Stacy Johns walked away from a comfortable 16-year run in the NFL to help build a first-year MLS team from scratch — then landed one of soccer's biggest stadium naming rights deals almost by accident. Now she's a few weeks into leading the LA Sparks, betting that curiosity beats confidence every time.
Sixteen years into a career with the Indianapolis Colts, Stacy Johns had built a stadium, run finance and HR, and become one of the only women in the room at every level. So when she left the NFL to help launch LAFC — a brand-new MLS team with no track record, no established fanbase, and no real off-season — people told her she was having a midlife crisis. She thought it necessary.
Stacy and host Everett Sands dig into what she looks for in her first weeks running a new organization: not the finances, but what a team has been tolerating versus celebrating. Now leading the LA Sparks, Stacy is applying the same startup instincts she used to help LAFC sell out a million tickets three years running.
What You'll Learn:
Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction
(00:52) From CPA to Professional Sports
(03:01) Growing the Colts from the Inside
(04:23) Raise Your Hand: How Stacey Advanced
(06:45) Joining LAFC as a Startup
(11:33) Landing the BMO Naming Rights Deal
(14:08) The Million Ticket Flywheel
(15:41) Why Stacey Chose the Sparks
(17:30) First 90 Days: Reading the Room
(20:24) Leading Through Questions
(22:04) Pregame Huddles & a Culture of Praise
(25:12) Using the Offseason Strategically
(27:00) Retention vs. Growth: Where to Focus
(29:31) The Power of Grassroots Partnerships
(32:35) Why Transactional Deals Fail
(34:19) Confidence & Career Advice for Women in Sports
Stacy’s Highlights:
"I just knew myself well enough that there was more to life than one job."
"If we're ever getting the contract out, we have failed our partnership."
"The older I get, the more confident I am that the way females think, the way we lead, the way we run things has a place and doesn't need to require explanation."
Connect:
Connect with Everett: http://linkedin.com/in/everettksands
Connect with Stacy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-johns-39bb711/
Continue the conversation: smallbusinessunscripted.com
Learn more about Lendistry: lendistry.com
Stacy: [00:00:00] I've been in men's sports for 24 years. [Everett: Yeah.] I knew that part of my journey needed to be in women's sports. Here in LA, we are gonna really spend a lot of time in our off season — how do we make the Sparks like everything Los Angeles is, great? But what makes us Los Angeles? And that's what people love about Los Angeles sports. They are true to the city. [Everett: Yeah.] And I think that's the piece that we really have to work on — that's an interesting challenge for us.
Everett: That's Stacy Johns, president of the LA Sparks. Stacy started as a CPA and ended up building one of the most valuable brands in the sports industry. Today, she's breaking down what it really takes to build a brand worth investing in.
Hey, Stacy. Welcome to Small Business Unscripted. Happy to have you here.
Stacy: So glad to be here. Thank you for having me.
Everett: All right, so I ask every guest the same first question. [Stacy: Okay.] Career, compensation, quality of life — put those [00:01:00] in order. There's no bad order, but how are you feeling about those right now?
Stacy: Compensation's last — that's super easy for me. And then I'd say, if you would've asked me five years ago, I might have put career first. I'd say I'm now quality of life, career, compensation.
Everett: Okay, awesome. Let's go back a little bit. So — CPA, brand builder, finance, sports — just talk to me, what were you thinking when you first started your career, and it's obviously progressed forward. We'll get into that as well.
Stacy: For sure. So I started as a CPA, sort of like a lot of kids out of college, for lack of a better idea. [Everett: Right.] I was a problem solver. I liked math, which I thought was important, but I actually think it's not that important for what I do.
Everett: Oh, no, you're hurting my heart.
