150: Where does Happiness Come From? How to build a successful remote team with Laura Liotta.

LAURA LIOTTA [00:00]

When you're an entrepreneur, work-life balance does not mean not working hard. You're working really hard at everything.

[MUSIC]

CAMILLE WALKER [00:15]

So, you want to make an impact. You're thinking about starting a business sharing your voice. How do women do it that handle motherhood, family, and still chase after those dreams? We'll listen each week as we dive into the stories of women who know. This is Call Me CEO.

[MUSIC]

CAMILLE [00:36]

Welcome back everyone to Call Me CEO. This is Camille Walker. And I am so excited as per the normal because we have a rock star on the show with us today. It is Laura Liotta, who is a CEO, founder, and owner of the company, Sam Brown Inc., which is a healthcare agency that she started in 1999. And she's going to help us to understand home and life balance as well as how to make a company team that really gels well together. So, thank you so much for coming on the show today. We're so excited to have you.

LAURA [01:07]

Thank you. I'm excited to talk to you.

CAMILLE [01:09]

Yeah. So, tell our audience a little bit more about yourself, how you got into a place where you were ready to branch off and do your own thing.

LAURA [01:18]

Yes. So, I own a healthcare public relations and communications agency called Sam Brown Inc. And we really support pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies across the U.S.

And how I started was at college, I did an internship at Campbell's Soup. So, I love corporate America. And I went right into a couple small agencies. But I ended up in big pharma at a company called Dupont, Merck. And I had a really exciting career. And from there, broke off with five people to start a biotech that we eventually sold to another large company.

And then, I went to yet another big pharmaceutical company in Philadelphia. And I liked it, but I didn't love it. The smaller pharma company I was in, I was reporting to the CEO, working in incredible areas like HIV and addiction medicine and traveling around the world.

And when I went to this larger company, I felt like I was just a small one person in a big department of public relations people. And I was sick home with the flu one day. And I was watching Oprah. And it was her episode where she says, "Are you living your best life?" And I was like, "No, I'm not." And I just woke up the next day, quit my big high-paying job, and started my own agency.

CAMILLE [02:40]

Wow, I miss Oprah, you guys. I feel like I'm the last generation that grew up with her in my living room and where she tackled those questions and ask those big aha moment questions where we see it a lot online. So, there is that where there are more people reminding us, but I really missed that, of that pivotal moment.

So. you're hearing Oprah. She asks that big question. Was that scary for you to not know what that next step looked like? And how did you even know what to do next?

LAURA [03:12]

Yes, it's scary, maybe. I think I probably was too naive to know I should be scared. I was just like I really think that I know healthcare public relations. I've had a lot of really great experience. And there's no reason why I shouldn't just go out and do it on my own.

But it was a financial risk for sure. This is in 1999. I'm making really good money. And I decided that I was going to start small and just take some projects. And so, I did. And DuPont was one of the first clients of mine because I had experience working there. I knew some people. They gave me small projects.

And then, the next big account that I won was also in the larger pharmaceutical company that I had worked at, even though I was only there for three months. They took a risk on us and let us pitch a piece of their business, their whole oncology franchise, against these big agencies in New York City.

And I took a loan on my mortgage on my house at $50,000. I brought in five consultants. We worked really hard for a month to put together this great plan and pitch. And we went in and we won. And it was shocking to the public relations industry.

And so, that really started us out. And I also think it's important to know the name of the agency is Sam Brown Inc. And my maiden name is Mastrangelo. My grandfather, Sam Mastrangelo was a very famous guy in Atlantic City. He had an orchestra. And he was the sheriff of Atlantic City. And everyone knew him.

And one day, he had this gig and he couldn't fit Sam Mastrangelo Orchestra on the sign. Sp, he changed his name to Sam Brown. And so, it became his nickname, my dad's nickname, and my nickname. So, when I started the agency, I just felt like I wanted to name it after them and all of us in honor of our family because I'm a mush like that.

And so, that was really interesting, too. And I, now 25 years later almost that I've had the agency, we're famous. A lot of people know us. And I just love that the name has stood the test of time and it's still something I can do to honor them.

