The Reboot podcast showcases the heart and soul, the wins and losses, the ups and downs of startup leadership. On the show, Entrepreneurs, CEO’s, and Startup Leaders discuss with Jerry Colonna the emotional and psychological challenges they face daily as leaders.
Episode 19 // June 24, 2015
What’s it like to find your path of authentic service in the world? What if you could use the pain of the past, a pain of not knowing where you fit in, of not knowing where you belong to propel you toward work that makes a difference? What if you could create a place of belonging? Well, it might look a lot like what Tanisha Robinson is building with Print Syndicate.
Started just 2.5 years ago with 8 people, Print Syndicate now has over 140 employees and will generate more than $20M in revenue this year. But the company isn’t just about shirts and home goods, it’s a place where people (including a black, gay, woman from a Mormon family of 7 in a small town in Missouri) have a place to self-identify and a place to belong. As Tanisha shares, running a company fueled by your passion to make the world better is both exhilarating and heartwrenching.
[bctt tweet=”We are in the business of self-expression. @tanisharobinson” via=”no”]
[bctt tweet=”I really struggled in high school because I never felt like I fit in. @tanisharobinson ” via=”no”]
[bctt tweet=”From the time I was very little I felt I could change the world. @tanisharobinson” via=”no”]
[bctt tweet=”My whole purpose..is having the company be a lever for impact -@tanisharobinson” via=”no”]
[bctt tweet=”Caring and connecting with a sense of deep purpose creates an enormous amount of energy” @jerrycolonna” via=”no”]
[bctt tweet=”The problem with caring so much is that it actually increases the stress…what happens if you fail?” @jerrycolonna” via=”no”]
[bctt tweet=”I have decided to dive in and be who I am because it is too hard to negotiate the world any other way. @tanisharobinson” via=”no”]
[bctt tweet=”Violence is what we do when we don’t know what to do with our suffering. @parkerjpalmer” via=”no”]
[bctt tweet=”Even if you are not intentional about your culture you will still have one. @tanisharobinson @reboothq” via=”no”]
“I am not even interested in owning a t-shirt company so there has to be more purpose than we just sell shit and make money.” – Tanisha Robinson
“I wouldn’t invest my life savings, all my energy and effort, and my time for something that didn’t make a difference.” – Tanisha Robinson
“Two and a half years ago we were eight people and now we are at 140. Trying to wrangle all that is a very intense learning experience.” – Tanisha Robinson
“One of the beauties and gifts of being in a startup is that we commit ourselves to creating a culture. You get to create the company you want to work for.” – Jerry Colonna
You don’t have to be an inventor to be an entrepreneur. You can take an existing model and if you have a better idea for it then it could be a promising business. @tanisharobinson
“A lot of times when I walk in a room I am the only black, or woman, or gay person.” – Tanisha Robinson
