Community Highlights: Meet Rachel Svoboda of Sunday Brunch Agency and Lynxx Spirits

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Svoboda.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My mission is to build businesses and products that support women. Activist Marian Wright Edelman said, “You can’t be what you can’t see.” Visibility to see examples is one of the most powerful tools we have in inspiring people to pursue their dreams and architect amazing futures.

I began my career in advertising working alongside major brands such as Toyota, Panasonic, The Irvine Company, Nékter, City of Hope, LAX, Dole, and others to develop original content and business strategies that have been recognized by the EFFIES, American Advertising Federation, 4A’s, and the One Show Awards.

I started my first business, Sunday Brunch Agency, in 2016 to specialize in working with people, brands, products, and services that we believe in – many of these are women-owned businesses. We pair personal passion with professional excellence – resulting in a work environment that feels more like a hobby than a job. As marketing experts who were trained at some of the best ad agencies in the world, we are able to deliver a wide range of full-service solutions based on the needs of client business. This brings great joy to employees and great results for clients. You can see time and time again how a genuine interest in a client helps to make the work better and strengthens that relationship.

I started my second business, Lynxx Spirits in 2019 to create the first bourbon whiskey made by an all-female team – from master blender to distiller, bottle manufacturer, tasters, etc. We believe in creating products that are first-class, luxurious, and empowering.

As a survivor of domestic violence and a single mother of two children, I’m proud of the work I’m doing to pave the way for women. “You can’t be what you can’t see.” These words have lately taken on a fresh meaning in my own life, and inevitably, I’m more compelled to see these words manifest in the lives of others around me as a result. You can’t be what you can’t see: it is true for all of us – we rely on stories, examples, leaders or, in the purest, most basic form, images that inform us about who we are and what our potential is. I’m proud to set an amazing example for my daughter and son about what a woman can achieve when she puts her mind to it and works diligently.

I’m proud to inspire those around me to operate at their highest level and to pave the way for the next generation of women leaders. It’s an amazing experience when you “bet on yourself” and take a chance to start your first business then watch it succeed. I dedicate this answer to all the brave leaders everywhere who are taking that first leap!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
My biggest adversity in personal and business has been consistency. While wearing multiple hats, I used to speed ahead each day until the point of exhaustion. My life was dictated by reacting to urgent situations and each day looked different depending on what “emergency” was the priority.

The big shift for me was instituting a consistent and disciplined routine. I’ve personally applied this to myself and the company. Personally, that includes these daily behaviours which help me stay mentally tough: two 45-minute workouts, reading 10-pages of a non-fiction book, drinking a gallon of water, no alcohol, and a healthy diet.

Professionally, implementing consistency across all efforts internally, externally, and with employees has been brought to life across areas such as:
– Consistent branding
– Consistent caring
– Consistent culture
– Consistent communication
– Consistent dedication
– Consistent partnership
– Consistency is present across everything we do!

I’ve learned that consistency and discipline are necessary in order to operate at our highest potential and have a successful business and a happy life.

From the beginning of the pandemic, women’s careers have suffered disproportionately – more responsibilities at home, homeschooling, furloughed hospitality jobs (primarily held by women), decrease in income, and more. Maybe you can relate.

It’s no secret that women have long been overlooked and under-compensated, and while great strides have been made in recent decades, the value placed on women versus their male counterparts is still consistently unbalanced. Pair this with the added responsibilities of childcare, household chores, mental health, physical wellness, and other gender bias obstacles and you’ll quickly reach a breaking point!

People need to know that women are often being set up to fail. And most women haven’t adopted the modern approach to having household staff to help carry the workload yet.

This is why my companies are structured differently. We are set-up for women to succeed – regardless of how their personal lives change or evolve over the years. For example, when I was homeschooling my kids during the pandemic, we made adjustments to work around the demands of their school zoom schedules. Another example, everyone enjoys unlimited vacation. These types of flexible policies are built into our culture.

During the pandemic, the Sunday Brunch Agency culture took an unexpected turn. We went from attending 7 – 10 events per week to zero plus news outlets and society was pumping everyone full with fear. These influences had a definite impact on morale and culture.

As a female business owner, I was determined to balance the company to help every employee feel supported and psychologically safe. We refocused efforts around actively coaching and mentoring. The coaching was helpful to build performance and development of certain skills…often to meet specific objectives within a set period of time. The mentoring was essential in order to build wisdom, knowledge and openly share experiences.

One of my favorite parts about playing team sports was being in unison with teammates who shared a common vision, goals, and determination to succeed. It’s the same in business. We use teamwork to support each other and grow the company.

As a coach, boss, parent, teacher, and leader we can apply the lessons we learned while playing sports to all team-based activities. At Sunday Brunch Agency, it’s my job to remove obstacles and provide the tools for others to maximize their highest performance potential. This may manifest through industry knowledge, tactical skills, speed, autonomy, confidence, etc. the best coaches of all timeshare the commonality of being able to understand and motivate.

We continue to evolve internally through a positive company culture – this involves trust, respect, and the opportunity for employees to grow. Our culture is maintained from the top down with emphasis on four essential areas:

1. Positive communication
2. Praise, thanks, and rewards
3. Employee well-being
4. Passion, inspiration, and curiosity

We’ve been impressed with Sunday Brunch Agency and Lynxx Spirits, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m currently innovating three industries – the advertising industry, the spirits industry, and motherhood. In this answer, I’ll reveal how I’m doing it all.

First, Sunday Brunch Agency: A full-service marketing communications company.

Over this past year, we did more than just tackle the pandemic with creativity and tenacity while keeping our vision, team, and customers intact. We lifted up other women and female-owned businesses along the way. We built better solutions, relationships, services and raised the bar. We fought like hell to come out of this past year better than we went into it.

