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 StimsonHow Customer Buying Styles Have Changed How You Sell
Not every customer buys the same way — and that costs you money. In this episode, I unpack the three main buyer types you'll meet and show you how to spot them…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: The 1980s Decision That Still Hurts Live Event Companies
When people ask what's changed over my 40 years in live events, I think back to the 1980s, when rental returns were stellar and profit margins seemed…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonYou Are Using Proposals Incorrectly
"The client won't pay that much..." "I can skip the proposal presentation..." Sound familiar? In this episode, I tackle the biggest roadblock in sales: the…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Quality Over Quantity: The Case for Selective Business Growth
For many of us, turning down business is unthinkable. We're wired to chase revenue, cover our overhead, and keep our gear working. When a client calls, we…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonDon't Close Every Deal, But Always Do This
Is your top sales performer's magic touch starting to fade? In this episode, I share a real-world story about a consulting firm whose star salesperson saw…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Process Documentation Reimagined: Hire Smart, Define Success, and Scale Faster
If you're like most businesses in our industry, you're facing a full pipeline and subsequent hiring challenges. You're rushing to document processes, hoping to…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonHow to Eliminate a Key Pricing Variable in 2025
Is your event pricing stuck in the past? In this straight-talking episode, I debunk the myth that shorter events should cost less. Follow along as I share a…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Why Finding the Right People Should Be Easier Than Ever
Talent is the most valuable resource you deliver to your customers. Average talent is a commodity. Exceptional talent is priceless. Think about it. How much…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonYour Ideal Customer Should Not Be a Fool
Still playing the RFP game in 2025? In this eye-opening episode, I explore why RFPs might be holding you back from success. From a shocking story about a major…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: The Updated Pricing Model for Former Rental Companies
Let's face a hard truth: Rental prices in our industry are made up. There's no standard pricing model other than what a group of suppliers devolved through…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Why I Can't Support Your Old Model
The live events industry is at a crossroads, and I've made a difficult but necessary decision: I can no longer support the traditional rental-think business…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: An Unexpected Scalability Hack: Fly First Class
Recently, I worked with a business owner whose story might sound familiar. Despite hearing clients tell him other owners would charge more for his services, he…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonThe Scalable Approach to Managing Demand
Stop chasing those massive "windfall" projects that stretch your team thin and trap you in a feast-or-famine cycle. In this episode, learn why turning down…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: What Does the Buyer's Journey Look Like in 2025?
Whenever I discuss marketing strategies with clients, the conversation inevitably turns to the buyer's journey. Specifically, we explore how potential buyers…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonYour Most Profitable Employees Never Go on Shows
Stop treating your business like a rental company. In this week's episode, discover how to transform your operation by rethinking your planning team — starting…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: 4 Things to Try in 2025
The forecast looks bright for 2025, with many of my clients projecting revenue increases of 10–25% compared to 2024. After experiencing some softness in the…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonThe Jumpstart Method to Become Consistently Profitable
Think you're running an AV business? Think again. Get ready for some tough love as I break down three essential steps to transform your business in 2025 —…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Value Only Manifests in Honest Relationships
The "race to the bottom" is a mindset where businesses compete solely on price, sacrificing quality and value. Think you're not competing? Think again. Most…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonPIA Customers and What to Do About Them
Think you've got a "pain in the ass" client? It might be worse than that. In this episode, we're tackling the return of Bad Faith Buyers in our industry. These…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: The Importance of Honesty in Sales Conversations
The best work happens when we can discuss what services cost and what's possible. When both sides are open about money, we can focus on getting a great show…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonLocal or National?
Do you brag about being a "national company" while secretly wondering if you really are one? In this episode, I bust the myths about going national, reveal why…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Stop Overcomplicating Marketing: Your Core Checklist
In my coaching calls, one conversation comes up more often than any other: marketing challenges. It makes sense. We spend our days getting shows done, but…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonStop Operationalizing Your Sales Process
Are you overcomplicating your events business? In this episode, we challenge the industry's obsession with complexity and explore how our "rental mindset"…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Words That Devalue Your Business: A Lexicon Overhaul for the Live Events Industry
Let's tackle another set of terms that might be even more insidious because they're ingrained in how we think about running our businesses. These words and…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonYour Most Valuable Asset
In this no-nonsense episode, we're breaking down warehouse management to its simplest ingredients. You'll learn why your mother's kitchen wisdom applies to…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Words That Devalue Your Business: A Lexicon Overhaul for the Live Events Industry
Ever notice how the words we use can either build us up or tear us down? Today, we're diving into something that's been driving me absolutely crazy in our…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonTop 5 Obstacles to Growth and How to Tame Them
Tired of watching your competitors thrive while you stand still? In this episode, I break down your five biggest obstacles — and "bad marketing" isn't one of…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: How to Get Out of Rental Mindset
Do you really "rent" equipment when your gear never leaves your control? When clients say they want to "rent a sound system," what they're actually paying for…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonWhat Would Tom Do?
