Finding That Balance Between Work and Rest

Summary

Podcast Summary: Your Next Move – Episode: "Finding That Balance Between Work and Rest"

Introduction In the episode titled "Finding That Balance Between Work and Rest," hosted by Inc. Magazine and produced in partnership with Capital One Business, Christine Ligorio Chavkin engages in a profound conversation with Kate Fischel, the founder of Facades. Ranked number 2,936 on the 2024 Inc. 5000 list, Facades is a Dallas-based event design and production company renowned for transforming event concepts into tangible creations through carpentry, welding, painting, lighting, graphic design, and signage.

Navigating Growth Amidst the Pandemic The discussion opens with Kate Fischel recounting how Facades weathered the tumultuous period of the COVID-19 pandemic. As an event planning company, the pandemic posed significant challenges with gatherings largely prohibited. However, ingenuity became their lifeline:

Kate Fischel [01:08]: "We've got a great pandemic story too, because obviously we're event planners and we looked at that and we said this is an event and it needs servicing."

Christine probes deeper into how Facades remained operational when many in the industry shuttered. Kate credits the swift pivot initiated by their National Sales Director, Lynn Duncan:

Kate Fischel [01:10]: "So my national sales director, Lynn Duncan, who's here with me this week, she came up with the idea of doing like organic hand sanitizing stations that were branded because at that time in March of 2020, we thought events were still happening."

This strategic move not only kept Facades open but also positioned them uniquely in the market, allowing them to capitalize on the demand for health and safety solutions. As restrictions eased, Facades was well-prepared to re-engage with the event landscape, unlike many competitors who had to pivot out of the industry.

Revitalizing Events Post-Pandemic With the resumption of events, Kate shares her enthusiasm about orchestrating large-scale gatherings once again:

Kate Fischel [02:24]: "One of my favorite ones I've done since I started is called Cattle Barons Ball, the largest single-night fundraiser in the country for the American Cancer Society."

She highlights the emotional and logistical triumph of hosting events that foster personal connections, emphasizing the irreplaceable value of in-person interactions:

Kate Fischel [03:00]: "Everybody in the room just going like, we're here, we're touching each other, we're drinking, we don't have a mask. I can see your smile. And that must have been able to get back and do good stuff. Was really fun."

Unique and Memorable Event Requests Christine inquires about the most unusual requests Facades has encountered, leading to a memorable anecdote involving Virgin Airlines founder Richard Branson:

Kate Fischel [03:05]: "Mr. Branson... he wanted a longhorn on the tarmac because he literally lands. The plane rolls up and you have your team ready to unroll the red carpet right there."

Despite the chaos of live events, Facades managed to execute creative visions without mishaps, showcasing their expertise and adaptability.

Cultivating a Balanced Company Culture A significant portion of the conversation centers around Facades' commitment to work-life balance and mental health, especially vital in the high-pressure realm of event planning:

Kate Fischel [04:21]: "We really try to offset when we can, we try to do summer hours. We try to make the office environment just more accommodating. We actually just expanded our offices. And my favorite little piece of our new one is Our Zen den. So really focusing on mental health."

Kate elaborates on practical measures to ensure employees can disconnect and recharge, such as stringent vacation policies and a buddy system to handle responsibilities during absences:

Kate Fischel [05:16]: "We have a very serious vacation rule. We don't know you when you're on vacation. You don't know us. We unplug your access to the server. You are not allowed to work."

This approach not only fosters a supportive environment but also enhances overall productivity by ensuring team members are well-rested and mentally refreshed.

Future Growth and Strategic Focus Looking ahead, Kate discusses Facades' strategic shift towards managing larger, more exclusive events, a transition made possible by their substantial growth during the pandemic:

Kate Fischel [08:17]: "We have to choose and we have to make sure we're taking care of our loyal clients that come back, which typically are the larger annual events."

By becoming more selective, Facades aims to deliver higher quality and more comprehensive services, strengthening relationships with major clients and positioning themselves as a boutique agency specializing in grand-scale events.

Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs When asked about pivotal advice that has influenced her leadership style, Kate emphasizes the importance of trust tempered with verification:

Kate Fischel [10:13]: "Trust but verify. That's Lynn's. That's my favorite one."

She underscores the necessity of meticulousness in event planning, where "Don't assume" becomes a core principle to mitigate errors and ensure flawless execution.

For young founders, particularly women, Kate offers an empowering message:

Kate Fischel [12:07]: "Just go for it. [...] You have to wholeheartedly jump in, because if you're one foot in one foot, you're never going to get anything done and you're never going to be successful."

This advice encapsulates the proactive and decisive mindset that has propelled Facades to its current success.

