Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jonathan Sprinkles. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Jonathan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

In the second grade, one of my father’s business acquaintances asked me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Without blinking, I replied, “I want to be a consultant!” The only problem with this response was, I didn’t know what a consultant did. I heard them mention a consultant on television and liked the way the word sounded.

That pretty much summed up my business model for the following 25 years of my life. I learned about interesting projects and experiences that people were having, and I said, “I want that, too!”

One rule in business that I’ve always followed is that you can’t expect someone to pay you for something until you’ve invested in yourself on that same level. I was great at helping other people solved their problems, but I couldn’t solve my own. So, I paid a guy $3,000 to sit with me for an afternoon to brand my business. It would have been better for me to put the money in a bag, open the car window, and let it blow out along the highway! I quickly learned that you didn’t have to be Steve Jobs in order to make it in this industry.

After a few more “ho-hum” outcomes, I had a few more failed attempts at finding someone who could get the job done. I started asking around, seeing if any of my colleagues knew of consultants who were as good as their website said they were. I was introduced to the concept of the “$100k Binder.” They told me that most consultants charge six-figures to tell you what you already know, and put it in a binder to make it all fancy. Again, I was blown away by the high sums of money that people paid to these “consultants” who sometimes had less real-world results on their record than I did.

Although it was extremely difficult initially to wrap my mind around believing that someone would actually pay ME versus one of the guys with big names or fancy suits, I finally listened to colleagues who often told me, “I just paid someone five-figures to teach me what you just broke down over lunch.” You only have to hear that so many times before the mental calculator starts adding up how much money you’re leaving on the table.

Although the eventual financial opportunity was attractive initially, what I discovered that I loved even more was impact that I had on people’s lives once they got clarity on their core message, and how to articulate it with conviction. My first big win was with…ironically…a consultant. Then a successful dental practice, then a Fortune 50 company. Things became less mystical and much simpler once I discovered that, regardless of industry, people need help connecting with other people.

And that’s why I’m here.

Jonathan , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Every day when I wake up, I exist to help people and teams become the best versions of themselves.

I do one thing, in different spaces. I love this because I am allergic to boring. When people ask about my typical day, there are a few things that remain constant, but the industries, the job titles, even the type of clothes I wear depending on the client are often different.

However, I speak one language all day long: CONNECTION.

My body of work falls into three big buckets:

Bucket #1: Business Advising – I work with leaders and their teams to create what I call “A Culture of Connection” in which everyone throughout the organization feels safe, seen, and set up for success. Most recently, I partnered with Kaiser Permanente, the largest healthcare provider on the West Coast, to turn around a culture that was badly damaged from the stress and overwhelmed brought about by the pandemic. We went through months of deep work, having the hard conversations with leaders on both the clinical and business sides of the organization, creating a new shared vision, new language, and a new promise to each other. When we were done, they reported the highest culture evaluation surveys in recent times!

Bucket #2: Leadership Consulting – My passion is to influence the influential. I do my best work with people who identify as leaders, high-achievers, and entrepreneurs. These are the people who are looking for that slight edge to take themselves and their teams to the next level. They understand that relationships = results. I enjoy taking leaders who are really good at what they do, and turning them into leaders who are good at packaging, presenting, and promoting their ideas throughout their organization and to their clients.

Bucket #3: Public Speaking – My signature presentation, “The Power of Connection” is a disruptive session that challenges people to take sides and choose who they’re going to be – a thermometer or a thermostat. We have a blast! I walk audiences through how to connect with themselves, each other, and use that same energy to connect with the customers, clients, or patients they serve.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Here’s my BIGGEST REGRET…when I founded my business, I wanted it to feel like a family. My goal was to recruit and retain people for 20 years. Ugh! I wish I had been counseled to create a business that had a 5-7 year exit. I would have led differently, I would have chosen differently, I would have wasted less time, I would have matured faster. The list goes on.

Don’t get my wrong, I am grateful for everyone who has ever worked with my company, but I as their leader would have utilized their talents very differently.

Things change when you know you only have 1,825 days to go from start to being worth millions of dollars.

When you know better, you do better.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

COVID was the scariest time I’ve ever had in business. Even scarier than the first few months after the business was started. I watched the accounts go down…down…down and had no clue what I could do to stop the bleeding.

I tried everything. I offered free information sessions which were a funnel to paid content. I tried patterning with people who had large lists. I tried doing masterclasses while we were all at home. Some ideas made a blip on the radar, but nothing did more than get my head back above water long enough to give me a small amount of breathing room.

Two great things came from this:
1. I never skipped a payroll. There were times in which I wasn’t being paid, but I am proud that everyone who worked for me or with me on projects received payments on time.

2. I found another gear. The worst of times can pull out the best in us. I learned how to be more creative about how to reach new customers, more clear in my messaging, and how to get over some self-limiting beliefs that were holding me back. Going broke is a heck of a motivator!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.JSprinkles.com
• Instagram: jsprinklesdotcom
• Linkedin: jonathansprinkles
• Twitter: jsprinkles

Image Credits
Credit: Carson Nicely (YELLOW SUIT/BLUE PINSTRIPE)