In this high-energy episode, I'm exploring the exciting forecasts we're seeing for 2025. We're talking 10-25% revenue increases and the three strategies you…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Why Does Everyone Struggle to Scrub an Order? (It's Easier Than You Think)
In this episode of Monday Morning Drive, we dive deep into a universal business challenge: order scrubbing. Learn why traditional multi-layered review…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonThe Race to the Bottom
Are you tired of feeling like you're stuck in a race to the bottom, constantly competing on price alone? In this episode, I tackle the pervasive issue of…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: The Danger of Details: Why Overengineered Processes Aren't Serving Your Business
In my years as a business consultant, I've witnessed a recurring theme that might surprise you: well-intentioned companies sabotaging their own success. In…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonThe Tainted Story of Value
Ready to revolutionize your business? In this episode, I'm dismantling the old "rental plus labor" pricing model and showing you how to charge what you're…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: How to Teach Management to Review Business Metrics
In this episode of Monday Morning Drive, we tackle the common challenge of unproductive month-close meetings where participants simply stare at spreadsheets or…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonBehind the Scenes in Change Management
Ready to shake up your team? In this episode, I reveal my secret change management weapon — a simple 2x2 matrix that'll revolutionize how you view your team…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: The "Start Fresh" Approach: 3 Steps to a More Balanced Business
Achieving balance in your business isn't just about the new things you start doing - it's also about what you learn to stop doing. Just like pulling your…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonHow to Interview for Sales Roles
Ready to build your dream sales team? In this episode, I'll teach you how to spot sales rockstars — and trust me, it's not about golf skills. Learn the "resume…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: There's No Such Thing as the "Ideal" Freelancer
On your most important event of the year, does your client want to see their Lead Video Director backing the truck into the hotel dock? I doubt it. Did you…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonStay In Your Lane Or Not
Are you wearing too many hats? In this episode, we tackle the business identity crisis. Discover the surprising origin stories of successful AV companies and…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Systems and Kits Get an Upgrade
We often talk about "systems and kits" as the cornerstone of language alignment across sales, planning, and execution. After all, systems (groups of kits) and…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonThe Art of Putting the Right Energy in the Right Place at the Right Time
I talk a lot about the concept of balance in business. But what is it really, and how can it help you succeed? In this definitive how-to guide, learn why…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: What I Learned From the Exit Strategy Workshop
Regardless of how you plan to ease yourself on to your next big thing, most owners agree that openly discussing an exit strategy — even if it's years away —…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonPunching Above Your Weight
Feel like you're reaching for the stars in your business? In this episode, I explore what it means to "punch above your weight" — to take on challenges that…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Stop Playing the Blame Game and Create Success
This week's blog is about head trash. You know what I'm talking about. It's the BS we tell ourselves to justify why something did or didn't happen. Some of…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonHow to Dial Down the Noise
Does your small business feel chaotic? You're not alone. In this episode, we're uncovering the power of strategy for small business owners. Find out why your…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: What Your Controller Needs to Understand About Job Cost
When I wrote this blog post back in 2022, I was trying to be kind. Many of you have invested a ton of resources into job costing. Perhaps you've even hired an…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonAn Oldtimer's Views on Exit Strategy
Think exit strategies are just for business owners nearing retirement? Think again. In this eye-opening episode, I explain why having an exit strategy is…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Burn Your Org Chart. Here's What to Do Instead.
This week's blog should pique your interest. I'd like you to shred your organizational chart (then burn it) and do something much more valuable instead…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonGetting Stuck and What to Do About It
Struggling to decide between freelancing and running a full-fledged business in event production? This episode guides you through the pivotal moments that can…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Why We Need to Flip Our Quoting Process Upside Down
When my new clients build a proposal, they tend to start with the equipment, then add labor until they hit a budget number they're comfortable presenting. But…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonRental Pricing Isn't the Problem
Saddle up — we're about to take your pricing strategy for a wild ride. In this episode, we're challenging everything you thought you knew about rental pricing…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: What Should Be on Your Financial Dashboard?
In today's episode, we're tackling a question that many business owners grapple with: "What should be on my financial dashboard?" The answer, as it turns out…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonThe Art and Science of Napkin Quoting
Struggling with quick quote requests? In this episode, I introduce "napkin quotes" — the secret weapon that'll help you handle RFQs like a pro. Learn the…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: How to Disconnect for Better Engagement
You've got a hot lead on the line. They've done their homework, they're speaking your language. But hold up—before you start seeing dollar signs, let's talk…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonSilos Are Where Cooperation Goes to Die
In this week's episode, we're tackling one of the biggest obstacles holding businesses back: silos. These insular groups can stifle cooperation, hinder…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: The Hidden Truth About Scaling (That No One Wants to Talk About)
I'm not surprised that operationally-minded, process-driven people embrace scalability, particularly in the planning sphere. Scalability is a control freak's…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonThe Myth of Sweat Equity
Are you still pinching pennies when you should be living large? In this episode of the Intentional Success Podcast, discover why "sweat equity" has an…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: Sales Metrics That Matter
Owning a business is hard. First we're too busy, then too slow. Cash starts out tight, but then we worry about letting any of it go. The team never seems to…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonStop Settling for Too Little Profit
Are you tired of settling for razor-thin margins and feeling like success is always just out of reach? In this episode of the Intentional Success Podcast, we…
Intentional Success with Tom StimsonMonday Morning Drive: How to Convert Price Shoppers Into Value Buyers
We all send out pricing vibes. It creates a guessing game. The buyer guesses what you'll send in your proposal. You guess what the buyer wants. It seems silly…