Nitin Bajaj

Hey, everyone. Welcome to The industry show. I’m your host, Nitin Bajaj. And joining me today is Megan Driscoll. Megan, welcome on the show.

Megan Driscoll

Thank you so much for having me.

Nitin Bajaj

Pleasure is all ours. So let’s start with The big question. Who is Megan?

Megan Driscoll

That’s that’s something I’m still figuring out at 43, but, I would say, personally, she is very joyful, very committed to living life to the fullest, very ambitious, definitely, loves to try new things, loves travel, loves eating out, loves spending time with her boyfriend and her family and very close group of chosen family. And professionally, I’d say that I’m, you know, pretty ambitious. And, you know, I think as I’ve gotten older, what that really means in terms of career success has actually started to, evolve and and change a little bit.

Nitin Bajaj

Thank you for sharing The. And, I think I resonate with a lot pretty much all of it, especially the later part of you know, we start defining our motivations, our ambitions, and start to crystallize The, And that brings us that clarity and focus so we can go and achieve those things. So really appreciate you sharing that. Tell us more about Evolve MKD and, especially what your mission, your vision is, and, then a little bit, about the impact, that you’ve been able to create with it.

Megan Driscoll

So I started Evolve MKD back in 2014, and it is a public relations and digital marketing agency that focuses in on health care, beauty, and lifestyle clients. I think the thing I am most proud of is that, you know, I started it from 0, and I’ve been able to create 30 jobs, from nothing, and, have, you know, helped a lot of people kind of grow their careers, decide that this is what they wanna do, help some people decide this is not what they wanna do, and go on to find the thing that’s a better fit for them. And when I opened Evolve, I think, you know, we saw a couple areas of opportunity. 1, you know, I’ve just always been very committed to high touch client service. I think how you make people feel, especially right now, it’s very important. And, you know, just as important as the level and quality of work that you’re putting out. I also think, like, as a female owned agency, working on a lot of brands that primarily hit women, and help define either their definition of what wellness looks like or what beauty looks like. You know, I think being owned by a woman and employing mostly women, we bring a unique perspective, to that and to different kind of life phases that women women go through because my staff, ranges in age from 22 to 75. Show we kinda hit everything. And then we do a lot in cash pay medicine, which I think, you know, fortunately or unfortunately, as our health care system in the US, changes, may become, you know, more and more the way people choose to kind of receive and do their health care. And so we know kind of what that looks like, how to reach that consumer, you know, what what the downside could be there and kind of marketing to that that folks and kind of how to expand and diversify to bring more people access to cash pay medicine.

Nitin Bajaj

Thanks for sharing that. You know, the one thing that comes to my mind as you were sharing the work you’ve been doing is you’re doing well while doing good. So it’s an extremely important space. Health care is, I would say, messed up, in this country.

Megan Driscoll

Yeah. to Put it lightly.

Nitin Bajaj

Show, I’m sure you’re seeing this more from the front lines as, both from the provider perspective, but also from the consumer’s perspective. And, it scares me a little bit when we start talking about, being able to have these treatments in cash, which I would imagine a major portion of the population here will not be able to access or afford. So It

Megan Driscoll

yeah. I think it’s challenging, and it hits on a lot of different, I think, issues with our system. You know, I think the regulatory environment, while very important, I think we saw during COVID, you know, needed to be sped up and was in long overdue need of an overhaul in terms of how drugs are approved and how quickly they’re approved. And I think while, you know, making sure drugs are safe and effective is very important, it’s also very important that, people have access to treatments that they need, quickly. And, you know, I think sometimes the mechanisms we have in place are so focused on, you know, even safety sometimes at the expense of efficacy that what ends up happening is that people have to go outside, The countries and to do to get some of these treatments, and, and doctors are hamstrung by some of the regulations. Consumers can’t get the information they need. So I think it’s, it’s a system that that needs needs some changing to keep it both fair and equitable, but also to keep innovation, you know, at the forefront.

Nitin Bajaj

So true. And you rightly said it. I was being modest in calling it a little messed up.

Megan Driscoll

Yeah.

Nitin Bajaj

But, I’m glad that, you know, you’re in the mix of these things because you are helping provide, bring the providers to light and helping the consumers, come to them and get the right care, they need at the right times because that’s one of the thing that, you know, I’ve known of a few stories where, not getting the right kind of health care has put families into trouble, and then getting it too late has put them through bankruptcy. So neither of those are desirable.

Megan Driscoll

It’s no. And I think, like you said, even for physicians, you know, they have a so much of their time now is spent, you know, filling out insurance forms and, you know, dealing with malpractice. And, obviously, we need, like, those protections, but there’s probably a a middle ground where we can get physicians, like, back to really medicine being The normal

Nitin Bajaj

I know.

