What would you do if 85% of your revenue disappeared one week after you moved your family across the country for the job?
Sheila Stafford is the CEO and co-founder of TeamSense, the text based platform that connects frontline workers to their companies, and a member of the Forbes Business Council. A Duke mechanical engineer with an MBA from Notre Dame, she launched vehicles at General Motors, led the supply chain integration for Whirlpool's $1B acquisition in Italy, ran product development for Whirlpool's North American refrigeration business, and ran the Industrial Imaging business at Fluke. She shares the hard lessons that taught her how to lead when she isn't the expert in the room and how to bet on herself when every instinct said no.
In this episode, she explains:
The Beginner's Advantage
🡒 How asking basic questions let her lead a room full of supply chain experts who knew more than she did.
The Perceived Risk Trap
🡒 The one question from her husband that got her to walk away from a steady salary and start a company.
The Premium Brand
🡒 Why the same dishwasher, off the same line, sells for $299 or $3,200.
The Competitor Play
🡒 Why your biggest rival will sell to you when your business is on fire, and the basic math that makes them say yes.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:50 Cans, candy, and scalped tickets at the Bills stadium
07:38 Falling for the factory floor at Ford and GM
12:43 364 days a year on a pickup truck launch
16:21 The medical supply startup she built in business school
19:58 Same dishwasher, $299 or $3,200
22:06 Saying no to Italy, then saying yes
35:51 The call no new general manager wants
45:22 Starting TeamSense and betting on text over apps
50:38 The customer story that changed why she does this
Connect with Sheila
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheila-stafford-451976b/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/teamsenseapp
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This episode is powered by TeamSense
TeamSense is the AI-powered shift intelligence platform that automates attendance, connects every worker, and drives performance across your operation — all through text.
Ready to see how leading manufacturers and logistics teams keep every shift covered?
https://teamsense.com/
Prefer to listen?
https://pod.link/1896826304
