We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lisa Gates. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lisa below.

Lisa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear your thoughts about family businesses.

Business is in my blood. I get excited talking about goals, objectives, key performance indicators, metrics, business ideas, and new concepts. My Dad is an entrepreneur. So is my mom and my brother. And so am I.

My Dad used to tell me, “Always have a business on the side. If you’re lucky, your side gig will become your main job.”

Solving a problem in business can be difficult but finding the right solution and making money, is so rewarding! Working with family brings up challenging situations at times, but in my experience, it’s been meaningful and valuable.

When I was 13, my Dad and I walked into a CEO’s office to share a business idea. I pitched my idea of a Kids Klub with a mail in membership to build a fan base and loyalty with children so the organization to expand their target audience. The CEO declined my pitch. A few weeks later, that business started a membership based on my idea. When I heard about it, I wasn’t upset. Instead, I was really excited that my idea was a good one after all. I learned how to pitch an idea and negotiate terms.

When I was 15, my best friend’s mom was a professional clown. It was the early 1980’s when clowns were cool. I loved the white face, the funny colored wigs, the bright colored clothing. The red nose. The jokes and laughter. I loved it all. So, I decided to become a clown. I learned all the tricks of the trade, balloon twisting, face painting, and magic tricks. I became Spunky the Clown and entertained children at corporate events and birthday parties. I learned the value of laughter.

When I was 42, I started a flower business when my older kids were in high school. I figured I could save a few dollars by making the boutonnieres and corsages myself. My oldest son named the business, A Dancing Flower since the flowers were designed for school dances. Eventually I designed flowers for holidays and weddings too. After successfully running that business for 6 years, I sold it to my good friend Julie who still runs the business today. I learned that hard work pays off.

When I was 49, I thought, why not? Let’s start another business. So I took my 20+ years of corporate experience and started a business to business concierge service. I spent most of my career supporting CEOs and business owners, with HR, payroll, marketing, public relations, communications, tradeshow and event coordination. I traveled to Asia, Europe and around the States with aviation tradeshows. The concierge business has allowed me to work with clients across any industry, in any market, with start-ups or Fortune companies.

When I was 50, my best friend Jackie and I decided to partner in the concierge business, and with all of our spare time, we started a nonprofit too. We both have experience helping our elderly family members so we decided our nonprofit should help 55+ seniors tell their stories, preserve their memories and go on bucket list adventures. To capture the excitement tucked inside the hearts of seniors, Golden Roller Skates was founded.
I learned that running a business is much better with friends.

Building a business is challenging. It’s both highly rewarding and entirely exhausting at the same time. But, I love it. And I wouldn’t change it. The freedom, flexibility, creativity and blessings, is great. I’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons from pitching deals, learning to laugh, making a profit and running a business with family and friends.

Business is in my blood.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Lisa Gates, the President and Co-Founder of East Valley Concierge (Concierge 4 B2B). We use our business to help other businesses leverage their time and money, so they can focus on what matters most.

Imagine you own a 5 star resort. You hire a Concierge team of experts to tell your guests “Consider it done.” We took this concept into the business world. When our clients ask us to (1) hire their employees; (2) plan their events; (3) manage HR; (4) process payroll; and (5) provide executive support, we say “Consider it done!”

We are Concierge for Business to Business (B2B).

Placement Services
(Sourcing & Securing Qualified Talent)
-Recruiting
-Advertising
-Interviewing
-Background Checking
-Direct Hire
-Temporary Placement

Human Resources
(Onboarding, Training & Development)
-Benefits
-Employee Management
-Recognition
-Resources
-Surveys
-Training

Travel & Event Management
(Tradeshows, Team Building, Corporate Events)
-Negotiating
-Planning
-Scheduling
-Organizing
-Hosting

Executive Assistance or Virtual Assistance
-Business Strategy
-Email Management
-Marketing
-Social Media
-Notary – Mobile Service
-Researching
-Project Management

Consider it done!

It doesn’t matter what door you entered to find our assistance, we have a suite of services ready to help you. Our team has decades of excellence helping corporate executives and business owners.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

“Reputation” is such an interesting word. We all want a good reputation, but how do we get there? I’ve found that showing up is half the battle. The other half, is made up of authenticity, vulnerability and consistency. My business partner, Jackie Mercier, and I have connected with excellent networking groups, chambers of commerce and with personal development environments.

When we show up consistently, we build credibility. When we are authentic and vulnerable with others, we open a door of trust and friendship. We find out very quickly, who we want to do life with.

Once all those factors are at play, then, and only then can we do business with one another.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for us has been local networking groups. We found several excellent groups in our hometown. This allowed us to build consistent relationships with people already in our neighborhoods. We connected with like-minded individuals and other business owners. Chandler Chamber of Commerce, Chandler Business Alliance, Alliance Networking, Bold Women Networking, NAWBO are all excellent groups to network.

I’ve also found that personal development groups can lead to new clients, but not at first. A trusted, personal relationship is paramount. If I’m in a group that is all learning about faith, or developing a positive mental health, I must have a genuine interest in the collective good of the group. I’m not there to network. I’m there to build long-lasting tools to better myself, and to meet friends that want to do the same. If business comes up, that’s separate and outside of the group.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://concierge4b2b.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/concierge4b2b/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EVconcierge
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisagates1/
• Alignable: https://www.alignable.com/chandler-az/east-valley-concierge-we-are-concierge-4-b2b

Image Credits
William Gates, WgatesPhotography