Alisa Spector Angelo, Compass Business Solutions, Inc.
Name: Alisa Spector Angelo
Company: Compass Business Solutions, Inc.
In less than three sentences tell us about your company and what you do.
We are a woman owned and all women team of strategic consultants. We partner with CEOs, presidents, and business owners from startups to Fortune 500 companies who are eager to maximize organizational performance. They quickly come to recognize the value of a dynamic corporate culture where everyone feels they’re part of a willing team.
At what point did you make your company a full time gig? How did you know the time was right?
I was an executive at a global company and about to be acquired which meant my stock options would come due. That day, I got a phone call from the first company I ever worked at asking me to help them. The stars were aligned and I waddled down to the CEO's office, 8 months pregnant, and resigned and began consulting full time.
What is the story behind your mission?
What gets my team and I up every day is to create work environments where people thrive. Work is a enormous part of our lives, and everyone should have a safe, healthy, and productive environment.
What lesson or skill did you take with you from a prior job to help you succeed in your role today?
I worked for a CEO who was customer centric and thought of the employees truly as internal customers. This respect for the human at work drives the way we think about the employee experience.
Let’s talk social media—who handles it for your company (you, an internal team member, an outsourced solution?) and what is the secret to making it successful? What is the biggest challenge?
We outsource a marketing firm and my business development manager also handles. The biggest challenge is that we didnt have the manpower. before to handle marketing full time, but now we do!
How did you land your first client?
They were my first employer and they asked me for help before I was even a consultant.
What is something you do differently from the industry standard?
We are on the cutting edge of organizational development which historically is very traditional and conservative. We have our own Learning Management System, called The Compass Lab(r), which provides a multi-prong approach to learning and is proven to build better leaders and teams.
What are factors that contributed to your growth? Please detail your growth pattern—either in revenue numbers or percentage year over year.
In the last three years, we have grown our revenue by 35-55%. The pandemic was actually very good for us. What we had been espousing about the workplace accelerated during the pandemic and was being accepted by leadership. Our national footprint grew because everyone was remote and wanted to work with the best firm, rather than who was in their backyard. We also created The Compass Lab in the midst of the pandemic.
What are three things you did to scale your business? How did you know when it was time to scale?
1. Hired more talent
2.Brought on a business manager and a business development manager
3. Curated vendors who are true partners
What are three traits you need to be successful as a female founder and why?
1. Moxie- embracing my strong personality and to being direct with clients
2. Resilience- Being realistic when there are challenges and figuring out ways to overcome them
3. Vulnerability- asking for help when needed, realizing I don't have all the answers, and seeking out excellent team members, mentors, partners, consultants, coaches etc
What are three pieces of advice you would give to a female founder starting out?
1. Make sure you have a stomach for the ups and downs for entrepreneurship.
2. Do your research on a good business plan.
3. Find an excellent lawyer and accountant.
Who was your first hire and why did you hire for this position and this person?
A female executive came to me looking for career advice for her next job. I convinced her to work for me instead and she is my longest tenured employee (18 years) and serves as one of my VPs.
Who is someone you look up in business and why?
Brene Brown. My team uses her methodology and I resonate with her ingenuity in the DEAI space.
What would you do differently if you were starting your business today?
Spent more money on good technology sooner. It is worth the investment.
What are three strategies you use to market your business, grow brand awareness and generate bottom line growth?
1. Working with my team to become sought after thought leaders in our space (social media, blog posts, speaking engagements).
2. Refreshing our brand identity and launching a new website this month.
3. Leveraging referrals from our clients from the great work we do for them.
What was an obstacle you overcame to get your business where it is today? Please share the story behind it.
Balancing motherhood of three children with pushing the business. I prioritize my children and now that they are older can really expand the business. I created Compass so that I could do the work that I love, be paid as a woman the value I bring to organizations, and have the flexibility to raise my children. Coming full circle, two of my three children are now part of the business.
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
Throughout my two decades as an entrepreneur, I have mentored and coached other female entrepreneurs pro bono. It gives me great satisfaction to give back especially to those younger than me who are navigating challenges in the male dominated corporate world. I am also an executive coach and have many female executives in my portfolio of candidates.
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
Through the collective thought leadership of my team, we create hundreds of work environments where team members can truly thrive. I am able to provide meaningful work, equitable pay, and flexibility to the women on my team.
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