Meet Lisa Slagle | Creative Agency CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Slagle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Courage. Entrepreneurship is a constant practice of courage. From listening to that little idea you know will change the world, to knowing how to articulate your value to having tough conversations with employees, the most important factor in the success of my creative agency, Wheelie, is having the courage to stand in our beliefs. This means saying no to amplifying brands whose values don’t align, and by helping other brands see the big YES that having courage provides.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Wheelie is a women-led creative agency and production company dedicated to helping brands articulate and amplify how they use capitalism for positive impact in the world. We mostly work with big brands in the outdoor industry, but we also align really well with corporations that care about similar issues, such as trying to create awesome, sustainable products and marketing what matters.

I’m proud that I started this business from a clapped-out laptop in 2009 from the mountains of Crested Butte, and it has grown into something so much bigger than me and my love of snowboarding. I used to hand out soggy business cards on chairlifts, and somehow that worked. Now, Wheelie consists of daring, thoughtful creatives all over the country, and we work with some of the biggest brands in the outdoor industry.

My journey wasn’t easy, but it was almost always fun. I made friends with people everywhere I went, and those ski bums eventually became marketing managers and entrepreneurs, so the growth of Wheelie felt organic and natural. I learned a lot about business, managing a team, and keeping track of everything for taxes on the fly. I often wonder how mentorship could have smoothed my journey with guidance, but on the plus side, problem-solving and learning through trial and error is basically the baseline for creativity, so my creative muscles flexed a hell of a lot. I made so many mistakes throughout the years (like hiring friends- never again) and working way too much, but I kept showing up, staying focused on my mission of using creative work to change the world and trying hard every day. There’s a lot to be said for showing up.

I care deeply about observing human behavior, how we interact with the world around us and the products in it, and noticing patterns. This is called vision, and I attribute a lot of my success as a creative director to making time to live, explore, notice, and think. I spend a lot of time just thinking and looking for new and better ways to do make lives easier. This is called human-centered design, and I am so proud to contribute to the world in the most positive ways that I can. At Wheelie, we are a creative agency full of good, thoughtful humans who care about what they make with our clients, and I think a culture of caring and daring is revolutionary.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Crested Butte, so my favorite spot in my town is definitely the ski resort. A lot of good conversations go down on chairlifts. I also love wandering deep into the backcountry on my snowmobile and splitboard and doing big, slower laps with people I trust in avalanche terrain. We’d probably do that.

If I were meeting a friend in Denver, I gotta say, I always have a good time riding electric scooters all over the city. Ripping around on those things just might be as fun as snowboarding, just in a different way. I’d go to a Rockies game and sit in the rockpile. Some of my best childhood memories are at Rockies games, and I still love them as an adult. For food, I have to say, I’m a sucker for breakfast, so I’d hit Snooze a few times on a Denver trip.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to give a huge shoutout to any employee who has ever contributed to our projects at Wheelie. Being a professional creative takes showing up with your whole self, and I’m so grateful for every single person who has lent their hearts, minds, and hands to the vision and vibe we have at Wheelie.

Website: www.wheeliecreative.com

Instagram: @lisa_by_design @wheeliecreative

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-slagle-3b155536/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC45GDeIPfJif90AA-pZdslw

Image Credits
Wheelie, LLC