EP 373: $1m+ On Green Contracting Company and Tech Executive

Lillie Cameron, a brand new mom who also runs her own business. She started EcoSafe Spaces with her now husband. The company provides design and building services for green, eco-friendly construction. She also works with Rackspace, which has recently revamped its policies for maternity and paternity leave.

Famous 5:

• Favorite Book? – The Advantage, with its six-question model
• What CEO do you follow? — Elon Musk
• Favorite online tool? — Trello

• Do you get 8 hours of sleep? — No
• If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? — Surround yourself with people who lift you up. Don't be afraid to fail.

Time Stamped Show Notes:

• 01:13 – Nathan introduces Lillie
• 01:50 – Green construction
• • 02:10 – They had a friend who lost a child during pregnancy because of construction chemicals
• 02:30 – EcoSafe Spaces
• • 02:40 – Design and building services
• 03:10 – Their recent project in downtown Austin
• 03:50 – Around $500000 jobs
• 04:15 – "The most energy efficient homes in the city"
• 04:30 – The sales pitch
• • 04:50 – People in Austin understand sustainability
• 05:35 – Opened in 2007
• 05:45 – Margins vary – fixed rate vs. cost plus contract
• • 06:10 – Fixed rate
  • 06:45 – The contract is much more flexible
• 07:20 – Fixed rate deal that went bad
• 07:35 – Now they do mostly cost plus contracts
• 07:50 – Up to 7 projects at a time
• 08:30 – The plan for EcoSafe
• • 08:55 – There are benefits to being a small business
• 09:20 – Lillie also works with Rackspace
• 09:25 – Recruited in 2009 by a former boss
• 09:55 – She did project management work, but wore multiple hats
• 10:45 – It is utility-based computing
• 11:10 – How this type of service was first received
• 12:30 – There are many different types of customers
• 13:20 – They have a unique angle
• 13:35 – Rackspace is a great place for new parents to work
• 14:10 – Maternity leave in this country
• • 14:45 – Canada does a year of leave
  • 15:00 -- Paternity and maternity leave needs awareness
• 15:55 – ecosafespaces.com and Lillie Cameron on LinkedIn
• 17:50 – The Famous Five

3 Key Points:

• Find a business idea that solves an important problem.
• Consider maternity leave in the US and how it needs to improve.
• You can balance it all, as a business owner and a parent.

Resources Mentioned:

• Host Gator – The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
• Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
• Leadpages – The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
• Audible – Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.
• Trello – Lillie's favorite online tool for staying organized

• Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives