Scaling Success With Life Surge’s Joe Johnson’s Insights on Overcoming Business Challenges

Life Surge, a rapidly growing faith-based organization focused on personal and professional development, has experienced significant expansion under the leadership of CEO Joe Johnson. In a recent interview, Johnson shared insights into the company’s journey, challenges faced, and strategies for scaling successfully.

Founded with the mission to inspire, transform, and equip individuals to “serve their lives God’s way,” Life Surge has become a prominent player in the Christian business space. Johnson, who traces his entrepreneurial roots back to his teenage years, brings a unique perspective to the organization’s growth strategy.

“In the last three years, we have grown over 46,000%,” Johnson shares, highlighting the company’s meteoric rise.

Such rapid expansion inevitably brings challenges. Johnson identified the company’s primary hurdle as managing its growth effectively. “Our growth in terms of size and scale, our revenue growth, the number of events, the number of people that we’re reaching has been astronomical,” he explains. “Being able to scale with that growth in an effective manner has been our No. 1 challenge.”

To navigate these growing pains, Life Surge has employed several strategies. One key approach has been fostering a culture of entrepreneurship throughout the organization. Jeremy Nosek, chief strategy officer at Life Surge, emphasized the importance of creating an environment where employees feel empowered to take risks and innovate.

“How do you actually create a culture of 200 entrepreneurs?” Nosek asks. “The answer is you have to give people the space to fail. They can’t be afraid to fail because the second that happens, the pace slows down, decision-making slows down, and you’re working out of fear and punishment more than you are [out of] possibility and moving things forward.”

This entrepreneurial mindset is reflected in Life Surge’s core values, which Johnson summarized using the acronym SURGE: Surge-obsessed, Uniquely entrepreneurial, Results-driven, God-centered, and Excellence-focused.

“We are obsessed with people surging their lives God’s way,” Johnson describes. “We’re obsessed with surging our own lives. We are obsessed with that continuous improvement whether it’s in our personal lives, in our career, or in a business.”

Life Surge’s Innovative Strategies for Scaling Success

Another crucial element of Life Surge’s scaling strategy has been its commitment to in-person events, even as many companies in the industry shifted to virtual platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnson described this decision as “doing hard things” when others were moving away from physical gatherings.

“In 2020, most of our industry said events are dead and are never coming back again,” Johnson recounts. “We looked at it and said, ‘No, it’s actually the exact opposite. What used to be a red ocean full of competition is now a blue ocean with no competition because everybody overnight left it.’”

Taking the road less traveled has paid off for Life Surge. The company’s gatherings now attract thousands of attendees, with Johnson citing a recent Seattle event that sold 8,000 tickets. The focus on in-person meetings aligns with Life Surge’s emphasis on community-building and transformative experiences.

As the company continues to scale, Johnson highlights the importance of innovation in its business strategy. Life Surge is continuously developing new products and services to meet participants’ needs. Nosek outlined plans to expand offerings beyond its current trading and real estate education products, including a forthcoming “Business Surge” program.

The company is also exploring ways to extend its reach to markets that may not be large enough to support full-scale Life Surge events. This includes developing virtual versions of their events that still prioritize community-building and interpersonal connections.

Johnson emphasizes the need for constant adaptation in the fast-paced personal development space. “In our industry, there are so many changes and you have to be able to see where is the industry headed,” he states, drawing an analogy to hockey legend Wayne Gretzky’s approach of anticipating where the puck will be rather than chasing it.

As Life Surge continues its growth trajectory, Johnson remains focused on its mission and impact. That means focusing on the thousands of people who attend its live, in-person events.

“Life Surge brings together leading voices in faith and finance to inspire, equip, and transform our attendees,” Johnson said. “Our goal is to develop a generation of marketplace ministers that know God and make him known in all marketplace ecosystems. We want to create an influx of generosity and stewardship in the Christian community to impact those around us and, ultimately, God’s kingdom here on Earth.”

As Life Surge navigates the hurdles of rapid growth, Johnson and his team remain committed to their core mission and values. By fostering an entrepreneurial culture, anticipating industry trends, and staying true to its focus on in-person community-building, Life Surge aims to continue scaling success in the competitive personal development landscape.

“I firmly believe that Life Surge will be a city on the hill leading the movement of a lifetime,” Johnson added.