Stacy: I know. Well, it is, but I think people think accounting equals math, and — [Everett: Yeah, I gotcha. I get it.] — it's just not all that. And at the time, when I first started public accounting, I really loved it. [Everett: Yeah.] And I loved, again, it's all about problem-solving and [00:02:00] that consultative nature of it, and I'm like, "I could do this for a long time." And then you settle into, "I'm gonna get married, I'm gonna have kids, and I'm working 70 hours and 80 hours a week, and I'm basically not sleeping — how would that ever be possible?" And I'd say back then, the few female partners you saw had nannies and chefs and people, and they're like, "Oh, you can do it." But that was not the kind of mom that I wanted to be. [Everett: Right.] I wanted to be a mom, too. So that was when I was like, "I gotta figure something else out." And that's when I started looking outside, and I'd been fortunate to have been put on sports clients in Indianapolis, and the Colts were one of my first clients. And I really never thought I would work there forever, 'cause there's one of 32 jobs — this was 20, almost 25 years ago. [Everett: Yeah.] Sports business wasn't a thing. It was a family office there, not like it is [Everett: today.] No, and they probably had 50 or 60 people working there, and there were three people in finance. So to think that you could be one of those people, it was a pretty small [00:03:00] population. [Everett: Sure.] And then I got to start, I think, at a very interesting time, when it actually was starting to become a business and people were opening their eyes to [Everett: Right.] the sports business and what it could be. And so I think we probably went from 60 or 75 people to 200 plus when I was there at the Colts. So watching sports become a business was really cool.
Everett: So what was your first job with the Colts?
Stacy: I was the controller — [Everett: Okay.] — slash director of finance. And that's the job I actually kept for, I think, 10 years. [Everett: Yeah.] And people to this day are like, "Gosh, that's a long time to sit in a job." [Everett: Yeah.] The thing about that was I never sat in that job. I mean, we built a stadium when I was there.
Everett: It's a nice stadium, by the way.
Stacy: A beautiful stadium. So beautiful. Did a really nice job considering the age of that building. If you go back to it today, it's still a great venue, very well thought out. [Everett: Yeah.] So I think they're starting to do some renovations, but really, it's stood the test of time. So I got to watch that happen, and while that was going on, I worked for a lot of [00:04:00] older men who'd been at the company for years. [Everett: Right.] And they were actually very open to a young, aggressive girl who wanted to learn and was like, "I'll help with that. I'll help with that." So when we were moving the stadium, I learned ticketing systems, and I learned to migrate from one stadium to another. So all kinds of skill sets that weren't finance necessarily [Everett: Right.] but were adjacent to finance.
Everett: So were you volunteering for these? Like, "Hey, throw me in, coach," kind of thing?
Stacy: Kinda. Plus, people would come to me with a finance question, [Everett: Uh.] and I would then start asking questions above my own — [Everett: Above yours.] — 'cause I'm curious. And then they would be like, "Actually, you might be really helpful as we think about how to migrate these price codes," 'cause then it became a revenue exercise. So it started with a revenue question, [Everett: Yeah.] and then it turned into, "Actually, operationally, we think you might be able to be the best person to help us with this too." So it really was volunteering, in some ways, and I tell people all the time, "Raise your hand, learn new things, try new things, go to other departments." [00:05:00] So I think I fell into some interesting things, and I never dwelled on the fact that I was only the controller. I mean, while I was doing that, I also took on HR, helped a lot with IT, started data strategy. [Everett: Wow.] And then eventually they're like, "Oh, she's doing all this stuff. We should make her the VP of HR and finance." So eventually I was given that title, but I never dwelled on the title. I was actually too busy, I think, learning new things, doing new things — which I tell people all the time — and that 10-year run, where it looks like I had no growth, is probably the reason I sit in the chair I sit in today.
Everett: That's interesting. So you mentioned jumping from position to position, getting to learn new things. Is that kind of the advice you would give to, let's say, a business owner or someone who's thinking about entrepreneurship? Would that be your main point of advice — "Hey, take on other tasks, join other departments"? Anything else you'd add?
Stacy: Yeah, I mean, the biggest point I always make is curiosity — just being curious in [00:06:00] every room [Everett: That's great.] that you put yourself into. And I try to lead with curiosity for a lot of reasons. One, it's just a lot less threatening for people. [Everett: Yep.] And two, I learn a lot. So I do that both when I'm thinking about giving feedback to somebody nowadays, or when I'm trying to figure something out and get to the end of what's happened here and how do we get there. My best bosses, when things went wrong, asked questions. And it just really takes the heat out of the room — as opposed to the question like, "Why did this happen?" [Everett: Right.] The real question is, "How do we make sure this doesn't happen again?" What went wrong? Seek the root. What went right? 'Cause even when things go wrong, things also went right — so how do we pull the good out of people, too, and diffuse the room?
