Business Innovators Radio - Interview with Liz Presson, Founder of Pursuit

Episode Date: January 19, 2024

Liz is the founder of Pursuit, a consultancy firm transforming healthcare organizations into digital leaders by helping them to better engage with patients through digital communication strategies, programs, and awareness campaigns. Liz was previously Director of Marketing for Digi International before venturing out in 2013 as a healthcare marketing entrepreneur, building a base of small clients, and eventually signing on her previous global company as her own client! Today, Pursuit directs clinical research recruitment initiatives for Fortune 500 pharmaceutical organizations, leads public awareness campaigns around health epidemics, and builds advocacy programs for medical device companies. Liz has spoken at many conferences, including Technori on bringing the right role players/team members together in entrepreneurial projects, and her articles on company culture and technology have been published in The Muse, The Guardian, and Fast Company.Learn more: https://www.pursuitof.com/Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-liz-presson-founder-of-pursuit

Welcome to influential entrepreneurs, bringing you interviews with elite business leaders and experts, sharing tips and strategies for elevating your business to the next level. Here's your host, Mike Saunders. Hello and welcome to this episode of Influential Entrepreneurs. This is Mike Saunders, the authority positioning coach. Today we have with us Liz Preston, who's the founder of Pursuit. Liz, welcome to the program. Hi, Mike. Thanks for having me.

You are welcome. I always love hearing names of companies that have one word because it's like Amazon at some point. We just thought that was a big old river somewhere far away. And now we know Amazon is Amazon. So I want to hear all about pursuit, what you do and how you do it. But it has started a little bit with your story and your background and how you got into this industry. Yeah, absolutely. So I started my career in tech. And I worked for a couple of different companies in the technology space. but really I always knew I wanted to work for myself. And I knew I needed to do it a little bit different than some of how my peers were doing it. Some of my peers were going off then, you know, creating companies. And they were really taking the kind of Y combinator, tech stars route, seeking capital, that kind of thing.

But, you know, I was supporting myself. I was paying my student loans. I wanted to do something that I knew would be a little less risk adverse. So when I started my business, I decided that I would take on a few small clients as a freelancer and then work to turn my full-time job into one of my clients. So at the time, I was working as a director of marketing at Digi International, a publicly traded global technology company. And I remember the day I walked into my boss's office with my Manila folder and said, I quit,

but I also have a proposal for you to hire me as a contract. That's awesome. So that was about 11 years ago now. And Pursuit, my agency has really found its way into the healthcare space. And we offer services to healthcare organizations, mostly biotech and pharmaceutical companies. And so that's what we do. And, you know, it really wakes me up in the morning and motivates me to go to work every day is building a small, really inspired team around the work that we do. and, you know, working remotely and building livelihoods for people in a way that work might not have in the past.

Yeah. So what did that boss say when you said, I'm out of here, but were they open to that contract consulting idea? Yeah, you know, I had a really great experience. He said, yeah, I think this is something we might be able to do. And I'm very lucky for that. I definitely had prepared myself for that conversation. to go either way. Yep.

Oh, yeah. Because, you know, you hear a lot of that same kind of scenario where it's like, you know, someone actually retires at age, whatever, 67 or 65, but yet they don't want to be totally not doing anything. So the company brings it back three days a week. And it's like, you know, hey, I've built so much rapport and relationship and I know the industry. And here's where I feel like I can really hone in and zero in and give some great consulting

because probably and we don't need to get into. this now, but probably your job description, a larger percentage of that could have been done by an admin kind of. And then if you can just take the 20% of the 80% and really go deep on that, it'll amplify it huge. So I think that was a very bold move. Great that it worked out. And then you just started going, okay, if I'm doing this for this company, I can be doing

the same kind of thing for others. So, you know, when you talk about health care and consulting and things like that, what is, what's different about your company? because I probably am confident that you're not the only one doing what you're doing in the healthcare space. Yeah, absolutely. So a couple of things are different. First and foremost, you know, we really try to bring, I've never let go of that

background in tech. And what we really try to bring is a fresh mindset to healthcare. We are groups of people who, you know, we are analysts, who are creatives, we are digital entrepreneurs. where people who are really masters of our craft, we're not healthcare experts, but we're all patients. And so we try to bring that mindset into the room with our healthcare clients.