CAMILLE [05:27]

Yeah. I've wondered why because it does sound like a masculine name. And so, I wondered what that came from. And I love that it honors everyone that went before you. What a beautiful way to honor them.

LAURA [05:39]

Yes, because actually everyone called me Brownie. And my team, our nickname is The Sam Brownies. And so, yeah, we keep it in. It was definitely not because of a masculine name, mostly because I was just starting the agency right when I was getting married. And I was between names. So, I was like I still wanted to honor it with a family name. So, I went in that direction. So, that was really fun.

CAMILLE [06:04]

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. So, I'm curious with landing that big PR. Let's break this down for people who are not familiar with what PR for a healthcare agency looks like. What does that even mean? What are you doing? What are you handling? What is the messaging?

Give us an idea of what that looks like and how big of a deal this is because I think it's for someone who doesn't have experience with that, they may not even know exactly what that entails or what that means being a PR agent for a big company like you.

LAURA [06:37]

Yes. So, I think that that's a great question because public relations is very different than advertising. So, public relations and what we do is more of the earned media, more engaging with your stakeholders, building communities. It's different than just creating a branded or corporate ad and placing it in the media.

But what we do mostly is communicate to important stakeholders. That's what we've really been focused on over the past few years, which is not just going to the high science audiences for our clients, but really going across the spectrum, even direct to patients and things like that.

So, that's really public relations. And when I started the agency, I had worked on the pharma side managing a lot of agencies. So, I knew what I liked and what I didn't like. And the one thing I liked was experience and senior experience, people who could come and support us in different areas in different diseases.

So, when I started Sam Brown, I started a model where I only use senior people across the country who worked from home. So, before COVID and before it was even cool, we all worked from home across the country remote. And we didn't even have video. We would have telephone calls. We would travel to our clients. Most of our in-person meetings were at client offices.

So, it was so interesting to us when COVID hit and we were really busy because we were already set up for it. And now, we love that the whole world is following that remote. And today, I have a hybrid model, really have consultants and have employees.

CAMILLE [08:19]

Okay. This is really interesting because I feel like at the time when the pandemic hit, I had been working from home with four young children for about 10 years by the time that COVID hit. And so, the work-life balance and having to figure out my own personal time, my work time, my family time, my kids time, all of the things, I was already figuring that out before the pandemic hit. And it was really interesting to see what a major blow it was to so many people, not being able to cope. And it was such a shock. It wasn't this gradual like, "Oh, what do I do now?"

So, I'm curious to hear what your best practices have been because since 1999, you really have been doing this probably as long as anyone can imagine with the facility you had. So, what are some good tools that you were able to use for yourself and your team for everyone to stay cohesive and to stay productive and to make sure that people were doing what they say they would do? There's so many components to this.

LAURA [09:26]

There are so many questions.

CAMILLE [09:27]

As well as motivation for yourself. So, help us break that down. What did that look like? And was it a struggle?

LAURA [09:33]

So, in the beginning, when Oprah said, "Are you living your best life?" My biggest concern was balance, right? So, commuting and going into a corporate situation where you had to be the last person there because your supervisor's supervisor's supervisor was there. And I just felt like that just didn't work for me. It was hampering everything. And that was before I had children.

So, when I started having children, for me, it was really important that they were able to stay home, take naps in their own beds. But the number one thing is, you can't do everything. So, I would have help in the house from 9 to 5. And then, my spouse would be super helpful. So, he would also really jump in and take care of everything. And the kids really grew up in that environment where mom was always working in that office, but at least I was there. I never missed a kindergarten parade. And I would come out for dinner and even if I had to go back to work.

Because the one thing I will say is, when you're an entrepreneur, work-life balance does not mean not working hard. You're working really hard at everything. And so, you have to be super organized and very dedicated. And you have to really find all the resources available to you, family, having good support, and having babysitters. I used to sometimes have a nanny, and then I'd have after school girls come from 3 to 5.

