Charles Schwartz
Appearances
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
Welcome to the I Am Charles Schwartz Show. Today, we're diving into the extraordinary journey of Tom Vazzo, a corporate titan who walked away from a $2 billion business empire to revolutionize how we think about leadership, hiring, and human potential.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
So let's get the audience get caught up on who you are and what you've done. Off camera, we were talking a little bit about getting your history. You've done some really impressive stuff. Let's get the audience caught up.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
No, I think something you said earlier really resonated with me as well. Understanding that each one of your employees, either if they're coming from Homeboy or they're coming from the other side of the tracks in this situation, you've got to treat each one individually. And this is part of decent leadership. You have to be able to identify what people's basic needs are.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
There's human needs and there's a different scale on how it goes. And there's Mavs little hierarchy of needs. You have all of that. Being able to understand that you're building a culture and how you interact with Susie from accounting is going to be very different than how you interact with her from marketing.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
And being able to do that and balance that and have decentralized command as you go through that. One of the things that I love implementing because I have a background with the military is so much towards decentralized command that you empower the people beneath you. But in order to do that, it takes an immense amount of trust.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
You're talking about not judging, and you said it's very hard not to judge individuals who have certain backgrounds. We do background checks and we do drug tests and we do that for all the organizations that are underneath my command. How do you get past that saying, okay, I know they're not going to pass a background check that we normally do.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
I'm hoping they're going to pass the drug test that we do if we're in a drug-free environment. How do you get a business owner? You know, again, you've been on both sides. How do you get the business owners? Okay. I'm going to give this a shot. I'm going to risk the ability to feed. Cause I always tell this to people all the time.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
Whenever you're in a situation where you're firing someone, I'm not firing that person. I'm making sure the employees that still work for me can still feed their kids. Individuals hurting the process. I'm sorry. I got my duty to these children. Okay.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
How do you take a business owner and be able to walk in and say, okay, I'm going to risk these other employees' ability to feed their kids and take this risk off all this judgment that I have, which is my problem, not the potential employee's problem. How do you get them through that? How do you get them through that hurdle and take that risk?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
In this episode, Tom shatters every preconception about who makes a good employee, revealing how he transformed homeboy industries by hiring the very people most businesses reject, former gang members and felons. He exposes the raw truth about the impossible choices faced by the working poor and how traditional business practices often perpetuate cycles of poverty and recidivism.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
So my question is, there takes different leadership skills and it all starts with empowerment. You know, leadership is about empowering the people. How do you, is there a different way of empowering these people in a for-profit environment versus a non-for-profit environment with the extra spice that comes with it in this one? Is there a difference? Because you've done both.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
You've been able to empower and lead under both environments. And, you know, when you had, you were talking this when you first started, when you had the individual leadership, who said, I want the extra $10 million during an economic collapse, it hits you. You're like, this isn't home. This doesn't resonate. This isn't where I'm going to be much longer.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
So you have this core being that aligns with very specific morals. How do you find the balance to empowerly lead in this environment? Is it different for for-profit versus not-for-profit with the extra spice that this comes in with?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
If you want, while you're thinking, I'll give you an example. I was working with an organization that brought me in to help them scale. And the owner of the business goes, I am never going to hire anybody that's a murderer. I refuse to do that. That is absolutely unacceptable. That violates my moral code. I'm like, cool. This is, I'm going to make up a name. This is David.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
He has killed an immense amount of people. You're never going to hire him. Like, yeah. I go, he's a Harvard grad and he's a former Navy SEAL. You're still not going to hire him? And they're like, oh, no, that's a different, that's a different, that's a different. And I'm like, okay.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
So there's different nuances to this conversation and people get married to this one idea and it becomes this hill they're going to die on. I'm like, you need to look at things differently. You need to look at the individual. You need to have conversations about, to your point, can they do the job? And then I get in the face of the senior command and I'm like, can you lead them?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
Because that's a very different conversation. Can you empower these individuals? Because if you're going to come in and you're going to bark orders at individuals, it's not going to work. If you can meet their needs, understand their pains, empower them, and then help them do it through decentralized command, you're going to do a lot better.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
