Mindset, Marketing and Making It Work

Alana Muller:
Welcome to Enterprise.ing, a podcast from Enterprise Bank & Trust that's empowering business leaders one conversation at a time. Each week, we'll hear from top business professionals about lessons on leadership and entrepreneurship that they've learned along the way. I'm your host, Alana Muller, an entrepreneurial executive leader whose primary focus is to connect, inspire and empower community. We at Enterprise Bank & Trust thank you for tuning in to another episode.

Hello, listeners. Welcome back to Enterprise.ing podcast. The Scout Guide is a 100% woman-founded national franchise that offers an elevated advertising experience to local businesses through its printed city guides and digital channels. In St. Louis, Angela Sandler, along with her business partner Lisa Litvag, leads The Scout Guide. In addition to her work at The Scout Guide, Angela is the co-founder and CEO of Xplor, an innovative brand amplification firm that helps businesses build strategic campaigns that connect brands by leveraging modern publicity and buzzworthy experiences. Angela is a seasoned C-level executive with over 24 years of experience driving growth through entrepreneurship, brand management and strategic marketing. Today she joins us in the Enterprise.ing studio.

Angela, welcome to Enterprise.ing podcast.

Angela Sandler:
Thank you so much. I'm so excited to be here.

Alana Muller:
Well, it's a delight to have you. To kick us off, would you share with our listeners a little more about The Scout Guide, and what led you and Lisa to launch the St. Louis-based franchise?

Angela Sandler:
Absolutely. The Scout Guide was brought to St. Louis about eight years ago or so by the previous editor, Stacey Goltermann. Around that time, we met Stacey when we were doing events with Xplor, our other company. We started planning events for The Scout Guide. We had run the launch parties in their event strategy from volume two all the way up to volume five. When Stacey was looking to vacate her position and look for a buyer, she turned to us first because we were very clued in to The Scout Guide members and what it meant to be in The Scout Guide, since we'd been in it. It just was a natural fit.

I can honestly say that Xplor never received more leads or more referrals than the people that are involved with The Scout Guide. That being the different members within the guides and whatnot, and the relationships that we made through it. It just was a natural fit for us to be able to add that to our portfolio for businesses that we can work with and help amplify their business.

Alana Muller:
Oh, how cool. That makes a lot of sense. In fact, the next thing I wanted to ask you about is Xplor. I want to hear a little bit more about the background for that company and how Xplor and The Scout Guide are related to one another today.

Angela Sandler:
Absolutely. Xplor has a very interesting past. It was started actually in 2016 as a tech platform that was a brand called Kids Xplor, which was essentially ClassPass for kids. At that point in time, Lisa and I both had young kids and we were experiencing the fallout of going and trying a new class, and paying $100 for it, and then your kid hates it and you're out the money. We noticed that ClassPass was very quickly accelerating in the fitness market. We were like, "How awesome would that be if we could do it for kids?" We went and built the digital platform for that, operated in St. Louis and operated in Houston, and really kicked that off.

Part of when we started doing that too, one of the things that we noticed the most engagement was when we did events for our Kids Xplor members. It was 2018 and “[A] Bad Moms Christmas” came out. We rented out a movie theater at the Chase Park Plaza here in St. Louis. We sold tickets out literally immediately. Then what we noticed was that other small businesses were coming to us and wanting access to our market of moms that really were honed in and involved, and wanted to do things. They wanted to have access to those women. We started planning events and it grew so much that, eventually, the kids section of it moved to the side and we started Xplor, really doing experiential events for all different types of small businesses.

Alana Muller:
Oh, that's so fascinating. Well, it sounds like you and Lisa have been partnering on one company or another for many, many years. How did that relationship come together?

Angela Sandler:
That's a funny story. We actually used to train together at our gym and we were friendly. We had friends in common, but we weren't necessarily close friends. Then we had a friend that had her 40th birthday party in Miami Beach and we'd both went on the trip. When we were walking on the beach, we came up with the idea for Kids Xplor.

Alana Muller:
Wow.

