David Blackwell is an EOS Implementer based in Kansas City, Missouri, who transitioned from nonprofit executive leadership to helping businesses implement the Entrepreneurial Operating System. After three years of building his practice, he’s become a Strety fan. Here’s why.
Tell us about your background before becoming an EOS Implementer.
My wiring is entrepreneurial. I started a business in college to help pay my way through college, and then the bulk of my adult years, say between 22 and well, 40 were all in the nonprofit world, and I became the executive director of nonprofits. Through those years, I was really trying to invest in great people and build people up. I was always equally passionate about the cause that we were pursuing and trying to make a dent in, as well as the people — the teams that I had around me.
I learned a bunch, grew a bunch, helped to make an impact in our own right, but I hit several of my own leadership walls and knew that I needed help. I knew that I needed to improve as a leader, as well as improve systems and awareness of how to really build and mobilize great leadership teams. And that question began to just play with me: what do great leadership teams do consistently? What does a great leader of teams do?
I don’t know if this is a surprise to you, but in the nonprofit world, we don’t typically get paid well, so you’ve got to have a culture where people love coming to work. If you’re in it for a cause and you’re just miserable at work because the work environment is not healthy, then that’s doubly difficult. And worse, you’re trying to serve others and you don’t enjoy it. I hated the prospect of that.
How did you discover EOS®?
I had been coaching and helping nonprofits, some in a paid capacity, some just as a volunteer, just as a mentor, as support to others. Through the path of meeting others, I was introduced to EOS®, and somebody gave me the book Traction, and then ultimately got invited by that individual: “Hey, would you be good at this? I think you would really enjoy using these tools and using the system for nonprofits as well as for other organizations.”
I spent a lot of time actually vetting it, and I wanted to be sure that I would flourish in it. If I’m candid, I wanted to be sure it wasn’t some sort of MLM and pyramid scheme — I had no idea. I had people that I trusted that were smarter than me really make sure and vet it. I called probably a half dozen different implementers and got their story and their experience, and then I began to talk to some other businesses that had implemented EOS®.
The big shift for me was when I spoke with one owner — a husband and wife that started the business. When I spoke with the wife, I asked her: “What was life like before and after EOS? What was your business like before and after EOS?” And she said, “Well, it’s real simple. EOS gave me my husband back. He went from working 70 to 80 hours a week to working 40 to max 60 hours a week. And when he was home, he was really home. He was present at dinner. He made the kids’ sporting events.”
I was like, okay, I can do this if EOS can help husbands and fathers and wives and mothers be more present to one another. I got really excited about serving families and individuals to be more present in the home and present to their most important relationships — while also helping their businesses flourish.
How did you approach building your EOS Implementer practice?
I went through Boot Camp November 2022, and coming out through the holidays into the new year, my background was in nonprofit, so I started working with Kansas City’s largest independent nonprofit at the time. Great experience, cutting my teeth on facilitating and using each of the sessions.
I learned and grew a ton through business development, learning from the EOS Implementer community best practices. That was hard. I tried so many different things, and then ultimately the most important thing I learned is I have to be myself in this. I can’t try to be anybody else. As I increasingly just owned who I am, my personality — I’m a bit more light hearted, I bring levity to environments, I love telling stories, I love being funny — I found I had to do that. Then there was more attraction of the right kind of people.
I went probably two or three quarters that was just a desert of nothing. I was like, “Oh, dear God, I’m going to fail at this. I’m never going to sign up another client again.” It was brutal. But I dug deep on courage, knocked on doors, made phone calls, did all the things. Owning my true personality and working really hard — two or three new clients signed up, and then referrals started to come in from them. They were getting great results from my serving of them and EOS, and referrals started to come in. That’s been for sure the most common pathway for new clients — existing clients.
What were the biggest challenges in building your business?
I think emotionally, it was just the sheer fear of failure. The hardest part was just pressing through insecurity and the real head game. Mindset is so critical to being productive in this and just having to manage that internally.
Practically, I love the work. Getting clients — once I got the 90-minute meeting, I present well, I connect well. I deeply love people. I enjoy being with people. I’m an extrovert. I connect well. So by that point, that felt pretty comfortable.
I think the harder parts have been business development, staying diligent. I’m not always great at attention to detail. So really, I need to lean on my own scorecard — I use EOS to run my practice. I have to be honest, the numbers don’t lie. I haven’t called somebody in two weeks. No wonder nothing’s happening, right?
Having a Level 10 meeting with my wife weekly was really helpful, because you kind of deceive yourself. You feel like, “Oh, I am doing things.” But then when I was really honest with my scorecard, measurables and numbers, I was like, “I’m not doing the reps and putting in the work like I know I need to be doing.”
What numbers do you track on your Scorecard as an EOS Implementer?
Weekly phone calls to prospects, leads, as well as connectors. Books given away. Help-first activities is a big one for me. Those three, in terms of leading indicators, are a big deal.
I have one for client touches, just that I’m reaching out to my existing clients. Hours spent reading is a big one for me, because I’m continually growing as a resource to others. Coffees and lunches are on there — I think my number’s like one or two a week max, but still, because that’s exposure and being with others.