So when you're coming into these and you have these two different worlds, because I worked at a hospice for a long time. They were not-for-profit. And I remember, I'm like, well, it doesn't matter if we make money. And I remember the CEO, she's no longer with us, an individual named Trudy Webb. She's like, that's adorable. We still have to pay the bills.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
I love it. That's a very cute little one. And I was like, oh, we have to make money? She goes, yeah, we're not going out of business. And I was like, oh, so the bottom line still matters in a non-for-profit or a non-profit. You still got to pay the damn bills.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
And there's completely different leadership styles based on the individual, what I have found, based on the individual versus based on the organization. So again, when you come in, you're building a culture and people lead in different ways. There's different types of leaders out there and some are really good in some cases, some are very good in other cases.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
Going back to where we were, is there a different way in leadership and empowerment when you run into these two different environments with the spice that Homeboy comes with?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
That's a huge change. First off, Boston to LA is a completely different change. I'm from Florida and I don't know, you might be able to explain this to me. There's this white cold stuff that falls out of the sky in Boston. I'm not really sure what that is.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
You're talking about finding faith. And I think one of the great gifts of this, because I'm not blessed with the gift of faith at this point. It might happen one day. It might not. I've made peace with that. It's one way or the other. So as you go into these environments, I remember sitting with, ironically, a rabbi. And we were talking about this.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
And he's like, you don't question enough for your things. I'm like, I'm sorry, what? Because again, when you're working in a hospice, you're around multiple religious leaders and you're having this conversation. Like, why do these things happen? Why does a child get born with inoperable cancer and everyone needs to explain this to me?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
And he goes, you know, you're, you're pushing so hard on questioning all of these things, but you don't question yourself. And I was like, okay. He goes, and to use the example, he's an extreme example that we used earlier. He goes, would you kill someone? And I was like, absolutely not. He's like, okay, would you kill to save a life? And I was like, yeah, right. And I was like, all right.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
And I did the avoidance, which we all do. I'm like, well, what do you mean? That's avoidance. And he says, okay, who is the person you love the most in the world? If I was going to shoot them in the face, would you kill me? I'm like, yeah. He goes, would you kill 10 of me? I was like, yes. He goes, okay, now we're just arguing about the number. So he made you challenge your belief system.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
And I think a lot of what Homeboy does is it allows people to get away from the judgment and allowed them to go in and say, hey, can the person do the job? Stop judging them. Don't judge them on what they did. Can they do the job? Are they effective to do that? Are you giving that person a chance to really get into this?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
It's a huge change when you go from Boston over to LA. More so going from what you used to do, going to multi-million dollar or billion dollar industries into this not-for-profit that is Homeboy. What was the drive for that? Why did you decide to pivot over into that?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
You know, Tom, as someone who has scaled multiple businesses and done some numbers that most people will never see, most people will never get to become in the billionaire environment ever. As far as working in organizations or being part of a billionaire organization, they just won't. You know, most of my clients are at the seven figures. They're trying to get to the eight figures.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
Getting beyond that, they're like blue gods. So when you get to somebody, people, we call them hard Bs, hard Bs are a very different planet than someone who's an M. It's just the nature of the beast.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
What are the biggest lessons you learned in those kind of those huge environments where, again, it's this hard shift when you go from, hey, this is a multi-billion dollar company all the way into, hey, we, oh, it's not for, shit, how are you gonna keep the lights on?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
So having that hard pivot, where as a leader, because you've done this and you've been on both sides, you've been on both sides of this battlefield, Where do you see the commonalities and where do you see the challenges that you could, you know, the audience who are listening, we're not going crap.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
Not only do I need to look at people differently, I need to hire differently, but where else can they take lessons from you and learn differently?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
I think that speaks to your leadership skills about, you know, you built a culture. If two thirds of your org is people that used to be clients and you had in there, that's a culture you built. You built something where they're dived into it and they have a vested interest. That's right.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
If there are certain things when it comes to leadership, if someone comes up and says, Hey, listen, I don't have the experience. I'm not, I'm not in this flavor, but I have these other things. Are there certain things that you've learned over your career for leadership skills that you're like, Hey, Go do this.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