Conclusion Kate Fischel's insights provide a compelling narrative of resilience, innovation, and intentional culture-building. Facades stands as a testament to how adaptability and a strong emphasis on employee well-being can drive sustained growth and excellence in the competitive event planning industry.

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Notable Quotes:

• Kate Fischel [01:10]: "So when the pandemic did hit, we were the only people open and we were selling those like crazy."
• Kate Fischel [04:21]: "Our Zen den. So really focusing on mental health."
• Kate Fischel [12:07]: "Just go for it. [...] You have to wholeheartedly jump in."

Key Takeaways:

• Adaptability is Crucial: Facades' ability to pivot during the pandemic underscores the importance of flexibility in business operations.
• Prioritize Employee Well-being: Implementing policies that respect work-life balance leads to a more motivated and productive workforce.
• Strategic Growth: Being selective with clients and focusing on larger projects can enhance service quality and client relationships.
• Empowerment Through Trust: Balancing trust with verification ensures reliability and excellence in deliverables.
• Encouragement for Entrepreneurs: Wholehearted commitment and a willingness to take risks are essential for entrepreneurial success.

This episode serves as an invaluable resource for entrepreneurs seeking to navigate challenges, foster a healthy company culture, and strategize for sustainable growth.

Transcript

[Sarah Lynch]

I'm Sarah lynch and you are listening to your next move audio edition produced by inc. And Capital One business. For this season, we gathered a bevy of conversations with entrepreneurs who made last year's Inc. 5000 list. They joined us in our your next move Booth at the Inc. 5000 to share lessons learned and anecdotes from building their businesses. In this episode, Inc. Editor at large Christine Ligorio Chavkin spoke to Kate Fischel. She is the founder of Dallas, Texas based event design and production company Facades. They were ranked number 2,936 on the 2024 Inc 5000 list. The company gets their hands dirty with events taking them from concept to creation that includes carpentry, welding, painting, lighting, graphic design and signage creating. Christine started the conversation by asking what happened since the pandemic that really sparked their growth?

[Kate Fischel]

Yes, the pandemic. We've got a great pandemic story too, because obviously we're event planners and we looked at that and we said this is an event and it needs servicing. And while everybody.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

A pandemic.

[Kate Fischel]

Oh, yes.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Wow.

[Kate Fischel]

So my national sales director, Lynn Duncan, who's here with me this week, she came up with the idea of doing like organic hand sanitizing stations that were branded because at that time In March of 2020, we thought events were still happening.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Yeah.

[Kate Fischel]

So we figured out how to produce all of that in house. So when the pandemic did hit, we were the only people open and we were selling those like crazy so that.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Every business that wanted to stay operational, keep people in, needed that.

[Kate Fischel]

So we were able to stay open, which was great. And that was kind of the catalyst for this growth was because unfortunately it was illegal to gather. So that was crushing for our industry and so many other companies sadly closed. So because of Lynn's brilliant idea and some other stuff, we, with the hospital partners on, we stayed open. So then once the pandemic cleared and people were ready to party, we had our whole team. So where other people just unfortunately had to switch industries and those companies weren't there anymore, we were ready to go.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

And you had that moment of that ingenuity to kind of look back on and say, like, we made it. Like we made it because we thought outside the box. And was that able to help you continue to think outside the box in terms of events going forward?

[Kate Fischel]

Absolutely.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

What were some of your big first ones? Kind of like as it was tapering off, what were your big first events?

[Kate Fischel]

So one of my favorite ones I've done since I started there is called Cattle Barons Ball, it's the largest single night fundraiser in the country for American Cancer Society. So that one, obviously with all fundraisers, the booze and peer pressure raises that money. So it's hard to do all that digitally. So the first one back was just exciting and fun. And of course, the money goes towards the cancer research. So all had a good cause to it, but that was just. Remember, it's about three to 4,000 people and everybody in the room just going like, we're here, we're touching each other, we're drinking, we don't have a mask. I can see your smile. And that must have been able to get back and do good stuff. Was really fun.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Yeah. That's fantastic. What's the weirdest request you've ever gotten for vent?

[Kate Fischel]

Okay, I don't know. This is weird, but this is top of mind. So when Virgin Airlines was launching into Dallas, Love Field, Mr. Branson, brilliant, creative, of course, he likes to theme it to the location. So he wanted a longhorn on the tarmac because he literally lands. The plane rolls up and you have your team ready to unroll the red carpet right there. And the whole event has to be set. And the longhorn, I don't think was fully sedated yet and got a little out of his pen. Oh, yeah, Like a roll.

[Sarah Lynch]

So wait, I thought you were like.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Oh, we constructed a longhorn out of paper machine. A real bull, real animal.