Angela Sandler:
Yeah, yeah. It was just one of those ideas that… it was sticky. It had legs to it and it felt right. We really, as soon as we came back from that trip, we started planning the business and got it launched.

Alana Muller:
That's amazing. I was checking out some of the brands that you've done business with. I was noticing Victorinox, Timberland, Carhartt, BMW, Callaway Golf, Jonathan Adler, some of the biggest, most recognizable brands. Was Lisa also involved with big brands like that? I know that you worked with all those brands, in terms of brand positioning and advertising. How has that impacted the business you and Lisa are building?

Angela Sandler:
Absolutely. Lisa and I were not involved with that part of my career. She had her own experiences with the motion picture industry. She worked at Sony for a really long time and she was involved in the sales process. At that point in time, it was selling Redbox DVDs and getting them into retailers. She had the retail end of that.

I was always more on the private label side of things and actually bringing products to market. I discovered very early in my career I had a real passion for product development, and really seeing something start from a concept sketch and go all the way to actually being on a retail floor. And through that time, was experiencing the online shopping and e-commerce and the growth of that, and how those products that had been positioned in department stores were now being positioned online, and how the sales and marketing process went through that. I had been very fortunate to be able to work with these brands and these leaders in these brands, and been on the journey over time to see how just the industry as a whole has completely changed.

I would say the most compatible part of that really is the startup culture and just starting a business. When I worked for Victorinox Swiss Army, at that point in time, we were a licensee of Victorinox Swiss Army. I think I was employee number 13. By the time that I left, I think they were up in the 200s or so. I was very much a part of that beginning growth of getting a company off the ground, positioning it right, getting it into the retailers. It was a really exciting time. Alana Muller: It sounds like it. It sounds fun. I love that you were able to leverage one experience to lead you into another experience.

One of the things that I personally focus on a lot is just how relationships factor into the way our businesses grow. What have relationships meant for you in the work that you do? I know you're originally from St. Louis, if memory serves, and I suspect that you're building relationships not just in your own community, but on a national level. What does that look like for you? Are you involved with any organizations? How has that factored into your business?

Angela Sandler:
Yeah, relationships and human capital are everything. Having those relationships with people, even from early in your career all the way to the present day. I'm always inspired by just how the universe seems to pop the right person in the position at just the right time that you needed them to.

But yes, part of my job is so relationship-based. That's really what gives me joy out of anything I do, is really collaborations and pairing different businesses together to help them drive their business. That's a lot of what we do with The Scout Guide. There's 84 businesses that are within the pages of The Scout Guide. When you add that together with our Xplor clients, and then just your general network as well — Kansas City being similar to St. Louis in the fact that we're somewhat of a small town — it allows for a lot of collaboration and working together. That's really what I love to do. I love connecting people.

From a national standpoint, it's those relationships you make in other jobs and continuing with them. Like I was saying, with the rise of the internet, which wasn't around so much when I first started, just keeping in touch with people is just easier than ever. Text message, a message on LinkedIn, maintaining that network even if you're not in the same city is still productive and still has led to a lot of other opportunities.

Alana Muller:
Yeah, I'm sure. Are you involved with any organizations in St. Louis or elsewhere that have helped you not only to promote your businesses, but to promote the companies that are listed within The Scout Guide?

Angela Sandler:
Yeah, absolutely. I'm very active in two different groups. One is Erin Joy, she is a business coach here in St. Louis. You might have met her.

Alana Muller:
I know Erin Joy well.

Angela Sandler:
Okay. I started working with her in 2017 and it's been instrumental to the growth over the last couple years. Working with her, doing a lot of collaborations, doing events with her. Having her leverage our network through The Scout Guide, and ourselves leveraging Erin as a mentor and an asset. She's actually in The Scout Guide because we do cross-collaborations on events together. That's been huge.