Can you explain your “help-first” activities?
There’s people I’ve reached out to that have said, “Hey, I can’t afford you or EOS,” but they’re trying to grow their business. So those are help first activities — “Hey, tell me what’s really going on,” and where relevant, “Hey, here’s the tool you can use,” and then just helping them use the tool right then and there, even though they’re not ready to move forward.
I’m also tracking notes and follow ups. “Oh yeah, I met this guy at some random happy hour event, and he expressed these pain points in his little, small mom and pop shop.” Okay, I’m just going to follow up, and I’m going to send him this article, I’m going to send him this book, because I know this could help him get further down the path. Maybe years down the road, it comes back, but if it doesn’t, that’s okay. That’s really how I do help first — we help, we don’t expect anything in return.
What EOS software tools were you initially recommending to clients?
Coming out of Boot Camp, we were introduced to the variety of digital tools. We were introduced to Ninety.io, EOS One was in the works at that point, and there were one or two others, but Ninety was the most commonly used. But it was also communicated to us as new Implementers: “Hey, you’ve got to do what is in the best interest of the client.” We didn’t want clients to become slaves to any digital platform.
Teams that were more proficient, that were using a lot of tech, I was more inclined to quickly introduce them to EOS software tools, because they’re used to a lot of tech. Other teams that were less accustomed to using tech tools — “Yeah, you guys use Google Docs. Great. I’ve got some Google Docs that you can just copy/paste.” Everything from the most simple all the way through more sophisticated platforms designed for companies that are running on EOS.
My policy was: I’m going to let them know about the few I was familiar with. I would just tell interested teams, “Hey, look into both. You guys decide. I’m really okay. Both will serve you well.”
How were you introduced to Strety?
I had a client here in Kansas City that had been running on EOS several years before I started working with them. The integrator there, Jill, just began to tell me more and more about Strety. [Note: Jill did an EOS software case study with us last year!]
I don’t think I gave her much of my attention at first, to be honest. And then she came back around the second time, and she opened up her laptop and showed me the platform. She was quickly walking me through how things were organized for them on her client portal, and I thought, “Oh, wow, that looks awesome.”
She set up a call with one of Strety’s founders, and that impacted me. I was like, “My gosh, this guy’s awesome, really sharp, really intelligent, really accommodating of me,” and he took the time to walk me through. I just quickly started to see and gravitate towards Strety. It was more intuitive for me, was easier to use, easier for me to follow just how one led to the next, led to the next.
How do you introduce Strety to new clients now?
From there, a couple of the new teams that I signed up, I would again similarly say, “Hey, there’s a few out here,” and I would just be forward: “Hey, my favorite EOS software right now is Strety. Here’s why I like it.” Generally I would say, “Hey, I think you should sign up for a demo. I think you should really get somebody to walk it through for you so you see it firsthand. They will give you a trial.”
I said, “If you need a longer trial, let me know. I’m happy to ask on your behalf.” That was really helpful to me as an Implementer, because 30 days wasn’t necessarily enough time to see if they could ride the bike and if it really helped them get further down the path. I had one client that was feeling anxious about having to make a decision. I quickly reached out to one of your reps and said, “Hey, can you add a month?” They gave them two months, and they signed up. They were falling in love with it.
What results have you seen with clients using Strety?
They started to discover things I didn’t even know Strety could do.
One team in particular had been interested in a project management software, and the integrator was like, “Oh, well, we don’t need to go and get another project management software. We can do that all through Strety.” I was surprised.
She said, “David, we don’t have to spend additional money for yet another software subscription. We can use Strety for both our EOS tools and running our Level 10s and tracking to-dos and making sure our issues lists are populated, and we can run some basic project management.”
That made me feel really good, because my heart is to help serve the client. I want them to get as much as possible from EOS. But there are other aspects of the business that require additional tools, and Strety wonderfully housed and provided some of those additional tools whilst maintaining the purity of EOS. It maintained purity of the Level 10 agenda.
Some little things that they could do where the projects intersected with the rocks and things of that nature — it was clean, it wasn’t complicated, it wasn’t cumbersome.
How has your overall experience been with Strety?
My experience with Strety has been incredible. Right now I’ve got four or five teams that are all using Strety. When I log on, I have my Coaches Portall — all of my teams are just there listed. I love my Coaches Portal. I’m able to access, of course there’s permissions granted by the client themselves, which is important.
When I need to observe a Level 10 Meeting, and I want to know, “Hey, how have their other Level 10s been going? Are they using the full 90 minutes? What’s happening? Are they populating Issues?” — my ability to access that through Strety is really helpful. For us Implementers, we’re always wondering, “Hey, are people comfortable adding issues to the Issues list? Is there a growing Issues list?”
Additionally, I’m just thankful to know that the staff at Strety takes good care of any interested clients. When I am referring someone, I know right away the other hand from Strety is going to grab them. They’re going to pull them close.
The Strety team knows EOS®, they love EOS®, and want to help my clients get the most out of Strety and EOS®.
How do you use the coaching portal?
