magazine.
In 2018, PPB Magazine recognized Monarch and Company as one of the greatest companies to work for in the industry.
In this episode, I sat down with Anna and Yvonne to talk about several topics, including:
- What to do when cultures and clients do not align
- Qualifying the right type of client to work with
- Tactical information on working with agencies
- The benefit of hiring a leadership coach for your team
- Moving from survival mode to focus
- Communication and brainstorming in partnerships
- How to handle price objections
- Setting up a referral program to offload clients that no longer fit
- How consolidation in the supplier network is negatively impacting creativity and product recall
- And much more!