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

Lana, appreciate you joining us today. Your ability to build a team is often a key determinant of your success as a business owner and so we’d love to get a conversation going with successful entrepreneurs like yourself around what your recruiting process was like -especially early on. How did you build your team?

I started Gentle Lion in 2016 with just little lonely me! About 8 months into running my business, I was bringing on more clients than expected and realized I needed some extra muscle to execute. I discovered my first employee when I was dining at a restaurant that I loved – she was working there at the time while going to school for marketing. We started chatting and she eventually started working with me part time while in school. Eight years later, Chantal is still with me and is now my Lead of Strategy and Operations!

Reflecting back on how I discovered my team (I now have four full-time employees), all of them were discovered organically through referrals or recommendations. I have actually never hired someone through a traditional hiring post or platform.

Knowing what I know today, I wish I would have followed this process for hiring since the beginning
1. Be transparent about salary in the beginning – showcase salary expectations in the job postings.
2. Ask for work examples before the interview process – this allows hard skills to be tested first before meeting a candidate
3. First interview should take place digitally, with the second in person – I have had many no-shows for interviews

Lana, 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?

Gentle Lion is a strategic marketing and communications company, fiercely advocating for brands that stretch beyond convention. Supporting a new era of brands that think and act differently, we angle them for success that empowers, twofold: thriving independent growth that ripples collective change.

Rather than take a one-size-fits-all approach, our inside framework merges solid human-centred methodology with outside-the-box management and execution. We analyze insights to inform recommendations with substance, build tactics that speak loud and clear to your target audiences, and ensure curation and amplification of brand messaging that counts.

I have been immersed in the marketing and public relations industry for almost two decades. In 2016 I saw a gap in the relationship between brands and the agencies they were working with. Instead of short “flash in the pan” wins, I wanted to provide customized support that was tied to the long-term support of a business. I said farewell to formalities and best-kept industry secrets, and now operate as a fractional CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to all of the brands that we work with. Not precious about about our process, I believe in knowledge sharing to help empower business owners and teams.

Known for redefining the communications model, our process is not industry bound, as it’s based on using the insights from the target audience of the brand’s that we work with. Through our process, the brands that we work with are able to achieve autonomy, self-reliance and significant brand recognition.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

This really goes back to showing up as a good leader, which is about having integrity and empathy while inspiring all team members.

As someone who has worked in agencies previously, I am really dedicated to focussing efforts on dismantling burn-out culture within the agency model. This can be achieved by being transparent around workload. Fostering a culture of wellbeing and camaraderie while inspiring each team member in their personal development is also key – mapping out each individual’s growth trajectory with a roadmap to success ensures team members feel valued. I consciously lead to prevent burnout and prioritize my team’s mental health and well-being – rejecting the harmful hustle culture, and aiming to break the cycle of oppressive systems and promote healing amongst all team members cultivates trust.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

I implemented “Founder Connects” with all clients which take place every 6-8 weeks. These are always in-person meetings, where I talk about each brand on a high level, and also problem solve any issues within the business internally or externally.

I also created a client nurturing system through Gentle Lion’s adjacent sister brand, Champagne Friday. The brand was originally create as a conduit for fostering genuine connections, and providing the community with up-and-coming events, new brands and businesses to check out.

Champagne Friday has three core functions: A lead generation for potential clients, nurturing tool for current clients and a community hub for all. This allows Gentle Lion to take the backstage while staying top of mind to groups. I do this by sending out a monthly newsletter, creating an educational video podcast, doing pop-up activations at client events and providing clients with an off-site workspace (we have a branded Champagne Friday lounge where clients and contractors can come and work in).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gentlelion.ca/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gentlelioncomms/

Image Credits

Champagne Friday Photo: Courtney Molyneaux
Team Green Couch Photo: Britta Kokemore