Through our empowered and inclusive community, we have helped both our team and our clients sustain and thrive. Since inception, Sunday Brunch Agency has always been a virtual company. This enabled us to work seamlessly when the COVID-19 pandemic started and we’ve been able to continue providing outstanding service to our clients. We’ve introduced new services – such as assistance with PPP Loans, enhanced digital media support, strong brand building, and other key tactics to help our clients stay in business during this pandemic.

I love being able to handpick the clients we work with. I have found that every brand was started because the owner believed in something special. That’s why we work directly with owners and key decision-makers to help establish the company or innovate fresh modes of thought into ongoing efforts. When we can identify and translate exactly what that one thing is to the world then we can consistently communicate this deeper meaning to customers. With a strong foundation of strategic positioning (knowing their “why” and the Golden Circle) we can create an omnichannel customer experience – across websites, social media, emails, public relations, in-store, etc.

We work with a lot of independently owned businesses that require Regional support. Many are located in Southern California, Pacific Northwest, Desert, and Mountain areas. When working with local (or Regional) clients, our marketing strategy routinely includes deepening relationships with customers in the local community – through multiple tactical efforts. When working with National clients there is greater emphasis on building the brand reputation.

Whether working Regionally or Nationally our clients have challenges and priorities that change quickly that’s why we’re structured to be nimble and adjust to their needs. Plus, we’re poised to communicate with customers through social media, emails, flyers, and other integrated efforts. Being well-rounded (like a Swiss Army Knife) with our areas of expertise enables us to see the most success.

Second, Lynxx Spirits: The first bourbon made by women. Making a statement to work hard and unwind with sophistication.

Stereotypically, women are known to drink vodka, wine, and fruity cocktails. However, that’s not reality. There is an untold story of how women have made and enjoyed bourbon, scotch and whiskey that dates back to the 1800’s. However, this isn’t widely known because the spirits industry is primarily led by men. I saw an opportunity in the market to create a delicious bourbon that is feminine, empowering, low calorie, gluten-free, low sugar, and pleasurable to the palette.

During this process, I’ve overcome adversity, gone great distances on my own, invested in myself, learned a new industry, and the power of collaboration with women who are experts in other industries to achieve my goals. We’re available for purchase online and shipping to 33 states. Currently, there are limited retail, bar, and restaurant locations in Southern California which have been hand-picked to stock LYNXX.

Third, Motherhood: Navigating work and life as a power mom.

For the first time in American history, a significant number of mothers are entrepreneurs, heading major corporations and filling the C-Suite. There were a few trailblazing boomers before us, many now in their sixties, who endured sweeping disapproval for their demanding careers. I’m proud to be in this second wave of executive mothers, many now under forty-five, who handle working parenthood with new innovations.

As a multi-entrepreneur and mother, it’s not an accident that my companies don’t have brick and mortar offices. Since I require a flexible schedule to “work remotely” I offered this same freedom and flexibility to our team members. Everyone really cares about the work we do and everyone is dedicated to multiple areas of their lives…from personal to business, family, hobbies, etc.

One of my “pro tips” for any single working mother is to hire a dependable personal team/staff to support you at home. Just as you have a team for your business, you are the CEO of your house and need a team there too. This might include specialists, such as: nanny, housekeeper, cook, gardener, etc. Many women find themselves working tirelessly to do everything around the house and it reminds me of a business lesson that can be applied to home life. Michael E. Gerber, author of “The E Myth” says, “Work on it, not just in it.” This is the mantra for the shift in thinking you need to make in order to be able to create a business (and life) that really works. It’s a shift in perspective that has everything to do with recognizing that other people can do the tasks while you keep an eye on the big picture. It’s a great book and I highly recommend it.

For the past 18-months, I homeschooled both children while simultaneously running both companies. It was a challenging and humbling experience. I’m delighted to report that the kids are back at school, sports, and we’ve regained some balance.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I am an avid reader, podcast listener, and blogger. Statistically speaking, the majority of successful people read – so in an effort to join this elite group, I’m proud to report that I’m both a consistent consumer and creator of content.

My list of favorites is very long, here are the ones I keep on my bookshelf and reference most often:
48 Laws of Power
The E Myth
The Daily Laws
Relentless
Way of the Wolf
Winning
The Art of War
75 Hard
The 10X Rule
In the Company of Women
Wonder Women
Loon shots
Stealing fire
Thinking in bets
Art of Seduction
Thinking Fast and Slow
Range
The 5am Club
Never split the difference
Influence
Subtle art of not giving a f*ck
Barking up the Wrong Tree
Bargaining with the Devil
Skin in the Game
Principles by Ray Dalio
Ego is the Enemy
Obstacle is the Way
Algorithms to Live By
Perennial Seller
4 Disciplines of Execution
Extreme Ownership
Astrophysics for people in a hurry
Own the Day Own Your Life
Mind Hacking
The Power of Habit
Compound Effect

I’ll leave you with three pieces of advice that I would give to my younger self, including:
1. Don’t presume the gender war is over. You’re not going to glide into the new era of equality with a baby, business, board set, perfect husband, and perfect body.

2. You will need to use your power and resources to create your own success and significance.

3. Continue looking for examples of powerful women – they aren’t in your primary social circle, but cast a wider net and keep looking until you find them.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.sundaybrunchagency.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelsvoboda.oc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SundayBrunchAgency
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelSvobodaoc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCENK6HZUqJXIZmuMoOv5P6Q/featured
• Other: https://www.lynxxspirits.com/

Image Credits:
Christina Whebe: https://christinawehbe.com/ Frank Salas: https://www.franksalas.com/