But I always felt like I could do everything by being there. And the technology did advance with us over the years. We had conference calls and we used to have really weekly meetings. And my team was in the same situation. A lot of working mothers, some only wanted to work 20 hours a week. They had their own consulting business. Lots of working dads too, don't get me wrong, but it would depend whether you wanted to work 20, 30, 40 hours.

So, we would be really flexible and say, "You know what? We need the best people at public relations, the best writers, the best creative director, and my partner, Robert Meister, who's my chief creative officer, had the same structure for his whole team. And we just worked together and made it work.

And I could say, in hindsight, my kids are in college now. I can say that I didn't feel like I missed anything. I traveled a lot more than we traveled now, thanks to Zoom. So, I would often travel a week, a month, but I felt like I love that I was working from home with them. I think working from home is amazing. But, yeah, have to be dedicated to it.

CAMILLE [12:14]

Yeah, that's something that I feel like this generation of mothers coming into play now, that's actually something I help women with is how to build their own businesses from home and that it has become so much more possible and that there are ways to do that. So, I really appreciate talking to people who have pioneered that space and made it one that people can respect because I think that it does take some creative starts when you're just getting started.

Can you think of a time that you went through a struggle in building your business that things were looking down or that you learned a hard lesson through something, a mistake or a mishap or anything like that?

LAURA [12:56]

Right. So, I think it's always hard, right? So, working at home is hard just on the side. If the kids are crying and you can't get out there and, again, a lot of women couldn't have help at the beginning, right? You have to have balance, the cost, it's very expensive, and all of that. So, I think all of that is hard.

But, yeah, there were times when we would really commit and work hard on a pitch and lose. You don't win everyone, things like that. I think the biggest struggles would be managing your distraction because you really want to be 100% there for your kids and 100% there for your clients. And then, I have employees. I have 50 people in the team now.

So, I think that that is always the hardest part. Especially today, oh my gosh, I don't know how we can even function today with all email and Teams and Instagram and TikTok and everything else just constantly trying to distract you. You have to be really, really focused on it.

So, yeah, you need to use the tools that are available. Lots of cool AI now, whether it's virtual assistants or ways to do research that are more efficient, but that doesn't give us more time back. It just makes us work more. So, you have to take the time to figure out the balance.

And for me, I don't have any regrets about the kids. I think they're all really, really good. And they have seen a mom work really hard and they respect my success. And I think that's a good lesson too. I am always envious of these stay-at-home moms who can really be 100% in that and some women who could be 100% at work if they don't have children.

And I just tell everyone, you have to find what's right for you and what makes you happy and not be hard on yourself because you can't have it all. You can't do everything. You can only do you. And a lot of times, 80% in each part is such a win because you have this rewarding career and your kids see everything. A strong role model and someone who really prioritizes them and gives them the time they need and is there for them. So, I do think that there is a lot of good available, just don't expect it to be perfect. Give yourself a break.

CAMILLE [15:31]

Yes. I'm curious, I always love to ask our entrepreneurs that come on, what are some practices that you've employed for yourself to keep a healthy balance for mental and physical and emotional health? Are there any specific routines or practices that you've done to keep yourself healthy?

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CAMILLE [15:52]

Hey, everyone. If you're listening to this right now and thinking that you too need some help at home or with your business or all together, I'm here to help you. I'm actually helping entrepreneurs line up with virtual assistants who graduate from my program, 60 Days to VA, which covers pretty much anything you could ever want from a VA.

And it has been life-changing for so many of my clients as well as so many of my students who have taken my course and are now supporting family from home and making a real difference in their lives.

So, if that's something that you would be interested in and you want some help with, there's a link below where you can schedule a free call with me where we go through and talk about what things you would want to take off your plate, what team member things that you're missing, if you have pieces of the business that you really just need another brain and power with what you're doing. So, check that out below. And let's continue with the show.

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LAURA [16:50]

So, I really rely on my calendar. And I learned early that you have to block your calendar. So, you have to block and say, work out. I'm not really great at that. But I'm not bad at it. But I could always do more. But there are some mornings where I just wake up and I write in on the email. And all of a sudden, I missed my workout. And that's not good. You should prioritize your workout.

