We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Summer Randall a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Summer, appreciate you joining us today. Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

As many folks will say, their Dad is their hero. And it’s understandable – our parents work so hard and at our young + impressionable stages, this is what we notice. And if you’re like me, I noticed my Dad working a lot. My Dad is an entrepreneur, a serial entrepreneur before that even had a name but above all else – he did everything in his power to “make ends meet.” My Father has faced adversity after adversity in his life. Financial challenges, relational challenges and now has faced a health challenge – head on – Acute Myeloid Leukemia. We weren’t “surprised”, I suppose upon hearing his diagnosis as his Mother, Grandmother, Brother and Niece have all shared this familial disease but it stung, very deep, nonetheless. I’ll spare the details of the treatments, side effects and everything in between. But my Father underwent a Bone + Marrow Stem Cell Transplant in February of this year. And just like Dad does, he totally surpassed his doctors’ expectations. He had a 12/12 Bone + Marrow Donor, which is just incredible firstly. Secondly, his neutrophils skyrocketed – which is a great sign of healing. Now, I want to mention – My Dad is one of the most faithful people I’ve ever known. And not like the kind we’re used to in the south – the “bless your heart kind.” He means it. He meets people where they are, he’s fiercely empathetic, kind, considerate and studies his faith like he gets paid full-time to do it (and he used to!). His relentless faith, even while faced with adversity after adversity, is what I believe got him to this ultimate place of healing. He’s a true testament to resilience and going after what you want no matter what people think of you – because ultimately, it doesn’t matter. My Dad probably doesn’t realize how impressionable that I actually was as a young child but he is who instilled the entrepreneurial spirit in me. He showed me what it’s like to take action when you want something, to take many risks and that failure is ok because you’ll always bounce back. The faith that now lies in me is because of seeing my Dad defeat adversity. The faith that now lies in my business is because of seeing him exemplify both failures and significant victories as an entrepreneur.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Organization has been a guiding principle in shaping my career in systems. Since my early years, I’ve been passionately organizing aspects of my life, whether it was my bedroom or organizing social gatherings with friends. This innate liking for organization became a pivotal force in every facet of my existence. When I first encountered a Project Management system, BaseCamp, I was truly in disbelief. The realization that such an exceptional system existed, capable of addressing challenges in team communication, accountability, workflows, and attachments, left me very amazed. The concept that an entire team could operate without verbal communication was not only astonishing but also remarkably impressive. From there, I delved into working with various small businesses, either implementing existing Project Management software or establishing tailored systems. Witnessing how these systems streamlined workflows, enhanced communication, boosted productivity, and served as a centralized system for client files, drawings, and mockups became my driver. This excited + motivated me to learn more and educate others. It truly led to a revelation within me. Every business I had ever been a part of, spanning various industries, required well-designed systems. This realization led to my vision: to establish a business dedicated to assisting other businesses (B2B) in harnessing the full potential of systems. Recognizing the universal need for efficient systems, I curated a service that helps other businesses in implementing the optimal Project + Task Management software for their business.

These are streamful’s core values:

1. I encourage individuals and teams accustomed to traditional methods like sticky notes, paper notes, and reliance on Google Calendar to give modern systems a try. Recognizing that not only they but their teams and clients could benefit from an organized approach is the first step toward leveling up your workflows and processes.

2. My goal is to make work work for you. I don’t want streamful to be a service that puts a plan in place but doesn’t provide actionable results. We will work alongside you as we find the best method for your workflows to establish effective, working systems and software for you and your business. streamful is not just a service; we’re a partner dedicated to transforming work processes, making them not only manageable but optimized for success.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

A funny yet pivotable moment in life that I now look back at in disbelief and shock, would be my decision to uproot mine and my husband’s life and move us to Charleston, South Carolina. Sure, doesn’t really sound like a big deal but let me explain –

My husband was born and raised in our hometown that is 4 hours away from our home now in Charleston. He worked for his family’s company for 10 years while I job hopped. Ultimately, unfulfilled due to my overflowing desire to be an entrepreneur since I was a kid, I always wanted so much more. A bigger city, new faces, new paths. Well, rather than following that urge, my husband and I purchased a house in a very cute & quaint town outside of Asheville. It was just what we thought we wanted and needed to settle until retirement. Laughable. Because just a couple of years into it, my brother called me and said “guess what, we’re moving to Charleston?!” Jokingly I was so excited and also responded with a uncertain: “well we’ve got to move too then!” I don’t know what I was thinking when I said that. My husband would never leave. He works for his family, he’s content in our house and in this city… forever. Being the persistent person that I am, I proposed the idea of moving to him in the form of what else but a PowerPoint. He declined. So I made another. He declined. Still fervently set on the idea of uprooting our lives to a new place, I began applying for jobs in Charleston. And not to my disbelief, I got a job and had to move in a month.

Then, I decided to tell my husband “I got a job… in Charleston.”

Hindsight and perspective is such a funny thing.

The boldness and courage it took to take such big steps in both of our careers. The change that came in the years following. The doubt, fear and frustration which turned into excitement, opportunities and thus, starting my own business.

This isn’t something that I would have ever done if we stayed in our comfort zone. We had to leap out of normalcy, push ourselves to a new environment, new friends, new careers and everything in between.

Stepping out of my comfort zone is the reason that I’m here now. If you’re questioning if you can do it too– stop. You can do anything, and I mean anything, that you set your mind to. Name it, write it down, make a PowerPoint (says the systems girl), give it power and you will make it happen.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Meeting people face-to-face, showing them who I am and what I bring to the table.

Here’s what to do:

An incredibly inspiring and strategic entrepreneur in my circle gave me this advice –

Find a business group in your area and make a post. Don’t sell your services. Don’t say “hey this is my new business, want to buy in?” We’re all inundated with that daily and it’s just not effective anymore. Rather, introduce yourself, preferably with a selfie, picture of you with your family or just a fun photo that shows your true self. Explain why you’ve started your business, who you are and what you need.

Here’s the best advice: offer a freebie.

People aren’t going to just offer up their credit cards – they need to see value first. Whether you’re a service-based business or a product-based business, offer a “sample” of what you do so folks will understand the value.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.streamful.biz
• Instagram: @streamful.biz
• Facebook: streamful
• Linkedin: Summer Randall
• Youtube: @streamfulbiz

Image Credits
Rylie Captures