Jonni Ressler: How to Build a Successful Business on Empathy
In this episode, Maria and Jonni discuss:How empathy shaped the business model of Eleven 11 Solutions and the company philosophy as they continue to grow. Tips and advice to stay connected even during tough situations. Empathy as inspiration and success in Jonni’s professional career. Key Takeaways:You don’t appease your employees at the expense of clients, you nurture them to the benefit of clients. Those employees will deliver solid work for clients if they work in an empathetic environment that understands them and is flexible to their needs. Do not confuse empathy with being a yes-person. They are not the same thing. It’s not about making sure everyone is happy, it’s more about hearing and acknowledging what others are saying. It’s not about caving in - it’s about how you gather information and then what you do with that information as you make decisions. "You want to build trust with the people you work with, that you work for, that worked for you. And if you can build that - which mostly comes from listening, empathy, and understanding their perspective - if you have a baseline of trust, the rest will fall into place. That means, when times are tough, you'll figure it out together because you have that baseline of trust. When times are good, they will trust you to just run with it because you have that baseline of trust." — Jonni Ressler About Jonni Ressler: Jonni Ressler is the CEO of Eleven 11 Solutions and believes successful marketing is another form of storytelling and that relationship is everything A natural connector, Jonni has built a multimillion-dollar consulting business by matching hiring managers with top talent across the United States. Her consultancy is ruthlessly committed to helping clients and consultants succeed with a focus on transparency, integrity, and doing the right thing every time. She began her career working for a variety of top technical companies like Microsoft and RealNetworks in international and domestic roles across both sales and marketing. In the early 2000s, Jonni left the workforce for over 6 years to raise her young children and returned to marketing as a consultant, giving her a unique perspective on reentering the workforce. As a stand out consultant, she did a little bit of everything from leading product launches, to coordinating brand strategy and sales execution, to partner management, change management, and numerous corporate website redesigns and launches in her decade of consulting for companies like SAP Concur, HPE, and Microsoft. Jonni founded Eleven 11 Solutions with the knowledge that good people know good people, and as a result of that philosophy, her company has doubled each year since inception in 2016 as a referral-only business. When she's not leading Eleven 11 Solutions, and actively supporting her family and their respective interests, you can find Jonni on stage or online doing Improv. Connect with Jonni Ressler: Learn more about Eleven 11 Solutions: Eleven11Solutions.comConnect on Instagram: @eleven.11.solutionsConnect to Elevel 11 on LinkedIn: Eleven 11 SolutionsConnect to Jonni on LinkedIn: Jonni ResslerHashtags: #relationshipiseverything #goodhumans #consulting Connect with Maria: Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.comLearn more about Maria’s brand strategy work and books: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaTwitter: @redsliceFacebook: Red Slice