So, I really use my calendar for thinking, planning, learning, things like that. You just have to block that time. I'm in a group called Chief, which is an organization for women that empowers women into positions of chief executive officers, board positions, leadership roles. And so, I do prioritize that. And we have a meeting once a month with a core group. And I try to listen to the videos and do things because in order to stay fresh and be well-rounded, you have to get out of your own industry once in a while too.

So, I've been really good about doing that. I've always been very interested in learning. And I find when I'm stressed about something, I'll listen to a podcast or I'll learn something or I'll try to think if I'm anxious about a mothering thing or a partner thing or an employee or a leadership, there are so many great podcasts like this one where you just realize you're not alone. There's so much to learn.

And so, for me, balance comes from learning, doing. This summer, I feel pressure because my boys are home from college only for a short time. So, I make sure that I balance them into the equation because I know come September, they'll be back at Clemson. And I also have a daughter who's a senior in high school. So, I'm super conscious of this being her last year before she's off. So, when it comes to balance, you just have to do it.

CAMILLE [18:46]

Yeah, that's really interesting. So, with launching all of your children, you're at the tail end of your three, what do you look back on and are grateful for that you made time for with your kids?

LAURA [18:59]

So, I'm Italian, so we do prioritize food. And so, when they were young, that was really easy and helpful to do. It's harder now with everyone on different schedules. But I do value that. I do value that time. Even if we're going out, I'm really happy to be going out with them.

I think that I don't micromanage the kids. Honestly, they really knew from the beginning that I wasn't going to be at school all the time. I wasn't going to be checking every homework assignment. And I think in hindsight, that was good. They're very independent, lot of responsibility. I'm divorced, but we all have a great relationship. We're still a family. They have a great relationship with their dad.

And we have been great about even the balance back and forth on all of that. And I think it's all really about setting them up for success and not overdoing their need for you to micromanage everything. So, I try that.

And they tell me that they feel pretty self-sufficient. In terms of at college, they learned how to cook. They know how to do their own laundry. They make decisions on classes and homeworks and things like that. So, that's my balance. Everyone is different. And I never judge anyone. Believe me. The sisterhood is real. Everyone has to do what is right for them. For me, I love this work-family balance that I have.

CAMILLE [20:44]

Yeah, that's really great. So, I'm curious now that you've created this path for yourself and you have been able to build this massively successful business on your own terms, do you feel like you could answer that question? Are you living your best life to Oprah now?

LAURA [21:03]

I do. Last year, I was on Oprah on one of her online classes on happiness.

CAMILLE [21:10]

No way.

LAURA [21:10]

Yes. It was like a full circle moment. It was so cool. The author, I have his name over there, he's a Harvard professor talking about happiness. And the point of it is that at different stages of your life, you get all your happiness from your career and being successful and you start to identify with that.

And then from there, it's your children and being their mother and different things. And so, when you're older, I'm 57 now. It's like the next phase of my life, where does the happiness come from? And that's what we were talking about.

So, I did get to tell her that her "Are you living your best life?" question really helped catapult me into being an entrepreneur and doing my life and my career and everything on my terms. So, that was really fun. That was really, really fun.

CAMILLE [22:08]

That is so cool. And I've read different books and heard different podcasters talk about this and professionals where they say, you get to a point in your career where you want to then turn around and help others do the same that you've done for yourself or that you've learned from mentors that have gone before you. So, what is it now that you're in the stage of your life that is really something that you're looking to build that happiness and that growth?

LAURA [22:36]

Yeah, I've been really evaluating the business because we've gotten really big and successful. And this is the point where we decide do we get an investment in to grow it to the next level? Do we get acquired? We've been exploring so many options. So, that's the career path. I always think there's room for growth. So, I still feel like I have a lot to learn and a lot to do. And I'm sorry, was the question futuristically?

CAMILLE [23:07]

Yeah, just like right now where you are looking forward or even turning around and looking behind you, what are the things that you're hoping to do in the next stages of your business?

