Hey everyone, Pat here again. I was a one-man band when I started SPI back in 2008. But even back then, I had a lot of help—from friends, advisors, and others. A lot has changed since then.
Over the years, I began working with more and more talented professionals to help me get things done. I hired freelance designers, business strategists, specialized agencies, lawyers, accountants, web developers, event coordinators, and other types of contractors. They all helped me think bigger, make wise decisions, create valuable things (like podcasts, courses, and live events), and—most importantly—deliver on my commitments to you, the fans.
That way of working was good for a while. It was instrumental in helping SPI get here. But as the saying goes, what got you here doesn’t always get you there. I started to feel that way in 2018. It had been a decade since SPI began. Things were still growing, but I’m not sure I’d say they were scaling, at least not in a healthy way. My time, energy, and attention were becoming increasingly drained as I pushed to do even bigger things, like FlynnCon. That’s when I knew SPI was ready for a big change.
The big change came in the form of formally joining forces with my longtime creative agency, Winning Edits. Matt and his team merged “in-house” here at SPI. At the same time, I hired my longtime assistant, Jess, onto the in-house team. Bringing the core talent into the fold was the energy spark SPI (and myself, personally) needed to make the leap into an exciting new phase of possibilities, growth, and achievement.
Don’t worry! We’re not at all “corporate-y”. And I’m not going anywhere. We’re merely a better organized business and more focused team with a far greater ability to elevate entrepreneurs to within reach of their dreams!
Now, without further ado, I’m thrilled to introduce you to everyone!
Team SPI
Educating a worldwide community of entrepreneurs.
The member of Team SPI concentrate on all of our educational content and training experiences. We conceive, create, launch, and support our free guides, premium courses, podcasts, live webinars, and more.
Pat Flynn
Founder, Creator, and Head of GrowthPat is the man who started it all. He is a family man who also happens to be the creator of SPI as well as a bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, industry influencer, and startup advisor. Oh, and he’s the world’s biggest Back to the Future fan.
Superpowers:
Entrepreneurship
Public Speaking
Community Building
Relationship Development
Marketing & Media
Team:
Executive, Growth, Content
Matt Gartland
Partner, COO + CFO, and Head of InnovationMatt is a servant leader whose greatest joy comes from empowering other leaders, teams, and organizations to achieve their potential through sustainable growth. Above all, he’s a father and husband who will never relinquish his Pittsburgh roots.
Superpowers:
Leadership
Strategic Planning
Operations & Finance
Content Strategy
Product Strategy
Team:
Executive, Operations, Finance, Innovation
David Grabowski
ProducerDavid is a creative producer, musician, composer, and writer with a keen ear and a passion for storytelling. He’s also a father, pilot, and experimenter with a tendency to get his hands dirty in just about anything he finds interesting. He enjoys leaving his phone in the glove compartment while exploring the backcountry, often with Nōn in tow.
Superpowers:
Creativity
Audio Production
Music
Writing
Team:
Podcasts
Jay Clouse
Community Experience DirectorJay is a recovering startup founder who realized he belonged in the world of digital creators. He’s a writer, hosts a podcast called Creative Elements, and is a course creator, too. You can find him inside SPI Pro blending in and connecting with the rest of the community.
Superpowers:
Hitting Deadlines
Getting into the Weeds
Empathizing with Creators
Making Friends
Team:
Community Experience
Kristen Campbell
Associate Operations ManagerKristen has 10 years of administrative and management experience, and is highly organized with a strong attention to detail. When she's not running to soccer or volleyball for her children, you'll likely find her wrapped under her favorite warm blanket sharpening her skills as a one-day-famous Cricut designer.
Superpowers:
Leadership
Organization
Time Management
Problem Solving
Team:
Operations
Jillian Benbow
Senior Community ManagerJillian was the kid who was often lost in her own imagination, which, despite her teacher's concerns, evolved into the unique skill of dreaming up creative business strategies. She is passionate about facilitating deeper human connections and helping mission-driven organizations achieve meaningful impact. In her free time, she loves taking advantage of the mountain paradise she calls home with her family.
Superpowers:
All Things Community
Program Management
Strategic Planning
Team:
Community Experience
Tony Bacigalupo
Community Program ManagerAll through his career, Tony has been working to eradicate the epidemic of loneliness by showing people how to better foster belonging in themselves and others. To that end, he's built coworking communities, designed experimental gatherings, and helped hundreds of leaders and gatherers around the world as a consultant, coach, speaker, artist, and author. He's also a karaoke champion.
Superpowers:
Coaching & problem solving
Community development
Group facilitation
Listening & empathy
Virtual event programming
Team:
Community Experience
Mindy Peters
Solutions ManagerMindy is an ardent learner who loves to solve problems, analyze data, and is generally an enthusiastic nerd. She excels at making blanket forts for toddlers and cats, and talks about Minnesota a lot.
Superpowers:
Training & Support
System Integrations
Data Analysis
QA & Compliance
Technical Troubleshooting
Bringing the Enthusiasm
Team:
Innovation
Nōn Wels
Community ManagerNōn is the empathetic heart of the team who channels his compassion for others into meaningful customer experiences and moments. In his free time, Nōn is on the mic recording episodes of his podcast, You Me Empathy, or attending to his many animals.
Superpowers:
Communications
Community Management
Customer Support
Testing & Support
Writing & Editing
Team:
Community Experience
Ray Sylvester
ProducerRay is a writer and editor with a background in market research, consulting, ecommerce, health, technology, and movement education. He's an accomplished independent book editor, as well as a Feldenkrais practitioner and movement teacher.
Superpowers:
Writing
Editing
Research & Analysis
Dry Humor
Deep Cleaning
Team:
Production
Sara Jane Hess
Senior ProducerSara Jane (affectionately “SJ”) is a former Apple Genius with a knack for solving pesky problems, a gift for building deep relationships, and a spunk for just about everything, except perhaps her husband’s retro shoe collection.
Superpowers:
Relationship Building
Customer Experience
Business Operations
Human Resources
Culture Development
Team:
Podcasts
Team Flynn
Inspiring and entertaining entrepreneurs to motivate purposeful action.
The members of Team Flynn support Pat’s personal creations as well as his personality-driven brand. We work on for publishing projects (like Superfans), Pat's industry event (FlynnCon), his mastermind, and anything else touching the Pat Flynn brand.
Pat Flynn
Founder, CreatorPat is the man who started it all. He is a family man who also happens to be the creator of SPI as well as a bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, industry influencer, and startup advisor. Oh, and he’s the world’s biggest Back to the Future fan.
Superpowers:
Entrepreneurship
Public speaking
Community building
Relationship development
Marketing and media
Team:
All teams 🙂
Jess Lindgren
Executive AssistantJess is Pat’s right-hand gal, who handles all of his needs, great and small. She helps run Pat’s personal programs, including workshops and FlynnCon. When she’s not supporting Pat, Jess loves practicing yoga, traveling the globe, and basking in the glorious San Diego weather.
Superpowers:
Executive administration
Brand experience
Event coordination
Office management
Problem solving
Team:
Administration, Events, Workshops
Where We Work
We proudly embrace the ideals, diversities, and dynamics of remote working because we believe that distributed workforces play an important role in the future of work, life, and society.
Columbus, Ohio at Industrious
HQ is home to SPI’s business and operations command center. Matt and several team members work out of this location, which is optimized for collaborations across business functions as well as with service partners that are local. It’s a versatile location in the lively Short North district where the team rallies once a year for its annual strategic planning summit.