Shows / Intentional Success with Tom Stimson
Intentional Success with Tom Stimson
Are you looking to take your live events production business to the next level? Do you want to learn from industry experts and gain insights into the latest business trends and strategies? Welcome to the Intentional Success Podcast, where we provide you with the tools and resources you need to help your business grow and scale… on purpose. Hosted by industry veteran Tom Stimson, each episode answers unpacks the best practices and secrets to achieving intentional success. From marketing and…
Episodes
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonSelling Is the Art of Translation
The other day, I wanted a breakfast taco but ended up in a Salvadoran restaurant where nobody spoke English. That's how your clients feel when you throw…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: What Makes a Show "Big"? (The Answer Will Surprise You)
Everyone's definition of a "big show" is different. To you, it might mean high revenue. For others, it's about profile, complexity, multiple rooms, or being…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonYour Sales Funnel Is an Engine, Marketing Is the Fuel
"We've got 7,000 contacts but only want to email 800 of them." Stop right there. You're throwing away 6,200 potential evangelists. Marketing is about movement…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: People Management: The 90-Day Plan That Works
If you hire the right people — people who either don't need to fix themselves or are motivated to fix themselves — keeping them becomes easier. I'll explain…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonThere's No Money in Doing Shows, Here's How to Fix That
A young owner called me recently, driving back from covering a sick call on his own show. After reading my books, he realized his job isn't to do shows. His…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Discovery Calls: When and How to Use Your Sales Secret Weapon
The term "discovery call" keeps appearing in sales processes across our industry. This is good progress. But many of you use discovery calls improperly or at…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonWhat Your Numbers Tell Me and Why
I can learn 75% of what I need to know about any business in under two hours. The secret is ignoring the wrong metrics, like revenue per employee and…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Why Your Ideal Customer Makes or Breaks Profitability
What's the one thing I think most of my audience struggles with? It's not revenue, profitability, or costs, but it's something that affects all of that. Before…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonNumbers Don't Lie, But Did You Ask Them Any Questions?
How did a company book $11 million in a month... and lose $3.5 million doing it? In this episode, I explain why your accountants are asking the wrong questions…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: A Recession Is Likely. Prepare Your Business Now.
A recession, or worse, is likely. Our current economic policies mirror those that led to past financial crises, and historical records indicate that these…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonYour Irrational Relationship With Revenue
Is revenue keeping you up at night? In this episode, learn why windfall clients (those representing over 30% of your business) can be dangerous, why external…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Are You Ready for the Next Economic Challenge?
The White House's on again, off again tariffs could impact our industry as severely as the coronavirus did. Whether you agree with the long-term strategy is…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonHow to Control the Narrative
Ever hear that business is "all about relationships"? That statement drives me nuts because it's only partially true. Relationships aren't the end goal…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Why Project Managers Hurt Your Profit
The term "project manager" became common in live events in the '90s. Companies offered project management for free as a "value add", which customers then…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonDon't Attempt to Scale Chaos
In my 100th episode, I call out the "accidental entrepreneurs" who build businesses by doing what they know well and neglecting what they don't. Before…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: What Do Owners Really Want? 5 Keys to Satisfaction
When you start a business, your wants are simple: control, independence, proving yourself. But quickly, other wants take precedence. Let's break down what…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonYou Can't Negotiate What You Can't Calculate
Ever wonder why clients demand detailed breakdowns of your quotes? We created this pricing nightmare through excessive transparency. In this week's episode…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: The 10 Levels of AV Excellence: Find Your Place and Climb Higher
It's time for your mid-year mindfulness check-up! Are you reaching your business goals? Has your forecasting been accurate? How far down the road have you been…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonThe Single Source of Truth in Your Project-Based Business
What's your single source of truth? Whether you're running a rental company, project-based business, or creative services firm, you need to decide which system…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Does Your Business Have a Soul, or Just a Look?
Perfection - if it even exists - is probably boring. Humanity brings character to perfection, but does that make something imperfect? As you approach…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonHow to Prepare For Your First Discovery Call
Think discovery calls are about clients discovering YOU? In this episode, I set the record straight about discovery calls and explain why so many of you get…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Embrace Your Role in Sales (It's Not a Dirty Word)
Can you think of any other industry that's proud of not having ANY salespeople? Here's a disturbing stat: 90% of owners that call for help on their business…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonHow to Fall in Love With Your P&L
Your financial reporting might be the key to solving your biggest business headaches, from seasonality to pricing problems. In this episode, learn three simple…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Marketing Your AV Business Isn't Complicated
0Marketing is probably the last item on your priority list, yet your prospective customers are deciding whether they want to do business with you before you…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: "We're Too Busy" Is a Leadership Problem, Not a Staffing Issue
Scalable companies are far less likely than non-scalable companies to complain that they're "too busy." They accomplish more with fewer people. How can this…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonThe Easy Way In
We're all accidental entrepreneurs who fell into this business backwards. Most of us are still pricing like we're freelancers with gear instead of businesses…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: The 10 Hidden Tests in Every RFP
Most prospective buyers use RFPs to evaluate more than your design concepts or pricing structure. Here are 10 qualities I'm very nearly positive most people…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonHow Big Is Small?
