Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dennis Pitocco. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Dennis, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Blessed by sufficient financial success as an entrepreneur, my wife Ali and I decided to invest our time, our talent, and our treasure in truly giving back, by creating a “for good” versus for-profit business, entirely focused on doing what makes sense versus “cents”. That led to launch of our unique, award-winning 360° Nation global media platform.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA –one of eight children –a happy childhood, but with no prospects to attend college due to family economics. Following my military service, I moved into a banking career (via a USAF job placement service) and spent 30+ years rising through the ranks. I left banking to start a financial services business with a good friend, and never looked back, as we ultimately found success across the USA, Canada, and the UK. I met my wife Ali in the UK and together, we decided to sell all of our business interests and settle down in Tampa Bay to begin the next chapter in our life together. This chapter was defined over the course of our ongoing morning walks, away from all the “noise”. We ultimately decided to devote our time, our talent, and our treasure toward giving back. This led to hands-on involvement with nonprofits (locally, nationally, and internationally) from the grassroots level to the Board Room level. And it ultimately led to the creation of 360° Nation, our global media enterprise, and GoodWorks 360°, our pro-bono, nonprofit consulting foundation.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
As we launched 360° Nation, we had to “unlearn” the need for a precise business plan, allowing our global audience to shape the direction of our business over time. Along the way, we’ve reacted, reinvented, refocused, and repositioned all that we do to best serve our global community. We’ve said for a long time that Our job is to figure out what the world is trying to be – and then help the world be that, be better, and be even more. The world depends on every single one of us showing up, being present, and as best we can, individually and collectively creating positive ripples of change –one person, one voice, one step at a time. As our business continues to expand, we continue to reflect upon and embrace the storied quote; “Sometimes, the only available transportation is a leap of faith.”
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
The Pandemic forced us to step back and reposition our approach to rediscovering humanity, ultimately triggering the launch of 360° Nation Studios and a number of other virtual/production channels focused on elevating voices across the universe “for good”. The silver lining beneath it all was a reinvigorating purpose, along with a greater opportunity to deliver our “for good” promise.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bizcatalyst360.com/360-nation/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/360nationow/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BM360
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennisjpitocco/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bizmasterglobal
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DENNISPITOCCO/featured
- Other: https://www.bizcatalyst360.com/about/