Balancing mental health as a CEO, with Ted Lau, CEO of Ballistic Arts

After over a decade of smooth sailing for Ted Lau, everything seemed to go wrong in his business at once: his partnership dissolved, a client filed a lawsuit, he underwent an audit, and he experienced high rates of turnover. The stress piled up and he had a mental breakdown. Ted sought help and his doctor advised him to take a few months off; but as a business owner, he knew that was a near-impossible task for him. So he took small breaks. Ted reflected and pivoted his business and in turn, his company found more success than ever before.  In this episode, Ted tells us how empathy changed his life — and business— for the better. Ted owns Ballistic Arts, a high-touch lead-gen digital marketing agency focused on helping B2B companies get leads. Ted and others started the company in a room above his parents' garage not long after graduating. Using Ted’s cold-calling know-how the team got off the ground and slowly found more and more clients. Ted takes us into his childhood and how his upbringing in an immigrant Chinese family shaped his attributes as a leader. And they discuss how seeing his workplace as his home negatively affected his employee relationships.You’ll also hear how Ted’s agency stands out from the rest, offering both creativity and data. Learn more about Ted Lau and Ballistic Arts You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on Twitter @carolbschultz , LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolbschultz/, and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verticalelevationinc/