Everett: Okay, so then you go to LAFC. This is change of culture, change of location, change of family, and change of sport, right?
Stacy: Yes.
Everett: I know a little bit about LAFC 'cause they won Entrepreneur of the Year in 2024 — shout out to that class, which I'm a part of. But I [00:07:00] also kinda think about when you got there — it's technically like a startup, right?
Stacy: Oh, yeah. Brand new.
Everett: Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. So what was that like? Because you go from the Colts — first of all, NFL, which is a built-in franchise, exploding — to effectively a worldwide sport, but technically new in the US, and definitely a new team here in LA.
Stacy: For sure. I mean, I had a lot of people thinking I had a midlife crisis moment, because I left — everyone wants to be in the NFL. It's the crème de la crème. You only have 10 home games, and everybody wants to be at them, and pricing isn't a problem. There's just a lot of great things about the NFL. What, for me, was — after 16 years, I was concerned that I would never leave. And I just know myself well enough that I needed — there was more to life than one job. And I had seen some people there — I love those people, and they've been there for 30 or 40 years — but they also kind of had lost their love for it. [Everett: Gotcha.] I [00:08:00] was living that with them, and I just didn't wanna be that, 'cause I really had loved what I'd done there the whole time. So I really thought I had to do something different, no matter what it was. And I knew it had to be in sports, 'cause I'd fallen in love with sports. [Everett: Yeah.] And I really decided a more challenger, startup-like league was better. I'd learned what it was like to work for the Titanic, which was really hard to shift around. [Everett: Yeah, I get it.] But MLS was young, and LAFC was really brand new. And the things they said to me in the interview process were things like, "We sort of took what old-school sports teams had done wrong and tried to make it right." [Everett: Yeah.] And I'm like, "Well, I'd love to be a part of that." And I think also — we haven't talked about this — but I was the only woman in the room in Indianapolis all the time. [Everett: Whoa.] I was the only female vice president. [Everett: Yeah.] And I think there's been one or two maybe since me, but there's still a lot of men who work in that organization who have been there a long time. So it's difficult sometimes, obviously. Whereas I came to LAFC, and they were very much like — you know, like LA, diverse in all forms — [Everett: Yeah.] and wanted a female voice. We have female fans — half our fans are female. They're mothers. They're you. [Everett: Yeah.] That voice in the boardroom, that voice at the executive level, is really important. So the welcoming of that voice was really important to me, and that brought me right in. But it was a startup, and it wasn't easy. There were times [Everett: You had to do all the jobs.] — I came in, and there wasn't really a real budget process. People from startups don't love budget processes. They all live in this world of, "Whatever I have to do to make it happen." I'm like, "That's not it anymore." [Everett: We appreciate the grit.] Right, we have a proven — [Everett: A low structure.] — had some success. [Everett: Yeah.] But for us to take it to the next level, we have to have real organization. [Everett: Yeah.] And I think, at first, I didn't make a lot of friends, but what I was able to prove, in the end, was that setting achievable — and sometimes felt-like-unachievable — goals that we actually met [Everett: Yeah.] is way more fun than just being on a booze cruise where you're doing whatever you [00:10:00] want. You never know if you're really achieving anything. You don't know where you're going, you don't have direction, you don't have vision. So I think they had a great vision to start it, but then you get in it, and you're in this cycle of a startup where [Everett: Yeah.] everybody's grabbing the pen and doing whatever. And I'm like, "No, people actually do need to be in their own departments." [Everett: Totally.] You live this. [Everett: For sure. Of course.] So yeah, and I think that was — again, I came into a hard role, and there weren't a lot of other new people. I was the one new hire during COVID. I was the only executive hire. [Everett: Wow.] So people looked at me and thought all this negative change was coming from this person, but it was really coming from the owners. Some of the owners realized the structure was necessary — they're private equity guys, they know exactly what to do. [Everett: Yeah.] So it was a welcome change for them — I was making my bosses happy, but I wasn't making a lot of friends. But over time we worked through that, and once we got the structure better in place, [Everett: Yeah.] people were more appreciative of [00:11:00] what the structure meant for them. And then you could see people really starting to grow and thrive within the structure and the organization, and I think they're actually sort of at another inflection point now that they have [unclear]. [Everett: Yeah.] It takes you to another level.
Everett: You're adding a new giant audience.