[Kate Fischel]

Oh, yeah. We have a wall in our office that says things overheard at facades or like, the longhorn's on the run on the tarmac, the plane's about to land. Like, what world are we living in? So it is so to be clear.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

The plane did not hit the longh.

[Kate Fischel]

The longhorn got back in its pen. But just, you know, it's live events. So.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Amazing. Amazing. I'm sure Mr. Branson loved that as a actual part of his event, though.

[Kate Fischel]

It was before he landed, fortunately, so he was none the wiser.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

There we go. Sorry to break it to you, sir Richard.

[Kate Fischel]

Don't tell him.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

So in your company as it is today, what makes you stand out? What, internally as a company, like, values, culture? What makes people come to work every day? And how would you describe that?

[Kate Fischel]

So we are really focused on the work life balance. Events are nights and weekends. So that's part of it. So we really try to offset when we can, we try to do summer hours. We try to make the office environment just more accommodating. We actually just expanded our offices. And my favorite little piece of our new one is Our Zen den. So really focusing on mental health. And I think that really came up big during the pandemic for everybody. And we just realized, like, how important that was to integrate that in the workplace. And people really just need a minute to, like, take a beat. Because especially event planning, your job is to constantly analyze what can go wrong, what do we need, what are the needs? And to turn that off is really hard. Yeah.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

And I mean, event planning, though, also is full of individuals who are really good planners and who are really good at being on. Right. So how do you get your employees to say, like, I need to turn it off for a minute or hey, I worked till 11pm last night. I don't need to be at my desk at 9am like, how did you change the culture? There's.

[Kate Fischel]

We do comp days, so if you're working nights, weekends, you're tired. So if you're tired, you're making mistakes. And if you're doing budgeting or designing or whatever, you're not at your best. And then we have a very serious vacation rule. We don't know you when you're on vacation. You don't know us. We unplug your access to the server. You are not allowed to work. You just don't call somebody on vacation. You don't. We have a joke of like, if there's Emergency, please call 911, but you don't call that person. So really respecting. When they're on vacation, they need to fully unplug and not feel like they have to check their email or if they're going to get a call or, you know, my name's going to pop up on their phone. It just doesn't. And we just really respect those boundaries. And I think that goes a long way.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Yeah, I love that in theory and in practice, but in practice, I feel like it's really hard for some companies to pull off.

[Kate Fischel]

Yes.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

How do you pull it off in terms of do you have the right redundancies in place there for someone who is taking vacation? You have. So you have a partner set that. Okay. Yep.

[Kate Fischel]

You have a partner when you leave. And then they know to anticipate what's coming up or if a client calls or we're waiting for approval on this. So we kind of have a buddy system with that.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Oh, that's great. So it actually works.

[Kate Fischel]

It does. And about two years ago is the first time ever that I actually listened to my own roles because I'm always, you know, making sure the employees are taken care of. But wasn't really realizing, like, I'm not at my best either when I'm on vacation, working the whole time. And then I come back and it's frustrating cause I'm tired and went through all that and spent the money and didn't really get the R and R I needed to reset. So once I started doing that, I realized how much better I am for my people too. And obviously it's better for myself as well.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Kate Fischel]

Balance for everybody.

[Sarah Lynch]

When we come back, Christine asked Kate about tips for business owners trying to find that balance between work and rest. But first, a quick break.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

What's your tip as a business owner for that finding or trying to find that balance? I mean, even if it's not perfect, like, what's the thing that you need that you make sure to make space for?

[Kate Fischel]

So the best advice I got with this because I feel like I'm such an all in, all out, I'm on, I'm off, was find the middle ground. And the little things help. And I think we've all heard forever and ever, like, take deep breaths. Take them up. And you're like, I'm breathing. I can't not breathe. It's instinctual. I'm breathing. What are we talking about? I'm breathing. And finally realizing, no, like, really take a minute. We do that in our sales meeting. We teach some breathing techniques. We kind of start it with a breathing technique just for everybody. You know, you're coming in hot, make sure you're there by. Maybe you're in traffic, maybe you had a fight that morning with your spouse, whatever's going on. But just to, like, mentally reset and just finding like those little 10 minutes, five minutes, even doing a breathing exercise as we're sitting here talking right now. But that's the only way to do it. Because to take today off and go to a spa that doesn't work all the time.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

No. Even two hours off or something.

[Kate Fischel]

No way.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's so tricky. That's great that you've integrated it. So what's in store for the future of your company? What are your plans for the next year or five years? Are you going to try to continue the same amount of growth that you've seen? I mean, it's been really fast over the last three years.