Megan Driscoll

Focus as opposed to, like, the business side of medicine since most of them did not go into become a doctor to do anything other than, you know, help people. So

Nitin Bajaj

Yeah. Well, thank you for getting these passionate service oriented people back to what they should be focusing on, which is helping people. So really appreciate what you do. I’m very curious to hear, yeah, as we talk about all of these different challenges in the system, what is the one big challenge you are facing?

Megan Driscoll

So I would say the the number one challenge that, we face at Evolve and have for a number of years is really staff. You know, it’s finding people who are passionate about what they’re doing, who have experience in public relations, and or digital marketing. We also have a a research and analytics team. You know, this business is hard. It’s a client service business. It’s you know, as you know, it’s, like, 247. Mhmm. And so it takes someone who is not only very good at their job, but also who is very good at boundary setting.

Nitin Bajaj

Mhmm.

Megan Driscoll

So you can have, like, a full life while you’re also, like, working very hard. So I think those two things can live, like, at the same time. So I would say that just makes staffing a little tough, and then what makes it tougher is that we’re very entrepreneurial. You know, we’re a team of about 30 people, so we’re so small. Show you have to be kinda good at a lot of things, which I think makes, you know, makes recruiting for Evolve a little harder than, some other agencies out there.

Nitin Bajaj

True. But one thing I have to say is you set a great example on both maintaining a good work life balance and also being deeply passionate and good about the things you do. So, leading by example.

Megan Driscoll

Yes. I think that’s well, that you have to I think as The leader, you have to model model the behavior for other people’s other people to follow. So when I go on vacation, I really try to, like, totally take the time. I mean, as the owner, it’s hard to do that a 100% of the time, but I do a pretty good job. Like, I really check out, because if I can do it, then there’s really no excuse why everyone can’t.

Nitin Bajaj

Yeah. That’s that’s a great leader. Right? Doing the difficult thing, but making sure that the team can adapt and follow and having them having them kind of, tow the line when it comes to balance The things. On the flip side of challenges come opportunities. What’s the one that’s you you’re most excited about?

Megan Driscoll

So opportunities, we have a lot of great things kind of coming our way right now. We launched, earlier this year, a campaign with our client, the cord blood registry, featuring Chrissy Teigen. And so she, you know, was our spokesperson, is our spokesperson. And it was a fully it is a fully integrated marketing campaign. So it has earned media elements, it has digital marketing elements, it has research elements. So kind of it really hits on all the things that we do at Evolve and do really well. And it was great because we actually I mean, yesterday, she get had a a surprise announcement, where she announced that she just gave birth to another baby via surrogate, and we were able to work with her team to have both babies bank, with CBR. And, you know, she’s been so great to work with and and really helping us to educate, parents to be about, you know, the possibilities that could exist with stem cell and make with stem cells and making sure that you’re, you know, keeping that option as an option for your child.

Nitin Bajaj

That’s wonderful news, and, kudos to congratulations to her and kudos to Yatin.

Megan Driscoll

Thank you.

Nitin Bajaj

Yeah. I wanna take a look back in the rear view mirror and, have you share with us 2 instances. 1, where there was success and that was beyond your imagination and things took off, more than you had anticipated and expected. And on the other end, something that did not work out to your expectations and became a failure and was a lesson.

Megan Driscoll

I would say, I’ll start with the success first. I think, what I’m most proud of at Evolve is we give 10% of our profits to charity, every year. So we have donated more than $1,000,000 to charities in the US, for the 8 years we’ve been open, and I think that speaks, The, I’m just so proud that we’ve given that much to

Nitin Bajaj

Thank you Show.

Megan Driscoll

And I think I didn’t I think I took that for granted a little bit when I started, you know, how how hard this is and how hard it is to kind of do it year after year and and continue growing at a pace that that is sustainable and doesn’t get get away from you. So that is something like, I never thought I would have 30 employees. I never thought you know, I just rented my second office space. I never thought I’d even have a first one. Show, I think that that whole thing has just been, continues to be really, like, exciting and surprising, for me. And then on the failure side, there’s a lot of The, and I would say that, unfortunately, that’s probably the time the things I spend the time focusing on the most are the failures, because they tend to kinda stick with you longer. One of the ones that happened a few years ago that I thought was it started out as a failure, but it ended up being a great lesson is we, pitched this big new client.