Before sessions, for sure. Before sessions and during the first few months — Focus Day, Vision Building Day One, Vision Building Day Two — we’re doing a bit more hand holding with a client during those first three sessions. We’re giving them space, we understand they need to use the tools and they grow by learning. So it’s just finding the right way to be supportive and help, but also let them make mistakes and fail, because they learn through that process.
Prior to a session, I’m checking in and digging deeper on their tools and seeing the progress that they’re making. I know already going in how many of their Rocks are off track, because that dashboard is awesome. Just gives me the key numbers right out of the gate. The visual communicates the story, tells me what’s really going on. Within a minute or so, I know at a high level what’s going on. Then I dig deeper, then that helps me as well as I’m prepared to have a client call.
What feedback do you hear from Integrators you work with using Strety?
By and large, Integrators are the leaders on the team that are running the Level 10 meetings, not always, but generally. As a result, the Integrator is usually the one I’m immediately connecting with Strety, because Strety provides the EOS software tools and service to help them integrate and further implement EOS into their companies.
A recent Integrator story that comes to mind is a client where we appointed the Integrator who was stepping into that seat for the first time. She has not been operating as the Integrator in any form prior to this new seat change for her, and right away, using Strety helped her understand even what the team needed from her as an Integrator. Because she really does GWC the seat, she’s aspiring, and she’s getting it, and she’s running great Level 10s, and she’s syncing up, assigning to-dos, creating all the follow ups, all the accountabilities that really help this team that desperately needed improvement in their execution.
Strety is helping in a massive way their execution, because of the visibility. Everybody goes to Strety. Everybody sees the accountabilities right there. They can see which of their Rocks are on track or off track. They can see their weekly Scorecard numbers. And then the Integrator is able to hold the mirror up and say, “Okay, people, hey, we said these were important. We’re not doing it. What are you going to do next to help fix it?”
All of my Integrators, I would say the common feedback is: Strety is easy to use, it was easy to learn, and it helped them take what I’ve been teaching and coaching with EOS® and further it.
Teams get great results from EOS® with or without a digital platform — the system is designed so that it doesn’t need software — but I would say it increases the proficiency and effectiveness.
For Integrators, it organizes. It means they don’t have to manage a bunch of scattered information. It just cleaned things up — one resource, one website, one platform has made their lives easier. And Integrators always come back saying, “Hey, thank you for introducing us to Strety.”
Any thoughts on the partner program?
The revenue sharing in Strety’s partner program has come as a pleasant surprise. Strety’s been very generous in terms of willingness to learn, and generous in terms of giving back to me as an Implementer. I’ve been happy to refer and I’ve also been happy to receive back. I genuinely believe in it, and it’s helpful, for sure.
I think we’re in a win-win relationship. You all started Strety and designed it to really help businesses operate smoother. It does that. And EOS®-run companies use this and need something like Strety, and then you work with us Implementers to further the impact in service of clients and companies and nonprofits and organizations.
And then to say, “Hey, Implementer, thank you. We see you, and this revenue share is going to continue as long as your client continues to pay and be a monthly member and subscriber.” That’s awesome, and it’s a generous percentage, quite honestly.
What makes Strety different from other EOS software companies you’ve worked with?
I love that Strety offers a discount for nonprofits. Some nonprofits walk a very thin line and have a tight budget. When they have 20, 30 users, that monthly fee can be significant. Strety offers a discount to nonprofits, and that just made me feel thankful and appreciative because I know that some nonprofits struggle financially. That opportunity has been really helpful and really attractive for nonprofits — just to feel like, “Hey, we see you. We understand you. We understand nonprofits may struggle a little bit more here. So we want to provide a discount to help you use this in service for the mission or impact that you’re trying to have in our world.”
The last piece for me that’s been really helpful is the opportunity to give feedback. I’m being invited and asked if I have feedback for Strety to help improve some of the features in the interface to make my life easier. That’s awesome. Similarly, with the clients, if a client has a question, I’m now becoming more familiar because the majority of my teams are on Strety, so I’m understanding Strety better.
As Strety is growing, the team is welcoming the feedback to bring the best EOS software available out there to help EOS run companies. To me, that is exciting — as my client load is increasing, Strety continues to grow and improve. It’s exciting to run parallel lanes there.
As my client load grows, I want them all on Strety. It makes my life easier, helps me really serve them, helps me be aware in between sessions what’s going on, and allows the client and I to look at the same screen if there’s a pertinent issue or something we’re troubleshooting.
What advice would you give other Implementers considering Strety?
I would say it’s cheaper. I think it’s better. Go decide for yourself.
I’m telling you: I think it’s better. Strety is tailoring every detail to help EOS run companies. They know EOS, they love EOS, and they understand what integrators and implementers need to serve their clients well.
Thanks, David!
To learn more about David’s EOS implementation services in the Kansas City area, check out David Blackwell on the EOS Worldwide Implementer directory. If you’re an EOS Implementer interested in learning about Strety’s partner program, or if you’d like to see how Strety can help your clients and your practice, learn more on our EOS Implementer page or connect with our Partner Manager.