These are the leadership skills that you need to do in order to not only hire individuals who you have to look past your own judgment, but also lead individuals from all walks of life. Because again, you were in Boston where that cold white stuff fell out of the sky. Very different individuals in that environment because I've been to Boston many, many times. Go Sox.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
And you come over here into LA, which is a different group of individuals. What are the leadership skills that you're like, hey, this works in both environments. And maybe these are some of the tools or books or things that you've come across.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
You're like, hey, if I could go back and I'm trying to make myself a better leader and I'm trying to scale my organization and I'm trying to level it up, this is what I would either read or these are the lessons I would start working on immediately.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
If people want to get involved and they want to help out Homeboy either by hiring people that work for you or donating or being a part of this and helping the cause along to give these people a second, or as you were saying earlier, even just a first chance that somebody's never had because they're generational into this. How do people find you? How do they track you down?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
What is the best way to help out and be a part of this?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
Love it. Thank you so much for being on and sharing this in a completely different perspective, going from one to the other. I really appreciate it, Tom. Great. All right. Thank you. Thank you for tuning in to today's show with Tom. We hope you're as inspired by the possibilities of combining business acumen with social impact as we are.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
A massive thank you to Tom for pulling back the curtain on his remarkable journey from corporate leadership to nonprofit innovation. His transformation from a profit-focused executive to the leader of Homeboy Industries proves that the most valuable asset in any organization isn't found on a balance sheet. It's the untapped potential in people others have written off.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
Want to implement Tom's strategies for building a more inclusive and impactful organization? Head over to podcast.imcharlesschwartz.com to download our free companion guide. Inside, you'll find Tom's complete framework for creating second chances and building a culture of empowerment and growth. Remember, sometimes the greatest potential lies in the most unexpected places.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
From challenging our own judgments to creating support structures that enable success, Tom shows us that doing well and doing good aren't mutually exclusive.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
Get ready to discover how Tom proved that seeing potential where others see only past mistakes isn't just good for society, it's good for business, as evidenced by the fact that two-thirds of Homeboy's management team are former clients who've risen through the ranks.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
For a long six months. Right. I think there was this idea that you have to serve your shareholders, but that means you cannot serve your employees. And that notion is just fundamentally wrong.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
it has been wrong for an exceptionally long time i'm similar to you um you know you buy businesses you scale businesses it's all about systems and you know do all that but you also have to build a core you have to build a culture and people will automatically dismiss based on either their history or their mental capabilities or anything else they dismiss that immediately
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
If you're ready to learn how one leader's wake-up call during the 2008 recession led to a complete reimagining of what business success looks like, This episode is your blueprint. Tom shows us how questioning the status quo and focusing on people over profits can create sustainable growth and meaningful impact, transforming not just individual lives, but entire communities. The show starts now.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
It is a bit of a jump for people to say, hey, yeah, I'm going to hire this individual based off their criminal background. How do most businesses, when they look at that, how do you make peace with that? Because it makes logical sense. Like, hey, they still have phenomenal value. These are still amazing human beings. Not everybody had a straight path, not everybody's been gifted.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
And there's a lot of people who don't have, as you were saying, the tattoos on their face, where I would like, no, I'm not letting that person in my house. So just because you don't have tattoos or you do have tattoos, there is this judgment thing. How do you help business owners? Get past that. So, hey, you know what? Yeah, you're right. There is value in these individuals at Homeboy.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
How do you get them through that? How do you walk owners through that?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
Welcome to the I Am Charles Schwartz Show, where we don't just discuss success, we show you how to create it. On every episode, we uncover the strategies and tactics that turn everyday entrepreneurs into unstoppable powerhouses in their businesses and their lives.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
It's interesting because we always talk about if you're going to hire someone, hire the hungriest person you can. So normally if there's a job opening between one person who is a single mom and has kids versus someone who's married, they have the same skill set, the same character, and even across the board, hire the single mom with the kids because she's going to hunt and be there for work.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