Stacy: That's right — like going international. So they have, I think, another growth pain coming right now, where you have to operationalize international, and that's a whole other thing.
Everett: I equate it almost to the Dodgers grabbing Ohtani — obviously, different level of star.
Stacy: Different, but similar, if you look at the organizations.
Everett: Yes.
Everett: So speaking of goals and accomplishments — you land one of the biggest stadium naming rights deals while you're there. Walk us through a little bit of that process. How does that happen? Does the bank just call you and say, "Hey, we're BMO, we want people driving past to see our name"? How do you think about that?
Stacy: So I think what's crazy about that deal specifically is it really taught me a lot of things that are [00:12:00] basic but important. Relationships are so important. [Everett: Of course.] We didn't know BMO, but we knew people who knew BMO. My boss at the time was touring people at the stadium, and happened to mention, "We've been looking for a naming rights partner for a long, long time." [Everett: Yeah.] We were getting close with a couple of our current customers, but we still didn't really have the deal we were all looking for. [Everett: Yeah.] And he just happened to drop, in a group of people, "If you know anybody looking for a naming rights deal, we got this great building — you just all toured it with me, right?" And just saying that was the key to getting us a first meeting with them — again, randomly. And what we didn't know was that BMO was acquiring a giant bank here in Los Angeles. [Everett: Yeah.] Nobody knew about that publicly yet, but it was coming. And people ask me a lot, "When did you know it was [00:13:00] BMO?" Crazily, I think I knew it was BMO the very first time we talked to them. They were so different. We came in — I think we did a good job while I was there learning how to sell partnerships, not assets and signage. And so we had pretty great storytelling in our first deck. But before we even told our story, [Everett: Yeah.] they're like, "We actually brought a deck to show you who we are in the community and what our values are." And I'm like, [Everett: That's cool.] "Okay, this is new." I've never been pitched before a pitch. But then they go through their deck — their values, our values, how they show up in the community and why. It was like when we started presenting, I'm like, we're sort of presenting back to you — we're parroting a bit back. And from that point on, I think we both knew it was just a matter of figuring out the right deal. [Everett: Yeah.] Because what they needed was exactly what our building naming rights sale could provide, and that's what you always wanna find. And I think it's rare — of all the deals I've been part of selling, it's [00:14:00] the one that felt the most right from the very start. Not that others haven't felt good or worked out over time, but that was just instant. [Everett: Sometimes it's just right.] Yeah, it was just instant.
Everett: You guys had that sponsorship — but including it, a million tickets sold three years in a row, you're knocking it out of the park. How do you think about that journey, getting to those numbers and those accomplishments?
Stacy: I think the interesting thing about the million tickets sold, and where we rank on Billboard and Pollstar, is that it's sort of crazy when you think about the size of our venue. But it starts with a very intentional build. When you're thinking about building a stadium, it's about what you're planning on using it for and how. So when people ask, "How did you do this?" — if you already have a building, it's hard to tell you what to do, because it was so thoughtful. How do we make it have variety? How does it stand the test of time? How does it have intimate and different spaces? All so intentional. And then from [00:15:00] there, you get this incredible variety of events. What people may not know is, when you're watching a commercial and it's BMO Stadium — sometimes it's obvious, but other times we turn our concourse into Dodger Stadium. We've done builds where — [unclear] — you think you're somewhere else, but you're actually in our stadium. So we created all these intentional spaces to be able to do filming, concerts, bar mitzvahs, weddings, and of course we built it for great international soccer and football. So once you do that, you get promoters and artists excited about being there. [Everett: Gotcha.] And then they talk. [Everett: Yeah.] And then you have fans, and you give them an experience they want to be part of. It's this whole cycle — it's the flywheel.
Everett: I gotcha. So you go from there pretty much to the Sparks — and again, we're changing sports.
Stacy: Yes.
Everett: Not changing location this time.
Stacy: Yes.
Everett: But you're walking into an industry that people sometimes say is arguably a startup, in terms of — at least the [00:16:00] culture — scrappy, maybe. Tell us about that decision.
