Launch Partner Spotlight: Bill Wallace
“LET’S GIVE BACK TOGETHER.”
As we’ve been navigating these trying times, the CityCentral team has been brainstorming ideas on how we can help DFW businesses thrive when the time is right. With the help of our amazing partners, we came up with our latest idea, LAUNCH. The LAUNCH program is not just space, but a set of tools to help you either launch or re-launch your business. Over the next few weeks, we will be talking to our partners in the LAUNCH program who are ready to tell you why they are excited to give back to DFW businesses.
Owner and founder of Success North Dallas, Bill Wallace is partnering with the LAUNCH program to provide membership to SND to our members. For more than three decades Success North Dallas has been helping Texas business leaders make meaningful connections. Over the years SND has helped its members start 92 companies, published over 130 books, and created over 1,000 jobs. Bill made time to speak with us about his history, business strategy, and what LAUNCH members can expect from Success North Dallas.
“I LOOKED FOR WHAT PEOPLE DID NOT LIKE [ABOUT NETWORKING] AND I ELIMINATED ALL OF THAT.”
Bill Wallace founded Success North Dallas in the Spring of 1988. Spurred by the advice of his mentors, he held his first Success North Dallas meeting with fourteen local Texas entrepreneurs at a pancake breakfast. His first few meetings he and his team identified what was frustrating about networking and built Success North Dallas to address those issues. Immediately, Bill made roughly 30 percent of the group women and asked all SND members to refrain from hawking business cards, constantly pitching their services in meetings, or try to upsell their company at speaking events. His goals with Success North Dallas are simple, networking should aim to build a genuine mutually beneficial relationship between parties.
“CONNECTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE, FOR THE RIGHT REASONS, AT THE RIGHT TIME.”
Since that humble first meeting, Success North Dallas has grown to average roughly 180 attendees per meeting. Inarguably, Success North Dallas can attribute its high turnout to its dedication to making actual connections for business leaders. While it is certainly beneficial that Bill uses his connection to invite industry leaders from around the world to speak at SND’s monthly meetings, it is his personal approach to networking that truly sets Success North Dallas apart. Bill is undoubtedly old-school, the qualifications for membership to Success North Dallas have always been a firm handshake and a desire to give back to the men and women of the community. Bill likes to say all he does is put two people together, however it is more than that. Bill and Success North Dallas make the effort to put the right two people together, to cultivate the connections that will be best for all involved parties. Those connections, the genuine connections, according to Bill can only be made face-to-face.
“IT’S NOT WHAT YOU SAY, IT’S HOW YOU SAY IT”
As a firm believer in the importance of face to face connections, the isolation encouraged in response to COVID-19 has proven to be a new challenge for Bill and the SND Team. With more than thirty years of service, Bill and Success North Dallas remain adaptable and committed to servicing the business community to the best of their abilities. During the weeks of social distancing, Bill has made efforts to stay connected to the community through his "Just Sayin’” series. Additionally, Success North Dallas has been making preparations to host their monthly meetings virtually if necessary. Looking to the future, Bill recognizes that even once the crisis has passed, members may not be immediately comfortable attending social events. Still, the goal remains to keep the community connected, comfortable, and prosperous; and so every option that helps Bill connect members of the community and benefit their business is an option he is exploring.
“[THE BEST ADVICE I CAN GIVE] IS GET A MENTOR. IF NOT ONE BETTER YET TWO.”
It could be said Bill believes the key to success, regardless of the goal, is to surround yourself with as many positive influences as possible. He believes so deeply in the importance of connections between people that he has literally made it his business. Bill's motivation for joining the LAUNCH team and providing Success North Dallas membership to all in the program is because he has always had a passion for helping new businesses make the right connections to find success. According to Bill, new businesses find success based on the quality of the team associated with the business more than on the quality of the idea of the business itself. It is the goal of both Bill and CityCentral that the LAUNCH program serves to build the best teams and connections for all LAUNCH members. We are committed to build the strongest business community possible and to providing the right connections for our community to find success.
