What can redesigning your office do for your culture?

Mary Beth Oakes, CEO and owner of Business Furniture, chats with Scott Eckart about transforming the 70-year-old business from a traditional dealership into a company that designs spaces to shape culture, climbing the ranks from showroom manager to CEO in the process.

Mary Beth shares how she changed tracks from journalism to office interior design, how the pandemic impacted their business, and the challenges she faced during a leadership transition. You’ll hear about the competitive edge of a culture-driven company, the vital role of human connection in improving productivity, and what an innovative business model can do for a legacy company.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How listening to your clients’ needs can lead to innovation
• Why teams work better in a thoughtfully-designed office
• What facing challenges can do for your growth

Things to listen for:

(01:35) Meet Mary Beth Oakes

(05:44) Saying yes to a game-changing meeting

(10:37) Early lessons in positivity from her single mom

(17:07) How office design reflects and drives business goals

(18:40) What differentiates Business Furniture from other dealerships

(21:11) The impact of the pandemic on their business

(25:53) Learning to lead through crisis and transition

(29:31) Creating opportunity as a woman in leadership

(32:35) Why college isn’t the only way to your dream career

(35:32) Carving a path for philanthropy within the business

Resources:

Mary Beth Oakes’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marybethoakes/

Business Furniture LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-furniture-choreo/

Business Furniture website: https://businessfurniture.net/

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