So that way when we're thinking about something like clinical trial recruitment, that organization already has people who are experts in clinical trial recruitment. They understand the regulation. They understand the protocols, those types of things. And so we're there, not to sound cliche, but really to be the disruptors and to bring healthcare up to speed with what is going on in other

industries and the rest of the world. And so we're there to kind of push the boundaries to make the room maybe feel a little bit uncomfortable. But I think that that's really a huge focal point of what we do. And because we're a remote company and have these different types of people working with us, you know, all around the United States and sometimes all around the world, you're going to get people who, again, are really experts in their craft and they're bringing something a little bit different to the table, including that fresh perspective. Yeah, almost like a boutique feel, right? Exactly.

Yeah. That's awesome. And so what I was thinking of while you were describing that is, what's the, at the end of the day, when the dust settles and you're doing this for this company, what are they getting out of that? So like you mentioned, digital clinical trial recruitment, does that take a load off of the company and now these two employees that we're doing that now are freed up to do even more better work internally. So what are the kind of some of the metrics that way for the company that you're unloading from them to you? Yeah, that's a really great question.

So I'll stick with the example of digital clinical trial recruitment. So often we have pharmaceutical companies like the Eli Lillies and biogenes of the world come to us. and they might hire us to help them do advertising campaigns to recruit for specific trials. And that's all well and good. We absolutely do that. But, you know, I try to bring kind of a bigger picture or a more systematic approach into the conversation. So instead, I might say, sure, we can do that campaign for you to generate interest in this one specific clinical trial. But what if we created a website that helps educate people about the benefits of clinical research And it just so happens that on that website, they can learn about clinical trials that you have for different diseases.

And when they're learning about those clinical trials, there is a space where they can fill out a form where they can pre-screen for specific trials in their area. Then we can do digital advertising campaigns to drive people to that hub. And so that way we create this system for digital patient recruitment. And the metrics are, you know, everything from website visitors to number of pre-screeners that come through that website. And then on the other end, you know, people who are actually randomized for a clinical trial. So I always try to take that one piece that clients come to us. They might want a website. They might want an advertising campaign and then build the bigger picture for them.

That's so huge because when you take the old speaker cliche, you know, what's everyone's favorite radio station? well, it's W-I-I-I-F-M, what's in it for me? Well, if you can twist that around and put it into what's in it for the Eli Lillies or whatever company that you're working for and go, yeah, you ask for this thing right here. And that's just one bullet point in a whole array of needs that if I can show you what you just described there, wow, wouldn't this be amazing if, yeah, we accomplished that well, but what if we amplified it to provide all this? And now this integrates with that and feeds into this.

and it actually has tentacles into many aspects of what you're already doing internally. You just never thought how this would connect to that, like patient recruitment or education, or you just thought you just needed one of the bullet points. And I would think that that, you know, really that's innovation. That's taking one thing and innovating with digital. And that's a real progressive 60,000 foot view kind of a thing. Yeah, exactly. So here's one thing that jumps.

to mind as well. You had this idea and this was how many years ago that did you make your pitch to the boss with the Manila folder? Pursuit will be 11 years old. So that was about 11 years ago. So in those 11 years, you've hit hurdles and roadblocks and over and under and figured things out. What were some of the traits that you had to develop or amplify to make sure that you were able to run a successful business for now over a decade. Yeah. Yeah, great question. I think definitely just being able to roll with the punches is something that is really important.

I certainly have a type A personality. And like I said, you know, as a business owner, I find myself, I'm pretty risk adverse for a business owner and for doing some of the things that I did. And so really understanding that, you know, business. You can do the same things. You can always continue to better yourself. But sometimes there are just external factors that you're not going to control. And business will come in waves.

And you have to almost get to the point where you are so trustworthy of your abilities and of the business that you built that you're able to sometimes take a step back and just say, this two will pass if it's a rough patch. And I think that COVID may have taught a lot of business owners that as well because I know for my clients, you know, you'd think biotech and pharma business must have been booming. But really what everyone did is they paused everything that they were doing in the pharmaceutical world and started working on COVID vaccines, which is fantastic and beautiful and, you know, lovely in all the ways. But that meant that that business was certainly slowing down

in other ways for us. And so I've just had to kind of quell that anxiety and find different tools in my own personal toolbox to quell my anxiety when business isn't going the way I think it should be. Yeah. So the kind of resiliency. Like, you know, I can take a knock on the chin and I can keep going. I can fall down. I can get back up. And I think that that trait is so huge because it's kind of like, you know, a successful person gets knocked down.

And we know the cliche seven times, but gets up eight. But actually, you should infuse into that statement, gets up eight with as much passion and enthusiasm as they had day one. because that's the mark of a true champion, is seeing that end goal being drawn through it, being resilient, keeping consistency, because if you get distracted by that one little blip or two little blips, that's life and that's business.