The other one that I'm not as deep into yet, but I'm hoping to become more deeper into, is Entrepreneurs’ Organization. I just started the Accelerator program and I'm really excited about that, and getting to meet a lot more members of EO. Alana Muller: That's fabulous. Yeah, in fact, Erin was one of the early guests on this podcast. I had the great privilege of getting to know her many, many years ago through the St. Louis Business Journal Women's Conference. It's fun to hear names come back around. I'm delighted that you're connected with her. And also, doing EO, what a great organization that is. It sounds like you're leveraging networks in the right places.

Angela Sandler:
I hope so, I hope so. I wish that there could be more of a philanthropic or charitable end to it. It's just with timing, it's really difficult. I've been trying, there are quite a few nonprofits in The Scout Guide, and we support them, and we support their efforts. A goal for moving forward is really to find that philanthropy that tugs at my heartstrings. That's something that… I really want to get involved with something, I'm just not quite sure what that is yet. Hopefully, I'll come across what really does and I'm looking to that more for retirement age, of really being able to focus on giving back at another time.

Alana Muller:
Well, I love that. One of the things that you have talked a lot about, you've written about this, I've seen conversations with you about this, but you talk a lot about your own commitment to family. I would love it if you would share a little bit with our listeners of some of the ways that you convey the lessons learned in your professional life to your children. Are they involved at all with your business? Whether they are or aren't, how do you leverage the experiences you have in the workforce to bring that home and engage your children?

Angela Sandler:
Absolutely. My husband is very driven in his career as well, and we are both big believers in mindset, and focusing on solutions and not problems. Which is something that we really try to bring home to our family, a growth mindset, a positive attitude. Rather than complaining about what's not working, let's find a solution, to find something that does work. I think that that's been pretty instrumental with our family. We talk about it at the dinner table all the time. I think our kids actually get sick of us talking about it and are just like, "Can you just listen and not talk?"

Yeah, family is a huge thing. Luckily, where I'm sitting in my office right now, my kids' schools are literally two minutes that way and two minutes that way. They can walk to the office after school, which is great. Not all the time, but they do. It's nice to be able to swing by, carpool on the way to the office in the morning and have that relationship in the car in the morning. I would love for them to be more involved with the business. They have done tasks and whatnot. I have an eighth-grader and a junior. The junior actually is interested in marketing and is getting very involved with DECA at her high school. I would love for her, if she wants to be part of the company, to do that, but we'll see. We'll see what happens.

Alana Muller:
Love that, that's great. Well, shifting gears just slightly, I want to talk a little bit about the challenges of business. As we both know, every business owner faces challenges in their career. Is there a professional challenge that you've encountered that you were able to overcome? If so, if you're willing to share, what was the situation and how were you able to move forward?

Angela Sandler:
Yeah. I would say the biggest lesson I've learned throughout this nine-year process with these companies is that failure is not easy for me. I don't like to fail. I am hard on myself at times. When Kids Xplor wasn't quite getting the trajectory that we had hoped that it would be, it was tough. It was something that I think led me into a search for looking at things in a different way. I had never really been taught that there are no failures, there's just learned lessons. I had to really shift my mindset with that.

But it is hard. It's really, really hard. I think the biggest challenge today, not in regards to necessarily that situation, but it's really everything with attention spans is so small right now. We do a lot of social media work, and I love it and hate it all at the same time because I love helping clients get growth there. But it's hard for me sometimes with the moral aspects of it, of how it's changed our society and whatnot. I'd say that, I think, is the hardest thing for me, is just the fact that I feel like there's constantly a notification coming from somewhere. As much as you try to turn them off or silence notifications, it still manages to get in there in some way.

I think it's the attention span that's actually been the hardest for me, because trying to work through two different companies with two different inboxes, with different clients, with different stages of the projects, there's a lot of moving parts at all times. It's really being able to get into that deep work where you are focused on it, as opposed to your attention being pulled in 50 different ways.

Alana Muller:
Sure. Is there a tool that you've used to help either focus, even if it's just your calendar? For me, it's my Google Calendar, which doesn't sound like a very exciting way to do it. Even just scheduling time to get stuff done, is there a tool or a process that you're using to help keep you on track?