LAURA [23:17]

Yeah. So, I am really working hard to empower my team. And I have a great leadership team and really putting them in place to take more away from me in terms of growing the business and seeing what's next. So, I think that's where I am right now.

I might want to do more mentoring, more entrepreneur speeches. I've been doing a lot of podcasts and meeting a lot of great people. Like I said, I love Chief. So, I do think that's probably my next level. I'm a really good media trainer. And I love that. So, I could see at some point where if I were to slow down on the day-to-day of the agency, I would always love being a media trainer. I love working with executives before they're going on to, say, CNBC and other things like that. That is so much fun.

So, yeah, I definitely don't feel done for a long time. I can't imagine ever retiring. So, I'm not sure what that would look like. And my daughter still has four more years, plus this year, five years of college. So, I'm definitely not ready yet to be done. So, I'm seeing what could be next.

CAMILLE [24:33]

You're never done mothering. Yeah, that's lifelong. You're in it. There's no going back. So, I'm curious because you have built such a large successful team, what are some bits of advice that you could give to business owners who are looking to grow their teams in their businesses and want to create a culture where people are working together and they're cohesive and it's a team vibe? What is your best advice for that?

LAURA [24:58]

Yeah. So, I think our model was key, right? So, I set up this model where everyone either could be a consultant, which means I want to be working 20 hours a week and spend more time with my children and work from home. And I live in Utah or Mexico City and I want to do healthcare PR. That in and of itself has been incredible for me to get really, really good people, right?

And then, when they come in, they're entrepreneurs themselves because they have their own business and they're consulting with me. And that has created a vibe, I think at Sam Brown that's unmatched. Everyone has been with me a very long time. And it's just great because we say, work hard, play hard, give us your parameters. And if I need to put two people on a project because they both want to work 20 hours or however. And now, I have half employees, so they're all working full-time. But I think that setting that up where you don't have to move, you don't have to commute into a big city, right there, that gives you a sense.

The second thing is I have a bit of a mama bear thing going on at work too, which is I don't make decisions based on money. So, I have fired mean clients because the team is really, really important. So, the team being happy, being respected, being able to be set up to do good work, that's important, right, too?

So, that has allowed me to build an environment, I think, where everyone knows we're working towards something together, which is doing great work, but in a respectful environment that we're all going to grow and continue to be great. And that has really gone far in terms of I'm not going to turn this into a sweatshop and make you work in a bad situation because that's just not good for anyone.

And the other thing is, we're in healthcare. So, we work on really important diseases, rare diseases, and cancer. And it's just a really rewarding, wonderful industry. And I highly recommend healthcare across the board. It's just so important. And that. I think, has a lot to do with the environment that we're in every day. We're talking to patients or parents or physicians who dedicate their lives to helping people and that has been really great.

So, I try to make sure that we have something called brownie points. You get it. So, The Sam Brownies, I'm always making sure that we have spot bonuses or recognition or things like that because you have to really respect and reward the team. And everyone on our team is so important.

And then, the last thing is since we all work from home, we go away once a year, somewhere fabulous. We've been on a cruise. And this year, we went to Mexico and we've been to Las Vegas or Arizona. And those four days together as a group have been really great in terms of we feel like we all know each other because we're on Zoom and Teams all day long. But when you get together in person, there's nothing like it.

CAMILLE [28:07]

Yeah, I love that because you're giving them recognition. I love that you also said that you will let clients go if it's not a good fit for your company that you're like, "Nope, these are my people. If it's not working out, we just need to move on."

LAURA [28:19]

Yeah, if you look at sambrown.com, on the team, I have since 2000, since 2001, you could see a lot of the team has been there such a long time. And that is really not common in agencies. Agencies, usually, you pop around. So, I'm really proud of our ability to know and we've worked together so, so much that we just know how to get it done together. It's been great.

And my partner, Robert, on the creative team and our head of finance and accounting, John, they are my lifeblood to get everything done that I need to. So, yeah, I'm really proud. And I'm very, very happy. I love my job.

CAMILLE [29:02]

Yeah, you should be. It sounds like you've built a really healthy team. So, speaking of health and because you are a professional with health and you see all of the products and pharmaceuticals and all the things and I know that this is your profession, so you have to be careful.

