How Rich Lyons Survived the 2008 Crash and Built a $55M Business

Most entrepreneurs think scaling a business requires millions in venture capital and high-pressure sales quotas. Rich Lyons proved the exact opposite.In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, host Laurette Rondenet interviews Rich Lyons, founder of Lyons Consulting Group (LYONSCG) and author of Life Is Sales. Rich shares the unvarnished story of growing a bootstrapped digital commerce agency to $55M, surviving the 2008 banking collapse, standing up to abusive clients, and making the difficult decision to sell when tech giants consolidated the market.Key topics covered:•  Moving from a scarcity mindset and quota panic to consultative service and trust•  The reality of bootstrapping — personal checks for payroll, home equity lines, and betting the farm•  How a 2008 bank loan recall forced the agency to shed non-core services and master e-commerce•  The dinner 'feelings game' that helped a stoic executive open up to his daughtersResources & books mentioned:•  Life Is Sales by Rich Lyons — lifeissales.com•  Rich Lyons official site — richlyons.com•  Good to Great & Turning the Flywheel by Jim Collins•  Traction (the EOS system) by Gino Wickman•  Dr. Gertrude Lyons on Owning Your Legacy (episode archive)Connect:Rich Lyons — linkedin.com/in/richardblyons/Laurette Rondenet — linkedin.com/in/laurette-rondenet-82064911/Subscribe to Owning Your Legacy for weekly conversations on leadership, authentic entrepreneurship, and leaving a lasting mark.Chapters:0:00 The Reality of Scaling a Business1:22 Is Service the Heart of Sales?3:35 The Core of Trusting the Process6:07 Research, AI, and the Human Connection8:06 Mindset vs. Talent in Sales Success10:53 Using Anger Intentionally15:53 The Hard Lessons of EntrepreneurshipIf you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com. 

Season 13 of Owning Your Legacy goes deeper into what it takes to lead, grow, let go, and build something that lasts.Host Laurette Rondenet sits down with Dr. Avanti Kumar Singh, author of The Longevity Formula, for a conversation about Ayurveda, healthspan versus lifespan, stress, connection, and learning to trust your own inner wisdom.Rich Lyons, entrepreneur and author of Life Is Sales, shares hard-earned lessons about putting customers first, building trust, navigating imposter syndrome, and creating a culture that can withstand the pressures of leadership.And returning guest Brooke Foley, founder of The Jayne Agency, opens up about one of the hardest transitions for any founder: realizing when you are the person standing in the way of your company’s growth. She shares what it took to give up control, empower her team, scale Clarity University, and build a business capable of existing beyond its founder.Season 13 also expands the conversation beyond the traditional interview, bringing members of the Owning Your Legacy team into the discussion and exploring what legacy looks like while you’re still actively building it.Because legacy isn’t something that simply appears at the end of your life. It’s something you build every day.If you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com. 

In this special Season 12 compilation of Owning Your Legacy, leaders, founders, innovators, and changemakers reflect on the impact they hope to have on their teams, industries, communities, and the people around them.Their answers are different, but a common theme emerges: legacy is built through the choices we make, the people we support, and the way we show up every day.This episode brings together some of the most powerful reflections from Season 12 and returns to the question at the heart of the series:What will your legacy be?Watch, reflect, and share the legacy you hope to leave behind.If you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com. 

What happens when the career you built for decades starts to change around you?In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, award-winning food journalist Steve Dolinsky shares how he turned decades of experience in journalism, storytelling, and food into an entirely new chapter—without starting over.Best known to Chicago audiences as the Hungry Hound and The Food Guy, Steve built his career by following his curiosity, developing deep relationships across the food industry, and becoming one of the city’s most trusted voices on food. But as television journalism changed, he recognized that his next opportunity might not look anything like the career he had known.Steve shares how he identified the skills and relationships he had spent years building, created a one-page pitch around the value he could bring, and ultimately transitioned into a new role with Levy—where his food knowledge, storytelling ability, industry connections, and eye for trends now help shape experiences across hundreds of venues.The conversation explores why reinvention does not mean abandoning everything you have built, the importance of maintaining relationships long before you need them, and how the skills you may take for granted can become your greatest advantage.Steve also dives into his lifelong obsession with pizza, the creation of Pizza City USA, what makes Chicago one of the world’s great pizza cities, and the legacy he hopes to leave behind: proving that Chicago-style pizza is about much more than deep dish.If you are navigating a career transition, questioning what comes next, or trying to understand the value of everything you have already learned, this conversation is a reminder that your experience may be exactly what opens the next door.If you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com. 

