A Q&A with Renée Safrata, March 20th Women in the Spotlight Speaker
A serial entrepreneur for 30 years, Renée Safrata is now the founder and owner of Vivo Team Development, an HR Tech company that offers corporations the ability to use data to analyze team and leader productivity, identify areas for improvement and provide targeted training solutions. Vivo Team proudly won WEConnect International’s Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2014.
Renee will be sharing her insights at the upcoming Women in the Spotlight dinner on Tuesday, March 20th at the Best Western Plus Chateau Granville in Vancouver.
What inspired you to found Vivo Team Development?
An ongoing curiosity and passion to discover what makes one team highly functional and another completely dysfunctional?
What’s your favourite part of running a HR Tech Company?
The increasing appetite for people analytics, I love it when we hear a manager say VivoAnalytics™ is ‘my secret weapon’ or ‘smack-dab, right on’.
Have you had a mentor or been a mentor? Should everyone have one? Why or why not?
Yes, go get one now! I’ve had many and they have kindly directed me to areas I would have never gone, they have sat with me in a puddle of tears without flinching, they have built my confidence in ways I thought never possible.
What book(s) are on your night stand right now? What have you learned from them?
I hate this question – I’m not a reader but you caught me on a good day. I just ordered Chelsea Clinton’s “She Persisted – Around the World” I am looking forward to being inspired by other women.
If you were to give a piece of advice to someone opening a business, what would you say?
If you are doing it for freedom, give your head a shake. If you are doing it to keep an aliveness in your soul, do it right now!
How do you organize your priorities each day?
Sales first, team questions second, everything else third and beyond. I also have a fabulous general manager who holds me accountable to top priorities everyday. Thank you Erin!
Have you had any setbacks that has make your business stronger or wiser?
A health crisis that taught me to be more self-aware and that being able to work is an absolute privilege, my husband’s health crisis that taught me love comes first, money can come second.
On social media, who do you follow and what influences do they have?
When I have the time, I like to follow our customers and prospects feeds to learn more about their passions and what they focus on…but when time is short, I must admit I just don’t.
What do you consider to be your greatest achievement to date?
My relationships with my favourites.
What is your favourite quote?
“Heartbeats are our only non-renewable resource, use them wisely” – Dr. Jim Sellner