What makes a show "big"? Money? Complexity? High profile? In this episode, Tom Stimson challenges the industry's obsession with show size and reveals why your…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: The 3 Buyer Types That Control Your Sales Success
Many years ago, I introduced my approach to evaluating customers in a pre-negotiation mode. Understanding what's important to them and how they prefer to buy…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonHow to Hire Keepers
In this episode, I tackle the biggest headache most companies face: hiring and keeping great talent. I share my proven 90-day plan with clear checkpoints at…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Proposal Power: How to Set Baselines That Clients Accept
Last week, I explained my three-call process for closing better deals with awesome buyers. Step three in that process was the proposal presentation meeting…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonHow to Make Your Discovery Call a Mutually Beneficial Introduction
Are you conducting discovery calls at the right time in the right way? Discovery calls should happen MUCH earlier in your relationship development process than…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Your Sales Process Is Broken: Here's the Three-Call Fix
Many selling organizations have clear guidelines for walking ideal prospects through their system. Why? Because we know how ideal customers buy. It's non-ideal…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonYour Ideal Customer Is a Result, Not a Choice
Who is your ideal customer? In this episode, I explain why this seemingly simple choice has massive implications for your business model. Discover whether your…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Your Clients Know You Should Charge More — So Do It
We all know managing pricing variables is a nightmare. If you can't raise your rental or labor prices without creating a firestorm of resistance from key…
Intentional Success with Tom Stimson5 Things You Could Do Right Now and Why
In this no-nonsense episode, I tackle the economic headwinds we're facing. Unlike the pandemic, this downturn won't eliminate work, but it will shift power…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Stop Wasting Your Time on Bad RFPs
I used to live for RFPs. Requests for proposals were my mainstay. I didn't have to do any sales work. The fax machine went off, the emails came in (sometimes…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonI'm Not Panicking, You're Panicking
In my latest episode, I unpack the tariffs that could hit our industry as hard as the pandemic did five years ago. I cut through the uncertainty to deliver…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: The Warehouse Operations Handbook Every AV Company Needs
A quick walk through any warehouse operation will tell me a lot about your company's relationship with process and organization. You can't prep a great show…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonHow to Turn Value Add Into Added Value
Stop letting "value add" become "free work"! In this episode, I explore why the humble "project manager" title could be costing you serious money. Learn how…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Interview Questions That Reveal True Salespeople
Back when I managed teams, I kept a stack of resumes on the corner of my desk. During interviews, candidates would see that pile and realize they weren't the…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonWhat Do Owners Want For Their Businesses?
Asking "Where's my reward?" after decades in business? In this episode, I share the five things every owner needs (cash flow, profit, growth, satisfaction, and…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: The Smart Way to Punch Above Your Weight Class
I studied martial arts for many years. I learned multiple disciplines, earned various black belts, and instructed newcomers. In martial arts, particularly when…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonWho Is Better Than You?
Ever been asked, "Who's better than you?" This seemingly simple question took me years to truly understand — and it became a turning point for my business. In…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Marketing: The New Minimum for Live Event Companies
I keep talking about marketing, but you need to hear this one more time. Most AV companies loathe marketing, but you just can't do without it. It solves…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonWhat Does Finished Look Like To You?
Does your business have a look, or does it have a soul? In this episode, I explore what your company reveals about itself when you think no one's watching…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Your Business Grew Up — Did Your Spending Habits?
I know you often feel like your business is in crisis, but it's not. You're objectively alright. You're in control. Remind yourself of that today. Upgrade your…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonAll the Things You Won't Learn at Jumpstart
My next Jumpstart Workshop hits Columbus on April 22–23, and it'll be unlike anything you've experienced before. Join me for a behind-the-scenes shop crawl of…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Exit Strategy: Start Planning Before It's Too Late
When meeting new business owners, I ask direct questions: How did you get started? Where are you now? What concerns you most? What's your exit strategy? The…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonWhy Doesn't Anyone Want to Be in Sales Anymore?
Do you run away when someone mentions the "S" word? In this episode, I tackle the uncomfortable truth about sales in the AV industry. If you claim you don't…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Fix Your Overhead, Fix Your Business
I often feel like a doctor, and the business owners I help are patients in my waiting room. They come in to share their problems and feelings. I listen and…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonThe 3 Marketing Best Practices Every AV Company Needs
In this straight-talking episode, I tackle a truth you can't avoid: you're in the marketing business. Discover the three mindset shifts that'll transform your…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Stop Fighting Venue Exclusivity — Do This Instead
I can't count how many conversations I've been a part of that started with complaints about in-house AV contracts. The arguments about how venue exclusivity…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonWhy Your Team Is Too Busy
Think you need more staff to scale your business? Success often comes from having fewer people doing less, not more. Through the lens of a restaurant kitchen…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Stop Pricing Like a Rental Company
Let me make a bold statement: Rental pricing is for rental companies. If you do shows for a living, your responsibility is for the show to work. People need to…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonIs This a Test?
In this candid look at what buyers really want, I reveal why most companies fail the RFP test before they even start. Beyond the requests for designs and…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Your Incentive Programs Are Sabotaging Growth
I'm surprised whenever I encounter certain employee incentive programs still operating in our industry. What surprises me more is that people haven't…
Intentional Success with Tom Stimson10 Things You Can Do for Your Customer That Cost Absolutely Nothing
What happens after the tech is set up? Smart show producers don't stand around — they transform spaces into client sanctuaries. Learn practical, zero-cost ways…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Your "Slow Season" Is a Sales Problem
Many companies in our industry blame "seasonality" for their slow periods. Let's be clear: Seasonality means demand fluctuates — it doesn't mean business stops…