We ended up being one of the final two agencies. They did not pick us. And I was very disappointed. I really thought we had it in the Bajaj, And I ended up sending just a note, to kind of the president of the company at the time because we really hit it off and connected, and we’ve actually since become, like, really good friends through this whole experience. So that was a benefit. I gained an unexpected friend. But, you know, she gave me the feedback that the agency that we lost to pitched her that they had all these capabilities in house, and they could do all these things. And, and I was very honest. She asked me the same question in our meeting, and I said, nope. We don’t do all those things in house. We do these 6. And these other 4 you’re asking about, we have freelancers for. We contract The workout because I believe you wanna be honest. Yeah. Like, 7 months later, she actually called me again and told me that the other agency had, like I don’t wanna say lied, but had basically not been as straightforward. And so they had signed up with someone that basically didn’t really tell them the truth and that did, like, damage that really wasn’t fixable, to the long term health of The relationship, and they ended up kind of parting ways, like, shortly thereafter. And so for me, it was a great lesson that, you know, I’m playing the long game, so I’d rather be a woman of my word and have my reputation intact, than do something that is a short term win but has long term, you know, potential for real damage.

Nitin Bajaj

Yes. Again, kudos to you for having that courage. As you said, this is not an easy business. And when you lose a customer or client where, you know, a slight of words could, make it for you. It’s extremely important to keep your integrity. But also, you know, to me, this is all about relationships. Right? People do business with people. And, yeah, you could win a transaction, but you’re gonna lose out in the long term as you rightly said. So

Megan Driscoll

Yeah.

Nitin Bajaj

Really appreciate That’s

Megan Driscoll

just not like that.

Nitin Bajaj

Yeah. It’s it’s not worth it. And, yeah, it’s extremely difficult, especially when you’re so young in the journey, and you could just say certain things, get the business, and The, you know, this is in the startup world, it’s a very well known thing that people throw out, fake it till you make it. You can’t fake chips. So

Megan Driscoll

No. You can’t. And I’ve also, one of the things no one tells you is that saying no, takes discipline.

Nitin Bajaj

Yes.

Megan Driscoll

Because sometimes, like, no is actually the right answer for the long term health of your business.

Nitin Bajaj

Yes. Well, that brings us to my favorite part of the show, the one line life lessons. I would love for you to share some of your life lessons with us.

Megan Driscoll

Yep. So I thought this is a great question. I’ve never gotten asked this before, but my first one, which is actually Evolve’s kind of mission and credo that we live by is be kind, don’t suck, because I think kindness, is just so important. I think there’s not enough of it out there, and I you never regret being kind to someone. And I tell that to my staff all the time. Being kind is not the same as being nice, because you can be kind, and the thing you’re doing is could not be nice, but could be in everyone’s best interest. So there’s definitely a difference there. And then not sucking is just, I think, it’s pretty self explanatory. Like, just do your best, whatever your best is that day, and things typically turn out, you know, turn out better. So that’s number 1. Number 2, which is one thing my mentor has always told me, which I find really funny, if your mouth is moving, you’re not listening. And I always think about that because, staying curious in conversations and really listening, you get far more information you get information beyond what someone is just telling you. You get a lot of other things that are unsaid, and that’s very valuable as an entrepreneur. The other one is, normal is boring.So I definitely, you know, I never never wanted to be, like, normal and, like, I always wanted, like, a different kind of life, and I feel that that my business and opening The, especially as a woman, has kind of facilitated that. Don’t let the fear or fear stop you. I think fear, is something that’s very paralyzing for a lot of people, and and one of the things that I’ve had to learn and actually, like, practice is letting fear become a motivator for me, so acknowledging the thing I’m afraid of, but then doing it anyway, because anything worth doing usually is, like, a little bit uncomfortable at first. And then the last thing is the best revenge is not to be, like, your enemy. So I think, especially in business, you can, like, look at what other people are doing and spend a lot of energy worrying about them, but really, you know, I come from a place of abundance. Like, I think there’s enough for everyone. So, like, why waste energy worrying about other people? Like, just focus focus on yourself.

Nitin Bajaj

Love it. Love every single one of them, and I resonate a 100% with, all of The, especially, you know, as as a child growing up. I remember this 7 up was coming into India, and they had this really awesome campaign. A character, I believe it was called Fido. And I saw this thing where the character is upside down, and the line said normal is boring. And I always thought that it really resonated with me. I joke with people I meet at events. I’m always outside. I can never sit in. And I say, I was always an outstanding student. And that normal is boring very much resonates with me. So, Megan, thank you for sharing your journey, your story, and your The line life lessons with us. Hardly congratulations to you on your success. As you said, your your organization is 8 years young, but you have accomplished a lot. And I’m sure there is a lot more to come here in the next few years, and we’d love to bring you back on and talk about many of the success stories. Thank you so much.

Megan Driscoll

Yeah. Thank you so much. This is so much fun.