Stacy: So this one goes a little bit back to your first question — where you put quality of life, career, and compensation. This is obviously a career decision, but I think it's also a legacy thing for me. I've been in men's sports for 24 years. And I actually had the privilege of helping Angel City get started in our building when I was part of [unclear]. [Everett: That's cool.] And at that moment, working with Julie and Kara and Natalie, and all the incredible women who worked at Angel City over those years, trying to help from the venue side — being the landlord — I knew that part of my journey needed to be in women's sports. [Everett: Got it.] I have a son, but I also have two daughters, and I want them to one day hopefully be able to look at things differently, and really bring women's sports to the level that it should be. [Everett: Interesting.] [00:17:00] So I think that's a big part of my decision. And the W, for me — where it is right now, and what's going on with the CBA they just signed — [Everett: Yeah.] is pivotal. Their rights deal is incredible, when you compare it to what's going on even in other women's leagues. It's ready — it almost feels like going back to LAFC at the beginning. Women's, not men's, but how do we really take a startup and set it up for future success?
Everett: Now, I know it's a little early in terms of time on the job, but what do you look at when you come into a new organization? What are the first couple things you're studying, researching, looking at the finances? What are those things you look at first?
Stacy: I think the first thing that's important to look at for me — which I get to change in a role like this — [Everett: Yeah.] is: what have people been tolerating, and what are people celebrating, culture-wise? Because to me, that's it. [00:18:00] People think culture is what you're writing on walls, or what you're saying — even what you're saying most of the time. [Everett: Yeah.] It's what you're doing. [Everett: That's right.] So I've been really watching and listening and learning a lot, and really trying to dig into what have people been celebrating here, what have people been tolerating here, what have people been rewarding here, and how that impacts people and what they think. It's been interesting — what I've really found positive is the attitude of the employees. I think employees, when new presidents come in — and this organization has had six or seven presidents in eight or 10 years — the people who've been there for a while have been through it. People come in [Everett: Lots of change.] and they don't even have time to really set any intentions when they're there that short a time. So they're just cycling in and out, and people are on a rollercoaster ride of culture and change, and what's coming tomorrow. So despite that, people are [00:19:00] really open-minded to change and really excited to have a leader [Everett: That's great.] and really want to be great. So I think that could have gone so many different ways, and I feel really fortunate that most of the people who work for me seem fired up about where the league is, why they're here, why they want to be here, and how they want to help me. So it's been great.
Everett: That's great.
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Everett: All right, well, welcome back, Stacy. You mentioned a couple things I want to start connecting the dots on with our business owners. I think about when people acquire new businesses, or when they get investments — you mentioned private equity investing in LAFC, and they bring this new leader in, and that new leader represents change. I think the same thing happens sometimes when people acquire a business and start to take over. So how do you get the team to feel comfortable? I like how you said you figure out what they're tolerating. [Stacy: Mm-hmm.] But are you just sitting down and saying, "What are you tolerating? What do you like?" What's your [00:21:00] style?
Stacy: Yeah, we talked a lot about curiosity and questions — it's a lot of asking questions, both when things go wrong and when things go right. I got to start at the very start of the season, which people could say is hard, but I'd argue was actually really nice for me, because things were already cooked and I couldn't really change it. [Everett: That's right.] I just get to watch it be executed, and whether that goes right or wrong, I get to be there to help guide it, but also see how people react to those things. So we've had things go wrong and things go right, and it's been interesting because people will share what's happened before — that's the question I ask a lot: "How was this handled before?" Or, "How would you like to handle this?" Or, "How do you think we should handle this?" I don't even have to ask those now — at the beginning I kind of had to ask. Now, I'm about seven or eight weeks in, and I'm getting it — people are already learning my style, and they're like, "All right, so it used to be this, and now we do this." And people have opened up a bit.
Everett: That's great.
Stacy: It [00:22:00] is great.
Everett: Especially now — I think they give you suggestions?
