FullStack’s own Daniel Fuller has created the Savage to Sage, a podcast where entrepreneurs will share their own stories of going from the early stages of their career through the wisdom they’ve learned along the way to sagehood. As FullStack strives to support entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial organizations in their growth and development, this show takes a look backstage in their evolution.For the inaugural episode, Daniel interviews Tony Scelzo, Chief Vision Officer at Ceemless and serial entrepreneur. As the person who helped Daniel bring the vision of Savage to Sage to life, it only seemed right to have Tony be the first guest of the show.
For Tony, the idea behind creating Savage to Sage was incredibly valuable – he strongly believes businesses don’t grow unless the people at the helm grow as well. “The more you know yourself, the more you get to really understand your strengths and your weaknesses, the better you are at leading.” This process can be even more critical for tech companies due to their rapid scalability. It can become incredibly taxing and having the scaffolding there as a leader becomes key to maintaining success and avoiding burnout.
Daniel and Tony also discussed entrepreneurial burnout from not knowing or maintaining boundaries. As a serial entrepreneur (and back at it currently), Tony recognizes the need to understand one’s motivations and drive in order to curb burnout. For him, it’s key to find alignment among one’s mission, family, friends, company, etc. in order to move from the feeling of burnout to the sense of being on path. Another creative way Tony manages burnout is by understanding the value of “and” and not “or”. An example Tony shares with Daniel is playing golf with a potential client. Tony explains that he gets to do something he enjoys while growing his business. If entrepreneurs can find a way to join (“and”) what brings them joy and their business, they could have a greater sense of fulfillment.
Later on in the show, Tony and Daniel discuss the importance of conflict. For him, it’s important to have breakdowns due to good conflict in order to have breakthroughs. Tony has had experience with showing entrepreneurs the benefit of conflict through coaching. He shares a story of an entrepreneur who sought Tony’s advice on how to scale his company. During his assessment, Tony discovered the client had hired leadership with a similar personality to the entrepreneur, leading to a lack of conflict. Tony’s suggestion? Hire people with different backgrounds and personalities to drive good conflict. By stretching one’s comfort zone through good conflict, businesses can see growth.
For future episodes, visit www.savagetosage.com or download the show on your favorite podcast listening app.