But what is your advice for women, women's health in general? What are vitamins or products or things that you live or you swear by that you're like, I do this every day or I make sure I do this?

LAURA [29:33]

Right. The one thing I do without fail is make sure I get a really good yearly physical with bloodwork and all the tests. And then, you need to do the same at the OB and you need to make sure that you're getting all of your tests and your mammogram and all of your screenings because prevention is the best thing. Period.

So, you can't skip a year. You can't skip the mammogram. You can't skip the pap smear, whatever it may be. We're talking about women, men too. I'm telling all the men in my life, you need to make sure that you're getting in once a year, really checking cardiovascular and everything else.

So, I have a great doctor. And that's something that health is really important to me. The second thing, you've heard it a million times, it's not overrated at all is sleep. You have to sleep well and set yourself up to sleep well, which means you got to get rid of the technology.

And sometimes, I'm not good at that. But you're working or on the phone until really late. That does affect your sleep. Sleep is so important. And drinking a lot of water is important, but I love to walk. But I need to move into now at my age weights and I'm not exercising enough. So, that's on my to-do list.

CAMILLE [30:54]

I can tell you one right now, for people who are listening, and maybe this would be helpful to you too. I love if you wear an Apple Watch, I don't know if you do, a lot of people do.

LAURA [31:05]

I do.

CAMILLE [31:05]

Okay, there it is. For those who are watching, we just showed our Apple watches. I love Apple Fitness. I'm not an affiliate of theirs. I've been an affiliate for a lot of different programs. But I'll tell you this is why. I get a lot of satisfaction out of seeing the rings closing, the movement ring, the exercise ring, and even all of those things.

But what's really cool is that with Apple Fitness, say you only have 10, 20, 30 minutes for a strength workout, it's actually categorized by time. So, take, for example, this morning, I went for a walk with my dog. We did about a mile, a little over a mile. And then, I came in and I thought, oh, I had a coaching call I was doing. I had 30 minutes.

So, I called down my two little boys who are nine and seven. And I said, "Let's do a strength exercise." We did 20 minutes. And we pulled out the mats, they did it with me too. And then, we did a five-minute meditation. And what's really fun too is as soon as you've finished with the tracker, it will actually show you how many minutes you've worked out, what your heart rate is, and how much time you have left per each exercise.

So, in this case, it was three rounds of three strength training moves. And so, I showed my son. I said, "Okay. Look at this screen. How much time do we have left? What are we at? Oh, and you can see my heart rate." And he was like, "Gosh, mom, I feel so good after doing this. I'm so glad I did this."

One of my other kids hightailed it out of there. And he's like, "I'm out." He just didn't even want to, which is fine. But I love that with that, it'll track it right into your watch. And you'll see it on the screen if you mirror play it or even you're using your phone. And then, right after that it says, do you want to do a mindful cooldown or a meditation?

And if I make it brainless and just go from one to the next to the next, like cardio, okay, now I need strength and now I'm going to do a little meditation or stretch, it just makes that process so much easier. So, we subscribe to Apple Music. And if you do a bundle, you actually get it for less if you do Fitness.

LAURA [33:03]

Yeah, that's great.

CAMILLE [33:06]

I don't know if that'll help you, but I've really liked it.

LAURA [33:08]

I love the Peloton, but only in the winter.

CAMILLE [33:12]

Yes, I don't have a Peloton, but I've heard that they're awesome. I don't know.

LAURA [33:18]

They have classes too.

CAMILLE [33:19]

Yes. And I heard that the classes are the best part. They are so motivating and amazing. They just make you feel so good. Okay. So, you mentioned water. You mentioned sleep. You mentioned our annual scans, which, yes, absolutely. And you also mentioned fitness. So, anything else? Are you going to tell us anything else or you're not and that's okay?