Stacy: No, they are. And I did walk in on day one, in person, and stood in front of the staff — it's a small staff, like 40 people. And I said, "You really should think about this as a whiteboard, in a good way, not a scary way. Our owners are choosing to invest in a different way, and that's clear to me, and it should be clear to you. This doesn't mean we're gonna go out and waste money. What it does mean is that the things you've thought about in the past — 'If we could just have this one thing, we'd have this,' or 'If we would spend money on this one thing, we could be this,' or 'If we had one more person, or this different role' — think about that, and then bring it to me." And I've actually had a young ticket salesperson ask me for 30 minutes and bring me some ideas already. And I did praise him in front of others — I'm like, "This is a positive thing." And I'd say the other thing I did is I do a two-hour pregame huddle, which not everyone can always go to, 'cause there's fires and jobs and whatever, but as many [00:23:00] people as can come to the huddle, including some of the basketball operations side. And I started with, "What's going on for the day?" And then I praise someone, recognize someone, and then I ask others to praise each other. At first I could hardly get one or two people to do it. Now I almost have to stop them — everybody's doing it, which is so great — but it's how I can see how people reward each other. It's like, what do people think is good? And I'm getting a real sense — sometimes I agree with it, and other times I'm not sure I agree, but that's okay. I love that people are helping — giving each other props.
Everett: Now, is "pregame" the name of the meeting, or is it literally—
Stacy: No — two hours before. We're at Crypto[.com Arena], and we have this little curtained-off session. We do a circle, and we all sit and talk about things that are interesting for the game — whether it's, "We're playing [unclear] for the first time," or "The president's here, and here's what—," or "We have these six celebrities coming — if you don't know who, this is who's coming, and if any of you would like to meet one of them—"
Everett: Or keep them off the court.
Stacy: Or, [00:24:00] right, just be aware — our owner's gonna be here, or whatever. So just really a highlight, or a partner activation that might be happening — whatever is interesting for the game. And then sometimes basketball — the GM, [unclear], comes, and sometimes she'll share something interesting on the basketball side — this team has this record, they have this player, they have the rookie, whatever — just to give people a flavor. I think it's nice for my team [Everett: That's cool.] to hear about what's going on on the court. We can't control it, but it's good to know. So that's like 5 or 10 minutes, but I do think it's really allowed people to open up, to get to know me a little bit, but also each other. And I think what I learned a couple of years ago, from both my executive coach and my own observations, is how important my voice is to give recognition in real time — and not wait till I put it on a piece of paper, or wait until year-end reviews. People need immediate feedback to know what was great. And people [00:25:00] also need immediate feedback when it hasn't gone well, because I don't need them to keep doing the same things over and over that aren't good. But I think that piece was really important, and that small thing has gone a long way.
Everett: That's interesting. Now, one thing I know business owners think about is that they don't get an off-season. So I think you've taught me this — let me just confirm what I heard. Soccer doesn't truly have a real off-season.
Stacy: It does not, no.
Everett: Whereas the W does, and the NFL does — technically, though the NFL's trying to find its way into everything.
Stacy: Yeah, completely.
Everett: But — okay, so at least you agree soccer doesn't technically have one.
Stacy: It does not, yeah.
Everett: So does your style change a little bit with LAFC versus the W, since you maybe have a little more time?
Stacy: Yeah, I think the interesting thing about the off-season is that, to me, that is business's season. Which I think is what made LAFC harder, more challenging — we never got that deep pause for good strategy planning, for a real [00:26:00] sales window. You're selling during the season, which sometimes is good, because you have the events and the game supports it, but you're also tired and activating — trying to do it all at the same time. So when I look back to the NFL, we did have an off-season. Of course you have draft and combine and all that, but you have a pretty solid off-season where you can really build up to selling, and do more strategic planning. I'd say there's not rest, necessarily, but there's a lot more time to plan, and I think it's the same for this job, too. I do think global football never stops — you have to be way more intentional about how and when you plan. [Everett: Yeah.] Because it was always hard — people were like, "Oh my God, we're gonna go do strategic planning," and it's September, [Everett: Right.] and we're in a playoff run. Like, what, you wanna do it during Christmas? That's the only other time, and by then it's too late to do anything for the next year. So I'm excited about having an off-season again, to actually properly plan and execute, and then execute [00:27:00] later.
Everett: Yeah. When you think about small business — 'cause I still think of LAFC, even though it's obviously tremendously successful now, as a small business compared to the Colts, right?
Stacy: Absolutely.
Everett: What are some of the things you'd encourage, or say to small businesses thinking about growth or development, based on what you've seen?
