"You should cherish your failures as much as your successes. They are every bit as important, even though they are not as pleasant."
Woody Sears Tweet
Woody Sears has worked for eighteen years in the mobile/software industry -Founder of iStoryTime and HearHere, creator of the first library of storybook apps for the iPhone -Over 200 apps directed, produced, launched and marketed leading to 14million+ downloads -Formed key relationships with Apple, Google, Amazon marketing and editorial teams to maximize product exposure -Successfully prospected, negotiated and closed multi-year licensing agreements with DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, Jim Henson Company, Nickelodeon, Mattel, Cartoon Network, Fox, Sony Pictures Animation and many others.
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Table of Contents
Let’s start with a brief introduction first. Introduce yourself to our readers.
Woody Sears: My name is Woody Sears, I am the Founder of HearHere, a subscription-based audio app that shares the depth and diversity of stories – historical, cultural, natural, and mythological – hidden along the roads of America.
Our audience is interested to know about how you got started in the first place. Did you always want to become a CEO or was it something you were led to? Our readers would love to know your story!
Woody Sears: Even though I have worked in various capacities. I have always seen myself as an idea guy, which kind of lends itself to becoming a CEO. So while I did not consciously think about being a CEO of a company, my approach to business, and how I have operated, led me in that direction.
“Selfmade” is a myth. We all received help, no doubt you love to show appreciation to those who supported you when the going got tough, who has been your most important professional inspiration?
Woody Sears: Some so many people have supported me in the good times and the tough times. My family comes to mind first, who have always been there for me. In terms of professional inspirations, that would be the team I have at HearHere. The people I work with believe strongly in the concept and have taken something that had never been attempted before and turned it into reality. Just the fact that they were willing to take that leap with me, is one of the biggest inspirations I can think of.
How did your journey lead you to become a CEO? What difficulties did you face along the way and what did you learn from them?
Woody Sears: As I had mentioned, I had always been an idea guy. However, I did not always know how to translate the idea for someone who may have not been involved in my industry. Raising capital for these types of concepts is probably the biggest challenge. One of the difficulties is in introducing new concepts to people whose expertise is in a different field or whose mind works differently than mine does. So, learning how to adjust my style to communicate my ideas to potential investors was a great deal of work.
Tell us about your company. What does your business do and what are your responsibilities as a CEO?
Woody Sears: HearHere is a subscription-based audio app that shares the stories that follow the paths of America’s roadways. Essentially, our business is a cross between entertainment and education. Our customers, as they drive or travel, pass destinations with unique stories behind them. The application allows them to listen to the history and background of their current locations. In essence, it puts them in the middle of the story. My responsibilities encompass everything from software design, to promotions and advertising, to forming partnerships, and coordinating talent. So I wear many hats, which makes it very exciting. No two days are ever the same.
What does CEO stand for? Beyond the dictionary definition, how would you define it?
Woody Sears: A CEO is a person who acts as the guide to foster the best out of their team. A CEO’s job is to find ways to make their team members shine. They are not the star, but the facilitator of the process.
When you first became a CEO, how was it different from what you expected? What surprised you?
Woody Sears: When I first became CEO, I was still thinking like an employee who had a singular or specific role. I had yet to broaden my vision. What I was not expecting was being the person whose role it was to spark the ideas, and to serve as the compass, not the implementer.
There are many schools of thought as to what a CEO’s core roles and responsibilities are. Based on your experience, what are the main things a CEO should focus on? Explain and please share examples or stories to illustrate your vision.
Woody Sears: Beyond the guiding of my teams, I believe a CEO’s main job is to foster relationships and act as the bridge for the company to the outside world. A CEO’s most important job is to build relationships, When I first came up with the concept for HearHere, I recognized that the voices that narrated the stories were every bit as important as the stories themselves. So, through various contacts, and by developing new relationships, we were able to get recognizable celebrity voices featured on our app, that were perfect for accompanying those narratives. This, in turn, drove the interests in our business for further development.
Share with us one of the most difficult decisions you had to make for your company that benefited your employees or customers. What made this decision so difficult and what were the positive impacts?
Woody Sears: I am not sure it was a difficult one in terms of whether I should do it or not, because I knew it had to be done. But for me, stepping away from roles I had been involved in previously, to give myself a greater vision of the company as a whole, was difficult on an emotional level. I love to be involved in the intricacies of the software and the imagination that accompanies it. However, when you are a CEO, you have to be willing to move away, and not micromanage. Being away from some of that process has always been tough.
How would you define success? Does it mean generating a certain amount of wealth, gaining a certain level of popularity, or helping a certain number of people?
Woody Sears: That’s a tricky question because as a CEO, you have to make certain that your company is operating in the black and is profitable. However, it is certainly not the only definition of success. Yet, a simplified version is being able to realize your visions and make a living doing it, while at the same time, creating opportunities for others.
Some leadership skills are innate while others can be learned. What leadership skills do you possess innately and what skills have you cultivated over the years as a CEO?
Woody Sears: I think my greatest skill is to recognize the talents in others and then foster them to their greatest potential. In terms of cultivating a skill, I would have to say that networking is one that had to be developed.
How did your role as a CEO help your business overcome challenges caused by the pandemic? Explain with practical examples.
Woody Sears: We were fortunate, given the nature of our business, that the pandemic did not impact us to the degree that others had to endure. However, as travel was limited for some time, we had to make certain to keep promoting the benefits of our app, and how it could be utilized not only for long travel but short trips as well. By highlighting this aspect of our software application, we were able to weather the storm very well.
Do you have any advice for aspiring CEOs and future leaders? What advice would you give a CEO that is just starting on their journey?
Woody Sears: I believe that for any aspiring CEO, you should cherish your failures as much as your successes. They are every bit as important, even though they are not as pleasant.
Thank you for sharing some of your knowledge with our readers! They would also like to know, what is one skill that you’ve always wanted to acquire but never really could?
Woody Sears: I don’t think there is a skill that anyone is unable to obtain. I always believe that we are in the process of acquiring and perfecting skills. For me, the most difficult one that I am still working on, and will always be working on, is time management. I always have a million ideas going through my head, and I want to try every one of them. So managing my time to stay focused on the task at hand, is always a skill I am trying to perfect.
Before we finish things off, we have one final question for you. If you wrote a book about your life today, what would the title be?
Woody Sears: “A Work Always in Progress”
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Woody Sears for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Woody Sears or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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