Paul Chambers (@paulcchambers), a seasoned entrepreneur who embarked on his business journey in fifth grade, is the co-founder and CEO of the Subscription Trade Association (SUBTA) and the renowned event SubSummit. His career in the subscription commerce sector spans over 20 years, garnering him recognition from numerous domestic and global media outlets. Paul’s entrepreneurial footprint began with establishing a digital marketing agency, a web hosting service, and managed IT services businesses. Two of these three ventures have been lucratively exited, with the third still actively providing services today. Adding to his versatile business portfolio, Paul spent over a decade in the retail and food industry. His past roles include owning and managing Dale and Thomas Popcorn franchise locations across Metro Detroit. He is an investor and partner in Capri Pizza, based in Southfield, Michigan.
Further enhancing his retail acumen, Paul played a pivotal role in developing and marketing Captiva, a fast-growing consumer packaged goods pain relief product, now available in CVS stores nationwide. Outside the corporate world, Paul is a dedicated firefighter serving the City of Troy.
What Travis and Paul Discussed:
How Paul started SubSummit 2016 as a small event for subscription box companies to network and share ideas. It has now grown into the largest subscription-focused conference in the country, with thousands of attendees across industries like SaaS, memberships, etc.
Why, when hiring, look for values alignment first? Skills can be taught, but core values are much harder to change. Go beyond just interview questions to get meals and drinks and hang out in informal settings. Listen to your gut instinct when something feels off about a person or situation. Your subconscious is processing millions of data points from your experiences.
As fathers, Travis and Paul aim to set an example through business and other pursuits that minimize the gap between the men their kids see them as and who they are.
Why does bringing on someone intimidatingly skilled and experienced force founders to check their egos? It’s better to have someone tell you what to do in areas where you’re weak than pretend you can do everything.
Rapid problem-solving and leading teams under pressure are skilled Paul has developed as a volunteer firefighter that transfer to business. Pushing yourself physically and mentally keeps you sharp.
If you want to learn how to build an audience from scratch, hire all-star team members, and set an example for your kids, don’t miss my conversation with Paul Chambers. We covered how he went from hosting small networking events to running the largest subscription conference in America. Paul also shared his unique approach to finding employees who align with his values by going beyond just interview questions. As busy entrepreneurs and fathers, we discussed the importance of minimizing the gap between the men our kids think we are and who we truly are. Paul even revealed how volunteer firefighting keeps him mentally sharp and physically fit as he solves pressure-related problems. So, if you want actionable insights on leadership, hiring, networking, and parenting, listen to this episode!
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