084: Scaling Jam Sports to over 11k teams through acquisitions with Kristi Herold

In this episode, we meet Kristi Herold, a passionate entrepreneur who built a successful business around the concept of fun. She started with the Toronto Sport and Social Club and later expanded through acquisitions. Even during the pandemic, she adapted and offered virtual events to connect people through play. Kristi emphasizes the importance of integrating play into the workplace for improved employee engagement and well-being. Her inspiring journey and practical tips show that having fun in business can lead to growth and a positive work culture. Join us as we deep dive into Kristi Herold journey and discover the incredible impact of play on personal and professional growth. You'll be inspired to create a more positive and engaging workplace while having a blast doing it! Kristi Herold is a dynamic entrepreneur who built her business around the concept of having fun. Starting with the Toronto Sport and Social Club, she maintained a balanced lifestyle while growing her venture. Later, she expanded aggressively through acquisitions, with a vision of leaving a lasting legacy. During the pandemic, she adapted to the virtual world, offering events that opened new opportunities in the corporate sector.  Kristi is passionate about integrating play, fun, and laughter into the workplace for improved employee engagement and well-being. Her focus on connecting people through play has led to heartwarming success stories, making her journey truly inspiring. HIGHLIGHTS Kristi Herold shares her inspiring journey of building a business around the concept of having fun. Achieved success through aggressive expansion and strategic acquisitions. Adapted during the pandemic with virtual events and corporate engagements. Creating career opportunities for her team and fostering a positive workplace culture. Sports and social clubs foster connections, leading to heartwarming success stories Kristi emphasizes the importance of integrating play, fun, and laughter into the workplace for improved employee engagement, mental health, and retention. She encourages businesses to create a positive and enjoyable work environment.   SOCIAL MEDIA Website URL: http://kristiherold.com/book/ & https://jamgroup.com/press/ Social Media URL: Kristi Herold FB 👉 https://www.facebook.com/kristi.herold.5 Kristi Herold IG 👉 https://www.instagram.com/kristiherold_/ Kristi Herold LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-herold-8a7180?originalSubdomain=ca Kristi Herold Twitter 👉 https://twitter.com/KristiHerold TIME STAMPS: 00:00 - Prelude 00:46 - Introduction to Kristi Harold 02:58 - Christie Harold’s background 04:36 - From 2006 to 2016, she took a step back from his business pursuits  06:03 - Being depressed and realizing to survive by connecting with people through play 09:09 - The pivotal moment that led her to change her mind 11:35 - How much of the business was revenue when she first started 13:10 - The challenge of scaling the business in 2016 16:21 - The economics of the sport and social clubs business 19:27 - Taking sports leagues to the Metaverse 22:15 - How significant is the concern for sports-related injuries in social clubs? 25:21 - The economics and growth of the company and how they approached acquisitions 26:24 - The goal of acquisitions is to keep key teammates on board  28:19 - Looking for synergies from the head office 31:23 - The benefits of scale for players 33:00 - The difference between a better experience and facilities for players 34:29 - Working with strategic people  37:07 - The culture in the Sports League 40:27 - The importance of having fun in the workplace 42:30 - Invest a little bit of money and have some fun and put the play on your P&L 44:32 - The importance of having a company sports team 45:56 - Having a company choir, a rock band or a company rock band is a great recruiting tool. 47:09 - Shout out channels and banter channels 49:42 - The product offering and target market for play 53:59 - Where to get more information about JAM? 55:17 - How to support Beyond A Million? 55:52 - END