Three years in, the team behind Owning Your Legacy steps out from behind the camera for an intimate, candid conversation about fear, leadership, and what it truly takes to build a meaningful movement. In this special behind-the-scenes episode, host Laurette Rondenet (CEO & Owner of Edlong Flavors) is joined by team members Gail Scott (Integrator at Owning Your Legacy & Edlong) and Denise Senter (Brand Manager & CMO at Ever Fresh Fruit Company). Together, they peel back the curtain on the "Passion Project Paradox"—balancing demanding executive careers while building a podcast and community dedicated to empowering leaders . From confronting imposter syndrome and stepping into the spotlight, to the exact moment Laurette almost threw in the towel, this raw discussion explores what happens when you decide to stop leading someone else's legacy and start claiming your own . 00:00 – Introduction01:08 – How “Owning Your Legacy” Began03:31 – Meet the Team Behind the Podcast05:43 – Overcoming the Fear of Being Visible09:44 – Making an Impact One Person at a Time14:10 – Balancing a Passion Project with Full-Time Work18:06 – The Moment We Almost Gave Up25:14 – Lessons Learned from the Journey and Our Guests32:29 – Redefining Success Through Community and Connection38:07 – Advice for Pursuing Your Passion Project40:59 – Closing💡 Key Takeaways from This EpisodeClaiming Your Space: How Laurette realized she was living in her father's shadow and took the brave step to own her own leadership identity . The Pendulum Myth of Work-Life Balance: Why work-life integration isn't about perfect 50/50 equilibrium, but knowing how to manage heavy seasons . The Importance of "Belief Partners": Why you can't build a legacy alone—and how having a team that believes in the vision keeps you going through self-doubt . Grit over Perfection: Why missteps, setbacks, and pivots are necessary ingredients for personal and professional growth . If you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com. 

What makes a strawberry taste like a strawberry—and does it matter whether a flavor molecule comes from a fruit or a laboratory?In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, Laurette Rondinay speaks with Michael Colangelo, founder of Nota Bene Flavors, about the chemistry, creativity, and communication behind the foods and beverages we consume every day.Michael shares his journey from analytical chemistry to flavor development, building innovation laboratories, working with beverage startups, and eventually launching his own consulting business. He also explains how finding his voice on LinkedIn transformed his career and allowed him to make complex flavor science accessible to a much wider audience.Throughout the conversation, Laurette and Michael explore:Why “natural” does not automatically mean safer or more sustainableHow dosage changes conversations about ingredient safetyThe science behind strawberry flavor and sensory perceptionWhy the same flavor performs differently across beverages and food productsThe rise of non-alcoholic beverages and moderationHow misinformation contributes to consumer mistrustWhy marketing and R&D need one anotherThe importance of mentorship, experimentation, and failing forwardHow scientists can communicate with greater confidence and clarityMichael’s work demonstrates that science does not have to be intimidating. When complex ideas are communicated in relatable ways, consumers can make more informed decisions and innovators can create products that are healthier, more enjoyable, and better for the planet.If you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com. 

