James Graham of Community Phone: How Pivoting From Retail Stores to Landline Alternatives Saved Our Startup

As a part of our series called ‘Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A CEO’ we had the pleasure of interviewing James Graham.

James Graham is the founder and CEO of Community Phone, a Boston-based company transforming the communications industry by offering an easy and affordable solution to traditional wired landline service. The company specializes in providing nationwide phone service to those geared towards those with special needs, small businesses, rural residents, municipalities, and older adults. James has been recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30, and is a Thiel Fellow. He lives in Boston and grew up outside Milwaukee, where he fell in love with the internet and the people he met through it.

Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

From a very early age I enjoyed computer programming and gaming. That’s where I found a community and really established a connection with people who shared similar interests. So I guess you can say I was drawn to technology as a child and that interest only became stronger.

When I was 11 or 12 and I sealed boxes with hot glue and applied a corn absorbent product. I made $4 an hour and we got free Taco Bell. As a kid, that was awesome. I liked getting a little bit of money so I could run game servers. I was very serious about that, and considered the game servers my real job.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I value experiments, In fact, I encourage them at Community Phone. And with those experiments often come mistakes. But I would rather make a mistake and say I tried something new than never step out of my comfort zone. And when mistakes are made, self-forgiveness plays a very important role because it will let you move on.

Come to think of it, Community Phone was founded on what could be considered a mistake. After spending time with my grandmother, I realized that she and others were getting taken advantage of by big phone companies. So we took tables out to the streets of Boston and Milwaukee and had to convince people we weren’t selling religion, we were selling SIM cards and better customer service. We had some success with that and figured out how to take over a retail store without paying rent, and that was our business model. Then COVID came along and said that that wasn’t our business model. We took our team down from 12 to 3. We wandered around in the dark asking,”Why am I here?”

Then we surrendered to people who kept asking us for a land line when we were selling a cell phone. At first, I was resistant. I tried to convince people they didn’t want a landline, they wanted their landline number on a SIM card. But that’s not what they wanted, so we were forced to change course. And that’s how Community Phone came to be.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My wife is my rock. We’ve been together for 8 years, and she has supported me through all the highs and lows, both professionally and personally. I’m so fortunate to have a partner who is happy to talk with me about Community Phone over anniversary dinners. It’s her unwavering support that has helped me get to where I am.

Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader?

I learned the hard way that hiring family members doesn’t always work out for the best, and can certainly make for some awkward Thanksgiving dinner conversation when a family member is also an ex-employee.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a CEO or executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what an executive does that is different from the responsibilities of the other leaders?

A CEO provides advice and guidance to other leaders, who, in turn, share that guidance with their teams.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive? Can you explain what you mean?

There is a myth that CEOs know everything. However, CEOs are the ones who are furthest from the customers, so we rely on our teams to keep us plugged in to customer needs. So it’s actually fair to say that CEOs know the least about their company’s customers.

Do you think everyone is cut out to be an executive? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful executive and what type of person should avoid aspiring to be an executive? Can you explain what you mean?

Not everyone is cut out to be a CEO. I’ve learned that key traits that make CEOs successful are the ability to make (and learn from) mistakes, the willingness to admit that you don’t know everything, and the drive to inspire employees at all levels to think outside the box without fear of repercussions.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

75% of Americans aged 75 and older rely on landlines to keep them connected to the world around them. For this segment of the population, landlines are a lifeline. With recent legislation, now customers are receiving notice that their landline service will end or cost up to 150% more if they don’t opt to switch to cell or internet service. For older adults and small businesses, this is devastating news. Many landline alternatives require internet, but households that don’t have internet can’t use internet-based landline services. The service offered by Community Phone helps seniors keep their landlines, and their phone numbers (some of which they’ve had for decades), which alleviates the stress associated with unfamiliar (and expensive) technology.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.

My journey as an entrepreneur has been defined by overcoming obstacles, one after another, some of which seemed insurmountable. But I’ve found if you always get up off the mat and keep putting one foot in front of the other, you can make your way out of even the toughest moments

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

About the Interviewer: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA was born nearly blind, crippled with club feet, partially deaf, and left-handed. He overcame all of these obstacles to become a successful civil trial lawyer. In 2000, he abandoned his law practice to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity, and he executes his calling at many levels. He is an award-winning author, teacher, and trainer. He is a highly experienced mediator. Doug’s work carries him from international work to helping people resolve deep interpersonal and ideological conflicts. Doug teaches his innovative de-escalation skill that calms any angry person in 90 seconds or less. With Laurel Kaufer, Doug founded Prison of Peace in 2009. The Prison of Peace project trains life and long terms incarcerated people to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. He has been deeply moved by inmates who have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. Their dedication to learning, improving, and serving their communities motivates him to expand the principles of Prison of Peace so that every human wanting to learn the skills of peace may do so. Doug’s awards include California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year, Purpose Prize Fellow, International Academy of Mediators Syd Leezak Award of Excellence, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals Neutral of the Year. His four books have won a number of awards and commendations. Doug’s podcast, Listen With Leaders, is now accepting guests. Click on this link to learn more and apply.