Stacy: Even when you're a small business, you already have customers, so retention and loyalty over growth, sometimes — just not forgetting about that part. There were times decisions had to be made, and you made them, and you weren't abandoning your old customer base, but you were challenging that in a way — because the cost to acquire a new customer is so much higher than the cost of keeping one, always. So for me, that's as important in sports as anything. In the W, it's interesting — when you look at the existing fan base from the last 30 years and the new fans, [00:28:00] they're two totally different people. So that's one of the hardest parts of what I'm trying to figure out now — how do I not alienate, and how do we continue to grow from this customer base, [Everett: Yeah.] but knowing that this new customer base doesn't want the same things as my former customer base does. So it's a really fine line, and they're incredibly loyal, and we'll get there — but it's gonna take real intentionality to make sure we keep those basketball purists happy while also entertaining our new fans, who are in it for a different reason — whether it's, "I wanna do it 'cause it's women's basketball, women's sports," or "I wanna go to a fun game with great music and a DJ, and it's a party." I want all those people to enjoy the game for different reasons, and that's when you get it right in women's sports — like what you see happening at the Valkyries right now. They've gotten it right. They've listened, and they have the luxury of being new — they don't have old fans — but I do think they were intentional about building something for their market, [00:29:00] and that's the piece that, here in LA, we're gonna really spend a lot of time on in our off-season: how do we make the Sparks like everything Los Angeles is? Right now, it's a great legacy women's basketball team — it's won three championships. [Everett: Yeah.] Amazing. It has some incredible alumni — Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker — you put them out there, they're there. [Everett: Yeah.] But what makes us Los Angeles? That's what people love about Los Angeles sports — they're true to the city. [Everett: Yeah.] And I think that's the piece we really have to work on — that's an interesting challenge for us.
Everett: That's interesting. I'm thinking about business owners — we've been lucky to partner with you guys the last couple years, thank you. But when you think about being a business owner thinking about sports — you've seen stadium deals, all types of things — what do you think is a good entry point? Let's start there.
Stacy: I think what's hard about that is it's probably different for everybody, depending on what you want.
Everett: Dollars spent, goals, KPIs.
Stacy: Right. I would say — I think [00:30:00] for me, I've always felt this way, and it comes from how I learned at LAFC — everything we did was very grassroots. Especially when you think of small businesses, they don't always have a lot of money to shell out for a partnership, [Everett: Yeah.] and I'm okay with that. I think sometimes people worry too much about the dollars at the beginning. I just had a conversation with a young beauty brand the other day, where it's like, "I know you can't spend money with me, but your brand is very interesting to me, and I think could be relevant — besides the dollars — I think we could help each other grow our businesses." And then from there, it's like, if I work with this small beauty brand, I give them something, they give me something, and then I can go sell how I did that to other small [Everett: Got it.] beauty brands, to grow as a whole. And really, to me, it's about thinking about the core of what we're both trying to do — does that make sense? And you can't leave the money fully out, and my job is to drive revenue, just like everyone's is, in the [00:31:00] seat we're in. But I think you have to really try to put that aside, especially when you're doing first-time partnerships. You just start doing this — it's hard for both parties. It's hard for a sports team to have a new partner, and it's hard for a new partner to be a new partner. So I think if you start smaller — we did it this year with Alfred Coffee — you start smaller, but with high impact. We were trying to grow social, become relevant in Los Angeles, and I think that was really good for both of us — none of that was about dollars and cents, it was about exposure and attaching ourselves to a brand our players think is interesting. They can eventually tell stories, they can sell their product and my product. And now we're sort of proof of concept, so we can start thinking about what other LA brands we can tell this story to — and now they're wanting to do more next year. So it's not always about starting small — [00:32:00] obviously with BMO, we started huge, but that's a whole different can of worms, and they weren't doing a sports sponsorship for the first time. So it's different. But if you're doing it for the very first time, I do think small, quick-win proof of concept is the best way to start — learn to trust each other, because that trust is what makes great partnerships.
Everett: Makes sense. I'm looking at the W's numbers too, and I'm hoping some businesses pay attention, 'cause this could be the NFL in a couple years, [Stacy: Yep.] with a real barrier to entry, just based on the number of people trying to get in, plus price, right?
Stacy: Right, yep.
Everett: So that's also pretty interesting to me. What do you think businesses sometimes do wrong when it comes to partnerships?
