{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Founder-Led","title":"Why Your Biggest Competitor Might Be Your Client: Insights from Sonya Locke","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1822,"description":"In this episode, we sit down with Sonya Locke, CEO and Founder of EDS Service Solutions, to unpack how she built a 7,000 person workforce organization across 150 locations and rebuilt it after losing 95 percent of revenue overnight during Covid.Before scaling EDS, Sonya won the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award and built a workforce model that supports aviation, hospitality, transportation, and automotive operations across the country with a four pillar foundation.What we cover:➜ How EDS came back from 27 million to 100 million in 18 months➜ The four pillars that anchor every workforce engagement➜ Why your biggest competitor is the client doing it themselves➜ How saying no to underpaid jobs protects long term partnerships➜ Why proactive multiple touchpoints beat one account manager➜ How to lead through transparency, ownership, and shared bonuses➜ Why hiring your replacement is the path to your own growth➜ How AI can accelerate back office work without replacing the human touch➜ Why empathy is her unfair advantage as a CEOIf you're a founder, operator, or workforce leader scaling a service business across multiple locations, this conversation will reset how you think about culture, retention, and the operational systems that hold up under real pressure.Recommended Resources:➜ Sonya Locke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonyalocke/Connect with Rohan:https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohankarunakaran","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/WYR2QMfPuZsbuEcZHdPGHcmbu6Ydimb5lhz_KTSAu5U/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8wYWQ3/MWIzYzBlMDcyNDFi/MGZiMDdjMjZjZGE5/MzdhOC5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}