What does it take to build a thriving business, lead with integrity, and create spaces that truly reflect the people who live in them?In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, Laurette Rondenet sits down with Lakesha Rose, Owner/Designer of L Rose Interior Design, a Chicago-based full-service design-build and interior design firm celebrating 10 years in business.Lakesha shares her unconventional path into interior design, from sending out 40 resumes with no formal experience to building a respected firm known for thoughtful design, strong project management, and deeply personal client relationships.With more than two decades in the industry, Lakesha explains why great design is about far more than color palettes and furniture. It is about listening, intuition, trust, and understanding how a client wants to feel in their home.This conversation explores:• Building confidence before you feel fully qualified• Growing a business through relationships, trust, and reputation• Why project management is essential to creative success• Leading a team without ego• Creating homes that tell a complete story• Setting boundaries, minimums, and finding the right clients• Balancing ambition, marriage, travel, and personal freedom• The power of character in leadership and businessLakesha also reflects on the legacy she hopes to leave behind: a life and business rooted in character, integrity, and doing the right thing even when no one is watching.Whether you are an entrepreneur, creative professional, interior design lover, or leader building something meaningful, this episode is a reminder that success is not only about what you create—it is about how you serve people along the way.Learn more about Lakesha Rose and L Rose Interior Design:https://lroseinteriordesign.com/If you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com. 

What does it really take to build a food company from the ground up, raise capital, scale a team, and make difficult decisions when the market changes?In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, Brittany Chibe shares the honest story behind her journey from corporate food sales to entrepreneurship, including the launch and sale of Paleo Scavenger and her work as co-founder of Aquacultured Foods.Brittany discusses building a paleo snack brand from her home kitchen, growing into national distribution, learning the realities of co-manufacturing and retail margins, and why she chose not to bootstrap her next company.She also shares how Aquacultured Foods was created around a mission to develop sustainable alternative seafood, the process of raising pre-seed and seed capital, navigating food-tech regulation, working with acclaimed chefs, and bringing a novel product to market.But this is also a conversation about the harder side of entrepreneurship: fundraising in a difficult market, leading a team through uncertainty, managing runway, making layoffs, and deciding when it is time to wind down a company responsibly.Brittany reflects on the lessons she is carrying into her next chapter, including the importance of customer connection, clear accountability, sustainable leadership, and separating your identity from the business you build.Topics in this episode include:• Food entrepreneurship and CPG startups• Bootstrapping versus raising venture capital• Paleo Scavenger and building a brand from a home kitchen• Alternative seafood and food-tech innovation• Startup fundraising, investors, and pitch strategy• Leadership during uncertainty and company closure• Building accountable teams and reducing operational burn• Founder mental health, resilience, and life after a startupIf you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com. 

What if AI is not here to replace creativity, but to expand it?In this episode of Owning Your Legacy, Laurette is joined by Justin Shimek, CEO of Mattson, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping food and beverage innovation.Justin shares his journey from food science to leadership, the role of curiosity in building a career, and how Mattson helps companies imagine what is coming next in food. The conversation dives into AI as a creative thought partner, not an answer machine, and how tools like Mattson’s AI persona “Leo” are helping teams generate ideas, understand consumers, and rethink innovation workflows.Together, they discuss the fears and opportunities surrounding AI, how companies can begin integrating it responsibly, and why the future of innovation still depends on real human intelligence, judgment, and creativity.This episode is for leaders, innovators, food scientists, entrepreneurs, and anyone curious about how AI can help teams do their highest and best work.Learn more about Justin Shimek and Mattson:www.mattsonco.comIf you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com. 

Season 12 of Owning Your Legacy brings together leaders, founders, creators, innovators, and storytellers who are building something meaningful through courage, curiosity, and intention.This season explores what it takes to step into your next chapter, trust your instincts, build the right team, embrace change, and keep moving forward even when the path is uncertain.From food, design, entrepreneurship, AI, sustainability, personal reinvention, and the power of community, these conversations remind us that legacy is not something we leave behind someday. It is something we build every day through the choices we make, the people we support, and the stories we choose to tell.Featuring conversations with Steve Dolinsky, Lakeisha Rose, Justin Schimmick, Brittany Chibe, Denise Senter, and Gail Scott.Watch Season 12 of Owning Your Legacy and join the conversation.If you enjoyed the episode please share it with others, and rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about me and how I am Owning My Legacy, you can find me on Instagram @LauretteRondenet and online at lauretterondenet.com.