Stacy: Hmm, that's a good question. I think — when it goes wrong, it's generally transactional, and you point back to contracts. I say this all the time — if we're ever getting the contract out, [Everett: Yeah.] we've failed our partnership. Because, to me, you have to do a contract, you have to put it on a piece of paper — [Everett: Yeah.] everyone has to do [00:33:00] that. But what we should all go into it knowing is that the things we put on the paper might not work, because we don't know — you're putting it on paper the first time, especially, and you have no idea if it's gonna work. If you do a content series and it's not good for either of us, we shouldn't do it next year. So I think just really thinking about the results and how it's working, and not focusing on what you're supposed to get, and making it transactional — that's, to me, when it's ever gone wrong. It's that paper, and going back to, "You told me you would give me this," even though we're looking at each other knowing we gave you that last year and it was terrible for you. Let's not do that anymore. The numbers don't lie — I'm a big data person. [Everett: Me too.] The data tells you if you're doing it the right way. And obviously sometimes goals can change — maybe you don't want engagement anymore, maybe you want customer acquisition. Whatever you're looking for, we have to look at those things together, and if they're not working, it's on either of us not to go back and say, "Well, I told you I was gonna do this, and [00:34:00] that's what I'm doing for you, so sorry you want something else." So just being flexible, and the true partnership — which everybody says nowadays, but [Everett: Yeah.] it really is what makes partnerships work — [Everett: That's it, that's what it is.] people trusting each other, doing what's best for each other, and listening, as opposed to going back to paper.
Everett: I totally agree with that. So we'll end here — you alluded to this a little bit — talk to some of the women entrepreneurs, women going through different career changes, out there. You've said some things, but I'd love a couple more pearls of wisdom, or double-click on some of what you've said, for the women out here.
Stacy: I try really hard not to focus on "I'm a woman, and it's different." [Everett: Yeah.] I don't, 'cause I don't think it is. The older I get, the more confident I am [Everett: Sure.] that the way females think, the way we lead, the way we run things, [Everett: Yeah.] has a place and doesn't require explanation. And [00:35:00] I think — [Everett: Totally agree.] — the more unapologetic I got about that, the better off I was. So the sooner you can lean into confidence, which is hard — and I'll say that and be fully honest — there are times I may look confident, and you might think I'm confident, but I go home and I'm like, "Oh man, I don't know," or the whole time there I was nervous. I think it's about really leaning into who you are, [Everett: Yeah.] and being confident that who you are is good enough, [Everett: Yeah.] and being confident that you're the right person. And again, it's not easy. [Everett: Yeah.] And what's crazy is I realize that even with my own daughters — they look at me and say, "How are you so sure about what you wanna do in life?" I'm like, "I wasn't sure at all. Do I seem sure?" They're like, "Oh my God, it just seems like you were meant for this, and you know you're great at it." [Everett: It all worked together.] And I'm like, "Nope, that's not how it went — it was a series of fortunate situations." And I'd say that's the other thing — [00:36:00] don't get so fixated on one path. That's advice I got early on: you never know where the next best opportunity's gonna come from, so take conversations, and that's okay. You're not cheating on your boss or your old job [Everett: Right.] — the conversation is free, and you don't have to do anything with it. But you never know where a conversation leads about a future opportunity — it might be something like a board position one day, not a job, but great experience for you. So say yes to things that are a little bit scary, a little bit of a reach. And the last piece I'd say is: don't look at a job description and think, because you can't do one thing on it — or two things, or four things — you can't do it. [Everett: Right.] I sit here because when I was in the LAFC interview, one of the questions they asked me was, "What on here can't you do?" And I was super honest about it — I said, "I've never done this, and I've never done this." But let me just tell you, there's a whole host of things I'd never done three years ago, and I'm not worried about that at all. You should be curious, not worried — and open to learn. I'm [00:37:00] very curious. But it's always so much better to own what you don't know. [Everett: Yeah.] People write those job descriptions — I write them now — and you're not — that's a unicorn, most of the time. You're not looking for a person who does every single thing on there. You're looking for somebody who got 75% of it, maybe, and is also willing to learn and work hard for you.
Everett: Totally agree, totally agree. Well, Stacy, it's been a pleasure.
Stacy: Yeah.
Everett: Great having you on the show.
Stacy: It's been awesome. Thank you so much for having me.
Everett: Thanks for hanging out with us on Small Business Unscripted. Want more? Head to smallbusinessunscripted.com for additional episodes, helpful resources, and to keep the conversation going. See you next time.