[Kate Fischel]

Yes. And I think the silver lining of the pandemic for us was there was so much business, we had to start being selective. We didn't used to have minimums because we didn't want to. We always wanted to take care of everybody. But fortunately and unfortunately we've grown so much we can't anymore. And we have to choose and we have to make sure we're taking care of our loyal clients that come back, which typically are the larger annual events. So with that, that kind of gave us the in to start almost being more boutique. We want to do fewer events, but just bigger events.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

And so saying no to some business to sort of unlock the bigger business.

[Kate Fischel]

And to lean into the big ones, you know that sometimes we can't accommodate some of their spin off stuff or just doing like their big gala or their big conference. But now we can just be totally comprehensively do everything for them. So it's a nicer relationship too, that we can just be their go to for everything.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

That's great. Do you have an exit strategy in mind at all?

[Kate Fischel]

I don't yet. You know, I was 30 when I took over the company and I was always so focused on like, what was next, what was next, what was next. And now that's been 10 years and I feel like I'm not done. You know, I look at that because I think then I thought maybe 10, 15 years and I'll see where I'm at. But we just keep taking it to the next level and just bringing on incredible talent. Lynn Duncan, who's here with me, Michelle Simpson, who's here with. Or my two directors that are just, they've just elevated us to a whole new place. So I think we're just all kind of organic, flexible, like seeing where this takes us. Because definitely this year has been a really pivotal year for us, the company. It's the 20th anniversary of the company. So that was a big one.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Kate Fischel]

So. And then to make the Inc. 5000, we're like, we had good numbers year.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Yes.

[Kate Fischel]

So we're very proud of that. So I think this just motivates you to just say, okay, well what's next and how can we do more and more? Just keep enhancing it. So we're fired up right now.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Great. Have you ever got any advice that changed how you operate or how you think?

[Kate Fischel]

There. There's many things I feel like I do love Trust but verify. That's Lynn's. That's my favorite one.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Great. As a journalist, that really resonates with me.

[Kate Fischel]

I mean, events. And that's the one thing I love about events too. It's so humbling. I'm sure. Even this ballroom, when they were setting it up, there's probably hundreds of people. There's a lot of space.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

You know what it Looked like three hours ago. Nothing. There was nothing in this whole huge space.

[Kate Fischel]

So just the collaborative effort required to pull something off is really cool. But it's a lot of moving parts and a lot of room for error. So see it with your own eyes. Trust, but verify. Like, I'm confident you can do your job. It's just my job to double check and make sure it's completed. And our number one rule at facades is don't assume nothing. I'd rather you triple, quadruple, check it a hundred times than just assume something because anytime something goes wrong. What happened? Well, I assumed, like, so you're not even. That's like nails on a chalkboard. So no one even says that word. They know. Don't say that word. They're like, it's gonna be on your gravestone. Everybody knows. Don't assume.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

That's great. What is your favorite and least favorite kind of task or thing to do as a founder? What's the favorite thing you've kept on your plate and what's the least thing that you're like, I need to get this off now. Like, this is time.

[Kate Fischel]

So favorite's definitely designing. I love designing everything. I don't know that it's a least favorite. I think just being more realistic with my bandwidth and like, what I can handle and not taking on so many accounts myself. And again, now I've got the team that I trust and they can handle it and they've got amazing ideas and I don't get stuck in all the meetings and the stuff. I can just kind of focus on the high level work that I do, like doing and help everybody with the design elements in their events.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

If a young founder came to you and maybe you do mentoring, I don't know. Do you mentor any young founders at all?

[Kate Fischel]

Some have come to me, yes.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Yeah. So when one comes to you or if one comes to you in the future, what's something you want to be sure to impart on them? Especially a young woman founder?

[Kate Fischel]

Just go for it.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Yeah.

[Kate Fischel]

Yep. I think that's the biggest thing is.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Just no fear, just go for it.

[Kate Fischel]

Like step and it'll appear and if it doesn't, that's fine. Like, just keep rolling with it. When I was graduating from college, I was trying to decide if I was going to do teaching or if I was going to move to another city and try to jump into event planning, that I had no contacts, no education, and just blindly go into something. And I remember my mom was like, just choose one and if it's the wrong one, go back and do something else. But you have to wholeheartedly jump in, because if you're one foot in one foot, you're never going to get anything done and you're never going to be successful. So go all in and give it a full shot. And if that's not it, that's fine. Then redirect and go all in there. But I think just giving it your all, no matter what that is, that's the key part.

[Christine Ligorio Chavkin]

Great. Thank you so much for being with us today.

[Kate Fischel]

Thank you.

[Sarah Lynch]

That's all. For this episode of youf Next Move, our producers are Blake Odom and Avery Miles. Editing and sound design by Nick Torres. Executive producer is Josh Christensen. If you haven't already, subscribe to youo Next Move on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, your Next Move is a production of Inc. And Capital One Business.