She wants the job and she's going to run for it. This, to me, kind of takes that to an even higher level. They're trying to break out of what you know now and you've explained is generational issues. This isn't just breaking out from, hey, I'm in this one situation. This is generational trauma that they go through. What do employers need to know?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
Because obviously a lot of people don't have this way of thinking. A lot of people are just like, no, I want the person with the college degree and so on and so forth. How does someone go in as a business owner and say, hey, okay, I've got two people in front of me. I've got Bob and I've got Mike. And one of them is not a homeboy candidate. One of them is a homeboy candidate.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
What would make you, if you were a business owner on the outside, because you've been on the other side, say, okay, I've been on both sides. Why would I choose a homeboy candidate versus a non-homeboy candidate?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
Prison Into Profits
Whether your goal is to transform your life or hit that elusive seven, eight, or nine figure mark, we've got the blueprint to get you there. The show starts now. Hi, welcome back to the show. Today we're talking to Tom. We're going to talk about diversity and his history and how you can really change how it works in the workforce. Welcome to the show. I appreciate you being here.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
Welcome to the I Am Charles Schwartz Show. Today, we're diving into the extraordinary journey of Leigh Rhodes, a female founder who defied every odd to build a $30 million empire while battling cancer and raising three young children.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
So you were talking about how you fed yourself. When you go in and you can't get loans because the banks won't even talk to you, how do you feed the money that organizations need? You talk about how being an entrepreneur is not for the weary. This didn't happen by accident. There was a way to feed this. There was a way to grow this. And we were talking off camera how entrepreneurship is hard.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
We're going to get into it, and she's still built a $30 million empire. Welcome to the show. I'm so happy you're here.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
It's supposed to be hard, but this is not an easy venture. It's very sexy now. I'd be like, oh, I'm an entrepreneur. But 30 years ago, 20 years ago, it was not very sexy. People were like, what are you doing? Go get a real job. I got that from my own family. I would sit there and I was like, I'm starting an IT company. Literally, my father was like, when are you going to go to a real job?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
It wasn't until I took my 1099 and I put it down in front of him. I was like, I don't know what to do with all this fake money. What do I do now? That's what got him to actually shut up because people didn't believe it. You had all of that plus more. How do you begin to feed the empire, especially as a woman, as you're starting out?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
Absolutely. So let's tell the audience a little bit about you. Some people, which I don't know why they don't know about you, but tell the audience a little bit about you and what you've done.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
Between the angel investors and VCs now, if you have a good story and you have a good purpose, it's a totally different ballgame. And I think that's one of the reasons that Glassy Baby is so successful is you started it with the match of mind and heart. And you said, hey, we have a purpose here. We're trying to do this. It comes from a good place. People don't buy products or services.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
In this episode, Leigh tears down the walls of traditional business thinking, revealing how she transformed a moment of clarity in a chemotherapy room into Glassy Baby, a company that's revolutionizing the way business approaches charitable giving. She exposes the raw truth about being a woman in business.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
They buy stories, identities, and ways out of pain. And you had two of those things. You had the story and you had the identity and you wanted to get people out of pain as well. You're like, Hey, this is what's going on. We're trying to help. And people want to do it, invest in that. What do you think for you as you're going through this?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
You know, you've, we're talking about all the successes here and that's great. What are some of the mistakes that you're just like, Oh gosh, I wish that didn't happen. That was a, that was a tough one to get through and you had to struggle through.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
And I think that's a normal thing that no one talks about it. It's the sexy that no one talks about how it's every day.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
And when you're sitting there and you're like, Hey, those sales, we have those 58,000 units that are sitting there. How the hell am I going to make payroll? And as the owner, you're always the last one to get paid. Exactly. And there's times, and you have to be prepared for this as an entrepreneur, as you're going through this, like you're going to be months.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
You're not going to get paid, not weeks, not days, months that you're not going to get paid. And your employees don't care. They want their paycheck. They want to be able to buy their stuff to feed their kids and all those other stuff.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
I try to tell people this all the time. Like someone's going to hate you because you have two eyes and a nose. Just accept it. Someone's going to hate you that you have two hands. There are going to be people who do not like you. And this is not about that. That's not what this is about. It's not a popularity contest in any way, shape or form.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