LAURA [33:40]

You mentioned meditation, which is always a goal because mental health. So, I follow a lot of people. I definitely wouldn't say I've mastered meditating. But I do take time in the morning for sure. I think that you can just listen to so much good content now. Mel Robbins or somebody that just helps, if anxiety is your thing or ADHD or relationships or focus. I just think there's so many ways to get healthy. I don't take a lot of supplements. I probably should be doing that too. It's like the coffee and go in the morning. And I try to eat in a window. That just works better for me.

CAMILLE [34:27]

I love that you're so real. You're like, yeah, I should be taking supplements. Me too. You know what? I actually went it was called like revolutionize health or something like that. And I wanted to get a baseline. I'm in my late 30s. I wanted to get a baseline of my hormones and to see, okay, what's my normal so that as I go into my 40s, 50s, I have an idea of what used to be normal for me, based on me, not on anyone else, but just based on myself.

And they gave me eight supplements to be taking a day. And I was like, okay, I'm going to be really healthy. I'm going to do all this. And I started taking them. And I kid you not, I took something that covered my body in a red bright rash like all over my neck up and down my arms. And so, it made me think, oh, moderation, a daily wonderful multivitamin for women, awesome, great.

Sometimes, when you do all the things all at once your body is like, oh, put the brakes on. This was way too much. And that definitely happened to me. So, I have to go through and say, okay, what is a must here and what is something that is just another thing that you don't necessarily need?

LAURA [35:36]

Yeah. No, I'm very realistic. There are definitely times where I'm like smoothies for a month or vitamins or whatever. But the only consistency will be my martini on a Friday. And some women, you see these interviews with women who are 90, and they said they had their manhattan every day or something. But for me, I like a martini at the end of the week and I drink a lot of water.

CAMILLE [36:05]

That's so good. Your skin looks amazing. So, it shows.

LAURA [36:07]

Thank you.

CAMILLE [36:09]

All right. So, wrapping this up here, what is one last bit of advice that you would give to entrepreneurs that are listening and feeling distraught or feeling unmotivated or feeling like maybe it's time to call it quits?

LAURA [36:26]

It's hard. They say a small percentage of companies really survive. So, I think that that means you need to understand exactly what your service is, what your product is, what the market needs, work really, really hard, and not be so hard on yourself if you have to pivot. Because there are lots and lots of opportunities.

They always say this and I think it's so true. When you fall, that's the best thing that could happen to you or this product isn't selling and you're adapting or adjusting. So, I would just say, go be easy on yourself, get as much information as you can and keep at it because hard work will trump everything else. It is really, really important that you just work really hard, try everything, surround yourself with good people, build a great team, all the things that may sound cliche are not.

And I think the problem today, now I'm going to sound old, is everything looks easy. And it's not. The influencers you see are shooting all day long. They're doing meetings. Ut is hard, hard work. And I think when someone thinks, oh, I'm going to start a business, it's going to be really easy, it's not. It's not and it takes time. You also can't quit on the first year. You got to put the time in, really try it hard.

And if you have to pivot, you keep working. So, it's not really anything really great. But for me, I got really good at one thing. Healthcare PR was such an important niche to me that I could walk into any room and own that room on that topic because I've done it for 30 years. And I know more about it than anyone.

And I think that there's a lot to be said for that to help you get your confidence. So, just find out what your product and services, what the market is there for it. And then, get really confident, get out there, and keep trying, talk to everybody, pivot if you need to, and go for it.

CAMILLE [38:49]

Awesome. I love it so much. Thank you for sharing all of your heart and your gifts and your talents and all of the things that you've been able to do with your business. And please let us know where we can find you online.

LAURA [39:02]

Okay, great. Yeah, the agency is Sam Brown, sambrown.com And you can also find me on LinkedIn at Laura Liotta.

CAMILLE [39:12]

Awesome. Thank you so much for being on this show.

LAURA [39:14]

So nice to talk to you. Thank you.

CAMILLE [39:15]

Hey, CEOs. Thank you so much for spending your time with me. If you found this episode inspiring or helpful, please let me know in a comment in a 5-star review. You could have the chance of being a featured review on an upcoming episode. Continue the conversation on Instagram @callmeceopodcast. And remember, you are the boss.

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