Ellis Winstanley was 12 when his parents told him if he wanted his own bedroom, he had to build it himself.

He's been building things ever since. Restaurants he turned around while still in college. El Arroyo, with their famous sign that now makes a million people smile every day. A whitewater rafting route. A 58-acre resort in New Braunfels. And Axial Shift, a software platform built on the idea that hospitality people should be doing hospitality, not admin work.

His words: "We build things that are worth owning."

From meeting his wife while working in a West Campus UT bar, to hiring while most were laying off people in the midst of a global pandemic, and working with Emily Knight and Texas Restaurant Association to legalize margarita delivery, this episode covers so much ground!

Learn more about Axial Shift: https://axialshift.com/

Ten days after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, she was alone, no safety plan, no contacts and no evacuation plan. Julie Colombino Billingham had quit her job, sold her Florida home and landed in Port-au-Prince with only $7,000 in her pocket. Many days, she only ate an avocado and drank a single coca-cola.

THE PIVOT POINT: It came when a woman grabbed her arm: "I don't want your water, I need a job." As a trained disaster responder, she experienced the brutal truth: handing out free aid destroys local economies by undercutting local businesses and local job.

JOB CREATION: That moment shifted Julie’s focus from temporary aid to job creation and ultimately building an off-grid factory making beautiful handbags and accessories by hand. I’ve already bought one. Loved it so much, another is on its way.

JULIE’S IMPACT: Her stories are absolutely heart wrenching at the same time inspiring. A few of my favorite moments:

• The Mindset: Her co-founder Jolina, after losing everything: "We're going to take back everything that the earthquake stole."
• Operational Grit: After four stolen generators, Julie converted the entire facility to solar power to survive total infrastructure collapse.
• The Scale: Today, a native executive team is tackling a 79% regional unemployment rate and selling products in Nordstrom.

From Loss to Legacy is Julie’s new book. Please take a look!

Deux Mains: https://deuxmains.com

REBUILD Globally: https://rebuildglobally.org

Julie's book, "From Loss to Legacy": https://www.amazon.com/Loss-Legacy-Fashion-Business-Haitis-ebook/dp/B0FYBJ3WRN

"I don't like mission statements on walls… they have to live in the hearts and minds of the people." — Fred LeFranc

Think about that for a second.

How many companies have beautiful words framed in the lobby and a working culture that says the opposite?

On this week's episode of The Business of Joy, I had the joy of talking with Fred LeFranc (aka "The Chaos Strategist”), founder of Results Thru Strategy.

We dive into:

🧠 How pattern recognition helps him stay calm when companies are in chaos

❤️ The "guest journey" — why memorable experiences are activities fused with emotion

🤖 Staying relevant in the age of AI (hint: it starts with curiosity, not fear)

🎨 Why he wears colorful jackets, and what a client's judgmental comment taught him about personal branding

#BusinessOfJoy #ChaosStrategist #Leadership #PersonalBranding