Sam Fankuchen, founder and CEO of Golden, shares lessons on overcoming crises, building culture, and aligning stakeholders to achieve sustainable business growth.
Connect WIth Sam Fankuchen
https://www.linkedin.com/in/samfankuchen
Golden
https://www.goldenvolunteer.com/
My Ebook: How To Sell Your Business to Private Equity.
📚 https://amzn.to/4fF51IB
Want to learn more about Private Equity or growing your business? Book a time on my calendar link below 👇
📅 https://calendly.com/nick-ky08/30min
Prior to Golden, Sam worked in corporate innovation at Penske and as Managing Director of Applico, where he helped Google, HP, Disney and others launch new platform businesses.
Before that, he founded Pinwheel, which became the most comprehensive database of volunteer jobs open to anyone in San Francisco, and a peer counseling program that has served thousands of high school students.
Sam serves on the Board of Directors for the United Nations Volunteer Groups Alliance, as Technology Editor of the Engage Journal, and Executive Judge of the Webby and Anthem Awards, in addition to his involvement with the Gates Foundation’s Greater Giving Summit and Giving Tuesday’s thought leadership committees on AI, Corporate Giving, and Volunteering.
Sam received MA & BA degrees from Stanford, where he studied Social Entrepreneurship, Organizational Behavior, and Design Thinking.
0:00 Who is Sam Fankuchen?
2:40 How Golden Got Started
12:21 Leadership Challenges
18:35 How To Motivate Your Team
24:55 Breaking Through Plateaus in Business
33:43 The Ideals/Principles That Guide A Company (Four Pillars)
40:14 Challenges of Growing An Organization
46:20 Company Loyalty
50:20 Niche Provider vs Generalist
You can contact us here:
🐣 twitter.com/NickFourPillars
💼 www.linkedin.com/company/four-pillars-investors
🖥️ www.fourpillarsinvestors.com
📧 nmclean@fourpillarsinvestors.com
🔎🔎 More about Nick McLean from Four Pillars:
Background: Operations management with an emphasis on Lean manufacturing; strategy development and execution; and mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
Which of the Four Pillars does Nick identify most closely with? ''Servant leadership. I consider one of the primary roles of a manager/leader to be to help those around you be more successful and to develop as individuals. When I think of myself as a leader, I am more interested in granting and sharing authority than hoarding it.''
🏛️ More About FOUR PILLARS:
Four Pillars is a company built on a strong foundation of shared values and a commitment to long-term ownership of small businesses. Their approach is centered on purchasing and operating these businesses while providing support and collaboration without becoming a burden. They work closely with company management, aiming for shared success and sustainable growth.
Guided by their core values, Four Pillars views success as a journey filled with challenges and opportunities. Their values serve as a compass to navigate difficult decisions, whether they pertain to ethics, strategy, operations, or new challenges. They are relentless advocates for the common good, ensuring that every decision is made in the best interests of their portfolio companies and investment partners.
Four Pillars stands out with their creative positioning approach, employing informed and agile strategic planning to leverage the unique strengths and advantages of each company they invest in. They capitalize on key differentiators and foster an entrepreneurial spirit within their team and the companies they serve.
As entrepreneurs themselves, Four Pillars connects deeply with the businesses they work with, offering a balanced perspective and the tenacity needed for success. They are known for their integrity, hard work, and relentless drive to identify opportunities and drive growth. This makes them an ideal investment partner for businesses seeking to excel.
The company's ability and agility are evident in their swift and purposeful actions. They streamline the transactional process while maintaining operational precision, drawing on their experience in both healthy and distressed markets. Their track record speaks to their confidence and precision in executing various deal types, establishing them as leading investors for companies seeking to capitalize on their momentum.
Four Pillars' values, or pillars, guide their personal and professional decisions. The first pillar emphasizes the importance of strong relationships as the cornerstone of success, built on trust and a commitment to doing what is promised. They challenge the status quo with a critical and objective approach, identifying areas for improvement while recognizing and preserving what works well. Servant leadership is central to their philosophy, with a focus on teamwork, collaboration, and shared decision-making. Lastly, persistence defines their character, driving them to overcome obstacles, close deals, and manage businesses for long-term success.