But there is that as a founder, as an owner, you've got to stand in front of the storm. Like it's not raining. No, we're good. We got this. Even though inside your internal storm is like, oh my God, I'm going to shut down the business in 27 seconds.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
Happens all the time, all the time. And it's the expression is act as he has faith and faith shall be rewarded. In other words, fake it till you make it. That's just how it works. And you've got to do that sometimes. And especially as entrepreneurs, more than, more than anyone else, in my opinion, you just got to fake it. It's, it's, I think it's the equivalent and I'm, I'm, I don't have children.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
I think it's kind of standing in front of the kids as well. It's like, Oh, everything's, everything's great. I'm great. I'm just having a fun day at school. And as soon as they go into school, you just break out and you're great.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
A lot of other jobs. Have fun. Yeah. Go to LinkedIn. Have fun. I wish you the best. Always. if you were going through and starting this from the beginning, now, if someone is like, listen, you know, I'm at six figures, I'm going to head out to seven figures. What are the things that you're like, Hey, you know, it's the running joke. Jesus didn't walk on water. He knew where the rocks were.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
What are some of the rocks that you're like, Hey, step here, step there, step here. Cause you're going to run into this going from a million dollars to five to 10 to 30, which is where we are now. What are some of the insights that you could sit down and say, Hey,
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
You're going to run into this no matter where you're – if you have internal plumbing or external plumbing, doesn't matter what gender you are, you're going to run into this no matter what. What are some of the things you've run into at this level of success?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
And I think having that purpose internally that drives you through the days where you're crying at the wheel and doing that is really important. Understanding what you're doing and how it fills you up. And, you know, there's a lot of people talk about legacy and, you know, they get to an age like, hey, what is my legacy going to be after they built a billion dollar empire?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
I'm like, what are you going to do with it when you're not around? What are you going to do? Who's going to run it? What's next? And People don't realize that till they're faced with certain things. And a lot of people don't face that until they're in their 60s or their 70s. And they're like, oh God, what is my legacy now?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
Doing that from the beginning, incorporating that for Glassy Baby in the very beginning is I think something that's just unbelievable. It was such a gift. And it came from such a pure heart.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
Absolutely. And I love that you did it not from a place of significance. You weren't like, okay, I'm going to sell this. They need to know who I am. A lot of the people that have been just blessed by what Glassy Baby's done have no idea who you are. They have no idea who the artist is. They don't know.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
But at the end of the day, you know that when you're struggle busing and you're pulling those 18 to 20 hour days, which is called normal as an entrepreneur, that's a normal day. Just accept it. You're going to put in those hours. Having that going, you know what? This one thing sold. And it means that that one person can get this. This gets it a little bit better. This makes it a little bit easier.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
Finding that whatever fills your cup, it doesn't have to be, you know, you and I are very similar. We're driven by service to others. That's just, it's just how we are as human beings. You don't have to be driven by service to others.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
If that's who, not your truth, honoring whatever your truth is, that's going to get you through those struggles is important because, you know, to your point, you've had really, really struggling and challenging times because you have the odds against you. It is what it is. You've talked about hiring a bunch of times and how important it is.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
What are some of the things that you realize are like, okay, How do you hire more effectively as an entrepreneur so you can get to the goals you're going to get? Because as you just mentioned, you don't hire the people you want to hang out with. How do you hire the people? Like, you know what? Okay. I can't hang out with, I can't hire Susie because I like Susie. Dang it.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
I need to hire Jane or whatever it is. How do you make that differentiator?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
And I think, you know, when you built a team, you know, you're talking about how powerful your team is that, you know, everyone thinks, okay, I'm going to do this by brute force. You're not going to hit $30 million a year by brute force. You just can't, you will burn out.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
And I think once you get towards that, and I've worked with so many people, once you start getting to that eight figure mark, you could kind of do it at the beginning seven figures when you're between one to 5 million, you can kind of do it for brute force. But all of a sudden when you get around 12, $14 million, you better have a deep bench because you just can't handle it.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
When you're building that team, when do you know to let go of certain things? Because again, this is, in a way, this is your fourth child. You talked about having three kids. This is kind of your fourth one. You know, going into that, how do you sit there and say, okay, I'm going to let go of certain things and empower a team. Talk about that process. What is that like to do?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
