The Lyons Den

Years ago, I hired someone who was incredible at their job. Smart. Skilled. Efficient. There was just one problem: She was toxic. She fought with everyone. She thrived on drama. She made work feel impossible for everyone around her. And here’s the mistake I made: I kept her for far too long. I told myself: “She’s too good at her job to let go.” “Maybe the team just needs to adapt.” “What if I can’t find someone as skilled?” But here’s what I learned the hard way: One toxic employee can destroy an entire culture. It doesn’t matter how talented someone is, if they drain energy instead of adding to it, they are a liability. The day she left? The entire team breathed again. Productivity went up. People were happier, less stressed, and more collaborative. And the best part? We found someone just as skilled, without the toxicity. If you’re holding onto someone because they’re “too good to fire”… Ask yourself: Are they actually helping? Or just making you afraid to let go? Your business isn’t just built on talent. It’s built on people who make it better.

People will skip a $10 item with $5 shipping but happily pay $15 for “free shipping.” Same cost, different reaction. I had a real life example of this just this week- I was just talking to a colleague about a rival company that was booking more than us. At first, we were confused as their rates are the same as ours. But their strategy? Not so much. They shifted their costs on their quotes. Instead of a higher agency fee, they raised staff rates & lowered their service fee, making it 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀 like a better deal. Sales aren’t always about the actual numbers. They’re about how people perceive the numbers. Perception is reality, and in business, that’s everything. #marketingstrategy #onlinemarketing #salestips #businessmarketing #thelyonsden

Lots of things go trending on social media, but social media itself is definitely not a trend. It’s here to stay. And if you’re not using it in your business, you’re missing out in a big way. With the right content, your brand has a storefront that never closes- reaching people worldwide, 24/7. With every post, you’re building your brand, your presence, your legacy. And if content creation isn’t your strong suit? That’s fine. But ignoring it isn’t. Investing in the right people to handle it is just as important as any other part of your business strategy. #socialmediamarketing #socialmediastrategy #thelyonsden

New Episode Alert 🚨 🚀 From Startup Struggles to Entrepreneurial Success – Meet Emily Lyons 🎙️ What does it take to build multiple successful businesses from the ground up? In this episode of the Big Idea Big Moves Podcast I sit down with Emily—a powerhouse entrepreneur who started with nothing but a vision and turned it into a thriving empire. Emily shares her raw, unfiltered journey, from launching Femme Fatale Media | Event Staffing Agency , to expanding into the luxury market and personal branding space. But success didn’t come easy—she’s faced legal battles, stress, and the challenges of scaling a business while maintaining mental and physical well-being. 🎧 In this episode, Emily dives into: ✅ How she built multiple businesses with minimal resources ✅ The power of branding and storytelling in entrepreneurship ✅ How she uses customer feedback & pivoting to fuel growth ✅ The biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make—and how to avoid them ✅ Her personal journey of resilience, loss, and creating a lasting impact Don’t miss this game-changing episode! Tap the link in the comments to listen or watch now! 🔗 #entrepreneur #ceo #wholelifesuccess #emilylyons

Everyone wants the big moment—the breakthrough, the game-changer, the everything shifts overnight kind of win. But that moment only happens because of the small, consistent moves nobody pays attention to. Those unglamorous, everyday efforts the habits, the tweaks, the quiet discipline—that’s what makes the big leaps possible. In business, in life, in anything— you can’t just wait for a breakthrough you have to be building towards one. Stop waiting. Start creating.

My latest episode of Open Source discusses the new trend of AI podcasters… 🤖 Bobman https://lnkd.in/gX7wVVx9

Dreams don't have an expiration date. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it won’t. Some of the most incredible success stories didn’t unfold on a “normal” timeline: 🔹 Vera Wang didn’t design her first dress until she was 40. 🔹 Stan Lee didn’t create his first comic until he was 39. 🔹 Colonel Sanders started KFC at 62. Somewhere along the way, we’re told that if we don’t achieve our dreams by a certain age, we’ve missed our shot. That’s a lie. A dream delayed is not a dream denied. It’s easy to compare ourselves to others, to feel like we’re falling behind. But you’re not late. You’re just on your timeline. So if you’re thinking of giving up because you think your time has passed, please DON’T. Take one more step. And then another. Because the only way you’ll truly fail is if you stop trying.

It’s hard to stay motivated if your motivation is external validation. Besides, there’s nothing in your life that you should never be doing it for validation from someone else. You should be doing it for you. For the future you that’s going to be so, so proud of where you are, a feat you never could have accomplished without all of that unrecognized effort. Your progress is measured by those personal wins you earn every day- not someone else’s applause. Keep pushing, even if it feels like you’re doing it all on your own. Just because your efforts are unnoticed, doesn’t mean they’ll be unrewarded. #internalvalidation #businessbuilding #thelyonsden

China's DeepSeek open-source Al has been all over headlines! But while some people see it as an exciting breakthrough in innovation, others see a plethora of scary security risks. Which side are you on? #deepseek #ai #innovation

Nobody claps for the warmup. You see the runner flying past the tape, all grace and glory, but never the 4 a.m. sprints that shredded her shins. You scroll past the artist’s “overnight masterpiece but miss the years she ate rejection for breakfast. You cheer the startup hotshot’s “big break”- blind to the nights he slept on a friends couch, pitching through panic attacks. Easy’s a highlight reel. The real story? It’s the unglamorous muck, the lonely, brutal grind no one likes to post. I’ve been the one before envying “natural talent,” till I saw the scars they don’t flaunt. Turns out, effortless is just effort with a better filter. Greatness hides in the mess.