Angela Sandler:
Yeah, definitely the calendar. Time blocking is key. Making sure that I'm in charge of my calendar and not other people are in charge with my calendar, which is a work in process. I have Calendly links that people can book time with me. It's really being deliberate about what that time looks like and when that time is available. Also, just with different time savings things. Using a project management platform, as opposed to just dealing with everything on spreadsheets. That has helped a ton, we use Asana here. Having the team being able to shoot messages via Asana, as opposed to sending an email every time that there's something has really helped cut down on that part of it.

I'd say it's a work in progress, absolutely. But it's something that I think, as technology gets greater and AI becomes more important, I think there's hopefully some solutions coming with that.

Alana Muller:
That's great, that's great. Is there something that you're working on, either at The Scout Guide or at Xplor that you're especially excited about right now?

Angela Sandler:
Yeah. We have a new client on the Xplor side that is opening up a market- disrupting breast center that's located here in St. Louis that is top-of-the-line technology meets almost a spa-like atmosphere. It's really turning the mammogram process on its head. We've been involved with them from the very, very beginning, from business plan and will be involved all the way, at minimum, at least to the grand opening of that. That's been really exciting to work with a company and help them build this out, and build the playbook for other locations and whatnot, to be on the ground floor of that. That's one that I'm really, really excited about.

Alana Muller:
Oh, I love that.

Angela Sandler:
They'll open in July. Yeah.

Alana Muller:
How exciting! That's great, that's great. Do you have a mentor or an advisor who you turn to for advice? If so, what's some of the best advice that you've received?

Angela Sandler:
Oh, well, I think I get advice from different areas. Definitely Erin Joy, she's probably my first phone call if something hits the fan. But also, I have a therapist that I check in with weekly just because it helps me process everything and continue to keep my mind in the right place. I would definitely say that that has been a huge asset.

My husband is not really involved in the business, but he does have a good business savvy. I definitely turn to him if I have questions as well.

Alana Muller:
That's great.

Angela Sandler:
Lisa and I just try to troubleshoot and problem solve together. Usually, one is affected by something and the other isn't, and vice versa. We're yin to our yang, we're both kind of the opposite of each other, which actually helps out and it helps to get a different perspective on things.

Alana Muller:
Oh, that's terrific. That's terrific. As we start to wrap up here, there's a question I ask every guest and I'd love to ask it of you as well.

Angela Sandler:
Okay.

Alana Muller:
If you could meet with someone, it could be anyone living, not living, fictional or nonfictional for a cup of coffee, who would it be and why?

Angela Sandler:
It's a good question. I feel like this is a really basic answer, because I'm sure that a lot of people have said this before. I would really like to meet Sara Blakely…

Alana Muller:
Oh, I love it.

Angela Sandler:
…the creator of Spanx. I saw her speak a couple years ago at a conference. She's just a really cool girl that has really… I love her mindset on creation of new products, pushing the norms. I love market disruptors, just how her new Sneax brand has just come out. Also, she just seems like a really nice person and her head is always leaning towards positivity and a growth mindset. I think she'd just be a great person to have a cup of coffee with and talk to.

Alana Muller:
Love that. I love that. Well, Angela Sandler, where can our listeners go to learn more about you, The Scout Guide St. Louis and Xplor?

Angela Sandler:
Definitely. You can reach us on our website at www.xplor, X-P-L-O-R, city, C-I-T-Y, .com. Or at The Scout Guide St. Louis, which I won't give you the long email address, you can just Google it. Then we're also on Instagram and LinkedIn for both companies as well.

Alana Muller:
Terrific, Angela. Thank you so much for joining us on the Enterprise.ing podcast.

Angela Sandler:
Thank you for having me. It's been fun.

Alana Muller:
Thanks for joining us this week on Enterprise.ing. Be sure to visit our website, enterprisebank.com/podcast to subscribe, so you'll never miss an episode. If you found value in today's program, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or telling a friend about us. Enterprise.ing, powering business leaders one conversation at a time.

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