I love that you started this and from the very beginning, you had odds against you. So you started it, you were diagnosed with what you had going on. And then from there, you also had other things that were against you. We live in a society that is coded very specifically that rewards one gender more than the other gender and makes things easier.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
And I think it's also for people who are coming into organizations and working with entrepreneurs and trying to do this, being able to step in and say, hey, yes, I'm the founder. I'm the CEO. But I need you to get in my face. I am not perfect. I need you to tell me to shut up. I need you to tell me where I'm wrong. I need you to point out, hey, there's a boulder.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
I know you've got this photo shoot. That's really cute. I love that. But shut up. We've got a boulder. We talk about this all the time where there's times where you argue about what's on the radio. And in your car and you're like, Oh no, I want to listen to this song, listen to this song. And you're like, dude, the car's on fire. Shut up. No one cares about what's on the radio right now.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
We got to fix this. And I think being able to unify and saying our first goal isn't, and a lot of team leaders do this and you know, wherever we are, if it's a CTO or CFO or CMO or whatever it is, they get so focused that that their division is the most important thing. Their division is not the most important thing. The org is the most important thing.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
Before we started recording, you talked about levers that you have and levers you don't have. Could you talk a little bit more about that?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
We serve that, then we serve the people down command. And part of serving that org is getting in the face of the founder, of the CEO, of that person. And I've worked with all the CEOs that I work with. I'm like, you're not a CEO anymore. You're a strategic advisor. That's all you are. You're not a CEO. Get out of the way. Hire people that are smarter than you, empower them, and shut down.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
And I think if you're going to get to that scaling and you're going to get to that point where you're going to rock and roll, you just have to have that. Um, when it comes, you know, you talk about donating a lot. I would love to learn kind of more about that process. And, you know, you're giving away tons of money, tons of money every year. Where does that go?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
And how does that actually directly, you know, how does that process? Cause that, that excites me. I'd never meet entrepreneurs that do what you do. And it was one of the reasons I wanted you on the show. I was like, okay, time out. You're doing what? And it just, it tugs on the heartstrings and it connects. And I was like, this is, yeah, I mean, I'm, I don't have a glassy baby, but
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
But I don't care. You're changing people's lives. I was like, time out. How are you doing this? Because, you know, again, having been in hospice, there are those times where someone just needs that one thing to give them that little hope to get through that next two, three minutes. And people don't understand it's done on that level, especially during chemo routines.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
And you're having that treatment. It is not fun. It is not eating ice cream. It does not feel good. So talking about, I would love to hear more about, you know, where you guys donate and what you guys do. And I know that's, it's probably not going to be that exciting for other people, but it's everything to me.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
No one. And I'm still here. I graduated high school in 95. Trust me. People are like, you're from the 1900s? I'm like, never say that again. I will stab you with something, maybe an abacus. But it drives me nuts.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
And they hold it for a long time. And people don't know this about elephants, but when one of their pack, one of their tribe, one of their group dies, they will stay in that area. And every time they pass by, they will stop in that area years later because they hold it. They have it. And it connects with them. And people, we are one planet. We are one energy.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
So how do people track you down? How do they find you? How do they find more out about glassy baby? How do, how do people become part of this?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
I love it. Thank you so very much for being part of this and sharing.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
No, it's great. They were great. Okay. And that's a wrap on our masterclass in purpose-driven entrepreneurship with Lee Rhodes. We hope you're as inspired by the possibilities of combining profit with purpose as we are. A massive thank you to Lee for pulling back the curtain on her remarkable journey from a cancer diagnosis to building a $30 million empire that's changing lives.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
Her transformation from a mother of three battling cancer to the founder of Glassy Baby is a testament to the power of letting your mission, not just your margin, drive your business decisions. Want to implement Lee's strategies for building a purpose-driven business? Head over to podcast.imcharlesschwartz.com to download our free companion guide.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
Inside, you'll find Lee's complete framework for integrating charitable giving into your business model from day one. Remember, sometimes the smallest light can illuminate the darkest room. From donating at the point of sale to maintaining living wages for artisans, Glassy Baby shows us that doing good and doing well can go hand in hand. Now go out there and build something that matters.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