Absolutely, exactly, and trusting yourself and knowing what you've built and being really honest with yourself in saying, is this me, is this issue with my business, is this the climate? And, you know, having those really realistic conversations internally, I think is important,

especially as a solo founder. Yeah. So what do you do for personal development to hone, identify, and maximize on those skills and traits? Because you have to first be aware that, ooh, I might be deficient in this. So let me now, you know, take this class, do this course, do this reading list in this podcast. What is your framework that way? Yeah. So I do all the things you just mentioned.

I do a lot of public speaking. And although it can be hard sometimes, I listen to my. and watch myself public speak, which I think is really important to understand how you're articulating to others. But more than anything, and, you know, consume a lot of great content from people that I really respect, such as yourself. But the thing I think is most important is that I have created a team of people who don't necessarily look at me as just their boss, but they're team member and their peer. And they're really honest with me.

You know, if we have a client meeting or a pitch or something of that nature and it doesn't go well, I have created an environment with pursuit where someone can say, hey, we could have done that better. You could have done that better. And here's how. And I think that is what continuously pushes me to be a better business owner, to win bigger clients and to hopefully be a better leader to the people I work with as well. That's been the number one thing.

Yeah, everyone feels like their voice is heard, valued, appreciated, together, we're better, all of that. So I think that's huge. So what do you do to attract good talent and then furthermore, keep them? Because I'm sure that in 10 years you've attracted someone great, poured into them, yay, we're high-fiving one day, and then the next day they've got their manila folder. Yes, absolutely. 100%. Yes, actually, I worked with someone for many years. I want to say her name was Liz also, Liz Flores. She worked with me for about six years. And she was so transparent with me that she

wanted to be an artist, but she needed a job like pursuit to support herself while she pursued her passion on the side. And today she is fully supporting herself through her art. She's muralist. And I just mentioned that because I think it was such a beautiful relationship. that taught me that the people who work for me's passion probably isn't pursuit. At first, I had such a hard time. I just couldn't understand why people didn't think of pursuit as their baby like I did. And so I think being realistic about people having their passions, about people having families, about wanting life balance is incredibly important,

and it's an important place to start. And so that's what I always try to remind myself. And then I build on to that. Everyone who works at Pursuit can work remotely from wherever they would like. Of course, it's always helpful if we're in similar time zones. But I think that's incredibly important. And, you know, people at the end of the day, we've probably read a lot about this or heard a lot about this about quiet quitting.

People don't want pizza parties. They want to be compensated well for what they do and they want to be respected. And so those are my, you know, my things that I do. work remotely, compensate people well, respect them, and, you know, honor them as masters of their craft. You know, I've heard a lot of, you know, the leadership gurus out there talk about you just need to internally yourself as the founder, president, you know, whatnot. Just realize that when you bring that top talent in, it is a badge of honor for you to see them move on and go to their next stage and yes, pour into them and yes, help them get there because in one sense, who know, like you're the,

the one you mentioned, Liz, that they moved on. Who knows at the job they're at now or the next job they go to or the next one. There could be some wonderful collaboration and strategic alliances. And if you get all mad about, oh, why did you leave? Well, let's give, I gave you wings. I taught you how to fly. We'll fly. And for as long as possible in my organization, let's make a difference.

But wow, when you move on, that shows that someone else found value in that person that I poured into. And that's, it's a mindset shift, I think. Absolutely. And honestly, you know, Liz has been a big advocate of pursuit and using her as an example, she shared with others what a great stepping stone pursuit was. And it's helped me attract other great talent in addition to, you know, spreading the word to clients and things of that nature. So I just really believe that whatever industry that you're in or whatever type of business that you run, there's certainly a karma to creating a good work environment into pouring into other people. I love it. Well, I tell you what, it's been such a neat conversation here, just learning what you do and how you do it. And it's just wonderful to see those tactics that you put into place that serve your clients. And then also the environment that you bring to the employees that you bring in and the team members.

So I just applaud everything that you're doing. And if someone is interested in learning more about pursuit, what's the best way they can learn more and then also reach out and connect with you? Absolutely. So our website is pursuit of.com. And then personally, my email address is Liz at pursuit of.com. I encourage people to reach out if they're looking for a position or if they're interested in having conversations like the one we had here today. And then on social media, Instagram, LinkedIn, all of the places, I'm at Liz Prescent. Excellent. Well, Liz, thank you so much for coming on today. It's been a real pleasure talking with you. Thanks, Mike. I've really enjoyed it.

Appreciate it. You've been listening to Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saunders. To learn more about the resources mentioned on today's show or listen to past episodes, visit www. www.influentialentrepreneursradio.com.