From banks refusing loans to investors waiting for her husband to show up and how she turned these obstacles into opportunities. Get ready to discover how Lee built a company that's donated $15 million to charity by rejecting conventional wisdom and making giving a core part of every sale, not just an end of year afterthought.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
So as a guy, we get lots of things, but nowhere near as much as you get.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
And what are some of the ways that, you know, as a woman that you've done this and you've built this empire and you've done it with, you know, raising young ones and you've done it with battling the disease and, you know, coming out on the other side, as you've done this, what are some of the things that you found out that, God, I wish I would have known this earlier?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
I wish that when I first started, what are some of the things that could help out other women as they're starting on their journey?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
Sometimes. Not all men. Having worked with them, not all men. The one benefit I will say as being a guy is, and I'm not picking on my side of the gender, we're pretty stupid. We can just lock in on just one thing. We're just like, okay, this is what we do. We just lock into it. So it's the joy of as an entrepreneur when you're going into things, you don't know how difficult the road ahead is.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
So you're just like, okay. And that naivety works. And especially as a guy, that ability just to do one thing means that we kind of luckily block out all the other things that are coming at us. We're like, okay, we'll just walk into the wall until it falls over. So that's one benefit of being a guy.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
If you're ready to learn how one woman proved that profit and purpose can coexist, creating a business model that both sustains artisan jobs in America and supports those battling cancer, this episode is your blueprint. Lee shows us how a single insight about $4 parking fees for cancer patients grew into a movement that's changing lives one hand-blown glass at a time. The show starts now.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
You've walked through a bunch of different walls and done it very differently than almost anyone I know. You've built this empire and you would think, hey, I've got these products. I need to outsource them or I need to have them made in China or I need to have it because the yields are better, all of this. And you said, uh-uh. If you could, tell the audience how differently you've done that.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
I think there's this conversation where we, especially if we're talking about male versus female here, where we're so constantly as men in our heads and we don't connect the mind-heart balance and we don't do that. And it's one of the things that Glassy Baby does really well where you talk about where you give back and how you treat your employees is exceptionally different.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
How you treat the people, the employee thing. You mentioned earlier that you give away cash at the vendor. At the cash register. And you do that. It's something that I don't think I've ever met any entrepreneur that's done it at your success level. Could you talk a little bit more about what does that mean?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
Welcome to the I Am Charles Schwartz Show, where we don't just discuss success, we show you how to create it. On every episode, we uncover the strategies and tactics that turn everyday entrepreneurs into unstoppable powerhouses in their businesses and their lives.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
And what I loved about it, and you were talking about it earlier, as you're going through this, you had all the odds, again, against you. You were going through chemo, which anybody who's gone through chemo doesn't understand how intense that is. We talked about it as a great equalizer.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
I spent eight years in a hospice watching people struggle through these things, and they were at the point where they weren't coming back. There was about 1% or 2% that ever did get out of that environment. But people don't understand that death and cancer and chemo and these diseases do not care. They don't care how much money you have in the bank. They don't care what you look like.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
Whether your goal is to transform your life or hit that elusive seven, eight, or nine figure mark, we've got the blueprint to get you there. The show starts now. All right, guys, welcome back. This podcast I'm excited about because this individual, Leigh, has broken all the rules. She's had a ton of stuff against her, be it health, be it gender, be it all that.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
They don't care about what awards you did. It's the ultimate equalizer. The fact that you came into that as a woman, as someone who had those things going on and still built the empire, I think a lot of it speaks to the fact that you did it from a place of purpose in your heart. And those two things combined helped out.
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
I know people are going to ask me about this and I don't want to focus this because you are more than what you've gone through, but there are people that are going through this. What are some of the things that as you're going through this and you're building the empire where everyone's going to be like, okay, how did I make the money? How did I make the money?
I am Charles Schwartz Show
How She Built a $30M Empire
There's going to be people listening going, okay, what is the food that you use to help you get through these things and the struggles? What are some things you went through that can kind of speak to that? Because people are going to start asking me, hey, how did you survive? What'd you do? What are the tips? What do you have going on? People are going to ask me about that.